Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 12)  The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has recommended to the Justice Department the filing of graft charges against former Customs chief Isidro Lapena over 105 containers which were allegedly released with irregularities.

NBI said former Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena and an unknown official under his leadership must be charged with graft over the release of containers filled with tiles in March. The containers from China, worth at least P69 million, were recovered eventually.

In its 34-page complaint dated November 7 and issued on Monday, NBI flagged the former Customs chief's move to issue Manual Alert Orders even if the bureau's electronic system was fully functional. The "electronic-to-mobile (e2m)" system was put in place to improve security, efficiency, fight corruption in the Customs.

"He even failed to interpose objections to the release of the shipments despite lacking document. The manifest indifference of Lapena has led to the release of the shipments, escaping revenues that the Republic of the Philippines is entitled to," the NBI memorandum read.

It added, "These signifies the intention of Lapena to cause injury to the government and took advantage of his office."

Customs only allows the issuance of MAOs when the automated system is inaccessible, for unmanifested shipment, fo entries of informal entry; and for export cargoes.

"Lapena could not deny that the MAO was issued by his office in violation of the established use... Lapena also deliberately violated the memorandum that he himself approved... despite being the subject of the continuing alert and the absence of any documents to support or be the basis for its release... The invalidity of the MAO was made more apparent by the fact that Lapena failed to make a 'Special Stop' Order, considering that he is the Alerting Officer," it said.

Port operator Asian Terminals, Inc. (ATI) was able to have the shipments released even though the manual alert orders were not lifted, allegedly showing forged memoranda that approved the release of the shipments. Customs found that 103 of the 105 containers were released without clearance on March 17.

Lapena in March said alerted shipments are subject to full physical examination and only his office is allowed to authorize the release of alerted shipments.

"Unfortunately, the ATI has allowed the release of the containers without proper clearance from my office," he said.

NBI said Lapena must be administratively charged with gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct for not complying with Customs' rules. It added this warrants his dismissal from service.

Lapena denied the allegations, saying the NBI was not able to unmask the real villains behind the illegal scheme. He said if he did not issue 22 Manual Alert Orders, the unlawful release of the 105 containers wouldn't have been discovered.

He questioned why he was being persecuted when he was the one who unmasked the modus that may have been going on before he assumed office in August 2017.

"It is unclear to me why would NBI find negligence on my part when I was the one who alerted the containers. Based on existing procedure in the BOC, the release of containers from a certain port is the responsibility of the concerned officers of that port. I was hoping that their investigation would lead to finding out the truth and the people who connived to release the 105 containers from the terminal," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Lapena defended himself by saying criminal cases have been filed against 53 personalities involved in the incident for their failure to follow procedures.

He left it up to the Department of Justice to file charges if it deems it necessary.

In October, Lapena was "promoted" by President Rodrigo Duterte to head the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority  a Cabinet post  amid the supposed P11-billion shabu shipment that slipped past Customs.Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

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Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349Everyone with any kind of political opinion has things to protest  and they do, said Art Spitzer, legal co-director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia. On this committee alone, there are several on the Republican side who are consistently pretty attuned to the Constitution and, we hope, will be pretty concerned about the constitutional impact a rule like this would have.Marc E. Elias, an election lawyer representing those who challenged the design of the districts, noted in a tweet: This is the 3rd time SCOTUS will hear cases related to VAs unconstitutional gerrymander. We have prevailed in each of the first two and expect to again here. What is most important is that the voters of VA have constitutional maps in time for the 2019 state house elections.Trump is more vulnerable to them because black women are the political constituency that is the least persuaded by anything he has to say, Crenshaw said. They know that a vote for Trump is not a vote for the working class because no group is more working class than them. So, it is not surprising that at the very moment people are starting to recognize that black women are onto something, he sets out to undermine their intelligence and professionalism.

David Neeley of Berry Creek, Calif., and his 10-year-old daughter, Faith, wait at the Red Cross evacuation center at the Church of the Nazarene in Oroville, Calif., on Tuesday after they fled the Camp Fire in their town. As of Tuesday evening, the Camp Fire has burned 125,000 acres and has claimed 42 lives, making it the deadliest wildfire in California's history. (Mason Trinca/For The Washington Post)

A few hundred members of the frantic exodus from Paradise ended up here, in the large hardscrabble parking lot of the Church of the Nazarene.

There are campers and pickup trucks, their beds filled with pet and human food, bottles of water, blankets and toys. Dogs roam between the cars where, early Tuesday, people reclined in front seats to sleep. Camping tents dot the parking lot.

The neighbors who fled the Camp Fire, now the deadliest in state history, did so together. Now on this patch of dirt they have re-created their old neighborhoods, which sit an hour or so up the hill and probably have been reduced to ash.

[Death toll rises in Californias Camp Fire, making it the deadliest wildfire ever in the state]

But no one knows for certain. That is the enduring anxiety at this and other evacuation centers where tens of thousands of residents have ended up.

The fate of their towns, where some here have lived for decades, is now a mystery. What has happened to friends and family is a mystery. The identities of the 48 people who died in the Camp Fire are a mystery, given that forensic testing is needed on most of the victims to determine who they are.

What becomes of Paradise, once residents are allowed back in to witness the comprehensive devastation firsthand, is a mystery. Many here just simply do not know how bad the damage is.

Were just hearing so many different stories, and many of us have no idea whether our homes are still standing, said Erin Finafrock, 33, who fled with her roommate Thursday morning from the Pleasant Pines RV Park in Magalia, a town near Paradise. Were really up in the air here.

As the Camp Fire expanded Tuesday to the northeast, fire and rescue crews searched the ruins of Paradise and nearby towns for bodies.



A large wildfire plume from a recent flare-up near Lake Sherwood, Calif., is visible from Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Tuesday. (Amanda Myers/AP)

Two large fires also continued burning north of Los Angeles, and officials said the Woolsey Fire, which has torched parts of Malibu, has now destroyed more than 80 percent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area  a large swath of protected urban parkland that is home to hundreds of animal species and native plants.

There is no rain in sight at either end of the state.

Fire and rescue officials here expect the death toll from the Camp Fire to rise as the slow search work unfolds in the weeks ahead. More than 200 people remain unaccounted for, some of them probably huddling in shelters, waiting.

Until the work is complete, no one is allowed into Paradise.



The Red Cross evacuation center in Oroville has become a gathering place for those who had to flee Paradise and surrounding towns. (Mason Trinca/For The Washington Post)

Many people who have landed at the Oroville evacuation center expect they will have nothing to return to after the fire. (Mason Trinca/For The Washington Post)

People here have become online sleuths, scouring Facebook pages for any amateur video shot as the fire tore through town. They work their cellphones to check on friends and relatives. Some have been told it could be weeks before they can head back up the hill.

Id never owned a cellphone in my life, but I finally had to buy one two days ago, said Harold Crouch, 55, who was born and raised in Paradise. And then the first person I called on it told me I was on the sheriffs missing list.

Crouch fled the Pine Grove Mobile Home park with his neighbors, Jessica and Ian Franklin, who have set up their tent and a pair of pickup trucks next to him.

A man from Shasta County wanting to help visited the evacuation center a few nights ago and gave the Franklins a camper that fit the bed of their truck. Virgil, their 14-month-old son in onesie pajamas, played in the tent as his parents and neighbor figured out what to do next.

The Franklins and Crouch know their homes did not survive. As they drove out of their neighborhood Thursday morning, first ash, then burning embers rained down on them. The direction of the wind and proximity of the flames made clear their homes were doomed.



Ian Franklin, of Paradise, hangs out with his 14-month old son, Virgil, at the Red Cross evacuation center in Oroville. (Mason Trinca/For The Washington Post)

Crouch was not insured against fire. But he will return to Paradise, where he manages a pharmacy, and seek federal emergency assistance. His company also has established an employee relief fund.

Some of our neighbors have already told us, Were out of here, and will not be going back, Crouch said. For me, its my home, its where Ive been happiest. Im going back.

The Franklins will, too. They were insured and Ian Franklin is a fourth-generation Paradisian. There is no place else for him.

We go back, we rebuild, he said.

Those pledges, while heartfelt, are provisional. No one in this parking lot has seen the destruction, a town utterly annihilated by flame. More than 7,000 buildings have been burned, most of them homes in and around Paradise.

We think were going to be okay, but we dont really know, said Jeanne Neeley, who fled with her husband and 7-year-old daughter, Faith, from their home in Berry Creek, southeast of Paradise. The family has been told they probably will not be allowed back into their town until Nov. 30.

In the meantime, Faith, who is avidly following the fire news on social media and through word of mouth, is building a tent. There are also seven dogs to care for, many of them puppies. The Neeleys have given four of them away since arriving Thursday night.

These people just lost their dogs in the fire, so were happy to give them some of these guys, said David Neeley, an auto mechanic whose employer was spared by the fire.

The generosity is widespread.



Doug Chandler pets his dog, KC, as his girlfriend, Jackie Humphreys, waits for word on their homes condition. (Mason Trinca/For The Washington Post)

This time Chandlers landlord helped the family. He gave them his RV, which the Chandlers might be living in for the next week or so. KC, the familys Australian shepherd, curled up on a patch of artificial turf on the doorstep.

The first day or so it was shock and awe, said Chandler, 60, who served in the Army for a dozen years. The next days were fear and sadness. Now its just frustration with not knowing anything and not being allowed to return.

Finafrock moved into her mobile home in Magalia five months ago. She left Oakland, hoping, as she put it, to find a better quality of life.

And I found it here, she said. The people are so much kinder.

Many of her neighbors surround her small yellow car, where she sleeps and, on this morning, has scattered an assortment of yogurt and bananas for people to take. But at least three of her neighbors are missing and unaccounted for, worrying the whole group of them here.

Even as a newcomer to the region, Finafrock intends to return and rebuild  especially now, she said.

Im closer than I have ever been to these people, Finafrock said. When you go through a traumatizing event like this as a group, you come together.It had been four days since the midterm elections, three days since seven of their friends were gunned down at their favorite bar and two days since catastrophic twin blazes had formed a ring of fire around this Southern California community. The second tragedy of the week had somehow dwarfed the first. Outside Borderline there was a memorial, but it was scant: a floral cross and a small group of votive candles on the street corner.The school said last week that someone in the auditorium sent the image using the AirDrop function of an Apple device during the Friday assembly. The incident happened after racist graffiti that included swastikas was found at the school over the past two weeks.Todays Headlines

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By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy PolicyCongressional Democrats have made it clear they intend to investigate the Trump administration, with President Trump responding that Republicans might retaliate by investigating House Democrats, although it is unclear whether that is to be done by the administration or just the Senate. That response shows, unsurprisingly, a misunderstanding and defiance of the Constitution. Congressional oversight of the executive branch was assumed by the framers of the Constitution and formally recognized by the Supreme Court more than 90 years ago, with Congresss use of its contempt power recognized almost 200 years ago. It is a means of both keeping the administration in check and determining what new legislation might be needed.But Trumps behavior, not unlike Washingtons winter at Valley Forge, should be seen in a patriotic light  a selfless sacrifice for the good of the country. Consider the international disgrace the United States would have suffered if his hair were to have become matted by rain without adequate measures to protect it. Or if wind gusts had whipped his mane into an orange tornado swirling above a sparse white scalp. A soaking could have been calamitous. (This explains why he sent his bald chief of staff, John F. Kelly, in his place.) Trump, therefore, absorbed the losses at Belleau Wood and on the Champs-Elysees to prevail later, at Suresnes American Cemetery, after receiving hair spray reinforcements.Mohammed bin Salmans apologists whisper that he has been chastened by the backlash against the Khashoggi murder; that his wings have been clipped; that his militant advisers have been replaced by older and wiser heads. If so, there is no evidence of it in Yemen. On the contrary, the Riyadh regime is all but spitting in the face of one of its last defenders  the Trump administration, which has been trying to protect the crown prince. On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Mohammed bin Salman and reiterated the United States calls for a cessation of hostilities, according to the State Department. But at the same time, Mr. Pompeo continues to pretend that Mohammed bin Salman can hold all of those involved in the [Khashoggi] killing responsible  even though the crown prince himself is a prime suspect.It is also evident that one of the greatest obstacles in Democrats path to power at every level of government is their failure to compete in large swaths of rural America. Even as a blue wave washed over the suburbs last week, Republicans maintained a significant advantage in rural areas that are heavily populated by white voters without a college education. Some Democrats attribute their struggles in these areas to racism and cultural resentment, but many rural activists blame the party, not the people who oppose it. They invested nothing, they built no bench, one local party leader told Nation correspondent John Nichols in 2016. They dont even send signs anymore, which are a staple of rural politics.It also might have been easier for voters to assess. Ballot initiatives, by their nature, are not ideal formats for implementing complicated new policies, since voters get only a yes-or-no vote. Washingtons proposal was asking voters to assess both the value of the new tax and the value of the new spending, about which they may have been skeptical.Overall, its a happy ending to a story that might well have concluded with extreme partisan gerrymandering continuing unchecked, thus making it harder for federal judges to resist taking on the subjective task of deciding how much partisanship is too much  under a Constitution that does not enshrine proportional representation in the first place. And that would be a formula for the politicization and corruption of the federal judiciary.When those arent viewed out of context, they prove everything I have said under oath regarding my interaction with Dr. Corsi is true, Stone said, adding: It is possible to take individual communications out of context to create a false impression to a grand jury. Such a case would be weak and would fail.Jane Sanders has been informed that the U.S. Attorney in Vermont has closed its investigation of the Burlington College land deal and has decided not to bring charges of any kind, Weaver said in a statement. Jane is grateful that the investigation has come to an end. As she has said from the beginning she has done nothing wrong, and Jane is pleased that the matter has now come to a conclusion.The news comes amid broader turmoil within the Trump administration following last weeks midterm elections. Trump last week forced the resignation of Jeff Sessions as attorney general, and on Monday, The Washington Post reported that the president has decided to remove Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Kellys own future within the administration is shaky as well.Pelosi has yet to secure enough votes among her caucus to ensure that she will be reelected as speaker when the new Congress convenes Jan. 3. But the longtime Democratic leader is working aggressively behind the scenes to rally members behind her bid, with the first test of her support likely to come Wednesday, when Democrats will debate a change to party rules.The threat to cut off federal funding while the fires are very much burning is unconscionable for the president of the United States to say, said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.). Its adversarial at the very worst time. Every state in the nation and every territory of the United States should be able to count on a sympathetic president who is trying to do everything he or she can in times of natural disaster, and it should be true whether the president is a Republican or a Democrat, or the state is red or blue.So far, courts and state agencies are resisting Scotts demands to intervene in the recount. In Broward, a state judge on Monday rejected Scotts request to have ballots and machines not used in the recount be impounded, admonishing him to ramp down the rhetoric and let elections workers do their job. The secretary of state, which is in charge of monitoring elections, has said the office has found no evidence of criminal activity.It has been 30 years since Democrats held a Senate seat in Arizona. In remarks after she was projected the winner, Sinema said her victory was a rejection of name-calling and petty personal attacks, and she paid tribute to a Republican, the late senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), who died of cancer in August.In the 6th Congressional District, which wraps around the east and south sides of Denver, Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) had survived multiple attempts by Democrats to defeat him. The district is highly diverse, from classic suburban housing developments to areas populated by immigrants from all over the world. More than 100 languages are spoken in the schools in Aurora, in Arapahoe County. Coffman was constantly attentive to those communities. He also sought to keep the president at arms length when he felt it was necessary, rhetorically at least if not in his voting patterns.In the interview with French radio station Europe 1, Macron called for a true European army in part so that the continent would not have to rely on the United States for defense. He noted that Russia is at our borders and said he would like to start a security dialogue with the nation.The official, Ding Xuedong, did not specify how long the delay would last. But the interview, which was published in English and Chinese by the official Xinhua News Agency, was cheered by international conservation advocates who saw it as an acknowledgement by Chinese leaders that they made a misstep.Most lawmakers in the opposition Labour Party are expected to vote against the plan if and when it reaches Parliament. Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said: We will look at the details of what has been agreed when they are available. But from what we know of the shambolic handling of these negotiations, this is unlikely to be a good deal for the country.We were terrified. All the children in the house were screaming. The terror was in the eyes of everyone around us, said Hafez Haboush, 29, who lives next to the internal security building. After seeing these scenes and fear in the eyes of the children, I became aware that I do not want to have children so I do not suffer from losing them in Gaza.Although Saudi Arabia sent its senior prosecutor to Turkey last month for what it called a joint investigation, the Saudis shared no information and appeared only interested in learning what the Turkish investigators knew, the official said. Since the prosecutors return to Saudi Arabia, the kingdom has not responded to Turkish requests for information on 18 Saudis arrested in the case, including the results of any interrogations of those detained. That includes information on the disposal of Khashoggis remains, which have not been found.Guzman, who faces the possibility of life in prison, has been held in solitary confinement in one of New York Citys most fearsome prisons  the frosted glass in his cell providing light but no view of the outside world. Jurors will be escorted to and from the courthouse by U.S. Marshals  their identities, like some witnesses in the case, kept secret out of fear they could face retaliation. One juror dropped out Tuesday, citing anxiety, and attorneys spent most of the day selecting new alternates. Multiple people expressed fear about serving on the jury.The American decision is in the framework of putting pressure on Hezbollah by naming its leaders son, more than any other reason, because Jawad is not involved militarily in the party, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Nasrallahs family.One of the things that both Russia and the United States should agree on is that innocent Americans, or innocent Russians, for that matter, should not be held hostage and should not be held against their will, he said. We continue to call on the Russians to exert whatever influence they can in Syria to bring Austin home.Many of the migrants plan to apply for asylum in the United States, which means waiting, perhaps for days or weeks, to be processed at a port of entry. When large groups of migrants have shown up in Tijuana in the past, such as more than 15,000 Haitians who arrived in 2016, many lived in shelters or tent camps as their claims were slowly processed, and thousands ultimately settled in Mexico. For all those who apply for asylum, only a small percentage receive it.A man who told gardai his partner died after falling down the stairs was charged with murder when a post-mortem showed she had injuries inconsistent with a fall, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Vincent Heneghan SC opened the trial of 32-year-old Renars Veigulis of Old Bridge Street in Freshford, Co Kilkenny who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Rita Apine (29) at their home on or about May 14, 2017.

Mr Heneghan told the jury of seven men and five women that both the accused and deceased are from Latvia. Mr Veigulus came to Ireland about five years ago, followed six months later by Ms Apine, and in 2016 they moved to Freshford, about 20 miles from Kilkenny City.

At 12.18pm on May 14 last year Mr Veigulus phoned an ambulance and said his partner had fallen down the stairs. When paramedics arrived they noted a lot of blood on the deceased and severe head injuries. They resuscitated Ms Apine at the scene and took her to hospital but she died later that day.

A garda at the scene noticed blood spatter that he did not think was consistent with a simple fall down the stairs and an investigation began. A forensic team found further blood spatter which they say is inconsistent with a fall and evidence that blood had been wiped from a wall prior to the arrival of paramedics and gardai.

Mr Heneghan said forensic scientists examined Mr Veigulis's clothing and found, on his top, evidence of blood spatter which was not consistent with the version of events he put forward. A post-mortem by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan showed that the deceased had suffered severe blunt force trauma that is not consistent with a fall down the stairs, Mr Heneghan said.

During garda interviews, the accused maintained that Ms Apine died as a result of the fall. "That is the matter that you will have to resolve," Mr Heneghan told the jury. The trial continues in front of Justice Tara Burns.It was likely caused by exposure to asbestos at age 17, when he worked one summer in a brick kiln in his native Canada. Mrs Edwards said her husband, an environmentalist, firmly believed people should have the right to manage their own death. His research on the topic consumed his last months. Jessica and Jan Edwards voiced their frustration at Mr Edwards' death at a forum on end-of-life choices. Credit:Dean Sewell In his final weeks, he couldn't leave his bed and felt "overloaded" by his pain medication, which he felt worsened his physical and mental incapacity. It sent him into a downward spiral. "I remember the night we all went into a spiral. He couldn't shower himself, his sons had to give him a shower."

Mrs Edwards said the pair's relationship had grown "stronger and deeper and softer" after her husband's diagnosis. His final three weeks "almost undid that". Loading "There was just so much anger and fear and pain and negativity. I know how soul-destroying it was for him to have to go through that for no good reason. "It just made it a really bad end." Mr Edwards had predicted his own struggle. In a video, filmed for the forum less than a month before he died, he said he'd been told his condition would "get worse and worse and worse".

"I will slowly turn into a frail, pain-ridden person who has to be manhandled to the wash room and all of the things you have to do for someone who is totally incapable. "Surely I have the right to make my end as good as it can be." He died 26 days later, on February 16. He was 67. Euthanasia advocate Dr Rodney Symes joined health professionals and assisted dying advocates to address more than 400 people at the weekend forum, run by Dying with Dignity NSW and the Voluntary Euthanasia Party NSW. "Doctors, by and large, can recognise and understand physical suffering but I think they're very poor at recognising psychological and existential suffering," he said.

NSW Nurses and Midwives Association president Coral Levett said it was "worth fighting for" provision of better end-of-life choices, including the option of voluntary assisted dying. "We need to ensure the right balance is achieved and all sides of the debate are well considered." Jessica and Jan Edwards were on the discussion panel with euthanasia advocate Dr Rodney Symes and other health professionals. It was moderated by assisted dying advocate Andrew Denton. Credit:Dean Sewell State MPs in NSW voted down a controversial bill to introduce voluntary assisted dying laws last November, while legislation that passed in Victoria will make it a reality in that state by mid-2019. Palliative Care Australia board chair Jane Fischer said it was important that communities talked about how to live well with a life-limiting illness, and how to approach death and dying in Australia.A Caboolture woman charged with placing needles in strawberries, triggering a nationwide food tampering crisis, has been refused bail.

My Ut Trinh, 50, appeared calm in the dock after spending the night in custody.

She was arrested on Sunday night after a protracted investigation into the sabotage of three Queensland strawberry brands, and was charged with seven counts of aggravated contamination of goods, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

Ms Trinh was an employee of the Berrylicious strawberry farm in Caboolture, north of Brisbane, working as a supervisor.James Gargasoulas. His upbringing was pretty average for the demographic in Coober Pedy in the sense that most people in that town still to this day still do it tough ... His was not really any harder than others per se, said Matty Graham, who has known Gargasoulas since school. Life with his mother and brother in Melbourne  where they lived in commission housing  was often squalid and sometimes violent. Angelo is gay and Gargasoulas, according those who knew him, disliked homosexuals for what he perceived as their effeminacy. By 2016, aged 26, Gargasoulas was a party boy with a taste for drugs and a growing list of criminal convictions for theft, burglary, assault and driving offences. He had fathered three children, with a fourth on the way.

He seemed destined to amount to nothing more than a criminal nuisance. A homecoming Over the years Gargasoulas would often return to the desert town of 1700 people, where baking temperatures meant residents had to tunnel into the earth to build comfortable housing. When he arrived in 2016, Gargasoulas was once again escaping trouble in Melbourne. Hed been charged with drug and driving offences and, later, failing to appear in court while on bail. He rented a low-slung brick dugout on a patch of bare red dirt on the edge of town. Parked out the back was the ramshackle caravan that was one day supposed to carry the expectant couple around Australia.

The home rented by Gargasoulas and his pregnant girlfriend Maria in Coober Pedy. Credit:Chris Vedelago The main thing I can tell you is less than a year ago [before Bourke Street] he seemed perfectly normal and was more interested in getting his caravan ready for a holiday, said his friend Matty Graham. When I helped with the caravan all he wanted to do was get it all repainted and re-decked ready for a trip so if he decided they were going away they could just hitch up and go. Maria, whom locals described as soft-spoken and always polite, genuinely believed at first that Gargasoulas would be able to sort himself out. She worked as a receptionist at a local caravan park, while Gargasoulas did the occasional auto repair job for cash and sometimes worked at an opal mine his father ran.

James Gargasoulas. One of the few constants in Gargasoulas life was his obsession with cars  tinkering, hooning, and eventually, stealing them to use in wild chases with police. Growing up, he was always more interested in doing stupid shit in cars and trying to make them faster  I remember going against him in a burnout comp one year and he blew his gearbox up trying to compete with everyone else, Graham said. Since the Bourke Street tragedy, Gargasoulas social media profiles have been largely erased from the internet. But one early YouTube account still in existence includes the video Deathbox Burnouts from June 2007, a recording Gargasoulas made of a friend doing wild, smoking circles on the highway outside Coober Pedy.

Friend Tina, who met him the year before Bourke Street, described him as a really, really good mechanic. But Gargasoulas seemed unable to make anything of the skill beyond the occasional repair job. Jimmy told me the plan was to settle down with his girlfriend and have a bit of a life, another local said. Instead he was always off with his mates, messing around. He didnt stick it out, he wanted instant results. The couples attempt at a normal life didnt last long, mainly because Gargasoulas had developed a powerful taste for methamphetamine. Ice by the truckload Its not known when Gargasoulas first tried ice, but it blossomed into a massive problem during his time in Coober Pedy.

Gargasoulas was smoking a gram of ice a day. The town may be located more than 800 kilometres from a major city but drugs such as meth, speed and marijuana arrive there literally by the truckload, smuggled along the Stuart Highway from Adelaide to Darwin in the massive road trains that supply lifes necessities to desert communities along the route. Coober Pedy police declined to comment when visited by The Age in February 2017, but one local said: Is ice a big problem here? Bloody oath it is. Ice is typically sold in one point bags, or a tenth of a gram, which is enough to get a user very high. At his worst, associates said Gargasoulas was smoking up to a gram a day. This is more than enough to turn even a hardened users brain to mush, which is how its been described by those who had to deal with him.

Gargasoulas would turn up to a friends home or a local pub in Coober Pedy in a daze, jabbering and ranting. Hed often have driven there. Hed come in, talk at me non-stop for 30 minutes then take off. Then hed wander back an hour later and had no idea hed just been there, said a long-time family friend, who has known Gargasoulas for more than 15 years. He was completely f---ed up. I kept telling him to eat it, not to smoke it because it was cooking his brain. I tried to warn him but he said he had it under control. When he wasnt high, Gargasoulas was still lucid enough to make the 16-hour drive between Coober Pedy and Melbourne without incident. One associate recounted the story of when Gargasoulas had stolen some power tools. He was stopped by a passing Coober Pedy police officer, but Jimmy convinced the cop, with a totally straight face, he was just helping a friend move.

Eventually, doing odd jobs couldnt support his frantic drug habit, so Gargasoulas also became a dealer, often selling to Aboriginal youths who would turn up at his house in a steady stream, locals said. Those who knew him as a teenager described him as friendly and funny, kind-hearted or a nice bloke and a good mate who had a larrikin-like wild side, particularly when behind the wheel of a car. But those who knew him while he was deeply into drugs said he turned nasty when he smoked ice, and sometimes became uncontrollable. Jimmy started going more and more feral, one said. This man described an incident during which Gargasoulas bashed three men who gatecrashed a party at his house.

Locals also said there were violent arguments between Gargasoulas and Maria, who was becoming increasingly frustrated with his behaviour. I once passed by the fence when there was a blue going on. Jimmy saw me and started screaming: Youre nothing but a mob of sheep and Im gonna kill you all.  Mad or bad? Gargasoulas underwent two mental competency investigations in the Supreme Court before he was declared fit to stand trial for the Bourke Street massacre. Both heard the same evidence about his diagnosis  paranoid schizophrenia  and the content of his delusions: that he was the second coming of Jesus, a saviour destined to rescue humanity from annihilation by a comet, his conflict with secret society the Illuminati, and so on.

The first jury could not come to a decision after days of deliberations. The second took just hours to find him fit to stand trial. At his criminal trial, the prosecution and defence agreed that at the time of the Bourke Street massacre Gargasoulas was suffering from a drug-induced psychosis. The diagnosis is meaningless at law, as Justice Mark Weinberg pointed out to the jury that heard the six charges of murder and 27 charges of reckless conduct endangering life. Gargasoulas is led into court on June 19. Credit:AAP You should know that delusions brought about by the use of drugs, self-induced drugs, such as ice, provide no defence to any criminal charge and do not affect criminal responsibility, Justice Weinberg said.

The consensus among Gargasoulas friends and associates is that he never showed obvious signs of mental illness before he took up ice. I knew him in a good way and a bad way, said a former friend from St Kilda. When I met him five or six years [before Bourke Street] he was extremely confident, loud, fun, maybe a little too wild. He started to take a bad turn around 2012-13. Smoking ice. Then he started speaking about the Illuminati, God and the devil, that sort of thing. Some friends in Coober Pedy, after Gargasoulas had been named as the Bourke Street killer, traced his actions back to the ice. I cannot believe this happened. This is not him. Obviously its the drugs, said friend Tina.

There is no way that this was premeditated as opposed to drug-fuelled, friend Matty Graham argues. Jimmy did what he did because he chose to, a local said. If hed pulled his finger out and made a genuine go of it, things in Coober Pedy might have turned out very different. Whatever the reason, Gargasoulas attempt to straighten his life out was a dismal failure and Maria left him. After returning to Melbourne in October 2016, Gargasoulas began a spiral of rampant drug use and wildly dangerous driving that would eventually take him into the Bourke Street Mall on January 20, 2017.

The return to Melbourne Gargasoulas began staying at the K2 housing commission flats in Windsor with his brother Angelo and his mother, Emily. Police were frequently called there over violent altercations between family members. Angelo also had a great deal of trouble with the police in 2016, racking up a series of assault, damage, theft and family violence charges. It was a drop-in centre for drug-f---ed idiots and a constant source of problems, a police source said.

Gargasoulas had told his friends in Coober Pedy his return to Melbourne would only be temporary, but as the weeks stretched out he never went back to the desert town. Im sorry. Im stuck in Melbourne until I figure out a few things. ''My bro stole my car, that one white one. And f---ed all my plans. And I saw Maria, he texted to Tina on October 30. James Gargasoulas did doughnuts outside Flinders Street Station minutes before he murdered six people in the Bourke Street massacre. The next day, Gargasoulas embarked on a months long crime spree that would see him steal three cars, and commit more than a dozen serious driving offences, assaults and thefts in the lead up to Bourke Street.

Hooning and dangerous driving became Gargasoulas trademarks, bringing him into increasing conflict with police. Among them were incidents eerily similar to what would unfold on the day of Bourke Street, including Gargasoulas running intersections and speeding down the wrong side of the road in order to escape police. He became well known to law enforcement in the St Kilda and Windsor/Prahran areas for his dangerous driving and willingness to taunt officers into trying to chase him. Jimmy believed his superpower was going down the wrong side of the road. When he was in a car he believed he was indestructible, a police source said. Around Christmas 2016, Gargasoulas boasted to a friend that he had escaped from police three times the night before.

During his criminal trial, the court would hear that days before the massacre, Gargasoulas had also begun threatening to use his car as a weapon to run people over if he was chased by police again. The jury took less than an hour to find Gargasoulas guilty of six murders. At the time, family members described Gargasoulas ice consumption as heavy. On the day of the attack, after he had nearly killed his brother with a kitchen knife and was being hunted by police, Gargasoulas told a friend hed been smoking the drug and warned: Im going to do something drastic. Take everyone out. They can suffer the consequences. Watch me. Youll see me tonight on the news. The police have stopped me before but they aint gonna get me this time. Ill make you believe me.London: A member of the British Parliament's home affairs committee is calling for the introduction of Australia's tougher counter-terrorism laws to deal with the recently released Islamist hate preacher Anjem Choudary.

Urged to follow Australia's example: Sajid Javid Credit:AP

Choudary was convicted in 2016 for inciting support of Islamic State. He was released midway through his sentence last month. He will be monitored around-the-clock and face heavy restrictions on his use of the internet and phone.



John Woodcock, a former Labour MP and member of the Commons Home Affairs select committee has written to Home Secretary Sajid Javid, urging him to follow Australias common sense approach, saying further detention would keep the community safer and save the authorities an estimated 2 million ($3.6 million) in surveillance costs.

But in an extraordinary attack on the leader of his former party, the now independent MP doubted Theresa May's government would be able to rely on Labour to copy the Australian Labor Party's approach to national security, saying that under Jeremy Corbyn, British citizens would be at greater risk of harm because of Corbyn's far-left extremism.Washington: Shortly after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed last month at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, a member of the kill team told a superior over the phone to "tell your boss," the operatives had carried out their mission, according to three people familiar with a recording of Khashoggi's killing collected by Turkish intelligence.

The recording, shared last month with CIA Director Gina Haspel, is seen by intelligence officials as some of the strongest evidence linking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist whose death prompted an international outcry.

Implicated: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Credit:AP

While he was not mentioned by name, US intelligence officials believe "your boss" was a reference to Crown Prince Mohammed. Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, one of 15 Saudis dispatched to Istanbul to confront Khashoggi, made the phone call and spoke in Arabic, the people said.

Turkish intelligence officers have told US officials they believe that Mutreb, a security officer who frequently travelled with Crown Prince Mohammed, was speaking to one of the crown prince's aides. While translations of the Arabic may differ, the people briefed on the call said Mutreb also said to the aide words to the effect of "the deed was done."Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13)  The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Tuesday vowed to act immediately in resolving the controversial garbage shipment issue in Mindanao.

This comes amid reports that tons of garbage-filled containers entered the country last July without any government-issued clearance.

"Hindi natin hahayaang humaba ang [isyung] ito," (We're not going to let the issue linger on), said DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda.

Dozens of container vans carrying about 5,100 tons of garbage arrived at the Mindanao Container Terminal last July 21 aboard the vessel MV Affluent Ocean.

The consignee, a certain South Korean company Verde Soko Industrial Corporation, was not recognized as an authorized importer of recyclable materials, DENR said.

Initial findings revealed that the shipment contained used dextrose tubes, used diapers, batteries, bulbs and electronic equipment.

The department added it is now conducting a waste analysis and characterization study of the shipment, and that authorities will take "appropriate action" once results are released within the week.

The undersecretary bared that should the shipment contain hazardous contents, the DENR will "recommend its return to the country of origin" and will also file administrative and criminal chargers against concerned parties.

Meanwhile, Iligan City Representative Frederick Siao criticized the entry of the huge garbage shipment in the country.

In a privilege speech Monday, Siao demanded the consignee Verde Soko to facilitate the return of the garbage to South Korea.

"We want all the officers and supervisors of Verde Soko Philippines Industrial Corporation arrested, charged, and undergo trial for violating our laws. We want these culprits on the hold departure list to prevent their escape through our international airports and seaports," Siao said in the statement.

The solon also urged the Environment Department, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Interior and Local Government to file administrative as well as criminal charges against their own personnel who approved and processed the permits of Verde Soko.

Siao added the DENR should also review and revise the department's rules and regulations, following the unauthorized entry of the shipment.

'Violation of environmental rights'

Meanwhile, some environmental groups decried the entry of the garbage shipment.

EcoWaste Coalition, an environmental health and justice organization, urged the Philippine government to implement a ban on the importation of waste plastic.

"Why do we keep on accepting garbage from other countries when we know that our country's plastic waste, which is literally everywhere, is spilling to the oceans and endangering marine life?," said National Coordinator Aileen Lucero in a statement.

"It's high time for the Philippines to disallow garbage imports and to demand that developed countries, as well as manufacturers of plastics and other disposable goods, take full responsibility for their products throughout their whole life cycle," she emphasized.

Eco-group Ban Toxics also condemned the plastic garbage shipment, saying the incident "clearly violates the environmental rights" of the residents in Tagaloan town, Misamis Oriental.

The group cited how the incident defied the Basel Convention, an international treaty that discourages the transfer of wastes from developed countries to developing ones.

"Now is the time for our government to forbid garbage imports from developed countries, and to protect the Filipino's rights to attain the highest possible quality of life and optimal health," the group said.We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to formWe attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message.GREENWICH  Customers heading into DiMare Pastry Shop to order a cake or pie, pick up their favorite cookies or get the famous cannoli nachos are also spying a less-than-appetizing surprise: A large FOR LEASE sign in the front window.

But lovers of baked goods should not be too worried.

The shop is closing its doors after 42 years in the Riverside Commons Shopping Center on the Post Road, right off Exit 5 on Interstate 95. But it will stay open through the holiday and until mid-January  when a new Greenwich location should be ready. The lease is up on Feb. 1.

The DiMares, who will also continue to operate their Stamford location, are hoping to have the new Greenwich shop picked out by the end of the week.

Were not leaving, were just downsizing, shop owner Sabrina DiMare said Tuesday. Were going to be in the local area. We have a couple options were looking at. It will be a drop store  which means everything will be made at our Stamford store and then we will bring the product to the other locations.

That means less rent and less overhead, DiMare said. The staff from the Riverside location will be moving to the Stamford location at 12 Largo Drive South  so the same employees will be making the cakes, pies, pastries and other baked goods.

The shop is run by Sabrina DiMare and her sister, Maria. It was founded by their parents, Ugo and Bice, who are still involved in the business. Sabrina DiMare said the move was not an easy decision to make, but it was one they all decided on together as a family.

Weve been here 42 years  and the rent is just too much money so were going to downsize, DiMare said. My sister has six grandchildren, and I have two and two more coming. Our families are growing, and we work six to seven days a week. Were getting a little tired, and the rent is crazy.

The new location will be closer than you think, DiMare said. The change is emotional one for the family: There were a lot of tears when multiple generations of the family gathered Sunday at the shop for pictures.

Its a good thing, but its still sad because when I was 11, I would come here and I would sleep on the flour downstairs, DiMare said. All my childhood memories are here.

The news is still reaching some of the shops customers. On Tuesday, Joe Incorvaia said he was shocked to see the sign. Its a sign of how much the town has changed since he and his wife moved to Riverside more than 30 years ago, he said.

Its really disappointing, Incorvaia said. You see the massive commercialization of the Post Road and the loss of family businesses and it sort of strips the neighborhood of its character to some degree. Its not the Riverside we moved to.

Theres no question they will go either to the new Greenwich location or to the Stamford shop to enjoy the DiMare pastries, he said.

Customer Miki Cooperman of Greenwich found out about the move when she stopped in to order a custom-made cakes for her daughters birthday.

Its always been so convenient to come here, and you get such great personal attention, Cooperman said. They always do a great job.

Cos Cob resident Leah Marmon stopped in briefly just to make sure the shop would be open through the holidays. She also orders pastries from the shop for Second Congregational Churchs concerts.

Ive been coming here for 35 years, Marmon said. Everyone is sad about this and hoping they can find a new place. This is a regular stop for people for coffee and danish and to get birthday cakes and holiday cakes  even wedding cakes. Anything you ask for, they couldnt be nicer in making it however you want. ... People really consider this their go-to store.

Town resident Charlie Figliuolo, who popped in for cream puffs, remembered that the shop was the Alpine Bakery before the DiMare family moved in their business.

Theyre the only ones in this area, Figiuolo said. I hope they find a new location close by. I love that this place is family operated. Theyve been here for so long, and it means a lot to have them here.

Since making the announcement, DiMare said there has been an outpouring of love and support from the community. The family said they hope to serve the community for 42 more years  calling their customers a big part of the DiMare family.

Its overwhelming and very emotional, DiMare said. This bakery gives you such an adrenaline rush and buzz. We get customers coming in after theyve been at CVS or Acme or Starbucks and there can be 20 people in the store at once buying a few items as an impulse. It creates such a buzz, and Im going to miss that.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.comSTAMFORD  The first Michael Vagnone fought in the infantry during World War I. He returned to Stamford to raise a family.

The second Michael Vagnone saw combat in Europe during World War II. He, too, returned to Stamford and raised a family.

The third Michael Vagnone enlisted in the Army for a tour in Vietnam.

He was the Michael Vagnone who did not return.

A half-century later, his story has come to life in a book about Stamford residents who served in Vietnam  a war that raged in Southeast Asia and on television screens at home for a decade, provoking nationwide protest.

In the never-declared war, troops cycled in and out of Vietnam in one-year tours. Towns couldnt keep track, and little is known about who served and what became of them.

Now An American Town and the Vietnam War: Stories of Service from Stamford, Connecticut, by father-and-son team Tony and Matt Pavia, chronicles the lives of 29 residents killed in the war and three dozen who returned.

The authors will be at the Harry Bennett branch of the Ferguson Library, 115 Vine Road, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the book.

The authors dont know that theyve found everyone from Stamford who died in Vietnam  they dont even know how many served. But it is the best record they could compile using military records, websites and memorials; birth records; obituaries; yearbooks; libraries; VFW halls; Stamford Advocate archives; help from Dan Burke of the Stamford History Center; and family interviews.

They learned that the third Michael Vagnone was a handsome, talented musician who was 22 when he was killed in a South Vietnam jungle. He enlisted after studying plumbing at J.M. Wright Technical High School, graduating and working in his trade, marrying his girlfriend and adopting her three small children.

Inclined to serve

Its a misconception that few who served in Vietnam enlisted, said Matt Pavia, 38, a Stamford native and English teacher at Darien High School.

Like a lot of people, I thought the majority were drafted and went reluctantly. That turned out not to be the case, he said. Nationwide, more enlisted than in World War II.

The inclination to enlist had to do with growing up with fathers and uncles who served in World War II, he said.

They thought you graduate high school and then you enlist, he said. Its what you do when youre an American. You serve your country.

He said they believed they were doing their part to fight communism, a threat first identified by U.S. leaders in the 1950s, when communist North Vietnam began encroaching on the democratic South, backed by the Soviet Union. U.S. leaders foresaw a push to expand communism far beyond.

They sent advisors, followed by an escalating number of troops. By the 1960s, it was in the tens of thousands. At home, nightly newscasts showed soldiers burning villages where Marines had been killed, and the U.S. militarys use of napalm and Agent Orange and the effects on innocent Vietnamese. It ignited anti-war demonstrations.

Hard homecomings

The kids who fought in Vietnam were flown directly into the jungle and dropped at a base, Matt Pavia said. When their year was up, they were flown home, some still in their camouflage, directly from the jungle.

They were spat on, kicked, screamed at: Baby killer! and Murderer!

Veteran Greg Sigler told the authors how he arrived at the Port Authority Terminal in New York and saw a peace demonstration going down 7th Avenue.

I was still in my uniform, and the police stopped me and said, Where are you going? I told them, Im going to catch a cab to Grand Central so I can get home to Stamford. They said. Not like that youre not.  You cant go out in your uniform. Theyll tear you apart.

Veteran James Tessitore found it hard to be home.

It was difficult because everyone had an opinion, Tessitore told the authors. Some would say, Well, too bad you guys lost. Id want to say, I didnt see anyone give up. Nobody surrendered. But mostly I just didnt talk about it with anyone.

A city, a nation

The book includes the story of David Bland, of Stamford, who wrote a letter to the draft board explaining why he couldnt fight. It tells of Ralph DelVecchio, whose job in Vietnam was to bag the bodies of his fallen comrades, trying to match their body parts. Diane DiGiacomo, wife of Vietnam veteran Anthony, describes years of helping him cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Just from Stamford people we got a panoramic view of the war, every branch of service, from the front lines to the rear, overseas and at home, Matt Pavia said. As much as the book is about Stamford, nothing about it is unique to Stamford. Its a microcosm of the nations experiences in the war.

Tony Pavia, 64, former Stamford history teacher and principal of Stamford, New Canaan, and Trinity Catholic high schools, said the stereotype of Vietnam veterans as angry, disillusioned outlaws is a myth.

They are, by and large, exceptionally successful, the most educated group of veterans ever. They are largely selfless people who tried hard to emulate their fathers and grandfathers, and returned home to become the architects of their communities, Tony Pavia said. To this day, they express bewilderment about how they were treated. They believed they were defending the country. I think every veteran today should thank the Vietnam veterans because the country finally woke up and realized how badly they were handled, and now there is respect for veterans.

Tony Pavia said the second Michael Vagnone, now in his mid-90s, is happy his son is remembered. The Vietnam soldier is buried in St. John Cemetery with the World War I soldier, Vagnone told the authors, saying, Someday I will join them.

acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296One of the pleasures of Jamie Lloyd's ongoing season of Pinter's short works is seeing fine actors illuminate the plays. In Pinter Three, a mixed bill of 11 plays and sketches, Tamsin Greig and Lee Evans reveal themselves as perfect Pinter protagonists.

Both are natural comics, with a killer instinct for the lift and landing of a word and a line. Both bring that awareness of the precision and panache of Pinter's language to portrayals that reveal the writer's other great quality  his obsession with loneliness and the lingering mysteries of existence.

Greig has the more substantial roles. She opens the programme in Landscape, from 1969, a play in which a woman sits reminiscing about meeting a man on a beach, while a man (Keith Allen) punctuates her reminiscence with an angry tirade about daily life.

It's not just Greig's Irish lilt that makes the play reminiscent of Samuel Beckett; its themes of memory, its mood of loss, its sense of disconnect between a female and male protagonist, each trapped in their own world, also hints at the kinship between two men who developed a new kind of theatre.

Speaking into a microphone, Greig brings a rapt stillness, a sense of half-wondering inquisition to the words. In A Kind of Alaska, from 1982, the piece based on Oliver Sacks' Awakenings, she finds different colours and tones. She plays Deborah, emerging from a 29-year sleep, with drowsy eyes and a mixture of tantalised curiosity and frightened confusion as her doctor Hornby (Allen again) and her sister Pauline (Meera Syal) explain what has happened.

Pinter, characteristically, is less interested in the drama of the awakening than in the unknowability of where the woman has been. "I've been dancing in very narrow spaces," she says. Lloyd, who directs this entire programme, keeps the collisions of knowledge finely poised, but only Greig's child-woman really finds the play's haunting strangeness.

Evans, emerges from self-imposed retirement, to remind us exactly how much we have missed his vivid gifts and his perfect timing. He's wonderfully funny in That's All (1959) a fragment of nonsense which has three bearded men in blonde wigs (Evans, Allen and Tom Edden) talking about another woman. Evans' sidelong looks of surprise as he glances at the entirely silent Edden are worth the price of entry; his disgruntled shop steward in another tiny sketch from the same year, Trouble in the Works, is a masterpiece of ticks and twitches. In That's Your Trouble (opposite an increasingly enraged Edden) he squints at the world through a puzzled, obtuse stubbornness.

His most substantial role is in Monologue, from 1973, a conversation with a chair that stands for an imaginary friend and love rival. In this he uncovers all the pathos as well as the humour, leaning into the words and the sadness of disappointment.

Lloyd links the sketches in this bill, using music (which is over-emphatic) and the movement of Soutra Gilmour's cube of a set, full of old-fashioned furniture and Jon Clark's gentle light, to bring a unity to the disparate pieces.

Of the rest, which also feature Syal as an irritating evangelist in God's District (1997), it's Tom Edden's performance in Girls (1995), a brilliantly controlled, finger wagging tour de force which takes the phrase "Girls like to be spanked" in all kinds of unexpected directions that stands out.

You can see why actors love Pinter. He gives them such a chance to shine.Veterans Day was Sunday, but many schools and businesses celebrated our military Monday!

More than 2,000 people came out to downtown Manhattan to celebrate the Army veterans from Fort Riley, and those who served in other branches of military. The parade was put on by the Flint Hills Veterans Coalition, K-State's ROTC, and the City of Manhattan and Riley County. This is the 26th year for the parade.

"We have a lot of veterans in this community, let alone Fort Riley, right on our door step," said Mike Kearns, the Vice President of the Flint Hills Veteran Coalition. "And a lot of those youngsters are veterans, many deployments. It's critical to show those people that we support them and that we think that what they do is worthwhile."

Kearns says the parades also help children understand the importance of respecting veterans and it may inspire them to join the military someday.

In Topeka, a nursing home honored veterans in their care. Midland Care invited recently retired Army National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Roger Aeschliman to give a presentation on the history of the Star Spangled Banner. He says it's important for people of all ages to remember the day.

"This country was founded on the militia, people rising up to strike back against the tyranny and every year since then it's our veterans who have maintained that Liberty. Fought for it, died for it, in this country and around the world."

Aeshliman says it's important to remember what the veterans at Midland Care went through.

A Topeka high school continued to honor veterans with an assembly Monday afternoon. Chief Master Sergeant Von Burns, of the 190th Refueling Wing, spoke about his experience with the Air National Guard and how it helped him become successful in and outside of his military career.

He encouraged students to achieve their highest goals, whether that be going to college or joining the military.The Luzerne County Schools & Homes in Education (SHINE) program at Wilkes University celebrated the nationwide Lights on Afterschool project by offering a virtual Lights On! STEM lesson to its students and their families. Supplies were distributed beforehand to the students and included everything needed to make a flashlight with an LED bulb. The Zoom lesson, sponsored by UGI, explained where electricity comes, how it can light a bulb, and the history of electricity.The roots of the Borochov Dynasty musical project can actually be traced back to Winnipeg.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/11/2018 (1105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The roots of the Borochov Dynasty musical project can actually be traced back to Winnipeg.

A few years ago, the Tarbut Festivals Karla Berbrayer contacted Israeli-born jazz trumpeter Itamar Borochov about appearing at the Rady Centres annual festival of Jewish culture with his older brother Avri, a renowned bassist, and his father Yisrael, the founder of the East West Ensemble.

Borochov told her hed be delighted, but as they werent technically a band, they had no material.

But the idea continued to percolate in his head and when a festival in Israel floated the idea of a group appearance, he decided to follow through.

"After we did it, I called Karla and I said, Hey, remember that idea you had? Well, we did it, " says Borochov from Bordeaux, France, where he is performing a solo show at the Festival Jazz a Cauderan. "So Winnipeg is the original inspiration for this project."

Photo by Ronengoldman.comBorochov Dynasty

Of course, the deeper roots of the Borochov Dynasty lie in the Emirate of Bukhara, a Central Asian region (now spread over Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan) that was once home to a thriving Jewish population with its own distinct traditions of food, dress and music.

Its that music the Borochov Dynasty explores, taking sacred songs and bringing them into the present. That kind of musical melting pot is something Borochov has experimented with for years in his solo jazz career, in which he explores North African and Middle Eastern styles, but the Bukharan project is closer to home.

"Its existing music that were adapting, but were very liberal with our adaptations," Borochov says, explaining that his family has roots in Bukhara on his fathers side. "We did a lot of research, not because we had to, but because we wanted to. We wanted to really dig deep and find obscure melodies.

"Some of it is things that were always around us, like we have a song that is what we would sing on Pesach, on Passover. And then some are way more obscure. For instance, this one tune is something that I heard in a synagogue one time  I went to my great-grandfathers synagogue, and the cantor there sang this melody to a prayer and it stuck in my head. We based a whole tune around that melody that I heard only this one time."

Borochov has not visited Bukhara  as the holder of an Israeli passport, he cannot travel to Uzbekistan  but he says its a lifelong dream to travel to the city-museum, which is home to about 140 architectural monuments and whose historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bukharan Jewish music is unique, based on Shashmaqam, an Arabic genre, and reflects the many cultures that affected Bukhara over the centuries.

Ronengoldman.com photo Itamar Borochov is part of the Borochov Dynasty, which performs as part of Tarbut: Festival of Jewish Culture, on Wednesday.

"Its hard to name one distinction because its such a hybrid creature..." Borochov says. "Bukhara is on the Silk Road, so it has a very distinct influence from west China, and from southern Persia, and then in later years from the Soviet Union, which took over.

"And all of that reflects in the music and the food and the whole culture. For instance, you have things like the pentatonic scale like you have in China and then you have rhythms that are more mountain rhythms, like 9/8, 13/8, 11/8, which are more common in places like Turkey or Georgia. Then we have instruments like the accordion which is more western, it probably came from the Soviet influence. So all of that is mixed in to the music somehow."

To recreate that sound, the Borochov Dynasty uses many instruments common to Shashmaqam, including the jumbush (a Turkish banjo), the dayerah (a frame drum with jingles, played with the hands).

"Its a part of vibe, something we really wanted to maintain," Borochov says, adding that it was also important to respect the required Arabic maqams or modes  different from the scale used in Western music. To that end, Borochov uses a specially made trumpet that allows him to play quarter-tones; the group features a fretless bass for the same reason.

The lyrics  sung in Bukharan, a form of Persian Yiddish  are from devotional liturgical hymns, "so its a lot about the relationship between men and God," Borochov says.

Asked if he think devout Bukharan Jews would be offended by sacred songs being given a modern jazz treatment, he says, "I hope not."

"For us, I think music is sacred; I feel the sacredness when we play it. Although were expanding the tradition, were very much rooted in the tradition and its very important for us. The melodies, the maqam, the scales that were playing are accurate, even the pronunciation of the words  even the most die-hard Bukharans who are 95 years old will listen and say yes, youre respecting the tradition."

jill.wilson@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @dedaumier

If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more.

Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project.Bill Cosby and his wife, Camille, privately sold an iconic painting by Thomas Hart Benton called Going West earlier this year, according to gallery owners who participated in the deal.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/11/2018 (1105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bill Cosby and his wife, Camille, privately sold an iconic painting by Thomas Hart Benton called Going West earlier this year, according to gallery owners who participated in the deal.

Camille Cosby also pledged another Benton painting, The Instruction, as collateral for a loan from an art finance firm run by Asher Edelman, according to a September regulatory filing. Edelman confirmed the loan.

Beginning in the late 1960s, the couple built "the most significant collection in the hands of an African-American family," David Driskell, their former curator, wrote in a book titled The Other Side of Color. They acquired at least 300 works by artists of colour as well as those by Renoir, Rembrandt, Picasso and Matisse.

Andrew Wyatt, a spokesman for the Cosbys, said he hadnt been aware of their art sale and declined to comment. Bill Cosby was sentenced in September to three to 10 years in prison for sexual assault.

The family bought much of their collection when it was undervalued, and many of the works have since soared in value, said Buck Kiechel, the owner of an art gallery in Lincoln, Neb. Kiechel, whose specialties include works by Benton, said Going West is "arguably the greatest American painting from the 1920s that wasnt painted by Edward Hopper."

The Cosbys sold Going West during the first half of this year, according to gallery owners Chris Morse and Clay Surovek.

The buyer, whom they declined to identify, put the work up for sale in Morses Granary Gallery on Marthas Vineyard, Mass.  where Benton summered for many decades. Its now at Suroveks gallery in Palm Beach, Fla., for an upcoming exhibition on the artist.

Benton depicted daily life in Midwest America primarily after the Great Depression. His auction record is US$4.9 million for Ozark Autumn, sold at Christies in 2015.

Kiechel estimated that Going West and The Instruction have a combined market value of US$12-$14 million. Morse and Surovek declined to disclose the asking price for Going West. Cosby paid US$105,000 for The Instruction, according to a December 1978 article in the magazine Jet.

Cosby, 81, starred for eight years in The Cosby Show, once the most popular television program in the U.S. He also appeared in commercials for Coca-Cola, Jell-O desserts and Kodak film.

Part of the Cosbys collection was on loan to the Smithsonians National Museum of African Art several years ago, generating controversy for the Washington institution as accusations against the entertainer snowballed.

Some 60 women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by the former comedian, which he has denied.

 Bloomberg NewsBob Galston has been living in a retirement home for six months and loves it there, but has one question that concerns him: will his children have access to the same quality of life and standard of living?

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/11/2018 (1105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bob Galston has been living in a retirement home for six months and loves it there, but has one question that concerns him: will his children have access to the same quality of life and standard of living?

On Monday, Galston, 83, had a chance to ask someone in power.

Federal Seniors Minister Filomena Tassi was in Winnipeg to meet with seniors like Galston, who lives at Seine River Retirement Residence, and ask how theyre doing and about their most pressing concerns.

"Were very fortunate to come into a place like this," said Galston, who lives there with his partner Dorothy Talman.

"Im a little worried that my children wont be able to," he said. Theyre concerned about the lack of employee-pension plans and job security for generations that come after them, and how they will fare when they reach retirement age.

Tassi, whos been travelling across Canada hearing seniors concerns about things like income insecurity, housing, health care, isolation and elder abuse, said the federal government is doing research to come up with a strategy for Canadas aging baby boomers.

"Our government realizes its embarking on uncharted territory," Tassi said, who represents a Hamilton-area riding.

"In the 2016 census, for the first time, seniors 65 and older outnumber youth 14 and under," she said in an interview.

"The fastest-growing population in Canada is 85 and older. Its a good thing in terms of people are living longer, but what it means is that we have to make preparations to ensure that seniors are going to have lives to which they look forward. We recognize the contributions theyve made to communities, to our families, to our places of worship, to our workplaces, so we want to ensure that seniors can look forward to those years ahead."

"In terms of the future seniors  those that are coming  one initiative our government has undertaken is to increase the CPP for the first time in 20 years," Tassi said.

"My children who are 22 and 24  by the time theyre (at retirement) age  theyre going to receive a CPP pension up to 50 per cent more, so we are making those sorts of investments," she said.

"There is no question that we have to put investments in place," and Tassi said theyve already started doing that.

Lowering the age of eligibility for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement to 65 from 67 prevented 100,000 seniors in Canada from slipping into poverty, she said.

The income supplement was enhanced for the most needy, vulnerable senior singles, Tassi said, and that lifted 57,000 out of poverty.

Looking to the future, the $40-billion National Housing Strategy is a 10-year plan with a co-investment fund that ensures senior housing needs are protected, she said. The federal government has a poverty reduction strategy and is investing in research to see how to best accommodate present needs while preparing for the future, Tassi said at the seniors residence on St. Annes Road.

"My heart lifts when I walk into a place like this. Its so welcoming and so warm," she said after going for a short walk with Laurine Neufeld and a handful of residents on an unseasonably cold day.

"I like to walk outdoors," said Neufeld, who walks at least twice a day and takes part in drumming and other activities at the residence, which has a nurse on-site and transportation to shopping and appointments.

"You can be as busy as you want to be," Neufeld said. "Its a pretty neat place. Im blessed to be here."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.caDuring the United States mid-term elections, two states elected the first ever Native American women to Congress. In New Mexico, Debra Haaland of the Laguna Pueblo was elected while in Kansas, Sharice Davids of the Ho Chunk Nation was elected handily.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/11/2018 (1105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

During the United States mid-term elections, two states elected the first ever Native American women to Congress. In New Mexico, Debra Haaland of the Laguna Pueblo was elected while in Kansas, Sharice Davids of the Ho Chunk Nation was elected handily.

Both will enter the House of Representatives next year with impressive credentials. Haaland has a doctorate in Indian Law from the University of New Mexico and worked on Barack Obamas 2012 re-election campaign. Davids is a former mixed martial artist, business owner, and lawyer.

Both are Democrats.

In addition, Minnesota elected Peggy Flanagan as their lieutenant governor, making her the first Native American woman in that position and first ever elected to a statewide executive office in U.S. history. From the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan is a state politician who was the first Indigenous woman ever to address the Democratic National Convention.

There were other victories of note. In Utah, Willie Grayeyes of the Navajo nation was elected as a San Juan County commissioner. Grayeyes was first removed off the ballot and successfully sued state legislators to be put back on it, claiming discrimination. After the ballots were counted, Grayeyes became the second-ever Democratic Navajo to attain that position.

The wins by Haaland and Davids now doubles the amount of Native Americans in Congress. The others include Tom Cole (Chickasaw) and Markwayne Mullin (Cherokee) who both represent Oklahoma as Republicans.

Simon Romero of The New York Times called the 2018 mid-term election "historic," a result of "decades of grass-roots organizing, legal battles to redraw voting districts favoring white candidates, new sources of campaign money and the harnessing of visceral reactions to President Trumps use of slurs against Native Americans."

Trumps influence cant be underestimated. He has long attacked Indigenous peoples. Most known has been his mocking of Elizabeth Warrens Native American ancestry claims but he has built his career off of attacking Indigenous peoples. In the 1990s he publicly attacked tribes seeking gaming licenses, paid for political ads personifying Native Americans as drug dealers and criminals, and recently denied the land claims of Indigenous nations in favour of pipelines and other economic projects.

CHARLIE RIEDEL, FILE / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Kansas Democratic congresswoman elect Sharice Davids.

Now, as Native Americans protect their territories from a Trump-run, resource-hungry and profit-centered US government, more Indigenous peoples in decision making institutions could be a good thing.

The issue, though, is that these candidates represent parties, not nations.

While some Indigenous elected officials do try to represent their ancestral nations, these interests always pale in comparison with the interests of the state.

Take, for example, the ten Indigenous Members of Parliament Canada voted in during the 2015 election. Not one of them have radically deviated from their partys policies on any issue. Some have proposed interesting ideas that have advocated for Indigenous nationhood (Romeo Saganashs bill c-262 being the most notable) but when it comes right down to it, Indigenous nations arent represented in Parliament by Canadian parties or politicians.

In fact, at no time in Canadian history have Indigenous peoples ever appeared in Parliament as leaders of Indigenous nations.

Let me say that again: Canada has never recognized Indigenous leaders on par with leaders of Canada.

Indigenous leaders appear occasionally to receive and respond to apologies, but are not allowed to talk about anything else.

Chiefs and leaders and grassroots peoples appear in the backrooms, but the lack of presence in the one room that matters says it all.

Parliament features Canadian politicians representing Canadian ridings representing Canadian interests. Its not that good work supporting Indigenous nations isnt possible, its just that Indigenous interests are always second-tier unless they coalesce in the interests of Canada.

Hannah Foslien / The Associated Press Minnesota Lieutenant Governor elect Peggy Flanagan.

In a nation where a prime minister has vowed to ensure a "nation-to-nation" relationship with Indigenous nations takes place, there is no denying the reality that Indigenous nations are ornaments in Canadas government.

The United States is absolutely no different.

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in 1996 recommended the creation of an "Aboriginal Parliament" to represent Indigenous nations and become a governing institution alongside the House of Commons and the Senate.

This wouldnt be an anomaly. The state of Maine in the United States has designated seats in their legislature for Indigenous representatives. In New Zealand, the Maori have had reserved spaces in government since the 1800s. In Finland, Norway, and Sweden, Sami peoples operate their own legislatures and legally advise national governments.

The Cherokee Nation and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma have legal guarantees under treaty that enable them to send non-voting representatives to sit in Congress in Washington (like Puerto Rico or the District of Columbia). They choose not to, but they have that right.

Of course, minority Indigenous representation in majority-rule state governments doesnt change much, but it does mean some voices and ideas are heard. The New Zealand parliament, for example, recently passed legislation declaring that the Whanganui River catchment (Te Awa Tupua) has "all the rights, powers, duties and liabilities of a legal person."

For anything resembling reconciliation to occur, Indigenous peoples must become full and complete partners in the governance of their communities and lives. A significant and seminal part of this includes having Indigenous governments recognized by state governments and forming legal partnerships to work together in a meaningful way.

Indigenous voters have come out in droves in the United States and Canada, offering a model for how this relationship could operate. Judging by my social media feed, many Indigenous peoples show a lot of pride when voting and while being members of their nations.

Its time Canada and the United States reciprocated the commitment Indigenous peoples show every election cycle and stop making us ornaments in government.

We are more then peoples to apologize to. We are partners.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.caThe Winnipeg-based bus manufacturer New Flyer has announced plans to cut 90 local jobs and ship them to Kentucky in the first half of 2019 because of Buy America regulations.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/11/2018 (1105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg-based bus manufacturer New Flyer has announced plans to cut 90 local jobs and ship them to Kentucky in the first half of 2019 because of Buy America regulations.

The move came in response to regulations under the U.S. Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which was passed in 2015 and requires a certain amount of U.S. content in buses purchased with federal funds.

Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press files Winnipeg-based New Flyer will move 90 jobs to the U.S.

The jobs are being relocated to a New Flyer facility in Shepherdsville, Ky.

As of October 2019, the FAST act will require buses purchased with federal funds to have been built with 70 per cent U.S. material.

"Nearly 90 per cent of NFI Group Inc.s revenue comes from U.S. customers," a written statement from the company reads.

To meet the requirements under the FAST act, New Flyer first moved to source materials and parts from Canadian or international suppliers through U.S.-based companies. However, due to increased requirements for U.S. content, thats no longer a tenable solution, the company said.

"New Flyer has now had to transfer to the U.S. some of the high-dollar electrical components currently fabricated in Winnipeg," the statement reads.

"The decision was made after exhausting the external supply chain options, but given the high dollar content of the electrical components, there were no other viable alternatives."

The Winnipeg workforce was advised of the jobs cuts in October. The company employs more than 2,800 people in Winnipeg, and no further local job cuts are expected.

 staffAyla Laforte is 16, in Grade 11, and ready to commit the next seven years of her life to become a teacher.

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This article was published 13/11/2018 (1105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ayla Laforte is 16, in Grade 11, and ready to commit the next seven years of her life to become a teacher.

In February, she will be among the first 30 Indigenous students enrolled in a pilot program designed to start training teachers in high school. In 2020, 30 more will follow in their footsteps.

The students are the vanguard in a $5-million, seven-year program unveiled Tuesday at St. Johns High School in Winnipeg, the first of its kind in Canada.

Build from Within--Ozhitoon onji Peenjiiee is a co-operative venture with the Winnipeg School Division, the national Indspire Awards program, and the University of Winnipeg.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Student Ayla Laforte,talks about the Build From Within.

"Our intention is clear: to provide the pathway and opportunities for Indigenous students within the division to become education leaders without our community," WSD chief executive officer and chief superintendent Pauline Clarke said.

"The Build from Within program is a unique approach to transitioning Indigenous students through high school and into university."

The WSD, the largest school division in Manitoba, has one the highest Indigenous enrolment numbers in Canada. Fifty-eight per cent of its students identify as Indigenous, set against one of the most stubborn stats in the country: a low Indigenous high school grad rate.

In 2006, some 44 per cent of Indigenous Canadians over the age of 15 did not have a high school diploma, compared to 24 per cent of the rest of the population. By 2011, 29 per cent of Canadian Indigenous people between the ages of 25 to 64 said they had no certificate, diploma or degree, compared to 12 per cent of the rest of the country.

The Winnipeg program's first 60 students were chosen after an extensive application process that included essay writing and personal interviews a year ago. The process drew hundreds of applications from across the city.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Pauline Clarke, Chief Superintendent and CEO of the Winnipeg School Division, announces the Build From Within program at St. John's High School in Winnipeg on Tuesday.

"The goal is to take Indigenous students in Grade 10, 11 and 12, and train them to become teachers, right from Grade 11 through an integrated program at the University of Winnipeg. And eventually hire them as teachers in the Winnipeg School Division," said Shane Bostrom, Build from Within project manager.

A unique aspect of program will result in the students earning diplomas as educational assistants while they complete high school. The school division will then hire them as EAs to help them through university, giving them hands-on classroom experience and financial support.

Laforte said programs such as this open up opportunities that otherwise don't exist for many Indigenous families.

"It will change my life, and all the others who come after me," said Laforte, who credits her career ambition to teach to a local educator who inspired her.

"Thats really what encouraged me to a teacher. She built me as a person. Teachers do that for you."

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Pauline Clarke, Chief Superintendent and CEO of the Winnipeg School Division.

School division elder and traditional knowledge keeper Myra Laramee, a trail blazer 25 years ago when she took on the job of principal of Niji Mahkwa School in Winnipeg, said the training process is as unique as the program because it includes an apprentice-style Indigenous curriculum component.

"Ozhitoon onji Peenjiiee is as much (about) a traditional way of rearing teachers. The way in which the program is going to be implemented is lots of modelling, lots of experiential learning, lots of believing in them and them believing in themselves," Laramee said.

The announcement was one of two Tuesday about Indigenous education initiatives in the province.

Also unveiled was $1.8 million in federal funding to help preserve Indigenous languages, language camps, classes and master-apprentice mentorships.

The two largest beneficiaries will be will be Anishnabe Mikinack Kinamakamik, which runs the Turtle Lodge learning centre in Sagkeeng First Nation, and the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in Thompson.

The projects aim to shore up seven First Nations and Metis languages, part of a $89.9-million commitment the federal Liberals made in 2017 to be distributed over the course of three years.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.caAccording to a recent report in the Free Press, the government of Premier Brian Pallister has spent at least $16 million over the past two years on outside consultants to perform reviews and value-for-money audits on a wide range of government services and functions.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/11/2018 (1105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

According to a recent report in the Free Press, the government of Premier Brian Pallister has spent at least $16 million over the past two years on outside consultants to perform reviews and value-for-money audits on a wide range of government services and functions.

The words "at least" are important because the absolute total is much higher. That figure just accounts for major audits and studies.

These consultants who received this money have scrutinized overall government spending, the delivery of health-care services and the future of cannabis legalization, among other things. The value of the contracts has ranged from $40,000 for a legal opinion on the federal carbon tax to $6.3 million to an accounting firm to review tendering processes.

And yet, even after all this auditing and reviewing activity, one central question remains unanswered: is this government going to eventually perform a value-for-money audit on the value of all these audits?

At this point, the smart money would suggest the Pallister government isnt going to go that far. Few other governments do.

Governments at all levels have increasingly turned to outside consultants to review the operations of government with the claim that they ultimately make government better, leaner and more cost-effective. Unfortunately, while its easy to find a torrent of value-for-money studies launched by government, none of them examine the value of the audits themselves.

The forging of good public policy involves lots of advance work, and sometimes that can involve contributions from outside consultants. Government cannot possibly afford all of the subject matter experts necessary to unwind some of the more complex challenges it faces.

The Public Utilities Board, for example, hires experts in energy and insurance to help it assess rate applications from Manitoba Hydro and Manitoba Public Insurance. Various government departments hire engineers and architects to help it build public infrastructure. The office of the auditor general frequently brings in contractors to help them with forensic audits.

And yet, how much outside scrutiny is justified in these cases?

Thats really hard to say, but when you live in a province that has started to measure the fees it pays to consultants in tens of millions of dollars, its certainly fair to at least ask that question. And to expect some sort of accountability mechanism that will establish the value of value-for-money reviews.

That is of particular interest in Manitoba, where Pallister has shown a propensity to wield the value-for-money audit as a political weapon. This was the case recently, when it was revealed an external audit would be looking at the operations of CancerCare Manitoba.

Finance Minister Scott Fielding said the government needed to call upon various "experts" to help the current government uncover the fiscal crimes committed against taxpayers by the former NDP government, which "systematically mismanaged the province for 17 years."

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Finance Minister Scott Fielding says the Tories called upon experts to uncover fiscal crimes against taxpayers by the former NDP government.

Those are fighting words, and while the NDP, in its final two years in particular, was a hot mess from a fiscal perspective, Fieldings allegations are not backed up by the results to date of the external value-for-money audits.

From what little information has been provided, the Pallister government has spent millions of dollars to uncover millions of dollars in prospective savings. Not tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, which is what you might think would be the byproduct of a close examination of "systematic mismanagement" of public finances.

These audits are, in most but not all instances, self-fulfilling political exercises. The consultants are paid to produce a specific verdict, not an independent verdict. Or, as was the case in the health-care services review, comparing Manitobas level and types of services and finding those places where we do more than other provinces, and then paring that back to the national average.

Bringing Manitobas health-care services in line with other provinces is fine; those provinces do more things or do them better. There is no real value for taxpayers in just doing less, or worse, to meet a national average.

Which brings us back to our central question: what value is produced by these audits? An analysis of that type is hampered by a number of deliberate roadblocks.

For example, the Pallister government has been woeful in communicating the need for these audits, and when they are done, making them available to the public.

In the case of the recent revelation of a financial review of CancerCare Manitoba, Manitobans are still waiting for an adequate explanation of why the review is necessary, and why the province did not make its intentions public much earlier.

The CancerCare review was on a website that lists government requests for proposals. Before that, no one in the Pallister government had suggested any sort of financial review for the agency.

Initially, it wasnt even clear whether this RFP was initiated by the government or by the agency. When the Free Press inquired with CancerCare about why the review was taking place, no one was prepared to respond.

It took an entire day for Dr. Sri Navaratnam, CancerCares president and CEO, to make the argument this review will ultimately benefit patients, without any explanation of how. This kind of muddled messaging does nothing to justify the expense for the audit.

Short of spending money to audit the value of the audits, the Pallister government could simply reveal more of its rationale for ordering them in the first place. Something more robust than "we know the previous government was bad at everything, we just want to know how bad."

And then, commit to full transparency on the final results. In several instances, the Pallister government has only released part of audits, while refusing to release others altogether. Its time to set these reports free and allow them to build a case for the decision to order them in the first place.

Without more explanation and transparency, we are left to conclude that the consultants are the only people seeing real value from these value-for-money audits.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.caMetro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13)  The controversial footbridge across EDSA in Kamuning, Quezon City will open on November 15, despite widespread criticisms from pedestrians and experts.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Spokesperson Celine Pialago said the agency will not redesign the 9-meter-high steel footbridge on top of the MRT-3 line, at least not anytime soon.

"The footbridge is designed for the safety of pedestrians crossing EDSA. A little exercise won't hurt anyone," Pialago said.

With 10 million budget, the construction of the footbridge,which began in July, is the agency's solution to a problem area that it has identified in its 2017 Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System report, Pialago said. The report states the part of EDSA where the structure was built recorded the most cases of road crashes, she added.

However, a road safety expert asserted the footbridge is not safe for pedestrians.

Rob Mclnerney, CEO of the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), said the pedestrian infrastructure in Quezon City may not be used at all, even if it was designed with integrity. He told this to CNN Philippines in an interview during the World Safety Conference in Bangkok, Thailand on November 6.

"It's ultimately not safe because not many pedestrians will actually use it. It might be a well-designed overpass but, ultimately, if it's not going to be used by pedestrians, then it can't be considered safe," Mclnerney said.

MMDA officials explained it reached that height because there has to be at least 3 to 4 meters of space between the footbridge and the MRT-3's electrical lines.

In the past weeks, photos of the footbridge went viral, and netizens criticized the structure saying it is too steep.

In an interview with CNN Philippines' The Source, MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said the footbridge was designed "only for the healthy."

What makes a pedestrian footbridge 'safe?'

Mclnerney explained the main safety standard in evaluating footbridges is its usability.

"The main thing you look at is who is going to use that piece of infrastructure? And is it designed in a way in which people will actually use it, use it well, and use it safely?" he said.

The road safety expert added the structure's inclusivity must be considered in the design process. He said, "If there are so many stairs to climb, that people need to be an Olympic athlete to actually use it, then it is unlikely to be fit for purpose. So, ultimately, you need to know who's using it and design it with them in mind, and make sure it meets their needs--both from the functional perspective and safety perspective."

The iRAP is behind the "Star Rating" for roads. Star Rating is an international road assessment program, which evaluates how safe roads are, not just for vehicle occupants but also for motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Five-star roads are deemed the most safe.

According to iRAP's assessment, in low-income and middle-income countries like the Philippines, about 84 percent of the roads, where pedestrians are present, carry traffic at 40 kilometer per hour and have no footpaths, making pedestrians more vulnerable to injuries and deaths.

While the organization saw a lot of improvements in the star rating of roads in the country, iRAP said there remain many areas of improvement, such as the state of infrastructures for pedestrians.

Everyday, at least 10 pedestrians are involved in road crashes in the country, according to MMDA. In 2016, pedestrians made up the biggest chunk of road user deaths at 195 cases or almost 44 percent, slightly higher than drivers at 194 cases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported about 1.24 million road traffic deaths occur every year. Of the total number of fatalities, more than 270,000 or 22 percent are pedestrians.

WHO experts said to help reduce the number of deaths among pedestrians, governments must build safer footpaths and bridges with usability as main criterion.

This story was made possible with support from the ICFJ-WHO Safety 2018 Reporting Fellowship Program and Bloomberg Philanthropies.The American public was long aware of Sessions dangerous record and potential to inflict harm on communities of color. In 1986, Sessions was denied a federal judgeship due to alarming laudatory statements he made about the Ku Klux Klan and racist remarks aimed at his black colleagues. Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., even submitted a letter warning the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee of Sessions record of using his power as a former U.S. attorney to intimidate and chill the free exercise of the ballot.

As a U.S. senator, Sessions routinely fought against protections for historically marginalized communities. He vehemently opposed efforts to strengthen federal hate crimes statutes, failed to protect against gender discrimination, and blocked actions to enact comprehensive bi-partisan immigration reform. These and other actions led civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus; Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA); and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), one of just three sitting African American senators, to break with tradition and testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in opposition to his appointment.

An individuals past and present actions are a testament to how they will execute the duties of their office. Grave concerns about Sessions record, noted during his confirmation, unsurprisingly became reality. After taking control of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), he pursued an aggressive and virulent policy agenda that sought to strip away every protection for people of color and other marginalized communities within the agencys purview.

Pull Quote As a U.S. senator, Sessions routinely fought against protections for historically marginalized communities.

President Donald Trumps next attorney general cannot be allowed to continue Sessions ruthless campaign against communities of color. It is past time for Congress to hold the U.S. attorney general and the DOJ accountable. As the nation looks toward the 116th Congress, here are 25 issues congressional members should examine as part of their oversight and advice and consent duties.

Civil rights

A fair and accurate U.S. census is essential for the equitable distribution of federal resources and full political representation. But as attorney general, Sessions sabotaged the 2020 census by helping Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross add a new question about immigration status. The Sessions DOJ attempted to justify this blatant effort to suppress census participation by citing its responsibility to protect against voter suppression in communities of color. Hate crimes and white nationalist extremism are a resurgent threat to communities of color. But instead of expanding resources to combat hate, Sessions asked Congress to eliminate the DOJs Community Relations Service, which is dedicated to addressing racial tensions and preventing hate crimes. Voter purges are a devious suppression tactic designed to keep people of color by the thousands from voting by targeting them for removal from lists of registered voters. Instead of defending American citizens fundamental right to vote, the Sessions DOJ urged the Supreme Court to greenlight harmful purges nationwide. Black transgender individuals face heightened levels of discrimination and a devastating 20 percent unemployment rate. But as attorney general, Sessions threatened to make matters worse by reversing Obama-era policies that sought to protect transgender workers from employment discrimination. While the national unemployment rate was less than 5 percent in 2017, it was more than 10 percent among Hispanics with disabilities and almost 14 percent among blacks with disabilities. Yet, in 2018, Sessions revoked critical employment protectionsfor people with disabilities, finding that they were unnecessary, inconsistent with existing law, or otherwise improper. Hate speech is a pervasive problem on college campuses, one that undermines access to higher education for students of color. But Sessions exploited his position as attorney general to criticize and make light of universities that seek to create inclusive, hate-free learning environments. Transgender students of color face tremendous barriers to education. But under then-Attorney General Sessions, the DOJ rescinded federal protections for transgender students in K-12 schools, denying them the ability to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity. Affirmative action plays a critical role in expanding access to higher education for students of color and in closing stark racial disparities in degree attainment. But under Sessions leadership, the DOJ consistently sought to undermine race-conscious admissions policies.

Pull Quote From civil rights and criminal justice, to immigration policy, Jeff Sessions, also a former Republican U.S. senator from Alabama, did not miss an opportunity to criminalize and terrorize people of color.

Criminal justice

African Americans or black Americans are more than twice as likely as white Americans to be arrested for drug possession, despite using and dealing drugs at comparable rates. As attorney general, Sessions rejected the data and ordered prosecutors to pursue the harshest drug sentences possiblewithout regard to an individuals role in a drug conspiracy. Sessions also ordered prosecutors to pursue the death penalty in certain nonviolent drug trafficking cases. Black Americans already face 19 percent longer sentences for the same crimes as whites and are far more likely to receive the death penalty. This DOJ policy will only exacerbate racial disparities.

10. In his role as attorney general, Sessions pushed prosecutors to crack down on marijuana possession in states where it is legal and lobbied legislators to reverse federal protections for medical marijuana. According to a recent CAP/GBA Strategies survey, more than two-thirds68 percentof voters support marijuana legalization, including a majority of Democrats, independents, Republicans, and the three largest racial and ethnic groups.

11. Police are almost four times more likely to use force against black people than against white people. Again rejecting the data, then-Attorney General Sessions eliminated training and supervision requirements for law enforcement seeking to obtain surplus weapons and equipment from federal agencies.

12. Private prisons profit from the incarceration of human beings and house a greater share of immigrants and people of color than public prisons. In partnership with the Trump White House and in his capacity as attorney general, Sessions supported expanding the use of private prisons as part of the DOJs immigration crackdown and renewed war on drugs campaign.

13. Violent crime has declined significantly in recent decades. Yet, then-Attorney General Sessions ignored the data and instead peddled false narratives about crime to justify police crackdowns in communities of color.

14. Data reveal that innocent African Americans or black Americans are seven times more likely to be convicted of murder than their white counterparts, partly due to insufficient and inaccurate forensic evidence. Forensic science is critical in closing racial disparities and ensuring justice is served. Despite its necessity, as attorney general, Sessions undermined efforts to improve the reliability of forensics by eliminating the National Commission on Forensic Science.

15. Returning citizens, especially people of color, face systemic barriers to re-entry following incarceration. One of the key barriers to successful re-entry is housing. In his role as attorney general, Sessions threatened to shut down halfway houses and limit access to transitional services.

Jeff Sessions Jeff Sessions addressing the Values Voter Summit, an annual far-right evangelical gathering coordinated by the Family Research Council. The gr

16. While far too many police officers make the ultimate sacrifice, officer deaths in 2017 were the second-lowest in more than 50 years. Despite this, then-Attorney General Sessions misrepresented data about the rate of violence experienced by law enforcement to justify the overpolicing in communities of color.

17. When low-income people, especially people of color, interact with the criminal justice system, they frequently face steep fines and fees and inordinate cash bail requirements that force them to remain in jail or enter into costly contracts with bond companies. Despite these problems, Sessions asked courts to disregard an Obama-era letter requesting them to be lenient and cautious of overcharging low-income defendants of color.

18. Police reform agreements play a critical role in improving public safety and rebuilding trust between law enforcement and communities of color. Despite success under these agreements, then-Attorney General Sessions effectively barred the DOJ from investigating and addressing systemic law enforcement misconduct at the local level.

19. The chief law enforcement officer of the United States should be fair, impartial, and devoted equal justice under law. As attorney general, though, Sessions exposed his backward views in racially charged statements about the importance of the Anglo-American heritage of law enforcement.

Immigration

20. In April 2018, then-Attorney General Sessions announced a draconian zero-tolerance immigration policy of prosecuting anyone who arrives in the United States without documentationeven families seeking asylum. This policy resulted in the separation of more than 2,600 children from their parents. Despite public outcry, a federal court order, and evidence that deterrence doesnt work, the administration has failed to reunite all of the separated families months after the reunification deadline. The zero-tolerance policy remains on the books today.

21. Entangling local law enforcement with immigration enforcement diminishes public trust and public safety and places a significant financial burden on taxpayers. Despite such concerns, the Sessions DOJ sued California for refusing to help round up immigrants across the state. Furthermore, the department has attempted to strip funding from places that have adopted commonsense policies to prevent entanglement between local authorities and federal immigration enforcement.

22. In 2017, then-Attorney General Sessions announced that the administration would eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He also repeatedly refused to defend DACA in federal court. These actions have disrupted the lives of 800,000 DACA recipients, most of whom are people of color, and some of whom now face detention or deportation.

23. The decision to deport an individual to a country where she or he could experience abuse, neglect, or even death requires significant and thoughtful consideration. As attorney general, Sessions forced judges to rush deportation cases by revoking policies that allow additional time for deliberation. Moreover, he implemented quotasin order to expedite the rate of deportations.

24. Thousands of people of color facing gender-based violence and or gang violence in their countries of origin have fled to the United States seeking safety. Rather than embracing these survivors and expanding access to victims services, Sessions declared that they will likely no longer qualify for asylum.

25. Over the past two years, the Trump administration has advanced three versions of its xenophobic Muslim ban. This policy puts thousands of refugees lives at risk and undermines the national security of the United States. Yet, the DOJ under Sessions repeatedly defended these efforts and successfully secured support from conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court to let the travel ban take effect.

Connor Maxwell is the research associate for Race and Ethnicity Policy at the Center for American Progress. Danyelle Solomon is the senior director of Race and Ethnicity Policy at the Center.

Authors note: While African American and black are frequently used interchangeably, this column uses African American wherever possible to refer to the population of interest. However, the authors use terminology that is consistent the underlying data source. For this reason, this uses both African American black, depending on the source. American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

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NextOrmat Technologies, Inc. operates as a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of geothermal and recovered energy power business. It operates through the following segments: Electricity, Product and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment focuses in the sale of electricity from the company's power plants pursuant to PPAs. The Product segment involves in the manufacture, including design and development, of turbines and power units for the supply of electrical energy and in the associated construction of power plants utilizing the power units manufactured by the company to supply energy from geothermal fields and other alternative energy sources. The Energy Storage segment consists of battery energy storage systems as a service and management of curtailable customer loads under contracts with U.S. retail energy providers and directly with large commercial and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Reno, NV.

Read More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.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.

Read More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 Bristol-Myers Squibb: 1096271 B.C. ULC, 345 Park LLC, A.G. Medical Services P.A., AHI Investment LLC, AbVitro LLC, Abraxis BioScience Australia Pty Ltd., Abraxis BioScience Inc., Abraxis BioScience International Holding Company Inc., Abraxis BioScience LLC, Abraxis BioScience Puerto Rico LLC, Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Adnexus, Adnexus a Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Company, Allard Labs Acquisition G.P., Amira Pharmaceuticals, Amira Pharmaceuticals Inc., Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Apothecon LLC, B-MS Generx Unlimited Company, BMS Benelux Holdings B.V., BMS Bermuda Nominees L.L.C., BMS Data Acquisition Company LLC, BMS Forex Company, BMS Holdings Sarl, BMS Holdings Spain S.L., BMS International Insurance Designated Activity Company, BMS Investco SAS, BMS Korea Holdings L.L.C., BMS Latin American Nominees L.L.C., BMS Luxembourg Partners L.L.C., BMS Omega Bermuda Holdings Finance Ltd., BMS Pharmaceutical Korea Limited, BMS Pharmaceuticals Germany Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals International Holdings Netherlands B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Korea Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Mexico Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Netherlands Holdings B.V., BMS Real Estate LLC, BMS Spain Investments LLC, BMS Strategic Portfolio Investments Holdings Inc., Blisa Acquisition G.P., Bristol (Iran) S.A., Bristol Iran Private Company Limited, Bristol Laboratories Inc., Bristol Laboratories International S.A., Bristol Laboratories Medical Information Systems Inc., Bristol-Myers (Andes) L.L.C., Bristol-Myers (Private) Limited, Bristol-Myers Middle East S.A.L., Bristol-Myers Overseas Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Israel) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (NZ) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Proprietary) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Taiwan) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (West Indies) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb A.E., Bristol-Myers Squibb Aktiebolag, Bristol-Myers Squibb Argentina S. R. L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Australia Pty. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Axia Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb B.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Belgium S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Business Services Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada International Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Delta Company Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Denmark Filial of Bristol-Myers Squibb AB, Bristol-Myers Squibb EMEA Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Egypt LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Epsilon Holdings Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Ltda., Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Portuguesa S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb GesmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holding Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings 2002 Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Ireland Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Pharma Ltd. Liability Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Ilaclari Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb India Pvt. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Company Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Investco L.L.C., Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K., Bristol-Myers Squibb Kft., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg International S.C.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb MEA GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Manufacturing Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Marketing Services S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Middle East & Africa FZ-LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Norway Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Nutricionales de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Peru S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (HK) Ltd, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (Thailand) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Holding Company LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Ventures Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Polska Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Products SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico/Sanofi Pharmaceutical Partnership Puerto Rico, Bristol-Myers Squibb Romania S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.A.U., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Holding Partnership, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Service Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Services Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Spol. s r.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Theta Finance Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Trustees Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Colombia S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Costa Rica Sociedad Anonima, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Guatemala S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb/Astrazeneca EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership, Bristol-Myers de Venezuela S.C.A., CHT I LLC, CHT II LLC, CHT III LLC, CHT IV LLC, CR Finance Company LLC, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celem LLC, Celem Ltd., Celgene, Celgene A.B., Celgene AS, Celgene Ab (Finland), Celgene Alpine Investment Co. II LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. III LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. LLC, Celgene ApS, Celgene B.V., Celgene BVBA, Celgene Brasil Produtos Farmaceuticos Ltda., Celgene CAR LLC, Celgene CAR Ltd., Celgene Chemicals Sarl, Celgene China Holdings LLC, Celgene Co., Celgene Corporation, Celgene Distribution B.V., Celgene EngMab GmbH, Celgene Europe B.V., Celgene Europe Limited, Celgene European Investment Company LLC, Celgene Financing Company LLC, Celgene Global Holdings Sarl, Celgene GmbH [Austria], Celgene GmbH [Germany], Celgene GmbH [Switzerland], Celgene Holdings East Corporation, Celgene Holdings II Sarl, Celgene Holdings III Sarl, Celgene Ilac Pazarlama ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Celgene Inc., Celgene International Holdings Corporation, Celgene International II Sarl, Celgene International III Sarl, Celgene International Inc., Celgene International Sarl, Celgene K.K., Celgene Kft., Celgene Limited [Hong Kong], Celgene Limited [Ireland], Celgene Limited [New Zealand], Celgene Limited [Taiwan], Celgene Limited [UK], Celgene Logistics Sarl, Celgene Ltd, Celgene Luxembourg Sarl, Celgene Management Sarl, Celgene NJ Investment Co, Celgene Netherlands B.V., Celgene Netherlands Investment B.V., Celgene Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Celgene Pte. Ltd., Celgene Pty Ltd, Celgene Puerto Rico Distribution LLC, Celgene Quanticel Research Inc, Celgene R&D Sarl, Celgene RIVOT LLC, Celgene RIVOT Ltd., Celgene RIVOT SRL, Celgene Receptos Limited, Celgene Receptos Sarl, Celgene Research Incubator At Summit West LLC, Celgene Research S.L.U., Celgene Research and Development Company LLC, Celgene Research and Development I ULC, Celgene Research and Development II LLC, Celgene Research and Investment Company II LLC, Celgene S. de R.L. de C.V., Celgene S.L.U., Celgene S.R.L., Celgene SAS, Celgene Sarl AU, Celgene Sdn Bhd, Celgene Services Sarl, Celgene Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Celgene Sp. Z.o.o., Celgene Sro [Czech Republic], Celgene Summit Investment Co, Celgene Switzerland Holding Sarl, Celgene Switzerland II LLC, Celgene Switzerland Investment Sarl, Celgene Switzerland LLC, Celgene Switzerland Sarl, Celgene Tri A Holdings Ltd., Celgene Tri Sarl, Celgene UK Distribution Limited, Celgene UK Holdings Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing II Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing III Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing Limited, Celgene d.o.o., Celgene sro [Slovakia], Celmed LLC, Celmed Ltd., ConvaTec Divestiture, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals AB, Crosp Ltd., Delinia Inc., Deuteria Pharmaceuticals Inc., DuPont Pharmaceuticals, E. R. Squibb & Sons Inter-American Corporation, E. R. Squibb & Sons L.L.C., E. R. Squibb & Sons Limited, EWI Corporation, EngMab Sarl, F-star Alpha, FermaVir Pharmaceuticals L.L.C., FermaVir Research L.L.C., Flexus Biosciences, Flexus Biosciences Inc., Forbius, Galecto Biotech, GenPharm International L.L.C., Gloucester Pharmaceuticals LLC, Grove Insurance Company Ltd., Heyden Farmaceutica Portuguesa Limitada, IFM Therapeutics, Impact Biomedicines Inc., Inhibitex, Inhibitex L.L.C., Innate Tumor Immunity Inc., JuMP Holdings LLC, Juno Therapeutics GmbH, Juno Therapeutics Inc., Kosan Biosciences, Kosan Biosciences Incorporated, Linson Investments Limited, Mead Johnson (Manufacturing) Jamaica Limited, Mead Johnson Jamaica Ltd., Medarex, Morris Avenue Investment II LLC, Morris Avenue Investment LLC, MyoKardia, O.o.o. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oy Bristol-Myers Squibb (Finland) AB, Padlock Therapeutics, Padlock Therapeutics Inc., Pharmion LLC, Princeton Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Receptos LLC, Receptos Services LLC, RedoxTherapies Inc., Route 22 Real Estate Holding Corporation, SPV A Holdings ULC, Seamair Insurance DAC, Signal Pharmaceuticals LLC, Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Societe Francaise de Complements Alimentaires(S.O.F.C.A.), Squibb Middle East S.A., Summit West Celgene LLC, Swords Laboratories, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Westwood-Intrafin SA, Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals Inc., X-Body Inc., ZymoGenetics, ZymoGenetics Inc., ZymoGenetics LLC, ZymoGenetics Paymaster LLC, iPierian, and iPierian Inc..There is not enough analysis data for Chinook Energy.

4.8 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Chinook Energy has received 294 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes Chinook Energy has received 118 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment Chinook Energy has received 71.36% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Chinook Energy and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe CKE will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe CKE will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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NextThe following companies are subsidiares of Iron Mountain: AB Archyvu Centras, AB Archyvu Sistemos, AB Archyvu Sistemos Estonia Branch, AKTATRADE Iratendezo Selejtezo es Megsemmisito Bt., AS Archivu Serviss, Accutrac Software Inc, Administradora de Informacion Ltda, ArchivesOne, Archyvu sistemos, Ausdoc Group Pty Limited, Ausdoc Holdings Pty Limited, Bonded Services Group, Box Butler, Britannia Data Management Limited, Connected Corporation, Cornerstone Records Management, Crozier Fine Arts, Crozier Philadelphia LLC, Custodia S.O.S. SA, Custodia de Documentos Limitada, Data Outsourcing Centre doo, Data Security Services Pty Limited, DigiGuard, Docu-File Cape Town Proprietary Limited, Docu-File Durban Proprietary Limited, Docu-File JHB Proprietary Limited, DocuTar Iratrendezo es Tarolo Szolgaltato Kft., DocuVault, Docufile (Pty) Ltd, Docufile Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, Docufile Lesotho Proprietary Limited, Docufile Services Proprietary Limited, Docugroup Papir Szolgatato Kft., Document Holdings Sweden AB, Docuscan Cape Town Proprietary Limited, Docuscan Proprietary Limited, EAC Invest, Endless Document Storage Services LLC, EvoSwitch, File Express Limited, Fine Paper Recyclers Sydney Pty Ltd, Fontis International GmbH, Fontis International Inc., Fortrust, G4S Secure Data Solutions Colombia, Hays IMS, Horanross Limited, IBEX IM Limited, IBEX Information Management Limited, IG2 Data Security, IMSA Peru SRL, IO.com, Information Storage Consolidation Co, Interfile Participacoes S.A., Intradis SA, Iron Mountain (Deutschland) Service GmbH, Iron Mountain (Espana) Services S.L, Iron Mountain (Gibraltar) Holdings Limited, Iron Mountain (Ireland) Services Limited, Iron Mountain (Nederland) Services BV, Iron Mountain (UK) EES Holdings Limited, Iron Mountain (UK) Limited, Iron Mountain (UK) Services Limited, Iron Mountain A/S, Iron Mountain Acquisition Holdings Pty. Ltd., Iron Mountain Argentina S.A., Iron Mountain Arsivleme Hizmetleri A.S., Iron Mountain Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd, Iron Mountain Australia Group Pty. Ltd., Iron Mountain Australia Group Services Pty. Ltd., Iron Mountain Australia Holdings Inc., Iron Mountain Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd, Iron Mountain Austria Archivierung Gmbh, Iron Mountain BPM International S.a.r.l., Iron Mountain BPM SPRL, Iron Mountain Belgium NV, Iron Mountain CIS LLC, Iron Mountain Canada Operations ULC, Iron Mountain Ceska Republika S.R.O., Iron Mountain Chile S.A., Iron Mountain Chile Servicios S.A., Iron Mountain Colombia S.A.S., Iron Mountain DIMS Limited, Iron Mountain Deutschland GmbH, Iron Mountain Do Brasil Ltda, Iron Mountain EES Holdings Ltd., Iron Mountain EES Sp. z.o.o., Iron Mountain Espana SA, Iron Mountain Europe (Group) Limited, Iron Mountain Europe PLC (fka Iron Mountain Europe Limited), Iron Mountain Finland OY, Iron Mountain France S.A.S., Iron Mountain Fulfillment Services Inc., Iron Mountain Global Holdings Inc., Iron Mountain Global LLC, Iron Mountain Global Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Iron Mountain Group (Europe) Limited, Iron Mountain Hellas SA, Iron Mountain Holdings (Europe) Limited, Iron Mountain Holdings (France) SNC, Iron Mountain Incorporated, Iron Mountain India Private Ltd, Iron Mountain Information Management LLC, Iron Mountain Information Management Services Canada Inc., Iron Mountain Information Management Services Inc., Iron Mountain Intellectual Property Management Inc., Iron Mountain International (Holdings) Limited, Iron Mountain International Holdings BV, Iron Mountain International Information Management Co. Ltd., Iron Mountain Ireland Holdings Limited, Iron Mountain Ireland Limited, Iron Mountain Latin America Holdings Sociedad Limitada, Iron Mountain Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Iron Mountain Luxembourg Services S.a.r.l., Iron Mountain Luxembourg Services S.a.r.l. Schaffhausen Branch, Iron Mountain MDM Limited, Iron Mountain Magyarorszag Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato Kft., Iron Mountain Management Services GmbH, Iron Mountain Mayflower Limited, Iron Mountain Mexico Holding S. de RL de CV, Iron Mountain Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Iron Mountain Mexico Servicios S. de RL de CV, Iron Mountain Mortgage Finance Holdings LLC, Iron Mountain Mortgage Finance I LLC, Iron Mountain Nederland B.V., Iron Mountain Nederland Holdings B.V., Iron Mountain New Zealand Limited (fka Recall New Zealand Ltd), Iron Mountain Norge AS, Iron Mountain Participations SA, Iron Mountain Peru S.A., Iron Mountain Poland Holdings Ltd, Iron Mountain Polska Services Sp z.o.o., Iron Mountain Polska Sp. z.o.o., Iron Mountain Receivables QRS LLC, Iron Mountain Receivables TRS LLC, Iron Mountain Records Management (Puerto Rico) Inc., Iron Mountain Records Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Iron Mountain SRL, Iron Mountain Secure Shredding Canada, Iron Mountain Secure Shredding Inc., Iron Mountain Services Private Ltd, Iron Mountain Services S.A.S., Iron Mountain Shanghai Co Ltd, Iron Mountain Slovakia s.r.o., Iron Mountain South America S.a.r.l., Iron Mountain Southeast Asia Holdings Limited, Iron Mountain Switzerland GmbH, Iron Mountain UK Services (Holdings) Limited, Iron Mountain US Holdings Inc., Iron Mountain Ukraine LLC, Iron Mountain Vietnam Company Limited, Iron Mountain d.o.o. Beograd, Jin Shan Limited, KDM Spectrumdata Pty Ltd, KH Data Capital Development Land LLC, Kestrel Data (Canada) Ltd, Kestrel Data Services Limited, Kestrel Information Management Pty. Ltd., Livevault, Marshgate Morangis S.a.r.l., Mimosa Systems, Mobilshred Inc., Navbharat Archive Xpress Private Limited, Nettlebed Acquisition Corp., Pipax Security S.A., Preferred Media Limited, Prism Integrated Sdn Bhd, Recall, Recall (London) Limited, Recall (Schweiz) AG, Recall (Shanghai) Ltd., Recall A/S, Recall AS, Recall Asia Pte Limited, Recall Corporation Sdn. Bhd., Recall Enterprises (Thailand) Limited, Recall Enterprises Sdn. Bhd., Recall Europe Finance Ltd. (fka Recall Europe Finance Plc), Recall Europe Limited, Recall Finance Limited, Recall Finland OY, Recall France SA, Recall France SA Belgium Branch, Recall France SAS, Recall GQ Limited, Recall Holdings, Recall Holdings Limited, Recall Holdings Sweden AB, Recall Hong Kong Ltd., Recall India Information Management Pvt. Ltd., Recall Information Services SRL, Recall International Pty Limited, Recall Italia SRL, Recall Limited, Recall Overseas Holdings Pty Limited, Recall Shredding Limited, Recall Sweden AB, Recall Taiwan Ltd., Recall Technology Pty. Ltd., Recall Total Information Management India Pvt. Ltd., Recall Total Information Mgt Pte Ltd, Recall do Brasil Ltda, Record Data Limited, Royal Seal S.R.O., Safehouse Information Management Solutions Private Limited, Secur Archiv SA, Secure Paper Services Pty Ltd, Shuttle SRL, Silver Sky Limited, Sispace AG, Startify, Storbox SA, The Coding Company Pty. Ltd., The Imaging Centre Pty Ltd, UAB Confidento, Upper Providence Venture I L.P., Venues Australia Pty Ltd, and Xepa Digital.Unifi, Inc. engages in the manufacture and sale of synthetic and recycled products made from polyester and nylon. It operates through the following segments: Polyester, Nylon, Brazil, and Asia. The Polyester segment sells polyester-based products to other yarn manufacturers, knitters, and weavers that produce yarn and fabric for the apparel, hosiery, home furnishings, automotive, industrial, and other end-use markets in U.S. and El Salvador. The Nylon segment offers nylon-based products to knitters and weavers that produce fabric for the apparel and hosiery markets in U.S. and Colombia. The Brazil and Asia segments comprises polyester-based products to knitters and weavers that produce fabric for the apparel, home furnishings, automotive, industrial, and other end-use markets principally in South America and Asia. The company was founded by George Allen Mebane IV in 1969 and is headquartered in Greensboro, NC.

Read More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..Concurs de granturi adresat COMUNITATILOR (APL) pentru sporirea rezilientei lor la schimbarile climatice si FEMEILOR ANTREPRENOARE in vederea dezvoltarii unor afaceri prietenoase mediului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.The following companies are subsidiares of Centene: APS Parent Inc., AWC of Syracuse Inc., Absolute Total Care Inc., AcariaHealth Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #11 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #12 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #13 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #14 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy Inc., AcariaHealth Solutions Inc., Access Medical Acquisition LLC, Access Medical Group of Florida City LLC, Access Medical Group of Hialeah LLC, Access Medical Group of Lakeland LLC, Access Medical Group of Miami LLC, Access Medical Group of North Miami Beach LLC, Access Medical Group of Opa-Locka LLC, Access Medical Group of Perrine LLC, Access Medical Group of Tampa II LLC, Access Medical Group of Tampa III LLC, Access Medical Group of Tampa LLC, Access Medical Group of Westchester LLC, Accountable Care Coalition Direct Contracting LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Chesapeake LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Community Health Centers II LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Community Health Centers LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers II LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers III LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers IV LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers V LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers VI LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers VII LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Florida Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Georgia LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Maryland LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Maryland Primary Care LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Mississippi LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of New Jersey Inc., Accountable Care Coalition of North Texas LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Northeast Georgia LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Northeast Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Northwest Florida LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Prime Health LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Quality Health II LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Quality Health III LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Quality Health LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Physician Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Texas Inc., Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Wisconsin LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Tennessee LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Texas Inc., Agate Resources Inc., AirLogix, Ambetter of Magnolia Inc., Ambetter of North Carolina Inc., Ambetter of Peach State Inc., America's 1st Choice California Holdings LLC, American Progressive Life and Health Insurance Company of New York, Apixio, Apixio Inc, Arch Personalized Medicine Initiative LLC, Arkansas Health & Wellness Health Plan Inc., Arkansas Total Care Holding Company LLC, Arkansas Total Care Inc., B2B Gestion Integra S.L.U., B2B Salud S.L.U., Bankers Reserve Life Insurance Company of Wisconsin, Blackcrow Asistencia Medica S.L, Bridgeway Health Solutions LLC, Bridgeway Health Solutions of Arizona Inc., Buckeye Community Health Plan Inc., Buckeye Health Plan Community Solutions Inc., CCTX Holdings LLC, CMC Real Estate Company LLC, CT Poprad s.r.o., CT Presov s.r.o., Calibrate Acquisition Company, California Health and Wellness Plan, Cantina Laredo Clayton LP, Cardium Health Services, Care 1st Health Plan of Arizona Inc., Care1st Health Plan Administrative Services Inc., Carolina Complete Health Holding Company Partnership, Carolina Complete Health Inc., Casenet LLC, Casenet S.R.O., CeltiCare Health Plan Holdings LLC, CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts Inc., Celtic Group Inc., Celtic Insurance Company, Cenpatico Behavioral Health LLC, Cenpatico Behavioral Health of Arizona LLC, Cenpatico of Arizona Inc., Centene Center I LLC, Centene Center II LLC, Centene Center LLC, Centene Company of Texas LP, Centene Europe Finance Company Limited, Centene Health Plan Holdings Inc., Centene Institute for Advanced Health Education LLC, Centene International Ventures LLC, Centene Investments LLC, Centene Management Company LLC, Centene Venture Company Alabama Health Plan Inc., Centene Venture Company Florida Inc., Centene Venture Company Illinois Inc., Centene Venture Company Indiana Inc., Centene Venture Company Kansas Inc., Centene Venture Company Michigan Inc., Centene Venture Company Tennessee Inc., Centro Inmunologocia De La Comunidad Valenciana S.L., Centurion Correctional Healthcare of New Mexico LLC, Centurion Detention Health Services LLC, Centurion LLC, Centurion of Arizona LLC, Centurion of Delaware LLC, Centurion of Florida LLC, Centurion of Kansas LLC, Centurion of Minnesota LLC, Centurion of Mississippi LLC, Centurion of New Hampshire LLC, Centurion of Pennsylvania LLC, Centurion of Tennessee LLC, Centurion of Vermont LLC, Centurion of West Virginia LLC, Centurion of Wyoming LLC, Chrysalis Medical Services LLC, Clinica Santo Domingo De Lugo S.L., Collaborative Health Systems IPA LLC, Collaborative Health Systems LLC, Collaborative Health Systems of Maryland LLC, Collaborative Health Systems of Virginia LLC, Comfort Hospice of Missouri LLC, Comfort Hospice of Texas LLC, ComfortBrook Hospice LLC, Community Medical Group, Community Medical Holdings Corporation, Comprehensive Health Management Inc., Comprehensive Reinsurance Ltd., Coordinated Care Corporation, Coordinated Care of Washington Inc., Country Style Health Care LLC, Discare CZ a.s., District Community Care Inc., Dr Magnet s.r.o., Elche-Crevillente Salud, Envolve Benefits Options Inc., Envolve Captive Insurance Company Inc., Envolve Dental IPA of New York Inc., Envolve Dental Inc., Envolve Dental of Florida Inc., Envolve Dental of Texas Inc., Envolve Health, Envolve Holdings Inc., Envolve Inc., Envolve Optical Inc., Envolve PeopleCare Inc., Envolve Pharmacy IPA LLC, Envolve Pharmacy Solutions Inc., Envolve Total Vision Inc., Envolve Vision Benefits Inc., Envolve Vision IPA of New York Inc., Envolve Vision Inc., Envolve Vision of Florida Inc., Envolve Vision of Texas Inc., Essential Care Partners LLC, Exactus Pharmacy Solutions Inc., Family Nurse Care II LLC, Family Nurse Care LLC, Family Nurse Care of Ohio LLC, Fidelis Care, Forensic Health Services LLC, Foundation Care LLC, Godgrace Asistencia Medica S.L., Golden Triangle Physician Alliance, Grace Hospice of Austin LLC, Grace Hospice of Grand Rapids LLC, Grace Hospice of Illinois LLC, Grace Hospice of Indiana LLC, Grace Hospice of San Antonio LLC, Grace Hospice of Virginia LLC, Grace Hospice of Wisconsin LLC, Granite State Health Plan Inc., Growly Asistencia Sanitaria S.L., HHS Texas Management Inc., HHS Texas Management LP, Hallmark Life Insurance Company, Harmony Behavioral Health IPA Inc., Harmony Behavioral Health Inc., Harmony Health Management Inc., Harmony Health Plan Inc., Harmony Health Systems Inc., Health Care Enterprises LLC, Health Net Access Inc., Health Net Community Solutions Inc., Health Net Community Solutions of Arizona Inc., Health Net Federal Services LLC, Health Net Health Plan of Oregon Inc., Health Net LLC, Health Net Life Insurance Company, Health Net Life Reinsurance Company, Health Net Pharmaceutical Services, Health Net of Arizona Inc., Health Net of California Inc., Health Plan Real Estate Holdings Inc., HealthSmart Benefit Solutions Inc., HealthSmart Benefits Management LLC, HealthSmart Care Management Solutions LP, HealthSmart Information Systems Inc., HealthSmart Preferred Care II LP, HealthSmart Preferred Network II Inc., HealthSmart Primary Care Clinics LP, HealthSmart Rx Solutions Inc., Healthy Louisiana Holdings LLC, Healthy Missouri Holdings Inc., Healthy Washington Holdings Inc., Heritage Health Systems Inc., Heritage Health Systems of Texas Inc., Heritage Home Hospice LLC, Heritage Physician Networks, Home State Health Plan Inc., HomeScripts.com LLC, Hospice DME Company LLC, Hospinet S.L., Hospital Polusa S.A., Hospital Povisa S.A., Hudson Accountable Care LLC, IAH of Florida LLC, Illinois Health Practice Alliance LLC, Infraestructuras y Servicios de Alzira S. L., Integrated Care Network of Florida LLC, Integrated Mental Health Management LLC, Integrated Mental Health Services, Interpreta Holdings Inc., Interpreta Inc., Iowa Total Care Inc., Kentucky Spirit Health Plan Inc., LBB Industries Inc., LifeShare Management Group LLC, LiveHealthier Inc., Louisiana Healthcare Connections Inc., MH Services International Holdings (UK) Limited, MHM, MHM Correctional Services LLC, MHM Health Professionals LLC, MHM Services Inc., MHM Services of California LLC, MHM Solutions LLC, MHN Government Services LLC, MHN Services LLC, MHS Consulting International Inc., MHS Travel & Charter Inc., MR Centrum Melnick s.r.o., MR Poprad s.r.o., MR Zilina s.r.o., Magnolia Health Plan Inc., Managed Health Network, Managed Health Network LLC, Managed Health Services Insurance Corporation, Maryland Collaborative Care LLC, Maryland Collaborative Care Transformation Organization Inc., Mauli Ola Health and Wellness Inc., Medicina NZ spol s.r.o., Meridian Health Plan of Illinois Inc., Meridian Health Plan of Michigan Inc., Meridian Management Company LLC, Meridian Network Services LLC, MeridianRx IPA LLC, MeridianRx LLC, MeridianRx of Indiana LLC, Michigan Complete Health, Mid-Atlantic Collaborative Care LLC, Nebraska Total Care Inc., Network Providers LLC, New York Quality Healthcare Corporation, Next Door Neighbors Inc., Next Door Neighbors LLC., North Florida Health Services Inc., Northern Maryland Collaborative Care LLC, Novasys Health Inc., OB Care, OB Klinika, Ohana Health Plan Inc., Oklahoma Complete Health Inc., One Care by Care 1st Health Plans of Arizona Inc, Operose Health (Group) Ltd., Operose Health (Group) UK Ltd., Operose Health Ltd., OptiCare Health Systems - Managed Vision Business, PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy, Panther Pass Co LLC, Panther Specialty Holding Co LLC, Pantherx Access Services LLC, Pantherx Specialty LLC, Parker LP LLC, Peach State Health Plan Inc., Penn Marketing America LLC, Pennsylvania Health and Wellness Inc., Phoenix Home Health Care LLC, Pinnacle Home Care LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Illinois LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Indiana LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Kalamazoo LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Missouri LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Wisconsin LLC, Premier Marketing Group LLC, PrimeroSalud S.L., Pro Diagnostic Group A.S., Pro Magnet CZ s.r.o., Pro Magnet s.r.o, Pro RTG s.r.o, Progress Medical A.S., Prowl Holdings LLC, QCA Healthplan Inc., Qualchoice Life and Health Insurance Company, Quincy Coverage Corporation, R&C Healthcare LLC, RMED LLC, RX Direct Inc., Rapid Respiratory Services LLC, Ribera Lab S.L.U., Ribera Salud II, Ribera Salud Proyectos S.L., Ribera Salud S.A., Ribera Salud Tecnologias S.L.U., Ribera Slaud Infraestructuras S.L.U., Ribera-Quilpro UTE, Salus Administrative Services Inc., Salus IPA LLC, Secure Capital Solutions 2000 S.L.U., SelectCare Health Plans Inc., SelectCare of Texas Inc., Seniorcorps Peninsula LLC, Servicios De Mantenimiento Prevencor S.L.U., SilverSummit Healthplan Inc., Social Health Bridge LLC, Social Health Bridge Trust, Specialty Therapeutic Care GP LLC, Specialty Therapeutic Care Holdings, Specialty Therapeutic Care Holdings LLC, Specialty Therapeutic Care LP, Sunflower State Health Plan Inc., Sunshine Health Community Solutions Inc., Sunshine Health Holding LLC, Sunshine State Health Plan Inc., Superior HealthPlan Community Solutions Inc., Superior HealthPlan Inc., The Practice Properties Limited, The WellCare Management Group Inc., Torrejon Salud S.A., Torrevieja Salud S.L.U., Torrevieja Salud UTE, Traditional Home Health Services LLC, Trillium Community Health Plan Inc., U.S. Medical Management Holdings Inc., U.S. Medical Management LLC, UAM Agent Services Corp., US Script, USMM Accountable Care Partners LLC, Universal American Corp., Universal American Financial Services Inc., Universal American Holdings LLC, WCG Health Management Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of America, WellCare Health Insurance Company of Kentucky Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Louisiana Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Nevada Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of New Hampshire Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of New Jersey Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Oklahoma Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Washington Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Wisconsin Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Arizona Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Connecticut Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Hawaii Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of New York Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of North Carolina Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Southwest Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Tennessee Inc., WellCare Health Plans, WellCare Health Plans of Arizona Inc., WellCare Health Plans of California Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Kentucky Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Massachusetts Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Missouri Inc., WellCare Health Plans of New Jersey Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Rhode Island Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Tennessee Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Vermont Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Wisconsin Inc., WellCare National Health Insurance Company, WellCare Pharmacy Benefits Management Inc., WellCare Prescription Insurance Inc., WellCare of Alabama Inc., WellCare of Arkansas Inc., WellCare of California Inc., WellCare of Connecticut Inc., WellCare of Florida Inc., WellCare of Georgia Inc., WellCare of Illinois Inc., WellCare of Indiana Inc., WellCare of Kansas Inc., WellCare of Maine Inc., WellCare of Michigan Holding Company, WellCare of Mississippi Inc., WellCare of Missouri Health Insurance Company Inc., WellCare of New Hampshire Inc., WellCare of New York Inc., WellCare of North Carolina Inc., WellCare of Ohio Inc., WellCare of Oklahoma Inc., WellCare of Pennsylvania Inc., WellCare of Puerto Rico Inc., WellCare of South Carolina Inc., WellCare of Texas Inc., WellCare of Virginia Inc., WellCare of Washington Inc., Wellcare Health Plans Inc., Western Sky Community Care Inc., Windsor Health Group Inc., Winning Security S.L., Worlco Management Services, and nirvanaHealth LLC.The following companies are subsidiares of Archer-Daniels-Midland: ADM (Shanghai) Management Co. LTD, ADM (Thailand) Ltd, ADM Ag Holdings Ltd, ADM Agri-Industries Company, ADM Agriculture Limited, ADM Agro Iberica S. L. U., ADM Agro Indust Latur and Vizag Pvt Ltd, ADM Agro Industries India Private Limited, ADM Agro Industries KOTA and AKOLA Pvt. Ltd., ADM Agro SRL, ADM Agroinvestimentos LTDA, ADM Alliance Nutrition of Puerto Rico LLC, ADM Americas S de RL, ADM Andina Peru SRL, ADM Antwerp NV, ADM Arkady Ireland Limited, ADM Asia-Pacific Trading Pte. Ltd., ADM Australia Holdings I PTY Limited, ADM Bio Science And Technology (Tianjin) Co Ltd, ADM Bioproductos SA DE CV, ADM CZERNIN SA, ADM Caribbean Inc, ADM Chile Comercial LTDA, ADM Clinton Bioprocessing Inc, ADM DO Brasil LTDA, ADM Direct Polska SP. ZO.O, ADM Dominican Holdings Inc., ADM Dominicana SA, ADM Edible Bean Specialties Inc, ADM Europe HoldCo SL, ADM European Holdings LLC, ADM European Management Holding GMBH, ADM Export Co, ADM Food Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., ADM France, ADM Germany GmbH, ADM Grain River System Inc., ADM Hamburg Aktiengesesllschaft, ADM Holding (Thailand) LTD, ADM Holdings LLC, ADM Hungary Agro Trading LLC, ADM Industries Centers Ltd, ADM International Holdings Inc, ADM International SARL, ADM Interoceanic LTD, ADM Investments LTD, ADM Investor Services Inc, ADM Investor Services International LTD, ADM Ireland Receivables Company Limited, ADM Israel, ADM Japan Ltd, ADM MALBORK SA, ADM Mainz GMBH, ADM Medsofts Sarl, ADM Mexico Inc, ADM Mexico SA DE CV, ADM Milling Co, ADM Milling LTD, ADM New Zealand Limited, ADM Olomouc S.R.O., ADM Paraguay SRL, ADM Protexin Limited, ADM Pura Limited, ADM Receivables LLC, ADM Rice Inc, ADM Ringaskiddy Unlimited Company, ADM Romania Logistics SRL, ADM Romania Trading SRL, ADM Specialty Ingredients - Europe BV, ADM Spyck GMBH, ADM Szamotuly SP Z O.O, ADM Trading Australia Pty. Ltd., ADM Trading Co, ADM Transportation Company, ADM Trucking Inc, ADM Vietnam CO. LTD, ADM WILD Europe GmbH and Co. KG, ADM WILD Ingredients GmbH, ADM WILD Nauen GmbH, ADM WILD Valencia S.A., ADM Wild Netherlands BV, ADM Worldwide Holdings LP, ADMIS Holding Co Inc., ADMIS Hong Kong LTD, ADMIS Singapore Pte Limited, AOR, AT Holdings II Company, Agri Port Services Investments Ltd., Agri Port Services LLC, Agricolas Madagascar SARLU, Agrinational Insurance Co, Agriserve, Agrograin LTD, Alfrebro LLC, Alfred C Toepfer International Netherlands BV, Alimenta USA, American River Transportation Company LLC, Ameriseed, Amylum Bulgaria EAD, Amylum Nisasta Sanayi Ve Ticarek Anonim Sirketi, Archer Daniels Midland (UK) Limited, Archer Daniels Midland Asia Pacific Ltd., Archer Daniels Midland Erith LTD, Archer Daniels Midland Europe BV, Archer Daniels Midland Europoort BV, Archer Daniels Midland Nederland BV, Archer Daniels Midland Singapore PTE LTD, Arinos Unlimited, Aston Foods & Food Ingredients, Balanceados Nova SA Balnova, Barbados Mills Limited, Bela Vista Bio Etanol Participacoes LTDA, Bern Aqua, BioPolis SL, Biopolis, Campa Sued GmbH & Co KG, Cattleman's Choice Loomix LLC, Chamtor, Ci ADM Colombia Ltda., Controladora ADM Sa De Cv, Crosswind Petfoods Inc., Daavision BV, Eaststarch, Eatem Corporation, Eatem Foods, Elstar Oils, English River Pellets Inc., Epicore Bionetworks INC, Epicore Networks (USA) INC, Erich Ziegler GmbH, Evialis France, Fasco Mills Co., Filozoo SRL, Florida Chemical, Florida Chemical Company LLC, GP Blanching Inc., Global Cocoa Holdings LTD, Golden Peanut Company LLC, Golden Peanut and Tree Nut Seed SA (PTY) LTD, Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts SA, Group Lysac, Guyomarc'h - VCN Company Limited, Guyomarc'h Vietnam CO LTD, HFR Shipping Company Ltd, HRA Shipping Company Ltd, HTI Shipping Company Ltd, Harvest Innovations, Hilltop Grain and Feed, Holding P and A Asia Company Limited, Hubei Meiweiyuan Biotechnology, Ilitchevskiy Maslo Extractionniy Zavod (IMEZ), Invivo NSA Asia PTE LTD, Invivo NSA Philippines Inc, Jamaica Flour Mills Limited, Julius Meijer-Alpharma BV, LLC ADM Ukraine, Liquid Feed Commodities, Malta Industries SA de CV, Malta-Texo De Mexico SA de CV, Master Mix of Trinidad LTD, Medsofts Investment Co, Medsofts L.L.C., Medsofts Trading Co, Mepla Comercio e Navegacao Ltda, NRG Inc, Naviera Chaco SRL, Neovia, Neovia Latina SL, Neovia Nutricao E Saude Animal LTDA, North Star Shipping S.R.L., P and A Marketing SA, PJSC ADM Illichivsk, PT Wirifa Sakti, Pancosma (Shanghai) Feed Additives CO LTD, Pancosma France SAS, Pancosma SA, Premiere Agri Technologies of Mexico Inc, Pura Foods LTD, Rodelle Inc., Schokinag-Schokolade-Industrie Herrmann, Sermix, Setna Nutricion SA, Societe Industrielle Des Oleagineux, Southern Cellulose Products Inc, Soy Investors LLC, Specialty Commodities, Specialty Commodities LLC, Sul Mineira Alimentos LTDA, SzSzV Kft, Toepfer International, Toepfer International Trading (Shanghai) Co. LTD., Vantage Corn Processors LLC, WILD Amazon Flavors Ltda, WILD Flavors, Wild Flavors Inc., Wild Flavors International GmbH, Wild Flavors Singapore Pte. Ltd., Wild Intermare GmbH, Wild Russia LLC, and Wisium SA (PTY) LTD.1 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for iShares North American Tech ETF in the last year. There are currently 1 hold rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" iShares North American Tech ETF stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in IGM, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

View analyst ratings for iShares North American Tech ETF or view top-rated stocks.The following companies are subsidiares of Dover: Accelerated Production Systems, Acme Elevator, Advansor A/S, Advansor Dover International (Poland) sp. z o.o, Advansor Germany GmbH, Alfred Fueling Systems Holdco Ltd., Alfred Fueling Systems Inc., Alfred Fueling Systems Intermediate Holdco Ltd., All-Flo Pump Company, Anman LLC, Anthony Equity Holdings Inc., Anthony Holdings Inc., Anthony Inc., Anthony International, Anthony International Foreign Sales Corp., Anthony International Holding Company, Anthony Mexico Holdings LLC, Anthony North Holdco Inc., Anthony Specialty Glass LLC, Anthony TemperBent GP LLC, Auto Glanz Solutions LLC, Automatik Grundstucksverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Automatik Plastics Machinery (Taiwan) Ltd., BSC Filters Limited, Background2 Limited, Belanger, Belanger Inc., Belvac Middle East FZE, Belvac Production Machinery Inc., Blackmer, BlitzRotary GmbH, Butler Engineering and Marketing S.P.A., CDS Visual, CEP Liquidation LLC, CP Formation LLC, CPC Europe Inc., CPI Products Inc., Caldera, Canada Organization & Development LLC, Chief Automotive Technologies (Shanghai) Trading Company Ltd., Chippewa Square Captive Insurance Company, Colder Products Company, Colder Products Company GmbH, Colder Products Company LTD, Cook Compression BV, Cook Compression LLC, Cook Compression Limited, Cook-MFS Inc., DD1 Inc., DDI Properties Inc., DE-STA-CO Benelux B.V., DE-STA-CO FRANCE, DE-STA-CO Shanghai Co. Ltd., DESTACO UK Limited, DFH Corporation, DFS Netherlands B.V., DSR BZ Holdings LLC, Datamax International Corp, De Sta Co (Asia) Company Limited, De-Sta-Co Cylinders Inc., DeStaCo Europe GmbH, Delaware Capital Formation Inc., Delaware Capital Holdings Inc., Dover (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Dover (Schweiz) Holding GmbH, Dover (Shanghai) Industrial Co. Ltd., Dover (Shenzhen) Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Dover (Suzhou) Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Dover Asia Trading Private Ltd., Dover Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Dover Business Services EMEA Limited, Dover Business Services LLC, Dover Business Services Philippines Corporation, Dover CLP Formation Limited Partnership, Dover CR spol s r.o., Dover Canada Holdings ULC, Dover Canada Operations ULC, Dover Corporation Regional Headquarters, Dover DEI Services Inc., Dover Denmark Holdings ApS, Dover EMEA FZCO, Dover Energy UK Ltd, Dover Engineered Products Segment Inc., Dover Europe Inc., Dover Europe Sarl, Dover Fluids UK Ltd, Dover France Holdings, Dover France Participations, Dover France Technologies, Dover Fueling Solutions Segment Inc., Dover Fueling Solutions UK Limited, Dover Germany GmbH, Dover Global Holdings LLC, Dover Holdings de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Dover Imaging & Identification Segment Inc., Dover India Pvt. Ltd., Dover Intercompany Services UK Limited, Dover International B.V., Dover International Operations Inc., Dover International Ventures Inc., Dover International Ventures Tunisia S.a.r.l., Dover International ithalat ihracat ve Pazarlama Limited Sirketi, Dover Italy Holdings S.r.l., Dover Luxembourg Finance Sarl, Dover Luxembourg Participations Sarl, Dover Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Dover Luxembourg Services Sarl, Dover Operations South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Dover Overseas Ventures Inc., Dover Pumps & Process Solutions Segment Inc., Dover Refrigeration & Food Equipment Segment Inc., Dover Refrigeration & Food Equipment UK Ltd, Dover Resources International de Mexico S. de R.L. C.V., Dover Solutions Colombia SAS, Dover Southeast Asia (Thailand) Ltd., Dover Spain Holdings S.L., Dover UK Pensions Limited, Dover WSCR Holding LLC, Dover WSCR LLC, Dover do Brasil Ltda., Dow-Key Microwave Corporation, Dresser Wayne Data Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Dresser Wayne Fuel Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., EOA Systems Inc., Ebs-Ray Holdings Pty Ltd, Ebs-Ray Industries Pty. Ltd., Ebs-Ray Pumps Pty. Ltd., Em-tec, Espy, Ettlinger, Ettlinger Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH, Fairbanks Environmental Limited, Fibrelite Composites Limited, Fibresec Holdings Limited, Fibresec Limited, Finder, GAL LLC, GIIER LLC, Gala Industries, Gala Kunststoff-und Kautschukmaschinen GmbH, Guangdong Tokheim LIYUAN Oil Industry Technology Limited Company, Highland Park Insurance Company, Hill PHOENIX Inc., Hill PHOENIX WIC LLC, Hill Phoenix Costa Rica Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada, Hill Phoenix El Salvador Limitada de Capital Variable, Hill Phoenix Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix Honduras Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hiltap Fittings Ltd., Hydro Systems Company, Hydro Systems Europe Ltd., Hydronova Australia-NZ Pty Ltd, Industrial Motion Control LLC, Innovative Control Systems, Innovative Control Systems Inc., Inpro/Seal LLC, JK Group, JK Group S.P.A., JK Group USA Inc., K S Boca Inc., K&L Microwave DR Inc., K&L Microwave Inc., KPS (Beijing) Petroleum Equipment Trading Co Ltd., KPS Fueling Solutions Sdn. Bhd., KPS Hong Kong Holding Limited, KPS UK Limited, KS Formation Inc., KS Liquidation Inc., KSLP Liquidation L.P., Kiian Digital (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Knappco LLC, Knowles Electronics, LIQAL, Liquip, Liquip International Pty Limited, MAAG, MARKEM FZ SA, MARKEM-IMAJE Corporation, MIP Holdings Inc., MS Printing Solutions, MS Printing Solutions S.R.L., Maag Automatik GmbH, Maag Automatik Plastics Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Maag Gala Inc., Maag Italy S.R.L., Maag Pump Systems, Maag Pump Systems (US) Inc., Maag Pump Systems AG, Maag Reduction Inc., Maag Service (Malaysia) Sdn. Bdn., Maag Systems (Thailand) Limited, Marathon Equipment Company (Delaware), Markem Imaje Center of Competencies Spain S.L.U., Markem-Imaje, Markem-Imaje (China) Co. Limited, Markem-Imaje - Unipessoal Lda, Markem-Imaje A/S, Markem-Imaje AB, Markem-Imaje AG, Markem-Imaje AS, Markem-Imaje B.V., Markem-Imaje CSAT GmbH, Markem-Imaje Co. Ltd., Markem-Imaje GmbH, Markem-Imaje Holding, Markem-Imaje Identificacao de Produtos Ltda., Markem-Imaje Inc., Markem-Imaje India Private Limited, Markem-Imaje Industries, Markem-Imaje Industries Limited, Markem-Imaje KK, Markem-Imaje LLC, Markem-Imaje Limited, Markem-Imaje Limited, Markem-Imaje Ltd., Markem-Imaje N.V., Markem-Imaje Oy, Markem-Imaje Philippines Corporation, Markem-Imaje Pty Ltd, Markem-Imaje S.A., Markem-Imaje S.A. de C.V., Markem-Imaje S.r.l., Markem-Imaje SAS, Markem-Imaje Sdn Bhd, Markem-Imaje Singapore Pte. Ltd., Markem-Imaje Spain S.A.U, Markpoint Holding AB, Midland Manufacturing LLC, Mouvex, Northern Lights (Nevada) Inc., Northern Lights Funding LP, Northern Lights Investments LLC, Nova Controls Inc., OK International, OK International (UK) Ltd., OK International Holdings Inc., OK International Inc., OPW Engineered Systems Inc., OPW Fluid Transfer Group Europe B.V., OPW Fluid Transfer Solutions (Jiang Su) Co. Ltd., OPW Fluids Group Inc., OPW France, OPW Fuel Management Systems Inc., OPW Fueling Components (SuZhou) Co. Ltd., OPW Fueling Components LLC, OPW Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OPW Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., OPW Slovakia s.r.o., OPW Sweden AB, Officine Meccaniche Sirio S.R.L., PDQ Manufacturing, PDQ Manufacturing Inc., PISCES by OPW Inc., PSD Codax Holdings Limited, PSD Codax Limited, PSG (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, PSG (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PSG California LLC, PSG Germany GmbH, Petro Vend Sp. z o.o., Pike Machine Products Inc., Pole/Zero Acquisition Inc., Precision Brasil Equipamentos E Servicos Para Postos De Combustiveis Ltda., Precision Service - Servicos De Manutencao E Instalacao De Postos De Abastecimento De Combustivel Ltda., Production Control Services, Pump Management Services Co. LLC, RAV Equipos Espana S.L., RAV France, Ravaglioli Deutschland GmbH, Ravaglioli S.P.A., Reduction Engineering GmbH, Revod Corporation, Revod Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Revod SAS, Revod Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd, Revod Sweden AB, Robohand Inc., Rosario, Rosario Handel B.V., Rotary Lift Consolidated (Haimen) Co. Ltd, SE Liquidation LLC, SWEP Germany GmbH, SWEP Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., SWEP North America Inc., SWEP Slovakia s.r.o., SWEP Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Seabiscuit Motorsports Inc., Simmons Sirvey Corporation, So. Cal. Soft-Pak, So. Cal. Soft-Pak Incorporated, Solaris Laser, Solaris Laser S.A., Somero Enterprises, Sound Solutions, Space S.R.L., Spirit, Start Italiana Petrol Cihazlari Sanayi Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Start Italiana S.R.L., Swep Energy Oy, Swep International A.B., Swep Japan K.K., Sys-Tech Solutions, Sys-Tech Solutions Inc., Systech GB Limited, Systech Shanghai Consulting Company Limited, TQC Quantium Quality S.A. de C.V., TTSI III Inc., TWG Canada Consolidated Inc., TXHI LLC, Tartan Textile Services Inc., The Heil Co., Tokheim Belgium, Tokheim China Company Limited, Tokheim GmbH, Tokheim Group, Tokheim Hengshan Technologies (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Tokheim Holding B.V., Tokheim India Private Limited, Tokheim Sofitam Applications, Trans - Logistic Group S.R.L., Triton Systems, Tulsa Winch Inc., UPCO Inc., US Synthetic, Unattended Payment Solutions LLC, Unified Brands, Unified Brands Inc., Val TemperBent Glass L.P., Vectron Frequency Devices (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Vehicle Service Group LLC, Vehicle Service Group UK Limited, Vos Food Store Equipment Ltd., WSCR Corp., Warn Automotive LLC, Warn Industries, Waukesha Bearings, Waukesha Bearings Corporation, Waukesha Bearings Limited, Waukesha Bearings Russia LLC, Wayne Fuel Management UK Ltd., Wayne Fueling Systems, Wayne Fueling Systems (Rus) Limited Liability Company, Wayne Fueling Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Wayne Fueling Systems Canada ULC, Wayne Fueling Systems Deutschland GmbH, Wayne Fueling Systems Italia S.R.L., Wayne Fueling Systems LLC, Wayne Fueling Systems Ltd., Wayne Fueling Systems Sweden AB, Wayne Fueling Systems UK Holdco Ltd., Wayne Industria e Comercio Ltda., WellMark, XanTec Steuerungs- und EDV-Technik GmbH, and em-tec GmbH.Bank of America Corp. is a bank and financial holding company, which engages in the provision of banking and nonbank financial services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth and Investment Management, Global Banking, Global Markets, and All Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers credit, banking, and investment products and services to consumers and small businesses. The Global Wealth and Investment Management provides client experience through a network of financial advisors focused on to meet their needs through a full set of investment management, brokerage, banking, and retirement products. The Global Banking segment deals with lending-related products and services, integrated working capital management and treasury solutions to clients, and underwriting and advisory services. The Global Markets segment includes sales and trading services, as well as research, to institutional clients across fixed-income, credit, currency, commodity, and equity businesses. The All Other segment consists of asset and liability management activities, equity investments, non-core mortgage loans and servicing activities, the net impact of periodic revisions

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of NRG Energy: 3279405 Nova Scotia Company, 3283764 Nova Scotia Company, 7549709 Canada Inc., 7644868 Canada Inc., 7711565 Canada Inc., AC Solar Holdings LLC, Ace Energy Inc., Agua Caliente Borrower 1 LLC, Agua Caliente Solar Holdings LLC, Agua Caliente Solar LLC, Allied Home Warranty GP LLC, Allied Warranty LLC, Arthur Kill Gas Turbines LLC, Arthur Kill Power LLC, Astoria Gas Turbine Power LLC, Bayou Cove Peaking Power LLC, Beheer-en Beleggingsmaatschappij Plogema B.V., Berrians I Gas Turbine Power LLC, BidURenergy Inc., Big Cajun I Peaking Power LLC, Bluewater Wind Delaware LLC, Bluewater Wind Maryland LLC, Bluewater Wind New Jersey Energy LLC, Boquillas Wind LLC, Cabrillo Power I LLC, Cabrillo Power II LLC, Camino Energy LLC, Carbon Management Solutions LLC, Carlsbad Energy Center LLC, Carlsbad Energy Holdings LLC, Chester Energy LLC, Chickahominy River Energy Corp., Cirro Energy Services Inc., Cirro Group Inc., Citizens Power Holdings One LLC, Commonwealth Atlantic Power LLC, Connecticut Jet Power LLC, Cottonwood Development LLC, Cottonwood Energy Company LP, Cottonwood Generating Partners I LLC, Cottonwood Generating Partners II LLC, Cottonwood Generating Partners III LLC, Cottonwood Technology Partners LP, Delaware Power Development LLC, Devon Power LLC, Doga Enerji Uretim Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Doga Isi Satis Hizmetleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Doga Isletme ve Bakim Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Dunkirk Gas Corporation, Dunkirk Power LLC, EHI Development Fund LLC, EME Eastern Holdings LLC, EVgo Services LLC, Eastern Sierra Energy Company LLC, Ecokap Power LLC, El Segundo Energy Center II LLC, El Segundo Power II LLC, El Segundo Power LLC, Elkhorn Ridge Wind II LLC, Energy Alternatives Wholesale LLC, Energy Choice Solutions LLC, Energy Curtailment Specialists, Energy Plus Holdings LLC, Energy Plus Natural Gas LLC, Energy Protection Insurance Company, Everything Energy LLC, Forward Home Security LLC, GCP Funding Company LLC, GenOn Energy, Geostellar Inc., Gladstone Power Station Joint Venture, Goal Zero, Goal Zero Europe GmbH, Goal Zero LLC, Granite II Holding LLC, Granite Power Partners II L.P., Green Mountain Energy, Green Mountain Energy Company, Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, Gregory Partners LLC, Gregory Power Partners LLC, Hanover Energy Company, Huntley IGCC LLC, Huntley Power LLC, Independence Energy Alliance LLC, Independence Energy Group LLC, Independence Energy Natural Gas LLC, Indian River Operations Inc., Indian River Power LLC, Intellastar LLC, Ivanpah Master Holdings LLC, Ivanpah Project I Holdings LLC, Ivanpah Project II Holdings LLC, Ivanpah Project III Holdings LLC, James River Power LLC, Kaufman Cogen LP, LSP-Nelson Energy LLC, Long Beach Generation LLC, Long Beach Peakers LLC, Long Beach Power LLC, Louisiana Generating LLC, MEC Esenyurt B.V., MEC San Pascual B.V., Maplekey UK Finance Limited, Maplekey UK Limited, Meriden Gas Turbines LLC, Middletown Power LLC, Midway-Sunset Cogeneration Company, Midwest Finance Company LLC, Midwest Generation EME LLC, Midwest Generation Holdings I LLC, Midwest Generation Holdings II LLC, Midwest Generation LLC, Midwest Generation Procurement Services LLC, Midwest Peaker Holdings LLC, Mission Bingham Lake Wind LLC, Mission Del Cielo LLC, Mission Energy Construction Services LLC, Mission Energy Holdings International LLC, Mission Energy Wales LLC, Mission Funding Zeta LLC, Mission Midway-Sunset Holdings LLC, Mission Midwest Coal LLC, Mission Minnesota Wind LLC, Mission Watson Holdings LLC, Mission Wind Boquillas LLC, Mission Wind New Mexico II LLC, Mission Wind Owaissa LLC, Mission Wind Pinnacle LLC, Mission del Sol LLC, Montville IGCC LLC, Montville Power LLC, NEO Chester-Gen LLC, NEO Corporation, NRG Acquisition Holdings Inc., NRG Advisory Services LLC, NRG Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Alexandria LLC, NRG Arroyo Nogales LLC, NRG Arthur Kill Operations Inc., NRG Asia-Pacific Ltd., NRG Astoria Gas Turbine Operations Inc., NRG Astoria Power LLC, NRG Audrain Generating LLC, NRG Audrain Holding LLC, NRG Bayou Cove LLC, NRG Berrians East Development LLC, NRG Bluewater Holdings LLC, NRG Bluewater Wind Massachusetts LLC, NRG Bourbonnais Equipment LLC, NRG Bourbonnais LLC, NRG Brazoria Energy LLC, NRG Business Services LLC, NRG CTA Holdings LLC, NRG Cabrillo Power Operations Inc., NRG Cadillac Inc., NRG Cadillac Operations Inc., NRG California Peaker Operations LLC, NRG Capital II LLC, NRG Carbon 360 LLC, NRG Cedar Bayou Development Company LLC, NRG Chalk Point CT LLC, NRG CleanTech Investments LLC, NRG Coal Development Company LLC, NRG ComLease LLC, NRG Common Stock Finance I LLC, NRG Common Stock Finance II LLC, NRG Connected Home LLC, NRG Connecticut Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Connecticut Peaking Development LLC, NRG Construction LLC, NRG Cottonwood Tenant LLC, NRG Curtailment Solutions Canada Inc., NRG Curtailment Solutions Inc., NRG DG Development LLC, NRG Development Company Inc., NRG Devon Operations Inc., NRG Dispatch Services LLC, NRG Distributed Energy Resources Holdings LLC, NRG Distributed Generation PR LLC, NRG Dunkirk Operations Inc., NRG ECOKAP Holdings LLC, NRG ESA Joint Development LLC, NRG El Segundo Operations Inc., NRG Energy Center Eagles LLC, NRG Energy Center Oxnard LLC, NRG Energy Fuel LLC, NRG Energy Fuel Services LLC, NRG Energy Gas & Wind Holdings Inc., NRG Energy Holdings II Inc., NRG Energy Holdings Inc., NRG Energy Inc., NRG Energy Labor Services LLC, NRG Energy Petroleum LLC, NRG Energy Services Group LLC, NRG Energy Services International Inc., NRG Energy Services LLC, NRG Equipment Company LLC, NRG Fuel Cell CA1 LLC, NRG Fuel Resources LLC, NRG Fuel Transportation LLC, NRG GTL Holdings LLC, NRG Gas Development Company LLC, NRG Generation Holdings Inc., NRG Gladstone Operating Services Pty Ltd, NRG Granite Acquisition LLC, NRG Greenco LLC, NRG HQ DG LLC, NRG Holding Leasing Vehicle 7 LLC, NRG Home & Business Solutions LLC, NRG Home Services LLC, NRG Home Solutions LLC, NRG Home Solutions Product LLC, NRG Homer City Services LLC, NRG Huntley Operations Inc., NRG Identity Protect LLC, NRG Ilion LP LLC, NRG Ilion Limited Partnership, NRG Independence Solar LLC, NRG International LLC, NRG Kaufman LLC, NRG Latin America Inc., NRG Lease Co LLC, NRG Lease Development LLC, NRG Limestone 3 LLC, NRG Maintenance Services LLC, NRG Mesquite LLC, NRG Mextrans Inc., NRG MidAtlantic Affiliate Services Inc., NRG MidCon Development LLC, NRG Middletown Operations Inc., NRG Middletown Repowering LLC, NRG Midwest Holdings LLC, NRG Midwest II LLC, NRG Montville Operations Inc., NRG NE Development LLC, NRG Nelson Turbines LLC, NRG New Roads Holdings LLC, NRG NewGen LLC, NRG North Central Operations Inc., NRG Northeast Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Norwalk Harbor Operations Inc., NRG Ohio Pipeline Company LLC, NRG Operating Services Inc., NRG Oswego Harbor Power Operations Inc., NRG Oxbow Holdings LLC, NRG PacGen Inc., NRG Peaker Finance Company LLC, NRG Portable Power LLC, NRG Potrero Development LLC, NRG Power Marketing LLC, NRG Procurement Company LLC, NRG Project Company LLC, NRG Reliability Solutions LLC, NRG Renter's Protection LLC, NRG Repowering Holdings LLC, NRG Residential Solar Solutions LLC, NRG Residential Solar Solutions Leasing II LLC, NRG Retail LLC, NRG Retail Northeast LLC, NRG Rockford Acquisition LLC, NRG Rockford Equipment II LLC, NRG Rockford Equipment LLC, NRG Saguaro Operations Inc., NRG Security LLC, NRG Services Corporation, NRG Sherbino LLC, NRG SimplySmart Solutions LLC, NRG Solar Arrowhead LLC, NRG Solar CVSR Holdings 2 LLC, NRG Solar Dandan LLC, NRG Solar Guam LLC, NRG Solar Ivanpah LLC, NRG Solar Ring LLC, NRG Solar SC Stadium LLC, NRG Solar Sunrise LLC, NRG South Central Affiliate Services Inc., NRG South Central Generating LLC, NRG South Central Operations Inc., NRG South Texas LP, NRG Sterlington Power LLC, NRG Storage Fabrication & Delivery LLC, NRG Storage on Demand NY LLC, NRG SunCap Leasing I LLC, NRG Telogia Power LLC, NRG Texas C&I Supply LLC, NRG Texas Gregory LLC, NRG Texas Holding Inc., NRG Texas LLC, NRG Texas Power LLC, NRG Texas Retail LLC, NRG Trading Advisors LLC, NRG Transmission Holdings LLC, NRG ULC Parent Inc., NRG Victoria I Pty Ltd, NRG Warranty Services LLC, NRG West Coast LLC, NRG Western Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Wind Development Company LLC, NRG Wind Force LLC, NRG Wind LLC, NRG dGen Advisory Services LLC, NRGenerating German Holdings GmbH, NRGenerating International B.V., NRGenerating Luxembourg (No. 1) S.a.r.l., NRGenerating Luxembourg (No. 2) S.a.r.l., New Genco GP LLC, New Jersey Power Development LLC, Norwalk Power LLC, O'Brien Cogeneration Inc. II, ONSITE Energy Inc., One Block Off The Grid Inc., Oswego Harbor Power LLC, Pacific Generation Company, Petra Nova CCS I LLC, Petra Nova Holdings LLC, Petra Nova LLC, Petra Nova Parish Holdings LLC, Petra Nova Power I LLC, Pure Energies Group, Pure Energies Group ULC, Pure Energies Installation Inc., Pure Energies Solar Services Inc., Pure Group Inc., RDI Consulting LLC, RERH Holdings LLC, Reliant Charitable Foundation, Reliant Energy, Reliant Energy Northeast LLC, Reliant Energy Power Supply LLC, Reliant Energy Retail Holdings LLC, Reliant Energy Retail Services LLC, Restoration Design LLC, Roof Diagnostics Solar Holdings LLC, Roof Diagnostics Solar and Electric LLC, Roof Diagnostics Solar and Electric of NY LLC, Saguaro Power Company a Limited Partnership, Saguaro Power LLC, San Gabriel Energy LLC, San Joaquin Energy LLC, San Juan Energy LLC, San Pascual Cogeneration Company International B.V., Sherbino I Wind Farm LLC, Solar Partners I LLC, Solar Partners II LLC, Solar Partners VIII LLC, Solar Power Partners, Solar Pure Energies ULC, Somerset Operations Inc., Somerset Power LLC, South Texas Wind LLC, Station A LLC, Sunrise Power Company LLC, Sunshine State Power (No. 2) B.V., Sunshine State Power B.V., TCV Pipeline LLC, Tacoma Energy Recovery Company, Taloga Wind II LLC, Texas Coastal Ventures LLC, Texas Genco GP LLC, Texas Genco Holdings, Texas Genco Holdings Inc., Texas Genco LP LLC, Texas Genco Services LP, US Retailers LLC, Valle Del Sol Energy LLC, Vienna Operations Inc., Vienna Power LLC, WCP (Generation) Holdings LLC, Watson Cogeneration Company, West Coast Power LLC, XOOM Alberta Holdings LLC, XOOM British Columbia Holdings LLC, XOOM Energy BC ULC, XOOM Energy California LLC, XOOM Energy Canada ULC, XOOM Energy Connecticut LLC, XOOM Energy Delaware LLC, XOOM Energy Georgia LLC, XOOM Energy Global Holdings LLC, XOOM Energy Illinois LLC, XOOM Energy Indiana LLC, XOOM Energy Kentucky LLC, XOOM Energy LLC, XOOM Energy Maine LLC, XOOM Energy Maryland LLC, XOOM Energy Massachusetts LLC, XOOM Energy Michigan LLC, XOOM Energy New Hampshire LLC, XOOM Energy New Jersey LLC, XOOM Energy New York LLC, XOOM Energy ONT ULC, XOOM Energy Ohio LLC, XOOM Energy Pennsylvania LLC, XOOM Energy Rhode Island LLC, XOOM Energy Texas LLC, XOOM Energy Virginia LLC, XOOM Energy Washington D.C. LLC, XOOM Ontario Holdings LLC, XOOM Solar LLC, and eV2g LLC.Emerge Energy Services LP (NYSE:EMES) released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August, 8th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.95) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.92) by $0.03. The oil and gas company earned $24.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.04 million. Emerge Energy Services had a net margin of 3.39% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 21.49%. The business's revenue was down 63.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.12 EPS.

View Emerge Energy Services' earnings history.Circle Oil plc is an Ireland-based oil and gas exploration and production company. The principal activities of the Company are oil and gas exploration, development and production in North Africa with oil and gas production in Egypt, gas production in Morocco, and exploration assets in Morocco and Tunisia. The Company's exploration permits include the Lalla Mimouna permit in the Rharb Basin onshore Morocco, the offshore Mahdia discovery in Tunisia, the Ras Marmour permit onshore Tunisia and the onshore Beni Khalled permit. The Al Amir and Geyad development leases cover approximately 80 square kilometers and are located over 300 kilometers south of Cairo. The Lalla Mimouna Nord and Lalla Mimouna Sud cover an area of approximately 2,210 square kilometers. The Sebou Permit covers approximately 130 square kilometers. The Ras Marmour Permit covers over 1,560 square kilometers, and is located in the south-east of Tunisia. The Mahdia Permit covers an area of over 3,020 square kilometers.

Read More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.TCF Financial Corporation operates as the financial holding company for TCF National Bank that provides various financial products and services in the United States and Canada. It operates through Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, and Enterprise Services segments. The company offers checking, savings, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; individual retirement accounts; debit and credit cards; and check cashing and remittance services. It also provides investment management and custodial services, trust services, financial and estate planning, and retirement planning and employee benefit programs; residential, consumer, and small business lending products; and consumer real estate secured lending, consumer loans, loans secured by personal property, and unsecured personal loans. In addition, the company offers loans and lines of credit, deposits, cash management, capital market products, international trade finance, letters of credit, foreign exchange management services, and loan syndication services. Further, it provides commercial and industrial, commercial real estate banking, and lease financing; and treasury services comprising investment and borrowing portfolios, as well as manages capital, debt, and market risks. As of December 31, 2020, the company operated 478 branches, including 373 traditional branches, 102 supermarket branches, and three campus branches located in Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arizona, and South Dakota; and 1,062 ATMs. TCF Financial Corporation was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

Read More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.

Read MoreFranklin Covey Co. engages in consulting and training in the areas of strategy execution, customer loyalty, leadership, and individual effectiveness. It operates through the following three segments: Direct Offices, Education Practice, International Licensees and Corporate and Other. The Direct Offices segment includes sales personnel that serve the United States and Canada; international sales offices located in Japan, China, the United Kingdom, and Australia; governmental sales channel; and public program operations. The Education Practice segment includes domestic and international Education practice operations, which are focused on sales to educational institutions such as elementary schools, high schools, and colleges and universities. The International Licensees segment primarily comprised of royalty revenues received from these licensees. The Corporate and Other segment includes leasing operations, shipping and handling revenues, and certain corporate administrative expenses. The company was founded by Brent L. Bishop, Stephen R. Covey and Hyrum Wayne Smith in 1983 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT.

Read MoreGiyani Metals Corp., a junior mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, evaluation, and development of gold, manganese, and precious metal mining projects in South Africa and Canada. The company holds interests in the Kgwakgwe Hill manganese mine with six prospecting licenses located in the Kanye Basin, Southeastern Botswana. It also holds interest in the Rock Island gold project located in South Africa; and the Canoe Mining Ventures gold project located in Ontario, Canada. The company was formerly known as Giyani Gold Corp and changed its name to Giyani Metals Corp. in July 2017. Giyani Metals Corp. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Oakville, Canada.

Read MoreAvianca Holdings S.A., through its subsidiaries, provides passenger and cargo air transportation services in North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia, Europe, South America, and internationally. It also offers aircraft maintenance, crew training, and other airport services to other carriers, as well as travel and cargo related services to its customers. In addition, the company is involved in the ground operations for third-party airlines, and aircraft leasing activities; and operates LifeMiles, a frequent flyer program. As of December 31, 2017, it operated a fleet of 186 aircraft, including 144 jet passenger aircrafts, 30 turboprop passenger aircrafts, and 12 cargo aircrafts. The company was formerly known as AviancaTaca Holding S.A. and changed its name to Avianca Holdings S.A. in March 2013. The company was founded in 1919 and is based in Panama City, Panama. Avianca Holdings S.A. is a subsidiary of Synergy Aerospace Corp.

Read MoreCanadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through four strategic business units: Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S. Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; and Capital Markets. The company offers chequing, savings, and business accounts; mortgages; loans, lines of credit, student lines of credit, and business and agriculture loans; investment and insurance services; and credit cards, as well as overdraft protection services. It also provides day-to-day banking, borrowing and credit, investing and wealth, specialty, and international services; correspondent banking and online foreign exchange services; and cash management services. The company serves its customers through its banking centers, as well as direct, mobile, and remote channels. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was founded in 1867 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Read MoreHarris Corporation provides technology-based solutions that solve government and commercial customers' mission-critical challenges in the United States and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Communication Systems, Electronic Systems, and Space and Intelligence Systems. It designs, develops, and manufactures radio communications products and systems, including single channel ground and airborne radio systems, multiband manpack and handheld radios, multi-channel manpack and airborne radios, and single-channel airborne radios, as well as wideband rifleman team, ground, and high frequency manpack radios. The company also offers vision-enhancing products; wireless communications systems; and Internet protocol based voice and data communications systems, as well as single-band land mobile radio terminals and multiband radios comprising a handheld radio and a full-spectrum mobile radio for vehicles. In addition, it provides electronic warfare, avionics, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions for defense and classified customers; and mission-critical communication systems for civil and military aviation and other customers. Further, the company offers intelligence, space protection, geospatial, earth observation, exploration, positioning, navigation and timing, and environmental solutions using advanced sensors, antennas, and payloads, as well as ground processing and information analytics for national security, defense, civil and commercial customers. Harris Corporation was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Florida.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Tyson Foods: APF Legacy Subs LLC, Advance Food Company LLC, AdvancePierre Foods, AdvancePierre Foods Holdings Inc., AdvancePierre Foods Inc., Aidells Sausage Company Inc., Allied Specialty Foods Inc., American Proteins Inc, Artisan Bread Co. LLC, Australian Food Corporation Pty Limited, Australian Food Corporation Trust, BRF, Barber Foods LLC, Bosco's Pizza Co., Bryan Foods Inc., C.S. Grain LLC, C.V. Holdings Inc., CBFA Management Corp., Central Industries Inc., Chefs Pantry LLC, Clovervale Farms LLC, Cobb (Hubei) Breeding Co. Ltd., Cobb (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Cobb Ana Damizlik Tavukculuk Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Cobb Columbia S.A.S., Cobb Europe B.V., Cobb Europe Limited, Cobb Peru (Andina) S.A.C., Cobb-Heritage LLC, Cobb-Vantress Brasil Ltda, Cobb-Vantress Inc., Cobb-Vantress New Zealand Limited, Cobb-Vantress Philippines Inc., Coominya AFC Pty Limited, Coominya AFC Trust, DFG Foods Inc., DFG Foods L.L.C., Don Julio, Egbert LLC, Equity Group - Georgia Division LLC, Equity Group - Kentucky Division LLC, Equity Group Eufaula Division LLC, Equity Meat Corp., Flavor Corp., Flavor Holdings Inc., Foodbrands America Inc., Foodbrands Supply Chain Services Inc., Gallo Salame Inc., Global Employment Services Inc., Grow-Out Credit LLC, Grow-Out Holdings LLC, Haimen Tyson Poultry Development Co. Ltd, Hudson Foods Company, Hudson Midwest Foods Inc., Hybro Genetics Brasil Ltda, IBP Caribbean Inc., IBP Foodservice L.L.C., IBP Inc., International Affiliates & Investment LLC, Jiangsu Tyson Foods Co. Ltd, Keydutch Finance B.V., Keydutch Holdings I LLC, Keydutch Holdings II LLC, Keydutch Investments B.V., Keystone CLJV Holdings Limited, Keystone County House Road LLC, Keystone Foods, Keystone Foods (AP) Limited, Keystone Foods Holdco LLC, Keystone Foods Intermediate LLC, Keystone Foods LLC, Keystone Foods Pty Limited, Keystone Management Inc., Keystone Trading (Shanghai) Company Limited, LD Foods LLC, M & M Express LLC, M&M Restaurant Supply (MI/OH) LLC, MFG (USA) Holdings Inc., Mac Food Services (Malaysia) SDN. BHD., Madison Foods Inc., McKey Food Services (Hong Kong) Limited, McKey Food Services (Shandong) Limited, McKey Food Services (Thailand) Limited, McKey Food Services Limited, McKey Luxembourg Holdings APMEA S.a.r.l., McKey Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., McKey Luxembourg S.a.r.l., McKey VI Holdings Limited, Myung Seung Food Company Ltd., National Comp Care Inc., New Canada Holdings Inc., Oaklawn Capital Corporation, Oaklawn IT Solution Private Limited, Original Philly Holdings Inc., PBX inc., Pierre Holdco Inc., River Valley Ingredients LLC, Rizhao Tyson Foods Co. Ltd, Rizhao Tyson Poultry Co. Ltd, Rural Energy Systems Inc., Sara Lee - Kiwi Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Diversified LLC, Sara Lee Foods LLC, Sara Lee Household & Body Care Malawi Ltd., Sara Lee International LLC, Sara Lee International TM Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Mexicana Holdings Investment L.L.C., Sara Lee TM Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Trademark Holdings Australasia LLC, Saramar L.L.C., Shandong Tyson-Da Long Food Company Limited, Smart Chicken, Southern Family Foods L.L.C., Southwest Products LLC, TF 20 B.V., TF 5201 B.V., TFA Leasing LLC, TFA Opportunity Zone Fund LLC, TFI of California Inc., Tecumseh Poultry LLC, Texas Transfer Inc., The Bruss Company, The Hillshire Brands Company, The IBP Foods Co., The Pork Group Inc., TyNet Corporation, Tyson (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Tyson Americas Holding Sarl, Tyson Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Tyson Breeders Inc., Tyson Chicken Inc., Tyson China Holding 2 Limited, Tyson China Holding 3 Limited, Tyson China Holding Limited, Tyson Deli Inc., Tyson Europe Holding Company, Tyson Farms Inc., Tyson Farms QOZB LLC, Tyson Foods Brasil Investimentos Ltda., Tyson Foods Canada Inc., Tyson Foods Europe (Netherlands) B.V., Tyson Foods Europe GmbH, Tyson Foods France S.A.R.L., Tyson Foods Germany GmbH, Tyson Foods Group Limited, Tyson Foods Holland B.V., Tyson Foods Huadong Development Co. Ltd, Tyson Foods Iberia Alimentos S.L.U., Tyson Foods Italia S.p.A., Tyson Foods Korea, Tyson Foods Netherlands B.V., Tyson Foods Products Limited, Tyson Foods Scotland Europe Limited, Tyson Foods Scotland Sales (Europe) Limited, Tyson Foods UK Limited, Tyson Foods Wrexham Limited, Tyson Foods oosterwolde B.V., Tyson Fresh Meats Inc., Tyson Fresh Meats Sales and Distribution LLC, Tyson Global Holding Sarl, Tyson Hog Markets Inc., Tyson India Holdings Ltd., Tyson International APAC Ltd., Tyson International Company Ltd., Tyson International Holding Company, Tyson International Holding Sarl, Tyson International Service Center Inc., Tyson International Service Center Inc. Asia, Tyson International Service Center Inc. Europe, Tyson Mexican Original Inc., Tyson Mexico Trading Company S. de R.L. de CV., Tyson New Ventures LLC, Tyson Opportunity Zone Fund LLC, Tyson Pet Products Inc., Tyson Poultry Inc., Tyson Prepared Foods Inc., Tyson Processing Services Inc., Tyson Refrigerated Processed Meats Inc., Tyson Sales and Distribution Inc., Tyson Service Center Corp., Tyson Shared Services Inc., Tyson Storm Lake Holdings LLC, Tyson Warehousing Services LLC, Tyson of Wisconsin LLC, Uninex SA, Universal Meats (UK) Limited, WBA Analytical Laboratories Inc., Wilton Foods Inc., Xamol Consultores e Servicos, and Zemco Industries Inc..Hertz Global's quiet period expires on Monday, December 20th. Hertz Global had issued 44,520,000 shares in its initial public offering on November 9th. The total size of the offering was $1,291,080,000 based on an initial share price of $29.00. During Hertz Global's quiet period, insiders and underwriters that worked on the IPO are prevented from issuing any research reports for the company because of regulations issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Following the end of the company's quiet period, it's expected that the brokerages that served as underwriters on the stock will initiate research coverage on the company.iShares S&P SmallCap 600 ETF's stock was trading at $62.31 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, IJR shares have increased by 89.8% and is now trading at $118.24.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.Imperial Brands PLC, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, imports, markets, and sells tobacco and tobacco-related products. It offers a range of cigarettes, fine cut and smokeless tobacco, papers, and cigars; and next generation product (NGP) portfolio, such as e-vapour products, as well as oral nicotine and heated tobacco products. The company sells its products under various brands, including Davidoff, Gauloises, JPS, West, L&B, Bastos, Fine, Winston, News, Parker & Simpson, blu, Kool, Horizon, Jade, Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo Y Julieta, Backwoods, Skruf, Golden Virginia, Rizla, and Knox in approximately 160 countries worldwide. It also provides logistics services that include the distribution of tobacco and NGP products for tobacco and NGP product manufacturers; and various non-tobacco and NGP products and services. In addition, the company is involved in the management of a golf course; marketing of papers; restaurant business; distribution of pharmaceuticals, POS software, and published materials and other products; printing and publishing activities; and provision of long haul transportation, industrial parcel and express delivery, advertising, and support management services. Further, it owns the trademarks; and retails its products. The company was formerly known as Imperial Tobacco Group PLC and changed its name to Imperial Brands PLC in February 2016. Imperial Brands PLC was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Bristol, the United Kingdom.

Read MoreInfineon Technologies AG engages in the provision of semiconductor and system solutions. It operates through the following segments: Automotive, Industrial Power Control, Power & Sensor systems, and Connected Secure Systems. The Automotive segment designs, develops, manufactures, and markets semiconductor for automotive applications. The Industrial Power Control segment involves in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of semiconductors for the generation, transmission, and economy in the use of electrical energy. The Power & Sensor systems segment includes design, development, manufacture, and marketing of semiconductors for energy-efficient power supplies as well as for mobile devices and mobile phone network infrastructures. The Connected Secure Systems designs, develops, manufactures, and markets semiconductor-based security products for card applications and network systems. The company was founded on April 1, 1999 and is headquartered in Munich, Germany.

Read MoreInforma plc operates as a business-to-business exhibitions and events, learning, and information services company worldwide. It operates through five divisions: Informa Connect, Informa Intelligence, Informa Markets, Informa Tech, and Taylor & Francis. The Informa Connect division provides content-driven events and digital platforms that allow professionals to meet, connect, learn, and share knowledge. This division operates events in finance and investment, biotech and pharma, and other specialist markets. The Informa Intelligence division offers digital intelligence and data-based products, consultancy, and research services in the areas of pharma, financial, maritime, and asset intelligence, as well as Barbour ABI, a provider of construction market intelligence and building project leads for built environment specialists. The Informa Markets division creates platforms for international markets, which provide businesses to research trends, find and showcase products, generate leads, and complete sales through exhibitions, virtual events, specialist digital content, and data solutions to customers operating in specialist markets to meet and trade. The Informa Tech division offers research, media, training, and events that inform, educate, and connect businesses and professionals working in technology. The Taylor & Francis division publishes books for upper level university students, researchers, and academic institutions in a range of specialist subjects; and journals under imprints such as Routledge, Taylor & Francis, and Cogent OA. This segment has a portfolio of approximately 160,000 book titles and 2,700 journals. The company was formerly known as T&F Informa plc and changed its name to Informa plc in August 2005. Informa plc was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 211 E. Russell Road LLC, Air-Relief, Belliss & Morcom Brasil, Belliss and Morcom, Boardwalk Enterprises, Charm Merger Sub Inc., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Canada, CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir Holman Ltd, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., CompAir UK Ltd, CompAir USA, Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Emco Wheaton, Emco Wheaton GmbH Branch, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton UK, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Propriety Limited (South Africa), GD Aria Holdings #2 Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First UK Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings, GD Global Holdings II, GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SA, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Services Ltd, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Hoffman, Gardner Denver Holdings, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica, Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd. Branch, Gardner Denver International, Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Intl Ltd Middle East Regional Rep Office, Gardner Denver Investments, Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan, Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd South Africa, Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd. Branch (Ireland), Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co, Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oberdorfer Pumps, Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Petroleum Pumps, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia, Gardner Denver SudAmerica S.r.l., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas, Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH, Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver UK, Gardner Denver Water Jetting Systems, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, Indonesia Foreign Trade Representative Office, LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MP Pumps Inc., Mako Compressors, Nash, Nash Elmo, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Robuschi, Rotary Compression Technologies, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Syltone, TCM Investments, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, TODO AB, Tamrotor Marine Compressors AS, Thomas Industries, Thomas Industries Inc., Tri-Continent Scientific, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, and Zinsser NA.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.

Read MoreiShares Gold Trust shares reverse split 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 market closes 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.iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF's stock was trading at $158.09 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, IWF shares have increased by 94.8% and is now trading at $308.01.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF's stock split before market open on Monday, December 7th 2020. The 2-1 split was announced on Friday, November 6th 2020. The newly created shares were distributed to shareholders after the market closes on Friday, December 4th 2020. An investor that had 100 shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF stock prior to the split would have 200 shares after the split.United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. Its Otis segment designs, manufactures, sells, and installs passenger and freight elevators, escalators, and moving walkways; and offers modernization products to upgrade elevators and escalators, as well as maintenance and repair services. The company's Carrier segment provides heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation products, solutions, and services for commercial, government, infrastructure, residential, and refrigeration and transportation applications. This segment also offers building services, including audit, design, installation, system integration, repair, maintenance, and monitoring. Its Pratt & Whitney segment supplies aircraft engines for commercial, military, business jet, and general aviation markets; and provides aftermarket maintenance, repair, and overhaul, as well as fleet management services. The company's Collins Aerospace Systems segment provides electric power generation, power management, and distribution systems; air data and aircraft sensing systems; engine control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; engine components; environmental control systems; fire and ice detection, and protection systems; propeller systems; engine nacelle systems; aircraft lighting, seating, and cargo systems; actuation and landing systems; space products and subsystems; avionics systems; flight controls, communications, navigation, oxygen, and training systems; food and beverage preparation, and storage and galley systems; and lavatory and wastewater management systems. The company offers its services through manufacturers' representatives, distributors, wholesalers, dealers, retail outlets, and sales representatives, as well as directly to customers. United Technologies Corporation was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut.

Read MoreThere is not enough analysis data for LINE.

4.0 Community Rank

Outperform Votes LINE has received 246 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes LINE has received 163 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment LINE has received 60.15% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about LINE and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe LN will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe LN will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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NextThe Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. is an insurance and financial services company. The company provides life insurance, group and employee benefits, automobile and homeowners insurance and business insurance, as well as investment products, annuities, mutual funds, and college savings plans. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Lines, Personal Lines, Property & Casualty Other Operations, Group Benefits and Hartford Funds. The Commercial Lines segment provides workers compensation, property, automobile, liability and umbrella coverage under several different products, primarily throughout the U.S., within its standard commercial lines, which consists of The Hartford's small commercial and middle market lines of business. The Personal Lines segment includes automobile, homeowners and home-based business coverage to individuals across the U.S. The Property & Casualty Other Operations segment includes certain property and casualty operations, currently managed by the company, that have discontinued writing new business and substantially all of the company's asbestos and environmental exposures. The Group Benefits segment offers group life, accident and disabi

Read MoreMAXIMUS, Inc. engages in the operation of government and human services programs. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Services; U.S. Federal Services; and Outside the U.S. The U.S. Services segment offers a variety of business process services, and appeals and assessments for state, provincial and national government programs. The U.S. Federal Services segment includes process solutions, program management, as well as system and software development, and maintenance services for various United States federal civilian programs. The Outside the U.S segment comprises of national, state, and county human services agencies with a variety of business process services, and related consulting services for welfare-to-work, child support, higher education institutions, and other human services programs. The company was founded by David V. Mastran in 1975 and is headquartered in Reston, VA.

Read More American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

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 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.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

Read MoreHDFC Bank Ltd. engages in the provision of banking and financial services, including commercial banking and treasury operations. The firm also provides financial services to upper and middle income individuals and corporations in India. It operates through the following segments: Treasury, Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking and Other Banking Operations. The Treasury segment consists of bank's investment portfolio, money market borrowing and lending, investment operations and trading in foreign exchange and derivative contracts. The Retail Banking segment provides loans and other services to customers through a branch network and other delivery channels. The Wholesale Banking segment provides loans, non-fund facilities and transaction services to large corporates, emerging corporates, public sector units, government bodies, financial institutions, and medium scale enterprises. The Other Banking Business segment includes income from para banking activities such as credit cards, debit cards, third party product distribution, primary dealership business, and the associated costs. The company was founded by Aditya Tapishwar Puri in August 1994 and is headquartered in Mumbai, India.

Read MoreRogers Communications Inc. operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The company offers mobile Internet access, wireless voice and enhanced voice, device and accessory financing, wireless home phone, device protection, text messaging, e-mail, global voice and data roaming, bridging landline, machine-to-machine and Internet of Things solutions, and advanced wireless solutions for businesses, as well as device delivery services; and postpaid and prepaid services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands to approximately 10.9 million subscribers. It also provides Internet and WiFi services; smart home monitoring services, such as monitoring, security, automation, energy efficiency, and smart control through a smartphone app. In addition, the company offers local and network TV; on-demand television; cloud-based digital video recorders; voice-activated remote controls, and integrated apps; personal video recorders; linear and time-shifted programming; digital specialty channels; 4K television programming; and televised content on smartphones, tablets, and personal computers, as well as operates Ignite TV and Ignite TV app. Further, it provides residential and small business local telephony services; calling features, such as voicemail, call waiting, and long distance; voice, data networking, Internet protocol, and Ethernet services; private networking, Internet, IP voice, and cloud solutions; optical wave and multi-protocol label switching services; IT and network technologies; and cable access network services. The company also owns Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre event venue; and operates Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World, Citytv, OMNI, FX (Canada), FXX (Canada), and OLN television networks, as well as 55 AM and FM radio stations. Rogers Communications Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Read More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.

Read MoreContinental Building Products Inc (NYSE:CBPX) announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November, 12th. The construction company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.01. The construction company earned $127.40 million during 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%. Continental Building Products's revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 earnings per share.

View Continental Building Products' earnings history.The following companies are subsidiares of Teledyne Technologies: Alia Corporation Inc, Bolt Technology Corp, Bowtech Products, CARIS, CDL do Brasil Equipamentos e Servicos Submarinos Sociedade Empresaria Ltda., CETAC Technologies, DALSA, Demo Systems, Detcon Holdco Inc., Ensambles de Precision S.A. de C.V., Falcon Analytical, Frontline Test Equipment, GMI Group Holdings Limited, Hafmynd ehf, Hanson Research Corp, IST Oldham Instruments India Private Limited, Industrial Control Machines, Intelek, Intelek Limited, Intelek Pension Trustees Limited, Intelek Properties Limited, LeCroy (Beijing) Trading Co. Ltd., LeCroy Corporation, Lidar Aviation Services Inc., Maple Imaging LLC, Micralyne Inc, Ocean Design Ltda., Oldham Instrument (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Oldham Simtronics SAS, Oldham-Winter GmbH, PDM Neptec, Reynolds Industries Limited, Rhombi Canada LP, Rhombi Holdings Limited, Rhombi Netherlands B.V., Rockwell Scientific Company, Simtronics AS, TDY Jersey Limited, Teledyne Advanced Pollution Instrumentation, Teledyne Australia Pty Ltd, Teledyne BlueView, Teledyne Bogatin Enterprises LLC, Teledyne Bowtech Limited, Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc., Teledyne C.M.L. Group Limited, Teledyne CARIS B.V., Teledyne CARIS Inc., Teledyne CARIS UK Ltd., Teledyne CARIS USA Inc., Teledyne CDL Inc., Teledyne CDL Limited, Teledyne Catalyst Enterprises Inc., Teledyne Computer Access Technology Corporation, Teledyne Controls LLC, Teledyne Cougar, Teledyne Czech s.r.o., Teledyne DALSA (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Teledyne DALSA Asia-Pacific Ltd., Teledyne DALSA B.V., Teledyne DALSA GmbH, Teledyne DALSA Inc., Teledyne DALSA Industrial Products Inc., Teledyne DALSA K.K., Teledyne DALSA Semiconductor Inc., Teledyne Dalsa, Teledyne Defense Electronics LLC, Teledyne Denmark A/S, Teledyne Detcon Inc., Teledyne Digital Imaging Inc., Teledyne Digital Imaging US Inc., Teledyne Energy Systems Inc., Teledyne Europe Holdings C.V., Teledyne France, Teledyne France SAS, Teledyne Gas Measurement Instruments Limited, Teledyne Gavia ehf., Teledyne Germany GmbH, Teledyne Hanson Research Inc., Teledyne ICM SA, Teledyne ICM SPRL, Teledyne Innovaciones Microelectronics S.L.U., Teledyne Instruments Inc., Teledyne Instruments Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Teledyne Japan Corporation, Teledyne Korea Ltd., Teledyne Labtech Limited, Teledyne LeCroy AB, Teledyne LeCroy Delaware LLC, Teledyne LeCroy GmbH, Teledyne LeCroy Inc., Teledyne LeCroy India Trading Private Ltd., Teledyne LeCroy Japan Corporation, Teledyne LeCroy Korea Ltd., Teledyne LeCroy OakGate Inc., Teledyne LeCroy S.A.R.L., Teledyne LeCroy S.R.L., Teledyne LeCroy SA, Teledyne LeCroy Singapore Pte. Ltd., Teledyne Limited, Teledyne Micralyne Inc., Teledyne Monitor Labs, Teledyne Monitor Labs P.R. Inc., Teledyne Netherlands B.V., Teledyne ODI, Teledyne Optech Inc., Teledyne Paradise Datacom Limited, Teledyne RD Instruments, Teledyne RD Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Teledyne RESON, Teledyne RESON A/S, Teledyne RESON B.V., Teledyne RESON GmbH, Teledyne RESON Holding B.V., Teledyne RESON Inc., Teledyne RESON Pte. Ltd., Teledyne RESON UK Limited, Teledyne RISI Inc., Teledyne Rad-icon Imaging Corp., Teledyne Redlake MASD LLC, Teledyne Reynolds Inc., Teledyne SG Brown Limited, Teledyne Scientific & Imaging LLC, Teledyne Scientific Imaging GmbH, Teledyne Scientific Imaging Limited, Teledyne Signal Processing Devices Sweden AB, Teledyne Singapore Private Limited, Teledyne TSS Limited, Teledyne Taiwan Company, Teledyne Technologies (Bermuda) Limited, Teledyne Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Teledyne Technologies International Corp., Teledyne Technologies Israel Ltd., Teledyne Tekmar Company, Teledyne UK Limited, Teledyne VariSystems, Teledyne VariSystems Inc., Teledyne Wireless LLC, Teledyne e2v, Teledyne e2v (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Teledyne e2v (Overseas) Holdings Limited, Teledyne e2v Asia Pacific Limited, Teledyne e2v Limited, Teledyne e2v Semiconductors SAS, and The Oceanscience Group Ltd..Thomson Reuters Corporation provides business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments. The Corporates segment provides a suite of content-enabled technology solutions for legal, tax, regulatory, compliance, and IT professionals. The Tax & Accounting Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on tax offerings and automating tax workflows to tax, accounting, and audit professionals in accounting firms. The Reuters News segment provides business, financial, national, and international news to professionals through desktop terminals, media organizations, and industry events, as well as directly to consumers. The Global Print segment offers legal and tax information primarily in print format to legal and tax professionals, governments, law schools, and corporations. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Thomson Reuters Corporation is a subsidiary of The Woodbridge Company Limited.

Read MoreTravelport Worldwide Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates a travel commerce platform that offers distribution, technology, payment, mobile, and other solutions for the travel and tourism industry in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It facilitates travel commerce by connecting travel providers, such as airlines, hotel chains, and car rental companies with online and offline travel buyers in a business-to-business travel platform. The company provides distribution and merchandising solutions for hotel, car rental, rail, cruise-line, and tour operators; Virtual Account Number payment solutions that automatically generate unique MasterCard numbers that are used to process payments; advertising solutions; and other platform services, such as subscription, processing, and business intelligence data services, as well as marketing-oriented analytical tools to travel agencies, travel providers, and other travel data users. It also offers critical IT solutions and other services to airlines, such as shopping, ticketing, departure control, business intelligence, and other solutions. Travelport Worldwide Limited was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Langley, the United Kingdom.

Read MoreUniper SE operates as an energy company. It operates in three segments: European Generation, Global Commodities, and Russian Power Generation. The company owns and operates various power and heat generation facilities, including fossil fuel power plants, such as coal, gas, oil, and combined gas and steam; and hydroelectric, nuclear, biomass, photovoltaic, and wind power plants. It also markets energy services comprising fuel procurement, and engineering and asset management, as well as operational and maintenance services; and procures fuels, trades in emission allowances, and markets electricity. In addition, the company engages in the sale of individual power and natural gas to resellers, industrial customers, and power plant operators; energy trading activities; infrastructure investments and gas storage operations; fuel procurement for power plants; operation and management of the plants; and trade and sale of energy. Further, it trades in commodities, which comprise power, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and coal and freight solutions; provides district heating and online gas dispatch services; operates gas storage and power-to-gas facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United Kingdom; and owns and operates marine fuel oils production facility in Fujairah. The company operates in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, rest of Europe, and internationally. Uniper SE was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in DAsseldorf, Germany. Uniper SE operates as a subsidiary of Karemi Charge and Drive SE.

Read MoreVanguard FTSE Europe ETF's stock was trading at $46.36 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, VGK shares have increased by 46.9% and is now trading at $68.08.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.Oasis Petroleum Inc., an independent exploration and production company, focuses on the acquisition and development of onshore unconventional oil and natural gas resources in the United States. It operates through Exploration and Production(E&P), and Midstream segments. The E&P segment engages in the acquisition and development of oil and gas properties. The Midstream segment offers midstream services, such as natural gas gathering, compression, processing and, gas lift supply; crude oil gathering, terminaling, and transportation; produced and flowback water gathering, and disposal; and water distribution. As of December 31, 2020, the company had 401,766 net leasehold acres in the Williston Basin; and 24,396 net leasehold acres in the Permian Basin, as well as approximately 152.2 million barrels of oil equivalent of estimated net proved reserves. The company sells its crude oil and natural gas to refiners, marketers, and other purchasers that have access to pipeline and rail facilities. Oasis Petroleum Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Read MoreAfter running a year-long competition that drew interest from hundreds of cities and a number of states, Amazon has chosen New York City and Northern Virginia to split duty as its second headquarters.

On Tuesday, Amazon announced it has chosen New York's Long Island City and Virginia's Arlington for HQ2. Both locations will receive a $2.5 billion investment from Amazon, and each will have more than 25,000 workers over time. Hiring begins next year.

The reason behind the surprise decision to divide the facility was due to the talent pool. Amazon realized it could recruit more skilled workers and offer employees choice if it offered two locations.

The development projects promise to bring the cities a giant infusion of high-paying jobs and tax revenue, but are almost certain to draw fire from critics concerned about their impact on infrastructure and property values.

Amazon said it in a blog post it will receive incentives of about $1.5 billion based on job creation in Long Island City, and incentives of $573 million for Arlington. Jobs in both cities will have an average annual salary of $150,000, the company said.

In Long Island City and Arlington, Amazon will have four million square feet of office space with the possibility of expanding to 8 million square feet. Amazon estimates an incremental tax revenue of over $10 billion in the next 20 years as a result of its investment and job creation in Long Island City and New York, and $3.2 billion over the same time period in Arlington and Virginia.

Jay Carney, SVP of Worldwide Corporate Affairs at Amazon, said the process of cities offering incentives to companies looking to enter new regions is standard across the US.

"If you look at some of the packages that were put forward by other cities, the incentives ... in New York and the DC area, Northern Virginia are actually lower than were offered elsewhere," he told CNN's Julia Chatterley. "The talent was really the driving factor for us."

Carney said it was important for Amazon to be in spots that would be attractive to potential new employees.

The Arlington headquarters will be located in what Amazon is calling "National Landing," which is less than 3 miles from downtown Washington DC. The newly-branded neighborhood includes parts of Pentagon City and Crystal City in Arlington and Potomac Yard in Alexandria.

Meanwhile, the New York City office will be in the fast-growing Queens neighborhood of Long Island City, just across the East River and minutes from downtown Manhattan on the subway.

The company also announced a new hub in Nashville to oversee customer fulfillment, transportation and supply chain activities. It will employ 5,000 people. Nashville was on Amazon's short list for HQ2.

The second headquarters search began in September 2017 when Seattle-based Amazon announced it would start accepting proposals for what quickly became known as HQ2.

During the process, Amazon narrowed 238 bids to 20 finalists, including Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, and Miami. Executives traveled across the United States -- and to one Canadian city -- to tour sites to find the company's next home.

Amazon's criteria for HQ2 included proximity to a major airport, ability to attract technical talent and a suburban or urban area with over 1 million people.

In a surprise twist, Amazon ultimately decided to choose two winners instead of one. It originally said HQ2 would create 50,000 high-paying jobs and would be a full equal to its Seattle headquarters.

One of the main concerns about the process was how a city would navigate an influx of 50,000 new workers. Splitting the project in half could ease the impact, and help Amazon avoid some of the blame for higher housing prices or more traffic in those regions. The move also allows Amazon to recruit top talent from two major Metropolitan areas.

The search ignited a frenzy among cities looking to boost their economies. Some cities responded with elaborate gestures to try to woo Amazon. Tucson, Arizona, famously sent Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos a giant cactus, and Birmingham, Alabama, installed massive Amazon delivery boxes around the city. Kansas City's mayor gave five-star reviews to 1,000 random items on Amazon's website, and Stonecrest, Georgia offered to rename some of its land the city of Amazon.

Amazon has said employees who work in Seattle will have a chance to relocate. It will also hire teams and executives for the new locations.

The company estimates that its investments in Seattle from 2010 to 2016 added $38 billion to the city's economy. These investments include buildings, parks and infrastructure, such as corporate offices and Prime Now delivery sites.

But Amazon's search for HQ2 was never just about finding a new home.

Throughout the process, Amazon skillfully obtained free data from cities across North America, including proprietary information about real estate sites under development, details about their talent pool, local labor cost and what incentives cities and states were willing to pony up to bring the company to town.

"Amazon was not going through this exercise to pick a single HQ2," said Richard Florida, a leading urbanist and professor at the University of Toronto. "It was part of a broader effort -- a corporate relocation strategy -- to crowd source a wide variety of data."

And the company itself has said it would use the information from the bids when considering where to open new facilities, such as warehouses and smaller corporate offices. Several cities that didn't make the final 20 have already seen an investment from Amazon, including fulfillment centers in Spokane, Washington, and Ottawa, as well as a new office in Vancouver with jobs in fields like machine learning and cloud computing.BARNEVELD, N.Y.  New York State Police arrested a Barneveld contractor who was accused of taking money from his customers for work he never finished.

Robert Andrejov, 46, of Barneveld, was charged with grand larceny and scheme to defraud. Both charges are felonies.

State Police said the arrest of Andrejov is the result of a seven-month long investigation into Upstate Choice Contracting, a company owned by Andrejov.

Authorities said several victims reported paying money to have Andrejov make home improvements or repairs only to have the work not completed or in some cases not even started. Victims are reported in both Herkimer and Oneida Counties. Police said they have suffered losses totaling thousands of dollars.

The State Police request that anyone who retained the services of Upstate Choice Contracting and suffered a monetary loss to contact them at the Herkimer barracks (315) 866-7275 or the Marcy barracks (315) 736-8802.FRANKFORT, NY - A plan to replace or repair 165 bridges and culverts across the state is going to cost New York taxpayers more than $262 million as part of the Bridge New York program.

In Central New York, the Village of Frankfort will receive $5 million for repairs to the West Main Street bridge over Moyer Creek that is the second-most expensive project in the state, and the highest in our area.

The West Main Street bridge in Frankfort, over Moyer Creek. The West Main Street bridge in Frankfort, over Moyer Creek.

The goal is to accelerate the renewal and modernization of bridges and culverts statewide.

Other local projects include:

- $1.906 million to the Village of Herkimer (Herkimer County) for West German Street over Bellinger Brook

- $594,000 to the City of Rome (Oneida County) for Dewwy Road over a tributary to Wheeler Creek

- $1.475 million to the City of Rome (Oneida County) for Floyd Avenue over the Mohawk River

- $1.868 million to the City of Rome (Oneida County) for Seifert Road over Wood Creek

- $691,000 to the City of Oneonta (Otsego County) for Main Street (NY Route 7) over Glenwood Creek

The Bridge New York program is administrated by the State Department of Transportation and is part of a $23 billion, multi-year capital plan.UTICA- Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation on Monday that would provide an annual increase in the rate of compensation for Gold Star parents.

Currently, Gold Star parents get $500 annually with no increase. The new legislation amends the executive law to allow for an annual increase equal to the percentage increase of benefits put in place by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The annuity recognizes the emotional loss and financial impact of parents who have lost a child while serving. It was implemented in 2008, and there hasn't been an increase since. Members of local Veterans clubs say this is well-deserved.

"If we could just continue this, maybe even amp it up a little bit and take the financial burden off of everybody that would make me happy," said Jennifer Montalbano, a member of the Post Amvets club in Utica.

Governor Cuomo said, "I am proud to sign this measure into law and I will continue our work to honor those brave New Yorkers who paid the ultimate price to protect our democracy and to support their families."Utica, N.Y. - The opening and counting of the thousands of absentee ballots that have come in in the 22nd Congressional District will begin on Tuesday.

Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol says his office is involved in the counting process, at least here in Oneida County, and he believes the whole process could take days, "Obviously this is something thats going to take more than one day, more than likely its going to take several days."

Maciol says he was contacted on Friday by New York State Supreme Court Judge Patrick McRae here in Oneida County, as were the sheriffs in the other seven counties that make up the 22nd Congressional District, to impound all ballots and digital recording devices from the voting booths.

Maciol says nothing had to be done in Oneida County because he says the process that takes place following the closing of the polls on election night which is set up between his office and the Oneida County Board of Elections does exactly what the court order to impound the ballots says to do anyway. He says the election items are all locked up in a room inside the Oneida County Board of Elections, "Everything was locked up, and its bipartisan entry, so obviously the commissioners of both the Democratic and Republican parties will be accessing the room at the same time, along with the sheriffs office. No entry can be made into or out of that office without the sheriffs office present. We have a third key to get into that office so basically its under the control of the sheriff as the order states."

22nd Congressional District candidate Anthony Brindisi, who leads incumbent Rep. Claudia Tenney by 1,293 votes, requested the ballots in the race be impounded, and State Supreme Court Judge Patrick McRae here in Oneida County granted that request on Friday.

Sheriff Maciol says he along with the sheriffs in the other seven counties that make up the 22nd congressional district were ordered on Friday to impound not only the absentee ballots that came in, but all ballots that were cast as well as the memory sticks from each voting booth.

Rep. Tenney's campaign released a statement following Brindisi's request on Friday. Tenney Campaign Manager Raychel Renna said, "Anthony Brindisi is a desperate Albany machine politician who is watching his lead erode. Instead of letting the process play out to ensure votes are counted fairly as Claudia Tenney has done, Brindisi is turning to lawyers and intimidation to attempt to disqualify votes which are not for him. What does Brindisi have to hide? Why is Brindisi trying to prevent votes from being counted? We will protect the integrity of this process and fight Brindisi's underhanded attempts to disenfranchise thousands of voters and potentially steal an election."

Today, Brindisi's Campaign Manager Ellen Foster released a statement saying, "Every single person in the district who voted last week deserves to have their voice heard. As the vote counting process begins this week, we'll have a team of dedicated volunteers making sure that every vote is counted and the process runs smoothly and fairly. People of this district want change, they want a representative who works for them. And after all the votes are in, we're confident that Anthony Brindisi will be the next representative of the 22nd district."UTICA, NY  The United States Air Force Heritage of America Concert band performed a special Veterans Day concert at the Stanley Theatre Monday.

Local veterans and their families packed the theater, even singing along when the Star Spangled Banner was played.

From Yankee Doodle to Over the Rainbow, there was something for everyone to enjoy.

John Massoud, a WWII veteran, says hearing these classics brings back a lot of memories.

It feels great. It gives you a chance to reminisce a little bit too. Makes me think back 75 years ago when I got out of the Navy.

As a salute to all the veterans in attendance, the band finished off the concert with an Armed Services Medley.CNN has filed a lawsuit against President Trump and several of his aides, seeking the immediate restoration of chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta's access to the White House.

The lawsuit is a response to the White House's suspension of Acosta's press pass, known as a Secret Service "hard pass," last week. The suit alleges that Acosta and CNN's First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the ban.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning. It was docketed and assigned to Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee. The judge has given the defendants an 11 a.m. Wednesday deadline to file responses to the suit. He has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. There are six defendants: Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, Secret Service director Randolph Alles, and the Secret Service officer who took Acosta's hard pass away last Wednesday.

The six defendants are all named because of their roles in enforcing and announcing Acosta's suspension.

"This is not a step we have taken lightly. But the White House action is unprecedented," CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker said in an internal memo to staff.

Sanders responded to the suit by saying that CNN is "grandstanding" by suing. She said the administration will "vigorously defend" itself. (Read the White House's full response here.)

In a statement on Tuesday morning, CNN said it is seeking a preliminary injunction so that Acosta can return to the White House right away, and a ruling from the court preventing the White House from revoking Acosta's pass in the future.

"CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration this morning in DC District Court," the statement read. "It demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN's Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta's First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process. We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process."

The White House Correspondents' Association said it "strongly supports CNN's goal of seeing their correspondent regain a US Secret Service security credential that the White House should not have taken away in the first place."

CNN also asserted that other news organizations could have been targeted by the Trump administration this way, and could be in the future.

"While the suit is specific to CNN and Acosta, this could have happened to anyone," the network said. "If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials."

Sanders pointed out that lots of other CNN reporters and producers have press passes. But to many journalists and press defenders, that's not the issue. Echoing the views of many journalists, the correspondents' association said the president "should not be in the business of arbitrarily picking the men and women who cover him."

Trump's actions and threats fly in the face of decades of tradition and precedent. Republican and Democratic administrations alike have had a permissive approach toward press passes, erring on the side of greater access, even for obscure, partisan or fringe outlets.

The ACLU, in a statement supporting CNN, said "it is un-American and unlawful for the president to expel a reporter from the WH briefing room for doing his job. It shouldn't take a lawsuit from CNN to remind the president of the First Amendment."

The legal battle

On CNN's side, CNN Worldwide chief counsel David Vigilante is joined by two prominent attorneys, Ted Boutrous and Theodore Olson. Both men are partners at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Last week, before he was retained by CNN, Boutrous tweeted that the action against Acosta was "angry, irrational, false, arbitrary, capricious content-based discrimination," and thus a clear violation of the First Amendment.

In an interview on Tuesday morning, Boutrous said CNN tried to resolve the matter privately, but the White House was not responsive so "we really had no choice but to sue."

"We didn't want to have to go to court. We wanted to just report the news," he said. "Mr. Acosta wants to report the news. CNN wants to report the news."

CNN's lawsuit cites, among other precedents, a 1977 ruling in favor of Robert Sherrill, a muckraking journalist who was denied access to the White House in 1966.

Eleven years later, a D.C. Court of Appeals judge ruled that the Secret Service had to establish "narrow and specific" standards for judging applicants. In practice, the key question is whether the applicant would pose a threat to the president.

The code of federal regulations states that "in granting or denying a request for a security clearance made in response to an application for a White House press pass, officials of the Secret Service will be guided solely by the principle of whether the applicant presents a potential source of physical danger to the President and/or the family of the President so serious as to justify his or her exclusion from White House press privileges."

There are other guidelines as well. Floyd Abrams, one of the country's most respected First Amendment lawyers, said case law specifies that before a press pass is denied, "you have to have notice, you have to have a chance to respond, and you have to have a written opinion by the White House as to what it's doing and why, so the courts can examine it."

"We've had none of those things here," Abrams said.

CNN's suit makes the same point.

White House's shifting rationales

Acosta found out about his suspension when he walked up to the northwest gate of the White House, as usual, for a live shot last Wednesday night. He was abruptly told to turn in his "hard pass," which speeds up entry and exit from the grounds.

"I was just told to do it," the Secret Service officer said.

Around the same time Acosta was denied entry to the White House grounds, Sanders announced the decision and claimed that he had behaved inappropriately at a presidential news conference earlier in the day.

At first Sanders accused Acosta of "placing his hands" on an intern who was trying to take a microphone away from him. In reality, Acosta held onto the mic, said "pardon me, ma'am," asked a followup question, then gave up the mic.

On Twitter, Sanders shared a distorted video clip of the press conference that didn't show the complete back-and-forth. The same video had been posted by an InfoWars personality two hours earlier.

The White House's rationale was widely mocked and dismissed by journalists across the political spectrum. And Trump himself has cast doubt on the rationale: He said on Friday that Acosta was "not nice to that young woman," but then he said, "I don't hold him for that because it wasn't overly, you know, horrible."

In Tuesday's response to the lawsuit, Sanders did not repeat her claim about Acosta "placing his hands" in the intern. Instead, she accused Acosta of being disrespectful and unprofessional.

As for the argument that Acosta isn't respectful enough, that justification "is not sufficient as a matter of law," CNN's lawsuit asserts.

"The content and viewpoint of CNN's and Acosta's reporting on the Trump administrationanot his interaction with the staffer at the November 7 press conferenceawere the real reason the White House indefinitely revoked his press credentials," the suit states.

Acosta is on a previously scheduled vacation this week. He declined to comment on the lawsuit. Since his pass was suspended, he has continued to do part of his job, contacting sources and filing stories, but he has been unable to attend White House events or ask questions in person -- a basic part of any White House correspondent's role.

"Relevant precedent says that a journalist has a First Amendment right of access to places closed to the public but open generally to the press. That includes press rooms and news conferences," Jonathan Peters, a media law professor at the University of Georgia, told CNN last week. "In those places, if access is generally inclusive of the press, then access can't be denied arbitrarily or absent compelling reasons. And the reasons that the White House gave were wholly unconvincing and uncompelling."

Last Thursday, according to the suit, Zucker wrote to Kelly and requested reinstatement of Acosta's credentials. Zucker's message said that "no complaints were raised with CNN and there was no attempt to reach anyone at CNN before taking this unlawful action."

The next day, CNN sent a formal letter to the White House repeating the request and warning of a possible lawsuit.

Over the weekend, Acosta reported on the president's trip to France. Ahead of Trump's planned visit to an American military cemetery, he requested and received a credential from the French government, but was denied access by the Secret Service.

"It was not without irony to me that a U.S. White House correspondent who is an American citizen was denied access to a ceremony by his own government but was granted access by the government of France," CNN Washington bureau chief Sam Feist noted in a declaration attached to the lawsuit.

Feist said "Jim's ability to cover a public event of historic international importance was completely blocked by the White House."

A high-stakes case

David McCraw, the top newsroom lawyer at The New York Times, said instances of news organizations suing a president are extremely rare.

Past examples are The New York Times v. U.S., the famous Supreme Court case involving the Pentagon Papers in 1971, and CNN's 1981 case against the White House and the broadcast networks, when CNN sued to be included in the White House press pool.

The backdrop to this new suit, of course, is Trump's antipathy for CNN and other news outlets. He regularly derides reporters from CNN and the network as a whole. But he also seeks out attention from CNN and other outlets.

During his presidential campaign, Trump told CNN that, if elected, he would not kick reporters out of the White House. But since moving into the White House, he has mused privately about taking away credentials, CNN reported earlier this year. He brought it up publicly on Twitter in May, tweeting "take away credentials?" as a question.

And he said it again on Friday, two days after blacklisting Acosta. "It could be others also," he said, suggesting he may strip press passes from other reporters. Unprompted, he then named and insulted April Ryan, a CNN analyst and veteran radio correspondent.

"The revocation of Acosta's credentials is only the beginning," CNN's suit alleges.

You can read the full lawsuit here.

Correction: The original version of this article listed the former director of the Secret Service as a defendant; the actual defendant is the current director.LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting an Active Safety Review at Lafayette's Arconic plant after a worker fell into a casting pit in late August. IOSHA representative Stephanie McFarland said Tuesday that a full safety review is currently underway.

McFarland said an Active Safety Review is not an investigation. Rather, she said IOSHA workers will inspect and walk through the plant to check for any violations. If something is spotted, IOSHA can issue a safety order that then becomes public record. Arconic was required to report the incident to IOSHA.

As we reported in August, Lafayette fire officials said an employee, who has not been identified, was in critical condition after falling 40 feet into a casting pit. At the time, the battalion chief said he believed the pit was empty, but could not say for sure.

News 18 has been working to learn more about the incident since it happened on Aug. 24. An update has not been provided about the employee's condition, despite our attempts.

Arconic issued the following statement to News 18 in August:

Our thoughts are with our colleague and his family, and we offer them our support during this difficult time. We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the incident.

McFarland said the results of the Active Safety Review will be available in 30 days. We will update you with those results when they are available.The city remembered the role of its residents in World War I during its annual Veterans Day ceremony at Armed Forces Park on Davison Street Sunday morning. Woonsocket United Veterans Council member Ernest Boisvert listens to Rev. Phil Salois invocation.Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.Sitting in front of the veterans, from left, are second grader Sarah Oelbaum, as well as kindergarteners Ryan Picard and Alyssa DiMario.The Chinese government, bowing to pressure from environmental groups, said on Monday that it would temporarily reinstate a ban on the use of rhinoceros horns and tiger bones in medicine.

The Chinese government has not changed its stance on wildlife protection and will not ease the crackdown on illegal trafficking and trade of rhinos, tigers and their byproducts, Ding Xuedong, a top official with the council, said in remarks published in the state-run news media on Monday.

Environmentalists celebrated the change, though some warned that it might be temporary.

Keeping these products banned is the only way we stand a chance of protecting the future survival of these incredible animals that are already in decline, said Gilbert M. Sape, a campaigner with World Animal Protection, an advocacy group based in London.The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called on the international community to urgently intervene to stop Israeli attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip.

In a statement, ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi blamed the U.S. support and silence of some regional countries for Israels terror and series of crimes.

He called for an urgent international intervention to stop the terror and war machines of the Zionist regime.

At least four Palestinians were martyred in renewed Israeli attacks in Gaza on Monday following rocket fire from the seaside territory.

The Israeli army said more than 20 people were injured by rocket fire from Gaza.

Mondays attacks came one day after seven Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in an undercover Israeli operation in the blockaded enclave.

Since March, more than 200 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli army fire during protests demanding the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their ancestral home in what is now Israel.

Guncelleme Tarihi: 13 Kasm 2018, 11:48Turkey's vice president on Tuesday discussed bilateral ties with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in Italy, according to a presidential source.

Turkeys Fuat Oktay and Andrej Babis met in Palermo on the sideline of an international conference on Libya, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

During the closed-door meeting, the two dignitaries spoke about political and economic relations between Turkey and the Czech Republic.

Oktay and Babis also discussed the developments in Syria and the Middle East, with special emphasis on the fight against terrorism.

In addition, they also exchanged views on ongoing joint projects and launching of new projects.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13)  The Sandiganbayan has denied the plea of former Immigration commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles to dismiss corruption charges them over an alleged P50-million bribery scandal.

In a resolution, the anti-graft court's Sixth Division said their plea, which was anchored on a double jeopardy argument, lacked merit.

"The court resolves to deny the motion of accused Argosino and Robles," the resolution issued on November 12 read.

Argosino and Robles wanted the court to drop their graft, direct bribery, and violation of Presidential Decree 42 cases because they are also facing a plunder charge.

They argued that these cases constitute double jeopardy since these crimes are absorbed in the plunder charge.

The court disagreed and said double jeopardy has yet to happen since their plunder case is still pending.

"The requisite of a first jeopardy attached prior to the second is lacking because the accused has not yet been acquitted or convicted of plunder," the court said.

Argosino and Robles are accused of receiving P50 million in bribes from gambling tycoon Jack Lam in exchange for the release of more than a thousand Chinese employees of Fontana Parks and Casino in Clark, Pampanga.

The employees were arrested by immigration agents in 2016 for overstaying.Quebec Labour minister Jean Boulet announced last week that negotiations are to resume between the management of the Aluminerie de Becancour Inc. (ABI), which locked out 1,030 production workers ten months ago, and the United Steelworkers (USW) union.

Boulet made the announcement on his return from Pittsburgh, where he met with senior officials of the aluminum giant Alcoa Nov. 6. ABI is a joint venture between Alcoa and Rio Tinto-Alcan, with the former owning 75 percent of the company and the latter 25 percent.

Negotiations had collapsed at the beginning of October, after the government-appointed special mediatorformer Quebec premier and corporate lobbyist Lucien Bouchardsaid the company and union were too far apart.

ABI locked out the workers, members of USW Local 9700, after they rejected its sweeping concession demands. These included the elimination of the defined-benefit pension plan and the gutting of seniority rights in job placements.

The USWs systematic isolation of the ABI workers struggle has emboldened Alcoa and Rio Tinto to repudiate their final contract proposal of last December and demand even greater concessions. During the summer, the union revealed that the company is now intent on cutting the workforce by 20 percent or 200 jobs. In October, the union reported that ABI has repudiated the previously agreed upon managements rights clause.

The USW, according to its own pronouncements, has already agreed to make significant concessions, and to accept job cuts if they are linked to new investments.

Now Quebecs new right-wing Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ-Coalition for Quebecs Future) government has signaled that it could impose a contract on the workers, if the union does not cede still further ground.

In announcing the resumption of talks, Boulet said that if ABI and the Steelworkers fail to reach a tentative contract agreement by Nov. 30, the new special mediation committee he has established, under Bouchards leadership, to assist the talks will itself draw up a proposed settlement. This, he added, would be presented to both sides by no later than Dec. 7.

In the case of the workers, the mediation committee proposal would have to be submitted to a rank-and-file vote. Moreover, Boulet has not ruled out imposing a contract should the workers refuse to accept what inevitably will be a concessions-filled proposed settlement.

In a radio interview last week, Boulet feebly tried to obscure the governments support for ABIs attempt to extort concessions. Its not arbitration in disguise, he claimed. But, to be sure, it will place pressure on both sides to come to an agreement before Nov. 30.

Workers should have no illusions. Whether a new contract is reached through the current round of union-management negotiations or imposed as a result of the machinations of the government and its special mediation/arbitration committee, it will be filled with givebacks.

Alcoa and Rio Tinto, transnationals that rake in billions in profits, are determined to make an example of the ABI workers and use their contract to set new regressive benchmarks for their installations across the globe.

The company has publicly boasted that it has used the lockout, during which management personnel have maintained one of ABIs three smelters in operation, to test new methods of production and prove that the plant can function with a reduced labour force.

USW local 9700 President Clement Masse has repeatedly announced the unions readiness to collaborate with management to impose rollbacks. According to Masse, the union had agreed even before the lockout began to the establishment of a new pension plan entirely funded by the workers. More recently, Dominic Lemieux, assistant to the Quebec director of the USW, said that the union is ready to [accept] job cuts at ABI if you bring in new technology and things like that.

The USW bureaucracys only real complaint is that ABI has spurned its offers, both before the imposition of the lockout and since, to use its services in ensuring the viability, i.e. high investor returns, of the Becancour facility.

From the beginning of the dispute, the USW and the Quebec Federation of Labour have done everything to isolate the ABI workers anti-concessions struggle from workers in Quebec, across Canada and internationally.

Determined to prevent a broader challenge to big business austerity agenda, which would threaten their cozy relations with corporate North America and the political establishment, the Steelworkers leadership has presented the lockout as unnecessary, and attributed it to either a misunderstanding or to an Alcoa subterfuge aimed at getting the Quebec government-owned hydro-electric company, Hydro Quebec, to provide it with bigger discounts.

The USW has persisted with these claims even as Alcoa sought to extort further concessions from its Australian workers and announced it is shutting down two aluminum plants in Spain.

If the USW has sought to pull the wool over workers eyes as to Alcoas motives, it is because to have admitted what is really at stake in the lockout would have pointed to the necessity of mobilizing the entire Alcoa workforce against the employer offensive and turning to the working class as a whole, which irrespective of industry or country is facing a ruthless assault on its jobs, wages and social rights.

Rather than fighting to mobilize the strength of the working class against Alcoa, the USW has at every point sought to dissipate the energies of the ABI workers in futile appeals to their enemies: to Alcoa and Rio Tintos boards of directors, to their shareholders, and to the big business politicians.

During the campaign for Quebecs Oct. 1 election, Masse and the Steelworker leadership paraded before the ABI workers the leaders of Quebecs major parties and, whilst these leaders and their parties have either supported or directly imposed austerity on workers, eagerly touted their cynical and hypocritical promises of support.

When the CAQ, a right-wing, xenophobic party, won the election, the unions immediately offered their collaboration. In line with this, the USW has claimed that CAQ Premier Francois Legault, an advocate of privatization, deregulation and social spending cuts, must be pressured to make good on his promise to help the ABI workers.

Now the USW is welcoming Labour Minister Benoits intervention as a positive sign.

If they are to prevail over ABIs drive to impose concessions and job cuts, workers must seize control of their struggle from the corporatist USW. They must establish a rank-and-file action committee independent from the union apparatus and fight to mobilize the class strength of the working class against Alcoa and Rio Tinto. Such a committee should seek to rally support from industrial and public sector workers across Quebec, the rest of Canada, in the US, and beyond, as part of the development of an international working-class offensive against all concessions, capitalist austerity and anti-worker laws.Over the weekend, reporters for the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter spoke to Detroit area autoworkers about the fascistic campaign against asylum seekers being fomented by President Trump, a provocation that has been aided and abetted by the Democratic Party, which was deliberately silent on this issue during the midterm elections.

The president ranted against Central American immigrants who are traveling to the US to escape rampant violence in the region long ravaged by American imperialism, calling workers and their families seeking a better life invaders. The president has also sent thousands of US troops to the border area and said they should shoot migrants, including children, if they throw stones at the soldiers.

The WSWS Autoworker Newsletter insists that the defense of immigrant workers is a critical task for American workers. The forging of solidarity between workers in the US and workers in Canada and Latin America is essential for a successful struggle against the transnational auto corporations.

Predictably, the United Auto Workers has been silent regarding the Trump administrations attempt to whip up fear over the thousands of asylum seekers from Central America participating in the immigrant caravan, now in Mexico. In fact, Trumps assault on immigrants and Make America Great Again agitation dovetails with the reactionary Buy American campaign long promoted by the UAW to scapegoat international workers for layoffs and the destruction of jobs and living standards.

Over the weekend, reporters for the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter spoke with Ford workers at the Dearborn Truck Assembly plant south of Detroit, part of the giant River Rouge complex. Names have been altered in some cases to prevent possible union or management retaliation.

David, a Ford Dearborn Assembly worker, came to Detroit from another state looking for work a number of years ago. The old neighborhood where he grew up is full of immigrants from all around the world. He spoke eloquently about the unity of workers of all countries.

We have to be truthful about the situation. Its about critical thinking, he reflected. Someone is getting paid millions to provoke racism and hatred. Its a war move that goes way back in time: divide and conquer.

Every group of immigrants in history has faced this. Its supposed to be the United States. But there was splitting before the Civil War. Africans, Irish, Eastern Europeans, the Arabic people. It was always the same; keep the workers divided.

Immigrants contribute to society, he continued. We are all immigrants really, except the Native Americans.

As he reflected on the implications of Trumps sending troops to the border with orders to shoot, it became clear how closely immigrants, both documented and undocumented, are bound up with the lives of American workers and the horror and anger a potential massacre of unarmed families would provoke.

For David, as with most workers we talked to, the attempt to incite a fascist hatred of foreigners evoked revulsion. Illegal immigrants only want citizenship, he said. Whats the problem? Thats all theyre doing is working.

WSWS reporters recalled the coming to power of fascists in Europe during the 1920s and 1930s and the re-emergence of similar forces today in Germany, France, Brazil and other countries.

Whenever I see the news, I feel like Im in a cartoon, David responded. Its unreal. Other countries are horrified at the conditions that are developing in the US.

He remarked, I have read Karl Marx. My high school teacher gave me a book of his to read. I knew it was important but I didnt know why at the time.

Carmen, another Dearborn Truck worker, was born in Puerto Rico and has family members who survived Hurricane Maria and its aftermath. She strongly identifies with the caravan of asylum seekers who are traveling by foot across Mexico.

Immigrants receive no help, she said. I am from Puerto Rico, and after the hurricane we were abandoned. Puerto Ricans are portrayed as second-class citizens.

She went on to explain the conditions of intimidation that confront wide layers of the working class as the media and whole political establishment lurch to the right in line with Trumps fascistic rants. The Democrats and Republicans both work together, she said.

I am afraid to speak Spanish, she continued. Trump is inciting the right wing and fascists, and the Democrats go along with it.

Other workers, readers of the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter contacted by our reporters, also spoke out in defense of immigrants.

A Fiat Chrysler worker said, He (Trump) does not see immigrants as people. They are demanding immigrants have the right paperwork when they apply for asylum, but they know that takes money. So, they are basically only accepting immigrants who have money.

Mike, a young worker at Ford Sterling Axle plant denounced the Trump administrations mobilization of troops to the US Mexican border and threats to shoot workers participating in the immigrant caravan. He is pushing this to the extreme. It is unbelievable.

Mike continued, They are seeking asylum. It is not like they are trying to sneak in.

If they are seeking asylum due to political persecution, it should be granted. All the political problems in Central America over the last 60 years are due to US involvement, either the US overthrowing governments or supporting right-wing death squads.

The US overthrew the government in Chile and installed the Pinochet junta. The death squads in Central America were financed by the US government. We have to let them in. It is the right thing to do.

He continued, The GOP claims they are the party of morality and good Christians. It has always been the tactic of the people in power to blame foreigners. They have given the rich so many tax cuts, but everyone else is struggling. I dont think that is the fault of a Guatemalan refugee. He wont take your job.The first two weeks since the election of the far-right populist Jair Bolsonaro as Brazils president are further confirming that the next administration will be the most right-wing since the return to civilian rule after a 21-year US-backed military dictatorship in 1985.

Bolsonaro defeated Workers Party (PT) candidate Fernando Haddad in what became a referendum on the catastrophic social conditions facing Brazilians after 16 years of rule by the PT and its former allies. He built his campaign mainly around anti-corruption demagoguery and an economic nationalist platformon many issues emulating Donald Trumps America First rhetoric. This was mainly directed at Chinese investments in Brazil and what he called handouts to ideological allies of the former PT government, i.e., Brazilian foreign investments in African and other Latin American nations.

Bolsonaro blamed the worst economic crisis in Brazilian history and a stagnant 12 percent unemployment rate on the massive corruption uncovered by the so-called Lava-Jato (Carwash) investigation into a bribes and kickbacks operation centered on a Brazilian economic pillar, the state-run oil giant Petrobras, andin Trump-like fashionsupposedly uneven economic relations with China, Africa and the rest of Latin America.

However, as has been the case with Trump and other right-wing populists succeeding Latin Americas pink tide governments, the real content of Bolsonaros economic nationalism is the destruction of workers living standards. This includes the rolling back of environmental regulations, which Bolsonaro repeatedly blamed for an industry of environmental fines against capitalist industry and agribusiness. All of his policies are being justified in the name of increasing national competitiveness, joining the race to the bottom in the destruction of working class rights that has been vastly accelerated by world governments since the 2008 crisis.

The first warnings of the situation facing the working class came with the announcement that Bolsonaros senior economic adviser, Paulo Guedes, would not only head Brazils traditional Finance Ministry, but would be given a super-ministry for the economy, incorporating the functions of the Planning Ministry, the Industry and Foreign Trade Ministry and the Labor Ministry. This massive reorganization is to take place in order to phase in the implementation of a sweeping deregulation program including massive privatizations, an increase of capital concentration and, most importantly, the slashing of workplace regulations, wages and pensions.

Guedes has already stated that the first issue on the governments agendato be negotiated with Congress even before Bolsonaro takes office on January 1is to approve a pension reform. The reform is set to raise the minimum age for retirement to 65 and create an individual capitalization scheme. This would end Brazils public pension system, enshrined in the 1988 Constitution, which is the sole guarantee of old-age income for millions of workers who work most of their lives in the informal sector, the situation of fully 40 percent of the workforce. Furthermore, the northern regions of Brazil, where 40 percent of the population is concentrated, have a male life expectancy of barely 68.7 years.

Guedes, who is considered a radical Chicago Boy, took a full professorship at the government-controlled Chile University under Augusto Pinochets fascist-military rule before heading back to Brazil to work in private investment funds for almost 40 years. He is reportedly using Pinochets pension system as a model for the proposed reform.

The extinction of the Labor ministry places Guedes control over the ministrys treasury, the Employment Policies Department, which controls most of the funds paid into by employers and which are used for paying unemployment insurance and benefits provided for by Brazils 1943 Labor Code.

The Economy super-ministry is thus expected to facilitate Bolsonaros plans for a full-blown attack on labor rights, vaguely described during the campaign as the creation of a green-and-yellow work permitBrazils work permits have a blue cover, and green and yellow are considered the national colors.

The so-called green and yellow work permit was only mentioned in the campaign as a patriotic work permit, reminiscent of Brazils history of corporatist trade unionism and in line with Bolsonaros declarations that in order to fix the economy it was necessary to end all activisms. The true content of the policies it embodiesalthough it is unclear whether a new work permit will actually be proposedwas hidden beneath the anti-corruption and anti-Chinese demagoguery.

Bolsonaros plan would also create the possibility of individual work contracts, through which workers would voluntarily choose to work outside of conditions covered by the Labor Code or collective-bargaining agreements, regulated only by the Labor articles in the Constitutionwhich covers the eight-hour day, but not overtime, for example, nor the bulk of workplace regulations specific to each sector.

For its part, the Labor Codecovering only 60 percent of the workforcewas already largely weakened by the 2017 labor reform laws, approved by Congress, allowing for generalized contract work, part-time contracts, workday extension to up to 12 hours and, most significantly, allowing unions to negotiate away provisions of the Code, the measure which was most hated by workers mistrustful of the treacherous unions controlled by the Workers Party, the Communist Party, and the pseudo-lefts. The reforms passed with no resistance from unions, amply confirming workers fears.

Significantly, even with the main trade unions canceling at least three proposed general strikes to protest proposed pension reform, the measure is considered so toxic that it has been discussed for almost three years without even the most right-wing Congress since 1985elected in 2014, and now surpassed by the incoming one elected on October 7able to vote for it for fear of voter punishment. The reform was first proposed by the Workers Party to fend off the 2016 impeachment by appealing not to workers, but to the Congressional right wing. Until today, it has failed to make it to the floor of Congress.

With most of the cabinet so far unknown, Bolsonaro has been quick to announce his nomination for Justice Minister: district court justice Sergio Moro, who first sentenced former PT president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to jail on money-laundering charges. The sentence was later upheld by Brazils 4th Appeals Circuit court, resulting in Lula being arrested and barred from the elections under the so-called Clean Slate (Ficha Limpa) law Lula himself had signed in 2010, suspending political rights for those with corruption sentences upheld by an appellate court.

Beyond a sop to Bolsonaros far-right base, Moros nomination signals the aim of vastly expanding state powers.

The PTs sprawling corruption schemes and hated austerity policies gave the right wing plenty of ammunition for pushing the whole political system far to the right. The Lava Jato prosecutorial team has shown systematic contempt for democratic rights, most notably by wiretapping lawyers and treating them as collaborators.

As soon as he accepted Bolsonaros nomination, Moro declared to the press that he considered the fascistic former army captain a moderate, and that he agreed with a whole series of his far-right proposals, including reducing the age of criminal responsibility to 16, exempting police and army officers from charges if they murder suspects, and bringing criminal charges against demonstrators, especially the PT-linked Landless and Homeless Workers movements.

These groups, successors to the Land Reform movements from the pre-1964 military coup period, work strictly legally under the provisions of the Brazilian Constitution, covering the conditions for urban or rural properties to be declared of public interest in case it is proven they are being used in speculative operations.

Members of these groups have been the target of numerous massacres by mercenaries working for land speculators. Bolsonaros program promised to scrap any questioning of the right to private property, essentially pushing these movements and tens of thousands of unorganized squatters into illegality.

Bolsonaros first two weeks as president-elect have already succeeded in pushing the PT to the right, with the defeated party casting itself as the respectable trustee of the interests of the Brazilian state and focusing its opposition almost exclusively on Bolsonaros economic and foreign policy blunders.

The language of the PTs mouthpiece, Brasil247, is indistinguishable from that of Brazils traditional right wing, consisting largely of denunciations of the unpreparedness of Bolsonaros team and expressions of concern over the national interest.

The Workers Party is unable and unwilling to challenge Bolsonaro on his extreme neoliberal policies, which it largely shares, and his lies on the campaign trail.

The PT was deserted by the working class precisely after it nominated the Chicago Boy Joaquim Levy as finance minister on the first day of Rousseffs second term. Levy is now set to join Bolsonaros cabinet as head of the National Development Bank (BNDES).

For decades, the PTs affiliated CUT trade union federation has defended corporatist union-management agreements, imposing upon angry workers exactly the policy advocated by Bolsonaro when he says: you can have every right and no jobs, or less rights and jobs.

The PTs opposition has thus been concentrated on finding common ground with what it expects will be dissenting business circles, first and foremost industrial and agribusiness monopolies. After attempting to red-bait Bolsonaro over Venezuela in the second round of the elections, the PT-oriented circles are rallying against Bolsonaros ideological environmental and foreign policies, which they warn will hurt Brazils geopolitical position.

To Bolsonaros nomination of a beef caucus hardliner as agriculture minister and his threats to shut down the Environmental Ministry, with his far-right allies accusing international NGOs of hidden interests, Brasil247 has counterposed the warnings of the European Union that they will not reopen negotiations on issues affecting the quality of our agricultural imports. Under the suggestion of the agribusiness moguls themselves, Bolsonaro has decided to keep the Environmental Ministry.

In reaction to Bolsonaros stated intention to transfer the Brazilian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and to scrap commercial agreements with Argentinaboth with the potential of hurting Brazilian exports (the first announcement provoked the canceling of the Brazilian chancellors visit to Egypt) Brasil247 columnist Jeferson Miola wrote that the Industry Federation (CNI) should react to the ultraliberal policies which threaten the very existence of industrialists as a class.

After the commander of the Brazilian Army, Gen. Eduardo Villas Boas, admitted in an interview with Folha de Sao Paulo on Sunday that he had threatened the Supreme Court on the eve of its decision regarding Lulas habeas corpus plea on April 4 that freeing the former PT president could lead to a breakdown of the hierarchy within the armed forcesi.e., a potential coupRousseffs former spokeswoman Helena Chagas praised the general for distancing from Bolsonaro. She wrote: Villas Boas words should be widely reproduced as reassuring of the Armys restraint, which displeased Bolsonaros allies.

There is nothing progressive in the attempt to present institutions tearing themselves apart, like the European Union or a coup-monger like Villas Boas, as pillars of the reasonable democratic order, or disagreeing with Bolsonaro on which side to take in the trade war initiated by Trump. The PT is exposing that it will not, as many of its pseudo-left apologists say, react to its electoral defeat by turning left. On the contrary, it is shifting further to the right. An irreconcilable break with the PT and those who cover up for it is the first task of Brazilian workers.A lame duck session of Congress opens today with Democrats signaling that they wish to reach agreement with the Trump White House on a range of budget and policy issues in order to clear the decks before the new Democratic-controlled House of Representatives takes office in January.

The Senate and House must pass seven of 12 separate appropriations bills by December 8 to avoid a partial shutdown of the federal government, with the most contentious bill involving funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The House version of the bill, passed by the outgoing Republican majority, provided $5 billion for Trumps wall along the US-Mexico border. The Senate version provides only $1.6 billion and it is not specifically earmarked for a wall.

House-Senate talks on the DHS budget reportedly involve a deal to provide some initial funding for the wall in exchange for a limited restoration of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program established by President Obama through an executive order and rescinded by Trump using the same method last year. DACA allows about 700,000 undocumented immigrantsso-called Dreamersbrought to the US as children to work and attend college without fear of deportation.

On the general issue of border security, weve had great discussions in the appropriations process. Theyve been bipartisan, Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer told reporters. And I would hope that the President wouldn't interfere and we could get something good done.

On the House side, Representative Nita Lowey of New York, who is expected to become chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee in January, urged a deal on the DHS budget that would include partial funding of the wall. House Democrats support smart investments in border security, she said in a statement, but we strongly oppose spending $5 billion on President Trumps proposed wall.

A spokesman for Lowey told the Wall Street Journal the Democrats would like to complete the negotiations on the wall for DACA deal this year, rather than carry it over into next year when they will control the House. With the December 7 deadline looming, its important for Congress to get its work done on time and prevent a prolonged government shutdown, the spokesman said.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is likely to become Speaker in the new Congress, insisted throughout the fall campaign that Democratic candidates for the House should not take the bait of making public declarations of opposition to Trumps brutal persecution of immigrants, including the forced separation of parents and children, the deployment of thousands of heavily armed regular troops to the border, the fear-mongering about caravans of Central American immigrants traveling north through Mexico towards the US border, and the threat to revoke birthright citizenship, guaranteed for the past 150 years under the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

The statements by Schumer and Lowey demonstrate that the refusal to oppose Trumps anti-immigrant policies was not merely a campaign tacticas reactionary as that would bebut reflected a broader willingness by the Democratic leadership to accommodate Trumps policies and share responsibility for them.

It is noteworthy that none of the Democratic congressional leaders and House members who took to the airwaves on the Sunday television network interview programs said a word about the defense of immigrants or condemned Trump for his vicious, race-baiting attacks on the Central American refugees and his claim that he has the power to gut an amendment to the US Constitution by executive order.

Those appearing on at least one programand some on severalincluded Pelosi and Schumer; Jerrold Nadler, who will chair the House Judiciary Committee; Elijah Cummings, who will chair the House Government Oversight Committee; Adam Schiff, who will chair the House Intelligence Committee; and two newly elected representatives, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA operative, and Lauren Underwood of Illinois, a former Obama administration official.

Nearly all these Democrats cited as their main concern, not the defense of helpless immigrants being brutalized by the Trump administration, but the defense of Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who is heading the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election and possible collusion by the Trump campaign.

Schiff, Nadler and Cummings all denounced the appointment of Justice Department chief of staff Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general, following the forced resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Whitaker is replacing deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein as the day-to-day supervisor of the Mueller investigation, which he had previously declaredwhile a right-wing media commentatorshould be shut down.

Nadler said that the first action of the House Judiciary Committee under his leadership would be to take testimony from Whitaker, by issuing a subpoena if necessary, on how he would handle the Mueller investigation. Schiff said that Whitaker should recuse himself from an oversight role, as Sessions did because of his prominent role in the Trump 2016 campaign. He told ABC, our top priority is to protect the Mueller investigation, to protect the integrity of that investigation from the White House attempt to stifle it and to interfere with it.

In statements immediately after it became clear the Democrats would recapture the House, Pelosi declared that she had every intention of working with Trump, telling reporters, In terms of working with the president, I just would say that I worked very productively with President Bush when we had the majority and he had the presidency. She added that she would try to prevent scattershot freelancing by Democratic-controlled House committees seeking to investigate the Trump administration.

In 2006, when the Democrats won control of the House and Pelosi became Speaker for the first time, her first priority was to block any effort to impeach Bush for war crimes in Iraq, including launching a war in violation of international law and on the basis of lies about weapons of mass destruction and supposed ties between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda. Later, she pushed through measures to fully fund the US military effort in Iraq, blocking any effort to use the power of the purse to force an end to the war.

In an interview on the CBS news program Face the Nation on Sunday, Pelosi was asked directly, On immigration, would you try to block any attempt to fund the border wall?

She responded: Lets just enlarge that issue into what we need to do as a country. We certainly have to protect our borders, and Democrats know that, and we have always worked to do that. I support protecting our border, and we have done that, and there are many ways to protect the border before tens of billions of dollars building a wall where technology and personnel and the rest could possibly do the job. But whatever it is has to be tied to comprehensive immigration reform.

Pelosi went on to declare that her main purpose in staying on as the Democratic leader in the House was to protect the Affordable Care Act. That's my main issue. She went on to cite the influx of new female members of Congress. We have many women coming in with experience in national security, referring to the CIA agents Elissa Slotkin and Abigail Spanberger, and a half dozen female military veterans as well.

Schumer, appearing on the ABC program This Week, cited the letter sent by himself, Pelosi and several other prominent Democrats suggesting that the new acting attorney general Whitaker should recuse himself from any decisions involving the Mueller investigation. Without that, he said, House and Senate Democrats will attempt to add to must-pass legislation, in this case the spending bill, legislation that would prevent Mr. Whitaker from interfering with the Mueller investigation.

The incoming chair of the House Government Oversight Committee, Elijah Cummings, denied that he was about to go to war with the Trump administration, then cited drug prices and other health care issues as likely subjects for upcoming congressional hearings once the Democrats take control of the House. He also suggested there was a basis for agreement with the White House on infrastructure spending.On Saturday, James Cogan, national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party in Australia, spoke at the Grenfell Fire Forum about the international implications of the fire. He argued that the same conditions that led to the deaths of 72 people in Londons Grenfell tower on the night of June 14 and the early morning of June 15, 2017, exist all over the world.

The event, sponsored by the Socialist Equality Party (UK), was attended by local residents, including campaigners against social cleansing in London.

Cogan brought condolences from the Australian SEP to all those who lost loved ones and friends in the Grenfell Fire, as well as political support for the forum and its campaign to ensure that the lessons of what the SEP in the UK rightly characterised as social murder are learned and politically acted upon by the working class internationally.

The horrific event that took place on the night of June 14-15, 2017, both shocked and resonated with tens of millions of people around the world, Cogan said.

I have heard it said many times that such a catastrophe should not have happened in the centre of one of the wealthiest cities on earth. And while that is true, the political and social reality is that it did happen.

As the staggering dimensions of the official disregard for the safety of working-class residents in London became known, it became obvious that, under other circumstances, a fire engulfing an entire apartment building and taking the lives of dozens, if not hundreds of people could have happened, and still could happen, in hundreds of cities around the world.

Cogan explained that, just as with Grenfell and many other UK buildings covered in highly flammable cladding, which enabled the fire to spread so rapidly, many residential structures in Australia are encased in non-fire resistant aluminium composite panel cladding (ACP, or aluminium composite material, ACM, in the UK).

He said that a secret briefing note from the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment leaked to the Australian newspaper in mid-February 2016 estimated that there were between 1,800 and 2,500 high-rise buildings with ACP cladding in metropolitan Sydney alonethat is, not including the sprawling working-class suburbs.

A survey of just 170 high-rise buildings with ACP cladding in central Melbourne and surrounding suburbs found that 51 percent had non-compliant combustible material. In the Gold Coast area there are, Cogan said, hundreds, if not thousands, of buildings clad in the most flammable forms of ACP. According to building engineers, up to 10,000 buildings in Australia could be covered in flammable cladding.

Cogan reported that, as in Britain, in Australia national and state governments have rejected any responsibility to carry out inspections. It has been left to the owners. Legislation was written to favour developers and builders from having to replace flammable cladding, he said. Again, it is left to the owners. In numerous cases, the owners are wealthy investors who do not live in the buildings. They have refused to either have the buildings checked, let alone replaced cladding or addressed other fire safety issues.

He pointed to the recent BBC documentary The Fires that Foretold Grenfell, which established that warnings about the dangers of ACP have been raised since 1970s. Repeated recommendations that flammable cladding be banned were buried and ignored.

Cogan spoke of the devastating fire that took place in November 2014 at the 23-storey Lacrosse apartment building in Melbourne. The fire ignited the ACP cladding and jumped from balcony to balcony on one side of the building, engulfing the upper 13 storeys within 15 minutes. The only reason it did not result in significant loss of life is the wind direction on the night, while, internal fire sprinklers were all that prevented fire from spreading inside apartments.

Building regulations in Australia have been written to enable developers and construction companies to avoid having to install sprinklers, he explained. Any building under 25 metres is deemed to be low enough not to require them. The height stems from the early 1900s. Fire-fighting equipment at the time could only reach 25 metres.

The consequences were seen in September 2012, with the fire at the EuroTerraces residential block in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown. It was built to the precise height of 24 metres and 90 centimetres and had no sprinklers. Two young women, Chinese students, were trapped by the flames and were forced to jump to escape. One died, the other suffered life-long crippling injuries.

Meanwhile, in working-class suburbs, Cogan noted that most apartment buildings have been deliberately built just below the height of 25 metres. In many cases, they are also covered in combustible cladding.

As has been thoroughly documented in the case of Grenfell, the cost of using the most fire-resistant cladding was minimal. The cost of installing sprinklers was minimal. The cost of ensuring adequate maintenance was minimal.

That is the case in buildings around the world. Decisions are made that the risk to life is justified to lower the costs, and boost the profits, of developers, builders and landlords.

Such indifference to the lives of the working class permeates every aspect of capitalist society.  In their workplaces, people often confront appalling disregard for safety and are pressured to keep silent out of fear of losing their job.

It is now established that the authorities covered up the extent of the toxic pollution that covered the local area after the Grenfell fire. This is, Cogan said, part of everyday life for workers the world over. It is overwhelmingly working-class communities that have been left to live with the legacy of contamination caused by decades of unregulated industrial operations, in which toxic substances were used and polluted the soil.

He argued that the great question in politics is always, What is to be done? How is society to be changed? Cogan noted that after World War II, out of fear of revolution, the ruling class internationally enacted reforms and here in Britain, they even declared that the welfare of every person would be guaranteed by capitalism from cradle to the grave.

For a few decades, Cogan explained, living standards and social conditions did improve, but for the last 40 years, all the underlying contradictions of capitalism have resurfaced. The claim of the Labour Party and trade unions that capitalism could be reformed and made compatible with the needs and interests of the working class has been exposed for what it always wasa lie. The lesson of history, and the lesson from the Grenfell Fire, is that capitalism cannot be reformed.

Cogan concluded: The task at hand is to build the international political movement that is fighting to unite the working class of the world into a common struggle for socialism, for the end of capitalism. That movement is the Fourth International, led by the International Committee.

Cogans report prompted a lively discussion. Dessie, who had worked in the Grenfell Tower creche for years and had been involved in helping survivors, said she had noticed a rush of programmes on TV making out that the working class has almost ceased to exist. But the truth is we do run the cities like London.

Agreeing with Cogans remark, Dessie said, Weve got to start to do things for ourselves.

At the meetings conclusion, Cogan was given a warm round of applause.The World Socialist Web Site spoke to Peter, a guard/conductor at one of the UKs private train franchises, about the struggle against the planned introduction of Driver Only Operated (DOO) trains. DOO is being planned by train-operating companies (TOCs) across the network nationally, threatening thousands of jobs and public safety.

I have done various jobs on the railway, Peter said. I have done platform staff, I have covered supervisory roles. It is only in the last four years that things got tough, very tough in terms of attacks on terms and conditions.

He identified the beginning of this offensive to impose DOO with the publication of the McNulty report in 2011.

It is an attack on jobs, and people need to read it because you have got the [Conservative/Liberal Democrat] coalition government at the time, but it was commissioned by the Labour government.

McNulty was paid an extraordinary amount of money to write it. It goes into the fact that DOO is a default operation. It promotes agency staff [hiring through temporary agencies]. That is when the trouble started. At the time, we had a Tory-led coalition government, so they were just going to go ahead with this as fits in with their ideology.

They were keen to start with the Southern franchise for DOOwe all knew itto see what they could get away with. Southern and Great Northern is a franchise with a difference, because its a management contract for passenger services on the Thameslink and Great Northern routes to Bedford, Luton, Peterborough, Kings Lynn, Cambridge.

Southern operate trains from London serving parts of Kent, East & West Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey. They were going to amalgamate the Thameslink along with Southern, make it one big franchise. There were only half a dozen depots left on the Southern routes with guards, and because Thameslink was already without guards, we all surmised at work that they would amalgamate the Southern depots. They would try and get rid of the guards there. This is exactly what has happened.

Peter spoke about the on-board supervisor role that has been imposed at Southern rail to replace the safety-critical role of the guard.

It is really interesting because the train drivers union ASLEF did a deal, and when you speak to the RMT [Rail, Maritime and Transport union] members, they would say we were done over. You can imagine working in that toxic environment, because when that deal that was put through in 2016, ASLEF only put out a circular with two pages. So, drivers were saying, Oh well, our salary is going to increase. Theres only a few conditions changing. Then suddenly a deal comes out and its 19 pages long, so now the Southern drivers have got the worst conditions on the railway.

They did not realise what they were signing up to. The older drivers are now saying, We cant cope with this. I am going. ASLEF was saying, We are going to vote on this and the drivers turn around and say, No, we are not accepting this. And then theres another vote and another vote, and its basically voting till they get what they want. That is the way it looked to us because there were several votes and we were saying at work ASLEF are pushing and pushing to make sure they got the deal they wanted.

On the role of the unions, Peter said, They are not interested in a fight against DOO. I dont know if you have seen the picture with RMT and ASLEF. They had this promotional shot where Mick Cash [RMT leader] was standing there with Mick Whelan [ASLEF leader] and they had this big song going that We both agree no more extension of DOO. They were pledging we were not going to see an extension, but a reverse and bringing back the guards that were missing. Members were saying they have done it as a leverage for money. Thats all it was, especially ASLEF. They were in it for the money.

ASLEF are not interested in their membership. Thats proved time and time again. When you come into our place of work, drivers feel disillusioned with ASLEF because they are running roughshod over the workers.

Peter explained that the culture of safety on the railway and the critical part of the guards job have been undermined in the last decade.

The RMT has lost the plot about the safety-critical role of the guard. What is the guard there to do in its essence? To maintain safety. To maintain a level of customer care, but also in the case of emergency. That is a big thing.

Guards must complete an extensive course in safety. It is six months. We have a rules exam every two years. We have traction routes exams, so we know where we are, we know where we are going. If you are on the railway and you need to get in touch with a signal man, say when you make an emergency call, you need to know where you are. You need to know the head code of the train, everything about the route you are on, because you might need access for emergency vehicles.

A few years ago, there was the [2016] Watford crash. Both guards played a vital role in securing the trains and sorting the passengers out. I was working that day, and it was being spoken about late into that evening between colleagues. I did not know the entirety of what happened until after the day was over. The guard was essential. The passengers were being looked after by the guards. One of the guards got commended for her actions on the day because not only did she keep the train safe, she looked after the passengers while emergency services were dealing with serious problems.

We were told she did a wonderful job, in fact they both did, a male and female, the older guard with 25/26 years of service. That knowledge of customer service, to keep everybody calm and prevent panic, to understand the operations, what the problem was, how can we deal with it, was invaluable. They kept the train safe, but the reporters never made much of it. They were just interested in the role of the driver.

One of the drivers could not get out of his cab, so if you had not had a guard on that train it would have been mass panic. They did a wonderful job, but it was never brought out to the wider attention of people, and we know exactly why. Because the role of the guard is under attack, as are the roles of platform staff, and they want to keep it low-key and not go against government policy. We thought the RMT would have used this as a catalyst, to underline the common sense of having a properly safe functional guard on board services. Unfortunately, that never happened!

For me, first and foremost, it is safety. If you go into a guards course, the first thing they say is, Safety, safety, safety. It is paramount because you are the eyes and ears on the railway, especially on the trains. Yes, you have the interaction with platform staff, but you are also there as a backup for the driver.

My role is to operate the doors safely to make sure passengers dont get trapped. The RMT have said it doesnt matter about the doors, when its a vital part of the job. There are passengers that need assistance, especially when it comes to wheelchairs, the visually impaired. The ramps need operating too, and how can all of that be done safely when the guard no longer has door control? I am trained in evacuation, the dispatch process, something we call PTI, platform train interface, which is a really big thing on the railwaythe monitoring of platforms prior to boarding, making sure no one is trappedto have that extra pair of eyes and ears, especially at stations that are unmanned.

A lot of accidents have happened mainly through DOO services, but they never seem to highlight that. Whenever we watch the Red Safety videos in training briefs, which are available on YouTube and are the industry standard, there are instances highlighting the dangers of DOO.

The current attack on my job, the onboard supervisor role, for example on Southern, that is what will happen on other franchises, Greater Anglia, MerseyRail and West Midlands Trains. My job is vital for safety, and without control of the doors, you have lost everything. RMT are saying, If you have got a safety-critical person on the train that carries out all these job functions, the 30 safety-critical job functions they are basing themselves on in negotiations, then it does not matter if you lose the doors.

No. If you lose the doors, youre finished. Game over. You will be replaced by a cheaper, less safety-trained, possibly zero-hours contract worker to make more money for the TOCs. On the safety course, operation of the doors and PTI takes up around 70 percent of it.

You have to understand that the railway industry is like no other industry in the country. You have a train, a driver, a signalman, you have a guard, you have platform staffthey are essential as well. They are the key ingredients, and you, the guard, plays a vital role because without you the train does not go anywhere. It is hammered home that safety is paramount. You need to know how to operate the doors especially on a 12-carriage train. You need to keep an eye on people and keep your concentration up for anything that could be an issue, like late runners or people that need a bit longer to board because of higher platforms, for example.

The evolution of the guard has gone from somebody who is operational, an essential part of the operation, to somebody who we can now get rid of and make it DOO. We can save millions of pounds. We can get rid of the guards, and then maybe we can re-employ them as casuals, thats what theyre thinking.

We have disabled people on the train. I will go and assist more-vulnerable passengers. I sometimes have to act as liaison with the police. I have had a missing person on my train, a young missing person. The job function is more than just safety-critical, its a counsellor, its fraud protection, its a friendly yet professional face of the service that people are paying for. What the companies want is a security guard, who is not trained and not particularly bothered.

Some of the large TOCs employ over 500 guards, and around 6,000 jobs are threatened by the introduction of DOO services nationally. The only one that hasnt been attacked is Arriva Wales. The Welsh government said, No we are keeping the safety-critical, operational guard. So, Arriva have said we are not bidding for the franchise, we are out.

Abellio are the big ones, the big instigators of DOO because they have tried it on Merseyrail. They are almost there after the RMT sellout on Great Anglia, the ScotRail franchise and now West Midlands. That is a massive chunk of the country. West Midlands is made up of Abellio Mitusi, a few companies not just solely Abellio, but Abellio are at the forefront. Theyve got fingers in lots of pies, and they are the Dutch state, as well.

Abellio has got a great chunk of the Midlands, whereas Govia has a great chunk of the Southern regions. They want a couple of major franchises going in and out of London. If you have 12 carriages, you have around 1,000 people. Would you have an airplane go up in the air without cabin crew? What if it goes wrong? It may not happen. but what if it happened? The 1987 Kings Cross rail disaster happened. Big disasters have happened in the past, and the guard played an essential role.A revealing editorial appeared last week in the Australian, the Murdoch medias national flagship, welcoming the announcement by former Australian Labor Party leader Mark Latham that he had joined Senator Pauline Hansons extreme right-wing One Nation.

The November 8 editorial described Latham as a mercurial political figure who had made thought-provoking contributions to national debate. While expressing reservations about Lathams volatility, it declared that he may not only boost One Nations profile in the most populous state but also increase its intellectual depth and guarantee its medium-term existence.

Latham will be One Nations lead candidate in next years New South Wales state election, in which he could possibly secure an eight-year term in the state parliaments upper house. That would hand another prominent platform to Latham, who has been published and featured by Murdoch outlets, such as Sky News and the Sydney Daily Telegraph, as well as the Australian Financial Review, since he quit as Labor leader in 2005 after a disastrous election loss.

Standing alongside a beaming Hanson at a nationally-televised media conference, Latham said he felt compelled to get stuck in as a parliamentarian to fight for civilisational values, including love of country, which were under siege from the left.

Hanson, who has agitated against indigenous people, welfare recipients, Asians and Muslims since she was first elevated to media prominence in 1996, said she was so proud to have Latham on her team.

In subsequent media interviews, Latham said he would campaign on hot-button issues such as immigration, congestion and political correctness. These are code words for scapegoating and demonising Muslim and other immigrant workers. He said he shared the Sydney is full attitude of former Labor state Premier Bob Carr, claiming that over-population was making the city dysfunctional.

The Hanson-Latham union, and the extraordinary media publicity given to it, is another stark example of the intense efforts being made within the ruling class to fashion new far-right, nationalist and xenophobic political formations and push the entire parliamentary establishment further in that Trump-style direction. This is in line with the elevation of far-right and fascistic parties in Europe and elsewhere, blaming immigrants for the social crisis produced by the profit system and exploiting the hostility toward the old social democratic and conservative capitalist parties.

With popular support continuing to implode for Australias two traditional ruling parties, Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition, after years of declining working and living conditions, attempts are being stepped up to divert the political and social discontent in reactionary channels in preparation for economic crisis and war. This is under conditions in which the world is being convulsed by US President Donald Trumps trade war measures against China and the growing danger of US-provoked wars.

The Australians editorial not only hailed the Hanson-Latham partnership but also used it to prod the government further in the same right-wing populist direction. It warned Morrison, who was installed as prime minister on August 24, via an inner-Liberal Party coup against his predecessor Malcolm Turnbull, that he was running out of time to convince mainstream voters that he is acting decisively to address their concerns.

While todays Labor leaders have tried to dismiss Latham as a joke, his embrace of Hanson is not an aberration. However, it is entirely in keeping with Labors founding White Australia policya racist program shared with the trade union leadership to divide workers in Australia from their fellow workers across Asia and internationally.

Despite White Australias formal ditching in the 1960s, because of Australian capitalisms growing dependence on Asian markets, this nationalist and protectionist anti-foreigner program has remained central to the policies of Labor and the trade unions, and has been brought to the fore during every period of war and economic breakdown.

Significantly, Latham was still a member of the Labor Party until last yearin fact, he proposed himself as a federal election candidate in 2016. He was only expelled after he publicly joined the extreme free market Liberal Democrats of Senator David Leyonhjelm in a bid to secure a Senate nomination from that group.

Moreover, the entire Labor leadership enthusiastically backed Latham when he was installed as party leader in 2003 with the clear support of both the Murdoch and Fairfax media, especially the Australian Financial Review.

In the pages of these publications, Latham had been an unabashed advocate of slashing social spending, cutting taxes for high-income recipients and dismantling welfare and education entitlements in line with the requirements of global capitalism. Under the slogans of user pays, individual responsibility and getting people to work hard in order to climb the supposed ladder of opportunity, he championed the junking of the post-World War II welfare state.

This was a threadbare justification for deepening social inequalitylauding the small minority who acquire wealth by the most ruthless means, and vilifying workers and youth for failing to scramble up the ladder of opportunity. Labors pitch proved a disaster at the 2004 election. Its primary vote plunged to 37.65 percentthe lowest for three quarters of a centuryand John Howards Liberal-National Coalition gained control of both houses of parliament.

Despite the political logic of Lathams historical evolution, the Latham-Hanson partnership marks another lurch to the right within the political establishment. When Hanson first emerged in 1996, the media depicted her as an interloper and outsider, even though the Howard government and the Labor party soon largely adopted her policies directed against refugees and welfare dependants.

One Nation capitalised on the ongoing discontent produced by the Hawke and Keating Labor governments from 1983 to 1996 to win a quarter of the vote in the Queensland state election in 1998, threatening to further undermine the two-party system. Hanson and her party were subjected to a campaign of destabilisation by the media and political establishment, culminating in her jailing on concocted electoral funding charges.

However, such is the level of public hostility to the old parties that Hanson was again promoted to make a return to parliament in 2016, via a double dissolution election of both houses. Coalition leaders soon embraced her. Hanson provided key votes for the government in the Senate, including on cutting corporate taxes. Ex-Prime Minister Tony Abbott launched a book of her speeches this year. Its cover photograph featured Hanson unfurling herself from a black burqa, reprising her provocative stunt in the Senate last year, when she entered the chamber wearing the full-length Islamic headdress in a bid to whip up anti-Muslim prejudice.

The Hanson-Latham union is also likely to feature anti-Chinese witch-hunting and pro-war militarism. In Hansons first Senate speech in 2016, she claimed Australia was being taken over by the oppressive communist Chinese government via land and asset purchases, the kind of foreign takeover that Australians had fought and died in wars to prevent.

With Turnbulls removalthe fourth prime minister to be ousted by their own party in eight yearshighlighting the instability of the parliamentary elite, Hanson and Latham have become part of wider moves to refashion the entire set-up, along the lines of Trump-style nationalism, populism and authoritarianism, in preparation for war and immense social and political conflict.

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[23 December 2016]David North continued his international speaking tour on the history of the Fourth International with a meeting on November 8 in New York City attended by nearly 100 people. The audience included students and faculty from New York University, where the meeting was held, along with students from high schools and other colleges in New York and New Jersey and workers from various industries, including construction.

North is the chairman of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site and the national chairman of the Socialist Equality Party in the United States.

The meeting follows highly successful meetings in Michigan, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology near Boston, and in Sri Lanka. North spoke this Monday in Chicago and will speak today in Portland, Oregon; Wednesday in Berkeley, California; and Thursday in San Diego. Next month, North will speak in Australia and New Zealand.

The meeting in New York, Eighty Years of the Fourth International (1938-2018): The class struggle, revolution, and socialism in the 21st century, emphasized the necessity for a scientific understanding of history, particularly in light of recent political developments, including the anti-Semitic massacre that took place only weeks prior to the meeting.

David North addressing the meeting

North began by noting, in addition to the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Fourth International, the significance of two centenaries this week: the German Revolution and the end of World War I. These events, of world-historic significance, could only be understood in their historical context. Yet what dominates in the academy, he explained, including at NYU, is an intellectual climate hostile to an objective, scientific approach to history.

North stressed the SEPs historical approach: Our party  places great weight on historical anniversaries. We do so not because we are by nature nostalgic, but rather because it is through history that we can orient and understand the place of our movement in the contemporary political situation.

He continued: The task of the Marxist movement is to fight to bring the consciousness of the working class into alignment with its objective being. A complex and difficult struggle, to be sure, but one which is objectively possible, because it is based on real, objective relations that exist.

North noted that Leon Trotsky, when he founded the Fourth International amid major defeats of the working class, always stressed its objectively revolutionary role, including in the United States, where the working class engaged in massive strikes throughout the 1930s, an upsurge of the class struggle which he followed closely. This revolutionary perspective animates the struggle of the Fourth International today.

The report was followed by a lively question-and-answer session, and many attendees stayed afterwards for discussion with members of the SEP and its youth group, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality. Attendees also donated generously to the partys work and purchased Marxist literature from the book table.

Attendees spoke to the World Socialist Web Site after the meeting. Victoria, a student at Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey, spoke to the WSWS about the lecture, which she said definitely broadened my mind on the foundation and history of the Socialist Equality Party.

When asked what attracts her to the history of the Trotskyist movement, she said: Id say the revolutionary side of it. The strikes such as the one in 1934, the Minneapolis General Strike, which helped revitalize industrial unionism. I feel its important for ones voice to be heard, but unfortunately its not something we see in most unions today.

Renwaldo, a college student in Queens, said, One thing I found very interesting about the lecture was the comment about anti-essentialist ideology, and the danger of basing our understanding of history on a subjective viewpoint.

We are taught when we are young to associate socialism immediately with fascism. It is scary to think that this kind of teaching isnt an accident.

Gandhi, a freshman at NYU, told the WSWS: I definitely think we need history, because if you dont know why things are the way they are, you wont know how to combat it.  Those who fail to know history are doomed to repeat it, you know that quote.

With the pseudo-left, a lot of people dont know what actual socialism is, they think Russia was socialist, and if they dont know that history then they wont know what the USSR actually was and then they will look toward capitalism.

Asked why he thinks it is important to study the history of Trotskyism, Gandhi said: The understanding that I need to know that history because I cant call myself a socialist, I cant understand the problems from this perspective without knowing that history. Thats why I want to learn more, because if I dont then I cant properly analyze the problems that are present now, that affect me. Otherwise, Ill just be seeing it from the perspective that is handed down as we grow up in a capitalistic societyreformism. Its popular among Democratsnot getting rid of capitalism, just reforming it, which isnt the solution.As Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and 70 other heads of state met in Paris on Sunday, thousands of people demonstrated on Republic Square to show their opposition to the US president and to imperialist wars being waged today. WSWS reporters interviewed the protesters, who also spoke out against Macrons recent call to honor the military career of Frances Nazi-collaborationist dictator, Philippe Petain.

One protester, Simon, criticized the hypocrisy of political leaders praising peace in Paris while waging war from Afghanistan and Syria to Mali, and the silence on the role of the October 1917 revolution in Russia and the revolutionary uprisings of the German workers in ending the war.

He said, We are welcoming a few kilometers from here the worlds five biggest arms dealers, who are spouting phrases about peace and hiding the fact that what ended World War I was the German revolution. It was the workers and working people of Germany who carried out a revolution. It was not ended via a military victory. And then they were made to pay for it afterwards, with the punitive Versailles peace treaty. So it is important for us to show, about the people who are waging war across the world but who claim to praise peace, its a fictitious peace.

He stressed that it was not simply a matter of simply protesting against Trump: Trump is continuing the policies of his predecessors, he is a bit more violent and he goes further than they did, but it is in continuity with the policy of Bush and also of Obama.

Demonstrators in Paris

Simon added that it is repulsive for Macron to legitimize Petain, and that Macron is continuing the strategy of right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy, who also tried to attract votes and support from the neo-fascists in order to provide a limited popular base for war and austerity policies.

By applauding Petain, Simon said, Macron violated even what the World War I veterans of 1919 and 1920 said. They consecrated the November 11 commemorations by demanding that there be no glorification of militarism and of war leaders.  Macron is directly continuing the politics of national identity, of building up national identity, like Sarkozy did. He is exploiting the commemorations of the centenary of World War I to try to build national identity back up.

The WSWS also spoke to a recent recruit to the French Communist Party (PCF), the party which expelled the supporters of Leon Trotsky in 1924, shortly after Vladimir Lenins death, to turn to an ever more counterrevolutionary Stalinist policy. It also supported the restoration of capitalism in the Soviet Union in 1991, entirely confirming the warnings made by Trotsky of the counterrevolutionary role of Stalinism.

He stated, I came to demonstrate against Trump, [Turkish president Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, [Russian president Vladimir] Putin, and [Israeli premier Benyamin] Netanyahu, basically the war criminals that are waging war in many countries around the world. And also against Macrons current policy which is to collaborate with these powers. It is the same policy the French state has carried out for many years.  It is important for us to be here to show our opposition to what is happening.

He also stressed his opposition to Macrons attempt to rehabilitate Petain under cover of hailing his role as a World War I general: There is not a Petain of World War I and a Petain of World War II, it is all one man.  He is, when all is said and done, a representative of the bourgeoisie. The fact that Macron applauds him shows that Macron feels a tacit sympathy for the fascist past, and the fact that he is greeting Trump today shows that he does not care about democracy.

Asked about the link between Macrons repudiation of the post-war trial of Petain and his repudiation of the social rights established in the struggle against Nazi Occupationwith the privatization of the National Railways and attacks on pensions and public health carehe replied: Ultimately, its logical and we sort of expected it. It is the continuation of the policy carried out in France for the past 40 years. He knows the workers will be the first to struggle, so he attacks the workers first of all.

He was indicating here the austerity policies imposed by the Socialist Party (PS) during PS President Francois Mitterrands austerity turn of 1982-83, when the PS was ruling in coalition with the PCF. Asked about it, he did not try to defend the anti-working class record of his party.

He said, The Socialist Party opted for austerity, with the PCF. But then the PCF left government a year later, lets not forget history. At a certain period of time, the PCF had a role as the party of the working class, that is undeniable. But it is not that anymore.  There were principles that were renounced. But then one can argue over what moment to choose as the point when the PCF betrayed or renounced its principles.

Finally, the WSWS spoke to Guilherme, a Brazilian working in Paris, who discussed the recent election of Jair Bolsonaro, a fascistic defender of the 1964-1985 Brazilian military dictatorship. He said, I feel a lot of sadness for everything that has happened; seeing him elected president of my country pains me, given all the things he has said.

He stressed the disastrous role of the Workers Party (PT) of Lula da Silva and the rising anger against the corruption of Brazilian ruling circles amid a deep economic crisis: The people saw that the left was completely corrupt, which was not strictly the truth, because it was a problem that all of the parties have. But the PT, he said, really did make a lot of mistakes.  The economic policy was not perfect, and many people were unhappy.

There was the 2014 corruption scandal, so the population was angry, he stated. There was disillusionment with the party that was in power, the Workers Party. Once Lula had been really removed from the campaign, which was a bizarre maneuver, there was a vacuum and Bolsonaro was put in place by a group of people who wanted to take power. There was a campaign to pass him off as a savior.

Guilherme added, however, that he does not believe that Bolsonaro enjoys deep support in Brazil, and that he will ultimately encounter deep opposition from workers: The Brazilian people had enough with a system that did not work.  As I see it, it was possible for voters to see Bolsonaro as a way of exiting from politics as usual, a way to change things. But I do not think this will last in the long term. There will be pretty serious consequences, most of his voters did not realize what they were doing.Over the past weekend, the leaders of the worlds great powers met in France to commemorate the official end of World War I. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump pulled long faces, hugged each other and gave speeches lamenting the horror and tragedy of a war that claimed more than 16 million lives.

But their talk of tragedy and suicide could not hide the fact that they are all engaged in active preparations for a new and deadly world military conflict.

Trump, as usual, did not feel the need to hide his love of bloodshed. His speech at the Suresnes American Cemetery just outside Paris was a jingoistic rant. Trump praised the great warriors who fought through hell to turn the tide of the war and lauded the ferocious American marines who were termed Devil Dogs by the terrified German soldiers.

Unlike Merkel and Macron, the American President did not give an inch to the idea, universally acknowledged throughout the world since the fall of the Third Reich, that World War I was a disaster, in which millions were slaughtered either through the ignorance of generals or the avarice of politicians and industrialists. It was, in the words of Trump, a noble struggle to bring peace and defend civilization.

The speeches of Macron and Merkel betrayed the same bloody sentiments merely covered over with a dirty layer of dishonesty. Macron styled his speech as a condemnation of nationalism, while Merkel lamented the war as a hideous labyrinth of merciless battles, as senseless bloodshed caused by national arrogance and military hubris.

But Macrons speech was, in its content, a celebration of the great lie peddled by the Germano-French fascist movement: that the Great war was an all-pervasive moment of national unity, in which social and class divisions were cast aside for the defense of the fatherland. For the fighters, Macron said, France symbolized all that was beautiful in the world. The soldiers in the trenches were our family, the family that we belong to today, creating one France  popular and bourgeois.

This statement was entirely consistent with Macrons declaration just a few days earlier that Philippe Petain, the Nazi-collaborationist dictator of Vichy France who sent tens of thousands of Jews and anti-fascists to their deaths, was a great soldier.

For Merkels part, her invocation of the horrors of the first world war were coupled with appeals for Germany to end its isolation by becoming a great power. The Chancellor declared: The First World War showed us what kind of ruin isolationism can lead us into. And if seclusion wasnt a solution 100 years ago, how could it be so today?

What an absurd lie. Every freshman history textbook makes it clear that the war was not caused by Germanys isolationism but by the desire of Kaiser and Chancellor to secure what Wilhelm II called Germanys Place in the Suncolonial possessions at the expense of her competitors who had arrived earlier on the world arena.

It was to secure German world power that Merkels predecessor, Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, said in 1914 that the object of his regime was to lay the foundations for German predominance in Europe.

With very minor modifications, these are the sentiments animating the Chancellery of the Federal Republic, as expressed by its leading ideologists. In the words of Humboldt University professor Herfried Munkler, Germany must become the taskmaster of Europe, exercising determined political and economic leadership over the continent.

On the other side of the Rhine, the sentiments of the ruling classes are just as warlike. Just days after Macrons speech, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called for the formation of a European Empire to compete economically and militarily with the United States and China. While the population of Europe, given the horrors of two world wars, will find such talk of empire unattractive  in tomorrows world, its going to be all about power  Europe cannot be shy any longer about using its power.

Le Maire concluded, Everybody knows it takes guts to stand in the way of Donald Trumps administration  The people of Europe have had enough of the babble.

This is a deliberate and conscious restatement of German chancellor Bismarcks adage that leadership will be decided not by liberalism but by power, not by speeches, but by blood and iron.

Such militarist, and essentially fascistic, sentiments are expressed not only in words, but in deeds.

US President Donald Trump, with the support of a Democratic opposition that functions largely as a rubber-stamp for his assault on democracy, has embarked upon the largest military build-up since the Cold War, withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) nuclear treaty with Russia and massively expanding the United States nuclear arsenal. He has begun deploying 15,000 troops on American soil, asserted the right to overturn constitutional amendments by executive fiat and started the construction of concentration camps capable of holding tens of thousands.

Macron, pursuing his countrys own breakneck military rearmament, has pushed for the creation of a European army to counter the United States and China, to be paid for by the types of anti-worker austerity policies his government is pioneering.

Merkel presides over a grand coalition government dedicated to military rearmament and the projection of power overseas. She, too, supervises the construction of concentration camps to hold helpless refugees. Her government is a den of crypto-fascists, exemplified by the recently-fired head of the countrys secret service, Hans-Georg Maassen, who defended neo-Nazi rioters who attacked Jews and foreigners.

In collaboration with the neo-fascist Alternative for Germany (AfD), Maassen authored a report placing those who oppose capitalism, including the Socialist Equality Party, under surveillance as left-wing extremists. And in the latest exposure of the vipers lair that is the German military/intelligence apparatus, the news weekly Focus Magazine reported that internal army investigations have uncovered a massive plot by as many as 200 military personnel to round up and murder left-wing politicians.

Todays drive toward military conflict on the part of the great powers is rooted in the same fundamental contradictions of capitalismbetween the world economy and the outmoded nation-state system, and between socialized production and the private ownership of the means of productionthat led to two world wars in the 20th century.

It is also fueled by intensifying domestic political and social tensions within each of the major imperialist countries. The governments of Macron, Trump and Merkel are all broadly hated as direct instruments of a corrupt financial oligarchy. These governments see in war not only the pretext to use police-state repression against their opponents, but for the promotion of far-right forces to create a constituency for their policies of militarism and austerity and to use as shock troops against the growing struggles of the working class.

We live, as World Socialist Web Site editorial board chairman David North has argued, in the Unfinished 20th Century. All the demons that plagued the last century return to vex our own. But this means that the tasks confronting humanity remain the same. The bloodletting of the First World War was ended by two revolutions: in Russia and in Germany. It was the bloody suppression of the German Revolution, at the hands of the Social Democrats and the Freikorps, and the protracted degeneration and betrayal of the Russian Revolution under the Stalinist bureaucracy that allowed the specter of world war to return.

The antipode to world war, now as then, is the international working class, armed with the program of socialist internationalism. It is the fear of this vast and powerful social force that drives the bourgeoisie to war and dictatorship, and it is this social force that must be mobilized to oppose the return of imperialist barbarism.After a seven-day judicial hearing, Keiko Fujimori, longtime leader of the right-wing populist fujimorista movement and its party Fuerza Popular (FP), was sentenced to 36 months (three years) of preventive detention by Justice Richard Concepcion Carhuancho. Fujimori is now detained along with four other people, her closest political advisors, while being investigated for forming a criminal organization inside the FP and using it as a cover for laundering money received from the giant Brazilian construction multinational Odebrecht as part of its program of bribing the whole Peruvian political establishment as well as those of other countries in the region.

Fujimori and Co. were originally detained on October 10 under orders by Concepcion on the same money laundering charges. The decision shocked the whole country as Fujimoriwith her extensive connections in Perus judiciary and business elitewas seen as an untouchable. Moreover, at the start of the year, she had been the leading politician, according to polls.

Under Peruvian law, a judge can order the detention of a presumptive criminal under investigation to minimize the risk of escaping the country. Fujimoris lawyers appealed the initial decision, and three judges unanimously overturned the detention order. Fujimori and her fellow party leaders were freed after seven days of their ten-day detention. The judges argued that Fujimori and the rest posed no risk of flight or obstruction of justice.

Then, state anti-corruption attorney Jose Domingo Perez, who is part of the legal investigation team into the Odebrecht Lava Jato corruption scandal in Peru, announced that he had sufficient evidence to start an investigation into money laundering schemes involving Fujimori and a large group of FP members and requested that Concepcion hold a hearing where he could make the case for 36 months of preventive detention.

The judicial hearings started on October 24 and were televised, achieving record viewing audiences and capturing most of the attention of the national media. Outside the building where the hearings were taking place, fujimorista followers and anti-fujimoristas engaged in street skirmishes.

On October 31, after seven days, Concepcion ordered Fujimori and her four close advisors to be detained for 36 months. Today, Fujimori is in a womans prison in the Chorrillos district of Lima, after District Attorney Domingo Perez ordered her detention. Also, Perez has announced he will solicit further hearings for other FP members.

Concepcion had previously placed former president Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) and his wife/accomplice Nadine Heredia under preventive detention for 18 months, while prosecutors investigated if and how they received Odebrechts bribes. Fujimori and Co. received a far longer detention because they are being investigated under the framework of the Law against Criminal Organizations.

Perezwho has been lionized for having managed to put Keiko Fujimori, a widely hated figure, behind barswas helped by fresh evidence supplied by a secret witness. The witness voluntarily brought to the investigators office screenshots of a message chat used by the fujimorista caucus in Congress on which they discussed, among many other machinations, how to shield two high-ranking members of the judiciary: former Supreme Court member Cesar Hinostroza and current Attorney General Pedro Chavarry.

Both men were exposed by audiotapes leaked by an independent journalist group in July as being part of a secret criminal organization (labeled the Ports White Collars) inside the judiciary. The audiotapes made clear that Hinostroza, Chavarry and many other judges and attorneys were part of a corrupt scheme that sold favorable sentences or major posts inside the state to wealthy individuals, businesses and even drug cartels. The audiotapes mention fujimorista congressmen and Keiko herself as being their most important allies. Hinostroza stopped an investigation into then-FP secretary Joaquin Ramirez, who had been accused of laundering money obtained through drug trafficking.

Fujimorista congressmen obstructed at least two petitions to investigate Hinostroza for participation in the White Collars group. Then, at the beginning of October, amid mounting political and public pressure, Congresscontrolled by the fujimoristasfinally lifted its protection of Hinostroza. However, it delayed the decision, in a seemingly deliberate manner, so that Hinostroza could secretly escape the country on October 17, flying to Spain, where he was, nonetheless, detained under a petition of the Peruvian government. Peruvian authorities have declared that they will seek his extradition.

Meanwhile, Chavarry is currently being protected. Fujimorista congressmen have voted against petitions by other congressmen for his removal as attorney general. During the last months, from his position of power, Chavarry sacked prominent attorneys investigating either Fujimori or APRAs former president, Alan Garcia, and their ties to the Lava Jato scandal. He also has been engaged in a war of words with District Attorney Perez, after he called Chavarry morally unfit for his post.

On top of the detention of its leader, the FP has also been hurt by several resignations inside the Congress caucus and the party. With Fujimoris detention, the partys abysmally low approval ratings and its disastrous results in the last municipal and regional elections, there is mounting fear within the FP that the party is entering its terminal stage and the time has come to jump ship as fast as possible.

Given the extremely personalistic character of FP and the whole fujimorista movement, it cannot survive without a member of the Fujimori family leading it. Keiko is now detained; her father Alberto (who ruled between 1990 and 2000) is holed up in a private clinic in order to avoid going back to jail after a judge nullified the pardon provided by then-president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski last December; and Keikos brother Kenji has retired from politics after being politically destroyed in a vote-buying scandal set up by Keiko that precipitated Kuczynskis fall.

Fujimorismo was a right-wing populist movement that appealed to working class and lower-middle class layers on the basis of the legacy of the original Alberto Fujimori government: especially its limited welfare programs for the poor and its defeat of the nationalist-Maoist guerrilla group Sendero Luminoso.

On the other hand, it was the favorite party of wide layers of the ruling class, many of whom were the main beneficiaries of Alberto Fujimoris regime, whose other key legacy was a set of neoliberal reforms that privatized national industries and eliminated labor rights, creating major profit increases for multinationals and national companies.

The political obliteration of fujimorismo may push some of its disillusioned followersor at least, those who voted for Keiko in the last election thinking that she would improve their conditionstoward the pseudo-left coalitions of Frente Amplio (FA) and its split-off, Nuevo Peru (NP).

FAs candidates Veronika Mendoza and Marco Arana managed to achieve third place in the last elections (behind Kuczynski and Fujimori), and this was seen as comeback for left-wing politics in the country after having been nearly absent for more than two decades.

Then, Mendoza and her followers decided to split from FA and form their own coalition. In part, this was to exploit the growth of Mendozas popularity among a generation that has only known right-wing governments, but more important was the tacit preference the political establishment has given to Mendoza over Arana, the main leader of FA, who is seen in ruling circles as an unreliable left-wing extremist after his years as an activist against mining multinationals in the environmentally damaged region of Cajamarca.

Amid their break-up, both factions demonstrated their utter subordination to the stabilization of bourgeois rule. They made clear their opposition to the independence of the working class by telling workers and youth that they had to vote for Kuczynski in the runoff against Fujimori, or Peru would be under the grip of a narco-fujimorista dictatorship.

NP spokesmen have confirmed that they wont be able to present the necessary signatures needed for achieving ballot status for their movement by the current deadline of this month; meaning that they wont be able to participate in the next elections as an independent party. They managed to obtain just 6 percent of the 750,000 signatures needed. They cited the lack of funds for the logistics of collecting the signatures throughout the country and the lack of interest from their own members. In order to further the electoral aims of their movement, NP officials are now considering entering into alliances with right-wing parties.On Sunday, officials of the Law and Justice (PiS) government made a point of marching alongside neo-fascist forces to celebrate Polands 100th Independence Day. The March of Independence in Warsaw attracted some 250,000 people, according to the Polish police. This would make it the largest single march in the history of Warsaw, a city of 2 million people. Smaller demonstrations took place throughout the country.

On November 11, 1918, Poland was officially granted independence from what was then Soviet Russia, Germany and Austria. This followed some 123 years during which the country, formerly the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, was partitioned between the Habsburg Empire, the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. In the ensuing 21 years, up to the Nazi invasion in 1939, Poland became a major bulwark of French and US imperialism in their struggle against the Soviet Union.

For many years, the anniversary of this date has been exploited by Polish nationalists and fascists. However, Independence Day has also been claimed by other forces across the political spectrum, including the liberal opposition, which has long joined in the glorification of the authoritarian Pisudski regime that ruled Poland for much of the inter-war period.

Last year, November 11 was the occasion for an internationally organized gathering of far-right forces. With about 60,000 participants, including white supremacists from the US and Europe, it was the largest far-right march in post-World War II European history. Banners at the rally, which sent shockwaves throughout the world, included: White Europe of Brotherly Peoples, Europe Will Be White or Depopulated, Pure Poland, White Poland! Death to the Enemies of the Fatherland, Pray for Islamic Holocaust, and Refugees, Get Out! (see: Sixty thousand fascists march in Warsaw)

The announcement that government officials, including President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, would join the march with far-right nationalist groups such as the National Radical Camp (ONR), came only on Friday. The ONR is an openly neo-fascist organization. It is named after the organization in the inter-war period most closely linked to the fascist terror against both workers organizations and Jews that swept Poland in the 1930s. Before the Nazis invaded Poland, the ONR distinguished itself by its fascination with and admiration for Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, particularly its anti-Jewish policies, which inspired the ONRs own political program.

Another co-organizer was the far-right All-Polish Youth (Modziez Wszechpolska), also named after an inter-war youth and student organization of the same name, which was responsible for anti-Semitic assaults and murders at universities. On its Twitter feed, the organization posted a picture of its procession with the comment Life and Death for the Nation.

Government officials had reportedly tried to form a coalition of organizers that would have included the government, the liberal opposition and the far-right. However, that failed and the liberal opposition parties ended up boycotting the march. An attempt last week by Warsaws outgoing mayor, from the opposition party Civic Platform (PO), to ban the march was thwarted by a court decision.

The participation of Duda and Morawiecki in the march was also meant to underscore the fact that they were staying away from the celebrations of the end of World War I in Paris that same day.

Military police were deployed to protect the marchers, and Polish soldiers stood side-by side with members of the ONR and the Italian neo-Nazi party Forza Nueva. At the beginning of the march, Duda addressed the far-right crowd, saying: I want us to walk under our white-and-red banners together [the colors of Polands national flag] and with an air of joy. To give honour to those who fought for Poland and to be glad that it is free, sovereign and independent. He then led the crowd in chants of Glory and praise to the heroes and sang the national anthem with them.

Most participants carried Polish flags, but some also displayed the falanga, a symbol of European fascism in the 1930s and the main symbol of the ONR, as well as white supremacist symbols such as the Celtic cross. Racist chants were reported. At one point, an EU flag was reportedly burned by rightists shouting, Down with the European Union.

Spokespeople for Duda and the government tried to downplay the involvement of far-right forces in the march, but it is clear that the open alignment of the government with the far-right was a calculated political move. It was encouraged by the general lurch to the right by the entire ruling class in Europe, and is aimed at intimidating workers and youth in Poland and Europe who are opposed to the policies of war and austerity of the bourgeoisie.

A few days before the PiS announced that it would march with the far-right, French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the fascist dictator of the collaborationist Vichy regime during the Second World War, Philippe Petain, as a great soldier. In neighbouring Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) enjoys close ties with leading circles in the state. It has been promoted by the entire media and political establishment and placed in the official position of leading opposition party in parliament. In the US, the Trump administration has systematically encouraged far-right racism and anti-Semitism, resulting in several violent attacks before the midterm elections, including the massacre of 11 people at a Pittsburgh Synagogue.

In Poland, the PiS has for years encouraged the far-right and integrated it into the state apparatus. A huge paramilitary militia has been created under the supervision of Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz, himself a notorious anti-Semite. This force relies largely on the organized far-right.

The government has promoted anti-Semitism and racism toward refugees for years. Earlier this year, it passed a law censoring speech on the Holocaust that mentions the involvement of Polish nationalists in the murder of the Jews. Most recently, a leaked tape brought to light anti-Semitic remarks by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki dating from 2014.

Beyond a significant overlap of political views, the PiS government relies on the far-right for its preparations for war against Russia and the suppression of the working class at home. With the support of the Trump administration, it is pursuing a revival of the Intermarium strategy of the inter-war period, in which the Pisudski regime, with the support of sections of the French and British elites, sought to undermine both the Soviet Union and Germany through an alliance of right-wing nationalist regimes in Eastern and Central Europe. Similarly today, with the support of US imperialism, the PiS government seeks to build an alliance of far-right regimes throughout Eastern Europe to counter the threat of revolution, undermine Germanys position in Europe and prepare for war against Russia.

There is widespread hatred of fascism among workers and youth throughout Europe, including in Poland, which was turned into a center of fascist terror and destruction under the Nazi occupation during World War II. Poland was the geographical center of the genocide of 6 million European Jews, over 3 million of whom had lived in Poland before the war.

Within the framework of the current political system, however, this opposition to war and fascism finds virtually no expression. In order to fight the preparations for war and civil war by the bourgeoisie and its promotion of the far-right, workers and youth need to turn to an internationalist and socialist program.In April, the Liberal-National Coalition government, then headed by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, announced it would strip welfare payments from those asylum seekers temporarily living in Australia on bridging visas, and force them to look for work.

Since August, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has continued the policy, which affects refugees still waiting, often for many years, to have their protection visa applications finalised.

As of February, some 13,300 people relied on these payments. So far, roughly 1,000 people have been cut off. A new report by the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) reveals that this has placed almost 80 percent of them at risk of homelessness and destitution.

The Labor Party fully backed the decision to end the Status Resolution Support Service (SRSS). Shayne Neumann, Labors immigration spokesman, declared that welfare abuses needed to be stamped out.

The paltry level of the SRSS payment has already pushed people into deprivation. It was set at 89 percent of the poverty-level Newstart unemployment benefit, leaving asylum seekers with just $270 a week.

The SRSS provided essential casework services to help asylum seekers find cheap accommodation, as well as torture and trauma counselling. Now, overburdened charities are the sole suppliers of food and housing supports.

The RCOA surveyed the clients of 24 of these non-government organisations and concluded that 79 percent were at risk of homelessness and destitution without the SRSS. Of the 24 organisations, 17 were already providing emergency food and housing relief to people.

Just 8 percent of respondents had full-time work and only 20 percent were considered job ready. Two-thirds were unable to find employment or were not looking because of care requirements, age or poor health.

The Home Affairs Department claims to be cutting off only asylum seekers who have the capacity to support themselves. In April a departmental spokesperson said: Individuals on a bridging visa with work rights and who have the capacity to work are expected to support themselves prior to being granted a substantive visa or departing Australia.

The RCOA survey, however, revealed extensive evidence that very vulnerable people have been affected. Its undeniable, RCOA deputy director Rebecca Eckard said. We know of people who are already couch-surfing, people staying in parks, living in each others cars. It is, unfortunately, very much happening.

If it werent for some of the community organisations providing not just emergency relief but giving free housing or heavily subsidised housing, people would be completely on the streets.

The government specifically targeted people studying full-time. The departmental spokesperson said: If an adult chooses to study full-time, when they are able to work, they are not eligible for SRSS income support.

A young female asylum seeker, Sarvenaz, told the Guardian she lost her benefit payments on her first day of study. They actually didnt tell me, they just cut it off without explanation, she said. I went to Centrelink to check whats going on and they said because you were studying we have to automatically stop your payment from the beginning of the semester.

Sarvenaz and her family had been on bridging visas for over four years. Initially forbidden to work, and then unable to find jobs, Sarvenaz and her sister volunteered with a charity organisation and enrolled at a university. Sarvenazs course required full-time attendance and she was ineligible for any student welfare support.

Sarvenaz commented: How do people expect someone to arrive to this countrywho doesnt have access to the services, who is stressing from the trauma they have been through and is an applicant who hasnt been processed, and doesnt have skills to work with and whose education history isnt accepted[to] find work?

The government has branded these people the legacy caseload. The Greens-backed Gillard Labor government placed approximately 30,000 asylum seekers on bridging visas in 2012, when it scrapped permanent protection visas. The visas denied the right to family reunion and to work.

In dealing with the legacy caseload, the government has introduced measures to speed up their deportation. In 2014, the Fast Track Assessment Program abolished previous rights to appeal visa refusals to a tribunal. Instead, the Immigration Assessment Authority (IAA) performs on paper reviews, in which applicants have no right to produce additional evidence. Since the IAA commenced operation, the application success rates have dropped from 90 percent to 70 percent.

In March 2017, with Labors support, the government announced that refugees on bridging visas had 60 days to complete complex visa application documents or face deportation.

This year, the government stripped income support from around 190 refugees who had been transferred to Australia for medical treatment from the immigration prison camps on Nauru and Papua New Guineas Manus Island. The refugees were thrust onto bridging visas and evicted from community detention houses.

Successive Coalition and Labor governments in Australia have pioneered the cruel and inhumane treatment of asylum seekers. Their border protection regime seeks to make refugees scapegoats for the deteriorating working and living conditions inflicted on the working class.Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisenas unconstitutional decision last Friday to dissolve parliament and call a general election has only deepened the political crisis in Colombo following his dismissal of Ranil Wickremesinghe and installation of former president Mahinda Rajapakse as prime minister on October 26.

Less than 36 hours after the dissolution of the parliament, Rajapakse abruptly quit the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), of which Sirisena is the president, to join the relatively new Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) led by his brother Basil Rajapakse, and to launch his election campaign.

Under pressure of a deepening economic crisis, rising social discontent and intensifying geo-political tensions, the political establishment in Colombo is fracturing. In the 2015 presidential election, Sirisena broke from Rajapakse and ran against him with the support of the opposition United National Party (UNP) and the backing of the US and India.

The resultant national unity government of Sirisena and UNP leader Wickremesinghe collapsed on October 26. Now the opportunist reunion of Sirisena with Rajapakse is falling apart, leaving the president isolated and the SLFP, one of Sri Lankas two longstanding bourgeois parties, facing a potential collapse.

The Rajapakses formed the SLPP, based on their faction of the SLFP, to contest local elections earlier this year. Exploiting mass hostility to the unity government, they won a convincing victory over both the UNP and Sirisenas faction of the SLFP. This widespread opposition, which is also expressed in strikes and protests by workers, students and peasants, is a key factor in the political crisis.

While Sirisena has been politically weakened by Rajapakses decision, he has over the past two weeks concentrated significant state power in his own hands as president. He controls the military and police as well as the state media and other ministries. Having already acted in flagrant disregard of the constitution on two occasions, Sirisena could use the autocratic powers of the executive presidency again in a desperate bid to stay in power.

Workers, youth and the rural poor must be warned: none of the factions of the ruling class will defend the basic rights of working people. They will ruthlessly impose the austerity dictates of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and big business. The sham claims of all these politicians of big business that they defend democracy must be rejected.

In a Tweet on Saturday, Mahinda Rajapakse declared that a general election will truly establish the will of the people and make way for a stable country. His younger brother and former defense secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, told a public meeting on the same day that there is no stronger step than this to strengthen democracy in the country.

However, both Mahinda Rajapakse and his brother were notorious while in power for their ruthless prosecution of the communal war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Tens of thousands of civilians were slaughtered in the final government offensive in 2009. The Rajapakse government presided over a police-state regime responsible for assassinating or disappearing political opponents, journalists and many Tamil youth.

Moreover, Rajapakse backed the unconstitutional actions of Sirisena in sacking Wickremesinghe, proroguing parliament, and, when a parliamentary majority could not be achieved through bullying and bribery, calling a new general election. The election is scheduled for January 5 and the new parliament will meet on January 17, allowing enough time for backroom horse-trading in case no single party wins a majority.

The UNP, with the support of two opposition parties, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), has vowed to go to the Supreme Court to challenge the dissolution of parliament. However, the chief justice and supreme court judges are appointees of the president and are likely to rule in his favour, despite his obvious breaches of the constitution.

A UNP leader and former finance minister Mangala Samaraweera declared to the media on Saturday, that his party would fight against the tyrant President Sirisenas shock sacking of the legislature. Grandstanding as a democrat, he proclaimed: We will fight in the courts, we will fight in parliament and we will fight at the polls.

Like Rajapakse and Sirisena, the UNP uses the constitution when it suits and dispenses with democratic and legal forms when it does not. The UNP has a long history of anti-democratic measures, including the abolition of the citizenship rights of Tamil plantation workers in 1948, the imposition of the draconian Public Security Act and the establishment of the executive presidency in 1978.

UNP leader Wickremesinghe was central to the regime-change operation orchestrated in Washington to oust Rajapakse as president and install Sirisena via the 2015 elections. The US, which had backed Rajapakses war against the LTTE and turned a blind eye to the militarys atrocities, was hostile to his governments close ties with China.

Not surprisingly, the US and its alliesthe UK, EU and now Australiahave lined up with the UNP and Wickremesinghe. The latest US statement on Saturday warned that the dissolution of the parliament jeopardizes Sri Lankas economic progress and international reputation and called on the president to respect his countrys democratic tradition and the rule of law and fulfil the commitments to good governance and democracy upon which he and his government were elected.

What utter hypocrisy! With the assistance of the pseudo-left organisations, the trade unions and various NGOs, Washington dressed up its 2015 behind-the-scenes machinations to oust Rajapakse as the defence of good governance and democracy. If it does not get its way, US imperialism will not hesitate to carry out another regime-change operation to ensure Colombo toes its line.

The intervention of the major powers will only compound the intense political crisis in Colombo that left the ruling class divided, perplexed and fearful. The editorial in this weekends Sunday Island declared: The president of this so-called Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has thrown the country from the frying pan into the fire The country is now in untested waters and a return to stability must be a priority. But it stopped short of stating how.

As in 2015, the pseudo-left Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) has lined up with UNP and Wickremesinghe, while others such as the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) and the United Socialist Party (USP) have again begun to campaign for a broader front of left parties, civil organizations and mass organizations. Either directly or indirectly, they all function to keep workers and youth tied to one or the other bourgeois party and to block a struggle to overthrow the crisis-ridden capitalist system.

The working class must break from all these political charlatans. It cannot postpone the necessary practical and political preparations for the defence of democratic and social rights. It is vital that workersSinhala, Tamil and Muslimunite and start to take matters into their own hands. A political struggle against all the bourgeois factions is needed so as to rally the urban poor and rural masses in the fight for a workers and peasants government based on socialist policies. That is the perspective for which the Socialist Equality Party fights.The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature

Latin America

Argentine truckers strike, block ports to demand higher rates

Access to ports in Gran Rosario, the principal locale for the export of grains grown in Argentina, was blocked by striking truckers November 8.

The strike and blockade, called by the Fleet Haulers Syndicate of Argentina, has as its main demand the raising of hauling rates for short-distance grain truck drivers. The truckers, who carry grain from farms and warehouses to ports, maintain that the rising costs of operation are making it more difficult to earn a living, necessitating a rate hike.

A communique from the union stated that the strike would be indefinite until rates are raised.

Colombian workers and students protest tax law, defunding of education

Workers in both state and private-sector unions joined students and agricultural laborers in protests across Colombia on November 8. The marches and demonstrations were called over the governments economic policies, which have negatively impacted working-class living standards and higher education.

Among the targets of the protesters ire was the stated intention of the government of President Ivan Duque to broaden the application of the Value Added Tax (VAT) on family expenses, the rise in taxes on housing and the defunding of higher education.

In the city of Popayan, units of the ESMAD national riot control police attacked a student encampment at the University of Cauca with tear gas. Journalists covering the protest were also attacked.

Belizean teachers protest foot dragging on negotiations, pay issues

On the morning of November 7, teachers in Belize gathered at a high school in the capital Belmopan and marched to the Civic Centre, singing protest songs en route. A number of union bureaucrats and opposition politicians then addressed the assembled educators. At some checkpoints, police stopped and delayed buses in which teachers had come from all six districts.

Over 1,000 teachers, members of the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU), took the action to express their dissatisfaction with the pace of negotiations between the union and the Ministry of Education (MOE), as well as other issues. Of particular concern is Proposal 22, by which the government is supposed to pay teachers and staff at grant-aided secondary schools 70 percent of their salary while school managements pay the remaining 30 percent.

The school administrations, however, have not delivered on their end of the deal, so teachers in many schools are only getting 70 percent of their pay. The Prime Minister has claimed that the government would not be able to pay the shortfall. Other issues include travel and hardship allowances for teachers in remote areas, pensions for teachers at church-managed schools, intimidation by school administrators and disrespect for the teachers shown by MOE head Patrick Faber.

Although the BNTU has hinted at a strike, it has shied away from calling for one, instead sending a letter appealing to the Prime Minister to intervene.

United States

One-day strike at Coca-Cola distribution facility shuts down operations throughout Kentucky

The 28 workers at Coca-Cola Consolidateds distribution warehouse in Bluefield, West Virginia, went out on a one-day strike November 8. Another 130 workers at another four distribution centers across the state walked out on sympathy strike in support of the strikers, who are all represented by Teamsters Local 175.

The Bluefield workers voted unanimously back in September to authorize a strike after Coca-Cola management pressed for healthcare concessions that would have doubled medical deductibles and hiked out-of-pocket costs by nearly five times. Coca-Cola resolutely refused to accept a Local 175 offer to switch to a Teamster multi-employer health plan which the company would not control.

The Teamsters liquidated the one-day strike and then filed charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board. Local 175 Secretary-Treasurer Ralph Winter said, We hope this short one-day strike will minimize service disruptions and force the company to honor the law.

Coca-Cola Consolidated operates in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Some 14 percent of their workforce is organized by various unions, including the Teamsters, which represents some 1,500 workers. The companys largest customers are Walmart, Kroger Company and Food Lion.

Back in August, the Teamsters called off an 11-day strike by Coca-Cola UNITED workers in Alabama and Mississippi without obtaining a contract.

Canada

Rotating postal strikes extended under threat of criminalization

The ineffectual rotating strikes by 54,000 postal workers that began October 22 and hit over 150 communities across Canada will continue to broaden, according to union officials, provoking the federal Liberal to threaten criminalization under back-to-work legislation in the coming days.

After appointing a special mediator two weeks ago, the federal Liberal government, which had until now said it would prefer a negotiated settlement, indicated last week that it may legislate an end to the job actions by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).

The workers, including letter carriers, workers at postal sorting stations, mail truck drivers and postal clerks, have faced deteriorating working conditions, speedups, forced overtime and understaffing for years under a bankrupt leadership that seeks to defuse the militancy of its membership with this demoralizing strategy of one-day actions. In addition, the workers are fighting increasing threats to job security as well as health and safety provisions, while seeking equal pay and benefits for rural and suburban letter carriers.

The union has imposed an equally ineffective ban on overtime work and has extended some of the walkouts to up to seven days, but has so far said nothing regarding the threat of back-to-work legislation.

One Saskatchewan Co-op strike ends, while another continues

The month-long strike by over 400 workers employed by the Moose Jaw Co-op came to an end last week with a negotiated settlement that favors the employer on the main disputed issues cited by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW).

Union leaders are hailing the new deal as a victory, even though it doesnt eliminate the two-tier wage system that particularly impacts female employees, and that the union membership overwhelmingly rejected in the contract proposal that took them out on strike over a month ago.

Meanwhile, the strike by 900 workers in the same union local continues at the nearby Saskatoon Co-op against similar contract concessions that took them out on strike over a month ago. The two sides in that dispute are not scheduled to meet until the end of the month.Roger Stone associate Jerome Corsi said Monday he expects to be indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller for "giving false information to the special counsel or to one of the other grand jury."

Corsi made the comment during his streaming show on YouTube.

Continents and regions Crime, law enforcement and corrections Criminal law Donald Trump Eastern Europe Europe Government and public administration Indictments Investigations Jerome Corsi Law and legal system Misc people Non-profit and NGO organizations Political Figures - US Politics Robert Mueller Roger Stone Russia Russia meddling investigation WikiLeaks

"And now I fully anticipate that the next few days, I will be indicted by Mueller for some form or other of giving false information to the special counsel or to one of the other grand jury or however they want to do the indictment. But I'm going to be criminally charged," Corsi said Monday.

Corsi's lawyer declined to comment.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsel, declined to comment on Corsi's comments saying he expects to be indicted.

Corsi could face any number of charges -- spanning from perjury to making false claims to obstruction of justice. The potential charges are related to false statements he made about his relationship with WikiLeaks and Stone.

Stone responded in a statement that he stands by his earlier congressional testimony.

"My attorney's have fully reviewed all my written communications with Dr. Corsi," his statement said in part. "When those aren't viewed out of context they prove everything I have said under oath regarding my interaction with Dr. Corsi is true.

" ... I stand by my statement to the House Intelligence Committee and can prove it is truthful if need be. I have passed two polygraph tests administered and analyzed by two of the nations leading experts to prove I have truthful."

Corsi has been involved in Mueller's investigation for roughly two months and had already been subpoenaed for documents and testimony before the grand jury, and he complied with both.

Corsi's role in the investigation largely revolves around the possibility that he was an intermediary between Stone and WikiLeaks.

During the 2016 campaign, Stone publicly bragged about having "backchannel communications" with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and on several occasions appeared to predict the WikiLeaks releases that roiled the race in the final stretch of the campaign. But in the two years since Trump's victory, Stone has walked back those claims and said his "backchannel" was merely New York radio host Randy Credico sharing information about his interviews with Assange. Credico denies serving as an intermediary between the two.

Investigators have been skeptical of Stone's explanation. CNN has reported that Mueller's team is examining the possibility that Stone had another intermediary beyond Credico, and that Corsi might have been involved.

Both Stone and his lawyer, Grant Smith, tell CNN that Stone has not been contacted by Mueller's team.

Corsi injected himself into Stone's situation last year when he claimed that one of his own articles for InfoWars inspired Stone to predict in October 2016 that there would be trouble coming for Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. Not long after that, WikiLeaks started releasing thousands of Podesta's hacked emails.

Stone denies that he ever told Trump about WikiLeaks' dumps before they became public. He also denies colluding with Russia.Country

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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of ZimbabweAmazon today announced that it has selected New York City and Arlington, Virginia, as the location for its new headquarters, making official a choice that had been widely reported over the past week.

The Seattle technology giant said it would invest $5 billion and create more than 50,000 jobs across the two new headquarters locations, with more than 25,000 employees each in New York City and Arlington.

These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in a statement.

Amazon stands to receive more than $2 billion in tax incentives across the locations. Up to $1.2 billion will come from New York States Excelsior program, which is a discretionary tax credit. In Virginia, the company could receive as much as $500 million in cash incentives.

The announcement concludes a 14-month long national frenzy, in which communities went out of their way to capture Amazons attention. New York City changed the lights on the Empire State Building to Amazons signature orange color. Tucson hauled a 21-foot cactus to the companys Seattle campus. The Mayor of Kansas City, Sly James, wrote 1,000 reviews for Amazon products  giving them all five stars.

In the end, Amazon picked locations that would allow it to tap into an existing tech talent pool on the East Coast.

In New York, Amazon selected Long Island City, just across the East River from Midtown Manhattan and the Upper East Side  a location it touted for its blend of cultural institutions, arts organizations, new and converted housing, restaurants, bars, breweries, waterfront parks, hotels, academic institutions, and small and large tech sector and industrial businesses.

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo did a victory lap, issuing a statement touting the states success in luring Amazon.

When I took office, I said we would build a new New York State  one that is fiscally responsible and fosters a business climate that is attractive to growing companies and the industries of tomorrow, Cuomo said. Weve delivered on those promises and more, and today, with Amazon committing to expand its headquarters in Long Island City, New York can proudly say that we have attracted one of the largest, most competitive economic development investments in U.S. history.

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In Virginia, Amazon selected National Landing, an urban community in Northern Virginia located less than three miles from downtown Washington, D.C. The retail giant lauded its proximity to metro stations and Reagan National Airport, as well as the assortment of hotels, restaurants, high-rise apartment buildings, retail, and commercial offices.

This is a big win for Virginia  Im proud Amazon recognizes the tremendous assets the Commonwealth has to offer and plans to deepen its roots here, said Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia.

Amazon also said it would open an operations center in Nashville that would be responsible for customer fulfillment, adding more than 5,000 jobs.

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Amazon Picking Long Island City & Northern Virginia For Split HQ2: ReportsAmazon announced on Tuesday that it will split its new second headquarters between New York City and Northern Virginia, capping a yearlong process that had cities falling over themselves to court the e-commerce giant.

The company will invest $5 billion between the two locations and is looking to hire 25,000 employees to fill the new offices in Arlington, Virginia, and the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, Amazon announced. The company will start hiring in 2019. The East Coast had been pegged a favorite landing spot for HQ2, with the offices giving Amazon both a major presence in the media capital of the world and putting it close to the nations capital.

We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia, Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and chief executive, said in a statement. These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities.

Also Read: Amazon Studios Hires Debra Birnbaum as Awards Director

Amazon is receiving healthy tax breaks for the split HQ2. The company said its getting performance-based direct incentives of $1.525 billion for its Long Island City location, including a refundable tax credit via New York States Excelsior Program of up to $1.2 billion over the next decade. Amazon will also get $573 million in performance-based direct incentives. The company  which carries a $800 billion market cap  will receive more than $2 billion in tax breaks from the deals.

Average salaries at the new locations will be around $150,000, according to the company. The new offices will cover 4 million square feet, with the potential to double in size in the years ahead. The company estimates its new locations will generate $10 billion in incremental tax revenue in the next 20 years.

The NYC and the near-D.C. offices will employ more workers than anywhere else at Amazon beyond its Seattle home and its offices in the San Francisco Bay Area; the company already had a modest 1,800 people working in New York City and about 2,500 tech employees near Washington, D.C., according to the New York Times.

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Also Read: Roger Ailes Painted as Genius and Monster in 'Divide and Conquer' Trailer (Video)

The new offices cap a process that started in September 2017. Amazon narrowed its finalists to a top 20 in January, with Los Angeles, Austin and Denver, among other cities the company was considering. Several cities, often given just two days notice before meeting with Amazon, nixed ritzy courtships in favor of bringing in university officials, younger people, and professionals to explain why their neighborhoods would be a prime choice for HQ2, as the Wall Street Journal reported in April.

Read original story Amazon Names New York City, Northern Virginia as New Headquarters Sites At TheWrapAn ample assortment of new Arab cinema will be on display at the revived Cairo Film Connection, where new projects by established helmers, including Egypts Osama Fawzy (I Love Cinema), Iraqs Koutaiba Al-Janabi (Leaving Baghdad), and Syrias Soudade Kaadan (The Day I Lost My Shadow), will be vying for more than $100,000 in prizes with works from promising up and comers.

The 17 CFC projects in various stages from Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, Jordan, Palestine Algeria, Syria, and Morocco were selected out of 107 submissions. They comprise dramas, docs, and potentially groundbreaking genre films with gravitas such as black comedy Inshallah a Boy, by Jordanian first-timer Amjad Al Rasheed, about a widow who due to Islamic Sharia law finds herself in dire need of a male child to stop her in-laws from taking possession of her home.

Al Rasheed, who is a Berlinale Talents alumni, said in press notes that he grew up in a family consisting mostly of women where he listened to their stories about separation, infidelity, mistreatment, sacrifice and even abuse, which made him determined to use filmmaking to highlight womens strugglesand their coping strategies.

Another project with fresh tropes being showcased at CFC is musical When Were Born, which interweaves three tales of people doing things for those they love: Amin, who works as a male prostitute to fulfill his wifes dream of an apartment; Farah, a devout Christian who struggles with her love for a Muslim man; and Ahmed, a talented musician contending with a beloved father who has other career plans for him. Developed by the Sundance Lab, this pic, now in post, is helmed by Tamer Ezzat, co-director of doc Tahrir 2011: The Good, The Bad, and The Politician, which went to Venice.

Osama Fawzy, the veteran whose controversial 2004 I Love Cinema was praised by Variety critic Dennis Harvey as a pleasing, robust Egyptian Amarcord, is pitching supernatural pic Rosy Black, which revolves around the magical powers of an ancient book by Galileo; London-based Koutaiba Al-Janabi, who is a pluriprized filmmaker and photographer, will show footage of The Woodman, the third installment in his trilogy about migration/alienation in which a life-sized wooden dummy who appears to have a soul is haunted by evil powers.

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France-born Soudade Kaadan, whose The Day I Lost My Shadow, set at the outbreak of Syrias civil war in 2012, recently scooped Venices Lion of the Future for first features, will be pitching her followup, Nezouh, which similarly takes place in Damascus but after the conflict has escalated.

Also set in Damascus, is doc Crystal House, which Syrias Zeina Al Qahwaji filmed in the war-torn city over seven years. It is now in post, as is doc Lift Like a Girl, about an Egyptian teenage woman determined to become a weightlifting champion, helmed by Egypts Mayye Zayed.

The CFC prizes are being supported by several major Middle East players, such as paybox OSN, which besides cash will be providing a prime-time slot; Ergo, the company owned by Egypts government, formerly known as Creative Media Ventures; New Century Productions; Front Row Distribution; Aroma Studios; Iraqi Cinema; and the Arab Cinema Center.

Front Row chief Gianluca Chakra praised Cairo fest president Mohammed Hefzy, who has reinstated the CFC, for his vision of where the film business is heading and his efforts in educating a market and a region that is in dire need of modernity, quality and definitely fresh blood.

Line-up of Film Projects for the Cairo Film Connection

Feature Narrative  Development

Inshallah A Boy | Director: Amjad AlRasheed | Jordan

East of Noon | Director: Hala El Koussy | Egypt

Once Upon a Time in Tripoli | Director: Abdullah El Ghaly | Libya

Missed You | Director: Tamer Ruggli |Egypt, Switzerland

Rosy Black | Director: Ossama Fawzy | Egypt

Severed Head | Director: Lotfi Achour | Tunisia

Longer Will Be the Night| Director: Latifa Said | Algeria

Nezou | Director: Soudade Kaadan | Syria

Spray | Director: Sherif Elbendary | Egypt

Feature NarrativePost-production:

Before Its Too Late | Director: Majdi Lakhdar | Tunisia

When Were Born | Director: Tamer Ezzat | Egypt

The Woodman | Director: Koutaiba Al Janahi | Iraq

Feature DocumentariesDevelopment:

The Fountain Of Bakhchisarai | Director: Mohamed Taher | Egypt

We Are Inside | Director: Farah Kassem | Lebanon

Feature DocumentariesPost-production:

Lift Like a Girl | Director: Mayye Zayed | Egypt

Crystal Ball | Director: Zeinah Al Qahwaji | Syria

My Mohamed Is Different | Director: Ines Marzouk | Egypt

Related stories

Cairo President Mohamed Hefzy Drills Down on Festival Reboot

Cairo Film Festival Undergoes Radical Revamp

'Green Book' Set to Open Revamped Cairo Film Festival

Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts!When Stormy Daniels was arrested at a strip club in Ohio earlier this year, her attorney Michael Avenatti suggested that the arrest was politically motivated, and an attempt to intimidate her. Now, he may be proven right with the help of a document related to the Columbus police departments internal investigation.

Daniels, who famously claims to have had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006 shortly after he married Melania, and recently had her defamation lawsuit against Trump dismissed, was arrested at Sirens Gentlemens Club in Columbus, Ohio, in July along with two employees of the club, for touching customers, including undercover police officers, and squeezing the detectives face in between her breasts. The charges against Daniels were dropped after less than 24 hours, with prosecutors saying they didnt have probable cause to pursue the case.

The two other women are suing the police department over their arrests, and Avenatti told Rolling Stone in an email that he and Daniels might sue as well. The arresting officers bogus stories are falling apart. We are strongly considering bringing suit as a result of my clients illegal arrest and the officers violation of law, he said, adding that they may sue either the Columbus police department, the individual officers involved, or both.

Shortly after the arrests at Sirens, a whistleblower leaked emails to the media that indicated that officers were specifically targeting Daniels. The emails, sent between several high-ranking officers involved in the case, included news articles about Daniels planned appearances in Columbus, photos of her with President Trump, videos of her dancing, and even a map to the club  all days before she was in town, and before she was allegedly randomly caught up in an investigation at the club. Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs acknowledged a mistake was made, and the FBI opened an investigation into the vice unit that made the arrests.

Story continues

Now, a leaked internal police department document obtained by The Appeal suggests that the arresting officers lied about the legal basis for their undercover operation. The police department declined to comment on their internal investigation, saying only that it was still ongoing.

In their arrest reports and sworn affidavits, officers claimed that the reason they were at Sirens in the first place was because of complaints received alleging prostitution and drug activity. But the document shows that during an interview with the Internal Affairs Bureau, the units supervising commander Terry Moore said, there was no specific complaint at Sirens being investigated on the date that the arrests occurred.

Moore said that the politics related to Ms. Clifford [Daniels legal name] were never discussed, but also that he was not directly involved in the planning or coordination of the operation.

Daniels arrest came amid the height of the controversy surrounding Daniels and President Trump; three months after the office of Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen was raided by the FBI, and one month before Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, saying in his statement that he paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump at the presidents behest, after previously claiming that hed done it without Trump knowing.

Columbus-based civil rights attorney Edward Forman is suing the Columbus police department on behalf of the two other women who were arrested that night, claiming that they were false arrests that violated his clients fourth amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure, and that the operation was a set-up from day one.

On whether he believes the arrests were politically motivated, Forman says, Theres no doubt about it. Its the biggest bunch of bullshit Ive ever seen in my life.

They had no cause whatsoever, they knew damn well that our clients hadnt violated any laws, but they were so desperate to make an arrest to impress Donald Trump or whatever they were doing, he tells Rolling Stone. The only reason my clients were arrested was because they were looking for cover to make it look like it was an actual investigation and not like they were there specifically for Stormy Daniels.

Im personally very excited to see what the FBI case turns up, Forman added. I would not be surprised if they turned up some facts that would be very helpful for my lawsuit.

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the recent police documents had been leaked. This story has been updated to clarify that they were obtained by The Appeal.Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

Small Scale LNG Market - Overview

As the lowest emission level of pollutants, the market is due to an accelerated rate citing related to global warming. Market reports related to the market. CAGR in the forecast period.

The rising demand being observed globally for sustainable fuel sources is adding to the overall potential of the market growth. The key demand for LNG is stemming from the fertilizer industry, power plants, transportation, cooking fueling and heating for industrial, residential & commercial sectors will power the growth of the market intensively in the forecast period..

View Report Preview@ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/small-scale-lng-market-2705

Competitive Analysis

The originality in products and services of the markets will alter the progression of the market significantly. The market pull and competitors propensities are markedly enhanced by the strategies that are being used by market contenders. The important success factors in the market are easily accomplished in the market which is adding to an elevated pace of growth in the forecast period. The heightened level of emphasis on the variation of products is growing the number of customers in the market significantly. The key competitors in the small scale LNG market are Engie SA (France), Wartsila Corporation (Finland), Gazprom (Russia), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), The Linde Group (Germany), IHI Corporation (Japan), Skangas AS (Norway), Excelerate Energy L.P (U.S), Prometheus Energy (U.S), GE Oil & Gas (U.S.),Cryostar (U.S.), and Novatek (Russia) among others.

Segmental Analysis

The small-scale LNG market has been segmented on the basis of type, application, mode of supply, and region. On the basis of type, the market is segmented into regasification and liquefaction terminals. The segmentation on the basis of mode of supply consists os segments such as Trans-shipment and Bunkering, Trucks, Captive Consumption through Pipeline & Rail. The trans-shipment and Bunkering market is well-known in the market owing to the flourishing shipping industry. On the basis of applications, the market is segmented as utilities, industrial & commercial, residential, marine, and transportation.

Detailed Regional Analysis

LNG is a market for small scale growth through the forecast period. The market is growing in the Asia Pacific region and the African regions. Moreover, the regions are witnessing a surge in projects of regasification and liquefaction terminal. For example, South Korea and Japan are growing their liquefaction capacity, as a result, driving the market. Egypt has appeared as a new source for LNG while Mozambique has revealed a new gas field, which will fortify the nation's position as a huge gas exporter. The European region is expected to follow the small-scale LNG market after the Asia Pacific and Africa regions. As for the European Union policies,

A Sample Of This Report Is Available Upon Request @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2705

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas in its liquid form. The gas is cooled at -1600C to convert it into an odorless, colorless liquid, which can be re-gasified at the end use destination. The typical value chain for the LNG includes gas production & transmission, treatment & liquefaction plant, storage, LNG shipping in ballasts, receiving terminals, regasification, and then to end user. The major demand for LNG comes from the power plants, the fertilizer industry, and the transportation fueling, the industrial and the commercial sector. In recent scenario, the smaller scale LNG projects have boosted up with increasing demand for LNG and emerging markets as net importers and exporters. According to Shell's LNG outlook, global gas demand growth by sectors including power, transport, and others,

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Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comCongresswoman Kyrsten Sinema has officially captured a Republican-held Senate seat in Arizona. Sinema, who at 41 is one of the youngest women ever elected to the Senate, also happens to be the first Arizona Democrat elected to the Senate in over 30 years. The results, which took almost a full week to tabulate, will come as a disappointment to the president, who bragged the day after the election when Republican Martha McSally was still leading that he personally retired Republican Sen. Jeff Flake.

In Jeff Flakes case its me, pure and simple. I retired him. Im very proud of it, I did the country a great service, Trump said during a press conference at the White House a day after the midterm elections. He is retired. Id like to call it another word, but were going to treat him with great respect.

Democrats are likely thrilled with whatever help the president believes he offered. Not only did they figure out the path to victory in Arizona two years before a special election set to fill a second Senate seat, Democrats defended the Congressional seat Sinema vacated and flipped the one McSally gave up, too. And they did it by winning the hearts and minds of a large share of registered Republicans.

McSally and outside groups supporting her bid tried to paint Sinema as too extreme for Arizona, pointing to the former Green Party candidates protest of the Iraq war  in a pink tutu, no less  and her remark, to a radio host in 2003, that she wouldnt care if he joined the Taliban. The gambit failed, hard: Sinema peeled off 12 percent of Arizonas Republican voters  the highest share of any Democratic Senator, save West Virginias Joe Manchin.

Sinema seems well aware of the fact. In her victory speech, she paid tribute to the late Republican senator (and Trump critic) John McCain. Senator McCain is irreplaceable, but his example will guide our next steps, Sinema told supporters Monday evening. He taught us to assume the best in others, to seek compromise instead of sewing division, and to always put country ahead of party. As your Senator, thats exactly what Ill do.

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Trump, who was reportedly disappointed that McSally refused to sow doubts about fraud in the days it took to count the outstanding ballots in Arizona, appears to have misjudged his sway with Arizona Republicans  as did Flake.

Flake announced he was retiring from the Senate back in October 2017, telling Morning Joe that his brand of conservatism just didnt appeal to enough Arizona Republicans. The bottom line is if I were to run a campaign that I could be proud of and where I didnt have to cozy up to the president and his positions or his behavior, I could not win in a Republican primary, Flake said. Thats the bottom line.

But McSally, by far the most moderate of the candidates competing, won the Republican primary decisively. She earned roughly double the number of votes as her closest rival, tea party conspiracist Kelli Ward, and triple the number of votes of presidential pardonee and former Maricopa County sheriff, Joe Arpaio. (Arpaio was convicted of contempt of court, a misdemeanor, in 2017 and pardoned by Trump less than one month later.)

Editors note: This post has been updated to reflect the fact that Joe Arpaios criminal conviction for contempt of court was a misdemeanor, not a felony. He received a presidential pardon in 2017. We regret the error.Va. Woman Allegedly Killed Mom and Sister  then Staged Scene to Look Like Murder-Suicide Woman Allegedly Killed Mom and Sister, Staged Scene as Murder-Suicide

A Virginia mother and daughter police initially said had died in a 2017 murder-suicide were actually killed by a close relative, police now allege.

Megan Hargan, 35, was arrested early Friday morning in West Virginia and charged with the murders of her mother, Pamela Hargan, 63, and her younger sister, Helen Hargan, 23, who were found fatally shot in their McLean home on July 14, 2017, Fairfax County Police Major Ed OCarroll told reporters at a press conference Friday afternoon.

Calling the murders domestic violence at its worst, OCarroll said that on the day of the killings, police received an urgent 911 call reporting that someone in the home might have been killed.

Officers rushed to the home, where they found both bodies. Local station WTSP reported at the time that Pamela was found dead in the $1.3 million homes laundry room while Megan was found dead in an upstairs bedroom.

Authorities subsequently called the deaths a murder-suicide, saying Helen had killed her mother before turning the gun on herself.

But OCarroll said that a closer look at the evidence soon after determined that the scene was staged and made to appear to be a murder-suicide, and that the killer was someone else.

Megan Hargan, 35

 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.

Police interviewed Megan Hargan on they day of the killings and then again a few days later, OCarroll said. He alleged that she attempted fraudulent money transfers from her moms account on the day of the killings as well as the day before.

Megan Hargan was indicted last Thursday on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, OCarroll said. She was arrested Friday morning near her West Virginia home during a traffic stop, he said.

Pamela Hagans sister, Tammy North, told local station WUSA she thinks her niece committed the murders out of jealousy because Pamela had purchased a home for Helen.

I want justice for [Pamela] and Helen, North told WUSA.

It is unclear if Megan Hargan has retained an attorney who can comment on her behalf. She has not yet entered a plea of guilt or innocence.President Trump blames Secret Service for canceled visit to WWI cemetery in France after criticism originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

President Donald Trump placed full blame for his canceled visit to a World War I cemetery in France over the weekend on the Secret Service, claiming that he suggested driving after it was deemed unsafe to take the presidential chopper during rainy weather but that the Secret Service said "NO."

By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

(MORE: Trump's rain check on honoring Americans killed in WWI prompts backlash)

While President Trump now says the Secret Service was behind the decision not to make a more than two-hour drive to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, press secretary Sarah Sanders said Sunday that the president did not want to do the drive because of the disruption it would have caused to the people of Paris.

Yesterday, because of near-zero visibility, Marine One was unable to fly, as had been planned. A car ride of two and a half hours, each way, would have required closures to substantial portions of the Paris roadways for the Presidents motorcade, on short notice. President Trump did not want to cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people," Sanders said in a statement.

Chief of staff John Kelly and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford visited the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in President Trump's place.

While the president did not make it to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial on Saturday, he did deliver remarks honoring America's World War I fallen the following day at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial.

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During the remarks on Sunday, the president Trump offered a shoutout to World War II in attendance, and at one point acknowledged one sitting under a shelter while he spoke during a light rain at the memorial site.

"You look so comfortable up there under cover while we are getting drenched," Trump joked during his speech at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial, a military cemetery in Suresnes, France where over 1,500 American soldiers were buried after World War I. "You're very smart people."

In addition to his defense of the canceled cemetery visit, President Trump issued a series of tweets critical of French President Emanuel Macron, who has previously been seen as President Trump's closest personal friend on the global stage.

(MORE: French president Macron flatters Trump, but fails to convince him: Experts )

Bashing the French president's approval ratings on Tuesday, the president tweeted "MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!"

The president's attacks on Macron come after the French president offered a veiled rebuke of President Trump during a speech over the weekend, declaring that nationalism is the opposite of patriotism. President Trump, meanwhile, has publicly labeled himself a nationalist and embraced the title.

"By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!" Trump says in a tweet, apparently firing back at Macron.

The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!........  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

......MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

The president even weighed in on wine, one of France's most-prized industries, to complain that France does not engage in fair trade practices with the U.S. over the alcoholic beverage. President Trump does not drink alcohol himself, although his family business does own a winery.

On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

A spokesperson for the Elysee Palace told ABC News "no comment" when asked whether there was a response to President Trumps tweets.

ABC's Alex Mallin and Paul Pradier contributed to this report.As lawyers for Rick Scott and Bill Nelson begin litigating the resolution of their Senate race in Florida, voters just a few states over are quietly preparing to cast ballots in a contest that has yet to actually take place: Mississippi's Cindy Hyde-Smith, appointed by the governor in March to replacing the retiring Thad Cochran, failed on Election Day to earn the majority necessary to win the special election for the right to serve out the remainder of Cochran's term, which expires in 2021. Thus, the top two vote-gettersHyde-Smith, a Republican who took home 41.5 percent of the vote, and Democrat Mike Espy, a black former congressman, who finished just behind her at 40.6 percentwill head to a runoff on November 27.

All this means is that right now is not a great time for Cindy Hyde-Smith to do this:

Hyde-Smith is not talking about Espy here. But even so, at best, her comments are a profoundly ill-advised attempt at folksy humor in the state that was the nation's lynching capital between the end of the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. It is a grim reminder of how deeply the ugly vestiges of lynching culture are engrained in certain segments of the population, and of how little those people think or care about the significance of their words for Americans who do not look like them. In any election, but especially one against a black man, flippantly discussing one's soft spot for the practice of racially-motivated mob killings is not a recommended approach.

On Sunday, Hyde-Smith characterized her comments as "an exaggerated expression of regard," and dismissed "any attempt to turn this into a negative connotation" as "ridiculous." At a press conference on Monday, she responded to questionsamong many others, "Are you familiar with Mississippi's history of lynchings?"by repeating, over and over, "I put out a statement yesterday, and I stand by the statement." When reporters appealed to governor Phil Bryant for help, he conceded that "all of us in public life have said things on occasion that we could have phrased better," and otherwise defended her as follows: "I think she is addressing the fact that she put out a statement."

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Cindy Hyde-Smith is not Roy Moore, and racist language, as disgusting as it is, does not inspire the same brand of universal revulsion as does child predation. But in a world in which someone with a (D) next to their name can win an honest-to-God Senate seat in Alabama, and after Democrats won control of a deeply-gerrymandered House by winning in both toss-up and long-shot districts, no outcome can be ruled out anymore. Besides, like Moore, Hyde-Smith is a weak candidate, albeit for different reasons: She was a Democrat for the first decade of her political career before switching parties in 2010, a dubious history that factored in to President Trump's decision to withhold his support until the end of the campaign. And despite her strident efforts to tie herself to Trump, the presence of paleo-bigot Republican Chris McDaniel in Election Day's jungle primaryhe finished with about 16 percent of the votehelped prevent her from getting the kind of traction she needed to win a contest which, frankly, she should have been able to walk away with.

Espy, meanwhile, is about as viable as a Democratic candidate gets in the Deep South: In 1986, he became Mississippi's first black representative since Reconstruction, and went on to win three reelection campaigns. Beginning in 1992, he served for several years as President Clinton's Secretary of Agriculture before resigning over one of those "gift-giving investigations" that qualified as scandalous back in the mid-90s and now just describes day-to-day governance in the White House. (He was acquitted of all charges.)

Espy also boasts the type of moderate bona fides that one needs to be a Democrat in Mississippi: He endorsed Republican governor Haley Barbour in 2007, and made sure to profess his admiration and respect for Cochran when he announced his Senate bid. As a congressman, the National Rifle Associate bestowed on him its "Silver Rifle" award in 1988. In other words, if anyone can cobble together a winning coalition of Democrats and right-of-center voters who aren't so sure about Hyde-Smith, Trump, or both, it's going to be someone like Mike Espy. Doug Jones won in Alabama on the strength of African-American turnout, and Espy has hired Jones' special election-winning team in the hopes of pulling off another upset.

The odds are still, to put it charitably, long. Espy finished less that one point behind Hyde-Smith, but McDaniel was the only other candidate to put up any numbers of note. If you assume that McDaniel supporters begrudgingly line up behind Hyde-Smith once they have no other Republican choice, she cruises to victory in the runoff. But if Hyde-Smith is not exactly beloved in the state, and her conduct on the campaign trail is doing her candidacy no favors. If some McDaniel people find her to be insufficiently MAGA-ish for their tastes, and decide to just stay home on November 27? And if Espy can chip away at the state's built-in partisan disadvantage by getting more people than usual to the polls, just like Jones did a year ago? Then maybe. Maybe.

Here is some interesting math: Between the two primaries in Alabama in 2017, Republicans earned almost 75 percent of the total number of voters. Last week, Hyde-Smith and McDaniel combined for only 58 percent in Mississippi. If Jones can come away with a Senate seat in the first scenario, Espy has a fighting chance of doing so in the second onewhich means that Hyde-Smith would be well-advised to cut down on the casual racism sooner rather than later.The Woolsey California wildfire has burned 85,000 acres in Southern California and many celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Gerard Butler and Robin Thicke have lost their homes in Malibu. Over the weekend, Ireland Baldwin said she tried to return to her Malibu home to gather some things before evacuating, but was met with an incredibly rude officer who apparently accused her of trying to loot her own home.On Saturday, the vote tallies for the major elections in Floridafor both governor and senatorinched to tiny margins between the candidates. That triggered automatic, legally required recounts, and that news caused Donald Trump to declare that Democrats were trying to "steal" the elections. Outgoing governor and Senate candidate Rick Scott told Fox News on Sunday that his opponent, Bill Nelson, was a "sore loser" and "clearly trying to commit fraud to try to win this election."

Scott gave no actual evidence that Nelson was committing fraud.

Meanwhile, Florida's other senator, Marco Rubio, joined in the hysterics, tweeting prolifically about Broward County in particular, which is taking longer than other areas to complete its count. Specifically, Rubio has been claiming that the votes coming out of Broward were deemed fraudulent. It's hard to see why Rubio thinks this means there shouldn't be a recountif he really believed there was an epidemic of fake votes, then reviewing them would probably be a good idea, right?

But we already know that this is directly out of Trump's playbook. He announced it during his campaign, when he said that he would only accept the results of the presidential election if he won. Now, in Florida, total control of the state could slip through Republicans' hands, and even Trump's fawning acolyte Rick DeSantis is facing a potential defeat in the governor's race. So how are Republicans handling it? By announcing, repeatedly and never with any evidence, that Democrats are committing massive, organized voter fraud. By demanding new security measures without any explanations for what those should be. By declaring that any results saying they didn't win are all fake.

This would all be the conspiratorial ravings of politicians desperately trying to secure minority rule before having to deal with more than a million potential votes against their party after Florida felons regain the right to vote. But, intentionally or not, the news media is giving legitimacy to their efforts to discredit the Florida election. In some cases, it's the fault of the standard reporting format of "presenting all sides" and letting the readers suss out what's what. Unfortunately, by uncritically reporting on made-up bullshit, they're giving the impression that, just maybe, the bullshit could be true.

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Politico, for example, tweeted, "Scott: Nelson is trying to commit fraud to win Floridas Senate race." USA Today ran the headline "President Trump calls for end to Florida recount, tweeted ballots 'massively infected.'" From the New York Post: "Trump says honest recount in Florida 'no longer possible.'" ABC News, despite clarifying in its article that there's no evidence, also tweeted, "NEW: Pres. Trump calls Florida ballots 'massively infected,' demands end to recounts."

In other cases, it's just dumb, context-free re-quoting, like when Trump declared that no votes should be counted after Election Day, which among other things means discounting the overseas ballots of active-duty military:

The Republican Party's survival is built on voter suppression. In the past 20 years, the two Republican presidents both won their first terms despite getting fewer votes than their Democratic opponents, and popular support for their biggest victories, like tax cuts for billionaires, is shockingly low. Gerrymandering and targeted voting restrictions are their best bets to hang on to power, and the payoff has been tremendous. There's no reason the media needs to do any heavy lifting to help them.Photo: Firstcoastnews.com

A teen was told by police to leave the Jacksonville Fair in Florida on Nov. 3 after he refused to tuck his memorial necklace  an homage to his late mother  under his T-shirt to conceal it. Four officers escorted him and a second teen out of the fair without issuing them refunds, according to representatives on both sides.

The incident has created great tension in the community, with a mentor for the teens, Amy Donofrio, calling it a case of racial profiling. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Fair, Gayle Hart, called it a sensitive situation that has unfortunately caused a lot of grief.

Memorial clothing and jewelry is banned at the fair at the recommendation of the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office (JSO), Hart tells Yahoo Lifestyle, because its associated with bad behavior. She says the JSO is also the team that enforces the rule. The lieutenant I talked to said its the same as when you walk into a bank and you cant wear sunglasses or a hat. But Donofrio went a step further, saying, I called the head of the [JSOs] gang unit last week, and his statement was that memorial apparel, most of it is gang-related.

Though the teens identity is not being revealed, Donofrio confirmed that he is definitely not affiliated with gang activity. In fact, she says, hes a member of the Evac Movement, a community Donofrio founded to bring together at-risk youth (she calls them at-hope) with the intention of channeling painful personal tragedies into positive change. And as such, the teens are empowered as youth leaders  a group even met with President Barack Obama during his tenure  and often participate in roundtable discussions with police. The teen in question, she tells Yahoo Lifestyle, has a working relationship with the head of the gang unit at JSO.

President Obama meets with teens from the Evac movement in Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov. 3, 2016. (Photo: Pete Souza/White House)

Donofrio, who was not present the night of the incident, recounted the way the teens described that night to her. Two of the Evac boys went to the fair, and [each] paid a $25 entrance fee, she says. Its very heavy security. Security held his necklace while he went through a metal detector. The boys then walked around for a half-hour before four officers started paying close attention to them.

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One of the officers then approached the boys and asked one to pull up his pants, she says. He then turned to the teen in question and ordered him to tuck in the memorial necklace, which bears a photo of his mother. He said, Sir, Im not going to tuck it in. Its my mother and I have a legal right to wear it, Donofrio says. She claims the ban on memorial gear was not part of any dress code policy she or the boys were aware of at the time, and that the policy that was later brought to her attention states those who wear memorial jewelry will be denied entry.

In a statement issued to First Coast News, representatives for the Jacksonville Fair said: The fair is a private company on private property. The fair rules are posted on the private property. A private company can implement any rules they wish for their business. The individual was asked to place it under his shirt. The individual declined which prompted him being asked to leave. Any private business who requests security parameters, we assist with recommendations. It is up to them what rules they wish to enforce on their property.

An initial photo of the entrance to the Jacksonville Fair shows no dress code sign. (Photo: Firstcoastnews.com)

But Donofrio questions the intentions of the dress code, which targets not only memorial clothing but also hoodies  clothing that she says is popular with black youth. Its used purposely to prey upon and keep out African-Americans in the community, she says. She also wonders why a sign posted at the entrance to the Jacksonville Fair reading If you are wearing memorial clothing or jewelry you will be denied entry was not present when one of the Evac teens took a picture of the entrance  but seemed to appear as an afterthought only when Donofrio called demanding an explanation.

Hours later, a dress code sign appeared at the entrance, but a spokeswoman for the fair says the sign was posted earlier but had been taken down for a couple of hours so that it could be read to Amy Donofrio, an advocate for the teen, when she called. (Photo: Firstcoastnews.com)

But Hart, who serves as the vice president of marketing and the de facto publicist for the Jacksonville Fair, does have an explanation. I was under the understanding that that sign was there the entire time, she tells Yahoo Lifestyle. When Donofrio called, Hart says, she asked one of the staff members to read the sign to her, so he took it down and it sat on his desk for an hour or two.

She notes that in a previous interview with a TV news station, she mistakenly attested that the sign was there. I said something on air that was totally false, and I have been called a liar. It was horrible. I had no idea that the sign was down for any time. And for that Im very sorry, Hart says.

Because she also was not present at the time of the incident, Hart is hesitant to speak to the teens behavior, but she was told it wasnt a good exchange. When asked why Donofrio was not ejected from the fair for wearing a memorial shirt  which she did the following weekend as an experiment  Hart reiterated that its the JSO that enforces the dress code. The shirt is open to police interpretation, she said.

Donofrio says she hopes that in the future, the Jacksonville Fair will work with youth leaders to give feedback on how they can make this a positive, inclusive experience for everyone. But at the very least, she hopes for a refund for the teens as well as an apology from Jacksonville Fair representatives.

We would definitely give a refund, Hart says. I would take it out of my own pocket. However, Donofrio claims representatives from the fair already told the teens theyd think about refunding the money when they were presented with the request earlier.

Hart also added, If an apology is what will rectify everything, of course. We had a rule, unfortunately it didnt have a nice ending, and for that Im deeply, deeply sorry. Although she doubts the dress code policy will be changed, she regrets that it caused so much pain. Were just trying to put on an event where everyone has a good time, for families to make memories of growing up, Hart says. I hated that anyone got their feelings hurt, and thats not what were about.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.A 10-year-old Arizona girl says she was able to ward off a potential kidnapper by asking him for her family's secret "code word" last Wednesday.

Brenda James told KSAZ that her daughter, whose name has not been released, was walking with a friend near a park in San Tan Valley, Ariz., at 3:45 p.m. when a man in a white SUV approached the two children.

James said the man told her daughter that her brothers had been in a "serious accident" and that she needed to come with him immediately.

The quick-thinking 10-year-old knew something wasn't right and asked the man for her family's predetermined "code word" before she would get in the vehicle. When the man didn't know the answer, he drove off and the girl called her mother in tears.

According to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), which is investigating the incident, multiple children had also spotted the same SUV, possibly a Ford Explorer, circling the park that day. Deputies believe the driver is a white man with a short beard who may be in his 40s.

James said while she hoped the trick would never come in handy, she's glad her family thought to do it and hopes others might follow suit.

"This one time, it saved my daughters life," James told KSAZ. "We actually just came up that few months ago. So it was something really recent from a story that I read."

PCSO Sheriff Mark Lamb lauded the family for "having a code word and talking to their children about stranger danger."

"We hope by putting this out, it will encourage parents to have that conversation and create a plan with their children, so they know what to do if they are in that situation," he added.Bamako (AFP) - Three Malian civilians have been killed and around 30 people wounded in a suicide attack in the country's violence-hit north, officials said, as a diplomat said some of the injured were sub-contractors for the UN.

The attack took place late on Monday in the city of Gao when a 4x4 vehicle blew up in a residential area, the security ministry said.

The blast was claimed by the GSIM, the main jihadist group operating in the Sahel region. It has ties to Al-Qaeda and was blacklisted by Washington in September.

The GSIM -- the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) -- said the attack had targeted "invading crusader forces" in central Gao in an area "where there are British, German and Canadian troops".

A local official told AFP the fatalities were Malians who lived in the area.

The government gave an initial toll of just two injured, but a French security source told AFP on Tuesday that the number of wounded had risen to "around 30".

A Western diplomatic source also said four foreigners were among the wounded -- two Cambodians, a South African and a Zimbabwean.

They were working for an organisation subcontracted by the UN's mine-clearing operation, UNMAS, which has a field office in the city, the source said.

- 'Despicable' -

The attack was condemned by the French and German defence ministers as they visited Gao on Tuesday.

"The attack last night in Gao was despicable. Once again, it is civilians who have paid for this violence with their lives," said French Defence Minister Florence Parly, echoing remarks by German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen.

The French-German defence delegations had flown over to discuss Mali's troubled peace accord and plans to set up a five-nation anti-terror force in the vast, arid Sahel region.

Mali has been struggling to return to stability after Islamist extremists took control of the north in early 2012, prompting a military intervention by France.

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The extremists were routed in the French operation in 2013 but large stretches of the landlocked African state remain out of government control.

- French praise for RAF -

Parly later visited the Gao military base where she thanked Britain's Royal Air Force personnel operating three heavy-lift Chinook helicopters in support of France's 4,500-strong Barkhane mission to the Sahel.

"Those who say France is alone in Mali are mistaken," she said, pointing to commitments from Estonia, Germany, Spain and the United States.

The twin-rotor helicopters, operated by around 100 RAF personnel, can carry nearly four tonnes in supplies and more than 30 troops.

Colonel Bertrand, who heads Barkhane's helicopter unit, said the Chinooks enabled the much faster resupply of forward positions 200 kilometres (120 miles) away as well as safety from the threat of roadside bombs.

A British officer said that since the helicopters deployed in the summer they had been "very productive... We have been flying about 100 hours each month."The Daily Beast

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/GettyThe lone suspect in the SUV attack that killed at least five and injured dozens more at a quaint holiday parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday has been identified as a 39-year-old who recently posted bail on reckless-endangerment charges.Darrell Brooks is set to be charged with five counts of intentional homicide in connection with the Sunday evening incident involving a red Ford Escape that plowed through barricades and into the crowd, sparking paniJohannesburg (AFP) - South African Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba resigned on Tuesday, two weeks after a public standards watchdog said he had violated the constitution by lying under oath in court.

Gigaba, a close ally of ousted former president Jacob Zuma, had recently vowed not to step down after also being caught up in a leaked sex tape scandal.

According to statement from President Cyril Ramaphosa's office, Gigaba said he had resigned "to relieve the President from undue pressure" and to allow Ramaphosa to focus on saving the country from "economic meltdown".

Gigaba, 47, was once seen as a rising star of the ANC ruling party, leading the party's youth wing and being quickly promoted into the ministerial ranks.

But he became entangled in graft allegations during Zuma's time in office.

Gigaba's exit removes a key Zuma loyalist from the government led since February by Ramaphosa, who has vowed to root out the corruption critics say flourished under Zuma.

Gigaba was reprimanded last month by the public protector ombudswoman after he testified in a 2017 court case filed by a company controlled by the wealthy Oppenheimer family.

Ombudswoman Busisiwe Mkhwebane recommended that Ramaphosa take disciplinary action against the minister for "telling an untruth under oath and before a court of law".

- Close Zuma ally -

The allegations were probed after a complaint from the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party.

The court case hinged on whether Gigaba had given the Oppenheimers approval to have a private terminal at Johannesburg airport.

Gigaba has also said he was recently the target of extortion attempts after a private sex video was stolen by hacking.

He said in a statement late Tuesday that he resigned after "a long period of sustained and vitriolic public attacks on my integrity."

"I wish to state that my resignation is not an admission of guilt on my part," he added.

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Gigaba served as finance minister for a year under Zuma, who was ousted as president by the ANC party in February over mounting graft scandals.

When Ramaphosa succeeded Zuma, he moved Gigaba to the home affairs ministry.

Gigaba has been linked to corruption allegations against the wealthy Gupta family, who are suspected of benefitting from unfair and hugely lucrative government contracts under Zuma.

A judicial inquiry, which opened in August, is investigating allegations that Zuma and the Guptas organised a web of corrupt deals at government departments and public enterprises in a scandal known as "state capture".

All the accused deny any wrongdoing.

South Africa, Africa's most advanced economy, slipped into recession in the second quarter of this year, and suffers a stubbornly high unemployment of about 28 percent.

The country will hold general elections in May.

Nhlanhla Nene resigned as finance minister last month over undisclosed meetings with the Guptas.Johannesburg (AFP) - South African Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba resigned on Tuesday, the presidency announced, two weeks after a public standards watchdog said he had violated the constitution by lying under oath in court.

Gigaba, a close ally of ousted former president Jacob Zuma, had recently vowed not to step down after also being caught up in a leaked sex tape scandal.

A statement from President Cyril Ramaphosa's office announced that Gigaba said he had resigned "to relieve the President from undue pressure" and to allow Ramaphosa to focus on saving the country from "economic meltdown".

Gigaba, 47, was reprimanded last month by the public protector ombudswoman after he testified in a 2017 court case filed by a company controlled by the wealthy Oppenheimer family.

Ombudswoman Busisiwe Mkhwebane recommended that Ramaphosa take disciplinary action against the minister for "telling an untruth under oath and before a court of law".

The allegations were probed after a complaint from the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party.

The court case hinged on whether Gigaba had given the Oppenheimers approval to have a private terminal at Johannesburg airport.

Gigaba has said he was the target of extortion attempts after a private sex video was stolen by hacking.

He served as finance minister for a year under Zuma, who was ousted as president in February over mounting graft scandals.

South Africa's economy is in recession, while unemployment is at record highs of near 28 percent.Progressive representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made an appearance Tuesday at a protest in Nancy Pelosis office calling for more action on climate change.

Fresh from her victory last week, the New York City Democrat, who shot to fame after her shocking upset of ten-term incumbent representative Joe Crowley in a June primary, joined the sit-in for a few minutes, offering her support and giving high fives to the activists in attendance.

Incoming Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joins sit-in in Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi's office calling for efforts to combat climate change: "We don't have a choice." https://t.co/uEMkN3JpIz pic.twitter.com/tMaaFGL0hR  ABC News (@ABC) November 13, 2018

I just want to let you all know how proud I am of each and every single one of you for putting yourselves and your bodies and everything on the line to make sure that we save our planet, our generation, and our future, Ocasio-Cortez told the group during her first trip to Capitol Hill for a congressional orientation. We do not have a choice. We have to get to 100 percent renewable energy.

The protest was organized by the Sunrise Movement, whose goal is to create an army of young people to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process, according to its Twitter account. The group is pushing Democrats to embrace a Green New Deal by reinstating the Select Committee for Global Warming and giving it power to legislate and make the economy energy-renewable over the next ten years.

We welcome the presence of these activists, Pelosi said in a statement. We are inspired by the energy and activism of the many young activists and advocates leading the way on the climate crisis, which threatens the health, economic security and futures of all our communities.

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The minority leader urged Capitol police to allow the protesters to demonstrate.

Thank you, @NancyPelosi. We have 10 years left to plan and implement a Green New Deal before cataclysmic climate disaster. Reinstating the Select Committee is exactly what we need to do. https://t.co/Uy5BnrLZcR  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) November 13, 2018

Ocasio-Cortez and the veteran congressional leader previously sparred indirectly on the campaign trail.

Its not just one district, the 28-year-old Latina said during her campaign in response to Pelosis warning not to assume the Democratic party is headed in a socialist direction based on the young socialists victory.

Ocasio-Cortez has been reticent about whether she will support Pelosis bid for speaker of the House in the next Congress, where Democrats will again have the majority.

Democratic Representative-elect Rashida Tlaib of Michigan also joined Ocasio-Cortez and the protesters.

It was an honor to join hundreds of young people from @sunrisemvmt this morning to demand that as @TheDemocrats, we lead on this crisis and demand immediate climate action! We need a #GreenNewDeal! Hear these inspiring young organizers in their own words: https://t.co/5mA3zhh3Nm  Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) November 13, 2018

Later, the protesters were arrested and escorted out, accordingto a Capitol police officer. The group said 51 people were arrested.

We welcome Nancy Pelosis support, but words are not enough, the Sunrise Movement responded in a statement. Her solution is to resurrect a committee with no funding and no power to take legislative action. The group added that if Pelosi does not meet its demands, she should step aside in favor of someone who will.Arlington (United States) (AFP) - Amazon's "second headquarters" is being split between New York City and the Washington suburbs, the US tech giant announced Tuesday, capping a yearlong contest that saw dozens of cities fight it out for a promised $5 billion investment and 50,000 expected jobs.

The chosen locations are Long Island City neighborhood in the New York borough of Queens, across the East River from Manhattan, and the Crystal City section of Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac from the US capital.

Both districts offered a variety of tax and infrastructure incentives to lure the huge corporate prize, but Amazon said one important element was access to a qualified workforce.

"These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come," said Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos, who last year called for proposals for an "HQ2" with equivalent status to Seattle, in the northwestern US state of Washington.

"We believe Virginia has a tremendous amount to offer to Amazon," Virginia Governor Ralph Northam told a gathering in Arlington after the announcement.

Northam said the region has "one of the strongest pools of tech talent in the nation" and that even with the incentives, the deal will result in "net positive revenues" for the state.

- Walk to airport, university -

Virginia will offer $550 million in incentives over 12 years based on a similar number of job creations, contingent on adding the forecasted number of "high-paying jobs," and Amazon will get another $23 million from Arlington, where the company intends to create an entire new neighborhood called National Landing.

Amazon said it expected its investment would boost tax revenue for Virginia by some $3.2 billion over the next 20 years.

The plan calls for Amazon to create four million square feet (370,000 square meters) of office space in New York, with an option to double that, in a district with a large number of office buildings with high vacancy rates.

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The state will also spend some $200 million in infrastructure improvements including in mass transit, and a pedestrian bridge to the adjacent Reagan National Airport, and create a new campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute on the site, offering masters degrees in computer science and related fields, Northam said.

"Our investments are in our people and our infrastructure," the governor said.

The US capital area -- where Maryland and the city of Washington were also finalists -- was long seen as a front-runner, in part because Bezos already has a residence in the city and owns The Washington Post newspaper.

- Critics of 'Hunger Games' -

In New York, the company will receive "performance-based direct incentives of $1.525 billion" over the next decade based on creating 25,000 jobs in Long Island City.

Mayor Bill de Blasio called New York's selection "a giant step" in the city's development.

"New Yorkers will get tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs, and Amazon will get the best talent anywhere in the world," he said.

The competition had been derided in some quarters as a "Hunger Games" contest pitting cities against each other, with rival bidders piling up offers of incentives for one of the largest and most successful global corporations.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, elected to Congress from a district that includes part of Queens, said it was unclear if the community would benefit from the massive corporate move.

"Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Monday.

Amazon's statement said its plan would boost tax revenue by some $10 billion over 20 years.

- 'Sheer size and scale' -

Neil Saunders of the research firm GlobalData said the new locations make sense for Amazon as it seeks proximity to political power, fashion and technology talent.

Saunders said that "the sheer size and scale of Amazon and its interest across many areas of technology, retail, and various consumer services" suggests a need for multiple locations.

The analyst added that the split helps Amazon avoid a problem of too much growth or congestion in one location, noting that that had caused problems in Seattle.

"Being able to balance growth across numerous cities will help alleviate such issues," he said.

Started in the 1990s, Amazon has seen spectacular growth and earlier this year saw its valuation briefly hit $1 trillion before falling back.

In addition to its online retail operations in dozens of countries, Amazon is a major cloud computing firm and offers streaming video and music, hardware using its Alexa digital assistant and owns the Whole Foods grocery chain.President Donald Trump has made many promises to the American people. One of them was his tax plan. He and his administration vowed tax cuts would lead to growth and pay for themselves, rather than add to the already ballooning deficit.

But that doesnt seem to be the case. The latest reading from the Treasury Department showed the U.S. is sliding deeper into the red. After the country posted a $779 billion deficit for fiscal 2018, the deficit climbed to $100.5 billion in October. Thats a 60% increase from a year earlier as spending outpaced revenue growth.

The question facing lawmakers on both sides of the aisle is how to address the issue and steer the U.S. on a sustainable financial path. Part of the problem is the conflicting messages out of Washington.

I think the average American is blissfully unaware of the scale and scope of the federal budget problem, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of American Action Forum, said at Yahoo Finances All Markets Summit on Tuesday. They were told for eight years under Barack Obama theres nothing wrong that cant be fixed by higher taxes. And theyve been told for the past two years by President Trump theres nothing wrong. Neither is true. There is something wrong. It needs to be fixed. They need to understand that because you cant ask someone to start doing entitlement reform for no apparent reason. There will be a revolt. They need to understand whats going on.

The worry is being echoed by some on Wall Street. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink recently said the U.S. was heading towards a supply problem, as the widening deficit requires the U.S. Treasury Department to borrow more.

In terms of how or when this will be resolved, it doesnt look like Republicans and Democrats will come to an agreement anytime soon. The big fight will be when the current two-year budget deal expires next September.

And the current two-year budget deal, which has set overall spending levels, expires at the end of next September.

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Lawmakers are back in session this week, trying to hammer out a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown in December.

More from the All Markets Summit:

President Trump is on the right track with China

Mark Warner: Tech companies self-regulating just doesnt cut it

Wilbur Ross: The issues with China are not just tariffsLuanda (AFP) - A column of flame emanates from the bow of the boat, illuminating the jet-black ocean for miles around.

For three months now the Kaombo Norte has been anchored off the northern coast of Angola and has recently begun to pump up crude oil secreted in the depths below.

The arrival of the platform ship, which belongs to French oil giant Total, has been a timely lifeline for the Angolan government.

Angola was badly hit by the oil-price plunge in 2014. But sub-Saharan Africa's second-largest oil producer is hoping the project will mark a return to viability for the industry that has dictated Angola's fortunes for the past decade.

The Kaombo Norte platform is an impressive feat when seen from the helicopter that shuttles the army of engineers and experts to and from the project.

More than 300 metres (330 yards) long, the floating production storage vessel is a converted tanker refitted with a maze of pipes and crude processing tanks.

Two million barrels can be stored onboard and a tanker calls roughly once a week to collect the precious cargo before delivering it around the world.

Nearby sits a tower marking the top of the 2,000-metre pipe that draws the crude deposits below into the heart of the ship.

"It's fixed to the bottom and is positioned on a very particular bearing that allows the ship to move 360 degrees depending on the wind and the current," said Total's project manager Cyril de Coatpont.

"It's watchmaking on an industrial scale -- and one of the technical achievements of this project."

A 300 kilometre-long (190 mile) network of pipes, a world record, was built below the water's surface to link together the six oil reservoirs.

- 'An economic miracle'? -

It spreads out over 800 square kilometres -- the same surface area as Paris.

Kaombo Norte will be joined in mid-2019 by its sister ship, Kaombo Sul.

Together they will pump 230,000 barrels a day -- 15 percent of Angola's current production level from estimated reserves of 660 million barrels.

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The cost of the project, Angola's largest ever investment in offshore, is $16 billion.

For Total, the largest foreign oil company active in Angola where it is responsible for 40 percent of output with 600,000 barrels a day, this is the price of maintaining production levels.

"There is a positive dynamic with the heightened petrol price and the desire of the Angolan government to back the industry, which is welcome," Total chief executive Patrick Pouyanne told journalists.

The arrival of the Total investment has proved timely for Angolan President Joao Lourenco.

Since succeeding former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos a year ago he has promised an "economic miracle" to revive Angola's fortunes.

In the early 2000s Angola enjoyed double-digit growth underpinned by its oil industry.

But in 2014 a global slump in the price of black gold, which accounts for 90 percent of Angola's exports and 70 percent of government revenues, plunged the country into deep recession and weighed down the local currency.

- Volume into value -

The crisis showed policymakers they could not count on oil and would have to diversify the economy.

"Production fell considerably in recent years as our zones have reached their peak output levels," said the head of Angola's state oil company Sonangol, Carlos Saturnino. "To stop the rot, we had to find new reserves and then exploit them."

The government adopted a raft of measures to encourage the global oil majors to resume exploration activities which had largely been frozen since 2014.

Angola's golden age of oil may be over but the government is committed to its goal of maintaining production at 1.5 million barrels a day.

"We are ready to invite bids for new production blocks next year," said Oil Minister Diamantino Azevedo.

Total is contributing to the government's drive to revive the sector having announced three new projects.

The recent rebound in oil prices has revived exploration activity across the continent, though analysts remain wary of the value of such projects.

Last month oil prices reached their highest point in four years but have since softened slightly.

"Converting volume into value is undoubtedly sub-Saharan Africa's Achilles heel," said Adam Pollard, a researcher at the Wood Mackenzie consultancy.

The challenge poses problems for the industry as well as oil-producing nations.

The Kaombo Norte, located 250 kilometres northwest of the capital Luanda, has begun to draw the precious reserves of block 32 -- an achievement 20 years in the making.

Despite the engineering breakthrough represented by the project, Angola's oil bonanza will continue to wind down, say experts.

"Rising crude oil prices are good for Angola," said Carlos Rosado de Carvalho, head of Angolan economic magazine Expansao.

"But it is estimated that 60 to 70 percent of revenues are already earmarked for debt repayment, and its effects will be limited."After two terms serving alongside her husband Barack Obama in the White House, Michelle Obama found herself with a little free time on her hands. The former First Lady isnt one for idle hands, apparently, and used her new free time to write a memoir, Becoming. In advance of her highly-anticipated book hitting store shelves on November 13, she sat down with none other than Oprah Winfrey for an interview.

The duo had a wide-ranging conversation for Elle magazine where they covered everything from Obama conquering her fears of making her private life public in the book, her over-achieving childhood, what she and Barack learned in couples counseling, and the simple pleasure of making cheese toast on your own.

She also discussed the so-called birther conspiracy, stoked by Donald Trump, that her husband was not born in the U.S.A. and was thus illegible to be president, for which she says she will never forgive him. Obama told Winfrey, It was reckless, it put my family in danger, and it wasnt true. And he knew it wasnt true.

Perhaps most striking in these divisive times, though, is Obamas ongoing optimism about the state of the nation. She is still hopeful in the future of America. We have to feel that optimism. For the kids. Were setting the table for them, and we cant hand them crap. We have to hand them hope, Obama says in the interview. Progress isnt made through fear. Were experiencing that right now. Fear is the cowards way of leadership. But kids are born into this world with a sense of hope and optimism. No matter where theyre from. Or how tough their stories are. They think they can be anything because we tell them that. So we have a responsibility to be optimistic. And to operate in the world in that way.Army Secretary Mark Esper (left) and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. (Photo-illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, AP, PKSOI, Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

For 25 years, a small Army office known as the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute has played an outsize role in preparing military personnel and civilians to work in regions recovering from war. But with President Trumps administration pushing back on such operations, the Armys top civilian leader has proposed shutting the institute down.

The Army has yet to announce the institutes fate, but according to sources inside and outside the service, as well as emails obtained by Yahoo News, even the most optimistic outcome will see the institute renamed, with its funding slashed and personnel strength cut by more than two thirds to help pay for higher priorities.

It is a potential bill-payer for the effort to remodernize the Army, said retired Lt. Gen. Guy Swan, a vice president of the Association of the U.S. Army.

Founded at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., in 1993, the institute, known as PKSOI, serves as the main point of contact with the U.S. military for other government agencies, nongovernmental entities and international organizations, such as NATO and the United Nations, on subjects that include peacekeeping and stability operations and humanitarian assistance. The institute enables those organizations to have input to U.S. military doctrine that concerns these topics.

Army Secretary Mark Espers proposal to eliminate the peacekeeping institute has been met with resistance from other areas within the Pentagon, Congress and scores of former government officials, including senior officials in the office of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Inside the Pentagon, the Armys move appeared to catch those in Mattiss office by surprise. The Office of the Secretary of Defense has relied on [the Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute] for many years for a host of stabilization and peace operations contributions that benefit the entire Department, wrote Owen West, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, in a Sept. 26 letter to Esper obtained by Yahoo News. The letter asks Esper to delay any decisions regarding the institute until the defense secretary has approved a Defense Department-wide plan to institutionalize irregular warfare capabilities.

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That plan is scheduled for completion in June 2019, according to West, whose office is developing the plan with the Joint Staff.

Without the institute, other government agencies, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), would be at a loss for an entry point to the Army bureaucracy. Dealing with that organization can be a daunting task, said Beth Cole, a former director of the Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation at USAID.

Were it not for the institutes outreach, the doctrine would not reflect what its really like to be an NGO out there in Afghanistan or what its like to be a USAID mission director in Iraq, she said. Its just really, really important that there is a way to have that input. The institute also helps prepare civilians that are going to go out and work alongside the military in some of the worst environments on the planet, she said.

Though there is no indication that the White House is involved in the move, the Trump administration has proposed cuts to a number of areas related to peacekeeping, including USAID and the U.N. peacekeeping mission. Trump has also been a frequent critic of efforts to rebuild other countries, saying the money and effort should be invested instead in the United States.

The Army plans to farm out some of the institutes current work to other organizations, but observers are skeptical that any of them will be able to fill the holes that would be left if the institute is depleted or eliminated.

Esper is the institutes chief bureaucratic opponent, said an officer on the Army staff in the Pentagon. Everyone else is at best neutral, the officer said. Theres no question about that, said Cole, who was the senior adviser on conflict, fragility and violent extremism at the U.S. Institute of Peace until last fall. We cant find any other prominent actor who is in favor of trying to do this.

Esper has vehemently gone after the institute, having failed to understand how a small investment by the Army  43 people and $3 million  was punching above its weight, said retired Col. John Agoglia, a former director of the institute. It just doesnt make sense, and it makes me think that Secretary Esper really doesnt understand irregular warfare.

But Esper told a Washington, D.C., audience on Nov. 8 that he was committed to ensuring that the Army retains its capability to conduct irregular warfare, even as it shifts its attention to high-intensity conflict. We cannot lose that focus on irregular warfare, because it will be with us for a very long time, he said at the American Enterprise Institute. Thats counterterrorism, thats [counterinsurgency], thats peacekeeping and stability, all those things. We have to make sure we maintain those capabilities.

A senior Army officer downplayed Espers role in the events surrounding PKSOI, saying that the discussion about the institutes future grew out of a larger Army analysis aimed at streamlining the parts of its institutional force structure that concern irregular warfare. Where are you going to find billets based on where we have redundancy? the senior Army officer said. Its a savings approach, both in manpower and dollars.

But the officer on the Army Staff took issue with that explanation. The institute was going to be killed irrespective of the irregular warfare review, the officer said. It appears that Secretary Esper is using the review as cover to protect him from the can of worms he unleashed in his ignorance.

At first, cutting the institute seemed like an easy solution, because senior Army leaders underestimated the level of support it enjoyed outside the Pentagon and did not comprehend the full scope of its work on behalf of the Defense Department, according to the officer on the Army Staff. Everybody sort of said, Yeah, lets cut it, without having any understanding of the potential political ramifications of this, the officer said.

The controversy burst into the open in August, when the War on the Rocks website published an open letter from 75 figures from the national security world calling upon the Army to save the institute. Signatories included two former heads of U.S. Central Command  retired Army Gen. David Petraeus and retired Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni  as well as Nadia Schadlow, who resigned in April as deputy national security adviser in the Trump administration, and several retired ambassadors.

When word of the institutes impending demise reached Capitol Hill, members of Congress and their staffers were immediately concerned, Cole said. Theyve been asking for a brief from the Army since they learned about this in early August, and they have not gotten a brief, said Cole. Senior staffers from both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees have gotten involved but have had no luck getting answers out of the Army. Theyve just been completely stonewalled, said Cole.

The issues of peace operations and stabilization are something that are very important issues for the Pentagons civilian leadership, Mark Swayne, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for stability and humanitarian affairs, told Yahoo News in a brief interview. Swayne said he doubted that the Army would turn its back on such missions. Certainly, the United States military supports lots of peacekeeping operations, he said.

With pressure building on Esper after word spread of the plan to eliminate the institute, he directed the Armys Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Eustis, in Virginia, to come up with a solution, according to the officer on the Army Staff and emails obtained by Yahoo News.

Training and Doctrine Command is now between a rock and a hard place, the officer said.

Training and Doctrine Command spokeswoman Megan Reed acknowledged that the command had been put in charge of figuring out what to do with the institute, but only as part of a larger task to realign what the Army calls its Irregular Warfare Enterprise, of which the institute is one of six organizations.

The latest version of that plan, according to the officer on the Army Staff, would shrink the institute by more than two thirds to three military personnel and 10 civilians. The remaining 30 or so billets would be split between an academy that trains personnel destined for the Armys new security force assistance brigades and a new irregular warfare office the service is establishing at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

The average level of rank and experience of the personnel that would remain in the rump organization would be much lower than today, according to Cole and Agoglia. The officer on the Army Staff said that he had not heard that detail but that at less than a third of its previous size, the institute would be forced to shed much of its present task list either way. Reed would only say that as with any realignment and balancing of the workforce, each of the six [irregular warfare] organizations will have changes to billets and personnel.

There has been discussion about moving what remains of the institute to Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., which is home to the National Defense University, according to Bill Flavin, who spent 17 years at the institute before retiring in July as its assistant director. That would be a bad idea, he says, because part of the reason the Army put the institute at the Army War College was to get it out of the day-to-day maelstrom that occurs in the Pentagon and around the Pentagon, he said.

In addition, he said, his former civilian co-workers have no intention of sticking around as the Army shreds their organization, let alone moving to the high cost of living and traffic they associate with the nations capital. Most of the experts and expertise at [the Army PKSOI] will probably jump ship and leave, and itll be several years before we try to put this all back together, he said.

However, the latest word is that Esper has proposed keeping the rump organization at Carlisle, but not as part of the Army War College, according to a U.S. government official. The diminished peacekeeping cell would instead report to Fort Leavenworths Combined Arms Center, which is part of Training and Doctrine Command.

The Army will also likely rename the rump organization. One option under consideration is to call what remains of the institute the Center for Stability, according to Cole and emails obtained by Yahoo News. However, Reed said that name was not part of current plans and added that the command had not been ordered to come up with a new name that avoids the word peacekeeping.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:A third-generation Mexican-American artist hopes to show fellow Americans a more personal view of individuals in the migrant caravan making their way to the United States from Central America.

These are regular people, said Scarlett Baily, a Mexico City visual artist who talked to some of the 5,000 or so people in the caravan while they rested in Mexico recently. As she considered how to help, she said she decided to go draw portraits.

It was hilarious, delightful, and the joy and courage of this crew is truly contagious, Baily told HuffPost.

Artist Scarlett Baily in Mexico City with a child in the migrant caravan. (Photo: )

President Donald Trump has been claiming the caravan is an invasion, filled with terrorists, gang members and drug dealers. But Bailys drawings show the worn but hopeful faces of people in the midst of an epic trek from poverty and violence in their home countries to the U.S., where many aim to apply for asylum.

Trump, whose campaigning ahead of last weeks elections relied on fear of the migrants, ordered more than 7,000 active-duty troops to the border to deter asylum-seekers. He has been silent on the topic on social media since the election.

Their story felt too mythical to be real, Baily said via email, and she had to meet these people.

I think the bravest people on this journey are the mothers and children, Baily said. News coverage, she added, paints a very different picture of what I saw in my time spent at the camp.

Images of desperation, exhaustion, and suffering dominate a lot of the reports, when the reality is, there is actually a lot of joy, she said. This journey they are on is indeed hard-core. But imagine the conditions that someone leaves behind. I think there is a certain sense of freedom that comes with this decision.

Mexico City officials turned a stadium into a camp where the migrants could pause on their journey, and offered them every type of city service, according to The New York Times. Doctors and dentists provided free checkups.

The caravan departed on Saturday morning to continue the walk north.

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Baily said 25-year-old Jean Carlos told her hes from Choloma, Honduras, worked in a bodega, goes to church every Sunday, loves to drive, and one day hopes to own a Mazda. Hes heading to Canada with cans of tuna in his pocket.

Two young girls, Lincy and Nataly, are traveling with their mother, father, and 1-month old brother, who was born in Honduras just before they left. Lincy told Baily that she hates brushing her hair. Nataly loves to draw.

The family told Baily that traveling has been hard, but so many families on the caravan together have created a great support system.

Baily also spoke with a barber named Osman, whose friends call him the Talento Catracho, or the local Honduran talent. He told her hes walking because he wants to be able to support himself with his craft, without fearing the mafia system taking over Honduras.

Sitting with someone to do their portrait is a very personal exchange, Baily said. The mood of most of those she talked to, she added, is dominated by hope.

My hope is that the caricatures provide a nice memory for people who left everything behind, a moment to feel celebrated, rooted for, and an alternative to what we see in mass media, Baily said. Perhaps these portraits may swap fear of migrants for a collective empathy.

You can see more of Bailys drawings of people in the caravan below:

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Sarahi, 8, is from Honduras and traveling with her family. She likes to draw and enjoys school. She says that the journey is tough, but seeing a lot of other kids makes her feel at ease.

Marlin, 15, is a student.

Olman, 21, is from Honduras and is taxi driver. The local mafia system has made it impossible to work. He said he misses his favorite dish: baleada, a tortilla that can be stuffed with a variety of ingredients similar to a taco.

Osman, the barber.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Oil prices advanced Monday after crude kingpin Saudi Arabia unveiled plans to cut output in the face of global oversupplies, and pressed other producers to follow suit.

Higher crude prices failed to lift the market overall in London however, with the FTSE 100 index lower as trading came to a close amid opening declines on Wall Street.

Tobacco stocks were among those that slumped, with British American Tobacco shedding 10.62 percent to 29.96 and Imperial Tobacco losing almost 2.2 percent on reports of a planned US ban on menthol cigarettes, which researchers have said pose a greater health risk than traditional ones.

In the eurozone, the Frankfurt and Paris stock markets dropped as well, weighed down in part by lingering concerns over Italy's high debt and Tuesday's EU-deadline for Rome to revise its 2019 budget.

In New York, tech shares led stocks lower, with equity markets open but Treasury markets closed to mark Veterans Day.

Shares in Apple fell "after it was reported that a supplier was asked to materially reduce shipment for iPhone parts," a Schwab Market Update said.

The euro struck a 17-month low at $1.1240 before recovering slightly after it was hit by Brexit clouds that weighed on the pound as well.

"Continued uncertainty over the pathway for Brexit is providing greater downside for sterling," noted Joshua Mahony, market analyst at IG trading group.

The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator warned ministers from the other 27 member states on Monday that no deal has been sealed on Britain's departure from the bloc.

Back in the energy sector, "a Saudi... output cut for December has helped boost ailing oil prices," Mahony said.

Saudi Arabia's energy minister on Monday called for a global output cut of one million barrels per day to re-balance the market, as Riyadh unveiled plans to trim its own production by 500,000 bpd from December.

Khalid al-Falih's comments follow a meeting in Abu Dhabi at the weekend, where the OPEC group and its allies had already started laying the groundwork to reduce supply in 2019.

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Oil prices have shed about one fifth of their value over the past month on oversupplies and signs of a softer-than-expected impact from US sanctions on Iranian crude exports.

In Vienna, the IAEA said Monday that Iran was sticking to the terms of a nuclear deal reached with global powers in 2015.

In London, the benchmark oil contract for Brent North Sea crude nonetheless gained ground.

"In the short term this (Saudi output cut) is a positive for oil, but we must question the impact longer term unless it's the sign of more to come from OPEC," said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com.

"Saudi Arabia cannot act alone though -- realistically it needs to pull together OPEC allies, and critically Russia, to curb production if it wants prices to hold. The language from Russia suggests it is not ready to follow the Saudis yet."

Last week, higher US energy stockpiles drove WTI crude to its longest losing streak in more than 30 years, while Brent dropped below $70 a barrel for the first time since April.

- Key figures around 1700 GMT -

Oil - Brent Crude: UP 69 cents at $70.87 per barrel

Oil - West Texas Intermediate: UP 54 cents at $60.73 per barrel

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1252 from $1.1351 at 2200 GMT Friday

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2856 from $1.3022

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 113.72 yen from 113.76 yen

London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.7 percent at 7,053.08 points (close)

Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 1.8 percent at 11,325.44 (close)

Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.9 percent at 5,059.09 (close)

EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 1.1 percent at 3,194.08

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 22,269.88 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.1 percent at 25,633.18 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 2,630.52 (close)

New York - Dow: DOWN 1.5 percent at 25,588.17

burs-bcp/rfj/wai/dcrMELBOURNE (Reuters) - An Australian man who drove a car into dozens of pedestrians on a busy shopping street in central Melbourne last year, killing six people, was found guilty of murder and reckless conduct by the Victorian state Supreme Court on Tuesday. In under an hour, a jury found James Gargasoulas, 28, guilty of murdering six people and recklessly injuring a further 27 people after he sped down Bourke Street shopping mall in January of 2017, local media reported. The dead included a baby and a 10-year-old girl. Police said at the time that the incident was not terror related and that the driver had a "criminal history" that included domestic violence charges. He had also been experiencing drug induced delusions. The incident was one of Australia's worst mass killings, since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre on the southern island state of Tasmania, where 35 people were gunned down. Gargasoulas' assault occurred just a block from an attack last week when a man set fire to a truck laden with gas cylinders and stabbed one person to death, before being shot by police. He later died in hospital. Police identified the man responsible for last week's attack as Somali-born Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, 30, and said he was radicalized and inspired by the militant group IS propaganda. A staunch U.S. ally, Australia has been on alert for terror-related violence after a Sydney cafe siege in 2014. Two hostages were killed during the 17-hour siege by a "lone wolf" gunman, inspired by Islamic State militants. Authorities say Australia has foiled at least a dozen terror plots, including a plan to attack downtown Melbourne at Christmas in 2016. (Reporting by Melanie Burton)Prince Charles, 1949 Baby Prince Charles being lifted up by his father The Duke of Edinburgh in 1949 (PA)

The Prince of Wales celebrates his 70th birthday on 14 November and he and the Royal Family have enjoyed a number of festivities leading up to it, including a TV magic show.

Charles is the eldest son of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Born in 1948, he became next in line to the throne at the age of four and is the longest serving heir apparent in British history.

In 1962, he attended Gordonstoun, a school near Elgin in Eastern Scotland which The Duke of Edinburgh had attended. Following his secondary education, the Prince went to Cambridge University in 1967 to read archaeology and anthropology at Trinity College. He changed to History for the second part of his degree and achieved a 2:2.

Charles set up The Princes Trust in 1976, which has helped thousands of vulnerable youngsters get into education and jobs. He has also spoken passionately about the environment and climate change through the years.

Following family tradition, Charles has served in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. He began dating Lady Diana Spencer in 1980 and the pair were married in 1981. The couple had two sons Prince William and Prince Harry, born in 1982 and 1984 respectively.

Charles and Dianas marriage broke down and the pair separated in 1992. Their divorce was finalised in 1997. Tragically, the Princess died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

In 2005, Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.

The Prince is grandfather to Kate and Williams children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Three will become four when his youngest son Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan have their first child next spring.A black security guard has been shot and killed by police just moments after stopping a drunken customer who had opened fire at a bar in Illinois.

The incident, in Robbins, Illinois, occurred at roughly 4 am on Sunday, after a security guard told drunken men to leave the premises. Witnesses said that someone then returned to the bar with a gun and begun shooting  leading security to return fire.

Before police arrived, 26-year-old security guard Jemel Roberson was able to apprehend one of the men outside of the bar, according to witnesses. An officer responding to a call about the gunshots then arrived and shot Roberson, killing him.

He had somebody on the ground with his knee in back, with his gun in his back like, Dont move, Adam Harris, a witness, told local media of the scenario that the officer would have arrived to see.

Jemel Roberson (pictured) was shot and killed by police

Witnesses said that multiple people were telling the officer that Roberson was a security guard.

Everybody was screaming out, He was a security guard, Mr Harris said. And they basically saw a black man with a gun and killed him.

The incident took place in a village southwest of Chicago, in Cook County. The sheriffs department for the county has released little information about the incident, but have said Roberson had a valid firearms owners identification card. He did not, however, have a concealed carry permit, police said.

Four other individuals were injured during the incident, including the shooter, but none of those wounds are thought to be life-threatening.

A Midlothian officer encountered a subject with a gun and was involved in an officer-involved shooting. The subject the officer shot was later pronounced deceased at an area hospital, Daniel Delaney, the chief of the Midlothian Police Department, said in a statement posted on the departments Facebook page.

Roberson has been described as a musician who regularly played drums and keyboard at Chicago-area churches. He planned on becoming a police officer, friends told local media.

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Every artist hes ever played for every musician hes ever sat beside, were all just broken because we have no answers, Reverend Patricia Hill of Purposed Church said. He was getting ready to train and do all that stuff, so the very people he wanted to be family with, took his life.

A criminal investigation into the original shooting is being conducted by the Cook County Sheriffs Office. The State Police public integrity task force is investigating the shooting of Roberson.Brasilia (AFP) - Brazil's president-elect Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday announced the appointment of former military general Fernando Azevedo e Silva to the post of defense minister.

Azevedo e Silva is the third ministerial appointment that Bolsonaro, himself a former army captain, has drawn from the military, following that of general Augusto Heleno as minister of institutional security, and astronaut and air force pilot Marcos Pontes as minister of science and technology.

Azevedo e Silva entered the army reserves in September before he was controversially named as special advisor to Supreme Court President Dias Toffoli.

That move sparked consternation from those worried about an army general operating at the head of the judiciary.

The military presence in Brazil's Congress grew in October's general election, with 35 former military personnel voted into Congress -- 31 deputies and four senators -- compared to just 18 in the previous parliament.

It has led to concerns in many quarters that Brazil is heading back towards authoritarian rule, evoking painful memories of the brutal 1964-85 military dictatorship under which Bolsonaro served in the army.

But Brazil's army commander-in-chief, general Eduardo Villas Boas, moved to appease fears of military over-representation in politics, insisting that the army remains "apolitical and without a party."

Villas Boas also praised Azevedo e Silva's appointment, adding: "He's experienced and played a key role during the Olympics. It's the best possible choice."

Azevedo e Silva was in charge of the Olympic Public Authority in 2016 when Rio de Janeiro hosted the summer Games.

Like Heleno, he previously headed Brazil's UN peace mission to Haiti, which was launched in 2004.

He trained at the same military academy as Bolsonaro in the 1970s, where Heleno was an instructor, and like the new Brazilian president was also a paratrooper.

He replaces general Joaquim Silva e Luna, who was the first military appointment to the post since the defense ministry was created in 1999.

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Bolsonaro has vowed to reduce Brazil's ministries from 29 to 15 and has so far named six ministers, as well as his chief of staff.

He previously announced the merging of the environment and agriculture ministries before backing down under protest from environmentalists.

Concerns over Bolsonaro's intentions are not without foundation.

The new supremo, who will take office on January 1, has spoken openly of his admiration both for the military dictatorship and its use of torture, mostly against left-wing political opponents.

He has also vowed to reduce indigenous land reserves and made a number of racist, misogynist and homophobic statements that the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights president Margarette May Macaulay described on Monday as "clear hate speech."MONTREAL, November 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES/A LGC Capital to acquire 47% of Italian Cannabis Light Company, EasyJoint Project SRL

EasyJoint has an estimated 85% market share of Italy's Cannabis Light market

EasyJoint currently sells through over 450 retail outlets in Italy and 11 branded stores

EasyJoint had over C$6 million in sales in the 10-months to October 31, 2018

EasyJoint's products consist of over 150 branded items ranging from dry cannabis flowers to CBD oils and edibles

LGC anticipates applying for listing on the U.S. OTCQB in the near future LGC Capital Ltd.A (TSXV: LG) and (OTC-PINK: LGGCF) ("LGC") is pleased to announce that is has entered into a formal definitive agreement to acquire 47% of EasyJoint Project SRL ("EasyJoint"), an Italian company, for a total cash and share consideration of a4.788 million (C$7.153 million at today's exchange rate of 1 EUR = 1.494 CAD). Definitive documentation will now be submitted to the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") and closing of this transaction is subject only to TSXV review and approval. EasyJoint's Market Presence in ItalyA EasyJoint (https://www.easyjoint.it/) is widely recognized as the market leader in Italy, having been extensively written up in the media, including this New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/21/world/europe/italy-cannabis-flowers.htmlA A EasyJoint's Store in Milan, ItalyA EasyJoint currently controls approximately 85% of the distribution of legal "cannabis light" retail products in Italy and has established itself as the leading brand in Italy. EasyJoint products are distributed in over 450 retail points of sale in Italy and rapidly expanding beyond current specialty stores to EasyJoint branded franchise stores. Eleven EasyJoint franchise stores have already opened in Rome, Milan, Piacenza, Rovato (BS), Viadana, Bassano del Grappa, Crotone, Pantelleria, and Parma with an additional two stores under discussion. EasyJoint's distribution in Italy is extensive.A EasyJoint has also been successful at penetrating the very large licensed tobacco network in Italy. EasyJoint products consist of over 150 branded items ranging from high-CBD dry cannabis flowers to CBD oils and edibles.A Through LGC's network of strategic investments, EasyJoint will expand its brand presence into new global markets, including legal cannabis markets across Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. For the 10 months prior to October 31, 2018, unaudited revenues have grown to over a4 million (C$6 million) with margins of 19.7%, which will increase as EasyJoint achieves economies of scale through expansion. EasyJoint's revenue channels split approximately 75% through retail with the remaining 25% of revenues through e-commerce. Mr. Luca Marola, Co-founder and CEO of EasyJointA EasyJoint is led by its Co-founder and CEO, Mr. Luca Marola, who has been an early advocate of the Italian anti-prohibitionist movement in favor of the legalization and normalization of the use of cannabis in Italy.A Mr. Marola has actively participated in cannabis related discussions in the Italian and European Parliaments and has made multiple interventions at the Italian Parliament, which have impacted the laws that passed in recent years.A Mr. Marola is the founder of one of the oldest Italian grow shops, "Canapaio Ducale", founded in Parma in 2002, he is the host of the only Italian radio show focused on cannabis and has published 4 books on cannabis and its legalization. Legal Status of Cannabis in ItalyA In January 2017, the Italian government passed a law (242/2016) which regulates the cultivation, transformation and sale of Cannabis and Cannabis derived products. Under this new legal framework, it is legal to produce and market Cannabis and related products, which contains a percentage of THC less than 0.2%.A EasyJoint is fully vertically integrated from seed to consumers in Italy. EasyJoint buys its cannabis input product from a large exclusive contracted independent farmer's network across Italy, to whom EasyJoint sells female seedlings that meet their strict premium specifications, thus eliminating the risk of growing male plants. In addition, EasyJoint has established the first Italian hemp pasta for the consumer market under the brand EasyJoint.A It will be officially launch in Montreal before the end of 2018. John McMullen, Chief Executive Officer of LGC Capital, stated:A "With approximately 85% of the cannabis light distribution in Italy and healthy revenue generation, EasyJointA is a significant investment opportunity for LGC. We see Italy, with a population of 60 million, as one of the key European market for cannabis growth and a springboard into other parts of the EU over time. This deal represents LGC's third investment in Europe in 2018 and allows us to work closely with other LGC investee companies to grow and sell legal cannabis products to EasyJoint for their distribution." Luca Marola, founder of EasyJoint stated:A "Over the past 18 months, EasyJoint has pioneered the cannabis light market in Italy and by driving public opinion has created a new approach to cannabis.A Today, we are proud to announce LGC Capital's investment into our company.A Thanks to LGC's expertise and resources in successfully addressing the global market, EasyJoint is ready to further strengthen our leadership position and develop our growth in new markets."A Transaction detailsA Payment for the 47% equity in Easy Joint SRL will be effected by way of i) a cash payment in the amount of a2,565,000 (C$3,832,110) and ii) a payment in common shares for a value of a2,223,000 (C$3,321,162) in the share capital of LGC (the "Payment Shares") at a price per share set at 85% of the five (5) day volume weighted average price of LGC shares immediately prior to the closing of the transaction (26,152,941 shares at current prices). In accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements, the Payment Shares will be subject to a four (4) month hold period calculated as of the Closing Date. For this transaction, a finder's fee of 2.5% cash and 2.5% in shares will be paid to an arm's length party. This transactionA is subject to normal closing conditions and review and approval by TSXV. Information Relating to EasyJoint Project SRLA All information contained in this press release relating to EasyJoint Project SRL has been provided to LGC by EasyJoint Project SRL.A LGC has relied upon this information without having made independent inquiries as to its accuracy or completeness and assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracy or incompleteness of such information. About LGC Capital Ltd (www.lgc-capital.com)A LGC Capital is a leading cannabis investment firm with a focus on the Legal Global Cannabis market.A Through its growing portfolio investment companies, LGC is building a world-leading, vertically integrated system of interconnected legal cannabis companies with cultivation, processing and distribution in Australia, Jamaica, Switzerland, Italy, and Canada serving domestic and export markets. LGC Capital Ltd. is a Canadian incorporated public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: LG). Through its partners and assuming pending transactions under review by the TSXV are approved, LGC currently will have over 450,000 square feet of planted cannabis in Jamaica, Switzerland, Italy, and Australia, with that number expected to increase to over 2,100,000 square feet by 2021, as its portfolio companies execute their expansion plans, in addition to the anticipated licensing of Tricho-Med's operations in Quebec, Canada. LGC partners currently sell cannabis products in over 1,000 points of sale across Switzerland and Italy under the ONE Premium Cannabis and EasyJoint brands as well as medical cannabis oils in Australia under the Little Green Pharma brand. LGC's partner's branded products are available in a variety of product formats including dry cannabis flower, tinctures, oils, seeds, and beverages. Notice Regarding Forward Looking StatementsA This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to LGC Capital Ltd. ("LGC") and their respective operations, strategy, investments, financial performance and condition. These statements can generally be identified by use of forward- looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intends", "believe" or "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. The actual results and performance of LGC and Easy Joint Project SRL ("EasyJoint") could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Some important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, among other things, general economic and market factors, competition, government regulation and the factors described under "Risk Factors and Risk Management" in LGC's Management's Discussion ! and Analy sis for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2018, as filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). The cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to LGC and persons acting on its behalf. Unless otherwise stated, all forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and neither LGC nor EasyJoint has any obligation to update such statements, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.A Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Caution Regarding Press ReleasesA Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.A Chief Executive Officer, John McMullen, +1-416-803-0698, john@lgc-capital.com;A Chief Financial Officer, Anthony Samaha, +44-20-7440 0640, anthony@lgc-capital.com;A Investor Relations, Dave Burwell, +1-403-221-0915, dave@howardgroupinc.comDherynia (Cyprus) (AFP) - Cypriot officials opened two new border crossings Monday for the first time in eight years, the latest push for peace by the two sides after UN-backed talks collapsed last year.

Dozens of people from the island's Greek Cypriot south streamed across the eastern Dherynia border post, walking past United Nations peacekeepers into the breakaway Turkish-backed north.

At the same time, the Lefka or Aplici crossing opened in the northwest of the Mediterranean island.

"I am very pleased," said 65-year-old Turkish-Cypriot Hasan Uzun about the move. "I am sick, but I wanted to come here and see this beautiful day with my eyes. I am very emotional now."

Ahead of the reopening of the Dherynia crossing, soldiers removed barriers wrapped in rusty barbed wire while a small group of riot police stood by.

Despite arguments breaking out among onlookers in the run-up to the midday (1000 GMT) opening, the crowd passed peacefully across the border.

The wreckage of a car could be seen off the main road in the UN-patrolled buffer zone, while nearby signs warned of mines beyond a barbed wire fence.

"Today is good day for Cyprus," said Elizabeth Spehar, head of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus.

"These crossing points will play an important role in helping to increase people to people contacts, contributing to build much needed trust and confidence between the communities on the island."

The development is also seen as a vital step to reviving peace negotiations, which collapsed in acrimony in July 2017.

"It's another asset to the peace talks," said Chris Charalambous, who was just 18 when war broke out more than 44 years ago.

- 'Time destroys everything' -

Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third in response to a coup sponsored by the military junta then in power in Athens seeking to unite the island with Greece.

Story continues

For the first time since fleeing the conflict, Charalambous was looking forward to seeing his house which now lies in a military zone beyond the border posts.

"I'm just going to walk down and then I walk back, I don't know if I can stand spending time in the north," he told AFP.

While houses still line the road to the north of the checkpoint where Turkish and Turkish Cypriot flags fly, trees and bushes now cling to the abandoned buildings.

Goats were grazing in the former residential area, which remains fenced off behind wire and red military signs.

"All these houses are destroyed... time destroys everything, 44 years is too much," said 72-year-old Iacovos Coshandis.

Before the war, he used to walk to school along the road and said he still hopes to see Cyprus reunited.

The island has been divided for more than four decades and the two communities lived isolated from one another until Turkish Cypriot authorities cleared the way for the free movement of people following a previous round of talks in 2003.

In 1996, Dherynia was the scene of riots when two Greek Cypriots were killed by Turkish forces in one of the worst incidents on the ceasefire line.

But despite being pleased that the Dherynia crossing had been opened, resident Helen said she felt anxious about going to see the conflict-hit area she once travelled through daily.

"I think the political situation is the problem. The people, we are friends, because we are all Cypriots," she said, declining to give her surname.

The decision to open the two border crossings came after President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met last month in the UN-protected area in the divided capital Nicosia.

Can Emre Cagin, a 21-year-old Turkish Cypriot, said he was feeling excited after waiting for years for the border crossing to open.

"I think this is a really important moment for us Cypriots," he said, as he and his mother waited to have their documents checked.

"I'm going to see that side for the first time, and I'm going to live that peace feeling inside me."Brett Corbett forgave the classmates who bullied him, but his community in Nova Scotia is demanding that the high school he attends discipline the teens who humiliated him. (Photo: Getty Images)

A high school freshman in Novia Scotia, Canada, taught the entire student body, their parents and his own mother a lesson in humanity by forgiving the classmates who bullied and humiliated him by forcing him to lie in a muddy creek. And thats before they even had a chance to apologize.

Brett Corbett, a 14-year-old with cerebral palsy who attends Glace Bay High School, was outside in the rain when a group of his peers surrounded him and order him to lie face down in the shallow water so other students could step on him to get to the other side without getting their shoes dirty. In a video shot by one of the teens, Corbett crouches down as the current washes over him, and a girl steps on his back, essentially using him as a human bridge as a crowd lingers, laughing and egging each other on.

In a second video, Corbett lifts himself up, but the cackling teens start screaming at him to get back down. Do it, you f*** b****!, one calls out. So he does, and more students walk over him  three in total, the boys mother, Terri McEachern, told the Washington Post. McEachern didnt find out about the incident until much later  and thats because her sons instinct was to protect his peers by not tattling on them.

He didnt tell [the principal] the truth about what happened to him at first because he said he didnt want the other kids to get in trouble, she told the Washington Post. When she asked him whether he had been walked on after she watched the videos, he told her, Its OK, I was already wet.' He had previously lied to her about being sent to the principals office drenched; he said he had taken up his classmates on a dare to swim in the creek.

But McEachern and school officials learned the truth when the videos the students had taken made their way to social media  and ultimately to a family friend, Brandon Jolie, who posted one on Facebook. Never in my LIFE have I ever been more disgusted, Jolie wrote, describing the disturbing scene in the clip. Parents; you failed this generation. The amount of teenagers that stood around and watched this happen, even took videos of it. I hope you watch this video, recognize your kid and feel the shame. To the little girl that stepped on him; you should be absolutely ashamed of yourself.

Everyone who knows this boy knows he has a disability. How fricken hard is it to show some compassion?

Story continues

The post went viral, and commenters agreed, calling it disgusting and despicable, and calling for the teens to be disciplined. In the meantime, the students have had a change of heart, and many have personally apologized to the boy. Several girls even showed up at his house to read apology letters aloud to him, according to the Washington Post. I shouldnt have told you to go [into the creek]. I should have helped you up instead of breaking you down, one girl said. I made a really bad choice and I will live with that for the rest of my life, another girl wrote, while a boy student called it the worst decision of my life. There were tears all around.

One of the girls even asked Corbett to be her friend if youre up to it, and the two went upstairs to play Xbox together, McEachern said to the Washington Post. And while shes happy for the apologies, shes finding it hard as a mother to process the entire scenario and her sons forgiving nature. Its just breaking my heart. This is his mindset, she said. Children with disabilities have the most amazing gifts in the world. They dont see bad in anyone. They see so much good in everybody.

Community groups are outraged too. Someone organized a Stand for Brett Corbett rally outside Glace Bay High School to show Brett he is never alone, according to the Washington Post. There were student walkouts on Friday to protest the fact that the school has not taken a firm stand, beyond suspending some of the students for one day. Honestly, its sickening, a junior at the school said. Its a little upsetting to see nothing done about it. Even McEachern feels that punishment was a slap on the wrist.

A spokesperson for the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education, Michelle MacLeod, sent Yahoo Lifestyle the following statement addressing the incident:

First, in no way do we condone bullying behavior. This incident is tremendously harmful to both the individual involved and the school community as a whole.

We are disappointed and saddened by the behavior that led to the incident on the video.

The negative actions of a few are not a reflection of what our Centre for Education, our schools, or staff and the vast majority of students at Glace Bay High School are all about. We are a strong community, bound by pride in our schools and compassion and care for one another. And we want to assure our parents and community that we have, and will continue to, work with the students, staff and parents to address this behavior.

In addition to specifically addressing individuals involved, Glace Bay High Schools Principal, Vice-Principals and other members of Administration are leading a restorative practice process to work collaboratively with the school community. A restorative practice approach involves students, staff, parents, School Advisory Council and members of the school community, in a process that acknowledges the harm done and gives a voice to all in planning our way forward within a respectful, safe and secure learning environment.

We all need to do better.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.Sao Paulo (AFP) - A court in Brazil ordered Monday the release of a meatpacking magnate arrested days ago as part of the wide-ranging "Operation Car Wash" investigation into corruption.

Nefi Cordeiro, a judge at the Superior Court of Justice, ruled that it was excessive to hold Joesley Batista in prison pending further investigation.

Batista and his brother Wesley own the world's biggest meatpacking company, JBS.

The judge also ordered the release of 16 other people arrested Friday along with Batista, including two former agriculture ministers. Two others also arrested then were released on Sunday.

Investigators say JBS bribed agriculture ministry officials through political intermediaries in order to obtain benefits from industry regulations and the attribution of commercial licenses.

These bribes gave JBS advantages over its competition and the possibility to build a market monopoly, police said.

Joesley Batista was previously held between September 2017 and March of this year on suspicion of having withheld information from prosecutors. This prompted authorities to scrap a plea bargain deal they had reached with him.

The "Car Wash" investigation has ensnared some of Brazil's biggest companies, such as construction conglomerate Odebrecht and state oil giant Petrobras, and some of its most notable politicians, including former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is serving a 12-year prison sentence for accepting a bribe.London (AFP) - From the shock Brexit vote to a tentative deal on the outlines of a withdrawal agreement, here are the milestones on Britain's rocky road out of the European Union.

- Britons vote to leave -

In a referendum, Britons on June 23, 2016, choose to end their membership of the EU by 52 percent to 48 percent.

The shock result prompts the resignation the next day of Conservative prime minister David Cameron, who had called the referendum and led the campaign to remain in the EU.

In a race to replace him, Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson withdraws at the last minute and Theresa May, Cameron's interior minister for six years, becomes prime minister on July 11.

- Clean break -

On January 17, 2017, May gives a major speech setting out her Brexit strategy, saying Britain will also leave Europe's single market.

On March 13, Britain's parliament gives final approval to a bill empowering May to trigger Article 50 of the EU treaty which lays out the process for leaving the union.

- Exit process triggered -

With a letter to EU President Donald Tusk on March 29, formally announcing the intention to leave, the government sets in motion Article 50.

Its two-year timetable for withdrawal is set to wind up by March 29, 2019.

- Lost majority -

To capitalise on the perceived weakness of the opposition Labour party and strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations, May calls a snap election for June 8.

Her gamble backfires as the Conservatives lose their parliamentary majority. They are forced to strike a deal with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to be able to govern.

The issue of British guarantees to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit becomes a key sticking point in negotiations.

- First terms agreed -

Britain and the EU reach a deal on some key terms of the divorce in early December 2017 after all-night negotiations. They include Britain's EU bill as part of the settlement.

Story continues

EU leaders give the go-ahead for the next stage of Brexit talks, including on how Britain will continue to trade with the bloc after the split.

- Brexit bill passed -

A bill enacting the decision to leave the EU becomes law on June 26, 2018, following months of debate and after receiving the formal assent of Queen Elizabeth II.

The bill transfers decades of European law onto British statute books and enshrines "Brexit day" as March 29, 2019.

- Top minsters quit -

On July 6, May wins agreement from her warring cabinet to pursue "a UK-EU free trade area" that would retain a strong alignment with the EU after Brexit.

Two days later David Davis, the eurosceptic Brexit minister, quits as does his deputy. May is giving "too much away too easily", Davis says.

In a major blow, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also resigns on July 9, having criticised the Brexit blueprint in private, and becomes a leading critic of May's plans through a weekly column in the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

- UK says draft deal agreed -

The European Union on November 13 publishes contingency plans for a "no-deal" Brexit.

But a few hours later, May's office says negotiating teams in Brussels have reached a draft agreement, which will be considered by the cabinet on November 14.UK passport holders wont require a visa to travel to the EU after Brexit (Getty)

The UK wont be joining the likes of Russia, North Korea and Syria on the list of countries whose citizens require visas to travel to the European Union, it has been confirmed.

The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it will instead place the UK alongside the US, Australia and Brazil on the list of countries whose citizens do not need a visa.

It means UK citizens will not be required to seek permission for holidays or business trips of up to 90 days within a 180-day period  even if theres a no-deal Brexit.

The commission warned though that this will only be the case if the UK government treats EU citizens in the same.

The basic message here is: well do upon you what you will do upon us, said commission first vice-president Frans Timmermans.

So just have visa free travel on both sides and that will make life easier for all our citizens.

The deal will also apply to four non-EU countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. UK citizens will maintain their current right to free movement until the end of any transition period.

However, British travellers will face a number of other barriers if theres a no-deal Brexit.

European commission vice-president, Frans Timmermans, warned Britain: We will do upon you what you do upon us (Getty)

As Non-EU citizens, UK passport holders will soon face having to pay a 6 travel authorisation fee to enter the EU under a new commission scheme designed to improve border security.

Now the commission has published an advisory notice which predicts Brexit will have a significant impact on the ease of travelling between the EU and the UK.

If theres a no-deal Brexit, travellers can expect to be quizzed by border guards about their trip.

Persons travelling into the EU will be subject to additional verifications concerning, for instance, duration and purpose of stay, the notice states.

It adds luggage could be checked to ensure limits on imported goods are being complied with.

The commission has also warned UK travellers to expect higher phone bills and healthcare costs, new bureaucratic difficulties in driving abroad or taking a pet on holidays, and a loss of rights to compensation for cancelled flights, in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Story continues

The latest details on what a no-deal scenario would look like were published after EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier updated European commissioners on progress in talks.

Very intensive negotiations are ongoing, Timmermans told journalists in Strasbourg. Its clear that although we are making progress, were not there yet.

The commission is intensifying its planning for a no-deal scenario although Timmermans stressed that was just a form of decent housekeeping and described a deal as by far our preferred option.

The UKs withdrawal will cause disruption whether or not there is a deal and were all under an obligation to do as little harm as possible, he added.



Firefighters are battling the blazes that are ravaging California on several new fronts, while rescuers search for remains in the wreckage left by the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history

At least 44 people have died in the fires, with 42 of those deaths caused by the Camp Fire that has virtually destroyed the town of Paradise that 27,000 people had called home.

The first victims have been identified  among them Carl Wiley, 77, musician Ernest Foss, 63 and Jesus Fernandez, 48, who died alongside his beloved dog King. However, hundreds of people are still missing, with many relatives having been unable to reach their loved ones since the fire began on Thursday.

Mr Foss moved to Paradise eight years ago because the high cost of living pushed him out of the San Francisco Bay Area, according to his daughter, Angela Loo. He had swollen limbs and couldn't walk, and had also been on oxygen.

Ms Loo told KTVU-TV in Oakland that her father taught music out of their home in San Francisco and had turned the living room into a studio.

I love that he shared his gift of music with me and so many others during his lifetime, she said. He would want to be remembered for being a San Franciscan through and through.

As search teams continue looking for people who are missing, efforts were under way on Tuesday to bring in mobile morgues, cadaver dogs, a rapid DNA analysis system for identifying victims, and an extra 150 search-and-rescue personnel on top of 13 teams already looking for remains  a grim indication that the death toll will most likely rise.

Firefighters continue to work on holding containment lines to delay the wildfire's path towards the town of Oroville. The fire is about 30 per cent contained.

Meanwhile, in southern California, firefighters are working to extend their containment of the Woolsey Fire, which has killed at least two people. The wind, however, places the Southern California region from the metropolitan area of Los Angeles to San Diego County at high risk for more wildfire threats.

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The wildfire has burned more that 146 square miles, destroying at least 435 buildings and displacing more than 57,000 people. The wildfire is expected to be fully contained by Thursday, but winds estimated to reach up to 75mph could worsen the wildfire and leave thousands more residents in treacherous conditions.

Authorities have begun to allow a few residents to return to their homes, but many communities such as Malibu are still under mandatory evacuation orders.

In Ventura County, the Hill Fire has burnt nearly seven square miles and is about 90 per cent contained.

The wildfires have prompted US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to cancel his White House-sanctioned trip to Asia. Instead, he will be heading to California to offer support and condolences to residents. Mr Zinke will travel to regions devastated by the Camp and Woolsey fires, and he is scheduled to meet California governor Jerry Brown.

During a press conference on Tuesday, president Donald Trump thanked firefighters and first responders for their efforts in combating the wildfires.

The president also said he signed a disaster declaration, and that the White House would do everything in [its] power to support and protect citizens in harms way.As wildfires continue to scorch California, the death toll has risen to 31, with 200 still missing.

Footage shows residents driving through the flames, as an estimated 250,000 people were forced to flee their homes to avoid three major infernos which swept across the state.

The fires started on 8 November but the strengthening winds have prevented crews from tackling the blaze.

Donald Trump previously blamed Californias forest management for the blaze, which led to Neil Young to post on his website: "California is vulnerable  not because of poor forest management as DT (our so-called president) would have us think. We are vulnerable because of Climate Change; the extreme weather events and our extended drought is part of it."

The president has since tweeted his support for the California firefighters, describing them as "amazing" and "brave".

The California Fire Fighters, FEMA and First Responders are amazing and very brave. Thank you and God Bless you all!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2018

The fire is the most destructive in the state's history and the joint deadliest with the 1933 Griffith Park disaster in Los Angeles.As Pakistan roils with fury over the dismissal of a Christian womans blasphemy conviction, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government was in talks with Islamabad about potentially granting asylum to Asia Bibi, who was recently freed, Agence France-Presse reports.

We are in discussions with the Pakistani government, Trudeau said in an interview with AFP. There is a delicate domestic context that we respect which is why I dont want to say any more about that, but I will remind people Canada is a welcoming country.

Bibi, a mother of five who is believed to now be in her 50s, has been blocked from leaving the country amid a wave of protests over her acquittal. She spent eight years on death row for allegedly blaspheming the Prophet Muhammada charge that carries the death penalty in the Muslim-majority nation. Last month, Pakistans Supreme Court overturned her conviction. The decision sparked widespread unrest, especially among hard-line Islamic protesters.

According to the BBC, Bibis husband has requested asylum in the U.K., U.S. or Canada, saying the family is in danger. The Netherlands offered temporary asylum to Bibis lawyer, Saiful Malook, after he faced death threats.

Allegations against Bibi emerged from an incident in 2009. While she was working in the fields, she allegedly cursed Muhammad after a fight broke out over a water bowl. Bibi denies the charges, but was initially convicted in 2010.

Bibi is currently hiding at an undisclosed safe place.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13)  Authorities have arrested comedian Keanna Reeves for cyber libel.

Reeves, whose real name is Janet Derecho Duterte, was arrested in Quezon City on Monday. She was then brought to Laguna for documentation and proper deposition. She was granted a bail of P20,000.

Reeves caused a stir in August when she came into conflict over compensation with the owner of a food park in Laguna where she regularly performed. The comedian went on Facebook Live and proceeded to make several comments towards the owner, including remarks of a homophobic nature.

The victim reported Reeves to the police, who determined that her statements were of a libelous and defamatory nature.

Reeves came into public attention in 2004 when she revealed she was a private escort girl, confessing that lawmakers were among her clients. She then entered showbiz and appeared and emerged as the winner of "Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition" in 2006. She was also the lead star in movie "Binibining K."Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.BEIJING (Reuters) - The world should ignore "gossip" about China's Xinjiang region and trust authorities there, the government's top diplomat said on Tuesday, when asked if Beijing would allow international observers to inspect camps holding Muslims there. Western countries including Canada, France, Germany, and the United States have urged China to shut down camps in Xinjiang, where activists say as many as 1 million members of the Uighur minority and other Muslims are being detained. Far western Xinjiang faces a threat from Islamist militants and separatists, China has said in the past. It rejects all accusations of mistreatment and denies mass internment. After initial blanket denials, however, Chinese officials have said some people guilty of minor offences were being sent to "vocational" training centers, where they are taught work skills and legal knowledge aimed at curbing militancy. After meeting Heiko Maas, Germany's foreign minister, State Councillor Wang Yi said he hoped people would understand and support the Xinjiang regional government's efforts to fight terrorism, end the spread of extremism and ensure social stability. "(People) should not listen to gossip or rumor, because the Xinjiang regional government, of course, understands the situation in Xinjiang best, and not some other people or organizations," said Wang, who is also foreign minister. "The efforts are completely in line with the direction the international community has taken to combat terrorism, and are an important part of the global fight against terrorism," he told reporters. "If we can take care of prevention, then it will be impossible for terrorism to spread and take root." Wang's remarks followed Monday's comments by Maas that there was a need for more information on the Xinjiang situation and that China needed to be transparent. "In any case, we cannot accept re-education camps. We need transparency in order to properly judge what is happening there," Maas said in Beijing. Reports of mass detentions and strict surveillance of Uighurs and other Muslims have prompted the United States to consider sanctions against officials and companies linked to suspected human rights abuses. Researchers have said spending on security-related construction in Xinjiang tripled in 2017, and that despite the "vocational training" campaign, Xinjiang government data shows employment has not markedly improved. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Additional reporting by Noah Barkin in BERLIN; Editing by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez)By Lee Chyen Yee SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China's Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday that Beijing hoped a consultation with Southeast Asian nations on a code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea would be completed in three years, and that such an deal would bolster free trade. China also hopes to come to an agreement on its ongoing trade dispute with the United States based on mutual respect and trust, Li said at a function in Singapore, adding "there are no winners in any trade war". China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed in August on a working text to continue long drawn-out negotiations over the code of conduct in the South China Sea. Some ASEAN members and China have overlapping claims to islands in the sea, one of the world's busiest waterways. For years, they have been discussing a pact to prevent an escalation of disputes. "It is China's hope that the COC (code of conduct) consultation will be finished in three years time so that it will contribute to enduring peace and stability in the South China Sea," Li said in a lecture. He is in Singapore to attending annual meetings between ASEAN and its partner nations. "China and ASEAN countries will benefit in that process, it will also be conducive to free trade and go on to serve the interests of other parties." Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis urged their Chinese counterparts to halt militarisation of the South China Sea, drawing a rebuke from the Chinese for sending U.S. warships close to islands claimed by Beijing. Li also said he hoped to finalize a major trade pact with 15 other countries called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2019, and that they would announce "substantive progress" in negotiations at meetings this week. (Reporting by Chyen Yee Lee; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)A man was killed in the Israeli city of Ashkelon late on Monday by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza, becoming the first civilian casualty of the most serious fighting between Israel and Hamas since 2014.

The Israeli military said around 400 rockets and mortars had been fired from Gaza since Monday afternoon and that Israeli warplanes had carried out more than a hundred airstrikes in response to the fire.

What we're dealing with is a massive barrage of rockets aimed at Israeli civilians, said Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman.

The 40-year-old civilian was killed when a rocket struck a building in the coastal city of Ashkelon, according to Israeli media. Two women in the same building were seriously injured.

One man was killed and two women were injured in a rocket strike on Ashkelon Credit: GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP/Getty Images

The man has not been identified but is reportedly Palestinian, from the occupied West Bank, and may have been working without permits inside Israel. His body was reportedly found by neighbours after the police had already left the scene.

Hamas said it would begin firing more long-range missiles towards the more distant cities of Ashdod and Beer Sheva if Israel continued its airstrikes.

Palestinians check the damage in a residential neighbourhood in Gaza City early on November 13, 2018, following Israeli air strikes Credit: MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images

What has been happening so far is the traditional retaliation our enemy must have expected. In the next few hours, what our enemy cant expect will follow, the group said.

Israel said it was targeting military positions belonging to Hamas and other smaller Palestinian factions like Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Four Palestinian fighters had been killed inside Gaza, according to Palestinian media reports early on Tuesday. There were no reports of civilian casualties inside Gaza. The death toll rose to six by late morning on Tuesday, but it was unclear who the victims were.

Israeli warplanes also blew up a building belonging to al-Aqsa Television, a Hamas channel which Israel said was a strategic terror target because it broadcast violent propaganda against Israelis. Hamas decried the attack as an effort to suppress coverage of the situation in Gaza.

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Children in both Gaza and southern Israel spent a sleepless night as aircraft roared overheard and the sky was filled with the explosions of rockets and interceptor missiles. Schools was cancelled Tuesday for children in Gaza and in Israeli towns near the border.

Smoke blows up after Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes in Gaza Credit: Photo by Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Israeli families ran towards bomb shelters at the sound of the rocket sirens and families in Gaza huddled in their houses and hoped for the best. The kids hear the bombing, thats the worst part, said one father in Gaza.

The UN and Egypt were working to try to broker a ceasefire but by Tuesday morning the fighting was continuing after a brief lull overnight.

The escalation in the past 24 hours is extremely dangerous and reckless, said Nickolay Mladenov, the UN envoy for Israeli-Palestinian peace. No effort must be spared to reverse the spiral of violence.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, was due to hold a meeting of his security cabinet to discuss the situation.

Israel estimates that Hamas and its allies have around 20,000 mortars and rockets, meaning that they could continue firing at the current rate for weeks. "Unfortunately, they are not anywhere near the end of their capabilities, said Lt Col Conricus.

The rapid rate of rocket fire is believed to be an effort to overwhelm Israels Iron Dome missile defence system, which has been largely successful intercepting rockets in recent years.

Iron dome so far has been phenomenal but even it is not hermetic and we cant be under assumption it will intercept everything, Lt Col Conricus said.

The Israeli military said it has sent additional forces to the Gaza border but had not yet called up the reserves, usually a sign that Israel is expecting a large-scale conflict.

Residents in Gaza said that Israel appeared to be launching warning strikes with drones against large buildings. They then gave people several minutes to clear the area before striking the buildings with larger bombs from F-16 fighter jets.A reporter for Cleveland.com, the website of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, was found shot to death Monday in what the paper said was an apparent homicide. Nikki Delamotte had worked two years at the paper, where she served as an arts and culture reporter. She was 30 years old. The suspected murderer took place Perrysburg Township, near Toledo, Ohio, while Delamotte was visiting her uncle, who was found dead with her.By Liz Hampton

(Reuters) - Colorado voters on Tuesday rejected a measure calling for greater distances between oil and gas drilling and public spaces, a move opponents said would have sharply limited new wells in the fifth-largest oil producing state in the nation.

The measure was defeated in an election that saw oil companies pour millions of dollars into efforts to combat the proposal and was one of several ballot initiatives that sought to curb fossil fuels use.

Shares in producers active in the state gained ground on Wednesday, including Anadarko Petroleum Corp , which rose 5.7 percent, and Noble Energy Inc , which climbed 4.2 percent. The two stocks had fallen sharply after the initiative went on the state's ballot.

Known as Proposition 112, the measure would have mandated at least 2,500 feet (762 m) of separation between new drilling activities and occupied areas or those deemed to be vulnerable. It garnered 43 percent of votes, according to final data from the Colorado Secretary of State's office. Passage required a majority of ballots cast.

Opponents said the measure would have cost Colorado's economy between $169 billion and $217 billion over 12 years, and would have cut state and local tax revenues by $7 billion to $9 billion. Oil production in the state was up 26 percent year-over-year to 477,000 barrels per day, according to the latest U.S. government figures.

"This measure was an extreme proposal that would have had devastating impacts across the state on jobs, education and numerous other programs," said Chip Rimer, a senior vice president at Noble and chairman of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association.

Municipal officials, including Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, urged voters to reject the measure, warning that it would hurt jobs and reduce tax revenues for schools, roads and public safety.

The rejection was another setback for environmentalists who in 2016 failed to get a similar initiative placed on the ballot.

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Colorado Rising, an anti-fracking group that helped get the measure on the ballot, was vastly outspent but campaigned door-to-door and used phone and text messages to sway voters.

"The outcome does not change the fact fracking operations are dangerous and should not be happening so close to Colorado homes, schools and drinking water," said Colorado Rising's Russell Mendell.

The group would re-evaluate next steps in the coming days, Mendell said on Wednesday.

Ahead of Tuesday's vote, energy executives warned passage ultimately could lead them to reduce drilling in the state, although several said they expected no immediate impact.

(Reporting by Liz Hampton in Houston; Editing by Peter Cooney and Sonya Hepinstall)The former chief interrogator and torturer for Cambodia's Khmer Rouge has been discharged from hospital after a health scare that lasted weeks, an official told AFP Tuesday.

Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, is serving a life sentence for managing the Phnom Penh detention centre S-21 where some 15,000 people were confined and sent to their deaths in nearby "Killing Fields" in the late 1970s.

The former mathematics teacher-turned-diehard revolutionary was the first member of the Khmer Rouge to face judgement before a war crimes tribunal in Cambodia and was sent to live out his remaining days in Kandal prison after an appeal extended his original sentence to life in 2012.

Duch fell ill with respiratory problems in late October and was rushed to hospital in the capital Phnom Penh where his condition was deemed serious at the time, but the head of the prison said he pulled through.

"I did not hope he would survive," Chat Sineang, director of the Kandal prison, told AFP.

"But he has recovered from the illness and he arrived back at the prison on Monday evening."

He said, however, that Duch -- who turns 76 in a few days -- was still weak and needed help from guards when he wanted to use the bathroom.

Duch was arrested in 1999 after being discovered working for a Christian aid agency under a false name.

His trial was a landmark for victims seeking justice for crimes under the Khmer Rouge regime, whose dreams of an communist agrarian paradise led to the deaths of up to two million Cambodians from 1975 to 1979.

Though Duch asked for forgiveness, he also argued that he was not a senior leader of the ultra-Maoist movement and should therefore be acquitted.

But S-21 was at the heart of the Khmer Rouge's fearsome security apparatus and many inmates were tortured into signing false confessions of wrongdoing.

The UN-backed trial in Phnom Penh has been tainted by its limited scope and the age of its defendants since it started more than a decade ago, recording only three convictions -- including Duch's.

Ieng Thirith, the Khmer Rouge social affairs minister and one of the suspects on trial in the case after Duch's, was released on mental health grounds before dying in 2015.

Her husband and co-defendant Ieng Sary died two years earlier.Dave Chappelle photobombed an engagement shoot in Ohio. (Photo: Jaycee Marie Photography)

Dave Chappelle might photobomb your engagement pics if youre polite and serve the country. Just ask Thomas Saunders and Emily Eldridge, the lucky couple who snagged a few shots with the comedian during their recent engagement shoot.

Saunders and Eldridge got engaged over the summer and were shooting their engagement photos on Nov. 10 in Ohio. They started at a nature preserve close by, but wanting a change of scenery, Eldridge suggested the Yellow Springs Brewery in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

While the couple were ordering, the photographer, Jaycee Brammer, saw a familiar face. My husband, Nick, said, Dave Chappelle just walked in, Brammer told Yahoo Lifestyle. I think we were all a little starstruck and shocked. We knew he was from the area but never expected to see him. The comedian lives on a farm in the town. I kept my cool as we walked past him to go outside to the patio, even though I really wanted to fangirl it up! the photographer admitted.

Saunders felt the same way. Emily and I have always been fans of Dave Chappelle. I grew up quoting his show, Saunders, a technical sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, told Yahoo Lifestyle.

Newly engaged couple Thomas Saunders and Emily Eldridge, with a special appearance by Dave Chappelle. (Photo: Jaycee Marie Photography)

We set up outside and started snapping photos when Dave walked out, Brammer recalled. He stood about 20 feet from us, and we just kind of looked at each other like, Wait, is this really happening? I looked at Tommy and I basically said, We should just ask politely. We have to at least try, right? So they did. Saunders approached the comedian and asked if he would take some pictures with him, but he politely declined.

I really wasnt surprised because I had heard he wasnt much for photos, Brammer said. We all totally understood, and Dave chatted with Tommy for a few minutes. Brammer described Chappelle as kind and surprisingly normal.

Saunders continued talking to Chappelle for a few minutes. We talked for a bit about Chappelles Show and where Ive been stationed.

Saunders has been in the Air Force since 2010. I followed in my dads footsteps; hes a 26-year Air Force veteran; he retired in 2005. He and Chappelle talked about travel. I am a military brat, so we talked about visiting Germany  where I graduated from high school). We also talked about South Korea, where I was stationed at Osan Air Base from June 2016 to June 2017. Saunders has been stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio since 2011.

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Chappelle was snapped sneaking up on the couple. (Photo: Jaycee Marie Photography)

Sometime during that conversation, Chappelle had a change of heart. We went back to taking pictures, and not long after he came around and said, Im gonna photobomb you guys. Emily and I couldnt hold it together, and we were incredibly grateful for him making an exception for us, Saunders gushed.

He laughed after photobombing us and stepped back so we could finish, Brammer recalled. After that we were all pretty much shocked and couldnt believe what just happened. We reviewed the photos, and I walked over to show Dave. He laughed and said, Were gonna go viral, man.

Chappelle was right. Brammer shared the photos on Facebook, and the post has over 3K reactions. Countless news outlets, local and international, have picked up the story.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.(Reuters) - Democrat Kyrsten Sinema defeated Republican Martha McSally to win a close U.S. Senate race in Arizona after last Tuesday's elections, in a Senate pickup for Democrats in a state that had not elected a Democratic U.S. senator for 30 years. Despite the Arizona result, Republicans will keep control of the 100-member Senate, winning at least 51 seats to the Democrats' 47. Results in Florida and Mississippi are still outstanding. Sinema, 42, a U.S. representative and former social worker, will become Arizona's first female senator. She will succeed Republican Jeff Flake, who did not seek re-election and has been a vocal critic of Republican President Donald Trump. "It won't be easy and it won't happen overnight, but we can work together to meet the challenges our country faces," Sinema told supporters on Monday night in Scottsdale, Arizona, after multiple media outlets called the election for her. Referring to longtime Arizona U.S. Senator John McCain, a Republican who died in August, Sinema said: "We can do this differently. For our future, for Senator McCain and for each other, I think we must." Her opponent, McSally, 52, also a U.S. representative and a former Air Force fighter pilot, congratulated Sinema for winning the race. "I wish her all success as she represents Arizona in the Senate," McSally said in a video posted to social media. In a tweet last Friday, Trump alleged "electoral corruption" in Arizona, without providing evidence, and seemed to call for holding a new election, even though all the votes had not yet been counted. (Reporting by Makini Brice and Mohammad Zargham in Washington; Editing by Peter Cooney)Washington (AFP) - Arizona Republican Martha McSally conceded her razor-thin US Senate race Monday, providing Democrats with a key pickup in a state that has not elected a member of the party to the Senate in three decades.

"I just called Kyrsten Sinema and congratulated her on becoming Arizona's first female senator after a hard-fought battle," McSally said in a video statement posted on her Twitter account.

"I wish her all success as she represents Arizona in the Senate."

US networks Fox and CNN called the race in Sinema's favor. She will replace outgoing Senator Jeff Flake, a conservative Republican who is a critic of President Donald Trump.

Arizona is a border state with increasing numbers of Latino immigrants. The issue is front and center in statewide elections there, and Trump has triggered a sense of nativism among his supporters.

But Sinema sought to focus on kitchen-table issues like health care, and Democrats' push to preserve protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Democrats, who reclaimed control of the House of Representatives in the midterms, have now flipped two Senate seats: Arizona and Nevada.

Republicans gained Senate seats in Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota.

The victory by Sinema, an Arizona congresswoman, will provide Democrats a critical extra vote in the 100-member chamber, which Republicans will still control when the dust settles from last week's closely-watched midterm elections.

With almost all ballots counted from the November 6 election, Sinema had expanded her lead each of the last four days. On Monday evening Sinema was ahead by 38,197 votes, or 1.72 percentage points.

Trump weighed in on the Arizona race after the election, crying foul when authorities took days to count ballots and used a procedure that allowed voters to confirm their signatures in cases where there were discrepancies.

"Just out -- in Arizona, SIGNATURES DON'T MATCH. Electoral corruption," Trump said on Twitter, citing no proof of wrongdoing.

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"Call for a new Election? We must protect our Democracy!"

Flake has repeatedly stated there has been "no evidence" of voter fraud, and offered warm, cross-party congratulations to Sinema on her victory.

"It's been a wonderful honor representing Arizona in the Senate. You'll be great," he tweeted.

Sinema, who at 42 will be one of the Senate's youngest members, addressed cheering supporters in Phoenix, where she took a moment on Veterans Day to thank McSally -- the country's first female fighter pilot to fly in combat -- for her service to the nation.

McSally had embraced Trump and his policies during her Senate race, and Sinema appeared to call out Trump's scorched earth tactics in her remarks, as she called for healing after the tense midterm elections.

- 'Compromise instead of division' -

"Arizona rejected what has become far too common in our country: name-calling, petty personal attacks, and doing and saying whatever it takes just to get elected," Sinema said.

"It's dangerous, and it lessens who we are as a country. But Arizona proved that there is a better way forward," she added.

"We can work with people who are different than us, we can be friends with people who are different than us, we can love and care about people who are different than us."

Sinema also paid tribute to Arizona native son John McCain, the senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee who emerged as a key Trump critic and who died of cancer earlier this year.

"Senator McCain is irreplaceable, but his example will guide our next steps forward," she said.

"He taught us to always assume the best in others, to seek compromise instead of division, and to always put country ahead of party."

Sinema's race was one of three undecided Senate battles.

A fierce fight remains in Florida, where authorities are conducting a recount in the race between Democratic Senator Bill Nelson and his Republican challenger Rick Scott, who is Florida's term-limited governor.

Mississippi's Senate race is headed to a run-off, which is expected to be won by Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.MOSCOW (AP)  A senior Russian diplomat said Monday that Moscow is trying to be an Afghan peace broker because it considers the U.S. has failed in Afghanistan.

Russia's presidential envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said a Moscow conference on Afghanistan Friday that brought together representatives of the Afghan authorities and the Taliban marked an attempt to "take a modest first step toward full-fledged peace talks."

Kabulov said Monday that Russia's efforts to help an Afghan peace settlement have been driven not by a desire to undercut the U.S. efforts, but by legitimate security concerns. He emphasized that the continuing fighting in Afghanistan threatens the interests of Russia and its allies in Central Asia.

"Afghanistan is close to our underbelly so national interests of Russia and its allies are at stake," Kobulov said at a briefing. "We can't just sit back and watch impassively what's going on, and we have let the U.S. know that it doesn't appear to be successful in settlement efforts."

Kabulov charged that "the presence of the U.S. and NATO hasn't only failed to solve the problem but exacerbated it," noting that the Taliban has steadily expanded its foothold.

"The West has lost the war in Afghanistan, and it's reluctant to acknowledge that obvious fact," Kabulov said. "If they continue to rely on force, it would only lead to thousands more victims and further ravage the country."

He noted that regional powers, including Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran have a strong interest in ending the conflict and should play a more active role.

The U.S. Embassy sent a diplomat to observe Friday's conference in Moscow that was attended by several members of Afghanistan's government-appointed Peace Council and the Taliban. Envoys from China, India, Pakistan and the ex-Soviet nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also attended the meeting.

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Taliban officials and Peace Council members have met at past forums elsewhere, and while no formal talks were ever held they have had some face-to face discussions.

The Taliban has refused direct talks with the Afghan government, which it sees as a U.S. puppet, saying it will only negotiate the end of the 17-year war directly with Washington. The group reaffirmed that position in Moscow, saying it would talk directly to the U.S. to demand its pullout from the country.

Kabulov said that he may meet with the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, later this fall.By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia arrested the former head of a military-run industrial conglomerate on Tuesday and flew him in handcuffs to the capital, state media reported, a day after authorities announced investigations targeting senior members of the security forces. Kinfe Dagnew, a Brigadier General in Ethiopia's army and former chief executive of METEC, was taken into custody close to the border with Sudan and Eritrea, state-run broadcaster EBC said. State media broadcast footage showing Kinfe surrounded by a ring of soldiers and later images of him in handcuffs arriving by military helicopter in the capital later on Tuesday. A documentary that aired Tuesday evening on state-owned Ethiopian Television (ETV) gave details of widespread alleged embezzlement by METEC. It said the firm, which was awarded a 24 billion Ethiopian birr ($863 million) contract by the state utility in 2011 to carry out electromechanical works at the Grand Renaissance Dam, had received 16.7 billion birr of the total amount so far but that only 23 percent was completed, at a cost of 9.46 billion. "Only 266 million birr was found in its bank account. The rest of the money had vanished," it said. It also alleged that the firm had taken over two aging ships that belonged to the state maritime agency but that they were used to transport contraband that it said were very likely to have included arms to Somalia and Iran - countries under United Nations arms embargoes. The documentary claimed properties such as buildings were also purchased illegally by the company, with no records made available. A day earlier the attorney general announced the arrests of other METEC executives in a corruption investigation and the detention of security officials accused of abusing prisoners - moves that were welcomed by rights groups and a prominent opposition politician. Amnesty International said the arrests announced on Monday "are an important first step toward ensuring full accountability for the abuses that have dogged the country for several decades". One Western envoy, who asked not to be named, described the crackdown as a "full frontal assault on the establishment". Kinfe's arrest was the most high-profile since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in April promising to rein in the security services and tackle what he called economic mismanagement, corruption and rights abuses. He has pushed through reforms that have upended decades-old policies and hierarchies in east Africa's economic powerhouse - including moves to let private investors get stakes in the huge conglomerates run by the army and other state bodies. There was no immediate statement from the attorney general on Kinfe's arrest. The Prime Minister's office referred Reuters to the attorney general. "BIG FISH" On Monday, attorney general Berhanu Tsegaye said investigations had uncovered corruption at METEC (Metal and Engineering Corporation), which makes military equipment and is involved in sectors from agriculture to construction. Reuters has not been able to contact METEC for comment - senior public relations officials were among those arrested. The attorney general said 27 METEC officials had been detained - alongside 36 intelligence officers, police and other military officials accused of abusing prisoners. He also accused senior members of the security services of ordering an attack on the prime minister in June. The detained METEC employees and security officials appeared in court later on Monday. A judge denied the suspects bail and gave police 14 days further to investigate. None were charged. Opposition politician Berhanu Nega welcomed the development and said the vast majority of Ethiopians were happy with the arrests. "People believe it is about time such measures are taken to address the issue of justice in the past but also to indicate in the future that these kind of crimes are not acceptable in the future," he told Reuters. A list of the arrest warrants released by the attorney general's office named 27 METEC current and former executives including the head of military equipment production and the head of corporate logistics and supply. One of those arrested was "caught ... while trying to destroy evidence", the document read. There was no immediate comment from the defendants or their lawyers. Abiy - Ethiopia's first leader from its majority Oromo ethnic group - was chosen by the EPRDF to head it after three years of street protests and strikes piled pressure on the coalition to reform. Some analysts say Abiy's reforms have targeted the old guard of the EPRDF, long dominated by the minority Tigrayan ethnic group. But others have suggested he must have high-level backing from senior members of the TPLF, the Tigrayan political party in the coalition. "It would be a recipe for conflict to go against these big fish without consent, or some bargaining from the TPLF," said one Ethiopian analyst who declined to be named. (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Additional reporting by Maggie Fick; Writing by Maggie Fick and George Obulutsa; Editing by Robin Pomeroy, Andrew Heavens, Richard Balmforth)Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - The European Commission complained Tuesday that Romania has gone back on court reforms, urging Bucharest to revive efforts immediately to fight corruption and ensure judicial independence.

The European Union's executive arm highlighted growing concerns about threats to the rule of law and democratic values in not just Romania but other member countries such as Poland and Hungary.

"I regret that Romania has not only stalled its reform process, but also reopened and backtracked on issues where progress was made over the past 10 years," Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said, presenting a report.

"It is essential that Romania gets back on track immediately in the fight against corruption and also ensures an independent judiciary," he said.

The former Dutch foreign minister also expressed concern about restrictions on press freedom under Prime Minister Viorica Dancila's left-wing government in Bucharest.

"We need the media to be able to work free from pressure," he told a press conference later.

Timmermans, the EU's pointman on rule of law threats, issued eight recommendations for Romania, including immediately suspending procedures to appoint or dismiss prosecutors.

He also urged Romania to freeze the implementation of changes to the criminal code.

The commission said it will continue to follow Romania closely and will assess the situation before the end of the executive's mandate next year.

"We don't do this to punish, we do this to help," Timmermans told reporters, stressing it was part of a cooperative dialogue with Romania.

In contrast, the Commission last year launched action that could result in unprecedented sanctions against Poland's right-wing government over allegations that it posed a "systemic threat" to the rule of law.

The European Parliament launched a similar action in recent months against Poland's ally Hungary, though member states could veto the sanctions that would result in their losing EU voting rights.

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For months, the Commission has been expressing concern about changes to Romania's penal code pushed through by the Social Democratic Party-led government, which its critics say are unconstitutional and threaten judicial independence.

During a debate last month in the European Parliament with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Union stressed the need for progress in Romania before it assumes the bloc's rotating presidency in January.

- 'Not ready for this' -

Juncker warned Romania not to undermine its bid to join Europe's passport-free Schengen zone, where Bucharest needs a recommendation from the Commission and unanimous support from the other 27 EU member countries.

Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria's bid to join the Schengen zone -- which is composed of 22 EU nations and four non-EU countries -- have been blocked since 2007.

The Schengen area is one of the pillars of the European project, enshrining the right to free movement.

Bulgaria fared far better in the commission report, with Timmermans hailing its progress on judicial reform as well as fighting corruption and organised crime.

Prosecutors have had some success in clamping down on corruption in Romania, which has a reputation as one of the EU's most graft-ridden countries, but the government accuses them of overstepping their power.

After winning elections in late 2016, the government attempted to water down anti-corruption legislation, but abandoned the plans in face of the biggest wave of protests since the collapse of communism in 1989.

In a non-binding vote, the European Parliament on Tuesday also warned Romania against undermining the independence of its courts and the fight against corruption before it assumes the EU presidency.

On Tuesday, The Romanian government appointed George Ciamba, a 52-year-old experienced diplomat, as Europe minister in order to prepare for the bloc presidency.

Iohannis, who hails from Romania's centre right, had claimed that the leftist government is "not ready for this" presidency after Ciamba's predecessor Victor Negrescu, 33, resigned late last week.

No public explanation was given but Romanian press reports said colleagues had blamed Negrescu for failing to ease EU concerns about Romania's upcoming presidency.

Dancila insisted Romania was ready for the job and accused Iohannis of harming the country.Both sides have agreed to text on the Irish border. Pic: Reuters

Negotiators from the UK and European Union have come to an agreement on the highly contentious Northern Ireland backstop, in one of the most significant breakthroughs for Brexit talks in months.

Downing Street has confirmed that a draft text has been agreed upon.

The future of the border in Northern Ireland has been the last major outstanding issue to be settled amid disagreements over how to avoid physical checks until a future trading relationship with the bloc is determined.

Earlier today, a range of media reports, from the BBC to Irish national state broadcaster RTE, said both sides of the negotiating table have agreed on a solution for the border on a technical level.

RTE said that the text provides for just one backstop to prevent a hard border, and will come in the form of a temporary UK-wide customs arrangement that will include specific provisions for Northern Ireland. These provisions will go deeper on the issue of customs and alignment on the rules of the single market than for the rest of the UK, RTE reported, and will include some form of a review mechanism.

The text is thought to contain annexes for Northern Ireland that will come into force if the UK-wide arrangement does not prove sufficient.

A range of reports say that a special cabinet meeting will be held at 2pm local time on Wednesday (14 November), as prime minister Theresa May seeks support from politicians. She is, however, holding one-on-one meetings with cabinet members this evening.

A spokesperson for Irish foreign affairs minister Simon Conveney said on Tuesday evening that negotiations are ongoing and have not concluded. Negotiators are still engaged and a number of issues are outstanding. We are not commenting further on leaks in the media.

RTE reported, however, that the Irish cabinet will meet on Wednesday to consider the text of the withdrawal agreement, citing an unnamed government source. It is thought that the Irish government wanted to give May and her cabinet time to consider the proposal before responding.

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Similarly, the European Commission insisted that a deal had not yet been finalised, even as an EU diplomat told Yahoo Finance UK that preparations for an emergency November summit of EU leaders were being made behind the scenes.

EU ambassadors were due to meet tomorrow to discuss the blocs preparations for a no-deal Brexit, but they will now also be briefed on the state of play in negotiations.

It is not yet known how May will square the proposals with Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whose 10 lawmakers prop up her government in the House of Commons.

On Tuesday evening, the leadership of the DUP briefed journalists in Westminster on the partys opposition to the proposed withdrawal agreement, as did Conservative MPs from the right-wing European Research Group, which is led by Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The DUP has long been opposed to a Northern Ireland-specific backstop, since it could result in Northern Ireland being more closely aligned with the EUs customs and trade rules than the rest of the UK.

The UK pound surged on the news of a deal, hitting a 7-month high against the euro at 1.15, and spiking just above $1.30 versus the US dollar.

Photo: Yahoo Finance UK

However, Richard Falkenhall, a senior FX strategist at Nordic corporate bank SEB, warned earlier today that while the pound naturally jumps on the prospect on a deal being sealed, it all comes down to whether the agreement May secures is passed through parliament.

A battered GBP has reacted positively on improving prospects of a deal between the EU and the UK during the last few weeks, said Falkenhall.

However, conflicts within the British government as well as in Parliament, which make the outcome of the coming Brexit vote in Parliament uncertain, is another obstacle that has to be passed before a deal is fully secured. Only then can we expect a sustained GBP recovery as the Brexit risk premium should fall.

Brussels correspondent Luke James contributed reporting.Munster (Germany) (AFP) - A former Nazi concentration camp guard said at his trial Tuesday that he was ashamed at having been part of the SS and that he was unaware of the systematic killings there.

Johann Rehbogen is accused of complicity in mass murder at the Stutthof camp near what was then Danzig, now Gdansk in Poland.

Dressed in a dark grey suit, the white-haired 94-year-old was wheeled into the German court, holding a walking stick in his right hand.

In rare testimony in one of the last cases of its kind, Rehbogen said in a statement read out by his lawyer that he was forced into service and denied having ever been a Nazi.

"I'm of course ashamed to have been part of the SS. But I still don't know today if I would have had the courage to do otherwise," he said.

He said he was forced into joining the Schutzstaffel troops as he feared "reprisals against my family if I hadn't gone".

"When I saw the detainees I knew that the SS was wrong but I didn't have a choice to do otherwise," said Rehbogen, who served as a guard from June 1942 to September 1944 at Stutthof.

He denied knowledge of the gruesome crimes at the camp, insisting: "I knew nothing of the systematic killings, I knew nothing of the gas chambers as well as the crematoria."

Rehbogen said he "would have liked to leave" the camp but added that "I did not trust myself to speak with anyone and had no one I could trust".

"I will only say that I am not a Nazi, I never have been one, and never will be."

- 'I don't believe him' -

But lead prosecutor Andreas Brendel said that there were "ways out" of serving at the camp for guards like Rehbogen.

"We believe that the guards knew a lot more than what has been recounted today," he said.

Plaintiffs voiced dismay at Rehbogen's statement.

"I am disappointed but not surprised to hear the defendant is denying that he took part in the killings at Stutthof," said Benjamin Cohen, who represented his grandmother Judy Meisel at the hearing.

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"My grandmother's account of her time in the camp and the murder of her mother tells a very clear story about the role of these guards."

Manuel Mayer, a lawyer of a former detainee, said: "His statement was absurd. I don't believe him."

Rehbogen is due to reply to plaintiffs' questions when the trial resumes on Thursday.

Rehbogen was aged 18 to 20 at the time and is therefore being tried under juvenile law.

He is charged with being an accessory to the murders of several hundred camp prisoners.

These included more than 100 Polish prisoners gassed in June 1944 and "probably several hundred" Jews killed from August to December 1944 as part of the Nazis' so-called "Final Solution".

If found guilty, he faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. Given his age and the possibility of an appeal he is considered unlikely to serve any time behind bars.

Rehbogen, from North Rhine-Westphalia state, is a retired landscape architect and divorced father of three, according to German media.

At the trial opening last week, he shed tears when he heard written testimony from Holocaust survivors.

- 'Symbolic but important' -

Christoph Ruecken, a lawyer representing an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor who now lives in the United States, said: "A punishment would be symbolic for such an old man but that's important in times like now when nationalism and anti-Semitism are returning.

"It's important to show that the rule of law says you will face the court if you do these things."

Stutthof was set up in 1939 and ended up holding 110,000 detainees, 65,000 of whom perished, according to the Museum Stutthof.

Germany has been racing to put on trial surviving SS personnel, after the legal basis for prosecuting former Nazis changed in 2011 with the landmark conviction of former guard John Demjanjuk.

He was sentenced on the grounds that he served as a cog in the Nazi killing machine at the Sobibor camp in occupied Poland, rather than for killings or atrocities linked to him personally.

German courts subsequently convicted Oskar Groening, an accountant at Auschwitz, and Reinhold Hanning, a former SS guard at the same camp, for complicity in mass murder.

Both men were convicted at age 94 but died before they could be imprisoned.Women owned businesses contribute a staggering 105bn ($135bn) to UK economy, according to new research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) sent to Yahoo Finance UK.

While the study, which was launched at Facebook Community Boost, also revealed that this was an estimated 40% increase in UK economic contribution and a 26% increase in employment generated by women owned businesses, diversity in manufacturing and higher growth sectors is still a challenge, as most female bosses work in lower-paying industries, such as care.

The results from this FSB report shine an encouraging light on the increased contribution of women owned or led businesses to the UK economy and to employment. However its unacceptable that our culture is still hard-wired against women in leadership roles, said Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebooks (FB) VP EMEA in a statement sent to Yahoo Finance UK.

Until that changes we must all find ways to get behind the women who want to step forward and lead, to give them the skills and courage to succeed. We need more women starting and growing businesses and more women sitting at the table, whether its pitching new business ideas or developing new products.

Photo: Reuters

The FSB report, entitled Supporting Womens Enterprise in the UK: The Economic Case, showed that despite the rise in female founders overall, the proportionate contribution from women owned businesses in manufacturing has declined.

It points out that this is concerning because manufacturing is a relatively high profit sector. A larger proportion of women owned businesses are in the care sector which has low profit.

The FSB report lands on the same day as another major one of its kind  the government-backed Hampton-Alexander review. That report revealed that the number of women leading the UKs 350 biggest companies has fallen from 15 to 12 over the last year and 75 of these businesses have only one woman on their board.

A sharper focus is needed to understand what is happening in the appointment process for these really top jobs, said Sir Philip Hampton, who chairs the review.

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Over 100 FTSE 350 companies have already achieved  or exceeded  the 33% target for women on boards, with a further 50 companies well on their way.

I would like to thank the business leaders and stakeholders that have driven progress in recent years for their significant and collective contribution. At the same time, too many companies still have a long way to go.

READ MORE: Disappointment as number of women bosses fallsDeadly fighting has erupted between Israel and Gaza, sparking fears of a new war, the day after seven Palestinians and a senior ranking Israeli officer were killed in a firefight during a botched Israeli raid in the south of the Strip.

Monday evening Israeli aircraft and tanks pounded over 70 targets in the besieged enclave including Hamas's Al-Aqsa television building, killing at least three Palestinians, two of whom were militants. The retaliatory strikes came as Gaza fighters pummelled southern Israel with over 300 rockets, injuring at least 10 Israelis. Earlier in the afternoon anti-tank fire from Gaza hit a bus seriously wounding a 19-year-old Israeli soldier who is in a critical condition.

The sudden flare-up in violence came after Israel confirmed an Israeli soldier killed Sunday night during a special forces raid in Gaza was the highest ranking Israeli officer to die in the besieged enclave since the 2014 war.



The Israelis identified the slain officer as Lieutenant-Colonel M, Israeli media said he was a 41-year-old father-of-two from North Israel. His funeral was held on Monday.



Officials in Hamas, the militant group that runs the besieged strip, described Israel's Sunday night mission as a botched intelligence raid and confirmed two of its commanders had been killed. On Monday the group's armed wing the Qassam Brigades vowed to respond.

"The joint command of Palestinian factions announce the beginning of bombardment of the enemy's settlements with scores of rockets," the fighters said shorty before launching a volley of rockets.



The Israeli army, meanwhile, promised a tough response saying Hamas will "bear the consequences for its actions".



Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said that they had boosted forces near the Gaza border with additional infantry troops, defensive systems and intelligence units.

He said Hamas was "bringing destruction upon the Gaza Strip."



As the violence escalated the United Nations said it was working with Egypt "to ensure that Gaza steps back from the brink."

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The office of the UN's Middle East envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, called for an end to rocket fire, and restraint "by all."

The renewed fighting threatens to scupper a tentative Egypt-brokered peace deal between Israel and Gaza that was making some headway in recent weeks.

Just hours before Sunday's disastrous raid, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given a lengthy speech in Paris defending Israelis decision to allow Qatar to deliver $15 million to Hamas to pay salaries. In exchange, Hamas scaled back its weekly demonstrations along the Israeli border.

Both sides had been pushed to the brink of war this summer after tens of thousands of Gaza residents have marched towards Israel every Friday since March demanding the right to return to their ancestral lands, which they were forced from or fled during the 1948 conflict which surrounded the creation of Israel. Some have launched incendiary kites and balloons tied with explosives at southern Israeli lands.

The Israeli military responded with live fire, killing more than 218 Palestinians. Facing mounting criticism from aid groups and the United Nations, Israel defended its actions saying that protesters had been violent and attempted to break the border fences.

However, the last two weeks of Friday protests had been fairly quiet, as Hamas had apparently kept its promise to rein in the violence.

Palestinians gather around the remains of a vehicle that was destroyed in an Israeli air strike, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip (REUTERS/Suhaib Salem)

Hamas officials told The Independent they believed Sunday's incident to be a botched top-level intelligence-gathering operation by the Israeli unit, which was operating two miles into Gaza in the eastern areas of Khan Younis when they encountered Hamas fighters at a checkpoint.

In the ensuing firefight, six Palestinians including two regional Hamas commanders, named as Nour Baraka and his deputy Mohammad Al-Qarra, were killed alongside the Israeli officer. Residents of Khan Younis reported a wave of Israeli airstrikes shortly after the killings. Hamas sources said the sorties "destroyed evidence" of the mission and provided cover to allow the Israelis to return home.

Speaking to The Independent, the Israeli army declined to elaborate on the nature of Sunday's mission or whether it had gone wrong.

They did, however, deny earlier reports that the operation was intended to kill or abduct militants in Gaza and instead said it was intended to strengthen Israeli security.

Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot, Chief of the General Staff called it a "very meaningful operation to Israel's security" and said Israeli forces "fought a brave battle calmly and heroically.

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Khaled Qwaider, who was killed in an Israeli air strike, during his funeral, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip (REUTERS/Suhaib Salem)

Another senior Hamas official, briefed on the incident, told The Independent that the vehicle used by the Israeli forces was a civilian car, likely sourced in Gaza, that was fitted out with high-tech surveillance equipment pointing to a "top-level intelligence-gathering operation".

It would not be in their interests to kidnap Nour Baraka, he is not senior enough. They also wouldnt risk the lives of high-ranking officers to assassinate him like that  they could take him out with a drone strike, the Hamas source said.

It was clear someone from the Palestinian side had helped them, and the Volkswagen had been prepared especially before the special forces entered Gaza. [The Israelis] bombed Khan Younis to provide cover but also to erase the leads, he claimed.

Rockets fired by Palestinian militants towards Israel are seen in Gaza (REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot)

The Israeli military declined to comment on these revelations. The army requested that the press and the public "refrain from publishing additional information" regarding Sunday's incident, directing them to official army statements.

Many, however, have questioned the timing of the raid given that it occurred as both sides were on the cusp of signing a long-term ceasefire deal.

Amos Harel, an Israeli correspondent for left-leaning Haaretz newspaper, noted that the incident came just hours after Prime Minister Netanyahu explained in a lengthy and fairly convincing speech about why he thought every effort should be expended to reach an agreement in Gaza and not go to war. Harel also speculated whether it was an intelligence-gathering operation related to Hamass military infrastructure which went wrong.

It is indeed hard to believe that under these circumstances, the political echelon would approve an assassination of a medium-ranked operative in the Hamas military wing, when the gain of such an operation is unclear. Netanyahu is too invested in efforts to reach a deal with Hamas to enable such a move, he wrote.

Netanyahu cut short a trip to Paris Sunday night and flew back to Israel after the incident.Paris (AFP) - In one of the most dramatic mass murder-suicides of modern history, 914 adults and children from a US cult died in the jungle of the small South American country of Guyana on November 18, 1978.

Here is an account, drawn from AFP reporting at the time, of the "Jonestown Massacre" at the People's Temple sect headed by US Reverend Jim Jones.

- Dream of a jungle utopia -

Five years earlier, Jones had moved his "church" from San Francisco to the former British colony of Guyana in the north of the Latin American continent.

The self-styled reverend -- who passed himself off as the reincarnation of Lenin, Jesus Christ and Buddha -- had built a strong following since the 1950s, mostly attracting poor African Americans.

In 1973, in a remote part of the Guyana jungle, he founded Jonestown, a socialist, self-sufficient settlement that he said would be free of violence, racism, sexism and ageism.

Hundreds of his disciples followed and Jones wielded unquestioned authority over the community, a mix of hippy culture and vague socialism.

Ex-cult members, however, made claims of drugs use, hunger and sexual enslavement, saying Jones forced his followers to work from dawn to dusk, six days a week.

- 'Suicide' sessions, assassination -

He also submitted his followers to weekly "white nights", bizarre sessions when they and their children were made to drink fake poison, they said.

His explanation: suicide would be their only escape from an inevitable and looming assault by the US government.

After complaints in the United States, Congressman Leo Ryan arrived at Jonestown on November 17, 1978 to investigate.

A day later, as he prepared to board a plane home, Ryan was shot dead on the tarmac by Jones' men, who also killed three journalists and a cult member who wanted to leave.

- Syringes of poison -

Back at the settlement, Jones told his followers that Ryan was a CIA agent and US Marines were preparing to attack the community.

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A 45-minute recording found near his body would later reveal how he incited his followers to commit suicide.

In a story in December, AFP recounted: "The recording starts with religious music and the sounds of followers gathering ... Jones says that the sect has been 'betrayed' and will not be able to recover from what happened at the airport."

"'We are not committing suicide; it's a revolutionary act,' he says.

"He calls on the adults to administer poison to their children with syringes, saying, 'My opinion is that you be kind to children and be kind to seniors and take the potion like they used to take in ancient Greece and step over quietly.'"

Children cried and Jones appeared nervous.

He is heard saying: "Lay down your life with dignity. Don't lay down with tears and agony ... Stop this hysterics. This is not the way for people who are socialists or communists to die."

"Many people protest. A mother cries out that she accepts her own death but demands pardon for her son... The massacre ends with a cacophony of screams and pain, wheezing, the cries of children in agony and of protest, mixed with applause from Jones' fanatics."

Several hundred people fled into the jungle. Some were caught and shot or forced to drink the poison.

Jones was found with a bullet to the head but it was impossible to know whether he was killed or committed suicide.

- Heap of remains -

AFP journalist Marc Hutten arrived in Jonestown four days later and described scenes of apocalypse.

"From the helicopter ... we see a sudden blooming of bright colours, like a field of flowers. They are the cotton garments in which the hundreds of corpses are dressed," he wrote.

"The flowers become corpses and their smell, at first insidious, becomes putrid. Only the professional gravediggers of the American army keep moving among the swollen bodies."

"Planted in the midst of this heap of remains is a perch, with two parrots, who cackle as if nothing has happened.

"Further on, in a huge wooden cage, lies the body of a gorilla, the mascot of the mad 'priest', its head pierced by a bullet."

Other animals lay dead too, also poisoned, although two or three dogs still roamed the camp, Hutten reported.

"A small wooden bridge leads to the house of the late spiritual leader. Inside, 10 bodies... thrown across beds or even on the floor among the heaps of books and files."

"The Guyana soldier accompanying us says that the dead all seem to be black."Libreville (AFP) - A Gabonese opposition party on Tuesday accused the government of peddling a "lie" over the health of President Ali Bongo after he was hospitalised in Saudi Arabia nearly three weeks ago.

"A group of people within the president's office has opted for evasiveness, duplicity and even (for telling) a state lie," the National Union party said in a statement.

Bongo, 59, was taken to hospital in Riyadh on October 24 after he arrived to attend an economic forum.

Four days later, his spokesman, Ike Ngouoni, said the president had been admitted for "severe fatigue".

But last Sunday, Ngouoni acknowledged that Bongo had been treated for a serious illness.

Following discomfort and "persistent vertigo... first tests revealed bleeding which justified medical surgical care in a highly specialised sector", Ngouoni said, quoting a medical bulletin from doctors treating Bongo.

Bongo's condition has now "greatly improved" and he is "recovering most of his functions," Ngouoni added.

The National Union said the two statements were "completely contradictory" and warned it would be "grave and harmful" to the country if the government withheld vital information.

It called on Prime Minister Emmanuel Issoze Ngondet to fly to Riyadh "with a nationally representative delegation" to meet Bongo, the Saudi authorities and his doctors.

A foreign source close to Bongo and his French-born wife Sylvia has told AFP that Bongo had a stroke.

Gabon's official media watchdog on Friday said it had suspended the newspaper L'Aube (Dawn) for three months for an article saying the country had been put on a dangerous "autopilot" because of Bongo's hospitalisation.

He took over from his father, Omar Bongo, who died in 2009 after nearly 42 years at the helm of the oil-rich West African state.

Gabon has large oil, mineral and tropical timber resources and its per capita national income is four times greater than that of most sub-Saharan nations.

But about a third of the population of 1.8 million still live below the poverty line -- the result, say experts, of inequality, poor governance and corruption.Berlin (AFP) - German economy minister Peter Altmaier said Tuesday Berlin would provide one billion euros ($1.3 billion) of funding for electric car battery production by 2021, as talks with companies reach an advanced stage.

"In the coming months we want to create the conditions for batteries to be produced on a mass scale in Europe," Altmaier said after meeting European Union energy commissioner Maros Sefcovic in Berlin.

The close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel added that "several consortiums are in the process of forming" with talks involving firms from France, Poland, the Netherlands and Austria.

Politicians have repeatedly called for battery-making capacity in the EU.

Altmaier said that the first results of the talks should emerge by year's end, with "concrete investment decisions" falling by the end of March 2019 ahead of a factory opening in 2021.

He aims for the EU to supply 30 percent of global demand by 2030 with "several production sites" in Germany and elsewhere.

EU carmakers currently buy cells from foreign manufacturers -- mostly in Asia -- before building them into the massive batteries needed to power electric vehicles.

After years of scandal over diesel pollution and with tougher carbon reduction targets biting, most producers plan to renew their fleets with dozens of electric models in the coming years -- setting demand for electricity storage soaring.

"According to available forecasts, the battery market in Europe could be worth 250 billion euros per year from 2025 onwards," commissioner Sefcovic said.

But while manufacturers acknowledge batteries' place at the heart of their future products, none has so far been willing to risk setting up a battery cell factory in Europe.

"The scale and speed of investment needed means no industrial actor, or EU country, can do this alone," Sefcovic said, promising an "Airbus of EU batteries".

In Airbus a pan-European aircraft manufacturer was created in 1970 that nowadays battles US-based Boeing for global dominance.

One step ahead of the government-driven initiatives is Chinese battery maker CATL, which announced in July a mammoth new factory in central Germany to supply European customers.

"We may not win the contest for the cheapest battery, but the contest for the best battery is still open and undecided, we can take on this competition," Altmaier said.For all of the firsts coming to Washington when the Democratic House members-elect arrive here this week for orientation, there may be an equally significant seismic shift among Republicans lasts.

Fifty Republican House members decided to call it quits this year, opting to pursue other political gigs or just retire rather than face a potentially bruising re-election. On top of that, at least 25 incumbent House Republicans who ran appear to have come up short. Thats led to something of a GOP brain drain atop committees; through retirements or losses, at least 39 current GOP chairs of committees or subcommittees wont be in Congress next year.

Think it doesnt matter that the Republican who led the House Education and Workforces Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education is gone? Consider that laws that begin in that committee give the authority for almost every federal regulation in K-12 schools in the country. Rep. Todd Rokita stepped down to run for Senate unsuccessfully in his home state of Indiana.

Republicans lost their majority in the House but now seem to be watching some of their sharpest legislators head to the exits. Its obvious throughout the Capitol.

Of the 25 major committees, all but seven lost at least a chairman or subcommittee chairman, roles that in the minority become ranking members tasked with keeping the new Democratic majority in check. Few Americans knew that Kansas Rep. Kevin Yoder was the chair of the Appropriations Committees Subcommittee on Homeland Security  or even cared the role existed. Still, it fell to Yoder to shepherd this years 54-page, $47.7 billion spending proposal, and the $5.3 billion increase it included, into law. Yoder, however, was defeated by Sharice Davids, a former mixed martial arts fighter who will be one of the first Native American women elected to Congress.

Some lawmakers faced term limits with gavels, like Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey and Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas. (Internal Republican rules limit members to three consecutive terms as chairman or ranking member, although exemptions can be  and have been  made. Democrats do not follow such a revolving door philosophy to guarantee newer members have a chance to lead.) Others, like Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, were caught off-balance by their Democratic challengers. Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado was in one of the toughest re-election bids in the country, and his experience chairing the Armed Services Committees panel on Military Personnel wont be coming back.

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All of this means the new GOP minority will be heading into 2017 looking even more than usual at the party leadership, which is picking its first round of sherpas on Wednesday. Current House Speaker Paul Ryan decided to be among the 50 lawmakers not seeking re-election, clearing the way for his deputy, Kevin McCarthy of California, to take his place atop the GOP pecking order.

McCarthy, an affable lawmaker who has a warm relationship with the White House, told reporters last week that he has the votes to become minority leader.

McCarthy, however, faces a challenge from Rep. Jim Jordan, a rabble-rousing Ohioan who also counts President Donald Trump an ally and who helps guide the far-right Freedom Caucus. Trump made clear earlier this year that he was supporting McCarthy, but Trump also feels burned by a $1.3 trillion spending bill Congressional Republicans sent him this summer that drew the ire of fiscal conservatives. Trump, facing a government-funding deadline, signed it but seethed at the likes of Ryan and McCarthy.

McCarthy is expected to win his caucus nod to lead it, but his few detractors note hes been up for the post before and come up short. But with so many fewer Republicans in the mix, the potential for shenanigans may be lower, especially among lawmakers who see many available gavels that can be doled out by a Steering Committee that is still in formation.

Rep. Steve Scalise, a Louisianan currently serving as Majority Whip, is expected to slot easily into the minority whip role in counting votes for the party. And Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a senior official in the George W. Bush-era State Department and daughter to former Vice President Dick Cheney, is in line to take over party messaging and media operations as the Republican Conference Chair. Both are unopposed at the moment.

For those members who do remain, many will be drafted into service as ranking members on committees or subcommittees. After all, if the current administrative structure of the House remains the same (and it likely wont, to be honest), there will be 127 roles in the GOP minority that need filled to administer day-to-day management of the legislative branch. As of Monday afternoon, a projected 198 Republicans would form the GOP caucus next year.

With a caucus this small, theres little room for deadwood.It highlights the terrifying power of solar flares (Getty)

In 1972, American pilots flying over North Vietnam saw huge sea mines detonating suddenly for no apparent reason  but researchers now believe they have solved the mystery.

Researchers from CU Boulder say that the mines may have been detonated from space  by magnetised gas hurled at our planet by a solar storm.

The research highlights the power of solar storms  and shows how vulnerable our wired world could be to a large solar storm.

CU Boulder professor Delores Knipp investigated the explosions  and found a declassified military report which linked the explosion of dozens of sea mines to a large solar storm.

MORE: Couple who named baby after Hitler convicted of neo-Nazi terror group charges

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Knipp and her colleagues linked the report to reports from scientists around the world, showing large solar flares from 2 August 1972 to 4 August 1972.

Knipp said, I started reading this report, and I said wow, this really happened.

She says the find highlights the scale of the flares  and the danger of solar activity.

Knipp said, In the process of researching this event, I realized that this was, in fact, a great storm. But it was also such an odd storm in the way it developed and the way it hit the earth.

What this event does is give us a sense of range of what these great storms could look like.

Researchers warned last year that a super solar storm could burn out power stations, cut water supplies, and leave satellites dead in the skies.

The only account of a super storm striking Earth comes from more than 150 years ago  when a Victorian scientist, Richard Carrington, described an eruption known as the Carrington event.

In 1859, there were no telephones and satellites, but the power of the storm devastated communications  telegraph wires around the world burnt out, and some operators reported sheets of paper catching fire.RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights expressed deep concern over human rights in Brazil on Monday, saying it will monitor what happens when the government of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro assumes office Jan. 1.

After a one-week visit to eight states in Latin America's biggest country, the commission released a report highlighting violence suffered by indigenous people, the growing exclusion of those living on the streets, threats against freedom of expression, the vulnerability of minorities, and a culture of impunity among police.

"Killings committed by security forces must end. They must protect people, not kill them," the commission's president, Margarette May Macaulay, said at news conference. "The focus must be on the protection of life."

In 2017, an estimated 5,012 people were killed by police, which represents a 19 percent increase from the previous year. Brazil is one of the countries with the highest homicide rates in the world, with 30.8 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

Urrejola also said Brazil is a country where "intolerance and hate speech affect the freedom of expression, protests and meetings of LGBTI communities, women, Afro-descendants and indigenous peoples."

During their visit, commission members met with members of the current government of President Michel Temer, in addition to social organizations and activists. They did not meet with anyone from Bolsonaro's future team.

"If there had been any interest, we were available," the report said.

Brazilian officials did not make any immediate comment about the commission's report.

But advisers to Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain, in the past have had harsh words for the commission, which is a permanent body of the Washington-based Organization of American States.

Gustavo Bebbiano, an incoming Cabinet member, has called the commission "leftist" and said it has "zero credibility."

The report expressed veiled criticism at some of the core proposals of Bolsonaro's government, including its hardline approach to security and its campaign promise to institute greater legal protections for police officers who commit crimes.

"Experience shows that the escalation of 'zero tolerance' speech strengthens the risk of higher numbers of extrajudicial executions," said, Antonia Urrejola, a member of the commission.BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's government said it would not make concessions to the Central European University, the legal status of which has been in limbo for more than a year due to changes in the law from a government hostile to its founder, financier George Soros. "In Hungary the law applies to all, including the Soros university," government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs was quoted as saying in an interview published by the daily Magyar Hirlap on Thursday. "No one can enjoy privileges," he said. "If other foreign universities can meet the conditions laid down in the law, then the CEU will have to follow suit instead of creating a political issue out of the matter." Kovacs said the state education office would examine in the future whether CEU meets the necessary criteria. A change last year to Hungary's law on education withdrew the right to operate from foreign-registered universities that do not also offer courses in their home country. It was widely seen as explicitly targeting the CEU, which offers graduate-level courses taught in English and is frequently ranked as the top university in Hungary. The university said last month that it was being forced out of Hungary by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government and would switch its main campus to Vienna, enrolling new students there if it did not receive guarantees of academic freedom by Dec. 1. U.S. billionaire Soros, who promotes liberal causes through his charities, has been the subject of a campaign by the right-wing government of Orban. Earlier this year, his charitable Open Society Foundations left Hungary. (Reporting by Gergely Szakacs and Krisztina Than; Editing by Gareth Jones and Peter Graff)By Cindy Silviana and Tracy Rucinski JAKARTA/DALLAS (Reuters) - Indonesian investigators said on Monday more training was needed for Boeing 737 MAX pilots after discovering the situation believed to have faced the crew of a doomed Lion Air jet was not contained in the aircraft's flight manual. U.S. pilots were also not aware of potential risks, two U.S. pilot unions told Reuters. The comments shed further light on the areas under scrutiny as investigators prepare to publish their preliminary report on Nov. 28 or 29, one month after the Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX dived into the Java Sea, killing all 189 on board. Until now, public attention has focused mainly on potential maintenance problems including a faulty sensor for the 'angle of attack', a vital piece of data needed to help the aircraft fly at the right angle to the currents of air and prevent a stall. Now the investigation's focus appears to be expanding to the clarity of U.S.-approved procedures to help pilots prevent the 737 MAX over-reacting to such a data loss, and methods for training them. Dennis Tajer, a 737 captain and spokesman for Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents American Airlines Group Inc pilots, said his union was informed after the crash about a new system Boeing had installed on 737 MAX jets that could command the plane's nose down in certain situations to prevent a stall. "It is information that we were not privy to in training or in any other manuals or materials," he said. A U.S. government official said Boeing is expected to unveil a software update to reduce the risks of the 737 MAX stall protection system, but said the timing is unclear. Boeing declined to comment about a software update but said it was taking "every measure" to fully understand all aspects of the incident and working closely with the investigating team and all regulatory authorities involved. Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of Indonesia's transportation safety committee of crash investigators (KNKT), said on Monday that Indonesian regulators would tighten training requirements as a result of the findings of the investigation so far. "We know, because this incident happened, we know we need additional training," he said. The comments focus attention on the contents of aircraft manuals and a conversion course allowing pilots of the previous generation of Boeing jet, the 737NG, to upgrade to the MAX. The manual had not covered how to handle a situation like the one that occurred in the crash, Soerjanto told reporters. Lion Air officials said on Monday that they had followed a training regime approved by both U.S. and European regulators. The approved training was restricted to three hours of computer-based training and a familiarization flight, Lion Air Training Centre general manager Dibyo Soesilo said during a media tour of the center on Monday. The Oct. 29 crash was the first accident involving the 737 MAX, an updated version of Boeing's workhorse narrowbody jet that entered service last year. CHECKLIST Information recovered from the jet's flight data recorder last week led the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue an emergency airworthiness directive urging airlines to update their flight manuals. The directive warned pilots that a computer on the Boeing 737 MAX could lead to the plane being forced to descend sharply for up to 10 seconds even in manual flight, leading to potential difficulties in controlling the plane. Pilots could stop this automated response by pressing two buttons if the system behaved unexpectedly, but questions have been raised about how well prepared they were for such an automatic reaction and how much time they had to respond. An American Airlines spokesman said the carrier had received the FAA directive as well as a bulletin from Boeing on updating the flight crew operations manual. Last week Boeing said the fix for this type of event - known as a 'runaway stabilizer' - was covered by existing procedures. Even though this problem was - according to investigators - not covered in the operating manual, pilots did have access to a checklist designed to turn off errant systems when the plane started nosing downwards at the wrong time, said Soejono, a Lion Air instructor who like many Indonesians goes by one name. Experts say investigators will be examining whether the crew examined this checklist and if so whether they had time to cut off the automated nose-down system while flying at a relatively low altitude of 5,000 feet. Pilots on a previous flight are reported to have overcome a similar sensor problem. To answer that question fully, investigators may need access to cockpit voice recordings thought to be hidden in the seabed. A search for the jet's missing cockpit voice recorder is continuing and could provide important information about human factors relating to the crash, Soerjanto said. The FAA said in a statement that it would take further action if that was warranted by findings from the accident investigation. (Reporting by Cindy Silviana and Agustinus Beo Da Costa in Jakarta and Tracy Rucinski in Dallas; additional reporting by Eric M Johnson in Seattle and David Shepardson in Washington; writing by Jamie Freed and Tim Hepher; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Jeffrey Heller GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian militants and Israel held their fire late on Tuesday following an Egyptian mediation effort, bringing a relative calm to the Gaza frontier after the fiercest rocket salvoes and air strikes since the 2014 war. The enemies made clear the pause was an armed stand-off rather than a long-term accommodation. Fighting died down at 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) and a Palestinian official briefed on the negotiations said Gaza factions ceased firing as part of a deal proposed by Egypt. Israeli officials confirmed Cairo had been involved in Tuesday's arrangement. Since Monday, Israeli air strikes had killed seven Palestinians, at least five of them gunmen, and destroyed several buildings used by Gaza's ruling Hamas Islamists. Rocket attacks from Gaza sent residents of southern Israel to shelters, wounding dozens and killing a Palestinian laborer from the occupied West Bank. The flare-up was triggered by a botched Israeli commando incursion on Sunday but the surge of violence has been stoked by the economic plight of the Gaza Strip, which Israel blockades in hope of isolating Hamas, an Islamist movement designated a terrorist group by the West. The exchanges were the fiercest since the Gaza war in 2014, the third between Israel and Hamas in a decade as part of the wider Israel-Palestinian conflict. In that 50-day war, more than 2,100 Palestinians were killed Gaza, most of them civilians, along with 66 Israeli soldiers and seven civilians in Israel. CEASEFIRE The joint command of the Palestinian armed factions in Gaza said in a statement on Tuesday they would abide by a ceasefire "as long as the Zionist enemy does the same". Hamas, which has ruled the packed and impoverished coastal enclave since 2007, claimed victory. Spokesman Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua said the militants had "taught the enemy a harsh lesson and made it pay for its crimes". Israeli security minister Yuval Steinitz said after a cabinet debate lasting several hours that he knew of no formal truce. Rather, he told Ynet TV, Israel had "landed a harsh and unprecedented blow on Hamas and the terrorist groups in Gaza, and we will see if that will suffice or whether further blows will be required". While many Palestinians celebrated in the streets, in Israel the response was mixed. Dozens of residents of bombarded southern villages blocked an Israeli traffic junction and burned tyres in protest at what they deemed a government capitulation. Hamas and other armed factions had fired more than 400 rockets or mortar bombs across the fenced border after carrying out a guided-missile attack on Monday on a bus that wounded an Israeli soldier, the military said. Hamas said it was retaliating for a Israeli commando mission in Gaza on Sunday that erupted into gunfight when uncovered by militants. A Hamas commander, six other gunmen and an Israeli colonel were killed in that incident. Israel said its Iron Dome anti-rocket system intercepted more than 100 projectiles from Gaza on Monday and Tuesday. Responding with dozens of air strikes, Israel hit buildings that included a Hamas intelligence compound and the studios of Hamas's Al-Aqsa Television. The Israeli military said its air attacks took out a rocket-launching squad and fired at several Palestinians infiltrating through the border fence around Gaza. SIMMERING VIOLENCE Violence has simmered since Palestinians launched weekly border protests on March 30 to demand the easing of the blockade and the right to return to land lost in the 1948 war of Israel's founding. Israeli troops have killed more that 220 Palestinians during those confrontations, which have included border breaches. Alarmed at the bloodshed, Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar have sought ways to improve conditions in the enclave. Israel withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza in 2005 but maintains tight control of its land, air and sea borders. The wider Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been stalled for several years. In the latest violence, Israeli missiles flattened seven buildings. Abdallah Abu Habboush, 22, said he was awakened by shouts from neighbors to get out of his residential building after what Israel terms the "tap on the roof" warning. They all gathered in a room on the first floor to wait out the attack. "Old men who were with us fainted because of the smoke," he said. Israel said all of the buildings targeted by the Israeli military were used by Hamas. (Writing by Jeffrey Heller and Dan Williams; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Angus MacSwan)Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's military said it was carrying out air strikes "throughout the Gaza Strip" on Monday after a barrage of rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave towards its territory.

Israel reported some 80 "launches" from the Gaza Strip towards its territory -- reportedly rockets and mortars -- with a number intercepted by missile defences.

It also said an Israeli bus was hit by fire from the Gaza Strip. It was not clear if there were injuries.

The flare-up follows a clash that erupted during an Israeli special forces operation in the Gaza Strip late Sunday that killed eight people. Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, had vowed revenge.

The renewed violence was threatening to derail weeks of efforts to end unrest along the Gaza-Israel border.

The dead from the incident late Sunday included an Israeli army officer and a local commander for Hamas's armed wing. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a trip to Paris and rushed home as tensions rose.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008 and recent unrest has raised fears of a fourth.Israeli security forces and firefighters gather near a bus set ablaze after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave - AFP

Israel was facing the most intense rocket barrage from Gaza since the 2014 war on Monday as Palestinian militants opened fire in response to a botched Israeli commando raid inside the strip.

Hamas and its allies fired more than 300 rockets and mortars on Monday evening, according to the Israeli military, filling the skies with explosions and sending thousands of Israeli civilians fleeing to bomb shelters.

One Israeli soldier was seriously wounded after a bus was hit with an anti-tank missile. Several other light injuries were reported and several rockets struck homes in Israeli towns near the Gaza border.

Around midnight, a rocket struck another building in Ashkelon, wounding at least 10 people, including one woman in critical condition, according to police and rescue workers.

Israeli warplanes carried out waves of airstrikes throughout Gaza in response to the rocket fire. Three Palestinian fighters were killed by Israeli bombs, according to Palestinian media. Israel also blew up Hamas' TV station in Gaza, calling it "a strategic terror target".

The fighting brought an end to weeks of relative quiet and strained hopes that Hamas and Israel were heading towards a ceasefire deal.

We see these attacks as unacceptable attacks against Israel civilians. Hamas in its action is bringing destruction onto the Gaza Strip, said Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman.

Mourners carry the body of Hamas militant commander Nour el-Deen Barakas, who was killed during the Israeli raid Credit: Adel Hana/ AP

Hamas and Islamic Jihad, a smaller Palestinian faction, said the rockets were in response to an Israeli special forces incursion into Gaza on Sunday night, which left seven Palestinian fighters and an Israeli commando dead

The Occupation and its supporters [must] understand that unless Palestinians live in peace, they wont live in peace. Playing with the lives of Palestinians cant be without a price, Islamic Jihad said.

An Israeli team infiltrated Gaza in a civilian vehicle on Sunday and were pretending to be Palestinians but were stopped at a checkpoint near the southern city of Khan Younes, according to Hamas.

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Shooting broke out and the Israeli commandos retreated to the Israel-Gaza border. They evacuated while Israeli aircraft launched strikes to cover their withdrawal.

An Israeli officer, named only as Lt Col M, and a Hamas commander, 37-year-old Nour Baraka, were killed in the fighting. Six other Palestinian fighters were also killed.

A number of rockets were launched from Gaza toward Israel following the shootout in the strip Credit: SAID KHATIB/ AFP

The rapid firing of rockets appeared to be an effort to overwhelm Israels Iron Dome missile system, which has been successful in intercepting rockets from Gaza. Israel said the Iron Dome intercepted 60 rockets, while many of the others fell in open areas.

This is the most intense barrage since 2014 in terms of number of rockets fired in a short time, said Michael Horowitz, deputy head of intelligence at the Le Beck analysis firm.

The United Nations said it was working with Egypt to broker a halt in the violence. "Rockets must STOP, restraint must be shown by all!" the UN Mideast envoy's office tweeted.

Israel announced it was sending reinforcement to the Gaza border in case of further escalation. The government ordered that school be cancelled in Israeli towns near the border on both Monday and Tuesday.

Schools in Gaza were also closed on Tuesday in anticipation of further escalation.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, cut short a trip to France after the commando raid went wrong. He convened Israels security cabinet for an emergency meeting as the rocket barrage continued.

The spasm of serious violence was surprising because Israel and Hamas appeared to be nearing an agreement, in which Israel would ease its decade-long blockade of Gaza in return for Hamas keeping the situation quiet.

Incredible footage of the Iron Dome missile defence system in action in southern Israeli pic.twitter.com/wvJuDRhxLg (via @AmichaiStein1)  Raf Sanchez (@rafsanchez) November 12, 2018

In recent weeks, Gazas dire electricity shortages have eased after Israel allowed Qatar to begin paying for power plant fuel. Israel also allowed Qatar to deliver a suitcase with $15 million in cash to help pay salaries to civil servants inside Gaza.

Just hours before the fighting broke out, Mr Netanyahu defended the Qatari deal and said it had been endorsed by the Israeli cabinet as a way of easing Gazas humanitarian crisis and lowering the chances of conflict.

I am doing everything I can to avoid an unnecessary war, he said.

The Israeli military did not give details of the commando operation but denied that the team had been sent to kill or capture the Hamas commander, as the militant group originally claimed.

"The special operation yesterday was not intended to kill or abduct terrorists, but to strengthen Israeli security. The force waged a heroic and very complex battle and was able to exfiltrate in its entirety, a military spokesman said.

The dead Israeli commando was reported to be a member of Israels Arabic-speaking Druze minority. Druze soldiers often serve in elite undercover units because their native Arabic allows them to pass as Palestinians.

The citizens of Israel owe him a huge debt, Mr Netanyahu said. The commandos funeral was held in secret on Monday.

At the same time, Hamas held a large public funeral for the seven Palestinian fighters killed in the commando raid. Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, attended the ceremony in Gaza City.

Hamas rarely inflicts casualties on Israeli forces and by Monday morning the group was hailing the gun battle as a victory for its side, even though it lost more men. Qassam fighters stopped the Israeli aggression east of Khan Younes in a legendary and heroic way, the group said.Milan (AFP) - Italy's populist government was set Tuesday to defy the European Commission, preferring to risk financial sanctions than revise its big-spending budget.

The coalition had been given time to change its 2019 plans but insists an anti-austerity approach will help kickstart growth in the eurozone's third largest economy, and consequently reduce the public debt and deficit.

The far-right League and Five Star Movement (M5S) plan to run a public deficit of 2.4 percent of GDP in 2019 -- three times the target of the government's centre-left predecessor -- and 2.1 percent in 2020.

But Brussels forecasts Italy's deficit will reach 2.9 percent of its Gross Domestic Product in 2019 and hit 3.1 percent in 2020 -- breaching the EU's 3.0 percent budget limit.

League head Matteo Salvini vowed Monday to put his back into "defending the budget, as if it were a rugby scrum".

The European Commission rejected Rome's budget outright last month -- a first in the history of the European Union.

It gave Italy until Tuesday to make changes and warned non-compliance could activate the "excessive deficit procedure" (EDP), a complicated process that could lead to fines and also risks provoking a strong, adverse market reaction.

While Rome targets economic growth at 1.5 percent next year, Brussels has forecast a more cautious 1.2 percent, putting Italy at the bottom of the table.

- 'Suicide' -

Italy's Economy Minister Giovanni Tria has accused Brussels of getting its sums wrong.

It would be "suicide" to attempt to reduce the deficit to the previous goal of 0.8 percent of GDP, he has said, insisting "we must get out of the trap of weak growth".

The elephant in the room is Italy's public debt, which comes in at a whopping 2.3 trillion euros ($2.6 trillion), a sum equivalent to 131 percent of its GDP -- second in the euro area only to Greece and way above the 60 percent EU ceiling.

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Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has attempted to soothe troubled markets by saying the Commission's forecasts "undervalue the positive impact of the budget and structural reforms".

"The deficit will decrease with growth, and this will reduce the debt to GDP ratio to 130 percent next year and... 126.7 percent in 2021", he said.

The fine for refusing to review the budget could correspond to 0.2 percent of Italy's GDP -- some 3.4 billion euros.

European Economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici has said he hopes a compromise can be found to avoid sanctions.

"If you ask us to tackle waste, to find more resources, we can talk about that," M5S head and deputy prime minister Luigi di Maio said on Sunday.

But he added: "If you ask us to massacre the Italians, we say no: the budget will not change".

Fellow deputy PM Salvini, who insists the Commission mind its own business, has called for a rally in the capital next month to tell "the gentlemen of Brussels: 'let us work, live and breathe'".

- 'First step' -

The European Commission "will make the first step to move Italy into EDP" after an update on the debt expected on November 21, said Lorenzo Codogno, former chief economist at the Italian Treasury Department.

The country will likely be given three to six months to prepare correction plans, after which nothing will happen until the new Commission takes up office at the end of next year following European Parliament elections, he said.

"The true guardians of fiscal discipline will be, as usual, financial markets," he said.

All eyes are on the "spread" -- the difference between yields on 10-year Italian government debt compared to those in Germany -- which has more than doubled since May, when negotiations to form the coalition government in Rome began.

Uneasy investors, who demand a higher return to put their money into Italian assets, have already cost the taxpayer an additional 1.5 billion euros in interest over the past six months, according to the Bank of Italy.

The fear is that stress in Italy could spread to other European countries which are only just recovering from the eurozone debt crisis.Rome (AFP) - Italian police on Tuesday bulldozed a symbolic makeshift camp in Rome which has housed tens of thousands of migrants during their journeys to northern Italy and the rest of Europe.

"Stateless, lawless no-man's lands will no longer be tolerated," Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, head of the far-right League, said as diggers rumbled through the camp, run by the Baobab Experience association.

Men could be seen wheeling away their belongings in shopping trolleys, while youngsters hugged tearfully as tents were dismantled around them, according to an AFP photographer.

A cut out photo of Salvini's head glared from the side of a rolled up mattress as a crane swept up discarded belongings in the abandoned parking lot near Rome's two main train stations.

Around 100 migrants had been living there after leaving -- voluntarily or otherwise -- Italy's reception system.

In 2015, when the borders were still open, some 35,000 migrants transited through Baobab on their way to the rest of Europe. The camp had been located in an old factory at the time.

The association was behind a protest last week against Salvini's "inhumane, dangerous and unacceptable" security decree, which the UN's human rights body has said conflicts with international laws on refugees and human rights.

"It's already the 22nd time that the camp has been cleared, but I think this time it has been shut down for good," Baobab coordinator Andrea Costa said.Rome (AFP) - Italy's populist government defied the European Commission Tuesday by sticking to its big-spending budget plan, risking financial sanctions in a high-stakes standoff with Brussels.

Despite pressure from the European Commission, which rejected Rome's budget outright last month in a first for the EU, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio vowed to stand firm on the country's anti-austerity plans.

"The budget will not change, neither in its balance sheet nor in its growth forecast. We have the conviction that this is the budget needed for the country to get going again," Di Maio, who leads the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), said Tuesday evening after a ministerial meeting.

M5S and its coalition partner, the far-right League party, insist the budget will help kickstart growth in the eurozone's third largest economy and reduce the public debt and deficit.

The Commission gave Italy until Tuesday to make changes to its 2019 plans and warned non-compliance could activate the "excessive deficit procedure" (EDP), a complicated process that could lead to fines and possibly provoke a strong, adverse market reaction.

Italy intends to run a public deficit of 2.4 percent of gross domestic product in 2019 -- three times the target of the government's centre-left predecessor -- and one of 2.1 percent in 2020.

But Brussels forecasts Italy's deficit will reach 2.9 percent of GDP in 2019 and hit 3.1 percent in 2020 -- breaching the EU's 3.0 percent limit.

League head Matteo Salvini, who is also a deputy prime minister, vowed Monday to put his back into "defending the budget, as if it were a rugby scrum".

While Rome targets economic growth of 1.5 percent, Brussels anticipates just 1.2 percent, putting Italy at the bottom of the EU table.

The IMF forecasts growth of 1.0 percent for 2020 and was sceptical of Italy's reform programme in its latest report on the country.

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- 'Suicide' to reduce deficit -

Italy's Economy Minister Giovanni Tria has accused Brussels of getting its sums wrong.

It would be "suicide" to try to reduce the deficit to the previous goal of 0.8 percent of GDP, he has said, insisting "we must get out of the trap of weak growth".

The big problem is Italy's public debt, now a huge 2.3 trillion euros ($2.6 trillion), or 131 percent of Italy's GDP -- way above the 60 percent EU ceiling.

The fine for refusing to review the budget could correspond to 0.2 percent of Italy's GDP -- about 3.4 billion euros ($3.8 billion)

European Economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici has said he hopes a compromise can be found to avoid sanctions.

Speaking Tuesday to the European Parliament, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU wanted to reach out to Italy, a founding member.

"But Italy also adopted the many rules that we now all have in common," she added.

- EU 'First step' -

The European Commission "will make the first step to move Italy into EDP" after a debt update expected on November 21, said Lorenzo Codogno, former chief economist at the Italian Treasury Department.

The country will likely be given three to six months to prepare correction plans, after which nothing will happen until a new Commission takes up office at the end of next year following European Parliament elections, he said.

"The true guardians of fiscal discipline will be, as usual, financial markets," he said.

All eyes are now on the "spread" -- the difference between yields on 10-year Italian government debt compared with those in Germany -- which has more than doubled since May, when negotiations to form the coalition government in Rome began.

Uneasy investors have already cost the taxpayer an additional 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) in interest over the past six months.

A wider fear is that stress in Italy could spread to other European countries which are only just recovering from the eurozone debt crisis.

"We do not expect a crisis that would lead to a loss of market access," said Agnese Ortolani, analyst at The Economist Intelligence Unit.

But the country's debt and the weakness of its banking sector mean "Italy would be too large to rescue without massive ECB support in the event of a large-scale financial crisis," she said.By Agnieszka Flak and Stephen Jewkes

MILAN (Reuters) - Italy is preparing legislation that could lead to a merger of Telecom Italia's network with smaller rival Open Fiber, an issue that is causing friction between the company's CEO and some board directors, sources close to the matter said on Sunday.

Open Fiber, owned by state-controlled utility Enel and state lender CDP, has been rolling out a fiber optic network across Italy, in direct competition with Italy's biggest phone group Telecom Italia (TIM). Industry experts have said such duplication makes little economic sense.

"It is not that far from reality," one of the sources said when asked about the planned legislation to combine the two networks, adding that the government wanted to do it as soon as possible.

The legislation was first reported by newspapers Corriere della Sera and Il Sole 24 Ore.

A second source said the legislation could be an amendment to a draft law approved in September that still needs parliament's blessing. If that bill gets sidetracked, it could be part of another law, the person said.

"We are working to set the conditions in order to create a single player to distribute internet and broadband," Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio, who also doubles as Industry Minister, said on Sunday in an interview with la7 television.

He said the government would set up talks with all the parties involved and expected to close the "dossier" by the end of the year. He did not give more details.

TIM, whose top shareholder is French media group Vivendi, has already begun a process to put its network assets into a separate company, NetCo, fully controlled by TIM.

TIM CEO Amos Genish, a telecoms veteran close to Vivendi, has not ruled out selling a stake in NetCo in future, but wants TIM to retain control.

In June, Genish said he was keen to discuss combining TIM's fiber-to-the-home broadband assets with those of Open Fiber, but not the entire infrastructure.

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The network issue took centre stage earlier this year when activist fund Elliott took a stake in TIM to push for a governance overhaul and restructuring, including a spin-off and partial sale of NetCo.

The 5-Star Movement, part of Italy's ruling coalition, has previously said it supported a single network operator under public control.

The plan already has the support of 5-star's coalition partner, the League, plus Economy Minister Giovanni Tria, Il Sole 24 Ore reported.

State lender CDP, which is a shareholder in Open Fiber and TIM, would have a major role in the network company, Il Sole 24 said. CDP already controls regulated gas and power grid companies Snam and Terna.

SCAPEGOAT

Genish became TIM CEO last year and was confirmed again after a board reshuffle in May.

But since Elliott's arrival, he has been caught in the middle of the struggle between Vivendi and the activist fund, which eventually wrestled board control away from the French group at a shareholder meeting in May.

Genish wants to complete a three-year plan launched in March to transform TIM and fix its finances, but he has come under pressure due to tougher competition at home and a large financial outlay to secure airwaves in Italy's fifth-generation mobile auction.

TIM's shares are down nearly 30 percent in the year to date.

Some Elliott-appointed directors are now pushing for Genish's resignation because he is against TIM losing control of its infrastructure, sources familiar with the matter said.

According to a report in Il Messaggero on Sunday, those directors had asked for an extraordinary board meeting this week to seek Genish's removal.

A TIM spokesman said no such board meeting was planned.

"The next board meeting has already been called for Dec. 6 and no call for an extraordinary meeting is planned before that," the TIM spokesman told Reuters.

A Vivendi spokesman said on Sunday the company fully supported Genish and his business plan.

The spokesman also said Elliott was only looking for a "scapegoat" for all its unfulfilled promises at TIM.

Asked whether Vivendi would call a shareholder meeting to push for another board reshuffle, the spokesman said Vivendi would "do anything to protect its interests".

Elliott declined to comment.

(Reporting by Agnieszka Flak and Stephen Jewkes, Editing by Toby Chopra and Jane Merriman)The family of a hero security guard who apprehended a gunman in a bar before being shot dead by police has filed a $1m lawsuit.

Jemel Roberson, 26, was shot after he chased down the attacker in the bar in a Chicago suburb, and knelt on his back until the police arrived.

The incident occurred at roughly 4am on Sunday, after another security guard told a group of drunk men to leave the premises.

Witnesses said someone then returned to the bar with a gun and began shooting, resulting in four people being shot.

Roberson, the father of a nine-month-old boy, then managed to apprehend one of the suspects outside the bar, and knelt on his back until the police arrived.

Moments after the officers arrived on the scene, one opened fire and shot the security guard dead.

He was reportedly holding his own licensed gun and wearing a hat emblazoned with Security across the front when the police officer opened fire.

When police arrived, Roberson was holding somebody on the ground with his knee in his back, with his gun in his back, witness Adam Harris told WGN-TV.

Everybody is screaming out, Hes a security guard, Mr Harris said.

He was protecting the club and holding a suspect down, Mr Harris added to CBS.

Roberson was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to a hospital early on Sunday. Four other people were shot and wounded, including a man who authorities believe fired a gun before officers arrived, Cook County sheriffs spokeswoman Sophia Ansari said.

Attorney Gregory Kulis filed the civil rights lawsuit, seeking more than $1m on behalf of Robersons mother, Beatrice Roberson.

A Midlothian officer encountered a subject with a gun and was involved in an officer-involved shooting. The subject the officer shot was later pronounced deceased at an area hospital, Daniel Delaney, the chief of the Midlothian Police Department, said in a statement posted on the departments Facebook page.

Illinois State Police are handling the investigation into Robersons shooting. The agency said it would not comment on the investigation until it is completed.

Story continues

While Roberson had a valid firearms owners identification card, he did not, however, have a concealed carry permit, police said.

The Reverend Marvin Hunter said Roberson was an upstanding young man and a promising keyboard player at his and several other area churches.

Roberson was trying to get enough money together for a deposit on a new apartment, said Reverend Hunter, the great-uncle of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager fatally shot by a white Chicago police officer in a high-profile 2014 case.

Roberson also had hopes of becoming a police officer, according to his sons mother.

This was going to be my babys first Christmas with his dad and now hes going to miss out on everything, said Avontea Boose.

Roberson is one of at least 840 people who have been shot and killed by police so far in 2018 and one of at least 19 in Illinois, according to a Washington Post database.

The paper said at least 181 of those shot and killed by police this year  22 percent  were black. The US population is about 13 per cent black.

Agencies contributed to this reportFormer budget director for President George W. Bush, Josh Bolten, says the Trump administrations reduced corporate tax rates are creating strong economic tailwinds for U.S. companies, now that rates are in line with those assessed in Europe and the rest of of the worlds developed countries.

During Yahoo Finances All Markets Summit in Washington, DC on Monday, Bolten told reporter Rick Newman that the drop from 35% to 21% is making the U.S. a more competitive place to do business, yet continues to be a hard sell to the American public.

The tax reform was not about making wealthy people wealthier, Bolten said. On the corporate side, it was about making it possible for companies to do business in the United States on a competitive basis, and it is having that effect.

Bolten is now president and CEO of Business Roundtable, an organization that represents CEOs running fortune 500 companies, and previously served in various senior government roles during the administrations of presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush.

When asked how to make the case that the cuts are good for Americans, Bolten said to look at the uptick in hiring, wages, investments, and the drop in unemployment.

An increasingly uncompetitive tax code had been forcing companies to do their business overseas, Bolten said, adding that dollars that had been trapped overseas have been repatriated to the U.S.

Bolten criticized the administrations approach to tariffs, singling out tariffs on steel and aluminum and calling them a mistake.

Other countries have retaliated against our exports, he said.

China has not behaved responsibly

On China, the companies represented by Boltens organization have mixed reactions.

Companies are now very broadly in agreement that China has not behaved responsibly in the international trading environment, he said. The specific mistake was imposing very broad-based, large tariffs as the opening gambit.

In September, Trump imposed $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese consumer goods imported to the U.S. The administration has threatened to bump tariffs from 10% to 25% in January if the Chinese do not concede changes to its trade practices.

Story continues

Dont just keep on hammering the Chinese until they spontaneously combust and capitulate because thats not the way a negotiation with the Chinese is going to work, Bolton said, predicting that a jump from 10% to 25% will have meaningful repercussions.

People will feel it. Theyll feel it at the Walmart  theyll feel it on almost every consumer product you can buy in one way or another.

Bolten said much needs to be done to curb the deficit. On Monday the administration announced the deficit ballooned to $100.5 billion in October, representing 60% increase from a year earlier.

Bolten said entitlement spending, which represents two-thirds of the budget, is driving the increase.

Thats whats growing so substantially. Thats why we face trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, he said.

The solutions are all there, the former budget director said. The political will is not.

Alexis Keenan is a New York-based reporter for Yahoo Finance. She previously produced live news for CNN and MSNBC and is a former litigation attorney.

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Winning the Mega Millions is sweeter in some states than othersA judge on Monday denied Florida Republican Senate nominee Rick Scotts request that voting equipment in Broward County be impounded for security when not in use, proposing instead that three armed deputies be assigned to increase security at Broward election headquarters.

During an emergency hearing in the lawsuit brought Sunday by Scotts campaign, his lawyers asked Judge Jack Tuter to impound ballots and machines in Broward County, citing concerns about Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipess handling of the count, given her past convictions for violating elections law and her offices failures to report vote counts since last Tuesdays election.

What we are asking the court to do today is to remove any doubt. Take away the concerns of the citizens, take away the concerns of the public that this election process will be protected, said Scott attorney Jason Zimmerman. We are not asking the Broward County Sheriffs Office to interfere with any count whatsoever. We are asking the court, when these ballots in these voting machines are not in use, to have someone other than Dr. Snipes, other than someone who listens and reports to Dr. Snipes be a part of the inspection process.

Scotts campaign filed lawsuits against Snipes and Palm Beach County elections chief Susan Bucher last week, saying they had failed to provide accurate information on how many ballots are left to count as required by state law. The campaign also requested that all Palm Beach County votes that are counted after Saturdays deadline to submit an initial ballot count be thrown out.

Scott and his Democratic opponent, incumbent senator Bill Nelson, emerged from Election Day separated by less than half a percentage point in the vote count, triggering an automatic recount under state law. Both sides have taken to court to protect their interests in the days since as the race continues to tighten.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that members of his countrys intelligence community had listened to Turkish audio recordings of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trudeaus comments, made in Paris during a peace forum to honor the anniversary of World War I, were the first acknowledgment by the leader of a Western country of receiving the intelligence from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share, Trudeau said. When asked if he had heard the recordings, Trudeau said no, but that members of Canadian intelligence had.

We continue to be engaged with our allies on the investigation into accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and we are in discussions with our like-minded allies as to next steps towards Saudi Arabia, he added.

Saudi Arabia has drawn heavy criticism over the abduction and murder of Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who was highly critical of the countrys leadership in recent years.

Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month to obtain some marriage documents but never emerged. Turkey later said it had evidence that a kill squad had lain in wait for him to enter the building.

After denying its involvement in Khashoggis disappearance for weeks, the Saudi government admitted last month that he was killed inside the consulate during a fistfight. The government initially tried to paint his death as an accident, but later said it was premeditated.

Eighteen men have been arrested in the case; however, Khashoggis body has not been found.

Last week, Erdogan said Turkey had given an audio recording of Khashoggis murder to several Western countries, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany.

On Monday, Frances Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he was not aware of anyone in the French government having access to the recordings.

If the Turkish president has information to give to us, he must give it to us, Le Drian told France 2, a local television network.

Story continues

On Tuesday, The New York Times appeared to link Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directly to Khashoggis slaying. A recording collected by Turkish intelligence reportedly includes audio of a member of the kill squad informing someone to tell your boss  believed to be the crown prince  that they had finished their mission. That audio was allegedly played for CIA Director Gina Haspel last month, although the agency has not confirmed that she listened to such a recording.

The Times also noted last month that at least nine of the 15 men who were sent to Istanbul just before the murder have some connection to the crown prince.

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Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.The nations leading e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs released plans Tuesday to curtail the underage use of its products after facing mounting pressure from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Meeting the 60-day deadline the FDA imposed upon top e-cig manufacturers to submit plans, Juul announced it would stop selling flavored e-cigarettes to all of the 90,000 retail locations where they are currently sold. The company will continue selling flavored e-cigarettes, which FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has called out for appealing to teenage users, through its website which requires more stringent age verification hurdles.

The company, which has come under fire for appealing to teens through advertisements and other messages on social media, also announced it would be ending its presence on social media by removing its Facebook and Instagram accounts. The company said it would maintain a presence on Twitter for non-promotional communications and on YouTube to air its testimonials from former smokers.

San Francisco- based Juul Labs announced Tuesday it would take steps to address concerns over underage use of its products.

By deterring social media promotion of the Juul system by exiting our accounts, we can better prevent teens and non-smokers from ever becoming interested in the device, Juul CEO Kevin Burns said in a statement.

Juuls verified Instagram account had over 77,000 Instagram followers as of Tuesday. The companys Facebook page had over 10,000 likes from users.

Juuls move to restrict flavored e-cigarettes at retail locations comes roughly a week after The Washington Post reported the FDA was moving closer to a retail ban on all e-cig flavors except menthol and mint, similar to what traditional cigarette flavors are currently limited to.

Ads like this one featuring young models in Juuls Get Vaporized campaign ran for a period of five months in 2015. (Juul Labs)

The FDA has increasingly been eyeing regulations in the e-cigarette space as teenage use continues to rise. Commissioner Gottlieb often cites a 77% rise in e-cig use among high schoolers as a worrying statistic. Other studies, including one from anti-tobacco group Truth Initiative, found underage teens were more likely to use Juul than 25- to 34-year-olds.

Story continues

Just a temporary sales halt

Pending the final ruling on what the FDA deems acceptable moving forward, Juul said it could reinstate the sale of its flavors, including fruit, mango, and cucumber, only at retail locations that establish point-of-sale age verification technology. Such a process would require the physical scanning of I.D.s to prove a customer is over the age of 21, regardless of local age requirements that may be less stringent. The company also reiterated its support for raising the tobacco purchasing age to 21 in areas where it is only 18.

The decision will have a major impact on the overall e-cigarette market. Since growing its annual sales rate to $1.5 billion, Juul has come to control roughly 75% of the e-cigarette market, according to Nielsen sales data compiled by Wells Fargo analyst Bonnie Herzog. As a result of its exponential sales growth, Juul also became the quickest company in history to earn a valuation of more than $10 billion  just seven months after its first funding round.

Leading e-cigarette maker Juul Labs was able to go from first VC round to a valuation of over $10 billion in the record time of just seven months.

In the statement outlining the companys plans, Burns reiterated Juul is a smoking cessation product meant to be targeted at adult smokers.

Our intent was never to have youth use Juul, he said. But intent is not enough, the numbers are what matter, and the numbers tell us underage use of e-cigarette products is a problem. We must solve it.

Commissioner Gottlieb and the FDA have yet to weigh in on whether the latest move will be enough to solve the issue of teenage e-cigarette use he has labeled an epidemic, but considering it is in-line with what the agency was reportedly already considering, its seemingly a lock-step move in the right direction.

Zack Guzman is a senior writer and on-air reporter covering entrepreneurship, startups, and breaking news at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @zGuz.

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Joe Camel illustrator: E-cig maker Juuls marketing seems more egregiousThe Koch network is mounting a multimillion-dollar campaign to push some key priorities  such as immigration reform and free-trade initiatives  before Democrats take over the House in January.

The network, which traditionally backs Republicans, plans to use a mix of tactics, including advertising, lobbying and grassroots organizing.

It hopes to make gains on these issues during the lame-duck session of Congress to build momentum for 2019.

The libertarian-leaning political network funded by billionaire industrialist Charles Koch is getting ready for two-party rule in Congress.

The network, which traditionally backs Republicans, is mounting a multimillion-dollar campaign to push some key priorities  such as immigration reform and free-trade initiatives  before Democrats to take over the House in January.

For one, the Koch group will be pushing lawmakers to pass the FIRST STEP Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform measure that recently made its way through the House, said James Davis, the network's chief spokesman. It will also focus on finding a permanent fix for the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals program, which gives protections to immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

The organization also plans to battle corporate welfare and the trade barriers implemented by President Donald Trump 's administration.

These were the network's goals in 2018, as Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress. Yet Davis said the network is open to working with anyone regardless of party affiliation.

"We're focused on building broad-based policy coalitions. We will work aggressively to bring together a divided government to make progress on the issues," he said.

An NBC projection shows that Democrats will gain at least 30 seats in the House, while Republicans are going to expand their thin majority in the Senate.

The Koch network plans to use a mix of tactics to push these goals, including advertising, lobbying and grassroots organizing. It hopes to make gains on these issues during the lame-duck session of Congress over the next two months in order to build momentum for 2019.

Story continues

"We see an opportunity to engage the American people to address some of the toughest problems facing our country: a broken criminal justice system, an immigration system that prevents good people from contributing, eliminating cronyism and promoting open trade," Davis said. "We're launching an effort to address these challenges at all levels."

Ahead of this new influence campaign, the network quietly bolstered its lobbying division in order to better work with congressional members on both sides of the aisle.

Americans for Prosperity, one of the groups in the larger Koch political organization, recently hired Mike Dingell, the former vice president of government relations at the National Association for Biomedical Research, a nonprofit group that advocates for the humane care of laboratory animals being used for medical research. He also was an intern in the office of former Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat who became an independent, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

As the head of the association's government relations team, Dingell lobbied numerous pieces of bipartisan legislation, including the Senate Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, which tries to modify various programs within the Department of Agriculture. The bill was introduced by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and co-sponsored by recently re-elected Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

In the run-up to the elections, the Koch network announced it would be dedicating $400 million to the midterms. During the group's donor summit in Colorado Springs, Colorado, earlier this year, Koch announced they were open to backing Democrats.

However, the network ended up supporting only Republicans through their super PACs and have won at least half of the federal races it was involved with that have been called so far. The organization also worked on races that are still undecided, including the Senate race in Florida, a House race in Utah and a congressional contest in Texas.

The network's victories included spending millions in support of Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who defeated former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen for retiring GOP Sen. Bob Corker's Senate seat. The group also netted a win in Missouri, where Americans for Prosperity spent at least $700,000 against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, who lost to Republican challenger Josh Hawley.

However, one of its biggest losses came in Wisconsin, where Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin fought off a surge in spending against her by the network and defeated her Republican opponent Leah Vukmir.

As 2018 comes to an end, the network has yet to solidify its plans for the 2020 campaign, including whether it will be involved with Trump's bid for re-election.

"No idea yet!" said one network official who declined to be named. "Still recovering from 2018."

The Koch network did not participate in the contest between Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in 2016.

WATCH: Here's why the Koch brothers are at odds with President Trump





More From CNBC

Paris (AFP) - Fifteen alleged members of a vast crime ring accused of laundering Colombian drug money through luxury jewellery and using shadowy middlemen from the Lebanese diaspora go on trial in Paris on Tuesday.

The chief defendant is Mohamad Noureddine, a 44-year-old Lebanese businessman with interests in real estate and jewellery.

He was arrested in France in January 2016 during police raids that also took place in Italy, Belgium and Germany, after an alert from the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

US officials, who have imposed sanctions on Noureddine over his supposed links to Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, suspect the network of operating between South America, Europe and the Middle East since 2012.

They identified France, where several of the defendants reside, as being at the centre of the syndicate's operations in Europe.

The proceeds of cocaine sales were allegedly collected in Europe, then channelled to Lebanon before being transferred to Colombian traffickers.

The funds were moved using a centuries-old system of payment dating from the spice trade called "hawala", passing through a tested network requiring ironclad trust.

Hawala operators also offer the advantage of leaving no trace of the transactions.

- 'Mercedes 250' -

A few months after Noureddine's arrest US police detained the suspected head of the network, Mohamad Ammar, in Florida on charges that he illegally moved hundreds of thousands of dollars into Miami banks.

Ammar, who regularly shuttled between California and Colombia's second city Medellin, has since admitted his ties to Colombian drug cartels, prosecutors say.

Investigators in the "Lebanese Connection" inquiry, also dubbed the "Cedar Affair" after Lebanon's national tree, suspect a main client was a Colombian drug king known as El Chapulin who shipped large quantities of cocaine to Europe.

After the drugs were sold, the network used hawala operatives to gather the proceeds, employing well established techniques such as regularly changing mobile phones, coded language and hiding money in cars.

Story continues

Investigators listening in on phone conversations deduced that a "Mercedes 250" referred to a pickup of 250,000 euros, while a "truck" referred to one million euros.

The "oven" was a reference to the Netherlands, and Belgium was known as the "mill".

The collected cash was then used to buy luxury jewellery, watches and cars which were resold in Lebanon or West Africa.

The freshly laundered funds were transferred to the Colombians through currency exchange or money transfer bureaus.

Noureddine has admitted to organising pickups of cash but pleaded ignorance about the provenance of the funds.

He has staunchly denied that some of the money could have been destined for Hezbollah as the DEA has suggested.

William Julie, a lawyer for one of the defendants who is familiar with cross-border cases handled by both US and European investigators, said such cooperation is "indispensable" but often leads only to "second-tier individuals who shouldn't be caught up in the crackdown".

His client, who is considered close to Noureddine, has strongly denied any wrongdoing. He was detained for 18 months before being freed on bail.

None of the defendants have criminal records.

The trial is scheduled to wind up on November 28.Beirut (AFP) - Lebanon for the first time Monday passed a law to investigate the fate of thousands of people missing since its civil war and to hold those responsible to account.

Rights groups say thousands of people disappeared during the 1975-1990 conflict, and have repeatedly called for a law to help bring answers to their families.

"The evening parliamentary session passed Law 19 linked to the forcibly disappeared," Lebanon's state news agency NNA said.

The law will see an official commission of inquiry set up to look into the fate of the missing or forcibly disappeared in the tiny multi-confessional country.

It gives the families of the disappeared the right to know their fate including their whereabouts or place of burial, as well as the right to exhume and identify them.

Under the legislation, those who are responsible for forced disappearances are to be punished through jail time of up to 15 years and fines of up to 20 million Lebanese pounds (around $13,000).

Former warlords from Lebanon's conflict are still active in the country's politics.

Rights groups who have been campaigning for justice for the victims and their families applauded the new bill.

"This is a positive step for thousands of families to find closure," the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement on Twitter.

"We stand ready to support the government in the implementation of the law so that families can finally have the answers they've long waited for."

Other commissions were established by ministerial decree in the 2000s, but failed to bring any answers for the families.

According to Amnesty International, local and international organisations have identified sites of mass graves, but the authorities have previously refused to protect these.

Lebanon has been rocked by a series of political crises in recent years, aggravated by the civil war in neighbouring Syria.

The law on the missing was passed by Lebanon's first new parliament in nine years, and comes as premier designate Saad Hariri has spent five months struggling to form a cabinet.Beirut (AFP) - Lebanon's prime minister-designate Saad Hariri on Tuesday accused powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah of impeding the formation of a long-awaited cabinet after five months of wrangling.

Government formation is often a drawn-out process in Lebanon, where a complex governing system seeks to maintain a precarious balance of power between its various political and religious communities.

"It's very regrettable that Hezbollah has put itself in the position of bearing responsibility for hindering the government," Hariri said at a news conference.

"I've done my job and the government is ready" otherwise, he said.

Hezbollah has pushed for Sunni politicians allied to the Shiite movement but opposed to Hariri to be represented in the future cabinet.

Hariri, a leading Sunni politician, has refused to give up a portfolio that would otherwise go to his own party.

On Saturday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said no government would be formed if his Sunni allies were not represented.

"The lawmakers have demanded their right to be represented," he said.

"We will stand by them one year, two years, a thousand years" if needed, the Shiite leader said in a televised speech.

Hezbollah is the only political party not to have disarmed after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, and has backed the Syrian regime in the war-torn country next door.

On May 24, after parliamentary elections, President Michel Aoun nominated Hariri for his third term as prime minister and tasked him with forming a cabinet.

But debates have dragged out the process, starting with a now resolved debate over Christian representation.

In 2009 it also took Hariri five months to form a government, while his successor Tammam Salam took 10 months after he was nominated in 2013.Palermo (Italy) (AFP) - Italy and the United Nations on Tuesday praised an international conference on the Libya crisis as a success, despite the stark divisions that emerged among key players in the chaos-stricken nation.

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the UN envoy said all parties had agreed to a UN conference planned for early 2019 to prepare for elections to end the crisis.

The Italian initiative was the latest international effort to stabilise the North Africa state which has struggled with fighting amoung rival factions since the fall of Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 civil war.

Two days of talks and suspense saw eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar finally turn up at the Palermo meeting but snub the actual conference, preferring instead to hold a series of meetings on the sidelines.

When Turkey was not invited to one of those meetings, its Vice President Fuat Oktay walked out of the actual conference, voicing "deep disappointment".

Nevertheless, Conte told journalists after the conference that "a strong cohesion of the international community has come out of this."

"The support of the international community can accelerate the stabilisation process that must be totally left up to the Libyans," Conte said.

- 'More conviviality' -

UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame praised a "much higher level of conviviality among Libyan stakeholders so I do consider this conference a success."

Italy is the latest country aiming to bring Libya's disparate and often warring factions together after a Paris summit in May saw the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and Haftar agree to hold national polls on December 10 -- a date which has fallen by the wayside.

Now the UN is targeting a national conference in early 2019 that would be organised to provide "a platform" for Libyans to spell out their vision for the future.

Elections are slated for a few months later, with no precise date yet decided.

Story continues

"I saw unanimous support in the international community for it (the national conference) but also I got commitment from those Libyans here that they will attend it... so I feel more reassured," Salame said.

"I think now we have a reasonable chance of success and that's why we're moving."

Salame said that Haftar was committed to next year's conference, playing down his dramatic arrival and departure.

"All international conferences have various formats, sometimes smaller, sometimes larger. In some circumstances people are prepared to meet with enthusiasm, in some they are not prepared to," Salame said.

Turkey walked out after Haftar joined a meeting on the conference's sidelines with his UN-backed rival Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and other leaders, but not with Turkish representatives.

The Haftar camp regularly accuses Turkey and Qatar of militarily and financially backing his rivals, including Islamists.

"Any meeting which excludes Turkey would prove to be counter-productive for the solution of this problem," Vice President Oktay said in a statement.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, UN envoy Ghassan Salame, European Council President Donald Tusk and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also attended the Sarraj-Haftar meeting, hosted by Conte ahead of roundtable talks, which were to have included Turkey.

Haftar left Sicily immediately after the meeting.

- 'A fundamental step' -

Haftar, whose forces control all of northeastern Libya, refuses to sit down at the same table as the Islamist leaders he fiercely opposes.

Just as in May, the key Libyan invitees were Haftar, the eastern parliament's speaker Aguila Salah, GNA head Sarraj and Khaled al-Mechri, speaker of a Tripoli-based upper chamber.

For Rome's populist government, a top priority is stemming the flow of migrants who exploit Libya's security vacuum in their quest to reach European shores, often via Italy.

In September, Italy's defence minister and parliamentary speaker both partly blamed France for Libya's security crisis, which continues to simmer seven years after the NATO-backed uprising toppled Kadhafi.

The Italian criticism came as Tripoli was hit by militia clashes that killed at least 117 people and wounded more than 400 between late August and late September.

Rome and Paris have for months been at loggerheads over Libya's election timetable. While France repeatedly endorsed the December date, Italy opposed it. But Salame told Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper on Monday that any differences between Paris and Rome had now been "left behind".Antananarivo (AFP) - Madagascar's former president Andry Rajoelina on Monday rejected allegations by EU observers that he bribed local officials in return for their support in last week's presidential vote.

A European Union observer mission said in a report Monday that it had "noted candidates committed breaches" ahead of the November 7 poll in the poor Indian Ocean island.

Race frontrunner Rajoelina had paid a total of 4,500 euros ($5,000) to two local chiefs, it said.

However, the report also found that the election overall passed off normally and irregularities had been "very isolated".

In a statement seen by AFP, Rajoelina said he "deplored the false allegation on page 10 of the report alleging the payment of money".

He insisted he "had never offered such a sum of cash".

Rajoelina leads the election battle ahead of his rival Marc Ravalomanana, also a former president, according to preliminary results released by the CENI electoral authority Monday.

After counting from nearly half of the polling stations, Rajoelina was ahead with 39.34 percent of the votes against 35.97 percent for Ravalomanana.

Outgoing president Hery Rajaonarimampianina had barely eight percent of ballots, CENI said.

Madagascar's electoral regulations mean the two frontrunners will be forced into a run-off in December if neither manages to secure more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round ballot.

Madagascar is one of the world's poorest countries, according to World Bank data, with almost four in five people living in grinding poverty.

It has struggled to overcome political divisions after a disputed 2001 election that sparked clashes and after a 2009 military-backed coup.

Both Ravalomanana and Rajaonarimampianina, who governed from 2014 to September 2018, have denounced irregularities and fraud, but the national election commission has rejected the accusations.Democratic lawmakers wont be sworn in until Jan. 3, but theyre already facing the first test of their new House majority: the future of oversight of special counsel Robert Muellers probe.

After President Donald Trump announced he was appointing Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general, key Democratic lawmakers swung into action, sending letters to Administration officials demanding answers and requesting that documents be preserved related to the decision.

It was the sort of thing theyd done a lot while in the minority, but now those letters come with the veiled threat that they may force officials to testify publicly or subpoena documents that arent provided voluntarily when the new session of Congress starts Jan. 3.

Those questions include why Trump fired former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, how Trump chose Whitaker and whether ethics officers advised Whitaker to recuse himself from overseeing Muellers probe due to negative comments hes made in the past and ties to a key witness.

Already, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has warned Democrats that aggressive oversight could amount to presidential harassment, a phrase Trump picked up on Monday to blame them for a stock drop that was actually caused by traders concerns of an imminent economic slowdown amid rising trade tensions.

The prospect of Presidential Harassment by the Dems is causing the Stock Market big headaches!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2018

In an interview Sunday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reiterated that Democratic use of subpoena power would be responsible and strategic and not scatter-shot.

Within minutes of Trumps tweet that he had chosen Whitaker, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who is poised to lead the House Judiciary Committee, tweeted that Democrats would hold the president accountable for the decision. That night,Nadler, along with Reps. Elijah Cumming and Adam Schiff  the likely heads of the oversight and intelligence committees  and long-serving Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to top administration officials demanding that they preserve all documents related to Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe and the firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

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When Pelosi convened all members of the Democratic caucus, both current and incoming, on a conference call last Thursday to discuss Sessions termination, Nadler emphasized that Democrats are prepared to hit the ground running and get to the bottom of what had happened; those letters, he told Democrats, were to designed to put the administration on notice.

On Sunday, top Democrats sent another letter to Assistant Attorney General Lee Lofthus, the Justice Departments ethics officer, asking if he or other ethics officials had advised Whitaker to recuse himself from overseeing the Mueller investigation.

Before Whitaker joined the Justice Department as Sessions chief of staff, he had argued that Mueller was close to overstepping his boundaries, and tweeted that an article referring to the probe as a lynch mob was worth a read. Whitaker also chaired Sam Clovis campaign for Iowa state treasurer in 2014; Clovis, who was the Trump campaigns national co-chairman during the 2016 campaign, has publicly confirmed he was questioned by Mueller.

His attorney has also said he was the unnamed campaign supervisor mentioned in court documents for George Papadapoulos, who pleaded guilty last fall to making false statements to the FBI.

The next step will start in January after the new Democrat majority takes office. If Nadler or other committee chairs want to question Whitaker about why he wont recuse himself from the Russia probe, they can summon him to testify. If he doesnt comply, they can subpoena him. They may not be able to force a recusal from the Russia probe or handpick Sessions permanent replacement, but they can hold Whitakers feet to the fire and make sure the public knows about it  changing the power dynamic in Washington, where Trump has been able to dominate cable news with his tweets and actions.

Appearing on the Sunday talk shows for their first victory lap since their victory in the midterms, leading Democrats appeared ready to seize on this dynamic.

If [Whitaker] doesnt recuse himself, if he has any involvement whatsoever in this Russia probe we are going to find out whether he made commitments to the president about the probe, whether he is serving as a back channel to the president or his lawyers about the probe, whether hes doing anything to interfere with the probe, Schiff told NBC News Chuck Todd on Meet the Press Sunday.Mr. Whitaker needs to understand that he will be called to answer. And any role that he plays will be exposed to the public.Washington (AFP) - Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday he will visit the US-Mexico border, where thousands of active-duty soldiers have been deployed to help border police prepare for the arrival of a "caravan" of migrants.

President Donald Trump ordered the military deployment in the build-up to last week's midterm elections, with critics assailing the move as a costly political stunt to mobilize his conservative base.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Mattis said he would visit the border on Wednesday.

The caravan left San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on October 13 and has covered more than 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) so far.

At least two other caravans have since been established, defying threats from Trump -- who has decried what he describes as an "invasion."

The migrants still have hundreds of miles to walk to the border and might not even get there before the scheduled December 15 end date for the military deployment.

The Pentagon said Mattis was traveling to the border for one day and would visit McAllen in southern Texas.

A big question the Defense Department has yet to address is how much the deployment will cost.

The mission could see upwards of about 9,000 active-duty and reserve troops working on or near the border.

It is by far the largest deployment Mattis has overseen since becoming Pentagon chief nearly two years ago.

He said the Pentagon would provide cost updates "as they become known."

Mattis has previously defended the decision to send thousands of soldiers to the border, where they will mainly provide logistical support, rejecting criticism that the move was political.

"We don't do stunts in this department," he said last month.Prime Minister Theresa May spoke at the Lord Mayors Banquet in London. Photo: Reuters

Britain has less than five months to go until it officially severs ties with the European Union. However, there are growing fears of Britain leaving the bloc with no-deal  either through lack of movement on negotiations or that the UK parliament wont accept the deal Theresa May presents to MPs.

There are even fears that a snap second Brexit referendum is becoming more likely.

Last night (12 November), May spoke at the Lord Mayors Banquet in London with the contents of her speech doing little to qualm those fears. While she said there wont be an agreement at any cost, she emphasised how any deal must ensure we take back control of our laws, borders and money. It must secure the ability to strike new trade deals around the world. And it must also be a deal that protects jobs, our security and our precious Union.

The Brexit talks are not about me or my personal fortunes. They are about the national interest  and that means making what I believe to be the right choices, not the easy ones. Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit, and I am determined to deliver for them. I want them to know that I will not compromise on what people voted for in the referendum, she added.

The core issue is that May and her negotiating team have floated several ideas for a deal  essentially picking and choosing parts of EU membership they like (lucrative trading conditions) but wanting to get rid of elements they dont like (freedom of movement of people).

EU officials have consistently said that striking a deal is not like picking from an a la carte menu for May and her team and the UK either needs to accept all the unified conditions that come with EU, such as allowing the freedom of movement of people if they want favourable trading conditions at a fee (like Norway).

However, with speeches like these, May has been alluding and sometimes explicitly saying that she is willing to walk away without a deal if talks do not go her way. Meanwhile, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said this week that parliament will not allow the UK to leave the EU without a deal and if 400 or so MPs were opposed to a no-deal Brexit, it would be able to force May and her team to come to an agreement with the bloc.

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Meanwhile, there are growing calls for a second Brexit referendum. Former prime minister Gordon Brown said Britain should leave the door open to rejoining the EU.

I believe a referendum will happen as people come to the conclusion that since 2016 the situation has changed and at some point they will want to have the final say, said Brown in a speech this week.

Last month, more than 500,000 people marched in London to protest against Brexit.



German chancellor Angela Merkel with her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (Getty)

German chancellor Angela Merkel has become the second EU leader in a week to call for a real European army, falling into rank with French president Emmanuel Macron.

In a speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday, Merkel said that countries combining their forces would be the best way to secure peace on the continent.

We have already achieved cooperation the military sphere, that is good and were going to continue to support this, she told MEPs to both loud booing and cheering.

But what we should do, and this is really important if we look at the developments of the past year, we have to work on the vision of one day creating a real, true European army.

Merkel said such a force would compliment rather than challenge Nato.

That was meant to distinguish her vision from that of her French counterpart who said last week a European army was needed in part to protect the continent from the United States  a Nato member.

We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America, said Macron.

When I see President Trump announcing that hes quitting a major disarmament treaty which was formed after the 1980s euro-missile crisis that hit Europe, who is the main victim? Europe and its security.

He added: We will not protect the Europeans unless we decide to have a true European army.

Those comments sparked a row with US president Donald Trump which overshadowed commemorations for the 100th anniversary of the Armistice.

Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two  How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

The European commission has said it is working towards military cooperation which might resemble an EU army in a number of years.

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The renewed push for military cooperation has sparked outrage from Eurosceptics.

Responding to Merkels speech in Strasbourg, UKIP MEP Nigel Farage said: One hundred years on from the Armistice, we should be genuinely worried.

The idea that this new militarised union is somehow a recipe for peace: I suggest you sit back and think a little bit more carefully.

Maybe you should all re-read history. The European project was set up to stop German domination. |What youve seen today is a naked take over bid. So I think Brexit becomes a necessity after this.



Former First Lady Michelle Obama has revealed she did not initially believe that her husband, Barack Obama, could have won the presidency in 2008.

Although she already gave him his blessing, Ms Obama writes in her new memoir Becoming she was also harbouring a painful thought: Barack was a black man in America, after all. I didnt really think he could win.

Her fears were not alleviated when she saw Time magazine feature her husband on the cover of their October 2006 issue with the Why Barack Obama could be the next president  she looked away. The former first lady could not stomach the idea of Mr Obama becoming the nations elected leader.

Ms Obama said doubts about her husbands electability were rooted in the countrys very real and dark history of racial segregation and slavery. It made her nervous to dream about the small possibility that a black man could one day lead the US.

I think I did what a lot of black folks were doing, Ms Obama said in an interview with Good Morning America, when pressed about her scepticism of her husbands electability. We were afraid to hope, because its hard to think that the country oppressed you could one day be led by you.

Michelle Obama writes in her book #Becoming about her husbands first presidential run: Barack was a black man in America. I didnt really think he could win https://t.co/a0Bj3M41qE pic.twitter.com/nVWfuenpbk  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 12, 2018

Ms Obama, who is a descendent of a slave, said her disbelief is a reflection of the apprehension a lot of black Americans in older generations felt.

My grandparents lived through segregation, Ms Obama added. My grandfather, his grandfather was a slave. These memories were real. They didnt think the country was ready. My attitude was a reflection of that scepticism.

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Throughout his campaigns and presidential terms, the Obamas were often faced with racist messages and threats. The most notable example of the xenophobic narrative is the birther conspiracy around Mr Obama, something that President Donald Trump has been credited with amplifying.

The conspiracy theory alleged that former Mr Obama was born outside the US and therefore ineligible to serve as president, first surfaced in 2008. In 2011, Mr Trump started pushing the theory in television interviews as he floated the possibility of a presidential run.

The former first lady said she could never forgive Mr Trump for pushing the debunked theory further and endangering her familys safety.

Furthermore, Ms Obama mentioned the anti-black rhetoric, as well as, the scepticism around her patriotism were incredibly hurtful to her.

I write about those nasty times where people called me Baracks baby mama, Ms Obama added. [They] accused me of not loving my country [...]Told me I was angry. And, I was, like, This isnt me. Wait, wait, people. This isnt who I am.This post is in partnership with the History News Network, the website that puts the news into historical perspective. A version of the article below was originally published at HNN.

President Trump has said that as many as 15,000 U.S. troops could be deployed to the border with Mexico as approximately 3,500 migrants from mainly Honduras make their way north. His critics were incensed, saying he was playing politics with the immigration issue as elections fast approached. House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith (D-WA), for example, said that the presidents (decision) is fundamentally wrong and a political act at a time when leadership is needed. We should not be militarizing the border, and President Trump has offered no clear idea of what our forces are going to do there.

There are legitimate reasons to be skeptical of Trumps motive for deploying troops to the southern frontier. His claim that the migrant caravan has been infiltrated by terrorists and gang members has raised eyebrows, as no evidence has been presented to suggest that such a thing has occurred. Still, it is important to remember that the militarization of the border is not a new idea. In fact, Richard Nixon started a process of militarization in 1969 that has continued until today.

On September 21, 1969, the Nixon administration shut down the U.S.-Mexico border in an effort to stop the flow of drugs coming into the states. Border crossings along the 2,500-mile divide were clogged as American customs agents searched land vehicles and pedestrians traveling on foot. Radar-equipped government planes circled overhead in pursuit of rogue aircraft, and Navy patrol boats of the kinds used to hunt Viet Cong in Vietnam stalked suspicious sea vessels. The operation continued for several weeks, gravely affecting businesses which relied on customers from both sides of the border and preventing Mexican workers from getting to their jobs in the U.S. Ive heard of the Berlin Wall, but I never thought Id see it said an exasperated young man whose mother was detained for trying to carry prescription medication across the border.

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Operation Intercept was finally lifted in mid-October  a major relief for the many Americans and Mexicans who traversed the divide each day. A report from the American consulate in Tijuana said that residents loudly cheered when border traffic was allowed to move again, though their cheers soon turned to grumbling when border inspections, while eased, did not revert to superficial pre-Intercept standards. In fact, those standards would never return. From that point on, the U.S. government prioritized Latin Americas role in the drug trade. The U.S.-Mexico border had become a flashpoint in the emerging drug war, and would be subject to increasingly intense scrutiny from then onwards.

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

By 1972, the drug war had reached the top of Washingtons domestic agenda. A TIME article written in September of that year noted that the Bureau of Customs, charged with policing thousands of miles of wide-open frontier, was due to add 330 new men to its hard-pressed 532-man border patrol force. It went on to describe a scene that resembled the Berlin Wall, the Korean 38th Parallel, or some other heavily-monitored barrier, reporting that Nixon ordered the Air Force to help out by installing new extra-low-level radar at sites in Texas and New Mexico, where it will be used to track the airborne smugglers who scoot across the Mexican border in light planes, avoiding detection by flying at cactus level. In addition to the radar installations, Air Force and Air Guard squadrons were ordered to maintain their F-102 and supersonic F106 interceptors on alert status, ready to scramble in five minutes. Indeed, TIME noticed that officials with the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs talked as if their job is to tear up the Ho Chi Minh Trail, not the international drug trade.

Efforts to step up border security intensified in 1973 and into 1974, especially as the national conversations about drug trafficking and, increasingly, illegal immigration grew louder. An electronic fence, which some Border Patrol officers compared to the system (known as the McNamara line) used in Vietnam to detect North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troop and supply movements, was installed along the border in order to detect both illegal immigrants and drug smugglers. This type of barrier included pressure-sensitive devices, buried wires, and infrared detection equipment, and was designed to provide intrusion prevention. The construction of an actual physical fence had progressed very little (27 miles total) by this time, but the foundation for future border barrier projects had been laid.

Troops on the U.S.-Mexico border may well be a rare occurrence. But the U.S. has maintained a major Border Patrol presence there for decades. And, from 1969 onwards, the border was transformed from an open area where movement was relatively easy to an increasingly fortified frontier that has drawn more than one comparison to some other infamous international security crisis zones. In a 2011 Foreign Policy article, The Worlds Most Dangerous Borders, the U.S.-Mexico divide was listed alongside such foreboding places as the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

The migrant caravan traveling to the U.S. is making headlines primarily due to apprehensions about illegal immigration  an issue that has dominated the Trump Administrations agenda. But before that topic became a cause for national concern, the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border had already commenced. The drug war has been the catalyst for this effort longer than the immigration issue has, and the latter cannot be understood without first acknowledging how closely the two are interlinked.

Aaron Brown is a PhD candidate in history at Ohio University and a fellow with the universitys Contemporary History Institute.

Visit History News Network to see the footnotes for this article.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Southeast Asian nations will call for those responsible for atrocities in Myanmar's Rakhine state to be held "fully accountable", according to a statement prepared for a regional summit, reflecting a stronger line being taken within the group. The draft of the chairman's statement, which was reviewed by Reuters but may change before it is delivered by host Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the close of meetings of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the situation in Rakhine State was a "matter of concern". The Singapore government did not immediately comment on the draft statement. A final statement could be issued after the ASEAN leaders start their meeting late on Tuesday. Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay did not answer calls seeking comment on the summit message. A U.N. report in August detailed mass killings and gang rapes with genocidal intent in a Myanmar military crackdown that began in 2017 and drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Rakhine into neighboring Bangladesh. It called for its commander-in-chief and five generals to be prosecuted under international law. Myanmar has denied most of the allegations in the report. Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who will be joining the summit in Singapore, has been widely criticized for her handling of the crisis. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, ASEAN's seniormost leader, was scathing about the Nobel peace laureate on Tuesday when asked about the situation in Myanmar. "It would seem that Aung San Suu Kyi is trying to defend what is indefensible," the 93-year-old told reporters in Singapore. "We are very disappointed, because someone who has been detained before knows the sufferings, and should not inflict it on others." Mahathir and Suu Kyi were seated side by side at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN summit and at a welcome dinner. TV coverage showed them studiously ignoring each other. Amnesty International said on Tuesday it had withdrawn its most prestigious human rights prize from Suu Kyi, accusing her of perpetuating human rights abuses by not speaking out about violence against the Rohingya. "We called on the Independent Commission of Enquiry established by the Government of Myanmar to carry out an independent and impartial investigation of the allegations of human rights violations and related issues, and hold those responsible fully accountable," said the ASEAN chairman's draft statement. The Rohingya crisis is one of the biggest man-made disasters involving a member since ASEAN was founded in 1967, and it is one of the thorniest issues yet faced by a group that traditionally works by consensus and is reluctant to get involved in matters deemed internal to its members. In July, Myanmar established a commission of inquiry to probe allegations of human rights abuses in Rakhine, which includes two local and two international members from Japan and the Philippines. The draft statement repeated ASEAN's previous calls on the importance of the repatriation of displaced persons to Myanmar, humanitarian relief and reconciliation among communities, but went further in calling for accountability for the alleged atrocities. The strengthening of rhetoric in the draft was flagged earlier this year by Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan who said his ASEAN peers had urged Myanmar to give the inquiry commission a full mandate to hold those responsible accountable. A source close to pre-summit discussions, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Singapore was leaning toward a stronger stance because it is the most internationally engaged member of ASEAN and feels responsibility as summit host to protect its credibility. It was not clear if all members of the grouping would back the sternest statement to date from ASEAN on the Rakhine issue. ASEAN's Muslim-majority members - Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei - tend to take the toughest line on the Rohingya question, while Myanmar has close regional allies in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Under military control in recent years, Thailand has also provided cover for Myanmar. (Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and John Chalmers)Neanderthals are commonly thought to have relied on dangerous close range hunting techniques, using non-projectile weapons like the thrusting spears depicted here - Gleiver Prieto & Katerina Harvati

The rehabilitation of Neanderthals has taken another step forward after scientists discovered they were no more violent than modern humans and could probably hunt just as well.

Previously, studies of Neanderthal skulls showed high rates of head injuries suggesting they were constantly getting into scrapes with large animals, and each other.

The evidence seemed to imply they had chaotic social structures, leading to violent infighting and such poor hunting techniques - relying on close contact weapons - that they were often mauled by cave bears or hyenas.

But a review of the evidence has shown modern man had a similar numbers of wounds, showing their lifestyles were probably quite similar.

Our findings refute the hypothesis that Neanderthals were more prone to head injuries than modern humans, said Professor Katerina Harvati, of the Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tubingen in Germany.

We therefore believe that the commonly cited Neanderthal behaviors leading to high injury levels, such as violent behavior and inferior hunting capabilities, must be reconsidered.

Overall, however, our results suggest that Neanderthal lifestyles were not more dangerous than those of our ancestors, early modern Europeans.

Neanderthals had no more skull injuries than humans Credit: kolvenbach / Alamy

Neanderthals, lived in western Eurasia from 400,000 until they were wiped out around 40,000 years ago allowing modern humans to flourish.

It was widely believed that humans simply outcompeted them, but the new study suggests a different reason could be to blame.

Researchers trawled through a newly compiled database of more than 800 fossil specimens, which included 114 human skulls and 90 Neanderthals, both with and without injuries. They carried out rigorous statistical modelling accounting for sex, age at death, geography and state of preservation of the bones.

Results showed that males were more frequently injured than females among both Neanderthals and early modern humans, suggesting a division of labour. But there was no difference in the frequency of fractures.

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Neanderthal (left) and modern human skeleton. Neanderthals have commonly be considered to show high incidences of trauma compared to modern humans. Credit: Ian Tattersall

The only difference discovered was the age of the injuries, with greater skull wounds among young Neanderthal skeletons, under the age of 30, whereas Upper Palaeolithic modern humans maintained consistent injury rates across age

This could mean that Neanderthals were more likely to be injured at a younger age than Upper Paleolithic modern humans, added Judith Beier, of Tubingen University, first author of the study.

The research was published in the journal Nature.

Writing in a linked editorial Marta Lahr of Cambridge University said: "This implies that Neanderthal trauma does not require its own special explanations, and that risk and danger were as much a part of the life of Neanderthals as they were of our own evolutionary past.

"The result adds to growing evidence that Neanderthals had much in common with early human groups."Satellite images of ballistic missile base are a further sign that US diplomacy has not led to significant disarmament

Donald Trump portrayed the June summit with Kim Jong-un as a breakthrough. Photograph: Susan Walsh/AP

North Korea is maintaining more than a dozen missile launch sites, according to new research, in a further sign that the summit diplomacy pursued by Kim Jong-un has not led to any significant disarmament.

Donald Trump and his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, have portrayed the US presidents June summit with Kim in Singapore as an unprecedented breakthrough, and pointed to the partial dismantling of a nuclear test site and a missile engine test area as signs of progress towards North Korean disarmament.

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) thinktank in Washington, however, has published satellite photographs of a short-range ballistic missile operating base near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) capable of accommodating medium-range missiles and threatening US forces in the region. The CSIS researchers said the base was still being maintained and improved, and was one of 13 it had identified out of an estimated 20 in total.

The existence of the bases does not represent a violation of the agreement Kim made with Trump at the summit, which involved vaguely worded pledges on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, which Pyongyang interprets as a gradual, staged and reciprocal process of disarmament.

The CSIS report does a great job identifying missile operating bases that analysts have long suspected. The fact that they have been maintained and improved, however, does not mean North Korea is cheating or deceiving the United States  Kim said he would mass-produce ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads in his New Years Day speech this year, and that is exactly what he is doing, said Vipin Narang, an expert on the North Korean nuclear programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Seouls presidential Blue House played down the latest research, according to Yonhap news agency. Spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said information about the Sakkanmol missile base had come from a commercial satellite. The intelligence authorities of South Korea and the US have far more detailed information from military satellites and are closely monitoring [the base], Kim said.

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Trump used the nuclear agreement to promote himself as a peacemaker ahead of the US midterm elections earlier this month, pointing to the absence of nuclear and missile testing over the past year. He has said sanctions would stay in place until North Korea disarmed, but that he was no rush to force the pace of disarmament.

A Digital Globe satellite image shows what CSIS reports is an undeclared missile operating base at Sakkanmol. Photograph: HANDOUT/Reuters

For the time being, Pyongyang appears to sticking to a self-imposed moratorium on testing in return for a pause in US military exercises with South Korea which Trump ordered after the Singapore summit. But there are signs that bargain may be beginning to fray. The North Korean regime has warned it could resume its nuclear development work if sanctions are not lifted.

On Monday, state-controlled media said that small-scale military drills by a few hundred US marines and South Korean forces represented a violation of a summit agreement between Kim and the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in.

North Korea abruptly pulled out of planned talks with Pompeo in New York last week, and have so far not sent a delegation to talk to the newly appointed US envoy for North Korean talks, Stephen Biegun. Pyongyang said however that it is still interested in pursuing talks and describes Trump as being a more amenable interlocutor than other US officials.

I think Kim still wants to get to a second summit, and so does Trump, on the hope that Trump is more likely to provide relief and concessions than Pompeo is, Narang said. So I think they wait to see if they can get to a second summit before doing anything provocative like resuming testing or a space launch. If the second summit blows up, then maybe we see a resumption of testing and fire and fury.HELSINKI (AP)  The Norwegian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that Russian forces in the Arctic disturbed GPS location signals during a recent large NATO drill in Norway.

The ministry said that Norway's Foreign Ministry earlier had raised the issue with Russian authorities.

In an email Tuesday to The Associated Press, the ministry said it "was aware that that jamming has been recorded between Oct. 16 and Nov. 7 from the Russian forces" on the Arctic Kola peninsula.

NATO's huge exercise Trident Juncture that included soldiers from 31 countries, was staged in Norway from Oct. 25 to Nov. 7. Finland and Sweden, which aren't NATO members, also took part in the drill.

The jamming of the location signals isn't believed to have caused any accidents.

Over the weekend, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila said his country's GPS location signals were intentionally disrupted in the northern Lapland region.

Finland's state Air Navigation Services issued a warning to civilian air traffic earlier last week.

Without providing any further evidence, Sipila said Sunday that neighboring Russia may have been to blame.

"It's possible Russia was the disrupting party," Sipila said in an interview with Finnish public broadcaster YLE.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

The Russian Defense Ministry couldn't be reached Tuesday for comment on Norway's claim. The Kremlin on Monday denied involvement in the Finnish GPS disturbance.

"We know nothing about Russia's possible involvement in those GPS failures," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to TASS news agency. "There is a trend to blame all mortal sins on Russia."

Russia is known to have substantial capabilities for electronic warfare. Experts say it has in recent years invested heavily in technology that can affect GPS location signals over a broad area.

The northern Arctic regions of Finland's Lapland and Norway's Finnmark are adjacent to Russia's Kola Peninsula, which is home to Russia's Northern Fleet with major naval and submarine bases and other Russian military installations.

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Asked about Finland's claims, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Monday that cyber and electronic warfare are becoming more and more widespread, "therefore we take all these issues very seriously."

___

Jan M. Olsen reported from Copenhagen, Denmark.Moscow (AFP) - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Tuesday he was prevented from flying out of Moscow for a European court ruling on whether his recent detentions have been politically motivated.

"Border guards are saying that leaving is forbidden for me," Navalny wrote on Twitter.

"There is some kind of letter that says I am prohibited from leaving, but there is no explanation why."

The Russian Federal Bailiff service later said Navalny was being prevented from leaving the country over a 2.1 million ruble ($31,000) fine connected to a 2013 conviction.

But the 42-year-old wrote that he had "no unpaid fines" and that "the last time I left the country two weeks ago, everything was ok".

The politician had posted a photo of the document barring him from leaving Russia that showed the ban had been ordered by bailiffs. Under Russian law, those who have unpaid debts can be blocked from leaving the country.

Lawyers for the anti-corruption campaigner called the bailiffs who told them that they did not order the ban, Navalny said before the federal service's statement was released.

"We did not receive any official documents on this," his lawyer Ivan Zhdanov told AFP.

Zhdanov said the document Navalny was given contained spelling mistakes, did not have a date and did not clarify how long the travel ban is in place for.

"We can assume that this decision was thought up on the border itself," he said, adding that Navalny's team will appeal the decision.

The campaigner also posted a photo to Instagram of himself at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, where he said border guards had taken his passport.

Navalny was barred from leaving the country between 2013 and 2017, when authorities refused to issue a passport because of legal cases against him.

- 'Prisoner of conscience' -

He was eventually given a travel document and allowed to leave the country in May last year to seek treatment in Spain for damage to his eye after an assailant threw green dye in his face in Moscow.

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The anti-corruption campaigner has faced a string of charges and attacks since he became the leading opposition figure in Russia.

Authorities have in recent months turned up the heat on the top Kremlin critic, after Vladimir Putin's approval ratings took a beating over an unpopular pension reform and the ruling United Russia party suffered setbacks in regional polls.

Navalny had just finished a month-long sentence in September for organising anti-Kremlin protests when he was immediately re-arrested and charged over a separate rally.

The Yale-educated lawyer was sentenced to a further 20 days and finally released last month.

Amnesty International described him as a prisoner of conscience and said he had committed no crime.

Navalny came to prominence as an organiser of rallies against Putin that shook Russia in 2011 and 2012 following accusations of vote-rigging in parliamentary polls.

His anti-corruption rhetoric is especially popular with younger people who follow him online.

Navalny was barred from running against Putin in a presidential election in March over a fraud conviction that he and supporters say was politically motivated.

The politician, his former business partner Pyotr Ofitserov and a third man, the former director of Kirovles state timber company who gave evidence against them, were convicted of embezzlement over a 2009 business deal.

The European Court of Human Rights has previously ruled in Navalny's favour, last year saying his 2013 conviction for fraud was "arbitrary and unreasonable".

Navalny has been arrested nine times and has spent a total of 172 days in jail, his spokeswoman has said.The cheap American lager argues that MillerCoors is forcing PBR out of business by breaking a decades-long contract

A legal battle between MillerCoors and Pabst Blue Ribbon could leave Pabst without a place to ferment its signature brew. Photograph: Ivan Moreno/AP

A dystopian future is brewing in a Milwaukee courtroom. A future that could subject hundreds of thousands of bearded, tattooed, sort-of-cool (sort-of-not) people to a perishing thirst. Pabst Blue Ribbon may be no more.

The American lager, known for its cheap price, popularity among hipsters, and  some critics say  insipid taste, is locked in a legal battle with manufacturers of rival beer manufacturer MillerCoors, which may leave Pabst without a place to ferment its signature brew.

Pabst Brewing Company, the owner of PBR, argues that MillerCoors is attempting to force it out of business by breaking a decades-long contract whereby MillerCoors produces Pabsts ale.

MillerCoors disagrees. The company says it is not obliged to carry on producing PBR, and claims it gave Pabst plenty of notice to make other brewing arrangements.

The crisis stems back to a 1999 agreement forged between Pabst and MillerCoors, whose own beers include Miller Lite, Miller High Life, and Miller High Life Light.

That agreement saw MillerCoors take on responsibility for producing, packaging and distributing nearly all of Pabsts beers  which also include Texas favorite Lone Star and Old Milwaukee.

But MillerCoors says it is not obliged to continue to manufacture Pabsts beer when the agreement expires in 2020.

We are deeply disappointed that MillerCoors, the US subsidiary of multinational brewing conglomerate Molson Coors, has willfully breached our 19-year agreement in an effort to stomp out the competition, a Pabst spokesman told the Guardian.

Even though MillerCoors market power is much larger than Pabsts, we will not allow this industry bully to push us around.

Pabst Brewing Company was founded in Milwaukee in 1844. PBR was originally known as Pabsts Best Select, taking on the Blue Ribbon moniker after winning an award for best beer at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair.

Story continues

According to the Smithsonian magazine, Pabst beer had previously won many other awards at many other fairs, and as a marketing gimmick the company began tying a blue ribbon around its bottles and rebranded its beer Pabst Blue Ribbon.

By the turn of the century, Pabst was going through more than one million feet of ribbon per year, pausing only when the first world war caused a silk shortage, the Smithsonian says.

Pabst, presumably to the relief of silkworms everywhere, stopped wrapping ribbons around its beer after the Great War, instead adding a blue ribbon design to its label. PBR eventually became known as a blue-collar beer, and trudged on for decades before becoming  to the surprise of everyone  the go-to drink for people wearing skinny jeans and Converse shoes in the early 2000s.

Sales increased by almost 200% between 2004 and 2013, and academics have written papers about how PBR was the beneficiary of ironic consumption.

Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and trucker hats, which previously had an older, uncool image, became fashionable in the early 2000s when celebrities and young, urban consumers started using the products, Caleb Warren, a professor at University of Arizona, and Gina Mohr, a professor at Colorado State University, wrote in the Journal of Consumer Research this year.

Although many of these consumers initially drank Pabst and wore trucker hats ironically, their adoption ended up giving the products a more youthful and urban image. This rejuvenated image resulted in a new wave of consumers who started drinking Pabst beer and wearing trucker hats sincerely in an attempt to signal the products new, more desirable meaning.

That hard-earned ironic consumption is now at risk. A spokesman for MillerCoors said it told Pabst back in 2015 that it might not be able to produce its beer beyond 2020. MillerCoors has problems of its own  beer sales in general are declining in the US  and says it may have to close the facility where PBR is brewed.

But Pabst claims its agreement means MillerCoors must help it find a place to brew its beer. Pabst says it needs 4m to 4.5m barrels brewed annually and MillerCoors is the only place with the facilities to do it. Pabst is seeking more than $400m in damages.

The case is set to run until 30 November, when we should have a better idea if PBR will continue to be the beer of choice for the sort-of-hip, or whether the days of the famous blue ribbon are over.Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Palestinians on Sunday marked 14 years since the death of iconic leader Yasser Arafat, with their campaign for statehood still deadlocked and beset by internal divisions.

Arafat, who for decades embodied the struggle for independence, died aged 75 in a French hospital on November 11, 2004, with fellow Palestinians accusing Israel of having poisoned him.

The Israeli government firmly denies the allegation.

His body was exhumed in 2012 for tests but a subsequent French investigation found no proof of poisoning.

Swiss experts, however, said they found high levels of radioactive polonium on his personal effects.

Arafat's successor, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, laid a wreath at his tomb in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday, flanked by senior officials of his Palestinian Authority.

After paying tribute to "the leader of the nation and the leader of the martyrs", Abbas went on to accuse Israel and the United States of seeking to sabotage Palestinian statehood through a nascent peace plan that President Donald Trump calls "the ultimate deal".

"There is an American conspiracy through the ultimate agreement and the Israelis are conspiring to implement it," he said.

Abbas suspended diplomatic contact with Washington following Trump's 2017 recognition of the disputed city of Jerusalem as capital of Israel.

Palestinians claim the Israeli-annexed eastern part of the city as the capital of their future state.

Abbas added that the Islamist Hamas movement, his bitter rival which rules the Gaza Strip, was also hindering the cause.

"Another plot, by Hamas, aims to disrupt the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," he said.

Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas's Palestinian Authority in a 2007 near civil war.

Multiple reconciliation attempts aimed at restoring the PA to power in Gaza have failed.

In recent weeks, Abbas has been angered by indirect truce negotiations between Hamas and Israel, mediated by the United Nations and Egypt, that have bypassed the PA.Wildfires are a normal part of life in the tight-knit mountain town of Paradise, Calif. Lisa Vasquez, 56, has lived in the town since she was 11, and says that although the town experiences a wildfire nearby about once a year, the fires had never threatened her home.

Vasquez realized almost too late that the Camp Fire was different. By Monday, the Camp Fire had killed at least 29 people; incinerated 6,453 homes, including Vasquezs; and left the entire town of 26,000 scorched. Vasquez says many of her family members are lucky to be alive because they waited until the last minute to make their escape.

Some of Vasquezs neighbors were not as fortunate. Authorities said many of the dead were found burned in their cars  caught by the raging fire as they tried to escape. Vasquez says many of her neighbors in the rural mountain town are elderly, have disabilities or do not own cars. She is afraid they did not make it out in time.

Vasquez does not know how many of her friends died in the fire, but she fears the death toll will end up much higher than 29. About 225 people were missing as of Sunday night.

The death is so much higher than that, Vasquez says. Im so sorry for my community. Its going to be a ghost town, weve lost so many people.

Lisa Vasquez

When Camp Fire started about 6:30 a.m. Thursday, it was more than nine miles from Vasquezs home. Strong winds and dry forests caused it to spread rapidly.

By 9:30 a.m., Vasquez was still inside her house when she heard someone banging on her door. It was her ex-husband, Greg Woodcox.

He said, Theres a fire, its coming so close. You have to get out, Vasquez says.

Taking only her two dogs, she immediately got into her Jeep and drove to the end of her street on the edge of Paradise, Vasquez says. As she looked out, she could see the entire canyon on fire  and the flames were headed toward town.

Ive lived through so many fires up there, Vasquez says. Damn this is a bad one.

She took off down the mountain in her Jeep and only stopped once she reached a utility truck near the base of the mountain. Above her, she watched as the slope and the town above her burned, she says.

Story continues

Vasquez credits Woodcox, her ex-husband, with saving her life  and the lives of some of her neighbors.

But, she says, theres a lot of people on that road who are still missing.

She says Woodcox drove throughout the neighborhood, honking on his horn, screaming at people to leave and banging on doors. He later told her that he had stayed behind for such a long time that as the fire approached, he was forced to jump out of his car with his two tiny dogs in his arms.

Woodcox escaped by following a fox through the trees and down into a ravine. He laid in the water as the fire passed above him, Vasquez says he told her.

Woodcoxs nephew later posted a video on social media that his uncle had recorded during the fire. The full video shows the charred bodies of his neighbors inside cars after they died apparently trying to escape.

Since her harrowing escape from Paradise, Vasquez has slowly been trying to piece together what happened to her friends and family. Cellphone service is spotty on the mountain, and the family has had to rely on Facebook messages and notices from the sheriffs office to keep track of each other.

A firefighter friend told Vasquez this weekend that her home was burned to the ground, Vasquez says. Many of her family members, including two of her brothers, also lost their homes in the fire.

Her exs brother, Terry Woodcox, an Iraq war veteran who Vasquez calls her best friend, was forced to stay behind because his severely autistic son, Damion, refused to leave their home. Terry spent the last few days chopping down brush in an effort to help contain the fire.

Vasquez is now staying at her nieces home in the town of Grass Valley  along with her daughter and granddaughter, who were also displaced in the fire. She doesnt plan to stay for long because she is desperate to return to her community.

She plans to convene with her family in the city of Cisco, which stands at the base of the mountain, on Tuesday. She is planning to bring food and share resources with her family members.

She hopes to return to Paradise soon to assess the damage.

I want to go back and see my community, Vasquez says.



Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan got into a heated debate with the managing director of Iceland on Tuesday (November 13) over the supermarkets controversial Christmas advert.

The now banned advert raised awareness of the affects of deforestation on wildlife  depicted by a cartoon orangutan  but Morgan was quick to note that the supermarket is still stocking palm oil-based products.

The companys managing director Richard Walker came under fire from Morgan, who asked: Hang on, youre not compelled to stock anything are you?

Walker replied: Well we need to give customers a range of everyday products.

Were not anti-palm oil, were anti-deforestation. Iceland boss defends existence of palm oil in some products on sale in their stores, despite viral no palm oil ad. pic.twitter.com/rcfGEHKVsQ  Good Morning Britain (@GMB) November 13, 2018

Unsatisfied with his response, Morgan fired backed: Youre the boss of Iceland, you are not legally required, by law, to stock anything are you? Are you?

No course not, confirmed Walker.

Morgan then questioned why the supermarket continues to stock 200 palm oil-based products, despite the message of their Christmas advert.

We dont have to, but its about Walked said before Morgan interrupted: So why do you?

The Iceland boss explained that they want to give customers the choice, but Morgan still wasnt having it.

Icelands Christmas advert depicted the effects of deforestation on wildlife

You want me to fall in love with those orangutan its a serious question. If you feel so strongly about it, why dont you get rid of all the products that you are currently stocking, which kill orangutans? asked a frustrated Morgan.

Walker replied: Because if customers come into our stores and they see Iceland on the label, they can be assured that it doesnt contain palm oil, this is about giving customers a choice, where previously there was none.

Story continues

Co-host Susanna Reid added: Except the campaigning video seems to be deliberately aimed at saying to people, dont make that choice.

The whole point of this video is that palm oil is bad, so its slightly weird isnt it when you say youre going to give people a choice to buy palm oil, because either youre against it and everything it does to the environment or you dont care about it?





Read more

Piers Morgan teases Susanna Reid over boyfriend

Piers Morgan implores viewers to name five arrested over Grenfell effigy

Piers Morgan slams Ant McPartlin for not turning upPolice are searching for a man who pushed a pedestrian into a busy London road because they brushed shoulders.

CCTV footage and a photo have been released by City of London Police in an effort to track down the man who shoved someone into traffic.

The incident happened on the east pavement of New Bridge Street going northbound at about 8am on July 23 this year.

The victim was shoved after the pair brushed shoulders (Picture: City of London Police)

In the footage, the 57-year-old male victim is shoved from behind off the pavement into the busy road.

Police say the two men brushed shoulders and exchanged words. The victim continued to walk his way to work but was followed by the suspect who then pushed him towards the oncoming cars.

MORE: Couple who named baby after Hitler convicted of neo-Nazi terror group charges

MORE: Briton dies from rabies while in Morocco after being bitten by cat

A taxi stopped just a few feet from the victim.

The victim suffered grazes to his hands and arms and was dazed for a brief period of time.

Police said members of the public helped the victim and even followed the suspect to confront him. One member of the public took a photo of the man.

Police released this image of the suspect (Picture: City of London Police)

Detective Constable Duff, from the City of London Police, said: We would like to speak to anyone who witnessed this incident in July or who may know the man in the photograph.

The quick thinking actions of the taxi driver undoubtedly prevented this incident having much more severe consequences for the victim. However he is still naturally shocked and horrified by what happened to him.

The man is pushed to the ground in front of oncoming traffic (Picture: City of London Police)

If you have any information that can assist our investigation please call us on 0207 601 2999.

Anyone with information can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit their website www.crimestoppers-uk.org.Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis, who has made building bridges between Christianity and Islam a cornerstone of his papacy, will visit Morocco in March, the Vatican said Tuesday.

Francis, 81, will be the second pope to travel to Morocco, following John Paul II more than three decades ago.

He will take in Rabat and Casablanca on the March 30-31 trip to the Muslim-majority country, the Vatican said.

The pontiff was "accepting the invitation extended by King Mohammed VI and the bishops", it said.

Francis has already visited several Muslim countries, including Turkey in 2014, Azerbaijan in 2016 and Egypt in 2017.

John Paul II went to Morocco in 1985 on a trip that was also seen as an opportunity to build ties between Muslims and Christians.

"The late pope's visit to Morocco over 30 years ago drew headlines, as it was the first time a Roman pontiff had been invited to visit a Muslim country by the head of state, not the local church," said religious website Cruxnow.

John Paul II had been invited by the current king's father, Hassan II, who in turn visited the Vatican in 1991.

Over 99 percent of the population in Morocco is Sunni Muslim, with Christians, Jews, Shia Muslims and Bahais making up the rest. Just over 27,000 are Catholic, according to the Vatican Insider newspaper.

Islam is the state religion and the king describes himself as the "commander of the faithful".

Foreign Christians worship freely and are protected by the authorities. But those who convert to Christianity -- estimated to be a few thousand people -- do so quietly.

While renouncing Islam is not explicitly mentioned in the penal code, attempts to "undermine the faith of a Muslim or convert a Muslim to another religion" can be punished by jail sentences of up to three years.

- Freedom of conscience 'a threat' -

Morocco's minister of state for human rights, Mustapha Ramid, said in June that freedom of conscience was a "threat" to the country's "cohesion".

Story continues

Pope Francis moved quickly after his election in 2013 to make overtures to Jews and Muslims, inviting two old friends from Buenos Aires -- a rabbi and a Muslim professor -- on a trip to the Middle East where he condemned religious hatred.

But the Catholic Church has found it harder to bridge differences with Islam than with Judaism.

Benedict XVI angered the Muslim world with a speech in 2006 in which he appeared to endorse the view that Islam is inherently violent, sparking deadly protests in several countries as well as attacks on Christians.

Since then the Vatican's pontifical council for inter-religious dialogue has been working overtime to mend fences with moderate Islam -- a task made no easier by the rise of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Morocco is the only trip officially on Francis's schedule for 2019 after a visit to Panama scheduled for the end of January.

But the pontiff is also expected to visit Bulgaria, Japan, Madagascar, Mozambique and Romania next year.

The Vatican said it would be releasing the programme for Morocco at a later date.

Francis's decision to visit in March lays to rest rumours he planned to go to Marrakesh for a UN migration conference in December.After hitting another roadblock on trade negotiations last month, the U.S. and China have resumed discussions ahead of the widely-anticipated G-20 summit at the end of this month in Argentina.

The trade war between the two feuding nations has affected industries globally, but Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the U.S. National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), says that the Trump administrations firm stance on trade could bring about progress sooner rather than later.

The faster we can get to the negotiating table with China, the better it is for everybody in all sectors of the economy, Timmons told Yahoo Finance at the All Markets Summit on Tuesday. Getting [China] to play by the rules that every other country or every other developed economy is playing by is going to be really important. The rest of the world has a lot to gain as well, and were hopeful that other countries will weigh in in a positive way.

What the president has done has gotten their attention

Timmons explained that many presidents have tried but failed to get China to practice fair trade. Nevertheless, while the current administrations methods may be unconventional, it is on the right track, said Timmons.

Talking hasnt worked, and it hasnt worked for three administrations. So I cant tell you if theres a better solution to get Chinas attention, [but] I can tell you that what the president has done has gotten their attention, Timmons said.

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. China said Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. Photo: (AP/Andy Wong)

The meeting between Trump and Xi will be a closely-watched affair. as many hope the two nations will be able to make significant progress toward negotiations. In September, the White House announced a plan to increase tariffs on over $200 billion worth of Chinese goods from 10% to 25% effective January 1, 2019.

And while Beijing has not put forth a formal proposal yet, Timmons expressed concern that if the trade war intensifies and no further progress is made, manufacturing businesses could continue to be pushed out of business.

Story continues

We have complained about [unfair trade practices] as American citizens, as government officials and certainly the manufacturing sector. Weve complained about the theft of intellectual property, which has not only cost potentially billions of dollars in stolen intellectual property, but some manufacturers have actually gone out of business because they couldnt compete.

He added, I will not sit here and say tariffs are good  [but] I think theyre on the right track.

Heidi Chung is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @heidi_chung.

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Investment strategist details the thing that worries me most going into 2019New progressive members of Congress posted photos on social media on Monday celebrating the diversity of the freshman class headed to Washington, D.C.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared a photo of herself with fellow Democratic representative-elects Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, aptly captioned: Squad.

Tlaib and Pressley also shared photos of the incoming congresswomen.

#DreamTeam in Congress, Tlaib wrote in a post.

The newly elected representatives are in D.C. for the Congressional Progressive Caucus new member orientation. In an Instagram story, Ocasio-Cortez described it as a pre-orientation for progressive members of Congress that takes place a day before the start of the general orientation for freshman members of Congress on Tuesday.

Several veteran Congress members were present for the Congressional Progressive Caucus orientation, including Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who was elected in 2017 and who serves as the caucus vice chair, introduced the new members at Mondays orientation.

What we see in the peoples House is much more reflective of the country, Jayapal said.

The New Yorker highlighted the diversity of the incoming freshman class in a recent cover. Titled Welcome to Congress, the cover nodded to last weeks historic midterm elections. At least 100 women  among them 40 women of color  won House seats, the largest number of women ever elected to the chamber.

Related Coverage

Record Number Of Women Elected To U.S. House

New Yorker Cover Brilliantly Highlights The Diversity Headed To Congress

Story continues

Fox News Host Responds To Ocasio-Cortez After Being Called Out For Money-Shaming Her

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Roger Stone associate has been under scrutiny in relation to hacking and leaking of Hillary Clinton emails

Muellers team reportedly has evidence that Corsi knew in advance of the stolen emails. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Jerome Corsi, a rightwing author and conspiracy theorist, has said he expects to be criminally indicted by Robert Mueller, the special counsel.

Corsi, an associate of the longtime Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone, said on his online live stream on Monday that he would soon be charged for some form of lying by Muellers team, which is investigating Russias interference in the 2016 election.

Its all blown up and Im going to be indicted, Corsi told supporters. He denied any wrongdoing and claimed without evidence that he was being persecuted because he dared to support Donald Trump and opposed the deep state.

Corsi, a former Washington bureau chief for the far-right website Infowars.com, claimed he was the victim of a perjury trap and said he may have inadvertently made a false statement during an estimated 40 hours of questioning by prosecutors over six sessions.

I dont know specifically what Im going to be indicted for, but at 72 years old I am facing losing my home and being separated from my family, he said.

Stone, Corsi and several other associates have been under scrutiny from Mueller and the FBI for months in relation to the hacking and leaking of emails from Hillary Clintons campaign and the Democratic National Committee. US intelligence agencies have concluded that the emails were stolen in a Russian intelligence operation.

In October, NBC News reported that Muellers team had evidence indicating that Corsi knew in advance that the emails had been stolen from the Democrats and were to be published by WikiLeaks, the campaigning website. Corsi denies this.

Roger Stone arrives to testify before the House Intelligence Committee. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

Corsi, who was a leading proponent of the false conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was not born in the US, disclosed in September that he had been subpoenaed to appear in front of the grand jury in Washington considering Muellers findings.

In March this year, Corsi abruptly announced on Twitter that Ted Malloch, a conservative academic with ties to the UK Independence party, had been detained and questioned at Bostons Logan airport by FBI agents working for Mueller.

Story continues

During his Monday broadcast, Corsi said he and his attorney, David Gray, had been in talks with Muellers team for the past two months. He said they dealt with the prosecutors Jeannie Rhee, Aaron Zelinsky and Andrew Goldstein.

Corsi said his brain had been turned to mush by the repeat questioning sessions and suggested he may have accidentally misstated something. You cant talk to them for two months without having this great confusion, he said.

Gray, his attorney, declined to comment.WASHINGTON  News that several senior officials in the Trump administration were set to be fired rocked the White House on Tuesday. However, in a West Wing thats seen record turnover and a slew of rumors that didnt pan out, it was hard for even some insiders to know what to expect next.

President Trump is said to be considering replacing his chief of staff, John Kelly, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on Tuesday. The Journal reported the move would be part of a larger shake-up that would begin with the removal of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The report also said Trump would be getting rid of Mira Ricardel, the top deputy for national security adviser John Bolton.

The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comments from Yahoo News about the reported shakeup.

Kellys departure has been one of the longest-running rumors surrounding the Trump White House. The former Marine general became White House chief of staff, one of the most powerful positions in the West Wing, late last July. In the more than a year since then, there have been regular reports that Kelly was set to quit or be fired. The rumors were attributed to various factors, including Trumps alleged dissatisfaction with Kellys attempts to impose order on the freewheeling West Wing or clashes between the chief of staff and members of the presidents family, including his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, who are both top White House advisers.

Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff, Nick Ayers, and White House chief of staff John Kelly. (Photos: Andrew Harnik/AP, Leah Millis/Reuters)

This latest report included another element that has appeared in past Kelly speculation. According to the Journal, Trump probably will replace Kelly with Nick Ayers, who is Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff. Ayers, 36, has spent over a decade in Republican politics, where hes earned a reputation as an aggressive and talented political wunderkind. He joined Pences gubernatorial reelection effort in Indiana in 2016 and went on to become national chairman of Pences vice presidential campaign.

Story continues

A source who has spoken to Ayers in recent days said Ayers dismissed the latest round of rumors as the same story that comes up every two months.

Ayers did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

While the persistent speculation surrounding Ayers and Kelly hasnt panned out in the past, there are some notably different aspects to this latest report.

Most importantly, during a press conference last Wednesday, Trump himself indicated that he was mulling high-level staff changes now that the midterm elections are over.

Were looking at a lot of different things, including Cabinet. Im very happy with most of my Cabinet. Were looking at different people for different positions, Trump said when asked about potential staff changes, adding, You know, its very common after the midterms. I didnt want to do anything before the midterms.

Kelly speaks with President Trump after a meeting to discuss potential damage from Hurricane Michael, in the Oval Office on Oct. 10, 2018. (Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

The dismissal of Ricardel, a lower-profile aide, was pushed by the first lady, Melania Trump, who clashed with Ricardel during a trip to Africa last month, the paper reported. Melania Trump, who has been frustrated by some of her press coverage, also reportedly believed Ricardel was behind some negative stories about her office.

It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that [Ricardel] no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House, said Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for the first lady, when contacted by Yahoo News.

Ricardel did not respond to a request for comment.

In an administration constantly plagued by warring factions and uncertainty, Ricardel entered the White House with preexisting public feuds on her scorecard, including with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

It is unclear whether national security adviser John Bolton, Ricardels boss, who has a similar reputation for being sharp-elbowed and hawkish on foreign affairs, will step in to defend her and try to prevent the president from removing her.

In spite of leaks from unnamed officials and public comments from Trump and his wife, it remains unclear whether anyone is about to be fired. One former White House staffer described the rumors to Yahoo News as the same as usual.

The ex-staffer noted that Trump is reluctant to personally fire people and said dismissals are usually done by Kelly.

Long story short: Ill believe the dismissals when they happen, the former staffer said.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:Moscow (AFP) - A Chechen activist on Tuesday accused Russia's FSB security service of blocking attempts to bring back widows and children of Russian Islamic State group fighters from Syria and Iraq.

Since last year, around 100 women and children -- mostly from Russia's majority-Muslim Caucasus -- have returned under a program championed by Chechnya's powerful leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

But Kheda Saratova, a Chechen activist who is on Kadyrov's human rights council, said Russia's federal authorities were no longer willing to bring back the remaining women and children.

"According to our organisation, there are over 2,000 of them left in Syria and Iraq," she told a news conference in Moscow where two women who were brought back from Syria under the program also spoke.

"The process of bringing them back has been stalled and nobody has told us why," Saratova said.

She blamed Russia's FSB security service and its chief Alexander Bortnikov. He recently criticised the repatriation programme, saying terrorist groups were using the women and children as "recruiters."

Saratova said the drive to bring back the women -- who she said were mostly forced to go to Syria by their partners -- was supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I ask Bortnikov to change his attitude to this subject," she said.

"Whatever information they (the FSB) need, we will give them. These women are not hiding anything."

The FSB did not immediately release a statement on Tuesday or respond to a call seeking comment.

- 'Do not abandon women' -

Two women brought back from Syria called on Moscow to help the "hundreds" of other women from Russia who are being held in refugee camps in Syria and Iraqi prisons.

"I want to thank the Russian government for saving my children. I ask you not to abandon the women who are still there," said Dagestani Zagidat Abakarova, whose husband forced her and her child to go to Syria.

Story continues

She managed to flee then IS-controlled Raqa in Syria last year after her husband was killed by a US drone and made contact with Russian authorities at a Kurdish refugee camp.

"We are very thankful to our country. Only Russia was bringing back women and children," said Zalina Gabibullaeva, a Chechen woman who was brought back from Syria with her children last year.

Several thousand Russians travelled to join jihadists in Syria and Iraq in recent years, according to estimates from the Russian security services. Some took their families with them.

Many Russian militants and other foreigners joined the so-called Islamic State militant organisation that controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq until its defeat in 2017.

Saratova said she had requests from 700 relatives from all over Russia asking to bring their relatives home.

She said 21 Russian women in Iraq had been given life sentences and that the Russian government is currently negotiating on bringing their children to Russia.

Around 60 children are expected to be brought back to Russia in the near future, she said, adding that "all the documents are ready."

The FSB chief's criticism of the repatriation programme prompted an angry reaction from Kadyrov, who wrote on social media: "I want to assure you once again that not a single (Russian) woman or child in Syria or Iraq will be left unattended."Kiev (AFP) - The Russian-controlled branch of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine said Tuesday that it would not participate in the establishment of a unified church there as Kiev seeks to cut spiritual ties with Moscow.

The announcement came after a planned meeting between top pro-Moscow clerics and President Petro Poroshenko fell through.

In a historic decision last month, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, considered the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide, agreed to recognise the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's independence from the Moscow Patriarchate.

The decision sparked rage in Moscow and prompted the Russian Orthodox Church to cut all ties with the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The Orthodox church in Ukraine is divided between a branch whose clerics pledge loyalty to Moscow and one overseen by the Kiev-based Patriarch Filaret that Moscow does not recognise.

The split deepened after Russia annexed Crimea and a separatist uprising broke out in eastern Ukraine, a conflict that has claimed more than 10,000 lives since 2014.

On Tuesday, the branch loyal to Moscow said that granting the Ukrainian church independence was an "artificial process that has been imposed from outside" and would only deepen divisions.

"Joining this process is impossible," the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate said in a statement.

The Moscow-affiliated branch added that it was breaking communion with the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Its top clerics had met at Kiev's Pechersk Lavra monastery, Ukraine's most important Orthodox shrine.

Poroshenko was to have met with them but declined to do so there, though spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko said the president was prepared to attend a meeting elsewhere.

Tsegolko accused Moscow of seeking to "disrupt the process of creating" a unified church in Ukraine.

"An absolute majority of citizens of our state support this process," he said on Facebook.

"So going against the will of your own people is obviously a path to nowhere."

Patriarch Filaret, the 89-year-old head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, has said he was prepared to lead a unified Ukrainian Church.Istanbul (AFP) - Luggage carried by a 15-member Saudi team dispatched to Istanbul included scissors, defibrillators and syringes that may have been used against journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi consulate, a pro-government Turkish daily said Tuesday.

X-ray images of the luggage were published in the Sabah newspaper as the New York Times reported that a member of the team at the consulate had told a superior by phone to "tell your boss", suspected to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that the operation was accomplished.

Turkish media has published gruesome details of the murder of 59-year-old Khashoggi who according to a Turkish prosecutor was strangled and dismembered soon after he entered the Istanbul consulate on October 2 to obtain paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

After repeated denials, Saudi Arabia finally admitted Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Riyadh critic, had been murdered at the mission in a "rogue" operation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the 15-member Saudi team travelled from Riyadh to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi.

The luggage carried by the team was loaded into two planes that left for Riyadh at 1520 GMT and 1946 GMT on October 2, Sabah newspaper said.

The luggage contained 10 phones, five walkie-talkies, intercoms, two syringes, two defibrillators, a jamming device, staplers, and scissors, the paper reported.

-- 'Tell you boss' -

The team was being led by Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, the man named by Turkish media as the head of the operation against Khashoggi.

The New York Times, quoting sources familiar with a recording of Khashoggi's killing, reported Monday that Mutreb -- a security officer who frequently travelled with Prince Mohammed -- picked up a phone at the consulate to say "tell your boss" that the operation was accomplished.

Turkish intelligence officers have told US officials they believe Mutreb was speaking to one of the prince's aides, it reported.

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And American intelligence officials believe "your boss" was a reference to Prince Mohammed.

Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government and he pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Salman of responsibility.

Ankara has shared voice recordings linked to the murder with a number of countries including Saudi Arabia as well as the United States and its Western allies.

But Turkish officials say they played them the recordings but did not hand them over.

"We played the voice recording linked to the murder with anyone who wanted," Erdogan told Turkish journalists aboard a plane returning from Paris where he attended commemorations at the weekend marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

"The recording is really disastrous," he said in quotes published by Sabah.

"When the Saudi intelligence agent listened, he was shocked and said this could only be done by someone who got heroin."

Khashoggi's body has never been found, but Sabah reported on Saturday that his killers poured his remains down the drain after dissolving them in acid.Hodeidah (Yemen) (AFP) - In the heart of Yemen's port city of Hodeida, caught in a war of attrition between rebels and a regional military alliance, Mohammed fears his family will be trapped -- but he cannot bring himself to leave.

Father to an 11-month-old daughter, Mohammed lives in the Dahmiya district, just three kilometres (1.8 miles) from the frontline between Yemen's Huthi rebels and pro-government troops.

"I lost my job because of the war," said the 30-year-old, who was a pharmaceutical representative until a few weeks ago when armed clashes brought his city to a standstill.

"What I'm most afraid of is that the war will drag on, and that we'll somehow be trapped here, and that we'll have a hard time finding water, food, medicine," he said.

"But I'm not even considering leaving. I'll wait for this to be over, and then I'll find a job again."

A city on western Yemen's Red Sea coast, Hodeida is home to its most important port, a lifeline to 14 million people -- half the population -- who risk starvation in the war-torn and impoverished country.

The port has been under Huthi rebel control since 2014, when the armed northern tribes staged a takeover of large parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia and its allies have fought alongside the Yemeni army against the Iran-aligned Huthis since 2015, expelling them from a string of Red Sea ports but failing to retake Hodeida and Sanaa.

- 'When will the war end?' -

The people of Hodeida do not like to talk politics, at least with journalists -- no declarations of allegiance, resistance or readiness to fight.

"The only thing we talk about is when this war will end and how," said Lubna, who lives in southern Hodeida.

She is terrified, she says, by talk of an all-out attack on the port, or on the only remaining road in or out of the city, to the north.

"We're afraid of food shortages. We're afraid of a humanitarian disaster."

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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that the destruction of Hodeida port would be "catastrophic" for Yemen.

Some aid shipments are allowed into the docks of Hodeida, after prior inspection by the Saudi-led alliance, and then face a long and uncertain journey to other parts of Yemen.

The docks came under attack on Monday night but, according to the port's deputy director Yahya Sharafeddine, were still operational.

Across Hodeida, residents say the rebels have barricaded roads with containers or large concrete blocks, lining them with sandbags and mounds of dirt.

Snipers are now stationed on rooftops across the city and in some neighbourhoods, fighters are stationed in makeshift trenches.

When Saudi Arabia and its allies first launched an offensive to retake Hodeida, five months ago, thousands fled the densely populated city, once home to some 600,000 people.

When a temporary ceasefire was announced in August, some returned. Many now regret it.

"This time we are really scared. The fighting this time is worse than all the other times," said Najwa, who lives in western Hodeida with her mother and brothers.

"We are close to the port, which will sooner or later be a target. We're scared. We're scared to go out into the streets."

"I don't want to leave again," said Hanaa, 36, another Hodeida resident. "I don't want to go back to a city where we have nothing. Neither do my children."Paris (AFP) - Three years after jihadists gunned down and blew up 130 people in Paris, it's lone-wolf assaults rather than coordinated attacks that are keeping French anti-terror investigators on alert.

Survivors and relatives of the dead stood in silence alongside Prime Minister Edouard Philippe outside the Bataclan concert hall on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of France's deadliest ever attack.

Mourners also gathered at the other sites hit by the Islamic State group on the night of November 13, 2015: the national stadium north of Paris, and bars and restaurants in the city's bustling 11th district.

The Paris attacks, just months after the gun massacre at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, left their scars on the French capital.

Gun-wielding soldiers remain posted outside tourist attractions and synagogues, while bags are routinely searched at the doors of department stores.

Eight months after the Paris attacks, a lorry ploughed through a Bastille Day crowd in the southern city of Nice, killing 86 people.

Many wondered why France seemed to be the target of so much violence, though cities around Europe and beyond, from Spain to Australia, were also hit.

And while the threat has not gone away -- a stabbing spree by a man shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is great) left one dead in Paris in May -- counter-terror officials say the focus has shifted.

- Smaller-scale attacks -

These days, isolated individuals loosely inspired by IS or other extremists are considered a more plausible threat than organised cells like the nine-man team that struck Paris.

The numbers are also down: in the year to September, investigators have dealt with 84 terrorism cases, compared to 130 over the same period last year.

This year's cases include a slew of thwarted attacks, May's Paris stabbing and a supermarket siege in Trebes, southern France, which left four dead in March.

"We have not known a summer this calm for four years," Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told AFP in a recent interview.

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He identified multiple reasons for the apparent decline in jihadist plots: "The disintegration of Daesh (IS), travel bans (on suspects) and the work of intelligence agencies which has led to networks drying up."

Laurent Nunez, the former head of intelligence agency DGSI and current junior interior minister, said IS had "suffered major losses which make a planned attack like the Bataclan" less likely.

The group's appeal has been diminishing as its "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria has crumbled, and the number of jihadists returning from the warzone has slowed.

Nunez said 261 returned jihadists were in the hands of French authorities, both men and women.

Around 700 others are still in Iraq or Syria -- some believed dead, others unable or reluctant to return to France despite IS defeats on the ground.

- 'Grey zone' -

French counter-terrorism operations are now focused on monitoring known extremists, particularly jihadists coming out of French prisons.

Some 450 radicalised prisoners are due to finish their sentences before the end of next year, and some 2,300 others are behind bars.

"The principal threat concerns individuals living in France going into action with rudimentary means" such as the lorry used to deadly effect in Nice, Nunez told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

Molins said another issue increasingly facing French investigators was attackers acting in "a sort of grey zone in which it's difficult to distinguish those who are part of a terrorist conspiracy from those with psychological problems".

In the case of a lethal double stabbing in the Paris suburb of Trappes this summer, for example, authorities ultimately concluded that the mentally disturbed perpetrator could not really be considered a terrorist.

Survivors of the attacks three years ago, meanwhile, are still struggling with their trauma in different ways.

Some avoided Tuesday's ceremonies or left Paris altogether, finding it too painful to stay in the city on the anniversary.

Others met at bars to celebrate the fact that they're still alive.

"The process of rebuilding isn't done yet -- we'll be doing it for the rest of their lives," said one 45-year-old survivor of the massacre at the Bataclan, who did not wish to give her name.

A compensation fund has paid out 85 million euros ($96 million) to victims and their relatives to date, but it expects to pay, in total, 300 million euros.

Meanwhile, the only surviving attacker, Salah Abdeslam, is in a prison south of Paris awaiting trial.

burs-kjl/cb/rlpStephanie Hollifield adopted her daughter Haley at 8 months old. Now that shes 2, the toddler has a lot more hair, and until recently, Hollifield  who is white  had no idea how to style the African-American girls hair. But that all changed on Sunday thanks to the kindness of a fellow mom shed never met before.

It all started when Hollifield posted a plea on her Facebook page to her Black Friends of Social Media, writing This clueless white momma is humbly coming to you to ask your help with Haleys hair. The Georgia woman explained that she had asked both friends and strangers for grooming tips but came up empty. Im still not getting it, she confessed, rehashing her desperate ritual of taming her daughters short hair. We wash once a week. We do the water, leave in conditioner, oil, and hot towel every morning  We are gentle as can be, but she still requires at least 6 minutes of cuddles after the trauma of her daily hair combing.

The open letter worked because the post soon caught the attention of Monica Hunter, another Georgia mom who is African-American and happens to have three school-age daughters of her own. So she reached out to Hollifield on Facebook Messenger with advice. I applaud her for reaching out and asking for help, because thats not easy at all, she told Yahoo Lifestyle. I told her about different products she could use on her babys hair. Then I said, If you ever need help, Ill come over and help. Im serious. Well style Miss Haleys hair!'

So Hollifield took her up on her offer, and Hunter stopped in on Sunday afternoon armed with combs, headbands, hair product and advice. It was important to me to touch Haleys hair, she told Yahoo Lifestyle. Some hair is really soft, some is really kinky. With some, the coils are loose, with some, theyre tight. Hunter said little Haleys hair was clean, soft and manageable, but that styling had to be kept simple because the girl is still so young.

Story continues

Monica Hunter, little Haley and mom Stephanie Hollifield after a successful styling session. (Photo: Facebook/Stephanie Hollifield)

Hunter learned that some well-meaning people had recommended Hollifield get extensions for Haley. I was like, No maam, shess 2! Hunter said. Instead, she used oils on the girls hair, then parted it, created little ponytails, and finished off the style with a headband.

Her curls are really tight, so I did a protective style to encourage her hair to grow, Hunter told Yahoo Lifestyle. She also advised Hollifield not to wash Haleys hair as often as she might wash Caucasian hair (Youll strip the oils out) and to use protective styles for weeks at a time instead of daily combing, which is too difficult and uncomfortable.

Hollifield was overwhelmed with gratitude for the abundance of help from a person who was a virtual stranger until Sunday. This lady, Monica Hunter, who I had never met in person before today, offered to come to my house and walk me through exactly how to style my daughters hair, Hollifield wrote in a follow-up post, accompanied by a photo of all three ladies looking radiant. She asked for nothing in return and wouldnt accept my money. By the time she left I had a little more confidence in fixing my daughters hair, and most importantly I felt supported by my new friend, the mom wrote. In a time of so much hate and division, our world needs more people like this.

The post has gone viral, and commenters are inspired by this tale of two women from different cultures bonding over a universal concept: motherhood. Takes  kindness and compassion to a completely new level! How incredible to get this support and help!! This is amazing!, one person wrote. This moved me! We all belong to the human race, another said. And a third put it perfectly: Im not crying. Youre crying!

Hunter told Yahoo Lifestyle she immediately bonded with Haley and her mom. You all have no clue, that little girl Haley  and Stephanie  blessed me more than I blessed them, she said, adding that this definitely wont be the last time they all get together. In fact, Hunter said when her three daughters found out what their mom had done, they were jealous to have missed out  especially since Hollifield has another daughter closer to their age. So the moms have agreed that a playdate will happen soon.

I think this opened up an opportunity to create positivity for everybody, she said about the impact this story has had on the people whove learned about it. We will definitely be seeing each other again!

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.By Mohammed Ghobari ADEN (Reuters) - Street battles raged on Sunday in residential areas of Yemen's main port city of Hodeidah, forcing medical staff to flee the largest hospital, as Houthi insurgents tried to repel forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition. Residents said they saw bodies of seven civilians killed in clashes in southern suburbs, with both sides using mortar shells, anti-aircraft guns and assault rifles in the fight for the Houthi-held city, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis. The coalition has renewed its offensive on Hodeidah as Western allies, including the United States, called for a ceasefire to support U.N.-led efforts to end the nearly four-year war that has killed more than 10,000 and pushed the country to the brink of starvation. Medical sources at al-Thawra hospital told Reuters that several staff members and patients able to move had fled the complex. It was not immediately clear how many patients remained inside. "The Houthis are reinforcing their positions near the hospital and that is what scared people," said one staff member. Hospital spokesman Khaled Attiyah told Reuters that doctors and nurses continued their work in departments such as intensive care, the burns ward and the emergency room "despite the panic". Last week, rights groups said the Houthis had raided the May 22 hospital in the city's eastern suburbs and posted gunmen on the roof, endangering doctors and patients. The United Nations and aid groups have warned that a full-scale assault on Hodeidah, an entry point for 80 percent of the country's food imports and relief supplies, could trigger a famine in the already impoverished Arabian Peninsula state. More than two dozen senior Obama administration officials, including former National Security Advisor Susan Rice and former CIA Director John Brennan, called on U.S. President Donald Trump to cease all support for the war. In a telephone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated Washington's call for "a cessation of hostilities and for all parties to come to the table to negotiate a peaceful solution to the conflict," the State Department said. "We hear loud shelling and they are using all kinds of weapons, it is terrifying," said resident Abdullah Mohammed. "In the eastern suburbs, Apache helicopters are bombing Houthi positions all day long." GRAIN MILL SEIZED Pro-coalition forces took control on Saturday of Red Sea Mills, a main grains facility south of the port which holds about 51,000 tonnes of wheat, a U.N. aid group said. "Around 60 shells fell inside the compound since the clashes reached that area few days ago but the silos and the grains were not touched," said Ali Reza Qureshi, Yemen's deputy director for the World Food Programme (WFP). "We hope the production will resume in the coming next two weeks as we get 21,000 tonnes monthly from those mills, otherwise we will have to import wheat flour," he told Reuters. The WFP said last week it plans to double its food assistance program for Yemen, aiming to reach up to 14 million people "to avert mass starvation". The coalition has said that wresting control of Hodeidah would break the Houthis by cutting off their main supply line and force the group to the negotiating table to end the conflict, seen as a proxy war between Riyadh and Iran. The alliance, which relies on the West for arms and intelligence, intervened in Yemen's war in 2015 to restore the internationally recognized government ousted by the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement, which controls the most populated areas of Yemen including the capital Sanaa. U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths has said he hopes to convene renewed peace talks by the end of the year after the last round of consultations collapsed in September. The United Nations has no up-to-date estimate of the death toll in Yemen. It said in August 2016 that according to medical centers at least 10,000 people had been killed. (Additional reporting and writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi and Matt Spetalnick; editing by David Stamp and Sandra Maler)STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The leader of Sweden's center-right will ask parliament for a mandate to form a minority two-party government, he said on Monday, but admitted chances of success were slim. Moderate party leader Ulf Kristersson looks almost certain to lose his bid to create a government with the Christian Democrats as the other two members of his four-party Alliance oppose any set-up that would require support from the far-right Sweden Democrats. "I have chosen to go ahead with this despite the obvious risk that this will not win acceptance in parliament," Kristersson told a news conference. Parliament is due to vote on the proposal on Wednesday. Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen called the vote in the hope of breaking deadlock in parliament since a September election left the right- and left-wing blocs nearly equal in size and the shunned anti-immigration Sweden Democrats with the balance of power. But discussions on forming a government have led nowhere and there are few signs that parties are willing to compromise. In the center-right Alliance, the Centre and Liberal parties have ruled out any form of cooperation with the Sweden Democrats due to their hard-line anti-immigration policies and roots in the white-supremacist movement. The Sweden Democrats in turn have demanded guarantees over the policies of any government, above all on immigration curbs. Kristersson has sought to find the slimmest of middle ground between the two positions, pledging not to cooperate with the Sweden Democrats while proposing a policy platform that could potentially be acceptable to them without offering outright guarantees. Seeking to pressure his recalcitrant Alliance partners, Kristersson said: "It is ironic that we are in greater agreement over policy than ever .... but we can't agree whether we want and can implement those policies." (GRAPHIC - Election scenarios: https://tmsnrt.rs/2p45tJh) (Reporting by Niklas Pollard and Johan Sennero; editing by Johannes Hellstrom and Robin Pomeroy)Rabat (AFP) - Three people were killed Tuesday and three others injured when a zinc and lead mine collapsed in northeastern Morocco, authorities said, in a region shaken by protests over similar accidents.

The accident occurred near the impoverished former mining town of Jerada a week after two people, including a teenager, died in another collapse of abandoned mines.

Hundreds of illegal miners in the town risk their lives in abandoned mine shafts to extract mainly coal, the sale of which is legal thanks to operating permits issued by Moroccan authorities.

Jerada has been hit by social unrest and peaceful protests following the deaths last December of two brothers trapped in a mine shaft followed by two other deaths under similar circumstances.

Tuesday's accidental deaths took place in the small community of Ras Asfour in a mine that was operating with an official permit, state MAP news agency quoted local officials as saying, unlike previous ones.

Moroccan authorities pledged a series of measures to revive the economy in Jerada, one of the poorest regions of Morocco according to official statistic, and vowed to close all abandoned mines.

In April the government launched a plan aimed at providing alternative means of livelihood for the population amid demands by protesters for "economic alternatives" to "death mines".

Authorities have arrested 95 people in connection with the protests and 25 of them were put on trial, according to a lawyer who has defended some of them.

Last week nine protesters were sentenced to jail terms ranging from three to five years on charges including the destruction of public property, incitement to carry out criminal acts and taking part in unauthorised protests.By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - Canadian intelligence officers have listened to Turkish recordings of what happened to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday, adding that he was discussing with allies what next steps should be taken. Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate by a team sent from Riyadh. Saudi authorities have acknowledged that the killing was premeditated, but his body has not been found. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said over the weekend that audio recordings of the killing had been given to the U.S., French, German and British governments. When asked on a visit to Paris whether Canadian intelligence had heard the Turkish recordings, Trudeau said: "Yes", although he added that had not heard them personally. "Canada's intelligence agencies have been working very closely on this issue with Turkish intelligence and Canada has been fully briefed on what Turkey had to share," Trudeau told a news conference. He added that he had also spoken to Erdogan about the issue in Paris over the weekend. Canada is part of the so-called five eyes intelligence network which shares information along with the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Trudeau faces a dilemma as an election approaches over how to clamp down credibly on Riyadh over its human rights record while sparing a $13 billion arms deal with the kingdom. He is under pressure to freeze the contract for armored vehicles built in Canada by U.S.-based General Dynamics , although the deal underpins 3,000 jobs in the small city of London, Ontario. Sidestepping a question on whether the recordings could change Ottawa's relationship with Riyadh and have consequences, Trudeau said he was continuing to talk with allies about the investigation and accountability for those behind the murder. "We are in discussions with our like-minded allies as to the next steps with regard to Saudi Arabia," Trudeau said. Earlier on Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Paris was not in possession of recordings related to Khashoggi's killings, apparently contradicting Erdogan's remarks. "The truth isn't out yet. We want to know the truth, the circumstances of his death and the identity of the culprits. Then we will take the necessary actions," Le Drian told France 2 television. "If the Turkish president has information to give us, he must give it to us. For now, I don't know about it." (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and David Stamp)President Donald Trump on Tuesday hit back at critics who lampooned him for missing a World War I memorial service in Paris over the weekend because of rain, blaming the Secret Service for denying his request to drive instead of fly.

Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown, Trump tweeted, adding that he gave a later speech in the rain at another ceremony. Speech next day at American Cemetary [sic] in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!

By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the presidents tweet.

Trump had been widely criticized for skipping the Saturday event at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, about an hours drive from Paris, because of scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather, according to the White House.

White House chief of staff John Kelly attended the ceremony in his place, after traveling to the ceremony in a small motorcade.

White House chief of staff John Kelly (left) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford attend a ceremony at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near the Belleau Wood battleground, in Belleau, France, on Saturday. (Photo: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Trump on Sunday also missed a procession of world leaders who somberly walked shoulder-to-shoulder in the rain as bells tolled marking the exact moment the wars fighting ended: 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918.

His absence was again blamed on travel, with him and first lady Melania Trump opting to drive separately to the event rather than with other leaders by bus from the Elysee Palace. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders cited security protocols for the decision that got them to the event late.

French President Emmanuel Macron's wife, Brigitte Macron (center left) listens to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (center right) as they walk with world leaders toward the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Sunday. (Photo: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Trump, who returned to Washington on Sunday, also skipped a Veterans Day memorial event at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Monday.

Story continues

On Monday, Frances Army appeared to join in on trolling Trumps absence due to the weather by sharing a photo of a soldier crawling through the rain.

The caption, translated into English, read: Its raining, but its not a big deal  were staying motivated.

Trumps defense of his absence on Tuesday was part of a string of bizarre tweets about France and its president, who recently suggested building a true European army to protect the continents countries from attacks, including from the U.S.

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President Donald Trump stands among headstones during an American Commemoration Ceremony on Sunday at Suresnes American Cemetery near Paris, one day after skipping another World War I ceremony because of rain. (Photo: The Associated Press)

Trump ridiculed that suggestion by pointing a finger at Germany and its past adversarial role against France during World War I and World War II.

They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along, Trump quipped.

He then attacked tariffs on wine, accusing ones placed on U.S. products exported to France as being too high, before making personal attacks on Macron and his very low Approval Rating in France.

Trump, in an apparent attempt to drum up support for his embrace of nationalism  a term Macron over the weekend decried as a betrayal of patriotism  declared that there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!

This story has been updated with additional background and more tweets from Trump.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Donald Trump has for the second time blasted Emmanuel Macron's call for a

Donald Trump has hit out at Emmanuel Macron with a volley of tweets saying the French were "starting to learn German in Paris" before US intervention in the world wars, rounding off the attack off with a mocking plea to "MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!"

Mr Trump began with an extraordinary attack on Emmanuel Macrons call for a European army by likening a French defence rapprochement with Germany to the Nazi occupation of France.

Minutes after his online outburst, German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave her unprecedented backing to Mr Macron's defence plans, saying she too wanted a "real true European army", which would complement, but not rival, the Northern Atlantic Alliance, Nato.

In a burst of tweets, Mr Trump also defended his lack of attendance at a World War One memorial event at a cemetery in France at the weekend - he was widely criticised after pulling out due to rain - and threatened wine tariffs in a fully-fledged Twitter rant.

Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia, tweeted Mr Trump, just back from the Paris commemorations.

But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!

Mr Trump has frequently criticised the level of members contributions to Nato, saying these had always been "ridiculously unfair" to the US.

His remarks drew scorn from Guy Verhofstadt, a Macron ally and the EU Parliament's Brexit Coordinator, who tweeted: "What Trump doesnt seem to realize is that without French money, the USA would not even exist as France financed the American revolution. They even gave you the Statue of Liberty to celebrate this!

The comments came just two days after Mr Macron and Mrs Merkel held hands and kissed after commemorating the World War One Armistice signed on November 11, 1918.

Story continues

Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

Mr Trump also threatened wine tariffs against France in the rant on the social network.

"On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!" he wrote.

Mr Trump's ire stems from a call by Mr Macron last week for a "true European army.

"We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America, he added, citing the recent decision of Mr Trump to withdraw from a Cold War-era nuclear treaty.

Mr Trump called the comments very insulting.

......MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

The two leaders had seemed to hit it off early on their relationship when Mr Trump attended a Bastille Day parade and called his French counterpart "perfect" when he came for a return visit.

But in Paris over the weekend, a sullen-looking Mr Trump barely made eye contact with Mr Macron at a press conference, in stark contrast with the bonhomie of their previous meetings.

On Sunday, Mr Macron sought to defuse tensions by agreeing that Europe should shoulder more of the costs of the Nato military alliance and that he had never intended to call the US a military threat.

Mr Trump has consistently criticised NATO members for failing to honour their financial commitments to the alliance Credit: AFP POOL

But the French president appeared to take aim at Mr Trump in a stirring speech at the Armistice centenary ceremony under the Arc de Triomphe on Sunday when he warned of the dangers of rising nationalism and praised the European Union and the United Nations for their contribution to peace.

Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism, he said.

In a Twitter riposte, Mr Trump wrote: "The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!........MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!"

On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

The Elysee Palace sought to play down Mr Trump's latest provocative tweets on Tuesday, saying they were "made for Americans, otherwise they wouldn't have been in English".

"Donald Trump was among the first to arrive in Paris and reserved his first meeting for President Macron. These signals have far more value than tweets which we know how and why they are made," an aide told presidential press club reporters.

He added: "The relationship between Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump isn't always easy but it is ongoing.

"Beyond tweets, what's important is that they speak to each other several times per week, and raise issues that disrupt world affairs."

Meanwhile, in unprecedented comments, Mrs Merkel gave her clear backing to Mr Macron's call for a European army.

There is growing conviction in Berlin and Paris that Mr Trumps America can no longer be relied on to guarantee the security of Europe.

"We have to look at the vision of one day creating a real true European army," Mrs Merkel told MEPs in a European Parliament debate on the future of the EU after Brexit, which she called a deep wound.

In a speech which drew heckles from UKIP members but a standing ovation from most, she suggested this force could supplement, not rival, Nato, but that "only a stronger Europe is going to defend Europe".

She also proposed establishing "a European Security Council with a rotating presidency.

The Chancellor has previously backed various defence initiatives, including French proposals for a non-EU rapid reaction force which would include Britain, but has made no explicit call for a continental army.

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has made a clear call for a "real, true European army" in the wake of tweets from Donald Trump Credit: VINCENT KESSLER/AFP

Mr Trump ended his tweet flurry by addressing the criticism he has faced for cancelling a visit to a World War One cemetery over poor weather at the weekend.

"By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving," the president wrote.

"Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!"

Mr Trump may have been spurred into action by a French Army tweet apparently poking fun at his no-show, sent on Monday.

"There's rain, but it's no problem," the account tweeted, with the hashtag #MondayMotivation.

#MondayMotivation Il y a de la pluie, mais c'est pas grave  On reste motive  pic.twitter.com/29hOJ9ITF0  Armee de Terre (@armeedeterre) November 12, 2018

Mr Trump was widely criticised for failing to visit the Aisne-Marne American cemetery before Armistice Day.

The French Army later claimed the tweet was only meant to be about training.



US President Donald Trump has lashed out at France in a series of tweets on Tuesday, accusing the country of charging big tariffs on US wine imports.

But, unlike his previous attacks on high Canadian dairy tariffs, he didnt provide any details about exactly how high these tariffs truly are. Perhaps thats because the tariffs are really quite low.

France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change! he said.

In fact, the European Union  a bloc which includes France and 27 other nations  is in charge of setting tariffs, and it levies very modest tariffs on imported wine.

A typical 750ml bottle of wine from the US would face tariffs at the border of just a few cents, according to the European Commissions online tariff database. Sparkling wine faces some of the highest tariffs, but its below 20 cents per average bottle.

On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

Its large enough to be annoying, but people can still have access to buy US wine, if thats what they want to do, said David Henig, a former UK trade negotiator and director of the European Centre for International Political Economy. It gives a price preference to domestically produced wines, but its not a huge price preference.

Photo: Andia/Getty Images

The US association representing American wineries, WineAmerica, was quick to respond to Trumps concerns, but said the issue wasnt worth a fight, noting the EU tariffs were only modestly higher than comparable American tariffs.

Story continues

The US charges 5 to 14 cents a standard bottle on EU wine  The EU charges 11 to 29 cents a bottle on American wine. So there is a slight disparity. However, not the level that the President seems to imply here, said Michael Kaiser, vice president at the WineAmerica. We would support a trade agreement that would make the tariffs more equal, however we dont want to see this lead to another trade war like we are seeing with China.

The Wine Institute, which represents the wine industry in California, has said on its website that high tariff rates constitute the single most restrictive barrier to US wine exports. It singled out Japan and India for their high tariffs, and also noted that EU wine tariffs are higher than the US.

Wine Institute believes the upcoming trade negotiations between the US and EU will create market opportunities by reducing tariffs and addressing other market access issues, Wine Institute CEO Robert Koch told Yahoo Finance UK.

The EU is the biggest market for American wine in the world, according to WineAmerica. Europeans bought $533m (472m, 409m) in US wine last year. On the flip side, Americans bought about eight times more European wine, importing $4.5bn (4bn, 3.5bn) of EU wine last year, according to Wine Institute.

Related: Small country Britain is under an illusion about Brexit, says ECB execMetro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13)  The National Privacy Commission (NPC) ordered the organizers of Miss Earth 2018 to explain their data protection measures in light of the sexual harassment allegations surrounding the pageant.

NPC, in its letter to Carousel Productions, said the organizer is considered a personal information controller under the Data Privacy Act of 2012. This obligates them to follow data protection regulations.

"The NPC's database shows no record of the organizer, its Data Protection Officer (DPO), nor details of its data processing system. This signifies potential non-compliance with the Data Privacy Act and implies possible negligence in adhering to data protection standards set by the commission," it said in a statement.

Miss Earth-Canada Jaime Yvonne Vandenberg withdrew from the competition when a sponsor started harassing her on her second day in the Philippines. She said the sponsor got her mobile number without her consent and kept calling her to ask for her hotel and room number.

Vanderberg also complained the pageant organizers confiscated her passport, but Carousel has denied this.

The NPC ordered Carousel President Ramon Monzon and Executive Vice President Lorraine Schuck to explain their protocols and the circumstances surrounding Vandenberg's allegations within five days.

NPC Chairman Raymund Liboro said the law mandates having a data privacy officer for organizations to safeguard their data.

"Every organization has to have someone whose job it is to ensure that the personal information they have been entrusted with remains private and safe from potential misuse," said NPC Chairman and Privacy Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro.Donald Trump has taunted France over Emmanuel Macron's call for a European army, referencing both world wars in an extraordinary early-morning tweet which claimed they were starting to learn German in Paris before the US came along.

In a 6.50am post likely to provoke dismay in Europe days after he visited the French capital to commemorate the First World War centenary, the US president wrote: Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the US, China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two.

He added: How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!

Over the next hour, Mr Trump fired off a flurry of Twitter posts complaining about French wine tariffs and mocking Mr Macrons approval ratings. He also challenged the French leaders attack on nationalism before tweeting MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN! in reference to his own presidential campaign slogan.

The outburst was a theatrical escalation of Mr Trumps indignant response to his French counterparts suggestion of a true European army to help the EU defend against threats.

We have to have a Europe that can defend itself alone  and without only relying on the United States  in a more sovereign manner, Mr Macron said last week in an interview with Frances Europe 1 radio station.

The French president suggested Mr Trumps proposed withdrawal from an international nuclear treaty put the continent in danger.

He said: When I see President Trump announcing that hes quitting a major disarmament treaty which was formed after the 1980s Euro-missile crisis that hit Europe, who is the main victim? Europe and its security.

Mr Trump last week described Mr Macrons remarks as very insulting, adding: Perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of Nato, which the US subsidizes greatly!

Donald Trump taunted France over the world wars days after appearing with Emmanuel Macron at First World War centenary events (EPA)

The US leader has regularly vented his frustration over the international military alliance, repeatedly calling for all member nations  most of which are European  to contribute a minimum of two per cent of their GDP towards its cost.

Story continues

He reiterated his complaint as he sat down with Mr Macron for an apparently frosty meeting at the Elysee Palace on Saturday morning.

Mr Trump had flown to Paris to take part in events to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, but provoked incredulity and condemnation by skipping a visit to an American military cemetery because it was raining.

The White House said the presidential helicopter had been grounded by the weather and Mr Trump did not want to cause traffic jams with a hastily arranged motorcade.

Mr Trump contradicted this explanation on Tuesday, tweeting: I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport and big Paris shutdown.

The president complained his speech at another American military cemetery in the French capitals suburbs the following day was little reported.

The US president later joined dozens of other world leaders at a memorial event at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe, where he sat stony-faced as Mr Macron bluntly warned of the threat of the nationalism.

Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism: nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism, the French president said in a speech which appears to have stoked tensions with his American counterpart.

In a thinly veined reference to Mr Trump, he added: When we say our interests come first, those of others dont matter, we erase the very thing that a nation holds most precious, that which gives it life and makes it great: its moral values.

The US president has described himself to be a proud nationalist and has defined his foreign policy as American first.

In an apparent response to Mr Macrons speech in a tweet on Tuesday, he wrote: By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!

The French presidents office declined to comment on Mr Trumps tweets, but said Mr Macron had had made his points about a European army clear to the American leader during their talks in Paris on Saturday.

Mr Trumps Twitter tirade came on the third anniversary of terror attacks in the French capital, where 130 people were murdered in Isis-coordinated shootings and bombings at the Bataclan music venue and bars and restaurants.By Susan Heavey and Luke Baker WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump attacked his French counterpart on Tuesday in a series of tweets that underscored how much the once-friendly ties between the two leaders have soured, just two days after returning from Paris. In five posts sent on the same day that French officials marked the anniversary of the 2015 terrorist attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, Trump blasted the key U.S. ally over its near defeat to Germany in two world wars, its wine industry and Macron's approval ratings. Trump returned to Washington from a weekend in Paris to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War One where strained relations between the American president and European allies were on full display. On Tuesday, Trump rejected Macron's warnings against the threat of nationalism, delivered during an emotional ceremony in Paris on Sunday attended by scores of world leaders. A stony-faced Trump, who listened a few feet away, has described himself as a nationalist and has promoted an "America First" policy. Trump, a real estate developer and former reality television star who owns a Virginia winery, said Macron has a "low approval rating," accused France of unfair trade practices over wine and attacked the news coverage of his trip. Trump pointed to Macron's recent comments about Europe's need to protect itself, tweeting "it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!" "By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people - and rightfully so!" Trump wrote in other tweets, ending with "MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!" He defended his much-criticized absence from a commemoration event on Saturday, saying the U.S. Secret Service had vetoed driving to the venue because of logistics. The White House earlier had said it canceled Trump's appearance, citing poor weather that grounded a planned helicopter flight to the site. White House Director of Strategic Communications Mercedes Schlapp, meanwhile, cast Trump's Paris trip in a positive light. "It was clearly a successful trip," Schlapp told Fox News on Tuesday, saying Trump and Macron "had a productive meeting" on trade and NATO. "He has sent a strong message to our European allies. And we have seen some changes and some positive shifts coming from our allies to pay more to NATO. We need their support," she said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Monday that Trump had isolated himself at one of the weekend events by deciding not to attend the Paris Peace Forum, which Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended. Trump also traveled in a motorcade to the Armistice commemoration while most other world leaders walked the last 100 meters (328 ft) or so to the ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe. Asked on television if the United States was still a French ally, Le Drain answered yes. Before his arrival, Trump had blasted comments that Macron made in a radio interview in which he appeared to cast the United States as a threat. Both French officials and the White House said any misunderstandings had been cleared up after Macron and Trump held talks on Saturday. In Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis on Tuesday backed NATO. Asked whether he supported an EU military, Mattis told reporters: "We see NATO as the cornerstone for the protection of Europe in the security realm and we fully support nations doing more to carry the load." On Sunday, Macron delivered his hard-hitting remarks. "Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism," he said. "When we say 'our interests come first, those of others don't matter,' we erase the very thing that a nation holds most precious, that which gives it life and makes it great: its moral values." (Reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington and Luke Baker in Paris; Additional reporting by Richard Lough, Makini Brice and Idrees Ali; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Cynthia Osterman)ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  The audio recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is so "atrocious" that a Saudi intelligence official who heard it speculated that "only someone who took heroin" could carry it out, Turkey's president was quoted as saying Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists on board his plane while returning from World War I commemorations in Paris, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said that Turkey had shared audio recordings relating to the killing with Saudi Arabia and other nations, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Canada.

"The recording is truly atrocious. In fact, when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recording he was so shocked that he said 'this one probably took heroin. Only someone who took heroin would do it,'" Erdogan was reported as saying in comments published in pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak.

Erdogan did not elaborate on how and when the Saudi official heard the recording of the killing of the Saudi citizen.

Turkey says Khashoggi, who wrote for The Washington Post columnist and often criticized the crown prince, was killed by a 15-member assassination squad sent from Riyadh. Ankara insists the orders for the killing came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, but not King Salman.

Turkey has said a 15-member Saudi "hit squad" strangled and dismembered Khashoggi at the consulate. Media reports have suggested that his body could have been chemically dissolved as it has not yet been found.

Erdogan also said Turkey was "patiently" waiting for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to shed light on the killing at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last month.

The crown prince has come under scrutiny for having knowledge of the killing, which involved some members of his security entourage.

Pressing ahead with moves to maintain pressure on Saudi Arabia, Erdogan said the crown prince had told Turkish envoys that he would shed light on the Oct. 2 killing at the kingdom's consulate and do what was "necessary."

Story continues

"He said this to my special envoys," Erdogan was quoted as saying. "We are waiting patiently."

Under mounting pressure, Saudi Arabia has changed its narrative about Khashoggi's killing. It first said he walked out of the embassy the day he disappeared before eventually acknowledging Khashoggi died inside the consulate. Now, it acknowledges that the journalist's death was premeditated.

Saudi officials characterize the killing as a rogue operation carried out by Saudi agents who exceeded their authority.

On Tuesday, Sabah newspaper, which is close to Turkey's government, printed airport security X-ray images of the luggage that the 15-member Saudi team reportedly took back with them to Saudi Arabia.

The luggage contained five walky-talkies, 10 phones, two electric shock devices, two syringes and scissors, the paper said.By Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said recordings related to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which Turkey has shared with Western allies, are "appalling" and shocked a Saudi intelligence officer who listened to them, Turkish media reported on Tuesday. Khashoggi, a critic of de facto Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate on Oct. 2 in a hit which Erdogan says was ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government. Six weeks after Khashoggi's death, Turkey is trying to keep up pressure on Prince Mohammed and has released a stream of evidence that undermined Riyadh's early denials of involvement. Prine Mohammed won support on Tuesday from U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who said he did not think recordings of the killing shared by Turkey implicated the young crown prince. Erdogan told reporters on his plane returning from a weekend visit to France that he discussed the Saudi journalist's killing with the U.S., French and German leaders there, adding that Turkey had played the recording to at least six countries. "The recordings are really appalling. Indeed when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recordings he was so shocked he said: 'This one must have taken heroin, only someone who takes heroin would do this'," he added. Khashoggi's murder has provoked global outrage but little concrete action by major powers against Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and a strong proponent of U.S. policy to contain Iranian influence across the Middle East. President Donald Trump has expressed reluctance to punish Saudi Arabia economically, citing its multi-billion-dollar purchases of military equipment and investments in U.S. firms. Bolton said he did not think that people who heard the recordings concluded that the crown prince was linked to the killing. "And certainly that is not the position of the Saudi government," he said in Singapore. Asked again if the audio tape provided by Turkey did not link Prince Mohammed to the killing in any way, Bolton said: "I havent listened to the tape myself but in the assessment of those who have listened to it, that is right." Bolton shares with Saudi Arabia a hawkish stance against Riyadh's biggest Middle East rival Iran, and he championed Washington's resumption of sanctions on the Islamic Republic. ELECTRIC SHOCK DEVICES The New York Times, in a report confirmed by a Turkish official, said a member of the Saudi team which was sent to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi told one of his superiors after the killing to "tell your boss" - which the newspaper said was believed to be a reference to Prince Mohammed. The individual was identified as Maher Mutreb, who reports to an aide to the crown prince, Saud al-Qahtani. Mutreb was also quoted as saying words to the effect that "the deed was done". In his comments to reporters, Erdogan said it was clear the killing was planned and that the order came from the top level of Saudi authorities, but that he could not think such a thing of King Salman, for whom he has "limitless respect". "The crown prince says 'I will clarify the matter, I will do what is necessary'. We are waiting patiently," Erdogan said, adding that the perpetrators of the killing were among 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia. "It must be revealed who gave them the order to murder." Last month two separate intelligence sources told Reuters that Qahtani gave orders over Skype to Khashoggi's killers at the consulate. More recently, a government source familiar with the matter said Qahtani featured prominently throughout the recordings. Saudi state media said King Salman sacked him and other officials over the killing, and a senior Saudi official said last month that Qahtani had been detained. But four sources based in the Gulf told Reuters this week that he was still at liberty and continued to operate discreetly. "He still has the same influence," one of the sources said. Qahtani has wielded that influence over the last three years, with his authority growing alongside that of the young prince. He ran social media for Prince Mohammed, masterminded the arrest of hundreds of Saudi Arabia's elite late last year in a campaign Riyadh said aimed at rooting out corruption, and took a harsh line against neighboring Qatar when Saudi Arabia imposed an economic boycott of the Gulf state in June 2017. He also supervised the brief detention, humiliation and beating of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri last year. Turkey's pro-government newspaper Sabah reported on Tuesday that the luggage of the Saudi team that was sent to Istanbul at the time of Khashoggi's killing contained syringes, large scissors, staple guns, walkie-talkies, electric shock devices and a signal jammer. It published photos of X-rays of bags taken as the Saudis passed through security checks at the airport when they left. Reuters could not immediately verify the Sabah report. Saudi Arabia initially denied any knowledge or involvement in Khashoggi's killing, but Saudi public prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb later said it was planned in advance. Another Saudi official said Prince Mohammed had no knowledge of the specific operation. (Additional reporting by John Geddie in Singapore; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Dominic Evans and Mark Heinrich)By Gina Cherelus (Reuters) - Hate crimes in the United States jumped 17 percent in 2017, with a huge 37 percent spike in anti-Semitic attacks, marking the third year in a row that such attacks have increased, according to FBI data released on Tuesday. The release of the data comes just weeks after a gunman burst into a Pittsburgh synagogue and shot dead 11 worshippers while shouting "All Jews must die." According to the FBI's annual Hate Crime Statistics report, there were a total of 7,175 hate crime incidents reported last year by law enforcement agencies, up from 6,121 incidents in 2016. The agency did not offer a reason for the increase. Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said in a statement that hate crimes were "despicable violations" of America's values. "I am particularly troubled by the increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes," Whitaker said. The report showed a 37 percent jump in anti-Semitic incidents to 938 from 684 a year earlier. The Pittsburgh synagogue massacre in late October fueled a debate ahead of the Nov. 6 national elections over U.S. President Donald Trump's inflammatory political rhetoric and his self-identification as a "nationalist." Critics say Trump's rhetoric has fomented a surge in right-wing extremism and may have even helped provoke the bloodshed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood, which was the worst attack on America's Jewish community. The Trump administration has rejected any notion that he has encouraged white nationalists and neo-Nazis who have embraced him, insisting the president's true aim is to unify America. "This report provides further evidence that more must be done to address the divisive climate of hate in America," Jonathan Greenblatt, the Anti-Defamation League's national director, said in a statement. "That begins with leaders from all walks of life and from all sectors of society forcefully condemning anti-Semitism, bigotry, and hate whenever it occurs." Nearly 16 percent of the 4,131 incidents in 2017 involving race or ethnicity were fueled by anti-black or African-American bias, increasing to 2,013 from 1,739 in 2016, the FBI said. Of the 6,370 known offenders in the report, 50.7 percent were white, while 21.3 percent were Black or African-American. The 2017 data was compiled from reports voluntarily submitted by 16,149 law enforcement agencies. FBI officials said the agency will provide training next year for law enforcement officers on how to identify bias-motivated incidents and report that data to federal authorities. (Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)AMMAN (Reuters) - The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said on Sunday it had resumed a ground assault against Islamic State in its last foothold near the Iraqi border, following the suspension of the offensive last month after Turkish shelling of northern Syria. The Kurdish-led SDF said its operations in the Deir al-Zor area had restarted as the result of "intensive contacts between our forces' leadership and the international coalition and active diplomatic efforts aimed at defusing the crisis on the (Turkish-Syrian) border". In a statement, the SDF said it was committed to continuing operations "to eliminate (Islamic State)". The U.S.-led coalition kept up air strikes in the Deir al-Zor area despite the pause in SDF operations. Turkey views Kurdish influence in northern Syria as a national security threat. The SDF is spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara views as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey. (Reporting by Tom Perry and Suleiman al-Khalidi. Editing by Jane Merriman)London (AFP) - The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has agreed to allow some wounded Huthi rebels to be evacuated, following a visit to the region by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, his office said Tuesday.

The issue has proved a sticking point in previous peace talks and the move could now pave the way for fresh negotiations, Britain's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The Saudi-led coalition (has) agreed to the evacuation of wounded Huthis from Yemen, one of the key stumbling blocks to the UN Geneva talks in September," it added.

"Coalition forces will now permit the UN to oversee a Huthi medical evacuation, including up to fifty wounded fighters, to Oman ahead of another proposed round of peace talks in Sweden later this month."

During a visit to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on Monday, Hunt met Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as leaders from the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

He was in the region to boost support for UN efforts to end the nearly four-year conflict in Yemen, and to press the gulf kingdom over the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"In my meetings we have made progress in removing the largest stumbling block to previous proposed rounds of peace talks, and set out a credible path to a de-escalation of military activity," Hunt said following the trip.

"I leave the region encouraged by these signs of progress, and I am determined to do what it takes to convert this into a lasting peace for the people of Yemen."

Hunt also pushed Saudi rulers for "real accountability" in the Khashoggi case, according to Britain's foreign ministry.

He pointed out "both the strong international condemnation and the need for evidence that such an act could never happen again", it said.

Britain and the United States are major suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition backing the Yemen government in its fight against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels.

Story continues

Britain is seeking support among regional partners for new action at the UN Security Council for peace talks in Yemen.

"Diplomacy and negotiation remain the only path to ending the conflict and I am encouraged that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have shown their support for the UN peace process, led by Special Envoy Martin Griffiths," Hunt added.

"I will continue talking to partners about the best way for the Security Council to support the UN special envoy's efforts on the political process and improve the humanitarian situation."

Griffiths is due to brief the Security Council on the situation in Yemen on November 16.Editorial

Close Don Dale

Microcosm of colonial genocide

In the early hours of Wednesday November 7, police used tear gas on Darwins Don Dale Youth Detention Centre detainees, almost all of whom are Aboriginal youth, who escaped from their cells, set the facilitys school on fire and used angle grinders to cut fences in an attempt to escape.

More than a year on from the NT royal commission handing down a report that found shocking and systematic failures over many years in the youth prison system, no charges have been laid as a result of the commission and high numbers of young Indigenous people are still in detention in the same prison block.

Kids are still in there now after the royal commission, the outrage, the prime ministers. You name it, nothing has changed, says barrister John Lawrence, who represented a detainee who was involved in the royal commission.

There are still the same number of kids in detention now as there were previously during the royal commission, he said. Sadly its my business to report to young Australians, I dont think anything is going to change that was discovered thankfully by [ABC program] Four Corners in 2016.

Aboriginal kids in huge numbers are kept in conditions which are unfit for god knows what.

John Lawrence says there are two lessons to take away from the royal commission.

The first is that white professionals and white government departments have failed miserably over the past 20 years.

We are incapable of doing this.

 Tough on crime policy does not reduce the crime rate, Lawrence said.

Weve got to stop being exploited by politicians who exacerbate the grief and the frustration of people and then get their votes and bring in tough measures that dont actually work.

He said the second lesson is that empowerment of Aboriginal organisations is the way forward.

It is an indication of the cruel dysfunction and collusion at state and federal level of government that the perpetrators of the NT child abuse and torture of juveniles, the NT government, was involved in the design and administration of the royal commission to investigate it.

The abuse and torture of juvenile inmates at Darwins Don Dale detention centre has rightly outraged many people and exposed Australia to the world as a violator of human rights. The 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody emphasised that prison should be a measure of last resort if the vicious cycle of criminalisation and imprisonment is to be addressed.

Ruth Barson, the director of legal advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre, has noted the NT is without a doubt in breach of its human rights obligations under the Convention against Torture and Mistreatment and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Barson says the NT youth justice system is substandard, the main youth detention facility being a decommissioned adult prison.

The NT system does not meet basic, minimum international standards and nationally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young peoples over-imprisonment is at crisis point. Critically, said Barson, the NT government cannot be immune from the commissions investigation. It has known about this treatment for years.

The then Turnbull governments swift call for a royal commission, with narrow terms of reference and restricted to the NT, smacked of what it was, an attempt at a whitewash, made all the more evident by the appointment of former NT chief justice Ross Martin as the royal commissioner.

This was a reflection of both the federal and territory government in damage control to minimise the political fallout.

This is a national issue that requires a national approach.

Indigenous organisations, including the Northern and Central Land Councils, the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT and legal groups, all rejected Martins appointment. Medical Services Alliance chief executive John Paterson stated that the Prime Minister had let Territorians down and undermined the royal commission.

The current criminal justice system sucks Indigenous people up and deposits them like waste in custodial institutions. The incarceration rates allow the abuse and deaths in detention to happen and continue.

In 2016 the Koori Mail national Indigenous newspaper reported that leading Indigenous and human rights groups want the federal and Northern Territory governments to immediately protect the human rights of young people currently in detention.

The Human Rights Law Centre, Amnesty International and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) urged both governments to be proactive and ensure children in detention are not exposed to mistreatment while awaiting the royal commissions recommendations, expected early next year.

The three organisations received reports that young people continue to be held in conditions amounting to solitary confinement in the high security unit of Don Dale detention centre in Darwin.

They called on the NT government to immediately prohibit the use of solitary confinement; introduce an independent inspector of youth detention to prevent abuse; and meaningfully engage with Indigenous communities and organisations. NATSILS also called for the establishment of a special youth court in central Australia.

NATSILS executive officer Karly Warner said more than 95 percent of young people in detention in the NT are Aboriginal.

The federal and NT governments should immediately commit to working closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to find ways to reduce the alarming rates at which Indigenous young people are locked up, she said.

Permanent harm

Human Rights Law Centre director of legal advocacy Ruth Barson said the NT has the highest rates of youth detention in Australia and that having independent oversight of youth detention facilities is critical if the government is truly committed to preventing mistreatment.

It is essential that children in youth detention are protected from abuse, she said. We shouldnt need to wait for the royal commissions findings to ensure children are safe. Independent inspections and oversight of detention facilities are proven to work to prevent the type of appalling treatment we recently saw in the Don Dale youth-detention facility.

The HRLC, Amnesty and NATSILS have also called on the federal government to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, which Australia signed in 2009.

Open secret

Theres little doubt the vicious regime in place at Don Dale would have continued unchanged if not for the Four Corners program. It transpires that a government agency referred practices at the Don Dale centre to the NT Police in 2015. The claim that boys were encouraged to fight one another in return for a can of coke and a chocolate per week and to eat bird faeces are still under investigation.

Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister, NT Senator Nigel Scullion, said at the time he could recall vaguely some media reporting about abuse in October last year but that it hadnt, as he put it, piqued my interest sufficiently.

The NT government went in hard in defence of itself against the boys depicted in the scenes in which they were gassed, stripped naked, struck, sworn at, and held in prolonged solitary confinement.

It dismissed claims that the treatment violates United Nations Conventions against Torture and insisted all the methods used, including the restraining chair and hood, were legal.

Past failures

Australian authorities have an attitude problem, a privileged class and race bias when it comes to questions of crime and punishment. Many still hold the medieval point of view that prisoners are detained not as punishment but for punishment, including when a prisoners human rights are violated, and even outrageously violated.

The attitude is many times worse when it comes to Aboriginal prisoners. Institutional racism against the first Australians has led to dispossession, marginalisation and impoverishment. The young victims end up in the hands of the justice system.

The failure of this system has been a national embarrassment for a very long time. It has been examined in Royal Commissions including the one into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, which reported in 1991. Today, incarceration rates for Indigenous Australians are higher than at the time of the report. Australia-wide the rate is 15 times higher than for non-Indigenous people. In WA, the rate is closer to 20 times. There have been over 350 Aboriginal deaths in custody since the Royal Commission.

Only a small proportion of the Royal Commissions 339 recommendations were implemented. Among those that were endorsed by every state and territory was number 161 that said that police and prison officials should seek medical attention immediately if doubt arises as to a detainees condition. This recommendation became law but it has been ignored on many occasions with deadly consequences.

Needed: more than a Royal Commission

There must be a thorough investigation into the incidents and the administrative culture at the Don Dale centre and into the whole juvenile justice and child protection system in the Northern Territory. Recommendation 339 from the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody was to initiate a formal process of reconciliation between Aboriginal people and the wider community. That led to the establishment of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and a number of official and community-driven initiatives. In spite of this the figures on incarceration and detention are worsening.

The 1991 Royal Commission called on governments to legislate for the utilisation of imprisonment as a last resort. In line with this, it recommended community orders, personal development courses which might provide the offender with skills, knowledge, interests, treatment or counselling likely to reduce the risk of re-offending. (Recs 92, 94)

In the case of discrete or remote communities, sentencing authorities consult with Aboriginal communities and organisations as to the general range of sentences which the community considers appropriate for offences committed within the communities by members of those communities ... (Rec 124)

Importantly, it called on governments to ensure that:

Police Services, Corrective Services, and authorities in charge of juvenile centres recognise that they owe a legal duty of care to persons in their custody; That the standing instructions to the officers of these authorities specify that each officer involved in the arrest, incarceration or supervision of a person in custody has a legal duty of care to that person, and may be held legally responsible for the death or injury of the person caused or contributed to by a breach of that duty; and That these authorities ensure that such officers are aware of their responsibilities and trained appropriately to meet them, both on recruitment and during their service. (Rec 122)

These and many other critical recommendations have not been implemented.

The political climate has deteriorated with the economic conditions, and social problems have been met with solutions such as mandatory detention and three strikes and youre in.

Aboriginal communities have been closed or threatened with closure. Aboriginal services have been de-funded and mainstreamed. The Intervention in the NT has done untold damage to communities.

Despite the current, momentary hand-wringing, intolerance of all sorts is being fuelled in the corridors of power. Even the proposed referendum on the recognition of the prior occupation of Australia carries with it the danger of a blow to any hope of genuine land rights.

Abuse is the inevitable result of the social and economic system derived from colonialism  the capitalist system of exploitation and all its attendant ills of division, subjugation and violence.

The implementation of limited changes flowing from a thorough-going investigation into the questions raised during the Four Corners program will have to be fought for and watched over by progressive Australians.

Lasting change around the just demands of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is bound up with the struggle for a government of a new and radically different type in Australia.Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine on Monday arrested a man suspected of being involved in the deadly acid attack on anti-corruption campaigner Kateryna Gandzyuk.

Igor Pavlovsky -- a former aide to a ruling party lawmaker -- was arrested on Monday morning, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's attorney general said on Twitter.

Gandzyuk's death in early November sparked fresh condemnation of the government and drew renewed attention to dozens of assaults on other anti-corruption campaigners in Ukraine over the past few months.

Police detained five people in August, three of whom were placed under house arrest.

But it remains unknown who ordered the attack.

Two Ukrainian journalists have alleged that Pavlovsky could have acted as an intermediary between the attack's organisers and the person who ordered it.

Pavlovsky worked for lawmaker Mykola Palamarchuk of President Petro Poroshenko's party, but Palamarchuk has denied any involvement and has fired Pavlovsky.

Speaking to a Ukrainian television channel last week, Pavlovsky confirmed that he had been questioned as a witness in the case but denied being involved in the attack.

But on Monday, Ukraine's security service said Pavlovsky had been arrested as a possible accomplice in the crime.

Gandzyuk, who worked as an adviser to the mayor of the southern city of Kherson, was an outspoken critic of corruption in law enforcement agencies. On July 31, she had around a litre of acid poured on her by an unknown attacker.

The 33-year-old died in early November after months of treatment, including more than ten operations.

She was hospitalised with burns on more than 30 percent of her body, including her upper torso, arms, and face.

Both the European Union and the US have called the attacks on activists unacceptable and urged authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

General Attorney Yuriy Lutsenko last week submitted a letter of resignation to Poroshenko over the affair. But Poroshenko on Friday refused to accept his resignation.

The growing controversy poses a new embarrassment for the pro-Western leader who is expected to run for re-election next year.United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United Nations' aid chief called Tuesday for a ceasefire around Yemen's city of Hodeida, where pro-government forces are battling Huthi rebels for control of the Red Sea port.

The appeal came as Western powers stepped up pressure on the Saudi-led coalition to agree to talks with the Iran-backed Huthi rebels on ending the war.

"I ask that the parties implement a cessation of hostilities, not least in and around all the infrastructure and facilities on which the aid operation and commercial importers rely," said Mark Lowcock, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, in a statement.

Lowcock said the United Nations was ready to play a role in "ensuring the appropriate use of key facilities, especially around Hodeida" -- a key entry point for humanitarian aid and vital supplies to Yemen.

Clashes between Saudi-backed troops and rebels in Hodeida have raged for nearly two weeks, leaving nearly 600 people dead and prompting warnings from the United Nations of catastrophic devastation if fighting escalates.

Lowcock has warned that Yemen, which the United Nations ranks as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, is moving closer toward the world's worst famine in decades.

The Saudi-led coalition has been waging a war in Yemen since March 2015 to push back the Iran-backed Huthis, but the rebels still hold Hodeida and the capital Sanaa.

The coalition intervened to restore to power Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government is recognized by the United Nations.

The United States, a key Saudi ally, has called for a ceasefire and talks on ending the war while Britain has said it is preparing a Security Council draft resolution that would pave the way to peace talks.

Hodeida was hit on Monday night by what multiple sources said were two air strikes -- the first targeting of the docks since government forces launched an offensive to retake the port five months ago.

The port's deputy director, Yahya Sharafeddine, said the main entrance to the docks had been "the target of air raids" but was fully functioning. Three security guards were wounded in the attack, he said.SINGAPORE (AP)  The United Nations refugee agency on Monday cautioned against returning ethnic Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar from Bangladesh at this time, urging that officials be allowed to assess whether it is safe for them to return.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees issued the warning after the Myanmar government said Sunday that this week it would begin repatriating the more than 700,000 Rohingya who have fled from the Rakhine state in western Myanmar to Bangladesh to escape deadly violence carried out by Myanmar security forces.

"Myanmar authorities should allow these refugees to undertake such go-and-see visits without prejudice to their right to return at a later date, if indeed the refugees decide after the visits that the current conditions in Rakhine State would not allow them to return in safety and dignity," the UNHCR said in a statement.

The Rohingya refugees generally have been denied citizenship and civil rights in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where prejudice against them runs high. The overwhelming majority of people in Myanmar do not accept that the Rohingya are a native ethnic group, instead seeing them as illegal migrants from Bangladesh and calling them "Bengalis."

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, attending a business conference Monday in Singapore on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit, did not mention the issue and did not take any questions.

On Sunday, officials in Myanmar announced that Bangladesh had said repatriations would begin on Thursday, with an initial group of 2,251 to be sent back from mid-November at a rate of 150 per day.

Senior Myanmar officials said they would do their best to be ready, but Bangladesh's repatriation commissioner said he was unaware that a date had been set.

The UNHCR said it supports the "voluntary and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees in safety and in dignity to their places of origin or choice, and will work with all parties towards this goal." It is Myanmar's responsibility to improve conditions in the restive Rakhine region, it said.

Sunday's Myanmar government statement said the returning Rohingya would stay at repatriation camps for two days and receive food and clothing before moving on to transit camps. It said China, India and Japan were "providing necessary assistance" for the repatriation process, but did not give details.

The Rohingya exodus began after Myanmar security forces launched a brutal crackdown following coordinated insurgent attacks in August 2017. The scale, organization and ferocity of the operation led to accusations from the international community, including the United Nations, of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Myanmar's government has denied this.United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council met behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip but there was no agreement on how to address the crisis, diplomats said.

Kuwait, which represents Arab countries at the council, and Bolivia requested the meeting following the worst flareup in Gaza since the 2014 war between Hamas and Israel.

Addressing reporters after the 50-minute meeting, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said the council was "paralyzed" and had "failed to shoulder its responsibility" to take action to end the violence.

"There is one country that is not allowing discussion at the council," Mansour told reporters, in a reference to the United States, which has taken a pro-Israeli stance under President Donald Trump.

There was no statement from the council on the crisis. Such statements are agreed by consensus by all 15 council members.

Kuwait's Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi said the majority of council members were of the view that the top UN body "should do something" and some suggested a visit to the region, but no decision was taken.

Palestinian militant groups including Hamas, which rules Gaza, issued a joint statement earlier announcing an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel.

The groups said they would abide by the truce as long as Israel did the same, but there was no immediate comment from the Israeli side.

Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon earlier said "we will not accept a call for both sides to exercise restraint" and laid the blame for the violence squarely on the Palestinians.

Seven Palestinians were killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes targeted militants and flattened buildings in the worst escalation of violence since the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas.

The latest round of violence began on Sunday with a botched Israeli special forces operation inside the Gaza Strip that turned deadly and prompted Hamas to vow revenge.

Palestinian militants responded with rocket and mortar fire. An anti-tank missile hit a bus that Hamas says was being used by Israeli soldiers. A soldier was severely wounded in the attack.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008, and protests and clashes along the Gaza border since March 30 have repeatedly raised fears of a fourth.Abu Dhabi (AFP) - US National Security Adviser John Bolton held talks Monday with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on regional issues and the fight against "terrorism", state media said.

Bolton's visit comes as international pressure mounts to end the war in Yemen, where government loyalists backed by a Saudi-led coalition, including Emirati forces, are battling Iran-aligned Huthi rebels.

Medics said Monday that at least 150 people have been killed in 24 hours of clashes in the Yemen port city of Hodeida, the docks of which are a lifeline to 14 million Yemenis at risk of starvation.

Government forces, led on the ground by Emirati-backed troops, have made their way into Hodeida after 11 days of clashes, reaching residential neighbourhoods in the east on Sunday and sparking fears of street fighting that would further endanger civilians.

Ahead of the trip to the United Arab Emirates Bolton said in a tweet he was "looking forward to meeting with out friends in the UAE to discuss important regional issues".

WAM state news agency said the talks focused on "cooperation between the two countries in several fields, as well as issues of concern to both countries".

Bolton and Sheikh Mohammed, who is also deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces, "exchanged views on several regional and international issues" and also discussed "international efforts and cooperation to confront terrorism and terrorist groups", the agency reported.

The Hodeida offensive has sparked international outcry unprecedented in nearly four years of conflict between the Huthis and the Saudi-backed government.

Britain, the United States and France have all called for a cessation to the hostilities.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has urged Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a major ally of Washington, to engage in peace talks.

On Saturday Saudi King Salman held talks in Riyadh with the Abu Dhabi crown prince after the US halted a controversial refuelling arrangement for coalition aircraft engaged in Yemen.Singapore (AFP) - US National Security Advisor John Bolton vowed Tuesday to "squeeze" Iran "until the pips squeak", a week after a tough new round of sanctions came into force.

President Donald Trump has dramatically increased pressure on Tehran, withdrawing from an international agreement aimed at ending its nuclear programme and introducing several rounds of unilateral US sanctions.

The latest tranche of measures have been touted as the toughest yet, and aim to significantly reduce Iran's vital oil exports and cut off its banks from international finance.

Speaking in Singapore, Bolton said: "We think the government is under real pressure and it's our intention to squeeze them very hard.

"As the British say, squeeze them until the pips squeak.

"We are also going to significantly increase the enforcement of sanctions."

The United States has repeatedly said that humanitarian needs, food and medicine are exempt from the sanctions and the Iranian people are not the targets.

But Iran says the sanctions are inhumane and go against international law.

The sanctions on banks have meant that few if any international lenders are ready to facilitate transactions for fear of upsetting the United States, even for humanitarian purposes such as medical supplies.

Coupled with a plunge in Iran's national currency, this has lead to severe shortages and soaring black market prices for drugs from abroad needed to treat illnesses like cancer and even simple anaesthetics required for surgery.

- 'Crime against humanity' -

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a tweet on Monday that the "intention to starve civilian population is crime against humanity".

"ICJ already refuted (US) claim on humanitarian exemptions," he wrote, referring to the International Court of Justice.

Attached to the tweet were letters Zarif said were from international pharmaceutical firms to their Iranian partners informing them that they are ceasing all shipments to Iran due to US sanctions.

Story continues

The US measures have been opposed by other parties to the deal aimed at ending Iran's nuclear drive -- Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia -- who have vowed to keep the accord alive.

"There's no doubt Iran has already started to try and find ways to evade the sanctions both on oil in particular and financial markets," Bolton added.

UN inspectors say Iran is abiding by the agreement.

But Bolton said "most of the countries of Europe have passed through denial and anger and many of them are already at acceptance that we're out of the deal.

"Others are getting to that point."

In the face of widespread opposition to the sanctions, Washington issued exemptions to eight countries to its ban on buying oil from major producer Iran.

Washington is demanding that Tehran end policies rooted in the 1979 Islamist revolution, including its support for regional proxies such as the Lebanese militia Hezbollah and its development of missiles.

The only support for the US position has come from Iran's regional rivals, notably Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The International Monetary Fund has forecast that the sanctions will cause Iran's economy to contract 1.5 percent this year and 3.6 percent next year.Washington (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday branded the son of Hezbollah's leader a "terrorist" subject to sanctions as it offered rewards to capture three militants in Lebanon with close ties to Iran.

In a series of back-to-back actions, the US vowed to aggressively counter the regional ambitions of Iran a week after imposing sweeping measures intended to cripple the cleric-led country's economy.

It also marked a new US pressure tactic inside Lebanon, whose prime minister-designate, Saad Hariri, has been at a political crossroads with Hezbollah -- considered a terrorist group by Washington but also a major political faction among the communally sensitive state's Shiite Muslims.

The State Department declared Jawad Nasrallah, the son of Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah, to be a "global terrorist," meaning any US-based assets will be blocked and Americans will be forbidden from any transactions with him.

"Hezbollah's destructive actions have endangered the Lebanese people," Nathan Sales, the US ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism, told reporters.

He accused Hezbollah -- the only of Lebanon's political parties that did not disarm after the 1975-1990 civil war -- of "effectively using civilians as human shields" by hiding missiles in population centers.

"Hezbollah's ability to destabilize is not confined to the Middle East, however. It is able to destabilize inside Lebanon itself," he said.

- Rewards for three men -

Sales also held up "Wanted" posters for three men in Lebanon for which the United States will offer $5 million for information leading to their location.

They included Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri, who is seen as the key liaison between the Palestinian Islamist movement and Iran and who lives in Lebanon.

The United States linked Aruri in particular to the 2014 murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank including one, Naftali Fraenkel, who was a dual US-Israeli citizen.

Story continues

Also on the posters were Khalil Yousif Harb and Haytham Tabatabai, both accused of commanding Hezbollah's growing military operations around the Middle East.

Iran's rival Saudi Arabia in 2015 imposed its own sanctions on Harb over Hezbollah's role in Yemen, where Saudi-led coalition has been pounding Huthi rebels and infrastructure in what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The United States cited the Saudi designation in its own action, despite Washington's recent criticism of the kingdom over the killing of dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi in its Istanbul consulate.

Hezbollah -- founded during the civil war by supporters of Iran's revolutionary government with a goal of ending Israel's occupation of south Lebanon -- has increasingly become a force around the region.

It is believed to have sent thousands of fighters to Syria in a bid to prop up President Bashar al-Assad, an Iranian ally and member of the heterodox Alawite sect who has ruthlessly tried to crush mostly Sunni rebels and the extremist Islamic State movement.

- Targeting Hezbollah in Iraq -

The Treasury Department separately placed sanctions on four men it said were key to Hezbollah's activities in Shiite-majority Iraq.

Those four were Shibl Muhsin Ubayd Al-Zaydi, Yusuf Hashim, Adnan Hussein Kawtharani, and Muhammad Abd-Al-Hadi Farhat.

The Treasury said Al-Zaydi was a key coordinator among Hezbollah, Iran's blacklisted Revolutionary Guards and their supporters in Iraq, and that the other three provided intelligence.

President Donald Trump's administration has vowed to roll back Iranian influence in the Middle East and last week snapped back sanctions, which had been lifted after Tehran entered a deal on ending its nuclear program.

Sales, using a figure previously cited by the administration, said that Iran pays $700 million a year for Hezbollah.

"Sadly, it is the Iranian people who are forced to pay this price," he said.

Hariri earlier Tuesday accused Hezbollah of holding up a new cabinet after five months of wrangling, with the group pushing for Sunni politicians allied to the Shiite movement but opposed to Hariri to be represented.Baltimore (AFP) - The Vatican has told the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to delay a vote, set to take place at their annual meeting, on measures to halt sexual abuse by priests.

On the eve of the conference, US bishop leaders received a Vatican order demanding they wait to vote until after a global summit on sex abuse set to take place in Rome in February, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo announced Monday in his opening remarks.

Speaking on his "disappointment" with the decision, DiNardo said: "We are working very hard to move to action."

"And we'll do it. We just have a bump in the road," he added at the conference in Baltimore, Maryland being held through Wednesday.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, said the Vatican's decision aimed to make sure that "our decisions can be informed by listening to our brother bishops from around the world."

But he also called for an interim, informal vote ahead of next year's gathering.

"It is clear that the Holy See recognizes the urgency of this issue, and is placing great importance on the February meeting, understanding that the present crisis is not limited to one or a few countries, but that it is a watershed moment for the universal Church."

After virulent criticism of its handling of cases of sexual abuse by priests, the US bishops' conference had announced in October several key measures that were to be put to a vote.

American clergy leaders proposed a new code of conduct, alert mechanism and investigative committee led by people who do not belong to the American Catholic Church.

In August, a grand jury report revealed credible child sex abuse allegations against more than 300 priests in Pennsylvania for crimes on at least 1,000 children.

The report described a Church hierarchy that often actively seeks to cover up cases of sexual abuse and protect the aggressors.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who was bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006, was repeatedly cited as one of the Church leaders who helped to cover up the scandal.

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Wuerl's predecessor in Washington, Theodore McCarrick, resigned from the Vatican's College of Cardinals in July.

McCarrick, one of the most high-profile Catholic leaders to face abuse claims, was accused of sexually abusing a teenager nearly five decades earlier.

In October, the bishops' conference announced the launch of a hotline to report abuses.

Some 6,721 priests have been accused of sexual abuse in the United States for alleged acts that took place between 1950 to 2016, according to the group Bishop Accountability.

It counts around 18,565 child victims.By Tim Kelly and Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, keeping up pressure on Japan to cut its trade surplus with the United States, said on Tuesday American goods and services too often faced barriers in Japan and a bilateral trade agreement offered the best way forward. Speaking to reporters after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Pence also said that sanctions on Pyongyang would remain in full force until a fully verified denuclearization of North Korea was achieved. "The United States has had a trade imbalance with Japan for too long. American products and services too often face barriers to compete fairly in Japanese markets," Pence said at a joint media appearance with Abe. "The best opportunity for free, fair and reciprocal trade will come in a bilateral trade agreement," he added. U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized Japan over trade, asserting that Tokyo treats the United States unfairly by shipping millions of cars to North America while blocking imports of U.S. autos and farm products. Japan says its markets for manufactured goods are open, although it does protect politically sensitive farm products. In September, Abe and Trump agreed to start trade talks in an arrangement that appeared, temporarily at least, to protect Japanese automakers from further tariffs on their exports, which make up about two-thirds of Japan's $69 billion trade surplus with the United States. Japan has insisted the new Trade Agreement on Goods would not be a wide-ranging free trade agreement, but U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has said he was aiming for a full free trade deal requiring approval by Congress. Abe did not comment directly on the nature of a future deal. "As for the economy, we reaffirmed that we intend to further expand bilateral trade and investment in a mutually beneficial manner in accordance with the Japan-U.S. joint statement in September, and to realize economic development of the Indo-Pacific region that is free, open and based on fair rules," Abe said. NORTH KOREA SANCTIONS The U.S. Commerce Department has submitted draft recommendations to the White House on its investigation into whether to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on imported cars and parts on national security grounds, two administration officials said in Washington. In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump pledged to work toward denuclearization at a summit in Singapore, but there has been little headway on specific steps. "Our joint actions together with South Korea and the wider world have brought North Korea to the negotiating table and opened the promise of peace on the Korean Peninsula," Pence said. He said more work remained to be done, and noted that another summit between Trump and Kim was being arranged. "The sanctions will remain in full force until we achieve the final, fully verified de-nuclearization of North Korea. The United States, Japan and the world will accept nothing less," Pence said. A planned meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials in New York on Thursday was canceled. The State Department gave no reason for the delay. A U.S. think tank said on Monday it had identified at least 13 of an estimated 20 undeclared missile operating bases inside North Korea, underscoring the challenge for U.S. negotiators to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. Japan has said it will not normalize relations with Pyongyang until it takes irreversible and verifiable steps to dismantle its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and reveals the fate of all Japanese kidnapped by North Korean agents decades ago, and to return any who may still be alive. After meeting Abe, Pence - who repeated that Washington remains committed to the Indo-Pacific region - will head to Singapore for a meeting of regional powers and then to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Papua New Guinea. Trump is not attending the meetings. (Additional reporting Elaine Lies and Kiyoshi Takenaka; Writing by Linda Sieg; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Darren Schuettler)Sanaa (AFP) - Diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Yemen's Hodeida intensified Tuesday, as Britain said the Saudi-led coalition had agreed to the evacuation of wounded rebels from the country ahead of proposed peace talks in Sweden.

After nearly four years of conflict in Yemen, home to what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe, the United States and Britain are now pressing Saudi Arabia and its allies to end the war against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

UN aid chief Mark Lowcock on Tuesday called for a cessation of hostilities "in and around all the infrastructure and facilities on which the aid operation and commercial importers rely", a reference to the port of Hodeida, as pressure mounts for a truce after nearly four years of conflict.

The office of British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Saudi-led alliance fighting on the side of the government had agreed to the evacuation of up to 50 wounded Huthi fighters to Oman following Hunt's visit to Riyadh.

The move comes ahead of another proposed round of peace talks in Sweden later this month, Hunt's office said.

But residents in Hodeida, whose port is vital for food imports and humanitarian aid for millions at risk of starvation, say they now fear a siege on the city, where only one major exit route is still open to traffic, on the northern edge of the city.

And despite an apparent temporary lull in the fighting, a spokesman for the Huthis said the rebels were ready for "war in the streets" of rebel-held Hodeida itself.

"We are ready, and present, and our plans are in place" in case of an attack by the rival pro-government alliance, the spokesman said at a news conference broadcast on the rebels' Al-Masirah TV, which did not give his name.

- Port attack -

Residents reported Tuesday that fighting in the city had slowed, and rebel media -- which regularly claims attacks on loyalists -- did not report any new clashes in Hodeida itself.

Story continues

Both the Huthis and Saudi-led government camp reported outbreaks of violence elsewhere in Yemen late Tuesday.

The Huthis' media office said air strikes had killed nine civilians in Jarahi, west of Hodeida city.

The rebels blamed the raids on the Saudi-led coalition, which said it was investigating the report.

"We take this report very seriously and it will be fully investigated as all reports of this nature are," said coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki.

"Whilst this is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further."

Despite UN warnings that an attack on the port could trigger a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, Hodeida itself was hit Monday night by what multiple sources said were two air strikes, the first attack on the docks since government forces launched a major offensive to retake the port five months ago.

The port's deputy director, Yahya Sharafeddine, said the main entrance to the docks had been "the target of air raids" but was fully functioning.

Three security guards were wounded in the attack, he said.

Four employees in Hodeida port who requested anonymity told AFP that a rebel commander had been killed in the attack on Monday.

The Huthis, who seized Hodeida in a 2014 takeover that included the capital, on Tuesday accused the government of the attacks on the port via their Al-Masirah TV.

- International pressure for peace -

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned the destruction of the Hodeida port could trigger a "catastrophic" situation in a country where 14 million people are at risk of starvation.

Aid groups have also urged both parties in the conflict to keep roads open to allow civilians to escape and the transportation of aid through Hodeida port.

Lowcock said the UN was ready to play a role in "ensuring the appropriate use of key facilities, especially around Hodeida".

The docks as well as Sanaa international airport are under a near-total blockade by Saudi Arabia and its allies, who accuse Iran of smuggling arms to the Huthis.

Tehran denies the accusation.

The Saudi-led coalition has also come international pressure to end the conflict following the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his country's consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

The United States, Britain and France this week called for the cessation of hostilities in Yemen and the resumption of negotiations to end the war.

Pentagon chief Jim Mattis on Saturday said his country had halted its controversial aerial refuelling support for coalition aircraft involved in the war.

UN mediator Martin Griffiths -- whose efforts to host negotiations in Geneva in September failed -- met with Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani in Riyadh on Monday for talks on reviving the peace process, Saudi Arabia's state news agency reported.

Griffiths has said he hopes to host talks by the end of the year.Along class lines

Long live Red October

The October Revolution took place in the second decade of the last century. In other words, it was a long time ago: so why should we be concerned with it in the 21st century? Thats easy: because the change it heralded in the way society operates was so profound and so far-reaching that it continues to influence or even determine international relations and the aspirations of the worlds people today.

Its most significant aspect was that it was a Red revolution: for the first time in history, the working class successfully overthrew the rule of the bourgeoisie and took control of society themselves. There was a world war raging at the time, the most wide-ranging ever known, which had earned itself the name the Great War. To the shock of the leaders of capitalism everywhere, the revolutionary government of Russia proposed that all the belligerents in this glorious event should end the bloodshed and cease hostilities.

This radical proposal outraged the rest of the worlds governments. Most of them were using the War, in one way or another, to acquire the territory of other countries, to win control of global markets, or to militarily dominate vast sectors of the globe for their own financial benefit. So they decided to invade the country that had spawned these upstart Reds and get rid of them.

Fourteen countries, including all the Great Powers, invaded impoverished Soviet Russia. However, the Reds fought tenaciously to defend their Revolution and they were supported by the worlds workers: soldiers sent to fight in Russia threatened to mutiny, colonial peoples threatened to rebel and trade unions in developed capitalist countries threatened strike action. At the same time, Red Revolution broke out in other imperialist states: the German Kaiser was tossed out and surrendered his sword to a startled Dutch border guard.

The Austro-Hungarian emperor was similarly given his marching orders and a Soviet republic was set up in Hungary instead. The Ottoman Empire also collapsed and a bourgeois-democratic regime was established in a new, albeit much smaller, Turkey. To the dismay of capitalism, this new bourgeois Turkey sought friendly relations with its neighbour, Soviet Russia.

For the time being, capitalism had to admit defeat. However, by the end of the 1920s they were again ready to invade the USSR, the centre of the contagion of Revolution. The plan only collapsed when the capitalist system itself fell in a heap, the result of an economic disaster called The Great Depression. Significantly, the only country not affected by the Depression was the USSR. Once again, the capitalist powers were thwarted of their prey.

Terrified that the Depression would lead the disaffected workers to once again resort to Red Revolution, capitalist corporations turned to fascism to protect their interests. Hungary and Italy had already gone fascist in the 1920s. By the end of the decade, with their economies in tatters and millions out of work, numerous countries in the rest of the world saw their capitalists fund right-wing extremists who promised to use force if necessary to prevent the dreaded Reds from winning power.

Well-funded by corporate interests, support for fascism grew apace, notably in Portugal, Spain, France, Poland, Sweden, Norway, and the USA, as well as others including Britain and Australia. We even had our own fascist storm troopers, here in Australia, the New Guard. Then as now, fascism fed on a mix of racism, crude nationalism, disillusion with bourgeois democracy and economic despair.

However, as the slogan of the time said with devastating accuracy, Fascism means war! Even those capitalist governments that had not gone fascist still thought they could use fascist regimes to achieve their own strategic ends. And the end ardently desired by most capitalists was the eradication of the fount of revolution, the Soviet Union. But the Soviet leadership skilfully deflected all the attempts to involve it in war, first with Japan (1935), then with Germany (1938).

Even after Britain and France had been obliged to declare war on Germany, the British ruling class tried to convince its population to support a war with Soviet Russia (1940) but by then there were few who didnt recognise fascist Germany as the real threat. Certainly, the Soviet government knew that war could not be deflected indefinitely. However, by the time it came the USSR had had an invaluable breathing space, which it used to build up its defence capacity. Although the USSR was invaded by ten times the number of German divisions that were giving the British such a hard time in North Africa, the Soviet army was able to not only slow down the rate of the invaders advance but eventually to turn the tide, repulse the invaders and chase them all the way back to Berlin.

Ultimately, the war that was supposed to see the destruction of the home of revolution, the USSR, instead saw it not only victorious over fascism, but able to oversee the victory of Red Revolution throughout Eastern Europe and to actively assist its victory in China, and later to assist its first implementation in the Americas.

It was the ideas unleashed by the October Revolution that underlay the defeat of fascism in WW2 and then the global post-war surge in the national-liberation movement among the worlds colonial peoples. At the same time, workers in capitalist countries were able to gain concessions from a ruling class anxious to keep them sufficiently contented that they would not turn to the Socialist system that had emerged as a global rival to capitalism.

The defeat of Hitlerite Germany at the hands of an anti-fascist alliance that included not only capitalist powers but also the Socialist USSR, raised such expectations among the worlds people that henceforth the imperialists had to invent excuses for the use of force where previously they could virtually do as they pleased. The United Nations was set up with the express purpose of preventing wars.

The corporations that dominate capitalism were still determined however to eradicate the scourge of revolution from any country where the people might be inclined to want to enjoy the fruits of their own labour, or to prevent their country being embroiled in a war for corporate profit, or where the people might simply want to end exploitation by foreign corporations.

The leaders of the capitalist world launched an ideological counter-attack they euphemistically called the Cold War, implying that it was less dangerous than regular hot wars. By expending an enormous amount of money that could have gone to serving peoples needs and employing an army of agents, agitators and propagandists, and all the resources of the bourgeois media, they sought to convince workers everywhere that capitalism was the only viable social system, that the Socialist countries were embarrassing failures that wanted to destroy them, and that consequently all money spent on war preparations, no matter how much, was money well spent.

By skilfully exploiting the ideological deficiencies that developed in the USSR during the leadership of Brezhnev onwards, capitalism pulled off its greatest coup: the overthrow of Socialism in the country where Red Revolution had first been successful.

The leaders of the imperialist powers rejoiced, but their victory proved dishearteningly elusive. The socialist genie that the Russian workers and peasants had released cannot be put back in the bottle. In Britain, the USA and parts of Europe, social democrats have found it advantageous in winning mass support to campaign loudly and openly (for the first time in decades) as Socialists. Workers in developed capitalist countries, who had been gulled into letting their unions decay or even disappear, are rediscovering the need for militant organising. And they are rediscovering that the only effective way to deal with the contradictions between those who create the wealth (workers) and the bosses who appropriate it for their own benefit is to withhold their labour by taking strike action in defence of their rights.

Employer-dominated governments have passed increasingly harsh laws to prevent industrial action by workers, and even to prevent workers organising at all.

Anti-union propaganda has been stepped up to an unprecedented degree, strikes outlawed in numerous countries, progressives belittled and extreme right-wing politicians encouraged. Fascist politicians and political parties are springing up like mushrooms after rain. However, life itself is daily demonstrating to workers the fundamental truths that the Revolutionary workers and peasants of Russia recognised in the freezing winter of 1917: that capitalists regard them as disposable fodder, commodities that can be thrown away when they have served their purpose  and their purpose is to make profits for capitalists.

But those ragged, shivering, half-starved Russian workers and peasants also demonstrated something else, something profound: that the worlds workers and peasants can successfully run society, and run it for the benefit of all the people who actually create the goods and services that make up the real wealth of a society.

That is the legacy of the October Revolution, a guiding light for all people striving for a better life, a life based on principles of humanity, free from the lies and distortions of capitalism.

Long live Red October!Skopje (AFP) - Macedonia's former prime minister Nikola Gruevski, who has been sentenced to jail for abuse of power, said Tuesday he was in Hungary where he has requested political asylum.

Macedonian authorities on Monday issued a warrant for the arrest of Gruevski, who dominated the country for nearly a decade until 2016, after he failed to turn up at the prison to start his two-year sentence.

"I am now in Budapest, where I have requested political asylum from the Hungarian authorities," the 48-year-old wrote on his official Facebook page on Tuesday.

"During the past couple of days I have received numerous threats to my life."

Saying he was a victim of politically motivated persecution, Gruevski wrote that he remained "faithful to the Macedonian cause", adding: "I will not give up."

In the past, Gruevski has indicated he was close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

In 2017, Orban publicly supported the Macedonian ex-leader during his campaign for municipal elections, in which Gruevski's rightwing VMRO-DPMNE party lost to the ruling Social Democrats.

Skopje said its interior ministry had obtained confirmation about Gruevski's whereabouts from Hungarian authorities.

"Yes, it is official" that Gruevski is in Hungary, Macedonian Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski told AFP, but declined any further comment.

His office said it would request the court in Skopje to issue an international arrest warrant for Gruevski.

Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Budapest did not "wish to confirm or deny information regarding (Gruevski's) current location".

"We are not in a position to comment on ongoing asylum applications," Szijjarto added.

Gruevski was convicted in May of using a 600,000-euro ($676,009) government Mercedes for personal travel. A Skopje court upheld the sentence in October.

- 'No idea where Gruevski is' -

He resigned as leader of VMRO-DPMNE in 2016 after a scandal over allegations of widespread wire-tapping of his opponents.

Story continues

Gruevski also faces a number of other charges of corruption, abuse of power, electoral fraud as well as illegal wiretapping.

The cases come at a tense time in the Balkan nation, with a new ruling coalition trying to push through a deal to change the country's name to end a long-running row with Greece.

When he was in power, Gruevski took a hardline stance against changing the country's name to resolve the dispute with Greece, which has its own province called Macedonia.

Greece has blocked Skopje's entry into NATO and the European Union over the issue for nearly 30 years.

VMRO-DPMNE now appears divided over changing the country's name.

A party spokesman said it had "no idea where the honorary president (Gruevski) is or what he is doing".

Spokesman Dimce Arsovski said he last saw Gruevski "nine or 10 months ago".

"I don't know when current president (Hristijan) Mickoski spoke to him for the last time," he told a press conference.British prime minister Theresa May spoke at an annual banquet on Monday about Brexit negotiations. Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Here are the top business, market and economic stories you should be watching today in the UK, Europe and abroad:

Brexit negotiations: In the final stretch?

Theresa May said on Monday that there were still considerable unresolved issues over Brexit as the UK and European Union approached the endgame in negotiations.

Then her de facto deputy, British Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, told BBC radio on Tuesday morning that the two sides were almost in touching distance of a Brexit deal, which could be clinched in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Were not quite there yet, Lidington told BBC. We are almost within touching distance now.

Asked if he was saying it was possible there could be a deal in the next 24 or 48 hours, he said: Still possible but not at all definite, I think pretty much sums it up. Cautiously optimistic.

The pound responded by bouncing off some of its lowest levels of the year to trade around $1.29, after dipping close to $1.28 on Monday.

However, concerns remain about Mays ability to sell any Brexit deal to the British parliament.

The EU and the UK are making positive noises on the interminably tedious divorce process, but markets question whether the UK parliament will agree, explained Paul Donovan, global chief economist at UBS Wealth Management.

Britains FTSE 100 (^FTSE) was holding steady on Tuesday morning, alongside the rest of European stock markets. This comes after stocks tumbled on Monday and US markets endured steep losses.

Vodafone: Investors dialling in

Shares in telecommunications giant Vodafone (VOD.L) were shooting up by about 7% in morning trading as investors cheered the latest half-year results from the companys new chief executive, Nick Read.

Read said he would reduce operating costs by 1.2bn (1.1bn, $1.4bn) by 2021 and take steps to drive higher returns. He also announced he was freezing the dividend until the British company had reduced its debt pile.

My new strategic priorities focus on driving greater consistency of commercial execution, accelerating digital transformation, radically simplifying our operating model and generating better returns from our infrastructure assets, Read said on Tuesday.

Story continues

Vodafone shares had fallen 39% since the beginning of the year.

Auto tariffs back in the spotlight

The Trump administrations top trade officials are reportedly expected to discuss the possibility of imposing tariffs of up to 25% on imported cars and parts on Tuesday.

The US Commerce Department submitted draft recommendations to the White House on its investigation into whether to impose these tariffs, based on national security issues, according to administration officials who spoke to Reuters.

The White House has pledged not to move forward with imposing tariffs on the EU or Japan as long as it is making constructive progress in trade talks.

The EUs trade commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, is due to meet with US trade representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington on Wednesday for preliminary talks to launch trade negotiations.

Oil prices slip-sliding away

Oil prices were sliding by more than 2% on Tuesday morning, with benchmark Brent crude slipping below $69 per barrel and US crude under $59. The drop comes after US President Donald Trump put pressure on the oil cartel OPEC not to cut supply to prop up the market. Trump has made it clear he wants oil prices to fall.

Hopefully, Saudi Arabia and OPEC will not be cutting oil production. Oil prices should be much lower based on supply! the president said in a tweet on Monday.

Oil prices have dropped by about 20% in the past month based on concerns about excess supply and weakening demand.

What to expect in the US

Big Amazon announcement: Amazon (AMZN) is expected to announce on Tuesday that it has selected New York and Northern Virginia for its new headquarters.

Earnings: Home Depot (HD) will release its quarterly report before the bell on Tuesday. Weed company Tilray (TLRY) will report after the market close.

Stock markets: US stock futures were inching higher after a punishing day on Monday. The benchmark indices dropped by 2% to 3% over the course of the day, with Goldman Sachs (GS) and Apple (AAPL) dragging the markets down.

Diamond auction attracting attention

A pink diamond is set to sell at a Christies auction on Tuesday in Geneva for as much as $50m (39m). The 18.96 carat diamond, called The Pink Legacy, is a rectangular-cut gem and qualifies as vivid, which is the highest diamond colour grading according to the Gemological Institute of America. Only four vivid pink diamonds over ten carats have ever been offered for sale at auction.

Coloured diamonds have triggered a lot of interest in recent years, with pink and blue diamonds breaking records at auctions.

With files from Reuters(Getty)

WestJet Airlines Ltd. has been named the best low-cost airline in the Americas by AirlineRatings.com for the second year in a row.

The Australian-based aviation safety and product website gave WestJet the title on Tuesday as part of its annual Airline Excellence Awards.

WestJet is a carrier that has established a reputation for flair, humour and community engagement, AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said in an online post.

WestJet has again brought top-class travel to North America. In addition to connecting markets and economies, WestJet brings together millions of people as never before.

The annual awards are judged by seven editors focusing on 12 categories, including fleet age, passenger reviews, profitability, product offering and staff relations, among others.

WestJets chief executive Ed Sims said in a statement that the company was pleased and honoured to to be receiving the award.

Being recognized by airlineratings.com ahead of our domestic roll out of our Boeing 737-8 MAX and 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft is a feat worth celebrating, he said in a news release.

Wizz Air was named best low-cost airline in Europe, while Air Asia won the title for the Asia Pacific region.

Although WestJet was recognized for being the top low-cost carrier in the Americas, no Canadian airline managed crack the top 10 airlines in the world. Singapore Airlines claimed the distinction of the worlds best airline this year, nudging out Air New Zealand, Qantas Airways and Qatar Airways, in part because of its impressive suite products that are the size of small hotel rooms.

The distinction comes at a time when WestJet is shifting part of its focus on capturing a bigger chunk of the premium market. The airline is in the midst of launching a widebody expansion project with the purchase of at least 10 Boeing Dreamliners and new direct transatlantic flights.

There is no question WestJet is an airline that is going places, particularly into the premium end of the market, Thomas wrote.

Still, the ambitious strategy has yet to pay off. While the company returned to profitability in the third quarter, Sims said in late October that the results were nowhere near where we believe our business could and should perform.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.Below is Yahoo Finances interview with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross from the All Markets Summit: Americas Financial Future.

ANDREW SERWER: Great to see you, Mr. Secretary. Please, have a seat.

WILBUR ROSS: Thank you.

ANDREW SERWER: So, we want to talk about tariffs and trade, but first I need to ask you a question about you.

WILBUR ROSS: Uh-oh.

ANDREW SERWER: And that (LAUGH) and that is there have been news reports that have suggested that the president wants to replace you, possibly with Linda McMahon from the Small Business Administration. Where does that stand? How secure is your job, Mr. Secretary?

WILBUR ROSS: Well, the there is no stand. Ill serve as long as the president wants and I have no indication to the contrary.

ANDREW SERWER: So, you havent talked to him about it recently?

WILBUR ROSS: I talked to him yesterday, but on trade issues.

ANDREW SERWER: Okay. Well, lets go to trade issues then, shall we? And I want to ask you about where things stand with regard to China, which of course is the front and center trade issue of our time. How do you assess where we are and and what inning are we in?

WILBUR ROSS: I I think the concept of innings doesnt really apply (LAUGH) because it isnt that neatly divided into little sub-compartments. We are where we are. And the president and President Xi had a very constructive conversation a couple of weeks ago. They will be meeting in at the G-20 in Argentina. And the Chinese negotiator will probably be coming over here very shortly to start some informal talk.

ANDREW SERWER: How do you measure success when it comes to tariffs? I mean, when do you know weve won or weve lost?

WILBUR ROSS: Well, the issues with China are not just tariffs. The if it were just tariffs, I think we could work it out very, very quickly. The real issue is intellectual property rights, forced technology transfers, s espionage industrial espionage, that kind of thing. We cant tolerate abuses of that sort. We dont mind them becoming much more technically advanced, getting into the newer technologies, but they have to do so in a legitimate fashion, not through these other practices.

Story continues

ANDREW SERWER: Is that really the best way though, Mr. Secretary, to kind of link all those things together and try to force the Chinese to mend their ways, if you will, on those issues by putting the hammer down when it comes to trade?

WILBUR ROSS: Well, what other weapons do we have?

ANDREW SERWER: Besides military, I guess, and we dont want to resort to that.

WILBUR ROSS: Well, (LAUGH) I dont think youre proposing that we invade China over trade issues.

ANDREW SERWER: Im not to be clear. So Id also like to ask you another question about trade in China, and that is investors, which is an important part of what were doing here today. And investors seem to be worried about the trade war with China, if it in fact is a trade war. Thats a whole nother (SIC) issue, whether how to characterize it. Should investors be concerned about this?

WILBUR ROSS: Well, investors always need to worry about whatever is a source of uncertainty. Businesses can deal with good news, they can deal with bad news; its very hard to deal with (NOISE) uncertainty. And I think whenever there is uncertainty, people become worried.

Also, the markets have had a tremendously big run and so naturally that makes people a little bit jittery in and of itself. But I think this is an administration of all, that you should judge by results, not by methodology, not by interim activities. Look at the recent deal with Korea. Look at the recent deal with Canada and Mexico. People had a lot of concerns while those were works in progress and I think people generally agree that they turned out very, very well. So, people just shouldnt lose confidence simply because theyre afraid about the unknown.

ANDREW SERWER: Or be overly concerned by the presidents tweets?

WILBUR ROSS: Well, tweets are tweets. Theyre a way that he communicates, and I I think he does it very effectively.

Wilbur Ross

ANDREW SERWER: You mentioned Canada, and and lets talk about North America. I mean, is that resolved? Where where does that stand?

WILBUR ROSS: Well, with the plan is for the agreement to be signed by the three countries prior to December 1st, cause December 1st is when the president is inaugurated in Mexico.

ANDREW SERWER: Right.

WILBUR ROSS: And part of our understanding was this would be signed before that. Now, both countries, Canada and Mexico, as well as ourselves, have to go through their formal ratification process. In our case, its under the T.P.A., the so-called fast-track authority.

ANDREW SERWER: Right. When it comes to to Asia and the T.P.P. is there any chance of the United States getting back into that? I mean, where do we stand with our partners in the Pacific our trading partners in the Pacific?

WILBUR ROSS: Well theres been an announcement that were starting some discussions with Japan. Japan is the major one of those from a trade point of view. Theres no reason we also cant have bilateral arrangements with others. The reason the president got out of the T.P.P. was not a lack of interest in Asia, and not a lack of interest in making trade deals there. Instead, it was that he didnt like the specifics of the T.P.P.

ANDREW SERWER: Right. I mean, theres sort of a philosophical problem maybe with multilateral trade agreements, as opposed to bilateral?

WILBUR ROSS: Yeah, well, I think there are a couple of realities. Multilateral sounds wonderful, great big bang and bring a lot of people together, however what really happens, there are several things that are difficult. One is, lets say youre Japan and that person over there is Vietnam. (COUGH)

So, I go to you and I say, Wed like some reformation of your agricultural policies. And when you say, Okay, but you must give me this in return, then we go on to him and lets say hes Vietnam. We want something from him and he said, Yes, but I want something else from you. Now, each of you is gonna get the benefit of what the other negotiated even though you didnt, yourself. Well, if you multiply that multiple times for ten or 12 partners

ANDREW SERWER: Right.

WILBUR ROSS: in a multilateral, you get chewed up pretty severely by the end of the process. So, thats one problem. The second problem is it takes exponentially longer to do a multilateral agreement than to do a bilateral. Half these agreements are obsolete by the time they get signed.

So, the duration has another bad implication, and that is imagine if you spent eight years of your life trying to negotiate a trade agreement. Now youre getting toward the end and there are a couple of sticking points. Are you really gonna want to go home and say to your your loved one, You know, dear, I just blew eight years of my life. We walked away from the agreement? So, there becomes a a psychological problem which makes people want to get the deal done, whether its good or bad.

ANDREW SERWER: I never thought about the psychology in relationships with regard to those trade agreements.

WILBUR ROSS: Well, negotiation of anything has a lot to do with psychology.

ANDREW SERWER: Does that mean that multilateral agreements are never good?

WILBUR ROSS: No. They can be good, its just we dont see that theres the overwhelming necessity to deal multilaterally rather than bilaterally. We just did a multilateral with Canada and Mexico, so obviously we dont think its impossible.

ANDREW SERWER: Mr. Secretary, I have to ask you about the controversy about the census question the citizen controversy or the the citizenship on the census. Two questions, why one, why has your story about this been inconsistent? And

WILBUR ROSS: Well, it has not been inconsistent.

ANDREW SERWER: Well, I guess

WILBUR ROSS: The papers have interpreted it as being inconsistent.

ANDREW SERWER: Explain.

WILBUR ROSS: Theres nothing inconsistent about it.

ANDREW SERWER: Okay, well, its it at one point, it was reported that you said it was the D.O.J.s idea, and then it c turned out apparently that it was your idea. And then you said

WILBUR ROSS: Well

ANDREW SERWER: you didnt talk to someone in the White House.

WILBUR ROSS: Well you say apparently but actually (UNINTEL) we, ourselves, released that there had been a conversation with Steve Bannon, there had been a conversation with Kovach. Those are natural and the there was in the air early in the administration, a whole bunch of questions about the census, so it was natural that there would be some limited discussions. But what triggered the investigation, the real study, what triggered the process that led to the determination to do it was the letter from the Department of Justice.

ANDREW SERWER: Okay. The whole issue of having that question in the census though, isnt that really all about providing an advantage to the Republican party? And if so, why not simply say it?

WILBUR ROSS: Well, first of all, its not. Your premise is wrong. Census had asked citizenship questions since about 1790. So, its hardly a new idea.

ANDREW SERWER: Before the Republican Party was created? (LAUGHTER)

WILBUR ROSS: I think all parties were created back then.

ANDREW SERWER: Right.

WILBUR ROSS: In in in any event, its in the courts right now, so I think theres a limit to how far its appropriate for us to discuss it. There is a tr a case underway in New York as we sit here.

ANDREW SERWER: But one last question on that. What is the point of that question asking that question in the census?

WILBUR ROSS: The Justice Department requested that we ask the question in order to help them enforce the Voting Rights Act. Thats the genesis of the work.

ANDREW SERWER: Okay. Some people would disagree with that, but

WILBUR ROSS: Well, it is a fact that the Justice Department wants it.

ANDREW SERWER: Okay, fair enough. Let me ask you about your take on the economy then, shifting gears a little bit. Where do you think things stand? I mean, the markets seem kind of jittery right now, maybe concern that the expansion has run its course.

WILBUR ROSS: Well, I dont see it. The most recent data that came out was strong. Job creation has been very strong. We have something like 7.1 million unfilled jobs and only six million unemployed people. Thats an incredible ratio and indeed is a problem, itself, because the limiting factors on economic growth are the following: expansion demographic expansion of working-age population, workforce participation, and productivity.

You need to get all three of those to multiple against each other, and thats what determines how fast you can grow as an economy. So, we need more workforce participation. Its now at a point where something like a third of working-age people dont have a job and dont want one. They dont regard themselves as being in the workforce.

Thats a far higher percentage than has been true before. We think a lot of that has to do to a skills mismatch. And thats part of why Ivanka Trump is heading this big effort for worker training, for apprenticeships, for all sorts of activities to bridge the gap, because in many cases our educational system is neither preparing people through vocational training for the old economy, nor preparing students through science and math instruction for the new economy. So, the people have a very unfortunate problem in that there are good jobs available, but they dont have the fundamental skill sets to achieve them. Were gonna try to fix that.

ANDREW SERWER: Is that a part of what people are calling the income gap and the the wealth gap? Does that contribute to that problem?

WILBUR ROSS: Oh, sure. I mean, if someones not even in the workforce, how do you make them wealthy? What what is their prospect for advancement? You need people to be actively engaged in the workforce to have any concept of inclusive capitalism work (?).

ANDREW SERWER: Getting back to the economy a little bit, and the markets and and companies two things. One, people have suggested that the tax cut was a sugar high that that has created a a a burst of activity thats unsustainable, number one. And number two, were gonna be having tough comparisons with earnings going into 2019. Isnt that going to be a drag on the the economy and the markets, both of those things?

WILBUR ROSS: Well, corporate earnings certainly have been very, very strong. Theres no question about that. And its also no question that markets job is to look ahead. Whats gonna happen next year or the year after, not just focus on whats at at the present. I think a lot will have to do with whether infrastructure gets the kind of treatment that it really deserves. As you know, the president is very keen to have an infrastructure program. And the real only real issue is how do you pay for it. How much does the federal government do? How much d is done by private sector?

ANDREW SERWER: But the infrastructure thing seems to always get bogged down with, oh, that projects gonna go in a blue state or a red state. And its shocking to Americans that Congress cant get this done.

WILBUR ROSS: Well that kind of pork barrel stuff is shocking, not just to the public, shocking to everybody.

ANDREW SERWER: Right. Okay. Mr. Secretary, I also need to ask you questions about these reported conflicts of interest. Yesterday there was a report that the the Democrats want to investigate this and why you met with executives from Boeing and Chevron while you held stocks in those companies, and then later sold the stock. Is that the case? And why did you do that?

WILBUR ROSS: Well, all of my activities have been governed by the ethics rules. Every meeting that we have is screened by the Ethics Department. Theres no there there.

ANDREW SERWER: So, if the Democrats investigate, bring it on. Is that what youre saying?

WILBUR ROSS: Well, they have they will have subpoena powers, the heads of the committees. And if they subpoena, well be responsive.

ANDREW SERWER: Okay. Let me ask you about traveling, because you seem youve done a lot of that recently. Youve been in Europe. What have you seen over there?

WILBUR ROSS: Well, I was in Brussels and had some very good discussions with the business community over there, and and with government folks. Then came back to go to Arizona. We had a big defense (UNINTEL) out there at the Air Force base. And then it went from there to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

ANDREW SERWER: Okay. And what did you see in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan? I mean

WILBUR ROSS: Well, it they they were fascinating. Those are, as you know, former parts of the U.S.S.R. They are both living in a fairly dangerous territory in that one has China on one side, Russia on another, and Afghanistan on a third. The other one has mainly China and Russia.

So, theyre in a complicated geographic situation. But they are evolving toward more capitalist economics from where they had been. The big trick for both of them, I think, is going to be forward integration. For example, they they have a lot of oil and they export the oil, but they dont have the refining capacity, so then they have to re-import refined product.

They grow a lot of cotton, very good cotton, (COUGH) but they dont really make it into textile and apparel for export. Instead, they end up importing a lot of textiles and apparel. So, there are some structural changes that are needed as they devolve away from being kind of a colony of Russia to becoming freestanding, integrated economies.

ANDREW SERWER: And that process is ongoing?

WILBUR ROSS: Oh, its underway and theres huge American investment in them, most importantly in natural resources at the moment.

ANDREW SERWER: And youre going to Texas

WILBUR ROSS: Yes

ANDREW SERWER: after this? Whats going on there?

WILBUR ROSS: To Corpus Christi. Cheniere is going to start some really big shipments overseas of LNG from its new processing facility in Corpus Christi. Thatll be later on this week.

ANDREW SERWER: So, what what drives you, Mr. Secretary? I mean, you dont you dont need this headache. And and I asked you some tough questions. There are people throwing slings and arrows at you and and all that. And I just wonder and and by the way, youre also kind of a survivor in this administration, where there has been a fair amount of turnover. So, why keep at it?

WILBUR ROSS: Well my mom was a third-grade school teacher at the public school that I attended when I was a kid. From there to here, the U.S. has been very good to me and now Im in a position where I can afford to give something back to the country. Second, I worked very hard to get President Trump elected. Now Id like to work equally hard to have him succeed and be re-elected.

ANDREW SERWER: What do you think the chances of him being re-elected are?

WILBUR ROSS: I think theyre fine. I think theyre fine. What president has done as much to the economy beneficially as this president? What president has made so many more initiatives to make a fairer world, both in terms of sharing the burden of our military assistance to countries all around the world and in terms of trade? I mean, these are real landmark events that hes embarking upon. No no one that I can think of as a prior president has been as much an agent for constructive change as President Trump.

ANDREW SERWER: Well, it sounds like you want to stick around, the way youre saying it like that. But but I and final question, Mr. Secretary, doesnt it just get tougher from here? I mean, the Democrats took the House and they have said theyre gonna come after you, theyre gonna come after the president, theyre gonna come after all manner of people. And the the gridlock thats going to happen, it it doesnt sound like a pretty picture for the next couple of years.

WILBUR ROSS: Well, even now before the change in the House, if you look at the presidents accomplishments, they have importantly come in the form of proclamations and executive orders, other than tax and some of the regulatory reform. So, we havent been able to get that much through the Congress even before.

So, this is not necessarily a big change in that. It would be sad if we do get into a deliberate gridlock situation just because they dont want to give the president a win. Its one thing if you really disagree about a policy, but some of the statements that have been at least reported on in the press suggest an attitude, we just dont want anything good to happen. Thats not a very constructive attitude. Thats really not why their constituents elected them. So, I hope that rhetoric will die down to something more sensible as they actually take office.

ANDREW SERWER: And the presidents mood right now? You say youve been talking to him?

WILBUR ROSS: He seemed fine yesterday.

ANDREW SERWER: Good enough. Why dont we leave it at that?World leaders gathered in Paris on Sunday to mark 100 years since the end of World War I, with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN chief Antonio Guterres each warning that rising nationalism again poses a threat to peace.

US President Donald Trump -- who prides himself on being called a nationalist -- was among around 70 leaders to attend a solemn ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in the driving rain.

But neither he nor Russian President Vladimir Putin joined other leaders in a symbolic walk up the Champs-Elysees to the monument.

Three topless protesters from radical feminist movement Femen were arrested trying to reach Trump's motorcade, although French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said his security had "in no way been threatened".

Paris, the site of repeated jihadist attacks since 2015, had mobilised some 10,000 police for an event also attended by Canada's Justin Trudeau, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

After church bells rang out across France at 11.00 am -- exactly a century after the signing of the Armistice -- leaders gathered for a ceremony which included a cello performance and readings from letters written by World War I soldiers.

Macron delivered a stinging indictment of nationalism in a 20-minute speech and called on leaders to learn the lessons of the past.

"Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism," he said.

"By saying our interests come first and others don't matter we are erasing what makes a nation precious, what makes it live, what makes it great and most importantly of all, its moral values."

He warned that to dash hopes for peace through "isolation, violence or domination" would "be a mistake for which future generations would rightly find us responsible".

The service concluded with the bugle call that was played at 11.00 am on November 11, 1918 to signal the end of fighting on the Western Front.

Story continues

Trump thanked Macron in a tweet for the "beautiful ceremony" before heading to the US military cemetery at Suresnes, west of Paris to pay tribute to America's war dead.

Ceremonies in New Zealand, Australia, India, Hong Kong and Myanmar had launched a day of remembrance services for a conflict that involved millions of troops from colonised countries in Asia and Africa.

"This was a war in which India was not directly involved yet our soldiers fought world over, just for the cause of peace," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.

"For our tomorrows, they gave their today," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told people gathered at a ceremony in Canberra.

In London, Prince Charles laid the first wreath of red poppies, Britain's emblem of remembrance, at the nation's annual commemoration ceremony on behalf of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who watched from a nearby balcony.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier became the first German leader to take part in the service, which was also attended by Prime Minister Theresa May.

- Return to the 1930s? -

After the ceremony, Merkel and UN Secretary-General Guterres gave the opening speeches at a new peace forum in Paris set up by Macron -- with both warning that rising nationalism threatens the rules-based international order.

"The concern I have is that blinkered nationalist views may gain ground once again," Merkel said, warning that people were calling the "European peace project" into question.

Guterres warned of "many parallels with both the start of the twentieth century and the 1930s, giving us grounds to fear that an unpredictable chain of events could ensue".

The earlier show of unity at the Arc de Triomphe comes at a time of growing tensions between liberals and populists in the EU, as well as between Europe and the US, two years into Trump's "America First" presidency.

Around 1,500 anti-Trump protesters held a demonstration at Republique square in eastern Paris on Sunday, at which the giant "Baby Blimp" balloon depicting Trump as an infant was flown, following previous appearances in London and New York.

"Mr Hate, Leave Europe," read one banner at the protest.

Trump had snubbed the Peace Forum, instead visiting a military cemetery in the Paris suburbs, a day after coming under heavy fire for cancelling a similar trip due to rain.

Putin meanwhile said he and Trump -- at odds over Washington's sanctions and the abandonment of a Cold War-era nuclear treaty -- had had a brief but positive conversation during the centenary events.

The Kremlin said earlier that the prospect of a full meeting between the US and Russian presidents had prompted huge international media interest, leading to concern from the French organisers this could overshadow the commemorations.

burs-adp/kjl/cb/harThe vast majority of elected officials in New York City signed a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in October 2017 inviting the mega-company to locate its second headquarters  HQ2  in the five boroughs.

As the most dynamic and diverse city in the world, New York City will help propel Amazons future growth and kickstart an exciting new chapter in the companys history, New York Citys then-public advocate, borough presidents, representatives in the U.S. House and state legislature, and city council members argued in their letter to Bezos. And we know that, no matter which city neighborhood it might choose for its new headquarters, Amazon will be a strong contributor to our civic and commercial life.

Now some of the same elected officials, when presented with the price tag, are blasting the agreement that brought Amazon to the Big Apple.

The burden should not be on the 99 percent to pay the 1 percent to grace us with their presence, said state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D), who signed the 2017 letter and represents the part of Queens that would host Amazon. The burden should be on Amazon to tell us how much theyre going to invest in the neighborhood theyre gonna join.

The 2017 letter focuses exclusively on New York Citys merits, including its infrastructure and convenient location. It does not discuss any of the incentives the city or state might provide to Amazon to set up shop in the city.

After a prolonged audition process in which cities across North America competed for the opportunity to host Amazons new corporate base, the Seattle-based conglomerate formally announced Tuesday that it would be splitting its HQ2 between Long Island City on the western edge of Queens and Northern Virginias Crystal City, just outside Washington.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, speaks at the Economic Club of Washington on Sept. 13, 2018. Elected officials in New York City signed a letter in 2017 inviting Bezos and Amazon to the city. (Photo: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

In exchange for the promise of 25,000 new jobs, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) agreed to provide tax credits worth about $1.5 billion, Amazon revealed. The company could also take advantage of as much as $500 million in grant money to build its new offices.

Story continues

Amazon estimated the companys relocation would generate $10 billion in tax revenue for the state and city over the next 20 years.

The accord, the details of which remained secret until Tuesday, has elicited criticism among many New York-based elected officials and activists who worry that the new corporate relocation will exacerbate the citys existing housing and transportation crises without meaningfully improving life for its residents.

Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D), who is due to represent parts of Queens and the Bronx beginning in January, is one of New York Citys only elected officials not to have signed the October 2017 letter. The letter preceded her June win in the Democratic primary for New Yorks 14th Congressional District, which unseated longtime Rep. Joe Crowley and rocketed Ocasio-Cortez into the national spotlight.

Ocasio-Cortez, who is in Washington participating in the Congressional Progressive Caucus new member orientation, excoriated New Yorks Amazon HQ2 deal in a Twitter thread on Monday night.

Amazon is a billion-dollar company, Ocasio-Cortez wrote. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here.

New York City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D) and Gianaris, who represent the part of Queens where Amazon is planning to erect HQ2, signed the 2017 letter.

But on Sunday, Gianaris and Van Bramer released a letter blasting the subsidies. They are also due to speak at a rally against HQ2 with progressive community groups on Wednesday morning at the proposed headquarters site in Long Island City.

Gianaris told HuffPost that he never supported giving Amazon financial incentives to move to New York City and was completely unaware of the terms of the agreement until they became public.

Theyre gonna make a profit on coming here  off the backs of a city and state that cant find two nickels to rub together to make the trains run on time, he added.

Council member @JimmyVanBramer and I agree this massive subsidy is unacceptable. Rally tomorrow at 11 at the proposed site to fight the Amazon deal pic.twitter.com/PRxZYf7SyG  Sen. Mike Gianaris (@SenGianaris) November 13, 2018

Below is the letter that New York City politicians sent Bezos in October 2017.

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A revolt is brewing among a broader swath of New York elected officials as well. New York Assemblyman Ron Kim (D), who represents a different section of Queens from where Amazon expects to relocate, plans to introduce legislation to reduce the Empire States economic development subsidies and use the money to buy up and cancel student debt. Kim, who like other elected officials said he had no knowledge of Cuomos and de Blasios offers to Amazon, did not sign the 2017 letter.

Kim represents an opposite philosophical flank of the Democratic Party from Cuomo, who joked about changing his name to Amazon Cuomo if the tech giant made New York City its new home. Kim sides with antitrust experts who believe that Amazons rapid expansion and power as an online platform have allowed it to stifle genuine competition.

Amazon is not the solution to every problem; it is the opposite of that, Kim told HuffPost. I always felt strongly that it should be broken up instead of embraced.

HuffPost reached out to state Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, who represents Long Island City, as well as U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Grace Meng, who represent Queens, for their reactions to the accord but did not receive a response. All three lawmakers signed on to the letter.

New Yorkers will get their first chance to hold elected officials accountable for their actions at the ballot box in February, when the city holds a special election for the job of public advocate. Letitia James, the citys current public advocate, was elected attorney general of New York last Tuesday, creating a vacancy in the senior post.

The office of New York Citys public advocate is meant to be a peoples ombudsman vis-a-vis the mayor and City Hall, potentially making it a useful tool for HQ2 critics and outright opponents.

At least three contenders for the position signed the 2017 letter welcoming Amazon to New York City: state Assemblyman Michael Blake, New York City Councilman Robert Cornegy and New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams.

Former City Council President Melissa Mark-Viverito, who is rumored to be considering a run for public advocate, also signed the letter.

Mark-Viverito criticized the deal on Tuesday. Tale of two cities: Billions for Amazon... crumbling subways for the rest of us, she tweeted.

Assemblyman Blake told HuffPost he also opposed the deal in its current form and plans to attend the Wednesday rally against HQ2 in Long Island City, Queens. But Blake, who said he learned about the agreement from Twitter and news stories, is not necessarily opposed to all public subsidies for HQ2.

Can you have a public-private partnership that is good for the people of New York City? Absolutely, he said. But until you have that certainty, you cant move forward with something of this magnitude.

Blake did not specify what improvements to the agreement would earn his support, though he called for major new investments in public transportation and public housing.

In a statement distributed to the press, Williams called the October 2017 letter the beginning of a conversation that he never imagined would produce a secretive, multibillion-dollar subsidy package.

It is clear that Amazon intends to move forward in its plan without adequate dialogue and compromise, he concluded. I am opposing this deal as it stands, and will do all in my power to fight its implementation.

However, Nomiki Konst, an investigative journalist and progressive activist running for public advocate, told HuffPost that signing the letter should be disqualifying.

You cant have it one way and another way as soon as its not popular, she said. The public advocate has to have the courage to go against the winds that are blowing in whatever political direction.

Related Coverage

Bernie's Dumb 'Stop BEZOS' Bill May Have Just Helped Amazon Workers Get A Raise

Amazon's Minimum Wage Hike Comes With Cuts To Other Compensation

Amazon Announces New Headquarters In Virginia, New York City

Also on HuffPost

John Faraci, CEO of International Paper

International Paper CEO John Faraci made $12.3 million last year, as his company scored a $249 million federal tax refund despite bringing in $198 million in pre-tax U.S. profits. Obama invited Faraci to travel with him to Brazil this year for the signing of a preliminary trade deal.

Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric

GE CEO Jeff Immelt was paid $15.2 million last year, as his company reported a $3.3 billion federal tax refund on $5.1 billion in pretax U.S. profits. Obama named Immelt to Chair his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness in 2011.

Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg

Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg was paid $18.1 million last year, as the company reaped a $705 million federal tax refund on top of $11.9 billion in U.S. profits.

Boeing CEO Jim McNerney

Boeing CEO James McNerny Jr. was paid $13.8 million last year, while his company paid just $13 million in federal taxes on $4.31 billion in U.S. pretax profits. Obama named McNerny to the President's Export Council in 2010.

Ford CEO Allan Mulally

Ford CEO Alan Mulally made $26.5 million last year, as his company received a $75 million federal tax refund. Obama named him to the President's Export Council in 2010.

Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris

Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris was paid $17.7 million in 2010, as his company secured a $576 million federal tax refund. Although Dow had robust overall profits, it posted an $821 million loss on its U.S. operations. Obama named him co-Chair of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership in 2011.

Honeywell CEO David Cote

Honeywell CEO David Cote was paid $15.2 million last year, as his company scored a $471 million federal tax refund despite $1.25 billion in pretax U.S. profits. Obama appointed him to the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction committee in 2010.

eBay CEO John Donahoe

eBay CEO John Donahoe made $12.4 million last year, as his company scored a $131 million federal tax refund on $848 million in pretax U.S. profits. Obama named Donahoe to the White House Council for Community Solutions in 2010.

Motorola Solutions CEO Greg Brown

Motorola Solutions CEO Greg Brown (center) was paid $13.7 million last year, as his company paid $7 million in federal taxes on $265 million in pretax U.S. profits. Obama named Brown to the President's Management Advisory Board in 2010.

Qwest Communications CEO

Qwest Communications CEO Edward Mueller was paid $13.4 million last year, as his company scored a $14 million federal tax benefit despite reporting U.S. pretax profits of $450 million. He serves on the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Thank you for reading!

Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.Things fall apart

Class nature of EU crisis

Difficulties for the EU continue to intensify. As the time for a final deal between the British state and the European Union draws near, the British government is attempting to push through its minimalist Brexit strategy so as to secure its special relationship.

We need to recall that Brexit is the result of a political division within the Conservative Party, the political party of the British ruling class. This reflects the split within the capitalist class  by no means confined to Britain  generated by the persisting economic crisis.

The settled view of both the British state and the dominant sections of British finance capital was and is to remain within the EU if at all possible. The British government and British state have been manoeuvring from the very beginning to reverse the decision to leave, or at least to minimise the rupture between the EU and Britain.

Brexit has not only exposed a deep fissure within Britain but has severely weakened the EU itself and has contributed to a further rise in anti-EU sentiment throughout Europe, as can be seen in France, Belgium, Italy, and, most importantly, Germany.

But the beneficiaries of this growing disillusionment have been the political right, facilitated by the opportunism and cowardice of the social democratic left.

The parties criticising the institutions of the European Union have mainly been on the extreme right, some leaning towards fascism.

What is happening is that the Remainers within Britain and the EU on the one hand and on the other hand those in Britain who want to see a clear break from the EU have been using the British border in Ireland as the means of securing their strategic positions.

Such people as Boris Johnson, David Davis and Jacob Rees-Mogg are using the British border in Ireland as their lever to ensure that Britain leaves the single market and EU customs union.

The DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) knows full well that the British state and government will do what is in the interests of British monopoly capital regardless of other considerations, and that the interests of the DUP will be well down the political agenda.

The British Brexiteers are using the DUP to lever Theresa Mays government into taking a harder line in the negotiations with the EU. At the same time the DUP has been attempting to use the Brexit negotiations to raise questions about the continued relevance and the future of the Belfast Agreement of 1998.

The EU and the Remainers within the Tory Party, with significant support among British Labour Party MPs, are trying to use the British border in Ireland to ensure that Britain remains within the EU single market and the customs union. They are holding on fast to the mantra of no border in Ireland and using the Belfast Agreement as the stalking horse to bring this about.

Most of the Tory and Labour MPs would have little if any understanding  nor do they really care  about Ireland and our people. The large demonstration in London calling for a second referendum on Brexit or for the terms of the separation to be put to the people was in the main a middle-class affair.

No major organisations of the working class either took part in or supported the demonstration. Yet the little reported opposition from the working class to membership of the EU remains a decisive factor in relation to Brexit.

The Irish government has been attempting to present itself as having influence at the EU table, but the truth is that it has very little, if any, influence regarding Brexit and the Irish backstop.

There are significant movements of capital between the north and south of the country and the Irish capitalist class, whether from the nationalist or unionist traditions, is anxious to see this continue. There are also growing noises from both the government and business that a united Ireland is inevitable, a concept absent for many decades from their political vocabulary.

Some are even attempting to pose the choice facing the professional classes, which traditionally supported unionism, as one between two unions  the union with Britain or the European Union.

The Irish labour movement has displayed great confusion regarding how it should respond to Brexit. It has spent the last 40 years cosying up to the EU, selling it to Irish workers as the protector of workers rights and in the process receiving funds from the EU for education and training.

We need to step up the struggle for an Irish exit, as our interests as a people and in particular the interests of the working class will never be served by the EU and its institutions.

That does not mean that we simply fall back into some subservient relationship with the British state, as in the past. Instead, a departure from the EU could provide the opportunity to break both dependencies and establish an independent, sovereign national democracy, giving real power and influence to working people.

The labour movement needs now to be actively supporting north-south co-operation, the all-Ireland economy and the protection of the Belfast Agreement. We need to be bold in our demands and not retreat into failed strategies of encouraging the British Labour Party to organise in the Six Counties or establishing a Northern Ireland Labour Party mark II.

Historical experience has shown that only the working people of Ireland have the capacity to end partition and unite our people, to establish meaningful national sovereignty and national independence in order to secure their own material needs and interests.

Retreating to the past is not an option. Instead we need to push real, concrete demands for all-Ireland solutions to health, education and economic and social development, an all-Ireland investment and industrial strategy that favours working people, and targeted capital investment that meets the needs of our people, not the needs of speculators and profit-hungry corporations.

This requires national control of capital, something that is totally illegal at present under EU rules.

The EU, like the British state, is an obstacle to building a people-centred economy for the working people of Ireland. But no matter the outcome of the current negotiations, the balance of forces has been shifted and is shifting. The EU will never be the same again.

And, as the negotiations between Britain and the EU stumble on, the EU Commission has issued a diktat to the new Italian government rejecting its budget and threatening sanctions against the country if it does not comply.

The Italian government  like the Irish, Greek, Spanish and Portuguese governments  has to submit its budget to the EU and Berlin before it is presented and voted on by the national parliament, making the idea of democracy at the national level redundant.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte insisted that his government has no plan B for its budget, as the EU demanded unprecedented changes to bring the country into line with EU spending rules that result from adopting the EU single currency.

Actual EU sanctions against Italy would be very difficult and would only further deepen the widespread scepticism about the EU and in particular about retaining the euro itself.

The rejection of the countrys budget could strain the governing coalition, in which Conte stands as mediator between the powerful deputy premiers, Matteo Salvini of the League and Luigi Di Maio of the Five-Star Movement.

Neither party in the coalition can afford to back down for fear of conceding ground to the other. It is one thing to bully the likes of Ireland, Greece, Spain or Portugal. Its another matter to bully one of the founders of the EU and a very large economic force in its own right. This would only lead to growing resistance from within the Italian working class.

Germany itself is now showing strains, as can be seen with the near-collapse of the Social Democratic Party, the weakening of the ruling Christian Democratic Party, losing 10 per cent of its support, and the rise of the right-wing Alternative for Germany, which gained 12 per cent and so entered the regional parliament for the first time.

With the administrators of the EU desperately trying to assert their authority on a number of fronts, events are beginning to put strains on the EU itself and on how it manipulates its growing contradictions.

* Eugene McCartan is general secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland

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Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.A 48-year-old Palestinian from Hebron was killed and two women were wounded late Monday night when a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed on a four-story residential building in Ashkelon.

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Hundreds of rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel since Monday, with the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepting about 100 of them.

Residents in Ashkelon come under rocket fire (: )

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One rocket hit the back part of a building in the Shimshon (formerly Atikot) neighborhood in Ashkelon at around 11:49pm on Monday, with the fourth flood suffering the brunt of the hit.

Palestinian terrorists fire rocket barrages from Gaza (Photo: MCT)

Rescue forces extracted an elderly woman, around 60 years old, from the building and evacuated her in critical condition to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. After her condition stabilized, she was transferred to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer in serious condition. The Police, Fire Department and Magen David Adom paramedics believed there were no more casualties and left the scene, allowing the other residents to return to their homes.

But later, at 1:39am Tuesday, rescue forces were called to the building again by residents who said one of the fourth-floor apartments was not searched. The forces that broke into the apartment found a Palestinian man, Mohammed Abdel Hamid Abu Isbah, and a woman, both in their 40s, embraced in bed in the midst of complete destruction. Their apartment was destroyed, with walls collapsed on top of them. The woman was extracted first and taken in moderate condition to the Barzilai Medical Center. Over an hour later, the body of the man was extracted as well.





Ashkelon home suffers direct hit

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The Fire Department said that "because this is a difficult scene with a lot of destruction, firefighting and rescue forces acted to extract several people who were trapped, while at the same time firefighting forces were putting out and cooling gas tanks that were on fire. In such a complex scene, searches are also done on nearby structures until the entire scene is declared clear of casualties.

"During the firefighting and rescue operations, there was another direct hit of a structure far from this scene, and most of the forces were diverted there following information of great destruction and a large number of people trapped and wounded. All firefighting and rescue forces returned immediately upon finishing work on the second direct hit and worked until the last of the trapped people was extracted."

Mohammed Abdel Hamid Abu Isbah was killed in the direct hit in Ashkelon

The next morning, residents of the neighborhood complained to Ashkelon Mayor Tomer Glam, who arrived on the scene to survey the damages, that the building had no shelter, while the nearby public shelter was locked and couldn't be accessed. Building suffers direct hit in Ashkelon (Photo: Avi Rokach) "We found ourselves helpless and didn't know whether we should go back into the building or just get away," said one of the building's residents. "I feel we've been abandoned. We had nowhere to run, and right now we have nowhere to go, because we're not allowed back into the building for fear its walls would collapse." "We found ourselves helpless and didn't know whether we should go back into the building or just get away," said one of the building's residents. "I feel we've been abandoned. We had nowhere to run, and right now we have nowhere to go, because we're not allowed back into the building for fear its walls would collapse." The mayor told the residents that while he agrees their building was too old and should be renovated and fitted with a shelter, the city has yet to secure the budget to that end. The mayor told the residents that while he agrees their building was too old and should be renovated and fitted with a shelter, the city has yet to secure the budget to that end. "The number of rocket launches is far bigger than last year. Iron Dome intercepted 80-90 percent of the rockets, but despite that there were still five rockets that fell inside the city," Glam told Ynet. "The number of rocket launches is far bigger than last year. Iron Dome intercepted 80-90 percent of the rockets, but despite that there were still five rockets that fell inside the city," Glam told Ynet. The building that suffered a direct hit in Ashkelon (Photo: Roee Idan)

The Yifrach family home in Netivot also suffered a direct hit by a rocket that killed the family dog Chip, tore a hole through the wall, and destroyed the family car. "People see the damage to the property, but they don't see the mental damage to the family," said Lee Ben-Hemo, a family friend. "They loved the dog very much, it's such a shame he died like this." "People see the damage to the property, but they don't see the mental damage to the family," said Lee Ben-Hemo, a family friend. "They loved the dog very much, it's such a shame he died like this." "Most homes here don't have safe rooms, so we don't really have anywhere to run to," Ben-Hemo added. "Most homes here don't have safe rooms, so we don't really have anywhere to run to," Ben-Hemo added. Destruction caused to house in Netivot that suffered direct hit A mortar shell hit a house in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council on Tuesday afternoon. There were no casualties, but light damage was caused to the property.

Since Monday afternoon, 10 people were rushed to the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva: six lightly wounded, most of whom were treated and discharged, and three suffering from shock.

The Barzilai Medical Center received 90 wounded: the two seriously wounded women (with one later being transferred to Sheba), one moderately hurt, 65 lightly wounded and 22 suffering from shock.

In addition, the 19-year-old soldier who was seriously wounded on Monday by a Cornet anti-tank missile fired at a bus near the Gaza border underwent surgery at the Soroka Medical Center during the night.

Rocket barrages from the Gaza Strip targeting Ashkelon, Sderot and the Gaza border communities continued on Tuesday morning. Two houses suffered a direct hit in the Eshkol Regional Council, but no one was hurt.

House suffers direct hit in Ashkelon (Photo: EPA)

The IDF retaliated by attacking some 150 Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip. The army also noted that while it is prepared to evacuate residents from the Gaza border area, such a decision has yet to be made.

Hamas's military wing threatened to target Israeli cities Ashdod and Be'er Sheva if the IDF continues attacking civilian targets in Gaza. Islamic Jihad threatened to fire rockets even further away from Ashdod and Be'er Sheva.

"What has been happening since last night and until this morning was part of the traditional response that Israel expects. In the coming hours, something the enemy doesn't expect will come," warned a spokesman for Islamic Jihad. "The continuation of aggression in this mannerthe targeting of homes, public places and civilian population centerswill lead the resistance to make the decision to expand the range of response. The resistance has decided that the settlers beyond the cities of Be'er Sheva and Ashdod should remain near shelter."

Soldiers stationed near the Gaza border take cover during rocket barrage (Photo: EPA)

The Home Front Command instructed residents in communities near the Gaza border, in the southern Negev, some communities in the Lakhish region and in the cities of Netivot, Ofakim, Be'er Sheva and Ashdod to remain near shelters. Public gatherings are forbidden in open spaces in these areas.

Ashkelon home suffers direct hit (:  , TPS  )

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School was cancelled in all Gaza border communities, as well as in Be'er Sheva, Omer, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi and Gedera.

The municipal elections in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, which were supposed to take place on Tuesday, were postponed due to the escalation of hostilities.

Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi instructed the municipality Tuesday to prepare to host of 300 families from the Gaza border communities during the upcoming weekend. The families will be received in hotels and in the homes of Eilat's residents.

Iron Dome intercepts rockets from Gaza (Photo: MCT)

The fighting cast doubt over recent understandings brokered by Egypt and UN officials to reduce tensions.

The office of the UN's Mideast envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, said Monday that efforts were underway help "to ensure that Gaza steps back from the brink."

"The escalation in the past 24 hours is EXTREMELY dangerous and reckless," tweeted Mladenov. "Rockets must STOP, restraint must be shown by all!"

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, urged Israel and the Palestinians "to exercise maximum restraint," according to a statement.

Ashkelon home suffers direct hit (:  ,  ,   )

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The rocket fire was triggered by a botched IDF raid in Gaza on Sunday. Undercover troops, apparently on a reconnaissance mission, were discovered inside Gaza on Sunday, setting off a battle that left seven terrorists, including a Hamas commander, and an IDF officer dead.

"In response to yesterday's crime, the joint command of Palestinian factions announce the beginning of bombardment of the enemy's settlements with scores of rockets," Hamas said in a statement on Monday.

Around sundown Monday, terrorists launched some 100 rockets in less than an hour, the most intense barrage since the 50-day Operation Protective Edge four years ago. The outgoing rockets, which continued into the evening, lit up the skies of Gaza and set off Code Red rocket-alert sirens throughout southern Israel.IDF attacked about 160 terrorist targets belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, including four 'unique' terrorist properties. In addition, Iron Dome defense system intercepted more than 100 rockets out of 460 rockets launched from the Strip, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said Tuesday.

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IDF attacked Tuesday a terrorist squad that was apparently preparing to fire rockets at Israel. During the operation, one terrorist was killed. In addition, shortly after 4:00pm, the Palestinians reported that an IAF aircraft fired a warning missile at a house in Gaza in preparation for its destruction.

Meanwhile, after a seven-hour meeting, a statement was issued saying that the Secuirty cabinet instructed the IDF to continue to operate in Gaza as necessary, although most of the ministers who attended the meeting agreed with the defense establishment that the Egyptian efforts to reach a cease-fire should be given a chance.

Destruction in Gaza (Photo: EPA)

Overall, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, IDF striked at least 160 targets belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, including four 'unique' terrorist properties.

Earlier on Tuesday, at least six Palestinians were reported killed in a wide-scale campaign of airstrikes carried out by Israel Air Force (IAF) in response to some 400 rockets fired from Gaza at southern Israel since Monday afternoon, claiming the life of a 40-year-old Palestinian man in Ashkelon.

IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manlis said the military started ramming up reinforcements along the Gaza Border.

Wreckage in Gaza (Photo: AP)

"We are in the midst of a wide-scale process of accumulating more infantry, armored and other forces to the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip, and we are mobilizing reserves for Iron Dome operations and the Home Front Command," he said.

We struck four multi-story buildings that Hamas uses for terror activity. We attacked the buildings in an orderly manner after the inhabitants have been evacuated," he explained.

"Hamas is behaving as if we have moved on to targeted assassinations, as their men have been in hiding since Monday afternoon," Manelis added.

"Hamas knows very well what we are attacking and what the cost of the confrontation with the IDF is. We will continue to act with full force, Manelis wrote on Twitter.

Destruction caused by IAF strikes in Gaza

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The IDF spokesman added that in light of the escalation of hostilities, the evacuation of the Gaza border communities residents is something the military is considering, although it is not yet necessary.

"We've hit dozens of targets within less than two hours, among them four high-quality targetsmulti-story buildings in the center of the citywithout causing fatalities, using the ' Knock on the Roof ' procedure. Only two such targets were hit during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge," said a senior IAF official. "Our activity over the past 24 hours is fundamentally different from what we've being doing so far," he added.

IAF destroys building in Gaza (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

In response, the armed wing of Hamas threatened to step up attacks and fire rockets at the southern cities of Ashdod and Be'er Sheva if Israel continues to carry out airstrikes in Gaza.

The spokesperson for Islamic Jihad went as far as to imply the faction will strike the center of the country next.

Destruction in Gaza

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The IDF said some 150 targets were attacked in the Gaza Strip on Monday evening and overnight Tuesday, including the Gaza City headquarters of Hamas' Al Aqsa TV station. Israel had fired warning shots ahead of the airstrike, prompting the station to halt programming and replace it with a logo. Minutes later, the airstrike flattened the three-story building and the station went black.

"The station broadcasts violent propaganda against the State of Israel and its citizens, as well as operational messaging to militants, which include methods for carrying out attacks against civilians and soldiers and way to obtain weapons," the IDF said.

House bombed in Khan Yunis (Photo: AFP)

Gaza's TV broadcasts emphasize the destruction caused across the strip caused by IAF strikes, in an attempt to influence global public opinion.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum condemned the bombing as "a barbaric, brazen aggression." Ten minutes later, the station resumed broadcasts, airing pre-recorded national songs.

IAF attacks Gaza targets (:  ")

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The IAF also hit Hamas's interior security headquarters, which were disguised as the Al-Amal Hotel. The activity conducted in the structure apparently included the planning of terror attacks against Israeli targets. The hotel is located in the heavily populated a-Rimal neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip. Gazas health ministry is located nearby.

Another high-quality target attacked was Hamas' military intelligence force for research and developmenta high-rise structure located near a school.

IAF strikes Hamas intelligence building (:  ")

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In addition, the IAF hit a weapons storage facility in Khan Yunis, a military complex in Zeitoun, and a weapons manufacturing site in Sheik Omdan.

The Israeli Navy attacked a vessel belonging to the Hamas naval force at the Nuseirat port in the southern Gaza Strip.

Later, the air force hit a terror cell launching rockets in northern Gaza, during which one Palestinian was killed and another was wounded, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

IAF strikes in Gaza (Photo: AFP)

In addition, two Palestinians breached the security fence at the Karni border crossing in northern Gaza. They sabotaged the fence and returned to the strip shortly thereafter.

Israeli Navy attacks Hamas naval vessel (:  ")

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These strikes represent an escalation in the IDF's response, as it has resorted to softer targets over the past few months.

The Security Cabinet convened on Tuesday morning to decide on the next steps of fighting against Hamas.

The fighting cast doubt over recent understandings brokered by Egypt and UN officials to reduce tensions.

The office of the UN's Mideast envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, said Monday that efforts were underway help "to ensure that Gaza steps back from the brink."

Wreckage in Gaza (Photo: AFP)

"The escalation in the past 24 hours is EXTREMELY dangerous and reckless," tweeted Mladenov. "Rockets must STOP, restraint must be shown by all!"

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, urged Israel and the Palestinians "to exercise maximum restraint," according to a statement.

Senior Hamas official abroad Izzat al-Rishq said, "We are holding talks with a large number of Islamic Arab countries, as well as with western countries and international organizations to condemn the escalation caused by the Zionists, and to end the ongoing aggression against our people, during which innocent civilians are hurt."

Destruction in Gaza (Photo: AP)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cut short his trip to Kuwait, and will return to Ramallah on Tuesday amid the latest escalation at the Gaza border. The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, sent medical supplies to Gaza's residents.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad instructed Palestinians not to reveal information on social media about the Israeli strikes in Gaza, claiming the Jewish State was lying in its reports about the real number of casualties it sustained. In addition, the Palestinian factions called on their members not to have security-related conversations online or communicate with people they don't know.

As part of the psychological warfare, the Palestinians posted a photo online from a computer game in reference to the Israeli bus that was hit by a Cornet anti-tank missile, critically wounding a 19 year-old IDF soldier.Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi instructed the municipality Tuesday to prepare for the hosting of 300 families from the Gaza border communities during the upcoming weekend.

The families will be received in hotels and in the homes of Eilat's residents.A British couple with neo-Nazi views who named their son after Adolf Hitler was convicted Monday of membership in an outlawed far-right group.

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A jury at Birmingham Crown Court in central England found 22-year-old Adam Thomas and 38-year-old Claudia Patatas guilty of being members of National Action. A third defendant, Daniel Bogunovic, was also convicted of membership in the banned group. Three others pleaded guilty before the trial started.

22-year-old Adam Thomas and 38-year-old Claudia Patatas

During the trial, jurors were shown photos of Thomas holding his baby sonwho was given the middle name Adolfwhile wearing the white robes of the Ku Klux Klan.

Prosecutors said the defendants attended meetings of the banned group and exchanged WhatsApp messages praising the Nazis murder of Jews.

Parents dressed as Ku Klux Klan

The government banned National Action in 2016 after Labour Party lawmaker Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist. Ten people have now been convicted of membership in the group, including a British soldier who had served in Afghanistan.

British police say the threat from violent far-right groups is growing, with four plots foiled in the year to March.

All six defendants are due to be sentenced on December 14.Arab media reported Tuesday that Israel and Hamas agreed to hold fire. According to a political source, Hamas requested cease-fire using four different mediators. In response Israel said it reserves its freedom to act, and that the state of affairs would be determined on the ground.

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Earlier Tuesday, after a seven-hour meeting, a statement was issued saying that the Secuirty cabinet instructed the IDF to continue to operate in Gaza as necessary, although most of the ministers who attended the meeting agreed with the defense establishment that the Egyptian efforts to reach a cease-fire should be given a chance.

IAF strikes in Gaza (Photo: AFP)

Cabinet officials said that at the moment, everything depends on recent developments on the ground, and whether Hamas and the Islamic Jihad will cease fire. According to a senior Israeli official, "the situation is very fluid and sensitive, the chances for a cease-fire are 50:50. One mortar shell can change the entire picture."

Senior officials in the cabinet said Hamas had suffered a severe blow and Israel had to decide whether to stop the operations now, or to continue the strikes on Gaza until the end. "If we had intensified the attacks, rockets would have been fired at Tel Aviv," senior cabinet officials said. All the ministers including Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Minister Naftali Bennettdid not object to a cease fire.

Follwing this report, the Defense Ministry said that Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's support of a cease-fire deal were "fake news." The statement said that the Defense Minister's position was consistent and had not changed. Ministers Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Ze'ev Elkin also said they did not support a cease-fire deal with Hamas.

Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Tuesday that "if Israel stops the aggression, it will be possible to go back to the cease-fire understandings...the resistance defended its people against Israeli aggression, and the Palestinian people, as usual, continued to the resist with patience and pride."

The military wings in Gaza have also announced that a cease-fire has been officially achieved and that they will be committed to it "as long as Israel is committed to it."

On Tuesday afternoon Arab media outlets reported that the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip have reportedly agreed to halt rocket fire into Israel, though a senior Israeli official denied Jerusalem was involved in any ceasefire negotiations.

Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq insisted, however, that efforts are being made by various Arab states and international organization to put an end to the latest round of hostilities on the southern border, which saw more than 400 rockets fired at Israeli territory.

"Urgent talks are being held with a large number of Arab and Western countries, as well as with international organizations, to condemn the Zionist escalation and to bring an end to the continued aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip, during which innocent civilians are hurt, al-Rishq said.

An Egyptian delegation will arrive in Israel on Wednesday to discuss efforts to achieve calm on the Gaza border, Russian Sputnik news agency reported.

IAF destroys building in Gaza (Photo: EPA)

Meanwhile, Norway's foreign ministry said it is cooperating with Egypt and the United Nation to achieve calm between Hamas and Israel. Oslo condemned Hamas for launching rockets at Israel, and called on both sides to show restraint.



On Tuesday morning, Israel's Security Cabinet met for nearly four hours to discuss the strategy in Gaza going forward.

At the same time, the Israel Air Force (IAF) attacked two terror cells launching rockets at Israel, resulting in a death of one Palestinian, according to Gazas health ministry. Since the start of the current escalation, a total of six Palestinians have been killed in IAF strikes in Gaza.

In another incident earlier, two Palestinians breached the border fence near the abandoned Karni crossing in northern Gaza. The two men tampered with the fence and fled back to the strip a short time after that.

Earlier, the IDF Spokespersons Office reported that several high-profile targets belonging to Hamas, including a few multi-story buildings, have been attacked by IAF fighter jets since Monday night in response to the barrage of missiles from the strip.

Although a large number of rockets had been intercepted by the Iron Dome system, several of them landed in residential areas resulting in the death of a 40-year-old Palestinian from Hebron after his apartment in Ashkelon sustained a direct hit.

IAF destroys building in Gaza (Photo: EPA)

In light of the events, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cut short his visit to Kuwait and will return to Ramallah soon.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rokon, directly addressed the Gaza residents via a message written in Arabic on his Facebook page.

"Hamas and the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip are the ones who bring destruction upon Gazans! There are dire repercussions to the continued launching of rockets at Israel. Terror has consequences," he warned. Israel will continue to act with force against all terror activity by Hamas and other factions in the strip, which infringes on our sovereignty and harms our citizens."

Qatarwhich recently entered the picture in mediating the long-term ceasefire arrangement efforts and even financed fuel tankers entering the Gaza Stripstrongly condemned the IAF strikes in the town of Khan Yunis, which resulted in several deaths.

"This bombing constitutes a dangerous military escalation by Israel, which wants to complicate the difficult situation in Gaza, which is already under a blockade," the official statement emphasized.

Sources in Gaza, meanwhile, stressed Tuesday afternoon that "silence will be answered with silence. As long as the strikes continue, the resistance would continue protecting the Palestinian nation."A court in Jordan on Tuesday sentenced nine militants to prison terms ranging from three years to life for a shooting rampage two years ago in an ancient castle in the southern city of Karak that killed 10 people, including a Canadian tourist.

The court said the group of nine were involved in helping Islamist militants in attacks on the area surrounding an ancient crusader castle. The gunfights also left four militants dead.The Courts' Administration's parole board's rejected Tuesday former MK Basel Ghattas's request for early release from prison.

Ghattas is serving a two-year sentence for smuggling cellphones to security prisoners in Ktzi'ot Prison.

The parole committee said that Ghattas's actions were grave and had the potential to hurt Israel and its citizens' security.Norway's foreign ministry said Tuesday it is cooperating with Egypt and the United Nation to achieve calm between Hamas and Israel.

Norway condemned Hamas for launching rockets at Israel, and called on both sides to show restraint.An Egyptian delegation will arrive in Israel on Wednesday to discuss efforts to achieve calm on the Gaza border, according to the Russian Sputnik news agency.It has already become a plague: a gag order is placed over a tragic incident, but on social media the rumor mill is going on at top speed. The botched IDF mission in Gaza on Sunday night , during which an officer was killed, proved once again that the law apparently does not apply to the users of WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.

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While IAF fighter jets and helicopters were still flying over Gaza, and sounds of explosions shook the air, many social media users had already been informed about the details of the battle. Similarl to past events, it began with a rumor about a kidnapped soldier, prompting the IDF Spokespersons Unit to issue a response to calm the situation, but in the early hours of the morning the rumors about an abducted soldier were replaced by personal details of the fallen Lieutenant Colonel M. The pictures of his family, his children, and his wife spread on social media like wildfire.

IDF forces on the Gaza border (Photo: AFP)

Even MKs Shelly Yachimovich and Ksenia Svetlova published the details identifying the soldier on their respective Facebook pages, despite the censor's instructions.

"That's how it is in our era," experts say. "You cant stop it and you cant act surprised that sensitive information is available to all. We must understand that times have changed and this is the reality, you just have to figure out how to deal with it."

MKs Yachimovich and Svetlova (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

"There is a problem here, which is expressed through our voyeuristic urges," says Etgar Shpivak, CEO of Fixel, a company that specializes in the digital field. "Its a problem that attests to our lack of responsibility as a society. Many times we do not know whether information is true or false, and because of that voyeuristic nature we feel that we are the bearers of the news, we are the innovators. It can be either a cool commercial thats fun to share or sensitive information about soldiers who died in battle. In recent years, theres far more information being spread through WhatsApp or Telegram than through Facebook, he explained.

On Facebook, psychologically, theres a feeling of being exposed, whereas WhatsApp feels more intimate because youre only sharing the information with a few friends. People dont think about the fact that a simple message they forward is going to make its way to hundreds of chat groups. It happens at a crazy pace," Shpivak stressed.

When asked about the difference between voyeurism, celebrity and security incidents, Shpivak says the urges that push us to share sensitive information is a broad phenomenon.

"The psychology is the same. Just like we forward a video of a celebrity in a bathing suit, we pass on information about a soldier who was wounded in battle. Our attitude is the same. The more intimate chat groups are created, the more problematic it becomes. However, the problem is not Facebook but something much broader. Its a societal problem, and not only in Israel, but worldwide. The mindset of the social media generation isfirst share, then think. We need to educate them in order to raise awareness about social responsibility, he explained.

A generation of voyeurs

The IDF Censor has not yet surrendered to the forces of time and technology. This unacceptable phenomenon raises its head time after time, and as of right now, there is no one who can stop it. Nevertheless, the Censor does not intend to change the instructions. The incident in Gaza on Sunday was not the first time it happened. Bereaved families say they were informed of their sons deaths in military operations after reading anonymous WhatsApp messages on many occasions. Other parents said they had a breakdown after seeing their child's name accidentally appear on a list of casualties spread through social networks.

This difficult and irresponsible phenomenon has reached its peak during Operation Protective Edge, when several Golani troops were killed after theyd been ambushed and an RPG was fired at their APC. The list of the alleged dead was once again shared by many on WhatsApp, one of the names was Oron Shaulwhose body is still being held by Hamas in Gaza. Aviram Shaul, Orons brother, also received that message when he himself was on his way to Gaza.

Mother of fallen IDF soldier Oron Shaul (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

"I stopped breathing for a few moments, and I said to myself: 'These are just words, these are just letters that make up the name Oron Shaul,' Aviram said in an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth. There was a lot of disinformation between what we were told and what actually happened."

Maayn, the sister of Hadar Buchriswho was murdered in a terror attack at Gush Etzion junctionwas also informed of her death via social networks. "Its horrible. You're so confused, and without any official statements everything becomes one big mess," Maayan recalled. "I was shopping when I received a WhatsApp message about a terrorist attack in Gush Etzion, and Hadar's name came up. I was shaking, I started to scream, I lost my temper. I do not remember exactly what happened. I remember I called the MDA but they refused to give me any details.

Hanan Cohen, founder of a website called "Irrelevant" that specializes in detection of social media, rumors said that on Sunday, as the events in Gaza began to unfold, Twitter was awash with posts about a kidnapped soldier. "The moment there is an incident involving IDF forces, the immediate hypothesis is that a soldier has been kidnapped," he stated.

"People want to know quickly, they are impatient. In addition, people do not always trust the officials who provide the information, that's why alternative channels of communication are created, but theyre not always trustworthy. So on one hand, they do not believe the official spokespeople, on the other hand, the information obtained through other channels isnt always true, Cohen added.

"More and more people are sharing the information because it wins them points as far as their social status in concerned, so they could become the opinion makers. They tell us something that, allegedly, only they seem to know, and thus make other people their partners in secret. From that moment on they become major sources of information for those with whom they share it.

The messages I received on Twitter from the soldiers friends could be characterized by deep sorrow on the one hand, and pride on the other. I didnt get the sense they felt that the fact that his name had been revealed constitutes as a threat to national security, he explained.

According to Cohen, the sharing of information is characteristic of the change in communication channels that have occured over the recent years. "It used to be email, today its WhatsApp, the information is dependent on a period of time were in. In times of security tension, there will be more messages related to security, depending on what the public is preoccupied with at that time. The people express their fears by spreading these rumors."

Hadar Buchris

Cohen adds that in his opinion hiding information from the public, in this day and age, serves no purpose.

"The panic surrounding the spread of information is irrelevant in the age of social media. When people understand the essence of the secret, they keep it. However, if they dont understand the importance of keeping something a secretthey will share it any way they can. If you ask people on the street why they should not know the name of the fallen soldier, they will not give you a determined answer like the IDF Censor, but ask you, 'Why not?' Cohen concludes.

Noam Manella, a researcher of digital consciousness, agrees with the claim that people do not really understand why its wrong to share sensitive information on social media. "People make a distinction between the public sphere of Facebook and WhatsApp, which is perceived as more intimate," he stressed.

"They think that if they put up the information on WhatsApp, they didnt actually reveal anything or committed an offense. The more its shared, the more they feel that there is no point in hiding it anymore, and want to tell their friends on Facebook, get points for networking. It rings true for politicians and for ordinary peoplein disseminating information, everyone feels connected, he emphasized.Sources in Gaza said Tuesday that if Israel halts its strikes in Gaza, the Palestinian factions would cease launching rockets into Israel.

"Silence will be answered with silence. As long as the strikes continue, the resistance would continue protecting the Palestinian nation," according to the sources.Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri said on Tuesday the process of forming a new government had hit a big obstacle and blamed Iran-backed Hezbollah for the stalemate.

Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah, a heavily armed group, has been pressing its demand for one Sunni lawmaker allied to it to get a cabinet portfolio, something Hariri refused.A blast on a bus carrying passengers in the government-controlled Syrian city of Homs injured six people on Tuesday, Syrian state news agency SANA said.

"Six civilians were injured by a bomb explosion inside a bus in ... the al-Zahra neighborhood," SANA said, quoting the head of Homs police force.Arab media reported Tuesday that Egypt and the UN succeeded in mediating a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Earlier Tuesday, the Russian news agency Sputnik reported that an Egyptian security delegation would arrive in Israel on Wednesday to discuss efforts to calm the Gaza Strip.The joint military command center in the Gaza Strip announced that the resistance is committed to the Egyptian brokered ceasefire between themselves and Israel as long as Israel is committed.

Minister Yuval Steinitz told Ynet that he was not aware of any ceasefire agreement.

Defense Minister Avigdor Liebermans office declared that reports that Lieberman voted to cease the IDF strikes on Gaza were fake news and that the ministers stance is consistent and has not changed.

Ministers Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Zeev Elkin also announced their opposition to an end to strikes on Gaza.The Palestinian village of Halhul, located a kilometer north of Hebron in the West Bank, is mourning the death of Mahmoud Abu Asbah (48). The father of six, a construction contractor, was killed Monday night when a rocket fired by militants from the Gaza Strip hit a building in Ashkelon.

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"We have not yet told our little brother about the incident," said Bashir, one of the victims six children. "He is 4 years old and was very attached to dad."

Mahmoud Abu Asbah

Bashir said that his father used to sleep in Israel all week and returned home on weekends. "Yesterday, a few hours before the incident, I spoke to him and he told me that the 'situation is very scary and dangerous' and that he would like to return home until the end of the fighting, but could not find a cab."

The son added that "before dad went to sleep he told me that he would call us in the morning and let us know that he had left Ashkelon. We were waiting for his call, we started to worry, we called him several times and he did not answer anyone until we were told he was killed by a missile."

Monday night at 23:49 a heavy barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip was fired at Ashkelon. One of them directly hit the back of a building in one of the older neighborhoods of the city. The apartment on the fourth floor, where Abu Asbah was staying, suffered the most severe damage. As a result, the Palestinian contractor was killed and another woman who was in the apartment suffered moderate injuries.

Building hit by rocket (Photo: MCT)

"We are four brothers and two sisters," said his son. "Three of the brothers are students. We are afraid to go pick up my 4-year-old brother from kindergarten because he does not know that father will return home in a coffin. He was very attached to my father, this morning he even said to me, 'I miss dad and I am happy he is coming home today. My mother does not stop crying, our lives are destroyed; we do not know how to deal with his death."

As for the current round of fighting, the son said, "I hope that this war will stop. My father has Jewish friends and he was in good contact with everyone, we do not want others to go through what we've been through. It is very painful.

'I took the girl out of the rubble'

Gennady Baskin, who was one of the first rescuers to reach the injured in the house in Ashkelon, said: "I went up to the fourth floor and suddenly I heard movement between the stones, I moved a stone and then I saw someone's hand. I began digging and suddenly I saw a body. I removed the woman from the rubble and she was screaming child, child,' and I realized that I had to look for a child. Then the rescue forces came and removed me."

This morning Baskin arrived at Barzilai Hospital in the city because he was feeling ill. "I'm all trembling and suffering from anxiety, when I hear sirens, I do not know where to run and what happened with that child. Its runnig through my head all day.BEIRUT -- Lebanon's prime minister-designate on Tuesday accused Hezbollah of hindering the formation of a new government six months after parliamentary elections were held, a reflection of growing tensions amid serious concerns over the country's faltering economy.

At a press conference in Beirut, Saad Hariri said "it's Hezbollah, full stop," when asked who was blocking the formation of a government. He said the Shiite militant group bears full responsibility for the consequences, including Lebanon's flagging economy.

Hariri stopped short of resigning, however, saying there was still an opportunity to bridge the differences.

Hariri, the top Sunni Muslim leader in the country, is coming under increasing pressure from the Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah, which insists that six Sunni legislators allied with Hezbollah be represented in the new Cabinet. Hariri flatly rejects the demand, saying the six independent legislators are not part of a parliamentary bloc and are therefore not entitled to have a minister in the cabinet.Some 200 protesters from Gaza vicinity communities are burning tires and blocking the entrance road to Sderot Tuesday evening. They are upset that the government agreed to a ceasefire instead of taking care of Hamas once and for all.The Security Council of the United Nations will convene a special meeting in light of the escalation in Gaza. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Dannon said: We will not accept calls for both sides to act with restraint. There is a side which is attacking and has launched 400 rockets at a civilian population and there is a side which is defending its citizens. Any society must ask itself how it would respond to such a barrage of missiles on their country.Hamas issued a statement Tuesday in which it thanked those who helped in the cease-fire efforts, saying: "While the resistance responded courageously to the Israeli aggression, the efforts of several factors that followed the recent events did not stop."

"The parties have invested tremendous efforts to stop the aggression against our people and our members. Hamas appreciates these efforts, and particularly the efforts of Egypt, Qatar, Norway and the United Nations," the terror organization said in a statement.Hate crimes in the United States jumped 17 percent in 2017, with a huge 37 percent spike in anti-Semitic attacks, marking the third year in a row that such attacks have increased, according to FBI data released on Tuesday.

The release of the data comes just weeks after a gunman burst into a Pittsburgh synagogue and shot dead 11 worshippers while shouting "All Jews must die."

According to the FBI's annual Hate Crime Statistics report, there were a total of 7,175 hate crime incidents reported last year by law enforcement agencies, up from 6,121 incidents in 2016. The agency did not offer a reason for the increase.

The report showed a 37 percent jump in anti-Semitic incidents to 938 from 684 a year earlier.

Critics say US President Donald Trump's rhetoric has fomented a surge in right-wing extremism and may have even helped provoke the bloodshed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood, which was the worst attack on America's Jewish community.

The Trump administration has rejected any notion that he has encouraged white nationalists and neo-Nazis who have embraced him, insisting the president's true aim is to unify America.Officials in communities in the Gaza vicinity announced a return to normal after a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas. Schools are expected to open as usual tomorrow.

The Home Front Command announced that all restrictions implemented since the fighting began have now been removed.

Palestinian militants and Israel held their fire late on Tuesday following an Egyptian mediation effort, bringing a relative calm to the Gaza frontier after the fiercest rocket salvoes and air strikes since the 2014 war.

The enemies made clear the pause was an armed stand-off rather than a long-term accommodation.

Fighting died down at 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) and a Palestinian official briefed on the negotiations said Gaza factions ceased firing as part of a deal proposed by Egypt. Israeli officials confirmed Cairo had been involved in Tuesday's arrangement.Israel with Hamas agreed to a ceasefire on Tuesday evening thanks to mediation efforts by Egypt and the United Nations after two days of fighting that saw over 400 rockets being fired from Gaza at Israel and heavy IDF bombardments in the strip in retaliation.

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The ceasefire was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite opposition from some members of his Security Cabinet.

The Cabinet met for seven hours on Tuesday morning to discuss the latest flare-up of hostilities in the Gaza Strip. At the end of the meeting, the prime minister decidedwithout a voteto adopt the defense establishment's recommendation to agree to a truce.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Netanyahu

Some of the senior ministers complained that the prime minister had "imprisoned" them for many hours, while behind the scenes he worked to achieve the ceasefire agreement he wanted. To avoid paying a political price for agreeing to the ceasefire, Netanyahu apparently worked to create the impression the entire Cabinet supported the move.

The ministers claimed Netanyahu "engineered" the discussion by having the heads of the defense establishmentIDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, Military Intelligence Directorate head Tamir Heyman, Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman, Mossad Director Yossi Cohen and National Security Advisor Meir Ben Shabbatall present the same position: at this time, Israel should stop its attacks in Gaza and accept Egypt's request to give another chance for the arrangement with Hamas.

During the meeting, the defense officials described the event that led to the current escalation: the botched secret IDF mission deep inside the Gaza Strip, in which IDF Lt. Col. M. and 7-10 Hamas fighters were killed. They argued that Hamas was not revealing the names of some of its fighters that were killed as the terror group was deeply embarrassed by an incident it sees as a violation of the truce reached a week ago.

Hamas fired almost 500 rockets, with most falling in open areas, over 120 intercepted by Iron Dome and some hitting residential areas, causing damage, injuries and one death. On the other hand, the IDF struck 160 targets in Gaza, including the Hamas internal security building and the organization's television station. The IDF presented pictures and videos from the attacks at the meeting.

The defense officials said that if Israel continues its attacks in Gaza, the Palestinian factions in the strip could extend the range of their rocket fire all the way to Tel Aviv.

"The question being asked is what do we want to achieve. If you want war and occupation, that's one thing. But if you think you have other more important strategic tasks, and you think a solution in the form of an arrangement is the right onethen you should stick to it," a defense official said. "Had we continued with the strikes, it would've forced us to go all the way. To deliver another blow and get rocket fire on Tel Aviv, and then ask ourselves why didn't we stop when the time was right."

IDF tanks near Gaza (Photo: MCT)

Some Cabinet ministers claimed that none of the ministers objected to a cease fire. Ministers Avigdor Lieberman, Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Ze'ev Elkin all later denied that claim, with the defense minister calling it "fake news" and insisting his position remained consistent.

So what really happened?

Conversations with senior officials indicate that after the heads of the defense establishment presented their unequivocal stance in favor of a ceasefire, each of the ministers were given the floor.

Netanyahu, along with ministers Yisrael Katz, Yoav Galant, Gilad Erdan, Aryeh Deri, Moshe Kahlon and Yuval Steinitz, supported a ceasefire, while ministers Lieberman, Bennett, Shaked and Elkin were united in their opposition to a truce in the form of "quiet for quiet," claiming it would allow Hamas to continue arming itself. Lieberman proposed to continue inflicting heavy blows on Hamas, while Bennett presented an operational plan.

Some ministers also criticized the fact that the heads of the defense establishment did not present sufficient alternative options for action in Gaza, and rather insisted on accepting the ceasefire.

However, there was no vote on the matter, and the discussion ended with Netanyahu's concluding remarks in which he adopted the defense establishment's recommendation. Since none of the ministers insisted on voting, close associates of the prime minister insisted this meant all those present supported the ceasefire.

Gaza border residents protest cease-fire (Photo: Gadi Kabalo)

Senior cabinet officials claimed Netanyahu had already made his decision even before the Cabinet meeting and only held the meeting in an effort to put some of the responsibility on the other ministers. Some of the ministers further asserted that had there been a vote, the results would have been seven against the ceasefire and four in favor.

The Prime Minister's Office said that "at the cabinet meeting, all the members of the cabinet expressed their views in a free and detailed manner, it was documented. True leaders don't say one thing in the Cabinet and saying the opposite outside."

Security Cabinet meeting (Photo: Ariel Harmoni, Ministry of Defense )

Earlier in the day, Israeli officials claimed Jerusalem was ignoring mediation efforts by Egypt and the UN, and that "there is no talk of a ceasefire," but Western diplomats insisted mediation talks had not stopped at any moment.

And so, other than confirming the ceasefire, an Israeli official said following the Cabinet meeting that "Israel reserves its freedom of action. Hamas requests for a ceasefire came from four different mediators, and Israel has responded that events on the ground will be the determining factor."

The mediators included Egypt, the UN Secretary-General's envoy to the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov, Qatar and Norway. Oman apparently also offered its help.













MAJ. FRED Matusewic, U.S. Army Retired, delivers the main address Monday at Veterans Day services at the Hurley K-12 school gymnasium.

By RALPH ANSAMI

[email protected]

Hurley - The Gogebic Range never forgets its veterans.

On a snowy Monday morning with poor driving conditions, the Hurley K-12 gymnasium was about three-fourths full with students, teachers and community residents for a salute to veterans.

Two members of the senior class plan on enlisting in the armed services and 21 of the students attending the ceremony will likely one day be veterans, if averages hold true, said Maj. Fred Matusewic, of Hurley, U.S. Army retired, who delivered the main address.

Matusewic, commander of VFW Post 1580, recalled words spoken by President Ronald Reagan: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."

Matusewic told the students, "Our enemies want to take those freedoms away."

He explained the many sacrifices veterans make, such as missing Thanksgiving and Christmas at home, or the birth of their children. Some make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, he added.

Matusewic spoke about Sept. 11, 2001, when America was attacked by enemies, and the resulting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Veterans of all wars make tremendous sacrifices to ensure freedom," he said.

Vietnam veteran Arvid Sivula led a moment of silence for all prisoners of war, those missing in action and all who died in war.

Chris Kelly, high school history teacher, led the ceremony and the high school band and choir performed patriotic selections that revved up even the smallest students in the gym.MEMBERS OF Ironwood's JROTC battalion, from left, Command Sgt. Maj. Jacquelyn Wiemeri, 1st Sgt. Alyssa Roberts, Capt. Cole Brunell, Sgt. Joseph Lehto, Capt. Emily Carey and Maj. Sophia Halverson fold an American flag Monday during Ironwood's Veterans Day ceremony.

By RICHARD JENKINS

[email protected]

IRONWOOD - A day after Veterans Day, the community gathered in Luther L. Wright's John Krznarich gymnasium Monday as the Ironwood Area Schools held its annual celebration to honor the area's veterans.

Following the introduction of colors, national anthem and performance by the middle and high school bands, JROTC Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Hayley Jarocki introduced guest speaker, Staff Sgt. Michael Arneson.

A Colorado native, Arneson enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2003 and worked with Chinook helicopters in Afghanistan and Iraq before being assi...By P.J. GLISSON

[email protected]

WAKEFIELD  The Wakefield city council learned Monday that the Michigan Department of Transportation has scheduled a rehabilitation of U.S. 2 in Wakefield within its 2021-22 program.

Wakefield City Manager Richard Brackney said the targeted area of the highway runs from Eddy to Pierce streets and said MDOT will be studying curbing and gutter work.

Theyre looking to limit the egress to U.S. 2, said Brackney to the citys planning commission, which met directly before the council. He added that the aim is to keep people and cars fro...Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - Tuesday, Paitric Small, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 32 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for aggravated assault on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. On March 19, 2018, Small assaulted the victim with a machete; they are both members of the Navajo Nation. Small had previously pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety. The prosecution was handled by Dimitra Sampson, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business.There is not enough analysis data for Botswana Diamonds.

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NextEverybody has a list of people they like. It may be actors, musicians, athletes, friends or even family. We cant all love the same people and hate the same people. On that note, just a few days ago, 2015 BET Award winner for Best International Act Stonebwoy, was asked who are Ghanas best rappers according to him. At first it looked like it was going to be a hard question to answer, but he went on to answer the question really well. In this article, we shall look, who these 5 rappers in Ghana are. We'll also look at who Stonebwoy is and his music as well as something little about his life.

The question that first comes to mind is, who are these five rappers? Are they as good as Stonebwoy thinks they are? Could they be ranked among the best rappers of all time or even maybe just among the best rappers in Africa? Well, you will have to stick around to know who the rappers are and how good they are.

Stonebwoy news

Recently, during an interview with Citi TV, Stonebwoy went ahead to name his five favourite Ghanaian rappers after he was asked. He mentioned the list in no particular order but at least we know who they are. The people in his list are:

Sarkodie Paedae Obibini Strongman Yaa Pono

Sarkodie

If you don't know Sarkodie you must be living in a hole. To call him talented is an understatement of what he really is. His music sells on its own. His rich lyrical content as well as his flow make him extraordinarily good. Sarkodie whose real name is Michael Owusu Addo is one of the best rappers in Africa. He has numerous accolades under his name. For starters, just like Stonebwoy, he was the winner of the BET Award for Best International Act: Africa category in 2012. He also got nominated again for the same award in 2014 but this time round he did not win it.

Sarkodie is the fourth child in a family of five children. He was born and grew up in Tema. According to his mother, Michael Owusu Addo (Sarkodie), he started rapping while he was still very young and I guess he never stopped for he is still rapping. He was raised by a single mum. He went to Tema Methodist Senior High School. He did a degree in Graphic design from IPMC. Sarkodie is thirty years old as he was born on the 10th of July 1988.

Unlike other rappers, Sarkodie said he has never tasted alcohol or tobacco. I know this is a shocker as for most rappers, seems like the two are usually in the job description. These are among the things that make him very unique. He has a child with his wife Tracy. The child is called Adalyn Owusu Addo.

Sarkodies music is just to die for. He has that rich African blend of pop and hip-hop. He has a couple of albums under his name. Highlighted below are the albums and the songs in each album.

Highest

This album was released in the month of September 2017. It has the following songs:

Silence Overdose Come To Me Interlude - Highest, Pt. 1 We No Dey Fear Certified Love Yourself Interlude - Highest, Pt. 2 Highest Light It Up Far Away Your Waist Interlude - Highest, Pt. 3 Baby Mama All I Want Is You All Night See Only You Glory Pain Killer (Bonus Track)

Sarkodie Vol. 3

This album was released in August 2017. It has the following songs:

Response To Samini Down On One One Chance Menkoaa Dawoso Give It To Me Old School Love All Is You Lies Warrior Song Bossy Luxury Good Relationship When I Grow Up Where Did I Go Wanna Be Loved

Sarkodie Vol. 2

This album was also released in August 2017. It has the following songs:

End Up Falling Mewu Azonto Fiesta Chingam Adonai Winner MMMP (Explicit) Sarkcess Story Devil In Me Gunshot Giants Steps Special Someone Pon Di Ting Nobody's Business Idibia War New Guy

Sarkodie Vol. 4

Just the other albums titled Sarkodie, Sarkodie 4 was released in August of 2017. It has the following songs:

Saa Okodie No Raw Guys Bra Preach Ohemaa Hallelujah Attack Ordinary Love Adonai M3gye Wo Girl Love Rocks Pain Killer Hold On Always On My Mind Xxl

Sarkodie Vol. 1

It was also released in August 2017. Its song list consists of the following songs:

Asante Ni Bounce Edwom Tesen Illuminati Obobi Sherifa Take It Back Wobaadanaa Sizeless Original Mary Faces Of Life Dear Rap Pain Killer U Go Kill Me

Mary

This album was released in September 2015. It has the following songs:

Wanna Be Loved (feat. Efya) Giant Steps (feat. Chase) Mewu (feat. Akwaboah) Always on My Mind (feat. Obrafour) Bra (feat. Pat Thomas) Nobody's Business (feat. Akwaboah) All Is You (feat. Mugeez) End up Falling (feat. Akwaboah) Edwom Te S3n Mary Sarkcess Story (feat. Efya)

Sarkology

This album has the following songs under it:

Your Waist Highest Didi (feat. Kelvynboy & Strongman) Chingam (feat. Bisa Kdei) Azonto Fiesta Sarkodie, Vol. 2

Rapperholic

This album was released in 2012 in the month of February. It has the following songs:

Word of God Saa Okodie No (feat. Obrafour) Warrior Song (feat. Kk Fosu) Onyame eyhira (produced By Kaywa) (feat. Castro) Faces of life-1 When I Grow Up (feat. Ikechukwu) Odo Menkoaa (feat. Kwabena Kwabena) Old School Love (feat. Mugeez) Where Did I Go Wrong (feat. Efya) Sherifa_sherifa (feat. Sherifa) Efya-Am In Luv With U(prod. By Killbeatz) (feat. Efya) Give It to Me (feat. Mugeez) U Go Kill Me (feat. El) Luxury (Prod By Jayso) (feat. Jayso And Lighter) Mani Dawoso (feat. Kwawkese) Ohemaa Dane (feat. Tinny) I'm a Winner (feat. Chidynma) Friends (feat. Rell And Jayso)

READ ALSO: Five Ghanaian artistes who could not keep up in the business

Paedae

I know we are all happy that Paedae was in this list. Paedae is truly an incredible artist. The numerous awards that he has been able to pick-up by himself as well as part of R2Bees surely speak a lot for him. Paedae is part of the music duo, R2Bees. He is also known as Omar Sterling. R2Bees is a hip-hop and afrobeat duo from yet again Tema. Both members of this duo, this is Omar Sterling and Rashid Mugeez were born and raised in Tema. Paedae is the leader and the CEO of the group while Mugeez is the lead vocalist. The two are actually cousins. The two have been together for almost all their lives. They have lived in the same house, they went to the same primary and secondary school and now they are singing together. They started rap while they were in school as the two would go to represent their school in rap contests as well as inter-school music competitions.

They released their first single in 2008, the month of August. It was called Yawa Gal. This single became a hit just like that. From there it has been an upward journey for them. They have grown in popularity. R2bees usually or most of the time sing and rap in Twi the native language. The only way to know if he's good is by checking out some of his songs.

Strongman

There are people who refer to him as Strongman Burner and others just as Strongman, but at the end of the day, it's still the same person. So who is Strongman? What are the hit songs under his name? What genre of music does he sing?

Strongman is one of the hardest rappers to compare anyone to at the moment. His rapping skills are just something else. It is no surprise that he made it to this list. To add to his many achievements, he was recently awarded as the Best Rapper at the Ghana Music Awards SA 2018. This award was closely contested for. He surely deserves to be in Stonebwoy's list.

His real name is Osei Kwaku Vincent. He was born on the February 10th the year 1993. This only means that Strongman is only twenty-five years old. He is one of the sensational rappers in Ghana. He is strong when it comes to his lyrics and his one-of-a-kind rap style. I guess it is one of these reasons he is referred to as Strongman for he is strongly rooted in the industry. According to sources, he is looked at as the most creative rapper in Ghana.

His music career has been nothing but interesting. At such a young age, he has already collaborated with many known and veteran musicians in Ghana as well as the rest of Africa. The artists include the like of Sarkodie, Bisa Kdei, Edem and the likes. At the moment, Strongman is currently signed to Sarkodie's music group, Sarkcess Music.

Strongman does not have a lot of albums under his name as he is still young. This is not to say he does not have music out there. He has one album that is actually very nice and many singles that dont disappoint.

He has one studio album labelled,  Am The Strongest. This album together with all the singles he has have truly put him on Stonebwoys radar.

Obibini

Obibinis real name is David Kwaku Effum Boafo. Obibini actually stands for, Obviously Black is Beautiful Infinite & Naturally inspiring. Obibini started singing in his room many years back. While he was young he used to listen to music from the likes of Rockstone, Obrafour, Outcast and Busta Rhymes. The music of the people mentioned above together with other artists gave him the motivation to write songs as well as raps.

While he was in high school, he joined a four-member group called III Deadly Ministries (IDM). Here he used to write his own songs and this helped him a lot. Obibini has always had a large following even before he made his debut single. Obibini is unique in the way he blends English and his mother-tongue in his music.

Yaa Pono

When Stonebwoy chose Yaa Pono he said he considers Yaa Pono as more than just a rapper. He is more of an all-rounded artist and that is why Stonebwoy was not considering him in this category. Apart from being really exceptional, his use of Akan language with so much style and charisma make him standout. I think it was one of these reasons or all of these reasons that might have made Stonebwoy choose him. He is yet another musician on Stonebwoys list from Tema. I think there's just something about Tema and talent. When it comes to freestyle hip-hop, nobody compares to him. He has an unmatched charisma that makes him incomparable. Apart from hip-hop, Yaa Pono is also famous for his dancehall music and his afrobeat rhythms. He is truly a very versatile and diverse musician if you were to ask me. He has already established his place in Ghanas music industry and he is going to occupy this spot for some time to come.

Apart from all that, his real name is Solomon Adu Antwi. The second part of his stage name Pono stands for Prince Of No Origin. His music career kicked off in 2007 after he recorded a mixtape. His debut album was actually released in 2014 and it was called, Sea Blue. It is actually a very nice album and it made him stand up from the rest. He also has the album labelled Faster Than Gods'. This album has the following songs:

Faster Than Gods

Intro Solar Power (feat. Samini) No. 1 in Africa (Amendwo) Wonsa Beka (feat. Edem) Love for You (feat. Sarkodie) Mr Lucifer Sane Eba Jamming Addicted (feat. Gemini Orleans) Interlude (feat. Shuga Kwame & Taboo) Devil (feat. Lesh Uno & Agyen Kay) Olo (feat. Epixode) Too Big (feat. Jaycee) Eko (feat. L. A. X.) Feeling Woso Street Boy Sokoo Menim Yenka (feat. Taboo) Abundance (feat. Shuga Kwame) Like Evil

Yaa Pono also has another album by the initials, A. R. T. This basically means African Relaxation Techniques. This is an album he made in collaboration with very many artists. This album has the following songs:

Wa ko Wo Ho Propaganda Ma Se Sa Ngleshie Avenue Wouldn't have to Me Do Wo Abasem Akosombo Sunrise Bbb Artorkor

Stonebwoy biography

Etse Satekla, most commonly known as Stonebwoy is a Ghanaian music artist. One of the most fascinating things about him is that he sings a wide range of music hence it is very unlikely to get bored with him or for him to release monotonous songs. His most common genres of music are Afropop, dancehall and reggae. Stonebwoy was born on the 5th of March the year 1988, therefore he is thirty years old. I know Stonebwoy age is a shocker for all those who didnt know how old he is. He was born in Ashaiman. He is the fourth born in a large family of seven children. He has always had a heart for arts ever since he was young as this was illustrated when he successfully scripted and acted for the drama club of his high school. He has always been a force to reckon with as while he was still young he used to go for rap battles where even established artists would come and up to this day he has never been defeated. It is for this reason among others that he says that music chose him and not the other way round.

Stonebwoy did his secondary studies at Methodist Day Secondary School. He went on to pursue a degree in Marketing at the university. His love for music kept on pushing him until he finally met Samini who ended up signing Stonebwoy to Samini Music Label.

Stonebwoy having come from a big family knows how to take care of kids and this is evident from the much love he has for his daughter. He is married to Dr Louisa Kwakye Asang. Dr Louisa Kwakye Asang is a graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University and Technology. The two got married at Unique Flora at the Trade Fair Centre in Accra.

Stonebwoy songs

Stonebwoy album count is at three at the moment. These three albums are Grade 1, Necessary Evil and Epistles of Mama. Each of these albums had hit songs in them. The songs in each album are highlighted below:

Grade 1

This album was released in 2012. The track-list for this album is as follows:

Rate Race Head Up / Above the Sky feat. Edem Kiss 'n' Cry Climax feat. Samini Ghetto Love feat. Irene Logan Please Don't Go Need You feat. Red Eye Onumade feat. Tinny Agoro feat. Samini Bumper Why Give All Out Not Scared Roots 'n' Culture Hills 'n' Valley Push It feat. Kaakie Not Scared Remix feat. Red Eye

Necessary evil

This is the second album by this very talented musician. It was released in 2013. The songs in that album are as follows:

Bhim Nation Happiness feat. Jah Vinci Ex Boyfriend feat. Mugeez R2Bees Baafira feat. Sarkodie Can't Cool Chat Dem A Chat feat. General Pype Ganja Pipe feat. VsVerbal Gwaan Murderer feat. Cara Biara Mzansi feat. Eindo & Turaz Not Again Physically Pull Up (Remix) feat. Patoranking Real Warrior (Last Breathe Riddim) Run Go Submarine (Remix) Watchout feat. The Outlaws Candy Gbedegbede Jamming feat. Kwaw Kese Look Good Love Pressure feat. Black Prophet More Gyal feat. DXD Paranoid feat. Raquel 25 Skin to Skin Sneaky So Real Watch Over Us Wicked feat. Gappy Ranks

Epistles of Mama

This album was released in 2017. Its song list consists of the following songs:

Bawasaaba Dede (feat. King Promise & Kelvyn Boy) Mane Me (feat. Praiz & Mugeez) Pepper Dem (feat. amaarae) Stonebwoy & Edem Carnival (feat. Fay-Ann Lyons) Souljah Odo Bi Stonebwoy & Sarkodie Tia Tia (feat. Yaa Pono & Joey B) One Man Lady (feat. Vanessa Bling) Jungle (feat. Kofi Kinaata) Hold on You (feat. Khalia) All My Love (feat. Efya) Mama Mama (Sax Version) Stonebwoy & Mizter Okyere Feeling Lonely Stonebwoy & I-Octane Praises Hakuna Matata (feat. Agent Sasco) Savage (feat. Pressure Buss Pipe) Same God Suit & Tie (feat. Kabaka Pyramid) Take You Home Stonebwoy, Burna Boy & AKA My Way (feat. Damaris Joi) We Bad (Don 45)

I hope this article has been helpful in highlighting the rappers that Stonebwoy said are exceptional and truly they are. They are truly among the best rappers in Africa. I hope you enjoyed the read.

READ ALSO:

Ghana music awards 2018-winners and performers

Stonebwoy urges government to fix potholes on Tema motorway

Source: Yen- 72-year-old Maame Dokono has disclosed she will not go into politics openly again

- According to her the insults were too much for her to bear

- She explained she would rather support her party secretly rather than doing it publicly

Veteran actress Grace Omaboe, popularly known as Maame Dokono, has revealed that she is no longer going to be actively involved in politics going forward.

According to a reported sighted by YEN.com.gh on Graphic.com.gh the actrss made the comments while speaking with Graphic Showbiz

The actress said she had learnt a lot of lessons from her involvement in partisan political.

Maame Dokono disclosed that she was disgraced and insulted for openly delving into politics.

Maame Dokono Source: Graphic,com,gh

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Video: Captain Smart proposes to US-based lady despite being married to Afia Pokuaa

The disgrace and insults I received for going into politics openly was too much for me.

Maame Dokono was a loyal member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) before she defected to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) .

She revealed that she had her fair share of insults while with the NDC and when she eventually defected to the NPP.

She added that she would still support her party just like anyone else does but not openly support her political party as she used to do in the past.

READ ALSO: Medikal reveals leaving Deborah Vanessa over marriage pressure

Ghana News Today: Adenta on Fire as Angry Residents Protest Over Frequent Deaths| #Yen.com.gh

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page

Source: Yen- Cristiano Ronadldo's daughter Alana Martina has turned a year old

- A proud Ronaldo took to social media to celebrate the adorable toddler's birthday

- The Juve star is a father of four, including a set of twins born mid-2017

A proud Cristiano Ronaldo has taken to social media to celebrate the birthday of his adorable daughter, Alana Martina, who is turning one.

The Juventus star forward shared Martina's photo on Instagram pictured alongside her twin siblings Eva and Mateo.

Ronaldo accompanied the pretty photo with the caption: "Happy birthday, dear princess! One year of bliss! Love you!"

READ ALSO: Neymar, Ronaldo and others with strange contract clauses

The photo elicited excitement among the 33-year-old's fans, with many joining him in sending best wishes to the little angel.

Ronaldo is a proud father of four children, alongside a set of twins named Eva and Mateo who he welcomed mid-2017 with girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, via a surrogate.

READ ALSO: Kwadwo Asamoah withdraws from Black Stars squad ahead of Ethiopia clash

The former Real Madrid star also has a son named Cristiano Ronaldo Junior aged seven, with whom he moved with to Juventus in the summer.

On her part, Rodriguez, celebrated Martina as "one more blessing in the wonderful family we have built."

"The little girl in the house was born. Today Alana Martina is one year old. A year full of love and happiness. One more blessing in the wonderful family we have built with so much love," she posted on Instagram in Portuguese.

"We are fortunate, blessed by God and grateful to him for what we have in life. Thank you all for your support always, the love you show us and the congratulations that are so beautiful for Alana. Many affections and much love for you !!!" she added.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo is enjoying life in Italy following his sensational move from Real Madrid, having notched eight goals so far for Juventus this term.

Ghana News Today: Adenta on Fire as Angry Residents Protest Over Frequent Deaths| #Yencomgh

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Send us a message via YEN's official Facebook page.

Source: YenMultiple award-winning investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, has commented on the recent chaotic demonstration that took place on the Adenta-Madina highway by residents who protested the abandoned footbridges on that stretch.

According to a report sighted by YEN.com.gh on Pulse.com.gh, Anas indicated that the demonstration was a warning to leaders of the country not to take the power of the citizens for granted.

Anas made the comment while speaking Anas to students of the Koforidua Technical University and others from selected second-cycle institutions during a youth leadership summit jointly organised by Sertoh Leadership International and the AFRIWIC International Organisation.

Anas Aremeyaw Anas. Credit: Supplied

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: 9 Ghanaian celebrities suspected of reducing their age

"When we all sit down and say because it is happening to the people of Adentan, so, we don't care, one day you never know when you will drive there and the people will get insane and that's when you will see what the peoples power means," Anas said.

He added that, [The riots] were a valuable lesson to all of us and I believe that all of you should take a cue from it. You may think that you have educated yourself and you want to stay in Accra and leave your villages unattended to."

"If the water in your village is poisoned, if your child does not die, if you don't die, your grandmother will die," he added.

Ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, has said that the recent demonstration by residents of Adentan should serve as a wake-up call to politicians.

He said it should serve as a warning to elected leaders about the might of an agitated citizenry.

Last Thursday, residents of Adentan and its environs protested against the lack of footbridges on the Madina-Adentan highway.

Cross-section of demonstrators. Credit: YEN.com.gh

Source: Original

The death of an 18-year-old first-year student of West Africa Senior High School (WASS) sparked this spontaneous riots on the highway which resulted in a gridlock, compelling police and fire officers to intervene.

READ ALSO: Video: Captain Smart proposes to US-based lady despite being married to Afia Pokuaa

Angry residents, in registering their displeasure over the recent deaths, blocked the highway and burned tyres which caused a total gridlock.

Police rushed to the scene to calm situations down but tempers had already flared and the law enforcers had to resort to rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

A woman, after the incident, claimed the police aimed at her car and shot at it causing her and her 14-year-old son to be hit by a bullet.

In the aftermath of the chaotic demonstration President Akufo-Addo waded into the situation and commiserated with the bereaved family.

The Ministry of Roads and Highways has also announced that work on the uncompleted pedestrian bridges will commence within a week.

Temporarily, the Ministry in collaboration with the Interior Ministry has requested the Ghana Police Service to deploy officers of the Motor Traffic Unit to prevent further accidents.

READ ALSO: Kennedy Agyapong and the other NPP men who turned into Akufo-Addo critics

Watch: Ghana News Today: Adenta on Fire as Angry Residents Protest Over Frequent Deaths| #Yencomgh

Have national and human interest issues to discuss?

Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition?

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page.

Source: Yen.com.ghMultiple award-winning musician, Okyeame Kwame, known in real life as Kwame Nsiah-Apau, has lashed out at critics of rapper Medikal and Fella Makafui to allow them to live their lives as and how they saw fit.

According to a report sighted by YEN.com.gh on Pulse.com.gh, Okyeame Kwame made the comments while speaking on '3Music Flava' with host Lerny Lomotey.

He went ahead to plead on Medikal and Fella Makafui's behalf and called on Ghanaians to stop bashing the couple.

READ ALSO: 9 Ghanaian celebrities suspected of reducing their age

Okyeame Kwame, popularly known as the 'Rap Doctor' waded into the issue surrounding Medikal, Fella Makafui and Deborah Vanessa and said that if things did not work out for Vanessa life had to still go on.

What were you expecting, that he was going to marry Deborah Vanessa? Well if it happened we would all have gone to the wedding and be happy for them, but if it didnt happen and he is now with Fella Makafui allow them to be, life goes on Okyeame Kwame stated.

The rap doctor is currently on a media tour to promote his forthcoming album Made in Ghana.

The album, released under OK Music, was recorded live, consists 10 songs influenced by the various regions in Ghana, and comes out December 14. Ahead of the release, a listening session was held at the Roots Apartment Hotel in Accra September 17.

Medikal, Deborah Vanessa, popularly known as Sister Derby and Fella Makafui have been in the news for some time now.

READ ALSO: Ghanaians confused over purported wedding photos of Nayas 1 and Apostle John Prah

This followed reports that Medikal and Sister Derby had broken up and the former had started dating YOLO actress Fella Makafui.

The Too Risky hitmaker, has revealed that he broke up with Deborah Vanessa because she was pressurizing him with marriage.

According to him, he was not ready for marriage and so had to leave Sister Deborah for someone younger so they could plan their future together.

Medikal, born Samuel Adu Frimpong, made this known in his latest song: Ayekoo which he sang to jab Sister Derby after she released Kakalika love to taunt him and Fella Makafui.

READ ALSO: Food and 4 other possible reasons why Medikal chose Fella Makafui over Deborah Vanessa

Watch: Ghana News Today: Adenta on Fire as Angry Residents Protest Over Frequent Deaths| #Yencomgh

Have national and human interest issues to discuss?

Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition?

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page.

Source: Yen NewsThe 2011 winner of TV3s Ghana Most Beautiful, Sally Akua Amoakowaa Mensah has ended her marriage with business mogul Dr. Kwaku Oteng, who is far older than her.

The two have been married for eight years but Akua has had enough as she has brought an end to the relationship.

The beauty queen who is the fourth wife of Dr. Oteng confirmed the break up via her Instagram page which YEN.com.gh has sighted a screen shot.

READ ALSO: Popular Ghanaian-British actor Peter Mensah lands in Ghana

Akua GMB

Source: Instagram

The post read: The post read Sometimes you just have to learn how to walk away. When its not making you happy and its rather stressing you take a bow. My marriage of eight years is over. I wont give anyone the right to take away my happiness. Im walking from everything that is stressing me.

YEN.com.gh can confirm that the post has since been deleted after it lasted on her timeline for close to two hours.

Akua and Dr. Oteng have been blessed with two boys.

READ ALSO: 7 'heavy tundra' photos of Moesha Boduong that can melt any man's heart

YEN.com.gh had earlier reported how Dr. Oteng threw a lavish birthday party for Akua.

Akua was also in the news after claiming that she married Dr. Oteng out of love and because of his money.

Ghana News Today: Adenta on Fire as Angry Residents Protest Over Frequent Deaths| #Yencomgh

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Send us a message via YEN;s official Facebook page.

Source: Yen- Torgbe Sri III the Awoamefia of Anlo state has appealed to President Akufo-Addo to at least build a harbour in Anlo under his reign

- According to the chief, the youth in Anlo are unemployed due to lack of factories

Ruler of the Anlo state, Torgbe Sri III the Awoamefia, has called on President Akufo-Addo to construct a harbour in his community.

According to the chief, he will be very delighted to see a harbour built for his people before he joins his ancestors.

Torgbe Sri III the Awoamefia made the statement during this years Hogbetsotso festival at Anloga.

Torgbe Sri III the Awoamefia of Anlo state. Source: Ghanaweb.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: SHS students from top schools contributing to teenage pregnancy in C/R

He also lamented the high rate of unemployment in the Anlo community, insisting farmers are struggling.

He, therefore, appealed to government to speed up the process of building a factory in the community so that farmers can store their produce.

The youth in Anlo are unemployed due to lack of factories. Tomatoes of farmers continue to rot away since we dont have a means of preserving them, Torgbe said.

A factory in this municipality would have salvaged this situation and bring some relief and cash to our farmers. Ive been dreaming of a harbour for ages now and it will be my joy that I see one built for my people before I leave this earth.

The influential chief further spoke about the bad nature of roads in the Volta Region, calling on government to do something about the situation.

According to him, most roads in the region are are in very terrible state and it will be proper you fix them for us.

He added: I wish to suggest that the establishment and equipping of skills training centres such as Woe ICCEs, Vocational/Technical Training centre and support for skill-oriented jobs in our region, districts and communities will greatly ease the current pressure on the central government for the provision of job avenues.

READ ALSO: Captain Smart proposes marriage to another woman during award ceremony in USA

In attendance at this years Hogbetsotso festival were the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Kofi Dzameshi, former president John Dramani Mahama and other high-ranking politicians in the country.

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Source: Yen- Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia has donated Ghc1,000 bags of cement for rehabilitation of a mosque

- The donation is in fulfillment of a campaign promise made to the people of the Bawku area

Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia has supported the expansion of the Bawku Central Mosque in the Upper East region by donating 1000 bags of cement.

Since being built in the 1970s the Bawku Central Mosque has seen no facelift and has remained uncompleted in the past years.

The Muslim community, therefore, appealed to Dr. Bawumia and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for support in the build up to the 2016 elections.

Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Frank Fuseini Adongo made the donation on behalf of the vice president. Source: Citinewsroom.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Anlo chief appeals to Akufo-Addo to build a harbour in the area before he dies

At the time, Bawumia promised support them with a thousand bags of cement should the NPP be voted into power.

In fulfilment of that promise, the Vice President has now donated the said number of cements to help in the rehabilitation of the mosque.

Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Frank Fuseini Adongo, praised Bawumia for the gesture, describing him as a man of his words.

When the Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia came around during the fasting period to pray with you for peace and development of this country, you appealed to him for support to complete and rehabilitate your central mosque. And today, he has directed him to come and present to you One thousand bags of cement he promised you, Mr. Adongo said.

The chairman of Bawku Central Mosque and Ansarul Islam Ustarz Umar, was also grateful to the Vice President for honouring his promise to support the mosque.

According to him, the cements donate will go a long way to help in the expansion of the Bawku mosque.

READ ALSO: Ghanaians confused over purported wedding photos of Nayas 1 and Apostle John Prah

Now, we are going to put in strategies to get support from all over the world so that we can start the serious construction of this mosque. You can see serious defects in the mosque and 1,000 bags may not be enough, but it will be the beginning of a massive construction work for the face-lift of this mosque, he said.

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Source: Yen Ghana- Ghanaian veterans have commemorated the 73rd Remembrance Day service in Kumasi

- Present were high profile guests such as the regional minister, Simon Osei Mensah and the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II

- A 90-year-old veteran read a tribute that brought back memories of the World War II to his colleagues

A tribute read by a World War II veteran reportedly left his colleagues almost drowned in tears.

According to a report by MyNewsGH.com, 90-year-old Ex-Sergeant Samuel Kwabeng, read a few lines from a poem by Laurence Binyon, titled For the fallen.

His strained voice and command over the lines of the poem brought fond memories of the challenges of soldiers.

Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defence Source: Supplied

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Adentan uprising is a warning to politicians - Anas Aremeyaw Anas

Other veterans were reportedly down in spirit as he read the poem at the 73rd Remembrance Day Service, held at the Cenotaph in Kumasi.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young: Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted.

They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them, Ex-Sergeant Kwabeng read on the solemn occasion.

The 73rd Remembrance Day has been observed for the fallen soldiers of the two World Wars at a solemn ceremony in Ashanti Regional capital Kumasi.

Present at the 2018 edition were guests such as the Ashanti Regional minister, Hon Simon Osei Mensah, ex-servicemen, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and members of the security agencies.

READ ALSO: Captain Planet explains how his dog helped him meet his wife

Honourable Mensah and other personalities laid wreaths in memory of the departed heroes.

The Remembrance Day, which falls on November 11 every year, has been observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of World War I, to remember members of their Armed Forces who died in the line of duty.

The event is aimed at paying tribute to fallen Ghanaian soldiers who perished in their line of duty, and also honour the gallant officers and men, who contributed in diverse ways to sustain peacekeeping missions globally.

This was after the siren had been sounded to signify the end of hostilities at exactly 1100 hours at the 11th minute.

The last post was then sounded with a two-minute silence also being observed in remembrance of the departed souls.

READ ALSO: Medikal finally reveals why he left Deborah Vanessa for Fella Makafui

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Source: YenGovernment lacks the adequate funds and may not be able to sustain the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme, a former vice-chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, has said.

According to him, the government does not have what it takes to sustain the programme, especially when it comes to budget allocation.

He said the GH1.2 billion budget allocated for the programme will not be enough for its sustainability in the coming years.

President Akufo-Addo and Vice President, Dr Bawumia. Source: Supplied

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Anlo chief appeals to Akufo-Addo to build a harbour in the area before he dies

Prof. Aryeetey believes the government must take steps to equip the public schools and accept offers for the funding for the programme.

Many of the challenges faced in the schools have arisen not because there is no room to go to the classroom but because we did not have enough money for these classrooms to equip them, he said during Mondays Graphic Business/Stanbic Bank breakfast meeting on quality education.

I am worried about the gap that is emerging in Ghana. We are in a country where depending on the choices you make; your children have an advantage.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have been strong critics of the Free SHS policy, insisting the programme was not properly thought through before being implemented.

Former president John Mahama described the policy as ill-timed, further stating that he will review it when he is elected as President in 2020.

"Our NPP friends, they don't listen to advice, they think they know everything," Mahama criticized.

READ ALSO: Bawumia donates 1,000 cement bags for Bawku Central Mosque project

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has hinted that a law will soon be enacted to ensure that future governments will not be able to review the Free SHS programme.

We are going to enact a legislation to make access to SHS compulsory for every school going child. This will ensure that those who have pledged in their dreams to review the free SHS policy do not get the chance to destroy this policy in the very unlikely event that they return, Nana Addo said at an event over the weekend.

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READ ALSO: Strika of 'Beasts of No Nation' fame finally receives an award

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Source: Yen Newspaper- Former NDC regional chairman, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has slammed the party's general secretary, General Mosquito, for his endorsement of former president John Mahama

- According to Jacobs, General Mosquito condemned the decision by the party's 10 regional chairmen to endorse Mahama for the 2020 elections

- For General Mosquito to now express his support for Mahama is sycophancy, he said

Former Central Regional chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has lashed out at General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia for his support for former president John Mahama.

According to a report by MyNewsGH.com, Nketia, better known as General Mosquito, in November 2017, condemned 10 regional chairmen for their endorsement of Mahama.

It is believed the endorsement compelled Mahama to contest as flagbearer of the NDC for the 2020 elections.

READ ALSO: Martin Amidu allegedly plots his resignation from the office of Special Prosecutor

For Mosquito to turn around and endorse the former president, in a bid to strengthen his campaign, is a course of action Jacobs is not excited about.

Jacobs is convinced that General Mosquito is simply interested in using Mahamas name to secure his seat as general secretary of the party.

General Mosquito is facing competition from his deputy, Koku Anyidoho, who is poised to take over from him.

Reacting to Mosquitos support for Mahama, Jacobs described it as sycophancy, as he earlier condemned the move, when the regional chairmen expressed their support for the former president.

READ ALSO: 90-year-old veteran leaves colleagues in near tears with a heartbreaking tribute

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Source: YenUK-based Ghanaian gospel minister and musician, Sonnie Badu has been gifted with a Mercedes S550 by members of his congregation.

According to him , 8 months ago, he had a revelation from God to sell his Mercedes Benz C class car and sow it into starting the Rock Hill church.

A visibly shaken and surprised Sonny in video sighted by Yen.com.gh expressed appreciation to his whole congregation for their awesome gift and mentioned how worth the wait was.

READ ALSO: 9 Ghanaian celebrities suspected of reducing their age

His fans could not hid their joy as they congratulated him on his new vehicle

A fan prayed for greater blessings for him

@paa_qweci45: Great surprise for a great man of God bring greater blessings upon one's life...

A nigerian pastor was amazed as he simply congratulated

@pastortaiwobalogun: Wow... Amazing, congratulations sir

This instagram user expressed the goodness and steadfast love of the lord

@blesschild_yayravi :Wow, God's word is so really true....delight urself in the Lord and HE shall give u the desires of ur heart.....this is even just the beginning, watch out, God will blow ur mind in a mega way than dis kraa...blessings, Great man of God

READ ALSO: Dr Mensa Otabil and co took about GHC 450 million from Capital Bank

Wife of Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie,Tracy jokingly tagged a friend and noted how she would be expecting her own C class presented in a bow and fireworks .

@tracysarkcess: @stevemorgan_27 I will be coming for my C-class next week so prepare for me waii with the pink bow and fireworks

@michpounds: Congratulations to you and may the grace increase and may we finish well in Jesus name.

@iam_nana_baakop3: God Is the Greatest .Pure Love is all we Have to Share .

READ ALSO: Ghanaians rebuke Akufo-Addo for attempting to politicize Madina-Adentan deaths

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Source: YenMinister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah, has given an assurance that the government will undertake several road projects across the country in 2019 to improve road conditions.

Amoako-Attah was answering questions in Parliament and he told the legislature that the current challenge was the lack of funds to execute road projects.

But he committed that government would begin road projects in the first half of next year with funds from the $2 billion Sinohydro facility.

Citinewsroom.com reports the minister hopes the road constructions and bridges, would be executed in all regions.

READ ALSO: Four Ghanaian problems that politicians do not create

The President has blamed infrastructural under-development on legacies of past governments

Source: Facebook

The minister's assurance comes in the wake of the recent calls and demonstrations for the government to fix roads and footbridges to reduce the spate of motor accidents.

Mr Amoako-Attah said the government intended to put CCTV cameras at the major bridges to discourage the theft.

YEN.com.gh reported last week presidents of Adentan in Greater Accra engaged security officials in a violent protest over what the residents claim is the local government's unwillingness to complete a footbridge on the highway.

READ ALSO: Akua GMB ends eight-year marriage with Dr. Oteng

The protests seem to have yielded immediate results as the ministry has embarked on completing the footbridge on the Adentan-Madina Highway.

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Source: Yen- Three officers of the Operation Vanguard team have been arrested by the police

- They have been provisionally accused of bribery and corruption

- All the suspects have been referred to the police headquarters in Accra for further investigations

Three officers of the Operation Vanguard (OV) team have been arrested on charges of bribery and corruption.

OV is a military-police joint task force set up by the government in the year 2017 to combat illegal mining, better known as galamsey.

The arrested officers include a serving military officer at the Tamale Air Force Base, Sergeant Mathew Ansu, who was a member of Vanguard Four Operation.

Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul Source: Supplied

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Allotey Jacobs rains curses on General Mosquito for supporting Mahama

The others are Lance Corporal Samuel Arhinful and Sergeant Collins Baffour Gyawu, who serve at at Achiase District Police Command and Cape Coast Regional CID respectively.

According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of OV, Captain Edward Senanu Akakpo, who confirmed the arrest, said L/Corporal Samuel Arhinful, popularly known as Commander Sammy, was the leader of the extortion group until their arrest.

He added that the suspects were arrested at Gold Finger Spot in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.

Other officers, in the evening of Wednesday, November 7, 2018, laid ambush following a tip-off.

Information available shows that the suspects demanded monies or received payments from some miners on a weekly or monthly basis, which protected their victims from being arrested for illegal mining activities.

All the suspects have since been sent to the military and police headquarters in Accra for further investigations and action by their respective institutions.

READ ALSO: 90-year-old veteran leaves colleagues in tears with a heartbreaking tribute to soldiers

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Source: YenThe father of late songstress Ebony Reigns, Nana Opoku Kwarteng, has launched a fresh attack on his daughters former manager, Bullet.

Following the death of Ebony, there has been a huge rivalry between Nana Opoku and Bullet.

As many thought the rivalry between the duo has gone down, Nana Opoku has rekindled it again.

Nana Opoku Kwarteng and Bullet (Photo credit: supplied)

Source: UGC

Nana Opoku, in his latest interview with Kumasi-based Agyenkwa FM, claimed that Bullet had failed to give him any songs of his daughter.

READ ALSO: KNUSTFord University names Kumawood star Maame Serwaa as its brand ambassador

Put it on record that Bullet hasnt given me any of the songs of Ebony in his possessionthis it from methis is Nana Opoku Kwarteng speaking, he said.

During the interview, he took time to address news that he was planning on releasing his songs to the public.

He indicated that what he meant by his comment was that he was planning on releasing songs from his late daughter but not his personal songs.

READ ALSO: Akua GMB ends eight-year marriage with Dr. Oteng

Some months ago, Nana Kwarteng and Bullet were in the news for wrong reasons. After the burial of Ebony, Nana Opoku accused Bullet of cheating.

He stressed that Bullet gave him GHC2000 from the profits of almost GHC 40,000 after a concert was held prior to her daughters burial.

READ ALSO: Popular Ghanaian-British actor Peter Mensah lands in Ghana

Bullet, in responding, listed all the monies Nana Opoku had received since his daughters death.

Watch: Ghana News Today: Adenta on Fire as Angry Residents Protest Over Frequent Deaths| #Yencomgh

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Source: YenThe minister of Special Development Initiatives, Mavis Hawa Koomson, has claimed that former president John Dramani Mahama is mistaken about the present government's delivery on promises of "One Village, One Dam" (1V, 1D).

The former Ghana leader in a campaign speech in Wa said that the government had failed on its promise to build a dam in each farming village in Northern Ghana.

Classfmonline.com reports that the Mahama told National Democratic Congress (NDC) faithful that dugouts in some northern towns had been there before he left office in January 2017.

But Koomson pushed back. with the minister offering to take the former president on a personal tour of completed sites if Mahama cared to know.

READ ALSO: KNUSTFord University names Kumawood star Maame Serwaa as its brand ambassador

Former President John Mahama has been looking to win the presidency again with early attacks at President Akufo-Addo

Source: UGC

At a conference at the Ministry of Information in Accra on Tuesday, 13 November, Ms Koomson is quoted as saying: If he [Mr Mahama] wants to know where the dams are, he should contact me and Ill take him there.

When you go to Kpandai, we have one there; when you go to Salaga, from Yeji you cross the river to Salaga, there is one village there called Garishegu, there is one dam there. Yendi and Yeji, too.

Prior to the 2016 election, President Akufo-Addo promised to build a dam in each farming village in Northern Ghana as part of agricultural irrigation policy.

READ ALSO: Four Ghanaian problems that politicians do not create

Mahama on his part is canvassing for the votes of delegates that will make him the flagbearer of the NDC come the elections of 2020.

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Source: Yen- MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, has called on the government to seize the properties of Nana Appiah Mensah, the CEO of Menzgold Ghana Limited

- According to him, Mensah's properties should be given to his customers

- He added that some form of pressure is on its way towards Mensah, and the end results may not be good

The Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has called on the government to seize the assets of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Menzgold Ghana Limited, Nana Appiah Mensah.

Speaking on Adom TVs morning show, Badwam, he explained that Mensah continues to fly in airplanes and rides in Land Cruisers while his clients struggle to survive.

According to him, the properties of directors of some savings and loans companies should also be seized and shared amongst Menzgolds clients.

READ ALSO: 3 Operation Vanguard officers in trouble for bribery and extortion

Whether Menzgold, Ideal finance or whatever, government must seize their assets and sell to defray the debts of the customers. Why is the guys still using planes, lots of Land Cruisers, he charged.

In his opinion, Mensah is a friend of his, but there is bad pressure coming, and for that reason, somethings can no longer be endured.

The Central Bank since last year has been warning the general public against doing business with Menzgold because the company is not registered to take deposits.

Also some savings and loans companies in the country have been hit by panic withdrawals.

The development has already made it difficult for these companies to meet customer demands.

According to some of the companies, the situation has been compounded by the fact that most of their clients are not paying back their loans on time.

READ ALSO: Sonnie Badu given Mercedes Benz S550 by church members

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Source: YenArtiste and repertoire manager at Zylofon Music, Bulldog, has slammed President Akufo-Addo for presiding over a failed state.

He said the president should be ashamed of himself when he meets his fellow heads of states who have achieved more with their respective countries.

Bulldog said in a video that Nana Addo is always dressed in suit and tie but does very little for the country.

READ ALSO: Anlo chief appeals to Akufo-Addo to build a harbour in the area before he dies

Always you dey suit and tie with some white handkerchief just dey walk about the world wey you dey preside over a failed statenothing dey work for here. he ranted in pidgin.

Sometimes I dey wonderyou dey wake up say you be president? he is quoted as saying.

He further criticised the President, saying nothing has worked in the country since he was voted into power.

Everything dey work if you go out there with your colleagues then they introduce this is the President of China, this is the President of Angola, this is the president you too you dey see say you be president of weytin? President of weytin?

Bulldog, real-named Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson, added that the President speaks differently from the way he acts especially when it comes to corruption.

Sometimes I dey wonder, nothing dey work like nothing. You dey South Africa dey talk about corruption then see your face. Your face no dey match what dey come out of your mouth about corruption and punishing your own people. You just dey talk some way, he fumed.

READ ALSO: Government cannot sustain Free SHS programme  Prof. Aryeetey

Go watch the clip. You see what dey happen for Adenta ebi very very sad. People for wake up do gidigidi before before you go work for this town? Why? I dey shock ooo and you go dey wear suit go up and down say you be President. Eii big man, I no dey understand ooo, Bulldog added.

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Source: Yen Newspaper- Small scale miners are planing yet another demonstration to kick against prolonged ban on their activities

-Members of the association of small scale miners complain about difficult times after ban was placed

Members of Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM), have resolved to embark on a nationwide demonstration next Tuesday to object the continued ban on small-scale mining.

In January 2017, government banned all forms of small-scale mining as part of efforts to end illegal mining also known as galamsey

This action formed part of governments effort to curb the devastating effects illegal mining had on the environment especially on the water bodies.

Small scale miners plan demonstration Souce: Supplied

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: KNUSTFord University names Kumawood star Maame Serwaa as its brand ambassador

The ban which was first placed in January 2017 lasted -for six months, and was extended in October 2017, for another three months, which ended in January 2018, and then extended again till date.

Disgruntled Chairman of the Ashanti Regional Association of Small Scale Miners, Frank Osei, explained that the ban complained that times were hard for his members and himself as they are not able to work to fend for their families.

Speaking to CitiNews, Osei accused the government of being insensitive to their plight as it has not been fair with them in dealing with the galamsey menace.

READ ALSO: After three years, Strika awarded for role in 'Beasts of No Nation'

He therefore called on the members to small scale mining sector to travel to Kumasi, come Tuesday for the demonstration against the ban.

Osei recounted how government as part of its measures to ensure proper regulation in the mining sector began vetting of small scall miners in September

This according to Osei would lead to the reclaiming and re-afforestation of mined-out areas, restoration of impacted water bodies; and strict supervision of the processes of awarding mining licenses and associated permits to deal with illegal mining.

READ ALSO: Popular Ghanaian-British actor Peter Mensah lands in Ghana

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Source: YenMetro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13)  It is "not advisable" to release the so-called "narco list" containing the names of politicians who are allegedly involved in the illegal drugs trade, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said, siding with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief who prefers that it would not be published.

This after authorities released a drug list containing names of 211 barangay officials ahead of the barangay polls in May upon orders of President Rodrigo Duterte.

PNP Spokesperson Bong Durana told CNN Philippines' The Source on Tuesday that PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino "was right in saying that we should refrain from issuing [the drug list.]"

"It's a very good law enforcement policy, Pinky. You don't telegraph your punches, ika nga," Durana said.

"Law enforcement wise, as a strategy, it's not advisable to publicly announce or divulge the list," he said.

Aquino told CNN Philippines' The Source yesterday that if he had his way, he would "want to work silently - to just file charges against these politicians, narco-politicians" instead of releasing the drug list, as desired by Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano.

Durana said the drug list is based on intelligence information "that will not hold water in court," echoing PDEA's earlier statement when it released a narco-list before the barangay elections.

"At the same time, you may be charged for libel if you're not sure with your list," he said.

Senator Ping Lacson, a former police chief, previously called the release of the list "dumb," as it may prompt barangay officials who are truly engaged in illegal drugs to destroy evidence ahead of a proper investigation, and "cruel" as the intelligence report was not validated.

Gearing up for the elections

Ano wants the PDEA to release another drug list ahead of the May 2019 elections to serve as a guide for Filipinos, but Aquino said he is confident that voters would know who among their local politicians are involved in drugs.

For the PNP's part, Durana said they are continuing to neutralize gun-for-hire syndicates and private armed groups who are supposedly offering their services to some "unscrupulous politicians" to "further their political interests."

Durana said the police's latest count places the number of politicians using armed groups at around 100, but they have neutralized some gun-for-hire syndicates like the Peralta Group operating in San Pablo City in Laguna and working for some politicians.

"They're not only acting as enforcers of drug syndicates; they're also presenting themselves as private armed groups of politicians," Durana said.

"Definitely some drug money would be involved. It's a common thing, a common strategy. It's nothing new," he said.Former Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera speaks about the current political impasse and responds to the allegations made by President Maithripala Sirisena against the United National Party (UNP).

Excerpts of the interview:

President is upset as he could not get through, the tenders of his daughter and son-in-law

Butterfly is better than leech

There is no truth in allegation about the plot to kill Prez

Presidents burning desire to be presidential candidate created this problem

When he joined us at the presidential election, Ranil Wickremesinghe was a well-known politician

Q What do you think about the dissolution of Parliament?

I would say it is the worlds first. The President has violated the very constitutional amendment he introduced. It was passed by the Cabinet and approved by Parliament with a majority of two-thirds. It has led the country into a serious constitutional crisis. The judiciary is, perhaps, the only hope we have to stop this country from sliding towards dictatorship.

Q Otherwise, how ready are you for a general election?

As I said, as a party that has governed this country for a longer period than any other party since Independence, we are always ready for an election. It is nothing to do with our readiness to face elections. It is about the fundamentals of democracy. If we allow the President to violate the constitution in such a manner, he can dissolve Parliament again when he does not want to see the face of the Prime Minister-elect.

I think Sri Lanka is facing one of the gravest political crises since Independence. It is a unique political crisis not only in Sri Lanka but also in the world where the Head of State himself instigates a coup against his own government. It has now led to a constitutional crisis. Despite the fact that we had clearly shown a parliamentary majority, he refused to resolve it as early as possible. As a person who played an active role in electing this gentleman, I really feel despair at the tragedy which is unfolding before us.

Q Yet, the President said he still did not want to reappoint UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister. Then, wouldnt it have compounded the crisis if not for this action?

As the Prime Minister (Mr Wickremesinghe) correctly pointed out in the interview with the Hindu newspaper, a constitutional crisis could not be solved according to the personal whims and fancies of the Head of State. If Parliament says that they have faith and trust in Mr. Wickremesinghe to continue, he is obliged to appoint him. With regard to the no-confidence motion brought against Mr. Wickremesinghe, it was his first attempt to unseat him constitutionally. It failed. I still remember, in one of the discussions we had with him, he lost his marbles at one point and banged on the table. He said, If I have to leave, I will leave. Before I leave, I will set the country on fire. There were about ten other witnesses. He was trying to set the whole country on fire

.

Q In his televised address to the nation, the President made a whole lot of allegations against the UNP leadership. He talked about the lack of transparency in tender deals. What is your response to those allegations?

First, there was the allegation about a plot to assassinate him. I have studied the case. I have seen the B report based on what was put out by the person who made this allegation. He was one of the paid employees of one of the Presidential units. In that statement, nowhere does he talk about an attempt to kill the President or former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. It is nowhere to be found.

He said he offered the prime minister post to Sajith Premadasa and Karu Jayasuriya some months ago. That is a long time ago before these allegations were made. It, again, shows that he had this enormous jealousy and inferiority complex regarding Mr. Wickremesinghe. That this allegation about someone trying to kill him is totally fabricated.

As for his allegation about corruption, every single Cabinet paper was discussed at the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM). It was a transparent, open process where the line ministers, officials were present. If it is a controversial tender, all the parties concerned were brought before it. The final decision was referred to the Cabinet. It was a very successful way of working.

His family- his daughter, son-in-law, - was very upset that they could not get these through. That is because we have such a tender process. Then, the National Economic Council was formed. It was an utter failure. Actually, it was not Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe who brought this Cabinet paper for a railway line in the Polonnaruwa district. It was not Mr. Wickremesinghe who brought a Cabinet paper to buy aircraft for Sri Lanka Airforce, built in 1968. These are the kind of things which we rejected.

Q What is the reason for antagonism between the President and Mr. Wickremesinghe to rise to such high levels?

Despite being the target of this political coup, Mr. Wickremesinghe has not criticized President Sirisena even privately. He always took his insults and all kinds of various allegations with a smile. That question should really be directed at President Sirisena. But, the real truth is that it is his burning desire to become the presidential candidate again. To do so, he tried to break our party several times, offering the prime minister posts to Mr. Premadasa and Mr. Jayasuriya. But, unlike the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), ours is a highly disciplined party which is always loyal to its leader. As a result, they did not go along with the coup. So, he decided to get together with his arch enemy. It shows how power hungry this man is.

Q Actually, dont you think that the policy contrasts of the two leaders along with their cultural difference added to this crisis?

When he joined us at the presidential election, Ranil Wickremesinghe was a well-known politician. His whims and weaknesses were known all over. He did not come and join an unknown entity. Even the policy market-friendly policies of the UNP were well known. Knowing all these, he joined us. I remember the first speech he made at Sirikotha. He said, Even If I become the President, I would call Mr. Wickremesinghe sir.

This is the man who walked into an alliance with the UNP with all the facts in his hands. To say now that there were cultural differences was an attempt to justify the unjustifiable.

Q Anyway, this is a government of two parties with contrasting policies. Isnt it?

You are right. Actually, I, as the Finance Minister was very frustrated because Mr Sirisena represented an economic outlook which was long outdated. The kind of economic outlook he advocates is long outdated. It can only be found in places like Venezuela. It is a closed socialist policy that has brought ruin. He is always talking about a Deshiya economy. We have to proceed by linking up with the global economy. We must have a modern economy with the private sector having the due place. He basically was stuck in the 1970s bubble. He still wants to go back to the closed economy of the days of former Prime Minister the late Sirimawo Bandaranaike.

Q Dont you think that the UNP should have made certain compromises?

We were making compromises all the time. When it came to the liberalization of the shipping sector, we compromised with the President and the Minister concerned, who was basically a prisoner of that shipping mafia. Likewise, we did compromise. When I brought that amendment to the alcohol law in Sri Lanka, I informed him about it. When the Buddhist priests and others protested vehemently, he asked us not to do it. He is not a leader. He proved over and over that he was a lesser being than a Grama Sevaka.

Q What is your response to the allegation of the government being run by a Samanala Gang?

I, of course, say that the butterfly is much more beautiful and dignified than a leech. Leech basically sucks off the blood of others. When sucking the blood of one person is over, it will fall out and go in search of the next person. It is very similar to what is happening now. Every decision was taken transparently by the Cabinet.

Q Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his capacity of the Finance Minister, announced certain relief measures. What is your view on it as the former Finance Minister?

It is a disaster. Our revenue is just enough to pay off our debt. To give these frivolous hand-outs is putting the economy in great peril.

If they go on the same path, we will face a Venezuelan or Argentinean type of crisis. In the Stock Market, what has gone out in a single day is what we lost in a year. Foreign investors are moving out like hell.

Q If you become the Finance Minister again, will you undo these measures?

I will not undo my own policies. Most of these measures must be presented in Parliament.

Q You are the former Foreign Affairs Minister. There is criticism that the President was kept in the dark about the UNHRC process. What is

your response?

The UNHRC resolution 30/1 was explained word by word to President Sirisena. Then, I was in New York with President Sirisena. My Foreign Ministry officials were witnesses to it. It was a great victory for Sri Lanka.

We asked the UNHRC not to present their resolution until we presented our own resolution. If not for that, Mahinda Rajapaksa would have been subjected to an international travel ban. We got it off the agenda. We made our own resolution which was co-sponsored by the United States. That is based on our own transitional justice process. We brought the three-pillared role. We saved Mahinda Rajapaksa from the guillotine.Challenging all arguments in favour of the dissolution of Parliament, the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday heard ten petitions arguing that President Maithripala Sirisena must abide by the Constitution when exercising Executive powers, and could not act like Alice in Wonderland.

Ten petitioners yesterday informed court that the President's powers to dissolve parliament under Article 33 (2) (c) of the constitution was not an unfettered power, and was restricted by Article 70 (1). All counsel maintained that Article 33 was an empowering provision, which was subject to procedure. They argued that 33 (A) was clear on the President's accountability to parliament, adding that therefore the dissolving of parliament was 'ab initio void', or "invalid from the outset", and was both illegal and unconstitutional.

Explaining what was termed as the "absurdity of the argument" that Article 33 (2) (c ) can stand alone, M.A Sumanthiran PC provided the example. If the power to summon, prorogue or dissolve parliament under 33 (2) (c) was to stand alone, that means the President can prorogue parliament indefinitely. Can he do that? No he cannot because his powers to prorogue are confined by Article 70 (3), he said.

The Counsel said the President had cited Article 70 (5) to dissolve parliament, when such powers are in fact derived from Article 70 (1). The only provision under which the President can dissolve parliament is found in Article 70 (1). There is no other provision in the Constitution that provides for dissolution by proclamation. He has no mandate to dissolve parliament before four-and-a-half years or without a two-thirds majority, Hejaaz Hizbullah, Counsel for Commissioner of Elections' Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole told court. Mr. Hoole is one of the three members of the Elections' Commission, and he called the President's actions "illegal and unconstitutional, first as a respondent and then as a petitioner.

Commencing submissions last afternoon, K. Kanag-Isvaran PC appearing for Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan with M.A Sumanthiran PC and Niran Anketell, explained the nature of the constitution after the 19th Amendment. Article 62 (2) which states that every Parliament shall continue for five years, and the expiry of the said five years shall operate as a dissolution, is the norm, not the exception. The exception is provided for in 70 (1), he said. Thereafter pointing out that the proviso in Article 70 (1) was mandatory, he said:  I dont think I need to explain myself when the constitution clearly says shall not my Lords. It says you can't. There is no way out,.

Article 70 (1) of the Constitution reads: Provided that the President shall not dissolve Parliament until the expiration of a period of not less than four years and six months from the date appointed for its first meeting, unless Parliament requests the President to do so by a resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the whole number of Members (including those not present), voting in its favour.

"The elephant in the room is the missing reference to Article 70 (1) in the proclamation. What it has referred to is 70 (5) which has got nothing to do with the power of dissolution by proclamation. Its that simple, Mr. Kanag-Isvaran said.

Responding to Mr. Kanag-Isvaran's submissions, Hejaaz Hizbullah cited the dicta in the case of Karunathilake v Dayananda Dissanayake justifying his client's stance that the President's actions were illegal and unconstitutional, and therefore must be heard.

My client can't act with a clear conscience when the very basis of the constitution has been violated by the actions of the President. In fact Your Lordship's Court has held that the Elections' Commissioner must not do so, he said, before going on to read passages of the judgement of the case.

Earlier when the Fundamental Rights application filed by R.Sambanthan was taken up at 12.20 Deputy Solicitor General Sanjay Rajarathnam informed court that the Attorney General had not been served with notices and said he was yet to receive instructions from the Elections Commission who were cited as Respondents.

The Petitioners informed court that their Petitions were filed at 8.30 AM last morning. The fact that the Petitions were filed in the morning and made its way to the Court house in the afternoon was not lost by many, who usually have to wait weeks before a Fundamental Rights petition is listed for hearing.

However, Chief Justice Nalin Perera informed the Mr. Rajarathnam to obtain instructions and be present at 2. PM after which court was adjourned. Thereafter, a team led by the Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya PC himself together with Solicitor General Dappula De Livera, Nerin Pulle DSG PC,Indika Demuni De Silva DSG PC Dr. Avanthi Perera SSC and C walked into court a few minutes before 2 PM.

As soon as court resumed Mr. Jayasuriya PC informed the three judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Nalin Perera and Justice Prasanna Jayawardena and Priyantha Jayawardena, the scheduled bench for today in court room 502 that they had to move for time to obtain instructions. The Attorney General said that he was made a party in terms of Article 35 the Constitution which provides for the AG to be made a party  of anything done or omitted to be done by the President, in his official capacity

However, the Bench informed the Attorney General that they were inclined to hear the Petitioners following which the Attorney General was permitted to make submissions today. Several Counsel including those representing Prof. G. L Peiris, and Channa Jayasumana, both staunch supporters of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa sought to intervene. The court informed them to follow the procedure in order to intervene. They are scheduled to make submissions today having filed intervening papers.

Throughout the submissions made thereafter, including that of Thilak Marapana PC representing the UNP, Counsel maintained that the President had no power to dissolve parliament without following the procedure laid down in the constitution.

 We ask for an interim order against the proclamation. Your Lordships would want to know what flows from it and what flows from it is that the status quo ante (the way things were before) remains. If they want they can go to parliament and resolve to dissolve parliament. But nothing can flow from illegality. The proclamation is illegal and nothing can flow from it Counsel said.

Geoffrey Alagrathnam PC, representing Mano Ganesan quoting from Lord Atkin in the case of Liveridge v Anderson a landmark case in Britain regarding the separation of powers where Lord Atkin Quoted a dialogue between Humpty Dumpty and Alice, said the President cannot be allowed to pick and chose which parts of the Constitution to follow and which to negate.

Harnessing the point further, Hejaaz Hizbullah, representing Rathnajeewan Hoole as Petitioner said if 33 (2) (c ) was to be considered a stand alone provision, that would in effect mean the President having the power to dissolve or prorogue parliament even when an impeachment motion has been submitted to the speaker.

Suren Fernando representing the All Ceylon Muslim Congress went further to highlight the absurdity of this construction. This was a mala-fide move for a collateral purpose".

Jayampathy Wickremarathne PC who made submissions quoting widely from the leading text on the interpretation of statutes  Bindrar on Interpretation said that there was no mode in which the actions of the President could be legitimized.

Presidents Counsel Ikram Mohomed representing the Muslim Congress also made submissions in support of the arguments put forward by the Counsel. There is no way this can be cured except by Your Lordships Court. And that is by holding that this move is illegal and unconstitutional he said.

Counsel J.C. Weliamuna represented the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, whilst Viran Corea represented the Centre for Policy Alternatives and Thishya Weragoda civil society activists. All Counsel sided with the submissions of the other.

Having heard submissions till 5 PM the court adjourned. The Attorney General made an application for the hearings to be taken up on Wednesday which was denied. The hearing will commence at 10 AM today in Court 502. (Hafeel Farisz)

Pix by Pradeep DilrukshanaThe Diocese of Colombo of the Church of Ceylon today expressed its shock and great dismay over the dissolution of Parliament by the President.

It said in a statement that this arbitrary act appears to us to be a direct and blatant violation of the clear and express provisions of the Constitution, following the passage of the 19th Amendment

The actions of the dismissal of a sitting Prime Minister, the appointment of a new Prime Minister, the prorogation of Parliament by the President followed by credible accounts of inducements to MPs to crossover and the shifting stories about the premiership being offered to other members of Parliament are further compounded by this latest action of the President underscoring the fact that the newly appointed Prime Minister did not command the confidence of Parliament. All these events showcase the sad depths to which ethical and moral standards have deteriorated in this country, despite our external show of religiosity,"

Full Statment:

The Government of Japan hopes that the stability in Sri Lanka will continue to be ensured through due process in accordance with the law, Japanese Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Sunday.

In a statement, Press Secretary Takeshi Osuga said as a longtime friend of Sri Lanka, Japan is following with close attention and interest the recent developments in Sri Lanka, including the dissolution of the parliament.

President Maithripala Sirisena dismissed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister on October 26.

In addition, President Sirisena announced on November 9 that the Parliament of Sri Lanka would be dissolved and the general election would be held on January 5 in 2019.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13)  The United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC) group continues to rally against the provision of a new fare hike for jeepneys and buses, a month after its approval.

The UFCC filed a petition to the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Monday seeking to withdraw the order that increased jeepney and bus fares. Jeepney fares in Metro Manila now start at 10.

Meanwhile, from 10, ordinary buses operating in Metro Manila will charge a minimum fare of 11, while that of air-conditioned buses will go from 12 to 13. Minimum fare for provincial buses, on the other hand, will stay at 9 but a 0.15 hike will apply for every succeeding kilometer.

READ: More fare adjustments: After jeepneys, LTFRB OKs fare hike for buses

The UFCC said it wants the minimum fare brought back to eight pesos.

The petition cited several price cuts for fuel in recent days. Rollbacks from Shell, Caltex, Flying V, Total, and other oil companies go as high as two pesos and 50 centavos per liter for gasoline. Diesel prices have also dropped by two pesos per liter. As for every liter of kerosene, it's now one peso and 85 centavos cheaper.

The petition also mentioned forecasts of global oil prices going down in 2019 and the impending suspension of increases on the fuel excise tax under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law. The President is set to announce an order on the suspension soon, his spokesperson said in October.

READ: Duterte already reviewing economic managers' recommendation on oil excise tax suspension - Palace

The LTFRB also said it will convene for a Special Board Meeting to discuss the approved fare hike in light of the recent fuel price rollbacks, according to a memorandum dated Monday.

LTFRB slams UFCC

The UFCC had previously appealed to withhold the order prior to its passage. It filed a motion for reconsideration to withhold the jeep fare hike in October but this was denied by the LTFRB. The fare increases were since rendered effective on November 2 for vehicles who have acquired a fare matrix.

READ: Consumer group files motion to stop jeepney fare hike

The consumer group later spoke to the media questioning the LTFRB's decision and saying it was railroaded. The LTFRB vehemently responded to their criticism and denied any manipulation involved in approving the fare increases.

"Nais naming linawin na ang LTFRB ay isang collegial board na binubuo ng tatlong indibidwal at walang sinuman, kahit pa si Chairman Delgra, ang maaring magmanipula ng mga desisyong inilalabas nito," its statement on November 7 said.

[Translation: We want to clarify that the LTFRB is a collegial board composed of three individuals at no one, even Chairman Delgra, would be able to manipulate the decisions by this board.]

The LTFRB also clarified that the fare hike granted was only half of what public utility vehicles (PUV) operators and regulators requested. The petitioners asked for a four peso-increase but only a two peso-hike was allowed.

Transport officials added that UFCC head Rodolfo Javellana and his members also failed to appear during public consultations despite numerous invitations from the LTFRB.

"Sa kadahilaang hindi natin alam, ni minsan ay hindi lumahok si Mr.Javellana o ang kanyang Grupo sa mga hearing na ipinatawag ng LTFRB," it said.

[Translation: For reasons not known to us, not once did Mr. Javellana or his group attend the hearings called by the LTFRB]

The LTFRB called a total of eight public hearings with the UFCC. It maintained that all decisions have taken into consideration the concerns of drivers, operators and commuters of PUVs.

"Ang lahat ng desisyon ng LTFRB ay bunga ng masusing pagaaral, konsultasyon at pagtitimbang sa kapakanan ng mga tsuper, operator lalo't higit ng mga commuter," it added.

[Translation: All decisions of the LTFRB are results of careful review, consultation and balancing the welfare of drivers, operators and commuters.]The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MPs have decided to meet Speaker Karu Jayasuriya at 7.00 p.m. today and request him to convene Parliament tomorrow, Party sources said.Anti-Corruption Force Operations Director Namal Kumara today said that he would contest at the upcoming Parliamentary Election as the Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna (SLPP) ticket.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror he said people had requested to contest for the election for the betterment of the country.

I have revealed many secrets and confidential recording to protect the President and the country. By revealing those things I did not expect anything. I risked my life for the country to protect the President, he said.

I asked from which party should I contest, and they said it was better to contest through the SLPP. I did not select, he said.



I dont have money to spend on campaign. According to Sri Lankan culture to contest an election, the candidate should have money to spend. I can do media campaigns and do poster campaigns. I dont have anything to hide in my life.

I expect to meet Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss how to contest at the election.

I do not hope to come to Parliament as a National List MP. I want to come to Parliament from the peoples votes.

And I do not want to stay as a lifetime Minister in Parliament. If I were elected, I would only stay only for four years. With the work, Im doing in Parliament and to the people, they will decide my future, he said. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne yesterday ordered MP Ravi Karunanayakes daughter, Onela Karunanayake to submit details of the director board of Global Transport Logistics (GTL) to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

It was earlier reported that the GTL is a company which MP Ravi Karunanayakes wife and daughter were directors.

When the case was taken up in Courts, the Magistrate ordered the CID to record a statement from Mr. Karunanayakes daughter yesterday or some other day.

The Colombo Chief Magistrate last Friday ordered Onela Karunanayake to appear in Courts on Monday (12) considering a motion filed by the CID.

During the proceedings, Senior State Counsel Lakmini Grihagama supporting the motion filed by the CID said Onela Karunanayake was asked to report to the CID to record her statement in connection with the investigations into the bond scam.

President's Counsel Shavendra Fernando appearing with Sajeewa Jayawardena for the two lawyers who had accompanied Ms Onela said she had gone to the CID on October 29 on a request by the CID to make the statement. But without recording her statement the CID had asked her to come on another day.

She had reported to the CID on November 5 with attorneys Aravinda Gamage and Amila Pieris.

The counsel said a person introducing himself as the receptionist had asked for the names of the two attorneys and refused to allow them to accompany Ms. Karunanayake. Thereafter, Ms Onela after spending some time at the CID premises had returned home. (Yoshitha Perera)

Video by PrasannaA three-judge bench of the Supreme Court today issued an interim order till December 7 staying the proclamation issued by President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve parliament.

It also granted leave to proceed with the fundamental rights petitions which sought a court order nullifying the presidential proclamation dissolving parliament. The intervenient petitions were also allowed.

The petitions were fixed for argument on December 4,5 and 6.

The SC also issued an injunction barring the Elections Commission from taking any action regarding the election until December 7.

Several petitioners including UNP Chairman Kabir Hasim, UNP MP Ajith P. Perera, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, TNA leader R. Sampanthan and Attorney Lal Wijenayake filed FR petitions challenging the dissolution of Parliament.

Earlier Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya in his submissions said the President had invoked his plenary executive power, which was not pruned by the 19th Amendment and could only be pruned by a referendum.

He said the court had no jurisdiction to hear and issue a determination on the FR petitions against the dissolution of Parliament and that the powers of the President were clear and unambiguous as provided for in the Constitution.

No provision of the 19th Amendment had called for a referendum and the pruning of Presidents powers must have been done via referendum. The 19th Amendment did not require a referendum because executive power was intact as it stood before the referendum. Executive powers cannot be eroded. It can be approved by people exercising the franchise.

The Article 70(1) cannot be read in isolation when all provisions of the 19th Amendment taken together did not require a referendum because it did not erode the powers of the President, he said.

The AG also said though he received instructions from the President, his legal arguments in his capacity as the Attorney General were impartial at all times.

He said in the event an interim order was given, it would amount to suspending the Constitution and the sovereignty of the people. (S.S. Selvanayagam, Shehan Chamika Silva and Hafeel Farisz)A group of UNP MPs have reportedly warned that they would not contest the general election unless there were sweeping changes in the party hierarchy.

Some young MPs such as Harin Fernando said this at a meeting held in the aftermath of the dissolution of Parliament.

In such a scenario there is a move to nominate MP Sajith Premadasa as the UNP's Prime Ministerial candidate. However, Mr. Premadasa continues to remain non-committal on this matter.The story of how Lankan chronicles helped British orientalists discover Indias lost emperor Ashoka

Charles Allen has written two books The Buddha and the Sahibs and AshokaThe Search for Indias Lost Emperor. The second book, written about a decade after the first one, is largely an expansion of the first.

Both are the stories of the Orientalists who discovered Indias lost history, the lost Emperor Ashoka, and the Buddha Dhamma that thrived in India during Ashokas time. Their methods of discovery were crude, sometimes outright criminal by todays standards. Allen weaves his tale in a way to take the readers along with the discoverers while (mostly) permitting the readers to judge for themselves.

Among the most interesting are William Oriental Jones, who established the Asiatic Society of Bengal; James Prinsep, who deciphered Ashoka texts; George Turnour, who translated Mahawansa from Pali to English; Alexander Cunningham, who discovered many of the Buddhist pilgrimage sites; Dr. Waddell, who discovered Kapilavastu and Lumbini; and John Marshall, who finally introduced proper methods of archeological excavation.

Here, he observed that the language was not Sanskrit, but a vernacular modification of it, which had been fortunately preserved in Pali scriptures of Ceylon and Ava

Prinsep worked to decipher the lettering on the pillar known as the Feroz Shahs Lat or Delhi No 1 for four years. His breakthrough came when he examined two dozen brief inscriptions of the same lettering at the Great Stupa at Sanchi. Prinsep guessed that these short inscriptions could only be records of donations. He was struck by the fact that almost all short transcripts ended with the same word with two characters; a snake-like squiggle and an inverted T followed by a single dot.

Here, he observed that the language was not Sanskrit, but a vernacular modification of it, which had been fortunately preserved in Pali scriptures of Ceylon and Ava, a nineteenth century Burmese kingdom. Prinseps assistant with Pali was a Sinhalese named Ratna Paula (quite likely a corruption of the name Rathanapala). Both in Sanskrit and in Pali, the verb to give was dana and the noun giftor donation was danam sharing the same Indo-European root as the Latin donare (to give) and donus (gift). This led to the recognition of the word danam, teaching Prinsep the two letters, d and n of Brahmi 1. The snake-like squiggle represented the sound da, and the inverted T with the single dot the sound nam.

Also, Prinsep noticed that a single letter (like an inverted y) appeared frequently before or near the terminal word. Prinsep determined this letter to mean of, the equivalent of Pali ssa,based on his earlier investigations of the coins from Saurashtra. If his hunch was correct, then the general structure of each sentence was something like So-and-so of the gift. Prinseps translation of one such Sanchi inscription is Isa-palitasa-cha Samanasa-cha danam (The gift of Isa-Palita and of Samana.)

The opening sentence of Delhi No 1 had been observed to repeat itself again and again at the start of many sections or paragraphs of text in the pillar inscriptions and on the rock edicts. This, Prinsep could now read as Devanampiya piyadasi raja hevam aha. After conferring with Ratna Paula, Prinsep concluded that this opening phrase was best represented in English as Thus spake King Piyadasi, Beloved of the Gods. Prinsep published his findings in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal in April, 1837.

Who was Piyadasi?

But who was the author of these extraordinary edicts? Who was Piyadasi? Prinsep couldnt find a Piyadasi in all Hindu genealogical tables that he consulted. Only one possible candidate presented himself, one who had emerged from George Turnours translations of the Pali Chronicles of Ceylon: King Devanampiatissa succeeded his father on the throne of Ceylon in the year of Buddha 236.

In a letter sent to Prinsep on June 6th of 1837, Turnour excitedly revealed the identity of Piyadasi. I have made a most important discovery. You will find in the introduction to my Epitome that a valuable collection of Pali works was brought back to Ceylon from Siam, by George Nodaris, mudaliar in 1812. While casually turning the leaves of the manuscript I had hit upon an entirely new passage relating to the identity of Piyadasi  who, the grandson of Chandragupta, and own son of Bindusara, was at the time Viceroy of Ujjayani.

King Devanmpriya Piyadasi of the Feroz Shar Lat inscription (Delhi 1) was not King Devanampiathissa of Sri Lanka, as Prinsep had assumed. He was his Indian contemporary Ashoka Maurya.

After Prinseps death his work was continued. Alexander Cunningham relied on the accounts of the Chinese pilgrims Faxian and Xuanzang to discover the Buddhist pilgrim sites. Faxians Records of Buddhist Kingdoms was translated in 1836, and Xuanzangs History of the Life of Xuanzang and His Travels in India was translated in 1853. Faxian, who travelled to India in 400 CE, identified Ashoka as Wuyou Wang (The King Not Feeling Sorrow). Faxian visited Sankisa, and Lumbini, and from Lumbini travelled south to cross the Ganges at the point he describes as the confluence of the five rivers, just upstream of the capital of the country of Maghada: Pataliputra. Faxian describes Wuyous palace and his towering city walls and gates as being inlaid with sculpture-work.

You will find in the introduction to my Epitome that a valuable collection of Pali works was brought back to Ceylon from Siam, by George Nodaris, mudaliar in 1812. While casually turning the leaves of the manuscript I had hit upon an entirely new passage relating to the identity of Piyadasi

However, Cunningham assumed that Pataliputra must have been swept away by the changing course of the Ganges. Dr. Waddell thought otherwise. Taking together both Faxian and Xuanzang accounts, Waddell prepared a chart of Ashokas palaces and other chief monuments, and his chart led him over a railway line that marked the southern limits of old Patna, to a series of mounds known as Panch Pahari or the Five Brothers. He wrote afterwards, I was surprised to find most of the leading landmarks of Ashokas palaces, monasteries, and other monuments when reexamined so very obvious that I was able in the short space of one day to identify many of them beyond all doubt. Around the modern village Kumrahar,

Buddhas alms bowl

As mentioned before, not all sahibs treated their objects respectfully. James Campbell, the Commissioner of Customs, Salt, Opium and Akbari in Bombay Presidency in the 1890s, excavated several sites in Gujarat. Among his early triumphs was finding a new Ashokan rock edict, which he had allowed to be taken to bits, mislaid, and lost. A relic subsequently identified by the accompanying inscription as a segment of Buddhas alms bowl was thrown away. He then moved on to tear apart the Girnar Mound, a large stupa a few miles south of the famous Girnar rock inscription.

In spite of some irresponsibility, all of these men contributed to the rediscovery of Indias past. The books that tell their stories are excellent, and in this reviewers judgment both should belong in any Sri Lankans private library.Oops....! We couldn't find that...

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Check the URL you entered for any mistakes and try again. Alternatively, search for whatever is missing or take a look around the rest of our site.(CNN)  Aung San Suu Kyi has been stripped of Amnesty International's highest honor in light of her "shameful betrayal of the values she once stood for," the UK-based rights group announced Tuesday.

Amnesty's secretary general, Kumi Naidoo, wrote to Suu Kyi, Myanmar's civilian leader, Sunday informing her of the decision to revoke the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award, which she received in 2009.

"Today, we are profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defense of human rights," Naidoo wrote. "Amnesty International cannot justify your continued status as a recipient of the Ambassador of Conscience award and so with great sadness we are hereby withdrawing it from you."

Amnesty criticized the Nobel laureate in a press release for failing to use her "political and moral authority" to safeguard human rights in the country, citing her "apparent indifference" to military atrocities in ethnic areas and "increasing intolerance of freedom of expression."

Once an icon of the international human rights community, Suu Kyi has been stripped of a number of prestigious awards amid allegations of genocide of the country's minority Rohingya Muslim population.

CNN has reached out to Suu Kyi's representatives for comment.

In September, Suu Kyi said that, with hindsight, her government could have better handled the situation in Rakhine state.

Suu Kyi 'actively shielded the military from scrutiny'

The announcement comes as officials in Myanmar and Bangladesh get ready to repatriate more than 2,000 Rohingya refugees who fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine State last year.

The Myanmar military has been accused of using rape, murder and arson in a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing that drove more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, where they languish in what has become the world's largest refugee camp.

The UN has called on the International Criminal Court to investigate Myanmar's military leaders on charges of genocide.

In the letter, Naidoo said Suu Kyi has "chosen to overlook and excuse the brutal oppression and crimes against humanity committed by the military" and adds that her administration "actively shielded the military from international scrutiny and accountability."

Suu Kyi's administration has repeatedly denied abuses occurred in Rakhine State, saying the military was responding to attacks from Rohingya militants.

Government propaganda portrays the Rohingya as illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh and labels them "Bengali," despite many Rohingya families living in Myanmar for generations. Online hate speech, especially on Facebook, against religious and ethnic minorities has been used to fuel political division and bloodshed.

"We have also been appalled to witness your administration spread hate narratives against minorities, fostering rather than challenging discrimination and hostility," Naidoo said in the letter.

As well as abuses in Rakhine State, Amnesty pointed to the military's operations in other areas of the country, including the northern Kachin and Shan states, where more than 100,000 people have been displaced in years of civil war.

Activists and journalists imprisoned

Myanmar's civilian government shares power with the military, which retains control of a quarter of the seats in parliament. But Amnesty criticized Suu Kyi for not using the power she does have in her official position as State Counselor to enact reforms that would benefit human rights. Since she took office in 2015, human rights activists and journalists have continued to be arrested and imprisoned for their work under repressive colonial-era laws, Amnesty said.

Earlier this year, two Reuters reporters were sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of breaching the country's Official Secrets Act. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo had been investigating military atrocities in Rakhine State, including the massacre of 10 Rohingya men and boys.

"We are dismayed that your government has not only failed to repeal or amend repressive laws but has actively used them to curb freedom of expression, and arrest and imprison human rights defenders, journalists and other peaceful activists," Naidoo said.

No longer an icon

Suu Kyi has had a string of awards and accolades revoked amid the Rohingya crisis. In March, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum announced it was rescinding the prestigious Elie Wiesel Award granted to Suu Kyi in 2012 because she had failed to intervene in Rakhine.

In November 2017, Suu Kyi was stripped of the Freedom of the City of Oxford award, which honored her in 1997 for "her opposition to oppression and military rule in Burma." Suu Kyi studied at Oxford University's St. Hugh's College as an undergraduate, but her portrait in the college has since been removed.

And in September, Canada's House of Commons voted unanimously to revoke her honorary citizenship, recognizing that "the crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingyas constitute a genocide."

Suu Kyi was serving time under house arrest when she was named Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience in 2009. She was awarded the honor in recognition of her peaceful and nonviolent struggle for democracy and human rights.

"We will continue to fight for justice and human rights in Myanmar  with or without her support," Amnesty's Naidoo said.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Aung San Suu Kyi stripped of Amnesty International's highest honor"Kristin Helms Crystal Carr/Crystal Photography

Kristin Helms recalls that one day when she was a fifth-grader in a Sacramento school her teacher was passing out books to the class.

Upon reaching Kristin, the teacher said, Some day, Im going to be handing out your books because youre going to be an author.

The prophecy came true earlier this year when Massachusetts-based Career Press published the Fairbanks Ranch residents book, From Boardroom to Baby: A Roadmap for Career Women Transitioning to Stay-at-Home Moms.

In the course of her own transition from her dream job to staying at home taking care of her two children, Helms had taken up writing online. That included a blog that evolved into an online publication  Tribe Magazine, a forum on motherhood.

I had a lot of readers reach out to me and say, Thank you for this article. This really helped me. This really inspired me.

Thats when I started to think about the book idea  women who are putting their careers on hold to stay home with their baby, she said. I thought, Thats a great book idea.

After taking an online course on how to get a book published, she put together a proposal, including two chapters, and sent it to agents.

Ten days later, Helms said she was driving when she got a call from an agent who wanted to represent her and her book.

I actually pulled over to the side of the road, Helms said. I was just shocked and thrilled.

Within a week, her agent had received offers, and Helms decided to go with Career Press: They gave me three months to write it and its on book shelves today.

The cover of From Boardroom to Baby: A Roadmap for Career Women Transitioning to Stay-at-Home Moms. Courtesy

The 215-page paperback, which is available from careerpress.com and amazon.com, had received unanimous five-star reviews from customers who had read the volume as of Nov. 6.

The book is divided into 14 chapters, each of which addresses a different challenge for women whose lives have shifted abruptly from meeting company demands and participating in board-room conferences to changing diapers.

Chapter 1, for instance, starts with the decision to stay at home, while Chapter 2, Eulogy for Your Career Self, talks about the need to quit dwelling on the past and prepare mentally for the tasks a mother faces in raising a family.

In each of the chapters, Helms includes personal, often humorous episodes that served as revelations on how to respond to situations and use that knowledge.

Her points are reinforced with Counseling Advice segments written by mental health professional, Karen Simms, Helms aunt from Sacramento.

It was fun to collaborate with family, Helms said. Ive always looked up to her.

In Chapter 5, Molding the Mundanity and Chaos into Lessons, Love and Life, Helms relates how she was trying to scramble eggs with her then-2-year-old daughter clinging to her side and her 10-month-old son trying to climb up her leg.

At the same time, her husband, Mike, kissed them goodbye and took off for work. A little while later, Helms received a text message from Mike with a photo of her and the two children that he had taken on the way out the door.

In that moment, studying the photo, I realized what motherhood is, Helms writes. Its taking the chaos and molding it into love, finding the balance between trying to get things done and trying to save the little moments. And its hard and its messy, but its fueled by love.

The lessons that Helms imparts stem from her own experiences in leaving behind her marketing career with the Hyatt Corp., for whom she worked at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.

That was my dream job, Helms said. It was super-fun and fast paced. ... There were never two days that were the same.

In college, ,Helms majored in communications, with an emphasis on marketing, at SDSU, which she attended from 2002 to 2006.

I just fell in love with San Diego, she said. Id visit other places, but nothing quite compared.

She committed herself to staying at home after giving birth to her daughter, Blake, who is now 5. Her son, Gavin, is 3.

Its a tough decision, Helms said. I think thats why I wrote the book, because I did care so much about my career, and then I had my baby, she said. At the end of the day, each woman has to make a decision about whats best for them and their family.Author Tayari Jones Jon Clark

In her latest novel, Tayari Jones took on a subject that is both deeply personal and the subject of much debate due to its impact on society - how the incarceration of a young black man affects his family and friends.

"This is the first time I decided to consciously engage in a social issue. This is kind of new territory (for me)," said Jones, the featured speaker at the Nov. 1 meeting of the Rancho Santa Fe Literary Society, held at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar resort in Carmel Valley. "(The book) centers around the ways that incarceration intersects with people's everyday lives."

The book, called "An American Marriage," is Jones' fourth novel. It was selected as a featured novel in Oprah's Book Club, established by actress and former talk show host Oprah Winfrey. "An American Marriage" was also selected for the 2018 National Book Award Longlist for Fiction, and made President Barack Obamas Summer 2018 Reading List.

Jones' previous novel, "Silver Sparrow," was chosen to be part of the National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read Library. "An American Marriage" was published in 2018 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

The tale focuses on a young, newly married couple, Roy and Celestial, and how their world is turned upside down when Roy is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. The story is told through the eyes of the two main characters, as well as other characters who are important to their lives. One segment is told through letters written back and forth by the couple during Roy's incarceration.

Jones, who is a native of Atlanta, has set all of her books in her home town, and considers herself a "southern novelist." But she takes a contemporary view of the South, and pushes back against the stereotype of the South as a sleepy, out-of-date backwater.

One element of the book is an examination of how Celestial - an artist whose medium is custom-made craft dolls - continues to strive to achieve her dreams in spite of the trauma of having her marriage torn apart by an unjust legal verdict.

"It's almost as if her dreams are a luxury that can't be afforded against this backdrop," said Jones.

Another theme of the book is the question of whether the couple's new marriage can survive the separation, the anxiety and the pain caused by Roy's incarceration.

In her first letter to Roy after he is sent to prison, Celestial wrote, "Love makes a place in your life, it makes a place for itself in your bed. Invisibly, it makes a place in your body, rerouting all your blood vessels, throbbing right alongside your heart. When it's gone, nothing is whole again. Before I met you, I was not lonely, but now I'm so lonely I talk to the walls and sing to the ceiling."

In Jones' imagining of the couple's life, the forced separation magnified the small arguments they had before Roy went to prison, and also made the couple's insecurities loom larger.

"He needed the marriage more," once he was in prison, said Jones of Roy. "It was the only thing holding him together. Would they have stayed together if he hadn't gone to prison? Maybe. But it would have been rough."

The story unfolded for Jones as she wrote it, in a way similar to how it might play out for a reader. She said that at one point, she was afraid for her characters, concerned that when Roy was released from prison, he might commit an act of violence that would cause him to be put behind bars once again.

As Jones' books grow in popularity, she said her life has changed. Where she once drew a handful of people to her book-signings and talks, she now regularly encounters hundreds of people, even as many as a thousand. In the past year alone, she said, she has had 153 speaking engagements across the country,.

She enjoys meeting people during her travels, and she said it seems as if she is destined to encounter one person who has a special connection with the book, such as a man whose father was in prison. The man told her that after reading the book, he felt more compassion for his mother and what she went through with his father's incarceration.Subscriber content preview

ANCHORAGE (AP)  Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is awarding a $1 million grant to Anchorage to convert an empty downtown building into a workspace for artists and designers.

Bloomberg joined Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz to announced Wednesday the first winner of the 2018 Public Art Challenge, the Anchorage Daily News reported .





. . .Subscriber content preview







Almost six months after paying $10.5 million for the Greenwood Safeway, at 8704 Greenwood Ave. N., Washington Holdings has filed plans to redevelop the site with a 270-unit multistory apartment building.





. . .Subscriber content preview

SEATTLE  If you're looking for new digs in Washington, it's usually a better deal to rent than to own.

But if you do plan to buy a home, the best deals are in Kennewick.





. . .Days after a 23-year-old Indian student was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Kazhakstan, Indian students in two prominent universities in the country say that they live in a 'state of fear'. Hemant Kumar, a resident of Bharatpur in Rajasthan was pursuing a course equivalent to MBBS in India at the Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University. He was found dead on November 9 with his throat slit.

Alleging that Hemant was killed by a local gang, Manish Singh*, Hemant's friend said that the group of Indian students at the varsity was distraught and shaken. "The hostel facility is good but there is no security at all. The students here live in fear. Three months ago, a female Indian student was groped by a group of men. The local gangs always confront us and ask for our phones and money," he explained, "There is no Indian Students' Association, so we are completely helpless," he added. The lack of safety in the college hostel and the absence of a strong Indian student association have also aggravated the students' plight.

@SushmaSwaraj

Ma'am my brother Hemant Kumar(B.A. 3rd yr.student, MBBS)was allegedly found murdered in Kazakh National Medical University Almaty, Kazakhstan.The authorities are not responding to our concerns...Please intervene in this matter and do justice.  Hemlata Singh (@Hemlata47711708) November 10, 2018

Currently, there are over 800 Indian students studying at two medical universities in Kazakhstan. A lot of them apply to these universities because it is considerably easier to get in  sans any admission tests  and only costs a few thousand dollars. Hemant was one of those students until he ended up dead. "The police and the authorities are saying different things pertaining to Hemant's death. The college authorities say it is a case of suicide and refuse proper investigation, but how can a boy cut his own throat?" queried an anguished Singh, over a WhatsApp call from Kazakhstan.

Indian medical student hemant kumar died today in almaty kazakhstan of kazakh national medical university #@sushmaswaraj dear ma'am cause of death is still not known , kindly go through these matter!!  Anfiya khan (@khan_anfiya) November 9, 2018

However, much to the contrary, another Indian student at the same university  albeit a senior of Hemant's  had a different tale to tell, "It has been a while since Hemant and I have met as he was a third-year student and I'm in my fourth year. The University has acknowledged the fact that it is not a suicide. The Embassy has been very supportive and his body will be flown to India in 3-4 days," he told us over another WhatsApp call.

@tvkhabar24 An indian medical student of kazakh national medical university found dead in almaty city ,reason behind this is unknown until now !!!  Rishikant Sharma (@Rishika00008337) November 9, 2018

The university refuted Hemant's friends' claims and said that his death was, in fact, a case of suicide, "23-year-old Hemant Kumar was indeed a third-year student at the international medical faculty of our university. On the morning of November 9, the owner of a rented apartment with injuries discovered him. In a semi-conscious state, he was taken to the emergency hospital, where he died during the operation," the university said to a local Kazakh newspaper.

Their website mentions that they had formed a Department for Foreign Students with five staff members, in 2016, with "control over the residence of foreign students in the hostel and settlement of conflict situations and disputes, representation and protection of the interests of foreign students in official bodies," listed as their functions. The varsity reportedly stated that the students' claim about the lack of safety in the college hostel was unwarranted, "The statements of the students that the university does not ensure their safety, are unfounded and do not correspond to reality, the report said.

The students have, however, approached the Indian Embassy in Kazakhstan and have tweeted to the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's Twitter handle, asking for the embassy to step up. According to the PinkCity Post, Hemant's family approached Bharatpur MP Bahadur Singh Koli for help and he has assured that the boy's body would be brought back at the earliest.

(*Names changed on request)





Australia pork sector dismisses EU rapporteur's claim of protectionism



European parliamentarians had accused Australia of having a tendency to 'torture' pork import applications, following their visit to the country this month, North Queensland Register reported.



The claim was dismissed by Australian industry leaders - including Australian Pork Limited's head, Andrew Spencer, and Meat and Livestock Australia's global manager for trade and market access, Andrew McCallum - who justified the country's strict approach to the approval of meat imports to its legitimate biosecurity rules and import risk assessment.



On the contrary, Sorin Moisa, the European special rapporteur for free trade agreement negotiations with Australia, complained that Australia is "quite protectionist" due to such lengthy approvals.



"...too few of our countries' businesses are able to export pork products to Australia... It's more than the proportional legitimate standards you would expect to have," Moisa commented, highlighting the importance of getting European pork into Australia.



Spencer instead emphasised the need to protect Australia's healthy pig herd, especially given that PRRS (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome) had struck Europe.



"Australia is a free trading nation, in direct contrast to places like the EU," he said. "It's a bit rich for them to accuse us of being difficult traders."



With per annum volumes exceeding 80,000 tonnes, the EU is Australia's biggest supplier of pork. However, there is no arrangements for the exporting of Australian pork to the EU.



- North Queensland RegisterThis Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon!

Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page?Brazils federal prosecutors, judges, and Comptroller General (CGU) have become world-famous for enforcing Brazils anti-corruption laws. But few outside Brazil realize that interpretation and enforcement of Brazils flagship anti-corruption law, the Clean Companies Act, does not end with the federal government.

Both Brazil and the U.S. have federalist systems of government, where the authority to enact and enforce laws is distributed between the federal and state/local governments. FCPA enforcement authority lies exclusively with federal agencies (the DOJ and SEC). But Brazils Clean Companies Act grants federal, state, and municipal governments the authority to independently interpret and enforce this law. Given the widespread national competences of Brazilian states and municipalities to make administrative use of this law, looking only at the federal level does not provide a full picture of this statutes effect.

The Anti-Corruption & Compliance team of Tauil & Chequer Advogados, in association with Mayer Brown, recently conducted empirical research about the administrative enforcement of the Anti-Corruption Law by the 27 Brazilian states  26 states plus the Federal District  on its four-year anniversary. The research was coordinated by associates Luiz Santiago and Louise Dias from the Rio de Janeiro office.

As of the beginning of this year (when this research was conducted) 14 Brazilian states had enacted local regulations interpreting the Clean Companies Act. (Notably, Rio de Janeiro was not among them.) Out of those 14 states, 7 had opened administrative enforcement proceedings of the law during its first four years of validity, with a total of 87 proceedings against 177 legal entities.

Findings also showed that the construction and engineering sector represents more than one third of administrative enforcement proceedings opened by state authorities, but only 4.76 percent of the sanctioned legal entities.

Note that the Clean Companies Act also prohibits bid rigging. The research identified 72 administrative proceedings opened to assess suspicions of bid rigging and only 11 that expressly addressed suspicions of public corruption or bribery. The comparison is even more disproportionate with regard to concluded proceedings, with 17 mentions of bid rigging against only 2 references to public corruption.

When Brazil first enacted the Clean Companies Act in 2013, Brazilian companies expressed concern that sharing enforcement among federal, state, and local agencies makes compliance seem impossible. How can we monitor what literally hundreds of government agencies around the country may be doing to interpret and enforce this law? Brazil takes federalism to a whole other level. Defenders of federalism will say that it permits experimentation; these various agencies at the federal, state, and local levels are laboratories of governance.

And so the Brazilian experiments continue.

___

Luiz Santiago, pictured above right, is an associate in the Anti-Corruption & Compliance practice of Tauil & Chequer Advogados in association with Mayer Brown in the Rio de Janeiro office. Luiz specializes in white-collar crimes and criminal litigation, Anti-Corruption & Compliance and crisis management projects.

Andy Spalding, above left, chairs the Olympic Compliance Task Force. He is Professor at the University of Richmond School of Law (Virginia, USA), a Frequent Visiting Instructor at the International Anti-Corruption Academy in Austria, and Senior Editor of the FCPA Blog.Last week the transcript from Tim Leissners August 28 plea hearing was unsealed and posted online, courtesy of the Financial Times.

Mr. Leissner was a managing director of Goldman Sachs and chairman of its Southeast Asia operations. He was the banker in charge of the 1MDB account, work that generated $600 million in fees for Goldman Sachs, and which eventually led to Mr. Leissners guilty plea to FCPA and money laundering conspiracies for his role in the multi-billion-dollar looting the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.

Reading the unsealed (although somewhat redacted) transcript of Mr. Leissners plea hearing in federal court in New York City brought back some painful (albeit self-inflicted) memories from my own plea hearing. In September 2010, I pleaded guilty in federal court in DC to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other statutes.

In some respects, a plea hearing is more daunting and anxiety provoking than sentencing. It marks the beginning of what can be a long period of uncertainty, when an individual loses control of his or her daily routine in a way thats difficult to describe.

At the start of most federal plea hearings, the judge  in my case Judge Richard Leon  makes sure the defendant is fully aware and of sound mind with respect to the proceedings, and that he or she understands that they are giving up their constitutional rights to a trial by jury and waiving other means of defense.

Echoing my experience, at Mr. Leissners plea hearing Judge Margo Brodie (EDNY) reminded the defendant, If you answer any of my questions falsely, you could face another prosecution for perjury or for making a false statement.

Next come the details of the plea. Judge Brodie started by saying, I am going to spend a little bit of time discussing that (the plea) and the elements of the crime to make sure you understand what it is you are pleading guilty to.

At my hearing, Judge Leon had a number of questions about my plea, including the names and professional details of all my co-conspirators, otherwise known just as Employee A, Individual B, and so on, and about their specific roles and how they ended up as co-conspirators.

Judges then typically review the federal sentencing guidelines. They ask both the government and defense counsel if there is general agreement on the application of the guidelines, while making clear that the guidelines are advisory only, and that the actual sentence will be impacted by the pre-sentence report to be prepared by the Probation Department, as well as sentencing memorandums that will come from the government and defense counsel. But thats not all.

As Judge Brodie said during Mr. Leissners plea hearing: I do have the authority to move upward or downward, and I do not have to sentence you within the guideline range.

The sentence calculation in my case was simple. Pleading to a one-count conspiracy meant there was a five-year maximum. Judge Leon made clear that five years was the most he could impose, and anything less would be at the discretion of the court. He ended up at eighteen months (I ultimately served fourteen and a half months in a federal penitentiary).

For Mr. Leissner, its more complex. Hes a German national.

As a non-U.S. citizen, he could also be subject to deportation. That means if Mr. Leissner does get less than life (which is the sentencing calculation according to the governments guidelines for his two-count plea), at the end of his sentence he might be remanded to the U.S. Marshals Service, where he can be held for a long period of detention in preparation for his expulsion from the United States.

Judge Brodie said to Mr. Leissner, I believe you have waived or given up your right to appeal or collaterally attack all or part of your sentence if I sentence you, sir, to 300 months or less in custody.

That means somewhere, either in the plea itself or in the redacted part of the hearing, there may be some agreement that the sentence will be 25 years or less. We also dont know yet if Mr. Leissner is cooperating proactively in the 1MBD investigation, or if hes pleading without cooperating.

One thing Mr. Leissner said during his plea hearing has likely already impacted Goldman Sachs.

I conspired with other employees and agents of Goldman Sachs very much in line of its culture of Goldman Sachs (emphasis added), to conceal certain facts from compliance and legal employees of Goldman Sachs

He admitted to circumventing Goldman Sachs internal controls and hiding his conduct, while at the same time testifying (under oath and penalty of perjury) that his conduct was in line with Goldman Sachs culture.

That admission was echoed by Goldman Sachs in an SEC filing the day after the DOJ announced Mr. Leissners plea, along with the indictments of Ng Chong Hwa, another former Goldman Sachs managing director, and Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian businessman.

The disclosure said in part:

The indictment of Ng and Low alleges that the firms system of internal accounting controls could be easily circumvented and that the firms business culture, particularly in Southeast Asia, at times prioritized consummation of deals ahead of the proper operation of its compliance functions.

One of the more interesting chapters in the DOJs ongoing 1MDB investigation will be the role Mr. Leissners admissions, and the governments allegations, about the firms culture, and how that might play in a possible FCPA resolution by Goldman Sachs.

____

Richard Bistrong is a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog. His popular real-life compliance training video, Behind the Bribe, produced in cooperation with Mastercard, was released in 2017. To request a demo of the full eleven-minute video or a licensing fee schedule, please click here.This Whistle Stop Tour was written exclusively for Fethiye Times by Casey Russell.

I wrote a short while back about the Bozburun peninsula, a stunning piece of land that acts as the southern flank to the Hisasonu Gulf. Its neighbour is the better known, Datca peninsula.

Its a long, ragged finger of land that stretches westwards for miles on end towards the open ocean and a maze of Greek islands. Its where the Aegean Sea And Mediterranean Sea meet, and thanks to the prevailing Meltemi wind, locals claims the air has the richest oxygen levels in Turkey.

Datca town

Datca town, located about half way along the peninsula on the southern side, is a wonderful harbour town that makes for a brilliant place to start exploring. It sits on two sides of a headland.

Besides Marmaris, the town is probably the busiest place in the area, but this doesnt mean its crowded. The street layout is wide, and the seafront promenade has many restaurant which make for beautiful places to dine.

The town itself doesnt have any specific sights, but what we enjoy about this splendid town is its boutique feel, along with a wide range of shops and restaurants. The beach isnt too bad either!

Eski Datca

If you were to venture inland a few kilometers, youll come across Eski Datca, the old town. Here, many lovely stone houses and cobbled streets make for a pleasant wander. Its been very well restored, and does have accommodation and restaurants available if you want to experience a more traditional Turkey.

Above Datca, is the award winning Datca Vineyard and Winery. Built upon a hill overlooking the town and sea, they offer several experiences, such as the harvest where you can help pick the grapes from the vines. Another experience available to customers is wine tasting. The staff teach you how to tell the difference between wines.

If you go to their website, they have a range of events coming up

The Isleyici family, who own the winery, are friendly and open to all visitors. They started making the wine in there home, but later moved to Datca so they could,share their wine with friends.

There are many other wineries along the peninsula, all of which have a wide variety of exquisite tipples.

Knidos

The ruins of Knidos are situated at the end of Datcas peninsula, some 35 kilometres from Datca town, and are acssesible by car. The ruins are probably some of my favourites in Turkey, if not the Mediterranean, since they sit in a beautiful bay.

The protected bay has a single restaurant in it, and is a popular spot for yachts passing into the Gulf of Gokova from the south.

This town was one of the most prosperous towns in the area during antiquity, and you can explore the well kept ruins, which include a theatre, agora, several temples, houses and at the bottom, relics such as statues and columns.

With its dramatic landscape, brilliant views, fascinating ruins and overall serenity, youll easily understand why I love it here.

Palamut

Palamut, a small harbour halfway between Datca and Knidos, is another popular stopping place for yachtsmen and can also be reached by road. The small village hasnt many shops, but does have a wide selection of varied restaurants, all selling freshly caught fish and seafood. This bay also offers a long, pebble beach which has fine, crystal clear waters.

Bencik Kuyu is at the very start of the peninsula, at the narrowest part. Being only a mere 800 metres coast to coast, locals call it Balkasran, meaning the place where the fish pass over.

Bencik was also rumoured to have several sharks living there. These sharks, however, seem as common as the Loch Ness monster, but if you do scan the water, you may see one turtle or two.

From Datca you could take the short crossing to Symi, the beautiful Greek island that youd think would be Turkish. Here, you can admire the pretty coloured buildings, and you could dine at the wide variety of restaurants that sit on the Harbour front.

Or if you fancy staying in Turkey, you could take the car ferry from Kormen on the north coast of the Datca Peninsula, across the Gulf Of Gokova, and go to the bustling city of Bodrum. Here, you can go shopping at the grand bazaar, or explore the hidden backstreets. If your interested in history, the Castle of St. Peter is incredible, not only because its so well kept, but also because it exhibits many ancient jars, vases and many other interesting pieces.

Getting there

To get to the Peninsula from Fethiye, go on the D-400 heading west, towards Datca. This is about a three hour drive. Buses are available, and taxis are more then happy to drive you there.

Featured photograph courtesy of Road Attack

Casey Rusell

I am Casey Russell, a 15-year-old home schooled traveller, writer, photographer and sailor.

I live aboard my familys Oceanis 45 foot sailing yacht and travel extensively throughout the mediterranean for most of the year exploring the lost islands and hidden archaeological treasures of the region.

Photography is a hobby of mine and this year i am keen to explore new techniques and effects, the articles that I write are always accompanied by awesome images.

So, Come along with me on my travels and let me show you the hidden corners of this magical region

To read more articles by Casey please visit his blog, Adventurer in Training4iQ, a Madrid, Spain-based cyber intelligence company, raised a $18m funding round.

C5 Capital Limited, a venture capital firm focused on investing in cyber security, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, made the investment. As part of this round, C5 will take a Board Directors seat in the company.

Led by Monica Pal, CEO, and Julio Casal, Founder & CTO, 4iQ is an identity-focused cyber intelligence company that has indexed billions of exposed identities by scanning documents in 26 different languages across search engines and social media. It also investigates deep web sites such as paste bins, hacker forums, irc channels and dark websites. With this information, 4iQ is able to alert individuals and organisations if, and when, their information is exposed, and their identities and assets are at risk.

The company also has an office in Los Altos, CA.

FinSMEs

13/11/2018ClickClickDrive, a Berlin, Germany-based online platform offering an all-in-one driving school management software solution with an integrated driving school search, closed a $ 1m angel funding.

The round was led by Emmanuel Thomassin, the CFO of Delivery Hero, with participation from:

 Stefan Glaenzer (Passion Capital),

 Jonathan Green (Luxor Capital) and

 Burkhard Schwenker (former CEO Roland Berger).

The company intends to use the funds to further expand its market leadership in Germany and into further European markets and develop its software solution.

Founded in Belgium in September 2017 by Aibek Van Den Ackerveken, CEO, ClickClickDrive has developed an online platform that offers a software solution for the management of driving schools as well as an integrated driving search for students.

The company offers its services directly to driving schools, which can use the solution as a digital management system in their daily business. ClickClickDrive aims to digitize all areas of a driving school in the long term. These include payment administration, fleet management, document management as well as the planning of driving lessons between driving school, driving instructor and learner driver.

In addition, the app offers the best possible preparation for the theoretical exam.

FinSMEs

13/11/2018Ribometrix, a Durham, N.C.-based biotechnology company developing small molecule therapeutics that directly target RNA to treat human diseases, completed a $30m Series A financing.

The round was led by M Ventures, with participation from new investors Amgen Ventures, Pappas Capital and Illumina Ventures and founding investors SV Health Investors, AbbVie Ventures, Hatteras Venture Partners, MP Healthcare Venture Management, the Dementia Discovery Fund and Alexandria Venture Investments. In conjunction with the funding, Hakan Goker, Ph.D., Senior Investment Director of M Ventures, will join the board as a non-executive director.

The company intends to use the funds to advance its discovery platform and internal pipeline of novel small molecule drugs that directly modulate RNA activity, as well as expand its team and business development activity.

Led by chief executive officer Michael Solomon, Ph.D, Ribometrix is a biotechnology company developing small molecule therapeutics that directly target RNA to treat human diseases. Its discovery pipeline focuses on targeting RNA molecules that fold into complex 3D structures yielding pockets amenable to small molecules with high selectivity and favorable drug-like characteristics.

The platform provides a comprehensive analysis of small molecule-RNA interactions, including 3D structural information, based on the inventions of its scientific co-founder, Kevin Weeks, Ph.D., at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

FinSMEs

13/11/2018SmartRent, a Phoenix, AZ-based smart home automation platform company for property managers and renters, closed a $5m funding round.

The round, which brings total funding to more than $10m to date, was led by Real Estate Technology Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate deployments from its current 15-state presence to over 40 states, with major hubs in Denver, Phoenix, Washington D.C., Seattle, Philadelphia and Northern and Southern California.

Led by Lucas Haldeman, CEO, SmartRent provides an end-to-end smart home technology solution for multi-dwelling units, which connects hardware with proprietary web and mobile software to streamline operations, enhance the resident experience and provide owners with a digital layer of asset protection. The platform enables property owners and managers to lower expenses and provides a new way of monitoring and protecting assets, all while providing residents with a new revenue-generating amenity.

The automation benefits for property managers include:

 full property access control,

 surveillance,

 thermostat control,

 leak detection and

 power monitoring to aid with predictive maintenance.

The company will complete 15,000 installations by year end and already have an additional 35,000 apartments committed for 2019.

FinSMEs

13/11/2018.                 ,             30 .        4:1      14- ,       -.     ,       3:0  ,       ...Greetings, No doubt, there is a lot to be concerned about this year; however, 2020 has also been quite a year for recorded music. Let u...Opera GX, the worlds only browser for gamers, is launching the first ever graveyard in the metaverse. The online platform has been designed for people to roast their friends and bury the avatars of people who disappeared from their gamer life due to life obligationsLast week, the Press-Telegram launched its fourth annual campaign asking readers to donate new sports balls of all kinds, as well as money, for the clubs sports, fitness and recreation programs.Fewer ICE trains to stop in Siegburg : Politician calls for current timetable to remain in effect

Siegburg In a letter, SPD member of parliament Sebastian Hartmann calls on Deutsche Bahn to maintain the current ICE train service at Bonn/Siegburg station. If necessary, he calls for cancelled train connections to be re-introduced.

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In a letter to Deutsche Bahn (German Rail), SPD member of the Bundestag Sebastian Hartmann has called for ICE trains to maintain the current level of scheduled stops at Bonn/Siegburg station.

With the timetable change in December, four ICE stops are to be omitted because the railway is testing the slower ICE 4 on the Cologne-Rhine/Main high-speed line. "The Siegburg station is heavily used by commuters from the region, especially those traveling to Frankfurt. I can't understand why the railways are cutting out an offer that is in great demand. This completely contradicts the approach of getting more people to use trains instead of cars," says Hartmann.

In his letter, the SPD politician calls for the continuation of the existing timetables. "The local transport timetables are coordinated with the current ICE stops at Siegburg station. If these are cancelled, the overall attractiveness will be massively reduced", says Hartmann.

If it is too late to prevent the timetable change in December, then the SPD politician says it will be necessary "to find a way next year to reintroduce the cancelled connections". The topic of transportation will be the focus of the joint meeting of the planning committees of the city of Bonn and the Rhein-Sieg district this Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Bonn's Stadthaus (City Administration Building).

Orig. text: Bettina KohlUpdate on lighting situation : Why parts of the Rheinaue Park remain in the dark

Bonn Some of the pathways at the Rheinaue Park will remain in the dark until spring. Only then will the municipal utilities replace the defective lamps. Delivery delays are cited as the problem.

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The days are getting shorter and what one didnt notice on those long summer evenings has once again become evident. Large parts of the Rheinaue Park are dark from early evening, leaving cyclists, joggers and walkers a lack of visibility because of defective lamps.

On the much used path from the Rheinaue public transport stop to Charles-de-Gaulle-Strasse, 14 of the 26 lights are not functioning. Riding a bike in the dark becomes a danger for runners and pedestrians who are not equipped with reflectors or flashlights to make themselves visible. Cyclists who have bikes with proper lighting may find their way in the dark but become aware of pedestrians dressed in dark clothing when it is too late. This endangers both pedestrian and cyclist. When the pathways are wet, the situation is made even worse.

Supply squeeze for LED lights causes delay

As early as 2016, the city commissioned SWB (municipal utilities) subsidiary Bonn-Netz to replace sections of the ailing Sudstadt lights in the Rheinaue area with Trilux lights. The latter not only bring more light into the dark with LED technology, but also reduce electricity consumption by more than half. "The old lamps consumed between 50 and 80 watts. The LED lights consume only 23 watts," SWB reports. "In addition, the new lights have a better light distribution, so that the lighting areas are significantly enlarged."

According to SWB, the order to replace the lights had already been placed in April. But due to delays in delivery by the manufacturer of the LED lights, the lighting replacements could not be completed. They should be finished by spring 2019 at the latest.

On the other hand, the lighting of the 3. 5-kilometer-long path from the Caesar Research Center to Charles de Gaulle Strasse has been completed with the replacement of 135 lights and a total investment of 295,000 euros. The section on the right bank of the Rhine between Bonner Bogen and the Wolkenburgweg settlement along the Rhine is also completed. There is new lighting on walkways and bike paths.

Another section at the Rheinaue is also on the agenda for the future. It will be in connection with the planned extension of the cycle and pedestrian pathway under the Konrad-Adenauer-Bridge all the way to Martin-Luther-King-Strasse. Until this area is safely lighted, police spokesman Robert Scholten appeals to all cyclists and pedestrians to turn on required lighting, wear bright clothing and use reflectors or lights when it is dark, and not only in the Rheinaue.

Orig. text: Stefan HermesEnglish French

PRESS RELEASE

13 November 2018

Quarterly Financial Information at 30 September 2018

Sales up 5.3%1

2018 targets confirmed

Key figures

Group sales 49.6bn

+5.3 % org.

Electricity Output

Nuclear France: 290.0TWh

Nuclear United Kingdom: 45.9TWh

Group Renewables: 54.8TWh

of which Hydropower France: 38.0TWh

+2.4%

-5.7%

+28.9%

+32.9%

Highlights and deployment of CAP 2030

New developments in renewable energies

Commissioning of five solar photovoltaic facilities in Israel (100MWp)

Signing of two Power Purchase Agreements for a 128 MWac solar projet with storage in California

EDF Renouvelables awarded: one wind energy project in India totalling 300 MW two wind energy projects in Brazil totalling 276MW two solar energy projects in France totalling 20MWp

Signing of binding agreements for the construction of the Nachtigal hydroelectric dam in Cameroon : 420 MW project

Innovation at the service of customers

" Vert Electrique ":100,000 subscriptions one year after launch

Digiwatt: launch of the first fully digital electricity supply contract in France

" Plan lumiere 4.0 ": the consortium led by Citelum and EDF Luminus is selected as preferred tenderer for the smart lighting of major roads in Wallonia, Belgium

Electric Mobility Plan: objective to become the sector's leading energy company in Europe by 2022

Strengthened financial structure

Disposal plan realised for 9.6bn: completion of the disposal of Dunkerque LNG

Refinancing of 1.25bn hybrid bond notes

Senior bond offering of $3.75bn in three tranches of 10- to 30-year maturity and 1bn with a 12-year maturity

2018 targets confirmed



Operating expenses : -0.8bn compared to 2015

EBITDA : 14.8 - 15.3bn

Cash flow 4 , excluding Linky , new developments and 2015-20 asset disposal plan: ~0

Asset disposals since 2015: ~10bn

Total net investments excluding acquisitions and 2015-20 disposal plan: <= 15bn of which net investments excluding Linky6, new developments and 2015-20 disposal plan: ~11bn Net financial debt/EBITDA 4 : <= 2.5x

Target payout ratio of net income excluding non-recurring items : 50%

Change in EDF group sales

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017

restated 9M 2018 % % organic France - Generation and supply activities 17,871 18,942 +6.0 +6.0 France - Regulated activities 11,292 11,571 +2.5 +2.5 EDF Renouvelables 898 1,090 +21.4 +13.1 Dalkia 2,472 2,760 +11.7 +7.3 Framatome - 2,290 - - United Kingdom 6,189 6,466 +4.5 +4.9 Italy 5,548 6,052 +9.1 +5.7 Other international 2,400 1,667 -30.5 +1.0 Other activities 1,713 2,055 +20.0 +20.1 Inter-segment eliminations (2,138) (3,301) +54.4 +8.8 Total Group 46,245 49,592 +7.2 +5.3

The Group's sales over the first nine months of 2018 amounted to 49.6bn, up 5.3% in organic terms compared to the first nine months of 2017.

Each segment contributed to the growth's sales. The France - Generation and supply activities segment had the most significant impact in absolute-value.

Change in Group sales by segment

France - Generation and supply activities

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017 9M 2018 % organic Sales 17,871 18,942 +6.0

Sales in France - Generation and supply activities amounted to 18.9bn, up 6.0% in organic terms compared to the first nine months of 2017.

Nuclear output reached 290TWh, up 6.6TWh compared to the first nine months of 2017. This improvement can be explained by the fact that 2017 was heavily penalised, in particular by several reactor outages linked to the manufacturing records of the Creusot plant and by the "carbon segregation" issue.

Hydropower output stood at 38TWh, up 32.9% (+9.4TWh) compared to the first nine months of 2017.

The higher nuclear and hydropower output contributed to EBITDA but was only partially reflected in sales.

The net selling position (in euros) on the wholesale markets at the end of September 2018 was recorded in sales, as opposed to the end of September 2017, when there was a net buying position (in euros). The ARENH volumes sold and the balance of purchases and sales on the wholesale market had a positive impact on sales, estimated at 99 million compared to the first nine months of 2017.

The favourable weather affected sales by an estimated +49 million (+1.0TWh) compared to the first nine months of 2017.

The changes in regulated sales tariffs , for the part excluding the delivery component, had a positive impact of around 67 million.

The downstream market conditions had a positive effect on sales for an estimated 117 million to the extent that the negative effect of the erosion in electricity sales to end customers was more than offset by the positive electricity price effects and by increased gas sales.

Resales of purchase obligations were up due to the increase in electricity generation from renewable sources and to better price conditions, with a positive impact on sales estimated at 438 million (neutral effect on EBITDA with the CSPE mechanism which offset expenses linked to purchase obligations).

In addition, other favourable factors boosted sales by an estimated 301 million.

France - Regulated activities

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017 9M 2018 % organic Sales 11,292 11,571 +2.5

Sales in France - Regulated activities amounted to 11.6 billion, up 2.5% in organic terms compared to the first nine months of 2017.

Sales benefited from a favourable weather effect of around 36 million and from a positive change in the distribution tariffs for an estimated 225 million.

In addition, growth of the grid connection services activity contributed 54 million.

Renewable Energies

EDF Renouvelables

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017 9M 2018 % organic Sales 898 1,090 +13.1

Sales in EDF Renouvelables amounted to 1.1bn, up 13.1% in organic terms compared to the first nine months of 2017.

This change was mainly due to the commissioning in 2017 of both wind and solar power projects, which contributed to a 27% increase in output (11.3TWh).

Sales also benefited from the increase in distributed solar activities, notably in the United States, for an amount of +34 million.

Gross installed capacities during the nine first months totalled 902MW, mainly in recent geographical areas (Chile, Brazil, Dubai), the majority of which is solar.

Total installed net capacity increased by 3.1% compared to the end of December 2017 to 8.1GW.

Finally, the gross portfolio of projects under construction reached 2.2GW (of which 1.4GW in solar power) at the end of the third quarter 2018.

Group Renewables

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017 9M 2018 Change (%) Sales 2,622 3,292 +25.6 including EDF Renouvelables 898 1,090 +21.4

Sales of the entire Group Renewables contributed 3.3 billion to Group sales over the first nine months of 2018. They were driven by good hydro conditions in France and in Italy and, for wind and solar energy, by the effect of the commissioning and the acquisitions realised in 2017.

Energy services

Dalkia

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017 9M 2018 % organic Sales 2,472 2,760 +7.3

Dalkia's sales amounted to 2.8 billion, up organically by 7.3% compared to the first nine months of 2017, due mainly to the positive trend in service contract review indexes, the positive effect of increasing fuel prices and the signing or the renewing of numerous contracts, such as the creation of a heating network in Montbeliard (France).

Group Energy Services

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017 9M 2018 Change (%) Sales 3,203 3,671 +14.6

Sales for Group Energy Services19 amounted to 3.7 billion, up 14.6% compared to the first nine months of 2017. They benefited notably from Dalkia's organic growth and targeted acquisitions in the United Kingdom (Imtech in July 2017, 198 million), in Italy (Zephyro) and Belgium.

Framatome

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017 9M 2018 % organic Sales 2,290

Framatome's sales amounted to 2.3 billion in the first nine months of 2018, out of which 960 million was realised within the Group.

Activity in the Fuel business was sustained, whereas there was a slowdown in the Installed Base business, particularly in the United States.

There was a gradual recovery in the Components business, following the authorisation granted by the ASN in January 2018 to resume the manufacture of forged parts on the Creusot site.

In China, Framatome and the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) delivered the first batch of fuel cladding tubes for the "Hualong-1" reactor of the Fuqing nuclear power plant.

In the United States, Framatome signed a contract with Talen Energy to provide its new ATRIUM 11 fuel to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant.

United Kingdom

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017 9M 2018 % organic Sales 6,189 6,466 +4.9

In the United Kingdom, sales amounted to 6.5bn, up 4.9% in organic terms compared to the first nine months of 2017.

Sales benefited from higher electricity tariffs and prices on the residential and business market, higher electricity volumes sold to business customers and higher gas volumes sold due to cold weather in the first quarter of 2018. This increase was partially offset by a reduction in volumes sold to residential electricity customers.

Nuclear output amounted to 45.9TWh, down 2.8TWh, compared to the first nine months of 2017, mainly because of the Hunterston B outage.

Italy

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017 9M 2018 % organic Sales 5,548 6,052 +5.7

In Italy, sales amounted to 6.1 billion, up 5.7% in organic terms compared to the first nine months of 2017.

The volumes of gas sold to residential customers increased in line with favourable weather conditions.

Sales were up in Electricity activities, supported by higher sales volumes to residential customers and growth in hydropower generation.

Sales in exploration-production activities were up thanks to the favourable change in Brent prices and gas prices, and to the increase in volumes.

Other international

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017 9M 2018 % organic Sales 2,400 1,667 +1.0

Sales in Other international amounted to 1.7bn, up 1.0% in organic terms compared to the first nine months of 2017.

In Belgium, generation was affected by the extended outages of the Engie Group's nuclear reactors. Wind power capacities reached 399MW, up 6.1% compared to the end of December 2017. Sales amounted to 1.3 billion, up 1.2% in organic terms. This change is related to an increase in prices and a decrease in volumes due to a strongly competitive environment.

Sales in Brazil remained stable compared to the first nine months of 2017, reaching 283 million.

Other activities

(in millions of Euros) 9M 2017 9M 2018 % organic Sales 1,713 2,055 +20.1

Sales in Other activities amounted to 2.1 billion, up 20.1% in organic terms compared to the first nine months of 2017.

EDF Trading's sales amounted to 832 million, up strongly by 107.2% in organic terms. This change was driven by strong performance overall, thanks to favourable volatility in commodities markets, favourable weather effects and to occasional tensions in the supply-demand balance in Europe and in the United States. Activities related to LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) also contributed to this performance, which was driven by rising Asian demand and an upward price environment for oil.

Main events

since the 31 July 2018 press release

Major Events

EDF, IFC and the Republic of Cameroon signed final and binding agreements for the construction of the Nachtigal hydroelectric dam in Cameroon (see press release of 8 November 2018).

EDF launched the first French microgrid demonstrator operational in Singapore (see press release of 31 October 2018).

EDF closed the disposal of its stake in Dunkerque LNG (see press release of 30 October 2018).

EDF launched Digiwatt, its first fully digital electricity supply contact at -5% per KWh excluding taxes (see press release of 25 October 2018).

EDF announced its intention to become Europe's leading e-mobility energy company by 2022 (see press release of 10 October 2018).

EDF announced the success of its hybrid refinancing operation (see press release of 3 October 2018).

EDF successfully priced a 1 billion senior note offering (see press release of 25 September 2018).

EDF raised $3.75 billion through a multi-tranche U.S. Dollar senior bond issuance (see press release of 19 September 2018).

New investments, partnerships and investment projects

Development of renewable energies, EDF Renouvelables

On 9 November 2018, EDF Renewables signed a Power Purchase Agreements for a 128 MWac solar project with storage in California.

On 24 October 2018, EDF Renouvelables commissioned more than 100MWp in solar capacity in Israel.

On 25 September 2018, EDF and EnterSolar signed a strategic partnership.

On 6 September 2018, EDF Energies Nouvelles was rebranded EDF Renouvelables.

On 5 September 2018, EDF Energies Nouvelles won a 276MW wind energy project in Brazil.

Framatome

On 24 September 2018, Framatome signed a contract with Talen Energy to provide its new ATRIUM 11 fuel to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant.

On 21 September 2018, Framatome and CNNC delivered the first fuel cladding tubes for the "Hualong-1" nuclear power plant.

Other significant events

EDF announced the payment of an interim cash dividend of 0.15 per share for 2018 fiscal year (see press release of 6 November 2018).

Another milestone reached in the development of the Son My 1 combined-cycle gas power plant project

(2,250 MW) in Vietnam (see press release of 2 November 2018).

" Plan Lumieres 4.0 ": the consortium led by Citelum and EDF Luminus was selected as the preferred tenderer for the smart lighting project for the main Walloon roads (see press release of 26 October 2018) .

BBOXX Togo and EDF teamed up to develop off-grid energy solutions (see press release of 26 October 2018).

Sodeltrel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the EDF group, dedicated to electric mobility, rebranded IZIVIA (see press release of 18 October 2018).

EDF and GIBB partnered to form GIBB Power, a company specialising in engineering in the energy sector. (see press release of 8 October 2018).

A key player in energy transition, the EDF Group is an integrated electricity company, active in all areas of the business: generation, transmission, distribution, energy supply and trading, energy services. A global leader in low-carbon energies, the Group has developed a diversified generation mix based on nuclear power, hydropower, new renewable energies and thermal energy. The Group is involved in supplying energy and services to approximately 35.1 million customers, 26.5 million of which are in France. It generated consolidated sales of 70 billion in 2017. EDF is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.

Disclaimer

This presentation does not constitute an offer to sell securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction.

No reliance should be placed on the accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information or opinions contained in this presentation, and none of EDF representatives shall bear any liability for any loss arising from any use of this presentation or its contents. The quarterly financial information is not subject to an auditor's report.

The present document may contain forward-looking statements and targets concerning the Group's strategy, financial position or results. EDF considers that these forward-looking statements and targets are based on reasonable assumptions as of the present document publication, which can be however inaccurate and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. There is no certainty that the forecast events will take place or that the expected results will actually be achieved. Important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Group to differ materially from those contemplated in this document include in particular the successful implementation of EDF strategic, financial and operational initiatives based on its current business model as an integrated operator, changes in the competitive and regulatory framework of the energy markets, as well as risk and uncertainties relating to the Group's activities, its international scope, the climatic environment, the volatility of raw materials prices and currency exchange rates, technological changes, changes in the general economic situation.

Detailed information regarding these uncertainties and potential risks are available in the reference document (Document de reference) of EDF filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) on 15 March 2018 , which is available on AMF's website at www.amf-france.org and on EDF's website at www.edf.com.

EDF does not undertake nor does it have any obligation to update forward-looking information contained in this presentation to reflect any unexpected events or circumstances arising after the date of this presentation.

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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.The number of international students entering U.S. colleges and universities has fallen for the second year in a row, a nonprofit group said on Tuesday, amid efforts by the Trump administration to tighten restrictions on foreigners studying in the United States.New enrollments for the 2017-18 school year slumped 6.6 percent compared with the previous year, according to an annual survey released by the Institute of International Education. That follows a 3.3 percent decline in new international students tallied in the 2016-17 academic year.Several factors are driving the decrease. Visa and immigration policy changes by the Trump administration have deterred some international students from enrolling, college administrators and immigration analysts said.A strong dollar has made U.S. college tuition relatively more expensive, Canadian and European universities are competing fiercely for the same students and headlines about mass shootings also may have deterred some students, said Allan Goodman, president of IIE.Fifteen minutes before his shift was to end on November 8, 2017, Lariat Rope, a thickset man of 55, tumbled into a pit of scalding water at Sapa Extrusions North America in Phoenix, an aluminum-products plant where hed worked for more than 25 years. It took rescuers three hours to retrieve his body from the pit, which is used to cool aluminum logs 10 inches in diameter and up to 18 feet long. The cause of death: multiple trauma due to blunt force injuries, drowning and thermal injury, according to a report approved by the Industrial Commission of Arizona in April.The commissions Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as ADOSH, cited Sapa for violating a standard requiring employers to install covers and/or guardrails  to protect personnel from the hazards of open pits, tanks, vats [and] ditches. It proposed a fine of $7,000  the amount it had established for violations that caused or contributed to a fatality and which, according to the ADOSH field operations manual, cannot be reduced by that agency.Nonetheless, the industrial commission  ADOSHs overseer  pared the fine to $5,250 based on [the] employers quick abatement of the hazard, according to a handwritten notation on the April report. My brothers life has more value than that, Ropes sister, Evelyn Hinton, said in a recent interview, recalling his devotion to their elderly parents. Five thousand is just not cutting it. Rope was married and had two sons.Arizona is among 26 states and two territories (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) that manage their own worker-safety programs, as they are allowed by law to do  providing the programs are at least as effective as the one run for the rest of the country by the U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Some meet or exceed this threshold; others fall considerably short of it.After decades of gerrymandering and accusations of voter suppression, Native Americans in one Utah county have taken control of local government.Two Navajo men, Willie Grayeyes and Kenneth Maryboy, won their county commission seats, giving Native Americans a 2-1 advantage on the local governing body for the first time in San Juan County.The victories came only after court-ordered redistricting, which more evenly distributed the countys Native American population and gave tribal leaders a new shot at a commission thats been dominated by white officials.Outgoing County Commissioner Phil Lyman, a high-profile Republican who has sparred with tribal leaders in the past, won a seat in the state House.Even though Native Americans are the majority in this 14,750-person county, slightly edging out whites, county commissioner and school board district lines were drawn in a way that gave white voters disproportionate power for more than three decades.Many Native Americans across the West are still hamstrung by voter ID laws, polling place closures and voter registration purges. But in San Juan County and many other places, they are fighting back, running for local, state and national offices, and suing jurisdictions that they think are trying to curb their political participation.The election was being closely watched, and representatives from the ACLU of Utah, the state elections office and the Department of Justice sent staff to observe, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.The results from last weeks election could have a significant impact not only on local infrastructure  which is in dire disrepair on Navajo Nation reservation land  but potentially also on President Donald Trumps decision to shrink Bears Ears National Monument, in San Juan County.The two Navajo men elected to the commission oppose shrinking the monument, giving the fight against federal action more official strength.But the challenges for local Native Americans remain, Grayeyes told The Salt Lake Tribune last week.The opposition has also been displayed here and there throughout the county, he said. But changes are already taking place  and its starting with the redistricting.As vote counts in several states increased Democrats' midterm election gains, and further undercut President Donald Trump's claims to victory, the president on Monday led some Republicans in alleging vote fraud, especially in Florida, without evidence.In a morning tweet, Trump called for a halt to recounts in Florida, where Republicans' leads in Senate and governor races have eroded as outstanding votes are tallied. He said election-night results should hold, a move that would disenfranchise absentee, mail-in, provisional, overseas and military voters.By his allegations, Trump contradicted Florida election officials, who stated that they'd seen no evidence of criminal conduct. Florida's secretary of state in charge of elections is a Republican appointee. Also, a recount is required by state law if the candidates' vote totals are within a half-percentage point of each other. Meanwhile, ballots from overseas and military voters have until Friday to arrive to be counted.The president's complaints, which he also raised about undecided elections in Arizona and Georgia in recent days, recalled his pre-election threats two years ago to allege fraud if he lost the presidential contest. They also suggest a harbinger of what could happen as he seeks re-election in 2020.The protracted fights over Senate and governor elections in Florida, Georgia and Arizona come as Republicans have seen their election-night leads narrow or evaporate in other states as well, including California _ solidifying evidence that a "blue wave" did materialize for the Democratic Party.The number of Democrats declared winners of House contests has increased from an estimated net gain close to 30 a week ago to as many as 40; Democrats needed 23 seats more to capture the majority. In Arizona's Senate race, the lead flipped to Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema from Republican Rep. Martha McSally.Trump, in his tweet, focused on Florida, the state where he maintains a home, and where he campaigned hard for the Republicans' Senate and gubernatorial candidates."The Florida Election should be called in favor of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged," Trump wrote. "An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night!"Scott, Florida's governor, is the Republican candidate for the Senate and is slightly ahead of Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. DeSantis is the Republican gubernatorial candidate, who has a small lead over Democrat Andrew Gillum.Later Monday, the Republican National Committee sent out a fundraising plea _ described as coming from "Trump Headquarters" _ imploring supporters not to "let the corrupt Democrats of Broward County steal our election victories."It's no surprise the president prefers the electoral picture as it appeared on election night, when both Scott and DeSantis seemed to have won narrowly in Florida, and McSally in Arizona as well. Both men, however, are still seen as having an edge, unlike McSally, further raising questions about why Trump decided to inject himself into the Florida fight.While Scott and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio also have been crying foul in Florida, Republican leaders in Arizona from the governor on down have not done so, even as that state's tally goes against their party. McSally, after initially leading Sinema by 1.5 percentage points, now trails the Democrat by the same margin _ well above the 0.1 percent threshold that would trigger a recount under Arizona law.Even with votes yet to be counted across the country, the snapshot of the national electorate that's emerged is one with warning signs for the president as he considers his 2020 prospects. Most notably, no Republicans won statewide races in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, the three states in which Trump's hair-thin wins in 2016 made possible his stunning electoral college victory.Overall, 115 million Americans voted in the midterm elections, a 32 percent increase from the previous midterm elections in 2014. The national turnout rate, 49 percent of eligible voters, is the highest in more than a century, since 1914, according to Michael McDonald, an associate professor at the University of Florida. Democrats gained significantly among women and both younger voters and those 65 and older.Trump had been quick to frame the election as a triumph for Republicans _ himself in particular. He told reporters at a White House news conference on Wednesday that his "vigorous campaigning stopped the blue wave that they talked about," and he bragged, prematurely, that the election had resulted in "the largest Senate gains for a president's party in a first midterm election since at least President Kennedy's in 1962."The president acknowledged that some Senate races were still hanging in the balance, but marveled at the best-case scenario for his party: "Fifty-five is the largest number of Republican senators in the last 100 years." His party will likely hold, at best, 53 Senate seats.A statewide recount in Florida, triggered by the narrow margins in the two top-of-ballot contests, as well as for state agriculture commissioner, began on Sunday. Officials are racing against the clock to finish recounts by machine ahead of a Thursday deadline. Hand recounts could follow.That looks more likely in the Senate race between Scott and Nelson. Scott has seen his cushion narrow to 12,562 votes out of more than 8 million ballots cast statewide _ a 0.15 percent margin _ according to the state's unofficial count as of Saturday.In the governor's race, DeSantis, the Trump-backed Republican, is ahead of Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, by 0.41 percentage point. If that margin holds, there won't be a hand recount, which would occur only if the difference is smaller than 0.25 percentage point of the overall vote.Scott on Sunday accused Nelson and Democrats of trying to "commit fraud to try to win this election." Scott's campaign has filed lawsuits against election supervisors in Broward and Palm Beach counties, two Democratic strongholds where officials have been slower to process ballots.At an emergency hearing Monday in Broward County, a judge emphasized the lack of evidence of wrongdoing and urged all sides to "ramp down the rhetoric" to avoid undermining citizens' trust in elections.Florida law allows county clerks up to 10 days after Election Day to count ballots received that day, and those that trickle in after. Steve Schale, a Democratic operative and blogger in the state, cited Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg, where 20,000 ballots arrived just on Election Day."That's why the law provides the window until 10 days after for people to reconcile those absentees," he wrote. "Despite all the controversy and uncertainty, the process is actually working like it's supposed to. 8.2 million ballots aren't going to get counted overnight."Nelson's campaign has also sued in state court, in an effort to force the state to re-examine absentee and provisional ballots thrown out because of signatures that didn't match voter files. A judge is set to hear that case this week.In Georgia, Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams also remained locked in a bitterly disputed gubernatorial race.With 3.9 million votes cast and Abrams trailing Kemp by about 58,000 votes, Kemp has declared victory. The Abrams campaign said on Monday that after counting provisional and absentee ballots from several counties, Abrams needed just 20,893 votes to qualify for a runoff and 18,555 votes for a recount."This race is not over. It is still too close to call," Abrams' campaign manager, Lauren Groh-Wargo, told reporters on Sunday, noting that thousands of voters had questions about their absentee and provisional ballots.Late Sunday, the Democratic Party of Georgia and Abrams' campaign filed a federal lawsuit against the secretary of state _ Kemp _ and the elections boards in two populous Atlanta-area counties. Their suit asks the court to require the counties to accept absentee ballots that were "arbitrarily" and "unlawfully" rejected and to accept provisional ballots that were rejected because the voters live in a different county.Kemp's team, meanwhile, kept up its pressure on Abrams to concede, saying it was mathematically impossible for her to force a runoff."Stacey Abrams and her radical backers have moved from desperation to delusion," said Ryan Mahoney, Kemp's communications director, in a statement Monday. He added: "They don't want to win this election. They are trying to steal it."A judge has affirmed the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services' denial of extended foster care benefits to three 19-year-olds from Guatemala because they aren't citizens.Lancaster County District Judge Kevin McManaman said nowhere in the state law defining eligibility for the Bridge to Independence (B2I) Program is there "any expression, positive or otherwise," to justify the conclusion the Legislature intended for them to be eligible for enrollment in the program.The Nebraska Appleseed Foundation filed the lawsuits on behalf of three teenagers granted federal Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.The status means they aren't U.S. citizens but ended up in foster care here after being abused, abandoned or neglected by their parents, and having courts determine that returning them to their home country wouldn't be in their best interest.Under the status, they can apply for green cards to live and work permanently in the U.S. But the process takes years, said attorney Mindy Rush Chipman of the Immigrant Legal Center, who represented two of the three teens.Ashas tracked the growth of the chief data officer position over the past few years, one of the main roles that has emerged for this key IT leader is determining policy around how data is shared among government agencies, as well as with the public. Proper governance is essential to ensuring that the right information gets into the hands of those who can use it to improve internal operations and external interactions with citizens.For Maine CDO Youri Antonin, his states decentralized structure can be a stumbling block to handling data in a uniform way, he said last month at the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) annual conference , but that makes creating a strong data policy even more important. This is not unrelated to another of Antonins priorities: improving digital transformation that will meet citizen needs as well as internal stakeholders'.GCOM Software, an Albany, N.Y.-based government and technology consulting firm, has acquired Three Sigma Software, a software provider for the federal Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program, in a bid for growth and expansion.According to a news release from GCOM, the deal will keep Three Sigmas management team in place and allow both companies to expand their range of services and become more competitive.Founded in 2005, GCOM helps state and local governments update and consolidate their IT systems for vital records, licensing and permitting, public health, public safety and cybersecurity. GCOM is backed by New York-based private investment firms Sagewind Capital and Bagnols Family Office Investment Partners.Three Sigma, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Maryland, provides software for the administration of WIC programs in 11 states, 10 American Indian reservations and one U.S. territory. Three Sigmas products work with EBT and coupon-based benefits for low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women and children under the age of 5; support scanners and signature pads; and interface with other state services.GCOM President and co-founder Girish Bhatia said the deal should be good news to customers of both.Today GCOM serves the public sector in three key domains: public safety, licensing and permitting and health and human services. With the acquisition of Three Sigma, we acquire a new product to support the WIC program for state governments, he said. Potentially having a customer base in different states will help us sell GCOM services, and then vice versa.  We have an easier way to service the customers, because we become local to that particular state.Backed with private equity money, Granicus has acquired the veteran government software firm SouthTech Systems Based in California, SouthTech has been in business since 1994. The company has several products, but most of them deal in some way with managing records  birth and death records, campaign ethics filings, agendas  and automating processes involving those records.In particular, the company has a close relationship with California county clerks. According to a press release, the companys first product was designed for those customers and eventually put in place in 48 of the states 58 counties. One of its current products, ClerkDocs, offers the ability to index, store and retrieve various documents county clerks deal with frequently such as fictitious business name and power of attorney declarations.Its customers include Orange County, Calif., and the Metropolitan Water District of California.Granicus, since merging with GovDelivery in 2016 , has become a big cloud-focused provider of state and local government software that includes agenda management, meeting live-streaming, citizen communications and website design . Its valuation is likely in the hundreds of millions of dollars.SouthTech Systems was founded to make a difference in the day-to-day technical hurdles that government leaders face, said SouthTech co-founder Grant Gyulnazaryan in a statement. Joining Granicus means that our customers will benefit from a robust infrastructure, unmatched security, and added R&D investment and scale  all while maintaining the world-class support our customers have enjoyed.Granicus has been owned by Vista Equity Partners since 2016. The same private equity firm was behind the deals that merged Superion, TriTech Systems and Aptean together to make CentralSquare.(TNS) Late nights, hefty contracts and humming computers are a norm in the Manatee County school districts School Support Center, where employees are working to fix a troubled software project.The project started with an estimated budget of $9.8 million in 2016. A recent estimate places the cost at more than $27 million, and the true price tag is becoming more evident each week.On Tuesday, the school board will consider two agreements related to the enterprise resource planning, or ERP project, along with the departure of a third administrator who had been suspended while officials investigate what went wrong.Angie Oxley, the project manager, has agreed to an early separation of employment, according to the agenda.The ERP software brings district operations  purchasing, human resources, payroll, benefits and other services  under one umbrella. One function allows the district to submit vital reports to the Florida Department of Education, a module that cost $320,000 to create.Ron Ciranna, former deputy superintendent for operations for the School District of Manatee County, said an overhaul of the system's software system will require additional time and money.Ciranna and Rob Malloy, the former head of information technology, authorized Ciber Global to create the module, according to Tuesdays board agenda.It said they violated district policy, which requires the school board to approve purchases of $50,000 or more. Ciranna and Malloy are leaving the district amid an internal investigation.Ciber is responsible for implementing the ERP software, PeopleSoft, and it recently agreed to a 50 percent discount on the state reporting module. The contract for $163,000 is on Tuesdays agenda.Meanwhile, a team is still dealing with approximately 11,000 errors connected to state reporting. Fixing the module is a top priority, because accurate reports are key to receiving tens of millions of dollars in state funding.While the first contract presents an opportunity to save money, the second item on Tuesdays agenda could more than double spending.In 2016, the board contracted with Agitech Solutions for a price not to exceed $200,000 per year. Agitech maintains the ERP software, installs needed upgrades and monitors performance.On April 10, the board increased its maximum spending from $200,000 to $395,000, bringing system testing, development and customization into Agitechs scope.The two-year agreement came to an end, leading the school board to renew its contract on Aug. 28.On Tuesday, the board will decide whether to increase authorized spending from $395,000 per year to $850,000 per year.If approved, it would add to the companys list of responsibilities. Agitech would help with Manatees state reporting module, and it would replace the districts current hiring system, Taleo, with PeopleSoft.The company would also help to simplify the overall system.The system is far too complicated for the average person to sit down and use, said George Kosmac, interim director of ERP business systems, at a recent meeting.It seems the rising costs are a symptom of poor management, misconduct and bad luck over the last several years. A bankruptcy impacted Ciber in 2017, adding to rampant turnover among the project team.The program grew far beyond its original scope, and the district failed to back its project with enough resources, according to past reports from the internal auditor.But the tides may be turning, if Thursdays meeting of the Audit Committee is any indication.Kosmac, the projects interim director, said the IT department recently grew by 10 employees. His team started with 48 significant defects in the ERP software, widdling the number to fewer than 10 by Thursday.And after nonstop work the night before, he said, the district successfully launched enrollment for employee benefits.Its really tough to find some quiet time, and we work late, too, Kosmac said.However, Manatee Technical College is still hindered by defects in the state reporting system.The district incurred several fines for its late submissions to the Florida Retirement System, and it suffered through a tedious process of manually submitting its quarterly tax return.Cynthia Saunders, the districts interim superintendent, said the project was too ambitious.The district tried to implement 28 features at one time, compared to the University of South Florida, which utilizes about 16 modules.Now the district is racing to meet deadlines and protect its employees.Its painful, but were going to make it, Saunders said.(TNS)  A $120 million engineering and science building was dedicated this week at Texas State University , ushering in what school officials say will be an expansion of research, innovation and teaching. Bruce and Gloria Ingram Hall , named for longtime benefactors of the university who contributed a portion of the cost, is the largest and most ambitious building project in Texas State history, officials said. The five-floor, 166,851-square-foot building occupies a full block at the intersection of North Comanche and West Woods streets on the San Marcos campus.Among its features is a "maker space" with 3-D printers, laser cutters, engravers, metal and plastic mills, welding gear, woodworking equipment and more. Passers-by will be able to observe some of the activity through broad windows. A collaborative learning center offers free walk-in tutoring in basic and advanced biochemistry, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, engineering technology, math and physics. There are group and solo study areas as well as computer labs.Ingram Hall is the new home for the College of Science and Engineering's electrical engineering, industrial engineering and manufacturing engineering programs, and it also provides new space for biology, computer science, math and physics programs. Its opening frees up space in the Roy F. Mitte Building to be renovated for a civil engineering program, pending approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accrediting agency. The university plans to add a mechanical engineering program in the future."It is a welcoming space that supports learning and collaboration for both students and faculty," Christine Hailey, dean of science and engineering, said of Ingram Hall. "The new facilities and equipment greatly enhance our ability to offer innovative programs in teaching and research."Classrooms in the building, which was dedicated Thursday, have been in use since August, but full occupancy won't happen until spring.Bruce and Gloria Ingram donated $5 million toward construction, plus a gift of concrete worth $2 million from their company, Ingram Readymix Inc. Their $5 million donation leveraged a matching gift of $5 million from the state as part of the Texas Research Incentive Program. The Ingrams' donations to Texas State over the years, coupled with state matching funds, total more than $21 million, university spokesman Jayme Blaschke said.Bonds approved by the Legislature and bonds from the Texas State University System also underwrote Ingram Hall.(TNS) - The day before firefighter radio transmissions revealed a malfunctioning PG&E power line may have triggered the states most destructive wildfire, a business owner in this tiny town near the Camp Fires origin said she received an email from the utility alerting her that workers had to fix a sparking problem on a nearby power line.In the email received Wednesday, the company said theyd be coming out to work on one of their nearby towers that were having problems with sparks, said Betsy Ann Cowley, owner of Pulga, a former abandoned railroad town turned retreat popular with techies.This needs to become a class action lawsuit, the former Oakland resident said.Just what might have caused the sparking is unclear, but the radio transmissions reviewed by Bay Area News Group and an alert sent to state regulators indicate a transmission line created a hazard about 15 minutes before the blaze was first reported. Firefighters found downed power lines and a fast-moving fire beneath the high-tension wires when they arrived at the fires origin about a mile northeast of Pulga, by the dam.A PG&E spokesman said he was looking into Cowleys claims.The California Public Utilities Commission launched investigations Monday into Californias two largest utility companies after both PG&E and Southern California Edison Company reported that their electrical infrastructure suffered malfunctions near ground zero of two deadly blazes raging across the north and south of the state.The probes will assess the compliance of electric facilities with applicable rules and regulations in fire impacted areas, CPUC spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said Monday. The CPUC staff investigations may include an inspection of the fire sites once Cal Fire allows access, as well as maintenance of facilities, vegetation management, and emergency preparedness and response.Both utility companies have reiterated that no cause of either fire has been determined.PG&E already faces billions in potential liability because of the role of its power equipment in other destructive wildfires, including those last year in the Wine Country. The utility could face substantial liability from the Camp Fire if its equipment is deemed to be at fault, but its financial risk has been diminished by a controversial law passed earlier this year that allows the utility to pass the costs of fire damage onto ratepayers under some circumstances.On Friday, PG&E disclosed in a filing to the CPUC that it had detected an outage on a transmission line in Butte County, occurring about 15 minutes before the Camp Fire was first reported and in the same location Cal Fire pinpointed as the origin. The utility said a subsequent aerial inspection detected damage to a transmission tower on that same transmission line a mile northeast of the town of Pulga in the area of the Camp Fire.That is the approximate location of Poe Dam where initial radio transmissions of the fire  which has killed at least 42 people and destroyed more than 7,000 structures  indicate that a damaged transmission line was found by firefighters who discovered the initial fire beneath the high-tension wires. About 48 hours before the fire started, the utility had been warning multiple counties, including Butte, that it would possibly shut down power Thursday morning due to dangerous fire weather conditions. But, in the end, PG&E kept the power on.The Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said Friday that his office has been in discussions with Cal Fire to preserve the fire scene and any potential evidence for a possible criminal investigation.On Monday, guards blocked access to the road beyond Cowleys property, preventing anyone from continuing the final 3/4-mile to the transformer tower.Ive continuously tried to get in touch with them but nobody is in charge and they suck at communication, she said of PG&E workers who handle nearby transmission lines. The lines, she said, have been ignored for years, except for herds of goats on the slope chewing away vegetation under the lines.Radio transmissions from the first firefighters on the scene said it was managed vegetation area that was on fire initially, but high winds blew the flames to nearby brush and timber.Michael Flautt, who often testifies as an electrical accident expert in court, said he would look at whether an equipment problem led to the malfunction in the 115 kV Caribou-Palermo transmission line.They should check if the equipment at the original source was not set up properly for a short or a ground fault, Flautt said, stressing that he had not viewed the equipment and was offering his expert opinion. Youd rather have the equipment trip, rather than catch fire.While metallic transmission towers are sturdier, they conduct electricity unlike wooden poles, which often carry the smaller, lower voltage in residential lines.In March, PG&E said that during high winds it would periodically disable automated devices that can allow electrical power to continue flowing despite minor disruptions on the transmission or residential power lines. Other utilities shut down that equipment during high winds because if wires come down, they continue sending currents and could ignite vegetation on the ground.In response to a question about whether those automated devices, called reclosers, were disabled in the area of the transmission line malfunction, PG&E issued the following statement:Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers, employees, contractors and the communities we serve, said spokesman Paul Doherty. The cause of the Camp Fire has not yet been determined. Right now, our entire company is focused on supporting first responders and assisting our customers and communities impacted by the Camp Fire.A crew from Capstone Fire Management was on the dam inspecting the area Monday. The San Diego-based private firefighting company was hired by PG&E to buttress its fire prevention operations, including engine crews and personnel to staff operations centers.Cowley said she had just returned Monday from her first vacation in four years since buying the place to find her home destroyed. Many of the other structures on the property, including the historic school house with a mural of a scarlet king snake, survived.On Thursday, SoCal Edison issued an alert to the CPUC that a substation circuit near the origin of the Woolsey Fire in Southern California relayed, or sensed a disturbance on the circuit, just two minutes before Cal Fire said that devastating fire began.Preliminary information indicates the Woolsey Fire was reported at approximately 2:24 p.m., the company reported. Our information reflects the Big Rock 16 kV circuit out of Chatsworth Substation relayed at 2:22 p.m.SoCal Edison said personnel had not been able to access the area to investigate further and stressed there had been no determination of cause.A Cal Fire official said it would be reviewing electrical equipment as part of its probe into the Camp Fire.PG&E stockholders have engaged in a massive sell-off since Friday. Trading in the utility was briefly halted Monday after shares dropped more than 37 percent, before settling at a 17 percent loss on the day. The plummeting shares marked the steepest losses since the power crisis more than a decade ago.In Paradise, evacuees were upset with the utility.Seems like the responsibility is pointing toward them, said Travis Crockett, who lost his home on Winding Way in Paradise. Even on our street, theres a bunch of power lines going through trees.Staff writers Karl Mondon and David DeBolt, and the Associated Press, contributed to this report.2018 the Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)Visit the Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.) at www.eastbaytimes.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.What was once futuristic is now right around the corner. Yes, pilotless drones patrolling the skies above Gotham (a city near you). I don't know how this will play in Taiwan, but it surely would go down in flames in most cities here in the United States  today.While it sounds futuristic, I will not be surprised if at one point this does become more commonplace in urban areas of our nation. Certainly for wildfire applications, I'm betting this technology is not only wanted, but needed to better respond to future conflagrations like we saw in the town of Paradise, Calif., in recent days. ITRIs Automatic Police UAV Patrol System (APUPS) provides fully automated unmanned aerial vehicle police patrols and wildfire monitoring. It significantly boosts efficiency, deployment flexibility and surveillance quality for police and firefighters, minimizing human involvement and risks during regular patrols and rescue missions. The automated system coordinates smart charging and shift changing of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ensures the entire patrol system runs smoothly. It helps police and firefighters rapidly assess the appropriate level of response when receiving a report. In addition to performing routine patrols in urban and suburban areas, APUPS also works well for patrols in remote or distributed communities with mountainous landscapes and poor road conditions.APUPS can be applied to emergencies such as wildfires; the patrol system can identify a fires starting point, monitor its spread, and display smoothly synced audio and visual signals at the ground control center, allowing firefighters to address the crisis more effectively helping to minimize injuries. APUPS can operate day or night, between zero and 40 degrees Celsius. Field testing with Taiwans National Police Agency has been completed, and the agency plans to implement APUPS across Taiwan in 2019.The innovative patented APUPS technology is available for licensing to global companies who will bring it to market.(TNS) WASHINGTON  Security gaps similar to, but much less porous than, those in Georgias voter registration system have been identified in Washington state, potentially providing bad actors ways to foul citizens eligibility to cast ballots in last weeks elections, cyberexperts say.And states such as North Carolina, which make their voter registration data widely available, could enable someone to change voters data by mail, they said.Officials in both Washington and North Carolina expressed confidence they would spot any widespread tampering with voter registration records.Voters can rest assured that Washingtons election system is secure, says the website of its secretary of state.However, the cyberexperts said Washington appears to have failed to plug all the holes after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned last year that Russian cyberoperatives had downloaded voter records from Illinois database in advance of the 2016 presidential election and attempted to do so in 20 other states.In a small number of states, the Russians were in a position to alter or delete voter registration information, the Senate Intelligence Committee said last May.A National Academy of Sciences report on voting security earlier this year listed among its top recommendations the need for improved defenses to ensure the integrity of voter registration databases.Illegally deleting or altering registration data could force a victimized voter to cast a provisional ballot. Whether the provisional ballot would count would hinge on a decision regarding the voters eligibility, as defined separately by each state.In North Carolina, about 22,000 voters were offered provisional ballots this year, while the unofficial count in Georgia soared past 30,000. Washington officials did not provide this years total number of provisional ballots.The newly discovered security risks, in addition to long waits at some polling sites Tuesday due to equipment glitches and havoc that may have stemmed from voter registration irregularities, are sure to provide fresh fodder for watchdog groups. They want Congress to toughen defenses around Americans exercise of their most cherished democratic right.Outside cyberexperts this week were quick to identify lingering vulnerabilities in Georgia  and to a lesser extent, Washington, while expressing concern about North Carolinas system providing for registration updates by mail. Officials in all three states said they subjected their software and equipment earlier this year to risk and vulnerability assessments by Homeland Security cybertechnicians and got passing marks.A Homeland Security spokesman referred a reporter to the states.There may be no obvious clue to alert election officials when someone preys on the electronic systems, the experts said.Georgias voter registration issues, the latest in a series of security vulnerabilities that heightened national attention on the states heated gubernatorial race, were first revealed days before the election by the investigative reporting web site WhoWhatWhy.org.The gaping vulnerability found in Georgia should be sending shock waves, not just in the Georgia secretary of states office, but in all the other states that are using the same technology, said Susan Greenhalgh, policy director for the National Election Defense Coalition. The vendor left a door wide open that allows an attacker, anywhere in the world, to execute a voter suppression operation using election technology.The vendor who installed Georgias computer programming has been identified as PCC Technologies, at the time a Connecticut-based firm. Cyberexperts examined four states registration sites for McClatchy, including North Carolina and Washington, because PCC listed them along with Georgia among 15 states for which it had performed work.PCC recently was purchased by New Orleans-based GCR, Inc. GCRs chief executive officer, Dan Cox, did not respond to phone messages.Officials in both Washington and North Carolina said PCC did not program their voter registration databases, but the cyberexperts said they still could see vulnerabilities.They said hackers could get around authentication requirements in the voter registration system for Washingtons statewide vote-by-mail operation. If data were deleted, the affected voters would not be mailed ballots, creating significant challenges, especially if the voter failed to act before Election Day.In Georgia, computer code in online voter registration databases could have allowed a malicious party to electronically delete voters names or alter their addresses, as well as target a subset of voters based on their political leanings, the experts said.Harri Hursti, a New York-based cyberexpert who monitored Georgias election on Tuesday, said the design of its online registration system was acceptable 15 years ago. But today, he said, it would violate every single manual because it exposes critical information to any viewer.A high school student today would get an F if they made that kind of a project, Hursti said in a phone interview.Washingtons registration system is similar to Georgias, but has more protections, said Matthew Bernhard, a doctoral student in computer sciences at the University of Michigan.After cyberexperts pointed out vulnerabilities in Washingtons system several years ago, election officials added authentication requirements to prevent anyone from tampering with personal information on the secretary of states MyVote page without entering his drivers license number or a state identification number and the date it was issued.The state also added a step requiring the voter to select certain images to prove he is not a robot  an improvement that Bernhard said should rule out an automated attack on the system.Erich Ebel, a spokesman for Secretary of State Kim Wyman, said the state has a very robust election security protocol, both physical and electronic.Our firewalls are state-of-the-art, and we have a number of other measures in place to identify, block and report suspicious activity, he said.Further, Wymans office has formed elections security partnerships with Homeland Security, the FBI and other groups and agencies and is engaged in a wide range of system testing, monitoring and detection, Ebel said.However, Bernhard and a prominent cyberexpert who evaluated Washingtons security on condition of anonymity said theres still a way for a bad actor to manipulate the system.Drivers licenses for residents of Washington and a number of other states are easily obtainable by using a tool on the web site Highprogrammer.com, which was created by computer geeks to show how easily systems can be breached.Once armed with a drivers license number and just one voters birth date, Bernhard said, it shouldnt take many educated guesses to arrive at the licenses issue date. At that point it would be easy to download the entire voter registration database and obtain drivers license numbers for large numbers of voters.While guessing the issue dates of drivers licenses would take some time, Bernhard noted that the kind of adversary were talking about is a nation state, where they have a roomful of people who could sit there and click through these messages to try to have a winning combination of data.In some election races, he said, You wouldnt have to change that many peoples voter registrations to have an effect on the election.Patrick Gannon, a spokesman for North Carolinas elections board, said PCC worked only briefly for the state before its services were terminated. He said North Carolina government cybertechnicians designed its online voter registration system.Gannon acknowledged that a North Carolina law making widely available the states voter registration data, including personal information such as Social Security numbers and birth dates, could allow anyone to pluck names off the list, fill out a form and mail fake address changes to state or county officials.Voters must sign mailed registration changes, and election officials are directed to ensure the signature on the updates matches the one on record, he said.Such conduct is a felony, he said, and state officials have seen no signs of widespread fraud of this nature. If it occurred in large numbers, he said, we believe that the county boards would notice and alert the state board, which would investigate.Georgias gubernatorial race has drawn national attention because of a stream of allegations that the Republican candidate, Brian Kemp, sought to suppress minority votes while continuing to serve as secretary of state and overseeing the election.Among the problems spotlighted in Georgia: A security breach that could have allowed cyberintruders to tamper with the registration system and election management system over a six-month period in 2017 and early 2018, purges by state officials of more than a million names from the voter rolls, a freeze on some voters eligibility on grounds that the signatures on the initial record and updates didnt match and the states use of aged electronic voting machines that lack a paper trail for use in audits or recounts.Kemp has claimed a narrow victory over former state Rep. Stacey Abrams and on Thursday submitted to demands that he step down as secretary of state, saying he wanted to begin his transition to the governorship.Cash-free businesses create a gulf between the people who can go there, and those who cant. Photo: Dirk Butenschon/EyeEm/Getty Images

I was at a health-food and coffee shop on East Houston, grabbing an $11 vegan sandwich for lunch, when I noticed the man next to me, who appeared to be homeless, trying to buy a cup of coffee. The entire exchange wasnt going well: First, there was the absence of any traditional milk from the dairy-free cafes vegan mylk selection. The coffees price, $2.95 for a small, was also fairly steep. But just as it looked like the situation was going to resolve itself, a final, insurmountable hurdle arrived: As the would-be customer started to pay with a stack of coins and notes in his hand, an employee was forced to tell him that cash wasnt accepted at the cafe. Eventually, he gave the coffee to the man, only after the three of us stared at each other uncomfortably.

Until then, I had been aware of cash-free restaurants and cafes, but had never fully grasped the effects of their growing numbers. Afterward, I realized cashless coffee shops, cafes, and take-out spots are everywhere. It also struck me that these businesses force people to adopt a way of shopping and living that not everyone wants, and that in doing so they create a gulf between people who can shop at these businesses and people who cant.

The more I thought about it, the more these businesses began to infuriate me. Are these business owners trying to keep out certain customers? What about children? Or people who are paid in cash, or others who, for whatever reason, cant or wont open a bank account (because they are undocumented, for example, or do not have a home or a fixed address)? What about tourists who simply want to avoid bank exchange rates? What about other people who, quite reasonably, dont love the idea of companies like Apple and Square being able to track their complete purchase histories?

And arent the businesses that refuse to accept cash really just sending a not-so-subtle message about the types of customers they want?

We already have so many forms of stigma and discrimination in this country, says Bill Maurer, a UC Irvine professor who also directs the Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion, and now we are adding mode of payment to the list  if we start marking belonging by means of payment, thats a big problem. Maurer, who coordinates research in over 40 countries about the impact of new payment technologies on peoples well-being, encourages everyone to seriously think about the long-term ramifications of a cashless revolution  but that doesnt seem to bother cash-free advocates too much.

Cash is our main competitor; I dont envy being in cashs position, a Visa spokesperson told me recently. In summer of 2017, the credit-card company announced a cashless challenge that would award a $10,000 prize to businesses that went completely cash-free. The cashless challenge, the spokesperson explained, was designed to make it okay to say I am cash free, and hopefully encourage others to come forward, too.

Simone Falco, the chef and owner of New Yorks fast-casual Simo Pizza, which won $10,000 in the Visa cashless challenge, says that the driving force to go cashless at his businesses was a desire to maintain a tip-free environment. And in his video entry for Visas challenge he focuses on business benefits like speed, efficiency, and theft reduction. The consensus among small-business owners is that eliminating cash streamlines operations, makes better use of resources (staff dont have to waste time doing banking or washing their hands after handling paper money), speeds up wait times for customers, and eliminates the risk of theft, either by third parties or workers.

Itai Afek, the owner of the gourmet wrap company Wolfnights, says he decided to go cashfree at his Lower East Side and West Village locations after seeing sales data that 85 percent of his very high-tech customers pay with cards anyway. In New York City, he tells me, almost everyone has a debit or a credit card.

This is a common line of thinking among cashless owners  In New York City everybody carries a credit card or a debit card! Falco proclaims in his Visa video  but the belief that everyone has access to a card likely only applies to these owners target audience. According to the latest national survey by the FDIC, about 6.5 percent of American households (which is about 8.4 million) do not have a bank account, and an additional 18.7 percent are whats called underbanked, which means they are more likely to rely on cash day-to-day. In New York state, almost 25 percent of all households  and nearly half of black and Hispanic households  are unbanked or underbanked.

Theres a slight barrier to entry, which you cant ignore, and we really wrestled with that, says Theo Friedman, a co-founder of the shaved-ice company Bonsai Kakigori, which is now cash-free. Friedman concedes, Youre making a real socioeconomic statement when you say, I only accept cards. How does the team at Bonsai reconcile this? Welcome to the world of small business, Friedman says. Every day you are faced with tons of different decisions and you have to chose a side and move on. He says that when a new stand-alone Bonsai shop opens on the Lower East Side this winter, the team will start out cash-free and see how it goes. If we have to turn ten people away each day, we will start taking cash, and if its never an issue, then its never an issue.

In reality, it can be something of an issue, and cashless businesses have different ways of handling customers who cant or wont pay by card. The ice-cream chain Van Leeuwen went completely cashless last fall. Co-founder Ben Van Leeuwen says that customers who have a problem with it are either tourists who are worried about transaction fees, or people who have cards but are against the business model on principal. Van Leeuwen store manager Henry Molina says that if a customer makes it to the front of their often-long lines without a card, hell politely explain the policy before ultimately letting the customer have one ice cream on the house. (Molina also says that if a customer has the exact amount of cash hell take it and swipe his card for them.) The taco and burrito chain Dos Toros went cash-free last year, too, and co-founder Leo Kremer says they train staff to err on the side of generosity. (He also points out that there are also work-arounds. For example, you could always go to a drug store, pay a fee, and buy a prepaid gift card, which feels like a lot of extra work to buy a burrito.) If we have made someone their food and it turns out they dont have a card, Kremer says, well comp the meal and remind them for next time. He adds, I think that most people act in good faith.

Most surprising to me is the fact that, for the most part, its completely legal for business owners to reject cash. Theres no federal statute that says that private businesses have to accept cash, and the only state that mandates businesses must accept cash is Massachusetts.

Fueled by concern about the discrimination that cashless businesses pose, lawmakers have been drafting bills. In Philadelphia, councilman William K. Greenlee and co-sponsor Maria Quinones-Sanchez have submitted one that would stop businesses from refusing to accept cash and amend the citys Fair Practices Ordinance, which provides protections against unlawful discrimination. Greenlee started noticing cashless coffee shops appearing around City Hall, and says they didnt sit right with him: Just because you dont have a piece of plastic, you cant get a sandwich? Or a cup of coffee? He says of cash-free businesses, People from all walks of life come to the center of the city and it seems like these places are saying, we dont need your business. Thats not a great statement to make. Greenlee also told me that among the 28 percent of Philadelphians who either dont have a bank account or who use financial services from an institution that is not a bank, a significantly higher portion are African-American and Latino. He says the arguments that businesses make for going cashless strike him as weak, and argues that if your customers use credit cards most of the time, theres no need to ban cash. As far as hes concerned its basic discrimination: Everyone can access cash, but not everyone can get a card.

Still, some owners say cash simply has no place at their businesses. Amirah Kassem is a co-owner of the bakery Flour Shop. We created the space so youd have this whole Disneyland, sprinkles-and-smiles experience when you walk in, she says. The boring things  like cash  dont happen at Flour Shop.Donald Trump went on a Twitter tirade this morning, targeting French president Emmanuel Macron. In it, he turned to one of his favorite topics: trade wars. Admitting that the French make excellent wine, our President  a famous teetotaler  complained about the imbalance between tariffs on American wines in France and American tariffs on French wines. France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs, Trump wrote. As you might guess, the imbalance is, in fact, minimal: The European Union adds $0.11 to $0.29 to each bottle of American wine. The American government adds $0.05 to $0.14 cents to European bottles. (Also, keep in mind that something called Trump Winery exists in Virginia.)

In any event, any hint that the Trump administration might start messing with wine prices resonated with a number of industry watchers:

Ffreedom wine...dont fuck up the restaurant business more than you already have. https://t.co/CWgDJKSr1x  Dave Chang (@davidchang) November 13, 2018

Eagerly scanning my timeline for US winemakers who are eager for a trade war with France.  Pete Wells (@pete_wells) November 13, 2018

European wine regions have a centuries old practice of drinking local wines. This is heritage but it is slowly evolving. Still, it's rare that anybody in Sicily will drink Tuscan wine and vice versa. You don't see much Bordeaux in Burgundy ...1/2 https://t.co/lk9GRrkm6K  Eric Asimov (@EricAsimov) November 13, 2018

France is truly missing out on the booming Wine in a Can market I am so fond of https://t.co/7GLGY4Miiq  Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) November 13, 2018

I thought the days of "freedom fries" and dumping already purchased bottles French wine during the Iraq War buildup was a low point for the US but Trump continually shows me that there is no floor. pic.twitter.com/7FpmsbLzOl  Melissa Ryan (@MelissaRyan) November 13, 2018News

VIDEO: SUV hits Christmas parade in US, killing multiple victims

The city of Waukesha posted on its social media accounts late on Sunday that it could confirm at least five died and more than 40 were injured, while noting that it was still collecting information.(Hedgeweek) The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed and settled charges against Jacob Bourne, a former managing director of Deutsche Bank Securities Inc, for fraudulently mis-marking swap valuations to conceal significant trading losses.

To read this article:Those looking for a silicone-based sex session to get them through the long winter nights will have to fork out 100 an hour for the pleasure, but should be comforted to know that they wont be alone, with Iltalehti reporting that there have already been a number of advance bookings.

The Unique Dolls brothel will open in a basement behind the Kannelmaki Shopping Centre on 15 November, amid a global surge in the popularity of synthetic sexual companions. The news has already made headlines internationally, with the establishment being one of very few in Europe to currently operate publicly.

THE DOORS of Helsinkis very own sex doll brothel are due to open this week, the first of any such establishment to open in Finland.

Patrons will have four different dolls to choose from, which are named Candy, Crystal, Nicky, and Jennifer. The hyper-realistic, life-sized dolls cost between 2300-4000 to buy and are built in specialist factories in China and Germany.

Candy is the most expensive doll, owing to her authentic-feel silicone skin, which reportedly feels very similar to the real thing. The dolls also come fully equipped with hair, lips, and a removable synthetic vagina. The dolls are heated up with an air-dryer beforehand in order to give the impression of human warmth, a necessity for those visiting the air-conditioned, windowless brothel.

Visitors can rest assured that the dolls are thoroughly cleaned out before use, in a meticulous process that takes over an hour. Each doll is situated in a private room featuring a sofa bed, speakers, and a flat-screen TV. Patrons are also provided with towels, lubricant, and condoms  the latter of which are compulsory to use. Only four people at a time are able to visit Unique Dolls.

Speaking to Iltalehti, the owner of the establishment, an unnamed Russian entrepreneur, states that the purpose of the dolls is to help people meet their sexual desires, particularly those who may not be comfortable doing so with real people. They have also suggested that they will consider purchasing male sex dolls if there is sufficient demand in the future.

Whether Unique Dolls will prove to be a hit among frisky Finns remains to be seen, but theres no denying that the establishment is a colourful addition to this quiet suburb of Northern Helsinki.

Adam Oliver Smith - HT

Image: LehtikuvaWhen it comes to war histories, the Vietnam War and World War I are in a class by themselves. More sheer nonsense has been written about these two conflicts than just about any other war in history. Both wars shook to their very foundations two of the worlds greatest powers of the time, Britain in the Great War and the United States in Vietnam. Thus, in a very real sense, both wars are still being fought and re-fought in history books, novels and movies, which partisans of all ideological stripes use to advance their social and historical agendas. There are, of course, many excellent histories too. Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975, by the highly regarded British historian Max Hastings, is the latest excellent general history of the war in Southeast Asia. It is also one of the most balanced and objective books about Vietnam you will ever read.

Until recently, most books about Vietnam have been written by French or American authors. They tend to focus on the war as a tragedy for, or an atrocity by, their own particular nations. Not having a national position to defend or condemn himself, Hastings focuses on the war as first and foremost a tragedy for the Vietnamese. But he does not fall into the trap of wallowing in sentimentality for the communist side, as did Frances FitzGerald in her 1972 book, The Fire in the Lake.

Hastings makes it clear that the Vietnamese people, both north and south, were victims of their own governments. The government of South Vietnam was incompetent, hopelessly corrupt, and cared little for the common people. The government of North Vietnam may have been better organized, disciplined and ideologically focused, but the core of its system was an imposed and rigid conformity, enforced with brutal Stalinist suppression. As Hastings points out, The Hanoi Politburo and National Liberation Front caused the South Vietnamese people merely to exchange oppression by warlords and landlords in favor of even harsher subjection to the disciples of Stalin.

Hastings offers hard, but objective and fair, analyses of the two major outside actors in Vietnams 1945-75 war, France during the first phase and the United States during the second. Frances mistake was its desperate attempt to hold onto a colonial empire. Americas error was a blind commitment to support any anti-communist regime, regardless of how far removed that regime might be from the nations own values and principles. Americans naively believed that they could remake South Vietnam in their own image. If recent history is any indicator, that is a lesson the United States seems yet to have learned.

All sidesFrance, the United States, South and North Vietnamwere guilty of their share of brutalities and atrocities. But every American misstep was widely reported by the worlds free press, while the Stalinist regime in the north allowed no such unrestricted reporting of its actions. As Hastings notes: Relative American openness, contrasted with the Communist commitment to secrecy, in my view, constitutes a claim upon a fragment of the moral high ground.

All sides also obfuscated and attempted to spin the facts to their own advantage. Hanoi, for example, has yet to acknowledge the slaughter by its troops of thousands of civilians at Hue in February 1968 during the communists Tet Offensive. On the other hand, the American governments attempt to cover up the March 1968 My Lai Massacre by U.S. troops ultimately failed, and the ugly truth came out. And as Hastings notes: The egregious error committed by U.S. statesmen and commanders was not that of lying to the world, but rather that of lying to themselves.As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

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If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.Lt. Hector Tremblay is buried in Pittsfield Cemetery. He was twice gassed during the war and died of tuberculosis barely two years after the war's end.

'I Wonder If I Will Ever See Pittsfield Again': WWI Letters From Lt. Tremblay



Hector R. Tremblay in uniform. He was nearly 40 when he re-enlisted to serve in World War I. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Thirty-four minutes. Dug into a hole for the night in France under heavy shelling in November 1918, Hector Richard Tremblay wrote to his wife that he'd give "half his life" for 34 minutes in the city of Pittsfield.

"As I sit in my little hole, my feet are wet and I am cold as the devil. I wonder if I will ever see Pittsfield again," he had written in a letter dated Nov. 9, 1918. "I would give half my life if I could be in Pittsfield for 34 minutes but I must be patient and my time will come."

Tremblay was born on Jan. 4, 1879, in Pittsfield. At age 19 while living on Adam Street, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He served as a sergeant on the cruiser Montgomery during the Spanish American war. He participated during the Boxer uprising in China and was with the allies entering Peking in 1900.

He returned home in 1903. He was a chauffeur for Dr. Frank W. Brandow and then later for Daniel England. He became the treasurer and the manager of the Colonial Theater. After the theater was sold he became the manager of the South Street Garage before taking a job with Eaton, Crane & Pike Co.

In 1917, the United States entered the war. He felt it was his duty to return to war and he entered the Army. Because of his experience, he was quickly sent to the front line. And the 6 foot 1 inch, 205 pounds, Tremblay wasn't afraid of a good fight.

"Tremblay looked and acted the soldier. He could be severe when circumstances required but his discipline was tempered with tact and a broad sympathy that bespoke confidence. Although past the draft age, Lt. Tremblay felt when the United States entered the war it was his duty to go," reads his obituary.

Known to most simply as "Hec," Lt. Tremblay was in the Argonne offensive when he was gassed for the first time. He received medical treatment but was quickly returned to service. He was later gassed again while advancing in "No Man's Land" the day before the armistice was signed.

Tremblay had been in the 28th division, one he had wanted because it would give him the most action.

"I would like to have been attached to the 26th division for there is a lot more fight there. But that is in the first army so I asked to be assigned to the 28th division, which is the next best. We have done some great work such as in the Argonne forest and many other places," Tremblay would write to his wife on Nov. 6, 1918, five days before the war's end.

"My battery is a whirlwind. The men would rather fight than eat. They are always looking for a fight and usually get just what they are looking for."

Tremblay had written home a lot during the final days of the war when he was in France. He detailed close calls when he was nearly killed, he talked about collecting souvenirs and expressed both pride and deep internal thoughts.

"Shells of all sizes are dropping around us. I can see them burst from where I sit. They have been bombarding us since night before last. When I came to report to this division as a trench mortar officer I came over in an automobile. They were shelling the roads so that we could hardly get through. When the driver and I got to the ruined village there was no one in the town. Just then two large shells knocked down a house about 2,000 yards from us. We jumped in the little Ford and started back to another town. Just then the boche sent up a flare that lit the whole sky. We had to stand still and take a dose of sneezing gas. As soon as the light went out we went back to the next town and slept in a barn that was tumbled down until morning," he wrote on Oct. 27.

"No two walls of any house in this town are standing up. We have taken over the boche dugouts. There are all fitted up like a real house. The one I am in has electric lights but they don't work as the motor was destroyed before the Hunds left."

He was in the middle of the action and on Oct. 31 he wrote that he could collect many souvenirs to take home with him, but he couldn't carry them all. Between the fighting and the mud, the soldiers had barely the energy to take anything extra.

"This division is one of the hardest fighting divisions here. It has been cited three times for its bravery. I am now busy forming another trench mortar battery as this one received many casualties in the last fight. They are very good boys and they will follow me anywhere," Tremblay wrote.

"Have a German cap, gray with red band. Inside was a picture of his sweetheart. He will not miss it as he has gone to sleep forever ... I could have all kinds of souvenirs but it is impossible to carry them and we need our strength to carry our clothes."

While Tremblay was certainly proud of his men, internally he questioned the worth of the war. In a letter dated Nov. 4, Tremblay wrote about how he wanted to come home. He wrote that the Germans weren't all that different. They also wanted it to end.

"Isn't it better anyhow to live than to die, no matter for how 'glorious' a cause? Isn't it better to live and come back to the old folks at home than to rot in the shell holes and trenches of France?" Tremblay wrote.

"You have had to hear many high falutin words about 'liberty,' 'humanity,' and 'making the world safe for democracy,' but honest now, aren't these catchwords merely sugar coating to the bitter pill of making you spend wretched months far from home? Do you really believe those German soldier boys in their faded gray uniforms on the other side of 'No Man's Land' are hot on the trail of our liberties?"

Tremblay believed in the trenches on the other the Germans were thinking the same thing. He wrote that if they had fallen into German hands, "they will treat you fair enough on the principle of live and let live." The war was wrapping up and both sides were exhausted. Tremblay could feel it coming to an end and questioned taking any more chances.

That letter came after he had nearly been killed.

"One of the shells this morning exploded about 50 yards away from me. It put one man out of business, another landed a little farther away and a piece of it struck at my feet. We are now in what they call rest billets but believe me there is not rest," Tremblay wrote.

Word of the war's end had come but Tremblay and his fellow soldiers weren't believing it. They were still getting shelled. On Nov. 9, Tremblay was still collecting items from overseas. He made vases out of shells but didn't send them home because "I prize them so highly I am afraid to send them to you for fear you will never receive them." He collected German hand grenades and planned to take the power out of them and "make something nice."

And he was preparing for the end of the war.

"Good morning. Goodbye, over the top we go," wrote Tremblay at 3:15 a.m. on Nov. 10.

Tremblay was sent to cross No Man's Land that day at Metz. His company began advancing and he was again gassed. He fell into the arms of his top sergeant and there was a debate among the men as to what to do. But despite the protests, those in his division removed him from the battle from the rear.

"At that time he fell into there arms of his top sergeant and in spite of protests was removed to the rear. Afterward, he was sent to Tours where he was under medical treatment until the division came back to the United States in April 1919," reads his obituary.

He returned home to his wife, Lillian Margaret Brown, that April but a new battle was just beginning. The gassing has led to tuberculosis.

Tremblay was at hospitals in New Haven, Conn., Otisville, N.Y., and then Oteen, N.C., but he still wanted to go back to Pittsfield. In 1920, he said he was accustomed to the climate and he felt that would be good and he returned home.

"All through his long illness during which he was given the best care and attention within the resources of the government. Lt. Tremblay maintained the bright, cheerful demeanor that characterized him all through life," reads his obituary.

At age 41, on Sept. 12, 1920, he died at his home in Pittsfield. His funeral was at Notre Dame Church and he was buried with full military honors at the Pittsfield Cemetery.

"He died a martyr to a great cause and his record of achievement is one in which the city may well take a just pride," reads his obituary.The Beacon Cinema represents a more than $20 million investment of public and private funds.

Michigan Company Looking to Buy Beacon Cinema

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  A Michigan company is looking to buy the Beacon Cinema.

Insight Management Consulting has made an offer to purchase the building and the business from owner Richard Stanley. Stanley had redeveloped the North Street building into a theater in 2008, becoming an anchor to the city's future vision of revitalizing North Street when it opened its doors in 2009.

"The Beacon Cinema is a unique historic landmark and vital anchor in downtown Pittsfield. The restoration of the formerly distressed structure was a critical catalyst in our downtown revitalization. Early investments in Pittsfield's downtown, like the Beacon, have stimulated other investments, increasing downtown property values by 21.5 percent in the last 10 years," wrote Mayor Linda Tyer in a letter to the City Council.

Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington, has struggled to sustain a profit. In 2016, the City Council agreed to The renovated Kinnell-Kresge building with its two-story cinema was touted to bring upwards of 200,000 people annually to North Street when ground was broken in 2008. But Stanley, who also owns thehas struggled to sustain a profit. In 2016, the City Council agreed to extend tax incentives for five additional years to help with improvements to the theater. The Beacon Cinema then lowered its prices and put in brand-new seating.

Insight Management, doing business as Pheonix Theaters, owns and operates theaters in Michigan and Iowa.

With a sale pending, the seller and the buyer petitioned the city to forgive $2.5 million worth of loans the city issued to the Beacon. According to Director of Community Development Deanna Ruffer, Tyer countered and the two parties agreed to ask forgiveness for $1 million of that with the rest of it being forgiven in 10 years provided that the theater remains open.

On Tuesday, the City Council will be asked to make those amendments.

"This debt is the result of the magnitude of investment required to redevelop existing dilapidated downtown historical structures into a state of the art cinema center and office complex, meeting the requirements of the state and federal historic tax credit program and the New Market Tax Credit program. These financial challenges were exacerbated by the changes that have occurred in the past decade in the movie industry and the owner's inability to complete the full build-out of the commercial components of the property," Ruffer wrote.

Ruffer warns that "the proposed sale of the property to an experience independent theatre owner has been determined to be the best option; with the only reasonable alternative being foreclosure which could result in the immediate closing of the Beacon Cinema and elimination of all of the city debt."

Ruffer provided an analysis of Insight Management and determined "it is the opinion of the Department that IMC and its owner have the financial and operational wherewithal to ensure that the property and theatre are long-term successful endeavors and continue to contribute to the ongoing vitality and growth of downtown Pittsfield for many years into the future."

The redevelopment of the theater in 2008 is a key piece of the city's recent history. North Street's vacancies were piling up through the 1990s. In 1997, a master plan was developed by Downtown Pittsfield Inc. identifying a downtown movie theater as a key component to the downtown's future.

The Beacon was coupled with the live-performance Colonial Theater and Barrington Stage as three pillars for redevelopment. Those since triggered the growth of additional shops nearby.

In 2016, a number of downtown businesses came to the aid of the Beacon, saying it helps bring customers to their stores.

"It wasn't until the Beacon Theater was proposed when we thought [downtown Pittsfield] would be a good fit for us," said David Renner, who owns the Marketplace Cafe right next door to the cinema, at the time.

Downtown Pittsfield officials credit Stanley for investing in the more than $20.2 million project and creating 39 total jobs. However, the theater landscape has changed and increased competition from Regal Cinemas at the Berkshire Mall has taken its toll. Despite boasting of increased attendance numbers since installing the new seats, it appears Stanley has yet to see a profit.

"Also in 2016, Regal Cinema upgraded the seats in their theaters at the Berkshire Mall to manual reclining seats. This had an immediate, negative impact on Beacon attendance and exacerbated the Beacon's financial challenges," Ruffer wrote.

"In response, the Beacon's commercial lenders required that an independent analysis of the Beacon's operation be conducted (as stated above this analysis was performed by IMC personnel). A number of the recommendations made as a result of this analysis were implemented by the Beacon's management. The most significant of which was the upgrading of the seating. The installation of state of the art electric reclining seats was completed in November 2017. In the year since this completion, attendance has increased by 40 percent over the prior year."Mount Greylock School Committee Hears MCAS Reports

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Lanesborough Elementary School is the only one of the three Mount Greylock Regional School District schools that met its targets in the state evaluations released this fall.

Representatives from the administrations at Lanesborough, Williamstown Elementary and Mount Greylock Regional School presented the School Committee last week with reports on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System scores from last spring at their respective buildings.

Principals Mary MacDonald and Martha Wiley and WES Assistant Principal Elea Kaatz focused on the student performance numbers in English language arts, math and science and discussed areas where the schools need to make improvements.

When they were finished, School Committee member Dan Caplinger asked if there was a classification for each school similar to the "Level 1, 2 or 3" classifications the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education used to issue under prior accountability regimes.

MacDonald said there is and that the schools are discussing how best to interpret data.

"Mount Greylock is 'partially meeting targets,' " MacDonald said in a meeting telecast by the district on YouTube. "We had a conversation with [Superintendent Kimberley Grady] about how to address this when we're still trying to understand exactly what it reflects. For example, we spent a little time talking about absenteeism today. That was an area where all three schools did poorly. Before, we just looked at academic performance, and now the state is looking at other areas.

"That information is available. We can share that information, but we have to dig more deeply into the numbers in order to discuss it with you intelligently."

Both the middle-high school and Williamstown Elementary were classified as "partially meeting targets" by DESE. Lanesborough Elementary achieved the higher ranking of "meeting targets," because it scored significantly stronger in the evaluation of its lowest-performing students  defined by DESE as "the greater of the lowest-performing 20 students or the lowest performing 25 percent of students."

Lanesborough also scored higher for "growth," which DESE uses to measure the "change in achievement over time rather than grade-level achievement results in any one year."

LES garnered a perfect score, eight out of eight points, for achievement among its lowest-performing pupils and seven out of eight points for growth among all pupils.

At WES, performance among the lowest-performing pupils rated four out of eight points, and the growth rate for all pupils was four out of eight.

At Mount Greylock, performance for the lowest-performing cohort rated seven out of a possible 12, and the growth rate overall earned the school five out of a possible eight points.

Absenteeism also was less of a drag on Lanesborough Elementary's total score.

LES earned two out of four points for "chronic absenteeism." Williamstown and Mount Greylock each scored zero out of four points.

"We are in a college town, and we have students who may be part of families with professors," Kaatz said. "Our vacations don't line up. Are students having rich experiences during those times? Probably.

"It's something we'll be talking about  counting those as days in school. What does the experience look like, and how does it add to the student's education?"

That said, Kaatz added, "We are really trying to stress the importance of attendance."

Williamstown Elementary this year followed the lead of the district's other two schools and started using "robocall" reminders to families of absent pupils.

MacDonald said Mount Greylock should revisit its internal policy, which states that students can lose credit for a course after missing 12 days per semester. DESE's threshold for "chronic absenteeism is 10 percent of class days, or about 18 days annually, or nine per semester.

In terms of the test scores themselves, it was the usual mixed blessing for Williamstown Elementary, where the majority of pupils are meeting or exceeding the state's expectations but the "growth rate" is lower.

For all grades, 75 percent of WES pupils met or exceeded expectations in ELA and math; the state averages are 51 percent for ELA and 48 percent for math. But the student growth percentile for WES was 49.6 percent for ELA and 47.3 percent for math.

"The target is 50 percent," Kaatz said. "And we did achieve it in some areas [for example, a 58.1 percent SGP in ELA for last year's sixth-graders], but it's really hard to grown when we're meeting expectations already.

"We are growing.  The fact that we're close to 50 is great. The state says you have to be at 50."

At Lanesborough Elementary, just 61 percent of the pupils met or exceeded expectations for ELA (state average 51 percent), and 51 percent met or exceeded expectations for math (state average 48 percent). On the other hand, LES' student growth percentile scores were 57.8 percent for ELA and 66.2 percent for math  well above the 50 percent threshold.

"In ELA, we did quite well, as you can see," Wiley said. "The only area we declined was students with disabilities, so we really are looking at  training our staff more in differentiated instruction. Same thing for math. We did well, but for students with disabilities, we did not meet targets. We'll be looking at that.

"We're very pleased overall, but we know we can always be working to improve."

At Mount Greylock, students consistently met or exceeded expectations at a higher rate than the state average. In the middle school, the "met or exceeded" rates were 75 percent for ELA and 64 percent for math; the state averages were 51 percent and 48 percent, respectively.

In 10th grade, 96 percent of Mount Greylock students were "proficient or advanced" on ELA, and 90 percent were proficient or advanced on math. The state averages are 91 percent and 78 percent, respectively.

Mount Greylock scored lower  but still above the state averages  on the science tests in eighth and 10th grades. In eighth grade, its students scored proficient or higher at a 55 percent clip, compared to 35 percent statewide. In 10th grade, Mount Greylock's proficient or higher percentage in science was 80 percent; statewide, it was 74 percent.

Mount Greylock's student growth percentiles varied: 62.5 percent for ELA in the middle school and 42 percent for ELA in 10th grade; 36.7 percent for math in middle school and 50.3 percent for math in 10th grade.

"One of the things we noticed is we didn't get as much detailed information from the state with regard to individual performance," MacDonald said. "The math department has looked at individual student performance to get a better sense of how students did in specific areas.

"Based on that, changes already have been implemented into this year's curriculum."

In other business at Thursday's meeting, the School Committee recognized Mount Greylock senior Maddie Albert for receiving the school's Superintendent's Certificate of Excellence and determined subcommittee assignments for the year ahead.

The first order of business was electing Joe Bergeron to serve as the chairman of the committee for 2018-19. Bergeron was the chair of the Transition Committee that ran the recently expanded PreK-12 district from Jan. 1 through this November's election of the first School Committee for the full region.

Bergeron accepted the post but reminded his colleagues that the practice for the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee when it was responsible for just the middle-high school was to rotate the chair between residents of Williamstown and Lanesborough.

Bergeron, a resident of Williamstown, recommended the committee follow that practice going forward.

Lanesborough resident Regina DiLego was elected vice chair of the committee.

The School Committee was reminded that the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the renovated and expanded middle-high school will be held Friday, Nov. 16, at 1:30. The invitation-only event will welcome representatives from the Massachusetts School Building Authority and include Mount Greylock students.

"This is not the open house for the community that we're so looking forward to having," MacDonald said. "We will have that once the auditorium is open and we can show off the whole building."

School Committee member Steven Miller expressed dismay that the auditorium still is not available for use by the school.

"I'm concerned because initially things were supposed to be done in March," MIller said. "At our last meeting, we were told by Turner Construction everything was on target for Oct. 24."

"Your concerns are not yours alone," Bergeron replied.This content is from: Capital Markets

The head of the EU clearing house argues the next step is a dialogue amongst regulators on the best definition of systemic importanceThis content is from: Banking

There are still some areas of uncertainty when it comes to the regulation of cryptocurrenciesTo access our in-house intelligence please request a trial here.

Read this article  and more  for a 30 day period.

Are you already an IFLR subscriber? Login hereCroatia International, Mateo Kovacic, came out this morning to voice his displeasure at the stalemate with Everton during the weekend. The two sides met at at Stamford bridge to a play a goalless draw in the fixture corresponding to match day 12 in the current domestic league.

The Real Madrid loanee who started the match and only left the fray in the 82nd minute for England International, Ross Barkley was one of the few stand out performer during the encounter.

Kovacic who has left England to join up with his National team side, Croatia, as they prepare to take on Spain in the ongoing UEFA Nationa league competition took to his twitter handle in the early hours of today to reveal how disappointed he is at his team not beating Everton.

What he said:

https://twitter.com/Mateo_Kova23/status/1061714240829095936Troops of the Nigerian army on Tuesday, arrested a female suicide bomber at Gonikalachari Borno State.

In a statement by the army , it reveales that troops of 251 Task Force Battalion Maiduguri arrested the female suicide bomber, identified as Shaidutu Adamu. It was revealed also that the suicide bomber(19), attempted to infiltrate Maiduguri to detonate her suicide vest and inflict maximum casualty on innocent Nigerians, but was caught by officers of the army.

It was discovered that the suicide bomber was from Gwoza in Borno State and was sent on a lone mission.

Upon interrogation, she confessed that she has been in Sambisa Forest for about 3 years.

Consequently, Troops from 47 Explosive Ordinance Device Battalion were invited to diffuse the explosives. She has been transferred to 7 Military Intelligence Brigade Maiduguri for further investigations, the army revealed.GQ magazine recently released several covers of their men and woman of the year for 2018. It features woman of the year 2018, Serena Williams. Jonah Hill, Henry Golden and Michael B Jordan were the male stars honored on the 2018 men of the year cover.

The decision to put Woman in quotes in Williams cover has been questioned by some. Many users seem to be unaware of the typography handwritten by Designer Virgil Abloh; who uses quotation marks in his work. Abloh collaborated with Williams and Nike for the players US Open outfit which featured Serena in quotations on her trainers and Logo on her tutu dress.

GQ research manager, Mick Rose, explained the significance of this via twitter. Abloh has styled everything in quotation marks as of late. it quite literally has tags/quotations around it because thats Virgils own style/branding, including his partnership with Nike and Serena herself. Thats the only message behind it. GQ and Serena are yet to release an official statement on the issue.

Se covers below:Argentina superstar, Lionel Messi, would be needing only 77 goals to become highest goalscorer for a single club. The 5 times Ballon DOr winner moves clear of Germans, Gerard Muller, after his brace against Real Betis during the weekend takes his tally for Barcelona to 566 compared to Mullers 565.

The Barcelona captain is now the second highest goalscorer for a single club and has Brazilian legend, Pele, in sight in the standing. The Brazilian has 643competitive goals with Santos during his 18 years stay with the club.Vanguard



The Committee on Resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, set up by the Plateau Government, has said 1,801 persons were killed in the recent attacks on the state.

The Nation

A Kano High Court on Monday upheld its earlier order halting the state House of Assembly Investigative Committee from investigating the bribery allegation against Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje.

Guardian

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to begin an investigation into bribery allegations against Kano State Governor Umar Ganduje.

ThisDay

The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi, yesterday said his principal, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, would prioritise security, national unity, education and job creation, if elected president of Nigeria, saying the country is broken, that another four years of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is beyond contemplation of any right thinking Nigerian.

Daily Trust

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has blamed past governments for not effectively utilising earned crude oil revenue to develop road and other infrastructures in the country.

Daily Times

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured a total of 703 convictions of corrupt persons and corporate entity and a recovery of a whopping N892, 691,752,094.07 billion in the last three years.

The Sun

Expressing frustration with the lack of trial of Madueke in UK, Magu said: There is no prosecution going on there, that is why we said she should be brought here for trial.

Tribune

THE Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola on Monday, said his Ministry has delivered on its mandate in the Power, Works and Housing sectors.

Leadership

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to expedite action on the proposed new national Minimum Wage by transmitting it to the National Assembly in good time.Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court in Lagos, on Monday, revoked the bail of a former governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, after he failed to appear in court for trial.

Orji, who is facing a N7.5 billion fraud charge, had submitted a doctors report via his lawyer, claiming he would be admitted on bed rest for ten to twelve months. The report was however, accommodated by the judge but ruled that the case be adjourned to 29th January.

In line with the neurosurgeons advice from Germany which stated that the 1st defendant should be on hospital bed rest between ten to twelve months, this case is adjourned to January 23rd, 2019 for trial

This has stirred reactions among Nigerians, as they have taken to social media to mock president Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress(APC) for releasing Kalus travel documents to him, and he has now played them by running away.

See reactions below

https://twitter.com/Kp_Oshotee/status/1062123135007383554?s=19

https://twitter.com/__el_treaph/status/1062257774678233088?s=19

https://twitter.com/SKSolaKuti/status/1062060387967909890?s=19

https://twitter.com/UkpaiEmmaUkpai1/status/1062108926878081024?s=19The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and its the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar are experiencing great trouble raising funds for the 2019 election campaigns.

This was made known by the APC, in a statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena. It was stated by APC that the Atiku Presidential Campaign has fund sourcing problems because of the strict measures the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has put in place.

According to APC, during the former president, Goodluck Jonathan era, politicians had access to national coffers to fund elections but in this Buharis era, such can never happen.

The statement reads thus:

The Presidential Candidate expects the party to provide funds for his campaign. This is the Buhari Era, an era of strict accountability and transparency in the use and application of public funds and not the Jonathan Era in 2015 when the National Treasury was openedt o PDP leaders to prosecute the Presidential campaign.

The party leaders are therefore in serious difficulties and dilemma on how to source funds to run the Atiku Presidential Campaign. Some financiers of the party expect that the candidate,having bought the ticket with millions of dollars should have the financial capacity to run his campaign. With the candidates expectation that it is the party that will fund his campaign, it is now clear that they are at a crossroads and the chickens have come home to roost.

The anti-corruption agencies should gird their loins and ensure that all sources of campaign fund by the political parties are closely monitored and recover the funds looted during the Jonathan Era.

Such recovered funds should be applied for the benefits of the poor masses, who were denied democracy benefits during the 16years misrule of the PDP. It is now clear to the members of the PDP who were deceived into believing that their Presidential Candidate is a man of stupendous wealth that it is all a mirage, a 419 packaging and that they entered a one chance bus.

As we approach February 2019 when General Elections will be held in Nigeria, the electorate are becoming more conscious and aware of the deceitful nature of their so-called leaders.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the Presidential Candidate of the PDP is nationally known as a man of immense wealth. Apart from his being a retired officer of the Department of Customs & Excise not above the rank of Deputy Director, and not known to have been an exceptionally successful businessman, his claims to stupendous wealth and source are questionable and lack credibility.

During the dollar rain at the Port Harcourt Convention of the Party, he outspent all the other aspirants and easily clinched the partys Presidential Candidacy ticket.

Having emerged without the support of the Governor General of the party, who had earlier produced the partys National Chairman and ordered the party to hold the convention in Port Harcourt, Alhaji Atiku is now on his own in bankrolling his campaign.

The Nigerian Electorate has a better alternative to stick to the clean, honest and transparent leadership of Muhammadu Buhari GCFR who has done so much to ensure better future for them after the 16 years misrule of the PDP.HAGERSVILLE, ON  After capturing the attention of fans, racers and industry insiders on both sides of the American-Canadian border with the inaugural Canadian Short Track Nationals last September, Jukasa Motor Speedway will look to up the ante even further with the second instalment of their marquee event in 2019.

The second edition of the Pro Late Model showcase will headline the August 31st  September 1st weekend, and will boast a head-turning $300,000 total purse and will also have the length increased from 200 laps to 250 laps.

We said that we wanted to make this the biggest short track race in North America  and we absolutely meant it, says Jukasa Motor Speedway GM Alex Nagy with a smile. Theres an infectious energy being around the (Jukasa Motor Speedway) ownership group because they dont take any half-measures. They go full-out every time they try to accomplish something  and growing this event is no exception to that.

The Jukasa Motor Speedway brass hope to continue establishing the burgeoning event as one of the cant miss Crown Jewels of the racing calendar, and to help achieve their vision, the 2019 edition of the race will pay a mammoth $75,000 to the Pro Late Model winner  with $3500 guaranteed just to start the 250-lap feature event.

We were humbled by the incredible turnout that we had for the first edition of the (Canadian Short Track) Nationals, details Nagy. The atmosphere was electric; the stands were jam-packed and the talent on-track was second to none. We want to do that again this Summer  but even bigger.

When the doors first swung back open (at Jukasa Motor Speedway), we knew that we didnt just want to be another place for fans to come and watch a race. We want to be one of the premier facilities in the country and we want to host some of the biggest races in all of North America.

In addition to the Pro Late Model headliner, the Canadian Short Track Nationals weekend will also feature a 50-lap Super Stock showcase paying $5,000 to the winner plus a $10,000 to win 75 lap Outlaw Super Late Model shootout.

The Super Stocks did everything they could to steal the show (in 2018) and we knew that we wanted to reward that performance by bringing them back for the second edition of this event and the Outlaw Super Late Model race last year attracted some of the best from Canada and the USA and the feeling is that with the increased purse the talent pool will increase even more which will be incredible, mentions Nagy.

The boost in purse for the 2019 event follows an action plan detailed by Jukasa Motor Speedway ownership during the inaugural Canadian Short Track Nationals, with a $500,000 purse expected for the 2020 event and a record-breaking $1,000,000 purse promised for 2021.

We want to make sure that we give the fans, the race teams and the sponsors something to talk about for a long, long time and were confident that we can make that happen, says Nagy. Believe me  were just getting warmed up. There are big things ahead on the horizon and we couldnt be more excited to have everyone along for the ride with us.

About Jukasa Motor Speedway: Jukasa Motor Speedway is a .625-mile paved speedway located in Hagersville, Ontario, Canada. The track first opened in 1966 as Cayuga Speedway and remained opened until it ceased regular operations in 2010. With new ownership in 2016 the facility underwent extensive renovations. Among the changes at the facility include a complete redesign and asphalt recovering of the racing surface and upgrades for competitors and fans throughout the entire 350-acre site. The facility can also accommodate nearly 800 campsites with many offering services to campers. For more information on Jukasa Motor Speedway visit their Facebook page and Twitter @Jukasamotor or ww.jukasamotorspeedway.com

Jukasa Partners: Jukasa Motor Speedway thanks the following partners for their support. Kubota Canada, Pintys Delicious Foods, Whelen Engineering, Rankin Construction, Queenston Chev, W.J. Heaslip Ltd. Middleport Mechanical, Jukasa Designs, Jukasa Media GroupBrazil thumbs down displeasure

After more than 15 years of a judicial wrangling, the majority of individual cases are still waiting for a definitive decision.

The taxpayer (Imcopa Importacao, Exportacao e Industria Oleos) intended to obtain a decision ensuring the exclusion of ICMS from the calculation base of PIS/COFINS (taxes on the revenue obtained from the sale of goods), which was assured by the Federal Supreme Court for understanding that the tax contained in the price of the goods (ICMS) could not be considered the taxpayers revenue, since it already had a proper destination: the Treasury itself.

In spite of acknowledging the taxpayers intention, the Treasury has been seeking to limit the effectiveness of this decision to a future and uncertain moment. This appeal is still pending judgment, and there are also appeals pending in individual cases.

The expectation is that this last appeal presented in the leading case will be unsuccessul, at least, not in the extension craved by tax authorities.

So much so that the local courts have already been applying the Federal Supreme Courts favourable interpretation to individual lawsuits, which have remained suspended for years waiting for a definition in the leading case.

What was seen in the last year in these individual cases was a number of appeals, with the clear purpose of postponing or avoiding the final and unappealable decision of the individual lawsuits. This is an essential step toward enabling the release of judicial deposits carried out during the course of the lawsuits and the recovery of the amounts collected in the past.

The judiciary, in turn, has been firm in rejecting tax authorities delaying appeals, which ended up allowing the individual cases to start becoming final and unappealable.

To mitigate the impact of the loss, however, tax authorities have been trying to raise subsidiary theses that would reduce the amount of the credits in favour of the taxpayers. In our view, these theses do not subsist an accurate legal analysis and the judiciary is therefore likely to reject them.

As if the subsidiary theses were not enough, the Federal Government, concerned with the imminent drop of collections by force of the compensations that should start to take place soon, issued Law No. 13.670/2018 bringing  among others  two relevant restrictions to compensation on tax matters. The first is a veto to compensation of the monthly estimates of tax incurring on profit (ensuring the Treasury a minimum monthly collection). The second is a veto to compensation (by means of imposing stricter sanctions) in the event of a creditor having its liquidity under inspection proceedings.

To clarify the impact of this change, it is necessary to mention the complexity of the old procedure. After the favourable March 2017 decision became final and unappealable, the taxpayer would take to the Treasurys attention information proving the definiteness of the judicial decision and, with that, the taxpayer would obtain preliminary authorisation to start the compensation. This would take up to five years to be analysed by the tax authorities, which could either accept it or not (whether by adopting an erroneous procedure or even by insufficiency of credit), an event which would give rise to a new administrative and/or legal discussion to validate the adopted procedure (compensation).

In cases that involve such a large amount, it is expected that it will not be possible to compensate taxpayers in a single installment  normally there are months and various federal taxes settled with the use of the credit originated in a single lawsuit.

Therefore, with the legislative change, if just after the first compensation the inspection for ascertaining the taxpayers liquidity is installed, the compensation of all the other installments shall be suspended until the ascertaining of said liquidity is concluded  which could take years, especially if the tax authorities take this opportunity to raise subsidiary theses regarding the composition of the assigned credit.

So, in spite of the countless years in which this theme was discussed and the final favourable decision in the leading case given by the Federal Supreme Court, it shall be no surprise if we face a new judicial discussion in the next few years to give effectiveness to the decision that acknowledges the taxpayers right.

We believe that this new obstacle imposed by the federal government will delay taxpayers being able to exercise their rights, but we envision solid arguments in their favour that can enable the delivery of decisions that remove said obstacles and ensure  even if by means of injunctions  the effectiveness of the final and unappealable court decisions.

This article was prepared by Gabriela Lemos (gabriela.lemos@mattosfilho.com.br) of Mattos Filho.

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Share this articleFartumo Kusow reads the first scene from her new book Tale of a Boon's Wife, a historical fiction about a young Somali woman's life, at her lecture on Gender and Ethnicity among Somali Migrants and Refugees at the Ames Public Library on Nov. 8.Opinion Policies

Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue.

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If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com).

Column Policy

Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions.

Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020A leaked internal document from last month revealed that Apples T2 security chip made carrying out certain third-party repairs impossible on its Macs. Now, the Cupertino company has confirmed to The Verge that it the T2 chip will check for the authenticity of certain components in newer Macs on every boot.

This includes the Touch ID sensor and logic board, though Apple did not provide a list of components that are a part of this check. The leaked internal document, however, points to the logic board, display assembly, top case, and Touch ID being the affected components.

This move from Apple could be seen in two different ways. Apple already does something similar on its iPhones where Touch ID or the ambient light sensor will stop working after a third-party repair is carried out on a device. In fact, Apple once ended up bricking hundreds of iPhones repaired by third-party shops with Error 53 post an iOS update. In the same vein, the company is going to great lengths to ensure that only authentic parts are used for repairing its Macs for security purposes.

On the other hand, this move can be seen as Apple trying to discourage third-party repair shops from carrying out repairs on Macs. Unlike Apples authorized service providers, third-party repair shops cannot get their hands on authorized repair parts directly from Apple. The company essentially wants to make sure that all replacement/repair components inside its Macs come from a verified and authentic source.

Apple first debuted its T2 chip with the iMac Pro last year. Now, the chip is found inside the 2018 MacBook Pro lineup, the 2018 Mac mini, and the new MacBook Air. It manages a number of low-level system settings like Hey Siri functionality, Touch ID, Storage encryption, Secure boot, and more.

Apple says that any repair carried out on a Mac with a T2 chip is not complete unless its AST 2 System Configuration suite has been run. If not done, it will be considered as an incomplete repair and the Mac might not function properly.

Macs are already very expensive to repair and with the introduction of its T2 chip and this new security measure, Mac repairs are only about to get more expensive.

[Via The Verge ; Image Credit EveryMacFILE - In this Aug. 22, 2017, file photo, comic book writer Stan Lee waves to the audience after being introduced onstage at the "Extraordinary: Stan Lee" tribute event at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, Calif. Comic book genius Lee, the architect of the contemporary comic book, has died. He was 95. The creative dynamo who revolutionized the comics by introducing human frailties in superheroes such as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk, was declared dead Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Kirk Schenck, an attorney for Lee's daughter, J.C. Lee. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)Canada Post workers walk the picket line as a rotating strike continues in Halifax on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. Union negotiators say there was little progress during the two-and-a-half weeks that a special mediator was assigned to the Canada Post labour dispute. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew VaughanSebelum Anda bermain, Anda perlu mengetahui apa yang Anda butuhkan untuk masuk ke dalam permainan roulette kasino online ini. Jika Anda sudah mendaftar di situs judi casino online dan sudah memberikan user ID, login terlebih dahulu dan pilih menu live casino yang tertera di situs judi tersebut. Pertama pilih dealer dan putuskan sendiri, lalu pilih meja atau kursi di dalam ruangan. Jika namanya tertera dan berwarna coklat, maka kursi tersebut sudah ditempati oleh pemain lain, dan pilihlah kursi kosong berwarna hitam.

Kasino Roulette adalah salah satu permainan paling populer di situs perjudian kasino. Jadi dalam permainan ini kamu harus menebak angka berapa yang akan keluar. Ada 36 nomor berbeda dalam permainan populer ini di mana sebuah bola kecil diputar dan dilemparkan ke dalam mesin roulette. Anda harus menebak dari mana bola kecil itu masuk dan di nomor berapa ia berhenti. Ada banyak jenis pilihan angka dari 0-36, dan mereka dihitung secara berbeda. Sebagai agen casino terpercaya, panduan permainan roulette ini juga memberikan informasi tentang jenis pilihan dan nama permainan roulette casino online sebagai berikut:

Jika Anda ingin bermain roulette di situs kasino online, caranya sangat sederhana. Anda dapat bermain di Kasino ION, Kasino Sbobet, dan Situs Kasino. Di bawah ini adalah artikel panduan bermain di mana Anda dapat mempelajari roulette langsung dan memainkannya di situs judi online mana pun.

tangkapan layar

Sebelum Anda bermain, Anda perlu mengetahui apa yang Anda butuhkan untuk masuk ke dalam permainan roulette kasino online ini. Jika Anda sudah mendaftar di situs judi casino online dan sudah memberikan user ID, login terlebih dahulu dan pilih menu live casino yang tertera di situs judi online tersebut. Pertama pilih dealer dan putuskan sendiri, lalu pilih meja atau kursi di dalam ruangan. Jika namanya tertera dan berwarna coklat, maka kursi tersebut sudah ditempati oleh pemain lain, dan pilihlah kursi kosong berwarna hitam.

Panduan Bermain Online Kasino Roulette

Kasino Roulette adalah salah satu permainan paling populer di situs perjudian kasino. Jadi dalam permainan ini kamu harus menebak angka berapa yang akan keluar. Ada 36 nomor berbeda dalam permainan populer ini di mana sebuah bola kecil diputar dan dilemparkan ke dalam mesin roulette. Anda harus menebak dari mana bola kecil itu masuk dan di nomor berapa ia berhenti. Ada banyak jenis pilihan angka dari 0-36, dan mereka dihitung secara berbeda. Sebagai agen casino terpercaya, panduan permainan roulette ini juga memberikan informasi tentang jenis pilihan dan nama permainan roulette casino online sebagai berikut:

1. Straight Up: Penempatan angka tunggal dari 0 hingga 36. Contoh perhitungan straight up adalah mengalikan taruhan dengan 35. Ini adalah jenis taruhan tertinggi dalam permainan roulette kasino, jadi 50 dikalikan dengan 35 memberi Anda 1750, mengapa jenis taruhan ini menghasilkan pengembalian yang begitu tinggi? Hal ini karena tidak mudah untuk memenangkan pilihan nomor dengan memilih hanya satu nomor dari banyak.

2. Taruhan split: Jenis taruhan yang ditempatkan pada dua angka atau di antara dua angka yang berbeda. Misalnya, menempatkan di sela-sela angka 9 dan 12 atau 13d dan 14 dihitung sebagai jenis taruhan split. Setiap nomor dapat ditempatkan dalam jenis ini selama nomor tersebut berdekatan dan persis seperti Gambar A dan B. Untuk taruhan ini, jika Anda memenangkan contoh dan mengalikannya dengan 850, Anda akan menerima jumlah taruhan yang dikalikan dengan 17. .

3. Taruhan jalanan: bertaruh dengan 3 angka ke bawah, misalnya 1,2,3 atau 10,11,12. Semua taruhan jalan akan menerima kemenangan dikalikan dengan 11. Misalnya, 50 dikalikan 550.

4. Taruhan sudut: Jenis taruhan di mana empat angka ditempatkan saling berhadapan, seperti 13,14,16,17 atau 19,20,22,23. Semua angka valid karena terdiri dari 4 angka yang diisi seperti kotak dan taruhan dikalikan 8 (misalnya 50 kali 800).

5. Taruhan baris: Atau, Anda dapat mengatakan bahwa ada 6 jenis taruhan yang terdiri dari 2 baris, tetapi 6 poin dengan 2 peregangan, seperti taruhan jalanan. Misalnya, jika Anda memilih angka 7 hingga 12 dan 13 hingga 18, taruhan 50 adalah 5 kali dan kemudian dikalikan dengan 250 kemenangan.

6. Kolom Inner Bet: Jenis taruhan vertikal dengan 12 poin berturut-turut, seperti kolom numerik 1,4,7,10,13,19,22,25,25,28,22,24,34 atau kolom lainnya. Dan jika dia memenangkan kolom, 50 taruhan digandakan dan 100 taruhan.

7. Lusin : Jenis taruhan menempatkan 12 angka tetapi menempatkannya pada kotak berbentuk seperti contoh Kolom A dengan angka 1 sampai 12 dan odds dengan kolom lain untuk dipilih dengan memilih 1 kotak pertama untuk Kolom A. Kalikan dengan 2, 50 taruhan 100.

8. Zero part : Cara bertaruh 0.1,2,3 sama persis seperti di gambar, karena berdekatan dengan angka 0, anda hanya bisa bertaruh 0.1,2,3. Menempatkan taruhan ini mengalikannya dengan 50. hingga 8.

9. Zero Corner: Bertaruh pada angka 0.1,2 atau 0.2,3 adalah dua pilihan karena Anda hanya bertaruh mendekati angka nol. Jenis taruhan ini dikalikan 11 jika taruhan menang.

10. Two Dozen: Jenis taruhan dengan hanya dua pilihan: 1-18 atau 19-36. Jika taruhan Anda adalah 50, itu dikalikan dengan 1 hingga 50 jika Anda menang.

11. Merah atau Hitam: Masukkan taruhan Anda dengan memilih Merah atau Hitam sebagai warna angka yang muncul saat taruhan 50.

12. Genap/Ganjil: Pilih angka yang menghasilkan jumlah jenis taruhan ganjil.The restoration and upgrade of the Maxau Rhine Bridge is scientifically supported by KIT engineers. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Rainer Luck, http1RL.de)

The Maxau Rhine Bridge is currently causing drivers a lot of stress and especially waiting times around Karlsruhe. It is the only crossing within a radius of 25 kilometers, connecting Baden-Wurttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. As a result, traffic is heavy: more than 80,000 vehicles cross the Rhine here every day. This load has badly affected the bridge. Repairs are starting in early November to upgrade it. A team of engineers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is scientifically supporting the measures commissioned by the Karlsruhe authorities.

Since 1966, the 292-meter long cable-stayed bridge has been taking cars across the Rhine, connecting Karlsruhe to Worth. While 50 years ago approximately 18,000 vehicles were expected per day, today's traffic counting station Rheinbrucke Worth clocks about 80,000 vehicles daily. Ever increasing axle loads in vehicles and the high number of crossings have left their marks on the structure, says Professor Thomas Unmenhofer, Director of the Research Center for Steel, Timber and Masonry at KIT (VAKA). Component and weld fatigue can result in cracks, adds Dr Daniel C. Ruff, Managing Director of VAKA. Especially problematic is the sharp rise in the percentage of heavy traffic.

To upgrade the Rhine Bridge for high traffic loads, it will get a new surface of special concrete which, in conjunction with the steel road slab, will increase its load-bearing capacity. The technology used was developed in the Netherlands and has been widely used there. In Germany, this method was first used in 2014 in a pilot project at a bridge in Beimerstetten. Thats also when the suitability for the repair of the Maxau Rhine Bridge was reviewed, say Professor Frank Dehn and Dr Michael Haist from the Institute of Concrete Structures and Building Materials (IMB) and the Materials Testing and Research Institute (MPA) at KIT. Both institutes are responsible for evaluating the high-performance concrete that is used in the restoration and upgrade. The extremely high strength of the concrete can reduce its thickness and, as a result, significantly lower the additional load on the bridge. At the same time, the composite road slab dampens vibrations caused by traffic, protecting the steel structure. A special mix of fibers and steel reinforcement counteracts possible cracks in the highly stressed concrete.

Engineers at KIT are providing scientific support for the repairs of Maxau Rhine Bridge: Using various sensors, we are measuring the bridges load-bearing behavior before and after the repairs to verify improvements and establish suitable techniques for other bridges, says Thomas Umnenhofer, explaining the contribution of KITs VAKA. Together with his colleague Philipp Weidner, the engineer is developing a suitable numerical structural model of the bridge, which is then available for further analysis. We will validate this model with actual measured values to develop an approach that can serve as the basis for further bridge repairs, says Daniel C. Ruff. His team is already carrying out initial measurements and load tests.

IMB and MPA are examining and evaluating the concrete developed by the companies involved, and are advising the Karlsruhe authorities on technical issues, says Frank Dehn. At the same time, we are continuously measuring the deformation behavior of a sample component manufactured in September.

About the repairs of the Rhine Bridge

Since the concrete needs to be specially adapted to the local conditions of the Maxau Rhine Bridge, its properties have been subjected to extensive tests in the laboratory. Installation of this special concrete is technically extremely demanding. Handling had to be tested on several sample components, says Michael Haist, who has been supporting the project since 2013. Now that necessary examinations of these sample components have been satisfactorily concluded, the repairs will begin in November 2018 and probably be completed in December 2019.

The Research Center for Steel, Timber, and Masonry at KIT (VAKA)

VAKA was founded in 1921 and comprises the areas of Steel and Lightweight Structures, and Timber Engineering and Engineering Structures. In the field of building inspection, VAKA is a recognized international testing, monitoring and certification center. Scientists at VAKA apply the results obtained from many research projects to concepts that are transferable to the field.

The Institute of Concrete Structures and Building Materials (IMB) and the Materials Testing and Research Institute (MPA) at KIT

IMB was founded in 1916 and MPA in 1919. One area of scientific focus for many decades has been the development, testing and evaluation of high-performance concrete. MPA is a nationally recognized and EU-notified testing, monitoring and certification center. The concrete and material models developed at the institute are used worldwide and are established in virtually all national and international standards and rules.

Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.At the Uni fur Einsteiger day on November 21, 2018, pupils can get a feel for university in taster lectures (Photo: Harry Marx, KIT)

A day at KIT: at the uni for beginners event on Wednesday, November 21, 2018 starting at 8.30 a.m., pupils can get information on study programs and training opportunities at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The institutes and central organizations of KIT will introduce themselves in around 150 events. Employees will also take the time to answer questions at information desks in the Audimax foyer (Strae am Forum 1, building 30.95).

Traditionally, employees and departments of the eleven KIT faculties introduce their study programs and research projects a few weeks into the winter semester, with lectures, workshops and tours covering a wide spectrum of subjects across all departments. At 8.30 a.m., Professor Alexander Wanner, Vice President for Higher Education and Academic Affairs at KIT, will welcome the pupils in the Audimax foyer (Strae am Forum 1, building 30.95).

Until 4 p.m., both the KIT faculties and various service organizations will provide information in the foyer of the Audimax. Among the organizations to introduce themselves are the MINT-Kolleg Baden-Wurttemberg, the House of Competence (HoC), the ZAK | Center for Cultural and General Studies at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the KIT Career Service, the International Students Office, the KIT-DeFI Franco-German initiative, and the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe. Here pupils will also receive information on vocational training at KIT.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Study Centre for the Visually Impaired (SZS) will host an open day to present its offering for visually impaired or blind students. Lab visits and tours through the 24-hour library and the Steinbuch Centre for Computing (SCC) round off the program. This year, the Karlsruhe Science Office has its own booth as an external partner, providing information about the science city of Karlsruhe and its projects.

The Student Advisory Center (zib), which is organizing the information day, will tell students all they need to know about application, admission, and career guidance and advice. Information on financing is also included in the program: the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe as well as scholarship holders explain that its not only above-average grades that decide on whether a student receives a scholarship. They will also explain who is entitled to BAfoG student loans and which amounts can be paid out. Whats more, there will be useful tips on how to apply.

A printed brochure of the program is available at zib, building 11.30, Engelbert-Arnold-Strae 2, Campus South at KIT.

A PDF of the program is available here:

https://www.sle.kit.edu/vorstudium/uni-fuer-einsteiger.php

Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.



By Lee Min-young







This time, BTS has rocked an already shaky boat by upsetting a human rights organization.







The Simon Wiesenthal Center has called for a belated apology from the K-pop group over what the organization says are Nazi-style hats BTS members wore during a photo shoot.









The Los-Angeles-based organization

on Sunday local time against the South Korean boy band for "mocking the past" and urged band members to apologize to victims of Nazi Germany and the U.S.' atomic bombings of Japan.







The latest controversy involves photos from 2014 of band members wearing caps bearing the Nazi Party symbol showing an eagle and swastika, as well as a death's head affiliated with the SS. Footage from 2017 shows the band on stage waving flags that were reportedly similar to the Nazi swastika.









By Park Hyong-ki







BC Card has forged ties with Vietnam-based LienVietPostBank for a partnership to develop a joint digital transaction service and platform, the company said Tuesday.







LienVietPostBank is one of the top 10 commercial banks in the Southeast Asian country, with retail networks in more than 60 cities, including Hanoi where it is headquartered.







It also provides financial services via post offices there as it has an "exclusive" strategic partnership with Vietnam Post, whose Korean counterpart is Korea Post.







BC and LienVietPostBank will be sharing both sides' knowledge in technology and finance to start developing a digital platform for Vietnamese customers.







Their joint digital project will also include developing products and services via credit card networks and a payment system using QR codes.







"BC Card will contribute to the partnership and the digital development of Vietnam's financial transactions by offering its experience in developing payment systems," said BC Card CEO Lee Mun-whan in a press statement after an event in Hanoi on Nov. 12.







LienVietPostBank Chairman Nguyen Dinh Thang also said the partnership will further help boost the Vietnamese bank to provide "high-end services" by taking advantage of BC Card's knowledge in the development of digital financial transactions.







BC Card's partnership with LienVietPostBank is in line with its efforts to seek opportunities abroad for new growth. Since 2011, it has forged ties with PT Bank Mandiri in Jakarta, Indonesia and National Payments Corp. in India, according to BC Card.







BC Card's key shareholders include KT, Woori Card and Nonghyup Bank, according to its audit filing. KT, the country's biggest telecom company, has a 69.54 percent stake in BC Card.















A car drives in a flooded street after a heavy downpour hit Busan, Nov. 8. Insurance companies say a hike of at least 3 percent in auto premiums is inevitable due to a surge in maintenance and repair fees after a heat wave followed by heavy rain over the past few months. Yonhap



BOK Governor Lee Ju-yeolFormer first lady Michelle Obama begins her book tour with a stop at the Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., Nov. 12. Reuters



Michelle Obama's ''Becoming,'' already expected to sell millions of copies, now has the official backing of Oprah Winfrey.

''This book is everything you wanted to know and so much you didn't even know you wanted to know. I believe it's going to spark within you the desire to think about your own becoming,'' Winfrey, who on Monday told The Associated Press in a statement that she had selected ''Becoming'' for her book club. ''It's so well-written I can hear her voice; I can hear her expressions; I can feel her emotion. What she allows us to see is how she was able to discover, define and then refine her voice.''

In ''Becoming,'' Obama shares such deeply personal revelations as suffering a miscarriage and sharply criticizes President Donald Trump for promoting the false ''birther'' rumor that Barack Obama was not a U.S. citizen. The former first lady's book comes out Tuesday and is among the most anticipated political memoirs in years, topping Amazon.com's best-seller list throughout the weekend. On Monday, Barnes & Noble announced that pre-orders for ''Becoming'' were the highest for any adult book since Harper Lee's ''Go Set a Watchman,'' which came out in 2015.

Winfrey, publishing's most established hit maker, knows the Obamas well, to the point where Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres once teased each other over who was closer to her. Winfrey was a prominent backer of Barack Obama's candidacy in 2008 and has interviewed both Obamas over the years. She is scheduled to be onstage Tuesday night with Michelle Obama at Chicago's United Center, the first stop on Obama's promotional tour.

''Thank you, Oprah!'' Obama tweeted Monday. ''I've been so grateful for your friendship and advice for so long. And now I'm honored to join your amazing book club!''

Winfrey already has taped an interview with Obama, which airs Thursday on the OWN network, and excerpts of the book will appear in O, the Oprah Magazine and in Elle. A two-part podcast will run Thursday and the following Monday, Nov. 19.

''Becoming'' is Winfrey's first pick by an author from the political world since she started her club in 1996, although Obama has said repeatedly she has no interest in running for office. Winfrey's previous picks have ranged from novels such as Colson Whitehead's ''The Underground Railroad'' and Tayari Jones' ''An American Marriage'' to Anthony Ray Hinton's memoir ''The Sun Does Shine.'' (AP)By Kang Aa-young





Tim Fitts

An American writer's interest in makgeolli traditions inspired him to write a novel based on his love for the traditional alcoholic drink.

Tim Fitts, a writer based in Philadelphia, says "artificially sweetened" makgeolli is not "really" a makgeolli. He sees the traditional drink's "connection to Korea's culture and past that can and should be compatible with the future of Korea."



The official mouthpiece of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party on Tuesday urged its officials to pay closer attention to public sentiment.







The Rodong Sinmun said in a front-page editorial that the ruling party's officials should respect their subordinates and ordinary people, particularly in times of adversity and hardship.







"(Officials) should always fulfill the ethics of mixing with the people and sharing both joy and sorrow with them. There should never be a specialization of oneself, formality, influence peddling, bureaucracy and a desire for privilege and special favor," the newspaper argued.







It also urged an all-out fight against "non-socialist and anti-socialist acts," saying that the bourgeois ideological culture and unusual trends are dangerous toxins that eat into the socialist system from the inside.







The official newspaper's emphasis on the "management of public sentiment" drew attention amid stalled negotiations with the United States on denuclearization and sanctions relief.







Its argument against privilege, in particular, appears intended to prevent the spread of public discontent over excessive pressure from officials, according to watchers here. They speculate that the Pyongyang regime seems concerned about the fraying of social cohesion, as the pace of sanctions relief has fallen short of public expectations.







In a separate editorial of the same day, the Rodong Sinmun said that it is only the power of the people that the North can rely on amid escalating sanctions and blockades by its enemy forces and difficult economic times.







Specifically, the editorial asked party officials to frequently have conversations with their employees and visit their homes to identify and solve their problems in time. (Yonhap)

Irregular workers at national hospitals call for the government to hire them as regular employees during a rally near the Government Complex in Sejong, Tuesday. Part-time workers at some national university hospitals, including Seoul National University Hospital, walked out that day. /YonhapForeign defense attaches based in Seoul listen to an explanation from South Korea's 6th Marine Brigade officers during their visit to Baengnyeong Island located about 190 kilometers northwest of Incheon, Tuesday. The officers explained ongoing efforts to ease inter-Korean maritime tension and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. Courtesy of Ministry of National DefenseHaebangchon in Seoul seen on Nov. 13. / Korea Times Photo by Jon Dunbar





By Jon Dunbar







For decades, city planning in Seoul has centered around redevelopment  the total destruction of buildings, street grids, even the soil under our feet. But now, the city is experimenting with a new model of regeneration, which breathes new life into old structures and keeps communities vibrant.









A test case for this new regeneration model is Haebangchon (HBC), a neighborhood with a large foreign population, wedged between a mountain and a U.S. military base. As part of this initiative,

manager Lim Jin-gyu is holding a series of English-language meetings this month to communicate with foreign residents and business owners.







People familiar with HBC may be surprised to hear the area has seen shrinking, as Lim outlined at the first meeting Monday at Onzigonzi, a community center attached to Shinheung Market in HBC. The area has seen a significant population decrease, and despite all the popular restaurants, the local economy is in a recession. As well, over 50 percent of the buildings there are older than 20 years. After 20 years, a building's value plummets as part of a government incentive for demolition and rebuilding.







Lim introduced the regeneration project, intended to make HBC prosperous, safe and comfortable, to a small but attentive gathering of foreigners and Koreans with a stake in the area.







"We need this kind of program to get friendly, to overcome culture gaps," he said.







Lim explained how his center is pursuing eight main goals to stimulate community growth. They are empowering residents, seeking community consensus, improving and introducing public facilities, improving the market, supporting craft shops and local artisan industries, improving the main street, providing a safe environment and turning the area into a green village.







Most of the budget is allocated for public facilities and market rejuvenation, with plans to open a community center in the area soon.







Locals and visitors have already seen significant changes to the main road through HBC, with Lim saying upgrades will extend up to the five-way intersection, and next down the other side toward Huam-dong. Already underway is a plan to turn the historic 108 Stairway, built during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation, into an inclined elevator to improve accessibility for older residents, although this is not part of the regeneration project.







When Lim came to the regeneration center, he decided it needed to introduce community-building programs. He is happy to help foreigners get involved, explaining his role as bridging the gap between the city and district office and local people.









Some of the HBC regeneration programs run this year include a taste tour, music events and classes by craftspeople. He has also overseen several programs devised by residents, including a sporadic flea market in Shinheung Market,

, a bee keeping program and a program providing food to local schools and senior citizens centers. The next flea market will be held Dec. 8, and foreign vendors are welcome to join.







One restaurateur in attendance expressed interest in donating food to the community for the food program, and two foreign university students suggested ways to involve the international student community as volunteers.









HBC Urban Regeneration Center will hold two more meetings Nov. 19 and 26. Visit

for more information or

to register to attend.









By Kim Rahn







The regional education authority in Seoul has called on Sookmyung Girls' High School to take stern disciplinary action against a teacher who was arrested for helping his twin daughters attending the same school cheat on their exams.







It also asked the school to expel the twins, nullify their grades and reassess grades of all other students there.







"I'll ensure Sookmyung will expel the girls and conduct a grade reassessment immediately," Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), said in a statement, Tuesday, a day after the police investigation confirmed their cheating.







The head of a private school has the authority to expel a student and reassess grades, and the school foundation has the right to discipline its teachers.







"The father should also face heavy disciplinary measures such as dismissal," Cho said.







He also promised that a parent would not be allowed to teach at the same school their children attend. For public schools, the SMOE will send teacher parents to other schools before the next year's spring semester begins. For private schools, it will actively recommend the school authorities send such teachers to other schools within the school foundation.







According to the SMOE, 116 teachers at 79 middle and high schools had children attending the same schools as of August.

Kim Soon-eun, right, vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Autonomy and Decentralization, speaks during a committee meeting at the Government Complex in Seoul, Tuesday. It was held to announce the government's plan to introduce the local autonomous police system. / Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo



Five jurisdictions and regions will test-run an autonomous police system next year, before it goes into full operation nationwide in 2022, a presidential committee announced, Tuesday.



Under the plan, some 43,000 police officers from the national police organization will be transferred to local police forces, where they will assume duties related to traffic law enforcement and sex crimes, as well as school and domestic violence. The current national police body will be in charge of matters related to security, intelligence and foreign affairs, counterterrorism and serious crimes such as murder and other nationwide issues.



Currently, Seoul, Sejong and Jeju Island are confirmed to participate in the pilot project and two more areas for the test operation will be picked soon through public invitation.



"The municipal police system is focused on improving public order, keeping neutrality and exercising police power democratically," an official of the Presidential Committee on Autonomy and Decentralization said.



Currently, all Korean police forces except for some on Jeju Island belong to the central government. Introducing the local autonomous police system was one of President Moon Jae-in's campaign pledges in last year's presidential election.



Under the autonomous police system, local police forces will control police precinct offices and police boxes, which are currently under the national police body.



According to the timetable for the new system, up to 8,000 police officers will shift to autonomous police forces next year, followed by up to 35,000 in 2021. The new police establishment will have 43,000 police officers in 2022, accounting for 36 percent of the nation's total police forces.



In the early stages of discussion about the local autonomous police system, it drew debate because the police forces would be put under direct control of local governments, raising concerns about their political neutrality.



Aware of misgivings, the presidential committee suggested a five-member commission supervise the local police forces. One member will be recommended each by the local government head, the court and the national police commission, and two by the municipal council.



The central government will shoulder the financial burden of implementing the local police system, with the cost projected to reach 4.3 trillion won ($3.8 billion), according to the presidential committee.



It also plans to introduce a tax allocated to the local police in the long term.



However, many are questioning whether the new police system, as run in the United States and Japan, is suitable for Korea, a far smaller country, while still keeping the current national police organization.



"The U.S. is a federal state with a massive territory, but Korea with a long history of centralism and a small land area may not obtain the desired effects," a critic said.



Some also worried that in many cases it will be difficult to sort out whether a case falls under the local police jurisdiction or the national police. "Officers of the two bodies may try to unload difficult cases onto the other," a police officer said.

By Kim Hyun-bin



Yang Jin-ho, CEO of WeDisk and robot developer Hankook Mirae Technology, has been operating a team that illegally uploaded secretly-taken sexually explicit photos or videos on the file sharing website, according to a whistleblower who disclosed multiple alleged details of Yang's illegal activities.



On Tuesday, the whistleblower, who held a press conference in Seoul on condition of anonymity, confirmed the alleged complicity between the file sharing platform operators and "heavy uploaders" of such voyeur clips.



He said that after an investigative program broadcasted the allegation in July, he and a few employees within the company conducted an internal-investigation and found that Yang ran a secret unit with two workers to manage frequent uploaders of explicit materials and even directly uploaded such clips themselves.



"We know of two people who took part in the illegal acts and we believe there were at most five people involved, including Yang," he added.



The source said that after police investigated the allegations following the broadcast, Yang attempted to destroy evidence and bribed executive level employees, urging them to falsely testify when called for questioning.



"Over 100 police officers were deployed to investigate the case. However, there was destruction of evidence and pressure to falsely testify," he said. "Yang also switched out his phone three times as well as exchanging the hard disk and deleting files. He also called on his executives to falsely testify, promising them monetary compensation."



Yang said he would offer 300 million won ($266,000) if an employee is arrested, 100 million won in the event of them receiving a suspended jail term, and promised to pay double the fine if the employee is fined. Those called for police questioning received 500,000 won, according to the source.



Besides the sexual video allegations, Yang has been under investigation regarding various abuse cases.



Earlier this month, a video clip showed Yang assaulting a former employee in 2015, which stirred the public outrage that led to Yang's arrest on Nov. 9.



The video shows Yang verbally abusing a former employee in an office and then slapping his face repeatedly. The victim is seen apologizing to Yang on his knees for criticizing him on the WeDisk online bulletin board.



Another clip showed Yang forcing workers to kill a chicken with a bow and arrow. The video filmed in 2016 on a company retreat shows Yang killing chickens with a crossbow and ordering his employees to do the same.



Police confiscated the crossbow, arrows and a sword as evidence, as well as computer files during search of Yang's home and offices.



A group of IT workers said they will also file a complaint with the prosecution regarding Yang's abuse, coercion and violence against the former worker, blasting the "abuse of power."



President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook wave their hands before boarding the presidential flight at Seoul Airport, Tuesday. / Yonhap



President Moon Jae-in left for Singapore Tuesday for annual summits with Southeast Asian nations and their dialogue partners as he strives to bolster relations with the region and drum up international support for his initiative for peace with North Korea.



During the three-day visit, Moon is scheduled to attend a trio of annual summits hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)  a Korea-ASEAN summit, an ASEAN Plus Three summit also involving China and Japan and the broader East Asia Summit.



Presidential officials said Moon plans to propose holding a special Korea-ASEAN summit next year to further solidify relations with the Southeast Asian nations under his "new southward policy." Moon also plans to host a separate summit between Korea and the Mekong River countries of Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.



Officials said the trip to the city-state is aimed at upgrading cooperative relations with ASEAN through expanding trade and people-to-people exchanges, strengthening regional crisis management capabilities and speeding up discussions on how to respond jointly to the fourth industrial revolution.



While in Singapore, Moon also plans to attend regional free trade talks, known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), involving the 10 ASEAN nations, South Korea, China, Japan, Australia, India and New Zealand.



Singapore is the first leg of Moon's six-day trip that will also take him to Papua New Guinea on Saturday and Sunday for this year's summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum involving Pacific Rim nations.



During the APEC summit, Moon plans to outline his vision for an innovative and inclusive nation and propose creating a joint fund, the APEC Digital Innovation Fund, aimed at improving the region's digital capabilities, officials said.



On the sidelines of the ASEAN and APEC summits, Moon also plans to hold a series of one-on-one meetings with other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.



Officials said that discussions are underway to set up a meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on the margins of the ASEAN-related summits, and a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit.



Moon and Putin last met in June, and the summit with Xi will mark the first between the two in nearly a year after they last met in December last year. Moon plans to use these bilateral meetings to exchange information on North Korea's denuclearization negotiations and ask for support to move the peace efforts forward. (Yonhap)

By Park Ji-won



The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is pushing for a visit to Pyongyang with about 100 businesspeople next month to discuss possible inter-Korean economic cooperation if sanctions are lifted.



According to officials of the party's Special Committee on Peaceful Cooperation for Northeast Asia, the committee is organizing schedules with firms for a visit to Pyongyang sometime next month.



The committee, launched in the beginning of this month to support President Moon Jae-in's policy of promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula and cooperation among countries in Northeast Asia, plans to form a delegation including 100 businesspeople and 50 reporters and lawmakers.



It is not yet known whether big companies like Samsung, LG and Hyundai will join the delegation.



Rep. Song Young-gil, head of the committee, said recently, "I will seek inter-Korean economic exchanges through (my) experiences and network."





By Lee Min-hyung





Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon

Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon kicked off Tuesday his five-day U.S. trip Tuesday to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and discuss denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.



Cho and Pompeo will share their views on the ongoing denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang and seek a breakthrough in the stalled dialogue.



In particular, Cho will likely ask for assistance from the U.S. before carrying out a series of planned inter-Korean economic projects. As the North is under heavy sanctions from the international society, South Korea has so far faced setbacks in pushing ahead with inter-Korean projects such as the railway reconnection.



On a U.S. visit, Cho plans to visit Washington, D.C., and New York for in-depth discussions with U.S. government officials and experts on ways to enhance inter-Korean relations and bring lasting peace to the Korean Peninsula.





A Digital Globe satellite image taken on March 29 shows what the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies' Beyond Parallel project claims is an undeclared missile operating base at Sakkanmol, North Korea. / Reuters-Yonhap



Cheong Wa Dae says bases do not require declaration from NK



By Lee Min-hyung



Concerns have been raised over whether North Korea has engaged in a "great deception" over undeclared missile facilities, after a U.S. think tank claimed in a report that it had identified the locations of 13 out of 20 secret missile bases.



The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Security (CSIS) said Monday the facilities were for dispersing mobile launchers with ballistic missiles.



One of the bases located in Sakkanmol, about 137 kilometers northwest of Seoul, is particularly cited as a huge threat, as it is the closest to the inter-Korean border and appears to be "active and being reasonably well-maintained," the report said.



The report comes at a critical juncture, as Washington and Pyongyang have shown few signs of resolving their months-long stalled denuclearization dialogue following the historic June 12 summit in Singapore between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.



Even if both sides expressed their willingness to hold the second summit sometime in the near future, the two sides have failed to fine-tune details for the event in a series of recent working- and high-level talks.



With the revelation of the undeclared missile bases making headlines here and abroad, Cheong Wa Dae shrugged off concerns regarding them.



Moon Chung-in, a special presidential adviser for national security, unification and foreign affairs listens to questions during a recent interview with The Korea Times. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



By Kim Yoo-chul



Chinese President Xi Jinping should ask U.S. President Donald Trump to ease sanctions on North Korea at their upcoming summit, according to Moon Chung-in, a security adviser for President Moon Jae-in.



The adviser, known as a mentor for President Moon, said a diplomatic breakthrough is needed in the stalled denuclearization talks, and the U.S. can now provide it.



"Trade relations between the U.S. and China seem to be getting worse. This is not a good scenario for stability on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia," Moon Chung-in said during a security forum recently held in Beijing.



"If Xi tells Trump something that will help ease sanctions against North Korea, then that will be greatly appreciated."







By Steven L. Shields





Sometimes I think the Luddites had a good idea. With all the advances in technology and society's total reliance on computer chips, we could be in big trouble. Let's face it; we're addicted to technology.



The Luddite movement began in England in 1811 and was put down by military force in 1816. At one time there were more British soldiers fighting the Luddites in England than those fighting Napoleon's army on the continent.



The protesters were comprised of textile workers who smashed weaving machines. They argued that by replacing people with machines, the rich factory owners could avoid labor laws. They weren't opposed to technology itself. There was the problem, though, that machines took away thousands of jobs from skilled workers.



In recent years, the term "Luddite" has been used to describe someone who is anti-technology. The term "Neo-Luddism" has emerged to describe this 20th-century adaptation.



A "Second Luddite Congress" was held in the U.S. in 1996, at which the attendees argued for passive resistance to consumerism and "the increasingly bizarre and frightening technologies of the Computer Age." They may be right.



Growing up, everyone around me was excited about computer technology. We would be able to complete tasks quickly and more efficiently.



I contend we have less free time than ever before. We spend so much time surfing the web, or social media, or television programs that are on demand. People's heads are buried in their cellphones everywhere I look. I'm equally guilty.



Recently, I was disturbed to learn that someone had hacked my Starbucks card. A reload to the card, which is tied to my Visa card, was done at a store 200 km away. That person was using my Starbucks Gold card and my Visa card for purchases over 100,000 won ($89).



Not only did Starbucks have to issue me a new card, but the bank had to issue a new Visa card also. What a hassle. Such a problem is extreme, but how often have you been to the store, the bank, a restaurant, or another place of business to find their computers are "down" and they cannot process your payment electronically?



Consider the increasingly realistic possibility of EMP (electromagnetic pulse) radiation. One pulse over Seoul would throw us back to early Joseon times. In a moment, all the banks would stop, all the businesses would shut down, there would be no electricity, no cellphone service.



All the cars (except for some old ones) would stop in their tracks, never to be started again. Smart fridges would stop working; we'd have to walk up 40 flights of stairs to our apartments in Ilsan. There would be no air travel because planes could not run, and airport systems would shut down.



Then there is the rampant consumerism that pervades society at all levels. Faster computers are always being produced and marketed to us. Cellphone manufacturers are always coming up with a new model _ they have to stay in business.



If people stopped buying the new models, Samsung and LG and Apple would be hurting. I have a friend who started his own "celluseum" in his living room. He has a large display case with all the older model cellphones and pads that he has bought and used over the past 20 years. He spent millions of won over that time.



What would we do without technology? How would we live? Despite all the doomsday prophecies of the Luddites and the scary prospect of EMP radiation, I'm not ready to give up my iPad or computer.



I do still own a typewriter, so as long as I can get a ribbon for it, I could still write. But who would I write for, how could anything be published?



There have often been Luddite tendencies in the history of society. Innovation is not always appreciated. Stories are told of the challenges of bringing electricity to Seoul; of opposing ideas about the coming of the electric tram through the city. Over the last 150 years, there have been many political and economic battles fought in Korea dealing with "modernization."



I remember a story told of the first locomotive train. Many were frightened, worried that traveling at such high speeds of 20 km/hour would cause the body to be torn apart. My grandfather believed airplanes were the devil's work. "If man were meant to fly," he said, "God would have given him wings."



We cannot stop the increasingly fast advances in technology, but we can make decisions about how much of it to adopt, when to replace older pieces of equipment, and how to use technology helpfully. Good luck in your choices and may the EMP wave never strike.





Steven L. Shields (slshields@gmail.com) lived in Korea for several years in the 1970s and 1990s to 2000s. He served as copy editor of The Korea Times in 1977. He is a retired clergyman and a life member of the Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch.

US reports show Pyongyang is operating secret missile sites



Amid a protracted deadlock in U.S.-North Korea nuclear negotiations, the latest news reports suggest that the North is continuing its missile development despite earlier agreements with the U.S. and South Korea this year for its complete denuclearization.



The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think tank based in Washington, said in a report released Monday that it had discovered more than a dozen ballistic missile bases in North Korea. The report said the missile operating bases could be used for "all classes of ballistic missiles from short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) up to and including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM)."



One of the sites highlighted is the Sakkanmol base for short-range ballistic missiles in North Hwanghae Province, only 135 kilometers from Seoul and just 85 kilometers from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).



The report is based on commercial satellite imagery, and interviews with relevant officials and some North Korean defectors.



The findings prompted more skepticism from U.S. media about North Korea's sincerity in committing to denuclearization. A Nov. 12 New York Times article concluded that "North has been engaged in a great deception."



Although Cheong Wa Dae said it was going too far to call the situation a "deception," concerns are rising in South Korea and the U.S. that North Korea remains active in its nuclear and missile development.



The presidential office played down the latest findings, saying there was nothing new and that state intelligence agencies in Seoul and Washington were already well informed about them. During a regular briefing Tuesday, presidential spokesman Kim Eui-gyeom was criticized for an idle view of the situation. He said North Korea had never signed any agreements to dismantle or declare the sites mentioned in the report.



He said the findings highlighted the need for "prompt negotiations." This is far from the stance that the U.S. took about the findings. "President Trump has made clear that should Chairman Kim follow through on his commitments, including complete denuclearization and the elimination of ballistic missile programs, a much brighter future lies ahead for North Korea and its people," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.



It is worrisome that Seoul is putting too much focus on improving inter-Korean relations when the U.S. is still maintaining pressure on North Korea until it shows real progress toward denuclearization.



U.S. Vice President Mike Pence reaffirmed the need to retain sanctions on Pyongyang during his talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Tuesday. "As I will make clear, the United States will continue to exert unprecedented diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea," Pence said in a contribution to the Washington Post ahead of his visit to Asia.



President Moon Jae-in needs to be mindful of this during his visit to the ASEAN and APEC meetings in Singapore and Papua New Guinea this week.



By Lee Seong-hyon





The U.S. is ultimately concerned that Kim Jong-un may have undeclared plans to seek a tacit nuclear power status, like Pakistan. North Korea is ultimately concerned that the United States may seek a regime change after Pyongyang hands over an inventory of nuclear facilities, as happened with Libya. These remain the key stumbling blocks between Washington and Pyongyang



The U.S. demands North Korea hand over a full inventory of nuclear-related sites first before they will consider relaxing sanctions and proceeding with a declaration of the end of the war. North Korea fears that giving such a list to Washington might become a "target list" for surgical strikes by the U.S. if the current negotiation falls apart. Pyongyang sees it as a recipe for suicide.



Today, there is question in the minds of the international community, not just Washington, as to whether Kim Jong-un still expects the world to live with his nuclear weapons and treat North Korea like Pakistan.



Even though there are some voices among a handful of scholars that insinuate that we should now acquiesce to "living with" a nuclear North Korea, like Pakistan, but that is not going to be the position of most countries in the international community, including Britain and France, two members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).



The U.N. mandate of sanctions against North Korea has been imposed by the collective will of the UNSC, not just the United States. North Korea demands they ease sanctions. Doing so, however, will also require the consent of the UNSC.



Although North Korea's negotiation strategy is mainly geared toward Washington, it should also do some diligent work, if not go on a charm-offensive, with these countries and the broader international community. The nations in the Western Bloc, particularly Britain and France, are in close communication with the United States about their dealings with North Korea. This may be an issue that's underestimated by North Korean strategists.



Broadly speaking, the international community believes that Kim Jong-un has not crossed the tipping point to convince people when he talked about denuclearization. They remain suspicious as to whether Kim may be thinking about some "indefinite point" in the future where he may or may not denuclearize. If Kim thinks that it would be "acceptance" globally of his asserting his possession of nuclear weapons, as Pakistan did, then we have a problem.



It is very important, therefore, that those with an access to Kim encourage him to feel that the stance of the international community is firm and expects Kim to denuclearize, without secretly entertaining the Pakistan model.



There is also a shift in the international community's thinking towards the Kim regime. In the past, they believed that the only workable way for denuclearization was to get rid of the leadership of the Kim family. What has changed now is that there is a readiness to say to Kim Jong-un that if you want to take your country in a different direction, we will be happy to work with you on this. It is important that Kim can be encouraged to recognize this difference.



At this juncture of nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea, it is particularly critical that this signal comes from Washington in a consistent manner. Hawkish statements or hints of possible military options in North Korea among those in close proximity to the Trump administration may trigger North Korea's deep-seated threat perception and heighten its vigilance.



North Korea's sense of the threat, whether subjective or objective, coming from the United States remains a fundamental issue in its eagerness toward denuclearization. North Korea has had a kind of obsession with U.S. "hostile policy." Kim needs assurance from Washington, and from the other key stakeholders of the international community that it won't be another Libya.



Kim has to understand that we also need assurance form him as well, precisely on the Pakistan question. It will be very helpful for Kim when he talks about denuclearization, and in fact now is the time, to tell us concretely, exactly what it means and when it will start.



There are sentiments among international interlocutors concerned about Pyongyang's nuclear weapons, that this fundamental question has not been sufficiently addressed by Kim. Likewise, there are also sentiments that North Korea's time-old paranoia and fear of military attacks by the United States has not been sufficiently explained in Washington.





Lee Seong-hyon (sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), Ph.D., is the director of the Department of Unification Strategy, and also the Center for Chinese Studies; at Sejong Institute.

HANARO research reactor in Daejeon / Courtesy of Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute



By Baek Byung-yeul



Nuclear researchers are calling on the Moon Jae-in administration to resume the operation of the HANARO research nuclear reactor in Daejeon. It has been offline since experiencing system errors on July 30.



A group of researchers claimed the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), the state-run nuclear regulatory body, is deliberately postponing the approval of restarting the reactor, which had only minor system errors that are not related to safety, in line with the Moon government's anti-nuclear energy policy.



"Researchers are urging the government to restart the operation of the HANARO reactor," Lee Jin-hong, professor at the Department of Environmental Engineering at Chungnam National University, told The Korea Times, Tuesday.



Lee represents researchers who have conducted research activities at the reactor. "The NSSC is delaying its decision because of the government's nuclear-free policy," Lee said. The NSSC, a state-run nuclear regulatory body, said it has investigated the cause of the errors.



"We are not maintaining that the HANARO reactor should be restarted regardless of whether it's safe or not. What we are saying is the regulatory body should allow the restart of the reactor at its earliest convenience once the errors are corrected," Lee said.



The Moon administration has pushed forward a series of energy policies to lower the country's reliance on nuclear plants, deciding to shut down the Wolsong-1 reactor as well as scrap plans to build four more nuclear power plants.



Located in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) launched the 30-megawatt High-flux Advanced Neutron Application Reactor (HANARO) in 1995. The reactor is designed for isotope production for medical and industrial purposes and more than 7,000 researchers from some 1,000 organizations have performed various experiments using the facility.



The reactor was previously shut down for minor repairs in July 2014 and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), a state-run nuclear regulatory body, ordered an inspection of the reactor to check if it could withstand earthquakes and other natural disasters.



Though the reactor started its operation after three and a half years on Dec. 5, 2017, it was halted again six days later due to minor errors. After fixing errors it was reopened in May but suffered system errors again in July.



"The HANARO reactor has been shut down for too long compared to research reactors in other countries. The research reactor of the United States' National Institute of Standards and Technology underwent three suspensions in 2016 and 2017 but the facility was only shut down for about 10 days," Lee said, adding that the long-lasting shutdown will lead to large losses for the country.



Lee had analyzed the content of fine dust, as issues related with fine dust have become a serious health hazard not only here in Korea but also other regions.



"There are various toxic substances contained in fine dust including about 30 heavy metal materials. With neutron-beam experiments, we can find out more about the substances in fine dust," Lee said. "However, that is all halted now."

A test model of Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 Nuri. / Courtesy of Ministry of Science and ICT



By Jun Ji-hye



Korea appears to still be a long way from achieving its dream of becoming one of the main aerospace powerhouses, with its long-term project to launch the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 (KSLV-2) Nuri by 2021 not going as planned, aerospace experts said Tuesday.



The setback is attributed largely to the country's lack of diverse technology compared to other space powers such as the United States and Russia, they said.



The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) had initially planned to conduct the first flight of the test model carrying a locally developed booster engine, Oct. 25, but this was delayed due to mechanical problems.



At the time, the ministry said the 75-ton thrust, single-stage test model was originally set to be launched at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, but problems arose in the rocket propellant pressurization system.



The ministry convened a meeting, Tuesday, and said the test flight would take place on Nov. 28. If unexpected issues such as weather problems came up, the date could be moved back to between Nov. 29 and Dec. 4, it added.



"The mechanical problems have been resolved," a ministry official said.



But experts said that as the government already experienced mechanical problems during the development, it cannot be guaranteed that the remaining procedures will go as planned.



"Korea is way behind other space powers," said Kwon Se-jin, a professor of aerospace engineering at KAIST. "A rocket is comprised of a lot of parts. Countries such as the United States and Russia have nurtured and matured their technologies for more than 60 years. It is a matter of course that Korea, which is at the beginning stage, is undergoing trial and error."



The test launch will see the test model fly for about 10 minutes, during which time it will attain a sub-orbital altitude over 100 kilometers before landing in international waters between Korea's Jeju Island and Japan's Okinawa.



During the test launch, the engine's performance and flight control systems will be verified, the ministry said.



If successful, the three-stage KSLV-2 rocket is scheduled to be launched in 2021, with four of the indigenous thrust engines being used in the first stage and one in the second stage.



The Nuri is to be the nation's first space vehicle entirely designed and built in the country.



Prof. Kwon said rocket development is difficult as it is almost impossible for a country to receive support from other countries due to their regulations prohibiting outflow of their core technologies and relevant parts.



"This forces Korea to undergo the same trial and error that other space powers have experienced," he said. "Korea began developing products such as semiconductors and cars by utilizing foreign techniques, but that will not happen in the rocket development in principle."



He said even if the first flight test fails, the nation needs to continue to carry out more tests until it uncovers the causes of problems and resolves them.



Meanwhile, the ministry has also come under fire for excessively using the development of the rocket to promote its achievements.



During a National Assembly audit on Oct. 22, Rep. Lee Sang-min of the ruling Democratic Party said a more important thing is intention of researchers, stressing, "The ministry should not open everything related to the development to the public."





By Park Jae-hyuk







Pernod Ricard Korea made another effort to win the fierce competition in the nation's low-alcohol spirit market.







The French distiller's local subsidiary said Tuesday it will run a pop-up store at Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul by the end of November to commemorate the release of the Smooth by Imperial low-proof whisky made with 12-year-old blended malt.







"Following the release of the Smooth 12, we will improve the dignity of the market for low-alcohol whisky made with 12-year-old whiskies," said Kim Kyung-yeon, Pernod Ricard Korea's marketing director for Imperial brand.







The pop-up store will allow visitors to enjoy the new product and another low-alcohol whisky the company released in the previous year.







In 2017, Pernod Ricard Korea came up with the Smooth by Imperial made with 17-year-old blended malt.







According to the marketing director, the Smooth 17 has had an 11 percent market share in the category.







"The success of the Smooth 17, the first low-proof whisky made with 17-year-old pure malt, has led not only to the growth of the Imperial brand, but also the qualitative growth of the low-proof whisky market," she said. "We will upgrade the market, satisfying the needs of consumers who look for milder liquor."







Over the past few years, Pernod Ricard Korea and its rivals have focused more on releasing low-alcohol drinks to overcome their worsening profitability by satisfying the tastes of younger drinkers and female customers.

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By Mike Roe with LAist staff

Whether due to altruism, good publicity, or something in between, several corporations have decided to offer a helping hand to those affected by Southern California's recent fires.

Airbnb

Airbnb is using its Open Homes Program to help those displaced by the recent Southern California wildfires. The company recruits hosts willing to provide free housing, then acts as a clearing house to support displaced residents and disaster relief workers.

They're offering help in the area through Nov. 29, and are asking more local hosts to offer their homes.

"Our goal is to ensure those able to open their homes are aware of the program and that anyone affected and in need of temporary accommodation knows this program is an option," the company said in a press release.

People started opening their homes in the wake of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and Airbnb has since built on this concept to make it official, according to the company.

Lyft

Lyft has partnered with the United Way and 2-1-1 to offer "Relief Rides" in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. People who need a ride can dial 2-1-1 in those areas to get a ride if they're in need following the fires.

"We're devastated by the fires in Southern California and our hearts go out to those who have been affected," Lyft Southern California Market Manager Elliot Greenberger said in a statement. "We'll be monitoring the roads to prioritize our drivers' safety."

Shake Shack

The burger/milkshake/other deliciousness venue is donating Tuesday's proceeds from their Westlake Village location to support relief efforts through the Ventura County Community Foundation.

If you know of other companies offering support, please let us know in the comments. And if you are looking to help, here are some ways to get involved.

Uber

Uber has been offering free rides to evacuation centers to those affected by the fires in both L.A. and Ventura counties. That includes two free rides, up to $50 each, with the promo code VENSAFE1018 in the Uber app. Their offer is available through midnight on Nov. 17 to and from the evacuation centers listed here.

Verizon

The phone company is offering free calls, texts and data to any of its customers who have been affected by the Camp, Woolsey and Hill fires, according to a recent tweet. They are also establishing "fully-equipped communication stations at evacuation centers."

This article has been updated.

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Updated: Nov. 14, 10:25 a.m.

Democrat Katie Porter has taken the lead over Republican incumbent Mimi Walters in the contest for the 45th Congressonal District seat representing parts of Orange County, based on the latest vote counts.

The county still has 261,600 ballots to tally, officials reported Tuesday afternoon. But for now, Porter is ahead with a thin margin -- just 261 votes separate her from Walters, who has represented the district since January 2015.

It's the latest turn in the two key Southern California races that remain too close to call.

Democrats have already made inroads into once-solid Republican country in Orange County and northern Los Angeles County. The question now is how much further the blue wave will travel.

Officials are still counting millions of ballots across the state. Some 3,287,982 ballots remain unprocessed statewide, according to the latest report from the Secretary of State's office.

Hanging in the balance are these contests based on the latest numbers:

39th Congressional District: Republican Young Kim, the current leader over Democrat Gil Cisneros, has seen her margin shrink to 711 votes. The candidates are seeking an open seat held by Ed Royce, a GOP congressman who is stepping down from office. The district straddles L.A., Orange and San Bernardino counties.

Republican Young Kim, the current leader over Democrat Gil Cisneros, has seen her margin shrink to 711 votes. The candidates are seeking an open seat held by Ed Royce, a GOP congressman who is stepping down from office. The district straddles L.A., Orange and San Bernardino counties. 45th Congressional District: Now that Democrat Porter has the lead in this Orange County district covering cities that include Irvine and Tustin, another incumbent is in jeopardy of losing a GOP seat. If Porter's lead holds up, it would be a further sign of the changes underway in this once strong GOP enclave. The 45th was one of a handful in the region targeted by Democrats as part of the party's effort to retake the U.S. House, which they have done.

Further north in the Central Valley's 10th Congressional District, Democrat Josh Harder is leading GOP incumbent Jeff Denham by 4,919 votes. The Associated Press has called the race for Harder.

In Los Angeles County alone, election officials estimate there are 688,000 ballots left to be counted. Orange County estimates it has 261,600 ballots to tally.

Dean Logan, L.A. County registrar, said on Twitter that the turnout for the county now stands at "45.56% and growing."

Officials have previously explained that the large numbers of uncounted ballots are due in part to changing election rules and a jump in the numbers who are voting with mail ballots. The last of the eligible vote-by-mail ballots for this election arrived on Friday.

Orange County is expected to issue its next update to its vote count Wednesday at about 5 p.m. The next vote count update for L.A. County is set for Friday afternoon.

WHAT'S UP IN THE ROHRABACHER VS. ROUDA RACE?

On Saturday morning, Democrat Harley Rouda declared victory over incumbent Dana Rohrabacher, and later in the day the Associated Press called the race for Rouda. But Rohrabacher has not conceded. His campaign has said it will wait before commenting.

"We have volunteer observers monitoring the count and will not be issuing a statement until that process is complete," campaign spokesman Dale Neugebauer said by email.

Rouda is currently ahead by 10,598 votes.

The race in this House district, covering coastal Orange County cities like Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, was one of the most-followed in the country. Democrats and Republicans poured millions into it.

Rouda's apparent win is a major victory for Democrats. Even though California did not contribute to the the tipping of the House to the Democrats, it will increase the party's numbers in the lower chamber.

The contest is also symbolically important: Rohrabacher has been in Congress for 30 years and is a prominent and vocal backer of President Trump.

Republicans, however, remain in control of the U.S. Senate, so the split in the legislative branch coupled with the volatile president will mean contentious times for the new Congress.

WILL THERE BE RECOUNTS?

It's possible, but recounts are very rare in California.

California does not have automatic recounts, and if a recount is requested it must be done by a voter. The voter, who can be a candidate, must pay for the recount before it takes place. Which votes to review is up to the person who asks for the recount.

Because recounts are expensive, they are much less frequent in California than in other states, some of which require automatic recounts for close elections.

The California governor can order a recount paid for by the state in statewide contests that are extremely close, but this is also rare. More details are available on the Secretary of State's website.

Correction: The vote count in the 39th Congressional District has been updated. A previous version of this story had older numbers.

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Several religious summer camps in the Malibu Mountains have been severely damaged in the Woolsey Fire, including facilities operated by the Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

The popular Camp Hess Kramer, which houses 250 campers at a time, lost almost every cabin to the fire along with the majority of its program buildings, says Wilshire Boulevard Camps director Doug Lynn. Gindling Hilltop Camp, also on site, was extensively damaged as well.

"Everybody has a deep connection to the physical space where they had life-changing experiences," said Lynn. "It's been hard for a lot of people, but it's also been amazing to watch as people share their memories and talk about who they became at camp."

On Saturday, after the fires, hundreds from the Hess Kramer community gathered for a special Havdalah service, marking the end of the Jewish Sabbath, and sang songs like "Stand By Me."

Angeleno Leslie Cole was a regular at Camp Hess Kramer in the 1960s.

"Such a beautiful spot," Cole said. "And it really helped me just get in touch with myself and get in touch with God, really. It's about the place, but it's mostly about the people and the memories and the Jewish spirit that is there."

Cole's 18-year-old son is a camper-turned-counselor at Camp JCA Shalom, another Jewish institution in Malibu damaged by the fire.

"It's just his home, and my daughter, too," Cole said. "It's like their second home."

Shalom Institute director Rabbi Bill Kaplan said camp staff evacuated Friday morning, grabbing computer servers and precious Torahs. He's not sure how many camp structures are still standing.

"There is a chance that some things might still exist, but we just don't know until we're able to get up there," Kaplan said.

The fire also damaged a Salvation Army camp in Calabasas called the Lawrence Daly Camp at Mt. Crags. Officials say the "wilderness camp" there that provides low-cost summer camp for inner-city kids is a total loss.

All three camps say they operate year-round, and will soon begin rebuilding for the summer.

"It's important that we'll rebuild the wilderness camp, and that we'll be there for those kids next summer," said Robert Brennan, director of communications for the California South Division of the Salvation Army.

"Camp is going to happen," said Wilshire Boulevard Temple's Doug Lynn. "We don't know exactly where, but the community is rallying together."

Aaron Schrank covers religion, international affairs and the Southern California diaspora under a grant from the Luce Foundation.

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Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.Michelle Obamas new memoir has drawn more preorders from Barnes & Noble than any adult book in three years. On its first day on shelves, its already a bestseller  its also the top seller at Amazon.com.

The Washington Post reports that Becoming, released Tuesday by Crown, is the most preordered book at Barnes & Noble since Harper Lees Go Set a Watchman, which was published in 2015.

Another sales boost came from Oprah Winfrey, who announced Monday that Becoming is the new pick for her book club.

Obamas memoir recounts her youth on the South Side of Chicago, meeting her husband, Barack, their years together in the White House and beyond.

Advertisement

She just opens up herself; its so vulnerable, Winfrey says on her website. It is Michelle Obamas personal story, of course, but I believe its going to spark within you the desire to think about your own becoming.

The Associated Press published excerpts from the book, including one that deals with Donald Trump and birthers, those who incorrectly assert that former President Obama was not born in the United States.

The whole [birther] thing was crazy and mean-spirited, of course, its underlying bigotry and xenophobia hardly concealed. But it was also dangerous, deliberately meant to stir up the wingnuts and kooks, Obama writes in the book. What if someone with an unstable mind loaded a gun and drove to Washington? What if that person went looking for our girls? Donald Trump, with his loud and reckless innuendos, was putting my familys safety at risk. And for this Id never forgive him.

Obama is set to embark on a book tour starting Tuesday in Chicago, where shell appear with Winfrey. She comes to the Forum in Los Angeles on Nov. 15, where shes scheduled to discuss her book with actress Tracee Ellis Ross. Tickets for the event have sold out.Its barely worth mentioning anymore that the public and political responses to mass shootings trace a dismal pattern: Public shock, grief and mourning; thoughts and prayers from politicians beholden to the National Rifle Assn.; calls to avoid politicizing the tragedy; and finally, no action from lawmakers in Washington.

There are signs that this pattern is shiftingpartially in the wake of the midterm elections Nov. 6, and possibly in the aftermath of the Thousand Oaks massacre of Wednesday, when a troubled veteran killed 12, and the Parkland, Fla., shootings of Feb. 14, which took 17 lives.

The elections brought 17 Democrats who campaigned on stricter gun laws to the House for the first time. At least 23 candidates rated by the NRA to have strong pro-gun rights records lost. The incoming Congress will seat at least 171 members with low NRA ratings of 0-13%, as against 144 with ratings of 87-100%, according to number crunching by CNBC.

Elements of the story in Thousand Oaks are all too familiar. Garen Wintemute, UC Davis

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The Thousand Oaks killings have already focused a spotlight on California regulations designed to limit access to lethal weapons, especially by people who may be predisposed to violence. These include restrictions on large-capacity ammo magazines and a waiting period allowing for restraining orders to block gun purchases by troubled potential shooters.

Ian David Long was one such individual. As my colleagues Ruben Vives, Matt Hamilton and Eric Sondheimer reported the day after the shooting, Longs behavior alarmed roommates and neighbors, and drew police to his home, though he was never taken into custody for mental health treatment. A large-capacity magazine apparently was part of the arsenal he brought to the Borderline Bar and Grill on Wednesday. Long was found dead at the scene, presumably by his own hand.

Elements of the story in Thousand Oaks are all too familiar, Garen Wintemute, head of the Violence Prevention Research Program at UC Davis, wrote Nov. 8 in the Sacramento Bee. He was known to his neighbors and law enforcement to be deeply troubled. He was not prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms, though he had been evaluated earlier this year for the possibility of severe mental illness. He had a high-capacity ammunition magazine.

California requires a 10-day waiting period on firearm purchases, during which background checks can establish whether a buyer is a member of a prohibited class of purchasersfelons, those with a history of violent crime, substance abuse or severe mental illness.

The waiting period also allows family members and law enforcement officials to seek restraining orders blocking purchases by those not otherwise prohibited.

Wintemute says hes aware of two cases, one in Northern California and another in Southern California, in which individuals who had made credible threats but were not otherwise prohibited persons were blocked during the waiting period from completing firearms purchases. In both cases, the threats came to the attention of law enforcement during the waiting period, he told me. They petitioned for and received gun violence restraining orders, and blocked the transfer of the firearms.

Californias ban on the possession of high-capacity magazinesthose holding more than 10 roundsmight also have limited Longs carnage. But the rule, enacted by Proposition 63 in 2016, was blocked last year by federal Judge Roger T. Benitez of San Diego, ruling in a case brought by five California residents and an affiliate of the NRA. His preliminary injunction was upheld in July by a 2-1 majority on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The initiative expanded a prior ban on the purchase or importation of a high-capacity magazine to cover possession; it required owners to transfer the magazine out of state, sell it to a licensed dealer, or surrender it to law enforcement.

Benitezs ruling that the ban on high-capacity magazines violated the 2nd Amendment made him an outlier on the federal bench, according to Hannah Shearer, 2nd Amendment litigation director at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Hes the only federal judge in the country to reach that conclusion, she told me. Benitezs ruling on whether to make his injunction permanent is expected within weeks, with a trial to follow next year if he does so and is again upheld on appeal.

A George W. Bush appointee, Benitez hasnt previously ruled on a gun-rights case, Shearer says. But his ruling on this one bristled with extreme language. Referring to the effective date of Proposition 63, he wrote: On July 1, 2017, any previously law-abiding person in California who still possesses a firearm magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds will begin their new life of crime.

Benitez painted a febrile picture of families needing the magazines because they live far from timely help by local law enforcement agencies and who must be self-reliant for their own defense, or who should the need ever arise, may be called upon to form a militia for the protection of the state from either foreign or domestic enemies.

He dismissed evidence of the role of the banned magazine in mass shootings. Of 92 mass shootings between 2009 and 2013 listed in a survey by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an organization formed by former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, only two occurred in California and involved the use of illegal magazines, he wrote.

These were a June 2013 shooting rampage in Santa Monica and a March 2009 attack in Oakland. Those shootings cost the lives of nine persons, including four police officers slain in the Oakland attack. Benitez said he doubted whether the magazine ban would have provided additional protection from gun violence...or prevented the crime.

Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane. Half of the articles in Annals of Internal Medicine are pushing for gun control. Most upsetting, however, the medical community seems to have consulted NO ONE but themselves. https://t.co/oCR3uiLtS7  NRA (@NRA) November 7, 2018

Its true that high-capacity magazines are seldom, if ever, the governing factor in the toll from mass shootings. Its also true that background checks are imperfectfactors warranting prohibitions arent always seamlessly reported to databases, and families may not seek restraining orders against relatives even when they know of dangerous behavior.

But as Wintemute observed in September in the New England Journal of Medicine, The argument that a policy will not function perfectly should not prevent it from being enacted.

Opinion polls indicate that the public is overwhelmingly in favor of waiting periods for all firearms purchases, and favor universal background checks almost unanimously97%, according to a Quinnipiac University poll in February.

The midterm election results suggest that the public has lost patience with the unfettered gun ownership promoted by the NRA in statements like the one issued by the California Rifle & Pistol Assn., the NRA affiliate that brought the legal challenge to Proposition 63, after Thousand Oaks. The vocal and well-heeled advocates of banning gun ownership, the group stated, will now orchestrate the narrative to portray this tragedy as another reason to drastically restrict the right to self-defense, or to ban certain guns, or ban certain gun parts, or ban standard capacity magazines, or ban gun shows, or ban gun stores, or ban gun advertising, or ban whatever else they can think of.

Another indication is the firestorm the NRA sustained last week after a tweet mocking the American College of Physicians for calling for the treatment of gun violence as a public health issue.

Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane, the NRA tweeted. Since then, Twitter has been inundated with responses from doctors detailing the devastation theyve witnessed in emergency rooms when treating gunshot injuries. The tide may be turning. Plans are underway, Wintemute says, to seize the momentum and turn this into a change in the practice of medicine. Thats a start, but the practice of U.S. politics will have to change too.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltziks blog.Actress Paz de la Huerta is suing Harvey Weinstein, alleging that the Oscar-winning producer raped her in two instances, and later embarked on a retaliatory campaign that resulted in her losing a role on HBOs Boardwalk Empire.

De la Huerta was one of numerous women who publicly stepped forward last year to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault. Her accusations were at the center of a recent criminal investigation in New York into the disgraced movie mogul.

In her new civil suit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the actress is also targeting the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, claiming that the hotel was negligent in renting out rooms to Weinstein, who was a regular at the establishment.

An attorney for Weinstein dismissed De la Huertas accusations in a statement released Tuesday.

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It is our understanding that the Manhattan district attorneys office carefully reviewed Ms. De la Huertas claims of sexual assault by Mr. Weinstein many months ago and made a conscious decision to reject her as a complainant for obvious reasons, said Ben Brafman, who represents the producer.

We also believe that her newly minted version of events including her new California claims are equally preposterous and, unfortunately, the product of an unstable personality with a vivid imagination.

The complaint alleges that Weinstein raped De la Huerta in December 2010 in New York after a party celebrating the opening of the movie Blue Valentine, which was a Weinstein Co. release. The actress says Weinstein drove her home and insisted on coming up to her apartment, where, she says, he raped her.

The second alleged rape occurred later the same month, two days before Christmas. De la Huerta alleges that Weinstein showed up at her New York apartment and forcibly entered the premises. He then performed unconsented vaginal intercourse through overpowering physical force, according to the complaint.

At the time of the alleged assaults, De la Huerta had a role on the acclaimed HBO series Boardwalk Empire, in which she played an ex-showgirl who has a relationship with the protagonist played by Steve Buscemi. She alleges that she lost the role on the show in 2012, after a meeting between Weinstein and Martin Scorsese, who was an executive producer on the series.

The close timing of this meeting of Weinstein with Scorsese occurring just before her termination led her to reasonably believe that Weinstein was making good on threats to harm her career if she defied him, the suit claims.

The actress also alleges the Four Seasons Beverly Hills was negligent in allowing Weinstein to be a regular customer. She claims that Weinstein exposed his genitals to her at the hotel and sexually harassed her there on a few occasions.

De la Huerta is seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory damages.

david.ng@latimes.com

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT

UPDATES:

12:53 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from Weinsteins attorney.

This article was originally published at 12:30 p.m.When Amazon launched its HQ2 contest last fall, dangling a prize of 50,000 high-paid jobs and a $5-billion investment, some 238 North American cities and regions embarked on a mad scramble, serving up gobs of proprietary data, along with hefty tax breaks, to host the tech titans satellite headquarters.

Among the gaggle of California supplicants from San Diego to Irvine to San Francisco, Los Angeles made the cut of 20 finalists, the lone survivor west of the Rockies.

But now, with Amazons decision to expand across the continent from its Seattle home, splitting its new corporate footprint between New York City and northern Virginia  plus some jobs in Nashville  the City of Angels is not so much indulging in a pity party as offering up a collective shrug. Some Amazon skeptics are even relieved.

Thank God, said Christopher Thornberg, founding partner of Los Angeles Beacon Economics, a go-to consultancy for California officials, and director of UC Riversides Center for Economic Forecasting.

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We have record low unemployment, skyrocketing housing costs, horrendous traffic and somehow we wanted to drop 50,000 overpaid techies into the middle of this? he added. What the hell. I dont get the logic.

Economic development is best done by helping existing businesses grow, and by building more housing and infrastructure, Thornberg said. Not by spending millions of dollars in subsidies and countless man-hours chasing a monster like Amazon. Why do it? So politicians can have bragging rights.

Even the projects local boosters dont seem to view Amazons decision as a fatal snub.

I wouldnt say we were disappointed, because the process was positive, said Bill Allen, CEO of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp., the public-private entity that drafted the countys 350-page bid and squired Amazon representatives around more than half a dozen campus sites on multiple visits. Amazon already has thousands of employees here, Allen said. Im confident it will invest more.

In fact, the headquarters contest was arguably a small part of a vast dispersal strategy as the $178-billion company grows at breakneck speed across the globe, gobbles up other companies, launches new endeavors and engages in a fierce competition for tech talent with Google, Facebook, Microsoft and others.

Just 45,000 Amazon employees, in a worldwide workforce of about 613,000, are based in Seattle. California is a close second with 39,000 Amazon staffers  not counting the thousands who work for Whole Foods and other subsidiaries. The company says it has invested more than $19 billion in the Golden State since 2011.

Three of the companys 18 North American tech hubs are in California  in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Diego with nearly 10,000 workers at Amazon Devices, Amazon Web Services, Amazon Studios, Prime Video, Amazon Game Studios, the Alexa voice-activated service and IMDb, the movie and television database. Irvine offices also staff Alexa, cloud computing and game operations.

In February, Amazon added more than 400 California employees with its purchase of Ring, a Santa Monica maker of high-tech, video-enabled doorbells.

Jamie Siminoff is founder and chief inventor of Ring, a Santa Monica-based maker of high-tech doorbells that was acquired by Amazon in April. (Amazon)

But the tech behemoths well-paid engineers and software developers in California are far outnumbered by low-wage retail and warehouse employees at its 85 Whole Foods stores, 23 giant shipping centers and nine fast-delivery Prime Now hubs.

As it sorts and ships imported goods flowing through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Amazon has become the Inland Empires largest employer, building 13 huge facilities over the last six years, with 18,000 full-time workers.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who commissioned the LAEDC bid, wished New York and Virginia well, but added: There are enough jobs in innovative growth industries to go around. Los Angeles is doing quite nicely  thank you very much  and were poised to do better.

No information was released as to promised tax breaks in Los Angeles bid, although Amazon made clear in its request for proposals that incentives would be a major factor. LAEDC signed a nondisclosure pact with the company. And because the bid was handled by a public-private corporation, it is not subject to Public Records Act requests, according to Allen.

Daniel Flaming, president of the Economic Roundtable, a Los Angeles nonprofit research group, said that an HQ2 workforce could have created problematic secondary effects of housing displacement as these high-paid workers settled in Mar Vista, Santa Monica and Venice  places that had been affordable.

But he added, It is good for the region to have a stronger income base and more consumer buying power  and that outweighs the displacement effects.

The housing and traffic impact would not have been as much as feared, Allen suggested, because Amazons headquarters, while it would have brought new jobs, would not necessarily have attracted a large influx of people. Many of the jobs could have gone to current residents, he said.

Nonetheless, 16 California groups were among the 125 community organizations that signed an open letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos last year, somewhat hostile in tone, demanding that the company allow labor organizing and contribute financially to affordable housing. Amazon has traditionally fought off attempts to unionize.

It goes without saying that you cant have great public services without paying taxes, the letter added. We know youve had a little problem grasping that, sometimes. Heres the dealYou must pay all of your property taxes [and] sales taxes.

A worker pushes a cart through the rows and rows of merchandise to get items for customers at the Amazon Fulfillment Center in San Bernardino. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Cynthia Strathmann, executive director of Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, a Los Angeles nonprofit and one of the letters signers, said she is very happy HQ2 is going elsewhere.

Amazon is not known as a good employer, she said. We need employers where workers have some control over their working conditions.

In Seattle, she added, Weve seen the upward pressure Amazon put on housing costs. Weve seen it with other tech companies in the Bay Area. City officials are dazzled by the prospect of business expansion without looking at the costs.

Economist Amihai Glazer, director of UC Irvines Program in Corporate Welfare, sees political opposition to Amazon growing since the HQ2 announcement.

Firms are facing pressure when they grow too large, he said. Theyre blamed for political ills. Seattles City Council tried to tax Amazon to pay for homelessness. In Anaheim, a successful ballot initiative to raise wages was aimed at Disney.

This month, San Francisco voters approved a ballot measure raising taxes on companies with more than $50 million in annual revenue to pay for housing and services related to homelessness. In Mountain View, an initiative hiked business license fees on large companies to pay for transit infrastructure. Google will now owe as much as $3 million a year.

Glazer was skeptical of HQ2 benefits.

Amazon played cities against each other, he said. But incentives often lead to winners remorse. Last year, for instance, Boston offered $145 million to General Electric [for its new headquarters] but the promised employment has not materialized.

In its Tuesday announcement, Amazon said New York had agreed to at least $1.5 billion in tax credits and grants; Virginia will award $573 million in cash grants and $195 million in infrastructure improvements; and Tennessee will provide $102 million in cash grants and tax credits.

HQ2 jobs would not have made much difference in a big place like L.A. with a population of 13 million, Glazer suggested. Would we have become a second Silicon Valley? That is what people dream of. But I dont have the sense that Amazon has spawned many start-ups, although we know they have spun off from Microsoft and others.

At LAEDC, Allen disputes the idea that Amazons new jobs would not have made a difference.

Economies are cyclical, he said. It is true we have low unemployment now, but look back eight years ago to the economic crisis. By the time Amazon built out over three to 10 years, we could be in recession and thrilled to have those jobs.

margot.roosevelt@latimes.com

Twitter: @margotroosevelt

UPDATES:

1 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional information about tax credits and grants paid by the winning cities.

This article was originally published at 7:10 a.m.Pabst Brewing Co. and MillerCoors are going to trial, with hipster favorite Pabst contending that MillerCoors wants to put it out of business by ending a longstanding partnership through which it brews Pabsts beers.

The case has high stakes for Los Angeles-based Pabst. Pabsts lawyers argue that the companys very existence relies on the partnership with Chicago-based MillerCoors, which produces, packages and ships nearly all its products, which include Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Milwaukee, Natty Boh and Lone Star. MillerCoors, meanwhile, says that its not obligated to continue brewing for Pabst and that Pabst doesnt want to pay enough to justify doing so.

The trial in Milwaukee County Circuit Court began Monday and is scheduled through Nov. 30.

Pabsts attorneys have said in court documents and hearings that MillerCoors LLC is lying about its brewing capacity to break away from Pabst and capture its share of the cheap beer market by disrupting Pabsts ability to compete. At a March hearing in which MillerCoors tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, Pabst attorney Adam Paris said stunning documents obtained from MillerCoors show that it went as far as hiring a consultant to figure out ways to get rid of us. MillerCoors has called that a mischaracterization of the consultants work.

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The 1999 agreement between MillerCoors and Pabst, which was founded in Milwaukee in 1844, expires in 2020 but provides for two possible five-year extensions. The companies dispute how the extensions should be negotiated: MillerCoors argues that it has sole discretion to determine whether it can continue brewing for Pabst, whereas Pabst says the companies must work in good faith to find a solution if Pabst wants to extend the agreement but MillerCoors lacks the capacity.

Pabst needs 4 million to 4.5 million barrels brewed annually and says MillerCoors is its only option. It is seeking more than $400 million in damages and for MillerCoors to be ordered to honor its contract.

During 2015 negotiations about extending the contract, MillerCoors announced it would close its brewing facility in Eden, N.C., and that it eventually might have to shut a facility in Irwindale in the San Gabriel Valley. Pabst contends that MillerCoors refused to provide any information to substantiate its claim that it would no longer have the capacity to keep brewing Pabsts beers, and that it wouldnt consider leasing the Eden facility and would sell it for an astronomical price only.

Pabst says MillerCoors wouldnt agree to an extension unless Pabst paid $45 per barrel  a commercially devastating, near-triple price increase from what it pays now. At the March hearing, Paris said MillerCoors knew Pabst couldnt accept that proposal because it would have bankrupted us three times over.

In court filings, MillersCoors said Pabsts proposals to keep the Eden facility open were commercially unreasonable and that Pabst sought a windfall through litigation instead of offering to pay enough to keep a facility open. It also said the facilitys closing was to ensure the longer-term sustainability of MillerCoors because thousands of new brewers have entered the market over the last decade.

MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch, which have the biggest U.S. market share at 24.8% and 41.6%, respectively, have been losing business to smaller independent brewers, imports, and wine and spirits in recent years, according to the Brewers Assn.

The beer market has shifted and beer lovers are increasingly demanding more variety, fuller flavor, and local products from small and independent producers, said Bart Watson, the Brewers Assn.'s chief economist.

Overall U.S. beer sales have declined, with shipments down from 213.1 million barrels in 2008 to 204.2 million in 2017, according to the Brewers Assn.

Pabst depends on MillerCoors because the only other U.S. brewer with capacity to make its products is Anheuser-Busch, which doesnt do contract brewing, Paris said.

It really is an existential issue for Pabst because it has no real alternatives, Paris said at the March hearing.

Paris said the report from the consultant MillerCoors hired in 2013 proves the company never intended to act in good faith. Pabsts attorneys say the report had sections focused on how to eliminate Pabst altogether and noted that MillerCoors would need to close two breweries to be sure they dont have excess capacity for contract manufacturing.

MillerCoors attorney, Eric Van Vugt, said in court that the company didnt rely on the consultants report when it decided to close Eden or when it has contemplated closing the Irwindale brewery.

If we keep Irwindale open, yes, we can supply their beer, Van Vugt said. No one disputes that. Thats the only factor that we need to look at.Early in A Bronx Tale, a 10-year-old boy witnesses a murder. That boy was Chazz Palminteri, the actor and playwright.

It was so real, the way he stared at me and I stared at him and then everything turned to slow motion, Palminteri recalls about the real-life occurrence. Obviously, when I got older and I wanted to write, that was the first thing I wrote about cause I never forgot that.

Stuck in a mid-career malaise in the late 1980s, Palminteri penned his autobiographical one-man show, A Bronx Tale, about a young man caught between his salt-of-the-earth bus driver father, Lorenzo, and a charismatic homicidal criminal, Sonny.

Palminteri debuted his play here in Los Angeles in 1989, which was later seen by Robert De Niro. Eventually De Niro turned the production into the 1993 film adaptation, which was directed by  and starred  De Niro, with Palminteri playing Sonny. It was a role that arguably launched Palminteris career, and later landed him his Broadway debut in the 2007 production, directed by four-time Tony-winner Jerry Zaks.

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In 2016, stage and screen merged as Zaks and De Niro co-directed A Bronx Tale: The Musical, a production with songs by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater and book by Palminteri.

Now as A Bronx Tale: The Musical has arrived with a touring cast at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre through Nov. 25, The Times caught up with Palminteri, who shared his thoughts on his early work.

How has your relationship with A Bronx Tale changed over the nearly 30 years since you wrote it?

When I first did it, I wasnt married. When I did all 18 parts, I kind of related as the boy to the father. Now that I have a son that age, I relate more toward the father to the boy. But its an interesting relationship, especially since I played Sonny in all the different versions,

Nick Cordero played Sonny on Broadway and also played the role of Cheech in Bullets Over Broadway, a role you played in the film.

Hes really a younger version of me. Hes very handsome, he can sing like crazy, he can act. When he was asked to do a movie, they asked me to step in and I was really looking forward to it. For two months I studied with a great teacher in the city. And by the time I got into it, I was ready.

When it was still just a one-man show, you were offered $1 million for the film rights and you turned it down.

The first $250,000 was the hardest cause that came out of nowhere and I only had $200 in the bank. But they didnt want me to play Sonny, they wanted a star. And they didnt want to let me write it. They wanted an A-list writer. Once I turned down the first $250,000, after that the rest was just numbers to me. They didnt mean anything, to be honest with you.

A scene in the show comes from real life, when you witnessed a murder as a child. What do you recall about such a traumatic incident?

It seemed real when it first happened, but it kind of seems like a dream now because Ive written about it so much and its been done in so many different versions. But it was real when it happened, I can tell you that. The way you see it in the movie, thats exactly the way it happened. Next minute I know I was flying upstairs, my father dragging me by the arm. Im embarrassed to admit that I really wasnt traumatized. I just moved on from there. I knew I couldnt rat on the guy. But obviously it stayed in my mind.

As a young person, at what point did you understand that love is more powerful than fear?

I understood it when I got older. If youre Sonny, its better to be feared. If youre Lorenzo, a regular person, then its better to be loved. Sonny was a student. When he was in jail, he read Machiavelli. When I heard about this when I was in my young teens, I started reading it myself and I became pretty knowledgeable. I read everything I could about Machiavelli. I actually went to Italy and visited Machiavellis house twice. A man I know bought it, so I was able to go and eat there.

The second act deals with interracial romance. How have race issues changed from the time the play is set to the 1993 movie, and today?

Exactly the same. Dont forget, its 1960-1968, could be the most turbulent time in American history, as far as race goes. Robert Kennedy was assassinated, Martin Luther King was assassinated, there was the riots. It was a crazy, crazy time. And now, its a crazy time as far as race goes. Look, have race relations come a long way? Yes. Is it still backward in some aspects? Yes, it is. I think theres a certain part of society, they just dont get it.

How is the play relevant in todays politically charged environment?

I believe both parties have a lot of work to do before they get my vote. All they care about is getting in power. And they dont care about the people. Until they stop fearing each other and hating each other and they want to come together, then we can start working for the country.

It seems the final step for A Bronx Tale would be a movie of the musical. Any discussion about that?

No, its too early for that. I think it will make a great movie musical. Im currently writing two plays, a musical and a straight play. Im hoping both see the light of day. That would be nice.

A Bronx Tale

Where: 6233 Hollywood Blvd.

When: Through Nov. 25, check website for times.

Price: $35-$145

Info: (323) 468-1770, hollywoodpantages.com

Run time: 2 hoursNeatly positioned between Southeast Asia and Europe, Los Angeles has increasingly become a natural meeting point, particularly in matters of style. Nowhere was that more in evidence than at last weeks launch of the Mr. Porter X visvim capsule collection: a California-inspired collaboration between the British-born luxury e-tailer Mr. Porter and cult Japanese menswear brand visvim.

On display at visvims downtown L.A. store and available on MrPorter.com, the 28-piece collection includes sneakers and bags and takes inspiration from Californias national parks and, in particular, according to the press release, the history of the Yosemite Valley Camp 4 rock climbers of the late 1950s and 60s. This translates as knit cardigans with bear motifs, sneakers bearing Native American war bonnet appliques and hoodies emblazoned with retro-style pennants alongside basics like T-shirts, denim jackets, cotton flannel shirts and sneakers in a color palette that reflects the California outdoors: browns, khakis and moss greens. Prices in the collaborative collection range from $300 (for a lightning-bolt-emblazoned T-shirt) to $5,210 (for a blue quilted-nylon, down-filled jacket).



For the record: An earlier version of this store incorrectly stated where the capsule collection is available. It is only available online at MrPorter.com, but it is currently on display at visvims downtown L.A. store.

Its for guys that like that reference point and like the vintage references and the utility references that are the inspiration behind this, Mr. Porter managing director Toby Bateman told The Times the day after the Nov. 7 launch. Visvim  its a fashion statement, its a style statement. Its a million miles away from Balenciaga or Gucci, and its also a million miles away from Tom Ford and Brioni.

Visvim clients, I think, consider themselves to be individuals and have their own style, he added. They dont consider themselves to be fashion followers or changing what they wear from season to season.

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A pennant logo hoodie (at left, $730) and a pair of distressed denim jeans (at right, $975) are part of the California-flavored Mr. Porter X visvim capsule collection. (Mr. Porter)

While visvims founder, designer Hiroki Nakamura, recently moved the label to L.A., Bateman explained the collection was still produced using Japanese fabrics and manufacturing, including a traditional Japanese dyeing method known as aizome.

So youve got the authenticity of whats coming out of Japan, of the indigo dyeing, the dyeing techniques for the fabrics of those coats said Bateman. Some of them they use like fruit juice or mud, and thats what you pay for.

Which is why most visvim fans probably wont be wearing this collection anywhere near a real hiking trail. Its inspired by the outdoors, Bateman pointed out, [but] I dont think youd choose to wear this over your Patagonias.

Still, at the very least, this capsule collection will add an outdoorsy vibe to their closets.

The Mr. Porter X visvim capsule collection is on display at visvim Exposition, 304 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, and online at MrPorter.com.Youll most likely catch El Doctor del Valle parked on Reseda Boulevard in Northridge, midway between the 118 and 101 freeways. Look for a black truck with a stethoscope-wearing shrimp hoisting a beer and the words Andas crudo ... yo te ayudo painted on the back panel.

The nominal doctor, Oscar Soto, will be in, but if you ask, youll find the nickname doesnt technically belong to him. It was given to his father nearly a decade ago when he was selling Sinaloan-style seafood from the back of a van. Construction workers came to depend on his aguachiles, campechanas and michelada mix as cures for their hangovers and started calling him El Doctor when theyd see him appear at their job sites.

Soto and his wife, Adina, share kitchen duties on the truck, serving a menu of ceviches, aguachiles, cocteles de mariscos, tacos and quesadillas. He was born in the coastal city of Los Mochis in northern Sinaloa, where catches from the Sea of Cortez inform what ends up on the dinner table.

Soto opened the food truck after more than 12 years cooking with his family as part of their catering operation. The truck, marketed through social media and word-of-mouth, is an attempt to bring Sinaloan dishes to a wider audience. Ive always loved the kitchen, he explains. I love food generally, but I can tell you that I love food from Sinaloa and the place where I was born the best.

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Oscar Sotos invention, La Mochila, is shrimp ceviche and fish aguachile with abalone, octopus and oysters in a shallow, acidic pool, pinned under avocado slices, red onion ribbons and a dusting of ground chile piquin. A specialty of El Doctor Del Valle food truck. (Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times)

In addition to seafood-loaded tostadas and cocteles, the menu includes a personal invention Soto calls mochila, after the sobriquet given to Los Mochis inhabitants. Its a medley of shrimp ceviche and fish aguachile layered with abalone, octopus and oysters wading in a shallow, acidic pool, pinned under avocado slices, red onion ribbons and a dusting of ground, copper-toned chiltepin. The flavors are fresh, oceanic and bracing, and leave a lasting sear.

The whole giant thing comes in a large foil bowl with tostadas, holding enough to take half home for later. Which youll want to do. Because there are tacos. Good tacos.

Tacos gobernador come hot and crunchy, with a gooey bedrock of cheese under chopped shrimp, a generous amount of avocado, and a linear splatter of homemade chipotle sauce and cream over the top.

The marlin taco is a standout too, based on a shredded smoked fish that Soto gets delivered twice a month from Mexico. Fried and slipped into a tortilla, the marlin hash shatters with the first bite, delicious, caramelized fish crystals sprinkling your plate in the process.

Also available are cevicheladas, an eye-catching plastic cup that brims with ceviche from a bath of beer-less michelada. Soto sells his fathers michelada mix for customers to take home and put to work. And, in homage to a Los Mochis seafood institution called El Oasis, hes offering a sparkling grape juice called uvola.

A beer-less cevichelada from El Doctor del Valle. (Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times)

Beyond trying to dish out great Sinaloan seafood, Soto hopes that the cooking of El Doctor del Valle may have the power to affect perceptions about his hometown, which he holds close to his heart.

There are a lot of misunderstandings about the place I come from, Soto says. The first thing some people think about when they hear Sinaloa is El Chapo and narcos and drugs. But we have so many beautiful places, the food is great, the people are awesome. Thats what I want to show to people with this truck.

Reseda Boulevard between Chase Street and Roscoe Boulevard. Tuesdays through Sundays. (818) 919-9345; Instagram, @Oscar.eldoctordelvallejr

Adina and Oscar Soto and their food truck, El Doctor del Valle, which can be found in the San Fernando Valley just north of the intersection at Reseda Boulevard and Roscoe Avenue, Tuesday through Sunday. (Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times)

food@latimes.com

@latimesfoodJanelle Pietrzak approaches her weavings with the same eye for detail that she once used as a fabric consultant.

I just think about what I love, says Pietrzak. Color resonates with people. I have been obsessed with yellow and plaid lately.

The self-taught weaver, 37, and the creative force behind the Yucca Valley-based All Roads studio, learned about color and textiles during stints sourcing fabric for Anthropologie and choosing more than 700 colors for a Chinese yarn mill.

Working in an office, however, left her craving a creative outlet.

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In 2012 she started weaving using a simple loom her boyfriend and All Roads partner Robert Dougherty, a welder and carpenter, built for her. Equipped with only basic weaving skills she learned in a college textile class, Pietrzak was soon weaving increasingly complex free-form tapestries.

An inspiration board inside the studio. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

In less than a year, Pietrzak went from weaving as a hobby to creating custom pieces for clients. Commissions for the stylish Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs and the Thompson Hotel in Nashville followed. In 2014, she licensed her designs to Anthropologie, which now produces All Roads Studio rugs, pillows, throws and duvets.

Her small stordio (studio and retail store) in Yucca Valley is a textile lovers dream.

Multiple looms share space with raffia and rope, silky smooth tassels and multicolored cones of yarn. A yard of vintage fabric hangs like an artwork on one wall while her weavings, made from skeins of bamboo, linen, hemp, cotton and hand-cut metal scales and stoneware, hang on another, adding to the colorful, warm vibe of the studio.

All of her work is made to order, with small weavings starting at around $125 and bigger tapestries selling for as much as $6,000 on websites like 1stdibs. In the tiny retail shop, visitors can shop for handmade shibori socks and sweatshirts, steel peace signs, hand-dyed and painted T-shirts and woven washable color block scarves (while they last).

The tiny retail space at All Roads Design in Joshua Tree. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

The former Los Angeles resident takes inspiration from the surrounding desert landscape as well as her travels. For her current Anthropologie collection, for instance, she traveled to Todos Santos, Mexico, with the companys senior textile artist.

We stayed there for four days and took in as much inspiration as we could, she says of the retro 70s vibe of Hotel Cristobal, snorkeling over coral reefs and bright colored fish.

For Pietrzak, beauty comes from long hours using her hands. Though she has also experimented with ceramics, she remains infatuated with textiles, producing works that straddle the line between functional craft and fine art.

Looking ahead, Pietrzak hopes to develop her own line of textiles and home accessories. The art side of my work is equally important as that is what pushes my aesthetic, color and technique, she says. I plan to keep working on that, and letting the desert sink into my brain and see how it reflects in my work.

Pietrzak will be hosting a bed layering workshop at the Century City Anthropologie from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15. $10; includes a tutorial, drinks and snacks and a small gift courtesy of the artist. Reservations required: beddingmakeoverworkshop

Your turn: Do you know a maker who deserves a wider audience? Tell us about them and why their work is so special at latimes.com/Home and we may include them in our ongoing series about makers, crafters and artisans in and around Los Angeles. Include a few photos of their work and a link to their website, if possible.

All Roads

Where: 7319 Acoma Trail, Yucca Valley

Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and by appointment

Info: allroadsdesign.com

Textile artist Janelle Pietrzak in her Joshua Tree stordio. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Meet the Maker: Janelle Pietrzak

Craft: Weaver, All Roads

Info: allroadsdesign.com

Studio playlist: Up and Vanished, The Last Podcast on the Left, Donner Party podcasts

Why handmade things matter: There is a nostalgia to handmade crafts. With everyone on the phone, handmade things ground you and connect you to the earth.

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The L.A. Times Holiday Gift GuideCamp fire death toll rises to 86 after burn victim dies in hospital By Alene Tchekmedyian Californias deadliest blaze on record has claimed 86 lives. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) The death toll from the devastating Camp fire in Butte County, Calif., rose to 86 after an 80-year-old man died of his burn injuries, authorities said Tuesday. Larry Smith of Paradise was burned Nov. 8 while attempting to put out flames that engulfed his car, the Butte County Sheriffs Office said. He was flown to the UC Davis Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center, where he died Nov. 25. Authorities also released the name of one other person who died in the blaze: Shirlee Teays, 90, of Paradise. Of the 86 people killed, 52 have been identified. Three people are still missing. Facebook

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Three more Camp fire victims identified A recovery team searches for human remains after the Camp fire. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) The Butte County Sheriffs Office on Monday released the names of three more victims who died in the Camp fire. Authorities identified the following people and have notified their families: Rafaela Andrade, 84, of Paradise Don Shores, 70, of Magalia Jean Forsman, 83, of Magalia Of the 85 people killed in Californias deadliest blaze on record, 50 have been identified. Three people remain missing.

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Woolsey fire victims identified as mother and son Firefighter Adan Rodriguez douses hot spots on Mulholland Drive last month. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles County coroners officials Monday identified a mother and son who died trying to escape flames in the destructive Woolsey fire. Shoushan Baklayan, 82, and her son Anthony Noubar Baklayan, 57, died in a car Nov. 9 in the 33100 block of Mulholland Highway in Malibu, coroners officials said. Authorities said that the younger Baklayan died of effects of thermal injuries; investigators have not determined a cause of death for his mother. The two were among three people who died in the blaze. The third victim has not been identified. The family released a statement through their spokesman, Brian Glicklich, in which they asked for privacy as they continue to grieve. The blaze, which erupted Nov. 8, ripped through nearly 97,000 acres in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, destroying 1,500 structures. Facebook

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Authorities identify the remains of 3 more killed in Camp fire By B.J. Terhune Firefighters move heavy debris while searching for human remains at a destroyed residence 19 days after the Camp fire in Paradise, Calif. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) The Butte County Sheriffs Office has released the names of three more people who died in the Camp fire. Sheriffs officials said Wednesday that the remains of the following people had been identified and their relatives had been notified: Sally Gamboa, 69, Paradise

Joy Porter, 72, Paradise

Dennis Clark, 49, Paradise Californias worst wildfire killed 85 people when it tore through Butte County on Nov. 8. Officials say 10 residents are still missing.

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Authorities identify remains of 10 more people who died in Camp fire By B.J. Terhune  Weeks after the Camp fire destroyed more than 18,000 structures in Californias Butte County, volunteers from search-and-rescue teams nationwide continue to look for human remains in the rubble. The names of 10 more victims of the Camp fire were released Monday by the Butte County Sheriffs Office, which has notified the next of kin. Helen Pace, 84, Paradise

Gary Hunter, 67, Magalia

Beverly Powers, 64, Paradise

Sheila Santos, 64, Paradise

Andrew Downer, 54, Paradise

Lou Herrera, 86, Paradise

TK Huff, 71, Concow

Gordon Dise, 66, Chico

James Garner, 63, Magalia

Robert Duvall, 76, Paradise Californias worst wildfire has killed 85 people, and 11 residents in the Northern California counties where the blaze tore through in early November are still missing.

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Camp fire death toll is revised to 85 Homes leveled by the Camp fire in Paradise, Calif. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) Authorities in Butte County revised the Camp fire death toll to 85 after investigators determined that, in three cases, human remains collected in multiple bags belonged to a single individual. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said investigators had identified 43 victims. For weeks, hundreds of searchers scoured 18,000 structures destroyed by the blaze looking for human remains, going over some areas more than once. Honea advised residents who head back to their neighborhoods in coming days to call the sheriffs office if they find bones or bone fragments. Investigators have accounted for all but 11 people reported missing in the wildfire. Crews have been working to clear tree hazards on public roads, but urged residents to be cautious because they have not assessed private properties. Facebook

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Strangers from Paradise support one another in hotel lobby far from home By Angel Jennings Over the last few weeks, some Paradise evacuees have made a Best Western hotel home. They didnt know each other before the fire, though they lived in the same small town for years and frequented the same haunts. They have formed a little community at the Corning hotel around the waffle maker during breakfast, passing one another in the elevator and lounging in the lobby, Around the table, they trade stories of dodging embers and feelings of guilt. Together, they try to make sense of the tragedy that unites them. They are among thousands of Paradise residents who fled their homes the day the fire started and have not been allowed to return since. There is growing frustration at the pace of getting people back to see what is left of their properties as well as longer-term shelter plans for those who lost their homes. Read More Facebook

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Rain brings new dangers in Northern California areas burned in recent fires By Hannah Fry As a series of rainstorms begins to move across the state, officials in areas recently scarred by wildfires are on high alert for potential mudslides and flash flooding. The National Weather Service issued a warning of possible flash flooding in three counties in Northern California in advance of a storm expected to arrive late Wednesday. Forecasters predict the second in a series of three storm systems this week could drop more than an inch of rain on the Camp fire burn area in Butte County; the Carr, Delta and Hirz fires burn areas in Shasta County; and the Mendocino Complex fire scar in Lake County. Read More Facebook

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Costs from Paradise fire will likely be in the billions, Zinke says U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke returned to Paradise, Calif., on Monday, saying the cost of Californias worst fires would probably be in the billions and that care would have to be taken in rebuilding the city. When we rebuild, having a frank discussion whether its appropriate to rebuild every place is an important part of the equation, he told the Associated Press in an interview. Facebook

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Some victims of Paradise fire may never be found, officials say By Rong-Gong Lin II Authorities are coming to terms with the possibility that the search for victims of the Camp fire might never be complete and that some human remains wont ever be recovered. Is it possible that there could be a circumstance where someone was completely consumed by fire and therefore we wouldnt have something that we could collect? I would say it is within the realm of possibility, unfortunately, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Monday. Theres nothing easy about this. This is just an unprecedented situation, he added. Read the latest here. Facebook

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New storms bring fresh anxiety in Paradise By Hannah Fry The first of three storm systems expected in wildfire-ravaged Butte County, Calif., dropped a smattering of rain Tuesday. Forecasters predicted about an inch of precipitation, saying the relatively weak system would sputter out by early Wednesday. But a stronger storm will roll in late Wednesday, bringing with it the potential for debris flows and up to 3 inches of rain through Thursday night. The Butte County Emergency Operations Center has prepared for the rain by clearing drainage culverts of debris, said Matt Gates, public information officer for the Paradise Police Department. The California Conservation Corps also has been working on erosion-control measures for mountain slopes filled with fire-damaged pine and chaparral. Ash doesnt absorb water, which complicates things, Gates said. A third storm could bring 2 to 4 inches of rain to the charred region from Friday through Sunday. Its the intensity that can cause debris flows, said Eric Kurth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. If the rain comes over time, theres some opportunity for it to absorb or gradually run off. When we have rapid runoff, thats when it can bring down entire hillsides. The soil in recently burned areas cannot absorb significant amounts of rainwater, so excessive precipitation can lead to fast-moving flows containing mud, debris and even trees and boulders. The devastation can be deadly and often comes without warning. The rain is also expected to complicate the already challenging search for human remains among the rubble of the Camp fire. Typically, crews scoop fire debris into a screen and sift it, looking for bone or bone fragments, but the ash and rain have mixed to form a clay-like substance, making the task nearly impossible. Officials have had to bring in water and gently wash away the clay to expose potential human remains in the charred mess. Facebook

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Mountain lion P-74 believed killed in Woolsey fire By Associated Press National Park Service officials say P-74, a young male mountain lion who lives in the area burned by the Woolsey fire, probably died. (National Park Service) Officials say a mountain lion tracked by researchers probably died in a wildfire that tore through Southern California communities and wilderness areas. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area tweeted Monday that theres been no signal from the GPS collar on the young mountain lion dubbed P-74 since Nov. 9. Thats the day the Woolsey fire swept into the central part of the Santa Monica Mountains northwest of Los Angeles. P-74 was a male born last year. Several other mountain lions and bobcats monitored by scientists in the area have been located. The huge fire charred a swath of national park land thats home to the big cats and popular among hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. The blaze burned 1,600 structures in and around Malibu and left three people dead. Facebook

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88 dead and 203 still missing in Paradise fire zone By Rong-Gong Lin II The death toll from Californias worst fire jumped to 88 on Monday with 203 people still missing, officials said. Searchers have spent the last two weeks combing through the remains of Paradise, where much of the city was burned in the Camp fire. Officials said Monday that they had covered a good portion of the city. Its been a grim task, with most of the remains being found as just bones or bone fragments. The fire, which burned more than 14,000 homes in the Paradise region, was fully contained Sunday morning. A new rainstorm will move into the area in the coming days, and officials are worried that could make search efforts more difficult. Facebook

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Officials believe mountain lion P-74 died in the Woolsey fire By Associated Press Lion P-74. (Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area) Officials say a mountain lion tracked by researchers probably died in a wildfire that tore through Southern California communities and wilderness areas. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area tweeted Monday that theres been no signal from the GPS collar on the young mountain lion dubbed P-74 since Nov. 9. Thats the day the Woolsey fire swept into the central part of the Santa Monica Mountains northwest of Los Angeles. P-74 was a male born last year. Several other mountain lions and bobcats monitored by scientists in the area have been located. The huge fire charred a swath of national park land thats home to the big cats and popular among hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. The blaze burned 1,600 structures in and around Malibu and left three people dead. Facebook

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296 still missing in Paradise fire zone; 85 dead As of Sunday night, the number of people missing stands at 296 in Californias worst wildfire on record. The Butte County Sheriffs Department said the death toll was at 85. Searchers spent the day looking for remains in the Paradise area, where 14,000 homes were lost in the Camp fire. The number of missing has been going down as officials connect with people whose names are on the list. As of last week, it topped 1,000. Facebook

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Searching for anything that looks human: Grim work in Paradise continues By Cindy Chang At the Ridgewood mobile home park for senior citizens in Paradise on Sunday, more than 100 search and rescue workers in white jumpsuits and gas masks combed through the rubble with shovels and rakes. The surrounding pine trees were singed, ringing a neighborhood where every home had been reduced to charred, twisted wreckage. Last week, searchers found the remains of two people there, said Sgt. Dave Thompson of the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office. On Sunday, the grim, painstaking task yielded some bones, including those of two small dogs. But none were human. The searchers, many of whom are volunteers, also found a safe full of coins as they combed through Ridgewood and Ponderosa Mobile Estates next door. Were going trailer by trailer, piece by piece, turning it over for anything that looks human, said Thompson, who led an operation that drew searchers from counties such as Marin, Contra Costa, Shasta and Kern, as well as the National Guard and California Conservation Corps. Facebook photos before the fire of the Ridgewood community at Pentz and Wagstaff roads, where residents were 55 years and older, showed tidy mobile homes with well-kept gardens. The fire came over the ridge very fast, and senior citizens with limited mobility could have had trouble fleeing, Thompson said. As teams wrapped up their work, Thompson dispatched them to other neighborhoods to continue searching for people who lost their lives in the fire. Facebook

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Disaster assistance operations are extended in Malibu and Agoura Hills Operations at disaster assistance centers in Malibu and Agoura Hills have been extended to keep helping residents affected by the Woolsey fire. The centers, located at the former Malibu Courthouse and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in Agoura Hills, are scheduled to be open through Dec. 8. Hours of operation are between 1 to 8 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. At the centers, residents affected by the fire can get help filing insurance claims and applying for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They can also receive advice on how to clean up, repair and rebuild their properties. Facebook

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Woolsey fire destroyed 1,643 structures in destructive siege of Ventura County and Malibu Destruction from Woolsey fire. (Los Angeles Times) The Woolsey fire destroyed 1,643 structures as it swept through Oak Park and Ventura County and into Malibu, according to a final report released Sunday. That makes it one of the most destructive fires in Southern California history, though it pales in comparison to the 14,000 homes lost in the Camp fire in Butte County. Hundreds of evacuees from the Malibu, Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks areas spent the holiday weekend returning to their burned-out neighborhoods to survey their damaged or destroyed homes and to begin rebuilding their lives. Some were still debating whether to stay or leave. The Woolsey fire scorched more than 96,000 acres and left three people dead before it was fully contained on Thanksgiving Day, fire officials said. Pono Barnes, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said firefighters are working on encouraging residents to prepare for winter rainstorms that could move over the burn area. The whole landscape in the area has changed, Barnes said. The vegetation that was there to hold the ground together was burned off. Facebook

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Rain is helping firefighters battling Northern California fire, but a new storm could bring dangers By Ruben Vives Crews work in the wreckage of a structure destroyed in the Camp fire. (Associated Press) Light rains in the area have assisted firefighters in achieving 100% containment of Northern Californias devastating Camp fire, but most evacuations and road closures remain in effect. More than 1,000 firefighters remain on site, assisting with search and recovery efforts. Full containment came as a big relief for fire officials, who noted that the rain sped up the process. Full containment was originally projected for Nov. 30. We didnt get mudslides, so that was good, said Brigitte Foster, fire prevention officer for the Lassen National Forest and spokeswoman for fire officials regarding the Camp fire. We got enough to hamper down on the fire. The rains also gave officials the ability to reduce the number of fire personnel on duty and allow some to go home for the holiday weekend. We still have plenty of resources out there to work from the containment line and make sure there are no smoldering spots along the edge, Foster said. We still have search and rescue teams working in the area. And in preparation for residents being allowed to return to burn areas and assess property damage, crews were helping clear roadways and remove hazardous materials such as trees that could fall down. Its unknown when evacuees will be able to return. There are concerns about another storm approaching burn areas this week. Rain is expected to move into the Camp fire burn areas beginning Tuesday and continue through the end of the week, according to the National Weather Service. Up to 3 inches could fall in some lower elevations, forecasters said. On Wednesday, the same system is expected to deliver a half-inch to 2 inches in burn areas in Southern California. Facebook

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Woman returns to see ruins of Malibu drug treatment center: This place saved my life By Emily Alpert Reyes Along Trancas Canyon Road on Saturday, a woman snapped photos of the blackened wreckage of what was once an alcohol and drug treatment center. A wedge of scorched wall stood at a tilt, like a listing ship, peering over the Pacific below. Someone had taped business cards to a wall bordering the site, advertising a restoration business, but it was hard to imagine what could be restored. The woman, who declined to give her name, said she had been sober nearly seven months. This place saved my life, she said. She stayed in Newbury Park after she was evacuated, and it was the first time she had gotten a moment to see what had become of Creative Care Inc. There were people she had gotten to know there who are now living out of state and wanted photos. Its sad, she said. But its just material. I have sobriety. I have life, she said. And theyll rebuild. Read more here. Facebook

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50,000 displaced by Northern California fire. Where will they go? By Anna M. Phillips Across Butte County  a primarily agricultural area known for its walnut, almond and rice farms  towns are struggling to absorb the roughly 50,000 people displaced by the Camp fire. Through no fault of their own, the evacuees arrival has worsened the states housing crisis and raised the possibility that they could be evicted from the region again, not by fire but by a scarcity of suitable dwellings. Hotels and motels from Sacramento to Redding are full. The vacancy rate in the rental market, which hovered around 3% before the fire, has fallen to near zero. Unable to find single-family homes in the area, evacuees have resorted to renting individual bedrooms, buying recreational vehicles and purchasing travel trailers. Others are simply leaving California for other Western states with a lower cost of living. Read more here. Facebook

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Northern California fire now 100% contained; 85 dead, 249 still missing Destruction from the Camp fire. (Los Angeles Times) The worst fire in California history reached full containment Sunday morning, a milestone for a catastrophic inferno that killed at least 85 people with nearly 250 people still missing weeks later. The Camp fire is now 100% contained, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Sunday, after burning nearly 14,000 homes and consuming 153,000 acres in and around Paradise in Butte County. Much of Paradise was lost in the fire, and search and rescue crews will continue looking through the ruins for more victims. At one point, there were more than 1,300 people listed as missing from the fire. But that number has been dropping in recent days. Over the weekend, it declined from more than 400 to 249 as officials were able to confirm more people on the list were actually alive. Several days of rain last week helped firefighters get a handle on the fire. Authorities expect the removal of ash and other toxic debris from the fire will be the largest such effort ever undertaken by state officials. The amount of debris is expected to dwarf the cleanup effort undertaken from last years Northern California fires. That effort led to more than 2 million tons of toxic debris removed from 6,000 properties in seven California counties: Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Mendocino, Butte, Yuba and Nevada, said Eric Lamoureux of the Governors Office of Emergency Services. County, state and federal governments jump start the process of removal of toxic ash and other debris, and can do so at no cost to the owner, Lamoureux said. Typically, about 80% of owners give the government permission to conduct the cleanup operations, with the rest opting to do it themselves. Read More Facebook

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Schools devastated by California fire struggle to get back to the business of educating students By Rong-Gong Lin II As this region still reels from the worst fire in California history, educators are faced with the challenging task of reopening schools even as the firefighters continue their work and searchers scour the area for more victims. They are working to identify replacement classroom space for schools that were burned to ashes during the fire. Paradise Unified School District was hardest hit, with multiple school buildings lost to the fires. Charter schools in the area also suffered. Read more here. Facebook

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Paradise fire search efforts pick up as firefighters increase containment The worst fire in California remained 95% contained Saturday morning. Rains helped put out the flames but also made it harder for firefighters to access some areas. The fireline that remains uncontained is located in steep and rugged terrain where it is unsafe for firefighters to access due to the heavy rains, CalFire said in a statement. With the rain passing, officials hope to intensify search and rescue efforts, with more than 400 still reported missing. The fire burned 153,336 acres and nearly 14,000 homes, with 84 dead. Facebook

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Some Malibu residents still under evacuation order By Sarah Parvini In Malibu, some residents who evacuated from the Woolsey fire were still waiting to return home as officials worked to restore utilities and road access. That fire, which charred 96,949 acres and destroyed 1,643 structures, is 100% contained. Three people were killed. There is still a lot of work to be done, said Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Pono Barnes. Strike teams are in the area helping residents repopulate. Firefighters biggest job Friday was working with Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas Co., Barnes said. There was quite a bit of infrastructure damaged during the burn, he said. Edison is working to replace downed power lines and burned-out power poles. As many as 2,000 power poles have been replaced, he said. That is why we still have some evacuations in place, Barnes added. Facebook

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A wheelchair and gurney sit in rain amid devastation of Paradise medical complex By Gina Ferazzi The grim search for victims continued in Paradise on Saturday amid the rain. Times photographer Gina Ferazzi was struck by the image of an abandoned wheelchair and gurney in front of the destroyed Cypress Meadows post-acute medical facility. The rain is making the devastation in Paradise even more eerie and sad, she wrote. The rain is making the devastation in Paradise even more eerie and sad as abandoned wheelchairs and gurney still remain in front of the destroyed Cypress Meadows facility while search teams sift through ashes looking for human remains #CampFire pic.twitter.com/AyeD9io9FU  Gina Ferazzi (@GinaFerazzi) November 24, 2018 Firefighters hand out #Thanksgiving dinners to victims of #CampFireParadise at Chico St @WCKitchen while Saphira Swisher, 6, prays before turkey dinner w/her family at a church shelter pic.twitter.com/o9Drj3dDeX  Gina Ferazzi (@GinaFerazzi) November 22, 2018 Facebook

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Wildfire much worse because of climate change, new report finds By Tony Barboza Camp fires devastation. (Los Angeles Times) A new federal report found that climate change is taking an increasing toll on communities across the United States. It projects widespread and growing devastation as increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, worsening wildfires, more intense storms and other cascading effects harm our ecosystems, infrastructure and society. Among the findings: The area burned across the western U.S. from 1984 to 2015 was twice what it would have been if climate change had not occurred, according to analyses cited in the report. Earths climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primarily as a result of human activities, the report says. But the severity of future impacts will depend largely on actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the changes that will occur. The report comes as California faces a series of devastating wildfires that have claimed scores of lives and burned thousands of homes. Read more on the report here. Facebook

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Hes giving $1 million to help the high school students of fire-ravaged Paradise By Morgan Cook With many of their homes damaged or destroyed in the states most devastating wildfire on record, the students of Paradise High School face an uncertain future. On Tuesday, a man they have never met from a city more than 500 miles away will give them a gift he hopes will provide at least a small measure of security, support and comfort in a dark hour. Rancho Santa Fe businessman Bob Wilson plans to personally deliver a $1,000 check to each of the schools 980 students and 105 employees in Chico at a venue that has yet to be determined. Thats a total of $1 million for the wildfire victims to use as they see fit, no strings attached. Read More Facebook

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Camp fire now 95% contained, with help from rain Firefighters battling Californias deadliest fire on record continued to make progress Friday, with containment growing to 95% and the number of homes burned at nearly 14,000. The Camp fire has scorched more than 153,000 acres and killed at least 84 people in Butte County, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials. But hundreds of residents are still missing, and thousands more have been displaced by the massive blaze. Read More Facebook

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Another Camp fire death recorded as rain lessens fire danger Rain falls Thursday on the site of a home destroyed by the Camp fire. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) Another day of searching, another grim finding. The death toll from the Camp fire rose by one Thursday to 84, on a day when rain seemed to halt further growth of the states deadliest blaze. By Thursday evening, the Jarbo Gap, where the fire probably started, had received just over an inch of rain in the preceding 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service. Rain totals varied across the region. The forecast calls for more. In the nearby town of Paradise, which was nearly obliterated by the fire, the forecast for Thursday night was more showers, heavy at times, with winds of 18 to 24 mph and gusts as high as 37 mph. Such winds would have fueled the fire just days ago, but instead they are harbingers of precipitation that is expected to drop three-quarters of an inch to 1 inch of rainfall Thursday night. Another 1 to 2 inches could fall Friday. The wet weather has helped bring containment of the fire to an estimated 95% as of Thursday evening. But it also brought damp, chilly discomfort to evacuees living in tents  thousands of residents have been displaced  and new worries about potentially deadly mudslides in burned areas. A flash-flood watch and wind advisory will remain in effect until 4 p.m. Friday. The rain also complicates the search for human remains, which could be washed away. Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for. Crews also are involved in another grim tally, figuring out exactly which homes and business burned. Officials have released a preliminary interactive map that shows the damage, house by house. Camp fire evacuees now have rain to contend with as they occupy tents in a Walmart parking lot in Chico, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Malibu schools to reopen by early December; other schools aiming for Monday Air scrubbers at work in a Las Virgenes district school library. (Las Virgenes Unified School District) Schools in Malibu survived the Woolsey fire almost intact but they got very dirty, and cleanup efforts will keep campuses closed even as residents are allowed to return to their properties. The fire killed three people, burned 97,000 acres and destroyed 1,500 structures. Malibus four schools have been closed since Nov. 9, when they were included in the mandatory evacuation zones. The tentative date to reopen Webster Elementary is Nov. 28. Point Dume Marine Science School is scheduled to reopen Dec. 3. Juan Cabrillo Elementary School should be ready between Dec. 3 and Dec. 5, pending results of air testing inside and outside for traces of lead, asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Malibu High will be back in business between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10 The district had planned a swifter reopening but slowed down out of an abundance of caution, spokeswoman Gail Pinsker said. We are hearing from parents that they want thorough cleaning and testing, which we plan, but the cleaning and testing and waiting for results take a day to more than a week, she said. Three other districts in the region also had closed campuses. Schools in Conejo Valley Unified, Oak Park Unified and Las Virgenes Unified are aiming to reopen Monday. Residents who had to evacuate included Las Virgenes Supt. Daniel Stepenosky, who estimated that about 90 families with district students lost their homes, as did two staff members. In a video update on social media, he said that everyone is eager for schools to reopen: Everyone wants to get back to a state of normalcy, to be honest with you. To that end, a crew of 200 has been working for several days, and the district had brought in 300 air scrubbers and 300 hydroxyl deodorizers. Playgrounds that are not ready by Monday will be cordoned off. Stepenosky said that a full-court press will continue because the schools are really boring when theyre empty. A worker scrubs down surfaces at a Las Virgenes district campus. (Las Virgenes Unified School District ) Facebook

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We can make ugly pretty again: The fighting spirit of Paradise residents By Laura Newberry Camp fire victims have a Thanksgiving dinner in Chico, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) Anna Longacre booked her flight home months ago. Back then, the 26-year-old Army sergeant imagined the comforts that awaited her Thanksgiving week, the things that never change no matter how far away from Paradise, Calif., the military takes her. The old cast-iron stove that warmed the entire house during winter. The small stone-fruit orchard that ran along the side and back. Her dads breakfast hash browns. Annas family had lived on their 3-acre lot in the Sierra Nevada foothills for 20 years. She moved away at 18 and has been stationed in Afghanistan, South Korea and Kansas. But her heart stayed in Paradise. Instead of being home Thanksgiving morning, she found herself in a cavernous auditorium at Cal State Chico, where turkey and fixings had been prepared for evacuees of Californias deadliest and most destructive wildfire. She dragged her dad, Bruce, with her. She wanted to get him out of her grandmas house in Chico, where theyd been staying with her mom and dogs. And she had heard celebrity chefs Guy Fieri and Jose Andres were making the food. It couldnt hurt to try and have a little fun, she thought, despite everything. The father and daughter were greeted by volunteers in plush turkey hats and handed sanitary wipes at the door. Read more here. Facebook

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Stories of thanks and gratitude amid the devastation in Paradise By Laura Newberry A young Camp fire evacuee waits in line to receive a free Thanksgiving meal Thursday in Chico, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) As of Thanksgiving Day, the devastation logged by the Camp fire in Northern California was nearly 14,000 homes, more than 150,000 acres and at least 83 lives. Some of the thousands displaced by the fire, mostly from the town of Paradise, said they nonetheless counted themselves among the lucky and found things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. Times reporters on the ground in Butte County asked people about the meaning of this holiday. Here are their stories. Facebook

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Authorities warn of fraudulent GoFundMe websites, other scams related to Paradise fire By Rong-Gong Lin II Butte County Dist. Atty. Mike Ramsey warned that scam artists are targeting Paradise fire victims seeking to rent housing. We have seen people who have no right to a particular apartment that go and rent out that apartment and take peoples money. Be very careful. Red flag: If its too good to be true, it is, Ramsey said. Another scam already happening are fraudulent GoFundMe websites seeking contributions for fire victims, he said. We encourage folks to go to the Butte County website to take a look at areas where you can legitimately and safely give your charitable dollars to, he said. He also urged residents to beware of scammers seeking to collect personal information under the guise of pretending to be insurance agents or a sheriffs deputy seeking to cross names off the list of the missing. It will be obvious that these are scammers, he said. Be very, very careful of giving any sort of personal information that will be financially disastrous to you, he said. There have been 11 cases of looting, he said, with suspects mostly interested in vehicles, such as motor homes, left behind by fire victims that fled. Facebook

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Rapid DNA analysis is being used to identify dozens of California fire victims By Rong-Gong Lin II Rapid DNA analysis is being used to identify dozens of California fire victims burned beyond recognition. Of 83 victims, sheriffs officials have made tentative identifications on 58 of them, but they await DNA confirmation. Were working diligently to identify those individuals so that we can contact their next of kin and notify them, said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea. It used to be that DNA analysis could take months before answers would firm up, but now DNA analysis can be done within a matter of hours, Jim Davis of Ande, a Massachusetts-based company that specializes in rapid DNA analysis, said at a press conference in Chico on Wednesday. Davis said his company has been asked by the sheriff to use its rapid DNA analysis method to help identify victims in a mass casualty incident the first time his company has been asked to do so for this purpose. Davis said hes working with the coroners office in Sacramento County to collect tissue samples from the autopsies of the deceased; 80% of the time, those samples are usable for DNA analysis. Butte County sheriff and California Department of Justice officials are coordinating the collection of DNA samples from living relatives. Facebook

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She lost her home and dogs in the Paradise fire. This Thanksgiving is difficult, but shes grateful to be alive By Laura Newberry Tamra Grays Facebook friends have started posting photos of their newly decorated Christmas trees. When she stumbles upon this display of normalcy, she can barely hold it together. Its hard to think about the holidays right now, she said as she sat at a table in the Chico Mall food court, where she and her husband were discussing their options with a home insurance company representative. I dont have a home to put a tree in right now. Gray and her husband, Scott, lived in their Paradise home on Oak Way for 20 years. What she will miss the most are the pine trees in her backyard and the cool shade they provided, a simple pleasure she could count on even when the mercury hit 100. At 10 a.m. on the day of the fire, Grays 19-year-old son, Dylan, came running down the street. He had gotten stuck in gridlock traffic on Wagstaff Road, and seeing the plumes of black smoke ahead of him, he ditched his car in the closest parking lot and darted home, the only one hes ever known. Theres a fire, we gotta get out, he shouted. They had not received an evacuation alert. Gray did not think the house would burn. They lived a block from a fire station. Before leaving, she touched a redwood keepsake box that contained her childrens first teeth. If I take this to a shelter, it could get stolen, she thought. She left it. The family also left three dogs behind, taking several others with them in separate cars. Grays thinking was this: if there was looting, the big dogs would protect the home. Gray found the animals remains when she returned to Paradise last week. She is consumed by guilt. Gray and her family -- four adults and two kids -- are staying in an RV as they search for a rental. Her 29-year-old daughter, Shannon, also lost her home in Magalia. I feel lost. I just feel so homesick and I cant seem to get past that yet, Gray said, tearing up. Its hard for me to think about where I want to be in the future. Just as she was being asked what she was grateful for on the eve of Thanksgiving, Grays teenage daughter, Victoria, bounded up to her in the food court with several shopping bags in her hand. I got you shoes, Victoria said, pulling out a pair of gray Champion slip-ons. They were on sale. Gray tugged off one of the brown Ugg boots she got at a shelter. She tried on a sneaker. Im grateful that my family made it out alive, Gray said, returning to the question. Its easy to answer that when its staring me right in the face. Its when Im alone that I go into a dark place. Facebook

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You could feel the heat from the flames: Paradise survivor describes horror, survival They called it their little green house in the forest. A two-bedroom mobile home with a birdbath out front on Skyway road where deer and bobcats roamed. It is likely gone, they think, because they have seen a map of the burn area  a cloud of red over where they lived for four years. Steve Weathington, 67, and his girlfriend, Irene Schwab, 65, now lay their heads on green cots in an exhibit hall at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds. Their possessions are few, but they made it out with their two trucks, two dogs and two cats. A fortune, they know, compared with what others escaped with. The morning the fire broke out, the couple had sat down to waffles and eggs when they noticed the sky was a smoky orange. Schwab went outside to settle a patio umbrella that was thrashing in the wind. A manager of their mobile home park had begun driving around, honking. Grabbing clothes, toiletries, medicine and the animals, Weathington hopped into his truck. Schwab followed behind in hers. It was burning on both sides of the road, Schwab recalled. You could feel the heat from the flames. It took them more than three hours to get to Chico, usually a 25-minute drive. They are grateful to be alive, to have had insurance on their home, to be capable and willing to start somewhere new. They may stay and find a place in Yuba City, a community theyve grown to appreciate. When they venture out of the shelter, an act of kindness is usually bestowed upon them. Waitresses have bought them dinner, a barber refused money for a haircut. They have picked out clothes for free and marveled over the donations that file in daily. We get a little teary-eyed because its really emotional, said Weathington, a retired commercial painter and U.S. Marines veteran, his eyes growing red. Still, the timing of everything is hard to take. The couple used to host Thanksgiving dinner for family with a spread of traditional fare, including pumpkin cheesecake and homemade biscuits. The holiday rings a bit hollow now, eliciting memories of what they once had. Facebook

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Number of homes lost in Paradise fire approaches 14,000 as containment increases Firefighters continued to make progress with Californias deadliest fire, with containment rising to 90% but with number of homes burned now at nearly 14,000. At least 83 people were killed when the fire swept into Paradise two weeks ago, and hundreds are still missing, Rain helped firefighters, but the weather has made the search for victims more difficult. Precipitation has minimized fire activity and all fire lines continue to hold. Firefighters and resources continue to be deployed throughout the fire area to patrol and remove hazards, Cal Fire said Thursday morning. Facebook

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Camp fire death toll increases to 83, while 563 still missing By Rong-Gong Lin II The remains of two more people were recovered in the Camp fire burn zone Wednesday, raising the death toll in the blaze to 83. One person was found in a structure in Paradise, while the other was located in a structure in Magalia, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told reporters at a news conference. Were working diligently to identify those individuals so we can contact their next of kin and notify them, Honea said, adding that investigators have tentatively identified 58 of the dead. Authorities have identified six more people who died in the blaze. They are: Teresa Ammans, 82, of Paradise

Richard Brown, 74, of Concow

Marie Wehe, 78, of Concow

Kimber Wehr, 53, of Paradise

Joseph Rabetoy, 39, of Paradise

Joan Tracy, 80, of Paradise About 830 searchers will work on Thanksgiving to look for victims of the blaze, though the search could be suspended if rain triggers mudflows in the area.

The number of people unaccounted for dropped to 563. A total of 2,052 people have been crossed off the missing-persons list. Thats a dynamic list, Honea said. You may see it go up or down depending on the information we receive during the course of the day. The blaze has scorched more than 153,000 acres and destroyed more than 18,000 structures, including 13,500 single-family homes. It was 85% contained. The heavy rain has minimized fire activity. That fire activity is almost nothing,said Josh Bischof of the California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection. Forecasters expect six inches of rain to fall across the burn area through Friday. Butte County Dist. Atty. Michael Ramsey said his office has put together a team to deal with price gouging. People are not allowed to jack up prices more than 10% of what they were before the fires, he said, adding that people can call (866) 323-6283 to report price gouging. Facebook

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Rain pours down on tent city of Paradise evacuees, causing new problems (Ruben Vives / Los Angeles Times) Rain began to pound on the tent city of Paradise evacuees Wednesday afternoon in Chico, causing more problems for people who have already been through so much. Two women walked around holding a blanket, offering it to anyone who needed it. Standing alone, wearing a red hooded rain poncho, John Owens shivered. I dont know how much longer people can hang on like this, he said. Owens lost his home and car in the fire. He said he was clinging on to what he had left: his wife, his dog and a part-time manufacturing job. I told my boss I cant hang here for too long, he said. If its going to be like this, I wont last long. Ill have to quit my job and go to the shelter. Owens said he said he hasnt left because transportation to his job is best from where he is now. He said he has to commute between Chico and Yuba City. This stinks, he said. Despite the cold, wet weather that is coming down on him and others, Owens said hes grateful to be alive. You only got a short period of time on this place, he said, referring to Earth. You gotta have a good time. Facebook

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California fires: Volunteers out in force to make a horrible Thanksgiving a little better In Chico, where thousands of evacuees have gathered, its going to be a Thanksgiving like no other. Some people who had been living in tents at a Walmart parking lot began to move on, some going to shelters. Volunteers have also been out in force to help. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico has been prepping a Thanksgiving meal that will feed about 2,000 people. The event is in conjunction with other groups who are putting together meals and it includes Cal State Chico and World Central Chicken. The meal will consist of turkey, pork, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. The meals will be served in waves starting at 11 a.m., then at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Leslie Jessee, 33, tore sheets of foil and laid them in a stack as she prepped the turkey. She said she hopes the Thanksgiving meal will bring some sense of peace for the people affected by the fire. Nearby, Ken Grossman, the owner of the beer company, worked on making the gravy. On Thanksgiving I always make the turkey, the gravy and mashed potatoes for a big family, he said. This time, its a bigger family. Grossman said about 40 of his employees lost homes to the Camp fire. He also has friends who have lost so much. Hopefully family and friends will enjoy the meal, he said. Facebook

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California fires: Were just trying to get back to normal, whatever normal really is By Rong-Gong Lin II With the public still prohibited from entering the worst-hit areas of Paradise and Magalia, the towns were silent, save for the hum of generators. The gas station was shuttered. Ponderosa Elementary School abandoned. The blackened husks of cars were still visible across the town. At the site of a gym on Pentz Road, all that remained were the contorted remains of elliptical machines atop a pile of ash. Crews worked on repairing utility lines, forcing motorists to just one side of many roads, and continued the process of looking for any signs of human remains, despite the rain. Theyre looking for basically bone fragments. And theyre just systematically going from burned house to burned house, looking to see if theres anything, said Capt. Matt Bergstrand of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection station in Magalia. A day earlier, a hearse was spotted in Paradise, accompanied by the California Highway Patrol. At the fire station in Magalia, things are still pretty devastating, Bergstrand said. Were just trying to get back to normal, whatever normal really is. I dont know what normal is really going to entail. A pretty big chunk of our area has been consumed. #paradise on Thanksgiving Eve. Quiet and wet. The acrid odor of smoke is throat scratching, lingering in the air. Crews are repairing utility lines, still searching for victims. pic.twitter.com/MeAqIYq3Yr  Ron Lin (@ronlin) November 21, 2018 #paradise on Thanksgiving Eve. Quiet and wet. The acrid odor of smoke is throat scratching, lingering in the air. Crews are repairing utility lines, still searching for victims. pic.twitter.com/MeAqIYq3Yr  Ron Lin (@ronlin) November 21, 2018 Facebook

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Stanley the giraffe is safe after the Woolsey fire, but Jillian Michaels isnt satisfied By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde Nicole Padilla, 17, of Diamond Bar feeds Stanley the giraffe at the L.A. County Fair. ( (Francine Orr/ Los Angeles Times)) The saga of Stanley the giraffe continues as yet another celebrity has made the animals welfare her mission despite his keepers assurances. Fitness celebrity Jillian Michaels is demanding that Malibu Wine Safaris move Stanley to a better home. In a letter to founder Dakota Semler, Michaels said that despite the Woolsey fires passing, the giraffe remains in danger as long as it is in on their property. Celebrities and tourists have visited Saddlerock Ranchs safari attraction for years to drink wine and snap selfies with the lone giraffe. But after the Woolsey fire, they used their clout to draw attention to the animals safety as the Woolsey fire roared toward the property. They and hundreds of nearby residents, strangers and animal lovers believed Stanley had been abandoned when Malibu Wine Safaris staff evacuated. A photo of the exotic animal on an open field with flames in the distance circulated on social media. Despite multiple statements made by the company, some people remained dubious. Due to the short notice given to area residents, the animals were not evacuated; instead, they were placed in an open dirt field that did not have much fuel to burn. Stanley is doing fine, said Bob Dunn after the fire passed through. Dunn, a close family friend who has helped care for the giraffe since its birth, said Stanley was completely safe. Hes healthy. Although many have moved on, Michaels isnt satisfied. Like millions of others, I saw and cannot shake off the picture of Stanley that showed flames approaching behind him, and I urge you not to keep him in the same path of danger, Michaels wrote. But fire or no fire, he needs to be moved to a place where he can thrive and hes not just waiting for the monotony of his life to be broken when someone offers him a treat. Michaels is backed by the animal rights group PETA, which has been working to identify alternate homes for the animals, should the Semlers comply with Michaels request. Giraffes special needs simply cannot be met at a roadside zoo like this, Michaels said in the letter, and if he hasnt already, he will soon begin to exhibit neurotic behavior resulting from captivity-related stress, frustration, and privation. Rebecca Smudzinski, a wildlife specialist with PETA, said young male giraffes like Stanley often travel in bachelor herds and roam large savannas. One in captivity is likely to display signs of stress, such as repetitive licking and pacing. The Woolsey fire exposed Stanleys sad, lonely life in that barren enclosure, she said. Hes got nowhere to go and nothing to do, and so he just waits for people to feed him. Organizations housing exotic animals are required to have a permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which follows minimal standards set by the Animal Welfare Act. The permit includes an annual inspection visit to ensure the animal is taken care of properly. But that isnt enough, Smudzinski maintained. PETA wants the animal to be moved somewhere accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries or the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which both require disaster plans to be reviewed and practiced regularly, she said. Michaels referenced Safari West in a Twitter post as an example of an organization that successfully saved exotic animals. Nancy Lang, co-owner of Safari West, said the organization was accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The staff there meet annually with law enforcement, the Humane Society and others to discuss disaster plans and practice regular drills, and partner with organizations that offer their facilities in case of emergencies. When the Tubbs fire approached their property in 2017, they had little time to react, making an evacuation impossible. Lang said whether Malibu Wine Safaris did the right thing is impossible to say without knowing their circumstance. Some of Safari Wests animals were also placed in an open field with little fuel to burn. Its unclear what disaster plan Malibu Wine Safaris had in place, but its staff only had a couple of hours to act. Malibu Wine Safaris did not respond to multiple requests for comment. .@MalibuSafaris It's 100% possible to care for exotic animals in emergency situations. Read the attached @WhitneyCummings is spot on! And if you can't prepare properly for situations like this you have NO business keeping these types of animals. https://t.co/fB00qrtNzm  Jillian Michaels (@JillianMichaels) November 15, 2018 Facebook

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Homes burned in the Camp fire could contain dangerous materials including radiation and residents should stay away, health officials say An aerial view shows destruction from the Camp fire. Homes not reduced to rubble could have high levels of carcinogens, officials warn. (Los Angeles Times) Butte County health officials are urging residents not to try to move back into homes damaged by the Camp fire in Paradise. Some residents have been allowed back into Paradise to survey their homes and collect any valuables still left. There is evidence from recent fires in California that homes and property destroyed by fire contain high and concerning levels of heavy metals, lead, mercury, dioxin, arsenic, and other carcinogens. Some property may have the presence of radioactive materials, the county said in a statement. Exposure to hazardous substances may lead to acute and chronic health effects, and may cause long-term public health and environmental impacts. Facebook

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Assessing the risk of mudslides in Malibu after California fires By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde If the expected rainfall on the eve of Thanksgiving day is intense enough, areas where the Woolsey fire burned would be more susceptible to mud flows than areas affected by the Camp fire, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. USGS researchers created a map that shows the probability that different fire-affected areas will experience mud flows if theres a storm that produces 24 millimeters of rain per hour, or a quarter of an inch in 15 minutes. We have historical information about where debris flows occurred, how big they were and the rainfall associated with triggering those events, said Dennis Staley, a research geologist with the USGS. The model also considers slope steepness, topography and fire severity. The dark red portions of the map indicate between an 80 and 100% chance of debris flows if rain reaches the assigned threshold for the map. Most areas affected by the Camp fire are colored yellow, indicating a 20% chance or less of debris flow. The Woolsey fire area on the other hand is mostly colored orange and red. The reason for the higher probability, Staley said, is that areas affected by the Woolsey fire are steeper than where the Camp fire burned. However, weather experts say rainfall in Southern California likely wont be intense enough for dangerous mud flows. Rich Thomas, with the National Weather Service, said there will only be about quarter to three quarters of an inch of rainfall total. Theres only a 10 to 20% chance the rain will become heavy enough to create mudflows, he said. There could be some minor debris flows, but nothing significant, he said. Rocks over the roadway, stuff like that. Still, Thompson said people should be prepared and pay attention to local authorities for evacuation orders. To the west, the area affected by the Mendocino Complex fire appears to be at higher risk, Staley said. In August, the Mendocino Complex fire consumed more than 450,000 acres, becoming the largest wildfire in state history. The areas steep terrain made it a challenge to firefighters and also increases the likelihood of mud flows. Heavy rain is expected this Thanksgiving holiday and debris flows will be a particular threat in the areas affected by the Camp, Carr, Delta, Hirz and Mendocino Complex fires, the NWS said. Facebook

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After fires, risk of Malibu mudslides will be high through the winter By Tony Barboza (Los Angeles Times) The first rain to fall over the burn-scarred areas of the Woolsey fire is expected to start Wednesday night. Forecasters are predicting it will be a weak storm, not intense enough to trigger significant flows of mud and debris  although it could cause some minor rockslides and mudslides. But experts say stronger storms in the coming months have the potential to send life-threatening mudflows plowing through neighborhoods. That threat has authorities urging residents living on or below hillsides, in canyons and along stream channels to take steps to prepare their homes, keep an eye on the weather, quickly heed warnings and evacuation orders, and be ready to leave well before the rain arrives. If you can see burned hillsides from your house, you are threatened by debris flow, said National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Boldt, who works with emergency planners and other local officials to coordinate warnings. You dont want to be there when the rain starts. Theres just not enough time to wait and see what happens. Read more here. Facebook

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Dramatic NASA images show destruction of California fires from space Burn zone for the Woolsey fire (NASA) Burn zone for the Camp fire (NASA) Satellite image of the Camp fire (NASA) NASA has released dramatic satellite images of the destructive wildfires in California. The data show the progression of the fires and how they burned homes, as well as satellite images of what they look like from space. See more here. Facebook

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How fires can lead to deadly mudslides Mudslides after fires (Los Angeles Times) Rain is forecast this week in the burn zones of Paradise in Northern California and the Malibu/Ventura County area in Southern California. This has prompted concern about mudflows. Soil in a burned area can be repellent to water, creating a flood-like flow on the ground that picks up rock and debris. In an area that has not burned, soil can become saturated. Pressure builds up underground, and soil starts moving and begins picking up mud and debris as it starts flowing downhill. Heres how hillsides that have been burned by wildfire become prone to flash floods and dangerous mudslides during heavy rains. How mudflows occur. (Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Remains found above Malibu are not those of a Woolsey fire victim, but from earlier death, officials say By Jeanette Marantos A broken skull and a few other bone fragments found in the scorched hills of Latigo Canyon on Saturday came from a human who died well before the Woolsey fire, Los Angeles County sheriffs investigators said Wednesday. A landowner spotted what appeared to be human bones Thursday as he was checking fire damage to his property off Latigo Canyon Road, about a mile north of Ocean View Road, near mile marker 6.92, Sgt. Marcelo Quintero said. The property didnt notify authorities about the bones until Saturday. Quintero said the skull was likely hidden by heavy brush in the area before the Woolsey fire, which scorched much of the land and several structures in the canyon above Malibu. Investigators believe the wildfire may have dislodged the remains from where they were stuck higher up the hilly terrain, and sent them tumbling down into the pathway where they were found, on property owned by the Ava and Cole Weintraub Family Park conservancy group. The skull was broken into pieces but we were able to piece it somewhat together, Quintero said. The anthropologists at the coroners office believe it definitely predated the fire. Coroners investigators believe the remains could been there between six months and 50 years, he said. They have some fire damage, he said, but no bite marks. We only have parts of a skull, parts of a jaw and possibly some cervical vertebra pieces, Quintero said. The Los Angeles County coroners Special Operations Response Team, or SORT, combed the area, hoping to find more remains. They did find additional bones, Quintero said, but they turned out to belong to animals. Were going to do our best to try to identify whoever this person was, he said. But its going to be a long shot, at best. Anyone with information should contact the sheriffs Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. Facebook

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Woolsey fire expected to be fully contained today Firefighter battling Woolsey fire last week. (Los Angeles Times) Firefighters are hoping to have full containment of the Woolsey fire sometime today. The fire, which killed three people, destroyed more than 1,600 structures and burned over 96,000 acres from Oak Park to Malibu, was 98% contained as of Tuesday night. People continued to return to their homes, but officials warned of possible rain in the burn areas later this week. Facebook

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Storms could wash away remains of Camp fire victims, officials fear A pair of incoming storms are threatening to hamper recovery efforts in Paradise, Calif. In a worst-case scenario, the downpour could flood the ruins and wash away human remains, leaving authorities unable to find and identify every victim of Californias deadliest wildfire on record. Authorities fear bones could sink underwater, making them harder to spot and drowning any scent that cadaver dogs rely on to find them. Meteorologists say the Camp fire burn scar  which is larger than the city of San Jose  could see up to 6 inches of rain through Saturday, with the heaviest downpour expected overnight Thursday. The forecast has triggered a flash flood watch for possible rock slides and debris flows. Light showers were falling Wednesday morning with heavier rain expected later in the day. That rain is going to get in that ash, its going to turn into it a paste-like substance, said Monterey County sheriffs Cmdr. Joe Moses, who is helping in the recovery effort. Its going to stick to everything and slow things down. Read more here. First light showers hit Norcal this morning. Heavier precipitation is expected later this morning and afternoon. #cawx pic.twitter.com/UALB0iYUeX  NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) November 21, 2018 Facebook

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Paradise narrowed its main road by two lanes despite warnings of gridlock during a major wildfire By Paige St. John Paradise narrowed its main road through town as well as two other streets in recent years, hoping to slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety. The changes came despite warnings that a major fire would cause crippling gridlock during evacuations, a scenario that became grim reality when Californias worst wildfire swept into Paradise this month. Read the full story here. Facebook

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Paradise narrowed its main road by two lanes despite warnings of gridlock during a major wildfire By Joseph Serna After a fast-moving fire swept into town a decade ago, burning more than 200 homes and trapping thousands of fleeing residents on gridlocked mountain roads, a grand jury called on officials to improve evacuation routes. But six years later, the city decided to narrow a portion of the main road through town from four lanes to two as part of an effort in the downtown area aimed at boosting commerce as well as traffic and pedestrian safety. Read More Facebook

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Number of people missing in Camp fire jumps to 870 The number of people unaccounted for in the destructive Camp fire rose to 870 on Tuesday after investigators were able to work through a backlog of voicemails, authorities said. The surge comes as the death toll increased to 81, with two bodies recovered inside structures in the Butte County town of Paradise. Of the 81, authorities said they had tentatively identified 56 people. By Tuesday evening, investigators had also been able to locate nearly 200 people reported missing, raising the number of people checked off the missing-persons list to 1,864. The blaze has chewed through more than 152,000 acres and destroyed more than 12,600 homes. It was 75% contained. Facebook

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Death toll from Camp fire rises to 81 as searchers continue their grim work A search-and-rescue team scans an area where there might be human remains. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) The death toll from Californias worst fire rose to 81 on Tuesday as the search continued for the missing. The fire has burned more than 12,000 structures, destroying most of the town of Paradise and other nearby communities. As of Monday night, there were nearly 700 people still missing. Rain is expected to hit the area tonight, complicating the search efforts. Joe Moses, a commander with the Monterey County Sheriffs Office who is assisting with search-and-rescue operations, said the rain is a concern for him and recovery crews. That rain is going to get in that ash [and] its going to turn it into a paste-like substance, Moses said. Its going to stick to everything and slow things down. In a worst-case scenario, if torrential downpours were to hit Paradise, the foundations could flood and wash human remains away, increasing the possibility that workers may be unable to locate and identify victims. This concern appears to be greatest in rural areas such as Concow. Authorities fear that bones may also lie underwater, making it harder for workers to spot them, and that the rain may wash away the scents that cadaver dogs seek out to find human remains. Facebook

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California fires: Anxiety and nightmares grip evacuees in Paradise fire zone Deborah Laughlin hasnt heard from her son in nearly two weeks. (Ruben Vives/Los Angeles Times) Inside the cafeteria of Bidwell Junior High School, 63-year-old Deborah Laughlin sipped on coffee and scooped up some apple pie. A lot was on her mind. Laughlin said she lost her home in Paradise. She had been living at Evergreen Mobile Home Park. Since the evacuations, she has been at the middle school, where the Red Cross operates a shelter. She said she registered with FEMA and hopes shell be able to get housing. I dont know what Im going to do, she said. I told the manager of the Red Cross: When you leave, Im going with you. Perhaps her greatest worry is her son, Shawn Evans, 40, whom she last heard from while he was evacuating from Magalia. She said he was driving on Imperial Way with his wife, who is eight months pregnant. I know where my husband is but I dont know here my son is, she said with teary eyes. Please dont tell me he died. Please. She said she is clinging to hope that her son is OK and that theyll be reunited soon. She said shes afraid about the storm that is approaching the region. Shes afraid because she knows theres still people who are missing, people who may have died in the fire. Im scared, she said. Im scared theyll be washed away and peoples remains will never be found. Sitting across was Anthony Salzarulo, 60, who had fought to save his home and five others in Concow. He said the fire was worse than any other blaze that had hit the region. Salzarulo lost his home to a fire 10 years ago. Sipping water, he said his home suffered some damage in the Camp fire, mostly to his solar panels and generator. He lost a bus and a car. When he was leaving the area, he saw animals that had died in the fire. A bobcat that had suffered burns walked near him. Hes had nightmares since. He heard about the storm approaching. He worries a mudslide may take out his home, and its made him anxious. He wants to go home. I hope I have a home after this storm because it sounds like its a pretty bad one, he said. He said the storm had added to his nightmares. I was dreaming that there was a tornado and all these things were sticking to me, he said. They were human bones. Facebook

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California fires: Heavy rains could wash away human remains in Paradise, searchers fear Devastation from the Camp fire. (Los Angeles Times) Four members of the Oakland Fire Departments Urban Search and Rescue Task Force removed a charred mattress spring and began combing through a mixture of ash, dirt, shredded wood and pieces of roofing tiles. Using their gloves to move around the blackened dirt, they looked for human remains. This is hard, one of the recovery workers said. But were trying. Let everyone know were trying. By Wednesday afternoon, the recovery work will get harder. Forecasters said thats when the rain will most likely start to come down over the Camp fire. Joe Moses, a commander with the Monterey County Sheriffs Office who is assisting with search-and-rescue operations, said the rain is a concern for him and recovery crews. That rain is going to get in that ash [and] its going to turn it into a paste-like substance, Moses said. Its going to stick to everything and slow things down. In a worst-case scenario, if torrential downpours were to hit Paradise, a town devastated by the fire, the foundations could flood and wash human remains away, increasing the possibility that workers may be unable to locate and identify victims of the fire. This concern appears to be more evident in rural areas such as Concow. Authorities fear bones could also lie underwater, making it harder to spot them and whatever scent cadaver dogs rely on to spot human remains could be drown out. But Moses doesnt believe the rain wont be too bad and they plan to see their mission through. The fire destroyed much of Paradise, burning more than 10,000 homes. Nearly 80 are confirmed dead, but nearly 700 remain missing in the worst fire in California history. Facebook

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Woolsey fire victims file lawsuit against Southern California Edison By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde Only the top few feet of a utility pole survived the Woolsey fire as it roared over Kanan Road in Malibu. ( (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)) Victims of the Woolsey fire have filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison alleging the utility was negligent in failing to shut off power before the wildfire started, attorneys announced Tuesday. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of 17 plaintiffs, alleges the company ignored warnings of extreme fire weather and only shut power off once the fire started. That delay contributed to the Woolsey fires destruction, plaintiffs say. The fire, which is currently 96% contained, killed three people and destroyed 1,500 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Attorneys are seeking compensation for plaintiffs damaged property, lost wages and attorney fees. The lawsuit claims that once the electricity was shut off on Nov. 12  four days after the fire started  residents and firefighters lost water pressure, hampering efforts to battle the flames. That in turn heightened the safety risk for firefighters and homeowners who sheltered in place. R. Rex Parris, one of the attorneys on the case, references the utilitys preliminary report filed Nov. 12 with the California Public Utility Commission stating an electric substation experienced a disturbance two minutes before the fire, which started in the same area. The report is preliminary, said Edison spokesman Steve Conroy when the report was made public. We have no other information other than a line went out of service and we dont know why. In the report, the utility said a circuit in its Chatsworth substation near where the Woolsey fire started relayed two minutes before the fire broke out. This means an outage remains until it is safe to manually reenergize the circuit, Conroy said. This is not a Public Safety Power Shutoff; it is simply a safety feature to help mitigate wildfire risk. The lawsuit also blames Edison for potential damage to the environmental and public health caused by the burning of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory nuclear cleanup area, though some experts have said there was no damage. The state Department of Toxic Substances Control, which oversees the long-delayed cleanup of the former rocket engine testing and nuclear research facility, said fire officials believed the blaze did not present any risks other than those normally present in a wildfire situation. Edison said in an emailed statement that it cannot comment on lawsuits related to the Woolsey fire at this time and that it may take some time before an investigation into what caused the fire is completed. SCEs focus at this time is service restoration to customers still impacted in the Malibu area, and providing additional assistance to customers through the L.A. County local assistance centers, an Edison spokesman said. The utility said its offering support for customers looking to turn service on and off, waiving charges associated with extended bill payments and charges associated with relocating and starting new service. Parris said utility companies know of the dangers of high power lines running through fire zones, but that they do little to implement safeguards to prevent potential tragedies. When you have rules that are this important and you know people are violating them its inevitable that these catastrophic events happen, Parris said of Edison and other utility companies. Their view of safety is public relations. Victims of the Camp fire filed a lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. also on Friday, alleging that utility is responsible for the fire that killed at least 79 people. ------

2:05 p.m.: This article was updated with statements from R. Rex Parris. This article was originally published at 11:05 a.m. Facebook

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Here are the latest evacuations, road and school closures, animal shelters and victim services Mandatory evacuations Malibu, from the Ventura County line east to Anacapa View Drive.

Monte Nido West of Malibu Canyon Road.

Liberty Canyon West to Decker Canyon and south to PCH For all evacuation areas click here. Road closures Highway 101 offramps from Valley Circle Blvd to Liberty Canyon Road Highway 1 southbound (Pacific Coast Highway) closed at Las Posas Road Bell Canyon Road at Valley Circle Boulevard Borchard at Los Vientos Drive Lynn Road at Reino Road Potrero Road between Rancho Dos Vientos and South Lewis Road Kanan Road between Westlake Boulevard and Lindero Canyon Road Falling Star Avenue at Kanan Road Potrero Road at Wendy Drive State Route 118 eastbound between Topanga Canyon and Yosemite Avenue Mureau Road, Calabasas Boundary to 101 Freeway Cornell Road, Mulholland Hwy to Kanan Road Encinal Canyon Road, Malibu Boundary to Mulholland Hwy Click here to see a full list of closures. Evacuation centers (Los Angeles Times) Camarillo Community Center  1605 E. Burnley Street, Camarillo (accepting small animals) Borchard Community Center  190 Reino Road, Newbury Park (accepting small animals) Goebel Senior Adult Center (obscured on map) 1385 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks (at capacity) Thousand Oaks Teen Center  1375 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks Community Center  2525 North Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks (closed) Rancho Santa Susana Recreation Center  5005 Unit C Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley (no animals accepted) Taft Charter High School  5461 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills Pierce College  7100 El Rancho Drive, Woodland Hills (Entrance off Desoto Avenue); Los Angeles County Animal Services (accepting large animals) Canoga Park High School  6850 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Canoga Park Palisades Charter High School (not displayed on map)  15777 Bowdoin St, Pacific Palisades School closures Cal State Channel Islands Cal Lutheran University (except for emergency personnel) Moorpark Community College Pepperdine University (Malibu and Calabasas campuses) For Ventura County school closures, please check the Ventura County Office of Education website https://www.vcoe.org/ Animal shelters Ventura County Fair Grounds  10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura, (at capacity); Ventura County Animal Services (805) 388-4258 Ventura County Animal Shelter  600 Aviation Drive, Camarillo (accepting small animals) Simi Valley Animal Shelter  670 W Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley, (805) 388-4341 (accepting small animals) Pierce College  7100 El Rancho Drive, Woodland Hills (entrance off Desoto Avenue) (at capacity); Los Angeles County Animal Services Hansen Dam Equestrian Center  11127 Orcas Ave., Lake View Terrace (at capacity); Los Angeles County Animal Services Earl Warren Show Grounds (not on map)  3400 Calle Real, Santa Barbara (Check-in at Gate C off of Calle Real) (accepting large animals) Shelter Hope  193 N Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 (lodging for evacuees and volunteers available) If you need large animal assistance, please call (805) 388-4258

N95 Particulate filter mask availability (Los Angeles Times) Goebel Senior Adult Center (obscured on map) 1385 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks Teen Center  1375 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks Rancho Santa Susana Recreation Center  5005 Unit C Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley Borchard Community Center  190 N Reino Road, Newbury Park Camarillo Community Center  1605 E Burnley St., Camarillo North Oxnard Public Health  2240 E. Gonzales Road, Oxnard South Oxnard Public health  2500 S. C Street, Oxnard Channel Islands harbor master  3900 Pelican Way, Oxnard Las Posas Family Medical Group  3801 Las Posas, Suite 214, Camarillo Sierra Vista Family Medical Clinic  2700 E Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley Moorpark Family Medical Clinic  612 Spring Road, Building A, Moorpark Facebook

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Some Camp fire evacuations are lifted as firefighters continue working to contain the blaze By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde The valley behind it blanketed in a thick layer of smoke, a train sits stopped near Butte Valley along Highway 70. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Officials lifted evacuation orders for several communities near Lake Oroville on Tuesday. The news comes as firefighters make progress in the battling the Camp fire, which as of Tuesday morning was 70% contained. The fire has consumed more than 151,000 acres and killed at least 79 people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Officials announced that residents of all Berry Creek zones can return home, except the areas northbound Encina Grande Road at Choc Taw Ridge Road, northbound French Creek Road at Stephens Ridge Road and northbound Highway 162 at Four Mile Ridge Road. Communities in the Cherokee Zone B zone can also return to the area, with the exception of areas northbound Red Tape Road at Condor Road, Rocky Top Road at Cherokee Road, Vinton Gulch at Cherokee Road, Crystal Pines Road at Cherokee Road and Highway 70 East of the West branch bridge. All residents of the Messilla Valley Zone B can return home. Facebook

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As California fire slowly is contained, air quality begins to improve in the north By Times Staff Latest smoke model indicates continued gradual improvement in air quality through Tuesday evening. Much better air quality is then expected by Wednesday when gusty winds and rain from a Pacific weather system clean the air. #CAwx #campfiresmoke pic.twitter.com/Vxd3cwZUQM  NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) November 20, 2018 The rain forecast for Northern California is expected to improve air quality in the region, which has experienced unhealthful air due to the Camp fire. Air quality improved somewhat Tuesday, but the smoke was supposed to dissipate more on Wednesday. The Camp fire burn zone could see up to 6 inches of rain through Saturday, which isnt unusual for that region, said Johnnie Powell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. In April, fire-ravaged Paradise, Calif., saw nearly 6 inches of rain in one day in what was its last significant storm. Strong inversions will allow wildfire smoke to continue to impact interior Norcal today although air quality is slowly getting better most areas. Rainfall spreading over Norcal on Wednesday should clear the air considerably. #cawx pic.twitter.com/LKa2b1d7uy  NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) November 20, 2018 Facebook

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In Paradise, the grim search for bodies after California fire: Were finding remains in various states The search-and-rescue team took a break as it waited for an excavator to moved debris from a pair of charcoal gray vehicles sitting next to a burned home in Butte Creek Canyon in Chico. Nearby, a line of fire trucks and sheriffs vehicles drove past the group, their occupants waving. The sun was starting to dip. Monday was coming to an end. Since the Camp fire broke out on Nov. 8, authorities have been combing through crumbled homes and melted metal in an effort to locate and identify human remains. The fire has killed at least 79 people, and about 700 others are unaccounted for, a significant drop from a few days ago when the list was more than 26 pages and had more than 1,200 names, but still a daunting number. Now two storms are moving toward Northern California and are expected bring up to six inches of rain through Saturday, possibly hindering search operations. The pros and cons are that the weather will be in our favor to contain the fire, said Cal Fire spokesman Manuel Garcia. But the cons are that there will possibly be loose terrain, fallen trees, mudslides and downstream flows. The National Weather Service said the first of the storms will move into the region on Wednesday. The second storm will bring the heaviest rain on Thursday night through Friday morning. Forecasters said the soil in the burn area cannot absorb rainwater, which could lead to fast-moving flows of mud, debris and even trees and boulders up to several feet deep that can be deadly. Blocked roads caused by the storms as well as rivers of ash and debris could hinder search crews from conducting a massive search operation in a burn zone that is bigger in area than the city of San Jose. Tom Madigan of the Alameda County Sheriffs Department said that in some cases remains were so badly burned that they could not be recognized or just a few bones could be located. Were finding remains in various states, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said. I suspect there are some that will have been completely consumed. There is certainly the unfortunate possibility that even after weve searched an area, once people get back in there, its possible that human remains could be found. I know thats a very difficult thing to think about, but thats the difficult situation we find ourselves in today.  Recovery workers in white jumpsuits and boots, firefighters, coroner employees and police chaplains from across the state have been working around the clock searching neighborhoods destroyed by the fire, but as the storms approach, the possibility of perhaps not finding everyone is starting to set in. A neighborhood reduced to ashes in Paradise. (Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Firefighters boost containment of deadly Camp fire to 70% as residents prepare for rain By Hannah Fry Ryan Spainhower hugs his wife after he recovers a coin that they made during their honeymoon from the debris of his home. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) The deadly Camp fire grew slightly overnight  to 151,373 acres  as firefighters continued their efforts to get the blaze under control. The fire, which has claimed at least 79 lives and destroyed more than 17,000 homes and commercial structures, is 70% contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Tuesday. At the same time firefighters work to control the blaze, residents in the burn area now face the potential for mudslides as a series of storms begin to make their way into the region. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch through Friday morning where the fire raged through Butte County. While the rainfall will help with the firefight, neighborhoods that were destroyed, and those downstream of them, could see mudslides and debris flows, authorities said. The burn zone could see up to 6 inches of rain through Saturday, which isnt unusual for that region, said Johnnie Powell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. In April, Paradise saw nearly 6 inches of rain in one day in what was its last significant storm. Best-case scenario, itll rain on it and nothing will move. Worst-case scenario, the mud will start moving, Powell said. We just have to wait and see what happens. All we know for sure is, its going to rain really hard. Facebook

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California fire burned more than 10,000 homes, but trees remained standing. Why? By Joseph Serna One of the many striking, horrifying in images from Paradise is that trees still stand next to homes incinerated by fire. Here is why. Fires that spread from house to house generate a force of their own. Embers, broadcast by the wind, find dry leaves, igniting one structure then another, and the cycle is perpetuated block after block. Break that cycle and the fire quits, and destruction can be minimized. Paradise never had that chance. Defensible space and hardened structures could not have kept the firestorm, carried on gusts clocking in the low 50s and feeding on the homes and low-lying vegetation, from reducing the town to ash. Most telling were the trees. Most of the pines that sheltered this community still had their canopies intact. The needles, yellowed from the intense heat, were not burned  evidence that the winds that morning had pushed the fire along so fast it never had a chance to rise into the trees. But as a surface fire, it lit up the homes that lay in its path. Read more here. Facebook

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California fires interrupt TV production By David Ng Netflixs teen drama series 13 Reasons Why was in the midst of shooting its third season in Vallejo when the massive Camp fire and other blazes broke out in Northern California. The sets, which include a sound stage on Mare Island, werent touched by the conflagrations, but the pervasive smoke that has shrouded much of the Bay Area has forced the show to temporarily halt shooting. The Paramount-produced series is one of a number of TV and commercial shoots that have experienced disruptions because of the fires that have devastated California in recent weeks. Some prime shooting locations  including Paramount Ranch, which serves as a set for HBOs Westworld, and the Peter Strauss Ranch in Agoura Hills  have experienced extensive damage, rendering them inaccessible to crews. Large swaths of Malibu that are popular filming sites are also closed to production. Read more here. Facebook

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California fires: New disaster danger in Paradise is mud and ash flows The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch through Friday morning where the Camp fire raged through Butte County, Calif. While the rainfall will help with the firefight  the blaze is 70% contained and has burned 151,272 acres  neighborhoods that were destroyed, and those downstream of them, could see mudslides and debris flows. The Camp fire burn zone could see up to 6 inches of rain through Saturday, which isnt unusual for that region, said Johnnie Powell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. In April, Paradise saw nearly 6 inches of rain in one day in what was its last significant storm. Best-case scenario, itll rain on it and nothing will move. Worst-case scenario, the mud will start moving, Powell said. We just have to wait and see what happens. All we know for sure is, its going to rain really hard. The soil in recently burned areas cannot absorb rainwater. Enough rain can lead to fast-moving flows of mud, debris and even trees and boulders that can be deadly for those in their path. The devastation often comes without warning. Facebook

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Video shows pilots in dramatic Woolsey fire rescue of three people and two dogs The two pilots were dropping water on a flank of the destructive Woolsey fire the day after it broke out when they got a request to rescue people stuck nearby on Castro Peak in the hills above Malibu. Their fuel supply was dwindling and thick smoke filled the air around them. Eventually they found a flat spot to ground the helicopter, and one of the pilots hopped out. Moments later, he emerged with three people and two dogs. The dramatic mountain rescue, involving Los Angeles Fire Department pilots David Nordquist and Joel Smith, was captured in an 11-minute video the agency released Monday. Once the people and pets were in the plane, the pilots took off. Ah, that was close, one says after taking off Yeah, it was, the other replied. Thats enough excitement for me today. The other laughed. You and me both, brother. Facebook

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California fires: Paradise anxiously awaits rain and the dangers it might bring Calvin Daley, 66, sat listening to jazz on his battery-powered radio on the front porch of his two-story home in the charred hills of Chico. Tiny birds hopped from the burned branches of a pine tree to a bird feeder. Nearby, Pacific Gas and Electric crews repaired voltage lines, and other workers used an excavator to move aside hunks of melted metal that once were cars. Daley didnt evacuate. Instead, he hooked up three hoses, stationed them around his home and began dousing everything. Some people who stayed to fight for their homes died. He had at least three hours to work before the fire arrived with fury. He had no goggles, no mask, just jeans, a T-shirt and hoses. Sometimes, the water evaporated before hitting its target. His next-door neighbors home went up: My heart sank; I couldnt go over there and save it. Flames also claimed his wifes ski boat and his 1987 Dodge Ram. Also incinerated was the nearby Honey Run covered bridge. By 10:30 p.m. the fire had moved on. Exhausted, Daley woke himself every hour or so to check on hotspots. It was eerily quiet for three days, then the birds returned. Next door, the neighbors cats had survived. He began feeding them. As heavy rain approaches, hes worried contaminants will run into his well. He also worries for people who have lost homes, for people living in tents. He wishes it were summer. Facebook

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Legally blind and under evacuation: The unknown is the worst part At the Butte County Fairgrounds in Gridley, the five Thompsons live at the end of a row of green cots. Hot meals are served, snacks and water are readily available, as are toiletries and American Red Cross volunteers. Were having to turn stuff away, said MCustoms and Border Protection officials will shut down several lanes of traffic from Mexico into San Diego beginning Tuesday morning for what the agency called the potential safety and security risk posed by a caravan of Central American migrants.

Beginning 8 a.m. Tuesday, the agency will shut down three northbound lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, which has about 17 total lanes, and one lane at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, which has about a dozen lanes.

The closures will allow federal authorities to install and pre-position port hardening infrastructure equipment in preparation for the migrant caravan, the agency said in a statement.

Most of the roughly 5,000 migrants, the majority of whom are from Honduras, plan to turn themselves in at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and ask the U.S. government for asylum.

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The move to shut down some border lanes comes less than a week since about 1,100 troops from Camp Pendleton and Texas were deployed as part of Operation Secure Line to support border security, mainly by stringing concertina wire along the tops of aging border fences and plugging vulnerabilities elsewhere to prevent illegal crossings.

CBP has been and will continue to prepare for the potential arrival of thousands of people migrating in a caravan heading towards the border of the United States, Pete Flores, director of San Diego field operations for Customs and Border Protection, said Monday in a statement.

Customs and Border Protection officials recommended that motorists crossing from Tijuana into San Diego anticipate increased wait times because of the lanes closures.

The closures are expected to last until sometime after people in the caravan arrive to the border, the agency said.

On Thursday, the group voted to proceed from Mexico City, where theyd been gathered several days, to Tijuana, opting for the longer but less dangerous route.

Authorities said three smaller caravans of Central Americans in different parts of southern Mexico are also moving north, but their ultimate destination remained unclear.

As of Monday evening, most members of the largest caravan remained more than 1,500 miles from Tijuana in the western city of Guadalajara, according to Mexican officials. But about nine buses carrying some 300 caravan members were reported Monday evening to be passing with police escort through Hermosillo, capital of the northern state of Sonora about 540 miles from Tijuana.

On Sunday, a contingent of about 80 caravan participants  members of the LGBT community  arrived in Tijuana, where they were put up at a house rented out for them by supporters in a well-to-do neighborhood near the U.S. border. They had peeled off from the main caravan after being offered bus transportation and accommodations.

Riggins writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.comUC Berkeleys elite law school will move to drop the name of its famed Boalt Hall after a century because it honors a man now known to have been an anti-Chinese racist, the dean announced Tuesday.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky said he struggled for months over the schools close ties to the name of John Henry Boalt, a 19th century San Francisco attorney who described the Chinese laborers coming into California as unassimilable murderers and thieves and successfully pressed for an 1882 federal ban on Chinese immigration.

Details of Boalts unsavory past were widely disseminated for the first time after Charles Reichmann, a Berkeley law lecturer, last year published an op-ed and, later, a law review article.

In a letter to the law school community Tuesday, Chemerinsky said he changed his mind several times as he sorted through hundreds of passionate, persuasive messages on both sides. About 40% wanted to keep the name and the rest wanted to drop it.

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Some argued that many historical figures, including Thomas Jefferson, had mixed legacies. Others feared that dropping the Boalt brand would hurt the law school or that it would dishonor Elizabeth Josselyn Boalt, who donated $100,000 for the original law school building in her late husbands name. (The law school moved to another building in 1950.)

In the end, Chemerinsky said he was most persuaded by those  including many students and alumni of color  who were pained by the continued use of the Boalt name.

I was moved by the many who wrote me expressing their discomfort with honoring someone who expressed vile racism, especially without anything to point to that would justify honoring him as an individual, Chemerinsky wrote.

He said he would ask the campus building committee to drop the Boalt name from the law schools classroom wing. The committee will launch its own review, which will include a public hearing, with a decision by UC Chancellor Carol Christ expected next spring. UC President Janet Napolitano then would have the final say.

Chemerinsky said the law school will cease using the name in most other cases  on school directories, its Facebook page, the title of lecturer positions  and will encourage student and alumni organizations to do likewise. He added that the school will find ways to make sure that Boalts racism is remembered.

The dean made no recommendation on removing the Boalt name from two professorships endowed by Boalts widow, who is not known to have shared her husbands bigotry. (Changes in the terms of philanthropic gifts require approval of the state attorney general.) Chemerinsky said the school would continue to honor her generosity and her portrait would remain on a wall in the classroom wing.

Alumni  many of whom proudly call themselves Boalties  are free to continue using the name as they wish, the dean wrote.

Chemerinskys decision gratified Tar Rakhra, co-chair of Berkeley Laws Asian Pacific American Law Students Assn. He said he was impressed by a law school committees deliberative work in examining the issue over more than a year, with the help of a town hall and survey to students, alumni, faculty and staff. The committee made the recommendations that Chemerinsky ultimately accepted.

Rakhra, a second-year law student from Yorba Linda, said he empathized with alumni who feel a close link with the Boalt name and acknowledged that their donations to the school could drop.

Its a tough, painful thing for them, he said, but we have to do the right thing and the right thing is to acknowledge John Boalts racist past.

Reichmann, who wrote the op-ed, said he is thrilled to have made a difference. Its part of societys ongoing obligation to consider its history, he said.

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

Twitter: @TeresaWatanabeThanksgiving break came early for thousands of students in California, but the days off were no cause for celebration. Three school districts in Ventura and Los Angeles counties have closed to make repairs and clean up after the Woolsey fire swept through the area.

No public school campus was directly hit, but a deluge of ashes and smoke raised health concerns  and caused a mess.



For the record: An earlier version of this article referred to Las Virgenes Unified as one of three Ventura County school districts closed because of fires. The school district is affiliated with, and includes portions of, Ventura County, but its campuses are in L.A. County.

Ilan Ramon Day School, a private Jewish school in Agoura Hills, in the path of the fire, lost part of its campus.

The public school districts that will remain closed until Monday, Nov. 26, are Conejo Valley Unified, Las Virgenes Unified and Oak Park Unified.

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On Monday, Conejo Valley cataloged for its staff the fire-related problems:

We have five schools that require intensive disaster restoration, eleven schools requiring deep cleaning, seven schools that require exterior clean up, and five schools that have to be surface cleaned. All of our schools require at least a horizontal cleaning, air scrubbing, deodorization, and replacement of air filters.

We are diligently working to make sure our schools are safe, clean and ready for our students to return, Supt. Mark McLaughlin wrote in a message to the community.

The head of Ilan Ramon Day School told the Jewish Journal that the campus would be closed at least through Wednesday. Getting the school open by then would be a heavy lift, given that the fire destroyed the schools computer lab, administration building and a bathroom building.

Initially, Head of School Yuri Hronsky heard media reports that the whole campus had been destroyed. But a contact at the local sheriffs station brought better news.

He was able to reassure us that it was only the left side of the school that was burning, but the rest of the campus was OK. Its truly a miracle, Hronsky told the Journal. The spaces where the children study and learn are still basically untouched. Theyre dirty, but untouched.

Several other Ventura County schools announced they would be closed at least for Tuesday.

In L.A. County, Malibu schools will remain closed for the rest of the week. Malibu is part of the same school system as Santa Monica, where schools will remain open, according to a Monday statement from the district.

With evacuation orders still in place, we have been unable to visually inspect our schools directly yet, said the statement, attributed to Supt. Ben Drati and other administrators. We have seen photos and videos and reports that all four of our schools appear to be in good condition. We will have inspections and cleaning to do before we resume as the safety of our students and staff is paramount to us.

The statement acknowledged that getting back to school was the least of the problem for some families:

The pictures emerging from this ongoing, tragic situation in our community are heartbreaking. ... We are aware that many have lost their homes and many do not know the current status of their homes.

In L.A. Unified, Topanga Elementary Charter School was closed Tuesday because of road closures.

howard.blume@latimes.com

Twitter: @howardblumeThe number of deaths from Californias worst fire rose to 48 Tuesday as authorities and family members mounted desperate searches for the hundreds still missing.

The Camp fire has scorched 130,000 acres since Thursday, ripping through mountain towns in Butte County. More than 8,800 structures  mostly homes in Paradise  were leveled as the blaze charred the region.

The death toll from the fire jumped Monday when officials said they recovered the remains of 13 people as teams continued to search the rubble of thousands of lost homes. The remains of 10 people were located in Paradise, and three were found in the Concow area.

Amid the wreckage, search teams continued to sift through rubble and ash. Residents are holding out hope that their loved ones who went missing when the fire tore through their towns might be found.

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The confusing search for hundreds of missing people has been complicated by many factors: bad cellphone service. A lack of access to burned-out areas. A sheer scattering of people across the region who are staying in shelters, hotels, friends houses and their vehicles and may have not gotten in touch with loved ones.

Live updates: Full coverage of the California wildfires 

Over the last several days, Blake Bellairs, 36, has been searching for his brother, Josh.

Bellairs and his girlfriend drove down from Medford, Ore.,on Monday night to pick up his mother and stepfather, residents of Paradise, who lost everything in the fire. Finding Josh hasnt been so easy.

Bellairs has tried calling the local jails, authorities and TV stations, and scoured social media for mentions of his brother. He has called his brothers friends and ex-girlfriends. One friend heard that Josh got a ride through Magalia, but who knows.

This morning, Bellairs bought glass chalk from Walmart and wrote Missing Josh Bellairs all over his black Ford pickup, along with his phone number.

Although Bellairs hasnt spoken to his brother in years, he said his stepfather and mother keep in touch sporadically with Josh, who recently had fallen on rough times and was moving from place to place.

I just want to know hes all right, Bellairs said standing near his truck Tuesday afternoon with tears in his eyes. His stepfather and mother have lived in Paradise for 40 years and lost everything except for a single bag of belongings.

Bellairs, his stepfather, mother and girlfriend are staying at a local shelter but wont be in the area for much longer. His stepfather has health issues, and they cant stay in the cold much longer.

Were trying to hold out, Bellairs said.

At Chicos Neighborhood Church, hundreds of handwritten names are listed on a board, a makeshift information center for anxious relatives and friends to find one another.

The board, at a Red Cross shelter, is throwback to the era before Facebook and Twitter. On white-and-yellow-lined paper, friends and relatives write down the names of the missing, their relationship to the person and a contact number.

Photos and personal messages are also posted. I love you was written next to the name John Sedwick. A man left a message for Mary Cory: Im OK, dont worry about me. He said he was headed to Yuba City and left a Gmail address.

Paradise resident Jayne Keith lost her house in the blaze and came to the shelter Tuesday to get dog food, blankets and pajamas. She was staying with family members at a hotel in Red Bluff. Keith peered at the board and wrote down the phone number of someone looking for a woman named Barbara Hayes. Keith said a woman whose last name is Hayes was staying down the road from her hotel. Keith paused, fretting about the last name. I think its spelled differently. I dont know if its the same woman.

Paradise resident Greg Gibson looked over the board to see if there was any news about his neighbors, whom he knew only by their last name, Machuga. The couple is in their 60s, he said, and lived in an A-frame house. Very nice people, Gibson said.

One man stared at the list, frustrated. He wanted to know who was staying at the Red Cross shelter at the church, but no one was able to give him that information. He was accompanied by a woman looking for her brother; both declined to give their names. Wed like a list of who is here, he said. This is looking for.

On Tuesday, crews were working to build up defenses around the town of Cherokee near the Feather River and Stirling City, northeast of Paradise and Magalia, which were both devastated by the fire.

Two of the biggest question marks facing firefighters will be how the fire behaves when it hits swaths of landscape to the fires east and north. Officials say the area has no documented history of fire, meaning its likely extremely overgrown and dense, which can create explosive fire conditions.

Be aware, there is a lot of fuel out there ready to burn really hot, fire behavior analyst Jonathan Pangburn told crews at a morning briefing at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico on Tuesday morning.

Pressing her hand against her head, Paradise resident Teresa Moniz scanned a list of missing persons taped to a board at the Neighborhood Church in Chico. Hundreds of handwritten names were scrawled on yellow-and-white papers. The names of friends and relatives also are listed, along with contact numbers. A few photos of missing persons were pinned to the board.

Her hand shook as she added her husbands name: Albert Moniz aka Pete. When the Camp fire broke out, Moniz, 60, was in nearby Magalia, and her 67-year-old disabled husband was at their home in Paradise, she said.

He called me and said: Theres a fire; I have to get out, Moniz said, her eyes filling with tears.

Her husband went to a friends house and called again from there. That was the last time she heard from him. He doesnt have a cellphone, she said.

Moniz said she knows their Paradise home on Edgewood Lane burned because she saw a video showing its destruction. Moniz said her husbands daughter started a Facebook page in the hope of finding him.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry

UPDATES:

6:25 p.m.: This article was updated with new fatality figures.

6 p.m.: This article was updated with new fire figures.

5:41 p.m.: This article was edited and rewritten.

4 p.m.: This article was updated with new details from the scene, including people searching for family.

1:50 p.m.: This article was updated with information about the search for the missing.

This article was originally published at 9:50 a.m.When Greg Bolin arrived in Paradise in 1967, the Sierra Nevada foothill town was too small to require traffic lights.

It felt unplanned and slightly spontaneous. Rustic wood-sided cabins sprouted up along winding, often narrow, roads  the kind of place you could live in for decades and still not know all its secrets.

It just kind of evolved over the years, said Bolin, the towns vice mayor and also a builder.

Was it something I would design? No, not at all. It was something we had to live with.

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Bolin was part of the mass migration four decades ago that ultimately set up the Sierra ridge town for tragedy. Everyone wanted to live in Paradise. When a massive wildfire swept through its streets Thursday, fleeing residents became trapped by bumper-to-bumper traffic. Masses tried to flee on foot.

To date 42 people on the ridge are confirmed dead, and more than half the dwellings of Paradise are gone. Still burning and uncontrolled, whipped by winds, the fire that began five days ago on Camp Road is the worst wildfire disaster in California history.

The irony is that Paradise was one of the few Sierra slope towns built in a tinderbox that tried to change its fate.

Sources: USGS, Cal Fire, OpenStreetMap, Nextzen (Jon Schleuss / Los Angeles Times)

Fire history maps dating to 1911 show much of the hills of Butte County east of Highway 99 has burned, at one point or another. Including the current fire, an analysis of historic fire maps shows nearly 46% of the land mass in that area charred by at least one fire. In 1961, Butte was caught in a wind-driven holocaust of nearly 100 fires stretching from the bluffs to the Bay Area. The roster of other massive fires include ones in 1927, 1943, 1951, 1964, 1990, 1999 and 2000.

Until this year, Paradise was remarkable because wildfire hadnt crossed city limits.

But locals knew there was no room for complacency. A decade ago, the Humboldt fire destroyed 87 homes at the edge of town, and a week later dozens of fires set off by a lightning storm threatened the community. One person died.

Residents trying to flee the 2008 fires were caught in massive traffic jams, flames burning on both sides of the road as they sat trapped in their cars. They clamored for local officials to come up with a plan.

The solution created by Paradise city leaders was a plan that evacuated sections of the city at a time, said Phil John, chairman of the Paradise Ridge Fire Safe Council.

They adopted protocols to convert two-way streets into one-way evacuation routes during times of crises. And some 70 people participated in a recent drill, rehearsing an evacuation down the towns main thoroughfare. All of this work saved literally thousands of lives, John said. Theres no doubt in my mind.

Theres just no way to prepare for what happened, John said. Unless you had some kind foresight to say theres going to be a big fire and its going to jump the creek and its going to burn down the whole town.

Which is what happened.

I think their plan would have worked for the 97th percentile fire, said Bill Stewart, co-director of the Berkeley Forests program at UC Berkeley. It would have worked if they had six hours to move, instead of two.

But the modern Paradise disaster plan relied on a transportation infrastructure that dates to horse-pulled wagons.

The roads were largely laid by gold miners and railroads, whose interests were in threading canyons and ridges on the western slope of the Sierra to reach rich mineral deposits rather than move large numbers of people out. They are paved incarnations of what Stewart called dirt trails from the Gold Rush.

Place names on maps reflect that colorful history: Flea Canyon, Deadwood, Dogtown and Helltown. On 1900 railroad maps, Paradise was labeled Paradice, giving rise to the yarn that it was named after the Pair O Dice saloon.

The town, on a ridge at 1,700 feet above a canyon cut by the Feather River, is basically at the dead end of two roads, the four-lane Skyway slicing west to Chico, and two-lane Highway 191, known locally as Clark Road, dropping south to Oroville. There are only four exit routes running south  all are in fire corridors.

In the 1960s, when Paradises building boom began, those roads would have served a population of some 8,000 people.

On Thursday, they were the primary escape to safety for more than 26,000 people on the ridge.

1 / 37 Ariel view of destruction from the Camp fire in Paradise off of Clark Road. The Camp Fire has burned more than 7,000 structures in Paradise. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 37 Crews continue their search for victims of the Camp fire in Paradise, Calif., where the majority of homes were destroyed by the fast-moving wildfire. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 37 A body is recovered from Ridgewood Mobile Home Park in Paradise, as the search continues for victims of the Camp Fire in Paradise. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 37 Little remains of the Ridgewood Mobile Home Park in Paradise, Calif., where a team recovered one victim Monday. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 37 The search for victims continues in Paradise, Calif., after the deadly Camp fire raced through the community. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 37 A crew recovers the remains of a dog on Lawndale Lane in Paradise, Calif. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 37 A horse at the Butte County Fairgrounds has its owners phone number on its neck (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 37 Outside of Pulga, Calif., on the North Fork of the Feather River, helicopters do airdrops while ground crews try to keep the Camp fire from spreading. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 37 Two young deer stand in the rubble of a home in Paradise, Calif. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 37 Burned out business in the downtown area of Paradise, Calif., after the Camp fire burned through the area. (Peter Dasilva / EPA / Shutterstock) 11 / 37 Silvia Johnson, age 85, said her house in Paradise, Calif., was burning when she left it, and knows its gone. Johnson has been living in Paradise for 48 years and says of the fire, Ive never seen anything like it. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 37 The sun rises over the burned hills near Paradise, Calif., as the Camp fire continues to burn. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 37 Firefighters work to keep flames from spreading through the Shadowbrook apartment complex as a wildfire burns through Paradise, Calif., on Friday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 14 / 37 Scorched vehicles at a used-car dealership in Paradise, Calif., on Friday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 15 / 37 Officer Randy Law tends to a rescued horse as a wildfire burns in Paradise, Calif. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 16 / 37 A firefighter battles flames in the Butte County town of Magalia on Friday. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 17 / 37 Abandoned vehicles on the side of a road in Paradise, Calif. (Josh Edelson / AFP-Getty Images) 18 / 37 A home burns in Paradise, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 19 / 37 Hospital workers and first responders evacuate patients from Feather River Hospital as the Camp fire moves through Paradise, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 20 / 37 Rescue teams scramble to evacuate patients as Feather River Hospital burns in Paradise, Calif. (Josh Edelson / AFP-Getty Images) 21 / 37 A statue is seen on a smouldering property as the Camp fire tears through Paradise. (Josh Edelson / AFP-Getty Images) 22 / 37 A home is overshadowed by towering smoke plumes as the Camp fire races through town in Paradise (JOSH EDELSON / AFP/Getty Images) 23 / 37 A home burns during the Camp fire in Paradise. At least five people have died in a massive wildfire raging in northern Calif. (JOSH EDELSON / AFP/Getty Images) 24 / 37 A Jack In The Box fast food restaurant burns as the Camp fire tears through Paradise. (JOSH EDELSON / AFP/Getty Images) 25 / 37 Flames consume a Kentucky Fried Chicken as the Camp Fire tears through Paradise. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 26 / 37 A fire fighter puts water on a fire as he performs structure protection, as the Camp Fire burns out of control through Paradise. (PETER DASILVA / EPA / Shutterstock) 27 / 37 Hillery Johnson prepares to leave here horse, Augie in a shopping center parking lot after law enforcement officers said it was time to leave as the Camp fire approached and there is no trailer to transport Augie out of the area. (PETER DASILVA / EPA / Shutterstock) 28 / 37 Hospital workers embrace as they evacuate patients from the Feather River Hospital in Paradise, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 29 / 37 A home burns as the Camp fire rages through Paradise. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 30 / 37 A Paradise business is in ruins as the Camp fire ravaged the area. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 31 / 37 Hospital workers and first-responders evacuate patients from the Feather River Hospital in Paradise. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 32 / 37 Flames engulf a home in Paradise. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 33 / 37 The evacuation of patients continues at the Feather River Hospital in Paradise. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 34 / 37 The Camp fire rages through Paradise. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 35 / 37 Flames from the Camp fire destroy a home in Paradise. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 36 / 37 The evacuation at Feather River Hospital. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 37 / 37 A building burns in Paradise. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

County emergency plans, updated in 2013, set the risk of wildfire as critical, with up to half of the housing stock at peril. The risk was not judged to be catastrophic, resulting in deaths and loss of more than half of homes, but fires were expected every year. The document described mass evacuations as challenging  due to limited egress availability of roads. Mass evacuations during a fire event clog roads and add to the frustration of evacuees.

Still, the town has drilled residents on the importance of leaving, mailing out maps of the evacuation routes, along with reminders to pack up important records and other belongings and to make plans for pets. Peggy Musgrave, 85, followed the instructions to a T, and credited them for her safe arrival at a Red Cross shelter. Even so, the escape route itself took more than two hours to travel 16 miles.

At least six of the dead so far were found in vehicles, five on a main street connecting to the escape routes.

The entire town is in a high-risk fire severity zone. Only 103 of more than 11,000 parcels of land were not very high fire risk, according to the planning document. Future development, the plan warns, should consider adequate evacuation routes for citizens of the town.

Californias fire response agency has the ability to require subdivision developers to add additional evacuation routes to new projects, Stewart said. But there is little to be done about the states many historic mining towns, increasingly attractive to retirees.

One statistic explains much about the allure of a place where residents were required to flee practically every other year: Its median home value in 2017 was $200,900, extraordinarily low in a state that routinely shocks outsiders with its overpriced real estate.

Paradise has not sought to slow its growth. Town-planning council members in August entertained a proposal to build a 56-unit senior living complex, taking advantage of state zoning laws that allow increased housing density for the elderly. The town projects 23% growth in the next 22 years.

Since Greg Rader, 55, moved to Paradise in 2005 he has had to pack up and run four times. When he heard about the Camp fire on Thursday morning, he decided he would stay and fight, grabbing a hose and rake to smother spot fires ignited by embers dropping from the sky. Within an hour, it was raining fire, and Rader ran to his car, not bothering to return to the house for his phone or anything else. He said he was stuck in the evacuation gridlock, trees burning around him, as he inched his way out.

Sensitivity to the powder keg potential was so keen that a firefighter checking the initial report of flames beneath a high-power tension line off Camp Road radioed back that the nearby town of Pulga should immediately be evacuated.

The object of his great worry was merely a 10-acre grass fire, rooted in a power companys cleared area, crawling toward the brush.

By 9 a.m., less than three hours later, a fire department engine driver miles away in Concow radioed to dispatch that he was trapped by the same, now exploding Camp fire, along with 20 civilians.

Were taking a safe zone, he said. We have explosion structures on fire, he said. There was nowhere to go. Were taking refuge in our vehicle.

Times staff writer Jon Schleuss contributed to this report.

paige.stjohn@latimes.com

Twitter: @paigestjohn

anna.phillips@latimes.com

Twitter: @annamphillipsTeresa Monizs hand shook Monday as she added her husbands name  Albert Moniz, aka Pete  to a list of missing persons taped to a board at the Neighborhood Church in Chico.

She was in nearby Magalia on Thursday when her husband called from home, saying, Theres a fire; I have to get out, she recalled, her eyes filling with tears.

He called again from a friends house, but that was the last time she heard from him. Their house is gone, and Albert Moniz, 67, is disabled and has no cellphone, his wife said.

Ive been checking the motels, she said.

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She said she knows that their Paradise, Calif., home on Edgewood Lane burned because she saw a video showing its destruction.

Moniz is one of scores still missing in the worst fire in California history.

The death toll from the Camp fire climbed to 42 on Monday, as search teams sifted through rubble and ash in and around Paradise for additional victims.

If youve been up there, you understand the magnitude of the scene were dealing with, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said at a news conference Monday night.

Honea said anthropologists from Cal State Chico and the University of Nevada at Reno with expertise in identifying human remains were helping in the grim search effort. Honea also has requested 150 additional search and recovery workers, two military mobile morgues and a rapid DNA identification system.

I understand the toll that it takes on people not knowing what became of their loved ones, the sheriff said. My sincere hope is I dont have to come each night and report a higher and higher number.

Teresa Moniz said her husbands daughter started a Facebook page in the hope of finding him.

Everyone who knows him knows hes being looked for, she said.This is a wet place by California standards.

It averages about 55 inches of rain a year, thanks to its prime location in the verdant foothills of the Sierra Nevada, which wrings rain out of Pacific storms.

But when the Camp fire sparked last Thursday, Paradise was parched. The area usually gets about 15 storms during the summer and early fall, adding up to five inches of rain. But this year, it got a measly one-seventh of an inch. The vegetation around Paradise was explosively dry, resulting in the worst fire in modern California history that left 7,000 structures destroyed, at least 42 dead and scores still missing.

(Ellis Simani / Los Angeles Times)

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Across California, the lack of autumn rain is having dire consequences. Ventura County, where the Woolsey fire last week destroyed hundreds of homes, also got almost no rain through the summer and fall. Early storms were supposed to have ended the Northern California fire season by now, allowing more firefighters to head to Southern California to battle fires spread by Santa Ana winds.

With the Camp fire raging in Butte County, officials said there were fewer firefighters at hand to battle the blaze that swept through Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Malibu.

A lot of resources we typically rely on were not available, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said. Our help came from further away, including as far away as Texas.

Scientists say that in a future affected by climate change, California should expect drier autumns and springs, with more of the rain and snow concentrated in the winter months. That is bad news for firefighters, who rely on early rains to ease the threat from extreme winds that plague California beginning in late September and help quickly spread many of Californias worst blazes.

I would anticipate we will more frequently see this extension of the fire season into the fall and even into the early winter, said Nina Oakley, regional climatologist with the Western Regional Climate Center. In the past six years, Californias southern coastal region has been drier than average during the fall.

(Swetha Kannan / Los Angeles Times)

Climate experts have long said the fire season is really a race over what comes first: the powerful winds or the rain. With much less rain in the fall, youre waiting for a disaster to occur, said John Abatzoglou, a University of Idaho associate professor of geography, who has studied California extensively.

The lack of rain brought record dryness for vegetation, and that has helped fires burn more explosively. Tinder-dry vegetation only fuels fires further; it sent an exceptional amount of heat into the air during the massive Carr fire in July, leading to a fire tornado that carved its own unpredictable path in Redding to spread the flames, leading to a death of a firefighter.

In Paradise, about 80 miles north of Sacramento, the dry vegetation contributed to a turbocharged spread that many residents could not outrun.

It has jumped a 300-foot lake at least three times, [spreading to] areas where youd expect the fire not to continue forward, said Jonathan Pangburn, a fire behavior analyst with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Paradise sits in the foothills of the Sierra, at an elevation of about 1,000 feet. Its not unusual for the town to get 20 inches of rain in a single month during the rainy season.

Paradise is a pretty wet place, National Weather Service meteorologist Johnnie Powell said. Throughout Northern California, its been one of the driest falls.

Paradise has its rain gauge at a fire station, and that station was one of Powells best weather observers. Paradises last weather report was sent in on Wednesday, the day before the fire began. Since then, the reporting station has gone silent.

An extremely late start to Southern Californias rainy season last year also contributed to bone-dry conditions just before the Thomas fire in December devastated Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, leading to the second-largest California wildfire in the modern record, burning up 282,000 acres. Typically, more than 4 inches of rain falls in Camarillo between July and December; in 2017, only 0.09 inches fell.

If Northern California had received anywhere near the typical amount of autumn precipitation this year, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said, explosive fire behavior and stunning tragedy in Paradise would almost certainly not have occurred.

If the land around Paradise had been damp, even the strong winds coming downhill  pushed by 50-mph gusts from the northeast  wont drive the same kind of wildfire, Swain said. That shortening of the rain season, as were seeing two years in a row, is really consequential.

Its not just the widening overlap between the dry season and the start of Santa Ana season thats a problem. Besides the unusually dry weather, increasingly hot temperatures are also drying out vegetation to record levels.

A key thing you need for these apocalyptic fires is an extremely dry, heavy fuel load, climatologist Bill Patzert said. Up and down the state, everyone is in the same situation.

These more intensive heat waves precondition the brush for more intense fires, Patzert said.

And its been hot throughout the state recently. California experienced its hottest month on record this past July, in terms of highest minimum temperatures recorded statewide. On July 6, all-time temperature records were set across Southern California, with UCLA hitting 111, Van Nuys 117 and Chino 120.

Having late wildfires also poses problems for the rainy season to come. After the Thomas fire hit, weeks later, rains triggered deadly mudslides that killed more than 20 people.

When you have these wildfires backed up against the first rainfall  theres very little time to get in teams to do assessments and employ mitigation strategies before rainfall occurs, Oakley said. You have communities that are still reeling from wildfire and need to prepare for the threat of post-fire debris flows.

Lin reported from Los Angeles, Hamilton from Malibu and Serna from Paradise, Calif.An untold number of homeowners have had their lives upended by the Woolsey fire. Few, however, may have felt the fires destructive power more than Mark Bakalor.

On Thursday night, not long after the fire first roared to life, Bakalor and his family fled their Oak Park house as the flames approached.

Bakalor then turned his attention to his parents, who had lived for years in a house on Lobo Canyon Road in Agoura Hills, and then to his in-laws, who lived in Bell Canyon. For Bakalor, both houses were too close to the fire, which was spreading quickly and in several directions.

I called my parents and said, Look, its about to jump the freeway and heading your way. I need you to pack your photo albums and leave.

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His in-laws had already left, but told Bakalor on the phone that they were intent on returning. It was more than just a house to the couple: Bakalors father-in-law is Mike Garson, a pianist who had played for decades with David Bowie as well as many other famous musicians. Instruments, equipment, memorabilia and decades of memories were in a recording studio on the property.

Bakalor urged Garson and his wife to stay away. The couple reluctantly agreed.

The following night, Bakalor was in the car, returning from a shopping run for toothbrushes, clothes for his child and other necessities they had fled without packing, when his phone rang.

Its gone, his mother said. The house is gone.

How do you know? he asked.

Were watching it burn on TV.

It had been the couples dream house  an 11,300-square-foot modern mansion built nearly 20 years earlier on more than 20 acres nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains. There was an 18-seat movie theater and a library.

But the Woolsey fire wasnt done with Bakalors family yet.

Less than an hour later, a news helicopter trained its camera on Bell Canyon. It zoomed in on Hitching Post Lane. His in-laws street.

A creeping disbelief settled in as he watched with his brother-in-law. The camera panned to the smoldering remains of a house with a pool and hot tub. Only the chimney remained.

Bakalor knew that chimney. He knew that pool.

It looked as if the walls of the studio were still standing, but flames were everywhere. When a Los Angeles Times reporter visited the house Sunday, those walls were gone. The charred, flattened husk of a piano was visible from the driveway. A blackened mess of tangled piano wires marked the floor, near what appeared to have been a speaker.

As many residents were still coming to terms with the devastation on Monday, six strike teams were sent to Bell Canyon and the West Hills to look for flareups, said Los Angeles Fire Department Deputy Chief Trevor Richmond.

It takes us a while to get into that battle rhythm after the initial action, Richmond said. We are at that point now.

The status of the blaze on Monday, Richmond said, was a wind test.

We are standing by and watching, how impactful will the wind be on the hot spots inside the burn area. Will it bring it up and throw the embers into the green fuel? he said. We are watching. During that time, [crews will] cut an active line to put space between burned and unburned fuel.

This is a dirty burn, where flames chewed through portions of the Malibu canyons but left whole swaths of forest, chaparral and homes untouched.

Richmond said that the harsh winds can push embers about a quarter-mile ahead of the front of a fire.

We are not out of the woods yet, he said. Windy conditions could persist through December, he said. We have to remain vigilant.

Right now, any Santa Ana winds last two to five days. As the days go further along and we are in continued winds, the fuel gets drier, the air gets drier. It makes it harder for us to sustain an active line around the perimeter.

We have to be strategic about aerial assets, Richmond said. Planes are grounded if water drops scatter in the high winds and dont reach the ground. Helicopters can make more strategic drops in the heavy winds better than fixed-wing aircraft, he said.

When winds get above 20 mph, they start evaluating whether fixed wing are applicable.Federal prosecutors opened their case against Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman on Tuesday, promising to rewrite an epic that has been dramatized for decades  in television series, novels and ballads known as narcocorridos.

Money. Drugs. Murder. A vast, global narcotics-trafficking empire. Thats what this case is about, and thats what the evidence will show, U.S. Atty. Adam Fels said in his opening statement, promising jurors that the governments cooperating witnesses would provide the inside story of Guzmans bloody rise to power as commander of Mexicos ruthless Sinaloa Cartel.

Guzman, who was captured in Mexico in 2016 and extradited to the United States last year, faces 17 counts of drug trafficking, conspiracy to murder and firearms violations.

A poor boy from the mountains of northwest Mexico, he used brutal cunning, fearsome ingenuity and administrative genius to almost single-handedly consolidate the global drug market and plunge the countrys cartels into decades of internecine warfare, Fels said.

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But Guzmans defense team told jurors the whole truth is more complicated.

There is another side to this story. An uglier side, defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said in his opening statement. Its a side the governments of Mexico and the United States dont want you to hear.

People wait in line to enter the federal courthouse in New York where the trial of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman is being heard. (Justin Lane / EPA/Shutterstock)

In cinematic detail, he portrayed Guzman as the unwitting scapegoat of a corrupt Mexican government and a cynical American drug war. Guzman, he said, was taking the fall for the true head of the drug empire, Ismael El Mayo Zambada.

The U.S. Congressional Research Service has reported that Zambada and Guzman were business partners and that Zambada has run the cartel since 2014.

Lichtman also called the Justice Departments star witnesses inveterate liars.

Imagine witnesses who have lied every single day of their lives since they could walk, he said . Witnesses who have killed prosecutors, who have tried to kill presidents of other countries  thats who gives life to the governments case. People who will make your skin crawl when they testify here.

It was a fitting prologue for the governments case, which Fels acknowledged in his opening statement rests in significant part on dozens of cooperating witnesses, many of them convicted criminals, for whom the court has gone to extraordinary lengths to protect.

Last week, the judge in the case, Brian Cogan, ruled that several photographs that are part of the evidence would be partially pixelated before being made public, and that sketch artists would be required to portray these witnesses with blank faces and generic features, omitting identifying details including their actual hairstyles.

Measures were so exacting that on the eve of the trial, Guzmans lawyers were still pleading with the court for a list of upcoming witnesses that prosecutors had said they would name week by week.

The jury, too, has been subject to rare and intense precautions. Guzman had barely waved hello to his wife in the courtroom Tuesday morning when proceedings dissolved into chaos, with one juror in hysterics and another telling Cogan that he would face bankruptcy if he was forced to serve in what is predicted to be a four-month-long trial. Both were dismissed and the trial recessed for close to five hours while the court scrambled to replace them.

In the quiet, more human dramas ensued.

Dont worry, tomorrow hell be more handsome, defense attorney Eduardo Balarezo assured Guzmans wife, Emma Coronel, in Spanish while she agonized over her husbands pained expression. The former beauty queen, who wore a figure-hugging black pantsuit of velvet and satin, said she did approve of her husbands navy suit and checked tie.

I bought him the tie, she told reporters.

The pair have not had contact since Guzman was extradited almost two years ago. They had petitioned the court for a brief embrace before opening statements, but those hopes were dashed when Cogan ruled that though he was sympathetic to the request, security concerns outweighed their affection.

The same concerns that warranted [Special Administrative Measures] in the first place still exist today, he wrote in his Nov. 8 order. If anything, this is especially true on the eve of trial, when the reality of the potential liability defendant faces if convicted may be setting in.

Guzman was previously convicted of drug trafficking in Mexico, where he twice escaped from prison, once in a laundry cart and once through a mile-long tunnel dug to reach his shower stall.

Sharp is a special correspondent.

UPDATES:

5:35 p.m.: This article was updated with Los Angeles Times reporting.

This article was originally published at 11:30 a.m.The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had been expected this week to embrace new measures to prevent and punish sexual abuse by members of the clergy, including an unprecedented code of conduct for the bishops themselves. It didnt happen.

At the last minute, the bishops plans were put on hold at the direction of the Vatican. Officials in Rome said they wanted the U.S. bishops to postpone any action until after a meeting of bishops from around the world that Pope Francis has scheduled for February.

This demoralizing delay  which Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, the conference president, called a bump in the road  is the latest sign that the pope and his advisors have a blind spot when it comes to the need for decisive action in response to clerical abuse and cover-ups. And it contradicts what is supposed to be a theme of Francis papacy: a recognition that some decisions in the church should be left to local or national clerical leaders.

It was, after all, the American bishops who took the lead in adopting a charter that obliges dioceses in this country to report allegations of sexual abuse of a minor to public authorities. That policy has made a difference, but it failed to adequately address wrongdoing by bishops  not only those who engage in misconduct themselves, but those who fail to deal decisively with predatory priests under their authority.

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Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

That omission would have been addressed by the proposed code of conduct that was due to be adopted at the bishops General Assembly this week in Baltimore. The bishops conference was contemplating an additional reform that also has been put on hold: creating a commission of lay people to review complaints against bishops. That proposal appears to have offended Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the popes representative to the United States.

Yet its clear that the bishops have a credibility problem. This summer a grand jury in Pennsylvania released a report documenting decades of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in that state and faulting bishops for covering up the abuse. The report followed the revelation that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a former archbishop of Washington, D.C., had been suspended from the ministry after an investigation found credible allegations that he sexually abused a teenager decades ago.

On Monday DiNardo told his fellow bishops that to exempt ourselves from these high standards of accountability is unacceptable and cannot stand. Those admirable words would have carried more weight if the Vatican had allowed the bishops to follow them with actions.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand FacebookWhen the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned child-friendly flavors in cigarettes in 2009, it didnt include menthol cigarettes. That was unfortunate because, like cherry and mocha, menthol hides the harsh taste of tobacco and as a result is popular with young and underage smokers.

The FDA is expected to right that wrong this week by proposing to ban menthol cigarettes altogether, while also imposing new restrictions on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes at gas stations and convenience stores. Anti-smoking advocates say that a rule banning menthol cigarettes, provided it is not watered down or undermined, would be the most important tobacco reduction action the FDA has ever taken. Today, about a quarter of all the cigarettes sold are mentholated.

Half of all smokers under 18 choose menthols, according to the FDA, perhaps because the light minty taste makes it easier to ignore the health-destroying damage done with each inhalation  and also because advertisements for menthol cigarettes are especially common in publications targeted to young people.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

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Menthol cigarettes may also be harder to quit, as one 2009 study concluded. It noted that the cooling sensation of the menthol encourages smokers to inhale more deeply, which increases the amount of nicotine consumed  which in turn increases the smokers addiction. Its an insidious cycle.

About 75% of African American teenage smokers choose menthols, thanks to especially aggressive marketing in black communities. Well aware of this, the delegates at the NAACPs 2016 national convention voted to support efforts to restrict the sale of menthol cigarettes.

The proposed FDA rule limiting the sales of flavored e-cigarettes at gas stations and convenience stores is also important and couldnt come at a better time. New data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey expected to be released later this week will show a 77% increase in e-cigarette use this year over the last. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb called the growth of e-cigarette use among teens epidemic.

The FDA needs to stay strong as it pushes these new regulations through; there will inevitably be blowback from the tobacco industry. Cigarette companies, worried about losing revenues from a menthol ban, could respond in a variety of worrisome ways. For instance, if the FDA doesnt include cigars and cigarillos in the menthol ban, then the tobacco companies could simply mentholate them as a replacement product. Thats what the industry did after the fruit and candy flavor ban. Gottlieb and the FDA should fight efforts to water down the proposed rules.

Smoking is an addictive and dangerous habit, and while the FDA lacks the authority to ban tobacco use outright, it has the right  and indeed the responsibility  to make it less attractive and less accessible to young people. This might do it.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookWhen Congress convenes in January 2019, less than 25% of its members will be women.

That might come as a surprise to readers who have absorbed the narrative that 2018 is a Year of the Woman in American politics.

A record number of women did run for office, and a record number of women will join Congress next year. The largest-ever freshman class of women  at least 35  will be sworn in to the House, breaking a record that is more than two decades old. (There were 24 female newcomers in 1993.) For the first time, more than 100 women will serve in the House. About a third of these new representatives will be women of color, including the first Native American women and the first Muslim women to serve in Congress.

But there will still be three men for every woman serving in Congress in 2019. And women still represented less than 25% of congressional candidates this year.

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Even after the new female members are sworn in next year, achieving gender parity will require doubling the number of women serving in Congress.

There will still be three men for every woman serving in Congress in 2019.

This is the problem with reducing the coverage of womens political progress to a slogan. It produces a simplistic narrative about womens representation.

To be sure, the uptick in women has the potential to affect policy. In past interviews my colleagues and I conducted with 83 congresswomen, female lawmakers consistently pointed to the ways in which they expanded policy agendas and offered diverse perspectives in policy debates.

But as former Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) noted in one of these interviews, Congress is far from having gender parity: Theres just not enough of us, period.

In fact, womens representation among congressional Republicans will actually go down. Though Republicans will gain one or two women in the Senate, overall, women will remain less than 10% of the Republican caucus in Congress.

Democratic women are likely to have a greater impact on policy in the House, since they will benefit not only from higher numbers but also from their partys majority status.

That said, their policy contributions are likely to be just as diverse as the women themselves. It is unreasonable to expect that simply adding more women will advance a single agenda or guarantee particular policy outcomes.

For nearly five decades, the Center for American Women and Politics has analyzed, and sought to address, the under-representation of women in government. Our research has illuminated structural, political and social barriers to womens political candidacy.

Many stubborn hurdles remain. For example, men continue to dominate party leadership roles. Many women have less access to moneyed networks. And in order to be deemed qualified to run and viable to win, women are often expected to meet higher standards. All these obstacles are exacerbated for women of color.

This years election proved that women can clear these hurdles and win elected office, but the hurdles have not been dismantled.

The responsibility to remove these barriers should not fall on womens shoulders alone. Long-term change will require both men and women to challenge underlying norms and address the many factors that deter women from running.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Female candidates did a lot of this work in 2018. For instance, they offered new models for candidacy that valued their lived experiences and perspectives as women. They shared #MeToo stories, described the ways in which motherhood informs their politics and talked about resiliency in the face of discrimination.

Some challenged biases and stereotypes directly, as when Representative-elect Ayanna Pressley rejected the idea that she must constrain her outrage to avoid being perceived as an angry black woman, or when Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stated that women like me arent supposed to run for office, but did anyway.

The effects of their candidacies could be lasting. In challenging our collective expectations, the women who ran in 2018 may have assured that their gains wont be limited to a single election cycle.

But we should not declare mission accomplished. Although 2018 was an exceptional year for women in politics, we cannot afford to let the momentum dissipate. After everyone takes a much-needed breath, it will be time to get back to work.

Kelly Dittmar is an assistant professor of political science at Rutgers-Camden and a scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics. She is a co-author of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomens Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or FacebookStrap in, its all going to get crazier.

A week after the final votes were cast (but not necessarily counted), its now looking like the Democrats had a blue wave after all.

It didnt seem like it at first. Election night was more of an emotional roller-coaster than youd expect in a true rout. As of this writing, many of the Democrats favorite candidates didnt win. And the Republican seawall was stronger and more important than people realized.

The Senate map was the most favorable Republicans have seen in a century. Gerrymandering helped the GOP hold a lot of House seats and even gain in the Senate. So did demographic sorting, which can look like gerrymandering but isnt.

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The greater the passion in the base, the more incentive there is to pander to it.

But the fact remains: The GOP had the worst midterm since Watergate. Democratic gains among young people, the college educated and, in particular, suburban Republican defectors were historic and will have long-lasting consequences.

The GOP coalition is shrinking and aging. The Democratic coalition is growing and getting younger.

But it still doesnt quite feel like it, in part because President Trump refused to follow his predecessors example and admit defeat.

In 2006, under similar circumstances, President George W. Bush conceded he took a thumpin. In 2010, Obama acknowledged he was shellacked.

Trump, on the other hand, called the results a tremendous success and a big victory proving that the American people like me.

Its dawning on Democrats they had a big night. The challenge, however, is that it doesnt mean much in the short term. Nancy Pelosi, the presumptive incoming speaker of the House, has little means with which to check Trump.

This puts the Democrats in a bind similar to the one the GOP was in under Obama. A common talking point on the populist right is that the establishment over-promised and under-delivered during the Obama presidency. And thats true.

But so did the populists. Both factions promised that Congress could stop Obama and repeal Obamacare if they just had enough votes, or if enough RINOs went along with a government shutdown. It wasnt true. And that fueled an enormous amount of resentment on the right, resentment that cleared a path for Trump.

Now its the Democrats turn. According to exit polls, 92% of Democrats favor impeaching Trump now. Many Democrats avoided talking about impeachment, but they vowed to hold Trump accountable.

To be sure, the Democrats can investigate the president with all the intensity of a zealous prison guard snapping on his rubber glove to search for smuggled contraband. But that wont stop Trump from dominating virtually every news cycle and occupying the headspace of liberals on a daily basis for the next two years. Nor will it weaken the resolve of Trumps base to rally to his defense.

The things Trump does that most enflame liberal passions are beyond the Democrats power to change. He can still tweet and troll the media with abandon. He can still use executive authority on immigration. And he can still send an unprecedented number of judges over Pelosis head to the Senate. (Gird your loins now for the impotent Democratic rage that would follow if Trump gets a third Supreme Court pick.)

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Pelosi may want to hold off on impeachment proceedings, at least until Robert Mueller releases his report. But its doubtful the Democratic base shares her patience. And it remains unlikely that Mueller will find anything that would induce a third of Senate Republicans to vote to remove Trump from office. (Removal requires 67 Senate votes.)

Democratic frustration could create the same dynamic on the left that led 17 Republicans to throw their hats into the ring in 2017. Their combined attack on Trump wouldnt so much make him look bad as elevate him. Its likely Trump could pursue the same strategy with some firebrand.

Trump never won a majority of primary votes. He merely had a strong and loyal enough following to get a plurality in a divided field. The bigger the field, the fewer votes you need to win. The greater the passion in the base, the more incentive there is to pander to it.

And thats why the coming craziness will feel so eerily familiar.

jgoldberg@latimescolumnists.com

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook.Democrats in two undecided Orange County congressional races further narrowed the gap Monday against their GOP rivals, as ongoing ballot-counting continued to favor Democratic candidates throughout the state.

Two-term Republican Rep. Mimi Walters saw her election night lead of more than 6,000 votes dwindle to barely 1,000, leaving her just ahead of Democrat Katie Porter, 50.2% to 49.8%, in the contest in inland Orange Countys 45th Congressional District.

In the 39th District, which takes in parts of Orange, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, Republican Young Kims lead over Democrat Gil Cisneros shrank to fewer than 2,000 votes after she finished election night ahead by nearly 4,000. Kim was leading narrowly, 50.6% to 49.4%.

Democrats up and down Californias ballot have seen their vote totals rise in counting that continues nearly a week after election day.

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Thats not due to fraud or nefarious activity, as some partisans allege, but the fact that older, more conservative voters tend to vote early and younger, more left-leaning voters cast their ballots closer to election day, meaning they are tabulated later. Mail ballots received by Fridays close of business will be counted, so long as they were postmarked by midnight on election day, Nov. 6.

In coastal Orange Countys 48th Congressional District, where Democrat Harley Rouda ousted 15-term incumbent Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, the challenger expanded his lead Monday to nearly 9,500 votes and a 52%-48% margin.

Meantime, in the Central Valley, three-term incumbent Republican Rep. David Valadao saw his election night lead of nearly 5,000 votes over Democrat TJ Cox cut in half over the weekend. Cox, an engineer and businessman, narrowed the gap with a huge showing in Kern County, home to just about four in 10 of the districts voters.

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox delivers a pizza lunch to Rep. Mimi Walters campaign headquarters in Newport Beach on election day, Nov. 6. (Mark Boster / For The Times)

However, there are three other counties in the 21st District, and they lean more Republican than Kern, suggesting it may be difficult for Cox to overcome Valadao, a prime Democratic target in his previous two reelection bids.

So far, Democrats have captured three of six of the states most heavily contested congressional races, adding to a national total that could amount to a 40-seat gain  the best Democratic showing since the Watergate era in the 1970s.

Orange County was the only jurisdiction to release new vote totals Monday; others were closed for the Veterans Day holiday.

Tens of thousands of votes remain to be counted in the 39th and 45th districts.

Representatives of the candidates and the two major political parties have dispatched observers to Orange County to oversee the tabulation. California law allows observers to challenge ballots if they believe signatures or addresses dont match, or if a damaged ballot that requires duplication is being copied inaccurately. Observers are not allowed to touch or handle the ballots.

Neal Kelley, the county registrar of voters, said letters have been sent to about 500 voters whose ballots have been called into question in a review conducted by his office. An additional 400 or so ballots have been challenged by observers, Kelley said, and 150 of those advanced to his desk.

He sustained two of the challenges and overruled the remainder based on additional evidence that Kelley personally studied.

Times staff writer Mark Z. Barabak contributed to this report.

maya.sweedler@latimes.com

Twitter: @mayasweedlerAllies balk at Trump administration bid to block Chinese firm from cutting-edge telecom markets By David S. Cloud Britain and Germany are balking at the Trump administrations call for a ban on equipment from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, threatening a global U.S. campaign to thwart Chinas involvement in future mobile networks. Both countries are expected to limit Huawei and other Chinese companies from providing core components including routers. But other types of Chinese equipment for next-generation, high-speed communications could still be installed on British and German networks, officials and analysts say. The U.S. push to ban Huawei has provoked a global dispute in recent weeks, with senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, publicly urging NATO allies in Europe to exclude the company and warning that the United States might limit its military presence in countries that did not do so. Read More Facebook

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Confucius Institutes: Do they improve U.S.-China ties or harbor spies? By Don Lee Hanging red lanterns welcome visitors to the University of Marylands Confucius Institute, the oldest of about 100 Chinese language and cultural centers that have popped up over the last 15 years on American campuses, subsidized by millions of dollars from Chinas central government. But last fall, when four U.S. Senate investigators walked into the Confucius offices in Maryland and spent hours questioning staff, they werent looking for an educational exchange. The committee has been seeking detailed information from the university about the program, including contracts, email exchanges and financial arrangements that school administrators have kept under wraps since it started in 2004. American colleges once viewed these jointly funded institutes as an economical way to expand their language offerings  one that could also bring warmer ties with China and, importantly, an influx of Chinese international students paying full tuition. Read More Facebook

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U.S. policy toward China shifts from engagement to confrontation By David S. Cloud For decades, China had no closer American friend than Dianne Feinstein. As San Francisco mayor in the 1970s, she forged a sister-city relationship with Shanghai, the first between American and Chinese communities. As U.S. senator, she dined with Chinese leaders at Mao Tse-tungs old Beijing residence. And in the 1990s, she championed a trade policy change that opened a floodgate of Western investment into China. Today the Democratic senator sees China as a growing threat, joining a broad array of Trump administration officials, national security strategists and business executives who once favored engagement with Beijing and now advocate a confrontational approach instead. Read More Facebook

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Mnuchins attempt to calm markets backfires as Trump takes another shot at the Federal Reserve By Jim Puzzanghera An attempt by Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin to calm plunging financial markets backfired Monday, further rattling investors with new fears about whether major U.S. banks have enough cash on top of worries about interest rates, political instability in Washington and a slowing global economy. Adding to the volatile mix was a fresh attack on the Federal Reserve by President Trump, who declared that the central bank was the U.S. economys only problem and that it didnt have a feel for the market. The Fed is like a powerful golfer who cant score because he has no touch -- he cant putt! Trump said on Twitter. Read More Facebook

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He speaks to Democratic hearts. But is Beto ORourke a serious White House contender? By Mark Z. Barabak Hes a failed U.S. Senate candidate with an undistinguished congressional record who, for the moment, is a blazing-hot 2020 presidential prospect  despite the fact that he may not run and faces long odds if he does. Beto ORourke suggests the will-he-or-wont-he speculation is something he himself cant quite fathom. I think thats a great question, he responded in a Dallas Morning News interview when asked whether his unsuccessful November Senate bid merited a promotion to the White House. I ask that question myself. Read More Facebook

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Russian disinformation teams targeted Robert S. Mueller III, says report prepared for Senate By Craig Timberg, Tony Romm, Elizabeth Dwoskin Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. (Associated Press) Months after President Trump took office, Russias disinformation teams trained their sites on a new target: special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Having worked to help get Trump into the White House, they now worked to neutralize the biggest threat to his staying there. The Russian operatives unloaded on Mueller through fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and beyond, falsely claiming that the former FBI director was corrupt and that the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election were crackpot conspiracies. One post on Instagram  which emerged as an especially potent weapon in the Russian social media arsenal  claimed that Mueller had worked in the past with radical Islamic groups. Such tactics exemplified how Russian teams ranged nimbly across social media platforms in a shrewd online influence operation aimed squarely at American voters. The effort started earlier than commonly understood and lasted longer while relying on the strengths of different sites to manipulate distinct slices of the electorate, according to a pair of comprehensive new reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee and released Monday. Read more Timberg, Romm and Dwoskin report for the Washington Post. Facebook

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President Trump announces Mick Mulvaney as acting White House chief of staff By Associated Press President Trump says budget director Mick Mulvaney will serve as acting chief of staff, replacing John F. Kelly in the new year. I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018 Facebook

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It aint over when its over: In Michigan, Wisconsin and elsewhere, losers seek to undermine election results By Mark Z. Barabak Democrat Gavin Newsom has yet to become California governor, but already a candidate for state Republican Party chairman is promoting a recall effort. In Michigan and Wisconsin, GOP lawmakers have rushed through legislation to thwart their incoming Democratic governors and hamper others in the opposing party from doing the jobs voters chose them to do. In Congress, GOP leaders have echoed President Trump and sought to undermine the legitimacy of Democrats strong midterm performance, raising unsubstantiated allegations of fraud and political malfeasance. Read More Facebook

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New CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger says she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera On her first full day leading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Kathy Kraninger said she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney, the controversial acting director whom she replaced in the powerful regulatory position. To underscore that point, the former White House aide said she would even reconsider a Mulvaney action that critics saw as a gratuitous jab at Democrats who championed the agencys creation: changing its name to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Kraningers declaration during a meeting with reporters Tuesday addressed one of the main criticisms of her selection. She is considered a protege of Mulvaney, her boss at the White House Office of Management and Budget who has executed a dramatic, industry-friendly shift at the watchdog agency. Read More Facebook

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Trumps pick for chief of staff, Nick Ayers, out of running By Associated Press Nick Ayers, right, with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, at the funeral service for George H.W. Bush on Dec. 3. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Associated Press) President Trumps top pick to replace John F. Kelly as chief of staff, Nick Ayers, is no longer expected to fill that role. Thats according to a White House official who is not authorized to discuss the personnel issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Ayers is Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff. The official says that Trump and Ayers could not agree on Ayers length of service. The father of young children, Ayers had agreed to serve in an interim capacity though the spring, but Trump wanted a two-year commitment. The official says that Ayers will instead assist the president from outside the administration. Trump announced Saturday that Kelly would be departing the White House around the end of the year. Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @VP, and my great colleagues for the honor to serve our Nation at The White House. I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause.  #Georgia  Nick Ayers (@nick_ayers) December 9, 2018 Facebook

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U.S. hiring slows to 155,000 jobs, unemployment rate holds at 3.7% By Jim Puzzanghera Job growth slowed significantly in November but still was solid, indicating the economy remains in good shape but not expanding so quickly that it will lead to sharply higher interest rates. U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs last month, well below analyst expectations and a steep decline from Octobers strong 237,000 figure, the Labor Department reported Friday. Still, monthly job gains are averaging 206,000 this year, the best since 2015. Even the slower pace of 170,000 over the last three months is close to last years average of 182,000 and well above the amount needed to keep up with population growth. Read More Facebook

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Trump is expected to pick State Department spokeswoman for U.N. ambassador By Associated Press Heather Nauert at a briefing at the State Department on Aug. 9, 2017. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President Trump is expected to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Two administration officials confirmed Trumps plans. A Republican congressional aide said the president was expected to announce his decision by tweet on Friday morning. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly before Trumps announcement. Trump has previously said Nauert was under serious consideration to replace Nikki Haley, who announced in October that she would step down at the end of this year. Trump has been known to change course on staffing decisions in the past. Nauert was a reporter for Fox News Channel before she became State Department spokeswoman under former Secretary Rex Tillerson. Facebook

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Senate confirms new consumer financial protection chief: Kathy Kraninger, protege of industry-friendly Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera The Senate, in a party-line vote Thursday, confirmed White House aide Kathy Kraninger to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and experts predicted a continuation of the industry-friendly shift it has taken since President Trump installed an acting director last year. Kraninger is a protege of acting director and White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney, an outspoken critic of the agency that was created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis to prevent predatory lending and other abuses that led to it. Democrats and consumer advocates have denounced him for sharply departing from the aggressive watchdog role the bureau had pursued under its first director, Obama-appointee Richard Cordray, including scaling back enforcement and moving to reassess tough new rules on payday loans and narrow the definition of abusive practices by banks and other firms. Read More Facebook

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Shutdown postponed by two weeks under plan approved by Congress By Erik Wasson Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), shown at the Capitol on Tuesday, says President Trumps border wall is a waste of money. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Congress passed a two-week stopgap spending bill that will delay the chance of a partial government shutdown until Dec. 22 as lawmakers and President Donald Trump negotiate over his demands to pay for a wall on the southern border. The House and Senate passed the measure Thursday without dissent, and Trump has indicated hell sign the bill before the current shutdown deadline of midnight Friday. Negotiations were delayed by memorial services this week for former President George H.W. Bush. The temporary measure gives Democrats and Republicans more time to find a resolution to their biggest hurdle: funding a wall on the U.S. Mexico border wall. Trump says he wants $5 billion for parts of a concrete wall on the southern border and is willing to shut down the government if he doesnt get it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has said Democrats will provide no more than $1.6 billion for border security, because the wall is a waste of money. The presidents demands for wall funding from Congress come after he said during the campaign that Mexico would pay for it. This week he said on Twitter that a $25 billion border wall would pay for itself in two months, without providing evidence. Most of the U.S. governments $1.2 trillion discretionary budget has been appropriated already by Congress for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1. Departments at a risk of a partial shutdown late this month include the departments of State, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Treasury and Homeland Security. Talks to resolve the differences have been on hold since a meeting among Trump, Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California originally slated for Dec. 4 was postponed due to Bush memorial events. The three are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby of Alabama told reporters the rest of the seven-bill spending package being negotiated is basically done. Shelby in recent weeks had tried to broker a compromise in which Trumps $5 billion request would be split over two years, but Schumer has rejected that. Some Democrats have been willing to trade border wall funding for deportation protections for young undocumented immigrants. Pelosi ruled out such a deal in remarks to reporters Thursday. The stopgap government funding measure also would extend the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides subsidized coverage for homes in flood-prone areas, to Dec. 21. Facebook

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Bipartisan Senate group wants to formally blame Saudi crown prince for journalists killing By Karoun Demirjian Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires. (Associated Press) A bipartisan group of senators filed a resolution Wednesday condemning Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, directly challenging President Trump to do the same. This resolution -- without equivocation -- definitively states that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia was complicit in the murder of Mr. [Jamal] Khashoggi and has been a wrecking ball to the region jeopardizing our national security interests on multiple fronts, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a statement accompanying the release of the resolution. It will be up to Saudi Arabia as to how to deal with this matter. But it is up to the United States to firmly stand for who we are and what we believe. The resolution put forward by Graham and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who are expected to lead the Judiciary Committee together next year, comes just one day after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed leading senators about the details of the agencys assessment that Mohammed ordered and monitored the killing and dismemberment of Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Senators emerged from that closed-door briefing furious not only with Saudi Arabia, but Trump as well for dismissing the heft of the CIAs findings. You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MBS and that he was intricately involved in the demise of Mr. Khashoggi, Graham said following the briefing, referring to Mohammed by his initials. He added that Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, who briefed senators last week, were at best being good soldiers and at worst were in the pocket of Saudi Arabia for presenting the evidence of Mohammeds involvement as inconclusive. The release of the resolution condemning Mohammed also comes as the Senate is preparing to move ahead with debate on a resolution to curtail U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Though the Yemen resolution does not directly address Khashoggis murder, its popularity is a sign of how strained the United States patience with Saudi Arabia is on multiple fronts, including its role in worsening the civilian cost of the war in Yemen, cited by the United Nations as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Last week, the Senate voted 63 to 37 to advance the Yemen resolution past an opening procedural hurdle. But Graham and Feinsteins resolution on the crown prince has the potential of drawing broader support, especially from Republicans, who are deeply divided about how fiercely to punish Saudi Arabia over Khashoggis killing. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has been an outspoken advocate for human rights and is seen as one of the more influential foreign policy voices in the GOP, did not vote for the Yemen resolution last week or sign on to a bipartisan measure last month to sanction Saudi officials and cease weapons transfers to the kingdom. But he is an original co-sponsor of the resolution condemning Mohammed over Khashoggis death. So is Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who represents the other end of the GOP spectrum in terms of recent Saudi-related votes and endorsements. Young was an initial co-sponsor of the bill Graham wrote with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) to sanction Saudi officials deemed responsible for Khashoggis killing and stop the sale of anything but exclusively defensive weapons to the kingdom until it ceased hostilities in Yemen. Young also voted to advance the Yemen resolution  something Graham did as well, though Graham has signaled he will not be lending any similar support to the measure, fearing it may establish a precedent of invoking the War Powers Act too broadly. Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) are listed as original co-sponsors of the resolution condemning Mohammed, which also urges Saudi Arabia to negotiate with Houthi rebels to end the Yemen war, work out a political solution to its standoff with Qatar and release political prisoners. But how much sway the resolution has probably comes down to how forcefully the administration decides to heed it -- and thus far, Trump has not shown any interest in condemning the crown prince the way the senators hope he will. Demirjian reports for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Los Angeles County offices and U.S. Postal Service closed Wednesday in honor of George H.W. Bush By Brian Park The Honor Guard carries the casket of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush following his funeral on Dec. 5 in Washington, DC. (Doug Mills - Pool/Getty Images) The U.S. Postal Service will suspend regular mail delivery Wednesday, which President Trump has declared a national day of mourning in honor of former President George H.W. Bush. All retail postal outlets will be closed, and package delivery will be limited. In Los Angeles, all nonessential county departments, offices and libraries will be closed for the day, L.A. County officials said. The Los Angeles County Library said no overdue fines will be assessed for books, and due dates will be moved forward one week. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health offices also are closed Wednesday. The Sheriffs Department, Fire Department, clinics and hospitals will continue to operate, the county said. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health clinics are being operated with reduced staffing, and the department asked patients to confirm or reschedule any appointments. All county courts and the disaster recovery centers for the Woolsey fire in Malibu and Agoura Hills will remain open. Larger federal government operations will be closed Wednesday. To honor the life and legacy of President Bush, the Postal Service will observe the National Day of Mourning. Learn how Postal operations will be affected. https://t.co/Mffch7bPCh pic.twitter.com/vG46BsIOpm  U.S. Postal Service (@USPS) December 4, 2018 L.A. County offices and libraries will be closed tomorrow (Dec 5) in observance of the #NationalDayOfMourning for President George H. W. Bush.



The Countys Disaster Recovery Centers in Malibu & Agoura Hills will remain open from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. pic.twitter.com/Sv1J7GoJ7T  Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) December 4, 2018 @LAPublicHealth offices will be closed tomorrow December 5 in observance of the national Day of Mourning for President George H. W. Bush. Essential Services including clinics and other services will remain open: https://t.co/tZGoGGHRlg pic.twitter.com/ypXsV6vlYY  LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 4, 2018 Facebook

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Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to skip 2020 White House race, sources say By Associated Press Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks during an interview in Boston on Dec. 15, 2014. (Elise Amendola / Associated Press) Former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts will soon announce he wont launch a 2020 presidential campaign, according to three sources familiar with his plans. They did not say why the Democrat decided against a run. A formal announcement was delayed as the country observed a day of mourning for President George H.W. Bush, one source said. News of Patricks plans was first reported by Politico. Patrick, 62, served two terms as governor, from 2007 to 2015, was assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Clinton administration and since leaving the governors office has been a managing director for Bain Capital. Patrick traveled the country in support of Democratic candidates in the recent midterm election. Earlier this year, some of Patricks supporters and close advisors started the Reason to Believe political action committee, a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing a positive, progressive vision for our nation in 2018 and 2020. Reason to Believe PAC had been holding meetups across the country, including in early presidential primary states. While Patrick is opting against a 2020 run, dozens of Democrats are considering jumping in, including nearly a half-dozen members of the Senate, several House members, and other Massachusetts politicians. On Tuesday, Michael Avenatti, the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels and a vocal critic of President Trump, said in a statement that he would run. Patrick had previously expressed some concerns about breaking through if he sought the nomination, telling David Axelrod, a former advisor to President Obama, that he wasnt sure he could stand out in such a large field. Its hard to see how you even get noticed in such a big, broad field without being shrill, sensational or a celebrity, and Im none of those things and Im never going to be any of those things, Patrick said in a September interview with Axelrod. Facebook

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Former Trump adviser Roger Stone invokes 5th Amendment right and wont testify before Senate Judiciary Committee By Associated Press Roger Stone in 2017. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Roger Stone, an associate of President Trump, says he wont provide testimony or documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee. An attorney for Stone said in a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the committees top Democrat, that Stone was invoking his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination in refusing to produce documents or appear for an interview. Stone has been entangled in investigations by Congress and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III about whether Trump aides had advance knowledge of Democratic emails published by WikiLeaks during the 2016 election. Stone has not been charged and has said he had no knowledge of the timing or specifics of WikiLeaks plans. In the letter to Feinstein, Stone said the committees requests were far too overbroad, far too overreaching and far too wide-ranging. Facebook

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Watch live: Vice President Pence and lawmakers honor George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol before he lies in state Facebook

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Rebuilding crumbling infrastructure has bipartisan support. But who gets to pay for it? By Jim Puzzanghera The grades for major U.S. infrastructure would give any parent indigestion if they were on a childs report card. Roads: D; bridges: C+; dams: D; ports: C+: railways: B; airports: D; schools: D+; public transit: D-. The nations overall grade: D+, which translates to being in fair to poor condition and mostly below standards with significant deterioration and a strong risk of failure, according to an evaluation last year by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Read More Facebook

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Trump calls former lawyer Michael Cohen a weak person who is lying By Associated Press President Trump says his former lawyer Michael Cohen is lying to get a reduced sentence. The president is reacting to Cohens guilty plea Thursday to lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate project in Russia. During a surprise court hearing, Cohen admitted to lying in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Cohen in his guilty plea said he made the false statements to be consistent with Trumps political message. Cohens lawyer says he continues to cooperate with special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with Trump associates. Facebook

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As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Mark Z. Barabak When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook

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As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Sarah D. Wire When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook

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Michael Cohen, President Trumps ex-lawyer, pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Trump real estate project in Russia By Associated Press Michael Cohen, President Trumps former personal lawyer, pursued a Russian real estate project on candidate Trumps behalf well into the 2016 campaign, he said Thursday while pleading guilty to lying to Congress. Cohen had previously said that the project was abandoned in January 2016, but he now admits he continued to pursue a deal and says he updated Trump and members of his family about the negotiations, according to a new court document. Read More Facebook

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James Comey says acting Atty. Gen. Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer By John Wagner Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker speaks at the Justice Department in Washington on Nov. 14. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) Former FBI Director James B. Comey apparently isnt too impressed with the mental prowess of President Trumps acting attorney general. Matthew Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, Comey said during a radio interview on Monday night in which he sized up the man Trump installed this month to replace ousted Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions. Comey was asked by WGBH News in Boston if he thinks Whitaker could derail the investigation of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Whitaker has spoken critically of the probe, and Trump  as recently as Tuesday  continues to call it a witch hunt. I think its a worry, but to my mind not a serious worry, Comey said. The institution is too strong, and [Whitaker], frankly, is not strong enough to have that kind of impact. He may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, but he can see his future and knows that if he acted in an extralegal way, he would go down in history for the wrong reasons, and Im sure he doesnt want that, added Comey, who was fired by Trump last year and later wrote a book that portrays the president as an ego-driven congenital liar. Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney in Iowa, was Sessions chief of staff before being picked by Trump to lead the Justice Department. Trump has called Whitaker a very smart man. Earlier this year, Trump called Comey an untruthful slime ball. Wagner writes for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Interior Department watchdog clears Zinke in investigation of Utah national monument By Juliet Eilperin Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, third from the left, and Gov. Jerry Brown tour fire damage in Paradise, Calif., on Nov. 14. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) The Interior Departments Office of Inspector General has cleared Secretary Ryan Zinke in a probe of whether he redrew boundaries of a national monument in Utah to aid the financial interests of a Republican state lawmaker and stalwart supporter of President Trump. In a Nov. 21 letter to Zinkes deputy, David Bernhardt, Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall wrote that her office found no evidence that the secretary or his aides changed the boundaries of Utahs Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in an effort to help former Utah state representative Mike Noel, who serves as executive director of the Kane County Water Conservancy District. Last December, Trump shrank the monument, first established by President Clinton in 1996, by 46% based on Zinkes recommendation. Noel owns 40 acres that had been surrounded by the monument, but now lies outside its boundaries. The new boundaries also would make it easier to construct the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline, which would deliver water to sites in Kane County that include Noels property. Earlier this year, the Interior Department had proposed selling off 120 acres of federal land from the former monument that lay adjacent to some of Noels land holdings, but later reversed the plan. We found no evidence that Noel influenced the DOIs proposed revisions to the [monuments] boundaries, that Zinke or other DOI staff involved in the project were aware of Noels financial interest in the revised boundaries, or that they gave Noel any preferential treatment in the resulting proposed boundaries, Kendall wrote. Neither the Interior Department nor the inspector generals office would release the actual investigative report. In the letter, Kendall writes that her office will provide the report to Congress no sooner than 31 days from Nov. 21, when it is provided it to Zinkes office. The Associated Press first reported the inspector generals conclusions Monday night, but did not provide details from the report itself. Noel emailed Zinke about the effort to alter Grand Staircase-Escalante, according to emails released by Interior under the Freedom of Informational Act. But those emails do not make references to Noels land holdings. Noel also pushed to rename a Utah highway in honor of Trump, but abandoned that effort in March after some of his fellow Republicans objected to the idea. Noel did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. The inspector generals office still has at least two ongoing probes of the secretary, including one focused on his real estate dealings in Whitefish, Mont., and another regarding his decision to deny a permit to two Connecticut tribes who were hoping to jointly run a casino after MGM Resorts International lobbied against it. Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift welcomed the watchdogs conclusions. The report shows exactly what the secretarys office has known all along  that the monument boundaries were adjusted in accordance with all rules, regulations and laws, she said in an email. This report is also the latest example of opponents and special interest groups ginning up fake and misleading stories, only to be proven false after expensive and time consuming inquiries by the IGs office. But Kendalls spokeswoman, Nancy DiPaolo, defended the inquiry, even though she said the report has not been publicly released and we will not be speaking specifically about the matter at this time. The OIG opens investigations based on credible allegations and reports our findings objectively and independently, DiPaolo added. Any time or resources spent investigating conduct or activity that may be a violation of law, regulation or policy is a service to the public, Congress and the Department. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement that he still intended to investigate the way Zinke and his colleague redrew the boundaries for Grand Staircase-Escalante and another Utah national monument, Bears Ears, next year. I have great respect for the inspector general, and I accept these findings, but Secretary Zinke should have known the people he listened to while destroying our national monuments had disqualifying conflicts of interest, he said. Should I chair the Natural Resources Committee in the next Congress, the process he and President Trump used to destroy Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante will be front and center in our oversight and investigations efforts. We need to know why they ignored overwhelming public expressions of support for both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, why they ignored Native American tribes throughout their decision-making, and why they removed protections on parcels of land with known mineral deposits. Eilperin and Rein report for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Trump advisor Larry Kudlow says China must do more to end trade war By Jim Puzzanghera Larry Kudlow, President Trumps top economic advisor, said Tuesday that Chinas response to U.S. efforts to rework the two economic superpowers trade relationship has been extremely disappointing but the planned meeting this weekend between the nations leaders is an opportunity for a breakthrough. They have to do more. They must do more, Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters ahead of a Saturday dinner between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 Summit in Argentina. I think the president is exactly right  to show strong backbone when prior administrations did not, to break through these Chinese walls, Kudlow said. Theyre so resistant to change. We have to protect the country. We have to protect our technology, our inventiveness, our innovation. Read More Facebook

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Watch live: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds a media briefing amid tensions at the border By Los Angeles Times Staff Facebook

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Democrat TJ Cox grabs lead over Republican David Valadao in nations last remaining undecided House race By Maya Sweedler Democrat TJ Cox slipped past Republican incumbent David Valadao on Monday to take the lead in the countrys sole remaining undecided congressional race, positioning Democrats to pick up their seventh House seat in California and 40th nationwide. Cox, who trailed by nearly 4,400 votes on election night, has steadily gained as ballot counting continues nearly three weeks after the Nov. 6 election, a pattern consistent with the states recent voting history. On Monday, he pulled ahead by 438 votes after Kern County updated its results. Read More Facebook

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Former CIA director Michael Hayden hospitalized after suffering a stroke By Deanna Paul Then-CIA Director Michael Hayden testifies before a Senate committee in 2008. (Saul Loeb / Getty Images) Former CIA Director and retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke, his family said Friday. He is receiving expert medical care for which the family is grateful, according to a statement issued by his namesake organization. The General and his family greatly appreciate the warm wishes and prayers of his friends, colleagues, and supporters. Hayden, 73, served as director of the CIA and National Security Agency during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. He retired from the CIA in 2009. Hayden has been a vocal critic of Donald Trumps campaign and presidency. Earlier this year, after Trump decided to revoke the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan, Hayden was one of several former intelligence leaders who signed a statement in opposition. Criticizing the president for crossing a line, he quickly became one of the individuals whose security clearance Trump threatened to review. Deanna Paul writes for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Trump tells troops hes thankful for what hes done for the U.S. and rails against courts and migrants By Associated Press President Trump talks with troops via teleconference from his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Thanksgiving. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump used his Thanksgiving Day call to troops deployed overseas to pat himself on the back and air grievances about the courts, trade and migrants heading to the U.S.-Mexico border. Trumps call, made from his opulent private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., struck an unusually political tone as he spoke with members of all five branches of the military to wish them happy holidays. Its a disgrace, Trump said of judges who have blocked his attempts to overhaul U.S. immigration law, as he linked his efforts to secure the border with military missions overseas. Trump later threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time if his administration determines Mexico has lost control on its side. The call was a uniquely Trump blend of boasting, peppered questions and off-the-cuff observations as his comments veered from venting about slights to praising troops  You really are our heroes, he said  as club waiters worked to set Thanksgiving dinner tables on the outdoor terrace behind him. It was yet another show of how Trump has dramatically transformed the presidency, erasing the traditional divisions between domestic policy and military matters and efforts to keep the troops clear of politics. You probably see over the news whats happening on our southern border, Trump told one Air Force brigadier general stationed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, adding: I dont have to even ask you. I know what you want to do, you want to make sure that you know who were letting in. Later, Trump asked a U.S. Coast Guard commander about trade, which he noted was a very big subject for him personally. Weve been taken advantage of for many, many years by bad trade deals, Trump told the commander, who sheepishly replied, Mr. President, from our perspective on the water  we dont see any issues in terms of trade right now. And throughout, Trump congratulated himself, telling the officers that the country is doing exceptionally well on his watch. I hope that youll take solace in knowing that all of the American families you hold so close to your heart are all doing well, he said. The nations doing well economically, better than anybody in the world. He later told reporters, Nobodys done more for the military than me. Indeed, asked what he was thankful for this Thanksgiving, Trump cited his great family as well as himself. I made a tremendous difference in this country, he said. Facebook

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Trump contradicts CIA assessment that Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi killing By Josh Dawsey | Washington Post (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump on Thursday contradicted the CIAs assessment that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, insisting that the agency had feelings but did not firmly place blame for the death. Trump, in defiant remarks to reporters from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, defended his continued support for Mohammed in the face of a CIA assessment that the crown prince had ordered the killing. He denies it vehemently, Trump said. He said his own conclusion was that maybe he did, maybe he didnt. I hate the crime .... I hate the cover-up. I will tell you this: The crown prince hates it more than I do, Trump said. Asked who should be held accountable for the death of Khashoggi, who was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, Trump refused to place blame. Maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a very, very vicious place, the president said. He also seemed to suggest that all U.S. allies were guilty of the same behavior, declaring that if the others were held to the standard that critics have held Saudi Arabia to in recent days, we wouldnt be able to have anyone for an ally. Trumps remarks came after he held a conference call with U.S. military officers overseas, during which he repeatedly praised his administration and sought to draw the officers into discussions of domestic policy. Facebook

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Former FBI Director James Comey gets subpoena from House Republicans By Bloomberg Former FBI Director James B. Comey said he has received a subpoena from House Republicans, according to a Twitter post on Thursday. Bloomberg News reported last week that Comey would be receiving a subpoena alongside former Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch as part of continuing probes into their handling of investigations into Hillary Clinton and Russian election meddling, according to a top House Democrat. Happy Thanksgiving. Got a subpoena from House Republicans. Im still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions. But I will resist a closed door thing because Ive seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion. Lets have a hearing and invite everyone to see.  James Comey (@Comey) November 22, 2018 Read More Facebook

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Republican David Valadaos lead slips to 447 votes over Democrat TJ Cox in still-undecided Central Valley House race By Mark Z. Barabak Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), right, finds himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox. (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) On election night, it looked like Rep. David Valadao had survived a close shave and was destined to return to Washington for his fourth term. But on Wednesday, when Fresno County announced its latest vote totals, the Hanford Republican found himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox, with his lead in the Central Valley district shrunken to 447 votes. Thousands remain to be counted. Valadao, a repeated Democratic target, finished election night with a lead of nearly 4,440 votes. Cox, an engineer and a business owner who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2006, has steadily gained ground in the 21st Congressional District ever since. The trend is consistent with historic patterns showing Republicans in California tend to vote early and Democrats later, meaning their mail ballots continue to stream in past election day. Under California law, ballots postmarked up to midnight on Nov. 6 will be counted. Democrats have already picked up six House seats in California. They ousted Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, Mimi Walters, Steve Knight and Jeff Denham and won the seats of retiring Reps. Ed Royce and Darrell Issa. All six represented districts that backed Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016. Valadao was the seventh California Republican in a district Clinton won, though his previous successes  he last won reelection by a 14-point margin  suggested his ouster was a longer shot for Democrats. If Cox prevails, it would give Democrats a 40-seat gain nationwide, far more than the 23 seats needed to take control when Congress reconvenes in January. Facebook

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Trump says no new punishments against Saudi Arabia in Jamal Khashoggi murder By Eli Stokols In this Oct. 25 photo, candles are lit in front of a photo of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Lefteris Pitarakis) President Trump made it clear on Tuesday that he does not intend to punish Saudi Arabia or Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an American resident killed by Saudi officials in Turkey in October. In a remarkable statement replete with exclamation points, Trump cast doubt on the CIAs reported conclusions that it has a high degree of confidence that the crown prince ordered Khashoggis murder and sent his closest allies to Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul to carry it out. Read MoreThis article has been updated with staff. Facebook

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Sixteen House Democrats vow to oppose Nancy Pelosi as next speaker By Mike DeBonis | Washington Post House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Sixteen House Democrats said Monday that they will vote to deny Rep. Nancy Pelosi another stint as House speaker, a show of defiance that puts her opponents on the cusp of forcing a seismic leadership shake-up as their party prepares to take the majority. Their pledge to oppose Pelosi (D-San Francisco), both in an internal caucus election and a Jan. 3 floor vote, delivered in a letter sent to Democratic colleagues, comes as Pelosi has marshaled a legion of supporters on and off Capitol Hill to make her case. But her opponents said Monday they are convinced it is time to select a new leader. We are thankful to Leader Pelosi for her years of service to our Country and to our Caucus, they wrote. However, we also recognize that in this recent election, Democrats ran on and won on a message of change. Pelosi has expressed complete confidence that she will retake the speakers gavel in January  eight years after she lost it following massive Republican gains in the 2010 midterms and 16 years after she was first elevated to the top Democratic leadership post in the House. Come on in, the waters fine, she said Friday about a potential leadership challenge. The signers might not be able to force Pelosi out themselves. The size of the Democratic majority remains in flux, but Democrats have already won 232 seats, according to the Associated Press, with five races still undecided. All those races have Republican incumbents, but the Democratic challenger is ahead in only one of them. If the leads hold in the uncalled races, Democrats would have won 233 seats, a 16-seat majority. That means Pelosi could lose as many as 15 Democratic votes when she stands for election as speaker on Jan. 3. Read More Facebook

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Democratic senators sue over Whitakers appointment as acting attorney general By Associated Press Acting U.S. Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker (Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images) Three Senate Democrats filed a lawsuit Monday arguing that Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and asking a federal judge to remove him. The suit, filed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, argues that Whitakers appointment violates the Constitution because he has not been confirmed by the Senate. Whitaker was chief of staff to Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and was elevated to the top job after Sessions was ousted by President Trump on Nov. 7. The Constitutions Appointments Clause requires that the Senate confirm all principal officials before they can serve in their office. The Justice Department released a legal opinion last week that said Whitakers appointment would not violate the clause because he is serving in an acting capacity. The opinion concluded that Whitaker, even without Senate confirmation, may serve in an acting capacity because he has been at the department for more than a year at a sufficiently senior pay level. President Trump is denying senators our constitutional obligation and opportunity to do our job: scrutinizing the nomination of our nations top law enforcement official, Blumenthal said in a statement. The reason is simple: Whitaker would never pass the advice and consent test. In selecting a so-called constitutional nobody and thwarting every senators constitutional duty, Trump leaves us no choice but to seek recourse through the courts. The lawsuit comes days after a Washington lawyer challenged Whitakers appointment in a pending Supreme Court case dealing with gun rights. The attorney, Thomas Goldstein, asked the high court to find that Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and replace him with Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein, the second-ranking Justice Department official, has been confirmed by the Senate and had been overseeing special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker is now overseeing the investigation. The Justice Department issued a statement Monday defending Whitakers appointment as lawful and said it comports with the Appointments Clause, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and legal precedent. There are over 160 instances in American history in which non-Senate confirmed persons performed, on a temporary basis, the duties of a Senate-confirmed position, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said. To suggest otherwise is to ignore centuries of practice and precedent. Facebook

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Gov. Rick Scott says Sen. Bill Nelson concedes Florida Senate race By Associated Press Republican Senate candidate Rick Scott speaks with his wife, Ann, by his side at an election watch party in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 7. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas Republican Gov. Rick Scott says incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson called him to concede defeat in their extremely tight race. Scott issued a statement Sunday saying Nelson graciously conceded their Senate race shortly after the states recount ended. The final results show Scott defeated Nelson by just over 10,000 votes out of 8 million cast. Nelson is scheduled to release a videotaped statement later Sunday. The defeat ends Nelsons lengthy political career. The three-term incumbent was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. Before that he served six terms in the U.S. House and as state treasurer and insurance commissioner for six years. Scott spent more than $60 million of his own money on ads that portrayed Nelson as out-of-touch and ineffective. Nelson responded by questioning Scotts ethics and saying he would be under the sway of President Trump. Facebook

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Orange County goes blue, as Democrats complete historic sweep of its seven congressional seats By Michael Finnegan Gil Cisneros defeated Republican Young Kim on Saturday in the last of Orange Countys undecided House races, giving Democrats a clean sweep of the states six most fiercely fought congressional contests and marking an epochal shift in a region long synonymous with political conservatism. With Cisneros victory, Democrats will constitute the entirety of Orange Countys seven-member congressional delegation, the first time since the 1930s that the birthplace of Richard Nixon, home of John Wayne and spiritual center of the Republican Party will have no GOP representative in the House. Sitting back in the 1960s, I would never have believed this would happen, said Stuart K. Spencer, a party strategist who spent more than half a century ushering Republicans, including President Reagan, into office. Read More Facebook

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Going, going ... with midterm wipeout, California Republican Party drifts closer to irrelevance By Michael Finnegan For a party in freefall the last two decades, California Republicans learned that its possible to plunge even further. The GOP not only lost every statewide office in the midterm election  again, in blowout fashion  but Democrats reestablished their supermajority in Sacramento, allowing them to legislate however they see fit After major defeats in Orange County and the Central Valley, two longtime strongholds, Republicans will have a significantly smaller footprint on Capitol Hill. (Democrats hold both Senate seats.) When the vote-counting is finished, the GOP may not even have enough lawmakers in Californias 53-member House delegation to field a nine-person softball team. Read More Facebook

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Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter says she will support Rep. Nancy Pelosi for speaker By Maya Sweedler Democratic Rep.-elect Katie Porter is congratulated by volunteers at her campaign headquarters in Irvine. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter said she plans to support Rep. Nancy Pelosis bid for speaker of the House and will make campaign finance reform her top priority when she enters the chamber in January. Im going to continue to have conversations, but so far I feel like Leader Pelosi is definitely making the things that were a priority to the families that elected me her priorities, including announcing her support for campaign finance reform and anti-corruption as HR1, Porter said in her first public appearance since being declared the winner in Californias 45th Congressional District on Thursday evening. It means a lot to me that she is a Californian. She understands our state, Porter added. When we talk about environmental protections, this is a person who understands as a Californian how fragile our environment is and whats at risk in things like drilling off our coasts. Porter, a law professor at UC Irvine, defeated two-term Republican Rep. Mimi Walters. The 45th District, covering inland Orange County, has never been represented by a Democrat. Porter became the third Democrat to claim a Republican-held seat in Orange County, following the victories of Harley Rouda in the 48th District and Mike Levin in the 49th. A fourth, Gil Cisneros, is running slightly ahead of his Republican opponent in the race for the open seat in the 39th District, which extends into Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Porter attributed the massive political shift in the county, for decades a conservative stronghold, to increased levels of political engagement. Folks here care about education, they care about the environment, they believe climate change is real, they want healthcare that protects preexisting conditions, they want a tax system that doesnt punish California, they want our schools and places of worship to be safe from gun violence, she said. Those are the issues we campaigned on, and to the extent that Donald Trump and Mimi Walters were on the wrong side of those issues, the voters have made clear what direction they want us to go. Porter was flying back from the East Coast when her race was called, she said. She turned on her phone to find 167 text messages from friends and supporters. Among them was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who was one of Porters teachers in law school and with whom she has remained close. The pair spoke via FaceTime this morning, she said. Facebook

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Bitter battle for Senate seat in Florida goes to hand recount By Associated Press Employees look through damaged ballots during a recount Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas acrimonious battle for the U.S. Senate headed Thursday to a legally required hand recount after an initial review by ballot-counting machines showed Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson separated by less than 13,000 votes. But the highly watched contest for governor between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum appeared to be over, with a machine recount showing DeSantis with a large enough advantage over Gillum to avoid a hand recount in that race. Gillum, who conceded the contest on election night only to retract his concession later, said in a statement that it is not over until every legally casted vote is counted. The recount so far has been fraught with problems. One large Democratic stronghold in South Florida was unable to finish its machine recount by the Thursday deadline due to machines breaking down. A federal judge rejected a request to extend the recount deadline. We gave a heroic effort, said Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher. If the county had three or four more hours, it would have made the deadline to recount ballots in the Senate race, she said. Meanwhile, election officials in another urban county in the Tampa Bay area decided against turning in the results of their machine recount, which came up with 846 fewer votes than originally counted. Media in South Florida reported that Broward County finished its machine recount but missed the deadline by a few minutes. Counties were ordered last weekend to do a machine recount of three statewide races because the margins were so tight. The next stage is a manual review of ballots that were not counted by machines to see whether there is a way to figure out voter intent. Scott called on Nelson to end the recount battle. Its time for Nelson to respect the will of the voters and graciously bring this process to an end rather than proceed with yet another count of the votes  which will yield the same result and bring more embarrassment to the state that we both love and have served, the governor said in a statement. The recount has triggered multiple lawsuits, many of them filed by Nelson and Democrats. The legal battles drew the ire of U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker, who slammed the state for repeatedly failing to anticipate election problems. He also said the state law on recounts appears to violate the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that decided the presidency in 2000. We have been the laughingstock of the world, election after election, and we chose not to fix this, Walker said during a morning hearing. Walker vented his anger at state lawmakers and Palm Beach County officials, saying they should have made sure they had enough equipment in place to handle this kind of a recount. But he said he could not extend the recount deadline because he did not know when Palm Beach County would finish its work. This court must be able to craft a remedy with knowledge that it will not prove futile, Walker wrote in his ruling turning down the request from Democrats. It cannot do so on this record. This court does not and will not fashion a remedy in the dark. The overarching problem was created by the Florida Legislature, which Walker said passed a recount law that appears to run afoul of the 2000 Bush vs. Gore decision by locking in procedures that do not allow for potential problems. A total of six election-related lawsuits are pending in federal court in Tallahassee as well at least one lawsuit filed in state court. Walker also ordered that voters be given until 5 p.m. Saturday to show a valid identification and fix their ballots if they have not been counted due to mismatched signatures. Republicans appealed the ruling, but an appeals court turned down the request. State officials testified that nearly 4,000 mailed-in ballots were set aside because local officials decided the signatures on the envelopes did not match the signatures on file. If those voters can prove their identity, their votes will be counted and included in final official returns due from each county by noon Sunday. Walker was asked by Democrats to require local officials to provide a list of people whose ballots were rejected. But the judge appointed by President Obama refused the request, calling it inappropriate. Under state law, a hand review is required with races that have a margin of 0.25 percentage points or less. A state website put the unofficial results showing Scott ahead of Nelson by 0.15 percentage points. The margin between DeSantis and Gillum was at 0.41 points. The margin between Scott and Nelson had not changed much in the last few days, conceded Marc Elias, an attorney working for Nelsons campaign. But he said that he expected the vote tally to shrink due to the hand recount and the ruling on signatures. The developments fueled frustrations among Democrats and Republicans alike. Democrats want state officials to do whatever it takes to make sure every eligible vote is counted. Republicans, including President Trump, have argued without evidence that voter fraud threatens to steal races from the GOP. Facebook

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Democrat Gil Cisneros pulls ahead of Republican Young Kim as more votes are tallied in Orange and San Bernardino counties By Michael Finnegan Congressional candidate Gil Cisneros (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Democrat Gil Cisneros pulled ahead of Republican Young Kim in one of Californias undecided congressional races Thursday, an ominous sign for a GOP already reeling from its loss of four House seats in the state. In updated vote counts released by the registrars for Orange and San Bernardino counties, Kim fell 941 votes behind Cisneros in the contest to succeed Republican Rep. Ed Royce in Californias 39th Congressional District. The 39th straddles Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange counties. In another unresolved House race, Democrat Katie Porter pulled further ahead of Republican incumbent Mimi Walters in the 45th District, which includes Mission Viejo, Tustin, Irvine, Rancho Santa Margarita and Laguna Hills. Porter, a consumer attorney and UC Irvine law professor, is now 6,203 votes ahead. The Nov. 6 midterm election has been devastating to Republicans in California. If Cisneros and Porter win, the party will have lost six of its 14 House seats in the state, essentially a wipeout in every contest that both parties spent heavily to win. The three Republicans already bounced from Congress are Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa, Steve Knight of Palmdale and Jeff Denham of Turlock in the San Joaquin Valley. Democrat Mike Levin won the seat of retiring GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista in the fourth district flipped so far. Facebook

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Florida Senate race likely headed to second recount By Associated Press A Palm Beach County Sheriffs deputy walks past boxes of ballots before a recount on Nov. 15 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee) Unofficial Florida election results show that the governors race seems to be settled after a machine recount but the U.S. Senate race is likely headed to a hand recount. Republican Ron DeSantis is virtually assured of winning the nationally watched governors race over Democrat Andrew Gillum. Florida finished a machine recount Thursday that showed Gillum without enough votes to force a manual recount. Unofficial results posted on a state website show the margin between U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott is still thin enough to trigger a second review. State law requires a hand recount of races with a margin of 0.25 percentage point or less. Counties have until Sunday to inspect the ballots that did not record a vote when put through the machines. Those ballots are re-examined to see whether the voter skipped the race or marked the ballot in a way that the machines cannot read but can be deciphered. The election will be certified Tuesday. Read More Facebook

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Pelosi says she has the votes to become the next House speaker By John Wagner Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference in Washington on Nov. 14. (Susan Walsh) House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi insisted Thursday that she has the votes to become the chambers speaker despite solid opposition from more than a dozen Democrats who want fresh leadership when the party takes control next year. I have overwhelming support in my caucus to be speaker of the House, the San Francisco lawmaker told reporters. I happen to think at this point, Im the best person for that. A vote within the Democratic caucus is scheduled for Nov. 28. The full House votes on Jan. 3 to elect a new speaker. During her remarks, Pelosi touted the size of the Democratic victory in the midterms, which she called almost a tsunami. With a few races still to be decided, Democrats are poised to pick up close to 40 seats in the chamber. Pelosi called that the biggest victory for the Democrats since 1974, when the Watergate babies came in. Pelosis comments come as she faces solid opposition from at least 17 Democrats, setting the stage for a battle over who will ascend to one of the most powerful positions in Washington. After a campaign in which some Democrats prevailed in competitive districts by promising to oppose her, a coalition of incumbents and newly elected members has denied her a smooth path to the speakership. The defections, if they stand, would leave Pelosi, who has led the Democrats for more than 15 years, several votes short of the 218 she would need when the full House votes for speaker Jan. 3. However, no Democrat has stepped forward to run against her for a job she held from 2007 through 2010. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) told reporters Wednesday that shes being encouraged to stand for speaker if Pelosi doesnt have the votes. In an interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, she said she has been overwhelmed by the support from many of her colleagues for her possible entry into the race for House speaker. Over the last 12 hours, Ive been overwhelmed by the amount of support Ive received, Fudge said, adding that there are probably closer to 30" Democrats who have privately signaled that they are willing to oppose Pelosi. Things could change rapidly, Fudge said. Fudge, 66, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said she is building a diverse coalition as she mulls a speaker run, talking with allies in the caucus, moderate Democrats and newly elected members. To this point, Pelosi has enjoyed the strong backing of the Congressional Black Caucus. On Thursday, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), one of its members, wrote a letter to colleagues praising her insight, fortitude and strategic thinking and urging support for her speakership bid. Former Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., an African American who is contemplating a 2020 presidential bid, also voiced support for Pelosi, praising her in a tweet as an architect of the recent midterm success. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a leader of the resistance to Pelosi, said during an interview on CNN on Thursday that Fudge is the kind of new leader that we need in this party. Shes in touch with middle America. She understands what the American people want. Shes a next-generation leader that people will look to and say, Thats the future of our party, thats the future of our country, and thats exactly the kind of leader that I want to see as our next speaker. Wagner reports for the Washington Post. The Posts Robert Costa, Erica Werner, Mike DeBonis, Paul Kane and Elise Viebeck contributed to this report. Facebook

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GOP Rep. Jeff Denham concedes to Democrat Josh Harder in Central Valley race By Maya Sweedler Rep. Jeff Denham (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) Republican Rep. Jeff Denham has conceded to Democrat Josh Harder in the race to represent Californias 10th Congressional District in the San Joaquin Valley. It has been an absolute honor to serve our community and represent the Central Valley in Congress over the past eight years, the 51-year-old congressman said. The enormity of the responsibility was never lost on me. My wife Sonia and I look forward to starting the next chapter of our lives. Harder said he had spoken with Denham and the two were committed to a productive transition. Denham, an Air Force veteran, previously represented the region in the state Senate for eight years and founded a company specializing in plastic packaging used in agriculture. While a member of Congress, he sat on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture committees. First-time candidate Harder was born and raised in the district. After graduating from Stanford University, he served as vice president of a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Since moving back, he has been teaching at Modesto Junior College. Denhams House seat is one of four in California that Republicans lost in the Nov. 6 election, with two contests in Orange County still undecided as of Thursday morning. Jeff Denham called me this morning and we had a very productive conversation. I'm honored that I've been chosen to serve our community in Congress, and we're both looking forward to a productive transition that best serves the people of District 10.  Josh Harder (@JoshHarder) November 14, 2018 Facebook

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Democrat Katie Porter now nearly 3,800 votes ahead of GOP Rep. Mimi Walters By Maya Sweedler Rep. Mimi Walters thanks all of her supporters as she watches election results in Irvine on Nov. 7, 2018. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press) Democrat Katie Porter opened a 3,797-vote lead Wednesday over Republican Rep. Mimi Walters in Orange Countys 45th Congressional District. In the neighboring 39th, Democrat Gil Cisneros has nearly tied the race against Republican Young Kim. Cisneros now trails Kim by a razor-thin margin of 122 votes. The 39th District straddles Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties; Wednesdays updated ballot counts came from the latter two. There are more than 202,000 ballots left to count in Orange County, which includes parts of seven congressional districts. The 45th is entirely in inland Orange County. In California, the ballots counted first tend to lean Republican and those tallied later skew Democratic. In the Central Valleys 21st Congressional District, Democratic challenger TJ Cox has pulled within 2 percentage points of Rep. David Valadao, who is serving his third term. The Associated Press had projected a win for Valadao on election night, but his 4,839-vote advantage has shrunk to 2,090. Back in CA-21, Valadao (R) wins a batch of ballots from his stronghold in Kings Co., but by a considerably smaller margin (14 points) than his previous ~30-point margin in the county. We're moving to Lean R from Likely R; today a bit scary for Valadao.https://t.co/WqJVUVkqGW  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 15, 2018 A spokesman for Valadao told the Fresno Bee that the changes were expected and that [s]tatistically, David Valadao has won this race. Democrats in California have already flipped four House seats, defeating three Republican incumbents and claiming an open seat previously held by the GOP. Reps. Steve Knight of Palmdale, Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Jeff Denham of Turlock have already lost their races, and retiring Rep. Darrell Issas San Diego County seat was claimed by Democrat Mike Levin. Facebook

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Trump aide departs West Wing after rebuke from Melania Trump By Associated Press First Lady Melania Trump. (Alain Jocard / AFP-Getty Images) Deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel is leaving the White House, one day after First Lady Melania Trumps office issued an extraordinary statement calling for her dismissal. No replacement was named. Aides said Ricardel clashed with the first ladys staff over her visit to Africa last month. Yet it is highly unusual for a first lady or her office to weigh in on personnel matters, especially the presidents national security staff. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Ricardel would have a new role in the administration. On Tuesday, Stephanie Grisham, the first ladys spokeswoman, released a statement saying, It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House. President Trumps White House has set records for administration turnover. Ricardel was the third person to hold the post under Trump. An ally of national security advisor John Bolton, Ricardel began her service in the Trump administration as associate director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, then moved to the Commerce Department last year. Bolton brought her into the West Wing shortly after taking the job in April. He is traveling in Asia this week alongside Vice President Mike Pence. Facebook

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Race for House Minority Leader is Kevin McCarthys to lose By Associated Press (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is running to take over next years shrunken caucus in closed-door elections that will set the tone for the new Congress. The race for minority leader is McCarthys to lose Wednesday. But the California Republican, who is an ally of President Trump, must fend off a challenge from conservative Jim Jordan of Ohio. Jordan is a leader of the House Freedom Caucus. The two encountered questions and finger-pointing during a private meeting with lawmakers Tuesday night as the GOP sorted through the midterm defeat that put Democrats in the majority next year. Elections Wednesday will also determine party leadership in the Senate. Voting for the biggest race, Nancy Pelosis bid to return as the Democrats nominee for speaker, is later this month. Read More Facebook

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Melania Trump calls for the firing of deputy national security advisor By Justin Sink First Lady Melania Trump arrives at the Chateau de Versailles outside Paris on Nov. 11. (Alain Jocard / AFP/Getty Images ) First Lady Melania Trumps office said she wants Mira Ricardel, the deputy national security advisor, ousted from the White House. It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House, Trumps spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement in response to a question about reports the first lady had sought Ricardels removal. Ricardel is the top deputy to national security advisor John Bolton. She drew the first ladys wrath after threatening to withhold National Security Council resources during Melania Trumps trip to Africa last month unless Ricardel was included in her entourage, one person familiar with the matter said. Grishams statement comes as several media outlets have reported that President Trump is considering a broader shakeup of his administration, including ousting Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Sink and Jacobs report for Bloomberg. Read More Facebook

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CNN sues Trump over the suspension of Jim Acostas White House press credentials By Jim Puzzanghera CNN said Tuesday that it is suing President Trump and other administration officials over the decision to suspend the White House press credentials of correspondent Jim Acosta after a conflict at a news conference last week. The suit, to be filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, escalates an ongoing battle between Trump and the cable news outlet that he frequently accuses of disseminating fake news for its aggressive coverage of him and his administration. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acostas 1st Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their 5th Amendment rights to due process, CNN said in a written statement. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials. Read More Facebook

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Maxine Waters to take aim at Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank as new head of House Financial Services Committee By Jim Puzzanghera Rep. Maxine Waters plans to zero in on two big banks  Wells Fargo & Co. and Deutsche Bank  when she becomes head of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. The Los Angeles congresswoman, now the committees top Democrat, is widely expected to gain the gavel after her party won control of the House in last weeks elections. While Waters has outlined a wide-ranging agenda, she said her focus on bank oversight will target two large institutions she has been tangling with for a while  including one, Deutsche Bank, that spills into her bitter feud with President Trump. With Trump in the White House, I know that our fight for Americas consumers and investors will continue to be challenging. But I am more than up to that fight, Waters wrote in a letter last week to her Democratic colleagues on the committee that was obtained by The Times. Read More Facebook

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Heres how a controversial voting system will decide a congressional race in Maine By Kurtis Lee For the first time in U.S. history, a controversial voting system known as ranked choice is being used to decide a federal election. Its happening in Maine, which adopted the system in 2016. Rather than marking a single candidate, each voter ranks them all, assigning a first-place vote, a second-place vote and so on down the ballot. Read More Facebook

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ACLU files suit to stop Trumps new asylum limits By Associated Press A group of Central American migrants march to the office of the U.N.'s humans rights body in Mexico City on Nov. 8. (Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press) The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a legal challenge to President Trumps order denying asylum to migrants if they cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in San Francisco and argues the new rules are against the law. Attorney Lee Gelernt said the regulations will put families in danger. The suit seeks to declare the regulations invalid and wants a judge to stop the rules from going into effect while the litigation is pending. The new rules were spurred in part by caravans of Central American migrants slowly moving north on foot, but officials say they will apply to anyone caught crossing illegally. Officials say about 70,000 people who enter the country illegally claim asylum. The order invoked the same national security powers Trump used to push through his travel ban. Read More Facebook

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Trump on new acting AG: I dont know Matt Whitaker By Associated Press President Trump talks with reporters before departing for France on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 9. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) President Trump is moving to distance himself from Matthew Whitaker as he faces criticism over his choice for acting attorney general. Trump told reporters Friday that I dont know Matt Whitaker and said he didnt speak with Whitaker about special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker has made public comments critical of Muellers investigation, and critics have called on Whitaker to recuse himself from oversight of the inquiry. Under former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, the investigation was overseen by Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Of the scrutiny Whitaker is facing, Trump said: Its a shame that no matter who I put in they go after. He also called Whitaker a very highly respected man. Whitaker was Sessions chief of staff before Trump made him Sessions interim replacement. Facebook

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg out of hospital after fall By Associated Press The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is home after being released from the hospital. She had been admitted for treatment and observation after fracturing three ribs in a fall. The court said Ginsburg was released Friday. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg says she is doing well and working from home. The court had previously said the justice fell in her office at the court on Wednesday evening and went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook

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Gun-control activist Lucy McBath defeats GOP Rep. Karen Handel in Georgia By Associated Press Lucy McBath speaks during a rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Nov. 2 at Morehouse College in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer / Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Democratic gun-control activist Lucy McBath has defeated Republican Rep. Karen Handel of Georgia in a suburban congressional district long considered safe for the GOP. Handel had to seek reelection after winning her seat last year in a close special election race against Democrat Jon Ossoff. McBath became an advocate for stricter gun laws after her son, Jordan Davis, was fatally shot at a Florida gas station in 2012 by a man angry over loud music the teenager and his friends were playing in a car. McBaths margin of victory was narrow enough for Handel to have requested a recount. The Associated Press declared McBath the winner Thursday after Handel conceded. Handel conceded in a statement Thursday morning, stating that after reviewing all of the election data, its clear she came up a bit short in Tuesdays vote. Handel congratulated McBath, offering good thoughts and much prayer for the journey that lies ahead for her. McBath, who is African American, declared victory Wednesday. Facebook

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized after fracturing 3 ribs in fall By Associated Press Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fractured three ribs in a fall in her office at the court and is in the hospital. The court says the justice went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. The court says the fall occurred Wednesday evening. Ginsburg was admitted to the hospital for treatment and observation after tests showed she fractured three ribs. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She has had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook

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White House suspends press pass of CNNs Jim Acosta after heated exchange with Trump By Associated Press The White House on Wednesday suspended the press pass of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after he and President Trump had a heated confrontation during a news conference. They began sparring after Acosta asked Trump about the caravan of migrants heading from Latin America to the southern U.S. border. When Acosta tried to follow up with another question, Trump said, Thats enough! and a female White House aide unsuccessfully tried to grab the microphone from Acosta. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement accusing Acosta of placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern, calling it absolutely unacceptable. The interaction between Acosta and the intern was brief, and Acosta appeared to brush her arm as she reached for the microphone and he tried to hold onto it. Pardon me, maam, he told her. Acosta tweeted that Sanders statement that he put his hands on the aide was a lie. CNN said in a statement that the White House revoked Acostas press pass in retaliation for his challenging questions Wednesday, and the network accused Sanders of lying about Acostas actions. This conduct is absolutely unacceptable. It is also completely disrespectful to the reporters colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question. President Trump has given the press more access than any President in history.  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Contrary to CNNs assertions there is no greater demonstration of the Presidents support for a free press than the event he held today. Only they would attack the President for not supporting a free press in the midst of him taking 68 questions from 35 different reporters...  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 As a result of todays incident, the White House is suspending the hard pass of the reporter involved until further notice.  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Sanders provided fraudulent accusations and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better, CNN said. Jim Acosta has our full support. Journalists assigned to cover the White House apply for passes that allow them daily access to press areas in the West Wing. White House staffers decide whether journalists are eligible, though the Secret Service determines whether their applications are approved. Facebook

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Trump spars with reporters at post-election news briefing, ordering several to sit down By Associated Press  President Trump assails CNNs Jim Acosta at a White House news conference. President Trump sparred with reporters at his post-election news conference, ordering several to sit down and telling another hes a rude, terrible person. He told another reporter hes not a fan of yours, either. The presidents mood turned sour Wednesday after reporters pressed him on why he referred to a migrant caravan making its way to the U.S. on foot through Mexico as an invasion. Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric against the caravan in the final days of the midterm elections. Trump was also pressed on why his campaign aired an ad featuring a Mexican immigrant convicted of killing American police officers and linking the mans actions to the caravan. Several television networks pulled the ad after airing it or declined to air it at all. Facebook

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Im living one hour at a time at this point By Christine Mai-Duc Republican congressional candidate Young Kim and gubernatorial candidate John Cox campaign in Rowland Heights. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Republican congressional candidate Young Kim greeted gubernatorial candidate John Coxs giant campaign bus, the words HELP IS ON THE WAY emblazoned across it, as it rolled into the parking lot outside her Rowland Heights field office. Standing beside Cox on Saturday, Kim predicted that a string of GOP victories Tuesday would start with voters repealing the gas tax hike. Can you imagine Gavin Newsom being our governor? Can you imagine Gil Cisneros being your representative? Kim asked the crowd, to loud boos and cries of Nooo! The former state assemblywoman who worked for retiring Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) is vying for his seat with Democrat Gil Cisneros. She led the crowd in chants of Enough is enough! and, though short-lived, Drain the swamp! Ive served you in Sacramento and Ive seen dysfunction personally, Kim continued. We cannot continue that route. She urged her supporters to stay and help make phone calls or walk neighborhoods. Lets get out there  the 72 hours is really critical. Its all going to come down to a few votes, it could be your vote, she said pointing to her left, then pivoting right, it could be your vote. So dont sit back and do nothing. Every night I go to sleep thinking, OK, how many more votes can I get or how many more people can I call tomorrow? Kim said. It can be physically exhausting but Im mentally, emotionally very energized. She listed off her events so far that day  and the next one she was heading to. Thats just what I can remember, she said. Im living one hour at a time at this point. Kims campaign invited press to two of her events on Saturday. After she was whisked away to her next event  a high tea fundraiser in Walnut, a couple dozen volunteers remained. John Freeman, a statewide field manager for the state Republican Party, tried to pump them up. This is the Super Bowl. Were not in an NFL stadium, were not getting paid millions of dollars, but you know what? Freeman said. Were walking on the field right now. This is that high-stakes-level game. Facebook

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Its going to be tough out there Democratic candidate Katie Porter speaks to volunteers in Mission Viejo. Jon Bauman, Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na, is in the background. (Victoria Kim / Los Angeles Times ) Judging from the cheers in the crowd, about half those assembled at Katie Porters campaign headquarters in Mission Viejo Sunday morning were old enough to remember 70s rock n roll star Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na. Jon Bauman, as Bowzer is known off stage, said it was her position on senior issues including retirement and social security that has him out supporting Porter over her opponent, incumbent Rep. Mimi Walters. I want you to make sure every phone is called and every door is knocked, he told the crowd of about 80 volunteers. There has never been a more important election. Both Bauman and his nephew, California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman, were interrupted by yells from Trump supporters coming from an adjoining hillside. We love Trump, the voice cried out. We love him too, he makes great fodder, the younger Bauman retorted, before introducing Porter. Porter, a UC Irvine law professor and first-time candidate, acknowledged the uphill battle some of her canvassers might face in this more conservative end of the long-red Orange County district. I know its going to be tough out there, she said, motioning to the hillside. But she said the attacks meant the other side viewed her campaign as a significant threat. This election is going to be close, she said. If we dont fight all the way to the finish line, until 8 oclock on Tuesday, this could slip away. Bowzer then took to a keyboard piano to lead the crowd in a reworded rendition of the song Good Night Sweetheart: Good night, Mimi Walters, he crooned. A woman in a black tank top, jeans and flip flops holding a cup of coffee later joined the crowd with her two sons, 17 and 14, the younger one wearing a Trump 2016 T-shirt. She declined to give her name, saying she was concerned about being attacked, but said she lived up the hill and said she had been the one yelling. She said she was encouraging her sons to talk to people on both sides and make up their own minds. We need to have a government that runs the way government teachers are telling kids its supposed to be run, said the woman, a retired registered dental assistant who voted early for Mimi Walters. Referring to Democrats, she said: Theyve had control over all these years and Californias gone to crap. Among those canvassing was Stacie Campbell, 37, who was at the launch with her husband Jerome and three children, the youngest of whom was 2 months old. Campbell, a Mission Viejo resident who runs a business, had never canvassed or volunteered for campaigns before, and her husband is a French citizen and unable to vote. She said they had been talking to their children  the older ones are 5 and 2  about the presidency and the government since Trumps election. Together, they worked on homemade Katie Porter lawn signs and put them up around town. This is the first time its felt like a big deal and there isnt a president up for election, she said. Because her city is a mix of conservatives and liberals  her next-door neighbor is an NRA-supporting Republican  she the race felt mPresident Trump has has told advisors he has decided to remove Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and her departure from the administration is likely to occur in the coming weeks, if not sooner, according to five current and former White House officials.

Trump canceled a planned trip with Nielsen this week to visit U.S. troops at the border in south Texas and told aides over the weekend he wants her out as soon as possible, these officials said. The president has grumbled for months about what he views as Nielsens lackluster performance on immigration enforcement and is believed to be looking for a replacement who will implement his policy ideas with more alacrity.

The announcement could come as soon as this week, three of these officials said.

Trump has changed his mind on key personnel decisions before, and Chief of Staff John Kelly is fighting Nielsens pending dismissal and attempting to postpone it, aides say. But Kellys future in the administration also is shaky, according to three White House officials.

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A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on Nielsens potential departure.

Nielsen has been reluctant to leave the administration before reaching the one-year mark as secretary on Dec. 6, but she has been unhappy in the job for several months, according to colleagues. Trump has berated her during Cabinet meetings, belittled her to other White House staff and tagged her months ago as a Bushie, a reference to her service under former President George W. Bush and meant to cast suspicion on her loyalty.

When Nielsen has tried to explain the laws and regulations that prevent the government from drastically curtailing immigration or closing the border with Mexico, as Trump has suggested, the president has grown impatient and frustrated, aides said.

Nielsens departure would leave a leadership void at the governments third-largest agency, which has 240,000 employees and a $60-billion budget. The deputy secretary job at DHS has been vacant since February, and the White House has not submitted to Congress a nomination for that post.

Unless Trump were to name another official to lead DHS in an acting capacity, the day-to-day task of running the agency would fall to Claire Grady, the undersecretary for management.

Trump has told White House officials he has begun contemplating replacements for Nielsen. He could name one of the agencys other Senate-confirmed principals, such as Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or David Pekoske, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration and a former vice commandant of the Coast Guard.

If I were advising the White House Id encourage them to nominate someone with executive branch experience, said one senior DHS official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share candid views about his agencys leadership. This will be our fourth secretary in two years. The last thing we want is someone who needs hand-holding.

Kris Kobachs loss in the Kansas governors race has generated speculation that Trump could attempt to nominate him as a replacement for Nielsen, but Kobach, Kansas secretary of state, remains a polarizing figure whose hard-line views  especially on immigration  are considered by many observers to be too extreme to win Senate confirmation.

Colleagues whove worked closely with Nielsen and defend her performance at DHS say working for Trump on immigration issues is miserable because the president has an unrealistic view of border security and little patience for the intricacies of U.S. immigration law.

Nielsen was selected for the DHS job by Kelly, and her imminent departure is another indication that his influence over staff and personnel decisions has waned. Kelly has defended her repeatedly, and aides have grown annoyed at their close relationship  he often praises her impromptu in senior staff meetings while not praising other Cabinet members.

Former colleagues who worked with Nielsen were astonished when Kelly pushed to install her at DHS because she had never led a large organization, let alone one with so many responsibilities. Nielsen worked on disaster-management response in the Bush White House, then in the private sector and academia as a cybersecurity expert before returning to DHS to work as chief of staff under Kelly when he was Homeland Security secretary during Trumps first six months in office.

But it was immigration enforcement that became one of Trumps biggest frustrations, and the president has blamed her for a rebound this year in the number of people arrested along the Mexico border.

At the peak of controversy over the Trump administrations zero tolerance family-separation initiative, Nielsen nonetheless stood at the White House lectern and delivered a vigorous defense of the measures. The president loved her performance  especially when she said there was no administration policy on separations. Days later, under withering criticism, the president changed his mind and ordered an end to the separations.First Lady Melania Trump demanded the ouster of national security advisor John Boltons top deputy, Mira Ricardel, on Tuesday as reports swirled about an imminent shakeup of President Trumps administration.

It is the position of the office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House, Melania Trumps spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement in response to a question about reports the first lady had sought Ricardels removal.

Ricardel clashed with the first ladys staff after threatening to withhold National Security Council resources during Melania Trumps trip to Africa last month unless Ricardel or another NSC official was included in her entourage, one person familiar with the matter said.

Its exceedingly rare for first ladies to intervene in West Wing staffing decisions, but when they do the clashes usually turn out badly for the aides involved. In what was probably the highest-profile such incident, President Reagan ousted Chief of Staff Donald Regan in 1987 after he crossed Nancy Reagan.

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An NSC spokesman, Garrett Marquis, and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders didnt respond to requests for comment on Grishams statement. Ricardel couldnt be reached. Earlier Tuesday, Ricardel participated in a White House celebration marking the Indian Diwali festival where Trump spoke.

A White House official said that a Wall Street Journal report that she had been fired soon after Melania Trumps statement was inaccurate.

Bolton hired Ricardel in April from the Commerce Department. She previously worked in the Defense Department under President George W. Bush.

Although Bolton likes her, according to Trump administration officials, Ricardel is widely disliked among other White House staff. Shes regarded as inflexible and obsessed with process, which some officials complain has complicated coordination between the NSC and Cabinet agencies.

Grishams statement comes as several news outlets have reported that Trump is considering a broader shakeup of his administration, including ousting Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The Washington Post first reported late Wednesday that Trump was preparing to remove Nielsen, whom he has repeatedly blamed for what he calls an immigration crisis on the southern U.S. border.

The secretary is honored to lead the men and women of DHS and is committed to implementing the presidents security-focused agenda to protect Americans from all threats and will continue to do so, DHS spokesman Tyler Houlton said in response to the Post report.

Nielsen has taken the blame within the administration for an uptick in migration across the southern U.S. border. Her department reported that 51,000 migrants were apprehended after crossing the border illegally in October, including more than 23,000 who were part of families. Thats about twice as many total apprehensions as in October 2017, and more than four times as many families.

Nielsen is a close ally of White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, who preceded her at the Department of Homeland Security. Its possible her departure may lead to his, though he has said he will serve through Trumps reelection bid in 2020.

Trump was seen talking to Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff, Nick Ayers, at an election night gathering last week, according to two people familiar with the matter  an encounter thats fed rumors among Trump associates that Ayers may replace Kelly.

Pence aides have dismissed those rumors. Ayers isnt accompanying the vice president on his travels to Asia this week, where Pence will stand in for Trump at summits in Singapore and Papua New Guinea.They are activists and advocates, combat veterans, political novices and experts. And they are headed to Washington for a crash course in being members of Congress.

More than 80 representatives-elect and four senators-elect, most of them Democrats and many who have never before held elected office, arrived in Washington this week for freshman orientation. Its a speedy introduction to how to run a congressional office, what ethical rules they must follow and how to manage the whirlwind of life on Capitol Hill.

Along the way theyll pick office space, vote for who will lead their parties next year, interview staff and  if they are lucky  find a place to live. Theyll also have a chance to get to know their diverse new colleagues.

Historic firsts

The incoming freshman class includes a host of historic firsts.

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Reps.-elect Deb Haaland of New Mexico and Sharice Davids of Kansas will be the first Native American women elected to Congress. Reps.-elect Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota will be the first Muslim American women sent to Congress. Omar is also the first Somali American elected to Congress and is expected to be the first representative to wear a hijab.

A host of other firsts include Massachusetts Rep.-elect Lori Trahan, the first Portuguese American woman elected to Congress, Colorado Rep.-elect Joe Neguse, the first Eritrean American, and Florida Rep.-elect Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, the first Ecuadoran American elected to Congress.

Voters sent nine new African American representatives to Congress, including Connecticut Rep.-elect Jahana Hayes, the first African American Democrat elected from New England. The eight new Latino members include Reps.-elect Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia, the first Latinas to represent Texas.

Escobar said Tuesday that immigrant communities, including those living along the southern border in places like her El Paso district, have been maligned by the president and some in Congress.

The beauty of this historic election for me is that it is the border that is changing history during this very tumultuous time, she said.

Reps.-elect Abby Finkenauer and Cindy Axne are the first women to represent Iowa in Congress. Republican Sen.-elect Marsha Blackburn will be the first female senator for Tennessee. Democratic Sen.-elect Kyrsten Sinema will be the first female senator for Arizona.

California Rep.-elect Katie Hill is the first openly bisexual Congress member from the state, though not the first in Congress. At 31 shell also be the youngest member of the state delegation.

Shes not the youngest in Congress, however. That title goes to Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who is 29.

The 116th Congress will have the greatest number of women of any Congress, as well as the most black and Latino members in history.

The diversity is one of the best things about this Congress, and its really in the number of women and minorities that stepped up to the plate and ran, said Elaine Kamarck, a governance studies fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Novices

Hundreds of people ran for Congress this year saying they were inspired to enter politics by President Trump  either for him or against him  and the incoming class includes a striking number of people who have never before held elected office.

Some made quick work of showing their willingness to operate outside the status quo. Democrat Ocasio-Cortez joined climate change activists in a sit-in at the office of her partys House leader, Nancy Pelosi, on the first morning of orientation, trying to push for a more powerful special committee to address climate change. (Pelosi has already agreed to the idea.)

But most freshmen kept their heads down as orientation began and focused on gathering as much information as they could.

The novices include activists such as Georgia Rep.-elect Lucy McBath, a former flight attendant who became politically active after her son was shot and killed, and scientists including South Carolina Rep.-elect Joe Cunningham, an ocean scientist and lawyer.

Kamarck said that with Democrats controlling only the House while Republicans control the rest of government, the freshmen Democrats in the House will have time to learn the ropes before they can reasonably be expected to pass legislation.

They would be wise to sit back and figure out the institution, she said. Things that seem crystal clear to you when you are campaigning in a suburb 2,000 miles away suddenly become very complicated when you sit down to write legislation.

Rep.-elect Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.). (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press)

Returning to Washington

Several Obama-era officials will enter Congress, including former Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski of New Jersey, former senior advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services Lauren Underwood of Illinois, and former Department of Housing and Urban Development official Colin Allred of Texas. Allred is also a former linebacker for the NFLs Tennessee Titans.

The highest-ranking former official returning to Washington is Rep.-elect Donna Shalala of Florida, who was Health and Human Services secretary for President Clinton. At 77, she is also the oldest member of the freshman class.

Im delighted to be here. Ive been here before, but Ive never been an elected member of Congress, so its going to be an interesting experience. Im used to testifying before them, Im used to making policy with them, but Ive never actually been a member myself, Shalala said Tuesday. I think its going to be a lot of fun.

Veterans

A record six female military veterans will serve next year, bringing the total number of veterans in Congress to more than 90.

The new female veterans in Congress are former Air Force Capt. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) former Navy pilot Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Navy veteran Elaine Luria (D-Va.).

Several male veterans will join Congress as well, including Texas Republican Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who served three tours of duty and lost his right eye in Afghanistan, and Colorado Democrat Jason Crow, an Army veteran.

Two members of the U.S. intelligence community will be sworn in as well, former CIA analyst Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger of Virginia.

Rep.-elect Mike Levin (D-Calif.) addresses reporters after arriving for orientation for new members of Congress. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press)

New California Representatives

In California, Democrats flipped at least three Republican-held districts, further shrinking the GOP share of the states congressional delegation.

Democrats are expected to hold at least 42 of Californias 53 House districts. Races in two Orange County districts and one Central Valley district are still too close to call, so the final split could still change.

The new members of the California delegation are Hill, a former executive of a nonprofit agency that works on homelessness, in the 25th District; real estate investor Harley Rouda in the 48th District; and environmental attorney Mike Levin in the 49th District.

The latest from Washington 

More stories from Sarah D. Wire 

sarah.wire@latimes.com

Follow @sarahdwire on TwitterFor weeks this fall, an ebullient President Trump traveled relentlessly to hold raise-the-rafters campaign rallies  sometimes three a day  in states where his presence was likely to help Republicans on the ballot.

But his mood apparently has changed as he has taken measure of the electoral backlash that voters delivered Nov. 6. With the certainty that the incoming Democratic House majority will go after his tax returns and investigate his actions, and the likelihood of additional indictments by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, Trump has retreated into a cocoon of bitterness and resentment, according to multiple administration sources.

Behind the scenes, they say, the president has lashed out at several aides, from junior press assistants to senior officials. Hes furious, said one administration official. Most staffers are trying to avoid him.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, painted a picture of a brooding president trying to decide who to blame for Republicans election losses, even as he publicly and implausibly continues to claim victory.

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White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly and Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, who are close allies, seem to be on their way out, the official said, noting recent leaks on the subject. The official cautioned, however, that personnel decisions are never final until Trump himself tweets out the news  often just after the former reality TV star whos famous for saying Youre fired! has directed Kelly to so inform the individual.

And, according to a source outside the White House who has spoken recently with the president, last weeks Wall Street Journal report confirming Trumps central role during the 2016 campaign in quietly arranging payoffs for two women alleging affairs with him seemed to put him in an even worse mood.

Publicly, Trump has been increasingly absent in recent days  except on Twitter. He has canceled travel plans and dispatched Cabinet officials and aides to events in his place  including sending Vice President Mike Pence to Asia for the annual summits there in November that past presidents nearly always attended.

Jordans King Abdullah II was in Washington on Tuesday and met with Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, but not the president.

Also Tuesday, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis announced plans to travel on Wednesday near the U.S.-Mexico border to visit with troops Trump ordered there last month in what is ostensibly a mission to defend against a caravan of Central American migrants moving through Mexico and still hundreds of miles from the United States.

Trump had reportedly considered making that trip himself, but has decided against it. Nor has he spoken of the caravan since the midterm elections, after making it a central issue in his last weeks of campaigning.

Unusually early on Monday, the White House called a lid at 10:03 a.m. EST, informing reporters that the president would not have any scheduled activities or public appearances for the rest of the day. Although it was Veterans Day, Trump bucked tradition and opted not to make the two-mile trip to Arlington National Cemetery in northern Virginia to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as presidents since at least John F. Kennedy have done to mark the solemn holiday.

FULL COVERAGE: The latest on the Trump administration and the rest of Washington 

Trumps only public appearance Tuesday was at a short White House ceremony marking the start of the Hindu holiday Diwali at which he made brief comments and left without responding to shouted questions.

He had just returned Sunday night from a two-day trip to France to attend ceremonies marking the centennial of the armistice that ended World War I. That trip was overshadowed, in part, by Trumps decision not to attend a wreath-laying at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, the burial place for 2,289 soldiers 60 miles northeast of Paris, due to rain.

Kelly, a former Marine Corps general, and Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did attend to honor the American service members interred there. Trump stayed in the U.S. ambassadors residence in Paris, making no public appearances.

Other heads of state also managed to make it to World War I cemeteries in the area for tributes to their nations war dead on Saturday.

Trump and Russias President Vladimir Putin were the only world leaders to skip a procession of world leaders to another commemoration, on Sunday, at the Arc de Triomphe. About 80 heads of state walked in unison  under umbrellas in the pouring rain  down Paris grand Champs-Elysees boulevard. Trump arrived later by motorcade, a decision aides claimed was made for security reasons.

Nicholas Burns, the former U.S. ambassador to NATO under George W. Bush, said the weekend events, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of a war in which 120,000 Americans were killed, were ripe for soaring words and symbolic gestures, which Trump failed to provide.

Not only did he barely show up, he didnt say anything that would help Americans understand the scale of the loss, or the importance of avoiding another great war, Burns said. He seemed physically and emotionally apart. Its such a striking difference between the enthusiasm he showed during the campaign and then going to Paris and sulking in his hotel room.

He added, The country deserves more energy from the president.

Trump took heavy flak on social media, especially for his no-show at the military cemetery.

President @realDonaldTrump a no-show because of raindrops? tweeted former Secretary of State John F. Kerry, a Navy veteran. Those veterans the president didnt bother to honor fought in the rain, in the mud, in the snow - & many died in trenches for the cause of freedom. Rain didnt stop them & it shouldnt have stopped an American president.

Nicholas Soames, a member of Britains Parliament and grandson of Winston Churchill, tweeted, They died with their face to the foe and that pathetic inadequate @realDonaldTrump couldnt even defy the weather to pay his respects to The Fallen.

Trump, clearly feeling on the defensive days later, tried to explain himself on Tuesday, in a tweet.

By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving, he wrote. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary [sic] in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!

In that tweet, Trump falsely described the weather at the Sunday visit to another U.S. cemetery. Rather than pouring rain, photos showed him standing without a hat or an umbrella under overcast skies when he delivered remarks, though he did grasp an umbrella at one point while paying tribute at one soldiers grave.

Just as Trump was returning to Washington on Sunday evening, Pence was heading to Asia in the presidents place, and at his first stop greeted Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Trumps absence, experts said, is notable, and a glaring affront to many Asian leaders.

It matters more in Asia than other regions because face is so important, said Matthew P. Goodman, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former White House coordinator for Asia-Pacific strategy during the Obama and George W. Bush administrations. Your willingness to go out there is a sign youre committed and not going is a sign youre not.

Putin is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, looking to expand his countrys influence in Asia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea are also attending regional summits. And Chinas President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang are simultaneously attending meetings across the region looking to broaden their countrys influence in the South China Sea and expand multilateral trade agreements.

Although Trump is set to meet with Xi at the Group of 20 summit of wealthy countries this month in Buenos Aires, his absence from the major Indo-Pacific meetings for a second straight year will have some consequences for our position and our interests in the region, Goodman continued. Other countries are going to move ahead without us.

What makes Trumps perceived snub to the Asian powers more significant is that it comes on the heels of his brief European trip, which showcased his growing isolation from transatlantic allies. French President Emmanuel Macron rebuked Trump in a speech, stating that nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism as the U.S. president looked on sullenly.

Trumps relations with Latin America, already strained, are little better after the White House last week announced that he was reneging for a second time on a commitment to visit Colombia. He had planned to go there later this month on his way back from the G-20 meetings.

In April, hed sent Pence in his place to the Summit of the Americas in Peru, citing a need to remain in Washington to monitor the U.S. response to a chemical weapons attack in Syria. Hed planned to visit Bogota on the same trip.

This time around, there appeared to be no extenuating circumstances preventing a visit.

In a statement, the White House simply said, President Trumps schedule will not allow him to travel to Colombia later this month.

eli.stokols@latimes.com

@EliStokolsInspectors say they have identified fugitive emissions from a 2-million-barrel crude oil tanker as a culprit in periodic pungent odors that have offended coastal residents and whose source has eluded detection for years.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a violation notice last week in Long Beach to Nave Photon, a tanker that sails under the Hong Kong flag and transports crude oil to the United States from the Middle East.

The agency started tracking the ship Oct. 26 after receiving complaints of petroleum-like odors in Long Beach downwind from where Nave Photon was docked.

The AQMD has received more than 2,000 complaints since the beginning of 2016 from residents of Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Seal Beach and Costa Mesa about odors similar to chemicals, gas or rotten eggs.

Gas images showed vapor leaks coming from the vessel, prompting an onboard inspection by the AQMD on Nov. 3 at a terminal where the ship was berthed at the Port of Long Beach, the agency said.

The AQMD said inspectors using hydrocarbon detection devices and gas-imaging cameras found that seven of 10 inspected pressure release devices on Nave Photon were leaking hydrocarbon vapors well in excess of the agencys limits.

On Nov. 6, the AQMD issued a violation notice to GAC North America, the Long Beach-based shipping agent for the tanker.

Peter Moerman, GACs vessel manager for Nave Photon, was not immediately available for comment Monday.

Huntington Beach City Councilman Patrick Brenden said Monday that he was excited that the AQMD went public in pinpointing a source of the odor problem. The smell has generated speculation and reports that the cause could be anything from gas leaks to oil rigs to natural occurrences offshore.

Brenden, who is part of the citys Coastal Area Odors Committee, said he visited Washington, D.C., earlier this year to collaborate with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Coast Guard to investigate the issue.

Brenden said he hopes the AQMD will continue investigating and issuing citations to encourage shipping companies to monitor their pressure release valves.

For the past two years we have devoted extensive resources to finding the sources of periodic foul odors in Long Beach, Seal Beach and Huntington Beach, said Wayne Nastri, AQMD executive officer.

The agency partnered with the fire departments in those cities to train their personnel to collect air samples when residents report odors.

Analysis of those samples showed higher levels of chemical compounds indicative of an odor from crude oil or unprocessed natural gas, the agency said. The compounds included several hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide, the agency said.

Crude oil contains dissolved hydrocarbon and sulfur gases that can be released to the atmosphere if not properly contained.

Hydrocarbon levels in the majority of the air samples were not expected to cause serious health problems, the AQMD said. However, the agency acknowledged the odors can have temporary health effects such as headaches and dizziness, which some residents have reported.

Huntington Beach officials have maintained that the foul smell is an irritant but not an immediate threat to health.

julia.sclafani@latimes.comDon Galleher, longtime member of the Glendale Noon Rotary Club, was honored by club members last Thursday.

The festivities were a big surprise to him. His wife, Mary, was sworn to secrecy. The Embassy Suites in Glendale was the scene of the fun and, more seriously, the honoring of war veterans.

Galleher served in World War II. He has also served Glendale for 53 years in many volunteer positions. Most notably, as leader of a youth group at the Glendale First United Methodist Church.

Glendale City Councilwoman Paula Devine presented Galleher with the Mayors Commendation for service to the community in front of some 50 members and their guests.

At the event, Sevada Hemelians, Rotary president, introduced another vet, Albert Lynn Lone Wolf Boles. An Apache Indian in biker garb, Boles still carries shrapnel embedded in the back of his head from serving in the special forces during the last days of the Vietnam War.

Albert Lynn Lone Wolf Boles smartly salutes the flag as he leads Glendale Noon Rotary members in the Pledge of Allegiance. (Ruth Sowby Rands / Glendale News-Press)

Boles led Rotarians and guests in the Pledge of Allegiance. Later, he spoke of his healing through his motorcycle club mission and Wellness Works, a Glendale nonprofit that provides advocacy for veterans and their families.

Camille Levee, director of Wellness Works, described the challenges veterans face when they return from their deployments. The organization utilizes professionally licensed therapists and educators to help heal mind and body.

But this was Gallehers day. Speaker after speaker described his influence on their lives. Elizabeth Manasserian, former club president, spoke movingly of his encouragement. You can do it he often told her.

Rotarian Rick Phelan called Galleher the oldest youth leader in captivity.

Glendale residents on hand for the tributes included Makiko Nakasone, past president of the club, Irene Bourdon, president of Adventist Health Foundation, and retired surgeon Dr. Sam Carvajal, who had been with Adventist Health Glendale for 42 years.

The program ended with a standing ovation as a tribute to Galleher and his parting words, Every one of you have meant so much in my life. Ive grown because of you.



The guys in Boy Scout Troop 391 sure know how to put on a fundraiser  with a little parental help on the side. Sixty pounds of spaghetti was slurped up in a mere 90 minutes. The dinner was held at the La Crescenta Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Nov. 2.

Tessa Kjelstrom, 4, chows down on spaghetti without the sauce at the Boy Scout Troop 391 Fundraiser in La Crescenta. (Ruth Sowby Rands / Glendale News-Press)

Members of the Verdugo Hills congregation sponsoring Troop 391 pulled out all the stops for a sweet deal. Cookies, cake and candy went for a $1 each at the accompanying bake sale.

Silent and live auctions of the confections helped guests part with their money even faster. Two homemade, braided loaves of bread went for $30 and $31, respectively.

Parent volunteers Wendy Hart and Michelle Barty were organizers extraordinaire. They supervised dinner, dessert, auctions, Scout skits and a Nerf gun shooting gallery. Jaleen Lunt and Adam Becker also helped with the event.

Church missionaries, elders Kyle White and Thomas Toller, were early arrivals. They made a nice dent in the spaghetti, salad, buns and desserts.

Scout Travis Emmerson welcomed guests, as did other troop members. It was a family affair as Travis was joined by parents, Gordon and Chuy Emmerson, and grandmother Laura Emmerson, all from La Crescenta.

More La Crescenta residents included Hayward and Natalie Kjelstrom and their children including Tessa, 4, champion spaghetti eater.

Family dinners of $40 and individual dinners of $15 added to the evenings coffers. Event proceeds will allow members of Troop 391 to go to camp.

Ruth Sowby Rands may be reached at ruthasowby@gmail.com.The first half of November has been a busy-bee social time for La Canada Flintridge residents. First up on the social calendar was the La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Assn.s annual Wine and Roses party, this year themed An Evening on the Bayou.

The event was held Nov. 4 at the La Canada Flintridge Country Club and was very well-attended.

The evening was chaired by Nancy Wolhaupter and her husband John. All proceeds from the event were dedicated to the design, construction and decoration of our citys self-built float, which this year is titled Tree Frog Night.

This outing, held at the clubhouse with its spectacular views, began just as the sun was setting in a glorious display of all shades of pink. A special addition to the evening was the appearance of the 2019 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Queen and her court.

Two of the court princesses attend school right here in La Canada: Helen Susan Rossi, who attends Flintridge Prep, and Rucha Kadam, a student at La Canada High School. Princess Helens parents, Susan and Phil, were also at the event.

The court was escorted into the dining room by float association members. Michael Davitt, LCFTRA president and city councilman escorted 2019 Rose Queen Louise Dreser Siskel, who attends Sequoyah High School. Other escorts were Bill Pounders with Helen Rossi, Jeff Helgager with Rucha Kada; Charles Thuss with Sherry Ma, Mike Leininger with Micaela McElrath; Woody Walker with Lauren Baydaline and Chuck Terhune with Ashley Hackett.

Each of the court members gave an introductory greeting and told what being on the court meant to them. Without exception, these accomplished young women spoke about how important it is for women to have a public voice. They are looking forward to New Years Day when their float rolls down Colorado Boulevard. The parade theme this year is The Melody of Life.

Emcee for the evening was Lisa Donahey, who also was auctioneer for the live auction portion of the evening. Up for bids were goodies such as opportunities for a Jimmy Kimmel Live taping, a Wonderful World of Disney package, dinner for six Under the Bridge at the presidents table, a Big Bear family weekend, a night of tacos and tunes by Misplaced Priorities and Los Gringos for 30 people, a Johns Famous Low Country Seafood Boil for 10 people in Nancy and Johns Wolhaupters backyard, and an amazing one night getaway at For Friends Inn in Santa Ynez, with a friendship pass for wine tasting at over 45 wineries.

The evening was lovely. We are all looking forward to seeing our Tree Frog Night float on New Years Day. Of course community members will be watching the float decoration Under the Bridge (at Hampton Road and Foothill Boulevard) come December as it is readied for the grand parade.

***

The La Canada Flintridge Country Club was also the setting on Nov. 7 for the YMCA of the Foothills George Williams Society Dinner.

After the social hour when guests gathered for chatting and sharing Y stories, all were welcomed into the dining room by Brian Daniels, chair of the board of directors of the YMCA of the Foothills.

The Rev. Chuck Osborn, associate pastor of the La Canada Presbyterian Church, gave the invocation.

Daniels once again stepped to the microphone to give a short history of the founding of the YMCA that began in London, England in 1844 by George Williams. Our own YMCA of the Foothills honors its George Williams Society members every five years at this special dinner. It was said that the power of our own great YMCA lies in each member of this special group for giving significantly of their time, talent and treasure to strengthen the foundations of the community.

Tyler Wright, president and chief executive of our Y, also stepped to the microphone to welcome guests and honorees. Also speaking that night were Laura Olhasso, the Capital Campaign Chair, and guest speaker Denis Croxen, who served as president/chief executive of the Crescenta-Canada Y from 1984 to 2001. He went on to work for the National YMCA staff in Chicago. He is now retired and he and his wife, Peggy, live in Colorado. Peggy was the first recipient of the local Ys Pat Aho award for her volunteer time.

Dennis Croxens two decades of leadership as the CEO/president of the Crescenta-Canada Family YMCA has meant so much to our Y. His vision for the future and his commitment to serve the youth, teens and families of our community is apparent in the growth of our organization over the past 60 years, said Vince Luculano, chief operating officer for the Y.

Among those people receiving lovely etched glass awards along with the Croxens were Julie and Brian Daniels, Laura and Bill Olhasso, Sue and Barry Shanley, Chuck and Kathryn Terhune, Nick and Judi Doom, Debbie and Hank Hall, Tom Heller and Michele Ashamalla, Sam and Darla Longo, Jim and Nancy DuBois, Sandy and Fred Engler, Georgia Harrison, Reid and Joyce Samuelson, Chris and Lena Waldheim, Colin and Candice Tom, and Dr. Greg and Cynthia Yu.

JANE NAPIER NEELY covers the La Canada Flintridge social scene. Email her at jnvalleysun@aol.com with news of your special event.Ondrej Kase is back at long last, but the Ducks good fortunes on the injury front were short lived.

Patrick Eaves didnt suit up for the Ducks home contest Monday against the league-leading Nashville Predators; hes day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

That means the Ducks wont have access to their full complement of top-line forwards (minus Corey Perry who is sidelined until next year).

Kases return from a concussion is a welcome sight, a sorely needed injection of speed into the lineup. He hasnt played this season after suffering the injury during the preseason.

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The 23-year-old Czech Republic native broke out last campaign with 20 goals. He made his season debut on the second line alongside Adam Henrique and Nick Ritchie.

Eaves, meanwhile, was playing on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell. The 34-year-old winger hadnt recorded a point in in five games, but he was generating plenty of chances. Pontus Aberg slides into his spot.South Mauis Wailea resorts overshadowed better-known Waikiki in the recently released Conde Nast Travelers Readers Choice Awards 2018. Of the top resorts in Hawaii, five of the top 10 are on Maui.

Guests at Hotel Wailea can choose to dine al fresco amid lush greenery. (Linny Morris)

The Hotel Wailea, an adults-only hotel about three-quarters of a mile from the ocean, came in at No. 1. [B]e sure to put your vacation in the hands of the incredible staff. Allow them to organize a beach picnic, a gourmet spread to be enjoyed at sunset, the magazine wrote. Rooms start at $459 on select dates in November and December.

Children participate in a torch-lighting ceremony at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. (Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea)

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At No. 2, the beach-side Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea won high praise for having views of the Pacific Ocean from almost every guest room.

The beautiful pools include an adults-only infinity pool and come with hourly surprises like complimentary pineapple and ice water, according to Conde Nast Traveler. Prices start at $519 on select dates in November and December.

Guests at Oahus Turtle Bay Resort get some surfing points prior to hitting the water along the islands North Shore. (Turtle Bay Resort)

Third place leaves Maui and travels to Turtle Bay Resort, a family-friendly destination on Oahus North Shore. Turtle Bay offers a wealth of outdoor activities on land and in the sea, good for folks who want to avoid the crowds of Waikiki.

Theres even a separate spa menu for kids and teens, if you want to zen out as a family, the magazine wrote. Rooms from $254 on select dates in November and December.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, a domain for the wealthy amid seclusion on Hawaii Island, came in fourth.

An open-air corridor beside the lobby at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel at Waikiki Beach. (Emilio Teneva)

No. 5 went to Waikikis landmark Royal Hawaiian Resort, the so-called Pink Palace, which has welcomed guests since 1927.

Rounding out the top 10 resorts are:

6. Honua Kai Resort & Spa, Maui

7. Andaz Maui at Wailea, Maui

8. Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach, Oahu

9. Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui

10. Koa Kea Hotel & Resort, Kauai

Conde Nast Traveler polled readers between April 1 and June 30. Youll find the magazines methodology here.

Check out the 25 top Hawaii resorts selected by Conde Nast Traveler readers.

ALSO

Casablanca lives on at Ricks Cafe

Did this airline do enough to protect a passenger from a racist rant?

In Japan, an open-air architecture museum that honors Western-inspired architecture

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravelBritish government officials said Tuesday that a proposed Brexit deal had been reached with European Union negotiators after months of difficulties, though a final agreement still requires overcoming significant political skepticism and opposition.

British Prime Minister Theresa May and a divided Cabinet are expected to hold a special meeting Wednesday on the proposed conditions for the countrys exit from the 28-nation EU.

The details of the proposed agreement were not immediately available, but British officials have said recently that a draft deal was 95% complete. A key and challenging part of the talks has been how to avoid checks along the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of Britain, and Ireland, which is a member of the EU. Other issues included access to European markets and worker rights protections.

The pound rallied 1.5% against the dollar after news of the draft deal became public.

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Representatives of the other EU nations are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Brussels, and a spokesman for chief negotiator Michel Barnier said a deal was not finalized.

We are not there yet, said the spokesman, who was not named per EU policy.

Britains opposition Labor Party recently said it expected to reject Mays proposal for an exit deal because her Conservative government was offering really bad and even worse choices.

Negotiators face a March 29 deadline for when Britain is supposed to leave the EU. A final agreement requires approval by the British Parliament, the European Parliament and the EU countries.

The possibility of a no-deal exit if a friendly agreement is not reached has raised concerns about economic fallout and confusion at the borders.

In August, the British government announced that leaving the EU without an exit deal could mean significant disruption to daily life, including higher credit card payments and a loss of banking and pension services. A deal remained a top priority but a series of technical documents would provide contingency plans, officials said.

The European Commission on Tuesday published notices outlining changes in the event of no deal. They point to several possible disruptions, including that British truckers licenses wont be valid in the EU and air passenger rights may no longer apply to a flight traveling from Britain to the EU by a non-EU airline.

The EU said it was proposing visa-free travel for British citizens on short trips, even without a deal, as long as Britain reciprocates.

British voters in June 2016 favored breaking away from the EU by 52% to 48%. The vote involved deep divisions in the country and intense political infighting  largely from within Mays Conservative government.

The prime minister has come under intense pressure from both sides, with those on the remain side trying their utmost to thwart any amicable breakup and the Euroskeptics of her party accusing her of betrayal for agreeing to any deal that they feel would result in Britain leaving the EU in name only.

Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who campaigned for the leave side and resigned from the Cabinet because he could not agree to the kind of Brexit that May was pursuing, tweeted about his concerns Tuesday before the draft agreement was announced.

People did not vote for colony status, he wrote.

After the announcement, Johnson called for Cabinet members to reject the draft deal and said the problems associated with the deal that Mays government was negotiating were evident months ago.

It will mean that we are having to accept rules and regulations from Brussels over which we have no say ourselves, he said. It is utterly unacceptable to anybody who believes in democracy.

Britain also faces a movement called Peoples Vote seeking a second referendum on the decision to leave the EU. The campaign seeks a vote on whether to stay in or leave the bloc of nations based on whatever deal the government makes with the EU.

The campaign last month organized a march that drew an estimated 700,000 people in London to demand a vote on Brexit. It was the largest show of public opposition to government policy since an anti-Iraq war protest rally in 2003 attracted more than 1 million people, according to estimates.

Boyle is a special correspondent.

UPDATES:

4:10 p.m: This article was updated with an additional comment by former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and other details.

2:45 p.m: This article was updated throughout with Los Angeles Times reporting.

This article was originally published at 8:55 a.m.After one of the the heaviest flare-ups of violence in years, Hamas, the Islamist militia ruling the Gaza Strip, said Tuesday that it had agreed to a cease-fire with Israel brokered by Egypt.

The delicate truce, after two days of back-and-forth rocket attacks, was not confirmed by the Israeli government. But it follows the lines of previous breaks in the long-simmering conflict between Israel and Hamas.

In a joint statement, Hamas and a local branch of Islamic Jihad declared that Egypts efforts have been able to achieve a cease-fire between the resistance and the Zionist enemy, a reference to Israel.

It added that the militias would respect the truce as long as Israel does.

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The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for its part, said after a 6-hour security Cabinet meeting that the Israeli army had been instructed to continue its operations as necessary.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, Israeli officials told reporters that developments on the ground would determine Israels response.

One Israeli officer was killed in a confrontation that sparked the latest round of fighting, and one civilian died and 90 people were wounded in a barrage of more than 400 rockets launched from Gaza toward southern Israeli communities, according to Israeli authorities.

Authorities said the civilian killed was Mahmoud Abu Asba, 48, a Palestinian contractor residing legally in the Israeli city of Ashkelon. The building he lived in was one of four in Ashkelon that sustained a direct rocket hit.

Three people remained in critical condition.

Gazas Health Ministry reported Tuesday that 14 Palestinians had died in the fighting, 13 of whom were identified as combatants. Also killed was a farmer, and 25 Palestinians were wounded.

The Israeli military said it attacked 160 Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip. It said its Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted more than 100 rockets fired at Israel from Gaza.

Victory celebrations broke out in Gaza on Tuesday evening, encouraged by Hamas officials who declared that their powerful enemy had been brought to its knees.

In Israel, the armys Home Front Command announced the closing of bomb shelters and said schools would reopen Wednesday. But news of a cease-fire was greeted with anger by residents of border communities, whose lives have been disrupted, or worse, in a cycle that has continued to repeat itself since 2005, when Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli ministers descended into public squabbling about the secret Cabinet vote regarding the agreement, with the politicians, who face elections in coming months, keeping an eye on their hawkish constituents.

Egyptian officials and representatives of the United Nations are scheduled to visit Gaza on Wednesday.Russian border guards blocked opposition leader Alexei Navalny from flying out of the country on Tuesday, in a move the Kremlin critic said was meant to prevent him from attending a final hearing on his case in Europes highest human rights court.

Navalny, whose anti-corruption protests have made him President Vladimir Putins biggest political irritant, announced first on his Instagram page that border guards at Moscows Domodedovo airport had taken his passport and pulled him aside as he was going through passport control. On Twitter, he said border guards had told him a ruling by court bailiffs barred him from leaving Russia.

Border guards are saying that leaving is forbidden for me. There is some kind of letter that says I am prohibited from leaving, but there is no explanation why, Navalny tweeted early Tuesday. His lawyer, Ivan Zhdanov, tweeted a photo of the vaguely worded document.

Navalny, 42, was on his way to Strasbourg, France, to hear a verdict on a case he filed with the European Court of Human Rights examining whether his numerous detentions during protests in Russia were politically motivated. The court was expected to rule Thursday.

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The ECHR will soon announce its ruling on whether or not my numerous detentions were politically motivated, Navalny posted on Twitter a few hours after being turned back at the border. Apparently, Putins regime thinks that not letting me fly to Strasbourg to hear this ruling will change anything.

A Moscow lawyer whose focus on corruption among Russias political elite has included investigations into high-ranking members of Putins inner circle, Navalny came to prominence during mass political protests against the government in 2011 and 2012.

Navalny later challenged a Kremlin-backed incumbent candidate for Moscow mayor. He lost but got a surprising 30% of the vote, stoking fears in the Kremlin that there might be a viable political opposition to Putins rule.

Later that year, Navalny faced fraud and money laundering charges that he said were politically motivated. Navalny took the case to the European Court of Human Rights, which last year ruled that the convictions against him and his brother, Oleg, were arbitrary and manifestly unreasonable and ordered Russia to pay him compensation.

Since then, Navalnys YouTube channel has gained a huge following, particularly with young Russians.

His Anti-Corruption Foundation has conducted several investigations into the lavish lifestyles of Kremlin elite, and posted the reports on YouTube. The foundations video reports garner millions of viewers.

In 2017, Navalny organized national anti-corruption protests, which quickly turned into anti-government demonstrations, with participants holding signs and banners declaring Putin a thief and demanding his resignation.

Police crackdowns on the protests resulted in thousands of arrests and detentions across the country, including of minors.

Navalny has been arrested and has served several 30-day sentences for organizing unsanctioned protests. He was released last month from his latest 20-day stint in a Moscow jail for organizing protests of the Kremlins controversial pension reforms.

In March, Navalnys attempt to challenge Putins reelection campaign was thwarted by a court ruling saying his previous criminal convictions precluded him from running.

sabra.ayres@latimes.com

Twitter: @sabraayres

Ayres is a special correspondent.Business Engage in Learning launches Suspicious Packages e-learning c ourse

The Four Cs.

13.11.2018 18:50:12 - The recent spate of suspicious packages sent to prominent politicians, businesspeople and celebrities in the USA, along with similar incidents elsewhere including the UK, has prompted the e-learning supplier, Engage in Learning, to release a new e-learning course about dealing with Suspicious Packages.



(live-PR.com) - The recent spate of suspicious packages sent to prominent politicians, businesspeople and celebrities in the USA, along with similar incidents elsewhere including the UK, has prompted the e-learning supplier, Engage in Learning, to release a new e-learning course about dealing with Suspicious Packages.



Kate Carter, Engage in Learnings Operations and Marketing Manager, explained, Its more than likely that an unattended bag - The recent spate of suspicious packages sent to prominent politicians, businesspeople and celebrities in the USA, along with similar incidents elsewhere including the UK, has prompted the e-learning supplier, Engage in Learning, to release a new e-learning course about dealing with Suspicious Packages.Kate Carter, Engage in Learnings Operations and Marketing Manager, explained, Its more than likely that an unattended bag or package is harmless but you can never merely assume that it is. If youre somewhere that could be a target for a bomb threat  such as a government building, a travel hub or a major financial institution - you should also take into account the current threat level.



To minimise the dangers to all concerned  especially members of the public  from an unattended bag or a suspicious package, correct procedures need to be followed, she added. Moreover, those people whore responsible for minimising these dangers need to be confident that they can recognise a suspicious package and deal with it accordingly.



A new interactive training course from Engage in Learning  called, Suspicious Packages - uses real-life scenarios to provide learners with advice and experience about what to do when faced with a bag or package that could be suspicious. Learners face various dilemmas as they journey through these online learning materials - and receive feedback on their choices.



The programme advocates using the HOT procedure (Hidden - Obviously suspicious - Typical) to help those involved decide whether a package is a piece of lost property or whether its suspicious and, potentially, lethal. Furthermore, the course also covers the 4Cs (Confirm, Clear, Communicate, Control) as well as offering advice and guidance on how to judge safe distances.



The course  which is RoSPA approved and forms part of the Engage in Learning Health and Safety series - comes with a downloadable eBook which gives the learner detailed guidance on how to check if a package received in the mail is genuine or not.



This course gives clear guidelines to help learners identify suspicious bags and packages - and how to deal effectively, efficiently and safely with one if they do, said Engage in Learnings CEO, Chris Horseman. Its part of Engage in Learnings series of programmes on Health and Safety Awareness Training.



Our unique Speed-Learning function is now built-in to the course. This allows learners to accelerate the audio without increasing the pitch - thereby facilitating a more engaging learning experience which better matches learners conversational and reading speeds.



The courses speed-learning enabled, multi-lingual, 24/7 accessibility allows users to learn at their own pace and in bite-sized chunks, ensuring they receive the learning input that best suits their own timetables  while placing no constraint on resources or their productivity.



An article on suspicious packages training is available at:



For further details about Engage in Learnings growing portfolio of e-learning materials, visit:



About Engage in Learning

A UK-based supplier of eLearning courses and solutions focusing on helping organisations improve their safety, compliance and performance, Engage in Learning provides engaging and affordable learning thats practical and effective in an organisational setting.



Further information from:

Chris Horseman, Engage in Learning, +44 (0)20 3758 9530,

Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, +44 (0)1727 860405,

or package is harmless but you can never merely assume that it is. If youre somewhere that could be a target for a bomb threat  such as a government building, a travel hub or a major financial institution - you should also take into account the current threat level.To minimise the dangers to all concerned  especially members of the public  from an unattended bag or a suspicious package, correct procedures need to be followed, she added. Moreover, those people whore responsible for minimising these dangers need to be confident that they can recognise a suspicious package and deal with it accordingly.A new interactive training course from Engage in Learning  called, Suspicious Packages - uses real-life scenarios to provide learners with advice and experience about what to do when faced with a bag or package that could be suspicious. Learners face various dilemmas as they journey through these online learning materials - and receive feedback on their choices.The programme advocates using the HOT procedure (Hidden - Obviously suspicious - Typical) to help those involved decide whether a package is a piece of lost property or whether its suspicious and, potentially, lethal. Furthermore, the course also covers the 4Cs (Confirm, Clear, Communicate, Control) as well as offering advice and guidance on how to judge safe distances.The course  which is RoSPA approved and forms part of the Engage in Learning Health and Safety series - comes with a downloadable eBook which gives the learner detailed guidance on how to check if a package received in the mail is genuine or not.This course gives clear guidelines to help learners identify suspicious bags and packages - and how to deal effectively, efficiently and safely with one if they do, said Engage in Learnings CEO, Chris Horseman. Its part of Engage in Learnings series of programmes on Health and Safety Awareness Training.Our unique Speed-Learning function is now built-in to the course. This allows learners to accelerate the audio without increasing the pitch - thereby facilitating a more engaging learning experience which better matches learners conversational and reading speeds.The courses speed-learning enabled, multi-lingual, 24/7 accessibility allows users to learn at their own pace and in bite-sized chunks, ensuring they receive the learning input that best suits their own timetables  while placing no constraint on resources or their productivity.An article on suspicious packages training is available at: blog.engageinlearning.com/blog/suspicious-packages-training-wrapped-up For further details about Engage in Learnings growing portfolio of e-learning materials, visit: www.engageinlearning.com/ About Engage in LearningA UK-based supplier of eLearning courses and solutions focusing on helping organisations improve their safety, compliance and performance, Engage in Learning provides engaging and affordable learning thats practical and effective in an organisational setting.Further information from:Chris Horseman, Engage in Learning, +44 (0)20 3758 9530, chrishorseman@engageinlearning.com Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, +44 (0)1727 860405, bob.little@boblittlepr.com Contact information:

Engage in Learning



Kestrel Court, Waterwells Drive, Quedgeley, Gloucester, GL2 2AT, UK



Contact Person:

Chris Horseman

CEO

Phone: +44 (0) 845 456 0465

eMail: eMail



Web: http://https://www.engageinlearning.com

Author:

Bob Little

e-mail

Web: http://www.boblittlepr.com

Phone: 00 44 (0) 1727 860405 13.11.2018 18:50:12 -

Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party.News Story not available

This story has been published on: 2021-11-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.

This story is no longer available on our site.Thiruvananthapuram : DySP B Harikumar, the prime accused in the Sanal Kumar death case has been found dead inside his home at Kallambalam.

As per the initial reports, he was allegedly hanged himself. The investigation team in the Neyyattinkara murder case had been initiated a massive hunt for Harikumar, who had been absconding after the incident.

More details awaited.The National Police warded off on Tuesday criticism over its perceived apathetic move to arrest Ilocos Norte 2nd District Rep. Imelda Marcos, convicted on Friday in seven graft cases in connection with her financial interests in Switzerland when she served as a Cabinet official during her late husbands term. In an interview on CNN Philippines beamed nationwide, PNP spokesperson Sr. Supt. Benigno Durana, replying to a question on an alleged double standard in the case of Marcos and other people convicted by the courts, said police could not arrest Marcos as yet since the anti-graft court had yet to issue an arrest warrant. At the same time, Marcos, through her lawyer former Court of Appeals Justice Manuel Lazaro, had filed a leave of court on Mondaysuch motion to be heard by the Sandiganbayan on Friday. OmbudsmanAssistant Special Prosecutor Ryan Quilala also said Marcos, who is running for governor of her home province of Ilocos Norte in the May 2019 mid-term elections, would not be automatically jailed since she could still appeal her conviction before the Supreme Court. The PNP on Monday said they were taking into consideration the health of Marcos in complying with the arrest orderstill to be issued by the court. The PNP made the remarks amid allegations that they were favoring the Marcos matriarch as compared to what they have done in the case of Senator Antonio Trillanes. PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde noted that in Trillanes case, they enforced preemptive measures pending the issuance of the arrest warrant but clarified that not all police officers deployed at the Senate were tasked to guard the senator. On Friday, the Sandiganbayan found Marcos guilty beyond reasonable doubt of seven counts of graft due to her financial interests and participation in the management of private foundations in Switzerland when she served as a Cabinet official during her late husbands term.The anti-graft court also sentenced the former first lady to suffer the penalty of imprisonment from six years and one month as a minimum, up to 11 years as maximum for each count of the graft case filed against her. Durana said they could not arrest Marcos yet because the anti-graft court had yet to issue an arrest warrant. [Also] probably because of the fact that there may be a flight risk [in the case of Trillanes] and, at the same time, there may be some risk... as we execute the warrant of arrest, he added. Durana also claimed the Sandiganbayan itself did not seem enthusiastic in having Marcos placed behind bars, based on the statement by one of the prosecutors of the Office of the Ombudsman. In fact, even the Sandiganbayan doesnt show enthusiasm. They made a statement. If I am [not] mistaken, Assistant Prosecutor [Ryan] Quilala said Ms. Imelda Marcos could avail (herself) of filing a motion for reconsideration and at the same time the offense is... bailable, the PNP spokesman said. A motion for reconsideration is a remedy provided under Rule 52 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, as amended, to a losing party in a case and should be filed within 15 days from its notice.The historic, which were seized by American soldiers from a church in Samar at the height of the Filipino-American war, are finally. US Embassy Spokesperson Molly Koscina said, While no specific date has been identified for the return of the bells, the Department of Defense is committed to a timely resolution in accordance with U.S. laws and policy.According to historians, one of the bells is believed to have signaled the attack the Filipinos launched against American troops stationed in Balangiga town in Samar province on Sept. 28, 1901. The attack killed 48 American soldiers and was reportedly in retaliation for oppressive treatment the Filipinos received from the American troops. The American soldiers retaliated, destroying the town and killing thousands of Filipino soldiers and locals in what is now known as the Balangiga Massacre. The American soldiers seized all three bells from the Balangiga Church and a 1557 cannon as war booty. In his second State of the Nation Address called on the US to return the Balangiga bells. Give us back those Balangiga bells. They are ours. They belong to the Philippines. They are part of our national heritage, Duterte said in his speech. Although some US officials opposed plans to return the bells, Koscina said the US Department of Defense notified Congress in August that it intends to repatriate the bells. The decision follows a year-long consultative process with associated veterans organizations and government officials to ensure appropriate steps are taken to preserve the history of the veterans associated with the bells, she said. Meanwhile, a Filipino military professor involved in the impending return of the bells said a change in approach about the significance of the Balangiga bells was the key to the entire process. Retired Consul General and Philippine Military Academy professor Sonny Busa told ANCs Dateline Philippines that his group in the US had to clarify misconceptions that thedoes not equate to dishonoring the 44 Americans who died in the Battle of Balangiga. READ: Balangiga to ring out for PH in Dec. When we cast the message that these bells belong to the people, to call the people to church, then we were able to sway some minds that this is not a military symbol but a symbol of peace, Busa said.It worked now because the approach was not one of blame, but just one of shared interest, a commonality, he added. Busa said it had also became easier to get the US governments nod on the proposal to return the bells after Filipino negotiators earned the support of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the US. The VFW is the largest and oldest war veterans service organization in the United States. For years they have opposed the return of the bells. Only last year, they passed a resolution approving it, he said. Once we got the VFW on our side, it was clear sailing because no politician wants to go against the VFW, he said. He added that the return of the bells to Balangiga will prove that we can move past those bad times and be where we are at today, Busa said. Its about the cooperation and recognition of the relations of US and Philippines, he said. It is supposed to be a symbol of peace and understanding. It will show that the Philippines is a staunch ally of the US, he said. For strong international relations that will benefit the US, it is good to have the goodwill of many Filipinos, he said. And while Duterte pressed for thein his second year of office, Busa said that Duterte was not the only Philippine president who attempted to repatriate the bells. I disagree with the observations that President Duterte is the only one that brought this up, Busa said. President Ramos in 1996 made a big attempt to bring it back, every Philippine president since then has tried to get it but it just fell on deaf ears because of the barriers to understanding, he said.Will Crude Oil Price Find Support Near $60?

Our research team warned of this move in Crude Oil back on October 7, 2018. At that time, we warned that Oil may follow a historical price pattern, moving dramatically lower and that lows near $65 may become the ultimate bottom for that move. Here we are with a price below that level and many are asking where will it go from here?.

We believe the support near $65, although clearly broken, may eventually become resistance for a future upside price move. Our proprietary Fibonacci price modeling system is suggesting a new target near $52~53 and we believe this downside move in Oil is far from over at this point.

The current global climate for Oil is that suppliers are pumping more and more oil into the market at a time when, historically, prices should continue to decline. One of our research tools includes the ability to identify overall bias models for each week, month or quarter. Historically, Oil is dramatically weaker in the month of November and relatively flat for the month of December.

Analysis for the month of November = 11

Total Monthly Sum : -44.52000000000001 across 36 bars

Analysis for the month of December = 12

Total Monthly Sum : -0.699999999999922 across 36 bars

We believe the price of oil will continue to drift lower to target the $52~53 Fibonacci support level before attempting to find any real price support. This equates to an addition -6 to -8% price decline for skilled traders. We will alert you with a new research post as this downward price move continues or new research becomes available.

We have been calling these types of market moves all year and recently called the top in the US Equity markets nearly 40 days before it happened. Want to know what we think is going to happen for the rest of 2018 and into early 2019? Visit www.TheTechnicalTraders.com/FreeResearch/ to read all of our public research posts. Isnt it time you invested in a team of researchers and tools to assist you in finding greater trading success?

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.



Mike Pompeo and John Bolton: Trumps Tag Team of Death and Destruction!

With the welcome departure of war mongering UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, the Trump Administrations neocon tag team of death and destruction  Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor (NSA), John Bolton  have enthusiastically taken up where the repellent Haley has left off. It is highly doubtful that the former Ambassador will meekly return from under the rock in which she crawled, but will reappear possibly as a primary challenger to her former boss in 2020, and, most certainly, as a Presidential contender in 2024.

Last week, Messrs Pompeo and Bolton were dutifully carrying forth Haleys promises of mayhem to anyone opposed to US hegemony even if those enemies have never taken hostile action against the US mainland. Of course, threats and attacks against nations which have done nothing to America have never much mattered to the foreign policy establishment!

Haley Pompeo Bolton Neocon Triumvirate

In one of the most provocative comments ever made by a US diplomat, maniacal Mike threatened Iran with mass starvation of its population (via US sanctions) if it does not submit to Uncle Sams outrageous and humiliating demands. In a BBC interview, the Secretary of State warned that:

[Irans] leadership has to make a decision that they want their people to eat.*

Following up on his genocidal warning, the Secretary of State (with a supposedly straight face) said that Iran was a destabilizing influence in the Mideast and was a state sponsor of terrorism.

Incredibly, the sociopathic Pompeo actually believes that Iran has been the greatest disrupter of peace in the Middle East when, in fact, it has been the nation in which he represents (along with Israel) that has been the real culprit of state sponsored terrorism with its destruction of Iraq, the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, and the attempted regime change in Syria to name just a few of Americas nefarious activities in the region.

A Brown University study shows the absurdity of Pompeos claims. The study estimates that between 480,000 to 507,000 people were killed in Americas post-9/11 wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. For the US, some 60,000 troops have lost their lives or been wounded.***

US Destruction of Iraq US Destruction of Iraq

After threatening genocide of the Iranian people, Pompeo told an outright lie as he accused Iran for the catastrophe that is taking place in Yemen:

[The] Iranians are responsible for the starvation of Yemen civilians.****

No one outside of the Western controlled press or among the clueless American populace believes such a claim and knows that the starvation which is taking place in Yemen has been caused by the USs ally, Saudi Arabia, which America has armed for decades. It is not the Iranians, but the US which is guilty as an accomplice for the genocide taking place in that misbegotten land.

Yemen Drone Stike Yemen Drone Strike

Not to be outdone by his fellow merchant of death, John Bolton focused his most recent bellicose talk on Latin American regimes that have not fallen in line with the US Empires wishes. He labeled three countries as the troika of tyranny in this hemisphere  Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua.** Big Bad John boasted that the three had finally met [their] match in the Trump Administration.

Wow, John, you are so tough, but saying that these three hellholes are a match for the US is a bit much when it is unlikely that the three combined could even defeat Rhode Islands National Guard in a pitched battle!

While Bolton ruled out (for now) military intervention, he did say that sanctions would soon be placed on the troika of tyranny. Bolton proclaimed that Under this administration, we will no longer appease dictators and despots near our shores.

Yes, by all means, a possible invasion by a Cuban/Venezuelan/Nicaraguan juggernaut rolling up to the shores of south Florida should be a concern for all Americans. No telling how much damage inflicted and territory conquered the Latin American Axis could accomplish! It is good that perceptive and ever vigilant foreign policy experts like John Bolton keep a watchful eye out for such threats!

These are dangerous and evil men who think nothing of inflicting pain and suffering upon innocent people who have little control over what their nations leadership does, just as Americans have little say in the policies and actions of their government.

A global empire attracts personality types like Haley, Pompeo and Bolton. It needs such sociopaths to provoke others and stir up troubles where there is none to justify its existence. A more peaceful world will only come about with the demise of the American Empire, not changing the personalities who guide it.

Sadly, for Americans who have to fund it and the peoples of the world who are in its path, until there is an economic collapse and/or a dollar crisis, the American Empire will continue to threaten and, in some instances, carry out those threats led by the likes of Michael Pompeo and John Bolton.

*Tyler Durden, Irans Leadership Must Decide If They Want Their People to Eat  Pompeo. Zero Hedge. 9 November 2018.

**Alex Gorka, US Declares War on Troika of Tyranny Pushing Them Closer to Russia. Strategic Culture Foundation. 7 November 2018.

*** Jason Ditz, US Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan Killed 500,000 People. Antiwar.com 8 November 2018.

****Durden, Irans Leadership Must Decide.

Antonius Aquinas@AntoniusAquinas

By Antonius Aquinas

http://antoniusaquinas.com

 2018 Copyright Antonius Aquinas - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.



Coming just one year after the mighty events of Red October in Russia, power was taken into the hands of the masses. Yet the socialist revolution ultimately failed. The consequences of that failure would be most brutally felt over a decade later with the rise of fascism in Germany and the consolidation of Stalinism in Russia.

The whole of Europe is filled with the spirit of revolution, remarked Lloyd George to the French Premier Clemenceau in March 1919. The ending of the bloody conflict of the so-called Great War of 1914-18 coincided with (and was in effect brought about by) the German Revolution of November 1918.

Why did the revolution occur and why did it fail? Rob Sewell, author of an important new Marxist analysis of this dramatic historical period, Germany 1918 - 1933: Socialism or Barbarism (available through Wellred books) provides an answer to these important questions as we mark the centenary of the 1918 German Revolution.

The date of the German Revolution is normally given as 9th November 1918. But the real impetus had begun on 3rd November, when workers and sailors mutinied at Kiel.

Jan Valtin, a member of the Spartacist League of Youth, relates what happened:

That night I saw the mutinous sailors roll in to Bremen in caravans of commandeered trucks - red flags and machine guns mounted on the trucks

The population was in the streets. From all sides masses of humanity, a sea of swinging, pushing bodies and distorted faces was moving toward the centre of the town. Many of the workers were armed with guns, with bayonets, with hammers.

On their own initiative, the revolutionaries established a Workers and Sailors Council, which took control of the town. That night, workers and sailors carrying torches swept through the narrow streets singing the Internationale and meeting with no resistance. The following day, power was firmly in the hands of the workers in this naval stronghold.

On 4th November, the flames of revolution continued to spread, characterised by red flags flying over official Imperial buildings. On 6th November, Sailors, Soldiers and Workers Councils took power in Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck. On 7th and 8th November, Dresden, Leipzig, Chemnitz, Magdeburg, Brunswick, Frankfurt, Cologne, Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Munich all followed suit. However, it was not until 9th November, the official date of the revolution, that Workers and Soldiers Councils were established in Berlin, the capital, at none other than the Supreme Army headquarters!

Soviets spread

The liberal cabinet of Prince von Baden had met in emergency session on 7th November, with the SPD ministers increasingly shocked by the spread of so-called anarchy. We have done all we can to keep the masses on the halter, stated SDP leader Scheidemann. But far more was needed to subdue the revolution and these leaders proved to be willing and obedient tools.

With the collapse of the old state apparatus, power had fallen into the hands of the armed workers, sailors and soldiers. As in Russia in 1905 and 1917, the masses set up workers councils or soviets, the embryos of workers power.

The councils or soviets were the most flexible and democratic system ever devised. They were elected not on the basis of geographical constituencies, but in factories, offices, farms and other places of work.

Events were moving very quickly and a situation of dual power coloured everything. Not a wheel turned, not a whistle blew, without the workers say-so. The revolution was like a strike, but on a massive scale.

In Berlin, new revolutionary committees were being set up. A Berlin Executive Committee of Workers and Soldiers Councils had been established which acted as a national centre for the councils that had been established throughout the country. In the absence of any elected parliament or assembly, this body was the most representative national body in existence.

Kaiser flees

The old order was at an end. Everywhere the imperial flags were being pulled down and replaced with red flags. Events moved quickly as the Hohenzollern dynasty followed the Romanovs into oblivion.

Kaiser Wilhelm II, Emperor of all Germany, was forced to abandon his Royal palace at Potsdam and the question of his abdication was on everyones lips. Wilhelm had been reluctant to abandon his throne. But Prince Max von Baden, appointed by Wilhelm, announced the Kaisers demise without the decency of telling him.

Then von Baden approached Ebert, the Social Democrat, and asked: If I should succeed in persuading the Kaiser [to abdicate], do I have you on my side in the battle against the social revolution? Ebert replied: If the Kaiser does not abdicate the social revolution is inevitable. I do not want it - in fact I hate it like sin.

The armed mass demonstrations in Berlin terrified von Baden so much that he decided to tender his resignation as Chancellor with immediate effect and hand over the reins of government to the right-wing Social Democrats. But before departing, he pondered the options:

The revolution is on the verge of winning. We cannot crush it but perhaps we can strangle it if Ebert is presented to me from the streets as the peoples leader, then we will have a republic; if it is Liebknecht, then Bolshevism.

The power vacuum had to be filled urgently with a safe pair of reformist hands. The Social Democratic leaders were thus thrust into power.

Ebert began to piece together a new government. He was astute enough to realise that he needed a left cover if he was to succeed and therefore invited the Independent Social Democratic Party to join it. An all-socialist government would be formed, hoping it would be enough to stem the tide of revolution. Eberts first act as Chancellor was an appeal for calm:

Fellow Citizens! I beg of you, leave the streets. A city of law and order!

But the masses did not stay away from the streets. On the contrary, after the factories had been saturated with leaflets calling for an insurrection, workers began marching to the centre of Berlin.

Revolutionary tide

Karl Liebknecht - Berlin 1918Scheidemann, the Majority Socialist vice-Chancellor, heard loud cries from the enormous crowds outside the Reichstag building. I saw the Russian madness before me, the replacement of the Tsarist terror by the Bolshevist one. No! Not in Germany. From the balcony, he announced the news that Ebert had now agreed to become Chancellor of a socialist government. Long live the German Republic!, he proclaimed.

Karl Liebknecht then climbed onto the Reichstag balcony and made a proclamation on behalf of the Spartacist League (the main Marxist group in Germany at the time), which ended with the call for a German Socialist Republic:

We now have to strain our strength to construct the workers and soldiers government and a new proletarian state, a state of peace, joy and freedom for our German brothers throughout the whole world. We stretch out our hands to them, and call on them to carry to completion the world revolution. Those of you who want to see the free German Socialist Republic and German Revolution, raise your hands!

Amongst the assembled masses, a sea of hands was raised in favour of revolution. Shortly afterwards, a symbolic red flag was hoisted on the Emperors flagpole.

Ebert was furious when he heard that Scheidemann had proclaimed the Republic. You have no right to proclaim the Republic!, he shouted.

The revolutionary tide was sweeping aside all before it and the proletariat was on the move. In Berlin, the jails were thrown open and hundreds of prisoners were set free, including Leo Jogiches, the Spartacist organiser.

Another, Rosa Luxemburg, was also released from Breslau prison. On that day, the Reichstag building surrendered without a shot being fired. If the masses had wanted to, they could have taken power peacefully at this time, but they lacked a revolutionary leadership.

Workers power

Berlin Soviet 1918The revolutionary fervour gripping the masses increased, despite the appeals of the Social Democratic leaders. The revolution had conquered the streets and workers and soldiers could feel the potential power in their hands.

However, in the vast majority of cases, the revolutionary workers looked to the leaders of their traditional parties, the SPD and USPD, for a way forward.

On 10th November, a meeting of the Berlin Workers and Soldiers Council, in the presence of 3,000 delegates, officially proclaimed itself the representative of the revolutionary people. Furthermore, it took the decision to appoint a Council of Peoples Commissars under the control of the Executive Council.

However, the only problem was that Ebert had already been appointed the head of the Imperial government by Prince von Baden the previous day. In addition, the Majority Socialists vehemently rejected any suggestion that they should be accountable to the Council's Executive Committee.

However, the leaders of the SPD and the USPD had come to an agreement to set up a six-member cabinet, which adopted the name Council of Peoples Representatives. This was then ratified by the Berlin Workers and Soldiers Council.

For the Workers Councils, it was their socialist government, appointed by them. But rather than purge the civil service, the government chose to rely on the discredited bureaucratic apparatus of Prince Max von Baden.

Given the impact of the revolution, the government tried to balance between these competing forces. It simultaneously rested on the apparatus of the old ruling class but it also had to take account of the power of the Workers Councils. This peculiar development was a direct product of the dual power situation existing in the country.

Social Democrats

Ebert - 1918On 12 November, the new government issued a proclamation addressed to the German people setting itself the task of putting into effect the socialist programme.

The German bosses had no other choice but to make concessions - despite their previous opposition - as a result of the pressure of the revolution. This included the right of assembly, freedom of expression, abolition of censorship, amnesty for political offences, provisions to protect labour and other reforms. Above all, it stipulated that a maximum working day of eight hours will enter into force on 1 January 1919.

While the socialist unity government of Ebert talked in radical terms, even promising socialisation of certain industries, its aim was not the overthrow of German landlordism and capitalism but the introduction of measures to stabilise the situation.

Nobody could deny these were important gains, but militarism had not been eradicated and the power of the old regime was still in place. Despite this, Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg demanded the completion of the revolution and the establishment of a German Workers Republic, but they were in a minority.

The right-wing Social Democrats increasingly acted as a mouthpiece of law and order, behind which stood the capitalists and the military chiefs. They were willing collaborators with the most reactionary sections of society, irrespective of the bloodshed, to achieve this aim. However, Ebert understood very well that the government could not use these forces immediately. They had to wait.

Most ordinary Social Democratic members had no trust in the General Staff and were in favour of some kind of peoples army. This was especially the case with the soldiers councils. Of course, this was anathema to the generals.

As the Quartermaster General Groener later revealed: We made an alliance against Bolshevism There existed no other party which had enough influence upon the masses to enable the re-establishment of a governmental power with the help of the army.

Behind Ebert stood the old order masquerading as democrats, and behind them stood the Freikorps, the reactionary dregs of society.

On 16th December, the National Congress of the Workers and Soldiers Councils was held in Berlin. However, the domination of the SDP elements proved decisive. After a heated debate, the Congress came out strongly in support of the calling of a National Assembly. This was a blow to the revolutionaries. It now looked as if the revolution was slipping through their fingers.

Spartacist Paul Frolich said that, compared to inside the Congress, the social reality outside the Congress doors was very different. It reflected the fact that the capital was politically more advanced than the provinces, while the provinces provided a counterweight to the feelings of Red Berlin, where the USPD had influence. It also reflected the weight of the more conservative soldier representatives, compared to those from the factories.

The mass demonstration which converged on the Congress demanded, among other things, the democratic transformation of the army. As a result, the Congress supported a bill of rights for democratising the military. It demanded: (1) the abolition of the standing army and the establishment of a peoples militia, (2) that all badges of rank be removed, (3) that all soldiers be allowed to elect their officers with immediate right of recall, and furthermore (4) soldiers councils would be responsible for the maintenance of discipline throughout the armed forces.

The SPD ministers, led by Ebert, were faced with an officers revolt. As expected, the Social Democrats capitulated and set out to establish even closer links with the German High Command. To further this relationship, they flagrantly defied the demands and decisions of the Congress.

After the first flush of the November Revolution, the German High Command, in connivance with Ebert, made plans to occupy Berlin with a number of hand-picked divisions of loyal troops to establish a reliable and firm government.

Attempted coup

Christmas crisis - 1918An attempted military coup took place on 6th December, when reactionary troops marched on the Chancellery, proclaiming Ebert as President.

Groeners troops - the shock troops of the counter-revolution - began to arrive in the capital and were greeted by Ebert. It was hoped he would restore order. But within a short space of time, things began to unravel. The ordinary soldiers began to fraternise with the radicalised Berlin workers. The troops had become totally unreliable, which destroyed any plans to impose a dictatorship.

Following on from the failed coup of 6th December, the military leaders, in league with the Chancellor, once more decided to assert themselves. The pretext for this intervention came on 23rd and 24th December, when open clashes occurred between regular army troops and rebel sailors of the Peoples Naval Division. The Division were stationed at the Imperial Palace, in the centre of Berlin. The government clearly saw them as a threat to their authority. Following a government provocation, the angry sailors broke into the Command Headquarters, seized the Chief of Command, Otto Wels, and demanded he sign a document stating the division would not be transferred. But Wels refused and was held hostage by the marines.

On the pretext of releasing Wels, Ebert ordered government troops under General Lequis to intervene using force. But many soldiers refused to obey their officers and the assault came to a chaotic end.

Counter-revolution

The outrage over this attack had serious political repercussions. On 29th December 1918, the left-wing USPD ministers resigned from the government in protest at this bloodbath. This represented a deep governmental crisis. The right-wing Social Democrats now took full responsibility for pursuing the course of counter-revolution.

Towards the end of December, an alliance of monarchists and counter-revolutionary elements of various descriptions (together with the SPD leaders), conducted a vicious witch-hunt against the Spartacist League, the representatives of German Bolshevism.

A murderous atmosphere was being deliberately fostered against Liebknecht and Luxemburg, regarded as the leaders of the revolutionary movement. It was the equivalent of the July Days in Russia.

Many politically backward and reactionary layers were consciously worked up into a state of hysteria about the Spartacists, who were falsely accused of plunging the country into chaos.

This was to result, with the connivance of the SDP leaders, in the tragic murder of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg on 15 January 1919. This opened a new stage in the German Revolution.This week will be an exciting one at the University of Montana  there are many reasons to take notice. While the Brawl of the Wild enthralls our state, well also be hosting the Montana University System Board of Regents meeting where we will highlight the revitalization underway at your UM.

You have heard much conversation about UMs steps to align instructional resources with the size of our student body. These have not been easy, but theyve been deliberate and thoughtful, and theyve reinforced our commitment to shaping informed, engaged citizens and leaders for our great state. We are a smaller institution than we were 10 years ago, but we are a university poised to provide exactly the kind of education students need today.

UM President Seth Bodnar

https://missoulian.com/opinion/columnists/revitalization-at-university-of-montana/article_d637c5bf-deff-5a79-86a2-380129f71b90.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

Many thanks to Frank R. for sharing.The Iranian Army has vowed to defend the countrys commercial shipping vessels from any potential threats after the US warned countries against allowing Iranian tankers into their territorial waters and ports.

Last week, Washington imposed a unilateral ban on the Iranian crude, shipping and banking industries after withdrawing from the 2015 international pact that aimed to curb Irans nuclear program. Earlier, the White House sanctioned Irans auto industry, carpets, metals trading and the countrys access to US dollars.

Read more

Irans armed forces... are prepared today as in the past to protect our fleet of oil tankers against any threats so that it can continue to use marine waterways, Rear-Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, deputy commander of armed forces, told Iranian news agency ISNA, according to Reuters.

The Iranian response came days after the State Departments special representative on Iran policy, Brian Hook, issued a warning over potential risks allegedly connected to dealing with Iranian shipping vessels. According to the official, Irans tankers will lose access to international insurers under the US restrictions, and thus will be a risk to ports and waterways.

Mousavi said that creating obstacles to transportation through international waterways would be unacceptable. Irans armed forces have the preparedness to protect our commercial fleet... as they have in the past 40 years, he said.

Washington also warned countries and port operators about potential sanctions in the event that they keep allowing Iranian ships access to international waterways and port facilities.

The head of Irans Ports and Maritime Organization Mohammad Rastad said the Islamic Republic is planning file a complaint to the International Maritime Organization over cruel US sanctions and restrictions on maritime transport.

Tehran has also threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, the worlds most important oil shipping route, if Washington attempts to stop the Iranian oil exports. A third of the worlds sea-borne oil passes through the strategic artery. If the waterway were blocked, oil prices would rise dramatically.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business sectionAleksey Navalny has been stopped from traveling to Strasbourg to attend a hearing at the European Court for Human Rights. He was told he was unable to leave Russia due to a debt which he says he didnt know existed.

Navalny, one of Russian opposition figures most recognized in the West, intended to travel to Strasburg on Tuesday to personally hear a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The ECHR is expected to voice its decision on one of Navalnys complaints against Russia.

Instead, he was stopped at a Moscow airport and told he could not leave the country. The politician said he was surprised because he didnt know why he would be barred from travelling and posted a picture of himself waiting for clarification.

The reason was soon discovered in a database of the Federal Bailiffs Service, which lists Navalny as having been ordered to pay just over 2.1 million rubles ($31,000) by a court. The entry detailing the debt is dated November 9 and was filed in the Kirov region, not Moscow, where Navalny lives.

Russian law allows the authorities to stop any person with a standing debt of over 30,000 rubles ($440) to be denied permission to cross the border.

Navalny insists that the surprise debt is a ploy by the Russian government aimed at preventing his European visit.

READ MORE: Kremlin critic Navalny agrees to duel with National Guard boss, but not in hand-to-hand combat

Over the years Navalny was defendant in two separate criminal cases involving white-collar crimes, both of which resulted in suspended sentences for him. One of those cases was tried in the Kirov region.

The politician claims he is being persecuted by the Russian government for being an opposition leader and proudly cites his lengthy record of administrative detentions, which he accumulated for regularly organizing protest rallies which violated Russian law. The latest such detention ended in October.

The politician filed seven different complaints against Russia with the ECHR. In one of them the court sided with Navalny, but Russia is currently appealing that decision.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!US objects to Beijings military steps in S. China Sea  Bolton

US objects to Beijings military steps in S. China Sea  Bolton

The United States objects to Beijings unilateral military steps in the South China Sea, and has increased the pace of US freedom of navigation operations in the disputed waterway, US National Security Advisor John Bolton said on Tuesday. He was speaking to reporters in Singapore on the sidelines of meetings this week between the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and external partners, including the US and China. Bolton also said that US President Donald Trump was prepared to hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The statement came after the release of a report detailing undeclared missile sites in the North that had been undergoing maintenance, Reuters reports.Source : RT - Daily news[November 13, 2018] FreakOut Expands to Australasia, Middle East and Russia & CIS, Appoints Leadership Team SYDNEY, Nov. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FreakOut, a global marketing technology company, part of FreakOut Holdings Inc [TSE:6094], has announced its expansion into Australasia, Middle East and Russia & CIS. FreakOut has appointed senior leadership to drive growth in these regions as part of its commitment to deliver best-in-class service and expanded geographical coverage. Narayan Ivaturi, Vice President - FreakOut commented: "When FreakOut selects new geographies, the decision is based on the needs of our clients and agency partners. The demand for our mobile marketing solutions, specifically programmatically available mobile-first in-feed display and video products, demonstrates a huge opportunity in these markets. In Australia alone, Mobile Native Advertising will drive 74% of all ad revenue by 2021. Moreover, in addition to servicing local needs, FreakOut can also launch overseas campaigns in Japan, South East Asia, or globally in our 16 markets and more. To successfully harness this huge opportunity, I am excited to welcome a ne senior leadership team with distinguished credentials." Tasneem Ali, fondly known as Tas, has been named Managing Director, FreakOut Australia and New Zealand. With over 15 years of experience, Tas has successfully maneuvered brand campaigns for brands across Australia. In a span of 3 years, Tas took Australia's first International University from 90% print to 90% online, bringing in revenues of over $1.5M. Prior to FreakOut, Tas was Country Manager for Kiosked, where she brought onboard and managed one of the largest media publishers in Australia. In her new role, Tas will lead business development and strategy, and strengthen FreakOut's product partnerships with publishers. With over 14 years of experience in digital marketing communications, Sadia Akhtar has been appointed as Managing Director, FreakOut Middle East. Alexey Romanenkov has joined the FreakOut family as General Manager, FreakOut Russia & CIS with a remarkable 20 years of digital experience in Russia. Ms Ali, Ms Akhtar and Mr Romanenkov will report into Narayan Ivaturi, Vice President -- FreakOut. About FreakOut FreakOut is a global marketing technology company and the first mobile marketing platform with in-feed native ads and video products in Asia Pacific. Globally headquartered in Singapore, FreakOut has over 3000 premium publishing partners in Asia, and over 600 employees in 17 offices across 16 countries. Visit us at http://foutap.com/. Follow us on https://www.facebook.com/FreakOutGlobal/ , https://www.linkedin.com/company/freakoutglobal/ and https://twitter.com/FreakOutGlobal. SOURCE FreakOut

[ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ]This article is part of State of Health, a series examining health disparities, how they affect Michigan's children and seniors, and the innovative solutions being developed to address them. It is made possible with funding from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.

Senior citizenhood presents new challenges for everyone. But for Lansing resident Dave Devinney, those challenges were almost insurmountable.

Devinney has bad teeth. ("If I were a horse you wouldn't get very much money for me," he cracks.) But he was still was shocked when his dentist told him he needed $60,000 to $80,000 worth of dental work done, even with Medicare coverage.

"I kept waiting for him to go on, to maybe tell me what my other options were or what else was available out there for me," Devinney says. "But he had nothing."

Through his own research, Devinney eventually found Care Free Medical, a Lansing clinic providing low-cost care to uninsured and financially constrained patients. There, he says, he got the work done "practically for free."

"For us older people, who live on fixed incomes and have health issues that seem to get bigger every day, places like that can literally be a lifesaver," he says.

Lansing and many other cities across Michigan are taking steps to better connect older residents like Devinney to infrastructure, policies, and resources that address their unique needs. In 2015, Lansing joined the AARP network of Age-Friendly Communities, which establishes standards for improving older residents' quality of life. Over 300 other American communities have joined the network, including Auburn Hills, East Lansing, Grand Rapids, Highland Park, Lansing, and Southfield in Michigan.

Age-friendly communities are becoming increasingly important as lifespans and senior populations have increased, but they also benefit more than just seniors.



Karen Kafantaris, associate state director for livable communities at AARP Michigan, says "an age-friendly community is a community for all ages."

"Whether you're 8 or 88, it's a place where you can get where you need to go and do what you need to do, a place where you can live your life, no matter how old you are," she says.

The long road to age-friendly status

Inspired by the World Health Organization's Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, AARP has identified eight domains of livability as being critical for all age-friendly communities. They include:

outdoor spaces and buildings;

public transportation;

affordable and accessible housing;

opportunities for social participation;

opportunities for civic participation and employment;

respect and social inclusion;

accessible methods of communication and information access;

and community and health services.

Achieving age-friendliness in all eight domains is a years-long process for most cities. For example, while Lansing joined AARP's age-friendly network in 2015, it's only beginning to implement its age-friendly action plan, developed last year. In all communities the process starts with community conversations, where people of all ages can share what they believe would make their community more age-friendly.

When Southfield began its community conversations after joining the AARP's age-friendly community network last year, city staff learned some surprising things about aging Southfield residents' needs.

"We discovered that most of the seniors in our community don't have access to cable or internet," says Karen Schrock, chair of the Southfield Commission on Senior Adults. "So the assumptions that are made about how much information is available are incorrect. Online info is no good to someone who can't go online. We need a much more grassroots approach."

Attendees at Southfield's community conversations were invited to contribute ideas either in discussion or by writing them down on a sticky note and posting them on a wall. Schrock and her colleagues read and cataloged every suggestion afterwards.

"There are so many barriers to healthcare that people encounter," she says. "The catch is listening to what they are. You won't know what people need until you listen."

Similar efforts have taken place in Auburn Hills.

"In putting together our community conversations, we wanted to hear not just from the current aging population, but also from younger people who would be seniors in the future," says Karen Adcock, Auburn Hills' director of senior services.

Healthcare was a priority for Auburn Hills seniors, and it's one of the major issues city staff have worked to address. Adcock says the city has added a wide variety of health-related services including cooking, fitness, and safe driving classes; a tech class that teaches participants how to access their healthcare records; and affordable public transit to and from doctor's visits for seniors. Adcock says the city has tried to prioritize social, mental, and physical health.

"If you want a healthy community, you have to make all of those things available, and you have to make sure they're available to people of all ages," she says.

Beyond the AARP

Other Michigan cities are making strides toward becoming age-friendly outside the AARP's formal structure. Ann Arbor is one such community, with places like the Turner Senior Resource Center (TSRC) contributing to a vital, age-friendly community by offering a variety of health and wellness programs for seniors.

Paul Clark leads an enhanced fitness class at Turner Senior Resource Center.

"We believe strongly in the fact that social needs and medical needs are all part of the greater whole, that quality of life and wellness are integrated, and social connection is vital to health," says TSRC director Rachel Deweese. "So while people are coming here for specific reasons, the underlying thing that draws everyone is the connections and relationship."

Turner Senior Resource Center director Rachel Deweese.

Some TSRC clients have even created their own programming. Concerned about the documented links between social isolation and failing health, one TSRC client pitched the idea of a group encouraging better socialization between men. The group, known as the "Wise Guys," has been going strong for four years.

Clients' notes on a bulletin board at Turner Senior Resource Center.

Other Ann Arbor organizations focus more specifically on seniors' unique medical needs, like the Senior E.R. at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. Where the usual emergency room experience is loud and chaotic, a senior E.R. focuses on safety and comfort for older adults. The facility offers softer lighting, non-skid floors, hearing assistive devices, reading glasses, pressure-reducing mattresses, and staff trained to connect seniors to appropriate resources in the community.

St. Joseph Mercy Health System was the first to create a senior E.R. in Michigan, and it now has five senior E.R.s in the state. However, it isn't the only organization looking to provide Michigan's aging population with a more age-friendly healthcare experience.

"We've had hospitals around the state reach out to us because they're interested in starting their own senior E.R.s, or because they want to provide a more age-friendly experience for the fast-growing number of seniors in their communities," says Joanne Grosh, regional director of senior services for St. Joseph. "Sparrow in Lansing is one of a growing number of health care systems that's genuinely interested in providing age-friendly health care access."

Whether under the AARP's formalized umbrella or not, providers agree that developing age-friendly communities requires coming together to take a holistic approach to ensuring older residents' wellbeing.

"We look at health in a really broad way," Schrock says. "You can't really address health-related issues without also addressing a host of other concerns as well. ... Health means so much more than just the state of your body."



Sarah Hillman is the news editor at Capital Gains and has been writing stories about issues that impact people's lives for years. She is also the writer and illustrator of a children's book about leadership qualities.



All photos by Doug Coombe.Love Your Park Day touches down on Summit MeadowPennsylvania Horticulture Societys Harvest program ends season with almost 19,000 pounds of produce donated and $30K raised to fight food insecurityWelcome to Morningstar.co.uk!

You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details.Tucked into a small shopping strip across from the Super Kroger on S. Main Street Centerville is a little known place, where you can have a heck of a Food Adventure. It is an unsung, unassuming little business that you may find to be a new favorite go to.

Centerville Pizza and BBQ has quietly been serving up pies and even winning national recognition at pizza competitions. In 2017, they beat competitors in Columbus to catapult them into the Super Bowl of pizza competitions called the International Pizza Competition in Las Vegas. Pizza Chefs from all over the USA were there, as were pizza tossers from Italy, France and Korea. They placed 3rd in the Midwest, making their name on the leaderboard!

They were also featured earlier in 2018 in the national pizza magazine, Pizza Today !

So how come so many Daytonians have yet to try this pizza place?

HERES THE SKINNY on CENTERVILLE PIZZA and BBQ:

 Owner Robert Benson opened the business in 2010.

 The specialize in Pizza, BBQ and Broasted Chicken.

 Homemade dough, homemade BBQ sauces and Specialty pizzas are the hallmarks as well

 They are taking orders for Thanksgiving Smoked Turkeys! Average turkeys are 20lbs, and the price is $60. Pickup 11am Thanksgiving Day! Call for details 438.0223

 Located at 9470 Dayton-Lebanon Pike, they are open for take out, have a couple tables for dine-in, and deliver to a limited area in Centerville.

 Hours of Operation:

Monday  Thurdsay: 11am  10pm

Friday/Saturday: 11am  11pm

Sunday: 3pm-10pm

 They have a full catering menu as well ! BENSON FAMILY TRADITIONS:

In rural Tennessee in the early 1940s, Grandpa Benny owned Bensons Grocery. Locals grabbed groceries, tobacco, fresh foods made from scratch and even moonshine. Grandpa became Moonshine Benny known for his made from scratch foodstuffs as well. Fast forward to his grandson, now in Dayton known as Pizza Benny. He opened, Centerville Pizza and BBQ on June 1st, 2010 with a philosophy of pizza dough made from scratch, the best toppings, homemade sauces and signature sides made from real family recipes!

But what are the best menu items at Centerville Pizza? The Food Adventure Crew has been getting take out and delivery for the past 8 years, and have some research into the must eats. Without further delay, here they are . MUST EATS AT CENTERVILLE PIZZA and BBQ: THE ZOMBIE PIZZA:

Ok , sit back and absorb this one. This is one of the best pizzas you will ever eat. Period. They hit it out of the park with this combination of flavors. The sauce is ranch instead of tomato sauce. Ingredients include fresh garlic, fresh spinach, provolone and mozzarella cheeses, and finished with pepperoni, bacon, fresh diced tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. TRUST US ! Life changing !! THE BROASTED WHOLE WINGS WITH HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE or HOT SAUCE ON THE SIDE:

Talk about amazing flavor, this is a winner chicken dinner for sure. Get the wings broasted and ask for cups of their sauces bbq, mild, medium and hot. Crispy, and delicious fried chicken with a taste you will love. DO NOT forget to get those homemade sauces on the side. PULLED PORK:

Huge serving of pulled pork, and dont forget to ask Bennys crew for extra BBQ sauce and drizzle that stuff on top until you cant drizzle any more. Great as a sandwich or just a fork and the plate. Melts in your mouth goodness. The smoky flavor is great and the prices are right ! Most underrated BBQ in town TRUTH BE TOLD ! CORN BREAD WITH BUTTER ON THE SIDE:

When eating BBQ , you cannot leave out the cornbread here. It is baked to perfection and sold in brownie like bites wrapped in plastic. Ask for butter on the side and you get a cup of liquid butter for dipping. NO trip to Centerville BBQ is complete without it.We will not support the electronic ...By Online Desk

CHENNAI: Air India has removed senior pilot Captain Arvind Kathpalia from the post of Director of Operations following the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association's (ICPA) demand for immediate termination of his services.

This came after the national carrier's board calling him a "repeat offender" who endangers passengers' lives.

In a letter to the Minister for Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, the ICPA said Kathpalia continuing in the top post was "demoralising" for cadres.

Referring to Kathpalia failing the breathalyzer (BA) test on November 11, the ICPA said he endangered the lives of innocent passengers.

"The flight was delayed and the passengers were left stranded. Kindly note this is a repeat offence. The said incident resulted in extremely bad publicity to the national carrier," the ICPA said.

"He has repeatedly tarnished the image of Air India and we request his immediate termination from the board," the ICPA said in the letter sent on Monday signed by T. Praveen Keerthi, General Secretary.

The ICPA said it does not want officials with dubious track records heading operations.

The letter was sent when the Indian aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended Kathpalia's license for three years after he failed a pre-flight breath-analyser (BA) test on November 11 before captaining a New Delhi-London flight.

The ICPA in its letter also said an enquiry against Kathpalia is still pending as on January 19, 2017 in Delhi where he operated flight AI-174 and AI-173 without undergoing BA tests.

"The Delhi High Court has ordered a disciplinary enquiry in the conduct of Captain A. Kathpalia with regard to making an entry in the pre-flight medical examination register and ante-dating the same and to take appropriate action in accordance with law.

"To our knowledge, till date the enquiry is still pending," the ICPA letter said.

"While pilots in Air India are charge-sheeted for skipping the BA test, the company refused to charge-sheet Kathpalia so as to facilitate his promotion as a board member," the letter added.

(With inputs from IANS)By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Indian airline Jet Airways posted its third consecutive quarterly loss in the quarter ended September 30, with rupee depreciation and high fuel costs inflating expenses. On Monday, the cash-strapped company, which has been struggling to pay salaries to pilots and staff on time, announced a consolidated net loss of Rs 1,261 crore for the quarter against a profit of Rs 71 crore in the corresponding period last year.

ALSO READ: Jet Airways to cut flights on some routes after further losses

The airline, like its peer Indigo, saw intense margin pressure due to high aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, with fuel expenses spiking by 58.6 per cent to Rs 2,419.76 crore during the quarter. The number had stood at Rs 1,525.66 crore during the same period last year. Indigo, for its part, has posted its first loss since becoming a listed firm three years ago. Jet Airways total sales however, grew at 6.9 per cent to Rs 6,363 crore.

Jet Airways chief executive Vinay Dube said in a statement that the airline was in the midst of turning the ship around.

The airline is on track to realising most of the outcomes that were outlined as part of the turnaround strategy announced last quarter, said Dube, including cost savings in excess of Rs 2,000 crore over the next two years via strategic initiatives. Other cost-saving initiatives will include sub-fleet simplification, and reduction in sales and distribution cost along with maintenance cost.By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) on Monday signed a deal which will see India lease out part of its underground strategic oil storage at Padur in Karnataka to the firm for storing crude oil. This is the second such pact the country has signed with the UAE firm, with the first having been signed in February for oil storage at Mangalore.

The storage being leased out is part of Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL), Indias strategic reserve entity that has built 5.33 million tonnes of emergency storage in underground rock caverns in Mangalore and Padur in Karnataka and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

ISPRL (Strategic Petroleum Reserve entity of India) and ADNOC of UAE signed MoU to explore possibilities of ADNOC investment in filling up of crude oil in Padur strategic reserve in Karnataka, Indias oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is in Abu Dhabi for the agreement signing, tweeted on Monday.

The agreement allows ADNOC to sell or trade crude oil storage in the storages to local refiners but give the Indian government the first right to the oil in case of an emergency. The deal follows the Cabinet giving the go-ahead for the Padur storage to be leased out to foreign companies under the above conditions.

A third of the Visakhapatnam facility has been hired by Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd, and ADNOC and the Government of India filled the Mangalore storage.By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: State Bank of India, the nations top lender by assets, expects to see gains from consolidation of its associate banks last year in the next two to three years, said SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar on Monday.

In the last one year, we focussed on combining the balance sheets, shuffle stuff and several other integrations to save costs. We have so far rationalised 1,800 branches and it is reflecting in our operational efficiencies, said the chairman adding it will take another two or three years to show better profitability and improve lending capabilities.

On April 1, 2017, five associates and the Bharatiya Mahila Bank became part of the State Bank of India (SBI), catapulting the countrys largest lender to among the top 50 banks in the world.

Currently, SBI is the largest bank, with a market share of 23 per cent.

Addressing the gathering at the Make in Odisha conclave, the chairman said that the lender is ready to fund two-third of the capital requirement for industries to invest in the state. They (investors) only need to worry about the one-third, and we will provide the rest.

As part of its plan to open wealth hubs in 50 centres in the country by 2020, Kumar also launched its wealth business services in Bhubaneswar.

Introducing wealth business has been one of the top strategic business priorities as we have several HNI clients whose banking needs require highly specialised services, Kumar said.

Now SBI Wealth is serving nearly 36,000 customers and is looking to significantly expand client base to 1,25,000 with an AUM of `1 lakh crore in the next two years.

Stating that SBI Wealth had a presence in 25 major centres in the country with a network of 95 Wealth Hubs, he said, the bank was in the process of setting up a state-of-the-art global e-wealth centre at Kochi.Sesa Sen By

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Ruling out the possibility of entering the power and petroleum retailing businesses, Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal on Monday said it wanted to explore the oil and gas business in a big way. The company, he said, will be investing around $4 billion in this sector over the next two years.

There will a strong demand for fuel as the global economy will continue to grow. As the largest private sector oil producer, we want to meet 50 per cent of the oil requirement, from 27 per cent now, said Agarwal, who was here to attend the Make in Odisha Conclave.

The conglomerate will invest about Rs 30,000 crore over three years to raise production of its flagship Barmer field in Rajasthan to 4,50,000 barrels per day (bpd). The oil output from the block, he said, would rise to more than 300,000 bpd next year from 160,000 bpd in FY17.

Stressing that the country should purely focus on crude production, Agarwal said India needed to ease policies further to attract international players to exploration. Foreign majors usually shy away because they dont get fair prices. They will come only when they get international prices, he noted. India currently spends $125 billion on oil imports, which account for 80 per cent of its oil needs as local output has stagnated for years, said the chairman.

Odisha business

To augment the alumina refinery capacity at Lanjigarh three-fold to six million tonnes per annum, Vedanta plans to invest an additional Rs 15,000 crore by 2021. Although the company has invested Rs 50,000 crore in the state so far, the companys net PAT from operation is negative at 12,000 crore due to non-availability of raw materials.

While government companies get 100 per cent coal, private entities are given only 25 per cent or 10 million tonnes which makes it tough to run in a viable manner, he said. Seeking policy intervention, Agarwal said, an increase of just 10 per cent in coal share will support the private sector. Calling the mechanism discriminatory, Agarwal pointed out that the captive power plants set up in the state were starved of coal.By Express News Service

CHENNAI/MUMBAI: Commercial vehicle giant Ashok Leylands long-time chief executive and managing director Vinod Dasari announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing personal reasons. While the Board has accepted his resignation, Dheeraj G Hinduja, chairman, stated that Dasari will continue on MD & CEO until March 31, 2019, to facilitate a smooth transition. Hinduja has also taken over as executive chairman with immediate effect. Dasari has been associated with the company for 14 years, and is widely credited with orchestrating the companys revival from its two-year long slump in 2013 and 2014, when it saw six consecutive quarters of losses.

Market analysts say that while the exit does not change Ashok Leylands capabilities, there could be a short term impact. As huge as Rana Kapoors exit from Yes Bank, says Hardik Shah, Research Analyst, Arihant Capital. Speaking at a press meet in Chennai, Dasari did not reveal specific plans for the future, but staved off any rumours saying that the decision was not a knee-jerk one. I have been thinking about it for the last few years. The company is in a strong position now, so I felt it was a good time for me to resign. It is an amicable separation and it is a purely personal decision as I wish to pursue my personal interests and continue my learning journey, he told reporters.

He went on to add that his focus currently would be to communicate to the employees and other stakeholders about my resignation in the right way so that no fear prevails among them. Hinduja, meanwhile, said that the resignation was something unexpected. The Company has seen tremendous growth during Vinods tenure. He has built a very strong team so I am confident that growth momentum of Ashok Leyland will continue, he said, adding that he would handle responsibilities in the interim period as the Board needs some time to find a suitable replacement.

Hinduja also said the promoters believed that companies need to be run by professionals. Dasari has served as chief operating officer of the firm since April, 2006, and was appointed managing director in April, 2011. The board had reappointed him as chief executive officer and MD in April, 2016, for a five year term.

Sept quarter results

Chennai: Ashok Leyland, a flagship of Hinduja Group, has reported 37 per cent growth in its net profit at J460 crore for the September quarter of 2018-19 financial year, compared to the J334 crore it reported in the same period of the previous year. The companys revenue grew by 25 per cent at J7,608 crore in thequarter under review from J6,076 crore recorded during the same quarter a year ago. The EBITDA in 2FY19 increased by 32 per cent and stood at J806 crore, against J612 crore the company posted in Q2FY18.By Express News Service

BENGALURU: A Deputy Superinendent of Police (DySP) and his two juniors attached to the Armed Reserve Force in Chikkaballapura were arrested by Gangamma Gudi police for robbery on Sunday. The officer and his staff allegedly robbed Rs 3 lakh from an employee of a private firm on Thursday.

The culprits have been identified as DySp Nagendra Kumar (40), assistant head constable Venkataramana, assistant police constable Santosh and their driver Shamsuddin. Three others, Prasad, Manju and Shankar, are still at large. A senior police officer said the prime accused Shamshuddin was behind tricking Shivakumar (41).Shivakumar had Rs 10 lakh in Rs 2,000 notes. Shamsuddin came to know of this and promised to double the amount to Rs 20 lakh in Rs 500 notes.

A convinced Shivakumar, who was in dire need of money, was asked to come near Thindlu near Vidyaranyapura. There, Dy SP Nagendra Kumar along with six men came in a private cab and raided his house saying that they are policemen. They took Shivakumar in a car and snatched the Rs 10 lakh from him and returned Rs 7 lakh before dropping him back. They threatened to kill him if he approached the police.

Soon, Shivakumar came to Gangamma Gudi police and filed a case. A special team swung into action and tracked the vehicle used by the accused. The Dy SP and his subordinates were caught red-handed with the money. After interrogation, they were handed over to judicial custody. The money is set to be returned to Shivakumar after the probe is over.By Express News Service

MADIKERI: Santosh Thammaiah, editor of a local monthly, was arrested in Tumakuru on Monday night for making alleged provocative remarks during an event at Madikeri recently to oppose the state governments decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti.

He was picked up from his residence in Tumakuru and brought to Gonikoppal police station for inquiry. Later in the day, a local court at Ponnampet granted him bail. A complaint in this regard was filed by one Aksar based on a report published in a local daily.

Others  Addanda Kariappa, Sudhakar Hosalli and Robert Rosario  who also spoke at the event  Tipu Karala Mukhagala Anavarana (Exposing the dark faces of Tipu Sultan)  on November 5 have also been named in the FIR. The programme was organised by Prajna Cauvery of Kodagu. Gonikoppal police have taken video clippings of the event.

Santosh condemned the arrest and described it as an insult to the right to freedom of speech. It was an open discussion. Everyone has the right to expression and speech. I am hurt by this anti-democratic development, he told TNIE.

Right-wing activists staged a protest at Gonikoppal to condemn Santoshs arrest on Tuesday. They also formed a human chain from Uma Maheshwari temple to Gonikoppal bus stand.Meanwhile, Hindu Suraksha Samiti has called for a one-hour bandh across the district from noon to 1 pm on Wednesday condemning the arrest.

Support has been pouring in for Santosh in social media with the hashtag IAmWithSantoshThammaiah.

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Prathap Simha tweeted, You timid govt, arrested my dear friend Santhosh Thammaiah. We will fight it out.

Arrest an attack on freedom of press: BJP

Bengaluru: BJP has condemned the arrest of journalist Santosh Thammaiah and termed it as a big blow to freedom of press. Santosh exercised his freedom of speech and expression while speaking against Tipu which is his democratic right. By curtailing this right of a citizen, the Congress-JD(S) coalition government has proved that it has no hesitation in adopting un-democratic means and deliver a sledge-hammer blow on freedom of the media, BJP state general secretary Aravind Limbavali said in a statement. He has demanded the state government to immediately release Santosh Thammaiah and quash the FIR filed against him.K Shriya Sharma By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Its wonderful to have you all be part of this historical day, said Takayuki Kitagawa, the Consul-General of Japan in Bengaluru at the second edition of the Japan Food Fest, which was held on Sunday at Shangri-La Hotel. The fest, organised by the Consulate-General of Japan, saw around 1,500 hungry Bengalureans turn up in their Sunday best to feast on Japanese delicacies at the 25 stalls that were serving up some authentic recipes and ingredients. From gyoza to sushi to ramen to matcha ice cream, Japanese restaurants at the citys five-stars, restaurants and bakeries who had stalls at the fest, were buzzing with activity.

Consul-General Takayuki Kitagawa

The reason Kitagawa said historical was to highlight a special contest happening at the fest, which he said was their way of taking Bengaluru to the world. About two months back, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bangalore (JCCIB) decided to host a contest that would give the city its own special sushi roll. Like the famous California roll, found in Japanese restaurants world-over, the idea was to conceptualise rolls that are inspired by the city and the cuisine of Bengaluru. Fifty six ideas for veg (Banga Roll) and non-veg (Gamba Roll) rolls were thought of by members of the JCCIB, which were then taken up by restaurants here to showcase at the fest. The first hundred visitors to the fest were handed vote cards, on which they could choose the roll of their choice, said Kan Asaine, senior vice president, Finance Division, Toyato, who is also a member of JCCIB.

There were 42 veg ideas and 46 non-veg ones in total. A total of nine restaurants participated, and each prepared 100 pieces of sushi for guests to sample and vote for. The most popular rolls won, added Asaine.The ballot system would then reveal a winner in the two categories. These rolls, would then feature in restaurants here, and hopefully, become regulars at Japanese eateries across the world. For example, 1Q1 Kitchen and Bar on Queens Road, prepared a Gobi Manchurian roll to represent the city, which also had okra and coriander puree. Suzuki, owner of Sakae in Shanti Nagar, said they prepared a Fried Noodle Roll, which was topped with a south Indian curry powder.

Japanese restaurant Harima, which is supposed to be the oldest in the city (started 15 years ago), took home the prize in the Gamba roll category. Talking about their entry, Rithwik Chinappa, assistant manager at Harima, said their roll was all about the Indian flag colours. Their salmon, whipped cream and avacado roll was popular among visitors, despite the ingredients not directly related to Bengaluru. Though salmon is not native to India, avacados can be found to be growing all over Karnataka, said Chinappa.Newly-opened Sarasa Japanese Kitchen in Subash Nagar took home the prize for the best Banga Roll, which represented the Karnataka flag with beans and red and yellow paprika.

There are 1,400 Japanese nationals living in Bengaluru currently, and 509 companies in total. We want to show the world how happy weve been living here. This is the second time were hosting this fest, and didnt expect such a big crowd to show up (last year, around 600 people attended), concluded Kitagawa.By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A British Broadcasting Corporation report on fake news in the country suggests that pro-Modi political activity and fake news overlap, suggesting that the ruling party is actively and effectively peddling fake news about Prime Minister Narendra Modi across social media platforms such as Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook.

ALSO READ | Twitter CEO meets Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, discusses fake news

In this end-to-end research initiative conducted by gaining access to phones from a wide demographic, the BBC found that fake news stories about Indias progress, Hindu power and revival of lost Hindu glory are widely being shared without fact-checking. It has been found that by sharing such messages, people feel like they are into nation-building.

Whilst most discussion in the media has focussed on fake news in the West, this piece of research gives strong evidence to suggest that a serious set of problems are emerging in the rest of the world where the idea of nation-building is trumping the truth when it comes to sharing stories on social media, said Jamie Angus, Director, BBC World Service, in a release.

ALSO READ | Spreading fake information is an organised crime: Prakash Raj

Interestingly, an overview of messages shared on WhatsApp alone suggests that almost 30 per cent of messages have a nationalistic flavour. Further, it has been found that more than two thirds of the messages considered to be nationalistic are about cultural preservation.

Speaking on challenges posed by fake news at the Beyond Fake News Conference organised by the BBC in the city on Monday, actor Prakash Raj attributed this phenomenon to the BJP. They have intermingled nationalism, religion and patriotism and so they flood posts on social media blurring historical facts to push this agenda, Prakash Raj said, drawing parallels to other majoritarian political propaganda and schemes over the last 100 years.

ALSO READ | We are living through history as fake news: Arundhati Roy



While BJP spokesperson Narayan Thirupathy, who also took part in the conference, denied that it was a BJP-driven agenda, big data analytics of networks within Twitter suggests that right wing sources of fake news are closely linked in comparison to left wing sources. This allows right-wing agenda to spread more effectively, thereby reaching a bigger audience.

Despite measures being taken by Google, Twitter and Facebook to combat fake news, activists and media leaders, who took part in the conference, agreed the onus was on the consumer to verify content that he or she receives on social media. In this forest fire of fake news, the people who are trees are also responsible for the spread, Prakash Raj said at the conference, encouraging, journalists and students to question a piece of information before forwarding it.

The conference also included a play by Theatre Nisha, highlighting the simple yet compulsive ways misinformation is spread on social media and advertising.By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: In a crime that has shocked the city, a 23-year-old man murdered his father allegedly for not distributing his post-retirement benefits. M Tarun, a person with disability, attacked his 59-year-old father M Krishna with an iron rod that is used to fix ceiling fans. Krishna was severely injured and died of blood loss, on Sunday night.

Krishna retired as an attender from the Water Works Department in July 2018. He received about Rs 12 lakh as post-retirement benefits. After the death of his wife, about a decade ago, Krishna was living away from his four children -- three daughters and one son -- in a rented flat. The siblings continued to reside at their family home in Meerpet.

While two of the daughters managed a xerox shop, the third girl was studying. Kumar, who was diagnosed with cancer about two years ago, stopped his education.

His leg was amputated during treatment. Krishna allegedly visited his children only once in 15 days. When he came on Sunday, an argument broke out over the money.

Provoked by his arguments, Tarun picked up the iron rod and hit his father on the legs. Krishna started bleeding and collapsed on a chair behind him.

While the incident happened at around 7pm, his children left him there thinking he was sitting there due to pain. However, noticing that he hadnt budged, they tried to wake him at around 12 midnight.

They realised he was not conscious and rushed him to a private hospital where he was declared brought dead. A case has been filed against Tarun and two of his sisters.ABC/Randy HolmesKanye West has once again pushed back the release of his upcoming album, Yandhi.

After performing over the weekend with Kid Cudi at Tyler, the Creators Camp Flog Gnaw music festival in Los Angeles, Kanye tweeted, It felt so good being on the stage last night with my brother Cudi. After performing again, I realize the new album Ive been working on isnt ready yet. Ill announce the release date once its done. Thank you for understanding.

Ye and Cudi performed inside a fish tank suspended in midair, according to Billboard.

Yandhi was originally scheduled to be released on September 29. However, Kanye decided he needed to revise the album, and traveled to Uganda to record more music. He then announced the album would drop on November 23.

West says that one unnamed song on the project will feature Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign.

As Kanye continues to work on Yandhi, hes launched a new line of Kids See Ghosts merchandise on his website, including t-shirts, crew neck sweatshirts, and hoodies.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.By Express News Service

KOCHI: It was glam and glitter competing to reach the top. As a culmination to the most-awaited fashion event, Azzaya Tsugt-Ochir of Mongolia was crowned Miss Asia 2018. In the same event, Assem Yessengeldiyeva of Kazakhstan wristed the Miss Asia Global title. Apple Joy De Guzman Bacay of Philippines and S D Chalani Rathinayaka of Sri Lanka were selected the first and second runners-up respectively.

Miss Asia 2017 Honey Tian crowned the winner. Miss Asia Global title winner, the first runner-up and the second runner-up title winners were crowned by Manappuram Finance Ltd MD and CEO V P Nandakumar.

In the event held at Gokulam Convention Centre in Kochi, nearly 25 beauties from different Asia and Eurasian countries participated. The event was organised by Pegasus chairman Ajit Ravi. The prime partners of the event were Manappuram Finance Ltd and D Q Watches. Joyalukkas, Medimix, T Shine powered the event.

There were three rounds in the contest: national costume, black theme and white gown. The models were supported by the music developed for Pegasus by DJ Harvey Steve.The winners were selected by a professional judging panel comprising Christina Huvang (Global Charity Queen), model Anjali Raut, Yulia Dadova (Miss Eurasia 2014 Top 10), Thoshma Biju (managing editor of Kanyaka) and Honey Tian (Miss Asia 2017).The prize money for Miss Asia and Miss Asia Global has been given by Dr Elizabeth Chaco (Kalpana International). The winners were crowned with the golden crowns designed by Parakkat Jewellers.

The grooming session of the event was handled by an expert panel comprising Aileena Catharine Amon (Miss Glam World runner-up), Sameer Khar (fashion choreographer), Reji Bhasker (fashion photographer), Sudhekshina Thampi (yoga trainer), Dr Thomas Nechipadam (dentist) and Vipin Xavier (fitness trainer).

UT TV, Kalpana International, UT World, Unique Times, Kanyaka, Sanjeevanam, Parakkat Resorts, Gokulam Park, SAJ Earth Resorts, Aiswarya Advertising and Vee Kay Vee Caterers were the event partners.

Subtitle winners

Miss Beautiful Hair - Kazakhstan

Miss Beautiful Smile - South Korea

Miss Beautiful Skin - Vietnam

Miss Beautiful Face - Myanmar

Miss Beautiful Eyes - Iran

Miss Congeniality - Bhutan

Miss Personality - Mongolia

Miss Catwalk - Romania

Miss Perfect Ten - India

Miss Talent - Indonesia

Miss Photogenic - Russia

Miss Viewers Choice - Tibet

Miss Social Media - Vietnam

Miss Fitness - Mongolia

Miss Humanness - Thailand

Gourmet Queen - PhilippinesBy Express News Service

KOCHI: The high-speed Vega 120 of the Kerala State Water Transport Department (KSWTD) will ply on the Fort Kochi-Kamalakadavu-Ernakulam route starting on Friday.The partly air-conditioned ferry began services from Vaikom to Ernakulam on November 5. Transport Minister A K Saseendran is expected to attend the launch of the service on the new route.

The launch of the service which was scheduled to be held on November 10 got delayed after the minister told KSWTD authorities he wanted to attend the function. According to department sources, the minister is yet to confirm his participation.However, the launch will go ahead as per the new schedule at Kamalakadavu at 9:30 am, said a KSWTD officer.

The boat reaches Ernakulam from Vaikom at 9.30 am and returns by 5.30 pm. According to a KSWTD officer, the boat will be conducting services on the Fort Kochi-Ernakulam route in the interim period. There will 12 trips between 9:55 am and 5 pm. The first trip will leave Ernakulam by 9:55 am. The subsequent trip from Kamalakadavu will start at 10:15 am, he said.

Kamalakadavu jetty was chosen for its tourism significance. A single trip can carry 120 passengers, with 40 AC and 80 non-AC seating. The boat will take only 12 minutes to travel from Fort Kochi to Ernakulam. The AC fare is Rs 20 and the non-AC fare is Rs 10. The Rs 1.85-crore vessel can move at a speed of up to 14 knots (around 25 km per hour), said the officer.

Vega 120 is the fastest inland ferry in the state and adheres to fire and other safety specifications. It needs a draft of around one metre, whereas NW-III has around 2-metre depth. The ferry, made of fibre-reinforced plastic, has a very efficient hull form that enables it to move at up to 14 knots speed with just two 170 BHP engines.By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Childline authorities have rescued 359 children during raids and rescue operations from April to October in Krishna district. As many as 75 of them were found working as child labourers in harsh conditions. The authorities prevented 20 cases of child marriages and rescued five from sexual abuse and 14 from atrocities.

Between April and March this year, the regional unit dealt with 1,137 cases related to children and rescued as many as 306 minors from abuse, child labour and child marriage.

While the unit dealt with 147 rescue cases in total this year, an expert says that the number of cases of atrocities against children being registered may be far less as compared to the actual violations taking place in the district.

Speaking to TNIE, BVS Kumar, Chairman of Krishna district Child Welfare Committee, says: Majority of cases related to children are not even registered due to political influences, misuse of power, social stigma etc. In fact, village-level child protection committees have been formed which is yet to go active. These committees will work to identify the problem at its root level instead of rescuing minors later.

To mark this years Childrens Day, the Forum for Child Rights and Women and Child Welfare Department will be jointly conducting week-long programmes with the theme Child Rights Convention (CRC) and Childline se dosti.

As part of it, prachara rathams that will work to educate the public on rights given by the constitution to the children will be launched on November 14.

Child protection committees formed

Between April 2017 and March 2018, 307 children were rescued by the Krishna district unit of Childline dealt with 1,137 cases and rescued 306 minors.

In 2018, it dealt with 507 cases related to them

75 rescued children, below the age of 14, were subjected to child labour

5 children sex victims were rescuedBy Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Poets from across the globe, who had gathered in Vijayawada for the fourth International Multilingual Poets Meet under the Amaravati Poetic Prism 2018 programme, visited the 125-ft high Dhyana Buddha statue at Amaravati on Monday.

E Sivanagi Reddy, CEO of Cultural Center of Vijayawada and Amaravati, which organised the meet, guided them through the post-event excursion. The group of poets, who belonged to countries such as Albania, Arabia, Italy, Jordon, Mongolia, India and Sri Lanka, on being inspired by the statue, composed poetry in their respective languages.

They also paid a visit to Mahachaitya at Dhanyakataka and the Archaeological museum. Sivanagi Reddy told them about the historical significance of Dhanyakataka-Amaravati, Buddhism, and about Acharya Nagarjunas association with the Stupa.By PTI

RAIPUR: A plough-carrying farmer needs an ox, not an 'elephant', Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said on Monday, taking a jibe at the newly-formed opposition alliance between Ajit Jogi and Mayawati, evoking guffaw from his supporters greeting him with monikers like 'Doctor Saheb', 'Mobile Wale Baba' and the most-famous one, 'Chaur Wale Baba'.

As voting got underway across 18 constituencies in the state where he has already ruled for a record 15 years and is making a strong pitch for another five-year term, Singh embarked on yet another busy day of the election campaign with public meetings across several constituencies, while taking feedback and holding review meetings whenever time permitted.

While his own constituency Rajnandgaon voted in the first phase on Monday, the voting will take place in the remaining 72 assembly seats on November 20 in the second phase.

The counting of votes will take place on December 11, along with that for assembly elections in four other states -- neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram.

Led by Raman Singh, the BJP has ruled Chhattisgarh for three consecutive assembly terms ever since a resounding victory by his party ousted the then Congress leader Ajit Jogi's three-year-old government in 2003.

Jogi has now floated his own party (whose poll symbol is a plough-carrying farmer) and has aligned with Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (poll symbol elephant) for the assembly elections.

The opposition parties claim there is a strong anti-incumbency wave against Singh and they have alleged his government of having failed in handling the Naxal menace.

In the outgoing assembly, the BJP has 49 MLAs and the Congress has 39.

The BSP has one MLA and one seat was won by an independent candidate.

While the campaign ended on Saturday for the first phase of elections in 18 seats of Chhattisgarh, the poll fever is still running high with voting more than a week away in a much larger number of seats and the same was visible on a campaign trail of the chief minister on Monday.

Dressed in traditional kurta-pyjama and a saffron-coloured 'Modi jacket' the BJP's party symbol, the Lotus, Singh looked relaxed as he kept looking at his mobile to keep track of voting trends in his home turf and in other Naxal-affected areas.

At least 12 out of the 18 seats where voting took place today are considered to be affected by Maoist violence and tight security arrangements have been put in place in view of the recent spurt in naxal attacks in the state.

Singh began his day taking feedback from his aides on polling and preparations for the day-long campaign tour in three constituencies including Bemetra and Gariaband.

Popularly known as 'Doctor Saheb' being an Ayurvedic medicine practitioner, Singh, surrounded by NSG commandos, drove to the police ground along with his entourage of black Safaris to board a waiting helicopter for Kusumi in Bemetra assembly constituency to address a poll meeting.

Talking to PTI inside his chopper, the chief minister sounded confident about the elections, saying polling was going on peacefully with long queues of people standing outside poll booths.

"Initial response is very good and encouraging," Singh said early in the morning.

"Polling in Naxal-affected Bijapur, Dantewada and other places is going on and the way people are taking part in it shows that they are not deterred by Naxal-violence," Singh said.

People are coming out courageously to vote and initial trends are encouraging and we will win more seats than the 2013 assembly polls in these Naxal-affected areas, he said.

The Election Commission later announced in the evening that the first phase of polling recorded voter turnout of over 70 per cent.

As the chopper was to reach its destination, Singh looked down to see the waiting crowd and cited "a strong foundation of basic infrastructure created by his government in the last 15 years that was now ready to take a long leap of development".

Out of his helicopter, the chief minister was greeted by a large enthusiastic crowd, including women, raising slogans like 'Mobile wale Baba ki Jai' -- referring to a scheme under which as his government is said to have distributed free smartphones to 30 lakh people in the state.

At other places, Singh was greeted as 'Chaur wale Baba' for distributing rice at Re 1 per kg, a scheme aimed at gaining a strong foothold among the people in his 2008-2013 stint which proved a game changer in the Chhattisgarh politics.

The state is known as 'Rice Bowl of Central India'.

Addressing a public meeting, Singh did not miss the opportunity to take a jibe at the recent alliance between the BSP and Ajit Jogi's party, the Chhattisgarh Janata Congress.

"For the first time I have seen the alliance between Hathi (elephant) and a farmer carrying a plough," he said.

"Normally plough is associated with a pair of ox, but here in Chhattisgarh it is joined with an elephant," Singh said as people laughed at his jibe.

After the public meeting, Singh held met local leaders and also enquired about attendance in rallies of top central leaders of the party.

After being told by his aides that the chopper was still being refuelled, Singh said he should have been told earlier about it so that he could have further addressed the gathering.

As he waited for the chopper to get ready, the BJP workers took selfies with the chief minister.

Back on his chopper soon after, Singh waved at the crowd and proceeded for his next poll meeting.By Express News Service

BHOPAL: For sitting MLAs seeking another term in the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha through victory in the November 28 election, the journey to re-election is turning out to be bumpy.The sitting MLAs from both, ruling BJP and opposition Congress are being confronted by voters questioning their legislators about unfulfilled promises and lack of development.

And the anger of voters over unfulfilled promises isn't confined to smaller and obscure constituencies, but is being reported even from VIP constituencies, including Budhni, the assembly seat of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan since 2006.

A video showing CM's wife Sadhna Singh on door-to-door campaigning in Rehti town of Budhni assembly constituency has gone viral over social media. In the video, Singh and other women campaigning for the CM are seen to be confronted by a woman, who questions why despite the CM representing the seat since 13 years, the drinking water woes of local residents remain unaddressed.

Despite the CM's wife and other women campaigning with her, trying to play down the matter, the aggrieved women keep on raising the voice over failure to address the drinking water woes. Importantly, Budhni which also houses the CM's native village Jait, is likely to witness an intriguing poll battle between the CM and former union minister Arun Yadav, who is the Congress candidate.

Around 170 km away, in Hatpipliya assembly seat of Dewas district, two-time sitting BJP MLA and present MP minister of state for education Deepak Joshi too is facing opposition from voters in his constituency over lack of development. In a video presently viral over social media, an embarrassed Joshi is seen surrounded by voters, including elderly men, who are seeking answers for him for lack of development. "We're not begging alms from you, but seeking basic development, as it's we who elected you," the voters are seen telling Joshi in the video.

Other sitting BJP MLAs, among them cabinet minister Umashankar Gupta too has had to face opposition from voters in his Bhopal Dakshin-Paschim constituency over unfulfilled promises and lack of development, while three-time BJP MLA from Indore-5 seat, the former minister Mahendra Hardia too had to leave a public program midway after being confronted by questions of voters about unfulfilled promises in his constituency.

The first-time BJP MLA from Sirmour constituency of Rewa district Divyaraj Singh, who is reportedly facing massive anti-incumbency wasn't able to meet voters in Atraila village of his constituency recently, after he remained answerless to their questions about injustice to upper caste by the amended SC/ST Atrocities Act.

In the adjoining Satna district, Vikram Singh, the BJP candidate from Rampur Baghelan constituency and the son of indisposed sitting MLA and MP minister Harsh Singh, too had to face opposition from voters in a village recently, where villagers shouted slogans "No Road No Vote," forcing Singh to leave the place. And it's not only the sitting legislators of ruling BJP, but also opposition Congress MLAs who are facing embarrassment before voters seeking reply for unfulfilled promises from them.

In Kasrwad assembly constituency (considered the pocket borough of ex-deputy CM Late Subhash Yadav) of Khargone district, Yadav's younger son and sitting MLA Sachin Yadav got a reality check from voters recently at a small public meeting in one of the villages of his constituency.

In a video of the meeting which has gone viral, a villager is seen questioning the claims of Yadav's supporter that efforts by Yadav and his illustrious father have worked wonders for farmers in the constituency. The villager questions Yadav's claims by saying that 40 villages are yet to get water in the canal, which irks the Congress legislator, who responds, saying jyada hoshiyar mat bano (don't try to act too smart).

A similar opposition of voters has also been reported from Rau assembly seat of Indore district, which is presently represented by Congress MLA Jeetu Patwari.By Express News Service

The release of the KGF trailer and the way it has been welcomed universally has impressed celebrities and important members of the film fraternity across the country. With the trailer itself crossing million of views, the Yash starrer has been a hot topic of discussion with people talking about the filming, the actor, director and even the production quality. However, the cinematography by Bhuvan Gowda seems to have attracted the most praise. Bhuvans phone has been buzzing non-stop with calls from various filmmakers from South India as well as Bollywood. However, the cinematogrpaher wants to wait for the movie to release next month before he announces his next move.

I am happy that my work is recognised across other languages. But I want to wait for KGF to release before I make my next move, he says. The actor, started as a DOP with Ugramm and KGF sees him collaborating with director Prashanth Neel for the second time. The film, made in Kannada will also see its release in Tamil, Telugu,Malayalam and Hindi.Rinku Gupta By

Express News Service

When actor Krishna went to shoot deep inside the Marayoor forests in Kerala for Kazhugu 2, little did he imagine that every day there would be an adventure.

Each day, he had to walk an overall distance of 17 km from his hotel to the shooting spot. Spotting wild animals like bison and deer was a daily occurrence, he says. But one day, he encountered a creature inside his hotel room! I was getting out of bed in the morning when my assistant Sundar suddenly yelled for me not to move, or put my foot down. I looked groggily at the floor and spotted a big scorpion right next to my bed. In shock, I crept out sideways and reached the door and waited till it went out. It was quite scary, he says.

Shaken up, Krishna began walking to the shooting spot. But more danger lurked ahead.

I again heard Sundars warning call from behind and froze in my tracks. A big snake lay in front of me, its belly protruding with a recent meal. Though I am a nature lover, these encounters shocked me. I stood absolutely still for a few seconds wondering what to do next. For some reason, the snake did not move; so I quickly jumped ahead and ran.

As his assistants caught up with him, the snake continued to be still.

I was told that since it had just eaten, it was resting. A crew member even took a photo. We were thankful that nothing untoward happened.By Online Desk

Vijay-starrer 'Sarkar' which released on November 6 went on to become a blockbuster despite various issues the film faced both prior and after its release.

Recently, the 'Sarkar' team organized a grand party to celebrate the success of the film. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, who played a crucial role in the film, shared some photos from the party and thanked the people for the overwhelming response for the film.

She said, "The night that was..thank you for the overwhelming response for #sarkar #komalavalli..wooohooo it's a true #blockbuster in every single way against all odds.. the truth did prevail..whattte night..."

The success party was attended by almost all the important crew members including Vijay, Keerthy Suresh, AR Murugadoss, AR Rahman amongst others.

Few days after the film's release, many AIADMK ministers and party cadres expressed their displeasure about certain scenes in 'Sarkar'. The party caders even went on to protest outside various theatres in Tamil Nadu. Many of whom even indulged in damaging the banners and cutouts of Vijay which was placed outside cinema halls.

ALSO READ: PT Selvakumar says Ajith will enter politics if Vijay doesn't

As a result of which, the 'Sarkar' team went on to delete some visuals and mute some dialogues which were termed 'controversial' and 'politically motivated' by the AIADMK.

However, 'Sarkar' was given a thumbs up by the fans despite the mixed reviews the movie got. The film pundits have claimed that 'Sarkar' has crossed the 200 crore mark at the box office, becoming the highest grossing Tamil film of the year.Murali Krishna CH By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Actor Ileana DCruz makes a re-entry in Telugu cinema after six years as the female lead in Amar Akbar Anthony (AAA). Incidentally, both the films have Ravi Teja as the protagonist. Amar Akbar Anthony is really a good film with all the essentials of the commercial genre to make a comeback with, after a hiatus. The film has a wonderful story. This is the first time that Ive played the most complex role that has many layers to it and shows a range of emotions. My role has a different vibe with Amar, Akbar and Anthony. Also, its my fourth film with Ravi (Teja), who has been one of my favourite co-stars, says Ileana, who has dubbed in her own voice for the film.

Career-wise, Ileana is now Mumbai bound and has been doing some interesting work in Hindi cinema. The actor asserts that it wasnt a conscious decision to move away from Telugu cinema. I got my first Hindi film Barfi! when I was doing Julayi. It had a great story and I thought its a good film to be a part of. I spoke to Trivikram (Srinivas) about exploring that opportunity as I hold him in high esteem for his sensibilities as a director. He echoed similar views and I did Barfi! without even knowing how big my role was in it. After that, I ended up being part of several Hindi films and somehow I missed out several offers in Telugu cinema, recalls Ileana, who is optimistic about her second innings.

Unlike her earlier films, she wanted to do something that is worth remembering for a long time. I was 20 when I did Devadas and I dont know how to make a cut. Now Im 32 and theres a remarkable change in my thought process and personality. I have been making some sensible choices and at some stage, you start respecting your work. I didnt know that Pokiri will be a game changer in my career had not Mahesh Babus sister Manjula (Ghattamaneni) convinced me to be a part of it. I like the fact that I made some mistakes and learnt from my failures. Over the years, I have been passionate about my work and wanted to do meaningful cinema.

The actor was extremely shocked to learn that a section of media disrespectfully wrote about her leaving Telugu cinema for Bollywood. People have misconceptions about my career in Tollywood. I was taken aback when people started endless speculations and baseless rumours that Ive quit Telugu cinema and shifted my base to Bollywood. After starting off here and worked for over six years, why would I do that? The reason is I wasnt offered any good work and I was asked to do special numbers which I didnt find it exciting. After some days, I got used to these gossips.

I believe in kismat and felt everything happens for the best, reveals Ileana, who wants to strike balance between commercial and content-driven films. Our conversation veers from films to her personal life as the 32-old star has been playing the guessing game on her marital status with Australian photographer Andrew Kneebone by sharing some suspense hash-tags and adorable pictures on social media. Ask her to comment on her relationship status? She denies getting married to Kneebone and says, Im really happy with my relationship status. Im neither pregnant nor married, just evolved as a person. After coping with depression, I feel like mentally strong again. I have evolved as an actor and the respect on my work has grown enormously. My working relationship with the people has also changed for good. I have said a lot of things on my Instagram page. Jitna mujhe bolna hainutna boldetihun, uske aage main kuch nahin bolungi. I can tell you Im really happy and I like to keep it that way (smiles).

Recently, the #MeToo moment in the industry gathered momentum and not many stars are coming forward to share their thoughts about sexual harassment. Backing the moment, Ileana shares, Its scary to think about coming out and share your painful experiences. But, its time to break the silence. Even small things will make a difference and not just in the film industry, its rampant everywhere. I hope people will probably find a way to sort it out. The Producers Council in Mumbai wanted to form a committee to address these issues.

Any personal experiences? Lets not go there. When I want to talk about it, I will. I suppose its a tricky position and its a weird line what is considered harassment? If you are a victim, you can talk to people and get their advice. Thankfully, Im lucky in that matter. I feel its really unfortunate. Those who face harassment and intimidation will be targeted, become (mentally) weak and such experiences make things horrible for them. No profession be such that you should feel pressurised. There should be mutual respect for the people, declares Ileana.

However, the Khatarnak actor wants to keep a distinct line between her personal and professional space. I hate being called a celebrity and I dont consider myself a superstar. Im an actor and I dont look at anything beyond that. Im a normal person and I go outbuy things, pay my bills, etc. When I started out, I didnt realise that this was something Ive meant to. Now, I realised that not many people get such opportunities and it feels good to see myself here, articulates Ileana.



 Murali Krishna CH

muralikrishna.db@newindianexpress

@onlymuraliColorado just elected a socially liberal, fiscally conservative Democrat as governor; nothing new there. But hes also the the first openly-gay man elected governor in any state. Also the richest Democrat in the House and a member of both the reformist Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Wall Street-owned and operated New Dems. Jared Polis can be almost all things to all people. Last Tuesday he beat Republican Walker Stapleton 1,210,621 (52.3%) to 1,018,072 (44.0%). There was never much doubt that Polis was going to win. And there was even less doubt that politically similar Democrat Joe Neguse would be replacing him in Congress. Neguse beat Republican Peter Yu in the Boulder-centered district 252,220 (60.0%) to 142,617 (33.9%).





Denver Post: The only partisan change in the Colorado congressional delegation was that conservative Democrat Jason Crow beat mainstream conservative Republican Mike Coffman in the suburban Denver 6th district 184,399 (54.1%) to 146,339 (42.9%). So the House delegation went from 3 Democrats and 4 Republicans to 4 Democrats and 3 Republicans, not that big of a chance to merit this headline from the Colorado Republicans conundrum: Donald Trump and the unaffiliated voters who loathe him . Well there was also the legislature. Heading into the election, Republicans had an 18-16-1 majority in the state Senate. Of the chamber's 35 seats, 17 were up for election. Ten were held by Republicans, six were held by Democrats, and one was held by the independent. Democrats won 3 Republican seats and will now control that body. Democrats already controlled the state House and still do. And Democrats replaced Republicans as Attorney General, Secretary of State and Treasurer. Yep wave.





Reporter Nic Garcia wrote that there is a great deal of concern in the GOP about Cory Gardners chance of holding the US Senate seat. Insiders, he wrote, consider Gardners re-election prospects grim unless the GOP can develop a new message. Why all this change? Independents 900,000 unaffiliated voters.

The barn has been completely cleaned out, said David Flaherty, a Colorado Republican pollster. Were trying to learn what motivated them. But youre kidding yourself if you say President Trump didnt have something to do with it.



Long before the results from the 2018 election were known, Republicans especially those running for statewide office faced daunting electoral challenges. Colorado is getting younger; the party has registered fewer than 50,000 new voters since 2014; and the national mood favored Democrats.



Now, according to Flaherty and other political insiders interviewed by the Denver Post this week, the situation is more dire for Colorados GOP. Of most immediate concern: U.S. Sen. Cory Gardners re-election prospects are grim unless the party can develop a new message that appeals to both the Trump loyalists and the independent voters who dislike the president.



Unlike in more conservative states, Colorados Republican Party is split over Trump. The base, especially in more rural parts of Colorado, adores him. And while more of the partys leaders have come to embrace the presidents brashness, power brokers who orbit the party are still repulsed by Trumps worst tendencies.



For Republicans to claw back any power, they need to be turning out more voters in swing counties such as Jefferson and Arapahoe, the latter of which makes up the majority of the competitive 6th Congressional District that Republican Rep. Mike Coffman just lost. Jefferson County, meanwhile, is home to three typically competitive state Senate races that Democrats just swept.



Whether Trump could have helped turn out more Republican voters is an open question.



Trump certainly believes he could have. In a post-election news conference, he called out Coffman as well as other congressional Republicans who distanced themselves from the president and lost their elections.



Whether Republican candidates should have asked Trump for help is a discussion worth having, said Justin Prendergast, a Republican strategist. However, I think not having Trump here gives us a clear analysis on where the base is.



As results came in Tuesday night and it became clear that Republicans were losing massive ground across the state, U.S. Rep. Ken Buck said it was time for the party to rethink its goals and message.



Republicans have lost our brand, Buck said. For example, the party claims to be fiscally conservative, but it has racked up a trillion-dollar deficit, he said.



The Republican brand in Colorado is hurting right now, he said. We need to sit down and have a serious conversation about who should lead.



Democrats have not been shy about their next target: U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner. The Yuma Republican now will be one of only two statewide GOP officeholders.

The Senate map for Democrats in 2020 isnt as bad as it was in 2018 but it isnt a lot better. The party will be looking at a very narrow path to taking back the Senate while defeating Trump. Colorado is a must.By PTI

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court today upheld the conviction of 19 people but acquitted three persons sentenced by a trial court in the 2002 Ode riot case where 23 members of a minority community were allegedly burnt alive during the Gujarat riots.

On a set of appeals filed against the trial court order, a bench of justices Akil Kureshi and B N Karia today upheld the life sentence of 14 convicts as well as the seven-year jail terms given to five others.

Three others, who were sentenced to life in prison by the SIT court, were acquitted by the bench.

The convicts who were acquitted by the high court are Dilip Patel, Lalji Patel and Natubhai Patel.

The high court also upheld the acquittal of 23 others.

An SIT court had, in April 2012, sentenced a total of 23 people, out of 47 accused, in the case.

It had sentenced 18 of these 23 people to life in prison and five to jail sentences of seven years.

One of the accused, who was convicted for life by the trial court, died while the high court was hearing the appeals.

Another accused died while the trial was on in the SIT court.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which probed the case, along with the state prosecution and victims, had sought death penalty for the convicts given life imprisonment and enhanced sentences to those awarded seven-year jail terms.

They had also sought conviction of the 23 people who were acquitted by the trial court.

Twenty-three members of a minority community, nine of them women and as many children, were allegedly burnt to death in a house in the Pirwali Bhagol area of Ode town of Anand district by a mob on March 1, 2002.

The deaths took place two days after the Godhra train fire that had triggered a communal conflagration across the state.

The Ode incident was one of the nine cases that was probed by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT led by former CBI director R K Raghavan.By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday that as many as 74 meetings of the Indian Negotiating Team (INT) took place, including 26 with the French side, from May 2015 to April 2016 on the Rafale deal.

INT was constituted to negotiate the terms and conditions of the procurement of 36 Rafale aircraft.

The INT was headed by the Deputy Chief of Air Staff (DCAS) of IAF and comprised of the Joint Secretary & Acquisition Manager (Air); Joint Secretary (Defence Offset Management Wing); Joint Secretary & Additional Financial Advisor; Finance Manager (Air); Advisor (Cost) and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Plans) as members from Indian Government side.

The French side was headed by the Director General of Armament (DGA), Ministry of Defense, Government of France, it said.

Negotiations between INT and the French side started in May 2015 and continued up to April 2016.

A total of 74 meetings, which included 48 internal INT meetings and 26 external INT meetings with French side were held during the negotiations.

"As mandated by the Defence Acquisition Council, the INT undertook a collegiate process involving due deliberations and diligence at various levels during the negotiations. Aspects pertaining to the responsibility and obligations of French Government, pricing, delivery schedule, maintenance terms, offsets, IGA terms, etc, were discussed and negotiated during these meetings," the Centre told the top court.

India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of the Indian Air Force equipment.

The estimated cost of the deal is Rs 58,000 crore.By PTI

CHANDIGARH: After challenging his Haryana counterpart to conduct surprise inspections at Mohalla clinics in the national capital in a recent letter, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sent another letter to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Monday expressing dismay at not getting any response to his earlier communique.

In the beginning of the month, Kejriwal had written to Khattar expressing his wish to inspect some state-run dispensaries in Haryana on November 12.

Further, he had also invited Khattar to visit 'mohalla clinics', which have been set up by the AAP dispensation, to check the "ground reality" of the health institutions of Delhi.

"I had written a letter to you on November 2, but received no reply. I felt a little bad about this. No matter how many political differences we may have, it is expected that a chief minister will respond to the letter of another CM," Kejriwal wrote to Khattar in his latest letter.

In the communication, the Delhi chief minister mentions about inviting Khattar to visit 'mohalla clinics' in the national capital, while expressing his wish to visit some government dispensaries in Haryana.

"You have not replied to my (November 2) letter. Should I assume that you agree with the fact that hospitals and schools in Delhi have become better and that the condition of schools and hospitals in Haryana is not good?, wrote the Aam Aadmi Party leader.

With state assembly polls in Haryana due next year and AAP eyeing to wrest power from the ruling BJP, Kejriwal said in his letter that this time people are not going to vote on the basis of caste and religion  He told Khattar that the party which raises the standards of schools and hospitals and works for the people's welfare will form the next government in Haryana.

The AAP supremo had challenged the Haryana CM to visit Delhi government-run mohalla clinics after the latter dubbed them as "halla" (chaos) clinics.

"I will inspect some dispensaries in Haryana on November 12. If this date is not suitable to you (Khattar), give me a suitable date, I will come on then," Kejriwal had said in his previous letter.

Kejriwal, who has made multiple visits to Haryana in recent weeks, has been targeting the BJP-led government over "poor" education and health services and urged the people to help the AAP to come to power in the state.By ANI

ISTRES-LE TUBE AIR BASE: Dassault Aviation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eric Trappier in an exclusive interview to ANI rubbished allegations made by Congress Party president Rahul Gandhi that the former lied about the details of the Dassault- Reliance Joint Venture (JV) for offset contracts in the Rafale Jet deal.

"I don't lie. The truth I declared before and the statements I made are true. I don't have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO, you don't lie," said Trappier when asked to respond to Rahul Gandhi's charge that Dassault was covering up for possible cronyism in awarding the offset deal to Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group.

Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference on November 2, alleged that Dassault invested Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company promoted by Anil Ambani which was used to procure land in Nagpur.

"It is clear the Dassault CEO is lying.If an inquiry starts on this Modi is not going to survive it. Guaranteed," added Gandhi.

ALSO READ: Rafale deal: Original Equipment Manufacturer free to choose Indian Offset Partner, Centre tells SC

Speaking to ANI in the Dassault hangar housed in Istres-Le Tube Airbase located North of the French city of Marseille, Dassault's CEO Eric Trappier said that they had prior experience dealing with the Congress party and the comments made by the Congress president made him sad.

"We have a long experience with the Congress party. Our first deal was with India in 1953 with Nehru and other Prime Ministers. We have been working with India. We are not working for any party. We are supplying strategic products like fighters to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Government. That is what is most important," said Trappier.

When pressed further for the reason behind Dassault's choice of Reliance as an offset partner which had no experience in manufacturing fighter jets, Trappier clarified that the money being invested was not going to Reliance directly but in a Joint Venture (JV) that included Dassault.

#WATCH Dassault CEO Eric Trappier clarifies on the pricing of the #Rafale aircrft pic.twitter.com/E21EumrQAt  ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2018

"We are not putting the money in Reliance. The money is going into the JV. I put my know-how free of charge on how to produce people. I have engineers and workers from Dassault who are taking the lead as far as the industrial part of this deal is concerned. At the same time, I have an Indian company like Reliance who is putting money into this JV as they want to develop their country. So the company is going to know how to produce aircraft," added Trappier.

Trappier clarified further about the investments being made by Dassault, adding that Reliance would match the amount since the shareholding pattern is 49% Dassault and 51% Reliance as per prescribed Government norms.

"We are supposed to put in this company together about Rs 800 crore as 50:50. For the time being, to start work in the hangar and to pay workers and employees, we have already put Rs 40 crore. But it will be increased to Rs 800 crore, which implies Rs 400 crore by Dassault in the coming five years," said Trappier.

He added Dassault has seven years to perform offset.

"During first three years, we are not obliged to say with who we are working. We have already settled work and agreement with 30 companies, which represents 40% of total offset obligation as per contract. Reliance is 10% out of the 40, while rest 30% is a direct agreement between these companies and Dassault," Trappier said.

On the pricing issue, the CEO said that the present aircrafts are cheaper by 9 %.

"Price of 36 was exactly the same when you compare with 18 flyaway. 36 is the double of 18, so as far as I was concerned, it should have been double the price. But because it was government to government, there was some negotiation, I had to decrease price by 9%. The price of Rafale in flyaway condition is less expensive in the 36 contract than the 126 contract," he said.

When asked about the initial agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the subsequent breakdown of talks with the Indian PSU for production of Rafale jets, the Dassault CEO said that if the initial deal of 126 jets went through they would not have hesitated to work with HAL and Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance.

#Visuals: First look of the #Rafale jet for the Indian Air Force, from the Istre-Le Tube airbase in France pic.twitter.com/Qv4aJdgjI7  ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2018

"It's because the 126 didn't go smooth that the Government of India had to reconfigure to urgently acquire 36 from France. And then I took the decision to continue with Reliance, and HAL even said in the last few days that they were not interested to be part of the offset. So, it has been done by my decision and the decision of Reliance to invest in a new private company," added Trappier.

He added that Dassault was earlier in discussions with several other companies for offset tie-ups. "Obviously, we could have gone to Tata or other family groups. At that time, the decision to go ahead was not given to Dassault. We were in 2011, Tata was also discussing with other flying companies. We finally decided to go ahead with Reliance as they have experience in big engineering facilities," Trappier said.

Talking about the aircraft, the Dassault CEO explained that the present planes will have all necessary equipments but not weapons and missiles.

"The weapons will be sent in different contract. But the aircraft with everything other than weapons will be dispatched by Dassault," he said.By PTI

AYODHYA/LUCKNOW: One of the plaintiffs in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, Haji Mahboob, Monday welcomed spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's efforts to amicably resolve the Ayodhya dispute, but reiterated that a mosque will always remain a mosque and noting new can be built on its land.

"We are fully aware of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's efforts to amicably resolve the Ayodhya issue. We believe that an out-of-court settlement of the Ayodhya issue will bring long-term harmony and peace between Hindus and Muslims. We fully support and laud his noble efforts," said Hazi Mahboob in a statement.

If the Ayodhya dispute is resolved amicably and mutually, it will be good, he added, in his statement.

While welcoming the spiritual guru's move for a negotiated settlement, Haji Mahboob, however, repeated his old stand and said, "A mosque will always remain a mosque. Muslims have no objection if Ram Janambhoomi temple is built on a non- disputed site, other than the Babri masjid land."

"Every sane person understands this. In the past, some people had derailed the initiative taken by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to resolve the Ayodhya issue. These are the people, who do not want that the Ayodhya issue is resolved," Haji Mahboob added.

The Supreme Court Monday declined an early hearing of petitions in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul said it had already listed the appeals before the appropriate bench in January.

"We have already passed the order. The appeals are coming up in January. Permission declined," the bench said, rejecting the request for early hearing of lawyer Barun Kumar Sinha, who appeared for the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha.

The top court had earlier 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.By Online Desk

In a bizarre incident, doctors at Ahmedabads Civil Hospital found metal pieces such as iron nails, U-pin, hairpin, mangalsutra, chains and bracelets weighing 1.5 kilograms, while operating a womans stomach.

According to a report in TOI, Sangita who belongs from Shirdi in Maharashtra was found in a 'bad mental state' in Shahrkotda area and after a court order, she was admitted to the Government Hospital for Mental Health. When she complained of constant stomach pain, she was transferred to the civil hospital on October 31.

Doctors informed that the woman, who was in her 40s, was suffering from Acuphagiain, a rare disorder where a person is forced to eat metals and other non-edible stuff.

Dr Nitin Parmar, a senior surgeon and his team at the Civil Hospital took two hours to operate Sangita. He said, The womans stomach had become hard-rock. The X-ray revealed a large lump in her stomach with safety pins protruding from her lungs. One pin had even punctured her stomach wall prompting us to immediately operate upon her. The patient also underwent a X-Ray after the surgery to reassure that all metal pieces were removed from her stomach.

Arpan Nayak , a psychiatric social worker at the Government Hospital for Mental Health said that Sangita is under observation and her brother in Shirdi has been informed. However, her family is hesitating to take her as earlier, she fled home thrice, said Nayak.By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Shocked at the Bihar Polices failure to trace and arrest former minister Manju Verma, who had stepped down after the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex abuse case, the Supreme Court on Monday summoned the states Director General of Police (DGP) and sought an explanation.

As the hearing began, a bench of justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta asked if Verma had been arrested. The state governments counsel replied in the negative saying the police had not been able to trace her.

That is fantastic! A (former) cabinet minister is not traceable. Fantastic! How could it happen that a (former) cabinet minister is not traceable and nobody knows where she is? Do you realise the seriousness of this? You have to explain to us how a (former) cabinet minister is not traceable, asked an angry court.

You call the DGP. This is too much, Justice Lokur told the counsel and slated the hearing to November 27. We are quite shocked that a former cabinet minister cannot be traced for more than a month.

Verma is wanted in a case of recovery of ammunition from her house during a raid in connection with the shelter home case.By PTI

PUNE: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has invoked UAPA sections pertaining to acts of terror against the accused arrested in connection with the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.

The CBI made a submission to this effect before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) S M A Sayyad here in Maharashtra on Monday.

"The central probing agency told the court that it has invoked sections 15 and 16 (acts of terror) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused persons," public prosecutor Vijaykumar Dhakane said.

So far, six people, including Hindu Janajagruti Samiti member and ENT surgeon Virendrasinh Tawde, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, have been arrested by the CBI in connection with the killing of Dabholkar.

The CBI had earlier filed a charge sheet against Tawde in 2016 under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder), among other charges.

ALSO READ: Same group behind killings of Dabholkar, Kalburgi, Lankesh: Official

The 90-day period for filing the supplementary charge sheet against the other five accused arrested a few months back is getting over on November 18, Dhakane said.

"Now, since the UAPA sections have been invoked, the CBI will get an extension of another 90 days to file the charge sheet against the accused in the case," he said.

According to the CBI, Andure and Kalaskar had allegedly shot Dabholkar on August 20, 2013 when he was on his morning walk on the Omkareshwar bridge in Pune.

The CBI had earlier claimed that Tawde was the "mastermind" of the conspiracy to kill Dabholkar and veteran CPI leader and rationalist Govind Pansare.

Pansare was shot at by unidentified assailants at Kolhapur in Maharashtra on February 16, 2015.

He died of his injuries four days later.

Besides Andure, Kalaskar and Tawde, the CBI had arrested Rajesh Bangera and Amol Kale and Amit Digvekar in connection with the Dabholkar killing case.

Bangera and Kale are also accused in the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017.By ANI

NEW DELHI: National Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Monday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government saying that it failed to formulate right policies for farmers.

Addressing a gathering here, Pawar said that in spite of discussing the issues being faced by the farmers, Ram temple has become the priority of the ruling dispensation.

He even accused the central government of diverting people's attention.

"Be it loan waiver or other policies, this government failed in formulating right policies for farmers. Today farmers' problems are not being discussed, Ram temple is being discussed. This government has worked towards diverting people's attention. We have to be aware of this," he said.

Pawar had earlier targetted the Prime Minister Modi government over the Rafale deal signed between India and France.By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Centre told the Supreme Court Monday that as per the Defence Offset Guidelines, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) is free to select its Indian Offset Partners (IOPs) for implementing the offset obligation in the deal.

Justifying its stand on the Rafale deal, the Centre said that to promote indigenisation, a robust offset clause has been included in the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) since 2005.

It said the aim was to leverage "our capital acquisitions to develop the Indian defence industry, improve defence research and encourage the development of synergistic sectors such as civil aerospace and internal security".

ALSO READ: Government's response proves CCS not consulted before finalising Rafale deal: Congress

It further said: "The offsets are to ensure that for every dollar that went to a foreign arms supplier, 30-50 per cent get back into India for an investment or procurement. As per DPP-2013, the offset clause would be applicable for all procurement proposals where indicative cost is Rs 300 crore or more involving outright purchase from foreign/Indian vendors and purchases from foreign vendors followed by licensed production."

The Centre said that offset discharge is to be undertaken through various offset avenues like direct purchase of eligible products/services, FDI in Joint Venture and transfer of technology/provision of equipment.

"As per the Defence Offset Guidelines, the vendor/ Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) is free to select its. IOPs for implementing the offset obligation," it said.

ALSO READ: Rafale deal: HAL failed as offset partner due to unresolved issues with Dassault

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of forcing the French company Dassault, which is the OEM in Rafale deal, to select a Reliance group firm of Anil Ambani as an offset partner to help it "pocket" Rs 30,000 crore.

The Centre further said that in so far as the discharging of the offset obligations by OEM and its Tier-I vendors through IOPs is concerned, there is no mention of any private Indian Business House(s) in IGA or Offset Contract.

"The Offset Contract does not envisage manufacture of 36 Rafale Aircraft in India by any public or private sector firm.

As per the Offset Contract, the vendor / OEM is required to confirm the details of IOPs/ products either at the time of seeking offset credits or one year prior to discharge of offset obligation.

ALSO READ: Delay by UPA government in finalising MMRCA process necessitated Rafale deal: Centre tells SC

"The annual offset implementation schedule, as per offset contract, will commence from October 2019. The vendor /OEM is yet to submit a formal proposal in the prescribed manner indicating details of IOPs and products for offset discharge," it said.Makerere Universitys Prof. Noble Banadda has emerged the first African recipient of the Pius XI Golden Medal Award received during the meeting of pontifical academy of science held in Vatican.

The exuberant Prof. Banadda was last night awarded with Golden Medal Award for Scientific Excellence and publication in the education sector.

This afternoon I met the Holy See, Pope Francis at the Vatican and he personally awarded me the Pius XI Golden Medal Award for Scientific Excellence and publication. It is a great honor to me as the first African recipient of the golden award, he said after receiving the accolade in Vatican.



In his remarks to the Pontifical Academy, His Holiness Pope Francis urged the recipients to accord greater attention to the values and fundamental goods that are at the basis of the relationship between people, society and science.

Stories Continues after ad

You, dear scientists and friends of science, have been entrusted with the keys of knowledge. I would like to stand before you as the advocate of the peoples that receive only rarely and from afar the benefits of vast human knowledge and its achievements, especially in the areas of nutrition, health, education, connectivity, well-being and peace,

He prayed that their research be beneficial to all, for peoples of the earth will be fed, given to drink, healed and educated. I bless all of you your work and your initiatives, I thank you wholeheartedly for all that you do, I company you with my prayers but dont forget to pray for yourselves,  read part of the His Holiness remarks.By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of middleman Manoj Prasad in a bribery case allegedly involving CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

Justice Najmi Waziri denied the relief to Prasad, saying the allegations against him were serious in nature and noted the CBI submission that the investigation is at a crucial stage.

Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee and Advocate Rajdipa Behura, appearing for the CBI opposed the bail plea on the grounds that investigation was at a crucial stage and Prasad's case was different from that of other accused.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Prasad, said he has been in custody for nearly a month and he has not been interrogated even once by the CBI during this period.

Prasad had approached the Delhi High Court on Monday seeking bail in the case, following the dismissal of his similar application by a trial court here on November 3.

The trial court had denied bail to Prasad, saying it was not a fit stage to grant him the relief.

Prasad, who was arrested by the CBI on October 17, is currently in judicial custody.

Prasad, Asthana and CBI's Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar have also filed separate petitions in the high court seeking quashing of the FIR against them which are listed for hearing on Wednesday.

In his bail plea before the trial court, Prasad had claimed that he was not required for custodial interrogation and no purpose will be served by keeping him in further custody.

The probe agency had opposed his plea, saying the accused was an influential person and if released on bail, he may tamper with the ongoing probe and flee from justice.

Kumar, who was arrested on October 23, was granted bail by the trial court on October 31.

While hearing Prasad's plea challenging the FIR, the high court had earlier observed that his case was on a different footing from that of Asthana and Kumar.

It had said Prasad was a private person while Asthana and Kumar were public servants and nothing stops the CBI from probing a private individual.

Prasad, a resident of Burj Khalifa in Dubai, has also sought a stay on the investigation by the agency till the disposal of the petition.

The CBI had registered the case against Asthana on the basis of a complaint from Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Sana, facing probe in the 2017 case allegedly involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

Sana alleged that the officer had helped him get a clean chit.

The agency had arrested Prasad in the case when he returned from Dubai.

It was alleged by Sana that Prasad and his brother Somesh had taken Rs 2 crore to arrange a clean chit to him.By PTI

NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over extraction of groundwater, the National Green Tribunal has suggested use of treated sewage water by farmers for agricultural purposes instead of potable water.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said at a time when there is serious depletion of the water table there was a need to switch over to less water consuming crops.

"We do appreciate the difficulties of the agriculturists but the option of providing alternative of use of treated sewage water etc or switching over to less water consuming crops needs to be considered," the bench, also comprising Justice S P Wangdi, said.

"Equally significant is the need for checking contamination of underground water by who are discharging untreated effluents in the earth or in water bodies. Comprehensive planning and execution thereof on the subject with utmost priority is necessary and absence thereof has led to emergency situation in certain areas," it said.

The tribunal was hearing petitions filed by the NGT Bar Association and Raj Hans Bansal opposing the illegal use of groundwater by industries in Delhi.

The NGT said the submission that industries are allowed to extract underground water in over exploited, critical and semi-critical areas after payment of charges is ridiculous and beyond comprehension.

It said in several orders, it noted the apathy of authorities in the last six years and it has no information about steps taken in compliance of earlier directions, except a statement that the Central Ground Water Authority is ill equipped.

"We hardly appreciate the stand that matter is 'under consideration' even after 22 years of a order of the Supreme Court and repeated directions of this tribunal in the last six years.

Accordingly, we direct that whatever is 'under consideration' must be finalised at every level at the earliest but not later than four weeks.

"The mechanism may provide for mechanism of recovery of exemplary damages from violators and forthwith stoppage of illegal withdrawal of ground water and other remedial measures," the bench said.

The tribunal deferred the matter to December 18 and said,"Hearing is deferred with the hope and expectation that substantial steps are taken and any pending matter finalised and notified before that date and an affidavit of compliance filed.

"All other directions already issued may also be complied. We direct the Secretary, Department of Water Resources to remain present on the next date also," it said.Avay Shukla By

A legal fiction is a term coined by sociologists to describe widely held beliefs that may not be capable of being proved; they may even run contrary to natural principles of the universe and nature. The most common and important examples are religion, justice and equality. The first cannot be proved scientifically, the second and third are both against the laws of nature and exist more in the ideal than in the real world. But legal fictions have evolved because they are necessary for a stable and peaceful social order. Precisely for that reason they should not be tinkered with. Indias higher judiciary seems to be missing this point.

Starting (in recent times) from the Jain Santhara case in Rajasthan (in which the Rajasthan High Court held that the voluntary taking of Samadhi by a Jain was illegal and amounted to attempt to commit suicide), to the banning of animal sacrifice in temples by the Himachal High Court, jallikattu in Tamil Nadu, triple talaq and finally Sabarimala, our courts appear to have mounted a full scale assault on the dogmas and traditional beliefs and practices of different religions. In some cases they have had to roll back orders in the face of large scale outrage and defiance, sometimes even by state governments and ruling dispensations. But, as the

Sabarimala order shows, they are unwilling to learn the appropriate lessons.

And the primary lesson is this: do not test one legal fiction by the standards of another, or by the standards of the ideal or logic or science, for then all will fail the test. If, for example, the concept of justice was subjected to the test of equity, fairness and common sense it too would fail and be found wanting. Not without basis did Shakespeare declaim that the law is an ass. Therefore, the judiciary trying to assert its supremacy over religion is a recipe for disaster that can lead to a collapse of the social contract held together by the counter balancing forces of many legal fictions, just as the universe is held in place by the opposing gravitational pulls of millions of planets.

As long as a religious practice or tradition does not physically harm a person or deprive them of a basic fundamental right, there should be no reason for a secular state to interfere. Religious reforms have to come from within, not imposed by the courts at the behest of opportunistic political parties or publicity seeking activists. The reforms in Christianity and Hinduism were driven by people like Calvin, Martin Luther, the Buddha, Vivekananda and Raja Ram Mohan Roy, to mention just a few, not by judges acting on PILs. There are no short cuts to religious reform, it is painstaking work to change centuries old mindsets, and the law invariably follows the change, not precede it. As George Burns said, we should not mix up the legal with the legitimate: for a law or a judicial pronouncement to be legitimate it must be accepted by the majority of people. So far it has not happened in India.

Even worse than unilateral judicial dictats simpliciter are those which are selective in nature and lack consistencyfor example, the Sabarimala and firecrackers judgments of the Supreme Court. Firstly, there cannot be any comparison in the unconstitutionalities involved in the two cases. The first involved only the grievance of a few ladies (none of them, as far as I know, devotees of Lord Ayyappa) that they were not allowed to enter the temple, which is not a fundamental right. The second case involves the healthindeed, life and deathof tens of millions: the report of WHO released on the 29th of October this year says that 100,000 children below the age of five died of air pollution in India in 2016. Eighty people die of the same cause in Delhi every day. And yet, the Supreme Court saw it fit to allow the entry of all women into Sabarimala but did not deem it necessary to completely ban the manufacture, sale and

use of firecrackers. I fail to see the logic or consistency of reform in these cases.

Secondly, one would expect our jurisprudence would be mature and wise enough to sift the essential from the collateral. Surely, the restriction on entry into a place of worship is more integral to a religion than the bursting of crackers? It doesnt make sense to apply the same standards of constitutionality to both, but even that was not done in this casein Sabarimala the full weight of the Constitution was lowered on the temple, while in the firecrackers case the law was relaxed to partially permit the freedom to practice religion and conduct business! Where is the judicial logic in this? We allow a practice that kills millions (more than sati ever did) but declare illegal something that just inconveniences a few.

These are the pitfalls of the lately discovered concept of constitutional morality.

There is no such thing. The Constitution is a legal document, not a moral one, and should be so read: the job of the courts is to interpret law, not morality, for then they intrude into the sphere of faith and widely held beliefs and traditions. The latter is a slippery slope without end, for what else will they question nextthe denial of priestly roles to women? Hereditary practice of appointment of priests and ulemas? Lack of reservation in such appointments? Monopoly of higher castes in the religious hierarchies? Will they order the Catholic church to approve abortion? Will they insist on scientific proof of the existence of various gods? Faith cannot be subjected to the rigours of cold, impersonal, sceptical rationality. Sometimes it takes a poet to express this troubling dilemma in suitable words; here are the words of one of the greatest of them: Khalil Gibran:

Faith is an oasis in the heart which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking.

It should not, for then there will be no oasis left.

Avay Shukla

served in the IAS for 35 years and retired as Additional Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh

Email: avayshukla@gmail.comBy Express News Service

VISAKHAPATNAM: After a wait of about 24 hours and rigorous search operation conducted for half a day, bodies of two of the six youngsters, who went missing in the Yarada beach of Visakhapatnam were traced near the Gangavaram Port area, half a kilometer from the drowning spot, on Monday. The deceased have been identified as K Durga Rao (23) and Nakka Ganesh (17).

It may be recalled that both Durga Rao and Ganesh, along with four of their friends, went missing at the Yarada Beach on Sunday, when they ventured into the sea for a swim.

The joy trip of the 12-member group, all in their early 20s, turned tragic, as 10 of them were dragged away from the shore by a strong current in Yarada Beach, as they were swimming.

While four of them were rescued with the help of community guards and local fishermen, six had gone missing and four of those remain untraced.

Officials and staff of New Port police station were on the rescue job. New Port Police Station Inspector G Somasekhar said, On our request the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) launched search operation by deploying a chopper along with crew in Gemini Boats.

Till Monday evening, two bodies were retrieved and the search operation was stopped as the sea was very rough due to the cyclonic circulation and daylight had also faded. We will continue searches from Tuesday morning. The two bodies have been shifted to the King George Hospital for autopsy.By Express News Service

BENGALURU: With the passing away of Ananth Kumar, BJP has lost more than just a six-time MP from Karnataka. With barely months left for the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP  especially the state unit  has not just lost a crucial consultant and a sure-shot winner but also the balancing factor within the state unit.

Party insiders believe that the demise of Ananth comes as a setback to non-Lingayat leaders in the state BJP while analysts believe that the party has lost a critical strategist.

READ | Ananth Kumar: From teenage activist to face of Karnataka in Delhi durbar

Enough has not been written about the enabling organisational skills of Ananth. He was capable of pointing out the landscape of each constituency individually, its social profile, candidates across parties, including those from the past with no notes. BJP has lost an important strategic voice who looked into the past and relate to the future, said Dr Sandeep Shastry, political scientist, recalling his conversation with Ananth from years ago.

Politicians acknowledged that Ananth had the knack of maintaining friendly relations with everyone cutting across party lines  a trait that many vouch helped him retain his seat of Bengaluru South since 1996.

Unlike his colleagues from Karnataka, Ananth has not made rabid, hateful statements. While his roots were firmly from the RSS, his conduct has not been inciteful, said another political observer.

ALSO READ: The love-hate bond that took Karnataka BJP to new heights

Analysts and party workers alike believe that with Ananths death a crucial link between Karnataka and the Centre is lost.By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Grief descended on Bengaluru South, the Lok Sabha constituency on which he had maintained his stronghold till he passed away on Monday, winning the seat six consecutive times.

Ananth, who won in 1996 defeating V G Rao (Congress), has etched his work in the minds of residents of the constituency. Many loyal voters from the constituency told TNIE that there is definitely a void created with the deaths of two very important personalities this year  Ananth and B N Vijayakumar, BJP MLA, who died a week before the 2018 Assembly polls in May.

READ | Ananth Kumar: From teenage activist to face of Karnataka in Delhi durbar

I have been following him since 1996. I was still in college then, but I remember how he was very popular and was spoken about for his work in Bengaluru. Our entire family has been his loyal voters. His speeches used to be something we would look forward to, said Sai Ram Mohan, a residnt of Vijayanagar.Meanwhile, Rangappa Damodar, 65, a resident of Jayanagar said that Ananth was popular across society.

He has established many schemes for south Bengalureans, including e-Kshema healthcare kiosks. This kind of kiosk, which was the first of its kind in India, really helped people like me. I used to take my wife for regular checkups there. Who could think of getting BP checked for Rs 5, ECG for Rs 25 and blood test for Rs 10, he said.

Prasad M, a member of the BTM Brahman Sabha, said, He was always approachable. Several times we have come to his residence to meet him, and he would always make sure that we were served food and coffee. Even his wife would do the same at their organisation Adamya Chetana. Ali Khan, a BCom student said, Every election we knew that 70% of young voters looked forward to vote for Ananth Kumar. Bangalore South has always been for the Lotus.By Express News Service

KOCHI: Lance Naik Antony Sebastian, an Army jawan who was serving in the border area of Jammu and Kashmir, was killed following unprovoked firing by Pakistan troops on Monday. Antony, 34, is a native of Manakunnam village near Udaymperoor in Ernakulam district. He is survived by his wife Anna Dayana Joseph.

Antony Sebastian

According to the Army, the Pak troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation at around 05.15 pm on Monday. Antony was patrolling the Krishna Ghati Sector (Mendhar) on the line of control (LoC) along with Havildar Marimuthu when the Pakistanm army started shooting. Antony was critically injured and succumbed to gunshot wounds. Marimuthu also sustained gunshot wounds and was critically injured. Immediate resuscitation and medical aid was provided to the soldier and he was evacuated to Military Hospital, Poonch.

Lance Naik Antony Sebastian K M was a brave and sincere soldier. The nation will always remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty, the Army said in a statement.The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively on Pakistan Army posts. The martyrdom of the Indian Army Soldier will not go in vain, the statement added.By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it clear that fresh pleas related to the Sabarimala Temple will be heard only after it decides the earlier petitions seeking review of the judgment allowing entry of women of all age groups into the shrine in Kerala.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said a five-judge bench is scheduled to hear in-chamber the review petitions at 3 pm Tuesday.

Sabrimala: SC bench led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi says writ petitions challenging judgement of lifting age restrictions on women entry in the temple will be heard after the court decides the review petitions during the course of the day @NewIndianXpress  kanusarda (@sardakanu_TNIE) November 13, 2018

"Writ petitions will be heard after the orders in the review petitions," the bench, also comprising justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, said.

The bench stated this while hearing the three fresh petitions filed by G Vijaya Kumar, S Jaya Rajkumar and Shailaja Vijayan challenging its September 28 verdict.

ALSO READ: Sabarimala: State is bound to protect the rights of women pilgrims, Kerala government told High Court

If the apex court decides to review the verdict then the three fresh petitions will be heard along with the review petitions.

But, if the court rejects the review petitions then the fresh petitions will be heard independently on merit.

A batch of 48 petitions seeking review of the judgment would be taken up for consideration in-chamber by a bench of Chief Justice Gogoi and justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra.

On September 28, a five-judge constitution bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had paved the way for the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala Temple saying the ban amounted to gender discrimination.

ALSO READ: Sabarimala Temple was Buddhist temple, Kerala government informs High Court

The top court had on October 9 declined an urgent hearing on the review plea filed by an association which had contended that the five-judge Constitution bench's verdict lifting the ban was "absolutely untenable and irrational".

A plea filed by the National Ayyappa Devotees Association (NADA), which has sought review of the verdict, had said, "The notion that the judgment under review is revolutionary, one which removes the stigma or the concept of dirt or pollution associated with menstruation, is unfounded."

"It is a judgment welcomed by hypocrites who were aspiring for media headlines. On the merits of the case, as well, the said judgment is absolutely untenable and irrational, if not perverse," it had said.

Besides the association, several other petitions, including one by the Nair Service Society (NSS), have been filed against the apex court verdict.

The NSS had said in the plea that as the deity is a 'Naistika Brahmachari', females below the age of 10 and after the age of 50 years are eligible to worship him and there is no practice of excluding worship by females.

"Hence, the delay or wait for 40 years to worship cannot be considered as exclusionary and it is an error of law on the face of the judgement," the plea had said.By Online Desk

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury Tuesday called on DMK President M K Stalin in a bid to take forward the opposition attempt to stitch a mega alliance against the BJP at the Centre, and expressed confidence that such a coalition would indeed take shape. Yechury said that the two parties will contest the upcoming elections in 2019 together.

Yechury said that more than the leaders' 'attitude', it was "people from the ground" who would 'push' them to save India, making them come together.

Following the meeting, Yechury told We have decided today that in Tamil Nadu we will be with the DMK in the forthcoming elections. We are together on the issue of saving the unity, integrity and harmony of the people of India and the country's constitutional institutions."

Stalin tweeted about his meeting with the Left party leader: "Had a good meeting with @SitaramYechury. We discussed in detail about the alliance in order to defeat the BJP government at the Centre in the 2019 General Elections. #RoadTo2019"

Had a good meeting with @SitaramYechury. We discussed in detail about the alliance in order to defeat the BJP government at the Centre in the 2019 General Elections. #RoadTo2019 pic.twitter.com/uipkepTyJ2  M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) November 13, 2018

Responding to actor Rajinikanth's statement, virtually backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a 'strong' man electorally, Yechury referred to the earlier defeats of the late Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2004 and his successor Manmohan Singh in 2014.

Asked about attempts being made by Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, N Chandrababu Naidu and Mamata Banerjee respectively, to cobble together anti-BJP fronts and if a 'Mahagatbandhan' (mega alliance) would become a reality, he said, "It will."

"Political parties would be able to iron out their differences for this purpose More than the attitude of the leaders, it is the people from the ground who will push all the leaders to come together to save India. And it will happen," Yechury said.

He said it was important for all secular-minded parties who value Indian democracy, the Indian republic and unity of the people to come together in defense of the country, and on that basis, to create a better India.

"That is the objective that both Stalin and I share along with all other leaders. We have a common objective and this is going to be done along with all the other secular democratic forces in the country," he said.

Asked if his party would be a part of an alliance whose constituents could be the Trinamool Congress or Congress, the veteran Communist leader said "alliances in India have and will always take place primarily at the state level first. Then on that basis, the national alliance will emerge," he said, adding "things happen only after elections" at the national level, indicating at the possibility of a post-poll arrangement.

Responding to Rajinikanth's statement that Modi was 'strong' electorally, Yechury recalled the poll results of 2004 and 2014, even as he said he was a fan of the actor's films.

ALSO READ: Rajinikanth clarifies remark on BJP being 'dangerous', says Modi stronger than 10 aligning against him

"I have great respect for Mr Rajinikanth as an actor. I am a fan of his films. Fifteen years ago in 2004, when we were in the midst of campaigning (during the then Parliamentary elections),your earlier generation of reporters used to ask us the same question-- who is the alternative to Mr Vajpayee," he said.

It was then said that there was no alternative to the BJP stalwart and how could the BJP be defeated, he added.

"What happened (in 2004 polls, which the BJP lost). After Jawaharlal Nehru, the longest serving Prime Minister uninterrupted was Dr Manmohan Singh. The alternative came (in 2014)," he said in an apparent reference to Modi leading the BJP to a thumping victory. Such things were 'speculative' in nature, he added.

Stalin, on 9 November, had met TDP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is also on a mission to create a grand anti-BJP alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Stalin had told the media after the meeting with Naidu: I have already made a request to all (non-BJP) Chief Ministers and leaders in the country to work together to unseat the BJP, which is keen on snatching away the autonomy of the State governments."

Naidu had said that anti-BJP parties would meet in New Delhi on November 22 to create a common platform and chalk out their future course of action.

The TDP chief had recently met former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and his Karnataka counterpart H D Kumaraswamy as well.

Replying to questions, he said there were only "two platforms" in the country BJP and anti-BJP.

"Political parties should decide which side they are. If they don't join us, it means they are with BJP," he said.

(With PTI inputs)SV Krishna Chaitanya By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The fast-moving cyclonic storm 'Gaja' has drifted southwestwards away from Chennai. As a result, it would cross the Tamil Nadu coast between Cuddalore and Pamban.

Met officials said there would be no damage or threat to Chennai. However, heavy downpour is predicted from November 14 night. Extreme rains are expected in the landfall area of delta belt and southern interior districts and the ghats in the south.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has declared that it would be going ahead with the scheduled launch of GSLV MkIII-D2 mission carrying GSAT-29 on November 14 from Sriharikota. There were some apprehensions over the launch with cyclone track showing landfall close to Sriharikota.

The latest weather bulletin issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) at 8.30 pm on Monday says the storm moving at a speed of 9 kmph during past six hours lay centred about 760 km east-southeast of Chennai and 830 km eastnortheast of Nagappattinam in southeast and adjoining central and southwest Bay of Bengal. It is very likely to move west-southwestwards and intensify further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm by Tuesday and maintain the intensity during Wednesday. Thereafter, while moving west-southwestwards, it is likely to weaken gradually and cross the Tamil Nadu coast between Cuddalore and Pamban as a cyclonic storm around Thursday noon.

S Balachandran, deputy director general of meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, said storm surge of height of about one metre above astronomical tide is likely to inundate low- lying areas of Nagappattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal district of Puducherry at the time of landfall. "Gale wind speed would peak to 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph along and off north Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry coasts from November 14 night onwards. Chennai will receive moderate to heavy rains," he said.

TM Balakrishnan Nair, Head, Ocean Science and Information Services Group (ISG) of Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), said the weather models were forecasting significant wave and swell heights for coastal offshore region of north Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. The wave height would go over 6 metres near Karaikal on Wednesday afternoon.

"Major damages are expected over districts of Cuddalore, Nagappattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal district of Pondicherry," INCOIS official said.

CM discusses precautionary steps

Just as the Meteorological department predicted that cyclonic storm Gaja is likely to cross the coast between Cuddalore and Pamban on November 15, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday chaired a high-level meeting at the secretariat on the precautionary measures to be taken to face the cyclonic storm.

Senior ministers, secretaries of various department and Commissioner of Revenue Administration K Satyagopal attended the meeting.

In the evening, Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan chaired another meeting in this regard. Representatives of National Disaster Response Force, Revenue Secretary Atulya Misra and top police officials took part in the meeting.

8 NDRF teams deployed

The Tamil Nadu government has requested deployment of eight National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams. Chennai, Cuddalore, and Ramanathapuram will get one team each, two teams will be stationed in Chidambaram and three in Nagapapatinam.

"All teams are moving by road and are equipped with flood rescue related equipment, collapsed structure search and rescue equipment, deep divers and paramedics. Our 24x7 control room is closely monitoring the situation and in close touch with the State administration," NDRF said.

6 dams in Tamil Nadu nearing brim

Reservoirs such as Vaigai dam, Sholayar dam, Parambikulam, Aliyar, Bhavanisagar and Amaravathi dams in Tamil Nadu, while Kallada, Idukki and Malampuzha dams in Kerala which are in cyclone field are 80 to 91 per cent full. "Any heavy to very heavy rainfall in the districts of Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Theni in Tamil Nadu and Idukki, Patlanamthitta and Palakkad districts in Kerala are likely to be impacted by the movement of Gaja cyclone due to the potential rainfall forecasts given by IMD. These reservoirs have to maintain strict watch during the period November 16 to 18 and gate operations have to be done taking into account the Standard Operating Procedures," Central Water Commission said.

Action suggested:

1. Total suspension of fishing operations

2. The fishermen are advised not to venture into central part of south and central Bay of Bengal on November 13 and into southwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal during November 13 to 15

4. The fishermen, who are in deep sea, are advised to return to coasts

5. Coastal hutment dwellers are advised to move to safer places. Other people in the affected areas to remain indoorsOver 60 civilians have lost their lives or sustained injuries when the US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group carried out a number of aerial attacks in Syrias troubled eastern province of Deir ez-Zor.



AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Over 60 civilians have lost their lives or sustained injuries when the US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group carried out a number of aerial attacks in Syrias troubled eastern province of Deir ez-Zor.



Syrias official news agency SANA, citing local sources, said that the airstrikes targeted the village of al-Sha afa in eastern Deir ez-Zor on Monday.



The air raids came three days after another coalition airstrike on the city of Hajin in the province killed 26 civilians, including 14 children.



The US-led jets had earlier this month attacked Hijan, killing 15 civilians, mostly women and children, and wounding an unspecified number of people.



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 October 23 that as many as 3,222 civilians had been killed ever since the US-led coalition launched its aerial bombardment campaign in Syria more than four years ago.



The Syrian government has repeatedly asked the United Nations to conduct an investigation into the bloody massacre being committed by the US-led coalition against Syrian people.



The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, in two letters to the UN on Saturday, called on the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities, and propose an independent and international mechanism to help stop the coalitions atrocities, investigate the crimes and punish the perpetrators.





/257By PTI

CHENNAI: Tamil actor Rajinikanth's response to whether the BJP is such a 'dangerous party' that certain political parties are working towards forming an anti-BJP alliance had left everyone surprised yesterday. "If they (opposition parties) are thinking so... then it must be so," he had said.

On Tuesday, the actor has clarified that he had meant "opposition parties believe BJP is dangerous, not him". "People will decide if BJP is a dangerous party," he said today.

Throwing his weight behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajini said he was 'stronger' than '10 persons' aligning against him.

The superstar's remarks came amid speculation that opposition parties are looking at a mega coalition against the Modi government for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"When 10 persons go against one person, who is stronger? Those 10, or the persons they are aligning against. If 10 persons declare a war against one man, who is stronger," he told reporters here when questioned on the possibility of an alliance by opposition parties.

Asked if Modi was "stronger" and whether he was implying it with his statement, the actor said he "can't be more clear."

Asked whether he would align with the BJP, he said it will be decided later.

The actor has already announced he will take the political plunge and contest from all 234 seats in the next Assembly elections, originally due in 2021. He is yet to launch his party.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu recently visited DMK president M K Stalin here as part of his efforts to bring together various parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to dislodge the BJP government at the Centre.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has also been batting for opposition unity against the BJP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a vocal critic of the saffron party led government at the Centre.

Rajinikanth is touted to be inclined towards the BJP, with Modi himself meeting the veteran star on more than one occasion in the recent past, once at his residence here.

His critics have often claimed that he was favourably disposed towards the saffron party.

However, he had on Monday described as 'flawed' the implementation of the much-hyped 2016 demonetisation effort by the prime minister.

"The implementation was flawed. It is a matter that should be discussed in detail," Rajinikanth had said Monday.By PTI

LONDON: Amnesty International on Monday stripped Aung San Suu Kyi of its highest honour over the de facto Myanmar leader's "indifference" to the atrocities committed by the country's military against Rohingya Muslims.

The London-based global human rights organisation said it was revoking the Ambassador of Conscience Award it gave Suu Kyi in 2009 while she was still under house arrest.

"Today, we are profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defence of human rights," Amnesty International chief Kumi Naidoo said in a letter to Suu Kyi released by the group.

"Amnesty International cannot justify your continued status as a recipient of the Ambassador of Conscience award and so with great sadness we are hereby withdrawing it from you."

The group said it informed Suu Kyi of the decision on Sunday.

She has so far issued no public response.

Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party swept to power in 2015 in a landslide victory ending decades of military rule in the southeast Asian country of around 50 million.

But her tenure has been marred by a failure to speak up for Rohingya Muslims who were driven out of the country by the army in what the United Nations has called an ethnic cleansing campaign.

The 73-year-old was stripped of her honourary Canadian citizenship over her failure to speak up for the Rohingyas last month.

She has also lost numerous smaller awards from individual universities and local and regional governments.

More than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims fled the Buddhist majority's western Rakhine state in a military crackdown from August last year.

Many are believed to have been either murdered or tortured and raped.

Suu Kyi was globally hailed as a freedom fighter who stood up to her country's feared military dictatorship while spending 15 years under house arrest.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.By PTI

DHAKA: Bangladesh poll authority Tuesday rejected the opposition's demand to further defer the general elections, a day after it delayed the polls by a week to December 30.

Last week, the Bangladesh Election Commission announced that the 11th general election will be held on December 23.

The Jatiya Oikya Front (NUF)  a political alliance of opposition parties that includes the main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)  has urged the Election Commission to defer the polls by a month.

READ | Bangladesh election day pushed back by a week to December 30

"There is no scope of delaying further the polls as the new Parliament must be formed by January 29," Chief Election Commissioner Nurul Huda said while briefing returning officers here. He instructed the election officials to carry out their duties "neutrally" and "without any fear".

"We have considered a lot to set the date on December 30," Huda said. He said the Parliament will have to sit on January 29 after the election.

"So, there is not enough time. We will need to publish gazettes for all 300 constituencies after the polls. It will take time," Huda said.

"We are happy since all the parties are going to participate in the upcoming election. However, there is no possibility of deferring the election date," the CEC said.

The Election Commission reset the date, saying it was deferred as the opposition announcement appeared "reassuring to the commission" about their participation in the elections.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has welcomed the decision to postpone the elections by a week.

The NUF has not responded yet, but the BNP said the voting date would coincide with Christmas and many foreign observers would not be able to come to Bangladesh to oversee the elections.

"The Election Commission set December 30 as the election day at the suggestion of the government so that the elections can be rigged in the absence of poll observers," BNP spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told reporters Tuesday.

The BNP abstained from the 2014 polls over its dispute with the ruling Awami League on the timing of the polls and emerged as the main opposition party outside parliament. It insists the installation of a non-party caretaker government to oversee the polls.

The NUF emerged two months ago as an opposition platform and floated a seven-point demand including dissolution of parliament to pave way for a polls-time interim government for holding a credible election.By PTI

UNITED NATION: Amid a financial crunch at the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, India has appealed to nations to enhance contributions to the agency, saying this support will be a practical way of expressing continued solidarity with Palestine refugees.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was established by the UN General Assembly seven decades ago, looks after the welfare of 5.4 million Palestine refugees.

ALSO READ | Palestinian teen killed in clashes with Israeli army: Gaza ministry

"However, almost all of the UNRWA's resources come from voluntarily contributions, with a limited donor base. This arrangement is fraught with uncertainties," First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Mahesh Kumar said here Monday.

Kumar, speaking at the UN General Assembly Fourth Committee meeting on the UNRWA, said even core services to the Palestinian refugees, notably in the fields of education, health, and assistance to the most vulnerable refugees are susceptible to interruption.

He said provision of adequate, sustainable and predictable funding would have to be made and additional resource allocation from the regular budget could be considered.

He noted that the UN Board of Auditors in their latest report pointed out that as a result of suspended contributions amounting to 400 million dollars in respect of the years 2017 and 2018, the agency's projected overall deficit is around 450 million dollars.

"This is unsustainable and a cause of concern," he said.

"We appeal to other traditional donors of the UNRWA to consider enhancing their contributions and non donor member states to consider contributing to the UNRWA. This is perhaps the practical way of expressing continued solidarity with Palestine refugees," Kumar said.

The Trump administration had in August said that the US will not make additional contributions to the UNRWA.

Kumar said against the backdrop of the serious resource constraints faced by the UNRWA, India increased its annual financial contribution five-fold to the agency's core budget, from one million dollars in 2016 to five million dollars in 2018.

India is also committed to contribute five million dollars in 2019.

As part of its ongoing assistance programmes in Palestine to strengthen capacity-building efforts focused on institutions, services and training personnel, India provides 150 places for Palestinian professionals every year in its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme.

During the last five years, under an India-Palestine development partnership, 17 agreements have been signed in the fields of agriculture, health care, information technology, youth affairs, consular affairs, women's empowerment and media.

Under those agreements, around 70 million dollars of financial support and project assistance has been offered for projects like post-2014 war reconstruction efforts in Gaza; the construction of five schools; the India-Palestine Centre of Excellence for Informational and Communication Technologies at the Al-Quds University, with a satellite centre in Ramallah.

The India-Palestine Techno-park in Ramallah; a 100-bed super specialty hospital in Bethlehem; an India Studies Chair at the Al-Quds University; the construction of the Palestine Institute of Diplomacy in Ramallah; a National Printing Press; and establishing a Heritage Centre for the Empowerment of Women and Young People.By PTI

SAN FRANCISCO: An internet diversion that rerouted data traffic through Russia and China disrupted several Google services on Monday, including search and cloud-hosting services.

Service interruptions lasted for nearly two hours and ended about 5:30 p.m.EST, network service companies said.

In addition to Russian and Chinese telecommunications companies, a Nigerian internet provider was also involved.

ALSO READ | Google employees around the world walk out to protest against ill-treatment of women

Google confirmed Monday's disruption on a network status page but said only that it believed the cause was "external to Google.

" The company had a little additional comment. The specific method employed, formally known as border gateway protocol hijacking, can knock essential services offline and facilitate espionage and financial theft.

Most network traffic to Google services 94 per cent as of October 27 is encrypted, which shields it from prying eyes even if diverted.

Alex Henthorn-Iwane, an executive at the network-intelligence company ThousandEyes, called Monday's incident the worst affecting Google that his company has seen.

He said he suspected nation-state involvement because the traffic was effectively landing at state-run China Telecom.

A recent study by US Naval War College and Tel Aviv University scholars says China systematically hijacks and diverts US internet traffic.

Much of the internet's underpinnings are built on trust, a relic of the good intentions its designers assumed of users.

One consequence: little can be done if a nation-state or someone with access to a major internet provider decides to reroute traffic.

ALSO READ | Google employees plan global walk-out against workplace harassment

Henthorn-Iwane says Monday's hijacking may have been "a war-game experiment.

" In two recent cases, such rerouting has affected financial sites. In April 2017, one affected Mastercard and Visa among other sites.

This past April, another hijacking enabled cryptocurrency theft. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

ThousandEyes named the companies involved in Monday's incident, in addition to China Telecom, as the Russian internet provider Transtelecom and the Nigerian ISP MainOne.By AFP

TEKNAF: Rohingya Muslims are fleeing Bangladeshi refugee camps to avoid a controversial drive to repatriate them to Myanmar later this week, where the UN says conditions are still not conducive to their return.

Authorities plan to begin returning Rohingya refugees, who have fled what the UN has called ethnic cleansing, to the Buddhist majority country from Thursday. But the prospect has created panic in the camps, prompting some families who were due to be among the first to be repatriated to flee, according to community leaders.

READ | Conditions in Rakhine state 'not yet conducive' for return of Rohingya refugees: UNHCR

"The authorities repeatedly tried to motivate the ones on the returning refugee list to go back. But instead, they were intimidated and fled to other camps," said Nur Islam, from Jamtoli refugee camp.

More than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's western Rakhine state following a military crackdown from August last year, bringing with them stories of murders, rapes and torture. They have joined some 300,000 Rohingya already living in squalid camps in Bangladesh's southeast for years.

ALSO READ | Young Rohingya girls largest group of trafficking victims: UN Migration Agency

Some 2,260 Rohingya are scheduled to enter Myanmar from Bangladesh's southeastern Cox's Bazar district in the first repatriations from Thursday.

Director general of Bangladesh's foreign ministry Delwar Hossain said the refugees would be repatriated in groups of 150 each day during the initial phase.

"Both sides have agreed to start repatriation on November 15," he told AFP on Tuesday, adding it remained a voluntary process.

Confusion and fear

But Nur Islam said the plan has created "massive confusion and fear" among the Rohingya and many were unwilling to return to Rakhine unless they were guaranteed citizenship and other rights.

An AFP correspondent was able to speak to three families who said they were due to leave this week.

"We are truly disturbed by the entire issue. As the day is coming closer, our tension is rising," Mohammad Khaleque, a Rohingya refugee told AFP.

He said he and his family were fleeing their camp for another makeshift Rohingya settlement in Cox's Bazar, in an effort to avoid being forcibly repatriated.

ALSO READ | Ensure safe passage for Rohingyas to Myanmar: US tells Bangladesh

"I don't see a future for my family if we're forcibly sent back home right now without confirming that we would get full Myanmar citizenship," he said. "We don't want to go back like this."

But a small number of Hindus from Rakhine, who also fled the violence alongside the Rohingya, said they were ready to return if the passage was safe.

"We have prepared out bags. We would go today, if sufficient security was provided," said 60-year-old Jyotsna Bala Paul, one of roughly 400 Hindu refugees that community leaders say are ready to leave Bangladesh.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, which received a list from the Bangladesh government on Monday to assess whether the refugees wanted to go back to Myanmar voluntarily, said the start date of November 15 was an "ambitious plan".

UNHCR senior spokesman Chris Melzer said "logistical problems" needed to be solved first.

"This is the matter of the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Although we still think that the conditions are not conducive now for the refugees to return in Myanmar," he told AFP.

The UN assessment may take at least two more days, according to both UN and Bangladesh officials.

Bangladesh refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said the country was ready to start repatriating the refugees via two transit points they have set up at the border.

An AFP team visited both the centres. One appeared complete while the construction of the second was "over 80 percent" finished, according to builders.

A Bangladeshi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted that the Rohingya refugees were not "mentally ready" for returning.

"They often say to us they would rather die here in the (Bangladeshi) camps than to go back and embrace the harrowing pain they have already experienced," he said.By PTI

LONDON: A pregnant Indian-origin woman has been killed after an arrow pierced through her abdomen in a crossbow attack in London, but her baby survived following an emergency Caesarean section.

Devi Unmathallegadoo, 35, was injured in the abdomen during the attack on Monday in Ilford area of east London.

She died in a local hospital, where medics delivered her son.

On Tuesday, Scotland Yard officers charged Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, 50, with the murder of a 35-year-old woman, believed to be his former partner.

"The victim was found suffering an abdominal injury. She was taken to hospital where she later died," the Metropolitan Police said.

"This is a tragic incident and our sympathies are with the loved ones and friends of the victim," added Detective Chief Inspector Gary Holmes of the Met Police's Homicide and Major Crime Command, which is leading the murder investigation.

Devi Unmathallegadoo was known locally as Sana Muhammad after reportedly converting to Islam when she married her husband Imtiaz Muhammad around seven years ago.

She had three children, aged 18, 14 and 12, with her former partner and two young girls, aged five and two, with Muhammad.

The baby boy who was born as a result of an emergency Caesarean operation on Monday has been named Ibrahim by his father.

"She was a wonderful mother and wife. We were together seven years. I am heartbroken; we were inseparable," Imtiaz Muhammad told the 'Evening Standard' newspaper.

The 42-year-old was at home when he noticed the attacker in their shed with a loaded crossbow.

He ran back into the home to alert his wife and children, but she was shot with the arrow in her abdomen soon after.

"The arrow went up into her heart but did not touch the unborn baby. The baby was due in four weeks. They operated with the arrow still in because it would have been too dangerous to take out," he said.

Neighbours heard Muhammad screaming for help outside the house and described seeing a 30-cm-long crossbow being carried out of the home by police officers as evidence.

Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo remains in custody and will now appear before the Old Bailey court in London on Thursday.By PTI

NEW YORK: Pakistan is failing to educate a huge proportion of the country's girls due to shortage of government schools, under-investment in schools, as well as gender discrimination and child marriage, Human Rights Watch, said in a report.

The 111-page report, 'Shall I Feed My Daughter, or Educate Her?': Barriers to Girls' Education in Pakistan,' said that many girls have no access to education.

Nearly 22.5 million of Pakistan's children 'in a country with a population of just over 200 million' are out of school, the majority of them girls.

Thirty-two per cent of primary school age girls are out of school in Pakistan, compared with 21 per cent of boys.

By ninth grade, only 13 per cent of girls are still in school.

"The Pakistan government's failure to educate children is having a devastating impact on millions of girls," women's rights director at Human Rights Watch Liesl Gerntholtz said adding that many of the girls are desperate to study, but instead are growing up without the education that would help them have options for their future.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 209 people for the report 'most of them with girls who never attended school or were unable to complete their education and their families' in all four of Pakistan's provinces: Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh.

Human Rights Watch also interviewed parents, educators, experts, and activists, and visited schools.

Human Rights Watch said factors keeping girls out of school include the government's under-investment in schools, lack of schools, prohibitive school fees and related costs, corporal punishment, and a failure to enforce compulsory education.

Poor quality within both government and low-cost private schools, a lack of government regulation of private schools, and corruption also add to the reasons girls are forced to stay out of school.

In addition to these factors within the education system, girls are also blocked from attending school by external factors including child labour, gender discrimination, child marriage, sexual harassment, insecurity, and attacks on education.

The Pakistan government has consistently invested far less in education than is recommended by international standards.

As of 2017, Pakistan was spending less than 2.8 per cent of its gross domestic product on education 'far below the recommended four to six per cent' leaving the government's education system severely under-funded.

Government schools are in such short supply that even in Pakistan's major cities, many children cannot reach a school on foot safely in a reasonable amount of time.

The situation is far worse in rural areas and there are many more schools for boys than for girls, the rights group said.

"Even parents who are not educated themselves understand that their daughters' future depends on them going to school, but the government is abandoning these families," Gerntholtz said.Reporter

Lyndsay Jones is a reporter covering education at The News-Gazette. Her email is ljones@news-gazette, and you can follow her on Twitter (@__lyndsayjones).One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021THE disturbances that led to the death of six people and damage to property on August 1 could have been avoided if the MDC-Alliance had allowed the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to announce presidential results as enshrined in the law without hindrance, the commissions chairperson, Justice Priscilla Chigumba, has said.



Testifying before the Commission of Inquiry into the August 1 incident, Justice Chigumba said the loss of life on that particular day was regrettable. She said the incident took the commission by surprise as the build up to the election day was peaceful.



Justice Chigumba said the MDC-Alliance, particularly its leadership, displayed wanton disregard of the law even before the elections by making provocative statements and threatening to make unofficial announcement of the election results.







The killings and shootings of 1 August are regrettable and the commission joins the nation in condemning the use of such force which led to the loss of life, she said.





It is the commissions view that such action could have been avoided if the process of results collation and announcement had been allowed to take its course in accordance with the law. According to the commission, this action can only be attributed to the following things, firstly the deliberate disregard of the electoral law by some political parties.





The country has a clear legal framework that governs the conduct of elections which provides when results of the presidential election are to be announced. However, in this case there was clear and deliberate flouting of the law by some political players who surprisingly are officers of the court but deliberately misled their supporters for political mileage.





The commission also noted that the MDC-Alliance leadership, before the official results were announced, had declared their presidential candidate the winner and openly boasted that they will announce the results of the elections in defiance of the provisions of Section 66 of the Electoral Act which outlaw the purported announcement of election results or declaration of a winner by any person other than an electoral officer.

Justice Chigumba continued: Prior to the elections, the MDC-Alliance had mobilised its supporters against the commission which resulted in some of its female commissioners being sexually harassed. Some commissioners were issued with death threats and derogatory remarks were being made against my person in particular.





She said the commission learnt on the day in question that the MDC-Alliance supporters were threatening to storm the election command centre that was housed at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare.





She said they also learnt from the sources that the reason for the demonstrations was the allegation that they had delayed the announcement of the presidential results and that some shenanigans were underway to steal the MDC-Alliance purported victory.





Executive director of Free and Fair Foundation Mr Gabriel Chaibva also gave a detailed account showing the MDC-Alliance as a violent political party from its formation.





He said events of August 1 were synonymous with the violent nature of the MDC-Alliance.

Said Mr Chaibva: I am a founder member of the MDC party. If you listen to leaders of MDC they say we are a peaceful party and let me be pre-emptive to say that is far from the truth. That is not what they do. There was intra-party violence within the party dating back to 2000 and 2002 towards the presidential elections. In 2005, the party eventually split and the late Ambassador Trudy Stevenson was macheted by the MDC.





Relating to the events of August 1, Mr Chaibva said he heard MDC-Alliance leaders addressing people at their Harvest House saying: Zec is delaying to announce the results because they want to rig for President Mnangagwa. We must defend our vote. Songs were sung denigrating President Mnangagwa, denigrating Zanu-PF and other provocative statements.





Acting officer commanding crime Detective Chief Inspector Edmore Runganga said: We received a report of public violence in which six people had died and motor vehicles were burnt at Zanu-PF Harare provincial headquarters and eight other vehicles were damaged at the Zanu-PF national headquarters, then 15 vehicles belonging to different people were damaged in town and a total of 48 shops were vandalised during the process.





So far we have arrested 41 accused persons in connection with the violence and the damage to the shops and other property. They have already appeared before the courts and they have been further remanded to 22 November and the trials are still pending. HeraldSo (in) that area, definitely, it was agreed by Cabinet that it must be switched off. If you are coming from another country and you source any currency where you are working or whatever, you need to pay in US dollars, he said.The Zimbabwe Defence Forces did not kill any civilian during an operation aimed at restoring order in Harares central business district following violent demonstrations that resulted in the death of six people and damage to property on August 1, it has emerged.



The military intervened as the National Reaction Force comprising officers from various security units and the deployment followed consultations at the highest level, the commission of inquiry into the August 1 violence heard yesterday.



Further, the intervention was at the request of the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the only shots fired by members of the National Reaction Force were warning shots against the rioters.



Testifying before the commission, Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces General Phillip Valerio Sibanda said their troops had clear instructions not to open fire against the rioters.



Firstly, as soldiers, we operate on orders and the orders given on that day were very clear  you dont open fire on the rioters, he said.





If there is anyone with evidence to the effect that anyone of these (killed) six and the injured could have been shot by soldiers, they can bring that forward.

I am aware that there were reporters who were following the troops when they were deployed in town. Certainly from where I sit, I do not believe that any of the soldiers fired. Yes, they fired in the air but I do not believe any could have aimed shots at the civilians.





We would have been very foolish as the Defence Forces to give orders to the troops to open fire on the civilians with all these people (election observers and foreign journalists) in the country. We would have been out of our minds to give such an order.





Forty-six countries, 15 regional and continental bodies were invited to observe the July 30 harmonised elections as President Mnangagwas administration made good on its pledge for transparent, free and fair elections.





Gen Sibanda said if the troops had opened fire on the rioters, many could have died.

Said Gen Sibanda: The troops were given orders to advance and not to take kneeling positions. Whilst that fellow was opening fire, he must have been warning the rioters because if he had aimed at them, we could have more deaths in that area, Gen Sibanda said in reference to a widely circulated video clip that showed a soldier in a kneeling position.





He said the force applied by the National Reaction Force was commensurate with the prevailing situation in Harares CBD.





When we do an estimate of a situation, you look at how best you can deal with the situation in the shortest possible time and in this particular case with minimum force, damage and loss of life. We looked at that and we believed that the force that was eventually deployed by the commander of the National Reaction Force was appropriate and the weaponry was appropriate in the sense that you cannot deploy a solider without his equipment, he said.





It might not have been appropriate in the sense that they were carrying an AK47 as opposed to maybe a weapon that can take rubber bullets. But otherwise, the force that was used and so on was appropriate in my view because as you notice it was only one and half hours and the city was also back to normal except that there were no people because of what had happened.





Gen Sibanda said some soldiers were pummelled by the rioters using stones and other missiles but that was not enough justification to open fire against the rioters.

Appearing before the same commission, the tactical commander of the National Reaction Force who is also Presidential Guard Commander Brigadier-General Anselem Sanyatwe said:





The NRF participants had very clear rules of engagement. They can only use a firearm when it is extremely necessary. If a fire arm was to be used, there are standard procedures that we do practice during our training on crowd dispersing. That you fire warning shots into the air three times.





If the situation continues you fire well-calculated rapid warning shots and these are exactly the drills that were employed by the troops at NetOne building.





Asked about a picture that trended on social media of a soldier who appeared to be firing at the rioters, Brig-Gen Sanyatwe said the trooper took a kneeling position to avoid being hit by missiles that were being thrown at him by MDC Alliance supporters.





He took that position because he was avoiding missiles that were being thrown at him, he said.

But because of the instructions that warning shots are only to be fired on a standing position this is where the second in command of that particular platoon observed this and said, stand up, dont worry about those stones, they wont kill you. In fact, he took remedial action.





Brig Gen Sanyatwe said the mutinous behaviour displayed by the MDC Alliance supporters vindicated intelligence reports that security forces all along heard that the opposition outfit had a militant grouping, the Vanguard.





These militant groups according to the intelligence that we have are basically members who could have deserted from the army and other institutions because they were advancing, braving even warning shots in the air. That behaviour is a characteristic of a really trained member of the society and not a civilian man.





He narrated to the commission the circumstances that led to the deployment of the NRF, all the routes it used and how it executed the operation.





Brig Gen Sanyatwe dismissed some of the alleged witness accounts alleging that there were soldiers firing at people from a moving vehicle.

He said soldiers do not fire from moving vehicles and in cases where the military was deployed to open live fire, no one could brave that and stand as witnesses including even members of the commission.





Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga said he sought the assistance of the defence forces as there were manpower shortages in the police forces.





He said about 70 000 police officers, including special constabularies, had been deployed at the 10 895 polling stations established during the harmonised elections.

Comm Gen Matanga said the MDC Alliance were setting vehicles on fire, damaging property and blocking roads, bringing business to a halt in the process.





There was chaos in the CBD and the police had been overwhelmed by the increasing number of demonstrators in relation to their manpower levels, he said.





We deployed not less than five police officers at every polling station in the country and we even ended up augmenting ourselves with 21 000 special constabularies. Given the deteriorating situation in the Harare CBD and shortage of manpower to contain the situation, I then sought assistance from the ZDF to quell the violence.





The demonstrators were trying to burn some filling stations, torching buses, cars and buildings and from the intelligence I had from officers on the ground it was very clear that at the end of the day, these demonstrators wanted to end up in the State House.





He said faced with such a scenario, he approached the then Home Affairs Minister Dr Obert Mpofu.

When the situation had gone out of hand I alerted my then Minister that there was no time to meet and discuss the situation, Com Gen Matanga said.





It was now time for action. Having alerted my Minister, he then also asked for assistance from his counterpart, Minister of Defence and War Veterans in the name of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.





Within a short space of time consultations were made. My Minister called back and said the permission to invite the defence forces had been granted and my Minister asked me to get in touch with the Commander Defence Forces in the name of General Philip Valerio Sibanda who in turn advised me to directly discuss the nitty-gritties of the operation with Zimbabwe National Army Commander Lieutenant-General Edzai Chimonyo. Of course, with a little bit of caution, ladies and gentlemen, there was no space for discussions.





In asking for reinforcements, Police invoked Section 37(1) of the Public Order and Security Act, which proposes how the defence forces could assist the law enforcement agents under the Act. Herald(Newser)  There's a good chance you heard Peter DeMarco's story. Or, at least, the first version of it. The Massachusetts man received national press after a heartfelt thank-you he wrote to the employees of CHA Cambridge Hospital was published in the New York Times. In it, he extolled the kindness of the staff who treated his 34-year-old wife, Laura Levis, who died in September 2016 following a severe asthma attack. A few weeks after it was published came the call from his father-in-law: "Pete, I have the most terrible thing to tell you. They killed Laura." In an extremely detailed piece for the Boston Globe Magazine, DeMarco explains how that is: The hospital in question wasn't CHA Cambridge Hospital, where she was transferred and ultimately died, but the sister hospital she went to first: Somerville Hospital.

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Around 4am on Sept. 16, 2016, Laura began having an asthma attack and walked to the ER for treatment. DeMarco bares all, explaining he wasn't with her that night because they were having marriage issues and were spending the night apart, with plans to meet for coffee in the morning. She arrived at the ER alone, found the door locked, called 911, and clearly explained exactly where she was. She began to walk to a second door 100 feet away but the attack became too much. She was just 29 feet from the door. DeMarco details the series of failings that led to his wife's needless deathhow the 911 call was routed, the outdated nature of the 911 system's location tracking abilities, and Nurse X's cursory look for Levis outside the door. When DeMarco got to the hospital that morning, he was told, "She was in the last place they looked." It was only later that he learned the truth. His full story is worth a read. (Read the story of his thank-you note here.)(Newser)  Former Detroit Lions Hall of Famer Lem Barney and his wife are suing a Detroit-area pizza chain for racial discrimination after being refused service, the AP reports. The lawsuit filed in federal court Monday says Lem and Jacqueline Barney went to Happy's Pizza in Commerce Township Nov. 2. The lawsuit says a manager referred them to Happy's Southfield location because "they would be more at home there." The Barneys are black. Southfield has a majority black population and Commerce Township is mostly white.

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The lawsuit says a manager told police the Barneys were denied service because workers were preparing for a corporate event. Company spokeswoman Sherrie Handrinos denies any discrimination, saying workers were preparing that day for a Nov. 6 opening. She adds many customers were referred to two closer stores, not Southfield. (Walmart was sued for "segregating" black beauty products.)(Newser)  A black security guard was mistakenly fired upon and killed by police who were responding to a shooting at an Illinois bar early Sunday. Per WGN, Jemel Roberson was the armed bouncer at Mannys Blue Room Bar in Robbins, where witnesses reportedly said he asked some drunk men to leave before one of them returned and began firing a gun. Roberson returned fire and was able to apprehend one of the men involved before the situation took an even darker turn.

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According to NBC News, local police arrived soon after and fatally shot the 26-year-old. Midlothian police Chief Daniel Delaney released a statement saying an investigation by the Cook County Sheriffs Police is ongoing. The officer who fired the fatal shot has been placed on paid administrative leave. Four non-life threatening injuries were also reported from the incident. Meanwhile, attorneys for Roberson's family said they filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Monday citing "wrongful death." (The family of a Texas man killed in his own home by an off-duty cop has also filed suit.)(Newser)  Alex Trebek has offered his two cents on the #MeToo movement, but not everyone will be happy with his take. In a recent interview with Vulture, the Jeopardy host called it a "scary time for men" but said he's never been "in a position of power where I might be able to lord it over somebody sexually." As The Week notes, the conversation at the 78-year-old's Los Angeles home soon turned back to more mundane topics. However, Trebek managed to revisit the issue, in a sense. Asked who his dream guest would be, Trebek said Kevin Spacey, who has been accused of sexual assault. Trebek quickly acknowledged that "now you can't say that." (Just last month, Trebek received boos while moderating the Pennsylvania gubernatorial debate.)Photo: VNA

The resolution allows the application of the entire content of the CPTPP, with direct enforcement of stipulations in the CPTPPs Annex 2.

The NA assigns the Government, the Supreme Peoples Court, the Supreme Peoples Procuracy and relevant organisations and agencies to review laws listed in Annex 3 and other legal documents so as to request authorized agencies to timely make adjustments and supplements or issue new documents, thus ensuring the consistency of the legal system and keeping up with the roadmap for implementing commitments under the CPTPP.

The Prime Minister will be responsible for approving plans for the implementation of the CPTPP and instructing central and local agencies and organisations in carrying out the plans.

The resolution also requires the building and enforcement of measures to prevent and address adverse impacts that can arise during the implementation of the CPTPP. It urges the popularization of the pacts content in order to create consensus in awareness and actions of the entire political system, business circle and people regarding Vietnams membership in the CPTPP.

The Government is asked to instruct relevant ministries and sectors to complete procedures for the ratification of the CPTPP and announce the date the pact takes effect for Vietnam.

The NA, the NA Standing Committee, NA committees, NA delegations and NA deputies are responsible for supervising the implementation of the resolution in accordance with their tasks and authority.

The CPTPP was signed by 11 member states, namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam in March 2018. It is one of the most comprehensive trade deals ever concluded and strips 98 percent of tariffs for the 11 countries with a combined GDP of more than USD13.8 trillion and close to 500 million consumers.

The pact will be provisionally enacted 60 days after it is ratified by six countries.

As such, the CPTPP is hoped to take effect in December 2018, as so far Mexico, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and Canada have ratified the deal./.(Newser)  Disappointment for Dallas, Toronto, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and most of the other cities and regions on Amazon's shortlist: Sources tell the Wall Street Journal and other outlets that the company has picked sites in Northern Virginia and New York City for its "second headquarters." The Journal's sources say the tech giant will announce as soon as Tuesday that the new headquarters will be split into two "co-headquarters" located in the Crystal City area of Virginia's Arlington County and in the Long Island City district of Queens. Insiders say lawmakers in both of the areas chosen plan to hold events Tuesday to discuss the new Amazon sites, which are expected have around 25,000 employees each.

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Sources tell the Journal that Crystal City, an area close to the Pentagon that has been in decline in recent years, appealed to Amazon because of its proximity to Reagan National Airportand it helped that Jeff Bezos has a home about 20 minutes away. The choice of Crystal City is a major victory for Virginia lawmakers and could "reshape the Washington region into an eastern outpost of Silicon Valley," the Washington Post reports. In New York City, meanwhile, officials stress that the arrival of Amazon will deliver "tangible gains" to residents of Long Island City, which is also the site of Queensbridge Houses, the nation's largest housing project, the New York Times reports. (Amazon recently announced a pay boost for longtime workers.)(Newser)  Some of the world's most majestic creatures are being kept in cramped conditions in an illegal "whale jail" in Russia, activists say. Prosecutors in the city of Vladivostok in Russia's Far East opened an investigation after drone video was released showing dozens of beluga whales and orcas crammed into holding pens in Srednyaya Bay, CNN reports. Prosecutors believe around 90 beluga whales and 11 orcas are being kept in the pens, likely for illegal sale to aquariums and theme parks in China. CBS reports that some of the whales have been in the pens since July.

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International law has banned the capture of whales for anything but scientific and educational purposes, which would make the alleged Russian sales illegal. Activists say at least some of the captured beluga whales appear to be calves, whose capture for any reason is banned. After an investigation, Novaya Gazeta said at least four Russian companies were selling orcas and belugas to China. It accused them of plundering Russia's resources as well as treating whales cruelly. "Where is it written that the biological resources of the country can be scattered left and right?" the paper wrote, per CNN. (Scientists are worried about the future of North American right whales.)(Newser)  Conservative author and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi says he expects to be charged by Robert Mueller's investigation in the coming daysbecause the "Department of Justice is run by criminals." Corsi, an ally of longtime Trump associate Roger Stone, said in a livestreamed video Monday that he had spoken to prosecutors for around 40 hours, but talks had "all blown up" and he was going to be indicted, Politico reports. The AP reports that Corsi is among several Stone associates to have been interviewed as the Mueller investigation looks into Stone's connection with WikiLeaks, which released hacked material during the 2016 election believed to have been provided by Russian agents.

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Corsi said Monday that he doesn't recall ever meeting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and he doesn't remember knowing in advance that WikiLeaks was going to release thousands of emails stolen from Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. Stone has also denied having advance knowledge of WikiLeaks' plans. Corsi said Monday that he expected to be indicted for "some form of lying," the Washington Post reports. "I think my crime really was that I supported Donald Trump," he said. "Now I guess Ill go to prison for the rest of my life, because I dared to oppose the 'deep state.'" (Corsi, a prominent supporter of the Obama "birther" theories, was kicked out of Kenya in 2008.)(Newser)  The Irish Aviation Authority is investigating after multiple pilots spotted UFOs traveling faster than the speed of sound over Ireland on Friday. Shortly before 7am local time, a British Airways pilot contacted air traffic controllers at Shannon Airport on Ireland's west coast to ask about possible military exercises, per the BBC. En route from Montreal, Canada, to London's Heathrow Airport, the pilot described a "very bright light" that came along the left side of the aircraft "then rapidly veered to the north" and "disappeared at very high speed," per the Guardian. "It was moving so fast," she said. She wasn't the only one to notice, though an air traffic controller confirmed there were no visible objects on radar.

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A Virgin Airlines pilot flying from Orlando, Fla., to Manchester also reported seeing two "very bright" lights "following the same sort of trajectory." He first suggested they might be from a meteor before noting they "seemed to bank over to the right and climb away at speed." "Glad I'm not the only one," a third pilot noted. One described the objects' speed as "astronomical, it was like Mach 2," or twice the speed of sound. That's also twice the speed of a commercial jetliner, per the Irish Times. AirLive notes the planes were flying between 28,500 feet and 42,000 feet. The Irish Aviation Authority says it's looking into the incident "under the normal confidential occurrence investigation process." (A man gives his account of a 1973 alien encounter.)(Newser)  President Trump took some lumps in France over the weekend, but he fired back with a Tuesday morning tweetstorm in which he jabbed at Emanuel Macron and France's war records, and sought to explain his no-show at a ceremony event to honor WWI soldiers. It all culminated with this tweet: "MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!" The specifics:

The war slam: "Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia," Trump wrote. "But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two  How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!"

"Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia," Trump wrote. "But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two  How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!" That army: Trump was referring to Macron's call earlier this month for a "true European army." In an interview with a French radio station, he said Europe could not rely on the US. "We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia, and even the United States of America," he said. The BBC has more coverage of the interview. Trump had previously called Macron's remarks "very insulting," notes the Guardian.

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Cemetery no-show: While in France for WWI ceremonies, Trump took criticism on Saturday for skipping an event at a cemetery because of rainy weather. On Tuesday, he explained: "By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!"

While in France for WWI ceremonies, Trump took criticism on Saturday for skipping an event at a cemetery because of rainy weather. On Tuesday, he explained: "By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!" Getting trolled: Among those poking fun at the Trump no-show was the actual French army. It tweeted a photo of a recruit in the rain, captioned: "There is rain, but it does not matter," per the Washington Post. "We remain motivated."

Among those poking fun at the Trump no-show was the actual French army. It tweeted a photo of a recruit in the rain, captioned: "There is rain, but it does not matter," per the Washington Post. "We remain motivated." Hitting Macron: On Sunday, Macron made a speech denouncing the type of nationalism embraced by Trump. On Tuesday, Trump took his own shot: "The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%," he wrote. "He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!"

On Sunday, Macron made a speech denouncing the type of nationalism embraced by Trump. On Tuesday, Trump took his own shot: "The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%," he wrote. "He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!" In vino, tariff problems: "On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S.," wrote Trump. "The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!"

"On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S.," wrote Trump. "The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!" Catching up: A post at Vox rounds up all the controversies of Trump's trip to France and provides additional context. One key paragraph: "Given Trumps somewhat icy interactions with Macron, a picture of Trump beaming at Putinwhile Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel stare back, stone-facedwas a stark visual reminder of the schisms among allies."

(Read more President Trump stories.)(Newser)  A 94-year-old former SS guard says he was aware of the terrible conditions endured by prisoners in the Stutthof concentration camp in Poland, but he claims he didn't take part in atrocities against them. The statement came in the third day of his trial, which opened last week. The DPA news agency reports that Johann Rehbogen, who's on trial facing hundreds of counts of accessory to murder, told the Muenster state court he didn't oppose his posting to the camp from 1942 to 1944 out of fear for retribution, the AP reports. More than 60,000 people were killed at the Nazi camp built east of Danzig, which is today the Polish city of Gdansk.

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Per CBS News, prisoners were killed in a variety of gruesome ways, including by starvation, in the gas chamber, by being shot, from exposure to the cold, or even by having gasoline injected into their hearts. Prosecutors argue that as a guard there, Rehbogen helped the camp operate. But Rehbogen says not only did he not participate in any killings, he also didn't know about them. CBS notes that precedent in holding concentration camp guards responsible for prisoners' deaths was forged in 2011, when Ohio autoworker John Demjanjuk was convicted as an accessory to murder at the Sobibor death camp. He died in 2012 before his appeal could be heard. (Two famous Nazi hunters were recently honored.)(Newser)  For Patrick Braxton-Andrew, Mexico's Copper Canyon was a major draw. "The way he tried to sell it to me was that it was way bigger than the Grand Canyon but not visited by as many people," his brother, Kerry, tells the Washington Post. The fellow native of Davidson, NC, had planned to meet up with his sibling in Mexico City on Oct. 30 after Patrick's solo trip to the town of Urique on the canyon floor. Instead, his family has spent the last two weeks trying to track down the 34-year-old private school Spanish teacher. They know he made it to a hotel in Urique after landing in Chihuahua on Oct. 24. But he was last seen departing around 4pm on Oct. 28, about the same time as his last text messages to friends, per WFAE.

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The family, in Mexico to aid in the search, doesn't think Patrick vanished on a hike, as several belongings were left behind, including shoes, a debit card, a computer, and a camera he used to snap a selfie from a canyon lookout. "What he left with was basically his phone, he may or may not have had a book, and either flip-flops or sandals," Kerry tells WFAE. "He certainly wasn't going for any sort of extensive walk." Chihuahua state has been home to cartel-related violence tied to drugs and illegal logging in recent years, per the El Paso Times, but Patrick's mom is optimistic. "I just feel like with all the resources we have working to find him that it's going to come to a good end," she tells WFAE. (A US tourist was killed in Mexico in July.)(Newser)  The insiders were correct: Amazon announced Tuesday that its new second headquarters will be split between a site in Queens and another in Crystal City, northern Virginia. Each will have about 25,000 employees. Nashville, meanwhile, will get an "operations center of excellence" with about 5,000 workers, reports the Wall Street Journal and WKRN. "We're talking about the single biggest economic development deal in the history of New York City," said a pleased Mayor Bill De Blasio. Less happy is congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist.

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"Amazon is a billion-dollar company," she tweeted on Monday, per Politico. "The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here." Amazon's home base will continue to be in Seattle, but the Crystal City location gives the company and owner Jeff Bezos closer proximity to Capitol Hill. (Ocasio-Cortez has another worry: affording the steep rent prices in her soon-to-be new home of DC.)(Newser)  The "Honors and Awards" section of Aung San Suu Kyi's CV is getting slimmer. Amnesty International on Monday announced it has rescinded an award it bestowed upon her in 2009: the Ambassador of Conscience Award, the group's highest honor. At the time, it described Suu Kyi as "a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defense of human rights." Now, a changed tune in the face of the atrocities committed against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and her defense of "repressive laws" that have been used to silence journalists: "Today, we are profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defense of human rights," said Kumi Naidoo, the group's secretary general.

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"As an Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience, our expectation was that you would continue to use your moral authority to speak out against injustice wherever you saw it, not least within Myanmar itself," Naidoo continued. Now her country's civilian leader, Suu Kyi was under house arrest at the time of the award, and its withdrawal coincides with the 8th anniversary of her release from that arrest. The AFP got reaction from people on the ground in Myanmar, including the deputy minister for information's assertion that the withdrawal will only "make the people love her more." Said a 60-year-old in Yangon, "We don't need their prize." The Guardian and AFP report she has also lost the Freedom of the City awards, her honorary Canadian citizenship, and the US Holocaust Museum's Elie Weisel award. (Read more Aung San Suu Kyi stories.)(Newser)  A story emerged Monday suggesting that North Korea was violating the spirit of promises to reduce its nuclear arsenal. Not so, says President Trump. "The story in the New York Times concerning North Korea developing missile bases is inaccurate," he tweeted. "We fully know about the sites being discussed, nothing new - and nothing happening out of the normal. Just more Fake News. I will be the first to let you know if things go bad!" The Times story he's referring to was based on a new study by Center for Strategic and International Studies, whose researchers say they have found more than a dozen secret ballistic missile bases in North Korea. The newspaper acknowledges, however, that US intelligence agencies have long known about this network.

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Here is how the Times frames the issue: "The satellite images suggest that the North has been engaged in a great deception: It has offered to dismantle a major launching sitea step it began, then haltedwhile continuing to make improvements at more than a dozen others that would bolster launches of conventional and nuclear warheads." South Korea objected to this characterization even before Trump did, also using the phrase "nothing new." A spokesman for President Moon Jae-in adds: North Korea has never promised to dismantle its missile bases, nor has it ever joined any treaty that obligates it to dismantle them. So calling this a deception is not appropriate." That didn't stop Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, who sits on the Foreign Relations panel, from asserting that Trump was "getting played by Kim Jong Un," per Bloomberg. (Read more North Korea stories.)Photo: hanoimoi.com.vn

The Embassy of Morocco to Viet Nam and Ha Noi city People's Committee celebrated the inauguration ceremony of the restoration of The Gate of Morocco on November 10th 2018.

"Today is a big and memorable day. A big day since Vice Head of the Hanoi city Peoples Committee and myself, in my capacity of Ambassador of Morocco to Vietnam, will inaugurate the restoration operation, for the second time, by the Embassy of Morocco in Vietnam of the gate of Morocco, which reflects the profound traditional friendship and embodies the historical relations between Morocco and Vietnam since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1961," Mr. Azzeddine Farhane stressed.

Mr. Ngo Van Quy, Vice Head of the Hanoi city Peoples Committee. (Source: BN/NDEL)

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Ngo Van Quy, Vice Head of the Hanoi city Peoples Committee, affirmed "The Morocco Gate is a baroque-style structure, an important cultural heritage of Hanoi. During the restoration, government agencies had restored the Gate and the surrounding pathway and scenery. Upon completing, the gate will be entrust to the owner of the land to continue to watch over the Gate.

Thousands of Moroccans, Algerians soldiers who fought with the French legions had come to the Vietnamese side. These soldiers received humane treatment. Following the victory at Dien Bien Phu, President Hochiminh established a Viet Nam - Africa agricultural cooperative in Ba Vi, where over 300 former soldiers and 100 Vietnamese workers were recruited to clear land for cultivation. While here, they had constructed a number of structures, among them this gate that is characteristically Moroccan.

While the soldiers are gone, but the Gate remains as a symbol of their love for the cooperative, for the people and country of Viet Nam, and a symbol of solidarity, humanity between Viet Nam and Morocco."

Moroccan Ambassador Azzeddine Farhane. (Source: lecourrier.vn)



"Through its historical and cultural signification, the Gate of Morocco represents a symbol of two countries that have myriads of geopolitics and economic similarities, and share common goals and ambitions in being actors of international peace and security worldwide.

Morocco and Vietnam are looking forward to a brighter future and promising cooperation. A future that bypasses geographical and cultural barriers to forge fruitful cooperation ties between our two countries in political, economic and cultural fields, with the aim of achieving the aspirations of Moroccan and Vietnamese peoples for welfare and prosperity," the Ambassador of Morocco to Viet Nam concluded./.(Newser)  It was a pretty safe bet that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was going to get a lot of attention in DC Tuesday as orientation began for new incoming members of Congress. The 29-year-old from Queens is, after all, the youngest woman ever elected to the House. But Ocasio-Cortez made more headlines than usual because she ended up participating in a protest at Nancy Pelosi's office, reports USA Today. On Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez explained that young activists pushing for legislation on climate change asked her to join them, and she accepted. Pelosi, for her part, didn't seem to mind, issuing a statement saying she welcomed the protesters and urging police to leave them be.

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We need a Green New Deal and we need to get to 100% renewables because our lives depend on it, Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. She said the issue affected her "not just as an elected member, but as a 29-year-old woman" worried about the coming decades. Despite Pelosi's plea, police arrested dozens of protesters, though Ocasio-Cortez had left by then. A spokesperson for House Speaker Paul Ryan got in a dig at the chain of events. "Huh, well this is unconventional," wrote AshLee Strong in an email to reporters. "The incoming speaker is getting protested by one of her freshman [sic]." (Ocasio-Cortez wasn't happy with all the perks New York City just gave Amazon.)(Newser)  In a move being called "extraordinary" and "stunning," Melania Trump has publicly called for a top White House National Security Council official to be fired. The Wall Street Journal reported soon after that Mira Ricardel, national security adviser John Bolton's deputy, was in fact expected to be fired (the newspaper initially reported she had been fired, but later retracted that headline). After reports circulated earlier Tuesday that President Trump was planning to remove Ricardel from the NSC, the first lady's spokesperson put out a statement: "It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House." Ricardel was at an official White House event with the president at the time the statement was released, NBC News reports, and the Washington Post reports she was still at her desk Tuesday afternoon but was expected to be fired.

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The first reports of the president's plans to remove Ricardel came in the swirl of stories about his reported plan to push out Chief of Staff John Kelly. According to the Journal, Melania Trump's staff clashed with Ricardel during the first lady's trip to Africa last month. Issues included seating on the plane and requests for the use of NSC resources, sources say. The first lady's staff also reportedly told President Trump they suspect Ricardel is the source of some negative articles about Melania Trump and her team. Multiple sources tell the Post Ricardel is known for yelling at staff and "berating" people in meetings. Ricardel had also clashed with Kelly and with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, both of whom have reportedly expressed a desire for her exit. (Also rumored to be on the way out? Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.)Parliament seats must be reserved for trade union leaders and representatives, according to a prominent trade union leader. General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) General Secretary Hasan Alhalwachi has said that the directive on restricting trade union representatives from running for parliament seats goes against the interest of the labour sector. According to him, trade union leaders can be a strong voice for the people as trade unions exist to support the cause of employees, which is the majority of the people.

He said that the law restricting trade union representatives from running for the parliament posts must be amended. Why should there not be a representative for the trade unions in the parliament when we are taking care of the rights of a large part of the population? By being in the parliament, we will be able to work to address the issues faced by the workers. As we enter a period of VAT and other new measures being introduced, it is important that workers issues are represented adequately. Recently, we had huge debates in the parliament about the pension law.

This is a subject in which trade unions have greater expertise and could provide our inputs, but unfortunately we werent able to do. By representing the workers, trade unions are representing the people themselves. We have a responsibility to support the workers, businesses and the economy.

Mr. Alhalwachi said that seats should be reserved for trade unions at the parliament. The candidates representing the trade unions can convey the views at the behest of labour community at the parliament. At present, the labour sector is under-represented at the parliament. Unions need bigger platform to work with the authorities on implementing measures that would bring welfare to the working class. As of now, labour unions have a very limited role and we would like to see a change happening. The union leader said that reserving seats in the parliament will definitely expand the horizons of trade unions.An Indian expatriate who was stranded in the Kingdom allegedly after being trapped by his employer finally flew home, thanks to the timely intervention by the Bahrain National Institute for Human Rights (NIHR).

The institute took up the matter after NIHR chairwoman Maria Khouri held a meeting to understand the plight of stranded expatriates at the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam during the first week of October. Sources said Surendran Pillai was hired as a driver for a beauty parlor and he remained unpaid for the past six months.

It is alleged that the employer also filed a theft case against Mr. Pillai to throw him into legal troubles. The employer fled a complaint that he had stolen a mobile phone and cash from the company, sources added. Though Mr. Pillai approached the Labour Ministry and the Indian Embassy after being helped by some social workers, it did not yield any result as the employer refused to respond to the summons notice issued to him.Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with a delegation from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 12, 2018. The delegation is here to celebrate the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up. (Xinhua/Sheng Jiapeng)

BEIJING, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday voiced the hope that Hong Kong and Macao will further develop themselves by embracing the nation's cause of reform and opening-up.

Compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao are expected to continue participating in the country's reform and opening-up with sincere patriotism and pioneering spirit, attain the greater development of the two special administrative regions (SARs) by promoting the development of the country, and jointly work for the national rejuvenation, Xi said when meeting with a delegation from the two SARs.

Hong Kong and Macao still hold unique positions, have unique strength and will play an irreplaceable role in reform and opening-up in the new era, he stressed.

The delegation is visiting Beijing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up. Vice Premier Han Zheng also attended the meeting.

At the meeting, members of the delegation, including Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR, and Chui Sai On, chief executive of the Macao SAR, expressed a high degree of recognition of the country's cause of reform and opening-up and the "one country, two systems" principle. They also offered proposals on how to advance the cause and implement the principle.

Fully recognizing the contributions made by Hong Kong and Macao compatriots and extending sincere gratitude to them, Xi said the reform and opening-up over the past four decades was a cause that Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland complemented one another on and prospered together with, while the two regions integrated their own development into the overall development of the country.

"We should fully understand the roles that Hong Kong and Macao will play in the country's reform and opening-up in the new era, and support them in seizing opportunities and riding the momentum to foster new advantages, play new roles, achieve new development and make new contributions," he said.

Xi said he hopes Hong Kong and Macao can contribute to the country's comprehensive opening-up in a more proactive manner, take the lead in attracting capital, technology and talents, and take part in national high-quality economic development and the new round of high-level opening-up.

Xi said that Hong Kong and Macao should integrate themselves more proactively into the country's overall development while honing their abilities to foster new momentum for economic growth.

Xi said that Hong Kong and Macao should participate in national governance more proactively, stressing that compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao should improve their systems and mechanisms for enforcing China's Constitution and the basic laws of the two SARs in line with the "one country, two systems" principle.

Xi called on the two SARs, by taking advantage of their extensive connections with the outside world, to proactively push for more international people-to-people exchange, spread fine traditional Chinese culture and tell China's stories as well as stories related to the successful implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle.

He noted that efforts should be made to create more opportunities for young people in Hong Kong and Macao and help them overcome difficulties in their studies, employment and starting up of businesses.

While stressing that Hong Kong and Macao will have bright prospects, Xi expressed his hope that compatriots in the two SARs can work together with the mainland to open up new prospects in the "one country, two systems" cause, create a better life for themselves and strive to realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

At the beginning of the meeting, Xi shook hands with members of the delegation and had a group photo with them.

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[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]The High Appeals Court has reduced the sentence issued against a Bahraini man convicted of burglary. The Bahraini man was arrested after he carried out a spate of burglaries by breaking into villas in a housing compound in Hamala.

According to court files, the defendant climbed the compound wall to enter inside the enclave before breaking into villas, from where he stole BD250 and a watch worth over BD15,000. I saw him inside the compound and when I asked him to stop, he fled. He climbed up the fence surrounding the property and I held onto his legs.

However, he kicked my face several times and I let him go, the security man who was on duty told prosecutors. On the next day, I was told of the valuables that the man had burgled, he added.Top brass business delegates from Bahrain and the Republic of Korea yesterday gathered for the First Korea-Bahrain Business Forum in a bid to expand economic cooperation and investment between the two countries. The meeting held at Lotte Hotel, Seoul, Korea was held in the presence of 60 businessmen from both the countries.

Korean Embassy in Bahrain and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea in close coordination with Chambers of Commerce and Industry of both countries organised the forum. It is the first time that Bahrains economic mission made up solely of private businessmen visited Korea since the official visit of His Royal Highness Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain in 2012 with a Bahraini business delegation.

Building on the momentum created by the agreement between the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Institute (KCCI) and the Bahraini Chamber of Commerce and Institute (BCCI) in 2012, yesterdays forum offered a fresh opportunity for the two countries to further strengthen trade ties and jointly seek promising areas of future cooperation.

The forum also provided an opportunity for businessmen and businesswomen from both countries to exchange their views on future cooperation. Business to business meetings were also held after the forum. In 1975, Hyundai E & C won the Bahrain shipyard contract, which enabled Korea to win other tenders in the GCC countries.As thousands of Honduran migrants seeking asylum in the United States trek northward through Mexico, President Donald Trump has pledged to stop them at the border by militarising it with armed federal troops, under the guise of protecting Americans from criminals and an invasion. What he fails to recognise is that cruelty wont solve the current refugee crisis. Neither will buddying up with authoritarian leaders in Central America.

Instead, those two strategies only deepen the crisis, because criminality and misrule are exactly what the caravan is fleeing. What Trump calls an invasion is actually the visible face of a deadly crisis of governance and violence in almost all of Central America  a retreat from the rule of law in favour of rule by corruption and criminality abetted by officials with impunity. For example, Trump supports President Jimmy Morales, his authoritarian counterpart in Guatemala.

Morales is under investigation for possible corruption by the United Nations Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala. He has fought back by revoking the visas of many of the commissions investigators. Currently, violence reigns in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador; the three countries have the worlds highest homicide rates, and the pattern they have set  daily killings, forced gang recruitment, extortion, gender attacks and kidnapping for ransom  may be creeping into Nicaragua. The criminal groups behind this are a legacy of civil wars fought in the 1970s and 1980s, and of past military regimes that left 75,000 dead in El Salvador and 200,000 dead in Guatemala.

Honduras, which has been a base for American military operations in Central America for decades, is now considered the most violent. Unlike Guatemala and El Salvador, it has never even had an official counting of the dead. In those three northern Central American countries, military units are entrenched in a complex web of organised crime, drug trafficking, gangs, political parties and corrupt clandestine police groups. The gangs have ties to the police  who hunt gang members if they dont pay their quota or become liabilities because they know too much after colluding with corrupt police officers.

The gangs also have ties to organised crime and drug traffickers who, in turn, have their own ties to the military and the police. In the 1980s, gang members informed the police about factory workers, union organisers, teachers and students involved in political protest. In exchange, the police granted the gangs neighbourhood territory for illicit activities. In Guatemala, after peace accords in the 1990s ended a decades long civil war, clandestine groups with ties to police and army officials used army routes, landing strips and heliports to transport weapons and drugs.

Guatemalas networks illustrate how tightly interwoven those systems can become. For example, gangs pay the police to ignore the gang operations in their territories. Those payments flow upward: Local police officers pay their boss, who in turn pays off his boss. At the higher levels, drug traffickers might buy the services of a very senior police officer, who in turn might then send payments downward, to individual officers. Narco-traffickers and crime syndicates also pay off gang members to support illicit trafficking and to assert their power; the jobs vary from hit man, kidnapper, extortionist, arsonist, carjacker and recruiter of low-level supporters of criminal activities.

The interlocking power structures of violence, bribes, threats and patronage make everyday life extremely dangerous for Central Americans. Any interaction between gang members and ordinary citizens carries two meanings. The first: Will you give me that money? Answering no is seen as a direct challenge to the gangs power. The second: Do you accept my control over your life? Refusing to give up even one dollar can designate a person an enemy of the gang, which is a very dangerous position to be in. Central American governments know all this. Their responses range from turning a blind eye to crime, to corrupt acceptance, to active complicity.

Members of the elite work within and dominate these violent power structures. And many of these clandestine groups have ties to Mexicos horrifically violent drug cartels. This dark picture of what Central Americans seek to escape is not a new experience in American immigration. It recalls other horrors that forced human waves  Irish, Italian, Greek, Jewish, Hungarian, German, Polish and more  to flee parts of Central and Southern Europe for America rather than endure violence, crime, discrimination, misgovernment and hunger in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Did America lose by welcoming them? Think about just how much those grateful newcomers have added to the fabric of American society.

Like the great majority of those masses, todays Central Americans seek merely to live in safety, to work hard and to provide for their families. They are not criminals, as Trump would have it. They are the victims of criminal enterprises that only pretend to govern. If Trump, nevertheless, insists on stemming the flow of refugees, he must at least show Americas compassion for them and insist that their home countries adopt reforms that produce honest and law-abiding governments. He should support the efforts of the anti-impunity commission for Guatemala.

And he should answer the call of citizens of Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua who have sought to expand the commission to a regional United Nations Commission Against Impunity. The Honduran caravan is a call for help in ending violence and impunity, and replacing it with the rule of law. Those are the commissions goals for Guatemala. Trump and Congress must strengthen those efforts and help them become a regional campaign to rein in rule by criminal cliques and murderous gangs that make daily life intolerable for the average citizen. Ensuring fair elections is also needed, of course. But elections are meaningless without rule of law.SoftBank Group has set the stage for what is likely to be one of the largest initial public offerings ever, with its move to float mobile phone unit SoftBank Corp. But as Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son completes the conglomerate's divergence into an investing holding company and a wireless provider, market watchers see significant risks on both fronts.

The IPO, approved by the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday and scheduled for Dec. 19, is expected to raise up to 2.64 trillion yen ($23 billion). SoftBank Group will sell as much as 36.8% of its holdings in its mobile arm, including an overallotment of shares if demand is strong.

Underwriters have set an estimated share price of 1,500 yen based on comparisons with peers and other factors, but the actual price may differ depending on investor demand ahead of the planned listing.

Japan's largest IPO to date was NTT Mobile Communications Network, now known as NTT Docomo, which raised 2.12 trillion yen in 1998, according to Dealogic. Alibaba Group Holding's $25 billion IPO in 2014 stands as the world's largest.

A 1,500 yen IPO price would give SoftBank Corp. a market capitalization of roughly 7.17 trillion yen. This would put it among Japan's 10 most valuable listed companies and ahead of rival KDDI, but behind Docomo.

SoftBank is expected to use the proceeds to contribute to investments by its Vision Fund and help repay interest-bearing debt.

Son has been focusing on transforming the group into an investment holding company targeting technology companies around the world. The centerpiece is the $100 billion SoftBank Vision Fund, announced in 2016 with major support from a Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund.

The Vision Fund -- which had agreed to investments in 38 companies as of September, including U.S. chipmaker Nvidia, workplace messaging app Slack and Indian budget hotel startup Oyo -- has been one of the group's best-performing operations since its launch. It accounted for around half of SoftBank's six-month operating profit of 1.42 trillion yen this year.

But there is a darker side to the story. SoftBank Group's interest-bearing debt reached nearly 18 trillion yen as of the end of September. For the fiscal year ended in March, it shelled out 510 billion yen on interest alone. Credit-rating agencies have assigned the company speculative grades.Daniel SheaT.I., Cardi B, and Chance the Rapper and will search for the next hip-hop star in the Netflix competition series, Rhythm + Flow.

John Legend is among the producers of the 10-episode show, which will debut in the fall of 2019 on Netflix. Auditions will begin this fall in several cities including Cardis hometown of New York City; Chicago, where Chance the Rapper grew up; and Atlanta, where T.I. was born.

T.I. says in an Instagram video that they'll search the United States to find the next great rapper.

"We gonna travel the country, in all of the hoods, all the studios, all the nightclubs. Even the barbershops if necessary to find the next unreleased, underground hip-hop superstar," TIP says.

This is going to be a different approach than anything youve ever seen before, he continues. Youve never seen a show like this, and with us as judges, the authenticity is gonna be through the roof.

Additional artists will serve as guest judges in their own hometowns.

Unsigned hip-hop artists can register to audition on the Rhythm + Flow website. Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.LONDON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- World No. 1 Novak Djokovic got off to a winning start on Monday in the ATP Finals in London with a straightforward 6-4, 6-3 win over American John Isner in just under an hour and 14 minutes.

Djokovic was in excellent form for the whole match and was just too good for the big-serving Isner, who didn't play badly, but had no answer to Djokovic's wide range of shots.

Perhaps the most telling statistic was that despite hitting serves of over 140 miles an hour, Isner won just 64 percent of his first serve points against Dejokvic, while he has an ATP average of winning 81 percent of the points of his first serve over the year.

A measure of the Serb's performance was the fact he won his first three service games to love in the second set, where he also put together a run of winning 19 straight points, to break the back of Isner's resistance.

The opening match of the day in the Guga Kuerton Group saw Alexander Zverev maintained his good record against Marin Cilic to beat the Croatian 7-6(5) 7-6(1) in a ly fought game.

The tournament began on Monday with two matches in the Leyton Hewitt group which saw Kai Nishikori beat Roger Federer, while Kevin Anderson defeated Dominic Thiem.

Tuesday sees the second matches from that group with Anderson facing Nishikori, while Thiem plays Federer.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]Aggrieved presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have stated that the continued stay of former ...





Aggrieved presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have stated that the continued stay of former Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the party Chairman is a recipe for perpetual crisis.





The aspirants also pointed out that President Buhari appears to be indecisive in sacking Oshiomhole as the party chairman, but that those advising him to retain Oshiomhole have hidden agenda.





In a statement by Dr. SKC Ogbonnia, Alhaji Mumakai Unagha on behalf of the coalition of former 2019 APC Presidential aspirants, the aggrieved members said that while they strongly condemn party leaders who are hell-bent in foisting their relatives or cronies on the masses, their inquiry into Edo State had shown that Oshiomholes defensive brouhaha was more of the pot calling the kettle black.





The statement added, Following a disastrous primary season where many bonafide aspirants under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) were mysteriously disenfranchised, we called for the removal of the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, by invoking Article 21 of the APC Constitution.





Since then, we have received tremendous support from the party faithful as well as critical opposition from the sympathizers of the embattled chairman.





Forty days after the call, the problem continues. The APC crisis is deepening day-by-day in all states and zones with Adam Oshiomhole as the central character. Though Oshiomhole continually attempts to claim innocence by hiding behind the difficulties that come with change and the isolated cases in Imo, Ogun, and Zamfara States; his excuses have become mundane.









While we strongly condemn party leaders who are hell-bent in foisting their relatives or cronies on the masses, our inquiry into Edo State has shown that Oshiomholes defensive brouhaha is more of the pot calling the kettle black.





We must not fail to applaud President Muhammadu Buhari for heeding our advice to wade into the crisis. Unfortunately, however, Mr. President appears to be indecisive in affecting the desired change.





He ought to recognize that the unscrupulous elements advising him to retain Oshiomhole have hidden agenda. In short, the continued stay of the former Edo governor as party chairman is a recipe for perpetual crisis.





The famous comrade is well-known to be intemperately talkative, hyperbolic, and belligerent. Recent events have shown that the more he talks, the more crisis he creates; and he does not know how to stop talking.





Today, instead of uniting to strategize on how to win the 2019 elections, the party is faced with unending dimensions of crisis surrounding its chairman. Enough is enough.





We cannot sit idly by while an individual is being used to destroy our great party and its chances in 2019. Therefore, anyone supporting Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole as the chairman is an enemy of the APC, President Buhari, and Nigeria in general.





Comrade Oshiomhole is a very controversial figure, who only thrives in controversy, and thus not suitable for his current position.





Yet, the APC is a large party with a huge tent. There will always be an ideal role for the comrade after he exits as party chairman. Deploying the former Edo governor as an attack dog for the 2019 elections is a win-win.



The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is having difficulties in raising funds for the campaign o...





The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is having difficulties in raising funds for the campaign of Atiku Abubakar, its presidential candidate.





In a statement on Tuesday, Yekini Nabena, deputy national publicity secretary of the APC, said due to the stringent measures put in place by the current administration, the PDP is in a dilemma on how to source funds to run Atiku presidential campaign.





He said PDPs hope of sourcing campaign funds from public coffers has been dashed.





The presidential candidate (Atiku) expects the party to provide funds for his campaign. This is the Buhari era, an era of strict accountability and transparency in the use and application of public funds and not the Jonathan era in 2015 when the national treasury was open to PDP leaders to prosecute the presidential campaign, he said.





The party leaders are therefore in serious difficulties and dilemma on how to source funds to run the Atiku Presidential Campaign.





Some financiers of the party expect that the candidate, having bought the ticket with millions of dollars, should have the financial capacity to run his campaign.





With the candidates expectation that it is the party that will fund his campaign, it is now clear that they are at a crossroads and the chickens have come home to roost.



President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday broke silence on the bribe-taking videos of Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje. He said t...





President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday broke silence on the bribe-taking videos of Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.





He said the security agencies were vetting the video and that action would be taken on the matter soon.





The Presidents response on the Ganduje videos followed a remark by a Kano student in France, who lauded the achievements of the governor, especially on scholarship, and advised the federal government to emulate the governor.





But the president reportedly asked the student if he had watched the governors videos receiving bribe in dollars.





That aside, havent you watched the videos of the governor stuffing dollars under his gown? the president asked rhetorically.





We gave the videos to security agencies for vetting. And we will surely take action on the matter if he is found guilty..





The Paris town hall meeting, held at Shangrilla Hotel, was attended by Nigerian Students studying in various institutions in France, Nigerian community in France, APC members in France, among others.



Media aide of President Muhammedu Buhari, Lauretta Onochie has described Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji...





Media aide of President Muhammedu Buhari, Lauretta Onochie has described Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the largest employer of ghost workers.





Her submission might not be unconnected to the claims by Atiku supporters on social media that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is the largest employer of labour in Nigeria with 100,000 workers.

Onochie made this accusation on her twitter page stating that Atiku claims workers he does not have.





Check out Lauretta Onochies tweet:The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has provided reasons the agency had been pushi...





The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has provided reasons the agency had been pushing to have former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Madueke returned back to Nigeria.





Magu said the commission wants the former Minister back so she could face corruption charges.





Magu spoke at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday.





The EFCC boss said after three years of investigation in the United Kingdom, no charges have been filed against her in the UK courts.





He said, however, that investigations into her case have been concluded by the EFCC in Nigeria.





Recall that Madueke, who served as Petroleum Minister during the last administration of Goodluck Jonathan, was arrested in October 2015, by the UKs National Crime Agency, NCA, in London, along with four other people on suspicion of corruption offences.





Magu said, I think three years is sufficient for you to take her [Diezani] to court.



GUANGZHOU, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's first self-designed deep-sea exploration vessel returned to port on Sunday after completing a deep-sea geological examination in the Pacific.

The Ocean No. 6 returned to port in south China's Guangdong Province after spending 138 days conducting deep-sea surveys over about 30,000 km, according to Yang Shengxiong, chief engineer with Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey.

The surveys were conducted in areas with cobalt-bearing crusts in West Pacific. It found out about the conditions of the crusts in more than 30 areas, Yang said.

"Samples of the crusts more than 30-cm thick were fetched for the first time," Yang said.

The vessel also realized scale collection of cobalt-bearing crusts, while obtaining samples of microplastics along the sea routes in West Pacific. It also analyzed the amount, types and composition of microplastics in the sea, which laid a foundation for the international treatment of plastic waste in the sea.

It is the eighth deep-sea expedition of the vessel, which has conducted multiple tasks in the South China Sea, the Pacific and the waters around the Antarctic since 2009.

[ Editor: WPY ]The Kano state house of assembly has stopped investigating allegations that Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of the state, collected bribe ...





The Kano state house of assembly has stopped investigating allegations that Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of the state, collected bribe from contractors.





This is in line with a court order. A group known as Lawyers For Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria, had asked the court to compel the assembly to halt the probe.





Ruling on an ex parte application filed by one Muhammad Zubair, national coordinator of the group, A.T Badamasi, a judge, had asked the lawmakers to suspend the probe.





But the assembly vowed not to comply with the order.





Baffa Dan-Agundi, chairman of the committee investigating the issue, had said the court order did not stop the panel from continuing with the investigation.





We have received a court order that we should stop investigating the video clips showing Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, allegedly collecting bribe, he said.





We had a meeting today at the assembly and according to our understanding; the court didnt stop us from investigating the allegations; the court only said status quo be maintained. As such, we will continue with our work.





But making a U-turn on Monday, Dan-Agundi told the court that the assembly is a law-abiding arm of government, hence, it would obey the court and suspend all forms of investigation on the case pending the court judgement.





While adjourning the hearing on the matter to Wednesday, Badamasi urged the committee to desist from inviting, questioning, interviewing, examining any person related to the issue.





He also instructed the investigative committee to stop any form of analysis on the bribery videos.





The committee had invited Ganduje, who failed to appear but sent one of his commissioners and Jafar Jafar, publisher of Daily Nigerian, the online platform which leaked the videos.



A group of Niger Delta agitators have asked multinational oil companies out of Akwa Ibom State or risk being attacked. The group, un...

A group of Niger Delta agitators have asked multinational oil companies out of Akwa Ibom State or risk being attacked.





The group, under the aegis of Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators, said its decision was based on dissatisfaction with the companies over their neglect of riverine communities in Akwa Ibom.





In a statement on Monday by self-styled General John Duku of the Niger Delta Watchdogs, the agitators said the level of injustice, neglect, marginalisation, and untold hardship the communities suffer under the multinational oil companies operating in Akwa Ibom were no longer bearable.





The agitators observed that despite being in the business of exploring and exploiting oil from these communities for over 30 years, the multinational oil companies had completely abandoned their corporate social responsibilities (CSR) in the areas of scholarships, employment, and empowerment for its host communities.





Part of the statement reads: All these multinational oil and servicing companies do not have even a liaison office in the state.





Ninety percent of their workforce is non-indigenes of the state, the remaining 10 percent they pick from Akwa Ibom are place under contract with meagre payment and without any entitlement.









It is also noted that none of these companies, even their representatives, deem it necessary to visit their host communities.





This is a satanic act and we shall handle it the way and manner they would feel the same pain that communities have been passing through.





Worst still is the fact that Oriental Energy Resources management believes and boasts that with the personal relationship of the Managing Director, Alhaji Muhammed Indimi, as an in-law to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, his company and assets are untouchable, thus he can do whatever he likes, citing the recent case between Oriental Energy and Afren Resources Nigeria Limited which was ruled in his favour.





From our findings, we have discovered that the Community Affairs Department in all these multinational oil companies are in the business of conniving with traditional rulers, community leaders and some government officials to fraudulently steal, embezzle, and criminally defraud the core oil producing communities of monies meant for community development and every other benefits that should have accrued to the oil producing communities.





The situation is the same in all the core oil producing LGAs of the state.





The worst is the situation we met at Effiat coastal communities of Mbo LGA, Amadaka in Eastern Obolo LGA, Ibeno LGA, Esit Eket LGA and many others.





We, therefore, call on the government to ensure the withdrawal of the certificates of these criminal traditional rulers.





Recall that during the height of crisis in the Niger Delta region, Akwa Ibom State was peaceful, that is why these multinational oil & services companies are taking undue advantage of the people of the state as there is peace in the region.





It is well noted that the remote causes of the Niger Delta struggles was for emancipation from injustice, neglect, and marginalisation.





We shall immediately commence mobilisation of all the key actors in this struggle, including all the militant groups, to Akwa Ibom State in order to surmount these evil companies from the state.





We shall ensure total shut down of all flow-stations, all the oil vessels would be attacked (this is Operation Deliver Akwa Ibom Campaign).





We promise that very soon we shall release the video of our findings for the whole world to see the level of injustice and marginalisation these multinational oil companies have caused their host communities.





We, therefore, call on the president to call his in-law, Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, to order.



The Public Relations Officer, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, 19 northern states and Abuja Rev. Joseph Hayab, has observed that...





The Public Relations Officer, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, 19 northern states and Abuja Rev. Joseph Hayab, has observed that Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has no moral right to call anybody a bigot.





Hayab explained that since el-Rufai became the governor of the state, his insulting and denigrating comments had polarised the state.





Making his view known in a statement in Kaduna, he said, Happenings in our dear Kaduna State for over three years now, especially some recent statements by the governor, have compelled me to speak as a citizen and a stakeholder who believes in the unity and diversity of Nigeria.





It seems that Governor el-Rufai takes pleasure in making bad and inciting comments about others but unable to bear or reason that his leadership style is worse than that of those he is quick to accuse.





When some Christian leaders years back complained about how he (el-Rufai), made mockery of Jesus on his Twitter handle, it seemed then that they deliberately accused him of such a recklessness for political reasons, but little did we realise that such inflammatory comments were el-Rufais trademark.





Since el-Rufai became the governor of Kaduna State, many of his utterances have been either to insult or denigrate some individuals or group of people.





He noted that el-Rufais recent tweet accusing Mr. Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of being a tribal bigot clearly shows that the governor needs to go and look at himself in the mirror.





He said although he was not from the South-east Nigeria, but a visit to Anambra State and meeting people on the streets of Awka and Onitsha showed that Obi as governor of Anambra State, led with an exemplary leadership style of tolerance and promoted peaceful coexistence unlike el-Rufai who has polarised Kaduna State with divisive actions and inciting utterances.





Hayab further explained, My dear Governor el-Rufai, you cannot go to the social media every now and then making divisive statements about the population of our dear state, only to come back to accuse other Nigerians of being bigot.





For you to have the moral right to accuse others as bigots, you need to check and reexamine yourself in the mirror to ascertain if you are not worse off.





It is public knowledge how you have threatened Shiites, SOKAPU (Southern Kaduna Peoples Union) and even the Nigerian Army aside from those who hold different political views.





Does el-Rufai assume that the silence of many indigenes of Kaduna State and other well meaning Nigerians on his actions is a sign of weakness or are people ignorant of the high level of polarisation that his leadership style has brought to Kaduna State?





My investigation shows that when Mr. Peter Obi was Governor of Anambra State, he worked peaceably with three Commissioners of Police from the North of Nigeria including Alhaji Amusa Bello, Gwary Usman and CP Leha.





In comparison to Mr Obi, please, el-Rufai should tell Nigerians how many heads of security agencies in Kaduna State during his tenure were/are from the other parts of the country?





From el-Rufais utterances and actions, one becomes sceptical if anyone from another part of Nigeria other than the core north could work as Commissioner of Police or Head of DSS in Kaduna without the governor asking the authorities in Abuja to transfer such with immediate effect.





My dear Governor, please stop your divisive and distractive statements and actions and look inward to remove the speck from your eyes before attempting to help remove the splinter in others.





el-Rufai has not lived in Anambra, but is accusing someone from Anambra of his stewardship.





Can el-Rufai be truthful to himself and to us in Kaduna State by admitting that he is not Nigerias chief bigot?





Peter Obis people say that he is one of those exemplary governors who left his state financially better off than he met it. Besides, he left Anambra peaceful and united.





Can we from Kaduna State rate el-Rufai in the same way? Without the fear of contradiction, a record of Kaduna State people are of the view that Governor el-Rufai should focus more on his duties as a leader of the state and stop busy bodying and poke-nosing into affairs that have little or no link to the administration of our state.





We demand that Governor el-Rufai should concentrate on making Kaduna State peaceful and prosperous by delivering fair, unbiased and equitable leadership, rather than being at war with almost everyone who holds a differing view from his.





The undeniable truth is that the governors actions and utterances about people and situations both in the state and elsewhere have further impaired the peace we once enjoyed in Kaduna.



Photo taken on Nov. 12, 2018 shows the scene of the launching ceremony the micro documentary series themed 40 Years onBeijing Blooming with Us at Beijing Fun in Beijing, capital of China. (Photo by Ji Chunhong/ Guangming Picture)

BEIJING, Nov. 12(Guangming Online) The launching ceremony of the micro documentary series themed 40 Years onBeijing Blooming with Us was held at Beijing Fun in Beijing on Monday. The documentary series are jointly produced by the Information Office of Beijing Municipality and GMW.cn (official website of Guangming Daily) to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening-up. 40 foreign experts in various fields who have lived in Beijing for years talk about their life, work and huge changes of Beijing in the documentaries. Those micro documentaries will be published on different platforms from Nov. 12, 2018.

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1

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]This is the mushup of the micro documentary series themed 40 Years onBeijing Blooming with Us which was release at the launching ceremony Fun in Beijing on Monday. The documentary series are jointly produced by the Information Office of Beijing Municipality and GMW.cn (official website of Guangming Daily) to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening-up. 40 foreign experts in various fields who have lived in Beijing for years talk about their life, work and huge changes of Beijing in the documentaries. Those micro documentaries will be published on different platforms from Nov. 12, 2018.

Editor: Zhang ZhouStephon Marbury, Beijing Honorary Citizenship holder, Former NBA and CBA Star

The documentary series 40 Years onBeijing Blooming with Us are jointly produced by the Information Office of Beijing Municipality and GMW.cn (official website of Guangming Daily). In the micro documentary series, 40 foreign experts talk about the changes they have witnessed in Beijing as the country celebrates the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]Vietnam has become the seventh country to ratify the CPTPP, after Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and Singapore, as the time that the deal will officially take effect is fast approaching. Therefore, it is necessary for the country to immediately make the most thorough preparations in the aim of taking advantage of opportunities and neutralising the challenges posed by the CPTPP, as well as to implement the pact in an effective fashion.

Opportunities and challenges

Both experts and the business community share the view that the CPTPP promises to provide many benefits for Vietnam. First of all, joining the CPTPP as one of the founding members, Vietnam has shown a strong commitment to reform and comprehensive and extensive international integration. In addition, the CPTPP is expected to help Vietnams gross domestic product (GDP) and exports surge by 1.32% and 4.04%, respectively, by 2035. General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Truong Dinh Hoe, said that there will be huge opportunities for Vietnamese aquatic products, as the CPTPP countries annually import nearly US$2 billion worth of fishery products from Vietnam, equivalent to 23% of the industrys total export revenues.

After the CPTPP comes into effect, it could help generate much higher economic value because the potential remains large in these markets. Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), Truong Van Cam, said the CPTPP has opened up many new markets for Vietnamese textile and garment products, especially markets with which Vietnam has yet to sign a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), such as Canada, Mexico and Peru. Traditional markets, including Australia, will also be better exploited. Vietnams textile and garment exports to Australia only reach approximately US$200 million annually, a modest figure as each year this market imports roughly US$9 billion worth of products.

Most importantly, the CPTPP is considered a golden opportunity for Vietnam to accelerate domestic institutional reform, to promote the comprehensive operation of the market economy, and to create an open and transparent business-investment environment. According to Dr. Nguyen Anh Duong, Head of the Macroeconomic Policy Department under the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), institutional reforms provide many benefits to Vietnam, but this is also a demand and a compulsory requirement when Vietnam accepts to join the common playground. Therefore, whats important is that Vietnam has to maintain a continuous and quality reform momentum after joining the CPTPP.

On the other hand, when participating in the CPTPP, Vietnam will open the door for goods and services of partner countries in the domestic market, which means that Vietnamese enterprises and goods will face fiercer competition right on their home ground. Meanwhile, the difference in economic levels between Vietnam and the other CPTPP signatories still remains quite large, thus raising many concerns on the competitiveness of the countrys key economic sectors. Chairman of Hung Yen Garment Company (Hugaco), Nguyen Xuan Duong, said that the CPTPP is an opportunity for Vietnamese garment businesses to expand their market shares and boost growth in the future. Therefore, businesses have to invest and study the market in order to make best use of their advantages. However, the competition will be more severe, and if well-organised development strategies and directions are not deployed, it is a possiblillity that local firms will be overwhelmed by financially strong opponents from abroad, Duong added.

Expectations for breakthroughs

As a high quality agreement, the CPTPP requires Vietnam to make breakthrough reforms in a number of areas with the aim of creating a more favourable business climate and providing good premises for the business community, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to develop pragmatically. In addition, the CPTPP is also a driving force for Vietnamese enterprises to focus on renovating their production methods, enhancing competitiveness and improving the quality of goods and services, in order to catch up with the development trend of the world, as well as to be able to compete against more rigorous standards, thereby effectively engaging in global supply chains.

Le Tien Truong, General Director of the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), stated that, in order to take advantage of opportunities, businesses need to invest in technology; improve productivity both through the skills of workers and systems of production, management, computerisation in administration and automation in each production stage; and be proactive in ensuring domestic sources of materials to be prepared for large orders from partners and customers.

The CPTPP also brings about expectations in the process of amending and supplementing the laws to conform to the CPTPP commitments. However, it is necessary to strengthen the law enforcement capabilities and sanctions against violations. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Tran Quoc Khanh, said that growth in quantity is important but with the CPTPP, the Government is putting higher expectations on changes in terms of quality. As a high quality comprehensive agreement, the CPTPP will cause much bigger impacts on the policy environment than the previous FTAs. CPTPP participation is similar to the admission to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for the second time. And if the WTO has brought about qualitative changes to the domestic institutional environment, the CPTPP will also bring about such dramatic changes.

When participating in the CPTPP, the core interests of Vietnam are guaranteed. Vietnam has also earned specific reserves and flexibility in order to implement the agreement in an effective and beneficial manner for the country. During the implementation of the CPTPP, the Government will continue to direct ministries and sectors to regularly update the overall impacts on the economy as well as each specific area, thereby designing appropriate adjustment measures.Since its establishment in November 13, 1993, with an initial chartered capital of VND400 million, SHB has developed a sustainable financial foundation with the chartered capital increasing to over VND12 trillion - up more than 30,000 times against the initial figure.

With active contribution to the national development, the SHB brand has been recognised with multiple domestic and international awards.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, Dao Minh Tu, praised SHBs contribution to the development of the banking sector and socio-economic development in Vietnam.

He suggested the bank pay attention to promoting its strength in operating in rural areas, while simplifying transaction procedures and developing modern products and services, as well as facilitating the restructuring plan for the 2016-2020 period.Accordingly, a show featuring Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) designs and traditional music of Vietnams north and central regions will be staged in font of the Hanoi Old Quarter Cultural Exchange Centre, 50 Dao Duy Tu street, Hoan Kiem district.

A musical event will take place on the following day, featuring beautiful melodies of northern folk music as well as ancient tunes of Nha Nhac (Hue royal court music), which was honoured with a place on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

A collection of Hue traditional costumes of Doctor Thai Kim Lan and a collection of instrumentals of Hue royal court music will also be introduced to the public on the occasion.

Hosted by the Management Board of Hanoi's Old Quarter, the programme aims to strengthen cultural cooperation and exchange between the capital city of Hanoi and Hue Imperial City, both possess many UNESCO-recognised cultural heritages.Jusuf Kalla expressed his delight at the fine development of Vietnam-Indonesia traditional friendship and close cooperation over the past more than 60 years.

He spoke highly of the outcomes of recent talks between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi and Bali, during which both sides had proposed specific measures to promote economic, trade and investment ties and help enterprises deal with difficulties.

The Vice President thanked Vietnam for backing Indonesias initiatives, affirming that it will work with Vietnam in building priorities within the framework of the Indo-Pacific.

He stressed the necessity to have better coordination in implementing the 2019-2023 Programme of Action, and discussing regional and multilateral issues of mutual concern at the ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Singapore as well as the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Papua New Guinea later this month.

It is also essential to support each other and contribute to maintaining the central role of the ASEAN in the region, the host added.

For his part, Ambassador Quang congratulated Indonesia on its successful organisation of many international events in recent times, including the 2018 Asian Games and Asian Para Games, the ASEAN Leaders Gathering and the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

The diplomat also extended his sympathy over Indonesias human and asset losses in a Lion Air plane crash and earthquakes in Lombok and Sulawesi.

Talking to the media after the meeting, Ambassador Quang emphasised priorities in bilateral cooperation, including building political trust through high-level delegation exchanges, intensifying coordination in regional and international issues, soon addressing existing shortcomings related to an Exclusive Economic Zone and fishing, and raising two-way trade to US$10 billion by 2020.Welcoming him and the Vietnamese delegation at the airport were representatives from the Singaporean Government and the Vietnamese Embassy in the country.

Later on the day, Phuc will join other ASEAN leaders in the opening ceremony and plenary session of the Summit. They are expected to discuss measures to intensify cooperation and linkage, and build a resilient and innovative ASEAN.

The Vietnamese leader will attend a working dinner chaired by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and take part in an opening ceremony of a Vietnamese Goods Week in Singapore.

On the next two days, the PM will participate in related meetings, including the ASEAN Plus Three Summit with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK), the East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Plus One Summits with China, the RoK, Japan, the United States, India, Australia and Russia, and the second Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit.ABC News(NEW YORK) -- As firefighters continue battling blazes in California that have claimed at least 44 lives, conditions in Southern California have worsened.



In San Diego County, the fire risk on Tuesday is extremely critical, the highest level issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.



"Vary rapid fire growth, extreme fire behavior is expected," according to a report by the National Weather Service. "Explosive fire growth is possible with any fire starts."



Wind gusts in and around San Diego topped 80 mph Monday night, as a strong Santa Ana Wind event is underway in Southern California that will continue into Wednesday. A high-wind warning continues Tuesday in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, with gusts from 40 to 60 mph. In some places, it will be as high as 70 mph.



Relative humidity will remain dangerously low -- 3 percent to 8 percent -- meaning the red flag warning remains in effect.



Elsewhere in the U.S., a storm system is moving through the East Coast, bringing severe weather, including snow farther inland. A tornado watch has been issued in North Carolina until later Tuesday morning.



That storm will shift into northern New England and leave the U.S. later Tuesday. Winter weather advisories are expected to continue as western Pennsylvania, New York and New England could see more than half a foot of snow.



Following that storm system is a bitter Arctic blast that's taking aim at the Northeast, dropping Wednesday morning wind chills into the single digits in some parts.



A new storm expected to form along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday also is expected to make an impact along the East Coast, with heavy rain and thunderstorms.



By Thursday afternoon or evening, that system will be moving into the mid-Atlantic, also delivering sleet and snow, which could continue into Friday morning.



Coastal flooding is possible from New Jersey to Maine.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.In a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh on the sidelines of the 33rd ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Singapore, the official underscored that the Cambodian Government hopes to continue fostering ties with Vietnam and will create optimal conditions for the community to settle down.

For his part, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Minh acknowledged efforts by the Cambodian side in assisting the Vietnamese-Cambodian community in Tonle Sap Lake area of Kampong Chhnang province.

He also expressed his concern that many members of the community have been moved to a new resettlement area where the minimum living conditions are not ensured.

He recalled Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs request to his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen for support to the Vietnamese Cambodian community to leave the Tonle Sap Lake area and stabilise their life in a new place, and for a clear roadmap relating to the work to ensure their livelihoods and necessary infrastructural works such as schools and health care stations.

At the meeting, Deputy PM Minh also congratulated Prak Sokhonn for his appointment as the Deputy PM of Cambodia. Minh also showed his delight at the growth of the Vietnam-Cambodia partnership in the recent time.The Foreign Ministry said the visit will be made at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Vietnam and Russia established diplomatic relations in 1950 and decided to elevate the relationship to strategic partnership in 2001 and then to comprehensive strategic partnership 11 years later.We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.Kyrsten Sinema Pulls Off Arizona Senate Win, Jordan Blue Makes the National News

By Lainey Bobainey | Pajiba Love | November 12, 2018 |

The world lost a great talent today. Excelsior, Stan Lee, and thanks for all the heroes. - (CBR)

Stan Lee had many friends and fans and they took to Twitter to show their love and say goodbye. - (Elite Daily)

Here are some interesting and/or fascinating facts about Stan Lee that you may not have already known. - (Mental Floss)

The fires in California are just fucking devastating! So many people have lost their homes, pets, and the numbers are rising on the lives lost. Several celebrities have also lost their homes, but thankfully so far, it looks as though theyre getting out with their families and pets. - (Celebitchy)

Oh, hey, so heres some good news in this timeline  The Arizona Senate race has been called and it goes to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema! - (NPR)

The story about the Wisconsin high school students who gave a Nazi salute in a photo has jumped from social media to the national news, and Jordan Blue makes national news for being the lone holdout. YOURE MY BOY, BLUE.

Yes, I am #JordanBlue.. Thank you all for all the love support and all of the positive messages.  jordan blue (@jtbluee) November 12, 2018

Beto wrote a beautiful thank you note to his supporters. I bet Ted Cruz didnt send a thank you note to his supporters! - (TMS)

OHMYGOD, LOOK! Look at Michelle Obama! LOVE! - (GFY)

Tori said, Honestly, they could make a show that was just Patrick Stewart sitting around spitballing his own latter-day Picard headcanon and it would be worth the cost of CBS All Access to watch it. - (i09)

There are 172 Black American WWII soldiers buried in a Dutch cemetery. The story is very touching. - (The Root)

Tony Romo the commentator calls Tony Romo the QBs plays. Dallas may have won last night, but they still suck. So says Seth. I think the Raiders suck, but yeah, Dallas does too. - (Daily Snark)

Johnny Galecki (doing his best Blue Steel, although maybe its Le Tigre? Hard to say for certain.) brought his 21-year-old girlfriend to The Peoples Choice Awards last night. Neat?- (Dlisted)

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, and ElCicco highly recommends Pat Barkers WWI Regeneration Trilogy in her review of the third book, The Ghost Road. The series mingles fictional and historical characters to grapple with the damage of war. "Regeneration, healing and moving forward, requires a painful reckoning such as this whether we are talking about individuals or entire societies. The Regeneration Trilogy is beautifully written and thought provoking." Are there books about WWI that you recommend? (Cannonball Read 10)

 What's in Michelle Obama's 'Becoming'? | Morning Briefing: Indictments Are Coming, Plus Don Jr. Self Owns 

Lainey is the copy editor & linkmaster. You can Tweet at her on Twitter.

Header Image Source: GettyDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh and Singaporean Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong also attended the event.

The Vietnamese Goods Week runs through until November 25 and aims to promote hundreds of agro-fishery products and commodities of Vietnam to Singaporean consumers and international visitors, on the sidelines of the 33rd ASEAN Summit.

The event is held by Vietnams Ministry of Industry and Trade in cooperation with supermarket chain FairPrice, which distributes Vietnamese goods in its total 146 stores in Singapore.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Industry and Trade Minister Tran Tuan Anh said that the Vietnamese Goods Week in Singapore demonstrate the effective cooperation between the ministry and FairPrice, and offers chances to expand cooperation models between the two countries businesses.

FairPrices retail system is selling about 650 Vietnamese products, such as farm produce, foodstuff, industrial goods, plastic products, and chemicals, among others.Iran Air, Lieutenant General Khademi, and a Murder That Was Forgotten

11/13/18

By Pejman Akbarzadeh (source: BBC Persian)



Lt. Gen. Khademi along with the Shah and Queen of Persia

Nowruz salutation ceremony, 1977



In the 1970s, Iran Air had made a name for itself as "the fastest growing" of the world's airlines. According to Encyclopedia Iranica, Iran Air was the most profitable company after the National Iranian Oil Company and was also recognized by the Flight Safety Foundation as one of the safest airlines in the world. This accomplishment is associated with the name Lt. General Ali-Mohammad Khademi (1913-1978), who managed Iran Air for sixteen years. His service ended few months before the Islamic Revolution with his sudden resignation.

Gen. Khademi was killed forty years ago on November 7, 1978 in his home in Tehran. Despite the testimony of his wife and the soldiers who were working at his residence, the state-run media published his killing as "a suicide." Several international media outlets (such as the New York Times), however, concurrently ran the news as his murder. General Khademi held the highest position in a government institution from among Persia's Baha'i community. His religious leanings, which were secret to no one, were tenaciously opposed by groups of Muslim clerics.



Ali Mohammad Khademi among senior IRAN AIR employees.

Tehran, 1973





A Murder That Was Forgotten

Rarely is anything spoken of Ali Mohammad Khademi's murder or the person responsible. Just a few months after his killing, the Islamic Revolution was victorious in Iran and a large number of officials from the Shah government were sent to the execution squads. It seems the extent of the killings and tumultuous environment of the country allowed whatever happened to the director of Iran Air to fall through the cracks.

Cyrus Alai, a former professor at Tehran University and a friend of Gen. Khademi, has spent several years investigating the documents pertaining to this murder. With the cooperation of Khademi's family, he was able to publish for the first time a collection of documents from the Imperial Armed Forces Command in Tehran in the Persian-language journal Irannameh in 2015. It was recorded in one of these documents that three bullet casings were recovered beside Khademi's body. Based on this document and the report of an officer who investigated the scene of the crime, Gen. Khademi was "assassinated" by "a group of at least three people," and a forensic medical examiner also confirmed his murder by a bullet wound in the back of the head. The names of three members of the Anti-Sabotage Joint Committee (Komiteh-ye Zedd-e Kharabkari) are also present in the documents, one of whom was identified at the Imperial Armed Forces Command in Tehran by Bahieh Moayyad (Khademi) as the shooter of her husband, Lt. Gen. Khademi.

Despite the identification and apprehension of these individuals by the Imperial Armed Forces Command, none of them were ever put on trial or punished. A short time later, the Organization of National Security and Intelligence (SAVAK) held Bahieh Moayyad (Khademi) for about one month that she might declare her husband's death a suicide. She did not acquiesce in this request.





Lt. Gen. Khademi joined by his wife and son, one day prior to his murder.

Tehran, November 6, 1978



Cyrus Alai says, "In those days, the government organizations were so overwhelmed that they would do anything to keep the environment calm. The murder of Lt. Gen. Khademi - one of the most prominent Baha'i figures - was an action that not only did nothing to help calm the situation, but added to the people's outrage as well as exasperated the clerics."

Ali Mohammad Khademi among "Eminent Persians"

A special article on Lt. Gen. Khademi was published in the book Eminent Persians (Abbas Milani, 2008). In the book, it reads, "Khademi's dream was to fly, and he immediately enrolled in the Air Force Flying School. After graduation, he finished his training in England; he was the first Iranian to receive a commercial pilot's licence." Milani considers Gen. Khademi's life's work to be an exemplary model in modern Persian history, which shows how bravery and honesty, along with a policy of meritocracy, can impact society.

On the fortieth anniversary of Lt. Gen. Khademi's murder, Abbas Milani says he has seen "no compelling evidence" that the Shah's security apparatus played a role in Khademi's murder. He adds: "In my opinion, the evidence suggests that the religious forces played a role in this incident, but in the end, they tried to pin everything on SAVAK. Without having any support network inside the government, Khademi brought Iran Air to the highest position from nothing. This operation was a thorn in the side of those who would not be able to reach this kind of success and who today, prevent Baha'is in Persia from receiving an education."

The Director of the Iranian Studies department at Stanford University adds: "Even his critics did not paint him as corrupt. During his management, Khademi made every effort to free Iran Air from depending on foreign pilots, and he was also renowned for his strict terms for employing skilled pilots and preventing flight delays-was exemplary among most senior government officials.

Opposing Views on the Shooters' Identity

The media in Persia at the time of the Shah all announced Lt. Gen. Khademi's killing as "suicide." Abbas Milani sees the reason for this is unclear, but to an extent, a consequence of Persia's critical situation at the time. He says: "Now it has become entirely clear that religious forces played a role in the Cinema Rex fire, but at the time when Dariush Homayoun announced this, no one believed it. This was also the case in regard to the murder of Lt. Gen. Khademi. The Shah's regime had lost its credibility and anything it would say was used against it."

Cyrus Alai, however, outright denies the role of religious forces and considering the evidence, believes that the role of the Anti-Sabotage Joint Committee is clear in this regard. However, Alai insists that Mohammad Reza Shah was unaware of the Committee's operations; the Committee, which had become extraordinarily powerful at that time, was obstructing the Imperial Armed Forces' pursuits in punishing agents by exerting its influence.



Lt. Gen. Khademi and his wife beside the IATA Director,

Knut Hammarskjold and his wife, Tehran, 1970



Management of Iran Air (HOMA) and International Air Transport Association (IATA)

After completing his education in Persia and Britain, and some years of service with the Iranian Air Force, Khademi continued his studies. In 1957 he graduated from the U.S. Air Force War College in Alabama, and for four years he was the Chief of Staff of Iranian Air Force, beginning in 1958. Khademi was appointed the general manager of the newly founded company Iran Air in 1962. Shortly thereafter, he completed the Air Transport Senior Management course at American University in Washington DC.

In his book The History of Commercial Aviation in Iran, Abbas Atrvash makes note that at this time, Iran Air had thirteen small aircraft and about 750 employees. In 1978, this figure rose to 37 Boeing aircrafts and more than 12,800 employees.

Beside the expansion of Iran Air, in 1970 Persia was host to the International Air Transport Association (IATA)'s general meeting (the first to take place in Asia). Lt. Gen. Khademi was the president of the IATA from 1970-1971, being the first Asian to obtain this position.

During this period, Iran Air's flights expanded from the Near East and Europe to the Far East and North America. While he managed Iran Air, Khademi displayed his lasting drive for training and maintaining a modernized fleet. The consistent training courses for employees held in Tehran and management courses organized all over Persia (Iran) are an indication of this mindset. In 1977, Northrop University in California granted Khademi an honorary Ph.D. for his accomplishments in the commercial aviation industry.

Confiscation of Property and an Unresolved Case

Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Khademi's property in Tehran was confiscated, but his murder case still remains unresolved. In one of the administrative letters received from Tehran, it is noted that should the surviving family members seek to follow up on the case, it can be reopened. Monib Khademi, Gen. Khademi's eldest child, traveled to Tehran in 2004 to prevent the case from becoming buried, but did not reach any conclusion. He says: "Government Officials told me 'You cannot do anything in regard to this case, as it is related to the issuance of an edict from Ayatollah Khomeini in connection with the seizure of the properties of Baha'is.'"

Monib, with support of his sisters Mona and Minou, has compiled a collection of documents pertaining to his father's activities and assassination, which will soon be gifted to the Hoover Institution Archives at Stanford University for researchers to use.

Lt. Gen. Khademi was laid to rest in golestan-e javid (The Baha'i cemetery in Tehran). This cemetery was bulldozed over and demolished in 1981, after the Islamic Revolution.Iran's Top Diplomat Attacks Opponents Of Transparency Measures

11/13/18

Source: Radio Farda

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif says those who profit from money laundering are spending millions of dollars to prevent the passage of legislation requiring more financial transparency.



cartoon by Naeem Tadayyon, Iranian daily Shahrvand



Known collectively in Iran as the Palermo Bills, the legislation would pave the way for the country to meet the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crimes (UNTOC), Combatting Financing Terrorism (CFT), and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) -- in the hope of reducing international pressure on Iran's already troubled economy.



Originally proposed by President Hassan Rouhani in November last year, the bills have met staunch resistance from hardliners, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who says the agreements have been "cooked up" by foreign enemies.



"The amount spent for creating an atmosphere against these bills is equal to the Foreign Ministry's budget," Zarif was cited as saying November 11 on the local website Khabar Online.



The foreign minister went on to accuse government agencies, that he refrained from naming, of mounting the campaign against the Palermo Bills.



"We cannot challenge the scenes set by these wealthy and mighty state-organs," he said.



Commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Friday Prayer Leaders across Iran, and other figures appointed by the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have repeatedly opposed the passage of UN sponsored conventions against financing international terrorism and money laundering.



In June, members of parliament discussed Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) accession bill, which is one of the Palermo Bills put forward by Rouhani's government, along with a proposal to adopt the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards. The bill was shelved for two months. Later, it was approved by parliament but rejected by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council.



Parliament did approve a bill on the country's accession to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, also known as the Palermo Convention, but the bill was rejected by the Guardian Council.



Parliament has since referred the bill to the Expediency Council to make the final decision.



An amendment to the anti-money laundering law of the Islamic Republic proposed by Rouhani's government has met a similar fate. It was approved by the parliament but rejected by both the Guardian Council and Expediency Council.



Meanwhile, an amendment to the country's law against financing terrorism was approved by both parliament and the Guardian Council, and signed into law by President Hassan Rouhani, state-run Mehr News Agency (Mehr News Agency) reported.



Those who oppose the bills have argued that passing them is a threat to Iran's security. Analysts say the real fear in circles loyal to the Supreme Leader is that adhering to the financial transparency requirements would prevent Iran from financially supporting the Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas militant groups.



But their opposition can also have more selfish reasons, as many officials and opaque organizations with secret budgets and corrupt dealings would not like to be subjected to more transparency.



The FATF has given Tehran until February to either endorse the UNTOC or be added to its "black list" of countries refusing to cooperate in the fight against money laundering and financing terrorism. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is urging Tehran to endorse the bills before the deadline set by FATF.US genuinely wants to 'starve' Iranians: Ron Paul

11/13/18

Source: Press TV

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent threat to "starve" Iranian people through economic pressure was a rare instance of truthfulness in America's foreign policy, prominent American thinker Ron Paul says. Last week, the US secretary of state told BBC Persian that Iranian officials must listen to Washington "if they want their people to eat."

Retired Libertarian and Republican Congressman Ron Paul is asking a question in his weekly column about the Trump administration's 'neoconservative' policy regarding how to handle the situation with Iran: Is it normal? #RonPaul #Iran #Trumphttps://t.co/mrjnv4RoTK  Money and Markets (@TheMoneyMarkets) November 13, 2018

The administration of US President Donald Trump announced on November 5 the re-imposition of the "toughest" sanctions ever against Iran's banking and energy sectors with the aim of cutting off its oil sales and crucial exports. The bans had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).



The first round of the anti-Iran bans -- which had been lifted under the accord -- was re-imposed in August.



Pompeo also said in his interview that since the re-introduction of the sanctions, there was no sign yet that Iranian officials would return to the table for talks.



In the latest episode of his online show "Liberty Report," Paul said the top US diplomat's remarks were important because not often American leaders tend to reveal Washington's true intentions.



"It's not often that US government officials are honest when they talk about our foreign policy," the former congressman and presidential candidate said in his weekly update video posted on Monday.



"The unprovoked 2003 attack on Iraq was called a liberation, the 2011 US-led destruction of Libya was a humanitarian intervention and so on," he explained.



Referring to Pompeo's last week remarks, where the US foreign secretary threatened the Iranian people with starvation, Paul said Pompeo meant that the new US sanctions imposed against Iran sought to "starve Iranian unless the Iranian leadership accepts US demands."



"His statement also reveals the length to which the neocons are willing to go to get regime change in Iran," Paul added.



He said Washington had in the past starved Iraqi children to death for political purposes and Pompeo more or less viewed the situation with Iran as the same.



Paul said the US only wanted Iran's economy to crumble and it wouldn't mind if a few million lives were lost in the process.



"How twisted is US foreign policy that Washington considers it normal to impose sanctions specifically designed to make life miserable or worse for civilians," he asked.



He said the US had no reason to sanction Iran because Tehran was not threatening to starve millions of Americans or attack them.



'Saudi genocide in Yemen'



He added that the sanctions would have made sense if like Saudi Arabia, Iran was also supporting al-Qaeda or waging war against the people of Yemen.



"So what is normal?" Paul asked, before saying, "the continued Saudi genocide in Yemen does not bother Washington a bit."



"In fact, Saudi aggression in Yemen is viewed as just another opportunity to strike out at Iran," he said. "By making phony claims that Yemen's Houthis are Iran-backed, the US government justifies literally handing Saudis the bombs to drop on Yemeni school buses while claiming it is fighting Iranian-backed terrorism, is that normal?"



He blasted Pompeo for blaming Yemen's humanitarian crisis on Iran and pushing to blacklist the Houthi Ansarullah Movement as a terror group "for the crime of fighting back against Saudi and US aggression."



"So yes... Pompeo said one wicked truth last week but before demands that countries like Iran start acting normal or face starvation perhaps he should look at the mirror," Paul said.



"Are Pompeo and the neocons normal? I don't think so," he concluded.The article, which appeared on Peacefmonline.com on November 11, 2018, with the above-mentioned caption to which this rejoinder is hereby made is at best a perfect example of bestial journalism; that dirty attempt to smear a nationalist who is hell-bent on ensuring that Joseph Siaw Agyapong is prosecuted for crimes against the nation, and resolute in seeing him go to jail for the alleged thief that he is.



And such allegations of connivance fall at the feet of the whimsical psychopath journalist like the urine of a prostate patient. Let me state and emphasise in no uncertain terms, and repeat same to all those who have the ability to imbibe this message, that I DO NOT KNOW MANASSEH AZURE FROM ADAM. In fact, Manasseh Azure is neither my compatriot nor someone with whom I have ever had any engagement of any sort at all, let alone connive with him on an issue such as making the system work. One does not need to connive with anyone to speak the truth or put forth an anti-corruption alert! But Manasseh Azure, I am made to understand, is unable to stomach the atrocities of Jospong, and that makes two of us!



It should be noted that the persistent calls to have JOSPONG prosecuted should not be misconstrued as persecution for any reason. Besides, I am yet to know of any Lebanese business that is involved in shit and trash collection. However, it is quite unreasonable of any journalist worth their salt to make such an unholy assertion because anyone who stands against the issues of gargantuan theft of the nation and grave chicanery that have collapsed the sanitation business in this country in favour of an alleged looter, schemer, and charlatan, must be committing nothing, but constant treason.



I have called on the Government to confiscate to the State Zoomlion and all its surrogate companies that have fleeced the nation for well over a decade. JOSPONG seems to be a person of very little or non-existent empathy towards the plight of the rural folks, elderly, women and children. The heart of stone with which he has managed to dupe the State as he stands accused of is quite freakish.



As I mentioned loudly in a recent article, I am about writing a novel to depict how allegedly wasteful, negligent, dubious, and unethical he has been throughout, from the end of the Kufuor administration until now. I shall mention names of past and present officials who are beneficiaries of the blood that he has syphoned from the population like the mosquitoes he was supposed to fumigate, but failed woefully to.



So for the deranged JOSPONG to use a rather lazy journalist to approach a topic with such lackadaisicalness as entrenched in the attitudes of many unethical journalists is only evidence that he associates himself with the lewd, vile, and licentious in this industry.



Besides, to fuel ethnic friction between two peoples who have lived in harmony for over 140 years is surely the surliest way to go. I, and all those who have this country at heart, know that ethnicity is the worst form of cancer that can eat up the peace of this nation, much like what is happening between the tribes in the North. To fan such sentiments is to commit treason for which the punishment is DEATH if pronounced guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. So in the terms of the Americans, JOSPONG, shove your ethnicity where the sun does not shine! This is yet another evidence that JOSPONG cares not about GOD and country except the millions he makes, sucking the blood of innocent Ghanaians.



Jospeh Siaw Agyepong, was banned from doing business in Liberia for some years for his gross mismanagement, fiscal indiscipline, and notorious dubiousness, as I understand. It was said that the World Bank influenced the ban, claiming that they would not do business of any sort with a scammer or fraudster. I am informed that he went to Hungary and grabbed some investors, but what has happened to their moneys? JOSPONG must be able to tell us. We are all ears!



That is all the more reason why I will not relent in my calls on government to confiscate to the State all his companies in order to save the jobs involved, and jail him for his daring acts of embezzlement of public funds in connivance with faceless twerps of the NDC ,and now a few of our own!



The AG and SP must understand that posterity will never forgive them if they let this nightmarish person, Joseph Siaw Agyapong, off the hook. In fact they should be warned. Some of us are just standing by to see that the right things are done. Failure to do so will inform our next legal move!



Recently, I heard that some feasibility studies and sundries which he was paid to do prior to the award of a contract were repaid to him again, after the whole contract was suspended and terminated. I am going into the dirty nitty-gritties of it, and if I find the accusations to be true, Lord have mercy, I will publish my findings. This man has sung the songs of many a devil in our courtyard.CORRUPTION! For that, this government will have to make him pay; there is no other way!



#SayNoToCorruption #SayNoToFiscalVandalism

Source: Fadi Dabbousi email: [email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoIsnt it laughable when the likes of Fadi calls people names. The same Fadi Dabbousi who failed in all his attempts to court John Mahamas administration to deal with key personalities in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) resulting in his blemish and gibberish writings about the Ex-President is today again portraying to be even more closer to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and saying Ghana is corrupt?



Lebanon is also corrupt and unruly. The 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index placed Lebanon at the 143rd spot out of 180 countries and 14th out of 20 countries in Middle East and North Africa. With a population of about 6 million which is one-fifth of Ghanas population estimated at 30 million your country is scoring these figure and you shamelessly want to tag Ghana as corrupt.



This so-called self-acclaimed politician or selective corruption crusader has unexpectedly jumped ignorantly and jealously on the fray to cast spells and unsubstantiated allegations on Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong in his dirty games and antics for fame and expects to go scot free? Bring it on we will not sit in this country and watch you junky Lebanese fool direct the pace here. I sympathise with the handlers of the Jubilee House for allowing him get closer to the presidency. If they knew what is under his sleeves they will not permit him even use any of the roads near the Jubilee House. This junky is a security threat to our nation.



Yes, this drunk of a clown is nosing for information at the presidency so that if his demands are not met he will launch virulent attacks on Nana Addo and his government and nobody notices it? Well that is the NPP and the governments problem but of course I am a citizen not spectator, if I ignore this I would be ten times foolish than he is and I wont forgive myself if ignore this.



We meet habitually at a joint but we are not friends he doesnt know my name and the things he spews out, hmmm, government has to be careful with him. I am not in though for his nonsense, if he takes it to the door steps of any respected Ghanaian again like he portrayed in his recent piece of crap against Ghanas hard working entrepreneur and most vilified Mr. Agyepong by Manasseh and now this person, I will sure match them in equal measure. What is this nonsense?



He alleges that Ghanas Members of Parliament, ministers of state and political party leaders have all been incredibly bought by one single man Jospong and that he is privy to some information that people have received Mercedes Benz vehicles from the same Jospong. This same Fadi in his bogus piece of writing, however, is worried that people are showing interest in the Kwasi Nyantakyi and the GFA/FIFA brouhaha and indicates his disappointment in the works of Ace Investigative Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Managing Editor Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako Jnr whose efforts have unveiled the rot at GFA. He thoughtlessly threatens to write an article or novel he says against them on the FIFA saga. For him Nyantakyi should not be touched and yet Jospong should be hanged by government.



Joke!



He alleges and alleges and alleges and expect legal results but come to think of it, how can the man who pretends to be fighting corruption in Ghana ever have problems with Anas in this GFA/Nyantakyi brawl. Sounds like Manasseh and the Otabil things done and yet you hate the right things when done to your closed pals, family and friends. These are the vigilantes we now have in Ghana but how can Fadi even fight corruption, a known political sycophant who does infantile analysis only against a section of society cannot be said to be fighting corruption. You should go home Fadi if Ghana is no longer friendly to you because we are even getting fed up hosting you here. You bring your untraditional life style here and expect us to just watch you?



He wrote recently fighting the Imani Africa President, Mr. Franklin Cudjoe for raising concerns about the Kelni GvG contract and the work they intend to do. Everybody monitored and any meaningful citizen knew that Cudjoe was just and fair in his analysis yet Fadi saw it the other way, is that a corruption fighter? Ladies and gentlemen I am waiting for that day when he strikes at the presidency that is when Ghana will understand me. Are there no serious and true Ghanaian NPP journalist and members who can also throng at the presidency? Why is he nosing around the presidency, the multi-million-dollar question Kwabena Baah asked worriedly and I do too. There are indeed moles among us?



There is a Frafra saying that the goat must accept to run once it gives its neck out for the rope. I read his insulting rejoinder to Kwabena Baahs article and I laughed. I said eei so this man fears this much? The ashawo broni baby doesnt want anybody to write against him and he is always insulting everyone on his way including our leaders? When you insult, allege, insinuate and lie about people beware that you are not a saint and or repository of such and know that not only you can insult or cast spells and insinuations at people, there are people who can do worse things so shut up and sit down there and receive the insults and stories people have also heard about you. Be ready to receive same because we are also capable of measuring your bluff. That is the import of my Frafra adage brother.



I usually say it is instructive to demand from the likes of Fadi and Manasseh to prove that they have not committed any crime against the state or any person here or elsewhere then we can begin to perfect the systems right away. We should not think that because we are privileged to write we should go about maligning people and postulating unsubstantiated stories about people.



Please read all the two articles of Mr. Fadi Dabbousi about Jospong and your see, I am told, it is alleged, information I gathered etc and he actually wants the Attorney General (AG) and Special Prosecutor (SP) to follow up on how he learnt somebody gave a car or bought MPs, Ministers or government officials or whoever visits Jospong house or office for whatever and nail him down? This crap of a joker thinks we are all stupid here in Ghana isnt he?



I am writing because I do have an interest in Ghanaian businesses, what happened to Agams Group has worried me over time, I sat and watched that happened, this time round I will also speak my mind so that when they do their best and the worse happens I will not be blame myself.



Recently several domestic companies are dying and foreign companies are blossoming, by 2030, there may be no Ghanaian company left and then the blame will be put at the door steps of leaders, an attitude I hate so much when it is us who contributed to the collapse and death of our own. Wherever Mr. Roland Agambiire may be, he certainly is not chopping grasses but many of those he employed are facing difficulties today. If you do your best that best is not your worst.God bless Ghana.

Source: Bawa Mashoud/Starrfmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoChinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) holds talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore, Nov. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

SINGAPORE, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- China and Singapore agreed on Monday to upgrade their free trade agreement (FTA) and make more joint efforts to facilitate connectivity.

The consensus, along with agreements on boosting bilateral cooperation in innovation and other areas, was reached in talks here between visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Noting that China and Singapore have completed their FTA upgrading negotiations, Li said he hopes the two sides will seize the opportunity to lift two-way trade and investment to higher levels.

The upgrade of the FTA will bring real benefits to the people and companies of the two countries and send a strong signal of further expanding trade and investment, Lee said.

The two sides also pledged to advance the building of the New Land-Sea Corridor, which consists of a number of cargo routes by land and sea connecting central and southwest China to Southeast Asia, so as to further improve connectivity between the two countries and beyond.

With the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the new logistics corridor, China and Singapore should build on the momentum and further boost two-way connectivity, Li said.

The Singaporean leader said his country will join hands with China to build the new corridor so as to facilitate transport and trade between the two sides.

Experts say the corridor will help China to further open up to the world while opening a shortcut for Southeast Asian countries to enter the Chinese market.

Another substantial outcome of the visit, according to Li, is that China and Singapore have lifted the Guangzhou Knowledge City, an exemplary program in bilateral cooperation, to a national-level project.

In their talks, Li said the two sides should actively expand cooperation in smart-city building, promote the upgrading of city management and artificial intelligence development, and mull new local-level collaboration.

Lee said the Singaporean side is glad to see the upgrade of the project, and ready to step up smart-city cooperation with China.

Intergovernmental cooperation projects between China and Singapore, such as the Suzhou Industrial Park and the Tianjin Eco-City, have yielded fruitful results. The upgrade of the Guangzhou Knowledge City project is expected to inject fresh momentum into bilateral practical cooperation.

Also in their meeting, Li noted that as China's friendly neighbor and important partner, Singapore has been deeply involved in China's reform and opening-up.

The two sides, he added, have consolidated political mutual trust, achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation, and become important trade and investment partners.

Li recalled that China and Singapore established an all-round cooperative partnership progressing with the times when Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the Southeast Asian country in 2015.

"China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with the Singaporean side, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and continuously bring bilateral ties to higher levels," Li said.

After their talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation documents on FTA upgrading, connectivity, finance, science and technology, environment, culture and customs.

During the first official visit to Singapore by a Chinese premier in 11 years, Li will also attend the 21st leaders' meeting between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the 21st ASEAN-China, Japan and South Korea leaders' meeting, respectively known as 10+1 and 10+3, as well as the 13th East Asia Summit.President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has advised students of the Lawra Senior High School (SHS) in the Upper West Region (UWR) to take their studies seriously and build their potential to become responsible future leaders who will contribute to the nations development.



The President gave the advice when he joined the staff and students of the school to climax the celebration of its golden jubilee anniversary celebrations at Lawra at the weekend.



The celebration was on the theme: Honouring our Past and Creating Academic Excellence for Ghanas Future.



He said the SHS was an exciting and special period in the formative years of every child since they learnt a lot of things, including building good or bad relationships and making critical life-long decisions that could impact positively on their lives.



He said he was happy to note that since the introduction of the free SHS policy two years ago, 270,000 more children had been admitted to the SHS, stressing that the government introduced the policy so that every child, no matter the economic background of the parents, would benefit from it.



He disclosed that to provide an immediate solution to some of the challenges associated with the system, the government, through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), was in the process of securing a $1.5 billion loan facility to construct more facilities for schools.



Functional education



The President said the government also intended to make education at both the basic and SHS more functional to meet the demands of the 21st Century and as such the curriculum at those levels were being reviewed to focus more on the study of science, technology and engineering.



For the Lawra SHS, he said a new assembly hall complex was to be constructed through the GETFund.



The President also directed the Upper West Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to liaise with the Lawra Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) and the traditional authorities to find a lasting solution to the schools boundary issue to pave the way for the construction of the boundary wall.



He said while Lawra had been selected among the 20 towns in the country for the establishment of a Technical/Vocational Educational Centre, the government also had plans for the other SHS in the area, that is the Brifoh SHS, the only day school in the area.



According to the President, the government intended to equip it into a model SHS by constructing more facilities such as a science laboratory, administration block, dining hall and dormitories to enable the school to be turned into a boarding one.



He also said they would complete the abandoned community SHS at Bo-Domwini which was started by his predecessor, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, to offer more access to children in the area.



The President commended the first Headmaster of the school, Alhaji Rahim Gbadamosi, who is still alive, for instilling high standard of discipline into the students over the years, turning out responsible people who are contributing in diverse roles to the development of the country.



Commendation



The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, MrAnthony Karbo, who is also an old boy of the school, commended the President for visiting the area on three occasions, saying he was the first President to visit the school since its establishment.



The Headmaster of the school, Mr Yeng Simon Bonsodong, thanked the President for the visit and said the school which was established on October 11, 1968 with 55 students and two teachers, currently had 1,964 students made up of 1,321 boys and 643 girls who offer General Science, General Arts, Business and Home Economics.



The Paramount Chief of the Lawra Traditional Area, Naa Puowele Karbo III, thanked the government for the bold attempt in instituting the free SHS policy and called on all to make it succeed.

Source: Graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoThe convicted former UBS trader Kweku Adoboli has been arrested and could be deported to Ghana in the next few days, he has said.



Adoboli was taken into custody after attending a regular reporting session at his local police station in Livingston.



He is in a holding centre in Glasgow and has been informed that he is to be taken to Harmondsworth immigration removal centre near Heathrow.



Adoboli fears the Home Office wants to put him on a private charter flight to Ghana.



He previously spent more than a month in Harmondsworth before being granted bail by an immigration judge and released to return to accommodation with friends in Scotland.



Adoboli was ordered to report regularly to his local police station as part of his bail conditions, and was arrested on Monday.



Adoboli, 38, lost his most recent legal challenge when he sought permission in the immigration court for a judicial review of the refusal of his latest application to remain in the UK.



This was not granted, but his legal team are understood to be preparing a new challenge to the court of appeal.



Speaking from the Glasgow holding centre, he said: We want to keep fighting.



Adoboli was jailed for seven years in 2012 after being found guilty of fraud that cost UBS $2.3bn (1.8bn).



He was released after serving half his sentence.



He was born in Ghana but left when he was four and has lived in the UK since he was 12.

Source: The Guardian









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Featured VideoProfessor Ernest Aryeetey, the Former Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana on Monday called for a targeted approach that would enable parents who are not poor to make substantial financial contributions in non-free Senior High School (SHS).



He said the education system should be possible to categorise schools depending on their endowments and conditions and set eligibility criteria and exempt schools that are not eligible from free status and as well provide scholarships to eligible students in non-free schools.



These according to the Former Vice Chancellor were prudent in sustaining government flagship programme for SHS.



Prof Aryeetey stated in Accra at the Graphic Business/Stanbic Bank meeting on Financing Free Quality Education in Ghana-Sustainable Funding Options.



He stated that improving the quality of SHS education would cost more money and that the state trying to do it alone would be problematic as it draws resources away from other essential investments required for structural transformation.



He was of the view that private participation including parents would provide an assurance of the sustainability as far as free SHS was concerned.



Prof Aryeetey expressed concern about the poor infrastructural investment for schools in the country, urging government to deal with the phenomenon through public private partnerships.



He stated that the public private partnerships cannot be applied uniformly and that proper criteria would have to be developed to aid selection and monitoring.



He said access to basic and secondary levels of education had improved significantly, adding that increased access had not been matched with corresponding resources.



To improve upon the countrys educational system, government need to work on teacher supply and motivation especially in the rural areas, he added.



Prof Opoku Amankwah, the Director General of the Ghana Education Service said the introduction of the free SHS, established in 2017 was to prepare and equip the youth with aptitude for further and life-long education and employable skills for the world of work.



According to him, the rationale was to address inequality and ensures equal opportunities for all students through the removal of cost barriers.



Touching on giving opportunities to parents who can pay for their fees, Prof Amankwah said it all had to deal with honesty of people because most of the people who benefit from scholarships are the rich at the top to the detriment of the poor.



He explained that, the country need to change its attitude and be sincere to each other for government policy to work effectively.

Source: GNA









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Featured VideoThe remaining four hostages kidnapped last week in a school in Cameroon's North-West region capital of Bamenda have been released, journalist Peter Tah reports



More than 80 people, majority of them students at Bamenda's Presbyterian Secondary School, were taken on 4 October by gunmen.



The government has accused separatists in the English-speaking region of being behind the kidnapping.



The Anglophone separatists have, however, denied they were involved.



The secessionist movement took up arms last year to demand independence for the North-West and South-West regions - the two English-speaking regions in a country where French is the most widely spoken official language.

Source: BBC









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Featured VideoYoung Girls in Cape Coast, mostly minors between the ages of ten and 14 years, have resorted to the abuse of marijuana, a situation the Metropolitan Social Welfare Office has described as a disturbing development.



These girls are seen publicly smoking with impunity and engage in all sorts of vices detrimental to their health and future development, Mr. Daniel Wallace Akyeampong, the Oguaa Metropolitan Social Welfare Officer noted.



Mr. Akyeampong made the revelation at a days workshop held in Cape Coast to create awareness, educate and also solicit the views of stakeholders on the drug policy reforms document currently at the Executive level and expected to be placed before Parliament soon.



The Document seeks to shift the focus of marijuana from being treated as a criminal act to a public health issue.



The policy reforms, when put in place, would help create access to effective evidence-based treatment for people struggling with marijuana addiction or substance use disorders and ensure wider prevention policies and programmes necessary to reduce addiction as well as social issues connected with it.



It was organized by POS Foundation, a human rights Advocacy and Development Civil Society Organisation in collaboration with the Cape Coast Metro Assembly on the theme the fight against drug abuse (marijuana); preventive and public health approach.



The visibly disturbed Social Welfare Officer recounted how some of the girls were nearly trafficked out of the country sometime last week, but were rescued by the Anti-Human trafficking Unit of the Police Service only to join their counterparts at home to smoke marijuana at the full glare of the public.



The Social Welfare Office was invited by the Regional Police Command to counsel the girls but had a shock of their lives when upon gaining their freedom; they joined their friends at Anaafo, a suburb of Cape Coast, to smoke profusely.



Mr. Akyeampong, therefore, stressed that the ample effects of the abuse of Marijuana on the youth must be largely considered instead of pushing for its legislation.



The stakeholders, including Assembly Members, Civil Society Organisations, head of institutions and the Media expressed concern about the development and called for stringent measures to curb the practice among the youth.



Mr. Eddie Dawson, Turom, Assemblyman advocated for more police swoops in his area to clear the many ghettoes where hard substances and social vices emanate from.



Earlier, the Executive Director of POS Foundation, Mr. Jonathan Osei Owusu had called for drug abuse to be made a public health issue instead of being criminalised, the building of more rehabilitation centres instead of prison and advocated for non-custodial sentences for drug addicts.



He indicated that institutional failures were the bane in the fight against drug abuse and stressed that addiction was a sickness and victims needed support and not stigmatisation which tend to worsen their condition.



It behoves on Ghanaians to decide if the cultivation and use of marijuana which he noted had medicinal values that could be commercialised to generate income for the country, should he legalized or not, he added.









Source: GNA









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Featured VideoSpeaker of Parliament Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye is calling for more seats in Parliament in order to make room for more women Members of Parliament.



According to the Speaker, it becomes a bit difficult for women to win seats that they contested together with their male counterparts, hence, there is the need for room to be made for women to contest among themselves.



Professor Oquaye made this suggestion while addressing some selected journalists in Accra on November 12, 2018.



I have asuggestion in papers I presented several years ago, that for example when you say that seats must be taken from men to women, and you ask for a political parties quota, the men get jittery that people are coming to take their post.



But if you create the additional seats for women, for example, 30, 40, 50 seats for women only to compete on the various political parties in addition to what women can win in the normal post, you find that automatically you have 30 women coming in addition, 40 women coming in addition, and then you supplement what is already there, Professor Oquaye advocated.



He stated that it is within the right of women to be well represented in house of legislators, and that, measures ought to be put in place in order to allow women to have what is due them.



Women representation is a right. The women form 51% of the population and throughout the world; we are number 143, very shameful by the index released by the Inter-parliamentary Union for this year.



We do not want Ghana to place 143 when countries like Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, Senegal, Zimbabwe and others are all beating us to it. It is not like European countries only, because even in Africa we are miserably on the lower side.



According to the Speaker of Parliament, the issue of women representation ought to be seriously catered for.



He added that the contribution of women cannot be undermined when it comes to issues bordering on welfare and social issues.



Professor Oquaye also said Parliament will concentrate on women when the house resumes in January 2019.



He said the Affirmative Action Bill will be looked at in an effort to give women more opportunities.





Source: 3news.com









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Featured Video

There are few things more liberating than travel -- although some passports offer more freedom than others.



A new report published in October 2018 reveals just how many borders some travel documents can cross.



According to the Henley Passport Index, compiled by global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & PartnersCitizens, Japan now has the most powerful passport on the planet.



Having gained visa-free access to Myanmar earlier this month, Japanese citizens can now enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a whopping 190 destinations around the world -- knocking Singapore, with 189 destinations, into second place.



Germany, which began 2018 in the top spot, is now in third place with 188 destinations, tied with France and South Korea.



Uzbekistan lifted visa requirements for French nationals on October 5, having already granted visa-free access to Japanese and Singaporean citizens in early February.



South Korea gained visa-free access to Myanmar on October 1, while Paraguay removed visa requirements for Singaporean passport holders in 2017.



Movers and shakers

The United States and the UK, both with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 186 destinations, are in fifth place. With neither having gained entry to any new jurisdictions this year, it seems unlikely that either will soon reclaim the No.1 spot they held in 2015.



Russia has fallen to 47th position, despite having received a boost in September when Taiwan announced a visa-waiver for Russian nationals.



The United Arab Emirates is the decade's biggest success story when it comes to travel freedom. It's risen from 62nd place in 2006 to now being No. 21 in the rankings.



It's also recently signed a visa-waiver agreement with Russia, due to come into effect in the coming months.



China recently obtained access to St. Lucia and Myanmar and is now in 71st place, having climbed 14 places since the start of 2017.



Christian H. Kalin, Group Chairman of Henley & Partners, commented in a statement on "the extraordinary results that states can achieve when they work hand in hand with their global peers to build a more interconnected and collaborative world.



"China and the UAE exemplify this kind of progress, with both states among the highest overall climbers compared to 2017, purely as a result of the strong relationships they have built with partner countries around the world."



Henley Passport Index power ranking

1. Japan: 190



2. Singapore: 189



3. Germany, France, South Korea: 188



4. Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden, Spain: 187



5. Norway, United Kingdom, Austria, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, United States: 186



6. Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland, Canada: 185



7. Australia, Greece, Malta: 183



8. New Zealand, Czech Republic: 182



9. Iceland: 181



10. Hungary, Slovenia, Malaysia: 180



So which passports offer the least mobility?



Joint last place on the updated Henley Passport Index list are Afghanistan and Iraq, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 30 jurisdictions, just below Syria and Somalia (32) and Pakistan (33).



Other indexes

Henley & Partner's list is one of several indexes created by financial firms to rank global passports according to the access they provide to their citizens.



The Henley Passport Index is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations. It is updated in real time throughout the year, as and when visa policy changes come into effect.



Arton Capital's Passport Index takes into consideration the passports of 193 United Nations member countries and six territories -- ROC Taiwan, Macao (SAR China), Hong Kong (SAR China), Kosovo, Palestinian Territory and the Vatican. Territories annexed to other countries are excluded.



Its 2018 index put Singapore and Germany on top, with a score of 165, followed by Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Italy, France, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, South Korea and the US, all with a score of 164.



The Nomad Passport Index, meanwhile, ranks 199 citizenships on five factors: visa-free travel, international taxation, perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom.



According to its 2017 list, the most desirable passports come from Sweden, followed by Belgium. Spain and Italy tied for third, with Ireland rounding out the top five.







Source: CNN









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Featured VideoThe Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Aaron Quaye has indicated that lack of specialization is grossly affecting performance of members on the various committees of parliament, especially the Appointments Committee.



The Appointments Committee made up of 25 members is responsible for vetting nominees of president for appointment as ministers, Supreme Court judges among others, and recommend to Parliament for approval or otherwise.



Interacting with journalists from four selected media organizations, including the Media General, on Monday November 12, Prof. Oquaye remarked that it was time the various standing or select committees of parliament are given the powers to vet nominees whose roles fall under their supervision.



He revealed that there is currently ongoing revision of Standing Orders of Parliament which seeks to improve the work of parliamentarians.



After approval, there would be no need to have an Appointments Committee, he asserted.



A member would be assigned to a committee based on his or her area of knowledge in order to do away with the jack of all trade phenomenon, the Speaker added.



According to him, it has been proposed that a Chairman of a committee should be given powers akin to a Chief Whip with the necessary facilities available to him or her.



Going forward, the Speaker of Parliament explained, nominees for foreign affairs and agriculture would have to be vetted by empowered Foreign Affairs and Agriculture Committees respectively.



The status quo where an MP serves in two or more committees would be scrapped: a member will belong to just one committee.



We have all agreed, both sides of the house, the leadership at least, that this is not good enough. It doesnt help us in doing our job well.



In the revision of the Standing Orders, we are proposing that a member should become a member of only one committee and be specialised.



Prof. Quaye further noted that a committee would now be full of technocrats and experts with in-depth knowledge in a specialised field to get the best out of a nominee and undertake committees work with some level of professionalism.

Source: 3news.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoHillary Clinton is all but certain to run for the White House again in 2020, according to a former aide.



Mark Penn said the Democrat had an unfinished mission to be the first female president and a personal grievance against Donald Trump, who vowed to imprison her before emerging victorious in the 2016 vote.



She will not allow this humiliating loss at the hands of an amateur to end the story of her career, he wrote in a Wall Street Journal article co-authored by former Democrat politician Andrew Stein.



Mr Penn was a senior aide to Ms Clinton and her husband Bill from 1995 to 2008 and was chief strategist for her failed campaign for the Democratic nomination a decade ago.



Ms Clinton has previously insisted she would not seek to run again, although last month she appeared to hint at a change of stance, admitting: Id like to be president.



Mr Penn and Mr Stein said the former secretary of state has had two years to go over what she did wrong in 2016 and would come out swinging with a strategy for defeating Mr Trump.



You can expect her to run for president once again, they wrote. Maybe not at first, when the legions of Senate Democrats make their announcements, but definitely by the time the primaries are in full swing.



Ms Clinton would reinvent herself as a liberal firebrand to easily capture the Democratic nomination, Mr Penn and Mr Stein predicted.



She will hope to emerge as an unstoppable force to undo Mr Trump, running on the #MeToo movement, universal health care and gun control, they wrote.



Long-time confidants of Ms Clinton poured hot water on the prediction she would run again in two years.



Shes more likely to win Powerball, Philippe Reines, her former adviser, told The Hill.



But Mr Penn and Mr Stein said: Dont pay much attention to the I wont run declarations. Mrs Clinton knows both Mr Clinton and Mr Obama declared they werent running, until they ran.



Kellyanne Conway, one of Donald Trumps most senior advisers, mocked the idea of Ms Clintons comeback.



Dear God, please, yes, she tweeted with a link to the story.

Source: yahoo.com









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Featured VideoTogbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State in the Volta Region and the President of the National House of Chiefs recently spoke extensively on the proposed creation of Oti Region in a radio interview with Accra based Citi FM.



Below is a transcribed version of the interview with Vivian Kai Lokko of Citi FM on October 25, 2018



(TRANSCRIBED)



My name is VIVIAN KAI LOKKO.



Our guest for tonight is TOGBE XIV, the President of the National House of Chiefs, as well as the Executive Chairman of the World Trade Centre.



Now tonight, were speaking to him about the creation of new regions.



A lot of back and forth is currently happening between himself and the government over the process and consultation in the creation of new regions.



Tonight, well speak to him to clear some of the issues that have come up and many more.



VIVIAN: Togbe, thank you very much for your time and thank you for joining us.

TOGBE: Thank you.



VIVIAN: Clearly, it appears you are not happy with the process in the creation of the new regions. What are some of the issues that you feel that are not being done right in the creation of these regions?

TOGBE: Well, thank you very much. Let me start by saying that as the President of Asogli and a key traditional ruler in the Volta Region, I have an obligation to defend the interest of my people. And of course, as President of the National House of Chiefs, I have an obligation to defend, as much as possible, the interests of the people of Ghana.



In the matter of regional reorganisation, Ive always held the view that this process should be conducted in ways that would strengthen our unity, our peace, for the sake of our development, which I believe is the most important desire of our people.



That was why I took a keen interest in this very important subject matter. That was why I decided, very early, to personally invite Hon Dan Botwe, and had about two hours of discussion with him, explaining to him what I believed were involved, and most importantly, explaining to him the issues that I believed would matter very much to the people of the Volta Region, or at least the majority of them, being from there, and being a man on the ground and in touch with the people.



Youll appreciate that right from the very word go, there were expressions of interest in new regions, but there was also opposition to new regions.



Some opposition was about inclusion in those new regions. So, knowing how sensitive the issue was going to be, I took that keen interest. I knew that there will be questions about the names that those new regions will have, there will be questions about where capitals will be located, and very essentially, where the new boundaries were going to be.



But I had believed, very sincerely, having read the Constitution very thoroughly, again and again, that at the end of the day, all the people of the regions that are touched in the creation of new regions would be entitled to vote, because creation of new regions would involve the alteration of boundaries of regions.



And Ive also believed that because there were people for and against, there was going to be very extensive consultation, where consultation means, with both those who are for and those who are against.



We heard, among others, for instance, that about 400 chiefs from the northern part of the Volta Region, where Oti is being targeted, had petitioned. But then, we also know that there were others who have not been interested, who had expressed opposition to this.



So I expected that there would be extensive consultation. That was why when I noticed very early that meetings were being held in Accra, that were closed-door meetings involving only sections of the people, I personally called Hon. Dan Botwe to find out whether the consultation was going to be extended to all the regions that were going to be touched by this exercise.



He assured me yes, it was going to be the case, that the Commission of Inquiry would visit the regions. Of course, they did visit the Volta House of Chiefs as part of their consultation process but I can tell you that, many of the chiefs were not very happy about what transpired.



VIVIAN: Were they not...?

TOGBE: Because, yes, the Commission told us the very things that we already knew about their mandate - what the President had asked them as a Commission to do. But unfortunately, they did not tolerate questions.



VIVIAN: So you were not allowed to ask questions during these deliberations?

TOGBE: They said they were not ready to answer questions. So some of us spoke, others asked questions. But those were effectively only noted. I personally was critical of their interest in going on their fact-finding mission only to the northern part of the Volta Region.



So I said, among others, that they should endeavour to ensure that they work as a fact-finding body as opposed to a body under instructions to create new regions. Because one should not assume, from the word go, that new regions were going to result. It was going to be a consequence of their findings. Their findings will be the basis for their recommendation to the President.



VIVIAN: To create ...

TOGBE: Exactly. So, they were going to be a fact-finding body. But straight away from Ho, they went to the north against all advice.



Of course, the desire of the Chiefs to see their inquiry extended to the south was fully communicated. And I personally (I remember very well) told them that its not clear whether the creation of a new region out of a region will mean effectively having two new regions as against just the creation of one new region because none of them will be the same.



But, in any case, I did emphasise that the creation of one region will involve the alteration of the boundary of whatever was left. And based on what the Constitution provided, there should be a referendum when a new region is going to be created, and a referendum when the boundary of a region is going to be altered, whether or not it involves the creation of a new region.



Based on the latter, obviously, youre altering the boundary of a region, because of the creation of a new region.



So, in view of all of these, I thought that the whole region would be interested, first of all, given the fact that there was so much opposition to the process, just as we had a lot of proponents.



VIVIAN: But what do you say to those who say that the region or the people that would be affected by the division or the creation of the new region, should be given the opportunity to vote, rather than saying the whole region should be given the opportunity to vote because really, it may not affect the entire region, when we take the issue of demarcation and other issues in the creation of that small region?

TOGBE: Okay. I can explain it this way. First of all, the law requires that the Council of State advise the President as to whether there is substantial demand for the creation of new regions, based on which the President will appoint a Commission of Inquiry.



The concept of substantial is a relative one. I will imagine substantial will be a question of how extensive that demand is in relation to the entirety of the region concerned. You cannot talk about something being substantial unless it is relative to some other thing. So one would have thought that substantial would mean a reasonable number of people from of a region desired a new region.



At the Council of State, the mandate was simply to advise the President about whether there was substantial demand based on the evidence made available to the Council of State.



But the Commission of Inquiry, backed by the Ministry of Regional Reorganisation and Development, obviously, and of course given the time available to it, had the resources to probe this kind of matter further. That was why the President was not supposed to just move ahead and start creating new regions based on what the Council of State said.



Council of State simply gave the President the green light to commence processes that would provide answers that would substantiate that substantial demand, so to speak.



And so, given that that was the case, one would expect that the Commission of Inquiry would extend its inquiry, therefore, or its consultations, to the entire region involved. Only then can you establish whether what was thought to be substantial was indeed substantial.



And having said that, if you said 400 chiefs had petitioned, work would also have to be done to authenticate those 400. So because of that, the Commission had a lot of work to do - not only authenticating the 400, whether they indeed were real, but also establishing in relation to the entirety of the region, the significance, the substantial nature of that demand, because certainly it has to be relative. Substantial demand is relative, relative to what the total population is, I believe.



VIVIAN: But the Minister, this morning we spoke to him, and he said there were broad consultations, majority of the people were allowed to petition or say what they wanted to say about what they want, whether they wanted the division or not. At this point, what do you mean, who then is left out, if they are not added, in terms of the relativity?

TOGBE: If you did your public consultations, lets say in the Volta Region, you started from Ho and you went up north, you cannot say you consulted the majority of the people.



You came to Ho, you left Dzodze in the south, Keta, Aflao, Denu, Anloga, all these places out. Why will you do that?



VIVIAN: Is that what happened, all these places were left out?

TOGBE: Thats what happened. When you read the law on Commissions of Inquiry, it requires that a Commission of Inquiry shall conduct a full, faithful and impartial inquiry into the matters that have been stated in the instrument appointing it. Full inquiry, I believe, will involve talking to even those who are against.



VIVIAN: Will you say in this case, those who were against were not spoken to?

TOGBE: What Im saying is that when the Commission went to the Volta Region, apart from Ho, the capital, they limited all the public hearings to the very areas where they said they had received petitions from.



Again, let me mention this, the Council of States mandate is not to authorisethe creation of regions. People say, Togbe was part of Council of State. No, Council of State did not...



VIVIAN: Let me quote what he said. He said that, Council of State, which includes Togbe XIV, on August 15, 2017, advised His Excellency to proceed with the processes involved in the creation of new regions.

He was reacting to the fact that you said there hadnt been proper consultation with or good enough consultation. According to him, there had been about eight (8) consultations.



TOGBE: Actually, I have never said there was not enough consultation. But thats a matter we can discuss now. Ive never said there was not enough consultation. But the reality of the matter is that, for example in Volta Region, they never went to the south. They never went to the south.



From Ho, they went up north, and thats why I said it sounded like something that had been predetermined - a decision to create regions and, therefore, to have only those who wanted the regions speak on the issue.Full, faithful, impartial inquiry as the Constitution says, full inquiry would have meant, in my opinion, consultations that would extend even to those who are perceived to be against orthose who have expressed an opinion.



But theres no question in my mind that it was important that the Commission of Inquiry extended its sittings to the southern sectors. When the Commission of Inquiry went to areas where the demandwas coming from, obviously,you dont expect those who were in opposition to come out courageously to talk about their opposition. And I can tell you, for instance, that when Togbega Gabusu of Hohoe went up north, even though he was supportive, okay, he was chased out because they didnt want his area to be part of the new region.



VIVIAN: So you mean the chiefs went mute at a point or ?

TOGBE: Im not saying the chiefs went mute. What I am saying is this: If you held inquiries, public hearings, in areas where there was demand or demand was coming from, you dont expect to hear opposing views, because people may not have the courage. And thats why I gave the example of Togbega Gabusu, who was chased away when he went up north, even to lend his support, because they did not want his territory included.



And he had indeed expressed his support for the creation of a region to the north of the Volta Region! So even he could not have the chance to voice his opinion freely. You can google, and youll read that he was actually chased away from that place.



So, what Im saying is that, you dont go limiting your public hearing, okay, to only areas that have voiced support on such a very sensitive issue. You dont expect a lot of people to come out courageously to express opposing views.



And I say that, full, faithful and impartial inquiry would mean something more thorough than was done - a lot of opportunity being created for those who may have opposing views to express those views. And indeed, there had been calls on the Commission of Inquiry to go down south but no, they already determined before they left Accra that they were not

going down south.



Again, let me say that I am for strengthening the peace and unity of our country. We must come out of this process more united, stronger, and poised to do development work. And that is why its essential that everything that we do should be done in ways that satisfy,you know, the majority.



Again, that concern was what informed my decision to invite Mr. Dan Botwe here. And Ive done that not once (twice), and actually spoke extensively with him on the phone when there were concerns.



VIVIAN: Did you raise the concern about going south to speak with the people?

TOGBE: Ive always raised it because, again, Ive always believed that this is a matter concerning all the people of each region, not only Volta Region, that was going to be touched by this exercise. And which was why I brought him here, to find out what the objectives of government were, to lend some support to a fair process, and therefore, to also ensure that the process is done in a way that will not create problems, which meant advising him on the issues on the ground, matters that are of concern to the people - for example, the choice of name for the new region, a matter of serious concern; where the capital will be, matter of serious concern; and where the boundary will be...



VTVIAN: Do you think the choice of the name Oti Region and not any other, say, Northern Volta, Southern Volta is going to cause a problem?

TOGBE: Well, the question I will ask you is, why will you call some Western North Region, Western this region, okay, and then you have something else for the Volta Region, when Volta Region is more easily divided into north and south, given the shape of the region. These are very sensitive issues and I tried to bring those sensitivities to the attention of government, so we can have a smooth process but I dont think that the pieces of advice that I gave mattered.



Among others, make it (the consultations) a tour of the entire region to collate views. What do you lose, really?! Unless you dont want the voices of opponents to be heard, what do you lose? If the Commission of Inquiry went to Keta, nobody was going to attack them.Anloga,Aflao, just listen. Why will you go to Ho and then straight away head up north?



So from the beginning, the very beginning, people were feeling excluded and getting antagonised by the process. You see what Im saying?



Indeed, people are still questioning.... We havent seen, as I have said many times, the Commissions report. We havent seen a white paper issued on it. We havent heard that they will not be published, and the reasons why they will not.The Constitution requires the publication of the report and the issue of a white paper ora decision not to publish with reasons.



VIVIAN: Yes....

TOGBE: But we havent heard its been published, we havent seen a white paper, we havent heard it will not be published, let alone the reasons why it will not be published. But one will be very curious to find out the extent of the work that they did, the extent of data that they collected. I mean it's important that people who are asked to work do thorough work. If we are told that 400 petitioners came and we were going to do an inquiry, one would expect that well even authenticate (validate) those 400 petitioners. Otherwise, Ill sit down here, someone brings me something, and I see several signatures, several thumbprints and I count them and I say I have 400.



These 400 chiefs, is it really true? Again, I dont want to go there but of course when we see the Commission of Inquirys report, then we can see how thoroughly they probed those things. Council of State couldnt have done that. They did their work. Mr President, there seems to be substantial demand, get a Commission of Inquiry to go and inquire into the matters involved.



Remember, the law also, the instrument of appointment, required the Commission of Inquiry to find out the issues involved that needed to be determined in a referendum - issues involved, that needed to be determined in a referendum! That is why Ive held the view that, even the referendum, when the law is strictly interpreted, may not just be a matter of a single YES or NO answer to a single question. There are many issues involved. Capital, name, boundary and etc.



Again, Ive not seen what issues the Commission has identified that need to be decided in a referendum. So its hard for us to see what justification there is, based on the law, to focus all work in the areas targeted for new regions, without even a courtesy visit to other areas to give a semblance of fairness. You see what Im saying?



Those were not done, and thats worrying. Let me put it across for the avoidance of all doubt - I, Togbe, Im not against a fair process for the creation of new regions and Im not against the split of Volta Region into two. After all, two 



VIVIAN: So you are for the split.

TOGBE: Im saying Im not against. Its important that I emphasise that Im not against. There are many issues involved. And even for me, there are many issues involved.



VIVIAN: So where does Togbe Afede stand in this case  ?

TOGBE: You know, let me say again that, I am for a fair process. If a fair process results in one Volta Region at the end, fine. If a fair process results in two, fine!



VIVIAN: Are you for a separation oryoure not for it?

TOGBE: Ive tried to emphasise to you that it is immaterial to me, really, personally, whether we have two Volta regions or one. But more important for me, is that whatever we do must be consistent with the law, must be seen to be fair and impartial, as required of the Commission, so that the majority is happy.That is democracy; you see what Im saying? If you create two (2) Volta regions, what does that mean? Two (2) people appointed from these new regions to the Council of State, ten (10) people to the National House of Chiefs....



VIVIAN: Will the creation lead to development?

TOGBE: I dont believe that the creation of a new region will by itself lead to development because it doesnt increase the resources available to the nation. It is the same resources that must be allocated. From the same pot, resources will be allocated to the various regions. So, creation of a new region, by itself, should not lead to development.



There is no reason why we cant build the roads without calling a place a new region. You get to the Volta Region, and getting up there (to the north) is very difficult. Even going to Hohoe from Accra, tough business; from Hohoe to the north, tough business; now from Asilcuma Junction to Ho, really tough; Ho to Aflao, very very tough indeed. We dont need to create a new region to fix Ho-Aflao road, Asiltuma-Aflao road,Asikuma-Hohoe road. No, we dont need to. So that (the creation of new regions) in itself will not lead to development.



VIVIAN: Are there positives at all well get, for example, the people of Volta Region will get with the creation of this new region?

TOGBE: The one that is guaranteed are the superficial - two (2) appointees to Council of State, ten (10) to National House of Chiefs. Those will happen, you see what Im saying. And one can be selfish and say, aah, I want ten (10) representatives to National House of Chiefs, for whatever is worth; two (2) to the Council of State, for whatever its worth. But those are not really material. Its about time we concerned ourselves with the things that matter.



So, those are the superficial that can appeal to, excuse me to say, the average mind. We have more representation, more here, and more there. But when it comes with the question of development, Im saying, you dont need to have a new region to have a regional-class hospital up north; you dont need to have a new region to have a university up north. We can decide on all of these irrespective of whether we call the place a new region.



So its hard for people to believe that development is the objective, and, more importantly, when you fail to get them all involved, then they begin to sense ulterior motives. Yes, I'm on record to have said that the Commission didnt do a thorough job.



VIVIAN: You said they did a shoddy work.

TOGBE: Again as I said, from the word go, people were for, people were against. It came to Council of State, and they said, Mr President go ahead, appoint a Commission to probe the issues further. Now you have the mandate to probe the issues. Lets say the Volta Region, so why do you go only to the north when there is opposition coming from the south, Have you established the substantial nature, the actual nature of that demand?



Have they been able to authenticate the 400 or so chiefs? I mean, mind you, many of them are not real traditional chiefs. Some of them could be development chiefs who bear the name Nana or Nene or whatever.



We need to learn as a people to do a thorough job. You understand what Im saying? We see shoddy works all over this country. Roads are built, and within months, they develop potholes. Thoroughness is very important in everything that we do. It behoves you to be thorough in your work, on me to be thorough in my work and everybody else. So together, we can build this country.



I am saying that the work that the Commission did needed to be more extensive. When they came to the Volta House of Chiefs, we demanded that their public hearings were extended to the south, they didnt listen. Questions that we asked: Who are going to vote? Only those in the north or all of us? They couldnt answer. They couldnt answer these questions. They said they were still finding out the facts.



Well, one would have thought that if you couldnt answer those questions, then after finding out the facts, youd come back to us and answer those questions.



VIVIAN: So the Council of State that gave them the green light to go ahead with the process hasnt gotten the report? They havent reported to you what they found out in this process?

TOGBE: I am not aware of the release of any report. We had a Council of State meeting yesterday. Im not aware that any report has been submitted to the Council of State. Certainly, none has come to the National House of Chiefs and none has come to the Volta House of Chiefs.



You can talk to the chiefs of Volta House of Chiefs at least or National House of Chiefs. Those are the houses that I attend. When the Commission of Inquiry came, they made it very clear that they were not in a position to answer questions.So people asked questions and they didnt have the answers. What kind of consultation is that?



So people asked questions. No answers. You were noting them. Of course if you were noting the questions, one would expect that youd come out with the answers. But we didnt have any.



VIVIAN: So of all the about eight (8) consultations you were involved in, are you saying that 

TOGBE: How many? Which are the eight (8)?



VIVIAN: We were told that you were involved in about eight (8) consultations. For example, one in May of 2017 at the conference room of Volta House of Chiefs, and you were there.

TOGBE: Let me explain to you. What was called consultation was what I just described.They came in, told us the general things that we all knew already -short address. Then of course, at the Volta House, I spoke even though I wasnt the President. At the National House, where Im President, I spoke. But Im saying that in both cases, we did not get feedback. It was nice they came to listen to us but the question is the doubts we had, the questions we had...



VIVIAN: Were not cleared....

TOGBE: They were not cleared. And the pieces of advice were not taken. Why, we didnt know, because we didnt get feedback. Well, if thats what they call consultation, fine. But a consultation should be like a two-way thing. When I ask questions, you answer and then we try to understand each others feelings and then arrive at something that allows people to leave whatever meeting they had with their doubts cleared. We left most of these meetings more confused.



Consultations with Hon Dan Botwe? As I said, I invited him here and told him what I thought needed to be done. But the most important thing that Ive always emphasised and we must not steer the argument away from that to create unnecessary confusion - whether consultation or not, the most important thing is the question of who votes. That is all Im talking about.



VIVIAN: We understand those from the areas that are going to be affected are the ones who will be allowed to vote.

TOGBE: How do you define those who are affected?



VIVIAN: Those who will be under the Oti Region, they will be allowed to vote from what we are picking.

TOGBE: And thats what Im saying is wrong because the Constitution gives the guidelines. You know theres this feeling that the Commission of Inquiry has the discretion to decide who votes. Its not true. They recommend to the President but they must follow guidelines in the Constitution.



If they have that discretion, then it means they can practically say that, hey, even in Oti, only part of them can vote. If they have that discretion, if they have that power to decide, it means effectively, they can decide that only part of Oti can vote. They can even decide that, hey, the rest of the Volta Region,youshould vote to accept whether to take out Oti or not.



No, the framers of the law, as I said, have done a great job for us. For the avoidance of doubt, to minimise abuse of power, they have stated it very clearly.These are the stated conditions under which you need a referendum: creation of a new region, alteration of the boundary of a region, and they added for good reason, whether it involves the creation of a new region or not.



So in the case of Volta Region for example, what would be left of the Volta Region is a region whose boundary has been altered. And it was altered in the creation of a new region. Its covered fully under that second condition. Of course, the third, which is not important here, is merger of regions. So, the creation of a new region, the alteration of the boundary of a region, the merger of regions, each of these requires voting.



But then the Constitution (the framers of the law), I believe, foresaw situations that may not fit into either of these, which probably is why they said of coursethe Commission of Inquiry would recommend the areas. For instance, if youre going to carve a portion of Volta Region to create a new national capital territory, you cant say thats a matter of interest to only Voltarians, even though their boundary is the only one being touched. A matter like that will be of national interest. And I can imagine the Commission saying, hey, for the creation of this new national territory, let the whole nation vote to

move the capital from Accra to a place in the Volta Region or a place in the Ashanti Region ora place in the Northern Region.



So, I think the framers of the law did a very good job for us okay, to close the gaps to ensure that, theres a clear path. And Im saying that in this case,okay, the Constitution is very clear. Were creating a region or regions. There is needto vote. Were altering the boundaries of regions.There is the need to vote.



VIVIAN: Now that its at the Supreme Court, if the Supreme Court decides that the whole region shouldnt vote, just the part that will be affected, what next?

TOGBE: You know, Its hard for me to say what next. What I can say though is, whatever comes out of that, posterity will be the best judge of all of us who havebeen involved in this thing. Those of us who have asked that voting should be extended to all in the region versus those who have been against it.



Of course, whatever the Supreme Court decides, the members ofwhateverpanel is established will be judged by posterity. But let me say though that Im very concerned about the precedent that we shall be establishing.



Ive heard examples of Scotland - that only they voted. Scotland is a country on its own tied to England and Wales, therefore the UK - foreign policy, immigration, defence and, etc. So, if Scotland had to decide whether to remain in the union or not, thats for Scotland to vote.



Eritrea, well-defined entity; South Sudan, well defined entity; Catalonia, well-defined entity; Trans Volta Togoland, well-defined entity,unlike Oti or any of the new regions being created. And when we were having the plebiscite, we didnt have 1992 Constitution. Trans Volta Togoland was administered on its own and the choice was for them to decide: Do we stay independent or do we join Ghana? That certainly cant be a matter for Gold Coasters to vote on, but it was a matter for Trans Volta people.



Today, we have 1992 Constitution. Citing those examples, Ive always said, is quite dangerous because what it means, therefore, is that if one day the Krobos decide that we want our own region out of the Eastern Region, then the Krobos are the only ones who will vote. If the Ahantas or whoever decide, we want our own region out of Western Region, only they will vote.



That certainly cannot be what was on the minds of the framers of the law.Theyindeed did a wonderful job for us and its important that we respect what they did for us, otherwise, well be creating a dangerous situation that can affect the very survival of our country. How can we use Scotland as an example? So can a territory in Ghana decide that, hey, we want to be on our own, then, following the Scotland example, only they vote? No!



VTVIAN: So you mean, that assertion in itself is dangerous and it shouldnt

TOGBE: We must not entertain it. I mean, for the sake of this country. We have made mistakes so far and I think it must be accepted that we have made mistakes. We can go back and try to do things right.



Were talking about democracy, majority rule. What we decide does not necessarily have to be what each and everybody wants or wanted, but the majority. So you go to a region, let them vote on what the issues are - where the boundaries will be, what the name will be, the capital, etc. - and let the majority decide, and well all be happy.



VIVIAN: In this case, it is not the majority, but the minority.

TOGBE: You see, again, this is very interesting. Volta demographics, when you look at population: 73.8% Ewes, 2.8% Alcans, 11.3% Grumas, 8.1% Guans, 1.5% Ga-Adangmes, others 2.5%. Okay? What you would have seen is that even in deciding the boundary of the new region, they are taking out of Hohoe Municipality, Lolobi, Lilcpe and others to join Oti. You see, the Ewe portion, Hohoe, is what is being left out among the areas that constitute Hohoe Municipality. Why not the entire Hohoe Municipality, one way or the other? Of course, Hohoe desired to be part of the ne w region; why take Hohoe out?



VIVIAN: You see something is fishy with that, pulling out the Hohoe part and not the entire-?

TOGBE: Lolobi, Akpafu are part of Hohoe Municipality. They say they want to stay in Hohoe Municipality. Likpe is part of Hohoe Municipality. Lolobi, Akpafu, Likpe are Guans, not Ewes. Why are you taking them up north and youre excluding Hohoe? So assuming you do that and assuming what is left of Volta is Ewes, thats 73.8%. So effectively, youre asking 26.2% to decide for the entire region.



Were creating a new boundary for 2 regions and you want one section to decide, therefore, whether Hohoe is excluded or included, whether Akpafu is excluded or included. I mean, for heavens sake, even without the law, this defies logic.



Its about time we Africans, we the people of the black race, focus on the things that matter, aim to do things fairly so that we can also progress. Ive always said it. Look at the black race, from Haiti through West Africa to the Horn of Africa. What do we see? Poverty, strife, needless controversy. Lets learn to do things fairly. Lets learn to carry the majority along.



Let us not be concerned about petty little things which dont matter. Again, Im sorry to cite the Volta

Region but the point that Ive been making is that voting must involve all in the regions that are touched by this exercise. Thats what Ive always emphasised.



When you look at the Volta Region situation, we have lived very harmoniously. Its so sad to hear people now claiming Ewe domination. I feel very very sad that our brothers in the north of Volta, with whom we have lived so nicely, can now talk about Ewes being this, Ewes being that, Ewes being this. But it will surprise you: of the seven (7) regional ministers weve had in the Volta Region since 2001 - remember, before then, ministers come from any part of the country - only three (3) were Ewes.



Those who are 73.8% based on the 2010 Population Census, 73.8%, they had three (3) out of the seven (7) ministers of the region appointed. The north had three (3) and the seventh was Hon Afotey Agbo, who came from Accra. I mean, how can you, honestly speaking, claim domination by Ewes? In appointing ministers,you had as much as the majority had.They didnt complain. Resource allocation is not defined by the Ewes; it comes from Accra!



Recently, they were creating districts, I dont know why they didnt create any new ones in the Volta Region. If more decentralisatio n is what brings development, why didnt you create more districts? So, its important that we are very honest about this. And for the avoidance of doubt, let me state it categorically, that Togbe is not against the creation of new regions. People should not divert attention from the truth (what Im looking at) and claim Im against the creation of new regions.



No, I am not against it, otherwise, I wouldnt have invited Hon. Dan Botwe myself to let him know the issues involved and how to carry all of Volta along. Questions about name, the boundary, the capital, okay, and the message that will go with it. I brought him and advised him about it. I met him two (2) times and we also talked on phone. I tried to support a smooth process for the realisation of the governments objective.



VIVIAN: Dont you think this will cause more division than unity?

TOGBE: Well, the signs are already out there. People are complaining. But again, I just hope that the right thing will be done, this country will stay united, Volta Region will stay united, even if they are 2 regions, will stay united, just as we would expect our relations with all the rest of the country so to speak, to be. But its very important that we accept that things need to be done properly.



And Im hoping that the decision will favour what I see as the legal position. People are talking about, well, the Commission is given the mandate to recommend. But it has to be consistent with the constitutional guidelines. We have different opinions,different desires.The Constitution has been put in place to help weed the path through the jungle of conflicting desires (and opinions) that we have, so that there will be order and sanity.



When we try to bastardise it, then we create problems. Its said that, Justice is not a service freely available to all; it is a lucrative business, in the hands of a lucrative profession. But I believe very sincerely that justice will be done in this matter because that is good for us as a country, for our future, okay, for our unity, peace, progress and development.



And I want to underscore the fact that I am not against the creation of new regions. I am for doing so in the proper way, with the votes of all in the region counting, because the Constitution says so. (It provides that) when youre altering the boundary of a region, whether or not it involves the creation of a new region, one of the conditions under which there should be a referendum.



Why would you want to gloss over the fact that youre altering the boundaries of regions, and only focus on we are creating new regions? The law says when youre altering the boundary of a region, whether or not it involves the creation of a new region, there should be a referendum. Thats what it says.



VIVIAN: Now that the Commissions work is done, obviously, we know the referendum is coming off in December so it appears this is it, we have moved on from that part where things should have been amended, etc.

TOGBE: I think there should be very sober reflection. We can all make mistakes. They say a stitch in time saves nine. If we can acknowledge that indeed mistakes have been made, what stops us from going back and redefining our path? That is better than allowing the wrong path to create problems for us. So as far as Im concerned, its not too late. We can make it happen, we can make it happen well for all of Ghana, so we dont set dangerous precedents.



As I have said before at the National House of Chiefs, the Volta House of Chiefs, if this wrong interpretation of the law stands, then we are in for a flood of new requests for regions and of course, promises left, right and centre by politicians to create new regions. In no time, we probably will have 50 regions in Ghana and still be counting. This is a matter to be taken very seriously by all Ghanaians who desire the best for our country.



I believe in my heart that mistakes were made. If we have come to see that, indeed, we made mistakes, we should just accept it and try to do it right. Lets fix it now. Again,a stitch in time, saves nine!!



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Source: Graphic.com.gh









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Featured VideoPhoto taken on Nov. 6, 2018 shows the Nolette Chinese Cemetery in Noyelles-sur-Mer, France. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

PARIS/SHANDONG, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- A century after the Armistice Day that marked the end of the World War I (WWI), stories of Chinese laborers deployed to the war's western front started to receive more attention that they deserve after being overlooked for decades.

Between 1916 and 1918, some 140,000 Chinese laborers completed a tumultuous journey across the sea and risked their lives repairing vehicles, building roads and digging trenches in the battlefields. Many of them never managed to go back home.

For almost 50 years, Cheng Ling could only get a glimpse of the life of her grandfather, Bi Cuide, by one sole possession: a bronze medal with the profile of British King George V on one side.

It is a medal of merit in memory of the demise of Bi, who, along with other Chinese laborers, sent help to the Allies at a time of bloodshed when the male population of Britain and France was depleted.

DEADLY TASKS

As the Atlantic grew increasingly dangerous due to violent attacks from German U-boats, the Chinese laborers, mostly from the Chinese Labour Corps (CLC), sailed across the Pacific to Vancouver, crossed Canada by train, and then went to Liverpool and eventually down to France.

In France and other parts of Europe, they took on a variety of grueling labor ranging from assembling shells for artillery and transporting munitions to unloading ships.

Because of their hard work and efficiency, the Chinese laborers were regarded by British and French military officers as the most valuable supporting forces, said a Hong Kong-based British writer Mark O'Neil, the author of a Penguin book "The Chinese Labor Corps."

However, the Chinese laborers back then were frequently referred to as "coolies" and "chinks," and by all accounts not fairly treated.

Despite their non-combatant role, the Chinese laborers were exposed to enemy fire as they dug trenches and thus incurred casualties. And they also suffered from malnutrition and various kinds of illnesses.

They were not allowed to go to other places after work, and had to live together in a compound, added O'Neil.

Even after the war, some Chinese laborers stayed on to clean the war-torn battlefields, remove dead bodies and dispose of mines and helped with post-war reconstruction.

STORIES UNVEILED

Bi embarked on his journey together with 10 other people in his village, located in eastern China's Shandong Province, from which nearly 70 percent of the Chinese laborers were recruited, Cheng said.

He was killed later in an explosion when cooking for the Allies' soldiers at the front line.

His story and those of other Chinese laborers remained almost untold in the 20th century. But Cheng, at the age of 49 in 2007, would not give up seeking the truth about her grandfather.

Bi left nothing behind, not a picture or a photo, except the medal brought by his fellow villagers who managed to come back. Cheng and her family spent decades looking for a clue about Bi's burial place.

Cheng said she wrote articles for local newspapers about the stories of her grandfather, which were later noticed by the son of another laborer from the CLC. He petitioned the French government on her behalf, as his family settled in France after the war.

In 2008, before the 90th anniversary of the end of WWI, the family eventually arrived at Bi's grave in Beaulencourt in northeastern France near the Belgian border.

"We have been celebrating the lives of all the soldiers who lost their lives but the Chinese laborers were not remembered and were not talked about until three or four years ago," said John de Lucy, a retired property manager who inherited valuable photos of the CLC from his grandfather William James Hawkings, a British officer at the time.

For decades, countries like Britain, France and Belgium attached little importance to the CLC. Few war memorials mentioned China, and history books erased the Chinese laborers from the war, said O'Neil, whose grandfather served as a British officer in the CLC.

"WE CAN CONSIDER THEM OUR COMMON ANCESTORS"

World leaders marched in rain on Sunday to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice Day.

In a bid to highlight the grave consequences of war, young students recited testimonies by WWI soldiers in various languages including French, English and Chinese.

In the lead-up to the anniversary, a group of advocates from Shandong traveled across Britain, Belgium and France, launching exhibitions to raise public awareness of the Chinese laborers.

In September, a bronze statue was installed in front of Gare de Lyon, one of the largest railway stations in Paris, to remember the Chinese laborers.

In other parts of France, as well as in Belgium, commemorations of the Chinese laborers are also underway.

A photo exhibition featuring Chinese laborers during the war attracted some 100 viewers on its opening day in Belgium's western city of Bruges.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chinese Minister-Counselor Zhang Chi from the embassy in Brussels said that the show, co-hosted by the two countries, aims to help the young generation better understand this part of history, so that they will cherish peace and carry forward the friendship between the two countries.

In Britain, a group called "Ensuring We Remember" has led a national campaign for a permanent memorial to the CLC of WWI.

Xu Guoqi, a history professor with the University of Hong Kong, believes that the Chinese laborers at the time saved Europe from a bankruptcy of human resources and its civilization, when the European powers were determined to kill each other.

"We can consider them our common ancestors," said Philip Vanhaelemeersch, an Oxford-educated historian, now director of the Confucius Institute with Howest University.

"When we go to places these people have been in the past, we are going on a root-searching journey. I think this is a very good first step for people-to-people exchanges," he said.

(Video reporters: Ying Qiang, Zheng Jianghua, Han Chong, Pan Geping, Wang Zichen, Deng Weihua, Wang Huan, Li Linxin)Former President John Dramani Mahama says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will properly implement the free Senior High School programme if Ghanaians give the party the mandate in 2020 to run the country.



Rubbishing allegations by the New Patriotic Party that the NDC will collapse the programme Mr. Mahama observed the programme has since its implementation in September 2017 faced challenges with lack of infrastructure leading to congestion in some schools



He said this while addressing NDC delegates at Obuasi in the Obuasi East constituency on Monday as part of his four-day flagbearership campaign tour of the Ashanti Region.



Mr. Mahama said the roll out of Free SHS programme is a constitutional obligation hence the NDC will be fully committed to its implementation.



He observed that even though government is claiming that education to the Senior High School is now free, the introduction of the Double Track System is making parents pay more.



The former president explained that the double track system introduced by the government this academic year to shore up admissions into school has brought with it extra classes, which parents will have to pay for.



He said government is struggling to implement the free SHS programme because it has not invested in school infrastructure such as classroom blocks and dormitories.



Mr. Mahama thus gave the assurance that the NDC government would make the needed investment to address the challenges when elected in the 2020 general elections.



He questioned the Akufo-Addo governments decision to abandon the E-Block Community Day Senior High Schools, which were constructed as part of the progressively free SHS programme introduced by the NDC government.



The former President said the next NDC government will continue its infrastructural investment in Senior High Schools to help accommodate more students in Senior High Schools.



When the NDC government returns, we will complete all 200 Senior High School structures we began building while in power.



Mr Mahama urged delegates of the NDC to unite and work hard for victory in 2020.







Source: 3news.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoThe Northern Regional Farmers Association (NRFA) has jumped to the defence of the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto and the Ministry following hollow and unsubstantiated claims by a group calling itself Concerned Farmers Association.



According to the Northern Regional Farmers Association, it will be absurd and highly preposterous for any individual or a group to criticize the Planting for Food and Jobs programme, which has not only salvaged the hitherto ailing agricultural sector but has also brought dignity and respect to farmers across the country.



The NRFA argues that the PFJ policy is the best thing to have ever happened to farmers in the country, stressing that the policy has revived and restored hope to the agric sector.



"Without the PFJ programme, only God knows where some of us would have been. We completely lost hope until this government introduced the PFJ programme" He emphasized.



In a swift response to the Concerned Farmers Association who alleged that the PFJ policy has been poorly handled by the Minister and the Ministry, the NRFA warned the group not to allow themselves to be politically influenced.



"The PFJ policy is the single biggest programme any government since independence has ever introduced into this country. It is a demonstration of how committed the President and the Minister have for we farmers. We want all our colleague farmers to support the Minister and not allow themselves to be politically influenced" He noted.



The spokesperson for the NRFA, Alhaji Adams Nasiru observed that the interventions introduced by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture under the PFJ have had huge socio-economic impacts on farmers, particularly those in the northern parts of the country.



He said the supply of improved seeds and subsidized fertilizers, as well as the availability of ready markets for the produce had been very beneficial to the farmers.



On the claims that the Ministry had allegedly wasted funds on the fight against the deadly Fall Armyworms, Alhaji Adams Nasiru said but for the swift intervention of the Ministry, the pests would have devoured their farms.







Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoAndrew Brenner  who was just elected to represent Ohios 19th District in the states upper congressional chamber  regularly blocks constituents on social media. In rationalizing those actions, he frequently argues  much like Donald Trump once did  that because its his personal account, he has a legal First Amendment right to do so.

Just as Trump found, Brenner may be surprised to learn that not only does he not enjoy a First Amendment right to a social media account, but that his use of that personal account for official campaign and Senatorial proclamations means the account is potentially required to be open to all constituents without regard to dissenting opinion.

Background

In covering Ohio swing state politics over the last few years, Andrew Brenner and his wife Sara Marie frequently come up when issues of corruption, pandering and even illicit activities happen. Weve dedicated an entire page to their scandals, in fact.

They began making news during the Obama administration when the Tea Party movement became popular. They were among the first sitting politicians to openly brand themselves with the far right ideology going so far as to adopt Trump-style narratives before they were commonplace in the larger Republican party.

Sara Marie Brenner, for instance, spent more time as a city council person waging ideological warfare on Twitter than she did actually doing her elected job. She was eventually turfed out of office after constituents grew tired of her skipping meetings and using the meetings she did attend as a vehicle for rhetoric and potential platform for higher levels of office.

Simultaneously, Andrew Brenner served as the state Representative for Ohios 67th District. In that time he too faced a fair amount of scandal from employment lawsuits and tax liens to writing about the horrors of public school socialism for a website that labeled the Sandy Hook massacre a hoax.

Each time the Brenners (in their capacity as public officials) were challenged for their views as elected officials, Sara Marie and Andrew would block those asking questions instead of engaging in any level of accountability for their taxpayer-funded public office actions.

Though it doesnt matter as much with Sara Marie now that shes no longer an elected public official, the use of social media ban and block functions by the Brenners to shut out constituent input is legally problematic. Its so widespread at this point an entire Facebook community exists to assist those blocked by Andrew Brenner.**

Legal Precedent

Following his ascension to the presidency, Donald Trump continued using his personal Twitter account for official government business often making policy exclamations, campaign endorsements and more on the account. He also continued blocking people from being able to access, view or respond to his tweets well into his presidency  something many believed violated the law.

Those people filed a lawsuit alleging as much.

Led by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, the lawsuit argued the social media blocks violated the First Amendment since Trumps Twitter account was essentially a public forum.

The courts agreed.

In the decision ordering Trump to unblock everyone, Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald from the Southern District of New York ruled:

We hold that portions of the @realDonaldTrump account  the interactive space where Twitter users may directly engage with the content of the Presidents tweets  are properly analyzed under the public forum doctrines set forth by the Supreme Court, adding, that such space is a designated public forum, and that the blocking of the plaintiffs based on their political speech constitutes viewpoint discrimination that violates the First Amendment.

Judge Buchwald added, To be sure, we do not suggest that the impact on the individual plaintiffs (and, by extension, on the Knight Institute) is of the highest magnitude. It is not. Buchwald continued, But the law is also clear: the First Amendment recognizes, and protects against, even de minimis harms.

What that means is that legal precedent now exists stating that even if an elected public official has a personal social media account, that official cannot block or ban access if the account is used in any official business related to their elected position.

That precedent becomes an important caveat in discussing Andrew Brenners ongoing social media behavior.

Andrew Brenners Unconstitutional Actions

Like Trump, Andrew Brenner uses his personal Twitter account not only to campaign for other conservatives and on behalf of conservative causes, but also to mention official business as a part of his elected duties. Here are some examples:

Back to work this week at the Statehouse. It will be a busy one  plenty of things left to do!  Andrew Brenner (@andrewbrenner) November 12, 2018

Looking forward to having Ben Shapiro testify on my HB 758 this week. Niraj Antani is a co-sponsor on the bill. https://t.co/nBCchwiLgd  Andrew Brenner (@andrewbrenner) November 10, 2018

Please feel free to download this image and make this YOUR profile photo through Tuesday! https://t.co/p0U8g1jop4  Andrew Brenner (@andrewbrenner) November 5, 2018

Despite all the lies from my opponent, its helping people like Julia that will keep me going. https://t.co/PHMm6rrCIS https://t.co/w6XlKTMIfx  Andrew Brenner (@andrewbrenner) November 3, 2018

Awards and endorsements  check out the full list! Proud to have support from such a diverse range of organizations. From developmental disability organizations to superintendents to business groups  thank you! https://t.co/5sw81Tv7NC  Andrew Brenner (@andrewbrenner) October 29, 2018

Thank you, @Nationwide!https://t.co/PHMm6rJe7s  I appreciated all the new and familiar faces today! Always enjoy getting out talking with voters, and appreciate the opportunity to do so today with Nationwide employees. #BrennerForOhio #Cbus pic.twitter.com/eDu5GKy7pe  Andrew Brenner (@andrewbrenner) October 23, 2018

Suffice to say, though @AndrewBrenner may be his unofficial personal account, Brenner uses it primarily as his official elected official account. (It should also be noted that other than @AndrewBrenner, he only has one other Twitter account: @BrennerForOhio, a campaign account. He has no official elected office account constituents can otherwise interact with.)

Its so well documented, his own opponent from the recent midterm elections  Democratic Senate candidate Louise Valentine  had this to say on Twitter this week:

Hes blocked and unblocked me, so lets give it a go: @andrewbrenner? https://t.co/WqgXDB1mB4  Louise Valentine for Ohio (@LValentineOH) November 13, 2018

Brenner (inaccurately) responded, I cant block constituents if I were using an official state account. This is a personal account and I am allowed to block people who are rude or my competitors, as it is my first amendment right.

Now that Brenner will become a state Senator (with a larger constituent base), the question becomes when  not if  he will served with a lawsuit for violating his constituents First Amendment rights.

**Full Disclosure: I help manage this community on Facebook now following a series of legal threats from the Brenners aimed at those originally managing the group.

Peacock Panache readers:

Tim Peacock is the Managing Editor and founder of Peacock Panache and has worked as a civil rights advocate for over twenty years. During that time hes worn several hats including leading on campus LGBTQ advocacy in the University of Missouri campus system, interning with the Colorado Civil Rights Division, and volunteering at advocacy organizations. You can learn more about him at his personal website.

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We hope you enjoyed reading this article! If you would like to support our ongoing work, please consider buying us a cup of coffee. It's not much, but we don't do this for the money. We do, however, need caffeine to keep going some days!If you do donate, send us a message through our Contact Us page or via social media so we can thank you!Former Quebec premier Jean Charest and his wife Michele Dionne offer their condolences to Chantal Renaud, wife of former Quebec premier Bernard Landry who died last week, during a public viewing in Montreal on Monday, November 12, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul ChiassonKIEV, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said his country stands prepared to counter possible Russia's "aggressive actions" in the Black Sea, Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

"(We are) completely ready. First of all, we drew conclusions from what has been happening in the Sea of Azov. Secondly, we have opportunities for maneuvering and beefing up our forces," Poltorak said in an interview published on the ministry's website.

Ukraine has accused Moscow of "aggressive actions" in the Sea of Azov after Russia inaugurated a bridge over the Kerch Strait in May this year and started carrying out inspections of commercial ships sailing through the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.

Russia said the inspections of ships are aimed at ensuring security in the waters of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait and do not violate the international law.

Relations between Kiev and Moscow have been deteriorating since early 2014 over Crimea and the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.MOSCOW, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad could visit Moscow in early December to discuss bringing a durable peace to Afghanistan, a Russian government official said Monday.

Khalilzad is currently traveling to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar with an interagency delegation.

During the tour on Nov. 8-20, he is to meet with Afghan government officials and other interested parties "to advance the goal of an intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations that include the Taliban and lead to a sustainable peace," according to a U.S. State Department statement.

Special Representative of the Russian President for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said Khalilzad suggested the beginning of December for the Moscow trip.

On Friday, the second meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan was held in the Russian capital with the participation of deputy foreign ministers, special representatives and observers from Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the United States.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani sent a delegation to the meeting and the Political Office of the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha also participated.

"It's a fact that representatives of the opposing sides were in the same room and were ready to talk to each other, which is the first step towards full-length talks in Afghanistan," Kabulov said.

The Taliban agreed to talk with the Afghan government only after reaching an agreement with the United States on a schedule for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan, Kabulov said.

They also demanded the release of all political prisoners and the abolition of anti-Taliban sanctions imposed against them in 1997 "as a preliminary measure of confidence," he said.

The Taliban expressed their readiness to take part in the next meeting of the Moscow format of consultations, Kabulov said, without specifying when such a meeting may take place.The man accused of shooting a Philadelphia police officer, and a man who apparently interfered with the investigation, have been identified, reports WPVI.

Officer Paul Sulock came under fire in the Kensington section of Philadelphia on Wednesday morning. He was hit in the leg and was released from the hospital on Thursday.

One suspect, 29-year-old Jerome Hill, has been charged with allegedly shooting Sulock. District Attorney Larry Krasner said on Friday that Hill is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault on law enforcement, and other offenses. Hill is being held on $3.3 million bail.

The second suspect, 18-year-old James Gauthney, is charged with hindering apprehension and obstruction of justice. Krasner said his office will be asking for $1 million bail.A woman arrested for shoplifting falsely accused a Palm Beach County (FL) Sheriff's Office deputy of rape earlier this year, authorities say.

According to the arrest report, 23-year-old Marley Barberian is now facing charges of a false report of sexual battery, a false report of crime and perjury (not in an official proceeding.)

Barberian, who was in county jail after being arrested at a Target for shoplifting, told an intake nurse that a PBSO deputy sexually battered her while bringing her in to the jail. In a sworn statement with a detective, she claimed the deputy raped her anally after they left the Greenacres Police Department. She also accused the deputy of groping her earlier in a patdown during her arrest at the Target, reports CBS 12.

However, after investigating her statement, authorities found holes in her story. One male deputy said the accused deputy did not touch Barberian inappropriately, and that a female deputy actually patted her down. He also told authorities that the accused deputy only drove her to the Greenacres police station, and then a female deputy took her to the Palm Beach County jail.

Investigators also looked at the in-car video and surveillance video, all of which refuted her claims.

The sheriff's office found probable cause to arrest Barberian and charge her for making the false accusation. Barberian remains at the Palm Beach County Jail on $3,000 bond.Officers with the Fresno (CA) Police Department responded to a call Monday from a woman who feared a man in her homereportedly with a history of recent mental health issuesmight try to kill himself.

A veteran FTO and his rookie partner arrived to the scene and quickly discovered a pool of blood on the floor and a man with a knife with a 12-inch blade coming at them, according to the Fresno Bee.

One officer deployed a TASER, but one of the darts failed to take hold, and the man advanced. The other officer then opened fire, fatally shooting 63-year-old Marty West, who had a 32-year career in the Fresno Police Department before retiring from the Fresno PD in 2007 to become the chief of police in Oakdale.

West was chief of police in Oakdale for five years before retiring in March 2012.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said, "Both of them were absolutely shocked and surprised when the door opened and Marty came charging out, covered in blood, armed with a knife, and was within a few feet of the officers."

"I lost a friend and a family member; hell be missed," Dyer said.The Orlando City Council has approved funding necessary for the acquisition of 800 new patrol rifles for uniformed officers as well as plainclothes detectives, according to ClickOrlando.com.

The upgraded weaponsincluding optics and lightswill cost an estimated $1.34 million, according to OPD spokesman Eduardo Bernal.

"We always look to better our capabilities and upgrade when appropriate," Bernal said. "We strive to provide our residents and visitors with a safe environment, and one way we do that is by providing our officers with equipment that will help them succeed."

The rifles are expected to be in service in February 2019.A group of nearly two dozen inmates at Gwinnett County Jail in Georgia signed a letter to Sheriff Butch Conway in support of the agency as it mourns the murder of Officer Antwan Toney, who was killed last month while responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle near a school. Image courtesy of GCSO / Facebook.

A group of nearly two dozen inmates at the Gwinnett County (GA) Jail signed a letter to Sheriff Butch Conway in support of the agency as it mourns the murder of Officer Antwan Toney, who was killed last month while responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle near a school.

"On behalf of myself and a number of fellow prisoners who are currently serving time in the Gwinnett County Detention Center, I wish to extend condolences to Officer Toney's family and the GCSO Brotherhood as a whole," the letter said.

"This was a tragic incident that never should have occurred. And although law enforcement and criminals may be considered opposites, the intrinsic value of a human life transcends those boundaries by far," the letter said.

"It is from this standpoint, in a spirit of gratitude and utmost respect that I submit this letter to honor all police officers, military personnel, and first responders. Your service and sacrifice make the world a better place for all."

The agency posted an image of the letter to its Facebook page on Saturday, saying, "Officer Antwan Toney, who was killed Oct. 20 while responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle near Shiloh Middle School."

The post said also that Sheriff Conway received a heartfelt letter from the most unlikely group of citizens expressing their sorrow at our loss and their support of law enforcement.

"The return address on the envelope is our own because the letter was sent by a group of inmates currently housed in our jail," the post said.Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (2nd L) and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2nd R) witness the signing of cooperation documents on upgrading the two countries' free trade agreement, connectivity, finance, science and technology, environment, culture and customs after their talks in Singapore, Nov. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

SINGAPORE, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- China and Singapore on Monday signed a cooperation document on upgrading the two countries' free trade agreement (FTA) as the two sides had finalized the negotiations.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong witnessed the signing of the document after holding talks.

Li arrived here earlier Monday to start his first official visit to Singapore, where he is expected to build momentum for free trade and regional cooperation.

When meeting with Lee, the Chinese premier expressed the hope that the two sides seize the opportunity of the finalization of the FTA upgrading negotiations and lift two-way trade and investment to a higher level.

Upgrading the FTA will bring about real benefits to people and companies of the two countries and send to their business circles a strong signal of further expanding trade and investment, Lee said.

On the occasion of signing the FTA upgrading document, the two sides also signed cooperation documents on connectivity, finance, science and technology, environment, culture and customs.

During the visit, Li is also going to attend the 21st China-ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) (10+1) leaders' meeting, the 21st ASEAN-China, Japan and South Korea (10+3) leaders' meeting and the 13th East Asia Summit.Embed from Getty Images

Command staff with the Cambridge Police Department in Massachusetts took to the streets on Monday to cover for their officers who had served in the militarythose veterans were given the day off for the holiday.

Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville Bard went out on patrol in the stead of Officer Omar Corona, who served in the U.S. Army, according to WFXT-TV News.

"Many of our service men and women and their families suffered extended periods apart and today gives them a day when they don't have to be apart. Where they can spend that time together," Commissioner Bard said.

A total of six military veterans were granted the extra time off.An officer with the Tampa (FL) Police Department who had been accused of sexually battering a woman he pulled over in a traffic stop in 2016 won't be criminally prosecuted, according to TampaBay.com.

A Hillsborough County State Attorney's office spokeswoman confirmed that an investigation concluded that Adam York, a 13-year veteran of the department, did not inappropriately touch a female during a traffic stop in 2016.

York had stopped the woman for speeding. During the stop, the female driver reportedly got out of her car several times, behaving erratically.

York's attorney, Rick Escobar, had called the allegations against his client "bizarre" and the case "outrageous."ECB to assess six Bulgarian banks, including unit of Hungary's OTP

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European Central Bank (ECB) will conduct a comprehensive assessment of six Bulgarian banks as part of the Balkan countrys bid to join the European Unions banking union, Reuters cited Bulgarias central bank as saying on Monday. The subsidiary of Hungarys OTP Bank is among the credit institutions facing the ECB probe.

In July Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, applied to join the banking union, a step toward the Black Sea states aim to enter the waiting room" for euro zone membership.



The ECB, however, has resisted granting Bulgaria a fast track to euro membership, saying its banks require tougher supervision.



The comprehensive assessment is required as part of the process of establishing close cooperation between the ECB and the national competent authority of an EU Member State whose currency is not the euro," the ECB said in a statement.



The assessment of the three largest banks in terms of assets, UniCredit Bulbank, DSK Bank, controlled by Hungarys OTP and United Bulgarian Bank, as well as the largest three locally-owned First Investment Bank, Central Cooperative Bank and Investbank will start in November 2018 and results are expected in July 2019.



The cut-off date for the exercise, comprising an asset quality review and a stress test, will be 31 December 2018, the ECB said.Our countries are celebrating their centenaries, Poland regained independence on 11 November, Czechoslovakia was established a little earlier, on 28 October.

But in the course of those one hundred years of history the fate has made it that Czechoslovakia got divided into two separate countries.

Well, yes, and when Poland was reborn, its principal cities were Vilnius, Lviv, Warsaw, Krakow. There was no Wrocaw among them, it was German Breslau back then, nor Gdansk, for it was East Prussia's Danzig...

Yes, our history was also difficult. Poland has shifted on the map of Europe, though it must be remembered that this shift entailed the loss of about one half of our territory in the east.

History is not easy. What has Poland gained in the last one hundred years, and what has it lost?

One could go on discussing the subject for a very long time, but it is worth starting with a reminder of the period preceding 1918 and the rebirth of the independent Polish state. In the course of the previous 123 years, the Poles as a nation had to make a gigantic effort. Let us only limit ourselves to the recalling of a succession of armed uprisings. In 1830 the November Uprising broke out, and in January 1863 the January Uprising, but they did not give us freedom. Many people thought that if Poland would ever return to the map of Europe, it would be a miracle. There was a conviction that it was impossible to defeat the powers that partitioned Poland: Austria, Russia and Prussia. However, the First World War destroyed all those arrangements, creating a new order in Europe. This way, thanks to the courage, determination and effort - but also undoubtedly thanks to a fortunate international constellation - in 1918 Poland returned to the map of Europe. As far as the regaining of independence is concerned, we commemorate in the first place 11 November, but in fact it was a process that went beyond 1918. Poland's borders, after all, were being formed until 1922. New countries have emerged around us, also returning to the map of Europe. The Czech Republic has a long-standing tradition, and we are proud to recall that we have just celebrated the 1052nd anniversary of the baptism of Poland. We can say that this baptism - the adoption of Christianity and the creation of Polish statehood connected with it - came to us, together with Princess Dobravka from Bohemia. It was Bohemia that brought nearer this moment, probably the most important defining moment in our history - the creation of the state and the creation of the Polish nation.

I am not sure if the Czechs currently think this way.

I don't know that either, but we do remember it. Over the last one hundred years, there have also been difficult moments in our common history. I am thinking, for example, of 1938 and the Zaolzie case. Poland took possession of it in circumstances that we regret for obvious reasons. The late President Lech Kaczynski spoke about it in a completely open way.

Who is the hero of the interwar period for you?

This is a difficult question. In my young days, I would answer without any hesitation: Jozef Pisudski, very much as the majority of Poles, anyway. On the other hand, when we delve into history, we will examine all the circumstances and actions of the individuals to whom we now refer as fathers of our independence, not only Pisudski but also Wincenty Witos, Roman Dmowski, Wojciech Korfanty, Ignacy Paderewski or Ignacy Daszynski come to the fore - after all, one cannot fail to acknowledge their share in the reconstruction of an independent Polish state. To claim that only Marshal Jozef Pisudski was the hero would be simply unfair, and for many people in Poland even offensive. If, for example, there had not been a firm stance of Witos during the defence of the Republic of Poland in 1920, I do not know whether it would have been possible to defend Warsaw against the Bolshevik attack. At that time, Witos called on Polish peasants to stand up in arms, to defend the Republic of Poland - and this way a half a million-strong voluntary army was formed. Pilsudskis merits are certainly indisputable, and for many Poles he is the father of the independent, interwar Republic of Poland. However, we must remember that this period was a very difficult time, beyond any comparison, much more difficult than today. During demonstrations people were shot at, there were fatalities. People were imprisoned for their political activities, which was nothing unusual at the time, but today it is something hard to imagine.

I am older than you, Sir, and I can still imagine it.

Yes, but we are not talking about the occupation times, when we knew that we were not living in free countries. In the interwar period, our countries were democratic by standards applied back then, but nevertheless, things were happening that would be difficult to accept from today's perspective.

Let us move on.

The history of World War 2, German and then Soviet totalitarianism was a great and terrible experience and a lesson for humanity.

Let us hope so.

I do hope so.

Who is your hero during the Nazi occupation days and the subsequent epoch?

Undoubtedly, I count Cavalry Captain Witold Pilecki among the heroes of those days. Acting in the Polish underground movement, as a volunteer he undertook the unimaginable task of creating a resistance movement in the German Nazi Auschwitz camp. As the archives and memories of contemporary people prove, he was a man whose biography was free of any blemish. Likewise, we consider Inka, a young girl, a nurse, who fought against the Soviet occupier for a free Poland, to be a similar heroine, even a monumental figure. She was murdered by the communists, but her steadfast attitude during the investigation went down in history, when she did not give away her companions, even when subjected to most atrocious torture. Shortly before her death, Inka wrote her last words: "Tell my grandmother that I behaved as I should. For young people who are nowadays entering their adult life, this is a very important figure.

And who for you is the hero of the later non-Stalinist period, from the 1960s to the end of communism?

It is certainly worth reminding the oppositionists gathered around Antoni Macierewicz or Piotr Naimski. They were young people who protested against the then system from independence and patriotic positions. They did not have fathers well established in the communist apparatus, who would protect them. The same applies to Zofia and Andrzej Romaszewski. They had the courage to act, despite the threat of expulsion from university or from work, they risked their entire future career to fight for a truly free Poland, not just for a somewhat improved version of communism. There have, of course, also been other people, to a greater extent commemorated in the last thirty years - for example, Jacek Kuron or Adam Michnik. Under no circumstances should they be forgotten, but due to certain circumstances, including family circumstances, they were in a slightly different situation. For me personally, the person of President Lech Kaczynski is of particular importance. He was a consistent member of the anti-communist opposition and did an enormous amount of work. In the late 1970s and 1980s, he was an extremely important figure for the workers of the Polish Coast and Solidarity. He gave legal advice to workers, trained them how to behave in difficult situations.

Do you not think it is important that the opposition in Poland and Czechoslovakia at that time was able to come to an agreement, despite the fact that these people had different ideological backgrounds?

I will answer this question quoting an example from my own life. Back in 1989, I was 17 years old and I was not directly involved in opposition activity, although my father was a member of the Solidarity movement. In 1981 he took part in protests against the imposition of the martial law, he never belonged to the communist party, he had his strong views into his regards, something that he passed down to me. At that time, I did not realize that in the movement, which I considered to be a homogeneous, anti-communist opposition fighting for a free Poland, there were different ideological trends. I had a rather idealistic approach. What was important was what I was wearing on my shirt, and it was the Solidarity logo, the symbol which united us as we moved along. Back in 1989, I had the impression that the world had just turned upside down, that we were extremely lucky, that now everything would be different. I remember my conversation with my father when I said: in five years' time, we will reach the standards of the West. My father answered then: maybe not in five years, maybe in ten or fifteen years. Thirty years have passed, however, and we still have to catch up and close the gap that was caused by almost fifty years of communist rule.

I have the impression that the people of the opposition at that time were able to get along somehow. Today, however, Polish society - also Czech society - are divided, with people readily holding opposite positions, as if what we think about politics was the most important consideration of all.

In a sense, it is the price of having a democracy. People exercise their right to disagree, to think differently, to discuss, to argue. Even if it entails political protests, demonstrations. Before, the communist authorities sent to prison people for having different views. But then there was a common enemy - communists, Soviet Russia, or people supported by the USSR. They were enemies of Polish society; the opposition fought against them and was united in this fight. However, when we were able to present our views freely, it turned out that there are huge discrepancies as to what Poland should look like. That is the case today as well. Nowadays, people enjoy freedom, they can have different beliefs and do not have to hide them, which is naturally one of the benefits of democracy. It should be remembered, however, that unfortunately, from the very beginning, there were also those who were not interested in eradicating bad mechanisms and pathologies associated with the old system. This attitude was primarily dictated by their personal vested interests: under the former communist regime, they had been members of privileged groups, it was difficult for them to give up their position. The part of the opposition that had the greatest influence on the rule of the country after 1989 felt that, in the name of a certain compromise, such interests could not be violated. As a result, members of the communist establishment entered the new, also privileged "elite" of the Third Republic of Poland. I would just like to draw your attention to the numbers of former regime people who found themselves in key positions after 1989. How many of them have made themselves rich by privatizing state property, how many of them have gained a huge fortune thanks to acquaintances. This gave them advantage when the middle class was being formed in Poland. After 1989, not everyone in Poland had an equal start. After 30 years, we are obliged to implement the constitutional principle of equality.

How?

An example is the social policy pursued by the camp ruling in Poland since 2015, aimed at equal opportunities for all social groups. Moreover, we must also remember that the passage of time does its job, people are getting older, most of the communist and later post-communist elites retire from politics and business. Of course, it must not be forgotten that they have passed on to some of the next generation the models and mechanisms inherent in the system where some people occupy privileged positions at the expense of others. However, today's world is different, more competitive than in 1989. It entails competition with self-made people who started from scratch in the new reality, but nevertheless were able to achieve success. I have no doubt that positive changes are taking place in Poland.

Of course, Poland is not alone either on the map or in reality. What is the meaning of the Visegrad Group today, what does Visegrad mean in relation to the European Union? Does the Visegrad four still exist at all?

But of course, it does exist. Recently I participated in its meeting in Slovakia. I remember perfectly well how during the presidential campaign in Poland in 2015 I was asked over and over again about various issues related to the Visegrad Group. I replied that, in my opinion, this was a very important format of cooperation between the four Central European countries. Often what I was saying was ridiculed, journalists were saying: it is merely a fiction. However, soon after the elections it turned out how important forum for our Central European cooperation it was. I am alluding in particular to the migration crisis. The Visegrad Four spoke with a strong voice of reason, despite the completely wrong political concepts which some European countries have embraced, and only today they are slowly beginning to abandon them. Despite the pressure, the Visegrad Group countries did not change their views and came up with their own proposals for coping with the migration crisis. Today, Europe reiterates our proposals: more effective border protection, support for refugees as close as possible to their homes which they had to leave because of the threat of war, more support in refugee camps, and reasonable immigration policy. That was our position from 2015 on, which was condemned at the time, and it reverberates throughout the European Union. The V4 format has, therefore, played a significant political role in the pan-European debate on migration. It is also worth noting that every now and then, someone comes up ready to join us, to participate in our meetings, if not in the capacity of a member, then, let's say, as a friendly observer. These are not only European countries, but also the ones beyond Europe. Of course, the historical ties between our nations play a key role in the Visegrad format. We have a similar history, though different mentalities. Sometimes it may happen that it is difficult for us - for example the Poles and the Czechs - to come to an agreement on an issue, but I believe that we are friends and we can understand each other; that we can build a community, have common interests. As an example, I would like to especially highlight our cooperation with NATO on the Alliance's enhanced forward presence in the so-called Eastern flank.

However, there are differences between our countries in this matter.

I have spoken to both the Presidents of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Our countries and our societies have different ideas about how to guarantee their security within NATO. But in NATO we are together, we understand each other's rationales and we support one another in achieving our different goals. It is obvious that we are different, we do not only have the same shared interests. After all, we are separate states, and each of them operates in different conditions. For example, we do not give our consent to Nordstream 2, and Slovakia looks at it in a similar way.

Could you explain to our readers why Poland wants to have NATO military bases on its territory?

We are witnessing a worsening security situation in our region and we are drawing conclusions. I am thinking here about Russia's aggressive actions - first in Georgia and then the attack on Ukraine. There are also instances of other hybrid attacks, less visible but also undermining the security of countries in our region, including the emergence of the so-called cyber security threats. Today, the Baltic States, where numerous Russian minorities live, are particularly exposed to them. Although this phenomenon does not occur in Poland, we share a border with Russia, which has shown that it does not retreat from aggressive actions that are in direct violation of international law. That is why we need the support from our allies. Allied troops should be present in all those NATO countries that experience threats to their security. NATO must react and respond to the challenges to our security in order to show that it is a living alliance. This was the point of the NATO Summit in Warsaw, which adopted a strategy of defence, deterrence and dialogue. Today we are implementing it.

How does the Polish opposition view this policy?

There are no objections to NATO's presence in Poland. In all the debates that have taken place in our country over the last three years, no major political force has spoken out against the presence of NATO troops.

Please, explain to me the essence of the Three Seas Initiative.

It is a project for a more cohesive and developed Central Europe through better infrastructure connections between the countries of our region along the North-South axis. Let us remember that we are talking here about cooperation between twelve EU countries. The idea was born out of the real needs felt by the citizens of our countries. It is enough to travel from Krakow by the shortest possible route to Budapest to find out that a relatively short geographical distance has nothing to do with the travel time. It takes a lot of time to cover the narrow stretch winding between mountain ski resorts, where lorries and curves are to be expected any time. When I first met with the Croatian President after my election, as we talked about our part of Europe, about Poles who go on holiday to Croatia, about our energy security and about transport connections, we both came to the same conclusion: while the East-West connections are quite developed, the North-South axis does not look so good. In Poland, along the former axis, there are two almost fully completed motorways. But what about the construction of a road connecting the Polish ports of Gdansk, Swinoujscie, Szczecin with the Czech Republic and Slovakia? It took decades to complete. Today, the A1 motorway connecting these points is almost ready. Soon the S3 expressway connecting Szczecin and Swinoujscie with the Czech Republic will also be ready. Thanks to the work of the current government, I hope, there will be an inland waterway connecting the Elbe, the Oder and the Danube. We need good transportation links between the Baltic ports and the ports on the Adriatic and Black Sea coasts to enable the free movement of goods and create a larger Central European market within the EU. While implementing the Three Seas Initiative project, we are also working on the development of energy infrastructure in order to guarantee energy security in our region. In this context, it is important to connect the LNG handling terminal in Swinoujscie with the regional energy infrastructure in order to be able to send gas to the Czech Republic and Slovakia via gas interconnectors, and possibly to send gas to Poland from the South. It goes without saying that it is in the interests of all our countries to diversify their energy supplies, because this precisely is what builds their energy independence. To sum up, when we look at the map of our part of Europe and the West, we will be struck by the imbalance in transportation infrastructure: road and rail, but also energy infrastructure. We must rise to this challenge. If we want the EU to be developed evenly, we must eliminate this imbalance. This is the essence of the Three Seas Initiative  the connection of the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Sea coasts. It will boost tourism, help entrepreneurs, strengthen interpersonal relations and mutual understanding on political grounds.

What about Russia, Mr President?

Of course, we would like to see the best possible relations with Russia, after all, it is our neighbour. But it is difficult to build such relationships in a situation of limited trust, lack of willingness and openness from the counterpart. It is all the more difficult to develop such relations if it was to imply that we agree to Russias breach of the principles of international law. Accepting the actual annexation of part of the territory of Ukraine, the total annexation of the Crimea, the violation of Georgia's borders, the expansion of influence and destabilization of other countries, Moldova, a whole variety of hybrid attacks, cyber-attacks and so on. We are a democratic state which wants to exist in a democratic Europe. We must, therefore, be clear: the inviolability of international law is the basis for peace. However, there has already been an instance of violation of borders in Europe, and this in itself is very dangerous. It is enough to recall the first half of the 20th century. After the annexation of Austria, and after the territory was seized; and then after the annexation of Czechoslovakia by the Third Reich, all Europe did was shrug its arms. It was deemed that peace should be maintained at the expense of the freedom of other nations, which, as we know, turned out to be a disastrous decision. We must learn from history. The day before yesterday Georgia, then yesterday Ukraine - what will be today, what will be tomorrow? Russia is consistently pushing for the policy of accomplished facts, but we cannot agree to this. Of course, we want to have a dialogue, and we have it, but at a level commensurate with the existing conditions. Obviously, our relations with Russia are also overshadowed by the crash of a Polish state aircraft in 2010 near Smolensk, in which the Polish President and his entire delegation were killed.

In your opinion, how should Europe deal with a country like Belarus? Support the opposition? Or to offer something to Lukashenka, some bargain?

Belarus is our neighbour and a country inhabited by a significant number of Poles. We want good neighbourly relations. We are fulfilling our duty to take care of Poles living in this country. We want an open door to Europe for Belarus, but at the same time we must not give up our principles.

There is not much democracy in Russia either.

Therefore, I am not in favour of the concept of business as usual policy. Some business communities may be in favour of it, but we, politicians, must be guided by the binding standards and values.

At the end of the interview, is there anything that you would like to relay to the readers of the Lidove noviny newspaper?

First of all, I would like to greet all of them very warmly in this year, special for the Czech statehood as well. I think that such anniversaries make us realize the importance of the community of nations. Although our history has taken different courses, and in our part of Europe the concert of the superpowers was often raging, geography cannot be changed. We were and are close to each other. We have lived side by side for so many years, and although we probably have a slightly different national mentalities, we should cooperate and learn from each other. I would also like to make it clear that we should never allow ourselves to be at odds or be divided by other capitals. During the communist period, attempts were made to use us against each other, as in 1968, when General Jaruzelski's army was instrumentally used by the USSR to suppress the Prague Spring. In scouting, to which I belonged as a child during the communist period, we sang a song in which such words sounded: "Forgive me the sad Bratislava, Hradec Kralove, the Golden Prague, for the death of a swallow that spring. And for the Polish tanks on the Vltava". Today, when the Poles and the Czechs are free, we can shake hands, smilingly, and do business together. This is how I imagine our future.

Interviewer Petruska SustrovaFour strategic partners of BCOS, namely cloud service provider Tencent Cloud, global consulting firm EY, IT service provider Forms Syntron, and internet service provider Anne.Inc, will share their latest business applications and development in blockchain at one of the world's largest FinTech event in Singapore from Nov 12 th to 13 th .

Tencent Cloud presented how to build TBaaS (Tencent Blockchain as a Service) with BCOS, through which it has pioneered a number of applications in the public sector in China.

Shenzhen-listed Forms Syntron leverages the blockchain platform to deliver several production systems for financial institutions. During the event Forms Syntron demonstrated the robustness of BCOS by showcasing its many applications in intermediary-free loyalty program, mortgage, supply chain finance and bank assurance.

Anne.Inc shared its blockchain solution that prevents copyright infringement in China. With technical advances of BCOS, the company managed to offer its copyright depository trading services to a number of internet giants including Google, Baidu, WeChat, Toutiao.com, and Sina Weibo.

EY is one of the leading consulting firms in blockchain research. It shared insights of technology trends, technical know-how, and business applications in the blockchain field.

The Shenzhen-based Consortium also announced today that, as part of the efforts to go global, it has opened up its observatory membership to foreign companies. The move was largely welcomed by participants who have particular interests in leveraging blockchain technology to offer innovative business solutions in their respective fields and markets.

About FISCO BCOSThe Building Block of Open Consortium Chain

FISCO BCOS is built by Financial Blockchain Shenzhen Consortium (FISCO) Taskforce Team (prominent team members include WeBank, Tencent and Shenzhen Securities Communication among others).

The Open Consortium Chain is a concept first introduced by WeBank. It is a not a single blockchain, but rather a new type of blockchain application ecosystem - a set of blockchain applications aimed to serve the general public.

FISCO BCOS is the first blockchain platform built specifically to meet the service demands of the financial industry through extensive upgrades in platform design, security, and regulatory support.

For more information on BCOS and actual use cases, click here.

To track BCOS during their Singapore FinTech festival debut, follow their official Twitter account @FiscoBcos.

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181112/2296598-1

Related Links

http://www.fisco-bcos.org/



SOURCE FISCO BCOS"The new generation of the Koxka product line leverages innovative and ergonomic design aspects to attract customers and seamlessly fit in all-store environments, ranging from convenience and forecourt segments to large hypermarkets," said Gautham Gnanajothi, Global Research Director. "These units also give stores the flexibility to repeatedly adapt to the changing surroundings (store design) and requirements of the customer throughout the lifecycle of the product. For instance, it allows them to personalise the units using RGB-type edging LEDs so that store owners may choose from more than 200 colours to match the store decor and promotions, without having to modify the unit in any way."

Koxka has added advanced designs and nuances to its refrigeration solutions by anticipating a growing requirement for greater flexibility and customisation. The company's best-in-class strategy implementation is targeted at processes, tools, and activities that generate a consistent and repeatable level of success. This focus on innovation positions Koxka ahead of its competitors in terms of optimising utilisation concepts. For instance, the company recently rolled out an innovative modular design that allows it to reduce transit costs dramatically and offer other associated benefits.

Kgroup's Koxka portfolio comprises remote and plug-in products, with solutions for multi-decks, counters, and frozen units for both types of products. In addition to technology excellence, Koxka is committed to enhancing the energy efficiency of its products, with its latest generation of products being 28% more energy efficient than previous generations. Furthermore, the company's products deliver the best price-performance value in the market by providing an interactive shopping experience that is comfortable, functional, and aesthetically stimulating.

"The company's product line is constantly gaining new value-added features and functionalities, the latest being geolocation, systems monitoring, and blast freezers," noted Gautham. "Such proven technology and adaptability to future demands are propelling the company towards huge commercial success and establishing Koxka as an iconic brand in the industry."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year award to the organisation that demonstrates excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognises a high degree of innovation with products and technologies and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Koxka

Koxka is a business project that has managed to grow, evolve and stay at the top of its sector at the global level thanks to customer loyalty and its founding values. It is made up of a group of professionals and investors that have a clear industrial vocation and a long-term vision. On the other hand, it has always been quite clear to it that the customer should sit at the centre of all its decisions.

Koxka is headquartered in Pamplona, Spain. Its product range includes remote and plug-in cabinets, evaporators, condensers and customized coils. Additionally, it provides spares and retrofit solutions. Thanks to its vast experience, Koxka is capable of delivering both turnkey projects and separate, independent solutions.

Koxka's aim is to gain renown as a trusted collaborator, achieve sustainable growth and be customer-orientated, as well as to be known for its quality, reliability, efficiency and performance. In addition, it upholds the values of integrity and friendliness toward the value chain and the environment.

For more information on Koxka, please visit our website: https://krefrigeration.com

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, collaborates with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, Frost & Sullivan has been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector, and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion .

Contact:

Claudia Toscano

P: 210.477.8417

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SOURCE Frost & SullivanChinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) holds talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore, Nov. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

SINGAPORE, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- China and Singapore have agreed to intensify joint efforts in building a new land-sea transit route so as to further improve connectivity between the two countries and beyond.

In talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong here Monday, visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that with the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the new logistics corridor, the two sides should build on the momentum and further boost two-way connectivity.

Lee said his country will join hands with China to build the new corridor so as to facilitate transport and trade between the two sides.

The emerging land-sea transport corridor consists of a number of cargo routes by land and sea connecting central and southwest China to Southeast Asia, particularly Singapore, an international shipping hub at the tip of the Strait of Malacca.

Experts say the corridor will help China to further open up to the world while opening a shortcut for Southeast Asian countries to enter the Chinese market.HYDERABAD, India, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Bagged two mega off-shore oil fields

Megha Engineering Infrastructure Ltd. (MEIL) has bagged two mega off-shore oil fields in Gujarat and Assam. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved Discovered Small Field (DSF) 31 fields to the competitive bidders. MEIL has bagged two of them in highly competitive bidding.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/783708/MEIL_OilandGas_Gujrat_Assam.jpg )



"Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd., has acquired these projects, one at Khambel in Gujarat and another at Lakshmi Zen Oil Fields in Assam. We are planning to start the production in these fields by 2020," P. Rajesh Reddy, Associate Vice President (Hydro Carbons), MEIL, said. Under the award agreement with the Director-General, Hydrocarbons, MEIL will develop, maintain and commercialize operations. Khambel Oil Field is in Khambe Basin located at West Coast of Gujarat and Lakshmi Zen Oil Field is in North Eastern Arcan Basin in Assam. The plan is to complete drilling of wells by end of 2018 and start the commercial operations by 2020.

MEIL will invest about $100 million, to be raised from internal accruals, in the coming two years. "Our initial plan is to complete drilling of three wells in a phased manner in Khambel Oil Field. We have also got required permissions from the Assam Government for exploration works in Lakshmi Zen Oil Field," P. Rajesh Reddy said.

Apart from drilling wells for Crude Oil exploration, MEIL is also planning to establish required Treatment and Effluent Plants for purifying Oil and Gas in these two oil fields. It would transport and sell this purified oil and gas to public sector companies like IOC, BPCL, GAIL, GSPL, SR CGD companies and other related industries. "We have an estimation that Khambel Oil Field, located in Pathan District in Gujarat, would provide us life-time production; our target is to produce 3.70 lakh Barrels (BBLS) of Crude Oil and 1.3 lakhs Cubic Meters of Gas every day from this Oil Field," Reddy disclosed. This oil field is 56 Kms away from North Santhal Central Bank Forum (CTF) in ONGC area.

According to the estimates of Director General, Hydro Carbons (DGH), plenty of resources are available for exploration on a commercial basis in Khambel Oil Field in Khambe Basin and Lakshmi Zen Oil Field in Assam. As per the new national policy of licensing for oil and gas exploration, the government has selected some oil fields to encourage private sector companies. In this process, MEIL has acquired these two important oil fields. Subsequently, it has started operations in these fields with its own funds and own engineering capacities.

About MEIL

MEIL has proven experience in mega projects, has an overseas presence in prestigious refinery projects in countries like Kuwait, Jordan, Bangladesh and Singapore. MEIL is known for its timely execution of mega projects with highest quality standards, particularly related to creating infrastructure for establishing raw processing units, compressor plants; gas-based captive power plants etc. MEIL Hydro Carbons division's Engineering Technical Team is using sophisticated modern technology for fabrications, installations, and hook up operations.

Media Contact:

SV Rao

[email protected]

+91-9100032262

MEIL



SOURCE Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL)NEW DELHI, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

- An 'All-India Diabetes Care Index' to monitor the state of diabetes, has been released -

To mark World Diabetes Day, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation (NNEF) and Novo Nordisk India Pvt. Ltd. have launched a '1000-Day Challenge' programme along with leading healthcare practitioners to address uncontrolled diabetes in India. Uncontrolled diabetes is a serious challenge in India with over INR 63,000 crore incurred in healthcare costs per year due to diabetes.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/783801/NNEF_Launches_Impact_India.jpg )



The 1000-Day Challenge intends to improve awareness and education amongst 150,000 practitioners and 10,000 paramedics through over 6,000 medical meetings and continuous medical education (CMEs) programmes over the said period.

In addition, for the first time, real-time data on the state of diabetes care is being made available through an innovative 'India Diabetes Care Index'. The Index provides the average blood sugar control over 3 months of a given city through HbA1c data.

Dr A K Das, Senior Professor, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences and Patron of the Impact India programme, said: "HbA1c levels will be adopted as the key performance indicator for this initiative. The India Diabetes Care Index reveals that the current average HbA1c of India is 8.56% against the usually recommended target of <7%. Through Impact India, we will work towards reducing the HbA1c levels of treated patients. Every 1% reduction in HbA1c reduces the risk of stroke by 12%, heart attack by 14%, diabetic eye disease by 31%, diabetic kidney disease by 33%, diabetic limb disease by 43%."

The India Diabetes Care Index will be launched for at least 15 major cities over the next few months and will be updated on a quarterly basis.

The launch event in Delhi was attended by the top diabetes experts in India; former cricketer and Novo Nordisk changing diabetes ambassador Anil Kumble and Royal Danish Embassy Ambassador, HE Peter Takse-Jensen.

Sharing the objective behind this ambitious initiative, Melvin D'souza, Managing Trustee, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation, said: "The programme exemplifies our commitment towards improving diabetes care. Our aim is clear: to try and reduce the average HbA1c in India by at least 1% in partnership with various stakeholders. With this innovative approach we wish to understand some of the areas of key risk and vulnerability and partner in designing interventions that can bend the curve of the prevalence of diabetes."

As part of the programme, Anil Kumble will champion a healthy lifestyle through measures such as encouraging daily exercise and reducing 'social snacking' as well as in-take of high calories and processed food.

Anil Kumble said, "If we are to have any hope of bending the trajectory of the potentially catastrophic rise in diabetes, we have to work together to grapple with the factors that put people at risk in the first place. As a sportsperson, I look forward to tough challenges, and with the 1000-Day challenge, we are calling on every stakeholder to work collectively."

India has 72.9 million people with diabetes. The prevalence of other common co-morbidities of diabetes like hypertension and high cholesterol levels are also high in India, around 26% and 14% respectively, further predisposing the population to an additional risk for heart and blood vessel diseases.[5],[6]

Dr Nikhil Tandon, Head of Department of Endocrinology, AIIMS, and Padma Shri Awardee, said: "The impact of diabetes is felt by the affected individual and the entire family, not merely as a contribution to physical ill-health, but also at an emotional as well as an economic level. A targeted programme backed by real-time data is the right approach to addressing this rising burden."

Through this program, Novo Nordisk seeks to improve the understanding of the principal factors behind the rise of diabetes in India, enhance understanding on uncontrolled diabetes and then share and apply that knowledge to real-world solutions for people to live healthier lives with diabetes.

"The programme has a clear objective which can act as a rallying point for all concerned stakeholders. A tool like the India Diabetes Care Index is vital for understanding the areas that require maximum attention. For the first time, we will have a measurable system for assessing the impact of our efforts," said Dr V Mohan, Chairman, Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre and Padma Shri Awardee.

Under the programme, digital platforms will be leveraged to partner with practitioners (doctors and paramedics), physician associations, government agencies and healthcare institutions to evolve and implement an approach to diabetes care appropriate to India.

"At Novo Nordisk we have been working for changing diabetes for nearly 100 years. With this new initiative, we have set an ambitious target and we hope to see India emerge as a role model in diabetes management," said Frederik Kier, SVP, Region AAMEO, Novo Nordisk A/S.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with more than 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to help people defeat obesity, haemophilia, growth disorders and other serious chronic diseases. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 41,700 people in 77 countries and markets its products in more than 165 countries. For more information, visit novonordisk.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Media Contact:

Gunjan Gupta

[email protected]

+91-9620039027

Associate Partner

Genesis Burson-Marsteller



SOURCE Novo Nordisk Education Foundation (NNEF)If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found hereRebuilding Median By LaGuardia Kicking off construction of a project to rebuild and beautify the Ditmars Blvd medians between 78th Street and the airport (82nd Street), a press conference...

Marathon 2021 Runners of all racing stripes took part in the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon on November 7. Racing categories in this, the largest marathon...

Mount Sinai Queens Opening New Infusion Center The last week of October was marked by an expansion of health care capacity in the borough, as Mount Sinai Queens celebrated the opening of...Articles

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles.DALLAS, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- China expanded its share on a global list of the world's fastest supercomputers, according to a biannual ranking of the Top500 published Monday.

The number of supercomputers installed in China increased from 206 in June to 227 now, accounting for 45.4 percent of the total, according to the ranking.

The number of supercomputers that call the United States home, by contrast, continued to decline, reaching an all-time low.

John Dongarra, professor of Innovative Computing Lab with the University of Tennessee, told Xinhua that China is making large changes with 227 systems compared with 109 in the United States.

However, systems in the United States are, on average, more powerful, resulting in an aggregate system performance of 38 percent, compared to 31 percent for China.

The Top 10 supercomputers saw five U.S.-built systems with the first two captured by "Summit" and "Sierra," which had similar architectures with IBM cores and NVIDIA GPUs.

China's Sunway TaihuLight supercomputer is ranked third with its performance of 93.0 petaflops.

Tianhe-2A (Milky Way-2A), deployed at the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou, is now in the number four position, according to the ranking.

Germany had a new Top 10 entry with SuperMUC-NG, ranking number eight. It was built by Chinese tech company Lenovo, the top supercomputer manufacturer in the ranking, producing 140 of the total.

The most energy-efficient system on the Green500, a list released along with the Top500 to evaluate a system's energy efficiency, is once again claimed by the Shoubu system B at RIKEN scientific research institute in Japan.

The Top500 list is considered one of the most authoritative rankings of the world's supercomputers. It is compiled on the basis of machine performance on the Linpack benchmark by experts from the United States and Germany.Lawyers voice concern over possibility of Russia leaving Council of Europe

 RIA Novosti, Olga Lipich

12:18 13/11/2018

MOSCOW, November 13 (RAPSI)  The Federal Chamber of Lawyers of Russia expressed its concern over a possibility that Russia might withdraw its membership in the Council of Europe in a statement published on its official website on Tuesday.

In the document, the lawyers point out that such a step would directly affect rights and freedoms of the countrys citizens.

The Chamber Council stresses that although lawyers stay out of politics, they have a right to express their position with regard to the prospects of possible change for the worse in the legal status of Russias citizens and the sphere of protection of their rights and freedoms. The Council reminds that withdrawal from the Council of Europe means at the same time that Russia will be out of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

According to the lawyers, the range of legal and social consequences of the possible withdrawal hinted at lately by a number of Russias officials and politicians, might include the loss of subsidiary control over the criminal justice and penitentiary systems in Russia and the end of the international monitoring of its compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Moreover, the legal situation of the Russian citizens will worsen due to the loss of their right to apply to ECHR, whereas the opinions of the Strasbourg Courts judges forming common European positions with regard to the human rights protection will cease to serve as points of reference for the improvement of the national legal framework and compliance practices.

The matter of its most serious concern, the Chamber of Lawyers says it the statement, is that after the withdrawal from the Council of Europe Russia will have no incentive to keep its moratorium on capital punishment.

Russian lawyers believe that risks arising due to the withdrawal from the Council of Europe outweigh by far the political considerations the Russias leadership follow examining the feasibility of such a step, the document reads.If indeed the issues involved between the government and RBI are of immense public interest, why not make public the arguments of both the government and the RBI, irrespective of the outcome of the process, says Tamal Bandyopadhyay.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

In the Indian central banks 83-year history, two governors resigned before their terms ended -- Sir Osborne Smith (in 1937) and Sir Benegal Rama Rau (1957).

While Smith couldnt stomach the governments wont to dominate the central bank, Rau resigned due to differences with then finance minister T T Krishnamachari.

At least two other governors -- K R Puri and R N Malhotra -- had their tenures cut short following changes in the government.

Did Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel offer to resign recently?

We will know if he chooses to write a book later like some of his predecessors.

Will he or any of the deputy governors -- particularly Viral Acharya who has been vocal about the governments lack of respect for the central banks independence, and N Vishwanathan, in charge of banking and non-banking regulations -- quit in future? Thats in the realm of speculation.

The RBIs fight for autonomy and the governments periodic iteration of respect for it are as old as the central bank itself.

What makes the current round unique is the use of Section 7 of the RBI Act by the government to direct the RBI on certain things which the central bank does not find fit to be done.

The government has never taken this route to assert itself, empowered by this particular provision.

Section 7 gives power to the government to give such directions to the Bank as it may, after consultation with the governor of the Bank, consider necessary in the public interest.

Combining two sections of the Bank of England Act, 1946, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia Act, 1945, this clause was inserted in 1949 into the RBI Act when the central bank was nationalised.

Then governor C D Deshmukh wanted the government to take the responsibility for its action if ever it decides to act against the advice of the governor but the idea did not find favour with then finance minister John Mathai.

So Section 4 of the Bank of England Act, which says, The Treasury may from time to time give such directions to the Bank as, after consultation with the Governor of the Bank, they think necessary in the public interest, was lifted and fitted into the RBI Act.

Should it be abolished? Many feel so but thats a different story.

Incidentally, the government also has the power to appoint/reappoint the governor and deputy governors and remove them as well as any other director or member of a local board.

If the RBI fails to carry out its obligations under the Act, the government can even supersede its central board.

To be sure, the governments right to direct is not confined to the RBI alone. This is true about other regulators as well.

For instance, Section 16 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992, empowers the government to issue directions on questions of policy as the central government may give in writing to it from time to time.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, the Life Insurance Corporation Act, the State Bank of India Act and the Competition Act all have this provision.

Even the regulators outside the financial system -- the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, International Airports Authority and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission -- are subjected to face this.

But what is unique about the RBI Act is that the government needs to consult the governor before directing it and the action must be in public interest" as opposed to the matters of policy in case of other regulators.

Consultation ensures that the government gets the benefit of the governors views on matters of public interest but the Act is silent on what happens if the governors views differ from that of the government. It also does not define what is public interest.

In the past few weeks, the government has sent three "directives" for consultation with the governor under Section 7 of the RBI Act.

It wants relaxation of the prompt corrective action (PCA) norms that restrains a banks activities, including lending.

Currently, 11 banks are under PCA and the government wants these banks to be able to lend to credit-starved medium and small enterprises.

It also wants the RBI to soften its February 12 directive to the banks that abolished all loan recast platforms and forced the banks to take all defaulters, including the power units, to the insolvency court.

It also wants the regulator to ensure liquidity for the non-banking finance companies, reeling under asset-liability mismatches. (I have not seen the notes but heard from people in Delhi and Mumbai.)

All eyes are now on the November 19 meeting of the RBI board which will take up the residual issues that could not be discussed at the October 23 meeting, despite it being the longest in recent history.

My guess is that the issues raised by the government need to be sorted out not at the board meeting but between the governor and the government.

Patel has probably sent back his views to the government, ending the consultation process.

If he does not want to budge from his stance, what can the government do? It can see merit in the governors arguments and decide against going ahead with its plan, or overrule Patel.

If indeed the government does so, will it be a blow to the RBIs autonomy? A no-confidence in Patel, and hence, should he/his team resign?

Since it is enshrined in the Act, it cannot be interpreted as an attack on the RBIs independence.

But the point to note is this provision has never been used in the past 69 years -- this bears testimony to the fact that it is meant to be used for the rarest of rare cases.

Do the current issues fall in this category?

Once used, there is always a risk of repeat of such actions by the government in future.

If indeed the issues involved are of immense public interest, why not make public the arguments of both the government and the RBI, irrespective of the outcome of the process?

Former RBI governor I G Patel once said: Dont nitpick. Pick your battles. Once you have picked your battles, fight those battles valiantly.

Junior Patel is probably following Senior Patels advice. Let the public know who stands where -- both the government and the governor.

Resignation is no solution to the impasse.

Tamal Bandyopadhyay, a consulting editor with Business Standard, is an author.The Army on Tuesday said a heavily-armed Pakistani intruder was shot dead along the border in Akhnoor sector in Jammu, foiling the 'nefarious plan' of terrorists to disrupt the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state.

The recoveries made from the gunned-down terrorist included two assault rifles along with two magazines and 234 rounds of bullets, five pistols with 10 magazines and 60 rounds, 15 hand grenades and 12 fuses for Improvised Explosive Devices, Jammu-based Army PRO Devender Anand said.

"This huge cache has scuttled the nefarious plans of the terrorist outfits to derail peace and harmony in the region and disrupt the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state," he said.

Woman over-ground worker held with grenades, ammunition Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday arrested a female over-ground worker carrying ammunition, including grenades and live rounds, during a search operation at a check-point in Lawaypora in Srinagar. Police on Tuesday said that it arrested the woman with 20 grenades. Today evening upon receipt of reliable information that some OGWs are coming from Baramulla towards Srinagar with ammunition, a check-post was laid opposite Kirmaniabad shrine near Lawaypora," a police officer told a local news agency in Srinagar. During the search, a woman travelling in a golden Chevrolet Tavera was found in possession of 20 grenades along with a large cache of ammunition, he said. The vehicle and the bag have been seized and the woman has been taken to police station for further questioning, he added. Senior Superintendent of Police Srinagar Imtiaz Ismail Parray also confirmed the incident and said that a case has been registered in Parimpora police station and further investigation has been initiated. -- With inputs and photograph from Umar Ganie for Rediff.com in Srinagar

The nine-phased panchayat elections will get underway on November 17.

Anand said an ambush party of the army killed the terrorist on this side of the international boundary at about 1.50 pm.

"The entire area near the scene of the gunfight has been cordoned off and search and destroy operation is still in progress," Anand said.

"The timely intercept of the intrusion of the terrorists with the cache of arms, ammunition and other war like stores has thwarted any possible untoward incident, planned by the terrorist during the scheduled elections in the state," the Army PRO said.

Two terrorists killed in Keran

Meanwhile, two unidentifiable terrorists were killed on Tuesday when the Army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Keran sector.

"An infiltration bid was eliminated by alert soldiers in Keran sector in Kupwara district today," an Army official said.

He said two terrorists were killed in the operation, which was going on till last reports came in.

The identity and group affiliation of the gunned-down terrorists was not immediately known.

The infiltration bids come after a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistan which left three army personnel and a porter dead and three Border Security Force troopers injured on Friday.

"The Indian Army is carrying out relentless and robust anti-infiltration operations in the state to break the backbone of terrorism and nip the designs of anti national elements and the enemy to foment trouble south of the Pir Panjal ranges in Jammu and Kashmir," the PRO said.

The porter was killed by a Pakistani sniper along the sector followed by similar attacks from across the border in Sunderbani and Noushera sectors of Rajouri and Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch over the past three days.

The casualties suffered by Pakistan in the retaliatory action could not be ascertained immediately but several of their posts including the ones with snipers were hit over the past four days, officials said.

Image used only for representation.The Central Bureau of Investigation has invoked Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act sections pertaining to acts of terror against the accused arrested in connection with the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.

The CBI made a submission to this effect before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) S M A Sayyad in Maharashtra on Monday.

The central probing agency told the court that it has invoked sections 15 and 16 (acts of terror) of the UAPA against the accused persons, public prosecutor Vijaykumar Dhakane said.

So far, six people, including Hindu Janajagruti Samiti member and ENT surgeon Virendrasinh Tawde, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, have been arrested by the CBI in connection with the killing of Dabholkar.

The CBI had earlier filed a chargesheet against Tawde in 2016 under Indian Penal Code sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder), among other charges.

The 90-day period for filing the supplementary chargesheet against the other five accused arrested a few months back is getting over on November 18, Dhakane said.

Now, since the UAPA sections have been invoked, the CBI will get an extension of another 90 days to file the charge sheet against the accused in the case, he said.

According to the CBI, Andure and Kalaskar had allegedly shot Dabholkar on August 20, 2013 when he was on his morning walk on the Omkareshwar bridge in Pune.

The CBI had earlier claimed that Tawde was the mastermind of the conspiracy to kill Dabholkar and veteran CPI leader and rationalist Govind Pansare.

Pansare was shot at by unidentified assailants at Kolhapur in Maharashtra on February 16, 2015. He died of his injuries four days later.

Besides Andure, Kalaskar and Tawde, the CBI had arrested Rajesh Bangera and Amol Kale and Amit Digvekar in connection with the Dabholkar killing case.

Bangera and Kale are also accused in the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017.During his maiden visit to India, the 41-year-old, nose ring-sporting Dorsey wants to experience everything, according to a tweet he posted on November 10, but mainly reach out to all political parties and meet government officials -- at the Centre and in states -- as well as senior police officer and civic body officials, so that he can assist in delivering governance through Twitter. This will also help the social media giant chalk out its next stage of expansion, report Karan Choudhury and Archis Mohan.

IMAGE: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey interacted with staff and students at IIT-Delhi in a town hall during which he said the company was considering an edit option, but they didn't want to rush it. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

In the general elections next year, Twitter is likely to be the biggest campaign manager for political parties -- or at least thats what its Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey would like.

During his maiden visit to India, the 41-year-old, nose ring-sporting Dorsey wants to experience everything, according to a tweet he posted on November 10. He might do a few touristy things -- going to Jaipur, or getting his ring pulled by the Dalai Lama -- but his six-day trip has other things on the itinerary.

He wants to reach out to all political parties and meet government officials -- at the Centre and in states -- as well as senior police officer and civic body officials, so that he can assist in delivering governance through Twitter. This will also help the social media giant chalk out its next stage of expansion.

IMAGE: Dorsey also launched its '#PowerOf18' initiative aimed at encouraging Indian youth to contribute to public debate and participate in civic engagement in the upcoming election season. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

Sources in Twitter said Dorsey would meet senior officials from the Prime Ministers Office as well as senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders. Though it is not final yet, there might be a meeting with the prime minister as well, said a source in Dorseys India visit team.

Dorsey will be offering all the tools Twitter used in the 2016 United States presidential elections to social media team of political parties in India. Sources in the company said it was planning to hire many social media experts to assist political parties in their online outreach. Workshops might be conducted for student wings of these parties.

Its BlueRoom initiative might feature interviews with leaders of political parties and student unions, as well as political commentators.

Twitter could also provide electoral badges -- used widely in the 2016 US elections -- to candidates. Twitter plans to design and bring out a series of new labels that will appear on the profiles and tweets of candidates. This branding exercise which will help create a unique profile of a candidate, said a source close to the company.

IMAGE: Dorsey takes a selfie with a faculty member of IIT Delhi. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

The company is also talking to major political parties to create more verified accounts of various candidates.

This will help political parties understand how social media influencers work. How they can make tweets trend. Types of a Twitter profile a candidate should have to increase the number of followers, added the source.

Twitter will also create specific emoticons and hashtags for political parties.

Sources said Dorsey met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and senior party leaders such as Randeep Singh Surjewala, social media head Divya Spandana and Nikhil Alva. Discussions on how the partys social media handles can do better to attract followers and change sentiments were held.

IMAGE: Twitter CEO also met Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and senior party leaders such as Randeep Singh Surjewala, social media head Divya Spandana and Nikhil Alva. Photograph: PTI Photo

Twitter, which counts India as its priority markets, has a large number of Indian politicians using it to engage with citizens, especially around elections.

In a number of conversations, its become more important that we scope the problem as tightly as possible because fake news or misinformation as a category is way too big, he said while addressing a town hall at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

He added if certain content was found to be misleading, it was Twitters job to ensure that such information was picked out and prevented from spreading.

If the intent (of the content) is to mislead, we need to understand and pick out this information and then its our job to ensure it doesnt spread and our job is to ensure it doesnt gain the impressions beyond its given reach, he said.

Dorsey said artificial intelligence could help build a solution that may be near perfect. Social media firms have been facing the menace of rumours and fake news floating on their platforms. Organisations such as Facebook and WhatsApp have taken a number of steps, including sensitisation programmes among users across the country.

Twitter on Monday also launched its #PowerOf18 initiative aimed at encouraging Indian youth to contribute to public debate and participate in civic engagement in the elections.Despite his ministers on shaky ground, Chouhan -- at the helm for three consecutive terms -- is holding the fort. He is being aided by a capable team for public relations and the RSS, which has deployed its workers to bolster the BJPs campaign, reports Sandeep Kumar.

IMAGE: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his wife Sadhna Singh during the Govardhan Puja at his residence in Bhopal. Photograph: PTI Photo

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhans Jan Ashirwad Yatra, which started on July 14, ended abruptly without covering all 230 assembly constituencies in the state that is going to the polls on November 28. It failed to cover areas in the Gwalior-Chambal region, where the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party have a strong presence.



Chouhan cut short his yatra after the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh in a confidential report stated that workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the grassroots were unhappy with their leaders. According to party sources, the RSS also suggested the party drop more than 75 sitting MLAs.

Another confidential report, reportedly submitted by the intelligence department to the CM on October 30, predicted that at least 10 ministers, including Rustam Singh, Maya Singh, Gauri Shankar Shejwar and Surya Prakash Meena, had only slim chances of winning the polls. Accordingly, the BJP dropped 34 sitting MLAs and two ministers -- Maya Singh (urban development minister) and Shejwar (forest minister) -- from its first list of candidates. Meena has already withdrawn from the ticket race. The sources said the next list could spring more surprises.



Despite his ministers on shaky ground, Chouhan -- at the helm for three consecutive terms -- is holding the fort. He is being aided by a capable team for public relations and the RSS, which has deployed its workers to bolster the BJPs campaign.

Chouhan is mincing no words in attacking the Congress and its leaders. During the yatra, the chief minister often referred to the Congresss big three in the state -- Digvijaya Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kamal Nath -- as raja, maharaja aur udyogpati and called himself the son of a farmer.



These efforts, it appears, are yielding some results: Two months back, there was an anti-incumbency wave, raising the Congresss prospects, but now this sentiment has subsided.



No anti-incumbency is a great advantage for a ruling party. The Congress had this advantage in 1998 and its the BJPs turn now. It was claimed that there was resentment among the farmers of the state against the BJP government. But now it seems that they are merely unhappy, not angry, and they may finally vote for Chouhan and the BJP, says political analyst Girijashankar.

After six farmers were killed in a police firing in Mandsaur in June 2017 during an agitation, the Chouhan government took several steps to make amends. The chief minister claimed Rs 330 billion reached farmers bank accounts in the last one year -- this included bonus payments to those growing wheat, rice, soybean, onion and garlic; disaster relief; and money disbursed under the Krishak Samrudhi Yojana and the Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana. Besides, Rs 50.82 billion was distributed among more than 1.6 million farmers in the state under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana for the 2017 kharif crop.



Still, many farmers did not get the benefit of these schemes in time and complained of discrepancies. Ramadas Raikhere, who cultivates 60 acres in Harda district, said the insurance for his field was calculated at the rate of Rs 1,500 per acre, but for the neighbouring field, the rate was Rs 7,000 per acre.



Smaller parties are crucial

Of the 230 assembly seats, 148 are general, while 35 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 47 for Scheduled Tribes. The BSP, the Gondwana Gantantra Party and the Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti Sangathan can influence a majority of these seats.



Vineet Tiwari, national general secretary of the Progressive Writers Association and Leftist thinker, said: The tendency of the Congress to abandon compromise whenever there is a prospect of victory may hurt it again. This attitude of the Congress is the reason for a multifaceted contest in the upcoming polls. The Aam Aadmi Party and the Samanya Pichra Alpsankhyak Kalyan Samaj will also cut into the votes of the Congress. These parties will play a very important role in closely contested seats.



In the last assembly election, 46 seats were decided by less than 5,000 votes. Three of those seats currently have BSP MLAs.



The JAYAS has a presence in the Malwa-Nimad region. Its rallies witness large participation -- often of nearly 100,000 people. Hiralal Alawa, national convener of the JAYAS is contesting from Manavar on Congress ticket. Alawa said: I and other members of JAYAS are contesting on Congress symbol. JAYAS is a social-cultural organisation which is supporting Congress.



There are 66 assembly seats in Malwa-Nimad region. In the last elections, the BJP won 58 out and Congress had to satisfy with eight seats. This time with JAYAS support fortune may smile on the Congress.

IMAGE: Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia campaigning in Indore ahead of the upcoming polls. Photograph: @JM_Scindia/Twitter

BJP banks on welfare schemes

The BJP is banking heavily on the welfare schemes being carried out by the Chouhan government. According to the party, approximately 55 million people benefited from schemes like Jan Kalyan (Sambal), Krishak Samruddhi, and Ladli Laxmi. The Sambal scheme targeted workers in the unorganised sector and marginal farmers.

According to Sultan Singh Shekhawat, chairman of the Unorganised Urban and Rural Workers Welfare Board, which is the nodal agency of the Sambal, so far, 22.4 million people have been enrolled in the scheme.



The Congresss strategy

The Congress, on the other hand, is banking on the often-claimed new-found unity in the state unit, party president Rahul Gandhis rallies, and its relentless efforts to corner Chouhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issues of Vyapam and the Rafale fighter jet deal.



In this election, there is a unity in the state Congress unit, which was much needed. Rahul Gandhis rallies have given a momentum to our campaign, said state Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi.



But the party is still placing its bets on anti-incumbency after the 15-year BJP rule. It is hopeful that state unit president Kamal Nath and Scindia, who is in charge of the campaign, would be able to exploit this.



Recently, in a major jolt to the BJP, sitting MLA from Tendukheda Sanjay Sharma and CM Shivraj Singh Chouhans brother-in-law Sanjay Singh Masani joined the Congress.



A lot is happening in the state ahead of polls -- the BJP is confident, the Congress is appearing rejuvenated and smaller parties are set to play a big role. But, no one is in a position to give a conclusive opinion on who will win the election.The Delhi high court on Tuesday said there is no urgency in the plea of Associated Journals Ltd, publisher of the National Herald newspaper, against the Centres order asking it to vacate its premises.

Justice Sunil Gaur said it will hear the AJLs plea on November 15.

The publisher had approached the high court on Monday challenging the October 30 order of the urban development ministry, ending its 56-year-old lease and asking it to vacate the premises in the press enclave at ITO in Delhi.

During the hearing, the high court said it has not yet received the case file from the registry and it would not be able to hear the matter on Tuesday.

Advocate Sunil Fernandes, appearing for the AJL, said there was urgency in the matter as they have been asked to hand over the possession to the Centre by November 15 and they had received the order of the Land and Development Office on October 30 after which the courts were closed for vacation.

The Central Governments Standing Counsel Rajesh Gogna said they are initiating the process and if AJL does not hand over the possession of the premises to them they will re-enter.

The court, which was fixing the matter for hearing in December, listed it for November 15 after the AJLs counsel insisted on an early hearing.

There is no urgency. They are not going to enter forcibly. Right now they will take the possession only on paper, the court said.

The plea sought quashing of the L&DOs order on the grounds that it was illegal, unconstitutional, arbitrary, tainted with malafide and without authority and jurisdiction.

The petitioner (AJL) has been in lawful possession of the demised premises for the last 56 years (since 1962) and the respondent (Centre) vide the impugned order, seek to dispossess the petitioner and re-enter the premises..., said the petition, filed through advocate Priyansha Indra Sharma.

It also said the Centre has warned them of action under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971, if they failed to vacate the premises.

One of the grounds mentioned in the L&DO order is that no press has been functioning in the premises for the last at least 10 years and that it is being used only for commercial purposes in violation of the lease deed.

This allegation has been refuted by the AJL in the petition filed by the firm and its company secretary.

The requirement of running a press cannot mean that all press and printing related activities have to necessarily be conducted at the same premises, that is, demised premises. The imperatives of prudent commercial business operations may necessitate that the petitioner company utilise the infrastructure or the premises at some other place as a supplement to their operations in the present demised premises, the plea said.

According to the petition, AJL initially received a show cause notice from L&DO in June this year which was based on an inspection carried out in April.

It claimed that the inspection was not conducted to ascertain whether there was any printing activity at the premises.

The AJL gave a detailed reply to the notice on July 16 and October 9, saying printing activity was carried out by it over the last several decades and also as on the date of issuance of the notice, it said.

As per the petition, the digital versions of English newspaper National Herald, Hindis Navjivan and Urdus Qaumi Awaz have commenced since 2016-17.

The weekly newspaper National Herald on Sunday resumed from September 24 last year and the place of publication was the ITO premises, the petition claimed, and added that the Hindi weekly newspaper Sunday Navjivan was also being published since October this year from the same premises.

The necessary licenses and authorisations for the purposes of publication were also placed on record, in particular, the necessary licenses have been obtained by the petitioner (AJL), it said.Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Martha McSally has conceded the Arizona race to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema.



In a video posted on Twitter, McSally wished Sinema "all success," in her new role in Congress and said she is "grateful to all those who supported me in this journey."



"As I traveled around this state, I was so inspired by the many people that I met and I am convinced Arizona is the best state in the country," McSally said. "And our best days are still yet to come and I'm going to continue to pray for our success. Thank you so much."



Later, in a letter to her supporters, the Air Force veteran wrote, "It was an honor to have you all as my wingmen and wing women in this mission. We came up short, but we gave it all we had and I am proud of you all and grateful for you."



Sinema started her remarks with thanks to veterans, including her brothers and McSally.



We launched this campaign because Arizona veterans and all everyday Arizonans deserve a leader who will fight for them in the United States Senate," she said.



As of Sunday, there were still 200,000 votes that had yet to be counted, which stems from Arizonas practice of allowing voters to mail in ballots up until and through Election Day. Those ballots then have to be verified based on the signature on the outside of the ballot.



The battle to fill the seat left open by outgoing Republican Sen. Jeff Flake led to a close race between two sitting congresswomen. McSally started out with a slight lead, but as more and more votes have been counted, Sinema had taken over and was widening her edge.



Republicans hoped to hold onto Flake's seat by nominating McSally, who served as the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat, but faced a strong challenge from Sinema, who regularly had a slight edge in national polls leading up to Election Day.



Regardless of the tight nature of the race and the party power implications that came with it, the outcome was bound to be historic as the leading candidates were both women in a state that has never had a female U.S. senator before.



That said, both McSally and Sinema are current members of Congress, representing an urban and a border district respectively.



Republicans were not subtle in their desire to hold on to the seat, with a string of high-profile party members  including President Donald Trump, former President George W. Bush, former Gov. Mitt Romney, Donald Trump Jr. and Sens. Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham and Jon Kyl  campaigning on behalf of McSally.



McSally closed out her campaign at a Republican election eve rally in Prescott, where Sen. John McCains widow Cindy McCain made a rare public appearance. Though she didnt directly endorse McSally, she did call on Arizonans to work together win or lose.



Sinema focused less on tying her campaign to the larger Democratic party, rarely mentioning her party affiliation in her campaign ads and instead describing herself as an independent.



Democrats were optimistic about their chances to turn the state from red to purple, hoping that changing demographics in the state and potential distaste of the Trump administration could help catapult Sinema to victory.



Preliminary exit poll results suggested that health care was a huge issue for Arizona voters, with 41 percent saying that it was the most important topic to them, squeezing out ahead of immigration, which 32 percent of Arizonans said was their top issue.



Both topics were major points of discussion on the campaign trail. Sinema said that access to affordable health care was a topic that frequently came up when she spoke with voters, and that became a difficult point for McSally who had to defend her vote, which was in line with the Trump administration, in support of the proposed Republican repeal of Obamacare.



Arizonans were among some of the first in the country to start casting ballots, with early voting starting in the Grand Canyon state on Oct. 10. And that didnt stop voters from turning out on Election Day.



This election is looking more like a presidential election in the amount of ballots, Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes said on Election Day.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Six days at the CIIE with one British exhibitor

Ross McMahon checks brochures made for the first CIIE. Photo by Weng Qiyu from Peoples Daily Online

A tall and slim British gentleman, wearing a neatly pressed suit, was present every day at the recently-concluded first China International Import Expo (CIIE). With a smiling face as well as a keen eye for business, he benefited a lot from the expo.

The grey-haired man is Ross McMahon, CEO of UK infant and baby formula company Kendal Nutricare. During the 6-day CIIE, McMahon came to his exhibition booth every day, looking for cooperative partnerships and business opportunities.

Day One: President Xi Jinpings speech injects confidence into us

China is earnest to build an open global economy, McMahon said after listening to Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the CIIE on Nov. 5.

McMahon works at a Kendal Nutricare booth. Photo by Weng Qiyu from Peoples Daily Online

McMahon found president Xis words very persuasive, which made him more confident about the Chinese market. I always believe that my assessment of the Chinese market a few years ago is right. China has not only a big market, but also a good business environment, he noted.

The businessman acquired Kendal Nutricare in 2015 and founded the milk powder brand Kendamil. China is a major overseas market for his company, McMahon said, adding that the companys business has been prosperous over the past three years, proving that he had made a wise decision.

Day Two: Walk around the exhibition area to learn more about competitors

The CIIE is the worlds first import-themed expo. It has attracted 172 countries, regions and international organizations, as well as 3,600 enterprises to showcase their products and services.

McMahon (central) and his Chinese partners talk about details of a product. Photo by Weng Qiyu from Peoples Daily Online

The exhibition area is so big! said McMahon. In the two exhibition halls of food and agricultural products, there were a number of baby formula companies, providing him with a great opportunity to learn about his competitors.

Last year, there were about 17 million newborns in China. As the Chinese government encourages couples to have a second child, there will be greater market potential, McMahon said. Therefore, major global dairy brands all attach great importance to the Chinese market, which brought fiercer competition that must be dealt with seriously.

Day Three: Sign agreements with two cans of milk formula in his hands

Nov. 7 was a big day for McMahon. Kendal Nutricare signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Orient International Shanghai Foreign Trade. John Edwards, the British Consul General in Shanghai, witnessed the signing.

McMahon signs the agreement with two cans of milk formula in his hands. The scene was applauded by the audiences. Photo by Zeng Shurou from Peoples Daily Online

The audience burst into laughter as McMahon carried two cans of milk powder to the agreement signing ceremony. But seconds later they applauded.

This isnt McMahons first time to China. Earlier this year, he went viral online when he visited China as a member of a delegation with British Prime Minister Theresa May, getting off the plane with two cans of formula powder in hand.

The MOU will last for ten years and is worth a minimum of 350 million to the British company. Its very exciting because its a big commitment by Orient International to work in the long term with us. It gives both companies a reason to invest and make long-term plans, the British businessman said.

The UK is one of the 12 guest countries of honor of the first CIIE, as well as one of the first countries to respond and be active in the expo.

Day Four: First-class standards, professional services

McMahon likes to visit other exhibition areas when he is not busy.

He, who frequently attends expos around the world, in places such as Germany and France, as well as Southeast Asia and the Middle East, adds that the CIIE has been very well organized though the number of participants is large.

McMahon has lunch at the Kendamil booth. Not only supporting facilities, the dining services at the CIIE are also convenient. Photo by Weng Qiyu from Peoples Daily Online

The organizing of the CIIE is first-class, and the infrastructure and supporting facilities satisfy the needs of different people, McMahon said, adding that it is great that the volunteers are always ready to help him when needed.

Day Five: In an opening China, more business opportunities are brought by consumption upgrading

On Nov. 9, the CIIE was opened for social organizations. To know about Chinese consumers opinions on his milk powder, McMahon offered milk samples to visitors and listened to their suggestions.

Shanghai is a very international city. The consumers have a broad vision, and they can provide me with a lot of useful advice, McMahon said.

McMahon introduces his products to the visitors. Photo by Weng Qiyu from Peoples Daily Online

By opening up, China is not only changing the world, but also benefiting itself, said McMahon, who witnessed the drastic changes in China over the past 20 years after his visit to the country.

The British businessman said he witnessed Chinas change from the "kingdom of bicycles" to the "kingdom of automobiles". He owns a mobile phone and a watch made by Huawei, and a Lenovo laptop, as well as many other Chinese electronic products, because of the trustworthy quality. As a businessman and a consumer, I will buy more Chinese products.

Day Six: See CIIE next year!

As the CIIE was about to conclude, McMahon started to pack up for a new business trip. I had an amazing experience here. I met my partners, and showcased the image and quality of my products to the world, he said.

The British government lays high importance on developing economic and trade relations with China, McMahon noted, adding that his company, as one of the best foreign trade companies in the UK, will definitely come to the CIIE next year.

The businessman said next year he will enlarge the exhibition area, and invite his friends in the UK and throughout the world to come to display their products at the CIIE. Everyone should know that this year is just the beginning! See you next year, CIIE!At least 42 people have died so far in the fast-moving wildfire which began in California on November 8. The numbers are expected to rise.

Authorities confirmed that as many as 228 people are unaccounted for in Northern California, media reports said.

Here are a few glimpses of the devastation caused by the fire, stated to be the deadliest in the state's history.

The fire which is now dubbed as 'Camp Fire' destroyed Northern and Southern California and displaced as many as 3,00,000 people. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, 1,09,000 acres of land has burned down since the fire first began. Photograph: Eric Thayer/Reuters

US President Donald Trump has blamed 'poor' forest management for the fires. He has called for proper forest management to combat wildfires, days after threatening to cut off federal payments due to mismanagement. Photograph: Gene Blevins/Reuters

Huge plumes of smoke still rose in the fire area, which stretches miles from the northwest corner of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley to the Malibu coast. The fire's cause remained under investigation but power authorities report that there was an outage on an electrical circuit near where it started as Santa Ana winds blew through the region. Santa Ana winds, produced by surface high pressure over the Great Basin squeezing air down through canyons and passes in Southern California's mountain ranges, are common in the fall and have a long history of fanning destructive wildfires in the region. Photograph: Gene Blevins/Reuters

Airplanes and helicopters swooped low over hills and canyons to drop loads of fire retardant and water. Smaller fire to the west in Ventura County was 70 per cent contained at about 18 square kilometers, bringing reduction in evacuations. But thousands remained under evacuation orders due to the Woolsey fire. Photograph: Gene Blevins/Reuters

The blaze had started on Thursday night and moved towards Malibu and the Pacific Ocean, prompting evacuations in Malibu, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, and other neighbouring regions. "This is truly a tragedy that all Californians can understand and respond to," California Governor Jerry Brown said. Photograph: Stephen Lam/Reuters

Ten search teams were working in Paradise -- a town of 27,000 that was largely incinerated last week -- and in surrounding communities in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Authorities called in a DNA lab and teams of anthropologists to help identify victims. More than 8,000 fire crews are battling the wildfires. Photograph: Eric Thayer/Reuters

Brown, who has declared a state emergency, said California is requesting aid from the Trump administration. He said federal and state governments must do more forest management but that climate change is the greater source of the problem. Drought and warmer weather attributed to climate change, and the building of homes deeper into forests have led to longer and more destructive wildfire seasons in California. While California officially emerged from a five-year drought last year, much of the northern two-thirds of the state is abnormally dry. Photograph: Eric Thayer/Reuters

At the southern end of the state, the 'Woolsey Fire' is threatening mansions and mobile homes alike in the coastal celebrity redoubt of Malibu. Coastal homes of a few celebrities were also damaged or destroyed. Celebrities who were forced to flee from the flames expressed sympathy and solidarity with other people hurt by the blazes. Actor Gerard Butler said on Instagram that his Malibu home was 'half-gone', adding he was 'inspired as ever by the courage, spirit and sacrifice of firefighters'. Photograph: Eric Thayer/Reuters

Flames also besieged Thousand Oaks, the Southern California city in mourning over the massacre of 12 people in a shooting rampage at a country music bar last week. Photograph: Stephen Lam/Reuters

In Northern California, where more than 6,700 buildings have been destroyed, the scope of the devastation was beginning to set in even as the blaze raged on. In some cases, investigators have been able to recover only bones and bone fragments. Photograph: Gene Blevins/Reuters

Public safety officials, touring the Paradise area to begin discussing the recovery process, say that much of what makes the city function is gone. 'Paradise was literally wiped off the map,' a representative for International Association of Fire Fighters was quoted as saying. Photograph: Eric Thayer/Reuters

Rescuers spent hours collecting bodies around Paradise and placing them in a black hearse. Body parts were transported by bucket, while intact remains were carried in body bags. Firefighters estimate they will need three weeks to fully contain the blaze. Gene Blevins/ReutersIMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves for his Singapore visit on Tuesday evening. Photograph: Courtesy @MEAIndia/Twitter

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday night left for a two-day visit to Singapore.

He will have a number of high-profile multilateral and bilateral meetings with global leaders including United States Vice President Mike Pence and Singapore premier Lee Hsein Loong during his visit beginning on Wednesday, Indian officials said on Tuesday.

Modi will reach Singapore on Wednesday morning for his 36-hour visit to the city-state and his first engagement after arrival will be to deliver the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Summit. "Continued focus on 'Act East Policy'.

PM @narendramodi emplanes for Singapore to attend 13th #EastAsiaSummit, ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit & #RCEP Summit. PM will also have bilateral meetings on the sidelines and deliver the keynote address at the Singapore FinTech Festival (sic), Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

The PM said his participation in the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits symbolised India's continued commitment to strengthen its engagement with ASEAN members and with the wider Indo-Pacific region.

My participation in these meetings symbolises our continued commitment to strengthening our engagement with ASEAN member states and with the wider Indo-Pacific region. I am looking forward to my interactions with other ASEAN and East Asia Summit leaders, Modi said in his departure statement issued on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, I will be the first head of government to deliver the Keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival, he said.

Modi said as the world's largest event on financial technology, the festival was the right forum not only to showcase India's strengths in this fast-growing sector, but also to forge global partnerships for fostering innovation and growth.

The PM said during the visit, he would also have the opportunity to interact with the participants and winners of the joint India-Singapore Hackathon.

It is my firm belief that if we provide the right encouragement and a nurturing ecosystem, our youth have the ability to become global leaders in providing solutions to the challenges facing humanity, he said.

Modi said he was confident that his visit to Singapore would impart fresh momentum to New Delhi's growing partnership with ASEAN and East Asia Summit nations.

As I depart for Singapore, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Singapore for their able chairmanship of ASEAN this year, and convey my best wishes for all success in hosting ASEAN and related summits, he said.

Modi, who will be in Singapore on November 14 and 15 at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee, will attend the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-India Breakfast Summit, India's High Commission in Singapore said in a statement.

He will also attend the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit hosted by Singapore as the current Chair of ASEAN grouping.

The ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit at Singapore will provide an opportunity to review progress in the relationship, the statement said.

During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will have a bilateral meeting with his Singapore counterpart Lee.

On the margins of these Summits, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with other leaders.

Prime Minister Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with US Vice President Pence on November 14, the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi.

The White House said last week that Pence and Modi would discuss the India-US defence cooperation and the bilateral relationship during their meeting in Singapore.

As strategic partners, India and ASEAN enjoy close trade and economic relations. Trade between India and ASEAN stood at $81.33 billion in 2017-18 and constitutes 10.58 per cent of India's total trade.

Exports to ASEAN countries constitute 11.28 per cent of India's total exports.

In January, India hosted ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit to celebrate 25 years of Dialogue Partnership, 15 years of Summit Level interaction and 5 years of Strategic Partnership.

In an unprecedented gesture, all 10 ASEAN Leaders attended the Commemorative Summit and graced the Republic Day celebrations as chief guests.

During the Summit, leaders reviewed the whole range of ASEAN-India cooperation and adopted the Delhi Declaration.

The East Asia Summit is a premier leaders-led forum in the Indo-Pacific Region comprising of the 10 ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam) and its eight dialogue partners -- India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Russia.

Since its inception in 2005, it has played an important role in reviewing political, security and economic developments in the Indo-Pacific region, the statement said.

This will be Prime Minister's fifth engagement with EAS. At the 13th EAS, Prime Minister will join other leaders to discuss international developmental issues such as information and communications technology, smart cities, maritime cooperation, education, finance, food security, environment and energy at both the retreat and plenary sessions.

They will also deliberate on global and regional issues of mutual interest, the statement said.

Modi will attend the RCEP Summit to review the progress made on the negotiations presently underway to finalise the RCEP, a proposed free trade agreement presently being negotiated amongst 16 countries -- 10 ASEAN member-states and India, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

The agreement, once finalised, will cover 45 per cent of the world population, 40 per cent of the world trade and 34 per cent of the global gross domestic product amounting to $21.3 trillion.

Since the commencement of negotiations in 2012, considerable progress has been achieved during the 24 rounds of negotiations at experts' level and 12 Ministerial Sessions.

India remains committed to a forward looking and balanced outcome that results in a modern, comprehensive, high quality and mutually beneficial economic partnership, the statement said.

On November 14, Modi will deliver a keynote address at the Fintech Festival- the first Head of Government to do so.

The festival, now in its third edition, is one of the largest events on financial technology and will see participation from Indian companies as well, the statement said.

On the same day, he will felicitate the winners and participants of India-Singapore Hackathon conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education and Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would hear final arguments on December 4 on the pleas filed by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi challenging the Delhi high court's verdict in a case related to re-opening of their 2011-12 tax assessments.

The apex court, which observed that the matter required consideration, did not issue formal notice on the petitions filed by Rahul, Sonia and veteran Congress leader Oscar Fernandes as the Income Tax Department was represented by its counsel.

"Since the respondent (I-T department) has put in appearance, we are not issuing a formal notice. However, we are fixing the matter for final arguments on December 4," said a bench of Justices A K Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer.

Rahul, Sonia and Fernandes have challenged the September 10 judgment of the high court which had refused to give them relief in the case, giving opportunity to the I-T Department to scrutinise their records.

The matter is linked to the National Herald case in which the Congress leaders are also facing a criminal case.

During the hearing in the apex court, senior advocates P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and Arvind Datar appeared for the petitioners, while Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta was representing the I-T department.

Chidambaram started his submissions by giving the background leading to the income tax case.

To this, the bench said: "We are not concerned with the background of these proceedings but the question here is about the notice (issued by the I-T department) of the re-assessment of income tax.

The issue is whether the notice is valid or not. You can raise this before the assessing officer".

Chidambaram said the question was whether the reasons given in the notice were right or not.

He said that Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), publisher of the National Herald newspaper, had decided to issue nine lakh shares to Young Indian (YI), a not-for-profit organisation, and convert them into equity.

He said that some of the shares were acquired by the petitioners.

Chidambaram said YI also acquired AJL's debt of Rs 90.2 crore and this does not give rise to any income in the hands of the Gandhis and Fernandes.

We (petitioners) were shareholders. It can never give rise to income in my hands. We do not get any income, he said.

At this juncture, the bench told Mehta, "It (matter) requires consideration." Mehta told the bench that the premise raised by the petitioners was wrong. To this, the bench said, "We have two options. We will issue notice but we will say that assessing officer will proceed with the assessment. However, the final decision will not be given effect to and be placed before this court.

"Second option is that we will hear the matter after two weeks and you all can assist us. The high court judgment is lengthy."

Mehta said he wanted to place on record a summary note of the case prepared by him which was also placed before the high court during adjudication of the case there.

"I would request you to kindly take it (note) on record. Please go through it and have it (matter) next week and see if it requires re-consideration," Mehta told the bench which allowed his request.

When one of the junior counsels assisting the senior advocates for the Gandhis told the court that notice should be issued on the pleas, the Solicitor General said, notice may not be necessary. I am here.

After the court dictated the order, Mehta urged the bench not to record in the order sheet that formal notice was not being issued.

"It does not matter. Once we are saying that we will hear final arguments, it is not necessary," the bench said.

When Mehta raised the issue of limitation of time in re-assessment of income tax, the bench observed, "Then it will be better if we grant a stay. Then this time will be excluded."

To this, Mehta said that the matter be heard on December 4.

On September 10, the Gandhis and Fernandes had failed to get any relief from the high court which dismissed their challenge on re-opening of their tax assessments for 2011-12.

Denial of any relief by the high court had paved the way for the I-T department to scrutinise the Congress leaders records for the assessment year.

The income tax probe against the Congress leaders has arisen from the probe into a private criminal complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy before a trial court here in connection with the National Herald case, in which the trio are out on bail.

Sonia and Rahul were granted bail in the case by the trial court on December 19, 2015.

A tax evasion petition (TEP) was also addressed to the finance minister by Swamy.

In the complaint before the trial court, Sonia, Rahul and others have been accused of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which YI had obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore AJL owed to the Congress party.

It was alleged that YI, which was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of Rs 50 lakh, had acquired almost all shareholdings of the AJL, which was running the National Herald newspaper.

The I-T department had said the shares Rahul has in YI would lead him to have an income of Rs 154 crore and not about Rs 68 lakh, as was assessed earlier.

It has already issued a demand notice for Rs 249.15 crore to YI for the assessment year 2011-12.In a major boost to sacked Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Supreme Court in a landmark ruling on Tuesday overturned President Maithripala Sirisena's controversial decision to dissolve Parliament and halted the preparations for snap polls on January 5.

The apex court's decision deepened the political crisis in the island nation after president Sirisena fired his coalition prime minister Wickremesinghe on October 26 and installed former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new premier.

A three-member apex court bench, including country's chief justice Nalin Perera, delivered its verdict after two days of deliberations on as many as 13 petitions against and five for Sirisena's November 9 decision to dissolve Parliament.

The apex court said Sirisena's dissolution of Parliament will be suspended until December 7 and it will consider all the petitions filed on the President's decision next month before giving a final ruling.

The Supreme Court ruling means Parliament can be convened and a floor test can be taken to determine whether the President appointed Prime Minister Rajapaksa has a majority in the 225-member parliament.

After the court verdict, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya summoned parliament's session for Wednesday.

The Speaker hereby informs you that parliament would be convened at 10 am tomorrow November 14. All honorable members of parliament are hereby informed to attend the session, a release from Jayasuriya's office said.

Reacting to the Supreme Court's ruling, Wickremesinghe said, The people have won their first victory.

Let's go forward and re-establish the sovereignty of the people in our beloved country, he tweeted.

The first government reaction came from the newly appointed Prime Minister Rajapaksa's son Namal, himself a legislator.

"The Supreme Court has issued an interim order on the dissolution of parliament till early December. This is not the court's final decision," he said.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament after it became clear that he lacked support from lawmakers to instal Rajapaksa as the new prime minister following his sacking of Wickremesinghe as premier.

All petitions filed against Sirisena's decision will be heard on December 4, 5 and 6, the apex court ruled, in a historic judgement that could upset the 67-year-old president's political ambitions.

While sacking prime minister Wickremesinghe, president Sirisena had also suspended Parliament till November 16.

He, however, advanced the convening of the House to November 14 amid international and domestic pressure against the move.

Major political parties, including the United National Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and an election commission member Ratnajeevan Hoole, on Monday dragged Sirisena to the Supreme Court, challenging his decision by filing fundamental rights petitions against the move, which they said violated the Constitution.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament last week, almost 20 months before its term was to end, and ordered snap election on January 5, plunging the country into an unprecedented political and constitutional crises.

Wickremesinghe has maintained that his sacking by Sirisena was unconstitutional and illegal and he was still the prime minister.

Wickremesinghe demanded that Parliament be convened to hold a vote among the lawmakers to decide who enjoyed majority support in Parliament to be the prime minister.

As pressure grew and both sides claimed they had the numbers, the President dissolved Parliament and called for elections. Rajapaksa needed the support of minimum 113 parliamentarians in the 225-member House to prove his majority.

Sirisena on Sunday stoutly defended his move to dissolve Parliament, saying it was taken to prevent clashes among rival lawmakers.

He said there were reports that politicians would clash during the floor test, which was due on November 14.

At the hearing on Tuesday, Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya, on behalf of the State, justified Sirisena's action, saying the powers of the President are clear and unambiguous as provided for in the Constitution and the announcement of the dissolution of Parliament was done by the President in accordance with the Constitution.

He pleaded for the dismissal of all petitions and said the President was empowered to dissolve Parliament. Rajapaksa, 72, who ruled Lanka for a nearly decades from 2005, was unexpectedly defeated by his deputy Sirisena in the presidential election held in January 2015 with the support from Wickremesinghe's UNP.

However, the power-sharing arrangement between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe became increasingly tenuous on several policy matters, especially on issues like the economy and security.

And subsequently, Sirisena abruptly ousted Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Rajapaksa.

On November 9, Sirisena dissolved Parliament and announced snap polls in January, 2019.A bus service has been launched between Pakistan and China to facilitate tourists as part of an initiative to connect both countries via road under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Pak-China luxury bus service recently completed its first journey from Lahore, Pakistan, to Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

The new bus service was launched by the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) and private Pakistani transport company Shuja Express.

The Lahore-Kashgar bus will run four days a week, between Saturday and Tuesday, while the Kashgar-Lahore bus will run between Tuesday and Friday.

CEO of Shuja Express, Muhammad Anwar told media that the journey from Lahore to Kashghar takes a total of 36 hours, and the bus will make five stops before it crosses into China at the Khunjrab Pass (Pak-China border). Travelers will require a valid visa and ID card to make the journey, he said.

A one-way ticket from Lahore to Kashgar costs PKR 13,000 (650 RMB) while a round trip totals PKR 23,000 (1,200 RMB). The fare from Kashgar to Lahore is 600 RMB.

PTDC official Mukhtar Ali told media that the bus service would also provide a chance for Chinese tourists to visit sacred Buddhist sites dating back to the Gandhara era. He added that this project will further strengthen relations between the two countries and will create an economic boom.(People's Daily Online/Liu Hui)

A Papua New Guinean (PNG) primary school received a donation of school utensils from China during a ceremony titled Brightness & Books on Nov. 12.

The activity, organized by Beijing MW Foundation, was co-sponsored by Chinas State Council Information Office, the Chinese Embassy in PNG and the Department of Education of PNG.

Students of Waigani Primary School presented their paintings to Chinese guests and performed a traditional dance to show their gratitude.Am Kader vun der Digitaliseirung muss och no de Risiken an de meigleche Gefore gekuckt ginn.

De Premier Xavier Bettel huet am Kader vun de Luxembourg Internet Days annonceiert, dass zu Letzebuerg en Ofwiermechanismus geint eng heefeg genotzten Zort vu Cyberattacken agefouert gett.

Et geet em sougenannt DDoS-Attacken (Distributed-Denial-of-Service), dei dofir suergen, dass komplett Computersystemer kenne lahm geluecht ginn.

Duerch deen neie Mechanismus solle staatlech Sitten, wei zum Beispill guichet.lu, am Fall vun enger Attack geschutzt ginn, esou dass den Notzer weider wei gewinnt kann dorop zereckgraifen.

Weini dese sougenannte Scrubbing-Mechanismus agesat gett, decideiert den Haut Commissariat a la protection nationale HCPN.

Hei dat offiziell Schreiwes:

On November 13 & 14, LU-CIX will settle at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce for its annual Luxembourg Internet Days event. While the design of the event remains the same with two days for two focused topics for the ICT ecosystem, the topics change each year in order to cover sector priorities.

The first day will focus on Network Security and Monitoring. Industry experts such as Mr Andy Burghes, VP at Netscout, Mr Paul Rascagneres from Talos, together with Mr Harnisch from Kentik are announced as keynote speakers. The risk management and crisis mitigation expert, Mrs Rayna Stamboliyska, will also share valuable input about the NIS directive and will moderate a round table dedicated to this looming applicable directive.

On the same day, the event will host the official launch of the LUNOG (Luxembourg Network Operator Group) platform, in the presence of RIPE (Regional Internet Registries - managing IP addresses for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia), the London Internet eXchange, LINX, and the RESTENA Foundation, the very high-speed network for the education and research community of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Together, they will explain how to secure BGP, network and Internet infrastructures with very latest innovative technologies.

On day two of the event, November 14, experts will discuss Cloud. Mr Thomas Blood, AWS EMEA Enterprise Strategist, will travel especially from the US to Europe to talk about challenges and opportunities in Cloud adoption. A panel discussion will give the opportunity to examine the growing threats and possible solutions related to Dark Data and Shadow IT for IT departments of companies of any size and from any sector.

There couldnt be a single project more emblematic and fitting more with the two themes chosen for this years Luxembourg Internet Days than the Estonian Data Embassy to be based in Luxembourg. That is why Estonia will be put under the spotlight throughout the event. The Estonian government and Cybexer, the winner of the 2018 NCI Agency Defence Innovation Challenge with its solution ISA (Integrated Scoring Awareness for Cyber Ranges) will event take the mic to share about their proven expertise and participate to interactive panel discussions. In total, seven Estonian entities will join the event with a booth.

Several workshop sessions will take place during the two days in parallel with the conferences and the more than 50 booths Expo area.

CIRCL will unveil its brand new D4 (Distributed Denial of Service Detection Devices) project that will focus on darknet data exploitation techniques on the one hand and on the network capture processing activities and DDoS malware analysis on the other hand.

LHoFT (Luxembourg House of Financial Technology) will invite IT decision makers from the financial sector to share with FinTech experts during its two-hour workshop session in situ.

MNKS will offer a one-hour GDPR Q&A opportunity to help companies with the practical questions when it comes to the implementation of some of their new obligations with an open discussion sharing of experience and methodologies.

With the Deep-Dive sessions, several providers will propose free to access 40 minutes focused sessions, in a privatized room, to take time show up their particular products, solutions, specificities and share expertise with interested visitors.

The complete program is available online.

More than 1.100 people are expected over the two days and there will be many networking opportunities. The event will propose free of charge to any attendee, an innovative tool combing a clear view on the two-day program with a business speed-dating tool (a LU-CIX favorite) to help attendees pre-arrange 15-minute business meetings with other attendees during the event. Networking cocktails at the end of both days will also be the perfect opportunity to meet in an informal atmosphere. The Sunset Eve, the paid networking evening, will link between the two days of the event and will be a unique occasion to meet and talk with the event speakers and sectors experts, in the festive and warm setting of the restaurant El Barrio.

The Luxembourg Internet Days event entry is free of charge with mandatory pre-registration. More information and pre-registration on the event website www.luxembourg-internet-days.com. For further information, contact event@lu-cix.luA summary of some of the popular stories on cryptocurrency and blockchain during the past 24 hours.

Michigan Says No To cryptocurrency donations to political campaigns

The important ruling was made by Michigan's Department of State while replying to a letter sent by a Republican candidate who lost in the mid term election. William Baker, who sought election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 60, was defeated by incumbent Jon Hoadley (D). Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are too volatile to qualify for such donations, according to the Secretary of State's office.

Singapore Exchange, MAS Test Blockchain To Settle Tokenized Assets

Singapore Exchange Limited joined with the Monetary Authority of Singapore to leverage blockchain for settlement of tokenized assets. DvP is a settlement procedure where securities and monies are simultaneously exchanged to ensure that delivery of securities occurs only if the corresponding payment is made. The procedure will help simplify post-trade processes and further shorten settlement cycles.



US Bitcoin trader gets $1.1 Mln fine, 15 Months prison for Fraudulent Scheme

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission or CFTC fined Joseph Kim of Phoenix, Arizona around $1.146 million for a fraudulent bitcoin and litecoin scheme. In addition, Kim was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment on related criminal charges filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Kim admitted to orchestrating a fraudulent Bitcoin and Litecoin scheme that led to more than $1 million in losses, of which Kim misappropriated more than $600,000.



Accenture uses Digital Asset's blockchain platform to manage software Licenses

Technology consultant Accenture has teamed up with New York-based financial technology firm Digital Asset to use their blockchain platform for managing software licenses throughout their lifecycle. The new software license management tool uses Digital Asset's smart contract language, DAML, to manage software license events from origination to purchase, facilitating tracking, usage and audit functions.



Israel's Central Bank advised not to issue digital currency in near future

The Bank of Israel has been recommended not to issue central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the near future. The recommendation comes from an interdepartmental team formed in November 2017 to explore the feasibility of issuing CBDC. The team was established by the Central Bank Governor Dr.Karnit Flug. The team noted that it is necessary to continue examining the field and to follow developments around the world before there are proper grounds for a decision to recommend issuing digital currency.

Current Prices

As of this writing, Bitcoin is trading down 1.44 percent or $91.82 at $6278.34. Ethereum is declining by 2.41 percent or $5.08 at $205.14 on Coinbase.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Forex NewsAmnesty International has revoked its highest honor awarded to Aung San Suu Kyi nine years ago over the Myanmar leader's "indifference" to the atrocities committed by the country's military against Rohingya Muslims, and failure to speak out for the victims.

The London-based global human rights watchdog honored Suu Kyi in 2009 when the Nobel Peace laureate was living under house arrest for fighting the military regime for decades for political freedom and human rights.

But on Monday, Amnesty announced that it has withdrawn its highest honor, the Ambassador of Conscience Award, from Suu Kyi "in light of the Myanmar leader's shameful betrayal of the values she once stood for."

"Today, we are profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defense of human rights," Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General, Amnesty International, said in a letter to Suu Kyi.

Amnesty International alleged that since Aung San Suu Kyi became the de facto leader of Myanmar's civilian-led government in April 2016, her administration has been actively involved in the commission or perpetuation of multiple human rights violations.

She is the leader of the National League for Democracy, and the State Counselor, a position equivalent to Prime Minister.

Amnesty has repeatedly criticized the failure of Suu Kyi and her government to speak out about military atrocities against the Rohingya population in Rakhine State, who have lived for years under a system of segregation and discrimination amounting to apartheid. During the campaign of violence unleashed against the Rohingya last year the Myanmar security forces killed thousands, raped women and girls, detained and tortured men and boys, and burned hundreds of homes and villages. More than 720,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh. A UN report has called for senior military officials to be investigated and prosecuted for the crime of genocide.

Amnesty also noted that in the two years since Suu Kyi's administration assumed power, human rights defenders, peaceful activists and journalists have been arrested and imprisoned while others face threats, harassment and intimidation for their work.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business NewsIndustry Ministry's employees rally to denounce Saudi-led attacks on Hodeidah port [13/November/2018] SANAA, Nov. 13 (Saba)  The leadership and employees in the ministry of Industry and Trade on Tuesday organized in the capital Sanaa rally to condemn the Saudi-led coalitions attack on the port of Hodeida.











In a statement issued during the rally, the participants referred to the catastrophic economic effects of targeting the unique source of food and medicine supply for Yemen.











They held the international community and all organizations, in forefronts of which are the United Nations and the Security Council, ful responsibity for the continued aggression of the coalition on the economic installations in country.

















AA

SabaA year ago today, a new era in the modern history of aviation in Samoa started.

It began when Samoa Airways new aircraft, flown all the way from Europe, touched down at Faleolo International Airport to a thunderous applause from guests invited to witness the event.

Among them were two very proud men who had been working extremely hard to make that particular day possible. One was the Minister of Public Enterprises, Lautafi Fio Purcell, who is also responsible for Samoa Airways, the other is Chief Executive Officer, Seiuli Alvin Tuala.

With Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi giving them his full backing, there was simply no stopping them.

This is a big development in Samoas future, Lautafi said then.

We are very positive that this is a move in the right direction. To grow as a nation we have to start taking steps ourselves and stop relying on others so this is a new venture.

Chief Executive Seiuli was equally optimistic.

The real work starts now.

We have to focus on a lot of things and make sure that we provide a very good service to our people, he said.

We would really like the country to get behind its national carrier and support it. Things have happened in the past and now thats gone. This is a new day and we are looking forward to serving our people. We have very good teams that we work with and we are looking forward to the future.

The objectives from the start were quite clear.

We want to see Samoa Airways grow and make sure we have more routes and more passengers, Seiuli said. We have to work now to make it successful and try to serve our people as best we can.

Well who could fault that?

But now that the airline has turned a year old this week, how fares Samoas national carrier? Has Seiuli and his team fulfilled the goals they set out from the start?

Well lets quickly look at his last statement as a basis to form an opinion.

Has the airline grown to have more routes?

The answer is yes. A year ago, it only flew between Apia and Auckland, vice versa. Thats not the case anymore. Samoa Airways is not only servicing that particular route, it has also added Sydney and now Brisbane to its flights. Which is a sign of growth.

Are more people flying with Samoa Airways?

Well thats hard to say unless we see the actual figures. We know that load numbers at the beginning were quite low but weve also been told that there has been an improvement. How much of an improvement we dont know.

Has Samoa Airways served the people of Samoa to the best of its ability?

It depends on who you talk to really. There have been some challenges and the negative experiences here and there but the feedback from most travellers has been positive. Which is another plus for the airline.

Thats not all. We also know that there are Samoan pilots who are starting to fly the plane, which means the time is coming when the airline will no longer need foreign pilots and crew. Those are the positives.

But the biggest question that remains is the issue of finances. How has the airlines finances stacked up a year later? We know Prime Minister Tuilaepas administration has constantly downplayed concerns about the airlines financial stability.

A year later though, surely they must now have an idea of how its performing. Not that we expect a miracle in terms of results but it would be good to get an indication of whether it is profiting or not.

Lets not kid ourselves here. Aviation is not an industry for the fainthearted. Thats because it is a money-hungry machine that requires cash, cash and more cash. The history of failed airlines all over the world exists to remind us that Samoa Airways is a risky undertaking.

Besides, we simply cannot forget the past. The last time the government tried to run such a huge commercial operation, it nearly bankrupted the country.

At one point when the airline had gone from one Boeing aircraft to a four-Boeing fleet, its debt had ballooned to over $50 million in aircraft leases. It was then that the risk of bankruptcy became very real and all the taxpayers of this country ended up shouldering the burden.

Today, we cannot ignore what happened then. We say this because surely the Government of today would not want a repeat. We also want to remind that it was the prickly combination of corruption and mismanagement that dragged Polynesian Airlines down the mud which means todays operation must take a different path.

As weve said before this could either be the most brilliant idea the government has come up with for a while or it could be the craziest thing it has done yet.

Indeed, running an international airline in this day and age is not something you enter into blindly. If it was difficult back in the days of Polynesian, it would be even more challenging now given the demands and dynamics of todays competitive business world.

Not once, not twice but over several instances where Prime Minister Tuilaepas Government has reassured members of the public that Samoa Airways is in good financial health.

We sure hope so.

But until we see some concrete numbers, the one positive is that Samoa Airways has turned one and it is still flying consistently. What do you think?

Have a fabulous Tuesday Samoa, God bless!Staff recklessness that led to the theft, damage and loss of office assets came at a cost to the Bureau of Statistics.

An audit of the Bureau of Statistics books by the Audit Office, for the financial year 2012-2013, has revealed that the cost of employee theft, damage and loss of office assets totaled $38,492.

On top of that the decision by the Bureau to get vehicles  which were on hire to the office  to refuel at a Government-run bowser did not go down well with the auditors, as the rental vehicles were not on an approved list that could refill at a Government-owned bowser.

These vehicles were replacement of the vehicles in the list. Audit could not confirm any documentation for such replacement and any changes.

It was confirmed that there was no formal request to fill in the above vehicles at the Government Bowser.

The usage of these vehicles during that time was confirmed via telephone communication between the Office and Ministry of Finance staff at the Government Bowser, stated the audit report.

According to the audit report, there was a need for the Bureau to put in place an effective fuel management consumption plan for the future.

Proper documentation is encouraged with all divisions responsible for hiring vehicles to ensure that such issues wont be repeated.

The audit report also highlighted the absence of a register for certificates which were issued to members of the public at births, deaths and marriages.

It is understood a program known as the Life Data System was installed at the Bureau, but the machine could not generate any reports for the certificates that were issued.

In response to the audit reports concerns at the absence of a certificate registry, the Bureau said it wrote to the Office of the Attorney General to consider terminating the contract of the overseas supplier.

This is due to issues that we have raised with the contractor. However, it has never been resolved. We have sought assistance from one IT company in Samoa, which has the potential of carrying out this maintenance service of the system, at a much lower cost and in a convenient manner.

The increasing cost of the Bureaus telephone billsfor the first six months of the financial year from July to December 2011also came under the audits scrutiny. But the Bureau, in response to the concerns, said at that time they ran the population census, which required the use of telephones.The Samoa Land Corporation (S.L.C.) handed over a dividend payment of $3million tala to the Government of Samoa yesterday.

S.L.C. Chairman Lavea Tupuola Malifa said the payment was their way of acknowledging the work of the Government.

This is also part of our contribution to the development of the Government, Lavea said.

The real motive here is that we served and did it with love and honesty towards you all, especially the Prime Minister. You must be torn apart by now with all the accusations, but instead its building up your strength and ferocity.

S.L.C. finance and audit committee member, Tuilani James Bartley said for every government trading bodies, they have to contribute 50 percent of their net profit for every financial year to the Government of Samoa.

That is why we have given this amount from our financial year 2017-2018 for them to use for their budget next year, Tuilani said.

The last time we presented a dividend was in 2015, it was a little more than a million tala. This increase in payment shows the work of the S.L.C. has improved because we have laid down our policies and how we control our expenses, and thats why we have this lump sum presented to the Government.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa SaileleMalielegaoi acknowledged the efforts of the S.L.C. in generating a profit from the Government lands and contributing to the development of the country.

Were just thankful that this huge profit youve been working on has been presented from running and managing these lands for the country.

Since Tropical Cyclone Ofa, Tuilaepa said Samoa has not fully enjoyed the potential and the value of its land, and this prompted the Government to take a different approach as they were no longer getting any income from the land.

Few lands were arranged to be cared for but the rest were handed over to the land corporation to handle and run these lands for various developments which is currently still on track, he said.

The lands are owned by the Government and the country. Now were presented this income, it will go back and be used to serve the country with many developments and jobs too.Typhoid fever is common in the wet season and early detection and treatment is recommended as one in five people can die from it.

The caution from the Ministry of Health was highlighted in its communicable disease surveillance bulletin for January-April this year, which was released recently.

A graph, which showed the different age groups and how many cases were detected for each category, showed that August 2017 had the highest number of cases reported which exceeded the threshold.

While the Ministry acknowledged that there were problems with incomplete data, it said hospital staff should not drop their guard and continue to be on alert.

Recognizing this problem at this early stage leaves room for improvement, hence we continue to urge our clinical staff, especially at the doctors and nurses level to improve documentation of these information; the Lab team to incorporate current addresses and phone contacts into test results forms as well as the Hospital Wards to refer clinically diagnosed Typhoid to Surveillance Team as soon as possible, stated the bulletin.

Other communicable diseases that had data included in the bulletin included influenza-like illnesses, prolong fever, diarrhea and acute fever and rash. For diarrhea, the bulletin indicated that there were over 100 cases recorded for January to April this year.

From January to April 2018, an average 131 diarrhea cases were reported weekly, with the first week of January having the highest number reported. As these are expected to fluctuate close to the threshold during this wet season, we continue to monitor it closely.

For acute fever and rash, the number of reported cases for that juncture remained below the threshold (on average 8 cases per week).

While there was a dengue fever outbreak in October last year, which mainly affected Apia Urban and North West Upolu, the bulletin advised that the dengue fever outbreak was over as of May this year.

As of 22nd April 2018, a cumulative total of clinical and lab confirmed cases reported was 3293 with a national attack rate of 16.4 per 1,000 population.

However, the number of cases reported peaked towards the end of November (300 plus total) and steadily declined from December (last year) through to April 2018 with as low as 5 total cases reported near the end of April.

Thus, we are pleased to inform that we have nationally declared the ending of the dengue virus outbreak as of May 2018. Though our team continues to monitor its trend over time, stated the bulletin.Three years after it was established, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) now has 87 member-states and 32 well-managed infrastructure projects, serving as an example of improving global economic governance, as well as promoting open trade and multilateralism.

There has always been skepticism and misperception of AIIB. As the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. For these few years, weve been setting up the best bank and highest quality projects as we can, it comes down to what we do, not what we say, Laurel Ostfield, Head of Communications and Development at AIIB, told Peoples Daily Online.

Since its formation in 2015, AIIB has expanded rapidly from the original 57 founding member states to the current 87, with many of them coming from countries outside of Asia. The bank has also received the highest credit ratings from the worlds three biggest rating agencies, Moodys, Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poors, with its investment surpassing 4.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2017.

AIIBs achievements have impressed other non-member nations, including the institutions former die-hard objectors, the U.S. and Japan, with James Woolsey, top adviser of Donald Trump noting that U.S. opposition to AIIB is a strategic mistake, while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan is open to joining AIIB in the future.

Geography doesnt play an important role in AIIBs cooperation with other non-member states. We practice universal recruitment, inviting specialists from Japan and the U.S. to work with us; the same goes for our business, as the largest number of companies that work with us are from the U.S, noted Ostfield, adding that AIIBs door is always open to countries like the U.S. and Japan.

Multilateralism is a key rule for our bank. We would like to cooperate with other nations to tackle economic problems, as well as upgrading our investment strategies, so that we can further promote the sustainable economic development in and outside of Asia, said Ostfield.

New investment strategies to tackle global issues

Though originally founded as a bank that focuses on the building of infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region, AIIB is now seeking new opportunities to carry out projects outside of Asia, as well as expanding its investment into new areas.

In 2017, the bank approved its first sovereign loan outside of Asia, in an effort to help the Egyptian government build solar power stations. As of press time, two projects in Africa have been approved by AIIB, while more non-Asian projects may follow in the future.

According to AIIBs regulations, 15 percent of our lending can be given to non-regional members. Its possible that in the future we may run more projects outside of Asia, though there must be substantial and positive impact on Asias economy, said Ostfield.

In addition to exploring the possibilities of investment outside of Asia, AIIB has also shifted its focus on to other sectors. According to Ostfield, the bank is currently studying the feasibility of establishing other product sectors.

To date, AIIB has rolled out several new investment strategies, including the transport sector strategy, which aims to finance a sustainable and integrated transport system, while its city strategy can help cities in Asia to be economically and socially sustainable.

Our priority is still infrastructure, but as for long-term development, we would like to expand into other sectors, whether it be mining, agriculture or ICT, we are still debating internally, but I assume we will have a specific plan rolling out in 2019, added Ostfield.

The bank will also research how to attract more private investment, said Ostfield, as currently, equity investment only accounts for 20 percent of AIIBs total investment, which is not enough to satisfy Asia's strong infrastructure demand.

We need to work closely with the private sectors, as well as developing products, making our bank more attractive. We can offer a guarantee to private sectors, giving them stable revenue and longer tenure, she added.National airline Samoa Airways is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month. Our reporter Yolanda Lavatai talked to members of the public to get their views on the performance of the airline and its services.





Arleen Tuilimu, Motootua, 21

For an airline that has only one plane operating I think Samoa Airways is doing a pretty good job. Of course there were delays and technical difficulties but that is to be expected. I personally take Samoa Airways because they were a lot cheaper and because the people are Samoan. I just feel comfortable being serviced by people who understand me and share the same cultural values as I do.

Rhonda Ulberg, Tulaele, 20

Virgin Blue, Air New Zealand and Fiji Airlines are all very accommodating but the difference between them and Samoa Airways is the services. Samoa Airways are always smiling and hospitable when it comes to the passengers. For a Samoan that isnt something you see often with the other airline services. I reckon Samoa Airways just needs a chance to prove that they have what it takes, to be like the other flashy airlines.

Levaula Levaula, Lepea, 29

Basically Samoa Airways services are really good. They treat people with so much respect in comparison to other airlines. Before when Polynesian Airline existed, it did not have that back in the days. But now with Samoa Airways the culture has been brought back. From what I know, once people experience that Samoan hospitality on Samoa Airways they will want to continue to fly with them.

Veolaha Sopu, Vailele, 20

Normally I would go on Air New Zealand but since I have travelled through Samoa Airways, I have been impressed with how well they service people. I just feel so comfortable being serviced by other Samoans because they understand me better, and passengers needs in comparison to other airlines. Samoa Airways offers affordable prices and because they only have one plane the flights are usually full. I personally think the Government should still invest in Samoa Airways because I can tell they have so much potential.

Ake Moleli, Savaia, 53

My family always travels through Samoa Airways because the flights are very affordable, especially during the holidays which allow me to see them more often. Sure the plane needs some upgrading but that can be done over time, as revenue grows but in the meantime my family will continue to travel through Samoa Airways.

Monalisa Matau, Faleula, 24

I have been on Samoa Airways a couple of times and the only problem about the plane is that the seats are very small, there arent any TV screens like Air New Zealand and the air conditioning is not always cool. However, the best thing about Samoa Airways is their impeccable service.The issue of cryptocurrency is back on the agenda this week.

It follows a public presentation at the National University of Samoa (N.U.S.), where an independent cryptocurrency entrepreneur from Zambia, Mapanza Nkwilimba, talked up the scheme as the way of the future. From that presentation, a story titled Entrepreneur defends bitcoins, cryptocurrency was published on yesterdays front page.

Truth be told, since Samoa was introduced to cryptocurrency, no one has taken the opportunity to explain to the public what it is and how people can benefit. Everything that has been said so far  including the countless warnings from the Government, which we will get to in a moment  has been negative.

So it was refreshing to hear a different perspective from Mr. Nkwilimba. By the way, dont take us the wrong way; were not saying Mr. Nkwilimba has got it right, far from it.

Bitcoin as a concept is something that is still very new and is misunderstood by many people, he said. It is misunderstood by institutions, but it has come to stay, and its real. Cryptocurrency has come to stay and banks that ignore it are at their own peril, and now global Central Banks are discussing cryptocurrency, how are the banks going to benefit from cryptocurrency.

Well thats interesting isnt it? But perhaps a timely subject too since Samoa is hosting the 33rd Annual Pacific Central Bank Governors Meeting at Return to Paradise Resort today and tomorrow.

Opened last night, the meeting guided by the theme Strengthening Collaboration, is being attended by Central Bank Governors and their respective delegations from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Timor Leste, Vanuatu, Australia, New Zealand and Samoa of course.

Other key delegations include those from the International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.), World Bank, Asian Development Bank (A.D.B.), Pacific Financial and Technical Assistance Cooperation (P.F.T.A.C.) and the Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme.

Today, we take the opportunity to extend a warm Samoan welcome to all the Governors and the delegates who are here for the meeting. We do hope you have a fruitful meeting and that you also find the time to check out our slice of paradise before you return home. We also hope they can share their experiences when it comes to the issue of cryptocrrency.

Truth be told, its all a bit confusing for many members of the public in Samoa.

The reality is that many Samoans are already involved, given the lack of clarity on whether it is illegal or not. You see this is a small country where the word gets around quickly. What we do know about crytocurrency is that it had been heavily promoted by a few highly influential charismatic church leaders, who have remained anonymous.

In the meantime, the Central Bank of Samoa, especially Governor Maiava Atalina Enari, have been extremely vocal against the number of cryptocurrency promotions. They have issued countless warnings against the scheme.

One warning said: There is currently a lack of information and public awareness as to how these cryptocurrency works, as such, this will often lead to people making ill informed decisions, such as investing in get rich quick schemes!

There is also a high risk to Samoas economy, as certain cryptocurrencies may pose a security risk, such as vulnerability to cybercrime, and as a result, cause significant damage to our financial system and infrastructure.

C.B.S. encourages the public to be alert and aware of these schemes. They may look like an attractive investment to quickly make more money, but you risk losing all your hard earned money without any possibility of recovering it.

Another warning from the Central Bank went a step further. It explained how the scheme works. For instance: You invest $1,000 and then in four months, your cash is 10 times more, which means you cash in $10, 000. This is a snare that is used to catch peoples money.

The Central Bank also issued a directive to all financial institutions (predominantly commercial banks and money transfer operators) to block all foreign exchange transactions relating to Onecoin/ Onelife cryptocurrency promotions.

It has come to our attention that there are still a large number of people wanting to remit or transfer money out of Samoa to invest in this Onecoin cryptocurrency promotion.

This is despite warnings by Central Bank of Samoa that there is a very high risk that Onecoin cryptocurrency promotion is a pyramid scheme (an illegal money making investment).

Under Samoas Exchange Controls Regulations 1999, no one can take money out of Samoa without the approval of the Central bank of Samoa.

As a result the Central Bank of Samoa has decided to block all approvals for any transactions relating to the Onecoin cryptocurrency.

Even Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi joined the wagon, cautioning members of the public against it.

We have had people from overseas who came here to promote this scheme and we had them visit the Central Bank of Samoa (C.B.S.) and the end result was that this is just that  a scheme, Tuilaepa said.

Tuilaepa said people are easily fooled by the promised returns on their money.

Still its an interesting one, isnt it? From what weve seen elsewhere, some people have benefitted from the scheme.

The real question is whether it is legal. If the answer is no and that these promotions are pyramid schemes, why hasnt the Government moved to outlaw them? If the Government doesnt have such a law, why have they been talking about it for so long instead of passing a law?

Our Parliament after all is a one-party state, which means any law Prime Minister Tuilaepa wants can be passed instantly. The question is, why are they hesitant? And who are they protecting?

Tell us what you think?

Have a wonderful Wednesday Samoa, God bless!Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi, says reporters dont understand financial records and therefore there is no need for Samoa Airways to reveal the state of its financial performance a year after it was launched.

This is what Tuilaepa told the Samoa Observer at the Faleolo International Airport yesterday evening as he was about to board Samoa Airways inaugural flight to Brisbane, celebrating the Airlines first birthday.

He was joined by the Minister of Public Enterprises, Lautafi Fio Purcell, Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti and the Chief Executive Officer, Seiuli Alvin Tuala, among other senior Government officials.

Its not a public company, Tuilaepa said when he was asked about the accounts. If its a public company, it is available to the public  that is my answer.

Besides, the Prime Minister said there is no need for reporters to read financial reports and audits.

There is no need to look at the record, because you dont understand even if you look at the record, he said.

Tuilaepa said the full financial records would not be ready for scrutiny for several months.

The process is that after the financial year has ended, the next thing to do is to prepare the accounts and of course this may take one to two months, he said.

After that the audit will be conducted, and after that it will come to the Board."

Only then, the actual results will become known and only then we will be able to express an opinion.

As to whether the company is transitioning at a healthy pace to being fully locally owned and operated, the Prime Minister doesnt have any problems.

We can only be guided by what comes out of the Board, who are directly involved with the management of the company. There doesnt seem to be any problem, he said.

The staff and crew of Samoa Airlines are a mix of local flight attendants and some pilots and Italian pilots, technical and maintenance crew who have been working closely with Samoans to train and build capacity.

Chief Executive Officer, Seiuli Alvin Tuala, was not available to share his thoughts on the one-year anniversary of the airline.Virtual currency or cryptocurrency is not a form of money and is not secure because its value is volatile, says International Monetary Fund Deputy Division Chief (Central Banking Division), Tommaso Mancini-Griffoli.

Money is a unit of account so its a measuring stick for what you purchase, its a store value, so you need to have some security that what you put in you will be able to get out, its a means of payment, its something that facilitates transactions, Mr. Mancini-Griffoli told the Samoa Observer.

Virtual currencies, to date, dont satisfy any of those three criteria, they are not a secure storage of value, and because it is not a good storage of value, it is not a good means of payment, you wouldnt want to pay with something which its value is moving around. Because its not a good means of payment, its not a unit of account either.

Mr. Mancini-Griffoli said there are other disadvantages of virtual currencies that relate to technology, but they could be overcome except for the stability of its value, which some new firms are devising ways to try and stabilise.

Cryptocurrencies are expensive to trade, and they dont always ensure finality of settlement, which means when I pay, you cannot be completely sure that the money has actually arrived in your account."

This is also a currency that is not backed by anything, its not a liability of any company, and it does not have any assets to back it up, and virtual currencies are more akin to a commodity then to a national currency or a form of money.

Mr. Mancini-Griffoli said the cryptocurrency scheme can be very dangerous if its not managed by the State, especially when there are private created virtual currencies like bitcoin that exists.

You have to be careful. Currency is a liability of the State and managed by the State, which means that there is monetary policy behind it, that theres regulation of financial side behind it."

So these private schemes, even if they may be endorsed by the Government, if they dont have monetary policy attached to it, if they dont have financial regulation attached to it can be extremely dangerous. The State wouldnt want to issue any type of currency if it did not control somehow the issuance, the monetary policy, it did not have a strong regulatory framework to ensure financial integrity, to ensure some kind of legal basis of exchange of this currency.

This is something that cannot be done overnight. You certainly wouldnt want to have a parallel system where you have two forms of legal currencies running in parallel, two forms of legal tender in a sense running in parallel. So just declaring that something is a legal tender is not sufficient to make it a viable currency.

Mr. Mancini-Griffoli said there is the question of whether the central banks should be offering a digital form of money, which might be called central bank digital currency.

Central banks digital policy would be a liability of the central bank, would be issued by the central bank, would be traded on par at par with cash, central bank reserves, which are the two other liabilities of the central banks."

They might use a multiplicity of technologies, its not at all clear that it would use distributed ledger technologies, as a matter of fact because of the technological limits or hurdles, it is very unlikely that a central bank would resort to distributed ledger technologies if it decided to issue it as a currency.

I.M.F. Small States Division Chief (Asia Pacific Department), Allison Stuart said it is essential to highlight the distinction between central bank digital currency and crypto assets, especially for most currencies, the central bank stands behind the currency thats issued.

There is one case which we know of that one country does not have a central bank put through a legislation that would enable issuing a cryptocurrency as legal tender, so we encouraged the authorities to consider all the risks for the reasons of stability, she said.

Mr. Mancini-Griffoli and Ms. Stuart are part of the two-day 33rd Annual Central Bank Governors meeting that opened yesterday evening at the Return to Paradise Resort. The meeting brings together regional central bank governors and their delegation, international financial agencies to discuss issues of concern and how to collectively address them.

I commend the authorities for organising such a meeting, for being open minded to invite their peers, to invite international organisations and other central bankers from elsewhere, it shows a great deal of vision, commitment, Mr. Mancini-Griffoli said.Central Bank Governors from the Pacific and their delegation are gathering in Samoa this week for a three-day conference, with yesterdays focus on Fintech and financial inclusion in the region.

Joined by international monetary agencies and partners, the conference is being organised by the Central Bank of Samoa, in partnership with the International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.) and the Asian Development Bank, and is held at the Return to Paradise Resort.

The Bali Fintech Agenda is a set of policies developed by the I.M.F. and the World Bank in one of their recent annual meetings with one emphasis on financial inclusion, and the conference in Samoa is a way for regional delegation to dialogue and analyse how to better implement the Fintech Agenda in their financial inclusion strategies, and guard against potential risks in the region.

Bali Fintech Agenda covers three basic areas. One is a way to enable Fintech in terms of innovation strategy, second is what sort of regulations you need to ensure against the risks, and third, which is part of what this conference, is about promoting greater regional and global cooperation, sharing information on Fintech and ways to use it appropriately, said I.M.F. Deputy Director Asia and Pacific Department, Kenneth Kang.

Speaking on potential risks associated with Fintech, Mr. Kang said like any kind of financial innovations, Fintech has a lot of promises for increasing access to financial services, but it has to be managed properly.

So its important to make sure you protect consumers, that you should safeguard financial stability, and that you allow for proper competition at a level playing field. So the idea is to give a space for innovation to take place and make sure as well that the space is well protected, well-guarded so it does not affect the rest of the financial systems in an inappropriate way, he told the Samoa Observer.

I.M.F. Small States Division Chief (Asia Pacific Department), Allison Stuart said the meeting looks at addressing financial policy issues that plague the region and identity where risks exist.i

In the Pacific, the I.M.F. has also been active in looking at the problems that a number of countries have been facing in terms of maintaining correspondent banking relationships, which is very important in terms of the number of countries that are quite reliant on remittances  thats both seasonal workers and the cost of sending those remittances has been very high, Ms. Stuart said.

So the thinking here is to look at financial inclusion, Fintech issues more generally, to see if Fintech can be part of the solution recognising that its not the only solution, and thats an issue such as financial literacy and strengthening of countries anti-money laundering, and encountering financing terrorism frameworks also play apart.

Mr. Kang said a message that the workshop is trying to send out is that there is a lot that can be done in the Pacific on Fintech to improve financial inclusion.

Simple things like developing a digital identification system, improving payments and settlements, mobile payment experiences in other countries, like in Kenya, what can the Pacific learn from that to really improve financial access in the Pacific.

This (Fintech) is not an end all solution to the problem here, theres a lot that can be done, even before considering these type of exotic solution, so one has to be very careful and pragmatic when looking at the various types of proposals out there, but there are already proven applications that can work, including in the Pacific for enhancing financial inclusions.

Delegations from Samoa, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Timor Leste, Vanuatu, New Zealand and Australia are present at the event.

The 33rd Annual Pacific Central Bank Governors Meeting begins today under the theme Strengthening Collaboration.While some countries in the region, including Samoa, enjoy remittances as their largest financial inflows, the International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.) says the cost of sending money back is very high.

Speaking to the Samoa Observer, I.M.F. Small States Division Chief (Asia Pacific Department), Allison Stuart said this is particularly the case for the Pacific where most people are seasonal workers who send money back to their families, when compared to other regions.

Ms. Stuart is attending a three-day conference that brings together regional central bank governors and their delegations, international monetary agencies and development partners to address financial issues of great concern to the region, through greater collaboration.

The high cost could be partly because the volumes of cash that Pacific Islanders want to send back on a regular basis are quite small amounts, and so theres a lot of charge for that, she explained.

The other reason is that there are not many banks operating in the Pacific, and the small scale may make it a not profitable business for some banks or money transfer operators, also since the global financial crisis, regulations have been tightened around the world, which may have made it more costly for banks to operate in that area.

Ms. Stuart said the Fintech seminar yesterday provided a platform for the Pacific Islands to dialogue on how to best address this issue through the Bali Fintech Agenda  a set of policies to help countries harness the benefits of financial technology, while at the same time manage the inherent risks.

But these are all things we are looking at in terms of possible solutions on how to get those costs down, and Fintech, in some respects, might ease this cost for the region."

So this is an issue that we have been looking at, its also an issue that the G20 raised a number of years ago in Sydney and the aim is to try and reduce the cost of that.

Ms. Stuart said the I.M.F. is very proactive in addressing issues related to the Pacific, especially in maintaining correspondent banking, which is important for Pacific countries that rely on remittances.A massive boost to vaccination funding has been welcomed by the Ministry of Health (M.O.H.) and the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.).

This week the Asia Development Bank (A.D.B.) approved T$7.4 million to introduce new vaccines in Samoa, as part of a larger project including Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

In total, the System Strengthening for Effective Coverage of New Vaccines in the Pacific project will spend over T$74 million introducing vaccines for the human papilloma virus (H.P.V.), rotavirus (cause of diarrhoea) and pneumococcus conjugate (vaccine against pneumonia).

M.O.H. Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Medical & Allied Health Dr Robert Thomsen says a lack of funding has always gotten between Samoa and the vaccination programs it needs.

This grant is good news, said Dr Thomsen.

The H.P.V. vaccine will go far in preventing cervical cancer in women, he added.

The human papilloma virus is not the only cause of cervical cancer, but it is the most common cause.

At first we will conduct mass immunisation campaigns starting in schools to vaccinate all girls aged 12-20 and then incorporate it into our vaccination program.

Vaccinating for H.P.V. has been proven internationally to radically reduce rates of cervical cancer, which according to the A.D.B. is the second leading cause of death in women the Pacific.

It wont eradicate cervical cancer, but it could reduce rates by up to 80 or 90%, Dr Thomsen said.

Dr Thomsen said as the virus is transmitted sexually, it would be ideal to vaccinate boys as well.

The vaccine costs about US$10 per dose per person, so its very expensive. Well just have to see how far the money goes at first.

M.O.H. will also use the funding to run educational and awareness campaigns about the benefits of vaccinating against H.P.V. for young women and girls.

In a written statement, Dr Rasul Baghirov the W.H.O. representative for Samoa said new vaccines are supported but they require careful planning.

While W.H.O. is in principle supports the introduction of the new proposed vaccines in Samoa through an A.D.B. grant, careful planning should be undertaken in terms of longer-term financial sustainability of such a project.

Due consideration should be given to how the introduction of new vaccines can be operationalized through the existing programmes of immunization, Dr Baghirov said.A memorial dedicated to the lives of those lost during the 1918 Influenza epidemic was unveiled in Laulii yesterday.

The unveiling of the memorial was part of the villages 100 years anniversary since the establishment of their church service on November 13, 1918.

Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malilelegaoi said the annual event had great historical significance.

We have come to the 100th anniversary of the church service dedicated to the lives of loved ones that have been lost to the influenza epidemic in 1918.

It was also to pray for forgiveness from the Almighty God, due to the weaknesses found within most youths that led them astray from their spiritual lives.

But today is a new day and our government has already commemorated the 100th years anniversary together with the New Zealand government for our country as a whole, which was held in Vaimoso last week, he said.

Tuilaepa said the Vaimoso memorial had enormous headstones, which are located at where those who lost their lives to the epidemic, were laid to rest.

Some say that government-owned trucks went around picking up and carried the bodies of those that were taken by the epidemic and dropped to burial sites in Vaitele.

It was greatly enforced by colonial government in those days that there has to be a burial site just like in customs of the western countries.

And some did not obey these government initiatives and kept their own beloved families buried next to their homes, it is with these customs that we still see nowadays, even though we are governed by our own people, he said.

The Prime Minister said the 1918 influenza epidemic compelled the Government to focus on various health interventions and services to ensure the security of the people of Samoa was guarded against other diseases.

According to the events organising committee secretary, Mapusua Ierome, funding for the work came from village members locally and abroad.

At the moment we do not have the exact numbers for the total amount spent on the project but so far it is approximately $30,000 that I am aware. The project started on June but was completed two weeks ago before the actual celebration. It is significance to have a key monument within our village so that we will always our loved ones that were lost to such a tragedy, he said.The Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital housed clinical dermatologist, Dr. Anthony Hall, who visited from 5 to 10 November to assist with meeting priority needs in service delivery, capacity building and systems strengthening.

Under the Australian Government funded Pacific Islands Program (P.I.P.) Dr. Hall was able to attend to various skin cases at the Hospitals Outpatients clinic.

Cases ranged from rashes, pigmented lesions and hair loss.

National Health Service Dermatology Trainee, Dr. Helena Vaa Fuimaono, was assigned to work with Dr. Hall during his visit. She said Dr. Hall had been a valuable asset in assessing various cases and diagnosing a number of dermatological services that were not available locally.

Dr. Hall also held a presentation at the hospital, titled Dermatology in the Pacific during which he shared his knowledge, passion and years of experience within the dermatology field.

Dr. Fuimaono said the Samoan Ministry of Health had been liaising with P.I.P. and clinicians from Australia to facilitate these visits.

We receive consistent support and assistance in diagnoses, and improved management of various cases from visiting clinicians supported by Australia, Dr. Fuimaono said.

Dr. Hall has previously visited the Solomon Islands, and has a good overview on skin related health issues across the region, and how they relate to other health problems, such as rheumatic fever. This was his first visit to Samoa.

Working with doctors and health care workers of the Samoan National Health Service, I have noted they are doing a great job of early treatment of significant skin health diseases such as scabies and impetigo, said Dr. Hall.

He encouraged people to seek medical assistance as early as possible to avoid further skin complications in the future.

Ive seen many people with different skin health issues and various skin diseases that are concerning. If people seek early treatment with their doctor or at hospital, then serious complications of many common skin diseases can be averted.

Early treatment may avoid the devastating consequences of these diseases including rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, kidney disease, severe blood infections or septicaemia, bone infections or osteomyelitis, joint infections such as septic arthritis, and early death, he added.

The Australian High Commissioner, Sara Moriarty, met the doctors on Thursday 8 November and welcomed the visiting clinician.

The Australian Government is proud to support this valuable program, as skin deformities can have a horrific impact on peoples lives and social well-being, Ms Moriarty said.Samoa has had a nostalgic effect on Rebekah Hobson since she flew in from Brisbane, Australia.

They say time flies when you are having fun and, that is exactly how Rebekah felt when the Samoa Observer caught up with her.

She said it has been a memorable three days since she flew into Samoa with her husband and two daughters for a one-week vacation.

But she has been to Samoa before, thanks to her New Zealand-born husband who has Samoan heritage.

We came here a couple of years ago and I just love it. Id quite easily live here, she said.

When asked what was it about Samoa that would continue to make her come back, Rebekah said it was the beauty of the island and its people.

I just love that its Christian, its beautiful, the people are friendly, I love it.

According to Rebekah, Samoa is so beautiful and relaxing, her family feels like they have already spent a couple of weeks on the islanddespite arriving three days ago.

Samoans are devout Christians and their loyalty to their local churches can be seen through their fervent worship, and this was not lost on Rebekah, who recently had her own taste of worshipping the Samoan way.

She joined her husband and their two daughters for service at the Vailima Methodist Church.

We went to church with my husbands cousin and we loved it so much, she said.

Another attraction while in Samoa is local delicacies, and Rebekah picked the faalifu taro as her favorite. They ate faalifu taro for two days, she added.

When this newspaper met the family they were already halfway into their one-week vacation. But their visit to Samoa was not the first and certainly will not be the last.

Their family is planning a reunion in two years and she will not miss the chance to return to Samoa.

We were talking about coming back for our reunion and we just cant wait to come back, she added.(People's Daily Online/Liu Hui)

The premiere ceremony of documentary Glamorous Papua New Guinea and news program Today was held in Papua New Guinea on Nov. 12, 2018.

The documentary Glamorous Papua New Guinea, produced by Chinas state television broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), shows the mysterious and charming South Pacific country of Papua New Guinea through elements such as nature, nationalities, culture, and history.

Today is a 30-minute news program co-produced by CCTV+ and other overseas media organizations. Comprising of three parts: Local News, Chinese News, and International News, Today will be produced by CCTV alongside local media of Papua New Guinea.

Guo Weimin, deputy director of the State Council Information Office of China, attended and addressed the ceremony. He said that telling stories of friendship between China and Papua New Guinea via documentary and news program is of great significance to promote mutual trust, bilateral understanding, and people-to-people friendship between the two countries.

During the ceremony, Jerry Agus, chief executive officer of Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority, said that China is an important potential tourism market of Papua New Guinea, and that they hope to draw more Chinese tourists to the country.

Papua New Guinea is now training local staff to provide better service to Chinese tourists, according to Agus, who said that they are all ready to welcome tourists from China.Challenging the popular but pricey EpiPen, San Diegos Adamis Pharmaceuticals is readying its own emergency allergy medication for sale.

Called Symjepi, the product is a pre-filled syringe of epinephrine, used to counteract life-threatening allergic reactions. Its meant as a lower-cost alternative to market leader EpiPen, which costs hundreds of dollars.

Just how much lower it will cost hasnt been announced, or when the products will reach the market. The launch is being handled by marketing partner Sandoz, a subsidiary of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis. The role of Adamis is to manufacture the product.

Adamis has received approval for two Symjepi formulations. A low-dose form, for patients who weigh 33 to 66 pounds, was approved in September. A higher dose for those over 66 pounds was approved earlier.

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Adamis meanwhile is working on other products. Those in the late stages of development include formulations of naloxone, which reverses opioid overdose, and beclomethasone, for asthma.

Were transitioning from a development company to actually getting some revenue coming in real soon here, said Adamis spokesman Mark Flather.

Adamis plans to submit a marketing application for its naloxone product later this quarter, Flather said. It delivers the drug in its proprietary Symject syringe system, the same used for epinephrine.

Symject is intuitive and the FDA is already familiar with the injection system from its experience with Symjepi, Flather said.

The company is also developing other inhaled drugs, using a dry powder inhaler system it acquired from 3M Drug Delivery Systems.

Symjepi, which manually injects epinephrine, isnt directly comparable to the auto-injection EpiPen. But its smaller, Flather said, making it more convenient for patients to keep on their person, such as in a pocket or purse.

The syringe is super easy, Flather said. You take the product out of the case, pull off the cap that exposes the needle. You inject the needle into your outer thigh and you push down on the plunger rod to deliver the medicine. Thats it.

For those at risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, having epinephrine readily available can be life-saving. But EpiPens seller, Mylan, has been criticized for its prices  which can exceed $600 for a two-pack. When Mylan acquired rights to EpiPen in 2007, it sold for just $57 per dose.

Mylan says its prices are reasonable, and offers discount programs for those who cant afford the full price.

While epinephrine itself is an inexpensive generic drug, Mylan has been able to charge a premium because of a lack of significant competition.

Those days are ending, and not just because of Adamis. In August, Israeli drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries was granted U.S. permission to sell generic EpiPen products.

Even Mylan recently began selling a generic version of EpiPen, which sells for about half the cost of the brand name version.

Shares of publicly traded Adamis traded at $2.62 each, down 16 cents at the close of trading Monday. On Jan. 2, the years first trading day, shares closed at $4.55.

Science Playlist  On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds

bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1020It takes a perverse sense of poetry to make a grin sound grim.

But leave it to Sarah Ruhl to achieve that early on in Melancholy Play, her charmingly oddball 2002 work now getting a revival with InnerMission Productions.

Its central character, a bank teller and siren of sadness named Tilly (Hannah Logan), is off her meds and embracing the blahs like a long-lost lover when she visits her psychiatrist, the cutely named Lorenzo the Unfeeling (Scott Striegel).

Cheerful people are the worst sort of people, she tells Lorenzo, who in fact is feeling an urge to get intimate with her. They make noise when they smile, baring teeth that have little bells between the cracks.

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As it develops, though, Melancholy Play becomes less about Tillys efforts to celebrate the virtues of the blues, and more about the seeming need of the people around her to fetishize her gloom.

Its fascinating territory for Ruhl to explore, and it lets the playwrights gifts for lyrical language and surprising imagery take flight.

I suffer so well, and so often, a stranger sees me cry and they see a river they havent swum in, as Tilly laments. So they take off their trousers and jump in the water, only to shake off the sadness with ease while shes left to soak in it.

Those words about a talent for suffering faintly echo Sylvia Plaths famous lines (from Lady Lazarus) on how dying is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well.

But the comparison also points up how very romanticized the conception of psychological pain is here; this is not a play that means to grapple deeply with true depression.

At times, Melancholy Play is almost too whimsical for words, and Ruhls ideas here dont cohere around characters quite so distinctly as they do in such later works by the two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist as Eurydice, The Clean House and Dead Mans Cell Phone.

What the InnerMission production does have, under co-artistic director (and sound designer) Carla Nells tuned-in direction, are some crisp and often witty performances by the five-member cast.

Logan, whos a natural for Ruhls rhythms and sense of the surreal  she had a memorable turn in The Clean House at New Village Arts a few years back  beautifully captures Tillys big shift from melancholy to deliriously happy, which sends her world wobbling off its axis.

That change happens after Tilly falls in love with the tailor Frank (a compelling, conflicted Patrick Mayuyu); soon she has the hairdresser Frances (Cristyn Chandler, funny and understated) infatuated with her, causing a rift with Frances practical-minded roommate, the British nurse Joan (Vanessa Dinning, who not only brings an appealingly wry humor but plays moody riffs on cello).

Striegel, making a welcome return to local stages after nearly a decade, is pitch-perfect (and in fine European-aristocrat accent) as the lovelorn Lorenzo, whose own mom considered suffering a brand of citizenship.

Robert Malaves lighting lends just the right impressionistic mood, and Kym Pappas costumes reveal character smartly; Ron Logans set is attractive, although scene titles are projected too low to be seen easily at times; its also not immediately clear that the frames characters stand behind are meant to be windows that theyre gazing out from.

Ruhls quirkiness takes a quantum leap with some borderline bonkers business about the personification of almonds. (Hey, it was good enough for Jane Austen, who had a character in Persuasion musing on all the happiness that a hazel-nut can be supposed capable of.)

It all can be a little like chewing on air, but at least the shows valedictory needle-drop of REMs matchless song Nightswimming serves as ideal punctuation to a story that likewise bathes in the bittersweet.

Melancholy Play

When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 4 p.m. Sundays; plus 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 and 19 (industry night). Through Nov. 24.

Where: InnerMission Productions at Diversionarys Black Box, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights.

Tickets: $25 (discounts available).

Phone: (619) 324-8970

Online: innermissionproductions.org

jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @jimhebertSouthern California native Lauren Lawless is giving back to her community the best way she knows how  with food.

She and a multitude of local volunteers will be Cooking for a Cause by serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner  turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin pie  for roughly 300 to 500 low-income and homeless San Diegans.

My boyfriend and I came up with (the idea) two months ago, said Lawless, a private chef in San Diego. What better way than to help others than to give back to those in need if I am able to do so and especially for the holiday season.

You dont know everyones story. Most people are fighting some type of battle you dont know about. I have always just been a caring humble person and dont look at anyone differently. Some people dont have family or friends. It makes me feel good inside to know that Im making someones day that much better and maybe giving them some hope or inspiration and the feeling that someone does care.

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The author, TV personality (she was a contestant on Bravo Television Networks MasterChef Season 8) and mother of two is no stranger to the homeless plight. She said it was her friends and family that helped her get through a difficult time in her life.

I have had my share of hard times, she said. I have even been homeless  sleeping couch to couch with my daughter  so I have come a long way and know that Im blessed and thankful for the amazing friends and family I have.

The event also includes a blanket and jacket drive. Other items such as animal supplies, hygiene products and gift certificates for haircuts will also be distributed.

We have a room full of donations and we are accepting more, she said.

The dinner will begin with a worship service at 3 p.m., followed by the Thanksgiving meal from 4 to 8 p.m. Nov. 21 at Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 4011 Ohio St., San Diego.

For more information about the dinner or how you can donate to Cooking for a Cause, you can email cheflaurenlawless@gmail.com or, visit her website at cheflawless.com/events

carolina.gusman@sduniontribune.comThe pick: Mash-Up Coffee from Boyers Coffee

Why it rates: Boyers Coffee, a family-owned Colorado company, has created three blends of ethically sourced and USDA Organic coffees at a budget price. Each is a mash-up of two complementary single-origin beans; together, they create delicious coffee that highlights the best flavor profiles of each variety.

The three blends are:

Colombia + Sumatra: Colombian coffees are known for light fruitiness and citrus acidity, while Sumatran beans tend to be bold and earthy. The company says the combination creates a rounded sweetness with a caramel-like finish.

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Sumatra + Peru: The strength and spiciness of Sumatra meets a milk chocolate counterpart when paired with coffee grown in St. Martin, Peru.

Costa Rica + Honduras: Costa Rican coffees are known for wine-like flavors and tones of dried fruit, which pair well with rich dark-chocolate tones of Honduran beans. The result is a versatile, easy-drinking coffee.

Info: An 11-ounce package of ground Mash-Up coffee is $6.98. Available at Walmart stores nationwide, Walmart.com and Jet.com.A Veterans Day ceremony at Mt. Soledad Monday afternoon marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I by recognizing a U.S. Marine whose bravery during that conflict would have earned him a Medal of Honor if he didnt already have two.

Sgt. Major Dan Daly, once described by his bosses as the outstanding Marine of all time, remains part of service lore, his exploits still taught during boot camp.

Legend has it that when things got especially tough during the war, amid the hand-to-hand savagery at Belleau Wood in northern France, Daly rallied those under his command by shouting, Come on, you sons of b------, do you want to live forever?

Col. Charles Dockery, commanding officer at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, outlined some of Dalys heroism in his keynote speech Monday to a crowd of about 300 people. But he said there was something else that distinguished Daly from millions of others who fought in the war.

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He was one of the lucky ones, Dockery said, because he came home.

A plaque honoring Daly was unveiled during the ceremony. It will join about 5,000 others that line the walls of the memorial recognizing veterans from the Revolutionary War through the recent conflicts.

Born on Long Island, N.Y. in 1873, Daly enlisted in the Marines at age 25 in hopes of seeing action in the Spanish-American War. He was too late. By the time he finished boot camp, the war was over.

A year later, he was in Taku Bay, China, with a contingent of Marines during the Boxer Rebellion. When Chinese soldiers threatened to overrun an Allied position, Daly held them off single-handedly until reinforcements arrived. That brought him his first Medal of Honor.

In 1915, he earned his second in action in Haiti after his group of about 40 Marines company came under fire from 400 anti-government rebels during a six-day reconnaissance mission.

Daly served in World War I for about 18 months. In addition to his famous exhortations at Belleau Wood, he once captured an enemy machine-gun nest by himself, attacking it with grenades and a handgun. Later, during the same battle, he rushed out under heavy fire to retrieve wounded Marines.

Nominated for another Medal of Honor, Daly instead received the Distinguished Service Cross. Military administrators thought it would be unwise to give three to the same person. The award was later upgraded to a Navy Cross, the second-highest medal for combat valor.

Part of Dalys lore is that the snub didnt seem to bother him. Medals, he said, were a lot of foolishness.

He died in 1937, remembered by Maj. Gen. John Lejeune as the outstanding Marine of all time.

Mondays ceremony also included music from Marine Band San Diego, a four-plane flyover by the San Diego Performance Formation Team, and two veterans dressed in World War I doughboy uniforms who were in steady demand for photos.

One of the costumed vets, Paul Pintek, said he was honored to wear the uniform and give people a flavor of what it was like back then.

There arent any more World War I veterans who are alive, he said. Its important that we know their stories and pass them on to future generations.

john.wilkens@sduniontribune.comNovember 13, 1915 The San Diego Union

The San Diego Union-Tribune will mark its 150th anniversary in 2018 by presenting a significant front page from the archives each day throughout the year.

Saturday, November 13, 1915

In 1915, the historic Liberty Bell came to San Diego or a guest appearance at the Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park.

A symbol of American independence, the 2,080-pound bronze bell was displayed in the Plaza de Panama for three days, guarded by Marines and soldiers from the 1st U.S. Cavalry. The 1915 tour was the Liberty Bells final rail trip outside Philadelphia.

Here are the first few paragraphs of the story:

LIBERTY BELL ARRIVES WITH MESSAGE OF PATRIOTISM

Reverent Throng Gives Cheers and Tears as Tribute to Sacred Relic

Exercises for Nations Freedom Emblem Scheduled at Exposition Today; 12,000 Children Will Pay Homage; Speeches, Songs on Program.

1776: Proclaim Liberty. Such was the simple message that was brought to San Diego yesterday when the famous Liberty Bell, the symbol of American ideals, rolled into this city on a specially constructed steel car, after a journey across the continent and a four months stay at the San Francisco Exposition.

Proclaim Liberty. The message comes not only from Philadelphia and the century which saw the American nation rise from a wilderness of tyranny, but from the ancient land of Judea, whose inspired writer visioned a government where people would be free and have a voice in the affairs of the nation. And as the old bell rested at the Santa Fe station where thousands of citizens had gathered to welcome its entry into the Exposition city, it seemed in its silence to be burdened with all the history that has been unrolled during the more than thirty centuries since the Hebrew scribe penned the now almost sacred phrase.

And those who stood, many with bared head, must have felt the burden of the active American years that have intervened since 1776. The spell of history was on them.

For instead of the wild outbursts of delight that were expected, a reverent silence fell upon the crowd, and the ancient relic was taken to the foot of H street almost without any demonstration. But tears stood in the eyes of many who had been brought up on the legends of the bell. A lump of patriotic emotion arose in the throat of many a one that chocked back the cry of welcome that was intended.

Simple indeed was the entrance of the famous emblem of liberty into the City of the Sun. Without vulgar ostentation, without any garish display, but with a deep sense of its importance at this critical period of history, the old black and cracked bell whose lips and tongue have been hushed for many generations passed into the life of San Diego where it will remain as a shrine of patriotism at the Exposition until Monday.

View anniversary front pages online at sandiegouniontribune.com/150-years. For more from the Union-Tribune digital archives, go to newslibrary.com/sites/sdub. Searching is free, with registration. A fee is required to view full stories.With a small group of Central American caravan members already in Tijuana, thousands of others continued their push to the U.S. border on Monday, as shelters, church leaders and government authorities in Baja California braced for their arrival.

While much of the caravan remained more than 1,500 miles from Tijuana in the western city of Guadalajara, about nine buses carrying some 300 caravan members were reported on Monday evening to be passing with police escort through Hermosillo, capital of the northern state of Sonora  fewer than 200 miles from the border city of Nogales and 540 miles from Tijuana. A video posted on a local news website showed a Honduran flag flapping from the window of one bus.

In Tijuana, a contingent of about 80 caravan participants  members of the LGBT, (lesbian gay, bisexual, and transgender) community  settled in for their second day in Tijuana at a house rented out for them by supporters in a well-to-do neighborhood near the U.S. border. They had peeled off from the main caravan after being offered bus transportation and accommodations.

Like other members of the caravan, several said they are fleeing poverty and violence, but that they were also under extreme threat because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

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Going back would put me at risk, said Nelsi Teresa Ponce, 27, a trans woman who fled Comayagua, Honduras, where she was studying law. Back there, we are not welcome, we could not leave our houses.

Francisco Rueda Gomez, Baja Californias secretary-general, said that the arrival of the large group could be days or weeks away. As of Monday, no decision had been made as to where they would be housed. Space in shelters operated by church and civic groups in Tijuana and Mexicali is limited in the state to 1,600 spaces, he said, and some already are filled to capacity.

Rueda was interviewed by phone from Mexico City where he had been participating in a meeting called by Mexicos Interior Ministry to coordinate efforts on the caravan; other attendees included representatives of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, Mexicos Foreign Ministry, international aid groups and city officials from Tijuana and Mexicali. Gov. Francisco Vega de Lamadrid is expected to travel there on Wednesday for a follow-up meeting Mexicos interior minister, Alfonso Navarrete Prida.

It is very important that the federal government assume its share of responsibility, the governor told reporters in Tijuana on Monday.

Rueda said the state of Baja California is asking the federal government to contribute 80 million pesos, about $4 million, to pay for shelter, food, health care, and humanitarian assistance to caravan members while they are in Baja California.

On Monday morning, at a bare-bones shelter in the citys Zona Norte known as Juventud 2000, Lourdes Lizardi Lopez, a member of Angeles Sin Fronteras, also called on the federal government to step up its efforts. Its really a shame that Tijuana, an area of migration, doesnt have a decent shelter, a large shelter, that is operated by the federal government.

Some 5,000 caravan members, most of them from Honduras, agreed at an assembly in Mexico City last week that they would head to the Tijuana-San Diego border. The plan is for many to turn themselves in at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and ask the U.S. government for asylum.

Meanwhile, authorities said that three smaller caravans of Central Americans in different parts of southern Mexico are also moving north but their ultimate destination remained unclear.

The prospect of large numbers of Central Americans converging in Tijuana has been an issue of growing concern, particularly because they could spend weeks or even months in the city waiting for U.S. authorities to allow them to petition for asylum.

Other cities have welcomed them for two or three days, but one can foresee that a good number of them will stay in Tijuana for a long period, until they are permitted access to the process of being investigated for asylum applications, Tijuanas Catholic Archdiocese said in a statement Friday.

Rueda said that state and local authorities want Mexicos federal government to petition U.S. authorities to speed up processing of those who present themselves at the ports of entry.

Just the prospect of the arrival of large numbers of Central Americans already has fueled opposition of some Tijuana residents. A Facebook group, Tijuana en Contra de la Caravana Migrante (Tijuana Against the Migrant Caravan)  counted more than 1,000 members. It calls for deportation of caravan members without legal status in Mexico, a measure necessary to avoid their causing a collapse of our region.

In Playas de Tijuana on Monday morning, a buzz of activity surrounded a normally quiet, well-to-do residential street where caravan members have been staying in a house supporters have been renting out for them.

Despite the upscale surroundings, several of the occupants said they have been sleeping on the floor without blankets, and had gotten little rest.

Maritza Brigitte Castro Mejia, 23, said she had been treated kindly, and human rights workers had even brought wigs and makeup for transgender residents like herself. I am very grateful to Mexico, because weve received quite a bit of help.

But group has also been the target of anger from some neighbors, who object to their presence. Why do they have to come to this completely residential area, asked Gloria Martinez, who lives across the street. Why did they have to come here? Just now, I saw one in a bikini taking out the trash.

Several of those interviewed said that attorneys in the United States and Mexico had paid for their transportation and accommodations, but were not quite sure who did so. A Texas-based nonprofit agency, RAICES, that offers low-cost legal services to immigrants and refugees, said Monday that it had raised the funds to purchase 77 bus tickets, pay for four nights at the Airbnb, and send a legal team to Mexico.

Leidi Mejia, 23, who fled her town of 11,000 in eastern Honduras, said her partner back home had been murdered and she had received death threats. She is preparing to ask for political asylum in the United States.

I know it wont be easy, but it doesnt matter how long we must wait, she said. I want to live in a country where laws are respected, and where one can live in peace and tranquility.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

@sandradibble

This article was updated at 10:27 p.m. on Nov. 12 with information about the source of support for a group of LGBT caravan members interviewed in Tijuana.Dry Santa Ana winds took an unusual path through San Diego County on Monday, causing the offshore flow to roar down the western slopes of mountains with unusual force and speed, elevating the wildfire danger in a region where the soil is parched.

Gusts as high as 85 mph were recorded at Sill Hill, southwest of Julian, posing a threat to power lines. SDG&E shut off electricity to some communities out of concern that the winds would spark wildfires.

The phenomenon was part of larger meteorological conditions that led the National Weather Service to extend the red-flag fire weather warning along the coast until 5 p.m. Wednesday. A high-wind warning will be in effect across inland valleys, foothills and mountains until the same hour.

Forecasters said that wind-sheltered areas of San Diego County will become very cold Monday night, with temperatures dropping into the 40s in many areas.

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Southern California has been experiencing strong and gusty Santa Ana winds that have generated deadly wildfires in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

San Diego County has so far avoided such chaos, largely because its mountains are aligned in a roughly north-south direction. The Santa Anas usually arrive from the north or northeast, so the winds flow almost parallel to mountain ridges, taking away some of their punch.

But late Sunday and early Monday, the winds arrived from the east and struck San Diegos mountains at a perpendicular angle, causing the winds to shoot up and then downward into the western foothills. The winds also accelerated as they dropped, making them even more dangerous.

Since midnight, the winds have gusted to 85 mph at Sill Hill, 77 mph in Ramona, 68 mph at Crestwood, 67 mph in Santa Ysabel, 63 mph at Boulder Creek and 62 mph in Alpine.

The weather service also record gusts of 52 mph in Campo, 51 mph in Descanso, 49 mph in Pine Hills, 46 mph on Palomar Mountain, 46 mph at Lake Moreno and 42 mph in Julian.

Schools in these districts will be closed because of the planned power shutoff:

Julian Union School District

Julian Union High School District

Mountain Empire Unified School District

Spencer Valley School District

Robbins writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.A flare-up of the Woolsey fire prompted a massive response by firefighters Tuesday as flames scorched a hillside in the Santa Monica Mountains, proof that crews have a ways to go to get a handle on what officials say is one of the largest fires to strike Los Angeles County in more than 100 years.

The spot fire, which has charred more than 50 acres of dense brush, broke out around 9:15 a.m. and was fanned by strong winds that pushed the flames upward toward a peak called Boney Mountain and away from nearby communities.

Large clouds of gray smoke could be seen for miles as crews dropped fire retardant and water on the blaze. A ribbon of magenta retardant was visible on the mountains from Hidden Valley. Mandatory evacuations remain in effect in the area south of Potrero Road for Lake Sherwood and Hidden Valley.

We are not out of the woods yet, Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said. We still have some incredibly tough conditions ahead of us.

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However, officials said progress is being made on containment of the blaze  which was boosted to 35% by Tuesday  mostly in the northern region of the fire. The conflagration has burned about 150 square miles of land.

To put that in perspective, that is the size of Denver, Colorado, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Deputy David Richardson said.

The inferno, which broke out Thursday, quickly tore through a swath of Ventura and Los Angeles counties from Bell Canyon to the Pacific Ocean, obliterating roughly 435 homes and businesses in its path and devastating neighborhoods. Crews that have surveyed about 18% of the 96,314-acre burn area confirmed 150 structures have been destroyed, but that number is expected to grow.

Its going to take several more days to get a complete, accurate account of structures lost, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said.

At Malibu Creek State Park, the landscape was charred black beyond the parking lot, where the burned-out shell of a security vehicle sat. While the campground remained largely untouched, the buildings in the back of the park are gone, as is much of the area that formed the backdrop for shows such as MASH.

Rachel Bailey and her partner, David Carr, returned to their street in Oak Forest Mobile Estates in Westlake Village from a vacation in Mexico on Tuesday to survey what was left of their four-bedroom home. All that remained in the pile of rubble were charred appliances, some mattresses and the blackened metal frames of a couch and patio chair. Home after home in Baileys pocket of the canyon had been leveled.

We lost everything, she said. This street just got annihilated.

Bailey rummaged through the ashes and found a metal case that once held colored pencils, along with a ceramic piggy bank. Burned pages of a Harry Potter book were scattered about.

But so much more had been lost.

Carr, a lifeguard, lost his collection of vintage surfboards, which had been reduced to a pile of fiberglass. His truck was a burned-out husk of metal. Six bikes and his scuba gear were all gone.

For Bailey, it was the love letters to Carr, a man she has known since she was 13 and with whom she reconnected later in life. The letters were now gone, along with the rest of the house.

In addition to the fire-ravaged structures, the blaze also has destroyed power poles, toppled trees and damaged sewage and water lines, officials said.

Several of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water Districts facilities were damaged, including a composting facility and a filtration plant in Westlake. Power outages affected the entire service area, but water district staff called on backup power and portable emergency generators to keep critical pumps running for customers and firefighters, water district spokesman Mike McNutt said.

Amid the devastation, firefighters were busy Tuesday grappling with a second consecutive day of red flag conditions, which signify a powerful mix of heat, dry air and winds that could explode a small fire into a deadly inferno. Fire crews had prepared for the possibility of flare-ups and new blazes igniting near the existing Woolsey fire footprint, said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Division Chief Chris Anthony.

Track key details of all the fires burning across the state 

If an ember flies across fire lines into dense brush while the winds are blowing and humidity is hovering around 8% in the area, it is nearly a certainty a fire will ignite, Anthony said. Thats what crews suspect happened with the flare-up near Lake Sherwood.

The fire quickly chewed through dry, dense brush in steep, rugged terrain. Since fire crews already were nearby, they were able to respond quickly to the latest blaze, Anthony said.

Its critically dry with incredibly strong winds, so that really puts us back into a day where we could see rapid fire spread as a result of any new fires or flare-ups, he said.

Windy conditions are expected to last until late Wednesday, bringing northeast winds from 25 to 40 mph. Gusts are expected to peak at 55 mph Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Tuesdays flare-up is burning west toward an area that was scorched in the 2013 Springs fire. That will help firefighters, Lorenzen said, because the new growth will be younger and easier to control.

A plane drops retardant on the Woolsey fire burning above Lake Sherwood. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

The blaze has already killed at least two people, authorities said.

A couple whose charred bodies were found in a vehicle in a driveway in Malibu on Friday probably died trying to escape the flames, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Sgt. Guillermo Morales said Monday.

Investigators are still trying to identify the cars driver and passenger, both of whom were burned beyond recognition, Morales said. Investigators dont think the two lived at the home on Mulholland Highway near where their bodies were found. The homes residents have been accounted for, Morales said.

This driveway looks like a small road. Its not like a normal driveway, and the whole landscape around there is burned to a crisp. We think they were probably overcome by the flames, Morales said.

Over the last month, firefighters from across California have battled more than 500 fires. Those blazes have burned more than 225,000 acres in the last week, according to Cal Fire officials.

The continued battle in Los Angeles and Ventura counties comes as officials prepare for what is expected to be a devastating fire season in the state. In Northern California, the Camp fire has charred 125,000 acres in Butte County and killed at least 42 people, making it the deadliest wildfire in state history.

These conditions are really extreme, Anthony said. There have been times that I think it cant get any worse. Thats what I thought last year, but it is. Were shattering record after record and those arent records you want to break.

Los Angeles Times staff writers Javier Panzar and Richard Winton contributed to this report.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry

UPDATES:

1:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details from Westlake Village.

12:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about the flare-up and other details.

This article was originally published at 11 a.m.The death toll from the Camp fire climbed to 42 on Monday, making it the deadliest wildfire in California history, as search teams sifted through rubble and ash in and around Paradise for additional victims.

One search crew checking addresses of people reported missing found a body on the front steps of a burned-out trailer in the Ridgewood Mobile Home Park. Team members spent the rest of the day picking their way through debris, turning over metal frames and shattered furniture.

By the time the hearse arrived, the body was in a blue bag. Victims remains were found in cars and homes, in Paradise and surrounding communities, authorities said.

If youve been up there you understand the magnitude of the scene were dealing with, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said at a news conference Monday night.

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Other teams brought cadaver dogs to canvass neighborhoods with no particular addresses or individuals in mind. At a home on Fawndale Road, a crew bagged up the remains of a family pet in sandwich-sized blue bags.

Honea said anthropologists from Cal State Chico and the University of Nevada, Reno with expertise in identifying human remains were helping in the grim search effort into mass casualties. In addition, Honea has requested 150 additional search and recovery workers, two military mobile morgues and a rapid DNA identification system.

I understand the toll that it takes on people not knowing what became of their loved ones, the sheriff said. My sincere hope is I dont have to come each night and report a higher and higher number.

The fire started Thursday near Camp Creek Road in Butte County, racing through 117,000 acres and burning hot enough to melt metal. The fire was 30% contained Monday evening.

 An eerie aftermath settles over areas scorched by the Camp fire in Butte County.

At least 29 people died Oct. 3, 1933, in the Griffith Park fire, until now the states deadliest wildfire. The rising death count of the Camp fire  which already notched the biggest property loss in state history, with more than 7,100 lost structures  edged out the Depression era-conflagration.

The toll is likely to rise again. Authorities said Monday they have cleared less than 1 in 7 of the more than 1,500 reports of people unaccounted for in the disaster.

On Monday, Paradise resident Teresa Monizs hand shook as she added her husbands name  Albert Moniz, aka Pete  to a list of missing persons taped to a board at the Neighborhood Church in Chico.

She was in nearby Magalia on Thursday when her husband called from home, saying Theres a fire, I have to get out, she recalled, her eyes filling with tears.

He called again from a friends house, but that was the last time she heard from him. Their house burned down, and Albert Moniz, 67, is disabled and has no cellphone, his wife said.

Ive been checking the motels, she said.

The stark reckoning of the fires toll was broken Monday by news of one pet reunion. Wade Lovett found his husky Luna  ears burned and fur singed  through a social media posting.

She had this pout, and thats her face. As soon as I saw that, I said, Thats Luna, Lovett said. Shes a beautiful dog, but when she pouts, she pouts.

On Thursday, Luna somehow rolled down the passenger side window with her paw and leaped out as Lovett barreled out of Paradise in a neighbors truck. Lovett chased her by truck and on foot for nearly an hour until the flames got too close.

Lovett made it to Chico and so did Luna, who arrived aboard a bus carrying fire escapees to an evacuation center.

Nicole Clift, a center volunteer, took in the dog. Luna had a collar but no tags or chip, so Clift posted her photo, looking highly disgruntled, on social media.

Lovett claimed Luna on Saturday night by identifying the words written on her collar: Service Animal.

We were ecstatic, Clift said. I was anticipating a lot of different endings but this one was the best.

Lovetts family helped settle Paradise in the 19th century. He and his father, as well as other family members, all lost their homes in the disaster, but Lovett said he remains remarkably calm because Lunas return instilled a sense of normalcy.

Well do things like housing and all that as the time comes, Lovett said. I feel complete now that my family is safe and Luna, whos also part of my family, is also safe.

Times staff writer Gale Holland contributed to this report.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

Twitter: @JosephSerna

melanie.mason@latimes.com

Twitter: @melmason

dakota.smith@latimes.comTwitter: @dakotacdsmithJointly launched by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Paris Pact Initiative, a three-day expert working group was held in Beijing on Tuesday, in an effort to strengthen cross-border cooperation against drug crimes, as well as to explore SCOs potential to curb drug trafficking worldwide.

Initiated in 2003, the Paris Pact Initiative is a broad international partnership aimed at combating the trade of Afghan opiates. To date, the organization has 58 partner countries and 23 organizations, with the SCO playing an important role under the framework, clamping down on drug crimes in Afghanistan and its member-states.

Many countries are taking actions independently against drug crimes, but much more can be achieved if they can cooperate. To further promote cross-border cooperation is the reason that brings us here, and we need to explore the potential of regional organizations, such as SCO, to tackle drug issues, said Mark Colhoun, Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Country Office in Afghanistan.

According to statistics, from 2011 to 2017, the SCO member-states seized 181 tons of heroin, which accounted for 38 percent of all heroin seizures in Eurasia, while 1,667 tons of hashish were confiscated, 26 percent of all hashish seizures in Eurasia.

Ever since it was established, SCO has been making great efforts to tackle drug crimes, as well as carrying out cooperation with other nations and organizations. This expert working group has attracted leaders from 18 countries and will serve as a new platform to exchange information on cross-border drug crimes, said Rashid Alimov, Secretary-General of SCO.

According to Alimov, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member-states are concerned about the growing problem of international drug threats that seriously challenge global security and sustainable economic development of states, requiring consolidation of efforts by the international community. Combatting illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and their precursors is one of the most important SCO objectives.

Meanwhile, the organization has been making significant efforts to tackle drug crimes. Since 2011, cooperation focused on countering illicit drug trade is regular, while in 2017, the member states dealt with 411,000 drug crimes, including drug distribution, cultivation, and trafficking.

Echoing Alomov, Liu Yuejin, deputy director of China National Narcotic Control Commission, told Peoples Daily Online that China and the SCO would carry out more international cooperation in the future, to tackle drug crimes in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

Cracking down on rampant drug trafficking in Afghanistan is a responsibility that should be shared by nations worldwide. According to statistics, around 15 to 20 percent of the heroin in China is actually from Afghanistan. Chinese authorities have been reiterating their firm stance on drug crimes, and we will take further actions to cooperate with the international community against drug crimes, Liu added.

According to an agreement signed between China and Afghanistan in 2006, China has held ten training programs for Afghanistani police, helping the country train over 200 experts in the field.As Veterans Day observances took place throughout the country, Brian Thomson, an active duty Navy pilot stationed in Coronado, decided to make Nov. 11 even more memorable.

He proposed to his girlfriend, Irene, at the Old Globes annual Grinch Christmas tree lighting event Sunday.

One of their first dates had been attending the musical Dr. Seusss How the Grinch Stole Christmas three years ago. Every holiday season since, he has been deployed within a week of Christmas, but their one tradition is to attend the play and take a photo by the Grinch tree in the Old Globe Theatre plaza.

Merry Christmas turned into Marry Christmas as Brian Thomson pulled out a diamond ring and proposed to his girlfriend, Irene, at the Grinch tree in the Old Globe Theatre plaza. He popped the question on Nov. 11 just before the tree lighting with the cast of the Grinch musical. (Courtesy of The Old Globe)

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This is the first year they decided to attend the tree lighting ceremony. Thomson decided it was the perfect time and place to ask Irene to marry him. So he contacted Old Globe staff and worked out a plan. After the performance, while holiday music was playing and snow fell on the plaza, he implored an Old Globe staff member to take a picture of him and Irene in front of the tree. (The staff member, of course, was in on the ruse.)

Instead of posing for a photo, however, Thomson knelt on one knee and asked his very surprised girlfriend to marry him. She said yes immediately, to the delight of Grinch audience members still lingering on the plaza who delivered a cheerful standing ovation.

Afterward, the newly engaged couple was invited backstage to meet country star Clint Black, whose music is featured in the Globes world premiere musical, Looking for Christmas. Black wanted to thank Thomson for his service and to congratulate the couple. They spent a few minutes talking and laughing, surely adding to their unforgettable memories of Nov. 11, 2018.

Homeless veteran Travis Lyons, with his dog Timber next to him, was staying in a shelter tent for veterans last May in San Diego. Lyons served in Iraq, first as a Marine and again after joining the Army. He says his injuries, PTSD and poor choices, are why he ended up homeless. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Healing war wounds: The USS Midway Foundation happened to announce its 2018 $565,000 in grant awards to organizations supporting military families, veterans and first responders on the same day as the horrific nightclub shootings in Thousand Oaks.

In what turned out to be somewhat prescient, only hours after the tragedy at the hands of a veteran thought to be suffering, in part, from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the foundation announced that a grant of $134,000 was going toward PTSD-related support programs, including counseling and therapy.

Over the past three years, the aircraft carrier museum group has given nearly $300,000 to PTSD-related causes. It has numerous veterans among its members, who are acutely aware of the critical need for this financial support.

Sean Curry presented the San Diego chapter of the Public Relations Society of Americas 2018 Eva Irving Award to his wife and business partner, Joice Truban Curry, for her PR work and community involvement. I feel so blessed to get to do what I do every day, Joice says. (Courtesy photo)

On the run: Joice Curry had to be in Northern California publicizing the Sacramento Arts Festival when the local Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) was presenting its annual awards.

After 22 years in the business, she had been chosen by her peers to receive the community service award for her long history of giving back to our community. During the gas price crisis, for instance, she got a full load of fuel from a tanker truck donated to enable volunteer drivers for the Meals on Wheels program to continue delivering to shut-ins. She has aided the Salvation Army with disaster emergency and other communications for years.

So Sean Curry, her husband and business partner, enlisted the help of the PRSA to change the order of the award presentations so Joice could be first, enabling her to fly home from Sacramento, accept her trophy, then grab a late flight back that evening.

We were in San Diego for about six hours and got back to Sacramento without our client knowing until we told him the next day, Sean said. Now thats smooth public relations.

Phil Prydes work has led to conservation of thousands of acres of local wildlife habitat and created greater access to nature in our region. He also teaches local students about preserving San Diegos ecosystem by giving nature walks, bird watching tips and college lectures. (Courtesy photo)

Heros welcome: Phil Pryde lives up to his name. The San Diego State professor emeritus and author was named the first National Cox Conserves Hero by Cox Enterprises and The Trust for Public Land. But, beyond that, he donated his award money, $60,000 in grants, to The San Diego River Park Foundation, which nominated him for the recognition.

Pryde calls the San Diego River an important part of our community and vows to continue to help protect it.

diane.bell@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1518

Twitter: @dianebellSD

Facebook: dianebell.newsSheriffs deputies shot and killed a suspect who allegedly charged at them with a knife Monday afternoon in Alpine, authorities said.

Deputies and paramedics rendered aid to the man, but he did not survive, a sheriffs lieutenant said. Multiple deputies were involved in the incident, but none were injured.

Deputies were sent to the Summit at Alpine apartment complex on Alpine Drive south of Interstate 8 about 2:50 p.m. after more than one person called about a man causing some type of disturbance, sheriffs homicide Lt. Michael Blevins said.

One of the callers indicated there was a subject yelling that he wanted to kill someone, Blevins said in a statement.

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Deputies arrived two minutes before 3 p.m. and attempted to make contact with the suspect, a man in his 30s, Blevins said. Its unclear what happened next, but sheriffs officials said the man came out of an apartment with a knife in his hand and advanced toward the deputies.

More than one deputy fired at the man, Blevins said.

The deputies reported shots fired and the suspect down at 3:05 p.m., according to Geoff Weiss, a sheriffs communications supervisor.

After shooting the man, deputies rendered first aid until paramedics arrived and took over the emergency medical help, but the man was pronounced dead at 3:19 p.m., Blevins said.

The man was later identified as 31-year-old Daniel Ayala. The mans 4-year-old son was in the residence when the shooting happened, Blevins said. The child was placed in the care of his mother.

Detectives from the sheriffs homicide unit were investigating the shooting, as is typical in all deputy-involved shootings, both fatal and non-deadly. The investigation remained active late Monday. Investigators said there is body-worn camera footage of the incident.

Its unclear if deputies had ever been sent to the location before.

Anyone with information about the incident was urged to call the sheriffs homicide unit at (858) 285-6330, or after hours at (858) 565-5200. Tipsters can call San Diego County Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com

UPDATES:

3:50 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13.: This story was updated with the name of the victim, 30-year-old Daniel Ayala.

11:25 p.m.: This story was updated with additional details about the calls that prompted the deputies response and the shooting.

7:50 p.m.: This story was updated with information that the man shot by deputies died.

This article was originally posted at 3:50 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 12.Customs and Border Protection officials will shut down several lanes of traffic from Tijuana into San Diego beginning Tuesday morning for what the agency called the potential safety and security risk posed by a caravan of Central American migrants.

Beginning 8 a.m. Tuesday, the agency will shut down three northbound lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, which has about 17 total lanes, and one lane at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, which has about a dozen lanes.

The closures will allow federal authorities to install and pre-position port hardening infrastructure equipment in preparation for the migrant caravan, the agency said in a statement.

Most of the roughly 5,000 migrants, most of whom are from Honduras, plan to turn themselves in at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and ask the U.S. government for asylum.

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The move to shut down some border lanes comes less than a week since about 1,100 troops from Camp Pendleton and Texas were deployed as part of Operation Secure Line to support border security, mainly by stringing concertina wire along the tops of aging border fences and plugging vulnerabilities elsewhere to prevent illegal crossings.

CBP has been and will continue to prepare for the potential arrival of thousands of people migrating in a caravan heading towards the border of the United States, Pete Flores, director of San Diego field operations for Customs and Border Protection, said Monday in a statement.

Customs and Border Protection officials recommended that motorists crossing from Tijuana into San Diego anticipate increased wait times because of the lanes closures.

The closures are expected to last until sometime after people in the caravan arrive to the border, the agency said.

On Thursday, the group voted to proceed from Mexico City, where theyd been gathered several days, to Tijuana, opting for the longer but less dangerous route.

Authorities said three smaller caravans of Central Americans in different parts of southern Mexico are also moving north, but their ultimate destination remained unclear.

As of Monday evening, most members of the largest caravan remained more than 1,500 miles from Tijuana in the western city of Guadalajara, according to Mexican officials. But about nine buses carrying some 300 caravan members were reported on Monday evening to be passing with police escort through Hermosillo, capital of the northern state of Sonora and about 540 miles from Tijuana.

On Sunday, a contingent of about 80 caravan participants  members of the LGBT, (lesbian gay, bisexual, and transgender) community  arrived in Tijuana, where they were put up at a house rented out for them by supporters in a well-to-do neighborhood near the U.S. border. They had peeled off from the main caravan after being offered bus transportation and accommodations.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com

UPDATES:

10:50 p.m.: This article was updated with background about the progress of the migrant caravan.

This article was originally published at 9:20 p.m.An armed suspect held up a Mira Mesa smoothie bar on Monday night in a robbery similar to one that happened Wednesday at a nearby sandwich shop, police said.

Mondays robbery happened about 7:10 p.m. at the Jamba Juice on Westview Parkway south of Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego police Sgt. Joe Ruvido said. The suspect pulled out a handgun, demanded cash and fled from the smoothie bar.

Witnesses described the suspect as a roughly 5-foot-6-inch white man, between 35 and 45 years old, with a brown and gray beard, police said. He wore dark sweatpants and dark sweatshirt with a fox logo on it.

Robbery detectives were dispatched to help investigate the heist.

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Responding officers noted the similarities between Mondays robbery and one that occurred Wednesday at the Subway in Scripps Ranch, which is about 1.5 miles south of the Jamba Juice and one exit away on Interstate 15.

In that incident, which occurred about 6:30 p.m., a robber with the same general physical description also used a handgun to rob the Subway eatery on Carroll Canyon Road just off I-15.

Detectives were looking at a potential connection, Ruvido said, but it was too early Monday evening to know if they were related.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.comSan Diego fire crews on Tuesday quickly doused a fire at a commercial building in East Village after someone reported seeing smoke coming from the structure, authorities said.

The first crew arrived at the building, on Park Boulevard just south of Broadway at 7:53 a.m., San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said in a tweet.

A machine used to burn materials outside the Salvation Army building started the fire, which was doused by about 8 a.m. An initial call for a second fire crew was cancelled.

The blaze caused about $40,000 in damage to the machine and another $10,000 in damage to the building, the fire agency tweeted.

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A machine used to burn materials located outside the Salvation Army bldg was the origin of this fire. Damage estimated at $10k to the bldg & $40k to the machine. No injuries or displacements. https://t.co/hDQhVVMd2h  SDFD (@SDFD) November 13, 2018

Crews checked to be sure no one was inside, the agency said. No one was injured or displaced by the fire.

SDFD firefighters have checked the building to make sure there are no occupants inside.

The second alarm units have been cancelled. #firefighters https://t.co/hDQhVVMd2h  SDFD (@SDFD) November 13, 2018

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT

UPDATES:

9:35 a.m.: This story was updated with additional information. It was originally published at 9:15 a.m.Extra police patrols were assigned to Scripps Ranch High School Tuesday morning after school police became aware of a potential threat made against the campus, a school district spokeswoman said.

San Diego Unified school police worked closely with San Diego police to investigate the threat against the school on Monday.

The police agencies concluded it was not a credible threat but out of an abundance of caution, the district decided to have addition police on the campus, said district spokeswoman Maureen Magee. The safety and security of students and staff is a top priority of San Diego Unified, she said.

Details about the nature of the threat werent released, although it did generate concern on social media, she said.

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Twitter: @karenkucher

(619) 293-1350

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.comAbout 30,000 San Diego Gas & Electric customers in San Diego County were without power Tuesday morning from planned safety outages and unplanned outages due to high winds, and the utility opened six community resource centers to assist those without electricity.

Mondays Santa Ana winds led SDG&E to cut electricity to 10,800 customers to minimize the chance that active power lines would throw off sparks that could start wildfires. Early Tuesday, with high winds gusting around the county, the utility expanded the area of planned safety outages west, to include parts of Escondido, Rancho Penasquitos and Rancho Bernardo.

In addition, high winds were knocking out power to some communities.

A company spokesman said it could not immediately be determined how many of the 30,000 customers without power were safety outages and how many were unplanned.

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The utility opened four community resource centers Monday and added centers in Julian and Dulzura Tuesday.

These are facilities where residents can go and get water and can charge their phones or just get information on the outages if they dont currently have power, SDG&E spokesman Joe Britton said. It really is just a community resource; it is not intended as a kind of evacuation center.

The centers are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and are located at:

 Mountain Empire: Mountain Empire High School Gymnasium, 3305 Buckman Springs Road, Campo, CA 91906

 Potrero: Potrero Resource Center, 24550 Hwy 94, Potrero, CA 91963

 Descanso: Camp Oliver Lodge, 8761 Riverside Drive A, Descanso, CA 91916

 Campo: Golden Acorn Casino & Travel Center, 1800 Golden Acorn Way, Campo, CA 91906

 Julian: Whispering Winds Catholic Camp, 17606 Harrison Park Road, Julian, CA 92036

 Dulzura: Dulzura Community Center, 1136 Community Building Road, Dulzura, CA 91917

More information about the community resource centers can be found at SDG&Es Wildfire Safety web page https://www.sdge.com/wildfire-safety.

Twitter: @karenkucher

(619) 293-1350

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.comChula Vista Mayor Mary Salas said Monday that a weekend fire that destroyed a South Bay community activist groups office was an act of cowardice and will not be tolerated.

The blaze destroyed the local headquarters of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, according to police and fire officials. It was reported about 11:50 p.m. Friday at the groups office near H Street and Glover Avenue.

The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment is an organization thats concerned about building power for communities, according to Christina Livingston, executive director of the statewide group. The local branch works with low-income people of color in the South Bay.

The organization recently supported the statewide Proposition 10 initiative and National Citys Measure W, both of which dealt with rent control. Both were defeated at the polls last week.

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Its just so unfortunate that whoever chose to do this thought that they could intimidate an organization that is about helping others, Salas said at a news conference Monday outside the scorched office. Shame on them.

Chula Vista police Lt. Gino Grippo said Saturday the cause of the fire wasnt immediately known, but it appeared suspicious enough for police to work with fire investigators.

Lt. Kenny Heinz confirmed Tuesday that the blaze is being investigated as an arson.

Salas said the citys police were fully engaged in investigating this crime and promised that the person or people involved will be brought to justice.

Rev. Beth A. Johnson of the Palomar Unitarian Universalist Fellowship speaks Monday outside the destroyed office of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment while surrounded by leaders and local representatives of various social justice groups and organizations. (Alex Riggins/SDUT)

According to Livingston, somebody kicked in the groups office door, sprayed an accelerant and lit it on fire.

Holes on the floor of the office, which members of the media were allowed to tour Monday afternoon, were the areas where the accelerant was sprayed and the fire was started, Livingston said.

ACCE is devastated by the hate and the actions against us this past Friday night, said Paola Martinez-Montes, the local director of the group. But if this was an act of intimidation, we will not be stopped.

Livingston, the groups statewide director, said the incident, Was not an attack on ACCE, it was an attack on the social justice movement, and it was intended to intimidate us.

As the group gathered outside its destroyed local office Monday, its members were surrounded by politicians  including Salas and National City mayor-elect Alejandra Sotelo-Solis  and at least a dozen other activist groups, social justice organizations and unions, including local leaders and representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest and the United Taxi-Workers of San Diego.

This is part of the legacy of cross burning, against those fighting for civil rights, Livingston told the Union-Tribune after Mondays news conference. This kind of intimidation of people who are fighting for rights of poor people, fighting for rights of people of color, fighting for rights of black people  it happens over and over again.

Livingston said the incident is obviously incredibly frightening... but also incredibly motivating to keep doing the work the group has been doing since its founding in 2010.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com

UPDATES:

9:50 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13: This article was updated with police confirmation that the fire is being investigated as an arson.

This article was originally published at 5:35 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12.The increasingly contentious fight between President Trump and CNN  and by extension the news media he has branded the enemy of the people  is headed to court.

CNN is suing Trump and other administration officials over the decision to suspend the White House press credentials of correspondent Jim Acosta after a conflict at a news conference last week.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, escalates an ongoing battle between Trump and the cable news outlet that he frequently accuses of disseminating fake news for its aggressive coverage of him and his administration.

The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acostas 1st Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their 5th Amendment rights to due process, AT&T Inc.-owned CNN said in a written statement. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials.

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The suit requests immediate restoration of Acostas hard pass, a press credential issued by the Secret Service that allows reporters access to the White House grounds, parts of the West Wing and secured areas during presidential trips.

The White House Correspondents Assn., a group of journalists covering the White House, and PEN America, an organization of writers promoting human rights and literature, are backing CNN.

Suspending Acostas pass was retaliation, plain and simple, Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said Tuesday. President Trump is entitled to hold a negative view of Acosta or any other journalist  but President Trumps revocation of Acostas credentials is, simply put, out of line.

The group, which provides legal help to journalists to protect their 1st Amendment rights, filed a brief supporting CNN. It says the White House move aims to chill the constitutionally protected speech and newsgathering activity of other journalists.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the suit just more grandstanding from CNN and said the White House will vigorously defend against it.

CNN has nearly 50 holders of hard passes and Mr. Acosta is no more or less special than any other media outlet or reporter with respect to the 1st Amendment, Sanders said.

Trump has criticized CNN since the 2016 presidential campaign. Last year, he posted on Twitter a professional-wrestling promotion video clip altered to show him body-slamming and punching a person with the CNN logo for a head.

As CNNs senior White House correspondent, Acosta frequently has been front and center in the dispute.

At a news conference Wednesday, Trump called on Acosta to ask a question, and Acosta was given a microphone. He began asking about Trumps statements during the midterm campaign that a caravan of migrants moving toward the United States from Central America constituted an invasion.

Trump objected to the question, and the two sparred verbally back and forth. When Acosta tried to ask another question, Trump told him several times thats enough. A female White House intern tried to take the microphone away from Acosta as Trump told him, Put down the mic.

Acosta initially refused. Video shows Acosta gripping a microphone as the intern tried to pry it away during the Wednesday event, and saying politely, Excuse me, maam, as he maneuvered to keep his hold.

Trump refused to answer Acostas follow-up question, telling him, CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldnt be working for CNN.

Later on Wednesday, Sanders issued a statement saying the White House was suspending Acostas hard pass until further notice. Sanders said that Acosta placed his hands on the intern and that his conduct was absolutely unacceptable.

The suit  which is being filed on behalf of Acosta as well as CNN  denies that allegation and says the suspension of Acostas pass means he effectively cannot do his job.

This severe and unprecedented punishment is the culmination of years of hostility by President Trump against CNN and Acosta based on the contents of their reporting  an unabashed attempt to censor the press and exclude reporters from the White House who challenge and dispute the Presidents point of view, the suit says.

The suit says the suspension of Acostas credentials violates the 1st Amendments protection of free speech. It says the way the administration revoked the pass, with no direct notice to Acosta or a written explanation detailing the decision, violated the 5th Amendments protection of due process and the federal Administrative Procedures Act.

The suit cites a 1977 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia involving the White Houses years-long denial of a request for a hard pass by Robert Sherrill, the Washington correspondent for the Nation magazine, a left-leaning publication.

The ruling in Sherrill vs. Knight said that the protection afforded newsgathering under the 1st Amendment guarantee of freedom of the press  requires that this access not be denied arbitrarily or for less than compelling reasons. The court said a reporter denied a hard pass must be given notice of the factual bases for denial, an opportunity  to respond to these, and a final written statement of the reasons for denial.

The CNN suit names Trump and Sanders along with White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly; Bill Shine, the deputy chief of staff who handles communications; and Randolph Alles, director of the Secret Service.

To justify its decision to suspend Acostas credentials in the wake of an outcry, Sanders posted a video clip on Twitter on Thursday of the intern trying to take the microphone away from him.

The question is: did the reporter make contact or not? she said in a statement, backing off the earlier contention that Acosta had placed his hands on the intern. The video is clear, he did. We stand by our statement.

But the video, which reportedly came from the right-wing conspiracy website Infowars.com, only inflamed the controversy. It was doctored to amplify the contact between Acosta and the intern, with the speed altered to make Acosta appear to chop hard at her arm.

The suit says that Acosta did not initiate the physical contact with the intern and that she had attempted to grab the microphone from him.

The staffer reached all the way across Acostas body, successfully latched onto the microphone, and physically attempted to remove it from Acostas right hand, the suit says. Acosta held onto the microphone, stated Pardon me, maam, and continued to ask his question.

In reaction to the suit Tuesday, Sanders appeared to pull back again on the earlier justification for suspending Acostas hard pass, saying Acosta physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern, so that other reporters might ask their questions.

This was not the first time this reporter has inappropriately refused to yield to other reporters, she said. The 1st Amendment is not served when a single reporter, of more than 150 present, attempts to monopolize the floor. If there is no check on this type of behavior it impedes the ability of the president, the White House staff, and members of the media to conduct business.

CNN said in its suit that the incident with the intern was simply an excuse by the White House to punish Acosta.

The content and viewpoint of CNNs and Acostas reporting on the Trump administration  not his interaction with the staffer at the November 7 press conference  were the real reason the White House indefinitely revoked his press credentials, the suit says.

UPDATES:

11:05 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from Bruce Brown of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and additional details from the lawsuit.

8:50 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details from the lawsuit and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders comment, and with additional background information.

7:55 a.m.: This article was updated with comment from Sanders.

7:35 a.m.: This article was updated throughout with Times staff reporting.

This article was originally published at 6:55 a.m.ProWein by 13/11/2018

Commissioned by ProWein for the second time, the Geisenheim University has again surveyed more than 2,300 experts in the wine industry from 46 countries on international wine markets, marketing trends, developments in online wine sales and the economic situation. The survey conducted in mid 2018 was once more met with strong interest in the industry. Since the first survey in 2017 the number of participants increased by 60% from 1,487 to 2,364. This makes the ProWein Business Report the globally most comprehensive trend barometer of the international wine industry.

The study covers the complete value chain of wine. Respondents included both wine producers (wine-growing estates, wineries, cooperatives) and intermediates (exporters and importers) and marketers (wholesalers, specialist retailers, hotels, and gastronomy). The combination of the various views of producers, dealers and markets collected over several years constitutes a unique barometer for the industry.

Attractiveness of Export Markets

1. For the first time China is globally the most attractive export market for wine



Asked about the current attraction of markets exporters and wine producers rate China as the globally most attractive export market, followed by Japan, Hong Kong, Scandinavia, USA, and Canada. Compared to the survey conducted in the previous year China has moved up to the top from the 9th place. This subjective assessment of market players corresponds to the reports about Chinas rising import demand and the high increases in volume and value of exports to China, especially from Australia, France and Chile.

Within one year the ranking of currently most attractive export markets has changed. Alongside China, Canada and Australia have risen to the Top 7 while South Korea, Poland and Switzerland dropped in the listing. The USA are still a highly attractive export market and have only lost a little ground descending from rank 4 to rank 5.

2. Since 2017 the market attractiveness of Russia, China and Brazil has increased the most

Compared to the first ProWein Business Report 2017 the strongest relative increase in market attractiveness was measured for Russia, China and Brazil. Russia rose from rank 16 to rank 11 and Brazil from rank 15 to rank 13. This means, part of the expectations reported in 2017 (that these markets would strongly increase in attractiveness) have already turned into reality. These high-population and big countries of the BRIC group hold an extraordinarily high potential for wine exports. However, tapping into this potential is also associated with high market risks due to in part political and economic instability.

Of the traditionally established markets Italy and France have slightly recovered against 2017. The Netherlands, South Korea and Switzerland lost some market attractiveness compared to 2017.

3. Market attractiveness expected to grow most for China, South Korea and Poland by 2021



For the coming three years exporters and producers expect market attractiveness to go up most for China, South Korea and Poland, followed by Russia, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. The Top 7 are followed very closely by the two important North American markets  USA and Canada  where wine consumption continues to rise.

This means, China is the wine market with the highest current and expected market attractiveness in future. As a result especially Asian and Eastern European countries will gain even further importance. Handling these geographically and culturally distant markets in Asia successfully will prove a major challenge for European wine producers over the coming years.

4. The United Kingdom is the country with the weakest current situation and the lowest expectations for the future



In comparison with 2017 the attractiveness of the UK wine market has deteriorated further while the perceived risk has gone up. The UK also posts the worst expected development until 2021. This weak position is due to several factors. The constantly rising alcohol tax and the amount of shelf space lost for wine through the competition between established retail formats and discount stores makes this market increasingly difficult for producers. Add to this the economic and legal uncertainties caused by the imminent BREXIT, the modalities of which have still not been clarified yet. After the UK the traditional wine markets France and Italy are the countries for which only very little increase in attractiveness is expected.

The overwhelming majority of exporters focus on unlocking new wine markets



Eight out of ten producers plan to expand their export activities to new markets over the next 3 years  a high share that has remained unchanged versus 2017. The domestic markets of the biggest wine producers (Spain, Italy, France) are saturated with a rather declining trend. Therefore the export to new growth markets is the only way to compensate for these losses and generate growth. This also means the international wine trade will continue gaining in volume and importance. This raises the question long term, whether and when this growth trend will level off, in case the new wine markets build and/or expand their own wine production as is the case in China.

New emerging export markets for wine

6. Singapore exhibits highest potential for the coming five years

Polled about the highest potential for new wine markets over the coming five years, wine exporters mentioned Singapore, the Czech Republic and Taiwan most often. Here the list of new emerging wine markets is headed by smaller, easily governable and easier to build up markets that are relatively far developed in economic terms and stable. In contrast to this, fewer exporters see imminent potential for Vietnam, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia  countries that share a bigger market size, a lower economic development status and are more difficult to penetrate. The portion of the population that can afford wine is still smaller on these markets than in better developed countries. Here a long-term perspective is needed to overcome existing barriers (taxes on wine imports, diversity of regional laws). If the high expectations for the leading Asian markets China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan prove realistic in future positive spillover effects within Asia can also be expected.

India is the number one among the emerging export markets for wine producers from the New World - Australia, USA, South Africa etc. The cultural links in the Commonwealth and the common language make it easier for these countries to develop India.

One in four of the polled producers is still hesitant at present and does not see a potential market entry for any of these emerging markets over the coming five years. It will be interesting to watch further developments here.

7. United Arab Emirates surprisingly in 4th place



It may come as a surprise at first sight that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) occupy rank 4 among the emerging wine markets. This position among the top 4 illustrates the rising importance of wine and also other high-quality food and delicatessen in this rising gateway to the Arab Peninsula for both tourists and expatriates. This positive ranking is in line with other indicators such as the number of participants in WSET courses from the UAE.

Retailers interest in wine origins

8. Wine retailers are looking for new wine origins



Nearly one in two wine retailers who visits ProWein plans to expand his range with wines from new origins. Wine origins less wide spread so far show a particularly high potential to be listed in the specialist wine retailers and gastronomy portfolios.

9. Portugal, South Africa and Argentina favoured as additions to existing portfolios

One in five specialist wine retailers and importers intend to add wines from Portugal, South Africa and Argentina to their ranges. These new wine origins are to complete or partially replace retailers existing ranges which were so far dominated by Italy, France and Spain.

10. Big differences between sales markets

The various wine markets differ in terms of the new origins in demand by retailers and marketers.

This is due to a variety of reasons such as geographical proximity (Slovenian wine in Central Europe, German wine in Eastern Europe, Chilean wine in North America), the trend towards diversity and sensorially easy-to-access wines from the New World (Eastern Europe, Southern Europe) as well as the aspiration to stand out from other retailers and find niches in highly competitive markets (e.g. Germany).

The importance of online sales

11. Online sales potential exploited to various extents so far



The share of producers and specialist wine retailers who run their own webshop for wine is similarly high at 38% and 40%. However, the relative share of sales generated by these webshops differs widely. On average wine specialist retailers sell more than one fourth of their products online (28%) while producers only handle 5% of their sales online. The reasons are the strengths of the wine specialist retailer such as the wider portfolio of wines, the special focus on end users and the expert use of online marketing. By comparison only one in five producers uses online portals (e.g. Amazon, other portals specializing in wine such as Vicampo etc.), to reach end users.

12. All market players expect online trade to grow further

Both producers and specialist wine retailers expect online sales of wine to increase further. They rate the growth opportunities for retailers and producers web shops as high as that of portals (e.g. Amazon, Ebay). While general portals have gained market shares for other product groups industry experts regard emotionally appealing solutions as necessary for the demanding product wine. It will remain exciting to see in future how general portals will develop relative to wine retailers specialized web shops.

The overwhelming part of specialist wine retailers agree that the operation of their web shop involves a lot of work and that comparability of prices on the Web will make profits dwindle even further. Which is why a further increase in online wine sales is seen more critically by wine retailers than by producers who are supposedly not so aware of the workload associated with online marketing yet. Specialist wine retailers, however, have already largely exploited the available potential and can only realise increases at high costs.

The economic situation of the wine industry

13. The wine industry looks to the future with optimism overall



The survey included especially industry leaders. These have positive expectations for the economic developments in 2019 but there are differences between producers, intermediate dealers and marketers.

Among producers large wineries are most optimistic. Wine-growing estates see the situation as stable while cooperatives expect the economic situation to deteriorate markedly. Importers and exporters expect the economic situation to improve in 2019 after a deterioration between 2017 and 2018. In 2018 the situation proved better than expected in 2017 for wholesalers and gastronomy but the estimates for 2019 are slightly more pessimistic again. Specialist wine retailers rate the situation as stable.

14. Differences between producers by country of origin



The high expectations Italian producers had in 2017 fulfilled in 2018 and the new year 2019 is seen on the same high level. The high expectations of Spanish producers for 2017 were not fulfilled by the extraordinarily small harvest in 2017 but the outlook for 2019 is positive. French producers have a slightly positive outlook for 2019 after unchanged developments between 2017 and 2018. For German producers the small harvest in 2017 contributed to a slightly negative development - their outlook for 2019 is the less positive of all countries. It should be noted that the results in part also reflect different mentalities in different countries of origin. Alongside realistic economic reasons these different expectations definitely also reflect the German angst and the optimism of the South.



Summary

In the second issue of the ProWein Business Report we could observe how part of the future expectations measured in the first issue materialised within one year. The expected rise of China took place faster than expected and the most populous country on earth already ranks first of the currently and future most attractive wine markets in the world. It remains exciting to see how the hopes in the emerging new wine markets such as Vietnam, India and Thailand will turn into reality in future. All expectations have in common that the focus of the wine world increasingly shifts away from the traditional wine production countries and to the East, Asia and in part also Eastern Europe. This is also strongly linked with the new trading formats for wine. While only part of the wine trade on traditional markets is online, Asia has leapfrogged several steps in this development and holds markedly higher online shares also because wine consumers are predominantly young. Over the next years it will be of decisive importance to the industry to find solutions for the in part cut-throat price competition caused by the high market transparency on the Web. The USA and Canada are the third important growth impetus for the international wine sector next to Asia as the populous business engine and Eastern Europe located close to the classic production countries.

The study was conducted by the Institute for Wine and Beverage Business Research at the Geisenheim University, headed by Prof. Dr. Simone Loose and her team and commissioned by ProWein. ProWein and Geisenheim University look forward to the continued compilation of the ProWein Business Report in coming years. This offers the possibility to verify whether the current expectations will materialize in future and which currently unexpected changes will emerge. In addition to a long-term series of an international market barometer interesting special themes will be included in the surveys every year. We would like to thank the participants of the survey and hope for continued strong participation among wine producers and marketers.



U.S. national security advisor John Bolton said Tuesday that an audio recording of journalist Jamal Khashoggis death inside an Istanbul consulate did not appear to provide any link between the killers and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Bolton, speaking on the sidelines of a regional summit in Singapore, said that although he had not listened to the tape himself, those who have listened to it concluded that Saudi Arabias de facto ruler is not implicated.

Recordings of the Oct. 2 operation, carried out by a 15-man hit squad inside Istanbuls Saudi Consulate, have been shared with Western intelligence officials. The office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that transcripts of the audio have also been shared with the agencies.

Western diplomats and Turkish officials say that it would be difficult to carry out such an operation without the approval of Mohammed, the kingdoms de facto ruler. At least one member of the Saudi hit squad had served as his bodyguard.

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According to a New York Times report published Monday, citing three people familiar with the recording, Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, the bodyguard, can be heard making a phone call after Khashoggis death. Tell your boss, he is reported to have said.

Khashoggi was a former palace insider and Washington Post contributing columnist who lived in self-imposed exile in Virginia, telling friends he feared the reach of the Saudi state.

Since coming to power, Mohammed has launched sweeping social reform at home while adopting hawkish policies abroad. He has also led a far-reaching crackdown on perceived opponents, detaining activists, clerics and dozens of princes.

The Trump administration views the powerful crown prince as a vital partner. Saudi Arabia is a major purchaser of American weapons and the linchpin of a regional strategy focused on rolling back Iranian influence.

Bolton described the relationship as incredibly important and said that President Trump did not believe that ongoing probes into the killing would affect arms sales to the kingdom.In his high-profile January 2018 State of the City address, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer vowed he was done listening to naysayers, done letting perfect be the enemy of the good, and busy forging ahead on two new facilities: a storage center that would give homeless residents a place to store their belongings by day and a housing navigation center, which he called life-changing, a permanent indoor facility that will serve as the anchor to our entire care network and as a model for the region, pairing trained professionals with people in need.

At the time, Faulconer had already successfully opened a temporary campground site for homeless families over objections from skeptics. Since then, he has also opened the storage center over unproven objections. Based on Faulconers speech and that track record, youd think itd be time for those skeptics to keep it to themselves on Tuesday when the City Council considers spending $1.9 million to open Faulconers navigation center and contract with Family Health Centers of San Diego to operate it for a year, with four one-year extension options. Its not.

The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board urged council members in March to open the storage center in Logan Heights, saying city safeguards and stepped-up police patrols would ensure its success. They did. It didnt come without a cost, though  $2 million of the San Diego Police Departments estimated $9.3 million current year overtime budget overrun is now attributed to the storage center. But its a benefit, and the storage center is now full.

Yet there comes a point when crossed fingers and and a full-speed-ahead mentality without a full understanding of the costs involved is too risky. San Diego is there now, and we urge the council to reject the mayors proposal on Tuesday until officials complete a strategic plan about six months away that would detail how city efforts will work holistically and with other agencies. We raised similar concerns in September 2017, after Faulconer announced San Diego would erect three giant tents to shelter some 700 homeless residents. We called his plan half-baked because the mayor had, among other questions, no idea how much the tents would cost. Lo and behold, a year later, the City Council voted to boost funding for the tents to $13.9 million a year  while lowering a target for people leaving the shelters to have moved into permanent housing, from 65 percent to 30 percent. Half-baked didnt cover it.

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Like the tents, increased outreach and a one-stop shop for homeless residents who want help is not a bad idea. But it can wait. Yes, Faulconer vowed in January that the center would open this year. Yes, he had the city spend $7 million without a current appraisal to buy the downtown site even though it was assessed at just over $5.8 million. And yes, he even bought it before the city had a conditional use permit as city officials initially deemed necessary. Its clear Faulconer is rushing things along. Its also clear the council should wait for that strategic plan  and for formal agreements with all the agencies that might be housed in the navigation center.

The citys independent budget analyst says that most of the agencies that could staff the one-stop shop arent under contract and that the extension options with Family Health Centers of San Diego arent subject to City Council action. That means the council has just one chance to get this right.

Councilman Chris Ward, chairman of the citys Select Committee on Homelessness, and Councilwoman Barbara Bry want to wait. Frankly, council opposition should be unanimous. Good intentions arent enough. The strategic plan should be done in summer, and the council should consider this then.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & OpinionJane Lyon has been an owner and breeder in horse racing for nearly 25 years.

Anybody who has spent that much time in the sport is likely more familiar with its heartaches than triumphs. To keep in check your affection for the animals probably is wise.

Lyon cant possibly do that with Chasing Yesterday.

She flew in from her Little Rock, Ark., home to watch the promising 2-year-old filly, a half-sister to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, compete in the $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes at Del Mar on Monday.

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For Lyon, it didnt matter that there was a small crowd on a blustery Veterans Day marked by Santa Ana winds, or that there were only two other horses in the race.

Watching Chasing Yesterday run to her third victory in four career starts, Lyon had to lean on trainer Bob Baffert for support and blinked back tears in the 1 minutes, 23 seconds and change it took them to cover 7 furlongs on the dirt.

Terror, Lyon would call it. Abject terror.

I almost cant watch. I get too emotional.

The reasons for that run deep.

Jane Lyons husband, Frank Lyon, was very ill in 2015, when American Pharoah  the offspring of the dam Littleprincessemma, owned by the Lyons  was on his journey to the Triple Crown. Frank didnt love racing, but he and Jane were enamored of Pharoah and were there for each race in his remarkable campaign.

Before Frank Lyon died in November 2015 at the age of 74, Jane promised to sell most of her racing holdings at their Summer Wind Equine farm in Kentucky, with one request: that she could keep the foal being carried by Littleprincessemma, who was bred with Tapit.

Frank Lyon died before that filly was born, and recalling what the family doctor once told her about Franks grave condition  Were chasing yesterdays now  Jane named her, poetically and poignantly, Chasing Yesterday.

In the winners circle Monday at Del Mar, where the filly broke her maiden in her first career start in late July, Lyon said, I probably shouldnt be as attached to her as I am. I know the flip side of that, if something goes bad.

But theres just so much emotion, because of that year and that promise. And now it looks like shes got some promise, too.

Promise, as in being a strong early prospect for the Kentucky Oaks next May on Kentucky Derby weekend.

This filly, shes royalty, Baffert said. Its fun to have a good one out there.

Shes matured a lot and shes starting to grow, he said. She was working really well for this race.

Baffert likened Chasing Yesterdays sweet disposition to that of American Pharoah, though she may never be quite the athlete he was.

That horse, he said, moved like a frickin cheetah.

In Mondays race, which was reduced to three by the scratches of Bafferts Der Lu and Brian Koriners Andyoushallreceive, Chasing Yesterday broke slower than the other two entrants  Jerry Hollendorfers Itsjustanillusion and Peter Millers Boujie Girl.

It turned out to be a blessing, said winning jockey Drayden Van Dyke. She got a little breather on the backside.

The heavy wind pushed the horses to a quick early pace. At the top of the stretch, it figured to be a thrilling finish, with the trio in a tight line. But Chasing Yesterday ($3) clearly was stronger running into the heavy gusts and beat Itsjustanillusion by a half-length.

The win was the second straight for Chasing Yesterday, who captured the Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 10.

Her only defeat is a seventh-place finish in a rough trip in the Grade I Spinaway at Saratoga in September. Baffert lamented not keeping her at Del Mar to run in the Debutante.

Sometimes you call a play and its a fumble, Baffert said. You cant be afraid to run.

Baffert captured his second straight in the Arnaz, with Dream Tree scoring the victory last year and subsequently winning the Grade I Starlet at Los Alamitos.Baffert said Chasing Yesterday is on that same path.

Notable

Trainer Brian Koriner won his fourth race in two days with Cupids Claws ($8.20) in the fifth to be on top of the trainer standings. Geovanni Franco rode winner Holland Road ($31.40) in the sixth for his meet-leading sixth victory.

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tod.leonard@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutleonard

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.I can already hear some nervous giggles. People are thinking its difficult to talk about dirtiness and watches in the same sentence and might think that my comments on this Montblanc watch wont be very positive. But they would be mistaken. So please continue reading this Why not.

The theme of dirtiness and deterioration is particularly apt for our times. Nowadays anything that is dirty is bad. But havent things always been like this? Certainly, but given societys progress, we try to push the limits and live in an ever-cleaner world. Purity is everywhere and people are constantly trying to combat microbes and parasites. But paradoxically, in some countries people are less protected from dirtiness and some forgotten diseases are re-emerging.

On the other hand, dirtiness is developing. Pollution, particulates and toxic clouds are becoming more common. We are trying to combat them, sometimes with  small  successes, but the future looks as black as a lung coated with coal dust. Our planet is suffering and rebelling, but we still continue to pollute it.

So we are stuck between extreme cleanliness and absolute dirtiness

But what has that got to do with watches and watchmaking?

If you look a little closer, the watchmaking industry is in search of this immaculate perfection. An example? Divers watch bezels are increasingly made out of ceramic. Why? Because they do not age with time and will remain just as they were when you bought the watch. Neither time nor the environment can dirty them and for many this is a good thing.

Another example can be found in case construction. Whether it is Seiko with its Diashield coating or Sinn with Tegiment, many brands try to keep their watches clean for now and evermore. These types of steel withstand shocks and everyday wear and tear. Once again, they will remain as clean as a whistle!

New materials are also being used, either for their stylistic innovation or their solidity and stability. Ceramic can break, but it does not scratch. So people actually prefer the risk of ultimate damage (ask about the cost of replacing a ceramic case) to that of a small scratch that spoils the watch.

And on watch blogs there are countless people who talk about their fear of scratches that could damage the purity of their timepieces!

I could go on even longer, talking about rubber straps that never change or even about people who buy watches but never wear them for fear of damaging them. But its now time to cross over to the dirty side of the Force, where imperfection, dirt or stains are synonymous with beauty.

Everything comes from wear and tear from time. The growing enthusiasm for vintage quickly took hold and vintage watches have become fashionable again.

If you like old things and you enjoy rummaging around flea markets and antique shops, you can only respect signs of wear and tear, stains, tears and anything that refers to an objects history. Instead of being rejected, such traits are actively sought out, to the point that they become a holy grail and push up the values of some pieces.

The new paint in your appartment is cracking? Thats terrible! Its ugly, repugnant and it needs remedying quickly. But on the dial of a Rolex Submariner thats called a spider dial and it makes your old timepiece a lot more valuable.

A sign of damp in your kitchen? It spreads and takes on a horrible brown colour. The plumber comes and the stain is erased. Phew! But on a Seiko Lord Marvel from June 1968 a dial affected by damp with a slightly beige hue with a few stains is a veritable beauty.

Your hardwood floor is warped by the sun? Your clothes are losing colour and your curtains are fading? The sun is bad and it can also stain but an Omega Speedmaster whose black dial has slowly changed colour after prolonged exposure to sun becomes a chocolate dial that is highly sought-after by collectors. So even bad quality can become an asset.

I could also talk about cases and the ultimate quest for watches that have never been polished. Their case bears the marks of passing time and each impurity tells its own story. Thats why people like them so much.

So the world of collectors is divided between the clean and the dirty, and thats not a problem.

But some watches have chosen their camp and shout it from the rooftops. Because they are made out of bronze.

The trend for cases in bronze really started with the first Panerai Bronzo. Before that there was the Gefica by Genta and the first attempts by Panerai (Pre-Vendome) and Anonimo. But the Bronzo started the trend.

In offering a case that takes on a patina over time, Panerai dared to make dirtiness something of value. So why use this word that has such a negative connotation? Simply because its the one that my wife uses to describe my bronze watches. She says they are all dirty

A collector would talk of patina and some even try to achieve the ultimate patina in green or red with an aggressive granularity. These attempts will shock those who prefer cleanliness but will delight the courageous bronzophiles.

After Anonimo, Genta and Panerai, many other brands followed the same path (IWC, Tudor, Oris, Ennebi and more recently even Hublot). Bronze alloys have evolved and some now age into brown, green and even orange or red hues.

But regardless of their patina, their charm remains intact and with its 1858 chronograph, Montblanc makes a marked entry into the club of dirty watches!

Why Montblanc?

I have never been a big fan of the watches by the German brand.

Their writing instruments, however, are monuments for those who enjoy writing. I can still remember my first Meisterstuck, which I bought after a student internship. I still have it. I later added a Hemingway to my collection, as well as a Lorenzo de Medici and an Alexandre Dumas.

As far as the watches are concerned, I believe that every brand needs to learn, fail and then re-emerge.

1858 collection  Montblanc

This is what Montblanc has done. Today I see a brand that has become credible, interesting and even attractive. I surprise myself at how much I like some of their collection. For me, the Rieussec models were the starting point and allowed Montblanc to rid itself of its image as a writing instrument brand that just happened to make watches as well. The designers and watchmakers gradually took the collections forward towards maturity with the 1858 but also with the recent TimeWalker collection.

TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph and TimeWalker Rally Timer Chronograph Limited Edition  Montblanc

Today the Montblanc catalogue is packed full of beautiful watches. The Minerva versions are quite simply exceptional and in my opinion too rare. With such industrial and marketing resources, I dream of seeing the Minerva movements coming back in more watches and in more configurations. The 2018 monopusher chronograph is one of the biggest surprises of the year and I cant stop admiring its unusual green colour, and its movement leaves me speechless.

1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition  Montblanc

But lets talk about another new model for 2018, which is one of the nicest chronographs currently on the market: the pretty, but potentially also very dirty  1858 in bronze.

The Montblanc 1858 Automatic Chronograph Bronze: dirty little beauty

Montblancs 1858 collection uses the old design codes of Minerva (which now belongs to Montblanc) and adds a touch of modernity and even innovation (for example in the form of the suprising Geosphere). This collection probably has the most beautiful watches by the brand, in particular the models with the Minerva calibres.

1858 Geosphere  Montblanc

But at the start of the year, Montblanc also presented a superb chronograph with a strong inspiration from vintage Minerva models like the rare 1940 chronograph (ref. 1335-710230) fitted with the calibre 13-20CH.

This 42mm model, which is offered in steel and bronze, is a success on different levels: first of all thanks to its classic shape with ideal proportions; then there is the choice of a bi-compax chronograph that reinforces the vintage aesthetic but also the simplicity of the dial. And then there are the numerals that make the watch sportier.

I should also mention the pilot style hands that are identical to those found on certain versions of the 1335 models, and the new Montblanc logo that is perfectly in keeping with the spirit of the 1858 collection.

To finish on a high, the steel model comes with a top-quality NATO strap or a deliciously vintage leather strap.

1858 Automatic Chronograph in steel with NATO strap  Montblanc

In short, we are talking about one of the best chronographs currently on the market.

As if that was not enough, Montblanc decided to offer this 1858 chronograph in a bronze version that differs from its colleague in two ways. There is, of course, the bronze case that will take on a patina over time. Nobody can say what this patina will look like, but one thing is certain: you will be surprised by its final look. The bronze might stain quickly, taking on different colours, and show some green marks on the bezel and lugs. But it could also tend towards a rarer reddish-dark brown, which is often obtained by using a catalyst (sulphur, egg or even urine). Other possibilities are matt dark brown, green (like on old monuments and statues), as well as multi-coloured grains

1858 Automatic Chronograph Bronze  Montblanc

Basically, nobody knows, but each one will be different. And that is part of the charm.

But Montblanc has not just offered a bronze case. It has also completely changed the dial for an aged salmon colour that recalls the patina seen on some vintage Minerva watches. The markers are gilt and the hands coated in rose gold. I am convinced that the evolution of the cases colour will show off this dial even more. Its just a question of patience

Case back view  Montblanc

The titanium case back is treated in the same colour as the bronze case and engraved with an image of Montblanc.

I am delighted that Montblanc has produced such a watch. This 1858 chronograph puts the bar very high and Im looking forward to the 2019 models.

What does the devils advocate think?

As already mentioned, with this 1858 chronograph in bronze, Montblanc already has a star in its collection. It is difficult to find fault with this model. Only a slightly smaller size (39mm) and a thinner profile could make this watch even more attractive.

But my main complaint is about the folding clasp, which is too complicated, too thick and not in harmony with the rest of the watch. A simple pin buckle in bronze would have been much more appropriate.

A part from these two remarks, there is nothing more to say. The 1858 chronograph is a success.

How to wear this watch with a dirty style?

The strap offered with the bronze chronograph is nice. But I would like to try it with a leather NATO strap from Bernhard Bulang (Bulang & Sons), or one of their nubuck straps. I would also take the opportunity to change the buckle.

As far as your look is concerned, aged denim is the best choice. My preference would be for a Ralph Lauren Double RL Selvedge, or a Dsquared. Then, forget the shirt and go for a T-shirt. A grey T-shirt from Zadig & Voltaires Toby Hors Service line would be a fun tribute. You could even wear an aged-look Majestic Filature polo shirt over it.

The shoes need to be resolutely sporty and could be matched to the watch with a green or bronze/gold patina. There are several options, from sneakers such as JM Le Glazel CS9094 or Addisson Geneve to Berluti Playtime.

The jacket needs to be of military inspiration, for example by Bulang & Sons (to match the canvas strap), or the highly versatile J. Crew version. To complete the aged look, choose a vintage pilots scarf in white silk or camouflage webbing from an army surplus store  ideally well aged!

This not-too-clean look will go well with a watch that will get dirty over time. Youre ready.

Now you just need to wait for time to take its toll and get your chronograph nice and dirty!Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/13/2018 -- In order to study the various trends and patterns prevailing in the concerned market, Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has included a new report titled "Artificial Lift Systems Market" to its wide online database. This research assessment offers a clear insight about the influential factors that are expected to transform the global market in the near future.



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The artificial lift systems market primarily includes six types of products: electrical submersible pumps, rod lift or sucker rod pump, progressive cavity pump, hydraulic pump, gas lift and plunger lift. Electrical submersible pump is expected to be the most dominant product segment in the global artificial lift systems market by 2020. The segment accounted for the largest share of the artificial lift systems market in 2013. Rod lift is one of the oldest methods used for lifting crude oil and natural gas. This is primarily attributed to its potential to lift heavy viscous crude oil at high temperatures. Additionally, matured reserves account for a significant percentage of crude oil production. In the present scenario, over 70.0% of the total crude oil production comes from matured reserves. Thus, matured reserves act as a key driver for the artificial lift systems market. The selection of artificial lift systems depends on various parameters such as operational cost, geographic location, flow rate, and well deviation.



North America is projected to be the largest market for artificial lift systems by 2020. With the discovery of shale gas reserves and rise in number of drilling activities, especially in the U.S. and Canada, the market for artificial lift systems is likely to rise at a substantial rate in the region. Demand for artificial lift systems is also projected to rise at a significant rate owing to the vast discoveries of shale gas reserves in Poland, Spain and Denmark. Various types of artificial lift systems are used to extract large volumes of crude oil and natural gas in Europe. Numerous petroleum companies are installing artificial lift systems for extracting high volumes of crude oil and natural gas to maintain energy security in the respective countries.



Demand for artificial lift systems is estimated to rise in RoW owing to the discoveries of offshore reserves in countries such as Tanzania, Mozambique and Egypt. Furthermore, increase in the number of exploration and production activities in Latin America and West Africa, especially in offshore reserves, has propelled the growth of the artificial lift systems. Currently, large volumes of crude oil and natural gas are being imported from countries in the Middle East. RoW countries such as Nigeria, Angola and Venezuela have large petroleum reserves. These reserves help maintain energy security and also to a certain extent bridge the prevailing energy demand-supply gap across the globe.



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The report includes geographical regions such as North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Rest of the World (RoW). Every region has been further bifurcated on the basis of the product segment. Revenue forecasts and estimates for each product segment have been provided for the period 2014  2020.



The report also provides detailed analysis and revenue of companies such as Baker Hughes, Inc., Borets Company LLC, Dover Artificial Lift, Flotek Industries, Inc., Halliburton Company, Kudu Industries, Inc., National Oilwell Varco, Inc., Schlumberger Limited, Superior Energy Services, Inc., and Weatherford International Ltd. are expected to dominate the market for artificial lift systems in the near future.



With the help of Porter's Five Forces analysis, the report provides a detailed analysis of the various factors influencing the artificial lift systems industry. The analysis also helps to understand the degree of competition prevalent in the market. Furthermore, the report analyzes the value chain and various drivers and restraints of the artificial systems market.



Artificial Lift Systems Market: Product Type Analysis



Electrical submersible pump

Rod lift

Progressive cavity pump

Hydraulic pump

Gas lift

Plunger lift



Artificial Lift Systems Market: Regional Analysis



North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Rest of the World (RoW)



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Email: sales@mrrse.comLos Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/13/2018 -- Wood pellet is a solid fuel that is produced by crushing and densifying waste timber like sawdust, forestry residues, industrial byproducts like old paper and forestry wastes. The Wood pellet is mainly used for Power Generation, Industrial Furnace, Civil Use, etc. And Power Generation is the largest usage with the share of about 52%, followed by Civil Use (22%).



In 2016, about 24.9 billion MT of Wood pellets are produced worldwide, generating the revenue of about $3753 million. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) will maintain around 3.26 percent between 2016 and 2022 as predicted by the report, the global sales in 2022 will reach 30 billion MT and $ 4550 million revenue.



The global average price of wood pellets went up in 2012-2014 but declined in 2014-2016, from about 172 $/MT in 2012 to 188 $/MT in 2014 and . And the price rose up in 2017.



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North America (USA and Canada) is the biggest producer for wood pellets, and produced about 11.6 billion MT (more than 48% of the global total) of wood pellets in 2016. Europe is the other key producer of the wood pellets market with the share of about 33%. USA, Canada, Germany, Russia, Latvia, and China, etc. are other key country producers of the product, the five took up more than 70% of the market.



Europe and North America are the two largest consumption markets of wood pellets in the world in the past few years and it will keep the same position in the next years. Sales volume of the Europe took up about 58% the global market in 2016 while North America took up about 20%. And North America is the largest exporter of Wood pellets in the world at present. China is the third largest market in the report with a consumption share of about 8% in 2016. Other key markets are Korea, Japan, etc. which have the large potential demand.



Currently, Enviva, Graanul Invest Group, Pinnacle, Rentech, Vyborgskaya Cellulose, Innogy (RWE), Aoke Ruifeng, Lignetics, Fram Renewable Fuels, Drax Biomass International, DEVOTION, Pacific BioEnergy, Protocol Energy, PFEIFER, Viridis Energy, Senon Renewable Energy, BTH Quitman Hickory, Enova Energy Group, Equustock and Energex are the wellknown players in the global Wood pellets market, and the 20 players took up about 52% of the global market in 2016. Aoke Ruifeng, DEVOTION, Dalin Biological, Senon Renewable Energy are four of the top suppliers in China; and Enviva, Lignetics, Fram Renewable Fuels, Lignetics, Fram Renewable Fuels, Innogy (RWE) and Drax Biomass International are leader in India; Pinnacle, Rentech, Pacific BioEnergy in Canada and Graanul Invest Group from Latvia are the world key producers of Wood pellets at present.



The Global Wood-Pellets Market Research Report 2018 report released by QYResearch provides a basic overview of the Wood-Pellets industry, including definition, classification, application and industrial chain structure. Discuss development policies and plans as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures.



The report then focuses on major industry players in Global, including company profiles, product images and specifications, sales, market share, and contact information. More importantly, the Wood-Pellets industry development trends and marketing channels were analyzed.Providing the main statistical data on the current status of the industry is a valuable guide and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.



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QYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), expert's resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc.Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/12/2018 -- Culture media is used in microbiological laboratories and research centers to grow and control cells. A cell culture medium is composed of an array of vitamins, amino acids, inorganic salts, glucose as an energy source, and serum as a source of growth & attachment factors & hormones.



A 360-degree synopsis of the competitive scenario of the Culture Media market is presented in this report. It has an enormous data allied to the recent product and technological developments in the markets. It has a comprehensive analysis of the impact of these advancements on the market's future growth, wide-ranging analysis of these expansions on the market's future growth.



CAGR growing +11% of Culture Media Market for the forecast 2018-2023.



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The report provides extensive competitive analysis and profiles of key market players such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., GE Healthcare, The Sartorius Group, Corning Inc., Lonza Group, Becton, Dickinson and Company, HiMedia Laboratories, Vitro Biopharma, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc, Caisson Laboratories, Inc., Cell Culture Technologies LLC, Fujifilm Holdings Corporation (Irvine Scientific Sales Company, Inc.), Avantor Performance Materials, LLC (VWR International, LLC), and Sera Scandia A/S (Biowest). The other players in the value chain (not included in the report) include Takara Bio, Inc., Cyagen Biosciences, PeproTech, Inc., and Biomol GmbH.



After studying key companies, the report focuses on the startups contributing towards the growth of the market. Possible mergers and acquisitions among the startups and key organizations are identified by the report's authors in the study. As leading companies take efforts to maintain their dominance in the global Culture Media market, the right way to do so is by adopting new technologies and strategies.



On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume, revenue, product price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into

Dehydrated Culture Media

Prepared Culture Media

Chromogenic Culture Media



On the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, including

Hospitals

Diagnostic Centers

Academic and Research Institutes

Other

Research & Academic Laboratories



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The research report examines the Culture Media market in a detailed manner by explaining the key facets of the market that are predictable to have a countable influence on its developmental predictions over the forecast period.



Geographically, this report split EMEA into Europe, the Middle East and Africa, With sales (K Pcs), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Culture Media for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast)

Europe: Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Benelux;

Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE and Iran;

Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria.



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

It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future

It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors

It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments.



Table of Contents

Global Culture Media Market Research Report 2018.



Chapter 1 Global Culture Media Market Overview

Chapter 2 Global Economic Impact on Industry

Chapter 3 Global Market Competition by Manufacturers

Chapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by Region

Chapter 5 Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export

Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type

Chapter 7 Market Analysis by Application

Chapter 8 Manufacturing Cost Analysis

Chapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers.

Chapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders

Chapter 11 Market Effect Factors Analysis

Chapter 12 Market Forecast.Egypt has called on Israel and the Palestinians to halt an escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, Egypt's state television reported quoting informed sources.

This came after Israel staged air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Monday, killing three Palestinians, after intensive shelling of its territory from the enclave.

"Egypt told Israeli authorities of the need to halt its escalatory operations in the strip and abide by the path of calm and the progress it has achieved over the past period," a high-level source said late on Monday, according to Egyptian state television.

The country has also stepped up efforts with the Palestinians on the matter, urging them to "commit to self-restraint, not to be dragged into an armed conflict, and instead to return to the negotiating table."

The latest flare-up, which has also killed a civilian in Israel, threatens to hold back efforts by Egypt and the United Nations to broker a long-term truce.

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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/12/2018 -- A recent report, titled, "Japan in Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Market, by Diagnostics, Companies, Reimbursements, Porter's Model, Growth Drivers, Challenges, Opportunities," added by ResearchMoz.us to their vast repository, presents an in-depth study of this market by covering various associated factors. The report acts as a valuable insight to all parties interested in this field.



Rising geriatric population in Japan along with existing high number of old-aged people in this country is majorly responsible for driving the Japan in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) market. This is mainly due to a high prevalence of old-age based diseases in the community, thus demanding the utilization of quality healthcare techniques like in-vitro diagnostics. Moreover, the national government is implementing highly favorable initiatives to encourage growth in this sector by increasing the expenditure provided. Coupled with this, a positive reimbursement policy executed by the government in Japan is also attracting numerous customers ready to undergo through the in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) method.



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In addition, several advancements have occurred in this technology, thus providing various advantages to those opting for the treatment. Being less invasive, better efficient than alternative methods, and less time consuming, are some of the key advantages associated with IVD, consequently driving extensive growth in the Japan in-vitro diagnostics market.



In spite of these growth defining factors, a shortage of availability of quality in-vitro treatments at remote regions situated in Japan are restraining the market's growth. The Japan in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) market is also hindered due to unavailability of reliable treatment and healthcare services from numerous healthcare organizations against serious health conditions. This makes the ones affected by health issues to seek out other traditional options. Lastly, high costs of in-vitro diagnostic treatments and services are majorly restraining the in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) market from a financial perspective. Nevertheless, several innovative solutions are being developed by numerous players, which promise to reduce effects of major restraints acting on the Japan in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) market.



The Japan in vitro diagnostics (IVD) market depicts a highly consolidated position mainly due to the presence of few players, which hold majority of the market shares. However, new businesses are expected to enter the competitive scenario every year, with increasing need for maintaining optimum health among the elderly people in the country. This is expected to further intensify the competition between individual companies working in this sector. Many companies are focusing on improving the associated treatment on a frequent basis, as well as improving their technological efficiency in the in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) market. Reducing treatment costs to benefit ease of accessing relevant healthcare services is another area where several companies in this market are striving to succeed. Roche Diagnostics, Abbott Laboratories, Danaher Corporation, and Biomerieux are key players operating in the Japan in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) market.Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/13/2018 -- Increasing dissemination of knowledge regarding the anesthesia and respiratory procedures across the globe has significantly reduced mortality rates. In addition, incidences of adverse events or surgical failures also declined significantly on the back of increasing awareness. Study of anesthesia and respiratory procedures in South Korea is compiled and published in the report titled, "South Korea Anesthesia and Respiratory Procedures Outlook to 2025-Airway and Anesthesia Procedures, Regional Anesthesia Procedures and Respiratory Procedures" that has been included in the exhaustive research repository of Market Research Hub (MRH).



The study of South Korea anesthesia and respiratory procedures involves airway and anesthesia procedures, regional anesthesia procedures and respiratory procedures.



The South Korea anesthesia and respiratory procedures study involves demand-supply equation of airway management procedures, anesthesia mask procedures, breathing bag procedures, incubation accessory procedures and laryngoscope handle procedures in South Korea.



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The study carried out during the course of market research also included exhaustive analysis of the socioeconomic aspects, disease prevalence, accessibility of medical resources and government involvement in addressing the issues of anesthesia and respiratory diseases.



Based on such a thorough analysis, the data derives in the report delivers the most comprehensive outlook of the prevailing scenario of anesthesia and respiratory procedures in South Korea and future opportunities in the same landscape. As the region lacks official data for anesthesia and respiratory disorders and associated complications as well as awareness regarding anesthesia and respiratory procedures, the market is likely to witness confined adoption during the forecast period.



South Korea Anesthesia and Respiratory Procedures: Report Overview



The report of South Korea anesthesia and respiratory procedures delivers a thorough analysis on the disease landscape in South Korea. Forecasting model based on epidemiology includes thorough analysis of the research publication and primary interviews with medical professionals as well as patient data.



The report also includes extensive interviews conducted by leading market analysts with industry savants, physicians and industry experts to provide validations of the procedure volume and derived assumptions in the study.



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South Korea anesthesia and respiratory procedures report foresees the market progress in terms of volumes forecast by different categories including Airway and Anesthesia Procedures, Regional Anesthesia Procedures and Respiratory Procedures.



Market projections for each of these categories and business development strategies adopted by key market players for specific strategies is also included in the report.



Valuable insights which can be helpful for manufacturers operating in the South Korea anesthesia and respiratory procedures are provided in the report. Assessment of barriers to market entry, market expansion strategies, pricing analysis and supply-demand equation makes the report the most credible source of information for business professional interested in the South Korea anesthesia and respiratory procedures market.



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Read Industry News at - https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte a comprehensive political settlement in Libya, the latest developments in investigation into Giulio Regenis murder, as well as other issues of mutual concern.

The Egyptian president, who is on an official two-day visit to Palermo, stressed the necessity of reaching a comprehensive political settlement in Libya with the support of the United Nations to preserve the unity and territorial integrity of the country.

El-Sisi also highlighted that a political settlement will help restore the role of the state institutions and allow for holding elections in Libya and achieve stability and security.

Spokesperson to the Egyptian presidency Bassam Rady said that the two officials discussed the latest developments in the investigation into the killing of Italian student Giulio Regeni and the joint cooperation between the two countries to uncover the circumstances of the case.

Egyptian and Italian authorities have been cooperating for over two years in the investigation into the murder of Regeni, who disappeared in Cairo on 25 January 2016 and was found dead 10 days later, bearing signs of torture.

Conte also hailed Egypt's role as a cornerstone of security and stability in the Middle East, and stressed his country's keenness to continue cooperation with Egypt in light of the positive developments in the Egyptian economy.

El-Sisi expressed his happiness with the strong ties between the two countries, stressing that cooperation on issues of mutual concern will continue.

Conte and El-Sisi also discussed developing economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries.

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Getty Images(ISTANBUL) -- A Saudi Arabian intelligence official was "shocked" after listening to an audio recording of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi's murder during a recent visit to Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.



Erdogan described the content of the recording as a "calamity" and insisted that Riyadh take decisive action against Khashoggi's alleged killers, according to a report in Turkey's Hurriyet Daily newspaper.



Speaking to local media Monday night while returning to Istanbul from Armistice Day ceremonies in Paris, Erdogan claimed the unnamed Saudi official "was shocked after he listened to the recording and he uttered that 'only a person on heroin can commit such an action,'" as the Daily Sabah reported.



Erdogan did not elaborate on how and when the Saudi official listened to the recording.



A source close to Turkish intelligence authorities confirmed to ABC News that Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor, Saud al Mojeb, was played the audio recordings by Turkish intelligence officers last month during an investigative trip to Istanbul.



A story in The New York Times reported Turkish authorities claimed a member of the assassination team instructed a superior over the phone to "tell your boss" the operatives had completed the mission. The Times article attributed this information to three people familiar with recordings of Khashoggi's murder.

The New York Times article also said American intelligence officers believe the "boss" in the that phone conversation refers to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de-facto ruler of the Saudi Kingdom.



The Times report went on to claim that a recording was shared last month with CIA Director Gina Haspel and is considered by intelligence officials as some of the strongest evidence linking Mohammed to Khashoggi's murder.



Reinforcing an assertion he made over the weekend, Erdogan said Monday night that Saudi Arabia, the U.S., France, Canada, Germany and the U.K. have been given audio recordings of the murder and said they are patiently waiting for the Saudis to shed light on the issue "as promised by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."



Erdogan said that he discussed the Khashoggi murder with U.S. President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron during a dinner in Paris and told them it was obvious that Khashoggi's murder was ordered and instructed by the high echelons of the Saudi hierarchy.

"From their reactions I believe they were disturbed about it too," Erdogan said to Hurriyet.



Erdogan added that he told Trump "there is no need to look elsewhere for the murderers since they are surely among the 18 people detained by Saudi authorities, including the 15-member team that came to Istanbul before Khashoggi's disappearance."



Khashoggi was a Saudi citizen and a resident of the United States who wrote columns for the Washington Post critical of bin Salman. He was reported missing by his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to obtain marriage documents on Oct. 2.



At the end of October, al-Mojeb made headlines during his visit to Istanbul by admitting that the killing of Khashoggi was premeditated, contradicting a previous official statement from Riyadh saying it was an accident.



At around the same time in late October, a Turkish prosecutor publicly revealed shocking details of the murder, claiming Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he stepped into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and that his body was dismembered.



A statement from the Turkish prosecutor, Irfan Fidan, said Khashoggi's killing was planned in advance.



Erdogan said Monday night that Turkish authorities have asked the Saudis where they disposed of Khashoggi's body and are still waiting for a response.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Egypt has said it will give priority to environmental challenges and biodiversity issues in the African continent during a UN biodiversity conference it is hosting over the coming weeks.

Egypt opened an African Biodiversity Summit on 13 November held in the run-up to the UN Biodiversity Conference COP14, which runs from 17 to 29 November in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

"Egypt will make every effort to put African issues within the priorities of the Conference of the Parties (COP14)," Egypt's Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said on Tuesday, according to a ministry statement.

Egypt will team up with fellow African countries to "ensure the welfare and protection of the environment in Africa and the world," the minister said.

She added that Egypt aims to adopt a coordinated approach to address the challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, and land degradation in Africa.

Tuesday's meeting is held in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the African Union, the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, as well as other partners.

During the African summit, environment ministers and key partners aim to tackle and offer policy and strategic guidance on Africas biodiversity priorities as well as promote synergetic implementation of the three Rio conventions  the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), according to the conference's official website.

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Plus, more Carnival Sunrise itineraries announced

Additionally in 2020, sister ship Carnival Sunrise (currently sailing as Carnival Triumph) will offer an expanded series of New York to Cuba cruises, and voyages to the Caribbean from New York and Norfolk.

'With the Radiance and Sunrise itineraries, we'll really be changing things up for Carnival Cruise Line,' president Christine Duffy told Seatrade Cruise News.

It will have been two years since Carnival operated a season in the Mediterranean (with Carnival Horizon in 2018) and at least two years since a Canada/New England season, she noted. Carnival will also be sailing to Cuba from more homeports, and these include a full day and overnight in Havana.

Carnival Radiance from Barcelona

Following a $200m drydock in Cadiz, Spain, Carnival Radiance will debut April 29, 2020, with a 10-day Mediterranean sailing from Barcelona before sailing nine-and 12-day cruises to destinations in Italy, France, Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain. The ship will then embark on a 13-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to New York, June 11-24, in position for its inaugural season in the Big Apple.

From New York, Carnival Radiance will offer a series of four- and six-day Bermuda cruises as well as a four-day cruise to Saint John, New Brunswick, eight-day eastern Caribbean voyages and the lines first Cuba cruises from New York. These nine-day sailings include a full day and overnight stay in Havana plus two Bahamas ports. The New York program will conclude with a series of Canada/New England fall foliage voyages visiting Boston, Portland, Saint John and Halifax.

Carnival Radiance will also offer three five- to seven-day voyages from Norfolk in October and November 2020, including the lines first Cuba cruises from that port. The weeklong Cuba cruises will feature an extended stop in Havana plus two calls in the Bahamas. There will also be a five-day Bahamas cruise and a six-day cruise visiting three of the countrys most popular destinations, including Half Moon Cay.

On to Port Canaveral

Following its cruises from the Northeast, Carnival Radiance will reposition to Port Canaveral for a winter schedule of six- to eight-day voyages to the Caribbean and Cuba beginning Nov. 8, 2020. The program includes six-day cruises with a day-long visit and overnight call in Havana and two Bahamian ports; a six-day sailing to Grand Cayman and Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; and seven- and eight-day Caribbean voyages visiting islands including Aruba, Curacao, St. Kitts and Grand Turk.

Carnival Sunrise to Bermuda and Cuba

Building on the popularity of short Bermuda cruises introduced by Carnival Horizon, Carnival Sunrise will offer a series of 'long weekend' getaways to Bermuda and longer Caribbean voyages and cruises to Cuba from New York beginning May 21, 2020.

The program includes eight nine-day voyages to Cuba with a full day and overnight in Havana along with stops at Half Moon Cay and Nassau. Eight four-day 'long weekend' voyages to Bermuda will also be offered, departing Thursdays and returning Mondays and spending a full day on the island. Seven eight-day voyages to ports in the Caribbean and Bahamas will be offered, as well.

The program wraps with a 12-day 'Carnival Journeys' partial Panama Canal transit from New York to Fort Lauderdale Oct. 19-31, 2020.

Carnival Sunrise will also sail from Norfolk in May 2020, offering a pair of five-day cruises to Nassau and Freeport, along with a six-day voyage to Half Moon Cay, Nassau and Freeport.

Transformations in Cadiz and namings stateside

Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Radiance will each undergo extensive dry docks in 2019 and 2020, respectively, that will add an array of food, beverage and entertainment choices. The latest new feature announced for Carnival Radiance is Big Chicken, a seagoing version of a landside restaurant operated by the lines chief fun officer, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille ONeal.

Both ships will be renamed during festivities complete with godmothers, at stateside locations to be announced, Duffy said.Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is travelling on Tuesday to Ethiopias capital Addis Ababa to participate in the 11th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU), which will discuss institutional and financial reform of the union, a statement by the foreign ministry read.

In an official statement, Egypts foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said Shoukry will attend the 20th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council on 14 - 15 November and the 11th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union on 17 - 18 November.

According to Hafez, the extraordinary session will revolve around updates on the AU Institutional Reform process including reform of the AU Commission, which began in the Kigali Summit in July 2016; where the AU mandated the Rwandan president with the mission of reform.

The summits will also discuss the mandate of the AU Development Agency (AUDA) and the Financing of the African Union.

The Egyptian foreign minister will hold several bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summits with a number of African counterparts, according to the spokesman.

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Press Release

November 13, 2018 K to 12's problem not legal but logistical, says Recto as he calls for an end to backlog in facilities K to 12's problem "is not legal, but logistical," Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said today as he urged the government to move on to address backlogs in the delivery of school facilities upon which the success of the said education reform hinges. Recto made the statement following the Supreme Court's decision upholding the constitutionality of Republic Act 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, which expanded to 13 years the length of basic education in the country. Recto said K to 12 has not been hindered by legal challenges but by delays in the delivery of classrooms, equipment and the hiring of teachers whose numbers have to be increased commensurate to the addition of two years of senior high school in the education curriculum. He, however, praised the current DepEd leadership, led by Secretary Leonor Briones, "for reducing the huge backlog they had inherited. They have had to do a lot of catching up and are successful in this." Recto said K to 12's premise was that classrooms, teachers and equipment will already be in place to receive enrollees in the additional grade levels. "That should have been the precondition. But the delivery of facilities was behind the curve. Grabe ang backlog na ilang taon ang kakailanganin para mawipe-out ang mga ito." As of July this year, there were 81,630 classrooms, funded in previous years, which were still in various stages of construction. This is on top of the 47,000 units to be built this year. Teacher recruitment was also hit by delays, Recto said. Of the 188,078 teacher items created from April 2016 to August 2018, only 114,019 teachers were hired from July 2016 to June 2018. This year the target is to hire 81,100 teachers. Another key education facility which suffered a procurement setback were technical-vocational packages, Recto said. Some 4,600 "tech-voc" packages were targeted for delivery this year, "which, even if they will materialize, form a small part of a very big requirement," he added. "We should remember that K to 12's promise was the graduation of employable high school graduates, many in the tech-voc field, but the absence of teachers and equipment betrayed this promise," he said. But even if the classroom backlog will be wiped out, Recto said DepEd will still need 64,668 classrooms to meet the standard student-to-classroom ratio. To accommodate the "annual natural growth" in student enrolment, the department has to ready 10,000 new rooms by school opening, Recto explained. "Unfortunately, DepEd's budget for next year provides for the construction of 4,110 classrooms only," he said. "To the credit of Secretary Briones and her team, their fund utilization and project completion rate are increasing," Recto said.Villanueva hails passage of National Integrated Cancer Control Act

Senator Joel Villanueva lauded on Tuesday the passage of Senate Bill No. 1850 or "An Act Institutionalizing A National Integrated Cancer Control Program and Appropriating Funds Therefor".

The bill, which the senator authored, was passed on third and final reading with 18 affirmative votes. It institutionalizes a National Integrated Cancer Control Program by integrating cancer consciousness into schools' curriculum, strengthening patient and family-centered cancer control programs, increasing public funding for robust prevention of cancer, better screening, and most importantly, making cancer treatment and care affordable for all, especially to our poor kababayan.

"Kung mayroon pong komprehensibong plano at sapat na pondo laban sa cancer, mas matututukan po ang problema at matutulungan din natin ang ating mga manggagawang dumaranas ng sakit na ito lalo na po at napag-alaman noon pa na pito sa bawat sampung pasyente ang hindi nagpapatuloy sa pagpapagamot dahil sa kawalan ng sapat na pinansya," Villanueva said.

"Sa tindi po ng problema ng ating mga kababayan dahil sa sakit na cancer at sa taas po ng bilang ng mga cancer-stricken Pinoy, napapanahon po ang pagpasa ng batas na ito sa Senado upang magkaroon ng abot-kayang pagpapagamot para sa ating mga kababayan na dumaranas ng cancer," the senator added.

"Malaking pasasalamat din kay Sen. JV Ejercito na principal author at sponsor ng panukalang ito, gayundin sa mga kapwa nating mambabatas na sumuporta sa pagpasa nitong panukalang batas."

The Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society found out that the Philippines has the highest prevalence of breast cancer among 197 countries. In 2012, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (lARC) revealed that there were 269 new adult cancer cases in the Philippines every day.

Furthermore, the Cancer Coalition of the Philippines said that around 3,900 children are diagnosed with cancer yearly and that the average survival rate of children diagnosed with cancer is only at 30 percent.

The Philippines observes the National Cancer Consciousness Week - a very laudable initiative that stresses the synchronization of efforts by both public and private organizations towards the prevention and control of cancer.

"We hope that the immediate passage of this important measure will ensure quality health care for all Filipino children and adults with cancer by increasing investments for the prevention, early and accurate detection, and optimal treatment for all forms of cancer," Villanueva said.Brewer Moa Group is expecting to be close to break-even in the six months through March on the back of strong recent sales growth and a seasonal lift in volumes during the summer.

The company says the underlying growth rate for Moa brands was more than 20 percent in the six months through September and the company also expects to report an improvement in earnings for the period - in other words, that the loss won't be so bad.

Executive chair Geoff Ross said the firms core strategies are in play for the key summer season.

We feel we are in a strong position, he said in a statement filed with NZX. Our core business has some great momentum of late which we plan to build on this summer. On the back of this growth and the summer lift, Moa expects the second half of this year to be near break-even.

Auckland-based Moa was founded in 2003. It has reported losses consistently since listing in November 2012 after an initial public offering at $1.25 a share that raised $15 million.

In May the firm raised an additional $1.92 million. That month the firm reported full-year revenue of $10.45 million and a loss of $2.55 million, with both figures up slightly on the previous year.

Ross today noted the firms reported half-year revenue will likely show only a minor increase from last year, due to the firm halting distribution of Parrot Dog product late last year.

Moa shares rose 2.4 percent to 42 cents today, trimming their loss so far this year to about 12 percent.

Ross said the firm is very encouraged by results from the firms six-month old New Zealand sales and distribution venture with Constellation Brands.

The venture, and new products, have seen the firms sales through grocery chains increase 25 percent, according to the latest quarterly data from AC Nielsen. That is up from a six-month growth rate of 16 percent, Ross said.

Moa is now experiencing the strongest growth of the top four craft brands at a rate three times the craft beer category, he said.

Ross said increased volumes and greater efficiencies are enabling the company to reduce costs in materials and packaging. It has also recently moved more of the companys higher volume brews to third party brewers with more efficient equipment to reduce cost.

Bars and restaurants are important places to build the firms brand, he said, noting the new strategic waterfront venue the firm recently secured in Auckland. Moa will be the exclusive craft beer and cider at the 10-restaurant venue where it will be working with one of New Zealands top hospitality companies.

We are excited about the prospect of further opportunities. We are working on two further large hospitality deals to close before the end of the calendar year.

(BusinessDesk)

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The New Zealand dollar held its ground against the greenback despite slumping global equity markets, jitters about Europe and ongoing concerns about US-China trade ructions.

The kiwi traded at 67.45 US cents at 5pm in Wellington from 67.24 US cents at 8.45am and 67.44 US cents late Monday. The trade-weighted index was at 73.97 from 73.83.

Asian stock markets sold off after U.S. stock indices lost m ore than 2 percent, with the Nikkei 225 index down 2.6 percent. Ongoing worries about political risk in Europe on growing fears of a no-Brexit deal and tensions over Italy's budget also kept risk appetite capped. Markets also remain focused on the possible impact of escalating trade tensions between the US and China.

The Kiwi, however, "is holding up remarkably well considering the risk off" mood, said Tim Kelleher, head of institutional foreign exchange sales at ASB Bank.

It also held up against the Australian dollar, trading at 93.47 Australian cents from 93.37 yesterday. Kelleher said the Aussie is weighed by global concerns whereas the kiwi is still benefiting from last week's surprisingly strong jobs data.

Kelleher said the kiwi is also benefiting from a growing view that the Reserve Bank of Australia should stop talking about the next move being a hike and should say it could be a cut while the Reserve Bank of New Zealand should probably be saying there is no chance of a cut given the recent strong data.

The kiwi was at 4.6913 Chinese yuan from 4.6931 yuan. It traded at 52.36 British pence from 51.93 pence and was at 59.96 euro cents from 59.38. It was at 76.91 yen from 76.87 yen.

New Zealand's two-year swap rate lifted 2 basis point to 2.19 percent; the 10-year swaps were unchanged at 3.08 percent.

(BusinessDesk)

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Local Government New Zealand supports the government's bid to reform the country's three waters but is calling on it to adopt four policy principles first.

"We welcome the current review. We are very aware of the need for it. However. we know from experience that policy decisions that are made the wrong way, on the wrong evidence or too hastily can have perverse outcomes," said LGNZ President David Cull.

The government announced a review of how to improve the management of drinking water, stormwater and wastewater in the wake of a 2016 water contamination incident in Havelock North which affected thousands of people. The first recommendations are expected in mid-2019.

LGNZ is calling on the government to fix drinking water first. "The government needs to set hard drinking water standards, and establish a regulator to police these standards," it said.

The Havelock North incident identified two key weaknesses - poor standards and lax regulatory oversight, Cull said.

LGNZ says it supports reform that establishes hard line drinking water standards and a legislative requirement for all councils to meet them. It also advocates for a strong role for the drinking water regulator to ensure those standards are met.

Secondly, LGNZ says that existing regulation should run its course. Amendments made in 2017 to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management introduced new requirements that must be in place by 2025.

"Water and stormwater assets are long-lived and it takes many years of planning and investment to change performance outcomes," the association said.

"Much of the planning and investment work is already underway and on track to meet these higher standards in regional plans," it said.

"Local government advocates for letting this work run its course before introducing new quality measures."

Thirdly, it said that mandatory aggregation should be taken off the table. The government is considering whether the water services currently supplied by local government should be merged into a number of larger jointly-owned entities to help both fund and ensure the quality of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services.

LGNZ said it is not opposed to aggregation but it should only be applied on a case-by-case basis. "Local government strongly opposes mandatory aggregation of water assets as one-size-fits-all policymaking," it said.

It noted the assets are owned by their respective communities and not by central government. "It is these communities who are best placed to make decisions about how they structure their assets" and community buy-in is vital.

Finally, it says central government should focus on getting the incentives right to drive behaviour.

"Strong quality standards across all three waters, coupled with rigorous enforcement, create a strong incentive to lift performance in a way that encourages innovation and places the least cost burden on communities.

(BusinessDesk)

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House prices rose just 0.5 percent nationwide in October from September, while Auckland prices fell a smidgeon. However volumes of houses sold jumped 15.5 percent from last October to the highest number in five months.

The latest Real Estate Institute of New Zealands house price index shows prices nationally rose 3.8 percent in the year ended October but fell 0.4 percent in Auckland.

Excluding Auckland, the index was 7.9 percent higher than a year earlier.

The number of properties sold in the latest month jumped by 911 to 6,791 compared with October last year.

October saw the real estate market spring back into action, says REINZ chief executive Bindi Norwell.

This is the highest number of sales for a month of October in two years and is the equivalent of an additional 29 houses sold each day across the whole month.

However, she notes that sales the previous October were dampened by the election.

The ban on foreign buyers took effect from Oct. 22 but Norwell says shes confident the figures dont reflect any rush by foreign buyers to get in ahead of the ban, pointing to Statistics New Zealand figures showing the lowest level of foreign buyers in the September quarter since it began keeping records.

Nevertheless, Kiwibank economist Jeremy Couchman says the bounce-back doesnt mean the housing market is hotting up.

If we average seasonally adjusted sales over September and October, we find that activity was 2 percent below that experienced in the previous eight months of 2018, Couchman says.

Current developments are consistent with our view that the housing market has entered a period of consolidation and house prices are likely to move sideways for the next year or so.

The housing market has been contained because of government policy uncertainty and tough restrictions on investor-related lending, Couchman says.

But the market is well-supported too and far from falling off a cliff. We have a massive shortage of housing, record low mortgage rates and an unemployment rate at 3.9 percent.

Despite the sales increase, the number of days it took to sell a house in October increased nationally by one day to 35 days, compared with October last year.

Auctions were used to sell 15.8 percent of the houses sold in the latest month, up from 14.9 percent in October last year. This is the first annual increase in auction sales in 28 months.

Couchman says there is growing anticipation that the Reserve Bank will loosen its loan-to-valuation restrictions (LVRs) in its upcoming Financial Stability Report. In simple terms, LVRs control how much of a banks' lending on housing is allowed to be low-deposit mortgage lending. They are intended to protect the long-term health of the banking system.

The housing market remains well behaved. There is every possibility that the Reserve Bank sees current conditions as congenial to looser LVRs. In addition, loosening LVRs would work with, not against, the banks monetary policy objective.

Still, hes expecting only a modest loosening of the LVRs, akin to those delivered last November.

The house price index was developed by the Reserve Bank to smooth out greater or fewer numbers of cheap or expensive houses being sold in any month and to take into account the size of houses being sold to reach like-for-like numbers.

But REINZ continues to headline its own median house prices, which rose 6 percent in October from the same month last year.

The discrepancy between the median price and the indexs 3.8 percent annual increase is easily explained by the fact that the number of homes sold for less than $500,000 fell from 46.1 percent of the market last October to 41 percent this October and the number of homes sold for more than $1 million rose from 12.6 percent of the total last October to 14.1 percent this October.

(BusinessDesk)

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Geo, the struggling workforce productivity software company formerly known as GeoOp, says a radical clean-up under a new chief executive could see the company on the path to break-even in the 2019 financial year.

Chair Roger Sharp admitted last years attempt to move the company's stock exchange listing from New Zealand to Australia had been a major and fruitless distraction. However it had prompted some very deep thinking about boosting revenue and becoming profitable, he told the company's annual meeting today.

The appointment of Sydney-based chief executive Kylie OReilly, previously with Australian Associated Press, had produced a whirlwind of activity at Geo, Sharp told shareholders. Trading for the six months to the end of October this year suggests the company is on track for revenue growth of at least 30 percent in the year to June 30 and an earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation "break-even run-rate by the middle of FY19, he said.

Geo provides cloud-based business productivity software and apps for companies with mobile and distributed workforces. However it has been a disappointment to shareholders since listing on the New Zealand stock market at $1 in 2013. Since the end of 2016, the stock has rarely traded above 40 cents, and since the beginning of the year has mostly vacillated between 11 cents and 19 cents.

The company suffered a $8.5 million loss in the June year, including listing costs from the failed ASX foray, and a $5 million write-down in intangibles. Revenue was $4 million, up 6.3 percent on 2017.

While I cannot say that any of us are pleased with this result, it is necessary to look beneath the headline numbers to understand the significant improvement in performance that we have driven in the second half of full-year 2018, and since, Sharp told shareholders. In the second half, we saw 24 percent growth in annual recurring revenues, a significant improvement in profitability and all convertible debt was either repaid or converted to equity.

He said monthly cash burn - the amount of capital a company spends to finance overheads before generating positive cash flow from operations - was down from almost $500,000 to $130,000. Geos aim was to eliminate cash burn totally next year, with a significant improvement in the companys cash position.

Sharps speech ended with bizarrely positive news for the companys long-suffering shareholders - Geo is fit to keep operating.

For the first time ever, our auditor has not qualified the companys accounts over its ability to continue as a going concern, Sharp said. Today we are firmly focused on a suite of growth initiatives, and on moving into profit, rather than raising money or trying to do an IPO elsewhere. It feels very good to be in this position.

Geo's shares last traded yesterday at 15.5 cents.

(BusinessDesk)

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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Tuesday that any proposal to resolve the Libyan crisis must consider the political, security and economic aspects given the crisis complicated nature.

Speaking at a mini-summit on Libya held in Italys Palermo, El-Sisi said that proposals have to be in compliance with the Libyan political accord and the UN envoys plan, according to presidential spokesman Bassam Rady.

The Egyptian leader called on all Libyans to shoulder the responsibility of implementing the accord. He also urged the international community to support a settlement in Libya without bias towards any party and that this settlement should ensure that all factions are represented in the state.

El-Sisi also showcased how Egypt has worked to unify the army in Libya, as it believes that any political settlement would need a security infrastructure that would enable the Libyan authorities to secure all the countrys territories and fight terrorism.

The president revealed during the summit that Egypt has reached an agreement with most of the Libyan factions about regulating the Libyan armed forces, expressing hopes that the negotiations will end soon with an agreement to unite the Libyan armed forces.

He also stressed the importance of fighting terrorism in Libya and preventing the country from being used as a hub for terrorist groups that take advantage of the political vacuum.

El-Sisi also stated that no international or regional party involved in supporting terrorism in Libya should be treated as part of the solution to the countrys crisis.

The summit was attended by officials from Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Italy, Russia, the UN and Libya upon an invitation from Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

President El-Sisi returned to Cairo on Tuesday after taking part in the mini-summit.

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Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar has arrived in Italy for meetings with heads of state, but will not attend a conference on Libya hosted by Rome, his command said on Tuesday.

Italy organized the conference in Palermo, hoping it would resurrect U.N. efforts to stage elections in Libya. Haftar arrived in Palermo late on Monday but did not take part in the opening dinner.

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The PMO has obtained a copy of the 1993 Acquisition of Certain Areas at Ayodhya Act, enacted by the PV Narasimha Rao government, and the same is being studied by its officials.

: The Prime Minister's Office is armed with a draft ordinance on Ayodhya, according to a highly placed source.

The Modi government is obviously seized of the Ayodhya issue, especially after the RSS and the sadhus meetings have red-flagged the issue.

As per the tentative schedule being looked at by the government, the ordinance is likely to be discussed at the Union Cabinet by the middle of November, after which it will be promulgated.

The government is expected to summon the winter session of Parliament in the second week of December, after elections to the five states are over, and obviously it will discuss the ordinance.

One school of thought is that the government, instead of taking the ordinance route, can straightaway move an Ayodhya Bill in the winter session.

Either way, legal views are being sought on all options before the government.

For the RSS and BJP, this tentative schedule helps them politically, as it will mean the Ayodhya issue will remain in the limelight and the momentum will carry forward till the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The Election Commission of India is expected to kickstart preparations for the Lok Sabha polls from January.

Rest assured, Ayodhya will remain in the headlines on almost all Hindi and English TV news channels till the polling is over.Libyas two main rival leaders met for the first time in more than five months and the prime minister backed a U.N. plan for an election next year, as Italy hosted a reconciliation conference a week after a vote was shelved for next month.

Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, whose weak but internationally recognized government is based in western Libya, met the commander who rules most of the east, Khalifa Haftar, in Palermo, Sicily on Tuesday.

There were no announcements of major diplomatic breakthroughs, but Serrajs spokesman said on Twitter the prime minister was committed to a U.N. road map to hold an election in the spring after a constitutional framework is put in place.

An Italian diplomat said Haftar, for his part, had given his backing for Serraj to remain in office as prime minister until the election can be held.

You dont change the horse until you cross the river, the diplomat quoted Haftar as saying.

GROUP HANDSHAKE

Despite Haftar having said he would not participate in the conference, photos released by the Italian government showed him with Serraj and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte embracing and smiling in a three-way handshake.

The Libyan rivals were also pictured in a group photo with dignitaries including Conte, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, EU Council President Donald Tusk, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. However, a source in Haftars command said he skipped the official final summit photo.

More than seven years after long-serving dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled by Western-backed rebels with NATO air support, no central authority has asserted control over Libya and armed groups control the streets.

The United Nations has blamed a spike in violence for its decision to drop plans to hold an election next month. It still aims for a vote next year, but says Libyans should first decide what sort of election they want.

Italy, the former colonial power which has large oil and gas interests in Libya and has been working to halt people-smuggling from the Libyan coast across the Mediterranean, had called the summit in a bid to bring together Libyas competing factions.

Haftar, a former officer in Gaddafis military who lived for years in exile in the United States, has emerged as the leader of the most powerful armed faction, having defeated Islamist militants in the east with support from Egypt and Arab states.

Serraj heads the government in the west, which has struggled to exert control beyond the capital Tripoli. Rival parliaments in the east and west also claim legitimacy as the legislature for the entire country.

Although he came to Palermo, Haftar had poured scorn on the summit, saying he was there only for bilateral meetings with regional leaders, not for the conference itself.

I will not take part in the summit even if it takes 100 years, he said in a television interview viewed by Reuters before it was aired. Haftar and Egypts Sisi, who strongly supports him, both skipped the opening dinner on Monday evening. Sisi also did not attend the final summit picture.

Italy has been eager to play a high profile role in Libyan diplomacy, competing with France, which staged a conference in May, the last time Haftar and Serraj met. The May conference produced a commitment to hold the December election but that has now been indefinitely postponed.

On Monday U.N. Libya envoy Ghassan Salame told Reuters he hoped another attempt to hold an election would take place by June but Libyans should first hold a national conference in early 2019 to decide on the votes format.

France has been courting Haftar, who is supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which see his forces as a bulwark against Islamists. Italy backs Serraj and his weak Government of National Accord (GNA), and has worked with local groups in Libya to stop Europe-bound migrants from embarking by boat.

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Beijing wants S. China Sea code finished in three years



Singapore, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



A rulebook to settle disputes in the hotly contested South China Sea should be finished in three years, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday, insisting his nation does not seek "hegemony or expansion".

Li's comments appeared to be the first clear timeframe for finishing the code of conduct. Talks have dragged on for years, with China accused of delaying progress as it prefers to deal with less powerful countries on a one-on-one basis.

Ownership of islands and waters in the South China Sea is disputed by several nations.

China, which claims virtually all of the sea, has established military positions on disputed outcrops and intimidates fishermen and naval vessels from rival countries.

Tensions have soared with fellow claimants such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan, as well as the United States, which has traditionally been the dominant military power in the area.

Beijing and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have for years sought to hammer out a code to govern disputes in the disputed waters, but the process has moved slowly.

Speaking in Singapore ahead of the opening of an ASEAN summit, Li said: "It is China's hope that the (code of conduct) consultation will be finished in three years' time so that it will contribute to enduring peace and stability in the South China Sea."

"We are not and we will not seek hegemony or expansion. That is something that we will never do," he added.

"What we hope is to have a harmonious relationship with our neighbours."

There have been small signs of progress in recent months.

China and Southeast Asian nations announced in August that they had agreed on their initial bargaining positions as they work towards a code.

While both sides hailed it as a vital step, critics said that some of Beijing's proposals in the agreement were clearly aimed at expanding its influence in the region at the expense of Washington.

Navies from China and Southeast Asia also staged their first joint drills last month in the South China Sea -- which is criss-crossed by busy shipping lanes and home to abundant natural resources -- in an effort to ease tensions.

Opposition has weakened in many parts of Southeast Asia to China's aggressive behaviour in the waters in recent years, with countries keen to attract investment from Beijing and worried about US commitment to the region under President Donald Trump.A Jordanian court on Tuesday sentenced 10 people to prison terms of between three years and life in connection with a deadly 2016 attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) militant group.

The shooting attack in Karak, site of one of the region's largest Crusader castles, killed seven policemen and two Jordanian civilians as well as a female Canadian tourist, and wounded 34 other people.

The defendants were charged in state security court, a military tribunal, with "terrorist acts", illegal possession of arms and producing explosives.

Two of them were handed life terms, while three were sentenced to 15 years in prison and five others to serve three years in jail. One defendant was acquitted.

Courts in Jordan, the target of several deadly attacks, regularly put on trial suspected jihadists.

A close ally of Washington, the desert kingdom is part of a US-led coalition fighting IS in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdecaf948)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdee13ac8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdecaf948)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdee13ac8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdee498c8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdee13ac8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdee13ac8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fde8be078)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdee228d0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdee228d0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fded91ea0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdecaf990)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fded91ea0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdecaf990)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdede2fd0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdecaf990)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdecaf990)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fde8bf378)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fde8beb08)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fde8beb08)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0Trump on Tuesday launched another attack against Emmanuel Macron over the French president's call for a European army.

"Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France?" Trump tweeted. "They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!"

Over the weekend, Macron angered Trump by saying Europe needed its own army and listing the US along with Russia and China as a threat to European security.

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President Donald Trump's appointment of Matthew Whitaker to lead the US Department of Justice was called "unlawful" Tuesday in a court challenge less than one week after he was named acting attorney general.

The state of Maryland asked a federal judge to block Whitaker from acting on behalf of the department in an ongoing court case on health care policy, arguing that he had not been approved by the US Senate as required by law.

But Maryland state Attorney General Brian Frosh made clear that the challenge was also a political move against someone that Democrats believe Trump chose to protect his presidency from the Russia collusion investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

"President Trump's brazen attempt to flout the law and constitution in bypassing Deputy US Attorney General Rosenstein in favor of a partisan and unqualified staffer cannot stand," Frosh said in a statement.

Trump, he said, has chosen "an unqualified and unconfirmed partisan to be the nation's chief law enforcement officer in order to protect himself rather than the rule of law."

Frosh's request for an injunction against Whitaker was the first official challenge to his appointment last Wednesday to replace fired attorney general Jeff Sessions.

The appointment has raised controversy because of Whitaker's limited experience and his record of vocal opposition to the Mueller investigation, which he has now taken control of from Rosenstein.

Maryland said the appointment violated a fundamental law requiring the top government officials to be confirmed by the Senate -- which Rosenstein has been.

Legal experts have warned that Whitaker could jeopardize Justice Department legal cases if his appointment is found to be illegal.

"Whitaker's appointment is unlawful," the state said in a court filing, saying it could damage Maryland's ongoing health care case against the government.

Whitaker had been Sessions' chief of staff for a year, acting a liaison to the White House as Trump's relations with Sessions became increasingly strained.

Before that, he was a federal prosecutor in Iowa who had lost two races for political office and then a television and radio commentator.

In that role last year he made repeated comments dismissing the basis for the Mueller investigation and suggesting it be starved for funds to shut it down.

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Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly asserted that the government is ready to remove obstacles that may face the Japanese investments in Egypt, hailing the valuable development assistance that Tokyo offers to Cairo.



The prime minister made the remarks on Tuesday during a meeting he held with a delegation of Japan's "Toyota Tsusho " company to review the company's activities in Egypt and means of expanding them.



The meeting was attended by the minister of trade and industry along with the Japanese ambassador in Cairo.



The prime minister expressed Egypt's appreciation for the current cooperation with the Japanese company in various fields, calling on the company to pump further investments in the coming period to benefit from the encouraging investment climate here.



For their part, the representatives of Toyota Tsusho reviewed the company's current activities in Egypt, mainly in the fields of infrastructure, generating electricity from the wind, auto industry and commodity trade.



The Japanese ambassador to Egypt praised the achievements of the Egyptian government in light of implementing the economic and social reform program in addition to the remarkable improvement of the economic performance.

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French firm refurbishes earnings via old iPhones



Poilley, France, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



One company in northern France is doing its profitable best to give an environmental makeover to smartphones, whose circuitry, batteries and plastics have become a polluting blight over the past decade.

With their rapid life cycles and -- for the cheaper brands -- falling prices, many mobiles have become disposable items for consumers keen to move on to the latest model.

But out of a large warehouse staffed by white-coated workers in Normandy, the Remade company is embracing a different approach, reconditioning thousands of Apple iPhones every day under the entrepreneurial eye of its 39-year-old boss, Matthieu Millet.

He is "Matthieu" to his staff, wears jeans and sneakers, and has installed a piano in the company lobby, bringing a touch of Silicon Valley start-up culture to this windswept pocket of France facing England.

Aged just 23, he bought out the TV repair business he worked for at the time and, in 2014, spotted the potential for refurbishing iPhones to tap into a market where even second hand, Apple products command a premium price.

Remade -- its avowedly English name another nod to US tech -- reported turnover of 23 million euros ($26 million) in the first year it began overhauling iPhones.

Last year that had swelled to 130 million euros and Millet is adding 200 jobs to the workforce of 850, banking on "very strong growth" this year.

"We know how to disassemble everything, reassemble everything. The product must not only work, it must work perfectly as intended," he said.

The old phones are shipped in from telecom operators not just in Europe but the United States, whose customers have upgraded to newer models.

Environmentalists complain that the spent phones all too often get dumped in landfills in the West, or farmed out to regulation-light parts of Africa and Asia where workers are forced to breathe in toxic fumes as they extract and recycle the raw materials built into the devices.

Since the first iPhone's debut in 2007, 7.1 billion smartphones have been produced worldwide but less than 20 percent of all "e-waste" including phones is recycled, according to Greenpeace.

That represents a business opportunity for the likes of Millet, who is cashing in as a new top-of-the-range iPhone XS series tops 1,000 dollars/euros.



- 'Three lives' -



This year, Remade intends to put 800,000 overhauled iPhones back on the market, at a discount of at least 25 percent off the as-new price.

"An iPhone can have three lives, it can be refurbished twice, it's the strongest product with the longest life," says Millet.

Cheaper Chinese smartphone brands have a stronghold in the developing world, and are seen as especially disposable. Apple and Samsung have been touting their environmental credentials, but the production process inevitably carries a cost.

That include carbon emissions along with environmental degradation from the extraction of raw materials such as the metal cobalt, used in lithium-ion batteries, much of it sourced from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Erwann Fangeat, an engineer at the French Environment and Energy Management Agency, praised operations like Remade.

"The product life of a smartphone is at least five or six years but 88 percent of French people change their smartphone while the old one still works and has value," he said.

"The longer you extend the life of the product, the more it reduces its environmental impact because it delays the fabrication of a new smartphone," he added, noting that refurbishing an iPhone emits 90 percent less carbon dioxide than making one from scratch.

That offers Millet another way to cash in, via the European Union's "cap and trade" emissions scheme, which gives greener companies a market to sell leftover carbon credits to more polluting concerns.

He hopes to obtain 100,000 tonnes of carbon credit this year, translating into millions extra for Remade's bottom line.

"I'm not Greenpeace," an unapologetic Millet said.

"But it makes me happy to have this (business) model, to know that it's good for people and the planet."Smartphones: a double-edged sword for terrorists



Paris, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



Bombs and guns aside, a smartphone can be a powerful weapon in the hands of a terrorist -- but it can also provide intelligence services with the tools to track them down.

Three years ago to the day, the Paris attacks of November 13, 2015 remain one of the best known examples of a large-scale assault that could not have been planned without phones.

The Islamic State group gunmen and bombers who struck the Bataclan concert hall and other nightlife spots used them extensively to coordinate the carnage, said a former French anti-terrorist official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Just before entering the Bataclan, where they massacred 90 people, the attackers had sent a text message to accomplices in Belgium: "We're going ahead. It's started."

But if smartphones have been a "game-changer" for jihadists, their use by the world's extremists goes much further back than the Paris attacks.

"As of 2003, in Iraq, home-made bombs started being set off by the sending of an SMS as American convoys drove past. This caught on and was then repeatedly used by Al-Qaeda," the ex-official told AFP.

These days, encrypted apps such as Telegram, Wire and WhatsApp can help jihadists communicate while evading police tracking -- or at least complicate efforts to decode their messages.

For several years IS has published online tutorials in several languages explaining to jihadists how to choose the best software to evade detection in war zones.

For new recruits in developing countries, where smartphones are more common than computers, there are different strategies still.

"Phones are no longer phones -- they're computers," said Laurent Heslault, director of security strategies at Symantec, a security group.

"They are far more powerful than what we had on our desks 10 years ago," he added.

"They have more computing power, more memory and connection capabilities. They are very powerful tools when it comes to communicating."

That has also made it much easier for jihadist groups to recruit new members.

Smartphones "enable people to reach out for propaganda" with the swipe of a screen, said the retired official.

"Thirty years ago, guys used to exchange video cassettes, then it was CDs. Now it's online and can be looked up at any time."

For propaganda-makers, videos of attacks can be filmed and uploaded in the blink of an eye.

"You can film attacks, claim responsibility, use (a phone) to take photos and film reconnaissance operations," the ex-official said.



- Flip side of the phone -



But the smartphone can be an extremist's downfall as well as their best asset.

Intelligence agencies have grown better at using phones to identify suspects, spy on them -- and, in case of capture, lift data for use as evidence in court.

That in turn has raised difficult questions for tech giants who promise their users privacy.

Most famously, Apple faced a court showdown with the FBI after agents sought access to the data of the attackers who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in December 2015.

Investigators dropped the case after finding a way into the phone without help from Apple, which argued that helping authorities access a phone would set a dangerous precedent.

Further afield, governments have used phone data extensively to pinpoint extremist suspects.

The French military intervention in Mali, launched in 2013 after jihadists took over the northern half the country, started with air strikes whose targets were chosen based on phone data, the former French official said.

"Today all air strikes focus on telephones," he added.

"Even if you keep changing the SIM card the phone has its own identity and once detected can continue being tracked."

And when it comes to police investigations, smartphones sometimes provide more information than their owners.

They might allow investigators to work their way back along an information trail, snare other members of a suspect's network, and track sleeper cells, he added.

"Smartphones make you a target," the expert said.

"Because of this jihadist leaders have learned to keep away from them. For the past few years, there's been a marked return to using human envoys," he added.

mm/fc/kjl/ach/kaf

APPLE INC.Fighting wars and disease, smartphones on the frontlines



Paris, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



At the sharp end of conflict in Syria, in a schoolchild's bag in Kenya, whether fighting deadly diseases or studying forestry, the smartphone has become ubiquitous in just over a decade.

This year, the number of users is expected to pass three billion, and AFP photographers have sampled how the phones have become a mainstay of lives around the world for people who cannot live without them.

Take Moris Atwine, 25. The Ugandan entrepreneur helped to develop a mobile app to aid in the diagnosis of malaria, a worldwide killer, without the need for a blood sample, and transmit the result in seconds.

Qiao Xi, 21, describes her smartphone as her "boyfriend". From an all-blue studio, the Beijing-based vlogger live-streams songs, dance moves and observations about her daily life to some 600,000 followers on the Huoshan channel.

From the frivolous to the deadly serious, Mohammed Hamroush is a member of the "White Helmets" group, which rushes to help the wounded in rebel-held parts of Syria.

Hamroush's smartphone helps the volunteer to track bombardments, get to where help is needed, and allows his worried wife to know he's safe.

Inna Salminen works in far calmer conditions, surveying the forests of Finland, but knows too that her smartphone can be a lifesaver if she gets lost in a remote area.

The 27-year-old conservation expert speaks for a whole generation when she describes only having a "hazy memory" of life before smartphones.

Aged 13, Imelda Mumbi has no such memory at all. The Kenyan schoolgirl uses her smartphone for fun, of course, but also to help her studies.

Imelda counts on Eneza, an interactive educational app which has about three million users worldwide, plugging her corner of Africa into a global network that has grown from nothing in a few short years.Never without their smartphones: a global revolution



Paris, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



At the sharp end of conflict in Syria, in a schoolchild's bag in Kenya, whether fighting deadly diseases or studying forestry, the smartphone has become ubiquitous in just over a decade.

This year, the number of users is expected to pass three billion, and AFP photographers have sampled how the phones have become a mainstay of lives around the world for people who cannot live without them.

Take Moris Atwine, 25. The Ugandan entrepreneur helped to develop a mobile app to aid in the diagnosis of malaria, a worldwide killer, without the need for a blood sample, and transmit the result in seconds.

Qiao Xi, 21, describes her smartphone as her "boyfriend". From an all-blue studio, the Beijing-based vlogger live-streams songs, dance moves and observations about her daily life to some 600,000 followers on the Huoshan channel.

From the frivolous to the deadly serious, Mohammed Hamroush is a member of the "White Helmets" group, which rushes to help the wounded in rebel-held parts of Syria.

Hamroush's smartphone helps the volunteer to track bombardments, get to where help is needed, and allows his worried wife to know he's safe.

Inna Salminen works in far calmer conditions, using her smartphone to survey the forests of Finland, but knows too that the device can be a lifesaver if she gets lost in a remote area.

The 27-year-old conservation expert speaks for a whole generation when she describes only having a "hazy memory" of life before smartphones.

Aged 13, Imelda Mumbi has no such memory at all. The Kenyan schoolgirl uses her smartphone for fun, of course, but also to help her studies.

Imelda counts on Eneza, an interactive educational app which has about three million users worldwide, plugging her corner of Africa into a global network that has grown from nothing in a few short years.Amazon announces new HQ split between New York, Washington suburbs



Washington, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



Amazon announced Tuesday it would split its "second headquarters" between New York City and a Washington suburb in Northern Virginia, with the online giant to invest some $5 billion in the two locations after a heated contest by dozens of cities.

"These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come," Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos said in a statement.

The announcement comes after a yearlong search and a fierce competition between North American cities to net the estimated 50,000 jobs that will be created with the new headquarters, which had been dubbed "HQ2."

Amazon selected the Long Island City neighborhood in the New York borough of Queens, across the East River from Manhattan, and the Crystal City section of Arlington, across the Potomac from the US capital Washington, where Amazon plans to create a new neighborhood called National Landing.

These will be new headquarters with equivalent status to Amazon's home in Seattle, Washington.

According to an Amazon statement, the company will receive "performance-based direct incentives of $1.525 billion" over the next decade from New York based on creating 25,000 jobs in Long Island City.

"This is a giant step on our path to building an economy in New York City that leaves no one behind. We are thrilled that Amazon has selected New York City for its new headquarters," said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"New Yorkers will get tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs, and Amazon will get the best talent anywhere in the world."

Virginia will offer $550 million in incentives over 12 years based on a similar number of job creations, contingent on adding the forecasted number of "high-paying jobs," and Amazon will get another $23 million from Arlington.

"This is a big win for Virginia -- I'm proud Amazon recognizes the tremendous assets the Commonwealth has to offer and plans to deepen its roots here," said Virginia Governor Ralph Northam.The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy StatementSharmoofers, Massar Egbari, Wust El-Balad, Black Theama, Disco Masr and Karakeeb will perform at the event on Friday

Six Egyptian bands, including a number of big names, will be performing at a concert at Family Park on the Cairo-Suez highway on Friday.

Sharmoofers, Massar Egbari, Wust El-Balad, Black Theama, Disco Masr and Karakeeb will take the stage at the military-owned park, which rarely hosts such events.

All six bands have invited their fans to attend the Black and White concert, which asks attendees to dress in black and white.

Programme:

Friday 16 November, 1pm

Family Park, Cairo-Suez highway

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Deadly Gaza flare-up threatens to derail peace efforts



Gaza City, Palestinian Territories, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



Renewed violence in Gaza threatened to thwart efforts to end months of unrest as Israeli air strikes killed three Palestinians and destroyed a Hamas TV building while a barrage of rocket fire from the enclave left one dead on Tuesday.

The flare-up came after a deadly Israeli special forces operation in the Gaza Strip on Sunday that led Hamas to vow revenge.

Israel's military said it had so far struck more than 70 militant sites in response to over 300 rockets fired from the Hamas-run territory Monday afternoon into the night.

Missile defences intercepted dozens of rockets from Gaza and most others fell in open areas, though some hit houses and other civilian structures, the military said.

One man was pulled dead from the ruins of a building in southern Israel, emergency services organisation United Hatzalah said, adding that a woman recovered from the same building in the city of Ashkelon was in a critical state.

Medics had earlier reported around 20 Israelis wounded, while Gaza's health ministry said three Palestinians were killed and nine wounded in the Israeli strikes.

Militant group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said two of those killed were its members and the third was from Islamic Jihad's armed wing.

The outbreak of violence came after months of deadly unrest along the Gaza-Israel border had appeared to be calming.

Recent weeks have seen Israel allow Qatar to provide the Gaza Strip with millions of dollars in aid for salaries as well as fuel to help ease an electricity crisis.

Before the flare-up, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had defended his decision to allow Doha to transfer the cash despite criticism from within his own government, saying he wanted to avoid a war if it was not necessary.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008, and deadly clashes in recent months have raised fears of a fourth.



- Warning shots -



The army said Monday an Israeli bus was hit by an anti-tank missile from the Gaza Strip, causing several injuries. A soldier was severely wounded, it added.

Palestinian militant groups in Gaza, including Hamas, claimed responsibility for the rocket fire and the missile attack on the bus, which they said was being used by Israeli soldiers.

Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said he could not yet provide further details on the bus or its passengers.

The building for Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV was destroyed in an Israeli strike after a series of warning shots, with the Israeli army saying the station "contributes to Hamas's military actions".

No injuries were reported and workers were believed to have evacuated after the warning shots.

A former hotel in Gaza City used by Hamas as an internal security office was also hit in an Israeli strike, AFP journalists reported.

Gaza militants threatened another harsh response after the strike on the TV building and, according to police, more rockets landed in Ashkelon.

Hamas said the initial rocket fire was in revenge for the deadly Israeli operation late Sunday in the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, a clash erupted during the covert operation that killed seven Palestinian militants, including a local commander for Hamas's armed wing, as well as an Israeli army officer.



- 'Extremely dangerous' -



Netanyahu cut short a trip to Paris and rushed home as tensions rose, and on Monday convened a meeting of security chiefs.

UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who along with Egypt has been seeking a long-term truce between Israel and Hamas, called the escalation "extremely dangerous" and said on Twitter that "restraint must be shown by all".

Israel had stressed its covert operation on Sunday was an intelligence-gathering mission and "not an assassination or abduction", but Hamas strongly denounced it and vowed revenge.

Israel's military signalled that Sunday's mission did not go as planned and resulted in the clash, which Palestinian officials said included Israeli air strikes.

Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said the Israeli special forces team had infiltrated near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip in a civilian car.

An exchange of fire followed in which local Al-Qassam commander Nour Baraka was killed along with another militant, it said.

The car then attempted to flee and Israeli aircraft provided covering fire.

Israel's military declined to comment on the Al-Qassam account "because of the sensitive nature of the operation".

A funeral was held for the seven Palestinian militants on Monday, attended by thousands, including masked Al-Qassam members carrying rifles, some firing into the air.

Violent clashes have accompanied major protests along the Gaza-Israel border that began on March 30.

At least 231 Palestinians have since been killed by Israeli fire, the majority shot during protests and clashes, while others died in tank fire or air strikes.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in that time.Beijing wants S. China Sea code finished in three years



Singapore, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



A rulebook to settle disputes in the hotly contested South China Sea should be finished in three years, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday, insisting his nation does not seek "hegemony or expansion".

Li's comments appeared to be the first clear timeframe for finishing the code of conduct. Talks have dragged on for years, with China accused of delaying progress as it prefers to deal with less powerful countries on a one-to-one basis.

Ownership of islands and waters in the South China Sea is disputed by several nations.

China, which claims virtually all of the sea, has established military positions on disputed outcrops and intimidates fishermen and naval vessels from rival countries.

Tensions have soared with fellow claimants such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan, as well as the United States, which has traditionally been the dominant military power in the area.

Beijing and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have for years sought to hammer out a code to govern disputes in the disputed waters, but the process has moved slowly.

Speaking in Singapore ahead of the opening of an ASEAN summit, Li said: "It is China's hope that the (code of conduct) consultation will be finished in three years' time so that it will contribute to enduring peace and stability in the South China Sea."

"We are not and we will not seek hegemony or expansion. That is something that we will never do," he added.

"What we hope is to have a harmonious relationship with our neighbours."



- Warships and drills -



There have been small signs of progress in recent months.

China and Southeast Asian nations announced in August that they had agreed on their initial bargaining positions as they work towards a code.

While both sides hailed it as a vital step, critics said that some of Beijing's proposals in the agreement were clearly aimed at expanding its influence in the region at the expense of Washington.

Navies from China and Southeast Asia also staged their first joint drills last month in the South China Sea -- which is criss-crossed by busy shipping lanes and home to abundant natural resources -- in an effort to ease tensions.

Opposition has weakened in many parts of Southeast Asia to China's aggressive behaviour in the waters in recent years, with countries keen to attract investment from Beijing and worried about US commitment to the region under President Donald Trump.

Nonetheless Washington and other western allies like Britain and Australia have ramped up freedom of navigation exercises in recent months.

The sailing of warships through the strategic region is a bid to enforce the idea that the sea is international waters and open to all, a stance that infuriates Beijing.

National Security Advisor John Bolton told reporters in Singapore that any code of conduct deal struck between China and Southeast Asian nations should not be allowed to restrict access to the sea.

"It also has to be acceptable to all the countries that have legitimate maritime and naval military rights to transit and other associated rights that we don't want to see infringed," he said.

He also took a swipe at China for using the years of negotiations to build up its military installations across the sea.

"Not just by creating facts on the ground but by creating ground and then putting the facts on top of them," he added.Norway frigate sinks after tanker collision



Oslo, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



A Norwegian frigate that collided with a Maltese tanker in a fjord in western Norway last week was almost entirely submerged on Tuesday after cables holding it in place broke.

"The vessel is now lying immobile in deeper water," the head of the Navy's rescue operation, Havard Mathiesen, told reporters.

A modern ship weighing around 5,000 tonnes, the KNM Helge Ingstad took on water after colliding with the Maltese oil tanker early Thursday in the Hjeltefjord near Bergen.

The accident, the cause of which has yet to be determined, injured eight of the 137 people on board the frigate, which was returning from NATO's Trident Juncture 18 exercises.

The tanker, the Sola TS, suffered only minor damage.

The KNM Helge Ingstad had until Tuesday been partially submerged as it rested on underwater rocks, which its crew had driven it up on in order to try to prevent the ship from sinking.

But the cables holding it in place broke overnight Monday to Tuesday, and the ship sank further under the water.

Only the top of its mast and a small part of its stern were visible above water on Tuesday, television footage showed.

The Norwegian Navy said it was now considering ways to raise the vessel, the military's chief of staff, Admiral Nils Andreas Stensones, said.

"It's very hard for a navy to lose a vessel," he said.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Coastal Administration said it had cleaned up some 13 cubic meters of diesel that spilled in the accident.Coalition air strikes killed 28 in eastern Syria: monitor



Beirut, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



Air strikes by the US-led coalition have killed 28 people in an eastern Syria holdout of the Islamic State group on the Iraqi border, a war monitor said on Tuesday.

Those killed in the village of Al-Shaafa on Sunday included 22 civilian members of IS families, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

"On Tuesday, 22 bodies of civilians were retrieved including nine children, as well as the remains of six other people not yet identified," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

"The strikes targeted IS homes in Al-Shaafa," he said, inside a last pocket under jihadist control in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor.

The bodies could not be retrieved earlier because air raids were ongoing, he said.

A coalition spokesman did not immediately reply for a request for comment, but has previously said that it would investigate any credible claims of civilian casualties.

The coalition has been backing a Kurdish-led alliance called the Syrian Democratic Forces fighting the jihadists.

The SDF late last month suspended its fight against IS in protest at Turkish shelling of Kurdish militia positions along Syria's northern border.

But they said on Sunday they were resuming their battle after "intensive contacts" with the international coalition and "strong diplomatic activity" to defuse the crisis.

IS overran large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a "caliphate" in land it controlled.

But the jihadist group has since lost most of it to various offensives in both countries.

In Syria, the group has seen its presence reduced to parts of the vast Badia desert and the pocket in Deir Ezzor.

Since 2014 the US-led coalition has acknowledged direct responsibility for more than 1,100 civilian deaths in Syria and Iraq, but rights groups put the number killed much higher.

Syria's war has killed more than 360,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.3 civilians killed in attack targeting foreign troops in Mali



Bamako, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



Three Malian civilians were killed and around 30 people were wounded in a suicide attack late Monday in the country's violence-hit north, officials said, as a diplomat said some of the injured were sub-contractors for the UN.

The attack took place in the city of Gao when a 4x4 vehicle blew up in a residential area, the security ministry said in a statement.

The blast was claimed by the GSIM, the main jihadist group operating in the Sahel region. It has ties to Al-Qaeda and was blacklisted by Washington in September.

The GSIM -- the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) -- said the attack had targeted "invading crusader forces" in central Gao in an area "where there are British, German and Canadian troops".

A local official told AFP the fatalities were Malians who lived in the area.

The government gave an initial toll of just two injured, but a French security source told AFP on Tuesday that the number of wounded had risen to "around 30".

A Western diplomatic source also said four foreigners were among the wounded -- two Cambodians, a South African and a Zimbabwean.

They were working for an organisation subcontracted by the UN's mine-clearing operation, UNMAS, which has a field office in the city, the source said.

The attack was condemned by the French and German defence ministers as they visited Gao on Tuesday.

"The attack last night in Gao was despicable. Once again, it is civilians who have paid for this violence with their lives," said French Defence Minister Florence Parly, echoing remarks by German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen.

Malian and international security forces have been mobilised following the "tragic incident", the security ministry said.

The French-German defence delegations had flown over to discuss Mali's troubled peace accord and plans to set up a five-nation anti-terror force in the vast, arid Sahel region.

Mali has been struggling to return to stability after Islamist extremists took control of the north in early 2012, prompting a military intervention by France.

The extremists were routed in the French operation in 2013 but large stretches of the landlocked African state remain out of government control.Iraq to launch probe on millions of dollars losts to rains



Baghdad, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



Iraq's parliament is to investigate how $6 million worth of local currency stored in public bank coffers were damaged by heavy rains, a lawmaker said Tuesday.

The pledge came a day after Central Bank governor Ali Allaq appeared in front of lawmakers to answer questions on a range of issues, including the case which dates back five years.

"At the end of 2013, the vaults of the Rafidain Bank were flooded because of huge rains at the time, damaging the bills that were stored there," he said.

"They were worth around seven billion dinars," or six million dollars, said Allaq, who was not governor at the time.

He said the Central Bank reprinted new bills to replace the soaked ones but, since the money had not been in circulation, the only real "loss" was the cost of printing.

His comments, made during a six-hour parliament session, apparently did little to reassure Iraqi lawmakers.

"The bank governor said the (damaged) bills were destroyed, but that answer isn't clear," said MP Hoshyar Abdallah of Kurdish anti-corruption party Goran and a member of parliament's finance committee.

"We have concerns over how water entered the vault -- this is a source of suspicion for us. That's why we will conduct an investigation into this as soon as possible," Abdallah told AFP on Tuesday.

The issue has sparked controversy in Iraq -- ranked by Transparency International as the 12th most corrupt country in the world.

Corruption, shell companies and "phantom" public employees who receive salaries but do not work have cost Iraq the equivalent of $228 billion dollars since 2003, according to Iraq's parliament.

That figure is more than the country's gross domestic product and nearly three times the annual budget.Lameness prevention: it's all in the head

An understanding of how cows think, how they see the world and how they move is essential for lameness prevention.The Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund will inject US$3 million into Dawi Clinics, a strategic step taken by the two entities to support the growth of Egypts healthcare sector, a press release by the fund said.

Our partnership with Dawi Clinics will help us support the goals of a successful management team in growing their business, said James A. Harmon, chairman of the fund.

Egypt is a 100+ million population, 45 percent of which is urban with growing needs for healthcare services, he added.

Dawi, a chain of outpatient clinics, currently operates five locations in Cairo, with plans to expand across the country.

It is our priority to support women empowerment in Egypt, especially talented women entrepreneurs looking to make a difference in the community, said Amal Enan, executive director of the fund.



We are privileged that the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund has chosen Dawi Clinics as a long-term partner and shares our vision to support the development of the Egyptian healthcare sector. Our core values revolve around our patients  we aim to offer affordable, value-based healthcare for the entire country, and to continue to support a growing population. EAEFs resources will be invaluable to us as we seek to grow our chain of clinics, as well as continue to innovate our medical services, said Magda Habib, chief executive officer of Dawi Clinics.



EAEF is a private equity and venture capital firm, founded in 2013.

The press release notes its primary mission is to stimulate the Egyptian private sector by providing access to investment and human capital, modern technologies as well as best business practices, while achieving financial profitability.





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Trump says N.Korea missile work 'normal'



Washington, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States was aware of undeclared North Korean missile bases revealed by US researchers but insisted all was fine.

"We fully know about the sites being discussed, nothing new -- and nothing happening out of the normal," Trump, who is seeking a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, wrote on Twitter.

"I will be the first to let you know if things go bad!" he said.

Researchers at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a prominent Washington think tank, on Tuesday said that satellite imagery had found 13 missile bases undeclared by North Korea.

The bases can be used to hide mobile, nuclear-capable missiles, the study said, warning that North Korea could preserve the sites -- and the ability to attack -- even as it negotiates with Trump on a potentially landmark accord.

Trump described a report on the findings by The New York Times as "inaccurate" and "fake news."

South Korea also earlier played down the study, saying that the sites had been known for years.

Kim Eui-kyeom, spokesman for South Korea's dovish president, Moon Jae-in, disputed that North Korea was being deceptive as Pyongyang had never promised to get rid of short-range missiles.

The CSIS report said that the bases were scattered around North Korea and at times in narrow mountain valleys, meaning they could be quickly moved to launch strikes.

CSIS expert Victor Cha, who was a top adviser to former president George W. Bush, said the report underscored the risk of Trump accepting a "bad deal" in which North Korea only dismantles its most visible weapons infrastructure.

Trump has declared himself "in love" with Kim after a first-ever summit between the two nations' leaders held in June in Singapore.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has visited North Korea four times this year in hopes of preparing an agreement, in which the United States could formally declare an end to the 1950-53 Korean War -- a longtime goal of the dynastic Kim regime as it seeks to safeguard its survival.

Trump, however, told a news conference last week that he was in "no rush" on North Korea after a senior delegation abruptly canceled a meeting planned with Pompeo in New York.

North Korea has boasted of its missile prowess and said that it can hit the continental United States, although many experts are skeptical of the claim.

Less disputable is that North Korea could quickly assault South Korea, including its capital Seoul, and Japan in a crisis.

North Korea deploys medium-range missiles just 55 to 100 miles (90 to 150 kilometers) from the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula.Bolsonaro names general as Brazil defense minister



Brasilia, Nov 13 (AFP) Nov 13, 2018



Brazil's president-elect Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday announced the appointment of former military general Fernando Azevedo e Silva to the post of defense minister.

Azevedo e Silva is the third ministerial appointment that Bolsonaro, himself a former army captain, has drawn from the military, following that of general Augusto Heleno as minister of institutional security, and astronaut and air force pilot Marcos Pontes as minister of science and technology.

Azevedo e Silva entered the army reserves in September before he was controversially named as special advisor to Supreme Court President Dias Toffoli.

That move sparked consternation from those worried about an army general operating at the head of the judiciary.

The military presence in Brazil's Congress grew in October's general election, with 35 former military personnel voted into Congress -- 31 deputies and four senators -- compared to just 18 in the previous parliament.

It has led to concerns in many quarters that Brazil is heading back towards authoritarian rule, evoking painful memories of the brutal 1964-85 military dictatorship under which Bolsonaro served in the army.

But Brazil's army commander-in-chief, general Eduardo Villas Boas, moved to appease fears of military over-representation in politics, insisting that the army remains "apolitical and without a party."

Villas Boas also praised Azevedo e Silva's appointment, adding: "He's experienced and played a key role during the Olympics. It's the best possible choice."

Azevedo e Silva was in charge of the Olympic Public Authority in 2016 when Rio de Janeiro hosted the summer Games.

Like Heleno, he previously headed Brazil's UN peace mission to Haiti, which was launched in 2004.

He trained at the same military academy as Bolsonaro in the 1970s, where Heleno was an instructor, and like the new Brazilian president was also a paratrooper.

He replaces general Joaquim Silva e Luna, who was the first military appointment to the post since the defense ministry was created in 1999.

Bolsonaro has vowed to reduce Brazil's ministries from 29 to 15 and has so far named six ministers, as well as his chief of staff.

He previously announced the merging of the environment and agriculture ministries before backing down under protest from environmentalists.

Concerns over Bolsonaro's intentions are not without foundation.

The new supremo, who will take office on January 1, has spoken openly of his admiration both for the military dictatorship and its use of torture, mostly against left-wing political opponents.

He has also vowed to reduce indigenous land reserves and made a number of racist, misogynist and homophobic statements that the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights president Margarette May Macaulay described on Monday as "clear hate speech."51 states pledge support for global cybersecurity rules



by Staff Writers



Paris (AFP) Nov 12, 2018



Fifty-one states, including all EU members, have pledged their support for a new international agreement to set standards on cyberweapons and the use of the internet, the French government said Monday.

The states have signed up to a so-called "Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace", an attempt to kickstart stalled global negotiations.

China, Russia and the United States did not sign the pledge, reflecting their resistance to setting standards for cyberweapons which are at the cutting edge of modern warfare.

"We need norms to avoid a war in cyberspace which would be catastrophic," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Monday.

Campaigners have called for a "Digital Geneva Convention", a reference to the Geneva conventions that set standards for the conduct of wars.

They want states to commit to not attacking infrastructure which is depended upon by civilians during wartime, for example.

A new international norm would also help define a state-backed cyberattack and when a state could be justified in retaliating.

Dozens of countries are thought to have developed offensive cyberweapons.

"We need to move these norms forward," Microsoft president Brad Smith said on Monday at the Paris Peace Forum, being held to mark the centenary of the end of World War I.

In a presentation at the forum, Smith portrayed cyberweapons as having the potential to spark another mass conflict.

- Global 'wake-up call' -

He said 2017 was a "wake-up call for the world" because of the WannaCry and NotPetya attacks.

WannaCry crippled many hospitals in Britain and affected 150 countries in 24 hours. It is thought to have been deployed from North Korea.

Many experts attribute NotPetya, which hit banking, power and business computing systems across Ukraine, to Russia.

But security officials note that those two attacks appear to be based on code stolen from the US National Security Agency, which leads the country's cyber-defences.

"In a world where everything is being connected, anything can be affected, which is why we need to come together," Smith added.

The text of the Paris call will be presented by French President Emmanuel Macron as he opens UNESCO's Internet Governance Forum in Paris on Monday.

It has also been signed by 93 civil society groups and 218 companies, Le Drian said.

"To respect people's rights and protect them online as they do in the physical world, states must work together, but also collaborate with private-sector partners, the world of research and civil society," according to the text.

Russia has been accused by Western countries of cyber-meddling over the last few years, while huge data breaches online have fuelled calls for new rules governing online behaviour.

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Tel Aviv (AFP) Nov 7, 2018

Optimization

Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should?

Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools.Strasbourg, Nov 13, 2018 (SPS) - The Speaker of the Sahrawi Parliament, Jatri Adduh, arrived in Strasbourg on Tuesday at the head of a Sahrawi delegation for meetings with members of the European Parliament and its various commissions on the EU-Morocco fishing agreement.

The visit aims to reiterate the position of the Frente POLISARIO against attempts to circumvent the judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union that has ruled on the inapplicability of trade agreements between the EU and Morocco. The territory of occupied Western Sahara as ruled by the successive resolutions of the CJEU, is distinct and separate from the Kingdom of Morocco and any agreement, which covers the Saharan territory and its adjacent waters, must pass through the consent of the Saharawi people through its sole and legitimate representative, the Frente POLISARIO.

The Saharawi delegation will also hold meetings and consultations with European legislators during the sessions of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The president of the Saharawi Parliament said that the Frente POLISARIO will continue its legal battle in the courts against those who dare to exploit the Saharawi natural resources and if the European governments renew the commercial agricultural agreement and the fisheries agreement with Morocco, it is decided to go to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The delegation consists of the Delegate Minister of the POLISARIO to the EU, Mohamed Sidati and the Deputies, Salek Elmehdi and Mrs. Chaba Seini.

Tomorrow, November 14, the Saharawi people regretfully remember the signing of other illegal agreements, the sadly called Madrid Accords of 1975 that divided Western Sahara, legalized an occupation, caused a real humanitarian crisis and the longest exodus from the world. SPS

125/090/TRADChahid El Hafed (Saharawi Refugee Camps), Nov13, 2018 (SPS) - The President of the Sahrawi Republic, Mr. Brahim Gali, affirmed that the Saharawi State is an irreversible national, regional and international reality, a balancing factor and stability in the region, and without respect for the will and the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence, it will not be able to enjoy real and lasting peace, development and stability.

The Head of Saharawi State during his speech at the meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Monday at the Headquarters of the Presidency, spoke on recent developments of the national question, recalling the invitation of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations, the President Horst Kohle, to the parties to the conflict in Western Sahara, as well as neighboring countries, Mauritania and Algeria, to meet in Geneva in early December.

The Saharawi leader reiterated the Saharawi government's condemnation of Morocco's attempts to ignore one of the real parts of the conflict and stresses that such arrogance and apathy reflect a clear will to obstruct the UN's efforts and to abort the peace process.

He recalled that the parties to the conflict in Western Sahara are well defined by the resolutions and documents of the UN, are the Frente POLISARIO and the Kingdom of Morocco. slamming Morocco's policy that attempts to violate the basic law of the African Union and its principles and undermine their unity and harmony.

In speaking of the visit made by a high level delegation of the African Union to the Sahrawi Republic, Brahim Gali, praised the firm position of the continental organization of support for the just Sahrawi cause.

He affirmed that the Frente POLISARIO will continue its legal and judicial battle against the Moroccan plundering of the Sahrawi natural resources.SPS

125/090/TRAD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.About This Page

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If your Web site is not ready to be published and you would like to replace this page, you may do so by configuring your under construction page.Scientists theorize new origin story for Earth's water







Washington DC (SPX) Nov 08, 2018





Earth's water may have originated from both asteroidal material and gas left over from the formation of the Sun, according to new research. The new finding could give scientists important insights about the development of other planets and their potential to support life. In a new study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, researchers propose a new theory to address the long-standing mystery of where Earth's water came from and how it got he ... read moreRoom 4  Sunken Cargo

In 2010, divers investigating a shipwreck off the coast of Aaland in the Baltic Sea discovered 47 bottles of Veuve Clicquot, which dated back almost two centuries. Believed to be a consignment sent by King Louis XVI to the Russian imperial court, the haul represents the oldest drinkable Champagne in the world. Inspired by this story of cargo crossing waters and uniting cultures, set designer Anna Burns brings to life the sunken sound system, an installation created in conjunction with revolutionary loudspeaker designers Funktion-One. The work features sound design courtesy of Neneh Cherry, taking an adaptation of Kong from her new album Broken Politics.

Room 5 Gender & Identity

Photographic and filmmaking duo Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones have created an installation consisting of three sculptural installations, featuring photography, film photography and virtual sculpture  each exploring the subversion of identity and stereotype. With accompanying soundscape by James Lavelle (musician, producer and founder of UNKLE / Mo Wax Records), the space introduces a series of other-worldly characters, atmospherically presented to convey a sense of dreamlike imagination. Inspired by the idea of the female leader who challenged social norms, the works explore gender fluidity, taking visual cues from clubs such as Heaven and Taboo.

Room 6  The Comet Bar

Inspired by the great comet of 1811 that spread good fortune across the fields of Reims and helped create the Madame Clicquots famous vintage; Le Grande Dame, which has become one of Veuve Clicquots most loved bottles within the portfolio, this hero bar will be accompanied by a playlist curated by Hot Chips Joe Goddard, with live characters styled by menswear designer Liam Hodges, all paying homage to the second Summer of Love and the acid house movement; an iconic era that still inspires many creative communities today, across music, fashion and design

Room 7  Field of Dreams

The Field of Dreams is an ethereal space created by artist Rebecca Louise Law and lighting designer Chris Levine. The elevated full-length room recreates a festival field as the pinnacle of this unexpected space. A sense of joy and bliss abounds among the crowd as people, nature and technology are brought together by a common spirit. The piece is augmented by its unique soundscape - an exclusive edit of the Massive Attack anthem Teardrop created by Fantom, the sensory music app developed by the bands Robert Del Naja.

Inspired by the spirit of rebellion that Madame Clicquot embodied this years Widow Series chapters the most significant events in the Veuve Clicquot story, through exploring some of Britains key subcultural moments. Framed as a metaphorical nightclub  the catalyst where great things begin  Rebels embraces music, fashion, film and installation to tell the story of a revolution.

Jean-Marc Gallot, President Maison Veuve Clicquot comments: To quote Madame Clicquot 'A creative trailblazer in her own right, Madame Clicquot famously transformed the champagne industry, redefining gender stereotypes after becoming a widow at the age of 27. Despite facing bankruptcy, with bold ambition and visionary thinking she rebelled against the constraints of society and went on to build one of the most famous champagne houses in the world. The World is in perpetual motion and we must invent the things of tomorrow and it is this notion of creativity that we celebrate through the Widow Series.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Stuart Tait (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018

Global trade tensions continue to dominate this years headlines and the shift of production to efficient ASEAN countries is accelerating.



ASEAN businesses are clearly paying attention. They are making incremental changes to their supply chains, but is the pace of change fast enough?



HSBCs global Navigator survey  which was launched recently and included the views of more than 8,500 corporates (1,000 in ASEAN)  finds Southeast Asia as the most trade-positive region in the world. Moreover, Navigator reveals that business decision-makers in ASEAN view the global shift towards protectionism as increasing the value of their business.



Being both positive towards trade and protectionism seems a little counter-intuitive at first glance. But dig a little deeper and it is clear that businesses are shrewdly seeing and capitalizing on the opportunity amid the emerging trade disruption.



Shifts in production to ASEAN can be  and are  happening quickly.



Thailand and Malaysia already have existing production networks in electronics, especially in hard disk drive (HDD) assembly. Thailand exports about the same amount of finished storage units to the US as China does. Given ASEANs existing capacity, it makes increasing sense to shift assembly to Southeast Asia, especially now that Chinese shipment of HDDs from the US are subject to at least a 10 percent tariff, making the move to ASEAN markets all the more compelling.



Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam also produce a variety of electronic components, while Vietnam and Indonesia have become increasingly competitive in light manufacturing and textile exports.



Investment data already show an increased shift to ASEAN. Vietnams inbound manufacturing investment has grown by 18 percent this year, while Thailand and the Philippines have both experienced a significant increase in net FDI. Meanwhile Harley Davidson, Panasonic and Steve Madden have all said they will relocate production to the region.



But while there are immediate opportunities, supply chain networks arent linear, rather they are an ecosystem. So, its not as straightforward as a multinational corporation shifting production to an idle factory.



Businesses first need to take a view on the overall impact of tariffs on Chinese goods. Factors like labor costs, shipping costs and regulations need to be weighed up, to determine whether additional capacity will be built.



This has implications for ASEAN as a region and for individual suppliers. For ASEAN, an increase in HDD exports is definitely welcome. But countries like Thailand and Malaysia need to move further up the electronics supply chain into higher value-add semiconductor fabrication, particularly of more advanced memory chips, to stay competitive.



This will require nations and businesses to invest in infrastructure, new facilities and the training of skilled workers. Economies that can improve the quality of their exports and have more room for reallocation and further upgrading stand a higher chance in capturing supply chain opportunities.



At an individual business level, suppliers across ASEAN need to accelerate the adoption of new technologies, such as automation and robotics, perhaps even running smart warehouses. This can help enable an uptick in production capacity to meet global demands, increasing production efficiency and in-time delivery.



This is top of mind for ASEAN businesses. According to Navigator, increasing the use of technology is the top change planned for the regions supply chains in the next three years.



While were hopeful of a resolution to the ongoing trade tensions, ASEAN businesses should prepare for them to remain over the medium term.



Management teams that are considering shifting supply chains to ASEAN will be asking themselves many questions: Is there production capacity? How are these plants receiving raw materials? Do they have sufficient people skills? Should they add capacity or expand plants? Technology will be key to increasing ASEANs competitiveness and appeal.



When looked against the broader macro-economic backdrop of trade tensions, the prospects for ASEANs supply chain ecosystem are bright.



But the potential opportunities from heightened trade tensions are not a meal ticket that ASEAN businesses simply have to queue up for to enjoy. Shifting supply chains on a large scale requires collective effort to build up company and regional capacity. And ASEAN businesses need to act now.

***

The writer is group general manager and regional head for commercial banking at HSBC Asia Pacific.

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Kornelius Purba (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 09:06 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877be1f60 1 Opinion #commentary,Donald-Trump,APEC Free

For ASEAN leaders, United States President Donald Trumps decision to skip their annual summit is bagaikan mendapat durian runtuh (an old saying about receiving a surprising gift). Trump will not attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Port Moresby this weekend either.



Trump gave no specific reason for his absence, but perhaps Singapore no longer interests him, because he was there in June for a historic bilateral summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.



US Vice President Mike Pence will turn up on Trumps behalf, and hopefully he has received an adequate mandate from his boss and can convince Trump to support whatever decision he makes during the Singapore trip.



The regional grouping is strongly advised to give huge applause when Pence conveys Trumps apology for shunning the annual meeting. It will come as no surprise if the leaders shout hurray. President Joko Jokowi Widodo, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Bruneis Sultan Bolkiah may even respond with Alhamdulillah (Thank God).



Traditionally, the presence of a US president is perceived as instrumental for the success of an ASEAN gathering and the prestige of the host. But the US military hegemony and the countrys economic might are lessening.



Trumps unpredictable behavior and outspokenness are sometimes disturbing and can even annoy his host and other guests. French President Emmanuel Macron had to endure such pain during the centennial commemoration of the end of World War I in Paris last week.



The leaders of the 10-member ASEAN may become random victims of Trumps anger over the defeat of the Republicans in the race for congressional seats in the recent midterm elections. Trump may also feel irritated if he has to meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Singapore. Trump has failed to prove his claim that China would quickly bow to his economic threats.



Jokowi is very enthusiastic about the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which includes all ASEAN members, plus China, Japan, Australia, India, and New Zealand. The RCEP is touted as an alternative free-trade agreement after Trump killed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which would have isolated China.



During the Paris event, Trump criticized Macron for proposing the establishment of stronger European military power to reduce dependence on the US. Trump described the plan as insulting.



By skipping the Singapore gathering, Trump also avoids any awkward group photo of summit leaders with the cross-body handshake that has become the trademark of ASEAN gatherings. Trump reportedly complained about the photo session at last years summit in Manila, where he needed two attempts to get it right. To Trump, this is a distasteful protocol.



Trump is well known for his reluctance to attend multilateral meetings and prefers bilateral ones. He does not believe in multilateralism, while ASEAN and its dialog partners are promoting multilateral cooperation.



With or without Trump, however, ASEAN leaders are preoccupied with their regional headaches, in particular the continuing crimes against humanity against the Rohingya people in Myanmar, which the United Nations has described as genocidal. As the chair of ASEAN, Singapore has warned that the man-made humanitarian disaster could morph into a serious security threat for the region if not addressed.



We expressed our grave concern with these alleged acts of violence [...] This is a man-made humanitarian disaster and something which should not be happening in this day and age, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said of the results of an informal meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers on the sidelines of the recent UN General Assembly in New York.



Myanmars de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is expected to brief her colleagues about the latest developments in her country. Ninety-four-year-old Mahathir has openly said he has lost faith in Suu Kyi, while Jokowi is slowly losing patience, because the ordeal of the Rohingyas is a cause for concern in Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim-majority nation.



Knowing Trumps hostility against Islam, it is not easy for ASEAN to persuade him to back up the regional groupings pressure on Myanmar. There is even a possibility that Trump would defend Myanmars military oppression of the Rohingyas, the Muslim minority in the predominantly Buddhist country.



According to Channel News Asia, ASEAN leaders will have their own summit and then host the ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 13th East Asia Summit. Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong will not only meet with ASEAN leaders but also with world leaders including Chinas Li, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Australian PM Scott Morrison and Indian PM Narendra Modi.



At the closing ceremony on Nov. 15, PM Lee is slated to hand over the ASEAN chairmanship to Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. ASEAN will not have the guts to say no to the Thai general, even though they know the dictator should not be given such an honor.



Nevertheless, ASEAN should be grateful for Trumps decision to skip the Singapore summit. It is good for both the US president and ASEAN. Trumps absence is a gift ASEAN wants from Trump. Mr. President, please dont disturb!Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 08:13 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877bdc6af 4 Editorial #Editorial,tourism,Tourism-Ministry,Wonderful-Indonesia,Bangka-Belitung,special-economic-zone,KEK Free

The provincial government of Bangka Belitung Islands off southern Sumatra is correct to propose to the interministerial National Council on Special Economic Zones (SEZ) that the coastal areas of Sungai Liat and Tanjung Gunung on Bangka Island be designated as SEZ in a bid to diversify the local economy away from an over-dependence on tin mining.



Indeed, as an industry based on nature and culture, tourism is one of the most suitable businesses for the two islands to develop because of the multiplier effect and labor-intensive nature of its operations. Travel-related businesses such as hotels, restaurants, transportation, handicrafts and cultural shows are all labor intensive, the very kind of businesses needed to absorb the huge pool of job seekers.



The central government itself has put tourism development on top of its working programs and has thus far designated several beach-fronted areas as tourism-based SEZs, including Morotai in North Maluku, Mandalika on Lombok Island, Tanjung Lesung in Banten province and Tanjung Kelayang on Belitung Island.



Based on the 2009 SEZ Law, investment projects in SEZs enjoy streamlined, one-stop procedures for business licensing and easier hiring of expatriates, flexible labor regulations, tax breaks and customs duty exemptions.



Another policy reform package launched by the central government in November 2015 further strengthened the bureaucratic administration and management within SEZs by authorizing the administrator of an SEZ to act as a one-stop licensing center with the full autonomy to ask for cooperation from all other ministries and government agencies, to recruit its own staff and set its own standards of remuneration, different from other civil servants.



However, interministerial coordination is never easy.



The SEZ National Council, which is chaired by Coordinating for Economic Minister Darmin Nasution, should therefore be more careful in assessing SEZ proposals because many provincial governments often consider SEZs simply as a means of accessing tax facilities and other special treatment without seriously assessing their real potential.



The blunt reality now is that not much progress has been made in the development of the 12 SEZs already designated by the SEZ National Council, including those in Semangke in North Sumatra, Bitung in North Sulawesi, Sorong in Papua and Poso in Central Sulawesi, largely as a result of land-acquisition problems and poor coordination in license processing.



What is most obviously missing from the SEZ development, despite all the laws and regulations, is an administrator, with overall inter-ministerial authority, in charge of coordinating the provision of all the tax incentives, facilities and the expedited licensing for investors operating in an SEZ.



The best lesson from successful SEZ development in Malaysia, China, Vietnam and India is that an SEZ should be managed by a super ministerial body directly under the President that ensures action is more important than bureaucratic rules and rigidity to make things much easier for investors.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Daniel Silva (Agence France-Presse) Lisbon, Portugal  Tue, November 13, 2018 06:07 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877bd7962 2 Lifestyle technology,Women,gender,startup,sextech Free

Start-ups founded by women are building a niche for themselves in the male dominated "sextech" industry with connected vibrators and other high-tech sex toys they design themselves.

Sex toys made by men are based on their idea of what a woman wants, which is often not what women are actually looking for, said Stephanie Alys, 28, the co-founder of London-based MysteryVibe which makes a vibrator for women called the Crescendo.

"So there are a lot of women who are starting companies and designing products that they themselves would like to see," she told AFP at the four-day Web Summit, Europe's largest tech gathering, which wrapped up in Lisbon on Thursday.

Unlike traditional vibrators, the Crescendo connects to an app that lets you create your own vibration patterns and has been downloaded over 500,000 times.

MysterVibe created a buzz at the Web Summit, dubbed "the Davos for Geeks", with the presentation of its first device for men.

Dubbed the Tenuto, it is embedded with six vibrating motors, including one designed to pleasure the wearer's partner.

Read also: Women in tech call on global summit for greater roles as #MeToo hits

- 'More comfortable' -

Figures for how many women run sextech startups are hard to come by but Alys, a former political consultant, said she runs a "sex tech collective", an e-mail list for women involved in the sector in London, which has about 50 members.

New York-based Dame, founded by two women, has put out two vibrators meant for clitoral stimulation.

The tiny Fin sits between two fingers while the Eva is worn hands-free.

Women are "so excited" to know the devices are made by other women, Dame co-founder Alexandra Fine told AFP after an all woman panel discussion on sextech at the summit.

"It's like the fact that women are making the toys in and of itself makes them more comfortable with the idea of using it," she said.

The value of the global sex toy market is expected to hit $29 billion (25 billion euros) by 2020, according to online market research portal Statista.

Read also: Tackling discrimination against women in IT

- 'Feel inadequate' -

Capturing a slice of this pie is difficult since sex startups are banned from advertising on digital platforms such as Google and Facebook, said Fine, who holds a masters degree in clinical psychology.

Women owned firms don't just design sex toys differently, they also take a different approach to marketing them than men, she added.

"Putting sexy women on the boxes doesn't make me feel sexy, it makes me feel inadequate," she said.

Instead Dame pitches its products as "health and wellness" goods "that could fit on the shelf right next to your favorite candle or toothbrush," Fine said.

Polly Rodriguez, the founder of New York-based "Women of Sex Tech" which represents about 70 women who produce sex toys, said "women in particular are often scared of the reputational risk" of getting involved in an industry that has to do with sex.

But she said she has been "continuously surprised" by the positive reaction after telling people she is the co-founder and president of Unbound Babes, which makes about 75 sex products and sells them online.

"I am just really excited to build products that look beautiful, are affordable and hopefully smash the patriarchy at some level," she told a panel at the summit.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Keshie Hernitaningtyas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 18:37 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877c048c8 1 Entertainment Fantastic-Beasts,Fantastic-Beasts-The-Crimes-of-Grindelwald,movies,film-review,jk-rowling Free

The second of five of J.K. Rowling's all new adventures in the wizarding world, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, is undoubtedly among the most anticipated movies this year. Although sequels often disappoint, this one offers enough punch with magic and mystery to make fans impatiently wait for the next installment.

As previously revealed in the trailers, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) has managed to escape custody after being captured in the first movie by the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) with the help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). He is then able to freely gather followers in a bid to make pure-blood wizards the rulers of all non-magical beings. In the divided wizarding world of the mid-1920s that forces people to pick sides, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) requests his former student Newt to help him thwart Grindelwald's plans.

Co-produced and written by Rowling herself, one can expect this sequel to offer juicy mysteries and layered story lines, as the author masterfully maintains the audience's curiosity throughout the movie's twists and turns up until the very last scene. However, some may find the story line too layered, as more characters are involved in this film.

Within the Fantastic Beasts franchise, I am telling a story that is only hinted at in the Harry Potter books  the rise of Grindelwald, who profoundly threatened both the wizarding and non-wizarding worlds, and his antagonist, Dumbledore, who, of course, is a key figure in the Potter stories," Rowling said in a statement regarding the film.

"Grindelwald is first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, so he was there from the beginning, though he was more of a mysterious background character. You know he must have been important to figure so prominently in Dumbledores own history, but it is only when you reach the end of the Potter series that you find out just how important he was [] and you might also intuit that there must be much more to tell. I think this was the story I was most interested in revisiting because its so crucial to understanding Dumbledore, who is my favorite character."

The film also reunited director David Yates; producers David Heyman, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram, production designer Stuart Craig, costume designer Colleen Atwood, visual effects supervisors Tim Burke and Christian Manz and music composer James Newton Howard.

As the story is evolving, many of the previous main characters return in the sequel. Oscar-winner Redmayne, as always, successfully portrays the smart and kind-hearted, yet quiet and innocent magizoologist Newt who, after leaving New York for London, has completed his best-selling book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein, who is now an Auror, Alison Sudol and Dan Fogler as Queenie Goldstein and the no-maj Jacob Kowalski, respectively, who are in a forbidden relationship according to American wizarding world laws, and Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone who has been revealed as an Obscurial (a born wizard whose powers were suppressed to the point of becoming an Obscurus, a parasitical force deadly to its host, usually at a very young age), also return with solid performances.

Read also: J.K. Rowling reveals 'lost' manuscript written on her party dress

Despite a controversy over the casting of Johnny Depp, who is alleged to have abused his partner, as Grindelwald, Depp presents a very convincing performance as the sophisticated villain who, unlike Voldemort, chooses to win people's hearts and minds over to his side instead of annihilating them.

However, the most anticipated character is of course Jude Law as the powerful and witty Dumbledore who immediately wins the audience members' hearts in the very first scene in which he appears.

This is the Dumbledore who is not yet the great headmaster at Hogwarts. He is closer to the formative and more traumatic experiences in his life that perhaps color him. What was especially interesting for me  and for us as a team  was to try and layer in foundation points that keep him closely related to the Dumbledore we know, but with room to grow and learn and to make mistakes. And the stories were telling will show the evolution of the character," described Law.

Another new character who has also been discussed among fans, especially in Indonesia, is Claudia Kim as Nagini, a Maledictus, or carrier of a blood curse that is destined to ultimately transform her permanently into a beast, whose transformative powers are being exploited by the wizarding world Circus Arcanus. She befriends Credence who is a menial worker at the circus and both later escape together as Credence is on a mission to search for his identity. To avoid spoilers, let's just say that Kim's Nagini character offers a very interesting addition to the Fantastic Beasts universe.

All in all, although not everything is perfect, this second installment of Fantastic Beasts is still fun to watch with family and friends. Hence, as with all Rowling's magical works, just enjoy the thrilling ride and let your imagination run free  which won't be hard to do thanks to Newt's entertainingly fantastic beasts and creatures.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Geneva, Switzerland  Tue, November 13, 2018 22:04 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877c0a969 2 Lifestyle switzerland,jewelry,luxury,diamond,pink-diamond,auction,Geneva Free

An exceptionally rare 19-carat pink diamond goes under the hammer in Geneva Tuesday, when it could fetch $50 million, setting a new record for a stone of its kind.

The Pink Legacy used to belong to the Oppenheimer family, which for decades ran the De Beers diamond mining company, but auction house Christie's refused to say who the current owner was.

Christie's international head of jewelry, Rahul Kadakia, described The Pink Legacy as "one of the worlds greatest diamonds".

The rectangular-cut diamond has been graded "fancy vivid" -- the highest possible grade of color intensity.

Christie's has noted that in the salesroom, fancy vivid pink diamonds over 10 carats are "virtually unheard of" and that only four vivid pink diamonds or over 10 carats have ever been offered at auction.

One of them, the nearly 15-carat Pink Promise, was sold last November at a Christie's auction in Hong Kong for $32.5 million. That amounts to $2.176 million per carat, which remains the world auction record price per carat for any pink diamond.

Read also: Rare pink diamond aims to make $50 million

- Record price possible -

Eddie LeVian, CEO of jewellers Le Vian, said that record could fall at Tuesday's auction, which is being held at the ultra-luxurious Four Seasons des Bergues hotel on the banks of Lake Geneva.

"We've recently witnessed a meteoric rise in the number of the world's ultra-high net worth individuals who view rare, natural fancy color diamonds as investments," Le Vian said in a statement.

"I therefore believe the Pink Legacy will beat the current world auction record," he added.

The stone was discovered in a South African mine around a century ago and was probably cut in the 1920 and has not been altered since, Christie's said.

"Imagine a domino that you have cut the corners off of," Jean-Marc Lunel, an international jewelry specialist at Christie's, recently told AFP, pointing out that the cut is a "classical so-called emerald cut", which stands out from the typical, more rounded, multi-faceted cuts used today.

The classic rectangular cut is traditionally used for white stones, but is rare for pink diamonds.

Christie's said the Pink Legacy is "the largest and finest Fancy Vivid Pink diamond ever offered at auction by the company," calling the stone "incomparable".

"It is probably the most beautiful (specimen) ever presented at public auction," Lunel said.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Singapore  Tue, November 13, 2018 08:52 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877be0bc6 1 Entertainment Netflix,Netflix-original-series,Asia-Pacific-region,streaming-service,TV-series,movies,Entertainment,#Netflix,House-of-Cards,Robin-Wright,Guillermo-Del-Toro,Narcos Free

At Netflix See Whats Next: Asia event in Singapore, the first ever in the region, it announced these titles as part of a project to compile over 100 original productions from eight selected countries in Asia for 2019.

The companys first slew of Asian original productions premiered this year with select titles such as thriller series Sacred Games (India), Devilman Crybaby (Japan), the comedy show BUSTED! (South Korea) and action film The Night Comes For Us (Indonesia).

Netflix chief executive officer Reed Hastings said the popularity of these Asian productions were perfect enough for more productions to come in the year ahead.

In Singapore, the company announced a round of several new Southeast Asian productions coming from Asia, with productions from Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and India.

The Thai productions will include a schoolyard horror-drama series titled Shimmer and a castaway-themed mystery thriller named The Stranded. Taiwans entries include gangster-themed coming of age romantic comedy Triad Princess, while South Korea showcases a horror period drama titled Kingdom.

Conquering the east: Reed Hastings delivers his opening remarks at Netflixs See Whats Next: Asia event at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore on Thursday. (Courtesy of Netflix/-)

Elsewhere in the announcements, Netflix also revealed five Japanese anime titles that are currently being produced and will premiere on the service sometime in 2019. Two of the five titles revealed at the event are particular sci-fi franchises that would translate well into the anime format.

One of them is an anime version of Netflixs original sci-fi series Altered Carbon, which expands the universe and philosophies relating to its dystopian digital future setting. Derived originally from a book series by writer Richard K. Morgan, the anime version will be written by Dai Sato, who is responsible for the writing of two acclaimed anime series: Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop.

Another will be an anime version of blockbuster Hollywood film Pacific Rim. Comic book artist Craig Kyle and filmmaker Greg Johnson will be behind the reimagination and it will likely take place in the same universe as the Guillermo del Toro franchise but with a different story. Del Toro had teased possibilities of an animated version of Pacific Rim since as far back as 2014.

Others include an anime based on a Philippine urban legend called Trese, a dystopian biowarfare series called Cagaster of an Insect Cage and a historical fiction title based on Japans legendary samurai of African origin called Yasuke.

Asia is a unique home for creative workers in the world in producing wonderful and interesting series and films, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos told members of media, including The Jakarta Post, invited to the event.

Whats great is that we get to serve up stories from countries such as South Korea, Thailand, India, Japan and Taiwan and provide them a chance to connect and tell their wonderful stories with audiences all around Asia and beyond.

Outside of their Asian announcements, the company offered up tantalizing reveals of the upcoming seasons of two of their most popular series  House of Cards and Narcos  as well as the premiere of a new original film, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.

Directed by esteemed actor Andy Serkis, Mowgli will be a motion-capture live adaptation of the original Jungle Book book by Rudyard Kipling, which Serkis explains will stay true to the darker tones and messages that the book originally conveyed. It will be released on Dec. 7.

Grip of Power: Netflix chief of content Ted Sarandos talks about Netflixs highly acclaimed series House of Cards, which began to air its final season on Nov. 2. (Courtesy of Netflix/-)

House of Cards, which was Netflix first original series debuting in 2013, aired its sixth and final season on Nov. 2.

The political drama has ranked up endless acclaim for its presentation and the performances of its cast, which includes Robin Wright, Michael Kelly and the now ousted Kevin Spacey. The seventh season will be the only season that does not feature Spacey after he was booted from the show in 2017 over sexual misconduct allegations.

Claire Underwood, played by Robin Wright, has been embraced by the fanbase and recognized as the most dynamic character on the show as a result of her strong character that sometimes eclipses the shows strong male characters.

As a character, she was always there, always seen, always recognizable. She is a ruthless character, if not just as equally or more ruthless than [Spaceys character] Francis, Wright described during the event.

After having played Claire Underwood for the last five to six years, she felt touched upon having to finally put the character to sleep.

Meanwhile, as the ruthless TV series Narcos returns for its fourth season on Nov. 16, viewers will be treated to a whole different experience from the past three seasons.

For starters, the setting shifts from the drug-addled Colombia of the 1990s to 1980s Mexico, which showrunner Eric Newman explains is the time and place that started the continental drug war.

None of the cast members that appeared in the last three seasons will be appearing in this season, titled Narcos: Mexico Mano a Mano.

It is treated more as a spinoff story as it serves as the technical prequel to all the events that happened in the Colombian drug war, shining the spotlight on the infamous Guadalajara Cartel and the efforts of the American Drug Enforcement Agency agent Kiki Camarena to bring it down.

We arent really telling a story about who the good or bad guys are. In order for those situations to happen, many factors contribute to it such as the government, the justice system and the general cultural wars that happened in Mexico itself , says Diego Luna, the Mexican-born actor who will co-star in the film along with Michael Pena.

[Narcos: Mexico] is thus a story more about Mexico than it is about its drug war.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 18:12 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877c03eed 1 Science & Tech ICON2018,Conference,digital-economy,technology,business Free

An adaptive mindset has been identified as a key aspect in facing technological transformation, as experts gather to discuss the effect of digital technology on businesses at GDP Venture's innovation conference ICON 2018 under the motto Transform Now.

Opening the conference in Jakarta on Tuesday, GDP Venture chief executive officer Martin Hartono said the right mindset set the pace for achieving breakthroughs and innovation in business and technology.

Speaking of his early career, Martin said he had started working at the information technology (IT) department in his family business. However, at the time he renamed the department business technology, in reference to its fundamental role, a label that subsequently spurred innovative solutions and pushed growth.

Now, the CEO applies the same drive and mindset to investments of GDP Venture, a business that focuses on Indonesias internet industry across different sectors, including e-commerce platforms and media, such as Blibli and DailySocial.net. He further added that technological progress also afforded companies greater flexibility to branch out and grow across different sectors.

Theres no limit once you have established the correct mindset, Martin said in his opening remarks.

GDP Venture CEO Martin Hartono gives the opening speech at ICON 2018 in Jakarta on Tuesday. (The Jakarta Post/Donny Fernando)

Founded in 2010, GDP Venture aims to create a healthy ecosystem for digital companies, supported by so-called techpreneurs and engineers as well as product and marketing experts; a mission extended to its conference. Gathering speakers from 15 businesses and digital technology experts, the event served as a platform to address opportunities and challenges in the face of digital transformation.

Read also: Human resources must adapt to face Industry 4.0: Experts

Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara, delivering a keynote speech at the conferences opening ceremony, said it was the mindset that pushed transformation, a step then followed by technological development necessitated by the search for tools to support advancement.

What puts us ahead is when the mindset places us ahead of the curve, rather than catching up, Rudiantara said in his remarks.

In adapting to the digital transformation and ensuring nationwide exposure, Rudiantara said the governments role had evolved to push for development across the country and the business landscape. Previously exclusively overseeing policymaking and acting as a regulator, the government has since become a facilitator of the digital economy through infrastructure development and capacity-building, including investing in efforts to nurture digital talent and digital businesses.

Armand Hartono, deputy president director at private lender Bank Central Asia (BCA), added a practical perspective, noting the effects of technology and how a digital platform for banking had multiplied the number of customers and diversified job opportunities.

The composition of our employees has transformed; where there were more employees overseeing physical aspects of transactions, now there are more working on technologies, Armand said.

Despite the digital transformation, however, Armand highlighted that the core remained the same, in that it was still a business, while technology provided complimentary tools.

The digital economy, in the end, is still a business, thats what needs to be remembered, he said. (wng)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 15:28 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877bf6c27 1 Lifestyle Shopee,11-11-Global-Shopping-Festival,online-shopping Free

Online marketplace Shopee Indonesia has recorded the highest number of transactions to date during its 11.11 Big Sale on Monday.

With more than 11 million transactions, this year's figure is 4.5 higher than the transactions recorded on Nov. 11 last year, reports kompas.com.

More than 42 million online visitors took part in the promotional event across all product categories at a sales rate of more than 58,000 products per minute.

Shopee CEO Chris Feng said that this year's online shopping festival was its most successful yet.

The growth of our 11.11 shopping festival from year to year has proven that 11.11 is and will always be an important date for the yearend shopping season in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, Feng said in a statement on Tuesday.

The 11.11 Big Sale also featured a new in-app game, quizzes and exclusive offers from partnering brands.

Beauty products, womens clothing and electronic devices were among customers' favored products during the promotional event. The platform recorded that its male customers mostly bought earphones, smartphones and bags, while female customers bought hijabs, micellar water and cooking oils.

Read also: Alibaba shopping extravaganza earns US$10b in first hour

Shopee Indonesia said it was confident that its mobile-first strategy was the key to its successful 11.11 Big Sale, with 99 percent of all transactions conducted via mobile phones.

Aside from promotional offers, Shopee Indonesia said it also supported the development of local entrepreneurs through its Kampus Shopee (Shopee campus) sustainable program, which aimed to grow the country's digital economy. (mut)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 06:56 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877bd896e 1 City Luar-Batang,flood,North-Jakarta,embankment Free

Residents of Kampung Luar Batang in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, have complained about sea water seepage reaching their houses.

The floods here are not that severe now, but there is still seepage from the sea, Samsukur, a neighborhood unit (RT) head told kompas.com on Monday.

He added that an embankment repaired last year following a 50 centimeter flood that hit the area had helped mitigate flooding, but that it still did not prevent seepage from inundating houses.

Tari, a resident of the area, said that the seepage inundated her house everyday but that the amount varied depending on sea conditions.

As previously reported, the North Jakarta Water Resources Agency has acknowledged the problem and has worked to repair the embankment and prepared hundreds of sandbags. (fac)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi and Evi Mariani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 07:53 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877bdb9bd 1 National orangutan,Tapanuli-orangutan,batang-toru-ecosystem,Batang-Toru-dam,hydropower-plant,green-energy Free

Scientists have slammed the Indonesian government for giving the controversial Batang Toru hydroelectric power plant the green light, saying that orangutans are valuable to Indonesia, like pandas are to China.

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said the government believed that the dam would have little impact on the Tapanuli orangutans, the rarest great ape on earth, which environmentalists call the last 800 due to its small number.

The scientists said Indonesia risked its global reputation if it does not protect them.

Jatna Supriatna from the University of Indonesia said the great apes -- orangutans, bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas  have always piqued the interest of the global public. The last 800 are Indonesias responsibility.

The dam, located in the Batang Toru Ecosystem in South Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra, has faced protests from biologists and environmentalists because it could potentially affect the lives of local people and the orangutans.

The Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) has filed a lawsuit against the plan, claiming that the dam would affect the livelihood of farmers in the downstream area because it would arrest the flow of the river for 18 hours and the dam would be opened for the remaining six.

The operating company, PT North Sumatra Hydro Electric (NSHE), said the dam would use environmentally friendly run-for-river technology, which would allow it to flood only a small area.

Scientists, who confirmed last year that the Tapanuli orangutans were a separate species from their Bornean and Sumatran counterparts, said the existence of roads, power lines and the dam itself would pose increased risks to the already endangered species. In an article in the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology this year, they wrote when new roads appeared, apes disappeared.

Siti claimed that the ongoing construction of the hydropower plant would have little effect on the orangutan population, as the dam was located on the forests border, where the cinnamon-haired great apes live.

The minister added that based on data collected by a team from the ministry, the construction of the power plant would not affect the orangutans habitat.

Humans and orangutans can still co-exist, Siti said recently, adding that the ministry had instructed the power plants developer to maintain the great apes existing corridor.

William F. Laurance, the director of the Center for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science at James Cook University and one of the writers of the article in Current Biology, said the government should never have approved the project in the first place because it was an environmental calamity for the worlds rarest great ape.

For the [ministry] to try to monitor the project is merely providing greenwashing, or a false sense of security. It is not helping the Tapanuli ape and it is merely confusing the Indonesian people, Laurance added.

The project is financially backed by a consortium of Chinese and international banks, while the dams contractor is Synohydro Corporation Limited, a Chinese state-owned hydropower engineering and construction company.

Efforts far from sufficient

The ministrys natural resources and ecosystems director general, Wiratno, backed Sitis statement, saying that his team had yet to find any orangutan killed by humans so far.

However, he said he would like to see more effort from the company, adding that planting some fruit trees in a village near the projects location to conserve the endangered species was far from sufficient.

The apes, whose hair is frizzier than their Bornean and Sumatran counterparts, are threatened by poaching and illegal logging. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included the species on its red list, calling it critically endangered.

I still want tangible, comprehensive and measured efforts from the NSHE on how it would prevent the orangutans from being disturbed during construction. [These efforts should also be] announced to the public, Wiratno said.

Jatna, who is one of the authors of the Current Biology article, also criticized NSHEs inadequate plan to protect the critically endangered apes.

This big company will affect the species habitat. There should be an action plan on the orangutans protection, which should also be made available to the public, Jatna said.

Biologist Erik Meijaard, who was among the researchers who confirmed that the Tapanuli orangutans were a separate species, said we should save them because we can, and because it is ethically the right thing to do.

If we let species become extinct it shows that we are incapable of looking after the world in which we live. And if we are unable to look after the world in which we live, we, ourselves, will soon become extinct. If we want to survive on this planet we have to start living in greater harmony with the world around us, and taking care of other species is one crucial step in that. It is all part of growing up as humans, he added.

Meijaard also reminded the Indonesian government of its regulations for animal conservation, which spell out clearly that it is illegal to undertake actions that lead to the death or displacement of protected species or its nests.

NSHE said the hydropower plant would be in line with nature conservation principles, adding that it would use run-of-river technology, which it claimed to be environment friendly. It confirmed that only 67.7 hectares in Batang Toru would be flooded and that excluded the orangutans habitat.

A senior adviser at NSHE, Agus Djoko Ismanto, said all mitigation studies that the power plant could potentially inflict, ranging from environmental to socioeconomic damages, have been completed by the company.

The company said it was committed to forest protection because a healthy forest meant a healthy river for its plant.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 08:49 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877bdead0 1 City Tangerang,Movie,theater,mobile Free

The Tangerang regency administration received a mobile movie theater from the Education and Culture Ministry on Monday.

The ministrys secretary general Didik Suhardi said he hoped that Tangerang residents, especially youngsters, could enjoy watching movies played in the mobile theater.

I hope young people in Tangerang will love Indonesian movies and there are some who will be interested in working as a creative in the film industry, Didik said on Monday during the mobile movie theater handover ceremony at Yudha Negara court, wartakota.tribunnews.com reported

Tangerang Deputy Regent Mad Romli said he hoped the mobile film theater could have a positive impact on residents, especially educationally. (cal)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 07:12 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877bdb1c1 1 City Manggarai-sluice,trash,rainy-season Free

The heavy rain that hit Greater Jakarta on Sunday has resulted in a massive amount of trash clogging up the Manggarai sluice gate in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

Central Jakarta Water Resources Agency official Rohmat said the trash had accumulated at the sluice gate due to heavy rain in Bogor, West Java.

The trash had accumulated in Manggarai at 2:30 a.m. on Monday, Rohmat said as quoted by kompas.com. He added that it had amounted to around 600 cubic meters and consisted mostly of tree trunks and household waste.



As of Monday afternoon, officials from the agency had removed 26 truckloads of trash, which were taken to a temporary waste disposal site in Pulogadung, East Jakarta, before being transferred to Bantar Gebang landfill in Bekasi, West Java. (fac)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 17:27 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877c00e71 2 Business PTDI-aircraft-industry,senegal,Ivory-Coast,contract,agreement Free

Indonesian aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) has said the company is preparing to sign a contract with Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire for the purchase of CN 235 aircraft.

PT DI sales division head Ibnu Bintarto said a purchase and sale contract would be signed in the near future. Each country will buy one CN235-220 aircraft, Ibnu said on Tuesday as reported by kontan.co.id.

He said Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire purchased PT DIs aircraft through a European company. The company acts as the buyer, whose end customers are Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire, Ibnu added.

Ibnus statement clarified a previous report that the contract had been signed on Monday.

CN235-220 aircraft are a variant of the CN235-10, which was jointly developed by PT Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantata (IPTN), now PT DI, with Spanish aircraft manufacturer CASA in 1979.

Previously, PT DI signed a contract with Senegal for two CN235-10 aircraft and two CN235-200 aircraft. One of the CN235-220 aircraft is currently still under construction at a PT DI factory in Bandung, West Java.

Ibnu declined to reveal the value of the contract, but said the price of a CN235 aircraft was about US$30 million, depending on the variant and specifications ordered by the buyers.

PT DI sees Africa as a lucrative market as many countries are looking to replace their older aircraft. PT DI president director Elfien Guntoro previously said the company was hoping to sell 95 CN235 aircraft, 29 NC212i aircraft and 111 N219 aircraft on the continent. (bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) New York and Washington, United States  Tue, November 13, 2018 09:29 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877be40de 2 World #USA,#Russia,DonaldTrump,associate,investigation,Russia-meddling Free

An associate of Roger Stone, a longtime ally of US President Donald Trump, expects to be indicted by the US special counsel probing Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, he said on Monday.

Jerome Corsi, a right-wing commentator, said in a livestream posted to YouTube he expected to be criminally charged after two months of cooperation with federal authorities.

"I fully anticipate that in the next few days I will be indicted by Mueller for some form or other of giving false information to the special counsel or ... (however) they want to do the indictment. But I'm going to be criminally charged," Corsi said in the video.

Corsi's attorney declined to comment, and Corsi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team of prosecutors is investigating whether Trump's campaign team colluded with Moscow in its alleged efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.

As part of that investigation, prosecutors questioned associates of Stone over his ties to WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange.

The connection between Stone and Wikileaks came under scrutiny after WikiLeaks published emails hacked from the Democratic Party and the account of the campaign chairman of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton before the 2016 election.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsel's office, declined to comment.

Trump has denied his campaign colluded with Moscow and has called the Mueller probe a "witch hunt". Russia denies any interference in the 2016 campaign, and Stone has also denied any wrongdoing.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Theresia Sufa (The Jakarta Post) Bogor  Tue, November 13, 2018 18:00 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877c02b55 1 City bogor,caliphate,discussion,permit,police Free

The Bogor Police refused to give permission to an event that was meant to be held at the Az-Zikra Mosque in Bogor regency on Nov. 17, alleging that the event was related to the Islamic caliphate movement that aims to replace the countrys political system.

Bogor Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Andi Mochamad Dicky said the gathering event was proposed by Khilafatul Muslimin of the Nur Syakirah Foundation and would use the theme: Indonesia, the starting point for the rise of Islam in the world".

We suggest people not go to the event because it doesnt have legal permission. Should the organizer insist on carrying out the event, the police will disperse the crowd and stand guard to avoid conflict, he said.

Andi said the event is against the national ideology of Pancasila and the law of the nation. He claimed that long before the foundation representative asked for permission, the police investigated and questioned several people regarding the event.

He said he had asked the Az-Zikra Mosque management to not allow people from the Nur Syakirah Foundation to hold the event on Nov. 17. (vla)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13 2018

Malaysian private lender CIMB Niaga and Japanese-controlled credit card company JCB Indonesia launched their latest joint credit card on Monday targeting middle-aged, upper-class women in Indonesia.

CIMB Niaga consumer banking director Lani Darmawan said the company had chosen to target middle-aged, upper-class women because they were often the financial managers of their households even if their husbands were the breadwinners.

Women dont do the shopping just for themselves, but also for their families.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 16:45 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877bfdcd9 4 City Tanah-Abang-Market,Tanah-Abang-station,KAI,anies-baswedan,PD-Pasar-Jaya,textile,Tanah-Abang-skybridge,Ombudsman Free

A failure to communicate about the details of the long-awaited Tanah Abang Skybridge between the city administration and state-owned railway PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has delayed the completion of the bridge, the Indonesian Ombudsman has said.

Teguh Purnomo, the head of the ombudsman's Jakarta office, said the city administration had yet to have a thorough talk with KAI on the project.

There are at least five things that have yet to be arranged by the Jakarta administration, such as the traffic flow in the area, asset management, a connector between Tanah Abang Station and the skybridge, and the security management.

The ombudsman said the city administration should manage those things properly to alleviate traffic disorder and congestion in the area, which serves as a textile trade hub in Indonesia.

We dont want any traffic jams and we want all street vendors to be relocated to the skybridge. There shouldnt be any more street vendors on the streets, Teguh said on Monday as quoted by tempo.co.

The development of the skybridge has begun and was supposed to finish in October.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said he would summon the director of city-owned developer PD Sarana Jaya Pembangunan to talk about the matter. (cal)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 13:03 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877be9ec9 4 Business PTDI-aircraft-industry,INKA,plane,locomotive,exports,senegal,Gold-Coast Free

Aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) will sign purchase and sale agreements with Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire for the procurement of two planes with total transaction value around US$ 75 million, the Foreign Ministry has said.

The ministry says the agreement is a follow up to agreements made during the Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) 2018 in Bali on April 10 to 11.

Read also: Indonesia to sign agreement to sell planes, locomotives to Africa

PTDI expert on plane development Andi Alisjahbana said the CN 235-220 planes, which were purchased by both countries, could be used as passenger planes or for maritime patrol.

Usually, we deliver the planes about 24 to 28 months after the contracts are signed, said Andi as reported by kontan.co.id.

Meanwhile, state-owned train manufacturer PT Industri Kerata Api (Inka) also signed a purchase and sale agreement with Senegal on locomotive procurement, according to the ministry, but the value of the transaction was not revealed.

Under the second agreement with Senegal, Inka was also assigned to operate the Dakar-Bamako railway line, the ministry says. (bbn)

Editors note: We have corrected the heading and the first and second paragraphs of this article.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13 2018

President Joko Jokowi Widodo is aiming to win 60 percent of the vote in West Java in next years presidential election, Jokowi-Maruf Amin West Java regional campaign chairman Dedi Mulyadi said on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com.

I am targeting 60 percent. The congruence between all the components is relatively good, Dedi said during Jokowis campaign stop in Bandung, West Java.

With a population of over 47 million, West Java is Indonesias most populous province, and at almost 97 percent Muslim it is also widely regarded as among the most religiously conservative provinces in the country.

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Linkedin Karina M. Tehusijarana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 12:33 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877bea0a2 1 National Lion-Air,plane-crash,JT610,wedding,bride Free

High school sweethearts Intan Indah Syarii and Rio Nanda Pratama were set to marry in Pangkalpinang, Bangka Belitung over the weekend. However, their plans were thwarted when Rio boarded Lion Air flight JT610 on Oct. 29 to return to Pangkalpinang after attending a seminar in Jakarta.

The airplane crashed into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff, and none of the 189 passengers on board survived.

Despite the tragic loss of her husband-to-be, Intan went through with a wedding photo shoot wearing her wedding gown to honor a request that had been intended as a joke by Rio just before he left for Jakarta. Wedding organizers Adiela Organizer posted photos from her wedding shoot on its Instagram account on Sunday with a caption telling Intan's story.

"Rio gave Intan one message," @adielaorganizer.bangka wrote. "'If I'm not back on Nov. 11, 2018, you should still wear the wedding gown that I chose yesterday and wear pretty makeup. Ask for fresh white roses from Sheila [the wedding organizer] and take a nice photo. Send the photo to me.'"

Intan also posted the photos on her own Instagram account on Monday, expressing her grief following Rio's death.

"Even though I feel grief that I cannot describe, I still have to smile for you, and cannot be sad but should be strong like you always told me to be," she wrote. "I love you Rio Nanda Pratama darling."

Intan had also previously posted pictures of her finished wedding invitations and called Rio her "first love."

"Now many know the story of me and the man that has filled my days for 13 years," she posted last week. "He is Rio Nanda Pratama, my first love." (ahw)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13 2018

A perennial problem in the city, flooding is something Jakartans face every rainy season. As the city administration continues its efforts to address flooding, some people are also actively taking part in flood mitigation and prevention measures for the sake of their neighborhoods.

Members of youth group Karang Taruna in Cipete Utara, South Jakarta, have volunteered to monitor the water level of the Krukut River, as the river regularly overflows during the rainy season, inundating the surrounding area.

The area was inundated by knee-high floodwaters on Monday afternoon. After receiving information about flooding upstream from other neighborhood unit (RT) and community units (RW), the group members gathered on a badminton court 15 meters from the river to take turns monitoring the water level from 8 p.m. to midnight.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 18:35 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877c04116 1 City crime,attack,beggar,kids,North-Jakarta Free

A man named Edi was reportedly mugged by four people at the Tanjung Priok bus terminal in North Jakarta around midnight on Monday after giving a child beggar Rp 5,000 (33 US cents).

Tanjung Priok Police chief Comr. Supriyanto said that the incident started when a child came toward Edi begging for money when the latter had just got out of an angkot (public minivan).

The victim gave the child Rp 5,000. Suddenly, perpetrators came and pointed sharp weapons at him, he said on Monday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Supriyanto said the muggers rummaged through Edi's pocket and stole his cellphone.

The muggers then ran away, he said.

Edi reported the mugging to the Tanjung Priok police who were on patrol.

The police have arrested one of the suspected perpetrators, Nona Haryati, the mother of the child.

Supriyanto said she allegedly used her child so the victim would feel pity. He added that Nona was reportedly a recidivist and that her husband had been imprisoned for a similar case.

The child will beg for money. Once the victim gives the money, the perpetrators will attack [the victim], he said. (sau)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Karina M. Tehusijarana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 17:32 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877c01c02 1 National Pos-Indonesia,Book,Jokowi Free

State-owned postal company PT Pos Indonesia has stopped its program allowing people to send books through the mail at no charge, citing funding problems.

"Yes, for the time being, we are stopping the program because it is very costly. We are looking for a funding source that can share the burden," Pos Indonesia president director Gilarsi said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

The program, which was announced by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in May 2017, had initially aimed at encouraging literacy and defray the high costs of sending books to rural areas.

Gilarsi said the company had spent over Rp 13 billion (US$877,056) on the program but could no longer cover the costs, as it exceeded the company's corporate social responsibility budget.

"So, this month I was forced to stop it because the source of funding has not been confirmed," he said, adding that he hoped the government could help find a solution to the problem.

Literacy advocate and Pustaka Bergerak founder Nirwan Arsuka, who lobbied for the program, said he was aware of the decision.

"I think stopping the program shows that our bureaucracy is not quick enough to facilitate peoples' blazing enthusiasm to send books across the country to help Indonesian children who lack quality reading material," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

"Indonesian children actually have a high interest in reading, they just lack the materials."

However, he said he understood Pos Indonesia's decision given the high costs.

"I hope the government can find a solution to help overcome the high costs and widen the opportunities for people to help the government educate Indonesian children," he said. (kmt/swd)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 21:19 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877c09bbf 2 National Rizieq-Shihab,Saudi-Arabia,Foreign-Affairs-Ministry Free

The Saudi envoy to Indonesia said on Tuesday that despite the controversy Muhammad Rizieq Shihab caused by flying a black Islamic flag at the rear of his residence in Mecca, the firebrand Indonesian cleric had not broken any laws.

On Nov. 5, Saudi security authorities questioned Rizieq, who is in self-exile in the country, because of reports from local residents about a black flag resembling ones used by extremist Islamic groups that was spotted hanging from the wall of the clerics house. The flag in question was a black flag with the Arabic inscription of the tawhid text, the Muslim doctrine of the oneness of God. Similar flags have been used by several Islamist groups, including the Islamic State (IS) movement.

Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Usamah Muhammad Al-Syuaiby said the tawhid has a significant meaning for Muslims, but displaying it on a flag was not necessarily a criminal act.

If we find such a flag being installed on someones wall as a picture or anything else, we need to find out who is doing such a thing, the ambassador said during a press briefing at the headquarters of Muhammadiyah, Indonesias second-largest Islamic organization.

The ambassador met with high-ranking officials of Muhammadiyah and they talked about Saudi Arabias cooperation with Indonesia and the organization.

Are you a criminal for installing the flag on your house? I dont think so, he said.

However, Al-Syuaiby did not address the fact that the Indonesian government compared the flag on Rizieqs house to those flown by IS terrorists.

Last week, Indonesian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Agus Maftuh Abegebriel told journalists he had received reports on the questioning and detention of the cleric. He said the embassy staff were informed that the Mecca Police went to Rizieqs house on the morning of Nov. 5 to investigate the allegation of the installation of a black flag that resembles the flag of Islamist extremist groups on the rear side of his house.

Later that afternoon, Mecca Police and Saudi Arabias General Investigation Directorate questioned Rizieq at a nearby police station, where he was eventually detained. Indonesias representative office in Jeddah dispatched staff to provide legal assistance to Rizieq, whom Saudi authorities released on bail at about 8 p.m. local time on Nov. 6.

According to the Indonesian embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has banned the installation of flags and other materials resembling those used by extremist groups, including IS.

Rizieq, the leader of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), has been in Saudi Arabia for more than a year. He was charged by Indonesian police for violating the 2008 Pornography Law in May 2017 and fled to Saudi Arabia, refusing to return to Indonesia. The police dropped the case in June, citing a lack of evidence.

In September, the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh said Rizieq had overstayed his visa for the country. The statement was issued in response to complaints from his supporters who claimed that his activities were being restricted in Mecca.

Al-Syuaiby, however, said the cleric has not violated any laws while staying in Saudi Arabia.

I think Rizieq is not a threat to my country. If he had violated any laws, he would have undergone a legal process. Rizieq doesnt have problems, the ambassador said.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Fathiya Dahrul, Manuel Baigorri and Joyce Koh (Bloomberg) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 16:06 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877bf91ad 2 Business semen-indonesia,cement-factory,Holcim,deal Free

PT Semen Indonesia, the countrys top cement maker, is acquiring LafargeHolcim Ltd.s local business in a deal valuing the unit at about $1.75 billion including debt.

LafargeHolcim agreed to sell its entire holding in PT Holcim Indonesia as part of a continuing review of its portfolio, according to a statement Monday. Semen Indonesia will conduct a tender offer for remaining shares of Jakarta-listed Holcim Indonesia after completing its purchase of LafargeHolcims 80.6 percent stake, it said in a separate exchange filing.

Bloomberg News reported earlier the parties were nearing a deal. The unit holds all the Swiss companys operations in Indonesia: four cement plants, 33 ready-mix plants and two aggregate quarries, according to LafargeHolcims statement.

The transaction helps Semen Indonesia expand its market leadership while allowing LafargeHolcim to reduce group debt and exit a market where its struggled. Semen Indonesia edged out Malaysian tycoon Francis Yeohs YTL Corp. and Chinese cement producer Hongshi Holding Group Co. in the final round of talks, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Representatives for YTL and Hongshi didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. A representative for LafargeHolcim declined to comment.

Shares of Holcim Indonesia jumped as much as 10.2 percent in Tuesday trading. They were up 4.7 percent to 1,995 rupiah at 3:24 p.m. in Jakarta, headed for the highest close since January 2015. The benchmark Jakarta Composite Index rose 0.9 percent.

LafargeHolcim Chief Executive Officer Jan Jenisch said in the statement Monday that the company has committed to divestments of at least 2 billion Swiss francs ($2 billion). Thats part of a five-year turnaround plan announced in March to increase sales and cash flow.

BNP Paribas SA advised Semen Indonesia on the deal, while LafargeHolcim worked with Citigroup Inc.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Tue, November 13 2018

The provincial government of Bangka Belitung Islands off southern Sumatra is correct to propose to the interministerial National Council on Special Economic Zones (SEZ) that the coastal areas of Sungai Liat and Tanjung Gunung on Bangka Island be designated as SEZ in a bid to diversify the local economy away from an over-dependence on tin mining.

Indeed, as an industry based on nature and culture, tourism is one of the most suitable businesses for the two islands to develop because of the multiplier effect and labor-intensive nature of its operations. Travel-related businesses such as hotels, restaurants, transportation, handicrafts and cultural shows are all labor intensive, the very kind of businesses needed to absorb the huge pool of job seekers.

The central government itself has put tourism development on top of its working programs and has thus far designated several beach-fronted areas as tourism-based SEZs, including Morotai in North Maluku, Mandalika on Lombok Island, Tanjung Lesung in Banten province and Tanjung Kelayang on Belitung Island.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 18:38 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877c053fa 1 National sexual-harassment,Supreme-Court,ITE-Law,Mataram Free

The Supreme Court has found 37-year-old high school teacher Baiq Nuril Maknun from Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), guilty of defaming the school's former principal by spreading a recording of a reportedly sordid phone call between the two of them, overturning a lower court's not guilty verdict.

According to the ruling, Nuril must serve a six-month sentence and pay a Rp 500 million (US$33,749) fine after being found guilty of violating Article 27 Point 1 of the 2016 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law.

The Mataram District Court had previously found Nuril not guilty of the charges in July 2017, but prosecutors submitted a cassation petition to the Supreme Court shortly after.

Nuril has asked that President Joko "Joko" Widodo intervene in the case. "Mr. President, I am only asking for justice become I am just a victim here. Is it wrong for me to try and defend myself in my own way? I ask for justice," she said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.

Her ordeal started in 2012 when she was working as a contract teacher at SMA 7 Mataram public high school. At the time, the school's principal, Muslim, allegedly called Nuril frequently on her cell phone and made sordid comments about his love affair with another woman.

She made a recording of one of the calls in which Muslim reportedly verbally abused Nuril. The recording was obtained by a coworker of hers in 2014 and subsequently went viral, leading to Muslim's demotion. He then reported Nuril to the NTB Police for defamation in 2015.

During her trial in 2017, Nuril was detained for two months before the Mataram District Court suspended her detention amid a public outcry.

"This ruling is bad news for victims and shows how the ITE Law continues to criminalize victims," Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network volunteer Rudi said in a statement.

Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) executive director Anggara condemned the ruling, saying it showed that Supreme Court did not show care in its decision.

The ICJR once again calls on the government to quickly revise the ITE Law, he said. (kmt)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Liliane Fan and Rachael Reilly (The Jakarta Post) Bangkok  Wed, November 14 2018

Ive been a refugee three times, said Rashida, a 50-year-old Rohingya woman we met in the camps in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh. Without full citizenship, I cannot go back to Myanmar. So many times, the governments negotiated and we were repatriated. But we had to leave again and flee for our lives. We need the international community to help us resolve this problem.

As leaders from ASEAN are meeting in Singapore, its vital that they work together to find lasting solutions for Rohingya refugees across the region, and to address the root causes of the statelessness and displacement crisis in Myanmars Rakhine State.

It is now clear that the displacement of Rohingya is a regional crisis that needs regional solutions. The largest refugee camp in the world sits at the doorstep of ASEAN.

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Linkedin Marcus Wright (Bloomberg) Kuala Lumpur  Tue, November 13, 2018 13:06 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877bef5bc 2 SE Asia Goldman-Sachs,Malaysia,Mahathir-Mohamad,scandal,1MDB Free

Malaysia was cheated by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. as a result of the firms transactions with the countrys scandal-tainted investment fund 1MDB, according to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed.

Obviously we have been cheated, Mahathir said in an interview with CNBC, in response to a question about the restitution Malaysia might seek from the U.S. bank. Of course there is evidence that Goldman Sachs has done things which are wrong, he added.

Goldman Sachs is facing increasing scrutiny after at least three former senior bankers were publicly implicated by the U.S. Department of Justice this month as part of a probe into a multiyear criminal enterprise that included bribes of officials and money laundering. The firm has said its cooperating with the investigations and may face significant fines.

The Malaysia probe focuses on 1Malaysia Development Bhd., and the $6.5 billion it raised in 2012 and 2013, during the premiership of Mahathirs predecessor, Najib Razak. Goldman Sachs handled the deals, reaping almost $600 million in fees.

Mahathir said he didnt know how much restitution Malaysia might seek from the U.S. bank, adding that the firms compliance function doesnt work very well.

Shares of Goldman tumbled the most since 2011 on Monday after Malaysias Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng demanded a full refund.

Asked whether the Wall Street firm might be barred from doing business in Malaysia, Mahathir replied: We are watching.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 09:14 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877be290c 1 SE Asia Amnesty-International,Aung-San-Suu-Kyi,Rohingya,Myanmar,honorary-title Free

Rights group Amnesty International announced on Tuesday that it had withdrawn its highest honor, the Ambassador of Conscience Award, from Aung San Suu Kyi, in light of the Myanmar leaders "betrayal of values she once stood for".

Amnesty secretary-general Kumi Naidoo wrote to Suu Kyi on Sunday to inform her the organization was revoking the 2009 award.

Naidoo expressed the organizations disappointment that Suu Kyi had not used her political and moral authority to safeguard human rights, justice or equality in Myanmar, citing her apparent indifference to atrocities committed by the Myanmar military and increasing intolerance of freedom of expression.

As an Amnesty International ambassador of conscience, our expectation was that you would continue to use your moral authority to speak out against injustice wherever you saw it, not least within Myanmar itself, he wrote.

Amnesty International cannot justify your continued status as a recipient of the Ambassador of Conscience Award and so with great sadness we are hereby withdrawing it from you.

Suu Kyi is in Singapore to attend the ASEAN Summit series of meetings, where she is expected to face scrutiny on the plight of the Rohingya.

Many diplomats and rights activists say ASEAN's credibility is at risk if it fails to tackle the matter head on.

A United Nations report in August detailed mass killings and gang rapes with genocidal intent in a military crackdown that began in 2017 and drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from Rakhine state into neighboring Bangladesh.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, November 13, 2018 18:05 1105 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877c02ba4 1 News Garuda-Indonesia,Singapore,travel,bandung,new-route,flight,Airlines Free

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is set to launch a direct route from Bandung, West Java, to Singapore on Dec. 2.

The service will operate four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays using the Boeing 737-800NG.

The flight GA844 is scheduled to depart from Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung at 12:50 p.m. local time and arrive at Changi Airport in Singapore at 3:55 p.m local time. Meanwhile, the return flight GA845 will fly from Changi Airport at 11 a.m local time and land at Husein Sastranegara International Airport at 12 p.m. local time.

Read also: Garuda to reopen Jakarta-London route

The new route aims at supporting Bandungs potential in tourism and enhance connectivity, especially as the city is said to have welcomed more than 170,000 foreign tourists in 2017.

We hope the flight will provide more access for international travelers to explore Bandungs rich culture, said Pikri Ilham Kurniansyah, Garuda Indonesia commercial director, in a statement. Were optimistic that this service will maximize the citys potential in the future. (wir/kes)Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here

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Wei Fenghe (right), visiting Chinese state councilor and minister of national defense, talks with J. V. Jay Vinyard, a US World War II veteran who was a pilot in the China-Burma-India Theater, on Saturday in Washington. [Photo / Xinhua]

Defense chiefs of China and the United States highlighted efforts to enhance cooperation and avoid confrontation in a positive, frank and constructive discussion at the Pentagon on Friday.

Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe, in his meeting with US Secretary of Defense James Mattis on Friday afternoon, said President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have reached a series of important consensuses that provide strategic guidance for developing Sino-American relations.

Both sides should earnestly implement the consensus reached, strive to avoid conflicts and confrontation, respect each other and conduct win-win cooperation, so as to make positive contributions to world peace and prosperity, Wei said.

They should treat the military-to-military relationship in a positive and calm manner, enhance strategic communication, boost mutual trust, expand dialogue and cooperation, properly manage risks, and discuss rules and ways to avoid unexpected conflicts and frictions to make the military-to-military relationship a stabilizer for the overall bilateral relationship, Wei said.

Mattis agreed with Wei that bilateral and military-to-military relations should be developed steadily. He said the US has no intention to contain China and that fostering a constructive military-to-military relationship with China has always been a goal.

Mattis said he hopes both militaries could make full use of the current dialogue and communication mechanisms to improve risk management, avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations, and seek pragmatic cooperation in more fields.

Wei and Mattis also exchanged views on issues relating to the South China Sea, Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula.

Wei noted that the Chinese military firmly opposes any acts to separate China and will safeguard Chinas national sovereignty, security and territory at all costs.

On Saturday, Wei said he had a positive, frank and constructive discussion with Mattis.

I should say this is a very successful visit, since we have reached many positive agreements, Wei said in a meeting with World War II veterans at the Chinese embassy in Washington.

Wei said that the veterans reminded him of the time when China and the US fought shoulder to shoulder and to defend against the common enemy.

Chinese people will never forget their old friends, he said.

General Wei made it clear to all of us that a peaceful relationship is so important to him, said Nell Calloway, CEO and president of the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum in Monroe, Louisiana.

We must take lessons from the war and remember how we put aside our differences and what we have accomplished by doing that, said Calloway, granddaughter of General Claire L. Chennault, the leader of the Flying Tigers air squadron, which helped transport arms and other materials to support Chinas fight against Japanese invaders.

If we strengthen the relationship between China and the US, we can accomplish great things now, like we did during the time of war, and we can do it during the time of peace, said Calloway.Home >The Revolt > Camera Destruction > France, South Africa: Speed Cameras Taken OutSouthern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Occasional rain tapering to a few showers late. High 56F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Widespread frost likely. Low 29F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

A J-20 fighter performs at the 12th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (Airshow China) in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 11, 2018. The air show closed on Sunday. (Photo/Xinhua)

The People's Liberation Army Air Force intends to expand its presence into space as part of its plan to become a world-class force, a senior officer said on Sunday.

Senior Colonel Wang Zhonghua, head of the Planning Bureau of the PLA Air Force's Equipment Department, said at a news conference in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, that the Air Force spares no efforts in handling all threats, and is gearing up to extend its reach beyond the clouds and into space.

He said the Air Force is undergoing revolutionary changes that will generate a system that can function in future warfare scenarios.

The news conference coincided with the 69th anniversary of the Air Force's founding and was part of the six-day 12th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition that concluded on Sunday in Zhuhai.

Lieutenant General Xu Anxiang, deputy commander of the Air Force, outlined a multiphase road map for building a strong, modern air force.

First, a strategic force will be established by 2020. It will have integrated air and space capability and balanced strength in both defensive and offensive operations.

When that is achieved, fourth-generation equipment will serve as the backbone of the Air Force's arsenal. Information-based systematic combat capabilities will be enhanced, he said.

The Air Force categorizes its top weapons such as the J-20 stealth fighter jet and Y-20 strategic transport aircraft as fourth-generation equipment, while the J-10 and J-16 combat fighters are classified as third-generation.

In the following phase, the Air Force will further improve its strategic capability and modernize its organizational structure, human resources and weaponry. The building of a modern strategic air force will essentially be achieved by 2035, Xu said.

Ultimately, the Air Force will be fully transformed into a world-class force by the mid-21st century, he said.

remaining of

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Sign in Welcome, Login to your account. Forget password? Remember me Sign in Recover your password. A password will be e-mailed to you.With its pretty cobbled streets, cosy bistros and excellent museums, Paris is a joy to visit in winter. We list some of our favourite seasonal activities.

All activities listed in this article are recommendations from the brand new DK Eyewitness guide to Paris, which launched on September 27, 2018.

Check out DKs travel guide to Paris and get inspired

The walks

Adopt the spirit of the Flaneur, a Parisian word for aimless wanderer, and take a stroll along the River Seine. There are car-free paths on both sides of the river, which flows 13km (8 miles) though Paris from east to west.

Wrap up well and head to the Berges de Seine, a former roadway that was converted into a promenade in 2013. The scenic walkway takes you 2.3 km (1.3 miles) along the left bank, passing lovely views of the Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries and Petit Palais. The promenade has an urban-chic feel, with renovated shipping crates and a creative playground for kids.

Once you have taken in the beautiful sights, warm up in the waterfront restaurant Rosa Bonheur and enjoy a glass of wine and some delicious tapas.

The architecture

The panoramic views of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower are very impressive, but theres also beauty to be found underground. The 18th century Catacombes de Paris were originally set up as a dumping ground for millions of skulls and bones from the unsanitary city cemetery in Les Halles. However in the early 19th century the bones were used to adorn the walls in decorative patters, creating a maze of morbid beauty. Visits here have become very popular so reserving an advanced ticket is strongly advised.

Other architectural marvels include the imposing medieval cathedral of Notre Dame and the Pantheon, a neoclassical mausoleum that houses the remains of distinguished French citizens including Victor Hugo and Marie Curie. Walking amongst these incredible buildings feels all the more dramatic when they are covered in a layer of crisp, white snow.

The wine

Between seven and eight million bottles of wine are produced in France every year, so its safe to say its citizens know a thing or two about wine. If youre dining out and not sure what to order, trust your server to recommend a suitable pairing. If youre keen to learn more about wine, why not book an official wine tasting? At O Chateau in Les Halles, English-speaking specialists offer tastings and multi-course meals served in one of their vaulted dinning rooms. The sommelier pairs each dish with wine, offering fascinating insights into every glass.

During the winter months, there are several wine festivals to really get you into the spirit of the grape. Beaujolais Nouveau (November 15, 2018) is a nationwide event marking the arrival of two-month-old Beaujolais Nouveau red wine. Bars and restaurants throughout Paris celebrate with live music, parties and plenty of the red stuff.

Alternatively, check out the Salon des Vins des Vignerons Independants (November 29 to December 03, 2018) where more than 1000 wine makers exhibit and offer tastings of their best vintages.

The shopping

Paris is the fashion capital of the world and home to Chanel, Dior and Jean-Paul Gaultier. The citys most prestigious designer boutiques line Avenue Montaigne, where beautiful window displays entice fashionistas. If you decide to enter the boutiques, make sure you are dressed to impress  trainers and shorts are frowned upon.

For a more rustic shopping experience, take a stroll through one of the weekly flea markets. Marche aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves in the 14th arrondissement is open every weekend throughout the year and is free to enter. Here youll find a vast selection of glassware, furniture, artwork and curios, with genuine bargains to be had. In 1989 the first ever portrait shot by father of photography Louis Daguerre was sold for the equivalent of 500  a tiny sum for such a significant piece of history.

The art scene

The winter months are the ideal time to explore Paris fabulous art scene, which goes far beyond whats on offer in the Louvre. For example the Fondation Louis Vuitton, located in a picturesque central park, showcases a fantastic selection of modern artwork. If you prefer impressionist paintings try Musee dOrsay, a former train station located on the left bank of the Seine. Must-see paintings include Olympia by Edouard Manet and The Cardplayers by Paul Cezanne.

Paris is also a haven for street artists who ply their work on buildings and walls around the city. Some of the best works can be viewed around the Canal St-Martin or along Rue Denoyez in Belleville. If youre not sure where to start, book a tour with Street Art Tour Paris.

Love the sound of Paris in winter?

The brand new DK Eyewitness guide to Paris guide is now smaller, lighter and features hundreds of beautiful illustrations. As well as listing the classic bucket list activities, the guide promotes authentic travel experiences, which can be found in their inspirational spreads at the beginning of the book. These focus on everything from art and wine to family activities and music festivals.

Check out DKs travel guide to Paris and get inspired

As well as the Paris guide, the new range features nine other classic destinations (with more planned for 2019): Italy, London, New York City, Amsterdam, Berlin, Ireland, Prague, Rome and Washington DC.

If youd like to find out more about the guides, check out our recent feature on improving your travel experience by using a DK Eyewitness guide.

Disclaimer: This article was sponsored by DK TravelNANJING, Nov. 13 (ChinaMil) -- Chinese and the US armed forces started the eight-day US-China Disaster Management Exchange 2018 on Monday in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province.

The exchange involves over 200 military personnel from the army under the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command and the US Army Pacific.

The exchange aims to share the experience of international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief of the two militaries and cultivate the willingness and capability of the two militaries to carry out disaster relief operations.MBABANE  Matata Retail (Pty) Ltd previously known as L.C Von Wissel (Pty) Ltd, has been acquired by Spar Trading (Pty) Ltd.



Swaziland Competition Commission (SCC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Thabisile Langa, explained that the acquiring company is a newly-formed entity incorporated in accordance with the company laws of Eswatini.



Langa said Spar Trading (Pty) Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Spar Group Limited, which is a company incorporated in accordance with the company laws of the Republic of South Africa.



Listed



The CEO said Spar Group Limited is a public company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and is involved in the trading of fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs).

The target firm, Matata Retail (Pty) Ltd had business operations in the country through owning the following shops - Moneni Spar and Tops, Matata Spar and Tops, Big Bend Spar and Tops and MpakaSavemore.



Langa said when analysing the transaction, the products of the firms were considered and it was concluded that there were two relevant markets in this transaction; the wholesaling of FMCGs in Eswatini and the retailing of FMCGs in the Manzini, Moneni, Mpaka, Matata and Big Bend corridor of Eswatini.



Wholesaling



Analysis revealed that a vertical relationship existed between the two relevant markets identified as wholesaling of FMCGs, is an integral process into the retailing of FMCGs, said Langa.



The CEO stated that the potential for input and customer foreclosure was considered in the analysis of the transaction, and it was concluded that these could not arise as a result of the transaction.



Further analysis revealed that post-merger, market shares in the relevant markets, market concentration, countervailing power and barriers to entry would not be affected and hence, the transaction was not likely to result in the substantial lessening or prevention of competition. The transaction was approved without conditions, added Langa.

Matata Group CEO Hans Steffen confirmed that the transaction has been finalised without providing the value of the transaction.



Charge



We have sold the stores but will continue to be in charge of the buildings at Matata, briefly said Steffen.

During the same quarter, SCC also approved acquisition of AON Holdings B.V.s 60 per cent shareholding in AON Swaziland (Pty) Ltd.

The acquiring firms of the shareholding valued at E28 million were the Swaziland Industrial Development Company Limited (SIDC) and AON Swaziland Staff Share Ownership Plan Trust (ASSOPT).



Langa explained that the commission considered the products of the merging parties in Eswatini and concluded that the relevant market was the provision of short-term insurance broking, reinsurance and pension fund administration services in Eswatini.

Langa clarified that analysis revealed that there were no overlaps between the activities of merging firms in the relevant market and as such, the transaction was categorised as a phase one.



As a result of the transaction, SIDC and ASSOPT will attain the 60 per cent shares that were owned by Aon Holdings in AON post-merger. They will each attain an additional 30 per cent shares to their current holdings in AON. This will result in SIDC having 45 per cent shares and ASSOPT having 39 per cent shares in AON post-merger, while the shareholding of the Government of Eswatini in AON will remain unaltered at 16, said Langa.

The SCC CEO said the transaction was merely a change of shares ownership in the target firm, as the acquiring firms were replacing one of the shareholders (Aon Holdings) which was exiting its ownership of AON.



Transaction



As a result of the transaction, Aon Holdings will relinquish its holdings in AON, and SIDC and ASSOPT have acquired Aon Holdings shares in AON post-merger, Langa explained.



Langa added that the commission concluded that the market shares in the relevant markets, market concentration, countervailing power and barriers to entry would not be affected, hence the transaction was unlikely to result in the substantial lessening or prevention of competition. The transaction was approved without conditions.



SIDC CEO Phiwayinkhosi Ginindza said they were grateful that the transaction had been approved by the commission.

We considered the shares acquisition as a viable investment when taking into account the fact that AON has been a profitable business, said Ginindza.By Zhao Yan

The NATOs biggest-ever joint military exercise dubbed Anakonda-2018 just kicked off in Poland. It is another large-scale joint military exercise conducted by the NATO countries in sensitive areas close to the northwestern border of Russia after the large-scale Trident Juncture exercise in Norway.

Analysts believe that, in addition to maintaining deterrence against Russia, this military exercise also helps explore measures to further deploy troops in Poland and the Baltic countries from the perspective of the NATOs military deployment.

Distinctive features

The Anakonda-2018 military drill involves Baltic countries such as Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia for the first time. The exercise area includes military training grounds in Poland and the Baltic countries, as well as international airspace and waters of the Baltic Sea. Compared with the Trident Juncture, this drill is more sensitive as it directly faces the northwestern part of Russia and its sea hinterlands.

The drill will involve tens of thousands of troops from 10 NATO member states and NATO military commands. About 5,000 units of military hardware including 45 warships, 150 aircraft and helicopters will be involved in the maneuvers. The scale is bigger compared with previous drills.

The Polish side said that the drill aims to exercise the capability of the joint forces to carry out strategic defense tasks under conventional and mixed threat conditions. However, Chinese military commentator Hu Wenhan believes that, judging from its scale and content, the drill has offensive elements such as firepower tests and therefore is not a pure defensive exercise.

Multiple intentions

NATO has hosted Clear Sky air force drill in Ukraine, an aviation drill in the UK and the Trident Juncture drill in the past month. The main participating countries of Anakonda-2018 are Poland and the Baltic countries. Historically, those countries were the land and sea barrier around the Soviet Union in the West. They are close to Russias two strategically important cities of St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad. As a result, Russia is very dissatisfied with this drill.

During the Trident Juncture, two Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces have made long air sorties over the drill area and were once followed by Norwegian fighter jets. Shortly afterwards, NATO carried out military exercises with a strong military force.NATOs intention to strengthen its strategic deterrence against Russia is self-evident.

According to Hu, this military drill is also an exploration of NATOstroop deployment. In recent years, Poland, as an important part of the US anti-missile system in Europe, has always aimed to strengthen its military cooperation with the US. Poland has repeatedly proposed the idea of permanently basing US troops within the country, despite paying out of its own pocket.

However, this has been strongly opposed by Russia and Belarus. During his visit to the US in September this year, Polish President Andrzej Duda brought up again the idea of the construction of a permanent military base in Poland. The US President Donald Trump said that he would consider this proposal very seriously.

Hu believes that the US may use the Anakonda-2018 military drill as an opportunity to explore the feasible plan of military deployment in Poland. At the same time, the US will promote the military deployment in the Baltic countries in different batches.

In addition, NATO said that it prepared some drill subjects that have not been publicly announced. During the drill, NATO will use that to test the official reaction and the level of military countermeasures on Russias part as a reference for its subsequent military operations.

Disclaimer: The author is Zhao Yan. The article was published on the PLA Daily on November 13. It is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military online.MBABANE  Lets have those pay cuts to bolster the economy. The regional female aspirant Members of Parliament for the Hhohho Region, in unison, supported that the remuneration of politicians be reduced to bolster the economy.



The aspiring legislators, who lost during the National Elections held in the past two months, supported the idea that those who were well-remunerated should have their salaries reduced so that the difference could be contributed to other basic needs that would better the lives of tax-payers.

Below is what they had to say:SITEKI  You cant return to school! Police ordered the knife-wielding Bekezela Primary School pupil not to return to school yesterday, after he claimed to have been healed. The pupil (15) had hoped to sit for examinations yesterday after spending the weekend at a residence of a man of God, where he reportedly received divine healing and faith counselling sessions.



However, he was disappointed when two police officers arrived at his homestead yesterday morning and ordered him not to set foot at the school. Instead, the officers suggested that the pupil should go to the social welfare department in Big Bend. They stressed that it would not be a good idea for him to return to school following what happened last week, said Ndumiso Mngometulu, who is elder brother to the pupil.



disappointed



He said the officers, in the company of a member of the family, then left the disappointed pupil and headed to the school to meet the head teacher.

During the meeting with the head teachers, all parties reportedly agreed that it was pointless for the pupil to sit for the examination following that he had already missed a lot of papers.



The issue of the pupils and teachers who are still traumatised was reportedly raised by the head teacher and the consensus was that the pupil should remain at home for now.

The police officers then fetched the pupil from home and took him to the department of social welfare in Big Bend, said a family member.

Social workers first interviewed me and then interviewed the boy. Its like they wanted to find out more about the situation back home, said a relative of the pupil who was interviewed by social workers.



PIGGS PEAK  It is clear that newly appointed Minister of Housing and Urban Development Prince Simelane has only one goal  to work without squabbles.



Prince Simelane, who was speaking at the Piggs Peak Civic Centre while on his first visit as minister to the town, said there were many disputes within several municipalities.



Recently, the ministers name was trending on social media when he was reported to have jestingly said he did not know much about his ministry and that he needed some assistance.



During his address yesterday, the minister said he was aware of media reports about ongoing disputes at various councils. The minister did not specify which councils he was referring to but said the disputes had been widely reported about in the media.



Loggerheads



He mentioned situations where councillors were at loggerheads with chief executive officers (CEOs).

Noteworthy is that this publication had reported on disputes at some of the councils including Matsapha, Ezulwini and Mbabane.

Addressing councillors and rate payers, the minister warned against disputes adding that the councils should follow the standing orders and constitutions within their respective areas to guide them. Dont involve us, said the minister, much to the applause of the councillors.



The minister also commended the Piggs Peak Town Council, saying he was not aware of any disputes there.

He said he had relatives and friends who lived in Piggs Peak who had informed him that there were no disputes in the town.

Nibambene njenge tinyosi, said the minister, meaning that in Piggs Peak, the councillors and the officials at the town council worked closely together. Also accompanying the minister was Principal Secretary (PS) Clifford Mamba.



While in Piggs Peak, the minister toured ongoing road upgrade projects.

Prince Simelane also officially opened the Peak School Road which cost E2 773 472.24.

This is also the same road which leads to the deputy Regional Education Officers (REO) offices as well as the Inkhundla Centre.



Toured



After the official opening, the minister also toured an ongoing road upgrade of a feeder road within the town centre.

The feeder road will be upgraded at a cost of E3 684 640.64, according to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mzwandile Ndzinisa.

Ndzinisa said the council was working on many other projects in which it needed assistance from the ministry.MBABANE  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has given a green light to pay cuts for big earners.



Geremia Palomba, Deputy Division Chief of the African Department of the IMF, said the countrys wage bill had ballooned in recent years such that it exceeded that of largest economies in the world.



Palomba said the countrys wage bill, which is about E850 million per annum, was five per cent higher than for most developed countries. Locally, the wage bill is 15 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) while developed countries had their wage bill at 10 per cent of their GDP, Palomba explained. He said this was caused by the increment in the amount spent on salaries in the country which had increased rapidly in recent years. Worth noting, amid cries from a variety of social commentators in the kingdom in 2016, politicians and the judiciary had an increment of 32 per cent while civil servants had 18 to 25 per cent increments.



Noting that his organisation gave advice to government on overall issues, without nitpicking, Palomba said it was essential for government to review the pay structure holistically if it was to come out from the current dire fiscal challenges. The government may review its pay structure and adjust it to make it relevant to its GDP, he said.



Palomba noted that the fiscal challenges that the country was currently embroiled in had been caused by a number of factors, including that Southern African Customs Union (SACU) receipts declined while revenue generated in the country also declined. However, while this was happening, salaries went up.

He said the increment in wages caused the financial problems the country was currently enduring. He translated this to mean that capital spending was growing very fast in the country such that 70 per cent of governments spending went into wages.



debts



Palomba said this current fiscal challenge was parallel to that of 2011. However, he was also quick to note that this current financial predicament also had the factor of the drought and accumulation of debts.



Currently, the total public debt is said to be at E13.8 billion, an equivalent of 22.3 per cent of GDP at the end of October 2018. The Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) reported that this reflected an increase of 1.5 per cent from the revised figure of E13.6 billion recorded in September 2018.



Meanwhile, political commentators have, in recent months, emphasised the need for the country to prioritise its spending. This was also emphasised by His Majesty King Mswati III when opening the last session of the 10th Parliament. The monarch said the country should budget and spend what it had. This is a stance which seems to have been adopted by some of the incoming ministers as some of them noted that they were ready for pay cuts.The vehicle that was involved in the accident, where four people were killed on Saturday. (Pics: Jabulisa Dlamini)

DVOKOLWAKO  After a loud bang, residents who had been enjoying themselves near a waiting room rushed to the scene, only to discover that four people had been trapped and killed inside a vehicle.



This is the gory sight that met some residents of Dvokolwako on Saturday night.

Witnesses said upon arrival, it was discovered that a white VW Polo had veered off the road and rammed into a waiting room along the Dvokolwako-Mliba Public Road.



An employee of South Africa power utility, Eskom, one Sandile Zulu (31), his younger brother, Phinda Zulu (28), who was a student at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology and two friends, Sibusiso Ndwandwe (31) and Ntando Sangweni (21), were instantly killed when the accident occurred on Saturday at around 11:40pm.



Ceremony



Information gathered is that the four men had attended a relatives lobola ceremony in the area and stayed there until it was late, before the accident.

Allegations are that they had been enjoying alcoholic beverages before they decided to embark on their journey back to their respective homes.



Residents found near the waiting room yesterday said they suspected that the Eskom employee lost control of the vehicle and it crashed into the waiting room.

They noted that the vehicle was damaged beyond repairs, especially in the front where the driver and passenger in the front seat got trapped inside. Personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services, together with the police officers had to be called so the bodies could be retrieved from the vehicle.

One of the passengers, who had a seatbelt on, was allegedly thrown out of the car, while the other was found lying at the back seat, already dead. Although there are suspicions that they had been drinking on the night, the cause of the accident remains unknown. However, based on the extent of damage of the vehicle, speed was probably the main factor. We just have to wait for the police investigations to be carried out, as the vehicle has been impounded for inspections at the Mliba Police Station, a witness, who refused to be named, said yesterday.The inferno was so intense that on three occasions it jumped 90 m across a portion of Lake Orville. For a while, there was a lull in the strong winds in the region, but forecasters are predicting gusts as high as 64 km per hour late Monday.

Twenty-nine of the deaths occurred in a northern California fire that destroyed the town of Paradise and is still only 25 percent contained.

In the vast state along the Pacific Ocean, officials said that 150,000 residents have been displaced as high winds and tinder-dry conditions have helped fuel blazes that have torched more than 1,000 sq.km of forest lands, residential communities and business districts.

Deadly wildfires raged Monday at several sites in California, with authorities saying 31 people have been killed, while another 228 are missing.

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency and asked for financial aid from the federal government in Washington. President Donald Trump threatened over the weekend to cut off government assistance to California because of what he said was poor forest management in the state, the most populous in the U.S.

Trump made no mention of years-long drought conditions in California. Brown said federal and state governments could improve forest management, but said climate change with warmer temperatures was a bigger source of the fire hazard.

On Monday, Trump praised the several thousand firefighters battling the blazes, saying, "The California Fire Fighters, (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) and First Responders are amazing and very brave. Thank you and God Bless you all!"

Forecasters warned the dry, windy conditions fueling the fires will be in place through at least Tuesday. Thousands of fire personnel are trying to contain the Camp Fire burning north of the state capital, Sacramento, which began last week. It has destroyed about 6,600 buildings and is the most destructive wildfire in the state's history.

The Butte County Sheriff's office said the victims were mostly found dead inside or near their cars. In southern California, a pair of fires erupted last week -- the Woolsey Fire and the nearby Hill Fire. Firefighters have been able to bring the Hill Fire to 75 percent containment, while the Woolsey Fire was 15 percent contained Monday.

Authorities have reported two deaths from those fires. The Woolsey Fire is threatening about 75,000 homes in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles.

The Herald decided to add some bathroom humor to the polls this week

You voted:Do the VMs have to run on your laptop? I run my VMs on my home server (file server, media server, download bot, VM host) whose hardware is substantially beefier than my laptop. I simply project each VM's desktop onto my laptop via Remote Desktop or VNC. As a result my laptop runs cool and gets great battery life even if I'm running a heavy video encode. I've enabled my router's VPN server and set it up with Dynamic DNS. So in a pinch I can still access those VMs when I'm out of the house (rare, but occasionally happens) as long as I have Internet, which is almost always since I can use my phone as a hotspot.



The only VM I run on my laptop is a Windows 7 VM which contains my common apps (mail, Office, Photoshop/Lightroom). And I only do that because I got tired of reinstalling all those programs and configuring them just the way I like them every time I upgraded computers. Now I just copy that one VM to the new computer.Focus on sectors with high international demand such as the agri-food sector

Greek exports will exceed 33 billion euros by the end of the year if they continue at their current rate, predicted President of Greek Exporters Association (SEVE) Giorgos Konstantopoulos speaking at the "Go in Thessaloniki Forum" 2018 on Monday, according to ANA.

"We must therefore focus on sectors with high international demand such as the agri-food sector and assess the reasons that led other sectors of the Greek economy to slow down," Konstantopoulos said.

More than 3,000 meetings are expected to be held between Greek and foreign businessmen during the Forum.

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: steve gibson License: CC-BY-SAGreek banks' managements have pledged to the SSM to reduce their NPLs by 60 pct by the end of 2021

The Bank of Greece is drafting a plan to reduce Greek banks' non-performing loans by 40 billion euros. The plan will be included in a Financial Stability report to be released by the end of the week, according to sources cited by ANA.

The plan will include, among others, the transfer of half of the capital resulting from a deferred tax to a special purpose vehicle (SPV), which will issue bonds to purchasing non-performing exposures of a nominal value of around 40 billion euros from the four Greek systemic banks, thus reducing Greek banks' NPLs stock by half.

The advantage of the plan, Bank of Greece officials said, is that a deferred tax cannot be considered as state support to banks.

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:  License: CC-BY-SAMost of the Turkish nationals seeking asylum in Greece were said to be followers of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, who now lives in Pennsylvania, who was blamed by Erdogan for orchestrating the attempt to get rid of him

The failed attempt to overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July, 2017 has seen 5,786 Turks fleeing to Greece to seek asylum, including eight members of the military who denied taking part in the plot, ANA reports.

The numbers came from the independent news site Diken, which cited Greeces Ministry of Migration Policy announcing that in October alone there were 706 Turks seeking asylum after Erdogan purged the military and civil service sector and had thousands jailed.

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: Mstyslav Chernov License: CC-BY-SAHellenique Fondation (HF) in Paris is appealing to private funders to ensure it can continue housing Greek university students in the French capital

The Hellenique Fondation (HF) in Paris is appealing to private funders to ensure it can continue housing Greek university students in the French capital, according to ANA.

Also known as the Greek House, HF was constructed in 1932 by architect Nikolas Zachos on the initiative of then Greek Ambassador Nikolas Politis, and has hosted a great number of Greek students, among them many famous intellectuals.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation is making a donation of 1.1 million euros, on condition that the Foundation raises 400,000 euros by the end of the year so that the renovation can start in June 2019.

HF has launched two campaigns:

The first one is called "A room in your name", where donors can adopt one of the 80 rooms for 2,500 euros. Forty-five rooms have already been adopted, with names appearing at the FH website:

https://fondation-hellenique.fr/nos-mecenes-et-donateurs-actuels/

The second one is a crowdfunding campaign aiming to raise 50,000 euros to meet accesibility requirements for people with reduced mobility. Contibutions starting from 20 euros can be made here:

https://dartagnans.fr/fr/projects/rendons-accessible-la-fondation-hellenique/campaign

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: flickr.com copyright: Fred RomeroAll four seasons of the popular TV series "THE DURRELLS" aired by ITV in Britain and PBS in the United States were filmed there

The Greek island of Corfu is to take part in a European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN) competition for the best European shooting location for the television and film industries, according to ANA.

The island was proposed by the Hellenic Film Commission (an EUFCN member) and the Greek Film Center, which announced that Corfu is one of the finalists as well as a strong contender for the award.

By November 30, 2018, the public can visit the Cineuropa platform, www.cineuropa.org, and vote by filling in the online form (https://cineuropa.org/en/felaprofile/362948/#cm).

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: Tasoskessaris License: CC-BY-SALemnos Mudros Bay was the location of the signing of the Armistice between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire

The Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee took part in a service by the Oakleigh-Carnegie RSL Sub-Branch on Sunday in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day in 1918, according to au.greekreporter.com.

The celebration included the Oakleigh Band, a wreath laying and a Catafalque procession, with Members of Parliament, local government, schools, police, as well as community members taking part in marking the somber anniversary of the end of WWI.

Oakleigh-Carnegie RSL President Douglas Pendergast gave the keynote speech, stressing that the Oakleigh District had one of the highest enlistment rates for WWI, with 10 percent of its total population of 4,800 at the time joining the Australian Imperial Forces.

In his speech, he acknowledged the critical role in the War played by the Greek island of Lemnos and the Australian nurses who served there. The service also recognized the role played by Lemnos Mudros Bay as the location of the signing of the Armistice between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire.

Lemnos had also been pivotal in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, while in 1918 a great Allied fleet comprising ships of many nations  including Australia and Greece  sailed through the Dardanelles Straits to occupy the Ottoman capital of Constantinople.

The Oakleigh-Carnegie RSL has been a supporter of the work of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee during many years.

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: Herbert William Hillier License: CC-BY-SAThe event is co-organised by the International Committee on Marine Mammal Protected Areas - (ICMMPA) and WWF Greece and is entitled "Celebrating a decade of MMPA collaboration"

The 5th International Conference on Marine Mammal Protected Areas will take place in April 2019 in Greece, according to ANA which notes that it will be the first time that Greece will host the conference that is held every two years.

The 5th International Conference on Marine Mammal Protected Areas will evaluate the progress made during the last decade to meet ICMMPAs long-standing goal of bringing the MMPA community closer together. A primary goal of this conference, held for the first time in the Mediterranean, is to focus on the challenges ahead, to examine concrete and practical steps towards achieving effective place-based protection and management for marine mammals and to identify a path forward that will lead ICMMPA into its second decade.

The event will be held April 8 - 12, 2019 at The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino, in the region of Messinia, Peloponnese.

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: Sbork License: CC-BY-SANorth Korea continues a ballistic missile program at 16 hidden bases, commercial satellite images show according to the New York Times on Monday.

The images suggest that the North improved more than a dozen missile sites whose existence it has never admitted even as it offered to dismantle one major launch site. The missile bases were identified in a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

In the report titled "Undeclared North Korea," the CSIS singled out a base in Sakkanmol, North Hwanghae Province where it identified the entrances to several underground tunnels and mobile launchers.

The base "conceals seven lengthy tunnels that can accommodate up to 18 transporters that move the missiles. Each is typically fitted with one warhead," the daily said. "The base runs through a narrow mountain valley over an area of three square miles. Each tunnel entrance, the report says, is protected by a neighboring berm of rock and dirt about 60 feet high and two outward-opening doors about 20 feet wide. They are meant to protect the tunnel entrances from artillery fire and aerial attack."

"It's not like these bases have been frozen," Victor Cha at the center told the daily. "Work is continuing."China is taking large steps in the economic field and it is determined to develop even more outward-looking policies and actions on a global scale

"In order to increase Greece's exports of products and services to 50 pct of GDP by 2025, from just over 30 pct today, we need large and growing markets such as China," secretary general of the Ministry of Economy and Development, Ilias Xanthakos, said in a statement to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA).

Xanthakos took part in the Greek government delegation, headed by Alernate Foreign Minister, Giorgos Katrougalos, in Shanghai on the occasion of the 1st China International Import Exhibition (5-10 November 2018).

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: Groubani License: CC-BY-SASince 2015 the EBRD has invested over 2 billion euros in 40 projects in Greece

Greek Economy Ministry and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are promoting alternative ways to finance small and medium-sized enterprises and support the Greek stock exchange, which has experienced a flurry of delistings in recent years, ekathimerini.com eports.

The EBRD is set to finance a program for supporting the listing process and supplying consultancy services to SMEs wishing to joint the local stock market. At the same time another program is in the pipeline aimed at strengthening the exporting character of SMEs. The two programs have a combined budget of 970,000 euros and are expected to be activated by early next year.

The pre-listing process support program has a budget of 450,000 euros and will continue for 36 months. It will aim to inform companies of their financing options after being listed.

The advisory program for boosting the exports of SMEs will have a budget of 520,000 euros and will run for two years. It will also incorporate networking and business missions abroad, along with the supply of know-how in commercial and sector-specific development activities.

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Mubadala Investment Company, the state investment firm of the United Arab Emirates, is preparing a set of investments worth 400 million euros in Greek enterprises in cooperation Greeces New Economy Development Fund (TANEO), Kathimerini newspaper reports.

The emphasis will be on the sectors of tourism, healthcare, food and energy, to which end the two bodies issued an invitation of interest.

The UAE corporation is already the second largest stakeholder of Andromeda, the company that recently bought out Greek fish farming companies Selonda (pictured) and Nireus.

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They discussed the promotion of Italian investment in Greece, with particular emphasis on Italys investment in TRAINOSE

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte late on Monday 12 November 2018, on the sidelines of the Conference on Libya in Peleomorte, Italy, according to the following report by Spiros Sideris at balkaneu.com.

The meeting had been programmed to go ahead on Tuesday (12 November) morning; it was moved to Monday evening, immediately after the statements made by the Italian PM to the almost 40 delegations that took part in the Conference in Palermo, Sicily.

The meeting was the first between the two leaders. It commenced shortly after 23:00 (local time) and, according to sources, was constructive, with bilateral and regional issues discussed.

The bilateral issues discussed concerned the promotion of Greece and Italys energy cooperation, as the TAP, Turkish Stream and Eastmed pipelines are being designed to link with the submarine natural gas of Greece and Italy, the DEPA-EDISON joint venture, IGI Poseidon. The Greek-Italian JV has entered the next stage of study for the EastMed.

The Greek PM briefed his counterpart on the expansion of Greeces territorial waters from six to twelve miles in the Ionian Sea and presented Greek issues on the management of refugee and migrant flows. Giuseppe Conte informed of the Italian positions on the matter and there was an exchange of views.

The two Prime Ministers also discussed developments in the Eurozone and exchanged views on the forthcoming European elections as well as on the future of the Union.

On Tuesday, November 13, Alexis Tsipras participated in the Conference on Libya, at the end of which he will hold a press conference.

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: Tobias b kohler License: CC-BY-SAThe event attracted 70,000 participants from 170 countries and included conferences and working meetings between more than 1,200 speakers, 18,500 CEOs and 2,000 startup enterprises

More than 2,000 potential investors visited the Greek pavilion at the Web Summit 2018 held in Lisbon, November 5-8, ANA reports.

The Greek delegation was organised by Enterprise Greece and the Ministry of Digital Policy, Telecommunicataions and Media. It was the country's first participation in the Web Summit - one of the largest international summits in the IT and telecoms market.

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: Web Summit License: CC-BY-SAThe Bank of Greece (BoG) on Monday released a report showing that residential prices in the country grew by 2.5 percent, on average, in Q3 2018, compared with the same quarter in 2017.

The central bank press release reads:

"According to data collected from credit institutions, nominal apartment prices are estimated to have increased on average by 2.5% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2018. According to revised data, the increase in the first and second quarters of 2018 was 0.3% and 1.2% respectively, while in 2017 nominal apartment prices declined on average by 1.0%.

"More specifically, in the third quarter of 2018, the year-on-year rate of increase in prices was 2.9% for "new" apartments (up to 5 years old) and 2.2% for "old" apartments (over 5 years old). According to revised data, in 2017 the average annual rate of decline in the prices of "new" and "old" apartments was 0.7% and 1.2% respectively.

"According to data broken down by geographical area, in the third quarter of 2018 apartment prices are estimated to have increased year-on-year by 3.7% in Athens, 1.9% in Thessaloniki, 1.2% in other cities and 1.6% in other areas of Greece. "According to revised data, for 2017, in comparison with 2016, apartment prices dropped on average by 1.0%, 1.4%, 1.1% and 0.8% respectively in the above-mentioned areas. Finally, as regards all urban areas of the country, in the third quarter of 2018 apartment prices increased year-on-year by 2.5%, while based on revised data, for 2017, they declined at an average annual rate of 1.0%."

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A new exhibit featuring exact replicas of ancient Greek musical instruments - such as the lyre, homeric phorminx, kithara and aulos - will be hosted by the Museum of Ancient Nikopolis near Preveza, western Greece until November 20, ANA reports.

The temporary exhibition covers a period ranging from the 8th to the 3rd centuries B.C. and focuses on 17 hand-made musical instruments made by Giorgos Polyzos between 1984 and 2004 on behalf of the Athens University student society "Evretirio".

The instruments represent the three major categories of ancient musical instruments that are known - stringed (cordophones), wind (aerophones) and percussion (membranophones) - and are accompanied by additional information on their history, evolution, use and their role in ancient societies.

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: Marie-Lan Nguyen License: CC-BY-SAGreek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura has received "The Most Supportive ourism Ministry in the World 2018 " award from The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), the tourism ministry announced on Tuesday, according to the following report by ANA.

The award was presented by ASTA president Zane Kerby and Vice President Bob Duglin at a special event held in Florida, attended by 400 ASTA members specializing in organised travel, luxury tourism and cruises. They praised Kountoura for her important contribution to creating bridges of cooperation between the United States and Greece in the field of tourism.

In her speech, the minister presented the strategy and the work of the Ministry of Tourism during the last four years for the dynamic promotion of Greece's tourism sector in the American market, resulting in steady double-digit growth of tourist flows every year. In 2018, tourist demand from the US has been the strongest ever. An increase of 40 pct was recorded in the bookings and arrivals of Americans in Greece, according to official data. For 2019, the minister announced that bookings have started even more dynamically, at higher rates.

Addressing the Americans travel agents, Kountoura also presented the comparative advantages that make Greece unique in Europe and the Mediterranean for tourism 365 days a year, as well as planning for the further development of the cruise sector in the coming years.

ASTA president Zane Kerby announced that after the very successful organisation of its top ASTA Destination Expo conference in Athens in Spring 2018, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Fed Hatta, the new ASTA International Showcase conference will be held in Spring 2019 on the Greek island of Rhodes.

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Bahraini authorities said work on all the projects being financed by the Saudi Development Fund (SDF), including the Khalifa Town, Al Ramli amd Wadi Al Seel housing projects, was progressing at a steady pace and as per schedule, said a report.



The Ministry of Housing officials confirmed this during a meeting with the SDF authorities, who discussed the progress of work on the Saudi-funded housing projects, reported BNA.



"Work on Khalifa Town, Wadi Al Seel and Galali is progressing according to plans," remarked Housing Ministry Assistant Undersecretary Sami Abdulla Bouhazaa. "The ministry is keen on fast-tracking work on the housing projects to meet the needs of citizens," he added.



Bouhazaa lauded Saudi Arabia for its financial support to the ministry-led projects, including the Khalifa Town, Al Ramli amd Wadi Al Seel, which "reflects strong fraternal relations binding Bahrain and Saudi Arabia."



"All the SDF-funded projects feature in the Government Action Plan (GAP), which consists in the contrustion of 25,000 units, as part of the royal directives to build 40,000 units," he added.The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) today (November 13) signed a framework agreement with Uzbekneftegaz, a joint stock company of Uzbekistan's oil and gas industry, under which Adnoc will provide strategic advice in relation to upstream and downstream operations.



The agreement was signed by Omar Suwaina Alsuwaidi, executive office director at Adnoc, and Bakhrom Ashrafkhanov, chairman of the board at Uzbekneftegaz, at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), which kicked off on November 12 and will run until November 15, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.



Alsuwaidi said: Our company has a 47-year successful track record of developing Abu Dhabis oil and gas industry and creating the greatest value from maturing and new resources.



We have built a large body of knowledge and expertise that can support Uzbekneftegazs growth plans, as it seeks to maximise the value of the countrys oil and gas resources, he added.



Uzbekneftegaz was established in May 3, 1992. In 1998, it was transformed into a joint stock company. It has partnerships with the Korea National Oil Corporation, Lotte Chemical, Kogas, China National Petroleum Corporation, Lukoi, Gazprom and others.



At the moment, Uzbekneftegaz is implementing such strategic projects as construction of GTL plant and the revamping of Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex.



Ashrafkhanov said: Adnoc is leveraging all its resources, its partnerships, the skills of its people and, in particular, the latest technologies to deliver greater shareholder value. It has a proven track-record of solving complex upstream and downstream operational challenges and, we believe, its ongoing support will help accelerate our own plans to maximise returns from our gas resources.



The BP Statistical Review of World Energy puts Uzbekistans proven gas reserves at 1.1 trillion cubic meters and oil reserves at 100 million tonnes.



According to industry sources, the main focus of oil and gas activity is in the under-explored basins, mainly in the central and western parts of the country. However, potential still exists in the older oil-producing area in the east, where modern technology will be required to develop some prolific fields that have been discovered and remain to be discovered in this area, it stated.  TradeArabia News ServiceNorth Korea on Monday accused South Korea and the U.S. of violating an inter-Korean military agreement by staging a joint marine drill.

The Korean Marine Exchange Program is a battalion-level joint drill which was postponed indefinitely in June but recently resumed. It is a far smaller drill than the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercise that South Korea and the U.S. also called off.

But the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the marine drill "runs counter to the inter-Korean military agreement that calls for eliminating dangers of war throughout the [Korean Peninsula] and terminating cross-border hostility."

But the Defense Ministry here said it will stage a total of 24 KMEP drills until September next year. "The KMEP drills are annual defensive exercises," a ministry spokesperson said. "It's wrong for the North to assert that the drills are in violation of the inter-Korean military agreement. We have no plan to suspend them for now."

TRADERS PROFILE: Ann Sebert  CFO and Treasurer, CAPIS

It was a career trajectory not so much linear but upwards.

Thats the path Capital Institutional Services (CAPIS) Chief Financial Officer Ann Sebert has taken. While spending the last 16 years at the Dallas-based firm, her ascension started there at the bottom as a business analyst assisting the CFO. In a conversation with Traders Magazine editor John DAntona Jr., Sebert told how she got her start in business and eventually took the CFO job.

Sebert currently serves as treasurer and chief financial officer and is on the executive committee. Before joining CAPIS, she worked as an accounting manager at the Clearance Center.

My entry into financial services was somewhat unintentional, Sebert began. I worked in oil & gas straight out of college for 6 years and then spent about 8 years at home raising my children.

Oil and gas  at home in Dallas. Sebert wasrecruited from SMU by ARCO Oil & Gas to work in the Crude Oil Accounting department. She spent the first few years working on reconciliations of royalty payments made to the mineral rights owners.

From Accounting I moved into the Crude Oil Marketing group which was responsible for the sale of all oil produced by ARCO, Sebert recalled. I worked on various systems implementation projects and was responsible for the logistics of the delivery of crude oil to various markets.

But due to the cyclical nature of the oil and gas industry, Sebert was ready for a change. She described the sector that when it expanded activities such as prospecting, drilling and hiring expanded. As the market contracted, so did prospecting, drilling and hiring. Additionally, ARCO was a large enough company that a change in executive management would typically bring about a change in direction and cost cutting.

Was she a victim of the markets downsizing?

Id say I was a beneficiary of downsizing. I tried many times to get my name added to the list, but being a high performer, my management wasnt inclined to terminate my employment, she said. Finally in 1997 after my second child was born, ARCO was closing its offices in Dallas and re-locating to Houston, so I was given the opportunity to take a severance package.

And she did. Then came her tenure at CAPIS. The opportunity at CAPIS offered her great exposure at the C-Level, so she signed on in 2002 and took the chance and worked her way up the organization.

I will say I have grown to love the excitement of the industry and the constant opportunity to learn and expand my knowledge.

What has been her philosophy to get ahead or to the top in corporate America?

Ive always sought to educate myself through formal classes or by seeking information from colleagues, in order to be better prepared than my competition when projects or promotions came available, Sebert said. I am very much an opportunist.

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For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:Earlier this month, representatives of the Myanmar Government, parliament, state and regional governments, donors and others gathered at the new UN office in Nay Pyi Taw to discuss how the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) can better contribute to sustainable development in Myanmar.

In 2018, UNDP approved a new country programme for Myanmar (2018-2022) with a strong emphasis on collaborative work with a wide variety of partners to help the country achieve sustainable development. The two key focus areas are peace and governance, and planet and prosperity, which are fully aligned with national priorities, including the recently approved Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (MSDP).

Myanmar is important to us. Indeed, UNDP is  to some extent  a Myanmar creation. U Thant of Myanmar, the longest-serving UN secretary general, made the 1960s the Decade of Development. The UNDP was set up in 1966, and U Thant chaired the first meeting of its governing council. Those who visit U Thants house in Yangon can see a picture of this historic moment.

We have been present in Myanmar for over 50 years. Since the 1960s, UNDP has been continuously adapting itself to respond to the changing context in Myanmar. The new country programme builds upon the achievements of the 2013-2017 programme, which mobilized US$120 million for the benefit of all communities. As a result, 59,000 people benefitted from the construction and renovation of schools, rural health centres and roads through participatory planning. More than 240,000 people, 85 percent of them women, gained access to financial services through microfinance. Myanmars 101 female ward and village tract administrators received training, and over 50,000 farmer households were supported in adapting to climate change. UNDP has also provided technical and financial support to the Technical Secretariat of the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee for implementation of the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement.

Under the new programme, we are exploring innovative approaches to tackling the many complex issues facing Myanmar. The countrys development context underscores the interrelationship between peace, governance, environment and sustainable development. As such we are shifting towards more integrated programming and support to United Nations-wide initiatives to better address the interlinkages between peacebuilding and social cohesion, governance, environment and natural resources management, resilience and climate change, and balanced and inclusive growth.

A good example is our work in Rakhine State, generously supported by the Government of Japan. Through an integrated area-based approach, we are tackling a range of development issues in local governance, rule of law, parliamentary development, womens economic empowerment, livelihoods and social cohesion. We are working with partners at all levels of government, with UN agencies, development partners and civil society groups. By putting all these elements together, the aim is to leverage impact and generate more sustainable results.

We are revamping our strategic planning and communication tools by investing in enhanced monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, including the use of big data. We are forming new partnerships with the private sector and social entrepreneurs. As Myanmar transitions into a market-based economy that is growing more connected regionally and globally, these partnerships will play an essential role in promoting a more inclusive and vibrant economy for all.

An important element of our work is to support the countrys effort to localize and implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have worked closely with the Central Statistics Organization to assess Myanmars data readiness for the SDGs and helped produce the first SDG Baseline Indicator Report. With the World Bank, we helped finalize the 2017 Myanmar Living Conditions Survey to better understand the development needs of the country and its communities in all states and regions.

The new country programme will be instrumental in shaping Myanmars future, including the general election in 2020. Building on U Thants legacy and his decade of development in the 1960s, together we can make this year the beginning of a decade of sustainable development in Myanmar.When Alena and her four-year-old son Volodya were displaced from their home in Ukraine in 2015, Alena was determined to make sure her son would feel happy in his new environment and able to fully participate in his new school. But when arriving at their new place of residence, Volodya, who was previously diagnosed with cerebral palsy, was denied his right to education. The local school claimed that Volodya was the only child requiring special assistance, which they claimed they would not be able to provide.

UNDP Ukraine, through support to dedicated legal aid offices, helped Alena connect with other parents of children with disabilities in the area and assisted these families in filing a collective appeal. As a result, the government allocated funding to the school for an assistant teacher to provide specialized education for children with disabilities.

Alena and Volodyas story demonstrates how increasing access to justice, especially for disadvantaged groups, not only strengthens the rule of law in a country but has a direct impact on an individuals quality of life. Legal aid empowers people to understand and exercise their rights and can help to address the root causes of exclusion and systemic biases. Goal 16 on building peaceful, just and inclusive societies therefore includes a dedicated target on the rule of law and access to justice, which is to be considered an important accelerator of progress across the entire 2030 agenda, as it contributes to the achievement of poverty eradication (SDG 1), gender equality (SDG 5), decent work (SDG 8), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), among others.

Through the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, and the inclusion of an explicit goal on peaceful, just and inclusive societies, Member States recognized the interdependence of justice, peace and development. Still, while a lot of progress has been made, many people in all corners of the world continue to live without access to justice and affordable legal aid. Global rates of pre-trial detention, for instance, remain worryingly high and stagnant over the last decade, at about 31%. And in crisis-affected contexts, where there is high demand for legal services, the justice system often lacks institutional capacities and financial resources to respond to the many grievances in society.

Legal aid programmes can help to close this justice gap by bringing the justice system closer to the people it is meant to serve. The extent to which these programmes are able to promote and protect the rights of the most marginalized  including women, youth, persons with disabilities, minority groups, LGBTI, and communities displaced by conflict, disaster or forced evictions, among others - is key to an effective justice system and essential for leaving no one behind on the path to a peaceful and sustainable future.

UNDP works in nearly 170 countries and territories and when we ask people what justice really means to them, they dont just refer to the visible parts of the legal system - such as the courts, the prosecutors or the police. What people value most is fairness, equity, equality and social justice and laws and institutions that protect against discrimination and abuse of authority. Indeed, when left unaddressed, the horizontal inequalities that some groups in society tend to face on a daily basis can transform into collective grievances and frustrations, sometimes with far-reaching consequences.

Justice, therefore, remains to be seen as one of the key drivers of stability, as was also evidenced by the UN-World Bank Pathways for Peace report. This is why our work on the rule of law and justice is focused on providing effective but also accessible and affordable remedies to peoples grievances; it is part of UNDPs comprehensive approach to sustaining peace and fostering inclusive development.

This week UNDP and UNODC, together with the International Legal Foundation and the Open Society Justice Initiative, are co-hosting the third International Conference on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems that takes place in Tbilisi, Georgia, 13-15 November 2018. More than 300 participants from over 60 countries will gather to address global challenges and share innovative practices in ensuring access to legal aid for the poor and vulnerable. The conference will also highlight the important role legal aid and legal assistance play in accelerating progress on the 2030 Agenda, to make sure that people like Alena and Volodya are not being left behind.Bedri Hoti knows what it means to be stateless. For years, he led a marginal existence in poverty because the country where he spent most of his life did not acknowledge his right to live there.

By contrast, Boro Topolic lived a perfectly normal life for decades, only to wake up one day and discover he had become stateless.

They are among nearly 3,000 people in Croatia who are stateless, or at risk of statelessness, most of them Roma.

Neither Bedri nor Boro is Roma. Both came to Croatia from other parts of what was the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. Both suffered the consequences of administrative decisions.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is campaigning to end statelessness, which affects millions of people worldwide, denying them basic human rights that citizens take for granted.

See also: Brazil makes dream of belonging come true for stateless activist

They often are not allowed to go to school, see a doctor, get a job, open a bank account, buy a house or even get married.

On the fourth anniversary of its #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness by 2024, UNHCR called on states to take faster and more resolute action to help meet the campaigns goal.

Today I call on politicians, governments and legislators around the world to act now, to take and support decisive action to eliminate statelessness globally by 2024, said High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

For Bedri, not having documents meant barely living. After the European Court of Human Rights backed him in April this year, Croatia began to put matters right. Bedri has now received a travel document issued under the 1954 Statelessness Convention, enabling him to travel and claim his rights.

Civil Rights Project Sisak, a non-governmental organization that partners with UNHCR, supported Bedri and Boro with free legal advice and legal aid.

I had my own car and I rented my own flat. I was satisfied.

Despite seeing progress in his case, Bedri, 56, still lives in one shabby room in an abandoned house in the town of Novska, just over 100 kilometres from the capital. His neighbours give him food and allow him to tap into their electricity supply and use their shower. For years, he has not been able to work or receive social benefits.

I have survived only because of the kindness of individuals, he says.

Bedri was born in Kosovo** to Albanian refugees. He moved to Croatia when he was 17.

I came for work, he says. I was offered a job as a waiter in Novska and then I got work as a mechanic. I had my own car and I rented my own flat. I was satisfied.

Bedri stayed in Novska during the Croatian war between 1991 and 1995 and was conscripted as a skilled civilian to repair vehicles for the Croatian army. However, his application for Croatian citizenship, submitted during the war, was refused on the grounds that he was an Albanian citizen.

I had never been to Albania in my life, he says.

He was issued with a Croatian identity card for foreign nationals.

Meanwhile Boro Topolic, now 63, was going happily about his life. For 40 years, he worked hard, paid his taxes and was never in trouble.

He came to Croatia from Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1975. He worked as a welder in the shipyards of Rijeka and Split and had a job in a Zagreb factory that made steam boilers. Now he drives a taxi.

I couldnt believe it. It was a great insult.

His nightmare began in May 2014, after he tried to buy the flat he rents in a municipal block in Zagreb. For this, he was required to have Croatian citizenship. He had Croatian permanent residency and a Bosnia and Herzegovina passport.

He was assured that if he renounced his citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina he would be accepted as a Croatian. He went ahead, only to have the Croatian authorities turn him down, leaving him stateless.

I couldnt believe it, he says. It was a great insult.

Bedri Hoti and his dog Lux outside his home in Novska, Croatia. Despite having spent most of his life in Croatia, the authorities did not recognize his right to live there.  UNHCR/Zsolt Balla

He found out he had become stateless when he went to pick up his documents ahead of a planned trip to Serbia, where his daughter was about to give birth. I wanted to be there for the birth of my grandson, he says.

When he applied for Croatian citizenship, he had been given a formal guarantee he would be accepted, on the basis of which he renounced his citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He was asked to visit the office to meet an intelligence officer. He asked me questions I had answered a hundred times before  why was I in Croatia? he says. And he made insinuations about my marital status. A month later, I got a rejection.

An official letter from the interior ministry told Boro that, for reasons in the interests of the Republic of Croatia, he should be denied citizenship.

What prospects are there for a man of my age?

It was too late for Boro to recover his Bosnia and Herzegovina citizenship. Meanwhile, he has been issued with a stateless persons Croatian passport, which allows him to travel, although he must obtain a visa to go to Serbia.

He will also receive his pension when he retires next year, as he made full contributions. I know there are people in worse situations, he says.

In a worse situation was Bedri Hoti who, for nearly 25 years, could neither work nor receive benefits. The best he could hope for were odd car repair jobs that brought a little cash in hand.

Travel was out of the question and he was unable to marry.

Now he has been recognized as stateless, under the 1954 Statelessness Convention, and given a Convention travel document. In eight years, he will be able to apply for Croatian citizenship.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. At the same time, there is the realization that time has been lost. Receiving a pension will be tricky since Bedri could not make contributions and social welfare will be small, at best.

Im 56 now, he says wistfully. What prospects are there for a man of my age? 

If you want to know more about how you can make a difference to the lives of people like Bedri and Boro, join our #IBelong campaign to end statelessness in 10 years.Chile to send Air Force plane to evacuate citizens from Venezuela  Foreign Minister

Mexico City, Nov 13 (Sputnik) Chile will send an Air Force plane to Venezuela later in November to evacuate its citizens due to the growing humanitarian crisis, Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero said.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will help an important group of Chileans who need to return from Venezuela. Due to the serious difficulties they face to live there, they want to return to our country and we will help them to return to Chile," Ampuero said and added that the flight will take place between the third and fourth week of November," as quoted in the statement.

In 2018, the Chilean Foreign Ministry has already helped 75 citizens, who were in a vulnerable situation, to return to the country, while there are still over 200 requests, according to the minister.New Delhi, Nov 13 (UNI) Suspended pilot Capt Arvind Kathpalia was on Tuesday relieved from the charge of Director of Operations of Air India two days after he failed to clear breath analyzer test, minutes before he was scheduled to fly a Delhi-London flight.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in its order, Relieving of Capt Arvind Kathpalia from the charge of Director (Operations), Air India Limited, with immediate effect.

The national carrier also assigned Training Executive Director Capt Amitabh Singh additional charge of the post of Director (Operations), AIL with immediate effect till further orders.

On Monday, the licence of Capt Kathpalia was suspended for three years after alcohol was found in his blood during the breath analyzer test. However, he remained the Director of Operations in the Air India.

This was the second time when Capt Kathpalia was found positive for the BA test, the DGCA had said here.

Before this, on January 19, 2017, Capt Kathpalia operated an Air India Delhi-Bengaluru (AI 174) flight under the influence of alcohol. He operated the flight without undergoing the BA test. That time, his licence was suspended for three months with effect from February 7, 2017.

According to the Section-5 of the Civil Aviation Requirements, the flight crew is required to undergo pre-flight medical examination for detection of consumption of alcohol.

On Sunday, Kathpalia was to operate an Air India (AI-111) Delhi-London flight at 1445 hrs though he failed to clear Breath Analyzer (BA) test and was declared unfit to fly. He had 007 per cent blood alcohol which should be zero for the safe flying.

UNI SW SHK1805Pakistan ranks 153rd among 156 nations in gender gap index 22 Nov 2021 | 8:26 PM Islamabad, Nov 22 (UNI) The tall claims of Imran Khan-led government regarding providing equal opportunities to women have fallen flat, as the Global Gender Gap Report 2021 has placed the country at 153rd rank in 156 countries.

Meanwhile, an analysis of the latest data of voters also pointed out towards 81 districts having gender gap of over 10 per cent, local media reports said on Monday. see more..

Thanks to Babar Azam for his 'Pakistani supporters' 22 Nov 2021 | 8:08 PM Dhaka, Nov 22 (UNI) The Pakistan cricket team has received more support than expected in the Bangladesh tour, officials said on Monday. see more..

What Mahmudullah said was whitewashed by Pakistan 22 Nov 2021 | 8:07 PM Dhaka, Nov 22 (UNI) Bangladesh cricket team could not win a home match against Pakistan, as the Tigers were whitewashed after losing the three-match T20 series, it was reported here on Monday. see more..Russian servicemen deliver humanitarian aid to refugees in Syrias Homs

Damascus, Nov 13 (Sputnik) Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria has delivered humanitarian aid to refugees in the central Syrian province of Homs, the centers spokesman Askold Voloshin said on Tuesday.

110 people reside in the center for refugees  in total 33 families. Now the main problem for them is the lack of warm clothes and fuel, because the winter season is coming. We bring them humanitarian aid - the last time we have provided 100 food sets and 50 blankets,  Voloshin told reporters.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and militant and terrorist organizations. Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in Syria. Moscow has also been providing humanitarian aid to residents of the crisis-torn country.Cheong Wa Dae said Monday that Moon is seeking a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of APEC and hopes to meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at ASEAN.

President Moon Jae-in heads to Singapore on Tuesday to attend the ASEAN Summit and will then travel to Papua New Guinea for the APEC meetings.

It would be his first meeting with Xi in 11 months.

Moon does not intend to meet separately with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this time amid newly soured relations, though the two leaders are likely to bump into each other.

The exact timing of the meeting with Pence has yet to be decided. Pence told reporters during a stopover in Alaska on Sunday on his way to Asia that Korea, the U.S. and Japan will "work together to ensure the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."A pair of Pungsan dogs North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave to President Moon Jae-in as a gift at their summit in Pyongyang had six puppies last Friday.

Moon tweeted the "white puppies all look healthy."

K-pop girl group TWICE may have a scheduled appearance on a Japanese TV show canceled after superstar boy band Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, were dropped last Friday over an offensive t-shirt a band member wore.

Japanese media reported that TWICE may not be appearing on NHK's year-end music festival, Japan's premier special program featuring its top singers.

Sponichi, a sister paper of the Mainichi Shimbun, said Monday that NHK is deliberating whether to let TWICE appear on the show.

"TWICE, which has been at the forefront of the resurging Korean Wave in Japan, posted the fifth highest viewer ratings of 37.4 percent in last year's show, so their invitation to this year's show had been almost certain," the paper said.(Nov. 13, 2018) -- The UTSA Academy for Teacher Excellence (ATE) and Northwest Vista College (NVC) have established the Latino-Teacher Academy Learning Community (Latino-TALC) project with $3.75 million in federal funding from the United States Department of Education through the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program.

The five-year project aims to provide a smooth transition for teacher candidates from Northwest Vista College to UTSA, increase Hispanic teacher graduation rates, and to ultimately diversify the teacher pipeline.

About 70 percent of students in UTSAs teacher preparation programs came from community colleges, said Lorena Claeys, lead principal investigator and executive director and research associate in the Academy for Teacher Excellence.

This partnership will strengthen student support services including academic, faculty-student engagement, student leadership, and personal psychosocial-emotional support.

Latino-TALC will provide teacher candidates support as they navigate from a learning community to a professional learning network as they embark into the teaching profession, said Claeys.

The main goals of Latino-TALC include:

Increasing the number of Hispanic students prepared to enroll at Northwest Vista College and UTSA as education majors

Increasing the number of Hispanic and underrepresented students graduating from Northwest Vista College and transferring to UTSA and majoring in education

Increasing the number of online and face-to-face academic advising, psychosocial, and culturally relevant support systems available to Hispanic and underrepresented groups majoring in education within one or more of the critical teaching shortage areas

Creating a community of leaders composed of faculty, staff, and administrators from Northwest Vista College, UTSA, and partner high schools to create a college-going culture and strengthen the teacher pipeline

Evaluating best practices in increasing Hispanic and high-need students college completion rates among teacher candidates and create a model that can be replicated at other institutions

As part of the Latino-TALC project, researchers will reach out to local high schools to enroll, prepare, support and graduate a higher number of certified Hispanic teacher candidates to teach bilingual education, English as a second language, mathematics and science in public schools.

Its important to have greater teacher diversity to reflect the culturally diverse population they teach, said Claeys. Latino students and other students of color have limited access to role models during academic development and research shows that all students benefit academically by having a teacher of color instructing them.

Claeys is working with co-principal investigators, Belinda Bustos Flores, UTSA professor and associate dean of professional preparation, assessment, and accreditation, Norma Guerra, associate professor and associate dean for undergraduate studies at UTSA and Margarita Machado-Casas, professor and chair for the Dual Language Department at San Diego State University on this project.

Latino-TALC project is grounded in our research that has been disseminated over the last 15 years, which will greatly ensure the success of the teacher candidates and the program. We plan to continue examining and refining our present model through this project, so we can continue being leaders in this area, according to Bustos Flores.

Claudia Verdin, professor of mathematics, and NSF MIM Scholarship Program Director, is the co-principal investigator at Northwest Vista College.

The UTSA College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) is the leading provider of educators in the San Antonio area and one of the largest in Texas. COEHD is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through teaching and learning, research and discovery, community engagement and public service.(Nov. 13, 2018) -- Meet Stacia Lopez '18. This alumna graduated with her degree in Criminal Justice and now has a career as a Crime Gun Intelligence Coordinator for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the agency where she interned while a student in the UTSA Criminal Justice undergraduate program. She works at the San Antonio Field Office, assisting in identifying armed violent criminals.

Lopez was born and raised in Lubbock, TX. She is the oldest of four siblings and a first-generation college graduate.

"At a young age, my parents taught me perseverance, work ethic, and the importance of independence," said Lopez. "I always aspired to set the example."

Originally, Lopez had her eyes set on becoming a marine biologist.

After a turn of events, she decided to join the Navy in her junior year in high school. She did not know what she really wanted to do with her life at 17 years old, and she was terrified of not knowing her career path. Obtaining her GI Bill provided her with the opportunity to go to college after her first deployment.

Lopez started out at Northwest Vista College where she majored in Business. She later changed her major to Criminal Justice. "I felt the Criminal Justice field was more of what I was looking for," stated Lopez. "I wanted to be in a field where I knew I was making a difference."

While in college, she faced challenges fitting in as a non-traditional student, but she knew success was in her future and she never gave up.

Lopez transferred to UTSA because she found that the university has a great reputation for assisting veterans with federal benefits. She also liked that the Criminal Justice classes in the College of Public Policy were held at the Downtown Campus. "I was attracted to the smaller classes and the availability of smaller class settings," said Lopez.

During her last semester, Stacia had to choose a place to fulfill her internship requirement. She developed a passion for federal law enforcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in San Antonio had an internship position available. She applied and landed the role.

"As an intern, I witnessed the interview process for suspects, read reports, tagged evidence, and navigated through pertinent databases," said Lopez. "I was given a first-hand look as to how the investigative process is conducted in cases pertaining to illegal trafficking of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms, as well as cases involving explosives."

The internship allowed her the opportunity to develop valuable professional relationships and network with other local, state and federal agencies. The contacts she made led to a contract position with ATF.

"As a Crime Gun Intelligence Coordinator, I am responsible for entering evidence, performing acquisitions and correlations review utilizing the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) equipment to put into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network," explained Lopez. "Even though I do not participate in the investigative process, I have the ability to assist in identifying violent criminals, members of violent gangs, and criminal organizations who are associated with firearms trafficking and other criminal activity."

Lopez's internship experience helped her achieve the career she wanted.

"My internship allowed me to be more competitive in the job market by gaining professional references, experience, and knowledge of law enforcement," said Lopez. "Additionally, my internship helped me tackle the obstacles head on without doubt or uncertainty."

Lopez's advice to students is to take advantage of every opportunity and put forth great effort.

"Choose an organization or agency in which you really have a strong interest," said Lopez. "Network, ask questions, show that you are motivated, and work hard because an internship can serve as a significant stepping stone to your dream job. Your future is worth it."China's publishing industry booming over past 40 years

From:ChinaDaily | 2018-11-12 17:28

BEIJING - China has seen rapid growth in its publishing industry over the past four decades, with the number of publishing houses increasing from 105 to over 580, data from National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) showed.

In 2017 alone, nearly 500,000 varieties of books were published, compared with 15,000 in 1978. A total of 9.24 billion copies were printed, generating a total sales volume of 370.4 billion yuan ($53.5 billion), according to the NPPA.

Since the reform and opening up, China's publishing industry has evolved in areas of management, ownership, supplies of cultural products and services and integration with other sectors, said NPPA official Liu Xiaokai at an event commemorating the publishing industry's development this week.

Physical bookstores in China have taken the path of integrated development and transformation and upgrading, thanks to favorable policies introduced in recent years, said Liu.

Ai Limin, director-general of the Books and Periodicals Distribution Association of China, said that it has become a main-stream trend for bookstores to promote the integration of online and offline stores.

Meanwhile, multiple publishing patterns, including traditional printed publishing and emerging electronic, digital, internet and big data publishing, have changed the way of reading.

Director-general of the Publishers Association of China Liu Binjie suggested the publishing industry adopt advanced technologies to foster new reading mode.

Li Guoqing, the founder of China's e-commerce platform dangdang.com, pledged efforts in areas of original online content, e-books, videos and audio books in the next three years.Temple backs young entrepreneurs

From:Shine | 2018-11-13 08:29

Juexing (right), abbot of the Jade Buddha Temple presents a young entrepreneur with the sponsorship to help him start his business.

The citys Jade Buddha Temple announced sponsorship worth 2.3 million yuan (US$330,284) on Monday to local university graduates forstartup projects.

The temples Juequn University Entrepreneurship Foundation will sponsor 21 startup projects on science and technology, cultural innovation, marketing and non-profit services.

The projects include a wearable heart monitor that can alert rescue services in the case of an emergency. It was developed by Xie Qiuchen, an undergraduate from Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University.

Other projects include the Wenniao Canteen, an online food delivery firm specializing on local white-collars and a marketing firm focusing on brand promotion at campus.

To better help these young entrepreneurs, the foundation also established an expert team to guide their development. Five experts including senior investors and university professors have been appointed as the first batch of mentors.

The Buddhist temple has become a major sponsor for local young entrepreneurs setting up startups. It had sponsored local university graduates to set up over 130 enterprises via an 11-million yuan sponsorship drive since 2009. Among those sponsored was local online food delivery firm Ele.me, which has since expanded its services to some 1,000 Chinese cities.

The temple donated 10 million yuan to set up the foundation in 2009 to support local graduates, especially those from poor families, to set up companies.

Ti Gong

Wang Qiang, founder ofWenniao Canteen, an online food delivery firm catering to office workers, outlines his project at a sponsorship ceremony. The M5S (5 Star Movement) divided about the Sicilian maxi-radar , headlined the Corriere della Sera, thereby spreading a maxi fake news  not about the directorate of the 5 Star Movement, which, after having won an electoral consensus with the  No Muos  in Sicily, is now backing off - but about the very object of the dispute.

By defining the Muos station in Niscemi as a  maxi-radar , they are fooling public opinion into believing that it is an Earth-bound electronic scanning device, and therefore defensive. But on the contrary, the Muos (Mobile User Objective System) is a new satellite communications system which extends the offensive capacity of the United States to the whole planet.

The system, developed by Lockheed Martin for the US Navy, is composed of an initial configuration of four satellites (plus one in reserve) in a geo-stationary orbit, and linked to four terrestrial stations  two in the United States (Hawai and Virginia), one in Sicily and one in Australia. The four stations are linked by a network of terrestrial and submarine fibre-optic cables (the station in Niscemi is connected directly to the station in Virginia).

The Muos, which is already in function, will become fully operational in the summer of 2019, attaining a capacity 16 times superior to that of the preceding systems. It will simultaneously transmit ultra-high frequency coded messages of vocal, video and data material. So submarines and warships, fighter-bombers and drones, military vehicles and on-the-ground units of the US and their allies, will thus be linked to a single command network of control and communications under the orders of the Pentagon, while they are operating anywhere in the world, including the polar regions.

So the Muos station in Niscemi is not a  Sicilian maxi-radar  which guards the island, but an essential element of the planetary war machine of the United States.

The same role is being played by the other main US and NATO bases in Italy. The Naval Air Station Sigonella, a few kilometres from Niscemi, is the base for the launching of military operations mainly in the Middle East and Africa, carried out by special forces and drones.

The JTAGS (Joint Tactical Ground Station), a US satellite station of the  antimissile shield  deployed at Sigonella  one of the five with global reach (the others are situated in the United States, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan)  serves not only for anti-missile defence, but also for attack operations commanded from advance positions.

The Joint Allied Force Command in Lago Patria (Naples), is under the orders of a US admiral who simultaneously commands the US Naval Forces in Europe (with the Sixth Fleet based at Gaeta in the Lazio) and the US Naval Forces for Africa, whose headquarters are at Naples-Capodichino.

Camp Darby, the largest US arsenal outside of the homeland, supplies the US and allied forces for their wars in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

The US 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Vicence, operates in Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine and other countries in Eastern Europe.

The bases at Aviano and Ghedi  sites of the deployment of US and Italian fighters under US command, and equipped with B61 nuclear bombs, which, as from 2020 will be replaced by B61-12s  are an integral part of the Pentagons nuclear strategy.

Incidentally, do Luigi Di Maio and the other leaders of M5S remember that they took a solemn engagement with the ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) to ensure that Italy adheres to the UN Treaty, thus liberating Italy from US nuclear weapons?Executing their obligations under the INF Treaty of 1987, the USSR (then Russia) and the United States have destroyed all their ground-based nuclear missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 km (short range, medium range and intermediate range). Missiles with a range greater than 5,500 km do not fall under this treaty. They are classified as ICBMs. Under the INF Treaty, the United States has not built nor been able to place its nuclear missiles in Europe. Thus the main beneficiaries of this treaty are European countries and Russia.

President Trumps announcement to unilaterally withdraw the United States from the INF Treaty, does not seem to affect the United States. This is because the distance between the American continent and the European part of Russia is more than 5,500 km. Trump thought he could pull the wool over Vladys eyes at least with his anti-ballistic shields in Romania and Poland. These weapons were of the VLS MK-41 type. They are sourced from systems existing on the AEGIS cruisers of the Ticonderoga class. They can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles armed with miniaturized W80 nuclear ogives weighing 5-50 kt. But the US cruise missiles travel at a speed 20 times slower than the Russian ballistic missiles and from the moment they are launched, their thermal imprint can be traced by satellite.

This is why the Pentagon is seething. [] It now urgently needs a new type of ballistic missile to be lined up in Europe near the Russia border. The only challenge President Donald Trump has left out of consideration is that the United States no longer has the rocket motors needed to build such missiles. When NASA received substantial funding, the US army had motors for their most powerful missiles. But over the last 15 years, NASA has become a shadow of that entity which was the first to send men to the moon. Thus unintentionally, President Trumps decision to withdraw the United States from the INF treaty, Trump, serves Vlady. We could go even further and say it is a great win for Russia.

Features of a ballistic missile equipped with a nuclear ogive weighing 650-1 000 kg (with 1-8 mt power) and able to strike a target at a distance of 1 500 to 2 500 km:

 Weight: 18-24 t

 Length: 15-20 m

 Diameter: 1.5 to 1.8 m

 Stages: 1  2

 Speed: 4.5 km/s

 Altitude: 600 to 900 km.

 Its motors must develop a propulsion of at least 75 000 to 100 000 kgf. In contrast the missiles that form part of the US anti-ballistic shields GBMD, SM-3 (1b, 2) and THAAD have a far weaker propulsion and are useless.

Due to cuts in NASAs budget, most experts in the sections that belong to the special departments of Lockheed Martin and Boeing have come together and formed a company United Launch Alliance (ULA). This company buys rocket motors, assembles the components of the rockets, and creates new space vehicles that it then launches for the Pentagon and Nasa to use.

Thus ULA assembles the USs most powerful US heavy rocket in service: Atlas V. This is the only one that can put in space an automatic military space ship (X-37B) and military satellites on the geostationary orbits. To launch, Atlas V uses 2 boosters with Russian RD  180 motors. Atlas Vs first stage also has a Russian RD-180 motor, produced by NPO Energomash.

The only US capsule that has proved that it could reach the international space station was Dragons Space X. It was launched by Falcon 9. Falcon 9 is a two-staged light rocket:

The first stage is composed of nine Merlin 1C motors, each with a propulsion of 56 696 kgf.

The second stage consists of a one Merlin motor.

Falcon 9 is nothing more than recycled relics of the Cold War. The Merlin 1C motor is a variation of the famous RS-27 motor, produced by the company Rocketdyne from 1974 for the old Delta 2000 rockets of McDonnell Douglas, abandoned by NASA. Several Merlin 1C motors can be used to build new nuclear missiles with short and medium range missiles.

Taurus I and Minotaur I are the new light rockets with 3 or 4 stages that Orbital Sciences Corp (OSC) has provided to Nasa. They can satellize a cosmic object weighing 580 - 1 500 kg using the stages SR19 and M55A1 coming from LGM-118A, MX-Peacekeeper and LGM-30F Minuteman II, US intercontinental ballistic missiles with solid combustibles. The Minotaur I rocket consists of the first and second stage of the intercontinental ballistic rocket Minuteman II (developing both 120 000 kgf).

In the period 2010-2013, OSC replaced the first two stages of the Minotaur I rocket motor NK-33 (140 000 kfg). The NK-33 motors, delivered by the Russian company Energomas, are superior to those manufactured in the United States. Due to sanctions that the United States imposed on Russia in early 2014, the transfer of Russian technology (including technology from Energomas), was interrupted.

The company Aerojet in collaboration with the designing office of Youzhnoye at Dnipropetrovsk-Ukraine has begun to produce motors: AJ-26-58/62. These are poor copies of the NK-33 U. [] The Antares rocket transporting the US cargo Cygnus with supplies for the international space station (ISS) exploded 6 seconds after launch due to a fault in the design of the AJ-26 motor.

There is a similar rocket, with a US SR19 stage (used by Taurus 1 and Minotaur I). It is composed of the fixed system GBMD (Ground-Based Midcourse Defense) and is assembled by the OSC. GBMD (35 000 kgf) belongs to the Pentagons Agency for anti-ballistic defence that operates in the bases of Fort Greely (Alaska) and Vandenberg (California). This shows that because the US is focusing so hard on creating antimissile shield, the budgetary cuts have resulted in a smaller pot of funds available for the design of new high power rocket motors. This means that NASA must use heavy missiles.

Let us see where Russia stands on this issue of the rocket motors which could be used for medium range and intermediate range nuclear missiles.

The Angara family includes:

 Angara 1.1: a light (2 tonnes) rocket which can satellize on the low orbit;

 Angara A3: a medium (14.6 tonnes) rocket that can be placed on the Earths low orbit;

 Angara A5: a heavy rocket. The first component of the Angara-A5 rocket develops a traction of about 1 000 000 kgf. It is formed of 4 boosters to the RD-191 motors, mounted around a central segment, which in its turn is part of a RD-191 motor. The RD-191 motor can change the maximum traction of 200 000 kgf during flight. It can change it from 100% to 30%.

 Angara A7: a superweight rocket which has an RD-193 motor (motor more powerful than the RD-191 motor), permitting the placement of 35 t on the earths low orbit.

 Angara-1000: the most powerful rocket in the family, capable of satellizing 100 t on a low orbit.

Conclusion: Apart from Angara A7, Russia can use only one motor for the Angara rocket. This is the RD-191. Therefore for the Russia to build and render operational in 6  8 months a new nuclear ballistic missile with a range up to 5 000 km is a catastrophe for the US. Yet Romania and Poland are in a far more regrettable situation. This is because US anti-ballistic shields have been placed on their territory. Till now, the time you had to correct an error in accidental launch of an IBCM was 20 to 25 minutes. This represents the time it takes for an IBCM to travel from Russia to the American continent. However now, you have just 4 minutes (20% of the time you had before). This represents the time it takes for the IBCM to travel from Russia to Poland or Russia to Romania, a distance of around 1 000 km. From now on, Romania and Poland will become targets for 8 Mt ogives of Russian ballistic missiles, ogives that the US Shields will not be able to neutralize, and which have an enormous capacity to destroy the population and infrastructures.Joint statement of Roch Marc Christian Kabore (Burkina Faso), Justin Trudeau (Canada), Carlos Alvarado (Costa Rica), Lars Lokke Rasmussen (Denmark), Emmanuel Macron (France), Raimonds Vejonis (Latvia), Saad Hariri (Lebanon), Dalia Grybauskaite (Lithuania), Erna Solberg (Norway), Macky Sall (Senegal), Alain Berset (Switzerland), Beji Caid Essebsi (Tunisia)

The Heads of State or Government of Burkina Faso, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Norway, Senegal, Switzerland and Tunisia commend the work of the international independent Information and Democracy Commission initiated by the organization Reporters Without Borders, which has presented today, 11 November 2018, the results of this work at the Paris Peace Forum. This Commission, initiated by Reporters without Borders, proposes, in its declaration published on 5 November 2018, that the global information and communication space be acknowledged as a common good of humankind, where freedom, pluralism and integrity of information must be guaranteed.

The commission underlines that actors in a position to shape this global space have responsibilities, especially in terms of political and ideological neutrality, pluralism, and accountability. It also calls for the acknowledgement that individuals have the right, not only to independent and pluralistic information, but also to reliable information, which is a necessary condition for them to freely form an opinion, and participate in a valuable way to the democratic debate.

Concerned that professional journalism has become more fragile, and that disinformation online continues to spread, both of which upset the functioning of our democracies, preoccupied that political control of the media remains in many countries and that freedom of the press continues to be threatened, as well as the subjugation of information to commercial interests, the Heads of State or Government of Burkina Faso, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Norway, Senegal, Switzerland and Tunisia have decided to launch an initiative for information and democracy, inspired by the principles of this declaration.

Seventy years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, they will renew, through this initiative that will remain open to support by further governments, their commitment towards the right to exercise freedom of opinion and expression, and define the objectives to be pursued in order to achieve the full realization of these freedoms in the technological and political context of the 21st century.It is a great pleasure to be here in Paris this morning, in this historic setting.

This is  to use a little English understatement  an important moment in the future of the relationship between our countries.

There have been many such moments in the long sweep of our history, and we know, without a doubt, that there will be many more in the decades to come.

What matters is what we decide to do with those moments.

Those decisions fall to each generation.

To plot their own course and determine their destiny and that of their countries.

What is unique about the relationship between Britain and France is the extent to which those decisions, those destinies, have been, are, and will be, entwined.

That long history has, as we all know, hadlet me put it diplomatically its high and its lows.

And it is a relationship of competition and cooperation, similarity and difference.

Indeed my view is that it is precisely that mix which gives it its strength  because we have made a choice  for nearly 200 years  to work together.

And it is my contention that the relationship between our countries  born of shared geography, history and culture, and forged through joint struggle and sacrifice, is as important today as it has ever been; that our fortunes are as bound together as they have ever been; and that the case for the closest possible partnership between Britain and France is as strong as it has ever been.

But how that partnership evolves depends on the decisions we make now.

So today I want to look at things in the round  to consider our past, our present and our future  the future that, yes does mean getting Brexit right, but which goes beyond that and will be for the next generation to build.

The past

But I want to start with the past.

This week  of all weeks  our shared past has particular resonance and weight.

This Sunday, at 11 oclock, it will be 100 years exactly since the guns fell silent on the Western front.

At the Arc de Triomphe here in Paris and at the Cenotaph in London, and in towns and villages across France and Britain, our countries will commemorate the end of the War.

Tomorrow, the French President and the British Prime Minister will be together in the battlefields of the Somme  scene of some of the bloodiest fighting.

They will remember our shared sacrifice. The British Army lost 20,000 dead in a single day on 1 July 1916. The Somme was our Verdun.

This was a war which changed our countries and our continent forever.

It was a war in which our destinies as nations were yoked together  in which we fought and bled side by side for over four years  and in which, in the end, we prevailed.

We sometimes forget that in the closing months of that war, the two million soldiers of the British Army fought under French command for the first time.

The British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, said that Marshal Foch was the only general in the field with the necessary decision and vision to plan out such a campaign.

After the Armistice, Foch said I am conscious of having served England as I served my own country  words carved in stone beneath his statue near Victoria Station in London.

But the victory that Franco-British cooperation made possible came at a terrible price.

Across France, 575,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers lie buried, alongside 1.4 million French comrades who fell alongside them.

Row after row of silent white headstones speak more eloquently than we ever could on the strength of our alliance, and the depth of our shared sacrifice.

I am fortunate to come from a generation which has never known such horror, and which has been blessed by the peace and friendship we have built with Germany, something we will also mark this weekend.

But if our shared history has taught us anything, it is surely to value peace  and never to take it for granted.

Of course, our history goes back much further than a hundred years.

Britains long and complex relationship with France is one of the most important that we have with any country in the world.

We are approaching 1,000 years since William the Conqueror landed near Hastings, and the Duke of Normandy became the King of England.

The Bayeux tapestry  which chronicles the story of Williams arrival in England  turns out to have been just the opening chapter in the Franco-British story.

If we brought the tapestry up to date, it would stretch all the way from Paris to London and back.

It would tell of our highs and our lows, our friendships and our enmities, our triumphs and our defeats.

That is why President Macrons decision to lend the Bayeux tapestry to Britain  announced at the Sandhurst Summit earlier this year - so captured the public imagination on the other side of the Channel.

It represents  literally  the common thread of our shared history, going to the heart of both countries identity.

That sense of similarity and difference runs through the next nine centuries.

And it extends into the most recent period of our story during which  for nearly 200 years now - Britain and France have not only been at peace, but in alliance, standing together against danger and when, twice in a century, the very existence of our nations was threatened.

The present

Why does all this matter?

Because it is not the stuff of books and museums.

It is the underpinning of the world we built  together.

And in that world our countries are as closely connected, our story is just as interwoven as it has ever been.

Geographical neighbours; separated by 33 kilometres of what Churchill called that strip of salt water, but joined now by a tunnel through which 57,000 pass every single day.

Hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens choose to live in each others countries, where they make such a valued contribution.

I would like to take this opportunity to repeat the Prime Ministers commitment to the French people in Britain  and all EU citizens - protecting their rights after we leave the EU. And I am sure that the same assurances will be offered to British citizens living here in France.

About 12 million Britons visited France last year - and more French people visited the UK than any other nationality.

It is a relationship that is underpinned by human ties of friendship.

And at a Governmental level, by the fact that Britain and France are both European nations with a global vocations, who share the same values, and who see the world in broadly the same way. We helped fashion the global order, and we share an interest in defending it.

We face the same terrorist threats, and we know that we must work hand in hand to defeat them.

We both know that sometimes to defend the peace, you need to be ready to use military force.

We know that the threats to European peace and security are more serious than they have been for a generation, and that as Europes only two major military powers, we need to confront those threats together.

We both believe in nuclear deterrence, and in maintaining our deterrents for our own defence and the defence of our allies.

That is why we so often form joint positions, including on the Security Council where we both have permanent seats, to deal with an increasingly unstable world.

That is why when our countries have been attacked by terrorists, there was such an outpouring of mutual solidarity.

We will never forget the moment after the Manchester attack when President Macron walked from the Elysee Palace to the British Embassy to express Frances solidarity, and the crowd at the Stade de France sang the British national anthem  nor, when, after the Bataclan attack the crowd at Wembley sang the Marseillaise.

That is why, after the chemical weapons attack in Salisbury in March, France rallied to the UKs side, leading a robust European response, working together to expel scores of Russian diplomats from our continent.

And in April, British and French aircraft, with our US allies, acted together to strike chemical weapons installations in Syria, and to enforce the global ban on the use of chemical weapons which was itself born out of the suffering in the trenches 100 years ago.

That is why our defence cooperation  rooted in the Lancaster House accords  is so deep.

RAF Chinook helicopters are flying missions in the Sahel, transporting French troops as part of Operation Barkhane.

Together we have forged a combined joint expeditionary force, which will be combat capable by 2020.

This year our warships have both upheld freedom of navigation by sailing through the South China Sea.

And our cooperation extends far beyond the security domain to genomics, artificial intelligence, cyber and space.

The scale and breadth of cooperation is probably closer than it has ever been.

The future

Which brings us back to Bayeux.

Now, as President Macron said at Sandhurst, we are weaving a new tapestry.

What path will it follow, what scenes will it depict?

Because we are at a moment of decision, and the answers we give in the coming weeks and months could determine the shape of Franco-British relations, and of relations between Britain and her European partners, for many years, perhaps decades to come.

Which brings me, of course, to Brexit.

And here our history is again relevant: for all our similarities, we are also different.

I understand that for so many in France that the outcome of the referendum result was disappointing.

I know that in France the Brexit vote is often seen as Britain pulling up the drawbridge, turning its back on Europe and reaching out for le grand large.

But that is not how we see it.

And this is where our peculiar mixture of similarity and difference is important.

France sees the EU as vital to its destiny, to the stability of the continent and above all to its relationship with Germany.

We recognise that. We understand it. We value it.

But Britain has never felt quite the same, for the simple reason that our experiences have been different.

Yes, we are similar in that we are both European countries who cherish our global role.

But we differ, I believe, in our view of the process and goals of EU integration. The reality is that our public has always been reluctant about the political character of the Union and uncertain about its ultimate destination.

That made the experience of the pooling of sovereignty which the EU entails uncomfortable for us  and I think that goes a long way to explaining the result of our referendum.

Indeed for most British people, their concept of Europe has never been synonymous with the European Union.

Whereas for so many people in France, I believe, the European Union is at the heart of their notion of Europe.

Why does this matter?

Because so far in our recent history we have been able to draw strengths from our similarities, but recognise and respect our differences in the choices we have made together.

And we have now reached another such moment of decision, and the decisions we take as Governments will have far-reaching consequences.

Our people have voted in a referendum to leave the EU and its decision-making bodies.

We must respect their democratic choice.

But we intend to remain a European power into the future, as we have always been in the past.

A European power, whose values remain European values.

A European power committed to the security of the European continent.

A European power with a European economic model, with universal public services and the highest standard of consumer and environment protection.

A European power, whose children continue to do exchanges with each other and get to know and treasure each others countries  as I did at the age of 7 in Angers, in France; whose students study together; whose scientists and researchers and Nobel Prize winners continue to push forward the frontiers of human knowledge together.

That is the strategic choice we have made in our approach to these negotiations. From our perspective we see no contradiction in wanting to continue to work together even as the institutional relationship changes.

And so?

What does this mean for our future, and for this negotiation, which is now entering its crucial endgame?

I would suggest three things.

First, our shared past, does not, of course mean that we do not remain two nations, each pursuing our national interests as we judge them, in the interests of the people we are elected to serve.

But, having thought deeply about these issues, my view is that just as our interest and choice is to remain close to Europe, the EUs interest lies too in close cooperation  for our security, our economies and our peoples.

So I hope that we can redouble our efforts to reach an agreement.

Second, we each need to make a particular effort to understand the others perspective.

I know there are concerns that a deal which allows the UK to have the advantages of membership without the obligations, could lead to unfair competition and ultimately to the unravelling of the EU.

I want to be 100% clear. We have heard those concerns, and we believe that we can address them. Indeed that the only way to address them is for an ambitious agreement that provides the kind of guarantees necessary.

Remember this basic fact.

From 29 March next year, we will be on the outside, not the inside.

There will be no British Prime Minister turning up at European Council meetings, no Ministers deciding new legislation, no British MEPs, no British judges on the European Court of Justice.

So we are not, as is sometimes suggested, even occasionally here in France, trying to have our cake and eat it.

But we have offered a framework for our future relationship which should give you confidence that we are not going to pursue a race to the bottom, and which would allow our economic and security relationships to continue, not as they were before  but on a dependable basis on which we could continue to build in the years ahead.

A relationship in which the UK will be a third country  but would remain tied by bonds of friendship and commerce for decades to come.

The alternatives do not deliver that certainty. They make a choice for friction  at our border with queues at Dover and Calais, in the exchange of information between our security services and in greater divergence in our rules and regulation.

That choice would seem to me to be a mistake.

My last point is this.

This is not a dry, technical discussion, although sometimes it can seem that way  with all the talk of regulatory standards and implementation periods and the like.

At heart, it is about the destiny of our ancient nations - and of our ancient continent  and how best we shape our future as European nations.

About how we weave the next chapter of the tapestry and what story it will tell.

That is why I feel so passionately that we need to get this right, that we need to make the right choices in the weeks to come.

So that the generations who come after us and look across the Channel will see that in 2019 Britain left the European Union, and a chapter ended.

But the story of the European Union continued, and that the story of Britains friendship and alliance with Europe and above all with France not only endured, but grew in strength.

In other words the end of a chapter did not mean the end of the book. Far from it. It mean the beginning of a new chapter, in which we found new ways to work closely together.

Those future generations will see, I hope, that confronted with the common threats before us, and which are growing, we faced up to them together.

That together we defended the post-war international order and institutions that are today under threat.

That we together stayed true to our values and democratic principles that are being challenged  in practice and in theory  as never before in my lifetime.

That we together adapted to the challenges and opportunities that globalisation is posing to our economies and more importantly our societies.

I know it is not easy but that is my hope.

That is Britains hope.

I believe that is Frances hope, and that of our European partners.

Lets find the political will  as friends, as allies, as partners  to turn that hope into reality.Good morning. Its great to see you all.

Let me start by thanking Germany for hosting our conference this year.

And for being a major driver in technology and innovation.

Let me also thank all of you for being here and for joining us at this NATO Industry Forum. A very important platform for strengthening the cooperation between NATO, NATO allies and Industry which is so important for the whole Alliance.

I would also like to thank commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska for being here today I think thats a great example of how we are strengthening the cooperation between the European Union and NATO.

The NATO-Industry Forum plays a critical role in our long-standing engagement with industry.

And it is important that we continue to work hand in hand as we prepare for the future.

You are helping NATO to translate our standards and capability targets into practice.

Meeting you gives us all a clearer picture of how to increase our cooperation.

This is especially important as NATO continues to adapt to fast-changing security challenges.

At the Brussels Summit in July, we took significant steps to further bolster deterrence and defence.

With a new readiness initiative  Which we call the Four Thirties:

 30 mechanised battalions

 30 air squadrons, and

 30 combat vessels

 Ready to use within 30 days or less.

And this readiness initiative comes on top of all the other things we have done to increase the readiness of our forces. With tripling the size of the NATO response force and also by the fact that for the first time in our history we have combat ready forces, four battlegroups in the three Baltic Countries and in Poland and we also increased our personnel in the South East of the Alliance. So we are now in the midst of the biggest adaptation of the Alliance since the end of the Cold War and working with Industry is an important part of that adaptation.

We also decided at the Summit in July to adapt our command structure.

With a new Atlantic command in Norfolk, Virginia.

And a new command for support and logistics here in Germany in Ulm.

Both commands will help our forces become more mobile enabling rapid reinforcement within the Alliance ensuring the right forces in the right place at the right time, with the right readiness.

For our forces to be ready, they must be well-trained but also well equipped. And again the Industry is key to make sure we have the right equipment.

Our biggest exercise since the end of the Cold War, Trident Juncture, Has been taking place in Norway.

All 29 Allies participated.

Along with our closest partners, Finland and Sweden.

This is a defensive exercise.

Not directed against any country.

But it sends a clear message to any potential adversary that NATO is there to protect and defend all Allies. That we have the resources and capability to do so and by doing that we prevent conflict.

Trident Juncture included around 8,000 German troops. Because Germany will lead NATOs Response Force next year. And through Trident Juncture we were able to test and certify the German troops being the lead troops for Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in 2019.

And it also included thousands of troops from the United States and Canada.

Demonstrating the enduring strength of bond between Europe and North America.

Trident Juncture was also a showcase of NATOs ability to innovate.

From micro-drones and robotics to 3D printing.

For instance our commanders noticed that vehicles were breaking down more frequently due to the cold. It was actually not so cold but it was colder than in Brussels. It can be cold in Norway, thats what Im trying to say.

We started using 3D printing to make spare parts. These could be distributed immediately so we avoided the wait for spare parts to arrive from distant suppliers.

We also tested one of the smallest drones in world. A drone which can see in the dark.

Many of these technologies are about reacting and responding more quickly, seeing further and detecting threats well in advance.

Technologies like these could change the way we protect troops and conduct our operations.

We must continue to ensure that our skills and equipment are second to none.

***

NATO is likely to shape future of the defence industry in many different ways.

But let me mention three:

 How much Allies spend on defence.

 What we spend on.

 And how efficiently we spend the money we have.

First, how much we spend.

As you all most likely know, we made a defense investment pledge at the Summit in Wales, in 2014. We promised to stop the cuts, gradually increase, and then move towards spending 2% of GDP on defence within a decade.

And to be honest, just to be able to stop the cuts was a great promise. Because you have to understand that the starting point was that almost all Allies had cut defence spending, almost every year, for many years, since the end of the Cold War.

At the end of the Cold War we spent almost 3% of GDP that was the normal level of spending across Europe. 3% of GDP on Defence.

And now we are below 1.5%.

And it is extremely difficult to get political support on Defence because then you have to spend less on something else. It is easy to be in favour of spending more on something, it is much more difficult to identify what will get less, or to advocate for higher taxes.

So actually, just to stop the cuts was really a change. We have delivered, meaning that all Allies have stopped cuts, all Allies have increased.

And more and more Allies meet the 2 % target. And the majority of Allies have put forward a credible plan to reach 2% within a decade.

We also have to remember that we did not promise 2% next year, we promised within a decade.

So I am not saying we have delivered everything we shall already but I am saying that the whole Alliance have really turned a corner from reducing defence spending and now starting to increase defence spending. We have made significant steps in the right direction. The picture is still a bit mixed but at least it is much better than it was just a few years ago. In 2014 it was three Allies who met the 2% guideline now its 9 Allies. And the majority has put forward plans to be there within a decade.

So we will continue to address the issue of Defence spending.

This year European Allies and Canada have boosted their combined defence budgets by 5.2%

And just over past two years, those same countries have spent a cumulated US$41 billion more on defence.

We will have the national plans by the end of the year. And how to reach the 2% guidelines will be discussed by Defence Ministers next February so we must keep up the momentum.

If all European Allies and Canada met the 2% spending guideline, that would mean an extra 100 billion dollars every year for defence across Europe and Canada. That is roughly the equivalent of the combined defence spending of the United Kingdom and France.

So we speak about big money and this is also money that will sooner or later end up in the defence industry. At least some of it, not all, because we have to pay some salaries to the soldiers too. But a lot of it will be spent on equipment and research and development.

This will ensure Alliance remains at the leading edge of military technology in a world remains competitive and unpredictable.

***

The second way NATO is shaping the future of defence industry is: what we spend money on.

What capabilities we buy and for what purpose.

Allies have committed to invest 20% of all defence spending on major equipment.

Including related Research and Development.

In fact, this year NATO Allies are expected spend over 250 billion US dollars on major equipment.

And associated Research & Development.

More than 60 billion will be invested by European Allies.

Which represents an increase of some 10 billion over the last year.

And even more expected in the coming years.

To make sure our armed forces have the right quantity.

But also the right quality of equipment.

We identify priorities for defence across the Alliance.

And provide guidance to nations about where they should direct their investments.

This is actually one of the most important thing NATO does and this is what we call the Defence Planning Process where we identify the different capabilities that different Allies are supposed to deliver into our collective defence efforts.

We need to maintain an advantage in key areas such as Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance.

The alliance Future Surveillance and Control system.

Our Ballistic Missile Defence system.

And Alliance Ground Surveillance.

These projects are funded together, planned jointly and implemented cooperatively.

By several or all Allies.

And they bring together industries from both sides of Atlantic.

We also need to stay on top of new wave of technology.

Like artificial intelligence, machine learning, future computing techniques, and big data. This is a great challenge because we are challenged not only Russia but also China in these domains.

Restructured NATO Command Structure, we are setting up a Cyber Operations Centre in Mons, Belgium.

But we depend on our industry partners help stay ahead.

For example in the cyber domain we partner closely with industry to enhance capabilities.

So we can respond to increasingly complex cyberattacks.

Germany is a good example.

With the creation of Agency for Innovation on Cybersecurity.

***

Let me turn to the third point:

And that is how efficiently we spend our defence dollars, euros, pounds, and krone.

Many of you will have heard me say this before, but we must address the fragmentation of our defence industry, especially in Europe. We can and we must achieve greater efficiency by working more closely together.

For instance in Europe there are 17 different types of main battle tanks.

In the United States there is only one.

In Europe 13 different types of Air-to-Air Missile.

United States has three.

And European nations 29 different types of naval frigate.

United States has four.

This is something I addressed. But I also appreciate or welcome the fact that European leaders have addressed this again and again, the fragmentation of European defence industry. Difficult, political and sensitive but we need to address the challenge in one way or another.

By planning and spending together, we spend smarter.

For decades, through the tried and tested NATO Defence Planning Process.

We define requirements and set capability targets.

For individual Allies. And for NATO.

Better coordination of Allies requirements allows us to move forward on key capabilities.

Like precision-guided munitions.

Strategic airlift.

And air-to-air refuelling.

We also coordinate capability development with the EU.

And I welcome the renewed initiative by the EU leaders to strengthen cooperation with industry.

This is an important element of the EUs Global Strategy and the European Defence Action Plan.

It is essential that we work together to ensure new EU initiative is fully coordinated with NATO.

Which is one reason I very much welcome presence, once again, of Commissioner Bienkowska at this Forum.

Elzbieta, your participation underscores your commitment to transparency and collaboration with NATO.

And I appreciate that very much.

It is important for NATO and important the European Union.

***

NATO has long history of working with industry partners.

Which is underscored by the fact that NATO Industrial Advisory Group is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

It is essential we continue to work closely together.

Now and for many decades to come.

I put my trust in knowledge, skills and ingenuity of our partners in industry and academia.

Industry is full of extraordinary people.

By harnessing their talents and ideas.

By putting the most advanced technologies in hands of our brave men and women in uniform.

And by working effectively and efficiently together.

We will continue to defend our countries, uphold our values and preserve the peace.

So I wish you a successful debate at this Forum.Home  Just In  Chinese culture minister in Kathmandu

Kathmandu, November 13

Chinas Minister of Culture Luo Shugang has arrived in Kathmandu on an official trip to Nepal on Tuesday.

The Minister is visiting Nepal to discuss extending cultural ties between the two neighbours, according to sources.

Meanwhile, the guest paid a visit to his Nepali counterpart Rabindra Adhikari at the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation today. Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Yu Hong, was also present on the occasion.

Adhikari told journalists after the meeting that the duo discussed promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries so as to best meet their mutual interests.

He also hoped that the meeting would promote Nepals tourism potential to a new height.By Nov. 12, 2018

The City of Paducah is holding Firehouse Chili on Friday, November 16 to benefit the United Way of Paducah-McCracken County. Everyone is invited to stop by Fire Station #1 located at 301 Washington Street from 11 am until 1 pm to purchase chili, chili pie, chili dogs, and/or hot dogs cooked by firefighters. Bring the entire family or office and enjoy lunch at one of the many tables set up in the fire stations heated bays. Carry out is available, too.



Assistant Fire Chief Gabe Reeves says, Its satisfying to know that our efforts in hosting this event reach so many people in our community. Their smiles and laughter are what makes this event a favorite with the Paducah Fire Department. Please come and partake in the good food and friendship.





City of Paducah Assistant City Clerk Claudia Meeks helps coordinate the lunch. Meeks says, I encourage everyone to attend this years event. Food pantries have shelves that need to be filled as the holidays are approaching. Last year, Firehouse Chili raised more than $1200 dollars. We would like to meet or surpass that amount to assist the United Way in helping meet the communitys needs.



The City directors provide funds to purchase supplies while members of the Paducah Fire Department furnish the ingredients and cook the chili. Sponsors for this year include Pepsi MidAmerica and Midtown Market. Due to the employee and corporate donations for the food and supplies, 100 percent of the proceeds from the luncheon benefit the United Way of Paducah-McCracken County.





The 2017 Firehouse Chili event provided $1225 for United Way. Annually, City of Paducah employees raise approximately $10,000 through fundraising events such as Firehouse Chili and employee contributions out of paychecks.





Firehouse Chili Menu & Prices:

Bowl of Chili $5

Chili Pie (Chili, Fritos, Cheese) $5

Chili Dog $5

Hot Dog $2

Beverages $1

PADUCAH - Firehouse Chili to Benefit United Way this Friday at Fire Station #1 from 11 am to 1 pm.Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required.

Your Full Name: (optional)

Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required.By West Kentucky Star Staff Nov. 13, 2018 | 11:55 AM | MARSHALL COUNTY

Two women were arrested on drug and other charges late last week in Marshall County.

Deputies with the Marshall County Sheriff's Office assisted Kentucky Probation and Parole officers at a home on Bill Hammel Lane. Two women at the home, Brittany May of Gilbertsville and Christina Byrn of Paducah, were arrested.

May was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Byrn was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of controlled substance, illegal possession of a legend drug, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Both were lodged in the Marshall County Detention Center.By West Kentucky Star Staff Nov. 12, 2018 | 06:18 PM | GRAVES COUNTY

Graves County authorities are asking for the public's help to identify two burglary suspects.

According to the Graves County Sheriff's Office, the burglaries have occurred three times in the last month at the same location near Golo, in eastern Graves County.

The sheriff's office has released three photos of the suspects.



Anyone that can identify the two individuals are asked to contact the Graves County Sheriff's Office at 270-247-4501.Home  Just In  Chinese team in Humla for feasibility study of road connecting India and China

Humla, November 13

Chief Minister of Karnali Province, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, arrived in Simikot of Humla on Tuesday along with a Chinese team for the feasibility study of road and railway connecting India and China via Nepal.

According to the District Administration Office, the team comprising Chief Minister Shahi and Chinese technicians arrived here to carry out the feasibility study of road and railway from Taklakot of Tibet to Jamunah of Nepalgunj, bordering with India.

The Chinese government has taken the route as the main international highway linking two countries from north to south as it is the shortest route linking the north and south transit points of the country.

Few months back, Chief Minister Shahi had visited China at the invitation of the Chinese government, during which he had held discussions with the Chinese officials, mainly on promoting cooperation in road construction and hydroelectricity sectors.

RSSBy West Kentucky Star Staff Nov. 13, 2018 | 11:36 AM | MARSHALL COUNTY

Two women face multiple drug charges in Marshall County.

According to the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, late last week, a deputy was at a home on French Drive serving civil papers, when he reportedly observed items of contraband.

Two women at the home, Emily Peck of Benton and Heidi Wilson of Lexington, were arrested.

Peck was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with physical evidence. Wilson was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of controlled substance, prescription controlled substance not in the proper container and tampering with physical evidence.

Both were lodged in the Marshall County Detention Center.Calvert City Jingle All the Way 5k and Fun Run set for December 4Home  Just In  From the Kathmandu Press: Tuesday, November 13, 2018

The government decision against making public decisions of the Cabinet meeting immediately after the meeting has been one of the most discussed issues on the front pages of major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Tuesday. Likewise, most of the newspapers have also given significant space to a lunch meeting of seven Nepali Congress leaders who are apparently dissatisfied with their party chief Sher Bahadur Deuba. On the other hand, key meetings of ruling Nepal Communist Party have become uncertain. Therefore, Naya Patrika and Annapurna Post covered the issue on the front pages.

Some other sociocultural, political and economic issues have been featured on the front pages of broadsheets published from the capital today.

Important

Stakeholders criticise govt for hiding info

After the government spokesperson and Communications and Information Technology Minister Gokul Prasad Banskota denied making the Cabinet decisions public on Sunday night, it has drawn criticisms from stakeholders, according to reports in Naya Patrika, The Kathmandu Post, Republica and The Himalayan Times.

The Kathmandu Post comments that the government move echoed the harrowing days of the authoritarian Panchayat era.

Meanwhile, Kantipur says the Cabinet made 16 significant decisions over various issues that day.

Case against Pappu stalled halfway

Gorkhapatra reports in its lead story that a case filed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority at the Special Court against lawmaker Hari Narayan Rauniyar, the owner of controversial Pappu Construction, has been stalled halfway as the court has not sent the summons to the defendants yet.

Meanwhile, Nagarik and Republica report that the Department of Water Resources and Irrigation has scrapped the contract with Pappu Construction for the Sikta Irrigation Project after the contractor failed to expedite the national pride project as per the agreement.

Ignored

NPC says local units failed to serve people effectively

Though the 2015 constitution has empowered local governments significantly, they have apparently failed to meet peoples expectation, the National Planning Commission under the federal government concluded.

Karobar reports in a two column story that the Commissions midterm expense report has identified insufficient institutional structures and human resources for the ineffective performance.

Gachhadar to assume new role after mahasamiti meeting

Newly appointed vice-president of Nepali Congress, Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, will assume his role only after the partys mahasamiti meeting scheduled for December third week in Kathmandu, reports Naya Patrika.

The current statute of Nepali Congress has the provision for only one vice-president and Bimalendra Nidhi is working in that capacity. Therefore, Gachhadar will take over after the mahasamiti meeting amends the statute, the report quotes spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma to say.

NCP spends four times the cost of Nepali Congress tea party for similar function

Two biggest parties of the countryruling Nepal Communist Party and main opposition Nepali Congressrecently hosted tea receptions on the occasion of Dashain and Tihar among other festivals. Citing party sources, a four column story in Nepal Samacharpatra informs that the NCP spent Rs 4 million for the event, whereas the expense of Nepali Congress was just one fourth of it.

Govt adds 6,000 vehicles in one year

Apparently due to the officials lust for new vehicles, the government purchased around 6,000 vehicles for their use in past one year, reports Annapurna Post in a two column story.

The report comments that the officials demand new vehicles while their existing ones are still working, and it has increased the unproductive spending of the state.

Four dozen local govts yet to announce annual budget

Though the Intergovernmental Fiscal Arrangement Act requires all local governments in the country to table the budget for the next fiscal year by June 24 every year, total four dozen local units have failed to abide by the provision, according to a report in The Kathmandu Post.

Teachers, health workers and employees of these local governments have not been paid since the beginning of this fiscal year in mid-July, the report adds.

Interesting

10 Nepal-India bus routes identified

The Department of Transport Management has identified 10 routes to operate crossborder bus services between various places of Nepal and India, Abhiyan reports in its anchor story.

The Department also issued permits to 22 transport companies to provide services along the routes.

The service will begin once officials of the two countries sign an agreement in this regard.Africa is changing, radically, and digitisation is playing a pivotal role

The outcomes from the 2018 Fakugesi Festival and collaboration with the Wits Art Museum will be shown on Digital Imaginaries: Africas in Production in Germany.

The exibition will take place a the ZKM (Centre for Media Arts) in Karlsruhe, Germany opening from 16 November 2018 to 31 March 2019.

Most exciting is the announcement that both 2018 Fakugesi Digital Africa Resident Joshua Chiundiza and 2017 Fakugesi Digital Africa Resident Kombo Chapfika  both from Zimbabwe  have been chosen to present work as artists.

Says Dr Tegan Bristow, Fakugesi African Digital Innovation Festival director, "We are very grateful to Pro Helvetia and the ANT Fund who annually support the residency in the development of young digital artists from the SADC Region. There is clearly alot of incredible talent in the region that we hope to continue growing."

Outside of the residency artists, contributions from the 2018 Fakugesi Festival program include:

Outcomes from the Digital Spirit: Johannesburg augmented reality workshop led by Kim Arnaud Mukendi with participants Laura Seal, Antonio Marin-Pacheco, Arty Musoke, Chesway Theway, Mohau Moloke and Gerald Khumalo.

African Fractals at the Wits Art Museum contributors from Wits School of Arts, Digital Arts, Laura Seal and Nhlanhla Lucky Nkosi.

contributors from Wits School of Arts, Digital Arts, Laura Seal and Nhlanhla Lucky Nkosi. Presentation of Towards a Vocabulary for Vernacular Algorithms from the Wits Art Museum exhibition Digital Imaginaries: Premonition with Alex Coelho, Joao Roxo, Russel Hlongwane and Dr.Tegan Bristow.

Towards a Vocabulary for Vernacular Algorithms from the Wits Art Museum exhibition Digital Imaginaries: Premonition with Alex Coelho, Joao Roxo, Russel Hlongwane and Dr.Tegan Bristow. The Phinda Pattern Code workshop that will be presented at the ZKM by Dr. Tegan Bristow.

About Fak'ugesi

Fak'ugesi - Joburg's one and only African Digital Innovation Festival will take place in September 2018, with the theme Tap your Africa Source Code'. The 2018 festival will focus on bringing to the table important African visions and futures, by tapping into the sources of African tradition and culture alongside technology, creativity and innovation. Explore how local culture can move and change the future of technology. What would you call a vernacular algorithm? What is algorithm in IsiZulu? In 2018 Fak'ugesi Festival calls on you to explore the algorithms, patterns and fractals of Africa! In digital art, music, games, VR, digital makers or the way you braid your hair.

Fak'ugesi, which means Switch it on or add power in urban Zulu, is focused on making young adults aware of digital innovation. It is an opportunity for young adults, with or without formal education, to learn or engage with tomorrow's technology.

According to an Impact Report commissioned by the British Council ConnectZA- Fak'ugesi is believed to be the most important digital creativity festival in Africa.

http://fakugesi.co.za/Fifth A-rating for 82-year-old engineer

An 82-year-old engineer at Wits has received an A-rating from the National Research Foundation for the fifth time.

Emeritus Professor Beric Skews is founder and director of the Flow Research Unit in the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering at Wits and a global expert in the field of compressible gas dynamics. He was awarded the NRF A2 rating earlier this year.

NRF A-rated researchers are those who are unequivocally recognised by their peers as leading international scholars in their field for the high quality and impact of their recent research outputs.

A researcher with the A2 rating is recognised by the overriding majority of reviewers as a leading scholar in his field internationally for the high quality and impact (either wide or confined) of his recent research outputs.

This is the fifth cycle of five years that Skews has distinguished himself as an international leader in his field. Furthermore, he is one of the few to have moved directly from an initial C-rating (which denotes an established researcher) to the highly sought-after A-rating, which denotes a global leader.

Skews is amongst the most productive and insightful researchers in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. His field of expertise is fluid dynamics and particularly the study of shock waves as they propagate across solid surfaces. His achievement is all the more remarkable given that he is now almost 83 years old!

To maintain an A-rating means that one is not only productive but leading the way in the development of new ideas, new questions and new results. The University acknowledges this great achievement, from a great Witsie, says Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Postgraduate Affairs."



China News on Women





Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home pageKathmandu, November 13

Multiple sources have revealed why India did not receive the report of Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations that the bilateral think tank prepared five months ago.

Highly placed sources say Indian intelligence agencies and bureaucracy have piled pressure on the government not to accept the report as it is, claiming the report favours Nepal and is against Indian interests.

In particular, the Indian side has objected to the mention of smart border management, a source says, The bureaucracy wants it removed. The bureaucrats have pointed at various risks [that the phrase might suggest].

Currently, the New Delhi government is not in the position to ignore the pressure of the bureaucracy and the intelligence as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is preparing for the 2019 general elections; and the party needs their support to make another victory. Hence, the party wants to keep the border security arrangement as it is now.

Consequently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not ready to receive the report as it is.

Meanwhile, through informal channels, New Delhi has begun piling pressure on Nepal to amend some key clauses of the report.

In response, Kathmandu has told New Delhi that the report cannot be amended as the EPG was already dissolved in July after it completed the assignment. Indian officials, however, argue that the group consisting four intellectuals and experts from each side will not dissolve unless both the governments accept the report.

While signing the report in July, the EPG members had agreed that the report would be submitted to Modi first. But, upon failure to get his time, they have not submitted the report to Nepal government as well.

Nepal, on its part, has continued its efforts to convince India about accepting the report. Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali talked to his counterpart Sushma Swaraj about the issue last month. Just last week, Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi also made a follow-up call to New Delhi.

In addition, Indian members of EPG have also assured Kathmandu that they would take initiatives to get the governments nod to the report. But still, Nepali officials are not much hopeful.World leading research being carried out at new clinical centre in Wrexham

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Nov 13th, 2018

A new clinical research centre in Wrexham is opening its doors to the public this week.

The North Wales Clinical Research Centre (NWCRC), which is part of Betsi Cadwaladr Unviersity Health Boards Research and Development department, provides NHS staff facilities to be able to undertake world leading research.

It has been equipped with state of the art laboratories and cutting edge equipment, such as fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometre, tissue culture and molecular instruments, which can be used to earlier diagnose, screen and monitor patients with various conditions such as cancer, diabetes, chronic disease, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders.

On Wednesday 14th November members of the public are being invited to visit the new centre on the Wrexham Technology Park to take a look at the facilities including the laboratories and clinical research suites.

There will also be the chance to speak to staff about the medical research which is being undertaken in Wrexham and across North Wales and have a tour of the site.

Leading Oncology Consultant, Dr Pasquale Innominato, based in Bangor is one of the specialists conducting research through the centre. He obtained a grant to conduct a pilot study in collaboration with the NWCRC and the Department of BioEngineering at Warwick University, which is observing how doctors can identify signs of deterioration in cancer patients earlier.

Specifically, his team are looking at blood test data and patients participating in the study are asked to use wearable biosensors that have been developed for the study by the Warwick University engineers. The sensors are designed to detect subtle signs if a patients health is deteriorating during their treatment for cancer.

I will be using the North Wales Clinical Research Centre to be able to analyse the results of the biosensors, explained Dr Innominato.

Its fantastic because its well equipped, but also when I am there I can talk to other colleagues who are in similar areas of research, network with them. You can discuss your research with your peers and gain new insights.

This project is really exciting because by joining this pilot study, we are helping in the development of new technologies that have the potential to really help cancer patients in the future.

Professor Iqbal Shergill, Consultant Urological Surgeon, based at Wrexham is undertaking several basic science and clinical trials at the NWCRC involving patients with kidney stones, bladder and prostate cancer.

Professor Shergill said: The newly established NWCRC provides an exciting opportunity for undertaking clinical research in North Wales.

We will be able to collaborate with local and national academics and work with pharmaceutical companies to provide better care and diagnostic services for our patients.

The NWCRC is aiming to become a centre of excellence for clinical research at a local, national and international level and is already working in collaboration with Glyndwr University in Wrexham, Bangor University, Celtic Advanced Life Science Innovation Network (CALIN) and the Life Sciences Hub Wales.

Professor Stephen Hughes, academic and scientific director of the NWCRC said, Its amazing to finally have the centre open. With this facility we now have a clinical research centre with fantastic equipment that allows the opportunity for our staff to be able to conduct cutting edge clinical research.

Crucially, undertaking clinical research will benefit the people of North Wales at a national level and beyond. The aim of the research centre is to primarily provide a world class facility for our patients and members of the public, ensuring that North Wales is actively involved in undertaking cutting-edge clinical research.

We have worked hard to get this facility open and we are looking forward to welcoming the public to the centre to see what we have happening.

By having a research active Health Board, in turn will attract the very best clinicians and allied health professionals to the area, and will hopefully provide an opportunity for expansion and create new jobs

Members of the public can visit the North Wales Clinical Research Centre at Unit 5, Gwenfro, Wrexham Technology Park,, LL137YP between 2-4pm and 5-7pm on Wednesday 14th November.

You can out more about the centre here.FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on the Florida election recount of 2018 (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

Election officials in a Florida county battered by Hurricane Michael last month allowed about 150 displaced voters to cast ballots by email, even though it's not allowed under state law.

The Miami Herald reports that Bay County Supervisor of Elections Mark Andersen defended that decision Monday.

Andersen told the newspaper that parts of the county remained shut off by law enforcement, preventing people from reaching their homes. The displaced voters were allowed to scan and email their ballots to the elections office. Andersen said all the ballots were verified by signature.

Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle Oct. 10 as a devastating Category 4 storm. On Oct. 18, Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order extending early voting and designating more voting locations in the eight counties, including Bay. A statement that accompanied the order specifically prohibited votes being returned by email or fax.

___

2:45 p.m.

Elections officials say boxes labeled with the words "provisional ballots" that have shown up around Broward County contain offices supplies used on Election Day and are not used to collect actual filled-out ballots.

Broward supervisor of elections attorney Eugene Pettis says the boxes contain office supplies and a red envelope for polling places to use for any provisional ballots. Provisional ballots are cast when someone votes without identification or their eligibility cannot immediately be verified by elections officials.

Pettis says provisional ballots are sealed inside the envelope and sent separately to the supervisor of elections' office. The box is then loaded with office supplies and dispatched to the same office but does not contain any ballots.

One such box found at an elementary school was opened for reporters. It contained only the office supplies.

Additional boxes were found late Sunday in the back of a returned rental car at the Fort Lauderdale airport. Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright says deputies transported them back to the proper office.

___

2 p.m.

Lawyers for the Republican and Democratic parties and their candidates have agreed to add three more sheriff's deputies to monitor the recount of the Florida governor and Senate races at the Broward County election supervisor's office.

Circuit Chief Judge Jack Tuter earlier Monday suggested that the sides agree on a suggestion of putting the additional law enforcement officers at the office of Brenda Snipes, where the county's votes are being counted. He said this would be a measure that could help reassure citizens that the integrity of the Florida recount is being protected.

The judge said he's seen no evidence of wrongdoing in the vote counting in Broward County and urged lawyers on all sides to "ramp down the rhetoric."

Lawyers for Gov. Rick Scott's Senate campaign were seeking security for the ballots and the machines. Unofficial election results show Scott leading incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson by just 0.14 percentage points.

___

1 p.m.

A spokesman for Florida Gov. Rick Scott's Senate campaign says the lawyer for incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson "seems to be content filing frivolous and laughable lawsuits."

The Nelson campaign sued the Florida Department of State on Monday in an effort to count mail-in ballots that were postmarked before Election Day but not delivered before the polls closed Tuesday. Attorney Marc Elias says voters should not be disenfranchised because of mail delivery delays that weren't their fault.

Unofficial election results show Scott leading Nelson by 0.14 percentage points as a mandatory statewide recount continues.

Scott campaign spokesman Chris Hartline calls the lawsuit "nothing short of a legal white flag of surrender."

Also Monday, a South Florida judge presiding over an emergency hearing brought by the Scott campaign regarding ballot security during the recount urged lawyers on both sides to "ramp down the rhetoric."

___

Noon

A Florida judge said he's seen no evidence of wrongdoing in the vote-counting in Broward County and urged all sides to "ramp down the rhetoric."

Circuit Chief Judge Jack Tuter said during emergency hearing Monday that there is a need to reassure citizens that the integrity of the Florida recount is being protected.

To that point, he urged lawyers for Rick Scott and others representing the Republican and Democratic parties and their candidates as well as the Broward County elections office to agree on some minor additions in security, including the addition of three more law enforcement officers to keep an eye on things.

And the judge says that if anyone any evidence of voter fraud or irregularities, they should report it to law enforcement.

___

11:30 a.m.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is suing the Florida Department of State in an effort to count vote-by-mail ballots that were postmarked before Election Day but not delivered before polls closed.

Nelson's attorney, Marc Elias, filed the lawsuit Monday, saying voters should not be disenfranchised because of mail delivery delays that aren't their fault. Unofficial election results show Nelson trailing Republican Gov. Rick Scott by 0.14 percentage points.

As an example, he cited the Miami-Dade County postal facility that was evacuated when because explosive devices sent to prominent Democrats were processed there.

"Florida's 7 p.m. Election Day receipt deadline for vote by mail ballots burdens the right to vote of eligible voters," the suit said.

Elias wants all ballots postmarked before Nov. 6 to be counted if they are received within 10 days of the election.

___

10 a.m.

Gov. Rick Scott wants law enforcement to impound Broward County's voting machines and ballots when they're not being used during the Florida recount.

Lawyers for Scott's Senate campaign were asking Circuit Chief Judge Jack Tuter on Monday to give custody of all voting machines and ballots to the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement whenever they're not being used.

The recount is already secured by police outside and deputies inside, with both parties and campaigns monitoring the entire process. Once calibration tests are completed on the ballot scanning machines, vote-counting will continue around the clock. So it's unclear when any machines or ballots would be "not in use."

Scott says Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes has a history of violating state law during vote-counting.

The recount was triggered because Scott led Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson by just 0.14 percentage points.

___

12:15 a.m.

Mishaps, protests and litigation are overshadowing the vote recount in Florida's pivotal races for governor and U.S. Senate, recalling the 2000 presidential fiasco in the premier political battleground state.

All 67 counties face a Thursday deadline to complete recounts. Half began last weekend amid early drama focused on Broward and Palm Beach counties, home to large concentrations of Democratic voters.

The recount was ordered Saturday after unofficial results showed Republican former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis leading Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by 0.41 percentage points for governor. Scott's lead over Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson was 0.14 percentage points for the Senate.

The recount is unprecedented even in a state notorious for settling elections by razor-thin margins.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Isa Colli, the director of The Power of We at Florida State University, told Second Cup about their upcoming event on campus, The Longest Table.

WTXL ABC Sunrise Anchor Malcolm Hornsby spoke with Colli.

The event will offer free lunch and dynamic conversation on November 29 at noon on FSU's Landis Green.

"We often cross paths with those who are different from us, but we don't always have a chance to connect," the group said in promoting the event. "Join Power of We in this semesterly tradition of engaging across our differences over a shared meal, exchanging different ideas about our shared community."

The event is inspired by a nationally recognized model brought to life by the City of Tallahassee, the Village Square and Leon County.JEFFERSON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating after a person called Somerset Academy in Jefferson County and threatened to detonate three bombs inside the school.

Somerset Academy principal Cory Oliver confirmed that someone called the schools main line Tuesday morning, threatening to detonate three devices in the school.

All of the schools approximately 750 students were evacuated and taken off-campus.

Local law enforcement was called in to search the school, but found no evidence to support the threat. He says the search has now concluded, and classes will resume.

Students are being given the option of being picked up by their parents at the old auditorium on Water Street or returning to campus.

The FDLE was called in to investigate as well.Pradip Khatiwada, 27, lives in Bauddha, Kathmandu. When he needs to buy sugar, he takes a plastic container along. Before the grocer opens the sugar sack, he hands the container over to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper then puts the sugar in the container.

When there are other customers waiting in line, they laugh at me, says Khatiwada, who has not used non-reusable plastic bags for at least five years now.

The plastic bags are easy to carry and they are available for free. Why does he not want to use them?

He answers by telling people that the environmental cost of plastic bags is enormous. But he fails to convince them most of the times. Then, a frustrated Khatiwada thinks, Had the government implemented its 2015 decision on banning plastic bags in Kathmandu; the situation would have been different.

What was the decision?

The government decision published in the official gazette on April 1, 2015 states that the import, storage, sale and use of plastic bags that are smaller than 20 inches in width and 35 inches in length and thinner than 40 micron cannot be used in the three districts of Kathmandu Valley.

Khatiwada, who was actively involved in the campaign that pushed the government to take the decision, says the ban in the Valley was a part of the early steps the government was taking. The ban was expected to be expanded to other districts.

Perhaps that is why Mahendra Man Gurung, the then Chief of Environment Management Division at the Ministry of Environment, says, It was the best decision that the Nepal government had ever taken [about the use of plastic bags] when it comes to saving the environment. No other decision can surpass it.

We decided after rounds of discussions with all stakeholders. All of them had agreed, even the plastic producers, Gurung, who has been closely observing recent developments despite being stationed at a different government department now, says, All local units of the Valley were convinced.

Gurung informs that the government also introduced different measures to ensure alternative means were available in the market. Some plastic industrialists had opted for launching production of other kinds of bags. A plan was finalised to launch a massive training programme for producing non-plastic bags. Big shopping centres of the city were told to sell paper or cloth bags.

What caused the jolt?

Then came the magnitude-7.6 earthquake on April 25 and it jolted all efforts to ban plastic bag.

We were at the ministry the previous day, working with officials on taking next steps to ensure effective implementation of the decision, Khatiwada shares, We had finalised some circulations to forward to subordinate government bodies. The officials had said they would circulate the letters on Sunday. But, I think they were never dispatched.

Yes, our efforts were dampened after the earthquake. For several weeks, all government officials were mobilised for rescue and relief works, Gurung remembers, And, ultimately we missed the opportunity.

Of course, the rescue and relief work were the priority. However, the government had a choice to revive the ban after some weeks, or even months. But, it did not do anything.

Instead, some business groups looking for an opportunity to intervene in the market circulated bags that were already banned. They got a free ride in the absence of concrete steps by the government.

What are they doing now?

More than three years have passed. Environment Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet after assuming his office in March 2018 published a 100-point priority list for his five-year term. One of the points was about implementing the decision.

But, we later concluded that the decision was impractical. Hence, we reduced the ceiling of the ban from 40 microns to 30 microns. We are committed to its implementation, says Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, spokesperson at the ministry.

But, a few days after the revision of the decision, Bharat Kumar Basnet on behalf of The Explore Nepal Pvt Ltd filed a writ at the Supreme Court arguing the two government decisionsthe recent one and the one made in April 2015were contradictory. Responding to the writ, the Supreme Court on September 2 ordered the government not to implement the recent ban for now. The three-year-old decision had already lost its teeth.

Hence, the government does not have a plan on the issue now. Therefore, the officials seek an easy escape in silence or avoidance. Environment Ministry Secretary Bishwa Nath Oli says, I will not speak anything about the issue. Likewise, Dhungana avoids, I think we are not allowed to comment on the decision taken by the Supreme Court.

We have neither rolled back the decision nor executed it, Dhungana briefly says, maintaining the central government will work with provincial and local governments to reduce the use of plastic bags as a part of its Nepal Clean Environment Mega Campaign. He, however, fails to spell out any concrete steps.

Industrialists also share the silence maintained by the officials. Rahul Sharma, a young industrialist based in Birgunj, extended support to the anti-plastic bag campaigners three years ago. He was also involved in convincing other industrialists to go for alternative products.

Despite repeated attempts to get his statement over the issue, Sharma refuses to speak now.

The campaigners are also not doing anything. We should have done something, but we have not, Khatiwada says, Lets wait for this festive season to be over, and we will take the issue ahead seriously.

It means Khatiwada will continue to be laughed at by his neighbours for carrying his own bag.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced Monday they are monitoring processes for potential criminal activity related to the midterm election.

They released the following statement on Tuesday:

With an ongoing recount in several contested races in the 2018 Florida midterm election, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement want to assure Florida voters that we are actively engaged in monitoring processes for potential criminal activity. There are procedures in place to address allegations of fraud or other criminal misconduct associated with any election in Florida. FDLE has been in continuous contact with the Department of State and we continue to work jointly. As allegations are received, FDLE will continue to vet and review those that may be indicative of criminal activity. FDLE agents and analysts in the Office of Executive Investigations, Miami Regional Operations Center and members of the Commissioners Office continue to examine allegations, by interviewing individuals, assessing potential evidence, and researching relevant statutes. A case will remain open while allegations are being analyzed. FDLE will work closely with Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Office of Statewide Prosecution on any criminal investigation and subsequent prosecution. A Department of State voter fraud hotline and online reporting form is available. We encourage citizens to remain peaceful as the recount process continues.

They say there are procedures in place to address any issues, and they are actively working with the Department of State.

Meanwhile, they are encouraging people to remain peaceful as the recount process continues.ATLANTA (WTXL) - Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is calling lawmakers to Atlanta on Tuesday to approve funding for those affected by Hurricane Michael.

Michael caused widespread damage in southwest Georgia.

The agriculture industry alone took an estimated $3 billion loss.

The special session is to provide emergency funding to state agencies and local governments.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Stan Lee, the comic book icon and film executive producer, died Monday at the age of 95.

Lee was a pivotal part in advancing the comic book world in the 60's and 70's with creations like Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor. He is also responsible for the dozens of marvel films that movie-goers flock to see today.

Although comic book fans have know Lee and his work for quite some time, he has become more popular in recent years due to his light-hearted cameos in Marvel movies.

Paul Wilkens, the owner of Fallout Comics, was able to meet Lee in the early nineties, and still thinks of it as one of the best experiences he's had.

"I was lucky enough to meet him once back in '92," remembers Wilkens. "Great gentleman. He was incredibly nice. I had a short conversation. He was nothing but pleasant and inspiring. He really, really loved what he did."

Although many fans will be sad to hear of his passing, Wilkens believes that his life will be celebrated by the comic book community.

"He really, really was passionate and was inspirational to me and many other people," continues Wilkens. "In fact, most people working in the industry now were inspired by Stan Lee."

Lee died in a Los Angeles Hospital after being taken in an ambulance from his home. The exact cause of death is still unknown.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - With the Leon County School Board approving its opening in September, enrollment is officially underway at Tallahassee Classical School for the 2019-2020 school year.

This public, tuition-free charter school will establish a classical curriculum in Leon County, an education model officials say continues to see success throughout the country.

Since Tallahassee Classical School publicly announced in January its intent to become a home-grown, local non-profit charter school, hundreds of Leon County residents have expressed an interest in sending their children to the school, said Jana Sayler, school founder and board chair. We are thrilled to begin preparations to open our doors next fall and look forward to sharing this excitement with the community.

The school will open its doors to K8 students in the fall of 2019.

Officials say the school has already received over 350 letters of interest. Actual grades and number of seats offered will be dependent upon enrollment applications received from the community.

The initial application period will close on Jan. 14. If the number of applications exceeds capacity of the school, students will be chosen via a lottery process scheduled for Jan. 15.

Officials say a second enrollment period will open until Feb. 14 if need be. The school plans to add a new grade level each year through 12th grade.

The best time to get a spot at the school is during this initial open enrollment period, said Sayler. Early adopters and those enrolling now will have first access to this school and be offered sibling preference.

Although Leon County residents will be given preference during the lottery process per Florida statute, those outside of the county are encouraged to apply.

To complete an enrollment lottery application for your child(ren), click here.Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-05 16:43:29|Editor: An

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Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Guinean President Alpha Conde in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 5, 2017. Conde came to Xiamen to attend the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

XIAMEN, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday hailed momentum in China-Guinea ties, saying the two countries should continue to understand and support each other in core interests and major concerns.

Xi made the remarks when meeting Guinean President Alpha Conde, who came to the southeastern Chinese coastal city of Xiamen to attend the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries.

Xi said China and Guinea set up a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership one year ago, and China attaches great importance to bilateral relations.

"Both countries should consolidate political mutual trust and carry forward their traditional friendship. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Guinea in infrastructure, mining and agriculture," he said.

The president called for more people-to-people exchanges and better cooperation in science and education, human resources development, media and think tanks, and youth and women.

Xi pledged enhanced cooperation in peace and security, saying China is ready to support Guinea in maintaining stability and ensuring law enforcement.

"The two countries should deepen their cooperation in multilateral affairs and China backs Guinea holding the rotating presidency of the African Union in promoting a united and stronger Africa," Xi said.

Xi said China and Africa are good friends and China has proposed to forge relations with Africa based on sincerity, real results, friendship and good faith, in order to achieve mutual cooperation and common development.

"We welcome Guinea and other African countries to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative to benefit the Chinese and African people," Xi said.

Conde thanked Xi for inviting him to the dialogue, saying Guinea is willing to enhance cooperation with China in fishery, mining and west African development.

"African countries speak highly of China's proposition of respecting their efforts in solving African problems on their own," Conde said.

Conde pledged closer dialogue and deeper cooperation in international affairs between the African Union and China.

After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a series of bilateral cooperation documents.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-12 20:42:19|Editor: xuxin

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- A new study by U.S. researchers has proven for the first time the causal connection between social media use and decreased mental health.

Few prior studies have attempted to show that social media use harms users' well-being, and even those that did explore the issue were limited in scope or based on unrealistic situations.

"We set out to do a much more comprehensive, rigorous study that was also more ecologically valid," said Melissa Hunt, lead author of the study and associate director of clinical training in the Psychology Department of the University of Pennsylvania.

Researchers at the university designed the study that focused on Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram, the three most popular social media platforms in the U.S.

A total of 143 undergraduates at the university participated. They were randomly assigned into two groups: The control group was allowed to maintain their typical social media behavior; the experimental group was asked to limit their time on the three social media platforms to 10 minutes per platform per day.

The participants completed a survey on their mood and well-being at the start of the study. After three weeks, they were tested again for outcomes such as fear of missing out, anxiety, depression and loneliness.

Throughout the study, researchers also collected objective usage data automatically tracked by iPhones for active apps, not those running the background.

As a result, researchers found that the group of limited social media use showed significant reductions in loneliness and depression over three weeks compared to the control group.

"Using less social media than you normally would leads to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness. These effects are particularly pronounced for folks who were more depressed when they came into the study," Hunt said in a press release.

It's a little ironic that reducing the use of social media actually makes people feel less lonely, but the findings make sense when digging a little deeper, she said.

"When you look at other people's lives, particularly on Instagram, it's easy to conclude that everyone else's life is cooler or better than yours," she explained.

Hunt admitted that the study only looked at three major social media platforms and that the results may vary if applied to different age groups.

The study was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.#Korea-Costa Rica relations Costa Rican President Alvarado given honorary Seoul citizenship President Carlos Alvarado of Costa Rica was given honorary Seoul citizenship Monday as South Korea and the Central American country seek to broaden bilateral ties. Alvarado was...

#LPGA Ko Jin-young overcomes injury, personal ordeal in outstanding 2021 LPGA season With a brilliant performance at the final tournament of the 2021 LPGA season that helped her bag the top individual honor, South Korean star Ko Jin-young showed once again who's bo...Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 01:59:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ISTANBUL, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least five illegal immigrants, including three children, died after their boat overturned early Monday off Turkey's Aegean coast, the Turkish coast guard said.

The ill-fated boat was carrying one Iranian and 14 Afghans, the force said in a statement, noting that search operations were continuing for five people missing in the incident.

Two swam to the shore of Dikili district in Izmir Province early in the morning and reported the incident, while three others were rescued from the area, said the statement.

The Aegean Sea was a favorite route for migrants fleeing into Europe via Turkey. A deal signed between Turkey and the European Union in March 2016 has helped reduce the flow of illegal immigration, but the number of illegal immigrants using this route has risen this year.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 05:49:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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SANAA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit the quay of Yemen's Hodeidah harbour on Monday evening, killing three people and damaging the quay, said the Houthis who control the port.

"Targeting the quay would have serious repercussions and would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis," the Houthis said in a statement carried by the group-controlled Saba news agency.

Houthis considered the targeting of the port as a "sign of further military escalation by the coalition," that "challenges the calls by the United States and Britain to halt the war."

Hodeidah is the lifeline and key port of 90 percent of food imports and aid for millions of Yemenis living in the northern cities, which are under Houthi control.

The coalition has been imposing air, sea and land blockade, leaving more then 20 million Yemenis on the verge of starvation.

All airports in the northern cities have been forced to close for more than three years now.

All state basic services, including salaries, electricity, water and health services, have been cut off due to the war.

The coalition has launched thousands of airstrikes against rebel targets, but destroyed bridges, schools, hospitals, houses and roads.

The battles for Hodeidah have raged for weeks around the port city, but the fighting now turned into street-to-street battle inside the populated city, which endangers live of thousands of civilians.

British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt met Saudi King Salman in Riyadh on Monday to discuss cease-fire in Yemen, according to Saudi-run Al Arabiya television.

"The humanitarian cost of the war in Yemen is immeasurable: with millions of displaced people, famine, disease and years of bloodshed, the only solution now is a political decision to spare arms and pursue peace," Hunt was cited by the Saudi TV as saying.

However, the coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki assured the battle for taking Hodeidah would continue.

"The offensive to liberate the port city will continue to prevent the rebels from threatening the international navigation in the Red Sea," al-Maliki said in a press conference in Riyadh, aired live by Al Arabiya.

Saudi Arabia is leading the 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.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 06:01:47|Editor: Yurou

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Photo taken on Nov. 12, 2018 shows smoke rising following an Israeli airstrike on Hamas-run television station Al-Aqsa Television in Gaza City. Israeli war jets struck with eight missiles on Monday night the building of Al-Aqsa Television, a satellite channel that belongs to Hamas movement and airs from Gaza, the local radio station of Hamas said. (Xinhua)

GAZA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israeli war jets struck with eight missiles on Monday night the building of Al-Aqsa Television, a satellite channel that belongs to Hamas movement and airs from Gaza, the local radio station of Hamas said.

Eyewitnesses, who live in northwestern part of Gaza City, said they heard eight huge successive explosions after Israeli war jets fired three missiles at the building of Hamas-run television channel.

The Israeli airstrike on the channel is part of the intensive airstrikes on Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militant groups in the Gaza Strip in response to earlier firing of barrages of makeshift rockets from the enclave into Israel.

Israeli war jets also targeted three houses in the Gaza Strip after asking local residents to evacuate, according to security sources, adding that no injuries were reported in the airstrikes on the TV channels and on the houses.

Earlier Monday evening, three Palestinians were killed and nine injured in the Israeli airstrikes on military facilities all over the Gaza Strip in response to firing rockets from the enclave into southern Israel, according to medical sources.

Israel army spokesman said in a statement that more than 70 airstrikes were carried out on Monday evening and night on targets that belong to Hamas and Islamic Jihad all over the Gaza Strip.

The statement of the Israeli army and the Israeli television "Reshet Kan" also said that more than 200 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. At least 13 Israelis were injured with one in critical condition.

A joint statement of several Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas armed wing, claimed responsibility for firing the rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel. They warned Israel in a joint statement that they will expand the range of rockets fired into Israel in case Israel intensifies its airstrikes on the enclave.

Tension between Israel and Hamas-led militant groups grew after seven Hamas militants were killed on Sunday night when a special Israeli army force entered into eastern Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip and killed seven militants.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 06:11:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DUBAI, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, and Jeremy Hunt, visiting British foreign secretary, discussed bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Britain on Monday, state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

During the meeting, the two sides talked about ways to strengthen cooperation in all fields to benefit their peoples, according to the WAM.

They also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of common concern.

Sheikh Mohamed said that Hunt's visit would further contribute to boosting cooperation between the UAE and Britain.

According to Hunt, the two countries' ties have been progressed. He also praised the status gained by the UAE in regional and international arenas and their achievements in various fields.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 06:16:16|Editor: Yurou

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LONDON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- UK's former Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday that the parliament should have a final vote on any Brexit deal agreed with the European Union (EU).

"It would be a travesty of democracy if there is not an open debate in the House of Commons on the deal," Brown told a briefing at the Institute for Government (IFG), an independent social policy think-tank in London.

"We have to argue... for all views to be heard, and for amendments to be heard before you have the conclusive vote and one of these amendments must be the opportunity to renegotiate the deal the government has done if people find that unsatisfactory," said Brown, who was prime minister between 2007 and 2009.

Brown backed the principle of the British parliament sending any deal agreed by Prime Minister Theresa May's government and the EU back to the EU leaders in Brussels for renegotiation if the British parliament did not vote to back it.

"There is no reason ... why you cannot go back to Brussels and say 'this is not the deal we want'," he said.

Talks between Britain and the EU over exit from the bloc are stalled, with the primary handicap being the status of the border between the British region of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the only land border Britain has with the EU.

An influential and vocal section of May's ruling Conservative Party supports having no deal with the EU if a deal means sharing elements of sovereignty, such as control over trade deals, tariffs and borders.

Under those circumstances the so-called Hard Brexiters would support a future arrangement between Britain and the EU where trade and tariffs would be regulated under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, known as a No Deal Brexit.

Brown said he believed that it was not necessary to accept a No Deal. "The alternative of this vote is not No Deal versus the Only Deal on the Table, it seems to me it is possible to go back and renegotiate," he noted.

Once a deal has been agreed, Brown argued, then there should be a second referendum for the British people to give their opinion on the agreement.

"I think there will be a second referendum. I believe that, in the end, the situation will have been seen to have changed since 2016 and that the people should, in the end, have the final say," said Brown.

Brown believed that the process of Brexit had been defective and flawed, as after more than two years since the Brexit referendum vote in June 2016 ,there was still no clarity over what Brexit would mean.

"Whatever the deal and whether there is a deal, the long term questions are unresolved," said Brown, citing an absence of agreement on tariffs, free movement of people, and the power to sign trade deals.

"None of the major issues are resolved. We have at best a short temporary fix instead of a long term destination, a safe harbor," he said.

"We have got a short term temporary fix if we have a deal, because the Cabinet and the government cannot agree what their long-term destination is," said Brown.

"The decision has been made not to have a decision. The process is defective," he added.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 06:19:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DUBAI, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) kicked off on Monday, state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

The conference, which is set to be held from Nov. 12-15 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, was opened by Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chief of Abu Dhabi crown prince's court.

"With the support and follow-up of the leadership, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and (its capital) Abu Dhabi have established their position as a global destination for global energy sector dialogue," Sheikh Hamed said when talking about the four-day annual event.

He also expressed confidence that the discussions due to be held among experts in this conference will significantly influence the reality and future of global oil and gas sector.

According to the Gulf News, the conference is expected to welcome over 2,200 exhibiting companies, an eight percent increase from last year.

These companies will include 42 national and international oil companies, up 23 percent compared with 2017.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 22:56:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ULAN BATOR, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) officially opened its diplomatic mission in Mongolia here on Tuesday.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica, and State Secretary of the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Damdinsuren Davaasuren.

"I am confident that the diplomatic mission will play a significant role in strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation between Mongolia and the EU in various sectors, especially the economy," Damdinsuren Davaasuren said at the opening ceremony.

Mimica expressed his wish to vault EU-Mongolia relations to a new level through the EU deligation. The two sides established diplomatic relations in August 1989.

The EU is one of Mongolia's main trading partners, accounting for over 10 percent of its total trade volume.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 22:56:01|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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SKOPJE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Macedonia's criminal court requested the interior ministry to issue an arrest warrant for convicted former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Macedonian International Agency reported Monday.

Gruevski was sentenced to two years in prison for acquiring money illegally and influencing officials to purchase a luxury car for government use.

On Friday, the court dismissed Gruevski's appeals, and upheld the judge's verdict.

In the last few days, the Skopje-based criminal court has reportedly tried several times to hand Gruevski personally the court order for serving his prison term.

Gruevski was prime minister from 2006 to 2016, representing the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:00:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Photo taken on Nov. 13, 2018 in the southern Israeli city of Sderot shows damage caused by attack from Gaza. Mortars from Gaza hit a home in the western city of Sderot, causing no injuries, according to the medical services. (Xinhua/JINI)

by Keren Setton

JERUSALEM, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Months of tensions that have been boiling over between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip have resulted in a major escalation which began since Sunday after a botched Israeli military operation inside the territory.

Late Sunday night, Israeli special operations soldiers were exposed during an undercover mission inside the Gaza Strip. One senior Israeli officer and seven Palestinian militants were killed in the following battle.

Since then, hundreds of missiles have been fired from Gaza into southern Israel and the Israeli military responded with airstrikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

One civilian was killed in the rocket attacks in Israel, while tens of Israelis were injured. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 13 Palestinians have been killed, scores of others wounded.

According to Jonathan Conricus, the foreign media spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Hamas is believed to have an arsenal of approximately 20,000 rockets. Since Monday afternoon, 400 rockets and mortars have been fired towards Israel, signaling a possible protracted conflict.

The Israeli security cabinet, the body that can authorize a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip, is convening Tuesday morning. Israeli media speculated a decision to be taken to expand the military operation against the Gaza militants.

Just earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would make great efforts to avoid a war and reach a long-term cease-fire with Hamas. Qatar and Egypt have reportedly tried to broker such a deal. As the fire exchanges intensify, it seems the effort has failed.

"The two sides do not want war, but neither side wants to lose its deterrence, so they find themselves walking on the brink and this may lead to war," said Ronen Hoffman, member of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya.

Until now, Netanyahu has been determined to prevent the situation from further escalation, despite some criticism from both the residents of southern Israel and his security cabinet.

The last war fought between Israel and Hamas in 2014 had catastrophic impacts on Gaza, and also caused damage to central Israeli cities.

Over 2,000 Palestinian were killed, approximately half of whom were civilians. On the Israeli side, tens were killed, the majority of whom were soldiers who entered Gaza in a ground operation.

The Israeli military warned that Hamas would pay a heavy price if the rocket fire continues.

"Hamas is forcing this violence and bringing destruction upon the Gaza Strip, in spite of sincere and long term efforts that Israel and IDF have done in order to stabilize and improve conditions," said Conricus.

Gaza has been suffering from deteriorating humanitarian situation, including limited access to power and other basic supplies, due to a strict blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt since 2007.

The blockade began after Hamas forcefully took over control of the Gaza Strip. The militant organization does not recognize the existence of Israel and has repeatedly vowed to destroy it.

"Gaza has not recovered from the 2014 war and when things boil over, Hamas takes action against Israel," said Ronen Zeidel, an analyst with the Moshe Dayan Center at the Tel Aviv University. "The Israeli government finds itself between the need to deter Hamas and the need to keep the humanitarian situation in Gaza at a reasonable level."

Israel controls all the crossings for goods to enter the Gaza Strip and electricity supplies.

Various rounds of violence between Israel and Hamas have shown that there is no military solution to the complicated issue of Gaza, said experts.

"The Israeli government cannot change the situation in Israel's favor through a military operation," said Zeidel.

"Netanyahu feels strong enough politically to contain the situation," said Hoffman. "If at some point he feels weaker, he may choose a different course of action."Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:40:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LOS ANGELES, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Participants at the just-concluded 2018 GetGlobal Summit urged American businesses to prepare for changes that would enable them to explore overseas markets and better survive global competition.

"American businesses are losing traction overseas. Too many opportunities are slipping through our fingers right now. America needs to keep up," Julien Leuthold, founder of GetGlobal, told Xinhua.

GetGlobal 2018, held in downtown Los Angeles, is described online as the "largest summit in North America focusing on international strategy, business expansion, and key foreign market dynamics."

Drawing an animated mix of corporate executives, government trade officials, powerhouse consultants, top educators and business experts of all kinds, the summit aims to foster the ability of American businesses to succeed in exporting or expanding their businesses abroad.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:43:01|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WINDHOEK, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Illegal sand mining in Namibia's rural areas has become a serious concern for the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, as the activities are contributing to the serious destruction of the environment, an official said.

The Ministry's Chief Public Relation's Officer, Romeo Muyunda in a statement Tuesday said the pits created by sanding mining are not rehabilitated and now pose a threat to human beings, livestock and wildlife.

"As Namibia seeks to achieve its developmental goals especially in the infrastructure development sector, building sand and gravel for roads have become valuable and essential resources in the construction sector," he said.

Muyunda said sand is extracted on a daily basis to meet the demand of the sector but is mostly in uncoordinated manner.

According to him, to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development, all projects deemed to have adverse impacts on the environment require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as per the country's Environmental Management Act No 7 of 2007.

"Sand mining is one of such activities that require an EIA before it can be undertaken. Unfortunately, this legal requirement seems not to be understood by some communities in our country," he said.

The ministry has since issued compliance orders to sand miners who have not conformed to provision of the Environmental Management Act and operated without the environmental clearance certificates.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:39:14|Editor: Chengcheng

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ARUSHA, Tanzania, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania is finalizing draft of a bill to make it mandatory for every person to be covered by health insurance services, a senior official said Tuesday.

Ummy Mwalimu, Tanzania's Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Children, and Elders said this in the country's capital Dodoma when speaking in the ongoing National Assembly sessions.

She said that as per the bill proposal, the Tanzanian government will also be able to provide free health insurance cards to elders to enable them to have access to quality health services.

The minister said that the bill draft was on the final stage and it will be tabled in the forthcoming Parliament to realize the proposal.

The minister reminded the public to take seriousness on proper feeding and conduct physical exercises daily to avoid increase in patients for none communicable diseases.

She highlighted that non-communicable diseases were on the rise in the country citing that unhealthy eating and lack of body as among causes of the diseases.

"It was high time now people should build the culture of having frequent body exercises to prevent avoidable health complications, mainly non-communicable diseases," the minister said when responding to a question an MP who wanted to know the government's plan on providing free medical services to the patients suffering from the non-epidemic disease.

In his question, the legislator claimed that a number of Tanzanians were suffering at home due to lack of funds or access to medical services in big hospitals, something which affects their daily activities and the country's manpower.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:42:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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AMMAN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's State Security Court convicted 10 defendants on Tuesday over their involvement in 2016 terrorist attacks in the southern governorate in Karak.

The court sentenced the men to prison terms ranging from three years to life for their role in the attacks that occurred in 2016 in the Karak castle, a famous Crusader-era tourist attraction located some 120 km south of Amman.

Two of the defendants were sentenced to life in prison and four were given 15-year imprisonment, including one sentenced in absentia, a court source told Xinhua.

Four others were sentenced to three years in jail, while one defendant was acquitted.

In December 2016, 10 people, including a Canadian tourist, two civilians and seven security officers, were killed in the attack later claimed by the extremist group of the Islamic State.

The raid by the police of the castle resulted in the killing of four of the terrorists who were hiding in the castle.Kaitlyn Riley, the 2018 Alice in Dairyland, a program selecting a young woman annually as Wisconsin's ambassador for agriculture, receives an interview with Xinhua in Madison of Wisconsin state, the United States, on Oct. 23, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

by Xinhua Writers Xia Lin, Xu Jing, Miao Zhuang

MADISON, the United States, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Wherever she shows up, 24-year-old Kaitlyn Riley can easily warm up the atmosphere with a sunshine smile and a mellow voice, and pick up the threads to tell figures and legends of this agricultural state of Wisconsin.

"We're constantly seeking new domestic and international markets for our high-quality products and we're always looking to expand those relationships that we already have and it would truly be an honor to go to China," said Riley, the 2018 Alice in Dairyland, a program selecting a young woman annually as Wisconsin's ambassador for agriculture.

"It would be good to meet with the people who help our agriculture industry thrive and whom we work so hard to provide those products for," she added.

Wisconsin's exports to China supported 14,100 American jobs in 2016. The growth of the state's goods exports to China from 2008 to 2017 stood at 35 percent, and that of services exports to China from 2007 to 2016 amounted to 417 percent, according to statistics from the U.S.-China Business Council.

"We would have an even greater understanding of those ties that we have (with China) in the importance of fair trade and agriculture," Riley said.

Wisconsin exported 1.9-billion-dollar worth of goods to China in 2017. China is the state's third largest overseas market, after Canada and Mexico. In 2016, Wisconsin exported 491-million-dollar worth of services to China.

Wisconsin's agricultural industry covers a broad range of areas, including ginseng, milk, cheese, cranberries and mink.

"The diversity of Wisconsin's agriculture industry is truly our greatest strength and we have farms of all types, sizes and production methods that make us successful," Riley said.

Located in the north-central part of the United States, Wisconsin is known as "America's Dairyland".

"We're very good at producing award-winning cheeses that are also phenomenal," Riley said. Wisconsin makes more than 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese, which have won some 50 gold medals.

Riley grew up on a dairy farm. After graduating with a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she worked for more than two years as a radio broadcaster and a local television reporter, before returning to Riley Farms.

Her experiences as a farmer and a writer played a pivotal role in her election as the 2018 Alice in Dairyland. With the title of Alice in Dairyland, she works as a communications professional for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, advocating the importance of agriculture to the state's economy.

Farms in Wisconsin have been passed down for generations, becoming an integral part of their way of life.

"When you're raised in the dairy industry, it's in your blood and you just can't get rid of it," Riley said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:52:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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PALERMO, Italy, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay left an ongoing conference for Libya organized by the Italian government in Palermo before closure on Tuesday.

His decision to withdraw was due to Turkey being excluded by an informal meeting among major Libyan rivals, to which some other regional and global actors were invited, according to media reports.

"The Libyan crisis would not be solved if few (parties) keep holding the political process hostage for their own interests," Oktay was quoted by Ansa news agency as saying.

"Those who have contributed to the current catastrophic situation in Libya cannot be the same who save the country," the Turkish vice president added, without citing any country or Libyan force.

Oktay specifically referred to the informal talks between the two main rival representatives of Libya -- Prime Minister of UN-backed Government of National Accord Fayez al-Sarraj and General Khalifa Haftar of the eastern Libyan National Army -- which were painstakingly brokered by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on the sidelines of the conference on Tuesday morning.

Several parties joined the talks, including UN Special Envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame, and top representatives from Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, France, Russia and the European Union (EU). Turkey was not included.

"The informal meeting held this morning was presented as a meeting among prominent protagonists of the Mediterranean region, but this is a misleading and harming stance that we strongly condemn," Oktay said in a note, as reported by Turkish news agency Anadolu.

As such, the Turkish delegation left the summit "with deep disappointment."

Speaking to Turkish reporters before leaving, the official further explained: "Any meeting without Turkey would prove counterproductive in the perspective of solving the (Libyan) issue."

The Conference for Libya was organized by Rome in collaboration with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNISMIL) "to provide a tangible contribution to the stabilization process" and to promote progress "in the fields of security and economy" in the northern African country, the Italian government said ahead of the event.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:51:36|Editor: Chengcheng

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Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri addresses a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 13, 2018. Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri held a news conference about the difficulties in the cabinet formation here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

BEIRUT, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri accused on Tuesday Hezbollah of delaying the formation of the government, saying that Hezbollah should bear the consequences of the delay.

"The country ran into obstacles after the speech of Hezbollah's leader ... I regret that Hezbollah has prevented the formation of the government," Hariri said during a press conference in downtown Beirut.

Hezbollah, a Shiite Islamic political party in Lebanon, has strongly backed the demand of its allied independent Sunni lawmakers to get a cabinet portfolio, which Hariri has declined.

Last Saturday, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah reaffirmed his party's support for the demand by the six Sunni lawmakers from outside Hariri's Future Movement.

"We will not join any government in which the six independent Sunni MPs are not represented," Nasrallah said, shattering hopes for the formation of a government soon.

In his speech, Hariri said that he has made clear from the beginning his stance of refusing to give cabinet portfolio to the six independent Sunni lawmakers.

Hariri also refuted allegations that he is trying to monopolize the whole Sunni sect for himself.

"The problems the country will face are Hezbollah's responsibilities," he said.

Hariri stressed that according to the constitution, the Prime Minister-designate should form a cabinet with the president without the intervention of any third party.

Lebanon has been struggling to form a government since Hariri was designated Prime Minister in May. The formation of government has been facing various hurdles, mainly differences among parties over the representation in the new government.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:53:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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VILNIUS, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian President Janos Ader said on Tuesday that his country might consider buying liquefied gas from northern Europe, including Lithuania.

"Lithuania made a huge step forward when the country built its LNG terminal. We have a goal to acquire gas from northern part of Europe, possibly Poland or Lithuania," Ader said at a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Dalia Grybauskaite.

Janos Ader visited Lithuania on the occasion of the Baltic country's national centennial.

Ader said Hungary is aiming to guarantee secure gas supplies, therefore the country might consider buying liquefied gas from Lithuania which operates its LNG terminal.

Lithuania's LNG terminal that was put into operation in the port city Klaipeda in 2014 could contribute to Hungary's efforts as regards diversification of gas supplies and increase the country's energy independence, Grybauskaite agreed.

Hungary is an important economic partner of Lithuania, she underlined.

"I am very happy to mention that our bilateral trade grew by 75 percent over the last five years," said Grybauskaite.

The two leaders also discussed cooperation within EU and NATO, as well as joint security projects such as the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO).

According to the Lithuanian president, even though positions of Lithuania and Hungary on some EU agenda items differed, both countries stood in the same line on Brexit and the new multiannual EU budget.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:49:08|Editor: Chengcheng

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People protest outside the Supreme Court in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Nov. 13, 2018. Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the dissolution of Parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena, granting interim relief, lawyers said. (Xinhua/Gayan Sameera)

COLOMBO, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Parliament will convene on Wednesday after it remained shut for over two weeks following a prorogation issued by President Maithripala Sirisena, the Speaker's office said in a notice issued late Tuesday.

Speaker of Parliament, Karu Jayasuriya, in a statement informed all legislators in the 225-member House to be present for the Parliamentary session on Wednesday morning during which crucial decisions are expected to be taken.

Jayasuriya's statement was issued hours after the Supreme Court suspended President Sirisena's decision to dissolve Parliament and call for a snap parliamentary poll on Jan. 5, 2019.

Several political parties had filed petitions in the Supreme Court, against the dissolution saying the president had "violated the Constitution" by calling for an early election.

Sri Lanka has been embroiled in a severe political turmoil, when on Oct. 26, the president surprisingly sacked his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former President Mahinda Rajapakse to the post.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:48:11|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAPE TOWN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Amid mounting pressure on him to step down, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba has submitted a letter of resignation to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Presidency confirmed on Tuesday.

The president has accepted the minister's resignation and expressed his appreciation for Gigaba's longstanding service to the government and people of South Africa, the Presidency said in a statement.

Gigaba indicated in his letter of resignation that he was stepping aside for the sake of his country and the movement to which he belongs, according to presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko.

In the letter, Gigaba said he has chosen to place the interests of the African National Congress (ANC) and the country above his personal interests.

Gigaba also said his resignation would also "relieve the president from undue pressure and allow him to focus on improving the lives of the people of South Africa and for him to do the best he can to serve the country and save it from this economic meltdown," Diko said.

Ramaphosa has requested Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande to act as Minister of Home Affairs until a permanent appointment is made, Diko said.

Gigaba has been embroiled in a series of corruption scandals, notably his alleged role in state capture, which refers to the looting from the state coffer by the controversial Indian Gupta family in collaboration with a number of senior government officials.

However, Gigaba said his resignation is in no way an admission of guilt. Gigaba was appointed as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs in 2004 and subsequently served as Minister of Public Enterprises, Minister of Finance and for two intervals, as Minister of Home Affairs.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:49:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ZHENGZHOU, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A contingent of 180 Chinese peacekeepers left Zhengzhou, the capital city of central China's Henan Province, for South Sudan on Monday night on a one-year mission.

The contingent constitutes the first batch of a 700-member peacekeeping infantry battalion dispatched by China, according to Guo Meng, the battalion commander.

Guo said they will be tasked with protecting civilians, UN staff and those undertaking humanitarian jobs, patrol, escort and other security missions.

All members of the battalion have undergone a three-month training session and have passed a test which vindicated their qualifications to fulfill peacekeeping missions in South Sudan.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 23:54:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GAZA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- One Palestinian was killed and three others wounded on Tuesday afternoon in a fresh Israeli airstrike on northern Gaza Strip, medics said.

Ashraf al-Qedra, Health Ministry spokesman in Gaza, told reporters that Khaled Maroof, 29 years old, was killed and three others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a group of militants in northern Gaza Strip.

Since Monday afternoon, a total of seven people were killed and more than 25 others wounded during the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on military facilities that belong to Hamas movement and Islamic Jihad militants in the Gaza Strip.

Efforts to reach a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas-led Gaza militants have so far failed. Local media reports in Gaza said that Egypt and the United Nations are exerting intensive efforts to reach cease-fire and restore calm in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Saeb Erekat, secretary general of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee, announced that the committee will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the current escalation.U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Nov. 9, 2018. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday urged Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) not to cut their oil production.

Trump tweeted, "Hopefully, Saudi Arabia and OPEC will not be cutting oil production. Oil prices should be much lower based on supply!"

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said last month that the U.S. resumption of sanctions on Iran adds uncertainty to crude oil prices, and the effects of sanctions will increase in near future.

The OPEC said later that its member countries are ready to meet global oil market needs in case of any politically-motivated fall in supply, and "maintain their continuous efforts in pursuing a balanced and sustainably stable global oil market."

The U.S.-Saudi ties have been tested recently due to the high casualties in Yemen caused by the Saudi-led airstrikes and the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.

Saudi Arabia has earlier decided to request the United States to end its aerial refueling for the Saudi operations, and U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis responded that the Pentagon backs this decision.

The U.S. Congress also urged a thorough investigation in the murder of Khashoggi, and threatened to take more actions against Saudi Arabia if those responsible were not held accountable, such as suspending the U.S. military sales to Saudi Arabia and sanctioning the kingdom.

However, the Trump administration has been reluctant to further punishing the Saudi side, citing alliance concerns and the role of Saudi purchase of U.S. military equipment in promoting jobs.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 07:54:06|Editor: Yang Yi

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Staff members work at the distribution center of an express company in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Nov. 12, 2018. More than 1.35 billion parcels were generated during the shopping spree on major e-commerce platforms on Nov. 11, 2018, data from China's State Post Bureau showed. China's e-commerce giant Alibaba launched the annual online shopping promotion on Nov. 11, 2009, a day celebrated by many Chinese young people as Singles' Day. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)A signboard about Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit is seen in Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre in Singapore on Nov. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

by Xinhua writers Zhao Qing, Gao Jie

SINGAPORE, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The 33rd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), being held here on Nov. 11-15, is expected to charter a new course for further regional integration and ASEAN's cooperation mechanisms with external partners.

Under the theme of "Resilient and Innovative" set by this year's rotating chair Singapore, the summit will focus on strengthening unity in various areas in the face of growing uncertainties in the global strategic landscape, as well as leveraging on innovation and technology to improve the lives of the people.

INTEGRATION, COMMUNITY BUILDING CORE ISSUE

The summit will review progress made in integration and community building efforts including some of the major initiatives such as the "ASEAN Community Vision 2025" and other important regional initiatives such as the "Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025," and the "Initiative for ASEAN Integration."

The ASEAN leaders will also endorse cross-pillar programs such as the "ASEAN Communication Master Plan 2018-2025," Secretary-General of ASEAN Lim Jock Hoi told Xinhua in a recent written interview.

Since early this year ASEAN has intensified efforts to advance its trade facilitation and virtually all of intra-ASEAN tariffs have been eliminated by now. ASEAN is also finalizing an "ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement."

Significant progress has also been made on initiatives related to e-commerce and the digital economy. The ASEAN Secretariat has undertaken an assessment of ASEAN readiness for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Moving forward, key priority is to fully implement the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint by 2025, deepen market integration, strengthen cross-pillar and cross-sectoral collaboration, and address new emerging issues requiring the region's attention such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

On the political and security fronts, the summit will touch upon cooperation in countering terrorism, preventing violent extremism and transboundary cyber threats, and enhancing maritime cooperation in the region.

Issues in the socio-cultural field as well as in enhancing ASEAN connectivity will also be discussed.

ASEAN'S EXTERNAL RELATIONS

The 21st ASEAN Plus Three (APT) summit, East Asia Summit, as well ASEAN Plus One summits, to be held during the 33rd ASEAN summit, are important parts of ASEAN's external relations mechanisms.

ASEAN emphasizes the important role of the APT cooperation framework in promoting peace, security, stability and prosperity in East Asia and is ready to further strengthen the East Asia Summit (EAS) as a leaders-led forum for dialogue and cooperation on broad strategic, political and economic issues of common concern.

The 10 ASEAN countries are deeply concerned over the rising tide of protectionism and anti-globalisation sentiments and are expected to reiterate their continued support for the multilateral trading system and reaffirm their commitment to uphold the open regionalism principle while maintaining ASEAN centrality.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership negotiations have been intensified at all levels and ASEAN Secretary-General Lim said he was optimistic that negotiations will achieve substantial conclusion by the end of this year.

ASEAN was established in August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The group was later expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

CHINA-ASEAN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AT NEW STARTING POINT

China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership, launched in 2003, marks its 15th anniversary this year. It is among the most dynamic and substantive dialogue partnership for ASEAN.

China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner since 2009. China is also ASEAN's third-largest source of foreign direct investment. The ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement has been upgraded and work is underway for its implementation to bring further benefits to ASEAN and Chinese businesses.

The two sides have properly managed sensitive issues and disputes through dialogue and negotiations, especially on the issue of the South China Sea. In August this year, a single draft negotiating text of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea was reached, another significant progress on the negotiations of COC.

China and ASEAN have also made great strides in socio-cultural cooperation.

As both sides are committed to driving forward this dynamic partnership, the "ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Vision 2030" statement is expected to be adopted at the 21st ASEAN-China summit to lay a solid foundation for the strategic partnership to advance further in the coming decade.

"The Vision reaffirms the commitment of both sides and chart the direction to advance the ASEAN-China partnership to reach new heights in the coming decade as both sides seek to further explore potential for cooperation," Lim said.Representatives attend the signing ceremony of ASEAN's agreement on e-commerce, in Singapore, on Nov. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey)

SINGAPORE, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Trade ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states signed an agreement on e-commerce on Monday, encouraging paperless trading between businesses and governments of the bloc to generate rapid and efficient transactions.

The ASEAN Agreement on E-Commerce, the bloc's first deal to facilitate cross-border e-commerce transactions, was hammered out after nine rounds of negotiations among the 10 member states and was signed during the 33rd ASEAN Summit and related meetings.

It aims at facilitating cross-border e-commerce transactions, creating an environment of trust and confidence in the use of e-commerce and deepening cooperation to drive regional economic growth.

Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said at the signing ceremony that ASEAN is the world's fastest growing market, with 330 million internet users. By 2025, ASEAN's internet economy is set to quadruple to 200 billion U.S. dollars from 50 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, with e-commerce expected to grow to 88 billion U.S. dollars.

The agreement is testament to ASEAN's commitment to creating a conducive environment for the growth of e-commerce through advancing trade rules in e-commerce and building up greater digital connectivity within the region, the minister said.

With the agreement, businesses can access and move data across borders more easily, subject to appropriate security safeguards, the minister said.

"This agreement will help bolster the trust and confidence of ASEAN consumers in e-commerce and drive adaption. In doing so, we will enable ASEAN businesses to grow domestically, regionally and globally," he added.

ASEAN was established in August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The group later expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 10:32:04|Editor: Yurou

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SYDNEY, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A 15-month-old formerly conjoined twins were recovering well in an Australian hospital after last week's operation to separate them -- although according to hospital staff they still preferred to stay close by.

"They've been lying together in the same bed," Melbourne Children's Hospital spokeswoman Julie Webber said on Monday.

"The nurses placed them together, they were getting a bit restless -- they were reaching out for each other, putting their legs across each other as they did when they were joined," Webber said.

According to Webber, the girls from Bhutan, Nima and Dawa from Bhutan, were doing "extremely well" and were clapping, tugging each others' hair, and eating solids.

The operation to separate the girls, who were joined at the stomach and shared a liver, took a team of 25 surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists 6 hours to complete.

Before returning to Bhutan, the girls will continue rehabilitation in Australia at a facility run by the Children First Foundation who initiated the undertaking.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 10:58:16|Editor: Yurou

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NAY PYI TAW, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A special sale of raw gems and utility jade in local currency Kyat is underway in Myanmar's capital of Nay Pyi Taw.

A total of 96 gem lots and 3,339 jade lots are being displayed for sale under a competitive bidding system at the six-day special sale which began on Monday and is so far attended by 1,186 registered local merchants.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U Ohn Win said the event targets merchants with small capital investment.

The special sale is organized by the Myanmar Gems Emporium Central Committee with the support of the ministry.

Myanmar held its 55th annual Gems Emporium in the capital in June, selling 5,259 jade lots worth of 495 million U.S. dollars and 69 gem lots of 1.6 million dollars as well as 341 pearl lots valued at 3 million dollars under open tender system.

Licensed and authorized buyers from both home and abroad included those from China, Thailand, Canada, Australia and the United States.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 11:08:17|Editor: Yang Yi

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YANGON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Work on establishing an economic cooperation zone along the Myanmar-China border has started with the priority given to the Muse (Myanmar)-Ruili (China) section, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Tuesday.

Construction will start first on the Muse-Ruili section with the two sides erecting fences respectively, said Deputy Minister of Commerce U Aung Htoo, who is also secretary of the Central Committee to Implement the Myanmar-China Border Economic Cooperation Zone.

Government officials from the two sides will continue to hold discussions on the establishment at a border trade expo due to take place in Muse in mid-December with business-to-business talks to be conducted, the newspaper quoted an official of the Commerce Ministry as saying.

The border economic cooperation zone is expected to promote domestic and foreign investment, create business opportunities and jobs, help small- and medium-sized enterprises to grow, develop manufacturing power and improve bilateral trade.

The economic cooperation zone plan is also part of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative to establish a Myanmar-China economic corridor.

Myanmar and China signed a memorandum of understanding on the set-up of the economic cooperation zone in May 2017.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 11:11:23|Editor: Yurou

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PHNOM PENH, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen flew to Singapore on Tuesday for the 33rd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and related meetings, to be held from Nov. 13-15, a senior official said.

"The summit and related meetings are very important for the leaders to discuss challenges and find ways to further enhance cooperation," Sry Thamarong, a minister attached to the prime minister, told reporters at the Phnom Penh International Airport.

For the 33rd ASEAN summit, the leaders will focus on building a resilient and innovative ASEAN Community and strengthening intra-ASEAN cooperation and connectivity, he said.

For the summits with dialogue partners, the leaders will discuss ways to enhance partnership in economy, trade, investment, and infrastructure development, he said, adding that they will also touch on the issues of global concerns such as environmental pollution, cybercrime, and terror attack, among others.

Founded in 1967, the ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 11:18:26|Editor: Yurou

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GAZA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Hamas movement has warned that it would fire more rockets into Israel if the Jewish state expands air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

"The joint operations room of the factions of resistance is in a status of serious consultations to expand the circle of fire," said Abu Obeida, spokesman of al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas movement, on Monday.

If Israel expands its aggression, the Israelis "will be waiting for getting into the circle of our rockets," Abu Obeida was quoted by local media as saying in a statement.

Tension between Israel and militant groups in Gaza has built up since Sunday night, as 10 Palestinian fighters and one Israeli army officer were killed in clashes between the two sides.

On Monday evening, Israeli warplanes destroyed three houses belonging to Hamas leaders and the building of the Hamas-run al-Aqsa TV channel in Gaza.

The Israeli army said that it destroyed the building of al-Aqsa TV because the channel incited Palestinians to attack Israelis.

Local media reported that Egypt and the United Nations have been making efforts to restore calm to the enclave. However, no cease-fire agreement has been reached.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 12:32:09|Editor: mym

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HANOI, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam imported nearly 3.5 million tons of fertilizers worth 992 million U.S. dollars in the first 10 months of this year, posting year-on-year decreases of 13.5 percent and 7.1 percent respectively, while spending 763 million U.S. dollars importing pesticides, down 3.7 percent.

In October, Vietnam imported 360,000 tons of fertilizers valued at 112 million U.S. dollars, and spent 85 million U.S. dollars importing pesticides, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Tuesday.

In 2017, the country imported 4.6 million tons of fertilizers valued at 1.2 billion U.S. dollars, including 1.8 million tons worth 457.1 million dollars from the Chinese market, said the ministry.

The fertilizers, mostly urea, Ammonium Sulfate, Potassium, Diammonium Phosphate and Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium fertilizers, were imported mainly from China, Russia, Japan, Belarus, Indonesia and Canada.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 12:51:11|Editor: zh

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Kaitlyn Riley, the 2018 Alice in Dairyland, a program selecting a young woman annually as Wisconsin's ambassador for agriculture, receives an interview with Xinhua in Madison of Wisconsin state, the United States, on Oct. 23, 2018. "We're constantly seeking new domestic and international markets for our high-quality products and we're always looking to expand those relationships that we already have and it would truly be an honor to go to China," said Riley. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

by Xinhua Writers Xia Lin, Xu Jing, Miao Zhuang

MADISON, the United States, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Wherever she shows up, 24-year-old Kaitlyn Riley can easily warm up the atmosphere with a sunshine smile and a mellow voice, and pick up the threads to tell figures and legends of this agricultural state of Wisconsin.

"We're constantly seeking new domestic and international markets for our high-quality products and we're always looking to expand those relationships that we already have and it would truly be an honor to go to China," said Riley, the 2018 Alice in Dairyland, a program selecting a young woman annually as Wisconsin's ambassador for agriculture.

"It would be good to meet with the people who help our agriculture industry thrive and whom we work so hard to provide those products for," she added.

Wisconsin's exports to China supported 14,100 American jobs in 2016. The growth of the state's goods exports to China from 2008 to 2017 stood at 35 percent, and that of services exports to China from 2007 to 2016 amounted to 417 percent, according to statistics from the U.S.-China Business Council.

"We would have an even greater understanding of those ties that we have (with China) in the importance of fair trade and agriculture," Riley said.

Wisconsin exported 1.9-billion-dollar worth of goods to China in 2017. China is the state's third largest overseas market, after Canada and Mexico. In 2016, Wisconsin exported 491-million-dollar worth of services to China.

Wisconsin's agricultural industry covers a broad range of areas, including ginseng, milk, cheese, cranberries and mink.

"The diversity of Wisconsin's agriculture industry is truly our greatest strength and we have farms of all types, sizes and production methods that make us successful," Riley said.

Located in the north-central part of the United States, Wisconsin is known as "America's Dairyland".

"We're very good at producing award-winning cheeses that are also phenomenal," Riley said. Wisconsin makes more than 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese, which have won some 50 gold medals.

Riley grew up on a dairy farm. After graduating with a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she worked for more than two years as a radio broadcaster and a local television reporter, before returning to Riley Farms.

Her experiences as a farmer and a writer played a pivotal role in her election as the 2018 Alice in Dairyland. With the title of Alice in Dairyland, she works as a communications professional for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, advocating the importance of agriculture to the state's economy.

Farms in Wisconsin have been passed down for generations, becoming an integral part of their way of life.

"When you're raised in the dairy industry, it's in your blood and you just can't get rid of it," Riley said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 12:51:11|Editor: mym

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HOUSTON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Three people were shot at a business place in the U.S. state of New Mexico on Monday evening, local police said.

The police of Albuquerque, capital city of New Mexico, said Monday evening that multiple individuals had been taken to hospitals, but the shooter "was currently not in custody."

The police urged residents in the area to shelter in place.

The police earlier confirmed that three people were shot at a business place, about 6 km south of downtown of Albuquerque. The conditions of the three victims are not clear.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 13:11:24|Editor: Yurou

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VIENTIANE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Joint cooperation between Laos and Russia to combat the unexploded ordnance (UXO) threat in central Laos' Borikhamxay province has seen progress after the project began a month ago, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Tuesday.

An official in charge of the Ministry of National Defence's Humanitarian UXO Demining Army Unit 58 (U58) gave an update on the progress made so far on Monday.

Head of U58 Lt. Col. Phonkeo Orladom said military personnel from the two countries had teamed up to clear about 10 hectares of the site by using equipment supplied by Russia.

"We found 44 bombies (BLU26) buried about 25-40 centimeters below the surface, which we detonated in situ after informing the district authorities," the official said.

"We still haven't found any large bombs yet," he added.

To achieve their objective of clearing all the UXO on the other 90 hectares, 130 km east of the Lao capital Vientiane, before the project ends next year, Laos and Russia will continue to work together in the field, the official said.

"Both sides are satisfied with their good cooperation and highly appreciate the results. The Russian military also provided a training course on the use of the equipment they supplied," he added.

The mission of Lao military and Russian military engineers to assist in demining activities in Laos will continue until the plan is completed. The project is part of the framework of cooperation between the governments and armed forces of Laos and Russia.

Unexploded American-made bombs still lie buried in large tracts of Lao land after being dropped during the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1973. Most of them are cluster and anti-personnel bombs, of which one-third have not been defused, leaving more than half of Lao provinces at risk of tragic accidents.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 13:18:16|Editor: Yurou

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YANGON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A company manager was taken as hostage by a group of five masked men as they raided an oil company in Myanmar's Yangon, Myanmar News Agency reported Tuesday.

Threatening the company staff with sticks and knives, the armed men took the manager as hostage and fled the scene by car from the company office on Min Ye Kyaw Swar Street, Ahlone town, Monday night.

Two of the armed men were later captured with the hostage found in a car on Pyay road half an hour after the incident.

Investigation into the incident was underway by the police.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 14:00:21|Editor: Yang Yi

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by Liu Tian, Geng Xuepeng

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- With deepening cooperation in various fields, China has grown into one of the most reliable partners of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), since they established the strategic partnership 15 years ago.

Over the years, rapid and healthy development of the ASEAN-China ties based on mutually beneficial cooperation has made important contributions to regional peace and prosperity.

The ASEAN-China dialogue partnership is among "the most dynamic and substantive," according to Secretary-General of ASEAN Lim Jock Hoi.

GROWING TRADE

As a close neighbor, ASEAN is sharing the fruits of a fast growing Chinese economy, while China is also gaining benefits from a more integrated ASEAN market.

Trade volume between China and ASEAN countries hit a record high of 514.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, more than six times of that of 2003, said the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. China remains ASEAN's largest trade partner for nine consecutive years while ASEAN is the third largest trade partner of China for seven years in a row.

China's exports to ASEAN countries reached 279.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, up 9 percent year-on-year, while imports grew 20 percent year-on-year to 235.7 billion U.S. dollars. China's trade surplus with ASEAN narrowed by 27.4 percent from 2016, said the ministry.

Accumulated two-way investment between the two sides reached more than 200 billion U.S. dollars and over 4,000 Chinese companies have set up their ventures in the ASEAN market, creating over 300,000 jobs for locals.

"China's economic progress has currently placed it as the second largest economy in the world and has greatly contributed to the region's overall growth, including that of ASEAN," Lim said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"ASEAN and China have also made great strides in socio-cultural cooperation, with work conducted in the areas of, among others, public health, science and technology, education, culture, labor and social security, local government and people-to-people exchanges, environment, media, youth, social development, and poverty reduction," the ASEAN secretary-general said.

MUTUAL TRUST

Over the past 15 years, China has supported ASEAN's development agenda, including the construction of the ASEAN Community.

China was there to help when natural disasters hit ASEAN countires, and the close coordination between the two sides in coping with the financial tsunami in 2008 also deepened their mutual trust.

Both China and ASEAN agreed to handle sensitive issues and disputes through dialogue and negotiations. In August, a single draft negotiating text of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea was reached between China and ASEAN, marking another significant progress on the negotiations of COC.

Last month, China and ASEAN conducted their first joint naval drills, which, according to navy commander of the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army Wang Hai, demonstrated a new level of strategic collaboration between China and ASEAN countries, built a new platform for navies to better communicate, and laid a solid foundation for future cooperation.

"ASEAN appreciates China's support on ASEAN centrality and we will continue to work closely with each other towards the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct," said Lim.

SHARED DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday urged ASEAN members to "work resolutely" toward economic integration, saying that visible achievements have been made after decade-long efforts of progressive steps towards deeper economic integration and openness in ASEAN.

For its part, China has pledged to further open its market and join hands with ASEAN to accelerate the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which covers some 3 billion population with a total gross domestic product of 21 trillion U.S. dollars.

"A strong relationship between ASEAN and China can contribute to positive synergies for Asia and support regional and global development, leveraging on growth from their burgeoning middle classes and harnessing rapid technological progress," said the ASEAN secretary-general.

Meanwhile, China is expected to be the first dialogue partner of ASEAN to make a medium to long-term plan on relations with the group.

According to Huang Xilian, Chinese ambassador to ASEAN, the two sides have agreed on the "China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Vision 2030," which is expected to be endorsed on the 21st China-ASEAN (10+1) leaders' meeting Wednesday.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 14:07:24|Editor: zh

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- An Indian army trooper was killed and another wounded in exchange of fire with Pakistani troops on Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir, officials said Tuesday.

The duo was hit Monday evening in Krishna Ghati sector of frontier Poonch district, about 185 km southwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Last evening Pakistani troops resorted to an unprovoked ceasefire violation in Krishna Ghati sector on LoC, resulting in the death of a soldier and wounding another," an Indian army official said.

Reports said following the attack Indian troops also retaliated to the firing from Pakistan and the exchange of fire between the two sides continued for some time.

Monday's attack is the third straight deadly ceasefire violation since Saturday.

Two troopers were killed in similar attacks in Sunderbani and Nowshera sectors of Rajouri district on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Officials said the troopers fell to sniper fire.

Pakistani officials said on Saturday ceasefire violations from India continued at LoC in Bagsar and Leepa sectors wounding five civilians including a young woman.

According to the officials, the Pakistan army effectively responded by targeting Indian posts.

Both New Delhi and Islamabad accused each other of resorting to unprovoked firings and violating ceasefire agreements. And both sides maintain that their troops give befitting reply.

The troops of India and Pakistan have intermittently exchanged fire on 720-km LoC and 198-km international border in Kashmir, despite an agreement in 2003 to observe a ceasefire.

LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into India and Pakistan controlled parts.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 15:33:53|Editor: mmm

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) holds talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore, Nov. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

by Yang Dingdu, Wu Jialin, Zhang Zhengfu

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- China and Singapore are making strides in jointly promoting free trade and regional stability as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pays an official visit to the city state.

During their talks late Monday, Li and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong witnessed the signing of a series of agreements on bilateral cooperation, including an upgrade of free trade agreement (FTA), with both sides pledging to push for progress on key regional issues.

BILATERAL AGREEMENTS

On the FTA upgrade, Li voiced his hope that the two sides will seize the opportunity to bring bilateral trade and investment to higher levels.

The upgrade of the FTA will bring real benefits to the people and companies of both countries and send a strong signal of further expanding trade and investment, Lee said.

The two sides also pledged to advance the building of a new land-sea transport corridor, which consists of a number of railway and sea trade routes, connecting central and southwest China to Southeast Asia.

With the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the new logistics corridor, China and Singapore should build up the momentum and further boost connectivity, Li said.

The Singaporean leader said his country will join hands with China to build the new corridor so as to facilitate transport and trade between the two sides.

Experts say the corridor will help China further open up to the world while opening a shortcut for Southeast Asian countries to enter the Chinese market.

Another substantial outcome of the visit, Li said, is that China and Singapore have lifted the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, an iconic bilateral cooperation program, to a national-level project.

In their talks, the Chinese premier said the two sides should actively expand cooperation in smart-city building, promote the upgrading of city management and artificial intelligence development, and mull new local-level collaboration.

Lee said the Singaporean side is glad to see the upgrade of the project, and ready to step up smart-city cooperation with China.

Intergovernmental cooperation projects between China and Singapore, such as the Suzhou Industrial Park and the Tianjin Eco-City, have yielded fruitful results. The upgrade of the Guangzhou Knowledge City project is expected to inject fresh momentum into bilateral practical cooperation.

Li recalled that China and Singapore established an all-round cooperative partnership progressing with the times when Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the Southeast Asian country in 2015.

"China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with the Singaporean side, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and continuously bring bilateral ties to higher levels," Li said.

REGIONAL COOPERATION

During the talks, Li stressed China's support for the economic integration of East Asia and the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in regional cooperation.

Li called on all relevant sides to engage in talks on the basis of mutual respect and understanding to clinch the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a trade deal that, once agreed upon, could cover half the world's population.

The RCEP is of great importance to preserving free trade and economic globalization, in which the World Trade Organization plays a central role, Li said.

Lee said talks on the RCEP have seen some major breakthroughs this year and have entered the final stage. He hopes the deal can be reached as soon as possible to send a positive signal on promoting multilateralism and free trade.

Li also expressed China's willingness to work with regional countries to facilitate talks on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea to ensure peace and stability.

Singapore wishes to actively promote ASEAN-China relations and push for progress on the COC negotiations, Lee said.

China appreciates Singapore's role in promoting regional cooperation as the rotating chair of ASEAN and wishes to enhance all-round cooperation with ASEAN, Li added.

It is the first official visit to Singapore by a Chinese premier in 11 years. Li will also attend the 21st leaders' meeting between China and the ASEAN and the 21st ASEAN-China, Japan and South Korea leaders' meeting, respectively known as 10+1 and 10+3, as well as the 13th East Asia Summit.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 15:35:12|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the raging Camp Fire in the U.S. state of California has increased to 42, making it the deadliest in the state's history, local authorities said Monday.

An additional 13 bodies were discovered Monday in Northern California, said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea. The dead were so badly burned that authorities brought in a mobile DNA lab and asked forensic anthropologists to help identify them.

Honea said more than 200 people remain missing in and around the town of Paradise.

Xinhua reporters found their way to Paradise was blocked 56 km away from the town. The air was full of dust. Fire trucks were driving through the roads to contain the fire.

A firefighter from Oregon told Xinhua his team were deployed to Paradise to assist firefight from last Friday, working around the clock.

The fire, which decimated the town, has burned 117,000 acres (47,348 hectares) and is now about 30 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Cal Fire Deputy Chief Scott McLean said winds would be dying down Monday while humidity began to rise, which would help the firefighters.

The increased death toll of Camp Fire brought the statewide toll to 44.

The Woolsey Fire and Hill Fire in Southern California also continued to destroy homes.

The Woolsey Fire, which has claimed two lives and burned more than 90,000 acres (36,421 hectares), was 30 percent contained Monday evening. The Hill Fire, which ignited around the same time on Thursday afternoon not far from the Woolsey Fire, was 85 percent contained Monday, having already scorched 4,531 acres (1,834 hectares) and destroyed two structures.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 15:44:47|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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by Julia Pierrepont III

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of international students lined up Thursday at Radisson hotel at the University of Southern California (USC), eagerly awaiting the opening of the 4th Diversity in Action International Career Fair (ICF).

Some students even arrived as early as two hours before the event. "Students know that the employers at this fair are all hiring international students, and that's rare," said one of the event's student volunteers.

Nowadays, foreign students have been caught in the crosshairs of immigration policy debate during the Trump administration and an increasing number of employers are unwilling to consider candidates who need visa sponsorship.

"It's extremely hard for international students to find a job, regardless of their fluency level in English and degree of familiarity with American culture," a USC Marshall MSBA student said.

"For international students, navigating the path to employment authorization in the United States has become more difficult recently," said Michael Harris, an immigration lawyer with Stone Grzegorek & Gonzalez LLP, a Los Angeles-based full-service U.S. Immigration law firm.

Students can usually obtain authorization to work for one year after graduation through Optional Practical Training (OPT). However, in order to maintain a permanent position in the United States, an international graduate need to be sponsored by the employers for an H-1B work visa.

"Unfortunately, there are more petitioners than there are visas available in this category," Harris continued. Therefore, these visas are selected by lottery.

"Almost all companies ask about working status, and whether I need visa sponsorship," Xuan Liu, a recent graduate from Pepperdine University told Xinhua, adding that a candidate is likely to be moved out of the final interview once the employers know the candidate is on a student visa with OPT status.

Despite the hassle at ICF, 45 companies were recruiting international students for opportunities in the United States and overseas, including some Fortune 500 companies.

The event is organized by HG Plus, a Los Angeles based career platform with the mission to help international college students in the United States find jobs and internships which benefit local businesses.

"These bright, hardworking students come from around the world, and study at the best universities in the United States. They have so much to offer to the employers," Angela Efros, vice president of HG Plus told Xinhua.

She added that the United States is a country of immigrants, and talented immigrants have been shown to improve our communities as well as benefit our economy.

According to a 2016 research by the National Foundation for American Policy, almost one quarter of all the U.S. startup companies valued at 1 billion U.S. dollars or more have a founder who came to the United States as an international student.

Mark Brostoff, assistant dean and director of the USC Marshall Graduate Career Services, said that international students bring a wealth of knowledge of global markets outside the United States, which "is extremely helpful for a firm that seeks to enter a new market overseas."

The idea is echoed by executive director of the USC Career Center, Carl Martellino, who noted that leading American businesses recognize the benefits that international hires offer.

"International students hold strengths in language skills ... a spirit and willingness to understand and work with diverse clients and colleagues," he said, adding that U.S. employers hire international students to fill a gap in the domestic workforce, which is seen as an essential component to a thriving U.S. economy.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 16:24:40|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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JERUSALEM, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip continued targeting southern Israel on Tuesday, killing a man, while Israeli airstrikes killed four in Gaza amid one of the worst flare-ups since 2014.

Overnight between Monday and Tuesday, a rocket directly hit a building in Israel's southern city of Ashkelon, killing a man in his 40s, and seriously wounding two women.

The killed man was identified by the police as a Palestinian resident from the West Bank city of Hebron.

An Israeli military spokesperson said at least 370 rockets were fired at different communities in southern Israel over the past 24 hours, most of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-rocket system.

The national rescue service said at least 75 people, mostly suffering light injuries or just panic, were treated during the period.

Schools in the south were cancelled for the second consecutive day under instruction from the military's Home Front Command.

Meanwhile in Gaza, Israeli warplanes carried out massive airstrikes, killing four, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave.

The Israeli military issued a statement saying it struck some 150 targets over the past 24 hours.

According to a statement by the Israeli military, some 150 targets were struck over the past 24 hours, most of which were military targets belonging to the Hamas, an armed movement that runs Gaza, or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another Gaza-based Islamist group, and government structures used for military purposes.

Hamas has said the rocket attacks are "just the beginning" if Israel continues its "aggression," referring to Israel's airstrikes throughout the Palestinian enclave.

Meanwhile, Israel's security cabinet met in the military headquarters in Tel Aviv to discuss the next moves.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israelis and Palestinians "to exercise maximum restraint," according to a statement.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special envoy to the Middle East, said the UN is working closely with Egypt in an effort to "ensure that Gaza steps back from the brink."

The recent escalation is "extremely dangerous and reckless. Rockets must stop, restraint must be shown by all! No effort must be spared to reverse the spiral of violence," he wrote on his Twitter account.

The abrupt flare-up was sparked by a failed Israeli undercover raid in Gaza on Sunday night.

The undercover soldiers, reportedly on a reconnaissance mission, were discovered by Hamas fighters, prompting a fire exchange that cost the lives of seven Palestinian militants, including a Hamas commander, and an Israeli military officer.

The sudden burst of violence potentially shattered hopes for a long-term agreement between Israel and Hamas, as Egyptian and the UN officials have been working to broker a cease-fire deal in exchange for Israeli easing its 12-year crippling blockade on Gaza.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 16:31:41|Editor: mmm

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Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan (R) meets with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan on Tuesday met with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Beijing.

Wang said that the bilateral cooperation between China and Germany has reached an unprecedented level since the establishment of diplomatic ties, and the pragmatic cooperation has yielded fruitful results in areas including politics, economy, trade and humanities.

"Facing the current international situation, we can learn from China's developing experience that only by continuous innovation, accelerated reforms and further opening-up can we promote development and achieve prosperity," Wang said, adding that adhering to peaceful development and building a community with a shared future for humanity is the only right way to go.

He said that China is willing to enhance mutual understanding and trust with the German side based on mutual respect and strengthen the docking of development strategies in order to achieve a higher level of complementary advantages and win-win cooperation.

Maas said that the German side hopes to deepen cooperation with China through this visit, and make joint efforts in addressing current global challenges.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 16:26:17|Editor: mmm

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Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, announces the opening of a major exhibition to commemorate the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up at the National Museum of China in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A major exhibition opened in Beijing on Tuesday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, announced the opening of the exhibition at the National Museum of China on Tuesday morning.

Noting the unprecedented changes that have taken place over the past four decades, especially the historic changes after the 18th CPC National Congress, Wang said the exhibition aims to show the great achievements Chinese people have made under the CPC leadership on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

He called for efforts to rally more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, hold high the banner of reform and opening-up in the new era and deepen the reform and opening-up with greater confidence and stronger measures.

The exhibition uses historical photos, texts, videos, miniature models and interactive activities to show visitors the great process during which the Chinese nation has stood up, grown rich and is becoming strong.

Around 1,000 people attended the opening ceremony.Missiles from Israel's Iron Dome air defense system in the south of Israel destroy incoming missiles fired at Israel from the Palestinian enclave of Gaza above Ashkelon on Nov. 13, 2018. (AFP photo)

JERUSALEM, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip continued targeting southern Israel on Tuesday, killing a man, while Israeli airstrikes killed four in Gaza amid one of the worst flare-ups since 2014.

Overnight between Monday and Tuesday, a rocket directly hit a building in Israel's southern city of Ashkelon, killing a man in his 40s, and seriously wounding two women.

The killed man was identified by the police as a Palestinian resident from the West Bank city of Hebron.

An Israeli military spokesperson said at least 370 rockets were fired at different communities in southern Israel over the past 24 hours, most of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-rocket system.

The national rescue service said at least 75 people, mostly suffering light injuries or just panic, were treated during the period.

Schools in the south were cancelled for the second consecutive day under instruction from the military's Home Front Command.

Meanwhile in Gaza, Israeli warplanes carried out massive airstrikes, killing four, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave.

The Israeli military issued a statement saying it struck some 150 targets over the past 24 hours.

According to a statement by the Israeli military, some 150 targets were struck over the past 24 hours, most of which were military targets belonging to the Hamas, an armed movement that runs Gaza, or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another Gaza-based Islamist group, and government structures used for military purposes.

A picture taken on Nov. 13, 2018, shows a residential building that was destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip . (AFP photo)

Hamas has said the rocket attacks are "just the beginning" if Israel continues its "aggression," referring to Israel's airstrikes throughout the Palestinian enclave.

Meanwhile, Israel's security cabinet met in the military headquarters in Tel Aviv to discuss the next moves.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israelis and Palestinians "to exercise maximum restraint," according to a statement.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special envoy to the Middle East, said the UN is working closely with Egypt in an effort to "ensure that Gaza steps back from the brink."

The recent escalation is "extremely dangerous and reckless. Rockets must stop, restraint must be shown by all! No effort must be spared to reverse the spiral of violence," he wrote on his Twitter account.

The abrupt flare-up was sparked by a failed Israeli undercover raid in Gaza on Sunday night.

The undercover soldiers, reportedly on a reconnaissance mission, were discovered by Hamas fighters, prompting a fire exchange that cost the lives of seven Palestinian militants, including a Hamas commander, and an Israeli military officer.

The sudden burst of violence potentially shattered hopes for a long-term agreement between Israel and Hamas, as Egyptian and the UN officials have been working to broker a cease-fire deal in exchange for Israeli easing its 12-year crippling blockade on Gaza.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 17:15:02|Editor: Yurou

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ISLAMABAD, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Three army personnel, including an officer and two soldiers, were killed and another injured in an ambush on Monday in Pakistan's northwest North Waziristan district, local media reported Tuesday.

Local Urdu TV Channel Dawn News quoted some official sources as saying that a group of militants armed with automatic weapons and rockets attacked a military convoy in the Razmak area of North Waziristan, a tribal district in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Three military personnel, including Major Irfan, died on the spot following the attack, while another soldier sustained injuries, the reports said.

Other security personnel present in the convoy repulsed the attack with retaliatory firing.

The attackers managed to run away after the ambush.

According to the report, the injured and the bodies were airlifted to the military hospital in the nearby Bannu district.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 17:16:12|Editor: Yurou

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump will convene his trade team Tuesday to discuss potential imposition of tariffs on imported vehicles, U.S. media reported Monday citing anonymous sources.

The latest development came against the backdrop of an investigation launched in May by the U.S. Commerce Department into possible national security threats brought about by auto imports. The department is due in February 2019 to report to the president on its findings.

If the Commerce Department determines that imported cars and car parts put U.S. national security at risk, import duties may be levied on the ground of section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, the same legal document Trump referenced to impose steel and aluminum tariffs against U.S. trading partners.

Although Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose a 25-percent tariff on imported vehicles, irking major auto exporters to the U.S. market such as the European Union (EU), Japan and Mexico, a Bloomberg report said there is no indication Trump will make a final decision anytime soon.

The United States and the EU agreed in July to avoid additional tariffs while both sides work to reduce tariffs and lower non-tariff barriers for industrial goods traded in between, but Brussels hinted that the truce may not last long.

"We had achieved that there will not be a new trade conflict over the summer months until the end of the year, particularly with regard to car tariffs," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who held the July meeting with Trump in Washington, said in a speech in Berlin on Monday.

Prior to the July talks, the EU had prepared retaliatory measures should negotiations falter.

"If the U.S. would impose these car tariffs, that would be very unfortunate, but we are preparing together with our member states a list of rebalancing measures as well," European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom said at the time. Malmstrom is heading to Washington for talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer this week.

According to a study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a Washington-based think tank, if the Trump administration implements the proposed auto tariffs, a U.S. consumer will have to pay additional prices ranging from 1,400 U.S. dollars to 7,000 U.S. dollars for new best-selling car models.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 17:24:34|Editor: Yurou

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TRIPOLI, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Libya's eastern-based army on Tuesday denied reports that its commander Khalifa Haftar has travelled to Italy's Palermo for an international conference on Libya.

"The General Command of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces denies local and international reports about the commander, Gen. Khalifa Haftar, participating in the conference held in the Italian city of Palermo on Libya," the army's information office said in a statement.

Haftar arrived in Italy on Monday, but just held meetings with heads of neighboring states to discuss the latest regional and international developments, the statement explained.

Italy's Palermo is hosting an international conference on Monday and Tuesday on the Libyan crisis, with participation of major Libyan parties as well as regional and international heads of state.

Despite a UN-sponsored peace agreement signed by the Libyan political parties in 2015, Libya remains politically divided between eastern and western governments, both competing for legitimacy.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 18:00:28|Editor: ZX

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PHNOM PENH, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia attracted 1.44 million Chinese visitors during the first nine months of 2018, up 71.2 percent over the same period last year, said a Cambodian Tourism Ministry's report released on Tuesday.

China is the biggest source of foreign tourists to Cambodia, accounting for 28 percent of the total foreign visitors to the kingdom during the January-September period this year, the report said.

The Southeast Asian country welcomed a total of 5.14 million international tourists during the first nine months of this year, up 13.8 percent over the same period last year, it said.

Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon has predicted that the kingdom would receive at least 1.7 million Chinese holidaymakers this year and up to 2.5 million in 2020.

Cambodia is famous for three world heritage sites, namely the Angkor archaeological park in northwestern Siem Reap province, the Preah Vihear temple in northwestern Preah Vihear province, and the Sambor Prei Kuk archaeological site in central Kampong Thom province.

Besides, it has a pristine coastline stretching 450 km in four southwestern provinces of Koh Kong, Preah Sihanouk, Kampot and Kep.

Last year, Cambodia got 5.6 million foreign tourists including 1.21 million Chinese, earning gross revenue of 3.6 billion U.S. dollars.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 18:30:04|Editor: ZX

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SAMBURU, Kenya, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police on Tuesday arrested three suspects who were arrested with 21 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 57 kilograms during a security operation in Rumuruti in northern Kenya.

Gideon Kibunja, regional criminal investigation commander, said the police and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers had been trailing the suspects before they were detained and the tusks valued at about 5 million shillings (about 50,000 U.S. dollars).

Police in operation said the recovery indicates 11 elephants had been killed amid reports the suspects intended to sell the tusks to an international buyer.

The suspects aged 18, 26 and 35 respectively were expected to be arraigned on Tuesday. This is the latest such recovery of the ivory in the campaign against poaching.

Two weeks ago, two other suspects were arrested in Kilifi and tusks worth about 1.9 million shillings recovered from them.

Kenya has been identified in various researches as one of the leading transit routes for smuggling ivory out of Africa, with several incidents of ivory seizures and recovery of wildlife carcasses in recent times.

The conservationists have decried the entry of organized crime syndicates into the illegal wildlife trade, most notably of rhino horn and elephant tusk, which they said, has created a crisis situation in many African countries.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 18:35:46|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Luo Shugang will attend the inauguration of Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih later this month, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced here on Tuesday.

Luo, minister of culture and tourism, will make the visit to the Maldives from Nov. 15 to 19 at the invitation of the Maldivian government, the spokesperson said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 18:45:13|Editor: mmm

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SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- China hopes its talks with Southeast Asian nations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea will bear fruit in three years, visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here on Tuesday.

China hopes to complete talks on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea within three years, clinching a final deal that will keep enduring peace in the region, Li said in a speech at the 44th Singapore Lecture.

Joint efforts of China and ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) have stabilized the South China Sea. Both sides should seize the opportunity to push for substantial progress on COC talks, Li said.

The COC talks, launched by China and ASEAN countries, are a mechanism of equal participants, independent of external interference, he added.

Li also highlighted the significance of the recent adoption of a single draft negotiating text of the COC.

"The single draft negotiating text is not merely a technical term, but an indication that China and ASEAN have reached consensus on ensuring peace and stability, freedom of overflight and navigation in the South China Sea," he said.

Reaching agreement on the COC will not only be beneficial to China and ASEAN countries but also conducive to free trade, which is in the interest of all sides, Li said.

Li is on the first official visit to Singapore by a Chinese premier in 11 years.

During the Nov. 12-16 trip, he will also attend the 21st leaders' meeting between China and the ASEAN (10+1) and the 21st ASEAN-China, Japan and South Korea leaders' meeting (10+3) and the 13th East Asia Summit.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 18:51:46|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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NAIROBI, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Reforms to improve the business environment contributing to Kenya's recent rise in the World Bank's Doing Business rankings is part of efforts to enhance the participation of technology companies to boost electronic commerce, a government official said.

"Technology becomes a major enabler in our efforts to improve local and international business," Peter Munya, cabinet secretary in the ministry of trade, industry and cooperatives, said on Monday evening during an event to launch preparations for hosting of the World Electronic Commerce Week from Dec. 10 to 14 in Nairobi.

The Geneva-based UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the European Union (EU) and the African Union Commission are jointly convening the world e-commerce week to discuss measures and strategies to improve global trade using digital platforms, according to the organizers.

"We see opportunity in terms of e-commerce helping us surmount some of the challenges we face around Africa," Munya said, referring to steps required to reduce cross-border barriers to trade using electronic trade platforms among them, OLX and Jumia, which are popular across the African region.

Mukhisa Kituyi, secretary general of UNCTAD, said the quality of investment opportunities have been growing consistently which justified the need to have key government decision-makers meeting to explore measures to harness digital technologies to accelerate sustainable development.

"We are convinced the struggle to banish extreme poverty will be won or lost in the Least Developed Countries which are mostly in Africa," said Kituyi.

"There is a clear message that the e-commerce is not an opportunity to expand the economic opportunities of the wealthy," he added.

Munya said the electronic trade summit offered an opportunity to grow its potential and spread benefits to Kenyan and African youth. "I endorse this conference and we are happy to host it," said Munya.

He said Kenya has taken steps to reform the business environment. This helped to move Nairobi in the global business rankings from position 80 to 61 in the latest Doing Business ranking issued early this month.

The east African nation was ranked highly at position 61 out of 190 countries for taking steps to adopt best practices in business regulation.

Kenya took steps to improve property registration, passed laws to protect the rights of minority shareholders in companies and used technology to simplify tax returns, according to the World Bank's Doing Business Ranking.

Due to the electronic tax filings, companies now spend just 179 hours instead of 185 days, as a result of tax reform and the injection of new electronic tax filing system known as i-tax.

Hanna Tetteh, director-general of the UN Office in Nairobi, said the UN was looking forward to the hosting of the event, which will bring together ministers of commerce to discuss business collaboration.

Tetteh said the growth of electronic commerce websites and other digital platforms demonstrated it could create access to markets.

She said Africa still faced challenges including low internet penetration with just 15 percent of the population with access to internet data and smart phones.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 18:51:58|Editor: mmm

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GABORONE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- As part of strengthening friendship and deepening bilateral ties, Botswana and China signed letters of exchange on human resource development.

Botswana Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration Nonofo Molefhi and China International Development Cooperation Agency vice chairman Zhou Liujun appended their signatures to the letters in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana on Monday.

The letters will serve as the framework for strengthening cooperation in human resource development and promoting personnel exchanges between Botswana and China.

Molefhi said as a growing economy, Botswana desired to be self-sufficient in human capital development, and as such China could give impetus to such development.

He further said China has proven to be the ideal partner in doing so because the country is endowed with expertise in the human resource development area that will benefit other sub-sectors of the economy.

He said Botswana wanted to do things for herself in order to grow the economy, be it in the social cultural spheres, science or Information Communication Technology.

"As we aspire to be a high income economy by 2036, we should take advantage of the opportunities that have arisen from the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)," he said.

For his part, Zhou said the purpose of his visit was to promote friendly cooperation and to follow up on the implementation of FOCAC outcomes.

He said China has so far trained some 1,100 people under the bilateral training cooperation and planned to train a further 170 Batswana in different areas this year although the figure has increased to 209.

Zhou said the human resource capacity building is part of the process to assist Botswana in her quest to promote industrialization.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 19:28:54|Editor: Lu Hui

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SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The 33rd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened here Tuesday with a call for upholding multilateralism and international cooperation.

The summit, gathering leaders of ASEAN's 10 member countries, will review ASEAN's achievements in the year 2018 in pushing forward the bloc's community building and integration while mapping out a new course for the year ahead.

In a speech at the opening ceremony of the summit, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on ASEAN members to uphold multilateralism and international cooperation in future development and tackling common challenges including terrorism and climate change.

Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Hamad al-Nahal, a member of the Islamic Jihad who was killed in an Israeli airstrike a day earlier, during his funeral in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Nov. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Khaled Omar)

GAZA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 6 Palestinians were killed and about 20 others wounded in the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which started on Monday evening, medics said Tuesday.

Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the health ministry in Gaza, told reporters that two were killed on Tuesday morning in two separate airstrikes on the northern Gaza Strip and eastern Gaza city, and three others in in the airstrikes on Monday night.

The sixth succumbed to his wounds sustained on Monday evening in an Israeli airstrike on eastern Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip, he added.

The death toll in the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since Sunday has grown to 13, all militants, with 30 injured, al-Qedra said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 19:33:13|Editor: Lu Hui

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BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for efforts to boost Chinese people's confidence and determination to follow the Party along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the path of reform and opening-up.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited a major exhibition to commemorate the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.

The exhibition should help build a common understanding, accumulate consensus, raise morale, and foster solidarity and a striving spirit, Xi said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 20:32:43|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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RAMALLAH, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decided to cut short his visit to Kuwait and return home to follow up on the Israeli offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Abbas has been holding intensive contacts on all levels "to halt the Israeli onslaught on Gaza and protect the Palestinian people," Hussein al-Sheikh, a member of Fatah Central Committee, told the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Abbas arrived in Kuwait on Monday on a scheduled two-day visit to the country.

The Palestinian government said in a press statement that Israel must be held accountable for its "assault on the Gaza Strip."

The government spokesman Yousef Al-Mahmoud accused Israel of bringing the region more risks and tensions through its escalation policy against the Palestinian people, in addition to "its pursuit of the Palestinians, killings, destruction, the siege and settlement activity."

Al-Mahmoud urged the international community to intervene to halt the escalation in Gaza.

A total of 11 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with Israeli troops and its bombing since Sunday night.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 20:31:32|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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WELLINGTON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Japan's decision to continue its Southern Ocean whaling program goes against scientific advice and the growing support for greater protection of the ocean's ecosystems, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Tuesday.

Japan's fisheries agency announced on Monday that the Japanese whaling fleet had departed Japan for the Southern Ocean.

"New Zealand is deeply disappointed that whaling continues in the Southern Ocean despite the significant scientific advice against this outdated and unnecessary practice," Peters said in a statement.

"Now is the time to increase protection of pristine Antarctic ecosystems. We must stop the killing of whales in the name of science," Peters said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 20:35:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a speech titled "Pursuing Open and Integrated Development for Shared Prosperity" at the 44th Singapore Lecture in Singapore, Nov. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday called for global efforts to uphold free trade and multilateralism so as to realize world peace and global common prosperity.

Li said this in a speech titled "Pursuing Open and Integrated Development for Shared Prosperity" at the 44th Singapore Lecture.

Li said it is the international order based on multilateralism and free trade that has helped humanity maintain lasting peace and reduce poverty since the end of WWII more than 70 years ago.

Amid international vicissitudes, the international community needs to firmly follow multilateralism, adhere to mutual respect and equality between big and small countries and insist on solving problems through dialogue and managing disputes via negotiation, said Li.

It is free trade that promotes the process of globalization, Li said, noting that free trade has not only underpinned the growth and prosperity of Singapore, but also constitutes the necessary condition for forging ahead China's opening-up.

Though some say that problems occurred in the process of globalization and free trade rules need adjustment, China believes that generally speaking, globalization adapts to the direction of human development, the premier said.

Stressing that China has always advocated just and fair trade, Li said free trade is the prerequisite of all trade.

"Without free trade, it means no trade, then how can there be just and fair trade? Meanwhile, just and fair trade is an important basis for the continued development of free trade," Li said.

He called for reform measures to address problems that occurred in the process of globalization, but warned that those measures should not run counter to the basic rules of multilateralism and free trade, especially should not discard the current regime and start all over again.

"China is willing to discuss with all sides ways to improve free trade and promote the development of globalization," said Li.

"We also stand ready to talk about just and fair trade so as to make free trade more robust and develop at a higher level," he added.

Li arrived Monday for his first official visit to the city state, where he is expected to build momentum for free trade and regional cooperation.

During the visit, Li is also going to attend the 21st China-ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) (10+1) leaders' meeting, the 21st ASEAN-China, Japan and South Korea (10+3) leaders' meeting and the 13th East Asia Summit.

Li will also meet with ASEAN leaders on the progress of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a trade deal that, once agreed upon, could cover half the world's population.

Related:

China still a developing country: premier Li

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- China remains a developing country by any standard, and the Chinese people obtained their due wealth by hard work, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday in Singapore. Full story

Spotlight: China, Singapore to deepen cooperation on free trade, regional stability

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- China and Singapore are making strides in jointly promoting free trade and regional stability as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pays an official visit to the city state. Full storySource: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 20:40:49|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Leaders pose for photos during the opening ceremony of the 33rd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Singapore, on Nov. 13, 2018. The 33rd ASEAN summit opened here Tuesday with a call for upholding multilateralism and international cooperation. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The 33rd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened here Tuesday with a call for upholding multilateralism and international cooperation.

The summit, gathering leaders of ASEAN's 10 member countries, will review ASEAN's achievements in the year 2018 in pushing forward community building and integration while mapping out a new course for the year ahead.

In a speech at the opening ceremony of the summit, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on ASEAN members and partners to uphold multilateralism and international cooperation in future development and tackling common challenges including terrorism and climate change.

"The international order is at a turning point. The existing free, open and rules-based multilateral system, which has underpinned ASEAN growth and stability, has come under stress," Lee said.

He called on ASEAN countries to stay united and find common ground as past experiences proved that "ASEAN is greater than the sum of its parts."

During Singapore's chairmanship in 2018, ASEAN member countries have redoubled integration efforts and come up with concrete measures that laid the groundwork for "united, effective, and relevant ASEAN," he said.

ASEAN has reaffirmed commitment to multilateral trade and made substantial progress towards completing negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), he added.

Lee also called for international cooperation in tackling non-traditional and trans-national threats, including terrorism and climate change.

"These common challenges are complex and unprecedented. We need to pool our ideas and resources to tackle these issues together...multilateralism remains an important basis for international cooperation and for the region's growth and stability in an interdependent and interconnected world."

Under the theme "Resilient and Innovative," the 33rd ASEAN summit will also sum up the bloc's achievements during 2018 in facing the growing uncertainties in the global strategic landscape as well as in tapping the opportunities arising from the digital revolution.

In the following days, related summits are also scheduled to take place, including the ASEAN+1 summits, ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and South Korea) Summit and the East Asia Summit.

Leaders of 10 ASEAN countries and six of its dialogue partners, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, will meet for their second RCEP leaders' meeting on Wednesday.

Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 20:42:28|Editor: mmm

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SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- China remains a developing country by any standard, and the Chinese people obtained their due wealth by hard work, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday in Singapore.

Li made the remarks when delivering a speech at the 44th Singapore Lecture.

Though China is the second largest economy in the world, its per capita GDP only accounts for about 80 percent of the world's average, Li noted, stressing that such a case has never occurred before worldwide.

"China is a country with a large population. We need to address our own development issues as well as face global challenges and assume international responsibilities," Li said, adding that it is important to look at China objectively.

During the speech, Li recalled a recent dialogue with a migrant worker at a construction site in a northeastern city of China.

"A nearly-60-year-old worker, dressed in rags, told me he had never stepped out of the site since he came to the city 11 months ago. He said he had to work extra hours to earn more because his child was admitted by a university, which means 10,000 to 20,000 yuan (1,437 to 2,874 U.S. dollars) a year for tuition and living expenses," said the premier.

"This is a real situation in China," Li said, noting that China views development as the key to all issues. The fact that China is doing its best is the greatest contribution to mankind, he added.

China has made remarkable achievements in its 40 years of reform and opening up, Li said, stressing that China's development is achieved by the hard work of its people throughout the years, rather than by taking advantage of others.

Li started an official visit to Singapore on Monday. This is the first visit to Singapore by a Chinese premier in 11 years.

During the visit, Li will also attend the 21st leaders' meeting between China and ASEAN and the 21st ASEAN-China, Japan and South Korea leaders' meeting, respectively known as 10+1 and 10+3, as well as the 13th East Asia Summit.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 21:22:31|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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PHNOM PENH, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian court on Tuesday charged 18 people with cross-border human trafficking in the latest case of illegal surrogacy business, a court spokesman said.

Eleven surrogate mothers, two men and two women working as cooks were arrested on Nov. 8 during a raid by Cambodian authorities on a surrogacy business at a house in Phnom Penh, as three other suspects are on the run.

Ly Sophana, a spokesman for the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, said a court prosecutor charged all of them, including the surrogate mothers, with cross border human trafficking and acting as intermediaries in illegal surrogacy.

Under the charges, if found guilty, they could be jailed up to 15 and a half years.

The spokesman declined to disclose the nationality of the intended parents, whom those surrogate mothers are carrying the babies for.

The Southeast Asian nation banned surrogacy practice in 2016, describing it as a form of human trading.

In June this year, authorities arrested 33 surrogate mothers, two brokers and one operator of the surrogacy ring. They were all charged with human trafficking and being intermediaries for surrogacy.

In August last year, a Cambodian court sentenced Australian fertility specialist Tammy Davis-Charles to one and a half years in prison for running a surrogacy clinic in the country.

At that time, Davis-Charles confessed to the court that she had arranged for 23 Cambodian women to carry babies for 18 Australian couples and five American couples, and she charged a foreign couple 50,000 U.S. dollars for surrogacy services and paid 10,000 U.S. dollars to Cambodian women to bear pregnancies on their behalf.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 21:21:24|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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CAIRO, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Egypt has called on Israel and the Palestinians to halt escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, Egypt's state television reported Tuesday.

Egypt has told Israeli authorities the need to halt escalating operations in Gaza and abide by the path of calm and the progress achieved, the report quoted a high-level Egyptian official as saying.

The remarks came after Israel staged airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Monday, in response to intensive shelling on Israeli territory from Gaza militants.

Egypt has also urged Palestinians to "commit to self-restraint, not to be dragged into an armed conflict, and to return to the negotiating table."

The abrupt flare-up, which has also killed a civilian in Israel, was sparked by a failed Israeli undercover raid in Gaza on Sunday night.

The undercover soldiers, reportedly on a reconnaissance mission, were discovered by Hamas fighters, prompting a fire exchange that cost the lives of seven Palestinian militants, including a Hamas commander, and an Israeli military officer.

The sudden burst of violence potentially shattered hopes for a long-term agreement between Israel and Hamas, as Egyptian and UN officials have been working to broker a cease-fire deal for Israel to ease its 12-year blockade on Gaza.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 21:34:01|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- China has launched a campaign to crack down on illicit activities on social media, including spreading rumors or pornographic information.

More than 9,800 self-media accounts, referring to subscription-based accounts that are popular on WeChat, Weibo or news portals such as Toutiao, have been punished in the campaign that was launched on Oct. 20, said the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).

The violations included defaming heroes, tarnishing the nation's image, spreading rumors and information that is sensational, lewd or pornographic, and blackmailing companies with media exposure, said the administration.

"Self-media should never be a place outside of judicial reach," said the CAC.

The CAC summoned social media platforms, including Tencent's WeChat and Sina Weibo, warning them against neglecting their duty of managing self-media on their platforms.

The CAC said the overhaul of self-media and its orderly development needs participation of the whole society, and supervision and public tip-offs on illegal and harmful information are welcome to safeguard a healthy cyberspace.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 21:38:09|Editor: Yang Yi

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Yang Zaiping (L front), secretary general of the Asian Financial Cooperation Association (AFCA) shakes hands with Adnan Kassar (R front), Fransabank's chairman at the China-Arab Banking and Business Forum in Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 13, 2018. A business forum focusing on China's Belt and Road Initiative was held on Tuesday in Lebanon's capital Beirut to discuss ways of strengthening ties between China and the Arab world. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

BEIRUT, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A business forum focusing on China's Belt and Road Initiative was held on Tuesday in Lebanon's capital Beirut to discuss ways of strengthening ties between China and the Arab world.

The China-Arab Banking and Business Forum, organized by the Union of Arab Banks (UAB) in coordination with the Asian Financial Cooperation Association (AFCA) and Fransabank, one of Lebanon's oldest banks, was themed "Building on the Belt and Road Initiative."

Proposed by China in 2013, the 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 Silk Road trade routes to seek common development and prosperity.

In his keynote remarks, Yang Zaiping, secretary general of the AFCA, called for cooperation between China and the Arab world within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative.

China will "focus on promoting policy coordination, connectivity of infrastructure and facilities, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and closer people-to-people ties through extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits," Yang said.

China has signed cooperation agreements with nine Arab states, including Lebanon, on the Belt and Road Initiative, he noted.

Yang also encouraged financial interconnection in the region and beyond to "jointly safeguard the regional financial stability and economic prosperity."

Meanwhile, Mohammad Jarrah Al Sabbah, chairman of the UAB, said Chinese-Arab relations have grown tremendously in the past years on various levels.

"Trade between China and the Arab World reached 200 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, up fivefold from 2014," he said.

Adnan Kassar, Fransabank's chairman, highlighted sustainable economic development for cooperation between China and the Arab world.

According to Raed Charafeddine, first vice governor of the Banque Du Liban, Lebanon enjoys great potential in developing trade with China.

"The strategic catalyst behind Lebanon's potential is its highly distinguished human resources, highly qualified labor force evident in some global knowledge and entrepreneurship indicators," he said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 22:02:54|Editor: mmm

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas hold the fourth round of China-Germany Strategic Dialogue on Diplomatic and Security Affairs in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas held the fourth round of China-Germany Strategic Dialogue on Diplomatic and Security Affairs on Tuesday, with both officials vowing to strengthen all-round strategic cooperation.

Wang said China is willing to work with Germany to actively implement the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries and continuously enhance mutual political trust.

Wang called on the two sides to seize the opportunities of jointly building the Belt and Road and the fourth industrial revolution, deepen bilateral economic and trade exchanges, and expand cooperation in such areas as artificial intelligence, internet of things and digitalization.

He also urged the two sides to strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination, safeguard rule-based multilateral trade mechanism, and jointly build an open world economy.

Wang expressed China's support for the European integration process.

For his part, Maas said Germany regards China as a strategic partner of priority, takes a proactive and open attitude towards the Belt and Road Initiative and stands ready to speed up the negotiation process of a China-EU investment treaty.

Both sides agreed that in the face of the complex and ever-changing international situation, China and Germany should jointly adhere to multilateralism and safeguard the global free trade system.Source: Xinhua app| 2018-11-13 22:17:27|Editor: Yurou

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China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) presenting Chinese provinces themed "China in the New Era: Heilongjiang, A New Path to Revitalization in Partnership with the World" was held Monday afternoon in Beijing.

The representatives of international organizations, business elites and envoys from more than 120 countries attended the event co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the People's Government of Heilongjiang Province.

In the keynote speech at the opening ceremony, Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, said that Heilongjiang province, the place where the sun rises earliest in China, is speeding up innovation, upgrading growth engines, developing a new momentum through reform and opening-up.

He hoped the countries to grasp the new opportunities presented by the China's deepening reform and opening-up and work together to create a bright future of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

Zhang Qingwei, secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of CPC, said that northeast China's Heilongjiang is trying to turn its location and resource advantage into new momentum for development, to create new engines of development, to speed up the construction of economy, and to build up a comprehensive opening-up setup.

Wang Wentao, governor of Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government, promoted Heilongjiang in terms of tourism, agriculture, equipment manufacturing, emerging industries and international cooperation.

(Source: Xinhua app)Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 22:33:58|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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NAIROBI, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's horticultural export earnings surged in the first eight months of this year, the latest economic data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows.

In the eight months, exports stood at 104 billion shillings (about 1.01 billion U.S. dollars), a huge leap from 766 million dollars recorded in a similar period in 2017, according to the latest KNBS data.

Flower exports contributed to the bulk of the earnings, standing at 753 million dollars from 105 million tonnes.

This was a 38 percent growth from the first eight months of 2017 where earnings stood at 545 million dollars. From vegetables, the exports rose to 165 million dollars from 85 million dollars.

The horticulture exports, according to analysts, have been boosted by political stability following conclusion of 2017 polls.

The country also had reliable rainfall in the March to May season, which boosted production of produce.

The produce, namely cut flowers, fruits and vegetables, is sold mainly in Europe, but Kenya is keen to grow market outside the region.

Last week, during the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Kenya signed deals with China expected to open the huge Asian nation's market to Kenyan growers.

Nzioka Waita, Chief of Staff in President Uhuru Kenyatta office, said Kenya is currently finalizing trade agreements with China following discussions carried during the China International Import Expo.

"Kenya will now start to export several agricultural products to the Chinese market. We have already signed phytosanitary agreements, what is remaining are tariff agreements," he said.

The Kenyan agricultural products that the country would start exporting to China include avocado, French beans, pulses (beans, peas, green grams, vegetables and fruits, flowers, herbs, peanuts and meat, hides, and skins, bixa, macadamia and gum Arabic.

"Technical teams from China and Kenya will start the process of setting inspection criteria for each product category. The Kenya side will be led by Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis). Every effort will be made to fast-track the process," he said.

Hosea Machuki, the chief executive of Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya, noted that the Chinese market is one of the promising emerging markets for horticultural produce from Kenya.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 22:26:31|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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GENEVA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Four years after the launch of a decade-long campaign to eradicate statelessness globally, the UN refugee agency UNHCR called Tuesday on states to take faster and more resolute action to help meet the campaign goal.

Volker Turk, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the UNHCR, said at a UN briefing here that important results have been achieved since November 2014 when UNHCR's #IBelong campaign began, but millions remain stateless.

The UN official turned to the historical connection to the issue, saying "We just have seen the 100 years of the ending of the First World War. If one goes back to that time and look at population movements including population transfers in the wake of the First World War you will see millions of people were on the move."

Millions of people at that time did not belong to any State.

"Statelessness issues came to the fore of the international community at the stage," he said noting it was "clear that there needed to be efforts to address it."

He said that more than 166,000 stateless people have acquired or had their nationality confirmed, 20 States have acceded to the Statelessness Conventions, bringing the total number of parties to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons to 91 and 73 to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

Turk said that nine states have established or improved statelessness determination procedures, six states have reformed their nationality laws and another two have eliminated gender discrimination preventing women from passing on their nationality to their children.

Yet, despite these accomplishments, millions of people remain stateless and living in limbo around the world, with the majority to be found in countries in Asia and Africa.

In a statement, Filippo Grandi, the UNHCR chief said, "Today I call on politicians, governments and legislators around the world to act now, to take and support decisive action to eliminate statelessness globally by 2024."

Turk said that it is difficult to determine with precision how many people are stateless or at risk of statelessness worldwide.

In 2017, approximately 70 countries reported 3.9 million stateless individuals. But UNHCR estimates that this is only a fraction of the total, while the true number could be as much as three times higher at around 10 million.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 22:35:08|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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TEHRAN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday strongly condemned the recent Israeli strike on the headquarters of Al-Aqsa TV station in Gaza Strip.

"Journalists' disclosure of Tel Aviv's heinous crimes over the past 70 years is the cause of Israel's opposition to the enlightening mission of media outlets," the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said in a statement.

"The informative role of media has always been a nightmare to the occupying regime (of Israel) which commits such a horrible crime in Gaza," he added.

Israeli war jets struck with eight missiles on Monday night the building of Al-Aqsa Television, a satellite channel that belongs to Hamas movement and airs from Gaza.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 22:39:44|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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CAIRO, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) on Tuesday denounced the escalation in the Gaza Strip which caused the death of six Palestinians.

In press statements, AL Assistant Secretary General for Palestine and Occupied Arab Lands Affairs Saeed Abu Ali held Israel responsible for the consequences of the "aggression."

He called on the international community to immediately intervene to "stop the Israeli aggression and to provide international protection for the Palestinian people."

According to Palestinian Health Ministry, death toll in the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since Sunday has risen to 13, all militants, with 30 injured.

The abrupt flare-up was sparked by a failed Israeli undercover raid in Gaza on Sunday night.

The undercover soldiers, reportedly on a reconnaissance mission, were discovered by Hamas fighters, prompting a fire exchange that cost the lives of seven Palestinian militants, including a Hamas commander and an Israeli military officer.

The sudden burst of violence potentially shattered hopes for a long-term agreement between Israel and Hamas, as Egyptian and the UN officials have been working to broker a cease-fire deal in exchange for easing the 12-year blockade on Gaza.Source:Xinhua| 2018-11-13 22:36:20|Editor: Yamei

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People perform traditional dance to welcome Chinese naval hospital ship Ark Peace in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on July 11, 2018. (Xinhua/Jiang Shan)

BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to pay state visits to Papua New Guinea, Brunei and the Philippines from Nov. 15 to 21, and attend the 26th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting in Port Moresby.

The tour, observers say, is expected to further deepen China's friendly ties with its neighbors, invigorate regional cooperation and integration, and rally more support for open economy and common development against the backdrop of daunting challenges in the global landscape.



CEMENTING TIES WITH PACIFIC ISLAND STATES

The visit to Papua New Guinea will be the first by a Chinese head of state to the Pacific island country since it established diplomatic relations with China in 1976.

Papua New Guinea's foreign minister, Rimbink Pato Obe, said his country is looking forward to Xi's visit and will do its best to make the visit a success.

Since the two countries established a strategic partnership in 2014, bilateral cooperation has been moving on a fast track and has set a model for interaction between China and Pacific island states and South-South collaboration. Currently, Papua New Guinea is China's second largest trading partner and largest investment destination in the region.

In the first half of this year, Papua New Guinea officially joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and became the first Pacific island state to sign a memorandum of understanding with China on Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation.

Meanwhile, Chinese doctors have been providing free medical services in Papua New Guinea, Chinese technicians teaching local farmers how to plant upland rice, and Chinese engineers helping upgrade Port Moresby's airport expressway.

During his visit to Papua New Guinea, Xi is scheduled to exchange deep views with leaders of the country over closer ties and global and regional issues of common concern and witness the signing of a series of cooperation agreements. Chinese ambassador Xue Bing said fruitful results are expected in such areas as politics, trade, technology, finance, infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges.

The trip will also be Xi's second to the Pacific island countries following the first one in 2014. While in Papua New Guinea, he will meet with leaders from the Pacific island countries that have diplomatic ties with China.

Chen Fengying, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, noted that the Pacific island states represent an important part in China's neighborhood and along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

"President Xi's visit to Papua New Guinea will help further develop China's relations with countries in this region and boost regional peace, stability and prosperity," Chen said.

PROMOTING COOPERATION WITH NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES

Xi's trips to Brunei and the Philippines, two of China's Southeast Asian neighbors, will be his first as president.

In Brunei, Xi will meet with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and the two sides are expected to sign a series of cooperation agreements and issue a joint statement.

China and Brunei enjoy close historical and cultural links. Since they established diplomatic ties 27 years ago, their relationship has always been regarded as a model of big and small countries treating each other equally and getting along peacefully.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has traveled to China for more than 10 times for visits or meetings. With political mutual trust deepening and practical cooperation booming, the bilateral relationship is at its best time in history.

As one of the AIIB's earliest founding members and a participant in BRI cooperation, Brunei hopes to seize the opportunities presented by China's development to diversify and develop its economy. Chinese enterprises are playing an active role, helping the country operate its only container berth at the deep-water Port Mora and build its first cross-sea grand bridge.

In the first quarter of this year, China became Brunei's largest source of international tourists.

During his visit to the Philippines, Xi will meet with President Rodrigo Duterte and other leaders of the country. Duterte said Xi's visit will enhance bilateral relations and the friendship of the two countries will blossom into even brighter excellence.

China-Philippines relations have achieved remarkable improvement since 2016. Diplomatic, economic and trade consultations have been fully restored, a new maritime cooperation mechanism has been set up, Chinese investment in the Philippines is growing rapidly, and China has become the country's largest trading partner and second largest source of international tourists.

Both Brunei and the Philippines are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional bloc that has always been a priority in China's neighborhood diplomacy and a good example in BRI cooperation.

As this year marks the 15th anniversary of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership, Xi's visits to Brunei and the Philippines will further raise the quality of China-ASEAN interaction and the level of the China-ASEAN community with a shared future, said Zhai Kun, a professor of international relations at Peking University.

INJECTING FRESH IMPETUS TO REGIONAL COOPERATION

APEC, over the nearly 30 years since its establishment, has been committed to the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and cooperation.

In face of the rising waves of unilateralism, protectionism and anti-globalization sentiment, much attention has been riveted on how the Asia-Pacific region, a main driver of global economic growth, is going to deal with the challenges.

The week-long APEC gathering in Papua New Guinea is held under the theme of "Harnessing Inclusive Opportunities, Embracing the Digital Future" with three policy priorities -- improving connectivity and deepening regional economic integration; promoting inclusive and sustainable growth; and strengthening economic growth through structural reform.

The main agenda has already revealed the choice of Asia-Pacific economies. Former senior APEC official Wang Yusheng said APEC now has new development opportunities as the new circumstances require countries in the region to further open up and promote free trade.

The Chinese president will deliver a keynote speech at the APEC CEO summit, attend an informal leaders' meeting and meet leaders of other APEC economies.

From the slew of substantial opening-up measures announced at the Boao Forum for Asia early this year to the vision of jointly building an innovative, inclusive and open world economy proposed at China's first import expo, China has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to openness and cooperation.

Kin Phea, director general of the International Relations Institute of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said he hopes that China will inject great vigor into APEC's efforts in safeguarding the multilateral trade system.

"China is an important member of APEC and a major trading partner with many countries. I hope that China will help APEC better cope with the current challenges," said Australian economist James Laurenceson. Enditem

(Xinhua reporters Yang Jingzhong and Hao Yalin in Sydney, Xue Fei in Bandar Seri Begawan, and Yang Ke and Yuan Mengchen in Manila, Mao Pengfei in Phnom Penh contributed to the story.)

(Video reporters: Zhu yu, Zhou Jinming, Hu Jingchen, Qiu Bo; Video editors: Liu Xiaorui, Geng Linlin)Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 22:30:02|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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KATHMANDU, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- People from the ethnic Madhesi community observed the sun festival, locally known as Chhath, in Nepal on Tuesday.

Large numbers of devotees gathered on the banks of rivers and ponds Tuesday evening to worship the sun, which is regarded as a life force and God of energy. The festival is mostly celebrated in the southern belt of Nepal, known as Teria region.

Chhath is observed for four days, right after country's second biggest festival, Tihar as per the Nepali lunar calendar.

The festival is dedicated to the sun, which is regarded as a token of stability and prosperity, and a Vedic goddess "Chhathi Maiya."

On the occasion, dressed in sacred and colorful attires, family members gather in river or pond banks and take holy bath standing knee-deep and worship to the sun. The sun is worshiped to promote well-being, prosperity and progress in the family.

The government declared a public holiday on the occasion of this festival.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-13 22:38:52|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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GAZA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A senior Islamic Hamas official said Tuesday that the efforts to halt the ongoing tension between Israel and Gaza militant groups haven't yet led to any fruitful results.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that the contacts of a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip "haven't yet led to any results," adding "we are preparing for the worst within the coming hours."

The official declined to give more details on the Egyptian, the Qatari and the United Nations efforts to restore calm and end a round of armed confrontations in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas-led armed groups.

Meanwhile, Israel Radio reported that Israel is not willing to discuss a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as long as militants fire rockets from the coastal enclave into Israel.

Since the exchange of fire between the two sides on Monday evening, six Palestinians have been killed and 25 injured during the intensive Israeli airstrikes on Hamas and other militants facilities and structures.

An Israeli army spokesman said earlier that Israeli jets carried out more than 150 airstrikes on posts, facilities and constructions all over the Gaza Strip that belong to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Hamas and other militant groups, who formed a joint operations chamber, continued on Tuesday afternoon firing rockets into Israel, while Israeli war planes continued targeting militants' locations and posts.

Israeli media quoting Israeli army sources said that more than 400 rockets have been fired into Israel since Monday evening, the highest number of rockets fired into Israel since the last large-scale Israeli offensive waged on Gaza in 2014.Firefighters battle wildfire near a freeway in Simi Valley, California, the United States on Nov. 12, 2018. The fire in Southern California continued to destroy homes. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)

PARADISE, the United States, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the raging Camp Fire in the U.S. state of California has increased to 42, making it the deadliest in the state's history, local authorities said Monday.

An additional 13 bodies were discovered Monday in Northern California, said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea. The dead were so badly burned that authorities brought in a mobile DNA lab and asked forensic anthropologists to help identify them.

Honea said more than 200 people remain missing in and around the town of Paradise.

Xinhua reporters found their way to Paradise was blocked 56 km away from the town. The air was full of dust. Fire trucks were driving through the roads to contain the fire.

A firefighter from Oregon told Xinhua his team was deployed to Paradise to assist firefight from last Friday, working around the clock.

On a small slop in Butt County, four firefighters were observing the development of fire on the mountain. They took shifts every 24 hours. A firefighter told Xinhua they would assist other colleagues on fire control if they got notice.

He said winds would be dying down Monday while humidity began to rise, which would help the firefighters.

The fire, which decimated the town, has burned 117,000 acres (47,348 hectares) and is now about 30 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

The increased death toll of Camp Fire brought the statewide toll to 44.

The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles warned Chinese citizens to follow the latest development of the wildfire, and avoid heading for restricted areas, and enhance security awareness to ensure safety.

The Consulate General has launched an emergency response mechanism, and helped Chinese students in Pepperdine University, which is located in the fire-damaged town of Malibu, to evacuate to a safe place.

The Woolsey Fire and Hill Fire in Southern California also continued to destroy homes.

In Agoura Hills, a town in Los Angeles County, firefighters were checking from door to door any sign of flames, to make sure the fire won't reignite.

Tod Kaufman, a firefighter of Los Angeles County Fire Department, told Xinhua all of the residents were evacuated. They were sweeping houses and cars to figure out damage.

Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) crews are making assessments in areas determined safe by first responders, to search for gas leaks caused by the fire.

The Woolsey Fire, which has claimed two lives and burned more than 90,000 acres (36,421 hectares), was 30 percent contained by Monday evening.

The Hill Fire, which ignited around the same time on Thursday afternoon not far from the Woolsey Fire, was 85 percent contained by Monday, having already scorched 4,531 acres (1,834 hectares) and destroyed two structures.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 00:10:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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OSLO, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Norwegian navy frigate that had collided with an oil tanker last week off Norway's western coast sank almost completely under water on Tuesday, public broadcaster NRK reported.

After the collision of the KNM Helge Ingstad frigate and the Malta-registered Greek Aframax tanker Sola TS on Nov. 8 outside the Sture Terminal, an oil terminal 50 km northwest of Bergen, Norway, the Norwegian Navy has been working on securing the frigate with wire ropes.

Early Tuesday morning, however, all the wire ropes holding the frigate to the land broke and now there were only radar tower and parts of the fence above the water, NRK wrote.

"It is unbelievably sad. First and foremost, we are pleased that the crew is well. Losing a vessel is unbelievably sad. There are great values and an important military capacity," said Norwegian Chief of the Navy Nils Andreas Stensones.

Stensones confirmed that the goal was to save the vessel, but that the extent of the damages was till unknown.

He also said that the Norwegian Navy, in accordance with the Accident Investigation Board, decided to conduct an internal investigation of the accident.

The frigate took a lot of water as the collision led to a large hole in its side. Eight people on board the navy ship suffered minor injuries while the tanker sustained only slight damage.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 00:26:56|Editor: Chengcheng

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by Denis Elamu

JUBA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Several South Sudanese patients suffering long time eye complications are reaping dividends of peace returning to the country following the government's decision to roll out free surgery campaign being undertaken by foreign and local doctors.

Julia Akur, 54, is one of several elderly eye patients who attended the free eye surgery campaign at the Juba-based Buluk eye center on Tuesday.

She told Xinhua after undergoing a successful operation on her right eye recently that she travelled all the way from Ruweng region, north of the capital, to benefit from the eye operation campaign being conducted by Egyptian and South Sudanese surgeons with support from both countries' governments.

"I have suffered for the last two years without medication due to financial difficulty and also the violence in my home town prevented me from accessing treatment but now after this operation on my right eye I hope to enjoy things I have not been enjoying before," she said.

Akur, who came out of the operation theater with her right eye wrapped with cotton wool and plaster, and with support of a walking stick besides her son, said she hopes to recover in seven months.

Adhel Dor Athian, a 50-year-old mother of five from the northern Gogrial region, who was standing in a long queue of patients being screened and registered for eye operation, said she is delighted as her suffering for nearly three years from eye infection was nearing an end.

"If I feel Okay I will go inform the rest of my colleagues in Gogrial suffering from eye complications to also come and benefit from this service. I thank the government for helping us because I could not afford the money for treatment," said Adhian, who was about to undergo the operation.

According to a disability assessment survey conducted by the government in 2011, about 424,000 people live with disabilities in South Sudan, with the majority of them getting disabilities from eye diseases, polio and physical injuries sustained during war and violent conflicts.

The report says 85 percent of persons with disabilities live in rural areas with limited access to basic services.

People with disabilities face enormous challenges such as limited access to health services, education and mobility as most of the country's public infrastructure does not have special access zones for people with physical and visual impairment.

Apal Ring Wol, 45, also from Gogrial region, said she hopes to finally recover her sight after suffering eye infection two years back that caused her to become blind in August this year.

Islam Sawahly, one of the several Egyptian eye surgeons flown in last week to conduct operations, said they will be carrying out at least 70 eye surgeries daily for one week.

"We are going to conduct eye surgeries on at least 70 patients daily for one week but we are expecting more patients to arrive at this center," he said, gesturing to the hundreds of both elderly and young people at the reception center.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 00:27:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ABUJA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian troops have nabbed a teenage girl who confessed to being on a suicide mission in the northeastern city Maiduguri, birthplace of terror group Boko Haram, the army said on Tuesday.

In a statement on its official Twitter account, the army said the girl was on a lone mission and was arrested while attempting to infiltrate Maiduguri, also the capital of the northern state of Borno.

The 19-year-old, identified as Shaidatu Adamu, was wearing a suicide vest when the army arrested her.

She told interrogators that she had been in Sambisa Forest, the largest training camp of Boko Haram in Borno for three years.

The army said experts have been deployed to diffuse the explosives she was carrying.

Further investigation has been launched on the suspect's mission, the army added.

Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria since 2009.

The group in the Lake Chad Basin has posed enormous security, humanitarian and governance challenges, according to the United Nations.

Four countries caught up in the insurgency are Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. The UN said Boko Haram has displaced nearly 2.4 million people in the Lake Chad sub-region.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 00:29:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Dana Halawi

BEIRUT, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Experts gathered at the China-Arab Banking and Business Forum Tuesday provided different insights on ways of boosting bilateral ties between Lebanon and China.

"China will continue to explore cooperation with Lebanon especially in infrastructure projects and sectors related to people's livelihood in light of the economic plan and political agenda of the new Lebanese government," said Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian.

Wang said that China has set up a special loan of 15 billion U.S. dollars to support the industrialization of the Middle East that will benefit Lebanon.

Wang's remarks came during a session held within the framework of the forum.

Dubbed "Role of Lebanon as a hub for China and its prospective projects," the session aimed at discussing ways of fostering Lebanese-Chinese relations.

"We could further optimize the legal framework of bilateral economic and commercial cooperation, discuss possibilities of agreements on double taxation avoidance and labor cooperation, upgrade the bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement," said Wang.

The ambassador added that the two countries can also uphold the multilateral trading system and support Lebanon to accelerate its WTO accession process.

"We can further discuss the current concern of the Lebanese side on increasing its exports to China, continue to improve the level of mutual openness and expand the bilateral trade flows," he said.

Wang added that the two countries can also boost the exchanges and consultations on monetary and financial cooperation, encourage the financial institutions from both sides to set up branches, and facilitate Chinese companies to explore the Lebanese market and contribute to the Lebanese economy.

Wang also noted that communication between enterprises from both sides is a priority.

Meanwhile, Fadi Hayek, Lebanese secretary general of the High Council for Privatization and PPP, suggested that China invest in breaking down the language barrier.

"The language barrier is very difficult and it should be broken. We call on our Chinese counterparts to invest in the Chinese language education in our part," he said.

Hayek said that although Lebanon is a small market, it cannot be underestimated, noting "Lebanon is a hub for the Middle East region."

He said that Lebanon plays an important role in sectors such as technology, telecom and renewable energy. "You should think about joint investments with Lebanese companies in the region," he added.

Lebanon secured over 11 billion dollars in soft loans and grants from international donors at CEDRE to revamp its ailing infrastructure and bolster its economy.

CEDRE is an international conference in support of Lebanon's development and reforms.

However, authorities must speed up the formation of the new government to start necessary reforms to obtain the help pledged at CEDRE.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 00:28:52|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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NEW YORK, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Amazon has chosen New York City and Arlington in Northern Virginia as the locations for its new headquarters, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

The online retail giant will invest 5 billion U.S. dollars and create more than 50,000 jobs across the two new locations, with more than 25,000 employees each in New York City and Arlington, according to the statement.

The New York City headquarters will be located in the Long Island City neighborhood in Queens, and the new Washington, D.C. metro headquarters in Arlington will be located in National Landing, the company said.

The company added that hiring at both the new headquarters will begin next year and that the average salary for new employees in the areas will be more than 150,000 dollars.

"These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.

Local governments in both locations have offered the company generous incentives.

Amazon will receive performance-based direct incentives of 1.53 billion dollars based on the company creating 25,000 jobs in Long Island City. The incentives will include a refundable tax credit of up to 1.2 billion dollars and a cash grant of 325 million dollars.

In Arlington, the company will receive performance-based direct incentives of 573 million dollars, also based on the company creating 25,000 jobs.

In the statement, Amazon also announced a third investment in downtown Nashville, Tennessee where it will build a new operations center of excellence. The new facility is expected to create 5,000 jobs.

Amazon began searching for a second headquarters in North America in September of last year. In January this year, 20 finalists were sifted out from a total of 238 bids.

During the search, the company prioritized metropolitan areas with over 1 million people and a stable, business-friendly environment.

Shares of Amazon rose more than 1 percent to trade at 1,654 dollars apiece in early trading on Tuesday.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 00:34:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JERUSALEM, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Israel has suspended contacts with international mediators on cease-fire with Gaza, Israeli media reported on Tuesday, following a severe fire exchange between Israel and Gaza.

An official told the Channel 2 TV that Israel was suspending contacts with Egyptian and United Nations mediators, without elaborating on the reasons.

The remarks came as Israel's security cabinet met to discuss Israel's next steps in the wake of the worst flare-up with the besieged Palestinian enclave in years.

Since Sunday night, unprecedented barrages of some 400 Gaza rockets have hit southern Israel, killing a Palestinian man in the city of Ashkelon and wounding at least 85 others, most of whom sustained light injuries.

In Gaza, the Israeli Air Force carried out more than 150 airstrikes, bombing Hamas' al-Aqsa TV and Hamas' headquarters in Gaza, as well as dozens of other sites including tunnels and military positions.

On Monday, the Israeli attacks killed at least three men and on Tuesday five more, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.

An Egyptian delegation was expected to arrive in Israel later on Tuesday in an effort to broker a cease-fire, local media reported.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special envoy to the Middle East who participates in the efforts to restore calm, said the UN is working closely with Egypt in an effort to "ensure that Gaza steps back from the brink."

The recent escalation is "extremely dangerous and reckless. Rockets must stop, restraint must be shown by all. No effort must be spared to reverse the spiral of violence," he wrote on his Twitter account.

The abrupt violence was sparked by a failed Israeli undercover raid in Gaza on Sunday night. The undercover troops were exposed by Hamas militants, prompting a fire exchange that cost the lives of seven Palestinian militants and an Israeli officer.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 00:33:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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SHANGHAI, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The number of tourists from the Chinese mainland to Japan is expected to exceed 8 million in 2018, a record high, according to China's top online travel agency Ctrip.

Chinese tourists will spend more than 100 billion yuan (14 billion U.S. dollars) in Japan, Ctrip said in a report on Monday.

Young people make up the majority of the Japan-bound tourists. Of those making bookings on Ctrip, about 70 percent are under the age of 35, the report said.

"Shopping was the major focus of these tourists, but now they are paying more attention to local food and traditional culture," it also said.

Driven by rising disposable income, easier visa procedures and the increasing number of flights and cruise ships between China and Japan, the number of Chinese tourists to Japan is on the rise. Last year, the number of Chinese mainland tourists to Japan stood at 7.35 million, signaling double-digit growth, according to the report.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 00:54:51|Editor: Chengcheng

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HANGZHOU, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese taxation official Tuesday called for strengthened cooperation among taxation authorities of Asian and Oceanian regions in an effort to smooth trade and investment in the face of increasing challenges.

"We should jointly improve modern taxation policies and collection systems...and support each other in promoting economic stability and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region," Wang Jun, director of the State Administration of Taxation, said at the annual meeting of the Study Group on Asian Tax Administration and Research (SGATAR) that opened Tuesday in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.

Wang urged SGATAR members to share successful experience, expand taxation reform in an open and inclusive manner, and work to lower tariff barriers.

The Chinese government is stepping up taxation reforms to build a better business environment. Separated national and local taxation systems are being unified for higher efficiency, and value-added tax rates were reduced to help the real economy. New individual income tax and environmental protection tax were also put into effect.

China's latest round of taxation reform in part aims to meet the national strategy and provide better services for taxpayers, Wang said.

According to the World Bank Group in its annual doing business report released on Oct. 31, China advanced to a global ranking of 46 for ease of doing business this year, up from 78 last year. The country also moved up 16 positions in terms of the sub-index on taxation.

Naomi Ferguson, Chief Executive and Commissioner of the New Zealand Inland Revenue Department, spoke highly of China's moves during the conference and expects closer cooperation between the two countries. This year marks the tenth anniversary for the China-New Zealand free trade agreement.

The SGATAR meeting runs from Tuesday to Thursday and is the third time for China to serve as host since 1998.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 00:53:55|Editor: Chengcheng

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An Israeli helicopter fires a missile over the Gaza Strip, on Nov. 13, 2018. Israel's security cabinet adjourned on Tuesday after a seven-hour meeting, instructing the army to continue the air attacks in Gaza "as necessary." (Xinhua/JINI)

JERUSALEM, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Israel's security cabinet adjourned on Tuesday after a seven-hour meeting, instructing the army to continue the air attacks in Gaza "as necessary."

A statement released by the Prime Minister's Office said the cabinet discussed the recent bloody escalation and "heard reports from the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and security sources about the attacks and the large-scale actions against the terrorist elements in Gaza."

Despite calls from right-wing Israeli leaders to launch a fully-fledged military campaign against Gaza, the cabinet apparently did not approve such a move. Instead, the cabinet said it had "instructed the IDF to continue its operations as necessary," the statement read, without elaborating.

Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement that if Israel halts its aggression, it will be possible to suspend the rocket fire.

The Prime Minister's Office also said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked over the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron and told him that Israel is "exercising its right to defend itself against terror elements."

Since Sunday night, unprecedented barrages of some 400 Gaza rockets have hit southern Israel, killing a Palestinian man in the city of Ashkelon and wounding at least 85 others, most of whom sustained light injuries.

In Gaza, the Israeli Air Force carried out more than 150 airstrikes, bombing Hamas' al-Aqsa TV and Hamas' headquarters in Gaza, as well as dozens of other sites including tunnels and military positions.

An Egyptian delegation was expected to arrive in Israel later on Tuesday in an effort to broker a ceasefire, local media reported.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special envoy to the Middle East who participates in the efforts to restore calm, said the UN is working closely with Egypt in an effort to "ensure that Gaza steps back from the brink."

The recent escalation is "extremely dangerous and reckless. Rockets must stop, restraint must be shown by all. No effort must be spared to reverse the spiral of violence," he wrote on his Twitter account.

The abrupt violence was sparked by a failed Israeli undercover raid in Gaza on Sunday night. The undercover troops were exposed by Hamas militants, prompting a fire exchange that cost the lives of seven Palestinian militants and an Israeli military officer.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 01:10:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GAZA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Egypt brokered on Tuesday evening a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Islamic Hamas movement-led militant groups in the Gaza Strip, well-informed Palestinian sources told Xinhua.

The sources in Hamas, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that the Egyptian security intelligence succeeded in brokering a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the Qatari al-Jazeera reported on Tuesday evening that according to sources in Hamas, a cease-fire agreement was reached between Israel and the Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip.

The Islamic Jihad in Gaza said that the movement will be committed to calm in condition that "the enemy (Israel) must be also committed to it and stop all kinds of hostilities."

Earlier on Tuesday evening, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas chief, said in a statement that "if the occupation (Israel) stops its aggression, it is possible to get back to ceasefire."

"The Palestinian armed resistance defended itself and its people, and our people embraced resistance with patience and pride," said Haniyeh's statement.

The Egyptian-brokered cease-fire ended two days of bloody confrontations between Israel and Hamas-led militant groups in the Gaza Strip that killed at least eight people and wounded over 20 civilians.

Tension between the two sides mounted on Monday evening, when Gaza militant groups, who formed a joint operations room, including Hamas, fired barrages of rockets from the coastal enclave into southern Israel.

The militant groups fired the rockets in revenge for the killing of seven Hamas militants on Sunday night east of the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, where one Israeli army officer was also killed in the exchange of fire in the area.

In response to firing barrages of rockets, Israeli war jets carried out intensive airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which destroyed buildings, homes of Hamas leaders and a television station.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 01:54:51|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang addresses a welcoming banquet hosted by the Singapore Business Federation and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Singapore, Nov. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday called for enhancing the economic cooperation between China and Singapore.

Li, who is on an official visit to Singapore, made the remarks while addressing a welcoming banquet hosted by the Singapore Business Federation and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

China is ready to work with Singapore to set up cooperation platforms for connectivity, financial support and third-party cooperation, so as to upgrade economic and trade cooperation and deepen financial cooperation, Li told more than 1,000 people from Singapore's economic and business circles.

Over the last 40 years, the development of Singapore has provided China with precious experience, while the development of China has brought about important opportunities for Singapore, Li said.

China will advance reform and opening-up with greater efforts, more practical measures and faster pace, promote high-quality development, and maintain the continuity and stability of macroeconomic policies without adopting strong stimulus policies, he said.

The premier also reiterated China's policies to continue streamlining administration, cutting taxes and reducing fees, and create a business environment of fair competition where Chinese and foreign enterprises are treated equal.

He sent a welcoming message to companies from all countries including Singapore to seize business opportunities and expand investment in China, enhance economic and trade cooperation and achieve mutually beneficial and win-win results.

On the Chinese economy, Li said it is performing with overall stability and within the reasonable range.

As the international environment has gone through remarkable changes, the Chinese economy faces a certain degree of downward pressure, which China has relatively big room and resilience to accommodate, he said.

The Chinese economy's long-term positive fundamentals will not change and the prospects of China's development will surely be brighter, Li said.

Li started his official visit to Singapore on Monday. This is the first visit by a Chinese premier to Singapore in 11 years.

During the visit, Li will also attend the 21st leaders' meeting between China and ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as well as the 21st ASEAN-China, Japan and South Korea leaders' meeting, respectively known as 10+1 and 10+3, as well as the 13th East Asia Summit.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 01:58:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TEHRAN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday slammed the recent attacks by Israel on Gaza Strip as "state terrorism."

In a statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said that "terrors, crimes and aggression of the usurper regime of Israel still go on with the support and encouragement of the U.S. government amid the silence of some regional countries."

Qasemi urged immediate international intervention to stop what he called "the Zionist regime's terrors and war machine."

Since Monday afternoon, a total of seven people were killed and more than 25 others wounded during the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on military facilities that belong to Hamas movement and Islamic Jihad militants in the Gaza Strip.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 02:02:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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XI'AN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Nine people were killed and three injured as two vehicles collided Tuesday night in Xi'an, the capital city of northwestern China's Shaanxi Province, according to the local police.

A head-on collision occurred between a cement mixer truck and a minibus on Fangwei Road in Baqiao district at around 8:41 p.m. Tuesday, the police said.

The injured have already been hospitalized and the detailed cause of the accident is under investigation.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 02:05:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BERLIN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The German government plans to invest 3 billion euros (3.4 billion U.S. dollars) in artificial intelligence, the German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Tuesday.

According to Handelsblatt, this investment was part of a strategy for the development of the AI sector in Germany that the government intends to announce at a digital conference on Thursday.

The strategy includes measures to improve research, education and the development of business models in the AI sector. At least 100 new AI university professorships are sought to be created in addition to setting up competence centers and laboratories where new technologies can be tested.

According to the governmental strategy as seen by Handelsblatt on Tuesday, especially small and medium sized companies in Germany would currently not have any AI expertise.

In July, the German government presented its master plan for artificial intelligence. It contains key issues which should bring Germany to a "world leading level in terms of research, development and application of artificial intelligence."

German Economics Minister Peter Altmaier said during the presentation of the governmental masterplan "that artificial intelligence is not just another innovation - it is a basic innovation that will change and improve our economy and our lives as a whole."Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 02:06:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TRIPOLI, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Tuesday that 262 illegal immigrants were evacuated Monday night from Libya to Niger.

"To date, 2,344 persons have been evacuated from Libya, hoping for a better future," UNHCR said in a statement.

Libya has become a preferred departure point for illegal immigrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe because of insecurity and chaos in the North African country following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Shelters in Libya are crowded with thousands of illegal immigrants rescued at sea or arrested by the Libyan security services.

During a visit to Libya in June, UNHCR Commissioner Filippo Grandi said international pledges to resettle 25,000 illegal immigrants from Libya are moving slowly.

"We have received international commitments on the issue of resettling 25,000 refugees from Libya. Unfortunately, these commitments are not going well, but slowly," said Grandi at a press conference in the capital Tripoli after visiting several refugee shelters and camps.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 05:43:47|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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RIGA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Talks among five political parties on Latvia's next coalition government stalled on Tuesday as several politicians found the initiatives proposed by prime minister-designate Janis Bordans far too expensive for the country's limited budget.

A break in the talks was announced until Wednesday morning after Finance Ministry officials warned the politicians that the draft government declaration proposed by Bordans' New Conservative Party would not be implementable due to a shortage of budget funds.

According to estimates of the Finance Ministry, the total costs of the initiatives included in the draft document would total 1.7 billion euros (one euro currently equals to 1.13 U.S. dollars) in 2019.

The most serious objections against the draft government declaration were voiced by representatives of the liberal alliance For Development/For and the right-wing National Alliance.

The two parties believe that the government's work plan needs a fundamental reworking because the new government cannot afford to give to the people unrealistic promises like steep pension hikes and generous welfare benefits.

"Apparently, the dream boat has hit a fiscal sandbank," Daniels Pavluts, leader of For Development/For, admitted as he commented on the talks to reporters.

Raivis Dzintars, leader of the National Alliance, also said it would be sheer irresponsibility to write unrealistic promises into the government declaration.

Representatives of the New Conservative Party, KPV LV, the National Alliance, For Development/For and New Unity will meet again on Wednesday morning to try and break the deadlock.

Prime minister-designate Bordans said he was determined to continue the negotiations so the new coalition government will be in place by the Nov. 21 deadline, set by President Raimonds Vejonis.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 05:34:20|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ANKARA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exerted further pressure on Saudi Arabia, by sharing with Western allies the recordings related to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Erdogan told reporters on his plane returning from a weekend visit to France that he discussed the Saudi journalist's killing with the U.S., French and German leaders in Paris where they marked the 100th anniversary of the World War I armistice on Sunday.

"We played the recordings regarding this murder to everyone who wanted the tapes from us. Our intelligence organization did not hide anything. We played them to all who wanted them including the Saudis, the United States, France, Canada, Germany, Britain," he said.

"The recordings are truly appalling," said Erdogan, without giving further details.

The Turkish leader went on to say that a Saudi intelligence officer was really shocked when he listened to the recording and he said that a person "must be high on heroine" to commit such an horrific act.

Khashoggi, 59, a critic of the Saudi leadership, was killed on Oct. 2 inside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul where he entered to pick up official documents for his marriage to his Turkish fiance.

Khashoggi's killing has provoked global outrage but little concrete action by world powers against Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump who has no intention of cutting ties with the kingdom.

Erdogan reiterated to reporters on his plane that it was clear the murder was planned and that the order came from the top level of Saudi authorities, but he ruled out that Saudi King Salman was aware of the murder.

He nevertheless expressed his frustration over the Saudi regime's lack of providing answers, pressing Riyadh to expose the truth as soon as possible.

Saudi authorities have arrested 18 suspects last month for involvement in the Khashoggi's murder.

Riyadh first denied any knowledge or involvement in the crime before admitting it and blaming it on the "rogue" forces inside the state apparatus.

The body of the slain Washington Post contributor has not been found, despite extensive investigation by Turkish services. Turkey's chief prosecutor has said Khashoggi was strangled and then dismembered as part of a premeditated plan. There have been claims that his body was dissolved in acid.

A journalist with Turkey's Daily Sabah newspaper said Khashoggi's killers placed a plastic bag on his head the moment he entered the Saudi compound.

"I'm suffocating. Take this bag off my head, I'm claustrophobic," he allegedly said in his dying moments and the murder lasted for seven minutes, the report said.

Turkey has been exerting pressure on Saudi Arabia over the Khasoggi murder, vowing that Ankara will not let this case unsolved.

"Turkey has continued its efforts to keep the international attention on the case. The Turkish government made it clear that Saudi's efforts to let this murder fade away will not be allowed and it will continue to keep the affair alive," Serkan Demirtas, a Turkish political analyst and journalist, told Xinhua.

Experts said that Erdogan has been trying to curb Saudi influence in the Middle East by using the Khashoggi case to increase pressure on Riyadh, which has chilly ties with Turkey.

Demirtas, the Ankara bureau chief of the Hurriyet Daily News, argued that Turkey's strategy was "to impose a concerted pressure" on Riyadh with the involvement of the global powers from the very beginning of the incident.

Visibly irritated by the Turkish strategy, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Adrian accused Erdogan of "playing a political game" over this case and denied that his country received recordings from Turkey, prompting a backlash from Ankara.

"It is very impudent for them to accuse our president of playing political games, this is unacceptable," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted by state-run Anadolu Agency as saying.

A Turkish official told Xinhua that if it were not for Turkey, "maybe this affair would have been closed without the culprits being found because they (Western countries) have very lucrative contracts with Saudi Arabia."

The French Foreign Ministry later called it a "misunderstanding," adding that the information provided by Turkey had not allowed for the "full truth" to come out, including who might be responsible for the crime.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 05:38:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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SANAA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Top United Nations officials paid visits to Yemen's Hodeidah on Tuesday, bringing about "relative calm" to the embattled Red Sea port city following a week of intensified fightings between government troops and Houthi rebels.

World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande visited parts of the port city on Tuesday afternoon to assess the humanitarian situation in the flashpoint city after weeks of deadly fighting, local media reported.

"Hunger is devastating Yemen. I am here this week to see the situation on the ground, and to once again add my voice to the outcry: this violence must stop. We cannot allow this suffering to continue," Beasley, who arrived in Yemen on Sunday, said on his Twitter account.

Most workers in the UN humanitarian agencies had left the city over the past days after the escalating fighting between the government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels reached the inner streets of the populated city.

The fighting eased on Tuesday, particularly after Monday's visit by British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt to Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, where he met Saudi King Salman to discuss ceasefire in Yemen.

Hunt was quoted by Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV as saying that the kingdom agreed to allow the evacuation of 50 wounded Houthi fighters from Sanaa to Oman for treatment.

Hunt's remarks were considered as a sign of possible breakthrough in the Yemeni conflict.

However, the coalition spokesman, Turki al-Maliki, appeared at a press conference in Riyadh following Hunt's statement, vowing that the battle for capturing Hodeidah would continue.

"The offensive to liberate the port city will continue to prevent the rebels from threatening the international navigation in the Red Sea," al-Maliki said at a press conference in Riyadh, aired live by Al Arabiya.

Saudi Arabia is leading the 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 battles for the control of Hodeidah have killed more than 500 people, including dozens of civilians, over the past few weeks. The UN aid agencies have recorded about 445,000 internally-displaced people who fled the escalating fighting in Hodeidah since June.

Meanwhile, the UN envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths said on Tuesday on his official Twitter account that he "highly appreciated" Hunt's recent visit and continuous support to give "a much needed push" towards the resumption of the political process in Yemen.

Griffiths welcomed reports of reduced hostilities in Hodeidah, saying the "de-escalation is a crucial step to prevent further humanitarian suffering, and to build a more enabling environment for the political process."

"The logistical preparations are under way for the upcoming round of consultations. We are in a position to move forward," Griffiths said.

Also on Tuesday, the Houthis reported the killing of eight "displaced passengers" escaping Hodeidah by a coalition airstrike on a bus traveling on the highway near the al-Jarrahi district in the afternoon.

However, neither the Houthis nor the Yemeni government made any statement on the temporary ceasefire in Hodeidah.

The Houthis-held Hodeidah port is a main entry point of about 80 percent of Yemen's commercial imports and UN humanitarian aid. The port was still operating normally.

The rebels seized the port city in late 2014 after they overran the northern parts of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The government troops, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, have recaptured most coastal areas south of the port city since last July. The fighting has escalated in the city following the collapse of peacemaking efforts by the UN in Geneva on Sept. 8, as Houthi rebels refused to attend.

The Yemeni troops have advanced to near the city center in Hodeidah in the past few days, fighting with Houthi rebels from street to street.

Capturing the port city would be a major victory for the government since the civil war erupted four years ago, and could force the loser to sit down at the negotiation table.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (C) poses for a family photo with members of delegations during the multilateral peace talks on Afghanistan in Moscow, Russia November 9, 2018. (REUTERS PHOTO)

MOSCOW, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday denounced a senior U.S. official's claim about Russia's interference in negotiations over the Afghan issue as Washington's attempts to shift the blame for its own policy failures in the country.

On Thursday, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale accused Russia of supporting conflicts in Afghanistan.

"We regard Hale's statement as a clumsy attempt to shift responsibility to the Russian side for U.S. own failures in Afghanistan and the lack of achievements in Washington's efforts to find a solution to the Afghan issue," a ministry statement said.

The ministry said the accusation could only cause "bewilderment" as Moscow is making consistent efforts to facilitate the intra-Afghan reconciliation process, citing the recently held second meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan.

The meeting was held on Friday in the Russian capital with the participation of deputy foreign ministers, special representatives and observers from 11 countries including the United States.

The meeting also marked the first time that representatives of both the Afghan government and the Taliban participated, the ministry noted.A man cleans the scene of a car bomb explosion at Jamila wholesale market in Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr city, Iraq, Aug. 28, 2017. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The UN top envoy for Iraq Jan Kubis on Tuesday said the international community must continually support Iraq in rebuilding the country.

Kubis, the special representative of the United Nations secretary-general for Iraq, said the new government of Iraq intends to start rebuilding immediately, particularly on the delivery of services and jobs, on reforming and energizing the economy, fighting corruption and administrative red tape.

The Iraqi parliament elected Barham Salih as the country's new president and confirmed Adel Abdul-Mahdi as prime minister in October, and 14 cabinet ministers were endorsed.

While the government formation process has not been without controversy, "competition and differences have been largely political and not sectarian, and in this way, a break from the past," said Kubis.

Kubis said the government's program outlines specific plans for reforms, investment, and for transitioning Iraq from a crisis context to sustainable development, and it recommends steps to tackle corruption across all sectors, and sets out a framework to guide the planning and work of each ministry.

The program also aims at strengthening security and fighting terrorism. "The new government intends to introduce robust measures to further improve and achieve sustainable security throughout the country, intensifying efforts to uproot Da'esh terrorist cells to counter this insurgency," he said.

"Iraq will require and counts on the continued support of the international community, we must not let them down," Kubis said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 05:47:03|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BUCHAREST, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Energy company Enel X Romania announced Tuesday to invest up to 20 million euro (22.47 million U.S. dollars) to set up around 2,500 electric vehicle charging points around Romania in five years.

"Enel X Romania is committed to offering electric vehicle owners and fleets the opportunity to travel across the country...without having to worry about where to find the next charging point," said Marius Chiriac, head of Enel X Romania.

According to the company, a member of Italian Enel Group's advanced energy services division, the first charging points will be installed in 2019 in big cities like Bucharest, Timisoara and Constanta. It is expected that some 300 charging points will be installed during the year.

Enel X Romania will cooperate with "Recharge Partners" such as shopping centers, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels to carry out the installation work, while the installation and maintenance of the charging stations does not entail costs for the "Recharge Partners", as they will in return provide parking space.

Enel X Romania will also offer a similar service to municipalities that are interested in improving air quality by encouraging electric mobility and the company will provide the free installation and maintenance of the charging infrastructure on public parking spaces.

The plan envisages the installation of charging stations of 22 kW (Quick), 50 kW (Fast) and over 150 kW (Ultrafast).

A total of 2,922 new eco-friendly cars (electric and hybrid) were sold in Romania in the first three quarters of 2018, almost doubled compared to the same period of last year, according to the latest data released by the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association.

In the three years since the opening of the first charging station for electric vehicles, their number reached 130 units in Romania.

The number of charging stations in Romania is extremely small compared to other countries. For example, there are 24,000-25,000 charging stations in Germany and France, and more than 35,000 load points in the Netherlands, according to the European Alternative Fuels Observatory.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 05:47:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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HELSINKI, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Finnish research has indicated the lack of sunshine between November and March brings more suicides, and it affects men more than women.

With the climate change, darkness will increase in Southern and Central Finland. Snow cover eases the darkness, but winters are now seeing more rain as water from cloudy skies, noted Reija Ruuhela, a researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

"The less light, the more suicides," she said. Ruuhela added that "men will be more affected than women".

The risk of male suicides increases during low air pressure, while women are more prone to suicides during the high pressure, Ruuhela told national broadcaster Yle. The results are based on comparison of climate data and statistics of suicides and attempts in Finland.

The number of suicides in Finland kept declining from 1990. Ruuhela said that the climate change may halt the positive trend.

In 1990 some 1,500 suicides were reported in Finland. The number declined steadily afterwards. But in 2016 the figure of 757 showed an increase of 50 from the previous year, Statistics Finland reported.

Ruuhela said that while Finns are historically seasoned to stand cold weather, long hot periods are a new phenomenon. She suggests that the country should prepare better to meet a warmer climate.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 05:45:27|Editor: Yang Yi

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China's permanent representative to the United Nations Ma Zhaoxu (L, front) addresses the Security Council on the situation in Iraq at the UN headquarters in New York, the United Stetes, Nov. 13, 2018. China's UN envoy on Tuesday called for economic recovery and accelerated reconstruction of Iraq after the country's recent progress in forming a new government. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's UN envoy on Tuesday called for economic recovery and accelerated reconstruction of Iraq after the country's recent progress in forming a new government.

At a Security Council meeting on Iraq, China's permanent representative to the United Nations Ma Zhaoxu said the Iraqi government should speed up its national reconstruction process, give full play to its advantage in resources, promote its economic development, enhance its capacity in providing public services, and improve people's livelihood.

The international community should continue to provide support and assistance to Iraq, ease its humanitarian situation, assist Iraq in its economic recovery, and create a favorable environment for its national reconstruction, he added.

The Chinese diplomat pledged that China supports any effort conducive to the political settlement of the Iraqi issue and fight against terrorism, adding "China will as always participate in the economic reconstruction of Iraq and continue to provide assistance to the best of its ability."

Ma also called for continuous support for combatting terrorism in Iraq. "Relevant parties should strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation, unify standards and fight all Council-listed terrorist organizations and resolutely contain terrorist forces, curb the return of their activities as well as the momentum of their spread."

At Tuesday's council meeting, the UN top envoy for Iraq Jan Kubis also called on the international community to support Iraq in rebuilding the country.

Kubis, the special representative of the United Nations secretary-general for Iraq, said the new government of Iraq intends to start rebuilding immediately, particularly on the delivery of services and jobs, on reforming and energizing the economy, fighting corruption and administrative red tape.

The Iraqi parliament elected Barham Salih as the country's new president and confirmed Adel Abdul-Mahdi as prime minister in October, and 14 cabinet ministers were endorsed.

While the government formation process has not been without controversy, "competition and differences have been largely political and not sectarian, and in this way, a break from the past," said Kubis.

Kubis said the government's program outlines specific plans for reforms, investment, and for transitioning Iraq from a crisis context to sustainable development, and it recommends steps to tackle corruption across all sectors, and sets out a framework to guide the planning and work of each ministry.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 05:58:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TEHRAN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Kish Island in the Gulf will host an international marine exhibition on Dec. 17-19, Tehran Times daily reported on Tuesday.

The 20th International Maritime and Offshore Technologies Exhibition (IRANIMEX 2018) aims to gather maritime organizations and companies together and provide them with an opportunity to showcase their products and present their capabilities, Ali-Akbar Marzban, chairman of the exhibition headquarters, said on Tuesday.

The event will also provide a platform for the domestic companies to find appropriate foreign partners to cooperate with, Marzban was quoted as saying.

"Our main policy is to hold a unique and integrated exhibition with the highest level of quality," he said, adding that "it is very important the exhibition can provide the ground for the attraction of foreign investment in maritime sector."

Specialized workshops and meetings are also planned to be held on the sidelines of the exhibition, he pointed out.

The Iranian official said that 18 companies from Germany, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Oman, China along with 230 Iranian companies will showcase their latest products and achievements in the event.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 05:53:52|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Murad Abdu

ADEN, Yemen, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Days of fierce street fights between Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels for the control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah have made it very difficult for local families to flee to safe areas.

The multi-pronged assault, backed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, has overwhelmed many Houthi-controlled neighborhoods of Hodeidah, sparking nonstop street-to-street fights between the advancing government troops and the Houthi rebels holed up in the city.

Sources based in Hodeidah said that dozens of local families started fleeing their homes to seek shelter in the surrounding provinces.

However, the majority of residents in Hodeidah have been unable to evacuate their homes due to several reasons, including poverty and very high transportation costs.

Khaled Muthana, a local resident, told Xinhua by phone that he wanted to flee after shells landed near his house but failed due to lack of financial support.

"Fleeing to other safe areas requires a lot of money and we barely find meals to eat particularly during these difficult days," Muthana said.

He added that "neither the government nor humanitarian organizations provide help for citizens willing to flee the flashpoint areas in Hodeidah."

A government official based in Aden said that the a number of refugee camps had been established to receive new displaced people from Hodeidah.

Emad Ali, a journalist based in Hodeidah, said that many families are besieged inside their houses as fighting expanded to include new areas, leaving the city without exits.

"All the entrances of Hodeidah are blocked by the warring factions and no safe roads were there for the residents," he said.

He urged all the United Nations organizations and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government to intervene and rescue the trapped families in Hodeidah as soon as possible.

The ongoing fighting left nearly 600 people killed in Hodeidah from both warring parties during weeks of ferocious fighting and intensified airstrikes launched by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition.

During the past few days, the government forces made significant progress despite a large number of landmines and booby-trapped buildings, in addition to professional Houthi snipers who took positions on buildings inside residential neighborhoods, local military sources said.

On the other side, media outlets loyal to the Houthi group dismissed the reports about Yemeni government's military achievements in Hodeidah.

The Houthi fighters claimed to have repulsed a massive military offensive by government forces, killing and injuring scores of "local mercenaries", according to the pro-Houthi media.

The government forces vowed to continue to push forward in an attempt to seize full control of the city's strategic port, but Houthis fought the forces with stiff resistance.

Yemen's internationally-backed government and Saudi Arabia have repeatedly accused the Houthi rebels of using Hodeidah's port to smuggle Iranian weapons. Both Houthis and Iran have denied the accusation.

Hodeidah is the most important and only point of entry for food and basic supplies to Yemen's northern provinces controlled by the Houthis, including the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in Yemen's conflict in March 2015 in a bid to roll back the Shiite Houthi rebels and reinstate Yemeni President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 05:52:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock on Tuesday called for a cease-fire around the Red Sea port of Hudaydah in Yemen.

"I ask that the parties implement a cessation of hostilities, not least in and around all the infrastructure and facilities on which the aid operation and commercial importers rely (in Hudaydah)," Lowcock said in a statement.

Lowcock echoed a statement of the top UN envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, after an informal agreement to reduce hostilities between Saudi-led coalition forces and Houthi rebels in and around Hudaydah has reportedly taken hold.

"I echo the statement of Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, calling upon all parties to the conflict in Yemen to show restraint. All parties must live up to their obligations under international humanitarian law," said Lowcock in the statement.

The United Nations is ready to play an enhanced role in ensuring the appropriate use of key facilities, especially around Hudaydah, said Lowcock.

Last month, he warned of "a clear and present danger" of an imminent famine in the war-torn country -- much bigger than anything any professional in the humanitarian field has encountered during their working lives.

About 14 million Yemenis, or half the total population of the country, face pre-famine conditions, he told the UN Security Council.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 06:02:55|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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NAIROBI, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Kenya in conjunction with the World Bank on Tuesday launched digital reading and writing tools to enhance the participation of the visually impaired population in governance.

Eugene Wamalwa, cabinet secretary for devolution, said that the launch of state-of-the-art assistive devices for people suffering from visual impairment will enable them to contribute to policy formulation and governance at local and national levels.

"Kenya has domesticated global conventions on the rights of disabled persons and today's launch of a Braille containing guidelines to enable the blind to participate in governance and public policy is a significant milestone," Wamalwa remarked.

The ministry with technical assistance from the World Bank developed the Braille version of key policies and legislation that promote good governance, transparency and accountability in all levels of government.

Wamalwa said that harnessing the intellectual wealth of people living with disabilities is key to realizing progress, stability and cohesion in the country.

"People living with all forms of disabilities including the deaf and the blind should be provided with assistive devices to enable them to participate in public forums that seek to promote fiscal discipline and the rule of law," said Wamalwa.

He said the government has prioritized disability inclusive policy formulation and implementation of national development programs.

Multilateral lenders pledged continued support for Kenya's efforts to incorporate the interests of visually impaired persons in the country's transformation agenda.

Paolo Belli, program leader for Africa region at the World Bank Group, said that empowering visually impaired persons through training and access to assistive technologies will boost their contribution to Kenya's socio-economic renewal.

"We must invest in people with all forms of disabilities to ensure they contribute to poverty eradication and strengthening of governance systems," said Belli.

He said the World Bank will rally behind Kenya's efforts to promote lifelong learning among disabled persons.

Kenya has an estimated 331,593 visually impaired persons whose contribution to the country's development has been hampered by high levels of illiteracy, social stigma and unemployment.

Kibaya Laibuta, chairman of Kenya society for the blind, said that the national and county governments should establish a fund to ensure that visually impaired persons have access to assistive devices and training opportunities to make them self-reliant.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 06:18:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Policymakers and experts who have gathered for a 4-day anti-graft training organized by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are urging East African countries to reinforce anti-corruption institutions and efforts.

Representatives of national anti-corruption institutions from the region gathered in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa from Nov. 13 to 16 to expedite the implementation of various regional and international normative instruments on democracy and good-governance as an imputes to attain sustainable peace and security in the region.

According to Legawork Assefa, IGAD's Director of Peace and Security Division, strengthening the capacity of anti-corruption institutions is vital so as "to implement and carry out the responsibilities entrusted unto these institutions by the IGAD citizens."

"We need strong anti-corruption institutions to act as watch dogs to contribute to the current efforts by IGAD and the African Union (AU) by implementing the regional and continental efforts for Africa not to lag behind in development and to be more transparent, effective and reliable," Assefa said.

The gathering is part of a re-commitment to the Declaration of the year 2018 as "Africa's Anti-Corruption Year" that was approved by African leaders during the 30th AU assembly of heads of state and government in Jan. 2018 in Addis Ababa, according to IGAD.

Salah Hammad, Head of the African Governance Architecture (AGA) Secretariat under the AU, also reiterated the need to fight corruption collectively and in an organized manner.

If the continent failed to fight corruption collectively, "Africa will not improve or develop for it affects economies and the social fabric," Hammad said.

"The African Union supports and commends efforts by IGAD and other regional economic communities to fight corruption at regional level complimented with AU instruments for successful implementation," he added.

Participants of the training are expected to discuss on background to corruption, and the familiarization of regional, continental and global conventions on anti-corruption, according to IGAD.

They are also expected to design campaign strategies for anti-corruption interventions, discuss on factors that contribute to the success and failure of anti-corruption initiatives in the region.

IGAD, through its Peace and Security Division, endeavors in the promotion of democracy, good-governance, election and human rights. The initiative, among other things, aspires to reinforce the capacity of member states' democratic institutions.

The declaration of 2018 as an anti-corruption year by the AU calls AU organs, member states, regional economic communities, civil society organizations, together with African citizens to embark on a journey to address the urgent need to curb corruption as a major societal flaw causing setbacks in the socioeconomic and political development of the continent.

The joint call on Tuesday also came a day after the Ethiopian Attorney General's revelation regarding the arrest of 27 senior military figures in connection with mass corruption.

Ethiopia's Attorney General, Berhanu Tsegaye, said on Monday that the arrested senior military figures and their associates have been involved in corrupt activities worth over 2 billion U.S. dollars including an illicit purchase of a plane, ships and cranes during the span of six years period.

The arrest marked the biggest anti-corruption measure in the East African country's modern history.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 06:17:47|Editor: Chengcheng

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Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz (L) presents the King Khalid Responsible Competitiveness Award to Charles Yang, president of Huawei Middle East region, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Nov. 12, 2018. Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz awarded Chinese company Huawei with the first place of the King Khalid Responsible Competitiveness Award in Riyadh on Monday. (Xinhua/Saudi Royal Court)

RIYADH, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz awarded Chinese company Huawei with the first place of the King Khalid Responsible Competitiveness Award in Riyadh on Monday.

The King Khalid Responsible Competitiveness Award recognized Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, for its transformative impact in driving forward the kingdom's ICT sector in line with Saudi government's digitization goals, National Transformation Program and Vision 2030.

Charles Yang, president of Huawei Middle East region, told Xinhua that Huawei is determined to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected and intelligent world in Saudi Arabia.

He said Huawei will continue to play an active role in driving the development of the kingdom's ICT sector and collaborate with local partners to build a deeper pool of ICT talent empowered to enable the industry's digital transformation.

Launched in 2008, the King Khalid Responsible Competitiveness Award is the first and only award focused on responsible competitiveness and corporate responsibility in the kingdom, and Huawei is the first ICT company to win the first place in the award's history.

Established its subsidiary in the kingdom in 2002, Huawei now has established cooperative partnerships with Saudi Arabia's 14 government ministries and local major operators to provide enterprise ICT solution and lead the construction of telecommunication networks.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 06:30:07|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- While UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday closely followed one of the greatest surges of violence in the Gaza Strip in years, his spokesman said a UN special coordinator is "making headway" in attempts to stem the violence.

"The Secretary-General is following closely the latest security developments in Gaza," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN chief. "He urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint."

"The United Nations Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov is working closely with Egypt and all concerned parties to restore calm," Haq told reporters at a regular briefing.

The United Nations has been "making progress ... in Gaza with respect to the work that Nickolay Mladenov is doing with regard to the parties and the assistance of Egypt," Haq said.

There was at least one published report the Palestinians agreed to a cease-fire as long as the Israelis honored it. It reportedly was brokered by Egypt. However, there was no immediate confirmation of the report from the world organization or other actors in the crisis.

The United Nations "is working closely with Egypt and all concerned to ensure that Gaza steps back from the brink," Mladenov tweeted on Monday. "The escalation in the past 24hrs is EXTREMELY dangerous and reckless. Rockets must STOP, restraint must be shown by all! No effort must be spared to reverse the spiral of violence."

Later on Tuesday, the Palestinian representative to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, sent identical letters to the secretary-general and heads of the Security Council and the General Assembly, protesting an Israeli raid that touched off the latest round of violence.

Mansour's letter said that since Monday Israel has been carrying out large-scale assaults against civilian areas in the Gaza Strip. These air strikes constitute the most intense military raids and attacks since 2014.

Almost immediately afterward, Israel's representative, Danny Danon, met reporters outside the Security Council chambers to protest a barrage of rockets fired on Israeli territory.

He said more than 400 rockets had been fired by Hamas from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel and then played from his mobile phone a recording of a wailing air raid siren, saying families had "15 seconds to find shelter" after the alarm sounded.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 06:47:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A hospital in the midwestern U.S. state of Ohio got "all clear" on Tuesday after being locked down over a "Code Silver" alert indicating that "a potential active shooter" was inside, authorities said.

"The hospital has been cleared. No suspect located, and no witnesses or evidence to substantiate the initial complaint of a female with a firearm. ALL CLEAR," the police posted in a Facebook update.

Police officers rushed to the Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital, southeast of Cleveland, after police got reports about a woman with a gun threatening people.

"Police are on scene at Medina Hospital responding to a potential active shooter situation in the medical office building. Both the hospital and office building are on lockdown," the Cleveland Clinic tweeted.

The police were searching the hospital after receiving reports about a woman with a gun threatening people, it added.

The Cleveland Clinic said all patients and employees were safe at the hospital.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 06:44:47|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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HAVANA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Leading figures and dancers from Cuba's National Ballet (BNC) have embarked on a four-city tour of China, where they will stage famed classic Don Quixote from Nov. 16 to 28.

According to a statement by the BNC, the troupe will visit the cities of Hefei, Wuxi, Shanghai and Dalian, offering Chinese audiences a chance to see one of the world's leading classical dance companies interpret a favorite work.

Don Quixote, based on the novel by Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, will be performed by BNC star dancers Grettel Morejon, Sadaise Arencibia, Ginett Moncho, Dani Hernandez, Rafael Quenedit, and Raul Abreu.

The BNC, directed by legendary Cuban dancer Alicia Alonso, has performed in China on six occasions, the first time in 1960, when the troupe met with then Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

"Cultural relations between China and Cuba have been marked by constant visits by our company to that nation to perform for an audience that enjoys our art," the company said.

The Cuban staging of Don Quixote debuted on July 6, 1988, at Havana's Grand Theater.

Alonso, about to turn 98, carefully choreographed the ballet, paying particular attention to folk references and preserving the essence of Don Quixote, considered one of the greatest works of literary fiction.Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 06:54:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ROME, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Italy has declined to revise its 2019 draft budget to comply with European Union (EU) fiscal rules, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio of the populist Five Star Movement told reporters after a cabinet meeting held Tuesday night.

The European Commission has rejected Italy's planned budget, arguing it fails to reduce public debt and is based on unrealistic assumptions, and giving the Mediterranean country until midnight on Tuesday to submit a revised version.

"The draft budget won't change," said Di Maio, who also serves as economic development minister. "We've been elected to reverse the austerity policies of the past," he added.

Italy's rightwing populist government argues its planned budget will stoke the country's stagnant economy through a mix of generous welfare spending, tax cuts, and investments.

It introduces a basic income for the poor and the unemployed of 780 euros (878 U.S. dollars) a month, rolls back cost-saving pension reforms, and introduces a 15 percent flat tax for small businesses.

The measures are to be paid for by deficit spending equal to 2.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), which according to a version of the budget published by Finance Minister Giovanni Tria last month "is expected to grow by 1.5 percent in 2019, 1.6 in 2020 and 1.4 in 2021".

In a statement earlier on Tuesday, Tria said these growth forecasts are "non-negotiable" because they are "the result of purely technical assessments".

His statement came after critics both inside and outside Italy, including the European Commission, warned that Italy's draft budget is based on overly optimistic estimates.

In a Nov. 8 statement, Tria argued that "the European Commission's forecasts on Italy's deficit are in stark contrast with those of the Italian government and stem from a careless and biased analysis... we regret to note this technical failure on the part of the Commission."

On Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned Italy that doing nothing to reduce its public debt could drive the country into a recession, ANSA news agency reported.

In its October World Economic Forecast, the IMF predicted Italy would grow by 1 percent next year, 0.9 percent in 2020 and 0.8 percent in 2021 -- far below government estimates.

Other critics of the government's proposed spending plan include Italy's Parliamentary Budget Office (UPB), Italian national statistics institute ISTAT, the Italian Audit Court, the Bank of Italy, Confindustria industrialists association, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Fitch and Standard & Poor's ratings agencies.

On Oct. 19, Moody's ratings agency downgraded Italy's sovereign bonds to Baa3 from Baa2, saying it "considers the government's projections to be optimistic" and that the nation's bloated public debt "makes Italy vulnerable to future domestic or externally-sourced shocks, in particular to weaker economic growth".

Under EU fiscal rules, member countries "must demonstrate sound public finances and meet two criteria: their budget deficit must not exceed 3 percent of GDP" and "public debt...must not exceed 60 percent of GDP".

The idea behind these rules is to safeguard "the sustainability of public finances, to promote growth and to avoid imposing excessive burdens on future generations", according to the European Central Bank (ECB).

Failure to comply with the rules could ultimately lead to sanctions.

At the end of 2017, Italy's public debt stood at more than 2.26 trillion euros or 131.2 percent of GDP, according to the Bank of Italy.

"Italy's public debt-to-GDP ratio, at 131.2 percent in 2017, is the second largest in the European Union...and one of the largest in the world, (representing) an average burden of 37,000 euros per inhabitant," the European Commission wrote on Oct. 23, calling the debt "an inter-generational burden weighing on the standard of living of future Italians".Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-14 06:55:14|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LISBON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government expressed on Tuesday "great concern" at the latest escalation of violence in Gaza and called for restraint of all actors to resume efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully.

The statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Portuguese government considers that "the indiscriminate launching of mortars and any acts of violence against civilians are absolutely condemnable and unjustifiable."

The Portuguese government called for the restraint of all actors in order to put an immediate end to violence and to resume efforts to resolve the crisis in that region peacefully.

Since Sunday night, unprecedented barrages of some 400 Gaza rockets have hit southern Israel, killing a Palestinian man in the city of Ashkelon and wounding at least 85 others, most of whom sustained light injuries.

In Gaza, the Israeli Air Force carried out more than 150 airstrikes, bombing Hamas' al-Aqsa TV and Hamas' headquarters in Gaza, as well as dozens of other sites including tunnels and military positions.

On Monday, the Israeli attacks killed at least three men and on Tuesday five more, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.

The abrupt violence was sparked by a failed Israeli undercover raid in Gaza on Sunday night. The undercover troops were exposed by Hamas militants, prompting a fire exchange that cost the lives of seven Palestinian militants and an Israeli officer.Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto signed a security cooperation agreement to promote the fight against terrorism with his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the United Arab Emirates.

Szijjarto told MTI by phone that in line with the agreement Hungary and the UAE will coordinate their anti-terrorism efforts and inform each other on actions taken.

The UAE is a very important player in the stability of the Middle East because many terrorist organisations are trying to set foot on its territory and if they succeed it could also pose a danger to Europe, he said.

Efforts by the UAE are critically important in the fight against terrorist organisations, including AlQaeda and the Islamic State, Szijjarto said.

He added that Hungary, too, is dedicated to the fight against terrorism, as demonstrated by the 200 Hungarian soldiers fighting against IS in Iraq and the countrys involvement in several NATO missions.

Szijjarto said he had also signed a cooperation agreement under which the Emirates Diplomatic Academy and the Hungarian Foreign Affairs Institute will launch and exchange programme for young diplomats.

There are still plenty of untapped opportunities in bilateral economic cooperation with the annual trade turnover totalling only 210 million dollars.

Hungarian companies have excellent chances for business deals in water management, food production and machine engineering. Hungary has opened an 840 million euro credit line in Eximbank to help finance bilateral economic cooperation, he said.



MTI Photo: KKMAsk a Hungarian about state healthcare and prepare for a tirade involving long operation waiting times, over-burdened staff and hospitals lacking toilet paper.

It has been so since at least the 1980s, although reports of gloom have intensified in the past decade, with hospitals piling up bills to suppliers and doctors leaving in droves for better salaries abroad.

Qualified medical staff are now in short supply, and the situation is reportedly dire in many rural areas.

As a solution, sort of, hospitals have increasingly been offering a choice between private treatment  for cash  along with traditional, national health-funded free care. Anyone seeking to beat the queues  and hoping for a better all-round stay  only has to pay the price.

But a dual service within the same institute creates issues: it provokes jealousy and suspicions that patients who are, legally, eligible for free treatment, are being coerced into paying in order to raise hospital revenues.

So news that the government is planning to separate state-run and private health care would appear, at first sight, to be a sound idea. Mixing such services slows down treatment under the national health, Bence Retvari, state secretary at the Human Resources Ministry, told a medical conference on October 27  although he warned that the separation process would generate serious conflicts.

So far, there has been no explanation of how the insular national health service will cope financially: still, at least the institutions offering different services will be apart.

But what if the results of dual treatment appear in the patient? An obtuse and rare situation, you might think? Far from it, as Dr. Laszlo Szekely has found out, to his cost.

Szekely is a specialist in invasive heart surgery: modern, pin-point cardiological treatment that involves minimal incisions into the body. It also involves less risk of infection and death.

Last March, this surgeon, working in the state system, was operating on a female patient in the National Cardiological clinic when he noticed that one of her breast implants was damaged. Not only was the situation medically serious  silicone was leaking into her heart  but the remedy was complicated because, though he could remove the implant, he could not replace it: under Hungarian health regulations, breast implant operations are not covered by the state.

Understanding that inaction could result in intense emotional shock for his patient, Szekely called in a plastic surgery specialist and  at his own financial risk  had a new implant inserted. The cardiological operation was also successful. Today, his former patient is alive and well. A great, if unsung, all round achievement for Hungarian medicine - and humanity?

Not quite: six months on, Szekely was dismissed for involving a private practitioner in a national health operation. Worse, shortly after his dismissal, one of the patients on his scheduled list of operations, died.

Szekely insists other surgeons in Hungary face similar dilemmas  albeit involving different operations  on a regular, if infrequent basis. His dismissal, he claims, is down to personal vendettas in the medical hierarchy rather than malpractice. He is turning to the courts for redress. But that is a process likely to take years. Meanwhile, unemployed, he is reluctantly pondering at least one offer for a post abroad.

For a country with one of the poorest health statistics in the European Union  and facing a chronic shortage of medical staff  that is shameful.President Janos Ader will pay a tw-oday official visit to Lithuania, his office said. Ader will travel to Vilnius on Tuesday for talks with counterpart Dalia Grybauskaite.

He is also scheduled to meet Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and Parliamentary Speaker Viktoras Pranckietis.

During his visit, Ader will lay a wreath at the memorial of Lithuanian freedom fighters in Antakalnis Cemetery. He will also visit the House of the Signatories where he will inspect Lithuanias Act of Independence.



MTI PhotoRestoring economic cooperation with Russia is clearly in the economic interests of Europe in light of the unfolding global trade war, Hungarys foreign minister has said.

Peter Szijjarto was in Dubai to attend the annual session of the World Economic Forums Global Future Council.

Speaking to MTI by phone, Szijjarto pointed to earlier European plans to create a trading area from Lisbon to Vladivostok and suggested that those plans should be implemented.

But we must see that we are very far from that concept, he said. Economic cooperation between Russia and Europe is headed in a very bad direction. There is significant Russian-European cooperation, but it is based on double standards, Szijjarto insisted.

He argued that western European companies were making lucrative deals with Russian firms behind the scenes. Szijjarto said the double standards should be abandoned and that cooperation in general needed to be rebuilt.

Szijjarto added that coupling Europes advanced technologies with the raw materials of the east would greatly improve Europes competitiveness. But he warned that any such restoration effort should be based on mutual respect for one anothers rights and for international law.



MTI Photo: KKMSandor Lezsak, Hungarys deputy house speaker, paid a tribute of recognition to people employed in social services and to the tens of thousands of volunteers working for church and civil organisations to help their community.

In his address at a ceremony in Parliament, marking the Day of Social Work, Lezsak thanked all those working in the sector for their efforts.

Attila Fulop (pictured on top), state secretary at the human resources ministry, praised the sectors 100,000 employees as people working with faith, courage, openness and generosity.

The Hungarian parliament declared November 12 the Day of Social Work in 2016.



MTI Photo: Koszticsak SzilardSwisscham Hungary, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and the Danish Business Club are organizing a Lego factory visit to the firms Nyiregyhaza plant on November 20, according to a press release.

The factory is renowned for manufacturing all Lego Duplo products. The visit will run between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on November 20, at the factory located at Debreceni ut 342, Nyiregyhaza (230 km east of Budapest).

The participation fee for Swisscham members is HUF 10,000, and HUF 20,000 for non-members. The deadline for applying is November 16, with spaces limited.

Registration is available on the SwissCham website.



MTI Photo: Balazs AttilaA conservative and a left-wing analyst agree that Hungary is facing rapid demographic decline. They offer diametrically opposing remedies, however, to depopulation.

Last week, as part of a new round of national consultations, the government sent a questionnaire on family values and subsidies to all households. According to a report published by the Central Statistical Office, the population of Hungary may sink to 6 million by 2070. In his regular Friday interview on Kossuth Radio, PM Orban said that his government intends to help young Hungarian families have as many children as they want.

In Magyar Idok, Katalin Botos welcomes the governments efforts to stop the demographic decline, and calls for a return to traditional family values.

The conservative economist accuses Marxist, liberal and feminist ideologies of weakening traditional values. Botos argues that liberal ideology focusing on individual freedom made commitment and obligations towards children and spouses less important.

Botos does not advocate a ban on abortion, but claims that the liberalization of abortion rules undermines families. If mothers have the option to abort, their decision to keep babies may be used by fathers to renege on their own responsibility towards their children, claiming that it was the mothers free individual decision to keep the baby.

Botos concludes by reiterating that Hungarys loss of population can only be reversed through traditional family values.

In Nepszava, Balazs Bocskei describes the governments national consultation on families as a publicity stunt. The left-wing analyst accuses the government of using the national consultation to promote its conservative ideology rather than trying to learn about Hungarian families real needs.

Bocskei recalls that according to different surveys, young Hungarians decide to have less kids than they wish as a result of welfare and economic considerations. In order to boost the birth rate, the government would need to strengthen equality and increase welfare spending, which, Bocskeis asserts, have been significantly cut back by the government since 2010.

This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online Click here to Share Your StoryCOLDPLAY: A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS

A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS offers an in-depth and intimate portrait of the band's spectacular rise from the backrooms of Camden pubs to selling out stadiums across the planet. At the heart of the story is the band's unshakeable brotherhood which has endured through many highs and lows. The film is directed by Mat Whitecross - director of Supersonic, the acclaimed 2016 Oasis documentary - who met the four friends at college in London, before they'd even formed the band. From the very first rehearsal in a cramped student bedroom, Whitecross has been there to capture the music and the relationships on tape. Using extensive unseen archive, behind-the-scenes and live footage, A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS sees the band reflect upon their two decades together. It was filmed during Coldplay's record-breaking A Head Full Of Dreams Tour, which was certified as the third biggest tour of all time, playing to more than 5.5 million fans across the world.

Director(s): Mat Whitecross

Starring: Guy Berryman, Jon Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin, Mat Whitecross

Genre: Documentary, Music

Length: 115

Release date: 2018-11-14

Source(s): http://www.themoviedb.org/

Review(s):Coun Perez reiterates warning to barangay leaders involved in drugs

07 Aug 2017 Hits:37 Comments(0)

Liga ng mga Barangay President, Councilor Jerry Perez yesterday reiterated his warning to all barangay officials from using or selling drugs. Perez said he is closely monitoring the activities of all the barangay officials and vowed sanctions against erring leaders. Aqui gane na mio barangay ya quita ya iyo na puesto cunel dos barangay leaders quien mas temprano ya sale positivo na...Diana Sosoaca, reclamata la 112 pentru ca nu avea masca in Senat  VIDEO

Diana Sosoaca, reclamata la 112 pentru ca nu purta masca de protectie la lucrarile Senatului. O senatoare a telefonat la numarul de urgenta chiar de la tribuna Senatului pentru ca Diana Sosoaca nu se conforma regulamentului. Senatoarea PNL [citeste mai departe]Chris and Nancy Brown embrace while searching through the remains of their home, leveled by the Camp Fire, in Paradise, Calif., on Monday. Read more

PARADISE, Calif. (AP)  More than a dozen coroner search and recovery teams looked for human remains from a Northern California wildfire that killed at least 42 -- making it the deadliest in state history -- as anxious relatives visited shelters and called police hoping to find loved ones alive.

Lisa Jordan drove 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) from Yakima, Washington, to search for her uncle, Nick Clark, and his wife, Anne Clark, of Paradise, California. Anne Clark suffers from multiple sclerosis and is unable to walk. No one knows if they were able to evacuate, or even if their house still exists, she said.

"I'm staying hopeful," she said. "Until the final word comes, you keep fighting against it."

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea updated the confirmed fatality number Monday night -- a figure that is almost certain to spike following the blaze that last week destroyed Paradise, a town of 27,000 about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco.

Authorities were bringing in two mobile morgue units and requesting 150 search and rescue personnel. Officials were unsure of the exact number of missing.

"I want to recover as many remains as we possibly can, as soon as we can. Because I know the toll it takes on loved ones," Honea said.

Chaplains accompanied some coroner search teams that visited dozens of addresses belonging to people reported missing. For those on the grim search, no cars in the driveway is good, one car a little more ominous and multiple burned-out vehicles equals a call for extra vigilance.

State officials said the cause of the inferno was under investigation.

Meanwhile, a landowner near where the blaze began, Betsy Ann Cowley, said she got an email from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. the day before the fire last week telling her that crews needed to come onto her property because the utility's power lines were causing sparks. PG&E had no comment on the email.

Stan Craig's sister, Beverly Craig Powers, has not returned numerous texts and calls, and the adult children of her partner, Robert Duvall, have not heard from their father, he said. The couple was last seen evacuating their Paradise home on Thursday with two pickup trucks and a travel trailer, so they could be camping.

He knows friends and family are still being reunited with missing loved ones, but he said his unease grows every day. Still, the Fresno, California, resident wasn't planning on heading to the fire area. As a former firefighter himself, he said he understands the chaos wildfires cause.

"I'm going to stay here until I have something more to go on," he said.

The blaze was part of an outbreak of wildfires on both ends of the state. Together, they were blamed for 44 deaths, including two in celebrity-studded Malibu in Southern California , where firefighters appeared to be gaining ground against a roughly 143-square-mile (370-square-kilometer) blaze that destroyed at least 370 structures, with hundreds more feared lost.

All told, more than 8,000 firefighters statewide were battling wildfires that destroyed more than 7,000 structures and scorched more than 325 square miles (840 square kilometers), the flames feeding on dry brush and driven by blowtorch winds.

There were tiny signs of some sense of order returning to Paradise and anonymous gestures meant to rally the spirits of firefighters who have worked in a burned-over wasteland for days.

Large American flags stuck into the ground lined both sides of the road at the town limits, and temporary stop signs appeared overnight at major intersections. Downed power lines that had blocked roads were cut away, and crews took down burned trees with chain saws.

The 42 dead in Northern California surpassed the deadliest single fire on record, a 1933 blaze in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. A series of wildfires in Northern California's wine country last fall killed 44 people and destroyed more than 5,000 homes.

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Sudhin Thanawala, Janie Har, Jocelyn Gecker and Daisy Nguyen in San Francisco and Andrew Selsky in Salem, Oregon.In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, photo, the Long Island City waterfront and skyline are shown in the Queens borough of New York. One of the areas that Amazon is considering for a headquarters is Long Island City. Read more

Amazon.com Inc. will open major outposts in Washington's Northern Virginia suburbs and New York City's Queens borough, splitting its much-sought "HQ2" investment between the East Coast sites, according to people close to the decision-making process.

An announcement was made Tuesday to make it official.

An Amazon spokesman declined to comment. The company had said it would make a decision on the high-profile project this year.

Philadelphia was among the 20 locations that had been under final consideration by the Seattle-based company for its so-called second headquarters, where it has said it will employ as many as 50,000 people.

Sites proposed as potential headquarters locations by Philadelphia included Wexford Science and Technology's uCity Square project in University City and the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia. Amazon's plans call for spending more than $5 billion on the new headquarters, which could eventually encompass eight million square feet of offices, an amount of space equal to more than six Comcast Center towers.

The choice of the Crystal City section of Arlington, Va., would cement Northern Virginia's reputation as a magnet for business and potentially reshape the Washington region into an East Coast outpost of Silicon Valley over the next decade.

The decision also would hand Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, and local leaders part of the largest economic development prize in a generation _ one promising billions of dollars in capital investments alone _ but could also put pressure on the region's already steep housing

It also represents a victory for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who had joked that he would change his name to "Amazon Cuomo" if necessary to land the prize.

Other final suitors in addition to Philadelphia included the District of Columbia itself; Montgomery County, Md., and 16 other jurisdictions Amazon had considered since narrowing its list in January. News of the decision was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Amazon's decision to split the project rather than open a second headquarters on par with its Seattle campus has angered some, who say the company ginned up competition among cities only to change the rules midstream. Some said it was unfair that the company seemed to be considering only sites in more affluent communities.

Amazon launched the project in fall 2017, issuing search criteria for "a second corporate headquarters" with an investment of $5 billion.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos personally described the scope of the project, saying in a news release: "We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters." (Bezos owns the Washington Post.)

Others said a split makes sense for Amazon because of the difficulty of finding 50,000 qualified workers _ many of them computer engineers _ in a single region. Dividing the project also could ease concern about the pressure that Amazon's growth could put on housing, transportation networks, and schools.

In picking Crystal City, Amazon opted for a close-in suburban site, just across the Potomac River from Washington, and a half-mile from Reagan National Airport. Outdated buildings and underused properties now fill the site, including yawning vacancies in some of the office buildings.

In New York, the company has been eyeing a neighborhood in Queens called Long Island City, across the East River from Midtown Manhattan.

Although 238 locations initially submitted proposals to Amazon, the Washington region was considered a favorite from the outset by many experts due to Bezos' personal connections in the region, particularly the $23 million mansion he purchased in the Kalorama neighborhood last year and his ownership of the Post.

Others suggested that Amazon executives want to be near Washington to cozy up to the federal government, either because of increased concerns that regulators may pursue antitrust actions against the company or because the federal government has become a critical Amazon customer.

Virginia also offers the political advantage of being a purple state, making it easier for the company to seek support from both political parties.

Amazon previously announced that it would base its cloud computing unit, Amazon Web Services, in Herndon, near some of its data centers.

The Washington area also naturally fit many of the criteria Amazon called for in its search, among them a deep workforce of talented workers, a robust public transit system, and easy airport access.

In discussions with local officials earlier this year, Amazon executives were especially focused on the quality of the workforce and availability of affordable housing, according to Arlington economic development director Victor L. Hoskins.In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, photo, the Long Island City waterfront and skyline are shown in the Queens borough of New York. One of the areas that Amazon is considering for a headquarters is Long Island City. Read more

Amazon has selected New York City and Northern Virginia as its new corporate hubs, opting to locate in two of the nation's deepest talent pools for tech workers over offers of aid that could have been worth more than $5.5 billion if it had chosen Philadelphia.

Amazon.com Inc. said Tuesday morning that the new office complexes would be in Arlington County, Va., near Washington, and in New York's Long Island City neighborhood in Queens. The company also announced that it plans an operations center in Nashville to oversee its package delivery, transportation, and supply-chain services.

Philadelphia and Pennsylvania officials marked the end of Amazon's selection process by dropping the secrecy around details of the incentives they had proposed to lure the retail and tech behemoth. Gov. Wolf's office had sought to offer Amazon up to $4.6 billion in assistance, while city officials had extended a tax break worth more than $1 billion.

"You can ask Amazon how much of this was about incentives. They're the ones who made that decision, and they know what the relative weight of that was," John Grady, president of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., which oversaw the city's Amazon bid, said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference. "But I don't think we weren't chosen because" of incentives.

By choosing New York and the Washington area, Amazon demonstrated that its primary concern in selecting headquarters sites was proximity to young workers with up-to-date tech skills to help fuel its growth, said Katie Culp, president of KSM Location Advisors, an Indianapolis-based site-selection consultant.

While Philadelphia  home to a multitude of colleges and universities  does have an increasingly educated workforce, it didn't quite have the density of talent to satisfy Amazon's anticipated needs, said Culp, whose firm has helped companies including the medical-device manufacturer Becton, Dickinson & Co. and the health-care program operator Centene Corp. with headquarters searches.

The salary consultant PayScale Inc. rated New York and the Northern Virginia-Washington area in a report earlier this month as having the second and third most attractive talent pools for employers such as Amazon, with Boston taking the top spot. Philadelphia was ranked as having the 15th most attractive pool.

"It speaks to the fact that the skill level and the availability of workers is of paramount importance," Culp said of Amazon's ultimate selection. "You can't double the population of your workforce aged 25 to 40 by snapping your fingers."

The Seattle-based company plans to invest a total of $5 billion to develop at least four million square feet of offices each at the Arlington County and Long Island City sites, the equivalent of more than three new Comcast Center towers, creating more than 50,000 jobs across the two locations.

"These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come," Amazon's founder and chief executive, Jeff Bezos, said in the release. "The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities."

More than $230 million would also be invested in the Nashville operations center, which will be housed in one million square feet of new office space, employing 5,000 workers.

Northern Virginia, New York, Nashville, and Philadelphia were among 238 applicants across North America to bid for the headquarters in response to a request for proposals issued only six weeks before the company's deadline for submissions in October 2017. In January, Amazon announced its list of finalists, which also included Pittsburgh; Newark in neighboring New Jersey; urban powerhouses Los Angeles and Chicago; and technology centers such as Austin, Texas, and Boston.

Philadelphia's proposal had centered on sites in University City and the South Philadelphia Navy Yard, touting the availability of open, developable space in those locations embedded in an otherwise dense urban center.

"This was certainly not the news we were hoping for  but I can't help but be proud of the bid we submitted," Mayor Kenney said of Amazon's decision during Tuesday's news conference. "We are in a stronger position than ever to show businesses of all sizes that our city is an ideal place to live, work, and play."

During Amazon's selection process, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania officials had shared only limited information about their overtures to the company, keeping an especially tight lid on anything having to do with financial incentives being offered.

On Tuesday, the state Department of Community and Economic Development released letters to Amazon in October detailing an offer of up to $4.5 billion over 25 years that would have been indexed to income taxes collected from the company's employees, along with $100 million to support transportation improvements.

The grant program would have been "applicable to Amazon's proposed HQ2 project, but could also apply to other businesses in other communities as well," department spokesperson Michael Gerber said in an email. "The implementation of any of these proposed incentives would require legislative approval and would have gone through a full public vetting process prior to being enacted."

Philadelphia's incentive offer consisted of a tax break estimated as having been worth at least $1.1 billion to the company over 20 years, according to a copy of the city's original response to Amazon's request last year that it posted online Tuesday with fewer redactions than previously shared versions. The breaks would have been offered through an arrangement known as tax-increment financing, or TIF, through which companies get to keep some of the new tax revenue being generated in an area that they helped redevelop.

In its release Tuesday, Amazon said it would receive $1.5 billion in state funding for its Long Island City plans, subject to meeting job-creation and other performance criteria, with additional funding expected from city incentive programs.

For the Arlington County site, a district newly dubbed "National Landing" covering the Crystal City, Pentagon City, and Potomac Yard areas, the company was being granted $573 million in state incentives if job-creation criteria are met, along with $23 million in county support allocated from an expected increase in hotel-room tax revenue spurred by the new headquarters. Amazon also will benefit from $195 million that Virginia has committed to spending on area infrastructure improvements, while Arlington is extending an estimated $28 million in county tax breaks through a TIF arrangement.

The Nashville site, meanwhile, is being granted $102 million in performance-based incentives from the city and the State of Tennessee.

Philadelphia spent $160,000  $60,000 of which had been contributed from nongovernmental sources  on its original response to Amazon, with an additional $300,000 spent on the bid since then.

Philadelphia Commerce Director Harold Epps said at the news conference that that was money well spent, since the Amazon bid compelled city agencies to collaborate as never before on a proposal highlighting the city's strengths that can be applied to other business attraction efforts.

Some companies have already cited the city's Amazon-bid-inspired "Philadelphia Delivers" attraction campaign as a reason for moving to Philadelphia or expanding here, Epps said.

Ian Anderson, Philadelphia research director for the real estate services firm CBRE, said he has seen an increase in demand for office space in the city but said there's little indication that it is tied to the Amazon bid.

We continue to see more office tenants coming to Center City, Anderson said. I would imagine the citys effort to market itself to Amazon helps all of this, and was probably some great press for the city as an office destination, but we cant find evidence  yet that the Amazon pitch has caused any of it.Ryan Harris, founder of As I Plant This Seed mentoring program, vowed to camp out near a North Philadelphia traffic medium until he was able to raise $30,000 for a new center. Read more

The ink on the signs was starting to run. The cardboard warped from the steady rain. Ryan Harris' clothes were soaked through, and he hadn't eaten for 12 hours, which is torture when you consider that he was surrounded by the aromas of multiple fast food joints and a couple of halal food trucks.

But Harris, who had come to this sliver of a North Philadelphia traffic median at Hunting Park and Broad bright and early Monday, was on a mission.

His vow: to camp out  no sleep, no food, no surrender  until passersby helped him raise $30,000 for his mentoring program to find a new headquarters. It's called As I Plant This Seed.

"I made a pledge to stand out here to give my people a fighting chance," he said. "I'll be here until we raise every single dime."

Throughout the day, his supporters came and went. They waved signs, and called out to truckers who blew their horns in support and drivers who scrambled to give them coins and bills. When people didn't have cash on hand, Harris let them donate through an app he'd set up, or directed them to his GoFundMe page.

"I got you! I got you!" promised a woman in a white Chrysler who was rushing to work.

Twelve hours later, when I returned to check on his progress, Harris had made half his goal. The temperature had dropped. The rain fell harder. But neither he nor his supporters holding soggy "I believe" signs seemed deterred. Success was a given, they told me. They just needed to put in the work.

In August, I asked readers which people do good work out of view of the powerful Philly institutions that decide who gets funded  I'll be doing that again, so heads up  and more than a few people pointed to Harris.

He holds down a full-time job, cleaning operating rooms at Jefferson Hospital. In 2012 he started a mentoring program that began with a book bag giveaway and has grown to stage youth-led plays, and encourage financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

When I went to meet him, Harris' plans for the program were already outgrowing their space at the Lenfest Center in Hunting Park.

"Ultimately, I want to show these kids that there is more, that they should want something past the eight-block radius of their neighborhood," he said. "We're trying to change lives."

Nyjah Smith, who is 15, credits his program for her transformation.

"It changed the way I feel and think," she said as she stood on the median holding a sign. "It changed my spirit overall. I'm a different person. Ryan's program shaped me to be the person I am today. Now I'm a poet, I'm part of different programs. I have plans. I have a lot of plans for my future."

With an endorsement like that, the people and organizations who hold the purse strings in this city should be lining up to help. But while Philadelphia continues to evaluate the millions spent on violence prevention programs, Harris and his supporters turned to the people for support.

"Our community doesn't do enough sometimes," said Natasha Fletcher, who volunteers with Harris' nonprofit. She'd taken a personal day on Tuesday to help. "They can't sit back and complain. They have to come out here and support."

Sometime during the night, someone had set up a tent to offer Harris and his supporters a little shelter. As the sun rose on Tuesday, Harris and a couple of supporters clasped hands and prayed. A couple of hours later, someone came by with gloves, and little by little, more people began showing up with fresh signs  the words "I BELIEVE" printed big and bold on new cardboard.

More than 24 hours in, Harris conceded that his body was a little weary, but added that his spirit soared.

It was just like his sweatshirt and the signs read, he said with an improbable smile.

"I believe."Romas Viesulas, world-renowned master printmaker, has never exactly been hailed in his adopted home of Philadelphia.

It's not that Viesulas was ignored during his lifetime. When he died suddenly in Rome of a heart attack in 1986, he was a professor of printmaking at Temple University's Tyler School of Art and director of Temple Abroad in Rome.

He had received three fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation. He represented the United States at the Venice Biennale in 1970. His work is in museum collections around the world (including the Philadelphia Museum of Art).

But Allan L. Edmunds, founder and president of the Brandywine Workshop and Archives, has long felt Viesulas has never been properly recognized here, in the city where he finally settled after fleeing Lithuania ahead of the Nazis and the Russians in the 1940s.

So this year, the centenary of Viesulas' birth, Edmunds has helped put together a yearlong celebration of the man who, he says, "changed my life."

"Romas Viesulas: Master Artist-Printmaker," a survey of the artist's work, is now on view at the Brandywine Workshop, 730-32 S. Broad St. It runs through Dec. 29. (An exhibition of Viesulas' work recently closed at the Lithuanian embassy in Washington, where it served to celebrate the artist and the centennial of modern Lithuania).

Virtues to celebrate

As far as Edmunds is concerned, such recognition has been a long time coming, and the virtues it celebrates are in short supply these days.

"In a global society, we're all citizens of the world, but we all are looking at our differences," Edmunds said. "I came to Tyler in '67. He was a teacher, and I fell in love with printmaking. He was very encouraging of everything I did. I would not be a printmaker were it not for Romas."

Artist John Dowell, whose manipulated photographs exploring cotton are currently on view at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, studied with Viesulas at Tyler in the 1960s.

"There was complete acceptance of me by Romas," Dowell said.

>> READ MORE: Artist John Dowell exposes cotton's terrible beauty at the African American Museum in Philadelphia

Significantly, Viesulas helped pave the way for Dowell to become the second person to earn a printmaking residence and certificate from the famed Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles (and the first African America to do so). In 1970, on Viesulas' recommendation, Dowell became the first African American to become printmaker-in-residence at the Venice Biennale.

"I had never been out of the country before!" said Dowell, who grew up in the Richard Allen homes of North Philadelphia.

It's not that Romas sought out young African American artists. He sought out talent and embraced it, Dowell and Edmunds agreed. He was an immigrant, devoid of ethnic and racial prejudice and sympathetic to excellence.

"He was very, very, very encouraging," Dowell recalled. "Who you were was irrelevant. If the work was good, it was good. If the work was bad, it was bad."

Viesulas arrived in Philadelphia at a low point in his life. He had escaped from Europe and eventually made his way here, initially as a temporary replacement at Tyler. But the teacher he replaced never returned and Viesulas stayed on, becoming chair of the printmaking department.

In his work and in his life, he dismissed the superficial.

"The human drama, the human condition  that element has always permeated my art, and in my life I have completed only a couple of complete abstractions," Viesulas said in an interview in the 1970s.

"It's interesting that behind my work there's always some human concern. As an artist, I can function only this way. I cannot perceive unless there is something in human terms that bothers me, nags me, or depresses me. The reaction or comment to this has probably been the motor which has driven me the last 20 years."Maybe the low point came in 2006 when the Independence Seaport Museum's endowment sank to about $7 million from highs in the not-distant past of about $30 million.

Or maybe the low came in 2007 when disgraced former chief executive John S. Carter pleaded guilty to bilking the museum out of at least $1.5 million to shore up his lavish lifestyle.

No one would argue that a decade ago the Independence Seaport Museum, which occupies prime real estate on Penn's Landing, was reeling. Staffers hunkered down. Funders backed away. Programs stagnated. The future looked grim.

But like a stout freighter in a rough sea, the museum rode it out. Attendance has grown steadily from about 60,000 in 2011 to 110,000 in 2017. Last year, more than 20,000 people made use of the museum's docks for rapidly expanding boating and kayaking programs.

The museum now operates within its $4.5 million budget, with chief executive John Brady's salary at $150,000, a considerable drop off from Carter's. The still-imprisoned former chief executive had an annual salary of $350,000 and lived rent free in a $2 million Society Hill townhouse. The museum sold the townhouse, sold the yachts Carter acquired, and won a $2.5 million judgment against him.

The endowment is climbing and is now back to about $24 million.

Coming on Black Friday: River Alive!

Under Brady, 66, who took charge in 2011, the museum has reconceived its future programming, attracted serious funding from foundations, and is about to open what museum officials hope is a transformational exhibition, "River Alive!"  a permanent addition that literally opens up the fortresslike building and brashly announces that the Independence Seaport Museum is not only about model boats in bottles or portraits of Admiral Dewey, as admirable as those things might be.

"River Alive!," a $5 million makeover which occupies 4,000 square feet on the museum's first floor and opens to the public the day after Thanksgiving, looks not at boats but at the entire Delaware River itself.

Through the clever use of videos, games, digital technology, and interactive elements of all kinds, "River Alive!" seeks to illuminate how the 14,000-square-mile Delaware River watershed functions and what it means for the millions of people who depend on it.

In the "Fishararium," river fish slap around in large tanks and mussels are being cultivated, preparing themselves for a lifetime of what mussels do best: cleaning the water.

Most significantly, perhaps, the eastern, river-facing wall of the museum itself has been opened up with glass doors and windows, revealing a panoramic view of the river (and some hot dog huts). Inside and outside reinforce and inform one another.

The key now: Become a destination

"Their location on the river is both an asset and a challenge," said Maud Lyon, president of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, a nonprofit service association. She noted that like the rest of the waterfront, the museum has suffered because of the city's neglect of the waterfront and the isolation imposed by I-95.

"The key thing is they have to become a destination to draw people in," Lyon said. "What they are doing [with "River Alive!"] is what people are interested in. There is a growing interest in the river and the environment.  It has a lot of potential."

People want to be near the water now, agreed Andrew Johnson, the program director for watershed protection initiatives at the William Penn Foundation, which has made three grants totaling $4.1 million to fund the new exhibition and related projects. "Look at the million-plus uses of Schuylkill River Trail," he said.

For each of the foundation's sizable grants, given in 2015, 2016, and 2017, the museum has had to go through a rigorous financial review process, and officials at the foundation believe that the museum has left its checkered financial history in the past.

"We do a very robust review," Johnson said. "They did well."

The River Alive! experience

In addition to the tech, the fish, and the views, River Alive! has an immersive theater that gives visitors a drone's-eye view of the whole length of the watershed.

There is a "water modeling table" that allows visitors to manipulate water flows to help them understand why the river exists where it exists. There are sound environments created by artist Will Owen and glass sculptural elements created by artist Stacy Levy.

A giant 32-foot-long undulating wall greets visitors with sounds and projections that "demonstrate the river as a continuum," said exhibition designer, Victoria Prizzia, president of Habitheque, a planning and design firm.

"You cannot look at the river as a single entity," Prizzia said. "All along the way, from the mountains, through the forests, through the agricultural land, through the cities, through the suburbs, and out to the ocean, you have different kinds of challenges and different kinds of solutions. We're giving you an entire foundation of this river as a continuum."

As she spoke, the sound of thunder rippled through the gallery followed by the pat-pat of pelting rain. A beaver scurried along the wavy continuum wall and the sound of a crow's caw pierced through the whir of drills boring into exhibition frames.

Go big or go home

Guiding the museum's transformation from boats and sailors to this whole-river orientation is the soft-spoken Brady, who ran the museum's boat building operation for 30 years, left for a time, returned, and watched the unraveling at the end of the Carter regime.

"It was very clear to me that it was a go-big-or-go-home situation if there ever was one," Brady said the other day, describing what he found when he took the helm.

Brady and museum planners saw that boats may be cool, but they couldn't continue to float the institution.

"I credit John  for taking a broader view of what the museum could mean for the community and then developing programs and exhibits that reflect that broader view," said Peter McCausland, emeritus chairman of the museum's trustees. "We've come a long way, financially, programmatically, and management-wise."

"River Alive!" represents a big step toward a new identity, although Brady said he recognizes that the exhibition is part of a long-range evolution.

The next project, now in the planning stages, is "Working Port," a presentation that will continue the use of innovative technology  think ship simulations with visitors virtually driving tugboats up and down the river. It's in the planning stages now.

"Finally we want to look at the river prior to the European and African arrival," Brady said. "What's the geology? Who lived here? It's kind of our goal to get the river back to that state of health."

A longer, daunting, and more traditional museum project is restoration of the historic Cruiser Olympia.

In the wake of its Carter woes, the museum seriously sought to unload the ship, Admiral Dewey's flagship during Battle of Manila in the Spanish-American War. No suitable takers emerged, and now the museum is committed to doing a substantial  if not complete  preservation effort.

Estimated cost: $25 million to stabilize it for another half century or so.

"The Olympia is a treasure," says Brady. But right now the focus is on "River Alive!"

"I hope it brings a very different perception of who we are," Brady said. "Of course boats play a very big role and we have a very nice collection of them and we build them. But they are not the water. That is the big change."The State of New Jersey announced Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. alleging that the company deceived the public about the dangers of two of its opioid products, including their potential for abuse and dependency.

The state alleges that Janssen's marketing campaign for Nucynta and Nucynta ER minimized the risk of opioids, promoted the products as less addictive than other opioids, and targeted the elderly and other "opioid-naive" patients to expand the company's market.

"Janssen helped fuel a public health crisis unlike any other our state has faced," said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. "The public has a right to know about Janssen's efforts to mislead health-care providers and patients, and we will fight any effort to keep today's filing hidden from view."

In a statement, Janssen denied wrongdoing.

"Our actions in the marketing and promotion of these medicines were appropriate and responsible," the statement says. "The labels for our prescription opioid pain medicines provide information about their risks and benefits, and the allegations made against our company are baseless and unsubstantiated."

New Jersey's complaint also alleges that the company created literature and web content that were designed to appear independent and supprtive of health but were actually no more than marketing fronts. The state's lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in Trenton, blames Janssen's marketing for substantially increasing health-insurance costs that were absorbed by the state and, ultimately, New Jersey taxpayers.

The suit is New Jersey's third court action against an opioid manufacturer, and the first case it has brought against a pharmaceutical company based in New Jersey. Johnson & Johnson's headquarters is in New Brunswick.

The complaint claims that Janssen, which the state says sold its license rights to the two products in question for more than $1 billion in 2015, and other opioid manufacturers managed to change the medical and public perception of the highly addictive drugs. They went from treatments for acute pain and end-of-life care to long-term treatment of chronic pain, according to the state.

Around the country, state and local governments  including Philadelphia, those in Pennsylvania suburban counties, and Camden County  have filed lawsuits against the companies that manufactured the opioid products that helped fuel a national epidemic.Havertown 4-year-old Scarlett Camburn had surgery to correct paralysis in her right arm. Her parents, Andrea and Chris, got matching Nemo tattoos because the Disney character's lucky right fin is small and weak. Read more

Acute flaccid myelitis, a rare, polio-like condition marked by muscle weakness and paralysis in the limbs, has been confirmed in 10 additional patients this year, bringing the national total to 90 patients in 27 states.

That update came Tuesday afternoon from Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eight such cases have been identified in Pennsylvania this year, and four have been confirmed in New Jersey.

Physicians tracking the disease are fairly certain that most cases were caused by a type of virus called enterovirus D68. But the virus can be difficult to detect in patients, and Messonnier said the agency remained open to considering other possible causes.

"As a mom, I know what it's like to be scared for your child," Messonnier said. "I understand that parents want answers. CDC is a science-driven agency. Right now, the science doesn't give us an answer."

The condition has been confirmed in 414 people since August 2014, almost all of them children. Most are between the ages of 2 and 8. Most experienced a fever or respiratory symptoms from three to 10 days before the onset of muscle weakness, Messonnier said.

The D68 virus has been identified in the spinal fluid of just a few patients with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM)  a clear-cut indicator that the virus caused muscle symptoms in those patients, she said.

More of the 414 children have been found to have that virus in their nasal secretions, but Messonnier said that was not proof that the virus had caused the muscle symptoms. Most children infected with the virus suffer no muscle weakness  only runny noses and fevers, or no symptoms at all.

"At this time of year, lots of kids have fever and respiratory infections," she said. "What we don't know is what's triggering AFM."

Still, academic researchers think D68 and a related pathogen, A71, are responsible for most cases in which muscle symptoms occur. Among the evidence: University of Colorado researchers have injected the D68 virus into mice and induced paralysis similar to what is suffered in humans.

In both mice and humans, the muscle symptoms are caused by inflammation and damage to the spinal cord.

Roughly half the people with AFM have recovered from their symptoms, though some require surgery in which nerves are rerouted from an undamaged portion of the spinal cord to regain use of their arms. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia both have performed such procedures on children with AFM.

Messonnier said the CDC is not yet tracking the long-term outcomes of all 414 patients but is in the process of changing that.

"It's something that we are working to correct," she said.

Health departments and hospitals are not legally required to report the disease.Director Peres Owino, in red head band, in a scene from the film "Bound: Africans vs African Americans." Her film includes scenes of African-Americans and Africans, each wearing masks, because they do not recognize each other. It shows Dec. 4 at New York's African Diaspora International Film Festival. Read more

The film Bound: Africans vs. African Americans opens with a scene of two small brothers playing on a beach as the sun sets.

In this "land of warm waters," the narrator begins, "two brothers born of the same mother" were inseparable, until one day "one of the brothers disappeared and no matter how hard the villagers searched, he could not be found."

Their mother spent her days looking out at the ocean, waiting. Before she died, she gave her remaining son a charge: "Look, wait, and welcome him when he comes home, for I know he will return to me."

Written and directed by Kenyan-born actor, writer, and director Peres Owino, Bound is one of 60 films featured at this year's African diaspora International Film Festival, running from Nov. 23 to Dec. 9 in New York, which explores the connections that people of African descent share  but also, the friction that exists. In Bound, the brothers are a metaphor for the descendants of Africans and African Americans who no longer understand one another.

Some films in this year's festival take on racial and identity issues, such as colorism, the internal group bias that shows preferential treatment for people with lighter skin; others highlight similarities of religious and cultural customs in Africa and the Americas.

Though Bound, which screens Dec. 4, explores divisions between Africans and African Americans  the subject of a recent Inquirer and Daily News article  director Owino said it also offers hope for reconciliation. We talked to her about her inspiration for the film and how she chose to address it.

Was there a specific incident that happened to you that inspired "Bound"?

I came to the United States to study theater and the performing arts in 1995 [at the University of Wisconsin]. The first African American I met, I went up to him and asked him what country in Africa he was from. He said to me, 'I am from Chapel Hill, N.C., and you people sold us.' But that comment brought two student groups, African students and African American students, together. That's what really helped bring us closer together. There were so few of us that we kind of banded together.

Why does this tension exist between African Americans and African immigrants?

It's almost like you have two kids and one has been kidnapped from home, and they are having a conversation. And there's a wound that exists in the heart, especially of the people who were taken to the Americas. But there's a lack of acknowledgement of the damage that was done. This country doesn't want to fully acknowledge that a damage was done. This country doesn't want to fully acknowledge the enslavement of African people. Imagine you are the victim of a crime and the perpetrator said, 'I didn't do anything. You need to get over it.' People need to acknowledge, 'I hurt you and I'm sorry.'

At the same time, the film shows that people who remained in Africa had to deal with colonialism, which was a different kind of enslavement.

What motivated you to air the "dirty laundry" that many people say has been something of a hidden rivalry until recently?

I try to root myself in things that are honest. They may be uncomfortable, but they have to be honest. I've been thinking about this ever since I landed in the United States. I wanted to share what it meant to be African with African Americans. But first, I had to understand what it was like to be African American. You can't get into people's lives until you build a relationship. So I made a conscious decision to have African Americans present in my life, especially African American women.  We had representation from the diaspora  people from Africa, African Americans, from South America  we all came together to make this film.

Is it true that some African immigrants look down on African Americans?

The documentary spends about five minutes in the beginning with this tension. All this nonsense about how some Africans call African Americans akata [which means "wild animal"], and how some African American children called their immigrant classmates 'African booty scratchers.' I didn't want to spend time in that space. It's not productive. The reason why we were doing this nonsense is because we are ignorant of each other's historical experience and connection to one another.

It's about families being ripped apart and what was the experience of the brother who got caught up in enslavement, the lynching, the black codes, the Jim Crow, the entire experience.

We answer that question: 'Why didn't you people come for us? Why didn't Africans come for us? Well, [the Africans] were going through colonialism. How did these two experiences alter who those two people finally became? Why have these two brothers forgotten each other? That's really what the documentary is about.

We are two brothers who, through time, forget each other.

Decades ago, in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, there was a more positive relationship between Africans and African Americans. Black Americans protested the racist system of apartheid in South Africa. What happened to that unity?

In the 1960s, there was a unified struggle. There was an understanding of the black experience: the civil rights struggle in the United States and the struggle for independence for African nations. The African realized he wasn't free, and the African American realized he was not free. We knew that to free one, we had to free each other.  Once independence happened, and once civil rights were achieved  we thought we had gotten what we wanted. No, you didn't. You got what you were allowed. Because civil rights were still violated. The Voting Rights Act was dismantled. Police are running around shooting black people. White nationalists are on the rise. What kind of freedom is that? And in Africa, whatever wealth comes out of African countries doesn't enrich Africa  it enriches Europe and Asia.

The film's title includes "Africans vs. African Americans," yet also "Bound," implying that despite division, the two groups are connected. Was that intentional?

Yes. We are bound to each other, whether we fight with each other or not. We are still bound to one another. We are supposed to find one another.

The poster for the African Diaspora International Film Festival, which runs from Nov. 23 through Dec. 9.Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro releases the findings of a two-year grand jury investigation into clergy abuse at six of the state's Roman Catholic Dioceses. Read more

A redacted version of the long-awaited grand jury report alleging decades of sexual abuse and cover-ups by Roman Catholic officials across the state was released Tuesday.

The 1,356-page document is the culmination of the Pa. Attorney General Office's investigation into seven decades of allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic priests in the dioceses of Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, and Scranton. The two other Pennsylvanian Catholic dioceses of Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown were also investigated in recent years.

More coverage

Hundreds of priests named in grand jury report | Grand jury: A child porn ring in Pittsburgh diocese | Report says cover-up began at the top | Dozens of pages shielded from public | Maria Panaritis: Thank the law, not the Men of God | Victim: 'It's your word against God's' | Key findings from each diocese | How the Allentown diocese dealt with an abuser | John Baer: Questions in wake of the report

In the report, the grand jury said the two-year investigation uncovered credible allegations of sexual abuse by over 300 priests, with thousands of victims.

The judge overseeing the grand jury ordered this report released in June. But about two dozen current and former clergy named in the report succeeded in blocking its release, claiming it would violate their rights to due process and reputation. On July 27, the Pa. Supreme Court ordered the report's release by Tuesday, with identifying information about those clergy petitioners redacted in the meantime, while the court considers their claims.

Section I  Introduction

Section II  The Dioceses

Section III  The Church and Child Abuse, Past and Present

Section IV  Recommendations of the Grand Jury

Section V  Appendix of Offenders

Responses included in the report:

>> READ THE FULL REPORT: 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury Report (interim, redacted)A firefighter is reported to be in stable condition after falling through the roof while battling a blaze in the rainy darkness in a two-story row house early Tuesday in West Philadelphia's Cobbs Creek section

The firefighter, whose name was not released, fell to the floor of the room below during the fire in the home on the 5600 block of Spruce Street, officials said.

He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was reported in stable condition. There is no word yet on the nature of his injuries.

There are no other reports of injuries in the fire, which was reported around 3 a.m. and declared under control about 40 minutes later.Attendees listen to speakers at the "Securing Sacred Spaces and Places" seminar at the National Constitution Center. Read more

More than 200 representatives of synagogues, churches, and other faith-based institutions attended a conference at the National Constitution Center on Tuesday to consider safety measures in the wake of the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

The half-day seminar, "Securing Sacred Spaces and Places," featured presentations by FBI agents, local police and religious leaders who discussed prevention strategies, coping with on-site shooting incidents, and identifying individuals who might attack a house of worship.

The event was held less than three weeks after the massacre of 11 people during Sabbath services at the Tree of Life synagogue, and less than a week after 12 people were gunned down at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

>> READ MORE: Clients ask HIAS PA: 'Am I safe?'

Mark Brown, a deacon at St. John Baptist Church in Camden, said he went to the seminar because of the rash of mass shootings.

"Everybody is under the impression that you'd never have to do this [at a house of worship], because it's a place of peace and safety, but because of recent events, we have to be proactive," said Brown, who also is security supervisor for his congregation.

Hate crime incidents reported to the FBI increased about 17 percent from 2016 to 2017, up from 6,121 to 7,175, according to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program's Hate Crime Statistics report released Tuesday. In general, African Americans are the group most often victimized by hate crimes, but among religious groups, Jews are most often targeted, said Louis Lappen, deputy U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The U.S. Attorney's Office cosponsored the conference with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center, a coalition of local, state, and federal officials who share information when handling homeland security emergencies.

The groups began planning the seminar several months ago, before the Pittsburgh shootings.

"We believe that security is something that we should be doing day in and day out," said Nancy Baron-Baer, the ADL's regional director.

>>READ MORE: Why Philly Jews are arming themselves

Faith-based institutions have increasingly focused on their security in the wake of a rash of shootings that since 2012 have resulted in the deaths of six people at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis.; three at a Jewish community center and senior citizen complex in Overland Park, Kan.; nine at a church in Charleston, S.C.; six at a mosque in Quebec City, Quebec; two outside a church in Fresno, Calif., and 26 at a church in Sutherland Springs, Tex.

Within days of the Pittsburgh massacre, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia hosted a safety seminar for area synagogues, and last June the organization hired its first-ever director of security. After the Sutherland Springs shooting last November, an Anglican bishop in Central Pennsylvania, who also works as a constable, began carrying a gun in the pulpit.

>>READ MORE: They're not going to scare us

Young Israel of Elkins Park synagogue recently received a government grant to upgrade security at its Cheltenham Township temple. Synagogue president Tom Wolpert attended the seminar to help plan strategy.

"It's shocking that you have to come to [events] like this," Wolpert said, "but I'm just trying to learn quickly, because you have to act quickly."

Law enforcement officials encouraged religious leaders and community members to work with them to combat violent attacks on houses of worship. Any disturbing situation or threat  on social media or elsewhere  should be taken seriously, Lappen said.

The community has a crucial role to play in its own protection, Baron-Baer said. "It's important to plan ahead, to promote [your security] plan, and to practice, practice, practice."The Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia's largest health-care provider for LGBT people  which forced out its longtime chief executive last year amid accusations that she fostered a hostile environment for people of color, and ignored sexual misconduct claims against a former medical director  is defending its hiring as a new CEO Lydia Gonzalez Sciarrino, a straight Latina woman.

"We are disappointed members of the community  our community  chose to judge Lydia without first meeting her, based on their perceptions of her race, gender identity and orientation, and not her qualifications," the center's board of directors, which hired Sciarrino, said in a statement Thursday evening.

The Black and Brown Workers Cooperative, an activist group that called attention to racism at the center last year, has called for Sciarrino to resign, using the hashtag #ByeLydia. They say she's not local and has no experience in HIV and transgender-related health.

"Why is a straight Latinx woman running an LGBTQ-specific health center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania? She's from Florida. Why?" asked Abdul-Aliy Muhammad, co-founder of the collective and a former HIV prevention counselor at the center, in a Facebook video this week.

Sciarrino comes from Whole Family Health Center in South Florida, where she was CEO.

"Whole Family  was an HIV/AIDS clinic before it became the larger organization," Mazzoni's board of directors said in its statement. "The majority of clinic patients were LGBTQ."

A spokesman for Mazzoni, citing a confidentiality agreement with a firm that helped find candidates for the center's CEO position, said Friday it could not discuss how many people were interviewed, including how many identified as LGBT or people of color.

In a statement last Friday announcing her hiring, Sciarrino said: "The advances made in the areas of race and gender equality are under fire and the LGBTQ community continues to face insurmountable challenges in every aspect of life. Mazzoni Center is sitting on the cusp of a new movement and I want to be a part of it."

Mazzoni leaders have been scrambling to restore order since former CEO Nurit Shein and several board members left the agency last year. That shake-up followed allegations of sexual misconduct by former medical director Robert Winn, who also resigned.

Black employees at the center had also reported having been singled out for disciplinary action and having faced retaliation for filing complaints. As a result, Philadelphia's Commission on Human Relations ordered the center to undergo anti-discrimination training. Another LGBT-related organization, Philadelphia FIGHT, and most bars in the city's Gayborhood also had to undergo the training.

>> Read more: Tackling racism in the Gayborhood: City updates its progressAfter outrage online, a Baraboo School District superintendent wrote, "If the gesture is what it appears to be, the district will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address the issue." Read more

A large group of boys at a rural Wisconsin high school prom was photographed displaying what appears to be the Nazi salute, prompting international outrage and a local investigation.

In the photo, more than 50 boys from Baraboo, Wisconsin, pose on outdoor steps. The vast majority are shown hoisting their right arms stiff and straight into the air, fingers pointed out, as Nazis did in Adolf Hitler's Germany. One boy in the front row has his arms down but his right hand is forming the OK sign, a symbol adopted by the white power movement.

The photo was posted Sunday on Twitter by an account called @GoBaraboo, with the caption, "We even got the black kid to throw it up #BarabooProud." That account has since been made private.

Lori Mueller, the Baraboo School District superintendent, wrote to parents Monday, saying the photo was taken last spring. She said it was not taken on school property or at a school-sponsored event, but others in the community said the photos were associated with the school's junior prom.

"The school district is investigating this situation and is working with parents, staff and local authorities. If the gesture is what it appears to be, the district will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address the issue," she wrote.

In a Twitter post Monday, Mueller added: "The photo of students posted to #BarabooProud is not reflective of the educational values and beliefs of the School District of Baraboo."

The police department in Baraboo, about 40 miles north of Madison, Wisconsin, said on Twitter it is aware of the photo and officers are assisting the school district with its investigation.

The incident is the latest in a string of inflammatory, white nationalist incidents across the country.

In Wisconsin, one parent called the Baraboo High School environment "stifling."

"There were a lot of Confederate flag tattoos and people throwing the n-word around, but there wasn't a super diverse population at the time," Mandy Lynn, whose daughter attended school in the district through 2012, said in an interview.

Another photo taken at the same spot featured boys and girls and was posted on Twitter in May by Jake Boll, a history teacher at the school. Boll's photo was taken from farther back than the professional photos and shows parents or other adults taking their own pictures of the group.

While the superintendent said the event was not school-sponsored, Boll advertised tickets to prom night on social media, with proceeds going to the junior class. In an email, Boll declined to comment and on Monday removed his photo from Twitter.

In the photo of the boys engaged in the apparent salute, one student, in the upper-right-hand corner, does not make the gesture. He identified himself as Jordan Blue to journalist Jules Suzdaltsev.

Jordan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reached by phone Monday morning, his stepmother, Melissa Blue, said she believed the photographer had suggested the pose.

"It absolutely is not in character for [Jordan] to do what those boys were doing, and he's visibly uncomfortable in the photo," Melissa Blue said. "From my understanding, it was something the photographer suggested and I don't think the boys really knew the impact. They're teenage boys."

The photographer did not respond Monday to an email sent through his photography website.

Melissa Blue confirmed the photo was from the school's junior prom in May.

"He's a good kid," she said of her stepson. "He's very good at standing for what he believes in."

As the picture spread Monday on Twitter, outrage was widely registered, including from the Auschwitz Memorial account. Auschwitz was the site of a Nazi concentration and extermination camp in occupied Poland.

"It is so hard to find words," the memorial's tweet said. "This is why every single day we work hard to educate. We need to explain what is the danger of hateful ideology rising. Auschwitz with its gas chambers was at the very end of the long process of normalizing and accommodating hatred."

The photo appears to have been posted originally on the website of a local photographer, whose business is called Wheel Memories. An archived version of the photographer's website shows the photo in question, along with about 50 other images in a section labeled "BHS Prom Pic's." On Monday, the page had been updated with an explanation of sorts and an apology.

"It is too bad that there are those in society who can and do take the time to be jerks; knowingly and willingly to be jerks! The internet can be a wonderful tool but for some there is an overwhelming urge to destroy," the site now says. "To anyone that was hurt I sincerely apologize. To those who have harmed them, we as society often ignore them I have chosen not to do that. YOU ARE JERKS! Grow up!"



The Washington Post's Amy B Wang contributed to this report.Maryland is challenging the appointment of Matthew Whitaker as the new U.S. acting attorney general. Read more

Maryland's top lawyer asked a federal judge Tuesday to block Matthew Whitaker from serving as acting U.S. attorney general contending the appointment is illegal.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, a Democrat, says President Donald Trump's appointment of Whitaker to the nation's highest law enforcement post is unconstitutional and that he should be replaced by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who was confirmed by the Senate.

"Few positions are more critical than that of U.S. Attorney General, an office that wields enormous enforcement power and authority over the lives of all Americans," Frosh said in a statement.

Trump tapped Whitaker to serve as acting attorney general last week after forcing Jeff Sessions to resign. Whitaker's elevation has raised concerns about his qualifications, his past statements as a U.S. Senate candidate and his business practices.

The legal challenge to Whitaker's appointment comes as part of Maryland's ongoing federal lawsuit that is trying to force the Trump administration to uphold a key provision of the Affordable Care Act.

"Who the attorney general is at the core of this lawsuit," Frosh said in an interview Tuesday.

"Aside from the constitutional issue, this guy, Mr. Whitaker, has extreme views and that's dangerous in itself," said Frosh, adding he also expects any ruling in the state challenge to Whitaker's role would be appealed.

The legal action over Whitaker, first reported by NPR, says his appointment violates the Constitution's Appointments Clause that requires "principal" senior officials, like the attorney general, to be confirmed by the Senate. Maryland also contends it violates a federal statute that lays out the line of succession and gives authority to the deputy attorney general when the top job is vacant.

A Justice Department spokeswoman did not immediately comment on Maryland's filing. Since Whitaker's appointment Wednesday, Justice Department officials have defended it as legal under the Vacancies Reform Act, an argument repeated Tuesday by White House spokeswoman Mercedes Schlapp on Fox News.

A number of current and former government lawyers have said that while elevating Whitaker to attorney general was unwise and unprecedented, it is not illegal.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking Democrat, also raised concerns Tuesday about Whitaker's appointment and called for hearings to better address the "serious questions" surrounding Trump's shake-up at the Justice Department and how it could affect the ongoing special-counsel investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Whitaker, who served as Sessions' chief of staff, is now supervising special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. He has previously been critical of the Russia probe when he was a political commentator and in a tweet.

In a letter to the committee's chairman, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, Feinstein said she wants Whitaker to assure lawmakers "he will take no action to restrict or otherwise interfere with" the probe.

Grassley said Tuesday that he takes no issue with comments from Whitaker that disparaged the Mueller investigation, "as long as he made them as a private citizen."

"It seems to me that the president's the chief executive, and the president said he wasn't going to do that," Grassley said of the ongoing special counsel probe. "So, doesn't matter what Whitaker thinks. The president said it isn't going to be done."

Frosh's office said Tuesday that any action Whitaker takes in the health-care case on behalf of the federal government would be invalid because Whitaker should not be serving as acting attorney general.

The filing, prepared jointly with the law firm Goldstein & Russell, asks U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander, who has the health-care case, to quickly issue an injunction to replace Whitaker with Rosenstein.

Maryland lawyers filed the underlying lawsuit in September after Sessions told Congress the Justice Department would not defend central provisions of the health-care act including protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Now that Whitaker is serving as acting attorney general, he is in position to make decisions on behalf of the federal government, including in the health-care litigation.

"It is troubling, to say the least, that the President is attempting to fill a 'vacancy' he created himself with a 'temporary' appointment that might last for many months or years," according to the filing from Frosh's office.

"It is especially troubling that the temporary appointee has not been confirmed by the Senate for his underlying position; the President might reasonably be seen as appointing a loyalist in a way that deliberately circumvents the Senate's constitutional advice-and-consent role."

  

The Washington Post's Ovetta Wiggins, John Wagner, Devlin Barrett and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.In an interview that aired Sunday with ABC's Robin Roberts, Michelle Obama said the current FLOTUS has not reached out to her for advice. Read more

When it comes to being the first lady, Melania Trump has apparently decided against the phone-a-friend option. Michelle Obama said the current FLOTUS has not reached out to her for advice, thankyouverymuch.

During an interview that aired Sunday with ABC's Robin Roberts, pegged to Obama's forthcoming memoir "Becoming," Roberts noted that Laura Bush had told her successor that she was there for her if she needed. "If you need any help, I'm a phone call away," Bush told Obama, Roberts recalled, an offer that Obama accepted, and later extended to the woman who followed her in the East Wing, Melania Trump.

Roberts then asked whether Trump had taken her up on the offer, and Obama's answer was succinct: "No."

Not "for any help?" Roberts pressed.

"No, she hasn't," Obama responded.

When asked for comment, Melania Trump's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN that "Mrs. Trump is a strong and independent woman who has been navigating her role as First Lady in her own way. When she needs advice on any issue, she seeks it from her professional team within the White House."

Obama, who met with Melania Trump once after the election for an awkward tea-and-small-talk confab, was clearly trying to sidestep questions about the current occupants of the White House. Asked what she thought of Melania Trump's approach to her role, Obama resisted playing armchair FLOTUS.

"One of the things you learn as a former, it's, like, I don't judge what a current is doing, you know?" she said. "So I'd prefer not to, you know, speak on what she's doing versus what I did because I think every first lady approaches this job differently."

But it's still clear how she feels about the Trump administration. In "Becoming," portions of which she read during the ABC interview, Michelle Obama wrote about Inauguration Day in 2017. "The vibrant diversity of the two previous inaugurations was gone. . . . Someone from Barack's administration might have said that the optics there were bad  that what the public saw didn't reflect the president's reality or ideals," she wrote. "But in this case, maybe it did. Realizing it, I made my own optic adjustment: I stopped even trying to smile."A member of the Saudi team that killed Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi made a phone call shortly after the journalist's death, giving instructions to someone in Saudi Arabia to "tell your boss" that the assassination had been carried out, according to people familiar with the call.

The message appears to have been directed to a person overseeing the team, which killed Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and then dismembered and disposed of his body, the people said. But, they added, U.S. and European officials are not certain to whom "your boss" refers.

Officials in multiple countries have said they don't think the journalist could have been killed without the knowledge of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Trump administration's key ally in the Arab world. But so far, no "smoking gun" has emerged definitively showing Mohammed knew about or ordered the operation, these officials said, and Saudi officials deny that the crown prince was in any way responsible for Khashoggi's death.

The New York Times first reported on the phone call that relayed the message that Khashoggi had been killed.

The Turkish government allowed CIA Director Gina Haspel to listen to the audio recording of events that took place inside the consulate and to the telephone conversations that took place between the team and Saudi Arabia, a senior Turkish official said. U.S. officials have heard a recording of the call in which a "boss" is referred to, one person familiar with the matter said.

Turkey also thinks the United States has information, possibly including intercepted Saudi communications, beyond what Turkish intelligence has gathered, the person said.

National security adviser John Bolton said Tuesday that the audio recording did not appear to provide any link between the killers and Mohammed. Speaking on the sidelines of a regional summit in Singapore, Bolton said that he has not listened to the recording himself but that "those who have listened to it" assess that it does not implicate Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. The crown prince's father, King Salman is formally the head of the country.

Saudi officials said the Turks have not provided audio to them that includes the phrase "tell your boss."

"We categorically deny the reporting referencing the crown prince in this matter or that he had any knowledge whatsoever of it," a Saudi official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. "Despite our multiple requests, the Turkish authorities have not provided us with the recordings. However, they allowed our intelligence services to hear recordings, and at no moment were there any references to the mentioned phrase in those recordings."

Saudi Arabia has not been entirely forthcoming with information about the role of its citizens in the killing, according to a Turkish official.

Although Saudi Arabia sent its senior prosecutor to Turkey last month for what it called a "joint" investigation, the Saudis shared no information and appeared only interested in learning what the Turkish investigators knew, the official said. Since the prosecutor's return to Saudi Arabia, the kingdom has not responded to Turkish requests for information on 18 Saudis arrested in the case, including the results of any interrogations of those detained. That includes information on the disposal of Khashoggi's remains, which have not been found.

Bolton's comments playing down the phone call as a link to Mohammed reflect President Trump's own resistance to blaming the crown prince for the journalist's death.

Trump has indicated to aides that he is inclined to accept the official Saudi explanation that rogue operative killed Khashoggi without Mohammed's knowledge.

The Saudi version of events has changed over time. Initially, the kingdom said that Khashoggi left the consulate on Oct. 2, after stopping in to obtain documents he needed for his marriage and that it had no knowledge about where he went subsequently.

But as evidence from flight manifests and video surveillance mounted, including footage of personal security guards for the crown prince at the consulate, the Saudi government acknowledged the killing but blamed it on a group of outliers.

Trump has repeatedly emphasized the importance of maintaining a close relationship with Saudi Arabia, the world's largest purchaser of U.S. defense equipment.

At a news conference last Wednesday, Trump declined to respond to a question on whether he considered the Saudi government responsible for the killing. He said he was consulting with Congress on how to respond and that "I'll have a much stronger opinion on that subject over the next week. I'm forming a very strong opinion."

U.S. officials have said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whom Trump sent to Riyadh and Ankara, the Saudi and Turkish capitals, respectively, for consultations two weeks after Khashoggi was killed, has pushed the Saudis hard for answers. In a telephone call Sunday with Mohammed, Pompeo "emphasized that the United States will hold all of those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable, and that Saudi Arabia must do the same," the State Department said in a statement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials have said they do not believe King Salman is responsible but have implied that orders for the operation came from Mohammed. A central question for the Trump administration will be whether to blame the crown prince, if it comes to believe he is responsible, even if, as is expected, a Saudi investigation does not implicate him.

"We haven't made a determination" about whether Mohammed knew of the plot to kill Khashoggi, one U.S. official said. "We can see people signaling that the U.S.-Saudi relationship is very important, but that's different. That's not saying that the crown prince is very important." But experts also believe that any U.S. assignment of guilt to the crown prince would severely affect the bilateral relationship.

Trump has all but ruled out punishing the kingdom by withholding weapons sales, insisting that the Saudis would simply buy billions of dollars in arms from Russia or China.

But the value of the arms sales is not what the president has claimed. When he visited Riyadh on his first presidential trip overseas in May 2017, Trump said the Saudis had agreed to a $110 billion weapons purchase. But many of those potential sales were negotiated under the Obama administration or amounted to little more than expressions of interest. According to the State Department, "implemented cases" that were part of the $110 billion have totaled $14.5 billion as of mid-October.

Congress has placed informal holds on five State Department-approved arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and no cases are awaiting formal congressional approval. At the same time, Saudi Arabia has continued to express interest in buying weapons from other countries, including acquiring Russia's S-400 missile defense system. Saudi Arabia let pass a September deadline for signing a sales contract to buy the U.S. THAAD missile defense system, the biggest item in the prospective Trump package at $15 billion.

The United States is also depending on Saudi Arabia to maintain high levels of oil production to keep international prices from rising while the U.S. administration implements sanctions against Iranian oil exports. But after Trump granted sanctions exemptions to at least eight countries that buy Iran's oil, the Saudis announced Saturday that they would cut their own shipments by 500,000 barrels a day next month.

   

The Washington Post's Shibani Mahtani in Singapore, Louisa Loveluck in Istanbul and Josh Dawsey in Washington contributed to this report.A popular New Jersey Shore candymaker said Monday that it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization but will continue to keep open its Boardwalk stores and online business.

James Candy Co., which sells Fralinger's Salt Water Taffy, has experienced declining sales for more than a decade while dealing with increased operating costs, CEO and president Frank J. Glaser said in a statement.

Reorganizing under Chapter 11 will allow the Atlantic City-based company to return to profitability, Glaser said. The company, which also sells the James brand of taffy and Bayard's Chocolates, is filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.

"We have already begun to work with creditors, vendors and other business partners to maintain service to our customers," Glaser said.Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam leaving City Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, two days after being involved in a fight outside a casino nightclub. His bruised left eye is visible behind his glasses. Read more

ATLANTIC CITY  The investigation into Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam and City Councilman Jeffree Fauntleroy II stemming from an early morning brawl outside a casino nightclub has been transferred to the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office, officials confirmed Tuesday.

The altercation outside the Golden Nugget around 2:30 a.m. Sunday left the mayor with visible bruising under his eyes and mostly holed up Tuesday in his seventh-floor City Hall office, declared off limits to reporters.

"Atlantic City is bigger than just one person," New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said while arriving at City Hall on Tuesday for a previously scheduled meeting. Oliver has oversight power over the city under a state takeover that is entering its third year, and returned later Tuesday for a separate meeting with the mayor.

The mayor left City Hall for the day around 5 p.m. When asked by reporters if he was still mayor, he answered, "Today," and got into the front passenger seat of his city SUV.

Oliver said the incident, which left the mayor with a black eye, was "absolutely not" a setback for the state's efforts in Atlantic City.

Her security detail briefly tried to bar reporters from entering City Hall as they interviewed Oliver. The meeting of the Executive Council, a committee formed after a report by Gov. Murphy's special counsel, Jim Johnson, was closed to the media.

Gilliam was sequestered in his office earlier Tuesday as Oliver and other state and city officials arrived for the meeting. Video of the incident outside the Golden Nugget casino showed the mayor exchanging punches with an unidentified man, law enforcement sources said.

Following the meeting, Gilliam left City Hall speaking into his cell phone, the bruised eye visible but obscured by his glasses. "No comment, thank you," he said.

Fauntleroy arrived a short time later and also declined to comment. In an interview Monday, Fauntleroy said he and the mayor "were trying to leave a bad situation" when they were followed out by employees of the nightclub. He said he had not been informed of any complaints filed against him or Gilliam, but that a reporter with the news site Breaking A.C. had shown him a copy of a police communication referring to such complaints.

City Hall security officers barred reporters from staying on the seventh floor on Tuesday.

Oliver said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal had ordered the case involving Gilliam and Fauntleroy transferred out of Atlantic County. She said she had not spoken with Gilliam about the incident. "Of course it's concerning," she said.

Johnson, whose report on Atlantic City is the foundation of the Executive Council meetings, said he was "staying on task," and would let the matter involving the mayor and Fauntleroy play out in the law enforcement sphere.

He called the allegations "disturbing," but said Gilliam did not address the topic at the meeting, which was chaired by Oliver.

"It wasn't on the agenda," Johnson said.

Johnson, Oliver, Gilliam, and Grewal are all scheduled to speak at the League of Municipalities Convention, which began Tuesday in Atlantic City. Oliver and Grewal are both slated to be speakers at the annual Mayor's Box Luncheon.The Mazzoni Center, in the 1300 block of Bainbridge Street, was also rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct in 2017. Read more

The Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia's largest LGBT health-care provider, seems to be in a constant state of turmoil.

The same problems keep surfacing: employees of color feeling mistreated by upper management, a disconnect between the CEO and staff, sexual-misconduct accusations against high-ranking officials.

We break down the controversies from the last two years, starting with the most recent:

August/September 2018: Citys LGBT Affairs Office says it is deeply troubled by events at Mazzoni; employees sign petition

Philadelphia's LGBT Affairs Office calls out Mazzoni's leadership and says the city's Commission on Human Relations, which investigates discrimination in employment and other areas, is looking into the recent firing of Mazzoni's diversity director.

"We are dismayed to receive continued reports from staff regarding allegations of discrimination within the agency," the LGBT Affairs Office says in a statement. "While Mazzoni Center has employee personnel policies which address harassment, inclusion, retaliation, and work rules, these policies appear to be enforced selectively, if at all. The potential for this kind of inconsistency leaves employees vulnerable to a culture of discrimination and retaliation.

"We are concerned for the well-being of Mazzoni Center staff and how any mistreatment may affect the care of patients and clients," the LGBT Affairs Office adds.

Eighty-two employees sign a petition saying they lack confidence in Mazzoni's CEO, Lydia Gonzalez Sciarrino. The petition demands that the center's board of directors "force resignations where just cause exists" and also reinstate the diversity director.

The allegations of racial hostility at Mazzoni echo what the city found a year earlier, when it ordered the center to undergo anti-bias training after concluding employees were vulnerable to discriminatory practices.

August 2018: Dozens of staffers walk out to protest firing of diversity director

The firing of Kay Martinez, a queer transgender person of color who was hired to address disparities in staffers' compensation and advancement opportunities, upsets many employees, causing nearly 50 to walk out of work.

Martinez was the center's first diversity director, and employees had created the job description in hopes it would force Mazzoni to address pay inequities and better support staffers of color.

>> READ MORE: Philadelphia's start-up community launches data survey to address its diversity shortcomings

Martinez says Mazzoni's CEO, Lydia Gonzalez Sciarrino, is trying to silence them. Some staffers speak out and say Gonzalez Sciarrino doesn't belong at Mazzoni.

They also say Gonzalez Sciarrino offered little support when three staffers of color, including Martinez, were assaulted by protesters in early August outside the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference, an event that Mazzoni runs. Martinez recalls being hit in the face and says the two others were maced.

May 2018: Mazzonis former interim CEO is accused of deeply disturbing sexual harassment

The allegations against Stephen Glassman come up at the Philadelphia LGBTQ State of the Union during a question-and-answer session with Glassman's successor, Lydia Gonzalez Sciarrino.

Questions for Gonzalez Sciarrino are written anonymously on index cards and read by two moderators. One of the first questions asks how Gonzalez Sciarrino is responding to allegations that Glassman sexually harassed 10 employees.

Gonzalez Sciarrino initially confuses Glassman with Mazzoni's former medical director, Robert Winn, who resigned in 2017 amid his own sexual-misconduct allegations. Upon being corrected, Gonzalez Sciarrino says this is the first she has heard of the accusations against Glassman. In a statement the following day, she calls them "deeply disturbing."

Glassman calls the allegations "entirely false," and a third party is hired to investigate. Details about the alleged harassment  such as the nature of it, who may have been victimized, and during what time period  are not disclosed.

March 2018: Mazzonis hiring of new CEO, a straight woman from Florida, lacks transparency

Lydia Gonzalez Sciarrino faces calls to resign soon after being hired.

Some former and current employees ask why a straight woman  with few ties to Philadelphia  has been selected to lead an LGBT organization here. Mazzoni's board of directors, which made the hiring decision, pushes back in a blunt statement: "We are disappointed members of the community  our community  chose to judge Lydia without first meeting her, based on their perceptions of her race, gender identity and orientation, and not her qualifications."

The board says Gonzalez Sciarrino led a health clinic in Florida that mostly served LGBT patients.

But the hiring process is quickly scrutinized.

Mazzoni won't disclose the number of candidates interviewed or say how many people of color were considered, citing a nondisclosure agreement it signed with a search firm. A committee of Mazzoni staffers and LGBT community leaders is also supposed to meet final candidates and offer input, but that never happens. The center says some candidates requested confidentiality, making it impossible to meet staff.

The executive director of the Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs, Amber Hikes, who was on the committee, says: "There could have been more community and staff involvement in a decision of this magnitude, especially considering Mazzoni's significant recent challenges."

September 2017: Interim CEO fights staffers attempts to unionize  and hires antiunion consultant with extremist ties

Mazzoni's interim CEO, Stephen Glassman, brings in aggressive antiunion consultants to stymie an organizing effort by employees trying to unionize. One of the consultants has ties to a right-wing hate group, as Philadelphia Weekly reports. Glassman says he did not properly vet that consultant and terminates the contract.

A letter signed by seven members of City Council urges Glassman and Mazzoni leadership not to obstruct the unionizing effort. "Bringing in outsiders notorious for harsh, anti-union tactics is not only a concerning use of the nonprofit's resources, but it risks doing untold damage to the very trust that must be rebuilt if Mazzoni is to flourish," the letter says.

The staff votes to unionize.

April 2017: Mazzonis longtime CEO resigns amid backlash over response to sexual-misconduct allegations

Nurit Shein, who has led the center since 1995, is accused in 2017 of failing to address earlier sexual-misconduct allegations against former medical director Robert Winn. A former board member tells Philadelphia Weekly that Winn was accused at least four years earlier of having sexual relationships with patients and that Shein didn't take the allegations seriously, because they were made anonymously.

Mazzoni staff members walk out and call for Shein to resign.

Mazzoni's board of directors initially defends Shein but asks for her resignation days later. She resigns. Several board members do as well.

The allegations against Winn aren't the only problem. Employees of color also say Shein fostered an environment of racial hostility. Black employees describe being singled out for disciplinary action and facing retaliation for filing complaints. The city finds Mazzoni's employees are vulnerable to discriminatory practices and orders the nonprofit to undergo antibias training.Staffers listen outside the Mazzoni Center as Kay Martinez (center, blue and yellow shirt) speaks hours after being fired Monday. Read more

Dozens of staffers at the Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia's largest LGBT health-care provider, walked out Monday afternoon to protest the firing of the organization's director of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Kay Martinez, 32, a queer transgender person of color, described being dismissed without explanation and accused Mazzoni's CEO, a straight Latina woman, of trying to silence staffers of color. The firing was the latest controversy at the center, which has faced accusations of racial hostility and sexual harassment in recent years.

"I have felt like since day one that my position has been targeted, that I have been targeted," Martinez said in an interview before the protest, which drew nearly 50 people outside Mazzoni's headquarters near 13th and Bainbridge Streets. "I have not been able to fully do the job that was written."

The job description  created by transgender employees and staffers of color  included working with Mazzoni's human resources office to address disparities in staffers' performance reviews, compensation and advancement opportunities, Martinez said. The position was proposed during the tenure of Mazzoni's former interim CEO, Stephen Glassman, who left the center after it hired current chief executive Lydia Gonzalez Sciarrino in March.

>> READ MORE: Philadelphia's start-up community launches data survey to address its diversity shortcomings

Martinez, who was hired in April, recalled telling Gonzalez Sciarrino about transgender staffers of color who felt they were underpaid and undervalued. Gonzalez Sciarrino replied that that was not Martinez's concern, according to Martinez.

The fact that Gonzalez Sciarrino is straight, rather than a member of the LGBT community, contributes to her lack of understanding, Martinez said.

"For her to make so many queer and trans staff of color feel sidelined, feel targeted, feel unwelcome, is a significant problem for an ally in this world," Martinez said.

A Mazzoni spokesman declined to comment Monday, saying, "This is a confidential personnel matter."

Among those who showed up to support Martinez was Amber Hikes, Philadelphia's LGBT affairs director. Others at the protest called for leadership changes at Mazzoni.

"No one has any faith in this place, and it's a vital resource to the community, so they need to," said Airen McClure, who is white and has worked in Mazzoni's legal services department for a year but is soon quitting.

Martinez received a letter of termination Monday morning from Mazzoni, which cited unprofessional conduct but offered few other details.

Martinez said the center may be acting in connection with a staff meeting Thursday in which a queer black staffer tried to speak about morale and Gonzalez Sciarrino cut the employee off, telling everyone to "disperse."

That night, Martinez and several other staffers created shirts that read "Disperse." They wore the shirts Friday, when they gathered in a common space in the center to hear the staffer's full speech.

Gonzalez Sciarrino emailed staff Monday about Martinez's departure.

This isn't the first time Mazzoni staffers have walked out. They also protested last year to call for then-CEO Nurit Shein to step down. Shein was accused of failing to respond to allegations of sexual misconduct involving Mazzoni's former medical director, Robert Winn, who resigned.

Shein  who was soon forced out  was also accused of fostering a racially hostile environment at the center. Black employees described being singled out for disciplinary action and facing retaliation for filing complaints.

This year, when Gonzalez Sciarrino was hired, critics said Mazzoni had failed to be transparent about the hiring process.

In May, Glassman, the former interim CEO, was also accused of sexually harassing employees during his tenure, which lasted nearly nine months. Gonzalez Sciarrino called the allegations "deeply disturbing" and hired a third party to investigate. Glassman has called the allegations "entirely false."Habitat for Humanity of Chester County was able to build 28 homes, including these in the city of Coatesville, because of the state's Neighborhood Assistance Program. Read more

Habitat for Humanity of Chester County built homes for 28 families in Coatesville.

The community development group in the Oxford Circle neighborhood of Philadelphia started a program to tell its diverse population  nearly a third is foreign-born  about small-business workshops, professional networking events, and English classes.

And the nonprofit People's Emergency Center boosted its efforts to improve quality of life in communities along Lancaster Avenue in West Philadelphia.

The initiatives were possible, the groups said, because of Pennsylvania's Neighborhood Assistance Program, which gives tax credits to businesses that donate to community projects in economically distressed areas. Coordinators of the projects then highlight the contributions in a bid to get more people to donate.

Over the last six years, participating businesses donated more than $300 million to projects statewide aimed at building affordable housing, eliminating blight, teaching job skills, preventing crime, and otherwise improving neighborhoods. In return, they reaped more than $100 million in tax credits  money that otherwise would have gone into state coffers.

Now, those numbers are likely to swell. Despite concerns about the lack of evidence of whether tax credit incentives revitalize neighborhoods, state legislators and Gov. Wolf have agreed to expand the program. Last month, they approved a measure doubling the cap on annual tax credits to $36 million  the highest such ceiling among neighboring states.

Supporters, including a group of about 100 community organizations and businesses, lobbied to expand the program after seeing overall state funding for neighborhood projects decline over the years while requests for the credit shot upward.

The $18 million cap hadn't changed since it was introduced almost five decades ago and was "peanuts compared to what it was in 1971," said State Rep. Bernie O'Neill (R., Bucks), who cosponsored the measure to increase it.

"The value of this program is what it does for the neighborhoods and what these neighborhoods bring back to the commonwealth and to local governments," O'Neill said.

Kevin Musselman, manager of neighborhood and resource planning at People's Emergency Center, called the program an "essential funding stream for an organization like ours." The nonprofit provides services to families who are homeless and runs a community development corporation, which is where Wells Fargo's annual $100,000 contribution goes. The bank receives an $80,000 annual tax credit.

"In the nonprofit world, sources of government revenue are getting more challenging to find," Musselman said. "If we didn't have [the tax credit program], it would be all that more challenging, honestly, to keep our programs going."

More than a dozen other states, including New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia, also give tax credits to businesses through similar initiatives, although amounts vary. New Jersey awards up to $12 million in credits through its Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program, while Virginia's annual cap is $17 million.

Rick Vilello, deputy secretary for community affairs at the Pennsylvania Department of Economic and Community Development, which administers the Neighborhood Assistance Program, lauded the program's ability to attract donations from businesses.

"It checks all the boxes of community development when you have those in need and people in the business community partnering on working on plans and envisioning how to solve problems," he said.

But there have been questions about whether tax credit programs are the best way offset lost state revenue. Pennsylvania and other states historically have fallen short in evaluating the effectiveness of such tax incentives, according to a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Unlike spending programs, which "get scrutinized very carefully," tax incentive programs on the whole often get "very little evaluation at all," said Joseph Bishop-Henchman, executive vice president of the Tax Foundation, an independent tax policy nonprofit.

The Neighborhood Assistance Program pulls in millions of dollars in new investment to the state's economy each year, according to a March report legislators asked the Independent Fiscal Office to complete. But the office acknowledged it's unclear to what extent businesses would donate without the tax incentive. The report did not evaluate nonmonetary outcomes.

State officials are taking steps to review such programs. Last year, Pennsylvania passed a law requiring its Independent Fiscal Office to review the efficiency and results of tax credits at least every five years.

Community groups with multiyear Neighborhood Assistance Program projects submit progress reports, although state officials acknowledge they need to do a better job of collecting information about the difference projects make.

They said they are starting to improve how they measure outcomes by collecting specific data on the number of each project type  blight elimination, affordable housing, etc.  and their effects on communities. State Economic and Community Development officials plan to receive data next month on recent projects.

Roughly 400 businesses in the Philadelphia region have received tax credits over the last four years. One is Meridian Bank, which operates in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, and partners with Habitat for Humanity of Chester County. Habitat will get $250,000 in donations over five years; the bank can claim deductions worth more than $180,000.

Jason Pyrah, the housing organization's associate director, said it's clear the tax credits are working. He said the bank told him: "Without the tax incentive, we would have given you something, but it wouldn't have been anywhere close to $50,000 a year for five years."

"The tax credits help us to serve more families in a more timely fashion," Pyrah said. "The need is great, and when we can find the funding, we can help meet that need."

The state awarded $3.8 million in tax credits to 35 projects in Southeastern Pennsylvania, including Lancaster County, last fiscal year. State officials will approve the latest round of projects in the coming weeks.

The program helped Philabundance start and continue its 10-year-old Grocers Against Hunger initiative, said Glenn Bergman, executive director of Philabundance. Grocery companies donate food to the nonprofit  more than 10 million pounds per year, on average  and some get tax credits in return.

"It helps get the major players in and entice them," Bergman said. "I think the increase [in available tax credits] is going to help us over to another level, and it's fantastic."

He hopes to partner with companies to receive nonfood donations, such as trucks and forklifts.

Andrea Hodge, economic development associate at the Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Corp., said investments from businesses since the group got the tax credits have helped build excitement within the community.

"We see that the neighborhood is in this position of great potential energy," she said.Philadelphia City Council has enacted numerous laws in recent years designed to improve conditions for the city's working class. A state representative from York wants to block such laws in individual municipalities. Joel Naroff writes that the legislators effort could be off base. Read more

When the dust settled on Philadelphia's fiscal-year 2018 books, the city had five times the amount of money left over that it had expected  about $421 million.

But the Kenney administration won't commit to saving it for a rainy day.

Administration officials quickly made use of the extra cash by moving $22 million into the pension fund and asking that City Council transfer $30 million into the capital budget to pay for needed projects. If the transfer goes through, the city would have a $369 million balance.

The administration is planning to spend up to $73 million of that surplus on increasing city employees' minimum wage to $15 an hour and adding more affordable housing options over the next five years.

A portion of the remainder may be put into the city's empty rainy-day fund. Kenney administration officials say they will consider such a deposit when budget negotiations commence next year.

Municipal finance experts recommend that governments set aside money for emergency expenses, much as households are advised to do.

Not having savings "is just one of the challenges that rating agencies highlight in discussing the city's ratings," city spokesman Mike Dunn said in an email. "Others include the city's high fixed costs, a large unfunded pension liability, and a persistent high-poverty rate. All of these factors must and will be considered alongside the question of a rainy day fund."

When Mayor Kenney was a councilman in 2011, he sponsored the bill that created a rainy-day fund. But the city is only required to put money aside when the budget department predicts the upcoming fiscal year will end with a surplus of at least 3 percent of general fund spending. At that point, it is required by law to put 0.75 percent of predicted revenues into the rainy-day account.

So far, city officials have never estimated a large-enough balance to trigger deposits, even though they have ended up meeting the threshold.

For fiscal year 2018, the administration predicted a $75.5 million balance, which was too low for a rainy-day fund transfer. When the city controller announced in September that the city had ended the year with a $769 million cash balance, the administration said it still had bills to pay.

That final balance ended up being $421 million before the pension fund transfer and the creation of a capital pay-as-you-go program (assuming Council transfers the money). That is well over 3 percent of $4.4 billion in appropriations.

The extra money, Dunn said, was a result of higher than expected revenues from the business income and receipts tax (BIRT) and real property transfer tax, as well as lower spending.

The $30 million capital-spending transfer is expected to be introduced in Council on Thursday. Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez, who is the appropriations committee chair, said Monday that she received notice the administration requested the transfer but was awaiting details.

The $30 million would go mostly to purchase trucks for the Fire and Streets Departments, and will include $5 million for the Philadelphia Museum of Art renovations and $2.5 million for commercial corridor projects such as the Market-Frankford El lighting project.

"That will allow the city to make important capital investments without borrowing and may reduce pressure on the FY20 capital budget, because we'll be directly appropriating more and borrowing less," Dunn said.Former City Representative Desiree Peterkin Bell, who was a member of Mayor Michael Nutter's cabinet, faces a half-dozen felony corruption charges for allegedly stealing and misusing funds from a city-run nonprofit.

A 14-month state grand jury investigation found that Peterkin Bell misspent nearly $250,000 in public money. The charges, filed Tuesday, include theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception, receiving stolen property, and tampering with public records. Peterkin Bell would face up to 35 years in prison if found guilty on all counts.

"The tax dollars in the Mayor's Fund were supposed to be used on programs that benefited the city and its citizens," state Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a news conference announcing the charges. "Instead, Ms. Peterkin Bell  used the public money to fund her own lavish lifestyle  vacations, shopping, dining, and entertaining that benefited her and not the public."

Peterkin Bell, through her attorney, denied all charges. She surrendered to detectives Tuesday morning, was arraigned, and was to be released on her own recognizance.

"Ms. Bell has made significant contributions to the city of Philadelphia," her attorney, Walter Weir Jr., said. "We will vigorously defend the matter and look forward to our day in court."

The Mayor's Fund is a nonprofit set up to advance the mayor's policy goals and promote the city. Until last year, the city representative had been the chair of the fund, overseeing about $10 million annually in grants.

The fund came under scrutiny over the last two years from former Controller Alan Butkovitz and in stories by the Inquirer and Daily News that raised questions about fund spending and the oversight of its managers.

Peterkin Bell became city representative and took over the Mayor's Fund in 2013. Her expenses raised concern among the staff but it wasn't until she and Nutter left office in 2016 that the fund's executive director, Ashley Del Bianco, went to the Controller's Office to ask for a review. Butkovitz's office found that Peterkin Bell had shopped at Macy's and J.Crew with fund money, paid for meals at posh Center City restaurants, and traveled to New York, Washington, and other cities. She also paid a $8,738 tab for more than 400 Uber rides in 2015. The Inquirer and Daily News found that in total, she failed to offer detailed explanations for $52,000 worth of charges she made that year on the American Express and Wells Fargo MasterCard credit cards issued by the fund.

At the time, Butkovitz said that Peterkin Bell treated the nonprofit like a "slush fund," blowing close to $400,000 on hotels and travel in 2014 and 2015. Peterkin Bell disputed that characterization and filed a defamation suit against the controller that was later dismissed. Nutter also vehemently defended Peterkin Bell and called Butkovitz "a snake."

Nutter said then that Butkovitz was "desperately fabricating an issue where there is no real issue."

On Tuesday, however, Nutter released a statement explaining that his past comments were based on what he knew at the time.

"I am greatly saddened and very deeply disappointed to learn the details of this new information and these specific allegations," Nutter said. "If these new allegations are true, they do not reflect the tone and standards that I established for my administration during my tenure."

Shapiro said that the investigation didn't find any evidence to suggest Nutter knew of Peterkin Bell's misconduct.

"I take it he's withdrawn his 'snake' comment," Butkovitz said Tuesday. "Most public officials wouldn't be able to get away with that.  He [Nutter} asserted that he had certain knowledge that this stuff was not true, and he did everything he could to obstruct an investigation into this activity."

The grand jury report released Tuesday provided more details about Peterkin Bell's alleged misuse of fund money. She made charges in excess of $20,000 on two fund credit cards to pay for personal vacations, including at the Waldorf Astoria Resort in Orlando and for a wedding anniversary celebration in Portland, Ore. She also used a fund credit card to pay for a $1,700 dinner party at the Hyatt at the Bellevue, titled "Purpose Not Position," to promote her future consulting business in the last few days of the Nutter administration.

According to the Attorney General's Office, when Peterkin Bell was questioned about the dinner party expense, which included 17 meals and a dedicated bartender, she said it was work-related and refused to provide documentation.

"This former city representative ran the mayor's fund as her own personal fiefdom. She ruled by fear and used her close relationship with the mayor to amass power and to intimidate city employees to do exactly what she wanted," Shapiro said.

It was not clear why it took more than a month to unveil the grand jury report, dated Oct. 12, and charge Peterkin Bell. A spokesman for Shapiro could not explain the delay.

When Peterkin Bell couldn't raise enough for the 2015 Welcome America and 2014 Forbes 30 Under 30 events, she used $225,000 in taxpayer money  earmarked for the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic  to compensate. She also instructed fund employees to create a false sponsorship agreement in an attempt to justify the move, Shapiro said.

He also noted that Peterkin Bell was not the first to misuse the fund's money.

The Inquirer and Daily News reported last year that Melanie Johnson, who served as city representative in the first part of Nutter's eight-year tenure, also used the fund's credit cards to make questionable personal purchases. In September, the city Ethics Board found that she had spent nearly $7,000, fined her, and ordered her to repay funds. On Tuesday, Shapiro said the grand jury did not charge Johnson with any crimes.

He said he referred the alleged conduct of two other former city officials in the case to the Philadelphia Board of Ethics. Shapiro declined to name the officials.

Before Butkovitz left office, following his reelection defeat, he grew increasingly frustrated with members of the Mayor's Fund staff, who he said were stonewalling his investigation. He suggested that the fund seek reimbursement of the misspent money and referred the case to the Attorney General's Office.

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Mayor's Fund said that once the Attorney General's Office started its investigation, city officials decided to hold off on Butkovitz's recommendation.

In the last year, the Kenney administration has overhauled the fund by appointing a new board and chair, who are expected to select a new executive director.

Staff writer Holly Otterbein contributed to this article.Michelle L. Skalsky Simon, 67, a Northeast Philadelphia lawyer and volunteer for charitable causes benefiting children, died Friday, Nov. 9, of cancer at her home in Margate, N.J.

Ms. Skalsky was born in Philadelphia to Edith and Bob Skalsky. She graduated from Cheltenham High School and Temple University with a bachelor's degree in education.

She began her law school studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., but transferred during her final year to Villanova Law School to be near her family. She graduated with the Villanova Class of 1976, but received her law degree from Gonzaga.

"Michelle was a force to be reckoned with," said Gianna DeMedio, who is engaged to her son, Marc. "She dominated in the courtroom, but outside of it, she used her sweet and kind demeanor to work with many regional charities that supported better lives for children."

In 1978, Ms. Skalsky married trial lawyer Michael Simon. They had met at a bench bar conference in 1977. The couple had two children whom they raised in the Rydal section of Abington before splitting their time between homes in Margate and Palm Beach, Fla.

Ms. Skalsky maintained a solo practice on Tyson Avenue in the Northeast. She handled real estate and criminal cases, and family law. In the early 2000s, Ms. Skalsky retired from practicing law to focus on social clubs, spending time with friends and family, and charity work in the Jewish community.

She was committed to the Golden Slipper Club and Charities, and Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options (JAFCO). The Golden Slipper gave her its Horatio Alger Award. The adoption group, on whose board of directors she served for many years, recognized her with its Woman of Valor Award at a luncheon in April 2012.

"These charities [work toward] Michelle's dream that all children should have an opportunity for a healthy and happy life," her family said.

Ms. Skalsky waged a decade-long battle against cancer with courage and dignity. "She was not defined by her illness," her family said. "Michelle lived every day to the fullest, and always encouraged others to do the same."

She enjoyed traveling with her family and walking her dog, a Coton de Tulear named Oliver.

She was a longtime member of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park.

In addition to her husband and son, she is survived by a daughter, Lisa, and a large extended family.

A visitation starting at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, will be followed by an 11:30 a.m. funeral service at Keneseth Israel, 8339 Old York Rd., Elkins Park. Interment will be at Har Jehuda Cemetery, Upper Darby.

Memorial donations may be made to the Golden Slipper Club and Charities via www.goldenslipperclub.org/ or the Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options at https://jafco.org/Making the short list of just 20 cities and regions out of a field of 238 that submitted proposals to Amazon has elevated Philadelphia on the national and international stage as a top choice for businesses, investment, and talent.

Stakeholders from across the region worked for six weeks last fall on a proposal to attract one of the world's most successful companies to Philadelphia. Several dozen leaders representing different industries, interests, and counties formed a single team to act as one. The level of collaboration and focus on a common goal that happened during the HQ2 bid process was unprecedented, and now we are bringing that approach to other projects.

The HQ2 process gave us the opportunity to dig deep on the data, and they show that the Philadelphia region possesses all the key ingredients any company would need to support its long-term growth. Our central location, excellent amenities, and affordability are all key to growth, but our greatest asset is our people. This region is driven by its diverse, talented workforce, which boasts 90,000 graduates a year from our 100 colleges and universities; produces more STEM graduates than all but five metro areas; ranks first in tech workforce diversity; and has the third most vibrant startup ecosystem in the nation.

>> READ MORE: Amazon HQ2 frenzy reignites, but Philly should relax | Editorial

In the months that followed our submission, the City of Philadelphia, the economic development firm PIDC, Select Greater Philadelphia, and other partners across the region experienced an uptick in interest from national and international companies, meeting planners, and tourists  several of which directly cited the Philadelphia Delivers proposal, website, and videos developed for Amazon as a driving force behind their interest.

PhiladelphiaDelivers.com has received nearly 100,000 views, and its videos have been shared globally in pitch meetings and on social media. The process itself landed Philadelphia in positive stories in national news media, including the Wall Street Journal, the Huffington Post, the New York Times, Bloomberg News, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, and USA Today. We tracked nearly 7,000 stories highlighting or mentioning our region's bid, reaching an audience of 280 million and with a publicity value of an estimated $77.9 million.

We will see the impact of this exposure for years to come. The momentum of our city and region has never been greater. Now  armed with new data, messages, tools, and a coalition of leaders more committed than ever  we are ready to continue sharing our value proposition with the world.

>> READ MORE: It's our money, so how much are we giving to Amazon? | Editorial

Mayor Kenney and the City's Department of Commerce recently returned from a trip overseas with the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), Select Greater Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and other partners to promote business, convention, meeting planning, and tourism opportunities in the Philadelphia region. Many of these same partners are working together to attract investment and maximize the benefit of the new Qualified Opportunity Zone federal tax incentive. We are also coming together to create a global identity for Philadelphia  a shared brand and messaging that will be used to attract people and businesses from around the world.

While we will continue to attract employers to our region, we are also now more committed than ever to supporting fast-growing employers that are already here by having them serve as the anchors of an agenda focused on inclusive growth.

We have learned so much about our strengths as a city and region. Looking through the eyes of a data-driven company that employs more than 500,000 people around the globe has shown us areas where we need to do more to position ourselves for continued success.

Everyone reading this has the chance to be a part of Philadelphia's exciting new trajectory. You are our greatest strength and can be our biggest advocates, directly impacting our future. Check out PhiladelphiaDelivers.com  watch the videos, click through the data-filled maps, learn what distinguishes our region as the perfect place to grow a business and a career  and then share it.

Most importantly, you  and your children and grandchildren  are our greatest assets. Thanks to you, our city and region are on the rise, and we are proud to be shouting that from the rooftops!

Jim Kenney is mayor of Philadelphia. Harold T. Epps is commerce director of the Philadelphia Department of Commerce. John Grady is president of PIDC. Philadelphia's HQ2 Core Team also included Select Greater Philadelphia Council, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, Campus Philly, PHLCVB, and VISIT PHILADELPHIA.I represent a coalition of leading companies in the food service, hospitality, and retail sectors. Our group supports the concept of a Fair Workweek law in Philadelphia, which would require companies with more than 250 employees and more than 30 locations to give workers their schedules 10 days in advance and pay them if changes are made after the fact.

Let's make that point again for those who are convinced that the effort to enact Fair Workweek legislation in City Council is a showdown between workers verses bosses, or us verses them: The business community supports the concept of Fair Workweek.

Our coalition represents retail businesses, the hotel and food-service sector, and other major companies that would be impacted by the legislation, and while we think the current bill needs some modifications, we want to work with Council to make it happen. Some supporters of Fair Workweek legislation have tried to demonize anyone who quibbles with specifics of the law. Instead of arguing, we'd prefer to work together to enact legislation that is fair for everyone.

>> READ MORE: Fair Workweek first step in better working conditions for Philadelphians | Opinion

We want a bill that is a win for workers and businesses alike  and we pretty much already agree on the major objectives. For example, our coalition supports:

Giving employees a predictable schedule;

Providing "predictability pay" to employees, particularly when schedule changes are not the fault of the employee;

Allowing current employees an opportunity to access additional hours; and

Giving employees an estimate of hours so that they can plan their daily lives.

But the bill needs some common-sense changes, so that it will work for everyone. We have conducted a comprehensive survey of workers who actually would be impacted by the current proposal, and they tell us over and over again, that they want the flexibility to decide whether to accept more or less hours on the job.

For example: If an employee's schedule is altered, we agree that warrants predictability pay to compensate for the change. But many employees say they want the freedom to adjust their schedules. What if a server wants to finish serving his tables instead of automatically stopping at the end of the shift? The current bill mandates predictability pay if workers stay on the job, which eliminates that option for the worker. It's a simple tweak in the bill.

Similarly, circumstances can change within the 10-day posting period. If additional hours become available, we, as managers, want the right to issue a mass communication to tell our workers about it so that they have the option to pick up extra hours. But as currently written, the Council bill prohibits employers from doing so. Again, it's an easy change that does not alter the key provisions of Fair Workweek, and we urge Council members to consider it.

The legislation currently imposes a penalty if employers do not provide at least 10 hours of rest between shifts. But 21 percent of the respondents in our survey say they prefer closing one night and opening the next morning. Or picking up an extra shift later in the day after working a morning shift. Let's find a way to build this flexibility into the bill.

>> READ MORE: A vote for Philly's Fair Workweek legislation is a vote for decency | Ronnie Polaneczky

It's also important to recognize that Philadelphia is not Seattle, San Francisco, or cities where Fair Workweek has been enacted. Our poverty level is the highest of any major city in America. We should enact a bill that achieves workers' objectives, but not at the expense of creating disincentives for new businesses to invest here, to locate here, and most importantly, to hire here.

We agree that Fair Workweek is a concept that can make sense for Philadelphia, and we stand ready to work together to create a law that will be a model for the rest of the nation.

Melissa Bova is vice president of Government Affairs for the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association.Last Monday evening, Mayor Kenney sat at a round table and issued a challenge to a group of frustrated South Philadelphia residents: Write up your ambitious plan to reduce gun violence through economics, and then we'll have another invitation-only meeting, he told them. And the next meeting will include the Commerce Department, so that we can contemplate how to turn ideas into action.

The mayor's pledge was made without fanfare, but it's one that should be celebrated for its altruism as well as its pragmatism.

While crime, including murder, rates generally declined in America's 30 largest cities in 2017, Philadelphia saw an increase in its homicide rate. Last year, a total of 315 people were slain here. This year, the city is on track to equal or exceed that total. Nearly 82 percent of homicides involve firearms, according to 2017 data from the city Department of Public Health.

"Guns are a significant problem.  It's particularly an issue with teens.  Most of these victims haven't had a chance to live their lives," said Police Commissioner Richard Ross on Oct. 31, following a news conference which occurred hours before a 14-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother were shot while trick-or-treating in Olney.

The city has tried many strategies to reduce Philadelphia's prevalent gun violence.

There's been stop-and-frisk, a widely condemned tactic that exacerbated tensions in some neighborhoods between police and citizens, largely failed to remove illegal guns from the streets, and was the catalyst for a 2010 class-action lawsuit against the government.

There's also been the "tough on crime" approach, when the city tried arresting its way out of the problem. The result was Philadelphia having the highest incarceration rate per capita of the 10 largest American cities.

Focused deterrence was another experiment in making Philly safer. In April 2013, Mayor Michael Nutter pinpointed South Philadelphia to test a law enforcement strategy that identifies those most likely to commit crimes and then corrals them together to offer them social services. According to a study from Temple University, this strategy led to a 35 percent drop in shootings in three police districts but had no effect on gang-related violence.

At the meeting last week, Kenney said that he's no fan of focused deterrence and confirmed that the program has been nearly phased out.

"Gun laws in the commonwealth leave a lot to be desired," Ross said to a few journalists who managed to bend his ear after the Oct. 31 news conference. The commissioner said the gun violence in Philadelphia keeps him awake at night.

As a result, Philadelphia is left with several failed experiments and a high homicide rate. Our goal now should be to execute bold new approaches, and having the Commerce Department at the table when discussing violence reduction through economic empowerment certainly fits that bill. The mantra should be peace through prosperity.

Most people agree that poverty and gun violence are closely related. Philadelphia is the poorest big city in the country, with a poverty rate of 26 percent. And according to the city's own data set, firearms homicides occur most frequently among residents in the lowest income neighborhoods, and are the leading cause of death for young non-Hispanic black males.

Reducing poverty and the reliance on the underground economy could have a positive impact in reducing gun violence.

In Southwest Philadelphia, this option is already in play.

Turning a New Corner, an initiative spearheaded by the Southwest Police Division in partnership with employers, workforce developers, and community leaders, executes street-corner job interviews in the city's most challenged areas. So far, 40 people have secured jobs, according to the Police Department.

This alone won't solve Philly's gun violence problems.

But if we, as a city, can move the needle on poverty and economic issues, relieving the other impediments to safe streets gets easier.

The mayor's productive meeting in South Philadelphia, and the successful ground game in the city's Southwest neighborhoods, are glimmers of hope in a city too often scarred by untimely death.

Christopher "Flood the Drummer" Norris is an award-winning journalist, online content producer, and professional drummer currently serving as the CEO of Techbook Online and host of the Drumming for Justice podcast.College graduates are facing such steep debt loads that they can not fully participate in the economy. JOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer Read more

College loan debt is so overwhelming that students are defaulting at a rate of 10 percent, a number that's expected to increase in the coming years. (For comparison, the default rate on prime mortgages made in 2007, during the mortgage crisis, was 4.8 percent, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.)

Nowhere is the student debt burden heavier than in Pennsylvania, where the average graduate is shouldering roughly $36,000 in loans, reported staff writers Erin Arvedlund and Bob Fernandez in their first installment of an occasional series examining the student debt crisis.

Students are holding so much debt, they can barely participate in the economy. Even the ones lucky enough to get good jobs after graduation are putting off buying homes, cars, and other durable goods. That makes their financial problems a problem for the economy at large.

One factor that drives so much debt is the high cost of a college education. In Pennsylvania, elected leaders have shirked their responsibility to help provide reasonably-priced higher education. They have, instead, historically underfunded higher education.

The state system of 14 state colleges still hasn't gotten over severe cuts by former Gov. Tom Corbett and the Republican-controlled legislature. They cut state support by 7 percent for the 2011-12 fiscal year. Then, for the next three years, they recklessly froze state support, leaving students, their parents, and the colleges to make up the difference.

Tuition and fees in the state have shot up by 50 percent in just a decade. Now, average tuition and fees total $10,746 a year. Add room and board, and the cost is $21,682. It's impossible to know what the cost will be for the 2019 school year because the state budget won't be discussed for months.

Gov. Wolf was able to start small increases in funding for the 2015-16 fiscal year, but it hasn't been enough.

For its part, the system has been trying to cut costs by consolidating services among campuses (such as human resources), cutting energy usage, and leaving vacancies unfilled.

We need more creative programs like the state treasurer's $100 savings accounts for college-bound babies. Using private funding, Treasurer Joe Torsella is giving parents $100 to seed their children's college savings funds. If parents invest $25 a month in the fund, they'll have $10,000 toward tuition by the time their babies reach age 18. That's a good start, and a lesson in smart saving for parents anywhere who don't want their children burdened by debt.

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale acknowledges that funding is a huge issue but also rightly says he's concerned about colleges spending too much on attractions, such as dormitories or cafeterias. His office will soon audit the state system and should focus hard on ways to cut costs without cutting educational standards.

Wolf, who holds a Ph.D., knows full well the value of a college education. He should make funding higher education among his highest priorities in his second term. The usually stingy legislature should open its mind to the value of helping constituents escape crippling debt by making college more affordable.Martha Hernandez, right, waits to hear if she can vote by provisional ballot after her name was not found on the books at the polling place inside the Emmanuel Center in Philadelphia, PA on November 6, 2018. Hernandez voted using a provisional ballot. DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer Read more

It's a week after the midterm election, but in some places, the election is far from over. Ballots are still being counted in Arizona, a recount has started in Florida, and the Georgia gubernatorial race may be heading to a runoff. Close races and recounts test our election infrastructure  and the public's trust in it.

In Pennsylvania, Election Day went rather smoothly, and by the end of the night, all statewide and congressional races were called. But if some races had been just a little bit closer, we would have been in a lot of trouble.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, 83 percent of all voters in Pennsylvania use voting machines that produce no paper trail. That means that 83 percent of votes can't be recounted. Only 13 other states use these type of machines. The Pa. Department of State has directed all counties to replace their voting machines to ones with a paper trail by 2020, but the state will not pay for it. The state will support the effort with $14,149,964 that came from the federal government for this purpose  including a 5 percent match from the state  but the Pa. Department of State's own estimated cost for the replacement is between $95 and $153 million.

Placing this burden on the counties doesn't seem fair, especially since what's at stake is securing one of the most sacred elements of democracy  voting. A hundred million dollars isn't peanuts for the state, either, but it's hard to imagine that there is no way to find that money. In 2017, Gov. Tom Wolf borrowed $1.5 billion against the state's tobacco fund to balance a budget. The point is, we find money for things we deem important. Protecting the integrity and accuracy of our elections should be a priority.

Another element in our election that deserves rethinking is statewide ballot measures. According to Ballotpedia, voters in 37 states had the opportunity to directly vote on a policy on their ballot. Some of the most exciting victories on election night came from ballot measures  Florida reinstated the right to vote for 1.5 million people with felony convictions; Nebraska, Utah, and Idaho expanded Medicaid; Missouri and Arkansa increased the minimum wage.

Pennsylvania voters did not see a ballot question. The commonwealth does not allow statewide citizen-initiated constitutional amendments or referendums on existing laws. Any question on the ballot has first to pass the State Assembly (House and Senate) in two consecutive sessions. That makes it extremely hard for a question to make it to the ballot.

Ballot measures are not a perfect  they depend on language and on voters having access to all the information needed. But by legislating a process through which citizens can propose constitutional amendments or hold a popular referendum, Pennsylvania can enrich its democracy.

As far as we know today, the 2018 midterm election in Pennsylvania was smooth, fair, and democratic. That does not mean that there aren't ways to make elections even more democratic. Investing in infrastructure that will allow recounts and allowing ballot measures would be a great start.MUMBAI: Lending support to Shiv Sena in ongoing the Ram Mandir row, Mumbai's iconic Dabbawalas have decided to join party chief Uddhav Thackeray in his march to Ayodhya on November 25.

Subhash Talekar, president of Mumbai Dabbawala Association, said that they have written to Thackeray expressing their intention for the same. There'll be no effect on the regular services of the Dabbawalas in the city, he added.

A team, including of six members of the core group of the association, will join Sena's 'Chalo Ayodhya' march.

According to the Dabbawalas, the BJP failed to construct the Ram Temple despite being in power both at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh. It was their chief promise to the electorate in the last national elections, they added.

Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena on Monday said that the RSS and its allied organisations "woke up" to plan 'hunkar' (exhortation) rallies to press for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya after the Sena announced its plans to visit Ayodhya on November 25.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad had Saturday announced that it would organise rallies on November 25 in Ayodhya, Nagpur and Bengaluru.

Questioning the RSS and other organisations over their choice of date for the Ayodhya rally, the Sena said, "Which almanac is being used by the organisors for the Ayodhya rally? The RSS has no intention of hosting such a rally for the Ram temple. But because the Sena announced in its Dusshera rally that it would visit Ayodhya on November 25, others have woken up."

"The construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya was almost forgotten by everyone. We did not check any almanac or calendar for our plans for the Ayodhya visit. Till then, everyone was keeping mum about the Ram temple," Sena said.

With agency inputsMUMBAI: The Congress on Tuesday attacked Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray for his planned visit to Ayodhya on November 25. The party said that the issue over Ram temple has been raised only to polarise voters.

"Uddhav Thackeray's visit to Ayodhya makes no sense. People realise that there are elections in 5 states and this is just an attempt to polarise votes. People realise that this issue has been raised only for political benefits," Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan said.

Attempting to score a point on the Ram Temple issue, Thackeray had announced that he will visit the Ayodhya site in November to question Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the party's promise of constructing a grand Ram temple.

Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the PM, Thackeray had said that there was no "wave" in the country like the one in 2014.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party had recently attacked the BJP claiming that losses in polls will infuse a "fresh lease of life" in the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In an editorial laced with sarcasm in its party mouthpiece "Saamana", the Sena said BJP probably lost in Karnataka for ignoring poll promises like construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and for "imposing some other agenda".

Sena has been saying that the courts will not do anything in the Ram temple matter. "We are not paying attention to what the Supreme Court verdict (on Ram temple issue) is and what date it gives (for the verdict). We don't want to pay attention. The court won't do anything in the Ram temple matter. We did not ask the court before demolishing the Babri structure 25 years ago," party leader Sanjay Raut said.

"Our hundreds and thousands of 'kar sevaks' did not become shaheed (martyr) after seeking court permission. We have not started any movement on Ayodhya after seeking the court nod. We feel that there should be a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. We are not demanding a Ram temple in Pakistan but in Prabhu Shri Ram's Ayodhya. Uddhav Thackeray will go to Ayodhya and put forth his views on the Ram Mandir before people of the country," Raut added.As a long-time resident of Delhi of southern origin, I have always respected the multicultural character of the national capital. It ought to be that way because the city is a mini-India by design. While Mughals and British rulers induced various shades of cultural influences on the ancient city, from forts to churches, it is only after Independence in 1947 that you could say it became officially multicultural, because, "We, the people of India..." united to form a new republic with its capital in New Delhi.

I grew up amidst camaraderie: between Hindus, Muslims and Christians; Maharashtrians, Bengalis, Tamilians and Punjabis; between various other languages, sects and denominations. What we had then not bargained for is that our Union Territory would one day become a state with its own legislative assembly, and then extend itself to nearby provinces to form the National Capital Region.

This long preamble is necessary because I am sensing a new politics in the city that may change its character from one that is equanimously multicultural to one in which populism might get the better of vision -- because of the thing they call petty politics. There is a peculiar puzzle that needs to be solved. Delhi belongs to all, and precisely because of that, the government should belong to none in particular. The current politics in the city involving the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, the opposition BJP and of course, the Congress, is throwing up new questions that need to be answered, although there are no easy answers.

I did not like it a few years ago when BJP leader Vijay Goel talked of stopping migrants from UP and Bihar from settling in Delhi -- forgetting that his own party's base was among migrant Punjabis who were not native to the city. In both Delhi and Mumbai, the soft targets to local right-wing populists are the Biharis. However, the Biharis have emerged as a vote bank in Delhi and to a certain extent, Mumbai, and that is creating new political practices that I fear contains the seeds of fissures. This is something the national capital cannot afford.

The latest round of competitive populism around the Chhath Pooja festival celebrated by Biharis in a worship of the sun a few days after Diwali raises questions on the multicultural nature of Delhi. The local government should not be seen as partisan to any community. TheAAP government has declared a holiday for the festival in government offices and schools, while the BJP and AAP are fighting it out over arrangements made on the banks of the Yamuna for Biharis.

The Congress government under Sheila Dixit was among the early ones helping Biharis. Party leader Ajay Maken is now accusing AAP of doing politics with Chhath Puja while saying in the same breath that there is a "lack of preparations." The South Delhi Municipal Corporation is allocating as much as Rs 40 lakh from taxpayer money to make arrangements for the festival. While the AAP accuses the BJP of attacking Purvanchalis (local reference to people from east UP and BIhar), the BJP is joining the Congress in saying that the AAP is not making enough arrangements for the festival. What's more, the BJP's Delhi state unit now even has a Bihari president in actor Manoj Tiwari.

Where does that leave the Odiyas, Bengalis, Telugu speakers, Northeasterners and people from various parts of the country? Should Delhi make arrangements or declare a holiday for a Jagannath Rath Yatra for Odiyas, a Saraswati Pooja for Bengalis, a Bathukamma festival for those from Telangana and a Chapchar Kut for Mizos? Should Sindhis demand something special for Jhulelal? In fact, Sindhis deserve special treatment because the region they come from is not in India anymore even as they contribute to every sphere of excellence in India.

Delhi's original inhabitants have flavours of Rajasthan, Haryana and UP as the geographical location is close to these areas. Independence and Partition brought in the Sindhis and Punjabis, including Sikhs. Government jobs attracted southerners and easterners as well. Delhi is a cultural melting pot -- and I would argue it has overtaken Mumbai as one. Its politics must steer clear of any partisan influence in this because as a national capital, Delhi is bound by the Constitution to be multicultural.

This requires the state government to have clear-cut policies on how to engage with various communities and citizens. State resources and time must be spent keeping in mind the interests of all concerned. Laws must be framed keeping in mind the fact that Delhi is not a product of the linguistic reorganisation of the states that happened in 1956, but has a unique status.

AAP, Congress and BJP must realise alike that they may have to face the Supreme Court someday if their partisan ways lead to regionalist tensions within Delhi. The city is meant to be a mini-India in the best possible sense of the term -- not the worst. Whether these parties like it or not, while local governance must be carried out under democratic norms, populism must have its limits. Delhi's cultural character should be of the Union Territory that it once was.

(Madhavan Narayanan is a senior journalist who has covered politics, diplomacy, business, technology and other subjects in a long career that has spanned organisations including Reuters, Business Standard and Hindustan Times. He is currently an independent columnist, editor and commentator. He is listed among the top 200 Indian influencers on Twitter. He tweets as @madversity)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)Mumbai: The Bombay High Court Tuesday refused to grant an interim relief to former censor board chief and filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani, who had challenged a CBFC order directing 20 cuts in his forthcoming production venture, "Rangeela Raja".

Justice Riyaz Chagla, presiding over a vacation bench of the high court, said he was not inclined to grant any interim relief at this stage or take up the petition for an urgent hearing.

He said the petition shall be heard once the court reopens on November 19.

Nihalani, in his petition filed last week, had said the Central Board for Film Certification's (CBFC) suggestion was unjustified and uncalled for as he firmly believed that the film was not vulgar in any manner.

In his petition, he also hit out at the present CBFC head, Prasoon Joshi, accusing him of being "politically motivated".

Nihalani claimed that when a film was submitted for certification, the CBFC's screening committee took about 21 days to decide, adding that in this case, it took 40 days.

On November 2, the CBFC committee had passed an order asking for various cuts in the movie.

Nihalani's tenure as the CBFC chief earlier was marred by controversies as various filmmakers had accused him of asking for arbitrary cuts in their films, leading to him being replaced by Joshi.

"Rangeela Raja" features actor Govinda, with whom Nihalani is re-uniting after 25 years.

Govinda had earlier worked in Nihalani's films like "Ilzaam", "Shola Aur Shabnam" and "Aankhen".Bengaluru: Stunned by allegations of 'serious personal misconduct', Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal has said the developments accelerated his decision to step down from the company he set up 11 years ago.

Bansal, however, said he will continue to remain a large shareholder and board member of the now Walmart-owned firm.

Earlier Tuesday, Walmart issued a statement saying Bansal had resigned as group chief executive officer following an independent probe into allegations of "serious personal misconduct".

Bansal, 37, has strongly denied the allegations, the details of which were not disclosed.

"For some time, I have been mulling over the right time to step away from an operating role at Flipkart Group. My plan was to continue in my current role for a few more quarters to continue the transition after closing the deal with Walmart. However, my decision to step down has been accelerated by certain personal events that have taken place in the recent past," he wrote in an email to employees.

Bansal added that these events relate to a claim of serious personal misconduct made against him, "which was uncorroborated after a thorough investigation completed by an independent law firm".

According to sources, the investigation started in July.

"The allegations left me stunned and I strongly deny them. The investigation, however, did bring to light lapses in judgment, particularly a lack of transparency, related to how I responded to the situation," he said.

Bansal said these have been "challenging times" for him and his family, and in light of these circumstances, he felt it was best to step away as chairman and Group CEO.

"I will continue to be a large shareholder in the company and will continue to serve as a member of the board of directors," he noted.

Binny had co-founded Flipkart in 2007 with his IIT-Delhi batchmate Sachin Bansal. Sachin left the company following its USD 16-billion acquisition by US retail behemoth Walmart in May.New Delhi: A 16-year-old boy allegedly stabbed his father twice to stop him from beating his mother and siblings in outer Delhi's Sultanpuri area, police said Tuesday.

According to police, the victim, a 40-year-old man, was allegedly inebriated and was thrashing his wife and children when his minor son picked up a knife and stabbed him twice in the chest.

The neighbours alerted the police about the incident, following which the victim was rushed to a hospital where his condition was last said to be stable, police said.

The accused boy is a school dropout while his father works as a labourer in Mundka. The boy's mother works in a shoe factory.Singapore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address some 30,000 people at the world's largest gathering of financial technology companies in Singapore this week and launch a banking solution for two billion people without bank accounts worldwide.

Prime Minister Modi will be in Singapore from November 14 to 15 to attend a series of summits, including the East Asian summit and ASEAN meetings.

He is scheduled to speak at the Fintech Festival which has the largest gathering of global Fintech companies and delegates ranging from the industry leaders to smaller start-ups.

He will address 30,000 people at the festival, the biggest event of its kind in the world, the organisers said.

India with 400 exhibitors is the largest contingent at the event.

Modi will launch APIX, a banking technology designed to reach two billion people worldwide who are still without bank accounts.

Designed by software experts based in Hyderabad, Colombo and London, APIX is a sophisticated technology by Boston-headquartered Virtusa, especially for smaller banks, Tier 3 and 4, to reach out to people in the remote regions.

The Prime Minister will be launching the technology at the invitation of Monetary Authority of Singapore, the International Finance Corp of the World Bank and the ASEAN Banking Association, said Nikhil Menon, Virtusa's senior vice president and Asia regional head.

APIX will support banks to reach out to those without bank accounts in 23 countries including the 10 ASEAN members as well as major markets such as India, and small nations including Fiji, said Menon.

Supporting Modi's presence at the festival is India Pavilion of 18 companies.

Eight of these companies are from Mumbai. The Pavilion is organised by the state-owned Maharashtra Information Technology Corp Ltd (MahaIT).

Mumbai Fintechs at the festival are seeking opportunities in the global markets, said MahaIT Fintech Officer Suniti Nanda.

"Mumbai, as a financial hub, is also a gateway for international fintech companies to enter the Indian market," Nanda said, adding that the festival gives opportunities both to understand global market requirements and present the potential of large-scale Indian consumers.

Malaysian fintechs have expressed interest in joining Indian fintechs to venture into India, according to Tushar Shankar, co-founder of Mumbai-based PhiCommerce which is presenting PayPhi, a three-year old cashless system of making payments.

PayPhi is a socio-economic platform enabling the simple villager to dweller in metro to make payment, he said.

The Malaysians want to tap the online buying power for Indian consumers, he said.

"We are also participating in the festival to get deeper understanding of the global market," said Shankar.

He also highlighted that India has been drawing global fintechs' interest as it has emerged as one of the largest system-based payment markets.New Delhi: After Air India removed its senior pilot Arvind Kathpalia - who failed alcohol test - from the post of director of operations, the Chief Vigilance Officer of the national carrier will conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. The airline will launch an inquiry into the administrative and disciplinary aspects Captain Kathpalia's failed breath test and impact of his action on passenger's safety.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kathpalia was removed from his post, a day after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended his flying licence for three years.

This came after the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) demanded the immediate termination of Kathpalia from the national carrier's board calling him a "repeated offender" who endangers passengers lives.

In a letter to the Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu, the ICPA said Kathpalia continuing in the top post was "demoralising" for the cadres.

Referring to Kathpalia failing the BA test on November 11, the ICPA said he endangered the lives of innocent passengers.

On Sunday, Kathpalia was grounded by the airline as he failed a mandatory pre-flight alcohol test. Kathpalia was scheduled to fly flight AI-111 from Delhi to London but was replaced because he tested positive for alcohol in the BA test.

It was for the second time within a year that Kathpalia failed the Breath Analyser test. He had earlier failed another alcohol test on January 17. Even prior to that, his flying licence was suspended for three months in 2017 as he had reportedly missed a breath analyser test.

(With inputs from agencies)Istre-Le Tube airbase: French defence manufacturer Dassault Aviation on Tuesday unveiled the first look of the Rafale fighter jets, which will be delivered to the Indian Air Force from September 2019 onwards.

The first look of the advanced fighter jets was unveiled at Istre-Le Tube airbase in France.

Take a look at the much-awaited Rafale fighter jets made for the IAF here.

#Visuals: First look of the #Rafale jet for the Indian Air Force, from the Istre-Le Tube airbase in France pic.twitter.com/Qv4aJdgjI7  ANI (@ANI) 13 November 2018

Dassault Aviation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eric Trappier has said that the IAF will get the first delivery of Rafale fighter jets in September 2019 as per the contract.

The Dassault top executive said that ''the delivery is totally in time.''

Trappier said this in an exclusive interview to ANI during which he categorically rubbished kickback allegations made by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier alleged that the Dassault CEO lied about the details of the Dassault- Reliance Joint Venture (JV) for offset contracts in the Rafale fighter Jet deal.

"I don't lie. The truth I declared before and the statements I made are true. I don't have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO, you don't lie," Trappier said when asked to respond to Rahul Gandhi's charge that Dassault was covering up for possible cronyism in awarding the offset deal to Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group.

In a press conference on November 2, Rahul had alleged that Dassault invested Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company promoted by Anil Ambani which was used to procure land in Nagpur.

"It is clear the Dassault CEO is lying. If an inquiry starts on this PM Modi is not going to survive it. Guaranteed," he added.

Trappier said that they had prior experience dealing with the Congress party and the comments made by the Congress president made him sad.

"We have a long experience with the Congress party. Our first deal was with India in 1953 with Nehru and other Prime Ministers. We have been working with India. We are not working for any party. We are supplying strategic products like fighters to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Government. That is what is most important," said Trappier.A joint military exercise between Indian and Russia will begin on 18 November at the Babina Field Firing Ranges, Babina Military Station. The Exercise Indra 2018 will be focused on combating insurgency and will be held under the aegis of United Nations (UN).

Company sized contingents of the 5th Army of the Russian Federation and a Mechanised Infantry Battalion of India will participate in the training exercise which will continue for eleven days. It would include induction and de-induction of the Russian contingent. The training will be supervised by a joint directing panel comprising of senior officials of both the national contingents.

The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct to enhance interoperability of the two Armies in the peace keeping/enforcement environment under the aegis of the UN. It focuses on training on enhancing team building, special tactical level operations such as Cordon and Search, house intervention, handling and neutralisation of Improvised Explosive Devices and integrated employment of force multipliers.

The primary focus of the tactical field exercise is to share best practices amongst the militaries and hone existing skills of the troops in the backdrop of interoperability between the two Armies in the peace keeping/enforcement environment. The topics chosen for the exercise are both live and contemporary affecting both the nation alike.

The tenth exercise in the series of Exercise Indra is aimed at sending a strong message to the world with an intent of appreciation of interoperability between Indian and Russian Armies for joint tactical level operations in the peace keeping/enforcement environment.Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier has rubbished the allegations levelled by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in connection with the Rafale fighter jets deal between India and France. In an interview with news agency ANI, Trappier responded to a question on the allegations by the Congress party, saying, I dont lie.

The Dassault Aviation CEO said, I dont lie. The truth I declared earlier and the statements I made are true. I dont have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO, you dont lie.

Trappier further recalled the association of the French company with the Congress party in the past, saying that the first deal with India was struck in 1953, under the government of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

#WATCH: ANI editor Smita Prakash interviews CEO Eric Trappier at the Dassault aviation hangar in Istre- Le Tube air https://t.co/0igomqmE2i  ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2018

He said, We have a long experience with the Congress party. Our first deal was with India in 1953 with Nehru and other prime ministers. We have been working with India. We are not working for any party. We are supplying strategic products like fighters to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian government. That is what is most important.

On the issue of Anil Ambanis Reliance Defence being chosen as the offset partner, the Dassault Aviation CEO said that the money being invested was not going directly to Reliance directly but in a joint venture.

The rebuttal by the French firms CEO comes almost 10 days after Rahul Gandhi accused the company of paying first trench of kickbacks of Rs 284 crore to Anil Ambani.

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, the Congress president had said.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Gandhi scion had also tweeted, 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.

The Reliance group, however, 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.

(With ANI inputs)Istres-Le Tube Airbase: Dassault Aviation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eric Trappier has said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) will get the first delivery of Rafale fighter jets in September 2019 as per the contract.

The Dassault top executive said that ''the delivery is totally in time.''

Trappier said this in an exclusive interview to ANI during which he categorically rubbished kickback allegations made by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier alleged that the Dassault CEO lied about the details of the Dassault- Reliance Joint Venture (JV) for offset contracts in the Rafale fighter Jet deal.

"I don't lie. The truth I declared before and the statements I made are true. I don't have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO, you don't lie," Trappier said when asked to respond to Rahul Gandhi's charge that Dassault was covering up for possible cronyism in awarding the offset deal to Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group.

In a press conference on November 2, Rahul had alleged that Dassault invested Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company promoted by Anil Ambani which was used to procure land in Nagpur.

"It is clear the Dassault CEO is lying. If an inquiry starts on this PM Modi is not going to survive it. Guaranteed," he added.

Trappier said that they had prior experience dealing with the Congress party and the comments made by the Congress president made him sad.

"We have a long experience with the Congress party. Our first deal was with India in 1953 with Nehru and other Prime Ministers. We have been working with India. We are not working for any party. We are supplying strategic products like fighters to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Government. That is what is most important," said Trappier.

When pressed further for the reason behind Dassault`s choice of Reliance as an offset partner which had no experience in manufacturing fighter jets, Trappier clarified that the money being invested was not going to Reliance directly but in a Joint Venture (JV) that included Dassault.

"We are not putting the money in Reliance. The money is going into the JV. I put my know-how free of charge on how to produce people. I have engineers and workers from Dassault who are taking the lead as far as the industrial part of this deal is concerned. At the same time, I have an Indian company like Reliance who is putting money into this JV as they want to develop their country. So the company is going to know how to produce aircraft," Trappier said.

Trappier clarified further about the investments being made by Dassault, adding that Reliance would match the amount since the shareholding pattern is 49% Dassault and 51% Reliance as per prescribed Government norms.

"We are supposed to put in this company together about Rs 800 crore as 50:50. For the time being, to start work in the hangar and to pay workers and employees, we have already put Rs 40 crore. But it will be increased to Rs 800 crore, which implies Rs 400 crore by Dassault in the coming five years," said Trappier.

It is to be noted that the Rahul Gandhi's party has launched an all-out attack on the Narendra Modi government alleging widespread corruption in awarding the contract to Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the offset partner of the French defence manufacturer.

The Congress party has Rafale deal as the country's biggest defence scam till date.

On its part, the Narendra Modi government has dismissed all allegations of favouritism and corruption and said that the Rafale deal was finalised within the legal framework.

As directed by the Supreme Court, the Centre also recently submitted the details, including the price of the Rafale jets, in a sealed cover to the top court.Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday issued a stern warning for those who are misleading the youth of Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking to mediapersons, the Army chief said that at some places, Maulvis might be giving false information to youth at mosque and madrassas.

General Rawat said that rumours were being spread from some mosques ot colonies and as a result of it, thousands of people were coming on streets to protest against armed forces and state administration.

Urging the people of Jammu and Kashmir to not take up arms, the Army chief further said, We have to tell the youth not to join militancy band, convince them that they will not live long and convince the family the same and then if they don't listen they have to face the consequence. Kashmiri people are our people and we cannot allow violence.

Responding to a question on demands of Kashmiri politicians like former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah for dialogue instead of muscular policy to deal with issue of violence in the state, the Army chief said that terrorists would not be allowed to create violence

The government has a clear policy that it will not allow terrorist to create violence. The government has already initiated dialogue through an interlocutor with the people, said General Rawat.

General Rawat ruled out direct talks between Centre and terrorists, even as he said that separatists were free to hold talks with interlocutor if they wanted.

He said, Interlocutor is talking to people. He is open to anybody who wants to speak to him. We're doing indirect talks, if they (separatists) dont want to talk, what can we do? The Army chief added, The head of the state isn't going to talk to the terrorists; its not going to happen.NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court fixed December 4 for final arguments on pleas filed by Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia against Delhi High Court order for re-opening of their income tax assessments in the National Herald case. The Delhi HC had refused to give them relief in a case of re-opening of their tax assessments for 2011-12.

The apex court did not issue any notice on their petitions as the Income Tax department was represented by its counsel. The Income Tax department had filed a caveat in the apex court that it should be heard in case any appeal is filed against the high court order.

After a brief hearing, a bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and S A Abdul Nazeer said, "Since respondent (Income Tax department) has put in appearance, we are not issuing a formal notice. However, we are fixing the matter for final arguments on December 4".

The appeals were filed by Rahul, Sonia and veteran Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, who have challenged the September 10 verdict of the high court.

The Income Tax matter against the Congress leaders are linked to the National Herald case in which they are also facing a criminal case.

(More to follow)Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit Singapore from November 14 to 15 to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India and East Asia Summits and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Leaders' Meeting.

My participation in these meetings symbolizes our continued commitment to strengthening our engagement with ASEAN Member States and with the wider Indo-Pacific region. I am looking forward to my interactions with other ASEAN and East Asia Summit Leaders, wrote PM Modi on Facebook.

Later, the Prime Minister will address 30,000 people while delivering the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival, the biggest fintech event of the world. He will be the first head of a government to deliver the keynote address.

On 14 November, I will have the honour to be the first Head of Government to deliver the Keynote Address at the Singapore Fintech Festival. As the world's largest event on financial technology, the Festival is the right forum not only to showcase India's strengths in this fast-growing sector, but also to forge global partnerships for fostering innovation and growth, he added.

He'll interact with participants of the joint India-Singapore Hackathon.

I will be in Singapore tomorrow and the day after to take part in the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summits as well as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Leaders' Meeting. India strongly values the close ties with ASEAN nations. This augurs well for our citizens.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 13, 2018

At 7:45 AM IST tomorrow, I will be delivering the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival. I would be talking about various issues relating to the sector. Indias prowess in the Fintech Sector will also be showcased during the festival. https://t.co/G5r5jKozlX  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 13, 2018

At 7:45 AM IST tomorrow, I will be delivering the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival. I would be talking about various issues relating to the sector. Indias prowess in the Fintech Sector will also be showcased during the festival. https://t.co/G5r5jKozlX  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 13, 2018

I will also interact with the participants and winners of the first ever joint India-Singapore Hackathon. This is a stupendous effort to promote a spirit of innovation among our youngsters and empower them to solve the major problems our planet faces.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 13, 2018

PM Modi is also expected to meet United States Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Singapore on November 14, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Monday.

The East Asia Summit is a premier forum in the Asia-Pacific region. Since its inception in 2005, it has played a significant role in the strategic, geopolitical and economic evolution of East Asia.

Apart from the 10 ASEAN member-states, East Asia Summit includes India, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, United States and Russia.A Pakistani intruder was gunned down by the Army during an encounter in along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor sector.

In an encounter between security forces & terrorists in Akhnoor sector, Pakistani terrorist eliminated at around 01:50 pm today, said a Defence PRO of the Indian Army.

The intruder opened fire and a gunfight ensued in which he was killed.

The entire area has been cordoned off. Search and destroy operation is still in progress, he added.

Arms and ammunition, including an AK assault rifle and a pistol, has been recovered.

The infiltration bid came after a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistan which left three Army personnel and a porter dead and three BSF personnel injured since Friday.

"An armed intruder was noticed trying to infiltrate into this side in Pallanwalla area of Akhnoor sector and was challenged by the alert Army personnel," an Army officer said.BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) 'shakhas' will continue to be held in state government offices and there will be no restrictions on employees on attending it.

''Nobody can ban the RSS,'' the MP CM said in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone on Monday evening.

"The RSS is an organisation of patriots and every nationalist and the government staffers can attend its 'shakhas'. The Congress is nursing an ego," the MP CM added.

''It was me who had lifted the ban on government employees and officers attending the RSS shakhas in 2006. I relaxed the norms that prevented government workers from taking part in the RSS meetings and this respite would continue in the future, the Chief Minister added.

The remarks from MP CM came days after Congress released its manifesto which promised a ban on the use of government buildings for RSS meetings and revoking a previous order allowing government staffers to take part in the activities of the Sangh Parivar.

The Congress manifesto, released on Saturday, under the head titled 'administration reforms' read, "The holding of RSS shakhas in government premises would be banned and the order regarding relaxation given to public servants to attend them will be revoked".

The reference to the RSS in the Congress manifesto had triggered a bitter war of words between the ruling BJP and Congress in MP.

Clarifying on the issue, state Congress chief Kamal Nath said that the BJP was "distorting" the reference to the RSS in the party's manifesto just to divert public attention.

Nath's reactions came after BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, party vice-president Prabhat Jha and MP unit chief Rakesh Singh lashed out at the Congress for being "opposed to Lord Ram and the RSS".

"The BJP is intentionally fanning the RSS issue to divert people's attention from the public welfare issues mentioned in our 'Vachan Patra' (document of pledges). In our manifesto, we have not mentioned that the RSS would be banned, nor do we have any such intention," Nath told reporters.

He asserted that neither the party nor he himself has said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will be banned.

The Congress's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Jyotiraditya Scindia, too said that religion should not be mixed with politics.

In Madhya Pradesh in 1981, the Congress government had banned RSS activities in government premises.Mumbai: National Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has attacked the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for failing to address the legitimate concerns of the farmers of the country and formulate right policies for them.

The veteran NCP leader said this while addressing a gathering in Mumbai on Monday during which he said that in spite of discussing the issues being faced by the farmers, Ram temple has become the top priority of the ruling BJP dispensation.

Pawar also went on to even accuse the Modi government of diverting people's attention from genuine issues and attempting to divide the nation on religious lines.

"Be it loan waiver or other policies, this government failed in formulating right policies for farmers. Today problems faced by farmers are not being addressed, only Ram temple is being discussed. This government has worked towards diverting people's attention. We have to be aware of this," he said.

Pawar had earlier courted a controversy for giving a clean chit to the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale fighter jet deal signed between India and France.

However, his daughter and NCP MP Supriya Sule later clarified that her father's statement was misconstrued. She categorically said that the senior NCP did not give a clean chit to PM Modi over the multi-crore Rafale deal.

Sule also demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the controversial Rafale fighter jet deal.

In a series of tweets, Sule also claimed that it was "disappointing" that the issues raised by her father Sharad Pawar regarding the Rafale fighter jet deal were ignored.

Its disappointing that people have not heard @PawarSpeaks Saheb where he has clearly raised three questions:

1) what is the justification for a 300 percent price increase from Rs. 526 crores to Rs. 1,670 crores which potentially could be a significant loss to the exchequer?  Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) 28 September 2018

Sule questioned if the Narendra Modi government is so confident of facts then why is it shying away from a JPC probe into the deal?.

2) If such doubts have been raised and the government is so confident, then why are they shying from setting up a JPC?  Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) 28 September 2018

Hitting out at the ruling dispensation, the Congress party said that Sharad Pawar's 'clean chit' to PM Narendra Modi is a BJP conspiracy.New Delhi: Akshara Haasan, who made her debut in Bollywood opposite Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush in 2015 released 'Shamitabh', became the latest victim of cybercrime after some of her intimate photos found their way to the internet.

The pictures of the budding actress in inner-wear have come as a shock to everyone.

On Sunday, Akshara approached the police registered a complaint against an unknown person for allegedly leaking her photos on the internet. The police said they have formed a team that specialises in tracking cybercrime and are trying to locate the accused.

Calling the incident 'deeply unfortunate', the actress tweeted, "It's particularly disturbing and deeply upsetting to see that at a time when the nation has woken up to the #metoo movement, there are still people out there who would harass and attempt to share private pictures of a young girl in the public eye only to derive perverse pleasure that appeals only to them."

Akshara also confirmed in her tweet that the photos were not morphed. "Recently, some of my private pictures were leaked on the internet. Who did this, or why, is not known to me yet? But what I do know that it is deeply unfortunate to make a young girl the victim of such an act only for a pervert mind's enjoyment. And each time someone shares it with eye-catching deadlines to draw more traction, it scars me deeper and adds to everyone's participation in my harassment and helplessness."

She further tweeted that she has reached out to the Mumbai Police and Cyber cell to get to the bottom of it.

Akshara Haasan, who was last seen in Ajith's Viswasam in 2017, is currently working on a project alongside Vikram, produced by her father's Kamala Haasan's banner, Raaj Kamal Films.Mumbai: Hollywood star Diego Luna hopes the Indian audience will embrace "Narcos: Mexico" as he believes both the countries share a lot of cultural similarities.

Luna, his co-star Michael Pena and showrunner Eric Newman joined Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt and director Shakun Batra to talk about the latest season of the Netflix drug drama, which starts streaming from November 16.

"I find so many similarities between the Indian culture and the Mexican culture... There is so much in common. The contrast you live when you go out and the richness in terms of cultural diversity is amazing. It feels like you are from here. I think this is why you would love 'Narcos: Mexico'," Luna said.

The actor, however, was hesitant to talk about his spiritual connection with India despite Batra's prodding about a chat they had Sunday night.

"I told you this because I had four vodkas inside me... The spiritual connection is different... It is personal. I don't see how it connects with 'Narcos'," he said when Batra shared with the audience that Luna's grandmother was born in India and he had read parts of Bhagavad Gita.

While the earlier seasons dealt with Pablo Escobar, the man behind the rise of Medellin Cartel, and then the Cali Cartel in Colombia, the fourth season shifts to Mexico and revolves around the rise and fall of Guadalajara Cartel.

Luna, who grew up in Mexico at the time when the Cartel was at its peak, said the show was "personal" for him because it is the "foundation of the mess" that his country is in today.

He plays the role of Felix Gallardo, the man behind the rise of Guadalajara Cartel. Gallardo is currently serving a 37-year-sentence in Altiplano in Mexico.

"The case of Kiki Camarena determines the relationship between the States and Mexico... I was six when this happened but I did not know about it because my father was hiding this Mexico from me.

"But in the '90s, I was reading about the violence erupting and understood how crucial 1980s were," he added.

Wagner Moura and Pedro Pascal were the two popular faces of the previous seasons but Pena and Luna are not worried about comparisons.

"I don't think about it like that. It was not like Pedro Pascal had enough and they brought the little me... It was not like he played Kiki Camarena (the DEA agent) and then I came. We were constantly working, travelling and had pages to memorise," Pena said.

For Luna, it was a blessing to be a part of a show that is already well established.

"Obviously, when you see something, you compare it with the last thing you saw. Those guys made the show so popular that for the first time, I don't have to worry about people watching my show," Luna said.

"...The team they put together is amazing... I have to be very honest. It is very bold to say 'Let's start all over again'. It is a different project... There is a new director, place and cast... They complement each other very well but you won't be thinking about the previous seasons."

The actor said he read a lot of news stories and other people's commentary about the notorious drug dealer to understand the inner world of character, whose personality was different from the usually flamboyant cartel bosses.

"There was a period of time when he (Gallardo) liked to be in the newspaper. He wanted to be seen as a businessman and wanted to be seen on the social part of it... But it is difficult to find images of his personal life... While many of these characters are very flamboyant, this guy knew the value of being discreet in this world... He was like a politician," Luna said.

Pena said it took him a while to understand what motivated Camarena to put himself in the harm's way and talking to Camarena's wife helped shape his portrayal.

"I was not really getting the gist of what made him tick. What would motivate somebody to put himself in the harm's way to accomplish what he thought was justice. I had more understanding when I talked to Mika Camarena, his wife.

"He is a person who is jut fed up with injustice... The local police, the federal police, the local government, everybody was turning a blind eye. This fuelled him to bring it upon himself to make some difference," he said.

Newman believes the drug lords are not the real star of the show but cocaine, whose trail they have been following season after season.

"It would be a mistake to think that these characters are monsters. They are not... They are the product of their environment, economic disparity and the endless appetite for cocaine that America represents... The mistake that we make in America is that we are always looking for the monster and we ignore the monster taking shape behind us," he added.Many areas in Japan are dealing with an exponential rise in the numbers of non-native species of animals, fishes and reptiles, forcing the country to resort to an innovative way of population check - munch on them!

Local residents in some of the prefectures which are witnessing a rise in numbers of certain species have been encouraged to develop a taste for it, literally. According to a report in the South China Morning Post, Chiba to the east of Tokyo is now actively cooking snapping turtles as it apparently knows of no other way to check on their booming population. It is reported that these turtles were initially brought to the country to be kept as pets but many of them were turned out because of their large size at adulthood. The snapping turtles adapted quickly to the local conditions and thrived to unmanageable numbers. Local officials are now encouraging chefs from around the country to come up with creative and tasty recipes to ensure the turtles become a culinary delight.

Over in Hokkaido, a fisheries cooperative has begun selling crayfish which were first brought here from the US. The crayfish, initially used for recreational fishing, thrived in Japanese conditions and numbers swelled uncontrollably. Feasting on them now appears the only way of ensuring the rapid rate of breeding is kept in check.

Not all species which are multiplying quickly, however, have found a place on the Japanese dish. Fire ants, racoons and anole lizards are some other species of insects, animals and reptiles which pose a risk due to their large numbers but the Japanese are not saying 'Bon Appetit' just yet.An air hostess from Philippines has won several hearts on social media after she came to the rescue of a crying baby onboard a flight. The air hostess, Patrisha Organo, breastfed a strangers baby to pacify her when she was crying relentlessly during the flight.

Patrisha shared her experience on her profile on Facebook, saying that breastfeeding the child made her flight a special one. Thank you, Lord for the gift of mothers milk, she wrote on her social media profile.

Soon after the Philippine Airline flight took off, Patrisha heard an infant crying relentlessly. When she went to the seat of the babys mother, she discovered that other passengers were visibly disturbed. Patrisha advised the mother of the baby to feed the child so that she would stop crying.

But then she found the mother teary eyed as she informed her that she had run out of formula milk, which the baby was supposed to be fed with.

I felt a pinch in my heart. Theres no formula milk onboard. I thought to myself, theres only one thing I could offer and thats my own milk. And so I offered, wrote the air hostess.

With the help of her colleague, she took the baby to the gallery where she started to breastfeed the child. She fed the baby till she fell asleep in her lap.

I saw the relief on her mothers eyes. I continued to feed the baby until she fell asleep . I escorted her back to her seat and just before I left, the mother sincerely thanked me, wrote Patrisha.

Heres her full post:

I BREASTFED A STRANGERS BABY INFLIGHT

Yesteday, I was scheduled for a check flight to be qualified as a Cabin Crew Evaluator. I thought that this flights gonna be so special as this is a big step on my flying career.

Everything went smoothly until after take off, I heard an infants cry, a cry that will make you want to do anything to help. I approached the mother and asked if everythings okay, I tried to tell her to feed her hungry child. Teary-eyed, she told me that she ran out of formula milk. Passengers started looking and staring at the tiny, fragile crying infant.

I felt a pinch in my heart. Theres no formula milk onboard. I thought to myself, theres only one thing I could offer and thats my own milk. And so I offered.

Ms. Sheryl Villaflor, Line Administator on my flight, immediately assisted the mother to the galley where I breastfed the baby. The baby started rooting, she was so hungry.

I saw the relief on her mothers eyes. I continued to feed the baby until she fell asleep . I escorted her back to her seat and just before I left, the mother sincerely thanked me.

I was right, the flights gonna be special, so special not only because I got qualified as an Evaluator but I got to help.

I breastfed a strangers baby inflight.

Thank you, Lord for the gift of mothers milk.

Patrisha Organo

Flight Attendant/Breastfeeding AdvocateYANGON: Amnesty International has withdrawn its most prestigious human rights prize from Aung San Suu Kyi, accusing the Myanmar leader of perpetuating human rights abuses by not speaking out about violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Once hailed as a champion in the fight for democracy, Suu Kyi has been stripped of a series of international honours over a Rohingya exodus that began in August 2017.

More than 700,000 members of the mostly stateless group fled across Myanmar's western border into Bangladesh after the Myanmar military launched a crackdown in response to Rohingya insurgent attacks on the security forces. UN-mandated investigators have accused the military of unleashing a campaign of killings, rape and arson with "genocidal intent".

Suu Kyi`s administration rejected the findings as one-sided, and said the military action was engaged in a legitimate counterinsurgency operation.

The international human rights group named Suu Kyi as its 2009 Ambassador of Conscience Award recipient when she was still under house arrest for her opposition to Myanmar`s oppressive military junta.

In the eight years since she was released, Suu Kyi led her party to election victory in 2015 and set up a government the following year, but she has to share power with generals and has no oversight over the security forces.

Amnesty International said in a statement on Tuesday she had failed to speak out and had "shielded the security forces from accountability" for the violence against the Rohingya, calling it a "shameful betrayal of the values she once stood for".

The global advocacy organisation`s secretary general, Kumi Naidoo, wrote to Suu Kyi on Sunday saying the group was withdrawing the award because it was "profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defence of human rights".

Zaw Htay, the Myanmar government`s main spokesman, did not pick up Reuters calls seeking comment on Monday.

In March, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum rescinded its top award from Suu Kyi and she has had other honours withdrawn, including the freedom of the cities of Dublin and Oxford, England, over the Rohingya crisis.

In September, Canada's parliament voted to strip Suu Kyi of her honorary citizenship.

Critics have called for her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize to be withdrawn but the foundation that oversees the award said it would not do so.

Amnesty International also said Suu Kyi had not condemned military abuses in conflicts between the army and ethnic minority guerrillas in northern Myanmar and her government had imposed restrictions on access by humanitarian groups. Her government had also failed to stop attacks on freedom of speech, it said.Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Tuesday rapped Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in the country over its plan for Naya Pakistan. During a hearing in connection with illegal constructions in Bani Gala, which also has the residence of Imran Khan, the Chief Justice observed that the current government has no capabilities and planning.

Referring to the plan for Naya Pakistan, the Chief Justice of Pakistan observed that the authorities would need to buy land if they want to develop facilities in Bani Gala, said a report in Pakistan-based Geo News.

Pointing that the government would need land for Naya Pakistan, Justice Nisar said that the land would need to be bought and adequate compensation must be paid to the owners in lieu of it. The Capital Development Authority will need to buy the land, he said.

Responding to the arguments from the government side during the hearing, the Survey General of Pakistan informed the Chief Justice-led Bench that they already owed an amount of more than Rs 3 million.

Imran Khan has been vocal about his plans to build a Naya Pakistan. Even the PTI manifesto, released during the run up to the general elections in the country, was titled Road to Naya Pakistan. In the manifesto, Imran Khans party had claimed that the Naya Pakistan would be an Islamic welfare state.

The manifesto had also talked about judicial reforms to deliver quality justice to the people of Pakistan.

After the elections, as Pakistan celebrated its Independence Day on August 14, Imran Khan, who was then the Prime Minister-elect, had tweeted about Naya Pakistan aspirations.

He had said, I want all Pakistanis to celebrate 14th August, our Independence Day, with full fervor  especially as we are now moving toward Naya (new) Pakistan and reclaiming Jinnahs vision InshaAllah (God willing).Donald Trump has made it a habit of making the news for the wrong reasons each time he is on an overseas tour. His recent visit to France for WWI remembrance was no different.

While many world leaders paid their respects at the WWI cemetery here, the US president cancelled his scheduled visit and instead, was holed up at the official residence of the US ambassador to France. The reason? It was raining outside.

Trump, who has a cavalcade that can brave the most terrifying of attacks, was blasted - both at home and the world over - for citing rain as a reason to skip a sombre event. It was the French army though which, indirectly of course, took a sly dig at him. "There's rain, but it's not serious. We're staying motivated," the official Twitter account of wrote in French, complete with a picture of a soldier crawling under wires as part of his training in rainy conditions.

#MondayMotivation Il y a de la pluie, mais c'est pas grave ?? On reste motive ?? pic.twitter.com/29hOJ9ITF0  Armee de Terre (@armeedeterre) November 12, 2018

Twitterati, almost instantly, understood the veiled reference the tweet made to Trump's cancelled visit and made a mockery of the US President.

Our courageux president is ready for your obstacle...as soon as it stops raining! pic.twitter.com/mW0hv8lmIS  durrati (@durrati) November 12, 2018

Trump is very willing to brave the rain when theres something in it for him...!! pic.twitter.com/g9zBukax2o  Kathleen Gallo (@katstails) November 12, 2018

Thank you for your service. YOU make so MANY sacrifices. Merci ? pic.twitter.com/swoCnsGXdA  Soxfan (@Soxfan29492795) November 12, 2018

Back home, many have expressed their displeasure at Trump's conduct in France and have even said his 'America First' is turning out to be 'America Alone' policy.

Watching the events from France, I cannot recall a time when America seemed so isolated. America First feels like America Alone.  David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 11, 2018

On his part, Trump took to Twitter as well upon his return home and said he had used the trip to remind world leaders that American money cannot be mis-used anymore. He said that he had told his counterparts from different countries that they need to pay if they wish to enjoy American security. For now, though, traditional allies in Europe - and perhaps even elsewhere, are treading on cautious lines when it comes to dealing with the businessman-turned-President.The three raging wildfires in California have killed 44 people since it started last week, a record number of deaths from a wildfire in the US state, officials said.

Of the 44 people killed, 42 died in Northern California's Camp Fire, while two others were killed in the Woolsey Fire in Malibu, Butte county Sheriff Kory L. Honea told the media on Monday night.

Honea said more than 200 people remain missing in and around the wooded town of Paradise in northern California, which sits in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and was popular with retirees, The New York Times reported.

The Camp Fire which broke out in Paradise on the morning of november 8, has already burned about 117,000 acres, destroyed 6,453 homes, and was only about 30 per cent contained.

"My sincere hope is that I don't have to come here each night and report a higher and higher number," Sheriff Honea said.

Camp Fire, which continues to rage in the hills and ravines east of the city of Chico, is also the most destructive fire in California history, with more than 7,100 structures destroyed, most of them homes.

Meanwhile, an estimated 435 structures have been destroyed in the Woolsey Fire west of Los Angeles, up from the 177 figure provided on Sunday night.

Another 57,000 structures were believed to be under threat.

The blaze, which is 30 per cent contained and has charred more than 90,000 acres in communities like Malibu and Thousand Oaks.

The third blaze known as the Hill Fire has ripped through 4,500 acres in Ventura county. It was 85 per cent contained as of Monday, according to Cal Fire.

President Donald Trump on Monday evening said on that he had approved a request to declare the fires in California a major disaster, making people affected eligible for various types of federal government support.

According to the National Weather Service, weather conditions were forecast to worsen in Southern California, where the Woolsey and Hill Fires are raging, The New York Times reported.

Much of that region will face critical fire weather conditions through Tuesday afternoon, with low relative humidity, no rain and a high-wind warning in effect for the mountains. it added.

The strong winds propelled a new brush fire in Simi Valley on Monday morning, which quickly spread to cover about 105 acres before firefighters brought in under control.Open source

Officially, Ukraine seems to be the poorest country in Europe. And besides on the record economy, we still have shadow one. A lot of goods are illegally imported into Ukraine, and without paying any taxes. A large-scale counterfeiting just flourishes in the country. Let us not forget about numerous conversion centers and funneling money to the offshores. Because of these illegal schemes, the state treasury annually loses billions of dollars. State Fiscal Service is Ukraines body to fight the shadow economy. This body combines customs and tax obligations. A fiscal service is a machine for making black cash. But who controls those illegal streams?

Tax fraud, counterfeit products, and smuggling are the main pillars of the underground economy. That is the money that does not go to the budget. According to various estimates, the shadow economy takes from 45 to 55%. That is, about half of Ukraines economy stays underground. That is about 50 billion dollars! And the lion's share of the black cache is a system of bribes and extortions, organized and controlled by the power itself.

In February 2014, in the wake of the revolution, activists have actually beaten a confession out of the then Chop customs district director (Zakarpattia region). Oleksandr Kharchenko spilled the beans. It turned out that over the weekend, the customs officers get at least 200 thousand euros from the buses that transport Ukrainian illegal workers and parcels to Italy. And this is not the only channel of smuggling. Another 25 thousand dollars a day were received from the "illegal" batches of clothes. Suitcases with cash were passed to Kyiv. During Yanukovychs times (Ukraines fourth president; removed from power in February 2014 as a result of the 2014 Maidan  Ed.), Communist Ihor Kaletnik was a real customs king of Ukraine. After the revolution, Kaletnik fled from Ukraine, but also further upsets his estates in the village of Klepcha not far from Kyiv. Until 2016, the mansion was rebuilt, it was constructed on the coast. Two cars were noticed in the yard. However, no one came to talk to the journalists. Kaletnik has one more thousand square meters residence, situated in the forests of Concha-Zaspa (elite region near Kyiv, where Poroshenko lives, - Ed.). Now Kaletnik is allegedly hiding in Russia.

Another fugitive who has been controlling the corruption schemes is Oleksandr Klymenko. He was called the taxman of the so-called Yanukovychs Family, the close circle of the then president. In 2012, Klymenko headed the new Ministry of Revenue and Duties. This corrupt monster combined two super-influential structures: tax and customs. According to MP Viktor Chumak, cash from kickbacks was taken to the basement. Obviously, Klymenko took this money to build his own castle and a personal zoo with tigers and bears.

Oleksandr Klymenko

Helicopters and heavily armed security forces. This is how the military prosecutor's office and the Ministry of the Internal Affairs carried out the largest anti-corruption special operation in Ukraine. They attracted more than 2 thousand law enforcement officers, conducted 454 searches in 15 areas. Klymenkos tax officials were detained and taken to Kyiv by helicopter. The tax authorities of Klymenkos time were accused of financial frauds and laundering of budget funds in favor of the so-called Yanukovychs Family.

Tax sites, the so-called fiscal pits, are special schemes by which businessmen underestimate income and, as a result, pay fewer taxes.

"You have an enterprise, you work and you need to launder some amount of money (let us take some 100 thousand or a million). You throw it into the fiscal pit, and it disappears there, so you do not need to pay taxes. In other words, you evade paying taxes, so this is called the fiscal pit, expert Olexandr Okhrimenko explains. Legally, the fiscal pit is an officially registered firm. An enterprise that wants to withdraw money orders goods or services from such a company, but in fact, the operations are done only on paper. Then, the money is withdrawn. But one cannot launder money without the authorities protection. Officials get a huge payoff.

This is how Klymenkos scheme worked. According to the investigation, in 2011  2014, the state treasury did not receive 3,46 billion USD due to these frauds. First, the suspects were taken into custody. But now all the tax authorities are already free.

After the Maidan revolution in 2014, under the pretext of fighting corruption, the odious Ministry of Revenue and Duties was renamed to the State Fiscal Service, but the corruptive schemes did not disappear. We have received some very interesting documents concerning the cost of private vodka companies for 2017-2018.

In particular, Zolotonosha Distillery bought from Targaryen company 610 tons of tangerines for 0,35 million USD. The company is registered in the industrial zone on the outskirts of Dnipro city. But Targaryen company has never been located there. That is, Targaryen LLC is a shell company, which exists only on paper. In addition, Zolotonosha plant bought from the Zakarpattia Food Company more than a half million packages of coffee for almost one million USD. This company exists, but its representatives refused to comment on the situation.

Another Klondike of shadow schemes and revenues is the customs department of Ukraines State Fiscal Service. For example, Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the legalization of cars with European license plates, but for some reason, neither the authorities nor the owners of such cars themselves confess that the so-called Euro-cars can enter Ukraine if the customs officers get a bribe. Most of the cars with European license plates are imported from Poland. Western Ukrainian customs have the reputation of the most corrupted customs bodies. Enormous amounts of cigarettes and amber go to the West; household equipment and gadgets are illegally imported into Ukraine.

Now let us fast-forward to the south of Odesa region. This territory is situated between the sea, the Danube and the state borders. Cheap meat, alcohol, and cigarettes come from unrecognized Transnistria. Barrels of alcohol come from Moldova. Odesa is separated from Romania by the Danube, so the dealers carry fuel through barges.

The most popular product here is cigarettes. Our dealers buy cigarettes from the underground warehouses of unrecognized Transnistria, the cost of one box (500 packs of cigarettes) is $ 50. On average, the capacity of one bus is at least 60 boxes.

In May 2015, Roman Nasirov was appointed the head of the fiscal service. And in March 2017, National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) detectives came to Nasirov, accusing him of lobbying the interests of Ukrainian oligarch Olexandr Onishchenko. Nasirov had passports of three countries  Ukraine, Hungary, and the UK. Some of the illegal deferred payments were signed not only by himself but by his subordinates

Open source

Roman Nasirov and Myroslav Prodan

But the criminal case was frozen. Nasirov is now suing for his reappointment as fiscal service head and intends to run as a president.

Meanwhile, former Minister of Finance Olexandr Danilyuk assures that the criminal case against Nasirov and his subsequent dismissal were rather a result of the war between various political groups for control over Ukraines State Fiscal Service.

Just after Nasirovs arrest in March 2017, Myroslav Prodan was appointed to lead the body.

"This is a henchman of Prime Minister Groysman; this is his long-term friend and partner," says MP Dmytro Dobrodomov.

Former deputy head of the State Fiscal Service, Likarchuk, convinces that immediately after becoming PM, Groysman began working on appointing Prodan the head of the fiscal service, and in 2016, Prodan was promoted and moved from Vinnytsia to Kyiv. Despite the scandal regarding Prodans illegal enrichment and shadow schemes, PM protected him.

According to the declaration, Myroslav Prodan does not have his own housing in Kyiv. He rents an apartment of 107 squares in one of Kyivs elite districts. The apartment belongs to his sister. She has bought this apartment in July 2016, that is, just when her brother moved to Kyiv.

He declares no Kyiv housing in his documents. But in 2017, his compadre Maksym Pavytsky buys a 450 square meters mansion in a closed cottage town. Maksym Pavytsky, Valentyna Kohut, and several other people are considered to be Prodans sponsors.

I have are enough materials to make sure that Mr. Prodan has made gross violations as the acting head of Ukraines Fiscal Service, said Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko.

The investigation believes that Mr. Prodan has benefited from some illegal schemes, while Pavytsky Pavitsky, Kohut, and other people laundered money and bought real estate for him.

According to the investigation materials, Prodan has acquired two buildings in the Turkish resort of Bodrum for 560 thousand dollars through fake persons. In August 2018, Ukraines court places a lien upon the property.

Myroslav Prodan denies the purchase of estates on the elite sea coast.

Officially, the suspicion of sale has not yet been filed. In September 2018, he wrote a termination letter, however, he did not leave the fiscal service. Now Prodan works as deputy head of the large taxpayers office. And he has already announced his participation in the competition for the new head of the service.

Soon Ukraine Cabinet to announce the first ever contest for the post of head of the State Fiscal Service.

But the selection procedure still remains unknown. Under the guise of the competition, political clans might appoint the most convenient nominate henchmen, who, instead of fighting with corruption schemes, would head all these schemes.

Read the original text at 112.ua.The Ambassador of Ukraine in Hungary condemned such actions of the Hungarian politician and she addressed countrys authorities

Member of Hungarian party Jobbik Tamas Samu Open source

A member of the Hungarian political party Jobbik and a representative of Bekes regional council in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Tamas Samu Gergo visited the Donbas occupied territories of Ukraine to observe the elections held by militants. Ambassador of Ukraine to Hungary Liubov Nepop reported this on Facebook.

The diplomat noted that she had addressed the party leader of the politician, regional authorities and the Hungarian Foreign Ministry over the visit of Tamas Samu to the occupied Donbas.

"We highly value Hungary's support in the restoration of territorial integrity and peace in Ukraine. However, such actions of some politicians have to be condemned, adequately reacted to and prevented. Such behaviour is a pursuit of popularity, despite almost daily losses from the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukrainian citizens, including those of Hungarian nationality. It not only violates Ukrainian laws and international legal norms but is simply deeply immoral," Nepop said.

As is known, the so-called elections took place in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions on Sunday, November 11. The voters elected the leaders of 'people's republics' and their representatives in the parliaments of the 'republics'.

During the day, the Russian mass media reported that the elections take place "calmly" and "without violations". According to the so-called "Central Election Commissions" of the militants, the voter turnout as at 18:00 made 72,5% in the LPR and 76,2% in the DPR.

Ukraine, the U.S. and the EU unanimously condemned the voting, considering it illegitimate. Russia still has not commented on the outcome of the election.

Besides, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko urged Ukrainians living in the occupied Donbas not to vote at the fake elections on November 11.The indictment of Ordzhonikidze district court of Mariupol in the case of a militant of the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic(DPR) in the form of the imprisonment for ten years with the confiscation of property has come into force on November 13 as the press service of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Facebook.

The court recognized a man guilty in the commitment of the crimes such as the creation of a terrorist group or terrorist organization, leading of such a group, participation in it, organizational or any other support of its creation or activity; carrying, storage, purchase, pass or sale of the firearms (except hunting plain-barrel), ammunition, explosive items or objects without legal permission; crossing of Ukraine's border for inflicting harm to the state interests, crossing by a person, prohibited from entering, or by representatives of the armed forces or any other law enforcement bodies of the state-aggressor avoiding the checkpoints, without proper documents or with documents with false data.

A militant, who turned out to be a Russian, was detained in Mykolaivka, Donetsk region in 2017 by the Ukrainian soldiers. The officers of the special service established that he illegally came to temporarily occupied Donetsk and joined terrorist grouping Oplot in February 2017 influenced by Russian propaganda.

As a member of the illegal armed formations, an armed Russian protected the military objects controlled by the militants, equipped the checkpoints of the militants, and patrolled them. Moreover, he gathered information on the location and number of the forces and means of the anti-terrorist operation and participated in the military actions against Ukrainian soldiers, the SBU press service noted.

The indictment of the court has come into force on November 13; the Russian was sentenced to ten years in prison with the confiscation of the property.

As we reported, a Slovakian citizen was charged with the participation in the combat actions in Donbas at the side of the illegal armed formations.So, the second - cumulative level of the pension system to start operate in Ukraine from the beginning of 2019. It should be noted that in most developed countries, pensions are made on the basis of a two systems combination: state (distributive) and non-state (funded). The cumulative level of the pension system functions today in 24 countries of the world, and among them Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Kazakhstan and others (in 17 countries there is a centralized accumulation of pension funds, in 7 countries there is a decentralized one). At the same time, in 3 out of 24 indicated countries, there is a centralized management of assets at the cumulative level, and in 21 countries  the decentralized (non-state) one.



Well, without exaggeration, it can be argued that pension reform in our country is an essential component of social and economic reforms, including health care and social insurance. And the priorities in the next 2019 on the way to the accumulative level introduction in Ukraine are, firstly, the methods of accumulating and investing pension funds - centralized (state) and non-centralized (non-state); secondly, the payer of pension contributions - an employer or employee; thirdly, the age of citizens participating in pension provision. The key question of fundamental importance - How will the funds of the non-state funded pension system be used in the investment process, for what purposes?



However, at present, unfortunately, we have not yet created sufficiently developed organizational, economic, legal conditions and forms for the effective functioning of pension provision, especially often the negative facts manifest themselves in the management of assets of non-state pension funds. Nevertheless, there is still hope that the result of these transformations should be the receipt of the total pension payments at the level of 50% -60% of the average salary (instead of the current 30%). And then it will meet international standards of social security.



Moreover, about half of these payments will be funds accumulated in non-state pension funds, respectively, the role of such funds in Ukraine will grow every year. And most importantly, all employers and employees will have to accumulate funds for future retirement sooner or later. Therefore, the introduction of the cumulative level from next year should be carried out only under certain conditions. Among them are economic growth, a balanced budget of the Pension Fund, consideration of demography (number and age structure of the population, migration processes), institutional development of the Ukrainian financial market, national features of state regulation (institutional structure and functional organization of state regulators), and much more.

That is why the introduction of the second level of the pension system is scheduled for January 2019. Well, and accordingly, from the salaries of working Ukrainians and their employers, funds will be collected separately into a savings fund. As a rule, tariffs of contributions to the second level in countries where there are both I-st and II-nd levels of pension system range from 6% to 8% of salary, since smaller contributions will not provide long-term payments of sufficient size, and larger contributions will create a large load on the first level. Level II pension schemes are schemes with defined contribution. This means that the payments will be based on the cumulative amount of contributions plus total investment income and minus all administrative expenses.



As our legislators have determined, at the second level there will be three main service providers - the administrator, the asset management company and the custodian bank. The cost of their services to be reimbursed by the participants. During the first two years of operation of the second level, the Pension Fund of Ukraine will perform the administration function for all participants in this pension system. Then, the PF will also continue to provide administration services to the participants if they do not elect a non-state pension fund to invest their contributions. In this case, the function of maintaining personalized accounting will be performed by the PF administrator.

Read original article at 112.uaOpen source

Looking at the Ukrainian structure of retail you can always understand what is happening in our country. Numbers are more convincing than the politics from the TV screens. The Association of Suppliers of Retail Networks analyzed sales of non-food products in the structure of the retail turnover of enterprises in Ukraine. The study period includes the years 2008 - 2017, that is, the last 10 years. The share of expenses of our citizens on food products is 40%, and on non-food products - 60%, and the figures we give are shares of the total retail sales of products and goods. But this statistic does not take into account the trade that goes through individual entrepreneurs.



In 2008, the leaders in sales sphere were cars and automotive products, on which Ukrainians spent 18% of their money. 11% was spent on gasoline, less than 5% on diesel fuel, 5% on pharmaceutical products, 4% on building materials. Audio and video equipment were marked by 3% of expenses, household appliances - also by 3%, perfumes and cosmetics - by 2%, household chemicals - by 1.2%, shoes - by 1% and computer equipment - by 1%.



In 2017, after ten years, pharmaceutical products with a share of more than 9% are sales hit. That is, over ten years, these products have almost doubled their share. Cars and auto products have reduced their share more than two times, and account for 8% of retail sales. Gasoline has also reduced its share almost two times and accounts for just over 6% of retail sales. The cost of diesel fuel has not changed. Significantly more than before, Ukrainians began to spend on cosmetics. For 10 years, this group has increased its share twice, and toiletry makes up 3.5% of  turnover. Ukrainians are building and repairing less, as in 2008 such goods accounted for 3.9% in the turnover, and 3.5% in 2018. We began to spend more on consumer and audio/video electronics, which increased their share by 0.5%, amounting to 3.3%, and by 0.2%, amounting to 3.2%.



It should be emphasized that over ten years, the share of gas for cars increased 2.5 times, and its part in 2017 reached 2.3%.



Sales of clothing have increased almost 2.5 times, and their share is 2%. We began to buy three times fewer books, newspapers, and magazines. So, in particular, in 2008 their share was 0.9%, and in 2017 - 0.3%.



Statistics show that Ukrainian society is sick, both in the direct and figurative senses. If you explore Maslow's pyramid in Ukraine, it turns out that not all people are provided with food products, housing, communal services, and medicines, that is, the needs of the lowest level. Everything else, namely the need for security, socialization, the need for respect and expression, could be gained only the next generations.

Read original article at 112.uaAccording to her, the calls of some citizens who announced in their presidential ambitions the necessity of attacking the militants in Donbas are irresponsible

It is important to prevent the 'Russian scenario' during the elections in Donbas, the Parliaments Vice-Speaker Iryna Gerashchenko said at the session of the Council of regional development, the press office of 'Solidarity party' reported.

According to her, the calls of some presidential candidates to attack the militants in Donbas are irresponsible.

"Ukraines position, and the Presidents, in particular, is the necessity to achieve victory in a diplomatic way," Gerashchenko said.

'All these calls of some candidates and couch experts come from those who have never been to Donbas, have never served in the army; yet they are talking about an attack, and that's irresponsible. Obviously, we cant throw thousands of lives of the Ukrainian soldiers and civilians in Russias furnace,' Gerashchenko stressed.

Ukraines representative to the Trilateral Contact Group disapproves the calls to conduct direct talks with Donetsk and Luhansk. According to her, the Russian presidents target goal is a pocket president in Ukraine.

'There are political forces which urge us to carry out direct talks with Donetsk and Luhansk. With whom? With the puppets? Why talk to Buratinos (puppets, - 112.international) controlled by Karabas Barabas (violent puppeteer, - 112.international). The Kremlins goal is not the 'field of miracles'. It wants to elect a pocket president in Ukraine, with whom to talk about Ukraines capitulation We want to tell Karabas Barabas in the Kremlin that there will be no elections under Russias scenario. Only Ukrainians will elect the President and the next Parliament composition, she noted.

Besides, she said that despite all the criticism, the Minsk Agreement ceased a full-scale offensive of the militants. In addition, Russia avoids talks, for instance, in the Normandy format. According to Gerashchenko, Vladimir Putin is avoiding such meetings, which could be held in Paris on November 1.

And the elections held by the militants in Donbas on November 11 are a dangerous farce.

'Why is it so dangerous? It is the repeat of 2014 when Minsk talks were disrupted and a significant destabilization took place on the front due to Moscow-organized pseudo-elections. The security and political situations got worse,' Gerashchenko said.Russia states he feels fine, but the Ukrainian side does not trust this information, since Sentsov had health issues even before the hunger strike, which ended last month

Open source

The lawyer will visit Ukrainian political prisoner Oleg Sentsov at the end of this month. Lyudmyla Denisova, the Human Rights Envoy of the Ukrainian Parliament reported this on Tuesday. She added that, according to her Russian colleague, Sentsovs current health conditions are satisfactory. On the other hand, the Ukrainian side does not trust this information, since Sentsov had health issues even before the hunger strike, which ended last month.

As is known, Sentsov was judged and sentenced to 20-years-long imprisonment in Russia, as the judges found him guilty of preparing a terrorist act in the annexed Crimea. Sentsovs hunger strike began in May 2018, as he demanded that Russia release all Ukrainian political prisoners.

Reportedly, Ukrainian political prisoner Oleg Sentsov was awarded Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The decision was announced by the European Parliament on October 25. It is supposed that the official ceremony is to be held in Strasbourg on December 12.Open source

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau stated that Canada endeavors to protect its coming elections from any interference, as Ukrinform reports.

Over the past years, we have been working on enhancement of the democracy in Canada and provision of tools to protect the citizens and democracy from any interference to Central Election Commission and political parties, he said.

He assured that Canada would consider this question in the future as well.

This process lasts for a certain period of time and we will be working with the experts and citizens to guarantee the next year elections will be carried out in an appropriate way, the Prime Minister of Canada said.

Earlier, President Poroshenko stated that Russia would interfere the elections in Ukraine and EU.The so-called elections took place in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions on November, 11. The voters elected the leaders of "people's republics" and their representatives in the parliaments of the "republics"

Illegal "elections" in occupied Donbas, November 11, 2018 Open source

Permanent representative of Ukraine to the international organizations in Vienna Igor Prokopchuk urged to prosecute Russia for illegal elections in occupied Donbas at the special session of the OSCE Permanent Council, as Ukraines mission to OSCE reported on Twitter.

We count on solidarity of #OSCE participating States in making sure that #Russia as occupying State & those involved in preparation & conduct of illegal & fake so called elections encounter additional sanctions for committed violation of international law & Minsk agreements  UKR Mission to OSCE & UN in Vienna (@UKRinOSCE) November 12, 2018

He stressed that the elections demonstrated the fact that Russia has neglected the interests of peace and security.

#Prokopchuk: #Russias irresponsible behavior makes it again very clear that safe & stable security environment necessary for legitimate elections in occupied #Donbas is only possible when Russian troops, fighters & mercenaries withdraw from territory of #Ukraine  UKR Mission to OSCE & UN in Vienna (@UKRinOSCE) November 12, 2018

The so-called elections took place in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions on November 11. The voters elected the leaders of "people's republics" and their representatives in the parliaments of the "republics".

Ukraine, the U.S., and the EU unanimously condemned the voting, considering it illegitimate. Russia still has not commented on the outcome of the election.

Related video:

Ukraine news on 112.internationalThe local nurseries will be working, as the heating will be provided with the use of electricity

Open source

Thirteen schools are closed in Kherson, southern Ukraine. The reason is the absence of heating, as the press office of the city hall reported.

'The education process is suspended due to the absence of heating in schools of Kherson from November 14 through November 17. The students of 13 schools go for a constrained vacation', the message says.

The local nurseries will keep on working, as the heating will be provided with the use of electricity.

As of November 13, Kherson thermal power plant still has not provided the education facilities with the heating.

Several Ukrainian cities faced similar issues with the heating, including Kryvyi Rih, Shepetivka and Smila. In Kryvyi Rih and Smila, law enforcers opened criminal cases.

According to the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers, the next gas price hike might happen in May 2019. The document stipulates that the prices will be increased in three stages. The decree contains a calculation formula and a coefficient that will be increasing.

Between November 1, 2018 and May 1, 2019, the price of gas for the population will be $220 per a thousand cubic meters, without taxes. Ekonomichna Pravda outlet calculated the cost of transportation and the supplements of gas distribution companies.

It is reported that the gas price for the population will be $300 per one thousand cubic meters, including taxes, the cost of transportation and the supplements of gas distribution companies.

According to preliminary calculations, from May 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019, the gas price for the population will make $350 per one thousand cubic meters.

Related: No heat emergency in Ukraine's Kryvyi Rih to be eliminated within 24 hours

Related: Police open criminal case for no-heat emergency in Ukraine's Kryvyi RihThe security of the object was enhanced and the territory of the arsenal was checked for the presence of the foreign items

A signal of the drone was spotted not far from the military arsenal in Kirovohrad region as the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Facebook.

Yesterday, on November 12, the electronic warfare spotted a signal of the drone near one of the military depots in Kirovohrad region. The command of the unit urgently enhanced the security of the objects and held the check of the technical territory for the presence of the foreign items, the message said.

The officers of Ukraines Security Service and the National Police were informed about the incident.

On November 5, Ukrainian military reported second unauthorized flight of a drone near its ammo depot over the last 48 hours.

Earlier, the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle was recorded in a restricted area over one of the arsenals of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as the press office of the Ministry of Defense reported. It is added that the administration of the facility has reinforced the duty shifts of the security of the arsenal, mobile patrols thoroughly examined the territory adjacent to the military unit.This became possible thanks to the judicial reform in Ukraine, the paper says

Open source

The quality of trial processing in Ukraine has grown over the past year. Currently, the figure makes 11.5 points of 18, which meets high indexes among the OECD member countries (OECD, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, - 112 International). This is mentioned in the Doing Business 2019 report.

'Ukraine made enforcing contracts easier by introducing a simplified procedure for small claims and pretrial conferences as part of the case management techniques used in all commercial courts', the paper says. The report also states that this became possible thanks to the judicial reform in Ukraine.

Ukraine's respective index of 11.5 points is close to but somewhat loses to France, Hungary, Greece (12), Latvia (12.5 points). Ukraine's judicial system demonstrates better results than Poland (11), Bulgaria (10.5), China (Hong Kong (10)) and Belgium (8).

In the overall ranking, Ukraine is rated 71st among 190 countries; that's five ranks up compared with the last year's index.A car fell in the hole in the asphalt; no human casualties observed, as of 7 p.m. Tuesday

Open source

Kyiv's downtown is paralyzed with large traffic jams. An incident occurred on the heat pipeline, which broke and led to a transport collapse in the city. Kyivpastrans carrier company reported this on Tuesday evening.

A car fell in the hole in the asphalt; the technical crews reached the site to evacuate it. No human casualties were observed, as of 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Some public transport routes were blocked, and some were temporarily changed.

Several Ukrainian cities faced trouble with heating amidst the low November temperatures. Thirteen schools are closed in Kherson, southern Ukraine. The reason is the absence of heating, as the press office of the city hall reported. 'The education process is suspended due to the absence of heating in schools of Kherson from November 14 through November 17. The students of 13 schools go for a constrained vacation', the message says. The local nurseries will keep on working, as the heating will be provided with the use of electricity. As of November 13, Kherson thermal power plant still has not provided the education facilities with the heating.

Smila and Kryvyi Rih suffer from low temperatures, too. In these cities, the law enforcers opened criminal cases.The council of the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate made a decision to stop the Eucharistic communication with Constantinople Patriarchate as the press service of the church reported.

The council of the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church thinks that the decisions of the Holy Synod of Constantinople Patriarchate dated October 11, 2018, concerning Ukrainian church issue are invalid, and they do not possess the canonic power, the message said.

The council also accused the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the divisiveness due to the fact that the decisions are anti-canonic," and they recognize schisms.

The decision on the establishment of the jurisdiction of Constantinople Patriarchate at the territory of Ukraine is the consequence of the speculative treatment of the church history. The decision on the lifting of the anathema and other church taboos from the divisive leaders and recognition of the validity of the pseudo-holy orders made by them during their divisiveness is the consequence of the distorted interpretation of the church canons, the message said.

Due to this, the Eucharistic communication of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with Constantinople Patriarchate is impossible and is stopped at the moment, the message concluded.

On October 11, the Synodus lifted the anathema from Filaret, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyivan Patriarchate, and Makariy, Primate of Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Filaret stated that united Jubilee Bishops' Council would take place soon to create a unified Ukrainian local church.

In addition, the Ecumenical Patriarchate recognized Russian Orthodox Church's annexation of Kyiv Metropolis in 1686.

Related video:It became known during the international arms exhibit Indi Defense 2018 in Jakarta

WAC-47 Assault Rifle Field Tests Ukroboronprom

Yesterday the representatives of the military-industrial complex of enterprises Ukroboronprom signed an agreement on the extension of the military and technical cooperation with Indonesia as the press service of the company reported.

The state enterprise Ukrinmash, which is a part of the company, held the meeting with the command of Indonesian defensive department. Indonesia voiced its intentions to purchase a batch of the assault rifles from Ukraine and expressed the interest in the Ukrainian radio detection and ranging, including counter-battery, air assets of the electronic warfare and drones, the message said.

One more department of Ukroboronprom state company, Ukrspetsexport, has concluded a memorandum with Indonesian enterprise, touching the issue of the cooperation in the promotion of the armored personnel carriers at the markets of the South-East Asian region.

Also, commander of the Academy of the Armed Forces of Indonesia discussed localization of the production of the armored personnel carriers and anti-tank missile complexes on the territory of Indonesia.

On November 1-4, the air defense units of Ground Forces and anti-aircraft missile troops of Ukrainian Navy held combat shelling from air defense systems, which were restored and thoroughly repaired at enterprises belonging to Ukroboronprom.The representatives of Ukraines ministry also expressed condolences to Israel for the loss and victims of the citizens as a result of the attacks from Gaza Strip territory

Ukraine is concerned about the escalation of the situation in Gaza Strip related to the rocket attacks at the south of Israel, as the press office of Ukraines Foreign Ministry reports.

We consider unacceptable missile bombardments of the Israeli territory that threatens the lives of the civilian population. They must be stopped immediately, the message says.

The representatives of Ukraines ministry also expressed condolences to Israel for the loss and victims of the citizens as a result of the attacks from Gaza Strip territory.

Earlier, it was reported that Palestinian fighters launched 300 rockets and mortar bombs from Gaza Strip at Israel. As a result, more than 50 people suffered. Later, Israel stroke back with an airstrike.

Confrontations on Israels border with Gaza Strip occur quite often after March 30, when the Palestinians began protesting against Israels status weekly.The politicians are suspected of possible abuse of power

Ukraines National Anti-corruption Bureau opened a criminal proceeding for a possible abuse of power of Ukraines ex-Prime Minister Arsen Yatsenyuk and Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko, as NABU responded to the request of Ukrainian News.

Data were included into the Unified Registry of a pre-trial investigation under the article of Ukraines Criminal Code on abuse of power or position, the message says.

Earlier, Kyiv Solomiansky District Court obliged National Anti-Corruption Bureau to open a criminal proceeding against Arsen Yatsenyuk and Pavlo Petrenko on suspicion of embezzlement of public funds in big amounts and laundering of proceeds.

The Court obliged NABU to open a criminal proceeding under the articles on abuse of power or position, money laundering, forgery, tax avoidance.Pavlo Klimkin believes Ukraine needs at least some transition period to achieve this goal

Ukraines Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin wrote on Twitter that it is impossible to artificially integrate the Kremlin-occupied territory of Donbas, as a Russian colony.

Occupied Donbas, as Russian colony, cant be artificially integrated into a civilized and democratic Ukraine. We can discuss transition periods, various approaches and modalities, but not this fundamental principle, Klimkin wrote.

At the same time, Pavlo Klimkin stressed that in Ukraine, Donbas will find a place as a free Ukrainian European region.

As is known, the so-called elections took place in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions on Sunday, November 11. The voters elected the leaders of 'people's republics' and their representatives in the parliaments of the 'republics'.

Ukraine, the U.S. and the EU unanimously condemned the voting, considering it illegitimate. Russia still has not commented on the outcome of the election.

Related video:The representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church wished the President wisdom and inspiration during the meeting

Today, on November 13, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and the episcopate of Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine will have a meeting, as Archbishop Eustratius, the press secretary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate, wrote on Facebook.

I wish Petro Olexiyovych wisdom and inspiration while negotiating. And those Moscow Patriarchate bishops, who actually support Ukraine and unity of the church, I wish them to be brave enough to say that at the meeting and show that Moscow is no longer in control of Kyiv, he said.

He also noted that through the guidance of the Metropolitan, Moscow is trying to do everything to show that it controls Ukraine inside and outside and keeps the Ukrainian episcopate in hand".

Earlier President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signed an agreement on cooperation between Ukraine and the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey.



Related: Kyiv Patriarchate asks to rename Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate

"The agreement we signed today completes this process (creation of Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church), creates all conditions, in order the process of granting, or rather preparing for the Cathedral, the process of providing Tomos, was carried out in absolutely strict accordance with the canons of the Orthodox Church," Poroshenko claimed.

Poroshenko added that the November 3 becomes a historic day.

"I am sure that the decision of the Autocephalous will lead to the unity and the union of all Orthodox in Ukraine," Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew claimed this after signing the agreement.

Related: Russian Orthodox Church launches attack on Ukraine



On October 11, the Synod lifted the anathema from Filaret, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, and Makariy, the Primate of Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Filaret stated that a united Jubilee Bishops' Council would take place soon to create a unified Ukrainian local church.

Related video:The Ukrainian Yuriy Permyakov, who is allegedly agent Vova was expelled and banned from Russia

FSB detains Ukrainian Open source

Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested Ukrainian citizen Yuriy Permyakov who faced charges with espionage in Krasnodar krai. It was reported by Interfax agency with reference to FSB press service.

"The agent worked under the pseudonym "Vova." He was recruited by the regional department of Ukraines Security Service (SBU) on the controlled by Kyiv part of Luhansk region. He was recruited to obtain information on the movement of military equipment in southern Russia and pass it to Ukrainian special service," the message said.

It is noted that now Permyakov was sent out of the country and banned entry to the territory of Russia.

Ukrainian law enforcers have not commented on the detention of Permyakov.

It is noted that Yuriy Permyakov was expelled and banned to enter Russia.

In September, Russian security forces have already reported about the detention of the "SBU agent" in Krasnodar Krai and his deportation to Ukraine. The spy was allegedly gathering information about military facilities of the region.The OSCE representatives have already agreed for the holding of the session, Russia is silent

Open source

Ukraine has offered to hold an extraordinary session of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) due to the holding of the so-called elections in occupied Donbas. Iryna Gerashchenko, First Vice Speaker of the Vekhovna Rada and representative of Ukraine in TCG, reported this on Facebook.

The Ukrainian side in TGK sent an official note with the offer to hold an extraordinary session of the group due to the holding of the fake elections in Donbas. We insist on the trilateral format of the negotiations with the participation of Ukraine-Russia-OSCE. Now we already have the answer of the OSCE representatives who support the initiative, and they are ready to gather the session at any moment, in other words, two sides of the TGC: Ukraine and OSCE are ready for the meeting. Russia is silent, any response, obviously, it celebrates the results of the puppet elections in the midst, she wrote.

As is known, the so-called elections took place in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions November 11. The voters elected the leaders of 'people's republics' and their representatives in the parliaments of the 'republics.'

It was reported that Leonid Pasechnyk was chosen as the "head" of the self-proclaimed republic at the illegal "elections" in the separate parts of Luhansk regions (Luhansk People's Republic, LPR). Denis Pushilin was "elected" as the head of the territory of Donetsk region occupied by the pro-Russian militants (Donetsk People's Republic, DPR).

Ukraine, the U.S., and the EU unanimously condemned the voting, considering it illegitimate.

Besides, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko urged Ukrainians living in occupied Donbas not to vote at the fake elections on November 11. The EU has already condemned the "elections" in Donbas and urged Russia to influence the separatists supported by it.

Related video:PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)During the Africa Investment Forum (AIF) held in Johannesburg, South Africa, the president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, and the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Suma Chakrabarti, met to discuss new avenues for cooperation between the two institutions.

Suma paid tribute to the excellent relationships between their country teams, saying that they reflected the common values shared by the two institutions and their complementarities, as they strive for the benefit of their member countries.

Both sides also signed an agreement to implement a programme to provide sanitation to small municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants in Tunisia.

Mohamed El Azizi, African Development Bank Director-General for North Africa and Janet Heckman, Managing Director for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective institutions. The signing ceremony was attended by Zied Ladhari, Tunisian Minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation; African Development Bank Deputy Director-General for North Africa Yacine Fal; and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Head of Office for Tunisia Antoine Salle de Chou.

"This programme will ensure the sustainability of water resources and facilitate the development of options for adaptation to climate change," said El Azizi as he signed the agreement. And when the document had been signed, all those present hailed it using the time-honoured Arabic expression of "Mabrouk". "Our signing this agreement today, through which EBRD delegates implementation of the project to the Bbank is a measure of the mutual trust between our two institutions," replied Janet Heckman.

This sanitation programme, which boasts equal co-funding amounting to 150 million, will enable the citizens of the 33 small municipalities it covers in 19 of Tunisia's 24 governorates to enjoy better quality of life, thanks to improved hygiene as well as environmental and economic development benefits from the programme.

As the programme includes a component to build capacities in the National Sanitation Agency (ONAS) and in the target communities, it will help Tunisia ensure long-term management of its sanitation systems and support increased involvement of the private sector in infrastructure works. The programme will form part of a new development and investment dynamic that will povide jobs for young people in priority regions.

The fruit of close collaboration between both institutions' teams, it will be the tangible expression of the commitments both multilateral banks have made to strengthen their cooperation in North Africa, especially in the fields of agribusiness, financial inclusion of SMEs, ecosystem enterprise and public-private partnerships.

In the last three years, the two organizations have worked together to co-fund various projects: the Nador West port complex in Morocco in 2015 and three solar power projects in Egypt related to the energy feed-in tariff, in 2017. This joint effort amounted to an investment of US$415 million.

Launched at the initiative of the African Development Bank, the Africa Investment Forum is the international gathering of investment professionals in Africa - funding agencies, policy makers, project backers and investors. It was held from 7 to 9 November 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Contacts:

African Development Bank - Fahd Belbachir, Principal Communications Officer for North Africa: f.belbachir@afdb.org

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development - Nibal Zgheib, Communications Officer: zgheibn@ebrd.comAfter having fled to Japan and traveled to Chile from where he was extradited to Peru the Fujimori 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.Center Sale

This winter, Marvin Perry won't have to insulate the windows at the Ann Arbor Community Center.

by Jan Schlain

From the November, 2018 issue

Tucked into a hillside, with two levels looking over a recessed courtyard, the low brick building at 625 N. Main epitomizes architect Alden Dow's "Michigan Modern" style. But until last year, it still had the original single-pane windows Dow had specified when it was built in 1958. Many had cracks, adding to the drafts-and the gas bill.



They needed to be replaced, but "we didn't have funds to do it," says Perry. So the native Ann Arborite and longtime AACC board member "put up plastic wrap on windows," secured loose floor tiles, and otherwise tried to keep the building functioning. But he couldn't do much about the leaky roof, because the struggling social service agency couldn't afford to replace that, either. CEO Yolanda Whiten kept buckets handy.



So Perry and Whiten are delighted that the building now has new windows, a new roof, and upgraded plumbing and other systems. But many older black Ann Arborites do not share their pleasure. That's because 625 N. Main also has a new owner.



Last November, the AACC sold its building to medical entrepreneur Vik Kheterpal for $1.6 million. His software company, CareEvolution, now occupies the upper level.



No announcement was made. Kheterpal left the AACC sign in place, and the agency continues to operate from the lower level. But when the news got out this summer, it was met with consternation.



At an October meeting at the center, speaker after speaker testified to how vital the AACC had been in its early years, when it was a social center for the largely black neighborhoods nearby. They questioned the need for the sale, the price paid, and the board's failure to inform or consult them. First Ward councilmember Sumi Kailasapathy predicted the building would be "flipped" for a quick profit.



Board chair Mike Murphy acknowledged that other suiters wanted to tear the building down and replace it with a bigger one. To prevent that, he said, the center issued a

...continued below...

request for proposals that required the buyer to preserve Dow's building and keep the AACC in operation there.Kheterpal says that's exactly what will happen. Keeping the AACC in the building "is a commitment that we made," he says. This is his second company-he sold the first to GE in 2000-and his wife, Bithika, is an ophthalmologist who'd previously volunteered at the AACC and served on its board. They're fortunate to be at a stage of life, he says, where "we are not looking to accumulate further wealth."They also admired Dow's design. "We got [the original] plans from the Dow archives  and that just further cemented the conviction-not just for the community's interest, but our interest-in not having a big high-rise show up" on the site, he says.He's not even changing the contractors AACC uses or the local person Whiten has been working with for years who mows the grass and clears the sidewalk and parking lot when it snows. "This is not altruism," Kheterpal says. "It just makes sense."Perry adds that the center no longer needed so much space. "The demographics have changed," he says. Only a few of the original black families remain in the neighborhood, and few newcomers need the services-like emergency food and school supplies-that the AACC provides. They were able to expand those offerings this year, Whiten says, with money from the sale.She gives an example. "I got a text yesterday from one of the coordinators in one of our schools-'We need socks and underwear,'" she says. So she went out and bought some, and made the delivery. "It helps the self esteem of a child," she explains. "If you accidentally wet your pants because your family is upside down, you want a clean set of underwear." And, she adds, "Where [else] can you get socks and underwear delivered to your school?""Without this agreement, I couldn't have told you where the community center would be in one year, or two years," Murphy told the October meeting. "Right now the money is being conservatively invested for the sustainability of the center, so we can have a community center for the public for years to come."The board set aside a year's operating budget-about $200,000-and put the rest in a money market account while they investigate investment options. Whiten hopes it will eventually grow into a significant endowment.Whiten, an ordained minister, also pastors a small AME church in Brighton. She says she understands how attached people can be to a building.[Originally published in November, 2018.]Philip Metres

Documentary poems

by Keith Taylor

From the November, 2018 issue

Philip Metres has become one of the leading poets and critics discussing the position of Arab American writers in post-9/11 America. His work articulates the role pacifism could play in contemporary culture, and he is an advocate and occasional practitioner of documentary poetry.



Documentary poetry does use documents, the kind that are often thought of as "unpoetic," but it also includes the voices of people who witnessed a cultural or historical event. A documentary poem can also include more traditional lyrical or descriptive moments. These devices are often placed side by side, in a kind of collage, to create a picture of an event that can be more complete and truthful than any other way of depicting a moment or an idea.



Metres has used this approach in his work about the Iraq War, where he attempts to approach the crimes that were perpetrated in Abu Ghraib prison through the voices of both the tortured and the torturers. But his most recent attempt at this method is in a very different kind of book, Pictures at an Exhibition: A Petersburg Album. Metres is a leading translator of contemporary Russian poetry, and in this collection (if it can be called thatit is difficult to label), he combines the fragmented voice of a tour guide describing moments in St. Petersburg, letters to contemporary Russians whose work he is trying to translate, bits on the difficulty of the Russian language, descriptive moments, and small narratives of his own experience.



In "Promenade: Nevsky Prospekt," Metres combines some of these devices to capture a moment in one of the most famous settings in St. Petersburg:

Elixir of walking



gulyat': to stroll



or to get drunk



we drink in the light



& light, & drink again



no negative to burn



in the urn of us, sun-



stunned dream-walkers



along the Prospekt.

...continued below...

Outside the Hermitage, drunk again



on images and the unceasing light



rivering through the profligate museums



open windows, flooding the black holes



of Rembrandts, the dark matter giving way



to ghosts of faces in burnt umber:



we lay ourselves down, surrendering to gravity,



hypnotized by the rivers thousand guises...

Some of the poems are difficult to connect at first, but eventually the poets experience of St. Petersburg emerges clearly. My favorite poem is printed with one line on the bottom ofeach page. It describes what seem to be young lovers emerging from the famous museum:The young would-be lovers eat and have their deep, tenuous conversations. It seems exactly right.Metres reads his work at UMMA as part of the U-M Zell Visiting Writers Series on Thursday, November 15. [Originally published in November, 2018.]YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. An additional 13 sets of human remains were discovered Monday in Northern California, bringing the death toll from the Camp Fire to 42, making it the deadliest wildfire in the state's history, the sheriff of Butte County said, according to CNN.

The increased death toll comes as first responders battle blazes on both ends of the state, and brings the statewide death toll to 44.

Firefighters made progress Monday in containing the Camp Fire, which razed the town of Paradise, where most of the dead have been found.

Six wildfires, three of them considered major, are currently burning in the state of California, USA.

The largest one is the Camp Fire in Butte County, north of Sacramento, which has become the most destructive fire in state history, destroying more than 6,700 structures, USA Today reports.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection  better known as Cal Fire  reported that this blaze has scorched 109,000 acres and is only 25 % contained.

To the south in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the Woolsey Fire has scorched more than 83,000 acres and is just 10 % contained.

The Hill Fire, also in Ventura County north of Malibu, has burned 4,500 acres and is 70 % contained.

The death toll yesterday was 31.

The Woolsey Fire has destroyed 177 structures, and it has combined with the nearby Hill Fire to force the displacement of 250,000 people, among them celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Cher, Martin Sheen, Kim Kardashian West, Alyssa Milano and movie director Guillermo del Toro.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California amid raging fatal wildfires in the region.

I just approved an expedited request for a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California. Wanted to respond quickly in order to alleviate some of the incredible suffering going on. I am with you all the way. God Bless all of the victims and families affected, Trump tweeted.

Earlier on Monday he praised the emergency personnel by tweeting : The California Fire Fighters, FEMA and First Responders are amazing and very brave. Thank you and God Bless you all!

An additional 13 sets of human remains were discovered Monday in Northern California, bringing the death toll from the Camp Fire to 42, making it the deadliest wildfire in the state's history, the sheriff of Butte County said, according to CNN.

The increased death toll comes as first responders battle blazes on both ends of the state, and brings the statewide death toll to 44.

Firefighters made progress Monday in containing the Camp Fire, which razed the town of Paradise, where most of the dead have been found.

Six wildfires, three of them considered major, are currently burning in the state of California, USA.

The largest one is the Camp Fire in Butte County, north of Sacramento, which has become the most destructive fire in state history, destroying more than 6,700 structures, USA Today reports.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection  better known as Cal Fire  reported that this blaze has scorched 109,000 acres and is only 25 % contained.

To the south in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the Woolsey Fire has scorched more than 83,000 acres and is just 10 % contained.

The Hill Fire, also in Ventura County north of Malibu, has burned 4,500 acres and is 70 % contained.

The death toll yesterday was 31.

The Woolsey Fire has destroyed 177 structures, and it has combined with the nearby Hill Fire to force the displacement of 250,000 people, among them celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Cher, Martin Sheen, Kim Kardashian West, Alyssa Milano and movie director Guillermo del Toro.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenian-American entrepreneur, Reddit and Initialized Capital co-founder Alexis Ohanian has finally unveiled his secret project after teasing about it online.

Turns out the new project is his own Armenian Brandy, called Shakmat  the Armenian word for chess.

Todays the day I share my new Armenian Brandy, Shakmat, with the world!

There are only 2,400 bottles in the first run, so head over to shakmatbrandy.com to get them while you can. This project couldn't have happened without Flaviar and Elisabeth Garvin who did all the work to bring this one-of-a-kind 23 year Armenian tradition to the world, he said on Facebook.

Shakmat is partnering with the Armenia Tree Project and will make donations from every sold bottle.

Shakmat (or shakhmat) is the Armenian word for chess. But our Shakmat is so much more than a game. It is a symbol. A symbol of life, persistence, patience, and wisdom of a people that do not fall, even when held in check.

Shakmat 23 Year Old is a premium brandy originating from the birthplace of winemaking. It is an embodiment of Armenias two national treasures  Chess and Konyak, says the description on the website.

And, more interestingly, turns out Ohanian visited Armenia this summer for this very purpose, to select the right type of flavors for his new project.

The Flaviar crew and I went to Armenia, my paternal homeland, to find the right flavors for our new brandy, Shakmat, Ohanian said.

For Shakmat, we used red grape varieties (Kangun, Kakhet, Garan Dmak and Rkatsiteli). Shakmat is a 23 Year Old Brandy, aged in barrels made of localCaucasian oak. The terroir (both for grapes and oak barrels) is what gives it its distinctive flavor profile.

Shakmat offers an abundance of exciting flavors including dried fruits (plums, raisins), walnuts, cloves, tobacco, molasses, vanilla, oak, and a bit of black pepper.

Armenia was heavily deforested during the Soviet years and immediately after, throughout cold winters and economic hardshipleaving the country with less than 10% tree cover.

We're partnering with the Armenia Tree Project to help reforest the country with every bottle of Shakmat we sell.

The Armenia Tree Project has already planted and restored over 5,500,000 trees, creating hundreds of jobs for Armenians through seasonal tree-related programs.

A portion of the proceeds from every sale will be donated to help this Armenian reforestation project continue.

After all, local Caucasian oak barrels are used to age Shakmat and are essential in its production -- just one more reason to support this cause, the website of Shakmat says.

Im proud of Shakmat. But Im even more proud that this will be yours and many peoples first taste of Armenia. And it wont be your last, Alexis Ohanian said.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Naira Karapetyan has stepped in as Member of Parliament, replacing resigned lawmaker Ruzanna Muradyan (HHK faction), Speaker Ara Babloyan announced at the beginning of todays session.

He said that the Central Electoral Commission has presented the protocol on granting Naira Karapetyan the vacated mandate, as required by law. Karapetyan is next in line as a candidate in the HHK national electoral list.

Karapetyan assumed the duties of Member of Parliament in a swearing-in ceremony.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Stan Lee, the colorful Marvel Comics patriarch who helped usher in a new era of superhero storytelling -- and saw his creations become a giant influence in the movie business -- has died at the age of 95, CNN reports.

Kirk Schneck, an attorney for Lee's daughter, told CNN that Lee was taken by ambulance from his Los Angeles home on Monday morning to Cedar's Sinai Medical Center, where he later died. The cause of death is not yet known, according to Schneck.

He was best known as the writer, editor and publisher of Marvel Comics, and the creator of Spider-Man, X-Men, and Black Panther, among many others.

Lee worked with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to create comic book superheroes with relatable human foibles, such as the Hulk, Doctor Strange, Daredevil and the Fantastic Four. In collaboration with writer Larry Lieber, he created the characters of Iron Man and Thor.

I was bored with stories of perfect heroes who had no faults,Lee once told the Sydney Morning Herald. They didn't seem interesting to me. It seemed to me if I could take someone like Spider-Man  hes worried about money, hes not that successful with girls, he's worried about his aunt and her health. Its the kind of hero that any reader can identify with, because he has the same problems they have. I know I would rather read that sort of story.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Acting justice minister of Armenia Artak Zeynalyan on November 12 participated in the conference entitled Developing anti-corruption strategies for the digital age: recent trends and best practices in the OSCE area in Rome, the ministry told Armenpress.

In his remarks the acting minister thanked the OSCE for inviting the Armenian delegation to the conference and Italys warm reception.

He touched upon the recent developments which took place in Armenia and stated that the Armenian people exercised their right to power and the dream to become a better country through the velvet, peaceful revolution.

Talking about the ongoing anti-corruption operations in Armenia, Zeynalyan said the fight against corruption in Armenia has reached a new level, become more targeted and effective. In this context he noted that the progress in anti-corruption sector is mainly linked with the adoption of a respective legislation in accordance with the international standards and its effective use.

According to the acting minister, Armenia in fight against corruption focuses not only on the development of legal and strategic actions, but also on the use of institutional and enforcement measure systems. In this sense, he said over the past three months the level of revealing corruption crimes and corruption schemes has significantly increased.

The acting minister also touched upon the 2019-2033 Anti-Corruption Strategy, which currently is at the development stage, stating that the preventive part of this Strategy will relate to fighting corruption with innovative methods.

Summing up his remarks, the acting minister reaffirmed the Armenian governments readiness and intolerance in anti-corruption fight, noting that the cooperation with the OSCE will help Armenia to record progress in anti-corruption fight, reveal the weak sides and plan the future actions in the field.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenias delegation led by Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer, Colonel of Justice Hakob Hakobyan has departed for Minsk to participate in the international scientific conference titled Development of Compulsory Enforcement System from November 13 to 15, his Office told Armenpress.

During the conference the achievements of various countries in the improvement of compulsory enforcement system and their future development prospects will be discussed.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Anna Naghdalyan, spokeswoman of the Armenian foreign ministry, commented on the possible meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers during the OSCE ministerial council in Milan in December, reports Armenpress.

During todays press briefing, the MFA spokeswoman said there has been a proposal by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to organize a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs by the end of the year, during the OSCE ministerial council. When that meeting is clarified, the public will be informed accordingly, she said.

She added that there has never been any meeting or negotiation on this matter which the public was not informed about. When it is confirmed, we will inform you accordingly, she noted.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is carrying out relevant works for returning Armenian citizen Karen Ghazaryan  who is being held captive in Azerbaijan  to Armenia, foreign ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan said at a press briefing. The issue of returning our compatriot to [Armenia] remains on our agenda, she said.

Asked about the court proceedings launched by Azerbaijan against Ghazaryan, Naghdalyan stressed that it was clear from the very beginning that Azerbaijan will attempt to orchestrate a judicial process involving the Armenian citizen who appeared in Azerbaijani territory in unknown circumstances. She said Azerbaijan will attempt to falsely present Ghazaryan to be a saboteur before cameras, however, their preliminary script seemingly failed because Karen Ghazaryan has mental health problems and he wasnt conscripted for mandatory military service [in Armenia], she said.

She said that Armenia has submitted all evidence proving the health condition of the captive to Azerbaijan through international organizations, but they have been clearly ignored by Baku.

By orchestrating court proceedings, Azerbaijan is attempting to accuse a person having obvious health problems with serious charges, which is a gross violation of international humanitarian law, she said.

She said that all these actions of Azerbaijan have one goal  to falsely present a sick person to be a criminal and try to put an equals sign to some extent between the two saboteurs sentenced in Artsakh for committing serious crimes.

Let me remind that in 2015 a court in Artsakh sentenced two Azerbaijanis who are accused in illegally crossing the border, possessing firearms, hate-motivated murder a minor, armed violence against a minor, and one of them for an additional double-murder attempt. Azerbaijan is trying to put some kind of an equals sign here, but in reality they are unlikely to succeed, Naghdalyan said.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. An Azerbaijani reporter stationed in Moscow, Russia is suspected in spying for foreign intelligence services, Azerbaijani media reported.

Journalist Namik Hasanov found out that he is a spy suspect upon trying to return to Moscow from a trip to Baku.

He was alarmed by border guards at the airport that we is wanted in Russia and he will be arrested immediately upon arrival.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan will run for parliament in the upcoming snap election by district lists from Yerevans Arabkir, Ajapnyak and Davitashen districts.

I will be nominated in the second electoral district  in the Arabkir, Ajapnyak and Davitashen administrative districts, he said.

He said there is no principle issue behind where he, caretaker First Deputy PM Ararat Mirzoyan, or other caretaker Cabinet members should get nominated from.

The early general election will take place December 9.

Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigned on October 16 to trigger the process of disbanding the parliament.

Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyans Republican Party (HHK) still has most seats in 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.

In accordance to the Constitution, when a Prime Minister resigns the parliament must elect a new PM within two weeks. Lawmakers deliberately failed to elect a new PM as a formality in order to pave the way for dissolution.

The last round took place on November 1 and the parliament was dissolved by virtue of law.

Later on the same day, President Armen Sarkissian signed an order on dissolving the parliament and calling early elections on December 9.

The parliament will function until the new parliament is elected.

The government is formally a caretaker government until a new government is formed after the election.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenia can reaffirm that it has sufficient resource to complete its term in the position of the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan told reporters at a press briefing, commenting on the statement of Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko according to which it is necessary to understand whether Armenia, which is at transition stage, can continue bearing the overload of holding the office of the CSTO Secretary General, the chairmanship in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Armenpress reports.

As a country which contributes to the strengthening of the structure, Armenia can fully reaffirm that it has enough resource to complete its term in the post of the CSTO Secretary General. But before that it is necessary to determine how the issues linked with the early termination of the powers of the Secretary General are being solved from normative legal perspective, the MFA spokeswoman said.

Commenting on the statement of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev that the next CSTO Secretary General should be the representative of Belarus, the foreign ministry spokesperson clarified that during the November 8 discussions on the CSTO chief a decision was made to move the discussions to December 6 because no consensus was reached over this issue. Of course, we have our opinions regarding the solution of the issue which do not necessarily need to be coincided with the opinions of the remaining states, she said.

Anna Naghdalyan also commented on the question how Armenia reacts to the fact that the President of Belarus presents the discussions over the Secretary General during the meeting with the Ambassador of Azerbaijan which is not a member of the CSTO. Armenia views the CSTO as a platform of discussions over collective security agenda which relates to the six member states. And of course, such development shows that there is a need for discussions over similar developments within the CSTO. This shows that the CSTO has problems to correct inside. But as for this situation, I can state that its not correct, she added.

She also recalled that Armenia chaired in the CSTO in 2015-2016 and this is one of Armenias most successful chairmanships. Naghdalyan said she can consider this the best response to all discussions over Armenias chairmanship.

Summing up remarks, the MFA spokeswoman stated that the strengthening of the CSTO and raising its efficiency are a priority for Armenia.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, who is in Paris on a working visit, met with the Summit of Minds Managing Partner, co-founder of The Monthly Barometer and author Thierry Malleret, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The officials agreed to hold a similar forum in Armenia next year.

The Summit of Minds is a leading platform where the heads of the worlds major companies, investors are discussing the global economic development trends, investment opportunities. It is being held in the French city of Chamonix.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. The government is proposing to exempt private cab drivers from license fees, caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in parliament today.

People can carry out this activity freely without making payments. This is nearly about 50 thousand people, he said, adding that according to rough estimates this step equals a wage raise for these people by 12,000 drams monthly in Yerevan, and 8000 drams in provinces.

At the same time, he said that encouraging employment is among the governments priorities.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. There is no accepted standard in terms of how long the campaign of political parties ahead of elections should last, Ambassador Urszula Gacek, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission said in Yerevan, when asked by a reporter whether 12 days are enough for campaigning.

She said that the process is organized differently in different countries.

We know that the official campaigning will last 12 days in Armenia, but there are also certain events which arent banned to be organized before the launch of campaigning, she said.

According to Gacek, the observation mission chooses polling stations for monitoring randomly.

Observers from OSCEs Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) are in Armenia to observe the upcoming December 9 early election of parliament.

Ambassador Urszula Gacek, Head of the ODIHR election observation mission, told a news conference in Yerevan that they dont have any preliminary stance regarding the results of the election.

We are here not to criticize, but to observe, she said. We dont have any political agenda, we are here to observe the electoral process. We will follow the same standards that we use during elections in any OSCE country, Gacek said.

Gacek said that the observation mission is aware that the parliament has not adopted the electoral code amendments. We will deal with the law that is currently in force. Our team doesnt have any predictions. We will work with open ears and eyes and we will document whatever we will see, she said.

Gacek said that 13 observers have arrived to Armenia Sunday, and another 24 long-term observers will join them.

Few days ahead of the election another 250 observers will join us and will participate in the electoral process, she said, adding that representatives of the OSCE PA, Council of Europe and MEPs will also be included in the mission.

All of us will together build a big international observation mission, the ambassador said.

Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigned on October 16 to trigger the process of disbanding the parliament.

Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyans Republican Party (HHK) still has most seats in 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.

In accordance to the Constitution, when a Prime Minister resigns the parliament must elect a new PM within two weeks. Lawmakers deliberately failed to elect a new PM as a formality in order to pave the way for dissolution.

The last round took place on November 1 and the parliament was dissolved by virtue of law.

Later on the same day, President Armen Sarkissian signed an order on dissolving the parliament and calling early elections on December 9.

The parliament will function until the new parliament is elected.

The government is formally a caretaker government until a new government is formed after the election.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian had meetings with the leaders of several major French companies in Paris during which they discussed issues relating to the Armenian business climate, attraction of investments and creation of business ties, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

In particular, the Armenian President visited the famous Dassault Systemes, got acquainted with the company programs and activities. At the meeting an agreement was reached to send a group to Armenia in early 2019 aimed at discussing a concrete cooperation program.

Dassault Systemes is a subsidiary of the Dassault Group created in 1981. It develops and markets PLM software and services that support industrial processes by providing a 3D vision of the entire lifecycle of products from conception to maintenance.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan assures that they have eliminated and eliminate several factors contributing to emigration. They have put a task to raise the countrys attractiveness as Armenia must become the best place for living, reports Armenpress.

During the parliamentary debate of the 2019 state budget draft, MP Ruzanna Arakelyan said there is a great emigration in some villages of Armenia, there are almost no youth there. How we are going to promote the return of the youth if there is no concept for repatriation?, the lawmaker asked.

In response Pashinyan said there was an idea to set some privileges for the people who return to Armenia. But what we can do with the people who want to leave the country. Our task should be to raise the countrys attractiveness. For a long time we have been guided by the presumption that the social problem is not the only one reason that people emigrate. Here there is a matter of fairness, legality, opportunities and dignity. Today we guarantee that no one can illegally say something to another. We have calculated to what extent various pressure mechanisms, illegal actions of the law enforcement officers, the restrictions on economic activity, the privileges contribute to emigration in Armenia. We have eliminated and continue eliminating all these phenomena, he said.

He stated that the concept for immigration is that Armenia must become the best place to live. The acting PM added that today they already promote the repatriation. The prices in the real estate market are growing as many Diaspora-Armenians come and purchase real estate, as well as make investments. All these will be a good reason for immigration, he said.

Pashinyan stated that since its foundation their party recorded in its program document that the number of Armenias population should double in the upcoming 20 years. This political line has an ideological significance for us. But we dont imagine this based on technical actions. We believe that it should be a result of content changes in the country, he noted.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan finds increasing budget revenues to be the most important task of the governments budgetary policy.

Pashinyan was speaking in parliament during debates of the 2019 state budget bill.

Because we cannot hope that we can have significant and turning changes in this budgetary framework and reasoning. The budget that we have and had, and the reasoning, the process of ideas that has existed, certainly isnt beneficial for us, and we must take steps for significantly increasing budget revenues, he said.

He attached importance to tax-GDP indicator, stating that the government must improve it and fight against the black market.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. The construction works of the park in downtown Yerevan located in between the Italy Street, Beirut Street, Khorenatsi Street and Grigor Lusavorich Street will be extended. The park is being renovated by the Vardanyan Family Charity Foundation on the occasion of the 2800th anniversary of the foundation of Yerevan.

It is located near City Hall.

The decision on extending the works was made today at the Yerevan City Council session.

The deadline was postponed until May 1, 2019.

A City Hall official said that construction works worth around 4,7 million dollars have already been carried out.

Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan said that he will meet the contractors today to discuss the issue.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. The Energy Week Armenia 2018 will be held in Yerevan on November 14-16 which will be attended by leading international solar energy companies.

Hayk Shekyan, expert on solar energy, founder and CEO of Shtigen LLC, told a press conference in ARMENPRESS that the event is being held not only for the development of the business of private companies of the field, but also it is dedicated to the development of renewable energy in Armenia, energy security, solution of social issues and etc.

The Energy Week Armenia will be quite representative. Several programs in solar, wind and hydropower sectors in our country will be observed. Armenias past path in the renewable field will be summed up within several days, the future programs will be discussed, he said. Hayk Shekyan noted that the presence of international companies in Armenia speaks about the fact that being a small country Armenia has already captured its place in the renewable energy world map.

There is an interest on implementing investment programs. The international business companies have seen a stable environment, a growing field and an understandable state policy. There is a perceivable, guaranteed environment for investors, and they are able to operate in the field, he added.

Jing Lu, international expert in social energy, leading sales specialist at the Chinese Talesun, said Armenia has an attractive market in the field of renewable energy.

Several years ago when we launched the cooperation with Shtigen, we were not well informed about Armenia and your countrys energy potential, but later we revealed Armenias renewable energy opportunities. Seems God loves Armenia very much as its a very sunny country, the expert said.

Benjamin Fisher, international solar energy expert, regional development manager at the Austrian Fronius, stated that they are interested in Armenias market. We see development prospects of the field here. We have implemented a joint program with the Shtigen last year. We are here because we are interested in the Armenian market. We are going to meet with the main participants of the market, as well as trainings will be held on the sidelines of the expected Energy Week, he said.

In his turn Hayk Shekyan said the solar energy field in Armenia is rapidly developing in the recent years. We have reached this thanks to a number of actions taken both by the state and the business. The interest among the people towards these technologies has significantly increased. According to the data of late October, the overall capacity of solar power plants installed reaches 8MW, he said.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. While speaking about achievements in combating corruption, Azerbaijan ought to remember that the information about the involvement of its leadership and family members in the Panama Papers have still not received legal assessment, and the Azerbaijani bribery of different EU officials and massive money laundering issues are yet to be properly investigated, Armenias caretaker minister of justice said in response to Deputy Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan Kamran Aliyev in Rome.

Zeynalyan made the statement in response to Kamran Aliyev saying legislation abuses, corruption risks exist in the occupied territories and it is impossible to carry out anti-corruption actions there." He was speaking at an anti-corruption conference in Rome, Italy.

Zeynalyan slammed the Azerbaijani delegate and advised him to deal with duly investigations of domestic corruption problems.

The Armenian caretaker justice minister also reminded the Azerbaijani delegate that the anti-corruption expert conference isnt a venue for making political, false statements, and if they want to speak about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict they should speak about the violation of fundamental human right  the right to life  committed by Azerbaijan in Nagorno Karabakh motivated by ethnic origin.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. 729 Armenian citizens living abroad will cast their ballots electronically in the upcoming general election, Central Electoral Commission Chairman Tigran Mukuchyan said at a session today.

He said that the commission has received the information from the passport and visa department of Armenias police, which said that they have received info about the voters from the foreign ministry and defense ministry. 253 voters were presented by the foreign ministry list, and 476 voters by the defense ministry list, he said.

Special envelopes have been made for the voters abroad.

An electronic voting guideline is placed in the envelope. It will start at November 30, 08:00 Yerevan time, and will finish at 20:00 December 2, he said. The results will be recapped by commission members through a coding system.

Citizens of Armenia who are entitled to vote from abroad are  diplomats and their family members, military servicemen stationed abroad and their family members, employees of representations of legal persons registered in Armenia and their family members.

Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigned on October 16 to trigger the process of disbanding the parliament.

Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyans Republican Party (HHK) still has most seats in 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.

In accordance to the Constitution, when a Prime Minister resigns the parliament must elect a new PM within two weeks. Lawmakers deliberately failed to elect a new PM as a formality in order to pave the way for dissolution.

The last round took place on November 1 and the parliament was dissolved by virtue of law.

Later on the same day, President Armen Sarkissian signed an order on dissolving the parliament and calling early elections on December 9.

The parliament will function until the new parliament is elected.

The government is formally a caretaker government until a new government is formed after the election.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. The Gudaori-Kobi road section leading to Upper Lars is open for traffic, the Armenian Embassy in Georgia said. The road was closed for cargo trucks earlier due to clear ice.

The Russian section of the Stepantsminda-Lars checkpoint has also been opened, and cargo trucks are entering Georgia. There is congestion of traffic in the Russian section, the embassy said.

The Stepantsminda-Lars road is the only land connection between Armenia and Russia, which runs through Georgia. Stepantsminda is a small town in north-eastern Georgia. The road is used for both passenger and cargo transportations and is of major significance. Vehicles pass through the Verkhni (Upper) Lars customs checkpoint into Russia.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Iran offers gas to Armenia at a higher price than Russia. Armenia views the Iranian gas in the context of second direction of feeding, acting minster of energy infrastructures and natural resources Garegin Baghramyan told reporters in the Parliament, reports Armenpress.

The gas supplied from Iran is expensive by over 10 USD than that of Russia. We view the Iranian gas in the context of second feeding. Today we have two-way gas supply. When an accident occurs on the Russian gas pipeline, we increase the volumes from the Iranian side in accordance with the agreement. But today there is no money deal as we have never received more economically grounded and affordable proposal from the Iranian side, the acting minister said.

He noted that if today there is a cheaper price for gas, they will discuss that issue.

Asked whether he sees possibility for reduction of the gas tariff, the acting minister said a commission has been set up for discussing this issue and the answer will be given within its framework. He noted that of course talks are being held aimed at reducing the tariff.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. The parliamentary inquiry committee dealing with the gas and electricity tariffs has discovered the part of reserves with which it can be noted that reduction of electricity tariff is possible, Tsarukyan faction MP, committee chair Mikayel Melkumyan said in parliament today.

This is a clear statement, because both the [caretaker] minister of energy infrastructures and natural resources and the head of the public services regulatory commission have said for the record at todays sitting that the real factors through which we can realize this exist, Melkumyan said.

He said that the inquiry committee will organize a press conference next week where specific estimates and calculations will be presented.

Melkumyan expressed hope that from February 1 the people will have the kind of tariff which is really necessary.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian today met with Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay at the organizations headquarters in Paris, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

During the meeting President Sarkissian and Audrey Azoulay discussed issues relating to Armenias active engagement within the organization, as well as the possibilities to present at best the Armenian culture and values in the structure.

They also touched upon UNESCOs initiative on restoring the cultural heritage of the Iraqi city of Mosul. In this context they discussed an implementation of a joint program with Yerevans Matenadaran.

UNESCO Director-General highly valued Armenias efforts and successful experience in the integration of Syrian refugees, as well as providing them the right to education.

The sides highlighted the need and importance of promotion of cultural diversity, universal values and tolerance through joint cultural and educational programs.

The President of Armenia drew an attention on the ancient and rich cultural heritage of Gyumri, as well as its valuable historical-architectural buildings. Sarkissian said most of the buildings are in poor condition today and said that it would be desirable if UNESCO participates in the preservation and recovery works of these buildings.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, 13 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 13 November, USD exchange rate up by 0.11 drams to 488.68 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.81 drams to 549.03 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 7.21 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 2.34 drams to 629.86 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 87.63 drams to 18940.91 drams. Silver price down by 2.78 drams to 222.47 drams. Platinum price down by 91.24 drams to 13386.13 drams.YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh Masis Mayilian received on November 13 Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh, during the meeting, results of the recent visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to the region were touched upon.

The sides discussed the current situation on the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan. In this context, the Foreign Minister reiterated the need to implement the agreements on the expansion of the monitoring capacities of the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and establishment of mechanisms for investigating incidents on the Line of Contact.

The sides also touched upon a range of issues related to the monitoring conducted by the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

Edited and translated by Tigran SirekanyanYEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received the Ambassador of the EU member states to Armenia led by Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Piotr Switalski .

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan noted that development of relations with the EU is among Armenias foreign policy priorities, and stressed the importance of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which provides effective tools for developing bilateral partnership and conducting domestic reforms. The acting PM added that Armenia is in a stage of historical transformations, and the reforms are aimed at enhancing democracy, economic development, anti-corruption fight, modernization of the justice system, human rights protection, strengthening of freedom of speech and so on. Pashinyan highlighted the financial and technical support of the EU provided to Armenia.

Referring to the upcoming early parliamentary elections, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that they will be important for strengthening democracy in Armenia. The new parliament and the Cabinet will be formed based on broad public trust and support, which will help to bring to end the process launched by the velvet revolution. I am thankful for the EU assistance for the organization of the elections, Pashinyan said, emphasizing the development of economic relations as well.

Nikol Pashinyan expressed satisfaction for EUs balanced position on NK conflict settlement and for supporting the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs format.

Piotr Switalski emphasized the fact of positive changes in Armenia, and expressed confidence that they will bring new achievements for the Armenian people. According to the Ambassador, the implementation of projects in concrete directions in the sidelines of the CEPA will foster the implementation of comprehensive and institutional reforms in Armenia. Piotr Switalski highlighted and welcomed the measures aimed at the fight against corruption, modernization of the governance system, protection of human rights, enhancing freedom of speech, improvement of the investment environment and emphasized that the EU is ready to continue supporting Armenia. The Ambassador expressed confidence that the elections assisted by the EU will be free, fair and transparent. We expect the best elections in the history of Armenia, Piotr Switalski emphasized.

During the meeting Nikol Pashinyan answered the questions of the Ambassadors that were about the political changes in Armenia, the reform process, the upcoming parliamentary elections, settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict and other issues of regional importance.

Edited and translated by Tigran SirekanyanWe need drugs. We are facilitators of the end users of the drugs. They are our clients, he said. We are now prescribing drugs for our clients to buy them from the private sector.

He has not been able to do his job well.

His primary job is to visit clinics all over Morobe Province to treat and refer people with serious medical problems to the main hospitals.

Dr Lincoln Menda has served in the public health system for 36 years and is the most senior health professional to speak out about the medicine shortages.

Two weeks ago, a senior doctor who works at Laes Angau Hospital added to the long list of health professionals who are pointing out the obvious: There is a severe medicine shortage throughout Papua New Guinea.

LAE - Before we get to the story about the politician, lets take a look back at how it began.

Richard Masere MP couldnt find anti-malarial drugs in Popondetta. He was airlifted to Port Moresby for treatment

We are passing the buck when the government is telling us that that drugs and everything are supposed to be free. Treatment in hospitals is supposed to be free.

Dr Menda was at the Milfordhaven clinic, one of seven urban clinics facing a dire shortage of medicines and other supplies.

In the clinics dispensary, the shelves were void of much needed basic supplies. On a list provided by the officer in charge, he noted antibiotics, painkillers and antimalarial drugs were in short supply.

Everywhere I go, I carry folders of prescription forms. I prescribe everything from Panadol to amoxicillin to other major medical drugs that need a doctors prescription.

Everything from Panadol, aspirin, malaria drugs are non-existent currently.

Dr Menda wasnt the only one to speak out. Nurses who are at the front line of health service delivery also spoke out about the shortages.

The situation took a personal toll on health staff. Unable to handle patient numbers and unable to adequately treat those in need, one senior nurse broke down in the middle of the interview.

Over the course of the month, the health department and the health minister didnt respond adequately to these concerns; partly because those at the top of the health pyramid including the minister werent well informed of the situation on the ground.

It took a week of intense media attention, before the health minister finally responded with a statement outside parliament. The statement came only after a shipment of drugs wase sent to Lae the day before we took photographs of medicines stocked at the area medical store there. We were not allowed to film inside the warehouse.

The area store manager told us to get permission from the health secretary before any information could be released. They also wouldnt tell us when the shipment of medicines arrived.

As nurses and medical professionals continued to speak out and while much of the focus was on Lae, it was increasingly becoming obvious that the shortages were affecting nearly everyone including members of parliament.

Ijivitari MP Richard Masere, who was struck down by malaria, couldnt find antimalarial drugs at the district and provincial hospitals. He raised the issue in parliament after being airlifted to Port Moresby for treatment.

So Puka Temu responded again, this time in parliament.

The lengthy explanation also highlighted facts they wouldnt have known about if the media had not highlighted them. And that poor internal communications, a shortage of manpower and theft were a contributing factors to the medicine shortages.

Any serious journalist in PNG seeking an answer from the health department knows that it is quite difficult getting a response from the health secretary.

Also maybe, just maybe, it would help the public health system a lot if more members of parliament actually used it.

Then they would know how their voters felt.ONeill came to power in 2011 and has had corruption allegations levelled at him in the past, but according to some experts this is the first time he has been revealed to have been involved in such a questionable deal by an international body while prime minister.

The revelations centre on Wild Cat Developments Ltd, of which ONeill was the sole shareholder at the time the contracts were granted by the ADB.

The 2015-16 building project was fraught with problems, requiring the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to temporarily stop payments and send in inspectors. Eventually, the contract was terminated and had to be retendered to a Chinese company.

SYDNEY - A company owned by Papua New Guineas prime minister, Peter ONeill, won a $32 million government contract to build bridges in the country in a process with serious procurement irregularities that may have violated anti-corruption guidelines, the Guardian can reveal.

Peter O'Neill. PNGs Mr Teflon, while others around him have crashed against the rocks, he seems to escape unscathed" - Kristian Lasslett

The PMs conflicts of interest are legion, but there has never been anything like this ADB report before, said Kristian Lasslett, an investigative criminologist who has been researching corruption in PNG for more than a decade.

ONeill is PNGs Mr Teflon, while others around him have crashed against the rocks, he seems to escape unscathed.

This ADB investigation is a bone-shaking exception to the rule. An international body has uncovered activity by a company he owns which appears to fit within the dictionary definition of fraud.

The prime ministers office issued a statement disputing the allegations, saying: The ADB-funded joint venture contract that you are referring to was awarded in accordance with all procurement processes of government and the ADB.

The statement said ONeill had not been present when cabinet made the decision to award the contract to his company, in keeping with PNG law that requires politicians to excuse themselves from decision-making processes if there is a potential conflict of interest.

It also said the prime minister did not receive any income from the company and divested himself of shares in it upon realising the potential for a perception of a conflict of interest.

The revelations raise questions about ONeills business dealings at a time when he is trying to promote PNG as a site for tourism and investment at the APEC leaders forum, which takes place this week.

In 2014, Wild Cat, in partnership with contractors Golding PNG Ltd, won a $32.86 million contract from the ADB to build 12 bridges in the West New Britain province of PNG.

The contract was part of a $100 million project, funded 90% by the ADB and 10% by the PNG government, to improve road access for the rural population, something direly needed in PNG, where about 85% of people live in rural areas.

More than a year after the contract was awarded, ADB inspectors found work had begun on three of the 12 bridges and just 10% of work had been completed, despite 60% of the money having been paid.

The ADB asked the Department of Works to monitor the sites to ensure progress was made and temporarily suspended payments due to the lack of progress.

Shortly after these problems, ONeill sold his shares in Wild Cat, which was renamed Construction and Procurement Services Ltd in October 2016.

The ADB published a report into the procurement process for the project in August 2017 in which it outlined a series of issues with the awarding of contracts, including deficiencies in financial management and potential integrity violations.

After this report, the ADB terminated the Wild Cat-Golding contract due to poor contractor performance and in June 2018, a new contract worth $14.328 million for completion of the project was awarded to China Jiangsu International ETCG Ltd, a Chinese state-owned company.

ONeills office disputed this, saying: The contract was terminated by mutual consent by both parties, not because of the audit reports as you have suggested.Amazon Australia wants to dress you. Image: Amazon Fashion screenshot.

Amazon Australia has continued its push into the Australian retail sector, today launching Amazon Fashion just in time for the Christmas retail frenzy.

With more than 150 fashion brands, the move follows its launch of Pantry Food and Drinks last month, and represents Amazon Australias growing focus on the Australian consumer.

Also read: Are Australian retail businesses in trouble?

Amazon Fashion has a collective range of tens of millions of products with local names cropping up next to international favourites.

Among Amazon Fashions top brands are Cooper St, Lorna Jane, Lacost, French Connection, Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen.

However, the retailer also stocks several exercise and outdoor-wear brands, luggage brands and children and baby brands.

Also read: Aussies taking drastic measures to save on Christmas

What does this mean for my favourite Aussie brands?

Several Aussie names grace the list of Amazon Fashion brands. But, the impact of the retail juggernaut on smaller vendors is difficult to ignore and comes less than a week after iconic Aussie fashion chain, Sussan, was reported as searching for a buyer.

Plus-sized fashion retailer Maggie T entered administration in January this year after luxury accessories retailer, Oroton in late 2017.

Roger David and Metallicus have also faced difficulties. Even international giant, Top Shop, hasnt been immune.

Retailers are facing a challenging environment of increased competition, slow growth in consumer spending and changing consumer preferences, the RBA financial stability departments Gabriela Araujo and Timoth de Atholia said in September.

Also read: Secrets to Bombshell Swimwears success

They said international companies enjoy the benefits that come with scale, while online retailers are also able to easily tap into changing consumer preferences.

Aussie retailers can win a marketing package to fuel growth

Amazon also announced a new award giving 15 Australian brands the opportunity to win a marketing package to fuel their growth. The Amazon Fashion Local Brand Award features shoewear brands Jaggar and Antoine & Stanley among its 22 nominees, together with up-and-coming fashion brands Three of Something, Will & Bear and Silent Theory.

Story continues

The winner will be chosen by customer vote.

Also read: Experts tell us the best investment they ever made

We are really excited to be empowering some brilliant home grown talent by putting them front and centre on our fashion store, Angela Langmann, Amazon Australias head of fashion, said.

We know Aussies love to shop local and we want to help them do just that with our Amazon Fashion 2018 Local Brand Award and The Local Fashion Store.Vittorio Dominelli was called a "complete idiot" in court as he pleaded guilty to eating marijuana-laced chocolate he had stolen during a January raid.

Crown attorney Philip Perlmutter said the Toronto police officer and his partner, Constable Jamie Young, ate the chocolate while on duty.

Twenty minutes after consuming the chocolate, Dominelli requested medical help over his police radio.

A judge in Canada called a Toronto police officer a "complete idiot" as the officer pleaded guilty to stealing and eating a marijuana-laced chocolate bar he had seized in a raid.

Vittorio Dominelli, 36, resigned from the force last week,The Globe and Mail reported.

On Friday, he pleaded guilty to attempting to obstruct justice in connection to the marijuana incident in January.

Dominelli, a father of three, was part of a raid on an illegal marijuana dispensary on January 27.

He and his partner, Constable Jamie Young, pocketed the marijuana-laced chocolate bars as they left the dispensary to get pizza for the squad, according to a statement of facts read in court by Crown attorney Philip Perlmutter.

Neither Dominelli nor Young had ever tried cannabis before the raid, the court heard.

After the raid concluded, Dominelli and Young were ordered to conduct surveillance on an after-hours bar, where the partners decided to try the chocolate bars.

They consumed all eight squares of the chocolate bar while surveying the bar and became "severely intoxicated," the court heard.

Twenty minutes later, Dominelli made an emergency 10-33 call, which is police code in Canada for "officer needs assistance," and asked for an ambulance, Vice reported.

"My heart was pounding. I felt like it was going to come out of my mouth," Dominelli said in a statement submitted as court evidence. "I realised instantly what a stupid thing I had done. At that point, I did not care anymore about the prospects of getting caught or the professional consequences. I just wanted medical help."

Story continues

Dominelli was taken to hospital, where he threw up and tested positive for THC.

His attorney is asking for a conditional discharge and 200 hours of community service for the obstruction of justice charge.

"The conduct here, you cannot describe as anything other than stupid," Justice Mary Misener said in court, adding that Dominelli is a "complete idiot."

Young has also been charged with attempting to obstruct justice as well as breach of trust, but the charges have not been proven in court.The special counsel Robert Mueller plans to issue new indictments in the Russia investigation as early as Tuesday, CBS reported.

Since Mueller took over the investigation in May 2017, his team has charged Americans once affiliated with President Donald Trump's campaign or administration, as well as Russian nationals and intelligence officers.

The special counsel Robert Mueller is expected to issue new indictments as part of the Russia investigation as soon as Tuesday, CBS reported, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the probe.

Meanwhile, acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker plans to consult with Department of Justice ethics officials about whether he should recuse himself from the investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, a department representative said Monday.

Since Mueller took over the investigation in May 2017, his team has charged four Americans once affiliated with Trump's campaign or administration, 13 Russian nationals, 12 Russian intelligence officers, three Russian companies, and three other people.

They include Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign adviser, and Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser.

Talks between Manafort and Mueller's team have reportedly stalled.



Read more:

Here's everyone who has been charged and convicted in Mueller's Russia probe so far

A US F-18 fighter jet based on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan crashed into the Philippine Sea on Monday.

Both pilots ejected safely and the Nimitz-class supercarrier's rescue aircraft picked them up.

The F-18, from Carrier Air Wing 5, went down due to "mechanical issues," the Navy said.

It's the second military aircraft incident in the last 30 days, after a MH-60 Seahawk crashed onto the deck of USS Ronald Reagan on October 19.

A US Navy F-18 fighter jet crashed into the Philippine Sea early on Monday morning in the second aircraft mishap aboard the USS Ronald Reagan within a month.

The F-18, part of Carrier Air Wing 5 onboard the USS Ronald Reagan, experienced a "mechanical issue that resulted in the crew ejecting" while carrying out "routine operations" from the Nimitz-class supercarrier, the US Navy 7th Fleet said.

Both pilots managed to eject before the plane impacted the sea off the coast of the Philippines, and rescue aircraft based off the USS Ronald Reagan swiftly picked them up, they said.

F18

On October 19, a US Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopter crashed onto the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan, injuring a dozen sailors, but causing no fatalities.



Read more:

F-35 embarrassed by Tom Cruise's new 'Top Gun' movie going with its older competitor, the F-18.



The Navy say the pilots are in a good condition and were evaluated by medical personnel after their rescue. They said the crash is now under investigation.

The USS Ronald Reagan has now resumed normal operations after the incident, currently supporting "security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," the Navy said.Amazon announced Tuesday it would split its "second headquarters" between New York City and a Washington suburb in Northern Virginia, with the online giant to invest some $5 billion in the two locations after a heated contest by dozens of cities. "These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come," Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos said in a statement. The announcement comes after a yearlong search and a fierce competition between North American cities to net the estimated 50,000 jobs that will be created with the new headquarters, which had been dubbed "HQ2." Amazon selected the Long Island City neighborhood in the New York borough of Queens, across the East River from Manhattan, and the Crystal City section of Arlington, across the Potomac from the US capital Washington, where Amazon plans to create a new neighborhood called National Landing. These will be new headquarters with equivalent status to Amazon's home in Seattle, Washington. According to an Amazon statement, the company will receive "performance-based direct incentives of $1.525 billion" over the next decade from New York based on creating 25,000 jobs in Long Island City. "This is a giant step on our path to building an economy in New York City that leaves no one behind. We are thrilled that Amazon has selected New York City for its new headquarters," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "New Yorkers will get tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs, and Amazon will get the best talent anywhere in the world." Virginia will offer $550 million in incentives over 12 years based on a similar number of job creations, contingent on adding the forecasted number of "high-paying jobs," and Amazon will get another $23 million from Arlington. "This is a big win for Virginia -- I'm proud Amazon recognizes the tremendous assets the Commonwealth has to offer and plans to deepen its roots here," said Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. A view of the Crystal City area in Arlington, Virginia -- to be renamed National Landing -- selected by Amazon as one of its new headquarters sitesPlunging oil prices and a weakened Boeing knocked the wind of out Wall Street on Tuesday, ending hopes of a quick rebound from Monday's sell-off. Elsewhere, global equities markets offered a mixed picture but were mostly higher despite headwinds from Brexit talks and Italy's budget talks. London underperformed after the European Union published contingency plans for a "no-deal" Brexit. A deal was announced just after the closing bell on a "technical level" and was to go before the British Cabinet on Wednesday. Frankfurt and Paris both forged higher. But in New York, West Texas Intermediate benchmark crude oil swung to a record 12th straight negative finish in its biggest drop since 2015, weighing on supermajors Chevron and Exxon Mobil and dragging the Dow Jones Industrial Average lower. OPEC on Tuesday trimmed its global oil demand growth forecasts for this year and next, as kingpin Saudi Arabia tries to cut output to bolster prices in a weakening market. The S&P likewise sank while the tech-heavy Nasdaq slid. Wall Street had suffered a rout on Monday as fears of declining demand in the tech sector spread to the whole of the market. Meanwhile, Boeing gave up 2.1 percent, extending losses following a Wall Street Journal report that it had allegedly withheld information tied to a flight control feature involved in a fatal crash. Also on Tuesday, a top White House aide confirmed Tuesday that President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss the deteriorating trade relations on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit later this month. "There is a number of issues hovering over the market: questions regarding global growth, the China-US trade talks and also the US dollar's strength," Quincy Krosby of Prudential Financial told AFP. She said investors were unnerved by the prospect of continuing interest rate hikes, with the Federal Reserve likely to raise lending rates again next month, which they fear could weaken consumer demand. "People are looking at the housing market, the vehicle sales and saying, 'the economy can't handle it,'" Krosby said. - 'On edge' over Italy - In foreign exchange, the euro recovered from a 17-month low of $1.1216 seen at the start of the week. Earlier in Asia, shares in technology firms slid, tracking Monday's a deep sell-off in New York, while energy firms also fell with oil prices. Back in Europe, Britain reported a pick-up in wage growth, boosting the pound and offsetting news of a slight increase in unemployment. Italy's populist government was set Tuesday to defy the European Commission, preferring to risk financial sanctions than revise a big-spending budget, and putting stock traders "on edge," said David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets UK. The coalition had been given time to change its 2019 plans but insists an anti-austerity approach will help kick-start growth in the eurozone's third largest economy, and consequently reduce the public debt and deficit. But Brussels forecasts Italy's deficit will reach 2.9 percent of GDP in 2019 and hit 3.1 percent in 2020 -- breaching the EU's 3.0 percent limit. - Key figures around 2200 GMT - New York - DOW: DOWN 0.4 percent at 25,286.49 (close) New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.2 percent at 2,722.18 (close) New York - Nasdaq: FLAT at 7,200.87 (close) Oil - Brent Crude: DOWN $4.65 at $65.47 per barrel Oil - West Texas Intermediate: DOWN $4.24 at $55.69 London - FTSE 100: FLAT at 7,053.76 (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 1.3 percent at 11,472.22 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.9 percent at 5,101.85 (close) EURO STOXX 50: UP one percent at 3,224.82 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 2.1 percent at 21,810.52 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.6 percent at 25,792.87 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 2,654.88 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1287 from $1.1218 at 2200 GMT Friday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2964 from $1.2848 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 113.82 yen from 113.85 yen burs-dg/mdl Wall Street hoped for a rebound that was not to beAustria has rejected hosting a special payment system designed to help EU countries trade with Iran despite US sanctions, the Austrian foreign ministry said Tuesday. "We were asked if Austria would be prepared in principle to host this special purpose vehicle," foreign ministry spokesman Peter Guschelbauer said. But after studying the idea "very closely", the Austrian government "came to the conclusion that at the moment we are not in a position to host this vehicle," Guschelbauer told the Austrian APA agency. The Bloomberg agency reported that Austria had been approached to be the venue for the vehicle after Belgium and Luxembourg had already turned down the idea of hosting it. "There are lots of unanswered technical questions" about the "effectiveness of this setup," Guschelbauer added. Austria supported the principle of the vehicle, he said, "but of course it has to be set up in a way that fulfils its purpose". Last week the US announced a fresh raft of sanctions, the latest tranche of such measures since May when US President Donald Trump dramatically withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US sanctions aim to cut off Iran's banks from international finance and significantly cut its oil exports. Since May, the remaining five signatories to the JCPOA -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- have been exploring ways to keep the deal alive. As part of those efforts the EU has floated the idea of the special purpose vehicle, which would in theory allow Iran to keep selling oil and European companies to continue doing business in the country despite the US sanctions. However, details of the scheme have remained vague. The Austrian capital Vienna is the headquarters of several international organisations, including several arms of the UN and OPEC, and hosted the negotiations which resulted in the JCPOA. On Monday the UN atomic watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in its latest report that Iran was still abiding by the terms of the deal. "We were asked if Austria would be prepared in principle to host this special purpose vehicle," foreign ministry spokesman Peter Guschelbauer said of hosting a payment system that would help the EU trade with IranBahrain's public prosecutor on Tuesday detained and charged a man for a tweet saying he would boycott elections this month, with a rights group identifying him as a former lawmaker. Opposition movements have been outlawed in Bahrain and hundreds of dissidents have been imprisoned -- with many stripped of their nationality. Ahead of legislative elections on November 24, Muhanna al-Shayji, the head of Bahrain's electoral crimes unit, said a man had been taken into custody over his Twitter account. He has been charged with influencing public opinion and "obstructing the electoral process", Shayji said in a statement released by the public prosecutor's office. The London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy identified the man as Ali Rashed al-Asheeri, a former member of parliament with the now-banned Al-Wefaq opposition group. Asheeri on Thursday tweeted that he and his family would be boycotting the polls. "I am a Bahraini citizen deprived of my civil and political rights. My family and I will therefore boycott the parliamentary and municipal elections. No to the laws of political isolation," he wrote. Bahraini authorities have banned the country's two main opposition groups -- the Shiite Al-Wefaq and secular Waad -- from submitting candidates for parliament. The Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom has been hit by waves of unrest since 2011, when security forces crushed Shiite-led protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister. Bahraini authorities accuses Shiite Iran of provoking unrest in the kingdom, an allegation Tehran denies. Sheikh Ali Salman, who headed the Al-Wefaq group, was sentenced to life in prison on November 4 for spying for rival Gulf state Qatar, in a ruling rights groups have called a travesty. Human rights groups have frequently said cases against activists in Bahrain -- men and women, religious and secular -- fail to meet the basic standards of fair trials. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch categorise many of those jailed as prisoners of conscience. Bahrain, a key ally of the United States, is home to the US Fifth Fleet and a permanent British military base. US President Donald Trump has eased restrictions on arms sales to Bahrain since taking office, which had been tightened over the kingdom's treatment of protesters. Bahraini women at an anti-government protest in the village of Jannusan, west of the capital Manama, on September 19, 2014A court in Brazil ordered Monday the release of a meatpacking magnate arrested days ago as part of the wide-ranging "Operation Car Wash" investigation into corruption. Nefi Cordeiro, a judge at the Superior Court of Justice, ruled that it was excessive to hold Joesley Batista in prison pending further investigation. Batista and his brother Wesley own the world's biggest meatpacking company, JBS. The judge also ordered the release of 16 other people arrested Friday along with Batista, including two former agriculture ministers. Two others also arrested then were released on Sunday. Investigators say JBS bribed agriculture ministry officials through political intermediaries in order to obtain benefits from industry regulations and the attribution of commercial licenses. These bribes gave JBS advantages over its competition and the possibility to build a market monopoly, police said. Joesley Batista was previously held between September 2017 and March of this year on suspicion of having withheld information from prosecutors. This prompted authorities to scrap a plea bargain deal they had reached with him. The "Car Wash" investigation has ensnared some of Brazil's biggest companies, such as construction conglomerate Odebrecht and state oil giant Petrobras, and some of its most notable politicians, including former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is serving a 12-year prison sentence for accepting a bribe. Brazilian meatpacking magnate Joesley Batista is accused of bribing government officialsJuror complications on Tuesday delayed opening statements in the New York trial of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, one of the world's most notorious criminals accused of spending a quarter of a century smuggling cocaine into the United States. Twelve jurors and six alternates had been selected last week from a pool of dozens in which several were dismissed because they feared for their lives and another who suffered a panic attack. The seven women and five men were to determine whether Guzman is guilty on 11 trafficking, firearms and money laundering charges during what is expected to be a more than four-month trial. But on Tuesday, the jury lost at least one member before it was even officially sworn in. The New York Post reported that an "anxious and upset" juror brought a doctor's note saying she could not serve on the jury. District Judge Brian Cogan subsequently spent Tuesday morning interviewing potential jurors to replace the dismissed juror, putting opening statements from prosecutors and the defense on the back burner. The names of all jurors will be kept anonymous under razor-tight security protocols. They will be partially sequestered, escorted to and from court every day by armed US Marshals. Guzman is accused of leading the Sinaloa cartel and turning it into the largest criminal organization on the planet. He was extradited to the United States in 2017 after twice escaping from prison in Mexico. The 61-year-old is considered the world's largest drug trafficker since the death of Colombia's Pablo Escobar. Prosecutors say that from 1989 to 2014, the cartel smuggled 340,892 pounds (154,626 kilograms) of cocaine into the United States, as well as heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana, raking in $14 billion. - Masses of evidence - Last week, Cogan rejected a request from Guzman to greet and embrace his beauty queen wife Emma Coronel on Tuesday, shortly before opening statements, ruling that it was too risky. The defendant is banned from communicating with or having any physical contact with the 29-year-old mother of his seven-year-old twin girls. Cogan said the requested hug violated security procedures designed to prevent Guzman from "coordinating any escape from prison or directing any attack" on cooperating witnesses. Guzman twice escaped from prison in Mexico, once hidden in a laundry cart and the second time slipping down a tunnel that reached his prison shower. US prosecutors have spent years piecing together a case that they hope will end with Guzman spending the rest of his life behind bars in a maximum-security US prison. He has pleaded not guilty, but the government has presented so much evidence -- more than 300,000 pages and at least 117,000 recordings -- that the defense complains they haven't had time to review it all. More than a dozen of the several hundred witnesses expected to testify are in witness protection programs or are already in jail, housed in special wings to protect them from reprisals. Guzman has been held in solitary confinement since Mexico extradited him in January 2017, one day before Donald Trump took office. He spends 23 hours a day in his cell. The only visitors he is allowed are his lawyers and daughters, from whom he is separated by thick glass. In this file photo taken on January 8, 2016, Drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted into a helicopter at Mexico City's airport, following his recapture during an intense military operation in Los Mochis, in Sinaloa State Attorney for Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Eduardo Balarezo(C) arrives at Brooklyn Federal Courthouse before the opening arguments in the "El Chapo" trial Mexican drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman The wife of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Emma Coronel Aispuro(C), arrives at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse before the opening arguments in the "El Chapo" trialA former Nazi concentration camp guard Tuesday voiced his shame at having been part of the SS but told a German court he was unaware of the systematic killings there. Johann Rehbogen, 94, stands accused of complicity in mass murder at the Stutthof camp near what was then Danzig, now Gdansk, in Poland. In a statement read out by his lawyer, Rehbogen said: "I'm of course ashamed to have been part of the SS. But I still don't know today if I would have had the courage to do otherwise." He said he was forced into joining the Schutzstaffel troops, as "there would have been reprisals against my family if I hadn't gone". "When I saw the detainees I knew that the SS was wrong, but I didn't have a choice," said Rehbogen, who served as a watchman from June 1942 to September 1944 at Stutthof. He denied knowledge of the gruesome crimes at the camp. "I knew nothing of the systematic killings, I knew nothing of the gas chambers as well as the crematoria," he told the court. "I was ashamed of the conditions that the detainees were in, and felt sympathy for them, even if that's probably not the right word as I was not suffering like they were." He said he "would have liked to leave" but added that "I did not trust myself to speak with anyone and had no-one I could trust". "I will only say that I am not a Nazi, I never have been one, and never will be." But lead prosecutor Andreas Brendel said that there were "ways out" of serving at the camp for guards like Rehbogen. "We believe that the guards knew a lot more than what has been recounted today," he said. Rehbogen denied knowledge of the gruesome crimes at the campWhen a demanding passenger asked to be moved to a window seat on a plane where there was no availability, a sassy flight attendant came up with a hilarious compromise.

The passenger thought he had chosen a window seat, but rather than being able to watch as the plane flew over the clouds, he was only faced with a blank wall.

The man reportedly insisted he be moved to a row with a view, but there was none available so the stewardess was left with no other option but to improvise.

Expectation vs reality: When a demanding passenger asked to be moved to a window seat, a sassy flight attendant came up with a hilarious compromise. Source: @kooo_TmS_suke / Twitter

She grabbed an A4 sheet of paper and a blue marker, then drew a picture of a plane window, complete with clouds above and waves below.

The window view was then stuck to the wall next to the man with masking tape, according to a passenger who tweeted the experience.

It is not known which airline the flight took place on.

The initial tweet went viral, with more than 7000 retweets, and more than 15000 likes since it was posted Monday last week.

Japanese news website Sora News 24 translated some of the tweets applauding the flight attendants creative problem-solving ability.

Thats really clever, one tweeted.

Great thinking by the attendant, added another.

A third wrote: How lucky he must be to be gifted with a such a unique scenery.In one of the most dramatic mass murder-suicides of modern history, 914 adults and children from a US cult died in the jungle of the small South American country of Guyana on November 18, 1978. Here is an account, drawn from AFP reporting at the time, of the "Jonestown Massacre" at the People's Temple sect headed by US Reverend Jim Jones. - Dream of a jungle utopia - Five years earlier, Jones had moved his "church" from San Francisco to the former British colony of Guyana in the north of the Latin American continent. The self-styled reverend -- who passed himself off as the reincarnation of Lenin, Jesus Christ and Buddha -- had built a strong following since the 1950s, mostly attracting poor African Americans. In 1973, in a remote part of the Guyana jungle, he founded Jonestown, a socialist, self-sufficient settlement that he said would be free of violence, racism, sexism and ageism. Hundreds of his disciples followed and Jones wielded unquestioned authority over the community, a mix of hippy culture and vague socialism. Ex-cult members, however, made claims of drugs use, hunger and sexual enslavement, saying Jones forced his followers to work from dawn to dusk, six days a week. - 'Suicide' sessions, assassination - He also submitted his followers to weekly "white nights", bizarre sessions when they and their children were made to drink fake poison, they said. His explanation: suicide would be their only escape from an inevitable and looming assault by the US government. After complaints in the United States, Congressman Leo Ryan arrived at Jonestown on November 17, 1978 to investigate. A day later, as he prepared to board a plane home, Ryan was shot dead on the tarmac by Jones' men, who also killed three journalists and a cult member who wanted to leave. - Syringes of poison - Back at the settlement, Jones told his followers that Ryan was a CIA agent and US Marines were preparing to attack the community. A 45-minute recording found near his body would later reveal how he incited his followers to commit suicide. In a story in December, AFP recounted: "The recording starts with religious music and the sounds of followers gathering ... Jones says that the sect has been 'betrayed' and will not be able to recover from what happened at the airport." "'We are not committing suicide; it's a revolutionary act,' he says. "He calls on the adults to administer poison to their children with syringes, saying, 'My opinion is that you be kind to children and be kind to seniors and take the potion like they used to take in ancient Greece and step over quietly.'" Children cried and Jones appeared nervous. He is heard saying: "Lay down your life with dignity. Don't lay down with tears and agony ... Stop this hysterics. This is not the way for people who are socialists or communists to die." "Many people protest. A mother cries out that she accepts her own death but demands pardon for her son... The massacre ends with a cacophony of screams and pain, wheezing, the cries of children in agony and of protest, mixed with applause from Jones' fanatics." Several hundred people fled into the jungle. Some were caught and shot or forced to drink the poison. Jones was found with a bullet to the head but it was impossible to know whether he was killed or committed suicide. - Heap of remains - AFP journalist Marc Hutten arrived in Jonestown four days later and described scenes of apocalypse. "From the helicopter ... we see a sudden blooming of bright colours, like a field of flowers. They are the cotton garments in which the hundreds of corpses are dressed," he wrote. "The flowers become corpses and their smell, at first insidious, becomes putrid. Only the professional gravediggers of the American army keep moving among the swollen bodies." "Planted in the midst of this heap of remains is a perch, with two parrots, who cackle as if nothing has happened. "Further on, in a huge wooden cage, lies the body of a gorilla, the mascot of the mad 'priest', its head pierced by a bullet." Other animals lay dead too, also poisoned, although two or three dogs still roamed the camp, Hutten reported. "A small wooden bridge leads to the house of the late spiritual leader. Inside, 10 bodies... thrown across beds or even on the floor among the heaps of books and files." "The Guyana soldier accompanying us says that the dead all seem to be black." Corpses from the "Jonestown Massacre" in Guyana in 1978 Front page coverage in the Argentinian newspaper the Clarin on November 21, 1978 of the "Jonestown Massacre"French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the Brussels district of Molenbeek, home of Islamic State jihadists who carried out the 2015 Paris attacks, during a state visit to Belgium next week. The visit comes just weeks after Belgium's decision to replace its fleet of ageing F-16 jets with US-made F-35s, snubbing European bids including the Rafales from French group Dassault. It was King Philippe of Belgium who invited Macron to make the two-day visit, on November 19 and 20. Macron will also meet Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. Both men are seen as the new generation of European leadership keen on shaking up the European Union. Most French people remember Molenbeek as the largely immigrant district where several of the jihadists behind the November 13, 2015 attacks on Paris were based. It was in Molenbeek that top Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam was arrested in spectacular fashion in March 2016, near his family home. French President Emmanuel Macron, along with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel are seen as the new generation of European leadership keen on shaking up the EUAn 11-year-old girls clever trick thwarted her abduction from a park when she asked a would-be kidnapper claiming to be a family friend for a code word.

The fast-thinking action serves as a chilling lesson other parents and children could learn from.

The girl was walking with a friend in San Tan Valley, Arizona, US at 3.45pm last Wednesday when police said a white SUV pulled up and a male driver urged them to get in.

A 11-year-old girl was walking with a friend when police said a white SUV pulled up and a male driver urged them to get in. Source: Getty, file

The stranger told the child her brother had been in a serious accident and she needed to come with him, according to the Pinal County Sheriffs Office.

The clever girl then asked the man for the code word, which she and her parents had previously chosen in the event of such a situation. The cautionary exercise proved fruitful when the stranger drove off without her, apparently not knowing the pre-arranged code.

The girls mother Brenda James said the family came up with a code word system in the event of a situation like this. Source: FOX10 Phoenix.

Kudos to the parents of this child for having a code word and talking about to their children about stranger danger, Sheriff Mark Lamb said in a statement.

We hope by putting this out, it will encourage parents to have that conversation and create a plan with their children, so they know what to do if they are in that situation.

The girls mother said she was proud of her daughter for remembering the safety plan but also relieved.

We came up with a code word, and this one time, it saved my daughters life, Brenda James told Fox 10 Phoenix.

I never thought it would be used, but Im proud of her for remembering that and knowing to use that.

Police are searching for the driver, who covered his face with his hand while speaking with the girl. He was described as a white male, possibly in his 40s, with a short beard.

Neighbourhood children had reported seeing a similar car circling the park several times a day, police said.Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar is a crucial player in the latest international bid to stabilise the violence-wracked North African nation, but he has shown great reluctance to be involved. Field Marshal Haftar, whose forces control all of northeastern Libya, had said he would not join this week's talks in Palermo, Italy which hope to kick-start a long-stalled political process and trigger elections. However he met with his UN-backed rival Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and other leaders on Tuesday ahead of more inclusive roundtable talks, an Italian official said. Haftar, 75, presents himself as Libya's saviour in the face of a growing jihadist threat, but his opponents accuse him of wanting to establish a new military dictatorship. The white-haired field marshal with striking black eyebrows arrived in Palermo from his Benghazi stronghold on Monday evening, but did not attend a working dinner with other leaders. Haftar's office has denied he is attending the actual conference, saying he refuses to sit down with certain participants who he sees as close to the Islamists that he fiercely opposes, militarily and ideologically. "Haftar is being difficult as he has done several times in the past," said Paris-based Libya specialist Jalel Harchaoui. "This attitude cuts both ways because it has a sensational effect that momentarily ups his value, but his interlocutors who are humiliated by this will always remember," he said. - Leading fight against jihadists - Libya fell into chaos following the NATO-backed uprising that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Two rival administrations emerged -- Sarraj's Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and another authority in the east backed by Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA). Haftar's hostility towards the GNA has been seen as a major cause of the current crisis. But he has gained in stature for fighting jihadists. In 2014, Haftar launched his "Dignity" operation to retake Benghazi after it fell to hardline militias. His forces took the city in July 2017 following more than three years of deadly fighting. After Haftar was hospitalised in Paris for two weeks earlier this year, fuelling speculation about his health, he returned to Benghazi with great fanfare in April. To reaffirm his status as a strongman, he quickly launched a successful operation to oust Islamist militias from the city of Derna, which had been the only part of eastern Libya out of his control. - Part of Kadhafi's rise and fall - Originally from Cyrenaica in Libya's east, Haftar received military training in the then Soviet Union before taking part in the 1969 coup which brought Kadhafi to power. He served in Kadhafi's armed forces but fell from grace when he was captured by Chadian troops during Libya's ill-fated 1978-1987 conflict with its neighbour. Tripoli denied Haftar was part of the Libyan army, and he languished in jail until Washington granted him political asylum. After more than two decades living in the United States, where it was rumoured that he worked for the CIA, in 2011 he returned home to take part in the uprising against Kadhafi. Italy is the latest country aiming to bring Libya's disparate and often warring factions together after a Paris summit in May saw the GNA and Haftar agree to hold national polls on December 10 -- a date which has fallen by the wayside. Analysts say the summit risks being compromised not only by tensions between Libyan factions but also the competing agendas of foreign powers. According to diplomats and analysts, Russia, France, Egypt and the UAE support Haftar, while Turkey and Qatar have thrown their weight behind rivals to the strongman, especially Islamist groups. Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar met with his UN-backed rival in Italy on Tuesday despite showing reluctance to join the latest bid to stabilise the country Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces dominate the east of the country Haftar shakes the hand of Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, as Rome aims to bring Libya's disparate and often warring factions togetherMadagascar's former president Andry Rajoelina on Monday rejected allegations by EU observers that he bribed local officials in return for their support in last week's presidential vote. A European Union observer mission said in a report Monday that it had "noted candidates committed breaches" ahead of the November 7 poll in the poor Indian Ocean island. Race frontrunner Rajoelina had paid a total of 4,500 euros ($5,000) to two local chiefs, it said. However, the report also found that the election overall passed off normally and irregularities had been "very isolated". In a statement seen by AFP, Rajoelina said he "deplored the false allegation on page 10 of the report alleging the payment of money". He insisted he "had never offered such a sum of cash". Rajoelina leads the election battle ahead of his rival Marc Ravalomanana, also a former president, according to preliminary results released by the CENI electoral authority Monday. After counting from nearly half of the polling stations, Rajoelina was ahead with 39.34 percent of the votes against 35.97 percent for Ravalomanana. Outgoing president Hery Rajaonarimampianina had barely eight percent of ballots, CENI said. Madagascar's electoral regulations mean the two frontrunners will be forced into a run-off in December if neither manages to secure more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round ballot. Madagascar is one of the world's poorest countries, according to World Bank data, with almost four in five people living in grinding poverty. It has struggled to overcome political divisions after a disputed 2001 election that sparked clashes and after a 2009 military-backed coup. Both Ravalomanana and Rajaonarimampianina, who governed from 2014 to September 2018, have denounced irregularities and fraud, but the national election commission has rejected the accusations. Madagascar presidential candidate Andry Rajoelina (C) is the frontrunner in the November 7 ballot, according to preliminary results

A man brandishing a fork and ranting about God and Lucifer was arrested after demanding zoo animals to eat a zookeeper.

According to police, Joseph L Binford, 37, asked the animals at the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, Missouri, US, to do his bidding on Tuesday night after the zoo had closed. The animals, of course, did not listen to him.

USA Today reports that Binford was walking around the zoo after hours, flailing his arms and talking to people who werent there. The court documents read that once a zookeeper confronted him, he commanded the nearby cheetahs to eat the zookeeper.

Joseph L Binford was taken into police custody after acting oddly at the Dickerson Park Zoo after hours. Source: Greene County Sheriffs Office

Two officers responded to the incident, according to court documents, and found Binford on a hill where he was making unintelligible statements about God and Lucifer. He also held a silver object in each hand.

Binford ignored police commands to drop the objects, and as he ran toward the officers, Binford threw the items, which turned out to be dinner forks.

The outlet reports that the police officers subdued him with a Taser and arrested him. During a struggle, he allegedly attempted to grab an officers gun.

Binford is being held at the Greene County Jail on a US$12,500 bond, according to the news outlet. He was charged with assault, unlawful use of a weapon and trespass.

Charges of attempting to disarm the police officer and a probation violation are pending.Japan and the United States will negotiate a bilateral trade agreement that will serve as a "model" for other countries, US Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday in Tokyo. Speaking after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he reiterated Washington's position that US businesses have faced unfair obstacles in Japan. "The United States has had a trade imbalance with Japan for too long. American products and services too often face barriers to compete fairly in Japanese markets," he said, standing alongside Abe. "The best opportunity for free, fair and reciprocal trade will come in a bilateral trade agreement." Abe and US President Donald Trump agreed in September to negotiate a trade pact, easing fears that Japan could be next in line in the White House's tariff offensive. "When completed we're confident that this agreement will establish terms on goods and services," Pence said. "The coming US-Japan trade agreement will be a model for the Indo-Pacific." The United States and Japan, the world's first and third largest economies, together make up about 30 percent of global GDP and have long had trade ties that are both fractious and interconnected. Under Trump's predecessor, both countries were part of the broad deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which was intended to serve as a bulwark against growing Chinese influence. But Trump withdrew from the multilateral trade agreement shortly after taking office, and has been vocal about his preference for bilateral deals negotiated on terms more favourable for Washington. Abe had hoped to see Washington return to the TPP, but agreed to the negotiations -- expected to begin in January -- as Trump upped the ante against other trading partners. Pence was in Tokyo on a brief stop before attending several regional summits, including the ASEAN meeting in Singapore and APEC talks in Papua New Guinea. Trump's decision to skip the meetings has raised eyebrows in some quarters, and prompted questions about Washington's commitment to the region, where China is increasingly influential. US Vice President Mike Pence and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have agreed to negotiate a bilateral trade pactA Perth member of the notorious bikie group Hells Angels and his wife have been sentenced to death in Thailand for trying to smuggle half a tonne of crystal methamphetamine into Australia.

Luke Cook, 34, and his Thai wife Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, were arrested at Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi airport last December and charged in relation to a 2015 plot to smuggle an estimated $300 million of crystal meth  or ice  into Thailand and then on to Australia.

A Thai court has sentenced the couple to death, but that is expected to be commuted to life in prison, media reports on Wednesday said.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson declined to comment specifically on Cook, but said the Australian government was providing consular assistance to an Australian in Thailand.

Owing to our privacy obligations we will not provide further comment, the spokesperson said in a statement.

Luke Cook, 34, and wife Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, have been sentenced to death. Image: Narcotics Suppression Bureau

Cook, who is understood to be a father of two, is accused of coordinating the movement of the drugs from China to Thailand on board a yacht.

However the shipment was dumped off the southeastern Thai province of Chonburi after being spotted by Thai authorities, News Ltd reported.

About 50kg of the drug divided up into four sacks later washed ashore at Mae Ramphueng beach in Rayong province in June 2015.

Authorities in Thailand claimed that Cook was paid $US10 million by the Hells Angels to buy and store the drugs for later shipment to Australia.

As part of their investigation, Thai police confiscated assets including luxury cars.

Police claimed that Cook and his wife ran a boat rental business, Global Marine Solutions, and had ties with Sydney-based Hells Angels member and drugs identity Wayne Schneider, who was murdered in Thailand in November 2015.

Schneider was believed to have paid Cook the money to smuggle 500kg of crystal meth into Thailand so it could then be distributed elsewhere.Pope Francis on Tuesday promoted the Archbishop of Malta, one of the church's most trusted investigators in paedophile priest cases, as the Vatican seeks to quell a damaging global sex abuse scandal. Mgr Charles Scicluna, 59, has been appointed adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog that receives reports of sex abuse in the church, the Holy See said in a statement. Scicluna is already the head of the congregation's special council examining appeals by priests suspected of serious crimes such as child sex abuse. He was the Vatican Court's chief prosecutor investigating cases of paedophilia among priests for a decade until 2012, making a name for himself with his determination. Scicluna allowed an investigation into Father Marcial Maciel, Mexican founder of the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ and the perpetrator of numerous cases of paedophilia. Earlier this year, the pope dispatched Scicluna to Chile for an investigation into an alleged cover-up by Bishop Juan Barros of abuse by a paedophile priest during the 1980s and 1990s. Barros has since resigned, along with several other Chilean bishops. Francis has called for a meeting of all the heads of Catholic bishops' conferences worldwide at the Vatican in late February to discuss the issue of the "protection of minors". Archbishop of Malta Charles Scicluna has been appointed adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the FaithPope Francis, who has made building bridges between Christianity and Islam a cornerstone of his papacy, will visit Morocco in March, the Vatican said Tuesday. Francis, 81, will be the second pope to travel to Morocco, following John Paul II more than three decades ago. He will take in Rabat and Casablanca on the March 30-31 trip to the Muslim-majority country, the Vatican said. The pontiff was "accepting the invitation extended by King Mohammed VI and the bishops", it said. Francis has already visited several Muslim countries, including Turkey in 2014, Azerbaijan in 2016 and Egypt in 2017. John Paul II went to Morocco in 1985 on a trip that was also seen as an opportunity to build ties between Muslims and Christians. "The late pope's visit to Morocco over 30 years ago drew headlines, as it was the first time a Roman pontiff had been invited to visit a Muslim country by the head of state, not the local church," said religious website Cruxnow. John Paul II had been invited by the current king's father, Hassan II, who in turn visited the Vatican in 1991. Over 99 percent of the population in Morocco is Sunni Muslim, with Christians, Jews, Shia Muslims and Bahais making up the rest. Just over 27,000 are Catholic, according to the Vatican Insider newspaper. Islam is the state religion and the king describes himself as the "commander of the faithful". Foreign Christians worship freely and are protected by the authorities. But those who convert to Christianity -- estimated to be a few thousand people -- do so quietly. While renouncing Islam is not explicitly mentioned in the penal code, attempts to "undermine the faith of a Muslim or convert a Muslim to another religion" can be punished by jail sentences of up to three years. - Freedom of conscience 'a threat' - Morocco's minister of state for human rights, Mustapha Ramid, said in June that freedom of conscience was a "threat" to the country's "cohesion". Pope Francis moved quickly after his election in 2013 to make overtures to Jews and Muslims, inviting two old friends from Buenos Aires -- a rabbi and a Muslim professor -- on a trip to the Middle East where he condemned religious hatred. But the Catholic Church has found it harder to bridge differences with Islam than with Judaism. Benedict XVI angered the Muslim world with a speech in 2006 in which he appeared to endorse the view that Islam is inherently violent, sparking deadly protests in several countries as well as attacks on Christians. Since then the Vatican's pontifical council for inter-religious dialogue has been working overtime to mend fences with moderate Islam -- a task made no easier by the rise of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Morocco is the only trip officially on Francis's schedule for 2019 after a visit to Panama scheduled for the end of January. But the pontiff is also expected to visit Bulgaria, Japan, Madagascar, Mozambique and Romania next year. The Vatican said it would be releasing the programme for Morocco at a later date. Francis's decision to visit in March lays to rest rumours he planned to go to Marrakesh for a UN migration conference in December. Pope Francis has already visited several Muslim-majority countries Pope John Paul visited Morocco at the invitation King Hassan II in 1985Two Saudi-led air strikes hit the main entrance to the rebel-held port of Hodeida but the docks were still operating normally on Tuesday, the port's deputy director told AFP. The vital docks, through which 80 percent of Yemen's commercial imports and nearly all UN supervised humanitarian aid pass, has been at the centre of international concern about a new drive to recapture Hodeida which the Yemeni government launched with Saudi-led support on November 1. Monday's strikes, in which port staff said four rebels were killed and four wounded, was the first to hit the docks in 12 days of intensified bombardment and ground fighting in the Red Sea coastal city of some 600,000 people, many of whom have fled or now fear a siege. The main gate "was the target of air strikes... but the port is operating normally," the port's deputy director Yehya Sharafeddin told AFP by telephone. He said three guards had been wounded. Four other port employees told AFP that one strike had killed a rebel commander and three of his guards, while a second strike had wounded another commander and his guards. They said a single-storey guardroom had taken a direct hit from the strikes. Rebel-controlled media reported two air strikes but made no mention of casualties. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki had no immediate confirmation of the strikes but told AFP he would check. Residents of Hodeida reported that the city was calm on Tuesday after a lull in bombardment during the night as Western governments stepped up calls for a halt to the offensive to pave the way for peace talks. British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt held talks on Monday with both Saudi King Salman and his powerful son and heir apparent Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "The heavy fighting stopped on Monday evening. During the night we heard sporadic gunfire but then situation seems stable todat," one Hodeida resident told AFP by telephone. "We are not hearing explosions like we have for the past two weeks." International concern about damage to the port has been heightened by widespread malnutrition after four years of war that has placed some 14 million Yemenis at risk of famine, according to UN agencies. Many more are dependent on food aid. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Monday of a possible "catastrophic situation" if the port is destroyed. "The fighting must stop, a political debate must begin and we must prepare a massive humanitarian response to avoid the worst next year," he said. Hodeida has been controlled by the Huthi Shiite rebels since 2014 when they overran the capital Sanaa then swept through most of the rest of the country. The Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year and pro-government forces have since recaptured nearly all of the south and much of the Red Sea coast in a grinding war of attrition. Yemeni pro-government forces preprare to advance into the rebel-held port city of Hodeida on November 10, 2018 Map of food insecurity in Yemen, with predictions for coming months A nurse carries a Yemeni child suffering from severe malnutrition at a hospital in Abs district the northwestern Hajjah province on November 11, 2018. UN agencies say some 14 million Yemenis are at risk of famineRohingya Muslims were fleeing Bangladeshi refugee camps to avoid being repatriated to Myanmar later this week, community leaders said Monday. Authorities plan to begin returning Rohingya refugees, who have fled what the UN has called ethnic cleansing, to the Buddhist majority country from Thursday. But the prospect has created panic in the camps, prompting some families who were due to be among the first to be repatriated to flee, according to community leaders. "The authorities repeatedly tried to motivate the ones on the returning refugee list to go back. But instead, they were intimidated and fled to other camps," said Nur Islam, from Jamtoli refugee camp. More than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's western Rakhine state in a military crackdown from August last year, bringing with them stories of murders, rapes and torture. Some 2,260 Rohingya Muslims had been scheduled to leave the Bangladesh border post in the southeastern Cox's Bazar district in the first repatriations from Thursday under the voluntary scheme. But Nur Islam said the plan has created "massive confusion and fear" among the Rohingya and many were unwilling to return to Rakhine unless they were guaranteed citizenship and other rights. An AFP correspondent was able to speak to three families who said they were due to leave this week. "We are truly disturbed by the entire issue. As the day is coming closer, our tension is rising," Mohammad Khaleque, a Rohingya refugee told AFP. He said he his family were fleeing their camp for another makeshift Rohingya settlement in Cox's Bazar, in an effort to avoid being forcibly repatriated. "I don't see a future for my family if we're forcibly sent back home right now without confirming that we would get full Myanmar citizenship. That's why I took my family out of the camp and to another one to live with my relatives. We don't want to go back like this," he said. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, who received a list from the Bangladesh government on Monday to assess whether the refugees wanted to go back to Myanmar voluntarily, said the start date of November 15 was an "ambitious plan". UNHCR senior spokesman Chris Melzer said "logistical problems" needed to be solved first. "This is the matter of the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Although we still think that the conditions are not conducive now for the refugees to return in Myanmar," he told AFP. The UN assessment may take at least two more days, according to both UN and Bangladesh officials, which may delay repatriation. Bangladesh refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said the country was ready to start returning the refugees to two centres at the border. An AFP team visited both the centres. One appeared complete while the construction of the second was "over 80 percent" finished, according to builders. A Bangladeshi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted that the Rohingya refugees were not "mentally ready" for returning. "They often say to us they would rather die here in the (Bangladeshi) camps than to go back and embrace the harrowing pain they have already experienced," he said. More than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's western Rakhine state in a military crackdown from August last year, with many now living in Bangladeshi refugee campsIt was not so long ago when swimmers at Ein Gev would lay out their towels in the grass at the edge of the Sea of Galilee. Today, they put up their parasols 100 metres (yards) further down, on a sandy beach that has appeared due to the shrinking of the iconic body of water. "Every time we come we feel an ache in our hearts," said Yael Lichi, 47, who has been visiting the famous lake with her family for 15 years. "The lake is a symbol in Israel. Whenever there is a drought, it is the first thing we talk about." In front of Lichi, wooden boats with Christian pilgrims aboard navigate the calm waters, among groups from across the world that visit. The Sea of Galilee, where Christians believe Jesus walked on water, has been shrinking for years, mainly due to overuse, and environmentalists are raising the alarm. Plans are being devised to resuscitate the freshwater body known to Israelis as the Kinneret and to some as Lake Tiberias. For Israel, the lake is vital, having long been the country's main source of water. Israeli newspaper Haaretz provides its water level daily on its back page. Its shrinking has been a source of deep concern. When two islands appeared recently due to falling water levels, it received widespread attention in the Israeli media. Since 2013 "we are below the low red line" beyond which "salinity rises, fish have difficulty surviving and vegetation is affected," said Amir Givati, hydrologist at Israel's water authority. The level is only around 20 centimetres (less than eight inches) above the record low plumbed in 2001 -- except, at that time, 400 million cubic metres (14.1 billion cubic feet) a year were pumped out for irrigation. "This year, we only pumped 20 million cubic metres, but the lake is in a very bad state," said Givati. Added to that is the 50 million cubic metres Israel sends to neighbouring Jordan as part of peace agreements. - 'Valley of bananas' - Its unique characteristics go beyond its religious significance. It is 200 metres (650 feet) below sea level, located north of the Dead Sea, the River Jordan between them. Both the Dead Sea and the Jordan have also suffered from overuse. The Galilee covers some 160 square kilometres (60 square miles), roughly the size of Liechtenstein. At the water ministry, blame for its condition is placed on five years of drought. But "climatic factors alone are inadequate to explain the record shrinkage of the Sea of Galilee," wrote Michael Wine, Alon Rimmer and Jonathan Laronne, researchers at Israel's Ben Gurion University. Irrigated agriculture, pumping and diversions are the main culprits, they say in an analysis. Israel constructed a national aqueduct in the 1950s in the years after the country's birth, when it was on a quest for nation-building and sought to "make the desert bloom", as its early pioneers put it. The aqueduct carried water from the lake towards the rest of the country. "Lake Tiberias was used as a national reservoir," said Julie Trottier, a professor who specialises in Israeli-Palestinian water issues. A man-made canal supplied water to the west towards the Mediterranean coast and into the Negev desert in the south, she said. That system has not been in place for some 10 years. Now, most homes in the west of the country use desalinated water from the Mediterranean, while farms are irrigated with water that is treated and recycled. But eastern Israel does not have access to desalinated water, said Orit Skutelsky, of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. Farmers in the region rely on rivers that provide 90 percent of the lake's input. Dozens of pumps remove nearly 100 million cubic metres (3.5 billion cubic feet) each year from those sources, whose flow has decreased and is no longer enough to supply the lake, says the researcher. Several kilometres from the beaches at Ein Gev, at the foot of rocky hills, immense nets cover banana trees whose leaves wilt with the surrounding dry vegetation. "We call it the valley of bananas," said Meir Barkan, tourism director for the Ein Gev resort. "When they began planting trees, there was no water problem and the banana is the only fruit that you harvest year-round." - 'Really ashamed' - But without desalinated or recycled water, the farms are a main player in the "competition for resources between nature, agriculture and tourism," said Eran Feitelson, geography professor at Jerusalem's Hebrew University. For Lior Avichai, agronomist at the Zemach Nisyonot research centre, the solution is not to "kill agriculture and the local economy," but to use less water. Authorities propose providing the region with desalinated water via the aqueduct. Skutelsky said that to better manage the ecosystem, the water should be sent further upstream and then allowed to flow down naturally. But "that would be very expensive," said Skutelsky. Menahem Lev, 59, has spent 39 years of his life on the lake as a fisherman. In his open palm, he displays a Saint Peter's fish just pulled from his nets, barely bigger than his hand. "The solution can only come from the government -- or from the sky," he said. He points to the half-abandoned dock which pilgrims' boats can no longer reach, forcing visitors to disembark on the bank. "I am really ashamed when tourists see the lake in this state," Lev said. The Sea of Galilee has been shrinking for years, leading to the appearance of sandy spots at the water's edge Believed by Christians to be where Jesus walked on water, the Sea of Galilee has been shrinking mainly due to overuse Environmentalists have raised the alarm and plans are being drawn up to resuscitate the freshwater lake Israel's water authority blames the Sea of Galilee's condition on five years of drought But researchers have said that "climatic factors alone are inadequate to explain the record shrinkage of the Sea of Galilee" Irrigated agriculture, pumping and diversions are the main reasons for the lake's shrinking, researchers have said Map locating Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) in Israel.Bombs and guns aside, a smartphone can be a powerful weapon in the hands of a terrorist -- but it can also provide intelligence services with the tools to track them down. Three years ago to the day, the Paris attacks of November 13, 2015 remain one of the best known examples of a large-scale assault that could not have been planned without phones. The Islamic State group gunmen and bombers who struck the Bataclan concert hall and other nightlife spots used them extensively to coordinate the carnage, said a former French anti-terrorist official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Just before entering the Bataclan, where they massacred 90 people, the attackers had sent a text message to accomplices in Belgium: "We're going ahead. It's started." But if smartphones have been a "game-changer" for jihadists, their use by the world's extremists goes much further back than the Paris attacks. "As of 2003, in Iraq, home-made bombs started being set off by the sending of an SMS as American convoys drove past. This caught on and was then repeatedly used by Al-Qaeda," the ex-official told AFP. These days, encrypted apps such as Telegram, Wire and WhatsApp can help jihadists communicate while evading police tracking -- or at least complicate efforts to decode their messages. For several years IS has published online tutorials in several languages explaining to jihadists how to choose the best software to evade detection in war zones. For new recruits in developing countries, where smartphones are more common than computers, there are different strategies still. "Phones are no longer phones -- they're computers," said Laurent Heslault, director of security strategies at Symantec, a security group. "They are far more powerful than what we had on our desks 10 years ago," he added. "They have more computing power, more memory and connection capabilities. They are very powerful tools when it comes to communicating." That has also made it much easier for jihadist groups to recruit new members. Smartphones "enable people to reach out for propaganda" with the swipe of a screen, said the retired official. "Thirty years ago, guys used to exchange video cassettes, then it was CDs. Now it's online and can be looked up at any time." For propaganda-makers, videos of attacks can be filmed and uploaded in the blink of an eye. "You can film attacks, claim responsibility, use (a phone) to take photos and film reconnaissance operations," the ex-official said. - Flip side of the phone - But the smartphone can be an extremist's downfall as well as their best asset. Intelligence agencies have grown better at using phones to identify suspects, spy on them -- and, in case of capture, lift data for use as evidence in court. That in turn has raised difficult questions for tech giants who promise their users privacy. Most famously, Apple faced a court showdown with the FBI after agents sought access to the data of the attackers who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in December 2015. Investigators dropped the case after finding a way into the phone without help from Apple, which argued that helping authorities access a phone would set a dangerous precedent. Further afield, governments have used phone data extensively to pinpoint extremist suspects. The French military intervention in Mali, launched in 2013 after jihadists took over the northern half the country, started with air strikes whose targets were chosen based on phone data, the former French official said. "Today all air strikes focus on telephones," he added. "Even if you keep changing the SIM card the phone has its own identity and once detected can continue being tracked." And when it comes to police investigations, smartphones sometimes provide more information than their owners. They might allow investigators to work their way back along an information trail, snare other members of a suspect's network, and track sleeper cells, he added. "Smartphones make you a target," the expert said. "Because of this jihadist leaders have learned to keep away from them. For the past few years, there's been a marked return to using human envoys," he added. The gunmen and bombers who struck the Bataclan concert hall and other nightlife spots in Paris used smartphones extensively to coordinate the carnage Smartphone app Telegram, favoured by the Islamic State group thanks to the encrypted messaging it offers, is proving a headache for French anti-terror investigators Intelligence agencies have grown better at using phones to identify suspects, spy on them -- and, in case of capture, lift data for use as evidence in courtA school is considering legal action after a photo of students appearing to give the Nazi salute went viral, prompting an apology from the photographer.

The photo of a large group of male students, wearing suits adorned with prom corsages, shows many throwing one arm straight in the air, like the greeting used in Hitlers Nazi Germany.

News of the picture also ignited allegations from other students at Baraboo High School that their Wisconsin, US school routinely ignores racism. However the school district was quick to claim it was a hate-free environment.

If anybody from Baraboo High School in Wisconsin can clue me in on why it appears the entire male class of 2018 is throwing up a Sig Heil during their prom photos  that would be great. h/t @CarlySidey pic.twitter.com/BL8lDVLMA4  Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018

The photo of students posted to #BarabooProud is not reflective of the educational values and beliefs of the School District of Baraboo. We are investigating and will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address.  Baraboo Schools (@barabooSD) November 12, 2018

The photo of students posted to #BarabooProud is not reflective of the educational values and beliefs of the School District of Baraboo, read a Monday tweet from the Baraboo School District in Wisconsin, US.

We are investigating and will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address.

Baraboo School District a hate-free environment

Story continues

The school district Superintendent Lori Mueller also tweeted a letter sent to parents, which reiterated the districts commitment to investigate with the help of local law enforcement.

It read in part, Early this morning, a photo that was taken last spring of some Baraboo School District students who appear to be making extremely inappropriate gestures began circulating on social media.

With that, we want to be very clear. The Baraboo School District is a hate-free environment where all people, regardless of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or ancestry are respected and celebrated.

The Baraboo School District sent the following letter to parents this morning in response to a photo circulating on social media. We are launching an investigation, and as such, are unable to provide additional details at this time. pic.twitter.com/oRxcl82lJT  Baraboo Schools (@barabooSD) November 12, 2018

The photograph was brought to national attention on Sunday night after journalist Jules Suzdaltsev tweeted it with an acknowledgment to a private account, writing, If anybody from Baraboo High School in Wisconsin can clue me in on why it appears the entire male class of 2018 is throwing up a Sig Heil during their prom photos  that would be great.

He also tweeted of the original poster, We even got the black kid to throw it up. #BarabooProud.

Baraboo High School student claims bullying culture

Suzdaltsev shared a message he received from one student identified as Jordan Blue, who claims he was uncomfortable with the picture.

The photo was taken during our Junior Prom photos. I clearly am uncomfortable with what was happening. I couldnt leave the photo as it was taken within 5 seconds. The photographer took the photos telling us to make the sign, I knew what my morals were and it was not to salute something I firmly didnt believe in.

I attend BHS [Balaboo High School], these classmates have bullied me since entering middle school, and I have struggled with it my entire life and nothing has changed, Jordan wrote.

Yahoo Lifestyle could not reach the student for comment.

I spoke with the only student who is visibly not comfortable with the salute, he provided this statement. pic.twitter.com/HbNBc8xLOK  Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018

Additionally, current and former Baraboo students who said they had encountered racism while attending the school messaged Suzdaltsev.

One anonymous graduate sent a screenshot of a fellow student calling her the N-word.

Im mixed [race] and a classmate of mine posted this about me, she wrote.

When my friend reported it to the school, they did nothing. They said, They couldnt prove it was her even though one of her friends told them it was her.

A different teen also told Suzdaltsev that he was bullied on social media by a classmate for not supporting President Trump.

I am being flooded with messages from students of this school about some of the guys in the group photo. It sounds like there is a lot of racist bullying and the school tends to do nothing about it. pic.twitter.com/yvPZWI196A  Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018

A third student tweeted a Snapchat screenshot of two Latino students with the caption, Dirty Mexicans inbound.

Photographer removes Nazi salute picture from website

Suzdaltsev tweeted a screenshot of a cryptic apology from the photographer, who removed the image from his website.

Due to malevolent behavior on the part of some in society, this page has been modified, the photographer allegedly wrote.

It is too bad that there are some in society who can and do take the time to be jerks the internet can be a wonderful tool but for some, there is an overwhelming urge to destroy. The destruction may not be physical but instead, it can be bullying that is intellectual or emotional. To anyone that was hurt, I sincerely apologize

The identity of the photographer is not confirmed, however, Yahoo Lifestyle reached out to the man who allegedly shot the photo and did not receive a response.The clink of coffee cups and the swoosh of the espresso machine pierced the quiet at Pellegrinis Espresso Bar as the Melbourne institution reopened for the first time after co-owner Sisto Malaspina died in a terror attack on Friday.

In a touching tribute, the stool at the bar where the 74-year-old would sit remained empty. A coffee, newspaper and candle sat on the bench as scores of people lined up to pay their respects after the doors opened just before 8am.

Inside, police paid their own respects to the beloved restauranteur by ordering long blacks  Sistos favourite coffee.

Its been a good experience, a strange experience. I see today as the beginning of the celebration of Sistos life. You can only cry so much, his nephew Rob Cecchini said on Tuesday morning.

Police arrived at the reopening of Pellegrinis Espresso Bar to pay their respects to Sisto and order his favourite coffee. Images: Twitter/Nick McCallum

Sisto Malaspina was killed in the Bourke Street terror attack on Friday afternoon. Source: 7News

Im sure he would have wanted us all to do just that  celebrate his life.

Mr Cecchini said seeing his uncles empty stool was difficult but he was trying to push through.

Bearing in mind, the whole episode hasnt really sunk in with us yet, with the family, he said.

We still havent come to terms with it, we just havent come to terms with it yet.

But the community support, scores of people coming into the bar and thousands of flowers lining the adjacent Crossley Street, was comforting, he said.

Obviously, I knew what sort of a man my uncle was, but when you see the tributes and all the flowers  its just unbelievable, its beautiful, hes a very, very special man.

A coffee and newspaper is placed on the bar where Pellegrinis co-owner Sisto Malaspina would have sat. Image: AAP

Mourners sat in silence as they shared a long black  Sistos favourite coffee. Image: AAP

Emotional customers return to a re-opened Pellegrinis to drink long blacks in honour of slain co-owner Sisto Malaspina. 6pm #7NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/DV2UjGbR5n  NickMcCallum7 (@NickMcCallum7) November 12, 2018

Others who lined up for coffee said it was important to honour such a kind and special man.

Story continues

Mr Malaspina was killed and two other men were injured when 30-year-old Hassan Khalif Shire Ali drove a burning ute into the city and launched a knife attack on Friday.

The restaurateur died in the street while police shot Shire Ali who died later in hospital.

Mr Malaspina had co-owned Pellegrinis since 1974 and both the man with a flamboyant personality and venue became Melbourne icons.

A state funeral will be held for Mr Malaspina next week.A tourist has died from contracting rabies after being bitten by a rabid cat while holidaying in Morocco, health officials have said.

It is understood the person was bitten a few weeks ago but did not receive a vaccine until it was too late.

Public Health England (PHE) issued a warning to travellers after the UK resident contracted the disease following the bite.

A tourist has died after contracting rabies from a rabid cat in Morocco. Source: Getty

It is believed the Briton sought care both in Morocco and when at home after being bitten.

Professor Jimmy Whitworth, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: My understanding is that this is somebody who had contact with a cat that was behaving abnormally and sought care, I believe in Morocco and in the UK, but unfortunately didnt receive vaccination until it was too late.

I believe that the cat bit this person a few weeks ago.

The typical time interval [for symptoms to appear] is two to three months, so you do have enough time [to seek care].

But it can be as short as a week and thats why seeking prompt care and getting vaccination is so important. In this tragic case the person didnt get the vaccine in time.

The tourist was infected by a rabid cat in Morocco. Source: Getty, file

PHE said there was no risk to the wider public but as a precautionary measure, health workers and close contacts have been offered vaccination if necessary.

Tourists advised to vaccinate before heading to Asia or Africa

This is an important reminder of the precautions people should take when travelling to countries where rabies is present, Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisations at PHE, said.

If you are bitten, scratched or licked by an animal you must wash the wound or site of exposure with plenty of soap and water and seek medical advice without delay.

There is no risk to the wider public in relation to this case.

Rabies is passed on through infected animals through injuries such as bites or scratches. It does not spread from human to human.

People who travel to an area of the world where rabies is common  such as Asia or Africa  are advised to consider vaccination.

Story continues

PHE said travellers to rabies-affected countries should avoid contact with dogs, cats and other animals wherever possible.

More country-specific information on rabies is available through the National Travel Health Network and Centres website.

What is rabies?Donald Trump on Tuesday unleashed an extraordinary attack on Emmanuel Macron, mocking the French president's approval rating and lashing him over European defense proposals which enjoyed a crucial new boost from Germany. On the heels of a rocky trip to Paris to mark the World War I centenary, Trump fired off a caustic series of early-morning tweets against his weekend host and renewed his frequent charge that America's European allies in NATO spend too little on defense. "Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France?" Trump tweeted. "They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along," he added, in a low blow sure to gall many French. "Pay for NATO or not!" "MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!" Trump continued in a play on his own campaign slogan, before turning to what he slammed as protectionist French tariffs on US wine -- saying they were "not fair, must change!" The fierce broadside comes as Europeans increasingly ask whether they should rely on the mercurial Trump and the United States for defense, which has been assured during the Cold War and beyond by the NATO alliance stretching from Alaska to Turkey. German Chancelor Angela Merkel -- who, unlike Macron, has barely concealed her disdain for Trump -- on Tuesday voiced clear support for France's idea of a common European defense. "What is really important, if we look at the developments of the past year, is that we have to work on a vision of one day creating a real, true European army," Merkel told a session of the European Parliament, drawing applause and some boos. Merkel said that the European army would function in parallel to NATO and come under a European Security Council, which would centralize the continent's defense policy. "Europe must take our fate into our own hands if we want to protect our community," said Merkel, a day after her show of unity with former enemy France on the anniversary of the end of the Great War. - Rebukes on both sides - Trump had already berated Macron in a tweet from Air Force One just as he landed in Paris, calling the French proposals for European defense "very insulting." The US leader appeared to be incensed after critical media coverage of his trip -- during which he was called out for canceling a visit to an American military cemetery after his helicopter was grounded by the rain. Adding to the rough reception, Macron in his Armistice Day speech declared that self-interested nationalism marked "a betrayal of patriotism," in a clear rebuke of the self-described nationalist Trump, who was in attendance. Trump tweeted that Macron had a "very low approval rating," pointing to a poll that put it at 26 percent, and said the French leader was "just trying to get onto another subject." "By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!" Trump said. Macron's office offered no comment on Trump's criticism. But an adviser to Macron, who declined to be named, brushed aside the tweets, saying they were "written for Americans -- otherwise they would not be written in English." A number of social media users called Trump's attacks unseemly as they came just as France was observing the third anniversary of a jihadist assault on Paris that left 130 people dead. Former secretary of state John Kerry recalled that France assisted the American colonies in winning independence from Britain and that 88 French soldiers have died as part of US-led operations in Afghanistan. Referring to the North Korean dictator, Kerry tweeted: Trump "is 'in love' with Kim Jong Un but insults our oldest ally." "Stop tweeting! America needs some friends," he said. - 'Bromance' dead? - Trump and Macron had seemed to share a special camaraderie in the early days of their respective presidencies, a "bromance" of sorts that included touching, kissing and playful banter. The US president even seemed to flick a piece of dandruff off of Macron's jacket on national television during the French president's state visit to the US capital, saying "we have to make him perfect. He is perfect." But the relationship took a turn for the worse over the European defense calls by Macron, who cited the United States along with Russia and China as threats to European cybersecurity. In an interview recorded Saturday with CNN after talks with Trump, Macron described the spat as a misunderstanding, with both sides in agreement that Europe should spend more on defense. But Macron said: "To be very direct with you, what I don't want to see is European countries increasing the budget in defense in order to buy American and other arms or materials coming from your industry." Gilbert Collard, an MP from France's far-right National Front, applauded Trump's attack on Macron -- but not on French wine. "I want to tell Donald -- drink your Coke, do your tweets and leave it to us to make good wine," he said. US President Donald Trump fired off a caustic series of early-morning tweets against his weekend host Emmanuel Macron Macron had angered Trump by saying Europe needed its own army and listing the US along with Russia and China as a threat to European security Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron had seemed to share a special camaraderie in the early days of their respective presidencies, a "bromance" of sorts that included touching, kissing and playful banter The relationship between the French and US leaders took a turn for the worse after Emmanuel Macron angered Donald Trump by saying Europe needed its own army and listing the US along as one of several threats to European cybersecurityThe Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has agreed to allow some wounded Huthi rebels to be evacuated, following a visit to the region by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, his office said Tuesday. The issue has proved a sticking point in previous peace talks and the move could now pave the way for fresh negotiations, Britain's foreign ministry said in a statement. "The Saudi-led coalition (has) agreed to the evacuation of wounded Huthis from Yemen, one of the key stumbling blocks to the UN Geneva talks in September," it added. "Coalition forces will now permit the UN to oversee a Huthi medical evacuation, including up to fifty wounded fighters, to Oman ahead of another proposed round of peace talks in Sweden later this month." During a visit to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on Monday, Hunt met Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as leaders from the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. He was in the region to boost support for UN efforts to end the nearly four-year conflict in Yemen, and to press the gulf kingdom over the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "In my meetings we have made progress in removing the largest stumbling block to previous proposed rounds of peace talks, and set out a credible path to a de-escalation of military activity," Hunt said following the trip. "I leave the region encouraged by these signs of progress, and I am determined to do what it takes to convert this into a lasting peace for the people of Yemen." Hunt also pushed Saudi rulers for "real accountability" in the Khashoggi case, according to Britain's foreign ministry. He pointed out "both the strong international condemnation and the need for evidence that such an act could never happen again", it said. Britain and the United States are major suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition backing the Yemen government in its fight against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels. Britain is seeking support among regional partners for new action at the UN Security Council for peace talks in Yemen. "Diplomacy and negotiation remain the only path to ending the conflict and I am encouraged that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have shown their support for the UN peace process, led by Special Envoy Martin Griffiths," Hunt added. "I will continue talking to partners about the best way for the Security Council to support the UN special envoy's efforts on the political process and improve the humanitarian situation." Griffiths is due to brief the Security Council on the situation in Yemen on November 16. Hodeida has been rocked by fighting between Yemeni pro-government forces such as these and Huthi rebels, some of whom have now been granted the opportunity for medical evacuations by the Saudi-led coalitionThe UN Security Council will meet behind closed doors later Tuesday to discuss the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, the worst flareup since the 2014 war. Kuwait, which represents Arab countries at the council, and Bolivia requested the meeting during which council members will hear a briefing from a UN official on the crisis, diplomats said. Palestinian militant groups including Hamas, which rules Gaza, issued a joint statement earlier announcing an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel. The groups said they would abide by the truce as long as Israel did the same, but there was no immediate comment from the Israeli side. Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said "we will not accept a call for both sides to exercise restraint." "There is one side that attacks and fires 400 missiles at civilian populations, and there is another side that protects its citizens," Danon said in a statement. Seven Palestinians were killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes targeted militants and flattened buildings in the worst escalation of violence since the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. The latest round of violence began on Sunday with a botched Israeli special forces operation inside the Gaza Strip that turned deadly and prompted Hamas to vow revenge. Palestinian militants responded with rocket and mortar fire. An anti-tank missile hit a bus that Hamas says was being used by Israeli soldiers. A soldier was severely wounded in the attack. Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008, and protests and clashes along the Gaza border since March 30 have repeatedly raised fears of a fourth. The United Nations Security Council will meet behind closed doors later Tuesday to discuss the escalation of violence in GazaThe UN rights chief on Tuesday urged Bangladesh to halt imminent plans to start returning Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, warning doing so risked further grave violations against the Muslim minority. Bangladesh authorities say they will begin returning Rohingya refugees, who have fled what the UN has called ethnic cleansing, to the Buddhist majority country from Thursday. The prospect has created panic in the camps, prompting some families who were due to be among the first to be repatriated to flee, community leaders said. The UN rights office said it continued to receive reports of ongoing violations against Rohingya still in Myanmar and urged Dhaka to reconsider. "We are witnessing terror and panic among those Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar who are at imminent risk of being returned to Myanmar against their will," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. "Forcibly expelling or returning refugees and asylum seekers to their home country would be a clear violation of the core legal principle of non-refoulement, which forbids repatriation where there are threats of persecution or serious risks to the life and physical integrity or liberty of the individuals." More than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's western Rakhine state following a military crackdown from August last year, bringing with them stories of murders, rapes and torture. They have joined some 300,000 Rohingya already living in squalid camps in Bangladesh's southeast for years. Some 2,260 Rohingya Muslims had been scheduled to leave the Bangladesh border post in the southeastern Cox's Bazar district in the first repatriations from Thursday under the voluntary scheme. Director general of Bangladesh's foreign ministry Delwar Hossain told AFP the refugees would be repatriated in groups of 150 each day during the initial phase. "Both sides have agreed to start repatriation on November 15," he said Tuesday before the UN rights office issued its statement. - Confusion and fear - Refugee community leaders said many Rohingya on the returnee list were terrified and in hiding. "They were intimidated and fled to other camps," said Nur Islam, from Jamtoli refugee camp. An AFP correspondent was able to speak to three families who said they were due to leave this week. "As the day is coming closer, our tension is rising," said Mohammad Khaleque. He said he and his family were fleeing their camp for another makeshift Rohingya settlement in Cox's Bazar, in an effort to avoid being forcibly repatriated. "We don't want to go back like this," he said. The UN pointed out several of the families apparently listed for return are headed by women or children, and some refugees had threatened suicide if forced to go back. Around 400 Hindus from Rakhine, who also fled the violence alongside the Rohingya, said they were ready to return if the passage was safe. "We have prepared out bags. We would go today, if sufficient security was provided," said 60-year-old Jyotsna Bala Paul. - 'Rather die' - The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, which earlier this week received a list from the Bangladesh government to assess whether the refugees wanted to go back to Myanmar voluntarily, said the start date of November 15 was an "ambitious plan". "This is the matter of the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Although we still think that the conditions are not conducive now for the refugees to return in Myanmar," UNHCR senior spokesman Chris Melzer told AFP on Monday. Bangladesh refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said the country was ready to start repatriating the refugees via two transit points they have set up at the border. An AFP team visited both the centres. One appeared complete while the construction of the second was "over 80 percent" finished, according to builders. A Bangladeshi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted that the Rohingya refugees were not "mentally ready" for returning. "They often say to us they would rather die here in the (Bangladeshi) camps than to go back and embrace the harrowing pain they have already experienced," he said. Bachelet stressed that "the human rights violations committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar amount to the worst atrocities, including crimes against humanity and possibly even genocide." "With an almost complete lack of accountability ? indeed with ongoing violations ? returning Rohingya refugees to Myanmar at this point effectively means throwing them back into the cycle of human rights violations that this community has been suffering for decades." burs-np/ecl The prospect of being repatriated back to Myanmar has caused panic among some Rohinga, with some refugees fleeing camps in Bangladesh Bangladesh says refugees will be processed through to two centres at the Bangladesh border - one of which is still under construction - from Thursday More than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's western Rakhine state bringing with them stories of murders, rapes and tortureThe US Treasury expanded its attack on Hezbollah's financial network Tuesday, hitting key representatives of the Lebanese militant group in Iraq with sanctions. The Treasury blacklisted Shibl Muhsin 'Ubayd Al-Zaydi, Yusuf Hashim, Adnan Hussein Kawtharani, and Muhammad 'Abd-Al-Hadi Farhat under its Specially Designated Global Terrorists program, saying they moved money, acquired weapons and trained fighters in Iraq for the group. Among the four, Al-Zaydi was a key coordinator between Hezbollah, Iran's blacklisted Revolutionary Guards, and their supporters in Iraq, the Treasury said. He is close to alleged Hezbollah financier Adham Tabaja, and coordinated smuggling oil from Iran into Syria. He also sent Iraqi fighters to Syria allegedly on behalf of the Revolutionary Guard, the Treasury said. The other three were also involved in collecting intelligence and moving money for Hezbollah in Iraq, it said. "Hezbollah is a terrorist proxy for the Iranian regime that seeks to undermine Iraqi sovereignty and destabilize the Middle East," said Sigal Mandelker, Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. "Treasury's concerted actions aim to deny Hezbollah's clandestine attempts to exploit Iraq to launder funds, procure weapons, train fighters, and collect intelligence as a proxy for Iran," Mandelker said in a statement. Under pressure from US sanctions: Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movementThe United States on Tuesday branded the son of Hezbollah's leader a "terrorist" subject to sanctions as it offered rewards to capture three militants in Lebanon with close ties to Iran. In a series of back-to-back actions, the US vowed to aggressively counter the regional ambitions of Iran a week after imposing sweeping measures intended to cripple the cleric-led country's economy. It also marked a new US pressure tactic inside Lebanon, whose prime minister-designate, Saad Hariri, has been at a political crossroads with Hezbollah -- considered a terrorist group by Washington but also a major political faction among the communally sensitive state's Shiite Muslims. The State Department declared Jawad Nasrallah, the son of Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah, to be a "global terrorist," meaning any US-based assets will be blocked and Americans will be forbidden from any transactions with him. "Hezbollah's destructive actions have endangered the Lebanese people," Nathan Sales, the US ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism, told reporters. He accused Hezbollah -- the only of Lebanon's political parties that did not disarm after the 1975-1990 civil war -- of "effectively using civilians as human shields" by hiding missiles in population centers. "Hezbollah's ability to destabilize is not confined to the Middle East, however. It is able to destabilize inside Lebanon itself," he said. - Rewards for three men - Sales also held up "Wanted" posters for three men in Lebanon for which the United States will offer $5 million for information leading to their location. They included Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri, who is seen as the key liaison between the Palestinian Islamist movement and Iran and who lives in Lebanon. The United States linked Aruri in particular to the 2014 murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank including one, Naftali Fraenkel, who was a dual US-Israeli citizen. Also on the posters were Khalil Yousif Harb and Haytham Tabatabai, both accused of commanding Hezbollah's growing military operations around the Middle East. Iran's rival Saudi Arabia in 2015 imposed its own sanctions on Harb over Hezbollah's role in Yemen, where Saudi-led coalition has been pounding Huthi rebels and infrastructure in what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The United States cited the Saudi designation in its own action, despite Washington's recent criticism of the kingdom over the killing of dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi in its Istanbul consulate. Hezbollah -- founded during the civil war by supporters of Iran's revolutionary government with a goal of ending Israel's occupation of south Lebanon -- has increasingly become a force around the region. It is believed to have sent thousands of fighters to Syria in a bid to prop up President Bashar al-Assad, an Iranian ally and member of the heterodox Alawite sect who has ruthlessly tried to crush mostly Sunni rebels and the extremist Islamic State movement. - Targeting Hezbollah in Iraq - The Treasury Department separately placed sanctions on four men it said were key to Hezbollah's activities in Shiite-majority Iraq. Those four were Shibl Muhsin Ubayd Al-Zaydi, Yusuf Hashim, Adnan Hussein Kawtharani, and Muhammad Abd-Al-Hadi Farhat. The Treasury said Al-Zaydi was a key coordinator among Hezbollah, Iran's blacklisted Revolutionary Guards and their supporters in Iraq, and that the other three provided intelligence. President Donald Trump's administration has vowed to roll back Iranian influence in the Middle East and last week snapped back sanctions, which had been lifted after Tehran entered a deal on ending its nuclear program. Sales, using a figure previously cited by the administration, said that Iran pays $700 million a year for Hezbollah. "Sadly, it is the Iranian people who are forced to pay this price," he said. Hariri earlier Tuesday accused Hezbollah of holding up a new cabinet after five months of wrangling, with the group pushing for Sunni politicians allied to the Shiite movement but opposed to Hariri to be represented. Under pressure from US sanctions: Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movementDiplomatic efforts to end fighting in Yemen's Hodeida intensified Tuesday, as Britain said the Saudi-led coalition had agreed to the evacuation of wounded rebels from the country ahead of proposed peace talks in Sweden. After nearly four years of conflict in Yemen, home to what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe, the United States and Britain are now pressing Saudi Arabia and its allies to end the war against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels. UN aid chief Mark Lowcock on Tuesday called for a cessation of hostilities "in and around all the infrastructure and facilities on which the aid operation and commercial importers rely", a reference to the port of Hodeida, as pressure mounts for a truce after nearly four years of conflict. The office of British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Saudi-led alliance fighting on the side of the government had agreed to the evacuation of up to 50 wounded Huthi fighters to Oman following Hunt's visit to Riyadh. The move comes ahead of another proposed round of peace talks in Sweden later this month, Hunt's office said. But residents in Hodeida, whose port is vital for food imports and humanitarian aid for millions at risk of starvation, say they now fear a siege on the city, where only one major exit route is still open to traffic, on the northern edge of the city. And despite an apparent temporary lull in the fighting, a spokesman for the Huthis said the rebels were ready for "war in the streets" of rebel-held Hodeida itself. "We are ready, and present, and our plans are in place" in case of an attack by the rival pro-government alliance, the spokesman said at a news conference broadcast on the rebels' Al-Masirah TV, which did not give his name. - Port attack - Residents reported Tuesday that fighting in the city had slowed, and rebel media -- which regularly claims attacks on loyalists -- did not report any new clashes in Hodeida itself. Both the Huthis and Saudi-led government camp reported outbreaks of violence elsewhere in Yemen late Tuesday. The Huthis' media office said air strikes had killed nine civilians in Jarahi, west of Hodeida city. The rebels blamed the raids on the Saudi-led coalition, which said it was investigating the report. "We take this report very seriously and it will be fully investigated as all reports of this nature are," said coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki. "Whilst this is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further." Despite UN warnings that an attack on the port could trigger a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, Hodeida itself was hit Monday night by what multiple sources said were two air strikes, the first attack on the docks since government forces launched a major offensive to retake the port five months ago. The port's deputy director, Yahya Sharafeddine, said the main entrance to the docks had been "the target of air raids" but was fully functioning. Three security guards were wounded in the attack, he said. Four employees in Hodeida port who requested anonymity told AFP that a rebel commander had been killed in the attack on Monday. The Huthis, who seized Hodeida in a 2014 takeover that included the capital, on Tuesday accused the government of the attacks on the port via their Al-Masirah TV. - International pressure for peace - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned the destruction of the Hodeida port could trigger a "catastrophic" situation in a country where 14 million people are at risk of starvation. Aid groups have also urged both parties in the conflict to keep roads open to allow civilians to escape and the transportation of aid through Hodeida port. Lowcock said the UN was ready to play a role in "ensuring the appropriate use of key facilities, especially around Hodeida". The docks as well as Sanaa international airport are under a near-total blockade by Saudi Arabia and its allies, who accuse Iran of smuggling arms to the Huthis. Tehran denies the accusation. The Saudi-led coalition has also come international pressure to end the conflict following the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his country's consulate in Istanbul on October 2. The United States, Britain and France this week called for the cessation of hostilities in Yemen and the resumption of negotiations to end the war. Pentagon chief Jim Mattis on Saturday said his country had halted its controversial aerial refuelling support for coalition aircraft involved in the war. UN mediator Martin Griffiths -- whose efforts to host negotiations in Geneva in September failed -- met with Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani in Riyadh on Monday for talks on reviving the peace process, Saudi Arabia's state news agency reported. Griffiths has said he hopes to host talks by the end of the year. Yemeni pro-government forces on the eastern outskirts of Hodeida on November 9, 2018 Map of Yemen locating Hodeida where at least 150 people have been killed in 24 hours of clashes, medics said Monday. A Yemeni child suffering from severe malnutrition cries at a hospital in Yemen's northwestern Hajjah province on November 11, 2018Macedonia's former prime minister Nikola Gruevski, who has been sentenced to jail for abuse of power, said Tuesday he was in Hungary where he has requested political asylum. Macedonian authorities on Monday issued a warrant for the arrest of Gruevski, who dominated the country for nearly a decade until 2016, after he failed to turn up at the prison to start his two-year sentence. "I am now in Budapest, where I have requested political asylum from the Hungarian authorities," the 48-year-old wrote on his official Facebook page on Tuesday. "During the past couple of days I have received numerous threats to my life." Saying he was a victim of politically motivated persecution, Gruevski wrote that he remained "faithful to the Macedonian cause", adding: "I will not give up." In the past, Gruevski has indicated he was close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. In 2017, Orban publicly supported the Macedonian ex-leader during his campaign for municipal elections, in which Gruevski's rightwing VMRO-DPMNE party lost to the ruling Social Democrats. Skopje said its interior ministry had obtained confirmation about Gruevski's whereabouts from Hungarian authorities. "Yes, it is official" that Gruevski is in Hungary, Macedonian Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski told AFP, but declined any further comment. His office said it would request the court in Skopje to issue an international arrest warrant for Gruevski. Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Budapest did not "wish to confirm or deny information regarding (Gruevski's) current location". "We are not in a position to comment on ongoing asylum applications," Szijjarto added. Gruevski was convicted in May of using a 600,000-euro ($676,009) government Mercedes for personal travel. A Skopje court upheld the sentence in October. - 'No idea where Gruevski is' - He resigned as leader of VMRO-DPMNE in 2016 after a scandal over allegations of widespread wire-tapping of his opponents. Gruevski also faces a number of other charges of corruption, abuse of power, electoral fraud as well as illegal wiretapping. The cases come at a tense time in the Balkan nation, with a new ruling coalition trying to push through a deal to change the country's name to end a long-running row with Greece. When he was in power, Gruevski took a hardline stance against changing the country's name to resolve the dispute with Greece, which has its own province called Macedonia. Greece has blocked Skopje's entry into NATO and the European Union over the issue for nearly 30 years. VMRO-DPMNE now appears divided over changing the country's name. A party spokesman said it had "no idea where the honorary president (Gruevski) is or what he is doing". Spokesman Dimce Arsovski said he last saw Gruevski "nine or 10 months ago". "I don't know when current president (Hristijan) Mickoski spoke to him for the last time," he told a press conference. Gruevski is close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor OrbanSkaneateles native Jim Miller said the nine years he spent in Morocco as the director of the Fulbright Program were the best of his life.

Whether it was Moroccans traveling to America or Americans traveling to Morocco, those who participated in the program told Miller that their Fulbright experience was the most important thing they've done in their life, he said.

"For every Fulbrighter, there is a dramatic change," said Miller, who retired from the program and moved back to Skaneateles in August. "Fulbright takes the fear out of what was previously unknown."

The Fulbright Program, founded in 1945 by then-Sen. J. William Fulbright, is a cultural exchange program with the goal of increasing intercultural relations, diplomacy and intercultural competence between the U.S. and other countries by exchanging people, knowledge and skills.

"I think, in (Sen. Fulbright's) name, we've all succeeded in fulfilling that vision in knowing each other and learning from each other and continuing the idea that understanding each other is the best thing we can do," Miller said in a farewell address when he left the Moroccan American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange, which runs the Fulbright program there, this summer.

Nearly 2,500 people have graduated from Morocco's Fulbright program since it began in 1983, Miller said. About 1,700 Americans have gone to Morocco and about 750 Moroccans have come to America to participate in one of more than 10 programs that range from teaching English in Morocco, or Arabic in America, to specific proposals by researchers, professors and students.

The path to becoming the Moroccan Fulbright program director was "pretty straightforward," Miller said. It began when he was a sophomore at Binghamton University and was exploring study interests in the Middle East and North Africa. One day, he saw a notice on an office door to spend a year overseas in the region, and he took advantage of the opportunity and spent the next year studying in Tunis, Tunisia. While he was there, he first visited Tunisia's western neighbors of Algeria and Morocco.

"That was the fundamental experience," Miller said. "It was big, it was profound."

That same year, Miller realized he wanted to study geography and learn more about the history of humanity's relationship with the environment. He went on to Texas University to get his master's and Ph.D. in geography.

Miller returned to Morocco again in the mid-1970s, when he was awarded a Fulbright grant for his dissertation. Afterward, he began a long teaching career in geography at Clemson University in South Carolina in 1980. He continued to teach there until he accepted the position of directing the Fulbright program in Morocco in 2009. In a presentation about "Morocco's Place in the World" at the Skaneateles Library last week, he said the career change made him a "much busier person."

His time teaching was also filled with leaves of absence and travel, including  but not limited to  another Fulbright grant in Morocco in the mid-1980s, serving as a political officer in the foreign service in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo for two years in the late '80s, as well as yet another three-year Fulbright grant in Morocco in the mid-1990s that allowed him to travel to Morocco a few months out of each year for archaeological digs.

"We were digging up the medieval past," Miller said of himself and friend Ronald Messier, who were excavating an ancient center of civilization in Moroccan desert.

With Messier, Miller co-authored an award-winning 2015 book, "The Last Civilized Place," which details the story of Moroccos legendary golden city and its pivotal role in medieval transcontinental trade, the spread of Islam and the rise of several ruling dynasties.

"I liked teaching, but I never really liked the grading," Miller said. So when the opportunity to direct the Fulbright program arose around the same time he reached the minimum for state retirement, he eagerly accepted. He described Morocco as an extremely interesting, beautiful place where most people are warm and welcoming.

"Everything is in change  it's a country where past meets the present and people are truly moving forward," Miller said.

As many Americans who come to Morocco may have previously lived "socially narrow" lives, Miller said Fulbright helps expand that. In what Miller referred to as a "trial immigrant" experience for participants, he believes people who can successfully integrate into another culture gain the skills to be successful anywhere, largely due to an increased sensitivity to others.

"It's a big thing people go through in a program like this ... that gives a great meaning and purpose to your life," Miller said.

"This is an opportunity that doesn't come around very often," Miller said of the selective, well-structured and funded program.

"It's not just for you," he added. "In the end, it's what you learn about yourself and what you're capable of ... then you share it."

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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Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.There have been some outstanding things happening throughout the Auburn Enlarged City School District lately.

This year, the district has teamed up with representatives from Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes to expand the Seeing Stars program, providing an innovative way to further our students' reading fluency skills. The program provides personalized, job-embedded support to our teachers through the use of a state-of-the-art robot named Lucky. Lucky enables a Lindamood-Bell instructor to observe classroom instruction in our schools remotely over a streaming video session, allowing the instructor to interact with staff and students in real time. This is an extremely cost-effective solution to bring onsite support to our classrooms while providing highly engaging, differentiated and interactive instruction that will maximize student achievement in our district.

At Casey Park Elementary, two classes are teaming up to work on a kindness project. Kiley Kustyns second-grade class and Shannon DelloStrittos fourth-grade class decided to take part in the Kindness Rocks Project that has recently become very popular worldwide. The two classes are going to work together to gather rocks, paint them and distribute them throughout the community. Once someone finds the rock, they can post it to the Casey Park Kindness Rocks Facebook page. This project is a great way for these classes to provide inspiration to others right here in our community and beyond.

In October, New York state accepted 275 master teachers into the state Master Teacher Program, and two Auburn teachers, Matthew Drastal and Prin Furst, were among those selected. The state Master Teacher Program began in 2013 as a way to identify and support teachers who teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects. Teachers who are chosen to be a part of the program are considered to be innovators and leaders in STEM education. Drastal is a technology teacher at Auburn Junior High School, and Furst teaches enriched regents chemistry and AP chemistry at Auburn High School. The two will join several other master teachers in the Auburn school district: Judith Coye and Patrick Crawford, who are currently in the program, as well as master teacher emeriti Kathleen Austin and Janet Scheffler.

This month, Auburn Junior High physical education teacher Shelly Connors was awarded the Society of Health and Physical Educators America High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year award in the Eastern District, which spans from Maine to Maryland. Connors was able to apply for this award based on receiving the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance High School Teacher of the Year award in a previous year. She is now eligible to apply for the society's National High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year award in the future.

Auburn High School senior Aaron Baim was selected to participate in the New York State School Music Associations All-State Mixed Chorus at the 2018 NYSSMA Winter Conference in Rochester Nov. 29 through Dec. 2. Baim was selected from the best vocalists among all of the students in New York state. Students attend festivals around the state with a prepared solo ranging from levels I through VI, with VI being the most difficult. A level VI is required to be considered for all-state, and Baim received a perfect score. He is the first vocalist from Auburn to be selected to participate in a NYSSMA all-state conference in many years.

The district also recently earned two Awards of Merit in the 2018 New York State School Public Relations Association's Annual Communications Contest. Each year, NYSPRA celebrates outstanding achievement in educational communications by recognizing remarkable work by school public relations professionals. The districts public information specialist, Jessica Luisi, earned these awards for an article she wrote about three Auburn students who earned their New York State Seal of Biliteracy and for a social media campaign she created with the hashtag #VoteForAJHS to encourage community members to vote for Auburn Junior High School in a multi-state contest to win fitness equipment.

The board is very proud of these outstanding achievements, along with many others that happen in our district on a regular basis. For more great news, please visit our newly designed website at aecsd.education.

Kathleen Rhodes is president of the Auburn Enlarged City School District Board of Education. For more information on the Auburn Enlarged City School District, call (315) 255-8800 or visit aecsd.education.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0What comes to mind when you think about your five-digit zip code? Maybe you think about your house or your neighborhood, the restaurants and stores in the area, or how safe it is for your children to play outside. Unlikely to make this list? Your health. But it should.

A majority of people think of their zip code simply as five numbers meant to deliver mail to them, not indicate how long (or how well) they live. But a growing volume of evidence shows that ones health is in fact influenced by a variety of social factors. These social factors include stable housing, employment opportunities, access to healthy foods, health care services and quality education, just to name a few. These factors, also known as social determinates of health, generally correlate with the health status of a community, so much so that it is now believed that your zip code can be a very accurate predictor of your health.

Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life, yet a fifth of all Americans live in environments that compromise their health. Even when social factors are considered, we often place the burden on personal responsibility and ignore the obstacles that stand in the way for some to make healthier choices. An apple a day may help keep the doctor away, but that assumes you can find an apple in your neighborhood, especially if your neighborhood doesnt have a grocery store and you have no transportation.

Unfortunately, significant gaps in life expectancy persist across many United States cities and towns, leaving some people living far longer than others. In a newly released project, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Center for Health Statistics partnered with the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to determine just how different life expectancy can be in one nation. The groups created the U.S. Small-area Life Expectancy Estimates Project to measure the health of areas in the country.

The researchers determined that overall, the life expectancy in the U.S. was 78.7 years. The area with the lowest life expectancy was Stilwell, Oklahoma, at 56.3 years old. It's an area stricken by poverty, low education rates, inadequate housing, lack of access to health care and serious untreated mental health and addiction. Here in Cayuga County, the life expectancy is 80.06 years, 23.76 years longer than that of Stilwell, Oklahoma.

When growing communities, its crucial to make health part of the agenda because health is a vital part of any community. And every community should focus on becoming a healthy community. A place where everyone, for generations to come, has the opportunity to live a long and healthy life. As our community grows, especially in downtown Auburn, I encourage you to take a look around and ask yourself, Where does health really start? Is it in the doctors office, or the home? Is it with the ambulance driver, or the urban planner? Once we can see the health problems in our community more clearly in this broader context, we can create and invest in solutions that help us all live as long and as healthy as we can. Because when it comes to a healthy community, place matters.

Danielle Collier is the director of marketing and communications at East Hill Family Medical, a federally qualified health center offering dental, reproductive health, internal medicine and pediatric services. Located at 144 Genesee St., Auburn, the center can be contacted at easthillmedical.com or (315) 253-8477.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0Nov. 14, 1993

(No paper Nov. 13, 1993)

MORAVIA  The Moravia class of 1994 may not have a prayer when they graduate and move on into the real world.

Although no formal vote has been taken, the Moravia Board of Education has informally decided to remove the usual prayers from the graduation ceremony in June, Superintendent Howard Lapidus said.

School officials say that while they do not like it, they will abide by a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision that bans most prayer at public school graduations.

Lapidus, who signed on in May to replace former Superintendent Anthony Beaudry, has told school board members that keeping the traditional Benediction and invocation in the ceremony would set a bad example for students.

The prayers also leave the district open to a lawsuit, Lapidus said.

"Schools should be models of being law-abiding, particularly when the laws or courts say you should or shouldn't do something," Lapidus said.

 Compiled by David Wilcox

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0AUBURN  The wait is finally over.

Auburn's Equal Rights Heritage Center welcomed a flood of people on Tuesday as it opened to visitors for the first time.

For Julia Langworth, the center has already made a lasting impression.

"I'm visiting my sister this week, and she told me that [the center] was opening today," said Langworth. "I didn't know the history was so rich in the area ... I can't wait to check this place out."

Mayor Micheal Quill thanked Gov. Andrew Cuomo for supporting the region's tourism development and said that the welcome center will attract newcomers to the area.

"By strategically placing this center on the same street that William H. Seward and Harriet Tubman called home, the governor has raised our regional profile as a must-see destination that will welcome travelers for years and years to come," said Quill.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke at the event and said that Auburn, "an incredible, historical jewel," should be proud.

"No other state can claim to be the home of so many movements," said Hochul. "But we still have work to do."

Hochul asked gatherers to "continue to fight for the rights that are still not fully achieved in our country today." She said this past Friday she was in Buffalo, where a plan was unveiled to construct an African American Veterans Memorial.

According to City Councilor James Giannettino, tourism was a $101 million industry in Cayuga County last year, generating close to $13 million in tax revenue.

Giannettino said 6,000 people visited the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in July and August. He also said the heritage center gives the city a "unique opportunity to welcome those people, direct them to all our sites and encourage them to dine and stay in Auburn."

The goal of opening a welcome center, said Giannettino, was originally part of the Auburn Historical and Cultural Sites Commission's mission statement, and can be found in the city code.

"Today through the efforts of many people, this goal was realized with a world-class facility," he said. "We invite everyone to come check it out for themselves."

Pauline Copes Johnson, Harriet Tubman's great-great-grandniece, was also present and helped unveil a statue of Tubman donated by George and Mary Cuthbert and their children.

Staff writer Dan Orzechowski can be reached at (315) 282-2239 or dan.orzechowski@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @OrzechowskiDan

Love 21 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 9OWASCO  The case against an Owasco dairy farmer cited for illegally housing workers in substandard conditions was again adjourned Monday, this time in order for a possible fine structure to be considered.

Melrose Farms owner Joseph Tidd, who was cited in September for illegally housing workers in a now-condemned structure after he was previously issued a cease-and-desist order, had his case in Owasco Town Court adjourned until Nov. 26.

Attorney Andrew Leja, representing the town, told Justice Mark DiVietro that the town was seeking to recover from Tidd the costs of enforcement of his case, specially Leja's counsel fees.

Leja said he had spoken with Tidd about reimbursing the town for his services, and suggested the court take that into consideration when issuing a final decision.

To that end, Leja requested additional time to finalize his fees and determine if Tidd is willing to pay them as a fine.

Prior to granting the adjournment, DiVietro asked Tidd, as well as town Code Enforcement Officer J. Patrick Doyle, if the court's order to either fix or tear down the structure had been followed.

"It's done," Tidd said, with Doyle confirming that heating, plumbing, electric and septic systems had all been removed and that the town was satisfied the structure would no longer be used for habitation.

Doyle had condemned the property immediately after arriving for the inspection in September. Three workers were found to be living there, despite a cease and desist order against housing workers issued in February.

At that time, one worker told The Citizen the structure was replete with cockroaches, mice and rats, as well as exposed electrical wiring and other hazards.

In court Monday, DiVietro told Tidd the court was "not here to crucify you," but was instead working to best resolve the issue. The court would work with Tidd to make sure he could pay whatever fines are eventually issued, but warned he would issue a lien if necessary.

DiVietro did not rule out further fines in addition to the recovery of Leja's attorney fees. He also said part of the resolution for the case would likely include continued authority for Doyle to inspect the structure for 18 months to two years.

Tidd said he had no problem with that and would continue to work to comply.

Owasco Town Supervisor Ed Wagner noted that the town council and court are separate entities who can't affect the other's decisions, but said he supported imposing fines against Tidd.

"Why should the taxpayers of Owasco have to pay attorney fees for a person who violated the law? It's only right that Mr. Tidd reimburses us and then some," Wagner said.

Following the court proceeding, several members of the Workers' Center of Central New York, a non-profit group which has advocated on behalf of a number of different workers at the farm, spoke in support of harsher consequences.

Crispin Hernandez, an organizer with the center, said, with lead organizer Rebecca Fuentes translating, it was important that the case end in justice, noting that Tidd had multiple opportunities to fix the situation but continued to violate, with the workers, who lost their jobs as a result, and their families paying the price.

Imposing appropriate penalties on Tidd would serve as a warning to other farms throughout the region that they have a responsibility to provide dignified housing for workers, Hernandez said.

'We don't want this to be repeated," Hernandez said.

Fuentes added that the center hoped to meet with the town council to suggest proactive measures that could be taken, by Owasco or any other towns, to ensure a similar situation does not occur.

Wagner said he would be eager to listen to any ideas to prevent that from happening.

Tidd declined to comment after court.

Staff writer Ryan Franklin can be reached at (315) 282-2252 or ryan.franklin@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @RyanNYFranklin

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0Oct. 8 was a big day for climate news. One of the Nobel Prizes in economics was awarded to Yale economist William Nordhaus, who created a model that "describes the global interplay between the economy and climate." Nordhaus promotes a carbon tax as the best way to lower greenhouse gas emissions rapidly, to avert the worst effects of climate change.

The other big news was from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which released an exhaustively researched document saying the world must decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent before 2030, and eliminate them by 2050, in order to protect the livability of the planet. 2030 is only 12 years away!

Both of these news stories point to the urgent need for a carbon tax. By raising the price of fossil fuels to reflect the true cost of burning carbon  costs including mitigation efforts after super storms; military costs of protecting our oil supplies from the Middle East; health effects of carbon pollution; and the list goes on  market forces will stimulate alternative energy investment and R&D. Green technologies will get cheaper. Many jobs will be created in that sector. And emissions will come down at the pace we need that to happen.

There is such legislation being discussed by some members of the House Climate Solutions Caucus in Washington. It would put a steadily rising price on all carbon pollution at the source, then return that fee entirely to individual households in the form of a monthly dividend.

Polls show that a majority of people believe we should be doing more to address climate change. We all want to give our grandchildren and their grandchildren a livable planet. People are often unsure what action they should take in the face of such a big problem, but many of the solutions we need are already available. We just need to activate the political will to enact them.

Contact your member of the House of Representatives and tell them you want them to sponsor Carbon Fee and Dividend legislation now. For more information go to citizensclimatelobby.org

Martha Viglietta

Pompey

Love 0 Funny 5 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2WASHINGTON, D.C.With the Democratic party regaining control of the United States House of Representatives in last weeks midterm elections, numerous congressional committees are set to begin investigations into a wide variety of potential scandals and alleged offenses committed by Donald Trump. But while, according to The Washington Post, Democratic leaders say they will resist calls to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, there is at least one scandal that could, in fact, lead to impeachment, according to one high-ranking Democratic House Rep.

According to New York Rep. Jerold Nadler, who will take over the chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee in January, the hush money payoff to Stormy Daniels, as well as similar payment made to silence former Playboy centerfold model Karen McDougal, may constitute impeachable offenses.

On Friday, as AVN.com reported, new digging by The Wall Street Journal uncovered Trumps alleged involvement in every step of the process of setting up the hush money dealseven though the payment to McDougal came via The National Enquirer and the $130,000 payoff to Daniels was made by Trumps then-lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.

When Cohen pleaded guilty in August to felony campaign finance violations in relation to the two payoffs, he said in court that the payments were designed to influence the outcome of the [2016 presidential] election.

"It may be an impeachable offense if it goes to the question of the President procuring his office through corrupt means," said Nadler, speaking Sunday to CNN. "And that could be impeachable."

Nadler cautioned that even if his committee finds that Trump committed an impeachable offense by authorizing the payoffs to the two women, that does not mean necessarily there ought to be an impeachment. [It] depends on whether the situation is serious enough that it makes sense to do an impeachment to defend the ... system of government and the system of democracy."

While commentators have largely scoffed at the notion that the Stormy Daniels case could bring down Trump, Nadler is now saying that charges arising directly from Daniels' allegations against Trump could, at least in theory, lead to impeachment proceedings that may end up removing Trump from office.

Nadlers Judiciary Committee will not be alone in carrying out an investigation into the Daniels and McDougal payoffs, which would be felonies if they are found, as in Cohens case, to have been made with the intent of rigging the 2016 election, by covering up potentially derogatory information about one of the major candidates. The House Oversight Committee, which in the next congressional session will be chaired by Maryland Democrat Elijah Cummings, also plans to make investigating the hush money deals a priority, NBC News reported.

Trump has denied knowing about or being involved in the hush money payment deals.

Photo By Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia CommonsWrights Food Group has launched a home delivery service in partnership with online ordering portal Foodhub.

Using the Foodhub app, customers in Stoke-on-Trent can order a variety of Wrights products directly to their door. The delivery menu includes filled oatcakes, breakfast baps, pies, pasties, salads, sub rolls and cakes.

The service will initially be rolled out to customers within the ST6 postcode and in some northern areas of the city. Wrights said it would aim to deliver to customers homes within 45 minutes of receiving the order.

Increasingly, our customers are leading busier lives, which means they are looking for the added convenience that comes with ordering our food through an app and having it delivered to their doorstep, said Peter Wright, chairman and CEO at Wrights Food Group.

This new service will particularly appeal to the elderly and housebound, who we are sure will be delighted to enjoy a Wrights treat through the delivery option.

Delivery is available from 8am to 2pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There is a minimum spend of 10 per delivery. Orders can also be collected from Wrights store in Burslem from Monday to Saturday 8am-4pm.

Subscribers to British Baker can discover more about the history of Wrights Food Group in our Born & Bread feature.Did state approval of the North Carolina segment of the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline depend on Gov. Roy Cooper's administration securing a $57.8-million discretionary "mitigation fund" with the pipeline operators?Documents obtained by Carolina Journal suggest it did.The federal government approved the pipeline in October 2017, but the state did not sign off on a critical water quality permit until the end of January 2018. During that time, state Department of Environmental Quality staff seemed ready to issue a critical 401 Water Quality Permit to move the project forward. But as staff prepared documents to OK the permit, separate documents denying the permit and rejecting the project had been drafted.A special legislative committee investigating all aspects of the pipeline and the mitigation fund will meet Wednesday. Republicans say the fund appears to be part of a "pay to play" scheme because it is tied to the environmental permit ACP was trying to obtain from the governor's administration.One issue the committee will explore is the reason for the draft permit denial letters found in the DEQ's ACP project file. Those letters were prepared in January. The 401 permit was announced a day after a memorandum of understanding was signed between the governor and utility companies building the pipeline. The MOU gives Cooper control of the $57.8 million fund.The ACP is an underground natural gas transmission pipeline originating in West Virginia, traveling through Virginia, and terminating in Robeson County. The project is a partnership among Richmond, Virginia-based Dominion Energy; Duke Energy; Piedmont Natural Gas; and Southern Company Gas. Gas from the ACP will supplement existing gas resources and fuel new electricity generation plants.Cooper's Chief of Staff Kristi Jones has told legislators the "mitigation fund was established independently of the DEQ permitting process." Republicans have sought answers from Cooper about the arrangement, but they haven't been satisfied with the administration's responses.During December 2017, Cooper's general counsel William McKinney and senior adviser Ken Eudy were quietly negotiating with the ACP for a discretionary fund ACP would pay to the governor. McKinney and ACP Vice President Leslie Hartz signed the final agreement titled "Mitigation Project Memorandum of Understanding" on Jan. 25. To date, there had been no media reports about the MOU. The following day, DEQ announced it had issued the 401 permit to ACP's Hartz - the same executive who signed the MOU. Cooper's office announced the MOU immediately after DEQ announced it had granted the permit to ACP.In a draft document produced on Oct 11, 2017, DEQ hearing officer Brian Wrenn recommended approving the water quality permit. Revised reports were entered into the DEQ document system Jan. 4, 5,16, and 19. The final version was issued Jan. 22. In every version Wrenn concluded,Identical draft letters denying the permit were addressed to ACP's Hartz and entered into the project document files Jan. 1 and 22.The subject line stated:The letters were drafted for the signature of Division of Water Resources Director Linda Culpepper. A space to cite the rule justifying the denial and an explanation were blank.The special legislative committee was created after an August presentation by Sen. Paul Newton, R-Cabarrus, to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, that led to creation of the special committee.At the time Newton, a former president of Duke Energy North Carolina, said a special committee was needed for seven reasons: The timing of the permit and the MOU; a lack of transparency by the Cooper administration; conflicting reasons for the MOU payment; the governor's control of the fund; the frequency of DEQ requests for additional information from ACP; anomalies in the permit file; and the protection of the state's business climate.Newton told CJ the committee will address the draft denial letters.he said. He also reiterated the purpose of the committee's work.he said.DEQ spokeswoman Megan Thorpe told CJ that DEQ has prepared draft denial letters for other projects but offered just one example involving the Alcoa Yadkin River Project. CJ was unable to find other examples.CJ sent the draft denial letter to ACP spokesman Aaron Ruby and asked if he or anyone from ACP negotiating the MOU had seen it.he said.ACP prepared the first version of the MOU in mid-December. The payment to the state was contingent on the project receiving the necessary permits. The agreement focused on wildlife habitat and it was designed to be signed by the ACP and by the Director of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, representing the state.Cooper's office made several changes and prepared a second version between the "State of North Carolina by and through the Office of the Governor," to be signed by the governor's legal counsel. The funds would be used for mitigating all damage caused by the pipeline, economic development opportunities, and developing renewable energy projects.For the final version, Cooper's team made additional changes making the agreement betweenand ACP.That version made it clear Cooper would be in charge of spending this new revenue.the signed document stated.The final version also said if the ACP failed to receive necessary permits or terminates the project, the governor would refund a prorated portion of the $57.8 million to ACP.After the fund was announced, Republican leaders said the deal was illegal. The constitution gives the legislative branch the sole power to collect and appropriate money. In February, they voted to direct the $57.8 million to the school systems in the eight counties along the ACP route. ACP construction is under way, but no ACP funds have been sent to North Carolina.Speaker Tim Moore appointed Rep. Dean Arp, R-Union, co-chair; Rep. John Torbett, R-Gaston; Rep. Pat McElraft, R-Carteret; Rep. Becky Carney, D-Mecklenburg; Rep. Ken Goodman, D-Richmond; and Rep. Jon Hardister, R-Guilford.Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, appointed Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown, R-Onslow, co-chairman; Sens. Kathy Harrington, R-Gaston; Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth; Ben Clark, D-Hoke; Floyd McKissick, D-Durham; and Paul Newton, R-Cabarrus.

UNC Board of Governors Chairman Harry Smith Oct. 10, 2018, after a meeting of the board. (CJ photo by Kari Travis)

The leader of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors says he's cutting ties with East Carolina University.Harry Smith, the UNC board chairman and a graduate of ECU, wrote in a Nov. 9 email to Kieran Shanahan, chairman of the ECU board of Trustees.The declaration follows several reports, including two from Carolina Journal , citing emails between Smith, ECU Chancellor Cecil Staton, and other ECU administrators over a beleaguered student housing deal spearheaded by Smith. Emails show strains between Smith and Staton.That narrative is false, Smith said, after a CJ report referred to the incident in connection with Staton's reported intent to resign Jan. 1.Staton denied he has accepted any resignation deal. But more than four days after CJ's first story about Staton's reported resignation, and reports from other media outlets questioning Staton's status with the university, UNC System officials have remained silent about Staton. CJ stands by its reporting.In a Monday radio interview on WHRD in Greenville, Staton said he would like to make the results of his 360 personnel review, ordered by Spellings, available to the public. CJ has submitted a public records request for the document and asked Smith and Spellings Friday if the review would be released.The file is private, and not for public release, Spellings said.Smith referred the request to Matthew Brody, vice president and chief human resources officer at UNC, stating Brody could provide information, but refused to release it.Smith declined to comment on Staton's employment status in a Nov. 7 phone conversation with CJ, but adamantly stated he has no issue with the chancellor.Smith wrote in the Nov. 9 email.Smith's message comes hours after the board's regular meeting, where 10 chancellors received pay raises from members after almost three hours in closed session. The board also announced it would delay any decision on how to handle the fate of Silent Sam, the controversial Confederate statue illegally torn from its base on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus in August.Smith concluded.In addition to choosing representatives, and deciding six statewide constitutional amendments Tuesday, Nov. 6, North Carolina voters approved more than $1.8 billion in local bonds for K-12 and community college projects, parks and open spaces, low-income housing, and street improvements.Voters also weighed in on sales tax increases, alcoholic beverage sales, and local government reforms.Wake County will issue more than $1 billion in bonds. Voters approved $548 million in general obligation bonds for new school construction, technology upgrades, security improvements, and other capital expenses (passing with 66.6 percent of the vote); $349 million in bonds for building, renovating, and equipping Wake Technical Community College buildings (65 percent); and $120 million for greenways, parks, recreation, and open space acquisition and construction (67.9 percent). Voters in Holly Springs approved $40 million for transportation improvement bonds with 59.8 percent support.Three Mecklenburg County communities approved bonds totaling $265 million. Charlotte voters approved a $118 million transportation referendum on street, lighting, and pedestrian improvements (68.9 percent); $50 million to build housing for low- and moderate-income people (68.3 percent); and $55 million for neighborhood infrastructure improvements (72.8 percent). Cornelius voters approved a $24 million bond question for street and other transportation work (70.4 percent). Mint Hill voters approved a $3 million bond to buy land and build facilities for cultural and public events (52.5 percent); and $15 million in parks and recreation bonds (53 percent).Alamance County voters approved $189.6 million in bonds. Of that, $150 million was approved to enlarge, renovate, and replace public school buildings and other facilities (69.4 percent), and $39.6 million for Alamance Community College to build, renovate, and repair buildings (65.9 percent).Winston-Salem voters approved several referendums totaling $122 million. They included $43.7 million to build sidewalks and improve streets (65.9 percent); $21.1 million to build public safety facilities and a public safety radio communication system (64.9 percent); $31 million to acquire land and build and renovate parks and recreation facilities (64.7 percent); $11.7 million for urban renewal, building and rehabilitating low- and moderate-income multifamily housing (61.6 percent); and $14.5 million to purchase land, reduce blight, and for economic development (58.4 percent).Johnston County voters approved $76 million in bonds, including a $61 million school bond to buy land, build, and equip one or more new buildings (63.9 percent), and $15 million to build one or more community college buildings (62 percent).Union County voters approved a $42 million bond to build, renovate, and expand public safety facilities including the Sheriff's Office and an emergency services facility (53.5 percent). They rejected a $9.7 million bond to build and equip a 4-H pavilion for the Union County Cooperative Extension (58.3 percent).Caswell County voters approved a $36.5 million bond for school construction, renovation, and security improvements (61.2 percent). The town of Cedar Point in Carteret County approved a $2.5 million general obligation bond to buy land for a public park (68.5 percent).Chapel Hill voters approved a referendum to issue $10 million in general obligation bonds to provide housing for low- and moderate-income residents. The vote was spread between Orange County (72.1 percent) and Durham County (63.7 percent).A quarter-penny increase on local sales and use tax appeared in referendums in 20 counties. Voters in 16 counties gave thumbs down to referenda. They were: Alamance (54.3 percent), Alleghany (58.2 percent), Avery (64.7), Bertie (51.5 percent), Bladen (67.9 percent), Caldwell (74.6 percent), Caswell (72.8 percent), Columbus (54.6 percent), Davie (52.3 percent), Iredell (68.7 percent), Lenoir (51.5 percent), Madison (53.5 percent), McDowell (67.3 percent), Moore (58.9 percent), Scotland (67.6 percent), and Wayne (57.4 percent).Giving thumbs up to the tax hikes were Forsyth (68.2 percent), Graham (62.5 percent), Stanly (50.8 percent), and Swain (54.3 percent).Seven counties approved raising the sales tax in the May primary, and five defeated the measures.Voters in Montgomery County approved a fire protection tax in the Wadeville Fire Protection District (61.3 percent). Davie County voters approved a Rural Fire Protection District tax (55.5 percent).Alcohol sales ballot questions were decided in several counties and towns.Anson County rejected a host of measures: malt beverage sales on and off premises (63.5 percent disapproval); malt beverage sales on premises only (66.6 percent); malt beverage sales off premises only (71.2 percent); malt beverage sales at hotels (62.6 percent); unfortified wine sales on premises only (67.2 percent); unfortified wine sales off premises only (71.5 percent); and mixed beverage sales (58.9 percent).Approving referendums were:Town of Long View (mixed beverage sales) - in the Burke County portion of town (52.4 percent); in the Catawba County section (53.2 percent).Town of Tabor in Columbus County - sales of mixed beverages in hotels, restaurants, private clubs, community theatres, and convention centers (50.4 percent).Gaston County - On premises and off premises sale of malt beverages (59.9 percent); on premises and off premises sale of unfortified wine (61.1 percent); operating ABC stores (70.3 percent); and selling mixed beverages in hotels, restaurants, private clubs, community theatres, and convention centers (70.2 percent).Town of Red Springs in Robeson County - selling mixed beverages in hotels, restaurants, private clubs, community theatres, and convention centers (63 percent).Town of Pikeville in Wayne County - selling mixed beverages in hotels, restaurants, private clubs, community theatres, and convention centers (58.5 percent).Mixed results occurred in:Town of Boiling Springs in Cleveland County - Approved sales of malt beverage on and off premises (63.6 percent); sales of malt beverage on premises only (53.3 percent); on premises sale of malt beverages by Class A hotels, motels and restaurants only, and off premises sale to other permittees approved (61 percent); on premises and off premises sale of unfortified wine approved (64.4 percent); on premises only sale of unfortified wine (52.4 percent). Voters rejected sales of malt beverage off premises only (51.9 percent) and off premises only sale of unfortified wine (50.8 percent).Charter amendment questions went down in two Cumberland County municipalities:Fayetteville - Increasing terms of office for the mayor and City Council members to four years (64.6 percent).Hope Mills - Staggered terms for the Board of Commissioners and mayor (57 percent).The Town of Summerfield in Guilford County approved a change in length of service for appointees to council vacancies from the remainder of the unexpired term to the next regularly scheduled town election (54.1 percent). Voters rejected changing the form of government from a council-manager structure to a mayor-council design (68 percent).Tom Campbell

The 2018 midterm was one of the most interesting elections held in our state. While there wasn't the "blue wave" many had predicted, this was a change election. It will be a few days before the vote and the impact is solidified but here are immediate impressions.The electorate was energized. When 2.1 million cast ballots in early voting, we projected turnout was likely to reach record highs. More than 48 percent voted in this "blue moon" election, far in excess of the average 42-44 percent of previous midterms.What motivated them? Democrats were eager to capture seats in Congress and the legislature. Republicans were no doubt energized by the president's messaging. Both factions showed up in large numbers and we are eager to learn the final age, sex, race, geographic and political data.One theme that jumps out clearly is of North Carolinians' sense of fairness.Legislative leaders had placed six constitutional amendments on the ballot. Voters approved four but defeated two - the proposals to take away appointive power from the governor in vacant judicial seats and also changes to appointments of the state board of elections. Some might believe their defeat due to their lengthiness on the ballot and the fact their intent was not clearly evident. I think not. I believe voters are more astute than perhaps they are given credit for and saw these two for what they were - an attempt by our legislative branch to minimize the power of our governor and upset the balance of power. They thought them unfair, unnecessary and too partisan and they lost by wide margins.Voters also responded to legislative attempts to rig judicial elections. When lawmakers, believing we weren't electing enough Republican judges, required the political party affiliation be printed beside each judicial candidate's name, then cancelled the Primary Elections for all judges, they not only outsmarted themselves, but they again violated our citizens' sense of fairness. Not only did our state elect another Democrat to the Supreme Court (now a 5-2 Democratic split) but they also elected three Democrats to the Court of Appeals.Recently we have witnessed power politics being played out in Raleigh. The legislature would pass a bill, the governor would often veto it and the legislature, with veto-proof majorities in both houses, would override the veto. Republicans held free reign to do pretty much as they wanted. Not only did voters think this scenario unfair, they took steps to fix the constant partisanship by overcoming the veto-proof majorities in both the House and, at this moment, in the Senate.Out of our sense of fairness voters decided to level the playing field. Now Governor Cooper is a legitimate player in governing our state and even though Republicans retained majority control of both houses, our lawmakers are going to have to deal with him for the next two years.We will be watching to see what legislative leadership learned from these outcomes.The other big change was the widening of political gaps, geographic gaps and gaps between the sexes. Let's start with the geographic partisan gap.Three Wake County Republican legislators lost House seats, one Republican Senator was seriously threatened, and a longtime popular Republican Sheriff was defeated. Wake is becoming bluer and bluer with each vote. So are Mecklenburg, Guilford and other urban counties.Rural counties are conversely turning an increasing shade of Republican red. But it is the urban and exurban counties that are rapidly gaining population, while rural areas are losing it almost as rapidly. Long gone are the days when political power was held by rural counties east of I-95. About 20 urban or exurban counties can determine statewide elections and, as this partisan urban-rural gap grows wider, we have to ponder its impact in the near term.Can Republicans devise strategies to capture the votes of the younger, better educated, higher income populous in urban counties? If so, what does this mean for their traditional base of support? If not, does this signal that very soon we will see another big power party shift like the one in 2010 that turned the state over to Republicans?The urban-rural gap was not the only widening one we saw. The sex gap grew larger. 2018 was the year of the woman, who now constitute 53 percent of registered voters. Women turned out and spoke out. We may not know the exact percentages, but women turned out in large numbers and voted heavily for Democrats - especially college educated white women. White men voted just a strongly for Republicans, but the schism became truly evident. White men may not want to acknowledge it, but this was the year when it became clear they are losing political influence. How will they react? Either they dig in and hold out as long as possible or they face the inevitable, form coalitions and narrow the gender gap.In conclusion, neither Democrats nor Republicans can shout with glee over the outcomes. Both parties gained, but neither scored knock-outs. Instead of bringing our state closer together we saw the gaps growing larger, setting the stage for the 2020 elections, which started Wednesday.[T]raditional textbook publisher[s] benefit from a fundamental market flaw in the college textbook market. Unlike a typical market, there is no direct interaction between the producer and the consumer. With normal markets, like the automobile market, the consumer exercises control over prices by choosing to purchase products that priced best for their value. This consumer choice forces producers to price their products competitively...In the textbook market, this consumer control is eliminated by the fact that the professor, not the student/consumer selects the product, and the student/consumer actually expends the money. Because of this, the student is a captive market, and traditional publishers are able to drive continually prices higher without fear of market repercussion.

It is clear that digital-based reading is an unavoidable part of our daily lives and an integral part of the educational realm. Although the current results suggest that paper-based reading should be favoured over digital-based reading, it is unrealistic to recommend avoiding digital devices.

Nevertheless, ignoring the evidence of a robust screen inferiority effect may mislead political and educational decisions, and even worse, it could prevent readers from fully benefiting from their reading comprehension abilities and keep children from developing these skills in the first place. Thus, we call on researchers to consider how to guide students and exam takers in dealing with digital tasks such as admission tests (e.g., SAT and GMAT), tasks in work contexts, and school-related tasks that are very often performed with informational texts and under limited time frames.

In particular, an important conclusion from our analysis is that there are predictable conditions that seem to allow media equivalence. It is important to appreciate these conditions, examine their validity for the task at hand, and use them whenever possible and relevant. We hope our meta-analysis will guide evidence-based decisions by policy makers and point designers and researchers toward conditions that support effective digital-based reading.

The cost of college textbooks has increased at an alarming rate. According to the College Board, the average student spends more than $1,200 on books and materials each year. The proposed solution-advocated by universities and reformers alike-is a switch to eBooks and online course materials. But new evidence suggests that we should consider that switch carefully before embracing a wholesale conversion from print to digital materials.Textbook prices certainly warrant academia's clamor for change. From 1978 to 2013, the price of college textbooks increased more than 800 percent-faster than medical care (588 percent), new home prices (375 percent), and the CPI itself (257 percent). According to a study by the Student Public Interest Research Group (Student PIRGs), the cost of textbooks is now roughly 39 percent of tuition and fees at a community college and 14 percent at a four-year public institution. The cost of textbooks contributes significantly to students' total education bill.Student PIRGs explains how the textbook market is broken In Virginia, legislators passed a bill earlier this year taking on the issue. Virginia House Bill 454 requires Virginia's public colleges and universities to create guidelines for the adoption of open educational resources, i.e., openly licensed digital textbooks. The bill is a clear effort to work around the broken textbook market and save students money.But there is a potential problem with this rush to digital resources: new evidence suggests that students' reading comprehension is often better with print media than its digital equivalent."Don't throw away your printed books: A meta-analysis on the effects of reading media on reading comprehension" will be published in a future issue of Educational Research Review. The article's authors are Pablo Delgado, Cristina Vargas, and Ladislao Salmeron of the University of Valencia in Spain and Rakefet Ackerman of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.The paperincluding two different study designs. Both times, researchers found benefits for paper reading over digital reading, with a few nuances. They found that paper-based reading was especially important in time-constrained settings and that the paper-based reading advantage increased over the years.They also found that paper and digital reading is equally effective for narrative-only texts (like novels) but not for informational texts (like textbooks). The authors explain, "Comprehending informational texts, compared to narratives, requires higher level processing, such as using complex academic vocabulary and structures, and these texts are less connected to real world knowledge, which makes them harder to comprehend (Graesser & McNamara, 2011)."Surprisingly, age did not affect reading comprehension across media; young readers do no better with digital reading than older readers, despite the fact that many young readers are "digital natives."The authors caution that readers should take this study with a grain of salt. There are limitations to the data set which mean that more analysis is needed. They conclude:Despite this evidence, digital resources are here to stay. Web-based learning presents higher education with a huge opportunity. The price, flexibility, and customizability of digital course materials make them appealing to universities, faculty, and students. But like any innovation, they should be tested and implemented incrementally. Moving forward, users should simply take care when adopting such media. Digital materials should not be treated as a one-size-fits-all solution to rising textbook costs.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.The Congressional Budget Office estimates interest spending will rise to $915 billion by 2028, or 13% of all outlays and 3.1% of gross domestic product. Along that path, the government is expected to pass the following milestones: It will spend more on interest than it spends on Medicaid in 2020; more in 2023 than it spends on national defense; and more in 2025 than it spends on all nondefense discretionary programs combined, from funding for national parks to scientific research, to health care and education, to the court system and infrastructure, according to the CBO.

Debt as a share of gross domestic product is projected to climb over the next decade, from 78% at the end of this year-the highest it has been since the end of World War II-to 96.2% in 2028, according to CBO projections.

On Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported on a development students of American governance have known about for years, but politicians have studiously avoided doing anything about: the United States' debt will cost us more in the near future than our own national defense. Thanks to the weakness of the global economy in the aftermath of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, tremendous appetite for American debt shielded us from the fallout from our $20 trillion debt - but that could soon be ending. When it does, there will be fiscal hell to pay.Kate Davidson and Daniel Kruger report:In the early 1990s, President George H.W. Bush agreed to tax hikes that killed his political career thanks to the burdens of the national debt. President Trump is highly unlikely to do the same - and neither are Congressional Republicans, whose only major legislative achievement is the tax cuts passed last year.Moreover, Democrats have no interest whatsoever in paying down the national debt. In fact, it's exactly the kind of lever they're looking for to raise taxes should they gain office in the near future. Instead of blaming the actual culprit of our national debt - out of control entitlement spending - Democrats have spent the last decade falsely blaming the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and tax cuts. They're currently proposing an exponential expansion of our spending on entitlements with programs like "Medicare for All" and free college tuition, which won't be paid for by anything other than a tremendous middle class tax hike. Democrats want Nordic social democracy; they're going to have to push Nordic tax rates in order to achieve it.Furthermore, as the Journal reports:By way of contrast, Spain, a country with serious fiscal problems, stood at debt-to-GDP of 99.6 percent last year.Now, some commentators have been sanguine about the possibility of such debt. They say that a little fiscal handiwork will do the trick - simply cut the budget a little, revert to strong economic growth, and the rest will be fine. But that's ignoring the structural problem of our debt, which is far more ruinous than it was in 1991. We can only stave off serious restructuring for so long.But there's no political benefit to staving off the debt for either side. Republicans lose ground when they talk about restructuring entitlements; Democrats want to expand entitlements. The American public is simply unready to talk about doing what we must in order to ensure America's continued economic growth and strength, particularly at a time when our population is rapidly aging. That's why Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) will leave Congress with his chief political ambition, entitlement reform, unfulfilled.What will the consequences be? The continued Europeanization of American politics, as taxes and spending inevitably rise in tandem. The only difference between the parties will be Republican calls for austerity measures at the margins, and Democratic calls for massively higher taxes and higher spending.We've been playing a pyramid game. In the next decade, that pyramid is going to cave in on us.According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, President Trump was intimately involved in payoff attempts toward various sexual partners during the 2016 election. The Journal reports that Trump worked with David Pecker, chief executive of the National Enquirer, to quash stories about Trump's paramours; he also worked with personal attorney Michael Cohen to pay women hush money. Here's the Journal:But we already knew much of this. The only question is whether Trump knowingly violated federal campaign finance law, as Richard Hasen, law professor at University of California at Irvine, explains.There are two possible defenses for Trump here. The first is simple lack of intent: he told Cohen to take care of the hush money without even considering campaign finance law, and assumed that because Cohen was a lawyer, he would avoid breaking the law. The second is a different form of lack of intent: Trump has been trying to pay women for years to shut up about affairs with him, and this hush money just happened to change hands during an election cycle. That second excuse was used by John Edwards after Edwards' donors paid hush money to his mistress during the 2008 cycle: Edwards claimed he wasn't trying to affect the election, but to hide the information from his wife.It will difficult for Trump to make a similar claim in some ways. The story states regarding one former paramour, Karen McDougal:That agreement fell through, but it provided the backdrop for the Stormy Daniels payment, which Trump greenlit and for which he reimbursed Cohen. Was Trump aware that was ending-around campaign finance law?It's difficult to imagine Trump going down over a campaign finance violation during his campaign. Everyone has correctly assumed that Trump's history with women is more than checkered, and Trump is no stranger to hush money. Furthermore, both excuses are at least somewhat plausible: Trump is no legal eagle, nor is he pure as the driven snow in matters female-related.Still, this story will provide a continuing headache for the administration. It may not be a big deal in terms of public relations as compared with the much-ballyhooed Mueller investigation, but it could end up being a far bigger deal in terms of legal ramifications.Trump's tweets on Canada? All about immigration, trade and Justin Trudeau

Video by Dell Rasmussen and Jesse Tahirali, Text by Josh Dehaas CTVNews.ca

What does U.S. President Donald Trump think about Canada? We sifted through his Twitter feed looking for clues. It turns out that, since taking office nearly two years ago, Trumps mentions of Canada mostly revolve around three topics: trade, immigration and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.



IMMIGRATION If theres one Canadian policy that Trump seems to admire, its our approach to immigration. Two-thirds of Canadian immigrants are admitted under economic streams that prioritize people with education and job offers. Thats in contrast to the U.S., where two-thirds of immigrants are based on family ties, an approach Trump calls chain migration.



Trump has praised Canadas system, which he calls merit-based, as far back as 2011.



He did it again early in his presidency, on March 3, 2017, when he recommended the book Green Card Warrior. Trump wrote that the merit-based system is the way to go. Canada Australia! @foxandfriends.



Less than a month later, Trump again highlighted Canadian immigration. Mexico & Canada have tough immigration laws whereas ours are an Obama joke. ACT CONGRESS, Trump wrote.

TRUDEAU Trump mostly ignored Trudeau for his first full year in office, but he did call the prime minister his new found friend on Canada Day that year. Happy Canada Day to all of the great people of Canada and to your Prime Minister and my new found friend @JustinTrudeau. #Canada150, he wrote on July 1, 2017.



The president didnt mention Trudeau again until more than eight months later, at which time NAFTA negotiations were underway. On March 15, 2018, Trump called Trudeau a very good guy but added that Trudeau doesnt like saying that Canada has a Surplus vs. the U.S.(negotiation)...

Trump appeared to turn on Trudeau at the G7 summit in June. On the 7th, he tweeted that Trudeau was being indignant. Two days later, he called Trudeau so meek and mild and very dishonest and weak.



On June 9, he wrote: Fair Trade is now to be called Fool Trade if it is not Reciprocal. According to a Canada release they make almost 100 Billion Dollars in Trade with U.S. (guess they were bragging and got caught!). Minimum is 17B. Tax Dairy from us at 270%. Then Justin acts hurt when called out!

TRADE



The first Trump tweets about trade with Canada date back to 2011 and 2012, when he tweeted several times about the Keystone XL pipeline that would carry Alberta crude to refineries in Texas.



@BarackObama wont approve the Keystone Pipeline so Canada is now looking to sell their oil to China, he wrote on Jan. 17, 2012. Overturning Obamas rejection of Keystone ended up being one of Trumps first acts as president. The fate of the project remains unclear after a U.S. federal judge ordered a halt to construction last week.



Trump didnt say much about trade with Canada again until March 3, 2017, when he wrote: Canada has made business for our dairy farmers in Wisconsin and other border states very difficult. We will not stand for this. Watch! He went mostly silent for another year, until March when he signalled his intention to put tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada.



On March 5, three days before he signed an executive order authorizing the tariffs, he wrote: We have large trade deficits with Mexico and Canada. NAFTA which is under renegotiation right now has been a bad deal for U.S.A. Massive relocation of companies &; jobs. Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum will only come off if new & fair NAFTA agreement is signed.



A trickle of tweets about trade in the spring turned into a flood by June, with more than a dozen missives sent around the G7 Summit in Charlevoix, Que., which was June 7-9.

JUNE 1

JUNE 4

JUNE 8Life on Mars has always been a standard science fiction topic, but Season 2 of National Geographic's "Mars" shows how real and attainable that focus has become. The first season of the docudrama series aired in 2016 and was notable for its blending of fiction and science-based documentary, a format the show has maintained and improved.

Season 2 picks up several years into the development of Olympus Town, a colony of astronauts working with the International Mars Science Foundation (IMSF), a fictional group. Close quarters living and the extreme environment take clear tolls on characters and their relationships, especially as love interests are established and a number of astronauts fall victim to the perils of space. But for a show titled "Mars," a significant amount of the footage is of tundras, deserts, and oceans on Earth, as well as people who are not astronauts, but who are currently working to one day put men and women on our neighboring planet, like Elon Musk, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and even Bill Nye. The choice to merge documentary and drama was pioneered in "Mars" Season 1 and continues, polished, in Season 2.

Episode four of the series, titled "Contagion," offers a balanced fusion of these filmmaking approaches using a dual storyline; a pathogen outbreak in the Mars colony parallels the recent emergence of anthrax in the thawing Siberian tundra. Scripted portions of the show are spliced seamlessly with iPhone footage from Yamal Peninsula natives, and the story of a Russian environmentalist whistleblower highlights our lack of knowledge and caution in new climates. While a pathogen originating on Mars assumes extraterrestrial life and may seem far-fetched, real-world scientific analogies punctuate and verify events that unfold in the drama. The documentary segments never seem to interrupt the flow of narrative and only deepen moments of suspense.

A less speculative example is the comparison of Martian soil to untapped Arctic oil reserves, two environments where the exploitation of resources entails physical danger, isolation, and ethical dilemmas. An interplanetary enterprise called Lukrum Industries is second to send a colonizing force to the Red Planet, but strictly with profit in mind and not scientific discovery. Tension inevitably grows between the Lukrum miners and scientists of IMSF as resources are contested and ideologies clash. Clearly some homegrown issues were left unsolved before launch, which lead to some sneaky politicking and the first ever Martian brawl.

Remove the non-fiction interviews and weigh-ins by scientific experts and you are still left with a vibrant drama about Mars  however, these elements show how Earth-like our problems on another planet may be. Nat Geo took a chance with a hybrid format not typically seen on TV, but accomplished what sci-fi does best by making informed projections about future technologies while questioning decisions made in the present. The narrative/documentary ratio is perfectly balanced and makes life on Mars seem believable, within reach, and really fun to watch.

"Mars" Season 2 premieres tonight, Monday, November 12 at 9pm EST.In what feels like the one billionth installment of We Can't Have Nice Things, some pervy asshole's been creeping on Fortnite-playing minors. Over the past few weeks, according to police from the Quebec, Canada area, a number of parents have stepped forward to complain that their kids were asked, in-game and via Instagram, to fire over nude photos of themselves. The payoff: ways and means of advancing their in-game prowess. Once the prick had their hands on the pics, the kid that sent them would be threatened: send more or the ones that the pederast already had would be plastered all over the internet.

From The CBC:

Four cases have been reported in the past few weeks, according to police. In three of those cases, minors were threatened, and in one, the victim sent personal photos to the cyber-predator. Sgt. Jean-Luc Tremblay with the Richelieu Saint-Laurent police said the predator, or predators, tried to infiltrate groups of friends by offering them a chance to advance their game in exchange for providing revealing photos. Police are working with school boards in the area to disseminate information about the sextortion.

Being a kid is already difficult enough without having to endure this kind of horse shit. Parents need to be on their guard and kids need to be educated in how to avoid these greasy shits online. It's a mantra that too many people have had to type too many times.

Hopefully, those responsible will have left enough digital breadcrumbs to be tracked down and dealt withquickly.

Image: BagoGames/FlickrKyrsten Sinema, the apparent winner in Arizona's Senate race, is the first Democrat to win that vote for decades.

She will become the first woman to ever represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate.

She is also the first openly bisexual person ever elected to the U.S. Senate.

That's a lot of firsts.

Sinema's win was called late in the day by Associated Press on Monday November 12. Election day was Tuesday, November 6. She gave a speech accepting the win around 830pm Eastern time. Here's a screengrab.

Democrats now control 47 Senate seats. Republicans control 51. At least 2 races have not yet been called.

Sinema, 42, faced a contentious race as a centrist Democrat candidate running against Republican Martha McSally.

She will assume the seat being vacated by Jeff Flake.

Here is Martha McSally's concession.

Congrats to @kyrstensinema. I wish her success. I'm grateful to all those who supported me in this journey. I'm inspired by Arizonans' spirit and our state's best days are ahead of us. pic.twitter.com/tw0uKgi3oO  McSally For Senate (@MarthaMcSally) November 13, 2018

From the New York Times:

Ms. Sinema's victory over Martha McSally, a Republican congresswoman and former Air Force pilot, marks the first Democratic triumph since 1976 in a battle for an open Senate seat in Arizona. Ms. Sinema takes the seat being vacated by Jeff Flake, a Republican who retired after publicly clashing with President Trump. Ms. Sinema's victory guarantees the Democrats at least 47 Senate seats. Republicans control 51, with two still undecided: Florida, where there is a recount, and Mississippi, where there is a runoff. The win by Ms. Sinema points to a remarkable shift in Arizona's political landscape. That state has been a Republican bastion for decades, but Democrats are seizing on dissatisfaction with budget cuts and growing unease over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown to make inroads with moderate voters. Voter drives to register more Latinos, who generally vote Democratic in Arizona, appear to have paid off for Ms. Sinema. About 2.1 million Latinos live in Arizona, about a third of the state's population; while Mr. Trump narrowly carried the state in the 2016 election, many Latinos in the state have expressed displeasure with the president.

As long as I've served Arizona, I've worked to help others see our common humanity & find common ground. That's the same approach I'll take to representing our great state in the Senate, where I'll be an independent voice for all Arizonans. Thank you, Arizona. Let's get to work. pic.twitter.com/iX6u6VQ9bQ  Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) November 13, 2018

HAPPENING NOW:@kyrstensinema expected to address supporters after she's declared the winner of the #AZSenate race.

She is the first female U.S senator in the state's history & first Democrat since 1994. pic.twitter.com/EZgZS7b1LA  Zach Crenshaw ABC15 (@ZachCrenshaw) November 13, 2018

Dems picked up two Senate seats as a byproduct of Trump's actions: Jones in Alabama, taking Sessions' seat and Sinema in Arizona after Flake bowed out rightfully thinking he wouldn't make it through a primary  Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) November 13, 2018

Democrat Kyrsten Sinema has won Arizona's open U.S. Senate seat in a race that was among the most closely watched in the nation. https://t.co/G1BZEaRSAs  The Associated Press (@AP) November 13, 2018

Sinema is first woman to be elected to represent Arizona in US Senate and is the first Democrat to win Senate seat in AZ since Dennis DeConcini in 1988.  Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) November 13, 2018CNN is suing President Donald Trump and various White House aides over the administration's ban on chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta.

CNN's lawsuit alleges that Acosta and CNN's First and Fifth amendment rights are being violated by the ban.

Named in CNN's lawsuit against the White House are Donald Trump, John Kelly, Sarah Sanders, Bill Shine, Joseph Clancy, and the Secret Service officer who took Acosta's hard pass away.

"While the suit is specific to CNN and Acosta, this could have happened to anyone," the network said today.

"If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials."

The lawsuit seeks the immediate restoration of Acosta's access to the White House.

CNN sues President Trump and top White House aides for barring Jim Acostahttps://t.co/5GsAmQOZDF  Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 13, 2018

Bulletin: @CNN is filing a lawsuit against President Trump and several of his aides, seeking the immediate restoration of Jim @Acosta's access to the White House. https://t.co/nE022jiYPw  Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 13, 2018

From CNN, which reports the suit is being filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning:Just shy of three months ago, Amber Guyger, then a Dallas police officer, burst into her 26-year-old neighbor's home and shot him.

Botham Shem Jean was murdered in his home, unarmeda threat to no one. Guyger's bullshit excuse: she was confused and thought that the apartment that she'd broken into was her own and that Jean was an intruder.

Cool, cool, cool. Who hasn't broken into their own home, found it to be decorated completely differently and contained their neighbor? That crap could happen to anyone.

At the time of the murder, Dallas District Attorney Faith Johnson was accused of giving Guyger, who has since been shit-canned by the Dallas Police, preferential treatment. Guyger was let off without a murder charge against her. But here's the thing: Johnson's no longer Dallas' DA. In January of 2019, she'll be replaced by Dallas' freshly-minted District Attorney John Creuzot. For Guyger, the worm could be about to turn so fast that it breaks its own frigging neck.

From The Root:

Creuzot, a former judge who retired from the bench in 2012, told NBC that anything less than a murder charge for Guyger deviates from Dallas County precedent. "I don't know any police reports. I don't know any forensic reports, but based on what I have seen, manslaughter is an inappropriate charge, based on the circumstances as I understand them," he said. "Once I get in there and I get everything in front of me and it appears the most appropriate charge is murder, then that's the charge we will go forward with. "I think I'm going to join everybody else in praying that we don't have any more police shootings. That's the first step. That's not on us. That's on the police," he added.

In addition to sorting out the wrong committed by his predecessor in the charging of Guyger, Creuzot has also said that he's very interested in exploring Dallas County's bail system in an effort to bring equality to it: being released from jail shouldn't be the sole providence of the rich. Nor should the poor feel forced to accept a guilty plea in order to land a shorter sentence, even when, in truth, they committed no crime. Sorting this out will level the playing field for those accused of crimes by the police and, as a consequence, could lead to smaller prison populations.

More of this sort of thing, please.



Image via Kaufman County Sheriff Office, for editorial use only

HR1, the first bill that the new Democratic House of Representatives will vote on, is omnibus legislation that takes on some of the most pervasive scourges of representative democracy: vote suppression, oligarchic campaign financing and gerrymandering.



Under HR1's provisions, electoral districting will be taken away from state legislatures and handed to independent commissions (this is very popular with the American public and similar ballot initiatives just sailed into law in Colorado, Missouri and Michigan).

HR1 provides for automatic voter registration and reestablishes provisions from the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court neutered in 2013 (though as Yves notes at Naked Capitalism, "If they actually cared about voter turnout they would push election day registration which, unlike automatic registration, has been shown to increase turnout by around 5%").

HR1 also overturns Citizens United (previously), the 2010 Supreme Court decision that opened the floodgates to unlimited, oligarchic campaign spending, including hundreds of millions in "dark money" funneled into Super-PACs.

HR1 doesn't stop there: it also closes a loophole that exempts presidents from conflict of interest rules (a loophole that Trump has enthusiastically exploited).





It's not clear how the bill will fare; Senate Republicans are likely to be divided on it, and the provisions that override the Supreme Court are unlikely to find a hospitable reception in the current court.

But as a stake in the ground, it's a pretty impressive outing: forcing GOP politicians to vote in favor of dark money, gerrymandering, and allowing for presidential conflict-of-interest will give the Democrats a lot to campaign on in 2020.

"It's three very basic things that I think the public wants to see," said Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), who spearheads campaign finance and government ethics efforts for the House Democratic Caucus. He said H.R. 1 will "demonstrate that we hear that message loud and clear." But even Sarbanes admits the quick vote is just a first step. Republicans, who control the Senate, are unlikely to pass the bill and President Trump is unlikely to sign it. "Give us the gavel in the Senate in 2020 and we'll pass it in the Senate," Sarbanes said. "Give us a pen in the Oval Office and we'll sign those kinds of reforms into law." The bill would establish automatic voter registration and reinvigorate the Voting Rights Act, crippled by a Supreme Court decision in 2013. It would take away redistricting power from state legislatures and give it to independent commissions. Other provisions would overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, which declared political spending is First Amendment free speech; they would mandate more disclosure of outside money and establish a public financing match for small contributions.



Democrats Say Their First Bill Will Focus On Strengthening Democracy At Home [Peter Overby/NPR]





(via Naked Capitalism)

(Image: Kheel Center, CC-BY)Baraboo High School's class of 2019 threw Nazi salutes for a staged photo at their junior prom this year.

The photographer, named as Peter Gust, apparently removed it from his website and complained of the "malevolent behavior" of those spreading and criticizing it, but that did not stop it going viral.

Though the Wisconsin school district claims to be taking action, it appears not to be merely a one-off stunt: since the photo was publicized, current and former students claim that the school has a culture of racism and bigotry openly enabled by indifferent teachers and administrators.

Jules Suzdaltsev is collecting the reports on Twitter.

"Nearly all of the stories echo the same basic theme: the community as a whole has a lot of casual & jokey racism, homophobia, and transphobia that is accepted as a part of life," writes Suzdaltsev. "The school (and other schools in the area) do little to nothing to address these issues."

One teen poses with the OK sign, as often appropriated by white supremacists under the fig leaf of "trolling", while others smile without participating. One unsmiling lad raises his fist instead, a traditionally socialist gesture also adopted by the black power movement. One, named as Jordan Blue, conspiciously stands aside and frowns at the camera and is emerging as the photo's folk hero.

After trying to remove the photo from his site (it's still available at the original URL) the photographer posted the following about "malevolent behavior on the part of some in society", and calling for civility.

Updated page: due malevolent behavior on the part of some in society; this page has been modified. It is too bad that there are those in society who can and do take the time to be jerks; knowingly and willingly to be jerks! The internet can be a wonderful tool but for some there is an overwhelming urge to destroy. The destruction may not be physical but instead it can be bullying that is intellectual or emotional. To anyone that was hurt I sincerely apologize. To those who have harmed them, we as society often ignore them I have chosen not to do that. YOU ARE JERKS! Grow up! Be kind, Be gentle, Be civil!

Slate's Jamelle Bouie: "To repeat a point i have made many times before, there's never been a serious consensus that racism is bad. rather, it's been that "openly expressing racist views is impolite." with national leadership celebrating that expression however, the norm is eroding."- President Cyril Ramaphosa blamed former president, Jacob Zuma, for the country's current economical woes

- The president was in East London on a Thuma Mina campaign when he said the high unemployment rate and corruption are big factors to consider for SA's economical troubles

- He said his government wants to fix things and bring those responsible for looting the state to book

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South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has placed the blame of the country's economic woes at Jacob Zuma's feet.

has blamed the 10 years of former president Jacob Zumas tenure for the troubles the country is facing.

Ramaphosa said the high unemployment rate and corruption are key issues he and his government need to tackle, blaming Zuma's decade-long tenure as president for SA's current problems.

On Sunday, the president was at a Thuma Mina campaign in East London. The campaign is aimed at speeding up service delivery in South Africa.

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The president was flanked by NEC members Collen Maine and Nathi Mthethwa. The ANC provincial chair, Oscar Mabuyane, regional chair Pumlani Mkolo and dr WB Rubusana where also in attendance.

According to TimesLIVE, while addressing scores of ANC supporters at the Winter Rose stadium in Mdantsane, Ramaphosa said the government is fixing things, adding that even those who stole from government are on their toes.

"Even those who were stealing money are on their heels, because we want our money back so that we can use it for service delivery. We want to fix things, because we want to create jobs because our people are not working.

The crowd applauded the president.

READ ALSO: Jacob Zumas kids face eviction from their Jozi home for missing rent

Briefly.co.za learned that ANC senior officials, including the 80 National Executive Committee members, visited several areas in the province this weekend. Their aim was to find out what voters expect from the governing party should it win next year's national elections.

Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!

Source: Briefly.co.zaNews / National

by Staff reporter

Teachers protesting against deteriorating conditions of service have been given the green light by police to picket at Public Service Medical Aid Society (Psmas) and government offices in Harare.In a letter dated November 1 to Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) who are organisers of the march, the police in Harare Central District allowed the teachers to convene at Africa Unity Square before a small number marches to petition Psmas and Finance minister Mthuli Ncube as well as his Public Service counterpart Sekai Nzenza."You shall convene at Africa Unity Square where from you shall march in a small number of at least 10 people to Psmas through George Silundika into Fourth Street to Mkwati Building via Central Avenue," the letter reads in part.While the letter limits the number of marchers to just 10, PTUZ secretary-general Raymond Majongwe told the Daily News that there was miscommunication as police had agreed to allow 200 people to march."The march is on today and we told them we will have more than 200 marchers and only 10 will get into the offices to hand over the petition," Majongwe said.He also revealed that PTUZ had been charged $450 by the police for the application and an escort.The Apex Council - the body that represents all civil servants in salary negotiations - however refused to act in solidarity with PTUZ saying civil servants wanted to give dialogue a chance.Majongwe, however, slammed the council for selling out the teachers' struggle for two pieces of silver."We are dealing with a bunch of sell-outs who will do anything for their personal aggrandisement and that is why they are now talking about dialogue with the employer."What dialogue are they talking about? Where is that dialogue taking place and with who? These are sell-outs who are dining and winning with the employer at the expense of teachers."They want to portray our march as a strike but it's silly. How do we strike on a Friday afternoon? It is merely a march to register our displeasure, to send a message to government," he said.The PTUZ action has been backed by their counterparts stationed at the country's rural schools; the Amalgamated Rural Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz).This comes after Primary and Secondary Education minister Paul Mavima recently told hundreds of primary school heads in Victoria Falls that government has no capacity to meet the teachers' pay increment demands presently.This did not go down well with teachers' unions that felt the minister had jumped the gun as teachers are not employed by his ministry but the Public Service Commission.Government has since invited civil service unions for a meeting on Wednesday.The country's educators and other government employees have been demanding that the employer pays their salaries in US$ amid concerns that their earnings have been eroded to worthless levels owing to the plummeting value of bond notes, a surrogate currency introduced by government in 2016.The teachers also want their employer to review their salaries upwards to above the poverty datum line they estimate is now over $800.News / National

by Staff reporter

Bread supplies have improved in most parts of the country due to increased flour supplies, the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has said.Over the past weeks bread has been in short supply and some people had been taking advantage of the situation to hike the price of the basic commodity.GMAZ chairman Mr Tafadzwa Musarara confirmed that bread supply had improved on the market following the recent wheat deliveries from Beira."We have managed to move 75 percent of the wheat that was in Beira," he said."It is now here and we are supplying about 650 tonnes of flour every day for bread making out of a requirement of 750 tonnes."So, we are improving. We believe that by November 20, we should be able to supply bakeries their requirements and also produce excess self-raising flour for households. You can see that the availability of bread has improved."GMAZ last month suspended the supply of bread and self-raising flour to biscuit and confectionery baking entities to prioritise bread production. Mr Musarara said millers were working hard to ensure that there would be enough supplies of basic commodities during the festive season."We require 45 000 tonnes of bread flour, 10 000 tonnes of salt and 50 000 tonnes of rice to cater for the festive season," he said.Meanwhile, the Grain Marketing Board has so far received 80 000 tonnes of wheat from farmers. GMB general manager, Mr Rockie Mutenha, confirmed that farmers were delivering their wheat at the parastatal's depots."Farmers are delivering wheat at our depots," he said."The target for wheat deliveries is 135 000 tonnes from the Agritex crop assessment report." The country requires 460 000 tonnes of wheat every year.Wheat production had declined with the country becoming a net importer of the commodity as farmers were no longer interested in growing the crop due to high production costs.Government had to include wheat under Command Agriculture to progressively increase production to reduce the deficit and ensure national food security.News / National

by Staff reporter

Fromer Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo's troubles continue to mount this time under the radar of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) over a murky airport deal in which the Harare City Council is said to have been fleeced of millions of dollars, it has been learnt.Harare businessman Ken Sharpe was at the centre of the investigation after the Harare City Council reportedly lodged a complaint with Zacc over the way the deal for the construction of the Airport Road, which was later completed by the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) was structured."The Harare City Council has lodged a complaint with Zacc and investigators, who include the corruption fighting institution's lawyers, are already on the ground sifting through masses of documents and evidence."Sharp was awarded a contract without going to tender by Michael Mahachi, who was then heading a commission managing the affairs of the city at the time. Mahachi had been appointed by Chombo, but there is no evidence to show that the commission sat and approved the contract with Sharp running into millions of dollars," a source close to the matter said yesterday.Zacc commissioner (investigations) Goodson Nguni said: "We have received a complaint from Harare City Council and are dealing with it. By next week, we should have full details regarding the matter. We are working flat out on it,"Insiders said the investigations have revealed that under Mahachi's instructions, council began transferring land and paid millions to Sharp's Augur Investments before work began."Council paid millions to Sharp's Augur Investments even before any equipment moved onto the site. The whole thing reeks of graft. Land was also transferred to the contractor as part of the payment plan before anything happened. Council lost a lot," NewsDay Weekender heard.In 2016, Zacc as well as the Auditor-General Mildred Chiri's office called for an investigation into the 20km project known as Joshua Nkomo Expressway that audits indicated cost taxpayers and Harare ratepayers up to eight times more than was recommended including vast tracts of land with Chombo being the lead actor.Initial reports indicated that the airport deal was awarded to Augur Investments without going to tender. This involved the City of Harare pledging 4 000 hectares of land to the company as part payment.It has also emerged that Mahachi, was also Augur "project manager" when he awarded the company the tender.For his role as project manager, Mahachi was allegedly paid close to $2 million.News / National

by Staff reporter

THE High Court has stopped the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) from evicting Chimanimani families, who were facing imminent displacement from their banana farms.The 27 families, represented by Passmore Nyakureba, approached the High Court in Mutare with a prayer to have the eviction stopped.In her judgment, Justice Hlekani Mwayera interdicted ZimParks from executing its plan."The respondent and those acting in concert with it or under its instructions are interdicted from arbitrary evicting first  27th applicants and families from Chikware and Mapombera villages, Chief Ngorima Chimanimani," the ruling, that also ordered each of the parties to meet their costs, read.Before the order, NewsDay Weekender was inundated with calls from the villagers who were alleging that their imminent removal had all to do with suspected gold deposits in the area."We are approaching the rainy season and this is the time that we are preparing our fields. Surprisingly, there are people moving around threatening to remove us. There is earth moving equipment that has come and we don't know what to do now. This is unfair and we don't have alternative areas to go to where we can sustain our lives. The government must intervene," one of the villagers, who was blaming the local leadership for letting them down before the High Court order was granted, said.Others said they had built houses and if they were to be demolished, it would be a loss they would not be able to recover."I stay in Vhimba area and we have seen people doing rounds in our area, and we were certain they wanted to prospect for gold. The unfortunate thing is that the community was not consulted; we were in the dark. I don't know what we have done to deserve this."The government and the elected leadership must find ways to stop this madness. Had it not been for the court, we would be destitutes by now. We were going to lose our valuables to the rains. The whole community is living in fear and President Emmerson Mnangagwa must look into this issue," another villager said.Nyakureba applauded the interdict."It is good that our clients got the relief they needed as they were now living in fear of eviction from their homes and agriculture land. Things are tough in the country at the moment and to add such misery to the suffering is beyond the comprehension of any rational human being."Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (Zela), which moved in swiftly to have the villagers get representation, said they were excited that no villager was going to be moved."All I can say is that it was a call we could not resist to assist such a marginalised community, who faced arbitrary eviction contrary to what the Constitution says," Darlington Chidharara from Zela said."The Supreme Court, in the last two weeks in another judgment, reiterated that, with no court order, one cannot legally evict people from their homes. As Zela, we believe that if there is a resource in any area, locals must benefit from that resource just as we have advocated everywhere we work, for example, Marange diamond fields or even at Mutoko black granite mining."We believe that ZimParks should engage the people of Vhimba so that they find a workable solution where locals benefit from the national parks activity just as what happened earlier this year with the Kanyemba people in Mbire. Evicting them was unfair, hence we are ready to assist parks to engage the people of Vhimba to find a workable solution which leaves everyone happy."News / National

by Staff reporter

The Land Commission has summoned government and local authorities' officials to a public hearing, to give evidence on the illegal acquisition and allocation of State land reserved for urban development.The public hearings by the six-member Justice Tendai Uchena-led commission began yesterday at a Bulawayo hotel and will end on November 23.The commission is investigating the illegal sale of State land in and around the urban areas of Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South."Accordingly, the commission summons government officials and local authority staff to give evidence on various matters pertaining to acquisition, allocation, planning and development of urban State land, handed by the ministry for Lands to the ministry responsible for local government for urban development," Uchena told journalists at a Press briefing on Thursday.Justice Uchena said in Bulawayo the commission is interested in the illegal sale of State land at Rangemore, Umvutsha B, Woodvale farm, Relgate, Good Hope and Mopani Farm near the airport and "any other such urban State land that may be known to the public".In Bulawayo, pressure groups and residents' associations have raised a red flag over the acquisition and sale of land by the local authority to some private land developers with links to city fathers.City fathers face charges of illegal land deals.Former Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere at one time suspended five Bulawayo councillors over illegal land deals. This followed the release of a report of a government probe team deployed to Bulawayo to investigate corruption and illegal land deals among city fathers."The commission also subpoenas urban State land actors in land acquisition, allocation, planning and development, such as those alleged to have illegally sold or purchased stands. The commission also subpoenas beneficiaries who have issues with regards to allocation and development," Justice Uchena said.The land commission reports to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora has called upon the MDC members to join the demonstrations despite governments warning that they will respond harshly to demos."Recently the MDC National Council resolved that the party would soon embark on nationwide demonstrations. The sole purpose of the demonstrations is to put pressure on the government to urgently redress the serious political, social and economic problems bedeviling Zimbabwe."We will be demonstrating against corruption, state capture, and the refusal of government to implement devolution. We will demand a serious redress of the problems of poverty and misery to which our people have been consigned."The recent monetary policy has among other things led to the failure of our people to access healthcare facilities. These demonstrations will be done in terms of Section 59 of the constitution. The threats by the state to violently suppress these demonstrations will not deter us."Recently the Minister of Home Affairs Cain Mathema said, "We are aware that there are some political leaders and civil organisations that are agitating for the unseating of the constitutionally elected Government of Zimbabwe through demonstrations."May I, therefore, reiterate that the Government has put the necessary security measures in place to ensure that law and order is maintained and anyone who is found inciting violence, intimidating people going about their business, advocating for illegal gatherings and influencing civil servants to go on strike, will certainly face the full wrath of the law."Responding to Mathema's statements, AMH Boss Trevor Ncube said, Minister Cain Mathema, Public protests are part of a vibrant democracy. Democracy by nature is sometimes noisy and messy. Your role is to ensure protests are peaceful. Provide protection for the peaceful protesters, private property and members of the public.News / National

by Staf reporter

THE ongoing fight for the Bulawayo Deputy Mayor position appears to be far from over, with one of the aspiring candidates vowing to ignore the party leadership's decision to endorse last week's vote which saw Ward Three councillor, Tinashe Kambarami retaining the position unopposed.Ward One councillor, Mlandu Ncube has been involved in a bitter fight for the position after he had been initially seconded to the position during a caucus vote but was eventually beaten to the position by Clr Kambarami that was held in the council chambers.MDC Bulawayo province then ordered Clr Kambarami to resign from his position or risk being expelled from the party and council, accusing him of defying party orders to have Clr Ncube elected to the post. Clr Kambarami last Sunday orally announced his resignation in the presence of the party's president, Mr Nelson Chamisa, only to be re-elected unopposed the following day.Speaking to our sister paper, Chronicle, on Friday, the party's deputy president, Mr Morgan Komichi said the party had accepted Clr Kambarami's election as the city's Deputy Mayor. However, Clr Ncube has insisted that as far as he was concerned the re-election of Clr Kambarami was a non-event saying the matter would only be concluded when the party and councillors go back to the original caucus decision endorsing him as the city's Deputy Mayor. He said as long as councillors continue delaying his rise to the Deputy Mayor post they were delaying progress in the city and avoiding the inevitable."This issue is not over at all, I was not told of the party position nor was there anything put in writing to that effect. Actually as far as I am concerned president Chamisa's order for Clr Kambarami to resign was not implemented. I know that we are focusing a lot on this issue but I believe the only way we can progress on this matter is simply going back to the original party decision and councillors caucus that had me as the Deputy Mayor, I will not tire until this is achieved and I become the Deputy Mayor of Bulawayo," said Clr Ncube.However, it has since emerged that the party on Friday dispatched the party's secretary for local government, who is also the MDC Alliance chief of staff, Mr Sesel Zvidzai to come and calm the storm in the city and ensure that the councillors accept last Monday's vote where Clr Kambarami was elected to the second topmost position in the city, unopposed.Contacted for comment, yesterday, Mr Zvidzai confirmed the meeting, saying it was a fruitful meeting and councillors were ready to set aside the divisions caused by the Deputy Mayor vote and forge ahead for the betterment of the city."On Friday I met with Bulawayo councillors to give them direction on local government business and party policy and I should tell you that I have never met a tranquil and focused group, they sat together and are raring to lift the pride of the city to another level. They are alive to the fact that Bulawayo is an icon when it comes to local government work and would not want to be held accountable for destroying this legacy. Yes, there are a few hitches here and there that have to be scratched but these are just minor," said Mr Zvidzai.Questioned on Clr Ncube's position on the matter and his grievances, Mr Zvidzai said; "I do understand Clr Ncube but he also has to realise the processes that have been done as a party. However, I must assure you that we are all working together noting that what is important is serving the people of Bulawayo. His time will come. Further you will find that the people of Bulawayo care less on who becomes Mayor or Deputy Mayor but it is service delivery which they are pushing for."Questioned on Mr Zvidzai's sentiments, Clr Ncube said he had not attended the said meeting as he was attending a funeral in Ntabazinduna.MDC Alliance national spokesperson, Mr Jacob Mafume warned Clr Ncube saying he had to bring himself to order as the party had already made its official position clear and it was up to him to accept it or risk being labelled a rebel.News / National

by Staff reporter

THE Bulawayo City Council will consider awarding all tenders for the provision of goods and services to the local authority to companies operating within its jurisdiction as part of its efforts to ensure their growth as well as curbing the effects of de-industrialisation.Speaking after a tour of the city's industrial areas last week, Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni said the local authority would consider putting a deliberate policy of awarding contracts for services and supply of goods to local companies."The implementation of such a policy that awards contracts, jobs or tenders to local companies is only but a work in progress and will soon be introduced as a way of showing our gratitude (to the companies). It's the only way of buying Bulawayo back. There are a lot of other companies that have remained within the local bounds offering their services to the city and it won't be prudent to award tenders and contracts to companies that are based in other cities or areas. Hence the approach will be that when tendering first preference should go to local companies so that we promote locality," he said.Clr Mguni said there was a need to honour firms that exhibited resilience at the height of economic challenges, which saw most companies in Bulawayo either closing shop or relocating mostly to Harare.Bulawayo, once the country and Sub-Sahara Africa's industrial hub has over the two decades suffered from the effects of de-industrialisation which saw numerous firms closing shop with thousands of workers losing jobs since 2009, despite Government's efforts to bail out struggling companies.Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) Matabeleland chapter president, Mr Joseph Gunda said the move by the local authority was likely to contribute towards improving the city's economy."The move is a welcome gesture and a great initiative as it encourages and motivates local companies and industries to soldier on. It will also create job opportunities in Bulawayo. However, it should not be taken as bias because it's devoid from that, it's about developing the City of Bulawayo through local procurement," he said.The call comes at a time when the Government is pushing for the realisation of devolution where provinces will have more control over their economic activities.News / National

by Staff reporter

SPEAKER of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda has called on the Finance ministry to allocate a reasonable budget to Parliament as well as prioritise the construction of the new Parliament building in Mount Hampden near Harare.Addressing MPs during the 2019 pre-budget seminar in Bulawayo last week, Mudenda stressed the need for a well-resourced Parliament which can accommodate 270 MPs in the National Assembly and 80 Senators, saying it was not decent for legislators to stampede for chairs in the House.Quite often, during the National Assembly sittings, MPs fight for chairs, and at times they trade barbs as well as push and shove each other, disturbing the flow of debates in the House.During the Eighth Parliament, female MPs even complained that they were not comfortable with the overcrowding and seating arrangements where they were squashed in between their male counterparts."The sovereignty of our Parliament demands that Parliament be allocated a reasonable budget vote, which it should manage so that it can transact its constitutional mandate without material challenges," Mudenda said."A well-resourced Parliament is a dignified institution and in the same vein, there is an urgent need for government to prioritise the construction of the new Parliament building in Mount Hampden in order to accommodate the huge demand for office space by MPs and Parliament staff."Mudenda said the fact that MPs were stampeding for seats in the House was a shame as it detracts the decorum of Parliament."I call for the relevant government departments involved to burn the midnight candle and ensure that there is speedy progress in the construction of a new Parliament building. This stance can only be realised if MPs desist from allowing the 2019 budget to pass through instead of passing it after some incisive debate," he said.In the 2018 budget, then Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa allocated $57 million to Parliament yet MPs had bid for $100 million. The Parliament budget was later increased to $90 million.Mudenda also challenged parliamentary committees to come up with solutions to deal with the fiscal deficit and also proffer solutions to government's employment costs, which have been gobbling the biggest chunk of the budget."Committees should come up with measures to control the ballooning domestic and external debt of $16,9 billion and $5,6 billion, respectively. Committees should stimulate debate on how the budget can be used as a tool for the industrialisation of our economy in order to create jobs and thereby increase the revenue base," Mudenda said.News / National

by Staff reporter

BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) has run out of water treatment chemicals amid indications the local authority may be forced to stop the purification of the precious liquid unless foreign currency to procure the much needed chemicals is urgently mobilised.This is not the first time the local authority has faced a water chemicals shortage.A couple of years ago, the city also endured an acute shortage of water treatment chemicals that resulted in a cessation of purification of water at its Criterion Water Works.According to the latest council report, the local authority is left with only a month's supply of ammonia, while their poly-electrolyte stocks are reportedly also running low.Ammonia is used to assist chlorine in the disinfection process of water, while poly-electrolytes are used in the process of coagulation and flocculation which helps clear murky waters."Discussion ensued and Alderman Norman Hlabani sought clarification in challenges which were being faced regarding the availability of water treatment chemicals? Alderman Clayton Zana was concerned about the shortage of ammonia. Was water quality not compromised as a result of this?"In response, the director of engineering services (Simela Dube) advised that there was only one month's supply of aluminium sulphate in stock, which was a critical chemical in treating water. Aluminium sulphate was used as a stop-gap. He confirmed that foreign currency shortages were affecting the availability of chemicals," a council report of the future water supplies and water action committee reads in part.BCC town clerk Christopher Dube yesterday told Southern Eye that the local authority was now engaging the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to come to their rescue as all the water treatment chemicals are sourced from outside the country."I am sure a solution will be found very soon. The RBZ and government have not let us down when it comes to ensuring water treatment chemicals are procured," Dube said in a telephone interview.The development comes at a time the local authority has warned it might be forced to decommission some of its supply dams where water levels have dwindled to critical levels.According to the BCC, Umzingwane, Upper Ncema and Lower Ncema water levels are not pleasing and spell doom for the city if no significant inflows are received during the upcoming rainy season.Bulawayo has, for years, faced serious water shortages, with city fathers being forced to decommission supply dams over low water levels.Opinion / Columnist

Conclusion

Don Chigumba is a mixed methods research specialist can be found on twitter @Donchigumba

Air Zimbabwe has been allowed by the cabinet of President ED Mnangagwa to charge its clients (especially diasporas) in foreign currency. The confused minister in charge of Air Zimbabwe Joel Biggie Matiza claimed that the airline has been losing a lot of money by charging air tickets in RTGS/Bond notes. On the other hand, our intelligent minister of finance Mthuli Ncube is still claiming that RTGS/Bond notes and US dollar have the same value.Therefore, this piece seeks to demonstrate that the priority given to Air Zimbabwe (to charge their clients in foreign currency) by the cabinets has set in motion the downfall of Mthuli Ncube's economic/fiscal policies. It is just a matter of days, all businesses are going to request the cabinet to allow them to sell their goods and services in foreign currency. Failure to allow them (just like what they did to Air Zimbabwe) will result in an industrial action and revolt from business owners and workers.It is unacceptable for the cabinet to allow (only a single) company to transect its business in foreign currency while other businesses from the same environment are suffocating because of RTGS/Bond notes. Minister Matiza made it clear that Air Zimbabwe has been losing a lot of money and the same is happening to all businesses in Zimbabwe that rely on imports.The implication of the cabinet directive is that, RTGS/Bond notes are not at par with US dollar. The directive has exposed John Mangudya and Mthuli Ncube and I can now speak without fear that Mthuli Ncube and John Mangudya are taking Zimbabweans to Bagdad.According to the media, RTGS above $8 billion are circulating in Zimbabwe backed by almost $450 million in bond notes. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and their intelligent minister Mthuli Ncube could not explain on the source of RTGS plastic money. Initially, John Mangudya claimed that only $200 million bond notes were in circulation, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe just like the military seem to be dishonest. Zimbabweans need an explanation of the excess of $250 million bond notes in circulation.I am confident that Zimbabweans have lost their savings and pension again, this time in the name of RTGS and Bond notes. The minister of finance has no option, he should scrap RTGS/Bond notes in circulation because the forces of economy have refused them. Air Zimbabwe has rejected RTGS/Bond notes today and a floodgate of disaster has been opened. The entire business community in Zimbabwe will follow suit as well as workers, they need to be paid in foreign currency.I have learnt that Mthuli Ncube is not only dishonest but also a man of double standards. On one hand, he tells us that RTGS/Bond notes and US dollars are equal in value while at night advising the cabinet to allow Air Zimbabwe to charge in foreign currency. Why did Mthuli Ncube allow the cabinet to approve the Air Zimbabwe's wish? Every Zimbabwean should now question the intellectual capacity of Mthuli Ncube. He now appears to be a comrade rather than a doctor.In one of my pieces, I urged Mthuli Ncube to drop bond notes and adopt the rand. That is the only evil way for Zimbabwe to go because of our proximity to South Africa. The minister still have time to go for this option before facing the music. Mthuli Ncube's incoming budgets will always become a nullity if RTGS/Bond notes are still with us.The rejection of RTGS and Bond notes by Air Zimbabwe is an indication that we have already lost our savings and pension for the second time in less than 8 years. Zimbabweans should not wait for Jesus Christ to tell them that ZANU PF has cheated them again, they should think ahead and independent of ZANU PF government. I am very worried about those planning to retire between now and 2030, they will go home with nothing because RTGS/Bond notes are not legal and recognized currencies internationally.The rejection of RTGS/Bond notes by Air Zimbabwe has already opened a floodgate of disaster, just watch the space. John Mangudya and Mthuli Ncube should tell the Zimbabweans the source of $8 billion in RTGS circulating in Zimbabwe? ZANU PF government should swallow their pride by scrapping RTGS/Bond notes. They should stop hiding behind a finger just like the military that rejected to take responsibility of their own actions of 1 august 2018.Leaders of innovation and technology from around the world are traveling to Singapore this week for the third annual Singapore FinTech Festival. The worlds largest platform for the global fintech community, the Singapore FinTech Festival features a series of exciting events, including a Global FinTech Hackcelerator Demo Day, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Finance Summit, FinTech Awards, an Innovation Lab Crawl, Workshops, and more. We sat down with Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief Innovation Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to learn more about the event, and how Singapore is using innovative technology to rewrite the capital markets and beyond.

Can you tell us about the Singapore FinTech Festival? How did the Festival originally come to life and what is your mission?

We started the Singapore FinTech Festival in 2016 to celebrate the accomplishments of the global FinTech community. As a global financial hub, and with a fast growing FinTech community, we believed we could create a platform to bridge the global financial and FinTech community, bringing them together to connect, collaborate and co-create.

The first festival saw over 14,000 participants from the banking and finance industry, tech players, investors, start-ups and anyone who was keen on learning more about FinTech. We are pleasantly surprised by the amount of traction we have gained, doubling to 30,000 participants last year.

This year, weve expanded the Festival to become a global knowledge platform that extends beyond Fintech to include topics such as LP investing, venture capital and capital raising strategies. We hope that the Festival will continue to become an increasingly global and inclusive platform for the FinTech community which includes international regulators, players within the FinTech and beyond the FinTech sector, policy makers and academics.

What excites you most about blockchain, and other innovative technologies present at the Singapore FinTech Festival?

Blockchain technology continues to fascinate me. The concept of asset tokenisation has created a whole new token economy, and we are only starting to understand its implications. It has been more than 2 years since we started on Project Ubin, and we are still learning something new and interesting with every phase.

A recent work was on developing Delivery versus Payment, or DvP capabilities for settlement of tokenised assets across different blockchain platforms. This enables the simultaneous exchange and final settlement of tokenized assets and currencies, even when they are on different blockchain networks. The immediate benefits are operational efficiencies and reduction of settlement risks.

But what amazes me most is how this innovation could be applied to even the non-financial sectors, and radically transform the global economy in the long run. Securities is just one form of tokenized assets. Imagine the possibilities of tokenizing other assets, including physical assets such as property and land titles. This could create new opportunities never imagined before.

Is there a specific use case for blockchain that interests you the most?

Cross-border payments is of particular interest, simply because they are so slow and expensive today. Our domestic payments network, such as FAST and PayNow, allow me to make a payment in 3 clicks, almost instantly and at no cost. Using that as a benchmark, there is so much opportunity for improvement with cross-border payments.

Payments in general is interesting for us, but the incremental benefits of blockchain for domestic payment is very limited. However, this is from a developed economys perspective, where centralized systems work well. We have robust infrastructures, and we have trusted central parties, and there is simply little reason to move to a decentralized infrastructure.

If we view this from the lens of an emerging economy where they do not enjoy the same luxuries which we take for granted, the situation is very different. I believe the first large-scale implementation of blockchain for payments will be in an emerging economy. We are used to a paradigm of mature economies exporting technologies to emerging economies. In the blockchain space, I believe the reverse will happen. Emerging economies will find a strong compelling use-case, deploy the technology and leap-frog the rest.

There is hence a strong opportunity for partnerships between mature and emerging economies, and that is what we are doing. Our FinTech companies are capitalising on our wealth of expertise and capabilities developed through experiments such Project Ubin, collaborating with regional partners to co-develop and implement new solutions, and in the process, learn from each others experiences.

What does innovation mean to you?

Innovation is about finding new and better ways of doing things. It could be to improve efficiency, reduce costs, lower risks, or create better products. The most important thing however, is that innovation must be purposeful, and that it must improve peoples lives.

There is a common misconception that innovation is about doing something cool with the latest technology. The technology you use is only half of the story. Technology is an enabler, and new technologies enable new ways of solving challenges. Ultimately, how you use the technology is far more important, and many of the amazing FinTech innovations today are simply great ideas that have been executed brilliantly.

What advice would you give to young professionals who aspire to be in the FinTech industry?

The same advice to FinTech companies: start small, dream big, move fast. The FinTech industry is advancing so fast, there are no bad opportunities, only lost opportunities. Get yourself into a FinTech role, but do not be confined by it. Write your own job description. Think about what you should be doing with a 50% month-on-month growth, and work hard to make it happen.

How does MAS use technology to #rewritetomorrow?

As a central bank, it is not so much how we use technology, but our attitude towards technology that will #rewritetomorrow. We have a strong belief that regulations should not front-run innovation, and this has created space and opportunities for the financial industry to experiment, innovate, and use technology to provide better financial services and to manage risks better.

We also believe that policies and regulations are best made when we understand the technology and the innovation. As such, we have made practical experimentation a priority, so we know first-hand the risks and benefits of new technologies. We work closely with the industry to experiment and to co-create solutions, so we face challenges and overcome them together.

That is how we are working with the financial industry to #rewritetomorrow.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.The Grande Prairie, Alta., woman and a friend from the U.K. who were charged with vandalism for spray painting graffiti on an ancient wall in Thailand have avoided prison, but must pay fines.

Brittney Schneider and Furlong Lee, of Liverpool, were arrested in Chiang Mai on Oct. 18. Closed-circuit TV footage showed the pair spray painting a wall near the Tha Phae Gate, the main entrance to the city's old town.

The footage shows Lee writing "Scouser Lee" on the wall.

Schneider, who admits she wrote the letter "B'' underneath it, said the pair had been drinking heavily that night. She described the incident as a drunken mistake.

They faced up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to 1 million Thai baht (about $40,000 Cdn) each.

On Monday in Thailand, Schneider and Lee, both 23, learned they'll be able to go home without spending any time behind bars.

Schneider said hearing the judge's decision was a stressful experience, as they were initially given a two-year prison sentence.

"My heart literally dropped," Schneider said. "I couldn't hear her [the judge] speaking anymore. I could just see her mouth moving. My legs were shaking and I just wanted to drop to the floor."

Brittney Schneider/Facebook

Schneider said the judge quickly reduced her sentence to a year, and then finally gave them a fine of 100,000 baht (about $4,000 each) and a one-year suspended sentence.

Schneider is allowed to go home, but if she commits any crimes in Thailand during that time, she would have to serve that sentence, according to her mother, Tara Schneider.

Brittney Schneider said she isn't sure why the judge reduced the sentence, but said it could be because she doesn't have a criminal record.

"She was super compassionate and I'm so thankful that she was," Schneider told CBC on the phone Monday from Thailand.

"I'm really excited to go home and put this behind me. Obviously, I've learned a lot from this experience."

Story continues

Schneider said she is waiting for some paperwork to go through before she can fly home to Alberta.

"I've gotten a lot of hate online, a lot from my hometown, and I'm a little scared to go home to see how people are going to treat me," she said.

"I know I'm not a bad person. I made a bad decision."

Tara Schneider has been in Thailand, supporting her daughter throughout the ordeal. She said she felt an immediate sense of relief when she learned her daughter could go home.

"I've never won the lottery in my life, but at that moment I think I can experience what winning the lottery would feel like," she said.

Respecting the culture

The pair have been taking in Thai culture, visiting temples, learning the language, and speaking with locals.

Brittney Schneider said she'll be more considerate of other cultures during her travels, and that she'll study countries before visiting and respect the laws.

"I want people to see, like, what I did, obviously, and learn from it, not make the same mistake I did," she said.

"I'm very sorry for what I've done."

Schneider said she would love to return to Thailand one day.

"I'm not banned from here. I'm allowed to come back," she said. "I would love to come back to Thailand. I love this place."The federal government is creating an advisory council on tourism to help develop a national strategy in a bid to boost the role of tourism in Canada's economy.

Frank McKenna  ex-premier of New Brunswick, former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. and now deputy chairman of TD Bank  is to chair the new council.

He will be joined by McKinsey & Company global managing partner emeritus Dominic Barton, who chairs the government's council on economic growth. McKinsey also won a recent federal contract to study barriers in the tourism industry.

Jerry Dias, president of the general trade union Unifor, joins industry experts, local politicians, former hotel CEOs and tourism business owners on the council.

"There is absolutely no doubt that tourism has the potential to boost the economy based on what many other countries do  There's no doubt it can be a much larger contributor to our economy than it is at present," said McKenna in an interview with CBC News.

In 2017, the tourism industry accounted for 2.06 per cent of the country's GDP. The Liberal government is eyeing tourism for its untapped potential for economic and job growth.

"This is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Many, many countries are investing in their tourism sectors to really grab a piece of the pie," said Melanie Joly, minister for tourism, official languages and la Francophonie, in an interview with CBC News. "We need to make sure that we're competitive."

Dropped from the Top 10

The Trudeau Liberals see tourism as at the core of their middle-class economic message, according to one senior government source who spoke on background.

Being labour-intensive, tourism is one of the few fast-growing sectors where jobs are not being wiped out by automation. Unlike manufacturing, for example, it's a prime candidate for job growth.

Canada used to be a Top 10 destination for international tourists, but since 2000 has slipped to 17th place.

Story continues

The Liberals are quick to blame the previous Conservative government for the slide, pointing to its cuts to the budget of Destination Canada, the Crown corporation tasked with promoting Canadian tourism worldwide. In the last federal budget, the Liberals upped Destination Canada's annual budget to $97.8 million from $57.8 million.

In 2017, the country's 150th birthday, Canada saw a record 20.8 million visitors. In just the first eight months of 2018, 14.8 million international tourists came to Canada.

This year is the Canada-China year of tourism  a joint initiative. Visitors from China are coveted by many nations because they're seen as 'high yield' tourists: they stay longer and spend more money. Last year, Canada saw an increase of 2.7 per cent in the number of tourists from China. There are high hopes that 2018, with its special designation, will see even better numbers.

Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press

But while Canada's numbers are up, so are the numbers of competing nations. The tourism industry around the world is growing by more than four per cent annually, according to industry statistics. Canada's slice of the pie is not increasing, which is why it has not regained its top 10 spot.

"Canada is doing well. We have one of the best reputations in the world, but we only see about two per cent of the global visits every year so we're not growing as fast as our competitors," said Vince Accardi, director of policy and stakeholder relations for the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC).

An advisory council and the promise of a national strategy are being welcomed by the industry and business leaders. But there's already a general consensus abroad on where some key investments could be made.

Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press

The president of TIAC went before the House of Commons finance committee at the end of September to argue the government needs to work on better visa processing and marketing, and on solving labour shortages.

Perrin Beatty, president and chairman of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said he's never understood why the sector has been taken for granted.

"We're talking about a sector here that could be bigger than the automotive sector or bigger than agriculture," he said.

"If you were to say what sector could we have where every single community in Canada could benefit, tourism is at the top of the list."

In an election year, any push on tourism is likely to have a political angle. Tourism is a part of both rural and urban Canada, generating revenue in small villages and big cities alike.

Ridings stand to benefit

That means a lot of federal ridings stand to benefit from a change in government policy and funding.

Joly began a cross-country tour Monday to hear from some of the 1.8 million tourism workers the Liberals see as part of their target audience: the middle class "and those working hard to join it."

Joly said she expects the national strategy to include both short-term easy wins as well as long-term goals that will take some coordination with other departments, such as Transport, CBSA, Infrastructure and Immigration.

The national strategy is expected to be ready by spring 2019, just months before the next election.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Rain denied Pakistan any chance of winning its first ODI series against New Zealand since 2011 as the third and final game was abandoned Sunday.

New Zealand, missing injured regular captain Kane Williamson, was 35-1 in 6.5 overs in reply to Pakistan's 279-8 when rain in Dubai prevented further play and both teams shared the series 1-1.

Earlier, three half centuries by Babar Azam (92), Fakhar Zaman (65) and Haris Sohail (60) propelled Pakistan to a strong total despite fast bowler Lockie Ferguson's (5-45) first five-wicket haul in limited overs games.

New Zealand won the first match by 47 runs before Pakistan came back strongly and leveled the series 1-1 with a six-wicket win.

Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi had struck on the second delivery when Colin Munro was undone by pace and was clean bowled without scoring.

George Worker was unbeaten on 18 and Henry Nicholls was not out on 15 before rain forced the players off the field.

New Zealand's frontline paceman Trent Boult, who had a hat trick in the first game, was the prime target of Pakistan's batsmen. The left-armer couldn't get a wicket in the second match and finished with his second most expensive ODI figures of 1-80 off 10 overs on Sunday.

Mohammad Hafeez replaced injured Imam-ul-Haq at the top order as Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat.

Zaman and Hafeez were unruffled by New Zealand in a 64-run first-wicket stand before Hafeez went too deep in his crease while playing Ferguson and was out hit wicket as he dislodged the bails with his back heel.

Zaman scored his second successive half century before he holed out in the deep while attempting a big shot off Colin de Grandhomme.

Pakistan shifted gears once Sohail joined Azam as the left-hander played aggressively during his 59-ball knock, which featured six fours and two sixes.

Sohail raised his half century with a pulled six off leg-spinner Ish Sohil.

Sohail and Zaman shared a run-a-ball 108 for the third wicket before Ferguson beat Sohail off a slower delivery and Worker picked up a smart low catch at square leg boundary.

Story continues

Azam should have been caught on 80 but Nicholls dropped a sitter before the fielder made amends and had Azam caught in the penultimate over.

Ferguson grabbed three wickets in the last over by having Asif Ali and Faheem Ashraf clean bowled and Hasan Ali was caught off the last delivery.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSt. Thomas University professor Tony Tremblay is studying why New Brunswickers hate their province.

The scholar of English literature is looking to a different kind of narrative to study negative stereotypes about New Brunswick, and how to change them.

Tremblay is collecting stories told by politicians, media, and the public to learn why New Brunswick is associated with what he calls "the notion of backwardness."

For his research, Tremblay defines backwardness in economic terms. Tremblay doesn't believe New Brunswick is backwards, but he said identity is created more by the stories told about a community or place than the inherent qualities of the people or place itself.

He said the dominant narrative seems to be about New Brunswick's economic status.

"The stories that circulate around that are stories of New Brunswick laziness or New Brunswickers' unwillingness to get off wealth transfers from other richer parts of Canada. There's stories about lack of mobility among New Brunswickers, New Brunswickers not desiring to move from one location to another to take a job in a community 50 kilometres away," he said.

Submitted by Tony Tremblay

The statistics released about New Brunswick's standing compared to the rest of the country don't help.

"We have the lowest mean family income. We have the highest rate of [youth] STDs. We have among the highest rates of obesity and illiteracy in the country. Based on the last census, we were the only province in the country with a still diminishing population," Tremblay said.

"It seems like a no-brainer to come up with the conclusion that we are a backward, illiterate, slow-to-modernize province."

However, Tremblay said these conclusions usually don't consider pre-existing structural conditions in the province.

"A set of social statistics does not equate to the nature of a population."

Better knowledge of N.B. history needed

Tremblay believes better self-knowledge and access to New Brunswick's history could help challenge negative narratives.

Story continues

He said 96 per cent of his students don't know enough about their province's history or literary contributions.

Young people going to school in New Brunswick are learning about writers from other places, but they're not learning about New Brunswick, he said.

"What they are learning about and are hearing are the stories about our backwardness, not the stories of our success."

Tremblay compares the stories told about New Brunswick to those of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

He said those narratives tend to be romantic  stories of Scottish heritage and folk culture, or pastoral escapes from urban life.

The most well-known narrative of that sort is arguably P.E.I.'s Anne of Green Gables.

"The stories told about New Brunswick have a harder edge," Tremblay said.

"They're darker stories. They are stories about deficit, stories about intransigence, stories about an unwillingness to change, a kind of reckless unwillingness to change."

Tremblay is still in the early stages of his research, but he's hoping studying the negative stories and stereotypes surrounding New Brunswick may reveal the best way to change them.Police say they have recovered the body of a 37-year-old man who went missing after his truck fell into a river in a remote area about 40 kilometres from the town of Terra Nova.

His body was found more than a kilometre downstream from where his truck went off a bridge, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Glovertown RCMP and the Bonavista Bay ground search and rescue team searched the shoreline Saturday while RCMP divers searched the submerged vehicle and surrounding area "until they ran out of daylight," according to a release sent Monday by police.

In the end, his body was found after an air search by Universal Helicopters.

Submitted

He was reported missing around 4 a.m. Sunday after the truck he was travelling in with three other men fell into the water "in a wilderness area" near Lake St. John, just north of the Bay du Nord Wilderness Reserve and west of Terra Nova National Park, according to the RCMP.

Three of the men managed to make it shore and were found early Sunday morning, police said.

Two of the men were taken to hospital in Clarenville with "non-life-threatening injuries."

Submitted by Keith Dicks

Paul Hiscock and Keith Dicks were at a cabin in the area for the weekend when they went to check on the bridge.

"Stopped there to have a look at the bridge  and next thing I see something in the water and I said to Paul, 'There's something in the water, like a canoe or something.' And here it was a Tacoma pickup truck," said Dicks.

"Obviously someone was after losing their life there, but we didn't know nothing about it."

Dicks said he and Hiscock made their way across the bridge, where they happened upon the police and search crews in the area.

The bridge remains intact, Hiscock added.

Eddy Kennedy/CBC

"There's just a wooden bridge, there's no rails on the side of it, and the night they went off it now, there was snow on it. I guess they slipped and went over the edge."

With files from Matt McCann

Read more stories from CBC Newfoundland and LabradorPrime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Singapore on Tuesday afternoon primed to make his pitch to a Singapore business audience: Amid new barriers to trading with the U.S., why not consider Canada?

Trudeau has a busy three days planned at the margins of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia summits.

Canada isn't a member of either group, but is lobbying for a seat at the latter to try to be more of a regional player on security issues. And it's exploring a potential comprehensive trade agreement with the 10-country ASEAN bloc.

"We have an openness towards investment and to immigration that is extremely positive," Trudeau said before meeting with the CanadaASEAN Business Council. "One of the things that is a big differentiator between us and our neighbour to the south right now is the fact that top companies can get visas for their top talent in certain sectors in less than two weeks, to be able to come and set up shop in Canada, and start doing great things with us."

Trudeau said his visit comes as Canada is "particularly engaged in a positive way on the world stage."

Last month, his government wrapped up consultations with Canada's business community gauging the appetite for comprehensive trade talks with ASEAN. Trudeau expects to have more to say "in due course."

However, an ASEAN deal could be a long-term slog. Instead, groups like the Chamber of Commerce want Canada to push ASEAN members like the Philippines to sign on to the deal already in place for the Pacific Rim: the CPTPP.

Canada and Singapore were among the first six countries to ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 11-country deal reworked after the departure of the U.S. in 2017. It takes effect at the end of this year.

Story continues

"We go through Singapore to the entire world because this is such an important trading hub," Trudeau said. Singapore is the world's largest transshipment hub, with goods passing through to somewhere else.

"The incomes in this part of the world have been rising dramatically," said Wayne Farmer, volunteer president of the business council. "This is where the action is."

"In some ways the NAFTA agreement has been almost too good for Canada because it really has shaped our trade and commerce flows," Farmer said. "Now that things are a little bit different, I think it is a wake-up call that Canada needs to diversify."

'People appreciate the face time'

Trudeau said that with its existing agreements, Canada now has preferential market access to two-thirds of the world's GDP, "and we are just getting started."

But simply having trade deals isn't enough.

"The real work, actually, gets started after you have signed the papers, and that is building the relationships ... and also changing mindsets, getting Canadian companies to see the opportunities we have," he said. Canada is "perhaps not top of mind" for potential investors.

This "real work" of relationship building may not have an immediate payoff this week  no major breakthrough announcements are expected  but Trudeau's itinerary is packed.

Bernat Armangue/Associated Press

"These are relationship-driven markets. People appreciate the face time," said Rohan Belliappa, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore and a regional representative of the Canadian National Railway. "It goes a very long way because we have a prime minister that has a very strong brand equity globally.

"When he comes to Asia people want to hear from him. And that only boosts Canada's reputation in the eyes of these very important business people."

As a "dialogue partner" in ASEAN, Trudeau will rub shoulders with other leaders at least twice: at a working luncheon and a gala dinner on Wednesday.

But not all 10 of the ASEAN countries are a comfortable fit with the Trudeau government's "progressive" agenda on human rights, freedom of the press and things like labour and environmental standards.

Trade vs. rights

Canada has a long-running consular dispute over the apparently unwarranted imprisonment of a Canadian teacher in Indonesia.

Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte's treatment of the media is precisely the opposite of the press freedom Trudeau was championing in Paris on Sunday afternoon.

And Canada recently stripped Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi's honorary citizenship in protest of her role in gross human rights violations against the Rohingya minority in that country.

In cases like these, Canada's quest for a share of the economic growth in the region runs up against the values it's been championing in other forums.

Roslan Rahman/Pool Photo via Associated Press

While ASEAN countries might be interested in a trade deal that cuts tariffs, it's unclear they're prepared to take other steps Canada may want to see before deepening trade relations.

Nevertheless, "it's an advantage to stand up for your values," said former foreign service officer Emilie Potvin, who now works for the Uber ride-sharing service in Southeast and North Asia. "Canada is seen clearly right now as a leader." When it comes to rights, Trudeau is "willing to have that conversation" with everyone, she said.

The ASEAN summit is not known for airing its dirty laundry in public  with criticizing partners too harshly seen as a cultural affront.

But that may be changing: Malaysia's prime minister recently suggested his country would no longer support Suu Kyi over her handling of the Rohingya crisis.

Ancestors part of pitch

In a region where personal relationships count, Trudeau has a chapter in his family's history that may help break the ice.

On Tuesday the prime minister said it was "touching" for him to return to Singapore, a place he had first visited as a young man with his father Pierre Trudeau. His mother Margaret's side of the family has ancestral roots here: his fifth great-grandfather was Maj.-Gen. William Farquhar, the first British commandant of colonial Singapore early in the 19th century.

Farquhar's daughter Esther, Trudeau's direct ancestor, is buried in Singapore's Fort Canning Park. A scheduled photo opportunity there was postponed due to a late flight Tuesday, but Trudeau hopes to reschedule.

Trudeau's father's relationship with China has helped open doors for Canada there since the Liberal government took office three years ago.

On Wednesday, Trudeau has his third leaders' dialogue with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, as Canada keeps trying to expand its presence in Asia's largest market.

Bullit Marquez/Associated Press

Trudeau's trade diversification push even played a role in a short stopover his plane made on its way to Singapore.

When the president of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, came to the airport for a short courtesy call, Trudeau reminded the European Union member that it would like to see a ratification vote in Cyprus soon on the CanadaEU trade deal.

That's now expected sometime in 2019, an official said.The ongoing U.S.-China trade war has been a good thing for Brazils soybean market.

China, which uses one-third of the worlds soybeans, imported 89% of its soybeans from the U.S. and Brazil last year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. And since China has slapped a 25% tariff on U.S. soybeans in retaliation for tariffs levied by U.S. President Donald Trump on China goods, that percentage will likely shift to Brazil. China has already become less reliant on the U.S. for soybeans. Last year, Brazil was Chinas largest soybean exporter with 54 million metric tons, followed by the U.S. at 32 million metric tons.

Brazil President Michel Temer at an event in New York City sponsored by the Brazil-U.S. Business Council prior to the United Nations General Assembly. Credit: Maylan L. Studart

Brazil President Michel Temer told Yahoo Finance at an event Monday that was a part of the United Nations General Assembly that he has already been in talks with China President Xi Jinping about closer cooperation. Temer said he spoke to Xi about the soybean market and other issues on the sidelines of the 10th BRICS summit last month.

When I was with president Xi Jinping in Johannesburg, I put in a program for soy, not just soybeans, but manufactured goods like soybean oil and soybean meal and president Xi said he would examine the issue, said Temer. I have the impression that it will proceed and it will increase.

Brazils soybean exports to China have already been increasing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the share of Brazils soybean exports destined for China was 85% in August, up from 78% in July.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

While the trade war is beneficial to Brazil, Eduardo Guardia, Brazils finance minister, said his country supports free trade.

We can do the math and show that in the short-run we are winning commercially with the rise of tariffs, but the position of the Brazilian government has always been one of free trade so that we can develop free trade and Brazil can integrate more and more into international commerce, said Guardia. Even though we will benefit in the short-term, I believe this kind of commercial war isnt good for the world economy and consequently for Brazil, even though we are benefiting right now.

Story continues

Maylan Studart is a reporter for Yahoo Finance

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This brain cancer drug stock has been on a tearSometimes I find it hard to pray for all those who are in need of it around the world. I live in a little bubble which is mostly indifferent even when I hear the worst cases of persecution on Christian news sites.

Then sometimes I still feel indifferent when I know of the situation personally. Yes, I have sympathy but not enough to do much more than a simple prayer and then move on with my life.

But is that enough?

Even knowing that as Christians we are all knit together does little to alleviate the indifference to the suffering. The only hope I have is that the Holy Spirit will come and give me a stronger sense of empathy for things I cant fully understand when Im not experiencing it myself.

Taking our cue from the history

What would inspire you into action like the Old Testament prophets? Wailing, fasting with sackcloth and ashes, continuous prayer and supplication for their nation and people. What is it that would cause you to go to such lengths to repent and plead for our nation before a great and dreadful God (Daniel Chapter 9 verse 3)?

When I hear of the many woes in this nation: ice addicts, abortion, domestic violence, sexual abuse my heart is heavy for a time and then I forget as I let indifference take over.

After all, what can I do?

Pray without ceasing

Those in the Old Testament had a different strategy. They would be steadfast in pleading to the Lord on behalf of the people, never giving up hope that He could pour mercy upon Israel, no matter how many decades it took.

May we take up the cause and fight the indifference as Daniel did.

Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name. (Daniel chapter 9 verse 19).

The best way to fight indifference as I have found, is to do something about it. To plead the cause of the widows and orphans (Isaiah Chapter 1 verse 17). Because were commanded to and because obedience might be the only way to melt the indifference of the 21st Century heart.

Learning how to care

It helps to stay informed. It helps to practice in developing empathy. Having a curiosity about others helps to foster empathy, as well as habitually expressing your appreciation of others.

Experience can help if youre not imaginative enough to put yourself in another persons shoes figuratively. Opening yourself up to new cultures, experiences and even reading helps promote empathy.

But as a Christian the number one thing we can do is try to see others through Gods perspective of them. Knowing God more, we can only begin to fathom what he feels for his creation, here and all over the earth. The knowledge of God and what everlasting love means, will melt away indifference every time.

Bridget Brenton is involved in Aboriginal and Islander based ministries, and enjoys tech stuff like making websites and making games in her spare time.Smith Wigglesworth was one of the most fruitful and effective preachers ever. But, he was not always a godly, righteous man. He was a ruffian.

His Christian wife attended church regularly. Often Wigglesworth locked her out of the house and left her to sleep on the back porch.

She committed her husband to prayer and the result, they say, is history. I often confess my salvation came through the persistent prayer and intercession of my wife, Yvonne.

Years ago we were overseas on the mission field when my wife had a dream. She had seen our son John in the surf but caught in a rip. His life was in danger. She woke and prayed for him. Later when we came home to be with the family she learned he had indeed been swept away. He called out to his brother-in-law to say goodbye to the family.

As he prepared for the worst a wave picked him up and threw him to safety. When Yvonne and John compared notes his rescue came at the same time she had been praying. Maybe you also have a story of answered prayer.

Prayer

In ancient times prayer was not exclusive to the Israelites. Prayers to Yahweh, the God of Israel, were very different from those offered to the surrounding foreign deities.

In Egypt Amon was acknowledged as the creator and giver of life. An ancient hymn Amon-Re described Amon as the god who made mankind and created the beasts, lord of what is, who created the fruit tree, made herbage, and gave life to cattle. (Hymn Amon-Re 1: 5) Amon was declared to be healer and magician.

Egyptians also praised Aton as the beginning of life who didst create the world.All men, cattle, and wild beasts, whatever is on earth. (The Hymn of Aton). There was also a Hymn to Ishtar which declared life is in her mouth.

Akkadian Prayer to the Gods of the Night depicts the great gods of Old Babylon  Shamash, Sin, Adad and Ishtar  asleep in their chambers, indifferent to the concerns of their devotees. (Prayer- The Lexham Bible Dictionary).

Through Old Testament study we learn Yahweh was the God who listens and responds to prayer. He gave attention to His people. An intimacy between Yahweh and His people was special. Foreign gods were distant and aloof needing to be cajoled. Prayer to them was often pleading, even grovelling.

Abba

As prayer in the Israelite family developed some structured formula also came. As usual Jesus broke through the religious approach and in His prayers displayed a close intimate relationship with the One He called Father. He spoke to His Father with humility and submission and He was always sensitive and relaxed with His language.

The Apostle Paul emphasized the Abba Father in prayer. He reminded believers they were now children of the Father. (Romans chapter 8 verse 15 and Galatians chapter 4 verse 6).

Is that your relationship with Him? Is He your Father or more like a distant Sovereign?

As our Father we know He is constantly watching and observing us and caring for our eternal well-being. He delights to give His children good things.

Prayers in the New Testament flowed from their ancient Jewish roots. We learned from what has been called The Lords Prayer in Matthew chapter 6, verses 9 to 13. It is more correctly the Disciples Prayer. Jesus taught the disciples how to pray with this basic formula. (Also Luke chapter 11, verses 2 to 4).

Christianity brought a major innovation into the power of prayer. We learned to pray in Jesus name.

Throughout history the names of individuals were linked with their names. The name Abram means great father. He became Abraham meaning father of multitudes. Jesus was named Yehoshua which means Yahweh is salvation or Yahweh saves. He was Yahweh in the Book of Exodus and described as God who is loving and compassionate but does not leave sin unpunished. (Exodus chapter 34, verses 6 to 7) The name Jesus (Yehoshua) came from His Old Testament identity.

Before Jesus departed to be with His Father He made a significant promise. And whatever you ask in my name I will do this, in order that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. (John chapter 14, verses 13 to 14) Jesus was about to leave His disciples but His message was clear. Even though He will be physically absent He will be with them, always.

Life as a believing community is to continue with Jesus still effective and powerful as the Lord and Saviour. Bad things happened and Jesus knew about it. He knew what Judas was about to do even as He shared Passover with His disciples. He did not avoid the situation but with the love and support of the Father He moved forward and accomplished the salvation plan.

Pray

There are events in our world that signal all manner of events may unfold. The importance for all of us is to avoid fellowship with fear and take hold of the trust and assurance that has stood against adversity over and over again. This week analysts have warned of a possible world war, some have said Australia may be drawn into a war with China. Every day we hear of wars and rumours of wars.

If world events or your personal circumstances lead to stress or anxiety, your answer is found in prayer.

Try these words from knowingjesus.com -Protect my mind I pray from the clamour and intrigue of this world system, that so often fills our hearts with fears and deflects our thoughts away from You  so that I may rest in Your arms of love and be filled with Your perfect peace that passes understanding.

Help me to take every thought captive and when the difficulties of this complex world seek to manipulate my attention away from You, may I fix my mind on Jesus knowing that He is the Author and Finisher of my faith  and my Prince of Peace, in Whose name I pray.

R on Ross is a Middle East consultant for United Christian Broadcasters (Vision FM). Previously he was radio news editor for Bridges for Peace in Jerusalem, Israel.

His career started at WINTV (Email: ronandyvonne@mac.com)

Ron Ross previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/ron-ross.htmlShare this: Twitter

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New York, November 12, 2018The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed indignation at statements from Tanzanian authorities and South Africas foreign minister justifying the detention of CPJs Africa team in Dar es Salaam on November 7. Officials from both countries falsely claimed CPJs Africa program coordinator Angela Quintal and sub-Saharan Africa representative Muthoki Mumo were in Tanzania without proper visas when they were detained and interrogated. In fact, both were traveling on valid visas, as part of a fact-finding and networking trip to better understand local press freedom conditions.

Having debriefed with our Africa program coordinator Angela Quintal and sub-Saharan Africa representative Muthoki Mumo about their detention, we are outraged by their treatment at the hands of Tanzanian authorities, said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. Both had valid visas, so we have concluded that the intention of Tanzanian authorities was to harass and intimidate our team. CPJ is also disappointed that, after all South Africa did to assist the team on the ground, its foreign minister would now repeat falsehoods about their detention.Share this: Twitter

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Johannesburg, November 13, 2018We drove down a dirt road and entered the premises of what appeared to be a safe house, through a large gate. Several men in plain clothes stood in the front yard. At least one appeared to be armed with a rifle. Their animosity was palpable We were ordered out of the vehicle into the house and taken upstairs for interrogation.

On November 7, Tanzanian authorities detained and interrogated for several hours CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal and sub-Saharan Africa Representative Muthoki Mumo in the city of Dar es Salaam. The authorities searched their electronic devices, confiscated their passports, and later accused the pair of being the country illegally, which was false. Today, Quintal details their experience in South Africas Daily Maverick. Read her full harrowing tale.Share this: Twitter

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Joudy Boulos has a million stories she wants to write. But as a Syrian freelance journalist living in Damascus, her ability to report is severely limited by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It is so dangerous that Joudy Boulos is a pseudonym the journalist sometimes uses when reporting and to protect her safety. Her work is published in local and Arabic media, as well as Liberated T, a campaign run by the international non-profit Institute For War & Peace Reporting (IWRP) to improve and broaden the portrayal of Syrian women in the media.

Syria is regularly ranked among the deadliest countries in the world to be a journalist. CPJ documented in July how at least 70 journalists were trapped in southwestern Syria, where they faced the encroaching threat of forces loyal to Assad. Since the outbreak of the war in 2011, 123 journalists have been killed, the majority of them local. The country also ranks second on CPJs Global Impunity Index of countries where journalists are murdered and their killers go free.

Boulos, who has been detained twice for participating in demonstrations in Syria, told CPJ that she avoids reporting on Assads regime as its simply too dangerous. She said that while she can cover the humanitarian disasters and mass destruction in her homeland, she can never say that the regime was responsible.

While journalists like Boulos remain frightened for their safety, their bigger concern is that seven years into the war, and with ongoing crises in other parts of the world, people have stopped listening. This is what scares us the most, reaching a point where nobody, even us, is able to talk about whats happening, Boulos said.

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity]

What are the most difficult aspects of being a journalist in Syria right now?

I work in regime-held areas. For me, the concerns are not bombardment, about getting killed. We have other concerns. We dont have cultural concerns, as maybe rebel-held areas. Working as female journalists in rebel-held areas is so much harder, because you need to face the community, the military violence. In Damascus, its different.

For me, the most difficult thing is how to get the messages from the people and how to convey them in a way that doesnt put me in danger, and is good for my principles.

How do you navigate those concerns and make sure Syrians stories are getting out there?

Its a kind of game. Sometimes I spend hours putting words into a phrase. For example, in our areas the state media always describe rebels or opposition fighters as terrorists. I dont like to use this word. Sometimes you cannot use the word rebels, of course, but you try to figure out what words we can use. We dont say regime. It is like a game of words.

It is hard to write about places where I do not live, and that were destroyed by regime forces, such as Eastern Ghouta and Yarmouk camp. It was hard to write about those places, which are not my places and were destroyed by regime forces, and how to describe what happened there without mentioning who did all this.

How has being a journalist in Syria changed since the war began?

I started writing about what I was witnessing on blogs in 2011 and I started my journalistic work in 2014. Working in 2011-12 was very different. At that point we had access to rebel-held areas, and we used to go to demonstrations and meet a lot of people. The threat then was getting killed or detained, but it was easy to get the information you wanted. It was easier for people to speak. Everybody wanted to say something about their lives, but now it is very hard to speak to people. Everyone is afraid. I usually cover social, economic, and humanitarian stories. I dont cover politics because it is really dangerous now. Its better to focus on peoples stories.

What steps do you take to protect your security as a journalist?

I do all the digital security things. I use a VPN, Signal. We use Telegram. They are safer than Skype, but its not that safe. When I use WhatsApp, I always delete everything.

How do you protect yourself on social media?

If you look at my social media pages, youll see theyre funny, silly pages. I dont publish anything against the regime. Im afraid to like some things or comment. I avoid all of those things because I discovered how they are monitored. For example, a friend of mine lost her father. In July they got the death certificate. He was detained for five or six years. I was afraid of posting any like or a sad comment for her on Facebook. I preferred to go on a private message and tell her.

I am worried about informants too, but I do my best on my Facebook. Whenever you get to know someone newcolleagues, journalistsyou think, What if they are from the regime side? What if they know anything about me?

Have you faced threats related to your gender as a journalist working in Syria?

In regime-held areas its not a problem. Most of the time you have the same fears as male journalists, and sometimes its easier to be a female journalist in Damascus. Men are always subject to being considered terrorists by the regime. Passing by a checkpoint as a woman is easier. Sometimes you get benefits from being a woman in regime areas, but sometimes its harder to [gain] access or to interview people. Some people dont think youre qualified enough to do what youre doing.

What do you think about the practice of journalism itself when youre working under these restrictions?

When I compare my work to people working outside [Syria], I dont think we are doing journalism at all in Syria. Were just covering things, were not reporting. Theres no real journalistic work because its dangerous. There is some journalism, but its really dangerous and really hard to access information.

There are ways for my work to be seen, but there are games you play with the level of censorship. For me, the level of journalism is too low. I think it was better in 2011, 2012. Even pro-regime journalists are subject to harassment or questioning. You feel like you cant say anything. My friends and I were joking that its better to write about fashion and make-up, its easier.

What are the stories that you want to report but cant?

I want to go to prisons and report on how people are living there, or how people are paying bribes to get them out. I know how my family suffered when I was in prison. They paid a huge amount of money just to know anything about me, where I was, because I disappeared for three months.

[A few] weeks ago I met families from Deir Ezzor and they spoke about how they fled [and] the bombardment. Maybe I can do something with them in the future, maybe a book. I have tons of testimonies. This goes also to digital securitywhere do I keep these things? Keeping them and writing is so dangerous. I go home and I have a separate email and save them in drafts in my email. Its only dedicated to writing. Im afraid of losing a USB or a hard disk.

There are a lot of things to write. I have a million stories and I write them down for me, but I cannot report them.VANCOUVER, B.C., Nov. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Colonial Coal International Corp. (TSX-V: CAD) (the Company or Colonial Coal). David Austin, Colonial Coals President and CEO, is pleased to announce the results of a recently completed Preliminary Economic Assessment (the PEA) for the Gordon Creek area (the Gordon Creek Project or Project) that forms part of the Companys 100% owned Flatbed metallurgical coking coal property located approximately 27 kilometres south-southeast of Tumbler Ridge in northeast British Columbia.



The PEA report, prepared by Stantec Consulting Services Inc. (Stantec; formally Norwest Corporation), in accordance with CSA National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) standards, will be completed and filed on SEDAR (the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval) within 45 days of the date of this news release. The results of the PEA show that the Gordon Creek Project demonstrates positive economics, and that it is worthy of continued exploration and development.

In summary, Stantec used previously reported (November 27, 2017 and January 16, 2018 and by way of corresponding NI 43-101 technical report filings) in situ and potentially mineable resources, developed a conceptual mine plan to exploit the coal resources using underground mining methods and prepared scoping-level cost estimates and economic analyses.

Highlights of the PEA report respecting the Gordon Creek Project are summarized below. All costs are in US dollars, however, where Canadian dollar equivalents are provided they have been converted using an exchange rate of US$1.00 equals CAD$1.30.

The Gordon Creek Project has an indicative after-tax (and royalty) net present value ( NPV ) of US$690.5 million (CAD$897.7 million), using a 7.5% discount rate and an IRR of 24.4%, based on a weighted average coking coal price of US$164.8 per tonne and a premium pulverized coal injection ( PCI ) coal price of US$140.5 per tonne.





) of US$690.5 million (CAD$897.7 million), using a 7.5% discount rate and an IRR of 24.4%, based on a weighted average coking coal price of US$164.8 per tonne and a premium pulverized coal injection ( ) coal price of US$140.5 per tonne. The financial analysis suggests that the break-even coal price is less than US$91.1, US$96.5 and US$103.3 per tonne for discount rates of 5%, 7.5% and 10%, respectively. It also indicates that for a 15% internal rate of return ( IRR ), a minimum coal price of US$119.9 per tonne would be required.





), a minimum coal price of US$119.9 per tonne would be required. The PEA is based on a conceptual underground mine plan that targets 111.6 million run-of-mine tonnes of resource, with a yield of 51%, producing 57.4 million tonnes of clean coal over a mine life of 30 years.





Geological modeling and resource estimation have identified an inferred, potentially underground mineable, coal resource at Gordon Creek of 298 million tonnes.





The Projects potential coal production is identified as coking coal from Seams B to G and premium PCI coal for Seams J and K. Seams J and K, which would be mined last, are the two deepest seams and represent approximately 28.6% of the reported resources and approximately 31.5% of the reported saleable tonnes.





Selling prices were determined for each product coking coal from Seams B, D, F (combined F1 and F2) and G. These prices ranged from US$156.0 to US$176.5 per tonne; the weighted average coking coal price of US$164.8 per tonne represents a discount of US$20.2 per tonne from a projected long-term benchmark price of US$185.0 per tonne for premium low volatile hard coking coal. Seams J and K were priced as premium PCI coals with no discount to the projected long-term PCI benchmark price of US$140.5 per tonne. The overall weighted average price for all coal types is US$160.5 per tonne.





In full mine operation, projected clean coal production ranges from 1.6 million tonnes per annum ( Mt/a ) to 2.6 Mt/a, and averaging approximately 1.9 Mt/a.





) to 2.6 Mt/a, and averaging approximately 1.9 Mt/a. The pre-production capital cost for the underground mine is estimated at US$300 million (CAD$391 million), with additional sustaining capital of US$406 million (CAD$528 million) over the life-of-mine.





The Projects proposed payback of initial capital is estimated to be within three years from the start of coal production.





Total costs FOB port, including direct mine site costs, offsite costs and indirect costs, are estimated at US$80.91 (CAD$105.19) per tonne. This includes mine site costs of US$41.16 per tonne, offsite costs of US$25.42 per tonne for trucking, rail car loading, rail and port charges, and indirect costs of US$14.33 per tonne for mineral taxes, royalties and corporate overhead.

The PEA assumed that the Gordon Creek Project would be connected by road to the existing rail line south of Tumbler Ridge. The rail line would be accessed via a loadout located in the area of an existing coal loadout operated by Peace River Coal. Costs for trucking product coal to the proposed loadout are included in the Projects operating cost projections.

A summary of the financial analyses is shown in the following table:

Coal Price NPV (millions) at Varying Discount Rates with IRR 5% 7.5% 10% IRR (%) US$160.5/t $1,081 $691 $446 24.4% CAD$208.7/t $1,405 $898 $579 24.4%

This PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred mineral resources that are considered to be too geologically speculative to be subject to economic considerations that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the forecast results stated in the PEA will be realized.

This news release has been reviewed by Derek Loveday of Stantec, a Professional Geologist and a Qualified Person, as defined in NI 43-101.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

About Colonial Coal International Corp.

Colonial Coal is a publicly traded coal corporation in British Columbia that focuses primarily on coking coal projects. The northeast Coal Block of British Columbia, within which our Corporations projects are located, hosts a number of proven deposits and has been the subject of M&A activities by Anglo-American and others. Additional information can be found on the Company's website www.ccoal.ca or by viewing the Company's filings at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Information

Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address a company's expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: risks associated with marketing and sale of securities; the need for additional financing; reliance on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain officers or directors with certain other projects; and the volatility of common share price and volume. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS NEWS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE SECURITIES LEGISLATION.

For further information please contact:

Colonial Coal International Corp.

Shane Austin

604.568.4962

saustin@ccoal.ca

www.ccoal.ca



India and Morocco sign an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, mainly aimed at containing menace of terrorists funding. It was signed in New Delhi by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju from the Indian side while Minister of Justice Mohamed Aujjar signed on behalf of Morocco government.

Key Facts

The agreement will help to strengthen bilateral cooperation between India and Morocco. It will enhance effectiveness and provide broad legal framework for prevention, investigation and prosecution of crimes as well as in tracing, restraint and confiscation of funds meant to finance terrorist acts. It will help in countering threats posed by organized crime and terrorism.Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd. (ISPRL) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to explore storage of crude oil at Padur underground facility in Karnataka. This follows arrival of final shipment of initial delivery of ADNOC crude to be stored in another ISPRL underground facility in Mangaluru, which will store 5.86 million barrels.

ISPRL is Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB) under Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.

Key Facts

The MoU mandates ADNOC to store crude oil at Padur Strategic Petroleum Reserve which has storage capacity 2.5 million-tonne (~17 million barrels) capacity for emergency needs. ADNOC will store crude in two compartments at Padur. ADNOC is only foreign oil and gas company, so far to invest, by way of crude oil in Indias strategic petroleum reserves program. This will help to ensure energy security to India and enable ADNOC to efficiently and competitively meet Indian market demand.

Background

Under the Phase I of Strategic Petroleum Reserves Program, SPRL has already built 5.33 million tons of underground storage capacity at three locations, Visakhapatnam (1.33 million tons), Mangalore (1.5 million tons) and Padur (2.5 million tons), that can meet around 10 days of the countrys oil needs. In June 2018, Government announced phase II of program for creation of two new reserves, a 4-million-tons storage facility at Chandikhol in Odisha, and an additional 2.5-million-tons facility at Padur. The combined strategic reserve capacity of existing and newly announced facilities will be 15.33 million tons and will provide around 22 days of emergency coverage for Indias crude oil requirements.Struggling To Lose Weight? You Should Go Take A NapTamil Nadu: Cyclone Gaja may skip Chennai, set to strike further south

by K. Lakshmi

November 13,2018 | Source: The Hindu

Cyclone Gaja is likely to cross the Tamil Nadu coast between Cuddalore district and Pamban, in Ramanathapuram district, in the forenoon of Thursday. On Monday evening, the cyclonic storm lay over the Bay of Bengal, about 720 km east-northeast of Chennai and 800 km east-northeast of Nagapattinam. Though it is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm in the open seas, it is set to weaken gradually, and cross the coast only as a cyclonic storm. It is likely to bring heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places over seven districts in the State on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the India Meteorological Department. Weather models indicate moderate rainfall over Chennai during those days.



Heavy rain forecast



Named by Sri Lanka, it is the 55th tropical cyclone since the naming convention started in 2004. While rainfall is expected over most parts of north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, a few places in districts such as Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Ramanathapuram and Pudukottai may experience heavy to very heavy rainfall, scaling up to 24 cm on Wednesday and Thursday.



Code red



One or two places in these districts may also receive rainfall in excess of 24.4 cm, for which a red colour-coded warning has been issued. Such colour-coded weather warnings are given for agencies involved in disaster management to be prepared even if extremely heavy rainfall is likely to occur in one or two places of the State. A red colour-coded warning for a State does not mean that the entire State is facing a threat of extremely heavy rainfall, said S. Balachandran, Deputy Director General of Meteorology, Chennai.



Gale-force winds reaching speeds of 80-90 km per hour may prevail along and off north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts and fishermen have been advised not to venture out to sea till Thursday. As the cyclone moves inland, south Tamil Nadu and interior parts may also experience heavy rain on November 16. A storm surge of a height of 1 metre is expected in Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and Karaikal districts during the cyclones landfall.



However, Mr.Balachandran said: Chances are less for heavy rains over Chennai. We may have moderate rain spells when the cyclone crosses the coast. S.R. Ramanan, former director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, said the cyclone may help boost the States seasonal rainfall. The system is likely reach Cochin as a depression. Chennai may have more chances of rainfall as a new system may form near Sri Lanka after this system, he added.Goa: Over Formalin Scare In Fishes, Govt Bans Import From Karnataka & Other States

November 13,2018 | Source: The Logical Indian

After the Goa governments ban on fish from Karnataka, the fishermen, as well as traders in coastal Karnataka, have been faced with a tough situation. Goa has alleged that Formalin is being used by fishermen and traders in Karnataka.



Ban on fish carrying trucks from Karnataka and elsewhere. Earlier, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Goa reportedly issued a circular which denied entry permit to the fish carrying trucks from Karnataka. While the government did not formally announce a ban on fishes from outside, Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane announced the ban on Saturday, November 10 and said that it is going to come into effect from November 12 for a span of six months, reported The Hindu.



Reportedly, he indicated that unless the consignment is approved by the FDA, getting fishes from outside into Goa is banned. However, some traders have obtained the license and are transporting fishes to Goa. Moreover, he added that the government is going to set up quality control laboratories to test marine products, and the ban could go on for longer if these labs do not come up in time.



Formalin is not used



According to Deccan Herald, Yashpal Suvarna, President Of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi District Cooperative Fish Marketing Federation president has asked the government in Goa to revoke the ban. Reportedly, he also said that the government in Goa did not conduct any test to prove that Formalin is being used and claimed that none of the traders uses that particular chemical for preserving the fishes.



According to The Hindu, Suvarna said that it is not proper for the Goa government to enforce the ban based on FDA regulations as fishes are a natural fresh product. He also added that fishing is a lucrative source of livelihood for most of the people and that they wouldnt want to jeopardize it by adding Formalin. Reportedly, the federation is going to hold talks with in-charge Fisheries Director Ramakrishna and Deputy Commissioner to figure out a course of action. Earlier in July, the Assam Government also banned import and sale of fishes from other states for 10 days due to the presence of formalin in fishes. Experts have claimed that if the chemical is present in fishes, even in small amount makes it unfit for consumption.Kerala: Call for promotion of indigenous species of fish

November 13,2018 | Source: The Hindu

Minister for Agriculture V. S. Sunil Kumar has called for promotion of indigenous species of fish in all fishery development programmes. Speaking after releasing a report on fish count in Kole lands at a function held at Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), Mannuthy, on Monday, the Minister said it is welcoming to see that some of the endangered fish species have been spotted in Kole lands.



I have persistently opposed Orunellum oru meenum programme on two reasons. First of all, fish farming should not replace paddy cultivation and secondly profit oriented promotions of commercial species of fish should not endanger the existence of indigenous species. I wish the fishery scientists would come up with methods to improve the multiplication rates of indigenous species of fish. Kole land ecosystem is a complex combination of many elements like water plants, fish and birds , he said.



Future plan



KAU Vice-Chancellor R. Chandra Babu stressed the importance of such surveys in developing future plan for preservation and conservation of ecosystems and indigenous species. Kole lands represent a diverse ecosystem, which facilitate multiple and interlinked land use. At a time when unintended injuries to bio diversity due to interference in nature are being detected, studies of this nature will help us to evolve appropriate strategies for corrective steps and conservation measures, he said. Three species of freshwater fish, belonging to the threatened category in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species have been found in the Thrissur Kole, according to the fish count report released. Horabagrus brachysoma( Manjakoori), Carinotetraodon travancoricus (Attunda), and Hyporamphus xanthopterus (Attuchuvappan) are the species reported from the kole lands.



Thrissur Kole is also found to be the home to one of Keralas smallest freshwater fish species, the green carplet, Horadandia brittani ( Attukananjon), which is endemic to peninsular India. In total 48 species of fishes were collected from the Thrissur Kole, highlighting the high species diversity of freshwater fish in this ecosystem. The survey also found that the water quality parameters were within normal levels as per standard quality guidelines. Except near the Enammavu regulator, all locations showed freshwater characteristics. Water hardness was very high at the Enamavu regulator, compared to the other stations.



Joint survey



The survey was conducted jointly by the Forestry College of KAU, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies(KUFOS) and Kole Birders Collective. KUFOS Registrar Victor George, Director of Research T.V. Sankar, Scientist M. K Sajeevan. KAU Registrar P. S. Geetha kutty, Director of Research P. Indira Devi and Forestry faculty Dean Vidyasagaran spoke.Announces new customers RecTech 3D and GE Transportation; New applications by BMW, Volkswagen, and others; First HP Jet Fusion 3D 300 / 500 Series customers; Collaborates with Autodesk on design-for-3D to lead in digital manufacturing

News highlights:

RecTech 3D in China plans 30 HP Jet Fusion 3D 4210 solutions, Forecast 3D expands to 24 HP Jet Fusion 3D 4210 printers, new deployment with industrial leader GE Transportation

New applications and materials, including parts for BMW Group, Volkswagen Group, and initial customers for award-winning HP Jet Fusion 3D 300 / 500 series

HP collaborates with Autodesk to enable generative design-for-3D

FRANKFURT, Germany, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today at formnext 2018 , HP announced new and expanded installations of its HP Jet Fusion 3D printing solutions to meet the growing worldwide demand for production-grade 3D manufactured parts. HP showcased the explosion of new applications across the transportation, industrial, medical, and consumer sectors, including new PA-11 applications, and initial customers of its new award-winning HP Jet Fusion 3D 300 / 500 solutions . HP also announced a design-to-print workflow with Autodesk to enable generative design capabilities across the entire HP Multi Jet Fusion portfolio, as well as new online resources to accelerate the journey to mass production for customers and resellers.

HP is accelerating the shift to 3D mass production, enabling an exciting array of applications helping customers improve their businesses as we enter the 4th Industrial Revolution. Many industries such as automotive, which is going through its biggest transformation in more than 100 years, are looking to new technologies and strategic partners like HP to help them better compete in this time of change, said Christoph Schell, President of 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing, HP Inc. We are working with innovators across the globe to change the way they design and manufacture with HP Multi Jet Fusion and our new Metal Jet platform, unlocking new applications, more manufacturing flexibility, and greater innovation, efficiency and sustainability across their product development lifecycle.



Global Expansion of 3D Printing for Mass Production Continues



As demand for 3D printed parts continues to grow, HP is working closely with new and existing digital manufacturing partners around the world as they expand their HP Multi Jet Fusion fleets.

RecTech 3D, a China-based industrial contract manufacturer, is leveraging the power of HP Multi Jet Fusion technology to expand into a full-fledged industrial Additive Manufacturing Center in Chongqing, providing a variety of 3D production services. Together with HP, it intends to offer application and design expertise as well as training to customers and partners. RecTech 3D will begin by installing 10 HP Jet Fusion 3D 4210 solutions in its Additive Manufacturing Center in early 2019, and plans to quickly ramp up to at least 30 HP 3D printing systems by the end of 2019.



As a premier partner of HP in China, RecTech 3D is looking to help lead industrial innovators and designers to take advantage of digital production and manufacturing, and we believe HP Multi Jet Fusion technology offers the capabilities required to deliver on that promise, said Jay Luo, CEO, RecTech 3D. In addition to offering the production of parts using HP Multi Jet Fusion technology, we will provide our customers with educational resources and end-to-end solutions based on HPs industry-leading 3D printing products and expertise that enable the entire process from design to production. Using HP Multi Jet Fusion technology we plan to transform manufacturing.

Forecast 3D, a leading US-based provider of 3D printed parts for more than two decades, has now deployed 24 HP Jet Fusion 3D 4210 systems in their digital factory as they continue to grow their business.



Our business continues to reap the rewards of leaning in early and going big with HP Multi Jet Fusion technology, said Corey Weber, CEO, Forecast 3D. Our 3D Manufacturing Center is now powered by 24 HP Jet Fusion 3D 4210 printers. We are serving more customers than ever, running 24x7, and on pace to surpass millions of Multi Jet Fusion parts produced this year.



GE Transportation is a global technology leader and supplier of equipment, services and solutions to the rail, mining, marine, stationary power, and drilling industries. GE Transportation will use HP Jet Fusion 3D printing solutions in its John F. Welch Technology Center in Bangalore, India to produce industrial parts for various applications in mining vehicles and locomotives.



Explosion of New HP Multi Jet Fusion Applications; Initial Jet Fusion 300 / 500 Customers



With its expanded solutions and materials portfolio, there is an explosion of new Multi Jet Fusion applications across the transportation, industrial, medical, and consumer industries. A few examples in the transportation sector include:

BMW Group is using HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200 solutions to manufacture the window guide rail for the BMW i8 Roadster:



Using our automotive standards and HPs Multi Jet Fusion technology our manufacturing team is able to produce durable, reliable final parts such as the window guide rail for our BMW i8 Roadster, said Dr. Dominik Rietzel, head of non-metal Additive Manufacturing at the BMW Group. In the past decade, we are proud to have produced more than one million 3D printed parts, and its fitting that one of these window guide rails was identified as the one-millionth part printed. Complex parts that require reliable functionality and a small footprint are a perfect example of the power of additive manufacturing and together with partners such as HP we are excited about the possibilities ahead.

Volkswagen Group is taking advantage of HPs 3D printing technology for both metal and plastics applications. By the end of the year, one hundred percent of the tools used to manufacture the new T-Cross SUV will be printed using HP Multi Jet Fusion technology. Volkswagen is also integrating HP Metal Jet into its long-term design and production roadmap starting with the manufacturing of mass-customizable parts such as individualized key rings and exterior-mounted name plates.

The new HP 3D high-reusability PA-11 material enables customers to produce strong, ductile, functional parts with enhanced elongation break and impact resistance. Some customers who are already producing PA-11 parts on HP Multi Jet Fusion include:

Bowman International produced a rollertrain cage , which uses rolling elements to pin together cage sections. The cage now features a 70 percent increase in the load bearing capacity of its split bearings, and an increased work life of up to 500 percent, as well as equal strength on the X, Y and Z axes, demonstrating the ability of HP Multi Jet Fusion technology to accurately mass produce bespoke parts which in turn can cut costs and speed up production times.

produced a , which uses rolling elements to pin together cage sections. The cage now features a 70 percent increase in the load bearing capacity of its split bearings, and an increased work life of up to 500 percent, as well as equal strength on the X, Y and Z axes, demonstrating the ability of HP Multi Jet Fusion technology to accurately mass produce bespoke parts which in turn can cut costs and speed up production times. OT4, a leading provider of orthotics, supports orthopedic technicians on their way to digital manufacturing processes. HPs Multi Jet Fusion technology enabled the production of a sleep helmet, a dynamic ankle foot orthosis and a finger orthosis featuring optimized ventilation and light-weighting without compromising material strength and flexibility.



a leading provider of orthotics, supports orthopedic technicians on their way to digital manufacturing processes. HPs Multi Jet Fusion technology enabled the production of a sleep helmet, a dynamic ankle foot orthosis and a finger orthosis featuring optimized ventilation and light-weighting without compromising material strength and flexibility. Consumer footwear and consumer goods are two segments taking advantage of HP Multi Jet Fusion materials expansion, including customized shoe heels by New Rock, and personalized phone cases by Freshfiber. Both customers take advantage of the design freedom of HP Multi Jet Fusion, enabling them to create otherwise impossible shapes, patterns and figures, as well as high customization of the product.

HPs recently announced Jet Fusion 3D 300 / 500 series is a lower-cost solution that complements its existing industrial-grade solutions, enabling customers to go from prototyping to full production on the same HP Multi Jet Fusion technology platform. Initial customers include:

A-Dec , one of the largest dental equipment manufacturers in the world, is using HPs Jet Fusion 3D 300 / 500 series for prototyping, developing fixtures and jigs, and is now experimenting with producing ultra-low volume service parts for select customers.

, one of the largest dental equipment manufacturers in the world, is using HPs Jet Fusion 3D 300 / 500 series for prototyping, developing fixtures and jigs, and is now experimenting with producing ultra-low volume service parts for select customers. Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego, Calif., is taking advantage of the unlimited design possibilities and highly-accurate, durable parts from HPs new Jet Fusion 3D 300 / 500 printers to create personalized experiences benefitting the long-term well being of patients, including visually-appealing casts and corrective devices, customized devices, and interactive and personalized anatomical models.

in San Diego, Calif., is taking advantage of the unlimited design possibilities and highly-accurate, durable parts from HPs new Jet Fusion 3D 300 / 500 printers to create personalized experiences benefitting the long-term well being of patients, including visually-appealing casts and corrective devices, customized devices, and interactive and personalized anatomical models. The University of Louisville is widely recognized as a leading educational institution for 3D printing based on its industrial/academic Rapid Prototyping Center consortium established in 1993 and its world-class 3D printing facility featuring capabilities across metals and polymers. The University of Louisville team is using the HP Jet Fusion 3D 300 / 500 printers to produce prototypes and low volume end-use parts across a diverse application set as they serve many different departments in the university including the engineering, dental, and medical schools, and their external partners.

HP and Autodesk Drive Generative Design for 3D Printing; New Digital Resources for Customers and Partners

HP and Autodesk, a leading provider of design and manufacturing software, launched an integrated end-to-end additive design to print workflow for HPs Multi Jet Fusion platform. Autodesk Fusion 360s generative design capabilities can be used to develop optimized designs for HP Multi Jet Fusion technology, enabling faster, more creative design cycles from prototyping through production. Penumbra Engineering is leveraging this joint innovation to design state-of-the-art ultrasonic sensing devices with accuracy and durability for companies such as Perceptive Sensor Technologies. In addition, Autodesks Netfabb provides support for a full-range of HP Jet Fusion 3D printers.



As part of HPs effort to lead the transformation to digital manufacturing, it is also offering new online resources for partners and customers seeking to accelerate their journey to mass production with HPs 3D printing solutions. These resources include:

I-AM Digital Talent Platform : As the 3D printing industry continues to evolve, businesses are facing the challenge of finding and retaining qualified employees. HP is offering its ecosystem access to the premier digital career growth platform for additive manufacturing. i-AM Digital helps connect employers with a highly engaged talent pool and also features case studies, informal learning, and training courses for those looking to break into the industry.

: As the 3D printing industry continues to evolve, businesses are facing the challenge of finding and retaining qualified employees. HP is offering its ecosystem access to the premier digital career growth platform for additive manufacturing. i-AM Digital helps connect employers with a highly engaged talent pool and also features case studies, informal learning, and training courses for those looking to break into the industry. 3D ExchangeNet (3DX): HP is a foundational sponsor of this marketplace focused on helping 3D printing businesses identify growth capital, investment, or buyout opportunities. 3DX also offers resources to help businesses develop strategic partnerships and training programs.

HP Showcases HP Metal Jet at formnext 2018

Following its debut at IMTS 2018 in September, HP will be showcasing HP Metal Jet , the worlds most advanced 3D printing technology for the high volume manufacturing of production-grade metal parts. Providing up to 50 times more productivity1 at a significantly lower cost2 than other 3D printing methods, HP Metal Jet is being deployed by manufacturing leaders GKN Powder Metallurgy and Parmatech for the factory production of final parts. Customers include global stalwarts Volkswagen and Wilo and innovative vertical market leaders such as Primo Medical Group and OKAY Industries.

In first half of 2019, customers will be able to upload 3D design files and receive industrial-grade parts in large quantities from the new Metal Jet Production Service 3. The parts will be produced by HP partners GKN Powder Metallurgy and Parmatech to ensure the highest standards of engineering and production quality. Complete technical, pricing, and availability information on HPs new Metal Jet technology and Metal Jet Production Service can be found at HP.com/go/3Dmetals.

To learn more about HP Metal Jet as well as HPs Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing innovations and explore hundreds of breakthrough applications driving the digital industrial revolution, visit Booth #3.1 E40 at formnext 2018.

About HP

HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers and 3D printing solutions, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at http://www.hp.com/go/3Dprinting.



Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If the risks or uncertainties ever materialize or the assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries (HP) may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions.



All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to any projections of net revenue, margins, expenses, effective tax rates, net earnings, net earnings per share, cash flows, benefit plan funding, deferred tax assets, share repurchases, currency exchange rates or other financial items; any projections of the amount, timing or impact of cost savings or restructuring and other charges; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations, including the execution of restructuring plans and any resulting cost savings, revenue or profitability improvements; any statements concerning the expected development, performance, market share or competitive performance relating to products or services; any statements regarding current or future macroeconomic trends or events and the impact of those trends and events on HP and its financial performance; any statements regarding pending investigations, claims or disputes; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing.



Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the need to address the many challenges facing HPs businesses; the competitive pressures faced by HPs businesses; risks associated with executing HPs strategy; the impact of macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the need to manage third-party suppliers and the distribution of HPs products and the delivery of HPs services effectively; the protection of HPs intellectual property assets, including intellectual property licensed from third parties; risks associated with HPs international operations; the development and transition of new products and services and the enhancement of existing products and services to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its suppliers, customers, clients and partners; the hiring and retention of key employees; integration and other risks associated with business combination and investment transactions; the results of the restructuring plans, including estimates and assumptions related to the cost (including any possible disruption of HPs business) and the anticipated benefits of the restructuring plans; the resolution of pending investigations, claims and disputes; and other risks that are described in HPs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 2017, and HPs other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. HPs Investor Relations website at http://www.hp.com/investor/home contains a significant amount of information about HP, including financial and other information for investors. HP encourages investors to visit its website from time to time, as information is updated, and new information is posted.

_______________________________________



1 Based on comparable competitive binder jetting and selective laser melting (SLM) metals 3D printing solutions available as of July 31, 2018. Productivity claim based on: 1) up to 50 times more productive, on average, based on print speed for serial production up to 100,000 parts, and 2) solution acquisition cost.

2 Low cost based on comparable competitive binder jetting and selective laser melting (SLM) metals 3D printing solutions available as of July 31, 2018. Expected printer price for 2020 launch for lead customers.

3 HP does not provide manufacturing services. Customers work directly with and pay for manufacturing services provided by a trusted third-party manufacturing partner responsible for fulfilling the order. HP provides design compatibility check for HP Metal Jet printing. Metal Jet Production Service1 is expected to be available in Western Europe and US. Part production will be fulfilled and delivered by our trusted manufacturing partners with expected availability first half 2019.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/37bb7b92-fc1d-4d34-9fb6-9dd0fc302e7b

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c08bce6f-834c-4ae5-b842-d120430cc5d4Vietnam's newest airline, Bamboo Airways, has received its long-awaited aviation license and plans to launch its first flight within the next 45 days.

The carrier, the countrys fifth, is allowed to operate 10 aircraft on both domestic and international routes and to carry passengers and cargo on its flights.

It plans to fly on 100 routes, connecting Vietnam's major cities with popular domestic and international tourist destinations.

But initially it is likely to only operate on certain sectors like Hanoi-Quy Nhon and Ho Chi Minh City-Quy Nhon. Quy Nhon is a city on the central coast.

According to Bamboo Airways general director Dang Tat Thang, most of the preparatory works have been completed for the maiden flight to take off before the end of the year.

It needs to obtain an aircraft operator certificate and obtain permission for parking and selling tickets, which are expected to take 30-45 days from the date of license issuance.

Bamboo Airways was founded by Vietnamese private firm FLC in mid-2017 with a charter capital of VND700 billion ($30 million), which it increased to VND1.3 trillion ($55.68 million) recently.

The airline has signed deals to buy 24 Airbus A320neo and 20 Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft worth a total of about $8.6 billion.A Vietnam Airline aircraft takes off at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. Photo by Shutterstock/Jaggat Rashidi

With the domestic market showing signs of saturation, Vietnamese carriers are beginning to fly on new international routes.

Budget airline Vietjet last week launched a daily service from Hanoi to Osaka in Japan, taking its total number of international destinations to 64 in 11 countries.

Last month it began flying from central Da Nang City to Bangkok. It is set to launch flights from Phu Quoc Island in the far south to the Korean capital Seoul next December and two more services to Japan in December and January.

Vietnam Airlines began a daily service from Da Nang to Osaka last month to add to the 70 flights a week from Vietnam to Japan.

The state-owned airline, which flies to 26 countries, plans to begin a direct service from Vietnam to the U.S.s west coast in 2020, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Industry insiders said airlines are flying increasingly on international sectors because the domestic market is showing signs of saturation with growth beginning to slow down.

Vietnam Airlines data showed that the number of passengers on some of its busiest routes, Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City and HCMCDa Nang, only increased in the low single-digits in the first half of this year.

During the period it served 16.8 million passengers in all on domestic routes, 3.6 percent short of its target.

Lai Xuan Thanh, chairman of the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), said these are signs of saturation in the market, which for years has been growing in double digits.

The rates were 20 percent in 2014, 27 percent in 2015 and 30 percent in 2016, with Thanh attributing the high growth to private carriers beginning to fly on many new routes, according to Tuoi Tre newspaper.

He said the market would continue to slow down this year.

Higher profit

But growth remains strong on international sectors.

Vietnam Airlines carried 14.8 million passengers in the first half, up 23 percent year-on-year and 1.6 percentage points higher than forecast.

Vietjet Airs third quarter financial reports showed that international services accounted for over 50 percent of revenues.

Its CEO, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, had said at a conference last May that profits from international services, especially to Northeast Asian destinations like Taiwan and South Korea, are 20 percent higher than from domestic ones.

Fuel cost is 30 percent lower in other countries since there is no import tax or environmental tax unlike in Vietnam, she explained.

Thus, 16 of 20 new routes Vietjet plans to start this year are international. Last year it had added only one new domestic route.

The new international routes are also expected to benefit Vietnams growing tourism sector.

Le Pham Huy Truong, director of the aviation service department at tourism company Fiditour, said new international flights, especially direct ones, provide passengers with more travel options and enable them to save time and money.

Other tourism operators also said the new flights make them less dependent on expensive foreign airlines.

There are over 100 international flights now connecting Vietnam with 28 countries, operated by 71 international airlines and three Vietnamese ones, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Vienams five airlines are Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Jetstar Pacific Airlines, Vietnam Air Services Co., and recently-licensed Bamboo Airways, which plans to start flying within weeks.Saigons iconic Binh Tay Market will reopen on Thursday after a two-year hiatus when it closed for repairs.

Erstwhile traders at the wholesale market in Ho Chi Minh Citys District 6 are moving their goods from a temporary market on Thap Muoi Street back to the new one in preparation for the reopening day.

The 90-year-old market had dramatically deteriorated after nearly a century in use, prompting authorities to shut it down in November 2016 for a major restoration project.

Some vendors had to hire porters to transport their goods to the new stalls inside the market.

There are around 1,500 stalls inside the market, selling various items from retail textile, clothing, cosmetics, souvenirs and packaged goods to Chinese-influenced delicacies.

Some fabric sellers arrange their goods in their stalls.

The interior of the market has been painted with new colors. Over 1,000 stalls have been rebuilt, fire safety equipment and sound systems installed, as also safer electrical wiring and a wireless internet network.

Several traders are busy cleaning up and decorating their stall before the market officially resumes operation on Thursday, November 15.

A worker installs a new sign for a stall selling footwear.

A vendor prays at the statue of Quach Dam, a Chinese rice trader who donated money to build the Binh Tay Market, now seven kilometers (4.3 miles) southwest of the city's center.

Constructed in 1928, the 25,000-square-meter market is appreciated for its bagua-shaped design. Bagua is a Chinese religious motif that incorporates eight trigrams including the sky, fire and wind that are arranged in a circle symbolizing yin and yang.

The market, famous for its clock tower and a central courtyard, used to receive more than 120,000 foreign visitors every year before it was closed for repairs.

Nguyen Thi Hanh, 65, who has been a vendor at the Binh Tay Market for nearly 30 years, rearranges cosmetics products in her stall.

"My business has gone down since I have moved to the temporary market. Some of my regular customers couldnt find me there. The cramped and hot space there also deterred many customers from coming," Hanh said.

"I hope everything will be better in the coming time."Workers sit in a plantation of Dong Nai Rubber Corporation, which is set to be cleared for the Long Thanh airport. Photo by VnExpress/Phuoc Tuan

Dong Nai Province unveiled plans Monday to acquire the land required for the proposed Long Thanh International Airport, Vietnam's biggest.

According to the plan, approved by the government last week, acquiring the nearly 5,400 hectares (13,300 acres) of land in Long Thanh District will cost VND23 trillion ($987 million).

Most of the area is now covered by plantations belonging to the Dong Nai Rubber Corporation.

However, 5,000 families with 17,000 members are to be relocated, and they will all get land in a resettlement area by early 2020, officials said.

The airport will come up 40 kilometers east of Ho Chi Minh City, home to the country's now largest Tan Son Nhat airport which is handling 32 million passengers a year, far beyond its designed capacity of 25 million.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The had told legislators at a meeting late last month that the government was likely to approve the land acquisition plan this month, and funds for it would be released soon afterwards.

The Long Thanh International Airport, to be built in three phases over three decades, is set to become Vietnams largest airport, and is among the worlds 16 most exciting airport projects according to a recent CNN Travel report.

The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2025 when it will be able to handle 25 million passengers annually. The next two phases will be built in 2030-35 and from 2040-50.

The new airport would have an annual capacity of 100 million passengers and five million tons of cargo when completed.

The first phase is estimated to cost VND114 trillion ($4.87 billion), and will be raised from public funds, a bond issue and private sources.

Experts have warned that the cost of the airport could double every five years.The explosion at a chemical plant in South Korea kills two Vietnamese workers. Photo by Shuttershock/Dale Stagg

The government will support families bringing back the bodies of two Vietnamese workers killed in a factory explosion in South Korea.

Officials said they were working with South Korean counterparts to facilitate the process.

The workers were killed Saturday morning in an explosion at a chemical plant run by the Foosung Precision Industry Co. in Wonju City, around 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the east of Seoul.

The dead were identified as Chu Van Duong, 31, and Tang Van Khanh, 28, both from the northern mountainous province of Lang Son.

The two other injured workers, also Vietnamese, have suffered extensive burns and are being treated at a local hospital. The injured workers are Do Quoc Hung, 31, and 21-year-old Vuong Dac Khai.

Initial findings are that the blast was caused by a short circuit that happened while workers were welding a tank filled with chemicals.

On Sunday, the Overseas Labor Center under Vietnams labor ministry informed the victims families and helped them complete the paperwork to move to South Korea and bring the bodies of their relatives back home.

The center is also working closely with Korean authorities to deal with labor policies for the deceased workers as they died on duty.

All four Vietnamese workers were legal laborers working in South Korea under the countrys Employment Permit System which was launched in 2013, allowing 15 countries including Vietnam to send their workers to South Korea.

Earlier, the Foreign Ministry has asked the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea to follow up on the incident and take necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Vietnamese workers.

South Korea is one of the largest labor export markets for Vietnam. There were over 45,398 Vietnamese migrant workers in South Korea by the end of June 2018.

The majority of them were registered under the Employment Permit System, according to official labor reports.A Vietnamese woman would face trial next year after being accused of running a cannabis syndicate in Australia. Photo by Shutterstock/photolona

An Australian woman of Vietnamese descent accused of running a cannabis syndicate in Australia could face trial next year.

The Newcastle Herald reported that Nga White, 44, was investigated by local authorities after a receipt from her nail and beauty salon was found in a cannabis dump site in the Wallsend suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, in March last year.

Detectives found that Nga owned or leased at least eight properties in the region.

The properties were placed under surveillance from April to August last year. Police found seven Vietnamese men, deemed Ngas "underlings" in the syndicate, cultivating large quantities of cannabis on the properties. Six of them were found to have come to Australia illegally.

Last month, three of the seven men were arrested with 18 kilograms of cannabis by local police in Newcastle. A local house raid followed, and Nga was arrested.

Nga appeared in the Newcastle District Court last Thursday.

During her arraignment, she pleaded not guilty to charges of "directing the activities of a criminal group," "cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis," "supplying a commercial quantity of cannabis" and "supplying a prohibited drug," the The Newcastle Herald reported.

She could face a four-week trial in the same court next September, where the state would attempt to prove Ngas links to the cannabis plants found in her salon, a judge was cited as saying.

Also last month, five Vietnamese nationals pleaded guilty to roles in a $2.8 million cannabis operation in Maitland, New South Wales. In September, another Vietnamese man in Australia was sentenced to five years in jail for cultivating $750,000 worth of cannabis and stealing $151,000 worth of electricity.

Australia is fairly relaxed about cannabis use. In February 2016 the Federal Government passed laws to legalize medicinal cannabis to treat patients with painful and chronic conditions with products imported from overseas.

It has also given the green light for licensed companies to legally import, store and sell the drug until domestic production meets local needs.Two brothers have turned a 1998 Daewoo Cielo into a Lamborghini to make the elder ones wedding day special.

Since early this month, Vo Van Trung (25) and his brother Vo Trung Kien (20) have been welcoming visitors eager to see their super luxurious car in Phuc Dong Commune, the central province of Ha Tinh's Huong Khe District.

Trung works in telecommunication industry and his younger brother owns a shop near their house, selling mobile phones. Two months ago, to prepare for his wedding in December, Trung wanted to rent a convertible, but couldnt.

Work begins on transforming the 1998 Daewoo Cielo into a super luxury car. Photo courtesy of Vo Van Trung

"Then I remembered my parents still have their 1998 Daewoo Cielo which they bought three years ago. The engine was broken but we asked them if they would let us fix the car and turn it into a convertible for the wedding day," Trung said.

The parents were skeptical, but agreed to let the brothers do what they wanted.

Before starting on their project, the brothers did some researches, looked up some Lamborghini models, and drew up a new design. They bought steel plates, metal wires, bonding glue, L.E.D. lights and other materials. They also borrowed various equipment including a grinder and a metal cutter from neighbors to execute their fantastic project.

Trung in his "Lamborghini". Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung

Kien said the hardest part was building the frame for the cars body, which took them more than 2 weeks. Other work like assembling and painting didnt take long.

"The cars engine was broken, so we asked the auto mechanics to help. For now, weve spent around VND70 million ($2,980). The money was from our savings," Kien said.

After two months, the old car with the look of a new Lamborghini is 90 percent finished. The car has two seats, is 4.2m long, 1.4m wide and 1.2m tall. It gives a mileage of 100km per seven litres.

Several features have to be added, but the car's almost ready. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung

It needs several other features, but Trung said that since the wedding day is close, hes temporarily postponed work on the car to focus on other arrangements for the big day.

"My fiances house is about 10km from mine. I feel really happy I fixed up a car for my important day," Trung said.

Since the car has not been registered or passed safety checks, it will only be used for riding slowly on the village road.

People take pictures of the almost-ready luxury convertible. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung

Le Van Son, head of traffic police in Huong Khe District, said the authorities applauded the brothers creativity. However, he cautioned that it should not be driven on the street yet and should follow and complete required procedures first.15-year automotive veterans product package to accelerate growing market

LONDON and TOKYO, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imagination Technologies announces PowerVR Automotive , a complete product package to enable growth and acceleration of the automotive semiconductor industry. Combining five essential elements  hardware IP, software, tools, documentation and long-term support  PowerVR Automotive enables existing customers and new entrants in the market to meet the safety standards and performance requirements of the industry as it moves towards fully autonomous driving.

Imagination is introducing the PowerVR Series8XT-A GPU core to complement its existing IP already used extensively in infotainment, digital cockpit and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). PowerVR Series8XT-A has enhanced recovery and reliability features to make it easier for System-on-Chip (SoC) designers to obtain automotive safety certification for their SoCs aimed at digital human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and autonomous vehicles (AVs).

Why PowerVR Automotive?

Automotive applications have specific requirements that impact all aspects of system design and which standard consumer IP is not able to meet. To solve this, PowerVR Automotive provides customers with a complete package of support documentation, automotive safety and traceability information thats designed to ensure customers SoCs can achieve the ASIL-levels of functional safety, meeting industry standards such as ISO 26262 and IEC 61506 at the system level. Based on Imaginations extensive knowledge of the automotive market, the company offers proven long-term support (LTS) packages for ten years and beyond, to give customers confidence and assurance for the life-time of their products.

To ensure suitability for the demanding automotive market, the entire package was conceived, designed and tested under Imaginations mature quality management processes, led by a dedicated and independent safety team.

PowerVR IP has been a key enabler for leading-edge automotive products since 2006. Its GPUs have been licensed by multiple leading automotive applications processor vendors, including DENSO, Renesas, Socionext, Texas Instruments (TI) and others. To date these companies have shipped tens-of-millions of devices, giving Imagination a market share by volume of over 50% for automotive application processors.

Leo Li, CEO, Imagination Technologies, says: The automotive industry is rapidly transitioning to assisted driving and fully autonomous vehicles. PowerVR has extensive experience in the automotive semiconductor market and as the requirements for power and performance continue to evolve, PowerVR is committed to remaining ahead of the curve. Imagination is excited to deliver this package that allows the growing group of automotive players to address the complex requirements of this market.

Delivering the PowerVR Automotive package

The PowerVR Automotive package reduces the barrier to entry for new players to the market, while easing the burden of meeting safety requirement for established companies.

The comprehensive automotive package extends the application of PowerVRs quality-managed IP to automotive solutions. Customers have a wide choice of IP with access to the extended safety package to meet automotive industry certification. This comprises of hardware IP, software and tools, automotive operating systems and hypervisor support, documentation and analysis, and development traceability.

Dominique Bonte, vice president, vertical markets, ABI Research, says: The speed of progress in automotive is finally approaching that of Imaginations traditional markets, such as mobile. Imaginations dedicated PowerVR Automotive suite will allow automotive semiconductor vendors to accelerate time to market in terms of supporting automotive requirements like functional safety, virtualization, and power optimization through a turnkey solution.

Introducing PowerVR Series8XT-A GPU

Based on the PowerVR Furian architecture, the Series8XT-A is a new member of the Series8XT family of GPUs targeted at cluster, HUD, infotainment and the digital cockpit, as well as ADAS functions. The Series8XT-A provides class-leading power, performance and area (PPA) metrics and enables new features in hardware and software for fault detection and recovery of the GPU. Other new features include Error-Correcting Code (ECC), Logic Built-in Self-test (LBIST), as well as industry-leading verification strategies.

Featuring unique built-in hardware virtualization, Series8XT-A enables automotive OEMs to keep multiple applications and services running securely in isolated containers, with guaranteed quality of service (QoS) for each.

PowerVR Neural Network Accelerators (NNA) for Automotive

Neural networks are becoming a fundamental element in the development of automotive; from the occupants experience, through to ADAS and autonomous driving.

The multi award-winning PowerVR Series2NX NNA is showcased through ADAS applications such as driver monitoring, driver gaze tracking, seat occupancy, road-sign detection, drivable path analysis, road user detection and driver recognition. Thanks to its performance density for embedded environments, PowerVRs NNA technology will play a key role in enabling the industry to move from Level 3 to Level 5 autonomous driving.

Imaginations ability to combine leading-edge GPU and NNA technology provides the industry with significant flexibility for creating automotive solutions, while at the same time as reducing risk, by future-proofing for industry evolution over the life of a product.

Availability

PowerVR Series8XT-A GPU is available for licensing now. The next generation of PowerVR GPUs and NNAs for automotive will be available during 2019. For further information, please contact info@imgtec.com .

About Imagination Technologies

Imagination is a global technology leader whose products touch the lives of billions of people across the globe. The companys broad range of silicon IP (intellectual property) includes the key processing blocks needed to create the SoCs (Systems on Chips) that power all mobile, consumer and embedded electronics. Its unique software IP, infrastructure technologies and system solutions enable its customers to get to market quickly with complete and highly differentiated SoC platforms. Imaginations licensees include many of the worlds leading semiconductor manufacturers, network operators and OEMs/ODMs who are creating some of the worlds most iconic products. See: www.imgtec.com .

Follow Imagination on Twitter , YouTube , LinkedIn , RSS , Facebook and Blog .

Imagination, PowerVR and the Imagination Technologies logo are trademarks of Imagination Technologies Limited and/or its affiliated group companies in the United Kingdom and/or other countries.

Imagination Technologies was acquired in 2017 by Canyon Bridge, a California-headquartered, global private equity investment fund.

Imagination Technologies Press Contacts:

David Harold david.harold@imgtec.com +44 (0)1923 260 511Kazakhstan, Romania, and Ukraine see improvements in the perceived transparency of government policymaking.

A report from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on Tuesday warned that perceived transparency in government policymaking in its 38 economy bloc had not improved since the start of the decade.

The development bank's annual 'transition' report which scores the progress of countries in six key areas from competitiveness and resilience to the way they are governed, made for mixed reading, Reuters said.

"Although the perceived regulatory burden declined in many of the economies where the EBRD invests (between 2010-17), the perceived transparency of government policymaking did not generally improve," the report said.

There were some exceptions such as Kazakhstan, Romania and Ukraine, but there were concerns about the ability of some countries' courts and firms to be able to legally challenge domestic regulations having an impact on their businesses.

Read alsoEBRD supports sustainable agribusiness in Ukraine

The EBRD was set up in 1991 to help former Soviet bloc countries convert to capitalism, but growing eurosceptism in parts of eastern Europe has raised questions about reversals in the process.

In the longer-term picture, youth unemployment has declined, particularly in south eastern Europe, but it remains a key challenge for many countries.

Flexibility in hiring and firing practices appears to be declining in various countries and significant challenges also remain with critical infrastructure such as heating and telecoms in poorer regions.

The rest of the report looked at huge changes taking place in employment, demographics and migration in the EBRD's region, which stretches from Morocco to Mongolia in one direction and Estonia to Egypt in the other.

By 2040, labor force growth is expected to exceed population growth in only 20 percent of the world's emerging markets and EBRD countries such as Turkey could see their old-age dependency ratio rise from around 12 percent now to about 25 percent in 2040 in that time.

On top of that, in nearly all EBRD economies, the probability of jobs being automated is higher than the OECD average of 48 percent.At the same time, the U.S. is not too concerned by Europes idea for a special purpose vehicle to get around U.S. sanctions with Iran.

SWIFT, which facilitates the bulk of global cross-border payments, has cut off the Iranian central bank and other financial institutions, said Under Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Sigal Mandelker.

We believe SWIFT has made the right decision to disconnect those entities, Mandelker said. When asked if that included the Iranian central bank, she said: Yes, according to Reuters.

The United States, Mandelker said, would strictly enforce its sanctions on Iran. When asked what was next on Iran, she said: On Iran, you are going to see a lot more from us.

Read alsoUkraine joins SWIFT gpi

We are going to strictly enforce our sanctions, and thats a message we are sending loud and clear all over Europe to the private sector, she said. If there are those who decide not to abide by them then they are going to see action from us.

The United States is not too concerned by Europes idea for a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to get around U.S. sanctions with Iran as companies are already withdrawing from the country in droves, the senior official for financial intelligence said.Local budgets' revenue may grow to US$10.4 bln in 2019  Ukraine's prime minister

Zubko expects that revenue of the local budgets will increase to UAH 230 billion ($8.2 billion) in 2018.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterOver US$70 mln to be spent on organization of presidential elections in Ukraine  CEC

About UAH 1.5 billion (US$53.5 million) will be spent for the first round of elections, and UAH 848 million (US$30.2 million) for the second round of elections.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterLONDON, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quantum Genomics (ALQGC) released data from the Phase IIb NEW-HOPE trial, which strongly suggests that firibistat is an efficacious, safe drug with a differentiated mechanism that will address a very large patient population. After eight weeks of treatment, patients saw a statistically significant reduction from baseline (p<0.0001) in systolic automated office blood pressure (AOBP) of 9.7mmHg. Importantly there was no oedema that was seen with some of the other major classes of hypertension treatments.



We have increased our valuation of Quantum Genomics from 284m or 23.71 per share to 803m or 66.91 per share, mainly due to increasing our probability of success for firibastat in hypertension from 20% to 50% due to the NEW-HOPE trial data. We also increased the probability of success in heart failure from 15% to 20% due to the innocuous safety profile so far. The probability of success for hypertension remains at a discount to where it would normally be as the company will require a partner to advance firibastat to approval.



Click here to view the full report.

All reports published by Edison are available to download free of charge from its website www.edisoninvestmentresearch.com

About Edison: Edison is an investment research and advisory company, with offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East and AsiaPac. The heart of Edison is our world-renowned equity research platform and deep multi-sector expertise. At Edison Investment Research, our research is widely read by international investors, advisers and stakeholders. Edison Advisors leverages our core research platform to provide differentiated services including investor relations and strategic consulting.

Edison is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority .

Edison is not an adviser or broker-dealer and does not provide investment advice. Edisons reports are not solicitations to buy or sell any securities.

For more information please contact Edison:

Maxim Jacobs, +1 646 653 7027

Briana Warschun, +1 646 653 7031

Healthcare@edisongroup.comDiscussion on the topic IT infrastructure as the basis of the digital economy with the participation of the heads of telecommunication companies in Armenia

Statement nn the ongoing Aggression by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Armenia

"We condemn any attempts at borderisation, as observed since the incursion of Azerbaijani troops into Armenian territory on 12 May" Joint statement

The United States is deeply concerned about reports of intensive fighting today between Armenia and Azerbaijan.ANTONY J. BLINKEN

Statement of the MFA of Armenia

Ookla has awarded Ucom with The fastest fixedline network in Armenia award

UCOM keeps on supporting the 42 YEREVAN programming school

Recognizing the One-Year Anniversary of the Ceasefire Declaration Between Armenia and Azerbaijan

They should not be positioned near civilian communities neither in Armenia nor in Artsakh

Humanitarian and human rights protection needed following the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh

Galaxy Group of Companies expands its activities in Belarus: a new TIME and Pandora store launched

I think its a good moment to invest in Armenia. Head of Markets at Symbiotics Vincent Lehner

Ameriabank has Raised USD 17.5M Tier 2 Capital

UNIGHT TO UNITE. UCOM CELEBRATED ITS REBIRTH

Ameriabank and HSBC Armenia to provide their customers access to each others ATMs without additional fees

Ameriabank. 62.5% Growth in Taxes YOY

Google Ad

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans have provided 300 million AMD to overcome the infertility in Armenia

UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13

Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition

S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive

Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk

Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide

1217 new cases

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

At UCOM only: Tv sets at 10% discount + 1 month free UMIX package + 4k tv channel

Ameriabanks Special Offer for New Clients of Hrazdan Branch

"Fall forward": Gurgen Khachatryan, the Co-Founder of the Galaxy Group of Companies, addressed a message to young people in Armenia

UCOM hosted interns of Russian CBOSS corporation for a monthDiscussion on the topic IT infrastructure as the basis of the digital economy with the participation of the heads of telecommunication companies in Armenia

Statement nn the ongoing Aggression by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Armenia

"We condemn any attempts at borderisation, as observed since the incursion of Azerbaijani troops into Armenian territory on 12 May" Joint statement

The United States is deeply concerned about reports of intensive fighting today between Armenia and Azerbaijan.ANTONY J. BLINKEN

Google Ad

Statement of the MFA of Armenia

Ookla has awarded Ucom with The fastest fixedline network in Armenia award

UCOM keeps on supporting the 42 YEREVAN programming school

Recognizing the One-Year Anniversary of the Ceasefire Declaration Between Armenia and Azerbaijan

They should not be positioned near civilian communities neither in Armenia nor in Artsakh

Humanitarian and human rights protection needed following the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh

Galaxy Group of Companies expands its activities in Belarus: a new TIME and Pandora store launched

I think its a good moment to invest in Armenia. Head of Markets at Symbiotics Vincent Lehner

Ameriabank has Raised USD 17.5M Tier 2 Capital

UNIGHT TO UNITE. UCOM CELEBRATED ITS REBIRTH

Ameriabank and HSBC Armenia to provide their customers access to each others ATMs without additional fees

Ameriabank. 62.5% Growth in Taxes YOY

Google Ad

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans have provided 300 million AMD to overcome the infertility in Armenia

UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13

Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition

S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive

Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk

Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide

1217 new cases

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

At UCOM only: Tv sets at 10% discount + 1 month free UMIX package + 4k tv channel

Ameriabanks Special Offer for New Clients of Hrazdan Branch

"Fall forward": Gurgen Khachatryan, the Co-Founder of the Galaxy Group of Companies, addressed a message to young people in Armenia

UCOM hosted interns of Russian CBOSS corporation for a monthSurvey: They are talking now, but it does not matter, they will not pass (video)

The announcement of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) on snap elections was not accepted by citizens. The majority of the respondents consider that RPA has very few chances. "I think, there are not many, if not zero." "They will be close to zero, they are talking now, but it does not matter, they will not pass." "We must get clean from the Republican Party forever, forget about the existence of that party, it's a failure, it's is evil." Davit Shahnazaryan, former head of the State Department of National Security, is in the RPA list and will participate in snap parliamentary elections. "What he has said until this and what he has done does not match." "They have nominated their candidate, it's their right." "It's his choice, he has joined them so what?"President Sarkissian discusses concrete cooperation program with Dassault Systemes

President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian had meetings with the leaders of several major French companies in Paris during which they discussed issues relating to the Armenian business climate, attraction of investments and creation of business ties, the Presidential Office reports. In particular, the Armenian President visited the famous Dassault Systemes, got acquainted with the company programs and activities. At the meeting an agreement was reached to send a group to Armenia in early 2019 aimed at discussing a concrete cooperation program. Dassault Systemes is a subsidiary of the Dassault Group created in 1981. It develops and markets PLM software and services that support industrial processes by providing a 3D vision of the entire life cycle of products from conception to maintenance. ..................... President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian met with the leadership of THALES, one of the leading companies in aerospace, led by Vice President Raphael Eskinazi. During the meeting issues relating to the possible cooperation directions with the Armenian companies and investments were discussed. THALES Group operates in different countries of the world, designs and builds electrical systems and provides services for the aerospace, defense, transportation and security markets.Dublin, Ireland, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovation 4 Growth program is a world-class program designed for CEOs and their top team. The objective of the program is to support innovation in the companys business in order to create new business models, products, services and processes that will add value to the customers.

Innovation and the pursuit of new business opportunities are fundamental to the growth of a business; they provide the catalyst for economic enhancement, organizational advancement, and ultimately enhance shareholder value. ASLs participation in this program will advance both its mission and business interests in a mutually reinforcing manner. Said John Ryan, Chief Strategy Officer.

As part of the first module of the program, ASLs Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. John McKeon, and Chief Information Officer (CIO), Dave Morrissey, went to spend a week at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The MIT Sloan School of Management is one of the worlds leading business schools and then hosted the opening module of the program. The focus of the week was on what it takes for a scaling business to create a sustainable culture of innovation at the team and organizational level. The week was a great week of learnings for ASL team on the business challenges to innovation, the various ways to overcome these challenges and the ways to integrate innovation in processes

"Innovation is a core principle within Allergy Standards, so we are delighted to be taking part in this important strategic initiative. Central to our innovation goal is our Client Services Portal and the unique insights we will gain by completing the Innovation 4 Growth Program will make for a more focussed solution for our customers, retailers, laboratories and partners. Said Dave Morrissey, CIO.

The following modules of the program will also be focusing on innovation and will take place in Ireland throughout the following months until the Programs finale and showcase in April 2019.

ASL team is very proud to have been selected to this prestigious program organized by Enterprise Ireland and looks forward to engaging into this ambitious innovation journey.

About Allergy Standards

Allergy Standards Limited (ASL) is an independent, global certification company, that creates scientific standards for testing a wide range of products and services to determine their impact on improving indoor air quality. ASL has designed a series of unique testing protocols and suitability specifications for products to achieve in order to be CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly.

ASLs mission is to help people create the healthiest possible indoor environment through science, certification and education. http://www.allergystandards.com/

AttachmentCar importers demand to review customs fees (video)

Car importers gathered in front of the State Revenue Committee demanding to review customs fees. "The problem is about the thirty percent, that the customs fees of Opel and Mercedes care are thirty percent cheaper than the other cars," say the car importer. They informed the SRC representative that the area for the car in Noragavit's automobile station is small. They also complained about the traffic. The car importers claim that if the Road Police also works on Saturdays and Sundays, there will be no queues. One of the 11 points demanded by the car importers was solved, SRC representative said. "Mrs. Nersisyan, the mistake was 50,000 drams, and you know that we have reconsidered it, but presenting by mistake for the first will be just a warning," said President of League of Drivers' Protection Tigran Hovhannisyan. In order to be effective, the SRC employee suggested that auto importers submit their complaint in writing, and the proposal was accepted.Two new drilling rigs with a carrying capacity of 450 tonnes from China's Sichuan Honghua Petroleum Equipment arrived in Odesa seaport late on Monday, the press service of JSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia has reported.

Ukrgazvydobuvannia Board Chairman Oleh Prokhorenko said that as of 2016, the average age of drilling rigs of the company was 23, and the average age of drilling rigs in Russia was 10 years and in Belarus  nine years.

"Finally, Ukraine has begun to invest in the development of its own gas production, its own drilling fleet and the exploration of its own resources. The arrival of these new drilling rigs is one of many concrete steps that will increase gas production in Ukraine," he said.

As reported, late 2017, Ukrgazvydobuvannia signed a contract with Bentec GmbH Drilling & Oilfield Systems (Germany) to supply five drilling rigs with a capacity of 450 tonnes (2,000 HP) for $110 million. The first rig was delivered to the company in October 2018.

It is also planned to buy ten Chinese drilling rigs with a capacity of 450 tonnes.Finance ministry could increase sum of payments to national budget by Sea Port Authority to 90% of net profit

Ukraine's Finance Ministry could in 2019 increase the requirement for paying of net profit by the state-owned enterprise (SOE) Ukrainian Sea Port Authority to the national budget from 50% to 90%, Ukrainian Sea Port Authority Head Raivis Veckagans said at the presentation of the corporate governance analysis of the SOE drawn up by the reform support team of the Economic Development and Trade Ministry.

Veckagans said that the figure was presented at a meeting with the deputy finance minister.

"We have not yet shaped the final version of the financial plan for 2019. We are waiting for the decision on the issue," he said.

The press service of the authority reported that the authority has not yet received the official letter from the Finance Ministry.

The amount of net profit to be paid to the national budget will be approved at the state level, and the capital investment of the authority in 2019 will directly depend on it.NATO is not going to conduct joint exercises with Ukraine in the Sea of Azov to avoid provoking Russia, Vadym Prystaiko, head of Ukraine's Mission to NATO, has said.

"Joint exercises or an operation in the Sea of Azov will definitely be considered by Russia as a provocation. Thus, the Alliance is not planning to provoke Russia As of now, we have no plans with NATO to have exercises in the Sea of Azov," Prystaiko said in an interview to Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

He said the entry by naval ships into the Sea of Azov is now problematic.

Prystaiko said of special interest to Ukraine's partners are the ships belonging to NATO member-states that have been arrested in the Sea of Azov.

"Neither the Alliance, nor Ukraine are interested in deepening the conflict even further. Today we are more concerned with how to protect our shoreline, and how to expand our capabilities there. In particular, we have been building a small naval base in the Sea of Azov and bringing more missile launchers and artillery there. Some time ago we conducted our own exercises, which involved the firing of missiles," the envoy said.More than 36 countries condemned the illegitimate "elections" in Russia-occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Sian MacLeod, head of the UK delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, said during a special meeting the the OSCE Permanent Council on November 12.

"Special OSCE Permanent Council discusses yesterdays illegal, illegitimate 'elections' in Donetsk and Luhansk regions: EU 28, Canada, US, Turkey, Switzerland, Norway, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, and others condemn violation of international law, Ukraine sovereignty and the Minsk agreements," she wrote on a tweet in Twitter.

In his turn, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Ihor Prokopchuk said that the illegitimate "elections" in Russia-occupied territories in Donbas brought a heavy blow to the OSCE's efforts to restore peace and security in that region.

"Apart from severely undermining the implementation of the Minsk agreements, Russias actions delivered a heavy blow to the efforts of trust-building dialogue and co-operation pursued within the OSCE in the current risky and unpredictable security environment," a statement published on the website of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna says.

He said Russia took deliberate actions in the occupied parts of Donbas which had compounded the breach of the Constitution and the national legislation of Ukraine as well as ran contrary to the letter and spirit of the Minsk agreements.

"The conduct of this illegal exercise is categorically unacceptable and we strongly condemn it. These illegal and illegitimate so-called "elections" are not recognized either by Ukraine, or the international community, their results are null and void," Prokopchuk said.

He said that Ukraine condemns the harassment and intimidation of the Ukrainian citizens in the occupied areas by the Russian armed formations, aiming at making them come to those fake so-called "elections."

"The methods of intimidation were numerous. The facts are known and get documented by respective law-enforcement bodies of Ukraine. We view it as another crime that has been committed against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Every effort will be made by the Ukrainian authorities to bring the responsible to account," Prokopchuk said.The first international serial will be filmed in Kyiv with the involvement of a team of cinema makers of the world level together with a group from 1+1 Media, Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko has announced.

"Dear friends, Kyiv is becoming a European movie set for cinema making. Well-known European and U.S. producers and scriptwriters together with a group from 1+1 Media will shoot the first international serial in our city," Klitschko wrote in a post on Facebook on November 12.

He said the project is planned for distribution by one of the international streaming platforms.

"The shooting of the pilot episode is starting in Kyiv on November 13. Today a memorandum on such cooperation was signed at the Royal Norwegian embassy in Ukraine. I am thankful to H.E. Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Ukraine Ole Horpestad for supporting this project. On its part, our city will provide all the necessary support and assistance," the mayor of Kyiv said.

The project will involve a team of U.S. and Norwegian scriptwriters and producers. The shooting will be done by Norwegian company Evil Doghouse Production together with Ukrainian company 1+1 Production. The serial named Jonathan Fort will tell the story of the life of a former boxer who gets a new and dangerous job at the Royal Norwegian embassy in Ukraine. About 80% of the storyline will be shot in Kyiv and Odesa.

"Today international stars shoot their clips in the Ukrainian capital, large international companies shoot their ads, and the world learns more about Kyiv. As a result, we get more tourists. And we continue to develop the tourist infrastructure in the capital by creating beautiful locations. Because all of this goes for the benefit of our city," Klitschko said.President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine has congratulated the leader of the Crimean Tatar movement, Ukrainian MP Mustafa Dzhemilev on his 75th birthday anniversary, citing his strong spirit and steel character and wishing him strong health, inspiration, and longevity.

"Today an unordinary man, the leader of not only Crimean Tatars but also an indisputable authority for all the Ukrainians, Mustafa Dzhemilev, is celebrating his 75th birthday. His strong spirit and steel character had not been broken by years of persecution, pressures, prison terms for "the dissemination of anti-Soviet views," the Ukrainian head of state wrote in a post on Facebook on November 13.

Poroshenko said that Dzhemilev continues to fight for the return of the occupied Crimea to Ukraine and for the release of all the hostages of the Kremlin so that they could return home, to the Ukrainian Crimea.

"My sincerest wishes of strong health, inspiration, and longevity. Happy anniversary, Mustafa-agha," the post reads.

Dzhemilev is a Soviet human rights activist and dissident, Ukrainian political activist, and one of the leaders of the Crimean Tatar national movement. Born in Crimea in November 1943, he was deported along with his parents to the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. He received several terms in prison for his "anti-Soviet activities" and had to spend a total of 15 years in prisons and exile. He served as the chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People from 1991 to 2013. He has been a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada since 1998.Foreign ministers of EU member states to discuss situation in Donbas, Sea of Azov on Nov 19  Tochytskyi

Foreign ministers of European Union member states will discuss the situation in Donbas and the Sea of Azov on November 19, Mykola Tochytskyi, head of the Mission of Ukraine to the European Union, has said.

"Grateful to the European External Action Service for including developments in Donbas and the Sea of Azov into the Foreign Affairs Council agenda on November 19," he wrote in a tweet on Twitter on November 13.

We "anticipate strong EU actions after the so-called "elections" in the occupied Donbas in violation of the Minsk [agreements] by raising costs for Russia for its aggression against Ukraine," he said.The Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania has called on the European Union and the G7 countries to impose sanctions on Russian ports in the Sea of Azov for what they see as illegal cooperation with Crimean seaports.

"The assembly of the members of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, the Lithuanian Seimas, and the Polish Senate [...] calls on the member states of the European Union and the Group of Seven to impose sanctions on Russian seaports in the Sea of Azov for their illegal cooperation with seaports of temporarily occupied Crimea, which the Ukrainian authorities have closed," the assembly said in a resolution passed in Vilnius on Tuesday.

The assembly also called on the EU to extend the sanctions on Russia until Moscow fulfills the Minsk Agreements and until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored.

The parliamentary assembly also urged the EU to consider tightening sanctions on Russia if the hostilities in eastern Ukraine escalate.Ukraine and Indonesia are working on plans to boost defense cooperation in the conditions of the current transformation of the regional arms market in Southeast Asia.

The press service of the Ukroboronprom State Concern reported that arrangements to expand Ukrainian-Indonesian defense cooperation were made after negotiations of a Ukrainian delegation with the Indonesian military leadership held during the Indo Defence Expo & Forum 2018, which took place on November 7 through November 10 in Jakarta (Indonesia).

According to the report, state-owned enterprise (SOE) Ukrspecexport and a leading Indonesian company signed a memorandum of understanding to secure plans of cooperation in joint promotion of Ukrainian armored vehicles to the Southeast Asian market. The details are not disclosed.

In addition, during negotiations of a Ukrainian delegation with Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy Admiral Siwi Sukma Adji the sides discussed prospects of localization of production of Ukrainian armored vehicles and infantry anti-tank guided missile complexes in Indonesia, the press service said.

During the talks of state-owned firm Ukrinmash with the leadership of defense agencies of Indonesia, Indonesia showed its interest in purchase of Ukrainian small arms, counterbattery radars, radio warfare devices and remotely-piloted aerial vehicles.

The Ukraine delegation also discussed cooperation in the aviation cluster: a possibility of supplies Antonov aircraft to Indonesia. The partner also showed its interest in development of defense cooperation in servicing Indonesia's Su-27/30 aircraft.BOSTON, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trilio, the leader in data protection and recovery solutions for OpenStack, is announcing its support and compatibility with Red Hats new virtual central office solution. Starting today, telecommunications companies can deploy, backup, and manage complete workloads within their VCO environment leveraging NFV infrastructure using Trilios OpenStack-native backup and recovery solution, TrilioVault.



The Red Hat virtual central office solution was developed as a way to help create services that can better support the delivery of residential, business, and mobile services for telecommunications companies. With this solution, Telcos now have a common platform to deploy services at the network edge.

As mobile network operators move to embrace the role of a modern open telecommunications service provider, they are frequently looking to move services from the core network closer to their customers by virtualizing their edge network, said Darrell Jordan-Smith, Vice President, Global Information and Communications Technology at Red Hat. The Red Hat virtual central office solution is designed to provide both a path for service providers to follow and an open pluggable framework upon which to build their next generation services by leveraging our partner ecosystem's strengths and technologies.

The vast majority of NFV deployments contain at least some legacy applications that have been ported over by IT administrators who don't have the luxury of rewriting their entire functional layer. Those workloads are at risk if they're not being backed up.

Protecting the NFV environment based on the Red Hat virtual central office solution enables users to recover from data damage or disaster significantly faster than by re-deploying an entire VNF from scratch. Only TrilioVault:

Captures point-in-time snapshots of VNFs, so users can restore complete environments including VM flavors and network topology/configurations

Supports deployment via Red Hat OpenStack Platform director, so administrators can deploy the two solutions together using a single tool

Leverages incremental forever snapshots that include changed block tracking

Is certified for Red Hat Ceph Storage

Covers both backup/recovery and disaster recovery scenarios

Trilio makes it easy for users to recover and restore VNFs from a well-known point-in-time backup. With multi-tenant support and seamless OpenStack integration, TrilioVault fits into existing NFV cloud workflows. TrilioVault's application-aware snaps capture entire workloads, including the VMs, flavors of the VMs, network settings, and all the volumes attached to those VMs. With DevOps tools plus historical fixes, patches, and tweaks per machine, you can bring your environment back to present day quickly and efficiently without the need for low-level scripting or manual refactoring.

Telecommunications companies are using NFV to push their networks as far to the edge as possible, says Tom Lahive, General Manager for Sales and Alliance Partners at Trilio. With Red Hat virtual central office solution and Trilio, they can modernize their infrastructure with enterprise-grade management tools and data protection.

Learn more about Trilios support for NFV environments: https://www.trilio.io/openstack-nfv/

TrilioVaults agentless, software-only solution is native to Red Hat OpenStack Platform and Red Hat Virtualization, providing self-service protection and recovery of complete workloads to the users of each platform. Architected for the cloud, TrilioVault can scale quickly with zero performance degradation. With TrilioVault, businesses have total control to back up their clouds in a way thats easily recoverable and requires little-to-no central IT administration.

About Trilio

Trilio is a leader in data protection for OpenStack and RHV environments, and the only provider of OpenStack-native backup and recovery solutions. Since 2013, Trilio has been on a mission to give tenants more control over their ever-changing, growing, complex, and scalable cloud-based architectures. Today, Trilio is trusted by businesses all around the world to protect their clouds in a way thats easily recoverable, and requires little-to-no central IT administration. Follow us on Twitter @triliodata and LinkedIn or visit www.trilio.io to learn more.

Red Hat, Ansible, Ceph and CloudForms are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. The OpenStack Word Mark is either a registered trademark/service mark or trademark/service mark of the OpenStack Foundation, in the United States and other countries, and is used with the OpenStack Foundation's permission. Red Hat is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by the OpenStack Foundation, or the OpenStack community.

Media Contact:

Crystal Woody

crystal@carltonprmarketing.com

781-457-6112The Ukrainian party of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) has sent out an official note with a proposal to hold an extraordinary meeting because of the recent sham "elections" in Donbas and has received the consent of the OSCE's representatives; however, the Russian party has not replied yet, First Deputy Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament and Ukraine's envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group's humanitarian subgroup Iryna Gerashchenko, has said.

"We insist on the trilateral format of the talks with the involvement of Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE. We have already received a reply from the OSCE's representatives who have supported our initiative and are ready to convene a meeting at any time, in other words, two parties to the TCG, Ukraine and the OSCE, are ready to meet. As to Russia, it has been keeping silent, there has been no answer from them. They must be frenzy celebrating the 'results' of the puppet elections," Gerashchenko said on Facebook on November 13.

Gerashchenko said the Kremlin by organizing the fake elections in Donbas had several goals in mind. The first and most important aim, she said, was to attempt to delegitimize the "republics," strengthening calls from Moscow and its representatives in Ukraine to enter "direct talks between Kyiv with Donetsk and Luhansk."

"The second goal. Destabilization of the political situation in the sphere of security on the front line on the eve of Ukraine's presidential elections. An attempt to provoke a conflict and escalation in order to focus attention on the Kyiv regime it despises," she said.

The third reason, according to Gerashchenko, was to discredit the so-called Normandy Format and Minsk peace process.

"Russia is trying to tear up the Minsk accords using others' hands, to full discredit peace talks, to end them, to destroy the Minsk process because that would mean the end of tortuous anti-Russia sanctions. And, by the way, all competitors (of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko) tacitly support this in Moscow, because they promise the day after their victory (in presidential elections) to scrap the Minsk accords and thus lift Europe's sanctions on Russia," Gerashchenko said.Law enforcers have exposed a forgery by managers of Ukrainian International Airlines (UIA), who embezzled funds of the Boryspil international airport in the amount of over UAH 10 million, Spokesman of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) Andriy Lysenko has said.

"A scam of UIA airline's managers, who embezzled funds of the Boryspil airport in the amount of over UAH 10 million, has been exposed," he wrote on his Facebook page.

The law enforcers revealed that a contract on joint operations in technical servicing and repair of aircraft carried out by UIA employees in the premises of the airport was signed by UIA and the Boryspil airport.

"Damage of over UAH 10 million was caused to the state using the difference in the volume of works," Lysenko said.

Prosecutor's office in Kyiv region jointly with SBU officers raided places of residence of the suspects.

The pretrial investigation is underway.The Council of Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) declares its readiness to hold a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, but only on the church territory.

"The Council of Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church confirms its readiness to meet with the president of Ukraine, but on the church territory," the vouncil said in a statement adopted at the meeting on Tuesday.

The statement also explains that the Council of Bishops of the UOC-MP decided to meet with the president, but not at the Ukrainian House, but on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which was immediately reported to the president. However, Poroshenko refused to meet, the UOC-MP states.The number of supporters of Ukraine's entry into the European Union and NATO in the country continues to exceed the number of opponents of such integration, according to a public opinion poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), the Razumkov Center, and the Rating Sociologic Group.

Some 40% of respondents support Ukraine's entry into NATO, and 36% of respondents are against it, the survey, presented at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday, says.

But half the respondents support joining the European Union, while 30% are against it.

In a situation where respondents would have to choose one of the vectors of Ukraine's foreign policy, the majority (47%) would choose joining the EU, 11% - the Customs Union, a third of those polled expressed conviction that Ukraine should be equidistant from both the European Union and from Russia.

In a situation when choosing a security vector, 39% said they prefer to join the North Atlantic Alliance, 35% support the non-aligned status of the country, 9% support joining the Organization of the Collective Security Treaty (CSTO).

The poll was jointly conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, the Razumkov Center and the Sociological Group Rating from October 19 to November 2, 2018. A total of 10,000 people aged from 18 and up were polled in all the regions of Ukraine except for Crimea and Russia-occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The statistical margin of error is no more than 1%.Prosecutors of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) have drafted a written notice of suspicion for Board Chairman of PrJSC Energomerezha Holding Company Dmytro Kriuchkov, against whom the extradition procedure from Germany was launched in April 2018, the SAPO reported on its Facebook page on Tuesday.

The detained person is suspected of criminal activity, which resulted in the seizure of public sector funds in the energy sector in the amount of UAH 424 million, and is classified according to Part 5 of Article 191 (misappropriation, embezzlement or conversion or property by malversation committed in respect of an especially gross amount), Part 3 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 364 (abuse of authority or office), Part 3 of Article 209 (laundering of criminally obtained money and other property) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

"The funds were seized by concluding agreements on the transfer of debt from electricity consumers to a new debtor and a new contract on the supply of natural gas for electricity generation on a prepaid basis. Under the agreement he used the money at his discretion, legalizing money thus criminally," the SAPO said.

As reported, on April 14, 2018, Kriuchkov was detained in Germany.

In July 2016, NABU issued the wanted notice for Head of PrJSC Energomerezha Holding Company Kriuchkov, who was suspected of embezzling funds from Zaporizhiaoblenergo.

On May 5, 2017, the Solomiansky district court in Kyiv decided to arrest Kriuchkov in absentia.KYIV. Nov 13 (Interfax-Ukraine)  Top managers of VF Consulting Services LLC, the company, which is part of VFS Global, the world's largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, has claimed the illegal actions of law enforcement agencies and the judicial system and addressed the country's leadership to pay attention to this problem.

"Despite the fact that we are part of a large international business and are fully prepared to cooperate with local authorities, the law enforcement system has been mocking us for more than six months, using criminal proceedings that were opened more than two and a half years ago against third parties and companies that we do not even know about,", Director General of VF Consulting Services LLC Heorhiy Shevchenko said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

According to the lawyer, partner of JSC Interregional Bar Association Volodymyr Musiyenko, in the criminal case investigating into the creation of fictitious business entities, in which neither VF Consulting Services, nor its employees, have any procedural status, they were examined them, seized documents, raided premises, seized computer equipment, arrested bills and property.

Shevchenko said that according to a court decision, the arrested property of the company was to be returned, however, "under various pretexts, law enforcement officers refused to return the property and report on the grounds why it is not returned." According to the director general of the company, it turned out that under another decision of the court the property was repeatedly arrested.

He said that these actions pose a threat to Ukrainian business and the country as a whole, especially taking into account the adopted laws on protecting business from illegal actions of the law enforcement system.

The general director of the company said that in this regard, the company intends to file a complaint against the actions of the judge who made the decision to re-arrest the property, to demand that the prosecutor who initiated the decision be brought to justice.

"We will once again appeal to the President, the Prime Minister, the Prosecutor General with a request to investigate and punish the prosecutor and the judges, who exercise pressure on the business of the international company," he said.

Commenting on what this pressure may be connected with, Shevchenko said: "I do not think that we can talk about competition. We do not work in the Ukrainian market in fact. First of all we provide our services to diplomatic missions... It is hard for me to say what exactly it can be connected with. I think that this is some kind of initiative of people of a low level of the law enforcement system."The United Sates officially implemented a new wave of sanctions against Iran November 5, targeting the countrys main economic sectors. Iran reacted with a lot of rhetoric and some threats but amid the tensions the six gulf countries plus Egypt and Jordan seem to maintain their united front against the Islamic Republic.

The next logical step for these countries would have been tightening their military cooperation. The head of United States Central Command Joseph Votel met September 11 with military chiefs from Egypt, Jordan and the six GCC countries and pushed for the formation of a military alliance, (MESA, The Middle East Strategic Alliance). But according to Aljazeera, the plan has been postponed to next year, due to the constrained relations between Saudi Arabia and its western allies over the ongoing investigation of the Khashoggi murder case.

Another reason is the continued dispute between Qatar and four Arab states (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt) over accusations that Qatar is backing Iran and supporting terrorism. The four countries initiated a blockade against Doha back in 2017, cutting off trade and travel ties. Qatar has since denied all accusations.

However, the postponement of the Arab NATO did not mean a lessening of Sunni Arab opposition to Iran. During the World Youth Forum held in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh November 6, Egyptian President Abdelfattah El Sisi assured participants that Egypt will Stand side by side with Gulf and Arab countries. He also stated that the Egyptian military forces are ready to move in case of any hostility from neighboring countries; a veiled reference to Iran.

Riad Kahwaji, founder and CEO of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis in Dubai, speculated in an article in Arabnews that the Iranian regime is putting up a tough in the face of U.S. sanctions, although, if history is any guide, the Iranian regime will try to approach the United States administration behind the scenes.

According to Al Sharq Al-Awsats editor in chief Ghassan Sherbil, the U.S sanctions imposed on Iran aim to change its behavior and weaken its regional influence, but not change its current government. Sherbil wrote: The goal of the Trump administration is to change Iran's behavior, not change its regime. The doors are open to return to the negotiating table if Tehran seriously decides to reconsider its behavior and ambitions

Pro government Saudi newspaper Al Yaum reported that according to political experts, the Iranian regime has already started plans of action to break U.S. sanctions and smuggle its oil, as it efficiently smuggles weapons to neighboring Arab countries. According to political expert Ahmed Al Rakban, the economic sanctions implemented against Iran will cause turmoil within the country as the people will revolt due to worsening economic conditions, already being felt. He also states that the Iranian people are fed up with their government using the publics money to support terrorist militias in the region.

UAE news outlet Albayan published a caricature of Iran and Qatar. The caricature portrays Qatar being dragged across the Persian Gulf closer to Iran. This symbolizes the Qatar-Iranian relationship and how Qatar is one of the closest Gulf countries to Iran.By RFE/RLs Radio Free Afghanistan

Dozens of people have been killed in violence across Afghanistan, including in a suicide bombing in Kabul targeting a protest by members of the mainly Shiite Hazara minority, officials say.



Security officials said the suicide blast on November 12 killed at least six people and wounded 20 others in the center of the capital where hundreds of people were protesting the governments failure to protect the Hazara community from Taliban attacks.



The explosion rocked the city as fighting raged in the central province of Ghazni, where Afghan forces and pro-government militias have been battling the Taliban for the past week.



Officials said on November 12 that 25 Afghan security personnel were killed in Ghazni's predominately Hazara districts of Malistan and Jaghori. The Taliban also attacked a third district, Khas Oruzgan, in neighboring Oruzgan Province two week ago.



The Taliban offensive in the three predominately Hazara districts has killed dozens of government troops, pro-government Hazara militiamen, and Taliban militants, and forced hundreds of civilians to flee their homes.



In the western province of Farah, at least 37 local police were killed when Taliban fighters overran several security checkpoints, regional officials said on November 12.



Afghanistans main intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said in a statement that the bomber in Kabul was on foot and detonated his suicide vest before reaching the protesters.



Interior Ministry spokesperson Najib Danesh told RFE/RL that civilians and security personnel deployed to secure the city during the protest were among the dead.



No group claimed responsibility for the attack, although the Taliban and the Islamic State (IS) militant groups have been blamed for similar attacks in the past.



The blast occurred near a security checkpoint near the Istiqlal High School in central Kabul, close to the area where ministry buildings and the Presidential Palace are located.



The Afghan president's office said protesters ended their demonstration after President Ashraf Ghani addressed the crowd and promised to send reinforcements to the besieged districts.

Hundreds of people had rallied for a second day in front of the Presidential Palace to protest against the governments slow response in sending reinforcements to the districts in Ghazni and Oruzgan.



Officials said that the Taliban killed 15 civilians and 10 members of the special forces in Ghazni on November 11, after the government said it had sent special forces backed by air strikes to the districts under attack.



There have been fears that the violence could be rooted in ethnic or sectarian differences, pitting the Hazaras against the Taliban, a predominately Sunni, ethnic Pashtun group.



The Taliban were accused of committing human rights violations against Hazaras during their 1996-2001 rule.



The spike in violence comes as visiting U.S. special envoy Zakmay Khalilzad held talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on November 11 in his latest round of meetings aimed at convincing the Taliban to take part in peace talks with Kabul to end the decades-long war in Afghanistan.



Khalilzad, a former U.S. ambassador to Kabul, also is scheduled to visit Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where the Taliban has a political office.



A recent U.S. government watchdog report said Kabul's control of Afghanistan had slipped in recent months as local forces made little or no progress against the Taliban.

The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) cited NATO's Resolute Support mission as saying this summer's casualty toll for Afghan forces had been worse than ever.



With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa

Irans Foreign Minister Javad Zarif says those who profit from money laundering are spending millions of dollars to prevent the passage of legislation requiring more financial transparency.

Known collectively in Iran as the Palermo Bills, the legislation would pave the way for the country to meet the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crimes (UNTOC), Combatting Financing Terrorism (CFT), and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) -- in the hope of reducing international pressure on Irans already troubled economy.

Originally proposed by President Hassan Rouhani in November last year, the bills have met staunch resistance from hardliners, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who says the agreements have been cooked up by foreign enemies.

"The amount spent for creating an atmosphere against these bills is equal to the Foreign Ministry's budget, Zarif was cited as saying November 11 on the local website Khabar Online.

The foreign minister went on to accuse government agencies, that he refrained from naming, of mounting the campaign against the Palermo Bills.

"We cannot challenge the scenes set by these wealthy and mighty state-organs, he said.

Following the remarks, some members of the Iranian Parliament (Majles) described his comments as "biased" and "unsubstantiated."

Ali Akbar Karimi, a member of the Majles Economy Committee, said that Zarif's "biased" remarks does not answer concerns about Iran joining the Convention against Funding Terrorism (CFT). Karimi further asked Zarif to give examples of money laundering by government institutions.

Meanwhile, another MP, Alireza Salimi, said he was sorry for Zarif, and called on him to substantiate what he said, and do not let foreigners to use his comments as a pretext to exert pressure on Iran.

Commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Friday Prayer Leaders across Iran, and other figures appointed by the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have repeatedly opposed the passage of UN sponsored conventions against financing international terrorism and money laundering.

In June, members of parliament discussed Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) accession bill, which is one of the Palermo Bills put forward by Rouhani's government, along with a proposal to adopt the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards. The bill was shelved for two months. Later, it was approved by parliament but rejected by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council.

Parliament did approve a bill on the countrys accession to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, also known as the Palermo Convention, but the bill was rejected by the Guardian Council.

Parliament has since referred the bill to the Expediency Council to make the final decision.

An amendment to the anti-money laundering law of the Islamic Republic proposed by Rouhanis government has met a similar fate. It was approved by the parliament but rejected by both the Guardian Council and Expediency Council.

Meanwhile, an amendment to the countrys law against financing terrorism was approved by both parliament and the Guardian Council, and signed into law by President Hassan Rouhani, state-run Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported.

Those who oppose the bills have argued that passing them is a threat to Irans security. Analysts say the real fear in circles loyal to the Supreme Leader is that adhering to the financial transparency requirements would prevent Iran from financially supporting the Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas militant groups.

But their opposition can also have more selfish reasons, as many officials and opaque organizations with secret budgets and corrupt dealings would not like to be subjected to more transparency.

The FATF has given Tehran until February to either endorse the UNTOC or be added to its black list of countries refusing to cooperate in the fight against money laundering and financing terrorism. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is urging Tehran to endorse the bills before the deadline set by FATF.BAGHDAD, Nov 12 (Reuters)

While Saudi Arabia courted Iraqi leaders behind closed doors at the weekend, its arch-foe Iran made a more public showing by turning out at the Baghdad International Fair, a shop window for business in Iraq.

An entire hangar was set aside for some of the 60 Iranian firms participating. Vendors of steel, chemical products and carpets greeted prospective Iraqi customers with tea and sweets, exchanging pleasantries in Persian and broken Arabic.

If the region's most bitter rivalry was expected to be on display - last year dozens of Saudi companies also took part - it was an indication of how that is playing out in Iraq. No Saudi firms attended this year.

Riyadh instead focused on high-level meetings, with Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih paying a visit to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in Baghdad. The countries pledged to co-operate on oil and energy, while new Iraqi President Barham Salih made Gulf Arab states the destination for his first official trip abroad.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab states have sought to increase their clout in Iraq, and new U.S. sanctions on Iran's oil sector might provide an opportunity. But Iran's influence in areas from politics to trade will be hard to counter.

Riyadh and Tehran's competition for influence in the Middle East has in recent years led to Tehran strengthening its allies in Damascus, Beirut and Baghdad.

In Iraq, Shi'ite militias, some backed by Iran, have been bolstered by their crucial role in defeating Islamic State, and became part of the security forces this year.

Meanwhile, Iran's place as a trade partner was made plain at the annual Baghdad fair, which opened on Saturday. Iran's ambassador attended and its diplomats toured Iranian stalls.

"Iranian materials are very important for Iraq," said Khalid al-Wali, an Iraqi businessman eyeing up an Iranian chemicals manufacturer as a potential supplier.

"Products coming from Iran are cheap. It's a big source for raw materials."

Arash, the chemical company's sales rep who asked for his surname not to be published, said it was the first time the firm had come to Baghdad.

"Iraq is an attractive market to us. It's right next door, and after years of war the country needs cheap supplies," he said. "We've decided to come for the full 10 days of the expo."

Outside the Iranian hall, a lone stall belonging to a company from the United Arab Emirates sold boilers.

Iraqi trade ministry sources said Saudi firms, which had numbered almost 60 last year, withdrew at the last minute. The amount of Iranian companies almost doubled.

MIXED BLESSING?

Saudi firms had a dedicated hangar in 2017, and Falih attended the opening ceremony, the first Saudi official to make a public speech in Baghdad for decades.

Riyadh's commerce ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Iraq and Saudi began taking steps towards detente in 2015 after 25 years of troubled relations starting with the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq which toppled Saddam Hussein empowered political parties representing Iraq's Shi'ite majority, some close to Iran.

"The Iranian presence isn't hidden in Iraq. It's in various guises - trade, politics, religion," Abdullah al-Zaidi, a senior member of Iraq's Hikma movement, told Reuters last month.

"The Saudi presence is much smaller ... the difference being that Iran supported the Iraqi (post-Saddam) government from the beginning."

After Washington restored sanctions last week, some Iraqis might see risk in importing Iranian products, but that seems unlikely to stop them, especially in border areas.

"Most of our goods are Iranian. We get them from the crossings and they're very cheap. There's little transport cost," said Dana Ali, a 56-year-old shopkeeper in the northeast city of Sulaimaniya.

In Baghdad, businessmen saw sanctions as a mixed blessing.

"Our company's not on the sanctions list, but it's made business more difficult in Europe - we had a contract with a British company which canceled recently," Hamed Shahinmehr, representing an Iranian petrochemicals company, said.

"That makes Iraq one of our best bets now."

(Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed, Moayad Kenany and Ali Sultan in Sulaimaniya, Stephen Kalin in Riyadh, editing by Ed Osmond)Multi-asset class attribution analysis powered by Wilshire to be integrated in Archers asset management solution

BERWYN, Pa., Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Archer , a technology and services innovator for the investment management industry, today announced an alliance with Wilshire Analytics, the investment technology division of Wilshire Associates, a leading global financial services firm, to integrate best-of-breed attribution analysis into its award-winning platform.



Wilshires robust multi-asset class attribution includes Brinson-style analysis, often used for equities, as well as factor-based analysis appropriate for fixed-income portfolios. Managers can leverage the strengths of either approach as best suits their portfolios and investment strategies. Through seamless integration with Archers total solution for middle and back office investment operations, asset managers will gain access to actionable insight and data to help inform a performance narrative with end clients.

Through the alliance, Archer will be able to provide institutional-level analytics and insight, giving asset managers enhanced single-platform simplicity and scalable operations that empower growth strategies and new product creation. Wilshire will benefit from broadened distribution of its analytics into aggregated platforms, increasing access to their core institutional asset manager customer segment.

While access to analytics has existed in different forms, providing it alongside account overview information, composite performance, trade flow and reconciliation detail provides managers investment performance intelligence in context to support their clients, said Jason Schwarz, president of Wilshire Analytics and Wilshire Funds Management. Jason also noted, Aligning with a growing provider of outsourced middle and back-office solutions expands institutional asset managers access to our best-of-breed attribution analysis.

Bryan Dori, President and CEO of Archer, said, Working closely with Wilshire, a market leader and analytics pioneer, improves an already robust toolset available to Archer clients. Bryan added, This enhances our overall support of institutional managers within a solution that provides effortless scalability.

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Website: www.archerims.com

Twitter: @ArcherIMS

ABOUT WILSHIRE ASSOCIATES

Wilshire Associates Incorporated, a leading global financial services firm, provides consulting services, analytics solutions and customized investment solutions to plan sponsors, investment managers and financial intermediaries. Its business units include Wilshire Analytics, Wilshire Consulting, Wilshire Funds Management and Wilshire Private Markets. The firm was founded in 1972, providing revolutionary technology and acting as an early innovator in the application of investment analytics and research to investment managers in the institutional marketplace. Wilshire is also credited with helping to develop the field of quantitative investment analysis that uses mathematical tools to analyze market risks. All other business units evolved from Wilshires strong analytics foundation. Wilshire developed the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index and became an early innovator in creating integrated asset/liability analysis/simulation models as well as practical models in risk budgeting through beta and active risk analysis. Wilshire has grown to a firm of approximately 265 employees serving the needs of investors around the world. Based in Santa Monica, California, Wilshire provides services to clients in more than 20 countries representing 500 organizations with assets totaling approximately US $9 trillion.* With ten offices worldwide, Wilshire Associates and its affiliates are dedicated to providing clients with the highest quality products and services. Wilshire and Wilshire 5000 are registered service marks of Wilshire Associates Incorporated.

*Client assets are as represented by Pensions & Investments (P&I), detailed in P&Is Largest Retirement Funds and P&Is Largest Money Managers (U.S. institutional tax-exempt assets) as of 9/30/17 and 12/31/17, and published 2/5/18 and 5/28/18, respectively.

Website: www.wilshire.com

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Press Inquiries:

Ben Cooper, Braithwaite Communications

ben@gobraithwaite.com

Archer Contact:

Jon Anderson, Archer

janderson@archerims.com



Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

Trend:

During the first ten months of 2018, Heydar Aliyev International Airport served a total of 3.8 million passengers. This indicator exceeds the same indicator of the previous year by 10 percent.

National air carrier Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) carried 1 million 628,000 passengers, while national low-cost airline Buta Airways  382,000 passengers.

3,28 million passengers (86 percent of passenger traffic) accounted for international flights since the beginning of the year. 34 percent of total number of international passengers accounted for AZAL, while 11.6 percent - Buta Airways.

In addition to AZAL and Buta Airways carrying out international passenger flights in October, the top ten airlines also included FlyDubai, Turkish Airlines, Air Arabia, Aeroflot, UIA (International Airlines of Ukraine), Qatar Airways, Utair, Iraqi Airways, Lufthansa and S7 Airlines. In total they served 123,000 passengers.

Currently, Heydar Aliyev International Airport serves 30 airlines on over 40 destinations. Top ten most popular international destinations include Istanbul, Moscow, Dubai, Kiev, Sharjah, Tehran, Baghdad, Tbilisi, Doha and Tel Aviv. 210,000 passengers traveled to these destinations during this period.

The new airport terminal of Heydar Aliyev Airport was put into operation in April 2014. Its total area is 65,000 square meters.

In May 2018 Heydar Aliyev International Airport was awarded the category of "5 stars" by the Skytrax, which is influential British consulting company specializing in the study of the quality of services provided by various airlines and airports worldwide.

Also, Baku Heydar Aliyev Airport was named the best airport among airports of Russia and CIS countries for the level of the provided services, being awarded the prestigious Skytrax World Airport Awards for the second year in a row.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

Trend:

The Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, in accordance with its mandate, plans to conduct the next ceasefire monitoring on the line of contact on Nov. 14 in the Fuzuli district, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan said in a message on Nov. 13.

The Personal Representative's field assistants Mihail Olaru, Simon Tiller and a representative of the High-Level Planning Group (HLPG) Lt Col Alexander Nepokrytykh will carry out the monitoring from the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk and his field assistants Ghenadie Petrica, Ognjen Jovic and the representative of the HLPG Lt Col Harry OConnor will carry out the monitoring on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan occupied and controlled by the armed forces of Armenia.

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. 13

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

The dismissal of the Armenian representative from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was predictable, because after Nikol Pashinyan's coming to power, Yerevan is conducting an erroneous policy in many directions, Azerbaijani MP Tahir Rzayev told Trend on Nov. 13.

The MP said that according to the CSTO procedures and rotational rules, and following the alphabetical sequence until 2020, the position of secretary general was to be held by a representative of Armenia. However, according to the decision of the Collective Security Council, which is the highest body of the CSTO, the representative of Armenia, Yuri Khachaturov, was prematurely dismissed as the CSTO secretary general, Rzayev added.

Rzayev described this step as Armenia's failure at the CSTO Astana Summit.

The MP also noted that the CSTO is aware of the policy that Armenia pursues in relation to neighboring states.

"It is because of such a policy that Armenia is an extra burden and problem for the CSTO. In general, since the organization's establishment, there has been no other such state that caused so much damage to the CSTO as Armenia. And the fact that a criminal case was initiated against the CSTO secretary general without consulting with other member countries is the biggest disrespect to the charter of the structure," Rzayev stressed.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

Armenians are promoting separatism not only in the South Caucasus region, but also in the world, head of the Institute for Human Rights of Azerbaijans National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Ph.D. in political sciences, associate professor Elshad Mirbashiroglu told Trend.

He said that on the initiative and with the support of the Armenian lobby, which exists in various countries, individual officials and businessmen repeatedly made illegal visits to the occupied Azerbaijani territories and tried to engage in certain activities there.

In general, both the Armenian diaspora organizations and the Armenian diplomatic corps openly contribute to the criminal activities of the invading Armenian state, he noted.

Recently, the foreign press has been spreading information that the Armenian ambassadors in various countries have links with the criminal world. One of them appeared in the German press. This information refers to the close ties of Armenian Ambassador to Germany Ashot Smbatyan with the Armenian criminals. In addition, information has been spreading about the links of Bundestag member Albert Weiler with criminal groups.

Mirbashiroglu added that namely these ties allowed Weiler to illegally visit the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia. While actively lobbying for occupier Armenia, Weiler sought to be included in the delegation of German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to Azerbaijan, Mirbashiroglu noted.

However, the Azerbaijani side prevented it, he added.

As a rule, those who visited the occupied Azerbaijani territories are persons who have ties with Armenian criminal groups, he said. This suggests that the image of Armenians as criminals continues to strengthen in various countries. There are already extensive discussions in the German media outlets about the criminal activities of Armenians and German citizens having ties with them.

From these discussions, it is clear that Armenian criminal groups are characterized in Germany as quite dangerous ones, he noted. These criminal groups, with which Armenian officials are also closely associated, are trying to harm the Azerbaijani-German relations. Organization of a trip of the Bundestag member to the occupied Azerbaijani territories can serve as an example.

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. 13

Trend:

Another regular plenary meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament starts today.

The agenda of the meeting, which will last three days (Nov. 13,14,15), includes 11 issues.

In particular, the bills "On the state budget of Azerbaijan for 2019", "On the budget of the relevant executive authority implementing social security and protection for 2019", "On the state budget of the Unemployment Insurance Fund for 2019", "On living wage in Azerbaijan for 2019", "On the need criteria in Azerbaijan for 2019" will be introduced for discussion, and as well as amendments to laws "On the estimated expenditures of the Parliament of Azerbaijan for 2019", "On the estimated expenses of the Accounts Chamber for 2019", and a bill about amendments in "Internal Charter of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan, approved by law 74-IQ of May 17, 1996", "On the rules of ethical behavior of a deputy of the Parliament of Azerbaijan", "On notary".

The revenues of the 2019 state budget of Azerbaijan are projected at 22.917 billion manats, including centralized revenues at 22.18 billion manats and local revenues at 736.766 million manats, while the expenses are expected at 24.78 billion manats, including centralized expenses at 23.939 billion manats and local expenses at 840.812 million manats.

The forecast for the oil price, indicated in the 2019 state budget for calculating oil revenues, is $60 per barrel.

Some 59.8 percent of the forecast state budget revenues or 13.7 billion manats will account for the oil sector, and 40.2 percent or 9.217 billion manats will account for the non-oil sector.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

Trend:

As part of the Command-Staff War Games held in the Azerbaijan army, the troops of the Nakhchivan garrison have been brought up to a level of full readiness under the leadership of the Commander of the Combined-Arms Army, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a message on Nov. 13.

The control posts and military units involved in practical actions were put on alert and withdrawn to the exercise area. The control posts of Army Corps and formations were deployed, and they received a reserve staff, called up for particular specialties.

The primary purpose of the Command-Staff War Games is to check and improve the level of interaction between command staffs.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Matanat Nasibova  Trend:

Azerbaijan, which pursues a multi-vector and balanced policy in the system of international relations and global politics, has the right to expect other states to maintain balance in their relations, especially if they are members of the OSCE Minsk Group, Fikret Sadikhov, well-known Azerbaijani political analyst and former diplomat, told Trend.

He said the last visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to the region can be regarded as disrespect for Azerbaijan.

As part of the recent regional visit, it was expected that Macron would visit all three countries of the region, Sadikhov noted. However, the French president participated only in the Francophonie summit in Yerevan. Considering this, I think it is logical to ask what principles the French leader was guided by when ignoring a visit to neighboring Azerbaijan. How relevant was such a step by the leading European country that co-chairs the OSCE Minsk Group?

France has repeatedly stated that it is committed to the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Sadikhov reminded.

Selective attitude towards one of the parties of the conflict demonstrates disrespect for the other side, and in particular for Azerbaijan, he added.

The European politician, by ignoring the visit to Azerbaijan, made a serious diplomatic mistake as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, involved in the settlement of the conflict, Sadikhov said. As a rule, while being in the South Caucasus region, officials of the US administration, as well as Russian politicians, visit all three countries of the region. This is natural, since all these countries are involved in the OSCE MG. This was recently demonstrated by US National Security Adviser John Bolton, who visited all three countries as part of his South Caucasus trip. Russian politicians adhere to the same principle, and this is natural. Such a position of these states corresponds to their statements about the need for a peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and maintaining stability in the region.

The fact that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev rejected the invitation of the French side to attend the Paris Peace Forum is an objective step and a worthy answer to Macron, Sadikhov added.

The Azerbaijani president made it clear for the French leader that the national interests of our country are above all, Sadikhov said. At the same time, Azerbaijan didnt ignore this historic event due to wise state policy, and our country was represented at the Paris Peace Forum by Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. In my view, in the current situation, it was a balanced decision, and the politicians, whose behavior is far from diplomatic ethics and competent governance, should take note of this."Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini have held a one-on-one meeting.

President Ilham Aliyev welcomed Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini.

The Azerbaijani President and the Slovak Prime Minister posed together for photos.

The head of state congratulated Peter Pellegrini on his appointment as the Prime Minister of Slovakia. President Ilham Aliyev hailed the fact that Peter Pellegrini is paying his first visit to Azerbaijan as the Prime Minister and that this trip is taking place shortly after his appointment to this high office. The head of state noted that Peter Pellegrini`s visit to Azerbaijan creates favorable opportunity for developing bilateral relations. President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan-Slovakia ties are also important in terms of developing Azerbaijan`s cooperation with the European Union. The head of state described the signing of the Partnership Priorities document between Azerbaijan and the European Union in Brussels this July as a sign of the EU`s attaching importance to relations with Azerbaijan.

Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini thanked for the warm words and high hospitality shown to him. Peter Pellegrini said he is pleased to pay his first visit to Azerbaijan as the Prime Minister, adding he previously visited the country as the parliament speaker during the European Games. He said this prestigious international event was excellently organized. Touching upon bilateral relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini stressed the significance of an Azerbaijan-Slovakia business forum held in Baku as part of his visit, and noted that it will contribute to the expansion of the economic cooperation.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

Trend:

Technical Assistance (TA) Project for Strengthening Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) in Higher Education to be funded by EU and implemented by Institute of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan was discussed at a meeting held at Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS). It was attended by BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov, Project Team Leader Krzysztof Gulda, Education and Project Management Expert Dr Jasek Gajewski, Head of Higher Education Development Department of the Institute of Education Anar Naghiyev, BHOS Vice rector for General Affairs Rashad Hasanov, Higher Schools department chairs, teachers and other key staff members. The meeting participants discussed the projects main objectives and target groups and told about the importance of studying national higher educational institutions potential and experience for the project successful implementation.

Opening the discussion, Rector Elmar Gasimov provided detailed information about the BHOS history, development, activities and major achievements. In his words, the Higher School graduates who are highly qualified English speaking young specialists either work at transnational companies or continue their education at reputable universities abroad. The Rector also emphasized that the new project is of utmost importance for BHOS, as the Higher School management pays special attention to scientific research activities and implementation of innovative teaching methods.

As Project Team Leader Krzysztof Gulda informed, the initial stage includes assessment and evaluation of the BHOS potential and resources. In his words, the project starts in January 2019, and more international experts will be brought in to work together with national universities on proposals and recommendations for strengthening research, development and innovation in higher educational institutions of Azerbaijan.

Education and Project Management Expert Dr Jasek Gajewski said that one of the TA project objectives is to train PhD teachers and national experts in this field. During the discussion, the participants exchanged views and ideas about other issues related to the project implementation. After the meeting, the guests were given a tour around the campus and were familiarized with the BHOS facilities, classrooms and training laboratories.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

Trend:

An Azerbaijani citizen Haldun Hajiyev has been detained in Turkey and extradited to Azerbaijan, the Foreign Ministry said in a message on Nov.13.

He was wanted under article 178 (fraud) and 320 (forgery, issuance or sale of official documents, state awards, seals, stamps, forms or use of forged documents) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kuuhubb Inc. (Kuuhubb or the Company) (TSX-V: KUU) reports that it continues to work towards closing the proposed 2,000,000 convertible debenture private placement financing (the Proposed Financing) first announced in the Companys August 29, 2018 press release (reference is also made to the Companys update press release of October 12, 2018). The Company has received approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) for a further 30 day extension under the TSX-Vs rules to close the Proposed Financing. The definitive purchase agreement for the Proposed Financing has been signed now, with closing of the Proposed Financing being subject to customary conditions precedent.



Kuuhubb also reports that, following the filing on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) on November 8, 2018 of the Companys audited consolidated financial statements for the financial year ended June 30, 2018 (and related MD&A and certifications under National Instrument 52-109), the Ontario Securities Commission has now issued an order revoking the cease trade order (the CTO) with respect to securities of the Company. While trading in the Companys shares on the TSX-V remains suspended as per the TSX-Vs policies, the Company has applied to the TSX-V to reinstate trading on the TSX-V as a result of the revocation of the CTO.

About Kuuhubb

Kuuhubb is a company active in the digital space that focuses mainly on lifestyle and mobile game applications for the female audience. Its strategy is to create sustainable shareholder value through acquisitions of proven, yet underappreciated, assets with robust long-term growth potential. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Kuuhubb has a global presence with a strong focus on developing U.S. brand collaborations and Asian partnerships.

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements relating to the closing of the Proposed Financing, the development and growth of the Companys business, and the reinstatement of trading on the TSX-V) are forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, failure to complete the Proposed Financing, the need to satisfy conditions precedent with respect to the Proposed Financing, the possibility that the completion of the Proposed Financing may be delayed or that the terms of the Proposed Financing may change, the possibility that reinstatement of trading on the TSX-V may be delayed, risks related to the growth strategy of the Company, the possibility that results from the Companys growth and development plans will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, the early stage of the Company's development, competition from companies in a number of industries, the ability of the Company to manage expansion and integrate acquisitions into its business, future business development of the Company and the other risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated November 8, 2018 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is provided and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

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:

Kuuhubb Inc.

Jouni Keranen - CEO

jouni@kuuhubb.com

Office: +358 40 590 0919Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

Trend:

On 5-8 February 2019, the trade fair Z and Intec - the flagship of Saxonys industry trade fairs - will take place in Leipzig, Germany.

On this occasion, the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) organises a business delegation trip to the Z and Intec Trade Fair on 4-7 February 2019 for high-level representatives of Azerbaijani organisations and enterprises operating in Machine and Tool Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering industries within the framework of the Industry-Specific Sales Promotion Tool (BBA). The project is funded by the Saxon State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport (SMWA), coordinated by the Saxony Economic Development Corporation (WFS) and implemented in cooperation with the AHK Azerbaijan.

The BBA-project programme includes a visit to the trade fair, participation at the workshops, site visits and matchmaking opportunities with the selected enterprises from Saxony as well as informal discussions and cultural events. The aim of the delegation trip is to bring together Azerbaijani and Saxon companies with similar business profiles and to facilitate bilateral business cooperation.

The participation is free of charge. The communication language throughout the delegation trip will be primarily Russian. The BBA-project of the Free State of Saxony covers costs for the organisation of the welcoming event, matchmaking with German enterprises, site visits within Saxony as well as translation services during the group programme.

Costs for flights, accommodation in Saxony and Visa are to be covered by the participants themselves. The AHK Azerbaijan offers its support to the participants in the purchase of flight tickets, hotel reservation and visa issues.

The representatives of Azerbaijani organisation and enterprises can register online through the registration link. The registration deadline is 30 November 2018.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.13

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Baku is one of main hubs along Belt and Road Initiative, Chairman of the Port of Barcelona Santiago Garcia-Mila told Trend.

"I would like to highlight the great impact of the IAPH Baku World Ports conference in the port sector. With more than 400 participants from 65 countries and the high level of the working sessions Baku conference was the most successful and well-attended mid-term conference of IAPH. Undoubtedly, it promoted the role of Baku as one of the main hubs along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)," he said.

Regarding the possibilities of cooperation between the Port of Baku and the Port of Barcelona, Santiago Garcia-Mila said that such a collaboration may not be developed in the near future due to different geographical location of the ports.

"As far as the collaboration between the Port of Barcelona and the Baku Sea Trade Port is concerned, please take into account that the location of the Port of Barcelona determine that its cooperation strategy is focussed in the Mediterranean/ South European area. In the recent years, the Port of Barcelona has been developing cooperation projects with other maritime ports in the Mediterranean area and its strategic plan establishes as a priority to continue with this strategy for the next years. This means that the collaboration of the Port of Barcelona with the Port of Baku, located in a different geographic area, may not be developed in the near future," he said.

The cargo transshipment potential of the Port of Baku, which opened on May 14, 2018, is 15 million tons in the first phase, including 100,000 containers per year.

Seven berths of 12 existing ones serve dry cargo vessels, two berths serve ferries, and other two berths serve vessels of Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax type. Another berth is used for the maintenance of the fleet of the port.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_ZeynBaku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Huseyn Veliyev  Trend:

Turkey is considering the possibility of purchasing aviation lubricants from Azerbaijan, the High Technologies Park LLC of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan told Trend.

The parameters of lubricants produced at the Technopark premises are several times higher than those of their foreign counterparts, and the innovative methods are used in their production, which are patented, said the source.

"Turkey is interested in the purchase of lubricants for military aviation, and this issue will be discussed in January next year during the visit of the Turkish delegation to Azerbaijan," the source said.

The Technopark noted that these kind of products are not produced in the CIS countries and even the analogue produced in Germany is inferior to the local product in terms of its technical parameters.

"The working temperature of lubricants produced by us, depending on the parameters, varies from minus 50 degrees Celsius to 120 degrees Celsius. There is also a variety of lubricant that is effective under temperatures varying from minus 30 degrees Celsius to 180 degrees Celsius. The lubricating oils are produced on the basis of technical vegetable oils. We were able to get a product that does not melt, which even contradicts the laws of physics. These oils can be used in aviation and other military equipment," the source said.

At present, the lubricating oils produced at the Technopark premises completely satisfy the needs of the domestic market, but there are still unresolved nuances in the issue of their export, the source said.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @h_veliyevBaku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Matanat Nasibova  Trend:

The Garadagh plant for the production of modern building materials of the AAS company intends to expand its export potential in 2019, the Assistant to General Director and the Leading Export Manager at Synergy Group AAC (Gobustone/Modern Building Materials Plant) Rafig Maharramov told Trend.

He said the company intends to expand exports primarily to the CIS countries.

"We are looking for clients in Russia in order to supply our products.Next year, we are going to set up cooperation with our potential importers outside the country," Maharramov said.

The leading manager noted that the main export products of the plant are bricks and aerated autoclaved concrete blocks designed for the construction of large facilities and residential areas.

"The construction materials of our plant were used in the construction of a number of large facilities in Baku and the regions of Azerbaijan. At the moment, our products are mainly exported to Georgia and in small quantities to Kazakhstan, but the company plans to expand the volume of supplies to these countries," Maharramov said.

The Trends source said, in addition to brick and aerated autoclaved concrete blocks, the plant produces autoclaved aerated concrete, quicklime and slaked lime, as well as quartz sand.

The leading manager noted that the plants products comply with international quality standards and environmental requirements; they are fireproof and resistant to external influences.

Gobustan AAC is situated in the Sangachal settlement of Garadagh district of Baku. The annual production capacity of the plant is 180,000 cubic meters of autoclaved aerated concrete blocks and 30,000 cubic meters of lime. The plant is a part of the SYNERGY GROUP.

The Gobustone autoclaved aerated concrete blocks produced using the German equipment of Wehrhahn brand are distinguished from other materials by their lightness, seismic resistance, durability, high heat and sound insulation, and environmental friendliness. They can be easily processed by using conventional tools, which greatly speeds up the construction process.

Currently, the products made of autoclaved aerated concrete are used in the construction of multi-story and low-rise buildings, private houses, in laying external and internal walls, ceilings and even steps.

The Gobustone autoclaved aerated concrete blocks were used in the construction of such facilities as Port Baku Residence and Port Baku Tower, 28 Mall, Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, National Gymnastics Arena, State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan, the Shahdag summer-winter tourism center in Gusar, the Galaalty recreation center in Shabran and the Rixos Hotel in Guba.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Since the opening of the new airport in Istanbul, 15,000 passengers have been served, the Turkish media reported Nov. 13.

At present, the flights on domestic routes are carried out from the new airport in Istanbul, the message says.

According to the data distributed by the media, the number of passengers who purchased tickets for flights from the new airport in Istanbul exceeds 45,000 people.

The opening ceremony of the new airport in Istanbul was held on October 29 and was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey Mehmet Cahit Turhan.

The Ataturk Airport in Istanbul will end operating flights at 00:00 (GMT +3) on Dec. 31. Beginning from 00:00 (GMT +3) on Dec. 31, all passenger and cargo flights will be operated from the third airport of Istanbul.

The third airport was built near the Lake Terkos in northern Istanbul.

Limak-Kolin-Cengiz-MaPa-Kalyon consortium of companies won the tender for construction of the airport..

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluTehran, Iran, Nov.13

Trend:

Turkey's refusal to re-fuel Iranian aircraft includes almost all Iranian airlines while Lebanon just refused fuel to Iranian airplanes belonging to sanctioned airlines, Secretary of the Association of Iranian Airlines (AIRA) Maghsoud Asadi Samani told Trend.

Some Iranian airliners were not allowed to refuel in Turkeys Istanbul airports on Friday and had to cancel at least one flight, while other carriers had to cut the number of passengers on board in order to fly on less fuel.

International oil companies operating at Beiruts airport have also warned against fueling airlines that are affected by the recent U.S. sanctions against Iran.

"Turkey since 1st November and Lebanon since 4th November have been announced that they will not fuel to Iranian airplanes. According to them, the decision was made by private oil companies, he added.

"These companies` stance is different from their governments` stance, said Samani. We are trying to solve the issue through Iranian airlines, he added.

Turkey stopped to fuel nearly all Iranian airlines but Lebanon has banned fuel to sanctioned aircrafts only, he said.

Negotiations are taking place through the authorities of the airlines to resolve the issue. Measures are being taken to keep flying to intended destinations and soon there will be no problem in continuing flights to Istanbul and Beirut airports," he noted.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Huseyn Valiyev  Trend:

An Azerbaijani-South Korean business meeting will be held in Baku on November 20, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said in a message.

Representatives of three Korean companies, namely, GS Global Corporation, BHI LTD and GV International, operating in the energy sector, construction sector, engaged in the production of oil and gas boilers, heating systems, construction of thermal power plants, will attend the meeting.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and South Korea for the first three quarters of 2018 amounted to about $123 million. Almost the entire volume of the trade turnover accounted for the import of Korean products to Azerbaijan.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @h_veliyevBaku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Elnur Baghishov  Trend:

Trade turnover between Iran and Turkey is projected to reach $12 billion by the end of this Iranian year (started March 21, 2018), Co-Chair of the Iran-Turkey Joint Chamber of Commerce Reza Kami told reporters.

He said that the trade turnover of the two countries over the past six months has reached $8 billion, IRNA reported.

Kami added that more than 50 percent of export of Iran's goods accounts for Turkey.

In 2012, the trade turnover between Iran and Turkey reached about $22 billion during the period of sanctions and $11 billion after the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, he said.

Kami said that Turkey has invested mainly in the Iranian provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan.

He emphasized the importance of expanding relations between Irans and Turkey's private sectors.

Turkish companies are eager to invest in Iran, mainly in East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan, he said.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Huseyn Valiyev - Trend:

Azerbaijan and Slovakia have big opportunities for trade and human potential, which creates a reliable basis for cooperation, Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini told reporters in Baku on Nov. 13.

He said that the priority and promising areas for cooperation are alternative energy, the automotive, chemical and mining industries.

But economic cooperation cannot be limited only to these spheres, he added.

Pellegrini said that he is very glad that among the Slovak companies which present here there are also the companies which work in the field of innovative technologies and other spheres.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Slovakia for nine months of 2018 exceeded $20 million. Almost the entire volume of trade turnover with this country accounted for import of Slovak products.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @h_veliyevThe International Energy Agency (IEA) has improved its forecast for oil price by 6 percent to $88 per barrel in 2025 and by 0.9 percent to $112 per barrel in 2040, according to IEAs World Energy Outlook 2018 report, Sputnik reported.

In September, the oil price surpassed $80 per barrel for the first time since 2014 in light of geopolitical events, the decrease in Venezuelan output, and decisions made by major oil exporters, which affected production prospects, according to the report.

"In the wake of the fallout from the 2014 oil price crash, the continued expansion of tight oil production in the United States and the prospect of major structural changes in oil consumption underpinned a view that the oil price was set to stay lower for longer, perhaps forever. The reality has been different," the report read.

According to the report, taking into account current countries energy policies and their announced plans, oil price is projected to gradually increase from the average price of $52 per barrel in 2017 to $88 per barrel in 2025, $96 in 2030, $105 in 2035 and $112 in 2040.

Moreover, the IEA expects world oil demand to increase from 94.8 million barrels per day in 2017 to 106.3 million barrels per day in 2040.

"China and India are responsible for nearly half of the total increase in demand to 2040. The heavy lifting on supply is led initially by the United States, but later on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) steadily increases its share of total oil supply," the report read.

The agency expects that in the long term trucks, petrochemicals, aviation and cars will be among the largest drivers of world oil demand.

The decrease in the number of new upstream oil and gas projects could result in a supply crunch and a further growth of prices, the International Energy Agency said.

"Today's flow of new upstream projects appears to be geared to the possibility of an imminent slowdown in fossil fuel demand, but in the New Policies Scenario this could well lead to a shortfall in supply and a further escalation in prices," the report read.

According to the IEA, the largest supply crunch could be expected in the oil sector, as the average level of approvals of new conventional crude oil projects over the last three years "is only half the amount necessary to balance the market out to 2025."

The World Bank Group said at the One Planet Summit in Paris in December that it would cease to finance upstream oil and gas projects after 2019 "to align its support to countries to meet their Paris goals."

Carbon emissions from the energy sector are expected to increase slowly until 2040, undermining hopes of world countries to turn the corner on tackling climate change, the International Energy Agency said.

"The New Policies Scenario puts energy-related CO2 emissions on a slow upward trend to 2040, a trajectory far out of step with what scientific knowledge says will be required to tackle climate change," the report read.

While the countries signed up to the Paris climate agreement are, in aggregate, expected to deliver on its objectives, they are insufficient "to reach an early peak in global emissions."

"The projected emissions trend represents a major collective failure to tackle the environmental consequences of energy use. Lower emissions of the main air pollutants in this scenario are not enough to halt an increase in the number of premature deaths from poor air quality," the report noted.

Under the Paris agreement, the governments agreed to a long-term goal of maintaining the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The share of electricity produced by nuclear power plants is expected to stay at around 10 percent but generation in China is projected to surpass the European Union and the United States before 2030, the International Energy Agency also said.

"The share of generation from nuclear plants  the second-largest source of low-carbon electricity today after hydropower  stays at around 10%, but the geography changes as generation in China overtakes the United States and the European Union before 2030," the report read.

According to the IEA, about two-thirds of today's nuclear power plants in advanced economies are over 30 years old, reaching the end of their expected lifetimes.

"Decisions to extend, or shut down, this capacity will have significant implications for energy security, investment and emissions," the report added.

According to the IEA, new nuclear power capacity decreased sharply to 3.6 gigawatts (GW) in 2017.

Natural gas is projected to surpass coal and become the second largest global energy source behind oil in 2030, the International Energy Agency said.

"In the New Policies Scenario, a rising tide of electricity, renewables and efficiency improvements stems growth in coal consumption Natural gas overtakes coal in 2030 to become the second-largest fuel in the global energy mix," the report read, adding that industrial consumers are expected to make the largest contribution to a 45 percent increase in global gas use.

While the use of industrial coal is expected to show a small increase to 2040, the IEA projects decline in overall consumption in China, Europe and North America to be compensated by rises in India and Southeast Asia.

According to the IEA, coal currently makes up a third of all energy consumed worldwide and plays an essential role in iron and steel industries.English French

MONTREAL, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fintech incubator and blockchain development company, APPx Group Holdings, Inc. (CSE: APPX) (the Company or APPx), today announced they have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire Cimtel (Quebec) Inc. (Cimtel), a privately-held company specializing in business VOIP systems, network architecture, data centers, and network management & monitoring services.



Throughout its 65 years, family-owned Cimtel has focused on the SMB B2B telecom market and developed strong partnerships with leading telecommunications companies such as Bell, Telus, and Mitel. Among their clients they count leading banking, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and real estate companies.

Cimtel has come to represent the gold standard for IT Managed Services in Montreal. They have accomplished this by providing exceptional service by experienced professionals. The acquisition will mean direct access for APPx to Cimtels technical team and expertise. This will be key to ensuring APPx systems and production environments have the maximum uptime. APPx will also be able to offer top-tier network architecture and management solutions that comply the with highest industry and government security standards to their blockchain and Fintech medium-to-large and institutional-level clients.

Jay Ruckenstein, Co-founder and President of APPx, said, The acquisition of Cimtel will enhance our technology portfolio and operations, and with the exploding demand for managed IT services- especially as it pertains to government and institutional blockchain projects- it is in line with our mandate to continue adding value to our company for our investors. We are happy to be joining forces with such an established company and look forward to the strategic opportunities this will bring.

Paul Choquette, President of Cimtel, added, After 65 years in business Cimtel is not winding down, were getting a fresh reboot teaming up with the APPx Group, allowing us to better serve the IT and networking needs of our customers while keeping APPxs infrastructure monitored by the best team.

In connection with the acquisition, Cimtel announced the following:

 The leadership of the company will remain the responsibility of both Paul Choquette and Robert Choquette.

 The management team and current employees of Cimtel will also remain with the business following acquisition.

APPx's acquisition of Cimtel is anticipated to close, with a definitive purchase agreement, on or before December 12, 2018 pending completion of due diligence and all regulatory approvals. As a result of the transaction, Cimtel will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of APPx.

Pursuant to the LOI, the proposed consideration for the Cimtel acquisition is CAD $1.0 million. The total consideration will be paid as follows; $250,000 in cash in 12 equal installments starting from 3 months post closing and $750,000 worth of APPx shares at closing (priced at a volume weighted average price of the common shares of the Company for the ten (10) trading day period prior to closing) with one third of the shares ($250,000) escrowed for a period of 12 months from the closing date. Further details of the transaction will be provided in a press release pursuant to the definitive transaction agreement.

About APPx Group Holdings, Inc.

APPx Group Holdings, Inc. is a Fintech incubator that offers technology-based business solutions. Our growing partnership network allows us to service a wide range of markets: advertising, blockchain, crypto, Fintech, and telecommunications products and services.

With our strong reach, were constantly adding to, and enhancing, our portfolio. We strive to be industry leaders, creating innovations engineered from the ground up by our diverse culture of talent. APPx delivers sustained value by strategically solving our customers' immediate and long-term needs, helping them reach their goals on a global scale.

About Cimtel (Quebec) Inc.

Celebrating its 65th anniversary, Cimtel has built its reputation on delivering and maintaining state-of-the-art, robust Unified Communication and Cloud solutions to its customers, ranging anywhere from 10 users and upwards of 3000 users, with the assistance of world-class leaders such as Mitel, Cisco, and Avaya. Cimtels long history can directly be attributed to its strong customer care and relationships with its partners.

Forward-looking Information

This news release includes forward-looking information that is subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking. Although APPx believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking information are based on reasonable assumptions, such information is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information. These factors include, among others, the risks associated with the failure to execute any of APPx's current or anticipated projects or transactions. Although management of APPx has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be 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, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information APPx does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

Contact:

APPx Group Holdings, Inc.

Rahim Mohamed, CEO

RM@appxgroup.com

(833) 777-APPX

Jay Ruckenstein, President

jay@appxgroup.com

(833) 777-APPXTehran, Iran, Nov.13

Trend:

Many refineries cant do without Iranian oil, member of Economic faculty of Allameh Tabataba'i University Mehdi Taghavi told Trend referring to the impact of US sanctions in comparison to previous sanctions against the country in 2012.

"Now the main issue is that if Iran fails to sell its oil, which currently reached about 2.5 million barrels of oil a day, the supply will drop," he said.

Oil prices in October rallied above $85 per barrel on fears of a steep decline in Iranian exports.

"If this amount of oil does not enter the market, the oil price will rise and the world economy will face a rise in costs, thus, no country is willing to comply with the US sanctions, such as India and China, which keep importing oil from Iran," said Taghavi.

"Some refineries are deeply dependent on Iran's crude oil and cannot replace it at all," he said referring to ability of these countries which are willing to import oil from Iran despite the financial problems.

"Iran's crude exports could fall to much less than 2.5 million bpd but Iran certainly will sell its oil."

The United States snapped sanctions back in place on November 5 to choke Irans oil and shipping industries, while temporarily allowing top customers such as China and India to keep buying crude from the Islamic Republic.

India imported 220.4 million tonnes (mt) crude in the last fiscal, of which Irans share was almost a tenth at 9.4 percent. India has been arguing that the technical configuration of many of its refineries make it heavily dependent on Iran.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey may resume oil import from the territory of the Kurdish autonomy in the north of Iraq via the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline, a source in the Turkish government told Trend Nov. 13.

The source said this decision was made after the US sanctions against Iran entered into force.

The source noted that Turkey suspended the purchase of oil through the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline after September 25, 2017, when the Kurdish autonomy of Iraq held the so-called referendum on independence, which was not recognized by the international community.

On November 5, the US sanctions against Iran entered into force. The sanctions will cover the sphere of oil exports. Washington has set out to bring the export of Iranian oil to zero, calling on all its buyers to refuse such purchases.

The US President Donald Trump announced in May that Washington was withdrawing from an agreement on nuclear program with Iran. The US president also announced the restoration of all sanctions against Iran, including secondary ones, that is, against other countries doing business with Iran. On August 7, the United States re-enacted part of the sanctions against Iran.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluAshgabat, Turkmenistan, Nov. 13

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmenistan is considering the possibility of supplying natural gas to the European market and is holding the relevant negotiations with the European Commission, said Yagshygeldy Kakayev, advisor to the Turkmen president, the Turkmengaz State Concern said in a message.

He made the remarks at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC) underway in Abu Dhabi.

We are considering an export route to Europe and are actively negotiating with the European Commission and other transit countries on this issue, he said.

There were held negotiations in October in Brussels with Vice-President of the European Commission for the Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, where top managers of the fuel and energy complex of Turkmenistan took part, which has become the evidence of the intensification of the negotiation process.

This fact is particularly noteworthy because it happened against the background of the ongoing negotiations of the Turkmengaz State Concern with the Russian joint-stock company Gazprom on the resumption of gas deliveries interrupted in 2016.

The project of laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline along the bottom of the Caspian Sea to the shores of Azerbaijan is the best option for the delivery of Turkmen gas to the European market. Further, the Turkmen gas can be delivered to Turkey, which borders with European countries.

Turkmenistan declared its readiness to supply Europe with an annual volume of up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas over 30 years. It is expected that the gas supplies can be provided through the East-West gas pipeline, which begins from the large Turkmen Galkynysh field.Tehran, Iran, Nov.13

Trend:

Currently export of electricity from Iran to Iraq continues and the country wishes to carry on, since the Islamic Republic generates high domestic surplus electricity and willing to export it to the neighboring countries, spokesman for the power industry Mahmoud Reza Haqqi Fam told ILNA.

Iran halted electricity supplies to its western neighbor in July, partly due to unpaid bills, but also because of a spike in demand over summer.

The Islamic Republic has resumed exports to Iraq since August. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has reportedly agreed to build a solar power plant and sell electricity to Iraq at a steep discount compared to what the country previously bought from Iran.

Mahmoud Reza Haqqi Fam noted that this action on the Saudi Arabia's part is natural marketing.

"It's natural that countries look for marketing opportunities and it's not like they will become an alternative to Iran electricity export. Plus, the process of export requires months of preparation such as installment of infrastructures and distributing network," he added.

"Electricity export depends on electrical grid in each country and the geographical proximity. Due to Iran's regional capabilities, neighboring countries will prefer to buy our electricity," he said.

Haqqi Fam insisted the conditions of US re-imposed sanctions are not an obstacle for Iran's electricity exports.

"We seek to up the electricity export and sanctions have no effect on this, while Iraq is also exempted from the US sanctions," he noted.

Referring to the country's geographical position, and its proper network, the official indicated that Iran is the best choice to export electricity to Iraq.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.13

By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:

Total OPEC-15 preliminary crude oil production averaged 32.90 million barrels per day (mb/d) in October, an increase of 127,000 b/d over the previous month, according to the Monthly Oil Market Report of the cartel.

The report shows that crude oil output increased mostly in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Angola, while production declined in Iran, Venezuela, Kuwait and Nigeria.

OPEC NGLs and non-conventional liquids for 2018 were revised down by 0.02 mb/d and are expected to grow by 0.10 mb/d to average 6.34 mb/d.

For 2019, they are likely to grow by 0.11 mb/d to average 6.45 mb/d, unchanged from last months assessment. Preliminary production data in September and October 2018 shows stagnant output at 6.42 mb/d, 0.08 mb/d higher than September 2017 and up by 0.20 mb/d compared with October 2017, said the cartel.

The share of OPEC crude oil in total global production remained unchanged at 33 percent in October compared with the previous month, according to the report.

In December 2016, at a meeting of oil producers in Vienna, 11 non-OPEC countries, including Azerbaijan, agreed to cut oil production by a total of 558,000 barrels a day. The agreement was concluded for the first half of 2017 and was extended until the end of the first quarter of 2018 at a meeting on May 25, 2017.

At the last OPEC meeting in Vienna, the agreement was again extended until the end of 2018. Azerbaijan supported the decision.

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Follow the author on Twitter:@Lyaman_ZeynBaku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Elnur Baghishov  Trend:

Six million tons of mining materials were extracted in Irans Bushehr province in the first half of this Iranian year (started March 21, 2018), which is 100 percent more compared to the same period last year, IRNA cited Seyed Hossein Hosseini Mohammadi, chairman of the Industry, Mine and Trade Organization of Bushehr, as saying.

He said that among the main extracted mining materials are rubble, gypsum and marl.

Mohammadi said that 481 square kilometers in Dashtistan, 314 square kilometers in Dasht and 1,627 square kilometers in Deyr county will be explored for bitumen and phosphate.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

Trend:

The 25th year deposit campaign keeps happy clients within 15 days who placed deposits in AtaBank OJSC.

Customers, together with the deposit agreement get the list of the gifts and can choose the gift depending on the deposit amount.

131 ISMA Bikes, 39 iPhone Xs, 18 iPhone X and other prizes were awarded to the customers who placed deposits in AtaBank OJSC within the campaign till today.

We remind that the following prizes will be given to the customers who placed deposits in AtaBank within the campaign: iPhone X and Xs , Isma Bikes, rest, sport and treatment packages in hotels Excelsior Hotel, Excelsior Hotel Shamkir, Qalaalt Hotel & SPA, Shamakhi Palace Sharadil, Quba Palace, Garabag Resort & SPA, and travel packages to Uludag / Sharm-Al-Sheikh / Dubai.

Only individuals can participate in a campaign that will continue till December 28, 2018.

WhatsApp users can contact Bank's number 050 9999136 and get detailed information about campaign.

Operating since 1993 AtaBank OJSC is a hi-tech universal Azerbaijani bank with 100% domestic capital. The Bank provides a full range of services to corporate and private customers in Baku and regions.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

The University of the Future in Uzbekistan will prepare specialists for qualifications that will emerge as a result of the upcoming Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), CEO and founder of the University Bekzod Hamzaev told Trend.

According to him, the 4IR will eventually end up with many jobs getting obsoleted.

We carried out an analysis of the labor market of the country for eight consecutive months to find out which qualifications will be in demand in Uzbekistan. The thing is that the majority of universities, not only in Uzbekistan, but in the whole world, prepare students on qualifications that will not exist in the future. As a result of the 4IR, any job that can be replaced by a computer will indeed eventually be replaced. We will lose lots of jobs, Hamzaev said, adding that expected changes in the labor market are the main reason why the University will focus on IT, programming, augmented reality and blockchain technologies.

Hamzaev also said that there will be no entrance exams at the University, as they are a deterrent to wider education coverage for the general population.

There are so many people who want to study in here, and too few universities. In 2018, approximately 800,000 students applied for admission to universities, and only nine percent of them could enroll, due to restrictions. The University of the Future has no limitations in scalability, which is why there is no need for entrance exams. Everyone will just need to present the necessary documentation, the list of which is approved by the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education, the founder of the University of the Future said.

In the first year, the University is expecting to attract 50,000 students in the first year and gradually increase the number to up to 5 million students by 2025.

The number of students has been determined, taking into account recommendations from foreign partners. We believe this is the optimal number to start things off. After the president of Uzbekistan signs the relevant decree, well launch the internal alpha [first experimental version] test in the Spring 2019 and will accept the first students in the Autumn 2019. Such a phased launch will allow effectively eliminating all the bugs [software flaws], test the alpha and beta versions in order to provide the finished product in a timely manner, said Hamzaev.

He also noted that the university will not have a certain time of admission, as students will be accepted to study all year round. The process will have individual approach taking into account the field of study.

Following the results of training, a state diploma will be issued.

According to Hamzaev, the University is already negotiating with European and US certification institutes for the accreditation of the University diploma. However, for this, a new university must work for at least three to four years, and only after that an independent certification body will issue accreditation.

In addition, the government of Uzbekistan will graciously provide the University with the premises of former vocational colleges in 14 regions so as to assure that the university can realize its vision of multipurpose education.

Hamzaev noted that all branches of the University will contain test, study and tutoring spaces, as well as maker-spaces, co-working spaces, startup incubators and business accelerators, so that students learn to put their knowledge into practice and will be better prepared for the real world.

Creating a new job is easier than finding the right one. We aim at creating future entrepreneurs. Our goal is to create a startup ecosystem, which is currently absent not only in Uzbekistan, but in the whole of Central Asia. Such an environment will allow opening new jobs, small and medium-sized enterprises, scale-ups in Uzbekistan and in the region in general. Our main task is to make people independent, so that the students have an entrepreneurial mindset, Hamzaev concluded.

Earlier the Ministry of Innovative Development of Uzbekistan has signed a $40 million agreement for the creation of the University of the Future.

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, City University of Hong Kong, edX, Udacity and iversity.

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.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanovBaku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

Trend:

The first train from Russia's Kazan to the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, will leave on December 11 from the Kazan-1 station, Uzbek media reported, referring to Russian outlets.

The cost of the trip ranges from 10,295 to 13,414 Russian rubles (roughly $152 - $198) per seat.

Travel time is 75 hours. The train will depart from Tashkent on Saturdays and from Kazan - on Tuesdays. Tickets can only be purchased at ticket offices. Online sale of tickets is not available.

The train is served by Uzbekistan Railways. The carrier extended the route 315/316 Tashkent - Yekaterinburg to Kazan.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

Trend:

On March 15, 2019, JW Marriott Absheron will host the next exclusive exhibition Prime Travel Market. The event is organized by the The Prime Management & Consulting in partnership with the State Tourism Agency (STA) and the Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AZTA)

By tradition, the event will consist of several parts, each of which will serve as a communication platform for representatives of tourism.

This B2B event is carefully thought out and planned in such a way that participants and guests can establish partnerships in the field of tourism, as well as strengthen existing ones.

Prime Travel Market provides participants with an opportunity to receive information on the latest events and innovations in this industry.

The exhibitors of the event will be 5* hotels, exclusive resorts, worldwide hotel chains, unique boutique hotels, airlines, cruise companies, DMCs and luxury tour operators, travel agencies, first-class concierge companies.

Prime Travel Market is held in order to support representatives of luxury tourism from around the world to personally meet with the best travel companies and establish new business contacts. The exhibition gives a good start to companies planning to enter the Azerbaijani market.

Prime Travel Market is a platform for the sustainable development of inbound and outbound tourism in our country and ensures the effective development of the tourism industry.San Francisco, CA, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) has partnered with ForeFront Power to develop a 2 megawatt (MW) solar parking canopy structure plus energy storage system that will provide clean, reliable electricity to the campus over a 20-year term. UCSC procured renewable energy with ForeFront Power through a streamlined procurement process via School Project for Utility Rate Reduction (SPURR).

By utilizing a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) framework with no upfront cost through ForeFront Power and SPURR, the University will benefit from $6 million in electricity savings during the project term.

We considered a number of options and the partnership for this project was determined to be the most expedient and the best and the cleanest solution, said Traci Ferdolage, Associate Vice Chancellor of UCSC. ForeFront Power and SPURR have been very responsive and supportive of the Universitys renewable goals.

The solar parking canopy project will contribute to the Universitys Campus Sustainability Plan, which includes the goal of installing 4 MW of solar photovoltaic technology on the main campus. Moreover, this project is part of the campus' strategy to meet the UC's Carbon Neutrality Initiative, and partnerships like this project, will be a key component to meet this 2025 goal.1 Over 3 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity from the project will result in more than 2,500 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent avoided from the grid.2

In addition to the benefits of on-site solar energy, the project will include 1.2 MW of energy storage to reduce peak demand and shift load to times of day when electricity is cheaper. The intelligent use of energy from the storage units combined with on-site solar energy generation helps maximize clean energy generation and enhance on-site sustainability.

The inclusion of energy storage increases the value of the on-site solar project to the University, said Go Mizoguchi, Co-CEO of ForeFront Power. The University is able to save even more money while incurring no upfront cost.

Since 2015, the SPURR Renewable Energy Aggregated Procurement (REAP) program and the ForeFront Power team have helped over 20 school districts, colleges, and municipalities procure more than 50 MW of clean solar power across more than 100 sites.

It is exciting to see our program extended to the UC System at Santa Cruz so that more public organizations can benefit from the saved time, effort, and money by using our procurement process, said Michael Rochman, Managing Director of SPURR. SPURR strives to offer clear, fair, and competitively-sourced terms and conditions that allow for easy sourcing.

ForeFront Power will be working with local Santa Cruz based companies to complete the installation. Together, ForeFront Power and UC Santa Cruz will engage in a phased construction approach to minimize impact on students and faculty. Engineers have already begun working closely with UCSC staff to ensure a safe connection to a complex campus grid that includes a natural gas fueled cogeneration plant.

The schools will also receive free post-secondary level lesson plans from Schools Power, a leading national education organization that provides schools and colleges with standards-based renewable energy curriculum packages. ForeFront Power and Schools Power announced their partnership in July 2017.

For more information about ForeFront Power and solar parking canopy systems like this one, visit https://forefrontpower.com/canopy

About ForeFront Power

The ForeFront Power team has more than a decade of renewable industry experience, serving business, public sector, and wholesale power customers around the world. Our team has developed over 800 MW of capacity across more than 1,000 projects, targeted on assisting public sector agencies and C&I firms to deliver the most impactful behind-the-meter, community solar, and wholesale solutions. ForeFront Power is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., a global energy infrastructure and investment leader.

About SPURR

SPURR is a Joint-Powers Authority duly formed and existing under the California Joint Exercise of Powers Act. SPURR was formed to seek reduction and control of utility rates on behalf of its members and other program participants. SPURR membership is open to all California public K-12 school districts, county offices of education, and community college districts. SPURR is governed by a Board of Directors who are management-level employees of member organizations. SPURR, with over 240 member organizations, aggregates purchasing power and expertise for thousands of public agency facilities across the state of California. SPURR programs include procurement of solar and energy storage, natural gas, electricity, LED lights and controls, utilities data management and conservation services, electricity demand response, and telecommunications and networking goods and services.

Forward Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "anticipate", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of the Company and are subject to various risks and uncertainties.

1 https://ucop.edu/carbon-neutrality-initiative/index.html

2 https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator

AttachmentBaku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

Starting from December 14, 2018, Kazakh SCAT Airlines will operate direct flights from Astana to the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, the airline said in a message.

"Flights on the Astana-Dushanbe-Astana route will be carried out every Friday and Sunday on a comfortable Bombardier CRJ 200," SCAT Airlines noted.

The sale of tickets has already started - they can be purchased on the airline's website or in ticket sale agencies.

The message also reads that the opening of the new flight was made possible thanks to the work of the aviation authorities of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan and SCAT Airlines within the framework of intergovernmental commissions on trade and economic cooperation and bilateral negotiations.

Presently, SCAT Airlines, which is one of the largest airlines in Kazakhstan, operates passenger flights within Kazakhstan, as well as to Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Lithuania, China and Armenia.

The airline's fleet consists of 15 Boeing and 6 Bombardier aircraft. Annually SCAT Airlines opens up to 10 new flights, with an average increase in passenger traffic by 40 percent.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashidA week of sewing industry is taking place in Kyrgyzstan, kabar.kg reports.

President of the Legprom Association Saparbek Asanov told at a press conference at the Kabar News Agency that today the textile and clothing industries are one of the economic sectors.

Our sector has become one of the 4 priorities. Textile sewing industry has export potential. According to the National Statistics Committee, this sector takes the 3rd place in the export of products Made in Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, many questions arise to address and create more favorable conditions for the development of the sector, he said.

Asanov noted that in this regard Kyrgyzstan hosts the week of the sewing industry. As part of this event, exhibition-fairs are organized, from 13 to 15 round tables will be held to discuss the problems of this sector.

Deputy Minister of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic Eldar Abakirov told that the topic of the round table will be the issue of raising education in the sector of light industry, staff turnover, etc.

We have 14 vocational colleges, which train about 400 specialists in the field of light industry, about 250 technologists, engineers, designers, and fashion designers graduate from universities. In addition, we have 70 vocational lyceums, from which about 4 thousand specialists graduated. It should be noted that, unfortunately, the level of preparedness of these graduates is not at an appropriate level. We will discuss this topic on November 13th. In addition, there will be a round table on access to finance. On November 14, we will discuss improving the competitiveness and quality of goods. As you know, due to the fall of the ruble and tenge, revenues have decreased, so we will discuss the search for new markets, he said.

Abakirov added that on November 15, the topic of government support for the sector of light industry will be discussed.

On November 16 a forum will be held with the participation of the Prime Minister, where the results will be summed up. After that, certain items will be included in the government's work plan, he added.

At the end of the week there will be a fashion show, where young designers will have the opportunity demonstrate their work.Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Nov. 13

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

The State Migration Service of Turkmenistan hosted a meeting with representatives of Hedayah, the UAE-based International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), the Turkmen representative office of Hedayah said in a message.

The meeting was attended by Elena Panova, permanent representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Turkmenistan.

An exchange of views on the prospects for partnership was held. Hedayah cooperates with UNDP in Turkmenistan as part of the regional project Strengthening Community Resilience and Regional Cooperation forPrevention of Violent Extremism in Central Asia, the message said.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

Trend:

On November 12, an agreement was signed on the allocation of a credit facility in the amount of $4 million during a meeting between the leaders of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) which is a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group, and Trustbank PJSB, Gazeta.uz reported.

The signed document has become an important step in the area of implementation of the projects aimed at the intensive socio-economic development of Uzbekistan. This is a consistent strengthening of cooperation with foreign and international financial institutions, which are defined in the decrees of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On measures to further develop and maintain the banking system of the Republic of Uzbekistan" dated September 12, 2017 and "On measures to further improve the efficiency of cooperation with international and foreign financial institutions dated December 17, 2017.

The purpose of the credit facility is to support trading operations for the period of up to one year.

"The agreement signed today will create opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two organizations in the search for new solutions in the field of trade finance in the interests of small businesses," Sardor Normukhamedov, Chairman of the Board of Trustbank said.

On July 9, Trustbank and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector signed a financing agreement.Iran has always been supporting Syrian people and government in fighting terrorism, Iran's deputy head of parliamentary friendship group said Tuesday, irna.ir reports.

'Iran has always been backing Syrian people and government in confronting terrorism, and will be supporting them in line with the establishment of peace and security in the region,' said Kamal Dehqani in a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Muhammad-Hussein Raqib al-Hussein.

Heading a parliamentary delegation, Raqib Al-Hussein is visiting Tehran to talk with senior Iranian officials.

The European nations and the US owe the Syrian army and its allies for their fight against terrorism, the Iranian lawmaker said.

He also emphasized the importance of reconstruction of vital infrastructure in Syria, adding that Iran would welcome cooperation of friendly countries in the project, as well as strengthening economic relations between private sectors of Iran and Syria.

The 15-member delegation, headed by Hussein Raqib al-Hussein, arrived in Tehran on Monday to meet some Iranian officials.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Elnur Baghishov  Trend:

The 24th National Non-Oil Export Promotion Conference entitled Economic Diplomacy will be held in Irans Tabriz city for two days, IRNA cited Chairman of Tabriz Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines Samad Hasanzadeh as saying.

Hasanzadeh said that businessmen and ambassadors of the countries having economic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the East Azerbaijan province, including Turkey, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, will attend the conference to be held on Nov. 21-22.

He added that the problems in the banking sector, taxation and customs sphere will be discussed and in general, proposals on the settlement of these problems will be put forward at the conference.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Matanat Nasibova  Trend:

Frances policy in the South Caucasus casts doubt on its interest in impartial and peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani political analyst, Ph.D. in political science, Zaur Mammadov told Trend on Nov. 13.

First of all, France is of interest for Azerbaijan as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group that carries out a mediation mission in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said.

"French President Emmanuel Macron took part in the Francophonie summit in Yerevan, but did not visit Azerbaijan, which is a proof of double standards policy of Paris, Mammadov said. Azerbaijan, in turn, expects all the OSCE Minsk Group mediators, including France to show an impartial position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. By refusing to attend the Paris Peace Forum, the Azerbaijani president demonstrated an attitude towards such a policy of France."

France should understand that the national interests of Azerbaijan are above everything, and Baku adheres to this position, he added.

The expert pointed out that participation of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Paris Peace Forum shows that Azerbaijan complies with international etiquette.

As distinct from the French leader, the US and Russian high-ranking officials visit both Azerbaijan and Armenia while visiting the region. Such an attitude can be considered logical and impartial from the diplomatic viewpoint, as both the US and Russia are co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, Mammadov said, adding that the French president should make a proper conclusion from this situation.

There is a strong Armenian lobby in France, which sponsors candidates during presidential and parliamentary elections, so it is not worth expecting objectivity from the incumbent French president, he concluded.Chinas attempt to seal Asias biggest trade deal stalled at a regional summit in Singapore, despite Beijings efforts to counter American protectionism and the absence of US President Donald Trump, South China Morning Post reports.

After a fruitless meeting on Monday, trade ministers from Aseans member countries and the blocs six dialogue partners  Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand  pushed back further talks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) until next year.

The RCEP is proposed free trade agreement covering the 16 countries and was originally expected to be completed by the end of this year. But stumbling blocks remain, including Indias reluctance to open up its markets, particularly to Chinese firms.

Leaders of the 16 countries are expected to agree to continue the talks when they meet on the sidelines of the summit for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Wednesday.

Addressing a business forum in the city state, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China hoped to conclude the RCEP negotiations next year, adding that the deal would cover half the worlds population and account for more than a third of its GDP.

With the rise of protectionism and strains on free trade, we need to advance the RCEP negotiations and an agreement that is anchored on World Trade Organisation rules, Li said.

Its going to deliver real benefits for the people of our region. Its going to send a message to the international community that we stand by free trade and are determined to push it forward with concrete action.

Indian Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu said the future lies in RCEP, but urged a caution and patience to ensure every country will benefit from it.

Among those attending Wednesdays summit will be Russian President Vladimir Putin, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump will be represented by US Vice-President Mike Pence.

The RCEP has long been seen as a rival to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, now renamed the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that was spearheaded by the United States until Trump withdrew American involvement last year.

Chinas escalating trade war and geopolitical rivalry with the US has given it added impetus to conclude the RCEP talks, which began in 2013.

The US-China rivalry was at the forefront of the start of the Asean summit on Tuesday when Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong expressed concern about member countries being caught up in the tensions.

These strategic trends of big power competition and shifts against multilateralism are pulling Asean member states in different directions, Lee said.

Despite this, Asean has shown that its still able to work together and find common ground.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the trade war between China and the US would trigger a domino effect that would affect trade relations.

[Those trade tensions] will be a reason for other developed countries to adopt protective measures against developing countries, including Asean countries, he said. This is not the time to close our doors, invoking trade protectionism measures.

Analysts said future RCEP talks could be complicated by potential changes of government in some countries such as Australia, India, Indonesia and Thailand, where elections are due next year.

Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said: Many of the problems do not lie within Aseans control but relate to the relations between larger countries, like between India and China, which is subject to both trade and political considerations.Israeli teachers are among the least respected worldwide, a global survey published by the London-based Varkey Foundation has revealed, The Jerusalem Post reports.

The Global Teacher Status Index 2018 questioned 1,000 members of the public in each of 35 countries to evaluate the social standing of teachers in their societies and consider how it may impact education systems.

Of the countries surveyed, only Brazilian teachers were revealed to have a lower status in the eyes of the public than Israeli teachers, unchanged from the 2013 index. At the other end of the spectrum, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Indonesia respect their teachers more than all European countries.

When compared to a restricted list of 14 other occupations, there were significant discrepancies between how the teaching profession is regarded by members of the general public and how the profession is regarded when the ranking was carried out by teachers themselves.

The Israeli public held that the most similar occupation to teaching is 13th-ranked social work, while teachers regarded their profession as holding a similar status to 6th-ranked nursing. In Russia and Asian countries such as Malaysia and China, the public saw teaching as a profession of a similar stature to top-ranked medicine.

The survey revealed that in approximately 50 of countries, teaching is considered a profession that deals with people on a personal, supportive basis, likely leading to its comparison to social work.



To further analyze the status of the teaching profession, respondents were asked to rate the extent to which they would encourage their children to become teachers.

Nearly 20 percent of Israelis said they would definitely not encourage their children to pursue a career in teaching, and more than 30 percent said they would probably not encourage them. Less than 5 percent of respondents said they would definitely encourage their children to consider entering the teaching profession.

An additional measure of the social status of teachers examined in the survey was according to level of reward, with social standing often reflected by how much an employee is paid. Respondents were therefore asked what they perceived were fair wages for teachers.



A perceived fair wage for a starting career secondary school teacher, according to the Israeli public, was approximately 10,000 dollars greater than the actual average starting salary of 22,175 dollars.



The report also evaluated whether the issue of teacher status has any impact on pupil performance.



Relying on data provided by the OECDs Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the report revealed that countries in which teacher status is high, such as China, Taiwan and Singapore, witness better student scholastic performance than countries in which teacher status is comparatively low, such as Brazil and Israel.



Niv Zonis, a 33-year-old teacher from Tel Aviv, told The Jerusalem Post that he was not surprised by the report, but that he did feel public appreciation for the profession.



I usually hear from people that they, as individuals, really appreciate teachers, and that they think our conditions and wages have to improve. They agree that the country does not appreciate us enough, Zonis said.



On the other hand, I am aware that people do not want their children to become teachers, as the conditions and wages arent good generally, and especially not in keeping with the effort and time that the job demands.



In addition to improved wages, Zonis said necessary changes included teaching fewer and smaller classes as well as supplying adequate equipment including more computers, printers and projectors in every classroom.



Wishing to speak anonymously, an elementary school teacher with 16 years of experience from the Sharon area told the Post that she was embarrassed to introduce herself as a teacher, especially as an art teacher.



Nobody truly knows or understands what we do, and how much we do. And how much we do at home without financial recompense, she said. But who is counting the hours and who cares? There is interference from parents and lawlessness in the classrooms. Its only elementary school after all.NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Bauxite Corporation (First Bauxite or the Company) (TSX-V:FBX, FSE:FBI) advises that further to its news release dated October 19, 2018, the Company has mailed its management information circular (the Circular) and related proxy materials to shareholders of record as of October 30, 2018 (the Shareholders) for its upcoming special meeting (the Meeting) to be held on December 7, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. (Toronto time). The Meeting materials are also available for download under the Companys profile on www.sedar.com .



At the Meeting, Shareholders will be asked to consider, and if thought fit approve a special resolution (the Arrangement Resolution) authorizing a going-private transaction (the Going-Private Transaction) with the Company`s largest shareholders, Resource Capital Fund V L.P. (RCF V) and Resource Capital Fund VI L.P. (RCF VI and together with RCF V, the RCF Funds), by way of a statutory plan of arrangement (the Arrangement) under section 288 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the BCBCA). In order to be effective, the Arrangement Resolution must be approved by at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the Shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting on the Arrangement Resolution. The votes attached to the Common Shares held by the RCF Funds are sufficient to adopt the Arrangement Resolution. The RCF Funds are therefore in a position to have the Arrangement approved.

The Arrangement involves, among other things, the consolidation (the Consolidation) of the common shares of the Company (the Common Shares) on the basis of one post-Consolidation Common Share for every 100,000,000 Common Shares currently issued and outstanding. After giving effect to the Consolidation, each holder of pre-Consolidation Common Shares who holds less than one post-Consolidation Common Share (Fractional Shareholders) will be paid, in lieu of any fractional post-Consolidation Common Share, CAD$0.04 in cash by the Company in exchange for each pre-Consolidation Common Share held by them (the Consideration) and such Fractional Shareholder will cease to be the holder of Common Shares or have any rights as a holder in respect of such Common Shares other than the right to be paid by the Company the Consideration for such Common Shares.

The disinterested members of the Board have unanimously approved the Arrangement and recommend that Shareholders vote FOR the Arrangement Resolution, on the basis that the Arrangement is in the best interests of the Company and, in particular, is fair to the Fractional Shareholders.

In making their recommendation, the disinterested members of the Board considered the following (amongst other reasons set out in the Circular):

the price at which the Fractional Shareholders will be paid out in cash following the Arrangement ($0.04 per pre-consolidation Common Share) represents:



a 100% premium to the closing price of the Common Shares on October 17, 2018 (the last trading day prior to conversion of the RCF Convertible Loans held by the RCF Funds);



a 79% premium to the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares for the 20 trading days ended October 18, 2018 (being the last trading day before the date that the Company announced that it would pursue the Arrangement); and



a 34% premium to the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares for the 3 months ended October 18, 2018;



the Common Shares are very thinly traded, making it difficult or impossible for Shareholders to sell efficiently through the facilities of the TSX-V;



the Arrangement presents an efficient liquidity mechanism for all Fractional Shareholders at a premium to the recent share price which could not otherwise be generated from the trading platforms given the Companys liquidity and capital structure; and



following completion of the Arrangement, the Company will save significant administrative expense associated with it no longer having obligations as a reporting issuer and a listed company.

The Arrangement requires approval by the Supreme Court of British Columbia (the Court). The Company filed a Petition to the Court, and obtained an interim order (the Interim Order) providing for the calling and holding of the Meeting and other procedural matters. Subject to the approval of the Arrangement Resolution by Shareholders at the Meeting in the manner required by the Interim Order, a Court hearing for the final order in respect of the Arrangement (the Final Order) is to take place on or about December 12, 2018 at 9:45 a.m. at the courthouse at 800 Smithe Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 2E1, Canada.

A letter of transmittal (Letter of Transmittal) is being delivered by the Company with the Circular to the Shareholders in respect of the Common Shares. Upon timely receipt by TSX Trust Company, acting as depositary under the Arrangement (the `Depositary`), of certificates representing Common Shares and a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal, Fractional Shareholders will be entitled to receive the Consideration. If the Arrangement is not completed, the surrendered share certificates will be returned by the Depositary as soon as is practicable.

First Bauxite shareholders are encouraged to carefully read the Circular and other Meeting materials as they contain important information regarding the Going-Private Transaction.

Update on Bonasika Project Developments

In June 2018, the Company notified the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission that it had commenced construction on the Bonasika Project and the Company also received a second bridge loan of US$10 million from RCF VI. Since that time, the Company has achieved the following milestones: it has engaged JDS Mining & Energy to perform the engineering, procurement and construction management of the Bonasika Project; site mobilization occurred in September 2018; it has received permits for a haul road, wharf and roll-on, roll-off ramps in October 2018; it commenced construction of the haul road in October, 2018; it has shipped more than 4,100 metric tonnes of ore to a customer in Europe in October 2018; and, as recently disclosed, the Company has obtained a third bridge loan from RCF VI of US$10 million to continue financing of the Bonasika Project and to acquire the Fractional Shares pursuant to the Arrangement. The Company expects that further permits and major construction package awards will be in place by the end of the year with construction scheduled to be completed and commissioning to commence during the 4th quarter of 2019.

As a result of such developments, beginning in the 3rd quarter of 2018, the Company has considered the Bonasika Project to be in the development stage for accounting purposes, which will result in the majority of costs incurred in Guyana being capitalized.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of First Bauxite Corporation

Alan Roughead

President and Chief Executive Officer

About First Bauxite

First Bauxite Corporation is a Canadian natural resources company engaged in the exploration and development of bauxite deposits in Guyana, South America. The Company intends to produce and sell bauxite raw ore from its facility in Guyana and intends to produce sintered refractory products and ceramic proppants for the refractory and energy industries in the future. The Company has its head office in New Orleans, Louisiana and is managed by experienced professionals with worldwide experience in the global industrial minerals industry across a number of industrial minerals. For further information on First Bauxite Corporation, please visit our corporate website at www.firstbauxite.com . Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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

Certain statements contained herein constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information under applicable securities laws (forward-looking statements). Forward-looking statements look into the future and provide an opinion as to the effect of certain events and trends on the business. Forward-looking statements may include words such as will, anticipates, believes, intends, expects and similar expressions. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the continued advancement of the Bonasika Project, including the Companys expectation that further permits and major construction package awards will be in place by the end of the year with construction scheduled to be completed and commissioning to commence during the 4th quarter of 2018. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and entail various risks and uncertainties. Actual results may materially differ from expectations, if known and unknown risks or uncertainties affect the Companys business, or if the Companys estimates or assumptions prove inaccurate. Factors that could cause results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, effect of capital market conditions and other factors on capital availability, availability of sufficient financing to fund planned or further required work in a timely manner and on acceptable terms, continuing support of the Government of Guyana for the Bonasika Project; execution of the Companys existing plans as budgeted, including development programs for the Bonasika Project, which may change due to changes in the views of the Company or if new information arises which makes it prudent to change such budget, plans or programs, including the results of future trials and testwork or any inability to reproduce test results on a commercial scale or in the field, and other risks affecting the Company or the mining industry more fully described in the Companys continuous disclosure documents, which are available under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or any other reason.

For further information please contact:The Israel Land Authority bought a plot in Israel for the first time in many years, en.globes.co.il reports.

Israel Land Authority (ILA) is known as a seller of land. The special potential that it sees in land in Jerusalem, however, has pushed it onto the purchasing side. Sources inform "Globes" that ILA has won a pricing proceeding for five dunam (1.25 acres) of land in Gonen B (Katamon) adjacent to Rashbag Street.

ILA already owns 18% of the land, while the rest belongs to a large number of private owners. In contrast to what usually happens in such cases - the sale of ILA's share - in this case ILA decided to buy the rest of the land and become the sole owner of the entire plot.

An internal ILA document obtained by "Globes" explains why ILA decided on this unusual course of action: "Due to the land's location on the light rail route, the District Planning and Building Commission is allowing increased construction rights on this lot (up to 720% and up to 18 storeys). We therefore believe that there is potential for construction of 200 housing units. In addition, it is important to note that lot no. 196 (plot 2), with five dunam (1.25 acres), on which the Commission has the same policy, is adjacent to the lot. If we buy the land, the planning potential will grow and we will receive more than 10.5 dunam (2.625 acres) of continuous land that can be optimally utilized."

An lawsuit for dissolution of the partnership has been ongoing since 2012. According to the documents obtained by "Globes," the main dispute in the case concerns the method of dissolution. ILA submitted an appraiser's opinion to the court in 2015 saying that the total value of the land was NIS 52.86 million. In 2017, the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court order the dissolution of the partnership through a sale. Another appraiser's opinion submitted to the court in December 2017 found that the value of the lot had increased to NIS 87 million. The court accordingly ordered that the minimum price for submitting bids would be NIS 87 million. Since no bid was submitted, the date for submitting bids was extended until July 2018, when it was found that only one bid of NIS 65 million had been filed.

In view of the situation, receiver Adv. Sagi Tirosh proposed holding a pricing proceeding among everyone who contacted him about the matter and expressed interest in the lot, and the court accepted his proposal. ILA took the unusual step of buying the land; its bid was only NIS 500,000 higher than another bid of NIS 70 million for the entire lot. Since ILA's already owns 18% of the land, the price it paid for full ownership was NIS 57.4 million. The deal is subject to court approval. A source who accompanied the deal says that a combination of several factors led ILA to buy the land from the private owners: "We saw potential here, because the land is next to other land owned by ILA, and territorial continuity could be created for marketing hundreds of apartments on all of this land. Furthermore, the land is very close to the light railway route, which increases the demand for the area. In addition, the strong demand in Jerusalem for housing units must be satisfied, and there are not many available land reserves in the city."

Answers to questions addressed to ILA by "Globes" show that planning for the land is slated to take two-three years, after which the two adjacent lots will be marketed. If the Buyer Fixed Price Plan is still in effect at the time, marketing will be on that format.The Bank of Israel Monetary Committee always said that the program would be reassessed when the sovereign wealth fund began operating, en.globes.co.il reports.

The Bank of Israel today announced the termination of its program for buying foreign currency in order to counteract the effect of natural gas production on the foreign exchange rate. The change in policy comes as Governor of the Bank of Israel Karnit Flug is finishing her term.

The Bank of Israel bought 2.1 billion dollars under the plan in 2013, 3.5 billion dollars in 2014, 3.1 billion dollars in 2015, and 1.5 billion dollars in both 2016 and 2017. The Bank of Israel's other foreign currency purchases, which were designed to moderate the strengthening of the shekel in each of the past two years, totaled 6-7 billion dollars.

Starting in August 2009, the Bank of Israel began intervening in the foreign currency market, buying foreign currency on the market in order to moderate the shekel appreciation and help exporters, whose profits are affected by shekel appreciation. Starting in May 2013, the Bank of Israel also began buying foreign currency in order to moderate the effect of gas production on the current account. At that time, the Bank of Israel Monetary Committee said that program would be reassessed when the Israel Citizens' Fund, a sovereign wealth fund, is established; the fund was then expected to begin operating in 2018.

The Bank of Israel now says that the Israel Citizens' Fund will be founded in 2019; according to the latest assessments, it will begin investing money overseas in 2020. The Monetary Committee accordingly decided to terminate the program starting in 2019 and no longer purchase a predetermined sum of foreign currency.

The Bank of Israel's announcement stated, "The Committee emphasizes that activity in the foreign exchange market is an important part of the monetary tools the Bank of Israel holds, and the Bank will therefore continue to operate in the foreign exchange market in cases of exchange rate fluctuations which are not in line with fundamental economic conditions, or when conditions in the foreign exchange market are disorderly."

Earlier this year, the Bank of Israel published a study purporting to show that its foreign currency purchases had weakened the shekel by 2-3 percent, and by 4-6 percent in more intensive periods.Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, and Jeremy Hunt, visiting British foreign secretary, discussed bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Britain, Xinhua reported citing state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM).

During the meeting, the two sides talked about ways to strengthen cooperation in all fields to benefit their peoples, according to the WAM.

They also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of common concern.

Sheikh Mohamed said that Hunt's visit would further contribute to boosting cooperation between the UAE and Britain.

According to Hunt, the two countries' ties have been progressed. He also praised the status gained by the UAE in regional and international arenas and their achievements in various fields.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that Turkey has shared audio tapes with Canada related to the murder of Saudi opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi, thus becoming a first foreign leader to confirm the existence of the recordings, Sputnik reported.

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the recordings were shared with France, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States, among others. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that he was not aware whether Turkey had actually shared the information and accused the Turkish leader of "playing political games.

Canadas intelligence agencies have been working very closely on this issue with Turkish intelligence and Canada has been fully briefed on what Turkey had to share, Trudeau said at a press conference in Paris on Monday.

The Canadian prime minister confirmed that the intelligence had heard the tapes, but added that he has not heard the tapes himself.

I had a conversation with Erdogan a couple of weeks ago, and here in Paris we had brief exchanges and I thanked him for his strength in responding to the Khashoggi situation, Trudeau added.

Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister said that his government is willing to freeze exports of military hardware to Saudi Arabia following the death of Saudi journalist, according to reports.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist known for his criticism of Saudi policies, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia's acknowledgement that the journalist had been killed in a fight inside the consulate came after two weeks of denials and growing pressure from Western allies to provide explanations. According to Riyadh, 18 people have been arrested over their involvement in the incident.Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro appointed retired army General Fernando Azevedo e Silva as defense minister on Tuesday, adding another former military officer to his cabinet, which takes office on Jan. 1, according to Reuters.

Bolsonaro, a far-right politician and former army captain who was elected last month on a law-and-order and anti-corruption platform, announced the choice on Twitter.

Azevedo belongs to a group of retired army generals who backed Bolsonaros presidential bid in the name of fighting Brazils endemic political corruption.

The group of former top brass is headed by retired five-star General Augusto Heleno, whom Bolsonaro had originally named as defense minister. Last week he opted to make Heleno his national security adviser

Azevedo, a four-star general, was Bolsonaros contemporary at the Black Needles military academy, Brazils West Point, where they both trained as paratroopers.

While Bolsonaro was discharged from the Army as a low-ranking officer, Azevedo went on to become the commander of Brazils paratrooper brigade. He also served as operations chief of the Brazilian-led United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti when it was under Helenos command.

Azevedo retired as army chief of staff in August and has since been a special adviser to Chief Justice Dias Toffoli at the Supreme Court.

Bolsonaro is expected to name another member of the group, retired General Oswaldo Ferreira, a former head of the army engineers corps, as his transportation minister in charge of improving Brazils anemic national infrastructure.

The backing from military brass and the number of former officers in Bolsonaros cabinet have raised concerns about the outsized role of the armed forces in Brazils government. Bolsonaro has vowed to respect the constitution and democratic institutions.

Bolsonaros vice president-elect is retired General Hamilton Mourao, who was removed from command in 2015 and given a staff job for criticizing the leftist Workers Party government at the time. He later offered a public defense of military intervention if the courts failed to punish corrupt politicians.

Bolsonaro has suggested the army will play a role in backing up state police as part of a crackdown on violent crime and drug gangs that he promised while campaigning.German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Tuesday for an integrated European Union military, echoing language used by French President Emmanuel Macron last week that infuriated US President Donald Trump.

Merkel told the European Parliament such an army would not undermine the US-led military alliance NATO but would be complementary to it, remarks that were met with loud applause in the legislature though also with boos from nationalist members.

The times when we could rely on others are over. This means we Europeans have to take our fate fully into our own hands, Merkel said.

We should work on a vision of one day establishing a real European army.

Macrons call, which reflected a broad trend of EU thinking but is not universally accepted, was meant to show European willingness to meet US demands that Europe do more for its own security and rely less on Americas security umbrella.

However, on Twitter on Nov. 9, Trump accused Macron of seeking to develop the EUs own military to defend itself from the United States, which EU and French officials said was a misunderstanding.The Kremlin tries to avoid any simultaneous foreign trips by the Russian president and the prime minister, but there are no hard and fast rules excluding this type of situation, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, TASS reports.

"When planning trips they [Kremlin administration] try to avoid situations like these, but there is no clear rule that this is unacceptable," Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman stressed that todays IT technologies allow the countrys leadership to fulfill their duties from any spot on the world map so there is no need for their substitution during their simultaneous absence.

"We live in a century of communications. Modern satellite and other means of communications, including closed ones, enable the prime minister and the head of state to fulfill their duties regardless of where they are," Peskov noted.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is paying a visit to Italys Palermo on November 12-13 where he is representing Russias delegation at an international conference on Libya. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently on a three-day state visit to Singapore, where he plans to take part in the Russia-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the East Asia Summit.Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

It is assumed, that the explosion at the ammunition depot in Turkey's Hakkari province occurred during a missile attack, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Turkish media reported Nov. 13.

However, Erdogan noted that he still hasnt been given the official version of the cause of the explosion at the ammunition depot.

The president also noted that as soon as the exact cause of the explosion in the depot is clarified, the Ministry of National Defense will announce all the details of the incident.

On November 9, seven Turkish soldiers died in an explosion at an ammunition depot in Hakkari province in Turkey's south and 25 were injured.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Europe should get rid of Islamophobia, which is a serious threat to its future, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

Cavusoglu said that if this doesnt happen, very soon the situation in Europe will resemble the situation before the Second World War, Turkish media reported Nov. 13.

He noted that it is necessary to resume intercultural dialogue in Europe.

He added that Turkey is one of the important participants in the process of ensuring peace in the region.

Earlier, Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Binali Yildirim said the level of Islamophobia in the EU greatly increased in recent years, and this may lead Europe to a serious crisis.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluThe number of international students entering U.S. colleges and universities has fallen for the second year in a row, a nonprofit group said on Tuesday, amid efforts by the Trump administration to tighten restrictions on foreigners studying in the United State, Reuters reports.

New enrollments for the 2017-18 school year slumped 6.6 percent compared with the previous year, according to an annual survey released by the Institute of International Education. That follows a 3.3 percent decline in new international students tallied in the 2016-17 academic year.

Several factors are driving the decrease. Visa and immigration policy changes by the Trump administration have deterred some international students from enrolling, college administrators and immigration analysts said.

A strong dollar has made U.S. college tuition relatively more expensive, Canadian and European universities are competing fiercely for the same students and headlines about mass shootings also may have deterred some students, said Allan Goodman, president of IIE.

Everything matters from safety, to cost, to perhaps perceptions of visa policy, Goodman said. Were not hearing that students feel they cant come here. Were hearing that they have choices. Were hearing that theres competition from other countries.

International students have become an important funding source for American colleges as traditional revenue sources, such as state funding, come under pressure. Most undergraduate foreign students do not qualify for need-based financial aid and must pay close to full tuition and fees to attend U.S. schools.

Similar to previous years, the largest numbers of students came from China, India and South Korea, which together made up 56.1 percent of all international students.

IIE did not track new international student numbers before the 2004-05 school year, but Goodman said the recent declines in new enrollments were comparable to the period after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The annual survey of foreign-student enrollment is funded by the U.S. State Department.

Some immigration policy experts and college administrators attribute the decline to the Trump administrations drive to restrict immigration and an overall sense of a U.S. political climate that is hostile to immigrants and foreigners.

It is not a welcoming environment, said Doug Rand, a former White House official working on immigration issues during the Obama administration.

He noted that Trump has moved to restrict the issuance of skilled-worker visas and permanent residency, which many incoming students may apply for in the future.

Its an act of willful ignorance to suggest that our immigration policies arent having a direct impact on foreign student enrollment, Rand said.

Caroline Casagrande, a State Department official, said the flattening in international student enrollments began with the 2015-2016 year, prior to the start of the Trump administration. That year, new enrollments still increased by 2.4 percent compared with the prior year.

The U.S. Department of State is committed to facilitating the legitimate travel to the United States of individuals who want to study in U.S. academic institutions, Casagrande said during a phone call with reporters. Its quite frankly unwarranted to say that it is completely the result of a political environment.

Cary Jensen, assistant vice provost for international advocacy and engagement at the University of Rochester in New York, said international students had been receiving more scrutiny from the U.S. government since the Sept. 11 attacks, but that this last year and a half has just taken it to another level.

Jensen said a major issue facing American universities was the lack of clarity surrounding the Trump administrations policies, in part due to lengthy court battles over policies like Trumps travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries.

That has kind of been the worst part of this, is the uncertainty, Jensen said. That breeds fear and people tend to overreact.

The administration is pursuing concrete steps to restrict visa policy regarding international students. Last month, it said it would seek to establish a fixed maximum period of stay for international students. Students currently can stay for an indefinite duration of study, and exchange advocates worry such a change would make it harder to recruit students and limit their flexibility once they are in the country.

In August, the administration changed the way international and exchange visitors are found to accrue unlawful presence, a violation that could result in being barred from the country for up to 10 years. Several colleges sued over the change, arguing it would cause the banishment of untold numbers of international students and exchange visitors acting in good faith.

The total number of new international students in the United States in 2017-2018 grew by 1.5 percent to a record high of nearly 1.1 million, but it was the smallest year-over-year increase since 2005. The growth in total enrollment was driven by a nearly 16 percent increase in the number of students opting to remain in the United States after finishing their studies for short-term work known as optional practical training.Atlanta, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Piedmont Office Realty Trust (NYSE: PDM) expanded today on its previous announcement that its Board of Directors has promoted Chief Investment Officer, C.Brent Smith, to President and Chief Investment Officer. Donald A. Miller, CFA, Chief Executive Officer, will continue to serve in that capacity. Mr. Smith will report to Mr. Miller and work with him on corporate strategy and take a broader role across the Companys platform.

Commenting on Mr. Smiths promotion, Mr. Miller said For several years, the Board of Directors and I have been working on a robust succession planning program across our entire leadership team. Brents promotion is a direct result of that program and the recognition of many years of accomplishments on his part. Im very excited about the energy and vision he will bring to this role as we continue to focus on refining our strategy in ways that we believe will most benefit our stockholders.

Mr. Smith, 43, will continue to serve as Chief Investment Officer, as well as Executive Vice President of Piedmonts Northeast Region, for the foreseeable future. As Chief Investment Officer, Mr. Smith leads a team of experienced transactions professionals focused on capital market transactions across Piedmonts entire portfolio, including Piedmonts portfolio repositioning. As head of the Companys Northeast regional team, Mr. Smith oversees a team responsible for the Companys approximately three million square foot Boston and New York/New Jersey portfolio. Prior to joining Piedmont in 2012, Mr. Smith served as an Executive Director with Morgan Stanley in the Real Estate Investment Banking division advising a wide range of public and private real estate clients. He brings almost 15 years of corporate- and property-level real estate experience in both North America and Asia.

Having served Piedmont over the last twelve years as both an advisor and a member of management, I have deep respect and appreciation for the entire Piedmont team, Mr. Smith said. Im looking forward to continuing to work with Don, the Board, and the rest of the leadership team as we leverage our best-in-class office platform and local Piedmont expertise to expand our presence across our eight core markets.



About Piedmont Office Realty Trust:

Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: PDM) is an owner, manager, developer, and operator of high-quality, Class A office properties located in eight major cities in the eastern half of the U.S. The almost $5 billion portfolio is comprised of approximately 17 million square feet of office space. The Company is a fully-integrated, self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) with local management offices in each of its major markets and is investment-grade rated by Standard & Poor's (BBB) and Moody's (Baa2). For more information, see www.piedmontreit.com.US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he would travel to the border with Mexico on Wednesday following the deployment of thousands of troops to bolster President Donald Trumps efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, Reuters reported.

Ill visit the border tomorrow, Mattis said before the start of a meeting with his Qatari counterpart.

It will be Mattis first visit to the border since the military announced that over 7,000 US troops would go to or near the border with Mexico as a caravan of Central American migrants slowly heads to the United States.

Mattis said he would provide the cost of operation as they become known.

In a statement, the Pentagon said Mattis would travel to Texas to meet with service members currently deployed in support of the Southwest border mission.

Hundreds of Central American migrants resumed their march north through Mexico on Saturday, en route to the US border where Trump has effectively suspended the granting of asylum to migrants who cross illegally.

Trumps Friday order means that migrants will have to present themselves at US ports of entry to qualify for asylum and follow other rules unveiled on Thursday that seek to limit asylum claims.

Some of the migrants were set to arrive at the border city of Tijuana, while others later in the week to Reynosa and other border towns, according to migrant shelters.

Asked whether there was any change in mission since some of the migrants are set to arrive near Tijuana, Mattis said there had been no changes but did not rule out future alterations.

We meet daily on this issue and coordinate amongst us. The first thing thats briefed is what is the threat against the border, he said.Dupa inscrierea pe site-ul HotNews.ro, poti deschide sectiunea MyHotNews ca sa completezi sau sa schimbi profilul de utilizator.

Atentie! Logarea pe site se face cu adresa de email, nu cu nickname-ul. Adresa ta de email va ramane confidentiala si nu va fi niciodata data unor terte persoane sau institutii.

Inainte de a te inscrie pe site te rugam sa parcurgi termenii si conditiile atasate unui cont HotNews.ro.KYODO NEWS - Nov 12, 2018 - 23:01 | All, Japan

A capsule containing experiment samples from the International Space Station arrived on Japan's easternmost island on Monday for further delivery to a space center in the country, after splashing down in the Pacific a day before.

On Minamitori Island, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency will take out the samples from the capsule -- protein crystals grown in zero gravity on the ISS -- and airlift them to an airport in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Tuesday.

The samples, the first of their kind successfully retrieved by Japan from the ISS, will then be taken to the Tsukuba Space Center by car for analysis.

As proteins are sensitive to thermal stress in general, JAXA plans to carefully check whether the samples have withstood the extreme heat during the capsule's re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere and have maintained their initial condition.

(Photo shows a capsule containing experiment samples from the International Space Station) [Photo courtesy of JAXA]

It is hoped the mission will provide knowledge and skills essential for the country to develop manned spacecraft in the future, according to JAXA officials.

In September, Japan's unmanned cargo vessel Kounotori7 was launched on an H-2B rocket, delivering the capsule, measuring 84 centimeters in width and 66 cm in height, and other supplies to the ISS.

Related coverage:

Capsule returns to Earth in milestone for Japanese space missions

The vessel departed from the space station last Thursday and released the parachute-equipped capsule on Sunday morning before burning up with waste from the ISS during re-entry, JAXA said.

The capsule fell into waters around 660 kilometers south-southeast of Minamitori Island and was retrieved. After the samples are removed, the capsule will also be transported by ship to the Tsukuba Space Center later in the month.KYODO NEWS - Nov 13, 2018 - 19:53 | World, All

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence urged Japan on Tuesday to strike a bilateral trade deal on goods and services, indicating Washington will seek a broader framework despite an agreement by the two counties earlier this year to begin talks on goods only.

"We are confident that this agreement will establish terms on goods, as well as on other key areas, including services," Pence said at a joint press conference after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, referring to the agreement on the start of Japan-U.S. trade talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Abe agreed in September to begin negotiations for a trade agreement on goods, not including other items such as services.

Pence said the United States has had a trade imbalance with Japan for "too long" and American products and services "too often" face barriers to compete fairly in Japan. Abe said the two agreed to expand further bilateral trade and investment that are beneficial to both countries.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said later Japan and the United States agreed to launch talks in line with the agreement in September.

"In this regard, there is no discrepancy in the recognition between Japan and the United States," the top government spokesman said.

The comment by Pence is the latest in a series of remarks by U.S. officials suggesting they are looking to a wide-ranging trade deal with Japan and heralds tough negations to come when they begin talks in mid-January.

Pence last month described the envisaged trade deal with Japan as a "free trade agreement," contradicting Tokyo's assertion that the accord sought by the two countries will not be as comprehensive as an FTA.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in October that Washington is seeking to include an agreement to prevent competitive currency devaluations in any trade deal with Japan, although an official at Japan's Finance Ministry immediately denied the possibility.

As the Trump administration is increasing efforts to reduce his country's more than $700 billion trade deficit, the United States has renegotiated trade pacts with Canada, Mexico and South Korea recently. Japan had the third-largest bilateral goods trade surplus with the United States totaling $68.85 billion in 2017.

For Japan, the agreement with the United States was a concession, as it sticks to its policy to pursue trade deals in multilateral frameworks.

Japan and 10 other countries are set to implement a trans-Pacific free trade pact on Dec. 30, a treaty the United States pulled out of when Trump took office. Abe's government also signed a trade treaty with the European Union in July.

Tuesday's meeting came at a time when speculation is growing in Japan that Trump will adopt a tougher stance after last week's midterm elections that delivered a divided Congress.

At a press conference the day after the elections, Trump said Japan is not treating the United States fairly on trade.

Apart from trade, Abe and Pence confirmed their cooperation in the denuclearization of North Korea, as they share the need to "completely" implement U.N. resolutions on Pyongyang to have it abandon its nuclear and missile programs.

The Japanese prime minister said at the press conference that they agreed to cooperate in settling the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North in the 1970s and 1980s, with Trump planning to have a second meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, following their first one in Singapore in June.

Abe and Pence reaffirmed their cooperation toward realizing a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region, a vision advocated by the Japanese leader and then backed by the United States amid China's increasing influence in the region.

Abe said he discussed with Pence bilateral cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, energy and digitalization in the region and confirmed their further cooperation with Australia, India and Southeast Asian nations to promote their joint efforts.

Pence said his country and Japan will offer $60 billion and $10 billion, respectively, to help in financing development and infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific region.

Prior to the meeting with Abe, Pence met with his counterpart Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, who doubles as finance minister, in the prime minister's office.

Pence stopped over in Tokyo during his Asian and Oceanian tour to attend annual regional summits later this week on behalf of the U.S. president.

Abe and Pence are scheduled to attend annual meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Papua New Guinea.The council also claimed that it possessed the license to facilitate adoption proceedings in the state.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canada Carbon Inc. (the Company) (TSX-V:CCB), announces it has granted 600,000 incentive stock options to a director and consultant of the Company. The options have an exercise price of $0.15 per share and a term of five years and will vest over 18 months.



The options have been granted in accordance with the Companys Stock Option Plan.

CANADA CARBON INC.



 R. Bruce Duncan 

CEO and Director

Contact Information

E-mail inquiries: info@canadacarbon.com

P: (604) 685-6375

F: (604) 909-1163

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.CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Niko Resources Ltd. (Niko or the Company) reports its operating and financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2018. The operating results are effective November 13, 2018. All amounts are in US dollars unless otherwise indicated and all amounts are reported using International Financial Reporting Standards unless otherwise indicated.



LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

D6 Block in India

To date, the Company has not been successful in its efforts to sell its interest in the D6 Block in India or secure financing for funding of its share of the R-Cluster, Satellite Cluster and MJ development projects in the block. While these efforts are continuing, to conserve its remaining cash (approximately $3.6 million as of September 30, 2018), the Company elected not to pay a D6 Block cash call that was due in early October, 2018.

Subsequently, a subsidiary of the Company received a default notice from the operator of the D6 production sharing contract (PSC) in India for non-payment of the cash call. Under the terms of the joint operating agreement (JOA) between the participating interest holders in the D6 PSC, during the continuance of a default, the defaulting party shall not have a right to its share of revenue (which shall vest in and be the property of the non-defaulting parties who have paid to cover the amount in default). In addition, if the defaulting party does not cure a default within sixty days of the default notice, the non-defaulting parties have the option to require the defaulting party to withdraw from the D6 PSC and JOA.

The receipt of the default notice from the operator of the D6 PSC resulted in an event of default under the terms of the Companys Facilities Agreement with its senior lenders (the Lenders). No action has been taken by the Lenders and the Company continues to have discussions with the Lenders with whom the Company believes it has a positive relationship. The Company has requested that, under the terms of the Facilities Agreement, some or all of the Lenders provide a senior loan facility for funding of D6 Block expenditures. None of the Lenders is under any obligation to provide this loan facility and, to date, none of the Lenders have offered to provide this loan facility.

If the default under the D6 JOA is not cured on a timely basis and the nondefaulting parties request that Niko withdraw from the D6 PSC and JOA, then this will have a material adverse impact on the Companys stakeholders. No assurance whatsoever can be made that the Company will be able to meet its funding requirements under the D6 PSC or its other obligations on a timely basis or at all.

Block 9 in Bangladesh

In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, the Company was notified by the operator of the Block 9 PSC that Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) had paid funds to the operator of the Block 9 for recovery of costs incurred by the operator related to Niko Block 9s interest in Block 9 and the Company understands that Petrobangla has continued to do so for subsequent periods. The estimated cumulative amount of non-payments by Petrobangla of amounts due for Nikos share of the profit petroleum portion of invoiced amounts due for gas and condensate sales supplied pursuant to the Block 9 gas and condensate sales agreements for March 2016 to September 2018 is $35 million. Refer to Note 30(a)(ii) of the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2018 for further details on this matter.

Efforts to Realize Value

The Company is continuing its efforts to realize value from its core assets. Per the Waterfall Distribution mechanism defined in the agreements governing the Term Loan and the convertible notes of the Company, 100% of any net proceeds received for these assets up to $180 million would be payable to the Lenders of the Term Loan. As such, if the Company were able to conclude any transaction to realize value up to $180 million, this value would be required to be distributed to the Lenders. No assurance whatsoever can be made that the Company will realize any value for its core assets.

Contingent Liabilities

The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to various claims from other parties, as described in Note 30 of the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2018 and updated in Note 9 of the condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the quarter ended September 30, 2018, and are actively defending against these claims. An adverse outcome on one or more of these claims could significantly impact the future cash flows of the Company.

Ability of the Company to Continue as a Going Concern

As a result of the foregoing matters (including the ongoing obligations, defaults and contingent liabilities of the Company and its subsidiaries), there are material uncertainties that may cast significant doubt about the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern.

Complete details of the Company's financial results are contained in its condensed interim consolidated financial statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis for the quarter ended September 30, 2018, which will be available under the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following significant items impacted the Companys financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2019:

Impairment of Assets, net of Derecognition of Associated Liabilities

As at September 30, 2018, the Company determined that the realization of value from its D6 and Block 9 property, plant and equipment and exploration and evaluation assets, inventory, restricted cash, income tax and other receivables was substantially dependent on uncertain events that were not wholly within the control of the Company. As such, in the second quarter of fiscal 2019, the Company recognized impairments of these assets, net of associated liabilities, totalling $222 million, reducing the carrying value of these balance sheet items to nil.

Revaluation of Long-term Debt

As a result of the impairment of the assets noted above, the Company revalued its long-term debt as at September 30, 2018 to nil, resulting in the recognition of a gain on revaluation of long-term debt of $211 million.

(thousands of US Dollars) For the six months ended

September 30, 2018 Impairment of plant, property and equipment (277,850 ) Impairment of exploration and evaluation assets (4,737 ) Impairment of other assets (34,992 ) Derecognition of associated liabilities 95,678 Gain on revaluation of long-term debt 211,015 Impairment loss, net (10,886 )

The Companys results for the three and six months ended September 30, 2018 are as follows:

Consolidated

(thousands of US Dollars, Three months ended September 30, Six months ended September 30, unless otherwise indicated) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Sales volumes (MMcfe/d)(1) 61 77 64 80 Net oil and natural gas revenue 5,105 4,926 9,680 10,690 EBITDAX from continuing operations(2) 772 (444 ) 5,386 (1,123 ) Net loss from continuing operations (34,015 ) (10,536 ) (52,199 ) (47,367 ) Net income from discontinued operations - 58 - 238

Includes volumes in Bangladesh for which revenue has not been recognized since September 2016. Refer to Non-IFRS Measures for details.

Total sales volumes in the second quarter of fiscal 2019 of 61 MMcfe/d decreased from 77 MMcfe/d in the second quarter of fiscal 2018 primarily due to lower natural gas sales volumes from the D6 Block in India, lower sales volumes from Block 9 in Bangladesh, and the sale of the Companys interest in the Hazira Block in India, effective October 1, 2017, partially offset by higher crude oil sales volumes from the D6 Block in India as the MA field ceased production in September 2018 at the end of the term of the contract for the floating, processing, storage and offloading vessel.

Net oil and natural gas revenue in the second quarter of fiscal 2019 increased slightly from the second quarter of fiscal 2018 primarily due to higher crude oil and natural gas prices and higher crude oil sales volumes, partially offset by lower natural gas sales volumes.

EBITDAX from continuing operations in the second quarter of fiscal 2019 increased from the second quarter of fiscal 2018 primarily due to a realized foreign exchange gain in the second quarter of fiscal 2019 versus a realized foreign exchange loss in the second quarter of fiscal 2018.

Net loss from continuing operations of $(34) million in the second quarter of fiscal 2019 increased compared to $(11) million in the second quarter of fiscal 2018 primarily due to increased depletion expense resulting from negative revisions to proved reserves for the D1 D3 and MA field in the D6 Block in India and the recognition of a net impairment loss of $11 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2019.

RECONCILIATION OF NON-IFRS MEASURES

The following table reconciles the Companys gross revenue to EBITDAX to net loss:

(thousands of US Dollars, Three months ended September 30, Six months ended September 30, unless otherwise indicated) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Sales volume Natural gas (mcf/d) 58,128 74,755 61,087 77,618 Oil and condensate (bbl/d) 497 374 424 375 Natural gas equivalent (mcfe/d) 61,112 76,995 63,630 79,864 Natural gas revenue 3,256 4,823 7,198 10,468 Crude oil and condensate revenue 2,320 772 3,496 1,600 Royalties (414 ) (568 ) (907 ) (1,213 ) Government share of profit petroleum (57 ) (101 ) (107 ) (165 ) Net oil and natural gas revenue 5,105 4,926 9,680 10,690 Production and operating expenses (4,707 ) (4,845 ) (8,759 ) (9,028 ) General and administrative expenses (660 ) (759 ) (1,451 ) (2,477 ) Finance and other income 77 370 4,610 512 Bank charges and other finance costs (5 ) (2 ) (15 ) (8 ) Realized foreign exchange gain (loss) 962 (134 ) 1,321 (812 ) EBITDAX from continuing operations(1) 772 (444 ) 5,386 (1,123 ) Cash interest expense (48 ) (751 ) (312 ) (1,142 ) Restructuring costs - (51 ) - (328 ) Depletion and depreciation expenses (20,943 ) (6,355 ) (41,405 ) (13,523 ) Exploration and evaluation expenses (5 ) (38 ) (5 ) (94 ) Impairment loss, net (10,886 ) (1,328 ) (10,886 ) (1,328 ) Accretion expense (1,055 ) (853 ) (1,834 ) (1,691 ) Non-cash finance and other income 247 160 475 410 Commercial claim expense (448 ) - (891 ) (27,604 ) Unrealized foreign exchange loss (1,649 ) (876 ) (2,727 ) (944 ) Net loss from continuing operations(2) (34,015 ) (10,536 ) (52,199 ) (47,367 ) Net income from discontinued operations(2) - 58 - 238 Total net loss (34,015 ) (10,478 ) (52,199 ) (47,129 )

Refer to Non-IFRS Measures for details. Refer to Note 8 of the condensed interim financial statements for the quarter ended September 30, 2018 for detailed segment information.

For further information, please contact:



Niko Resources Ltd. (403) 2621020, Glen Valk, VP Finance & CFO, or visit the Company's website at www.nikoresources.com.

Non-IFRS Measures

The selected financial information presented throughout this press release is prepared in accordance with IFRS, except for EBITDAX. The Company utilizes EBITDAX to assess performance and to help determine its ability to fund future capital projects and to repay debt. EBITDAX is calculated as net income before interest expense, income taxes, depletion and depreciation expenses, exploration and evaluation expenses, and other items (impairment loss, net, share-based compensation expense, restructuring costs, accretion expense, non-cash finance and other income, commercial claim expense and unrealized foreign exchange gain or loss). EBITDAX should not be viewed as a substitute for measures of financial performance presented in accordance with IFRS or as a measure of a companys profitability or liquidity. These non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Refer to the Company's Managements Discussion and Analysis for details on non-IFRS financial measures and reconciliation of non-IFRS measures to the most directly comparable measures defined under IFRS.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking information, including forward-looking information relating to the Companys efforts to realize value from its core assets, the ability of the Company to fund its operations and meet its obligations, the Company defending certain claims and the possible actions of the Lenders. Such forward-looking information is based on a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which may cause actual results or other expectations to differ materially from those anticipated and which may prove to be incorrect. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's current beliefs and assumptions and is based on information currently available to the Company. This forward-looking information is also based on certain key expectations and assumptions, many of which are not within the control of the Company. There can be no assurances that the Company will be able to successfully complete its strategic plan on a timely basis or that the Company will be able to meet the goals and purposes of its business plan (including resolving various disputes in its favour) or fund its cash requirements. In particular, the Company has not been successful in its efforts to sell its interest in the D6 Block in India or secure financing for funding of its share of the R-Cluster, Satellite Cluster and MJ development projects in the D6 Block, and while it will continue such efforts to enhance its liquidity there can be no assurance whatsoever that these efforts will be successful on a timely basis or at all. In addition, the Company has requested that the Lenders waive a default under the Facilities Agreement and fund a senior loan facility. The Lenders have not agreed to either request. Further, the Companys ability to defend claims may be restricted or limited for various reasons. Absolutely no assurance can be made that the Company will be able to meet its funding requirements under the D6 PSC or its other obligations on a timely basis or at all, and nothing herein should be read as stating or inferring otherwise. The failure to meet or satisfy any of the foregoing is likely to have a material adverse impact on the Company and thereby significantly impair the value of security holders interest in the Company. The reader is cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of forward-looking information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect. Actual results may vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors and such variations may be material. Such risk factors include, but are not limited to those set out above as well as: risks related to the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern, risks related to the Company not being able to increase its cash resources, the risks associated with the Company meeting its obligations under the amended Facilities Agreement, risks related to the various legal claims against the Company or its subsidiaries, as well as the risks associated with the oil and natural gas industry in general, such as 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 production rates, costs and expenses, commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations, government regulation, marketing and transportation risks, environmental risks, competition, changes in tax, royalty and environmental legislation, the impact of general economic conditions, imprecision of reserve estimates, the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management, stock market volatility, risks associated with meeting all of the Company's financing obligations and contractual commitments (including work commitments), the risks discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended March 31, 2018 and in the Company's public disclosure documents, and other factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Niko makes no representation that the actual results achieved during the forecast period will be the same in whole or in part as those forecasts.

The forward-looking information included in this press release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information included herein is made as of the date of this press release and Niko assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.When director Ali Abbas Zafar was informed by Priyanka Chopra that she will not be able work in in his next directorial, Bharat, it was Katrina Kaif who stepped in and hence reunited with opposite Salman Khan. For Bharat, Salman and Katrina have shot in different locations including Mumbai, Malta and Abu Dhabi and now they are currently in Chandigarh.

I have never met Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in my life says Akshay post being summoned by SIT

According to source, Katrina Kaif will now have a meatier appearance in Bharat. Earlier, Katrina's role was crafted under a certain bracket with Priyanka Chopra in mind. The source added that with films shooting still going on, director Ali has now increased the graph of Kats character. Theres more dialogue, action and drama added to her role which will be very much liked by the viewers. There is also report that now, In Bharat, Katrina will have a way bigger role than any of her films.

Box office collection: Despite declination in collections on Day 4, film managed to earn 123 crore

Apart from Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif Bharat also stars Tabu, Jackie Shroff, Disha Patani, Sunil Grover and Nora Fatehi in pivotal roles. It is slated for an Eid 2019 release. It is the remake of the hit Korean film, Ode to My Father, which released in 2014.TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magnolia Colombia Limited (Magnolia or the Company) (TSXV: MCO) is pleased to welcome Chris Eben to its board of directors effective immediately.



Mr. Eben is a Managing Partner at TWG, a product consultancy with deep expertise in digital strategy, product design and engineering. He is a board member, speaker and active investor with a portfolio of more than 25 startups throughout the US and Canada.

Mr. Eben joined TWG after a lengthy career running product teams in the Enterprise Software Market, focused on Business Intelligence, Analytics and Performance Management. He has worked for startups and with large organizations and has helped to build teams in Silicon Valley, London, England and his hometown of Toronto. At TWG, he leads a growing team of 140 product managers, user researchers, designers and engineers that work with innovators from funded startups to large enterprises building software used by millions. Mr. Eben holds an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.

The appointment of Mr. Eben follows the resignation of Algimantas Didsjuliz as a director of the Company.

The management and board of Magnolia would like to thank Mr. Didsjuliz for his service and the contributions he has made to the Company and wish him well in the future.

About Magnolia Colombia Limited:

Magnolia Colombia Limited is a Canadian independent oil exploration company.

For further information, please contact:

James Lanthier, President & CEO

Email: james.lanthier1@gmail.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the appointment and resignation of directors of the Company. 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: financing not being available at desired prices; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current exploration activities; timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; conclusions of economic evaluations; competition; future prices of mineral prices; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; and, delays in obtaining governmental approvals or required financing or in the completion of activities. 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. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.Are Vietnamese social networks powerful enough to replace Facebook?

VietNamNet Bridge - The government of Vietnam has placed an unprecedented order: create a social network for Vietnamese. If this happens, Vietnam will be able to pocket hundreds of million of dollars from online ads and get other benefits.









Vietnam wants to develop a social network for Vietnamese









Like many people belonging to the 5X generation, Phan Thi Ngoc Anh in HCM City had never used social network and internet until two months ago. But she changed her mind and decided to set up her house on Facebook.



Anh said she has no other choice than using Facebook, because this is the only convenient way to connect her friends and relatives who all gather on Facebook, which is very popular among Vietnamese.



The suggestion by PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc about a social media for Vietnamese is described as daring. In general, the governments of developing countries do not encourage their startups to compete with foreign social networks such as Facebook, because it would be ineffective and very costly.

The suggestion by PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc about a social media for Vietnamese is described as daring. In general, the governments of developing countries do not encourage their startups to compete with foreign social networks such as Facebook, because it would be ineffective and very costly.

The newly appointed Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Manh Hung also said Vietnam needs a digital ecosystem with focus on made-in-Vietnam social media instead of foreign owned players such as Facebook and Google.



In principle, Vietnam can easily develop social networks for Vietnamese by prohibiting Facebook and other foreign social networks. In China, for example, as the door has been closed to Facebook since 2009, opportunities have been opened for domestic social networks, including WeChat, with 900 million users daily.



Tran Anh Dung, CEO of MOG Vietnam, said if Facebook is prohibited in Vietnam, users will have to use Vietnamese social networks.



However, as Facebook connects globally, doing business between Vietnam and the world would meet difficulties. Being one of Facebooks top 10 markets, Vietnam will not have power to negotiate with Facebook and Google without Vietnams digital ecosystem and social networks.



Experts said Vietnam is not likely to install barriers to protect domestic firms. The path startups have to create Vietnamese social networks for Vietnamese will be thorny.



Vietnam once had social networks in 2010-2012, when Facebook still was not a big influence. However, the made-in-Vietnam social networks, go.vn, tamtay.vn and Yobanbe, have shut down.



According to Han Huu Hai, president of YourTV Group, said it was difficult at that moment to ask for an operation license.



Second, the business model was not clearly defined. The model of offering free services to obtain more than 100,000 users and earning money by selling ads was difficult to implement.



The financial burden then forced Vietnamese social networks to give up, Hai said.





RELATED NEWS

Vietnam social media users face crime and fraud

Govt calls for social network ethics code





Mai ChiContinent could lose more than half of bird and mammal species, 20-30 percent decline in the productivity of Africa's lakes foreseen

The threat today to African plants, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and large mammals is unprecedented, caused by a range of both human-induced and natural causes, leading scientists warned African ministers meeting on the eve of major global biodiversity talks in Egypt.

The ministers are determining Africa's joint position on the critical challenges of biodiversity loss ahead of the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14, https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2018) of the UN Convention of Biological Diversity, convened in collaboration with the Government of Egypt in Sharm el Sheikh, 14-29 November. (Provisional agenda, African Ministerial Summit: http://bit.ly/2QzU2Vw)

The expert briefing is based on two landmark Assessment Reports on the state of biodiversity in Africa, and on global land degradation and restoration, conducted under the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and released earlier this year.

The Africa Assessment shows that, while there are positive examples where lessons can be learned, biodiversity and nature's capacity to contribute to people are being degraded, reduced and lost due to a number of common pressures - habitat stress; overexploitation and unsustainable use of natural resources; air, land and water pollution; increasing numbers and impact of invasive alien species and climate change, among others.

"Africa's human development and well-being depend on the sustainable development and use of its rich natural resources," says Dr. Luthando Dziba, who also co-chairs the IPBES Multidisciplinary Expert Panel.

"Africa is the world's last home for a wide range of large mammals. The scientific consensus reflected in the IPBES report, unfortunately, is that, under current scenarios to 2100, climate change could result in the loss of more than half of African bird and mammal species, a 20-30% decline in the productivity of Africa's lakes and significant loss of African plant species."

The IPBES Africa Report shows an estimated 20 per cent of Africa's land surface (6.6 million km2) is estimated to be degraded because of soil erosion, salinization, pollution and loss of vegetation or soil fertility. Even greater pressure will be placed on the continent's biodiversity as the current African population of 1.25 billion people is set to double to 2.5 billion by 2050.

"The degradation of the Earth's land surface, through human activities, is pushing the planet towards a sixth mass species extinction," says Prof. Robert Scholes, who co-chaired the IPBES Land Degradation Assessment.

"Less than 25% of our planet's land surface has escaped substantial impacts of human activity - and by 2050 this is likely to be less than 10%. The combination of land degradation and climate change is predicted to reduce global crop yields by an average of 10%, and by 50% in some regions. Most future degradation will occur in Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia."

Prof. Scholes adds however, that we know how to successfully restore land in every ecosystem, and that avoiding or reversing degradation is possible. "Higher employment and the other benefits of land restoration often far exceed the costs involved. For regions like Asia and Africa, the cost of inaction in the face of land degradation is at least three times higher than the cost of action."

By the numbers

Africa

Trends / data

+/- 6.6 million: km2 of land is degraded due to factors such as deforestation, unsustainable agriculture, overgrazing, uncontrolled mining activities, invasive alien species and climate change, leading to soil erosion, salinization, pollution, and loss of vegetation or soil fertility +/- 62%: rural population directly dependent on wild nature and its services for survival (the most of any continent) +/- 2 million: km2 of land designated as protected (including 6% of biodiversity-rich tropical evergreen broadleaf forests and 2.5% of Africa's seas 25%: people having faced hunger and malnutrition (2011-2013) in Sub-Saharan Africa, the world's most food-deficient region Economic values of nature's contributions to people

West Africa

$4 billion: coastal fishery value added (per year) $40,000: water purification services (per km2, per year) $4,500: mangrove coastal protection services (per km2, per year) $2,800: coastal carbon sequestration services (average per km2, per year)

Central Africa

$2 billion: coastal fishery value added (per year) $0.8 billion: inland fishery value added (per year) $14,000: forest carbon sequestration services (average per km2, per year) $3,500: mangrove coastal protection services (per km2, per year) $3,000: timber value added (per km2, per year)

Southern Africa

$0.5 billion: coastal fishery value added (per year) $0.3 billion: inland fishery value added (per year) $9,000: recreation value (per km2, per year)

North Africa

$0.6 billion: inland fishery value added (per year) $0.5 billion: coastal fishery value added (per year) $300: coastal carbon sequestration services (average per km2, per year) $2,000: timber production (per km2, per year)

East Africa and adjacent islands

$2.5 billion: coastal fishery value added (per year) $1.2 billion: inland fishery value added (per year) $16,000: food production (per km2, per year) $12,000: forest carbon sequestration services (average per km2, per year) $11,000: erosion control (average per km2, per year) $7,800: forest bioprospecting (per km2, per year) $5,000: mangrove coastal protection services (per km2, per year) $2,200: coastal carbon sequestration services (average per km2, per year)

Projections

50% of African bird and mammal species could be lost to climate change by 2100 20 - 30%: expected decline in productivity of lakes by 2100 2.5 billion: predicted population of Africa in 2050 (double the current figure) 54%: Africans expected to live in urban and peri-urban areas by 2030 (up from 39% in 2003)

The IPBES reports can be accessed together with photos, 'B-roll' and other media resources here:

The Africa Assessment Report: http://bit.ly/2DCxe4E

The Land Degradation and Restoration Assessment Report: http://bit.ly/2z6VtEx

African Ministerial declaration

At the conclusion of the African Ministerial Summit in Egypt (approximately 6 pm local time / 4 pm GMT) Tuesday Nov. 13, the ministers will issue a summit declaration, (to be made available at the summit website, https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2018/cop-14-afr-hls)

The following day, the full UN Biodiversity Conference 2018 begins in Egypt with a High-Level Segment (14-15 November, https://www.cbd.int/meetings/COP-14-HLS). As many as 80 ministers of Environment, Infrastructure, Energy, Industry and other sectors are expected to join in discussions on mainstreaming biodiversity into their respective fields of work.

From 17-29 November, negotiations will be undertaken among 196 Parties to the CBD on the following main themes: Achieving the globally-agreed Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2010-2020); mainstreaming biodiversity issues; and the beginning of two years of negotiation of the post 2020 global framework for biodiversity, scheduled for final agreement at CBD COP15 in China in 2020.

Three years in development the IPBES Assessment Reports involved the review of several thousand scientific papers, as well as extensive Government and other information sources, including indigenous and local knowledge,. Together they represent the most important expert contribution of the past decade to understanding of nature and its contributions to people, offering a roadmap for future action.

###

About IPBES:

Often described as the "IPCC for biodiversity" IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body comprising 130 member Governments. Established by Governments in 2012, it provides policymakers with objective scientific assessments about the state of knowledge regarding the planet's biodiversity, ecosystems and the contributions they make to people, as well as the tools and methods to protect and sustainably use these vital natural assets. For more information about IPBES and its assessments visit http://www.ipbes.net

Twitter: @IPBES / http://www.facebook.com/ipbes / http://www.youtube.com/ipbeschannel /

http://www.linkedin.com/company/ipbes / http://www.instagram.com/ipbes

IPBES side events at CBD COP14:

November 18th (Sunday): Presentations by the Co-chairs of the four IPBES Regional Assessment Reports issued in March, 2018 (one each for the Americas, Europe and Central Asia, Africa, Asia and the Pacific) and the Global Assessment Report on Land Degradation and Restoration.

November 19th (Monday): Launch of a message 'primer' detailing elements of the IPBES Global Assessment of Biodiversity, expected to be released in Paris in May 2019

Follow the CBD conference on social media:

https://twitter.com/unbiodiversity

http://www.facebook.com/UNBiodiversity

http://www.facebook.com/UNBiodiversityConvention

http://www.instagram.com/unbiodiversity

http://www.linkedin.com/company/unbiodiversity

A series of live interviews will be broadcast on the CBD's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/UNBiodiversity).

All news conferences and briefings will be available via live webcast or video on demand via the UN Biodiversity Conference official website: http://www.cbd.int/webcast (available from 13 November 2018).

Additional information for media, including press briefs and the schedule of press conferences: http://www.cbd.int/conferences/2018/information/media

On-site media participation at CBD meetings is subject to accreditation by the Secretariat. Accreditation is strictly reserved for representatives of bona fide media organizations - print, photo, radio, TV, film, news agencies and online news sites.

To facilitate the process, a new online media accreditation form is accessible: http://www.cbd.int/participation/2018/media(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. has selected New York City and Northern Virginia as the companys second and third headquarters, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

An announcement could come as soon as Tuesday, the newspaper reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the plan. Other cities may get major sites from the company, the newspaper said.

Associated Press reported similar details Tuesday, also citing an unnamed individual.

Bloomberg News reported last week that the company is close to agreements that would split the new headquarters between the Crystal City area of Arlington, in Northern Virginia and Long Island City, in the New York borough of Queens.

A decision would end a yearlong search by the e-commerce giant for supplementary headquarters to its existing base in Seattle. Cities across the U.S. have spent months jockeying for a $5 billion investment that promises 50,000 high-paying jobs.

Since Amazon pared the list to 20 cities in January, speculation has been rampant, with lists handicapping supposed front-runners. Amazon had a broad list of criteria, including a population of 1 million, proximity to a major airport and a strong university system, without clearly identifying which factors were most important.

(Updates with AP detail in 3rd paragraph.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Spencer Soper in Seattle at ssoper@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Robert Fenner at rfenner@bloomberg.net, Peter Elstrom

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.(Bloomberg) -- Some people say Amazon.com Inc. is taking over the world. That may or may not be true. But it did just invent a whole new city.

Seattle-based Amazon announced Tuesday that its search for office locations had led it to two neighborhoods -- Long Island City in the New York City borough of Queens, and National Landing, an urban community in Northern Virginia less than 3 miles from downtown Washington, D.C., the company said in a blog post.

While Long Island City, just across the East River from Manhattan, is well-known, National Landing doesnt appear on maps. Turns out it encompasses the communities of Crystal City and Pentagon City in Arlington County, Virginia, and Potomac Yard in neighboring Alexandria, Virginia. Amazons offices will be in Crystal City and Pentagon City, while its innovation campus will be in Potomac Yard, the Arlington Economic Development organization said.

Its showcasing the partnership with Alexandria," Cara ODonnell, director of public relations at Arlington Economic Development.

National Landing was coined in the joint Northern Virginia pitch to Amazon at the start of its search process last year.

Talk about waking up in a different place than you remembered having gone to bed in? tweeted Monica Sethi at e-Buzz Edge, a social media marketer. I woke up today to find out I live in National Landing.

Though it is meant to give all the neighborhoods a boost, its also an attempt to rebrand Crystal City, known for its drab, 60s office buildings and once known by some as Crystal S****y, said David Gast, an executive vice president at real estate firm, Colliers International.

Crystal City had a negative connotation for 30 years, Gast said. That I get, but doesnt Long Island City have a similar reputation -- why arent they doing the same thing there?

Amazon said it will invest $195 million in infrastructure in the neighborhoods, including improvements to the Crystal City and Potomac Yard Metro stations and a pedestrian bridge to Reagan National Airport.

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National Landing will have 17 million square feet of office space and 24,000 housing units within 2 miles, affordable at average Amazon income, according to a website created for northern Virginias pitch.

To contact the reporter on this story: Prashant Gopal in Boston at pgopal2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Debarati Roy at droy5@bloomberg.net, Rob Urban, Christine Maurus

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. will build new offices in New York City and Arlington, Virginia, ending months of jockeying between potential locations across the country vying for a $5 billion investment that promises 50,000 high-paying jobs over almost two decades.

Amazon also said it will create more than 5,000 jobs in Nashville, Tennessee, at a new operations center thats responsible for fulfillment, transportation, supply chain and other activities.

The anti-climactic ending to a more than years-long search -- multiple office projects rather than a single second headquarters -- shows Amazon thinks its better to tap multiple labor markets for future growth rather than try to house everyone in one city.

The sites in Long Island City, Queens, and in Arlington, will be a boon for the New York and Washington D.C. metro areas and highlights Amazons willingness to target big talent pools with pricey payroll over smaller markets offering lower costs of living. Its a disappointment for the 18 other cities, including Toronto and Chicago, many of which offered billions of dollars in tax breaks to lure the worlds largest internet retailer.

Amazon captured North Americas attention in 2017, when it announced plans to build a second headquarters, prompting gushing overtures from politicians and publicity stunts from hopefuls eager to stand out. A group from Tucson offered to send a 21-foot-tall cactus to Seattle, which the company donated. A Georgia town offered to name a new city "Amazon." Beyond hype, cities dangled generous tax incentives. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie publicly offered $7 billion in tax breaks and other benefits to bring Amazon to Newark. Most cities and states kept their offers private.

Since Amazon pared the list to 20 cities in January, speculation has been rampant, with lists handicapping supposed front-runners. Amazon had a broad list of criteria, including a population of 1 million, proximity to a major airport and a strong university system, without clearly identifying which factors were most important. Many guessed Amazon wanted to be close to Washington, because three of the finalist sites were clustered around the nations capital. Another theory was that Toronto -- the only Canadian city on the list -- might be chosen to serve as a hedge against U.S. President Donald Trumps policies limiting immigration. Amazon is a frequent target of Trumps criticism.

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Jay Carney, Amazons senior vice president of global corporate affairs, said the company decided to split its headquarters after it was flooded with an incredible amount of information from cities across North America.

Amazon realized "late in the process" that the best way to recruit top talent was to invest in two locations, rather than one, Carney said in an interview on Bloomberg TV. "I think two made more sense."

A robust talent pipeline and room to grow -- not big financial incentives -- helped push Arlington County, Virginia, to the top of Amazons list, said Victor Hoskins, head of the countys economic development agency. The Washington, D.C. area stood out with a large educated workforce of three million people and a transit system that has plenty of capacity.

In negotiations and multiple visits over the past year, Amazon wanted to make sure the community had space for its new offices and a transportation system that could handle shuffling them around, he said. From the county, Amazon will get a portion of hotel taxes expected to be $23 million over the next 15 years. Amazon generates 300,000 hotel stays a year in Seattle, Hoskins said. The state offered additional incentives.

The search was also a not-so-subtle message to the city of Seattle, where some political leaders have blamed Amazon for skyrocketing property values, gridlocked highways and a growing homeless crisis. Tension between Amazon and the city spilled into the public spotlight earlier this year, when the city council approved and then overturned a payroll tax on big employers to pay for affordable housing and programs to fight homelessness. Amazon, the citys dominant employer, threatened to push growth elsewhere if it was approved.

Now New York and Virginia face the challenge of balancing the benefits of Amazons investment with the growing pains that can come with fast expansion and an influx of wealth. The company has helped fuel a tech boom in Seattle, where cranes building new office towers, apartment buildings and hotels dot the skyline.

And while New Yorks top politicians enthusiastically wooed Amazon, some local lawmakers said the $808 billion company shouldnt receive massive corporate welfare in order to invest in the city and instead should use its resources to help solve public problems such as aging subways.

In its release, Amazon said New York will get more than 25,000 full-time, high-paying jobs, about $2.5 billion in Amazon investment; 4 million square-feet of energy-efficient office space with the chance to expand to 8 million square feet; and an estimated incremental tax revenue of more than $10 billion over the next 20 years. Amazon will receive $1.5 billion if it meets its job-creation goals.

Amazon also agreed to donate space on its campus there for a tech startup incubator and for use by artists and industrial businesses; the company will also donate a site for a new public school. It also pledged to invest in infrastructure improvements and new green spaces.

I said we would build a new New York State -- one that is fiscally responsible and fosters a business climate that is attractive to growing companies and the industries of tomorrow, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in the statement from Amazon.

Arlington will benefit from the same number of jobs, investment and office space as Long Island City. The site will also benefit from an estimated incremental tax revenue of $3.2 billion over the next 20 years as a result of Amazons investment and job creation. Amazon will receive $573 million in incentives if it meets the job-creation pledge.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said it was a big win for the state.

(Updates with comments from Amazon excutive in seventh paragraph.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Spencer Soper in Seattle at ssoper@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Alistair Barr, Molly Schuetz

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.Italy's anti-establishment government promised to increase public spending, raising the public deficit to 2.4 percent of GDP in 2019  up from a previously agreed target of 0.8 percent.

Italian new media suggested that the government could alter its growth forecasts to make them closer to the commission's.

The Italy government will not make any big changes to its 2019 budget plan, despite opposition from the European Commission, an Italian minister told CNBC.

Rome has until the end of the day to amend its 2019 spending plans, after the European Commission said last month that the budget draft disrespected previous commitments. The anti-establishment government promised to increase public spending, raising the public deficit to 2.4 percent of gross domestic product in 2019  up from a previously agreed target of 0.8 percent.

"I don't expect the Italian government to make any substantial revisions," Lorenzo Fioramonti, a junior minister for the Five Star Movement and one of the architects of the party's economic policy, told CNBC's Willem Marx .

"I think there may be a dialogue around some potential second steps, but I think the bulk, the core of what's being proposed will stay the same," Fioramonti said, suggesting the ongoing exchanges between Brussels and Rome are more about what will happen next, rather than the actual content of the budget.

Italian new media suggested the government could alter its growth forecasts in order to bring them more in line with the commission's. However, it is difficult to see how that change alone could please Europe and prevent it from enforcing special monitoring and giving policy-making advice to Italy  a procedure that usually is applied to countries that have to bring their deficit and debt levels down.

Brussels and Rome hit an impasse over Italy's spending plans last month and have engaged in a battle of words since then. One the on hand, the European Commission wants to show that it applies its own rules  a common criticism against the EU's executive arm  and, on the other hand, the anti-establishment government in Rome wants to please its voters and challenge European rules .

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"We are sending a message that Europe needs to re-think the way in which it conceived economic development over the past few decades," Fioramonti told CNBC.

"It is important that Europe comes to the realization," he said, "that having a founding member in such a level of distress requires a collective effort to change."

Italy was among the group of six countries that first established what's known now as the European Union.

WATCH: Italian government gears up to present new budget draft





More From CNBC

By Marc Jones

LONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - A report from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on Tuesday warned that perceived transparency in government policymaking in its 38 economy bloc had not improved since the start of the decade.

The development bank's annual 'transition" report which scores the progress of countries in six key areas from competitiveness and resilience to the way they are governed, made for mixed reading.

"Although the perceived regulatory burden declined in many of the economies where the EBRD invests (between 2010-17), the perceived transparency of government policymaking did not generally improve," the report said.

There were some exceptions such as Kazakhstan, Romania and Ukraine, but there were concerns about the ability of some countries' courts and firms to be able to legally challenge domestic regulations having an impact on their businesses.

The EBRD was set up in 1991 to help former Soviet bloc countries convert to capitalism, but growing eurosceptism in parts of eastern Europe has raised questions about reversals in the process.

Poland, where the ruling PIS government has been criticised by the European Commission for forcing top judges to retire , saw its annual policymaking score cut as did others including Egypt and Jordan as well as Latvia and Estonia.

In the longer-term picture, youth unemployment has declined, particularly in south eastern Europe, but it remains a key challenge for many countries.

Flexibility in hiring and firing practices appears to be declining in various countries and significant challenges also remain with critical infrastructure such as heating and telecoms in poorer regions.

IMMIGRATION AND POPULISM

The rest of the report looked at huge changes taking place in employment, demographics and migration in the EBRD's region, which stretches from Morocco to Mongolia in one direction and Estonia to Egypt in the other.

By 2040, labour force growth is expected to exceed population growth in only 20 percent of the worlds emerging markets and EBRD countries such as Turkey could see their old-age dependency ratio rise from around 12 percent now to about 25 percent in 2040 in that time.

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On top of that, in nearly all EBRD economies, the probability of jobs being automated is higher than the OECD average of 48 percent.

In Slovakia, the median probability of automation is as high as 62 percent and the report estimated that 13 percent of a drop in employment in 11 central and south eastern Europe between 2010 and 2016 was due to "robotisation".

There was also analysis of immigration's role in the rise of populist politics in the EBRD's bloc.

Looking at 510 elections in 19 countries since 2001, it found that a 1 percentage point rise in immigrants share of the population since the previous election was associated with a 6 percentage point weakening of support for left-wing populist parties.

There was an even starker 7 percentage point decline in the combined vote share for non-anti-immigrant populist parties at given elections. "The magnitude of that impact is substantial," the report said. (Reporting by Marc Jones Editing by Richard Balmforth)European efforts aimed at evading American penalties on Iran are unlikely to be effective, National Security Advisor John Bolton said on Tuesday.

Speaking to media in Singapore, the U.S. official said he was confident Washington's latest sanctions against Tehran would hurt the Iranian economy.

"We think the government is under real pressure and it's our intention to squeeze them very hard," Bolton said.

A European initiative aimed at bypassing U.S. sanctions on Iran is unlikely to meaningfully help the Islamic Republic, according to White House National Security Advisor John Bolton.

"We think the government is under real pressure and it's our intention to squeeze them very hard," Bolton told media in Singapore on Tuesday, expressing confidence that Washington's latest measures against Iran would put significantly pressure on its economy. "As the British say, squeeze them until the pips squeak."

Several international corporations already decided to end their dealings with Tehran in May, when President Donald Trump announced that he would be re-imposing sanctions on Iran .

"The position of some European governments is different from the position of their businesses," he said, suggesting that European firms were unlikely to do business with the Islamic state even if the initiative was introduced.

The initiative  known as a "special purpose vehicle"  aims to facilitate payments related to Iran's exports and imports despite sanctions by the U.S.

The bulk of European companies have more commercial links with the U.S. than with Iran, and it remains unclear how much impact the special purpose vehicle would have.

The Iran nuclear accord was implemented in January 2016. Formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, it removed international sanctions on the country in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But when Trump abandoned the accord in May, European leaders scrambled to save the deal .

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Bolton, a former U.S Ambassador to the United Nations, and Vice President Mike Pence are in Singapore this week for the ASEAN-U.S. Summit as well as the East Asia Summit. They will also be heading to Papua New Guinea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum later this month.

Asian heavyweights such as Japan , China , India and South Korea will still be allowed to purchase Iranian crude, having been granted exemptions by Washington . But those exemptions are on a six-month basis so any trade flows between Iran and Asia will be temporary, Bolton said.

Washington will ensure sanctions are properly enforced, Bolton continued, adding that new sanctions aimed at tightening counter-terrorism could also be introduced. The U.S. has been in discussions with a number of European countries on that matter following allegations of an Iranian assassination attempt in Denmark, Bolton said.





More From CNBC

(Updates after joint statement by Pence, Abe)

By Tim Kelly and Linda Sieg

TOKYO, Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, keeping up pressure on Japan to cut its trade surplus with the United States, said on Tuesday American goods and services too often faced barriers in Japan and a bilateral trade agreement offered the best way forward.

Speaking to reporters after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Pence also said that sanctions on Pyongyang would remain in full force until a fully verified denuclearisation of North Korea was achieved.

"The United States has had a trade imbalance with Japan for too long. American products and services too often face barriers to compete fairly in Japanese markets," Pence said at a joint media appearance with Abe.

"The best opportunity for free, fair and reciprocal trade will come in a bilateral trade agreement," he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized Japan over trade, asserting that Tokyo treats the United States unfairly by shipping millions of cars to North America while blocking imports of U.S. autos and farm products.

Japan says its markets for manufactured goods are open, although it does protect politically sensitive farm products.

In September, Abe and Trump agreed to start trade talks in an arrangement that appeared, temporarily at least, to protect Japanese automakers from further tariffs on their exports, which make up about two-thirds of Japan's $69 billion trade surplus with the United States.

Japan has insisted the new Trade Agreement on Goods would not be a wide-ranging free trade agreement, but U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has said he was aiming for a full free trade deal requiring approval by Congress.

Abe did not comment directly on the nature of a future deal.

"As for the economy, we reaffirmed that we intend to further expand bilateral trade and investment in a mutually beneficial manner in accordance with the Japan-U.S. joint statement in September, and to realise economic development of the Indo-Pacific region that is free, open and based on fair rules," Abe said.

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NORTH KOREA SANCTIONS

The U.S. Commerce Department has submitted draft recommendations to the White House on its investigation into whether to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on imported cars and parts on national security grounds, two administration officials said in Washington.

In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump pledged to work toward denuclearisation at a summit in Singapore, but there has been little headway on specific steps.

"Our joint actions together with South Korea and the wider world have brought North Korea to the negotiating table and opened the promise of peace on the Korean Peninsula," Pence said. He said more work remained to be done, and noted that another summit between Trump and Kim was being arranged.

"The sanctions will remain in full force until we achieve the final, fully verified de-nuclearisation of North Korea. The United States, Japan and the world will accept nothing less," Pence said.

A planned meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials in New York on Thursday was cancelled. The State Department gave no reason for the delay.

A U.S. think tank said on Monday it had identified at least 13 of an estimated 20 undeclared missile operating bases inside North Korea, underscoring the challenge for U.S. negotiators to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

Japan has said it will not normalise relations with Pyongyang until it takes irreversible and verifiable steps to dismantle its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and reveals the fate of all Japanese kidnapped by North Korean agents decades ago, and to return any who may still be alive.

After meeting Abe, Pence - who repeated that Washington remains committed to the Indo-Pacific region - will head to Singapore for a meeting of regional powers and then to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Papua New Guinea. Trump is not attending the meetings. (Additional reporting Elaine Lies and Kiyoshi Takenaka; Writing by Linda Sieg Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Darren Schuettler)Rami Chalabi, left, and Ranjeev Dhillon, right, of McCarthy Tetrault.







McCarthy Tetrault, one of the elite "Seven Sister" firms of Canada's Bay Street legal market, has hired Ranjeev Dhillon and Rami Chalabi to head the firm's national Cannabis Law Group in Toronto.



Dhillon brings numerous clients in the corporate, banking, funds, and medical sectors to his new platform. Chalabi comes to the firm with broad experience in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and capital markets transactions. Both partners came from the Canadian firm Bennett Jones.



The two partners will advise growers, corporations, and investors seeking to take advantage of the newly legitimized and expanded market for marijuana products following the Canadian government's legalization of recreational use last month. The federal government's move made Canada only the second nation, after Uruguay, to allow citizens to grow, possess, and share marijuana for more than strictly medicinal use, which has been legal in Canada since 2001.



In Dhillon's view, moving to a prestigious national platform was only logical given the sweeping nature of the government's decision last month.



"I think that as clients get bigger and the cannabis industry becomes larger and more sophisticated, the legal platform and team have to match that trend," Dhillon said. "Having conversed with our clients about where their business was going to go, we decided we needed to have that kind of platform, with a presence not just in Canada but in New York and London."



Clients in the cannabis industry include many private equity firms, Dhillon noted, and even those firms that choose to invest solely within Canada need tremendous amounts of capital to put to use. Hence they look to the biggest capital markets in the world, which include New York and London.



"Toronto is a great market, but it's not New York or London. Our clients need to have access to the deepest pockets. We can go to those cities, leverage our relationships, and get meetings for our clients," Dhillon said.



The legalization of cannabis for recreational use is intimately tied to a growth and maturing of the cannabis industry, and large companies are entering the market in response to these trends, Chalabi observed.



"You have more capital coming into the industry, and more expertise," he said, underscoring the necessity for a cannabis legal practice to have resources in such areas as corporate governance and compliance law, which might not exist at a boutique firm but are hallmarks of the partners' new employer.



While the recreational use of cannabis in Canada is now legal and large segments of the public have welcomed the change with great fanfare, there are cultural dimensions to the cannabis issue and not everything has changed overnight. There may be a period of adjustment before some private equity players and corporations decide that their risk aversion does not preclude manufacturing or investing in products that have long been illegal and carried a social stigma.



"Here in Canada, we're coming out of a period of over a hundred years of prohibition. I think it will take some time," Dhillon said. Given the stigma that has greeted marijuana use for so long, the medical aspects of cannabis, in particular, require further study. Even at this point, Dhillon noted, surprisingly little is known about certain of the medicinal properties of cannabis and the product's use as a pain reliever and anxiety suppressant.



"It's an industry that's going to evolve over time. The people who've studied the market are aware of that, and they don't worry so much about the stigma, but others are being a little more cautious. They see opportunity, but also risk. Are you getting in now, or later? You're going to see different answers from different players," Dhillon said.



By Drazen Jorgic

ISLAMABAD, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Pakistan risks scaring off investment from global energy giants eyeing one of Asia's fastest-growing energy markets if it pursues renegotiation of contracts for two liquefied natural gas terminals, an architect of its energy policy said.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who ended a nine-month stint as premier in late May, championed a vast LNG infrastructure to ease energy shortages that throttled economic growth and brought hours of darkness every day for nearly a decade.

"It will scare off foreign investors. It's stupidity," Abbasi told Reuters in an interview on Monday. "This is not a joke, this is not some small company, this is Engro, the number one corporation in Pakistan."

He was referring to a terminal built by private conglomerate Engro Corp, which the new government of Prime Minister Imran Khan has said was too costly, and vowed to renegotiate the deals for Pakistan's two LNG terminals.

The second terminal was built by Pakistan's Associated Group and energy trading firm Trafigura.

But such a move will endanger Pakistan's position as a hot LNG investment destination and deter producers such as Exxon Mobil and traders like Trafigura and Vitol, all hunting for partners to build more terminals, said Abbasi.

Abbasi, who was declared the target of an investigation by Pakistan's anti-graft agency in June, masterminded the country's embrace of LNG during his four years as petroleum minister, before becoming prime minister in August 2017.

New Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan has said Engro's LNG terminal built in 2015, Pakistan's first such facility, rewards the company with returns that are too high.

Engro responded by saying the bidding was done in a "fair and transparent manner" and it was under no obligation to renegotiate.

Abbasi said Engro's terminal offered one of the "lowest regasification rates for a floating LNG terminal in the world", with the terminal operator charging 48 cents per MMBTU (million British Thermal Units) for the transfer of gas, including five cents to be paid to the port.

Engro declined to comment on Abbasi's remarks.

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Pakistan's anti-corruption agency announced an inquiry against Abbasi in June over an unspecified terminal project, but gave no details. Abbasi said he had repeatedly asked the agency to talk to him, or explain its accusations.

"Nobody has talked to me yet," he said.

While petroleum minister, Abbasi said he twice visited Exxon Mobil's headquarters in Texas to re-assure the oil giant that Pakistan is a safe investment destination.

Exxon Mobil returned to Pakistan in May with an investment in an offshore drilling project. It has expressed interest in building an LNG terminal in the country.

"LNG was a big driver, the whole world took notice," he said of Exxon Mobil's return to Pakistan after an 18-year absence. (Reporting by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Clarence Fernandez)FILE PHOTO: San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank chief of research Mary Daly stands near the podium before a speech at the CFA Society in San Francisco, California, U.S. July 10 2018. REUTERS/Ann Saphir/File Photo

San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said the central bank should not be pleased with full employment.

In a speech Monday  only her second since becoming head of the reserve bank in September  Daly said unemployment measures appear to be flashing bright green, but saw an exception in low rates of labor force participation.

San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly questions the full employment of the economy as the labor force participation rate remains low.

Although the U.S. economy has held steady at a low unemployment rate of 3.7%, Daly pointed out that labor force participation rates have declined since 2000.

We shouldnt think of full employment as a fixed target, but instead think of it as something that can be moved, Daly said. From that perspective, there appears to be quite a bit of upside potential for U.S. workforce participation.

Daly is not the first to point to the low labor force participation rate. In March, Fed Chair Jerome Powell made note of flattening labor force participation in the face of an aging workforce but pointed out that the trend has surprised on the upside as of late.

While Daly noted that the labor market is booming, she saw workers on the sidelines because of a mismatch in worker skills and the needs of a changing economy.

Daly said monetary policy cannot do much to fix this issue, and urged policymakers to expand access to college education and explore the economic benefits of expanding parental leave policies. Her argument: College degrees would better prepare workers for more advanced jobs and improved parental leave could boost womens participation rates in the labor market.

Daly says she still sees the state of the economy as very good and supports the Feds gradual rate hikes, caveating that by saying policymakers are not promising anything.

In other words, the FOMC is not on autopilot, with quarterly rate increases locked in, Daly said. Were constantly looking at the data and adjusting the monetary policy path as needed in response.

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.

Story continues

Read more:

How Trumps tax cuts hurt the GOP in Americas wealthy suburbs

Trump target Maxine Waters is poised to take a lead on banking regulation

Bernanke: Fed needs greater lender of last resort authorityHas Luxfer Holdings (LXFR) Outpaced Other Industrial Products Stocks This Year? Is (LXFR) Outperforming Other Industrial Products Stocks This Year?

Wall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when Texas Instruments (TXN) reports results for the quarter ended September 2018. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.

The earnings report, which is expected to be released on October 23, 2018, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.

While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise.

Zacks Consensus Estimate

This chipmaker is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.53 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +21.4%.

Revenues are expected to be $4.30 billion, up 4.5% from the year-ago quarter.

Estimate Revisions Trend

The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.35% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.

Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts.

Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Earnings Whisper

Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction).

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is subject to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Story continues

Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.

A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.

Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).

How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Texas Instruments?

For Texas Instruments, the Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of -0.33%.

On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #4.

So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Texas Instruments will beat the consensus EPS estimate.

Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?

While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.

For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Texas Instruments would post earnings of $1.37 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.37, delivering no surprise.

Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates two times.

Bottom Line

An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.

That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

Texas Instruments doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Texas Instruments Incorporated (TXN) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.President Donald Trump tweeted claims of voter fraud in Floridas midterm elections with zero evidence Monday morning, calling Floridas election in favor of the GOP candidates.

Trump claimed large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and that many more are missing or forged, but provided no reasoning for these claims.

Must go with Election Night! the president tweeted.

The Florida Election should be called in favor of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged. An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2018

On the evening of Nov. 6, it appeared incumbent Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson would have to cede to his opponent, Republican Gov. Rick Scott, and in the race for governor, Republican Ron DeSantis claimed victory over Democrat Andrew Gillum.

As more votes trickled in, however, the margins tightened, and the state is undergoing the processes outlined by state law to ensure accuracy. The tight margins, falling below 0.5%, sparked a machine recount in both the senate and the gubernatorial elections, per state law. If the margin falls below 0.25%, state law demands a manual recount of ballots with either no selection or multiple selections for the position.

Trump tweeted that ballots showed up out of nowhere, but its normal for some votes to arrive later. While regular mail-in ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on election day, says The Washington Post, ballots from overseas and military voters have until Friday, Nov. 16 to arrive and be counted.

Hours after Trump tweeted his unsubstantiated claims of fraud Monday morning, a state judge determined that there was no evidence of fraud, denying a request for ballots and machines not in use for the recount be impounded. State Judge Jack Tuter appeared to criticize the nonchalant use of such consequential claims in his statement.

Everything the lawyers are saying out there at the elections office is being beamed out across the country. We should be careful what we say, said Tuter, according to The Post. These words mean things these days, as everybody in the room knows.The trade tension between Washington and Beijing has been haunting investors for months. However, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is sending some positive signals ahead of the long-anticipated meeting between President Trump and President Xi Jinping at the G20 in Argentina in late November.

The president and President Xi had a very constructive conversation couple of weeks ago, Ross told Yahoo Finances editor-in-chief, Andy Serwer, at the All Markets Summit on Tuesday. He expects Chinese negotiators to be coming over here very shortly to start some informal talk.

But Ross acknowledges that bringing both sides back to the negotiation table doesnt mean a deal is imminent. Experts say one of the better outcomes from the G20 meeting could be a ceasefire agreement between the worlds two largest economies, meaning President Trump drops the further escalation of tariffs on China to 25%.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross speaks at Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit on Tuesday.

Ross thinks the negotiation with China is particularly tough because the real issues are non-tariff barriers China has set  including invasion of intellectual property rights, forced technology transfers and espionage.

The issues with China are not just tariffs. If it were just tariffs, I think we could work it up very very quickly, Ross said. We dont mind them becoming much more technically advanced, getting into the newer technologies, but they have to do so in a legitimate fashion, not through these other practices.

President Trumps has been taking a tough stance with China on trade issues since last year, when U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) launched a Section 301 investigation targeting Made in China 2025, an industrial development plan to turn China into a hi-tech powerhouse. The investigation is widely interpreted by Chinese media as the U.S. trying to contain the development of China.

In the most recent earnings season, 9% of total reported S&P 500 companies noted a negative impact by tariffs, according to BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research. Asked if imposing tariffs is the best way to push China to change, Well, what other weapons do we have? Ross said. He also urged investors to judge the administration by results, not by methodology or interim activities.

Krystal Hu covers technology and trade for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.

Story continues

Read more:

Americans who say their finances havent improved mostly blame Trump

Why you wont feel much pain from Trumps tariffs this holiday season

Amazon bought Whole Foods a year ago. Heres what has changedZara parent Inditex is thought to have used aggressive corporate tax avoidance measures. Photo: PA

Spanish clothing giant Inditex, the owner of the Zara, Bershka, and Massimo Dutti brands, has moved to shutter the Irish-based unit that handled a huge chunk of its online sales until earlier this year.

Inditex, considered to be the worlds largest fashion retailer, has come under fire in recent years for what has been described as aggressive tax avoidance measures.

A report produced by Green party lawmakers in the European parliament in 2016 suggested that the firm had saved about 30m (26m) in taxes between 2011 and 2014 by basing its ITX Fashion subsidiary in Ireland rather than in Spain, where the company has its headquarters.

Irelands corporate tax rate is 12.5%, while companies can pay as much as 24% in Spain.

Documents filed in Irelands companies office in February indicated that Inditex was looking to wind down ITX Fashion as part of a global restructuring. On 7 November, the subsidiary filed a voluntary request to be struck off the companies register.

The use of ITX Fashion for tax purposes had been criticised as early as 2011, and Inditex, which had global sales of more than 25bn (22bn) in 2017, has gradually been shifting its operations to Spain since then.

The 2016 Green party report suggested that the company has avoided more than 580m (505m) in taxes by using entities based in Ireland, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

At the time, the Green party called for a harmonisation of European Union tax rules. Companies like Inditex structure themselves to take advantage of the lowest tax rates and the lack of harmonisation of tax systems at the European level, the report said.

Inditex rejected the report, and said that it scrupulously complied with the tax laws in all of the markets where it operates.

Last week, the company announced that Zara had moved into 106 new markets, following the launch of its new dedicated online sales platform.

While most of these new markets are in Africa, Zara is also making its debut in parts of the Caribbean and Asia.FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.The Colorado Springs Airport can sell about 88 acres of surplus properties to Amazon or another company, the City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday.The Gazette is examining the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Nathaniel Czajkowski, whose death remains unsolved, in its new weekly podcast, Colorado Cold Case.

Episode three, Who was Nate Czajkowski, is available for free download, along with previous episodes, at gazette.com/coldcase.

In this episode, we learn about Nate from family and close friends and search for clues about why he might have been killed in 2017.

What do we know? What do we still need to find out? Follow along as we build this case.You have permission to edit this article.

Edit CloseAs we approach the winter months when driving is often more of a challenge, Colorado Springs drivers really need a reality check and a remindeIn his victory speech Tuesday night, Democratic Gov.-Elect Jared Polis stopped to thank Marlon Reis, his partner and fellow father to their two children.

Heavy applause from the energized crowd gave Polis  the first openly gay governor elected in the U.S.  time to break away from the dais to hug Reis, Colorados first first man.

In the days since, Polis election has made national headlines, and his office has been flooded with interview requests, many to discuss the landmark moment in Colorado and the nations history.

For gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders across the land, his victory brings hope where once there was none.

What a wonderful, wonderful result from the state that gave us Amendment 2. I can remember reading about that and saying, What is wrong with these people? said Kris McDaniel-Miccio, a lesbian and University of Denver law professor who now is on leave in her home state of New York.

Only 26 years ago, Colorado was branded the Hate State after passing Amendment 2, which denied state and municipal benefits for gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Huge conferences were canceled, costing the state millions of dollars. Celebrities refused to come to Colorado, and many leaders called for boycotts. The U.S. Supreme Court deemed the amendment unconstitutional in 1996.

We must conclude that Amendment 2 classifies homosexuals not to further a proper legislative end but to make them unequal to everybody else, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote when he delivered the opinion of the court. This Colorado cannot do.

That ruling might have shattered Colorados wave of anti-gay sentiment, said Anton Schulzki, a Palmer High School teacher and board member of Inside/Out Youth Services, the Colorado Springs nonprofit for LGBTQ youths.

Now all of a sudden it becomes, OK, you cant do it. That kind of legal discrimination is, in fact, illegal, Schulzki said. And from there it does become the kind of slow turnaround.

Much of that turnaround came from increased exposure across the board, McDaniel-Miccio said.

People started to realize that they had gay people in their families, that their favorite person at work was a lesbian or a gay man or a transgender person, she said. Their favorite doctor, their favorite lawyer  if people do have favorite lawyers  their favorite baker  we were everywhere, and the world didnt end.

She said she never flaunted her sexual orientation but was surprised to learn that one students grandfather accepted her sexual orientation.

He came to my office and said, My grandfather found out that my teacher was Italian American, and he was so proud  And then when I told him you were a lesbian, he said: So whats the difference? She didnt change did she? I almost fell out of my chair.

Part of Colorados progress came as a concerted effort, Schulzki said.

In the early 2000s, four multimillionaires  Rutt Bridges, Tim Gill, Polis and Pat Stryker  shared their resources and contacts to try to spur an ideological shift.

Bridges, Gill, Polis and Stryker, dubbed the Gang of Four, created what became known as the Colorado Model, which established political infrastructure to push Democrats into public offices across the state.

The gang saw results.

Polis was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Even Colorado Springs elected progressive politicians, such as Mary Lou Makepeace  the citys first and only female mayor  and City Council President Richard Skorman, who also was on the council from 1999 to 2006.

President Donald Trump has further catalyzed that leftward shift, said Robert Duffy, a political science professor at Colorado State University.

Educated voters, younger voters and a majority of unaffiliated voters do not embrace the culture war, anti-immigrant, climate denialism pushed by the (Republican) partys leadership, Duffy said. Colorado is not yet as blue as California, but if these trends continue, it will be.

Even some organizations of faith have changed perspectives.

New Life Church founder Ted Haggard, known for his anti-gay rhetoric, was ousted by his Colorado Springs church for having sex with a male prostitute.

The Rev. Brady Boyd, who took over as head pastor, still defines marriage as between a man and woman. But he said spiritual leaders can work with those who have different perspectives.

It doesnt mean we affirm their lifestyle, but it doesnt mean were pushing them out, Boyd said. Were not the gay-hating, gay-bashing New Life Church.

Echoing McDaniel-Miccio, Boyd noted that much of the shift can be attributed to increased exposure. Friends, family members and even those among his 12,000 active congregation members have differing sexual orientations and gender identities, he said. And all are welcome.

There are plenty of pastors willing to come to the table for the betterment of Colorado, he said. (Polis) wont find me difficult to work with.

But that doesnt mean the clash between religious rights and gay rights is over.

Jack Phillips Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood continues to roil in controversy. In 2012, he refused to make a custom wedding cake for two gay men, citing his religious beliefs. The men, Charlie Craig and David Mullins, sued, and the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled in Phillips favor in June.

The court didnt rule on the merits of the case, McDaniel-Miccio said, but rather determined that Phillips did not receive due process. A similar case likely will go before the Supreme Court too, she said.

Phillips, who could not be reached, also was sued in July 2017 after he refused to make a cake for a transgender woman, Autumn Scardina.

Colorado was late to adopt same-sex marriage; Massachusetts first legalized it in 2004.

McDaniel-Miccio joined a group of plaintiffs in 2014 in a lawsuit seeking to end the states same-sex marriage ban, which was lifted that October. The Supreme Court less than a year later deemed marriage a fundamental right, guaranteed to same-sex couples in the landmark decision Obergefell v. Hodges.

.

McDaniel-Miccio reiterated Schulzkis point, noting that Polis will act as a governor for all Coloradans. She said while shes forever loyal to New York, she wishes her home state had a Gov. Polis.

Fuhgetaboutit, she said. Colorado is on the cutting edge and should be very proud of itself.

Also in last weeks election, Brianna Titone, an Arvada Democrat, became the first known transgender person elected to the Colorado General Assembly.

Titones Republican opponent, Vicki Pyne, conceded the race Saturday after the Colorado secretary of state posted that Titone led by 368 votes.

All Coloradans arent on board with the ideological shift, however.

Evangelical chaplain and former state Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt said hes pushing for redder state, though hell work with Polis when possible.

Klingenschmitt once accused Polis of wanting to join ISIS in beheading Christians but later said the statement wasnt meant seriously. His organization, The Pray in Jesus Name Project, is listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-LGBT hate group.

Im actually hopeful that in the future Colorado will return to our conservative roots, Klingenschmitt said.

Klingenschmitt said hes concerned about three issues: whether Polis will try to force Phillips to bake cakes against his will, will work to ban conversion therapy and will allow transgender people to lie on their new birth certificates.

Polis election came as a Democratic wave crested across the state, replacing Republican incumbents. Polis will have a Democratic-controlled state Senate for his first term. The election also marks the first time that Democratic women outnumber men in the state Senate.

With those numbers, Schulzki said, conversion therapy likely will be banned. That programming to change sexual orientation has psychologically damaged many people, reports the Human Rights Campaign. For many, particularly children, the process leads to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness and suicide.

Yet such a change could set Polis up for blowback, McDaniel-Miccio said.

He could face charges that hes only doing it because hes a gay man, which is absurd.

The turn toward acceptance can be slow, but as long as Coloradans continue to participate in the democratic process, theyll see change, Schulzki said.

Twenty-five years ago, Jared Polis might have imagined running for governor one day. But the possibility in Colorado probably didnt exist. It was a pipe dream, he said. In 2018, its reality.

conrad.swanson@gazette.com @conrad_swansonThis is a short video of Texan Kimberly Santleben-Stiteler blowing up her wedding dress by firing a rifle round into 20-pounds of Tannerite from a distance of 200 yards to celebrate the finalization of her divorce. Some more info while I remember not to refuse the next invitation I get to a divorce party -- that shit sounds wild (plus there's probably at least one single lady):

"We were all getting messages asking if that was our explosion people were feeling and hearing around the county, up to at least 15 miles away," Carla Santleben-Newport, Kimberly's sister, told McClatchy. "It was like, 'Uh, is everything okay over there'?"

The explosion she says was felt through parts of Medina County came from Kimberly's divorce party, at their father's farm in the small town of Lacoste, about 25 miles west of San Antonio. She had about 40 guests, who all cheered when the dress was no more, according to KSAT, which first reported on the explosive exclamation mark at the end of her marriage.

Fourteen years of marriage, ending with a bang. Hey -- we all deal with the end of relationships and finding closure differently. Except Kimberly and I, we both use explosions. Now if you'll excuse me *donning leather gloves* I believe my ex-best friend Mark's house has a gas pipe that needs loosening.

Keep going for a shot of Kimberly with her rifle, Coors Light in a taxidermist koozie and 'I'm Not With Stupid' hat, as well as the video (which includes the explosion followed by a video of the crowd's reaction as it explodes).

Thanks to Thaylor H, who agrees going out with a bang is the best way to go out, unless we're talking about a lame party, then it's best to sneak out the back without telling anybody.Capping off what is likely the most hyped and humiliation-inducing search for a satellite office in modern history, Amazon has officially announced its plan to bring a second and third "headquarters" to New York City and Northern Virginia.

According to an Amazon press release, one half of the so-called HQ2 will soon land in Long Island City, where it will purportedly create 25,000 jobs in exchange for a cool $1.5 billion in state incentives. It's unclear exactly where or when this massive tech campus will sprout, but the state is reportedly eyeing a site owned by plastics company Plaxall, as well as two waterfront spots previously earmarked for the LIC Innovation Center.



A map included in the Empire State Development Corporation's letter to Amazon. (Via Empire State Development letter sent to Amazon)

In a statement, Governor Andrew Amazon Cuomo said, "When I took office, I said we would build a new New York Stateone that is fiscally responsible and fosters a business climate that is attractive to growing companies and the industries of tomorrow." In doing so, he appears to have offered Amazon a refundable tax credit of up to $1.2 billion through New York State's Excelsior Program, and a cash grant from the Empire State Development Corporation of $325 million "based on the square footage of buildings occupied in the next 10 years." The retail giant has promised its new jobs will have an average salary of $150,000. [More on the subsidy breakdown here].

The terms of the deal were not disclosed beforehand, and representatives from Cuomo's office and Empire State Development did not immediately responded to Gothamist's inquiry about the purpose of handing millions of dollars in cash to one of the richest companies in the world. Amazon is also planning to apply for subsidies through the New York Citys Relocation and Employment Assistance Program, which could be worth another $1 billion.

Actually it'll be $2.5 billion. Amazon says it will apply separately for subsidies through the REAP program, which is likely to be worth another $1 billion https://t.co/l41GfOZT8w https://t.co/kcI1XdKvW2  David Dayen (@ddayen) November 13, 2018

Already, local politicians and community members are raising the alarm about both the corporate tax breaks and the impact on living conditionsparticularly housing costs and congestionthat the company is known to bring. In a joint statement, State Senator Michael Gianaris and City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer said they had "serious reservations" about the deal.

"Offering massive corporate welfare from scarce public resources to one of the wealthiest corporations in the world at a time of great need in our state is just wrong," they noted. "We were not elected to serve as Amazon drones."

Assemblymember Ron Kim, who represents Flushing, also slammed the megadeal, saying: "This unilateral decision by Governor Andrew Cuomo to transfer billions to the richest man on this planet is not just an insult to every taxpayer in New York but also will destroy our democracy."

Kim said that he plans on introducing legislation that would severely limit the state's power to offer subsidies, and would instead direct that money toward buying and cancelling troubled student debt for people living in New York. "Instead of showering a super-monopoly company like Amazon with money that they dont need, we should be passing legislations to bust them up and divert all corporate welfare money to help people in our community," he said.

I live near this. Long Island City is overcrowded and over developed. It is also lacking in necessary infrastructure to handle the amount of traffic/people there. Regular subway disruptions, traffic jams heading to Manhattan etc. https://t.co/YjaDEwQTp8  Tanzina Vega (@tanzinavega) November 13, 2018

Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) November 13, 2018

It is likely that public education, transit, social services, &/or a variety of other public goods in New York & Virginia will suffer for years to come as a result of the corporate subsidies Democratic governors @andrewcuomo & @RalphNortham have excitedly promised to @amazon.  Ben Spielberg (@BenSpielberg) November 13, 2018

Here are the officials who signed a letter last October urging Amazon to expand in NYC. @TishJames signed. So did my House @RepYvetteClarke and my State Senator Montgomery. Candidates for Public Advocate @JumaaneWilliams, @MrMikeBlake, @ydanis, @MMViverito all signed too. pic.twitter.com/YGeUM0H56f  seth (@sethmpk) November 13, 2018

.@RWDSU, one of @NYGovCuomo's staunchest supporters, doesn't like the @amazon deal for Long Island City:



"Tax payers shouldnt be on the hook to help Amazon be profitable - its a massively profitable private business. New York, we can and should do better."  Jesse McKinley (@jessemckinley) November 13, 2018

On Wednesday, Queens community groups and Long Island City representatives will host a conversation about what happens next, and how to "say no to the richest company in the world robbing over $1 billion from state funding for our schools, transit and housing."English Lithuanian

Maxima Grupe, which owns the Maxima retail chain in the Baltics, the Stokrotka chain in Poland and the T-Market chain in Bulgaria, plans to open 120-140 new stores in those markets during 2019. Many of them will be opened in Poland. The company plans to invest at least EUR 100 million altogether next year in the expansion and renewal of its chains of stores.

Next year we plan active expansion, with the main focus on Poland. That market of 38 million people is attractive for its size and its growth and consolidation potential. The merger of the Stokrotka retail chain which we acquired in the spring and Aldik which we already owned has laid strong foundation for further growth in that neighboring country. We plan to maintain a fast pace of growth there in the coming years, says Maxima Grupe Chairman of the Board and CEO Dalius Misiunas.

As of the end of October, Maxima Grupe owned 1059 stores, the largest number of which, 507, were in Poland. By the end of this year, the company plans to open a total of about 50 more new stores in all markets.

At the end of 2017, Maxima Grupes companies owned 568 stores. Last year Maxima Grupes turnover grew by 4.2 percent compared to 2016, to EUR 2.806 billion.





Contact person: Ugne Bartasiute, Account Executive, Corporate Communication at MAXIMA GRUPE, UAB, +370 614 74046, ugne.bartasiute@maximagrupe.euCALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- News Release  TransCanada Corporation (TSX, NYSE: TRP) (TransCanada) will host its annual Investor Day in Toronto today where it will provide a financial update and review strategic plans for its natural gas pipelines, liquids pipelines and energy businesses in Canada, the United States and Mexico.



Our $94 billion portfolio of energy infrastructure assets are expected to generate record financial results in 2018 underpinned by strong market fundamentals, said Russ Girling, TransCanadas president and chief executive officer. Looking forward, we will continue to advance $36 billion in commercially secured projects through 2023 that will expand and extend our asset footprint across North America.

As those projects enter service, TransCanada expects comparable earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to grow to approximately $10 billion in 2021, a 35 per cent increase when compared to comparable EBITDA of $7.4 billion in 2017. Significantly, 95 per cent of comparable EBITDA is expected to come from regulated assets or long-term contracts.

At the same time, the company continues to methodically advance more than $20 billion of projects under development. They include Keystone XL and Bruce Power life extensions as well as numerous other organic growth opportunities that are expected to emanate from TransCanadas five operating businesses across North America.

Based on the confidence we have in our business plans, we expect to grow our common share dividend at an average annual rate of eight to 10 per cent through 2021, added Girling. Notably, our dividend outlook is supported by expected growth in earnings and cash flow and in line with our historically strong dividend coverage ratios.

On November 1, 2018, TransCanada announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.69 per common share for the quarter ending December 31, 2018. The quarterly amount equates to $2.76 per common share on an annualized basis and represents a 10 per cent increase over the amount declared in 2017. TransCanadas Board of Directors has increased the common share dividend in each of the last eighteen years, from $0.80 per common share in 2000 to $2.76 per common share in 2018. The current common share dividend equates to a dividend yield of approximately 5.3 per cent based on the closing price of TransCanadas common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange on November 12, 2018.

With approximately $10 billion of new projects expected to enter service by early 2019, we are well positioned to fund the remainder of our secured capital program through internally generated cash flow, access to capital markets and further portfolio management activities, concluded Girling. We view the issuance of common shares under our At-The-Market Equity Program as being complete at this time but expect to operate our Dividend Reinvestment Program for some portion of 2019. This will allow us to continue to prudently fund our significant capital program in a manner that is consistent with achieving targeted credit metrics that support our strong credit ratings. Going forward we will continue to evaluate share count growth against further portfolio management activities.

Todays investor event will be webcast beginning at 8 a.m. EST (6 a.m. MST). Interested parties may participate in the webcast available on TransCanadas website at https://www.transcanada.com/events or via the following URL: http://www.gowebcasting.com/9781 .

A copy of the presentation and the webcast, which will be archived and accessible for replay, will be available on the website.

With more than 65 years' experience, TransCanada is a leader in the responsible development and reliable operation of North American energy infrastructure including natural gas and liquids pipelines, power generation and gas storage facilities. TransCanada operates one of the largest natural gas transmission networks that extends more than 91,900 kilometres (57,100 miles), tapping into virtually all major gas supply basins in North America. TransCanada is a leading provider of gas storage and related services with 653 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. A large independent power producer, TransCanada owns or has interests in approximately 5,700 megawatts of power generation in Canada and the United States. TransCanada is also the developer and operator of one of North America's leading liquids pipeline systems that extends approximately 4,900 kilometres (3,000 miles), connecting growing continental oil supplies to key markets and refineries. TransCanada's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol TRP. Visit www.transcanada.com to learn more, or connect with us on social media .

Forward Looking Information

This release contains certain information that is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties (such statements are usually accompanied by words such as "anticipate", "expect", "believe", "may", "will", "should", "estimate", "intend" or other similar words). Forward-looking statements in this document are intended to provide TransCanada security holders and potential investors with information regarding TransCanada and its subsidiaries, including management's assessment of TransCanada's and its subsidiaries' future plans and financial outlook. All forward-looking statements reflect TransCanada's beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the statements were made and as such are not guarantees of future performance. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date it is expressed in this news release, and not to use future-oriented information or financial outlooks for anything other than their intended purpose. TransCanada undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information except as required by law. For additional information on the assumptions made, and the risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from the anticipated results, refer to the Quarterly Report to Shareholders dated October 31, 2018 and the 2017 Annual Report filed under TransCanada's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov .

Non-GAAP Measures

This news release contains references to non-GAAP measures, including comparable earnings, comparable earnings per common share, comparable EBITDA, comparable distributable cash flow, comparable distributable cash flow per common share and comparable funds generated from operations, that do not have any standardized meaning as prescribed by U.S. GAAP and therefore are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. These non-GAAP measures are calculated on a consistent basis from period to period and are adjusted for specific items in each period, as applicable except as otherwise described in the Condensed consolidated financial statements and MD&A. For more information on non-GAAP measures, refer to TransCanada's Quarterly Report to Shareholders dated October 31, 2018.

Media Inquiries:

Grady Semmens

403.920.7859 or 800.608.7859

TransCanada Investor & Analyst Inquiries:

David Moneta / Duane Alexander

403.920.7911 or 800.361.6522Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release publication, distribution or dissemination, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States.

TORONTO and SALINAS, Calif., Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mezzotin Minerals Inc. [NEX: MEZ.H] ("Mezzotin" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding letter agreement dated as of November 12, 2018 (the "Letter Agreement") with Salinas, California-based Indus Holding Company ("Indus"), a vertically integrated cannabis company with world-class production capabilities, including cultivation, extraction, manufacturing, brand sales & marketing, and distribution. The Letter Agreement outlines the proposed terms and conditions pursuant to which Mezzotin and Indus will effect a business combination that will result in a reverse takeover of Mezzotin by the security holders of Indus (the "Proposed Transaction"). The Letter Agreement was negotiated at arm's length.

Having established ourselves as a leading cannabis manufacturer and distributor in the worlds largest cannabis economy, we are looking forward to growing internationally, said Indus co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Weakley. Canada is a forward-thinking nation when it comes to recreational cannabis, and we welcome the opportunity to add our companys collective expertise to their fast-growing industry.

Founded in 2014, Indus offers services supporting every step of the supply chain and an extensive portfolio of products, including Altai Brands, Dixie, Moon, Beboe, Acme Elixirs, and Legal. Indus Distribution, a division of Indus, is a leading distributor of cannabis products, servicing brands and licensed retailers throughout California.

Terms of the Transaction

The Proposed Transaction will be structured as an amalgamation, arrangement, takeover bid, share purchase or other similar form of transaction or series of transactions that have a similar effect with Mezzotin acquiring all securities of Indus. The final structure for the Proposed Transaction is subject to satisfactory tax, corporate and securities law advice for both Mezzotin and Indus.

Completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including, without limitation, receipt of all necessary shareholder, third party and regulatory approvals, satisfactory completion of due diligence, the execution of definitive transaction documents, the delisting of the common shares of Mezzotin from the NEX Board of the TSX Venture Exchange and conditional approval to list the equity shares (the "Resulting Issuer Shares") of the issuer resulting from the Proposed Transaction (the "Resulting Issuer") on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE").

Indus intends to undertake a debt and/or equity financing in conjunction with the Proposed Transaction, including a brokered private placement (the "Concurrent Financing") of subscription receipts (the "Subscription Receipts"), either directly or through a special-purpose financing corporation (FinanceCo), upon terms to be determined. Indus has engaged Beacon Securities Limited to act as lead agent and sole bookrunner in connection with the Concurrent Financing. The Subscription Receipts are proposed to be exchanged for securities of Indus or FinanceCo, as applicable, upon the satisfaction of certain conditions, which shall in turn be exchanged for securities of the Resulting Issuer upon completion of the Proposed Transaction.

It is anticipated that in connection with the Proposed Transaction, the existing common shares of Mezzotin (Existing Mezzotin Shares) shall be redesignated as a new class of subordinate voting shares of the Resulting Issuer to be created (Pubco Subordinate Voting Shares) on a basis that results in the holders of Existing Mezzotin Shares at the closing of the Proposed Transaction holding, in the aggregate, Pubco Subordinate Voting Shares having a value of CDN$2.25 million less the amount of Mezzotins working capital deficiency (exclusive of certain transaction costs and liabilities), such valuation to be determined on the basis of the effective per share value of the Concurrent Financing converted to Canadian dollars.

Under the Proposed Transaction: (i) non-U.S. shareholders of Indus will exchange their shares for Pubco Subordinate Voting Shares and U.S. shareholders of Indus will exchange their shares for a newly created class of subordinate voting shares of a subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer which are convertible into Pubco Subordinate Voting Shares, in each case on a 1:1 basis; (ii) FinanceCo, if used in connection with the Concurrent Financing, shall be acquired by Mezzotin pursuant to a three-cornered amalgamation; (iii) designated founders of Indus shall subscribe for non-participating, super-voting shares of the Resulting Issuer (Super Voting Shares) carrying voting rights that would, in the aggregate, represent in excess of 90% of the voting rights of the Resulting Issuer upon completion of the Proposed Transaction and on a fully diluted basis; and (iv) stock options, warrants and other convertible securities of Indus shall be exchanged for securities of the Resulting Issuer such that, upon the exercise or conversion thereof, the holders will receive Pubco Subordinate Voting Shares on an economically equivalent basis in lieu of securities of Indus.

In connection with the Proposed Transaction, the Company will be required to, among other things: (i) change its name to a name requested by Indus and acceptable to applicable regulatory authorities; (ii) replace all directors and officers of the Company on closing of the Proposed Transaction with nominees of Indus; (iii) receive approval to delist the Existing Mezzotin Shares from the NEX Board of the TSX Venture Exchange; (iv) redesignate the Existing Mezzotin Shares as (or convert such shares into) Pubco Subordinate Voting Shares; (v) create the new class of Super Voting Shares; and (vi) receive approval to list the Resulting Issuer Shares on the CSE.

Upon successful completion of the Proposed Transaction, Mezzotin will be required to pay a finders fee to an arms length party in Existing Mezzotin Shares equal to 9.99% of the number of Existing Mezzotin Shares to be outstanding immediately prior to the completion of the Proposed Transaction (after giving effect to the issuance of the finders fee shares).

Further details of the Proposed Transaction will be included in subsequent news releases and disclosure documents (which will include business and financial information in respect of Indus), including a CSE listing statement, to be filed by the Company in connection with the Proposed Transaction. It is anticipated that a special shareholders' meeting of the Company to approve, among other matters, any necessary matters related to the Proposed Transaction and closing of the Proposed Transaction will take place in the first quarter of 2019.

Trading in the Existing Mezzotin Shares has been halted and will remain halted until all necessary filings have been accepted by applicable regulatory authorities.

For more information please contact:

Mezzotin: Indus: Lawrence Schreiner

Chief Financial Officer

Phone: (416) 496-3077

E-mail: lschreiner@manbancorp.com E-mail: pr@indusholdingco.com

About Indus Holding Company

INDUS Holding Company is a vertically integrated cannabis company with world-class production capabilities, including cultivation, extraction, manufacturing, brand sales & marketing, and distribution. Founded in 2014 by hospitality veteran Robert Weakley and based in Salinas, California, INDUS offers services supporting every step of the supply chain and an extensive portfolio of award-winning brands, including Altai Brands, Dixie, Moon, Beboe, Acme Elixirs, and Legal. INDUS Distribution, a division of INDUS Holding Company, is a leading distributor of cannabis products, servicing an extensive portfolio of brands and licensed retailers throughout California.

About Mezzotin Minerals, Inc.

Mezzotin Minerals Inc. is a junior company listed on the NEX Board of the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada. The Company recently sold its mineral properties in Zimbabwe, comprising substantially all of its assets, and has subsequently been actively seeking merger and acquisition opportunities.

All information contained in this news release with respect to Indus was supplied by Indus for inclusion herein and the Company has relied on the accuracy of such information without independent verification.

As noted above, completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including receiving approval to list the Resulting Issuer Shares on the CSE. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or listing statement to be prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Proposed Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Mezzotin, Indus or FinanceCo should be considered highly speculative.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has in any way passed upon the merits of the Proposed Transaction nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in the United States, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's and Indus beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's and Indus control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements 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 may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein may include, but are not limited to, information concerning the Proposed Transaction, the Concurrent Financing, expectations regarding whether the Proposed Transaction will be consummated, including whether conditions to the consummation of the Proposed Transaction will be satisfied, the timing for holding the special meeting of shareholders of the Company and the timing for completing the Proposed Transaction, expectations for the effects of the Proposed Transaction or the ability of the combined company to successfully achieve business objectives, and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors.

By identifying such information and statements in this manner, the Company and Indus are alerting the reader that such information and statements are 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 and Indus to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, the Company and Indus have made certain assumptions. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: the ability to consummate the Proposed Transaction and the Concurrent Financing; the ability to obtain requisite regulatory, third party and security holder approvals and the satisfaction of other conditions to the consummation of the Proposed Transaction on the proposed terms and schedule; the ability to complete the Concurrent Financing or to the conversion of the Subscription Receipts; the potential impact of the announcement or consummation of the Proposed Transaction on relationships, including with regulatory bodies, employees, suppliers, customers and competitors; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; changes in applicable laws; compliance with extensive government regulation; and the diversion of management time on the Proposed Transaction and the Concurrent Financing. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and neither the Company nor Indus undertakes to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to the Company, Indus or persons acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.NASSAU, Bahamas, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Bahamas gears up to host its second annual technology summit this week in Grand Bahama, bringing global experts from tech companies and regional entities to the island of Grand Bahama to discuss digital transformation. Under the theme, The Future is Now, Cloud Carib has partnered with this years committee to invite key players in the field of technology. This years summit promises to inspire IT professionals, developers, innovators and stakeholders both locally and internationally. The conference which runs November 14th  16th, will cover a breadth of resources, tools, tips and practical advice from experienced professionals in the information and technology industry.



Cloud Caribs key global technology partners, VMware, Palo Alto, Oracle, Veeam, RedHat, Cybernetica and Cisco will all be in attendance to present at the summit. These technology leaders will be hosting tech talks and workshops, sharing their knowledge and experience in digital transformation and the technology sector. Many of these experts will be sharing insight into the advantages their products and services provide within the governments journey to digital transformation when paired with the expertise and global reach of a company headquartered in The Bahamas like Cloud Carib.

Were thrilled to be a partnering sponsor of this years technology summit. Cloud Carib and the Government of the Bahamas have been working together to lay the foundation needed to transform the governments ICT infrastructure and establishing the Bahamas as a leader in eGovernment. We look forward to seeing The Bahamas emerge as a technology leader regionally and globally, said Cloud Caribs CEO, Scott MacKenzie.

Scott MacKenzie, Cloud Caribs Chief Executive Officer will be participating in a panel discussion on Transforming the Future of Business and Reneldo Russell, Cloud Caribs Client Delivery Executive of the Public Sector, will be involved in a panel on Disruptive Ideas, Emerging Technologies.You vape, bro? NOT ANY MOREat least, not any more to those of you who source your mango Juul supplies from brick-and-mortar stores. As of today, that's no longer an option.

On Tuesday, the vaping giant announced that it would only sell its flavored nicotine juice boxesmango, creme, fruit, and cucumberonline, to people the website's software can confirm to be over 21. Additionally, the company will drastically scale back its social media presence, abandoning Facebook and Instagram entirely. According to the Wall Street Journal, Juul wants to signal its commitment to slashing appeal among minors, but critics contend that the damage is already done.

All of this comes in response to the Food and Drug Administration's e-cigarette crackdown, which specifically targets flavored vapes beloved of younger users. In September, the FDA gave e-cigarette manufacturers 60 days to present concrete plans for keeping their products out of minors' hands. The clock ran out on that deadline over the weekend, thus Juul's announcement.

The goal of Juul Labs, as CEO Kevin Burns explained in a statement issued Tuesday, is to help smokers transition from cigarettes. As Burns put it, "We want to be the off-ramp for adult smokers to switch from cigarettes, not an on-ramp for America's youth to initiate on nicotine."

With an eye to the former, Juul will continue to sell its tobacco, mint, and menthol-flavored products in retail stores. Over-21s who want to keep buying flavored pods will need to provide personal information at checkout on Juul.com: name, date of birth, permanent address, and the last four digits of their social security number. Or, they'll need to upload a valid copy of a government-issued I.D., with two-factor authentication and photo technology to come "by year's end." To prevent people purchasing pods for minors, Juul will also cap quantities customers can buy per month.

Whatever the company's true intentions, however, Juul's popularity has ballooned among youths, with the FDA reporting that around 2 million kids in middle and high school regularly partake of the Juul. Doubtless you have seen the teens plugging these flash drive-looking machines into their mouths, releasing big white plumes through their little dragon nostrils. This habit may seem more benign than so many teens smoking regular old cancer sticks, until you remember that a single Juul pod holds as much nicotine as a full pack of cigarettes. Nicotine does not cause cancer, but it is addictive, and that particular Juul property has sent parents and educators alike into a panic.

As the New Yorker's Jia Tolentino reported in August, Juul's Instagram presence was "age-appropriate and fairly boring ... reminiscent of Real Simple" in its aesthetic. (I.e., muted, generically minimalist.) The problem accounts belong to teen influencers who glamorize the Juul experience, and the company seems to recognize this. It will maintain Twitter and YouTube presences for "non-promotional communications," and according to Burns, has "asked Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat for their assistance in policing unauthorized, youth-oriented content on their platforms." Burns did not say, however, how those companies responded to the request.

It's not clear how much Juul can actually do about other users' content. "Juul's social media marketing fueled its popularity with kids," a Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids spokesperson, Caroline Renzulli, told the NY Times. "Now that it has captured 75 percent of the e-cigarette market, Juul no longer needs to do social media marketing because its young customers are doing it for them."

Notably, the ban on in-person flavored Juul sales is not indefinite: They'll be back in stores eventually, provided those stores implement Juul's "21+ Restricted Distribution System," according to Burns's statement. He made no mention of plans to return to social media.Denver, CO, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Velocity Global, the leading provider of global business expansion services announced CEO Ben Wright is named a CEO of the Year finalist, one of the state's most prestigious individual awards, by ColoradoBiz Magazine. Velocity Global also ranked #45 on the magazine's Top 250 Private Companies in Colorado.



ColoradoBiz has also named Velocity Global with the following accolades: Top Company in Colorado in 2018; Top Private Company in 2016 and 2017; and CEO of the Year finalist in 2017.



"I owe this recognition to my entire team at Velocity Global," said Ben Wright. "Without them, this award wouldn't be possible and I'm humbled and grateful to be recognized as a top executive in Colorado for the second year in a row."



CEO of the Year finalists are judged on a variety of criteria, including: community involvement, character traits, and professional success.



Community Involvement: Ben is an active supporter of First Descents, a non-profit organization that provides support for young adults battling cancer through guided outdoor adventure programs. Earlier this year, Velocity Global extended a transformative multi-year financial commitment to First Descents to support the development of a new program specifically designed for young adults battling multiple sclerosis. Ben served as a volunteer at the program, calling it "a week I'll never forget."

Character Traits: Velocity Global was founded on five key values: velocity, service, integrity, professionalism, and empowerment. These values are expected from each employeeincluding Ben. He is the embodiment of each of these values, and lives them every day, leading his team by example.

Professional Success: Ben started Velocity Global in 2014, and within just four years, he grew the company to nine offices around the world. Additionally, the company has experienced tremendous year-over-year employee, revenue, and profit growth. His vast knowledge of building and growing organizations, enhancing brand awareness, and capturing market share continues to be a valuable factor for his professional successes.

"Ben is more than deserving of this great honor, and is the true definition of a virtuous leader and CEO," said Rob Crabtree, Vice President of Operations at Velocity Global. "The company would not be where it is today without Ben's dedication and drive. He continually strives to provide an exceptional global expansion experience to our clients, and a rewarding and driven work environment for his team."



Find a complete list of CEO of the Year finalists and Top 250 Private Companies in Colorado in the November/December issue of ColoradoBiz, or visit: cobizmag.com.



About Velocity Global:

Velocity Global is the leading provider of global employment solutions that has reinvented the way companies expand overseas. With unrivaled expertise in over 185 countries, Velocity Global delivers end-to-end services and best-in-class support to help companies confidently navigate the entire lifecycle of international business. To ensure a compliant, efficient, and flexible international expansion, Velocity Global provides a comprehensive suite of global services that includes International PEO, Entity Setup and Support, Global Talent Acquisition, Immigration, and Consulting.



Visit VelocityGlobal.com to learn more or follow us on Twitter @Velocity_Global.Premium barrel-aged rum products now available for purchase at select retail locations in Cleveland and Cincinnati



MIAMI LAKES, Fla., Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dos Ron, premium barrel-aged rum aged 8 or 16 years, is now available for purchase at select retail locations in Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio. Dos Ron is crafted and hand distilled from his fathers authentic Cuban family recipe by Carlos Morfa, Master Blender and Don Colina Family Patriarch. From 2014  2016, Dos Ron won six gold medals and two silver medals at the International Spirits Awards and quickly emerged as one of the top luxury spirit brands in Europe. Today, these award-winning authentic rums have arrived in the United States for all to enjoy responsibly.

Growing up watching my father take such pride in his craft, its such an honor to be able to bring my familys recipes to the United States, said Carlos Morfa, Master Blender and Don Colina Family Patriarch. I dedicate this rum to my father, and to your excellent taste.

Dos Ron 8 Year Rum:

Reddish-gold color and hues with nuances of purple and fire.

The nose has a pleasant solera note accentuating vanilla, coconut and dried fruit, as well as a slight hint of sugar cane juice.

Well-balanced rum with immense character, the taste is very delicate, soft and leaves you with a lingering note of fine precious woods and resin.

Tastes great on the rocks and also blends well with cola, fruit juice, or your favorite mixer as it keeps its oak aroma and fruitful nose with great consistency.

Awarded the Gold Medal and named Exceptional with a score of 90 by The Beverage Tasting Institute (May 2018)

93 rating from Cigar & Spirits Magazine (July-August 2018)

90 rating from Anthony Dias Blue & The Tasting Panel Magazine (August 2018)

Imported from the Dominican Republic by Rhino Global Enterprises.

MSRP $34.99

Dos Ron 16 Year Rum:

The appeal of this rum lies in its clarity, brilliance and extraordinary presence in the glass.

Rich gold color with reddish nuances and hues of violet, cherry red, and cinnabar.

Exotic scent with a clear note of precious woods, but also a confectionery with a core of sugar cane molasses.

The flavor is harmonious, well balanced, full-bodied and consistent, exuding its deep character.

Best enjoyed neat or on the rocks, however some experts use it for cocktails as it maintains its character, scent, and aroma.

Awarded the Gold Medal at the Critics Choice Intl Spirits Competition (June 2018)

91 rating from Anthony Dias Blue & The Tasting Panel Magazine (July 2018)

Awarded the Double Gold Medal at the 2018 Global Spirits Awards (July 2018)

94 rating from Cigar & Spirits Magazine (July-August 2018)

Imported from the Dominican Republic by Rhino Global Enterprises.

MSRP $49.99

Please contact your local spirits retailer in Cleveland and Cincinnati for more information on product availability. For more information about Dos Ron, please visit www.dosron.com .

About Dos Ron

Award-winning Dos Ron; rich, balanced, and flavorful. Enjoy some of the most luxurious rums on the planet. Made with only the finest ingredients. Aged in special oak casks to ultimate perfection. Dos Ron is a celebration of tradition, history and success. Enjoy Dos Rons golden hues, rich exotic aromas, and flavor notes of vanilla, cherry, and dried fruit with a caramelized sweetness. Aged 8 and 16 years; each bottle of Dos Ron has its own unique character, depth and balance of flavor. The rich taste of Dos Ron 8 Year Rum is great on the rocks and also blends well with cola, fruit juice, or your favorite mixer. The bountiful, complex flavors of Dos Ron 16 Year Rum strike the perfect balance of heat and smoothness and is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks. Dos Ron is crafted and hand distilled in the Dominican Republic from Don Colinas authentic Cuban family recipe. Follow Dos Ron on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and Snapchat (Dos_Rum). For additional information please visit www.dosron.com . Please enjoy responsibly.SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hitachi Vantara , a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), today announced it has once again been named a Leader in Gartners 2018 Magic Quadrant for General-Purpose Disk Arrays (GPDA), where the company was evaluated for its completeness of vision and ability to execute in the hybrid storage array market.



Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) G series hybrid storage arrays were part of this assessment. This builds on the companys July 2018 announcement that Hitachi Vantara was recognized as a Leader in the 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Solid-State Arrays, based on its all-flash storage configurations: the VSP F series.

Hitachi VSP systems are backed by a 100% data availability guarantee1 and share a common architecture and management tools. Functional enhancements have focused on improving ease of use, increasing capacity and providing tighter integration with VMware and cloud providers. Combined with Hitachi Vantara's AI-powered analytics and IT automation software, Hitachi VSP systems help enterprises modernize their data centers with unprecedented agility, scalability and operational efficiencies.

Its an honor to be recognized again by Gartner as a leader in both general-purpose and solid-state arrays. We believe readers of the 2018 Magic Quadrants for Solid-State Arrays and General-Purpose Disk Arrays will find the evaluations underscore Hitachis proven reputation and continued execution in delivering high performance and reliable storage arrays backed by world-class service and support, said John Magee, vice president, Portfolio Marketing at Hitachi Vantara. Over the past year, weve seen the enterprise storage market continue to transition rapidly toward all-flash storage solutions as customers seek to accelerate digital innovation in their organizations. Our single family of hybrid and solid-state storage systems helps customers simplify that transition  whenever they choose  without having to learn a new platform.

Both Gartners 2018 GPDA Magic Quadrant and SSA Magic Quadrant evaluations were performed on earlier generations of Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform systems: the VSP F400, F600 and F800 and VSP G200, G400, G600 and G800 models. In May 2018, Hitachi Vantara replaced these systems with the announcement of the Virtual Storage Platform F and G series 350, 370, 700, and 900 models, which occurred after the evaluation cut-off date for these Magic Quadrant assessments.

To download a complimentary copy of the 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for General-Purpose Disk Arrays, visit: https://www.hitachivantara.com/ext/gartner-magic-quadrant-general-purpose-disk-arrays.html (registration required).



Hitachi strongly encourages enterprise buyers to also read the Gartner 2018 Magic Quadrant for Solid-State Arrays evaluation, which was published in July 2018 and is available for complimentary download here: https://www.hitachivantara.com/ext/magic-quadrant-for-solid-state-arrays-2018.html (registration required).

Gartner Magic Quadrant for General-Purpose Disk Arrays, Stanley Zaffos, Roger W. Cox, Valdis Filks, Santhosh Rao, 8 November 2018.

1 Subject to terms, conditions, and best practices. Please consult your Hitachi Vantara Representative for details.

Gartner Disclaimer

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.

About Hitachi Vantara

Hitachi Vantara, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., helps data-driven leaders find and use the value in their data to innovate intelligently and reach outcomes that matter for business and society. We combine technology, intellectual property and industry knowledge to deliver data-managing solutions that help enterprises improve their customers experiences, develop new revenue streams, and lower the costs of business. Only Hitachi Vantara elevates your innovation advantage by combining deep information technology (IT), operational technology (OT) and domain expertise. We work with organizations everywhere to drive data to meaningful outcomes. Visit us at www.HitachiVantara.com .



Connect With Hitachi Vantara

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer societys challenges, combining its operational technology, information technology, and products/systems. The companys consolidated revenues for fiscal 2017 (ended March 31, 2018) totaled 9,368.6 billion yen ($88.4 billion). The Hitachi Group is an innovation partner for the IoT era, and it has approximately 307,000 employees worldwide. Through collaborative creation with customers, Hitachi is deploying Social Innovation Business using digital technologies in a broad range of sectors, including Power/Energy, Industry/Distribution/Water, Urban Development, and Finance/Social Infrastructure/Healthcare. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com .

HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. Gartner is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. or its affiliates. All other trademarks, service marks, and company names are properties of their respective owners.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Brian Garabedian

Hitachi Vantara

brian.garabedian@hitachivantara.com

+1-408-386-4621VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atico Mining Corporation (the Company or Atico) (TSX.V: ATY | OTC: ATCMF) is pleased to announce the release of an updated NI 43-101 mineral resource and reserve estimate for the El Roble Mine located in Colombia. El Roble is currently in production at a rate of 850tpd and production guidance for the year is 20 million pounds of copper along with 9,850 ounces of gold in 2018. For the first three quarters of 2018, El Roble has produced 16 million pounds of copper and 8,400 ounces of gold or over 80% and 85% of annual forecast production for copper and gold respectively.



Our infill and mine vicinity exploration drilling at El Roble mine has been successful in replenishing mined resources since 2013. The maiden resource study at El Roble mine of 1.5 million tonnes of inferred resource has grown to 1.8 million tonnes of measured and indicated resources, while also having mined over 1 million tonnes of high-grade ore during the same period, said Fernando E. Ganoza, CEO. We will continue looking for opportunities to further extend the life of mine at El Roble while also drilling for additional massive sulphide deposits on the contiguous 6,600 hectare land package we control.

Resource and Reserve Estimate Highlights

Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources are estimated at 1.80 million tonnes averaging 3.63% Cu, and 2.25 g/t Au.



Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves are estimated at 1.38 million tonnes averaging 3.62 % Cu, and 2.01 g/t Au.



A conversion rate of 76.7% of Measured and Indicated resources to Proven and Probable reserve categories over the current resource estimate.



Inferred Mineral Resources are estimated at 0.24 million tonnes averaging 0.62 % Cu, and 4.06 g/t Au.

El Roble Resource and Reserve Estimate

The updated mineral resource and reserve estimate for El Roble was prepared by staff and consultants of Miner SA, an Atico Mining operating subsidiary. Mr. Thomas Kelly (SME Registered Member 1696580) has reviewed the resource and reserve estimate and acted as the independent qualified person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101. The Mineral Resources and Reserves reported herein were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and Guidelines prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by CIM Council. This resource and reserve estimate is based on all data available through June 30, 2018.

Category Tonnes Cu Au (000) (%) (g/t) Proven 1,079 3.76 2.03 Probable 305 3.12 1.92 Proven + Probable Reserves 1,383 3.62 2.01 Category Tonnes Cu Au (000) (%) (g/t) Measured Resources 1,357.1 3.76 2.24 Indicated Resources 446.2 3.24 2.27 Measured + Indicated Resources 1,803.3 3.63 2.25 Category Tonnes Cu Au (000) (%) (g/t) Inferred Resources 23.9 0.62 4.06

Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves are as defined by CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves 2014. Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves are estimated as of June 30, 2018 Mineral Reserves are reported above a NSR breakeven cut-off value of US$121.97/t cost basis (January 2017 to June 2018) Mineral Resources are reported based on an NSR cut-off grade of US$59.55/t (January to December 2017) Metal prices considered were US$ 1,278.56/oz Au and US$ 3.26/lb Cu. Metallurgical recoveries are based in the historical recovery (January 2017 to June 2018): Au is 61.82% and Cu is 94.15%. Metal payable recovery used 89.74% for gold and 94.78% for copper (January 2017 to June 2018). Operating costs were estimated based on actual operating costs (January 2017 to June 2018) Density was calculated on each ore-body (Goliat = 3.34t/m3, Maximus = 3.50t/m3, Maximus Sur = 3.26t/m3, Zeus = 3.53t/m3). Mineral Resources, as reported, are undiluted. Mineral reserves are diluted based upon historic dilution rates for first pass, second pass and pillar recovery stoping at El Roble. Mineral Resources are reported to 0.88% Cu Eq cut-off grade CuEq for each block was calculated by multiplying one tonne of mass of each by block grade by its average recovery, metal payable recovery and metal price. If the block is higher that CuEq cut-off, the block is included in the resource estimate Reported mineral resources are inclusive of reported mineral reserves. Mineral resources, which are not mineral reserves, have not demonstrated economic viability. Environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues may materially affect the estimate of mineral resources. The quantity and grade of the Inferred resources reported in this estimation are conceptual in nature and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading of the Inferred resources to Indicated or Measured resources.

Resource and Reserve Estimation Methodology

The Mineral Resource estimation considers channel and core samples, in addition to the underground mine mapping for the construction of three-dimensional wireframes of the lithology and mineralized bodies. Estimation of grades in the block models only considers samples located inside the mineralized bodies solid, which are applied to anomalous grade or top cut treatment and a further compositing process. The model was constructed using 2m x 2m x 2m blocks, which represents the selective mining unit (SMU). The orebodies estimation is conducted separately body by body and element by element (Cu and Au). The methods used for grade estimation are cubic inverse distance (Goliat, Maximus and Maximus Sur Orebodies) and Ordinary Kriging (Zeus Orebody).

A density factor specific for each ore-body was assumed for conversion of block volumes to tonnes (Goliat = 3.34t/m3, Maximus = 3.50t/m3, Maximus Sur = 3.26t/m3, Zeus = 3.53t/m3). Mineral Resources are reported to 0.88% CuEq cut-off. For each block, the CuEq value was calculated by multiplying one tonne of mass of each by block grade by its average recovery, metal payable recovery and metal price. Blocks with CuEq grade higher than the CuEq cut-off were included in the resource estimate.

Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves were derived from the Measured and Indicated Resources by applying modifying factors related to mining methods, mining dilution and historical operating costs detailed as follows: mining (US $59.16/t), processing (US $19.07/t), general services (US $20.95/t), on-site administration and indirect (US $9.73/t), selling and concentrate shipping (US $13.05/t). Operating costs total US $121.97/t and comprise the lower NSR value for reserve reporting purposes. Mining dilution was estimated at variable percentages depending on the mining activity and labour, and ranges from 2.99% for breasting within the ore-body to 7.36% for crown pillar recovery.

The resource and reserve models have been validated by reconciliation against actual mined production continuously for several years with reconciliation results being acceptable for all ore bodies that have experienced a significant amount of production.

A full NI43-101 report authored by Mr. Thomas Kelly will be available on www.sedar.com within 45 days of this news release.

El Roble Mine

The El Roble mine is a high grade, underground copper and gold mine with nominal processing plant capacity of 850 tonnes per day, located in the Department of Choco in Colombia. Its commercial product is a copper-gold concentrate.

Since obtaining control of the mine on November 22, 2013, Atico has upgraded the operation from a historical nominal capacity of 400 tonnes per day.

El Roble has a measured and indicated resource of 1.8 million tonnes grading 3.63% copper and 2.25 g/t gold, at a cut-off grade of 0.88 % copper equivalent. Mineralization is open at depth and along strike and the Company plans to further test the limits of the resource.

On the larger land package, the Company has identified a prospective stratigraphic contact between volcanic rocks and black and grey pelagic sediments and cherts that has been traced by Atico geologists for ten kilometers. This contact has been determined to be an important control on VMS mineralization on which Atico has identified numerous target areas prospective for VMS type mineralization occurrence, which is the focus of the current surface drill program at El Roble.

Qualified Person

Mr. Thomas Kelly (SME Registered Member 1696580), advisor to the Company and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 standards, is responsible for ensuring that the technical information contained in this news release is an accurate summary of the original reports and data provided to or developed by Atico.

About Atico Mining Corporation

Atico is a growth-oriented Company, focused on exploring, developing and mining copper and gold projects in Latin America. The Company operates the El Roble mine and is pursuing additional acquisition opportunities. For more information, please visit www.aticomining.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Fernando E. Ganoza

CEO

Atico Mining Corporation

Trading symbols: TSX.V: ATY | OTC: ATCMF

Investor Relations

Igor Dutina

Tel: +1.604.633.9022

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.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The securities being offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, a "U.S. person" (as defined in Regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act) unless pursuant to an exemption therefrom. This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking StatementsEnglish French

BROSSARD, Quebec, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DIAGNOS Inc. (DIAGNOS or the Corporation) (TSX Venture:ADK), (OTCQB: DGNOF), a leader in early detection of critical health issues through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), announces today the addition of a strategic partner in the country of Mexico. This agreement will enlarge the footprint coverage of DIAGNOS offering for monitoring diabetic patients through our first partner in that country.



Today we all (my family and I), accepted unanimously to go with DIAGNOS in this adventure, we truly believe both of us will do great and together will achieve important objectives, declares Quim. Sergio Galindo, founder and owner of Axmilab. Mr. Andre Larente visited me in Monterrey city, my hometown at my brand new office, we clicked right away because we both are men of one vision: to provide the best diagnostic technology to prevent and leverage the health quality of people. I also met Mr. Georges Herbert Chairman of DIAGNOS Inc, during his visit to Mexico City. Very important reasons for me to partner with DIAGNOS, because I partner with true people, finished Quim. Sergio Galindo.

We express our gratitude and celebrate along with Axmilab family their decision to collaborate with us, the first step is to prepare ourselves for key projects in different states of Mexico, mentions Mr. Guillermo Moreno, Vice President of DIAGNOS, Latin America.

About AXIMILAB

Axmilab is a Mexican company with more than 24 years of experience by manufacturing and distributing products in the health sector. His founder, Quim. Sergio Galindo, has successfully driven the business since its conception in 1994, now with the support of his family, is growing exponentially as an example, theyve been a supplier for IMSS (by winning contracts in the last 13 consecutive years in the diabetes area). Its dominant territory is Northern Mexico, headquarters is in Monterrey, N.L., also covering Mexico City, Sonora, Queretaro, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Yucatan, San Luis Potosi States among others. Since 1998, Axmilab has been working at all levels of Government, also represents major brands such as Roche, J&J, Licon, PKL, Alifax.

About DIAGNOS

DIAGNOS is a publicly-traded Canadian corporation with a mission of early detection of critical health issues through the use of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool CARA (Computer Assisted Retina Analysis). CARA is a tele-ophthalmology platform that integrates with existing equipment (hardware and software) and processes at the point of care. CARAs Artificial Intelligence image enhancement algorithms make standard retinal images sharper, clearer and easier to read. CARA is accessible securely over the internet, and is compatible with all recognized image formats and brands of fundus cameras, and is EMR compatible. CARA is a cost-effective tool for screening large numbers of patients in real-time and has been cleared for commercialization by several regulatory authorities such as Health Canada, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union.

Additional information is available at www.diagnos.com and www.sedar.com

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Andre Larente, President Josh Falle DIAGNOS Inc. Momentum PR Tel: 450-678-8882 ext. 224 Tel: 514-416-4656 alarente@diagnos.ca josh@momentumpr.com

This news release contains forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in these statements. DIAGNOS disclaims any intention or obligation to publically update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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.OTTAWA, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stria Lithium Inc. (TSX-V: SRA) (OTCQX: SRCAF) (Stria or the Company) and Grafoid Inc. (GRAFOID) are pleased to announce the successful co-development of an innovative graphene based filtration membrane to separate Magnesium and Calcium from salars. Developed in concert with Grafoid Inc.  a related company sharing common directors and an active partner in the 2GL Green Energy Technology Strategic Alliance  this filtration membrane functions as a precursor that promotes efficiencies within the conventional process of recovering Lithium from Salts.



Currently, the key method of recovering commercial lithium has remained the same for over half a century: by evaporating brines collected from salars and salt lakes in evaporation ponds1. However, this method can take a year or more leading to large amounts of salt waste. In addition, Magnesium and Calcium are also present but represent impurities that must be refined out in the process. With the demand for lithium outpacing the recovery rate of lithium from brine  faster and more efficient methods of recovery will be critical to supply the growing demand.

The co-developed graphene based membrane has the potential to remove the Magnesium and Calcium at the onset of the process. This potential precursor makes the successive steps in the lithium extraction process much more efficient if impurities, such as Magnesium and Calcium, are absent. Early results suggest that the graphene based membranes are highly effective as a first step in the extraction process and could be commercially implemented across the industry as a whole.

Gary Economo, CEO of Stria Lithum states, We are always excited by any opportunity to contribute to bringing innovation to our industry. Solving process challenges is a critical component that can directly impact the ability of the industry to meet the growing demand for Lithium and our membranes could potentially help to shape these processes. We are extremely happy to be a part of the conversation.

Dr. Kiran Manga, Grafoids Engineering Manager states: With our graphene based membranes having already demonstrated their disruptive nature with water filtration, their flexibility to be readily adapted across other industries demonstrates the potential reach. The successful co-development of a filtration membrane with Stria Lithium as a precursor in the separation of Lithium from salt is yet another example of this.

About Stria Lithium Inc.

Stria Lithium is a Canadian junior mining exploration company with an expanding technology focus and is the sole owner of the Pontax spodumene lithium property in Northern Quebec. Strias mission is to be a reliable, profitable global source for both lithium metal and lithium compound products and process technologies for producing value added lithium products.

Strias expanded business focus is on the application of in-house developed technologies and processes that lead to the production and milling of lithium metal and lithium metal foil for advanced lithium batteries. From the production of lithium metal also comes the value added production of: lithium hydroxide; lithium carbonate; lithium fluoride; and lithium chloride.

Lithium is a critical metal in the universal fight against global warming. It is a core component of Lithium-Ion batteries used for powering electric vehicles and for industrial scale energy storage.

Stria Lithium is part of the 2GL Platform green energy technology strategic alliance with Grafoid Inc., Focus Graphite Inc. and Braille Battery Inc.

Contact:

Stria Lithium Inc.

Gary Economo, President & CEO

613 702-0789

geconomo@strialithium.com

www.strialithium.com

About Grafoid Inc.

Founded in 2011, Grafoid Inc. is a graphene research, development and investment company that invests in, manages and develops markets for processes that produce economically scalable graphene for use in graphene development applications by leading corporations and institutions. Grafoids leading investment produces application friendly, minimal-defect, high-energy density few layer graphene, utilizing a safe, non-destructive extraction process, leaving the lowest possible ecological footprint. The completely unique, proprietary process results in what Grafoid regards as a new global standard for economically scalable, high-purity graphene products  trademarked under the MesoGraf trade name  that can be tailored to both industrial and commercial applications.

Contact:

Grafoid Inc.

Gary Economo, President & CEO

613 702-0789

geconomo@grafoid.com

www.grafoid.com

Disclaimer & Forward Looking Statement

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.

Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking and may involve risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Factors that might cause a difference include, but are not limited to, competitive developments, risks associated with Stria's growth, the state of the financial markets, regulatory risks and other factors. Forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference in this press release include statements with respect to proposed terms of the private placement transaction. There can be no assurance that any statements of forward-looking information contained in this release will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. These and all subsequent written and oral statements containing forward-looking information are based on the estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Stria disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any statements of forward-looking information that speak only as of the date of this release. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect Stria's financial and business results is included in public documents Stria files from time to time with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and which are available at www.sedar.com.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coro Mining Corp. (Coro or the Company) (TSX: COP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Petterson to its Board of Directors with immediate effect. Mr Petterson was nominated by Tembo Capital Mining GP, a strategic investor in Coro, as its appointee.



Mr Petterson brings additional corporate and commercial strength to the Board due to his solid investment banking experience across the natural resources sector and involvement with Canadian junior and mid-tier mining companies. He has previously served as Head of Global Mining Research at both HSBC James Capel and ABN AMRO, having led many high-profile public offerings and financings. He currently serves as Managing Director, Mining, at Kepis & Pobe, a Vancouver based natural resources investment company. He is also a founder and Executive Chairman of Minera Cobre Corp, a Canadian private copper exploration company active in Colombia.

Mr Petterson is a Mining Engineer and holds a B.Eng. (Hons) in Mining Engineering and is an Associate of the Camborne School of Mines.

The Company also announces the resignation of Gordon Fretwell from the Board of Directors effective immediately. Mr Fretwell has been considering his departure and the appointment of Mr Petterson provides him the opportunity to step down.

Commenting on the appointment, Colin Kinley, Chairman and Independent Director of Coro Mining said: Im delighted to welcome Tim to the Coro Board. His many and complementary attributes as a Canadian resident with both a technical engineering background and career across the banking and resource sectors make him an ideal fit for Coro. He joins Coro at an exciting time as we now start to focus on Marimaca and I look forward to his contributions.

"I would also like to thank Gordon for his contributions to Coro. He has been a steady support over the last 8 years at Coro and has helped the Company through some transitioning times. He leaves the Company on a much stronger financial footing and with a clear path to value creation with Marimaca.

The Board of Directors now comprises:

Colin Kinley, Chairman and Independent Director

Petra Decher, Independent Director

Tim Petterson, Independent Director

Alan Stephens, Director

Michael Howarth, Director

Luis Albano Tondo, President & CEO



RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The City of Martinsville, Virginia on behalf of ten other Virginia counties and cities, filed a motion today with the Virginia Supreme Court requesting appointment of a panel of circuit court judges to hear their request to consolidate the lawsuits previously filed against opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) for their role in creating the public health emergency caused by prescription opioids. All eleven counties and cities that filed the motion are represented by Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, Kaufman & Canoles, P.C., and The Cicala Law Firm PLLC.



The following counties and cities have asked the Court to appoint the panel: The City of Martinsville, Henry County, Dickenson County, Washington County, Lee County, Giles County, the City of Norton, the City of Galax, Pittsylvania County, Page County, and the City of Alexandria. These counties and cities have previously filed lawsuits in Circuit Courts across Virginia against dozens of opioid manufacturers, distributors, and PBMs.

The counties and cities filed the motion for the appointment of a panel to determine whether the lawsuits should be consolidated pursuant to the Virginia Multiple Claimant Litigation Act (the MCLA). The MCLA provides that if there are six or more cases filed in Virginia circuit courts that involve the same issues of law and fact and that arise out of the same series of transactions or occurrences, any of the parties may apply to a panel of circuit court judges designated by the Virginia Supreme Court for an order to transfer the cases to a single court. The counties and cities that filed the motion today have taken the first step in the process by asking the Supreme Court to appoint the panel of circuit court judges.

Transfer and consolidation of these cases into one venue is an efficient and practical way to resolve these cases as fairly and as quickly as possible for our clients. Today we have taken an important step towards achieving justice for the citizens of the counties and cities that we are privileged to represent, said Kevin H. Sharp of Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP

All of the lawsuits underlying the requested consolidation allege that each defendant contributes to the opioid crisis in Virginia: drug manufacturers make the drugs and mispresent the truth about their benefits and addiction risks to doctors and patients; wholesale distributors ignore their responsibilities to report and stop suspicious orders of opioids leading to drug diversion to the black market; and PBMs leverage their role as middlemen to increase the flow of opioids into the marketplace. All eleven counties and cities that have filed the motion in the Supreme Court have made similar allegations and brought the same legal claims against the defendants.

The defendants in the lawsuits include manufacturers Purdue Pharma, Abbott Laboratories, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals; Teva Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Cephalon, Inc., Barr Laboratories, Inc., Actavis Pharma, Watson Laboratories, Inc., Allergan PLC, and Insys Therapeutics; distributors AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., and McKesson Corp.; and PBMs Express Scripts, Inc., CVS Health; United Health Group Inc., and OptumRx, Inc.

The lawsuits allege that the opioid crisis in Virginia has killed thousands of Virginians, has caused thousands more to suffer dire health consequences, and has cost counties and cities across the Commonwealth hundreds of millions of dollars by increasing the costs of law enforcement and court services, foster care and child placement services, and other services for which local communities have had to bear the cost. The lawsuits aim to recover costs of this nature.

About Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP

Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP is a public interest class-action litigation law firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C, Nashville, Baltimore, San Francisco, and San Diego. Our attorneys have graduated from the nations top law schools, clerked for judges throughout the United States, and amassed extensive experience litigating and trying cases that have earned over one billion dollars for our clients.

The Firm specializes in civil rights and general public interest cases, representing plaintiffs with claims of employment discrimination, labor and wage violations, predatory lending, consumer fraud, and whistleblowing, among other claims. Along with a focus on class actions, the Firm also represents individuals and has achieved extraordinary success in the representation of executives and attorneys in employment disputes.

For more information go to www.sanfordheisler.com or call (202) 499-5200 or email ksharp@sanfordheisler.com. For the latest news, visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @sanfordheisler.

About Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.

Tracing its roots to 1919, Kaufman & Canoles has a long-standing history of representing local governments and municipalities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia with a variety of legal needs. With 8 offices in Virginia, the firm is known for its rich history, highly-respected attorneys, business connections, and a deep commitment to improving the communities it serves. For more information, visit www.kaufcan.com.

About The Cicala Law Firm PLLC

The Cicala Law Firm PLLC is a plaintiffs civil litigation firm with particular expertise in prosecuting commercial, consumer and health care fraud matters on behalf of individuals, businesses and governmental clients. It maintains a diverse, experienced and nimble team comprised of attorneys, analysts, health care and IT professionals. The firm is committed to taking advantage of cutting edge technology to identity claims and particularize damages, including through data mining. The firm has the ability to do this work in-house which permits substantial cost savings for its clients. In addition to its litigation and big data services, The Cicala Law Firm is available for health care cost containment efforts such as pharmacy benefit claims evaluation. It welcomes strategic partnerships with other firms where its competencies may complement those of the collaborating firm.TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Changfeng Energy Inc., (TSXV: CFY) (Changfeng or the Company), an energy provider in the Peoples Republic of China (the PRC), is pleased to announce that Changfengs trial run of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipment from Canada to the PRC using ISO-containers has been successfully completed. The LNG shipment from the Vancouver port was arranged by Changfeng and it arrived at the Shanghai port on November 8, 2018, and has now cleared customs. The LNG exported to the PRC was procured by Changfeng from a British Columbia-based energy provider, and Sanya Changfeng Offshore Natural Gas Distribution Co., Ltd. (Sanya Changfeng), a wholly owned subsidiary of Changfeng, is the importer into the PRC. The LNG received in Shanghai will be sold to Hebei Riheng Clean Energy Ltd. (Riheng Energy), a controlled subsidiary of Changfeng, and will be transported to Hebei to support the LNG distribution services of Riheng Energy to areas where pipeline gas is not accessible. Changfeng had obtained an export order from the Canadian National Energy Board for the LNG export and Sanya Changfeng had received all necessary permits for the LNG import in the PRC.



According to the recent energy reform policies of the PRC government, the PRC is shifting away from a coal-based economy and is increasingly relying on natural gas as the source of energy consumption. In particular, Changfengs management has observed that, in the winter months due to higher demand for natural gas required for heating in the PRC, the available supply of natural gas may be lower and trucked LNG prices may increase. Based on Wood Mackenzie Ltd.s estimates, trucks carried approximately 19 million tons of LNG to customers last year, accounting for 12 percent of the PRCs total LNG consumption. Further, unlike the market price of pipeline gas, which is regulated by the PRC government, LNG prices are relatively deregulated and market-oriented. Accordingly, the Company has been seeking to broaden its supply base beyond that of the PRC, to sources such as Canada, in order to benefit from opportunities in respect of LNG supply. As a Canadian-listed energy company operating in the PRC, the Company recognizes the potential synergy of Sino-Canadian energy trading and natural gas supply, and has taken steps such as the aforementioned trial run LNG shipment to strategically position the Company to seize such opportunities.

About Changfeng Energy Inc.

Changfeng Energy Inc. is a Canadian public company currently traded on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the stock symbol CFY. It is an integrated energy provider and natural gas distribution company (or natural gas utility) in the PRC. Changfeng strives to combine leading clean energy technology with natural gas usage to provide sustainable energy to its customer base in the PRC. In 2009, Changfeng was recognized as being one of the PRCs the Top Ten Most Influential Brands in the Natural Gas Industry.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Corporate Investment Relations

Investor.relations@changfengenergy.cn

Ann Siyin Lin

VP, Corporate Development

ann.lin@changfengenergy.cn

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, Forward-Looking Statements). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included or incorporated by reference in this document are Forward-Looking Statements, including statements regarding activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future, statements regarding the PRC governments energy reform policies, the decreased supply and increased prices for natural gas in the winter months, opportunities in respect of LNG supply, and the strategic positioning of the Company to seize opportunities for LNG supply. These Forward-Looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as will, expect, intend, plan, estimate, anticipate, believe or continue or similar words or the negative thereof. No assurance can be given that the plans, intentions or expectations or assumptions upon which these Forward-Looking Statements are based will prove to be correct and such Forward-Looking Statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon.

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. Such Forward-Looking Statements are not a guarantee of performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements or developments expressed or implied by such Forward-Looking Statements. These factors include, without limitation, no significant and continuing adverse changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets. Readers are cautioned that all Forward-Looking Statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those risks and uncertainties detailed in the Companys filings with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities, copies of which are available at www.sedar.com. The Company urges readers to carefully consider those factors.

The Forward-Looking Statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this document and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any Forward-Looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. 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 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.TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gran Colombia Gold Corp. (TSX: GCM) announced today the release of its unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying managements discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018. All financial figures contained herein are expressed in U.S. dollars (USD) unless otherwise noted.



Serafino Iacono, Executive Co-Chairman of Gran Colombia, commenting on the Companys results for the first nine months of 2018, said, We are very pleased with the continuing improvements in our operating and financial results and the strengthening of our financial position we are reporting today. Our senior debt is now down to $88 million and our cash position increased further in the third quarter to reach $29 million at the end of September. With our trailing 12-months adjusted EBITDA surpassing the $100 million level at the end of September, our focus on our high-grade Segovia Operations to drive our cash flow generation is providing the funding required to support our ongoing exploration and capital programs. We are encouraged by the initial exploration results we reported in October from this years drilling campaigns at each of Segovia, Marmato and Zancudo and we will have further results to report as these program progress.

Third Quarter and First Nine Months 2018 Highlights

Total gold production of 57,163 ounces in the third quarter of 2018, up 54% over the third quarter of 2017, brought the total gold production for the first nine months of 2018 to 162,741 ounces, up 33% over the first nine months last year. The Company followed this up with a further 18,065 ounces of gold produced in October 2018. Fueled by continued growth in the Companys high-grade Segovia Operations, the Companys trailing 12-months total gold production increased to 215,509 ounces as of October 2018, up 24% over the total for 2017 of 173,821 ounces. The Company expects that it will produce between 214,000 and 220,000 ounces of gold this year.

of 57,163 ounces in the third quarter of 2018, up 54% over the third quarter of 2017, brought the total gold production for the first nine months of 2018 to 162,741 ounces, up 33% over the first nine months last year. The Company followed this up with a further 18,065 ounces of gold produced in October 2018. Fueled by continued growth in the Companys high-grade Segovia Operations, the Companys trailing 12-months total gold production increased to 215,509 ounces as of October 2018, up 24% over the total for 2017 of 173,821 ounces. The Company expects that it will produce between 214,000 and 220,000 ounces of gold this year. Revenue increased 56% in the third quarter of 2018 over the third quarter last year to $66.6 million bringing the first nine months 2018 total revenue to $200.3 million, up 39% over the first nine months last year, of which 35% was driven by the increased level of gold production this year. The average realized gold price in the first nine months of 2018 was $1,253 per ounce, up 3% over the first nine months last year. However, most of this improvement occurred in the first half of 2018 as spot gold prices in the third quarter of 2018 fell about 8% compared to the average for the first half of 2018, reducing the Companys realized gold price in the third quarter of 2018 to $1,186 per ounce compared with $1,246 per ounce in the third quarter last year.

increased 56% in the third quarter of 2018 over the third quarter last year to $66.6 million bringing the first nine months 2018 total revenue to $200.3 million, up 39% over the first nine months last year, of which 35% was driven by the increased level of gold production this year. The average realized gold price in the first nine months of 2018 was $1,253 per ounce, up 3% over the first nine months last year. However, most of this improvement occurred in the first half of 2018 as spot gold prices in the third quarter of 2018 fell about 8% compared to the average for the first half of 2018, reducing the Companys realized gold price in the third quarter of 2018 to $1,186 per ounce compared with $1,246 per ounce in the third quarter last year. The Company continued to hold its total cash costs (1) and all-in sustaining costs (AISC) (1) in the third quarter and first nine months of 2018 below its guidance range. For the third quarter of 2018, total cash costs and AISC averaged $657 per ounce and $888 per ounce, respectively, bringing the first nine months 2018 averages to $674 per ounce and $899 per ounce, respectively. For 2018, the Company continues to expect that its total cash costs and AISC averages for the full year will remain below $735 per ounce and $950 per ounce, respectively.

and in the third quarter and first nine months of 2018 below its guidance range. For the third quarter of 2018, total cash costs and AISC averaged $657 per ounce and $888 per ounce, respectively, bringing the first nine months 2018 averages to $674 per ounce and $899 per ounce, respectively. For 2018, the Company continues to expect that its total cash costs and AISC averages for the full year will remain below $735 per ounce and $950 per ounce, respectively. The Company reported adjusted EBITDA (1) of $24.7 million for the third quarter of 2018, up from $13.8 million in the third quarter of 2017, bringing the first nine months 2018 adjusted EBITDA to a total of $78.7 million, up 62% over the first nine months last year. The trailing 12-months adjusted EBITDA at the end of September 2018 stood at $105.4 million, up 40% over 2017s annual adjusted EBITDA of $75.5 million, driven by production growth, better realized gold prices and continued efforts to control operating costs.

of $24.7 million for the third quarter of 2018, up from $13.8 million in the third quarter of 2017, bringing the first nine months 2018 adjusted EBITDA to a total of $78.7 million, up 62% over the first nine months last year. The trailing 12-months adjusted EBITDA at the end of September 2018 stood at $105.4 million, up 40% over 2017s annual adjusted EBITDA of $75.5 million, driven by production growth, better realized gold prices and continued efforts to control operating costs. The Company successfully transformed its capital structure in 2018 , eliminating the convertible debentures which exposed shareholders to further dilution and providing the Company with greater access to its internally generated free cash flow to explore, expand and modernize its mining operations. In the process, the Company strengthened its balance sheet by reducing its debt to equity ratio, improving its working capital, and increasing its cash position, which stood at $29.5 million at September 30, 2018.

, eliminating the convertible debentures which exposed shareholders to further dilution and providing the Company with greater access to its internally generated free cash flow to explore, expand and modernize its mining operations. In the process, the Company strengthened its balance sheet by reducing its debt to equity ratio, improving its working capital, and increasing its cash position, which stood at $29.5 million at September 30, 2018. Key to the capital structure transformation was the completion of a $98 million Offering of Units at the end of April 2018, comprising 8.25% senior secured gold-linked notes due 2024 (the Gold Notes) and warrants (the 2024 Warrants), which facilitated the redemption at par of the remaining 2020 and 2024 Debentures in May 2018 and the return of $9.6 million of cash held in a sinking fund for the debentures. The 2024 Warrants commenced trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol GCM.WT.B in early September 2018 and the Gold Notes commenced trading on the TSX under the symbol GCM.NT.U in early October 2018. As of October 31, 2018, the aggregate principal amount of Gold Notes issued and outstanding had been reduced through quarterly repayments to $88.3 million.

at the end of April 2018, comprising 8.25% senior secured gold-linked notes due 2024 (the Gold Notes) and warrants (the 2024 Warrants), which facilitated the redemption at par of the remaining 2020 and 2024 Debentures in May 2018 and the return of $9.6 million of cash held in a sinking fund for the debentures. The 2024 Warrants commenced trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol GCM.WT.B in early September 2018 and the Gold Notes commenced trading on the TSX under the symbol GCM.NT.U in early October 2018. As of October 31, 2018, the aggregate principal amount of Gold Notes issued and outstanding had been reduced through quarterly repayments to $88.3 million. In August 2018, the Company completed the repayment of its 2018 Debentures , exercising its option to repay the remaining $32.1 million aggregate principal amount of the 2018 Debentures outstanding, together with accrued interest, entirely with common shares, increasing the total issued and outstanding common shares of the Company to 48.2 million and recovering $3.5 million of cash held in a sinking fund for these debentures. Including the 2024 Warrants, the Companys fully diluted common shares would total approximately 60.3 million.

, exercising its option to repay the remaining $32.1 million aggregate principal amount of the 2018 Debentures outstanding, together with accrued interest, entirely with common shares, increasing the total issued and outstanding common shares of the Company to 48.2 million and recovering $3.5 million of cash held in a sinking fund for these debentures. Including the 2024 Warrants, the Companys fully diluted common shares would total approximately 60.3 million. On October 29, 2018, the Company announced that Fitch Ratings has upgraded it to B from B- with a Stable Outlook citing the foregoing capital structure improvements and the enhanced mine plan at its Segovia Operations focused on cost reductions and high grade ore bodies which are driving cash flow generation as the key factors leading to the upgrade.

has upgraded it to B from B- with a Stable Outlook citing the foregoing capital structure improvements and the enhanced mine plan at its Segovia Operations focused on cost reductions and high grade ore bodies which are driving cash flow generation as the key factors leading to the upgrade. To facilitate trading of the Companys common shares in the United States, in early October 2018, the Company upgraded its listing to the OTCQX  Best Market where its common shares now trade under the symbol TPRFF.

where its common shares now trade under the symbol TPRFF. The Company reported net income for the third quarter of 2018 of $12.4 million, or $0.31 per share, compared with a net loss of $1.0 million, or $0.05 per share, in the third quarter last year. For the first nine months of 2018, the Company reported a net loss of $13.0 million, or $0.43 per share, compared with net income of $32.0 million or $1.58 per share, in the first nine months last year. The net loss reported for the first nine months of 2018 includes $22.2 million of losses on financial instruments, primarily triggered by the extinguishment of the 2020 and 2024 Debentures in the second quarter, and a $7.6 million charge for the costs associated with the Offering completed in the second quarter of 2018. The net earnings in the first nine months of 2017 included a reversal of impairment of the Segovia Operations in the amount of $45.3 million.

for the third quarter of 2018 of $12.4 million, or $0.31 per share, compared with a net loss of $1.0 million, or $0.05 per share, in the third quarter last year. For the first nine months of 2018, the Company reported a net loss of $13.0 million, or $0.43 per share, compared with net income of $32.0 million or $1.58 per share, in the first nine months last year. The net loss reported for the first nine months of 2018 includes $22.2 million of losses on financial instruments, primarily triggered by the extinguishment of the 2020 and 2024 Debentures in the second quarter, and a $7.6 million charge for the costs associated with the Offering completed in the second quarter of 2018. The net earnings in the first nine months of 2017 included a reversal of impairment of the Segovia Operations in the amount of $45.3 million. Adjusted net income (1) for the third quarter of 2018 was $9.9 million, or $0.25 per share, up from $3.8 million, or $0.19 per share, in the third quarter last year, bringing the adjusted net income for the first nine months of 2018 to $28.0 million, or $0.93 per share, compared with $13.8 million, or $0.69 per share, in the first nine months last year. The year-over-year improvement in adjusted EBITDA was the primary driver behind the improved adjusted net earnings in 2018.

for the third quarter of 2018 was $9.9 million, or $0.25 per share, up from $3.8 million, or $0.19 per share, in the third quarter last year, bringing the adjusted net income for the first nine months of 2018 to $28.0 million, or $0.93 per share, compared with $13.8 million, or $0.69 per share, in the first nine months last year. The year-over-year improvement in adjusted EBITDA was the primary driver behind the improved adjusted net earnings in 2018. The Company continues to prioritize its exploration and development activities to identify avenues to expand its reserves and resources, and ultimately to increase production, from its cash-generating, high-grade Segovia Operations. Through the first nine months of 2018, the Company completed 128 holes representing approximately 81% of the 20,000 meters of drilling planned for Segovia this year. On October 3, 2018, the Company announced that it had identified a new structure at its Sandra K mine, interpreted as a splay off the Techo Vein and termed the 6640 Vein, and in-fill drilling at the Providencia mine was successful in outlining a new high-grade zone to the west of and near the high-grade orebody that is currently in production. Overall, results from the 2018 drilling program thus far are continuing to increase confidence in the mineral resources at the three producing mines and initial results from step-out drilling at the Cristales Vein, one of the other 24 known vein systems in the Segovia title which has the potential to become a future mining operation, have been encouraging. Follow-up directional drilling will be getting underway by the end of this year in the deep zones below the currently delineated resource at El Silencio.

and development activities to identify avenues to expand its reserves and resources, and ultimately to increase production, from its cash-generating, high-grade Segovia Operations. Through the first nine months of 2018, the Company completed 128 holes representing approximately 81% of the 20,000 meters of drilling planned for Segovia this year. On October 3, 2018, the Company announced that it had identified a new structure at its Sandra K mine, interpreted as a splay off the Techo Vein and termed the 6640 Vein, and in-fill drilling at the Providencia mine was successful in outlining a new high-grade zone to the west of and near the high-grade orebody that is currently in production. Overall, results from the 2018 drilling program thus far are continuing to increase confidence in the mineral resources at the three producing mines and initial results from step-out drilling at the Cristales Vein, one of the other 24 known vein systems in the Segovia title which has the potential to become a future mining operation, have been encouraging. Follow-up directional drilling will be getting underway by the end of this year in the deep zones below the currently delineated resource at El Silencio. On October 4, 2018, the Company announced that the early results from the 2018 drilling campaign, which commenced in June 2018, at the Marmato Project have outlined two new zones of Deeps-style mineralization and continue to increase confidence in the geological model.

have outlined two new zones of Deeps-style mineralization and continue to increase confidence in the geological model. On October 9, 2018, the Company announced that drilling carried out by IAMGOLD in 2017 and thus far in 2018 on the Companys Zancudo Project has identified a new manto structure in the North Zone and a potential ore shoot on both the Manto Antiguo and Manto Inferior structures in the South Zone, all of which merit further evaluation. IAMGOLD has approximately 2,000 meters of drilling to complete for the remainder of this year to confirm the continuity of the new manto structure in the North Zone.

has identified a new manto structure in the North Zone and a potential ore shoot on both the Manto Antiguo and Manto Inferior structures in the South Zone, all of which merit further evaluation. IAMGOLD has approximately 2,000 meters of drilling to complete for the remainder of this year to confirm the continuity of the new manto structure in the North Zone. In 2018, the Company has acquired an approximately 17% equity investment in Sandspring Resources Ltd., a Canadian junior mining company currently moving toward a feasibility study for the multi-million-ounce Toroparu Project in the western Guyana gold district. Sandspring concurrently completed the acquisition of a 100% interest in the Chicharron Project located within the Companys mining title at Segovia.

(1) Refer to Non-IFRS Measures in the Companys MD&A

Financial and Operating Summary

A summary of the financial and operating results for the third quarter and first nine months of 2018 and 2017 is as follows:

Third Quarter First Nine Months 2018 2017 2018 2017 Operating data Gold produced (ounces) 57,163 37,039 162,741 122,122 Gold sold (ounces) 55,601 33,932 158,262 117,545 Average realized gold price ($/oz sold) $ 1,186 $ 1,246 $ 1,253 $ 1,214 Total cash costs ($/oz sold) (1) 657 748 674 720 All-in sustaining costs ($/oz sold) (1) 888 971 899 928 Financial data ($000s, except per share amounts) Revenue $ 66,605 $ 42,737 $ 200,318 $ 144,427 Adjusted EBITDA (1) 24,701 13,844 78,650 48,698 Net income (loss) 12,397 (1,047 ) (12,993 ) 31,952 Per share - basic 0.31 (0.05 ) (0.43 ) 1.58 Per share - diluted 0.19 (0.05 ) (0.53 ) 0.50 Adjusted net income (1) 9,930 3,835 27,981 13,758 Per share - basic 0.25 0.19 0.93 0.69 Per share - diluted 0.21 0.06 0.43 0.19 September 30,

2018 December 31,

2017 Balance sheet ($000s): Cash and cash equivalents $ 29,540 $ 3,272 Cash in trust for Senior Debentures (2) - 11,911 Gold Trust Account (3) 3,087 - Gold Notes, including current portion  principal amount outstanding (4) 93,125 - Senior Debentures, including current portion  principal amount outstanding (5) - 140,811 Other debt, including current portion 218 439

Notes:

Refer to Non-IFRS Measures in the Companys MD&A. Represents amounts deposited into sinking funds for the 2018, 2020 and 2024 Debentures (collectively, the Senior Debentures), net of amounts used for repurchases and partial redemptions. The remaining cash balances in the sinking funds were returned to the Company after the extinguishment of the Senior Debentures in 2018. Represents physical gold deposited by the Company into a trust account to be used to fund the next quarterly Amortization Payment. At September 30, 2018, there were 2,600 ounces accumulated in the Gold Trust Account. The Gold Notes are recorded in the Companys consolidated financial statements at fair value. At September 30, 2018, the carrying amount of the Gold Notes outstanding was $81.1 million. The Senior Debentures were recorded in the Companys consolidated financial statements at amortized cost and, as such, their carrying amount was at a discount to principal amounts outstanding. At December 31, 2017, the carrying amount of the Senior Debentures outstanding was $98.7 million.

Segovia Operations

At the Segovia Operations, gold production in the third quarter of 2018 amounted to 50,698 ounces, bringing the total for the first nine months of 2018 to 144,241 ounces, up 40% compared to the first nine months of 2017, which included the adverse impact of the civil disruption on operations in August last year. In October 2018, Segovias gold production amounted to 16,023 ounces bringing Segovias trailing 12-months total gold production as of October 2018 to 190,991ounces, up 28% from 2017 fuelled by continuing growth in the Companys three operating mines. The Company processed an average of 994 tonnes per day (tpd) in the first nine months of 2018 with an overall average head grade of 17.1 g/t, continuing to benefit from growth in production from its high-grade Providencia mine. Based on its performance to-date, the Company now expects that the Segovia Operations annual gold production will surpass 190,000 ounces for 2018.

The increased production level at the Segovia Operations in 2018 continues to have a positive impact on total cash costs, reducing fixed operating costs on a per ounce basis compared with 2017. Segovias total cash costs per ounce averaged $618 in the first nine months of 2018, down from an average of $665 in the first nine months last year. The Company continues to expect that Segovias total cash costs will remain below an average of $700 per ounce for 2018.

The Companys AISC of $899 per ounce for the first nine months of 2018 included $26.2 million of sustaining capital expenditures, equivalent to $165 per ounce sold ($13 per ounce higher than the first nine months of 2017), the major components of which included (i) $11.5 million for exploration and mine development, including approximately 16,200 meters of the 2018 drilling program, (ii) $6.1 million for the mines including underground equipment and ventilation improvements at the El Silencio mine, completion of a ventilation shaft and further infrastructure upgrades at the Providencia mine, and underground equipment and infrastructure improvements at the Sandra K mine, (iii) $3.6 million for further upgrades of equipment in the Maria Dama plant and laboratory together with costs associated with a new filter press and the project to construct the new El Chocho tailings storage facility, (iv) $0.8 million related to the 44kV connection at the mines (v) $1.1 million associated with upgrades to minesite buildings and facilities, IT infrastructure and security at Segovia, (vi) $1.4 million at the Marmato Project, principally the expenditures related to the first nine holes representing 34% of its planned 8,500 meters to be drilled in 2018, and (vii) $1.7 million of expenditures related to the Marmato underground mine and processing plant.

Marmato Operations

An improvement in head grades helped the Companys Marmato mine increase its production in the third quarter of 2018 to 6,465 ounces of gold, bringing the total for the first nine months of 2018 to 18,500 ounces, about 3% below the first nine months of 2017. In October 2018, Marmato produced 2,042 ounces bringing its trailing 12-months total gold production as of October 2018 to 24,518 ounces, down 3% from 2017. The Company continues to expect that 2018s annual gold production from Marmato will range between 24,000 and 26,000 ounces.

Total cash costs per ounce at Marmato decreased in the third quarter of 2018 to $1,052 per ounce bringing the average for the first nine months of 2018 to $1,138 per ounce compared with $1,025 per ounce in the first nine months of 2017, reflecting the impact on production of lower head grades in the early part of the second quarter of 2018. By raising the cut-off grade in June 2018, mine management successfully brought the mines total cash cost per ounce back down below $1,100 per ounce thereafter and expects to remain at the current level through the balance of 2018.

Outlook

The Company has produced a total of 180,806 ounces of gold production in the first 10 months of 2018, surpassing the total it produced for the full year in 2017. The Company has refined its guidance for 2018 and now expects that it will produce between 214,000 and 220,000 ounces of gold for the full year, up more than 23% over last year. Production growth will continue to be fuelled by the Companys mines at its high-grade Segovia Operations which are expected to produce more than 190,000 ounces in 2018.

The Companys total cash cost per ounce sold and AISC per ounce sold averaged $674 and $899, respectively, in the first nine months of 2018. The Company continues to expect that its total cash cost and AISC average less than $735 per ounce and $950 per ounce, respectively, for the full year.

The Company is continuing to deposit 1,300 ounces on a monthly basis into the Gold Trust Account as required for the Gold Notes. As the spot gold price was below $1,250 per ounce, the Company used a put option at $1,250 per ounce it had acquired to complete the quarterly repayment on October 31, 2018, reducing the aggregate principal amount of the Gold Notes to $88.3 million. The next scheduled quarterly repayment will take place on January 31, 2019 and the Company has a put option contract in place at $1,250 per ounce to protect the guaranteed floor price for this repayment as well as the following one on April 30, 2019.

Webcast

As a reminder, Gran Colombia will host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the results.

Webcast and call-in details are as follows:

Live Event link:

International:

North America Toll Free:

Colombia Toll Free:

Conference ID:

https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/bsmhpio8

1 (514) 841-2157

1 (866) 215-5508

01 800 9 156 924

47731204

A replay of the webcast will be available at www.grancolombiagold.com from Wednesday, November 14, 2018 until Friday, December 14, 2018.



About Gran Colombia Gold Corp.

Gran Colombia is a Canadian-based mid-tier gold producer with its primary focus in Colombia where it is currently the largest underground gold and silver producer with several mines in operation at its Segovia and Marmato Operations. Gran Colombia is continuing to focus on exploration, expansion and modernization activities at its high-grade Segovia Operations.

Additional information on Gran Colombia can be found on its website at www.grancolombiagold.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information



This news release contains "forward-looking information", which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to anticipated business plans or strategies. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative 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 statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Gran Colombia to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated as of March 27, 2018 and Managements Discussion and Analysis dated as of November 13, 2018, both of which are available for view on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Gran Colombia disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For Further Information, Please Contact:

Mike Davies

Chief Financial Officer

(416) 360-4653

investorrelations@grancolombiagold.com



The Health Department is warning of an ongoing outbreak of measles in Brooklyn's ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, fueled in part by anti-vaccine propaganda promoted by religious leaders and organizations.

In the last month, officials have confirmed at least 17 cases of measles in ultra-Orthodox families in Williamsburg and Borough Park. That number is expected to rise, officials said, as additional cases are currently under investigation.

Twelve of the 17 victims did not receive the measles vaccination despite being eligible for ita fairly common situation in a community suffering from widespread scare-mongering about the effectiveness of vaccines. Among the many sources of misinformation, a Jewish organization called Parents Teaching and Advocating for Childrens Health [PEACH] has been sending pamphlets to Orthodox homes promoting long-refuted conspiracy theories linking vaccines to autism. Rabbi William Handler, an ultra-Orthodox leader in Brooklyn, has also voiced support for the anti-vaxxer movement, and recently told Vox that parents who "placate the gods of vaccination" are engaging in "child sacrifice."

Measles, a highly contagious respiratory disease that can be fatal for small children, was declared eradicated from the United States in 2000. But the disease has periodically cropped up in tight-knit communities, including among the Amish in Ohio and the Somali-American population in Minnesota. In the last decade, opposition to vaccines in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Borough Park and Crown Heights has led to occasional measles clusters, as well as a wave of whooping cough.



Provided by the Department of Health

To combat the spread of false information, the Health Department recently began targeting Orthodox newspapers, schools, and health care providers with an awareness campaign about the highly-infectious disease. Officials say they're already starting to see an increase in vaccination rates among the affected communities. But the isolation of the ultra-Orthodox enclaves, combined with their own close proximity and frequent trips out of the country, remains an obstacle to fully eliminating the disease.

"Parents who oppose vaccinations for measles and all other illnesses not only put their own children at risk, but endanger other children and families as well," said City Council Health Chair Mark Levine. "As Israel and other nations are facing outbreaks, the risk of measles affecting our New York communities is particularly acute in neighborhoods where international travel is common and frequent."

According to the Health Department, the initial Brooklyn case was acquired by children during a visit to Israel, where there is currently a major outbreak of the disease. The Orthodox community in Rockland County is also experiencing its own resurgence of measles, with at least 55 confirmed infections in recent weeks.

"As the measles outbreak continues to spread relentlessly, it is imperative that every member of our community protect themselves and their families by getting vaccinated," said Rabbi Avi Greenstein, Executive Director of the Boro Park Jewish Community Council.

"We need to take away the lesson of how important it is for every one of us to avail ourselves of modern medicine and not to trust in herd immunity, but rather to follow the vaccination schedule recommended by medical professionals to protect our families and our entire community."

Quote:

(A) of comparable size, as well as emitting far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gasses that have

Quote:

(B) of comparable size, as well as emit far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gasses having

Quote:

(C) of comparable size, and also they emit far fewer carbon dioxide and other gasses that have

Quote:

(D) that have a comparable size, and also they emit far less carbon dioxide gas and other gasses that have

Quote:

(E) that have a comparable size, as well as emitting far less carbon dioxide gas and other gasses having

I cant complain about this one. Carbon dioxide gas is a singular, non-countable noun, so less works fine as a modifier. And this part is a little bit tricky, but the second part of the sentence refers to several different gasses  a countable, plural noun  so fewer is appropriate.The phrase beginning with that (that have been implicated) correctly modifies other gasses. Its also completely fine to use the -ing form of the verb after as well as.So I guess well keep (A).Its a funny quirk of English: if as well as were changed to and then wed want the verbs burn and emit to be in parallel form. But since we have as well as, were better off using emitting, as we did in (A).More importantly, I cant make any sense of the having been at the end of the underlined portion. For that reason, we can scrap (B).You could argue that the pronoun they is ambiguous here, since it could refer to diesel engines or gasoline engines, but Im not convinced: since they is the subject of the second clause, it can generally refer back to the subject of the first clause on the GMAT without causing any trouble.But we definitely have a modifier problem here: fewer carbon dioxide doesnt make any sense, since carbon dioxide is a non-countable noun, and fewer can only be used with countable nouns. (If youre not clear about that concept, try counting the noun out loud: one carbon dioxide, two carbon dioxides, three carbon dioxides That makes no sense at all, right? So carbon dioxide is non-countable.)So (C) is gone.The first part of the underlined portion isnt necessarily WRONG, but it definitely isnt great: gasoline engines that have a comparable size is a really crappy way to say gasoline engines of comparable size. I just dont think it makes sense to use the word have in this context, since gasoline engines dont really possess size.More importantly, we have a problem with the non-countable modifier less, since it seems to be modifying both carbon dioxide gas (non-countable) and other gasses (countable)  and less cant modify a countable noun.So (D) is out, too.The first part of the underlined portion suffers from the same problem as (D): that have a comparable size is a lousy way to say of comparable size. But again, I wouldnt necessarily eliminate (E) based on that issue by itself.The other problem is the same as in (D): less seems to modify other gasses, and that doesnt work. Plus, Im really not sold on the idea of using having to modify gasses at the end of the underlined portion  the version in (A) (gasses that have) seems a little bit better.In any case, (E) can be eliminated, and were left with (A)._________________Scientists estimate the cost of a transatlantic flight for an aerosond [ #permalink

2 KudosActress Paz de la Huerta has filed a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein accusing him of raping her twice at her New York apartment in 2010.

De la Huerta, who has starred in Boardwalk Empire and Into The Void, previously accused Weinstein of raping her a year ago in Vanity Fair. She also reported the alleged incidents to the NYPD, though the Manhattan DA's office declined to file charges in her case.

According to the lawsuit, de la Huerta says Weinstein met her at the opening party of Blue Valentine at the Boom Boom Room inside the Standard Hotel in December 2010, and offered her a ride to her Tribeca home. Weinstein "continuously pressured" her to have a drink with him and "insisted on coming up to De La Huerta's apartment to avoid discussing business and personal matters in the public lobby," the lawsuit alleges. "Once inside of de La Huerta's apartment, Weinstein made warnings to de la Huerta about harm to her career if she did not submit to sex, then forced himself on de la Huerta and raped de la Huerta."

Weinstein then allegedly called her several times over the following weeks, and would tell her "he was waiting outside of her apartment building in his vehicle or in the lobby of the building waiting for her." On December 23rd, 2010, Weinstein allegedly called her again to say he was outside her apartment; de la Huerta "decided to confront Weinstein to point out that she viewed this as stalking and that he was to leave her alone." However, the lawsuit claims that "during the ride home," de la Huerta "consumed a very large quantity of alcohol out of fear and depression, thereby rendering herself unable to consent to any disputed sexual encounter."

After they met up, the lawsuit claims Weinstein forced his way into de la Huerta's apartment, where raped her and then "left immediately," leaving de la Huerta "in a state of absolute shock, humiliation, embarrassment, and pain, as well as losing consciousness because of progressive absorption of the ingested alcohol. Following this confrontation and attack, however, Weinstein ceased all direct contacts, personal calls, and calls by his office staff directed at Plaintiff as well as ceasing all uninvited visits to her building."

And in a third incident, the two apparently ran into each other a few weeks later at the Four Seasons Hotel near Beverly Hills, where a hotel concierge brought her a note from Weinstein asking her to come to his room. When she got there, the lawsuit claims Weinstein "opened the door, wearing an opened bathrobe thereby prominently exposing his penis to [de la Huerta] in a taunting manner. [de la Huerta] also observed another woman undressed in the room and was then invited by Weinstein to participate in a three party sexual encounter. [de la Huerta] told Defendant Weinstein to stop stalking and harassing her and quickly left the vicinity of Weinsteins room feeling embarrassed, scared, shocked and humiliated. She noted that Weinstein appeared angered by her rejection and denunciation."



Weinstein in State Supreme Court last month (STEVEN HIRSCH/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

De la Huerta adds in the filing that her encounters with Weinstein gave her "severe emotional distress," and that seeing Weinstein and his wife at the 2011 Golden Globes caused her to drink "very heavily," leading to an incident where she was denied entry to an after-party and videotaped falling down.

She also believes Weinstein had a hand in derailing her career, including helping getting her fired from Boardwalk Empire: the lawsuit states that she "reasonably inferred and herein alleges that the close timing of [a] meeting of Weinstein with [Boardwalk executive producer] Scorsese occurring just before her termination, led her to reasonably believe that Weinstein was making good on threats to harm her career if she defied him."

The Daily News notes that police officials have called de la Huerta's claims "credible," but Weinstein's attorney, Ben Brafman, said in a statement to Variety that the DA had rejected de la Huertas claims for "obvious reasons."

"It is our understanding that the Manhattan District Attorneys Office carefully reviewed Ms. De la Huertas claims of sexual assault by Mr Weinstein many months ago and made a conscious decision to reject her as a complainant for obvious reasons," Brafman said. "We also believe that her newly minted version of events including her new California claims are equally preposterous and unfortunately, the product of an unstable personality with a vivid imagination."

Last month, the Manhattan DA's office dropped one of the sexual assault charges against Weinstein, though prosecutors said the larger case against Weinsteinwho stands accused of habitually targeting and assaulting women over the course of decades, sexually abusing and in some cases raping his victimswill proceed "full steam ahead."The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoards Dairyman.

th

The Iowa State Dairy Association (ISDA) will hold its Annual Meeting Dec. 5-6, 2018 at the Quality Inn & Suites, 2601 E. 13St, Ames, IA 50010.

All ISDA members are invited to attend, along with anyone interested in dairy who wishes to explore opportunities for becoming a member.

This years meeting will kick off on Dec. 5th with an educational session put on by Matt Lange with Compeer Financial. In this session, Matt Lange will review the strategies and tactics some dairy businesses are implementing and executing to place themselves in the top 25% of operations based on net income. Attendees will get to review performance metrics that they can take back home to evaluate on their own operations to help benchmark against.

The keynote speaker on Dec. 6th will be Secretary Tom Vilsack, President and CEO of the United States Dairy Export Council. Secretary Tom Vilsack will give remarks on US Trade relations and gaining the next 5% of dairy exports. Additional speaker will include Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and ISU Director, Food Supply Veterinary Medicine Dr. Pat Gordon.

The business meeting on Dec. 6 includes ISDAs officer reports and activity updates. In addition, changes to ISDA policy will be discussed and voted on by the ISDA voting delegates.

Lunch is included, and there is no cost to attend. A detailed agenda, registration details, current ISDA policy and weather-related meeting status notifications can be viewed at www.iowadairy.org/registrationThe Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has pointed the finger at an Iranian criminal group in relation to the recent theft of ship designs from a top local naval ship manufacturer.

The Western Australia shipbuilder Austal, which currently holds contracts with the US Navy, earlier this month announced its systems had been breached by an unknown offender.

The hack left staff email addresses and phone numbers compromised.

Building maps for ships were also seen for sale on the dark web following the breach.

It is believed the incident occurred in mid-October.

Austal only notified the ASX of the incident after it had appeared on social media.

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, the company said in a statement dated 1 November.

A small number of stakeholders who were potentially directly impacted have been informed. The data breach has had no impact on Austals ongoing operations.

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.

Austal also noted that it has not and will not respond to extortion attempts.

Now, less than two weeks after Austal first announced the breach, the ACSC has revealed the attack was most likely the work of a criminal group in Iran.

ABC News reported the story on Tuesday, quoting a spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs who confirmed the malicious actor sought to profit from the attack.

While the ACSC did not infer the criminal group was connected to the Iranian government, the hack occurred just days after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the government would be reviewing its support for the Iran nuclear deal.

The United States has also listed Iran as a leading cyberspace adversary, alongside the likes of Russia, China and North Korea.

Earlier this year, Austal lost a $3 billion contract with the Australian Navy to build the next generation of offshore patrol boats.As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQThe first forum among the many candidates running for New York City public advocate was a showcase for how far left ambitious Democrats want to swing in this cityand how ill-defined the little-known, highly-coveted office remains.

Staged last night at a co-working space in Manhattan, the forum was held for the leftist organizations and activists who are increasingly setting the tempo for Democratic Party politics in New York. Every candidate who came before the dozens of members of various groupsincluding the Working Families Party, New York Progressive Action Network, True Blue New York, and New York Communities for Changetook turns bolstering their progressive bona fides and straining to contrast themselves from the pack. (Though advertised publicly, event organizers later told reporters in attendance the forum was closed press.)

Looming over the contest, likely to be held in February to replace Letitia James, who was just elected state attorney general, is what it actually represents: a possible stepping stone to something else. Every public advocate but one has run for higher office. One is about to become one of the most prominent attorneys general in America; another is the current mayor of New York City.

A current contender, longtime Assemblyman Danny ODonnell of Manhattan, acknowledged that reality quickly. Why do I want to be public advocate? Because I dont want to be mayor.

The office, which was formed in a 1989 charter revision, is elected citywide and has few delineated responsibilities and powers. Intended to serve as a watchdog over city agencies and the mayor, the public advocate can introduce legislation and sit in on City Council meetings. When New York mayors were Republican, Democratic public advocates could serve as voices of the liberal resistance. Michael Bloomberg often called for the office to be abolished altogether.

Now, its a few Democratic City Council members who are renewing calls to eliminate the office. Such a move would require a change in the City Charter and a referendum put in front of the voters. Its a long-shot.

But it was a testament to the amorphousness of the office that all the candidates who stumped and took a select number of questions on police reform, housing, and protecting organized labor were able to speak so expansively about what it might do: halt gentrification, hold the NYPD accountable, solve the transit crisis and, somehow, reduce income inequality.

Melissa Mark-Viverito has not made up her mind on whether to run for public advocate. But she spoke at the forum like a candidate, touting her track record of success as speaker of the City Council.

Known for leading the charge to close Rikers Island, pass paid sick days legislation, and, at times, joining with Mayor Bill de Blasio to tamp down attempts to rein in the NYPD, Mark-Viverito said she would seek to use the subpoena power the public advocate possesses to launch investigationseven though the office, much less powerful than the old one she held, does not have such power.

There [are] investigative powers, right, and that is one of the things I would like to see in the office of the public advocate, is to have an investigation division that is going to be aggressive, Mark-Viverito said. Id also look at having a legal aid division where you can leverage the power of the office and work with lawyers, right, and bring in resources to represent communities that have not been served.

Jumaane Williams, a Brooklyn City Councilman, has run for City Council Speaker (twice) and undertook a high profile bid this year for lieutenant governor against Governor Andrew Cuomos running mate, Kathy Hochul. On the verge of securing the WFPs endorsement, he was the most popular speaker at the forum and might be something of a front-runner in the free-for-all contest, which could include nearly a dozen candidates. (One candidate, Manhattan Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, didnt attend but spoke on the telephone over a loudspeaker.)

Im back! Williams cried out to cheers from the room. Im running because I really became a City Council member to provide transformational change.

Williams, who had compared the largely symbolic lieutenant governors role to a statewide public advocate, said his new campaign for this post was a natural transition. He proclaimed he wouldnt run for mayor in 2021 if he won next year. He criticized de Blasio for not meeting quickly enough with some of the families of people who have been killed by police and called for far deeper affordable housing than currently mandated under rezoning law.

Just about every candidate spoke critically of the real estate industrys role in shaping politics in New York. Two outsider candidates, Columbia professor David Eisenbach and Democratic activist and journalist Nomiki Konst, promised to reject real estate developer donations and break the lobbys hold on the city. Brooklyn Councilman Rafael Espinal, who helped usher in a wide-ranging rezoning of his East New York district, took a slightly more conciliatory approach, though he said he was backing a City Council bill to require more affordable housing be set aside for the homeless.

Amazon was another punching bag, with almost all candidates breaking with de Blasio and Cuomo, who have celebrated the idea of the tech giant landing in Long Island City with potentially massive taxpayer subsidies. We have sectors of our city that have incredible need  and we have these corporate giveaways, expecting nothing in return, Mark-Viverito said.

While the candidates, speaking one at a time, never directly acknowledged each other, one fault line did emerge. Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake, who also serves as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, took a veiled shot at Williams, a fiery progressive who once held socially conservative views, refusing in the past to affirm support for same-sex marriage and abortion.

Ive been consistent in standing up in saying, Im a pro-choice candidate, Blake said. Ive been consistent saying, Weve got to stand up when it comes to gay marriage, been consistent in standing up for our respective communities. We cant just say were going to be doing these thingswhat have we been doing?

When the public advocates office is officially vacated in the new year, de Blasio is required, by law, to call a special election within three days. The election, which is nonpartisan, will be held at least 45 days later.Fisheries is an important sector in India--it provides employment to millions of people and contributes to food security of the country. With a coastline of over 8,000 km, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 2 million sq km, and with extensive freshwater resources, fisheries play a vital role. Presently, fisheries and aquaculture contribute 1.07 per cent to the national GDP, and 5.30 per cent to agriculture and allied activities, while the average annual value of output during the Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007) was Rs31,682.50 crores.

Marine Fisheries contributes to food security and provides direct employment to over 1.5 mn fisher people besides others indirectly dependent on the sector.

According to the CMFRI Census 2010, there are 3,288 marine fishing villages and 1,511 marine fish landing centres in 9 maritime states and 2 union territories. The total marine fisherfolk population was about 4 million comprising in 864,550 families. Nearly 61% of the fishermen families were under BPL category. The average family size was 4.63 and the overall sex ratio was 928 females per 1000 males. Almost 58% of the fisherfolk were educated with different levels of education. About 38% marine fisherfolk were engaged in active fishing with 85% of them having full time engagement. About 63.6% of the fisherfolk were engaged in fishing and allied activities. Nearly 57% of the fisherfolk engaged in fish seed collection were females and 43% were males. Among the marine fishermen households nearly 76% were Hindus, 15% were Christians and 9% were Muslims. The overall percentage of SC/ST among the marine fishermen households was17%.

The Indian coastline can be delineated into 22 zones, based on the ecosystem structure and functions. The Indian boat type ranges from the traditional catamarans, masula boats, plank-built boats, dug out canoes, machwas, dhonis to the present day motorized fibre-glass boats, mechanized trawlers and gillnetters. In the marine fisheries sector, there were 194,490 crafts in the fishery out of which 37% were mechanized, 37% were motorized and 26% were non-motorized. Out of a total of 167,957 crafts fully owned by fisherfolk 53% were non-motorized, 24% were motorized and 23% were mechanized. Among the mechanized crafts fully owned by fishermen, 29% were trawlers, 43% were gillnetters and 19% were dolnetters.

India's marine capture fish production ,increased from 520,000 tonnes in 1950 to 3.15 million tonnes in 2007. The bulk of the catch comprises oil sardines, followed by penaeid and non-penaeid shrimp, Indian mackerel, Bombay duck, croakers, smaller quantities of cephalopods, other sardines and threadfin breams.(CMFRI 2008).

Source: FISHSTAT, FAO (2010)

Inland Fisheries

Indias freshwater resources consists of rivers and canals (197,024 km), reservoirs (3.15 million ha), ponds and tanks (235 million ha), oxbow lakes and derelict waters (1.3 million ha), brackishwaters (1.24 million ha) and estuaries (0.29 million ha). The inland capture fish production has increased from 192,000 tonnes in 1950 to 781,846 tonnes in 2007, the major species being cyprinids, siluroids and murrels.

This website provides brief information on fishing communities and fisheries in India, as well as a compilation of important resources from various ICSF publications and other sources.

Important resources

Latest Government reports and statistics

Other reports and documents

Bhathal, B and D. Pauly. 2008. 'Fishing down marine food webs' and spatial expansion of coastal fisheries in India, 1950-2000. Fisheries Research. Vol. 91. No.1. pp.26-34.

Bhathal,B. 2005. Historical reconstruction of Indian marine fisheries catches, 1950-2000, as a basis for testing the 'Marine Trophic Index'. Fisheries Centre Research Report 13 (5), 122p. Download.

Devraj.M and E.Vivekanandan. 1999. Marine capture fisheries of India: Challenges and opportunities. Current Science. Vol. 76. No.3. 10 February 1999. Download

Websites

Price list

District-informationPolice have released a sketchbut not surveillance footageof the man they say attacked a 57-year-old Trinidadian woman in a subway station while shouting racist statements on Friday.

The suspect is described as a white man in his 30s, who used an unknown weapon to stab Ann Marie Washington in the chest as she was walking out of the Church Avenue station in Flatbush. He allegedly called the victim a "black bitch" while punching her, then fled on a Q train.

Speaking with the NY Post, Washington said that she suffered a collapsed lung during the attack, which she didn't realize until returning home and finding blood on her pillow. "Its still fresh in my mind," she said. "Im walking off the platform and saw a white guywell-groomedstanding. As I pass him, I feel blows on the back of me."

She remained hospitalized at Kings County Hospital as of Tuesday, but says she's improving, and hopes to be out in a few days.

During a press conference on Monday afternoon, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined the chorus of community advocates criticizing the NYPD's response to the apparent bias incident. He demanded that the attack be investigated as a hate crimeit initially was notand questioned why there was no effort made to stop the train after a witness alerted transit police to the situation. "Now we're playing catch up to what would have been the proper response at the time," Adams said. "In the age of video surveillance, why don't we have a photo that is already posted?"

"This madman is still out there," he added, "and we don't know if he has an ice pick, we don't know if he has a knife."

The victim's daughter, Itisha Washington, tells PIX 11 that the her mom was "punched all over her body: back, chest, head, face. She was stabbed by a pointy object. We don't know what it was. We suspect it could have been an ice pick of some sort."

Congresswoman Yvette Clark has also condemned the attack, urging vigilance in the neighborhood and placing some of the blame on President Donald Trump. "We are hearing from Washington D.C. an acceptance of hate crimes that are taking place across this nation," she said.

Last week, NYPD leadership said there had been 309 hate crimes reported so far this yearup slightly from last year, though a major leap from the annual reports prior to the election of Donald Trump. Police Commissioner James O'Neill has also pinned the recent uptick in incidents on the "current atmosphere."

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.

There are several groups being specifically targeted by the Iranian regime in terms of removing their human rights, including religious and ethnic minorities, like the Arabs, Kurds, Azeris, Baluchis, Sunnis, Christians and Bahais. In fact, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman is so alarmed by the situation that he has urged Iran to ensure that all those who reside in the country have equal protection before the law, regardless of ethnicity, religion or belief.

Of course, Iran should have no problem with this, given that it has signed up to, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees equal protection, including the right of a person to access a lawyer of their own choosing when detained on criminal charges. Except for the fact that Iran denies this most basic of the right to its detainees, especially those detained on political, religious, or ethnic grounds. They dont want defendants having access to a lawyer because this means that the Regime wont be able to intimidate or torture a defendant into confessing.

Recently, Iran has escalated their crackdown on the Arab population of Ahvaz, even opening fire of young activists attempting to flee, arresting them en-masse without any warrant or legal justification, according to Iran Human Rights Monitor. Theyve also been increasing their harassment of Christians and Bahais, according to Amnesty International, charging them with national security offences solely because of their faith.

Amnesty has called on the Regime to quash the convictions and sentences of ethnic Assyrian Christians Pastor Victor Bet-Tamraz, Shamiram Issavi, Amin Afshar Naderi, and Hadi Asgari, who were sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison.

While Michael Page, Deputy Middle East Director at Human Rights Watch, cited that the increased arrests of Bahais  including elected officials and a city council member  with no clear charges shows how intolerant the Regime is towards the Bahai community.

Another group that the Regime has targeted are environmental activists, despite the fact that their actions were completely permitted by the Iranian Regime.

Dr Majid Rafizadeh wrote: Rouhani continues to make empty promises with respect to promoting citizens rights and individual liberties such as the freedoms of speech, the press and assembly. Nevertheless, Irans latest horrendous human rights record says otherwise In sum, under the administration of the so-called moderate Rouhani, the human rights situation has become alarming in Iran. Rouhani has emboldened and empowered the IRGC and the hard-line judiciary system.Stevenson, the Coordinator of Campaign for Iran Change, described the article as lacking journalist impartiality and encouraging support for a Regime that suppresses the Iranian people and promotes terrorism across the world, whilst demonising the MEK refugees in Albania at the behest of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and its cohorts.

In mid-August, Merat visited the MEK residence in Albania, but this was a propaganda mission as evidenced by the fact that he collaborated with Massoud Khodabandeh and Anne Singleton, two well-known MOIS agents, according to the Pentagon.

He wrote: I am dismayed that the Guardian should pay lip-service to such absurd and disgraceful fabrications, propagated by a pariah regime that is widely recognised as a sponsor of international terror. Indeed, the recent arrest of Iranian agents in Europe and America, [including Assadollah Assadeh, a leading MOIS agent, posing as a member of the diplomatic staff in the Iranian Embassy in Vienna] who were planning assassinations and terror attacks on members of the Iranian opposition, are evidence of this regimes malign intentions.

The attempted attacks in Albania, France, the US, and Denmark should be evidence enough that the Iranian Regime is trying to destroy the MEK abroad and it is no surprise that when their violence was thwarted, they turned to propaganda, as they have done multiple times in the past.

While Merat cites former MEK members as his sources, this fails to acknowledge that Iranian Regime agents frequently falsely represent themselves as former MEK members; something noted by many Western intelligence services. The action is not new, but neither are the allegations. The article was a mere rehashing of all of the already-debunked claims against the MEK and should be seen for what it is: an attempt to trick Guardian readers into supporting a fascist regime over its democratic resistance.

Stevenson wrote:  As a former MEP (1999-2014), I have closely followed the issue of the PMOI/MEK for the last 18 years, from the time they were in camps Ashraf and Liberty in Iraq, up to the present and I have seen evidence again and again of how the regime uses its vast resources to smear the PMOI/MEK refugees and their supporters. Arron Merats assertion that the PMOI/MEK is largely supported by the right, fits neatly with the general thrust of his narrative, but of course is completely untrue. The PMOI/MEK enjoy widespread support across the political spectrum from left to right in countries across the world.

Under the mullahs, Iranians suffer human rights abuses, poverty, and starvation; all because the Regime wants to use terrorism and chaos to control the rest of the region. Indeed, nationwide anti-regime protests, organised by the MEK, are happening across Iran, showing us who the Iranian people trust with their lives and with their country.

While the MEK goes from strength to strength, the Regime is spiralling out of control and are increasing their cruel and unusual punishments, including executing protesters and juvenile offenders, and their attacks on other countries. This is not normal.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently wrote: The Islamic Republic of Iran is not a normal state. Normal states do not attack embassies and military installations in peacetime; fuel terrorist proxies and militias; serve as a sanctuary for terrorists; call for the destruction of Israel and threaten other countries; aid brutal dictators such as Syrias Bashar al-Assad; proliferate missile technology to dangerous proxies; conduct covert assassinations in other countries; and hold hostage citizens of foreign nations.

Simply, the Guardian should retract Merats story for its lack of journalistic integrity, but they should continue to publish well-researched pieces about the MEK by reputable reporters. Unlike the Regime, the MEK have nothing to hide.The article published by the Guardian is full of errors and is basically a piece of propaganda.

Struan Stevenson, former member of European Parliament and coordinator of Campaign for Iran Change, wrote to the editor of the publication, advising that Merats allegations are lifted directly from the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and their hysterical efforts to demonize the PMOI.

Stevenson said: I am dismayed that the Guardian should pay lip-service to such absurd and disgraceful fabrications, propagated by a pariah regime that is widely recognised as a sponsor of international terror. Indeed, the recent arrest of Iranian agents in Europe and America, (including, according to Arron Merat, an unnamed Iranian diplomat), who were planning assassinations and terror attacks on members of the Iranian opposition, are evidence of this regimes malign intentions.

In fact, the diplomat was named almost immediately as Assadollah Assadeh, a leading MOIS agent, posing as a member of the diplomatic staff in the Iranian Embassy in Vienna. He had allegedly handed over a bomb to two other Iranian agents with instructions that they should attack the PMOI/MEK rally taking place in Paris in June, attended by renowned politicians like Rudy Giulliani and Newt Gingrich.

The Iranian regime has spent a fortune trying to smear the name of the PMOI, quite simply because it views the group as a major threat to its existence. The PMOI has support all over the world, but most importantly inside Iran. There is such widespread support  in all provinces  for the group that the people have been risking arrest, imprisonment, torture and even their lives to make sure the regime knows that they want regime change and that they put their trust in the PMOI to guide them through this.

Paulo Casaca, a former Member of the European Parliament and co-President of the Friends of a Free Iran group that operates within the European Parliament, also wrote a letter to the Guardians editor. He said: There is not a single accusation or libel within the whole piece which was not propagated before by one of the countless propaganda vehicles of the Iranian regime  though in this case presented, in pure plagiarism, as first-hand work by The Guardian. Mr Arron Merat, who signed the piece, has been propagating these materials for a long time in his twitter account, which he made private just before publishing the article.

Casaca also highlighted that the Guardian has acted as the mouthpiece for the Iranian theocracy on a number of other occasions, citing articles in which Masoud Khodabandeh, a notorious agent of Irans secret services, had been quoted insulting the opposition.

The Guardians piece lacks what one would imagine to be the most basic of journalistic requirements  objectiveness, fairness and research. Not only has the newspaper let down its readers, but it has also completely discredited itself.No one can deny that the political landscape is far different from when the nuclear was being discussed and agreed back in 2014-15. Back then, Iran promised that its government wanted to take a more moderate line and weve seen how that led to Irans increased sponsorship of terrorism, the further development of long-range ballistic missiles, and the beginning of two wars in Syria and Yemen.

No one is going to make the mistake of lifting sanctions on Iran again, no matter how big the blue wave, especially after the Iranian Regime launched several terror attacks against the US and Europe in recent months. No one could possibly believe that there is any moderation in Iran now.

The Iran lobby tried desperately to align themselves with any popular anti-Trump position, including attacking Trump on his immigration policies, but the US public wasnt listening. Those concerned about Trumps immigration policies are certainly not in favour of a Regime that destroys peoples human rights; why would they be?

To sum up, the American public, media, and politicians arent listening to the Iran lobby. They are instead concerned that the Iranian Regime is a human right abusing, nuclear bomb creating, terrorist group supporting dictatorship and the US wants to remove this threat to the world.

So what is the point of the Iran lobby in 2018? Nothing. And the truth is that they know it. Thats likely why National Iranian American Council founder Trita Parsi stepped down as President earlier this year and left Jamal Abdi to try and figure it out.

Abdi tried to take credit for Democrats taking back the house and claim that a blow to Trump is a victory for the Iranian-American community, but he does not speak for Iranian Americans. After all, many of them fled the Regime in Iran and the mullahs have a long track record of killing dissidents abroad.

Abdi then endorses several candidates, although there are serious doubts that they were happy with this endorsement, and advises that they will take a stand against Trump in favour of Iran; which is unlikely. Hopefully, come 2020, an endorsement by the NIAC will be as sickening as an endorsement by the KKK.Myriad different factors make the New York City subway a very gross place, chief among them the outsized possibility thatespecially if you identify or present as a womansome skeevy stranger will eventually masturbate at you. Psychological implications aside, sexual harassment comes with a financial cost; a "pink tax" on transportation as women pay more for safer ways to get from point A to point B.

Pink taxes are the added fees tacked onto "for women" products: The way a razor costs more when marketed to women than it does when tailored to men, for example. Researchers at the NYU Rudin Center for transportation did not set out with the specific intention of examining the public transit pink tax in their new survey. Rather, as Sarah Kaufmanthe Rudin Center's associate director, an adjunct assistant professor in urban planning, and one of the survey's authorstold Gothamist, they wanted to explore how the types of behaviors addressed by the #MeToo movement "play out on a day-to-day basis on public transportation."

What they found, however, is that some New York women could be paying as much as $1,200 extra every year in order to move safely around the city.

Researchers successfully surveyed a total of 547 people, 52 percent of whom identified as women (by which the authors mean cis and trans women, as well as femmes). Of those respondents, 75 percent said they had experienced harassment and/or theft on public transportation, versus 47 percent of male participants. The majority (86 percent) of harassment incidents occurred within the subway system, and 54 percent of women respondents worried about harassment compared to 20 percent of men. Those safety concerns drove 42 percent of participants toward for-hire vehicles (Uber, Lyft) for late night travel, while 16 percent opted for taxis and 15 percent stuck with public transportation. Notably, over three quarters of people who used taxis and people who called cars identified as women.

The costs of those services add up: Women reported spending an additional $26 to $50 per month in transit costs compared to men's $0, both when they try to avoid harassment on subways and buses, and when they assume duties that require extra trips, like dropping off and picking up school-aged kids and taking elderly dependents to appointments. For women who check both boxes (just trying to get to work without being groped, thanks, and caretaking), that could mean as much as $100 in added monthly expenses men don't have to deal with.

But "the bleakest finding," according to Kaufman, "was that only 12 percent reported harassment," 88 percent declining to say anything because the presumed authorities could not or would not do anything about it. Those who did report were often given frustrating answers like "we can't help you because the train in question already left the station." One woman, who did not participate in the survey, told Kaufman that on one occasion when she did speak up and the MTA stopped the train to find the perpetrator, she felt guilty for delaying thousands of passengers en route to work. "There's a kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't aspect to reporting harassment," Kaufman said.

It's important to note that the survey's respondent pool ended up being pretty homogeneous: A helpful City Council member, Helen Rosenthal, sent the survey link out to her district, inadvertently skewing the sample in a clear direction. Most participants were white, highly educated, and residents of the Upper West Side, suggesting that they might have more disposable income to spend on alternate transit methods. People who can't afford to call a car or hail a taxi "have to kind of live with [harassment]," Kaufman says. "They have to take public transportation regardless of what happened the day before."

"That is traumatic for a lot of people," she continued, "but it's also a question of how are we making it possible for women to participate in the economy. How are we letting women participate in the economy if we can't guarantee their safety?"

Emphasizing that this survey serves as a starting point, and that future studies will require a more diverse sample, Kaufman suggested a few preliminary fixes: Station more MTA personnel on platforms to make reporting easier, especially for people who feel uncomfortable taking complaints to the police; install cameras in train cars; and bolster communication lines throughout the trains. That plan, of course, requires moneysomething the MTA simply doesn't have.

We contacted the transit authority for comment on the fiscal possibilities, and how the agency might address the flagrant sexual harassment problem in its transit system. Here's what MTA Managing Director Veronique Hakim had to say:

"We work hard to make the subway system safe for all of our customers and measures like a campaign to promote the reporting of sexual crime, lighting and security camera upgrades, more station personnel on platforms and mezzanines, more NYPD officers in stations and on trains, and systemwide cellular, WiFi and Help Point capability, all contribute to safety improvements for women and everyone."

Ultimately, though, the MTA could pour as many hypothetical funds into surveillance and reporting avenues as it wantsthe agency's ability to correct the trend remains limited, because the problem lies with people who choose to harass their fellow commuters. So, to them I say: Keep it in your pants, keep your paws to yourself, and let us all get to work unmolested.Surpassing even its state hellbeast, New Jersey's most intriguing mystery remains (to my mind) The Watcher House, a sizable suburban colonial haunted not by ghosts, but by a mystery stalker who harassed the last buyers off the block. Despite the media attention Derek and Maria Broaddus received since their ordeal at Westfield's 657 Boulevard began in 2014, they have not spoken openly about the creepy letter campaign that drove them from the house before they even moved inuntil now.

For the uninitiated, a quick recap of The Watcher case: In 2014, three days after the $1.3 million sale closed on 657 Boulevard, Maria and Derek received a deeply strange "welcome to the neighborhood" letter, signed "The Watcher." The dispatch explained that The Watcher's family had watched the house since the 1920s. "It is now my time," the author wrote. "Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I will find out."

The missive offered the Broadduses no reason to think its author wouldn't make good on that final promise, because alongside ominous scoldings about mild renovations the couple made, The Watcher wove in personal details: The brand of minivan they drove, the number of children they had (three). "Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested? Better for me," the letter continued. "Once I know their names I will call to them and draw them too [sic] me."

Spookily, the note also reminded the Broadduses that it would be nearly impossible to pinpoint The Watcher's identity. Someone driving by? A neighbor? A pedestrian passing through? "Welcome my friends, welcome," The Watcher concluded. "Let the party begin."

Naturally, Maria and Derek did not feel particularly eager to place their young bloods in the stalker's crosshairs, and delayed move-in day as the letters continued to arrive. Here's another chilling excerpt:

657 Boulevard is anxious for you to move in. It has been years and years since the young blood ruled the hallways of the house. Have you found all of the secrets it holds yet? Will the young blood play in the basement? Or are they too afraid to go down there alone. I would [be] very afraid if I were them. It is far away from the rest of the house. If you were upstairs you would never hear them scream. Will they sleep in the attic? Or will you all sleep on the second floor? Who has the bedrooms facing the street? I'll know as soon as you move in. It will help me to know who is in which bedroom. Then I can plan better.

On Tuesday, The Cut published an in-depth look at The Watcher case. In it, we learn that the anonymous notes were unsettling in and of themselves, but the Broaddus's account suggests that the nightmare really picked up steam when the town turned against them, tethering them to an unsaleable house of horrors and earning them untold enemies within the small community.

The house's previous owner offered few clues for Derek and Maria, having received only one letter just before finalizing the sale. So the couple scrutinized their neighbors with suspicion, enlisting multiple private investigators and corralling their kids around them when they attended a meet-and-greet barbecue across the street. "We kept screaming at them to stay close," Maria told NY Mag. "People must have thought we were crazy."

People did seem to decide that the Broadduses were, if not crazy, then certainly scammers who engineered a hoax to extort the previous owners (against whom the Broadduses filed a civil complaint for failing to disclose the in-person haunting). The town turned on the Broaddus family, refusing to let them demolish the house and sell the lot, effectively obligating the couple to keep hemorrhaging money in maintenance and mortgage fees while they looked for a buyer. The family stayed in Westfield amid escalating animosity, and rented the house instead of moving in.

"You know what we've been through," Maria, a Westfield native, chastised the town in her interview with the Cut. "You had the ability, two and a half years into a nightmare, to make it a little better. And you have decided that this house is more important than we are. That's really how it felt."

Four years later, do the Broadduses have any idea who The Watcher is? Heck no! Please see this excerpt from a message delivered to their tenants in roughly 2016:

"You wonder who The Watcher is? Turn around idiots. Maybe you even spoke to me, one of the so called neighbors who has no idea who The Watcher could be. Or maybe you do know and are too scared to tell anyone," it continued, going on to threaten a number of bloody ways this story could end: "Maybe a car accident. Maybe a fire. Maybe something as simple as a mild illness that never seems to go away but makes you fell sick day after day after day after day after day. Maybe the mysterious death of a pet. Loved ones suddenly die. Planes and cars and bicycles crash. Bones break."

Westfield, meanwhile, seems to have moved on. When Gothamist went to watch The Watcher in 2015, peak Watcher panic, most residents weren't "comfortable talking about it." Now, according to NY Mag, "many were surprised to find out the Broadduses were still dealing with the problem." The family found a new tenant, but police never publicly pinpointed a suspect. The Watcher is still be out there, friends: Watching and waiting.

Sweet dreams!

- Former special envoy to China Sen. Antonio Trillanes narrated his account as an eyewitness of Scarborough Shoal stand-off

- He was blaming former President Benigno Aquino and former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario on how PH lost its claims over the shoal

- Trillanes narrated all this in his secret aide memoire

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In an article written by Rigoberto Tiglao in The Manila Times, the author discussed how Philippines lost Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal to China in a stand-off. KAMI learned that the revelation came from former special envoy to China, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

Back in 2012, Trillanes wrote a secret aide memoire titled, Summary of Backchannel Talks (12 May to 16 August 2012). In the senators narrative, it all began when former President Benigno Noynoy Aquino III sent Philippine Navy warship BRP Gregorio del Pilar to help the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in arresting Chinese who were allegedly fishing illegally in the shoal. In return, China sent some vessels of Chinese Maritime Surveillance and some private fishing vessels so that PCG wont arrest their fishermen.

Photo from Al Jazeera

Source: Facebook

A stand-off then began. China and Philippines wouldnt leave the area because those who will leave or abandon the shoal will lose its control over it. Both countries stayed and used it for fishing. According to Trillanes narrative, former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario ordered the pull out of the navy ship without the authorization of President Aquino. Since then, the Philippines lost its claims over Panatag Shoal.

Former Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa asked Trillanes to reconnect with his contact in Beijing amid the rising tension between Philippines and China over the shoal.

During the first week of May 2012, while in a meeting with Executive Secretary Ochoa, the rising tension in the Scarborough Shoal was brought up and he asked if I could help open a back channel with China. I told him that I could reconnect with my contact in Beijing, which I established during my study visit there last November 2011. However, I specifically requested that it should be authorized by the President.

ES then told me that he would take care of it and that PNoy would probably approve it since, at that time PNoy had already called for Filipino-Chinese tycoons and asked for their help in finding a line to Beijing, Trillanes narrated as an eyewitness.

Philippines banana exports were also being quarantined and Chinese tourists were discouraged to visit the country. The loan for North Rail Project under former Gloria Macapagal-Arroyos administration was also part of the conversation. Trillanes then talked to China to resolve the issues peacefully and diplomatically.

Photo from GMA News

Source: Facebook

During the exploratory meeting, I delivered PNoys message and the Beijing negotiators likewise delivered an almost identical message of wanting to resolve the stand-off peacefully and diplomatically. They also received the confidence- building requests and asked for a little time to get the approval of Beijing. After 24 hours, they informed me that the bananas can now enter China and, as for the loan, our finance officials can now go to Beijing so that the loan could be restructured. I relayed this development to PNoy and told him that Beijing only requested that he delegate to his subordinates the issuance of statements in relation to the stand-off so that the issue would be downgraded. Besides, they told me that his counterpart, then President Hu Jinato, wasnt issuing statements directly. PNoy agreed with this request, Trillanes stated.

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And then, Aquino informed Trillanes about the Philippine vessel has left the shoal. Trillanes asked who agreed for the Philippines to leave the area first.

PNoy responded to this effect, kaya nga sinabihan ko si Albert kung bakit niya pinalabas yung BFAR na hindi ko nalalaman. Anyway, PNoy said the situation is grave because he wont be able to leave for Washington while the two CMS vessels are still inside the shoal, Trillanes quipped.

On June 15, PNoy informed me again that he has ordered the pull-out of the two remaining PCG ships from the shoal citing the incoming typhoon as the reason and directed me to ask Beijing to reciprocate. I immediately informed the Beijing negotiators about this development and again, they immediately responded by sending back all the remaining fishing boats and dinghies to China. Only eight CMS vessels remain at this time, Trillanes added.

In a report by ABS-CBN News, the Scarborough Shoal also became a territory of United States when they colonized the Philiipines. However, it was transferred to the Philippines in 1946 upon declaration of independence.

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Filipinos Street Quiz: Philippines tricky questions - can you answer these tricky questions? Today we are going to ask the Philippines strangers some very funny Tagalog tricky questions! These individuals from the Philippines have their answers  on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: Kami.com.ph- President Duterte declared March 22 as Emilio Aguinaldo Day

- He said that this is to rekindle the Filipino spirit

- The National Historical Commission of the Philippines will be the one in charge of the celebration

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In Proclamation No. 621, President Rodrigo Duterte declared March 22, 2019 as Emilio Aguinaldo Day to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Philippines first ever President in the republic.

KAMI learned that the aim of the proclamation is to rekindle the Filipino spirit through lessons of history as reported by ABS-CBN News.

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As mandated by the proclamation, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) will be the lead agency of the celebration.

The NHCP may convene an inter-agency task force to plan, coordinate and implement effectively all programs, projects, and activities relative to this milestone event, it stated as reported by Inquirer.

All government agencies, department or even officers are all expected to give their support to NHCP in this celebration.

Emilio Aguinaldo was the first and youngest president of the Philippines back in 1899 to 1901. He was a key figure during the Philippine revolution as well as in the Philippine-American war.

POPULAR: Read more news about President Duterte!

Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news!

Filipinos Street Quiz: Philippines tricky questions - can you answer these tricky questions? Today we are going to ask the Philippines strangers some very funny Tagalog tricky questions! These individuals from the Philippines have their answers  on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: Kami.com.ph- Actor Paul Salas opened up about the formed romance between Barbie Imperial and JM De Guzman

- The young actor is the former boyfriend of Barbie

- Paul commented about how he found the love team since Day 1

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Now-Kapuso actor Paul Salas finally gave comments and reaction on the alleged relationship of his ex-girlfriend Barbie Imperial and JM De Guzman.

KAMI learned that the Paul and the young actress were in a relationship but they eventually decided to part ways few months ago.

From then, Barbie and JM have been romantically linked with each other as they are also being partnered in drama series.

Just months after their much-talked-about split, Paul initially expressed that he prefers to not talk about the past issues.

The promising actor explained that he just wants to focus on his career as he remains single now and not dating anyone.

Sa ngayon ayaw ko na lang po muna magsalita about sa ganyan (past issues) kasi mas focus muna ako sa career ko, and 'yung paglipat ko ng network, he quipped.

Naniniwala po ako na everything happens for a reason, baka may reason kung bakit nangyari sa akin 'yon, kung bakit bina-bash ako ng tao. Basta ako, ayaw ko na lang po muna magsalita sa kung ano ang nangyari sa amin ni Barbie. Para sa amin na lang talaga 'yun. Ayaw ko na ipagkalat pa sa public, he added.

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However, Paul became vocal in answering if he has bad blood with the linked partner now of his ex-girlfriend.

The celebrity heartthrob said that he has supported the tandem of Barbie and JM ever since and he has no problem with that.

Actually never naman po namin naging problema 'yung love team nila. Never po naging issue sa amin 'yun. Ever since day one, sinusuportahan ko po ang love team nila. Happy din ako sa nangyari at success ng show nila, Paul stressed.

Wala na din ako nababalitaan, kasi umiwas na din po ako sa social media ngayon. Marami din po akong guesting ngayon, so focus muna po ako sa career, sa pagsasayaw ko, sa gym, he added pertaining to the increasing closeness of the two Kapamilya celebrities.

In a previous article by , the actor made a brave confession about his separation with Barbie.

Born on April 16, 1998, Paul is a Filipino actor and model who became part of several ABS-CBN teleseryes including The Good Son, We Will Survive, and Mula Sa Puso. Just this May 17, he signed a contract with GMA-7.

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The topic of this episode is a day we are waiting for the whole months. Yes, Im talking about the PayDay in the Philippines. Have you ever promised yourself to start making savings? Click Play to watch our hilarious expectations vs. reality video about PayDay in the Philippines.  on HumanMeter!

Source: Kami.com.ph-Stan Lee died on Monday, November 12

-Alodia Gosiengfiao pays tribute to the Marvel Comic Legend by sharing a memorable moment with him

- The Filipina cosplayer met Stan Lee when she attended the premiere of Captain America: Civil War in the Hollywood Walk

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Stan Lee passed away recently and a lot of stars have expressed their sadness and have paid tribute to the genius Marvel creator.

One of them is Alodia Gosiengfiao as she posted a picture of her with Stan on Instagram, on Tuesday, November 3.

The lifestyle vlogger shared a moment when she was able to meet Stan Lee face to face.

She detailedly described what she went through just to have a selfie with the icon.

"The brief moment I had met @therealstanlee was epic. He was so nice and one funny thing I can never forget is that he kicked my bag on the floor to get closer to us for the selfie.

Alodia also expressed praises towards Stan Lee.

"Thank you for all that you have done, Sir. You will be remembered. You are a legend. #stanlee" Alodia wrote.

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In the previous report by KAMI, Stan Lee died at the age of 95.

Alodia Gosiengfiao or Alodia Almira Arraiza Gosiengfiao is also popular for being a gamer and vlogger.

The gorgeous model is the girlfriend of the popular travel vlogger and an ex- PBB housemate, Wil Dasovich.

Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news!

Filipinos Street Quiz: Philippines tricky questions - can you answer these tricky questions? Today we are going to ask the Philippines strangers some very funny Tagalog tricky questions! These individuals from the Philippines have their answers  on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: Kami.com.ph- President Duterte has been one of the controversial Presidents the Philippines ever had

- He has made a remark not just in our country but as well as around the globe

- KAMI listed the reasons why Duterte remains as a popular President

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In his 2 years in Malacanan, President Rodrigo Duterte has made a lot of remarks not just among Filipinos but also around the world. He made a drastic change in the country without a doubt. However, just like any other Presidents, he has his own strengths and weaknesses.

During his presidential campaign, he vowed to end the illegal drugs and corruption in the country. He became popular for his war on drugs. Hes also been remarkable for his foul mouth and for being so outspoken.

KAMI learned from Gulf News the performance of Duterte as the President of the Philippines. Heres a list of Dutertes accomplishments that made him remarkable in todays generation:

1. Tuition-free education in state universities and colleges

- According to RA 10931, students from state universities and colleges as well as local universities and colleges can finally have an access to free quality tertiary education

2. Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018

- Duterte signed into law the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. This aims to lessen the hassle of the Filipinos in securing permits and licenses.

3. Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law

- The main purpose of this law is to lower personal income taxes. However, this has put higher taxes on food, services, as well as fuel and tobacco.

4. OFW Bank

- Last June 2018, Duterte has launched the Overseas Filipino (OF) Bank that caters to all overseas Filipino workers (OFWS). They can loan non-collateral up to P350,000 at 6% annual interest in the OF Bank.

5. Longer validity of Philippine passports

- President Duterte has also signed RA 10928 which aims to make the validity of Philippine passports for 10 years. However, for minors below 18 will have 5 year-validity.

6. Longer validity of Philippine drivers license

- In RA 10930, it was stated that Philippine drivers license will be valid for 5 years.

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7. Bangsamoro Organic Law

- To lessen the issues in Mindanao, President Duterte signed Bangsamoro Organic Law.

8. SSS for OFWs

- It has been approved by the administration that all OFWs should have a mandatory SSS.

As previously reported by KAMI, President Duterte had top 6 notable projects under his administration such as:

9. War on Drugs

- In a data by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), around 5,000 drug pushers were killed and 150,000 were arrested during the operation since July 2016 to September 2018. Even international critics were involved in this issue.

10. Build, Build, Build

- Duterte administration has been investing a lot on infrastructures to enhance the lives of the Filipinos by providing more opportunities for employment and such. The estimated budget for this was around P8 to P9 trillion.

11. Boracay restoration

- The Boracay Island was temporarily closed last April 26 for restoration. 6 months after, it was re-opened to tourists and the changes were really visible. Now, the governments aiming to maintain the beauty of the island.

12. 911 Emergency Hotline and 8888 Complaint Hotline

- Duterte administration has launched the 911 National Emergency Hotline as well as the 8888 National Complaint Hotline so that Filipinos can direct their concerns from their experiences in the government agencies or services.

13. Lower interconnection rates

- Interconnection rates of telecommunication companies were lowered as mandated by National Telecommunications Commissions last July 2018.

As previously reported by KAMI, President Duterte has also made changes across Asia in five different ways.

President Duterte assumed his post in 2016. He is 73 y/o and he is the oldest to become the President of the Philippines.

POPULAR: Read more news about President Duterte here!

Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news!

Filipinos Street Quiz: Philippines tricky questions - can you answer these tricky questions? Today we are going to ask the Philippines strangers some very funny Tagalog tricky questions! These individuals from the Philippines have their answers  on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: Kami.com.phMonday, November 12, 2018

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit vacated a reciprocal reprimand imposed as a result of an action of the Maryland Court of Appeals.

The underlying Maryland case is quite a story as we recount here.

From the Fourth Circuit opinion

Appellant, Allen Ray Dyer, an attorney licensed to practice law in Maryland, was reprimanded by the Maryland Court of Appeals for failing to comply with the bar counsels request for information in response to a complaint that had been filed against Dyer. See Md. R. Attorneys, Rule 19-308.1(b). Dyer had refused to respond substantively to the complaint, instead asserting that Marylands rule requiring confidentiality in attorney grievance proceedings violated the First Amendments Free Speech Clause and, thus, refusing to participate in any confidential proceedings. After Dyer disclosed the state courts order of reprimand to the district court, that court ordered Dyer to show cause why it should not take reciprocal disciplinary action. See D. Md. Adm. R., Rule 705.3(a), (b)(iii) ("LAR"). In his response to the show cause order, Dyer again asserted his free speech challenge to the state confidentiality rule. The district court issued an order of reciprocal reprimand against Dyer, and Dyer now appeals. For the reasons that follow, we vacate and remand to the district court.

Pursuant to the district courts local rules, the court was required to impose identical discipline to that imposed by the Maryland court unless Dyer demonstrated clearly that: (1) the state courts procedure was so lacking in notice or opportunity to be heard as to constitute a deprivation of due process; (2) there was an infirmity of proof establishing the misconduct such that the district court could not accept the final conclusion of the Maryland court on the matter; (3) the imposition of the same discipline would result in grave injustice; or (4) the misconduct warrants substantially different discipline than that imposed by the state court. LAR 705.3(d); see also In re Fallin, 255 F.3d 195, 197 (4th Cir. 2001) (stating factors for consideration in imposing reciprocal discipline). On appeal, Dyer argues that the confidentiality of Marylands attorney grievance procedures violates the First Amendment and, therefore, imposition of reciprocal discipline for partial refusal to participate in the investigative process was a grave injustice. The district court, however, did not provide any explanation for its finding that a reciprocal reprimand was warranted or explicitly address Dyers constitutional claim such that this court could conduct meaningful appellate review. See U.S. Fire Ins. Co. v. Allied Towing Corp., 966 F.2d 820, 823 (4th Cir. 1992). For instance, it is not apparent from the district courts order whether it rejected Dyers First Amendment challenge to the state rule, or merely determined that even if Dyers challenge was meritorious, he had failed to demonstrate that the imposition of reciprocal discipline would result in a grave injustice.

Accordingly, we vacate the district courts order and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

(Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/11/the-united-states-court-of-appeals-for-the-fourth-circuit-appellant-allen-ray-dyer-an-attorney-licensed-to-practice-law-in.htmlDuring the fall, Zisis Kyrou is more likely to be picking crocus flowers in northern Greece than be in his office at work. But he is not doing so for fun. It is profitable.

Kyrou, who is 34, gathers crocuses outside his hometown of Krokos to produce the spice saffron. Spices are used to improve the taste of foods. And saffron is a favorite. People pay so much money for it that it is often called red gold.

Saffron has brought jobs and money to an area of Greece that is better known for coalmines and unemployment. A year ago, area saffron producers began exporting to the United States. Now they are looking to China.

Most of the saffron producers are young Greeks who could not find jobs during Greeces nine-year economic crisis. They began farming as a result.

It was hard to find work in your field during the crisis, particularly in civil engineering, because there was no construction, Kyrou said.

In 2012, Kyrou returned to Greece from London with two university degrees. He opened an engineering office in his village of Krokos, but he makes more money from his 1.6 hectares of land.

I didnt imagine Id return, he said. But it was a decision I dont regret.

Krokos gets its name from the flower. And the area surrounding the town has been growing crocus flowers for 300 years. But until 2000, saffron production was limited to 30 kilograms a year for sale within the country, said Nikos Patsiouras, head of Greeces Cooperative of Saffron.

That changed with the 2008 international economic crisis, which became the Great Recession. Greece began increasing saffron production, now making about four tons a year. Seventy percent of that is exported.

The Cooperative also has grown during that time from 494 members to 1,000. And the crocus farms have expanded, from about 240 hectares in 2008 to more than 545 now.

A lot of young people found work in the fields - scientists, Patsiouras said. I believe more will join.

Signs of economic hardship can be seen throughout Krokos. Many stores that line the streets are permanently closed. Unemployment in northwestern Greece is 23.5 percent.

But the fields are busy places of industry.

We have God on our side, who gave us such a unique product, Patsiouras said.

Saffron grows in many countries. Greece markets its as Krokos Kozanis. One gram costs about four euros in Greek stores.

It takes about 150,000 flowers to make a kilogram of the spice, which sells for about 1,500 euros. Flowers are gathered by hand. Women of the Cooperative weigh and package the spice.

Iran is by far the worlds biggest saffron producer, but demand for the Greek kind is rising, Patsiouras said. Greece is in talks with China to begin exporting its product there in 2019.

Im Caty Weaver.





Reuters reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

construction  n. the business of building things

unique  adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else

package  n. to put (something) in a package in order to sell it or send it somewhereTaiwan has opened a center that it calls the worlds biggest performing arts center in the islands south.

The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts includes several large spaces for performances. A concert hall that seats almost two thousand people, an opera house with 2,236 seats, a play house and another stage for performances are all in the same building.

The center covers 3.3 hectares of land.

The first season includes dance, musical and comic performances by local and international artists. The first opera to be shown, Paradise Interrupted, is a joint international production with New Yorks Lincoln Center Festival, the Spoleto Festival USA and the Singapore International Festival of Arts.

The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra will also perform.

The center opened in October. It took eight years to build and cost about $350 million dollars.

Before becoming an arts center, the land in Kaohsiung, a city of 2.8 million people, had been used for military buildings. Local people still call the center by the name of the old military camp Weiwuying.

Some of the performers see the new center as a chance to gain recognition.

Chloe Young is a member of the Sydney Dance Company. She said, Not many people can say that they have performed at Weiwuying. She said it was an honor to be there.

The center was designed by the Dutch architecture company Mecanoo. The group designed the unusual building with elements that are meant to represent tropical objects and also objects found on ships.

Francine Houben is the creative director of Mecanoo. She said, I think what is really unique is this roof, what was inspired by the banyan trees with the crown.

She added that she had to create a really new public space specifically for Taiwan, for Kaohsiung, that catches the wind of the oceanand of the tropical space.

The concert hall has the biggest pipe organ in Asia with over nine thousand pipes. It was built by a German company to look like bamboo.

Organ player Liu Hsin-hung praised the huge instrument. I have played many organs both in Taiwan and abroad, but this one is the biggest and best, Liu said.

He Wen-jhang is a 62-year-old retired physics and chemistry teacher who lives near the center. He said he is pleased that an arts center was built rather than homes, adding that it would change the city.

Coming here to exchange views greatly influences citizens temperament, said He, This has a big impact on Kaohsiungs cultural aspect.

Im Mario Ritter.

Mario Ritter adapted this AP story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

concert hall n. a large room were musical performances are held

unique adj. unlike anything else

inspired adj. very good or clever

pipe organ n. a musical instrument with a keyboard and pipes that make sound

impact n. a powerful influence or effect

aspect n. a part of something

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

Demand for natural gas is expected to be higher than the demand for coal by the year 2030.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported on Tuesday that, 12 years from now, gas will be the worlds second largest energy fuel, after oil. This would be a result of efforts to reduce air pollution and increased use of liquefied natural gas, the agency predicted.

The IEA report said that energy demand would grow by more than 25 percent between 2017 and 2040 if people use energy more efficiently. Demand would rise by at least 50 percent without such improvements, it added.

The estimates are based on the IEAs New Policies Scenario model. It considers legislation and policies to reduce pollution and fight climate change. The estimates also consider more energy efficiencies in fuel use, buildings and other things.

The report said, Natural gas is the fastest growing fossil fuel in the New Policies Scenario, overtaking coal by 2030 to become the second-largestenergy after oil.

China is currently the biggest oil and coal importer in the world. It would soon become the largest importer of gas, the IEA predicted. The report said that the level of Chinese imports would be similar to those of the European Union by 2040.

The Reuters news agency examined information from Chinas General Administration of Customs. Reuters found that China is already importing more natural gas than Japan, the worlds top importer of gas.

China is the worlds third-biggest user of natural gas, following the United States and Russia. China imports about 40 percent of its natural gas because local production cannot provide as much as the country needs.

Developing economies in Asia make up about half of worldwide gas demand growth. Their share of liquefied natural gas imports would double to 60 percent by 2040, the IEA report said.

When gas is cooled, it can be turned into a liquid and transported by ship.

The report noted the demand for natural gas is not yet as great as the demand for oil. But it said gas is now being shipped to new markets.

Coal and carbon

The United States could be responsible for 40 percent of total gas production growth until 2025, the IEA said. But U.S. companies are recovering less gas from shale rock formations. The report noted that other nations are turning to untraditional methods of gas production, such as fracking.

Worldwide electricity demand will grow 2.1 percent a year, mostly pushed up by greater use in developing countries. Electricity will make up 25 percent of energy used by consumers and businesses by 2040, it said.

The IEA believes that the use of coal will fall from about 40 percent today to 25 percent in 2040. Wind power and other renewable energy would grow to over 40 percent during the period.

However, the worlds coal-burning power centers cause 33 percent of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Many of those power plants are in Asia, where average coal plants are usually about 11 years old with many years left to operate. In the United States and Europe, coal plants operate for about 40 years.

The IEAs executive director said there are ways to contain the pollution that comes from liquefied natural gas. But it would take an international agreement on economic policies.

The IEA said energy-related CO2 emissions could reach a record high this year. They will continue to grow at a slow rate up to 2040.

From 2017 levels, the IEA said emissions would rise by 10 percent to 36 gigatonnes in 2040 because of the growth in oil and gas.

The report said these efforts barely begin do what the scientific community believes must be done to stop climate change.

Im Jonathan Evans.

The Reuters news agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted the report for VOA Learning English. The editor was George Grow.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

efficient  adj. capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy

scenario  n.a description of what could happen

emission  n.the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source

fossil  n.something left in or on the ground from ancient times

consumer n.someone who purchases goods or uses something

scenario n.a written description of a story or a series of developments

fracking n. a method used for getting oil and gas from underground rocks by injecting liquid into the rocks so that they break apart

gigatonnes  n.a unit of explosive force equal to one billion tons of TNTA Dutch company that sells food is creating robot supermarkets in the United States, Reuters has learned. The move will permit it to compete in the fast-growing business of online grocery ordering. The idea is to speed order picking, reduce delivery time, and save money.

The name of the company is Ahold Delhaize. It is based in the Netherlands and owns Peapod, Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Food Lion and other grocery stores.

Company officials are set to speak about the robot supermarket plan at an event for investors on November 13. Officials are expected to discuss their partnership with Takeoff, a new company that builds small warehouses. The Takeoff warehouses will be filled to the top with groceries, and robots will gather shoppers orders for milk, bread, fruit and other items.

Each Takeoff warehouse can supply several stores with online orders. They cost about $3 million to build. Takeoff says that is less than the cost of redesigning a grocery store.

Ahold Chief Executive Frans Muller confirmed the deal on Wednesday. He said it should help online grocery sales grow at a lower cost than they would if the company used traditional warehouses.

Aholds stock rose 5 percent on Wednesday.

Online grocery war

Aholds plan is the latest move in a war for the online grocery market. The market war has grown since Amazons takeover of Whole Foods last year. Whole Foods has launched same-day grocery delivery with Amazons Prime Now in more than 60 cities.

Other stores are hurrying to compete: Walmart will test Alert Innovations Alphabot automated grocery picking at a store in New Hampshire. Kroger has joined with British online grocery expert Ocado.

Until now, Ahold has used human workers in large warehouses to organize ordered items and put them into boxes for delivery.

At one Albert Heijn warehouse outside the Dutch city of Eindhoven, pickers each move one item every 10 seconds and walk about 4.5 kilometers a day.

Pawel Kamienczuk is a 28-year-old order worker from Poland. He runs while he tries to move 380 items an hour.

At the beginning, it took time to get used to it, but now I dont feel tired, he said.

Kamienczuk wears a device on his wrist that tells him where to go and which item to take next. The device aims to find the shortest way between groceries and to reduce blocks with other carts.

He scans each item with another device and puts it into one of 18 boxes nearby.

Efficiency is important when labor costs are rising in the United States and Europe.

At Aholds Peapod grocery store warehouse in the U.S. state of New Jersey, workers make more money if they beat speed targets. They are also closely watched to keep quality high.

We have many people that check after us, said a worker named Amal.

Peapod has offered only next-day delivery so far. The partnership with Takeoff will permit the group to offer same-day delivery, or the ability for shoppers to order their groceries online and pick them up in the store. The first warehouse will be built near a Shop & Stop in the northeastern state of Connecticut.

The U.S. online grocery market is still young. Currently, it makes up just 1.6 percent of grocery sales. However, the market is expected to more than double by 2023, according to industry research group IGD.

Im Susan Shand.

Reuters reported this story. Susan Shand adapted this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. ________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

grocery  n. food and supplies bought at a store

delivery  n. the act of taking something to a person

ecommerce  n. activities that relate to the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet

scan  v. to use a special machine to read or copy information into a computerThe rape case of an UGM student and the university's reaction is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sexual violence on campuses.

A recent article published on the website of Universitas Gadjah Madas (UGM) Balairung Press revealed the rape case of a student who has been identified by the pseudonym Agni during her Student Community Service program. Agni was sexually assaulted during her sleep by one of her group mates and it has left her severely traumatized.

When she tried to seek help and support regarding her state, instead of the sense of security and justice that she sought for, the campus turned its back on her and blamed her for being reckless. In a meeting conducted between the victim, lecturers, and UGM officials, one of the officials was quoted as saying: "if you didnt sleep in the same room as him, this would have never happened.

This case eventually caught public attention a year after it happened that UGM eventually decided to make a press statement, which has hardly alleviated the public outrage. Agnis case was clearly not the first sexual harassment case ever happened in this university, and in other universities. Its emergence is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the real issues faced by many sexual abuse victims in various universities in Indonesia.

In a highly patriarchal society like Indonesia, sexual assaults and harassment cases on campus are not rare. Whether perpetrated by fellow students, by lecturers to students, or by staffs to students. However, only a few usually come up to the surface, not only because the victims are often too traumatized to relive the events, but also because they fear reporting it will only make things worse for them. They will be blamed for the way they dress and the way they behave. Instead of gaining sympathy  which is the least people can do  they are accused of being irresponsible. Even more complicated is when the case involves university staff. Instead of getting justice, the victims are faced with the possibilities of failing or even getting expelled.

This skewed culture that exists in almost every Indonesian university has contributed to the overall rape culture, allowing sexual harassment cases to continue without justice. Sexual abuse survivors cannot get the security they seek from the campus, thus making them more reluctant to even talk about it. They are often left psychologically battered and they suffer in their studies as well as social lives.

In comparison to other universities in developed countries, it is obvious that Indonesian universities tend to take sexual violence cases lightly to the point of neglecting them at all. In the United States, educational institutions are protected by several federal laws that ensure sexual violence cases, including harassment are being seriously taken care of.

Harvard University, for example, has a Gender-Based Harassment Policy which provides a series of formal procedures on how to report such cases, and guarantees that the victims will be assisted by personal advisors. In Australia, a project regarding sexual assaults and sexual harassment of university students has been started by the Australian Human Rights Commission, encouraging victims to report their assaults. Although the implementation of these policies may not be perfect, at least something is being done to make sexual harassment and assaults victims feel that they have a place to run to.

Agnis case has opened our eyes to the pervasiveness of sexual assaults in Indonesian universities and how people easily blame the victims. Lets use this moment to fight to end rape culture in campus once and for all.

There should be a paradigmatic shift in the way institutions handle sexual violence cases. Universities need to adopt and implement strict policies regarding sexual harassment and they must end the knee-jerk victim-blaming response. They need to help bring justice for the survivors, and not be afraid to impose a just punishment on the perpetrator. Sexual harassment can no longer be treated as a mild offence by the institutions, instead, it should be regarded as a violation of law that must dealt with in a legal process.

This is also the moment for sexual assaults and harassments survivors to speak up and get help. With thousands of people at your back, you are not alone. You deserve to be heard. You deserve justice. You deserve to be respected regardless of your clothing and behavior. You deserve to fight back. Because you matter.(HealthDay)People with both diabetes and multiple clogged heart arteries live longer if they undergo bypass surgery rather than have their blood vessels reopened with stents, according to follow-up results from a landmark clinical trial.

Patients treated with coronary-artery bypass surgery survive about three years longer than those who have their blood vessels propped open with stents, researchers reported Sunday at the American Heart Association's annual meeting, in Chicago.

That's important news for about one-quarter of patients now receiving stents, because they are diabetic with many blocked arteries and would benefit more from bypass surgery, said study senior researcher Dr. Valentin Fuster. He is director of Mount Sinai Heart in New York City.

"It's a huge high-risk population in which we now can say much more categorically, we are affecting their risk of mortality," Fuster said. "This is not a trivial issue."

The findings are the final long-term follow-up to the landmark FREEDOM trial. (FREEDOM stands for Future Revascularization Evaluation in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: Optimal Management of Multivessel Disease.)

Results of the follow-up were also published online Sunday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

In 2012, the first FREEDOM results showed that diabetics with many blocked arteries had fewer heart attacks and strokes and were less likely to die if they underwent bypass surgery instead of getting a stent.

But the results for death risk alone were "borderline" by the time of the average 3.8-year follow-up, Fuster said. So researchers decided to continue tracking patients and see if a more clear benefit would emerge.

The initial trial involved 1,900 patients who randomly underwent either stenting or bypass surgery between 2005 and 2010.

During an additional five years of follow-up, about 24 percent of people who received stents died, compared with 18 percent of those who had bypass surgery.

Overall, people treated with bypass surgery had 36 percent better odds of survival.

"The results are quite significant in terms of mortality," Fuster said. "They're not borderline anymore."

Both men and women and all races saw a survival benefit from bypass surgery, but the greatest benefit was in patients younger than 65, the findings showed.

Current guidelines already call for bypass surgery in these patients, said Dr. Michael Valentine, president of the American College of Cardiology.

"I think what this does is it solidifies our current recommendations and guidelines," said Valentine, a senior cardiologist at the Stroobants Cardiovascular Center of Centra Health in Lynchburg, Va.

Stents can clog over time, and don't address widespread hardening of the arteries in these patients, Valentine and Fuster said.

"The vessels stay open longer with an arterial bypass," Valentine said.

Fuster agreed. "When you use bypass, you bypass everything. It is a safe mechanism. It is a pipe that overcomes everything," he said.

More information: Valentin Fuster, M.D., Ph.D., director, Mount Sinai Heart, Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai, and physician-in-chief, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City; Michael Valentine, M.D., senior cardiologist, Stroobants Cardiovascular Center of Centra Health, Lynchburg, Va.; Nov. 11, 2018, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, online; Nov. 11, 2018, American Heart Association annual meeting, Chicago Valentin Fuster, M.D., Ph.D., director, Mount Sinai Heart, Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai, and physician-in-chief, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City; Michael Valentine, M.D., senior cardiologist, Stroobants Cardiovascular Center of Centra Health, Lynchburg, Va.; Nov. 11, 2018,, online; Nov. 11, 2018, American Heart Association annual meeting, Chicago The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about coronary bypass surgery. Journal information: Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Copyright  2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The ward nurse wanted to be reassuring. "Your mother's got a bit of an infection and we've popped her into intensive care," she told Sarah Wilkins. (Some names have been changed.)

The update on Judy Jones, 68, was unexpected. She was recovering from surgery, having fractured her hip when she tripped on uneven pavement in the summer of 2015. "Mum was recovering slowly but steadily. Then out of the blue I got this phone call from the ward. It frightened the daylights out of me."

Sarah's fears were justified. Her mum, a retired teacher from Greater Manchester, UK, had sepsis, a life-threatening response to an infection that was spreading through her body, despite being given intravenous antibiotics.

Judy is one of hundreds of millions of people worldwide who develop a hospital-acquired infection every year. In her case, the cause, says Sarah, was a urinary catheter, also known as a Foley catheter. This is a hollow flexible tube inserted into the bladder via the urethra and held in place over time by a small balloon.

Worldwide every year millions of these devices are used to empty the bladder when patients aren't able to do so themselves. One in five hospital patients in the UK and the USA has a catheter in place at any given time (the proportion is much higher in intensive care units). And despite their routine use, they come with risks.

As detailed in NHS guidelines, the most common healthcare-acquired infections are urinary tract infections (UTIs), half of which are associated with catheters. The risk of infection is linked to a number of things, including how a patient is catheterised and for how long.

Around a third of people catheterised will develop bacteria in their urine after two to ten days, and a quarter will develop symptoms of a catheter-associated UTI (CAUTI). A small percentage of these patients will go on to develop life-threatening secondary infections, such as sepsis.

There are other possible complications. In older people, for example, CAUTIs can contribute to falls and delirium.

NHS England estimates that CAUTIs have significant associated costs due to the additional bed days and treatments they necessitate, costing the NHS up to 99 million each year, or 1,968 per episode. The NHS's guidance goes on:

"Patients are often catheterised in ways which could have been avoided through good continence care. Nearly one third of urinary catheter-days are inappropriate in medical and surgical inpatients with 26 percent of catheters inserted in Accident and Emergency having no appropriate indication, suggestive that many catheters are inserted unnecessarily."

In an average-sized hospital in the UK, it's estimated that up to 15 patients die each year from catheter-related sepsis. In Judy's case, the catheter had probably been in place for just five days when the sepsis developed.

"When she got out of surgery, she already had the catheter," Sarah says. "And she blew up when I asked her about it. It was her business and I wasn't to interfere.

"So there it was under the blankets. And I'm afraid it was a case of out of sight and out of mind. The nurse didn't mention it to me and the doctor certainly didn't. There was so much to worry about. It never occurred to me that the biggest risk to her health was the catheter."

My hairdresser was horrified when I told her what I'm writing about. Her head swung round almost full circle  as though her first thought was whether she'd get into trouble for having a client with such unsavoury interests.

It's not an unusual reaction to urinary catheterisation. People express their disgust out loud or make a face that says as much. Judy Jones, it seems, is not alone in wanting to keep her catheter under wraps. This response itself is a major health hazard, according to Milisa Manojlovich, a professor at the University of Michigan's School of Nursing and a researcher specialising in communication between doctors and nurses.

"There's a hierarchy of diseases, and catheter-associated urinary infections are at the bottom," she says. "It's not sexy and it doesn't get followers on Twitter.

"We know that it's a subject that people avoid talking about  not just patients, but doctors and nurses as well. And that's dangerous."

Manojlovich is a member of CatheterOut, a group of clinicians and scientists based at the university and the VA (Veterans Affairs) Ann Arbor Healthcare System who are committed to raising awareness of the risk of using catheters inappropriately.

"The fact is that catheter-associated UTIs are a common and costly problem but many hospitals are still not routinely using practices that are proven to prevent them," says Sanjay Saint, the University of Michigan's George Dock Professor of Internal Medicine, Chief of Medicine at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the leader of CatheterOut.

New research shows that the non-infectious complications of urinary catheters are even more common. Overall, Saint says, they are five times as common as infectious complications, with 57 per cent of patients reporting at least one complication due to the device.

These include pain, discomfort, bleeding and bladder spasms during the insertion of the catheter and while it is in place. More than a third of patients reported that their catheter restricted 'daily living."

There's no question of getting rid of catheters altogether, however. They will always be needed should the bladder be unable to contract and fully empty on its own. That said, a lot of catheter use is avoidable  most commonly when the catheter is used in place of a bedpan or to make incontinence easier for staff to manage, or because it was inserted during an operation and then left in afterwards.

For more than ten years, the CatheterOut group has campaigned to ensure that the use of every indwelling catheter is justified, to prevent painful and potentially life-threatening consequences of UTIs.

"We started by looking at every patient to see if they had a Foley," says Stacy Sivils, now Quality Improvement Coordinator at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, recalling her work as a nurse champion with the CatheterOut campaign back in 2010.

"We literally pulled up the covers. And then spoke with each nurse," she says.

"You can't say, "I am an expert." You have to be very eloquent. "Let me show you. Let's talk,"" she says. "That's how you get buy-in. Then I can have those critical conversations."

According to Lona Mody, Amanda Sanford Hickey Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, it's a matter of changing others' beliefs. "People think, "Oh it's just a catheter." You have got to change that," she says.

And change is happening, albeit slowly. National policies have been somewhat effective. In 2008, Medicare, the US national health insurance programme for over-65s and disabled people, stopped reimbursing hospitals for any treatment that was needed as a result of a CAUTI and seven other hospital-acquired infections.

But further research suggests that such measures work best when they reinforce a local initiative to introduce preventive practices, such as the University of Michigan's CatheterOut campaign. A study found a 25 per cent reduction in CAUTIs in Michigan hospitals in the year 2009/10  compared to a 6 per cent reduction in the rest of the USA.

In the UK, progress has been slower, but things are going in the right direction. Central to this success are people like Gill Davey, Continence Service Manager at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust in the West Midlands, who has been helping people use catheters safely for 21 years.

"I understand why people shy away from urinary catheters," she says. "My job is to allay their fears so that they can live independent lives, not always have to think around the toilet."

She says that of the 1,200 people with catheters living in the Dudley area, a large number had the devices put in place while they were in hospital.

"When people are discharged," Davey says, "no one knows how long the catheter should stay in  not the GP, community nurse, district nurse, continence adviser. It's been the same all over the country, with hundreds  perhaps thousands  of people living at home with catheters that are not actually needed."

It's a factor that may have contributed to the high rate of patients requiring emergency admission to hospital with a CAUTI.

A game-changer in the last few years has been a growing number of trusts introducing patient-held "catheter passports," to give patients help managing their catheters and healthcare professionals a means to monitor their use, ultimately to reduce CAUTIs.

"It's a small book but should have a major impact on reducing overuse of catheters and catheter-associated UTIs," says Davey. Despite it being around a topic that many of us would rather ignore, Davey tells me that she loves her job. "It makes such a difference to people's lives."

"The surface [of a catheter] is a perfect breeding ground for microbes," says consultant microbiologist David Partridge, Research Lead for the Directorate of Laboratory Medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Bacteria can gather on the surface and form tight-knit communities known as biofilms  "slime cities" that help protect them from the immune system and antibiotics.

Biofilms can be harmless. We're all covered in them. But they do provide a reservoir from which bacteria can escape and cause infection elsewhere. For example, if bacteria from biofilms on a catheter pass into a person's urine and then enter the bladder or kidneys, this can lead to a UTI.

For CAUTIs, doctors tend to administer antibiotics. Sometimes, though, these antibiotics just don't work. This is because, over the decades, the bacteria that cause UTIs have evolved increasing resistance to medications that used to be effective.

This resistance could prove to be deadly. The 2014 O"Neill Review estimated that a continued rise would lead to 10 million people dying from drug-resistant infections per year by 2050.

"Diagnosis is more difficult with a catheter," says Partridge. This is because you don't get the main symptoms of a urinary infection  burning when you pee and urinating frequently.

Doctors sometimes err on the side of caution, assuming, for instance, that when urine samples from a catheter grow bacteria that there is an infection, even though the culture result may simply represent bacterial colonisation of the catheter. "There's an awful lot of unnecessary use of antibiotics," says Partridge.

Every time bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, they have the opportunity to develop resistance. An analysis of more than a million UTI samples by Public Health England, carried out in 2016, showed that one in three infections is caused by bacteria that are resistant to at least one major antibiotic.

Some infections are caused by bacteria that have acquired resistance to almost all available antibiotics. When these occur they are very difficult to treat.

"In Sheffield, we've been able to manage every case either by cobbling together several different antibiotics or using older types of medication that have fallen out of favour because of unwanted side-effects," says Partridge.

However, the problem is growing. "We've massively underestimated the flexibility and evolutionary intelligence of bacteria and the way that they can share the resistance mechanisms, especially in hospitals," he says.

Certainly, new antibiotics are hard to come by. The latest addition, plazomicin (brand name ZEMDRI), was approved in June 2018 by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The use of the drug will be deliberately limited so that bacteria don't develop resistance to it. It will be held back as a last-resort treatment for patients with complicated and life-threatening UTIs.

"Unfortunately, the current business model for the pharmaceutical industry makes it very difficult to finance new antibiotics, which are designed to be used as rarely as possible for as short a time as possible," says Partridge.

"It makes more financial sense to develop new drugs that will be widely used for decades, for instance heart or diabetes drugs  even though the need for new antibiotics is huge."

But do non-specialists appreciate the seriousness  and urgency  of the problems caused by antibiotic resistance? Does the average patient, relative or carer know that it could make routine surgery, cancer treatment or even catheter use more and more risky?

Sarah Wilkins does  now. "You'd never in a million years have guessed that there was any risk at all," she says. "OK, my mum needed a catheter after the operation. The only problem was that it almost certainly gave her sepsis and that nearly killed her."

It was 2004 and materials scientist Professor Morgan Alexander was in the first year of his dream job, researching materials for healthcare applications at the University of Nottingham.

Using a system developed by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Alexander and his team were testing large libraries of combinations of monomers (the constituent units of plastics, which are polymers) to look for materials that stem cells would stick to.

"We'd found a polymer that did the job," says Alexander, who then began to wonder how else this discovery could be put to use.

He recalls having a eureka moment as he walked back to his laboratory with a colleague after lunch. "I was racking my brains to find another use for the materials discovery system. I said, "Instead of identifying materials that things stick to, what if we could find a biomaterial to which things don't stick?"

This is where the concept of controlling bacterial biofilms came from. Then, his colleague made a suggestion that cemented the change of course of Alexander's work. "He said, "Well, if you need a microbiologist, Paul Williams is working right here.""

For many years, in the very building next door to Alexander, microbiologist Professor Paul Williams had been working on how bacteria communicate. His team's breakthrough discovery came in the late 1980s, while working on the development of new antibiotics. They found that bacteria can talk to each other using signal molecules, synchronising themselves and behaving as a group rather than as single cells  something now called 'quorum sensing."

Subsequently, they discovered that quorum sensing is also used by pathogenic bacteria to cause infection, opening up an intriguing idea: what if it was possible to stop infections by blocking bacteria's ability to communicate, rather than by killing them with antibiotics?

Knowing that quorum sensing is also involved in the building of biofilms, the pair met, and Alexander soon convinced Williams to get involved in hunting for biofilm-resistant polymers that bacteria could not stick to. They decided to focus on coatings for urinary catheters.

Antimicrobial coatings for catheters, including those containing silver, were already on the market. However, not all of the claims made about their cost-effectiveness and efficacy have stood up to scrutiny.

A 2014 Cochrane Review of 26 trials involving over 40,000 patients found that silver alloy-coated catheters "were not associated with a statistically significant reduction in symptomatic catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), and are considerably more expensive."

Catheters coated with antimicrobial chemicals didn't fare much better. The review says that these may "reduce both the number of bacteria in the urine as well as the number of people having CAUTIs caused by the presence of the catheter. However, the evidence is relatively weak, and any benefit is likely to be small and hence unlikely to be meaningful to either patients or clinicians."

What's more, antimicrobial chemicals  including antibiotics  can make the situation worse. "When you try to kill bacteria, you force them to evolve," says Williams. "The way bacteria become resistant is that they either mutate or acquire new genes, and excessive use of antibiotics leads to resistance."

It's here that the new coating would have a massive advantage: it wouldn't attempt to kill the bacteria, but instead would stop biofilms forming in the first place.

And the plan appears to be working. Over a period of four years, the researchers tested more than 20,000 combinations of polymers and bacterial pathogens.

The breakthrough came when they found that bacteria could distinguish between different surfaces. They then discovered materials that showed up to a 30-fold (96.7 per cent) reduction in the surface area covered by bacteria compared to a commercial silver-containing surface.

They conclude that there is something about the closely related chemistry of these materials that means the bacteria can't or won't attach to them.

The next step was to investigate what it is about the bacteria that means they don't stick to and form biofilms on certain polymers. One method they're using to explore this is to try and make the bacteria evolve over time so that they become able to make biofilms on the polymers they previously rejected.

"Antimicrobial coatings often work well for a limited time until the bacteria develop resistance," says Williams. "We hoped to show that this does not occur with our new polymers. The good news is that it hasn't happened yet."

A urinary catheter coating made from one of these polymers now has a CE (Conformite Europeenne) marking from the European Commission, which means that it is a marketable healthcare product. The entire development process cost around 3 million, a "ridiculously small sum compared to the billions needed to produce a new drug," says Williams. And miniscule compared to the worldwide cost of treating CAUTIs.

A trial, set to involve six hospitals and around 250 patients, is currently testing the ability of the coating to prevent infections in the human body. Preliminary findings indicate that the coating does, in fact, suppress biofilm formation.

Once this trial is complete, a larger one will be needed to demonstrate the impact on infection and hospital costs.

While Judy Jones survived sepsis, with antimicrobial resistance on the rise, not everyone will be that lucky. "It's quite plausible that within decades the majority of patients with sepsis will be very difficult to treat," says Ron Daniels, a consultant in critical care at the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust in Birmingham and Chief Executive of the Sepsis Trust.

The infection, on top of the surgery, has taken its toll on Judy. She is now virtually bed-bound and has a catheter permanently in place. "We made the decision that she would go into a nursing home to get proper care," says Sarah.

Sarah's biggest regret is not challenging her mother or the medical team about the catheter. "I look at my mum sometimes and just wish I'd said something."

Explore further Remedy against superbacteria found in crowberry

Provided by Mosaic

This article first appeared on Mosaic and is republished here under a Creative Commons licence.

Treating brain tumors comes at a steep cost, especially for children. More than half of patients who endure radiation therapy for these tumors experience irreversible cognitive decline, a side-effect that has particularly damaging consequences for younger patients. Up to now, scientists had been unable to test potential strategies to prevent this problem because there were no laboratory models that faithfully captured the clinical lifecycle of brain tumors.

But in a new study published Nov. 13 in the journal eLife, UC San Francisco scientists report the first animal model of gliomathe most aggressive and most common form of brain cancer in the U.S.that can also be used to study the long-term effects of radiation therapy in tumor-bearing brains. Using this mouse model, the researchers showed that a drug that temporarily suppresses a key component of the brain's immune system can prevent radiation-associated cognitive decline.

The Cost of the Cure

The National Cancer Institute estimates that there will be nearly 24,000 new cases of brain cancer this year. According to Professor of Neurological Surgery Nalin Gupta, MD, Ph.D., radiation therapy is among the most common treatments for these malignancies, but it exacts a tremendous toll.

"Radiation treatment has a significant effect on cognitive function in both children and adults," said Gupta, chief of pediatric neurological surgery at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and co-senior author of the new study. "However, age plays a major role and radiation has a much more severe effect on young kids."

Earlier studies have found that young children may experience an eight- to 12-point drop in IQ in the years following radiation treatment. These patients may also exhibit conspicuous changes in behavior.

"If you talk to these kids, they'll speak to you normally," Gupta said. "But they'll have substantial problems with problem solving, retention of long-term memories and executive function. Some show behavioral abnormalities as wellimpulsiveness, acting out and bad temper."

To figure out why radiation therapy leads to cognitive impairment, Gupta teamed up with UCSF neuroscientist Susanna Rosi, Ph.D., an expert on the neurological effects of radiation who previously developed mouse models to study how cosmic radiation affects astronauts.

Radiation Turns Immune System from Friend to Foe

Prior work from Rosi's lab found that exposing mice to radiation led to activation of the brain's immune systemin particular, a type of cell known as microglia.

"When the brain's immune system is activated by an insult, like radiation, we generally see that microglia start to affect synapses," said Rosi, professor in the Departments of Physical Therapy and of Neurological Surgery and co-senior author of the new study.

But in mice, the same insult that activates the immune system can also cause it to go haywire.

"Activation of the immune system after an insult like radiation is initially protective," said Rosi. "But with time, instead of resolving, the activation persists and becomes deleterious to the neurons."

In these cases, microglia continue to surveil the brain but no longer limit their search to damaged areas. Instead, they begin to attack healthy brain structures, which results in cognitive impairment. The researchers thought that radiation therapy for brain tumors might be launching the immune system into overdrive in a similar way.

A New Model Emerges

Both the presence of glioma and exposure to radiation are known to activate the brain's immune system, so nobody knew whether immune cells would respond to radiation in the same way in tumor-bearing versus tumor-free brains.

"What we wanted to do in this paper is model what actually happens in patients with brain tumors when you treat those patients with radiation. To do this, we had to develop a mouse model of glioma that recapitulates what occurs in the clinic from the onset of the disease through radiation treatment and beyond," said Gupta, a member of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Though mouse models of brain cancer were already available, they harbored an intrinsic flaw: in order to introduce cancer into most mice, researchers have to shut down their immune systems. But given that the immune system plays a major role in both the glioma microenvironment and the brain's response to radiation, models that relied on these so-called immunocompromised mice would not suffice.

Gupta and Rosi devised a way to introduce gliomas into mice without shutting off their immune systems by choosing glioma cells and mouse strains with identical immune profiles, thus allowing the cancer to take hold in immunologically normal mice. Using this model, they were able to study the tumor's biology during and after treatment using a system that more accurately reflects what occurs in the clinic.

Radiation, Not Cancer, Impairs Cognition

Prior to this study, scientists didn't know whether tumors contribute to the cognitive deficits observed in cancer patients, or whether the effects arise solely from irradiation. To probe this question, the researchers performed novel object recognition (NOR) testsa way to test for cognitive deficitson two groups of glioma-bearing mice, one that received no radiation treatment, and one that did.

The NOR tests demonstrated that only the irradiated mice had problems forming new memories; the tumor itself seemed to have no effect on cognitive abilities, and Rosi said her previous research suggests an explanation.

"The hippocampusthe brain region in rodents and humans that's involved in forming new memoriesis more sensitive to radiation injuries," she explained. "We've used other tests that relate to other cortical structures, and the animals are not impaired. Radiation seems to specifically injure the brain region involved in learning and forming new memories."

A Drug Prevents Cognitive Damage

After establishing that the treatmentnot the diseasecaused cognitive impairment, the researchers figured out how to prevent the immune system from damaging parts of the brain after radiation therapy.

Rosi's lab had previously shown that a compound called PLX5622, developed by Berkeley, Calif.-based Plexxikon Inc., prevents cognitive damage when administered prior to irradiation. The compound acts by inhibiting a receptor in the brain called CSF-1R, which normally activates the brain's immune system after an injury.

"By using this compound to deplete the immune system at the time of irradiation and allowing it to repopulate on its own afterwards, microglia are no longer primed to alter synapses. If we do this, we can prevent neuronal damage and consequently, prevent the cognitive deficits that develop over time after irradiation," Rosi said.

The researchers administered this compound to tumor-bearing mice prior to radiation treatment and found that they could shrink the tumor without impairing cognitiona result with profound clinical significance if it could be replicated in human patients.

"Ideally, we'd be able to provide this compound to patients prior to their scheduled treatment and prevent cognitive deficits form forming in the first place," Gupta said, adding that he and Rosi hope to move this work into clinical trials.

Another Plexxikon compound that also targets CSF-1R is now being tested in several clinical trials, said Gupta, "and once a drug has completed Phase I trials for another disease, it's relatively easy to get approval to repurpose it for a separate use if you have evidence of its efficacywhich is what we hope our research can provide."

Explore further Deep space radiation treatment reboots brain's immune system

More information: Xi Feng et al. Rescue of cognitive function following fractionated brain irradiation in a novel preclinical glioma model, eLife (2018). Journal information: eLife Xi Feng et al. Rescue of cognitive function following fractionated brain irradiation in a novel preclinical glioma model,(2018). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.38865Micrograph showing emphysema (left  large empty spaces) and lung tissue with relative preservation of the alveoli (right). Credit: Wikipedia

Only a tiny fraction of patients hospitalized for COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, participate in a pulmonary rehabilitation program following hospitalization, even though such programs are recommended and Medicare covers their cost, according to new research published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

In "Participation in Pulmonary Rehabilitation Following Hospitalization for COPD among Medicare Beneficiaries," Kerry A. Spitzer, Ph.D., MPA, and co-authors report that in 2012 only 1.9 percent of COPD patients nationally started a pulmonary rehabilitation within six months of being hospitalized for a COPD exacerbation. This despite the fact that two years earlier Medicare's policy changed to provide coverage for pulmonary rehabilitation services, effectively offering pulmonary rehabilitation to millions of U.S. patients for the first time.

COPD is a chronic disease and the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. Pulmonary rehabilitation provides exercise training, self-management advice, nutrition counseling and emotional support. Despite its proven benefits, an ATS-commissioned survey by Wakefield Research found that 62 percent of people diagnosed with COPD have never heard of pulmonary rehabilitation.

The patient-tailored intervention has been shown to improve physical and psychological well-being and quality of life. Other studies have shown that pulmonary rehabilitation reduces COPD exacerbations that often lead to hospitalization. Clinical guidelines recommend that patients begin pulmonary rehabilitation within three weeks following discharge from the hospital.

According to study senior author Peter Lindenauer, MD, MSc, a hospitalist at Baystate Medical Center and director of the Institute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, there has been growing recognition of the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation.

As hospitals and health systems, like ours, increase efforts to keep patients with COPD healthy and out of the hospital, we have prioritized enrolling patients into our rehabilitation program prior to hospital discharge," Dr. Lindeauer said. "As a result, we are seeing improvements in readmission rates among patients with COPD."

After reviewing the records of 223,832 patients hospitalized for COPD in 2012, the researchers found:

4,225 (1.9 percent) received pulmonary rehabilitation within six months of being discharged from the hospital.

6,111 (2.7 percent) received pulmonary rehabilitation within one year of being discharged from the hospital.

Whites, males, younger patients and those on home oxygen were more likely to receive pulmonary rehabilitation.

Smokers and those living farther than 10 miles away from a pulmonary rehabilitation program, belonging to lower socioeconomic groups and coping with additional chronic diseases and prior hospitalizations were less likely to receive pulmonary rehabilitation.

Among those who started pulmonary rehabilitation, more than half completed at least 16 sessions. Medicare will typically pay for up to 36 sessions.

Study limitations include the fact that researchers could not determine whether the low rates of pulmonary rehabilitation utilization were due to lack of physician referrals, patients choosing not to attend or a combination of the two factors.Dr. Spitzer, the lead study author and senior clinical research coordinator at Baystate, believes more research is needed to understand why patients are not receiving pulmonary rehabilitation.

"Unfortunately, many patients face multiple barriers to participating, such as family responsibilities or transportation, and participation rates are especially low among vulnerable populations," she said. "We have a lot learn about how hospitals can help address these challenges."

Explore further Pulmonary rehabilitation and improvement in exercise capacity improve survival in COPD

More information: Kerry A Spitzer et al, Participation in Pulmonary Rehabilitation Following Hospitalization for COPD among Medicare Beneficiaries, Annals of the American Thoracic Society (2018). Kerry A Spitzer et al, Participation in Pulmonary Rehabilitation Following Hospitalization for COPD among Medicare Beneficiaries,(2018). DOI: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201805-332OCDublin, Ireland: Treatment with capivasertib, a drug designed to work against a particular gene mutation found in some tumours, shows signs of being effective in a trial of 35 patients presented today (Tuesday) at the 30th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Dublin, Ireland.

The phase 2 trial (EAY131-Y) is part of a larger USA study, called NCI-MATCH (EAY131), that aims to determine whether cancer patients can be treated successfully by selecting therapies that target gene abnormalities found in their tumours, rather than by cancer type.

Researchers say their results provide further evidence that the approach of tailoring treatment according to tumour genes could offer more effective treatments for individual patients in the future. The more traditional approach is to treat patients based on what has worked in the past for other patients with the same type of cancer.

The research was presented by Dr. Kevin Kalinsky, Assistant Professor of Medicine, New York Presbyterian-Columbia University Irving Medical Centre, USA. He explained: "Capivasertib can be taken by mouth and it's a type of drug called an AKT inhibitor. This means it binds to a molecule called AKT that has mutated a change that plays a role in helping cancer cells grow. In a prior phase 2 study, capivasertib has shown potential in treating an aggressive form of breast cancer.

"In this trial, we wanted to see if capivasertib could be used in patients with any type of cancer whose tumours have the mutation that leads the AKT molecule to become over-active and make the cancer grow."

Patients were selected by having the cells from their tumours tested. Each of the 35 patients in the trial was carrying the AKT mutation in the cells of their tumour. Although this mutation occurs in several different types of cancer, overall it is rare. Researchers found the mutation in 1.3% of patients (70 of 5548) tested centrally in the NCI-MATCH trial.

In all patients on the EAY131-Y study, the cancer had spread to other parts of the body, and most had already received three or more previous treatments. The patients were treated with capivasertib, taken by mouth twice a day, in weekly cycles of four days with treatment and three days without treatment.

Patients' tumours were measured by imaging, such as CT scans, before and after treatment. In the best confirmed responses, the tumour reduced in size in eight patients (23%), and in 16 patients (46%) the tumour did not grow but did not shrink either. In three patients (9%), the tumour grew.

Researchers observed the following side effects from the drug, saying that physicians should carefully manage these in patients being treated with capivasertib: high blood sugar, fatigue, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, and skin rash.

Dr. Kalinsky said: "Overall, 23% of the patients in our trial experienced a positive response, which was defined as tumour shrinkage from before they started capivasertib. We determined in advance that if 16% of patients experienced this response from the treatment, it would be a signal to move the drug on to a larger trial. This is a positive finding in a trial with patients whose cancers continued to grow despite previous treatments."

Researchers estimate that, six months after the treatment, the percentage of patients alive and without their tumours growing was 52%.

"This study is a limited but important piece of evidence. More trials are needed to learn the benefit in each tumour type and to understand why some patients did not have a response while others had a prolonged time without tumour growth," Dr. Kalinsky added.

Professor Charles Swanton of the Francis Crick Institute, London, UK, is scientific co-chair of the EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium and was not involved in the research. He said: "Although we understand more than ever about the role of genes in different cancers, there is still a lack of evidence on using this knowledge to guide treatments and improve patient survival. Outside of a trial setting, this approach is not widely available.

"This study is a small but important piece of evidence and it's part of a larger study that will help us move towards more personalised cancer treatments.

"This trial approach is particularly important for those with rarer cancers where we know less about which treatments are most effective and conducting patient trials is difficult."

Explore further Tumour immune cells could aid cancer therapies, study shows

Provided by ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation(HealthDay)People who overdose on opioids have one lifeline, the drug naloxone, but two new studies find that many pharmacies won't offer this lifesaving antidote without a doctor's blessing.

Though many states have passed laws mandating that naloxone be made available without a prescription, researchers from California found that fewer than 25 percent of pharmacies in that state would give the drug without a prescription. And in the second study from Texas, investigators found that although 8 in 10 drugstores would dispense the drug, less than 7 in 10 had naloxone in stock.

Why? A lack of training, a lack of desire to make room for the drug on their shelves, and outright moral objections to giving an opioid user a medication that might encourage drug abuse, the scientists said.

"We have an opioid crisis in our country, and we have a large number of opioid overdose deaths, about half of which are due to prescription opioids," said Talia Puzantian, lead researcher of the first study, and associate professor of clinical sciences at Keck Graduate Institute School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Claremont, Calif.

People getting prescriptions for these narcotic painkillers may not think they are at risk for overdosing, she said. "But these drugs have significant safety issues," Puzantian said.

Part of a pharmacist's role is to educate patients about the dangers of opioids and make naloxone available when they think the patients may be at risk for an overdose, she said. These include people who are taking high doses of the painkillers or are mixing them with other drugs that can increase the risk.

Since 2016, California law has allowed pharmacists to provide naloxone without a prescription.

For the California study, Puzantian and her colleagues called more than 1,100 pharmacies asking if they would provide naloxone without a physician's prescription. Fewer than 25 percent said they would. Of those, only about 50 percent stocked nasal spray naloxone, the researchers found.

Puzantian said that pharmacists need to be taught about the law allowing them to give patients naloxone without a prescription.

In addition, they need to have the drug on hand. Many pharmacies that don't stock naloxone said they didn't have the shelf space, given all the other more popular drugs they need to carry and the low demand for naloxone.

Some pharmacists have a moral objection to providing drugs to opioid users, Puzantian said. They believe that it only encourages drug abuse, but that's not the case, she said.

"Opioid overdoses don't only occur in people using heroin, so patients should talk with their pharmacists about whether they are at risk for overdose and whether they might be a good candidate for having naloxone on hand," Puzantian said.

In the second study, researchers led by Kirk Evoy, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin, studied the availability of naloxone at chain pharmacies in the state. Texas also allows pharmacists to provide the drug without a prescription.

Of the 2,300 drugstores contacted, 84 percent said they would provide the drug, but only 69 percent had it on their shelves. The nasal spray form of the drug was the one most commonly available, the researchers found.

In drugstores that had the drug in stock and would provide it without a prescription, patients could walk into the pharmacy without having seen a doctor and obtain naloxone the same day in approximately 70 percent of the chain pharmacies contacted, Evoy said.

Although chain stores like CVS and Walmart stock naloxone, more need to make the drug available, he said.

"Hopefully, this study serves as a call to action for community pharmacies to better educate their pharmacists and support staff regarding naloxone access laws and company policies regarding naloxone dispensing," Evoy said.

Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, director of screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said the public also needs to be educated about naloxone.

"We need to encourage education for the community, schools and hospitals to relieve apprehensions one may feel in going directly to a pharmacy to get naloxone," said Kapoor, who was not involved with the studies.

It might be that people feel uncomfortable asking for naloxone because of fear or the stigma associated with opioid use, he said.

"We should continue identifying barriers to utilization and focus efforts to further normalize and destigmatize substance use disorder," Kapoor said.

The reports were published Nov. 13 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Explore further Naloxone rarely administered by layperson in opioid deaths

More information: Talia Puzantian, Pharm.D., associate professor, clinical sciences, Keck Graduate Institute School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Claremont, Calif.; Kirk Evoy, Pharm.D., clinical assistant professor, University of Texas at Austin; Sandeep Kapoor, M.D., director, screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment, Northwell Health, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; Nov. 13, 2018, Journal of the American Medical Association Talia Puzantian, Pharm.D., associate professor, clinical sciences, Keck Graduate Institute School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Claremont, Calif.; Kirk Evoy, Pharm.D., clinical assistant professor, University of Texas at Austin; Sandeep Kapoor, M.D., director, screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment, Northwell Health, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; Nov. 13, 2018, Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on opioid overdoses. Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association

Copyright  2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.Children's Hospital Colorado (Children's Colorado) pediatric gastroenterologist, Michael Narkewicz, MD, recently shared results of the Prospective Study of Ultrasound to Predict Hepatic Cirrhosis in Cystic Fibrosis (PUSH), which sought to determine if liver ultrasounds could identify children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis who are at greater risk of developing advanced liver disease. The Cystic Fibrosis Liver Disease Network PUSH study is a multicenter prospective observational clinical trial that tested the hypothesis that a heterogeneous pattern (i.e., not totally uniform) on a liver ultrasound predicts the subsequent development of cirrhosis, late advanced stage of scarring (fibrosis) of the liver. Dr. Narkewicz presented the study results at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference after four years of research that was funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Advanced liver disease is a complication that affects about seven percent of all individuals with cystic fibrosis and is the third leading cause of death in cystic fibrosis. Primarily, this is a complication that affects children and adolescents, with 10 years of age marking the average age of diagnosis. To date, there is no test that can identify children at risk for developing advanced liver disease.

The team enrolled 744 children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis who did not have known advanced liver disease. All subjects underwent a research ultrasound of the liver that was scored by four independent study radiologists. Those with a heterogeneous ultrasound pattern of the liver and two matched controls with a normal pattern received follow-up ultrasounds every other year.

At the end of four years of follow-up, the team found that individuals with heterogeneous ultrasound patterns had a 9.3 times increased risk of developing advanced liver disease. 25% of the individuals with a heterogeneous pattern developed advanced liver disease within four years.

"This is the first study to identify a tool to classify a group of children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis who are at high risk for developing advanced liver disease," said Dr. Narkewicz. "This is an important discovery that provides an opportunity to continue testing interventions that might slow or stop that progression. This also might have relevance for screening in routine clinical care."

Dr. Narkewicz and his team are further refining the prediction model using lab tests and other innovative diagnostic tests that are part of the ongoing network studies. This sets up the possibility of designing trials for interventions to try to prevent the development of advanced liver disease in more cystic fibrosis patients.

Explore further Altered microbiome linked to liver disease in adolescents with cystic fibrosis

Provided by Children's Hospital Colorado(HealthDay)There's bad news for heart failure patients with dilated cardiomyopathy who'd like to stop taking their meds.

Any progress they've seen on medication is likely to fade once they stop taking their heart drugs, new clinical trial results show.

About 40 percent of a small group of patients wound up back on their medications after their heart function faltered, said lead researcher Brian Halliday. He's a cardiovascular research fellow with Imperial College London.

"Improvement in function represents remission rather than permanent improvement for many patients," Halliday explained.

The hearts of people with dilated cardiomyopathy can't pump strong enough because the left ventricle of their heart has become stretched out and thin-walled.

Several different types of medicationsdiuretics, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs)can help the heart beat improve.

But these drugs can place a financial strain on patients and come with a host of side effects, Halliday said. Patients with recovered heart function often ask whether they can drop their meds.

To see whether this could be possible, Halliday and his colleagues recruited 51 heart failure patients to have their heart meds gradually withdrawn.

The patients received regular clinical reviews, followed by an evaluation at six months.

Around four out of 10 patients relapsed during the drug-withdrawal period, and had to be placed back on medication immediately.

"They did seem to recover when we put them back on medications very quickly," Halliday said.

About half of patients completed the follow-up period without needing to go back on meds, the researchers reported.

The findings were presented Sunday at the American Heart Association annual meeting, in Chicago. Such research is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

These results show that "we should tread lightly" when patients ask to be taken off their heart medications, said Dr. Jane Wilcox, an assistant professor of cardiology with Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.

For the patients who relapsed, their heart failure came back "within just eight weeks of withdrawal of medication. Eight weeks. Two months," Wilcox said.

"The question of recovery versus remission has potentially been answered by this pilot study. Currently, in 2018, we have no true signature of recovery," Wilcox said. "These patients indeed are in cardiac remission."

Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones is chair of preventive medicine at Northwestern. The study helps inform "an incredibly important clinical question that comes up all the time," he said.

"It does push us down the path of trying to understand better which patients in the future we might want to select for withdrawal of drug therapy, because no patient wants to be on more medications than they need to be," Lloyd-Jones said. "For the time being, this class of patients is going to have to maintain their medications until we understand more."

Explore further Heart failure therapy improves outcomes for patients with acute illness

More information: Brian Halliday, Ph.D., cardiovascular research fellow, Imperial College London; Jane Wilcox, M.D., assistant professor, cardiology, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D., chair, preventive medicine, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; Nov. 11, 2018, presentation, American Heart Association annual meeting, Chicago Brian Halliday, Ph.D., cardiovascular research fellow, Imperial College London; Jane Wilcox, M.D., assistant professor, cardiology, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D., chair, preventive medicine, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; Nov. 11, 2018, presentation, American Heart Association annual meeting, Chicago For more on dilated cardiomyopathy, visit the American Heart Association.

Copyright  2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.Two more children at a Wanaque medical facility were diagnosed over the weekend with adenovirus, which has killed 10 medically fragile children at the facility since the outbreak began in late September, health officials reported.

The two children bring the total number of pediatric cases at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation to 33.

That news is especially concerning to a mother of an 18-year-old who is recovering from the virus at a nearby hospital and is scheduled to return to the center this week. She is afraid her daughter will get sick again.

"I don't want her to go back, but it's the only facility that's available," the mother said Monday morning.

The mother, who lives in New York City and spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her family's privacy, has been at her daughter's bedside at St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson for a week.

"If I could take her back home with me, I would," she said. "She's medically stable. She got though this. But now she has to go back."

The Health Department won't divulge how many sickened children are still at the Wanaque Center and how many have been taken to hospitals. But the two new cases confirm that the virus is still spreading among residents of the facility's ventilator unit.

Born with cerebral palsy, the 18-year-old has been a resident of Wanaque for six years following an episode of cardiac arrest that put her into a vegetative state.

The mother visited her daughter on Nov. 5 and became concerned that there were yellowish secretions coming out of her daughter's mouth. She called the next day and was told the secretions were still present, and that her daughter had developed a temperature that reached 99.6 degrees.

Fearing that her daughter could have contracted adenovirus, the mother pressed staff members to take her daughter to a hospital.

They finally did at 1 a.m. Monday, Nov. 5. The level of oxygen in the 18-year-old's bloodstream plummeted and she was given 80 percent pure oxygen in the emergency room to help restore those levels, the mother said.

Her daughter was diagnosed later that day with adenovirus. She developed pneumonia as a secondary infection. Her blood pressure and blood sugar spiked through the week, her mother said.

The daughter had stabilized by Friday afternoon. By Monday morning, doctors had told the mother that her daughter had improved so much that she could be discharged back to Wanaque by Tuesday.

Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the state health commissioner, has been reluctant to move recovering residents to other facilities fearing they could possibly spread the virus to another facility. Complicating things further: there are only four pediatric nursing homes in New Jersey. Wanaque and another facility in Voorhees have adenovirus outbreaks, and the other two are at capacity with significant waiting lists.

An outbreak is considered over when two consecutive two-week incubation periods have passed. If no new cases are identified, the outbreak will be deemed over in the second full week of December.

Meanwhile, health officials reported that another child was sickened with a milder form of adenovirus at a long-term care facility in Vorhees. That brings the total number of cases to eight at that facility. No one has died there.

Explore further 10th patient dies at pediatric facility in viral outbreak

2018 The Record (Hackensack, N.J.)

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Credit: CC0 Public Domain

It's a scene that's become all too familiar in American culture.

People enjoying a night out or simply going about their day. There is a common denominator: They're in a crowd.

Suddenly, there's a pop. Another pop. And then more in rapid succession. People begin scattering when they realize that a horrible event is happening.

With each new mass shooting at a school, restaurant, house of worship or other public place, people  of any agecan become numb to the news of the event. Or they can watch the news footage repeatedly, become fearful and begin to dread going out in public.

Susan Kersey, a clinical assistant professor at the Purdue University School of Nursing and director of the Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program, provides these tips to combat any anxiety tied to mass shootings, natural disasters or issues of public safety.

Reduce your exposure to media. "It's a 24/7 cycle that sends a message that you are not safe. It begins to make you think that you aren't safe out in the world," Kersey said.

Take control of the situation, such as knowing your surroundings, and entry and exit points. "We can't control what other people do. You can control what you do."

Take a safety class through a local law enforcement agency or workplace. "You can prepare yourself for events and know how to respond and keep yourself safe."

Aspects include reviewing workplace safety measures or working with others to implement changes in your workplace. "Following up with safety policies helps to replace fearful thoughts with, 'I've done everything I can to prepare for an event.'"

If a person is still facing anxiety, Kersey said to use cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to help control the anxiety. A person can counter the thoughts with evidence that it would be extremely rare if something were to happen directly to you. Another exercise is to take three deep breaths and remind yourself, "I am safe. I can handle what comes my way."

One's upbringing, genetics and temperament can also affect how one responds to an event that is experienced firsthand or those who watch or read about the event through trusted media sources.

"If you have personally experienced a tragic event  even for the short-term, you should ask for help. You should seek out a therapist who has experience helping trauma survivors," Kersey said. "Most people with anxiety experience fear. Most people are resilient."

If the anxiety persists, Kersey encourages people to seek help and talk to professionals about the issue. "You don't have to suffer alone. There is help for you."

Explore further What mass shootings do to those not shot: Social consequences of mass gun violence(HealthDay)If your 6-month-old still wakes up at 2 a.m., a new study suggests you don't lose any additional sleep worrying about it.

Even if she's still not getting six to eight hours of uninterrupted shut-eye at night by her first birthday, it doesn't mean your baby isn't developing normally.

And, rest assured, it probably won't hurt your child's thinking, language or motor skills later on, Canadian researchers report.

"If you've been told by your nurse or a friend that your baby should be sleeping through, on top of being tired, you probably feel like a failure," said study author Marie-Helene Pennestri, an assistant professor of psychology at McGill University in Montreal.

"Sleeping through the night is a developmental process, like walking or talkingit's not straightforward," she added. "There's a wide variation when an infant will sleep through."

Though new parents often expect baby to sleep through the night by 6 months of age, a large percentage do not, the study revealed. In fact, many healthy, typically developing babies still don't at 12 months of age.

At 6 months old, 38 percent of babies in the study weren't yet sleeping at least six straight hours at night and 57 percent weren't staying asleep eight hours, according to their mothers' reports.

At 12 months, 28 percent still weren't sleeping six hours straight, and 43 percent weren't sleeping eight hours.

Though babies who slept through the night were less likely to be breast-fed, the study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, Pennestri said.

The researchers also found no evidence of later developmental lags in babies who woke at nightand no increased risk for depression among their mothers.

"Sleeping enough is importanteverybody knows that," Pennestri said. "But there's a clear distinction between sleeping through the night and total sleep duration, which is total sleep during the night and the day. It's important to talk about sleep so parents can have more realistic expectations."

Between 4 and 11 months of age, babies need 12 to 15 hours of shut-eye, according to the National Sleep Foundation. For most, that includes two to three naps a day.

The report was published online Nov. 12 in Pediatrics.

The findings should be a wake-up call for parents who may have the wrong idea about what it means to "sleep like a baby," an Oregon pediatric sleep specialist said.

"The positive for me is it really validated that night wakenings are normal in healthy infants at age 6 and 12 months," said Dr. Elizabeth Super of OHSU-Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland. "It normalizes that some kids are sleeping through, but not most of them."

But the study has limitations, Super said.

For one thing, the findings are based on reports from mothers, not on objective measures of sleep such as brain waves, she pointed out.

Plus, the sample was small388 6-month-olds and 369 12-month-oldsand Super said, researchers didn't look at how their sleep habits affected their day-to-day alertness, mood or language acquisition.

Pennestri said a follow-up is underway. Among other things, it will look at breastfeeding and nighttime sleep, as well as how much sleep overall babies and mothers are getting.

Meanwhile, both Pennestri and Super urged bleary-eyed parents to relax.

Those who for personal reasonssuch as returning to work outside the homeneed their babies to sleep longer at night can ask a professional about behavioral sleep training. It includes strategies like letting baby fuss instead of responding immediately to his cries, which can help him learn to self-soothe and fall back asleep on his own.

"We can always work on healthy sleep habits," Super said.

She suggests a consistent routine for babiesstarting with a bath, massage, story or song, and a bedtime before 9 p.m. every night. For safety, always put babies on their back to sleep. Use a firm mattress and keep it free of pillows, soft bedding and stuffed toys, Super said. Light clothing is best.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends infants sleep in the same roombut not the same bedwith parents for the first 12 months of life.

Jodi Mindell, a clinical psychologist at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, is co-author of an editorial that accompanied Pennestri's study.

It noted that research yields no consistent answers to the question: Does sleep matter to infants?

"The answers likely depend on targeted questions that involve complex relationships and assess day-to-day functioning in young children and their families," she wrote. "Thus, the jury is still out."

Explore further Sleep disruption for breastfed babies is temporary

More information: Marie-Helene Pennestri et al, Uninterrupted Infant Sleep, Development, and Maternal Mood, Pediatrics (2018). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2017-4330 Marie-Helene Pennestri et al, Uninterrupted Infant Sleep, Development, and Maternal Mood,(2018). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2017-4330 The National Sleep Foundation has more about babies' sleep needs. Journal information: Pediatrics

Copyright  2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Opioid-related overdoses and deaths remain a major public health concern in Massachusetts, yet adolescents who experience opioid-related nonfatal overdose (NFOD) have been rarely studied. Using public data, Brigham investigators recently unearthed several important ways in which the opioid crisis is playing out differently among young people versus adults.

Performed in collaboration with colleagues at the Boston University School of Medicine and Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the analysis examined data on adolescents in Massachusetts, ages 11 to 17, who experienced an opioid-related nonfatal overdose between 2012 and 2014. In addition to understanding how prevalent these events were in young people compared to adults, researchers also found differences in how adolescents receive medication to treat opioid use disorder after experiencing a nonfatal overdose. The team's results were recently published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Among the findings were that adolescent girls were more likely to experience an opioid-related nonfatal overdosethe opposite of what has been observed in adultsalthough the reasons for this remain unclear. Additionally, investigators discovered these events were, overall, far less common in young people in the period studied, occurring in 195 adolescents versus 22,311 adults.

"This evidence will help guide the conversation about adolescent opioid abuse. In a lot of ways, this study raises more questions than answers, such as why more adolescent girls are overdosing than boys," said Avik Chatterjee, MD, MPH, first author and associate epidemiologist in the Division of Global Health Equity at the Brigham. "The ability to bring attention to a population that has been understudied with regard to the opioid epidemic will help researchers and physicians explore ways to treat this epidemic in adolescence."

An opioid-related nonfatal overdose occurs when an individual uses an opioid, sometimes in conjunction with other drugs, and becomes mentally altered or sedated to the point that immediate, lifesaving treatment is necessary.

"A nonfatal overdose might be an opportunity to intervene," said Chatterjee. "People are using opioids so much that they are at risk of dying, so this could be a time when health care professionals could step in and help the person obtain treatment before a fatal overdose occurs."

To examine the adolescent and adult NFOD rates in Massachusetts, researchers analyzed data from 2012 to 2014, pooled from the entire state as part of Chapter 55 of the Acts of 2015. This dataset represents 98 percent of Massachusetts residents and includes non-identifiable medical information from hospitals, ambulance systems, substance-use systems, health insurance companies and homeless shelters.

Researchers were interested in examining whether adolescents received medicationmethadone, buprenorphine or naltrexoneto treat an opioid use disorder within 12 months of experiencing a nonfatal overdose. They found that only 8 percent of adolescents were prescribed one of these medications within a year of the overdose.

"Adolescents have not received as much focus as adults in the opioid crisis," said senior author Sarah Bagley, MD, an assistant professor and primary care physician at Boston Medical Center. "However, these data illustrate that in Massachusetts, adolescents have not been spared and that they are not receiving timely treatment."

The authors note that these numbers may be low because many people now have access to opioid overdose reversal drugs outside of a health care setting.

"This analysis took advantage of a unique tool developed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) to enable us to access linked, multi-year data for analysis of fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses, as well as for other health priorities and trends," said Dana Bernson, DPH Assistant Director, Special Analytic Projects. "These results highlight the importance of our partnerships with researchers from academic, non-profit, private and government agencies in using data to respond to the opioid epidemic."

Explore further Methadone and buprenorphine decrease mortality after nonfatal overdose

More information: Avik Chatterjee et al. Non-fatal opioid-related overdoses among adolescents in Massachusetts 20122014, Drug and Alcohol Dependence (2018). Journal information: Drug and Alcohol Dependence Avik Chatterjee et al. Non-fatal opioid-related overdoses among adolescents in Massachusetts 20122014,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.09.020(HealthDay)Heavyset folks who exercise regularly shouldn't get discouraged if they can't seem to shed more weight, no matter how hard they try.

A new study suggests that their regular workouts are still contributing to better overall heart health, making them "fat but fit" and helping them live longer.

People who are obese-but-fit have lower resting pulse rates, less body fat, higher lean muscle mass and better heart function than those who are obese and don't regularly exercise, according to the findings.

"The cultural and clinical practice should start shifting from not just focusing on weight loss for health benefits, but really promoting and maintaining a certain exercise levelbuilding up your cardiorespiratory fitness so you can run longer, go up more flights of stairs," said lead researcher Dr. Grace Liu. She is an assistant professor with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

"That itself, even if you don't lose weight, is going to lead to beneficial changes that end up leading to you having a longer life span," Liu said.

The study findings were presented Saturday at the American Heart Association annual meeting, in Chicago. Research presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Previous research has shown that higher fitness is associated with lower risk of heart-related death, even in the obese, Liu said. It's also been shown that people who are obese-but-fit can have a comparable life span to fit people of normal weight.

For the new study, Liu and her colleagues compared two different groups of obese people who participated in the Dallas Heart Study, a long-term research effort aimed at improving diagnosis, prevention and treatment of heart disease.

The investigators used data gathered for the study to identify nearly 1,100 participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, which is the technical definition of obesity.

The researchers then sorted the obese people based on stress tests that revealed their VO2 max, a measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen a person can utilize during intense exercise.

There were 716 people who qualified as obese and fit based on stress tests, and 356 qualified as obese and unfit.

Obese-but-fit people had 44 percent lower pulse rates, 37 percent better heart function and 43 percent lower body fat than those who were obese and unfit, the findings showed. The obese-but-fit participants also had BMIs that were 37 percent lower than those who didn't work out.

These results should be encouraging to people who started exercising to lose weight but have been unable to keep losing it, Liu said.

"The majority of the people reach a plateau where they no longer lose weight even though they're still active and exercising, and trying to build up their fitness," Liu said. "At that point, even if you stay the same weight, you're still gaining the benefits of having higher fitness."

Much of the benefit these people gain is from increasing their lean muscle mass, said Dr. Salim Virani, an associate professor of cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Muscle weighs more than fat, and it provides a significant boost to your metabolism, said Virani, chair of the American College of Cardiology's Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Council.

"Muscles are very good at taking care of excess sugars in your blood," decreasing your risk of diabetes and its heart-related complications, Virani explained.

"Even if you are obese, there is a lot of hope by becoming physically fit," Virani said. "Just being physically active adds a lot of mileage in terms of cardiovascular health. It's not all about losing weight. There's a lot more to becoming physically active."

Explore further Progression of obesity influences risk of diabetes over life course

More information: Grace Liu, M.D., assistant professor, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Salim Virani, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor, cardiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; Nov. 10, 2018, presentation, American Heart Association annual meeting, Chicago Grace Liu, M.D., assistant professor, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Salim Virani, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor, cardiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; Nov. 10, 2018, presentation, American Heart Association annual meeting, Chicago For more on overweight and obesity, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Copyright  2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.A new study shows that food insecurity in pregnant women being treated for opioid use disorder may be associated with increased risk for their infants receiving pharmacologic treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome. Published in Addiction, the Boston Medical Center study indicates that screening for food insecurity in pregnant women who are being treated with opioid agonist therapy (methadone or buprenorphine) for an opioid use disorder could be one way to decrease the severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome in their infants.

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is an opioid withdrawal syndrome that occurs after in-utero opioid exposure. Approximately 50 to 80 percent of infants exposed to methadone or buprenorphine in-utero are treated pharmacologically for NAS, with an average length of hospitalization of 23 days nationally when medication is required. In addition, it is well documented that food insecurity during pregnancy in the general population is associated with negative maternal and child outcomes including gestational diabetes for the mother, and developmental risk and chronic disease for the child.

The prospective cohort study included 75 pregnant women attending an integrated prenatal care and addiction treatment program for opioid use disorder at an urban academic medical center. The women were interviewed during the third trimester about their demographics, food insecurity and depression. After birth, the infants were managed with the hospital standard of care including rooming-in with their mothers and monitoring for NAS with pharmacological treatment per hospital guidelines. Breastfeeding was encouraged in women who were stable on their opioid agonist medication.

More than 57 percent of the mothers included in the study reported that they experienced food insecurity during pregnancy. Additional analyses showed that there was a three to four-fold increase in receipt of pharmacologic treatment for NAS for infants whose mothers were food insecure versus food secure.

"To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine whether there is a relationship between food insecurity in pregnant women receiving opioid agonist treatment and increased risk for the infant to receive pharmacological treatment for NAS severity," said lead author Ruth Rose-Jacobs, ScD, from the department of pediatrics at both BMC and Boston University School of Medicine. "While the mechanisms behind variation in NAS severity is complex and not well understood, screening tools and interventions for food insecurity are known and available."

The authors note that screening for food insecurity and providing food security interventions within comprehensive prenatal treatment for women with opioid use disorders and as an adjunct to other NAS interventions might decrease NAS severity and improve long-term infant and mother outcomes."

Explore further Opioid-affected births to rural residents increase in rural and urban hospitals

Provided by Boston Medical CenterThe sharp and sudden pain from an aortic dissection, along with the emergency treatment that follows, can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder years later, a new study finds.

An aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition in which a tear in the wall of the aortathe major artery carrying blood out of the heartallows blood to rush between the wall's layers. Most people who have one say they feel a sudden ripping or stabbing chest pain that sometimes spreads to the back. It is usually treated with surgery and medication.

In a study of aortic dissection patients treated at the Cleveland Clinic, researchers reached out to 295 people with an online survey that included four questions commonly used to screen for PTSD.

Patients were asked whether they startled easily, or felt constantly on guard since their dissection. They also were asked about feeling numb or detached from others, whether they had nightmares or unwelcome thoughts about their dissection, or if they went out of their way to avoid situations that reminded them of it.

About 44 percent of those surveyed, or 129 people, answered all four screening questions. Of that group, 22 percent screened positive for PTSD. The results "absolutely shocked" researchers, said Selena Pasadyn, a medical student at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and the study's lead investigator.

"We're advancing a lot in our care for these patients. We're able to get them through this acute event, but it's also our responsibility as physicians to think about their long-term quality of life," Pasadyn said. "This is a cry to physicians to consider PTSD, to screen for it, and to refer and treat appropriately."

She said she also hopes to raise awareness among patients so they can become better advocates for themselves.

"They need to be aware that they may feel watchful. They may feel on guard or startled," she said. "They need to know these are normal feelings, but they're also treatable feelings."

The average age of the patient responding to the survey was 54, and the average time that had passed since their aortic dissection was about seven years, she said.

The findings were presented Saturday at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions conference, in Chicago.

While the study is one of only a few to look specifically at aortic dissection patients, related research has found that about 15 to 25 percent of heart attack and stroke survivors also screen positive for PTSD, said Donald Edmondson, director of Columbia University's Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health in New York City.

An aortic dissection has all of the characteristics of a PTSD-inducing cardiovascular event, he said.

"Any type of event that is sudden onset, highly painful, and life-threatening has the potential to cause PTSD," said Edmondson, who was not involved in the new study. "But what's unique and special about medical events like this is that unlike combat or sexual assault, where people can find a safe place where they're not at risk, someone who's had an aortic dissection or a heart attack or stroke can never get away from their heart (or brain)."

Edmondson said that heart attack survivors with PTSD are at double the risk of having another attack or dying within the next year than a survivor who is not under similar distress.

There are two reasons for this, he said. One has to do with the body's natural reaction to stress. Just thinking about a traumatic event can make some people hyperventilate or become lightheaded.

"Often when people become aware of their physiological signals, like feeling short of breath, it distresses them. It makes them worry they're going to have another cardiovascular event, which of course makes their heart rate go faster," Edmondson said. "That vicious cycle appears to contribute to secondary risk."

Heart attack and stroke survivors with PTSD also are less likely to take medicine prescribed to help prevent future events.

"Their medications serve as reminders of their cardiovascular event and the fact that they're still at risk," Edmondson said. "They try to avoid thinking about that, even though they think about it all the time."

Explore further PTSD linked to increased complications and death a year after cardiac arrest

Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org.Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Fall means food drives and festive dinners, but if those forgotten cans of beans or cranberry sauce in the cupboard are years past their best-before dates, is it still safe to use them?

Very likely, say University of Alberta food scientists.

Cans are sealed tightly against air and light, the culprits behind food spoilage, so they have a shelf life that lasts for years, said U of A food microbiologist Michael Ganzle.

"Generally, everything you buy in a supermarket, outside of fresh vegetables and refrigerated items, is safe well past the best-before date, as long as the quality is what you want it to be," he said.

That means checking to see if the food is still appealing. Check out how it looks and smells when the can is opened. Look for discoloration or an off-kilter odour.

"Your nose and eyes are valuable tools to decide whether something is good enough to eat or not," added Lynn McMullen, also a U of A food microbiologist.

"If the food isn't in the condition you are expecting to see, then don't eat it. But if it looks and smells OK, it probably is OK," Ganzle said.

Most people would be surprised at how long packaged food can last, said McMullen, who's safely eaten sour cream months past its stamped expiry date.

"There isn't a lot of knowledge about best-before dates, so there are misconceptions," she said.

Modern consumers aren't very connected to how their food makes it from farm to factory to the grocery store, which means there's a general lack of knowledge about food chemistry and how it affects shelf life, Ganzle noted.

"Past generations baked their own bread, made their own meat, bottled their own cider. But today we don't know much about canning or food production. You look at a best-before date and don't know any better," he said.

Those dates are required under Health Canada regulations for any perishable foods deemed to have a shelf life of 90 or fewer days, like dairy products. But when it comes to canned goods, which have a shelf life exceeding 90 days, they serve more as a guideline for quality than an expiry deadline, McMullen noted.

"It gives consumers an idea of how long the food will retain its quality and useful life," she explained.

The stamp indicates the food supplier is confident the can's contents are good up to that date under normal conditions, "but after that, the quality could be affected by variable factors like transportation or storage conditions"for instance, if a can is accidentally punctured, Ganzle said.

For food in other types of packaging, the long-term quality can be more iffy. Cardboard boxes and some thinly sealed foil packages let in air, so items like powdered cheese found in dinner kits, or dried soup mixes, can oxidize and become stale or rancid in a matter of months.

The best way to preserve and extend shelf life is by storing cans, bottles and packages of food in dark, cool spaces away from light and heat, Ganzle advised. When possible, buy dark-coloured containers and bottles of food instead of clear glass or plastic, to keep light levels low.

5 tips to prevent food poisoning

The fact is, the safety of food depends not on packaging, but on proper handling during all steps of the supply chain from the grower to the processor, to the retailer and ultimately to the consumer, McMullen said.

According to Statistics Canada, there are about four million cases of food poisoning annually, caused by pathogens like bacteria, viruses or parasitesthe result of undercooking, poor hand washing or other unsafe practices.

To protect against food-borne illness, McMullen and Ganzle suggest these tips:

Wash your hands, utensils and work surfaces before and after handling food, especially after a trip to the bathroom.

When cooking meatespecially ground meatuse a food thermometer to ensure it's not undercooked.

Carefully follow the cooking instructions outlined on the box. Some foods that appear precooked, like chicken nuggets, can still be raw inside.

Don't let thawing meat sit at room temperature, which allows bacteria to grow. Cooked leftovers shouldn't sit out for more than two hours.

Refrigerate perishable packaged foods like bottled salad dressing after opening, with the fridge set at 4 C or lower.

Can you donate canned food after its best-before date?

Yes, within limits. Food Banks Canada suggests these guidelines:

Six to 12 months past the best-before date for boxed or bagged granola, flours, rice, dry pastas, cookies, crackers and cereal bars

One to two years past the best-before date for canned, bottled or jarred pastas, meats, fish, tomato sauces and condiments. If these items are packaged in boxes or bags, they'll be accepted up to six to 12 months past the best-before date.

Explore further How to decipher those food 'sell-by' datesFlorida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi's yesterday saying he was "deeply troubled" that she thinks he wouldn't investigate voter fraud in the midterm elections.

"I am deeply troubled that you think I have announced that FDLE would not be pursuing any investigation or inquiry into the conduct of elections officials in Broward or Palm Beach counties (or any other county) that may rise to the level of criminal conduct during the 2018 election," Swearingen wrote. "I have made no such announcement."

Swearingen's letter was in response to a letter Bondi had sent him on Sunday questioning his competence, writing that she was "deeply troubled" that he had not opened an investigation into Gov. Rick Scott's unfounded claims of voter fraud in his U.S. Senate race.

"Your duty to investigate this matter is clear," she wrote, adding, "Florida is counting on you."

Swearingen went on to assure her that his office was working with the Secretary of State to watch for crimes in the midterm election, and he said he had already opened a "preliminary inquiry" before she'd sent her letter.

Bondi had criticized Swearingen over claims that FDLE would need a formal letter from the governor to investigate voter fraud.

Swearingen replied that it had been "inaccurately reported" that his office would need a written letter from the governor before pursuing an investigation.

"We simply responded to media inquiries as to whether such a written request had been received and as of the date of this letter it has not," he wrote.

Despite Scott repeatedly claiming there has been "rampant fraud" in his race, he has presented no evidence for it, and state officials, the Palm Beach County state attorney and a Broward County judge have all said they've found no evidence of fraud.

The U.S. Department of Justice was in Palm Beach County monitoring the election, but the agency declined to comment about what observers saw.

-Herald/Times staff writers Steve Bousquet and Elizabeth Koh contributed to this report.Rochester, NH - After a nearly 24-hour search, an "armed and dangerous" suspect has been arrested in Rochester, New Hampshire.

The suspect, 27-year-old Christopher Thomas surrendered to SWAT team members at 10:20 a.m. Monday after sparking an overnight manhunt in the woods. He is charged with four counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon.

The incident began just after noon on Sunday when Rochester Police received a report of a man with a gun seen near Walmart before disappearing in the woods.

Thomas was already wanted on three warrants for criminal threatening and four warrants for theft, and was known to the Walmart loss prevention unit. When Walmart security saw Thomas on surveillance video with a high-powered rifle, they immediately recognized him and called police.

Thomas ran into the woods behind the Farmington Road Walmart, where police say he had been living, prompting a large search. Police located Thomas in the woods and set up a perimeter around him.

Police say overnight, Thomas fired shots at them, but no one was injured.

"We did on more than one occasion face gunshots from the suspect into the area of the helicopter and police officers," said Rochester Police Chief Paul Toussaint.

Finally, Thomas surrendered to officers Monday morning. He is being held without bail and is expected to face additional charges for shooting at police.

The Walmart store and nearby Market Basket and other stores were forced to evacuate Sunday evening. Businesses are now open and Ten Rod Road has been deemed safe for hunters.Cheaper price plans currently being tested by Netflix may not come to South African users, the company stated.

Netflix South Africa told MyBroadband that it is continuously testing new things with the goal of improving our members experience.

The statement follows a report by Bloomberg that Netflix was testing cheaper prices plans with the aim of signing up new subscribers.

The company hasnt committed to lowering prices, but does want to experiment, said CEO Reed Hastings.

Locally, Netflix is available at three price points: Basic at R99 per month, Standard at R139, and Premium at R169.

Not everyone will see the test, and we may not ever offer the specific price points or features beyond this test, said Netflix.

Now read: Fastest ISPs for Netflix in South AfricaSouth African Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba succumbed to pressure to quit after a court found hed lied under oath and a compromising video of him was circulated on social media.

Gigabas exit Tuesday bolsters President Cyril Ramaphosas assertion that hes committed to clamping down on graft and reversing the mismanagement that characterized his predecessor Jacob Zumas almost nine-year rule. Gigaba served as Zumas public enterprises minister and finance minister, and a group of leading academics alleged that he helped facilitate the looting of state funds by businessmen allied to the former president.

The president has accepted the ministers resignation, Ramaphosas office said in a statement. Gigaba took the decision to relieve the president from undue pressure, it said.

In February, the High Court found that Gigaba committed perjury when he denied authorizing a company owned by the billionaire Oppenheimer family to operate a private immigration terminal at Johannesburgs main airport. Two higher courts upheld the ruling, and last month anti-graft ombudsman Busisiwe Mkhwebane instructed Ramaphosa to take disciplinary action against Gigaba.

Gigaba, 47, a former head of the ANCs youth wing who was one of the partys rising stars, denies any wrongdoing. He did, however, apologize for the video that he says was hacked from his phone and was only meant for his and his wifes viewing.

Ramaphosa won control of the African National Congress in December and took office two months later after the party forced Zuma to quit. Ramaphosa initially retained Gigaba and several other Zuma appointees in the cabinet in a bid to help heal divisions within the ANC caused by the leadership race.

Now read: The massive salaries earned by university executives in South AfricaNetflix has revealed its ISP Speed Index for October 2018, with Cool Ideas staying in top spot.

South Africas ISPs achieved an average speed of 2.46Mbps for the month.

The index is a measure of prime-time Netflix performance on particular ISPs, and not a measure of overall performance of the networks.

Netflix said it calculates the average bitrate of Netflix content, in Mbps, streamed by its members per ISP.

We measure the speed via all available end-user devices. For a small number of devices, we cannot calculate the exact bit rates, and streaming via cellular networks is exempted from our measurements, said Netflix.

Netflix recommends a 5Mbps connection for full HD streaming, which may explain why the average speeds are all below the 5Mbps mark.

Fastest ISPs for Netflix

The fastest 10 ISPs for prime-time Netflix streaming in South Africa are listed below.Netflix South Africa is offering users a new Ultra package, which sits above Premium as the top package available.

When MyBroadband visited Netflixs local sign-up page, we were presented with four package options.

The packages were Basic, Standard, Premium, and Ultra. Previously, only the first three packages were available in South Africa.

The packages were priced as follows:

Basic  R99 per month

 R99 per month Standard  R139 per month

 R139 per month Premium  R169 per month

 R169 per month Ultra  R239 per month

Netflix also appears to have added a new line item to the features list of each package, called Highest quality audio.

The Ultra package is the only one which supports highest quality audio.

Besides this, the Ultra package shares the same attributes as the Premium option, including UHD streaming and support for four screens at once.

The Standard package retains its two-screen and HD streaming support, while the Basic package keeps its standard definition streaming and support for one screen.

Ultra plan

Netflix told MyBroadband that the Ultra package is part of a test of different price points to better understand how consumers value Netflix.

Not everyone will see the test, and we may not ever offer the specific price points or features beyond this test, said Netflix.

It added that the highest quality audio option will deliver a significantly higher bitrate to supported devices. This will produce crisper, more immersive sound if network conditions allow.

We rely on testing to help us better understand interest level around certain types of features or price points on Netflix. In this case, those who selected the Ultra plan will have access to enhanced audio capabilities that deliver more crisp, better quality sound on supported devices.

Our goal is to learn and understand how much members value audio quality on Netflix.

Netflix said that most new TVs, streaming sticks, and gaming consoles with 5.1 audio capabilities will be supported.

Members who sign up for the Ultra plan will also be able to keep the enhanced audio capabilities beyond the test.

The screenshot below shows the new Ultra price plan, along with how it compares to the three existing plans.

Click the image to enlarge it.

Ultra package testing

The local launch of the Netflix Ultra package comes after reports in July that the company was testing the tier internationally.

The Ultra subscription tier was priced at 16.99 in Europe. It added that the number of simultaneous devices for the Standard and Premium plans decreased to one and two respectively.

Netflix confirmed at the time to CNET it was testing the new tier, stating it was looking at different price points and features to understand how consumers value the service.

There have also been recent reports that Netflix is testing cheaper packages in parts of the world to encourage new sign-ups.

Now read: Cheaper Netflix price plans may not come to South AfricaThe North Bay Construction Corps (NBCC), a construction exploration and training program for local high school seniors in their last semester of high school, is now accepting applications for the 2019 Corps. A new Chapter of the NBCC will take place in Napa County at Napa High School.

Launched in 2017, the NBCC is a partnership of the North Coast Builders Exchange, the Career Technical Foundation Sonoma County, the Sonoma County Office of Education, and Santa Rosa Junior College designed to address the growing need for new construction workers.

Construction Corps members meet once a week for two hours and one Saturday a month for five hours over a 14-week period from late January through mid-May.Did you know daffodils symbolize new beginnings and white carnations suggest pure love?

If you want to go beyond the simple thoughts that flowers can express, The Bloom Equation introduces you to the secret language of flowers.

Owner and founder Miquila Mika Romero had the idea after reading a novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh titled The Language of Flowers.

When I realized this was a real thing, I was fascinated so I quit my teaching job and used Kickstarter to help fund the business, said Romero, who splits her time between Napa and San Francisco.

According to Romero, in Victorian times, flowers were a popular way of communicating secret messages.

People would give each other bouquets, and then they would go home and decode the messages with their Language of Flowers dictionaries, which were popular in those days, she said.

Victorians were kind of prudish, so a lot of the flower messages were kind of racy, and some of them were even mean.

Romero said people once used flowers much the same way kids use emojis today.

The first thing Romero did was create a website to house a searchable database of all of the Language of Flowers meanings that she could find, with each entry numbered.

My idea was people could use them in an equation form to create a message and then the person receiving them could decode the message, she said. Hence the name The Bloom Equation.

Usually, people have no idea about the Language of Flowers when they call me with an order, so I always start by asking them what the occasion is, Romero said.

Because we dont really do one-off bouquets, I usually end up selling them something like a terrarium or jewelry that has meaning. Most people dont seem interested in figuring out how to make the combinations themselves, she said, so once they tell me the occasion and the message they want to send, I do it for them.

Romero said most of the items she sells involve dried flower arrangements unless she has been hired for a wedding, special event or team-building exercise. For weddings, she incorporates messages into the bridal bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets.

The team-building workshops are a fairly recent addition and proving popular with local firms, Romero said.

The client will start by choosing the location for the workshop and the creation each team member will walk away with, usually a flower arrangement for their desks or a terrarium, she said.

I bring all the materials, set up and clean up afterwards.

Romero says she will also arrange for a professional photographer to record the event for the companys website or Facebook page.

In the workshops, I provide a brief history of the language of flowers and show members how to use it to express their gratitude and appreciation for one another, Romero said.

I have never hosted a team building workshop that did not result in an increased feeling of warmth and trust among team members.

For any of The Bloom Equation products and services, visit bloomequation.com or call 415-484-9884.WASHINGTON - The top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee said Monday that Democrats will push for $720 million for wildfire relief amid the massive ongoing fires in California that have killed more than two dozen people and destroyed tens of thousands of homes.

Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont dismissed criticism from President Donald Trump blaming the fires on poor fire management in California and threatening to cut off federal dollars unless the supposed problems are remedied.

"You have firefighters risking their life," Leahy told reporters on a conference call. "For them to see a tweet saying the U.S. Government won't support you, come on."

"That's why you can't do complex government by tweet," Leahy said, adding that if Trump were asked to explain exactly what was amiss with fire management in California, "I'm sure he'd have absolutely no idea."

Trump said on Twitter Saturday: "There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!"

The push for funding to help California fight fires will come as Congress reconvenes this week for a post-election lame-duck session. First on the agenda is completing must-pass spending bills to keep the government operating ahead of a Dec. 7 deadline when money for a handful of agencies - including the Department of Homeland Security - will run out absent action from Congress and Trump. The wildfire money would likely be attached to the spending legislation.

Leahy said there will need to be additional disaster relief money for ongoing hurricane recovery in Texas, Florida and elsewhere, including Puerto Rico where Trump has also criticized the government response. The administration has not made an official disaster funding request to Congress, but Leahy said Democrats would push for congressional action anyway.

"I think that there's going to have to be money for a number of natural disasters that occurred throughout the country, it's not just the fires in California," Leahy said. "And what I would not agree to is have one face off against another. The United States has disasters, we have to come together and face them in the same way we would with a military threat or anything else."

He said the total sum in question was not clear, but "it will be significant" and that Democratic and Republican staffers were working to determine the amounts needed.

Leahy was asked about Trump's desire to stop sending disaster aid to Puerto Rico for Hurricane Maria, which was first reported by Axios and confirmed to The Washington Post on Monday by a person familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose confidential deliberations.

"Puerto Rico's part of the United States . . . . That means more than throwing paper towels," Leahy said, referring to Trump's behavior on a post-hurricane visit to Puerto Rico when he tossed paper towels into the crowd.

"They are part of the United States, and we need to continue to help," he said.

On the California wildfires, Leahy said the sum needed was between $715 million-$720 million and probably closer to $720 million. "We're going to press for it in the final bill. Withholding funds is not the solution, and we will fight for it," Leahy said.

FEMA still has some $25 billion in its Disaster Relief Fund, so the government has capacity to respond even without immediate congressional action.A litter of five puppies is born, each destined for months of rigorous training to become a lucky mans (or womans) ultimate best friend.

Which ones will pass and become guide dogs for blind or visually impaired humans? Which will fail and be career-changed, living out their lives as beloved pets?

Those questions drive the suspense of Pick of the Litter, a documentary screened at Lincoln Theater in Yountville last Thursday as part of the Napa Valley Film Festival.

The film was a collaboration between co-directors Don Hardy and Dana Nachman and the nonprofit Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB), which is based in San Rafael with a second training facility in Boring, Oregon.

Hardy said the film was inspired by curiosity over what it takes to make one of these amazing animals be able to do these incredible jobs.

Hardy hopes the movie gives viewers a deeper respect for guide dogs, and for how many people it takes to produce a successful one, from the GDB employees who deliver the puppies to the volunteer puppy raisers who train the dogs to the top-notch professionals who put them through their paces.

All of that has to come together to make one of these dogs successful, he said.

Christine Benninger, executive director of GDB, said she was initially hesitant about the film because she wasnt sure it would tell our story the way we honestly felt it should be told.

After two years of shooting, her fears were dispelled.

Im really pleased with the way the pictures turned out because it is an honest representation of our program, Benninger said.

She hopes the film raises awareness and generates some financial support for her organization, which receives no government funding and is completely dependent on community support.

Volunteers Tom and Amy Webster of Napa have raised 25 dogs for GDB. They take in young puppies, train them, and then turn them back in at around 14 months old.

Its rather like having your child go off to college and not knowing whether youll ever see them again, Tom Webster said. The good news is you get to see the dogs at graduation and present them. We had the honor of doing that just two weeks ago.

Also at Thursdays screening was Cody Meyer, accompanied by Ronan, the golden retriever whos been his guide dog since January. Meyer called Ronan an absolute gift.

I really enjoy working with the dog because I feel confident and independent, said Meyer, who recently started working for GDB as a canine welfare/training technician.

He gives me the ability to go out and do what I want when I want to do it without having to rely on anyone else to get me there, Meyer said. If I want to go to the movies or go shopping, I can just pick up my dogs harness and go.

Puppy raiser Jessica Drew introduced Tachi, a 2-year-old black lab nearing the end of her training. Given the programs high medical and behavioral standards, not all dogs pass muster  only 300 of the 800 dogs born at GDB annually will become guide dogs  but Tachi is succeeding admirably.

Drew said the ideal guide dog is adaptable to different environments and situations, motivated to work, eager to please, and able to form close bonds with humans.

Drew said she sometimes jokes about being so attached to a puppy that she hopes it will fail its training and become her pet. But the truth is that she wants all of her puppies to become guide dogs.

The whole reason were doing it is to help someone else, Drew said. So even though were attached to them, we want to pass them on to someone who really needs them.

Wendi Piscia has been raising Coral, a 6-month-old black lab, since she was 8 weeks old. At 14 months, Coral will go back to GDB for evaluation.

This is Piscias first experience as a puppy raiser. What will she do when its time to let go?

Cry, she joked. Then she added, You go into it knowing that shes not your dog, that youre training her for a purpose, that hopefully shell make it through the entire process and have a higher purpose as a guide dog.

My whole familys prepared. My 9-year-old will say, OK, we have about 8 months left with Coral, so they know shes not our dog. But were having a great experience.

People who train or depend on guide dogs appreciate it when strangers ask first before petting the dog. Even well-meaning distractions can cause a working guide dog to lose focus, which can be dangerous if a person is relying on the dog to navigate a busy sidewalk or cross a street.

Even though they look very cute and friendly, we ask the public not to pet our dogs when theyre working, Meyer said.

Guide dogs love working, but when theyre off-duty they run around and play just like any other dog, Meyer said.

Having a healthy balance of work and play is important for their mental health, he said.

As Pick of the Litter began, a shot of a newborn puppy immediately drew a chorus of awws from the audience, which proceeded to laugh and occasionally sniffle as the five labs grew up under the tutelage of their trainers.

It wouldnt do to reveal how many members of The P Litter  Poppet, Patriot, Primrose, Phil and Potomac  make the final cut. But the film suggests that happy endings are in store even for dogs that are career-changed.

I hope people come away from the movie with an appreciation for that bond we have with our dogs, Hardy said. They can be exceptionally highly skilled dogs like these or a rescue dog that you love  they just mean so much to us.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Nimbus Arts invites the community to visit its new and expanded studio spaces at 659 Main St. in St. Helena from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17.

Join the Nimbus team for a dynamic day of free art activities and demonstrations for the whole family. Wander through the art studios and visit with some of Nimbus teaching artists. Enjoy hands-on art experiences or register for one of the Saturday classes.

They include: Printmaking, community mosaic making, egg tempera painting, metal arts demonstration, Raku pottery activity, and timed events: Toddler Ro Sham Bo Open Studio; 9:30-11:30 a.m.; Introduction to Glass Fusing; 12:30-3:30 p.m.; and HEY HEY Come Paint Some Clay from 1-3:30 p.m. Register online for these timed classes at nimbusarts.org.

The Nimbus Arts studio expansion was made possible by generous Fund-A-Need donors during our annual NIMBASH fundraiser.

Ceramics Exhibit

& Sale

Nimbus Arts will hold its Eighth Annual Hands on Fire Ceramics Exhibit & Sale on Saturday, Nov. 17 and Sunday, Nov. 18.

This annual exhibit features artwork from Nimbus students and their ceramics instructors. Come enjoy art, food and music and get handmade gifts for your loved ones. Purchase artwork at great prices while supporting local arts at the same time. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds support art programs at Nimbus.The St. Helena Winter Market returns for a second year with a selection of distinct gifts, clothing, foodstuffs and household treasures.

The Winter Market starts with a benefit event from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30. Attendees can meet the makers and enjoy complimentary appetizers from Napas Miminashi restaurant. A no-host bar with local libations will also be available. A $10 entry donation for this reception goes directly to restoring and maintaining St. Helenas Native Sons Hall.

The free Winter Market will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1 and Sunday, Dec. 2 in the historic Native Sons Hall on Spring Street in St. Helena.

For sale at the Winter Market will be handmade items ranging from clothing to tableware, jewelry to fine art, kitchenware to artisan foodstuffs  many of which arent available in any other brick-and-mortar marketplace. Attendees can even pick up a holiday tree and get tips for decorating. Your attendance helps to benefit the Native Sons Hall, Nimbus Arts, and the St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School.

Highlights of the event includes:

Nimbus Arts will offer fresh Silvertip Christmas trees as well as locally grown Petaluma firs for purchase;

Josh Phelps Grounded Wines will pour from 4 to 6 p.m. both days;

Brooks Schmitts Bruxo Food Truck will be there both days and hosts a family-style makers dinner on Saturday that is open to the public; (spaces are limited, sign-up online at sthelenawintermarket.com)

The Russian River Flower School offers wreathmaking instruction both days;

Jimtowns Carrie Brown teaches a tree-trimming workshop.

On Sunday, the St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School hosts a cookie-decorating workshop and Nimbus Arts hosts a kids Christmas decorations workshop. Get dates and times for special events at sthelenawintermarket.com.Many firefighters from the Bay Area, including Napa County, have responded to the destructive Camp Fire that continues to burn in Butte County.

"Every county along the coast from Monterey north to Del Norte has sent firefighters," said Mike Marcucci, assistant chief of operations for the East Bay Division of Cal Fire.

Napa County sent a strike team of five engines, including two from Napa County Fire, one from the City of Napa, one from St. Helena and one from the American Canyon Fire Protection District.

Strike teams made up of firefighters from cities and counties all over California have been sent to the fires, Marcucci said.

They've also come from beyond California borders; there's even a group of 200 firefighters leaving from Texas Monday for firefighting duty in Butte County. Also, more than 2,000 volunteer inmate firefighters, including 58 youth offenders, are battling wildfires throughout the state, according to the state Department of Corrections.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.The death of a young Napa woman in the Thousand Oaks mass shooting last week has triggered an outpouring of remembrances in her hometown. On Monday morning, hundreds of Napans joined forces to march in Alaina Housleys memory  and the events teenage leaders vowed to keep up the fight against gun violence and make sure Housley is not forgotten as one victim among thousands.

Dont forget. We move on too quickly, and we cant do that, Michael Rupprecht, founder of The Hero Foundation in Napa, urged a throng outside Memorial Stadium at the beginning of The Heroes March. Its time to be heroes for this town, this state, this country, this family, their children, their childrens children.

Following a series of reminiscences and tributes to Housley, 18  a Vintage High graduate and Pepperdine University freshman who was killed with 11 others at the Borderline Bar & Grill last Wednesday  marchers took to the Napa streets in a quiet procession to Veterans Memorial Park in what organizers called a memorial not only for Housley but for all who have lost their lives to firearms.

Dotting the procession down Jefferson and First streets were signboards with supportive messages like WE STAND WITH YOU, ALAINA but also more pointed ones like LIVES ARE WORTH MORE THAN GUNS. One especially tart banner mocked politicians with only platitudes to offer victims loved ones, crossing out THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS and demanding POLICY CHANGE to keep firearms away from people reportedly like the Marine Corps veteran suspected in the Thousand Oaks shooting, who authorities say killed himself.

News of Housleys death inspired two nighttime vigils in Napa County less than 24 hours after the attack  including one on the Vintage campus where she studied for four years  as well as an escort of law enforcement vehicles to Tulocay Cemetery Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, members of the nonprofit Heroes Foundation who organized The Heroes March said a larger gesture was needed not only to preserve the memory of a well-admired local teen, but to battle for a future in which such brutality is no longer a near-weekly occurrence.

We group-texted and said, Guys, this is not OK. We needed to do something about this before it got even more out of control, Raphael Genty, a student at New Technology High who co-founded the Hero Foundation, said before the rally.

I dont want to live in a world where mass shootings are an everyday occurrence and we have to ask which one, Genty would tell marchers an hour later.

This is not about gun control to us; this is about being nice to one another, Alainas father Arik Housley told the audience as he and his wife, Hannah, stood arm-in-arm outside the stadium gates. Whats missing is that we need to put our phones down; talk to your parents, talk to your children. Say hello to them, because the time is gone before you know it.

Napa Countys longtime congressman, Mike Thompson, praising the marchs young organizers, held them up as an example of what future generations can accomplish to break the cycle of bloodshed.

As chairman of the House task force on preventing gun violence, Ive had to meet with the victims, and families of victims, from every (mass) shooting event since Sandy Hook (in 2012), said Thompson, D-St. Helena. I can tell you, these students figured it out. The students know we have to make change.  These students get it; they dont need to hear more statistics. And if youre here today, you get it.

The sudden and violent loss of a dear friend remained a raw wound for Vintage student Taylor Bragg, who befriended Housley when the two were in a school production of the musical Les Miserables and stayed in constant touch with her after Housley graduated in June and enrolled at Pepperdine.

It makes me so mad that I didnt get to know her longer, Bragg told marchers. It makes me mad that she died just because she wanted to dance  or more likely, trip over her feet. But I still think she will change the world; we need to fight for Alaina and for the other 11 people who lost their lives.

Alaina: wherever you are, I love you. Well be together, whatever the weather.

Later, after the procession had reached Veterans Memorial Park, one marcher was moved to share her own story of loss. During a brief open-microphone session in the parks amphitheater, Guadalupe Martinez, a New Tech school counselor, publicly discussed for the first time the slaying of her 22-year-old brother Ruben in Vallejo in 2010.

Its hard; I really debated, do I do this? Martinez said afterward. Seeing Hannah and Arik go through this experience, it was so hard to see them. Years later, and here are we are again: another family, another great person who had hopes and dreams.

In the end, Martinez decided to make her voice heard.

Please let your voices continue to be heard, like thunder in the sky, she told marchers at the end of their journey. Do not give up on this cause.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.The death of a young Napa woman in the Thousand Oaks mass shooting last week has triggered an outpouring of remembrances in her hometown. On MOnly hours after the magnitude of Democratic gains in the House became apparent, President Donald Trump ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions, putting special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation in imminent danger. This represents the president's most direct challenge yet to the rule of law.

Instead of elevating Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the most senior Senate-confirmed officer at the Justice Department, Trump circumvented normal succession by handpicking Matthew Whitaker, Sessions's chief of staff and a person who has publicly criticized the special counsel's investigation and has troubling conflicts of interest.

The president and Whitaker should heed this warning: The new Democratic majority will protect the special counsel and the integrity of the Justice Department. Should Whitaker fail to recuse himself - all indications are that he plans not to - and seek to obstruct the investigation, serve as a back channel to the president or his legal team or interfere in the investigations in any way, he will be called to answer. His actions will be exposed.

It is no mystery why the president chose Whitaker, an obscure and ill-qualified official never confirmed by the Senate, which many legal experts believe makes the appointment itself unconstitutional. Trump chose him to protect himself, his family and his close associates from the special counsel's investigation and other investigations within the Justice Department.

Though I had many profound disagreements with Sessions, he was correct to follow the rules meant to ensure public confidence in the fair administration of justice and recuse himself, even though the president viewed Sessions's compliance as a singular act of disloyalty. We must demand the highest ethical standards of everyone at the Justice Department, including the attorney general.

There is no indication that Whitaker has likewise consulted with ethics officials, as his past public statements, associations and the manner of his appointment make clear that he should have no role in overseeing the special counsel's investigation or any matter related to the president and his campaign.

It's highly likely that Trump elevated and appointed Whitaker in the first place because of his open hostility to the special counsel. Whitaker has not only been publicly critical of Mueller but also suggested starving his office of funds and suggested that the special counsel should be prohibited from investigating the president's finances. If the Russians possess financial leverage over the president - and there are credible allegations they may have laundered money through the Trump businesses - it would be negligent to our national security not to find out.

Whitaker also has strong ties to the Trump campaign. In 2014, he chaired Sam Clovis' campaign for Iowa state treasurer. Clovis went on to serve as national co-chair of Trump's presidential campaign, and reportedly has testified before a grand jury in the special counsel's investigation.

All this demands Whitaker's immediate recusal. If he does not recuse himself, Whitaker could seek access to the special counsel's plans and evidence, including grand jury testimony, and would be in a position not just to funnel information to Trump and his legal defense team but also to abuse his authority to cripple or end the investigation. Whitaker could attempt to prevent evidence from reaching Congress and the public or stop the special counsel from subpoenaing important testimony, including from Trump himself.

Since the special counsel was appointed, Democrats in Congress have called on Republicans to pass legislation to protect the investigation from interference. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved such a bill on a bipartisan basis. And yet we were repeatedly informed that such legislation was "not necessary," despite the president's clear determination to protect himself at all costs and even as prosecutors obtained guilty pleas and convictions from the president's campaign chairman, deputy campaign chairman, former national security adviser, foreign policy adviser and personal attorney. Even now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky professes no need to protect the Mueller investigation.

Congressional Democrats have written to the department's top ethics official, outlining the obvious case for recusal and seeking information about any ethics guidance given to Whitaker on the matter. Separately, Democrats in the House and Senate have demanded that all relevant documents across the U.S. government related to that investigation, and Sessions's termination, be preserved. Congress should likewise ensure that any Justice official overseeing the probe publicly pledge to protect the integrity of the special counsel. We will also revive legislation designed to protect Mueller from any interference or firing not based on good cause.

Trump, and those who would abet him in undermining the independence of the Justice Department, should understand this: The truth will come out.

After his firing by President Richard Nixon, former Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox said the question of "whether ours shall continue to be a government of laws and not men is now for Congress and ultimately the American people." With this latest, unprecedented action, Trump has put Cox's question once more squarely before the people's representatives. We must answer it by acting as a coequal branch of government and defending the rule of law.

Adam B. Schiff, a Democrat, represents California's 28th District in the House, where he is the ranking minority member of the Intelligence Committee. He wrote this for the Washington Post.Californians were asked this month to approve ballot measures to sell bonds for school improvement projects that, if passed, could total more than $12 billion in local borrowing in coming years.

The requests are fewer than in the 2016 general election, when more than 180 school bond measures were on local ballots, but still a hefty reflection of the ongoing plans to repair and renovate public schools in California.

The state plans to spend $11,639 per each K-12 student this year. This money is just for the classroom, and can't be used for capital projects. Thus California is among the top ten states in the United states and spends more than three times the K-12 expended by several other states.

A UC Berkeley study in 2012 put the statewide backlog of needed repairs and renovations at $117 billion over the next decade. As a result, local bond measures have proliferated, particularly since 2000, when voters lowered the threshold for approval of school bonds to 55 percent, rather than the two-thirds supermajority that had been the earlier requirement.

In June 2018, fully 86 percent of the proposed school bond measures in California passed, including Napa Valley Unified School District's Measure H. Statewide, these bonds added more than $45 billion in property tax debt. New bond measures are already being planned for our 2020 ballots.

Arguments for these measures run the gamut, though most concentrate on the basics of It is for the kids while commonly citing the chronic problems of heating, cooling and leaky roofs. School bond consultants have developed a ready market for their business of providing support for justification and promotion of school bond measures.

School safety has become a hot-button issue for voters following recent, tragic school shooting incidents. A predatory tactic has developed to cite safety and security in the appeals to voters to get bond measures passed. Most school district bond measures now have ballot wording that explicitly states the bond funding would go toward improving school's safety and security systems.

Despite new requirements that districts specify how they will spend bond proceeds, most of the measures are worded in ways that maximize flexibility in how the money is spent. A continuing criticism of school bond measures has been that the ballot statements do not specify exactly how much money will be devoted to each of the proposed projects.

The lack of specificity in bond measures is a major reason the required bond oversight committee function in monitoring the spending of bond funds is typically ineffective in preventing problems. This problem was clearly cited in the Napa County Grand Jury report of cost overruns for the Napa Valley Unified School District Measure H school bond.

While voters approved $9 billion to fund the first statewide bond to be approved in a decade local measures remain a major source of funding for capital and facilities expenses such as school construction, renovation and technology upgrades.

The statewide bond program is an additional incentive for schools to try passing local bonds. This is because the state funds new school facilities and renovations and repairs on a first come, first served basis as well as partially on the local school district funding.

Critics of this system say it favors wealthier school districts that have the bonding capacity to raise more money and specialized staff to navigate the cumbersome application process. Meanwhile, the state has typically released only a fraction the state's authorized funds.

Jack Gray, director

Napa County Taxpayers AssociationAmbassador to Baku: United States makes persistent efforts for Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders' tete-a-tete meeting

Azerbaijan's special detachment soldiers conducting exercises under Turkish specialists' supervision in Nakhchivan

Armenian movement leader: If Armenian parliamentary opposition can't do anything, why is it in parliament?

Iranian FM, Azerbaijani Deputy PM discuss situation in Caucasus

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of another serviceman found in Varanda region

Armenia Parliament Speaker meets with French Senate President Richard Ferrand

Yerevan protesters demand to declassify content of Armenian-Azerbaijani document

G7 FMs to discuss human rights protection issue in Liverpool

Exchange rates in Armenia

Level of Armenia's Lake Sevan drops by 2 cm in one week

Armenia is interested in Russia's Ka-52M and Mi-28NE attack helicopters

Azerbaijan President invites South Korean companies to work in Nagorno-Karabakh's occupied territories

Opposition 'Armenia' faction MP: Azerbaijanis built customs terminal in Nakhchivan, will try to obtain road

Armenia PM, Belarus President hold phone talks

Syria Ambassador to Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker: Turkey's actions are fully targeted against regional stability

Armenia applies to ECHR for ensuring fundamental rights of Armenian soldiers captured on Nov. 16

Armenian Ombudsman presents Azerbaijani aggression facts to US Congressman Adam Schiff

More than 40 people killed in heavy rains in southeastern India

Opposition 'Armenia' faction MP Armen Charchyan greeted with applause in courtroom

Australia, UK and US sign first agreement under AUKUS

Armenian PM to hold online Q&A conference Tuesday

Armenia opposition member says Azerbaijani ex-FM expresses gratitude to Pashinyan

Gas prices in Europe drop below $1,000 per 1,000 cubic meters

Erdogan and Turkish ministers to discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Citizens who blocked one of Yerevan avenues are apprehended

Defense ministry: Situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable

U.S. Embassy in Israel advises diplomats not to visit Jerusalem's Old City

Covid-19 in Armenia: 30 new deaths

18 citizens are apprehended for participation in Yerevan protests

Russian peacekeepers ensure control in Nagorno-Karabakh

Carbon monoxide causes death in Yerevan

In Yerevan, citizens block main streets to draw attention to the situation at the border

El Salvador plans to build the world's first Bitcoin city

Canadian portal publishes list of countries with strongest Air Force on Earth

Japan announces self-destruction of COVID-19 delta strain

Israel to sign solar energy agreement with Jordan in UAE

Japan concerned over joint air patrols of Russia and China near country's borders

In Mexico, 600 migrants were found in two trucks

Europe protests against coronavirus restrictions

Commander of Russian airbase in Armenia: Ready to perform tasks as intended

US is going to build a nuclear power plant on the moon

Biden's son helps Chinese company buy mine in Africa

China lowers level of diplomatic relations with Lithuania

Russia and US confirm their intentions to send joint mission to Venus

Putin and Pashinyan discuss situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and measures to stabilize it

Honored Art Worker of Armenia, composer Ruben Altunyan passes away

492 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Armenia

Armenian Foreign Minister and Otto Luchterhandt discuss Nagorno-Karabakh settlement

Armenian contract soldier dies amid violation of rules for handling weapons

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YEREVAN.  Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Armenia, Tigran Mukuchyan, on Monday received the main staff of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) observation mission for the snap parliamentary election to be held in the country on December 9.

Mukuchyan stressed the importance of the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission during the upcoming vote, the CEC informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. Also, he presented the CECs preparations for the organization and conduct of this election.

Presenting the methodology of the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission, its leader, Ambassador Urszula Gacek, noted that a large-scale observation mission was planned to be carried out during the early parliamentary election in Armenia. She added that observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will later join the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission in the country.YEREVAN.  A core team of 13 international observer from 11 different participating states arrived in Yerevan on Saturday, head of OSCE/ODIHR mission Urszula Gacek told reporters in Yerevan.

Our main task is to observe how the election complies with international standards and your own legislation, she said.

The observes are looking how registration process goes, how central electoral authorities are preparing technically for such a large-scale elections.

We will be looking how the media is covering the election. If any of the parties complain we will see how these complaints are dealt with, the Ambassador said.

The observers will be joined by other 24 long-term observers and by additional 250 short-term observers close to the elections. Later on they will also be joined by the representatives from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, as well as the members of the European Parliament.

We are here to observe, not to criticize. We do not have any political agenda. We are looking into the process only and we follow exactly the same standards as in any other OSCE member state, she emphasized.

The mission will give a press conference on Monday a day after the elections and will present a report in two months after the elections.YEREVAN.  OSCE/ODIHR mission has not yet any indication that someone was prohibited or hindered from preparing for the early parliamentary election, head of OSCE/ODIHR mission Urszula Gacek told reporters in Yerevan.

Ambassador Gacek said that the snap election is completely in accordance with Armenias prevailing law. Head of the mission noted that she had met with the chairman of the Central Electoral Commission, and he assured that they will do everything quickly.

Of course, this is taking people by surprise politically, but I am sure that the parties will mobilize themselves. We have not yet any indication that someone was prohibited or hindered from preparing their party lists or registering candidates. Of course, if there are any irregularities, they will be included in our observations. Lets see wait and see how the process goes, she added.

Asked whether 12 days of campaign are enough and comply with the international standards, Gacek said: Officially campaign lasts 12 days, but there activities that are not prohibited taking place before that date. As to international standards, there are variations of how the elections are held. As long as we are reasonably confident that the electorate had an opportunity to express its democratic voice, that is the main concern for us always.YEREVAN.  Armenia perceives CSTO as a platform where the interests of the six member states are discussed, the spokesperson for Armenias Foreign Ministry told reporters on Tuesday.

Asked about Armenian sides position regarding the matter that the President of Belarus is discussing with the Azerbaijani ambassador the candidacy of the CSTO secretary general, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman noted that such facts points to problems within the organization.

As to the change of the secretary general and the possibility of Armenias representative being in the office, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman noted that the representative of Armenia, as a country contributing to the strengthening of the organization, can continue to be the general secretary until the end of the term in one and a half year.

However, Anna Naghdalyan clarified that before the upcoming meeting on December 6, when the member states will elect the secretary general, there will be a change in the regulatory framework to regulate the mechanisms of the early change of the CSTO secretary general.

When asked whether Stanuslav Zas, a possible candidate for the General Secretary of Bedarus, may assume a pro-Azerbaijani position, given that he studied in Baku, and the leadership of his country is actively establishing relations with Azerbaijan, Naghdalyan noted that all decisions in the organization are made based on consensus.

As for the post of general secretary, I think the presentation is somewhat exaggerated. The secretary general is someone acting as a manager. He is not authorized to act independently. He represents the interests of six countries, she emphasized.YEREVAN.  Sending a mission to Syria is solely a humanitarian mission, it has no military significance, and we will implement that program within the framework envisioned by the budget of the Republic of Armenia.

Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday stated the aforesaid at the National Assembly, during the debates on the 2019 State Budget draft.

In connection with this mission, Pashinyan added that the main objective of Armenian authorities has been to assist the Armenian community in Syria so that they return to a peaceful life.

When asked about whose initiative this mission was, the acting PM said as follows, in particular: We have constantly raised a question before various [international] organizations, both before Russia and the government of Syria, in terms of resolving the problemsincluding humanitarianin connection with our compatriots in Syria. As a result of these discussions, came about an idea that () we [Armenia] also contribute to creating a certain arena for the peaceful life of Aleppo Armenians, specifically.

All our [international] partners treat this mission [of ours] with understanding, and we will carry out that mission within the framework of exactly what we have described.YEREVAN.  We have a problem connected with the quality of the surface of the North-South road. We reliably know that the road that was constructed doesnt meet qualitative standards, especially in terms of the quality of the cement and the concrete.

Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday said the abovementioned at the National Assembly, during the debates on the 2019 State Budget draft of Armenia.

He noted that an expertise study was being conducted to determine how to continue the construction of this road corridor in the country.

The North-South definitely shall be built, the acting PM added. And the quality is under the accountability of the state itself.

And commenting on the construction of the highway that will become an alternative for Armenia to the Upper Lars highway between Georgia and Russia, Pashinyan said this was an important matter, but Armenia was not a negotiating party in that process, and the negotiating parties were Georgia, Russia, and a Swiss company which acts as a mediator.

In contacts with our Russian, Georgian and Swiss colleagues, we [Armenia] constantly raise that matter, the acting PM noted. But we are not a negotiating party.YEREVAN.  The American dollars (USD) exchange rate against the Armenian dram (AMD) comprised AMD 488.68/$1 in Armenia on Tuesday; this is up by AMD 0.11 from Monday, informed the press service of the Central Bank of Armenia.

The exchange rate for one euro was AMD 549.03 (up by AMD 0.81), that of one British pound totaled AMD 629.86 (up by AMD 2.34), and the rate of one Russian ruble made up AMD 7.21 (down by AMD 0.01) in the country.

In addition, one gram of silver, gold and platinum amounted to AMD 222.47, AMD 18,940.91 and AMD 13,386.13, respectively.The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) formally opened an election observation mission for the 9 December early parliamentary elections in Armenia.

A core team of 13 international observers from 11 different states is in Yerevan, head of the mission, Ambassador Urszula Gacek said. They will be joined by 24 long-term observers and another 250 short-term observers to monitor proceedings on election day.

We are here to observe, not to criticize. We do not have any political agenda. We are looking into the process only and we follow exactly the same standards as in any other OSCE member state, Gacek told reporters in Yerevan.

The Armenian unit will head to Syria either by the end of this year or early next year, Armenian Acting Defense Minister David Tonoyan told reporters.

Speaking in the parliament on Tuesday, acting PM Nikol Pashinyan said the mission has no military significance, and the main objective of Armenian authorities has been to assist the Armenian community in Syria so that they return to a peaceful life.

He added that the program will be implemented within the framework envisioned by the budget.

Armenias GDP per capita will be $4,280 in 2018, and according to projections$4,604 in the coming year, Acting Minister of Finance Atom Janjughazyan sad during the debates on the 2019 budget draft.

In his words, the services sector, agriculture, and mining industry have had the main part in the countrys GDP.

This is not the indicator of our dream, the acting minister added. We have ambitions to increase; but we need to invest our efforts for that.

A 30-year-old Armenian man beat his 20-year-old wife to death, Armenian police reported.

The woman was hospitalized with multiple injuries on Sunday. On the same day the man was detained, and he confessed to beating his 20-year-old wife.

Armenians bid a final farewell to world-famous weightlifter, European and world champion Yuri Vardanyan.

The memorial service was attended by acting PM Nikol Pashinyan, representatives of the government and prominent public figures.

The legendary athlete was laid to rest at Komitas Pantheon.

Well-known American Armenian, co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital Alexis Ohanian has unveiled his secret project  Armenian brandy, Shakmat.

Todays the day I share my new Armenian Brandy, Shakmat, with the world! he wrote on Instagram.

There are only 2,400 bottles in the first run, he said.YEREVAN.  Armenias Central Electoral Commission said 729 Armenian citizens living abroad will cast their ballot electronically in snap parliamentary elections.

The Foreign Ministry presented the list of 253, while the Defense Ministry submitted the list of 476, chairman of the Commission Tigran Mukuchyan said.

The citizens living abroad will get an envelope with the electronic voting guideline.

The elections will start at November 30, 8:00 a.m. Yerevan time, and will finish at 8:00 p.m. December 2, he added.Angela Merkel has called for the creation of a real, true European army, echoing a similar call by her French counterpart, Independent reported quoting Reuters.

The German chancellors backing for the force comes amid a spat with US president Donald Trump, who took offence to a suggestion by Emmanuel Macron that such an army could ensure Europes security in the shadow of the United States.

Ms Merkel endorsed the creation of the army while addressing MEPs at the European parliament in Strasbourg.

We should work on a vision of one day establishing a real, true European army, Ms Merkel said.

The French president made his call during a radio interview last week: We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America.

We will not protect the Europeans unless we decide to have a true European army.Nigeria's minister for Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, says negotiation with the Chinese government to secure loans for the 3, 050 Megawatts Mambilla Power Plant is at an advanced stage.



Speaking at a ceremony marking his third year in office, Fashola said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the Mambilla Power Plant project and work on the Power Plant -which would cost the country US$5.72 billion- will begin in 2019 after facing several setbacks in the past 40 years.



He noted that the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to ensuring the urgent commencement of the project and completion within 60 months.



Fashola, speaking on the level of development of the project, said "the progress is that for the first time in over 40 years the federal government has now signed an engineering and procurement contract. President Buhari has made that possible.



"All the companies that were fighting themselves and going to court when we came are out of court. We have a contract, a joint venture; we created that joint venture; we have a contract with them we have signed. FEC has approved the project; it is going to cost $5.72 billion".



Chinese company, CGCC, have been awarded the project which Fashola explained is similar to China's Gorges Dam executed by the same company.



Aside providing the funds, Fashola said: "They have the technology; they have done it before; no need to reinvent the wheel. We will take a loan; we are now trying to negotiate the final tranche of the loan.''



"The Nigerian government is supposed to provide 15 per cent of the total cost of the project as its counterpart funding.



"You don't budget all of the money at once and even if the loan was approved today, you wouldn't draw it all down because it is a minimum of 60 months construction time, assuming that there are no hitches. That is where we are."







Posted by Mark Williams | November 12, 2018

As if we needed a reminder, pickup trucks are not just popular in the U.S., but in many other markets around the world. Case in point: The pickups revealed at Brazil's 2018 Sao Paulo International Motor Show that runs through Nov. 18.

We recently reported that Volkswagen was going to reveal a new urban-based pickup truck at the Brazil auto show and we shared an artist rendition of it. So, what did VW show? The new Tarok Concept. In many ways, the VW Tarok Concept is another version of a pickup built for people who don't want to drive or own a real pickup truck. Previous examples include the Subaru Brat and Toyota A-BAT hybrid concept; some might argue that the current Honda Ridgeline falls into this category.

This is not a new idea, but that doesn't mean different manufacturers won't keep trying to crack this nut. Shouldn't there be a pickup for hip and youthful buyers who need the extra storage and light-duty cargo capacity? Up to now, the answer has been a resounding no. But who knows? Among some of the more interesting details in the Tarok is the pass-through mid-gate, all-wheel drive and flex-fuel 1.4-liter engine.

At the other end of the Sao Paulo Expo & Exhibition Center, a company with a little more experience producing pickup trucks  Ford  showed off the Ranger Storm concept. As you can see, many of the same Ranger Raptor features we've seen before are at work here. However, where VW put the name of its truck in the bumper, Ford has a long-established pattern of putting the name right in the grille, where it belongs. Although we don't have as many images of the Storm (believe it or not, we decided not to send anyone to Brazil to cover this show), you do get a pretty good idea of what this truck is about.

Neither vehicle is slated to make it to the U.S., but both companies are in discussions about how to better supply their buyers with the right products through a partnership. Whether that means a Ford on a VW platform or VW with Ranger underpinnings, we'll have to wait and see.

Manufacturer images











In most of the industrialized world, nuclear energy has lost its appeal due to, among other reasons, the disaster at Fukushima in 2011. Few countries have ordered new plants to supplement or replace aging ones. China is an exception with 44 reactors under construction meaning that by 2030 almost 150 GW of nuclear energy will be produced. Saudi-Arabia could become the second largest growth market and a boon to companies specialized in nuclear energy across the world. Riyadh will order its first two reactors in 2019 and an additional 19 power plants until 2030.

As there are no Saudi companies with the required nuclear know-how, expertise will be provided by foreign companies. Several corporations have been shortlisted to provide the necessary expertise. In order to export American nuclear technology, Congress needs to approve the deal. Strong ties and mutual interests such as the containing of Iran would have smoothened a deal on nuclear energy in the past. Recent developments, however, paint a gloomier picture.

Saudi-U.S. relations and challenges

Washington has maintained close relations with Riyadh since the end of Second World War due to the Arab countrys strategic importance. Every president has dedicated precious time and resources to maintain good relations with the Saudis. President Trump is no exception. The destination of his first foreign trip was Saudi-Arabia where $110 billion in military hardware deals were signed.

Despite Riyadh making several foreign policy blunders such as the blockade of Qatar and alleged kidnapping of Lebanese prime minister Hariri, Washingtons support for Saudi-Arabia remained unchallenged. Even the disastrous war in Yemen didnt change the situation. The murder of one man, however, could possibly do more harm.

The killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul and the obvious involvement of senior leaders in Riyadh have fraught relations. Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 requires several prerequisites as guarantees for the peaceful use of nuclear energy before foreign companies and states are able to use American technology. Five key Republican Senators are pushing President Trump to take punitive actions. According to Senator Marco Rubio "no relationship is too big to fail". Related: Oil Prices Fall To One-Year Lows

In addition, Democratic Senator Edward Markey urged Trump to suspend discussions on civilian nuclear cooperation with Saudi-Arabia and to revoke any approvals for the transfer of nuclear services, technology or assistance. Bipartisan pressure on Trumps administration threatens to derail negotiations. This was before the midterms. The Democrats, which after 8 years have regained control over the House of Representatives, are more critical towards Riyadh on the subject of Khashoggi than the Republicans. This could become a serious challenge for the U.S. administration and for U.S. companies trying to do business in Saudi Arabia going forward.

Russias potential win

Among the countries vying for lucrative contracts to build nuclear power plants, is Russias state-controlled Rosatom. The company is currently constructing 34 reactors in 12 countries while several other states have shown interest. The order book has increased to $300 billion which adds up to 60 percent of all nuclear power plants under construction. In order to land new deals and service existing agreements in the Arab world, Rosatom has opened an office in Dubai.

Until recently, Russia and Saudi-Arabia were competitors on the global energy market with little cooperation between the energy superpowers. The dramatic fall of oil prices caused by the surge of U.S. shale forced the countries to cooperate which led to the OPEC+ agreement and increased prices. According to Minister of Energy, Khalid Al-Falih Saudi-Arabia is also considering investing $5 billion in the Arctic-2 LNG project led by Novatek and Total.

Although it cannot be said with certainty that Rosatom will receive lucrative orders, Moscow has positioned itself well in recent years to profit from good relations with Riyadh. In case Washington decides to withhold American nuclear technology, Riyadh has plenty of alternatives. The extended track record of Rosatom and attractive conditions have in the past assured the nuclear energy giant of several deals. The Russians meet, on paper at least, the requirements to succeed in Saudi-Arabia which will be assisted by the absence of American competitors.

By Vanand Meliksetian for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:One of the large Canadian oil producers, Cenovus Energy, is calling upon the government of Alberta to mandate temporary production cuts at all drillers in a bid to ease Canadian bottlenecks that have resulted in Canadas heavy oil prices tumbling to a record-low discount of US$50 to WTI.

The province of Alberta, the heart of Canadas oil sands production, has the necessary legislation to have all producers agree to production cuts and it needs to use it now, Cenovus said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg.

This is an extraordinary situation brought on by extraordinary circumstances, Cenovus says.

The government needs to take this immediate temporary action -- which is completely within the law -- to protect the interests of Albertans, the companys email to Bloomberg reads.

Western Canadian Select (WCS)the benchmark price of oil from Canadas oil sands delivered at Hardisty, Albertahas dropped to a record low discount of US$50 to WTI in recent weeks, due to rising oil production and not enough pipeline capacity to ship the crude out of Alberta.

Due to the record low heavy oil prices, Cenovus Energy is currently operating its Foster Creek and Christina Lake projects at reduced volumes, it said in its Q3 earnings release. On the earnings call, Cenovus Energys President and CEO Alex Pourbaix urged the whole 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.

Albertas Energy Department spokesman Mike McKinnon told Bloomberg in an email, responding to Cenovuss call for province-wide production cuts:

The oil price differential right now is absurd, and exactly why Premier Rachel Notley is fighting to build new pipelines and pushing Ottawa to step up and help fix the backlog in rail shipments.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) has officially estimated that the wide Canadian oil price discount cost producers at least US$9.8 billion (C$13 billion) in the first ten months of 2018, according to The Canadian Press, but CAPPs chief executive Tim McMillan says that the real costs could be as high as US$75.6 billion (C$100 billion) annually. The association has estimated that in October alone, when the WCS discount blew out to US$52 to WTI, Canadian producers were losing US$37.8 million (C$50 million) every day.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:China imported a record-high volume of crude oil in October, beating the previous all-time high set in April this year. The oil market, gripped by a strong bearish sentiment last week, largely ignored the Chinese data.

Crude oil imports at the worlds top importer will continue to grow, but last months record was determined not only by fundamentalsit was influenced by one-off shorter-term factors that boosted oil intake, according to Reuters columnist Clyde Russell.

Chinese crude oil imports continue to be propped up by economic growth at over 6 percent, which, however, has slowed down in recent months with the U.S.-China trade war. Other long-term factors driving oil demand growth include declining domestic crude oil production with mature fields depleting and the building up of strategic petroleum reserves.

Yet, in October two short-term factors also contributed to the record Chinese crude oil importsthe U.S. sanctions on Iran and the approaching expiry date for Chinas smaller independent refiners to use up their 2018 oil import quotas. Various estimates show that China significantly boosted its crude oil imports from Iran last month, just before the U.S. sanctions snapped back on November 5 and before the announcement that waivers were granted, and before independent refinersthe so-called teapotslikely imported a record high volume of crude oil in October to fully use their quotas for this year.

So, going forward, Chinas total crude oil imports may not continue to break record highs, as demand from teapots will likely ease, and as there wont be such a rush for Iranian oil, all the more so that China was among the eight countries granted waivers by the U.S. to continue importing Irans oil, at least until May next year.

Among the factors underpinning Chinas continued and long-term oil demand growth are declining domestic production and an expanding economy, although GDP is now rising at a slower pace than earlier this year. Related: Irans Army Vows To Protect Oil Tankers From Threats

Chinas crude oil production in January-September dropped by 1.9 percent compared to the same period a year earlier, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China. In September, crude oil production in China fell 2.4 percent compared to September 2017.

Chinas economy, for its part, expanded by 6.7 percent annually at comparable prices between January and September, the statistics data showed. However, the pace of growth has been slowing this year, from 6.8 percent in Q1, to 6.7 percent in Q2, and to 6.5 percent in Q3, with third-quarter growth at its slowest expansion rate since the peak of the global financial crisis in 2009.

China has started to introduce fiscal stimulus to prop up its economy. The stimulus could boost Chinas imports in all sectors in 2019, according to ING, which sees Chinas exports growth in October as a possible sign that Chinese exporters are concerned that more U.S. tariffs are coming next year. ING doesnt think that the Trump-Xi meeting at the G20 summit in Argentina later this month will yield positive results, Iris Pang, Economist, Greater China, at ING, wrote in an analysis last week.

Factors driving the record-high Chinese oil imports in October included record purchases from the teapots and high imports from Iran. Independent refiners imported nearly 2 million bpd of Chinas total 9.61 million bpd imports in October, according to Refinitiv Oil Research and Forecasts. Related: The Biggest Threat To Dollar Dominance

Refinitiv data also show that Chinas oil imports from Iran jumped to 654,000 bpd last month from 458,000 bpd in September.

According to S&P Global Platts trade flow data, Irans oil shipments to China between October 1 and 21 averaged 800,000 bpd, up from around 600,000 bpd average for September. About half of Chinas crude oil and condensate imports from Iran in Octoberaround 400,000 bpdwere bound for a storage hub in Dalian in northeastern China, according to Platts sources and shipping data. The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has reportedly leased some storage capacity at Dalian.

Iranian oil flows may become even trickier to track with sanctions now in force and Iran reportedly switching off transponders on board ships. So data may become less and less reliable as to how much Iranian oil Tehrans top oil customerChinais importing.

Economic growth and domestic oil production decline will continue to drive Chinese crude imports, but it could be a while until China beats the October record.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:Saudi Arabia is moving quickly to halt the slide in oil prices, telegraphing a production cut intended to erase some of the re-emerging supply surplus.

Saudi oil minister Khalid al-Falih said on Monday that the kingdom would slash oil exports by 500,000 bpd in December, a move that would go a long way to reversing the 1 million-barrel-per-day increase in output agreed to by OPEC+ in June.

It was only a few weeks ago that al-Falih was trying to reassure the market that Saudi Arabia had enough spare capacity in the event of an outage; now he is rushing to try to stop the slide in prices but paring back production.

The production cut would come just after crude oil officially entered bear market territory, falling 20 percent from its October peak.

But it is unclear at this point if the rest of the OPEC+ coalition, including Russia, will join the Saudis. The OPEC-Non-OPEC Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) met over the weekend in Abu Dhabi to consider options for 2019. The group was rumored to be considering a collective production cut, although the meeting ended on Sunday with no firm commitments.

Still, in an official statement, the group seemed open to the idea. The JMMC noted that 2019 prospects point to higher supply growth than global requirements, which is another way of saying that they are nervous about a supply glut. Also, the committee stated that a global economic downturn could depress demand, and could lead to widening gap between supply and demand. These conditions may require new strategies to balance the market. It would seem that the OPEC+ coalition is laying the groundwork for a production cut. The official ministerial meeting in Vienna in early December will reveal much more about the groups plans heading into 2019.

Al-Falih said that the OPEC+ group needs to cut output by 1 million barrels per day (mb/d) below October levels. Saudi Arabia will alone account for half of that total, removing 500,000 bpd in December. BPs Bob Dudley told Bloomberg TV that al-Falihs announcement probably will firm the price. Related: The Biggest Threat To Dollar Dominance

Thats probably all it will do, at least for now. Surging shale production at a time when the demand picture is darkening will make a renewed run up in prices difficult. It is beginning to look alarming in the sense that the resurgence of non-OPEC supply -- in particular shale oil from the United States -- is putting a lot of pressure on this fragile equation, OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said in Abu Dhabi. As for demand, were beginning to see signs of deceleration in 2019. Now the result of that is projecting a buildup of stocks to the level we saw in 2014.

An agreed upon cut of 1 mb/d next month would take some of the excess out of the market, however, and the Saudi cut could go a long way towards building the will within OPEC+ to agree to such collective action. The unilateral reduction in supply announced by Saudi Arabia should make it easier to agree on a general reduction at the early-December OPEC meeting and thus noticeably reduce the risk of an oversupplied market, Commerzbank said in a note. We therefore envisage further recovery potential for oil prices in the short term.

The Saudis themselves arent exactly sure of what to expect. We are going to be flexible, al-Falih said at a conference in Abu Dhabi. There are a lot of assumptions that may change in two to three weeks time. He added that OPEC+ will do what it takes, which sounds like Riyadh is not interested in seeing Brent fall below $70 per barrel, about where it was trading this past weekend.

Sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia was surprised that the U.S. government issued a series of waivers to importers of Iranian oil just as sanctions took effect. The waivers meant that a lot less Iranian oil is destined to go offline than was previously expected. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies ramped up production in anticipation of much larger outages from Iran. The waivers led to a fall in prices. No one expected the waivers. Saudi Arabia wants to at least put a floor under oil prices. No one wants a free fall in prices, an OPEC source told Reuters.

Not everyone agrees. At least one oil market watcher was not happy with the planned production cuts.

Hopefully, Saudi Arabia and OPEC will not be cutting oil production. Oil prices should be much lower based on supply!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2018

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:Canadian oil prices briefly plunged as low as $15 per barrel last week, after a U.S. federal judge blocked the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Canadas oil industry has lurched from pipeline crisis to pipeline crisis, with projects blocked at every turn. Just a few months ago, the Trans Mountain expansion  a proposed pipeline to be built from Alberta to the Pacific Coast  also ran into trouble and is now ultimately in doubt.

The inability to build new capacity capable of shipping higher levels of oil out of Alberta has crushed Western Canada Select (WCS), a price marker that tracks heavy oil from Canada. WCS has historically traded at a discount relative to WTI, taking into account differences in quality and the higher cost of transit, but the discount has exploded this year as Albertas pipelines are tapped out. In October, WCS traded at a record $50-per-barrel discount to WTI.

The ruling last week from a U.S. federal judge led to more trouble. The judge said that the U.S. State Department did not adequately consider the environmental impacts of the Keystone XL pipeline when it granted a cross-border permit for the project. The judge said that the agency needs to conduct a supplemental environmental impact before the project could move forward, adding more delays to a project that was originally proposed a decade ago.

TransCanada had hoped to begin construction next year, having secured enough buyers for the crude oil it would ship, although the company has not issued a final investment decision. The recent court ruling could add delays, although it is unclear what happens next. Chris Cox, an analyst with Raymond James, told the Wall Street Journal that construction could be delayed until 2020 at least. At that point, it could become political fodder during the 2020 presidential campaign, adding further layers of uncertainty. Is TransCanada willing to bet $8 billion on getting another approval from Trump? Cox told the WSJ.

With the Trans Mountain expansion and Keystone XL both blocked for the time being, the only possible project to move forward is Enbridges Line 3 replacement. Enbridge is hoping to replace an aging pipeline that runs from Alberta to Minnesota and Wisconsin. The replaced pipeline, which is estimated to cost more than C$8 billion, would also double its throughput to 760,000 bpd. For now, that project appears to be on schedule and could come online in late 2019 or early 2020. That would provide both takeaway capacity and pricing relief for Canadas oil industry. Related: Rosnefts Middle East Strategy Explained

However, Enbridge could face some other problems in Michigan. The newly elected governor Gretchen Whitmer has voiced opposition to the aging Line 5 pipeline, yet another aging pipeline that ferries oil from Alberta, through Michigan, to refineries across the border back in Canada. The current governor, Rick Snyder, reached a deal with Enbridge in early October, which would require Enbridge to encase the pipeline in a cement tunnel to prevent any leaks. Such an endeavor could cost as much as $500 million and take seven to ten years to build.

Whitmer has suggested she would seek the closure of Line 5 before it can be replaced, a move that would put a further dent in Albertas takeaway capacity. Line 5 is 65 years old and carries 540,000 bpd.

Because Canadas oil production has increased over the last few years, and pipeline companies have run into trouble in every direction, the discount for WCS has widened. But over the last week, in the wake of the Keystone XL decision, the discount blew out. WCS dropped as low as $16 per barrel in recent days. Canadian oil producers are losing around $30 million per day, according to Albertas finance department and the Wall Street Journal.

Now the discounts have become such a problem that some companies are actually taking the drastic step of shutting down production. Cenovus Energy reduced output because of the low prices. Canadian companies are selling their oil to the U.S. at fire-sale prices, and it is having a significant impact, Cenovus CEO Alex Pourbaix told the WSJ. Other companies are also slashing production, including Canadian Natural Resources, Devon Energy and Athabasca Oil Corp. Bloomberg estimates that together, the production curtailments could reach as high as 140,000 bpd.

As long as the discount for WCS continues to trade in excess of $40 per barrel  at a time when global oil prices are falling  then there will probably be more forthcoming announcements detailing production cuts.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:China has received its first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States since it imposed in mid-September a 10-percent tariff on U.S. LNG imports in the heated tit-for-tat trade tariffs this summer, Reuters reports, citing Refinitiv Eikon shipping data.

LNG tanker Ribera Duero Knutsen departed from Sabine Pass in the U.S. on October 10, according to MarineTraffic, and arrived at the Zhejiang Ningbo terminal in China on Sunday, November 11, Refinitiv Eikon data showed.

According to the shipping data, this was the first U.S. LNG tanker to be sent to China since September 10, a week before Beijing slapped the 10-percent import tariff.

Although the levy is lower than Chinas initial threat of a 25-percent tariff, analysts think that the tariffs are bound to influence the LNG market in the short-term with winter coming in the northern hemisphere, and in the long-term with shifting trade routes.

China was the second-biggest buyer of U.S. LNG in the 12 months to June 2018. But after the trade war began in earnest, Chinese buyers began to cut purchases of American LNG, according to Wood Mackenzie.

The impact on the short term market is likely to be less than we previously indicated. This is partly because the level of the tariff is lower than initially proposed, 10% now vs 25% in August, but also because we think China has already completed the majority of its procurement for winter, Wood Mackenzies Farrer said in September after China announced the tariff.



Related: Permian Drillers Prepare To Go Into Overdrive In 2019

Commenting on the first U.S. LNG arrival since September, Jeff Moore, manager of Asian LNG Analytics at S&P Global Platts, said:

What is shocking about this cargo making its way to China is that it seems to be because of lack of demand elsewhere.

According to Moore, U.S. LNG cargoes to China will continue to be limited because of the tariff, but weaker-than-expected LNG prices in Asia and rising prices in the European and U.S. gas hubs would see U.S. cargoes traveling to the Atlantic basin in the near term.

A source with Cheniere Energy told Platts last week that the U.S. LNG exporter had swapped all its cargoes to PetroChina with LNG sourced from outside the United States, with Chenieres business in China not expected to be affected by the tariffs, thanks to very flexible terms with our customers.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:Todays higher oil prices may have helped Arab Gulf economies to grow again, but risks remain with economies still vulnerable to sharp oil price movements, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in its November regional economic outlook on Tuesday.

Another risk to Arab Gulf economies stem from possible delays in much-needed diversification reforms due to complacency with the higher oil prices.

The combined economies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)are expected to grow at 2.4 percent this year and 3 percent next year, after they contracted by 0.4 percent last year, the IMF said.

Growth in non-GCC oil exporting nations, on the other hand, is forecast to slow to 0.3 percent this year from 3 percent in 2017, and to pick up slightly to 0.9 percent in 2019, largely due to the impact of the renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran. The return of the sanctions is likely to reduce Iranian oil production and exports significantly over the next two years at least, the IMF said.

While the fund acknowledged that in several countries, including in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, higher oil revenues have more than offset increases in public spending, there is a tangible risk that the commitment to implement key fiscal measures and structural reforms will weaken amid higher oil prices.

Also, any delays to reforms that would facilitate a greater role for the private sector in the economyfor example, through privatization in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAEcould curtail economic diversification efforts, the IMF warned.



Related: The Biggest Threat To Dollar Dominance

The overall uncertainty about where oil prices will be heading and the risk of downward pressure on oil from trade tensions continue to be significant sources of vulnerability for oil exporters in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

According to IMFs latest projections, Saudi Arabia, the biggest oil producer in the region and the leader of OPEC, will see its economy rising 2.2 percent in 2018 and 2.4 percent in 2019, compared to a 0.9-percent contraction in 2017. The UAEs real GDP growth will be 2.9 percent this year and 3.7 percent next year, accelerating from 0.8 percent last year. Iran, however, is expected to have its economy shrink by 1.5 percent in 2018 and by another 3.6 percent in 2019, from 3.7-percent growth in 2017, as the sanctions undercut its near-term trade and growth prospects.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:OPEC expects global oil demand to grow at a daily rate of 1.5 million bpd this year, further slowing down to 1.29 million bpd in 2019, the organization said in the latest issue of its Monthly Oil Market Report. This is 40,000 bpd and 70,000 bpd lower in demand growth projections for 2018 and 2019, respectively, from last months report.

This is the fourth downward oil demand growth revision from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in as many months, suggesting that the worry about demand has caught up with the cartel that supplies most of the worlds oil.

Whats more, the downward revisions are getting larger: in the October Monthly Oil Market Report, OPEC revised down its global oil demand growth projection by 80,000 bpd from the September estimate, which, in turn, was 20,000 bpd lower than the August figure.

Interestingly, the downward demand revisions are accompanied by unchanged global economic growth forecasts. Usually, downward revisions in economic growth prospects go hand in hand with lower oil demand projections, but not this time, it seems. As to the reasons for this latest revision, OPEC said it was based on weaker demand figures from the Middle East, and to a lesser extent, China for the third quarter of 2018, when Chinese refineries were in maintenance season.

Yet China is the biggest concern for Middle Eastern producers when it comes to oil demand. Back in September, CNBC quoted the oil ministers of Oman and Bahrain both expressing concern with projections about falling Chinese oil demand resulting from the trade war with the Trump administration.

This concern may ease over the longer term as the Chinese economy continues to grow at a stable rate, which drives greater oil consumption, but over the short term it has had OPEC worried and rightly so as the tension between Beijing and Washington persists.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:Nigeria is looking for the extradition of former oil minister and the first female president of OPEC from the UK to face trial in her home country, because a corruption investigation in Britain is taking too long, the head of Nigerias Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said on Monday.

Diezani Alison-Madueke served as petroleum minister of Nigeria between 2010 and early 2015 under then Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, until he was defeated in the elections by current president Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. Alison-Madueke was also the first female president of OPEC.

She was arrested in 2015 in London as part of a two-year-long investigation by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) into global corruption, bribery, and money laundering. Alison-Madueke was released on bail after being questioned. She has been on bail ever since, according to AFP.

Police and investigators suspect that Alison-Madueke was involved in siphoning off billions of U.S. dollars from Nigerian oil deals and state accounts when she was overseeing Nigerias oil industry, for personal benefits, including for buying luxury homes in London and in Nigerias capital Abuja.

More than two years ago, a Nigerian ad-hoc parliamentary committee revealed that there were no formal contracts between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and trading companies that received $24 billion worth of Nigerian crude oil between 2011 and 2014.

According to the results of the investigation, Alison-Madueke illegally allowed for a swap of Nigerian crude oil for refined products to trading firms Duke Oil and Trafigura.

The former Nigerian oil minister denies wrongdoing. Now Nigeria seeks extradition from the UK to put her on trial at home.

EFCCs chairman Ibrahim Magu told a news conference in Abuja on Monday that It is very unreasonable that she is not being tried there, referring to the UK.

Thats why I say, if you cannot prosecute her, bring her here. We will prosecute her... We cannot wait endlessly like this. I think three years and above is sufficient to take her to court, AFP quoted Magu as saying.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:It aint here until its here.

President Rodrigo Dutertes spokesperson Salvador Panelo today welcomed news that the historical Balangiga Bells, which was taken by American soldiers from Eastern Samar in 1901 and brought to Wyoming, will be returned to the Philippines soon.

However, Panelo said he is withholding any further comments until the bells have arrived in the country.

Two of the bells were brought to Wyoming by the American forces, while another one is at Camp Red Cloud, the United States base in South Korea. The bells were taken by U.S. soldiers from the town of Balangiga after Filipino troops killed 48 American soldiers.

Aside from taking the bells, the American soldiers massacred thousands of Balangigas townspeople upon the orders of General Jacob Smith who ordered his troops to kill any Filipino over the age of 10 years old.

According to a report from GMA News, the countrys ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said that he will be attending a military ceremony in Wyoming on Nov. 14 (Nov. 15 in Manila) which will mark the start of the bells journey back to the Philippines. The same ceremony will be attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Mattis has already notified the U.S. Congress that the Department of Defense will return the bells to the Philippines.

Romualdez also said that a statement will be released on the same day as the military ceremony and will announce the bells date of arrival in the Philippines.

Dr. Rolando Borrinaga of the Committee on Historical Research of National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) told ABS-CBN News that the bell in South Korea is also ready to be returned.

He said the return of the bells were made possible by the efforts of war veterans.

He said: The latest successful campaign for the return of the Bells of Balangiga was largely a veterans-to-veterans effort. So many in the U.S. veterans community have let their voices be known and lent their support  including National Resolutions of support from both the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion.

Story continues

While others are delighted, Panelo wants to wait for the bells to arrive in the Philippines first.

Given that the possession of the bells have not yet been turned over to the Philippine government, we are withholding any further comment on the matter until the last bell has been properly delivered to the country, he said in a statement.

He added: In the words of the President himself: It aint here until its here.'

Filipinos have campaigned for the bells to be returned to the country for years, but perhaps the most high-profile person to ask for their return was Duterte, who is generally perceived to hold anti-American views.

In his State of the Nation Address last year, Duterte said: Give us back those Balangiga bells. They are ours. They belong to the Philippines. They are part of our national heritage. Return them to us. Those are painful for us.

Before that, an online petition in 2014 asked then-U.S. President Barack Obama to return the bells to the Philippines but the request fell on deaf ears.

The post Balangiga Bells confiscated by U.S. soldiers to be returned to the Philippines appeared first on Coconuts.A former Nazi concentration camp guard said at his trial Tuesday that he was ashamed at having been part of the SS and that he was unaware of the systematic killings there. Johann Rehbogen is accused of complicity in mass murder at the Stutthof camp near what was then Danzig, now Gdansk in Poland. Dressed in a dark grey suit, the white-haired 94-year-old was wheeled into the German court, holding a walking stick in his right hand. In rare testimony in one of the last cases of its kind, Rehbogen said in a statement read out by his lawyer that he was forced into service and denied having ever been a Nazi. "I'm of course ashamed to have been part of the SS. But I still don't know today if I would have had the courage to do otherwise," he said. He said he was forced into joining the Schutzstaffel troops as he feared "reprisals against my family if I hadn't gone". "When I saw the detainees I knew that the SS was wrong but I didn't have a choice to do otherwise," said Rehbogen, who served as a guard from June 1942 to September 1944 at Stutthof. He denied knowledge of the gruesome crimes at the camp, insisting: "I knew nothing of the systematic killings, I knew nothing of the gas chambers as well as the crematoria." Rehbogen said he "would have liked to leave" the camp but added that "I did not trust myself to speak with anyone and had no one I could trust". "I will only say that I am not a Nazi, I never have been one, and never will be." - 'I don't believe him' - But lead prosecutor Andreas Brendel said that there were "ways out" of serving at the camp for guards like Rehbogen. "We believe that the guards knew a lot more than what has been recounted today," he said. Plaintiffs voiced dismay at Rehbogen's statement. "I am disappointed but not surprised to hear the defendant is denying that he took part in the killings at Stutthof," said Benjamin Cohen, who represented his grandmother Judy Meisel at the hearing. "My grandmother's account of her time in the camp and the murder of her mother tells a very clear story about the role of these guards." Manuel Mayer, a lawyer of a former detainee, said: "His statement was absurd. I don't believe him." Rehbogen is due to reply to plaintiffs' questions when the trial resumes on Thursday. Rehbogen was aged 18 to 20 at the time and is therefore being tried under juvenile law. He is charged with being an accessory to the murders of several hundred camp prisoners. These included more than 100 Polish prisoners gassed in June 1944 and "probably several hundred" Jews killed from August to December 1944 as part of the Nazis' so-called "Final Solution". If found guilty, he faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. Given his age and the possibility of an appeal he is considered unlikely to serve any time behind bars. Rehbogen, from North Rhine-Westphalia state, is a retired landscape architect and divorced father of three, according to German media. At the trial opening last week, he shed tears when he heard written testimony from Holocaust survivors. - 'Symbolic but important' - Christoph Ruecken, a lawyer representing an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor who now lives in the United States, said: "A punishment would be symbolic for such an old man but that's important in times like now when nationalism and anti-Semitism are returning. "It's important to show that the rule of law says you will face the court if you do these things." Stutthof was set up in 1939 and ended up holding 110,000 detainees, 65,000 of whom perished, according to the Museum Stutthof. Germany has been racing to put on trial surviving SS personnel, after the legal basis for prosecuting former Nazis changed in 2011 with the landmark conviction of former guard John Demjanjuk. He was sentenced on the grounds that he served as a cog in the Nazi killing machine at the Sobibor camp in occupied Poland, rather than for killings or atrocities linked to him personally. German courts subsequently convicted Oskar Groening, an accountant at Auschwitz, and Reinhold Hanning, a former SS guard at the same camp, for complicity in mass murder. Both men were convicted at age 94 but died before they could be imprisoned.Ford Philippines has expanded its retail footprint with the opening of its new dealership facility in Clark, Pampanga, serving the automotive sales and service needs of customers around the area.

This is another major milestone for us in Ford as we continue to grow our dealership network to reach more customers in Clark, which is one of the countrys major economic hubs, giving them access to our world-class vehicles and improvements in the overall ownership experience, says

Bert Lessard, managing director, Ford Philippines.

Ford Clark is Fords 47th dealership facility in the Philippines. It has a total floor area of 1,863 square meters. It has a four-car showroom display, one interactive bay, and seven service bays with additional 16 service bays provisioned for future expansion.

Ford Clark is the first dealership in the country to follow the new global dealership branding guidelines, showcasing a more globally-aligned exterior and interior look and feel to offer customers a better dealership experience. For the exteriors, Ford Clark will retain the current global brand identity for consistency, as seen in the dealership facilitys brand wall, entrance tower, and Ford signage.

For its interiors, Ford Clark will provide customers a more engaging and inclusive environment that will put them in control of their sales and service transactions. The new dealership facility will also be enabled by new technological features that will help facilitate a faster and more customer-focused sales and after-sales delivery. It will also aim to connect the customers online purchasing journey with the on-ground, in-store environmentpaving the way for a more connected, seamless, and best-in-class automotive retail experience.

Some of the highlights of the refreshed interiors include a more interactive welcome pod that exemplifies people serving people with a welcoming hospitality gesture, a vehicle display space that allows for optimal vehicle presentation, purchase rooms designed to give customers a feeling of being in-control and laid out to enable a smooth interaction with the sales staff, a community and social area that provides an engaging multi-functional space for social and community events, a customer lounge that allows customers to connect online, charge their gadgets or work remotely, and an enhanced celebration bay and service reception area.

Story continues

Todays automotive customers are increasingly sophisticated, business-minded and technologically-savvy. Therefore, it is vital that a dealership facility, which is one of our most important customer touchpoints, adapt to this changing consumer behavior in terms of look, feel, and the experience it offers to customers, adds Lessard. The new and world-class Ford Clark dealership is an embodiment of our commitment to enhance the Ford ownership experience with its new features, new look and feel, and new innovations that will change the way we interact with our customers.

Ford Clark is located at LGC Automotive Services Building, M.A. Roxas Highway, Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga and is operated by the LPL Group headed by its chairman and president, Levy P. Laus.

Ford Clark

The post Ford PH Opens New Dealership Facility in Clark appeared first on Carmudi Philippines.[Editors Note: This article, originally published Nov 2018, was updated on Feb 21 to include details on venue and ticket pricing.]

2019 is shaping up to be an exciting time for Filipino music fans.

Indie pop band LANY will be performing in Manila for two days back-to-back at the Mall of Asia Arena on July 24 and 25, concert promoter MMI Live announced today.

ANNOUNCEMENT DUE TO DEMAND : NEW DATE HAS BEEN ADDED FOR LANY MALIBU NIGHTS WORLD TOUR IN MANILA. ON SALE 2.22.19 in all SM TICKETS OUTLETS and https://t.co/bv3ZsBNmLX at exactly 12 NOON. #MALIBUNIGHTSMNL#LANYINMNL2019#MMILIVE2019 pic.twitter.com/W4xlLnCx6R  MMI LIVE (@mmilive) February 21, 2019

The band first announced its tour dates for 2019 in November of last year.

The Manila concert, which was initially scheduled as just a one-night performance, was extended into two shows across two days, due to demand. Ticket prices range from PHP1,250 (US$23.99) to PHP5,550 (US$106.49).

Tickets will be on sale for the second concert at all SM Ticket outlets, and on its website tomorrow starting 12pm.

This marks the fourth time that the band  composed of Paul Klein, Les Priest, and Jake Goss  will visit the country.



Aside from Manila, the band will also perform in other Coconuts cities: Kuala Lumpur (July 27), Bangkok (July 30), Singapore (Aug. 10), and Jakarta (Aug.13).

The band is known for its hit songs ILYSB, Pink Skies, Super Far, and Good Girls, among others.

This article, [UPDATED]: LANY to perform in Manila in 2019, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters!Italy and the United Nations on Tuesday praised an international conference on the Libya crisis as a success, despite the stark divisions that emerged among key players in the chaos-stricken nation. Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the UN envoy said all parties had agreed to a UN conference planned for early 2019 to prepare for elections to end the crisis. The Italian initiative was the latest international effort to stabilise the North Africa state which has struggled with fighting amoung rival factions since the fall of Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 civil war. Two days of talks and suspense saw eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar finally turn up at the Palermo meeting but snub the actual conference, preferring instead to hold a series of meetings on the sidelines. When Turkey was not invited to one of those meetings, its Vice President Fuat Oktay walked out of the actual conference, voicing "deep disappointment". Nevertheless, Conte told journalists after the conference that "a strong cohesion of the international community has come out of this." "The support of the international community can accelerate the stabilisation process that must be totally left up to the Libyans," Conte said. - 'More conviviality' - UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame praised a "much higher level of conviviality among Libyan stakeholders so I do consider this conference a success." Italy is the latest country aiming to bring Libya's disparate and often warring factions together after a Paris summit in May saw the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and Haftar agree to hold national polls on December 10 -- a date which has fallen by the wayside. Now the UN is targeting a national conference in early 2019 that would be organised to provide "a platform" for Libyans to spell out their vision for the future. Elections are slated for a few months later, with no precise date yet decided. "I saw unanimous support in the international community for it (the national conference) but also I got commitment from those Libyans here that they will attend it... so I feel more reassured," Salame said. "I think now we have a reasonable chance of success and that's why we're moving." Salame said that Haftar was committed to next year's conference, playing down his dramatic arrival and departure. "All international conferences have various formats, sometimes smaller, sometimes larger. In some circumstances people are prepared to meet with enthusiasm, in some they are not prepared to," Salame said. Turkey walked out after Haftar joined a meeting on the conference's sidelines with his UN-backed rival Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and other leaders, but not with Turkish representatives. The Haftar camp regularly accuses Turkey and Qatar of militarily and financially backing his rivals, including Islamists. "Any meeting which excludes Turkey would prove to be counter-productive for the solution of this problem," Vice President Oktay said in a statement. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, UN envoy Ghassan Salame, European Council President Donald Tusk and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also attended the Sarraj-Haftar meeting, hosted by Conte ahead of roundtable talks, which were to have included Turkey. Haftar left Sicily immediately after the meeting. - 'A fundamental step' - Haftar, whose forces control all of northeastern Libya, refuses to sit down at the same table as the Islamist leaders he fiercely opposes. Just as in May, the key Libyan invitees were Haftar, the eastern parliament's speaker Aguila Salah, GNA head Sarraj and Khaled al-Mechri, speaker of a Tripoli-based upper chamber. For Rome's populist government, a top priority is stemming the flow of migrants who exploit Libya's security vacuum in their quest to reach European shores, often via Italy. In September, Italy's defence minister and parliamentary speaker both partly blamed France for Libya's security crisis, which continues to simmer seven years after the NATO-backed uprising toppled Kadhafi. The Italian criticism came as Tripoli was hit by militia clashes that killed at least 117 people and wounded more than 400 between late August and late September. Rome and Paris have for months been at loggerheads over Libya's election timetable. While France repeatedly endorsed the December date, Italy opposed it. But Salame told Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper on Monday that any differences between Paris and Rome had now been "left behind".FORMER Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena is not exempt from any liabilities even if he is an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration, Malacanang said on Tuesday, November 13.The National

FORMER Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena is not exempt from any liabilities even if he is an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration, Malacanang said on Tuesday, November 13.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has lodged criminal and administrative complaints against Lapena over alleged irregularities in the release of 105 containers of ceramic tiles worth P69 million.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the NBI was merely following Duterte's order to rid the government of corruption when it recommended the filing of charges against Lapena.

"Good governance is the hallmark of the Duterte administration and this latest development is a reaffirmation of the President's commitment against all forms of corruption and illegality," the Palace official said.

"No one, friends or political foes alike, is spared in our fight against corruption. The National Bureau of Investigation has a mandate to fulfill and its action is proof that the President shall not shield those upon whom a shadow of doubt has been cast," he added.

In a November 7 report filed before the Department of Justice on Monday, November 12, the NBI accused Lapena of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for allowing the release of containers filled with tiles from China in March.

Aside from corruption charges, the NBI also recommended administrative charges of gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct against the erstwhile Customs chief.

One hundred five containers, with a declared value of at least P69 million, were purportedly released by Manila South Harbor's port operator Asian Terminal Inc. on March 17 without proper clearances and documents.

Lapena currently heads the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) after Duterte moved him out of the Bureau of Customs on October 25 amid the alleged smuggling of multibillion-peso worth of shabu into the country.

Story continues

READ: Lapena relieved as Customs chief, named to Tesda

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1770913/Manila/Local-News/Isidro-Lape-ntildea-relieved-as-Customs-chief-named-to-Tesda

Despite the charges filed against Lapena, Panelo said the Tesda chief still enjoys Duterte's "trust and confidence."

Panelo added that Lapena has the right to be presumed "innocent," until proven guilty.

"Nonetheless, we point out that Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director-General Isidro Lapena has the constitutional right to be presumed innocent," he said.

"Until and unless proven otherwise, he still enjoys the trust and confidence of the appointing authority who happens to be the President," he added. (SunStar Philippines)In this Nov. 9, 2018 photo, construction workers mix with the noon lunch-hour crowd outside an Amazon Go store in downtown Seattle. As Amazon turns its attention to setting up new homes in Long Island City in New York and Arlington, Va., experts and historians in Seattle say both places can expect a delicate relationship with the world's hottest online retailer. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

As Amazon turns its attention to setting up new homes in Long Island City, New York and Arlington, Virginia, experts and historians in Seattle say both places can expect a delicate relationship with the world's hottest online retailer.

The communities will be subject to outsized influence from a company used to getting what it wants and unfazed by blame, fairly or not, for widespread changes all around.

Just look to the Pacific Northwest, where both Amazon and Seattle have transformed dramatically together and sometimes at odds over the past 24 years, prompting resentment among a certain crowd of wistful "mossback" natives.

But there is a key difference.

The New York city and DC-area picks allow the company to strategically sidestep and diffuse many of the growing pains Amazon has been accused of inflicting on its Seattle hometown. That's because the pending moves will shift Amazon from the "MVP" employer role it plays here, to a mere "VIP" employer position in two of America's largest, most robust locales.

A Fitch Ratings analysis notes that 25,000 Amazon jobs would amount to less than 1 percent of the labor force in either New York's or DC's metropolitan statistical area. Both also already have a large concentration of personal incomes in the six-figure bracket.

In this Nov. 9, 2018 photo, the Space Needle is seen behind a construction project near the Amazon Spheres in downtown Seattle. As Amazon turns its attention to setting up new homes in Long Island City in New York and Arlington, Va., experts and historians in Seattle say both places can expect a delicate relationship with the world's hottest online retailer. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

In Seattle, Amazon's workforce has grown from 5,000 to 45,000 employees since 2010, while its physical footprint in the downtown core grew from 1 million to 8 million square feet today.

Matthew Gardner, chief economist with the Windermere Real Estate company in Seattle, estimates that Amazon's crew of highly-educated, well-paid techies makes up about 15 percent of downtown Seattle's total workers.

Amazon says it spent $4 billion developing its Seattle home after claiming the once-sleepy South Lake Union warehouse district that's unofficially rebranded "Amazonia" because of the company's 44-building (and counting) development spree.

The company says it has infused $38 billion into the city's economy between 2010 and 2016.

In this Nov. 9, 2018 photo, a streetcar wrapped with an advertisement for Amazon.com's same-day Prime Now delivery service passes through downtown Seattle. As Amazon turns its attention to setting up new homes in Long Island City in New York and Arlington, Va., experts and historians in Seattle say both places can expect a delicate relationship with the world's hottest online retailer. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The downtown core today is a bustling employment center that is complemented with extra bus routes subsidized by Amazon, which claims half of its employees walk, bike or take public transit to work.

The area is also buoyed by blue-badged Amazon workers having lunch in small local eateries and food trucks outside. The Downtown Seattle Association said more than 2,000 small businesses have opened in downtown Seattle since Amazon showed up.

That's also meant a steady blockade of construction work in pockets of downtown, which also coincides with major traffic congestion caused by two long-overdue public transportation projects on Interstate 5 and Highway 99. Critics also lament Seattle's metamorphosis from a modest blue-collar region fueled by timber, fishing and factory jobs, to the city's status as a star tech hub that was cemented by Amazon and then drew Facebook and Google to set up key outposts here.

Seattle's new concentration of highly-educated, well-paid techies infused in a post-Great Recession era has contributed to a vicious housing market. As a majority of them are young and single renters, Gardner said average city rents have increased by more than 70 percent since 2010, to nearly $2,000 a month. Meanwhile, the average cost of a single-family house has increased by nearly 90 percent to an average price of $844,000.

In this Nov. 9, 2018 photo, a pedestrian walks near the Amazon Spheres in downtown Seattle. As Amazon turns its attention to setting up new homes in Long Island City in New York and Arlington, Va., experts and historians in Seattle say both places can expect a delicate relationship with the world's hottest online retailer. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The tension around Amazon's growth hit a peak this year as the city struggled to address its homelessness crisis. Amazon successfully fought a proposed city tax that would have helped fund more services. Local officials quickly bowed down to the city's top employer after Amazon threatened to pull development projects. The bitter battle further bruised CEO and founder Jeff Bezos' "corporate citizen" reputation and also overshadowed the growing, though relatively small portfolio of philanthropy Amazon has done in the city for homelessness.

For the first two decades in existence, Amazon.com's business blossomed quietly in Seattle, starting as a literary dot-com darling and expanding into the "Everything Store." In fact, Amazon in 1994 was warmly embraced by a city proud of its innovative legacy tied to Boeing and Microsoft, but also committed to being an affordable, creative enclave out West.

It's in the last five years that the acceleration of change has been so intense that the growing pains between Amazon and Seattle have been stark and visceral.

Knute Berger, a longtime Seattle columnist who has chronicled the city from a native perspective, recalls the days when Amazon hired local journalists and writers to produce high-quality content to help sell books on its platform. But Amazon's widespread success was later seen as a threat on traditional bookstores and print publishing on the whole.

In this Nov. 9, 2018 photo, workers line up for lunch from the Seattle Mamak Malaysian Cuisine food truck near the Amazon.com campus in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood. As Amazon turns its attention to setting up new homes in Long Island City in New York and Arlington, Va., experts and historians in Seattle say both places can expect a delicate relationship with the world's hottest online retailer. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

"At some point, they crossed the line from being a creative dot-com to 'The Man,'" Berger said.

With all of this in the rearview and looking forward to its new headquarter cities, Margaret O'Mara, a tech industry historian and University of Washington professor, said there's an opportunity for an Amazon fresh start. She urged the company to forge a new path as a community-conscious tech giant who will support local taxes as needed.

"Building a neighborhood that's a really great place to be a tech employee but not built for anyone else, from a city's perspective, it's not the kind of sustainable development you want to have," O'Mara said.

In this Nov. 9, 2018 photo, the Space Needle is seen in the background of street partially blocked by a construction project in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood. As Amazon turns its attention to setting up new homes in Long Island City in New York and Arlington, Va., experts and historians in Seattle say both places can expect a delicate relationship with the world's hottest online retailer. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

In this Nov. 9, 2018 photo, pedestrians walk near the Amazon Spheres in downtown Seattle as a sign points the way to the city's South Lake Union and other neighborhoods. As Amazon turns its attention to setting up new homes in Long Island City in New York and Arlington, Va., experts and historians in Seattle say both places can expect a delicate relationship with the world's hottest online retailer. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Explore further Amazon opens new outposts in New York, northern Virginia

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.Credit: University of East Anglia

The historically over-exploited Giant South American Turtle is making a significant comeback on river beaches in the Brazilian Amazon thanks to local protection efforts, say researchers at the University of East Anglia.

And not only have turtle populations benefited from conservation efforts, other co-occurring species have begun to thrive once again on the protected beaches and in surrounding areas.

The UEA team, working in partnership with Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Anglia Ruskin University and Universidade Federal do Amazonas, analysed data collected on Giant Turtle populations nesting on protected beaches along the Jurua, a major tributary of the Amazon river, over the past four decades.

They also surveyed both locally protected and unprotected beaches along a 1,000-km meandering section of the same river. The survey covered nests of all turtle species as well as bird, iguana, caiman, large fish, river dolphin and insect populations on either the river beaches or the adjacent river channel during the dry season.

Their results, published in Nature Sustainability, show that Giant Turtle populations are well on their way to full recovery on beaches guarded by local vigilantes. There are now over nine times more turtles hatching on these beaches than there were in 1977, equivalent to an annual increase of over 70,000 hatchlings.

The beach survey showed that, of over 2000 turtle nests monitored on protected beaches, only two per cent were attacked by poachers. In contrast, on unprotected beaches, poachers had harvested eggs from 99 per cent of the 202 nests surveyed.

Other species also had much larger populations on protected beaches, compared to beaches with no protection. Species benefiting from the conservation programme included migratory birds, such as the Black Skimmer, the Large-Billed Tern and the Sand-Coloured Nighthawk, as well as the Black Caiman, River Dolphins, Green Iguana and large catfishes.

Turtles have historically been an over-exploited source of meat and eggs despite the first protection laws banning turtle harvest coming into force in 1967. By the late 1970s, numbers had reached worryingly low levels.

The beach protection programme along the Jurua river is part of the largest community-based conservation programme in the Brazilian Amazon. Beaches are guarded on a shoestring budget by local communities carrying out round-the-clock beach surveillance throughout the five-month turtle breeding season.

Prof Carlos Peres, from UEA's School of Environmental Sciences and a senior author on the study, said: "This study clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of empowering local management action by stakeholders who have the largest stake and a 24/7 presence at key conservation sites. The beaches protected by local communities represent noisy islands of high biodiversity, surrounded by lifeless unprotected beaches, which are invariably empty and silent."

The team hopes their evidence will help convince governments that supporting local conservation is critical to successful ecological restoration programmes.

"Relying on a handful of government officials, who are often based in urban centres, to protect five million square-kilometres of Amazonian rivers and forests is at best a losing battle which so far has largely failed," said Prof Peres.

"We need to trigger and then subsidize powerful 'win-win' alliances with local communities to both ensure their welfare and sustain the collective vigilance that can maintain the integrity of the world's largest tropical wilderness region."

Dr. Joseph Hawes, a collaborator at Anglia Ruskin University, said: "Our research highlights the valuable conservation service currently provided by local communities, not just for turtles but for the wider ecosystem. Recognising the importance of their work shows the potential for effective conservation action, even outside existing formally protected areas."

Lead author Dr. Joao Campos-Silva, now a postdoctoral researcher at Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Brazil, said: "Currently, six million people in the Brazilian Amazon depend on wild nature. By including local dwellers in conservation practices, we can increase the effectiveness of conservation outcomes and enhance local welfare.

"We found huge differences between the ecological and social outcomes in this program. But there is widespread dissatisfaction voiced by beach guards, who get very little return for what can be dangerous work. This means that many of them are now on the brink of giving up on decades of successful beach protection. Better support for this activity through the development of an independent income stream would ensure the long-term financial viability of this program."

'Unintended multi-species co-benefits of an Amazonian community-based conservation program' is published in the journal Nature Sustainability.

Explore further Endangered Green, Loggerhead turtles make comeback in Cyprus

More information: Joao V. Campos-Silva et al, Unintended multispecies co-benefits of an Amazonian community-based conservation programme, Nature Sustainability (2018). Journal information: Nature Sustainability Joao V. Campos-Silva et al, Unintended multispecies co-benefits of an Amazonian community-based conservation programme,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-018-0170-5Lijinganthus revoluta embedded in a Myanmar amber. Credit: NIGPAS

About 140 years ago, Charles Darwin seemed to be bothered by evidence suggesting the sudden occurrence of numerous angiosperms in the mid-Cretaceous. Since Darwin's theory of evolution implies that all organisms should increase gradually, the sudden appearance of angiosperms would have represented a headache in his theory.

Therefore, the sudden occurrence of numerous angiosperms (if seen by Darwin as "the origin of angiosperms") would rightfully have been mysterious and abominable to him.

Over more than a century of study, however, people have found many angiosperms dating to earlier periods, suggesting the origin of angiosperms was much earlier than the mid-Cretaceous. So what was the phenomenon that bothered Darwin so much?

A group led by Prof. Wang Xin from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (NIGPAS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences may have an answer. In the Nov. 13, 2018 online issue of Scientific Reports, the scientists describe a flower, Lijinganthus revoluta, embedded in Burmese amber dating to 99 million years ago (Ma). The fossil is exquisite and complete, including all parts of a perfect pentamerous flower, namely, the calyx, corolla, stamens and gynoecium, and belongs to the pentapetalae of core eudicots.

Together with contemporaneous flowers and fruits, Lijinganthus indicates that core eudicots flourished on earth about 100 Ma. Although this group can be dated back to the Barremian (about 125 Ma) by their characteristic tricolpate pollen grains, eudicots did not dominate vegetation until about 20 million years later (mid-Cretaceous).

Reconstruction of Lijinganthus revoluta. Credit: NIGPAS

Accompanying this core eudicot boom, gnetales and bennettitales underwent rapid decline. Apparently, what bothered Darwin was not the assumed "origin of angiosperms," but a core eudicot. According to current knowledge of the fossil record, angiosperms originated much earlier.

3D view of Lijinganthus revoluta. Credit: NIGPAS

Explore further Study names new genus of 125-million-year-old eudicot from China

More information: Zhong-Jian Liu et al. The Core Eudicot Boom Registered in Myanmar Amber, Scientific Reports (2018). Journal information: Scientific Reports Zhong-Jian Liu et al. The Core Eudicot Boom Registered in Myanmar Amber,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35100-4Free Air CO 2 Enrichment facilities, like this one in Italy, blast crops with air containing increased amounts of carbon dioxide to understand how plants will respond to future climate change. Credit: Gail Taylor/UC Davis

If you were to take a seed and zap it into the future to see how it will respond to climate change, how realistic might that prediction be? After all, seeds that actually grow in the future will have gone through generations of genetic changes and adaptations that these "time traveling" seeds don't experience.

Scientists from the University of California, Davis, and the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom examine that question in a study published today in the journal Global Change Biology. They found that specialized outdoor laboratories more closely resemble what happens in nature than was previously realized.

About FACE

Atmospheric carbon dioxide has been steadily rising since the Industrial Revolution and is now at the highest concentration the Earth has seen for several million years. Scientists have been investigating how plants are likely to respond to future climate change at outdoor facilities called Free Air CO 2 Enrichment (FACE), where fields of crops are blasted with air containing increased amounts of carbon dioxide.

The study authors compared plant responses at FACE facilities with plant responses across 11 naturally occurring, high-CO 2 springs. Plants at these springs survive extremely high concentrations of carbon dioxide, up to 1,000 parts per million in some areas, for many years over multiple generations.

"The results say, pretty surprisingly, that yes, all of those experiments we've done in FACE facilities are giving us a pretty good idea of how plants are likely to respond in the future," said corresponding author Gail Taylor, a UC Davis professor and chair of the Department of Plant Sciences.

Jasmine Saban, a doctoral student at the University of Southampton, examines plants at a spring in Italy with naturally occurring high levels of carbon dioxide. Credit: Gail Taylor/UC Davis

Global greening could continue

And how are plants likely to respond? Positively, Taylor said. But there's a big caveat.

As an isolated factor, high CO 2 concentrations are expected to result in more plant growth and continued global greening. Yet drought and high temperaturesboth of which are expected to increase under future climate projectionscan limit that growth.

"If plants are exposed to higher temperatures and drought, there will likely be negative impacts, overall, so it's a tradeoff," Taylor said. "But our analysis gives us confidence that plants are likely to keep responding positively to rising CO 2 if no other climatic factors are limiting."

With rising CO 2 , crop yields are expected to increase in northern latitudes but may decrease closer to the equator. California is expected to experience lower crop yields because of water limitations and high temperatures, while in Britain, impacts on crops will be variable.

Most of the FACE experiments have concentrated on commodity crops like soybeans, maize, wheat and rice. Specialty crops, like the nuts, fruits and vegetables grown in California, have not been studied in FACE facilities yet, but Taylor hopes to change that.

Higher-carb future?

While the study did not analyze the effects of rising carbon dioxide on crop quality or nutrition, it did indicate that some crops may have higher carbohydrate content under future conditions.

"The analysis shows that it's possible to test new varieties of plants in FACE experiments before it is critical that they perform in the wider world," Taylor said. "These 'time-traveling' plants that move forward and backwards across the decades can be extremely valuable in understanding how plants are likely to respond to the changes projected as a consequence of anthropogenic climate change."

Explore further Understanding enzyme could help produce frost-resistant crops

More information: Jasmine M. Saban et al, FACE facts hold for multiple generations; Evidence from natural CO2 springs, Global Change Biology (2018). Journal information: Global Change Biology Jasmine M. Saban et al, FACE facts hold for multiple generations; Evidence from natural CO2 springs,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14437Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.In any of the four chambers, different conditions can be created, which influence cell growth. Credit: Vienna University of Technology

Biochips have been developed at TU Wien (Vienna), on which tissue can be produced and examined. This allows supplying the tissue with different substances in a very controlled way.

Cultivating human cells in the Petri dish is not a big challenge today. Producing artificial tissue, however, permeated by fine blood vessels, is a much more difficult task. Important transport processes in biology, for example the transport of oxygen, sugar and other substances into the tissue, have not yet been fully understood. This is now going to change with a completely new approach to the problem: at the Vienna University of Technology, tissue is being grown on the biochip  so-called "organs-on-a-chip". This allows you to precisely control and measure complicated biological processes  much better than would be possible in animal testing or by experimenting on humans.

Better than animal experiments

"Around a fresh wound, new tissue has to regrow, in which, among other things, new blood vessels form," says Dipl-Ing. Barbara Bachmann of the Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry at TU Wien. "We use the body's natural wound healing processes to grow blood vessels in the lab in tiny biochips."

For a long time, such research projects relied exclusively on animal experiments. "Animal experiments have many disadvantages  not only from an ethical point of view, but also on a scientific level," says group leader Prof. Peter Ertl. "The results can never be perfectly transferred to humans, and so there are often surprising side effects in clinical trials that never showed up in animal models."

Human vascular system grown on the bio-chip. Credit: Vienna University of Technology

With biochip technology, it is now possible to regulate the substances with which the human vascular cells are supplied with great precision. This makes it possible to cultivate and study human cells over the course of several weeks. "In addition to endothelial cells that line the inside of the vessels, we also use stem cells that play a key role in stabilizing the vascular structures," says Mario Rothbauer. "Almost magically, a network of tiny blood vessels emerges in the biochip within a few days."

A tiny influx pipe, through which the tissue is supplied with oxygen and nutrients from outside, passes through the tissue next to this newly formed network of fine blood capillaries  it is the "artificial artery" of the biochip. The fine, naturally-grown blood vessels are not directly connected to this artificial conduit, but the boundaries between the two areas are not densely sealed off, so that chemicals can pass through.

"This is a situation that is frequently encountered in medicine," says Prof. Peter Ertl: "For example in wound healing, but also in diseases such as cancer." A fast-growing tumor must find a way to obtain sufficient amounts of nutrients, therefore it usually causes an unnaturally fast growth of fine blood capillaries. This mass transfer between the tumor and the rest of the body can now be investigated much better in the chip. "We were able to show that the supply actually depends on the distance to the influx pipe, as it would be the case in natural tissue," says Dipl.-Ing. Sarah Spitz. "And another crucial finding was that we have been able to show that the nutrient supply to the tissue can be fine-tuned by changing the flow velocity in the biochips  it's that simple."

Interdisciplinary research

In this field of research, several scientific disciplines are closely connected: medicine and chemistry, but also microfluidics (the science of the flow behavior of tiny amounts of liquids), or even material science and manufacturing technology had to be combined to make the precise production of the chips possible. TU Wien collaborated with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, and was supported by the "Interreg" funding program of the European Union.

"Only through this interdisciplinary approach can we take on a leading role achieve research results that cause a stir internationally," says Peter Ertl. "Our results show that the biochips provide an excellent model to study oxygenation in newly formed tissues. This is just the beginning for us. Remarkable new research opportunities are just opening up."

Explore further Giving blood to artificial organs

More information: Barbara Bachmann et al. Engineering of three-dimensional pre-vascular networks within fibrin hydrogel constructs by microfluidic control over reciprocal cell signaling, Biomicrofluidics (2018). Journal information: Biomicrofluidics Barbara Bachmann et al. Engineering of three-dimensional pre-vascular networks within fibrin hydrogel constructs by microfluidic control over reciprocal cell signaling,(2018). DOI: 10.1063/1.5027054Credit: C. O'Hare; NASA/Jon Lomberg, via Physics

A team of researchers from Universidad de Zaragoza, King's College London and the Institute of Astronomy in the U.K. has found that a "dark matter hurricane" passing through our solar system offers a better than usual chance of detecting axions. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review D, the group describes their findings and why they believe their observations could offer help in understanding dark matter.

The evidence for the existence of dark matter is very strong, yet scientists are still unable to find a way to actually "see" it. Because of that, they keep trying to find new ways to do so. In this new effort, the researchers have been studying the S1 streama collection of stars moving in a way that suggests they were once part of a dwarf galaxy that was consumed by the Milky Way. The S1 stream was discovered last year by a team studying data from the Gaia satellite. Other such streams have been observed before, but this is the first to cross paths with our own solar system. In this new effort, the researchers have studied the possible impact of S1 as it passed through our region, because it offers a unique opportunity to study dark matter.

As S1 moved through our area, theory suggests dark matter should have been moving along with it. Calculations by the team suggest it should be moving at approximately 500 km/s. They created several models showing the distribution of the dark matter and its density. Doing so allowed them to create predictions of possible signatures of the stream for researchers to look for. They suggest this event gives those in the field looking for observable evidence of dark matter a better than normal chance to do so. They suggest that it is not likely that WIMP detectors will find anything unusual. But they further suggest that the presence of a dark matter hurricane could increase the chances of detection of axionic dark matter due to possible bumps in the broad spectrum of axions. They note also that the current storm could offer data for use by future detection systems that are more advanced than those in use today.

Explore further New study suggests galactic bulge emissions not due to dark matter

More information: Ciaran A. J. O'Hare et al. Dark matter hurricane: Measuring the S1 stream with dark matter detectors, Physical Review D (2018). Arxiv: arxiv.org/abs/1807.09004 Journal information: Physical Review D , arXiv Ciaran A. J. O'Hare et al. Dark matter hurricane: Measuring the S1 stream with dark matter detectors,(2018). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.98.103006 , On

 2018 Science X NetworkSome countries seem to provide more equitable opportunities in schools and society in general. Others have work to do if they want to advance the adage that hard work and education afford success regardless of ones existing social status. Credit: www.shutterstock.com

Educators around the world, particularly those in secondary schools, often default to a compelling story when they are trying to motivate their students: Work hard, achieve well and you will secure a successful future with attractive job prospects.

This is currently the conventional wisdom across much of the Western world, with strong links drawn between education, meritocracy and upward social mobility.

But what does the research suggest about intergenerational mobility? Do children from poorer backgrounds have the same potential to realize their dreams if they achieve high standards in their education systems?

In fact, education is important but not enough to change inequities around the world. Intergenerational mobility, referring to changes in social status for different generations in the same family, is far from normal.

The American dream in Denmark

Public health researchers Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett argued outcomes in social mobility and education are significantly worse in rich countries with more inequality, that is, with populations that show larger gaps between the wealthy and the poor. For example, the United States and United Kingdom have close associations between fathers' and sons' incomes, compared to countries such as Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

Wilkson went so far as to jokingly comment in a TED talk "if Americans want to live the American dream, they should go to Denmark."

Great mobility?

The relationship between national levels of income inequality and lower levels of intergenerational mobility is known as the Great Gatsby Curve. The Great Gatsby is the hero of the same-titled F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, who first appears as the enigmatic host of roaring parties in his waterfront mansion. Later, he is revealed as the son of poor farmers. The curve thus seeks to measure how much a person can move up in social class in a given society.

A 2015 study used cross-national comparable data from the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to shed new light on the role of education in relation to this curve: the study examined the relationships between a person's education, their parents' education and labour-market outcomes such as income.

In countries such as Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, the results suggested that parental education had little additional impact on a child's income; it was the child's level of education that mattered.

But in France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom, the impact of parents' education on their offspring was substantial. In these countries, the children whose parents came from a low education group earned 20 per cent less than children whose parents had higher levels of education, even though these individuals held the same level of qualification in the same subject area.

Richard Wilkinson says income means something very important within our societies.

Collectively, this research suggests that a range of social mobility exists across different countries in relation to how much education a person gets. Equal education does not always mean equal opportunity.

Benchmark measures

In a globalized economy, reliance on patronage and nepotism has little use. Rather, the global economy requires countries to maximize their human resources, regardless of the social status of particular individuals or groups, to remain competitive.

Not surprisingly, governments are increasingly concerned with addressing socioeconomic disadvantages within school systems so that they are able to maximize their nations' human capital and promote intergenerational mobility.

Indeed, policymakers around the world have shown an affinity for the results of international benchmark measures such as PIACC and the Programme in International Student Assessment (PISA). They often rely on such measures to assess the performance gaps that exist among students of different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Ideally, countries strive for high performance and small achievement gaps, since the latter is a sign of an effective education system. Not surprisingly, some countries seem to be doing a better job at promoting better educational outcomes for students coming from lower socioeconomic groups.

For example, PISA 2015 results indicated that more than 30 per cent of economically disadvantaged students in Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore and Slovenia were considered "academically resilient." This means they performed at high levels despite coming from the bottom quarter of the socioeconomic status classification system.

While the apparently better-performing countries may take pride in their outcomes, it is worth noting that a high global ranking does not necessarily capture how inequities manifest nationally. For example, Canada has a noticeable gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous education outcomes.

Policy for equality

When one considers the capacity of education to influence social mobility around the world the results appear to be mixed. We need more research to understand exactly how some countries seem to provide more equitable opportunities in schools and society, and for whom.

Where there are disparities, governments need to consider more policy options across multiple sectorsto create a situation where equal abilities and qualifications translate to equal prospects and outcomes. Failure to do so casts doubt on our cherished notion of meritocracy.

In other words, in many countries education will only equal social mobility with further government intervention.

Explore further Why bright, poor students fail to achieve top grades

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.Antlia 2 is slightly larger than the Large Magellanic Cloud and is almost 1/3 of the Milky Way itself. Credit: V. Belokurov and A. Smith (Cambridge, UK and CCA, New York, US) based on the images by Marcus and Gail Davies and Robert Gendler

The Gaia satellite has spotted an enormous 'ghost' galaxy lurking on the outskirts of the Milky Way.

An international team of astronomers, including from the University of Cambridge, discovered the massive object when trawling through data from the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite. The object, named Antlia 2 (or Ant 2), has avoided detection until now thanks to its extremely low density as well as a perfectly-chosen hiding place, behind the shroud of the Milky Way's disc. The researchers have published their results online today.

Ant 2 is known as a dwarf galaxy. As structures emerged in the early Universe, dwarfs were the first galaxies to form, and so most of their stars are old, low-mass and metal-poor. But compared to the other known dwarf satellites of our Galaxy, Ant 2 is immense: it is as big as the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and a third the size of the Milky Way itself.

What makes Ant 2 even more unusual is how little light it gives out. Compared to the LMC, another satellite of the Milky Way, Ant 2 is 10,000 times fainter. In other words, it is either far too large for its luminosity or far too dim for its size.

"This is a ghost of a galaxy," said Gabriel Torrealba, the paper's lead author. "Objects as diffuse as Ant 2 have simply not been seen before. Our discovery was only possible thanks to the quality of the Gaia data."

The ESA's Gaia mission has produced the richest star catalogue to date, including high-precision measurements of nearly 1.7 billion stars and revealing previously unseen details of our home Galaxy. Earlier this year, Gaia's second data release made new details of stars in the Milky Way available to scientists worldwide.

The researchers behind the current study  from Taiwan, the UK, the US, Australia and Germany  searched the new Gaia data for Milky Way satellites by using RR Lyrae stars. These stars are old and metal-poor, typical of those found in a dwarf galaxy. RR Lyrae change their brightness with a period of half a day and can be located thanks to these well-defined pulses.

What Antlia 2 would look like if you could see it from Earth. Credit: G. Torrealba (Academia Sinica, Taiwan), V. Belokurov (Cambridge, UK and CCA, New York, US) based on the image by ESO/S. Brunier

"RR Lyrae had been found in every known dwarf satellite, so when we found a group of them sitting above the Galactic disc, we weren't totally surprised," said co-author Vasily Belokurov from Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy. "But when we looked closer at their location on the sky it turned out we found something new, as no previously identified object came up in any of the databases we searched through."

The team contacted colleagues at the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) in Australia, but when they checked the coordinates for Ant 2, they realised they had a limited window of opportunity to get follow-up data. They were able to measure the spectra of more than 100 red giant stars just before the Earth's motion around the Sun rendered Ant 2 unobservable for months.

The spectra enabled the team to confirm that the ghostly object they spotted was real: all the stars were moving together. Ant 2 never comes too close to the Milky Way, always staying at least 40 kiloparsecs (about 130,000 light-years) away. The researchers were also able to obtain the galaxy's mass, which was much lower than expected for an object of its size.

Antlia 2 is a giant, but low mass, dwarf galaxy. As Antlia 2 orbits around the Milky Way, it is likely that stars are torn from the dwarf galaxy and deposited throughout the outskirts of the Milky Way. The orange stars show the results of a computer model of Antlia 2. The background shows the Gaia satellites view of the entire night sky. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is visible below the Milky Way disc  although similar to Antlia 2 in size, the LMC is 10,000 times brighter. Credit: J. Sanders (Cambridge, UK) based on the image by Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC); A. Moitinho / A. F. Silva / M. Barros / C. Barata, University of Lisbon, Portugal; H. Savietto, Fork Research, Portugal

"The simplest explanation of why Ant 2 appears to have so little mass today is that it is being taken apart by the Galactic tides of the Milky Way," said co-author Sergey Koposov from Carnegie Mellon University. "What remains unexplained, however, is the object's giant size. Normally, as galaxies lose mass to the Milky Way's tides, they shrink, not grow."

If it is impossible to puff the dwarf up by removing matter from it, then Ant 2 had to have been born huge. The team has yet to figure out the exact process that made Ant 2 so extended. While objects of this size and luminosity have not been predicted by current models of galaxy formation, recently it has been speculated that some dwarfs could be inflated by vigorous star formation. Stellar winds and supernova explosions would push away the unused gas, weakening the gravity that binds the galaxy and allowing the dark matter to drift outward as well.

"Even if star formation could re-shape the dark matter distribution in Ant 2 as it was put together, it must have acted with unprecedented efficiency," said co-author Jason Sanders, also from Cambridge.

Alternatively, Ant 2's low density could mean that a modification to the dark matter properties is needed. The currently favoured theory predicts dark matter to pack tightly in the centres of galaxies. Given how fluffy the new dwarf appears to be, a dark matter particle which is less keen to cluster may be required.

"Compared to the rest of the 60 or so Milky Way satellites, Ant 2 is an oddball," said co-author Matthew Walker, also from Carnegie Mellon University. "We are wondering whether this galaxy is just the tip of an iceberg, and the Milky Way is surrounded by a large population of nearly invisible dwarfs similar to this one."

The gap between Ant 2 and the rest of the Galactic dwarfs is so wide that this may well be an indication that some important physics is missing in the models of dwarf galaxy formation. Solving the Ant 2 puzzle may help researchers understand how the first structures in the early Universe emerged. Finding more objects like Ant 2 will show just how common such ghostly galaxies are, and the team is busy looking for other similar galaxies in the Gaia data.

Explore further Four newly discovered Milky Way neighbors

More information: G. Torrealba et al. The hidden giant: discovery of an enormous Galactic dwarf satellite in Gaia DR2. arXiv:1811.04082 [astro-ph.GA]. G. Torrealba et al. The hidden giant: discovery of an enormous Galactic dwarf satellite in Gaia DR2. arXiv:1811.04082 [astro-ph.GA]. arxiv.org/abs/1811.04082Credit: Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

Jairo Mendez Abreu and Adriana de Lorenzo-Caceres, researchers at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), have discovered a peanut-shaped structure in the inner bar of a double-barred galaxy close to the Milky Way. Structures of this type, previously detected only in outer bars, are useful tracers of the evolution of the galaxies.

The complexity of the shapes and structures found within spiral galaxies has fascinated astronomers for decades, and is a key to understanding their evolution. One example of this complexity is the galaxy NGC 1291. The French astronomer Gerard de Vaucouleurs discovered a system in this galaxy in which there are two stellar bars, and identified a pattern that he termed "lens-bar-nucleus," which is repeated in the outer and the inner part of the galaxy. This structure is basic for understanding the internal evolution of the galaxies, and how they fuel the supermassive black holes at their centres.

In this same galaxy, it has been shown for the first time that there is a peanut-shaped structure in the inner bar. These structures are caused by vertical motions of the stars in the bar, and they are named for their boxy peanut shape when the galaxy is observed sideways on. However, until now, this type of structure had been detected only in the outer bars of double-barred galaxies, or in individual bars such as that in the Milky Way.

The observations have been performed using the MUSE spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and show that peanut-shaped structures can also form inside inner bars. "This is important," explains Jairo Mendez Abreu, an IAC researcher, "because it shows that some galaxies are like Russian dolls, with internal structures the same as external structures except for their smaller size." These results also show that the inner bar is following the same evolutionary path as the outer bar.

"The presence of an X-shaped structure in the inner bar of NGC 1291 implies that these can be stable structures which last for thousands of millions of years," explains Adriana de Lorenzo-Caceres, also a researcher at the IAC and the second author of the article. This means that they have a long time in which to take gas into the centre of the galaxy, and supports the idea that they "feed" supermassive black holes, although this has not been confirmed by observations.

More information: J Mendez-Abreu et al. Inner bars also buckle. The MUSE TIMER view of the double-barred galaxy NGC 1291, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters (2018). Journal information: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters J Mendez-Abreu et al. Inner bars also buckle. The MUSE TIMER view of the double-barred galaxy NGC 1291,(2018). DOI: 10.1093/mnrasl/sly196Brandon Sansom (right), PhD student, stands in front of the mussel flume with advisor Sean Bennett, chair of geography. Credit: Douglas Levere

Freshwater mussels are among the most imperiled animals in North America, yet some colonies have managed to persevere despite habitat loss, pollution and other threats.

How? That's a question University at Buffalo researchers are working to answer.

A recent analysis of two creeksone within the Great Lakes watershed, the other part of the Mississippi River basinadds to the growing body of work showing stable populations and multiple generations of freshwater mussels in the same location for decades.

The work, described in the journal Freshwater Biology in August, and continuing with ongoing experiments, offers possible explanations into how these poorly understand and ecologically important mollusks are adapting to changes in their environment.

"The United States has an unparalleled collection of freshwater mussels. Yet many are endangered or threatened. Some species have been declared extinct. We'd like to know how certain species persist and why others struggle," says lead author Brandon Sansom, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering in UB's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Co-authors of the Freshwater Biology study include Sean Bennett, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Geography in UB's College of Arts and Sciences; Joseph Atkinson, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering; and Caryn Vaughn, Ph.D., George Lynn Cross Research Professor at the University of Oklahoma.

A view of the mussel flume. Credit: Douglas Levere

Field work

North America has roughly 300 species of freshwater mussels. They play important ecological roles, including purifying water through filter-feeding and serving as a food source for fish and other aquatic wildlife.

Many are listed as endangered, while others are threatened. Reasons vary from habitat loss, pollution and declining populations of fish, which help the sedentary bivalve reproduce by serving as a host and carrier of fertilized eggs.

To conduct the study, the research team analyzed mussel populations in Tonawanda Creek, which is part of the Erie Canal and empties into the Great Lakes near Buffalo, New York. The team also surveyed French Creek, which runs from Western New York into the Allegheny River, part of the Mississippi River drainage basin.

At each creek, researchers observed 21 species. The diversity and abundance were about the same as surveys conducted nearly 20 years prior. In the study, the researchers note there are similar, long-sustained populations in the South, Midwest, Northeast and West regions of the United States.

A closer look at the simulated mussels. Credit: Douglas Levere

Mussels adapt to changing environments

Previous research has shown that mussels adapt to changing environments. They can shift their position to be parallel with the river flow, burrow deep into the river floor and find shelter behind large rocks.

To better understand how the mussels surveyed have managed to endure, the research team ran computer models simulating the animals' environment.

Specifically, the researchers tested the long-running hypothesis that, in order to thrive, mussels require water with relatively stable amounts of sedimentthe loose clay, sand, gravel, and other soil particles that settle at the bottom of river beds. But the simulations indicated otherwise, that mussels can survive frequent flow events in which sediment is displaced from the river bed and transported downstream.

While not reported in the study, Sansom and colleagues have begun another simulation experiment. Working with UB's College of Arts and Sciences' machine shop, the team built a 24-foot long flume of recirculating water. It contains hundreds of imitation mussels that "filter" water via plastic tubing.

Preliminary findings suggest that mussel density and shell roughness play roles in keeping mussel beds at steady population levels, Sansom says.

Explore further Researcher looks into declining Texas mussel populations

More information: Brandon J. Sansom et al. Long-term persistence of freshwater mussel beds in labile river channels, Freshwater Biology (2018). Brandon J. Sansom et al. Long-term persistence of freshwater mussel beds in labile river channels,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/fwb.13175Credit: Shutterstock

When it comes to being politically active, young people typically have a bad reputation. In democracies such as the United States and the United Kingdom, young voters tend to have low turnout rates  but there are early signs that this is changing.

For example, previous analysis by the US-based Pew Research Center indicates that young voters are, on the whole, less likely to vote than older generations were, at their age. But recent analysis by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement indicates that 31% of young voters aged 18 to 29 turned out to vote in the recent US midterm elections  up from 21% in 2014.

And although 18 to 24-year-olds still had a lower turnout rate than older generations at the UK's 2017 general election, a higher percentage of young people voted than in any other poll in the previous decade.

But, as more young people are making their voices heard through their votes, it is worth considering the teenagers who don't yet have that opportunity. If the next generation is to have a greater presence in mainstream politics, then they need opportunities to develop their views, and be heard. My Ph.D. research suggests that blogging about politics in school gives teenagers a chance to do just that.

Excluded and unheard

For my research, I spoke with 46 young people, aged 14 to 17, in Boston, Massachusetts. Maisie  aged 14 at the time of the study  said, "the younger you are, the less respect you get for your opinions and engagement". Likewise, Kenai  also aged 14  said that the adults in his family tell him to "stay out of it [politics] until you can vote".

With experiences like these, young people are often excluded from politics, and feel unheard. In my research, they expressed a need for a supportive environment to develop their political ideasand to be heard.

Stephen, aged 14, explained that when he does express his political beliefs aloud to others in any setting, "it feels good to be able to get my own point of view out there" but that, in order to feel heard, he would "need supporters and people who understand my view to support me."

Online to opine

The #NeverAgain movement, started by students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on social media after a shooting at their school, inspired Generation Z to take action on gun control by organising the March for Our Lives. Leaders of the movement also organised the Road to Change tour as an effort to register and rally more young voters to fight against gun violence.

March for Our Lives, Los Angeles. Credit: Hayk Shalunts/Shutterstock

So teenagers are already using technology to discuss, organise and participate in politics before they reach voting age. But while social media can provide the opportunity for young people to share their political views, writing political blogs in school gives teenagers support from teachers, as they develop their political beliefs and thoughtfully engage with those of others.

By creating political blogs in school, teenagers can develop more confidence in their beliefs and share them with others in their classroom  and feel heard as a result. The opportunity to blog in school would address what's known as the "audience problem"  the fact that many blogs get few views and responses means that schools ought to find responsive and engaged audiences for students' blogs by encouraging students to read and comment on each others' ideas.

When teachers encourage students to write these blogs it also gives students a designated space to explore their political ideas and develop their media literacy  that is, their ability to identify and understand different media and the messages they send.

When teenagers are encouraged to write their own blogs and read blogs by their classmates, they can develop and communicate their perspectives and opinions on political issues with a sense of authority and ownership, which can help them to feel more comfortable doing so outside of the classroom.

Learning tolerance

Blogs can also help teenagers learn the perspectives of others. The online platform YouthVoices combines the social networking appeal of social media with an educational aim. Students can share their beliefs through writing and online conversation with others in their schools and elsewhere, and engage with peers who hold different views.

Diana Hess, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Education, found through her research that talking about political and social issues with people who hold opposing views can foster political tolerance, which can lead to better policy decisions in the future.

When teenagers engage in these discussions with their classmates, they report positive outcomes including greater engagement in school, greater interest in politics, improved critical thinking skills, and greater likelihood to become politically engaged in the future.

Political blogs by teenagers have the power to enter into and shape public discourse  and, when young people feel heard by the public and elected officials, they get a sense that their voices matter. This can carry into adulthood and inspire young people to find their voices when they reach the public stage.

In the current divisive political climate, civil discourse is needed now more than ever. The evidence suggests that encouraging teenagers to blog about their political opinions in school could go a long way to help them develop their political views, become better able to engage with and understand those of their peers and lead them to a more active political future.

Explore further Social media use increases Latino political participation

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.Years of austerity in the UK have bitten away at school budgets, and the arts have suffered heavily. Schools can no longer afford to employ teaching assistants, so it is little wonder that local authorities have cut school music funding.

Schools are responsible for their own budgets, and musical instrument lessons that were traditionally subsidised by councils have been cut down in some districts. Now, the Musicians' Union has found that children living in the poorest areas are no longer getting the exposure to music and the arts that they so often only get in school. With parents being asked to subside instrument lessons, 41% of low-income families have said that they cannot do so due to their limited household budget.

Research shows that if music is made enjoyable for school-age children, there are more benefits than just being able to understand notes or play an instrument. There is evidence to suggest that children's listening, reading, and language skills can all be developed by effective school music programmes. One study from the US also found that pupils engaged in music activities communicated more with teachers and parents, while the parents themselves built friendships with one another. And there is a well-being aspect to this too. A study of an American community choir for ten to 14-year-old boys found it had social, spiritual and emotional benefits.

Now our research has found that there is a huge economic benefit to children having musical education. For every 1 invested in a north Wales community programme, we saw as much as 6.69 created in social value. Social value allows us to consider the wider benefits of a programme, including those that are not usually valued in pounds and pence.

Raising the roof

For 18 months, we worked closely with Codi'r To ("Raise the Roof"), a Welsh community regeneration programme set up in 2014. More than 280 children from two socio-economically challenged communities in Gwynedd take part in the scheme, from nursery age through primary school. The team behind Codi'r To has been working on music projects in the area for several years and recently adapted a Venezuelan programme, El Sistema, which seeks to achieve social change through music, and improve educational and well-being outcomes for children.

These sessions take place during the school day at no cost to the participants. Professional music tutors work with the children and teachers, giving them the opportunity to learn to play brass and percussion instruments. They can then play in the school orchestra or samba group. Codi'r To also works to bring live music to the community, and create opportunities for the pupils to perform in public.

Our work was focused on producing a social return on investment evaluation of the programme. This measures a wide range of benefits, including social, environmental and economic factors. It identifies benefits for participants as well as those who may be directly affected by the results  the family members, wider school, local community and Codi'r To itself.

After identifying the cost of setting up the programme, the yearly running costs and putting a value on the time and other inputs from all of the stakeholders, we calculated the social value of every pound invested in it as a ratio of almost 1:7. Surprisingly, only 48% of the social value generated by Codi'r To was for the pupils. The other 51% of the social value was for family members of the children taking part. This percentage was driven by parents telling us that Codi'r To brought them closer to the community. The remaining 1% of benefit was divided between the wider school and the community.

We based this social value on findings that showed children's confidence was raised (which we gave a proxy value of 238 per child), their behaviour improved at home (711 per family) and in school (132 per child), and that they were more engaged with the community. Teachers and the wider school benefited from more harmonious classrooms (149 per classroom), improved behaviour and better relationships between the pupils (419 per school). Families felt that they were more a part of the community (2,925 per person) had better relationships with the school (10.74 per hour of contact) and experienced better behaviour from their children at home.

Despite these varied benefits, Codi'r To depends on charity funding and

children from low-income familes are less likely to find careers in the arts and creative industries, and less likely to be involved in after school clubs which include the arts or cultural elements too. Going forward, charitable programmes such as Sistema Cymru's Codi'r To may be the only chance some children have to experience music and creative activities.

Hans Christian Andersen once said: "Where words fail, music speaks." Perhaps it's time for less talk and more action when it comes to getting children involved in the arts. The value of schemes like Codi'r To clearly speak for themselves.

Explore further Music improves social communication in autistic children

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.Coral reef rim islands, Huvadhoo Atoll. Credit: Prof. Paul Kench

Rising global sea levels may actually be beneficial to the long-term future of coral reef islands, such as the Maldives, according to new research published in Geophysical Research Letters.

Low-lying coral reef islands are typically less than three metres above sea level, making them highly vulnerable to rising sea levels associated with climate change. However, research has found new evidence that the Maldives  the world's lowest country  formed when sea levels were higher than they are today.

The evidence was discovered by researchers who studied the formation of five islands in the southern Maldives. Using a coring technique, they were able to reconstruct how and when the islands formed.

They found that large waves caused by distant storms off the coast of South Africa led to the formation of the islands approximately three to four thousand years ago. These large waves  known as high-energy wave events  broke coral rubble off the reef and transported it onto reef platforms creating the foundations for the reef islands.

At the time, sea levels were up to 0.5 metres higher than they are today, which gave the waves more energy. This means that higher sea levels and large wave events were critical to the construction of the islands.

The researchers say that under climate change, projected increases in sea level and the magnitude of large wave events could actually lead to the growth of reef islands, but only if the coral reef remains healthy to provide the building material.

Credit: Northumbria University

The research was led by Dr. Holly East of the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences at Northumbria University, Newcastle. She explained: "Coral reef islands are typically believed to be highly vulnerable to rising sea levels. This is a major concern for coral reef island nations, in which reef islands provide the only habitable land.

"However, we have found evidence that the Maldivian rim reef islands actually formed under higher sea levels than we have at present. This gives us some optimism that if climate change causes rising sea levels and increases in the magnitude of high-energy wave events in the region, it may actually create the perfect conditions to reactivate the processes that built the reef islands in the first place, rather than drowning them."

However, Dr. East stressed that this could only occur if healthy live coral was available in the region's reef communities.

"As these islands are mostly made from coral, a healthy coral reef is vital to provide the materials for island building," she said. "However, this could be problematic as corals face a range of threats under climate change, including increasing sea surface temperatures and ocean acidity. If the reef is unhealthy, we could end up with the perfect building conditions but not the bricks."

Dr. East worked with academics from the University of Exeter (UK); Simon Fraser University (Canada); University of Auckland (New Zealand); Southern Institute of Technology (New Zealand) and the UK's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) on this study.

Dr. East added: "It is also important to note that the large wave events required for reef island building may devastate island infrastructure, potentially compromising the habitability of reef islands in their current form. A challenge for reef island nations may therefore be to develop infrastructure with the capacity to withstand, or be adaptable to, large wave events."

Their paper, "Coral Reef Island Initiation and Development Under Higher Than Present Sea Levels," is now available in Geophysical Research Letters.

Explore further Catastrophic construction: Storms can build reef islands in atoll regions

More information: H. K. East et al. Coral Reef Island Initiation and Development Under Higher Than Present Sea Levels, Geophysical Research Letters (2018). Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters H. K. East et al. Coral Reef Island Initiation and Development Under Higher Than Present Sea Levels,(2018). DOI: 10.1029/2018GL079589As global temperatures climb, warmer winters in parts of the country may set the scene for higher rates of violent crimes such as assault and robbery, according to a new CIRES study. Credit: Tony Webster/Wikimedia Commons

As global temperatures climb, warmer winters in parts of the country may set the scene for higher rates of violent crimes such as assault and robbery, according to a new CIRES study.

"During mild winters, more people are out and about, creating the key ingredient for interpersonal crimes: opportunity," said Ryan Harp, a CIRES/CU Boulder Ph.D. student and lead author of the study published today in the AGU's cross-disciplinary journal, GeoHealth.

In an innovative new assessment, Harp and his advisor, CIRES Fellow Kris Karnauskas, used powerful climate analysis techniques to investigate the relationship between year-to-year fluctuations in climate and violent crime rates in U.S. cities since 1979. Their methods accounted for the fact that crime rates have dropped significantly since the 1990s in most places. These long-term trends, driven by many societal factors, create the "baseline" for the new analysis. "Consequently, we considered the crime rate differences from that baseline," said Karnauskas, who is also an Associate Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

He and Harp obtained monthly violent and property crime data for over 16,000 cities directly from the FBI, specifically the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. The database, which was snail-mailed to Karnauskas' lab after only a few phone calls and extraction from tape drives at a FBI data center in West Virginia, included all types of violent crimes including murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. The scientists relied on historical climate data from NOAA's North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR).

They divvied data up by broad climate regions in the United States, and then measured the strength of the relationship between climate variables and crime in each region.

Combining these data sets revealed a strong relationship between crime and temperature, in particular, including a much stronger correlation in winter than in summer months. For example, in winter in the northeastern United States, the relationship was so tight that temperature changes alone could explain more than half of the year-to-year ups and downs in crime rates. In the summer, the relationship between temperature and crime patterns diminished.

The relationship between temperature and crime in winter. Credit: University of Colorado at Boulder

The strength of the wintertime correlation was surprising, Harp said, given that crime rates vary for all kinds of reasons.

"It's highly unusual to find correlations this high in big, messy data sets, especially spanning disciplines like climate and health or sociology. The initial disbelief forced us to recheck our work more than a couple of times," Karnauskas added.

Part of the power in the new research approach, he and Harp said, was "zooming out" from a city-by-city approach to look at all cities within a climate region. When researchers study only a single city, a local change in, for example, policing or demographics might have made it harder to pick out the impact of temperatures on crime. By aggregating thousands of cities into a region that simultaneously experiences similar year-to-year fluctuations, the connection between temperature and crime became obvious.

The new assessment also provides insight into why climate anomalies affect crime rates, including some of the strongest evidence to date in support of one theory about how crime patterns may be linked with weather and climate: The Routine Activities Theory. That theory states that despite the complexity of human behavior and external forces, interpersonal crime is driven by a relatively simple combination of ingredients: a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a guardian who could prevent a violation. So pleasant weather may increase the chances of all three factors converging; lousy weather may decrease it.

In addition to Routine Activities is the Temperature-Aggression Hypothesis, which suggests that people act more aggressively in extreme heat. Because Harp and Karnauskas found that the relationship between temperature and crime rates loosened during summer, Routine Activities Theory likely explains what we're seeing, Harp said. During mild winters, more people are out and about more often than during colder times, creating the opportunity for interaction.

These findings imply that in some regions of the United States, warming temperatures due to anthropogenic climate change could exacerbate crime rates, especially in winter, Harp said. He and his colleagues are now dissecting data and building models with an eye to predicting future crime rates, as well as how crime might be affected by the world's changing climate.

"This study is significant because it broadens our thinking on connections between climate and human health, to encompass a very real and dangerous threat to our bodily safety and, therefore, health," said Karnauskas.

More information: Ryan D. Harp et al, The Influence of Interannual Climate Variability on Regional Violent Crime Rates in the United States, GeoHealth (2018). Ryan D. Harp et al, The Influence of Interannual Climate Variability on Regional Violent Crime Rates in the United States,(2018). DOI: 10.1029/2018GH000152Wild guppies. Three males showing various body colors and one female. Credit: A. Sato, Gunma University

A variety of animals have male-specific ornament traits and these ornaments are favored by female choice. Which male traits are preferred by females often varies among females. Genetic mechanisms that create and maintain variations in female preference has been one of the central questions in evolutionary ecology.

A research team led by Tohoku University in Japan has revealed that variation in expression of opsin genes, which code light-sensitive pigments, generates variable light sensitivity and color vision and thus lead to variation in female response to male sexual colors in a small fresh water fish, the guppy.

Male guppies have exaggerated and diverse body colors and females exhibit preference for some components of male color patterns. These male colors and female preference vary among and within wild populations. Interestingly, inter-individual variation in color vision has also been reported in the guppy.

Therefore, it has been hypothesized that the variation in color vision causes variation in female preference for male color patterns. However, the genetic mechanism underlying color vision variation and the relationship between color vision and female preference has not been demonstrated. Dr. Yusuke Sakai and Professor Masakado Kawata focused on opsin genes which code light-sensitive pigments in retina.

A guppy has nine opsin genes. One of the opsin genes (LWS-1) codes for a protein that detects visible light in long-wave light spectrum (i.e., orange-red), shows allelic polymorphisms and the variants are maintained in natural selection in wild populations.

They showed that the expression levels of multiple opsin genes varied between individuals with different LWS-1 genotypes. In addition, rearing light environments also affected the expression levels of opsin genes. Using a behavioral experiments, they showed that the variation in LWS-1 expression affected the sensitivity of individuals to different-colored light at the behavioral level. These results indicate that the expression variation in opsins caused by both genetic polymorphisms and light environment during growth generated the variation in light sensitivity.

Then, they investigated whether the variation in the opsin gene expressions affected female preference for male orange colors, which has known to be one of the important mate choice criteria for female guppies. Using digitally modified video images of a male, they showed that females with higher opsin gene expressions exhibited stronger preferences for more luminous orange spots.

A set of results in their study suggest that difference in light sensitivity is mediated by both genetic and plastic changes in opsin gene expression and causes variation in female preference for male sexual colors. These interactions between visual property and mate choice might be the driving force behind the evolution of extreme diversity in male guppy sexual colors.

Explore further Female color perception affects evolution of male plumage in birds

More information: Yusuke Sakai et al. Genetic and plastic variation in opsin gene expression, light sensitivity, and female response to visual signals in the guppy, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Yusuke Sakai et al. Genetic and plastic variation in opsin gene expression, light sensitivity, and female response to visual signals in the guppy,(2018). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1706730115Figure 1. Sputnik Planitia along its northwest margin

A letter authored by SETI Institute scientist Oliver White was published by Nature Astronomy today. Co-authors included researchers Jeff Moore, Tanguy Bertrand and Kimberly Ennico at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

The letter "Washboard and Fluted Terrains on Pluto as Evidence for Ancient Glaciation" focuses on these distinctive landscapes that border the vast nitrogen ice plains of Sputnik Planitia along its northwest margin (Figure 1), and which are amongst the most enigmatic landforms yet seen on Pluto. These terrains consist of parallel to sub-parallel ridges that display a remarkably consistent ENE-WSW orientation, a configuration that does not readily point to a simple analogous terrestrial or planetary process or landform.

The aim of Dr. White's research is to use mapping and analysis of the morphometry (the process of measuring the external shape and dimensions of landforms) and distribution of the ridges to determine their origin and to understand their significance within the overall geologic history of Pluto. The work used imaging data returned by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which flew past Pluto in 2015, as well as topographic maps generated from this data. Washboard and fluted ridges are defined primarily by their topographic context: washboard ridges occur in level settings within valley floors, basins and uplands, whereas fluted ridges are seen on steeper spurs, massifs (or compact group of mountains) and crater walls that separate basins and valleys.

Figure 2. washboard & fluted terrain

The washboard and fluted terrain is seen up close in Figure 2, in which illumination is from the top. They occur at the location on Sputnik Planitia's perimeter where elevations and slopes leading into the surrounding uplands are lowest, and also where a major tectonic system coincides with the edge of Sputnik Planitia. The low elevation of the area makes it a natural setting for past coverage by nitrogen ice glaciers, as indicated by modeling of volatile behavior on Pluto performed by Dr. Bertrand at Ames. Through comparison of the washboard and fluted texture with parallel chains of elongated sublimation pits (depressions in the surface formed where ice turns directly into a gas) seen in southern Sputnik Planitia, the ridges are interpreted to represent water ice debris liberated by tectonism of underlying crust. This water ice debris was buoyant in the denser, pitted glacial nitrogen ice that is interpreted to have formerly covered this area, and collected on the floors of the elongated pits. After the nitrogen ice receded via sublimation, the debris was left as the aligned ridges, mimicking the sublimation texture  washboard ridges where deposited on flat terrain, and fluted ridges where deposited on steeper slopes.

Crater surface age estimates indicate that the washboard and fluted ridges were deposited early in Pluto's history, after formation of the Sputnik basin by a giant impact ~4 billion years ago. Acting as a giant cold trap, it was to this basin that surface nitrogen ice across Pluto migrated over some tens of millions of years, thereby causing the recession of nitrogen glaciers from upland areas such as that now occupied by the washboard and fluted terrain. The precise mechanism that elongated the sublimation pits and defined their strikingly consistent orientation regardless of latitude or location relative to Sputnik Planitia is elusive, but is consistent with a global-scale process.

A constraint is that true polar wander solutions for Pluto (provided by co-author Dr. James Keane of Caltech) indicate that the ridges can never have all been oriented N-S at any time in Pluto's history. This suggests a cause for the alignment that is not exogenic (i.e. the orientation is likely not governed solely by solar illumination, which would cause all the sublimation pits to align N-S). Dr. White summarizes the findings as follows: "These terrains constitute an entirely new category of glacial landform that is unique to Pluto, and represent geological evidence that nitrogen ice glaciation was more widespread across Pluto in its early history prior to the formation of the Sputnik basin. The dense spacing of the ridges allows us to precisely map out the past coverage of the glaciation that deposited them, which extended across at least 70,000 km2 of Pluto's uplands (larger than the state of West Virginia)".

Explore further Solving the mystery of Pluto's giant blades of ice

More information: undefined undefined et al. Washboard and fluted terrains on Pluto as evidence for ancient glaciation, Nature Astronomy (2018). Journal information: Nature Astronomy undefined undefined et al. Washboard and fluted terrains on Pluto as evidence for ancient glaciation,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-018-0592-zAgneta Simionescu, right, works with bioreactors in her lab with students Laura McCallum and Spencer Marsh. Credit: Clemson University

Clemson University bioengineers are launching a new research project to better understand cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, an affliction that affects about 13 percent of South Carolina adults and cost $4.3 billion last year alone.

What the bioengineers learn could help lay the groundwork for future studies aimed at finding new treatments.

The Clemson research will be led by Agneta Simionescu, an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering. She announced today that the National Institutes of Health is providing $1.38 million for her research.

The impact could be huge, particularly in South Carolina, where 13 percent of adults reported that a health professional told them they have diabetes, according to a report last year by the United Health Foundation. That was 6th highest in the nation.

Simionescu's project sharpens the focus on atherosclerosis, a condition that accelerates in diabetics.

The condition occurs when plaques made of cholesterol, cell debris, calcium, and other substances build up on blood vessel walls, threatening blood flow. Plaque narrows arteries and has the potential to rupture and cause blockages, which could result in heart attack and stroke.

Simionescu and her team are concentrating on the role of fibroblasts in atherosclerosis.

When blood vessels are damaged, fibroblasts are deployed to make repairs by synthesizing collagen. But in diabetics, fibroblasts produce too much collagen. The vascular tissue becomes "fibrotic" and calcifies, researchers said.

"The whole blood vessel becomes stiffer, and that's the hallmark of diabetes," Simionescu said.

The Simionescu team is drawing from its experience in tissue engineering to learn more. They will use three-dimensional models to study how fibroblasts communicate with two types of cells in blood vessel walls, endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, both factors in atherosclerosis.

"Fibroblasts would not know what to do unless they get a signal from an endothelial cell or a smooth muscle cell," Simionescu said. "They need to interact with each other. That's what is hard to determine."

When researchers create their models, they will start with pig arteries that have been thoroughly stripped of their cells. What's left are elastin-and-collagen scaffolds that maintain the tubular structure of blood vessels.

Researchers will inject human endothelial cells into a scaffold. Within a few hours, the endothelial cells will naturally spread throughout the scaffold.

Then researchers will then inject fibroblasts. Bioreactors will be used to simulate vascular biomechanics and diabetic conditions.

"We will be able to tell at the end of the experiment if endothelial cells send a signal to fibroblasts," Simionescu said.

Researches will also try the same experiment in different scaffolds but use smooth-muscle cells instead of endothelial cells.

The models "could provide powerful toolboxes for diabetes basic research and drug screening systems," Simionescu said.

"In tissue engineering, if you are able to mimic blood vessels, then you can do drug testing on them," she said. "You don't necessarily have to do those tests on animals, which would not respond the same as human cells anyway. This is the advantage of using tissue-engineering-based models."

In South Carolina, 577,000 people have diabetes, and another 1.32 million have prediabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Nationally, more than 100 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Medical expenses for people with diabetes are about 2.3 times higher than people without diabetes, the American Diabetes Association reported. Total direct medical expenses for diagnosed diabetes in South Carolina were estimated at $4.3 billion in 2017, according to the association.

Martine LaBerge, chair of the Department of Bioengineering, said Simionescu's work was made possible by a grant through the National Institutes of Health's R01 program.

"Dr. Simionescu's grant is a testament to the level of scholarship and the innovative ideas she brings to bioengineering and health research at Clemson," LaBerge said. "I congratulate her on this prestigious accomplishment."

Simionescu said her project takes diabetes research beyond previous studies that focused on two-dimensional monolayers of cells. The monolayer studies were limited because cells in the human body grow in three dimensions instead of two, meaning several factors including cell communication could not be studied.

Anand Gramopadhye, dean of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences said Simionescu's grant helps raise the research profile of the college.

"She is pushing the boundaries of health innovation to have a real impact on diabetes, one of the greatest healthcare challenges of our time," he said. "I congratulate her on this well-deserved honor."

Provided by Clemson UniversityUpdated: December 5, 2018 - 4:30 AM ET

Exurban development, Santa Ana winds, and a decade-long drought driven by a warming climate  those are some of the factors that came together on November 8 in California to create some of the worst wildfires in the history of the state. As of December 2, the Camp Fire north of Sacramento had been 100 percent contained, but not before burning more than 153,000 acres, obliterating 17,000+ structures and most of the town of Paradise, and claiming the lives of 88 people (with 25 people still unaccounted for), making it the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. Farther to the south, in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, the Woolsey and Hill fires were also 100 percent contained, after having claimed the lives of three people and consuming 1,640 structures. According to catastrophe modeler RMS, insured losses from the wildfires are expected to range between $9 billion and $13 billion.

As we did with hurricanes Florence and Michael, Foundation Center will be tracking institutional pledges and commitments to wildfire relief and recovery efforts over the coming days and weeks. To make sure your company or organization's pledge have been included in the total, or for questions about methodology or sources, contact Andrew Grabois, manager of corporate philanthropy at Foundation Center.

(Photo credit: Hans Gutknecht/Digital First Media/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

TOTAL: $16,843,500

Organization Type (pledges and commitments)

Corporate Direct Giving/

Company-Sponsored Foundations $12,120,000 41 orgs. Private Foundations $0 0 orgs. Public Charities $3,973,500 6 orgs. Other $750,000 1 org.

Top Recipients (Total Received to Date)http://highplainsobserver.com/suzannekxdjpool.mp3 Turnout in Hansford County in 2018 was 56 percent

Midterm election Presidential election 98 00 02 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 18 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% turnout 56%

Source: Texas Secretary of State





Hansford County 100% reporting 1.7K votes counted 0% 50 100 90.76% 8.07% 1.17% Ted Cruz (R) Beto O'Rourke (D) Neal Dikeman (L) 90.76% 8.07% 1.17%

Now that the city pool bond election has failed for a second time, what is next? Spearman City Manager Suzanne Bellsnyder spoke with KXDJs Chris Samples.November 13, 2018 in Utility (E)

[prMac.com] Perg, Austria - Ergonis Software today announced Typinator 7.8, a new release of their highly acclaimed text expander. Typinator 7.8 improves support for Mojave, particularly for Dark Mode. If you use your Mac in Dark Mode, the plain text and HTML expansion fields now fully adopt Mojave's dark mode, Typinator's menu bar icon uses the correct accent color when clicked, and readability of selected quick search results has been improved as well.



Typinator 7.8 has also been notarized by Apple. This means that the software has been uploaded to Apple before distribution, and Apple has confirmed that all executables are signed correctly and that the app does not contain any malware. This is another security feature that all Ergonis products will carry from now on.



Besides these improvements for Mojave, Typinator 7.8 contains many further improvements like better import from TextExpander, improved scrolling and clipping in the expansion field, and enhanced compatibility with third-party apps like Microsoft Remote Desktop 10, Vivaldi, and Citrix. All these changes make Typinator 7.8 a highly recommended upgrade for every Typinator user, particularly in combination with macOS Mojave. Visit Ergonis Software's website to learn more about the changes in this release and to download and try the new version.



Typinator is a powerful, yet elegantly simple solution that boosts your productivity by automating the process of inserting frequently used text and auto-correcting typing errors. Across all applications, it detects specific sequences of typed characters and automatically replaces them with text snippets, graphics, URLs, dates and special characters.



System Requirements:

* Mac OS X 10.6 or newer

* Recommended for macOS Mojave (10.14)



Availability and Ordering:

Typinator 7.8 can be purchased securely on the Ergonis Software website. The upgrade to version 7.8 is free for anyone who purchased a license for Typinator 6 or Typinator 7 on or after January 1st 2016. Upgrade paths are available for owners of older licenses. For information about purchases, including enterprise licenses, volume discounts, and upgrade pricing offers, see the company's web site.

Headquartered in Perg, Austria, Ergonis Software Gmbh is a privately held software development company founded in 2002. With a focus on innovation, Ergonis develops ergonomic and intuitive software that boosts the productivity of Mac and PC users alike. Copyright 2002-2018 Ergonis Software Gmbh. All Rights Reserved. Ergonis products are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Ergonis Software GmbH. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

###This report was compiled by Lisa Andre. You can reach her at landre@leecentralcoastnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LAndreSYVNewsGoogle services were partially inaccessible on Monday due to a BGP leak that caused traffic redirection through Russia, China, and Nigeria.

A BGP leak caused unavailability of Google service on Monday, the traffic was redirected through Russia, China, and Nigeria.

At the time it is not clear if the incident was the result of an error or a cyber attack on the BGP protocol.

Its unclear if the incident was caused by a configuration issue or if it was the result of a malicious attack.

Route hijacking, also known as BGP hijacking, occurs when the routing tables for groups of IP addresses are intentionally or accidentally corrupted.

Recently security researchers Chris C. Demchak and Yuval Shavitt revealed that over the past years, China Telecom has been misdirecting Internet traffic through China.

China Telecom is currently present in North American networks with 10 points-of-presence (PoPs) (eight in the United States and two in Canada), spanning major exchange points.

The two researchers pointed out that the telco company leverages the PoPs to hijack traffic through China, it has happened several times over the past years,

Within the BGP forwarding tables, administrators of each AS announce to their AS neighbors the IP address blocks that their AS owns, whether to be used as a destination or a convenient transit node. states the paper.

Errors can occur given the complexity of configuring BGP, and these possible errors offer covert actors a number of hijack opportunities. If network AS1 mistakenly announces through its BGP that it owns an IP block that actually is owned by network AS2, traffic from a portion of the Internet destined for AS2 will actually be routed to  and through  AS1. If the erroneous announcement was maliciously arranged, then a BGP hijack has occurred.

The latest BGP leaks were first reported by the network monitoring firm ThousandEyes, the traffic to Google services, including Search, G Suite, and various Google Cloud services, was directed through TransTelecom in Russia, Nigerian ISP MainOne, and China Telecom.

BREAKING: Potential hijack underway. ThousandEyes detected intermittent availability issues to Google services from some locations. Traffic to certain Google destinations appears to be routed through an ISP in Russia & black-holed at a China Telecom gateway router. pic.twitter.com/Tz7shf7cOy  ThousandEyes (@thousandeyes) November 12, 2018

On November 12th, 2018, between 1:00 PM and 2:23 PM PST, ThousandEyes noticed issues connecting to G Suite, a critical application for our organization. Reviewing ThousandEyes Endpoint Agent stats, we noticed this was impacting all users at the ThousandEyes office. reads the analysis published Thousandeyes.

The outage not only affected G Suite, but also Google Search as well as Google Analytics. What caught our attention was that traffic to Google was getting dropped at China Telecom. Why would traffic from a San Francisco office traversing to Google go all the way to China? We also noticed a Russian ISP in the traffic path, which definitely sparked some concerns.

According to the BGP routing monitoring firm BGPmon, 212 unique Google prefixes were impacted.

ThousandEyes speculate the origin of this leak was the BGP peering relationship between the Nigerian provider MainOne and China Telecom, anyway it is unclear if the BGP leaks were the result of an intentional attack or a misconfiguration at MainOne

In addition to @Google downstream networks from The Nigerian ISP AS37282 Mainone, were affected. Including for example this @Cloudflare prefixhttps://t.co/wq8x4kl3w2 pic.twitter.com/z4Ep2lcyxQ  BGPmon.net (@bgpmon) November 13, 2018

This is a good visual replay of the incident, in this case for the prefix 104.196.64.0/19. Clearly visiable is the leak via AS 4809 and 37282 https://t.co/qkoEf80jMV pic.twitter.com/nr5o6EbTQA  BGPmon.net (@bgpmon) November 12, 2018

.This incident at a minimum caused a massive denial of service to G Suite and Google Search. However, this also put valuable Google traffic in the hands of ISPs in countries with a long history of Internet surveillance, continues the analysis published by ThousandEyes.

Overall ThousandEyes detected over 180 prefixes affected by this route leak, which covers a vast scope of Google services. Our analysis indicates that the origin of this leak was the BGP peering relationship between MainOne, the Nigerian provider, and China Telecom. 

Our analysis indicates that the origin of this leak was the BGP peering relationship between MainOne, the Nigerian provider, and China Telecom. MainOne has a peering relationship with Google via IXPN in Lagos and has direct routes to Google, which leaked into China Telecom,.

This affected 212 unique Google Prefixes. All Google prefixes that were affected can be found here: https://t.co/vT8zBzlFVE  BGPmon.net (@bgpmon) November 12, 2018

Google confirmed that the root cause of the incident was external to the company systems and launched an internal investigation on it.

Throughout the duration of this issue Google services were operating as expected and we believe the root cause of the issue was external to Google. We will conduct an internal investigation of this issue and make appropriate improvements to our systems to help prevent or minimize future recurrence, reads the Google Cloud Platform status page.

Researchers Chris C. Demchak and Yuval Shavitt described many other BGP hijacking attacks involving China Telecom. They are pushing to adopt solutions to protect BGP, Cloudflare for example, sustains that Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) could secure BGP routing.

Pierluigi Paganini

( Security Affairs  BGP leak, Google traffic hijacking)

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Share OnSecurity firm Cylance has uncovered a sophisticated state-sponsored campaign, tracked as Operation Shaheen, against the Pakistan Air Force.

According to the experts the campaign was carried out by a nation-state actor tracked as the White Company with access to zero-day exploits and exploit developers.

The preliminary findings detail one of the groups recent campaigns, a year-long espionage effort directed at the Pakistani Air Force . Cylance calls the campaign Operation Shaheen and the organization The White Companyin acknowledgement of the many elaborate measures the organization takes to whitewash all signs of its activity and evade attribution. reads the press release published by Cylance.

The Pakistani Air Force is not just an integral part of the countrys national security establishmentincluding its nuclear weapons programbut it is also the newly announced home of the countrys National Centre for Cyber Security. A successful espionage operation against such a target could yield significant tactical and strategic insight to a range of foreign powers.

As part of Operation Shaheen, White Company hackers targeted members of the Pakistan Air Force with spear-phishing messages that weaponized lure files with names referenced events, government documents, or news articles of interest for the targets (i.e. the Pakistani Air Force, the Pakistani government, and Chinese Military and advisers in Pakistan).

Attackers initially used phishing messages with links to compromised websites, then they switched to emails using infected Word documents as attachments.

In both cases, the researchers found, the emails were specifically crafted to reference topics that would be relevant to appeal to the targets: the Pakistani Air Force, the Pakistani government, and Chinese Military and advisers in Pakistan.

We cannot say with precision where those documents went, or which were successful. However, we can say that the Pakistan Air Force was a primary target. This is evident by the overriding themes expressed in document filenames, the contents of the decoy documents, and the specificity employed in the military-themed lures. continues the report published by Cylance.

In addition, as explained below, the malware delivered by these lures was delivered from domains not just of legitimate, compromised Pakistani organizations  a common tactic attackers use to make any traffic the target might observe seem benign  but legitimate, compromised Pakistani organizations with an explicit connection to the Pakistani military.

The malicious code used by White Company hackers was able to evade major antivirus solutions, including Sophos, ESET, Kaspersky, BitDefender, Avira, Avast, AVG, and Quickheal.

The malware used in the campaign implements five different packing techniques that placed the ultimate payload within a series of layers.

Attribute the attack to a specific actor is very difficult, a broad range of nation-state attackers would have an interest in spying on the Pakistani Air Force members.

Cylance does not endeavor to conclusively attribute attacks or campaigns to specific

entities, as a matter of principle, for several reasons. This approach is particularly prudent in this case. The threat actor in question took great pains to elude attribution. They cobbled together tools created by several different developers, some of whom took steps to cover their tracks. These efforts served to complicate the overall picture of what occurred and who was behind it. concludes the firm.

Pakistan is a tumultuous, nuclear-armed nation with a history of explosive internal politics. Their position on the geopolitical chessboard makes them an obvious target of all the nation states with well-developed cyber programs (i.e. the Five Eyes, China, Russia, Iran, DPRK, Israel),

They also draw attention from emerging cyber powers like India and the Gulf nations.

Additional info are included in the report published by the experts.

Pierluigi Paganini

( Security Affairs  Pakistani Air Force, Operation Shaheen)

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Share On "The Effects of Holistic Defense on Criminal Justice Outcomes" | Main | Usual Justices make their usual death penalty points in statements accompanying Florida capital case cert denials 

The New York Times and CNN are reporting this evening on the latest chapter in efforts to enact significant federal criminal justice reforms. This lengthy New York Times piece is headlined "Bipartisan Sentencing Overhaul Moves Forward, but Rests on Trump," and here are excerpts:

A bipartisan group of senators has reached a tentative deal on the most substantial rewrite of the nations sentencing and prison laws in a generation, giving judges more latitude to sidestep mandatory minimum sentences and easing drug sentences that have incarcerated African-Americans at much higher rates than white offenders. The lawmakers believe they can get the measure to President Trump during the final weeks of the year, if the president embraces it.

The compromise would eliminate the so-called stacking regulation that makes it a federal crime to possess a firearm while committing another crime, like a drug offense; expand the drug safety valve allowing judges to sidestep mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug offenders; and shorten mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, according to draft text of the bill obtained by The New York Times.

It would also retroactively extend a reduction in the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine signed into law in 2010, potentially affecting thousands of drug offenders serving lengthy sentences....

The support of the famously mercurial Mr. Trump is by no means guaranteed. But if they can secure an endorsement, senators say they can move quickly on the kind of bipartisan achievement that has eluded Mr. Trump  and bedeviled senators and outside advocates of the overhaul for years....

If Mr. Trump supports the package, senators will still be up against a rapidly closing legislative window  Congress is set to break in mid-December  and certain opposition from conservative Republicans in both the Senate and the House. Democrats could also throw up roadblocks if liberals think they could get a better deal once Democrats take control of the House....

Lawmakers may have also gotten a boost with the departure of Jeff Sessions as attorney general last week. Mr. Sessions had used his post to order federal prosecutors to pursue the toughest possible charges and sentences for crime suspects, reversing Obama-era efforts to ease such penalties for some nonviolent drug offenders. And he vigorously opposed legislative compromise, going head-to-head not only with Mr. Grassley but also with Mr. Kushner.

Mr. Kushner has had several meetings with Matthew G. Whitaker, the new acting attorney general, who has signaled that he is open to the changes. The effort could be revived in the next Congress if he and allies are unable to succeed in the short term. Mr. Kushner has also traveled with Vice President Mike Pence in recent days to brief the vice president on the latest developments, the administration official said. Some post-election criminal justice commentary from various sources a week later | Main | Senator Mike Lee makes the "conservative case for criminal justice reform" 

The Prison Policy Initiative has today posted an updated version of its remarkable incarceration "pie" graphic and associated report on the particulars of who and how women are incarcerated in the United States. Here is part of the report's introductory text and subsequent discussion:

With growing public attention to the problem of mass incarceration, people want to know about womens experience with incarceration. How many women are held in prisons, jails, and other correctional facilities in the United States? And why are they there? How is their experience different from mens? While these are important questions, finding those answers requires not only disentangling the countrys decentralized and overlapping criminal justice systems, but also unearthing the frustratingly hard to find and often altogether missing data on gender.

This report provides a detailed view of the 219,000 women incarcerated in the United States, and how they fit into the even broader picture of correctional control. This 2018 update to our inaugural Womens Whole Pie report pulls together data from a number of government agencies and calculates the breakdown of women held by each correctional system by specific offense. The report, produced in collaboration with the ACLUs Campaign for Smart Justice, answers the questions of why and where women are locked up:

In stark contrast to the total incarcerated population, where the state prison systems hold twice as many people as are held in jails, incarcerated women are much more evenly split between state prisons and local jails. This has serious consequences for incarcerated women and their families.

Womens incarceration has grown at twice the pace of mens incarceration in recent decades, and has disproportionately been located in local jails. The explanation for exactly what happened, when, and why does not yet exist because the data on women has long been obscured by the larger scale of mens incarceration....

Looking at the big picture shows that a staggering number of women who are incarcerated are not even convicted: a quarter of women who are behind bars have not yet had a trial. Moreover, 60% of women under local control have not been convicted of a crime and are awaiting trial....

Avoiding pre-trial incarceration is uniquely challenging for women. The number of unconvicted women stuck in jail is surely not because courts are considering women, who are generally the primary caregivers of children, to be a flight risk. The far more likely answer is that incarcerated women, who have lower incomes than incarcerated men, have an even harder time affording cash bail. When the typical bail amounts to a full years income for women, its no wonder that women are stuck in jail awaiting trial....

So what does it mean that large numbers of women are held in jail  for them, and for their families? While stays in jail are generally shorter than in stays in prison, jails make it harder to stay in touch with family than prisons do. Phone calls are more expensive, up to $1.50 per minute, and other forms of communication are more restricted  some jails dont even allow real letters, limiting mail to postcards. This is especially troubling given that 80% of women in jails are mothers, and most of them are primary caretakers of their children. Thus children are particularly susceptible to the domino effect of burdens placed on incarcerated women....

Too often, the conversation about criminal justice reform starts and stops with the question of non-violent drug and property offenses. While drug and property offenses make up more than half of the offenses for which women are incarcerated, the chart reveals that all offenses  including the violent offenses that account for roughly a quarter of all incarcerated women  must be considered in the effort to reduce the number of incarcerated women in this country. This new data on women underlines the need for reform discussions to focus not just on the easier choices but on the policy changes that will have the most impact....

Even the Whole Pie of incarceration above represents just one small portion (17%) of the women under correctional supervision, which includes over a million women on probation and parole. Again, this is in stark contrast to the general incarcerated population (mostly men), where a third of all people under correctional control are in prisons and jails.Traveling on a cruise ship for a holiday getaway is something that most people have on their bucket list especially for those who are not afraid of the open waters. However, there is always some degree of risk in almost anything that involves traveling and thus the need to be ready for anything. Numerous insurance companies in Singapore have considered this and so they offer cruise insurance cover to clients.

What is covered under cruise insurance?

Cruise insurance is designed to provide cover in case anything happens while you are on a cruise. It covers you where your travel insurance does not apply, for example, a cruise cover will make sure you are compensated in case you lose your luggage during a cruise.

Cruise insurance also offers a cancellation cover in case your pre-paid trip or tour is canceled due to a variety of reasons such as port authority regulations or extreme weather conditions. It also provides a medical cover that will protect you in case of any medical emergencies during the entire duration of the cruise. This is particularly important if no treatment is available for a medical emergency on the ship especially if the situation is so serious that you might require to be flown out of the ship via a helicopter.

Which one is better between private insurance and cruise insurance?

If you have travel insurance, then chances are that it has a cruise package but the problem is that the cruise offering on the private insurance plan might be very limited. Cruise insurance might offer a better insurance package but it is always a good idea to read the terms and conditions so that you can determine which package best suits your preference.

Private insurers often provide cruise insurance but it is usually available under specific travel insurance plans. Fortunately, some benefits such as flights off the ship are guaranteed under every travel insurance plan. It is also worth noting that the open seas are highly unpredictable. The cruise ship may encounter storms and there is no telling what injuries or damages may result from it.

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In short, cruise insurance will mainly cover you against the stipulated insured risks while on the cruise ship. Travel insurance, on the other hand, is ideal for activities that take place off the ship.

Critical considerations when selecting a cruise insurance cover

There are four major things to consider when selecting a cruise insurance cover.

Personal accidents which include death or disability.

Medical evacuation

Emergency medical treatment while overseas as well as hospitalization.

Other non-medical issues such as luggage loss or canceled bookings or travel delays.

A cruise insurance cover should cover any expenses that may result in an accident while you are traveling on a cruise ship. For example, if a medical situation requires you to be flown off the ship immediately, then such an insurance cover will save you lots of money that you would otherwise have to pay out of pocket. Note that the latter would be a very costly affair. The same case applies for any treatment that would be involved in a medical emergency were to happen.

For non-medical emergencies such as baggage loss, having a cruise insurance cover will come in quite handy because the odds are that you might not find that luggage. In such a case, the cruise insurance cover will compensate you. You will, therefore, be compensated if you lose a camera or laptop that was part of your luggage. However, you might want to leave expensive items at home if you are taking a cruise to avoid such risks. Only carry items that are essential for your trip.

Your cruise insurance premium will be different depending on your destination. For example, traveling from Singapore to Japan will be more expensive than traveling from Singapore to Malaysia.

How Singapore insurance companies handle cruise insurance

It is also worth considering that Singapore insurance companies will only provide cruise insurance if the cruise commences in Singapore. One will thus not be covered if you start the cruise from a different country. Costs may also not be covered if you decide to cut your trip short unless it is for medical purposes.

Passengers may decide which features to add to their cruise insurance cover but this usually depends on each insurance companys terms and conditions. Different insurance firms have different packages which you may choose from. Also, note that cruise cover is mainly treated as an addition to travel insurance. Pairing them will allow you to be protected at all times whether you are on the ship or even when exploring your destinations.

Why is cruise insurance a good idea?

Cruise insurance as noted above should be an important consideration if you plan on taking a cruise. Although cruise ships are relatively safe, do not forget that the open ocean has its fair share of surprises. Not that you should expect things to go wrong but it is always good to be prepared for any kind of injuries that you might sustain if anything happens during the cruise trip.

Cruise insurance is not expensive especially because the cruise lasts a few days and so you only have to be insured for just those days. It will therefore not break the bank but the advantages of having the cover are quite significant. Having a cruise insurance cover will also allow you to enjoy your trip without worry, thus allowing you to fully achieve the goal of the cruise which is usually to put all worries aside and enjoy life.

Also, keep in mind that cruise ships usually have infirmaries/medical facilities where passengers can be treated. These facilities are not specialized and so there are some conditions such as surgeries that they cannot treat. However, they do handle situations such as injuries. Note that they act as private hospitals and so they charge premium rates for treatment. Cruise insurance can save the day since it will cater to any medical expenses that arise if you are treated at the cruise ships medical facilities.

(By Neha Gupta)

Related Articles

- What you need to know about cruise insurance

- Chinas Cruise Ship Market Most Promising Industry. HNWIs Interested in Europe, Alaska  5 Years since Princess Cruises EntryJumpstarter aims to identify promising entrepreneurs and provides them with capital, operational support and networking resources to grow their business

Jumpstarter, a not-for-profit initiative by Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, has announced the launch of its second-year startup event in January 2019.

Startups from anywhere in the world are eligible to apply for this years iteration, as part of Jumpstarters aim in bringing global entrepreneurs, corporates, investors and the public together to help transform Hong Kong into a leading hub of global innovation and technology.

Launched in 2017, Jumpstarter aims to identify promising entrepreneurs and provides them with capital, operational support and networking resources to grow their business. For the first time, the event is open to global participants. Hundred startups from overseas will be selected and offered the chance to come to Hong Kong to meet with renowned Hong Kong-headquartered international corporates and investors for idea exchanges and collaboration opportunities.

With Hong Kong rapidly becoming a high-ranking city on the global stage for startups to scale and further develop, there is an increasing need for platforms like Jumpstarter to support this fast-growing community, acting as the bridge between entrepreneurs, corporates, investors and the public, said Cindy Chow, Executive Director of Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund.

Also Read: Is Singapores early stage startup scene dead? What happened?

Jumpstarter 2019 is a two-day conference from January 23 to 24, 2019 highlighted with keynotes and talks, master classes and workshops, one-to-one matching and mentoring, networking, on-stage demo pitching and startup pavilion. Hundred startups will be selected for the Hong Kong and global tracks respectively, and for each track, 36 shortlisted startups will have a chance to showcase their products and services at the Jumpstarter Launchpad competition in Hong Kong.

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Jumpstarter Launchpad is open to any startups from around the world which is between seed capital and Series C capital stage. Applicant firms must have been operating for less than five years old, have raised less than US$30 million in funding and possess a ground-breaking and innovative product or service for which they believe Hong Kong could serve as a key base for further development. A core or substantial part of the applicants operations must come from at least one of four growth areas: smart city, retail, advanced technology and financial services.

The application deadline for Jumpstarter Launchpad is November 19.

Representatives from established companies are onsite to share their experience and insights on corporate innovation, as well as to participate in 1:1 meetings, mentoring and networking with startups. The 21 participating companies include 3 Hong Kong, Alibaba Cloud, CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, CLP Holdings Limited, Credit Suisse, DBS Bank, Deloitte, HKEX, Hongkong Land, HSBC, Kerry Logistics, KPMG, Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group, Link REIT, Mizuho, MTR Corporation, NEC Hong Kong, Sino Group, SUNeVision, Swire Properties and YATA.

The post Alibabas Jumpstarter event to showcase 100 global startups in Hong Kong appeared first on e27.Amazon announced Tuesday it would split its "second headquarters" between New York City and a Washington suburb in Northern Virginia, with the online giant to invest some $5 billion in the two locations after a heated contest by dozens of cities. "These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come," Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos said in a statement. The announcement comes after a yearlong search and a fierce competition between North American cities to net the estimated 50,000 jobs that will be created with the new headquarters, which had been dubbed "HQ2." Amazon selected the Long Island City neighborhood in the New York borough of Queens, across the East River from Manhattan, and the Crystal City section of Arlington, across the Potomac from the US capital Washington, where Amazon plans to create a new neighborhood called National Landing. These will be new headquarters with equivalent status to Amazon's home in Seattle, Washington. According to an Amazon statement, the company will receive "performance-based direct incentives of $1.525 billion" over the next decade from New York based on creating 25,000 jobs in Long Island City. "This is a giant step on our path to building an economy in New York City that leaves no one behind. We are thrilled that Amazon has selected New York City for its new headquarters," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "New Yorkers will get tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs, and Amazon will get the best talent anywhere in the world." Virginia will offer $550 million in incentives over 12 years based on a similar number of job creations, contingent on adding the forecasted number of "high-paying jobs," and Amazon will get another $23 million from Arlington. "This is a big win for Virginia -- I'm proud Amazon recognizes the tremendous assets the Commonwealth has to offer and plans to deepen its roots here," said Virginia Governor Ralph Northam.A security guard walks on the bund in front of the financial district of Pudong in Shanghai, China

CapitaLand, through an investment fund, is forming a 50:50 venture with GIC to buy Shanghais tallest twin towers for 12.8 billion yuan (S$2.54 billion).

The property, currently under development in Hongkou district, will be CapitaLands third Raffles City integrated development in Shanghai, or its ninth in China, according to a statement on its website on Tuesday (13 November).

CapitaLand owns 41.7 per cent of Raffles City China Investment Partners III, with the remaining stakes in the investment fund held by investors from Asia, North America and the Middle East.

Sitting on a 4.05-hectare site along Huangpu River in North Bund, the development has a total gross floor area (excluding car park) of 312,717 square metres. It comprises two 50-storey premium Grade A office towers linked by a seven-storey shopping mall. The development is directly linked to Line 12 and upcoming Line 19, two major metro lines.

Standing at 263 metres, the towers offer 270-degree panoramic views of Shanghai Bund and Lujiazui CBD on both sides of Huangpu River. The development has achieved structural completion and is expected to open in phases from the second half of 2019.

Including this latest acquisition, CapitaLand now owns or manages 20 commercial properties in Shanghai that span over 1.8 million sq m in GFA, of which eight are integrated developments with office and retail components.

CapitaLand has divested so far this year close to S$2 billion worth of assets in China, which included the divestment of a group of companies that held 20 non-core retail assets.The completion of the world's largest trade deal -- backed by Beijing and excluding the United States -- has been pushed back to next year, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Tuesday, after Asia-Pacific trade ministers failed to agree key terms at a Singapore summit. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), covering half the world's population, is billed as an antidote to President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda, which has seen tariffs imposed on almost half of all Chinese imports to the US -- and retaliatory levies by Beijing. China hoped to have the meat of the deal -- whose members include Japan, India and Southeast Asian nations -- done by the end of this year as ballast to US tariffs and increasingly pugnacious rhetoric on trade. But the timetable has slipped, with sticking points over free access to markets remaining -- and a raft of general elections early next year likely to further hamper its progress. Speaking in Singapore, Premier Li said he hoped RCEP would be signed and implemented next year. "It (RCEP) is going to deliver real benefits to the people of our region," he said, without giving a date. China was now the standard bearer of global free trade, he added, with the 16-member RCEP deal at the heart of its strategy. "It's going to send a message to the international community that we stand by free trade... with rising protectionism and strains on free trade, we need to advance the RCEP negotiations," Li said, in comments delivered at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. He conceded the Chinese economy was facing "challenges" in the wake of the trade war with the US, but insisted strong fundamentals meant radical intervention was not the remedy. "Despite downward pressures we will not resort to massive stimulus," Li said. - 'Significant progress' - Trade diplomats said negotiations will run deep into 2019. "We made significant progress," New Zealand minister of state for trade and export growth Damien O'Connor told reporters after talks late Monday, but added delegates were "hopefully ready for conclusion next year". India's concerns over opening its markets to competition, in particular from Chinese firms, has been a key obstacle in the several years of negotiations. But New Delhi's delegation welcomed the incremental steps towards establishing the trade agreement. "The future lies in RCEP," Indian trade minister Suresh Prabhu told reporters, but urged a patient approach to talks to ensure "every country will benefit from it". Several general elections scheduled early next year -- including in India, Thailand and Indonesia -- have complicated the timeframe of a deal that will open markets in countries accounting for about a third of the world's GDP. The deal was given extra impetus after Trump pulled the US out of the rival Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP is still alive even without Washington, but RCEP is now the world's biggest trade deal. However, the Beijing-backed pact is much less ambitious than the TPP in areas such as employment and environmental protection. The ASEAN summit, which formally opens Tuesday afternoon, will cover trade, maritime disputes and the Rohingya crisis. Frictions over Myanmar's treatment of the Muslim minority simmered Tuesday. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad broke ASEAN's normally cordial protocols by telling reporters Aung San Suu Kyi was "defending the indefensible" by not speaking up for the Rohingya -- hundreds of thousands of whom were driven into Bangladesh in a bloody purge last year. Shortly afterwards Mahathir stood next to Suu Kyi for a stony-faced 'family' photo. Amnesty International on Monday stripped Suu Kyi of its highest honour over her response to the Rohingya crisis. Other world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mike Pence -- Trump's number two -- are also in Singapore for talks foreshadowed by the China-US trade war and its ripple effect on global economies, particularly in Asia. Pence is expected to keep pressure on Beijing over its growing aggression in the South China Sea while seeking support for Washington's approach to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi was trying to "defend the indefensible" over alleged atrocities committed by the country's military against minority Rohingya Muslims.

Asked on the sidelines of a speech he delivered in Singapore to comment on how Myanmar and Suu Kyi had been dealing with the Rohingya issue, Mahathir said:

"It would seem that Aung San Suu Kyi is trying to defend what is indefensible.

"They are actually oppressing these people to the point of killing them, mass killing."

A U.N. report in August detailed a military crackdown with genocidal intent that began in 2017 and drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Rakhine state into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Myanmar has denied most of the allegations in the report. Suu Kyi has previously said her civilian government should not bear all responsibility for the crisis because the military retains a powerful political role under the constitution.

Southeast Asian nations will call for those responsible for atrocities in Myanmar's Rakhine state to be held "fully accountable", according to a statement prepared for a regional summit, reflecting a stronger line being taken within the group.

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan, Writing by John Geddie, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)Former Customs chief and now Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Isidro Lapena is facing graft raps over the alleged illegal release of 105 container vans from the port of Manila last March.

In a complaint filed with the Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recommended that Lapena be charged and prosecuted for violation of section 3, paragraph (e) of Republic Act no. 3019, otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The NBI pointed out that Lapena issued manual alert orders for the subject container vans even though the electronic to mobile (e2m) system was accessible and fully operational.

NBI alleged that Lapenas action led to the release of the shipments, escaping the revenues that the Republic of the Philippines is entitled to which signifies [his] intention to cause injury to the government and took advantage of his office.

Apart from this, the NBI also recommended Lapena be administratively charged with gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct.

The former Customs chief has yet to comment on the complaint.  UNTV News & Rescue

The post Ex-Customs chief faces graft raps over release of 105 container vans appeared first on UNTV News.The Hong Kong-listed suppliers of Apple recovered in afternoon trading on Tuesday, following a drop in morning trading. Stocks fell initially because of an overnight technology stock rout in the US led by fears of a steep decline in Apple shares and an escalating US-China trade war.

AAC Technologies rose by 0.2 per cent to close at HK$53.2, after plunging by 7 per cent to HK$49.05 in the morning, weighed down by an expected slowdown in the sales of the iPhone. FIT Hon Tech rose by 0.3 per cent to close at HK$3.65, reversing a loss of 0.8 per cent to HK$3.61. Tongda Group Holdings fell by 1 per cent to close at 96 HK cents, narrowing down a drop of 3 per cent in the morning. Cowell sank 3 per cent to HK$1, narrowing down a decline of 4 per cent.

The broader Hong Kong market recovered too, closing 0.62 per cent, or 159 points, higher at 25,792, after initially falling by 2.1 per cent in early trading.

We have seen some investors buying these technology stocks in Hong Kong in the afternoon, as their share prices had dropped to a cheap level, which was attractive, said Robert Lee, executive director at brokerage firm Grand Finance Group.

A recovery in mainland China shares in the afternoon also helped Hong Kong-listed Apple suppliers and other technology stocks bounce back.

Apple suppliers in Japan, however, did not fare as well. Japan Display was down by 9.52 per cent, Murata Manufacturing dropped 4.76 per cent and TDK lost 6.27 per cent on Tuesday. These stocks led declines on the benchmark Nikkei225, which dropped by 2 per cent, or 459 points, to 21,810.52.

The Japanese market has its own internal problems, which is why its Apple suppliers have performed differently from those in Hong Kong, although all of them are expected to be affected by the slowdown in iPhone sales. Looking ahead, these stocks will still face the uncertainties of the overall trade war between China and the US, said Lee.

Story continues

South Koreas Kospi was also down by 0.44 per cent, while the Sydney All Ordinaries lost 1.74 per cent.

In China, the Shanghai Composite Index closed 1 per cent higher at 2,654.88 after falling 1 per cent initially in the morning. The CSI 300, which tracks the largest stocks listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, also edged up 1.01 per cent to 3,237.38. The Shenzhen Component Index rose by 1.7 per cent to close at 7,963.66.

Other technology heavyweights too rose in the afternoon after slight initial losses. Bellwether Tencent Holdings rose 1.4 per cent to HK$274 and Sunny Optical advanced 2.85 per cent to HK$73.95. Carmaker Geely Automobile added 5 per cent to reach HK$15.1.

Apples shares fell 5.04 per cent in the US on Monday after the technology giants supplier Lumentum Holdings slashed its earnings and revenue outlook.

Lumentum said that lower demand from one of its largest customers for laser diodes for 3D sensors had caused it to materially reduce shipments during the quarter ending December. Although Lumentum did not name the customer, its annual report lists Apple as its largest client, accounting for 30 per cent of its revenues.

Apples fall spread to other technology stocks, and this was compounded by the US governments threat to escalate its trade war with China, exacerbating declines in US indices  all three major indices were down 2 per cent or more on Monday.

Apple stocks rose substantially last year and their valuations were exceptionally high. But the expected slowdown of iPhone sales has added selling pressure on these companies, said Ryan Chan, associate director at Eddid Securities and Futures.

In addition, the US government on Monday indicated it would add more trade control measures on China, which has led the market to worry about an economic slowdown on the mainland. The market is likely to continue trading between 24,500 to 25,000, but it will be hard to break through the 26,000 level.

Ben Kwong Man-bun, a director at brokerage house KGI Asia, said other technology stocks such as Tencent could also suffer because of a slowing economy brought about by the trade war.

He said a strong US dollar was also hurting the stock market because whenever the greenback strengthens it leads to capital outflows from emerging markets. As the US dollar reached its strongest level in 18 months against the euro and pound on Monday, this led to a fall in Asian markets, said Kwong.

Meanwhile, the offshore yuan  traded by international investors  strengthened by 0.2 per cent on Tuesday to trade at 6.9497 per US dollar, while the onshore yuan also strengthened by 0.12 per cent. This came after the Peoples Bank of China fixed the yuan midprice at 6.9629, up 0.2 per cent from its last fix.

In spite of what appeared to be PBOC smoothing, the US dollar remains in the drivers seat on follow-through from last week, when the FOMC signalled no dovishness, suggesting the policy divergence between the Fed and PBOC could accelerate, said Stephen Innes, head of trading in Asia-Pacific at forex trading platform Oanda.

This article Apple suppliers recover in Hong Kong after initial pounding on iPhone sales slowdown worries first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.

More from South China Morning Post:The Guardian

As a boy, the Tamil director saw movies made in the market where he worked. Now hes Indias choice for awards glory Chellapandi as the son and Karuththadaiyaan as his father in Pebbles, Indias Oscar entry, directed by PS Vinothraj. Photograph: Handout As a child labourer working in the flower markets of Madurai, there was nothing more exciting for PS Vinothraj than when the film crews would descend. He would put down his sacks of petals and look up in awe at the camera operators who sat atop cThe hunger for an alternative to Grab (pretty much the only reliable ride-hailing app available here right now) is very real. For both consumers and private-hire vehicle drivers too  the latter of which have repeatedly expressed their displeasure with Grabs policies for partner-drivers.

The discontent is not unfounded either, considering that the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore found Grab guilty of behavior that fails to protect the interests of riders and drivers after it became the biggest player in the ride-hailing industry here.

It should be no surprise then that thousands of drivers have already registered their interest to work for Indonesian ride-hailing platform Go-Jek, which is planning to launch in Singapore soon. The Straits Times believes that the firm has set its launch date for sometime later this month, which could very well be true  a handbook for Go-Jeks driver-partners has appeared in the wild.

Pictures of the physical handbook appeared on the Private Hire SG Cars/Partners  Grab, Ryde, TADA etc Facebook group, and its basically a startup guide for new Go-Jek employees in the Singapore market. Aside from a how-to in using the app, the handbook also lists rules and regulations, including some interesting highlights thatll show what to expect from using Go-Jek here. Now, we havent verified if the handbook is official (well be contacting the company for confirmation), but we dont see any reason why anyone would want to print out a whole guide as a joke.

Photo: Facebook

Maximum of one additional stop

The feature of adding multiple destinations will be available, thank Odin. Not so fun is the fact that riders can only make a maximum of two stops in one trip.

Child car seats

Drivers without a car seat for children will have the right to refuse customers traveling with kids below the height of 1.35m.

Cleaning fees

Similar to Uber (RIP), the company will help to cover cleaning costs (up to $30) for drivers when customers make a proper mess during trips. Presumably, the $30 is charged to the unruly riders and passed on to drivers. According to a Grab driver in a Reddit AMA, Grab will only take disciplinary action  clean up fees have to be settled privately with the rider.

Story continues

Photo: Facebook

Earnings anytime

This ones pretty interesting for drivers. Under Go-Jek, drivers can withdraw money from their earnings wallet into their bank account anytime, as long as the transaction amount is at least $50.

Grab drivers, on the other hand, receive payment on a weekly basis.

Photo: Facebook

Incentives

The page showcasing driver incentives is blurry, so we cant make out a lot of details. Whats clear though is that there is a points system for drivers and apparently, minimum hourly earnings.

Discrimination and sexual misconduct

Its a no-brainer that employees acting badly will get fired and even reported to the police, but its nice to see reminders listed out in print. Even greater is the implication of support for LGBTQ people.

Discriminating against customers or partners based on race, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age, or sexual orientation is not allowed. Doing so may result in losing access to the GOJEK platform.

Photo: Facebook

The post Handbook for Go-Jek drivers in Singapore apparently leaked online. Heres what to expect from the service appeared first on Coconuts.President Xi Jinping gave Hong Kong and Macau a ringing endorsement as he set out how both cities blazed a trail during Chinas economic reforms, and praised the cities as being among the miracle creators of the countrys development.

Xi also noted how the former European colonies had taken the lead during Chinas successful reform and opening up over the past 40 years, investing on the mainland, setting examples of how market economies worked and serving as test beds for innovation.

He also named seven members of the Hong Kong elite and one from Macaus as examples of the cities contributions.



The president spoke on Monday at a closed-door meeting with a delegation of top officials and business leaders from the semi-autonomous cities.

Over the 40 years of reform and opening up, our countrys development has made historic achievements that have attracted world attention, Xi said. Hong Kong and Macau compatriots, as well as overseas companies and individuals based in Hong Kong and Macau, have their share of contributions. Regarding this, the mother country and people will never forget.

Hong Kong and Macau compatriots, like mainland people, are both the creators of the countrys great miracle of reform and opening up.

Xi said Hong Kong and Macau were the first to invest in the mainland, providing the first joint venture company there, the first joint venture motorway, the first branch of a non-local bank and the first five-star joint venture hotel. As of last year, he said, the cities had invested US$1 trillion on the mainland, accounting for 54 per cent of all outside investment.

The meeting involved top officials and more than 200 business and political leaders from the two cities. Several leading Beijing officials, such as Vice-Premier Han Zheng, were also present.

Hong Kong and Macau compatriots, like mainland people, are both the creators of the countrys great miracle of reform and opening up

President Xi Jinping

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor led the citys 160-strong delegation. Her Macau counterpart Fernando Chui Sai-on took a group of 60 to the capital.

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Xi took pains to show his close association with, and affection for, both cities in his closed-door speech, not missing a chance to remind people how he was personally involved in facilitating the cities contributions.

I have very close knowledge of this, he said. When I was working in Fujian, Zhejiang and Shanghai, I planned and moved forward a lot of collaboration projects between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macau.

He added that he was in charge of Hong Kong and Macau affairs after he joined the central government in 2007.

I got to know many Hong Kong and Macau friends in this process.

Offering examples of the cities key contributors to the nation, Xi referenced the Zhong Shan Hot Spring Hotel, built in 1979 by late Hong Kong tycoon Henry Fok Ying-tung and Macaus gambling mogul Stanley Ho Hung-sun. Xi said he visited the hotel personally.

He credited former Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying for hosting free workshops in 1978 on the Western land administrative system in Shenzhen and Shanghai, and participating in drafting the countrys first land tendering document in 1987 in Shenzhen.

Anthony Neoh, the chief adviser to the China Securities Regulatory Commission between 1998 and 2004, and Laura Cha Shih May-lung, who chairs the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, helped establish the norms of the mainlands securities market, Xi said.

Other individuals named included the late Hong Kong film mogul Run Run Shaw, the citys late philanthropist Tin Ka-ping, and truck driver turned philanthropist Wong Fuk-wing, who sacrificed his life saving others during an earthquake in Yushu county, Qinghai, in 2010.

After the meeting, National Peoples Congress deputy Brave Chan Yung said, Xi also mentioned former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa and former Macau chief executive Edmund Ho Hau-wah for helping to promote China in the United States and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Xi also praised former World Health Organisation chief Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun for her work at the international body, according to the NPC deputy.

In the speech, Xi said the one country, two systems policy  under which both cities are government by Beijing but promised a high degree of autonomy  was their greatest advantage.

He urged the cities to grab the opportunities of the Belt and Road Initiative and Greater Bay Area plan. The former refers to Beijings global trade strategy, while the bay area scheme is a plan that seeks to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine nearby mainland cities into a financial and innovation hub to rival Californias Silicon Valley.

Hong Kong eager to play bigger role in Chinas reform and opening up

Xi called on the cities to more actively help the countrys full-scale opening up, integrate into the countrys development, safeguard the countrys political system and national security, and promote international cultural exchanges.

City leader Lam said on Tuesday the government would seriously study how the presidents hopes could be integrated into policies.

This article Seven members of Hong Kongs elite named in Xi Jinpings acknowledgement of citys role in reform and opening up first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian speaks during a news conference with his Tunisian counterpart Khemaies Jhinaoui in Tunis French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian speaks during a news conference with his Tunisian counterpart Khemaies Jhinaoui in Tunis, Tunisia October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

By Ece Toksabay

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey reacted with fury on Monday after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said President Tayyip Erdogan was playing a political game over sharing intelligence about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Le Drian had questioned remarks by Erdogan at the weekend in which he said Turkey gave tapes relating to Khashoggi's killing to the United States, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France and Britain.

Le Drian said he was not aware that France had any tapes. Asked if Erdogan was lying, he said: "He has a political game to play in these circumstances".

That prompted a furious response from Ankara, which insisted it had shared evidence with Paris and said Le Drian's comments were unacceptable.

"Our intelligence shared information with them on Oct 24, including the voice recordings," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. "It is very impudent for them to accuse our president of playing political games."

"What's behind the remarks of the French foreign minister? I wonder if they are trying to cover up the murder," he added.

The furious Turkish remarks towards France were the most direct public expression yet of a concern in Ankara that Western countries with close commercial relations with Riyadh might soft-pedal their response to the Khashoggi killing.

Seeking to clarify Le Drian's comments, a senior French diplomat later said the minister never commented on intelligence shared between countries and that he was neither confirming or denying French officials having listened to recordings.

"What counts for us is to establish the complete truth ... whatever one may think of the recordings the entire truth can't be based on the Turkish recordings. We are still waiting for elements from the Saudis," the diplomat said.

The dispute between Ankara and Paris may hinge on Erdogan's account that Turkey "gave" recordings to the other countries. Turkish officials said instead that France had been allowed to hear a recording, and blamed France for the misunderstanding.

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"If there is miscommunication between the French governments various agencies, it is up to the French authorities  not Turkey  to take care of that problem," Erdogan's communications director Fahrettin Altun said.

Khashoggi, a critic of de facto Saudi ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate last month in what Erdogan calls a murder ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government. Saudi authorities have acknowledged that the killing was premeditated.

CIA director Gina Haspel heard an audio recording of Khashoggi's death when she visited Istanbul, two sources told Reuters last month. U.S. President Donald Trump and Erdogan have discussed how to respond to the killing.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday Canadian intelligence officers have also listened to recordings of what happened to Khashoggi.

"We are in discussions with our like-minded allies as to the next steps with regard to Saudi Arabia," Trudeau said.

Khashoggi's murder provoked international outrage but so far little concrete action by world powers against Saudi Arabia.

(Reporting by John Irish in Paris and Ali Kucukgocmen, Sarah Dadouch in Istanbul; Editing by Dominic Evans, Richard Balmforth and Peter Graff)Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar is a crucial player in the latest international bid to stabilise the violence-wracked North African nation, but he has shown great reluctance to be involved. Field Marshal Haftar, whose forces control all of northeastern Libya, had said he would not join this week's talks in Palermo, Italy which hope to kick-start a long-stalled political process and trigger elections. However he met with his UN-backed rival Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and other leaders on Tuesday ahead of more inclusive roundtable talks, an Italian official said. Haftar, 75, presents himself as Libya's saviour in the face of a growing jihadist threat, but his opponents accuse him of wanting to establish a new military dictatorship. The white-haired field marshal with striking black eyebrows arrived in Palermo from his Benghazi stronghold on Monday evening, but did not attend a working dinner with other leaders. Haftar's office has denied he is attending the actual conference, saying he refuses to sit down with certain participants who he sees as close to the Islamists that he fiercely opposes, militarily and ideologically. "Haftar is being difficult as he has done several times in the past," said Paris-based Libya specialist Jalel Harchaoui. "This attitude cuts both ways because it has a sensational effect that momentarily ups his value, but his interlocutors who are humiliated by this will always remember," he said. - Leading fight against jihadists - Libya fell into chaos following the NATO-backed uprising that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Two rival administrations emerged -- Sarraj's Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and another authority in the east backed by Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA). Haftar's hostility towards the GNA has been seen as a major cause of the current crisis. But he has gained in stature for fighting jihadists. In 2014, Haftar launched his "Dignity" operation to retake Benghazi after it fell to hardline militias. His forces took the city in July 2017 following more than three years of deadly fighting. After Haftar was hospitalised in Paris for two weeks earlier this year, fuelling speculation about his health, he returned to Benghazi with great fanfare in April. To reaffirm his status as a strongman, he quickly launched a successful operation to oust Islamist militias from the city of Derna, which had been the only part of eastern Libya out of his control. - Part of Kadhafi's rise and fall - Originally from Cyrenaica in Libya's east, Haftar received military training in the then Soviet Union before taking part in the 1969 coup which brought Kadhafi to power. He served in Kadhafi's armed forces but fell from grace when he was captured by Chadian troops during Libya's ill-fated 1978-1987 conflict with its neighbour. Tripoli denied Haftar was part of the Libyan army, and he languished in jail until Washington granted him political asylum. After more than two decades living in the United States, where it was rumoured that he worked for the CIA, in 2011 he returned home to take part in the uprising against Kadhafi. Italy is the latest country aiming to bring Libya's disparate and often warring factions together after a Paris summit in May saw the GNA and Haftar agree to hold national polls on December 10 -- a date which has fallen by the wayside. Analysts say the summit risks being compromised not only by tensions between Libyan factions but also the competing agendas of foreign powers. According to diplomats and analysts, Russia, France, Egypt and the UAE support Haftar, while Turkey and Qatar have thrown their weight behind rivals to the strongman, especially Islamist groups.A Macedonian court on Monday issued an arrest warrant for the country's former prime minister, Nikola Gruevski, after he failed to turn himself in following a corruption conviction. The warrant, announced by the interior ministry, came after a court in Skopje upheld a two-year sentence against him for abuse of power on October 5. Authorities will issue an international arrest warrant if they fail to locate Gruevski by Tuesday, an interior ministry spokesman said. "For now there is no international arrest warrant. If we can't find him in the country within the next 24 hours, we will seek him internationally," Toni Angelovsvkisaid. Gruevski, 48, was convicted in May of using a 600,000-euro ($675,000) Mercedes for personal travel even though it had been bought with state funds. Following the October appeal conviction, the court issued the warrant after a two-week deadline expired for the deputy to give himself up. Gruevski has now exhausted all avenues of appeal. The former leader of the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE dominated the political landscape of the Balkan country for nearly a decade, until 2016. He resigned after a scandal emerged over tapes that appeared to show widespread wire-tapping by his administration. He now faces a number of graft cases, with the Mercedes charge the first to go to trial. Gruevski has denounced this first conviction as politically motivated. In the spring of 2017, the party he once led was voted out of power, beaten by a coalition led by Social Democrat Zoran Zaev, who won the backing of parties representing the country's ethnic Albanian minority. While in power, Gruevski took a hardline stance in a long-running name row with Greece, which has its own province called Macedonia. But the Macedonian parliament last month voted to start the process of renaming the country North Macedonia. That brings Skopje to breaking the deadlock with neighbour Greece, which has blocked Skopje's entry into NATO and EU over the issue for nearly 30 years.Pope Francis on Tuesday promoted the Archbishop of Malta, one of the church's most trusted investigators in paedophile priest cases, as the Vatican seeks to quell a damaging global sex abuse scandal. Mgr Charles Scicluna, 59, has been appointed adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog that receives reports of sex abuse in the church, the Holy See said in a statement. Scicluna is already the head of the congregation's special council examining appeals by priests suspected of serious crimes such as child sex abuse. He was the Vatican Court's chief prosecutor investigating cases of paedophilia among priests for a decade until 2012, making a name for himself with his determination. Scicluna allowed an investigation into Father Marcial Maciel, Mexican founder of the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ and the perpetrator of numerous cases of paedophilia. Earlier this year, the pope dispatched Scicluna to Chile for an investigation into an alleged cover-up by Bishop Juan Barros of abuse by a paedophile priest during the 1980s and 1990s. Barros has since resigned, along with several other Chilean bishops. Francis has called for a meeting of all the heads of Catholic bishops' conferences worldwide at the Vatican in late February to discuss the issue of the "protection of minors".KUCHING: The families of six firefighters perished in the search-and-rescue (SAR) operation at a mining pool in Puchong, Selangor, on Oct 3 received compensations of between RM300,000 and RM500,000. They were part of the 10 types of compensations paid made by the government, Fire and Rescue Department, as well as public donations, among others. Department director-general Datuk Mohammad Hamdan Wahid said to date, the families of the six divers had received compensations of between RM200,000 and 300,000. This is the amount handed by the Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin to the deceaseds next-of-kin on Oct 24. We will hand the second series of the compensation with a total of not less than RM100,000 to each of the firemens (family). Each received between RM300,000 and RM500,000 depending on their circumstances, he told a Press conference after attending the departments safety division meeting for assistant directors here today. Mohammad Hamdan said other payouts included cash assistance from federal and state governments; ex-gratia settlement, governments group insurance, departments cooperation insurance, as well as welfare aid from government and the cooperation. He said Yahya Ali, from Kampung Tian, Matu, was among the recipient for highest amount of compensation with a total of RM280,000 payment made to his family to date, including RM20,000 from federal government, RM20,000 from Selangor government and RM10,000 from Sarawak government. The victim (Yahya) was also awarded with posthumous promotion, making his next-of-kin entitled to a higher ex-gratia payment and pension. His family will receive another payment of no less than RM100,000, he said. The divers were Mohd Fatah Hashim, 34, Izatul Akma Wan Ibrahim, 32, Mazlan Omarbaki, 25, Yahya Ali, 24, Adnan Othman, 33, and Muhammad Hifdzul Malik Shaari, 25.  New Straits Times Press (M) BhdPresident of Libya High Council of State Khaled Al-Mishri, Libya's Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte pose for a family photo during the second day of the international conference on Libya in Palermo (L-R) President of Libya High Council of State Khaled Al-Mishri, Libya's Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte pose for a family photo during the second day of the international conference on Libya in Palermo, Italy, November 13, 2018. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

By Ulf Laessing and Ayat Basma

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - Libya's two main rival leaders met for the first time in more than five months at a conference hosted by Italy on Tuesday and the prime minister endorsed a United Nations plan for an election next year.

More than seven years after long-serving dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled by Western-backed rebels with NATO air support, no central authority has asserted control over oil-producing Libya and armed groups control the streets.

That Tuesday's meeting in Palermo, Sicily took place at all could be seen as a success in a fraught diplomatic environment in which factions on the ground in Libya and their foreign allies have rarely seen eye to eye.

In a sign of the tense atmosphere, the Turkish delegation stormed out early, complaining of being excluded from a meeting.

Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, whose weak but internationally recognised government is based in the country's west, met Khalifa Haftar, the military strongman who rules most of the east of the North African state.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and U.N. Libya envoy Ghassan Salame, speaking at a joint news conference, said the Palermo gathering was a step forward for a U.N. plan to hold elections in 2019 after a national constitutional conference.

"Haftar knows the action plan and is committed to the national conference," Salame said. "I think every Libyan now knows that there is not a third way. Either the political process moves forward or new clashes could take place anytime."

There were no announcements of diplomatic breakthroughs. But Serraj's spokesman said on Twitter the prime minister was committed to a U.N. road map to hold an election in the spring after a constitutional framework is put in place.

A previous U.N. plan for elections next month was shelved last week.

A draft communique, reviewed by Reuters, said Libyan delegations had agreed to prepare for the election by spring 2019 and abide by the results.

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An Italian diplomat said Haftar had given his backing for Serraj to remain in office as prime minister until the election can be held. "You don't change the horse until you cross the river," the diplomat quoted Haftar as saying.

GROUP HANDSHAKE

Despite Haftar having said he would not participate in the conference, photos showed him with Serraj and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte embracing and smiling in a three-way handshake. The Libyan rivals were also pictured with dignitaries including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, European Union Council President Donald Tusk, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

However, Haftar skipped the official final summit photo, as did his foreign ally Sisi.

Conte told reporters it had been important to invite all Libyan players. He said he was sorry that the Turkish delegation had walked out the conference, blaming regional "sensitivities" which he did not specify.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said earlier that Turkey had walked out with "deep disappointment" after apparently being excluded from events. "Any meeting which excludes Turkey would prove to be counter-productive for the solution of this problem," he said.

The United Nations has blamed a recent spike in violence in Libya for its decision to drop plans to hold an election next month. While aiming for an election next year, U.N. officials say Libyans should first decide what sort of vote they want.

Italy, the former colonial power which has large oil and gas interests in Libya and has been working to halt people-smuggling from the Libyan coast across the Mediterranean, had called the summit in a bid to bring together Libya's competing factions.

Haftar, a former officer in Gaddafi's military who lived for years in exile in the United States, has emerged as the leader of the most powerful armed faction, having defeated Islamist militants in the east with support from Egypt and Arab states.

Serraj, heading the government in the west, has struggled to exert control beyond the capital Tripoli. Rival parliaments in the east and west also claim legitimacy as the legislature for the entire country.

(Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli and Ulf Laessing; Writing by Peter Graff and Ulf Laessing; Editing by Mark Heinrich)China aims to complete negotiations on a code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea region within three years as Beijing pursues a stable relationship with its neighbours.

Premier Li Keqiang made the commitment on Tuesday in Singapore before attending the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Li said a peaceful and stable international environment was crucial for Beijing to improve ties and reach free trade deals with its neighbours, adding that China hoped to conclude negotiations for a comprehensive regional economic partnership trade deal next year.

The premier also said that a code of conduct between China and other claimant countries  which China hoped would be successfully negotiated in the next three years  would be conducive to maintaining and sustaining peace in the region.

A naval code of conduct will not make the South China Sea safe

As the development of the South China Sea has stabilised now, we hope to make use of this opportunity to push for concrete progress of the code, he said.

China and Asean countries will benefit in that process, it will also be conducive to free trade and go on to serve the interests of other parties.

In August, Asean and China agreed on a draft code that will lay the foundations for conduct in the disputed waters. Chinas military build-up in the South China Sea will be high on Aseans agenda.

Prepare for war, Xi Jinping tells military region that monitors South China Sea

The Asean summit takes place as tensions between China and the United States run high and as both jockey for influence in the region. Locked in a trade war with the United States, China is aiming to reach trade deals with the bloc.

American and Chinese vessels have also had near collisions in the South China Sea.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Tuesday that the US objected to Chinas unilateral military steps in the disputed waters.

Calls for a binding code of conduct surfaced in 1995 when China occupied Mischief Reef, a maritime feature claimed by the Philippines. China did not agree to start talks until 1999, and subsequent negotiations led to a non-binding declaration of conduct in 2002.

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Collin Koh, a maritime security expert at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said there was still a long way to go before the code of conduct was concluded as some Asean states were debating whether it should be legally binding.

And itll appear that some, if not all, Asean member states have come to moderate their own expectations of the code, he said. The single draft negotiating text contains many proposed provisions, and since the talks will involve so many players, itll surely take time. In fact, I will not be surprised if they eventually take more than three years.

This article South China Sea: Beijing hopes for maritime accord with Asean neighbours in three years first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.A top Hong Kong banker has been identified as the woman who died after getting Botox injections in the city on Monday.

Zoe Cheung Shuk-ling, 52, was the managing director of Swiss private bank Julius Baer in the city, according to a police source.

She was certified dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei on Monday morning after collapsing at the clinic of 86-year-old Dr Franklin Li Wang-pong in Tsim Sha Tsui the previous day.

Lam Yuen-ling, chief inspector of Yau Tsim district, said dangerous drugs were found in the clinic, which did not keep a register of drug quantities it held, as required by law.

Li was arrested on suspicion of breaking the rules on the use of dangerous drugs and misleading police. On Tuesday, Li was still in police custody, and was expected to be released on bail.

Three held as police find HK$42 million of drugs in Yuen Long flat

The Medical Council, an independent body that regulates local doctors, struck Lis name off the practitioners register for five months after finding him guilty of professional misconduct on three charges in 2009.

They related to the death in 2003 of 70-year-old piano teacher Lam King-fong, who collapsed during a liposuction procedure at Lis clinic and died soon after.

The coroner concluded she died as a result of misadventure.

There is no retirement age for Hong Kong doctors. They can practise in the city as long as their name is on the register.

Botox, or botulinum toxin, is frequently applied in cosmetic procedures to prevent wrinkles or to slim targeted areas by paralysing muscles. A police source said Cheung, a regular customer at the clinic, received about 16 shots of Botox to her jaw, chin and above her brow.

Julius Baer confirmed Cheung was a managing director and senior relationship manager at the bank, but refused to comment further.

We have sent our deepest condolences to her family. With due respect, we will not comment further, a spokeswoman said.

Banking industry sources said the victim was formerly a veteran at Merrill Lynch, which had 18 of its international wealth management businesses acquired by Julius Baer in 2015.

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They said Cheung was a nice person and they were all saddened by the news.

[I] guess most people in the banking industry care much about their look, one of them said.

This article Top Hong Kong banker named as woman who died after Botox injections first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.The UN Security Council will meet behind closed doors later Tuesday to discuss the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, the worst flareup since the 2014 war. Kuwait, which represents Arab countries at the council, and Bolivia requested the meeting during which council members will hear a briefing from a UN official on the crisis, diplomats said. Palestinian militant groups including Hamas, which rules Gaza, issued a joint statement earlier announcing an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel. The groups said they would abide by the truce as long as Israel did the same, but there was no immediate comment from the Israeli side. Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said "we will not accept a call for both sides to exercise restraint." "There is one side that attacks and fires 400 missiles at civilian populations, and there is another side that protects its citizens," Danon said in a statement. Seven Palestinians were killed in Gaza as Israeli strikes targeted militants and flattened buildings in the worst escalation of violence since the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. The latest round of violence began on Sunday with a botched Israeli special forces operation inside the Gaza Strip that turned deadly and prompted Hamas to vow revenge. Palestinian militants responded with rocket and mortar fire. An anti-tank missile hit a bus that Hamas says was being used by Israeli soldiers. A soldier was severely wounded in the attack. Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008, and protests and clashes along the Gaza border since March 30 have repeatedly raised fears of a fourth.Vietnam has moved to reduce its economic reliance on China and mitigate the risk of the US-China trade war by ratifying an 11-country trade deal.

The nations lawmaking body approved the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday, following Australias ratification on October 31.

Japan, Canada, Mexico, Singapore and New Zealand have also formally ratified the agreement.

The CPTPP  also known as TPP-11  is the revamped Trans-Pacific Partnership which crumbled when US president Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the deal shortly after taking office in early 2017.

It is expected to reduce tariffs between the 11 participating economies that together add up to US$10 trillion.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Hanoi would use a combination of trade deals and domestic reforms to survive the US-China trade war.

For Vietnam, the CPTPP gives its highly export-dependent economy more avenues for mitigating the fallout of the trade tensions between its two biggest trading partners, Washington and Beijing, which are not part of the deal.

About a quarter of Vietnams total trade is with China, which is facing potential tariffs on all of its exports to the US amid the trade war.

Pham Quang Minh, dean of social sciences and humanities at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi, said there were fears in the country that demand from China would fall, particularly for goods that are re-exported to the US and are now subject to tariffs.

Vietnam wants to have new markets because the trade war between the US and China  can have a bad influence on Vietnams economy, he said.

When the US was part of TPP, Vietnam hoped the deal would help it rely less on China, its biggest trading partner.

Vietnam was disappointed when the US withdrew from TPP, but it would welcome the US back [if it reconsidered the deal], Minh said.

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Trump has suggested the US may rejoin the deal if it were substantially better than the deal negotiated under his predecessor, Barack Obama.

The original TPP was about US market access, and [of] great benefit to Vietnam, said Adam McCarty, chief economist at Mekong Economics in Hanoi.

McCarty explained that Chinas exclusion from the original TPP negotiations, combined with strict rules of origin, would have meant greater diversification for Vietnam away from its reliance on China.

The CPTPPs sourcing rules will help Vietnam to reduce its reliance on China for a range of raw materials and components  such as yarns and textiles for its garment industry  by requiring them to come from member countries in order to enjoy tariff-free trade.

Many of these production inputs have traditionally come from China and have seen a big increase in investment in Vietnam over the past 3-4 years, according to Hanoi-based economist Raymond Mallon.

That trend will increase, [pushed by] the trade war as well  there will be some continued relocation of basic inputs that Vietnam is using that are currently made in China to move into Vietnam or other CPTPP member countries, Mallon said.

Tu Xinquan, a trade expert at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, cautioned that a shift away from Vietnam's heavy reliance on China for production inputs would not be simple.

Vietnam depends on China for intermediate goods, but it depends on the US for consumption, Tu said.

It would be difficult for Vietnam to find another source [for some products] in the short term.

Chinese enterprises might invest in Vietnam to produce these intermediate goods.



This article Vietnam reduces reliance on China, ratifies new Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.Diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Yemen's Hodeida intensified Tuesday, as Britain said the Saudi-led coalition had agreed to the evacuation of wounded rebels from the country ahead of proposed peace talks in Sweden. After nearly four years of conflict in Yemen, home to what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe, the United States and Britain are now pressing Saudi Arabia and its allies to end the war against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels. UN aid chief Mark Lowcock on Tuesday called for a cessation of hostilities "in and around all the infrastructure and facilities on which the aid operation and commercial importers rely", a reference to the port of Hodeida, as pressure mounts for a truce after nearly four years of conflict. The office of British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Saudi-led alliance fighting on the side of the government had agreed to the evacuation of up to 50 wounded Huthi fighters to Oman following Hunt's visit to Riyadh. The move comes ahead of another proposed round of peace talks in Sweden later this month, Hunt's office said. But residents in Hodeida, whose port is vital for food imports and humanitarian aid for millions at risk of starvation, say they now fear a siege on the city, where only one major exit route is still open to traffic, on the northern edge of the city. And despite an apparent temporary lull in the fighting, a spokesman for the Huthis said the rebels were ready for "war in the streets" of rebel-held Hodeida itself. "We are ready, and present, and our plans are in place" in case of an attack by the rival pro-government alliance, the spokesman said at a news conference broadcast on the rebels' Al-Masirah TV, which did not give his name. - Port attack - Residents reported Tuesday that fighting in the city had slowed, and rebel media -- which regularly claims attacks on loyalists -- did not report any new clashes in Hodeida itself. Both the Huthis and Saudi-led government camp reported outbreaks of violence elsewhere in Yemen late Tuesday. The Huthis' media office said air strikes had killed nine civilians in Jarahi, west of Hodeida city. The rebels blamed the raids on the Saudi-led coalition, which said it was investigating the report. "We take this report very seriously and it will be fully investigated as all reports of this nature are," said coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki. "Whilst this is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further." Despite UN warnings that an attack on the port could trigger a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, Hodeida itself was hit Monday night by what multiple sources said were two air strikes, the first attack on the docks since government forces launched a major offensive to retake the port five months ago. The port's deputy director, Yahya Sharafeddine, said the main entrance to the docks had been "the target of air raids" but was fully functioning. Three security guards were wounded in the attack, he said. Four employees in Hodeida port who requested anonymity told AFP that a rebel commander had been killed in the attack on Monday. The Huthis, who seized Hodeida in a 2014 takeover that included the capital, on Tuesday accused the government of the attacks on the port via their Al-Masirah TV. - International pressure for peace - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned the destruction of the Hodeida port could trigger a "catastrophic" situation in a country where 14 million people are at risk of starvation. Aid groups have also urged both parties in the conflict to keep roads open to allow civilians to escape and the transportation of aid through Hodeida port. Lowcock said the UN was ready to play a role in "ensuring the appropriate use of key facilities, especially around Hodeida". The docks as well as Sanaa international airport are under a near-total blockade by Saudi Arabia and its allies, who accuse Iran of smuggling arms to the Huthis. Tehran denies the accusation. The Saudi-led coalition has also come international pressure to end the conflict following the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his country's consulate in Istanbul on October 2. The United States, Britain and France this week called for the cessation of hostilities in Yemen and the resumption of negotiations to end the war. Pentagon chief Jim Mattis on Saturday said his country had halted its controversial aerial refuelling support for coalition aircraft involved in the war. UN mediator Martin Griffiths -- whose efforts to host negotiations in Geneva in September failed -- met with Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani in Riyadh on Monday for talks on reviving the peace process, Saudi Arabia's state news agency reported. Griffiths has said he hopes to host talks by the end of the year.Goldman Sachs "cheated" Malaysia, its leader Mahathir Mohamad said, after two former bankers from the Wall Street titan were charged over a scandal that allegedly saw billions looted from state coffers. The US Justice Department unveiled criminal charges this month against ex-Goldman bankers Tim Leissner and Ng Chong Hwa, accusing them of working with a Malaysian financier to launder huge sums allegedly stolen from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB. They are accused of involvement in a sophisticated fraud linked to former leader Najib Razak, allegations that played a big factor in the shock defeat of his long-ruling government at polls in May. In an interview with broadcaster CNBC, Prime Minister Mahathir said that "obviously we've been cheated", when asked about Goldman's dealings in Malaysia. "There is evidence that Goldman Sachs has done things which are wrong," said the 93-year-old, who is in his second stint as premier after coming out of retirement to take on Najib, his former protege. Asked about Goldman's compliance controls -- which are supposed to monitor and prevent risky behaviour at the bank -- Mahathir responded: "It does not work very well." In later comments in Singapore, where he is due to attend a regional summit, Mahathir suggested Malaysia could take action against Goldman if it was found to have broken the law. "If the law says that somebody has committed a crime, then he should be accordingly punished through the process of law," he said. "It doesnt matter who -- it may be Goldman Sachs, it may be whoever." Goldman Sachs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The US Department of Justice, which has also launched civil suits seeking to claw back assets in the US allegedly bought with stolen 1MDB cash, estimates that $4.5 billion was looted from the fund. Mahathir said that it could take time, but US officials have promised to give back any money they recover. Leissner and Ng have been charged with money-laundering and conspiring to bribe officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi to hire Goldman for lucrative consulting contracts. Goldman underwrote $6.5 billion of bonds issued by 1MDB but US authorities allege that more than $2.7 billion was siphoned off. Goldman earned $600 million in fees for the bond issue. Leissner pleaded guilty and has agreed to pay $43.7 million in restitution of ill-gotten gains. Ng has been arrested in Malaysia. Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho was also charged by the DoJ. Low, allegedly a central figure in looting 1MDB, remains at large. Goldman Sachs has not been charged over the scandal but its shares fell heavily this week after Malaysia's finance minister said he wanted a full refund of fees paid to the bank. In a further blow to the bank's image, it has emerged that former chief Lloyd Blankfein met with Low at a private reception in a New York hotel in 2009.Why did Hong Kongs Carrie Lam keep mum on national security issues raised by Xi Jinping at closed-door meeting?

Hong Kong's leader took pains on Tuesday to explain why she had earlier omitted to mention that President Xi Jinping had raised national security issues during a closed-door meeting with a delegation from the city.

At a media stand-up on Monday afternoon, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the issue of national security legislation had not come up at the session. A transcript published hours later by state media showed, however, that Xi said in his 4,600-word speech that Hong Kong and Macau should have self-awareness in protecting national security.

Speaking to reporters again before her Executive Council meeting the next morning, Lam took the initiative to say her remarks on Monday had not included all the details from the presidents speech.

At the time, Xinhua news agency had not yet published President Xis remarks from the closed-door meeting. Therefore I could only say briefly that those who attended felt encouraged, she said.





Mondays meeting involved top Hong Kong and Macau officials and more than 200 business and political leaders from the two cities.

After the session, Lam told reporters: We did not touch on [the issue of national security legislation] at all  But when we talk about standing firm on our root of one country, and making use of the merits of two systems, of course, it is our responsibility to safeguard national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

One country, two systems is the principle by which Beijing rules Hong Kong while guaranteeing the city a high degree of autonomy.

After clarifying on Tuesday why she had not earlier mentioned Xis remarks on national security, Lam said the citys government would not tolerate calls for Hong Kong independence or acts that might undermine Chinas sovereignty, security and development.

So that is very much in line with that self-awareness to protect national security, the chief executive said.

Story continues

While the government would handle the controversial legislation on Article 23 of the Basic Law prudently, she said, the authorities would continue to work with existing laws. Since taking office in July last year, Lam has faced increasing pressure from Beijing to enact national security legislation, as required under the citys mini-constitution.





The chief executive added that recent actions taken by Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu were a good indication of this self-awareness.

In September, Lee banned the separatist Hong Kong National Party following a recommendation from police, on grounds that the group posed a threat to national security.

Lam added that Xis remarks on maintaining one country, two systems showed there was no need to worry about the city losing its edge.

This clear and strong message can allay some peoples concerns  over whether Hong Kongs involvement in the countrys development and the Greater Bay Area was a deviation from the one country, two systems principle, and whether Hong Kongs unique advantages will be weakened, Lam said.

The Greater Bay Area plan is a Beijing initiative to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in the Pearl River Delta into an economic powerhouse rivalling the United States Silicon Valley.

Political commentator Johnny Lau Yui-siu said Xi must have brought up the idea of self-awareness in protecting national security during the meeting, adding that multiple delegates who were present were able to recall this.

Maybe Lam didnt think it was an important point, Lau said.

Lau Siu-kai, vice-chair of semi-official think tank The Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said national security was not the main point of Xis speech.

The focus of Xis speech was on Hong Kongs contribution to economic reform and how it might continue to contribute to the country, Lau said.

He added, however, that by mentioning self-awareness to protect national security, Xi could have been signalling to the Hong Kong government to push forward with enacting national security laws, he added.

Pro-Beijing politician Tam Yiu-chung, who was among the 160 delegates, said Xi wants Hongkongers to be more active in contributing to the country.

We have many talents who can thrive on the international stage, to help the country with global governance, Tam said.

Tam, the citys sole delegate to Chinas top legislative body, said there was only one sentence in Xis speech that relates to national security.

This article Why did Hong Kongs Carrie Lam keep mum on national security issues raised by Xi Jinping at closed-door meeting? first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.Jeff Bezos is not commuting on the 7 train.

Absent from Amazons summary of its plans for its new New York location and buried in a 32-page memorandum of understanding with the city and state is the assurance that New York will help Amazon build a helipad at its new site on the East River waterfront:

The Public Parties recognize that the Company needs access to the Development Sites and agree to assist in securing access to a helipad on the Development Sites, as part of the Development Plan and subject to FAA approval. If the Public Parties and the Company mutually agree that an onsite helipad is not feasible, the Public Parties will assist the Company in securing access to a helipad in an alternative location in reasonable proximity to the Development Sites.

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Thats a rare thing for a company to have in New York: Rooftop helipads have been banned since 9/11, so even Manhattans high rollers have to make their way through the filthy streets to riverside helipads when they head for the airport or the Hamptons.

The plan comes with a few caveats: The company pledges not to let anyone else use the helipad, and to limit landings to 120 a yearfar below the rate at Manhattans busy commercial helipads. Amazon also says it will pay for the helipad, though the state is covering most of its other construction costs.

While Amazons agreement with New York doesnt require the company to make any contributions to the citys flagging subway system, the company will make payments in lieu of property taxes to the states Empire State Development Corporation, at least half of which will be assigned to the New York City Economic Development Corporation for an Infrastructure Fund. That fund will support projects including but not limited to streets, sidewalks, utility relocations, environmental remediation, public open space, transportation, schools and signage, beyond the companys property but in the neighborhood.

The helipad project, however, sets up one of many potential showdowns between Amazon and the New York City Council, which was bypassed in the city and states negotiations with the company. The City Council has clamped down on helicopter use in recent years because of noise complaints.

More than that, though, the helipad is a symbol of a company whose leadersin transportation as in tax policyappear intent on avoiding the same systems that the rest of the city uses.Last Tuesday was a good night for Democrats in the Midwest. The party flipped the governors mansion in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Kansas, re-elected four Midwestern senators, and flipped a handful of U.S. House seats. Its no blue wall, but its a foundation.

And then theres Ohio. Aside from the re-election of progressive Sen. Sherrod Brown to a third term, Democrats did not fare well in the Buckeye State. Richard Cordray, the partys candidate for governor, lost to Republican Mike DeWine by 4 percentage points. Democratic congressional candidates got 47 percent of the votean improvement over their 42 percent showing in 2016 but a worse result than the party had in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and Montana this Election Day.

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New reality, Cook Report U.S. House editor Dave Wasserman wrote on Twitter, looking ahead to 2020: Ohio is solid red. The Washington Posts Dave Weigel called Ohio formerly competitive. If 2016 signified Ohios slide away from Democrats, 2018 marked its fall. Can it have happened so quickly that the countrys quintessential swing stateone that has picked the winner in every presidential election since 1960is no longer in play? What makes Ohio so different from its Rust Belt neighbors, Pennsylvania and Michigan, which also voted for Trump but swung back hard for Democrats in this cycle?

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It turns out even Ohio Democrats arent sure. They agree that national Democrats are the problem. But its the state Dems who cant win.

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It was at a town hall in Columbus in March 2016 that Hillary Clinton made the remark she later identified as her biggest regret of the campaign. Discussing her plans for renewal energy investment, she said, Were going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.

You know what happened next: Clinton lost Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as two other Midwestern labor strongholds, Michigan and Wisconsin. The Democratic Party was plunged into a crisis over whether its push to court moderate suburban voters (on economic issues) and minorities (on social issues) had cost it the white working class. It was the election that launched a thousand wide-eyed dispatches from small-town diners and American Legion halls, stories Slates former politics editor disparagingly called Cletus safaris.

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After Tuesdays results, a lot of that Democratic handwringing seems overwroughtas long as you write off Ohio. The state set a record for off-year turnout, but Democrats didnt reap the benefits. Wade Kapszukiewicz, the Democratic mayor of Toledo, thinks Ohio is going the way of Missourianother onetime bellwether that drifted into GOP territory. At a convention this year he met Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, whose name has been floated as a potential challenger to Donald Trump. I said, Do me a favor: Never set foot in Ohio,  Kapszukiewicz recalled. I like the attention! I was a low-level county official in 2008 and I probably met Barack Obama seven times. I like the attentionbut Id rather win. Visit the real swing states, he advised.

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Why is Ohio apparently no longer one of them? Look to the Ohio River Valley. Statewide, Rich Cordray improved on the last Dem candidate for governor by more than 13 percentage pointsbut still lost ground in 11 counties in the states southeast region, sometimes by double digits. Or look to Youngstown, which come January will be represented be a Republican in the state Senate for the first time in six decades. I dont know how you can call [the state] anything but red, says Dave Betras, the chair of the Democrats in Mahoning County, which includes Youngstown. At one time a guy who showered after work and not before used to be reliably blue, and Im not sure they are anymore.

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Its hard to find a piece of country more transformed in the past three decades than Northeast Ohio. Once the states union-voter heartland, later the site of the nations highest unemployment rate, the region has suffered Detroit-style population loss and pivoted toward Trump in 2016. The sense there is that from NAFTA to Nancy Pelosi, Democrats have left Ohio behind. That brand is damaged. Our party is seen as coastal and elite, and thats a big problem in a lunch-bucket state like this one, says Rep. Tim Ryan, who has represented a gerrymandered puzzle piece of northeast Ohio for 15 years. Barack Obama won in the wave in 2008 and narrowly again in 2012 (likely thanks to the auto industry bailout). But with union membership in the state down by nearly a third since the millennium, the labor votelike elsewherehas been drifting out of Democrats camp. As if Clintons coal country gaffe wasnt bad enough, Trump countered with promises to restore and protect factory jobsand won the states union vote by 9 percentage points, according to exit polls. His appeal endures.

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This thesisthat the Dems left Ohio behindhas some problems. First, if its Democrats who have a problem, why has Ohio diverged from its neighboring states? On paper, the state at first has much in common with Michigan and Pennsylvania: All three states are similarly white, similarly urban, similarly old, similarly educated, and with a similar number of union voters. But Ohio doesnt have a metropolis on par with Detroit or Philadelphia. Parts of northern Michigan share the rural progressive tradition of Wisconsin and Minnesota; Ohio, meanwhile, is one-quarter southern and one-quarter Appalachian.

Another theory: Ohio was red all along. The Republicans have held the governorship in Columbus for all but one term since 1991; they hold a supermajority in the state legislature, which as my colleague Christina Cauterucci noted in April, has emerged as the vanguard of extreme anti-abortion legislation. Its the national Democrats who win in Ohio (Bill Clinton, Barack Obama), and the state candidateswith the exception of the indefatigable Brownwho keep losing. Cast Ohio as a red-state outlier and it becomes easier for Democrats to write off their own bad performances there.

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Vanessa Bouche, a political scientist at Texas Christian University who earned her Ph.D. at Ohio State, offered up a bit of Ohio exceptionalism: With the states many midsize cities, strong regional divides, and different economies (Ohio actually exports more soybeans than steel), its a hard nut to crack for a Democratic Party that typically functions as a coalition of interests.

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But if Ohio is instead turning red now, it may augur whats to come. On Twitter, reporter Alec MacGillis suggests the states red turn represents Democrats inability to compete beyond big cities. These places werent even lost to Hillary Clinton, who won downtown precincts in places like Zanesville, Steubenville, and Chillicothe. But Democratic numbers there are getting worse and worseand for once, the partys problems dont come down to turnout. Cordray, the gubernatorial candidate, got 2 million votes on Tuesday, more than Gov. John Kasich won in his 2014 landslide when he took 63 percent of the vote. The Democrat still lost by 4 percentage points.

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Its a competitive state, argues Lou Gentile, a former Ohio state senator. Any national Democrat that writes off Ohio as no longer in play is making a big mistake. At the end of Bush-Cheney, people couldnt tear those bumper stickers off fast enough. Gentile still thinks the party has a chance to win, epitomized by Browns success, if it focuses on local issues and campaigns in the states rural areas. He still sees the state as an opportunity for Democrats. Its just not clear if anyone beside Sherrod Brown is up to the task.

But it might also be a warning. What if Democrats didnt do badly in Ohio so much as they got lucky elsewhere? A huge scandal in Michigan. An unpopular governor in Wisconsin. Maybe Ohio isnt drifting away from its neighbors, but charting their course.In the first four episodes of his new Netflix show Patriot Act, Hasan Minhaj has followed the John Oliver-style format of using comedy to inform viewers about news stories they might not otherwise follow. On Sunday he continued this approach, telling his audience about the Taylor oil spill, a slow moving disaster leaking whats believed to be tens of thousands of gallons each day into the Gulf of Mexico since 2004. Minhaj reminds us just how long that is using an old picture of himself: 2004 is when College Dropout came out, George W. Bush was still the worst president in American history, and I was wearing two popped collars unironically.  I look like if Kumail Nanjiani ate Kid Rock.

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But this segment does more than release a priceless photo of a college-age Minhaj to the perpetual halls of the internet. The former Daily Show correspondent also takes us through the technological and political reasons why oil production and subsequent spills have skyrocketed in the U.S.. Also number one in prison population, healthcare costs, defense spending, and the biggest gaps in bathroom stalls, the U.S. produces more oil than any other country due to a rejection of conservation-focused solutions to the 1970s oil crisis and, more recently, a sharp rise in hydraulic fracking. What Fox Business calls dipping into a gigantic lake of oil that also happens to be completely underground is contributing to adverse climate change effects that could cause millions of deaths between now and 2040.

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President Trumps response? Withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, express a determined ignorance about the difference between wind turbines and windmills, and hire a Secretary of Interior under investigation for a number of alleged ethics violations. Sec. Ryan Zinke himself can be found demonstrating hand-to-hand combat moves with cruel vigor, professing his admiration for Teddy Roosevelt, and advocating to allow oil companies to drill on millions of acres of public lands. If those last two efforts seem contradictory its because they are. You cant idolize Teddy Roosevelt and destroy the environment, pointed out Minhaj, Thats like Netflix having the first Muslim talk show host and Bodyguard  [Bodyguard is] so good you almost forget about the Islamophobia. If we have to go on a deep dive into the environmental crisis threatening our planet, at least we get sharp moments like that one where Minhaj winked to the camera with some fourth wall-breaking finger guns and reminded the streaming service, Stay woke, Netflix.Stan Lees death at 95 wasnt a shock, but it was still a knife to the heart of anyone who loves Marvel Comics, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Netflixs Marvel series, Spider-Man underoos, or any of the other zillions of products spawned by characters such as the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the X-Men.

But one of the words frequently used to describe Lee reflects misinformation about what the legend did and didnt do back in the Marvel heyday of the 1960s. In death as in life, Lee gets too much credit for creating and not enough credit for all the other important jobs he did on behalf of Marvel and geek culture in general.

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In sum, you can call Lee plenty of thingseditor, publisher, scripter, plotter, celebrity, huckster, and cameo machinebut for the love of the dread Dormammu, dont call him creator.

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Creator, with its godlike connotations, suggests a harmful lie about the genesis of the Marvel Universe that has been debunked for decades, and will probably continue being debunked until a real-life Galactus eats our planet. For most of its history, Marvel Comicswith Lees participationportrayed the Man as the primary creator of the Marvel Universe, but the truth is that most of the work of creation was done by the artist/storytellers, especially Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.

Necessity was the mother of inequality. After the success of The Fantastic Four in 1961 led to The Hulk, The X-Men, Daredevil, The Avengers, Spider-Man, and others, Lee had more comics to write than even a superhuman could script. Enter Marvel style.

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With Marvel style, the writer of a comic would suggest a plot, leaving the artist (usually Ditko or Kirby) to develop the plot, craft the art, and often suggest dialogue. Then Lee would return to fill in the word balloons. The reality of the workload was that the artist was making most of the storytelling decisions. They werent illustrating a pre-existing, detailed script, as most comic book artists do today. (Although those artists obviously deserve credit as well. As comic-book artist Declan Shalvey has argued: After all, drawing is creating too.)

By the end of the 60s, Ditko and Kirby had both left Marvel out of frustration with the situation. Lee became a pop culture hero and entrenched employee of Marvel, enjoying literal and cultural riches, while the artists who were doing most of the work were treated like hired hands.

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In death as in life, Lee gets too much credit for creating and not enough credit for everything else he did.

But  just because the artists were doing most of the work doesnt mean they were doing all the work. As Hellboy creator Mike Mignola put it on Twitter: You can debate forever who really created whatStan or Jack or Stevebut the truth is it was some magic combination of those guys. Longtime comics writer J.M. DeMatteis voiced a similar sentiment: And while were raising a glass to Stan, lets raise a glass to the genius of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Together those three men reshaped our popular culture and fired our collective imagination. Nuff Said!

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The complexities of the Kirby-Lee collaboration in particular have been pored over for decades. The latest word will come in Stuf Said, a special book-sized edition of Jack Kirby Collector. Not even the most ardent Kirbyite or Ditkohead argues that Lee had no part in the genesis and development of Drs. Doom and Strange and the rest. But the facts dictate that calling Lee creator, which implies sole creator, is horseshit. So are these headlines:

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Stan Lee, creator of legendary Marvel comic book superheroes, dies at 95

NBCNews.com

Stan Lee: Spider-Man, X-Men and Avengers creator dies aged 95

The Guardian

Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man and Black Panther has died: report

NOLA.com

Stan Lee dead  Spider-Man creator and Marvel Comics legend dies aged 95

The Sun

All of the above could be fixed with the addition of co-.

Similarly, the Hollywood Reporters obit piece includes this unfortunate passage: Lee, who began in the business in 1939 and created or co-created Black Panther, Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Mighty Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil and Ant-Man, among countless other characters   That or is doing a lot of work, because Lee didnt create any of them. He co-created Spider-Man with Ditko, Daredevil with Bill Everett, and the rest with Kirby. Theres no shame in the word co-creation. Its the only accurate term.

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While making this distinction now might sound to some like spitting on Lees grave, the relentless mythology of Lee as the sole genius behind Marvel has constituted an endless, geyserlike expectoration on the graves of Ditko and Kirby. An Onion headline published in the wake of Lees death had plenty of truth: Stan Lee, Creator Of Beloved Marvel Character Stan Lee, Dead At 95. Lee the character, outside his charming cameos, was not a harmless fiction. Other creatorsand their legacies and familiessuffered for it.

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Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to describe Lee that accurately reflect his monumental impact on comics and pop culture. In addition to being a co-creator of Marvel, he was the longtime editora job far less sexy than writer or artist, but kind of important to making sure the damn comics came out at all. As Marvel editor in chief, Lee shepherded a marginal comics company from the bottom of the stack to the top of the sales charts, eventually smashing stodgy DC and revolutionizing comics. Many folks (such as myself) are obsessed with the artistic genius of Lees collaborators. Their impact might have been much less if Lee hadnt been such a successful and skilled editor.

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There have been many creators with prodigious imaginations in the history of comics, but theres never been a salesman like Stan Lee.

But if editor sounds too mundane, there are other, more colorful terms for the work Lee did to make Marvel, well, marvelous. In his columns in each Marvel issue atop Stans Soapbox, Lees distinctive vocabulary (Excelsior! Nuff said!) and alliterative acumen marked him as a showman, a carnival barker, a hype man, and, to use an obnoxious but accurate term, a brand ambassador. To this day, Stan is Marvel to many people, and his charm and humor are among the reasons why Marvel is beloved. Without Stans style, would Marvel have proven such a durable brand? Well never know, but I doubt it. There have been many creators with prodigious imaginations in the history of comics, but theres never been a salesman like Stan Lee.

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In the spirit of Stan himself, you can even describe him in bigger terms. The following headlines are accurate and contain no slight to Lees collaborators:

Stan Lee, Marvel Comics Real-Life Superhero, Dies at 95

The Hollywood Reporter

Stan Lee Is Dead at 95; Superhero of Marvel Comics

The New York Times

Stan Lee, Marvel Comic Book Legend, Dies at 95

Variety

The truth about Stan Leea frustrated, middle-aged, would-be novelist who, just when he was ready to quit the business, helped reshape superheroes and pop culturereally is amazing and fantastic. Lee was equally skilled at making the sausage of monthly comics and selling that sausage as sensational (which it often was). His cameos are such a treasure even DC got in on the fun. He truly was a legend and real-life superheroand a co-creator. That should be enough.Having wrapped up a convincing re-election win in last weeks midterms , Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown said on Monday that he is considering a run for president in 2020. Brown is an intriguing candidate for Democrats who are determined to retake the Rust Belt states that vaulted Donald Trump to the White House two years ago. Hes an old-school, pro-labor liberal with a gravelly voice and rumpled demeanor whos backed some ambitious expansions of the welfare state. More importantly, at least from a mercenary electoral politics standpoint, he appears to be the only Democrat still capable of competing in the Buckeye State, which went to Trump by more than 7 percentage points, and elected a Republican in every other major statewide race this month.

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Unfortunately for Brown, his most obvious strength as a candidate is simultaneously one of his most obvious weaknesses: If he were to win the presidency, it would also cost the party his Senate seat, and maybe the ability to meaningfully govern.

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In many ways, the race for the Senate will be as important in 2020 as the race for the presidency, since winning the White House without also taking the upper chamber would make it difficult, if not impossible, for a Democratic administration to run the country effectively. President Brown or Harris or Sanders certainly would not be able to pass any major progressive legislation. The ability to nominate Supreme Court justices would be severely hampered, and potentially blocked altogether. Republicans might also try to block all of their appeals court judges, or stonewall Cabinet picks. Imagine the grinding, final years of the Obama presidency, but with a new administration that hasnt had a chance to put in place any key political appointees. Its not a pretty thought.

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As Slates Jim Newell has written, taking back the Senate is also going to be a very challenging task for Democrats two years from now. Assuming Krysten Sinema wins in Arizona, as now seems likely, and Sen. Bill Nelson falls short in the Florida recount, the party and the independents who caucus with it will control 47 Senate seats. One of those belongs to Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, who is almost certainly toast, unless he finds himself running against yet another opponent who was banned from the local mall. Given that, Democrats will likely need to pick up four seats to hit the magic number of 50, which gives them a majority if their vice president casts the deciding vote. There will only be two Republicans up for re-election in states Hillary Clinton carried during 2016Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine. Other than that, the party is going to have to fight for Senate pickups in potential battlegrounds like North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Montana, and Texas, while trying to hold seats in Michigan (which Trump won), and New Hampshire (which Trump nearly won). Its a tall order, but not impossible.

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If Brown were to win the presidency, the states newly elected GOP governor, Mike DeWine, would get to fill his Senate seat with a Republican until the next statewide election. That means Democrats would need five total flips just to claim a bare majority capable of governing in the initial years of their new administration. And given that, once again, Browns main appeal is that hes the only Democrat seemingly capable of winning in Ohio, his seat could be lost for the foreseeable future.

Brown isnt the only candidate who needs to make this sort of tough calculation. Instead of running for president, Beto ORourke could try to go after Texas Sen. John Cornyns seat in 2020. Montana Governor Steve Bullock might be interested in the Oval Office. But he might be more useful taking on on Republican Sen. Steve Daines. West Virginias Richard Ojeda, who went so far as to announce his presidential bid on Monday after losing his House bid last week, might do better to try to knock off Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. But with Brown, the tension is a bit more clear, both because hes such a compelling presidential candidate on paper, and because winning the presidency would actually guarantee that his Senate seat flipped, rather than simply remain in Republican hands.

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There are also other reasons why Brown might not be an ideal Democratic standard bearer. Hes loudly sided with Trump on trade issues, which may be a big part of his secret to winning in Ohio, but might not play well with progressive primary voters who loathe pretty much all things about the administration. And while his Republican opponent failed to make much of an old domestic abuse allegation, that issue could play awkwardly on the national stage. (The issue involve some nonspecific accusations made by Browns ex-wife during their divorce in the 1980s. She has since become one of his most vocal political supporters, and cut a TV ad for him this year after Republicans tried to revive abuse claim during the campaign).

But ultimately, the question hanging over Brown isnt whether hes a good candidate, or even a great one. Its whether hes so much better than the other 2020 contenders that it would be worth waving his Senate seat goodbye.In and around the town of Paradise, which has been largely destroyed by the Camp Fire raging since Thursday in Butte County in Northern California, authorities found the remains of 13 of the fires victims on Monday.

The discovery brought the death toll up to 42 and made the Camp Fire the deadliest wildfire in the states history. The number of fatalities could continue to grow, as Butte Countys sheriff said at a news conference Monday night that more than 200 people are still missing.

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The town of Paradise was popular among the elderly and retirees. According to the New York Times, one-quarter of its residents were over 65 and 14 percent lived below the poverty line. Many of the neighborhoods destroyed were mobile-home retirement communities. The bodies that were found showed residents trapped in their homes by the fire or attempting to flee on foot or in vehicles. Its unknown how much, or even if, the town will be able to rebuild.

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The Camp Fire is considered the most destructive in state history, as it has destroyed more than 7,100 homes and other structures. It is still only 30 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.

To the south, another fire known as the Woolsey Fire has burned at least 435 structures, including the Malibu homes of celebrities, including Miley Cyrus, Gerard Butler, and Neil Young. Two have died in the fire.

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The Woolsey Fire has also burned homes in the Thousand Oaks community, which is still reeling from a devastating mass shooting Wednesday. The fire is also just 30 percent contained.

According to the Los Angeles Times, after giving the state a small break over the weekend, the Santa Ana winds returned Monday and are expected to gain strength through Tuesday, causing the fire to spread in increasingly unpredictable ways.

Tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate from the paths of both fires. On Monday, President Trump, who had previously angered Californians by wrongly blaming poor forest management for the fires, approved a major disaster declaration for the state.Thousands of people have been driven from their homes by the devastating pair of wildfires in Northern and Southern California. If you want to help right now, there are many ways to do so.

To start with, though: You should not donate food or clothing. Donations of physical goods bog down volunteers who have to sort through them if theyre going to use them. Volunteering is more useful, but Caring Choices in Chico, which is coordinating volunteer efforts in response to the Northern California fires, currently has a backlog of applications. As the organization points out on its website, volunteers will continue to be needed in the months ahead. Right now, at the height of the tragedy, enthusiasm for volunteering is high, but if you wait and volunteer later, you might be more useful.

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The most helpful thing to do is to give money. The most urgently useful place is, unsurprisingly, emergency aid.

Some organizations are statewide, but others are regional, and that matters because the two main fires are raging far apart from one another. The Woolsey and Hill Fires in Southern California have burned through more than 100,000 acres in Ventura and Los Angeles counties and destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures. Hill Fire is mostly contained, but the larger Woolsey Fire is still raging, and with dangerous Santa Ana winds whipping the blaze, it has the potential to do more damage. If youd like to donate to charities focused on Southern California fires, the United Way of Greater Los Angeles has partnered with the United Way of Ventura County and is raising money to help low-income residents.

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In Butte County in Northern California, the much larger Camp Fire has become both the most destructive and most deadly fire in the states history, having been blamed for at least 44 deaths. Paradise, a town not far from Chico, has been largely destroyed, and most of the deaths occurred in or around the town. Those fleeing are thought to be particularly vulnerable, as many of the towns residents are retirees.

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If youd like to specifically help victims of the Camp Fire, the North Valley Community Foundation in Chico is raising money for shelters. The Enloe Medical Center in Chico is raising money for caregivers and patients who have lost their homes. And like in Southern California, the United Way of Northern California is asking for donations, but its relief fund will provide emergency cash grants and other help to victims more broadly.

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If youd like to donate to a general relief organization for the California fires, the American Red Cross is seeking donations for its evacuation centers. But be aware that the Red Cross has a history of bungled responses to major disasters in the past decade. The Red Cross is focused on urgent emergency aid: Almost 90 percent of your money will go toward its programs and services, according to data gathered by Charity Navigator, and much of that will take the form of emergency assistance such as blankets and hygiene kits. But as journalist Jonathan M. Katz wrote in Slate, the Red Cross has in the past handed off donations it couldnt handle to other aid groups after taking a cut, and there is no regular independent evaluation to hold the humanitarian organization to account after natural disasters. So if youre worried about mismanagement, there are other options.

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Instead of handing out supplies, the California Fire Foundation is providing short-term financial assistance for those who suffered catastrophic losses to be able to buy basic necessities. For more long-term aid, the California Community Foundation, which is ranked higher than the Red Cross on its management of finances and donations, has a wildfire relief fund. Grants from the fund will be offered to help rebuild homes and provide financial and mental health assistance.

If you are worried about pets at a time when many families are unable to care for them, both the Humane Society of Ventura County and the Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation in Southern California are accepting donations.

If youd like to donate to help firefighters and emergency responders, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation is accepting donations. If youre interested more specifically in helping with medical aid, the humanitarian organization Direct Relief, which is very highly rated by Charity Navigator, is providing masks, medicine, and other resources to health care agencies and first responders.

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As crowdfunding has changed the landscape of charitable giving in the United States, its no surprise that GoFundMe has a landing page for fire relief efforts. Specific campaigns, including those for individuals who have lost their homes, can be found there.

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And if you live in an area near one of the affected areas, Airbnb is operating a program encouraging people to mark their homes as places for evacuees and aid workers to stay for free.

Those are the ways to help with a crisis that has already unfolded. But if, on top of sadness, you are experiencing fear at the prospect of a frightening new abnormal, as Gov. Jerry Brown put it, or anger over political complacency in the face of worsening fire seasons, you can channel your efforts into the long-term fight against climate change and for better disaster preparedness. Call your legislators, talk to your climate change skeptic friends and family, run for officedo what you need to do to ensure the government takes the threat seriously.Despite trailing in the voting on election night, as the ballots continued to be counted over the last week in the Arizona senate race for Sen. Jeff Flakes seat, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema pulled ahead and, on Monday evening, was declared the winner in the closely contested race with Republican Rep. Martha McSally. As of 5 p.m. Monday, as mail-in, provisional, and early ballots continued to be counted, the tally put Sinema up by some 38,000 votes, giving her a nearly two-point lead. Despite more than a hundred thousand votes still left to count, predominately in areas where Sinema held a significant advantage, the lead appeared insurmountable as McSally would need to win in excess of 60 percent of the remaining votes to catch the three-term congresswoman. The Associated Press called the contest Monday evening and McSally conceded the race that saw $90 million pour into the state.

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Congrats to @kyrstensinema. I wish her success. Im grateful to all those who supported me in this journey. Im inspired by Arizonans spirit and our states best days are ahead of us. pic.twitter.com/tw0uKgi3oO  McSally For Senate (@MarthaMcSally) November 13, 2018

The race could be a bellwether in the shifting political demographics of Arizona, which an optimistic Hillary Clinton campaign targeted as an aspirational state in play during the 2016 race. That obviously didnt work out for Clinton, but she lost by a slim three-and-a-half points, setting the stage for Sinema to be the first Democratic senator from the state since 1994. Sinema led throughout much of the runup to the November vote, but the polls tightened in the weeks before election day. The key to the victory, as expected, appears to have been suburban women and independents.

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McSally, a retired U.S. Air Force combat pilot, inextricably linked herself to President Donald Trump. The strategic decision appears to have played well with rural voters, who broke for her. But it almost certainly contributed to her collapse in Maricopa and Pima counties, particularly among moderate women and independent voters, according to the Arizona Republic. Sinema, meanwhile, has fundamentally upended Democrats playbook for winning a high profile, statewide race. She barely identified herself as a Democrat, instead cast herself as an independent voice who would protect Arizonans access to affordable healthcare and prescription drugs while working with literally anyone on red-meat issues like border security and illegal immigration.

The remainder of the votes are expected to be counted by Thursday. The Democratic win will boost confidence in the partys Senate prospects that took a hit when the early results came in last Tuesday. Sinemas win, which flips a Republican seat, coupled with a Democratic win in neighboring Nevada unseating incumbent Sen. Dean Heller, have revamped the narrative on the Senate results, as the Democrats limited losses to at most two seats despite facing an unthinkably daunting electoral map.The most consequential decision Democrats will make at their House leadership elections on Nov. 28 wont be for speaker. Current Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is expected to win that nomination, and her challenge after that would be securing the numbers ahead of a January floor vote. If she can pull it off, and she typically does, Pelosis return to the speakership wont be the ascent that we remember five, 10, or 15 years down the road. What well remember will be the winners of the lower positions, who will be ready to move up when generational change finally comes to the top.

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The trio of Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Jim Clyburn is nearing the end of its House leadership run. Democrats successful campaign to flip the House will likely ensure that they get another term. But each of these leaders in the past months has had to concede that theyre now in the transitional or bridge periods of their reigns, and they may have to define these terms more explicitly before the caucus gives them anotherand perhaps finalextension.

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If the end of the road is within sight for those three, then the winners of the lower races wont have to do what House leaders-in-waiting over the yearslike Rahm Emanuel and Chris Van Hollendid in bouncing off to other opportunities. They can stick, and move up the rankings in the not-too-distant future.

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So whom are we talking about here?

If Pelosi, Hoyer, and Clyburn lead Democrats for one more term, and I think they will, this is the pool from which the next House Democratic leaders will be drawn.

The race for the No. 4 position in the new majority, assistant majority leader, shook up last week when New Mexico Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, who led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee the past two cycles, announced how he would collect his spoils. Shortly after Lujan entered the race, Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos left it and chose to run for DCCC chair instead. Lujan still has an opponent in Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline, who, along with Bustos and New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, ran Democrats in-house messaging shop last cycle. Cicilline, a Progressive Caucus member, might have more strength than Lujan on the left. Theres also a question of how much loyalty members will owe to Lujan, since Democratic candidates this cycle were so adept at raising their own money instead of relying on the DCCC to win their races for them. If ActBlue were on the ballot for assistant Democratic leader, it would win in a runaway. Since its not, though, Lujan is the clear favorite after presiding over the campaign arm in a cycle where Democrats picked up 35 to 40 seats.

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Its worth observing, though, that some candidates who might be underdogs on paper could be setting markers in the event that Nancy Pelosi cant get the votes for speaker. That might be why Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette, whos served as a chief deputy whip for a decade, appeared to get sick of waiting around and announced her bid for majority whip, challenging Clyburn, last week. Our return to the majority was powered by women voters across the country, DeGette said in a statement announcing her bid, and we need to repay their trust by adding women to Democrats leadership team. The aides and members Ive spoken with empathize with DeGettes impatience to move up and agree that Democrats need to bring more women into the leadership beyond Pelosi. Still, they question whether its the shrewdest move to challenge the highest-ranking black Democrat in Congress. But if Pelosi does lose, and takes out Hoyer and Clyburn with her, DeGettes chances for majority whip would greatly improveas would Cicillines for assistant leader, should Lujan decide to pursue more ambitious opportunities.

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While were on the subject of people who might pursue higher opportunities if Pelosi cant get the votes: Jeffries joined the race for the No. 5 position, caucus chairman, last week, after some speculation that he could challenge Pelosi for speaker. Shortly after he entered (and also after her husband got indicted), the current vice caucus chairwoman, California Rep. Linda Sanchez, exited the race. Now the contest for caucus chairman will be a generational battle between two members of the Congressional Black Caucus: Jeffries and veteran California Rep. Barbara Lee. Jeffries is well liked throughout the caucus and is viewed as an excellent messenger, while Lee is an icon among progressives for, among other things, her lone vote against the war on terror in the days after 9/11. And unlike Jeffries, Lee, at 72, doesnt have any higher ambitions within the conference, something that her supporters argue would allow her to focus exclusively on the job at hand. Democratic aides Ive spoken with would give Jeffries the edge in this race, but its still early.

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The campaign for DCCC chair is currently a four-way race. In addition to Bustoswho probably wouldnt have made the jump into the race if she didnt think she had a good chancethe DCCCs recruitment director from the past cycle, Washington Rep. Denny Heck, is running, as is fellow Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene and New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. Whoever wins this will have the less-than-fun opportunity to follow up Lujans successful cycle with one in which they desperately try to hold onto all of the districts they just narrowly picked up.

If Pelosi, Hoyer, and Clyburn lead Democrats for one more term, and I think they will, this is the pool from which the next House Democratic leaders will be drawn. Its not the entirety of possible leaders: California Rep. Adam Schiff, for example, could be enticed to make a move from the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee at some point, as could Cedric Richmond, the current chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. But there are real stakes in these smaller elections for House Democrats down the road.After a week of unfounded claims of fraud, confusion over how many votes were left to be counted, weird ballot designs, protests, and lawsuits, the Florida vote tally process seems to be making steady progress, unimpeded by those attempting to derail it.

A judge dismissed one of Gov. Rick Scotts lawsuits Tuesday, saying she did not have the authority to order the Palm Beach County sheriff to personally secure voting machines and ballots in Palm Beach County while they werent being used in the recount, as Scott requested.

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Sheriff Ric Bradshaw testified, according to local station WPTV, that he has multiple deputies in the front and back of the tabulation center in Riviera Beach, and one deputy at the Supervisor of Elections Office on Military Trail. Bradshaw said the deputies are in sight of the machines and are visibly able to observe the recount process. The judge said that there were no signs of fraud or improper behavior by election officials: Everything is safe and secure. Were following the guidelines that Im statutorily required to follow and thats what were going to continue to do for a reasonable time period.

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This came after Broward Countys chief judge on Monday told attorneys and supporters of Scott and Nelson to ramp down the rhetoric and that if someone in this lawsuit or someone in this county has evidence of voter fraud or irregularities, they should report it to local law enforcement. The judge was rejecting a request by the Scott campaign, like the one in Palm Beach, to have ballots and voting machines impounded.

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While Scott and many national Republican leaders, including President Donald Trump, have accused Florida Democrats of everything from sloppy vote counting to outright fraud, Florida government officials have been more circumspect. Neither Floridas secretary of state nor its state law enforcement has recognized any evidence of criminal fraud by voters or election officials.

Floridas Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote a letter to the states Department of Law Enforcement saying she was deeply troubled that the agency had not pursued Scotts request for an investigation into what he said was potential voter fraud in the Senate election. The agencys commissioner, Rick Swearingen, replied by saying he was deeply troubled that she implied he would ignore evidence of voter fraud and assured her that he was coordinating with Floridas secretary of state.

Meanwhile, back in Broward County, elections supervisor Brenda Snipes, in reaction to Republicans charge that Democrats were finding votes, told reporters Tuesday, I dont have a treasure trove to go out digging on the beach somewhere to find any votes and said that the county will likely meet the deadline Thursday to complete the machine recount in the governor, senator, and agriculture commissioner races.On Tuesday morning, CNN announced it has filed suit against the Trump administration, arguing that the revocation of Jim Acostas White House credentials violates CNN and Acostas First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process. The piece below, which was written before the suit had been filed, explains why CNN should win that suit.

CNN is considering suing the Secret Service to restore the White House press pass the government pulled from reporter Jim Acosta at President Donald Trumps behest. CNN should bring suit. As leading First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams stated, CNN has a strong case: An appellate court precedent all but mandates a ruling in the broadcasters favor. In addition, a suit is necessary to vindicate foundational First Amendment principles. The president is trying to intimidate other journalists by threatening to withdraw additional press credentials from reporters whose stories he dislikes.

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It is plain that Trump ordered Acostas credentials stripped in retaliation for the content of his speech. The entire incident that led to Acostas credentials being revokedincluding the presidents direction that an intern seize the microphonewas the product of the presidents effort to silence Acosta after he had the temerity to ask questions about two topics Trump was intent upon avoiding: the veracity of Trumps unsupported assertions during the campaign about an immigrant caravan that remains hundreds of miles from the U.S. border, and whether Robert Mueller is about to issue new indictments. In the terminology of First Amendment law, the president engaged in viewpoint discrimination.

The White House contends Acosta was barred because he is a security risk. This claim is grounded on the absurd suggestion that the correspondent assaulted, or otherwise engaged in improper physical contact with, a White House intern. The intern tried, at the presidents behest, to rip a microphone out of Acostas hands mid-question during a post-election press conference on Wednesday, and Acosta inadvertently touched her arm in the process. The only evidence for the assault assertion is a manipulated video that White House press secretary Sarah Sanders obtained from a website maintained by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

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The presidents own words undermined the White Houses efforts to manufacture a constitutionally permissible rationale for Trumps action. During the press conference, Trump repeatedly railed against CNN and Acosta, challenging Acostas qualifications as a journalist, as well as his personal qualities, and calling him a rude, terrible person who should not be working for CNN. Trump also volunteered that an NBC correspondent who had the temerity to vouch for Costa was not the best.

Trump also admitted on Friday that Acostas press pass was pulled because he does not treat the presidency with respect and threatened to withdraw passes from other journalists he considers belligerent questioners. He went on to hurl insults at another reporter, April Ryan, a respected veteran White House reporter who is black and whom he had refused to allow even to pose a question during Wednesdays press conference. On Friday, Trump also verbally abused another black journalist, Abby Phillip (also of CNN), calling her entirely reasonable question about the new acting attorney general and the Mueller investigation stupid.

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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit concluded nearly 41 years ago that the Secret Service cannot deny a journalist White House press credentials absent a compelling purposeand certainly cannot do so because the president is not a fan of a journalists reporting. As Scott Nover reported, the appellate decision concerned Robert Sherrill, a reporter for the Nation magazine who was notorious for challenging both Republican and Democratic politicians, including and especially regarding the Vietnam War. When Sherrill applied for a White House press pass in 1966 (during the Johnson presidency) the Secret Service denied his request, and also denied his renewed application in 1972 during the Nixon administration. When pressed, the government vaguely asserted that he posed a security risk (presumably relying upon some physical altercations and charges in Merrills past). The American Civil Liberties Union ultimately brought suit on Sherrills behalf, and he prevailed before the appellate court in 1977.

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The D.C. Circuit reasoned that the White Houses press facilities have long been made publicly available to journalists as a source of information for newsmen, and stated that such access is essential to press coverage of the White House and the president. Accordingly, the appellate court reasoned that the First Amendments protection of freedom of the press bars the denial of a White House press pass to an individual journalist arbitrarily or for less than compelling reasons. Other courts have reached the same conclusion regarding similar governmental attempts to selectively exclude the press, reasoning that the [e]xclusion of an individual reporter  carries with it the danger that granting favorable treatment to certain members of the media allows the government to influence the type of substantive media coverage that public events will receive, which effectively harms the public. Furthermore, viewpoint-based exclusions of reporters, as Acosta experienced, have repeatedly been rejected as almost categorically unconstitutional because they strike at the heart of the First Amendment.

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The Sherrill decision concluded that constitutional due process standards require the Secret Service to explain the standards for press pass denials, give a journalist facing a denial the right to respond, and, if the government stands on its denial decision, mandate that it state the final reasons in writing. The government failed to follow those mandatory procedures before pulling Acostas credentials. Even if this procedural misconduct is remedied, it is difficult to imagine the Secret Service successfully defending Trumps pulling of Acostas credentials given both the presidents admission of his improper purpose and the White Houses reliance on manipulated evidence in support of its ex post facto rationalization.

Some have convincingly argued that Trump calculates his attacks on the press to distract from other embarrassing or disturbing events, most recently including his potentially illegal installation of an acting attorney general and the routing of many GOP candidates in the recent election. While the press should do its best to prevent the president from succeeding in making his abuse of journalists the center of attention, square attacks upon the newsgathering processlike that visited on Acostamust not go unanswered.Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is not the only Trump administration official who may be on the way out. Her patron, White House chief of staff John Kelly, could be next to leave. Based on multiple sources, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump is considering removing Kelly, and NBC reported that the former general may soon depart the Trump administration.

While Kellys imminent departure has been rumored almost since he started the job in August 2017, Nielsens ouster may seal it. Nielsen had previously worked as Kellys chief of staff when he ran the Department of Homeland Security, and he was largely responsible for her getting the top role. Trump has told aides that he is aware that forcing out Ms. Nielsen may result in Mr. Kelly quitting, the Journal reported. Trump has long been frustrated with Nielsen over what he says is ineffective policy at the U.S.-Mexico border.

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Another reason Kelly may soon be gone is that he has reportedly clashed with Melania Trump. Kelly has also gotten on the wrong side of Melania Trump over staffing issues and travel requests. Some of the disputes with the East Wing have escalated to the president, NBC reported. Kelly has also had disagreements with the Trump family members with formal roles in the West Wing; NBC reported that Kelly has long had tensions with the presidents daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner.

The first lady and her staff arent afraid to throw their weight around internally, even going after a staff member of Kellys rival, national security adviser John Bolton. Melanias spokesperson Stephanie Grisham told reporters today in a statement, It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that [Mira Ricardel] no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House.

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Ricardel, a Bolton deputy, had a series of run-ins with the first ladys office, NBC reported, and the Journal reported that during Melanias recent Africa trip, there was a dispute between Ricardel and the first ladys staff over seating on the plane and requests to use National Security Council resources. Bloomberg reported that Ricardel was upset the first ladys team didnt have room for her on the plane for Africa trip, and tried to block NSC resources for the trip, and that Kelly ultimately took Melanias side. Maybe that will save the chief of staff in the end.President Trump has been telling advisers that he plans to soon remove Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the Washington Post reported Monday. She could be ousted in the next few weeks and as soon as this week.

Trumps frustrations with Nielsen have come from his impatience over immigration issues. Trump has reportedly berated Nielsen repeatedly in Cabinet meetings and blamed her for the continued arrival of Mexican and Central American migrants at the border, and Nielsen has expressed frustration to her aides that the president does not understand the complications of immigration law that limit her ability to take drastic action or the realities of border security that make some measures impractical or unreasonable.

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According to the Post, Trump told aides that he wants Nielsen out as soon as possible, and he canceled a planned trip with her this week to visit soldiers at the border.

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If Trump goes through with the firing, he will likely look for someone who will be more eager to implement his immigration-policy ideas. However, chief of staff John F. Kelly is reportedly fighting to have Trump keep Nielsen and is advocating for her across the administration. White House officials told the Post that Kellys own future may not be so certain either.

If Nielsen were to leave without an immediate replacement on deck, the job of managing the agency day to day will fall to Claire Grady, the undersecretary for management, as the job of deputy secretary at DHS has been vacant since April. Trump may name another Senate-confirmed official to run the agency.Slates expanded voting rights coverage is made possible by the support of Slate Plus members and readers like you.

North Carolina Republicans have spent the last eight years ruthlessly undermining democracy in their state. The key to their extraordinary success is a series of partisan gerrymanders that dilute the power of Democrats vote, allowing the GOP to maintain a firm grasp on the state legislature. But Republicans failed to subvert the one institution capable of reversing this damage to fair representation: the state judiciary. Now voting rights advocates are poised to score a legal victory in North Carolina that could wipe out the GOPs legislative gerrymanderwith the help of civil rights attorney Anita Earls, who was elected to the state Supreme Court last week. The case could give Democrats a real shot at retaking the legislature in 2020, or at least contesting it on an even playing field.

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Prior to the 2010 election, the Republican State Leadership Committee created Project REDMAP, a two-part plan to implement gerrymanders in purple states following the 2010 census. North Carolina, a traditionally moderate and bipartisan state, was a main target. First, the RSLC, aided by conservative mega-donor Art Pope, funneled money into legislative races to swing control of the General Assembly. It worked: In 2010, Republicans seized control of both the North Carolina House and Senate for the first time since 1870.

Next, Republican legislators worked with a team of GOP operatives and redistricting experts led by Tom Hofeller, the partys chief gerrymander strategist. Holed up in GOP headquarters, using computers owned by the Republican National Committee and software licensed by the Republican Party, this group drew maps designed to entrench Republicans legislative power. (The public was not permitted to observe the process, though Pope was.) Hofeller later acknowledged that the plans were designed to ensure Republican majorities in the House and Senate.

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Republican legislators then voted to approve the maps over unanimous Democratic dissent.* They worked as intended. Over the next three elections, Republicans won only a slim majority of votes statewideyet secured a supermajority of seats in the House and Senate. After voters replaced Republican Gov. Pat McCrory with Democrat Roy Cooper in 2016, GOP legislators used their supermajority to strip Cooper of executive authority and further curtail voting rights.

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In November 2016, however, a federal court found that 28 legislative seats constituted a racial gerrymander in violation of the Equal Protection Clause and ordered them re-drawn. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that decision in 2017. Republicans promptly attempted to replace this racial gerrymander with a partisan one, once again hiring Hofeller for the job. Hofeller used election data as a decisive criterion and produced a new map that flagrantly favored Republicans. Rep. David Lewis, who oversaw the committee in charge of the maps, explained his redistricting philosophy this way: I think electing Republicans is better than electing Democrats.

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Voting rights advocates sued again, alleging that four of the new districts were still racially gerrymandered. The federal court agreed and ordered those districtsbut only those districtsre-drawn. Today, this map remains in place, maximizing a GOP advantage across the state. It mostly held fast in the 2018 election, in which Democrats broke Republicans supermajority but failed to come close to taking control of either chamber.

On Tuesday, one week after the midterm election, Common Cause and the North Carolina Democratic Party brought a lawsuit on behalf of multiple voters in the state alleging that the current partisan gerrymander is unlawful under the state constitution. Their complaint illustrates, in painstaking detail, how GOP mapmakers packed Democratic voters into a handful of deep-blue districts, then distributed the remainder of Democrats across safe Republican districts, where their votes wouldnt matter. They cracked cities into multiple mangled districts, pulling in rural Republican regions to diminish Democratic votes. Here are a few egregious examples of this practice:

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 Mapmakers drew a Wilmington notch that absorbs the citys most liberal neighborhoods into an otherwise rural Republican Senate District 9, preventing progressive voters from electing a Democrat.

 They also added a tentacle to Senate District 15, a Republican district that absorbs north Raleighs Democratic voters, thereby neutralizing their vote. At one point, the tentacle consists of nothing more than a Costco.

 Another GOP district, Senate District 41, begins north of Charlotte, cuts through an area west of Charlotte, then curls around to collect Republican neighborhoods south of Charlotte. It is stitched together by a small nature preserve at one point and by a tiny train station at another.

These maneuvers, along with many others, minimize the impact of Democratic votes, preventing North Carolina Democrats from transforming electoral support into legislative representation.

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The practice dilutes the power of Democratic votes, stripping voters of their right to vote on equal terms.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court is unlikely to strike down partisan gerrymanders following Justice Anthony Kennedys retirement. But the plaintiffs did not file their lawsuit in federal court. Instead, they filed in state court, alleging a violation not of the federal Constitution, but of the North Carolina Constitution. They have a very strong case. The North Carolina Constitutions Equal Protection Clause is more robust than its federal counterpart, guaranteeing citizens substantially equal voting power and the right to vote on equal terms. It also commands that [a]ll elections shall be freethat is, not manipulated by the state to predetermine the outcome. And it safeguards freedom of speech and assembly beyond what the First Amendment provides.

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All these constitutional rights, the plaintiffs argue, should prohibit the legislature from engaging in such egregious partisan gerrymandering. The practice dilutes the power of Democratic votes, stripping voters of their right to vote on equal terms. It prevents elections from being truly free by rigging the outcome in favor of the ruling party, as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently ruled in a similar case. And it infringes upon voters freedom of expression by discriminating against those who associate with a certain political party. In fact, Republican mapmakers retaliated against Democratic voters on the basis of political affiliation, unlawfully burdening their associational rights enshrined in the state constitution.

The plaintiffs stand an excellent chance of winning. This case will ultimately be decided by the North Carolina Supreme Courtand the judiciary is the one branch of government largely uncorrupted by GOP chicanery. In 2016, Democrat Michael R. Morgan won a seat on the court, creating a 43 majority. Republicans responded by attempting to rig the 2018 election in favor of a Republican incumbent, Justice Barbara Jackson. They abolished judicial primaries, hoping that multiple Democrats would run against Jackson, splitting the liberal vote. Instead, a lawyer named Chris Anglin ran as a Republican, creating a three-way race between Jackson, Anglin, and the Democratic candidate, civil rights attorney Anita Earls. Republicans tried and failed to knock Anglin off the ballot. And on Election Day, Anglin and Jackson split the GOP vote, handing the election to Earls.

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As a result, Democrats will soon hold a 52 majority on the court. And Earls played a major role challenging earlier GOP gerrymanders. When she announced her candidacy, Earls declared that she sought to shield the right of all citizens to cast a ballot that is counted equally, a clear reference to partisan gerrymandering. There is no reason to doubt that she and her Democratic colleagues on the court will be prepared to invalidate the current legislative maps when this case reaches their docket.

Notably, the plaintiffs did not challenge North Carolinas congressional gerrymander, which gives Republicans 10 of the states 13 seats in the House of Representatives. Thats because a federal court has already struck down that map under the U.S. Constitution, and the case will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court next year. Voting rights activists will probably lose at SCOTUS. But once they do, they can return to North Carolina and file a similar suit in state court. There, they may succeed in time for the North Carolina Supreme Court to mandate a new House map for the 2020 election. North Carolina Democrats might therefore win more seats in the House of Representatives and regain control of the General Assemblyall thanks to the demise of GOP gerrymanders.

For nearly a decade, rigged maps undermined North Carolinas democracy. The state constitution may soon restore it, thanks in no small part to the ballots of North Carolina voters last week.A phone call made by one of the Saudi operatives to a superior shortly after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul provides the most damning evidence to date connecting the apparent murder to the very top of the Saudi regime. On the recording of the call, one of the 15 men that arrived in Turkey shortly before Khashoggis death can reportedly be heard telling a superior in Arabic to tell your boss the deed is done. American intelligence officials believe the boss to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself.

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The recording was shared by Turkish officials with C.I.A. director Gina Haspel last month in Ankara; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the U.K., France, and Germany were provided access to the recordings, as was Saudi Arabia. Turkish officials acknowledged the audio did not explicitly implicate the Crown Prince, but believed the intent of the conversation was clear. The latest incriminating twist in the Khashoggi saga puts renewed pressure on a White House that has gone out of its way to go easy on the young Saudi leader who came to power promising to be a reformer in the deeply conservative and repressive Saudi kingdom. Prince Mohammed has fostered a close relationship with the Trump administration, in particular Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

The administration, according to current and former officials, is hoping that making some modest moves on sanctions and curtailing support for the Saudi war effort in Yemen will satisfy critics, including those on Capitol Hill, according to the New York Times. But the shift in power in Congress, where Democrats take control of the House in January, is also increasing pressure on the administration to take more punitive action.Unlike the recent suggestions of President Donald Trump, you cannot end birthright citizenship with an executive order. Or even a bill in Congress. So says the Constitution. But dont trust this president or the next Congress to necessarily agree with the plain meaning of these words. Or future federal officials. Or even the federal courts. Because unbeknownst to most Americans, for more than a century all three branches of government have perpetuated an unconstitutional denial of birthright citizenship.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration will appear in federal court to defend the ability of the political branches to unilaterally restrict the Constitutions guarantee of birthright citizenship. No, it will not be to defend an executive order or congressional statute denying citizenship to U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrants. Rather, in Fitisemanu v. United States, the administration is defending the unconstitutional denial of birthright citizenship in U.S. territories before the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. (Both authors are involved in the lawsuit.)

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Many assume that the overwhelming bipartisan consensus condemning the constitutionality of Trumps plan to restrict birthright citizenship by executive order or congressional statute makes such plans dead on arrival. Simply put, the original understanding of the Citizenship Clause requires recognizing all born on U.S. soil as citizens (the only narrow exceptions are for the children of foreign diplomats, enemy soldiers, or certain Indian tribes). An unbroken line of Supreme Court precedent agrees.

But Americas unsavory history of denying birthright citizenship in overseas U.S. territories offers a cautionary tale.

Today, the federal government labels people born in American Samoa as non-citizens, even though it has been a U.S. territory since 1900. Moreover, it holds that the citizenship of millions of Americans born in Puerto Rico and other territories is based on statute, not constitutional right, and could be rolled back by Congress.

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Legal scholars across the ideological spectrum reject this view as a racist, anachronistic, and unconstitutional exception  invented by administrators and legislators.

Yet, here we are.

The problem began in 1899, when President William McKinley oversaw annexation of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines from Spain. In step with prevailing racial attitudes, he judged the native inhabitants unfit to be American citizens. So he acted unilaterally to deny them citizenship.

McKinleys viewlike Trumpswas clearly contrary to well-settled understandings of the Citizenship Clause. Shortly after the 14th Amendments ratification, the Supreme Court explained the clause put[] at rest the proposition that [t]hose who had been born and resided always in the District of Columbia or in the Territories, though within the United States, were not citizens. After all, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee explained during congressional debates over the Citizenship Clause that it refers to persons everywhere, whether in the States or in the Territories. (All emphasis ours.)

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Americans shouldnt casually dismiss the threat of a president or Congress redefining the Citizenship Clause to exclude disfavored groups.

But just as Trump is not swayed by the consensus on birthright citizenship today, McKinleys administration was undeterred then.

Inevitably, the issue reached the Supreme Court. Its response should leave us feeling queasy.

In a 1901 case involving tariffs on oranges from Puerto Rico that had nothing to do with citizenship, key Justices nonetheless opined on the racial fitness of residents of the territories to be citizens. Justice Henry Billings Brownthe author of Plessy v. Fergusonrejected birthright citizenship for territorial inhabitants children thereafter born, whether savages or civilized. Justice Edward Douglas White expressed concern about bestowal of citizenship on those absolutely unfit to receive it.

Three years later, the Supreme Court directly faced the question of citizenship. Immigration officials had excluded a Puerto Rican woman as an undesirable alien. She contended that Puerto Ricans were citizens; the federal government argued they were not. The Supreme Court blinked, expressly dodging the question of citizenship and declaring only that Gonzales was not an alien.

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Every administration since has taken this as a wink and a nod that it need not recognize people born in overseas territories as citizens. Now, more than a century after McKinley carved an unconstitutional exception to birthright citizenship, federal law continues to classify people born in overseas U.S. territories as non-citizen U.S. nationals unless Congress says otherwise.

Next week a group of passport-holding, tax-paying Americans living in Utah who are labeled non-citizens because they were born in American Samoa will have their day in court. They will ask a federal judge to reject the idea that the political branches can redefine the Citizenship Clause.

We remain optimistic the courts will ultimately recognize that the Citizenship Clause means what it says when it comes to birthright citizenship in U.S. territories.

But this history offers an important lesson.

Americans shouldnt casually dismiss the threat of a president or Congress redefining the Citizenship Clause to exclude disfavored groups. When political imperatives and racial hostility mix together, the Supreme Court cannot always be relied on to defend the Constitutions guarantee of birthright citizenship.

Unilateral executive action narrowed constitutional birthright citizenship once before, and we are still living with the consequences.The final quarter of 2021 is on its way and theres so much positivity about the rapid growth of the...After some social media sparring in the lead-up to Donald Trumps trip to Paris last weekend, he and French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to get along relatively well during their sit-down meeting on Saturday. But Trump was back on the attack Tuesday morning, once against blasting Macrons calls for a European Army:

Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

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On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!........  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

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......MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

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Whats going on here?

Lets start with whats definitely true. Macrons poll numbers are very bad, even worse than Trumps, which are not exactly great.

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Its also true that U.S. winemakers have longstanding complaints about EU tariffs and subsidies that make it difficult for American exporters to compete on the Continent. (Although lately, the more pressing crisis for American winemakers has been Chinas new tariffs on U.S. wine, imposed in retaliation amid Trumps escalating trade war.) The French wine issue doesnt appear to be one that Trump has brought up before, but judging by precedent, it may become a fixation. Trump is a teetotaler, but wine appears to be high on his list of associations with France. In his first conversation after his 2016 election victory with former President Francois Hollande, Trump reportedly told the French leader, I love France, I love French people, I love your country, I love Paris, I love your wine, according to an aide to Hollande.

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The more important part of Trumps rant today, however, was his return to what several days ago he had called Macrons very insulting suggestion of building a true European army to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America. The Elysee Palace has clarified that statement, and from reading the the full context of Macrons remarks in his radio interview with Europe 1, its clear that he was not suggesting a European army to fight against the United States. His argument was that Trumps dismissive attitude toward the transatlantic alliance and longstanding defense pacts like NATO makes it necessary for Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defense. We must have a Europe that defends itself more on its own, without only depending on the United States and in a more sovereign way, Macron said.

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The idea of establishing an integrated European military to complement NATO, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also backed, is controversiala step toward integration thats vastly out of step with the current mood on the Continent. But the larger idea here, that Europe should take responsibility for its own defense rather than relying on others (the United States, mainly) is exactly what Trump has been calling for since he took office. Trump ought to be applauding Macron, not castigating him.

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Trump remains fixated on what he misleadingly calls paying for NATO, even though Macron is basically doing what Trump wants. With defense spending at 1.8 percent of GDP, France is already close to the 2 percent NATO goal on members defense spending that has become Trumps obsession, and Macron announced in July that it will meet the threshold by 2024. And while outdated stereotypes from the freedom fries era persist in the U.S., France is among the more hawkish European powers.

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Its more obvious than ever that Trump doesnt actually care all that much about European defense-spending targets. Hes hostile to the transatlantic alliance itself and even more so to anything that smacks of European integration.

Theres something sinister in the invocation of the world wars here. (Macron, who spent the past week touring World War I battlefields in Northern France, certainly doesnt need the U.S. president to tell him about his countrys history with Germany.) Is Trumps implication that France should be more concerned about the threat from its historical enemy Germany than from Russia or China? Its not out of the question that Trump actually believes this, considering that he called the EU as bad as China on trade, invoked Pearl Harbor in a negotiation with Japans Shinzo Abe, and has, lets say, unorthodox views on Russian foreign policy.

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Macrons pro-European sympathies clearly irk Trump. The remark about France being nationalist is plainly a response to Macrons speech in Paris on Sundaywidely read as a direct rebuke of Trump, who was in attendancein which he rejected nationalism as a betrayal of patriotism.

Trump has expressed support in the past for far-right French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen and, coupled with his invocation of Macrons poll numbers, appears to be again suggesting that the French president is out of touch with the true nationalist nature of his constituents. Well see at Frances next election, but judging from Le Pens recent moves to distance herself from Steven Bannons efforts to build a united nationalist front in Europe, its not certain that Macrons right-wing opponents will actually welcome Trumps intervention. Trump has gotten slightly more popular in France lately, but hes still one of the few world leaders the French like even less than their own.The New York Times reports that Facebook failed to properly monitor how hardware manufacturers were handling personal data from hundreds of millions of its users. This follows a report in June that Facebook was not disclosing to users that their data was being shared with hardware manufacturers in the first place.

On Monday, the Times published a letter that Facebook had sent to Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden disclosing that the company had failed to properly monitor how hardware manufacturers were accessing personal data from hundreds of millions of its users. In 2010, Facebook began providing personal user data to hardware manufacturers so that the platforms features would be better integrated on phones and other devices. PricewaterhouseCoopers conducted an audit examining seven of the data-sharing agreements in 2013 and found that there was limited evidence retained to demonstrate that Facebook monitored or assessed the service providers compliance with Facebooks Data Use Policies.

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Wyden, who requested the information on the audit during an intelligence hearing in September, told the Times, Facebook claimed that its data-sharing partnerships with smartphone manufacturers were on the up and up. But Facebooks own, handpicked auditors said the company wasnt monitoring what smartphone manufacturers did with Americans personal information, or making sure these manufacturers were following Facebooks own policies.

According to a consent decree that the Federal Trade Commission drafted in 2011, Facebook is required to undergo audits from government-approved third parties, which is why PricewaterhouseCoopers examined the data-sharing agreements in 2013. The audit particularly focused on Facebooks partnerships with Microsoft and Research in Motion, which manufactures BlackBerry devices. In both cases, auditors found that Facebook was not comprehensively monitoring how those manufacturers were handling user data.

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The Times first revealed in June that Facebook was potentially violating the consent decree through its dealings with hardware manufacturers. Facebook is required to get explicit permission from users in order to share their data. However, Facebook reportedly never informed users about its data-sharing agreements with the hardware manufacturers, and most users had not given explicit permission for the company to use their data in such a way. The Times further reported that hardware manufacturers were even able to access personal data from users friends, some of whom had expressly prohibited any such sharing.

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At the time, Facebook vigorously disputed the Times reporting. We built a set of device-integrated APIs that allowed companies to recreate Facebook-like experiences for their individual devices or operating systems, Facebook VP of product partnerships Ime Archibong wrote in a June blog post. Given that these APIs enabled other companies to recreate the Facebook experience, we controlled them tightly from the get-go. The audit, though, puts into question just how tightly Facebook was controlling the data it granted to these third-party device makers.

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Facebook eventually reached data-sharing agreements with dozens of device makers, but it is in the process of ending most of them in reaction to revelations that the political-consulting firm Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed data from up to 87 million users. The FTC is also currently investigating Facebooks compliance with the consent decree, and the company could face financial penalties if any violations are discovered.

We take the F.T.C. consent order incredibly seriously and have for years submitted to extensive assessments of our systems, a Facebook spokeswoman told the Times. We remain strongly committed to the consent order and to protecting peoples information.The now-infamous Camp Fire ignited near the small town of Paradise in Butte County, California, early Thursday morning. In the few days since, it has grown into what is now the states most destructive fire in history. Within hours, strong winds pushed plumes of thick smoke around the region, stretching hundreds of miles along the coast and inland. Since Thursday, a large swath of Northern California, including Sacramento and the Bay Area, has been blanketed in a yellowish haze that has blocked out the blue sky. The sun is an eerie red, and the air smells like a perpetual bonfire.

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The current air quality map of California is alarming. On Monday, in significant portions of Northern California, the air was rated unhealthy for anyone outdoors. An even larger area was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groupsthat is, people with pre-existing heart and lung conditions, young children, and the elderly. The Environmental Protection Agency considers Air Quality Index values over 100 to be unhealthy for sensitive groups, and over 150 is considered unhealthy for everyone.

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Californians outside the Camp Fires path of destruction may be safe from immediate harm, but they are not immune to negative health effects caused by the blaze. Notably, the recorded air quality in areas far away from the Camp Fire is in some cases even worse than in areas directly adjacent to the fire. In Chico, about 10 miles from Paradise, the AQI score was 158 on Monday. In Sacramento, about 80 miles south of the fire, the AQI score was 177. Even further away, San Francisco was 164, and Oakland was 169. (You can check out the air quality for anywhere in the U.S. here.)

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During wildfires, it is important for people experiencing bad air quality to take precautions against the smokes insidious impact. Smoke from wildfires is filled with gases and particles that can cause a wide range of short-term health problems, including coughing, wheezing, phlegm, runny nose, burning or stinging eyes, and shortness of breath. Large particulate matter, called PM 10 , can cause physical discomfort, but it is the fine particulate matter, called PM 2.5 , that is far more dangerous to your health. As Megan Molteni wrote in Slate during last years wildfires in Napa and Sonoma counties, particles this small can be inhaled into the deepest recesses of the lungs, into the broccoli-shaped alveolar sacs, where they bypass the bodys filtration systems and slip directly into the bloodstream. The New York Department of Health warns that long-term exposure to high levels of PM 2.5 may be associated with increased rates of chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function and increased mortality from lung cancer and heart disease.

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A few days of smoke exposure may not amount to long-term exposure, but its still worthwhile to take as many steps as you can to protect yourself against wildfire smoke, and there are many steps you can take. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people stay indoors if possible, keeping the windows and doors closed. (For homeless people in California, the situation is more dire, although some institutions, like the San Francisco Public Library, have announced they will stay open later to provide respite from the unhealthy air, and a group of volunteers in Oakland is working to distribute face masks to local homeless people.) If you have an air conditioner, make sure the fresh-air intake is closed to prevent it from bringing in smoke from outside. You can also purchase an air cleaner with a HEPA filter to help remove particles from the air. To cut down on creating more pollution, refrain from smoking, burning candles, lighting a fire in the fireplace, or using a gas stove inside.

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If you do go outside for an extended period of time, keep in mind that scarves, bandanas, and normal surgical masks dont prevent the inhalation of harmful PM 2.5 particles. Instead, you should use a respirator mask. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends using a particulate respirator that has been tested and approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.* These masks will be labeled with NIOSH, N95, or P100. For proper use, the respirator mask must be worn with two straps around your head, and it must fit snugly over your nose and under your chin.

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Unfortunately, these masks have some constraints that make it impossible for everyone to use them. Respirator masks do not come in sizes suitable for childrens small faces, and people with beards cant wear them (facial hair makes it difficult for the masks to seal). Additionally, since the masks are thick and tight-fitting, they can make breathing more difficult or lead to heat-related illness if its hot outside. There are also reports of respirator mask shortages at local stores as residents rush to stock up on them, and at least one hardware store in Berkeley imposed a limit of three masks per customer.

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The recommended solution for people who cant access masks or use masks properlyand, frankly, everyone elseis to leave the area until the smoke dissipates (or stay indoors as much as possible). This, of course, is far from ideal or even realistic for many people who dont have the ability to relocate temporarily. As Californias wildfires have gotten bigger and deadlier, fires and smoke are becoming regular features of life in the Golden State. Harm to peoples lungs is yet another external cost of what is already shaping up to be a devastating and ongoing disaster.The Health Ministry conducts survey with the aim of providing foreigners with a better healthcare service.

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The Health Ministry has launched a survey with the aim of improving and simplifying the health-care treatment of foreigners coming from non-EU countries.

The national project should provide a better understanding of needs and better access to quality health care and prevention, the ministry reports on its website.

It invites foreigners to provide their positive or negative experiences with health care in Slovakia, and encourages them to state if they are missing any health-care service or would welcome any new one.

Mention your best and worst healthcare experience

Do you agree or disagree with the statement: I feel accepted by others in the Slovakia, is one of the very first questions in the survey.

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Foreigners are also asked to express what improvements, including community support or more information in English, they would like to see to be carried out within Slovakias immigration policy.

In addition, the Health Ministry wants to know whether foreigners visit GPs, hospitals, or dentists in Slovakia and if not, what reasons they possess for not doing so. One of the options includes the fear of discrimination and racism by healthcare workers.

At the same time, the ministry listed 11 proposals to better understand what good-quality health care means to foreigners.Municipal elections in the capital and elsewhere were also marked by a smear campaign. It does not seem to have worked.

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The candidates for Bratislava mayor, l-r: Vaclav Mika, Jan Mrva, Ivo Nesrovnal and Matus Vallo (Source: SITA)

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One does not need to run for the president of a big European country to face a massive fake news campaign targeted against them. Even mayors of small towns had to cope with fake news during the recent municipal election campaign in Slovakia.

While some observers say it is hardly a new thing in Slovak politics, there are some who worry what this means for the next two years, when presidential and parliamentary elections are to be held in the country.

Bratislava inhabitants have noticed that the campaign was massive compared to past elections.

In the last two weeks of the campaign I had people ringing the doorbell almost every day, Nina Novakova, an inhabitant of Bratislava Nove Mesto borough told The Slovak Spectator.

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Read also: 5 most significant results of the municipal elections Read more

Political analyst Grigorij Meseznikov, who lives in Bratislava, said that his mailbox was overfilled with leaflets every day.

Not just candidates for mayors, but also many personal campaign materials from candidates for local councilors, Meseznikov told The Slovak Spectator. This was not the case in previous elections to such an extent.

Smear campaign in BratislavaThe National Criminal Agency wants to see the accounts of the protest organisers due to a criminal complaint alleging they are paid by George Soros.

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A criminal complaint has been filed against organisers of the For a Decent Slovakia protests. Police investigator Peter Jakubik told the protest organisers and specified that the complaint alleges that they were involved in organising a state coup and financed by George Soros, the Dennik N daily reported.

The anti-corruption division of the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) asked for their account statements at the command of NAKA head Peter Hrasko, who has close links to former Interior Minister Robert Kalinak and former Police Corps President Tibor Gaspar, the daily wrote.

Police Corps President Milan Lucansky was not aware of this investigation. Nor Interior Minister Denisa Sakova.

For a Decent Slovakia: It's intimidation

I consider it intimidation as I stated in the police report, said Juraj Seliga, one of the organisers.

In the last couple of days, several people behind the For a Decent Slovakia protests have been questioned by NAKA. Seliga, Karolina Farska, Katarina Nagy Pazmany, Tana Sedlakova and Veronika Brunckova have been questioned. Others expect to follow this Thursday, according to Dennik N.

Its upsetting to live in a country where Robert Fico thinks he is allowed to do anything, Nagy Pazmany posted on her Facebook profile, expressing hope that Slovaks can succeed and that intimidation is no longer enough.

Lucansky, who has been critical of Hrasko, did not possess the information that organisers are being investigated upon Hraskos order.

Its not possible to be informed about each criminal complaint, but the police are obliged to investigate every one of them, Lucansky said.

Did the state monitor organisers?

The wording of the criminal complaint is very similar with the past statements of former PM Robert Fico, who stepped down after the protests earlier this year, during an interview for the Czech Echo24.cz website on October 18.

We already know that the organisers of those demonstrations after the murder of Jan Kuciak came from the organisations funded by George Soros, Fico said in the interview. We know well who met with whom, and what role they were playing at that time.

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He indirectly suggested that the state could have been monitoring the organisers.

Everything will get out soon as it is clear who ordered the murder, Fico told Echo24.cz. He added that today it is obvious no one linked to the government was behind the murder.

Seliga said they have got nothing to hide since they have a transparent bank account.

If the intelligence service had tracked us, I don't understand what legal reason they had to do so, Seliga told Dennik N, adding that he does not understand from where a random MP, Robert Fico, obtained such information.

Interior minister: Police are under media pressure

The police are once again under a lot of media pressure, responded Interior Minister Denisa Sakova.

As interior minister, Ive never intervened in any investigation and I wont do it even now, she added, as quoted by the TASR newswire. I realise my responsibility and require all my colleagues to do their job in compliance with the law.

She stressed that the police need to check every criminal complaint, including the anonymous ones.

Lucansky said that he learned about the NAKAs investigation from media. Subsequently, he contacted the investigator and asked him to explain certain facts. He stressed that the investigator only tried to receive information necessary for further actions, as reported by TASR.

Fico abuses state power, some say

The information has prompted several responses from both politicians and non-governmental organisations.

President Andrej Kiska thinks that Fico is intimidating people to show off his power.

As president, I will do anything to make decent people in Slovakia feel safe, he said, as quoted by the SITA newswire, adding that such bullying and accusations of activists of organising the attempted coup are inexcusable.

The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) considers the investigation a dangerous precedent. In its opinion, it is reminiscent of the practices before the 1989 revolution when the state power intimidated everyone with a different opinion, as reported by SITA.

He implies certain things, but he does not present any proof, said Marek Madaric, former culture minister and ex-Smer member, as quoted by the Sme.sk website.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer) does not have any information about state bodies or intelligence services being abused to monitor the organisers of the protests.

I have this information only from the media, I dont have any more details, Pellegrini said during his visit to Azerbaijan, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

The ruling Smer party reiterated that it also learned about the ongoing investigation only from media. It also claimed that Ficos responses in the interview were misinterpreted.

At the same time, the party confirmed Ficos beliefs in what he has said about the background of the protests, as reported by Sme.sk.

International community responds, too

The Slovak branch of Amnesty International is seriously worried about the reports on the investigation.

We call on Robert Fico, and other politicians to not doubt and stigmatise the legitimacy of civic activism but to protect and support its irreplaceable role in society, Rado Sloboda, head of Amnesty International Slovensko, wrote in a statement.

The international community also expressed some concerns.

am deeply worried about what is happening today in Bratislava to Za slusne Slovensko activists, said Flutura Kusari of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom on Twitter.Slovak company AeroMobil signed a cooperation agreement with a luxury car brand at the Shanghai international exhibition.

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AeroMobil, a Slovak company behind the revolutionary flying car of the same name, starred in Shanghai and ended up signing a strategic cooperation agreement with Baoneng Motor.

The Chinese mobility market has huge potential as it grows and innovates very fast, said Juraj Vaculik, co-founder and CEO of AeroMobil, as quoted in a press release. China plans to build up to 500 new airports for general aviation by 2020. 

The Slovak company also introduced the latest AeroMobil design called Sky Dragon, designed exclusively for the Chinese market, at the international exhibition in Shanghai.

The China International Import Expo welcomed 3,000 companies from more than 130 countries this November.

Dragon for China only

China will be one of the most influential economies of the century that will have the infrastructure for innovative flying cars, Vaculik said, when explaining why they decided to design a unique model only for China.

Shanghai is the second largest city in the world with 25 million inhabitants. It has already adopted significant measures to enhance the traffic, such as electrification of cars and motorbikes, modern underground, and bike-sharing.

The Sky Dragon model, designed for the local market, is said to symbolise the power of both previous models of the AeroMobil flying car. It merges the latest technology used in the automobile and aircraft industries.

Chinese media described the model as a sci-fi car from Slovakia that can transform into an aircraft in three minutes. It can drive up to 160 km/h or fly up to 260 km/h.

AeroMobil for China will be all red with golden accessories and a dragon, which is a very old symbol of China, on the roof.

The Slovak company also presented another two models, the AeroMobil 4.0 STOL and 5.0 (VTOL), to the Chinese.

Strategic agreement with a luxury car maker

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In addition, the Slovak company signed a strategic partnership with Chinese company Baoneng Motor, which owns Qoros, the Chinese luxury car producer, during the Shanghai exhibition.

Our vehicle has many global patents and is designed to impress key car and aircraft-industry players who would cooperate with us, said Patrick Hessel, president of the AeroMobil company, as quoted in the press release.

Both companies agreed on exploring possibilities for the personal use of aircraft in China along with the development of the VTOL models, which could be used in cities.

We expect the traffic will move over from 2D to 3D space thanks to AeroMobil, said Yao Zhenhua, Baoneng Group president, as quoted in the press release.Protest gatherings will be held in several cities in Slovakia and abroad.

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For a Decent Slovakia gatherings plan to return to the streets, following the reports about the investigation of the initiatives representatives by the National Criminal Agencys anti-corruption unit.

The initiative considers the current situation sad because 29 years after the Velvet Revolution, the state is intimidating activists, as reported by the TASR newswire. They have denied all accusations raised by former PM Robert Fico, underlying there is no American billionaire who would have funded them.

Precitajte si tiez:

Precitajte si tiez: Police investigate protest organisers over Soros allegations Read more

Therefore, another wave of protests will start on Friday, November 16, at 17:00 in the SNP Square in Bratislava, announced Karolina Farska, one of the organisers who is being investigated by the police.

We will be talking about the things we started in November 1989, said another organiser, Juraj Seliga, as quoted by TASR.

Protest gatherings will take place also in:On this day of flags and salutes to all of our soldiers past and present, the two-year-old colt and gelding pacers in the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund Stakes kicked off the Dover Downs series under cloudy skies.

The first $20,000 division was raced as an early non-wagering event. The winner from the Harrington series, Chillaxin Away (sired by Roddys Bags Again), trained by Jim King Jr. and driven by Tim Tetrick, got up by a nose to edge out Dashiki (Barber Pole) and driver Montrell Teague in 1:55.2. The last half was clocked in :56.1.

The first race and DSBF division on the wagering card was won gate-to-wire by Keepmywiglegametyt (Mr Wiggles) in 1:54.2 for driver Montrell Teague and trainer Clyde Francis. Son Of A Lynx (Southwind Lynx) followed in second for driver Russell Foster and Numbered Account (Roddys Bags Again) was the show horse driven by Jeff Fout.

Round two will be held next Monday, Nov. 19. The final will be contested on Thursday,

Nov. 29 in conjunction with the Dover signature event, the Hap Hansen Progress Pace, named

for the late Brandywine Raceway President.

(With files from DSBF)The toughest resident Standardbred to compete in New England in recent years once again showed the heart and fortitude that makes him a winner as he gamely captured the $15,000 Winners Over Handicap Pace at Plainridge Park on Monday afternoon (November 12) to tally his 50th career victory.

Getting away second in the field of seven, J J S Jet (Drew Campbell) followed the pacesetting Quick Shot (Mike Stevenson) through fractions of :26.3, :55.2 and 1:23.1 before getting locked in fourth at the rail as outside interlopers, Bet You (Shawn Gray) and Major Leaguer (Jimmy Whittemore), made their late bids for the lead. But at the top of the stretch, Quick Shot came off the pylons just enough for Campbell to guide J J S Jet through and he made up two lengths in the lane with a furious rush to catch Bet You at the wire in 1:52.2.

The win was the eight of the year for J J S Jet ($7.80), who has now earned $65,585 for owner Bruce Maxwell of Saint John, N.B. James Dunn is the trainer.

After winning the feature, Plainridge Parks leading driver Drew Campbell took the opportunity to add to his already gaudy win total by going wire-to-wire with Bowedfortyova in the $14,000 conditioned pacing event, for six-year-olds and under, in 1:52.4. Bowedfortyova ($5.20) scored his fifth win of the year for owner William Mc Elvain Jr. and trainer Elisha Lafreniere.

Campbell added two more wins besides both features on Monday, giving himself the driving Grand Slam. He also tallied with Beantown Elijah (1:56.3, $2.80) and Rocknalltheway (1:53.2, $11.80).

Campbell now has 152 wins for the Plainridge meet, 28 ahead of Mitchell Cushing, who has 124 wins and is three ahead of Shawn Gray with 121.

(With files from Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)So how much did you spend on 11.11? Perhaps you were one of the shoppers that contributed Huawei Malaysia's Mega Online Sale over the weekend and in their latest report, they have sold over RM3 million sales in just a day through its Shop.Huawei and Lazada online store. That's most impressive and normally in news like this, we would go on to tell you more figures on how well the sales were, but what the company did after that was even better.

As some of you might know, 11 November is wildly celebrated as Single's Day which originated from China and now it has become one of the biggest shopping events globally. As a token of appreciation, the company also sent an extra gift to the customers who had purchased an item from its online store - a single rose as a gift. Obviously, the customers will share this around online but unfortunately, that's the only low-resolution screenshot we have from them (#youhadonejob) but it's still sweet nonetheless.

If you missed out on the Flash Deals and rebate vouchers, no worries - Huawei Malaysia will host another round of crazy sales on 12 December 2018 so do stay tuned for that news at TechNave.com.So this just came in, OPPO Malaysia has confirmed that its triple camera OPPO R17 Pro smartphone will be making its arrival on 22 November 2018 and it seems that the 'Seize the Night' fan event is also the official launch. Moreover, local celebrities and OPPO ambassadors, Min-Chen and Zahirah Macwilson are attending it as well.

As mentioned in our previous news, all the lucky winners will be announced on 16 November 2018 and the recruitment form for the fans to participate in the fan event can be found here. However, only a few lucky fans will be invited to join by submitting three night photo samples taken from an OPPO phone.

To highlight some of the tech specs, the R17 Pro is the second phone to utilize a switchable aperture on the main camera, being able to switch from f/1.5 to f/2.4 back and forth depending on the lighting conditions. It's also equipped with a dual-pixel technology and three-axis OIS feature specialized to take on night photography, according to the company.

Unfortunately, there's no news yet about the local pricing but we will be covering the event. Do stay tuned for more OPPO news at TechNave.com.In September, Data for Progress released a Green New Deal plan that established the goal of creating 10 million new jobs in 10 years through a combination of private-sector growth, workforce training and a green-job guarantee: a federal obligation to provide a job at a living wage to anyone who seeks one. A YouGov poll commissioned for the report found that, all things being equal, 51 percent of eligible voters would be more likely to support a candidate running on a green-job guarantee.

State Violence Against Minorities

The Clintons newfound defensiveness about their record on criminal justice is one measure of how politics have changed. In 2015, Bill Clinton admitted that the three strikes law he signed in 1994 had locked up minor actors for way too long. Then, Hillary Clintons racially charged comments about going after gangs and superpredatorscomments made during a 1996 speech in praise of that billbecame an issue during her 2016 presidential bid.

Demonizing immigrants and people of color is inherent to Trumps white Christian nationalism. But outside of the GOP base, rising awareness of the radical injustices of the criminal justice system have put Clinton-era policies in a completely different light.

Influential books like Michelle Alexanders The New Jim Crow, coupled with the powerful Movement for Black Lives, have reshaped the criminal justice narrative. Harrowing videos of police violence against African Americans have awakened the national conscience. The Movement for Black Lives, a collective of more than 50 organizations, has a wide-ranging platform that calls for the elimination of money bail, ending the use of criminal history in determining eligibility to work and vote, and for an immediate change in conditions and an end to all jails, detention centers, youth facilities and prisons as we know them.

In Michigan, Dana Nessel won her primary race for state attorney general on a platform that included pot legalization. And Summer Lee, in her race for the Pennsylvania legislature, called for an end to cash bail and to mandatory minimum sentences, and a moratorium on new prison construction.

Public outrage over the militarization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, the forced separation of immigrant families and the presidents never-ending demonization of immigrants have spurred broad solidarity with the immigrant rights movement.

In Boston, Ayanna Pressleys winning U.S. House campaign provides a case study in how the movement for racial justice and the push for immigration reform can come together. On criminal justice reform, her detailed platform called for pot legalization and sentencing reform and an end to cash bail, predatory prison phone rates, and state and federal funding of private prisons.

Ayanna Pressley ousted 10-term U.S. Congress member Michael Capuano in Massachusetts Democratic primary with a radical platform that included defunding ICE. (Photo by Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

On immigration reform, Pressley supported not only the usual itemsblocking funding for Trumps border wall and ending enforcement and deportation efforts by ICEbut more radical and forward-thinking policies, like supporting migrants in their home countries. The United States has the resources and power to help improve conditions in countries that comprise the majority of forced migration, her platform notes. In July, three members of the Congressional Progressive CaucusMark Pocan (D-Wis.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.)introduced a bill to abolish ICE. They intended it as a statement of principle and, as Vox observed, werent ready to be taken seriously, given that the majority of Americans oppose abolishing ICE and Democrats themselves are split. House Republicans threatened to bring it up for a vote, with the hope of embarrassing Democrats. The progressives then announced they would vote against their own bill. But as with Warrens plan for reforming capitalism and the more ambitious climate change plans, such laws that push the moral envelope lay important groundwork for when progressives and Democrats actually have power.

Corrupt Elections

Since the Supreme Courts 2010 Citizens United decision, the corruption of our campaign-finance regime has been a high priority target for progressives. Ultimately, the passage of any bold progressive legislation relies on freeing our democracy from corporate capture.

Yet Trump, maddeningly, has been more effective at tapping into the anger and alienation it produces than most Democrats. It was his most effective critique of Clinton; at their final debate, he taunted her for failing to support campaign finance reform as a senator because you take in so much money.

Achieving deep reforms will be a generation-long struggle, given rulings by the Supreme Court that effectively legalize unlimited spending to influence elections. Consequently, relying on small-donor donations and refusing to accept money from corporate PACs have become defining themes for the new crop of left candidates. It was key to Ocasio-Cortezs breakout bid.

These self-imposed limits arent the ideal, says Demos Actions Lioz. But theyre nonetheless important. They establish campaign finance reform as a top priority, if and when progressives have power in 2020, Lioz says.

There is a 100-day window at the beginning of an administration in which lawmakers can make a strong legislative push. Because so many candidates have made campaign finance a key part of their platform, theyre more likely to feel obligated to move on it.

At the federal level, there are bills to create public-financing systems for both House and Senate elections. In the Senate version, candidates who opted in would limit their spending to small donations ($150 per donor) and grants and matching funds from a Fair Elections Fund. Booker, Gillibrand, Sanders and Warren are among the 29 cosponsors.Sigurdsson out of first Iceland game this international break

Monday, 12 November, 2018







The midfielder was pictured leaving Stamford Bridge wearing a protective boot following the goalless draw against Chelsea in which he was the victim of an awful two-footed tackle by Jorginho in the first half that resulted in just a yellow card.

Sigurdsson limped back into the action and played on until 15 minutes from the end at which point he could no longer continue and was replaced by Phil Jagielka.

Manager Marco Silva's reacted strongly to the incident at the time and brought up the severity of Jorginho's actions in his post-match press conference while also casting doubt on Sigurdsson's availability for Everton's home game against Cardiff the weekend after next.

Meanwhile, Richarlison has joined up with the Brazil squad and is expected to be fit if selected to play despite being a doubt for the Chelsea game with an ankle injury and then hobbling our of the game holding his groin.

About these adsThe smell of fresh print from a newly bought magazine. The way its front cover might stop you in your tracks and want to open its pages to discover more. The appealing use of typography and the layout of text. Photography, illustrations and beautifully crafted words. What's not to love?

We're always delving into magazines for design inspiration at Shillington . We provide a whole stack of them at our campuses around the world, ready for our students to devour and enjoy. What do we include in this mix you might ask? From established firm favourites to the best newcomers, we've pulled together 22 wonderful print magazines that we love and are also worthy of your attention.

Most of these are independent, so you'll be supporting the creative community too. Plus you'll often delve into topics unrelated to art and design, giving you interesting insights into the wider world.

1. Riposte

An award-winning, smart magazine for women that contains honest interviews with fascinating characters who share their successes and failures, their work, their passions and perspectives. Covering a broad range of topics from art, design, music, business, innovation and even politics. Gorgeously designed and beautifully printed.

2. The Gentlewoman

The Gentlewoman is another great magazine featuring interviews with strong, modern women, often known for impressive feats of movie-directing, novel-writing or enterprise-building. Published in London, issue 18 features filmmaker extraordinaire Agnes Varda, shot by Alasdair McLellan.

3. Little White Lies

Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them  Shillington graduate Timba Smits used to be the creative director. Described "at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement", it combines cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism to bring you a more honest look at movies and movie making.

4. The Gourmand

An elegant journal covering food and culture, The Gourmand contains stunning and inventive food photography and includes excellent contributions from artists and writers around the world. Never disappointing, it's a lovely piece of print to add to your collection.

5. Frame

Established in 1997, Frame is a leading magazine for interior designers. With a belief that meaningful spaces enable people to work, shop, relax and live better, this title is always full of positive inspiration and ideas. The latest issue focuses on high-density living and explores the promising proposals for future-proof housing.

6. Elephant

Smart, humorous and playful, Elephant covers art, fashion, film and visual culture as well as the "stars of the future". As such, it provides a platform for emerging designers and makers before they make it to artworld fame. Published quarterly, each issue is themed, in keeping with its mantra "life through art".

7. Hypebeast

Hypebeast proudly calls itself the leading online destination for men's contemporary fashion and streetwear. But we love its print magazine the most where it looks closely at art, music, design and lifestyle. Its latest issue features an exclusive cover design by Verdy and interviews with Studio Hagel, Dev Hynes and Midnight Studios too.

8. Delayed Gratification

Delayed Gratification is the worlds first "slow journalism" magazine. Its a beautiful printed quarterly publication which revisits the events of the previous three months to see what happened after the dust settled and the news agenda moved on. It is proud to be "Last to Breaking News". Its latest issue explores Ireland's abortion debate, life as a sea nomad and the fallout from Windrush. This is for those of you seeking more answers.

9. Huck

Huck is a beautiful bi-monthly magazine that loves to explore subcultures as "entry points for articles about music, politics and places all over the world", according to the New York Times . Be it surf, skate, snow, music, art, activism, pop culture or the environment. Never a disappointing read.

10. Gal-dem

"We want people from all backgrounds to engage with the work we are doing. Its no secret that the mainstream media doesnt represent or reflect us, so we are doing it for ourselves." Here lies the sentiment behind Gal-dem, a magazine "produced by women and non-binary people of colour" with the hope of making the world more diverse and open. Available online too.

11. Kajet Journal

Frustrated by the "purely anecdotal" understanding of Eastern Europe, Kajet Journal is a beautifully bookish title with new perspectives from the region. Published in Bucharest, Romania, it aims to challenge the stereotypes and misrepresentations attributed to Eastern Europe by mainstream media. Another beaut courtesy of Stack Magazines  a subscription service we highly recommend.

12. Sculptorvox

Published in Nottingham, Sculptorvox goes beyond what we'd normally consider as sculptural work and delves into the inspirations, processes and careers of artists who work in 3D. The latest issue is themed around Blood and Wire, representing the physical flesh, and the ways in which it's depicted and displayed in art.

13. Dirty Furniture

Dirty Furniture is an independent magazine that uncovers the relationship between people and the things they live with. "We are as interested in what happens after an item leaves the showroom as in that which saw it arrive there," says the publisher. Instead of dismissing furniture as a topic fit only for glossy lifestyle publications, Dirty Furniture uses it as a springboard to explore topics spanning politics, history, technology, psychology, manufacturing and the plain weird.

14. Weapons of Reason

Through peppy illustrations and well-researched writing, Weapons of Reason wants to bring you closer to the worlds most pressing issues. Asking all the big questions and examining the possible solutions, this fifth issue dives deep into food, agriculture and the environment.

15. Boat

A gorgeous travel and culture magazine, Boat reports on a different destination in each issue. Expect to discover more about the Faroe Islands, Havana, Tel Aviv, Bangkok and Los Angeles, as it "shines a different kind of light on cities with big stories to tell".

16. The Great Discontent

The Great Discontent is a print publication and online magazine featuring inspiring conversations with todays artists, makers, and risk-takers. Focusing on "beginnings, creativity, and risk", it provides a memorable look into the lives of its subjects via long-form interviews, short features, film-based projects, and events. The latest issue features a cover and interview with Reggie Watts.

17. Positive News

Fed up with bad news but want to stay informed? Positive News is the magazine for good journalism about the good things that are happening in the world. With great design, stunning photography and awesome illustration, you can stay connected and positive while enjoying lots of creative inspiration.

18. The Skirt Chronicles

The Skirt Chronicles was founded by Sarah de Mavaleix, Sofia Nebiolo and Haydee Touitou as a collaborative platform with the ambition of creating a community which celebrates diverse cultures and generations. It is a publication founded by women which reflects a feminine voice yet does not exclude anyone from the conversation. Interestingly, it's organised chronologically, as the content is determined by the date of completion.

19. Flaneur

Flaneur is a nomadic, independent magazine focussing on one street per issue. It embraces the streets complexity, its layers and fragmented nature with a literary approach. Even better, all content is produced with artists of all disciplines while its editorial team spends two months on location. Flaneur shows what you can do using a collaborative, impulsive and unconventional approach. Wonderful.

20. Courier

This East London-based magazine reports on modern business and startup culture from around the world. Launched in 2013, it's now stocked at over 350 outlets in London alone and has a readership of over 80,000 people, including our team at Shillington London. Courier also works with a range of brands big and small to help them better understand the impact startup culture has on their business. Always a fascinating read.

21. Frankie

Frankie is an Australian print magazine, founded by friends Louise Bannister and Lara Burke, bringing you great affordable fashion, sweet art, interesting reads, real people and pretty photography. We especially love it for their gorgeous covers.

22. Sidetracked

Rooted in inspirational journeys, Sidetracked is one of the best independent travel magazines out there. Everything about the print publication is visually stunning and engaging. Released three times each year, it brings together some of the finest stories of exploration and adventure. Volume 13 is the latest available to buyMountain Shadows in Wayanad is just the place for a dreamy vacationWith the annual consumption of electric bicycles and motorbikes totally outnumbered by that of gas motorcycles, it is safe to say that there is a lot of room for enterprises to set their foot in the electric vehicle manufacturing industry.

After using an electric motorbike for daily commute for one year, Mai Hoang Yen, a resident in Ho Chi Minh Citys Go Vap District, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that she has totally become a fan of this means of transport.

According to Yen, electric motorbikes have several advantages over gas motorcycles, as they are lightweight, a huge perk to female users, and have noiseless operation, no smell of fuel and no emission.

On the other hand, it is undeniable that the traveling range of up to 100 kilometers per charge is a big drawback of electric motorbikes.

It takes up to seven hours for a full charge of electric motorbikes, while one person only needs to spend two minutes at a gas pump filling up a motorbike and can travel a double distance, Yen said.

According to Doan Linh, CEO of Pega, an electric bike manufacturer, Vietnam is currently slower than other countries in the world in terms of electric motorbike development.

Vietnamese people consumed 400,000 electric vehicles in 2017, compared to three million motorbikes sold in the same year, Linh said, citing data by Vietnam Register, a non-profit state body that provides supervision and certification for quality and safety of different means of transport.

If each electric motorbike is priced at VND30 million [$1,290], this market is worth VND90 trillion [$3.87 billion] a year, Linh told Tuoi Tre, implying that e-vehicle manufacturers are wasting the opportunity to grab a share of this lucrative market.

The Pega executive added that while the potential of the electric vehicle market is huge, Vietnamese enterprises have not paid decent attention to investment in this industry in recent years.

One of the major reasons for this situation, according to industry experts, is that 90 percent of electric bicycles and motorcycles in Vietnam used to be imported, and even smuggled, from other countries, which sparked concerns about their quality and safety.

However, there has been a change in customers mindset on electric vehicles in recent years, with poor-quality and cheap products no longer welcomed in the market, replaced by products from prominent manufacturers such as Anbico, Pega, DKBike, SYM, and KYMCO.

Especially, a new player, VinFast, a unit of Vietnams leading conglomerate Vingroup, is completing the final procedures to officially debut in the electric vehicle market by the end of 2019.

According to Dr. Nguyen Quang Tuan, deputy director at the Institute of Transport Science and Technology, VinFast electric motorbikes will apply a number of new technologies, including Bluetooth and Internet connection, GPS (Global Positioning System) and radio frequency (RF) for information exchange.

The participation of VinFast, according to Doan Linh of Pega, will help other players in the market to receive more support from consumers, which in the long term will boost the domestic electric vehicle sector.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!HANOI, Nov 12 - Vietnamese government on Monday issued an aviation licence to new carrier Bamboo Airways, which is expected to launch its first flights within weeks.

The airline, a unit of FLC Group, will operate 100 domestic and international routes when operational, the government said in a statement.

Bamboo Airlines will launch its maiden flights within 45 days after receiving the licence, FLC chairman Trinh Van Quyet told Reuters last week.

The government said in its Monday statement that the airlines first flights will connect Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with the countrys tourism cities.

Bamboo Airways, Vietnams fifth airline, signed a provisional deal to buy 20 Boeing 787-9 wide-body jets worth $5.6 billion at list prices in July, as well as a memorandum of understanding with Airbus for up to 24 A320neo narrow-bodies in March.Your browser does not support the audio element.

The frequency of Vietnamese consumers doing the shopping at convenience stores and minimarts is increasing while the number of times they go to traditional markets is decreasing rapidly, according to a report.

The newest report studying global shopping trends was released by market researcher Nielsen on November 8.

According to the report, Vietnamese shoppers go to convenience stores 4.5 times per month, while the figure was only 1.24 times in 2010, making it the fastest-growing shopping channel in the country in eight years.

In addition, the number of convenience stores has nearly quadrupled in Vietnam since 2012.

This modern retail channel is witnessing fierce competition between big players, who have been present in the market for long, such as VinMart+, Circle K, Shop & Go, Ministop, Bs Mart, and Family Mart, and foreign retail giants, who have just arrived in Vietnam in the past 18 months, namely 7-Eleven and GS 25.

In the approximately impressive growing rate, mini supermarkets have attracted consumers with a shopping frequency of 2.2 times per capita per month in 2018, compared to the zero number in 2010.

Nielsens data showed that the rate of opening mini supermarkets in Vietnam ranked first among all traditional and modern retail channels in the first nine months of this year.

Besides that, Vietnamese consumers often do the shopping at other retail channels, including specialized concept stores and pharmacy stores at 1.22 times per month in 2018, compared to 0.76 times in 2010, and grocery stores at 9.47 times per month, compared to 8.81 times eight years ago.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese people are gradually turning away from traditional markets when shopping here only 18.86 times per month, down from 25.17 times in 2010, according to the report.

Supermarkets are chosen less often by Vietnamese consumers as the frequency of shopping lowered from 3.26 times per month in 2010 to 2.45 times at present.

Explaining why Vietnamese consumers are gradually preferring convenience stores and mini supermarkets to traditional markets, Gaurang Kotak, head of consumer behavior research at Nielsen Vietnam, said that residents in larger cities have less and less time to cope with traffic jams, workplace and home distances and the need to select the most convenient shopping locations.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!A group of Vietnamese information technology engineers are playing the leading role in projects at Samsungs Hanoi research and development center, the companys largest in Southeast Asia, while assisting their international counterparts.

A few years ago a team of young Vietnamese IT engineers at the South Korean technology giants Samsung Vietnam Mobile R&D Center in Hanoi was assigned to work on software localization, the process of tailoring given software to the language and culture of the target market.

They were later able to advance to the other end of the process, which is more challenging, and this involves creating software apps so that they can be variously localized by engineers in Samsungs other R&D centers worldwide.

Its a time when we unceasingly learned to prove that the ability and technical skills of Vietnamese people are as good as those of other countries around the world, said Vu Tien Dung, a 31-year-old member of the team.

The story began with him around two years ago, when he left his overseas job to return to Vietnam and was employed by Samsung to develop its Galaxy J1.

The J1 project, headed by Vietnamese staff members in Hanoi, is one of the first pieces of work to be led by Vietnamese people at the company.

In this undertaking, the Vietnamese engineers wrote programs and created new mobile phone features before sending their product to other development centers in the Samsung network.

Up to 80 percent of the projects work such as coding was done by Vietnamese employees. The outcomes exceeded our expectations, Dung said.

The same Vietnamese engineers were then given a crucial part in tasks of developing lines of mobile phones for global commercial use and the job became increasingly difficult, with the workload no less heavy than that for Samsungs experienced engineers in South Korea, India and New Zealand.

Employees are seen at Samsung Vietnam Mobile R&D Center in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Vietnamese trainers in Samsung global networks

Now the Vietnamese engineers level of expertise is on par with that of their international counterparts, and with superior experience and skillfulness, they have travelled abroad to assist the latter, Dung said.

A notable example is Pham Huu Duc, 27, who worked with IT engineers in South Korea and India for a long time.

He and 12 Vietnamese coworkers once arrived in South Korea to help Samsungs engineers there.

When it comes to using software to test a devices hardware, I can say with confidence that we lead the Southeast Asian region, Duc said.

Employees are seen at Samsung Vietnam Mobile R&D Center in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The Vietnamese engineers have latterly completed a 100-day project that testified to their collective talent: designing the software for Samsungs first line of triple-camera smartphones, which were launched international markets in September.

The task was demanding as the products had been vastly changed in hardware, which requires a corresponding a great reinvention in programming.

The engineers also helped the conglomerates R&D centers in India and Brazil so that the project could be carried out.

Shim Won Hwan, Samsung Vietnams general director, said the new smartphone generation the Vietnamese engineers had developed could completely alter the worlds perception of technological skills of Vietnamese engineers in general.

The country [of Vietnam] not only has Samsungs largest smartphone factories, but its expected to also receive the key R&D center amongst the companys worldwide facilities, he said.

A female engineer at Samsung Vietnam Mobile R&D Center in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Students of a middle school in a mountainous area in north-central Vietnam have shown their creativity in a friendly rock painting competition held to raise funds to help their unprivileged peers, who come from ethnic families.

In early November, after the weekly ceremony held on Monday morning, students of Luu Kien Ethnic Middle School in the rural district of Tuong Duong, Nghe An Province, gathered in the schoolyard to start painting on rocks.

The competition at first started only as a fun activity for students, but acting schoolmaster Nguyen Thi Nhung later decided to make use of the rock paintings for a fundraising purpose.

The contest is held in the schoolyard. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Having had a chance to interact with students, Nhung is aware of many unprivileged cases in the school, including poverty-stricken families and orphans living with elderly grandparents.

Hence, the teacher, along with her colleagues, started promoting the students rock paintings on social media to see if anyone was interested enough to purchase the artworks.

The money raised from selling the rock paintings enabled us to buy rice and instant noodles for families of 42 poor and orphaned students, Nhung said excitedly.

The fund raised through selling the decorated rocks is spent on rice and instant noodles for 42 unprivileged students of the school. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Even though the proceeds are not significant, the teachers actions attracted many benefactors to the region who helped the poor students.

According to the schoolmaster, the activity was inspired by decorated rocks promoted on social media.

The teachers of Luu Kien Middle School were fond of the idea of letting students get creative, especially when the school is located near a stream, where there are a number of rocks whose surface is smooth enough to paint on.

The students were first taken to the stream bank, where they were instructed by their teachers as to how to choose rocks suitable for their art purposes.

Students then handpicked their canvases carefully before washing them for use in the contest.

Students artwork. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Water colors and pens were provided by the school when the competition took place.

This is the first time students have worked with water colors, Nguyen Quoc Dung, the schools art teacher said, indicating that the event was special for the students in many ways.

Before this event, students only worked with pencils and crayons.

Nhung said teachers at Luu Kien always tell students that it only takes a rock or a coal for them to become artists.

We hope that drawing on rocks will give them more confidence to express their talent, she added.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Your browser does not support the audio element.

Vietnams Bao Ninh, who is known at home and abroad as the author of the admired war novel The Sorrow of War, has won the only prize of the 2018 Asia Literature Award.

The award was handed during a ceremony in South Korea on Friday last week, Ninh told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday.

Ninh, 66, was granted the award in recognition of his well-known novel The Sorrow of War, which tells a story of soldiers in the American war in Vietnam from the perspective of a soldier who is collecting bodies of his deceased fellows.

The novel, published in 1991, already earned the Vietnamese writer the 3rd Shim Hun Literary Prize that was also held in South Korea in 2016.

Ninh is also winner of the 2011 Asia Literature Award from the Nihon Keizai Shimbun in Japan and other honors.

The novelist told Tuoi Tre that he is happy with the latest award, adding that he was also pleased to see many other Vietnamese writers to be internationally recognized in recent times.

He was referring to poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, who got the South Koreas Changwon KC International Literary 2018, writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu with the Liberaturpreis 2018 in Germany, and Mai Van Phan with the Cikada award of Sweden in 2017.

The Sorrow of War won the Vietnam Writers Association Award in 1991.

Cover of Korean translation of The Sorrow of War

Since publication, the novel has been translated into many different languages and published in around 20 countries.

In South Korea, The Sorrow of War was first available a long time ago, but the book was at that time translated from English to Korean while originally the piece was written in Vietnamese.

It was not until 2012 that the novel was translated from Vietnamese to Korean by Ha Jae Hong, and published by Asia Publishing.

Asian Literature Award was conducted as a part of the 2018 Asian Literature Festival, which ran from November 6 to 9 in the southwest city of Gwangju. Twelve South Korean authors and 11 other from ten countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, and Mongolia, participated in the event.

This year marked the second edition for both the festival and award, which are held in order to encourage interaction and cooperation among Asian countries as well as promotion of cultures.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc left Hanoi for Singapore on Tuesday morning to attend the 33rd ASEAN Summit that is scheduled to commence on the afternoon of the same day.

PM Phuc and his spouse will participate in the summit and related high-level meetings from November 13 to 15 at the invitation of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

They are also accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung, and Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh, along with other senior officials.

The 33rd ASEAN Summit is the second summit in 2018 under the ASEAN Chairmanship of Singapore. Leaders of member nations will discuss ways to promote cooperation in economic matters, trade, and infrastructure at the summit themed Building a resilient and innovative ASEAN."

Focus will also be directed on strengthening connectivity to cope with the changes in the world economy, and to address other global challenges. The leaders will also discuss issues to contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world. ASEAN is short for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a political and economic organization whose members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!At least one person was injured when an Audi car that was reversing at high speed on a street in Hanoi plowed into oncoming traffic on Monday afternoon.

The accident involving the Audi Q5 occurred on Nguyen Khanh Toan Street in Cau Giay District at around 4:45 pm on Monday, according to footage from a dashboard camera.

The driver appeared to lose control of the vehicle as it zoomed across the street, crashing into two motorcyclists and climbing over the lane divider.

Once on the other side of the street, the car switched back to forward gear and rammed into a white Mercedes moving in the opposite direction.

Witnesses said they saw the Audi driver leaving the scene after causing the accidents.

Dashcam footage shows an Audi car reversing at high speed in Hanoi on November 12, 2018. Video: Truong Bao Hoang

At least one person was injured in the collisions as traffic became congested on the downtown road in the afternoon rush hour.

Police officers arrived at the scene soon after to bring the injured to hospital and conduct scene examination.

Mondays accidents came at a time when traffic safety in Vietnam is under scrutiny following several recent incidents involving vehicles making illegal and dangerous maneuvers.

Early this month, legal debate erupted in Vietnam over a six-year prison sentence imposed on a truck driver involved in a deadly collision with a car that was going in reverse on a high-speed expressway.

On Saturday, a video went viral on Vietnamese social media showing a tractor-trailer driving in the wrong direction, apparently after making an illegal U-turn, on an expressway in northern Vietnam.

An Audi car is damaged after causing multiple accidents while reversing in Hanoi on November 12, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A Mercedes car is damaged after being hit by a reversing Audi car in Hanoi on November 12, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Locals gather around the site of an accident in Hanoi on November 12, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Police officers examine the site of an accident in Hanoi on November 12, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Your browser does not support the audio element.

Recent rumors that an extremely venomous species of squid has been sighted along the beach on Phu Quoc Island off Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam are false, authorities say.

Last Wednesday, a Facebook account in Vietnam shared a photo of a squid with spotted skin to warn residents and visitors to Phu Quoc of the dangerous species. But the photo seems to display an octopus, rather than a squid.

You will die within 20 minutes of being bitten by this extremely dangerous squid, the photo caption reads.

If you consume this squid, even doctors cant save your life, it continues.

The photo went viral on social media, sparking fear among residents and tourists.

Mai Van Huynh, Party chief and chairman of Phu Quoc, has confirmed to the Vietnam News Agency that the rumors are false and that there is no such venomous squid in Phu Quoc.

Phu Quoc authorities have tried to identify the creator of the fake photo but their efforts have been in vain, Huynh said.

Some local news sites have reported the false information without fact-checking, which hurts tourism on the famous resort island, he added.

The administration of Phu Quoc has requested support from provincial authorities in Kien Giang to rebut the ill-intentioned rumors and bring those behind them to light.

Phu Quoc, located in the Gulf of Thailand, is Vietnams largest island that welcomes around 2.5 million visitors yearly.

From March 2014, Vietnam has waived visas for all foreign visitors to Phu Quoc for a period of up to 30 days.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Check out todays leading news stories:

Politics

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse will lead a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to attend the 33rd Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and related meetings in Singapore on Tuesday afternoon.

Society

-- A container truck was traveling along National Highway 32 in Hanoi on Monday morning when it suddenly tilted sideway, killing a woman and her child who were on a motorcycle.

-- Police in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang confirmed on Monday they had arrested an 18-year-old boy for sexually abusing two young girls, a six-year-old and an eight-year-old, from July 2017 to September 2018.

-- A blast occurred in front of a coffee shop on Dang Tien Dong Street in Dong Da District, Hanoi on Monday morning, causing two people to be severely burned.

-- A road project worth about VND52 billion (US$2.22 million) in the north-central province of Ha Tinh has been left incomplete over the past four years.

-- A total of 19 wooden houses have been caught being built illegally within the Tuyen Lam Lake national tourism site in Da Lat, a resort town in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

-- An Audi Q5 SUV was backing at high speed across a street in Cau Giay District, Hanoi on Monday afternoon when it crashed into two motorbikes, damaging the vehicles and injuring at least one person.

Business

-- The Department of Planning and Investment in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum announced on Monday that nearly 100 projects worth more than VND18 trillion ($770.4 million) have been initiated in the locality since the beginning of 2018.

-- More than one million Vinh oranges, originating from the namesake city in the north-central province of Nghe An, were given a barcode stamp so that consumers can identify authentic products via their smartphone app. This is the second year that Nghe An authorities carry out the program to ensure the authenticity and quality of their signature fruits.

-- Vietnamese government on Monday issued an aviation license to new carrier Bamboo Airways, Vietnams fifth airline.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!One person was killed while many others were injured after a seven-seater car slammed into multiple motorbikes on a street in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, on Tuesday.

The accident happened at around 6:00 pm on Nguyen Huu Tho Street.

The car, whose driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, first hit a couple on a motorbike, before plowing into three other motorcyles, according to eyewitnesses.

Le Tuan Thong, 45, one of the victims, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper he was carrying his wife on their motorbike, heading from Kenh Te Bridge to Nguyen Van Linh, when the seven-seater car crashed them from behind, throwing both of them to the street.

The vehicle continued to mount the sidewalk and only came to a complete halt when it plunged into a nearby dry canal.

An unidentified man died on the spot after the accident, whereas some four others were severely injured.

Police had to block part of Nguyen Huu Tho Street and are investigating the cause of the accident.

The car is seen after the accident. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Fans of The Block should tune into an upcoming documentary on ABC, Gatwick: The Last Chance Hotel.

Filmed over 4 years this profiles former owners Rose Banks and Yvette Kelly and the accommodation they ran for Melbournes disenfranchised.

The Gatwick has been described by some as a flophouse, a hell hole even, and by others as providing an essential service for the disadvantaged.

Shot over four years, Gatwick  The Last Chance Hotel chronicles the final years of the Gatwick Private Hotel, a boarding house that over the years became a local, and then national icon and reveals the intimate stories and the fascinating characters you never knew about  and the women who dedicated their lives to looking after them.

Rose Banks and Yvette Kelly offered their tenants much more than a roof over their heads, and Gatwick  The Last Chance Hotel is as much a loving tribute to the sisters as it is a contemplation of dignity and the challenges faced by the underprivileged, including the basic need for shelter.

Clouded by various myths perpetuated in the media, this film tells the true story of Rose Banks and Yvette Kelly, twin sisters who worked at the hotel from the age of 14 until they sold the property in 2017.

Halfway home to a few; home to many, in this intimate documentary, we observe a rag tag menagerie of characters who either live in; frequent; or work at the Gatwick, under the watchful and caring eyes of twin sisters known locally as The Saints of St Kilda.

Creator/Producer Jason Byrne; Co-Producer Julian V. Costanzo; Editor Sara Edwards.

9:20pm Tuesday November 27 on ABC.Pessimistic: Sergio Ermotti the CEO of Swiss banking giant UBS. Photo: MICHELE LIMINA/AFP/Getty Images.

The CEO of UBS said he believes that trade tensions between the US and China are likely to escalate in the short-term.

Although in the last few days we have signs that there is an increased willingness to resolve the outstanding tensions, my own view is things are likely to go worse before they get better, Sergio Ermotti said at UBS European conference in London on Tuesday.

Earlier this year, US president Donald Trump hit some Chinese imports with tariffs, beginning a tit-for-tat trade war between the two countries. The US currently has 10% levies on $200bn-worth of Chinese goods and has threatened to slap all imports  worth over $500bn  with a similar tariff. China has imposed similar tariffs on US goods.

Trump and Chinese premier Xi Jinping are due to meet at the G20 summit in Argentina later this month and there are hopes that the two sides could bury the hatchet. However, Ermotti was not optimistic.

The issue that has most affected sentiment over the last few months are clearly the trade tensions between China and the US, the UBS CEO told the audience on Tuesday.

Im convinced that in the long run free trade is a stronger force for good than protectionism but clearly the ongoing uncertainties and measures taken have already had an impact on future growth prospects.

However, Ermotti was more optimistic about Asian and global growth prospects over the longer term. He said: At the end, this will not take away the long-term secular trends that support China economic development, urbanisation, and wealth creation.

Asia and China are a growth story for the next decade but almost certainly it will not be a straight line like we saw in the last decade.



* To review ownership of tower business

* To reduce operating costs further

* Narrows full-year guidance

* Dividend maintained, underpinned by increased free cash target (Adds CFO quote)

By Paul Sandle

LONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Vodafone's new chief executive said he would cut costs and seek to maximise the value of its masts and towers to drive higher returns at the world's second largest mobile operator after taking charge last month.

Replacing Vittorio Colao at the top of the British company after the Italian ran the group for 10 years, former finance director Nick Read also said he would freeze the dividend until its large debt pile fell.

"My new strategic priorities focus on ... radically simplifying our operating model and generating better returns from our infrastructure assets," Read said on Tuesday.

The market reaction was positive, with Vodafone's battered shares trading 9 percent higher at 1055 GMT.

Read outlined his strategy as Vodafone reported a slowdown in second-quarter organic revenue growth to 0.5 percent from 1.1 percent in the previous three months, laying bare the struggle it faces to turn ever increasing demands for data into a stronger top line.

The group managed to wring out cost cuts, however, to grow organic adjusted core earnings by 2.9 percent to 7.08 billion euros ($7.96 billion) for the six months to the end of September, in line with market forecasts.

Vodafone narrowed its full-year profit growth target to 3 percent from 1-5 percent. That enabled it to lift its free cashflow before spectrum forecast to around 5.4 billion euros from 5.2 billion euros, calming investor fears that it would have to cut its dividend.

The stock has fallen 39 percent since the beginning of the year as investors fret about the cost of acquiring Liberty Global's cable assets in Germany and some other eastern European markets, the outlay on new spectrum for 5G services and tougher conditions in some European markets.

Analysts at Bernstein said the results were "expectedly wretched", but the full-year earnings guidance, the upgrade to free cashflow and the commitment to the dividend were "all positive and good news for investors in this beleaguered name".

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VIRTUAL TOWERS

Read said he had taken decisive action to respond to challenging conditions in Italy and Spain, and would reduce Vodafone's costs for the third year running.

As part of a move to drive better returns from investments and to share capital assets where possible, it would create a "virtual tower" company to manage the 58,000 towers it controls across Europe, with a dedicated management team.

The group is also conducting due diligence on how best to take ownership of all its towers, including those held in joint ventures.

Analysts have suggested the group could partner with a tower group operator to bring extra cash into the business.

"We are looking at a wide range of options at this stage," finance director Margherita Della Valle told reporters. "There are no sacred cows in terms of looking at the range of options.

"It will take a few months to actually come to a conclusion."

Read told reporters, however, that Vodafone did recognise the importance of keeping strategic control of its towers.

"The towers is the first example of us taking a different approach of how we can drive better utilisation of our assets to drive better returns to shareholders," he said.

Read's predecessor announced his departure in May a week after Vodafone agreed to buy Liberty Global (Frankfurt: A1W0FL - news) 's assets in Germany and eastern Europe for $21.8 billion, enabling it to offer more superfast fixed-line broadband and cable-TV.

Colao also agreed to merge Vodafone's operations in India with Idea Cellular (BSE: 532822.BO - news) , a deal that closed in August, leaving it largely focused on Europe and emerging markets in the Middle East and Africa. ($1 = 0.8899 euros)

(Editing by Kate Holton/Keith Weir)As an all-knowing digital assistant, Amazons Alexa seems able to do almost anythingfrom playing music to offering medical advice.

A judge has ordered Amazon to hand over audio recordings captured by an Echo device in a gruesome murder case where two women died.

The Echo was in a house where two women were found under the porch with multiple stab wounds in January 2017.

Prosecutors believe it may have recorded the stabbing of one of the victims in the kitchen, and the events afterwards.

A judge has ordered Amazon to hand over data from the device  although Amazon has said it will not hand over the data without a proper legal demand.

MORE: Couple who named baby after Hitler convicted of neo-Nazi terror group charges

MORE: Briton dies from rabies while in Morocco after being bitten by cat

Timothy Verrill of Dover, New Hampshire, who is accused of the two womens murder, has pleaded not guilty and will stand trial in 2019.

Echo devices only wake up when they hear the word Alexa, but can record other snippets of audio while waiting for a command  although its not sent to Amazon.

Amazon said it would not surrender the data without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us.

The company said, Amazon objects to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course.

Echo data has previously been used in a murder case, but only after the defendant consented.

Earlier this year, a 90-year-old American man was charged with the murder of his step-daughter, 67  after police looked at data from the womans Fitbit.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers a speech at the Paris Peace Forum after the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of the First World War, in Paris, France November 11, 2018. Yoan Valat/Pool via REUTERS

Thomson Reuters

PARIS (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday he had discussed U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs with President Donald Trump over the weekend and that he hoped to reach a resolution on the matter by the G20 summit in Argentina.

"I absolutely brought up the issue of steel and aluminum tariffs," Trudeau told a news conference in Paris on Monday.

Trump and Trudeau spoke to one another on the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum.

The leaders' summit takes place on Nov 30 and Dec 1.

(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Richard Lough)

See Also:Autistic people are not uncaring or cruel but are simply confused by other people: Emmanuel Fradin for Spectrum

Two long-standing psychological theories  the empathising-systemising theory of sex differences and the extreme male brain theory of autism  have been confirmed by our new study, the largest of its kind to date. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used data on almost 700,000 people in the UK to test the theories.

The first theory, known as the empathising-systemising theory of typical sex differences, posits that, on average, females will score higher on tests of empathy than males, and that, on average, males will score higher on tests of systemising than females.

Empathy is the drive to recognise another persons state of mind and to respond to another persons state of mind with an appropriate emotion. Systemising is the drive to analyse or build a system where a system is defined as anything that follows rules or patterns.

The second theory, known as the extreme male brain theory of autism, extends the empathising-systemising theory. It posits that autistic people will, on average, show a shift towards masculinised scores on measures of empathy and systemising. In other words, they will score below average on empathy tests, but score at least average, or even above average, on systemising tests.

The data on the almost 700,000 people in our study (including over 36,000 autistic people) came from an online survey carried out for the Channel 4 documentary, Are you autistic? Our analysis of this data robustly confirmed the predictions of these two theories.

D scores

A more subtle prediction from these theories concerned what we called d scores. These are the difference between each persons score on the systemising and empathy tests. A high d score means a persons systemising is higher than their empathy. And a low d score means their empathy is higher than their systemising.

We found typical males had a shift towards a high d score while typical females had a shift towards a low d score. And autistic people, regardless of their sex, had a shift towards an even higher d score than typical males.

Story continues

We also found that those working in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) had, on average, higher systemising and autistic traits scores than those in non-STEM occupations, who had higher empathy scores.

These results from the largest ever study of autism or of sex differences ever conducted, strongly support these two long-standing psychological theories. But results like these are easily prone to misinterpretation and we want to address them head on.

Beware of misinterpretations

The first misinterpretation is that the results mean that autistic people lack empathy, but this isnt the case. Empathy has two major parts: cognitive empathy (being able to recognise what someone else is thinking or feeling) and affective empathy (having an appropriate emotional response to what someone else is thinking or feeling).

The evidence suggests that it is only the first aspect of empathy  also known as theory of mind  that autistic people on average struggle with. As a result, autistic people are not uncaring or cruel but are simply confused by other people. They dont tend to hurt others, rather they avoid others.

They may miss the cues in someones facial expression or vocal intonation about how that person is feeling. Or they may have trouble putting themselves in someone elses shoes, to imagine their thoughts. But when they are told that someone else is suffering, it upsets them and they are moved to want to help that person.

So autistic people do not lack empathy.

The second misinterpretation is that autistic people are hyper-male. Again, this is not the case. While our latest study shows that autistic people, on average, have a shift towards a masculinised profile of scores on empathy and systemising tests, they are not extreme males in terms of other typical sex differences. For example, they are not extremely aggressive, but tend to be gentle individuals.

So autistic people are not hyper-male in general.

Finding robust sex differences on average in over 600,000 people in the general population is important because it shows that factors linked to being male or female shape brain development. It doesnt mean that all males show one profile or all females show another, as individuals may be typical or atypical for their sex.

Similarly, there is large variation within autism, so this does not mean that all autistic people have difficulty with cognitive empathy. These findings are only valid at a group level, and interpreting it at an individual level is incorrect.

The causal factors influencing psychological sex differences are likely to include social experience and learning, but also include prenatal biology. For example, prenatal sex hormones like testosterone have been linked to empathy and systemising, and genetic factors have also been linked to scores on empathy.

And finding that autistic people show an extreme male profile on tests of empathy and systemising may also help explain why more males are diagnosed with autism  about two or three males for every one female. Autistic females have been overlooked historically and clinics are now more aware of this, but this new data suggests that the causes of autism may also include factors linked to sex differences.

Simon Baron-Cohen is a professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge. This article was written in conjunction with Carrie Alison, director of autism screening research at the University of Cambridge; David M Greenberg, a psychologist at the University of Cambridge; and Varun Warrier, a doctoral scientist also at the university. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com)Libya's key political players including strongman Khalifa Haftar met with global leaders in Italy on Monday in the latest bid by major powers to kickstart a long-stalled political process and trigger elections.

A summit in Paris in May had seen the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and eastern Libya commander Haftar agree to hold national polls on December 10, but that date has fallen by the wayside.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte welcomed Haftar in the Sicilian capital Palermo after days of doubts over his crucial presence. Haftar said he would not take part in the conference itself, but flew to the city for meetings on its sidelines.

The GNA's Fayez al-Serraj, who is based in the west and has limited authority, arrived earlier on Monday.

The Palermo conference is widely viewed as Italys bid to seize back the Libya initiative from France as the December election deadline looks increasingly unlikely.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa however, Prime Minister Conte stressed that Paris and Rome shared the same viewpoint and objectives over the Libyan crisis.

Spike in violence

Acknowledging the chaotic political situation since dictator Muammar Gaddafi was deposed in 2011, the UN on Thursday conceded elections will not be viable before at least the spring of 2019.

In an interview with Reuters before the start of the Palermo conference, UN Special Envoy Ghassan Salame said a spike in the violence had forced a postponement of the election date.

Salame said the vote would be held between late March and late June, but that the format of the poll would depend on what was decided at the national conference scheduled for early 2019.

"We want to ask at the national conference what type of election do you want, parliamentary or presidential, and what kind of law," he said.

Another major problem, according to investigative journalist Roumana Ougartchinska, was resolving the issue of the militias. There is the crucial question of the militias. They are the rulers in Tripoli, they are the rulers of the institutions, explained Ougartchinska. So, its very important to solve the problem of these militias and to ensure that the country will have real institutions for security  a unified army and also a state police.

Story continues

Haftar steals spotlight

The run up to the conference was dominated by speculation over whether Haftar would attend. Rome on Sunday denied a Haftar official's statement that Italy's Conte had paid a lightning visit to his Benghazi headquarters amid reports he might stay away.

A source close to the Italian government could not confirm if the two had been in telephone contact as Italian officials scrambled to secure the attendance of the powerful commander who controls vast swathes of eastern Libya.

Haftar did not join a dinner with the Libyan, Western and Arab officials attending the summit. He arrived well after the other Libyan participants and after a quick chat with Conte via a translator in front of TV cameramen left the luxury hotel venue.

"Haftar already succeeding in making the Palermo Conference about the importance of his role in any potential agreement in Libya going forward and reinforcing his position as the key actor in the Libyan crisis," said Mohamed ElJarh, CEO of research and consulting firm Libya Outlook.

Analysts say the Sicily summit risks being compromised not only by tensions between Libyan factions, but also the competing agendas of foreign powers.

Just as in May, the key Libyan invitees are Haftar, Sarraj, the eastern parliament's speaker Aguila Salah and Khaled al-Mechri, speaker of a Tripoli-based upper chamber.

Sarraj, in an interview with AFP, urged the international community on Thursday to find a "common vision" for the future of his chaos-hit North African nation.

The GNA says it will use the Palermo talks to lobby for security reforms that unify the army, a constitutionally rooted electoral process, economic reform and an end to "parallel institutions".

A fundamental step'

The US, Arab countries and European nations will all send representatives to the Tuesday talks, after a dinner set for Monday.

For Rome's populist government, a top priority is stemming the flow of migrants who exploit Libya's security vacuum in their quest to reach European shores, often via Italy.

"The Palermo conference is a fundamental step in the goal of stabilising Libya and for the security of the entire Mediterranean", Conte said last week.

Diplomatic wrangling

Despite statements of their shared goals in Libya, diplomatic wrangling between Italy and France hangs over next week's summit.

In September, Italy's defence minister and parliamentary speaker both partly blamed France for Libya's security crisis, which continues to simmer some seven years after the NATO-backed uprising toppled Gaddafi.

The Italian swipes came as Tripoli was plagued by militia clashes that killed at least 117 people and wounded more than 400 between late August and late September.

According to diplomats and analysts, Russia, France, Egypt and the UAE support Haftar, while Turkey and Qatar have thrown their weight behind rivals to the eastern strongman, especially Islamist groups.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)The Home Office will provide an extra 150,000 for the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, say Sky sources.

Funding for the investigation - dubbed Operation Grange - ran out at the end of September, prompting London's Metropolitan Police to apply for resources to extend it until March 2019.

"We have confirmed that Special Grant funding of 150,000 will be provided to the Metropolitan Police Service for the six-month period to 31 March 2019," a Home Office spokesperson said.

Police bosses have been applying for money to continue inquiries every six months, and the Home Office says it "maintains an ongoing dialogue with the MPS" over funding.

The investigation has cost 11.75m so far.

Madeleine was three when she disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal while her parents dined with friends in May 2007.

In 2013, with the Portuguese police appearing to have made little progress, the Met began its own investigation with Operation Grange.

The investigation has explored numerous theories about her disappearance, including that Madeleine was abducted, wandered away from her room alone, or died in the apartment.

Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, have been vocal public advocates in the search for their daughter, using social media and television appearances to plead for support in their mission to find the missing girl.

In May, they marked the 11th anniversary of their daughter's disappearance with a post on Facebook and the Find Madeleine website, thanking supporters for their "persisting solidarity".

"Life is full and busy which helps but Madeleine is still missing and she is still dearly missed," they wrote.

"Information continues to come in (incredible as it may seem after so long, although we are grateful for that) and work goes on. Perseverance and hope remain."

Police last received additional funding for the operation in March, when they were given 150,000 set to last until September.

The money comes from special grant funding which is available to police forces when they face exceptional costs.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said he would travel to the border with Mexico on Wednesday following the deployment of thousands of troops to bolster President Donald Trump's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.

"I'll visit the border tomorrow," Mattis said before the start of a meeting with his Qatari counterpart.

It will be Mattis' first visit to the border since the military announced that over 7,000 U.S. troops would go to or near the border with Mexico as a caravan of Central American migrants slowly heads to the United States.

Mattis said he would provide the cost of operation "as they become known."

In a statement, the Pentagon said Mattis would travel to Texas to "meet with service members currently deployed in support of the Southwest border mission."

Hundreds of Central American migrants resumed their march north through Mexico on Saturday, en route to the U.S. border where Trump has effectively suspended the granting of asylum to migrants who cross illegally.

Trump's Friday order means that migrants will have to present themselves at U.S. ports of entry to qualify for asylum and follow other rules unveiled on Thursday that seek to limit asylum claims.

Some of the migrants were set to arrive at the border city of Tijuana, while others later in the week to Reynosa and other border towns, according to migrant shelters.

Asked whether there was any change in mission since some of the migrants are set to arrive near Tijuana, Mattis said there had been no changes but did not rule out future alterations.

"We meet daily on this issue and coordinate amongst us. The first thing that's briefed is what is the threat against the border," he said.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Susan Thomas)Legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Scotland to 12 has been approved in principle at Holyrood, despite some MSPs calling on ministers to go further.

Scotland has one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility in the world at eight years old.

The Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill unanimously passed its first stage at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.

But Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton complained progress in increasing the age has been made at a snails pace

The Scottish Lib Dems have called for the age to be raised further to 16, which is the case in countries such as Portugal, Lithuania and Luxembourg.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: I dont think its unreasonable to suggest that this government arguably lied to the United Nations.

The UN set a floor of 12 as the minimum age of criminal responsibility to be adopted no later than 2007 and for countries to work upwards from that point.

Three parliaments have sat and risen from this chamber since that international starting gun was fired  only now has this government finally brought our country to the races.

.@agcolehamilton tells @ScotParl that he will seek to amend the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill going forward to raise the minimum age and better protect the human rights of children & young people in Scotland. #CriminalResponsibility #YouthJustice pic.twitter.com/ylTdfm5At3  Includem (@Includem2000) November 13, 2018

He said while the Lib Dems backed the Bill it was with a sense of disappointment, adding: This is not a radical Bill, this is not even a progressive Bill.

Story continues

The Liberal Democrat MSP spoke out after Childrens Minister Maree Todd stressed it was important to reflect on how far weve come, not least in understanding how best to prevent and address harm in childrens lives.

She said: We should be very honest with ourselves as parliamentarians  only a few years ago, we wouldnt be here with a consensus right across this chamber that the age of criminal responsibility should be raised.

Now our discussions are about what age to raise criminal responsibility to and on what safeguards and other issues need to be addressed. That is a significant and welcome shift.

Scottish Conservative MSP Oliver Mundell urged the Scottish Government to progress with caution and not be swayed to raise the age beyond the internationally recommended 12.

Childrens Minister Maree Todd (Andrew Milligan/PA)

He said: In many senses, this Bill is simply an attempt to tidy up our legal system and reflects the fact that a significant change was made in policy some time ago.

It is of course tempting to look at other European nations and to try to consider ourselves behind when it comes to this legislation but I think that is a false conclusion to draw.

Its about looking at childrens rights and the way our legal system operates in the round, and thats how we best identify the positive steps that can be taken.

We are on a journey and part of that journey is about making progress and moving at a pace that allows everyone to sign up and support initiatives.

Meanwhile, Labours Daniel Johnson said it was important Scotland complied with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Child and that we seek to prevent our most vulnerable children and young people from being exposed to the harmful effects of the criminal justice system.

He added: This is an area of law that needs to remain under constant review to make sure that the childrens justice system is doing what it was set up to do.He had hoped to attend a court hearing at the European Court for Human Rights.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been stopped at the border and barred from leaving Russia as he was about to travel to a court hearing at the European Court for Human Rights in France.

Mr Navalny said in a blog post on Tuesday that he was due to attend a hearing at the ECHR which is expected to rule if his countless detentions have been politically motivated.

He was stopped by border guards and told that a ruling by court bailiffs has barred him from leaving Russia.

The hearing in Strasbourg could prove a major embarrassment for the Kremlin which routinely dismisses Mr Navalny, arguably Russias most popular opposition figure, as a trouble-maker with no political backing.

The ECHR will soon announce its ruling on whether or not my numerous detentions were politically motivated. Apparently, Putin's regime thinks than not letting me fly to Strasbourg to hear this ruling will change anything https://t.co/tKAdzI4D6E  Alexey Navalny (@navalny) November 13, 2018

Mr Navalnys lawyer Ivan Zhdanov on Tuesday posted a picture of the ruling which barred him from travelling.

It was undated and lacked any details.

Mr Navalny has faced numerous criminal charges in the past that are widely viewed as attempts by the Kremlin to sideline him.

Two separate criminal cases have prevented Mr Navalny from travelling in the past but the ban was lifted in spring last year when he had to leave to Spain for urgent medical treatment.

Mr Navalny, who rose to prominence thanks to his investigations into official corruption, spearheaded major anti-government protests which have attracted Russians from across the political spectrum.Allyn Pierce drove through the wildfires to help his patients (Gofundme)

A campaign is raising money for a heroic nurse who drove through the heart of the California wildfires to evacuate hospital patients from the deadly blaze.

Allyn Pierce manages the Intensive Care Unit at the Feather River hospital in Paradise, the town devastated by the fires that have killed at least 44 people.

Allyn, whose home was destroyed in the wildfires, drove his truck along burning roads to ferry patients to safety.

Along with his colleagues, the nurse also set up a makeshift treatment centre in the grounds of the hospital. They broke into the hospital to retrieve equipment and treated around 25 people.

Hospital beds and other equipment sit in the parking lot outside the Feather River Hospital. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Patients are evacuated from the hospital in Paradise, California (AP Images)

Sharing the campaign to raise funds for his family on Facebook, he wrote: I struggled posting this, but with my house gone and my hospital I dont know where my job sits. Im gonna swallow my pride and post this GoFundMe that a kind person in Chico set up for us.

He added: We will be fine, it will all work out, because if has to.

Shocking pictures of Allyns burned truck were widely shared on social media as the story of his heroism emerged.

Here's the crazy story of just one of the many heroes in Paradise, the town destroyed by California's deadliest fire ever. His name is Allyn Pierce, and he's the badass nurse who drove this truck through the flames. pic.twitter.com/xAL7zRf34H  Jack Nicas (@jacknicas) November 13, 2018

Images show the melted plastic and crumpled metal of the vehicle, as well as the view of the flames from inside the truck.

The damage was done as Allyn initially drove to try and escape the fire, before turning back and returning to the hospital.

A campaign is raising money for Allyn and his family

The wildfire in Northern California is now the deadliest in the states history.

Authorities reported 13 more fatalities this morning as the search for bodies continued with hundreds of people still unaccounted for.

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Victims were found in burned-out cars, in the smouldering ruins of their homes, or next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could escape.

In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them.

Paradise was a popular retirement community, and about a quarter of the population was over 65.Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud meets with British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, in Riyadh Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud meets with British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia November 12, 2018. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS

RIYADH (Reuters) - Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt met Saudi Arabia's King Salman in Riyadh on Monday on a visit to press for an end to the war in Yemen and for Saudi leaders to cooperate with an investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Hunt is due to meet later with the kingdom's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a main proponent of the Saudi military intervention in Yemen.

The visit comes as Riyadh, already under scrutiny for civilian deaths in Yemen air strikes, is facing global criticism and potential sanctions over Khashoggi's killing inside its Istanbul consulate on Oct. 2.

"The human cost of war in Yemen is incalculable: with millions displaced, famine and disease rife and years of bloodshed, the only solution is now a political decision to set aside arms and pursue peace," Hunt said in a statement ahead of the trip.

"So today I am travelling to the Gulf to demand that all sides commit to this process."

Britain is major arms supplier to Saudi Arabia and opposition politicians and human rights groups have called on the government to cease such sales due to the high civilian death toll in air raids by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

The government has said the arms sales earn Britain billions of pounds and guarantee jobs in the industry, and its response to the Khashoggi killing must bear this in mind.

After arriving, Hunt discussed bilateral relations and regional events with King Salman in a meeting attended by Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Britain's ambassadors to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, state news agency SPA reported.

The foreign ministry said he would also meet Crown Prince Mohammed, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen and Foreign Minister Khaled Al Yamani.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says Khashoggi's murder was ordered at the highest levels of the Saudi government. After initial denials, Saudi officials acknowledged it was planned in advance but said Crown Prince Mohammed had no knowledge of the specific operation.

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The killing has provoked little concrete action by world powers against Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and a supporter of Washington's plans to contain Iranian influence across the Middle East.

Britain has called for a "credible" investigation and has pushed for new action at the United Nations Security Council to try to end hostilities in Yemen and find a political solution to the war there.

Hunt, the first British minister to visit Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi's murder, will also call on the authorities to do more to provide accountability for his family.

"The international community remain united in horror and outrage at the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi one month ago. It is clearly unacceptable that the full circumstances behind his murder still remain unclear," he said.

"We encourage the Saudi authorities to cooperate fully with the Turkish investigation into his death, so that we deliver justice for his family and the watching world."

Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey had given recordings related to the killing to countries including Britain.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper in London and Stephen Kalin in Riyadh; Editing by Angus MacSwan)South Korea has airlifted 200 tonnes of tangerines to North Korea in return for a gift of pine mushrooms, officials have said.

Military planes flew to North Korea capital Pyongyang from the southern island of Jeju on Sunday and Monday, according to Seoul's defence ministry.

The exchange is another sign that South Korean president Moon Jae-in remains committed to the recent warming of relations with North Korea.

Following a summit in September, North Korea gave two tonnes of pine mushrooms to its neighbour as a goodwill gesture.

Pine mushrooms are white and brown fungi considered a healthy delicacy in both Koreas and other Asian countries.

They are one of the North's most-prized products - and the country sent them to South Korea in 2000 and 2007 after previous summits.

Mr Moon is only the third South Korean leader to visit Pyongyang for a meeting between the two countries since the end of the Second World War.

After September's meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also gave Mr Moon two white Pungsans - a breed of North Korean hunting dog.

That was a repeat of a gesture in 2000, when Kim Jong Il gave South Korea's Kim Dae Jung two Pungsans to mark a summit.

On Monday, Mr Moon tweeted that one of the dogs, named Gomi, had just given birth to six puppies.

He said: "Six dogs were added to a gift of two dogs. I cannot help saying it's a big fortune and I hope that South-North ties will be like this."

Pungsans are known for their loyalty and bravery during hunting.

After it sent the Pungsans to the South, the North received two indigenous Jindo dogs in return.

Despite improving relations between the Koreas, there have been no recent breakthroughs in US-led diplomacy aimed at stripping the North of its nuclear programme.

It recently postponed high-level talks with the US on the North's disarmament and on setting up a second summit between President Donald Trump and Mr Kim, according to officials in Seoul and Washington.

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The North said it was willing to deal away its growing nuclear weapons arsenal during talks with the US and the South earlier this year.

It has since taken measures such as dismantling its nuclear test site and parts of its rocket-engine testing facility.

However, US officials want it to take more significant, irreversible steps toward denuclearisation.

Mr Moon is hopeful that better ties between the Koreas will improve the nuclear issue, and has met Mr Kim three times this year.Terry Sargeant said the handling of Brexit had been a complete shambles.

The UK boss of one of Germanys largest industrial firms has slammed the Conservative party for putting its own interests ahead of business in its Brexit approach.

Terry Sargeant, chairman and chief executive of Thyssenkrupp in the UK, described the handling of Brexit a complete shambles in an interview with The Guardian.

They have failed business, he said.

The Tory party arent making decisions for business, they are making decisions to prevent an implosion in their own party.

Mr Sargeant, who is a lifelong Conservative voter, said he would never vote for the party again as a result of its handling of Brexit.

He said he thought there was a faction of the party that just dont care about business.

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson caused outrage in the business community when reports emerged that he had said f**k business when questioned by diplomats over Brexit.

Mr Sargeant also warned that the outlook for businesses operating in the UK was negative, with the working man likely to be hit hardest.

The impact of Brexit for multinationals is disruptive, and could lead to loss of business in Britain, he said.

He added: We (as businesses) will make decisions based on ease of trade and attractiveness of the market environment.

If you make a market more difficult than it is at the moment, then what is the attraction to the investor?

I do not see how we can continue doing business where supply chains are so interlinked with being part of the customs union.

Thyssenkrupp signed a joint venture with Tata Steel earlier this year in a move which was praised by unions for its commitment to preserving jobs.

Tata employs 8,500 UK workers, including 6,250 in Wales.

Thyssenkrupp is also the main supplier of steel to Airbus and Boeing.Tommy Robinson arrives at the Old Bailey last month (Picture: PA)

Tommy Robinson has been denied a visa to the US where he planned to embark on a speaking tour.

The English Defence League co-founder was due to meet Republican politicians in Washington this week at the invitation of the Middle East Forum.

But Daniel Pipes, president of the conservative Philadelphia-based organisation, said Robinson had not been granted a visa in time for the meeting, Reuters reported.

He said Robinson recently applied for a visa at the US Embassy in London but realised it will take a while for him to be allowed into the country.

But Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, categorically denied his visa application had been rejected.

He told the Press Association the reports were fake news.

MORE: Couple who named baby after Hitler convicted of neo-Nazi terror group charges

MORE: Briton dies from rabies while in Morocco after being bitten by cat

Robinson is currently barred from the US after attempting to enter the country using a friends passport in 2012, having been blocked from travelling under standard arrangements because of multiple criminal convictions, including several for violent conduct and assault as well as mortgage fraud.

He gained a high profile in the US after right-wing websites took up his cause when he was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court. The sentence was later quashed and the case has been referred to the Attorney General.

On Sunday, the Middle East Forum wrote on its website that Robinson will speak at the event via video link, but did not say whether this was due to his visa not being approved.

The US Embassy in London said it could not comment on individual visa application due to privacy.

Robinson has not been able to secure a visa to travel to the US (Picture: PA)

Travellers with criminal convictions applying to enter the US have to go through an adjudication process and could have their visa denied.

Robinsons planned tour of the US sparked more than 50 cross-party MPs to write to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging him not to permit Robinson to enter America for a fundraising tour.

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The MPs asked Mr Pompeo to issue an assurance the US will not grant a waiver to allow Mr Robinson to accept invitations to speak in Washington DC on November 14.

Last week, Paypal told the former EDL leader it would no longer process payments on his behalf.

Joe Mulhall, senior researcher at ant-fascism group HOPE not hate, which has campaigned against Robinson, said: Getting into the US would have meant a huge media boost, and a fundraising payday in the range of 1million. Stephen Lennon being blocked from going to the US is good news for communities here and in the States.

Matthew McGregor, head of campaigns at HOPE not hate, said: This news is a blow to Stephen Lennons campaign of division and disruption, and its thanks to the activism of thousands of people who signed our petition, wrote to the US government, tweeted and donated.

Its also thanks to the MPs who ramped up the pressure on the Trump administration. Lennon will try again to make it to the States, but well be ready to go again when he does.By Letitia Stein and Susan Heavey

TAMPA, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday urged Florida election officials to end a recount and declare his fellow Republicans the winners of disputed races in last week's elections, while Democrats picked up a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona.

U.S. Representative Kyrsten Sinema declared victory and Republican opponent Martha McSally conceded after multiple media outlets called the closely contested Arizona race for the Democrat. Sinema will succeed Republican Senator Jeff Flake, a frequent Trump critic, who did not seek-election.

The results will not affect Republican control of the 100-member Senate. Republicans have won at least 51 seats and Democrats 47 in the elections, with results in Florida and Mississippi still outstanding.

In Florida, leads by the Republican candidates in the races for a U.S. Senate seat and the governor's office shrank as more ballots were tallied following last Tuesday's elections. State law mandates recounts in elections where the margin of victory is within 0.5 percentage point.

As Florida officials scrambled to review more than 8 million ballots by Thursday, Trump, without providing evidence, cast doubt on the recount process.

Trump called for an end to the recount even though state rules allow election officials to wait 10 days for absentee ballots submitted by registered voters living outside the United States, including active-duty military personnel.

A machine recount began over the weekend in the race between outgoing Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott and Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, with another recount under way for the Florida gubernatorial race between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum.

Republicans are eager to cement victories in a key battleground state after maintaining their control of the U.S. Senate in last week's congressional midterm elections, while Democrats are eyeing another possible state governorship win. Each party accused the other of trying to subvert democracy.

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Scott on Sunday asked a Broward County judge to issue an emergency injunction calling for law enforcement to seize all voting machines, tallying devices and ballots when they are not being used until the end of the recount and any related litigation.

'RAMP DOWN THE RHETORIC'

Broward County Circuit Judge Jack Tuter, who on Monday rejected Scott's request for the emergency injunction, urged both sides to be restrained in their public statements as the state faces a repeat of its dramatic role in the 2000 U.S. presidential vote recount.

"I am urging because of the highly public nature of this case to ramp down the rhetoric," Tuter said. "Wait until these counts are over and there'll be time to litigate."

Trump repeated his complaints over the Florida races in a Twitter post on Monday.

The president instead called on state authorities to go with the initial vote count totals. Trump alleged voter fraud had taken place, but provided no evidence.

"The Florida Election should be called in favour of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged. An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night!" he wrote.

Studies have found no evidence of large-scale voter fraud in the United States, although courts have found evidence through the nation's history of policies intended to suppress voting by minorities.

"The fact is that there is no evidence of fraud," said Marc Elias, the lawyer representing Nelson's campaign in the recount. "Both judges and the state law enforcement officials have said that."

Nelson on Monday called on Scott to recuse himself from playing any role in overseeing the recount.

The Florida secretary of state's office said it had received reports that election officials in Bay County, a Republican-leaning county home to some 183,500 people that was hard hit by Hurricane Michael, allowed some residents to cast ballots by email and fax. State law makes no provision for voting in that way.

"Supervisors of elections are independently elected constitutional officers and it is each supervisor's responsibility to adhere to the law," state spokeswoman Sarah Revell said in an email.

Florida law gives local election officials until the Saturday after an election to submit their first round of unofficial election results. It is common for elections supervisors to process results well after election night.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which has said it will review allegations of criminal fraud, has stated that it had no active investigations.

Scott has said he won the Senate race even as the ballots are tallied again, telling Fox News on Monday: "I want to make sure there's a free and fair election. But there's laws. Comply with the laws."

Georgia's gubernatorial race also remains undecided. Several U.S House of Representative races are also still too close to call after Democrats seized control of the House in last week's elections.

(Reporting by Letitia Stein in Tampa, Florida, and Susan Heavey in Washington; Additional reporting by Makini Brice, Mark Hosenball and Lisa Lambert in Washington and Zachary Fagenson in Miami; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)The American president asked how the First and Second World Wars worked out for France.

Donald Trump has suggested France would have been vanquished in both world wars if not for the United States.

The US president tweeted about his French counterpart Emmanuel Macrons suggestion that Europe would protect itself from the US, China and Russia.

Mr Macron argued that Europe should build up its military forces because it can no longer depend on America for defence.

Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two  How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

Mr Trump tweeted: Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two  How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!

Mr Trump often complains that Nato countries do not pay their fair share of the defence alliances expenses.

He criticised Mr Macron before and after attending a weekend ceremony in Paris to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War.

Mr Trump and Mr Macron met on Saturday at the Elysee Palace and discussed defence, trade and other issues.

The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

A top adviser to Mr Macron said the French position has been clarified. The official said Mr Macron explained the European army issue to Mr Trump, stressing that France was not making a choice between a European defence mechanism and multilateral organisations such as Nato.

Story continues

Mr Trump also complained about tariffs on US wines sold in France, and appeared to take a dig at Mr Macrons low public approval rating.

The US leader tweeted that French tariffs on American wine is not fair, must change!

He wrote: On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!

Nearly all US wine exports to major markets, including the European Union  face tariffs, according to the Wine Institute, which represents California winemakers in Washington on matters of tax, trade and regulatory issues.

Mr Trump, who built a career as a businessman before he entered politics, opened a winery in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2011.

By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

The president added that The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!.MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!

Mr Macron is hovering at around 30% in popularity polls, while the unemployment rate is just above 9%.

Mr Trumps continued complaints about France and Mr Macron struck a nerve with some in the European nation, especially since the presidents latest broadsides came on the third anniversary of the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in 2015.

We are already great, especially on november 13th. Go back to your room and give the phone to an adult. https://t.co/y2bMkmTCKy  Hugo Clement (@hugoclement) November 13, 2018

It prompted French journalist Hugo Clement to tweet in response: We are already great, especially on november 13th. Go back to your room and give the phone to an adult.

Mr Trump also defended his decision to cancel a trip on Saturday to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery at Belleau Wood in Northern France after rainy weather grounded his helicopter.

The US president did go ahead with a trip and a speech in the rain on Sunday at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial just outside Paris.

He tweeted: By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!A woman has been jailed for life for the unbelievably brutal murder of a vulnerable Huntingtons disease sufferer by repeatedly stabbing her to death at her flat.

Lucy Casey, 44, from Kilburn, north London, was found guilty of murdering 55-year-old mother-of-one Hannah Leonard, following a trial at the Old Bailey.

Casey had been out socialising and drinking with the victim at the Sir Colin Campbell pub in Kilburn High Road on the evening of Monday, February 5.

They then returned to Ms Leonards nearby flat in Swiss Cottage, at about 11.45pm, with Casey leaving three hours later.

In that time, Ms Leonard had been stabbed with knives and a pair of scissors.

Judge Anthony Leonard QC said Casey had made the most of her victims generous nature to obtain alcohol.

He said the brutal violence inflicted on Ms Leonard had lasted a considerable time and had an element of sadism to it.

Hannah Leonard was found stabbed to death in her home (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Jailing Casey for a minimum of 22 years at the Old Bailey on Monday, he added: You were in that flat for just under three hours.

I mention that because I judge that the violence that was inflicted on Hannah Leonard must have taken up a very considerable time.

It was long enough to be rightly described as having an element of sadism about it.

This was an unbelievably brutal attack.

Ms Leonards body was discovered by a painter, who saw her lying lifeless on the kitchen floor through the window as he carried out his work on February 9.

Judge Leonard said that although Casey could not have been expected to know about Ms Leonards Huntingtons disease, she was still vulnerable.

He said she used a knife and a pair of scissors to stab her victim 55 times.

Caseys co-accused, James Whitaker, 29, also from Kilburn, was cleared of the murder.

There were angry scenes from family members in court as the jury returned its verdicts.

One woman cried out: Rot in hell. You are a murderer.

Story continues

After the sentence there were shouts of yes and clapping from family members.

In mitigation, Henry Blaxland QC said Casey had been emotionally damaged for many years.

In a written statement from the CPS, Sally-Anne Russell said: This was a brutal attack on a vulnerable woman inside her own home by someone who was known to her.

The victim sustained multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma to her body.

Only Casey knows exactly what happened and why Hannah was killed.

She showed no remorse throughout the trial and denied any involvement, but she was linked to the crime scene by forensic evidence and CCTV footage which showed her entering and leaving the building with some of Hannah Leonards belongings.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Hannah Leonard.

We hope this conviction provides some level of comfort to them.DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP)  Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam claimed his third straight five-for to keep Bangladesh in command of Zimbabwe on the third day of the second test on Tuesday.

Islam's 5-107, his sixth career five-for, and a stunning catch ruined Zimbabwe's hope of a comeback. The visitors were all out on 304-9, trailing by 218 runs when stumps was called. Zimbabwe fast bowler Tendai Chatara was out of the test after straining his left quad muscle on Monday.

Islam was complemented by offspinner Mehidy Hasan, whose three wickets included the prize of Brendan Taylor after the batsman showed rock-solid temperament for his first century in more than five years.

"We weren't upset by not getting the expected sharp turn," Islam said. "We knew if we can maintain a right line and length, wickets will be coming.

"We are yet to decide on (the follow-on). We think the wicket will be deteriorating. We have to be disciplined."

Taylor hit a superb 110 off 194 balls, which included 10 boundaries. He shared a 139-run stand with Peter Moor for the sixth wicket. Moor was trapped on 83, and when Taylor was out at 290-7, Zimbabwe's chance of avoiding the follow-on evaporated quickly.

Bangladesh may yet not enforce the follow-on when play resumes on Wednesday.

"If I was Bangladesh I would bowl again because even if we get 300, Bangladesh chase 80. They might want to bat for two sessions, and we're certainly behind. When a team gets 500, they very seldom lose. We needed to get at least 400-450 in this innings to give ourselves a real chance.

"We have to show a lot of character in our second innings, whenever that is, to try and win the series."

Taylor's fifth test century was his first overseas.

"It is a good feeling," he said. "It always is tough playing here against a world-class spin attack. So I'm thrilled with that, but we're still a long way behind in the game."

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Zimbabwe began the day on 25-1 and Islam removed nightwatchman Donald Tiripano for 8.

Opener Brian Chari resisted with 53 but Hasan won a video review to remove him just before lunch.

Chari and Brendan Taylor appeared set to keep the side unscathed in a 56-run partnership until Hasan's straight delivery faintly touched Chari's glove.

Islam ripped through Zimbabwe's middle order, with two superb arm deliveries in consecutive overs to dismiss Sean Williams (11) and Sikandar Raza (0).

But Taylor was not fazed by the spinners. He and Moor and kept Bangladesh at bay until the third session.

Pat-time medium-pacer Ariful Haque made the breakthrough, from a ball outside off cutting in and Moor missing. Moor scored a career-best 83, hitting 12 fours and one six in an innings lasting 114 balls.

Taylor reached his century off 187 balls. Then he slogged Hasan only to be caught by Islam diving to his right and making an overhead catch. Two balls later, Hasan also dismissed Brandon Mavuta for a duck.

Islam completed his five-for by getting Regis Chakabva on 10. JBa narvis was 9 not out.

Bangladesh declared its first innings on 522-7, riding on Mushfiqur Rahim's career-best 219 not out and Mominul Haque's 161.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsEach year, the University System of Georgia (USG), through the leadership of Chancellor Steve Wrigley, highlights our ethical culture during Ethics Awareness Week, this year Nov. 11-17. In support of this effort, the University of North Georgia (UNG) plans to "Celebrate our Ethical Culture."

The statewide SPIRIT of USG campaign is focused on Stewardship, Prevention, Integrity, Responsibility, Inspiration, and Trust. The awareness campaign is part of a comprehensive Ethics and Compliance Program, including ethics training, mandatory compliance training, assurance audits, consulting engagements, and an ethics and compliance reporting hotline.

"Our culture is very important to the success of not only our institutions, but our employees, students, communities and ultimately how Georgia is educated, which makes it very important to me, and hopefully to all of you as leaders for the USG," USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley said.

The weeklong Ethics Awareness campaign is designed to remind those in the USG of shared ethical values and expectations, to include excellence, integrity, respect, and accountability.

To kick-off Ethics Awareness Week at UNG, the university held an Ethics Week luncheon for leadership from all five campuses, including members of the Executive Council, Faculty Senate, Staff Council and Student Government Association, to engage in this important initiative and show their support.

"We pride ourselves at UNG for leadership and character development, and our culture and community are integral to our long-standing success," UNG President Bonita Jacobs said. We have a great track record at UNG, but it's always good to take time to reflect upon our core values."

The luncheon also featured a keynote speech from James (Jimmy) A. Faulkner, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UNG Foundation and retired member of the BB&T Financial Corp. Board of Trustees.

"Integrity is living out our values on a consistent basis," Faulkner said. "As we continue here on the long tradition of building leaders who exhibit the highest level of integrity, I think it is supremely important that we emphasize integrity and ethical behavior in those leaders. UNG with its rich military heritage and the code of honor that we expect all our students to adhere to reflects the highest commitment to that integrity and ethical behavior."

At UNG, "Celebrate Our Ethical Culture" examines ethics while celebrating institutional values of excellence, student focus, integrity, engagement and service. Messages throughout the week on UNG social media, email and digital signage will highlight each value through testimonials from faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

Jill Holman, UNG's director of internal audit, led the university's efforts.

"To me, being ethical is doing the right thing, even when no one is looking," Holman said. "At UNG, we are committed to promoting an ethical culture. We take this opportunity each year to focus on our ethical values and encourage ethical decision-making among our staff, faculty and students. We strive to always be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us."

Also this week, UNG's Office of Human Resources will roll out the required annual ethics training module, and more information about online training will be sent via email to university employees or can be found on the Human Resources website.

Rose Procter, director of the BB&T Center for Ethical Leadership within UNGs Mike Cottrell College of Business, serves on the USG's SPIRIT of USG planning committee and is coordinating related efforts through the center system-wide.

On Nov. 17, the center will host the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Competition, a one-day competition that brings multiple universities from Georgia and the surrounding states to compete in a debate-style critical thinking competition around 15 regional ethics cases published by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. There are 18 teams from 15 schools participating in this years regional ethics bowl, held at UNGs Dahlonega Campus.Most U.S. citizens are familiar with the Native Americans such as Pocahontas, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Sacagawea, and Geronimo. But what about Elias Boudinot, editor of the first Native American newspaper; Andrew Jackson Blackbird, author of "History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan," or Lakota woman Mary Brave Bird, who is a writer and activist?

Thanks to the University of North Georgia (UNG) Press, the UNG community can learn about 29 American Indians in November, which has been deemed Native American Heritage Month.

"The UNG Press truly believes in diverse voices, so we wanted to do something that highlighted the valuable contribution Native Americans have provided to literature," said Jillian Murphy, assistant managing editor of UNG Press. "The book industry unfortunately often overlooks marginalized authors, and that includes Native Americans. So it's important to value Native American works."

As a way to mark the monthlong event, UNG Press is posting on its social media sites information about 29 Native Americans who have contributed to the written word. For example, UNG Press posted information about Boudinot on Nov. 2 on its Facebook page. Boudinot (1802-1839) was a Cherokee Indian from Georgia and the editor of the first Native American newspaper, "The Cherokee Phoenix."

Reading Boudinot and other Native Americans is not the only way UNG plans to honor the history and culture of American Indians. UNG students, faculty and staff may meet two Cherokee women the week after Thanksgiving.

Sandy Brown and her daughter, Wahlalah, plan to share their Native American history and culture with younger generations Nov. 26 and Nov. 27 as part of National Native American Heritage Month at the University of North Georgia (UNG).

Sponsored by the Multicultural Student Affairs, Sandy and Wahlalah Brown will display a hunter's bark encampment and explain its significance as well as discuss their culture Nov. 26-27 at two UNG campuses. Known as "The Living History Cultural Educators," the mother and daughter will talk and answer questions from noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 26 on the promenade on the Dahlonega Campus and noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 27 on the Gainesville Campus.

"A lot of people don't interact with Native Americans or realize they are interacting with a Native people," Sandy Brown said. "We will have younger students ask if the Indian people are still alive. We want to get across that they are still here and live like everyone else, and they hang onto their ancient culture such as traditional ceremonies, songs and languages."

Brown said she is looking forward to returning to UNG this year after demonstrating finger weaving, cordage and twining in November 2017.

"With college students, you can get more in depth," she said. "The students who come to see us are pretty aware. They watch and learn and have great questions because they want to know the truth."

Dr. Billy Wells, a retired U.S. Army colonel and senior vice president of leadership and global engagement at UNG, said the truth about Native Americans is they have acted heroically in the nation's military actions.

"Twenty-one Native Americans have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor," Wells said. "Proportional to the American population, this is an exceptional number."

He said two live-fire ranges at Fort Benning and Fort Stewart in Georgia are named for U.S. Army Cpl. Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. The World War II veteran served with the U.S. Marine Raiders on Guadalcanal and left the service as a sergeant. Red Cloud then enlisted in the Army, serving in Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment (The Rock of Chickamauga), 24th Infantry Division during the Korean War.

He was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor in April 1951 for his action of stopping Chinese Communist forces from overrunning his company's position and gaining time for his fellow soldiers to reorganize and evacuate the wounded.

"Cpl. Red Cloud's dauntless courage and gallant self-sacrifice reflects the highest credit upon himself and upholds the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army," states the Medal of Honor citation.Britain has taken the case of the death of a person from rabies seriously. He contracted the disease while on a holiday in Morocco. It seems a cat bit him; hence, the officials are worried because since 1902 there is no known case of any human contracting rabies in the UK from animals other than bats. This has prompted Public Health England (PHE) to issue a warning to travelers who plan to go out of Britain.

The Telegraph UK reports that rabies does not circulate in any form in the UK. However, between 2000 and 2017, there were five cases where UK residents were infected.

PHE clarified that those happened because of "animal exposures abroad."

Officials say the victim became infected after being bitten by a cat in Morocco. https://t.co/NEQpewhwY0 #SA_SEO #GoFundMyLeg  Africa News Room (@AfricaNewsRoom) November 12, 2018

Cases of rabies in the UK

The Telegraph UK adds that the last recorded rabies case in Britain was in 2012. A woman in her late 50s contracted the disease when she went to India where her sons pet dog bit her. She developed the symptoms a few months after she returned home to Dartford in Kent but ignored it because the bite was a small one. Later, it aggravated and a doctor who was familiar with the symptoms diagnosed that it was serious and suspected the worst.

Another woman from Manchester also died from rabies. She had visited India and a dog bit her in a resort in Goa. The only case of a person attacked by this disease in the UK was in 2002. The victim was a wildlife artist and naturalist and he died from rabies after a bat bit him. It was the first case in Britain for 100 years.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

He worked as a volunteer bat conservationist and suffered the bites. Vaccination against rabies is necessary for all those who work with bats but this individual had refused it.

Precautions are necessary for safety

According to Independent UK, Public Health England (PHE) issued a warning to travelers after the death of a UK resident from rabies.

The warning says there is no risk to the wider public in relation to this case. However, precautions are necessary for safety and vaccination is a solution. Rabies is absent in animals in the UK but is common in Asia and Africa. It passes on to humans through bites and scratches.

In the opinion of an expert, Mary Ramsay, in case a cat, dog, or bat bites, scratches or licks a human, the person must observe normal procedures with regard to washing the wound and not hesitate to seek medical advice. PHE is very firm on this. It has warned those who travel to countries where rabies is endemic to avoid contact with animals like cats and dogs to the extent possible. Vaccination before travelling is the best option as a preventive measure.The Associated Press projects Democrat Kyrsten Sinema to win the closely-contested Arizona Senate race.

After this call, Republicans hold 51 Senate seats, Democrats 47, with two races remaining undecided. Those are in Florida and Mississippi. In Florida, Sen. Bill Nelson and his GOP challenger, Rick Scott, are separated by less than 0.25%, with a contentious recount underway. The Mississippi race is a special election, and will be decided in a runoff on November 27th.Adam Hochschild in The New Yorker:

For millions of soldiers, the First World War meant unimaginable horror: artillery shells that could pulverize a human body into a thousand fragments; immense underground mine explosions that could do the same to hundreds of bodies; attacks by poison gas, tanks, flamethrowers. Shortly after 8 p.m. on November 7, 1918, however, French troops near the town of La Capelle saw something different. From the north, three large automobiles, with the black eagle of Imperial Germany on their sides, approached the front lines with their headlights on. Two German soldiers were perched on the running boards of the lead car, one waving a white flag, the other, with an unusually long silver bugle, blowing the call for ceasefirea single high tone repeated in rapid succession four times, then four times again, with the last note lingering.

By prior agreement, the three German cars slowly made their way across the scarred and cratered no mans land between the opposing armies. When they reached the French lines, they halted, the German bugler was replaced by a French one (his bugle is in a Paris museum today), and the German peace envoys continued their journey. At La Capelle, flashes lit up the night as the envoys were photographed by waiting press and newsreel cameramen, then transferred to French cars. Their route took them past houses, factories, barns, and churches reduced to charred rubble, fruit trees cut down and wells poisoned by retreating German troops.

More here.On 24 July 1967, the poet Paul Celan gave a reading in Freiburg im Brisgau. At the time he was on a leave of absence from Saint-Anne psychiatric hospital, where he had been interned after suffering a nervous breakdown, in the midst of which he attempted suicide. At the reading was the philosopher Martin Heidegger. The day after the reading Celan was invited to a meeting with Heidegger at the philosophers hut. On arrival Celan signed the guestbook, then the two men went for a walk, which was curtailed by rain, and were driven back to the hut. After their brief meeting Celan returned to Saint-Annes. One week later, on 1 August, Celan wrote a poem about the encounter in the form of a single, oblique sentence named after the place where Heideggers hut stood, Todtnauberg. The title contained two words crucial to both the the poetry of Celan and the philosophy of Heidegger  berg meaning mountain, and todt, death.

What was discussed on their walk is not known  some have speculated they discussed their shared interest in botany, while other accounts suggest that Heidegger talked about his recent interview with the magazine Der Spiegel. But it is what was not discussed, between a Jewish poet who survived the Holocaust and a philosopher who was one of the highest-profile sympathisers of Nazism, that has continued to resonate for more than 50 years.

Paul Celan was born Paul Antschel (Celan is a reversal of the two syllables) in 1920, into a German-speaking Jewish family in Bukovina in Romania. His father, Leo, was a Zionist, who insisted his son learn Hebrew, while his mother, Fritzl, insisted, as a devotee of German literature, that German be the language spoken at home. After briefly studying medicine in Tours, France  a Jewish quota made it impossible for him to study in Romania  he returned to Bukovina in 1939. His journey to France had taken him through Berlin, where, from the train, he saw plumes of smoke rising the day after Kristallnacht. Under German occupation in Bukovina, Celan was interned in a ghetto, writing poetry and translating Shakespeares sonnets while being forced to gather and destroy Russian books. In a life shot through with historical symbolism, the significance of these simultaneous acts seems terrifyingly apt.

More here.Shadi Hamid in Foreign Affairs:

Seven years since the heady days of early 2011, when massive, electrifying protests brought down the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, the political atmosphere in Egypt has turned somber. In 2013, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi overthrew President Mohamed Morsi, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood who had narrowly won Egypts first free presidential election the prior year. Since seizing power, Sisi has emptied the country of any real politics. His crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood has been particularly brutal: he has jailed tens of thousands of Brothers, and designated the group a terrorist organization. On the regional stage, Egypt has found itself relegated to second-tier status. What was once the center of the Arab world today feels like a ghost of its former self.

In this environment, it is easy to forget that for much of the twentieth century, Egypt was the most consequential battleground in the struggle for the soul of the new Arab state. Following the formal dissolution of the Ottoman caliphate, in 1924, new ideologies and approaches to governing competed to fill the vacuum. In the 1930s and 1940s, during Egypts so-called liberal era, secularists, socialists, and Islamists vied for legitimacy in a chaotic but relatively free political atmosphere. The freedom did not last. In 1952, a clandestine cohort of young military officers led by a man named Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrew the Egyptian monarchy and eventually ended what little was left of Egypts liberal age.

More here.When the unthinkable happens, having a plan that you have practiced regularly can make all the difference.

Related article from American Family Physician: Violence in the Health Care Setting: What Can We Do?

On Jan. 28, 2013, Stanwood Elkus arrived for a doctor's appointment at the Newport Beach, Calif., office of urologist Ronald Gilbert, MD. This was the second time in a week that Elkus had attempted to see Dr. Gilbert. Previously, after staff members had prevented Elkus from entering the back office area as a walk-in patient, he had agreed to make an appointment, which he did using a false name and telephone number.

Elkus blamed Dr. Gilbert for a surgical procedure he had undergone 25 years earlier that had damaged his prostate and led to complications. Two other physicians actually performed the procedure, but Dr. Gilbert, then a young resident at a local Veterans Administration hospital, had recommended the procedure to Elkus.

On that January day, after Elkus filled out his new patient paperwork in the waiting room, office staff took his vitals and escorted him to an exam room. Shortly after, Dr. Gilbert entered the room and introduced himself to Elkus. The patient then shot the physician 10 times in the chest and neck, killing him.1

For several hours following the shooting, my nearby office was on lockdown and ordered to shelter in place, during which we kept our staff members and patients safe inside. Other offices, however, did not seem to understand the shelter in place order or follow other safety training, and we saw physicians, staff members, and patients moving in the direction of the shooting. The shooter in this case surrendered immediately, but the outcome could have been very different had the assault continued.

KEY POINTS Workplace violence is most common in the medical setting, and it frequently involves a patient or family members threatening physicians or practice staff.

Physicians and staff should receive training on spotting potentially violent behavior and defusing these situations before they escalate.

Practices should develop detailed plans for dealing with violent incidents, including how and when to escape, how to protect patients, and how to cooperate with law enforcement.

If a violent incident is inescapable, physicians and staff must be ready to fight back with whatever resources they have available.

PREVALENCE Jump to section + Abstract

PREVALENCE

PREVENTION

PREPARATION

RESPONSE

SURVIVAL

References One of the most difficult situations a physician will face in his or her career is being threatened with physical harm, most commonly by a patient or family members of a patient.2 Violence in the medical setting is sadly not unheard of; according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 70 percent of all workplace assaults occur in the health care and social services industry.3 Reasons for this include feelings that health care services have become more impersonal, longer wait times, unmet patient expectations, increased patient agitation, lack of mental health support services, prescription drug abuse, and poor or non-existent security at health care facilities.4 Psychiatrists and emergency medicine physicians typically see the highest rates of violence,4 but family physicians are not immune. Primary care physicians often treat patients who are seriously ill or have challenging psychiatric conditions, which can result in heightened patient discontent. This article discusses how to prevent, train for, and react to violent patient encounters. Mitigating workplace violence requires that physicians and their practices take preventive steps and craft and follow specific plans of action. Physicians must take the lead; their actions can be influential with other colleagues and staff members and their interactions with and knowledge of patients can provide vital information about potentially violent encounters. (See Workplace safety tips.) Note that many of the recommendations are not evidence-based from a medical standpoint. However, they reflect best practices from law enforcement agencies. WORKPLACE SAFETY TIPS Before an incident Notify others of suspicious individuals or actions. Identify available exits and places to hide. Develop and practice an emergency response plan. Seek the help of security experts and active-shooter training. During an incident Run from the incident. Hide behind a locked door. Fight if there are no other options. After the incident Be aware of law enforcement's response. If safe, assist others and provide first aid. Be available to provide information to law enforcement.

PREPARATION Jump to section + Abstract

PREVALENCE

PREVENTION

PREPARATION

RESPONSE

SURVIVAL

References Even the best observation, de-escalation, and security procedures will not prevent every violent encounter, and physicians and staff members should be prepared for an actual incident. Although obtaining active shooter training is ideal, you should at the very least develop a written Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) with policies and procedures for dealing with violent encounters. For example, health care facilities provide unique challenges during violent encounters because we have a responsibility to not only ensure the safety of ourselves and our staff members but also the safety of our patients, who may be of varying ages and abilities. You need to identify multiple evacuation routes, especially from patient-accessible locations. Your procedures must also specify how and when to evacuate patients or, if necessary, how best to shelter in place. The type of practice you have will dictate this planning; a practice with many older patients will make different decisions than a practice with many younger patients. Remember that even if the violent incident does not occur in your office but elsewhere in your building or a nearby building, your office may still be affected. It is common in active shooter incidents for law enforcement officers to lock down an entire building or campus to prevent a perpetrator from escaping or to minimize casualties. The incident involving Dr. Gilbert led to the lockdown of three medical buildings, dozens of medical offices, and hundreds of staff members and patients. At minimum, an EOP should answer the following questions: How do we report an active violent incident to the proper authorities, which may include calling 9-1-1 as well as notifying our facility's security personnel and office manager?

When and how do we evacuate both staff and patients?

What are the primary and secondary escape routes?

What are the designated safe areas or casualty collection points, locations where the wounded can be triaged and provided first aid?

How do we lock down the office?

How do we contact emergency responders once they are on the scene? Besides creating the plan, you also need to regularly practice and rehearse it using a variety of violent encounter scenarios. That way, if a violent incident does occur, staff members can immediately fall back on their training.

RESPONSE Jump to section + Abstract

PREVALENCE

PREVENTION

PREPARATION

RESPONSE

SURVIVAL

References The likelihood of being involved in a violent encounter at work is rare. Still, knowing how to appropriately respond will greatly improve your chances of survival. A frequently noted video, jointly developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the City of Houston, emphasizes the run, hide, fight response to a violent act. Run. If possible, escape from the violence. Escaping effectively, however, means taking a route that has been pre-planned and practiced. Keep in mind that escape routes will vary based on your location within your office and the location of the violent action. Quickly gather others and be direct in your escape, but don't delay your escape by waiting for others. As you are escaping, keep others from entering the violent area. If you don't know the exact location of the perpetrator, avoid using a main or common entrance as your escape route unless that is your only option. When you are in a safe area, call 9-1-1 to alert the authorities to where you are and to provide any specific details you can about the perpetrator. The authorities may want to ask you additional information, so do not hang up. Hide. If escape is not possible, you must do your best to conceal your presence. If you are hiding in a room, lock and, if possible, barricade the door to prevent entry. If time permits and you aren't compromising your safety, lock all of the doors, even for empty rooms. This will stall the perpetrator because he or she will not know which locked rooms are empty and which are occupied. Turn off all lights, and silence all mobile devices, even switching off vibration mode as it could make enough noise to be located. Remain extremely quiet, and if there are windows on or near the door, stay out of view. If possible, take cover behind large objects such as exam tables, file cabinets, or bookcases. Interior walls made of drywall or sheetrock will not provide sufficient protection if the perpetrator is using a firearm, and although most interior doors in commercial buildings are solid enough to protect against most handguns, they likely won't stop a rifle. Regardless of where you are hiding, you should still plan an escape, such as going out a back door or an exterior window, if close enough to the ground. If considering an exterior window, keep in mind that many commercial buildings have safety glass windows that require special glass breakers. These breakers should be placed in every room as part of proper planning. Fight. If an assailant is entering the room in which you and others are hiding, or if the violence begins in your immediate presence and you have neither the time nor opportunity to run, then you must be prepared to fight. This is probably the most difficult scenario to prepare for or even think about as it is likely outside your normal character, but fighting back when no other option exists is critical to survival. As FBI statistics show, almost half of active shooter situations end before law enforcement officers arrive, and the potential victims stop the shooter themselves in a third of those cases.5 When fighting back, your goal is to incapacitate the individual. The survival mentality must become all-encompassing, and you should consider and use all resources available. This could include techniques learned in self-defense classes or items found in the typical medical office, such as fire extinguishers, chairs, bookends, scalpels, scissors, or liquid nitrogen. If you have firearms training and are permitted by law and your employer to carry a firearm, that is another tool to possibly stop a life-threatening attack. Use whatever options you have available, and be prepared to use them forcefully. Although the run, hide, fight approach may be appropriate in most outpatient settings, these recommendations could be difficult to achieve in hospitals and other health care facilities where patients are physically or mentally incapable of moving. Also, hiding could be difficult in these facilities because most patient care areas are designed to be open to give nursing stations the maximum ability to observe patients. An alternative strategy is secure, preserve, fight,6 which calls for securing all access points to a wing, floor, or patient care area where life-sustaining treatment is being provided and providing only essential medical care during a violent incident. Successful use of this strategy requires significant pre-event planning, possible infrastructure improvements, and regular drills. Once law enforcement officers arrive on the scene, keep in mind that SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) and MACTAC (Multi-Assault Counter-Terrorism Action Capabilities) officers are trained to immediately enter a location and find and engage a violent individual. These first responders' sole responsibility is to stop the threat, and they will not stop to provide medical aid or assistance to victims. Physicians or staff encountering officers should expect them to be firm and direct in their commands, and they should do nothing to draw suspicion. Keep your hands high in the air and empty, and avoid making any sudden movements. Officers will direct you to evacuate the area, generally in the direction from which the officers came. You and other staff should leave all personal belongings behind; exiting with your purse or bag could heighten officers' focus on you as a potential assailant. Avoid pointing, yelling, or attempting to stop the entering officers as they may misinterpret such actions as hostile. When you exit the building, other officers will likely direct you to a safe location. Do not leave this location, as you may be an important witness who can help identify or aid in the apprehension of the assailant. If you are barricaded in a room, officers may command you to open the door. Assailants have been known to impersonate law enforcement officers to trick occupants, so you should take reasonable steps to identify the person giving you a command. For example, you can listen for a police radio or have the officer slide his or her identification card under the door (all officers carry an ID card). Once you determine that you are safe from the violent incident, you can provide aid to others, such as medical attention.En espanol | Ballot measures to allow same-day voter registration, require photo identification at polling places, create independent redistricting commissions and legalize marijuana passed in states around the nation on Election Day.

In addition, voters in Idaho, Nebraska and Utah decided to expand Medicaid, while an initiative to fund the retention of its Medicaid expansion failed in Montana.

And in Maine, voters rejected a first-in-the nation measure to enact a program that would have guaranteed that all older adults and people with disabilities had access to free home care services.

Despite the Maine defeat, Elaine Ryan, AARP vice president of state advocacy and strategy integration, said: As weve seen in the past several years, supporting family caregivers enjoys wide bipartisan support. We expect that support to continue in 2019 and beyond. The outcome of the ballot measure in Maine is unlikely to affect the momentum weve achieved.

In 2018 alone, Ryan said, more than 40 states enacted new supports for caregivers. And AARP also has secured more backing for home- and community-based services in 15 states, achieved paid sick leave for caregivers in two states and expanded funding for respite care in three states. In addition, Missouri became the 40th state to enact the CARE Act, which requires hospitals to help family caregivers learn how to medically help their loved ones once they are discharged.

Election reform

Voters in Maryland, Michigan and Nevada passed measures to enact same-day registration, and Michigan voters also approved an initiative to allow residents to get an absentee ballot without having to say why they wanted to vote that way.

Measures were also approved in Arkansas and North Carolina that will require voters to show photo identification at the polls. And voters in Colorado and Michigan agreed to create independent commissions to handle redistricting in their states. A similar measure in Utah was leading in votes as of Monday, but the outcome was still too close to call. The Missouri electorate decided to create a nonpartisan state demographer to draw district lines.

And in Florida, voters agreed to restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies after they have served their sentences. The restoration does not apply to individuals convicted of murder or felony sex offenses.

Marijuana

Ballot measures to allow marijuana to be legally used for medical purposes passed in Michigan, Missouri and Utah but failed in North Dakota. These results bring to 34 the number of states, including the District of Columbia, that allow marijuana to be used for medical reasons.

Voters in Michigan made it the 10th state to legalize marijuana for recreational use.Wolves win both games at East/West Challenge

Opening weekend in Wachs Arena saw the Northern State Wolves beating Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines in East/West Challenge.George L. Ramczyk is remembered by his family as among those of the World War II generation who did the right thing because it was simply the right thing to do.

Ramczyk died Nov. 8. He was 95 years old.

Ramczyk was born in Winona, Minn., and answered the call to serve his country during World War II. Enlisting in the U.S. Navy, he was assigned to the U.S.S. Chester as a gunner in the Pacific theater and also served as an aviation radioman.

After the war, he married the former Dorothy Kohner in 1946 and attended the University of Minnesota on the G.I. Bill, getting a degree in journalism.

Seeking a warmer climate, the couple moved to New Mexico, where Ramczyk worked as advertising manager for the Belen News Bulletin starting in 1948. He later took a job with the Albuquerque Publishing Co., selling ads for the Albuquerque Journal and the Albuquerque Tribune. He eventually became the national advertising manager, a position he held until his retirement nearly 34 years later, in 1985.

He was everyman, said daughter Mary Higgins. He was one of those guys who enlisted in the Navy, performed his duty, saw the world, and then went home and did what youre supposed to do. He was a good father and a good husband.

He and his wife were married for 56 years when she died in 2002. The couple had eight children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

I would call him an eternal optimist, Higgins said. He was the sole support of a family of 10. Thats what I call optimistic. He also believed that the cost of every item or service was negotiable. I remember at one point we were eating on dinner plates that had the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Heaven only knows what kind of a negotiation resulted in those.

A stroke in 2015 left Ramczyk unable to walk, but the eternal optimist insisted on physical therapy because he said he would walk and drive again, Higgins said.

Despite that, he continued to enjoy going to the casinos, where hed be wheeled in, have lunch and play the slot machines. Up until his last hospitalization three or four weeks ago, he was still getting out to the casinos.

In retirement, Ramczyk and his wife also enjoyed going to the racetrack, where Dorothy Ramczyk got to be quite good at analyzing the Daily Racing Forum and picking horses and jockeys, Higgins said.

It was a new path for a woman who played piano, raised eight children and was a staunch Catholic, she said.

Ramczyk, a lifelong Democrat, was adamant about voting in the midterm election.

He and I worked on his absentee ballot and he wanted to make sure he voted, Higgins said. His mental faculties were fine.

A Mass of the Resurrection will be held at 11:30 a.m., Friday at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 12500 Carmel NE, followed by interment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 7999 Wyoming NE. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Good Shepherd Center of Albuquerque.On October 20, 2015, the MDR did

broadcast a TV piece regarding the Glyphosate risk assessment and a

study conducted by the BfR, the Bundesamt fur Risikobewertung (Federal

office for risk assessment), which is under the authority of the

German ministry of Food and Agriculture. At the same time, it

published a PDF containing that study on its website.

Three days later, the BfR sent a cease and desist letter to the MDR,

demanding the removal of this study. The BfR claimed that the entire

study was written by full-time-staff employed by the BfR within their

regular line of work. When the MDR did not remove the file from its

website, the BfR sued the MDR before the Landgericht (LG) Koln (country

court of Cologne) and won.Albuquerque police said an armed employee walked into a food distribution warehouse during shift change Monday evening and opened fire, critically injuring at least three people.

Officer Simon Drobik said the suspect, 30-year-old Waid Anthony Melton, fled the scene and hadnt been found late Monday.

Investigators are still trying to determine his motive.

Our main thing tonight was to render aid to the subjects inside there and the secondary operation is to get this individual in custody, Drobik said.

Drobik said officers were called to the Ben E. Keith Co. warehouse on the 3200 block of Broadway, south of Gibson SE, around 6:15 p.m. for an active shooter.

When they arrived, they found three people had been shot.

The University of New Mexico Hospital announced on Twitter it had received three victims and they were all critically injured. The hospital said it wasnt going to release any additional information about the victims Monday night.

Police believe Melton fled after the shooting in a 1999 black Mazda B3000 club cab, N.M. plate 917-RSM.

The food distribution center operates 24 hours a day and Drobik said there were about 20 people inside when shots were fired  right before a regularly scheduled shift change.

The guy is employed there so he may have access codes or a badge to get in and he probably knows the layout, Drobik said. That part of the investigation will happen but our main goal tonight is to get him into custody.

Audrey Gonzales was one of a handful of people who were outside the perimeter waiting for friends or relatives who were in the building when the shooting took place.

She said her boyfriend works at the food distributing center and was walking in at 6:30 p.m. to start his shift when people fled the building saying a shooting was taking place. She said she had spoken to him briefly after the shooting and he was OK and waiting to talk to detectives.

Drobik said SWAT teams from multiple agencies, including the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, searched the warehouse for additional victims. Drobik said police were likely to work throughout the night and into the morning at the large complex.

A large police presence was posted south of Woodward and Broadway soon after the shooting and police cruisers blocked off traffic for several blocks around the warehouse. Tactical officers and the SWAT teams armored vehicle along with the polices mobile substation were seen throughout the area. A police helicopter circled the scene for several hours, in part because police were unsure of Meltons whereabouts.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Since being elected New Mexicos next governor last week, Michelle Lujan Grisham has appeared on national television news shows, met with outgoing Gov. Susana Martinez and started laying the groundwork for her gubernatorial administration.

Shes also found running errands around town to be a little more time-consuming than usual.

I cant go anywhere without someone coming up to me and saying, This is really important and telling me about issues that need fixing, Lujan Grisham said in an interview Monday. It is on every single persons mind.

With her swearing-in less than two months away, Lujan Grisham plans to juggle finishing up her term in Congress  she heads back to Washington, D.C., today  with a lengthy gubernatorial to-do list before New Years Day.

The states first elected Latina Democratic governor said Monday she will be announcing transition teams for various state agencies in the coming days and hopes to have her Cabinet assembled by the time she takes office on Jan. 1. The state has 23 Cabinet-level departments whose directors are appointed by the governor and are subject to Senate approval.

I think people are going to see were very substance heavy, Lujan Grisham told the Journal.

She also vowed to be very transparent about inauguration fundraising and planning, though she said inauguration details are still being worked out.

In a gubernatorial race marked by hard-hitting attacks and big spending by both candidates, Lujan Grisham received more than 57 percent of the roughly 690,000 votes cast to defeat Republican Steve Pearce, according to unofficial returns.

A former Cabinet secretary herself under three different governors, she will take office at a time of unprecedented incoming revenue  the state is projected to have at least $1.2 billion in new money in the coming budget year  and with Democrats holding a sizable majority in both legislative chambers.

Lujan Grisham said shes committed to working with legislative leaders in the coming weeks to come up with a plan to boost funding for pre-kindergarten and other early childhood programs, in part by taking more money from New Mexicos largest permanent fund.

She said specifics have yet to be hammered out, but such a change would also require approval by statewide voters. In recent years, similar proposals have stalled in the state Senate, due in part to opposition from some Democrats.

Given that backdrop, existing relationships with many lawmakers will be beneficial in the early childhood and other legislative efforts, said Lujan Grisham, who added she intends to listen to legislators views and not impose a top-down approach at the Roundhouse.

But Lujan Grisham also said she doesnt expect easy agreements on all issues.

Im not Pollyannaish, Lujan Grisham said. These sessions are always more difficult than you think.

While Lujan Grisham and Martinez said last week they intend to set aside political differences to work toward a smooth transfer of power, the governor-elect has also touted the need for change  including hiring more social workers in the Children, Youth and Families Department.

She also said general dissatisfaction among New Mexico voters may have played a role in the record-shattering turnout for a non-presidential election year.

I think New Mexicans by and large were really tired of things not working, Lujan Grisham said.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Democrat Xochitl Torres Small expanded her lead over Republican Yvette Herrell in a hard-fought 2nd Congressional District race on Monday, after a final tally of the 1,100 or so remaining provisional and hand tally ballots in Dona Ana County.

However, Herrell has not conceded and has questioned the counting of roughly 8,000 absentee ballots that put Torres Small into the lead, though she did not provide any evidence of possible wrongdoing.

I think that maybe we need to look into it a little bit more, Herrell said during an appearance on a FOX News show on Saturday.

The state Republican Partys chairman also indicated Monday the GOP is working closely with the Herrell campaign and does not consider the races outcome to be a done deal.

We believe strongly in preserving the integrity of New Mexico elections, state GOP chairman Ryan Cangiolosi told the Journal. This race will not be over until we are assured that every registered voter who cast a legal ballot is counted.

The latest developments in a race that has gotten national attention and prompted questions about vote-tallying procedures  similar to other races in Florida and Arizona  came Monday when the roughly 1,100 provisional and hand tally ballots were added to the vote count in Dona Ana County.

When those ballots were added to the mix, Torres Smalls lead in the contest increased from about 2,800 votes to 3,539. The Dona Ana County Canvassing Board will meet today to review the election returns and certify results, according to the Secretary of States Office.

The current unofficial election results that include the provisional ballots show Torres Small with 100,570 votes and Herrell with 97,031 votes.

Herrell and her campaign have not responded to numerous calls from the Journal. Her interview on Fox News was the only public comment on the results since Herrells election night victory speech. That night several news organizations, including the Journal, projected Herrell was the winner before the secretary of state announced more absentee ballots needed to be counted.

During her cable television interview, Herrell did not provide specific details about whether she would challenge the results but said, We need to look into it, shine some light on it and make sure if theres problems, lets fix them.

On her appearance on the Justice with Janine show on FOX News, Herrell talked about her concerns with the absentee ballots in Dona Ana County that gave Torres Small the edge in the close race. The county has far more registered Democrats than Republicans  a total of 53,697 registered Democrats, 30,582 Republicans and an additional 30,674 independent voters who decline to state a party affiliation.

They had magically found 4,000 ballots that had not been counted, said Herrell, referring to absentee ballots in Dona Ana County the Secretary of States Office had announced after midnight on Election Night.

The Secretary of States Office half an hour later also announced that an additional 4,000 or so absentee ballots had been counted by election workers in the Dona Ana County Clerks Office but not yet added to the vote count.

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, New Mexicos top election official, said in a recent interview that she will encourage Dona Ana County to begin processing absentee ballots earlier in the next election cycle and to hire more poll workers to avoid delays in the final tally.

But her office has defended the integrity of the election and how the votes were counted in the open congressional race and other races.

Dona Ana County voters can have every confidence that their votes were counted properly and in accordance with the law and any suggestion that absentee ballots were somehow magically found on election night is simply false, said Alex Curtas, communications director for the Secretary of States office.

No formal complaint about the vote-counting had been filed as of Monday with the Secretary of States Office, Curtas added

In all, the more than 8,000 absentee ballots cast in Dona Ana County were three times more than usual, according to the county clerk, which led to poll workers not being able to finish the vote tally on Election Night.

Under state law, automatic vote recounts are triggered for statewide and congressional races if the final margin separating the two top candidates is less than 0.25 percent of the total votes cast for that race. The current margin in the 2nd Congressional District contest is larger than that  the two candidates are now separated by 1.8 percent of votes cast  and it appears the automatic recount will not be triggered.

If that margin stands after election results are certified, that means a recount would likely have to be requested  and paid for  by Herrell or the state Republican Party.An Albuquerque motel with a troubled past will get a second chance at life  but not as a motel.

Local real estate developer and broker Larry Levy, the special master appointed by District Judge Alan Malott in August to create a management plan for the Sahara Motel, said hes optimistic changes made will turn the property from a hot spot into normal usage.

One of those changes commits owner Lisa Gong to convert the motel into an apartment building offering longer-term rentals of 30 days or more. No more short-term or overnight stays.

The biggest problem cited by the city and the court was Mrs. Gong was running the property as both a motel and an apartment-hybrid. She has 15 long-term residents there and they have never been a problem. The issue that required the 911 calls had been from the overnight, short-term renters, Levy said.

The money that was being made from the short-term rentals was cash flow for the owner. The types of people who would want short-term evening rentals were of questionable character and what they did there was what was creating the 911 calls. Mrs. Gong now understands that.

Eager to change

Thats one part of an 18-point plan approved by the court last month that includes improvements, maintenance and management protocols for safe operation of the property, which is on Gibson near San Pedro SE.

Levy, as special master, served as a go-between among the city, court and motel ownership. He recommended 15 items in the plan adopted in the court order. He told the Journal that Gong already has complied with most of that plan.

I can tell you that she was very eager to learn, very eager to change, he said. Shes been very responsive to everything that Ive brought to her attention.

A change that already has taken place, according to Levy, is that Gong has relinquished business control to a professional licensed property manager.

Levy said that manager holds a masters degree and speaks Mandarin as her first language, which will allow for better communication with Gong, who also speaks the language native to northern and southwestern China as a first language.

The plan also states that the property manager will use a printed rental/lease agreement and maintain a vehicle registration list with make, model and color description, as well as a tenant list and rent roll.

Improved security

Gong already has performed requested exterior improvements, including removal of the wood pool cover, installation of security lights and cameras, installation of front and rear security gates with keypad entries and towing signage. In addition, interiors of two units are in the remodeling process to become studio efficiency apartments.

Mrs. Gong also realizes that maintaining the propertys condition, improving some of the units that are not inhabitable, and getting them fixed up with new carpet, new paint, new toilets and new appliances, will increase her income and cause her to attract nice long-term rentals, Levy said.

Gong previously received a letter of intent to purchase the property, but upon learning the existing city lawsuit was attached to the property, the transaction didnt proceed.

Levy said Judge Malott has said that if someone should become interested in the property, the court would consider the issue.

The court will review the propertys status in six months, Levy said.

Gong declined comment to the Journal through Levy.

A 911 history

The motel has a long history of attracting serious crimes.

Calls to the Albuquerque Police Department, more than 400 over the course of 2016 and 2017, included domestic violence, theft, shootings, dead bodies, public disturbances, vandalism, drug use and drug possession, according to city officials.

The city then stepped in, filing a lawsuit in state District Court earlier this year to declare the property a public nuisance.

According to APD, the frequency and seriousness of calls have significantly decreased since Gong began adding security measures to the property.

During a 90-day period starting Aug. 1, according to police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos, officers responded to 25 calls for service where the caller either referenced the physical address or name of the motel. Those calls included disturbances, suspicious persons or vehicles, or people needing mental health services.

One incident on Aug. 8 resulted in an arrest on charges of aggravated assault and trafficking controlled substances. The incident took place in a parking lot of the property, and motel personnel were not involved, according to the report.

Nightly patrols

The motel has entered into a contract with Precision Security LLC to provide three to four patrols between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. The company also will provide two daytime patrols seven days a week and offer towing service.

The plan also commits the owner to subscribe to a background-check service to screen all tenants for active warrants and enroll in a crime-free multi-housing class, which is available at no cost from the city.

City Councilor Pat Davis expressed optimism for the future of the property.

Im optimistic and impressed that calls for service are down by half in a couple of months because of these changes, he said. I think she was in over her head, but her willingness to recognize where she was and what was at stake helped make this work.

Davis said this case also serves as a notice for other owners of problem motels in the city.

A workable model

Folks who want to sit down on the table with us, we can help them make money and keep it safe, he said. I think we have a model that works, and the court will back us up on that. I think thats huge for the city.

The city requested that the security monitoring system be tied to the Albuquerque Police Departments Real Time Crime Center. Levy said he did not recommend that in his report, and its the only point Gong is not complying with currently, he said.

She has complied with everything and hired a property manager, which would change the complexion of how the property is run, Levy said. It was not deemed by myself or the attorney representing the owner that the city needed the ability to do that if the property was being run appropriately.

Levy didnt know if a name change from motel was in the offing, but he said the Sahara represents what can happen when positive new business practices are applied during a transition to normal usage.

I think its already a happy ending because the 15 items I suggested be done didnt have to be done by the time I was through (with the 90-day appointment), he said. (The owner and property manager) could just give me a timeline and say that this would be done in 30 days, 60 days, 90 days. By getting right on it, it demonstrated the owners good faith.Amazon will open major new outposts in northern Virginias Crystal City and in New York City, splitting its much-sought investment of up to 50,000 jobs between the two East Coast sites, according to people close to the decision-making process.

An announcement could come early as Tuesday, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they had signed nondisclosure agreements with the company.

An Amazon spokesman declined to comment. The company has said it would make a decision on the high-profile project, which it calls HQ2, this year.

The choice of Crystal City in Arlington County as one of the winners could cement northern Virginias reputation as a magnet for business and potentially reshape the Washington, D.C., region into an East Coast outpost of Silicon Valley over the next decade.

The decision also would hand Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, D, and local leaders the largest economic development prize in a generation  one promising billions of dollars in capital investments alone  but could also put pressure on the regions already steep housing prices, congested roads and yawning divide between wealthy and low-income residents.

It also represents a victory for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, D, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, who had joked that he would change his name to Amazon Cuomo if necessary to land the prize.

Northams spokeswoman, Ofirah Yheskel, did not respond to multiple texts, phone calls and emails Tuesday night. Neither did the office of Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.

The offices of Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., whose district includes Crystal City, declined to comment, as did Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg.

Arlington Director of Economic Development Victor Hoskins also did not respond to inquiries.

Other final suitors included the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, Maryland, and 16 other jurisdictions Amazon has considered since narrowing its list in January. News of the decision was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Amazon could reward some of the finalists with smaller but still significant projects, some of the people said.

Amazons decision to split the project rather than open a second headquarters on par with its Seattle campus has angered some who said the company had ginned up competition among cities only to change the rules midstream. Some said it was unfair that the company seemed to be considering only sites in more affluent communities.

Amazon launched the project in the fall of 2017, dubbing it HQ2 and issuing search criteria for a second corporate headquarters with as many as 50,000 jobs and an investment of $5 billion.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos personally described the scope of the project, saying in a news release: We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters. (Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Others said a split makes sense for Amazon because of the difficulty of finding 50,000 qualified workers  many of them computer engineers  in a single region. Dividing the project also could ease concerns about the pressure that Amazons growth could put on housing, transportation networks and schools.

In picking Crystal City, Amazon opted for a close-in suburban site, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., and a half-mile from Reagan National Airport. Outdated buildings and underused properties now fill the site, including yawning vacancies in some of the office buildings.

In New York, the company had been eyeing a neighborhood in Queens called Long Island City. Long Island City is across the East River from midtown Manhattan.

Arlington County offered Crystal City as part of a joint bid with an adjoining property at Potomac Yard, in the City of Alexandria. The state played a leading role in sponsoring the bid, including offering incentives that have not been disclosed publicly.

The selection represents a triumph for the growth strategy of Arlington and Alexandria to promote development along mass transit routes. The site is close to the Crystal City Metro station on the Blue and Yellow lines, and the planned Potomac Yard station scheduled to open in 2021.

But residents in the nearby Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria expressed worry earlier this year that Amazons arrival would worsen daily rush-hour backups that already slow traffic to a crawl, and erode the quality of life in their neighborhood of mostly single-family homes.

The decision marks a dramatic upturn in fortune for Crystal City, which lost thousands of jobs when military agencies and defense contractors departed in the Pentagons Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) process, beginning in 2005.

The initial building that Amazon would occupy is at 1851 South Bell Street or 1770 Crystal Drive in Arlington, Virginia, according to individuals familiar with the decision.

One advantage is the properties are all overseen by a single, well-capitalized company, JBG Smith. The $4.4 billion company is the regions biggest real estate owner, most active developer, and owns a majority of the property in the bid  enough to accommodate the entire project on its own.

Amazons choice also burnishes northern Virginias standing as an attractive site for corporate headquarters. In the last 15 years, it has lured Volkswagen Group of America to Herndon, Northrop Grumman to Falls Church, Hilton Worldwide to Tysons and Nestles U.S. headquarters to Arlington.

Northam said in March that the states pitch centered on workforce development, inclusivity and transportation, along with quality of life.

Although 238 locations initially submitted proposals to Amazon, the Washington, D.C., region was considered a favorite from the outset by many experts due to Bezos personal connections in the region, particularly the $23 million mansion he purchased in the citys Kalorama neighborhood last year and his ownership of The Washington Post.

Others suggested that Amazon executives want to be near Washington to cozy up to the federal government, either because of increased concerns that regulators may pursue antitrust actions against the company or because the federal government has become a critical Amazon customer.

Virginia also offers the political advantage of being a purple state, making it easier for the company to seek support from both political parties.

Amazon previously announced that it would headquarters its cloud computing unit, Amazon Web Services, in Herndon, near some of its data centers.

The Washington area also naturally fit many of the criteria Amazon called for in its search, among them a deep workforce of talented workers, a robust public transit system and easy airport access.

In discussions with local officials earlier this year, Amazon executives were especially focused on the quality of the workforce and availability of affordable housing, according to Arlington Economic Development Director Victor Hoskins.

When Amazon narrowed the list of contenders to 20 in January, it included three in the Washington area  the District, northern Virginia and Montgomery County  more than any other part of the country.

Unlike other contenders such as Chicago or Dallas, northern Virginia largely lacked a single site able to accommodate the entire project.

Amazon launched its search in September of 2017, vowing to make a decision by the end of 2018 and occupy an initial building of 500,000 square feet in 2019.

The company claims that its Seattle headquarters injected $38 billion beyond what the company spent on its buildings into the area economy, generating an additional $1.40 for every dollar the company spent.

Seattle officials have not disputed the figures, but have also been racing to keep up with the companys staggering growth and the requirements it places on public transit, schools, road networks, parks and utilities. The company now has more 45,000 employees, occupying than 40 buildings and 10 million square feet of office space.

Compared with other large corporations, Amazon employees are less likely to commute by car, as about 55 percent either walk, bike or take public transit, according to a survey the company did of its Seattle workforce. The company purchases transit cards for employees and is building a dedicated cycle track to separate bikes from cars near its Seattle buildings.

Amazons growth is also likely to put new strains on housing. Since Amazons arrival, Seattle has become one of the most expensive places in the United States to live, forcing lower-income residents to move to far-off suburbs. The city and surrounding King County declared a state of emergency in 2015 over homelessness.

Even without Amazon, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments estimated that the region needs to add 235,000 housing units by 2025 to keep pace with expected job growth. Amazons arrival could push the goal above 275,000, according to a recent analysis by the Urban Institute. Right now it is only on pace to add about 170,000 new units by 2026.

Since beginning the headquarters search, Bezos and the company made several announcements that could soften the companys image in the public eye as it moves to open its second hub.

Bezos announced in September that he would donate $2 billion of his own funds to support groups battling homelessness in America and create a network of preschools in underserved communities. In October  after bearing months of criticism from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over its treatment of workers  Amazon announced that it would raise its minimum wage for all employees to $15 per hour.

The minimum wage decision isnt likely to have much effect on the companys hiring in northern Virginia, where Amazon says its facility will employ mainly white collar positions with an average salary of more than $100,000 a year.

Before Amazon announced its search, Washington-area jurisdictions  forced in part by federal budget cuts  had already been diversifying their workforce away from a reliance on federal spending. The region gained more than 55,000 jobs annually from 2015 to 2017 despite budget cuts and stagnation in Congress. But its job growth has been slower than average among major metropolitan areas.



The Washington Posts Gregory S. Schneider contributed to this report.New Mexico State Police are investigating outgoing Sandoval County Assessor Tom Garcias attendance while in office.

A document given to employees in the assessors office brought attention to the investigation.

It comes six months after Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block asked for Garcia to step down. Block questioned Garcia during a commission meeting, asking if he had clocked into work once in 2018.

Time stamp information from the county indicated that Garcia hadnt.

Fast forward to last week, when State Police Investigator Wayne Harvey handed out a questionnaire to assessors office employees, asking about Garcias whereabouts since being elected. The questionnaire states that it is not mandatory for anyone in the office to fill one out, but it would help with the investigation.

Employees were asked if they knew how much time Garcia wasnt in the office, who was in charge while he was gone, if his absence negatively affected day-to-day operations, if they believed it was unethical for Garcia to be absent and if they reported his absences to anyone.

Block said the fact that the investigation is still going on, although Garcias time in office is limited, shows the importance of the accusations.

As an elected official, you are required to go to work whether you have four years or four weeks left, Block said. This sends a message to other people in the county that we arent going to look the other way, no matter how long you have left in office.

Block said that from a common sense standpoint, if Garcia were found guilty, he should have to pay back the money the taxpayers paid him while holding the office.

Neither the State Police nor Garcia responded to a request for comment from the Observer.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Parts of northern and eastern New Mexico saw a good amount of snow Sunday night and Monday morning, and residents can expect the coldest temperatures of the year heading into today.

Higher elevations in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains saw the most snow, according to Albuquerque National Weather Service meteorologist Clay Anderson. Red River reported 15 inches Monday morning, but more snow was possible later into the day, Anderson said.

Angel Fire Resort got 13 inches while the area near Taos Ski Valley got between 10 and 15 inches, which adds nicely to the 13 inches the resort received on Halloween, heading toward a Thanksgiving Day opening.

Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort, planning to open on Friday, received 13 inches of snow.

All the snowfall definitely gets people excited, said Taos Ski Valley marketing manager Dash Hegeman. Ive seen lots of positive comments on social media.

Candy DeJoia, a spokesperson for Ski Santa Fe, said the basin got 12 inches as of Monday afternoon.

Its kind of got a little bit of moisture to it, DeJoia said. Its going to make a nice addition to our base.

The town of Taos received about 8 inches while Santa Fe saw 1-2 inches, Anderson said. Estancia got about 9 inches and Edgewood received about 6 inches.

Rociada, near Las Vegas, reported 13 inches and Ponderosa, near Jemez Pueblo, reported 8 inches, Anderson said.

To the east, Anderson said, Tucumcari got 10 inches right in the middle of town.

In the Four Corners area, Aztec received 3 inches of snow while Farmington got 2.5 inches, according to volunteer observer reports.

Several schools from Santa Fe north were closed for the day, as well as schools in the East Mountains. The Moriarty-Edgewood and Mountainair school districts, as well as the Farmington and Bloomfield schools, also were closed for the day.

While the snow may have stopped falling for most of the state, the cold will be sticking around.

Anderson said a low of 8 degrees below zero is forecast for Los Lunas this morning, while Taos is expected to reach minus 3 degrees.

Its going to get even colder, believe it or not, Anderson said. They will by far be the coldest temperatures weve seen this season. Its going to be a frigid night.



Parts of Bernalillo County saw a little bit of the white stuff on Monday morning, mainly areas to the east, but nowhere near accumulations that were seen in northern New Mexico.

Preliminary snow reports for a 41-hour period ending at 5 p.m. Monday from volunteer observers ranged from 6.3 inches near Edgewood to 3 inches at Sedillo, San Antonito, Tijeras and Sandia Park.

Observers in the eastern part of Albuquerque reported about a half-inch of snow fell late Sunday and early Monday. Albuquerque Sunport received a trace of snow.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Waid Anthony Melton had the day off on Monday.

Police say he showed up at the southeast Albuquerque food distribution warehouse where he worked, blocked an exit with a forklift and opened fire on the first three people he saw, seriously injuring them.

Then he fled the scene.

Melton, 30, shot and killed himself off Interstate 25 near Placitas several hours later.

In a Tuesday afternoon news conference Albuquerque Police Department chief Michael Geier said he didnt want to speculate about why Melton shot up the warehouse. But he said detectives have heard Melton recently had problems with his boss and was angry over not being promoted.

This promotion issue was the only thing brought to our attention, Geier said. Everybody said he was a nice guy, I dont think anybody foresaw this.

Family members have also told detectives that Melton had mental health issues.

Social media accounts associated with Meltons name indicate an interest in psychedelic mushrooms, cannabis and other drugs. On Facebook he said he was once employed as a killer at Natural Born Killers  a reference to the 1994 movie about violence and the media.

On Twitter, he appears to be an avid sharer of crime articles in the Journal and frequently mentions feeling sad.

Melton has no criminal history in New Mexico.

We had very little contact with him, Geier said. I think one traffic accident in Rio Rancho, no criminal history, nothing that would indicate that we could have prevented this if we had advance information.

Outside Meltons familys home, distraught relatives declined to speak with a reporter.

We have nothing to share, a woman said.

Active shooter

It was shortly after 6:15 p.m.  right around a shift change  when the 911 dispatch center began getting calls about an active shooter at the Ben E. Keith warehouse on the 3200 block of Broadway, south of Gibson SE.

Officers arrived less than five minutes later and worked out a plan.

They entered the building and quickly located the three victims all of whom were suffering from gunshot wounds, Chief Geier said. These officers then made the decision to drag these victims outside to safety where they started lifesaving measures.

Those three victims, all men, were taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries. By Tuesday morning one was in stable condition and the other two remained in critical, said Dr. Stephen Lu, the director of emergency surgery at UNMH.

Authorities have not identified the victims. Geier said its possible that one of them was Meltons boss.

In hindsight this could have been a lot worse Im very grateful for the work of our officers, Geier said. They did exactly what they were trained to do. They rushed into a dangerous and uncertain active shooter situation and saved lives.

A Ben E. Keith employee who did not want to be named said he had gotten his 23-year-old son a job at the warehouse about five months ago.

The employee said around 7 oclock Monday he was returning a delivery truck when he heard what happened.

Then, he and his wife called their son over and over and over again. Eventually he called back from another number and said he was safe.

I asked him what happened and he said I really dont want to talk right now,' the employee said. He was all white and pale and freaked out.

While APD, New Mexico State Police and Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office SWAT team officers conducted a full sweep of the building, Meltons family members got in touch with investigators and gave them his cell phone number.

Geier said detectives traced the phone and crisis negotiation officers talked with Melton, trying to get him to surrender.

They were still trying when he killed himself.

About 11:40 p.m. we had a negotiator on the phone when it happened and they heard the shot, Geier said.

New Mexico State Police investigators found Melton dead, sealed his truck and towed it to the Albuquerque crime lab. A handgun was found near Meltons body and is being tested to determine if it was used in the warehouse shooting. Geier said they dont know yet if the gun was registered to him.

Tuesday afternoon, detectives and APD tactical officers executed a search warrant on Meltons home on the 200 block of Osage SW, near Central and Atrisco SW.

Officers in tactical gear could be seen circling a stucco home as police vehicles and yellow tape blocked the street in both directions. A bomb squad robot was wheeled into the backyard of the home and came out with officers a short time later.

Neighbors gathered on both sides of the yellow tape trying to see what had brought all the activity to their block.

Madie Mirabal said the neighborhood is a close-knit community but Melton mainly kept to himself.

Not anything strange  just kind of a silent person, she said. He was quiet.

Mirabal said Melton had only lived in the house for a few months.

I didnt even know his name, she said.

Jose and Annie Garcia say they used to see Melton regularly, in his garage, on their way to church or to run errands.

The Garcias said they saw him around 7 a.m. Monday standing beside his truck and assumed he was going to work.

We just waved, Garcia said. He waved back.

An all-too familiar scenario

The issue of gun violence across the community and the nation loomed large at Tuesdays new conference.

Both Mayor Tim Keller and Dr. Lu emphasized that first responders, hospital staff, and police had trained for the mass shootings and jumped into action.

When this came the whole team was ready, the ER was ready, reception was ready, social workers were ready, the ICU was ready, Lu said. Why were we ready? Its because it happens all the time. For that, its a great privilege, but I think it needs to be said that the reason we have these resources is because it happens all the time.

Keller echoed that statement and said that Mondays shooting was a reminder that work needed to be done to curb gun violence.

We should never accept this as normal or the way things are, Keller said.

In fact, this is the second time this year that a Ben E. Keith employee has opened fire on coworkers.

According to the Dallas News, Kristine Peralez, 38, walked into the companys Houston, Texas, warehouse in the early morning hours of Aug. 20 and shot and killed a manager and wounded another employee.

Peralez died in a shootout with police but its unclear whether she shot herself or was shot by an officer.

In a statement distributed by APD, Ben E. Keith officials said their prayers are with the employees and their families. They are offering counseling and other services for those who need it.

Although this situation was isolated, we are painfully aware that another workplace violence situation occurred at our Houston, TX facility three months ago, Ben E. Keith said in a statement. We have a fundamental responsibility to keep our employees and communities safe. This is why Ben E. Keith Foods will continue to work with outside safety/security professionals.

The family of a man killed in that shooting is now suing the company for $25 million, according to Dallas News.FARMINGTON  A Farmington man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of two counts of child sex abuse for molesting a juvenile female.

Eddie Mares, 35, was sentenced to 15 years for each conviction of criminal sexual penetration in the second degree during a hearing Thursday in Aztec District Court, according to San Juan County chief deputy district attorney Dustin OBrien.

He was found guilty during a one-day jury trial on Aug. 7, according to court records.

Ruth Wheeler, Mares public defender, said they will appeal the sentencing by District Judge John Dean Jr.

The DAs office asked for the maximum sentence and were glad Judge Dean agreed it was an appropriate sentence in this case, OBrien said.

The San Juan County Sheriffs Office investigated the incident, which took place in March 2017 at a residence along County Road 5572 in the Crouch Mesa area, according to court records and documents.

A forensic interview was conducted with the victim on May 18, 2017, at Childhaven in Farmington, according to The Daily Times archives.

During the interview with an advocate, the victim said Mares molested her while they slept in the same bed in the residence.

Mares also restrained her legs during the incident, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

The victim said Mares was drinking a lot of alcohol and he regularly shared a bed with her and her family members.

She added she knew it was Mares because when she woke up, she saw his face, according to court documents.

Mares will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, OBrien said.

Joshua Kellogg covers crime, courts and social issues for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.



2018 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.)

Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at www.daily-times.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.A new shipping container development from the founder of Green Jeans Farmery broke ground in the Northeast Heights Tuesday afternoon.

The 11,000-square-foot Tin Can Alley at San Pedro and Alameda will house Santa Fe Brewing, Amore Pizzeria, Rustic Star Burgers, Nitro Fog Creamery, Pho Cup, Guava Tree Cafe, Epiphany Espresso and a 505 Southwestern restaurant kiosk, according to a news release.

Adjacent parcels will house a 26,500-square-foot Stoneage Climbing Gym and a 3,500-square-foot Vinaigrette restaurant.

The need for local businesses in this portion of the Northeast Heights is huge, said Roy Solomon, developer of Tin Can Alley and Green Jeans, in a statement.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller was unable to attend the ceremony but said in a news release that the area is going to be one of the best places to hang out in the city when it opens next August.

Solomon is also the founder of food manufacturer 505 Southwestern, which was purchased by Flagship Food Group several years ago. Flagship CEO Rob Holland announced at the ground-breaking that he is licensing the 505 Southwestern brand back to Solomon for restaurants at both Tin Can Alley and Green Jeans.

As for the new Vinaigrette restaurant at Tin Can Alley, owner Erin Wade said in an email that menu and concept will be similar to the existing locations in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Austin, Texas. Still, the space is the first Wade is building from the ground up, and she said the design will be tailored to the site.

We want it to feel like a park, an oasis . . . the restaurant building design itself is

reminiscent of a barn or a northern New Mexico church, said Wade. We are playing with our amazing New Mexico design vernacular combined with an agricultural one.

In addition to the salad-focused Vinaigrette, Wade also owns Modern General restaurants in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, which serve breakfast and lunch items.announced earlier today, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has finally issued its (short) judgment in Levola Hengelo, C-310/17, holding that copyright cannot vest in the taste of a food product (a spreadable cheese in the background Dutch proceedings). Asearlier today, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has finally issued its (short), holding that copyright cannot vest in the taste of a food product (a spreadable cheese in the background Dutch proceedings).





directly the chance to tackle the notion of 'work' under the InfoSoc Directive (but, I would say, the overall EU copyright acquis). The case is important for a number of reasons, and especially because it is probably the first time that the CJEU has been giventhe chance to tackle the notion of 'work' under the(but, I would say, the overall EU copyright





Let's see how the CJEU reasoned.





'Work' under the InfoSoc Directive





The Court started by noting that the InfoSoc Directive harmonizes a number of economic rights and related exceptions and limitations, which concern the exploitation of 'works'. Yet, that piece of legislation does not define what is to be intended as 'work', nor does it make any reference to the laws of individual Member States.





This means, unsurprisingly, that the notion of 'work' is an autonomous concept of EU law, that is to be given an autonomous and uniform interpretation throughout the EU.





With particular regard to the taste of a food product, this means that copyright protection may only vest in said subject matter if it can be regarded as a 'work' in a EU sense. According to the CJEU, this means that two cumulative criteria must be satisfied:

Infopaq and its progeny; The subject matter concerned must be original in the sense clarified inand its progeny; The subject matter must be a 'work' This part of the judgment appears rather tautological as the CJEU suggests that a 'work' is a 'work'. But that is not all: the Court also appears to (oddly) suggest that only something that is original is a work, as if originality was a requirement for a certain subject matter to be classified as a work:

only something which is the expression of the authors own intellectual creation may be classified as a work within the meaning of Directive 2001/29

'Work' under Berne





Article 2(1) of the Berne Convention. By adopting the InfoSoc Directive, the EU implemented into the EU legal order the WIPO Internet Treaties and Article 1(4) WCT requires compliance with Articles 1 to 21 of Berne. Moving on from this headache-inducing part of the judgment, having clarified (?) what a work is under the InfoSoc Directive, the CJEU turned to. By adopting the InfoSoc Directive, the EU implemented into the EU legal order theandrequires compliance with Articles 1 to 21 of Berne.





This means that:

the notion of 'work' must be intended having regard to Article 2(1) of Berne.

2 WCT and 9(2) TRIPs must be also taken into account. the idea/expression dichotomy, as found in Articlesandmust be also taken into account.

According to the CJEU, it follows from these two considerations (?) that

for there to be a work as referred to in Directive 2001/29, the subject matter protected by copyright must be expressed in a manner which makes it identifiable with sufficient precision and objectivity, even though that expression is not necessarily in permanent form.

Sieckmann criteria in relation to the graphic representation requirement in trade mark law, it appeared to have them very much in mind when it used substantially the same language of that ruling in holding that: And even if the Court did not refer (as instead the AG had done) to thecriteria in relation to the graphic representation requirement in trade mark law, it appeared to have them very much in mind when it used substantially the same language of that ruling in holding that:

first, the authorities responsible for ensuring that the exclusive rights inherent in copyright are protected must be able to identify, clearly and precisely, the subject matter so protected. The same is true for individuals, in particular economic operators, who must be able to identify, clearly and precisely, what is the subject matter of protection which third parties, especially competitors, enjoy. Secondly, the need to ensure that there is no element of subjectivity  given that it is detrimental to legal certainty  in the process of identifying the protected subject matter means that the latter must be capable of being expressed in a precise and objective manner.

All this served the Court to conclude that the taste of a food product cannot be identified with precision and objectivity. This would make it different from " a literary, pictorial, cinematographic or musical work, which is a precise and objective form of expression". All this appears rather questionable, especially because the Court associated such presumed 'objectivity' to the way in which one appreciates those works, rather than how they perceive them:

the taste of a food product will be identified essentially on the basis of taste sensations and experiences, which are subjective and variable since they depend, inter alia, on factors particular to the person tasting the product concerned, such as age, food preferences and consumption habits, as well as on the environment or context in which the product is consumed.

Spreadable Kat

But isn't the same be true for other types of copyright works as well? If what the Court suggests was true, then we would all like the same music, novels, and films ...





According to the Court the problem also relates to the current state of scientific development, ie to the same problem occurred for trade mark registration of less conventional signs, that is "to achieve by technical means a precise and objective identification of the taste of a food product which enables it to be distinguished from the taste of other products of the same kind."





Because of all these considerations, the taste of a food product is not a work and cannot be protected under EU copyright law (and it would seem, international copyright law).





Comment





Despite being a fan of the CJEU, this time I have to admit that I am not sold. And that is not because of the particular outcome of the case (which, in a way, appeared necessitated), but because of the reasoning of the court in relation to the following points:

Infopaq , BSA , and FAPL ); First, conflating the notions of works and originality (which the CJEU did to a certain extent, when it tried to define the notion of 'work' under EU law, and is something problematic that it had done already in cases like, and);

Secondly, deriving from the idea/expression dichotomy a requirement that a 'work' satisfies something that - let's put it bluntly - mirrors the graphic representation requirement in trade mark law, as interpreted in Sieckmann ;

Thirdly, suggesting that copyright protection is subject to a requirement of 'objective' perception (and judgment).

All this said, however, the judgment is important and requires closer scrutiny. There are two additional, key points that deserve attention.





An EU fixation requirement





First, even if the CJEU denied that [at para 40] , as a matter of fact, it mandated (as the AG had done before it) a fixation requirement in EU copyright law. R eference to the need for precision and objectivity of the subject matter appears in fact to imply that some sort of fixation is present. Would it be in fact possible to have subject matter that is precise and identifiable without it being also fixed in some material form? All this raises question marks in relation to Berne, as in principle member states are free to determine whether fixation should be or not a requirement in their own copyright laws.





Unconventional Kat

Subject matter categorization





forthcoming book, relates to the fact that, under EU law, copyright protection under EU law arises when (1) there is an intellectual creation, that is (2) a work. The second point of interest, which I discuss more at length in this, relates to the fact that, under EU law, copyright protection under EU law arises when (1) there is an intellectual creation, that is (2) a work.





The CJEU could have not stated that more clearly.





The implications of all this are that the same type of subject matter is to be protected across the EU. On the one hand, this would prevent protection by means of copyright of subject matter that does not fall within the EU notion of work and, on the other hand, it would prevent Member States from excluding protection for works that, instead, fall within the EU notion.





In this sense, closed national systems of protectable works (as is the case in Europe of the UK, Ireland, and Austria) would unlikely be compatible with EU law. also prompted by the following consideration: if, on the one hand, we accept that solutions like the one of the Dutch Supreme Court in Kecofa v Lancome, ie that copyright could vest in a perfume, may not be tolerated then, on the other hand, protection could not be denied in a certain work just because it does not belong to one of the categories envisaged by a certain Member States list of protectable works. At the time when the Dutch judgment was issued (2006) some commentators noted that disparities in the protection tout court of certain subject matter across the EU would raise, inter alia, free movement issues: This conclusion is in factprompted by the following consideration: if, on the one hand, we accept that solutions like the one of the Dutch Supreme Court in, ie that copyright could vest in a perfume, may not be tolerated then, on the other hand, protection could not be denied in a certain work just because it does not belong to one of the categories envisaged by a certain Member States list of protectable works. At the time when the Dutch judgment was issued (2006) some commentatorsthat disparities in the protectionof certain subject matter across the EU would raise,, free movement issues:

Dutch law is now out of step with that of all other EU member states. Parfumeurs welcomed the Dutch ruling, believing their work to be indubitably artistic. Such thinking sits comfortably with the Romantic vision of the author as uniquely entitled to proprietorship of created works, but this paradigm has been seriously challenged in post-modern times. It also draws on an aesthetic discourse of originality which cries loudly for protection but has a tendency to forget its own debts. TRESOR itself owes much to two earlier perfumes: Calvin Klein's ETERNITY and Sophia Grosjman's EXCLAMATION. In addition to the philosophical difficulties, there are practical problems. It will require considerable creativity to apply certain acts of copyright infringement ( e.g. distribution, making available to the public) to fragrance, whose fundamental purpose is that it will perceived not only by the wearer, but also by those in the vicinity. Furthermore, the ruling creates an unacceptable impediment to the free movement of goods within the EU. Harmonisation will be essential if the Dutch approach is maintained.

The same would be true for works, possibly of a less conventional type, that are regarded as protectable in certain EU jurisdictions but not others. As a result, protection across the EU should be based on the same requirements and be subject to the same limitations.A survey of almost 500 Indian digital media marketers across India reveals that the vast majority (97 per cent) are planning to increase their investment in the emerging field of outcome-driven media over the next two years to address growing media complexities and better understand the impact of their campaigns on business results.

The research, by outcome media company, Xaxis, which is also GroupMs programmatic media arm, assessed how satisfied marketers around the world were with their existing methods of measuring the success of digital display campaigns, especially in terms of how they deliver against their strategic business and marketing goals. It also asked what the main barriers were to moving to new metrics, and whether they were planning to increase their investment in outcomes-driven media, which the company defined as planning and optimising campaigns against KPIs  often tailor-made for an advertiser or campaign - that are much more closely aligned to the marketers ultimate marketing and business goals.

The results of the survey suggest that while outcome-driven media looks to be a critical area of increased investment, there is a mixed picture in relation to how marketers view ways of evaluating digital media success.

The majority (80 per cent) of Indian marketers surveyed either strongly or somewhat agreed that evaluating digital media spend had become more difficult over the past five years and almost all respondents (90 per cent) said that they were very or somewhat likely to change the primary metric they used to measure campaigns over the next 12-24 months.

The research also reports that 92 per cent of Indian marketers surveyed agreed that being able to link business objectives to digital media spend positively impacted their marketing budget and the same majority agreed that understanding how media can meet business objectives allowed their organisation to have a measurable advantage over competitors.

When asked what their organisations priorities were for media spend in 2019, the top answer (52 per cent) was increased efficiency, followed by Improving ad viewability levels (46 per cent), gaining full transparency of campaign performance  (42 per cent), and gaining full transparency of campaign performance (37 per cent). Effective allocation of resources was the 5th-ranked answer with 34 per cent of survey respondents.

The research also highlighted that 92 per cent of Indian marketers want to work with a partner who can help them deliver against marketing and business objectives. In an era of complexity, Indian marketers seek experts who will help them handle massive sets of data and set up systems to measure their results.

Arshan Saha, President of Xaxis Asia-Pacific, commented, This is an exciting time for us right now as the advertising industry in the APAC region continues to grow and advance. Survey results for the APAC market were closely in line with global trends, and indicate a clear need for marketing that can drive real world results that accrue to the bottom line. This approach will empower marketing to solidify its position as a center for revenue enhancement, which could ultimately change perceptions of its role within the organisation.

Bharat Khatri, National Director, Xaxis India, added here, The findings demonstrate that Indian marketers are clearly looking to investing on outcome media as part of their strategy moving into 2019. They are recognising the need to measure themselves as well as have plans in place to reach out effectively to the large Indian market. The research also suggests that India marketers would like to work with partners to better understand the impact of their campaigns on business results. Based on the comparisons with the other regions, we can see that Indian marketers are opening up to recognising the need to change and implement newer strategies which is a positive shift.

The research was conducted via an online survey in September 2018 among 4,798 digital brand marketers across 16 key global markets: US, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Australia, China, India, and Singapore.The Printers Mysore, publisher of Deccan Herald from Bengaluru and six other cities in Karnataka, has appointed Sitaraman Shankar as Editor of the newspaper and the website, deccanherald.com.

A chemical technologist-turned-journalist, Shankar comes with 25 years of experience with brands such as the Economic Times, Reuters, Hindustan Times and most recently, Network18. He has worked in developed, emerging and frontier markets across the various disciplines of reporting, feature-writing, editing, news editing, and managing teams. He has been based in Mumbai, New Delhi, Frankfurt, London and Dubai and also reported out of Moscow, Vienna and Singapore.

Shankar's appointment as Editor comes as part of an organisation-wide transformation, said K N Tilak Kumar, Joint Managing Director, who previously held the editorship of the paper.

Deccan Herald, one of the most trusted media brands, is poised to move into a higher orbit. Shankar coming on board will surely accelerate this transition, remarked Karthik Balakrishnan, CEO of The Printers Mysore.

On his new role, Shankar said, I feel privileged to be closely associated with Deccan Herald, a brand with a great legacy that is embarking on an exciting journey.I don't know which is worse here, the story or the horribly overwrought ad filled visual nightmare of a website called The Lakewood Scoop. There are measles cases in Lakewood. Remember measles? The Brady Bunch had them. Wilma Flintstone had them. Frank Sinatra sang, "I've had the measles and the mumps..." From Lakewood, New Jersey, the pharma and chemical heart of the USA.



"Approximately 50 Lakewood teachers say they are not returning if unimmunized children are allowed back in school."



This is likely the teachers UNION telling the teachers what to do. Schools make money from flu shot clinics and are an arm (pardon the turn of the phrase) of the local public health office. The comments from readers are disgusting as well.

Another story from Lakewood:

LAKEWOOD  Schools, businesses and officials got serious about the spread of measles in an Ocean County community over the weekend, as confirmation of several potential additional cases is pending.

Four cases of measles were confirmed in Lakewood last week by the Ocean County Health Department. Four more potential cases are under investigation but lab results will not be back until Wednesday, according to OCHD spokesman Dan Regenye.



At least two businesses  a workout facility called The Gym and the Snaps Kosher restaurant  have banned customers who are not immunized. The Gym went so far as to require proof of immunization be presented.



Schools in 2018 are working to prevent bullying of all students - except the un- or undervaccinated. A Kosher restaurant and gym also refused to serve the "unvaccinated." The gym required, Papers Please..... It's a slimey slope to forced vaccination and outright violence toward anyone - mostly children if you think about it - who is not fully vaccinated.



I hope every adult in that area who thinks our kids who are not fully vaxxed are a danger lines up for ALL of the booster shots needed. The ENTIRE pediatric schedule - clear your calendars folks! Roll up your sleeves and do your duty to protect others. Let us know how that works out for you.



We will NOT be the last group in America to be protected by civil rights. NEIN.



The limited business and downtown business zoning districts will be a little different from here on out.

The Aiken City Council unanimously approved amendments to the zonings on Monday night. The Planning Commission, an advisory body, unanimously recommended doing so earlier this year.

Limited business zoning  designed for a blend of retail, pedestrian and residential uses  now prohibits liquor store and convenience store uses, according to City Council documents.

Limited business zoning was created more than a decade ago, according to Planning Commission documents, but remains rarely used.

Downtown business zoning  designed for core commercial and civic uses  now, among other things, requires a 200-foot single-family residence buffer for liquor stores and night clubs and also defines a "Central Business District," according to the same information.

The Central Business District is now recognized as the stretch between the Railroad Cut, Barnwell Avenue, Union Street and Greenville Street S.W. Structures in the downtown business area are subject to Design Review Board approval because of its overlap with the Old Aiken overlay district.

Aiken City Council members, Public Safety leadership tour new headquarters The $10.8 million project to establish a new Aiken Department of Public Safety headquarters is on budget, on schedule and is slated for "subst

Existing businesses and establishments in the altered zones can be grandfathered if things are outstanding, according to Ryan Bland, the city's planning director.

The changes made to the zoning ordinance do not directly rezone areas  that's a completely different process.

"This isn't written just for one street," City Council member Ed Woltz said Monday night.

It should be noted, though, the changes arrive as the city considers rezoning properties in the Waterloo Street neighborhood, a move that has faced its own round of public outcry.

The rezoning of Waterloo Street-area properties is expected to come to City Council at the end of November. The Planning Commission will look into it Tuesday night.

Concerns, during multiple public hearings and via discussions with planning staff, have been raised about the intensity of commercial use in limited business areas, a supposed-to-be transitional zone. Similar concerns  how commercial affects residential and vice-versa  were raised for the downtown business area, according to Planning Commission documents.

City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh acknowledged the unease Monday night.

City Council approved the first reading of the amendment ordinance on Oct. 22.Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier?

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Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page.What Truly Caused the Pogrom of 1938

By Gary Gindler. November 9th, 2018

Article Source

Everyone knows what happened 80 years ago, November 9-10, 1938 in Germany. The unprecedented pogrom of the Jews got the name Kristallnacht -- "Night of Broken Glass." Today, we are well aware of the approximate number of murdered Jews, destroyed businesses, and burned synagogues. The formal reason for the pogrom was the murder of the German diplomat Ernst vom Rath in Paris by the Jewish teenager Herschel Grynszpan on November 7.

Unfortunately, few people know about the true causes of the pogrom.

Who created the conditions under which a mass pogrom of Jews in the Third Reich could even take place?

After the murder of the German diplomat, the propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, announced that neither the German government nor the ruling National Socialist Workers Party (NSDAP, AKA Nazi) would organize any protests in this regard. Goebbels knew what was going to happen. The government of Nazi Germany, although not formally involved in the detailed organization of the Kristallnacht, for several years was doing everything possible to make such a pogrom.

Since taking power in 1933, the Nazis had tightened the existing gun control laws. All German citizens, including Jews, were required to register their weapons, and for every firearm purchase, they must obtain a special permit from the authorities. In September 1935, all Jews were stripped of German citizenship. All Jews, without exception, were declared "untrustworthy" and deprived of most civil rights. Then, starting in December 1935, the Jews of Germany lost the opportunity to buy firearms and ammunition, but the Nazis had not yet executed a widespread confiscation of the existing weapons and ammunition... .......

Following our reminder on Friday 11/9/18 for Kristallnacht, it would seem appropriate to be reminded about what is seen as the cause of the Pogrom of 1938. This article draws a sober comparison between the Nazi government and the American socialists, who continually press for 'gun control' and the maintenance of 'gun-free-zones'. The intended goal is the disarmament of law-abiding citizens which very plainly should be seen as a potential return to a tragic and dangerous event in history.

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ISTANBUL  A recording made during the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is so atrocious that it shocked a Saudi intelligence officer who heard it, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, continuing his weeks-long campaign to force the Saudi government to accept culpability for the killing.

Erdogan also told journalists traveling with him on his plane that he had told the leaders of the United States, Germany and France during a trip to France to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One that the plot was carried out on high-level orders from Riyadh.

Khashoggi, a columnist with the Washington Post, left Saudi Arabia for the United States after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took power last year and launched a crackdown on his opponents. A vocal critic of the 33-year-old prince, Khashoggi visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, just 11 days before his 60th birthday, to obtain paperwork in order to marry his Turkish fiancee and was never seen again. His remains are still missing.

Erdogan has said Turkey has a moral obligation to expose those responsible and bring the killers to justice. His efforts have already compelled the kingdom to acknowledge that Khashoggi was killed in a preplanned attack and arrest 18 suspects, including 15 people Ankara said traveled to Turkey to carry out the assassination.

We have had everyone who wanted this recording listen to it; our intelligence agency has hidden nothing. The recording is truly atrocious. In fact, a Saudi intelligence official who listened to the recording was so shocked, he said, He probably took heroin. Only someone who has taken heroin could do this, Erdogan was quoted by newspapers on Tuesday as saying.

Erdogan said he and US President Donald Trump, the crown princes main backer, had included German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in their discussion of Khashoggis case during a Saturday dinner in Paris.

I explained our stance on the Khashoggi killing [that] this murder was premeditated, and its clear that the orders came from high levels in Saudi Arabia.  I told Mr. Trump there is no need to look for the murderers; the murderers are among these 18 people who are in custody in Saudi Arabia, said Erdogan. He had previously said the men should be extradited to Turkey to face trial here.

Despite the international outcry over Khashoggis killing, few governments have outlined clear measures to take against the Saudi government. On Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian accused Erdogan of playing a political game.

In response, Le Drians Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusolgu, said France may be endeavoring to bury the case, insisting that French intelligence officials were given the audio upon their request on Oct. 24.

It is extremely impudent for him to accuse our president of playing a game," Cavugoslu told the state Anadolu Agency. I would not be surprised if they denied the Khashoggi murder, which Saudi Arabia has even accepted.  Are they trying to cover up this murder?

The case has deeply embarrassed Prince Mohammed, who is often referred to by his initials MBS. He has faced international revulsion as Turkish investigators continue to leak details of the gruesome killing to the media.

Relations between Erdogan and the prince were icy before Khashoggis death over a number of regional disputes, including a Saudi-led blockade of Turkeys close ally Qatar over its alleged support for Islamic extremists and its friendly ties with Iran.

Erdogan has achieved almost all of his goals in the Khashoggi incident. He has gotten the Saudis to admit that it was a premeditated murder and he has isolated MBS by targeting him directly and indirectly, said Soner Cagaptay, the director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the author of The New Sultan, a biography of Erdogan.

For Erdogan, Muslim unity trumps other issues, and I can see him letting MBS off the hook  though not letting him smell of roses  if Saudi Arabia agrees to end Qatars isolation, he told Al-Monitor.

The New York Times reported that the recording, which was shared with CIA Director Gina Haspel last month, includes the voice of one of the killers saying on the phone in Arabic to tell your boss the deed was done, a reference that US intelligence officials believe was to MBS. It is not clear how Turkey obtained a recording of Khashoggis final moments within the consulate.

But US National Security Adviser John Bolton appeared to contradict that assessment on Tuesday, saying the crown prince was not implicated in the audio tape. Trump is still waiting for the truth to emerge, he said.

On Tuesday, the pro-government Sabah newspaper published X-ray photographs it said were taken during a security check of the luggage carried by the Saudi hit squad onto airplanes after the attack. The bags contained electroshock devices, a signal jammer, syringes, staple guns, pliers and two-way radios, it said, adding they were allowed to board their flights with the tools under the rules of diplomatic immunity.

In recent days, the Turkish press has published conflicting reports about the search for Khashoggis remains. Sabah said police found evidence of hydrofluoric acid, a highly corrosive material, in the plumbing of the Saudi consul generals residence, which is within walking distance of the consulate, and believe that Khashoggis body was liquefied and flushed down the drain. However, Yeni Safak, which is also close to the government, cited police as saying they believe his remains are still at the residence, even though forensics teams searched the premises last month.

Without a body, Khashoggis loved ones have been unable to give him a proper Muslim burial. On Friday, his supporters will gather at Istanbuls Fatih Mosque to hold funeral prayers, said Turan Kislakci, a friend of Khashoggis who leads the Turkish-Arab Media Association.

We have come to accept that Jamal is dead and that his body has been destroyed, and we will perform our prayers for his soul. But we also hope this service will be a call to everyone that the world must do something in the face of this barbaric act, Kislakci told Al-Monitor.The House is set to vote on a bill this week that would formally institutionalize a North African counterterrorism program  and give lawmakers more control over the initiative.

The Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership Act, sponsored by House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, directs the Donald Trump administration to coordinate on counterterror programs with several North African and Sahel governments.

The George W. Bush administration formally started the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) in 2005, but McCauls bill makes it permanent. It also exerts greater congressional oversight over the program and pushes the Trump administration to clarify its strategy in the region.

My bill codifies this partnership and allows the TSCTP to confront the ever-growing threat of terrorism in Africa, McCaul wrote in an op-ed in The National Interest in September. Furthermore, the bill requires the State Department, US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Defense Department to coordinate counterterrorism strategy with our African partners and deliver that strategy to Congress.

Under the program, the United States provides military, law enforcement and logistical support to US partners in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon and Burkina Faso.

McCauls bill unanimously cleared the House Foreign Affairs Committee in September, highlighting the bipartisan anxiety over what many lawmakers consider to be the Trump administrations relative inattention to the region. As hundreds of former Islamic State (IS) fighters return to North Africa following the collapse of their would-be caliphate in Iraq and Syria, McCaul and other legislators fear the region could become the next major hotbed for militant groups to plot terrorist attacks abroad.

Today, it is estimated that 10,000 [IS] and al-Qaeda jihadists have already set up camp across the continent, McCaul wrote in the op-ed. This is in addition to Boko Haram, al-Shabaab and other extremist groups that have been fomenting violence and spreading terror for many years.

McCaul also noted that the Pentagon is openly considering troop cuts and scaled back missions in Central and West Africa, arguing that such cuts would make these partnerships even more vital.

In an effort to take more ownership over the trans-Sahara initiative, the bill also requires the State Department to submit a detailed notification to Congress 15 days before obligating funds for any activity under the program. It also requires the State Department, Defense Department and USAID to submit a comprehensive, interagency strategy on how the Trump administration will use the program to counter terrorism in North Africa and the Sahel.

Congress had already asked the Trump administration for a more general North Africa strategy in its fiscal year 2018 spending bill, which passed in March, including a section on how US assistance dollars in North Africa would be prioritized to address economic and security needs.

The program has been a rare exception to the Trump administrations efforts to slash foreign assistance.

Both this year and last, the State Department requested at least $14 million more in funding for the program than the Barack Obama administration did in its final budget request. This year the State Department asked Congress for $35 million, well over the $20 million the Obama administration requested in 2016.

But Congress wants to go even further in funding the program. This years pending House foreign aid spending bill sets aside $94 million for the program while the pending Senate bill designates $58 million, virtually guaranteeing that Congress will invest far more than the $35 million sought by the State Department.The Egyptian government has started a campaign to remove the street name signs that carry the names of leaders and prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that was designated as a terrorist organization following the ousting of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

On Oct. 21, Minya Gov. Qassem Hussein changed the name of a street in the governorate from Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, to Umar Ibn al-Khattab, one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Hussein signaled that every name of a street and square across the governorate would be subject to review. Streets that carry the names of Muslim Brotherhood members will be changed and named after fallen soldiers as well as historical and public figures who have had a positive impact on society, he said.

Lawyer Ayman Mahfouz filed a complaint Oct. 23 with Public Prosecutor Nabil Sadek, saying that there are tens  if not hundreds  of streets named after leaders and members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo and other governorates.

Mahfouz said that Google Maps shows that tens of streets in Cairo, Qalubiya, Alexandria, Gharbiya, Daqahliya, Menoufia, Beni Sueif and Minya are named after Hassan al-Banaa and former leading member Sayyid Qutb. He noted that there are many more small streets, squares and alleys in Egypt named after Brotherhood figures, but they do not show up on Google Maps.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which was established in March 1928 in Ismailia governorate, gained momentum and popularity among the public after launching charitable and social services projects in communities. With the rise in the popularity of the group, many streets, especially in underprivileged areas, were named after its founder.

[The fact that the streets are named after Brotherhood members] undermines the states policy of fighting this banned group, Mahfouz said. He added that maintaining the names makes these figures appear as heroes in the eyes of the public.

Street names started being renamed in the various governorates about two years ago. In August 2015, Cairo governorate renamed Rabia al-Adawyia Square, where the Brotherhood held a popular sit-in in 2013, after former Public Prosecutor Hisham Barakat, who was killed in an attack targeting his convoy in 2015.

Many have praised the decision to rename the streets, saying that it should have been taken sooner.

Gamal Abdel Gawad, a professor of political science at the American University in Cairo, told Al-Monitor that the streets named after Brotherhood members reflects the group's influence in society and the impact it has on citizens.

Giving streets the names of those people also reflects that they are being revered by some in society, and that the state did not have an ideological disagreement with the Muslim Brotherhood in the past, he said.

Gawad noted that Egypt has entered into a political and ideological conflict with the Muslim Brotherhood, especially following the ousting of Morsi in 2013.

Parliamentarian Mohamed Abu Hamed said that the decision to rename the streets makes sense because the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist group. It was irrational that names of Brotherhood members and leaders appeared on the streets of Egypt. How can these terrorists' names appear on street signs? he told Al-Monitor.

Abu Hamed noted that the removal of the names of Brotherhood members comes as part of a wider crackdown on terrorism and extremism. We should not honor those people, but rather we should honor the soldiers who were killed in terrorist attacks, he added.

Ordinary citizens have welcomed the move to rename some of the streets in Cairo and other parts of the country. However, they said that it would be difficult for many to start using the new names, as the old names have been used for decades.

In the short run this will not be effective, but in the long run people will start to use the new names that the state has given to the streets, Ahmed Essam, a trader who lives near Hisham Barakat Square, told Al-Monitor.

Essam said that although Rabia al-Adawiya Square was renamed in 2015 people are still using the name. But future generations will definitely use the new names, especially because the Muslim Brotherhood has been stigmatized in society for its hostile and terrorist acts, he added.

Soheir Ismail, a housewife and resident of the square, said that supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood will keep using the names of their leaders while opponents will do the opposite. It shows how divided society has become with the creation of a name-focused conflict, she told Al-Monitor.Sanctions are coming November 5, US President Donald Trump tweeted Nov. 2, ominously warning Iran on the sanctions Washington would reinstate on the country. Both the typeface and the message were borrowed from Game of Thrones, a fantasy drama TV series popular both in the United States and in Iran. The meme shows the US president gazing into space against a steel gray backdrop reminiscent of the series' visuals.

Trumps tweet immediately drew negative reactions, both for his parallelism between the sanctions and the series much-feared endless winter, and the implicit casting of himself and his administration in the role of the White Walkers, an ancient race of humanoid ice creatures that invade the Kingdoms of Westeros to subdue its residents.

In a reply on Twitter, the Washington-based National Iranian American Council called Trump "a literal White Walker, fear-mongering, war-mongering, and championing division at every opportunity for political gain.

The reactions of the Iranians, who are finding themselves yet again subject to unfair sanctions despite signing the 2015 nuclear deal, was swift. Hours after Trump's tweet, a meme in which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was portrayed in a matching pose went viral. It carried a similar  albeit grammatically incorrect  slogan: Sanctions are welcoming, November 5.

The portraits of men and slogans styled after "Game of Thrones" continued to multiply on Twitter and Instagram. A fan page for the top commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Ali Jafari, published a meme that read, Never threaten Iran you Mr. Trump! Moans of fears of your troops in Tabas and your English friends' in Persian Gulf can still be heard!

The latter part refers to Operation Eagle Claw in 1980 that aimed to release 52 remaining American hostages. But the mission did not go as planned when an unexpected sandstorm grounded American helicopters and troops in the central desert of Tabas.

Another "Game of Thrones"-inspired image was published on the Instagram page of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGCs elite Quds Force: I will stand against you. It came with a note in Farsi that read, Trump the gambler, I am your opponent."

Supporters of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose own government went under during crippling sanctions in 2011, made their own meme depicting the ex-president with the text, You must be ready, always.

The memes kept coming with parodies of Iranian political figures. The Twitter account of Vox Pop showed parliament Speaker Ali Larijani sitting on the Iron Throne, saying It is the family name that lives on. This was a thinly-veiled reference to the parliament speakers influential family. Larijani is the son-in-law of one of the Islamic Revolutions ideologues, Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari. His brother Sadegh Larijani is the head of the judiciary; another brother, Mohammad Javad, is a former diplomat and president of Irans Human Rights Committee; and the youngest brother, Mohammad Bagher, is deputy minister of health and medical education.

This meme got a lot of attention and reposts because it came amid signals that the Reformists are likely to throw their weight behind Ali Larijani in his 2021 presidential bid.

Vox Pop posted another meme portraying chairman of the Guardian Council of the Constitution, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, talking to the legendary dragons in the series: I have read the FTFF TFTA FAFT FATF In Dothraki. Dothraki is the fictional language of Westeros. The meme poked fun at Jannatis advanced age and the controversial debate surrounding the ratification of anti-money laundering laws and FATA legislation at the council and the parliament.

"Game of Thrones" memes focused also on everyday woes such as rising prices. Cartoon website Nishkhat predicted, 110,000 rial [$3] per kilo chicken is coming soon.

Arash Aqebati, a sociology research fellow at Tehrans Allameh Tabatabai University, told Al-Monitor, When a society is in a state of panic in the wake of a terror attack or a hostile act such as the reimposition of sanctions  after what they perceived as a successful international deal  it casts itself in the role of the victim. As the victim it resorts to defense mechanisms such as denial or humor, trying to forget or ignore the catastrophe by being emotionally indifferent.

Aqebati said that by creating memes similar to the one Trump posted, society aims to turn their woes into a joke. The disastrous affair has become less serious, he said. Now society can look into it  in this instance the return of sanctions and their consequences  and think about how to tackle it. So society thwarts a perceived terror attack by making a joke out of it.

Mohsen Hesam Mazaheri, sociologist at the University of Tehran, told Al-Monitor, In our modern history  at least since the Iranian Constitutional Revolution [1905-1911] and throughout political challenges  humor has been a method of resistance.

Humor has a strong place in the rich Persian literature, ranging from 14th century poet and satirist Ubayd Zakani to 20th century satirists such as Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda and Mohammad-Ali Jamalzadeh. Internationally known Towfigh Magazine kept up its satirical news for half a century, between 1922 and 1971. The Islamic Revolution in 1979 and the Iran-Iraq War put a decade of silence on political satire until 1990 when journalist Kyoumars Saberi published the first volume of his weekly Gol-Agha. For two decades, Gol-Agha used cartoons and short articles to make fun of politicians and bureaucrats. It tread a delicate path, however, and never targeted clerics and presidents.

According to Mazaheri, satire provides an opportunity for the layman to exercise power on dominant politicians. It gives them the chance to mock the world of politics  as they are unable to do anything else, he said. Making fun of politicians at the same time tranquilizes the public and allows them to vent their resentment. Besides, Iranians  who have been invaded for a good part of their history  can be very sly and cunning [in their resistance].

Aqebati agreed with Mazaheri, concluding, [Satire and underhanded irony] is the only traditional strategy a conservative society such as Iran has to defend itself against terror, fear and aggression and to restrain peace and stability.Israeli-Palestinian fighting that broke out following a botched Israeli army operation in the Gaza Strip has quickly subsided, with Palestinian factions agreeing to a cease-fire and a return to talks.

Why it matters: The escalating violence risked wrecking weeks of delicate diplomacy between Israel and Hamas as well as regional powers such as Egypt and Qatar aimed at lowering tensions in the Gaza Strip. With Israels blessing, Doha has agreed to a $15 million cash infusion to help stabilize Gazas depressed economy  and perhaps buy some quiet ahead of Israeli elections next year. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also hopes to further drive a wedge between the Islamist Hamas, which runs Gaza, and Mahmoud Abbas Fatah in the West Bank ahead of the release of a US-led peace proposal that is widely expected to favor Israel.

Unintended consequences: The latest flare-up appears to have started inadvertently when a small Israeli elite unit crossed the border Sunday evening on a mission to deploy a surveillance unit, army sources tell Al-Monitor. A Hamas patrol squad discovered the Israeli soldiers, triggering an exchange of fire that killed one Israeli officer and seven Hamas gunmen, including a senior commander.

Hamas and other Palestinian factions responded by shooting about 300 rockets toward southern Israeli towns near the border. Israel retaliated on Monday, bombing Hamas posts and headquarters as well as the building housing Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV station. The latest casualty toll stands at 13 dead and 30 wounded on the Palestinian side and one death and about 15 wounded inside Israel.

Your move, Hamas: Hamas appears to assume that Israel wants to avoid a wide military operation and that negotiations will shortly resume. Palestinian groups in the strip announced today that they have agreed to an Egypt-brokered cease-fire to restart the situation that prevailed up until this latest military escalation."

Whats next: The Israeli Cabinet is supposed to meet again tonight to decide on the next steps. For its part, Hamas has announced that it will respond to any further Israeli attacks.

Know more: Shlomi Eldar has a good piece on the internal debates raging inside Hamas and inside Netanyahus right-wing government as the two enemies eye a truce. Make sure to read our prescient Week in Review column from Nov. 4, when we asked whether Israels restraint in Gaza marked a sea change for Netanyahu or a prelude to war.

-Danny Zaken

Correction: Nov. 27, 2018 An earlier version of this article missated the Hamas TV station Israel bombed in Gaza. It is Al-Aqsa.The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany met Oct. 27 in Istanbul for a summit to discuss the ongoing developments regarding the Syrian crisis. In a final statement issued after the summit, the four sides emphasized Syrias sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the necessity of continuing the fight against terrorism in the war-torn country. They also underlined the need for resolving the Syrian crisis through a negotiated political process, while calling for providing conditions for the safe and voluntary return of refugees to Syria. The quartet also supported the Sept. 17 Russian-Turkish deal in Sochi on de-escalating the situation in Idlib.

The four-way summit, the first of its kind since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, was of prime importance in terms of its potential for establishing a connection between what has been pursued by Russia and Turkey within the framework of the Astana peace process and the European views toward Syria. However, this very point sparked speculation on why Iran, as the third pillar of the Astana track, did not attend the summit and whether Tehran had been sidelined by its Astana partners.

To address this matter, there is a need to consider what the summit in Istanbul was about and thus what implications it could have for Irans role in Syria. Based on reports in the media prior to the summit as well as the joint statement of the four leaders, it could be argued that the discussions in Istanbul were focused on three main issues: the fate of the Sochi deal between Ankara and Moscow on the situation in Idlib; finding a solution for the return of Syrian refugees; and accelerating the political process  including the formation of Syrian Constitutional Committee agreed upon at the Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi on Jan. 30.

The first part of the summits agenda, namely the fate of Idlib, seems to be mostly an obsession of Ankara, which has been actively trying to prevent a military operation by the Syrian army and Russia to retake full control of the northwestern Syrian province. Moscow has repeatedly said that the Idlib deal is just of a temporary nature and that a military option will be on the table in case radical groups refuse to come to a compromise with Damascus. As a result, by trying to get the Europeans and Russia to sit together and having them declare joint support for a political solution to the Idlib issue, Turkey appears to have tried to maintain the status quo in the area and stop  or at least postpone  a military operation.

As for the issue of refugees, given the vast number of displaced Syrians currently residing in Turkey  and their persistent migration to Europe  providing conditions for their immediate return to Syria is a critical concern for Ankara, Paris and Berlin alike. This needs an urgent, coordinated solution.

However, Russia  seeing the results of the Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue as its own unique diplomatic achievement and trying to have the central role in all international frameworks regarding Syria  was mostly focused on the third part of the agenda. As such, having the Europeans on board would have meant an important endorsement of Russias leading role in the formation of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.

When it comes to Iran, the Islamic Republics stance vis-a-vis all these three issues has been quite clear. Shortly after the Idlib deal was signed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed the move, saying that active diplomacy will prevent a war in Idlib. Hossein Jaberi Ansari, a senior aide to Zarif, went even further, saying that the Idlib deal was based in its entirety on an Iranian proposal.

As for the other topics discussed at the Istanbul summit, Tehran does not have any special position on the issue of refugees as this has not been a direct concern for Iran. Meanwhile, on the issue of Syrias constitution, Iran is on the same page as the Russians, supporting the immediate formation of the constitutional committee. Indeed, after a meeting between the representatives of Iran, Russia and Turkey in Moscow on Sept. 11, it was announced that the three sides had agreed in principle on the list of Syrian government and opposition figures to form the committee.

Thus, given the nature of the agenda of the Istanbul summit and the need for the participants to discuss the issues among themselves and try to reach common solutions, it would be safe to argue that there wasnt any real need for Irans participation in the first place. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi touched upon this point in a press conference Nov. 5, saying, Iran is not supposed to take part in every meeting regarding Syria.

On the other hand, the fact that other influential actors involved in the Syrian crisis such as the United States and Britain were also absent at the Istanbul summit indicates that Russia and Turkey were not about to form a new, independent framework for Syria from which Iran might or might not have been excluded. In fact, the four leaders joint statement reiterated emphasis on the role of the Astana and Geneva peace processes, as well as the Sochi agreements on the issue of the Syrian constitution.

Finally, if one is to judge the overall implications of the summit for Iran, Tehran can be referred to as an absent winner. Given the US focus on Irans presence and activities in Syria and Frances close alignment with the United States on the Syrian issue, Irans participation in the summit could have shifted the agenda  at least partially  to address Irans role in Syria instead, which would have been considered a negative point for the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, at a time when Tehran is striving to widen the gap between Washington and its European allies  borne of the US-EU disagreement on the 2015 nuclear deal  the very fact that France and Germany have entered talks on Syria without the United States is a positive development in the eyes of the Iranian leaders. This dimension of the equation, together with the two European countries apparent retreat from insisting on the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, were important points that Iran achieved without even being present in Istanbul.BAGHDAD  New Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi recently submitted an ambitious development and financial plan to parliament, but his proposals will face major challenges  namely a lack of revenues, spreading financial and administrative corruption, a weak administrative system and a struggling private sector.

Abdul Mahdi, who was sworn in Oct. 24, has held important economic positions in the past. He was Iraq's finance minister in 2004 and oil minister in 2014. In articles he published in his Al-Adala newspaper, he portrays himself as an economist capable of addressing the country's crises.

His ministerial platform focuses on 15 points to stimulate the investment environment, aid the market economy, develop the oil industry and find international sources of funding to support more than 100 national development projects.

Mahdi also hopes to achieve sustainable development in the tourism sector and reach self-sufficiency in the agriculture and livestock sectors. His plan calls for strengthening partnerships between the public and private sectors while also securing partnerships with international companies.

Other goals he outlined include increasing the electricity supply by 11,000 megawatts, exploiting associated gas and finishing the Karbala refinery by 2021.

However, the challenges lying in store for Abdul Mahdi are daunting. Iraqs state institutions suffer from rampant financial and administrative corruption, which is why the country ranks 169th out of 180 countries in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index.

What's more, political parties have been controlling some ministries through economic committees they have created in a bid to steer funds to their parties. Then there are major economic disagreements between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region.

And then there's the budget.

The 2019 draft budget fails to address big Iraqs problems, including electricity, agriculture and other major economic sectors. Some critics say Abdul Mahdi's plans don't take this lack of funding into consideration.

Al-Monitor attended a Nov. 6 news conference at which Majida al-Tamimi, a prominent economist and a parliament member with the Istiqama Party, said while parliament voted to approve Abdul Mahdi's platform, "This program was not reflected in the draft budget of 2019.

"The philosophy and vision of the state should be conveyed by the financial budget, but this unfortunately was not the case," she said, also noting the lack of economic reforms to help the public directly. "Some people still get double and triple salaries amounting to 80 million dinars per month [$67,000], while many Iraqis struggle to earn $1 due to unemployment and poverty.

Unemployment and poverty rates in Iraq are very high  more than 20%  and there are ongoing public demonstrations in the south to protest poor services and unemployment.

"Investment in Iraq suffers from a major imbalance. When investors embark on new projects, they tend to use the state funds as capital instead of their own, and they use plots of land belonging to the state," Tamimi said. The 2019 draft budget cannot be passed without the government amending it in a way that fits the government program."

Meanwhile, the Sairoon and Fatah alliances, which support Abdul Mahdi, still believe he'll able to confront these economic challenges.

Abdul Mahdi is a veteran economist capable of promoting the economy and solving the problems plaguing citizens, and his economic program is an ideal solution to the problems of the economy," Alaa al-Rabih, a member of the Sairoon bloc, told Al-Monitor. If well-implemented, the economic program will create thousands of job opportunities, stimulate the industrial and agricultural sectors, and activate investment."

He added, The main problem facing Abdul Mahdi is bureaucracy, and financial and administrative corruption."

Bassem Jamil Antoun, deputy chairman of the Iraqi Economists Association, told Al-Monitor, Abdul Mahdis economic program will require effective tools, including an honest administrative body with a real will to bring about change.

He added, The new government program is part of the program of the previous government, which was headed by Haider al-Abadi. Abadis economic program had failed due to corruption, bureaucracy, the administrative structure of state employees, who total 4.5 million, and parliaments weak oversight.

It should be noted that the International Monetary Fund suspended negotiations with the Iraqi government for more than a year as it awaited the new vision of Iraq's next government, which has turned out to be Abdul Mahdis. Negotiations to address the Iraqi economy are to resume in the coming months in Washington and Amman, Jordan.

Asked to comment on Abdul Mahdis economic program, economic researcher Salam Adel told Al-Monitor, The aspects of the new government program have started to surface and are no different than those of previous governments.

He said, The problem in Iraq lies in the public sector, which siphons 90% of the countrys oil proceeds and creates obstacles for the private sector. ... Iraq needs to get rid of [some] public sector employees, because it's not reasonable for the state to pay more than $35 billion a year in salaries to employees with very poor productivity.More than 300 rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israeli territory from the afternoon to the late evening hours of Nov. 12. The concentrated and massive shooting spree testified to the enhanced operational abilities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as their large stockpile of rockets that had been ready to fire.

During the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, Hamas and the smaller organizations it worked with were careful to fire a limited number of rockets a day  about 50 to 150 on average  to extend the fight for as long as possible. The fighting went on for 50 days.

Yet despite the blockade and economic distress of the Gaza residents and of the Hamas organization itself, the capabilities of Hamas military wing have greatly improved since 2014. Hamas continues to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into extending the range of its rockets, improving their precision and upping their manufacturing pace. There is also its ambitious tunnel project and special operations training for its Nukhba combat units. It is no wonder that after such tremendous military investment the movement needed Qatari money to pay the salaries of its workers, lest its government dissolve.

In recent years, Israels defense system has kept a close eye on Hamas' arms stockpiling. In addition to gathering 20,000 rockets and mortar shells, Hamas has developed advanced combat weapons such as multicopper drones and small unmanned aerial vehicles and attempted to develop tie-breaking weapons. In spite of this progress, Israel was willing to reach an arrangement with Hamas that would ease the Gaza blockade and enable the transfer of money to the Strip that could not necessarily be controlled. Even if Israel could oversee the use of money from donor countries, the blockade easement would certainly enable Hamas to continue to allot the lions share of its resources to develop its military might while Qatar underwrites Hamas bureaucratic and civil apparatuses.

Recent months have seen mediation talks about crafting an arrangement with Hamas, but will an arrangement to buy peace and quiet in the south also give Hamas a golden opportunity to beef up its military might? When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in the opposition, he opposed any agreement with Hamas and argued that the Hamas regime should be knocked down and certainly not allowed to fortify itself. But now the Israeli public seems not to be asking this important question.

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Hamas spiritual leader until he was killed in 2004, used to say that it was permitted for his movement to agree to a cooldown period when the enemy is strong and cannot be overcome, to allow Hamas to build up its strength. Yassin used the Quranic terms "tahadiya" (cooldown) and "hudna" (cease-fire), tactics adopted by Prophet Mohammed to outwit his enemies, to explain his agreement to a hudna under Egyptian mediation in the course of the second intifada. But the cease-fire collapsed in less than two months after the terror attack on a Jerusalem bus that killed 23 Israelis. Israel retaliated by assassinating Ismail Abu Shanab, one of the highest-ranking members of Hamas' political leadership in Gaza.

Israels defense system is well acquainted with the hudna tactic, yet almost all of Israels defense system supports an arrangement now. In a conversation with Al-Monitor several hours before the rocket fire began on Monday, an Israeli security source explained that the benefits and dangers of the tactic are being taken into consideration among other factors. The idea is that if such an arrangement is achieved, the IDF will carry out its side of the agreement, yet continue to respond to any Hamas act of violence as if no arrangement existed.

For example, an IDF operation that was supposed to be secret was uncovered on the night of Nov. 11. It was two days after Qatari money was sent to Gaza and it seemed that an arrangement was on its way. The objective of the operation remained undisclosed, but according to the Hamas version, Israel planned on installing a wiretapping device in the Strip. One way or another, Chief of Staff Gen. Gadi Eizenkot said the next day that it was a very meaningful operation to Israel's security.

Yet despite all this, Netanyahu prefers to take the arrangement route with the approval of the cabinet and the support of the defense system. This means that numerous limitations will be imposed on the IDF while important resources will be bestowed to Hamas, allowing it to continue to develop its military capabilities.

As of Tuesday morning, Hamas had fired more than 400 rockets at Israel, proving that the deterrence Israel achieved in the bloody 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict has worn off completely. Now Hamas' leaders seem to have decided that their top priority is to threaten Israel  even at the price of the collapse of an arrangement that would have ensured their continued rule over the Gaza strip.

Currently, Hamas arrogantly continues its threats to escalate its assaults on Israel. But whether a cease-fire is achieved immediately or it takes several more days to reach an arrangement, it is clear that Hamas will become an even greater security threat in a year or two, or as long as any arrangement holds. The communities adjacent to Gaza, the southern towns of Ashkelon and Beersheba and even cities in the countrys center will continue to be Hamas' targets.

Hamas is sure to take advantage of a cease-fire to meticulously plan its future attacks on Israeli localities with even greater precision and intensity. In light of the events of recent days, this is an important point for Israels political and security leadership to think about.What Truly Caused the Pogrom of 1938

By Gary Gindler. November 9th, 2018

Article Source

Everyone knows what happened 80 years ago, November 9-10, 1938 in Germany. The unprecedented pogrom of the Jews got the name Kristallnacht -- "Night of Broken Glass." Today, we are well aware of the approximate number of murdered Jews, destroyed businesses, and burned synagogues. The formal reason for the pogrom was the murder of the German diplomat Ernst vom Rath in Paris by the Jewish teenager Herschel Grynszpan on November 7.

Unfortunately, few people know about the true causes of the pogrom.

Who created the conditions under which a mass pogrom of Jews in the Third Reich could even take place?

After the murder of the German diplomat, the propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, announced that neither the German government nor the ruling National Socialist Workers Party (NSDAP, AKA Nazi) would organize any protests in this regard. Goebbels knew what was going to happen. The government of Nazi Germany, although not formally involved in the detailed organization of the Kristallnacht, for several years was doing everything possible to make such a pogrom.

Since taking power in 1933, the Nazis had tightened the existing gun control laws. All German citizens, including Jews, were required to register their weapons, and for every firearm purchase, they must obtain a special permit from the authorities. In September 1935, all Jews were stripped of German citizenship. All Jews, without exception, were declared "untrustworthy" and deprived of most civil rights. Then, starting in December 1935, the Jews of Germany lost the opportunity to buy firearms and ammunition, but the Nazis had not yet executed a widespread confiscation of the existing weapons and ammunition.

Finally, in March 1938, a new gun control law was passed in Germany. In this law, the only mention of Jews was in the part that declared a total ban on Jews from participating in the production and trade of firearms and ammunition. However, this law, on the one hand, lifted restrictions of the possession of firearms by members of all Nazi-connected organizations (such as the NSDAP, the SA, and the Hitler Youth) and on the other hand prohibited the possession of firearms by all "untrustworthy" and those persons "relieved of their civil rights." By the law of 1935, not only Jews, but also all political opponents of the Nazi regime, as well as Gypsies and the homeless, were treated as "untrustworthy."

Due to the combined application of the laws of the Third Reich of 1935 and 1938, the confiscation of all firearms from German Jews was categorically legalized.

As a result, a massive (and effective) campaign for the confiscation of weapons had begun, and in many regions of Germany, the Jews were wholly disarmed in just six months -- by November 1938. For example, the day before the pogrom, on November 8, 1938, the New York Times published an article reported that the head of the Berlin police noted with satisfaction that practically all firearms from Berlin Jews had already been taken. The Nazis' sequester was effective because law-abiding German Jews registered all their weapons, as the law required. As a result, the addresses of the Jewish owners of the firearms and the details of the weapons in question were known to the authorities in advance.

There is every reason to believe that the catalyst was not the murder of the third secretary of the German embassy in Paris, but rather a series of articles printed in the German morning newspapers on November 9, 1938. Their reports about the practical completion of the seizure of weapons from Jews served as a trigger for the pogrom.

The killing of a minor diplomat cannot drive the whole country to a bloody massacre, but a guaranteed absence of armed resistance certainly can.

The collection of firearms from the Jews from March to November 1938 was not the beginning, but the end of the Nazi policy of complete disarmament of the Jews. The seizure of weapons began several months after the Nazis came to power, although at first, this was not widespread, because in 1933, it was a question of impounding only the army-grade weapons. Indicative is the rummage of Albert Einstein's house in March 1933 on the grounds that "Professor Einstein has a weapons depot at home." At the time of the search, Einstein was not at home (he was outside Germany), and they found no weapons in the house of the physicist-pacifist.

The day after the start of the pogrom, on November 10, the German government decided to suppress the initiative from the rioters. SS head Heinrich Himmler announced that the refusal to surrender weapons by Jews would be punished with 20 years' imprisonment in concentration camps. As a result, tens of thousands of Jews were arrested and thrown into concentration camps. To this day, nobody knows which of them actually refused to hand over legally acquired guns and which simply fell victim to the circumstances.

Also, the police received clear instructions on what can be allowed during the pogrom and what should not be allowed. For example, businesses owned by Jews could be shattered and destroyed (but not set on fire), while looting was prohibited. Foreigners (including Jews) should be protected. Businesses that belonged to non-Jews should be preserved in every way possible, and "spontaneous mass demonstrations" should not be hindered.

Two days after the beginning of the pogrom, on November 11, 1938, the government of the Third Reich made its final point on this issue. Jews were deprived of the right to hold firearms or any weapon whatsoever or any ammunition. This final point was the beginning of the "final solution of the Jewish question" in the Third Reich.

During the pogrom in Germany, 80 years ago many more Jews perished than in the recent pogrom in Pittsburgh. However, these two events, separated by decades, are united by one thing -- National Socialism.

Both the Nazi government and the lone American neo-Nazi had the same goal. The well known policy on gun control by the American socialists, including the idiotic Gun Free Zones, leads to the same result as the policy of the German National Socialists. It promotes the disarmament of law-abiding American citizens similarly to how the Nazi policy led to the disarming of the Jews. Consequently, many Jews (not only in America) for some reason forgot that the Third Reich is long gone, and it is no longer necessary to obey the Nazi laws on the disarmament of Jews.

Also, the de facto disarmament of American citizens is contrary to the de jure Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The pogrom in Germany was stopped on the evening of November 10, 1938 by order of Goebbels. Should the Americans wait and hope that some high-ranking bureaucrat will stop another Jewish pogrom, or will we stop them by using our legal rights and legal means?

Gary Gindler, Ph.D., is a conservative blogger at Gary Gindler Chronicles. Follow him on Twitter.

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The talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris turned out to be successful and significant, according to Netanyahu. Questions about whether the meeting would even take place were raised until the last moment. At first, Netanyahu even considered canceling the trip to France. However, he ultimately chose to take part in the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

This was the first contact between the two leaders after the Syrian air defense system shot down a Russian Il-20 surveillance during an Israeli assault in mid-September. Moscow blamed Israel for the incident, yet, over the past few months the Netanyahu government has continuously tried to prove that relations with Russia were not disrupted.

Our dialogue with Putin was quite successful and constructive," Netanyahu told journalists at a press conference that concluded the WWI commemoration. "I would call it rather significant. More details are unnecessary, I think.

Netanyahu touched on this topic once more during the press conference, explaining the profound meaning of his visit to France and, more precisely, demonstrating Israel's growing role in world politics and its foreign policy achievements.

Indeed, I communicated with many leaders, including both President [Donald] Trump and President Putin, and I believe that it is beneficial for Israel, for our national interests," Netanyahu said. "We were accepted with great respect.  Undoubtedly, Israel is a growing power. If anyone needed proof, I would have invited them to Paris."

The format of events in Paris did not provide for free time for bilateral talks between leaders. While Moscow initially hoped for Putin to meet with Trump, the Israeli government anticipated a dialogue with Putin. Netanyahu claimed he had already arranged the meeting back in October, however, no date for official negotiations had been set.

In late October, some sources suggested that Putin and Netanyahu might meet in Paris. Putins Paris schedule only included the meeting with Trump, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the leaders of Russia and Israel may meet if they both wish to do so. Nevertheless, Peskov pointed out that Putins schedule was rather tight. Russians have taken every step to highlight that no one planned any official negotiations with Israel. However, sources in Israel who spoke with Al-Monitor not for attribution said that Netanyahu was certain the talks would inevitably take place  he was even quite outspoken about it.

In any case, it was later discovered that the French side had requested all visitors to avoid bilateral meetings during the commemoration, although leaders were still able to discuss political issues along the way.

The Israeli press reported, however, that the Russian side had refused to organize a meeting with Netanyahu, which made him cancel the trip altogether.

As Kan 11, an Israeli TV channel, claimed, Moscow canceled the meeting after certain media outlets in Israel spread information about Israel carrying out another bombing in Syria after the Il-20 incident.

The precise date of the attack has not been disclosed. Supposedly it took place after Netanyahus Sept. 27 speech at the UN General Assembly. Back then, Netanyahu promised that Israel will continue its actions in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and elsewhere.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Russian military leaders, not being able to ignore another attack, expressed their concerns through a Russian-Israeli communication system, choosing not to disclose the information to the general public and further exacerbate the crisis.

Jonathan Conricus, the official spokesman of the Israeli army, avoided directly answering Al-Monitor's questions on whether reports of the attack were true. He only emphasized that military officers are always willing to carry out any order given by commanders.

It is impossible to cancel the event which was not planned, officials in Moscow claimed, reacting to media reports about the cancellation of the meeting. Moreover, Netanyahus unwillingness to attend the event, at which dozens of national leaders would gather, merely due to Putins refusal to meet him, was itself dubious. However, Netanyahu's pool was only informed about the trip to France several hours before departure. During the commemoration in Paris, it was an issue of time management to meet everyone for a brief talk.

The meeting with Putin eventually took place shortly after the formal lunch. Netanyahus press service published a series of photos of the leaders discussing issues, with waiters cleaning up tables in the background. Initially, they had been standing and later decided to sit down. The Israeli side had clearly been prepared for the meeting  a Hebrew-Russian translator was always at Netanyahu's side. No one else took part in the meeting from the Russian side. Comments by Kremlin officials were scarce. In the Elysee Palace, Putin met Netanyahu separately for a discussion, Putins press secretary said.

It is unlikely that Netanyahu managed to address all the issues he wanted to during this dialogue. The Israeli side still hopes that Russia will oust Iran from Syria  meaning not only their military bases and the troops in the Golan Heights on the Israeli border, but also Tehrans constantly increasing political and religious influence over Damascus and throughout the country.

However, Israels most critical issue is the ability to continue military operations against Iran and Hezbollah in Syria, despite the aerial protection afforded by the Russian S-300 systems. Israel hopes to continue its operations even if Russia does not stop Iranian actions. Al-Monitor spoke with Israeli politicians who claimed that Hezbollah has more than 100, 000 missiles. They argued that Iran transfered the majority of the weapons through Syria under the patronage of Russian armed forces.

They conduct weapons transfers to Lebanon, covered up by Russians, even attempting to use their military bases in Syria to provide weaponry. Our Russian partners were warned that Iranians use them as a human shield, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Zeev Elkin, who has repeatedly attended Putin and Netanyahus meetings, informed Russian journalists.

Both Elkin and Israeli diplomats insist that the incident above Latakia has not disrupted the dialogue with Moscow.

Our relations with Russia are too profound to be influenced by such an event, Alex Ben Zvi, deputy director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Eurasian department, told Russian Kommersant newspaper.

Netanyahu, in turn, aims to show that he is capable of influencing Russias decisions in this field. Obviously, Moscow hardly accepts this.

Forceful measures cannot answer Israels security concerns, they just allow regional tensions to worsen, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

Consensus between Russia and Israel on the assaults on Syria is nearly impossible. As long as Israeli officials publicly claim that the attacks will continue, Moscow will not be willing to hold high-level talks. The along the way meeting in Paris does not count, as it has been significant mostly to Netanyahu and his followers. Moscow strives to settle the controversies around Syria and ensure that its skies are peaceful so there will be no need to use the S-300.CAIRO  Turkey announced Oct. 30 that it has started drilling for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean. Speaking at a ceremony for the launch of the drilling ship, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez announced that Turkish naval forces would take all of the necessary steps should the vessel face any disruption.

This comes against the background of existing tensions in the eastern Mediterranean region between Turkey on the one hand and Egypt, Cyprus and Greece on the other.

On Oct. 10, the three countries agreed to establish the Cairo-based Middle East Gas Forum in order to coordinate natural gas exploitation policies.

Also, Egypt signed an agreement with Cyprus on Sept. 19 to link the Cypriot Aphrodite gas field with Egypt's liquefaction plants for re-exportation as part of Egypt's bid to turn into a regional gas-and-oil hub. The pipeline is to start pumping gas into Egyptian plants by 2022 with a capacity of 700 million cubic feet per year (19.8 million cubic meters).

Of note, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had announced in a press statement Feb. 4 that the agreement signed in December 2013 between Egypt and Cyprus to define the exclusive economic zones of the two countries was illegal. Cavusoglu claimed the agreement infringes on the Turkish continental shelf. On Feb. 11, Turkey blocked a drill ship chartered by Italian oil company ENI, claiming that certain areas in Cyprus offshore maritime zone fall in the jurisdiction of Turkey or that of Turkish Cypriots.

Hamdi Abdelaziz, the spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum, told Al-Monitor, Egypt is not concerned about Turkey's actions in the eastern Mediterranean because it is working within the framework of the demarcation agreements concluded with Cyprus and Greece and in conformity with international law.

Egypt is seeking to turn into a regional source of energy by liquefying and re-exporting eastern Mediterranean gas from Cyprus. The country has made such huge progress that it is difficult for any party to undermine it. Egypt is capable of protecting its gains in the eastern Mediterranean, he added.

Also, Egypt is cooperating with international companies such as Italys Eni to explore for gas and oil in its economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean, and it will continue to do so, he continued.

The importance of the eastern Mediterranean region stems from the existence of strategic natural gas reserves estimated at 122 trillion cubic feet (3.45 trillion cubic meters).

Egypts discovery of the Zohr field in 2015 changed the natural gas map in the eastern Mediterranean, as the fields gas reserves are estimated at 30 trillion cubic feet (850 million cubic meters).

According to press statements by Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Tarek el-Mulla on Jan. 31, the Zohr field provides a gas supply worth $3 billion per year.

Also, Mulla said in a press conference July 5 that Egypt expects to start exporting gas in 2019.

Ibrahim al-Ghitani, a researcher specializing in energy studies, told Al-Monitor, There is a dispute between Cyprus and Turkey over some areas that fall within the Cypriot economic zone in the Mediterranean. Turkey had previously blocked oil-and-gas drilling operations in some Cypriot areas.

Considering the fact that Cyprus could be affected by Turkey's actions and gas exploration bid in the eastern Mediterranean, then Egypts plan to build a gas pipeline with Cyprus could also be affected, especially in the event that Turkey blocks the Cypriot production or exploration process. However, Turkey is not likely to directly affect Egypt's exploration in its own economic zone, Ghitani added.

Ghitani said Turkey is not likely to affect Egypt's success in the eastern Mediterranean as Egypt has already achieved self-sufficiency following its discovery of gas reserves in 2015. Turkey, on the other hand, he said, still has a long way to go before it is able to satisfy its local needs. In other words, it is difficult for Turkey to compete with Egypt to become an energy hub in the eastern Mediterranean. Ghitani said this is especially true considering that Egypt is now in a stronger position following its remarkable cooperation with Cyprus, Greece and even Israel.

While Turkeys consumption of natural gas amounted to 53 billion cubic meters (1.8 trillion cubic feet) in 2017, its production did not exceed 350 million cubic meters (12.3 billion cubic feet) during that same year.

Ahmed Refaat, a former president and professor of international law at Beni Suef University, told Al-Monitor that Turkey has not recognized the 2013 agreement between Egypt and Cyprus as a maneuver. Turkey, he added, comes from a weak legal position and does not have the right to excavate in the Cypriot area, let alone disrupt excavation works there because this is contrary to both international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Egypt would not have made any progress in the field of energy in the Mediterranean had it not been for the border demarcation agreement with Cyprus and Greece. Any Turkish disruption to any exploration works would be tantamount to an act of aggression, and the disrupted states can consequently resort to the International Court of Justice. But should things escalate to this point, Turkey would be the ultimate losing party, Refaat added.

After several agreements that are compliant with international law were signed between Egypt and Cyprus, Egypt is required to step in and provide support for Cyprus should Turkey commit any violations against Cyprus. This does not mean an armed conflict must be waged, but there needs to be a legal and political body that acts as a deterrent to Turkey. Competent international bodies are needed in order to settle disputes between the involved states, Refaat added.The town of Monroeville, made famous by native and To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee, also has a long and colorful history of honoring fruitcake, one of Christmas most maligned or most treasured desserts, depending on who you ask.

Monroeville is hosting its 11th annual Fruitcake Festival, which has been scaled back this year to just one evening of festivities, from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16, 2018. The event features a one-woman show of Truman Capotes A Christmas Memory performed in the historic county courthouse by actress and storyteller Dolores Hydock. Capote forever connected Monroeville and fruitcake with the 1956 book. Jay Leno renewed the interest in the early 2000s when Capotes aunt, Marie Rudisill, was featured regularly on his show as The Fruitcake Lady.

Dolores Hydock will perform "A Christmas Memory" at Monroeville's 11th annual Fruitcake Festival from 7 to 10 p.m. Nov. 16, 2018.

A reception and fruitcake tasting will follow the performance of A Christmas Memory. Handmade specialty fruitcakes, some made to represent characters or scenes from the book, will also be sold Friday night and on Saturday at the museum. Call 251-575-7433 for ticket prices and information. Proceeds from the event benefit the Monroe County Museum, where the lives of Harper Lee and Truman Capote are honored with memorabilia and exhibits.

Monroevilles fruitcake history

Monroevilles fruitcake reputation began in the 1930s when legendary author Truman Capote came to live with his mothers cousins as a boy. Capote, who went on to become the acclaimed author of such books as Breakfast in Tiffanys and In Cold Blood, formed a special bond with his sweet and childlike cousin, Nannie Rumbley Faulk, known as Sook. As a child, Truman helped Sook bake 20 to 30 liquor-infused fruitcakes at Christmas to send to people they chose as recipients that year, from presidents to bootleggers.

In 1956, Capote published A Christmas Memory based on his relationship with Sook. Trumans aunt, Marie Rudisill, furthered the towns fruitcake connection when she wrote, "Fruitcake: Memories of Truman Capote and Sook in 2001 and Sooks Cookbook: Memories and Traditional Receipts from the Deep South in 2008. (Receipts is an old-fashioned spelling of recipes.)

Rudisill appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to promote the Fruitcake book where she showed Leno and his guest, Mel Gibson, how to make fruitcake. She was so popular that she became a regular known as The Fruitcake Lady. For photos and more on the history of Capote, Sook and the Fruitcake Lady, click here.My lunch was served on a melamine Ronald McDonald plate and I still thought, "Bon Appetit Magazine got it right." Their award for Best Restaurant in America for 2017 went to an unassuming hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop that beat out fancier, older places with starched white tablecloths, fine china and hefty price tags. Before being handed my clown plate, I had to stand in line in the parking lot for 25 minutes and sit at a rickety-wobbly table with mismatched chairs, but it all led to the most amazing sandwich I've ever had.

Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans is the unassuming sneaky winner that beat out the upper crust restaurants around the country and literally, overnight, went from being a small sandwich joint full of loyal customers, to the superstar of the culinary scene with crowds spilling into the streets and television crews and reporters swarming the place.

Mainly a young millennial crowd favorite, my husband and I stood in line with a group of nice people in their early 20's who were talking about their recent weddings. 'She didn't even bother to show up at mine," said one. "Well, when it came time for her to get married, she had a Harry Potter theme," replied the redhead. "That could have been either amazing or weird." -- 'Humph. I'm pretty sure it was weird."

This young crowd seemed to have been to Turkey and the Wolf before and kindly passed us paper menus to read while we were secretly entertained by their stories and waiting to be seated.

A collard green melt topped with pickled cherry pepper dressing and a chicken salad torta with peanuts and "shrettuce" were other favorites and almost every table ordered an appetizer of deviled eggs with fried chicken skins - which is exactly what it sounded like. Since I have great memories of coming home from school and making fried bologna sandwiches, then toasting them in the little toaster oven and topping them with French's mustard, I ordered the fried bologna sandwich. Believe me, it was nothing like my high school creation.

Towering at least 4 inches tall, this buttery, toasty sandwich had the best of everything a childhood memory could offer. Locally farmed thick-cut bologna, "mom's hot mustard" . . . and potato chips to add the perfect salty crunch. "I'll never be able to finish all of this." I told Bob, but somehow, I didn't need a to-go box at the end of the meal.

We met the owner, Mason Hereford, in the parking lot. Although he had every right to act like a hot-shot celebrity chef, he was slinging ice bags out of his pick-up truck and laughed and told me he had a hangover. He thanked us for stopping in to eat, sincerely as if we were the only customers of the day. When I asked if things had changed over the last year, Mason laughed and said business exploded after Bon Appetite's award and hasn't slowed down a bit.

The newer young crowd flocking to restaurants likes simple, funky, locally produced food at good prices. Food preferences for millennials are as unique as their weddings (the Denver Bronco's wedding they mentioned nearly caused me to swoon). Their fondness for my old-fashioned after school snack of a fried bologna sandwich on my 1980's McDonald's plate has been updated beyond recognition, and Turkey and the Wolf did it just right.

You may contact Leslie Anne at: la@leslieannetarabella.com or read more at her blog: http://leslieannetarabella.comAmazon has made its picks for its new headquarters.

The company announce Tuesday it will open locations in New York City and Arlington, Virginia. The headquarters represent an investment of $5 billion and are expected to create more than 50,000 jobs combined.

The announcement ends the online mega-retailers year-long search for a new headquarters. Alabama and almost every other state had courted Amazon but New York and Arlington emerged as frontrunners in recent months.

The new locations will join Seattle as the companys three headquarters in North America.

Nashville

While Alabamas bid for Amazon fell short, neighbor Tennessee landed a new 1 million square foot Center for Excellence for the retailers operations business, which is responsible for the companys customer fulfillment, transportation, supply chain and other activities.

The center, which represents an investment of some $230 million, will create more than 5,000 jobs. It will be located in downtown Nashville as part of a new development site just north of the Gulch, Amazon said.

The center will begin hiring in 2019; average wage will be over $150,000.

In return for locating in Nashville, Amazon will receive up to $102 million in incentives based on hiring, as well as a cash grant of up to $15 million based on the jobs created over the next seven years. Amazon will also receive a job tax credit to offset Tennessee franchise and excise taxes of $21.7 million based on $4,500 per new job over the next 7 years.The death toll from the wildfire raging in Northern California has topped 40, officials said.

Winds of up to 60 mph are expected to contribute to the crisis today as firefighters battle separate blazes. Forty-two people were reported dead and 228 missing in the Camp Fire blaze in northern California; two others were killed in the separate Woolsey Fire near the Southern Californias Malibu coast west of Los Angeles.

The Camp Fire blaze has consumed some 117,000 acres and the Woolsey Fire has burned 93,662 acres, officials said. Both are about 30 percent contained as of Tuesday morning. The Hill Fire is now 80 percent contained after burning more than 4,500 acres.

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses have been destroyed and more than 50,000 displaced by the blazes.

The causes of the fires are under investigation.

How you can help

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross and its California branches are collecting donations. The group is in the state assisting with recovery efforts, operating shelters and conducting blood drives. The Red Cross is also assisting with the search for missing loved ones. You can donate here.

If someone is looking for loved ones they can visit the Red Cross Safe and Well website here.

To help people affected by the California wildfires you can visit redcross.org, call 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is in California providing food, housing and personal necessities to victims and first responders. You can donate here.

United Way of Northern California

Donations will be used to provide emergency cash and other forms of emergency assistance to fire victims.

To make a donation, text BUTTERFIRE to 91999 or visit www.norcalunitedway.org and click the Donate button.

Humane Society of Ventura County

Humane Society of Ventura County is accepting animals evacuating from the Hill and Woolsey fires and is looking for donations to support their care. You can donate to the organization here or purchase needed items through their Amazon Wish List here.This is an opinion column.

Im feeling like Fred G. Sanford right now.

This is the big one. Im coming Elizabeth.

Shocked. Toxic shocked, even.

Because a Jefferson County grand jury took up where the feds left off. Because the quest to hold the powerful to account continues one more time in the saga surrounding polluted north Birmingham. Because Trey Glenn, the head of the EPA for the Southeast region and a shill for polluters from way back, was just charged with crimes for his role in the toxic north Birmingham bribery scandal.

And Scott Phillips, a former member of the Alabama Environmental Management Commission who took a contract from Balch & Bingham to help discourage cleanup of north Birmingham and prevent EPA expansion into Tarrant, was charged on the same day for related crimes.

Great googly moogly!

Can this be happening? Really? Charges against powerful Alabamians who admittedly worked to protect the interests of powerful friends while demeaning low-income residents who must live and die with their choices?

I never dreamed theyd face the music in Alabama. I thought for sure judgment would come for Phillips and Glenn only at the Pearly Gates, where St. Peter would decide whether to send them toward a brownfield down below.

But Jefferson County, with the help of the Alabama Ethics Commission, stepped in.

Phillips and Glenn were charged last week -- the charges were made public today -- with a range of ethics charges. Phillips was charged with multiple violations of the Ethics Act, and Glenn was charged with multiple counts of conspiracy and/or complicity with Phillips to violate the Ethics Act. Prosecutors claim Phillips used his public position for personal gain, and Glenn helped him do it.

The two worked together in a company called Southeastern Engineering & Consulting, which would later become STRADA. They had a lucrative contract with Balch to fight the proposed expansion of a Superfund site into Tarrant, a move that could cost a company like Drummond Co. millions of dollars.

Exhibits and testimony in the trial of Drummond Co. VP David Roberson and Balch & Bingham lawyer Joel Gilbert  both were convicted of bribing former Rep. Oliver Robinson to help thwart cleanup  showed Phillips and Glenn stooped to devious levels to achieve that goal.

Their company came up with strategies to sully the reputations of those who were really worried about toxic exposure in the area. They wrote plans to hijack community organizations and take them over for polluters.

You hear that Elizabeth!

And Phillips  as an environmental regulator  introduced Robinson to his own board president, announced Robinson at his commission meeting and helped carry out the plan that resulted in Robinson selling out his office. Without ever revealing he was on the payroll for Balch, which was on the payroll for Drummond.

Phillips later apparently even used his regulatory position to help carry out the plan to discredit environmentalists. When one was scheduled to speak before his commission, he took the PowerPoint presentation she sent in advance and leaked it to Gilbert, who wrote of ways to challenge her and sent them back to the commission.

The charges focus on the fact that Phillips was an environmental regulator at the time, a member of the AEMC, which regulates the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

That makes him a public official. And that makes the crimes serious  the same sort of charges for which former House Speaker Mike Hubbard was convicted. Hubbard was convicted of a dozen charges and sentenced to four years in prison, though he has yet to serve any time.

It shouldnt be shocking, really, to see powerful and connected people held accountable. It should be the expected result, that oh-my-word admissions in court turn into real consequences.

Were just not used to it. Yet.

John Archibald, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is a columnist for Reckon by AL.com. His column appears in The Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register and AL.com. Write him at jarchibald@al.com.The city of Huntsville has struck a new deal with Remington Arms Company in an effort to salvage a giant economic development with the struggling gunmakers.

Either the company hits its obligated goal of almost 2,000 employees at its Huntsville facility or local entities will recoup their combined $12.5 million in incentives used to lure the company to north Alabama in 2014.

The deal also gives Remington  as it climbs out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed earlier this year -- an additional three years to reach that objective of 1,868 employees.

The city council approved the amended project development agreement earlier this month.

We think this is a wise thing to do, Mayor Tommy Battle told the council. We still have the claw back in there that if they do miss their numbers, if they dont provide for the community what they promised, then they dont get the building and they owe us $12 million at the end, which was our incentive to start with.

The Remington deal included incentives of $9.5 million from the city of Huntsville, $2 million from the Madison County Commission and $1 million from the Huntsville Industrial Development Board. Remington received $68.9 million in incentives altogether, including from the state of Alabama.

The updated amendment also calls for Remington to forfeit two $500,000 payments from the IDB for meeting hiring objectives.

The $12.5 million claw back, as Battle described it, comes from the mortgage on the Remington facility off Wall-Triana Highway near Huntsville International Airport.

The original agreement had Remington earning 10 percent ownership each year until, after 10 years, it would own the building. The amended deal doesnt allow Remington to receive partial ownership until its eleventh year. By that point, according to the amended agreement, the company would have met its full hiring obligations.

While Remington has reorganized as it emerged from bankruptcy, Huntsville officials have stressed that the company remains committed to the Rocket City. Remington has exceeded its obligations on annual payroll and capital investment in its facility.

The only number has been lagging has been the actual number of workers, Battle said. If you multiply the number of workers times the average pay, theyre beating the numbers we thought they would have as payroll coming out of it.

Remington was among the first major developments to come to Huntsville in Battles tenure as mayor  a string of economic success stories thats also included, among others, GE Aviation, Polaris, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin, Facebook and the crown jewel Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA facility.

The Mazda Toyota plant, in fact, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday.

Carrying a heavy debt load and enduring an industry-wide slump in gun sales, Remington sought bankruptcy protection in March while continuing operations.

Remington closed a facility in Kentucky in 2016 while laying off workers last year at a New York facility.

The North Carolina-based company did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday from AL.com.

Under the new deal, a gradual increase in hiring requirements were eliminated. But the company must be at 1,868 by 2023. Until then, Remington must maintain a workforce in Huntsville of at least 415 employees.

A banner in front of the Remington facility Tuesday called for job applicants. Remington also held a job fair in Huntsville earlier this year.

Shane Davis, the citys director of urban and economic development, said Remington currently has almost 450 employees in Huntsville.

Were going to let you flatline and catch your breath, Davis said in describing the deal.

The original agreement spelled out a specific hiring schedule for Remington, which Davis described as nothing more than a guess.

As long as they hit (hiring requirements in 2023), we dont care what this ramp-up looks like, Davis said.A strong desire to serve his country led 2009 Huntsville High graduate Justin Mayo to enlist in the Air Force National Guard.

"My dad was a Huntsville City policeman for many years. He always had respect and admiration for our military forces," Mayo said. "I always looked up to my dad. He instilled that admiration in me, and I became the first in our family in a long time to enlist."

In 2014, Mayo was deployed to Southwest Asia as part of a 20-person team. Trained as a bomb loader, Mayo and his team went three weeks ahead of his regular unit to learn the enemy country and receive the training that could be passed on to the others when they arrived. The unit went on to complete a seven-month deployment.

"They taught us about local population customs to make sure that we did not offend the locals," Mayo said. "That is an important thing."

As a bomb loader, Mayo worked a fast pace with live ammunition. He says at times, the pilots of the fighters would land empty, reload, and take back off to continue the mission. He kept a log, marking every bomb he loaded by tail number.

"By keeping the log, I was able to tally how many of the bombs that I loaded were dropped," Mayo said.

Mayo said the enemy shot rockets and mortars at the base often. A warning system sounded before the rockets impact, telling soldiers to lay down to prevent injury from shrapnel.

"My crew was in a hanger working on a jet and just a few minutes after I left, a rocket went right through. Luckily, it was a dud." Mayo said.

There were other close calls as well. Mayo recalls friendly troops engaging with the enemy and the man on the ground coordinating with the aircraft to assist in engaging the target.

"In that kind of situation, everyone plays a part. I loaded that bomb," Mayo said. "We saved some good guys that day."

Because Mayo was deployed during a major time of the war, he saw some changes in the country, including the first democratic election.

"The week of the election was a kinetic week. The Taliban hated the idea of free elections," Mayo said. "I was able to play a small part during a huge shift in their government."

After completing his time in the Guard, Mayo returned to Southwest Asia as a civilian employee with Counter Rocket Artillery and Mortar (CRAM), working with the same alarm system that once warned his unit of impending danger.

I am proud of the part that I played while in the Air Guard, Mayo said. Now, I am the guy that sounds the alarm. I get to play a part in saving people in a different way than my last deployment, and I am humbled by being tasked with that responsibility..Lawsuit: Ex-Judson college administrator sought online sexual role-play with former student

Not long after accepting a Facebook friend request on May 21 from Judson College administrator William Billy McFarland, 20-year-old Alexis Burt, a freshman at the Christ-centered (according to its website) womens college in Marion, AL, affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention, received private messages from McFarland asking if she wanted to make some cash by doing roleplay, specifically dom sub, according to a federal lawsuit against the college and now-ex employee.

In the suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Burt alleges McFarland the former Special Assistant to the President for Business Developmentoffered her up to $2,000 per month and a cash starting bonus to engage in the explicit sexual exchanges online.

Wow, an influential man like yourself messaging for roleplay, Burt said in a message contained in the suit, to which McFarland allegedly replied, Lol. At least Im honest.

According to his Facebook page, McFarland is in Europe (he checked in in Athens on November 8 and Rome on November 11). AL.com reached out to him via private and text messages but has not yet received a reply.

In a statement released to the Tuscaloosa News, McFarland said:

This lawsuit is nothing more than a #MeToo-style blackmail/extortion attempt. If I do not pay money on demand I am then threatened with a false complaint, designed to be embarrassing and humiliating, filed in the court system which then makes its way into the news.

The allegations are completely false and just an attempt to try and publicly embarrass me.

In an email to AL.com, Judsons Interim President Scott Bullard said:

On October 31, Judson College received notification of a lawsuit filed by a former student in which she alleges sexual harassment via social media by J. William Billy McFarland, Jr., a former employee of Judson College. The former student alleges the incident took place on May 21. McFarland resigned from the College effective April 30.

Judson College strongly opposes sexual harassment in any form, and is committed to maintaining a positive and productive environment in which the dignity and worth of all people is respected. Judson has policies and procedures in place to ensure that this commitment is met. Judson encourages anyone who believes she has been subjected to inappropriate conduct to report this immediately. Judson will take immediate and appropriate action in response to all such reports.

In the private messages, McFarland allegedly used numerous sexual derogatory terms to describe Burt, and, according to the complaint, described masochistic sexual practices that he wanted to use on her.

Mr. McFarland's comments to my client were of an extreme nature and sexually degrading, says Birmingham attorney Ashley Rhea, who represents Burt. Furthermore, they were coming from an administrator at the college she was attending. My client is traumatized by the entire situation.

Rhea told AL.com she has been contacted by several young women who claim to have been harassed by Mr. McFarland.

I am investigating their allegations, she said.

The complaint alleges McFarland with invasion of privacy and outrage (saying he outrageously and intentionally inflicted emotional distress).

The complaints against Judson, a private school that receives federal dollars, are invasion of privacy, unlawful discrimination on the basis of sex (a Title IX violation), outrage and negligent and/or wanton and malicious training, supervision and retention (of McFarland).

On May 22, according to the complaint, Burt and her mother met with Susan Jones, Judsons senior vice president and dean of students, to inform her of McFarlands messages. During the meeting, Dean Jones admitted to Burt that other students had reported sexual harassment by McFarland and that he has resigned yesterday, the complaint reads.

She offered my client counseling, Rhea says.

Judson had actual knowledge of McFarlands conduct, knew or should have known such conduct constituted sexual harassment and failed to take adequate steps to remedy the situation, according to the suit.

Burt withdrew from Judson in late May, the attorney says. She is seeking compensatory, punitive and nominal damages, according to the complaint.

In January 2018 McFarland pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of harassing communications, according to a deferred plea agreement order signed by U.S. District Judge Vincent K. Deas.

In a deposition taken on September 1, 2017, a woman described an alleged exchange with McFarland that sounded similar to Burts allegations:

He texted me stating that he was having lunch with my boss . He then said are [sic] those big cheeks need some serious punishment, across the desk, needs a belting, while you explain your mistakes, beg, or do you want me to show your pics to [your boss] .

He said Just text, thats it. Deal? Your dirty texting fun will keep my lips sealed

He texted me that I had been a bad girl and that I need a hard spanking on my big ---- ... He said beg for a spanking

McFarland also allegedly threatened to post a photo of the woman online.

In the order, McFarland agreed to pay $730 to the victim, plus court costs and not engage in any criminal activity  for a period of twelve months.

Upon complete satisfaction of the terms of the order, the charges would be dismissed.

In September 2017, McFarland was also dubbed a rising star by the state Republican party. He entered the race to represent District 61 in the Alabama House of Representatives but withdrew on March 13, citing unforeseen health issues in a ">Facebook post.A Birmingham police officer was injured while trying to take a robbery suspect into custody in west Birmingham Monday night.

Around 7:30 p.m., west precinct officers responded to a reported robbery in progress at the CVS Pharmacy at 2228 Bessemer Road. The first officer to arrive encountered the suspect has he was leaving the store, said Sgt. Johnny Williams.

The officer then chased the suspect on foot, which led to a physical scuffle where the officer used a taser on the suspect, he said. She was able to take the man into custody.

The suspect, who has not been identified, is now in police custody, but has not been charged, Williams said.

The officer injured her ankle during the incident and was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

Further details about the incident were not immediately available.A Jefferson County grand jury has indicted the Southeast regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and a former Alabama Environmental Management Commissioner for violating state ethics laws.

Charges include multiple violations of Alabamas Ethics Act, including soliciting a thing of value from a principal, lobbyist or subordinate, and receiving money in addition that received in ones official capacity, according to the Alabama Ethics Commission.

Before being appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as the Region 4 administrator of the EPA, Trey Glenn worked closely with the Birmingham-based law firm Balch & Bingham and one of its clients, Drummond Co., to fight EPA efforts to test and clean up neighborhoods in north Birmingham and Tarrant.

Likewise, former Alabama Environmental Management Commissioner Scott Phillips worked with Balch to oppose the EPA. Phillips and Glenn worked together in a company they co-owned, Southeast Engineering & Consulting, at the same time Phillips served on the commission.

Under Alabama ethics law, it is illegal for a lobbyist or a lobbyists client, called a principal, to give a public official a thing of value, including a job.

President Donald Trump appointed Glenn lead EPAs Region 4 in August 2017, after incidents covered in the indictment. That region includes Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.

Former Alabama Environmental Management Commissioner W. Scott Phillips. (Dennis Pillion | dpillion@al.com)

The indictment is not Glenns first brush with Alabama ethics laws. In 2007, the Alabama Ethics Commission referred a complaint against Glenn, who then served as director of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, to the Montgomery County District Attorneys office for prosecution.

However, in 2008, a Montgomery County grand jury declined to indict Glenn on those charges.

After leaving ADEM in 2009, Glenn co-founded SE&C with Phillips and served as a lobbyist for the Business Council of Alabama.

After he was appointed to the EPA position, Glenn reported income from numerous public and private entities, including the BCA, City of Birmingham, Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority, Matrix LLC, Blue Ridge Partners, Strada and Big Sky Environmental.

Big Sky Environmental made headlines this year after it accepted human feces from New York for disposal at its Adamsville landfill. A train that delivered that refuse stunk up the surrounding community and after national news coverage became known as the poop train.

After accepting his appointment at the EPA, Glenn recused himself from north Birmingham environmental issues for one year. Environmental activists and nonprofit watchdog groups have asked Glenn to recuse himself permanently.

Witnesses at trial

In July, a jury in federal court convicted Balch partner Joel Gilbert and Drummond vice president David Roberson on charges they bribed an Alabama lawmaker, Oliver Robinson, to help fight the EPAs cleanup efforts in Tarrant and north Birmingham.

From 2014 through 2017, Glenn and Phillips worked with those defendants to oppose the EPA efforts, court exhibits and trial testimony showed.

During that trial, prosecutors called Glenn and Phillips as witnesses. Court documents and testimony, in that case, showed that they had worked closely with Balch to push back on the EPA as recently as 2017.

One exhibit in that trial showed that Phillips proposed to hijack a north Birmingham community organization that had been working with the EPA to clean up neighborhoods there. During his testimony, Phillips said that by hijack he meant work with.

In the same exhibit, a PowerPoint slideshow Phillips' company had prepared for Balch, Phillips proposed to undermine and fragment proponents of the north Birmingham cleanup.

On the witness stand in that trial, Phillips denied knowing that Robinson, a state lawmaker, was being paid by Balch  something even defense attorneys didnt seem to believe. On cross-examination, defense counsel showed Phillips a memo written to him in 2014 proposing maybe Oliver Robinson be hired for community outreach work in north Birmingham.

At the same time Phillips performed this work for Balch and Drummond, he served on the Alabama Environmental Management Commission, which oversees the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

On the AEMC, Phillips sat for meetings on north Birmingham environmental issues, including a 2015 meeting where Robinson spoke against EPA cleanup efforts in north Birmingham.

While serving on the AEMC, Phillips forwarded an advance copy of a presentation by the environmental watchdog group GASP to Glenn, who then forwarded those materials to Gilbert at Balch, trial testimony revealed.

Testimony in that trial also revealed that Phillips helped make introductions for Robinson, including a dinner in which Robinson met with AEMC chairman Lanier Brown to discuss north Birmingham issues.

In the wake of the federal corruption trial, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Rep. Terri Sewell and Sen. Doug Jones have asked the EPA to put the north Birmingham Superfund site on its National Priorities List, a regulatory distinction that would open up more money for cleanup and potentially require area polluters to help pay for cleanup costs.

The Alabama Ethics Commission lead the investigation after being asked for help by the Jefferson County District Attorneys office.

The Alabama Ethics Commission is committed to working with Alabamas District Attorneys, and all enforcement agencies, whenever needed and asked to do so, to ensure enforcement of Alabamas Ethics laws on behalf of the citizens of Alabama; and these indictments are evidence of that, Alabama Ethics Commission Director Tom Albritton said in a press release. I want to recognize the hard work from the Jefferson County DAs office which requested our assistance in this important matter; and from our office, Cynthia Raulston, the Commissions General Counsel, as well as Special Agents Dustin Lansford, Byron Butler and Chief Special Agent Chris Clark for their hard work and dedication to the enforcement of our Ethics laws.

In separate written statements sent by an employee of the Melton Espy law firm from a personal email account, Phillips and Glenn proclaimed their innocence and vowed to fight the charges against them. A message left for attorney Joe Espy seeking comment was not returned.Being classified 1-A after graduating high school, Waylon Hagood expected to be drafted. It was just a matter of when.

"I came home from working at the shirt factory and mother told me I had mail. I knew exactly what it was," Hagood said.

That was Dec. 5, 1966. Hagood arrived in Vietnam on May 5, 1967. He was 19, and had never been out of Alabama.

"When I stepped out of the cool air of the plane, it felt like a blast furnace," Hagood said. "I thought, Ive got a year to do this."

Hagood stayed five days in an induction camp before being sent to the 2nd Battalion, 13th Artillery. He spent one night at base camp and then a chopper transported him to officially join his unit. He was the youngest among them.

The artillery unit was responsible for supporting the infantry, Hagood said. Reconnaissance planes flew during the day, radioing the coordinates of targets back to his unit. At night the unit would shoot at the targets. They called it "harassment fire".

"We manned the 105 howitzer canons. I thought I knew hard work growing up picking cotton, but this was not what I expected," Hagood said. "Every time we changed positions, we had to build a wall of sandbags around the guns.

Hagood said the war changed in February 1968 when the Viet Cong attacked American units during the Tet Offensive. His unit was 3 to 4 miles outside the capital of Saigon and was moved to defend the city. It was the first time that American units were set up in Saigon.

"We should have known something was up because people in the villages were leaving. Before the Tet holiday, we were told not to fire. We had to get permission from the South Vietnamese to do so," Hagood said. "After the Tet attacks, all of that changed. You could shoot back."

The enemy, he said, was brutal. They would mingle among locals during the day and shoot at the Americans at night. He said for every one American killed, there would be 50 Viet Cong killed. They still wouldnt give up.

"The South Vietnamese were scared of the Viet Cong and because of this they would not let us know that they were infiltrated," Hagood said. "The VC had no sympathy and would kill them as quickly as they killed Americans."

When his year of service came to an end on May 5, 1968, Hagood boarded a 707 with around 240 others.

Leaving Vietnam was a relief, but the orientation he received on the plane home was not.

"The sergeant told us to change out of our uniform and into civilian clothes as soon as we landed in San Francisco," Hagood said. "He told us not to brag about where we had been because the people back home dont give a damn."

It is a memory that has stuck with Hagood since.

I think people looked down on us because they see it as we didnt win, Hagood said. But we served our country when asked. We did not seek sanctuary in Canada as some did. We served.Authorities have released the name of a woman killed Monday in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 459 southbound in Irondale.

Alabama State Troopers on Tuesday identified the victim as Lula B. Lindsey. She was 80 and lived in Gadsden.

The crash happened shortly after 9:30 a.m. Monday on I-459 south just past the Interstate 20 interchange. Irondale firefighters and police and Alabama State Troopers responded to the scene.

Authorities said it appears the dark sedan was traveling southbound on I-459 when it left the roadway during heavy rain, struck the base of the interstate light pole and came to a stop in the ravine.

Lindsey, a passenger, was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver was taken to UAB Hospital with unknown injuries. Troopers have not identified the driver.One of the states biggest insurers is warning customers of a robocall scam and advising people to protect their personal information.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama issued a press release Monday warning customers about a nationwide wave of robocalls that claim to be from the insurance company. The calls are apparently being made to market insurance products by using the BCBS brand and coincide with enrollment periods for Medicare and the Federal Employee Program, the release said.

The calls identity is masked through spoofing technology, which also allows the same calls to be made from different phone numbers. Because the call can come from several different sources, BCBS said customers will not be able to easily block the calls.

These robocalls are not originating from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, and we are taking every step available to minimize public confusion, the companys press release stated. We encourage consumers to be vigilant, protect their personal information, and guard against providing personal information during calls that claim to be from Blue Cross.Four people were killed in 13 hours in separate traffics across Jefferson County on Tuesday, and a fifth person died following a crash earlier this month.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office and police on Tuesday identified the victims as: Lula B. Lindsey, 80; Judy Clevenger Fletcher, 61; Alexis M. Kinnell, 26, and an unidentified woman in her 50s who was hit by a vehicle in Hoover. A fifth victim  42-year-old Antonio Barrera  died Monday following a Nov. 2 wreck in Trussville.

The first accident happened about 9:30 a.m. Monday on I-459 south just past the Interstate 20 interchange. Irondale firefighters and police and Alabama State Troopers responded to the scene.

Authorities said it appears the dark sedan was traveling southbound on I-459 when it left the roadway during heavy rain, struck the base of the interstate light pole and came to a stop in the ravine.

Lindsey, a passenger, was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver  whose name has not been released - was taken to UAB Hospital with unknown injuries.

About 30 minutes later, Fletcher was killed on Highway 79 near Higginbotham Road. Jefferson County sheriffs Chief Deputy Randy Christian said witnesses told deputies that Fletchers vehicle was traveling northbound on Highway 79 when it crossed completely into the southbound lane and struck a pickup truck head on. Fletcher was pronounced dead on the scene. The 30-year-old driver of the truck and three passengers from the trucker were transported to UAB Hospital.

At 7:13 p.m. Monday, Hoover police responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle in the 1500 block of Montgomery Highway. Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector the driver of a 2005 Saturn VUE was traveling southbound when a female pedestrian tried to cross over to the westbound side of the highway.

The female was taken to UAB Hospital by a Hoover Fire Department rescue unit but was pronounced dead upon arrival. Rector said the victim is a white female who appears to be in her 50s. Authorities have not yet positively identified her or notified her next of kin.

The driver of the Saturn remained on the scene and was cooperative with investigating officers. No criminal charges are expected at this time.

Just before 10:30 p.m., Kinnell was killed in a crash in Bessemer. Authorities said Kinnell, a Bessemer resident, was involved in a collision on Interstate 59 southbound at the 110 exit ramp. She was pronounced dead on the scene at 10:23 p.m. Details of the crash werent immediately available.

Also Monday, Barrera died 10 days after he was injured in a wreck that left a 19-year-old dead.

That two-vehicle crash happened on Friday, Nov. 2. Trussville Fire and Rescue Chief Tim Shotts said the call was received at 7:59 p.m. in the 6200 block of Service Road. Barrera was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Foylan Ordonez-Grave, who was pronounced dead on the scene that night.A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that votes will not be counted from four black students who had to cast provisional ballots in last weeks election.

The students all attend Alabama A&M University and are represented by attorneys from the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. The four students-- Jordon Jackson, Kendra Jones, Terry Matthews III and Simeon Syke-- filed a lawsuit Friday stating they all registered to vote before the Oct. 22 voter registration deadline but, when the four students went to cast their votes on Nov. 6, they were told that they were not registered to vote, and they were only allowed to fill out provisional ballots.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill is the states chief election officer and is named as a defendant, along with Madison County Board of Registrars Chairman Lynda Hariston.

U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala said during the hearing Tuesday that there was a chain of custody issue with the students' registration forms, and they could not prove who they turned the forms into and when. She lifted the temporary restraining order on the four provisional ballots and refused to issue an injunction.

The plaintiffs' attorneys were requesting an injunction requiring the secretary of states office and the Madison County Board of Registrars to accept and count the provisional ballots cast by the four students.

During the hearing, Sykes testified via phone that he registered on October 17 during a voter registration drive on A&Ms campus. Sykes said he filled out the registration forms, gave them to the person who was manning the drive, and then went to class. He said he never checked the secretary of states website or called the Board of Registrars to see if he was officially registered.

Sikes said when he went to his polling place on Nov. 6 to vote, he was told that he would have to fill out a provisional ballot. He filled out that ballot and an accompanying update form of basic information.

Secretary of state attorney Brent Beal also testified. He said that the office was notified late last week of the students lawsuit and when he was made aware, Beal looked in the official system called Power Profile to see if those students were registered. Beal said in Power Profile, which only local and state officials can access and county officials are responsible for entering in information, the system showed the four students were registered on Nov. 7the day after the election. There were also notes on the four profiles indicting each registered using the update form attached to their provisional ballots.

Beal also looked up the names of several students who Matthews and Jackson said they registered with at the same time, but those students showed being registered months before the October dates Matthews and Jackson provided in their lawsuit. He said those students noted their race as black.

No prior registration history was entered in Power Profile for Matthews, Jackson, or Sykes, according to Beal. There was prior history listed for Jones, who Beal said was registered to vote in Mobile in 2016. She was still listed as a Mobile voter until the Nov. 7 update, when the system showed her new address provided on the update form was in Madison County. Madison County Board of Registrars.

There were several address changes entered minutes apart on Matthews profile, Beal said, but the system did not note what the changes were. Beal said its possible the county official entering the information made a typo and had to go back in Power Profile and correct the issue.

The SOS office has offered online voter registration for several years, and Beal said he wasnt aware of any technical glitches affecting the site in the past several months. The SOS site coincides with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency site, so ALEA can verify addresses and names of those trying to register online. Because of the connection, Beal said someone can change their drivers license address online and simultaneously opt in to change their voter registration address.

While the ALEA website did crash in the last few months, Beal said his office was assured no SOS functions or information was affected.

Registration is officially accepted through a local board of registrars or through the secretary of state website or smartphone app, Beal said. Several months ago, Beal said, the office became aware of Facebook advertising a third-party website for users to go to and register to vote. Beal said the office contacted Facebook and asked them to change the link to the official SOS link, but the social networking site did not redirect users and continued to use the third party.

Beal said people holding registration drives or any third-party collector (including online sites) who is not affiliated with the county or the state is responsible for delivering registration forms to the secretary of state or Board of Registrars. A voter is not registered until their local Board of Registrars receives and accepts their registration forms. The secretary of state office has had complaints before about voter registration forms filled out at local drives not being delivered and processed, Beal said.

The plaintiffs attorneys questioned why Sykes records indicated he was not registered to vote in Madison County, while Jacksons forms said she wasnt registered on time. Beal said county officials are responsible for filling out that information and he couldnt say why there were different reasons, but ultimately, they show the same conclusion: The students werent registered to vote on time in the correct location. Beal said there isnt a uniform way that counties fill out those sections of the forms.

Hariston is one of three chairmen on the county Board of Registrars and also testified via phone at Tuesdays hearing. She said she and other office employees have searched multiple times for the four students registration forms, but they have not been located and there is no record of the office ever receiving them. She said employees have even looked in stacks of registration forms that were received after the Oct. 22 deadline and through online applications, and still havent located them.

The Board of Registrars did receive some incomplete forms, Hariston said. Those forms are processed and the voter is listed as inactive until the board can contact the voter and have them update their address, she said. But, those voters who are listed as inactive should cast a regular vote and not a provisional vote.

Some students at A&M have specific P.O. boxes, Hariston said, but many students have their mail delivered to the schools student center. If a student doesnt pick up their mail, its given back to the post office and returned. Hairston said some of the forms notifying a voter of an incomplete form could have been sent to that student center and then returned after a student didnt pick up their mail. But, she said, the Board of Registrars has no record the four plaintiffs submitted applications at all.

If a voter completes an incomplete registration application online, Hariston said they will not receive a confirmation number and the Board of Registrars would not be notified.

Hariston said Madison County received 1,003 provisional ballots this election, with about 160 of those being from A&M students. If those voters were registered and submitted updated information, their votes would be counted. If they were not registered by the deadline, their vote would not be counted but the update form would count as their voter identification and they would be registered to vote on Nov. 7 in the next election cyclelike what happened to the four plaintiffs.FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- After Republicans, including President Donald Trump, made unsubstantiated accusations of illegal activity, a judge on Monday urged the warring sides in the Florida recount to "ramp down the rhetoric," saying it erodes public confidence in the election for Senate and governor.

The state's law enforcement arm and elections monitors have found no evidence of wrongdoing, but lawyers for the Republican party and the GOP candidates joined with Trump in alleging that irregularities, unethical behavior and fraud have taken place since the polls closed last week.

"An honest vote count is no longer possible" in Florida, Trump declared Monday, without elaborating. He demanded that the election night results -- which showed the Republicans leading based upon incomplete ballot counts -- be used to determine the winner.

Trump went on to allege that "new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged" and that "ballots (are) massively infected." It was unclear what he was referring to.

The recount that is underway is mandated by state law.

Much of the Republicans' ire was centered on Democrat-leaning Broward County and its Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes, a Democrat who was appointed in 2003 by then-Republican governor Jeb Bush. She has been re-elected four times. Critics have suggested the slow pace of ballot-counting in Broward is suspicious.

The Florida Election should be called in favor of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged. An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2018

Broward elections officials have said this year's count was encumbered by the unexpectedly high turnout for a midterm election and the unusual length of this year's ballots, which contained 12 state constitutional amendment proposals, partly as a result of a constitutional revision commission that meets once every 20 years.

Bush said Monday on Twitter that Snipes should be removed from office, saying there was "no question" that she "failed to comply with Florida law on multiple counts, undermining Floridians' confidence in our electoral process."

Trump's comments came just hours before Broward Chief Circuit Chief Judge Jack Tuter held an emergency hearing on a request by lawyers for Republican Gov. Rick Scott, whose lead in the Senate race over incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson has narrowed with the counting of provisional and other ballots. They asked for additional sheriff's deputies to be sent to Snipes' office to monitor ballots and voting machines. The lawyers requested that the deputies be present when the ballots and voting machines are not being used and until the recount is over.

State law requires a machine recount in races where the margin is less than 0.5 percentage points. In the Senate race, Scott's lead over Nelson was 0.14 percentage points. In the governor's contest, unofficial results showed Republican former Rep. Ron DeSantis ahead of Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by 0.41 percentage points.

Once the recount is complete, if the differences in any of the races are 0.25 percentage points or less, a hand recount will be ordered. All 67 counties face a state-ordered deadline of Thursday to finish their recounts.

Meanwhile, the elections supervisor in heavily Republican Bay County told the Miami Herald on Monday that he allowed about 150 people to cast ballots by email, the Miami Herald reported. The county was devastated by a Category 4 hurricane in October, and Scott ordered some special provisions for early voting there. A statement that accompanied the order noted that returning ballots by email was not allowed under state law.

In their Broward request, Scott's lawyers alleged that Snipes was engaging in "suspect and unlawful vote counting practices" that violate state law and that she might "destroy evidence of any errors, accidents or unlawful conduct." The motion was supported by lawyers representing the state Republican Party and opposed by Snipes' office, Nelson's campaign and the state Democratic Party.

"I am urging because of the highly public nature of this case to ramp down the rhetoric," Tuter said.

"If someone in this lawsuit or someone in this county has evidence of voter fraud or irregularities at the supervisor's office, they should report it to their local law enforcement officer," Tuter said. "If the lawyers are aware of it, they should swear out an affidavit, but everything the lawyers are saying out there in front of the elections office is being beamed all over the country. We need to be careful of what we say. Words mean things these days."

After Tuter told all sides to meet to discuss a compromise, they agreed to add three deputies to the elections office in Broward.

During the hearing, Scott lawyer Jason Zimmerman argued that Snipes has a long history of election errors and irregularities. He said the only goal of the request was to "protect the integrity of the vote."

"This is not about voter suppression. This is not about stopping this vote," Zimmerman said.

Snipes' lawyer, Eugene Pettis, said that Zimmerman's goal in filing the motion was to "undermine" the public faith's in the election in case Nelson overcomes his deficit and wins the recount.

He said Snipes' office already has deputies, security guards and cameras guarding the ballots, and the recount process is conducted in view of four representatives each from the Republicans and Democrats.

Bipartisan experts agree that voter fraud is a rare phenomenon across the nation.

To be sure, Broward County has experienced glitches with tabulation machines and mistakenly counted 22 absentee ballots that had been rejected. Still, officials said there was nothing illegal happening.

That didn't stop protests outside Snipes' office, where a mostly Republican crowd gathered, holding signs, listening to country music and occasionally chanting "lock her up," referring to Snipes. A massive Trump 2020 flag flew over the parking lot.

In Palm Beach County, Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher said Monday that it would "almost impossible" for her county to meet the Thursday deadline because of outdated laws and outdated equipment certified by the state.

Other states are also waiting on key races to be decided. In the Georgia governor's race, Republican Brian Kemp holds a narrow lead over Democrat Stacey Abrams. In the Arizona Senate race, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema is ahead of Republican Martha McSally by more than 30,000 votes.

By TERRY SPENCER, Associated Press. Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee contributed to this report.Sen. Cam Ward represents District 14 in the Alabama State Senate and is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee

The members of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles arent doing their jobs.

In July, Jimmy ONeal Spencer was charged with the brutal killings of Martha Dell Reliford, 65, Marie Kitchens Martin, 74, and Martins 7-year-old great-grandson, Colton Ryan Lee, in Guntersville. Spencer, a man with a violent rap sheet going back to the early 1980s, had been granted parole by the Board in November of 2017 and released from prison in January.

The Spencer case is one among many instances where the Board of Pardons and Paroles has made the wrong call. District attorneys, law enforcement officers, and victims of crime are rightfully angry with the boards decisions to allow even murderers to go free, including some who have served as little as six years in prison.

In some cases, the board has paroled violent offenders (some of whom had troubling incarceration records) much earlier than its own rules and regulations recommend. That is frightening, and the lackadaisical response from the board to critics questions about Jimmy ONeal Spencer and other cases is unacceptable.

I understand that the failure of an individual part can shroud an entire system in doubt. But the recent news of poor decision-making by the Board of Pardons and Paroles should not take away from the significant improvements that Alabama has gradually made to its criminal justice system over the past few years.

Beginning in 2013, the State Legislature passed a series of reforms to change the punishment structure for non-violent offenders to ensure more fair and uniform sentencing. The underpinning philosophy behind Alabamas change in sentencing was to divert non-violent offenders from prison, thereby reserving scarce prison space and resources for more serious and violent offenders. Why was that necessary? Alabamas prisons were dangerously overcrowded, with the prison population rising to 192 percent of recommended capacity levels. Indeed, by 2015, Alabama faced the worst prison overcrowding-crisis in the country.

Thankfully, the legislative reforms started in 2013 have been effective: Alabamas prison population has decreased by more than twenty percent since the sentencing changes were implemented, and data from 2017 indicate that violent crime is leveling off, too.

Recent improvements to community supervision programs hold the potential to further improve public safety. I am optimistic that these reforms, paired with the hiring of extra probation and parole officers, will gradually reduce recidivism in Alabama. But the truth is that legislation alone will not solve our criminal justice problemsthe policies must be implemented correctly and properly funded to accomplish lasting change.

The Board of Pardons and Paroles has to be a part of a comprehensive solution, rather than a cause of problems, for the states criminal justice system. Thankfully, Gov. Kay Ivey has directed the board to produce a corrective action plan, and she has also designated a new chairman of the board.

As a State Senator, I am closely watching the response to Governor Iveys directive. The Board of Pardons and Paroles must and will be held accountable. The board has an essential role to play in Alabamas criminal justice systembut as the case of Jimmy ONeal Spencer tragically illustrates, errors in judgement by the boards members can have catastrophic consequences.Israeli jets have pounded the Gaza Strip, killing at least five Palestinians a day after a deadly covert Israeli operation in the besieged enclave drew rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled territory.

At least seven Palestinians, including a Hamas military commander, were killed in the Sunday night raid near the Khan Younis city raising fears of another war.

An Israeli soldier was killed during the botched operation in the enclave, which has been under an Israeli land, air and sea blockade since 2007.

Israeli artillery units also shelled positions across the densely populated enclave, including the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV station headquarters.

Israel said its Iron Dome defence system intercepted many of the 300 missiles fired by the Palestinians.

Since 2008, Israel has launched three major assaults on Gaza that have heavily damaged the Strips infrastructure and sources of livelihood.

Violence has flared up frequently on the frontier since Palestinians in the Gaza Strip began weekly protests along the fence with Israel on March 30, demanding their right to return to the homes their families were expelled from 70 years ago.

More than 200 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more wounded by Israeli troops deployed along the other side of the fence since the Great March of Return demonstrations began on March 30.Jo Johnson, the pro-Remain minister of transport, resigned from the government last week because he could not vote for the Brexit deal that Theresa May is expected to bring back to parliament. He thinks her deal is worse than membership of the EU and he has thrown his weight behind a second referendum. His resignation came four months after his Brexiteer brother, Boris, quit as foreign secretary.

The resignation of the two brothers is emblematic of the deep divisions over Brexit in the Conservative Party, the government, and the country at large. But the two brothers are strikingly different both in style and in substance. Boris is an unprincipled, irresponsible, buccaneering politician driven by a naked ambition to get to No 10. Jo is a calm and thoughtful statesman who places the national interest above that of his party. His purpose is not to change the leadership, but the policies. And he is able to place the current crisis in a wider historical perspective.

In his letter of resignation to the prime minister, Jo Johnson claimed that the public is being offered an agreement that will leave our country economically weakened, with no say in EU rules it must follow and years of uncertainty for business or a no-deal Brexit that I know as minister of transport will inflict untold damage on our nation.

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The letter went on to say: To present the nation with a choice between two deeply unattractive outcomes, vassalage and chaos, is a failure of British statecraft on a scale unseen since the Suez crisis. The reference is, of course, to the Suez crisis of 1956 in which Tory Prime Minister Anthony Eden colluded with France and Israel to attack Egypt following President Nassers nationalisation of the Suez Canal.

Suez was a colossal strategic blunder and a sad watershed in post-war British history. The difference between Suez and Brexit is that the former involved the use of force and the latter does, not. On the other hand, both crises posed a huge challenge for British statecraft. Some lessons might, therefore, be learned today from the failure of British statecraft back in 1956. As Churchill once observed, the farther back you go, the farther forward you can see.

The broader context for both crises was uncertainty regarding Britains place in the world. Eden, observed a Sunday Times editorial on January 16, 1977, was the last prime minister to believe Britain was a great power and the first to confront a crisis that proved beyond doubt that she was not. Eden was an imperial-minded politician, out of touch with reality, and Suez was a throwback to Palmerstonian gunboat diplomacy. In the end, Eden managed to combine immorality  disregard for international law, political folly  collusion with the Israelis, and incompetence  failed execution of a military operation.

The Suez war was indisputably a fiasco; the only debate is about the causes of the fiasco. Here, there are two main schools of thought. One school of thought sees the Suez debacle as the result of a loss of nerve, a failure of imperial willpower. According to this school of thought, the real mistake was not to embark on this venture but to abandon it without achieving its basic aim: the overthrow of Nasser. Once Britain retreated, so the argument ran, any monkey was free to twist the lions tail. A leading proponent of this view was Professor Elie Kedourie of the London School of Economics.

{articleGUID}

The other school of thought, to which I belong, views Suez as a sordid colonial conspiracy and an act of imperial madness. It stemmed from an inflated belief in Britains ability to impose its will on the rest of the world. Indeed, it was little short of insane to resort to military force when there was a credible diplomatic option for resolving the dispute over the Suez Canal. Nasser was not Hitler on the Nile, as Eden portrayed him, Egypt was not Nazi Germany, and the lessons of appeasement from the 1930s did not apply. The decision to attack Egypt was a serious error of judgement, an act of hubris, and a self-inflicted wound.

So is Brexit. For the Suez misadventure, Eden paid the price: his career came crashing down in flames. For the country as a whole, however, the damage was limited. Suez was not the cause but a reflection of Britains descent from the summit of world power. It may have even had one positive effect: it acted as a reality check on Britains image of itself as a great power.

Like Eden, todays Tory Brexiteers are incapable of grasping the changes that have occurred in the international system since 1945 and the limits they place on Britains ability to pursue an independent foreign policy. The notion of global Britain prospering outside the EU is a delusion based on ignorance and fuelled by nostalgia for the good old days of empire.

The consequences of leaving the EU either on the terms currently contemplated or with no deal at all would spell a disaster for this country on an infinitely bigger scale than those of Suez. The blame for this sorry state of affairs lies not with Theresa May but with the reactionary and xenophobic wing of her party. It is they who are pushing her towards a hard Brexit which would be much worse than the status quo.

The damage to Britains reputation as a result of the way the negotiations have been conducted since the referendum is already very considerable. The economic and political damage of actually leaving the EU would be massive and irreversible.

Britain used to be a well-respected country. Boris Johnson and his fellow Brexiteers have helped to turn it into a joke. Jo Johnson is surely right: we should pause on the brink, think again, and allow the public to revisit the 2016 referendum in the light of what has been learned in the last two years and the wider lessons of history.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.Bhattarai to advise PM on foreign relations

The government has appointed Rajan Bhattarai, a member of the Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations, as the foreign relations adviser to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.Two years ago I gave an interview to Radio Free Europe that attracted a fair share of attention. Reactions, positive and negative alike, were triggered mostly by this single sentence: EU enlargement [to the Western Balkans] wont happen. Many praised my openness or even my provocativeness, but many found the sheer fact that someone had said this simply scandalous. It was irresponsible, they roared, to say this now, when Balkan countries should be making the final push to complete their post-socialist transition.

At that time, I also noted that even if enlargement does eventually occur, the resulting EU will be a deeply re-organised structure, with God knows how many members and what kind of internal rules. The point was then, as it is today, that we must admit the failure of the so-called Europeanisation of the Balkans by confronting what has been promoted for two decades as solutions  I call them the three illusions  to all that ails the region: European integration itself, transitional justice, and neoliberal economic reforms.

The first illusion, that integration is a cure-all, has been supported by the common wisdom that, since the early 1990s, the Balkans have been balkanised while Europe has continued to Europeanise. As opposed to fighting ethnic nationalism and wars for territory, the EU was engaged in ever-greater integration within a system based on democratic values and the rule of law. The obvious solution to nationalism, war, and ethnic cleansing in the Balkan states seemed to be their integration into the EU, enabling them to jump on board the unstoppable train of liberal prosperity and a single market. Indeed, Slovenia joined in 2004, followed by the Eastern Balkans  Romania and Bulgaria  in 2007, though these latter two countries were subject to continuous monitoring. Then, with some difficulty, the EU eventually managed to swallow one more candidate when Croatia integrated in 2013.

The remaining Balkan countries, referred to administratively as the Western Balkans, have since been encircled, and now sit in a ghetto within the EU. Comprised of 5 or 6 states (depending on whether one recognises the independence of Kosovo) and about 18 million inhabitants, one wonders how it is possible that the 500-million strong EU cannot integrate this small chunk of territory. The answer lies not in the technical process of translating the acquis communautaire, nor in the alleged reluctance of Balkan states to undertake reforms, but in the synergy of the following three elements: first, pressed by the increasingly nationalistic electorates of its member countries, and strapped with an inefficient and paralysing decision-making structure, the EU does not actually want to enlarge; second, ruling elites in the Balkans see no significant political or economic gains for their clientelistic regimes in EU membership; and third, citizens in these countries are observing the EUs own institutional crisis and thus know all too well that joining the EU will not guarantee prosperity (one need look no further than Croatia and Bulgaria). Many Balkan citizens, especially those who are young and educated, have thus chosen to take matters into their own hands and join the EU immediately, by emigrating there.

The second illusion, of the salve of transitional justice, offered true hope to the post-war Balkans, especially the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The idea behind the Tribunal was simple: exposing the facts and putting criminals on trial will not only produce justice but also a deep political and moral catharsis in Balkan societies. The archives of the ICTY represent a monumental database of human evil, where horrific war crimes are spelt out in detail, almost no stone left unturned. And yet, the architects of liberal justice did not account for one simple thing: twenty-five years is a long time in politics. Contrary to expectations, war criminals from all sides are celebrated today in their communities for acts framed as heroic; and their crimes, if sometimes cynically acknowledged (someone had to do it), are sugar-coated in counter-narratives of self-victimisation.

The final illusion sold to the Balkans was that the economy would eventually sort everything out. As long as they ended social and public ownership, implemented privatisation, and made profit for foreign investors and local entrepreneurs, prosperity would trickle down. But neoliberal reforms pushed by the EU, the IMF, and the World Bank only enriched local elites and international predators, while robbing Balkan societies of industrial production, agricultural output, and any degree of economic independence. As a tiny minority enjoys a level of wellbeing that easily rivals that enjoyed by the wealthiest in the West, most Balkan citizens live the reality of poorly paid workers, impoverished pensioners, and unemployed youth, spurring mass emigration to Germany, Austria, or Ireland.

To assess the current situation in the Balkans, but also in the rest of Europe, the full consequences of the failure of these three illusions must be appreciated. After all, many hopes about Europes integration were betrayed by the EU. Where are the post-national politics of unity in diversity and the now forgotten European social model? Where is that Kantian island of reason, values, and hospitality; that third way between the unjust American and brutal Chinese capitalisms?

What were seeing now is the Brexit chaos, member-states who often despise being members, bitter disputes, the punishment of the weak and indebted, and deepening divisions between North and South, East and West. And, all of this is coupled with rising nationalistic and xenophobic forces that promise salvation from both Brussels and immigrants. As someone who grew up watching the balkanisation of Yugoslavia, it is hard to believe that such a balkanised Europe can ever Europeanise the Balkans. The existing Europeanisation paradigm, in fact, harms the future of the EU itself, and of the countries left waiting in its anteroom. This demands change; and without it, it does not take a crystal ball to see that an entirely different Europe will be born, and one we may come to fear.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.Two weeks before the November 6 midterm elections, the White House released a special report by the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) on the opportunity costs of socialism in response to what they call its comeback in American political discourse.

The timing of the report was no coincidence. Left-wing ideas such as universal healthcare, fully funded public education and the abolishment of ICE were at the forefront of midterm debates. And indeed, on November 6, American voters elected two socialist women of colour, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to Congress. Their historic wins are a true sign of shifting political terrains in the United States. Everyday people are now embracing real left-wing politics, and this has the capitalist class shaking in their boots.

The CEA report is one of the many examples of the far-right red-baiting aimed to scare people away from socialist politics. Resources are scant, they argue, so fascism, not equality, is the way out of poverty. Meanwhile, Wall Street Democrats are clinging to a moderate agenda rooted in corporate interests. Giving millions to big business owners, they say, is the best way to get everyday Americans back on their feet.

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Still, in the face of these powerful forces of opposition, the American people elected some of the most progressive politicians weve seen in decades. With Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez set to enter the House of Representatives, alongside Bernie Sanders in Senate, we now have three openly socialist politicians in Congress  the most in US history  and even more socialist politicians in local offices across the country.

But the ability of these elected officials to realise the progressive platforms on which they ran will ultimately come down to what we, ordinary citizens, do. It is on us to continue to organise  to march, knock on doors and fight for a political agenda that puts the needs of working-class people over big corporations.



It is very clear that Americans across the political spectrum are ready for something different. In fact, neoliberal policies are less popular than ever before. Seventy percent of Americans support a single-payer healthcare system. More Americans disapprove of the controversial GOP tax-reduction package than approve of it. Among young people, socialism is now more popular than capitalism. The rights ideas are unpopular. So unpopular that, in many places this election cycle (and around the world), far right candidates didnt even campaign on them. Fully aware that the support for their political demands is waning, they instead chose to lie, incite racism and rig the election to assume or maintain power.

Here in Florida, GOP gubernatorial candidate, Ron Desantis, followed this playbook to a T. Instead of presenting policy proposals to win over voters, he turned his campaign into a race war, using racist dog whistles against black people, Jews, Muslims and immigrants in order to lure white voters to his side, and away from the progressive agenda of Mayor Andrew Gillum.

Desantis called Gillum too radical for associating with groups like ours, the Dream Defenders. Our political platform, the Freedom Papers, which outlines a plan for quality healthcare, shelter, food, education and safety for all, became the centre of his attacks.

But Desantis didnt debate the substance of the agenda itself  perhaps because he couldnt find a way to argue against a proposal to meet peoples most basic needs, especially when so many are struggling to get by. So instead, he used lies and scare tactics, stirring up a racist frenzy promoting white nationalist violence, to steer people away from whats best for everyone, in favour of a right-wing, pro-corporate and anti-people agenda.

In addition to using fear and racism, the political right also uses methods like gerrymandering, purging voter rolls, shutting down polling sites and confusing voters to suppress progressive votes and maintain their power globally as political minorities.

Following such right-wing attempts to suppress votes, Florida and Georgia experienced razor-thin margins between the GOP and progressive candidates for governor. As a result, both states are now in the middle of recounts. In Florida, incumbent Republican Governor Rick Scott has equated calls to count every vote with voter fraud and an attempt by Democrats to steal the elections.

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While many progressive candidates scored landmark victories in the election, many others, mainly as a result of the aforementioned voter suppression methods, either narrowly lost to their right-wing opponents or are still facing a real possibility of a loss. However, rather than doubling down on a left-wing agenda that already proved its popularity among voters, and fighting against the GOPs voter suppression methods, many within the Democratic establishment are already arguing that, perhaps, some candidates were just too progressive to win. The path to defeating Trumpism and the far right in 2020, they say, is to move further to the centre.

We are already seeing the Democratic establishments attempts to take down the left-wing flank that Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez have the potential to build within the party. Right after Democrats took back the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi announced that she believes Democrats have a responsibility to seek common ground with Republicans in Congress, implying that she will focus on making compromises rather than impeaching Trump. This is unacceptable and irresponsible. Our lives are on the line. And clearly, Nancy Pelosis interests dont align with ours. It is because of political stances like hers and the Democratic establishments overall neglect of the interests of working-class people that weve ended up with Trump in the first place.

We cannot defeat fascism by moving towards the centre. Unfortunately, all too often, politicians who run on left-wing platforms opportunistically move towards the centre for the sake of their career once they are elected. But ultimately, whether or not the progressives we fought to elect will be able to realise the platforms they ran on is not so much a matter of what they do once in office, but a matter of what we do. For progressive politics to succeed, we  as the people  need to change our attitude towards electoral politics. We need to understand that electing a candidate is not a matter of choosing a champion or a supreme leader. Its a matter of choosing our best opponent. At times, we will organise with these elected officials to bring about real change, but at other times, we will organise against them to achieve the same. It is our responsibility to build the necessary power to hold them accountable to the needs of working people and not corporate interests.

Midterm voter turnout hit a 50-year high in 2018, with more than 47 percent of the voting-eligible population casting a ballot. However, more than half of Americans still did not go to the polls, likely because of how disillusioned they are by the entire political system. Grassroots movements should seize this opportunity and work tirelessly to convince these disillusioned Americans that they, and no one else, have the power to change our world.

We cannot fight fascism with neoliberalism or by entrusting our fate in the hands of a few politicians. Our only fighting chance is to build power.

In the face of rising violence and efforts to make everyday people turn their back on one another, so we dont rise up against the one percent, we must bring people together across race, religion and borders to struggle towards long-term political unity. In the spirit of Fred Hampton and the Black Panther Party, we must reignite the Rainbow Coalition, a 1960s Chicago-based alliance between young people in Black, poor white and Puerto Rican communities. The Rainbow Coalition was a real threat to the established powers in Chicago and across the country because it helped people find common fate and move a shared agenda across difference.

Solidarity among working people in the US and around the world is our only way out.

Together, we need to organise our neighbours, plan marches and use boycotts and direct actions to advance a shared, progressive agenda that would benefit us all. We must be clear and unapologetic in what it means to be leftist  universal healthcare, fully funded public education, an end to war and a redistribution of wealth. Ultimately, the most important takeaway from the midterm election is that we cant wait for politicians to lead. Our power lies in realising that the progressive agenda is ours to set.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.Is there anything Obama can do to salvage his reputation in the remaining weeks of his lame-duck presidency?Over 300,000 Congolese refugees forced to leave Angola

The mass eviction is creating an increasingly heavy burden on an already unstable, conflict-weary region.Online retail giant reportedly plans to hire up to 50,000 employees and spend $5bn on second headquarters locations.

An earlier version of this article stated that Amazon is planning to hire 500,000 employees. This was incorrect. The number is 50,000 as is now reflected below.

Amazon is ready to announce the split of its new headquarters between New York City and Crystal City in Virginia, Reuters news agency reported, ending a year-long bidding completion where more than 200 cities stepped up to woo the online retail giant.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that the company would be making the official announcement of the split as early as Tuesday and that a third city would also be included to receive substantial investment.

Amazon has not responded for comment yet.

Amazon.com Inc last September first shared its plan to hire up to 50,000 employees and spend $5bn on a second headquarters location, dubbed as HQ2, which would be full equal to its current campus in Seattle.

Provinces and states across the US promised tax breaks, benefits and even namesakes in their bidding proposals to the company.

According to reports, Tucson sent Amazons CEO Jeff Bezos a giant cactus, while Stonecrest in Georgia, offered to rename some of its land to the city of Amazon.

Gantry Plaza State Park, Long Island City, New York where Amazon.com is reportedly considering for new second headquarters [Eduardo Munoz/Reuters]

The interested parties also provided city planning, infrastructure and labour information in an effort to increase their appeal and strengthen their position.

Amazon announced the official 20 finalists, over 12 months after the bidding war began and that list included Denver, Chicago, Dallas and Philadelphia.

In a turn of events last week, news agencies reported that Amazon decided to divide HQ2 between two cities instead of one, naming New York and the Crystal City area of Arlington, North Virginia as the two choices.

But the plan is already causing outrage with some.

New York Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a series of tweets late Monday said that Queens residents response to the move was to express outrage.

Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here, she wrote.

Displacement is not community development. Investing in luxury condos is not the same thing as investing in people and families.

Benefits and fears

The worlds biggest online retailer, which became the US second trillion dollar company in September, explained that they used a public process to choose their second headquarters because they wanted to find a city that is excited to work with them.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos [Leonard Ortiz/Getty Images]

Amazon estimates that its current investments in the Seattle campus have benefited the citys economy with an additional $38bn from 2010 to 2016 but its was not an always smooth ride.

An affordable housing crisis in Seattle, home to the more than 45,000-person campus, prompted the city council to adopt a head tax on businesses in May, which Amazon helped overturn in a subsequent city council vote.

Therefore, splitting the much-needed expansion in two locations could give Amazon a bigger recruitment pool, strengthen its presence around New York and Washington and potentially give it a recruiting edge over Silicon Valley tech firms.

The move could also help lessen the congestion and similar housing crisis to the one in Seattle in the new cities, issues that would be likely to emerge with the creation of one bigger office.

However, critics say that the split could also mean smaller economic benefits for the host cities, especially when they are much smaller in comparison to other contenders.

A Brookings Institution report said that the selected neighbourhoods offer lower rents and more attractive zoning than the nearby central business districts.

Seattle US, Home of the Amazon campus headquarters [Getty Images]





The two selected areas already have relatively low unemployment rates, and Fitch Ratings noted that even a full HQ2 would represent about 1.5 percent of the Washington area and only 0.5 percent of the New York areas labour force.

Critics have also asked the contender cities and states to show more transparency in the bidding process, warning that the benefits of hosting a massive Amazon office may not balance out the tax-payer funded incentives and other expenses.Worlds largest online retailer to get billions of dollars in tax breaks for the development of its second headquarters.

Online retail giant Amazon has confirmed that it will split its much-anticipated second headquarters between New York City and Arlington, Virginia, ending a period of intense competition between North American cities to win its promise of 50,000 new jobs.

The US retailer plans to spend $5bn on the two new developments and expects to get more than $2bn in tax credits and incentives, with plans to apply for more.

These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come, Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, said in a statement.

The decision was finally declared on Tuesday after a year-long bidding battle between more than 200 cities that had winded down to the 20 finalists last January including Chicago, Toronto and Los Angeles.

Amazon also announced an additional third investment in central Nashville, Tennessee, with the creation of a new Operation Centre of Excellence hub that will eventually produce another 5,000 corporate jobs.

The two new head offices combined are expected to be equal to the existing Seattle campus in Washington, which is an over 750.000sqm property divided into 33 building and hosting 24 restaurants.

The Nashville office is expected to be smaller and the company said it would start hiring in New York, Virginia and Tennessee in 2019.

Tax breaks

In September, Bezos said that the US second trillion dollar company was using a public process to choose their second headquarters because they wanted to find a city that is excited to work with them.

In picking the locations, the company had stated preferences like stable and business friendly environment, metropolitan areas with more than one million people and communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options.

During the intense bidding war, provinces and states used tax breaks, benefits and even namesakes to woo the company.

Stonecrest in Georgia, offered to rename some of its land to the city of Amazon.

But the retailer made it clear that it was tax incentives and grants that is was looking for.

According to an Amazon statement, the company will receive performance-based direct incentives of $1.525bn over the next decade from New York based on creating 25,000 jobs in Long Island City.

Mayor Bill de Blasio called New Yorks selection a giant step in the citys development.

New Yorkers will get tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs, and Amazon will get the best talent anywhere in the world, he said.

In Crystal City in Arlington, Amazon said it expects to receive $573m in incentives for their investment and that they project to generate $3.2bn in tax revenue in the same time period.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said Amazons investment was a big win which would bring investments in our education and transportation infrastructure that will bolster the features that make Virginia so attractive: a strong and talented workforce, a stable and competitive business climate, and a world-class higher education system.

Extremely concerning

But not everyone in New York and Virginia were happy about being chosen to become the spot for the new Amazon headquarter locations.

In a series of tweets late on Monday, New York Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that Queens residents response to the move was to express outrage.

Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here, she wrote.

In a joint statement, New York State Senator Michael Gianaris and New York City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer asked why scarce public resources are being offered to one of the profitable corporations in the world.

In Virginia, state representative Lee Carter warned that thousands will be priced out of their homes with the influx of high-paid tech workers. She also raised the issue of overcrowded schools and traffic.

Meanwhile, Lina Khan, a senior fellow with the Open Markets Institute, wrote in a Twitter post on Tuesday: Amazon extracting highly favourable terms, only to halve its promise and expect those same terms, is an exercise of bargaining power that will be familiar to many of the millions of merchants reliant on Amazons platform.As fresh truce seemingly takes hold to end latest round of violence, what do recent events say about whats coming next?

As recently as Sunday morning, all signs pointed to a longer-term truce taking hold between Israel and Palestinian factions in the besieged Gaza Strip.

But only a four hours later, that prospect seemed far more distant.

On Sunday evening, the Israeli army launched a secret operation in the coastal enclave that killed seven Palestinians, including a senior commander of the armed wing of Hamas, the group administering the Strip, as well as one of its soldiers.

On Monday, Palestinian factions responded to the Israeli attack by firing hundreds of missiles into southern Israel. An anti-tank missile struck an Israeli army bus, seriously wounding one soldier.

The barrage of projectiles was of unprecedented intensity, albeit intentionally limited in geographic scope.

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The Israeli military, meanwhile, met the retaliatory rocket-and-mortar fire with dozens of air raids across the blockaded territory. By Tuesday afternoon, at least seven other Palestinians had been killed and a number of buildings  including the offices of Al-Aqsa television channel  had been destroyed.

In the immediate aftermath of Israels Sunday raid, speculation abounded as to why Israel would have carried out such a provocation given the advanced stage of truce talks amid mediation efforts by Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar.

Indeed, just hours earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was justifying a ceasefire deal to the Israeli public.

An Israeli military spokesperson officially denied that the objective of the raid had been to either kill or capture a Palestinian target, but refused to elaborate on precisely what the aim had been.

Given approaching elections in Israel, a degree of political muscle flexing within the Israeli cabinet cannot be discounted as a factor behind the failed operation, Hugh Lovatt, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and author of a recent report on Gaza stabilisation efforts, told Al Jazeera.

However, it does seem to be the case that the operation was there for intelligence gathering purposes and not to trigger a new war, he added.

This was a view backed by Israeli analysts such as Haaretz military correspondent Amos Harel, who suggested the raid may have been related to Hamas military infrastructure (tunnels, weapons development), or another burning issue for Israel: the captives and missing persons in Gaza.

Whatever the original goal had been, Israels deadly attack reflected a significant Israeli intelligence and operational failure. Moreover, Palestinian journalist Jehan Alfarra said the raid was seen as a provocation attempt against Palestinian resistance factions.

More than 200 Palestinians have been killed over the past year in mass protests which called for lifting of the blockade on Gaza, among other things, Alfarra told Al Jazeera, referring to the Great March of Return weekly demonstrations that have been taking place since March 30 along with the fence with Israel.

And just as things seemed to be improving for some of Gazas besieged population, this raid destabilised the situation again.

Haneen Zoabi, a Palestinian member of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, said that while Israel wasnt interested in obstructing the truce talks nor in conducting a war or a large military campaign, officials believed Israels military capacities would provide it with a certain victory without too much trouble nor too many losses.

Zoabi added: Israel always tries to gain from the best of both worlds at the same time: to be violent in the background and also enjoy talks about a truce.

The signs late on Tuesday were that a fresh ceasefire meant the end to this latest round of violence. But what do the events of the last two days say about whats coming next?

There is an appetite for a calm and quiet period, said Zoabi, but the silence exists only on the surface. In reality, there are continuous, secret [Israeli] army campaigns and operations in order to continue the control over the area  and the Palestinians continue to suffer in silence.

The legislators views were echoed by Noa Landau, an Israeli political affairs journalist who wrote this week: Netanyahu doesnt believe there is a long-term diplomatic solution in Gaza. Moreover, he opposes the very idea of such a thing.





Fight and cooperation

Palestinians, meanwhile, are concerned that Israels pending elections  which must take place by November 2019 but will likely be called sooner  may mean escalation.

Palestinians are very familiar with Israeli politicians using election time to flex their political muscles and score points at the expense of Gazas besieged population, Alfarra said.

Lovatt, of ECFR, said that in recent weeks both Palestinian factions and the Israeli government had realised there was more to gain from a ceasefire arrangement than through war.

For Hamas, this would have allowed for improving socioeconomic conditions and easing the pressure it has been under. For Israel, this is seen as the best means of achieving calm on its border, particularly given the lack of an appetising alternative to a Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Last week, Israel allowed Qatar to deliver $15m to the financially-crippled Gaza to pay the salaries of government workers, as the intensity of protests along the fence was reduced.

According to International Crisis Group senior analyst Ofer Zalzberg, the dissonance between deal-making on Qatari financing [of Gaza civil servants salaries] and the seemingly botched operation demonstrates the vulnerabilities of understandings between enemies.

It is hard to fight with one hand and cooperate with another, he told Al Jazeera. Even if Israel and Hamas manage to avoid war and continue based on the understandings they have reached, these will be rickety and subject to collapse.

True freedom and sovereignty

Meanwhile, developments in Gaza cannot be separated from the continuous background rumours regarding a Middle East peace plan being drawn up by the administration of US President Donald Trump.

For Lovatt, there is a distinction between an unprecedented alignment between international and regional actors in support of short-term financial and economic measures to stabilise Gaza and avoid renewed conflict, and claims from Ramallah that UN and Egyptian efforts to stabilise Gaza are part of a broader US peace plan to create a Palestinian mini-state in Gaza and undermine [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas.

Looking ahead, Zoabi struck a pessimistic tone.

Trump and Israel believe that the end of these military struggles will be some sort of a political deal that will ease the humanitarian suffering in Gaza, improving the economic situation in Gaza and providing security to Israel without ending the blockade or restoring the connection of Gaza to the Palestinians in the West Bank, she said.

Such a vision, Zoabi added, necessarily implies a return to violence, because anything less than true freedom and sovereignty, the Palestinians  like any other people  will not accept.China says it will maintain strict ban on sale of rhino and tiger parts, two weeks after saying it would resume trade.

China has reversed a controversial decision to lift a 25-year-old ban on the use of tiger and rhino parts in science and traditional medicine after an outcry from environmental activists.

Three strict bans  the import and export of rhinos, tigers and their by-products, the sale, purchase, transport, carrying and mailing of rhinos, tigers and their by-products and the use of rhino horns and tiger bones in medicine  will remain in force, a senior official from the State Council, Chinas cabinet, said in a statement.

The Chinese government has not changed its stance on wildlife protection and will not ease the crackdown on illegal trafficking and trade of rhinos, tigers and their by-products and other criminal activities, State Council Executive Deputy Secretary-General Ding Xuedong said.

The decision to overturn the ban was postponed after study, the statement said.

The government will organise special crackdown campaigns with a focus on addressing the illegal trade in rhinos, tigers and their by-products, it added.





China had announced last month it would reverse the ban on the use of rhino and tiger parts for medicinal and scientific purposes.

With tigers and rhinos already under threat of extinction from poachers and the illegal wildlife trade, the decision prompted anger from wildlife and environmental groups with WWF warning of devastating consequences.

Both tigers and rhinos are listed in Appendix 1 of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), meaning all commercial trade is banned.

WWF welcomes the news that China has postponed lifting its ban on the domestic trade in rhino horn and tiger bone, signalling a positive response to international reaction, Margaret Kinnaird, Wildlife Practice Leader, said in a statement. Allowing trade from even captive animals could have had devastating impacts on wild rhino and tiger populations.

About 3,800 tigers are thought to be left in the wild, with at least 7,000 of the big cats kept in captive breeding facilities, mainly in China and Vietnam.

About 30 percent of seized tiger products come from tiger farms, according to TRAFFIC, which monitors and investigates the illegal wildlife trade.

China and Vietnam are the main markets for rhino horn and some 2,149 rhino horns were seized by law enforcement between 2010 and 2017. TRAFFIC estimates three rhinos are poached for their horns every day in South Africa.

China insisted any illegal trade in wildlife would be dealt with severely.

WWF said that the Chinese governments 1993 ban on the trade of tiger bone and rhino horn had been crucial in helping to protect the two species.

It is important to send a strong message that the value of wild populations of tigers and rhinos and their ecosystems is much greater than the value of their parts and horns, Kinnaird said.The world should ignore gossip about Chinas Xinjiang region and trust authorities there, the governments top diplomat said on Tuesday, when asked if Beijing would allow international observers to inspect camps holding Muslims there.

Western countries, including Canada, France, Germany and the United States, have urged China to shut down camps in Xinjiang, where activists say as many as one million members of the Uighur minority and other Muslims are being detained.

It rejects all accusations of mistreatment and denies mass internment. It says far western Xinjiang faces a threat from Islamist separatists.

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After initial denials, however, Chinese officials have said some people guilty of minor offences were being sent to vocational training centres, where they are taught work skills and legal knowledge aimed at curbing militancy.

After meeting Heiko Maas, Germanys foreign minister, State Councillor Wang Yi said he hoped people would understand and support the Xinjiang regional governments efforts to fight terrorism, end the spread of extremism and ensure social stability.

(People) should not listen to gossip or rumour, because the Xinjiang regional government, of course, understands the situation in Xinjiang best, and not some other people or organisations, said Wang, who is also foreign minister.

Mass detentions

The efforts are completely in line with the direction the international community has taken to combat terrorism, and are an important part of the global fight against terrorism, Wang told reporters.

If we can take care of prevention, then it will be impossible for terrorism to spread and take root.

Wangs remarks followed Mondays comments by Maas that there was a need for more information on the Xinjiang situation and that China needed to be transparent.

In any case, we cannot accept re-education camps. We need transparency in order to properly judge what is happening there, Maas said in Beijing.

Reports of mass detentions and strict surveillance of Uighurs and other Muslims have prompted the US to consider sanctions against officials and companies linked to suspected human rights abuses.

Researchers have said spending on security-related construction in Xinjiang tripled in 2017, and that despite the vocational training campaign, Xinjiang government data shows employment has not markedly improved.Andrej Babis denies authorising kidnapping of his son Junior to prevent him from being questioned in a fraud probe.

Prague, Czech Republic  Opposition parties in the Czech Republic say Prime Minister Andrej Babis should step down amid reported allegations of ordering associates to kidnap his son last year in a bid to obstruct a fraud investigation.

The prime minister was probed by Czech and European Union authorities in 2017 over hiding ownership of a farm and conference centre  Capi hnizdo (Stork Nest)  so that it would qualify for a two-million-euro subsidy ($2.25m) meant for small businesses.

In January, the EUs anti-fraud office said it had found irregularities in payments related to the subsidy.

On Monday, a report by local news outlet Seznam quoted Andrej Babis Jr.  the prime ministers 35-year-old son who had been under investigation along with his father for subsidy fraud  as saying that he was forced by the husband of his doctor-turned-ruling-party politician into hiding last year to prevent him from testifying in the case.

In comments captured in video, Babis Jr said that he was told to choose from taking an extended holiday in the Russia-annexed Crimea or be admitted to a mental facility after unknowingly signing documents critical to the decade-old case.

The report on Monday sent shockwaves in the Czech parliament, with leaders from a group of six opposition parties agreeing on Tuesday to file a motion to hold a vote of no-confidence that could threaten to upend Babiss already-vulnerable coalition government.

In a joint statement, the opposition also called on the prime minister to resign from his post until an impartial investigation could be carried out.

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Following last years elections, Babis struggled to form a government as other parties refused to enter a coalition with him due to the scandal. He has staunchly denied all wrongdoing and has repeatedly said that it was being used as a political tool by his opponents to see him thwarted.

The prime minister rejected the allegations in Mondays report, saying that the journalists invaded his sons home in Switzerland and used a hidden camera to interview Babis Jr, who he said has a serious mental disorder.

The facts are clear. My son is mentally ill. He takes medication, he has to be supervised, and he lives with his mother in Switzerland, the prime minister said in a Facebook post.

My son was not kidnapped, he left the Czech Republic voluntarily. The police investigated this matter and concluded that kidnapping had never happened.

Babis Jrs doctor, Dita Protopopova, who was recently elected to a district level posting in the capital, Prague, as a member of the ruling party, resigned on Tuesday as a result of the investigation. Police told local media that they would look into the findings of the video and question the reporters.

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Representing 92 seats in the Czech Republics Chamber of Deputies, the opposition would require nine votes from the current government coalition in order for a vote of no-confidence to succeed.

Both the Social Democrats and the Communists, which comprise the coalition along with Babiss Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) Party, said they would need to hear more from the prime ministers party directly before deciding on a course of action.

We will have to deal with ANO. We have a whole range of questions, Social Democrat leader and Interior Minister Jiri Hamacek told reporters on Tuesday in relation to the case, adding that he could no longer predict the future of the government.

The Czech communist party, which played the deciding vote in establishing Mr Babiss government earlier this year, said it would support an extraordinary session in parliament to look further into the accusation.Bimstec committee mulls free trade deal in Dhaka

Dhaka will host the 21st meeting of trade negotiating committee, under the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec), on November 18.Turkish president says his government played alleged recordings of the murder to everyone who wanted to listen to them.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said recordings related to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which Ankara has shared with Western allies, are appalling, and shocked a Saudi intelligence officer who listened to them, local media reported.

Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed on October 2 in Saudi consulate in Istanbul, in a hit that Erdogan says was ordered at the highest levels of the Saudi government.

The Turkish leader, while returning from a weekend visit to France, told reporters on Tuesday that he discussed the Saudi journalists killing with the US, French and German leaders in Paris.

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We played the recordings regarding this murder to everyone who wanted them from us. Our intelligence organisation did not hide anything. We played them to all who wanted them including the Saudis, the USA, France, Canada, Germany, Britain, he said.

The recordings are really appalling. Indeed when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recordings he was so shocked he said: This one must have taken heroin, only someone who takes heroin would do this, he added.

Khashoggis killing has caused global outrage but little concrete action has been taken by world powers against Saudi Arabia  the worlds largest oil exporter  which has sided with the US in its policy to contain Iranian influence across the Middle East.

Who gave the order?

Erdogan said it was clear the murder was planned and that the order came from the top level of Saudi authorities but that he could not think such a thing of King Salman, for whom he has limitless respect.

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The crown prince says I will clarify the matter, I will do what is necessary. We are waiting patiently, Erdogan said, adding that the perpetrators of the killing were among 18 suspects arrested in Saudi Arabia.

It must be revealed who gave them the order to murder.

Saudi Arabia has changed its narrative about the murder several times amid international outcry and intensifying scepticism over its account.

After more than two weeks of denial, Riyadh conceded Khashoggi was killed in a premeditated murder, but that the murder was an unplanned rogue operation.General Khalifa Haftar seems to have extended an olive branch to rival Fayez al-Serraj at Palermo conference.

Palermo, Italy  Renegade General Khalifa Haftar is believed to have extended an olive branch to the rival UN-recognised government of Fayez al-Sarraj, saying he will not seek to topple the Tripoli executive until new elections are held in divided Libya.

Despite Haftar having said he would not participate in the conference, photos released by the Italian government on Tuesday showed him with al-Sarraj and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte embracing and smiling in a three-way handshake.

It was the first time the two rival Libyan leaders had met face to face since May.

Using a metaphor, General Haftar told Mr Serraj that you dont change horses in the middle of the river, meaning that Mr Serraj will retain his post until the elections, said Rocco Casalino, the spokesperson for Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte.





We interpret this as a conciliatory statement as we aim at reaching an agreement on a broader security framework for the country in view of elections next year, said Casalino.

Haftar, who leads a self-styled army from Benghazi, has repeatedly threatened to attack Tripoli and take control of the capital, where about 30 percent of Libyans live.

The general, believed to be backed by Russia, Egypt and France, blames the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and Tripoli-based institutions of being at the mercy of rival militias. He has also called for a fair redistribution of the oil wealth in the energy-rich country.

Peace until elections?

The Tobruk-based House of Representatives, Libyas parliament, has aligned itself with Haftars request and, over the past weeks, has pursued, together with the High Council of State, Libyas rival parliament, the removal of al-Sarraj and the Presidential Council he presides over.

But Haftars comments to his rival this morning, if confirmed, may signal that Haftar is willing to wait for elections next year, as planned by the UN, to bring political stability in the North African nation.

It is not clear what Haftar has asked the international community in exchange, but diplomatic sources said pressure from Russia and Egypt made him join the talks at Palermo.

Italy is trying to achieve a binding security agreement in Palermo, possibly a unified police and army.

Elections are for the UN-led process to decide. Creating a climate of security is an essential step for any further process, an Italian government source told reporters in Palermo.

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It remains to be seen whether that would be achieved under a strongman like Haftar or a civilian authority.

Meanwhile, Turkish delegates walked out of the summit in protest on Tuesday, alleging that Haftar and Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had hijacked the conference, although it did not clarify how.

Ankara later said in a statement that any meeting excluding Turkey would be counterproductive.

General Haftar had earlier protested the presence of delegates from Turkey, Qatar and members of the Muslim Brotherhood in previous negotiations on Libya.

More players needed

However, Russia, Egypt and France are aware that a solution to the Libyan conflict cannot be achieved by counting only on Haftars leadership.

Libya is profoundly divided along tribal and ethnic lines, and a stable solution to the seven-year civil war may need to involve more than a few internationally sponsored actors.

So far, Haftars hold on eastern Libya has been strong and has granted a relative security in the region. But he does not enjoy the same support from militias and tribes in the west, who have loosely aligned themselves to al-Sarrajs GNA.

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In Tripoli, militias have increasingly used their power to blackmail and pillage the sovereign institutions and banks, plunging the Libyan capital into a vortex of violence.

Southern Libya, where state and security institutions have collapsed, has become a safe haven for criminal gangs and foreign militias who disrupt security in the greater Sahel region.

Italy is also concerned with securing Libyas borders to end the inflow of migrants that depart from its shores to reach Europe, as demanded by Contes domestic supporters.

Libya is caught in a spiral of violence, division and political chaos since 2011, when its former leader Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and later assassinated.Hamas says it will fire rockets at Israeli towns of Beersheba, Ashdod if raids on civilian buildings in Gaza dont stop.

The armed wing of Hamas says it will step up attacks and fire rockets at the Israeli towns of Ashdod and Beersheba if Israel continues to carry out air raids on civilian buildings in Gaza.

At least seven Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave since late Monday in the worst violence between the two sides since the 2014 war.

The Palestinian health ministry said Khaled Akram Yousef, 29, was killed on Tuesday in an Israeli offensive targeting a group of citizens in the northern Gaza Strip.

The latest escalation comes after at least seven Palestinians were killed on Sunday in a covert Israeli operation, to which Hamas responded with rocket fire from Gaza.

Hamas warning that it would extend the range of its rocket fire was issued on Tuesday, hours after a rocket from Gaza killed an Israeli man in a direct hit on a residential building in the coastal town of Ashkelon.

The rocket was fired after an Israeli air raid destroyed Hamas Al-Aqsa TV building in Gaza on Monday evening.

An Israeli air attack destroyed the building of Hamas Al-Aqsa TV station in Gaza City on Monday [Adel Hana/AP]

The spokesperson for the Hamas military wing said in a statement that Ashkelon has entered the range of fire as a response to the bombing of civilian buildings in Gaza.

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Occupied al-Majdal (Ashkelon) is now in our cross hairs in response to the shelling that targeted civilian buildings in Gaza  Ashdod and Beersheba are the next targets if the enemy continues to bombard civilian buildings, Abu Ubaidah said on Twitter.

Of the three cities, Ashkelon is closest to Gaza.

Hamas video captures missile attack

Meanwhile, Al-Aqsa TV broadcast a video showing the moment when Palestinian fighters targeted an Israeli army bus near the Gaza Strip border, east of Jabalia. The vehicle exploded moments after Israeli soldiers disembarked.

Hamas said in a statement that its fighters were able to hit the bus near the settlement of Miflasim using a Kornet anti-tank guided missile.

It affirmed that the operation came in response to Israels raid east of Khan Younis on Sunday evening, during which seven Palestinians were killed.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Ali Abunimah, cofounder of the Electronic Intifada website, said the video served as a warning to the Israelis.

What we saw today on the video was Hamas had within its sights a bus full of Israeli soldiers. It couldve fired at that bus when it was full  which would have been an entirely legitimate attack against a military target.

Instead it allowed all the soldiers to disembark the bus, all except one who was injured, in order to send a message to Israel that look, we have the capability to inflict tremendous damage to you, but we do not want an escalation, Abunimah said.





The Israeli army did not comment on the video.

Abunimah added that Israel was targeting the people of Gaza with terror, bombing and killing.

But theyve also subjected their own Israeli population to the retaliatory operations of the Palestinian resistance factions, Abunimah told Al Jazeera.

Israeli military spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said Israeli warplanes, tanks and naval vessels were involved in attacks against military compounds, observation posts and weapons facilities belonging to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

He said the Israeli military had enhanced its deployment along the border but has yet to mobilise its reserves.

He added that Gaza groups were believed to have an arsenal in excess of 20,000 rockets and mortars of different calibre and range.

Nowhere to go

In Gaza, schools and public institutions were closed on Tuesday as people ventured outside to inspect the damage after a long night of aerial raids.

Near the destroyed TV station, residents salvaged papers and belongings from their damaged homes. Debris was strewn across the streets and shattered window glass crunched under peoples feet.

In Gaza Citys Rimal neighbourhood, a six-story residential building that also housed a kindergarten on its ground floor was destroyed.

All the people here are civilians, children and families. We took our children and fled from here. When we returned, we found great destruction, said Mamdouh al-Shurafa, a resident of the building.

When we are bombed in the middle of the city, where we can go?

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Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since the group seized control of Gaza after it won elections in the enclave in 2006. In the most recent war, more than 2,200 Palestinians were killed, more than half of them civilians, and tens of thousands were left homeless. Seventy-three people, most of them soldiers, were killed on the Israeli side.

Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade on Gaza since the Hamas takeover, a blockade that has devastated Gazas economy.

In recent weeks, Egyptian and UN mediators had appeared to make progress in brokering informal understandings aimed at quieting the situation.

Last week, Israel allowed Qatar to deliver $15m to Gaza to allow cash-strapped Hamas to pay the salaries of thousands of government workers. At the same time, Palestinians have lowered the intensity of the border protests in recent weeks.Cold winters might become more frequent as the Arctic warms.

The Pan-Arctic Regional Climate Outlook Forum has issued the Arctic Winter 2018-2019 Season Outlook.

Climate change in the Arctic is affecting the entire Earth weather system. Temperature increases have led to significant reductions of sea ice, thawing permafrost and coastal erosion.

Global warming has increased the loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic, which has altered atmospheric conditions in a manner that stacks the deck in favour of more severe winter outbreaks, Charles Greene, professor at Cornell University, said.

As temperatures rise faster in the Arctic than at lower latitudes, there are consequential changes in large-scale temperature and pressure gradients. This, in turn, has consequences for northern hemisphere winter weather.

The pressure change alters atmospheric circulations and makes the jet streams path meander more.

The jet stream can be thought of as an elastic rope draped around the Arctic circle that contains and constrains the Arctics frigid air. Loops, or meanders, form regularly in this rope which allows cold Arctic air to reach further south, affecting the climate in the mid-latitudes.

Spells of hard winter have been a character of memorable years in both the United States and Europe but in a warming world it may seem odd that the likelihood of harsh winters should increase.Nevertheless, research suggests that this is the case.

The forecast for the Arctic winter 2018/19 suggests:

Above normal temperatures

Above normal precipitation (snow) over the Arctic, but not over Scandinavia, eastern Russia, Alaska and eastern Canadian Archipelago

Earlier than normal freeze-up in Hudson Bay, Baffin Bay and the Beaufort Sea, and later than normal freeze-up across most of the eastern Arctic from the Barents to Chukchi Seas

For the 2019 March ice extent, we expect below normal ice extent in the Bering Sea and below to near normal ice extent in the Barents Sea and Sea of Okhotsk

Critically, it is the holes in the ice cover, the unexpected open sea within the Arctic Circle, that make the big difference to expected weather patterns. The incomplete ice cover triggers the abnormal looping of the jet stream and more severe wintry outbreaks.UN envoy Ghassan Salame says renegade General Khalifa Haftar committed to support elections in the spring of 2019.

Palermo, Italy  An international conference on Libya has ended in the Italian city of Palermo with commitments but no binding agreement by warring factions to a United Nations-led plan envisaging elections next year.

In a joint press conference on Tuesday, UN Special Envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte described the two-day summit as a success and a first step in the right direction  but walked away with no more than verbal pledges.

Palermo was a milestone for Libyans to set a common framework, Salame said, referring to the plan for a national conference and subsequent elections to be held in the first months of 2019.

The UN envoy said renegade General Khalifa Haftar, the most reluctant to engage in the UN-led process, was committed to support the proposed plan.

However, the summit ended without a written agreement and with no clear timetable either for the national conference or the election process.

It was also unclear whether the parties found any common ground with regards to the additional economic and security measures needed to stabilise war-wracked Libya and give respite to its languishing economy in view of the upcoming consultations.

 You dont change a horse in midstream

More than seven years since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, Libya remains deeply fragmented along tribal and ethnic lines and caught up in a spiral of violence at the hands of rival militias.

In addition, the difficulties to enact reforms is exacerbated by the existence of two rival parliaments  the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in the capital, Tripoli, and the eastern-based House of Representatives (HOR).

The UN and most of the international community support Fayez al-Serraj, the head of GNA. Al-Serraj, whose administration has been grappling with a prolonged security and economic crisis, has attempted to broaden the base of his political consensus in a bid to salvage his executive.

The other front, led by HOR and Haftar, whose self-styled Libyan National Army controls much of eastern Libya, perceives al-Sarraj as incapable of bringing back security to Tripoli as well as to the rest of the country, where rival militias and criminal gangs continue to rule undisturbed.

However, Haftar on Tuesday apparently expressed his intention to wait for the national conference and elections to take place, before seeking a forcible change in Tripoli.

You dont change a horse in midstream, he was reported as saying to his rival al-Serraj at an informal meeting on the sidelines of the conference.

If confirmed, Haftars decision may buy time for GNA and the UN mission to improve security measures in Tripoli and across Libya in view of the proposed elections in the spring.

We need to support the current ceasefire and extend it if we are to move the political process forward, Salame said in Tuesdays press conference. In September, the envoy brokered a ceasefire after weeks of clashes between militias in and outside of the capital.

Turkey delegation walks out

For his part, Conte said he regretted that some of the delegates decided to walk out of the conference, referring to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktays withdrawal from the plenary meeting.

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The Turkish delegation was apparently disappointed at not being invited to join the informal meeting between Haftar and al-Serraj.

While the Turkish delegation was reportedly excluded from the session, French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and various others were in the room.

I am sorry the Turkish delegation decided to leave, said Conte.

Bringing together 30 countries with a direct or indirect involvement in Libya, means exposing the meeting to different sensitivities. This doesnt change the positive atmosphere we registered overall.

Sources close to Haftar  believed to be backed by Russia, Egypt and France  had expressed his disappointment at the presence of Turkish and Qatari officials at the conference.

Conte said his government is ready to assist the stabilisation process both financially and with capacity-building initiatives like the training of security and police forces. He added that Rome Italy had already pledged 1.5 million euros ($1.7m) for elections.A US federal judge has ordered the state of Georgia to take steps to ensure provisional ballots are not improperly rejected and to wait until Friday to certify the results of the midterm elections that include an unsettled race for governor.

The ruling, issued late on Monday, is seen as a legal victory for Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams, who refused to concede in one of the most closely-watched races during the midterm elections.

In the ruling, US District Judge Amy Totenberg ordered the secretary of states office to establish and publicise a hotline or website where voters can check whether their provisional ballots were counted and, if not, the reason why. She also ordered the secretary of states office to review, or have county election officials review, the eligibility of voters who had to cast a provisional ballot because of registration issues for counties with 100 or more provisional ballots.

Totenberg also ruled that Georgia must not certify the election results before Friday at 5pm local time (22:00 GMT), which falls before the November 20 deadline set by state law.

State elections director Chris Harvey testified at a hearing last week that the state had planned to certify the election results on Wednesday, a day after the deadline for counties to certify their results. He said that would allow preparations to begin for any necessary runoff contests, including one already projected in the race for the next secretary of state.

Unofficial returns show Kemp with a lead just shy of 60,000 votes out of more than 3.9 million cast; Abrams would need a net gain of about 21,000 votes to force a December 4 runoff.

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The secretary of states office had said there were an estimated 21,190 provisional ballots cast last week, but the Abrams campaign says that number could be more than 27,000, the Washington Post reported.

Provisional ballots are given to those who showed up to polling places, but their name is not on that precincts list, or to voters who did not have proper identification. The individuals identity and eligibility are then confirmed before the vote is counted.

Voter suppression claims

Totenberg acted in response to a lawsuit filed on November 5 by Common Cause Georgia. The suit accuses Kemp, the states top elections official until he resigned as secretary of state last week, of acting recklessly after a vulnerability in Georgias voter registration database was exposed shortly before the election.

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Prior to the election, Kemps critics pointed to the 1.5 million voter rolls purged under his watch between 2012 and 2016, according to a watchdog group. An Associated Press investigation also found that his office stalled 53,000 voter applications  the majority of whom were from African Americans  in the lead up to the elections. Abrams is vying to become the USs first black female governor.

According to the November 5 lawsuit, Kemps actions increased the risk that eligible voters could be illegally removed from the voter registration database or have registration information illegally altered. Kemp has denied any allegations of voter suppression.

Sara Henderson, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, said in an emailed statement to the Associated Press that the ruling helps increase voter confidence in elections.

The secretary of states office was reviewing the order and considering its options, spokeswoman Candice Broce said in an email.

Totenbergs order does not change the Tuesday deadline for counties to certify their results. But Abramss campaign filed a lawsuit on Sunday asking a federal court to push that deadline to Wednesday, while also requiring that elections authorities count certain provisional and absentee ballots that have been or would be rejected for arbitrary reasons.

I am fighting to make sure our democracy works for and represents everyone who has ever put their faith in it. I am fighting for every Georgian who cast a ballot with the promise that their vote would count, Abrams said in a statement explaining her refusal to end her bid.

A Fulton County election worker counts provisional ballots, in Atlanta, Georgia [Mike Stewart/AP Photo]

Kemps campaign retorted that Abramss latest effort is a disgrace to democracy and ignores mathematical realities.

Clearly, Stacey Abrams isnt ready for her 15 minutes of fame to end, said Kemp spokesman Ryan Mahoney.

Races in Georgia and Florida undecided

The Georgia race, along with Floridas gubernatorial and Senate matchups that are requiring recounts, is among the final measures of a midterm election cycle that already has allowed Democrats to deal serious blows to President Donald Trump.

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Democrats won the House, flipped seven governors seats and reclaimed more than 300 state legislative seats in statehouses around the country. Republicans maintained their Senate majority, and could still expand it. But its looking to hold the governors spots in Florida and Georgia to deny Democrats important gains in presidential battlegrounds in advance of the 2020 election.

Republicans have been governor in Georgia since 2003 and in Florida since 1999, and Trump has put a premium on the two states, endorsing both Kemp and Floridas Republican nominee Ron DeSantis when they were in competitive Republican primaries and then campaigning in person for them before the November 6 election.A member of a Saudi assassination squad phoned a superior shortly after Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and told him tell your boss their mission had been accomplished, The New York Times reported.

Citing three people familiar with a recording of Khashoggis killing collected by Turkish intelligence, the newspaper said while he was not mentioned by name, US officials believe your boss was a reference to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

US intelligence officials view the recording as some of the strongest evidence yet linking bin Salman to the murder, it said.

Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, one of 15 Saudis sent to Istanbul to target Khashoggi, made the phone call and spoke in Arabic, sources told the Times. Mutreb is a security officer who frequently travels with the crown prince.

Turkish intelligence officers told US officials they believe the call was made to one of bin Salmans close aides.

The deed was done, Mutreb told the aide, though the paper noted exact translations into English may differ.

Pretty incriminating

Turkish officials have said the audio recording does not conclusively implicate bin Salman, but analysts say its an important clue.

A phone call like that is about as close to a smoking gun as you are going to get, Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer now at the Brookings Institution, was quoted as saying. It is pretty incriminating evidence.

Saudi officials denied the crown prince had any knowledge whatsoever of Khashoggis killing.

Referring to Mutrebs instructions to tell your boss, a Saudi statement said Turkey allowed our intelligence services to hear recordings, and at no moment was there any reference to the mentioned phrase in the recordings, the Times reported.

Khashoggi  a Saudi writer, US resident and Washington Post columnist  entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain documentation certifying he divorced his ex-wife so he could remarry. He never came out.

The whereabouts of Khashoggis body are still unknown.

After weeks of repeated denials that it had anything to do with his disappearance, the kingdom eventually acknowledged the murder was premeditated.US state challenges legality of Trumps appointment of Matthew Whitaker, saying the pick breaks federal law.

The state of Maryland launched a court challenge on Tuesday to the legality of President Donald Trumps appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting US attorney general, saying the president overstepped his constitutional authority and broke federal law.

Trump installed Whitaker as acting attorney general last week after ordering Jeff Sessions to resign from the post. Trump had repeatedly criticised Sessions for recusing himself in March 2017 from the federal investigation, now headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, into Russias role in the 2016 US election, a probe Trump has called a witch-hunt.

Democrats in Congress have voiced concern that Whitaker, a Trump loyalist, could undermine or even fire Mueller.

The acting attorney general has previously questioned the scope of Muellers investigation and spoke about the idea of reducing funding for the special counsel so the probe grinds to almost a halt.

President Trumps brazen attempt to flout the law and constitution in bypassing Deputy US Attorney General Rosenstein in favour of a partisan and unqualified staffer cannot stand, said Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, referring to Rod Rosenstein, who oversaw the Russian investigation after Sessions recused himself.

Whitakers appointment as the top US law enforcement official gives him authority over Muellers investigation, which already has led to criminal charges against a series of former Trump aides and has cast a cloud over his presidency.

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Trump, Frosh said in a statement, has chosen an unqualified and unconfirmed partisan to be the nations chief law enforcement officer in order to protect himself rather than the rule of law.

Maryland asked US District Judge Ellen Hollander to bar Whitaker from appearing in an official capacity as acting attorney general in existing litigation related to the Affordable Care Act healthcare law and to substitute Rosenstein in Whitakers place.

Maryland argued Whitaker has not been approved by the US Senate as required by law.

The city of San Francisco, also involved in separate litigation against the Trump administration, on Monday also told the Justice Department it may sue to challenge Whitakers appointment.

Whitaker had been Sessionss chief of staff for a year, acting a liaison to the White House as Trumps relations with Sessions became increasingly strained.

Before that, he was a federal prosecutor in Iowa who had lost two races for political office and then a television and radio commentator.Factions in the besieged Gaza Strip say they have agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire to end flare-up of violence.

Palestinian groups in the besieged Gaza Strip say they have agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel to end the worst violence between the two sides in years.

Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett, reporting from Nahal-Oz near the Gaza-Israel fence, said Hamas-led factions on Tuesday accepted the truce to restart the situation that prevailed up until this latest military escalation.

Hamas is the group administering the besieged Gaza Strip.

Fawcett added: The Israelis do not confirm or deny such things, but Israeli media are reporting, citing an unnamed official, that Palestinian factions tried through four separate mediators to request a ceasefire.

A statement by Palestinian groups in Gaza said: Egypts efforts have been able to achieve a ceasefire between the resistance and the Zionist enemy.

The resistance will respect this declaration as long as the Zionist enemy respects it.

The announcement set off celebrations in Gaza City with hundrerds of Palestinians taking to the streets to declare victory.

Earlier, senior Hamas official Ismail Haniya said that the Palestinian group was prepared to return to a ceasefire agreement if Israel stops its aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Should the Occupation [Israel] stop its aggression a return to the ceasefire understandings will be possible, Haniya said in a statement.

Israel provoked the Palestinians

At least seven Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the coastal enclave since Monday, in the worst violence between the two sides since the 2014 war.

The latest escalation erupted late on Sunday when Israel launched a botched raid in Gaza that killed seven other Palestinians and one of its commanders.

Hamas and other armed factions on Monday fired over 400 rockets or mortar bombs at Israel, with Israel responding with dozens of air raids.

The Palestinian Shehab news agency reported that civilian buildings, the Al-Aqsa TV channel and the Al-Amal hotel were all targeted by Israeli strikes.

Turkey criticised Israels response to the rocket fire, with Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling the strikes brutal and illegal, state news agency Anadolu said.

The German Foreign Office also condemned Israels air strikes, saying: There can be no justification for this violence against innocent civilians.

Meanwhile, the Palestine Liberation Organisation said Israel was solely responsible for the surge in fighting. In a statement, it called on the international community to protect citizens in Gaza.

Mohammad Oweis, a Palestinian-American political analyst, told Al Jazeera that the ceasefire would only hold as long as the Israelis do not provoke the Palestinians.

The Israelis provoked the Palestinians into this latest round of fighting. They are the ones who need to stop.

They seem to have learnt from Donald Trump that by provoking people, attacking them verbally and physically, [can] change facts and the reality on the ground.

A different approach

Gaza  a territory of more than two million people  has been under a devastating Israeli-imposed blockade for the past 11 years, which has severely restricted the movement of Palestinians in and out of it.

Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from the Strip in 2005 but, citing security concerns, maintains tight control of its land and sea borders, reducing its economy to a state of collapse.

Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza through its border.

Mohammed Daraghmeh, a columnist and political analyst, said this latest escalation could be an important moment in the future of the Gaza blockade.

Both sides have realised that after a series of wars they need to have a different approach.

After a period of calm in Gaza, Israel finally allowed Qatari money to be funnelled to Gaza, to have oil imported, to offer some relaxation amid the blockade. This escalation has come at a critical moment.

Gideon Levy, a columnist at Haaretz and member of the newspapers editorial board, said unless Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended the siege, the violence would continue.

Both parties are not interested in a war, but both are not doing enough to prevent one, he said.

Netanyahu has no intention to put an end to the siege, so as long as it continues, we will, again and again, witness one violent action leading to another violent act.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since the group seized control of Gaza after it won elections in the enclave in 2006.

In the most recent one in 2014, more than 2,200 Palestinians were killed  the majority of whom were civilians  and tens of thousands were left homeless. Seventy-three people, most of them soldiers, were killed on the Israeli side.British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday said prospects for talks to end Yemens devastating war were more real after Saudi Arabia confirmed to him its willingness to evacuate 50 wounded Houthi fighters as a confidence-building measure.

The evacuation of Houthi fighters, which Hunt said would involve conditions about who travels with them, was a Houthi condition for peace talks that collapsed in September after the armed groups delegation failed to show up.

If this unblocks that, then that makes the prospect of those peace talks happening more real and that will be very important, Hunt said.

Its about confidence-building measures on both sides, but certainly [from] the people Ive spoken to today, there is a real willingness to engage in those.

The Western-backed Saudi-Emirati coalition in Yemen resumed air attacks on the main port city of Hodeidah after a lull on Monday as Western allies pressed Riyadh to end a war that has pushed the impoverished country to the verge of starvation.





Even though theres been a temporary lull in the fighting  it is a desperate humanitarian situation and so I impressed on everyone the urgency of the situation were facing, Hunt said.

Britain has pushed for new action at the UN Security Council to try to end hostilities in Yemen and find a political solution to the three-year war.

Khashoggi killing

Following meetings in Riyadh with the Saudi king and crown prince  the main proponent of Saudi military intervention in Yemen  the UK minister also said he anticipated rapid progress in bringing to justice those responsible for last months murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

I was led to believe that certainly the legal processes are going to be starting very soon indeed and we should hear something about that quite shortly, Hunt told Reuters news agency.

Hunts trip, which included a meeting in the United Arab Emirates with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, comes as Riyadh, already under scrutiny for civilian deaths in Yemen air raids, is facing global criticism and potential sanctions over Khashoggis killing inside its Istanbul consulate on October 2.

The United Kingdom is a major arms supplier to Saudi Arabia and opposition politicians and human rights groups have called on the government to cease such sales because of the high civilian death toll in air raids by the coalition in Yemen.

The government has said the arms sales earn Britain billions of pounds and guarantee jobs in the industry, and its response to the Khashoggi killing must bear this in mind.

Rapid progress

I talked very frankly about our concerns about what happened and how important it is for Saudis strategic partners to know that this cannot and will not happen again, said Hunt.

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Due process is in train at the moment in Saudi Arabia, and I was led to believe there will be rapid progress in making sure that people are brought to justice.

Hunt said accountability was needed for both the people who committed the act and those who ordered it.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Khashoggis murder was ordered at the highest levels of the Saudi government and some US legislators have accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the countrys de facto leader, of doing so.

Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday reiterated the UKs calls for a transparent investigation into the killing.

As we seek to protect and advance our common security, it is vital that we and our partners in the international community demonstrate our common adherence to the rule of law, May said. Those responsible must be held to account.Chhath being celebrated with fanfare

Chhath, the festival of purity, good will and faith, is being celebrated with much fanfare and enthusiasm across the country on Tuesday.Move casts doubt over whether opposition can defeat Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, who is backed by President Joseph Kabila.

Felix Tshisekedi, head of the largest opposition party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has pulled out of an agreement to field a joint candidate in next months crucial presidential elections.

The move on Monday cast serious doubt over whether the opposition can defeat Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, the challenger backed by longtime President Joseph Kabila in the December 23 vote.

It came just a day after Tshisekedi signed a pact with six other top opposition figures who chose Martin Fayulu as their single contender after three days of negotiations in the Swiss city of Geneva.

But on Monday, Tshisekedis Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party issued a statement which demanded the leader withdraw his signature from the document.

I gather that the agreement reached in Geneva was not accepted by the grassroots and was rejected by them, Tshisekedi said in an interview with radio station Top Congo later on Monday.

As a result, I am withdrawing my signature from this agreement, which we signed yesterday.





The choice of Fayulu was seen as a surprise development, with Tshisekedi  son of longtime opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi  widely regarded as the frontrunner before the announcement.

As news spread in the capital, Kinshasa, demonstrators on Monday gathered in the pouring rain to express their discontent outside the UDPS party headquarters.

Pierrot Mwanamputu, police spokesperson, told the AFP news agency that the crowd burned effigies and pictures of Tshisekedi, while witnesses reported seeing them burning tyres.

A similar protest took place outside the offices of the UNC, a party headed by Vital Kamerhe, a former National Assembly speaker, who had also been flagged as a possible unity choice in Geneva.

Tshisekedi, who has a home in Belgium, has not yet returned to Kinshasa.

Earlier, Kabilas ruling PPRD coalition said it was not worried by the choice of Fayulu.

I wonder if they will have time to prepare to face our candidate, who has a team which has been working for many months, Tunda ya Kasende, the PPRDs deputy secretary-general, said.

The upcoming elections are critical for the future of the DRC, a mineral-rich country that has never experienced a peaceful transition of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

Kabila, 47, has been in power since 2001 after the assassination of his father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, the countrys third president.

He was elected in 2006 and secured a second term in 2011, though that vote was plagued by allegations of widespread voter fraud.

Kabilas mandate expired in late 2016, but he remained in office after presidential elections were postponed twice.

The country has been struggling with various internal conflicts, which forced millions of people from their homes. It has also seen violence and widespread anger over what some saw as Kabilas refusal to relinquish power after the end of his second full term two years ago.Myanmar and Bangladesh expected to start repatriation of thousands of Rohingya this week, but UN says move is premature.

Yangon, Myanmar  Abdul fled his burning home last August amid a frenzy of screams, smoke and gunfire.

As soldiers from Myanmars army shot people down at his village in northern Rakhine state, he saw his nephew and son-in-law struck and killed by bullets.

Abdul made it across the border with his wife and four children to Bangladesh where, like hundreds of thousands of other Muslim-majority Rohingya, they have lived for more than a year in cramped, desperate conditions.

Life there has been bleak, but they have at least been out of reach of the army accused by UN investigators of waging a genocidal campaign of mass murder, arson and systematic rape against the minority group.

But now Abdul  whose name has been changed to protect his identity  says he has been told he and his family will be sent back across the border to a region where Rohingya continue to face what one investigator recently called an ongoing genocide.





Earlier this month, an official came to their hut at the Jamtoli camp in Coxs Bazar and told them they would be repatriated this week.

We were in shock, I couldnt say anything, my mouth just stopped working, he told Al Jazeera.

Dozens of other families nearby have also been told they are on a list of more than 2,200 people to be sent back starting on Thursday after Bangladesh and Myanmar struck a deal at the end of last month to return some 5,000 people.

More than 730,000 fled to Bangladesh after Myanmars military, aided by Buddhist mobs, began attacking villages in August 2017 as part of what it claimed were counterterrorism operations.

Bangladesh officials say returns will be voluntary, but Rohingya are unconvinced.

Nowhere to hide

Another Rohingya man who is on the list said a volunteer in the camp who works with government officials told him the decision was final.

The UNs refugee agency has said it was not consulted on the plans and would not facilitate any returns this month. But it has agreed to interview Rohingya on the list to determine if they are willing to return.

If we assess that theyre not going of their own free will that means the government will probably have to take another position, said Firas al-Khateeb, a spokesperson for the agency.

Regardless of whether the plan goes ahead, talk of repatriations has sparked violence and chaos in a community already suffering extreme psychological trauma. At least 70 families at Jamtoli have reportedly gone into hiding, said Chris Lewa, director of Rohingya advocacy group The Arakan Project.

The threat of forced repatriation is also a likely factor in a recent uptick in people trying to flee Bangladesh by boat in hopes of reaching Malaysia, she told Al Jazeera.

A Rohingya man at the Jamtoli camp in Bangladesh [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]

Some Rohingya on the list, including Abdul, say they are prepared to take their own lives in Bangladesh to avoid being sent back.

We have nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. Our only option is suicide, Abdul said.

Dangerous and premature

He has heard people in his camp crying day and night since they learned they were to be sent back. One family of orphaned siblings, the oldest of whom is 18, is also on the list, he added.

Another Rohingya refugee told Al Jazeera that in recent days police have been posted at areas of the Jamtoli camp housing people to be sent back. They havent done anything to anyone, but people assume they came to watch over people on the list, he said anonymously, fearing repercussions.

Nay San Lwin, an activist working with the Free Rohingya Coalition, said he confirmed three cases of men attempting suicide after being told they would be sent back.

It is likely many more will try to kill themselves on Bangladeshi soil if they are to be forcibly repatriated, he said. They will be in the killing fields if they are sent back this month.

Last week 42 NGOs working in the Bangladesh camps and in Rakhine state issued a statement warning that repatriating refugees now would be dangerous and premature.

Rohingya are terrified about what will happen to them if they are returned  and distressed by the lack of information they have received, the statement said.





The UNs special rapporteur on human rights for Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, has warned returning people this week could violate international laws that forbid forcing refugees back to countries where they risk persecution.

Last month the chair of the UN fact-finding mission on Myanmar, Marzuki Darusman, warned that genocide is still taking place in Rakhine, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who did not flee last years violence face severe restrictions on their movement.

Trapped

About 140,000 have been trapped behind barbed wire barricades in squalid camps on the outskirts of Sittwe, Rakhines state capital, since being forced from their homes by mobs of hardline Buddhists in 2012.

Hunger and disease are rife in the camps.

And Myanmars authorities, fuelled by anti-Muslim nationalists, have severely restricted access to basic services including healthcare and education.

Many Rohingya in Bangladesh say they would like to return to their homes in Myanmar, but they are adamant they will not be safe until their citizenship and other rights are restored, and those responsible for last years violence are held to account.

An aerial view of the Hla Phoe Khaung transit camp for returning Rohingya [Ye Aung Thu/Pool via Reuters]

Rohingya community leaders have also called for international protection for returnees.

Many of their villages have been burned to the ground, and in some places, new structures intended to house members of other ethnicities have been built in their place.

The government says the returnees will be housed in what it calls transit camps for the expected returnees, but it is unclear where the repatriated Rohingya are expected to settle in the longer term.

All these people are from villages that dont exist any more, where are they going to go? said Lewa.

To me, it seems likely the government is going to make more camps; theyre going to be trapped like the people in Sittwe.Alexei Navalny was stopped from leaving Russia over an unpaid fine, a move he said was illegal.

Russias main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has said he was prevented from flying out of Moscow for a European court ruling on whether his recent detentions have been politically motivated.

Border guards are saying that leaving is forbidden for me, the 42-year-old Kremlin critic wrote in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

There is some kind of letter that says I am prohibited from leaving, but there is no explanation why.

Authorities in Russia said Navalny was prevented from leaving the country over a $31,000 fine connected to a 2013 conviction, a move he said was illegal.

Navalny said he had checked the registry on the eve of his flight and said it contained no information about the fine.

He said he was not notified of the fines sudden enforcement in writing as the law dictates, or given the mandatory five days to pay it, the Reuters news agency reported.

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Its interesting  what will the authorities do next? Navalny wrote on his blog.

The money was sitting in my lawyers account so it only took half an hour to pay the fine. Does that mean I can leave the country tonight or tomorrow morning?

The anti-corruption campaigner also posted a photo on Instagram of himself at Moscows Domodedovo Airport, where he said border guards had taken his passport.

Putins sole opposition

Navalny was barred from leaving the country between 2013 and 2017, when authorities refused to issue a passport because of legal cases against him.

He was eventually given a travel document and allowed to leave the country in May last year to seek treatment in Spain.

Russian authorities have in recent months turned up the heat on Navalny, after President Vladimir Putins approval ratings took a beating over an unpopular pension reform and the ruling United Russia party suffered setbacks in regional polls.

Navalny sought to challenge Putin at a presidential election in March, but was barred from taking part because of the conviction he says was fabricated.

He finished a month-long sentence in September for organising anti-Kremlin protests when he was immediately re-arrested and charged over a separate rally.

The Yale-educated lawyer was sentenced to a further 20 days and finally released last month, as rights group Amnesty International described him a prisoner of conscience.Court also orders halt to preparations for snap elections, in latest twist in Sri Lankas protracted political crisis.

Sri Lankas Supreme Court has overturned President Maithripala Sirisenas decision to dissolve parliament and ordered a halt to preparations for snap elections.

The decision on Tuesday was the latest in a protracted political crisis triggered by Sirisenas surprise move on October 26 to fire Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replace him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, a controversial former president.

Both men, however, are claiming the post of prime minister, and Wickremesinghe is holed up in the official residence and refusing to step down.

The 225-member parliament is expected to reconvene on Wednesday and go ahead with a vote to test if Rajapaksa is able to summon a majority in the legislature.

I will go to parliament tomorrow and we will show we are the legitimate government of Sri Lanka, Wickremesinghe said at the Temple Trees residence.

The people have won their first victory. Let's go forward and re-establish the sovereignty of the people in our beloved country.  Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) November 13, 2018

For its part, Rajapaksas party said they will appeal to a fuller bench of the highest court in the land to reconsider Tuesdays decision.

The former presidents son, a lawmaker, took to Twitter to deny speculation that his father was planning to step down and avoid facing a vote in parliament.

Rumors circulating that PM @PresRajapaksa resigning is completely false. We will all attend parliament tomorrow. The decision by the Supreme Court is an interim order to consider the case and not the final decision.  Namal Rajapaksa (@RajapaksaNamal) November 13, 2018

The ruling came a day after political parties petitioned the court against the presidents decision last week to dissolve parliament and call for a snap vote on January 5.

The three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice Nalin Perera read out the landmark decision to a packed court in the capital, Colombo.

The court also said it would give a final verdict on the petition on December 7, after three more days of hearings.

[This decision] effectively says the court believes  the president has acted unconstitutionally in dissolving the parliament, Al Jazeeras Bernard Smith, reporting from Colombo, said.

Sri Lankas deposed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe speaks to media after Supreme Court suspended a decree to dissolve parliament [Reuters]

Crucial vote expected

Sajith Premadasa, a legislator with Wickremesinghes United National Party (UNP), hailed the ruling.

We have an independent and just judiciary, correctly interpreting the provisions and stipulations in the constitution and binding by all the legal norms to promote democracy, justice and fairness, he told Al Jazeera.

The UNP had vehemently rejected the sacking of the parliament and demanded a House vote to prove that the deposed leader still had the backing of at least 113 legislators.

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Hours before Sirisena dissolved parliament on Friday, his coalition had admitted it could not muster enough parliamentary support for the presidents nominee.

If that vote goes ahead in parliament on Wednesday, and Wickremesinghe is reconfirmed prime minister, that means Rajapaksa is out after having been appointed very controversially by the president, Al Jazeeras Smith said.

It is a very difficult time, particularly for the president, he added.

Supporters of Wickremesinghe celebrate outside the Supreme Court premises [Reuters]

Security at the courtroom was beefed up ahead of the hearing as authorities feared clashes between rival supporters.

However, there was no trouble and supporters of Sirisena left peacefully when it was known that parliament had been restored.

The United States, European Union and other members of the international community have raised concerns over the crisis.

Only China has recognised the appointment of Rajapaksa, who during his decade as president until 2015 relied heavily on Beijing for diplomatic and financial support.Civilians in besieged enclave express anger at ferocious Israeli attacks that targeted their homes and businesses.

Gaza City  Ahmed Abu Saif struggles to maintain a straight face as he looks at the amorphous pile of rubble of what used to be a five-storey building he owned.

The structure is one of the several civilian sites that have been flattened over the past 24 hours in Gaza as Israeli jets pounded the besieged and densely-populated coastal enclave amid rising tensions.

I expected to see my building burned to the ground one day, simply because I live in Gaza, the 64-year-old owner of the al-Rahma building, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

Everything in Gaza is a target, regardless of who it belongs to, he said.

The occupation does not differentiate. To them, a Palestinian is a Palestinian.

At least seven Palestinians lost their lives in Israeli attacks since late on Monday [Anadolu]

On Tuesday, the armed wing of Hamas, the group that administers the Gaza Strip, warned it would increase attacks and fire rockets at the Israeli towns of Ashdod and Beersheba if Israel continues to carry out air raids on civilian buildings.

The statement by al-Qassam Brigades was released hours after a rocket from Gaza killed an Israeli man in the coastal town of Ashkelon.

At least seven Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since late on Monday, in the worst flare-up of violence between the two sides since the 2014 Israeli assault on the Strip.

The escalation came after at least seven other Palestinians were killed on Sunday in a covert Israeli operation, to which Hamas responded with rocket fire from Gaza. One Israeli soldier was also killed in the undercover raid near Khan Younis.

I feel numb

Abu Saifs now-collapsed building served as office space to several non-governmental organisations and media outlets.

It also had a kitchen leased by Nayef al-Madhoun, a 45-year-old father of six who ran a catering business.

Some people rang me [on Monday night] and told me that the building had been hit by an F-16 fighter jet, al-Madhoun told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

I came running from my home, which isnt too far from here, and found that the building had been bombed to the ground, he said, standing before the mass of twisted metals, cement blocks and scraps of wood.

Al-Madhoun said there was nothing in the building that would have posed as a threat to the Israeli army.

Abu Saif, the owner, does not think he will ever manage to rebuild al-Rahma.

Ahmed Abu Saif: I expected to see my building burned to the ground one day [Maram Humaid/Al Jazeera]

I feel numb, he said.

Following the first round of warning sirens, he was contacted by people in the area who informed him of the looming attack.

But he refused to rush over.

Whether I showed up or not last night, the outcome would have been the same, Abu Saif said, his voice breaking.

He had hoped this building would help him live his last days as a retired man.

I used to live and work in Saudi Arabia for 40 years. I had spent all my savings and invested in building this place so that I could have a sustained income to see me through my retirement years, he said.

Indiscriminate attacks

The Israeli army has over the past few days enhanced its deployment along the fortified fence bordering Gaza, which has been under a crippling Israeli and Egyptian-imposed blockade, now in its 12th year.

The latest round of fighting comes in a period where both Hamas and Israel seemed to have moved closer to a truce amid mediation efforts by Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar.

Ahmed Nasser: We had no idea this building would ever become a target [Suhaib Salem/Reuters]

As air raids continued on Tuesday, residents of bombarded sites in Gaza said they were targets of indiscriminate attacks.

We had no idea this building would ever become a target, Ahmed Nasser, a resident in a seven-storey residential structure, told Al Jazeera.

He said doctors, pharmacists and engineers, all stripped of political affiliations, were residing in the building in central Gaza.

Among those who had to immediately evacuate, Nasser said, were a mother with a newborn baby and an elderly woman on a wheelchair, screaming in terror as they ran out with just the clothes on their back.

They all started evacuating the building after hearing the sirens, but halfway through Israeli jets started firing towards the area, the father-of-two said from the scene of the attack.

Nasser, a father of two, said he had lost more than the walls sheltering his family.

I couldnt save my college and Masters certificates, even my passport and official documents are now gone, Nasser said.

Like many in the besieged enclave, home to more than two million people, Nasser is unemployed due to Gazas dire economic conditions.

The siege has devastated the local economy, severely restricting food entry and access to basic services. It has also stopped the flow of construction materials needed to rebuild much of the enclaves damaged infrastructure.

Since March 30, Palestinians in the Strip have been protesting along the fence with Israel, demanding their right to return to the homes and land their families were expelled from 70 years ago.

The protesters are also demanding an end to Israels blockade.

Back in al-Rahma, al-Madhoun, the catering business owner, turned his gaze to the rubble as he started thinking about the future.

This was my familys source of income for the past three years, he lamented.

Up until last night, I had 15 people working with me and this was also their source of income  We all just lost our livelihood.Thousands flee Nicaragua to escape government crackdown

Over 300 people have been killed since protests started in April seeking President Ortegas resignation.Judge postpones trial of Imelda Cortez, accused of aggravated attempted homicide, after prosecutor fails to show up.

Usulutan, El Salvador  A Salvadoran judge postponed the trial of a young woman, who is accused of attempted aggravated homicide for giving birth to her rapists child in a toilet, on Monday after the public prosecutor failed to show up to court.

According to the judge, the prosecutor did not attend the scheduled proceedings due to a medical issue, but lawyers for Imelda Cortez said their client is being denied justice.

It worries us because I dont think the public prosecutor has much interest in the case, said Bertha De Leon, one of the lawyers. De Leon told Al Jazeera outside the court on Monday that the prosecutors failure to show up demonstrated negligence.

Cortez, 20, is accused of attempted aggravated homicide of her newborn baby. She became pregnant at the age of 17 after being raped repeatedly by her stepfather.

Cortez, who said she was not aware she was pregnant at the time, suffered abdominal pain and went to the toilet where she fainted in April 2017. Her baby was found in the toilet.

The baby survived, but Cortez was sent to jail to await trial. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Her stepfather has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a minor and faces up to 15 years in prison, according to lawyers with the Citizen Group for the Depenalisation of Abortion.

This is the eighth time one of Cortezs hearings has been postponed, according to her lawyers. They had previously asked for the case to be terminated based on lack of evidence, but the request was denied. They also asked for Cortez to be released from prison while awaiting trial, but that request was also denied.

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The judge rescheduled the hearing for December 17, saying the court is very saturated with hearings.

Cortezs lawyers believe the repeated postponement of the case is preventing their client from accessing justice.

She is going to remain detained for more time while she is awaiting the sentence, De Leon said.

Imelda is not alone

A few blocks from the court in the city of Usulutan, more than 90km outside the capital San Salvador, about 100 protesters gathered outside the public prosecutors office, calling him a coward for impeding justice.

Imelda is not alone, they chanted. We, human rights defenders, are here.

The public prosecutor was not immediately available for comment.

A petition supporting the release of Cortez has collected more than 45,000 signatures.

Mairas case isnt unusual. In 2017, El Salvador sentenced a rape victim to 30 years in jail after a she had a stillbirth. pic.twitter.com/Ovddnvhf71  AJ+ (@ajplus) March 14, 2018

The hearing was attended by international human rights defenders, including Pedro Vera of the Inter-American Court for Human Rights, who asked for the Salvadoran state to follow due process for a quick justice process free of stereotypes against women.

Cortez is one of dozens of women who have been imprisoned since El Salvador made abortion illegal under all circumstances in 1998.

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The country has made some strides forward in terms of loosening the total abortion ban, with at least five women released this year.

But efforts to change legislation have recently been hindered by conservative voices within the countrys national assembly, exposing the difficult path to reforming the laws.

Cortez will remain in prison until her next court date.

Whats most important is her freedom, De Leon said.Trump is considering replacing chief of staff, John Kelly, and Homeland Security head, Kirstjen Nielsen.

US President Donald Trump is expected to remove Department of Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen and is considering replacing chief of staff John Kelly in another shakeup of his administration, US media and agencies reported, citing unnamed sources.

Trump has been mulling removing Nielsen, a Kelly protege who became the secretary at Homeland Security when he left the job to become Trumps chief of staff, for a number of weeks, a source told Reuters news agency.

The source cautioned Trump could still change his mind on the matter, but said he has grown weary of her in his push to harden the US border with Mexico.

Trump has not decided on a candidate to replace Nielsen, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The secretary is honoured to lead the men and women of DHS and is committed to implementing the Presidents security-focused agenda to protect Americans from all threats and will continue to do so, said Tyler Houlton, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman, in response to an ABC News report about the possible staff changes.

Trump is also considering replacing Kelly, an ardent defender of Nielsen, with Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff, Nick Ayers, the Reuters source said. CNN reported that Ayers, along with other top aides, including adviser Johnny DeStefano and budget director Mick Mulvaney, and those outside the White House are being discussed.

Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, has sought to bring more stability to the White House operation under the unpredictable Trump.

During his time as chief of staff, he and the president have had a rocky relationship, according to various news reports and Bob Woodwards best-selling book Fear: Trump in the White House.

In the book, Kelly is said to have described Trump as an idiot, a comment that Kelly denied making.

Kelly has said at least twice that he and the president have an incredibly candid and strong relationship.

Long list

If they leave, Kelly and Nielsen would join a long list of people who have been fired by Trump or resigned since he took office in January, 2017.

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Many analysts predicted a shakeup of Trumps cabinet and inner circle after the US midterm elections.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that as we make changes, well sit down and talk to you about it.

Its no big secret. A lot of administrations make changes after midterms, he said.

When asked specifically about Kelly, Trump said that for the most part, Im very, very happy with this Cabinet.

Hours later it was announced that Jeff Sessions resigned at the presidents request. Sessions had been at odds with Trump over the investigation into Russias role in the 2016 presidential election. Trump named Matthew Whitaker as the acting attorney general, a move that is being challenged in court.Activists want the US and Muslim countries to apply pressure on China to end its persecution of Turkic Muslim minority.

Washington, DC  Uighur activists in the US marked their communitys independence day with a protest and march in the US capital on Tuesday.

November 12 is the 74th and 85th anniversary of two short-lived Uighur republics, known as East Turkestan, which were established in territory that is now part of China.

Those present at the event organised by the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement included Rebiya Kadeer, one of the worlds most prominent Uighur exiles and the former president of the World Uyghur Congress.





Carrying both the US and the East Turkestan independence flags, activists outside the White House called on the US to pressure China into stopping its persecution of the Muslim minority.

Though reports of abuse against the Uighurs date back more than a decade, the past year has seen an intensification in the persecution of the Turkic-speaking minority.

The UN has criticised China for holding around one million Muslims in internment camps where they are subject to political and cultural indoctrination. In a report it said around two million people had passed through the camps at some point.

China is also accused of forcing the Uighurs to renounce their Islamic beliefs and drop cultural markers that make them distinct from the countrys ethnic Han majority.

Chinese authorities have banned Ramadan fasting, as well as Quran classes for young children.

American-Uighur Aydin Anwar told Al Jazeera that China was attempting to wipe out the Uighur identity.

China has put at least three million people in concentration camps, she said, adding, In these camps theyre forced to renounce Islam, adopt atheism, and pledge allegiance to the Chinese state.

Turning to the crowd chanting behind her, Anwar said all of those present had at least one relative being held in the camps.

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My aunts husband has more than 70 relatives in camps and prisons, and one of them actually got killed through lethal injection in the camps.

Even outside these camps life is no better. Practicing Islam is completely forbidden; praying, fasting, wearing a beard, wearing a hijab  even naming your baby with an Islamic name.

More than a million Uighurs are believed to be held in Chinese internment camps [Shafik Mandhai/Al Jazeera]

When asked for comment, a spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC directed Al Jazeera to a state media interview with Shohrat Zakir, the chairman of the Xinjiang government.

In the article, Zakir seeks to place Chinas treatment of the Uighurs in line with the wider international War on Terrorism.

He further described the camps as vocational training institutions aimed at, learning the countrys common language, legal knowledge, vocational skills, along with de-extremisation education, as the main content, with achieving employment as the key direction. 

Relatives imprisoned

Bilal Ibrahim Turkistani claimed asylum in the US in 2011 after securing a visa to enter for a conference organised by Uighur exiles. He told Al Jazeera that the US was one of the few supporters of the Uighur cause and that he hoped legislators would increase support for the Uighur people.

Were asking politicians to take action in Congress, to not abandon us, he said.

The Uighur cause has drawn backing from senior US officials.

Vice President Mike Pence condemned China for its abuses against Muslims and other minorities, as did Nikki Haley, the former US ambassador to the UN.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio has also lobbied the US State Department to take action against China for its abuses against the Uighurs and described Beijings behaviour as sick.

China depends on its trade and countries, including the US, need to impose the economic pressure necessary to stop it from furthering this oppression Omar Suleiman, Muslim Scholar

Those present at the gathering said countries were reluctant to speak out due to Chinas expansive economic effect.

There was a particular anger targeted at Muslim states for their seemingly timid response to reports of Chinas oppression of the Uighurs.

American Muslim scholar, Omar Suleiman, described the Muslim worlds response to the Uighurs plight as complete abandonment.

Theyre ironically being tortured for being too Muslim by China while the Muslim world seems to not see them as Muslim enough to fight for, he told Al Jazeera.

China depends on its trade and countries, including the US, need to impose the economic pressure necessary to stop it from furthering this oppression.Myanmar one of more than 40 countries where laws introduced by British entrench discrimination against LGBT people.Chhath observed with much fanfare in Janakpur, Rautahat

Chhath, the festival dedicated to Sun God, was observed with great zeal and rigour across the Tarai region and some hill districts including Kathmandu on Tuesday.Indigenous survivors of Canadas residential schools tell the stories of those who never made it out.In evaluating the causes of the Great War my lefty pal Michael Mann in his multi-volume The Sources of Social Power blames the warrior culture of the Central Powers emperors. Making war was all they knew and so that is what they did.

But I beg to differ. In my view the First World War, whose armistice in 1918 we remember this week, was merely the consequence of the normal idiots being idiots. In other words, Bismarck and Lord Salisbury were dead; there was nobody with half a brain to take their places, and so the normal rule of stupid prevailed and millions died.

Here is what I mean in respect of Bismarck. He was the guy that figured out how to create a united national German state out of the multitude of German principalities. He led the Germans into three nice little winnable wars, against Denmark(!), Austria, and France, in turn. Then he assembled all the German princes in Versailles in 1871 and declared the new German Reich before the euphoria of victory had had a chance to dissipate.

Good work, Otto: gold stars all round. But then came William II, Kaiser Bill. He didnt have a clue, and so we got World War I.

I used to wonder about the career of Bismarck: what was the point of all those silly wars? Then I realized that the only way to unite humans is to get them into a nice big war. Think the U.S. in WWII. What better way to unite all the Jews, Italians, Irish and the rest of the 19th-century immigrant horde than to send all their boys to boot camp and turn them into 100-percent-American GIs. Hey, after World War II it took 20 years and the Sixties before Americans started scrapping with each other again.

So, you deep thinkers: what kind of a war will it take to make 100-percent-Americans out of the post-1965 immigrants?

Here is what I mean about Lord Salisbury. He was British prime minister on and off from 1885 to 1901. He was foreign secretary as well as prime minister, and ran foreign policy out of his back pocket to the dismay of the Deep State Sir Humphreys at the Foreign Office. His Big Idea was that Britain should not align in alliance with any of the European powers, neither France nor Germany. Hey its obvious. If Britain allied with France, Germany would get paranoid, and vice versa.

Guess what Lord Salisburys son-in-law Arthur Balfour did within a year of becoming prime minister? First thing he did was ally Britain with France in the Entente Cordiale! What do you think the Germans thought about that? I will tell you what they thought: Schlieffen Plan . And I dont think that the Asquiths and Lloyd Georges had a clue either. Thats how you get World War I.

Then there was Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey , he of the lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time." Jolly good line, Sir Edward. But did you actually do anything to stop the lamps going out, pal?

Of course, then we get to the brilliant generals that sent the flower of Europe into the charnel house, although they did keep Ludwig Wittgenstein alive running an Austrian army vehicle repair shop so he could write his Tractatus, and I suspect that Austrian artillery officer Ludwig von Mises was also busy figuring out that socialism could not work because it could not compute prices.

Now, I dont blame the clueless pols that blundered into World War I. Sure, the industrial revolution had invalidated the good old days of conquest, loot, and plunder. But it takes a while for the new reality to penetrate the skulls of intellectuals, politicians, and rulers, so you cant expect your average politician to figure all that out in time to avoid World War I, the 1930s Soviet famine, the Holocaust, the 1950s China famine, etc. The only thing politicians know is power and division (Hello Barack!). So of course, they blundered into the bloodiest war of all time in 1914, and of course they botched the peace in the Versailles Treaty after 1918.

And of course, they botched the rise of Hitler. And nearly botched the peace after World War II. It was only the spectre of Stalinist Russia that convinced Truman and Marshall to revive defeated Germany and Japan as bulwarks against the most murderous regime in history.

Of course World War I was a tragic waste, of human life, of treasure: a triumph of folly. Thats the way of most politically related events: And so it goes, in the immortal words of Kurt Vonnegut.

What staggers me is that sometimes things go improbably right on the political front. George Washington. The U.S. Constitution. Alexander Hamilton. Ronald Reagan.

And then everything goes back to idiots-as-usual.Diehard environmentalists -- the fervent, radical Green faction -- want global warming to continue. Whether man-caused warming is real or just a fabrication of anti-capitalist leftists is unimportant.

The hardcore environmental lobby wants and needs the issue of warming to justify their existence and fundraising activities the same way and for the same reasons that the Democratic Party creates racial, gender, ethnic and income-based victimhood. Create a victim group, convince them that their plight is completely the fault of the opposing party, then promise them a government program that will alleviate their suffering forever if they vote for the Democrats.

The issue of warming being the fault of Republicans is a tough case to make, however. First, theres the issue of whether there is really any man-caused warming at all. Without refighting that entire battle here, there is certainly a lot of doubt as to the legitimacy of that claim. The famous statement of 97% of climate scientists agree that warming is caused by mans activities is so fatuous and misleading as to be without value. Its the classic example of a popular, neat-sounding cliche being repeated often enough that its accepted as true, regardless of the actual facts. When one drills down deep into the study that produced the 97% figure, it turns out that its not 97% of 12,000 climate scientists as popularly reported, but instead 77 of 79 self-identified climate scientists who had already taken a position in favor of human-caused warming and had also published more than 50% of their peer-reviewed papers. Thats where the 97% comes from -- 77 out of 79, not 97% of 12,000!

No matter. Lets take the mountains of legitimate scientific doubt off the table and do the very unscientific thing of ignoring a large body of evidence that contradicts the politically-popular man-caused warming hypothesis. Lets just accept man-caused warming as real, for the sake of this discussion, and silence any bleating protests from the pro-man-caused warming crowd.

Is man-caused warming the fault of American Republicans, the way Democrats would have you believe? Democrats are all too quick to put forth the idea that heartless Republican businesspeople, in their relentless pursuit of immoral profits, willfully and callously disregard the environment and run their businesses in a deliberately dirty manner in order to maximize their earnings and keep their expenses -- like costly pollution-reduction devices -- to a minimum.

Thats the Democrats position: Its the Republicans fault. If Republicans had any conscience whatsoever, theyd never do this to our earth. But they dont have a conscience, they are, in fact, doing this to our earth and the only way to stop them is to vote for us.

The reality is that the United States is the worlds hero when it comes to reducing greenhouse emissions, per the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. That agreement was signed by 192 nations in 1997 (not by the U.S., however) and was supposed to reduce world-wide greenhouse pollution (the kind that causes warming) so that the earth could survive. The biggest problem with Kyoto, of course, was that its signatories didnt adhere to the requirements for emissions reduction. Even though the U.S. was not a signatory, our greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced down to mid-90s levels, primarily as a result of our increased use of natural gas from fracking, replacing coal, and other efficiencies from new technology. As a country -- including all the Republicans who live here -- we lead the world by far in the tangible results weve achieved. Europe, despite all their collective bluster on the environmental issue, is just starting to catch up. The later Paris Accords was a similar all-show/no-substance affair. As John Kerry said at the time in December 2015,

If all the industrial nations went down to zero emissions -- remember what I just said, all the industrial emissions went down to zero emissions -- it wouldnt be enough, not when more than 65% of the worlds carbon pollution comes from the developing world.

China -- one of those developing world countries Kerry alluded to -- is actually the biggest problem. If man-caused warming is real -- a big if, to be sure, to any clear-thinking, logical minded person -- its more Chinas fault than anyones, due to their huge economy and unrestricted use of coal-fired power plants without pollution filters or any such modification. They spew an enormous amount of pollution into the atmosphere every day and no one in the Democratic Party, the environmentalist movement, or the liberal mainstream media ever criticizes them. Instead, their criticism is always directed at Republican businessmen. President Obama played right into this -- wittingly or unwittingly -- when he completed an agreement with China that requires even further American emissions reductions while not requiring China to begin making significant cuts until 2030. In so doing, he put American businesses on the hook for scrutiny and criticism -- prime Democratic red meat for upcoming election cycles -- while absolving China of any real responsibility for over a decade. Sharp politicking on his part, to be sure.

Unfortunately for the political side of the environmental movement, however, there are big troubles ahead regarding China. It was just recently revealed that China is now the worlds 3rd-largest producer of shale-derived natural gas. China is using fracking to unlock their vast stores of natural gas and will be replacing an ever-increasing share of their dirty coal fuel with clean-burning natural gas. Therefore, the worlds biggest violator of clean emissions practices will become greener and greener very quickly, in a few decades -- a veritable blink of an eye in geological terms. China will cease to be a net contributor to the warming problem and will instead become part of the solution.

This is bad news for the Democrats and the Green lobby. Once China is no longer a major warming factor, the earth will recover and reverse its warming tendencies. The man-caused warming problem -- if it was ever real to begin with -- will self-correct. The environmentalists claim that the earth will soon reach an irreversible, disastrous tipping point if dramatic action to halt man-caused warming is not taken immediately is utterly ridiculous. To begin with, there is no scientific proof of a tipping point, nor is any proof possible. The notion of a tipping point is merely a totally unsubstantiated assertion that has entered the climate dialog in remarkable coincidence to the nonfulfilment of past years predictions of warming-induced calamity and devastation. Shorelines have not crept miles inland, wiping out cities, ports and civilization along the way. Manhattan is still not underwater despite ABCs risible 2008 claim. Pestilence and disease are not on the rise. If the undefined notion of a tipping point is valid, it would appear that we were not even remotely close to reaching it.

Environmentalists, of course, are symptomatic of the fundamental problem with Democratic Party politics as practiced today: In order for their party to be successful, there has to be a victim group in need of their rescue. Success -- be it the economic/social success of a demographic group or the beneficial conclusion to an environmental issue -- spells defeat for todays Democratic Party. They find themselves in the position of hoping for failure. Without victims -- whether real or contrived -- and purported injustices, they have no reason for being. Positive progress renders todays Democrats irrelevant.Thomas Friedman is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner with a distinguished career as columnist, reporter, author and TV host. I have admired him and his work for as long as he has been visible. Ive never met him but our careers overlapped in London and we both spent time in Beirut.

Recently he wrote a column called, George Washington for President. The subtitle was, Patriots put love of their own people first, while nationalists put hate for other people first. This came right after President Trump proclaimed himself to be a nationalist.

Friedman really teed off on the president, calling him a

...disturbed man whose job description  to be a healer of the country in times of great national hurt and to pull us together to do big hard things that can only be done together  conflicts with his political strategy, which is to divide us and mobilize his base with anger and fear.

Thomas Friedman, World Economic Forum, 2013 (photo credit World Economic Forum)

With that, my admiration for Friedman took a deep dive. I had to ask myself: is this the comment of a rational or even sane person? Heres my problem with Mr. Friedman. He managed to avoid the real situation and in fact spun diametrically away from the real story of Donald Trump and those who would destroy him.

Oh, Friedman also said, Our country is in danger. Well, at least we agree on that sound bite.

In recent times, trying to play the role of healer and unifier has been a weakness for Republicans, such as George W. Bush and Mitt Romney. They and others, including Reagan and even McCain, tried to various degrees to act as healers and unifiers. But the other side had no intention of letting them get away with that.

These Republican presidents and candidates let themselves be turned into punching bags taking the crap thrown at them while trying to be perceived as "presidential" by remaining above it all. Remember, "Bush lied, people died!"? Remember the full pass McCain and Romney both gave Obama on so many critical issues including his relationships with Frank Marshall Davis, Louis Farrakhan, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, Tony Rezko, Rashid Khalidi, George Soros, Sayed Hassan AlQazwini and others?

Now, the liberals and progressives are outraged that President Trump refuses to play traditional Republican, that is, refuses to play patsy. Their heads have been exploding over it. Listen to the late night talk show crowd, left wing Hollywood types, the pussy hat crowd, crazy Democrat politicians, Antifa mobs and other radical groups funded by George Soros. Tell me Tom, who is really blasting away with anger and fear?

And since November of 2016, its been going on non-stop day and night on a daily basis. And then theres the media itself, the big three broadcast networks, CNN and MSNBC. On these networks, Trump has been called a white supremacist, a Nazi, a virus, unfit to be human, a bigot and other lovely terms. Tom, talk about dividing the country! Hint: It aint Trump.

This is what Friedman is not discussing or dealing with. The abuse and hatred aimed at Trump, starting the moment of his inauguration, has been unprecedented. It explains perfectly why the role of healer has not only been not possible, but not appropriate.

It's the same reason Israel has not been able to make peace with the Muslim Arabs. Much of the other side doesn't want peace except 100% on their terms.

We are in a low-grade civil war. These are the people who intimidated and basically destroyed the reputation and presidency of George W. Bush (who, regardless of what you thought of his politics was one of the most decent men to ever be president). He was totally disrespected and made to look weak. It set the stage for Obama.

This is why we love Trump. He is our Netanyahu. Yes, it's a terrible time. The opportunity for healing at present is minimal. If Trump doesn't fight to protect America from these people, our country will irreversibly slip into socialism or worse and will be totally taken over by the Antifa thugs, the leftist academics who have already shut down free speech in our universities, the progressives who are demanding open borders, the left wing media that has become a cheering squad for the Democrat Party, the Democrat election fraud ballot stuffers, anti-Semites, and the likes of Maxine Waters, Al Sharpton, Keith Ellison, Linda Sarsour, Louis Farrakhan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Andrew Gillum and the rest of them. Somehow Friedman didnt get around to mentioning all of this. Maybe there wasnt enough space.

The Trump now infamous press conference last Wednesday with Jim Acosta was highly revealing. For those who didnt watch it, all you probably know about it is that Trump got into a shouting match with the great grandstander CNN reporter Jim Acosta, who was subsequently barred from the White House. That sucked all the oxygen out of the story. So of course what Trump really said was ignored.

But did Friedman or any of Trumps detractors pay any attention to Trumps important comments? The President made a number of conciliatory statements during the press conference that any fair person would say were attempts at unifying the country.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi. And I give her a lot of credit. She works very hard, and shes worked long and hard. I give her a great deal of credit for what shes done and what shes accomplished. Hopefully, we can all work together next year to continue delivering for the American people, including on economic growth, infrastructure, trade, lowering the cost of prescription drugs. These are some of things that the Democrats do want to work on, and I really believe well be able to do that. I think were going to have a lot of reason to do it.

Trump went on to say,

I really think, and I really respected what Nancy said last night about bipartisanship and getting together and uniting. She used the word uniting and she used the word the bipartisanship statement, which is so important because thats what we should be doing."

And then this,

Now is the time for members of both parties to join together, put partisanship aside, and keep the American economic miracle going strong. It is a miracle. Were doing so well. And Ive said it at a lot of rallies. Some of you have probably heard it so much you dont want to hear it again. But when people come to my office  presidents, prime ministers  they all congratulate me, almost the first thing, on what weve done economically. Because it is really amazing.

I havent been able to comb through all of the reporting on the press conference, but my guess is none of the MSM headlined or even reported this huge olive branch that Trump threw out. Certainly CNN didnt. The event was overshadowed by Acosta and another reporter who tried to bait the President with a white nationalist comment. Trump aggressively and appropriately pushed back.

Hi, Mr. President. Yamiche Alcindor with PBS NewsHour. On the campaign trail, you called yourself a nationalist. Some people saw that as emboldening white nationalists. Now people are also saying . . . . THE PRESIDENT: I dont know why youd say that. Thats such a racist question. Q: There are some people that say that now the Republican Party is seen as supporting white nationalists because of your rhetoric. What do you make of that? THE PRESIDENT: Oh, I dont believe that . . . . . Why do I have my highest poll numbers ever with African Americans? . . . Thats such a racist question.

Trump was understandably insulted by the question and said so. This is what people like this woman and Friedman refuse to understand about Trump. In fact, they dont want to understand him. They hate him so badly, they cant do their jobs. Or, in some cases, hate has become their job.

I believe Trump tends to see Americans as just Americans regardless of sex, color, gender or any other inherited characteristic. He doesnt play the identity politics game that the left thrives on. Friedman quoted Charles de Gaulle as saying, Nationalists put hate for other people first. Trumps answer: I love my country.

Thats what they dont want to hear. Thats the Trump message they want to bury. Yes, there are white nationalists. Our country also has more than its share of communists, socialists, progressives and anarchists. But just as all left-wingers dont fit into those categories, its unfair and outrageous to stick Trump and other nationalists with the label of white nationalist.

For America, Trump is the right man for the times we are in. Hes a fighter and a brawler. He has been belligerent and rude and, at times, even over the top. But any fair-minded person can see this is what Trump has been faced with from the beginning. Trump is both a patriot and a nationalist who puts America and Americans first. He clearly loves our country and wants to see it succeed.. Thats been apparent in all the interviews he has given over the years. But he will not be bullied by these people. That's what Friedman doesn't seem to comprehend or want to talk about.

Frank Hawkins is a former U.S. Army intelligence officer, Associated Press foreign correspondent, international businessman, senior newspaper company executive, founder and owner of several marketing companies and published novelist. He currently lives in retirement in North Carolina.Conflict victims work on demand paper to press for justice

Amid delay in probing war-era crimes and cases of human rights violations, conflict victims are coming up with a demand paper to exert pressure on the government and the political parties to expedite the transitional justice process.Political loser Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who lost to Senator Ted Cruz on election day, may be heading to Iowa after the Polk County Democrats extended an invitation to speak. O'Rourke hasn't responded to the invite yet, but with so many national Democrats in his ear urging him to run, it's hard to see how he will be able to resist the siren call of a presidential run.

A new Morning Consult poll out today shows the two septugenarian front runners, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, with the lion's share of support from Democrats while O'Rourke finished a distant third. But it's still a remarkable showing for a losing senate candidate who no one had heard of two months ago.

Fox News:

Andrew E. Smith, the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, said it was still too early to invest in a ORourke candidacy. Its probably just a reflection of the media attention hes gotten the last month or so, Smith said. ORourke has been coy on a presidential run. On Sunday he sent an email to supporters saying he wants to be part of the best way forward for this country  whatever way I can help in whatever form that takes. Sean Bagniewski, the chairman of the Polk County Democrats, said the group would love to host O'Rourke. He was unapologetically progressive. Hes a young face. He wasnt afraid to be himself. Democrats are often very poll tested, very consultant-driven," he said. "He was more authentic in a way that people havent seen since Barack Obama, so he connected with people nationwide in ways that some of our more cautious leaders havent.

Bringing up the "O" word is significant. Recall that Barack Obama was a newly minted senator in 2004 when the drumbeat started to woo him to run. Obama couldn't resist the call. Can O'Rourke?

O'Rourke might see his entrance in the race as the beginning of a generational shift in the Democratic party. The comparisons to John F. Kennedy would be unavoidable. Kennedy's emergence as a candidate in 1959 came at a time when the old guard Democrats who came to power during FDR's administration were still entrenched, leaving newer Democrats to while away their time waiting for retirements or deaths.

Kennedy's policies weren't any different than FDR Democrats, but his youth and "vigor" were sold to voters as something different. O'Rourke parrots the party line put down by the Sanders/Warren/Clinton faction. But those Democrats will all be in their 70's on election day, 2020. The lure of relative youth is powerful with voters and if O'Rourke can raise the kind of money he raised in the Senate race - $80 million - he would be a formidable force in the party.

Even if he didn't win the nomination or run for president, O'Rourke would be well positioned to run for governor in 2022 or the senate in 2024. As a younger man of 46, he can afford to wait, although resisting cries from Democrats for Beto to save them from Trump may be too enticing.

I find O'Rourke boring and predictable, not to mention dumb. But Democrats are perpetually looking for the white knight they had in the glory days of "Camelot" when the beautiful people ran Washington. The press would dearly love to see those times again as well. That's why I fully expect O'Rourke to be unable to resist the opportunity. He'll be a candidate for president by this time next year.It certainly looks like the prejudice against Republicans, conservatives, and especially Trump supporters, is so virulent that Facebook was willing to pay a hundred mill to rid itself od one. The company denies this is the case, but the Wall Street Journal is not convinced.

Facebook Inc. executive and virtual-reality wunderkind Palmer Luckey was a rising star of Silicon Valley when, at the height of the 2016 presidential contest, he donated $10,000 to an anti-Hillary Clinton group. His donation sparked a backlash from his colleagues. Six months later, he was out. Neither Facebook nor Mr. Luckey has ever said why he left the social-media giant. When testifying before Congress about data privacy earlier this year, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg denied the departure had anything to do with politics.

Zuckerberg was under oath, so I assume he has documentation of other issues that can be cited.

A Facebook spokeswoman said in an email: We can say unequivocally that Palmers departure was not due to his political views. Were grateful for Palmers contributions to Oculus, and were glad he continues to actively support the VR industry. Some people at Facebook say it is too simplistic to say Mr. Luckey was fired over his politics, and that his lack of candor during the episode involving the donation and his diminished role in Oculus operations were larger factors.

Luckey says otherwise:

Mr. Luckey, it turns out, was put on leave, then fired, according to people familiar with the matter. More recently, he has told people the reason was his support for Donald Trump and the furor that his political beliefs sparked within Facebook and Silicon Valley, some of those people say. Internal Facebook emails suggest the matter was discussed at the highest levels of the company. In the fall of 2016, as unhappiness over the donation simmered, Facebook executives including Mr. Zuckerberg pressured Mr. Luckey to publicly voice support for libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, despite Mr. Luckeys years long support of Mr. Trump, according to people familiar with the conversations and internal emails viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Facebook reportedly has paid out a fortune to him:

Mr. Luckey and his lawyer negotiated a payout of at least $100 million, representing an acceleration of stock awards and bonuses he would have received through July 2019, plus cash, according to the people familiar with the matter. The stock awards and bonuses were a result of selling his virtual-reality company, Oculus VR, to Facebook in 2014 for more than $2 billion, a deal that netted him a total of about $600 million.

Given the sorts of subpoenas an aggressive defense lawyer could issue, he may have risked putting his entire life on display in court by pressing the matter in court.

At the root of his departure seems to be the outing of his donation by Buzzfeed, and a subsequent campaign that ginned up bigotry among people who worked or might work for Oculus:

Mr. Luckeys fallout with Facebook began in September 2016, when the Daily Beast revealed his $10,000 donation to NimbleAmerica, a pro-Trump group that paid for advertising mocking Hillary Clinton ahead of the 2016 election. At least one billboard paid for by the group featured a picture of Mrs. Clinton and the phrase Too Big to Jail. In one post on a Reddit chain dedicated to supporting Mr. Trump, the author, called NimbleRichMan, said he was donating to the group so it could spread unflattering memes about Mrs. Clinton. In the same post, the author professed to support Mr. Trumps campaign, saying Hillary Clinton is corrupt, a warmonger, a freedom-stripper. Not the good kind you see dancing in bikinis on Independence day, the bad kind that strips freedom from citizens and grants it to donors. The Daily Beast wrote that Mr. Luckey had said he used the pseudonym NimbleRichMan. Mr. Luckeys donation and the perception that he might be associated with a group that at times traded in misogynistic and white-supremacist messages, as some news stories reported, ignited a firestorm. Facebook employees expressed anger about Mr. Luckey on internal message boards and at a weekly town hall meeting in late September 2016, questioning why he was still employed, according to people familiar with the complaints. Multiple women have literally teared up in front of me in the last few days, an engineering director, Srinivas Narayanan, wrote in one internal post following the meeting. Mr. Narayanan didnt respond to requests for comment.

If fear of a boycott by talent who are politically bigoted is at the root of the departure, then Facebook has caved to bigotry. Because they can afford top quality legal talent, I am sure they have other causes they can point to and document. California law protects political beliefs from employment discrimination, almost certainly passed in order to protect leftists. But in the current era of leftist monoculture dominating high tech, it is conservatives that can take advantage.

Catering to a bigoted labor force is no excuse for discrimination. I am old enough to remember when prestigious employers who refused to hire blacks, or Jews, or Asians for jobs because their clientele would not accept them were correctly labeled is discriminatory. These days, it is conservatives who bear the brunt of institutional bigotry.Two seemingly unrelated events in Europe over the past 20 days point to what cannot be described other than as the slow suicide of European civilization. On November 9, Chancellor Merkel gave a speech in Berlin commemorating the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht (lately renamed Pogromnacht). This 1938 event, which led to the willful destruction of 1400 synagogues, thousands of Jewish stores and the deportation of more than 30,000 Jews to the concentration camps, is widely considered the beginning of the Holocaust. For those familiar with Nazi history, though, the writing had been on the wall long before that.

What Hitler had in mind for the Jews is described in detail in his Mein Kampf and put in practice at the latest by the Nuremberg Laws of September 1935, which excluded Jews from German society, prohibited them from holding public office and marrying Germans and made them, in effect, stateless outcasts in their own country. As if to make sure that modern Holocaust doubters and anti-Semites, like labor leader Jeremy Corbin of the UK, have no place to hide, Hitler explained in detail his plans to annihilate the Jews to his military commanders in his Obersalzberg speech of August 22, 1939. Who, after all, said he, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians.

The gist of Merkels speech was less about the commemoration of a dreadful historical event than a warning of the new wave of virulent anti-Semitism washing across Western Europe and assuming pandemic proportions in Muslim diaspora communities. For this, she should be congratulated, though she was less than candid in forgetting to mention that a good part of this explosion of anti-Semitism was caused by her in letting in two million mostly Muslim migrants, who get their anti-Semitism with their mothers milk. Nor did she mention that she had done her level best to perpetuate her awful policies by trying to force Eastern Europe to take migrants who have proven unwilling to integrate. Though Merkel is on her way out, it wont be long before synagogues and Jewish businesses in Germany will have to be guarded by soldiers, as they already are in France.

It is this dismal if inevitable reality that was seemingly guaranteed by an European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decision two weeks before Merkels speech. On Oct 25th, the ECHR, in a ruling mandatory for 47 European countries, denied an Austrian petitioner and ruled that the imperatives of religious peace and mutual tolerance are more important than freedom of speech. In this particular case, the petitioner had asked in a seminar whether Mohammads marriage to a six year old (consummated three years later), constituted a case of pedophilia. In its ruling, the court decreed that denigration of Muhammad is not protected speech, regardless of the factual evidence with the clear implication of prohibiting criticism of Islam.

This has the effect of overturning that same courts 2001 ruling that sharia is not compatible with democracy and making Islam exempt from any questioning, even as attacks on Christianity and Judaism are well-established and widely practiced. To understand what that means in practice, it is worthwhile to recall the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam of 1990, which was approved by all 57 members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It expressly denied the universally-accepted definition of human rights and subjected them (in articles 24 and 25) to the medieval obscurantism of sharia law. Sharia, a post-Quranic, man-made doctrine designed to serve the interests of Arab imperialism after Mohammad, mandates discrimination and violence against Christians and Jews, while treating women and non-Muslims as second-hand citizens at best.

It has long been the ultimate goal of Islamic supremacists to outlaw any criticism of even the most radical expressions of Islamic intolerance under the bogus guise of Islamophobia. They are now on their way to achieve that objective with the help of the European Court of Human Rights.

Photo credit: Arno Mikkor

Alex Alexiev is chairman of the Center for Balkan and Black Sea Studies (cbbss.org). He could be reached at alexievalex4@gmail.com.Twitter seems impervious to criticism of its blatant political bias, especially as reflected in who and what gets banned, and who and what is tolerated. Following Twitters publication and refusal to ban tweets giving out Tucker Carlsons home address, even though the Fox News hosts home was assaulted by Antifa demonstrators and his wife (home alone at the time) terrorized as the front door was pounded so hard that it cracked, the network took a step no one has before: it took its Twitter account dark.

Joe Concha of The Hill writes:

The official Twitter account for Fox News has not tweeted since Thursday, reportedly in protest of the social media company's lack of responsiveness regarding content associated with a protest outside of host Tucker Carlson's home.

Tribune Media content manager Scott Gustin is tweeting about the implicit boycott:

The @FoxNews Twitter account has been silent for over 24 hours. A Fox News employee tells me Fox is choosing to stay silent while protesting how Twitter handled posts targeting Tucker Carlson  specifically the ones that included his address. address.  Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) November 10, 2018

The @FoxNews Twitter account has been silent for over 24 hours. A Fox News employee tells me Fox is choosing to stay silent while protesting how Twitter handled posts targeting Tucker Carlson  specifically the ones that included his address. address.  Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) November 10, 2018

Business Insider reports:

Fox News has asked its employees not to tweet out theirs or any other Fox News stories from their business or personal Twitter accounts, according to an internal email obtained by Business Insider. In the email, Fox News managing editor Greg Wilson told employees to "please refrain from tweeting out our content from either section accounts or your own accounts until further notice." A source within the network who wished to remain anonymous told Business Insider that the email was sent to the entire digital team, which consists of approximately 140 people. A spokesperson for the network did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Concha adds:

A source close to the matter confirmed to The Hill the decision to launch a protest against Twitter was due to its unresponsiveness to the network's requests to expunge content related to the Carlson protest, which it deemed dangerous. The Fox News Twitter account, which has more than 18 million followers, has tweeted more than 418,000 times since joining the platform 11 years ago, or an average of more than 100 times per day. Fox Business Network has also not tweeted since Nov. 9.

Fox News has a size large enough that Twitter might just notice a falloff in its traffic. Even more significantly, it could potentially trigger a mass exodus of conservative sites from providing content to Twitter. Various other sites and apps are considered to be competitors, but I think that to be effective, there would need to be a mass exodus to a specific Twitter-like home that would not violate the intellectual property of that company.

Hey, its a start. I am glad that Fox News is taking this so seriously. They must see that if this wave of harassment is not stopped, it could become difficult to maintain their broadcast schedule. On-air personality Kat Timpf reports that she was harassed over the weekend in New York City:

Tucker returned to his show Monday night, after two days off while he presumably calmed and relocated his family. He refused to play the victim card, no surprise to anyone who has watched him the last few years.

Fox News screen grab 11 12 18

I am still waiting for arrests by the D.C. police, but am not foolish enough to be holding my breath.

Image credit: Fox News screen grabPope Francis has been credibly accused by Church dissidents of being a "dictator pope," a title which reportedly gets his goat, but well, he's living up to it with his latest move with the U.S. bishops.

According to the Daily Caller:

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) planned to adopt new protocols to hold bishops accountable concerning sex abuse, but the Vatican halted their efforts Monday. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the USCCB, announced Monday that the Vatican had instructed U.S. bishops to postpone their vote on adopting a new code of conduct for bishops, which would hold them accountable for committing or failing to report abuse, until a February meeting of bishops conference presidents from around the world in Rome. The Vatican also instructed them to delay their vote on establishing a lay commission to oversee investigations of reported clergy sexual abuse. At the insistence of the Holy See, we will not be voting on the two action items, DiNardo told the bishops, according to The Washington Post.

The bishops, who are a namby pamby bunch on traditional church morals and only get excited when the topic turns to 'justice' for illegal immigrants to break U.S. law by not having to live in their Catholic democracies back home, are trying to vote on mealy mouthed items such as a 'code of conduct for bishops' (You'd think they wouldn't have to be told if they got to the bishop level, but o.k.), and probably more important, the release of all documents surrounding the Cardinal Theodore McCarrick scandal. McCarrick of course is the one who bedded seminarians and then got involved with pederasty, engaging in all manner of abuse until the law caught up with him and he got safe haven in the Vatican. The latter is probably what's got the Vatican bothered, because, well, the Pope has been credibly accused by a former Vatican diplomat of covering up the McCarrick scandal and using McCarrick as his bishop-picker in some sort of lavender-mafia deal, and such documents might well show it.

As you may imagine, this isn't going over well with many Catholics and Catholic-watchers:

True to form, "dictator Pope": Vatican cancels US bishops vote on sex abuse reform measures https://t.co/WiA5tDrqVB via @cnalive  Fr. Kevin M. Cusick (Blue Check Mark here) (@MCITLFrAphorism) November 12, 2018

The Vatican just made a big mistake in asking US bishops to delay their votes on clergy abuse protocols. The optics are terrible, and it sends a message, intended or not, that Rome doesn't recognize the urgency of the moment. #USCCB18  John Gehring (@gehringdc) November 12, 2018

The Vatican delays vote to help with massive sexual abuse problem. How sick! Apparently pedolphilia is big business for the Catholic Church. Call it out for what it is. He aint a Pope, hes a pimp.  Pastor Greg Locke (@pastorlocke) November 12, 2018

The Vatican intervention into the @USCCB conference makes the bishops look impotent and turns their anti-abuse meeting into a pantomime sham.



My column in Tuesday's NYPost. https://t.co/saWpCzlQfb  Sohrab Ahmari (@SohrabAhmari) November 13, 2018

Because what we have here is a weak, feeble effort by U.S. bishops to clean up after the tremendous Church scandal involving abuses of children, and make the Church much better, and now the Vatican telling them - at the last minute no less - to not vote on it. Which of course makes the bishops look very weak, something they aren't supposed to be, given church hierarchy teachings. The other thing the Church has always supported has been allowing governance matters to take place at the lowest possible level of hierarchy, and well, this is a negation of that.

It's also an ironic negation, given that the Pope has effectively allowed China to pick the Church's bishops, while laying a hard hand down on U.S. bishops trying to do their jobs and enact tough new reforms.

What it looks like, and this is just speculation, is maybe McCarrick influencing the Pope to get these bishops out of the picture and replace them with other bishops of perhaps McCarrick's choosing. Could it be that bad? It's certainly a way to get bishops to vote the way the Vatican wants them to vote so that everything will be swept under the rug. If there is some better explanation, I am all ears. But as one of the commentators has said, the optics here are very bad.Elder of Ziyon highlights a truly remarkable claim, a bit of theatre of the absurd:

The first sentence of this article in Al Madenah News, by Dr. Mustafa Yousef Alddawi, to mark the centennial of the end of World War I, is one of the most absurd things I've ever read in Arabic media. And that's saying a lot.



"There is no doubt that Palestine was the greatest victim of the First World War," it begins.



During WWI, Palestine had a population of 800,000.



The number of people killed during the war was between 15-19 million.



The Ottoman Empire, Germany, France, the British Empire, Russia, Italy and Austria each lost more people than the entire population of Palestine.

Dr. Alddawi ignores the brutality of the Ottoman rulers of much of the Middle East, including the small sliver of land that now constitutes Israel. Life under their rule was incomparably worse than under the Israeli regime. The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire following the war led to a different from of foreign rule of the Arabs, League of Nations mandates that put Europeans in power, theoretically as trustees for the local populations, who did indeed, after another catastrophic war, attain independence.

What Dr. Alddawi must mean is the increased settlement of Jews returning to their historic homeland, invaded an conquered by Arabs under the banner of Islam more than a millennium previous. Elder puts it this way:

Obviously he is claiming that the division of the Arab world by the victors of the war, which included allowing Jews to return to a sliver of land where they are the indigenous people, is the most catastrophic thing to ever happen to anyone, ever.



Palestinians are the masters of making everything about them. They are the biggest victims of the Holocaust, they are the biggest victims of both world wars, they are the biggest victims of "colonialism," they are the world's biggest victims, period.

Indeed, the contemporary notion of Palestinians is a manufactured national identity, with a made-up flag, founded on victimhood, as a means to rebuke and destroy Israel. I am so old that I have met Jews born in the Palestinian Mandate run by the British who called themselves Palestinians long before the identity proved useful to the Jew haters.When President Trump spoke to young black leaders at the White House as part of the Young Black Leadership Summit sponsored by Turning Point USA, black Democrat overseers rushed to throw cold water on the historical event. Rev. Al Sharpton speaking on MSNBC spun it as a photo op and even claimed that the White House had dressed the young black attendees in MAGA hats. The best part of the White House event took place during a reception where the members of the media mingled with the young black leaders. Roland Martin was approached by conservative black YouTuber Leo Dunson and was asked a two-part question: what exactly has the Democratic Party done for black Americans in the past fifty years, and why should blacks continue to vote Democrat? The exchange went viral. Instead of even attempting to answer the question, Roland Martin did what every black Democrat does when asked that question. He countered: what specific agenda do President Trump and the Republican Party have for black America?

The problem that Democrats now face is a significant loss of the black vote due to the #walkaway and Blexit movements. Black Americans of all ages and socio-economic levels have awakened to the fact that the Democratic Party's policies have not produced any positive results for black people (especially in poor black communities). With intelligent blacks now asking specific policy questions from a Democratic Party bereft of an agenda or a message, elite black liberals are reduced to attempting to turn the questions around and force the GOP to show its hand. However; with an economy saturated with jobs and black unemployment at historical lows, not only has President Trump shown his hand, but his policies have produced undeniable positive results across all demographics. In addition, black small business ownership has increased 400 percent under President Trump. This is bad news for the race industry and the black Democrat overseers.

In a booming economy, how does the race industry continue its racist white supremacy line of attack on President Trump? How can the race industry's bogus racist argument hold up when it seems that every black American who wants a job is fully employed? These detractors continue their attack by moving the goal post with imaginary abstract issues that are not real problems and are impossible to solve. When black conservatives bring up the current historical black unemployment rate to black liberals who demand a specific "black agenda" from the Republican Party, it is quickly dismissed with comments like Jobs and economics is not our only issue. What about police brutality? What specifically do they mean by police brutality?

President Trump has an open-door policy, and he wants to discuss issues within the black community. I am almost positive that he would gladly meet with Al Sharpton and Roland Martin to discuss any issues that deem important within the black community. President Trump is working on a prison reform bill, and he has asked black leaders and rappers to come to the table with suggestions. So far, the loudest complainers have not taken the president up on his offer. The blacks who have meet with him are attack and ostracized.

The black liberal race-baiters refuse to meet with President Trump for the same reason the Congressional Black Caucus declined to meet with him. They all know he is a doer and a problem-solver, and they do not want a thriving black America. Some are probably wishing for the economy to crash. The real reason black liberals hate President Trump is because he is helping black Americans succeed and exposing them for who they really are, which will eventually cut into their profits and put them out of business. That is why they must continue to beat the racism-white supremacy dead horse.

Contact the author at patdickson@earthlink.net. Follow her on Twitter at @Patrici15767099 and YouTube.Lots of conservatives are feeling upset, cheated, or  worst of all  doomed. We have watched an uncanny and statistically unlikely wave of contests moving from GOP to Dem wins as more votes are discovered. Writing at Commentary, NeverTrumper John Podhoretz lays out the doom scenario:

Resist the happy talk. This election is very bad for the GOP, and harbingers ill for 2020. With the exception of Ohio, Democrats have shown strength in the states that gave Donald Trump his victory in 2016. Ds took two Congressional seats in Iowa, defeated Scott Walker in his third gubernatorial bid in Wisconsin, and won most of the Pennsylvania House seats they tried for (with the happy exception of the defeat of the anti-Israel grandson-of-a-Soviet-lover Scott Wallace). Democrats romped in Michigan, notwithstanding a surprising showing for the GOP gubernatorial candidate (who still lost). (snip) Remember that 80,000 votes across three states in the upper Midwest made Trump president. Getting 80,000 new voters to replace the ones who didnt turn out for Hillary Clinton in 2016 shouldnt be that hard for Dems, especially since they know exactly where they need to go to get them. Meanwhile, The scenario Ive painted here suggests states he wonFlorida, Iowa, Georgia, Arizonamight be lost, in which case it doesnt matter all that much what happens in the upper Midwest. Dems might only need to win one of those back, or two. Meanwhile, the results suggest there isnt a single state Trump failed to carry that is moving in his direction.

ATs political director Richard Baehr, no Pollyanna, is not convinced. He writes in an email:

The GOP may wind up with governors in Florida, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, and Ohio. Several of these are swing states in 2020 (maybe all of them) and this will help in the presidential and House races. Wisconsin was a very close loss for Scott Walker. This was his 4th statewide run, and he lost by 1%. The state is not gone. The Michigan senate run by the black candidate for GOP, John James, was surprisingly close: 6%. And he had no money to run against an incumbent. Pennsylvania was very bad, but if Trump holds Florida, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas, he does not need Pennsylvania. If he can win in Michigan or Wisconsin -- which is not impossibile, he can eb re-elected. Right now, the map looks very bad for GOP but it also did on Election Day 2016.

One way to lose for sure is to assume one is going to lose.CNN is considering suing the Trump administration over Jim Acosta.

Ill leave this legal issue to our AT friends who understand the law.

My larger point is simple: Why get into a fight with a network that few people watch?

Honestly, I only hear about Jim Acosta when he does something stupid and Fox News tells us about.

It reminds me of the story about then candidate Governor Howard Dean. He used to attack Rush Limbaugh all of the time hoping for the counterpunch and the audience that came with it.

Don't get me wrong. I am not a fan of Jim Acosta.

My friend Orlando Avendano, a columnist from Venezuela, got it right this week:

What I have criticized Trump most are his authoritarian gestures before the press: his constant attacks on the media, even though they may be biased and partial. It is the most dangerous thing about the Republican president because, as CNN rightly says, the free press is vital for the healthy functioning of societies. This is essential. And every time it is necessary to quote Tocqueville, John Stuart Mill, or Thomas Jefferson himself, who said: Our freedom depends on the free press, and that can not be limited without losing it. But I cannot defend Jim Acosta. Wednesdays attacks by Trump were not against freedom, the greatest value, but against the crude and discourteous gestures of the CNN journalist. It was not appropriate behavior for a presidential press conference. He stood up and tried to take the floor, even without the microphone.

He did not hand it over, he roughly removed it from the woman doing her job.

Press conferences are for questions, not for contrasting opinions. It was not a debate.

And Orlando is 100% right about Jim Acosta. A journalist is either a member of the press or the resistance but not both.

I should add that Orlando knows a lot more about the value of a free press than any journalist in the U.S. In Venezuela, you get thrown in jail. In the U.S., you get into a fight with the President and some of your colleagues turn you into a victim.

The bottom line is this. You can take the microphone from Jim Acosta. You can tell him that he is rude and call him out on his behavior. At the same time, taking away his press pass is counterproductive and just keeps the story going for a few more days.

Memo to President Trump: You don't have to punch back every time. Pick your fights. Jim Acosta is not worth it.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.Daraz hyped its sale. But online shoppers said it wasnt worth it.

Daraz started out with a banga loud advertising campaign for weeks to promote 11.11, unofficially called the worlds largest online shopping day, for the first time in Nepal.Android 9 Pie began rolling out to Sonys Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZ1, and Xperia XZ1 Compact over the weekend, reportedly bringing new camera enhancements and a security patch. The security patch is brought all the way up to October 1, fixing a number of critical and high-severity vulnerabilities as well as at least one moderate-severity issue. Meanwhile, Sonys camera software for the Xperia XZ1 series is getting a facelift and new features such as HDR video enhancement and the addition of FullHD 960 frames-per-second slow-motion recording options. Beyond those Sony-specific inclusions, there are also several other Android 9 Pie features, such as Adaptive Brightness and Adaptive Battery functionality that, should arrive in tandem with the update. Those are AI-powered features that will control brightness and the resources used by apps in order to save battery. Moreover, screenshot editing tools and new UI associated with that in the notification shade should be present as well as new UI associated with volume controls.

Background: This particular update had initially been slated to arrive beginning in late October, according to Sonys own roadmap for Android 9 Pie. Moreover, the devices were also expected, albeit more speculatively, to be getting at least one other camera feature alongside the new firmware. Namely, according to the source, the handsets should able to use the display itself to emulate LED flash capabilities for the forward-facing selfie camera of each device following the with the new software. Thats not necessarily a big deal but should help users at least take better images in low-light environments. At the same time, users commenting at the source are confirming that at least one major Android 9 Pie-specific UI feature  the new gesture navigation  is not arriving with the update.

With regard to the new gesture navigation itself, it may not actually be too surprising that it hasnt been included since it hasnt necessarily been widely lauded. The new style was included as a core feature of the update and, in effect, replaces single-tap buttons for navigating to recent apps, the home screen, and more under a single pill-shaped icon. Users can tap, slide, and swipe on that to bring those apps to the front, navigate between them, and accomplish the same tasks previously allowed by buttons. Not only is that new but many users feel as though it severely overcomplicates matters even by comparison to third-party gesture controls that had previously been implemented by OEMs themselves. While its not unlikely the gesture navigation might appear in a later update, or even as a secondary option, Sony has opted to continue using its own more traditional navigation style for the time being.

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Impact: Looking forward, Sony is also expected to deploy Android 9 Pie to at least three other mid-range handsets  the Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra, and XA2 Plus  starting March 4. If the company holds to its previously-outlined plans, other variants of the Sony Xperia XZ1 should begin receiving updates before the end of the month. With that said, given the number of delays so far, it may take a bit longer for any of those to start and longer still for the rollouts to finish.Samsung is rumored to release more than two Galaxy S10 smartphones next year, aside from announcing the Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus, the company is also rumored to release a more affordable variant of the Galaxy S10, and now some info surfaced regarding that phone on Twitter. This information comes from Ben Geskin, and he is referring to the device in question as the Galaxy S10 budget model, he did not use the word Lite or Mini. In any case, the source claims that the phone will feature a flat Infinity-O display, and that it will ship with two cameras on the back. On top of that, he says that the phone will ship with a side-facing fingerprint scanner, which is quite interesting, and if the shared info is to be believed, this smartphone will be available in quite a few variants. According to Mr. Geskin, the Galaxy S10 budget model will ship in three variants, the most affordable one will include 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, the middle-of-the-road one will offer 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, while the most expensive one will come with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The source claims that the phone will be fueled by either the Snapdragon 845 or Snapdragon 8150 (aka Snapdragon 855), and the difference between those two SoCs will be quite important, of course. The Snapdragon 845 is Qualcomms flagship SoC for this year, and it will be replaced by the Snapdragon 8150 (aka Snapdragon 855) next year. Considering this is a Galaxy S10-branded phone, the company is expected to include the latest and greatest in it, but this is a budget Galaxy S10 smartphone, so who knows. The source also notes that this smartphone will cost somewhere between $650 and $750, which is not exactly a budget price tag, but there you go.

Background: The Samsung Galaxy S10 is one of the most anticipated smartphones of 2019, well, the whole Galaxy S10 series is. Despite the fact the Galaxy S10 series is not expected to become official for several more months, rumors and leaks regarding the Galaxy S10 have been popping up for months now. Its difficult to know whats real and whats not, but the company has been rumored to introduce more than two Galaxy S10 devices in February or March next year. The budget Galaxy S10 was mentioned, which would essentially be the most affordable Galaxy S10 phone, and would not sport a curved display like the rest of them. That phone will also probably be a flagship phone with the Snapdragon 8150 aka Snapdragon 855, but it will be inferior to the other Galaxy S10 offerings. The Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus will almost certainly become a reality as well, while a tiny Galaxy S10 handset has been rumored as well, a phone that will have a really small display, and be Samsungs flagship for the small phone market. Its display is rumored to be 5 inches, though weve only seen a couple of such rumors, so who knows if theres any truth to that.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus will probably be comparable to the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus in terms of size, though Samsung is expected to make some notable design changes to its Galaxy S10 series, as the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus devices were the second-gen devices of the same design language. Samsung has a habit of making more notable design changes every two years. The Galaxy S10 handsets could include a camera hole in the display, as the one Samsung teased for the Galaxy A8s recently. That is just one option, on the other hand, Samsung may try to trim down bezels down further without implementing any holes in the display, or including any moving camera parts in the phone, considering how many patents Samsung has, and how many parts they make on their own, anything is possible at this point, though the camera hole option seems like the most probable one, at least if rumors are to be believed.

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The Galaxy S10 series will probably ship in two SoC variants, as was the case in previous years. The US and Chinese Galaxy S10 units will be fueled by Qualcomms next-gen flagship, the Snapdragon 8150 aka Snapdragon 855, while the European model will include Samsungs upcoming Exynos flagship, which will quite probably be named the Exynos 9820, but we cannot say for sure that processor is launching tomorrow, though. The Galaxy S10 phones will probably include at least 6GB of RAM, though the budget unit may ship in a 4GB RAM variant as well. You can expect to see QHD+ Super AMOLED curved displays on the vast majority of Galaxy S10 units, while the device will include at least two cameras on the back, though some models may ship with three cameras back there. Interestingly enough, this budget Galaxy S10 unit is rumored to include a side-facing fingerprint scanner, while all the other Galaxy S10 models are rumored to ship with an in-display fingerprint scanner, while Samsung is also expected to ditch the iris scanning technology for the Galaxy S10, at least rumors say so. Android 9 Pie will come pre-installed on the Galaxy S10, and on top of it, the company will pre-install its One UI skin which was shown off last year.

Impact: So, all in all, Samsung is rumored to release up to four Galaxy S10 flagships next year, and chances are that not all of them will become a reality. Rumors are all over the place at this point, and its difficult to expect that the company will throw out four Galaxy S10 phones out at once, or at all, so it remains to be seen which rumors were accurate, and which are just a figment of the imagination. Its safe to assume that the Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus will be coming for sure, but other than that, who knows. Samsung will certainly change up the design of its Galaxy S series of phones, though, and it should become much clearer what to expect in the coming weeks, as were expecting to see a ton of rumors and leaks regarding the Galaxy S10 in the coming weeks.Posted on: October 12, 2018 2:20 PM

A former Olympic sprinter is amongst 10 candidates in the running to be the next Bishop of Polynesia. The holder of the diocesan post will also become one of three Primates and Archbishops of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (ANZP). The slate of candidates include two women, a cathedral dean, three senior educators, a vicar-general and three bishops. An electoral college will convene in Suva on 26 and 27 October to conduct the vote.

The three bishops are Afa Vaka from Tonga, Gabriel Sharma from Viti Levu West, and Te Kitohi Pikaahu from Te Tai Tokerau. The two female candidates are Sereima Lomaloma, Ministry Officer for the Diocese Te Kotahitanga and Dr Eseta Mateiviti-Tulavu, senior lecturer at St John's College in Auckland.

The other candidates are Tomu Asioli, Dean of Suva's Holy Trinity Cathedral; Fereimi Cama, priest at St Peter's, Lautoka; former Olympic sprinter Henry Rogo, priest in charge of Lotu Vaka Viti, a Fijian worship centre in Auckland; Sione Uluilakepa, Vicar of All Saints Church Fasi, in Tonga; and Orisi Vuki, Vicar General of the Diocese of Polynesia and Archdeacon of Suva

Under the canons of the ANZP, the decision of the electoral college needs to be approved by the Provinvces bishops and receive the support of the members of the General Synod. The announcement of the chosen candidate will be made once the processes have been completed.

We thank all the nominees for the humble obedience, quiet courage, and care they've shown in putting their names forward for consideration in this sacred task, Archbishop Don Tamihere, the commissary for the election, said. We will be calling on all the parishes in the Diocese of Polynesia to gather in their houses and churches during the Electoral College, to keep vigil and to pray for the nominees and their families, for the members of the Electoral College, and to ask that God's blessing will be on the proceedings, and that God's will and only God's will be done.

We ask also that all our brother and sister Dioceses and Amorangi in Aotearoa New Zealand uphold the Diocese of Polynesia in their prayers as well.

The Arrangements Committee has commended the following prayer to the church's use:

Almighty God,giver of every good gift:

we thank you for giving us a courageous Archbishop, Winston Halapua,

to lead as Primate, in our Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia,

and as Bishop of Polynesia the many years he has served.

We thank you for his wife, Revd Susan and family

for their tireless support and contribution to his leadership.

Look graciously now on your Church, and send your Holy Spirit

to guide the hearts and minds of the Electoral College of the Diocese of Polynesia,

that we may receive a faithful Apostle who will lead us

in proclaiming the Good News of Your Kingdom,

teaching, nurturing and baptising new believers,

responding to human needs by loving service,

transforming unjust structures in the community,

challenging violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation,

and striving to safeguard the integrity of creation,

sustain and renew the life of the earth

with our brothers and sisters around the world.

We embrace with love and gratitude those who have agreed to be nominated.

We pray for Afa, Eseta, Fereimi, Gabriel, Henry, Orisi, Sereima, Sione, Te Kitohi, Tomu and their families.

May we continue to voyage together with our new leader in Christ

and continue to care for your people and equip us for our ministries

in the Diocese of Polynesia,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.Posted on: November 13, 2018 6:04 PM

The work of the Mothers Union in reconciliation and peace-building has been recognised by the Community of the Cross of Nails (CCN). The CCN is part of the work of Coventry Cathedrals international reconciliation ministry team. Membership of the Community is given to churches, peace-building centres and educational and training organisations in recognition of their reconciliation work. The Community, which has more than 200 members, is inspired by Coventrys story of destruction, rebuilding and renewal.

Coventry Cathedral was destroyed in a German bombing raid on 14 November 1940, in an attack that lasted more than 10 hours and left more than two thirds of the citys buildings destroyed or damaged. In the days that followed, two enduring symbols emerged from the rubble: two charred roof-beams which had fallen in the shape of a cross were bound and placed at the site of the ruined altar, and three medieval roof nails were also formed into a cross, which became the original Cross of Nails.

That original Cross of Nails is located at the High Altar in the new Cathedral; and has been used as the symbol of the cathedrals international reconciliation work. Archbishop Justin Welby, who worked in Coventry Cathedrals reconciliation ministry before becoming Archbishop of Canterbury, wears a pectoral cross in the shape of the cross of nails. And replicas of the original cross are presented to organisations when they are made members of the Community.

Yesterday (Monday), during a poignant service in the chapel at the Mothers Unions international headquarters  Mary Sumner House in Westminster, London  the 143-year-old Anglican mission agency was admitted as a partner to The Community of the Cross of Nails. Canon Sarah Hills, who oversees Coventrys reconciliation ministry, presented a replica Cross of Nails to MU Worldwide President, Lynne Tembey.

It is a great honour to receive the Cross of Nails and to be partners in a worldwide network of peace builders, Tembey said. Being a part of the Community of the Cross of Nails affirms who we are at our core  a movement of men and women contributing to peace and reconciliation at all levels, from the fellowship of friendship over a cup of tea to conflict zones, Mothers Union members embody the spirit of what the Cross of Nails is all about.

After the cross was formally received, it was passed around congregation before being placed on the chapels altar, where it now stands. The cross is made up of three large nails and at its base is written Father Forgive  the words written on the wall of the remains of the chancel by Provost Dick Howard in 1940.

The Mothers Union is active around the world and is particularly engaged in peace and reconciliation work in South Sudan and Uganda. Your members are on the frontline of peace-making, Canon Sarah said during the service. The work you do is about peace. It is your work and we thank you.Posted on: November 13, 2018 4:44 PM

A proposal by the Archbishop of Sydney for an overlapping Anglican diocese or province to cater for Anglicans in New Zealand opposed to the blessing of same-sex marriage has been rejected by the leaders of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (ANZP). In May, the ANZP General Synod passed a compromise resolution on the blessing of same-sex civil marriages in a move that was designed to allow both theological conservatives and those campaigning for change to stay in the same church. But a number of Anglicans have responded to the vote by saying that they were seeking to leave the Church as a result of the decision.

The motion passed by the Anglican Church in ANZP explicitly states that there should be no change to the Churchs teaching on the nature of marriage [which] is to affirm marriage as between a man and a woman; but it went on to say that that individual bishops should be free to use provisions already within the provinces canons for a non-formulary service to allow for the blessing of same-sex relationships. The resolution followed years of debate and negotiation between Anglicans on different sides of the debate.

In August, the Archbishop of Sydney, Glenn Davies, put forward proposals for an alternative Anglican diocese or province, which would overlap with ANZPs existing structures, for those Anglicans unable to accept the Synods decision. In proposing what he called distinctive co-existence, Archbishop Glenn said in a letter to the Church of ANZP that while members of your General Synod may have thought that dissenting voices would acquiesce to the amended canons, this has proved not to be the case. Moreover, plenty of warning was given prior to the vote being taken. It is unrealistic to think that the stakes are not high on the matter of human sexuality, which of itself is not the root problem, but the interpretation of Scripture, the nature of the gospel and the appearance of accommodation to the surrounding culture.

He added: Of course, I recognise that both sides see the situation differently  and that is the problem. After twenty years of debate since Lambeth 1998, where Resolution I.10 was overwhelmingly affirmed by the majority of bishops, expressing the time-honoured view of the Church since apostolic times (and of Israel under the Old Testament), I do not think that either side is going to convince the other side of their view.

The proposition that same-sex relationships are a legitimate expression of Christian discipleship is something that will never be accepted by a large number of Anglicans throughout the world. Moreover, the evidence from North America regrettably forces me to conclude that for those who advocate the new morality, there is no turning back. At the same time, those who wish to maintain the received tradition of sexual morality cannot compromise within an organisational structure that allows a divergence from what they believe to be the teaching of Scripture.

Today, Archbishops Don Tamihere and Philip Richardson of the Anglican Church of ANZP have published their response to Archbishop Glenns proposal. They say that their response has been carefully prepared in a respectful consideration of [the] proposal  and has been unanimously agreed to by the General Synod Standing Committee of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, according to Anglican Taonga.

In their letter, they express gratitude to Archbishop Glenn for presenting his proposal, and for listening to various groups in New Zealand before presenting them. We acknowledge the care with which you listened to those gathered, they said. We also recognise that your detailed proposal was pre-prepared. And that there was no opportunity, before you presented your proposal to our meeting, for you to adjust what you had pre-prepared in the light of what you heard.

However, there was time to take account of what was shared with you before the public release of your proposal for our Church. There were no substantive changes made to your document in the light of our meeting. Its our view that had we been understood, there would have been changes.

In their response, the archbishops outline the history of the Anglican Church in the islands of New Zealand and Polynesia, and point out that it is a Church built on a history of colonised and coloniser.

They say: With respect, Anglicans in this province have grappled  with limited success  with what distinctive coexistence means for more than 200 years. We have grappled with what it means to live with people who God made differently to us. A people who dont see things as we do, nor share our understandings or experiences or values. Sadly, a lack of compassion by the settler church led it to being complicit in the marginalising of Gods people in their own country. We have sinned in ignorance, we have sinned in weakness, we have sinned through our own deliberate fault.

Only in the later portion of that 200 years, after decades of struggle, have we arrived at a constitution which enshrines respectful ways of being church together.

The constitution of the Church in ANZP sets out three tikangas, or cultural streams, with Pakeha (European cultural) dioceses overlapping with Maori hui amorangi on the islands of Aotearoa / New Zealand and the Diocese of Polynesia serving the more distant islands. Each tikanga is led by an Archbishop who is a Primate of equal status with the others.

As a Church we continue to be challenged by enormous internal and external inequities: we are a reflection of our society, the two archbishops said. To be Anglican in this land requires that we, led by our Lord Jesus Christ, face into this shared history so that we can help shape a common future for all people based on peace and justice and righteousness.

We are committed to meeting the challenges of the Gospel imperatives, to working out the consequences of our shared history and to honour our relationships. . .

Our General Synod resolution on the blessing of same-sex civil marriages cannot be divorced from this shared history  it was a cross-tikanga resolution, decades in the making. Indeed, had it not been for the extraordinary generosity and patience extended by Tikanga Maori (and Tikanga Polynesia) on this very matter, this province would be in a far less healthy state than it is today.

They add: We cannot recognise a Church as Anglican which does not encapsulate this 200 years of relationship and history.

Fundamentally, with respect and gratitude, it seems to us that your proposal has used our context and our story for wider purposes and does not understand or respect our history nor the consequences and responsibilities of our foundational and ongoing relationships.Express your opinion! Fill out this form to submit a Letter to the Editor.

SubmitAchyut Wagle holds PhD in economics and is currently a professor at the Kathmandu University School of Management. He is an econo-political analyst, writing for The Kathmandu Post for many years.The exhibition will be held at the Istanbul Expo Centre and Air Partner will be exhibiting at stand 211 in hall 10, within the German pavilion. Members of both the Istanbul and Cologne teams will be available to discuss Air Partners cargo services, extensive expertise and global freight network.

Air Partner opened its Turkish office in the Istanbul Ataturk Airport area in 2010 and has seen strong momentum since then. 2017 was a record year for the team, in which it handled approximately 400 freight charters and grew its business fourfold from the previous year. The summer was particularly busy, with the team arranging 74 flights over a period of 23 days on behalf of one client, transporting perishable food items from Istanbul to the Middle East.

This past year has seen continued momentum in the Istanbul office, including growth in its on-board courier business, with a number of new mandates with automotive and aerospace logistics companies. The team has also recently expanded with the appointment of Emre Sanisoglu, a logistics professional who has joined Air Partner from a multinational freight forwarding company. As well as Freight, the Air Partner Istanbul office offers all other Air Partner products, including group and private charter.

Across Air Partners global offices, the Freight team has had a busy first half of the financial year. The German team has appointed a new Freight Charter Sales Broker and Sales Manager. This summer saw the opening of a Los Angeles office, which will offer cargo services alongside private jet and group charter offerings. In its recent group results, the company announced Freight gross profit was up 36.4% for the six months to July 2018.

Mike Hill, director of freight at Air Partner, commented: Despite phases of economic turbulence, Air Partner has remained a constant and reliable partner to the freight forwarders in the Turkish market. Our professional reputation has been forged by eight years of successful trading and a loyal client base, who value our competitive charter solutions and attention to detail. We are looking forward to deepening our relationships with new and existing clients at Logitrans Turkey 2018.Deuba under fire from rival faction leaders

Nepali Congress President is under fire from his rival leaders in the party for hisdecision to appoint Bijay Kumar Gachhadar as a partys vice president without consulting the matter with the central committee members.Do it yourself if you can We accept  in principle  that private equity can deliver (somewhat) excess returns over most other asset classes. But there are a lot of qualifications attached to that, and most of them are very relevant to whether and how pension funds should invest in private equity.Submit An Obituary

Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.

Go to formFearing backlash, Cabinet keeps key decisions to itself

In what echoed the harrowing days of the authoritarian Panchayat era, the government on Sunday night refused to reveal the decisions made by the Council of Ministers, which has been widely criticised as an attempt to curb the peoples right to information.A 69-year-old Dutchman has kicked off a legal battle to slash 20 years off his age.

Emile Ratelband said that he feels like his mind and body is just 40 or 45 years of age, according to The Washington Post. He told a court in his hometown of Arnhem in the Netherlands that he wants his birth certificate to reflect a birth date of 11 March 1969 instead of 11 March 1949, The Guardian reported.

The self-styled positivity guru said that the request is no different from asking to change his name or gender. It is a question of free will, he said.Warwick has significant expertise in corporate law, managed funds, financial services regulation and equity capital markets, including mergers and acquisitions, capital raisings and ASX listings, corporate restructuring, listed and unlisted managed investment schemes, real estate investment trusts (REITS) and the regulation and conduct of financial markets, Keypoint Law said.

Jamieson moves to the firm from his own boutique firm, Jamieson Legal, where he provided legal advice on venture capital, M&A, funds, finance, and cross-border matters. He also previously worked as a lawyer at Philips Fox and Colin Biggers & Paisley, and as a foreign attorney in top-tier Japanese firm Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu. He was also group general counsel of New City Corporation, a major real estate investment and fund-management firm in Japan.

He brings to the firm more than 20 years of experience across corporate finance, structured finance, funds, insurance, and corporate law matters in Australia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and South Korea.

Phil and Warwick have worked closely together in their previous roles on a number of fund structuring and capital raising transactions both in Australia and across the Asia region. The duo intend to continue to collaborate closely at Keypoint to deliver outstanding results for clients across the full spectrum of corporate, capital raising and funds-management transactions, the firm said.

Warren Kalinko, Keypoint Law chief executive, said that both of the new consulting principals, are outstanding senior lawyers with exceptional reputations who bring a wealth of experience and expertise that will undoubtedly contribute to the continued growth of our corporate and capital markets practice.A former senior associate of Ropes & Gray has returned to the firm as partner after gaining invaluable experience in a senior in-house role.

Eric Y. Wu rejoins the firm from pharma-giant Johnson & Johnson where he served as Asia Pacific M&A Regional Counsel and head of legal for the companys Asia Pacific Innovation Center.

Its an honor to be able to offer Ropes & Grays clients my perspective on an array of life sciences issues, having now served in-house at a leading company and been responsible for covering its business development and innovation activities across the Asia Pacific region, Mr. Wu saidICE

SUV

Another strong point of the eco-friendly crossover is packaging. Because the lithium-ion battery is located under the rear bench, both the hybrid and-powered RAV4 have similar luggage space. " All-new RAV4 will offer even greater appeal for people looking to re-energize in comfort and luxury, whether on the everyday commute or while enjoying weekend trips away," said Sean Hanley, vice-president of sales and marketing at Toyota of Australia.Customers who prefer the 2.5-liter four-cylinder with the eight-speed automatic transmission are treated to Toyota s dynamic torque vectoring system, which is set up to provide up to 50 percent of the available torque to the rear wheels. Independent couplings on the output shafts also enable the distribution of torque between the left and right wheels, translating to more stability and responsiveness when cornering.The Recreational Active Vehicle Four-wheel drive dates back to 1994, and looking back, the compact crossover is credited with creating and popularizing this automotive segment. Cumulative sales across four generations have surpassed 8.1 million vehicles, and as far as 2017 is concerned, the RAV4 was the worlds best-sellingFor the fifth generation, Toyota went all out in regard to exterior styling. Better still, the cabin is much plusher than before and the TNGA-K vehicle architecture provides 57 percent more rigidity than the previous RAV4.Going on sale in the United States for the 2019 model year this winter, the RAV4 will ship as standard with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 and Entune 3.0 with Wi-Fi Connect powered by Verizon. Amazon Alexa and Apple CarPlay compatibility are also standard.Photos from the scene of the accident are included at the bottom of the page, together with the message from the Howell Township Police Department. The incident happened in Howell, Michigan, as the driver, Melissa Misthal, was driving in her 2004 Toyota RAV4 Misthal saw the deer and did her best to avoid hitting it, but she wasnt successful. She hit the animal while it was airborne and it went through her windshield and roof, landing in the backseat. The impact was very strong, killing the animal at once. It also injured the driver, but not seriously.After the collision and despite the damage, her being injured and not knowing if the deer was still alive, Melissa had the composure of bringing her vehicle to a safe stop in the shoulder of the roadway. Melissa was treated at the scene for her minor injury, the announcement from the police reads.Many other drivers would have probably lost their cool  and with it, control of the car. This one didnt, and shes setting a worthy example with it.We praise the actions of Melissa, the police say. This had the potential of being deadly not only for her but for other motorists as well. She did everything right. Would you have done the same? Be an alert and prepared motorist!Police warn that, with the number of wildlife-caused crashes increasing, the first priority for the driver should be to limit the extent of the damage caused and spare human life. If that means killing the animal, so be it, as long as the drivers maintain control of the car and avoid further crashes.Five held over the rape and murder of girl, 12

Police on Monday arrested five persons for their alleged involvement in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Rautamai Rural Municipality-3 of Udayapur district.ICE

Le Conseil metropolitain adopte le projet de mise en place dune Zone a Faibles Emissions a linterieur de lA86 a compter du 1er juillet 2019 pour les vehicules classes CritAir 5 et non classes #qualitedelair #qualitedevie #mieuxrespirer #mieuxvivre pic.twitter.com/4D4LMIGXnt  Metropole du Grand Paris (@GrandParisMGP) 12 noiembrie 2018

The ban targets all diesel cars that are at least 20 years of age, meaning up to the model year 2001. These vehicles will be denied access from Paris and 79 municipalities enclosed by the A86 ring road as of next summer.The Metropolis of Greater Paris has decided on Monday, November 12 to ban the circulation of vehicles class Crit'Air 5 (diesel 20 years of age) inside the A86 ring as of July 1, 2019, the city said in a Twitter post.According to French publication Le Figaro , there are some 800,000 cars targeted by the decision, and possibly an equal number of car owners. Local officials did not yet detail what is to become of the cars, but is to be expected that some type of trade-in scheme for those affected will be put in place.In Europe, Paris is at the forefront of the war against pollution coming from cars. After the ban for pre-2000 diesel vehicles comes into effect next year, another one, targeting diesels registered between 2001 and 2004, will come into effect in 2021.The following year, diesel registered between 2006 and 2010 will be next, followed for a full ban on diesel cars, regardless of model year, from 2025. The official plan calls for gasoline-engined cars to come next, as Paris intends to become an-free city from 2030.Aside for France in general and Paris in particular, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Greece have also announced steps to phase out diesel cars. Of them, Greece, which plans to enforce a ban on diesel starting 2025, had such a rule in place in Athens and Thessaloniki up until 2011.Hit by economic and debt crisis, the Greeks gave up on the idea in an attempt to save the local auto market.Technically, the Strada/Triton/L200 is something we refer to as a facelift, a mid-cycle model change, or a minor change (ironic as that may sound) because it's still the same generation as the current pick-up from Mitsubishi, albeit with a big update in styling. The chassis is the same, the engine choices are the same, and the architecture of the body is the same.

By now, you've been reading a lot about the world premiere of the new Mitsubishi Triton, a pick-up that we know in the Philippines as the Strada (high-grade) and L200 (entry-grade).

So, apart from the styling, what exactly is new with the Strada? We thought we'd answer that question for you as straight-up as we can.

Mind you, the models during the global launch were Thai and Australian-spec units, and may not be exactly the same as the ones we will get in the Philippines.

1. New and interesting colors

Apart from the standard colors, the Triton/Strada will have three special colors, chief of which is White Diamond; their communication color that will presumably be on the promotional material (i.e. brochures). The other two colors are Graphite Gray and Passion Orange.

If that last one sounded familiar, it was the same name used by Honda for the 1998-2001 Civic SiR sedan that was sold in the Philippines.

2. Advanced Safety Features

Safety is Mitsubishi's priority, so they fitted the Strada with some advanced safety equipment such as Blind Spot Warning, Lane Change Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Hill Descent Control, and more.



To assuage customers that the Strada is safe, Mitsubishi has added the same suite of features that would serve as a deterrent against these claims of supposed sudden unintended acceleration (SUA). Things like Forward Collision Mitigation and Ultrasonic Mis-acceleration Mitigation System are equipped for the high grade models.

3. Multi Around Monitor

Mitsubishi fitted the Triton/Strada with a new feature called the Multi Around Monitor; a system that generates a virtual bird's eye view of the ground around the truck on the screen using cameras on the side mirrors, the tailgate, and the front bumper. The benefit is obvious: it will help make very unlikely for you to scratch the body or those bigger wheels.



The name for this feature is unusual, but the function bears some marked similarities to a system used by Nissan: the Around View Monitor. The reason for that is because Mitsubishi has acquired the system from the same supplier of Nissan; one of the executives said the supplier was Clarion.





4. Automatic High Beam

Given the similarity of the Strada's new front face to the Xpander, we half expected that the headlights will be on the bumper, with the sharper upper light fixtures becoming just position lamps. But as explained by the Strada's designer, that's not the case. The headlights are mounted on the conventional spot with DRLs, while the lights on the bumper itself are the fog lamps and turn signals.

Isn't it annoying when you're driving long distances at night using your high beams, only to have to keep switching (or dipping) to low beams every time another car comes by?

Mitsubishi has addressed that problem: they used sensors to make headlight dipping automatic. As you drive, the Strada will sense if there's an oncoming vehicle at night, and then dip the high beams so you don't dazzle the other driver. It will also dip if you come up behind another vehicle.

The simplicity is what we like, along with the safety and convenience it offers.

5. New 6-speed Automatic

The most major mechanical change with the Strada/Triton has to be the automatic gearbox. The current model has a 5-speed automatic, but the new 2019 Strada/Triton will get a 6-speed automatic. As before, the manual gearbox will be the 6-speed.

We're actually curious why Mitsubishi didn't opt for the more advanced 8-speed auto in the Montero Sport/Pajero Sport given that they share engines and all, but the 6-speed upgrade should be a welcome one.

6. Extra convenience features

Mitsubishi made some upgrades to the Strada/Triton in terms of overall convenience. They added grab handles on the B-pillars so passengers can more easily get into rear bench of the high-riding truck.

More importantly, there were some clear upgrades in terms of smartphone (or mobile) convenience. The compartment just forward of the gear selector is now a smartphone tray, while the back of the center console box was also reshaped for that purpose, along with the addition of USB ports.

7. Bigger front brakes and calipers

A major mechanical upgrade was made to the front brakes, as both the brake discs and calipers have been enhanced. The ventilated front discs are larger and so are the two piston calipers.

Such upgrades should result in profound improvements in braking performance and heat control.

8. Upgraded rear suspension

Mitsubishi have upgraded the suspension at the back to improve the overall ride comfort and handling. The dampers (shock absorbers) are of a larger diameter, though the engineers at the event didn't specify by how much. Regardless, the larger dampers would hold more oil, and aid in absorption, among others.

The engineers also mentioned that the leaf springs have been retuned to give a better ride.





9. Smarter 4WD system

One feature that Mitsubishi was highlighting was the upgrade to the four-wheel drive system of the Strada, particularly the electronics. The 4WD system now has a function that allows the driver to select the kind of terrain the Strada/Triton will be taken on, and will optimize the drive settings to match the surface.

Drivers can pick between four distinct settings: (a) gravel, (b) mud and snow, (c) sand, and (d) rock. Rock mode can only be activated in 4LLc, the slower equivalent of 4WD low range.

10. Ceiling-mounted Air Circulator

A new feature is something that rather baffled us: a ceiling-mounted blower that takes in air from the front A/C vents, and sends it to the back. This feature is similar to the ones found on 7-seater MPVs to be able to cool the rear portion of the cabin more quickly, but we found it odd for a double cab pick-up with a small cabin

The system found in the high grade versions of the Strada/Triton does not mean that the vehicle has a dual airconditioning system; you have to point one of the A/C vents from the dashboard at it, and the blower simply forwards it to the back row. Still, it should be a big help on a warm day for the rear passengers.

The important part to note here is that not all of these features may make it to the Strada the Philippine market will eventually get. The spec sheet is not yet final, as is the release date, and other details.Boeing kept airlines and pilots in the dark about an automated background trim system on the 737 MAX that may be implicated in the first crash of the new model in Indonesia last month. The trim system, which is meant to improve pitch characteristics and stall protection, wasnt even described in any of the documentation provided to pilots transitioning to the new aircraft.

Lion Air JT610, a new MAX8 with only about 800 hours on the airframe, plunged into the Java Sea off Jakarta on Oct. 29, killing all 189 people aboard. Prior to the crash, the aircraft flew through repeated pitch, airspeed and vertical speed excursions before diving almost directly into the water about 12 minutes after takeoff.

According to sources at two airlines operating the MAX series, the system in question is called Maneuvering Characteristic Augmentation (MCAS) and is intended to improve pitch response at high angles of attack. It was added to the MAX models partly because the aircraft has heavier engines than the previous 737 NG models and the airplanes center of gravity is biased more forward.

MCAS is activated without pilot input and would typically come alive in steep turns with high load factors, but only when the airplane is being flown manually. According to a minimal description provided to AVweb, MCAS operates only in flaps-up flight and is inhibited in any other configuration. MCAS intervenes at a threshold angle of attack and automatically trims nose down at a rate of 0.27 degrees per second to a maximum of 2.5 degrees. Stabilizer input is lower at high Mach numbers, but more aggressive at low Mach. The Wall Street Journal said Boeing didnt disclose MCAS details to cockpit crews because it was worried about overwhelming them with more technical detail than needed or could digest. Boeing also said pilots were unlikely to encounter MCAS intervention during their normal flying.

Pilots trained on the MAX werent given even minimal briefings on MCAS, according to an interview with Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association published in the Seattle Times early Tuesday. We do not like the fact that a new system was put on the aircraft and wasnt disclosed to anyone or put in the manuals, Weaks told the Times. And both Boeing and the FAA have warned that the system may not be performing as its supposed to.

American Airlines, which also operates the MAX8, also provided its pilots with new documentation on MCAS hurriedly provided by Boeing after the Lion Air crash. Because MCAS relies on angle of attack data from the aircrafts vane-type sensor, one focus of the Lion Air investigation is on the AoA sensor itself, which appears to have been replaced as faulty prior to the accident. The aircraft also reportedly had a history of unreliable airspeed indications. Its unclear if the two are related to the accident or how they affect MCAS operation.

On the Pilots of America online forum, an American Airlines pilot posted an informational bulletin from a pilots association and added this: We had NO idea that this MCAS even existed. It was not mentioned in our manuals anywhere (until today). Everyone on the 737 had to go through differences training for the MAX and it was never mentioned there either.

Boeing said Monday that its working closely with investigators and taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this incident. Meanwhile, Indonesian investigators say they expect to release an initial report by the end of November.Image: Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

The Lone Star Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence and Innovation (LSUASC) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) announced that it has signed an agreement with Texas Nueces County to provide drone support in the event of natural disasters. During disaster situations, LSUASC says its unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drones) will be used for tasks such as assessing safe routes for first responders, along with gathering video data to evaluate damage to buildings and property.

Whether its another Hurricane Harvey or flooding because of rains in the watershed, with this agreement we will be able to help everyone get back on their feet and provide assistance when an emergency or disaster pops up, said LSUASC operations chief Tye Payne. This is a really big win, not just for the county and TAMU-CC but for all the people who live here.

The agreement allows the county to call on LSUASC UAS teams once an emergency is declared. It is valid for one year and will be renewed annually for up to five years. The university, which is one of seven FAA-recognized UAS test sites in the United States, has been sending UAS teams to assist with emergency response since 2015.Image: WACO Aircraft

WACO Aircraft Corporation has been acquired by Florida-based Dimor Group Inc. The acquisition also includes WACOs FBO and Part 145 maintenance facility, Centennial Aircraft Services, which is located at Michigans W. K. Kellogg Regional Airport (KBTL). According to WACO, Centennial will continue to provide maintenance, restoration and spare parts supply for its aircraft. Dimor says it plans to support current WACO aircraft and expand into reproducing other classic aircraft models.

We are very pleased with the acquisition of WACO by Dimor Group Inc., and we firmly believe they will be a good steward of the WACO tradition and brand, said WACO President Peter Bowers. We are looking forward to working together to build a great future for the company. Bowers will be staying in his position at WACO.

WACO Aircraft Corporation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan. The company, which was founded in 1983, manufactures biplanes based on classic designs from the 1920s and 30s. It produces the three-seat WACO YMF-5, which also comes in an amphibious version, and the fully aerobatic Great Lakes 2T-1A-2.

Dimor Group was established in 2018. Its services include buying, selling and renting aircraft, along with providing maintenance and repair services.The Trump administration is considering pressuring the Afghan government to postpone next year's presidential election as it seeks a peace deal with the Taliban to end the 17-year war, reports the Wall Street Journal, citing people briefed on the talks.

Why it matters: Some officials in Washington fear that voting irregularities and violence that routinely occur in Afghan elections could undermine or destroy the prospect of a peace deal. But this request would be a contentious move that runs counter to the long-held U.S. objective of promoting democracy in Afghanistan," and it could potentially create friction between both countries, the WSJ writes. President Ashraf Ghani has already come out against such a proposal.

The details: Kabul would need financial and military support from the U.S. if the election were delayed, but Afghan leaders are reportedly skeptical of American influence.

Ghani, whos expected to run for a second five-year term, recently said the April 20 vote will proceed as scheduled.

Ghanis spokesman told the WSJ: Continuity in a democratic process is a must, and any other proposal than the will of Afghans, which is outlined in our constitution, is simply not acceptable.

Go deeper:Amazon will split its HQ2 between Virginias National Landing and New Yorks Long Island City, with construction starting as soon as 2019 for new offices to house the 25,000 high-paid tech jobs each city will get. Nashville was also chosen for a new operations center and slated to receive 5,000 jobs.

Why it matters: Dozens of cities vied for the promise of new jobs, economic stimulus and the cachet of "tech hub." For the winners, the new Amazon headquarters came at a price: New York is giving Amazon $1.5 billion in tax credits and other incentives; Arlington is offering $573 million; and Nashville $102 million per the Washington Post.

Both cities for HQ2 fit the ideal of what Amazon asked for: business-friendly metropolitan areas with plenty of transportation options and room for real estate development.

In Virginia, what Amazon is calling National Landing, real estate firm JGB Smith agreed to give Amazon exclusive rights to lease space in its buildings and to buy its land holdings, according to Seeking Alpha.

Amazon will lease about 500,000 square feet of existing space at three different buildings and will purchase Pen Place and Met 6, 7, 8 land in JBG Smith's future development pipeline with estimated potential development density of up to 4.1 million square feet.

Locals are already complaining about the name of the newly branded neighborhood, now called "National Landing," per BuzzFeed.

Long Island City's plan will include a helipad. But the city isn't asking the company to help out with New York City's subway reconstruction, per Slate.

Amazon will instead fund projects in Queens including but not limited to streets, sidewalks, utility relocations, environmental remediation, public open space, transportation, schools and signage.

Citi is moving more than a third of its 3,000 employees from One Court Square in Long Island City to make room for Amazon, reports Seeking Alpha. Amazon will lease about 1 million square feet of office space in One Court Square.

The bottom line: Finalists that offered big incentive packages like Toronto, Maryland and New Jersey may have dodged a bullet. Since the announcement, public officials have been airing their grievances on the negative effects the e-commerce behemoth would have moving into their neighborhoods.

Go deeper:California's wildfire siege continues and may worsen Monday and Tuesday as thousands of firefighters continue to battle massive blazes up and down the state. Fanned by strong Santa Ana winds and taking advantage of near-record dry conditions, the fires are roaring into both neighborhoods and the record books.

The big picture: With at least 29 fatalities as of Monday morning, the Camp Fire has become the state's deadliest wildfire on record since 1933. With more than 200 people still missing, this wildfire, which all but destroyed the town of Paradise, about 90 miles north of Sacramento, is likely to overtake the Griffith Park Fire to become the state's deadliest such event on record.

It's already the state's most destructive fire, having consumed at least 6,713 structures, including more than 6,400 homes.

The latest: Another dry, warm and blustery day is forecast across California on Monday, with Santa Ana winds leading to "extremely critical" wildfire danger in areas affected by the Camp Fire and the Woolsey Fire, which is burning in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. The fire danger will remain at unusually high levels through at least Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The Woolsey Fire has burned 91,572 acres as of Monday morning and was 20% contained. It has destroyed an estimated 370 structures, killed at least 2 people, and forced the evacuation of the entire community of Malibu.

Nearly 2 dozen helicopters continuously dumped water and fire retardant on the blaze Sunday to protect more homes.

The broader context: Fire season is now running year-round in California, and studies show that warmer, more parched dry seasons that last longer into the fall are consistent with expectations from climate change. They are also a key part of what's elevating wildfire risk, according to researchers.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

The trends: California is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons on record, on the heels of a historic 2017. This year, the Golden State had its hottest month in state history and was scorched by the largest fire the state has ever recorded.

According to Aon Insurance meteorologist Steve Bowen, 7 of the 20 most destructive fires in the state have occurred since October 2017.

One of the biggest changes firefighters are having to contend with is an uptick in instances of extreme fire behavior, such as the massive EF-4 fire tornado that accompanied the Carr Fire in July.

Other data show stark trends, too:

At the regional level, Northern California has had its worst fire season on record this year, in terms of acres burned.

California has had one of its warmest and driest 6-month periods on record since 1895 (May through October), according to NOAA. Much of California has not seen measurable rain in months, and vegetation moisture levels are near all-time lows. This provides abundant "fuel" for fires to burn.

Longer-term climate change, land management practices and population growth are combining to cause increased wildfire risk in California, including in highly populated areas.

The bottom line: The 2018 fire season is a preview of what's to come as California continues to experience the effects of climate change, population growth and other trends that are raising wildfire risks year-round. Go deeper:French President Emmanuel Macron released an international agreement on cybersecurity principles Monday as part of the Paris Peace Forum. The original signatories included more than 50 nations, 130 private sector groups and 90 charitable groups and universities, but not the United States, Russia or China.

The big picture: The Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace is another step in the disjointed effort to create international norms and laws for cybersecurity and warfare. In most international matters of regulating the internet, there tends to be a wide split between the liberal Western order and authoritarian nations like Russia and China.

Details: The agreement does not command any specific legislation.

The principles include agreements to promote human rights on the internet, thwart election hacking, cease the theft of intellectual property via hacking and stop "malicious cyber activities in peacetime, notably the ones threatening or resulting in significant, indiscriminate or systemic harm to individuals." China, Russia and North Korea have each been accused of violating some or all of these in the past.

Private sector groups are tasked with having a unique responsibility in security.

It includes an endorsement of certain security measures, including basic security practices and responsible disclosure campaigns, allowing security researchers to alert organizations and governments to security vulnerabilities in their systems.

Key absentees from the agreement included the U.S. and Australia  two of the five nations in the powerful Five Eyes digital surveillance alliance. The others  the U.K., Canada and New Zealand  all signed.

Many restrictive regimes also did not sign on, including China, North Korea, Russia and Iran, who all have active cyber warfare programs, and Saudi Arabia, which does not.

Israel, which has a large domestic cybersecurity industry, also did not sign on.

But the signatories include two notable tech sector security agreements: the Microsoft-led Cybersecurity Tech Accord and the Siemens-led Charter of Trust.Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years.President Trump is seeking to remove Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen with "a replacement who will implement his [immigration] policy ideas with more alacrity," the Washington Post reports.

Between the lines: As Axios' Jonathan Swan reported in April, Nielsen has long been viewed as Trump's "immigration scapegoat" as she is often the one forced to shoot down his unvetted ideas on border security  which sometimes come from people outside the White House, including Fox News personalities. Nielsen was chosen for the job by Chief of Staff John Kelly, her predecessor at DHS, who WaPo reports is battling against her potential dismissal.President Emmanuel Macron seemed to many to be speaking for Europe, even the free world, when he denounced nationalism as the opposite of patriotism and the enemy of peace and morality as President Trump and Russias Vladimir Putin looked on. He wasnt.

Why it matters: Trumps antagonism toward Europe, and his immense unpopularity there, would seem to offer Macron the ideal foil as he seeks to shepherd the EU into a new consensus that security threats from the likes of Russia, economic competition with giants like China and the unreliability of the U.S. necessitate a strong, unified Europe that can throw its collective weight around. But the nationalists on his own continent are undermining that vision  and they have a powerful friend in Washington.

The French might have been presumptuous, or a bit too clever, in seeing Trump only as an opportunity, Celia Belin, a former French diplomat now at Brookings, tells me. It comes with a cost. The cost being the division of Europe.

The divisions arent just ideological. Erik Brattberg of the Carnegie Endowment points out that Macron can have a divisive effect when he criticizes Trump  or infuriates him by framing his proposed EU army as a counterweight to the U.S.  because many countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, view the U.S. security relationship as an existential issue.

The big picture: Saturdays remarks were part of what Macron sees as a battle for the soul of Europe with nationalists like Hungarys Viktor Orban and Italys Matteo Salvini. And it's increasingly clear that, on that front, Trump is far from an ally.

The only European country Trump praised in Septembers UN General Assembly address was Poland, which he said was fighting for sovereignty. Poland was also fighting the European Commission, which a day earlier had formally accused it of undermining the independence of the judiciary.

One senior Western European diplomat recently grumbled that the only European ambassadors in town who can get a meeting at the White House are from Poland, Hungary and Italy.

Belin says Trumps clear favoritism for those countries can exacerbate the divisions between them and Brussels, or Paris.

Macron knows that the more he tries to pull the EU together, the more he pushes some members away, and the more he risks isolating himself. He may, therefore, press pause on the most ambitious aspects of his European agenda.

The bottom line: Macron wants to be a strong leader that Trump disagrees with but respects for being strong, Belin says. He doesnt simply want to stand against Trump, alone.Last week's election turnout was the highest for a midterm election in 104 years, according to figures compiled by lobbyist Bruce Mehlman. But it was still fewer than half of all eligible voters  and it looks less impressive when you compare it to other countries.

Why it matters: With all the energy that went into this election, it shows how hard it is to reach everyone else who's eligible to vote. Presidential elections are always higher, but 2016 wasn't high enough to make a big difference compared to other countries' turnouts. Anyway, take that, Switzerland.1 big thing: Into the older era

The developed world is aging  in the coming decades, the U.S., Europe and nations across Asia will have hundreds of millions more people who are 60 and older.

Much of this coming avalanche of senior citizens won't be playing pinochle at retirement homes.

Instead, if technology optimists are correct that advanced economies will continue to need massive numbers of workers despite automation, hiring will continue to be tight.

Because they have the most experience, older employees are going to be in huge demand and will work a decade and perhaps longer past 65.

Why it matters: Few companies appear to have made the mental shift to accepting that they need to retain and continue to promote older workers rather than letting them go, according to a recent survey.

Neither has public policy caught up with the aging society, which, unless adjustments are made, will swamp programs like Medicare and Social Security.

Bias runs deep : Across society and business, it's assumed that older workers are less mentally capable, less agile technologically and overall less desirable for hiring and retention than someone younger.

: Across society and business, it's assumed that older workers are less mentally capable, less agile technologically and overall less desirable for hiring and retention than someone younger. " Our society should be ageless," Paul Irving, chairman of the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, tells Axios.

be ageless," Paul Irving, chairman of the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, tells Axios. "This is one of the great challenges of the 21st century  everything will change because of this. And the society that gets it right will be the winners," he says.

Irving wrote about the situation in a new piece for the Harvard Business Review.

What's happening:

The U.S. and other advanced countries are aging : In a little over 15 years, U.S. retirees will outnumber people 18 and under  the first time this has happened in U.S. history.

: In a little over 15 years, U.S. retirees will outnumber people 18 and under  the first time this has happened in U.S. history. And so is the workforce : In just six years, people 55 and older will be 25% of the workforce, double from 12% in 1994.

: In just six years, people 55 and older will be 25% of the workforce, double from 12% in 1994. They are also shrinking: The population of most advanced countries is falling because of lower birth rates and a falloff in immigration.

These are long-range trends: The aging of American society and the workforce will not reverse after boomers are gone  Gen Xers and millennials will continue the shift once they reach 65.

One big fact: Keeping older workers on the job is a potential part of the solution to the social system crisis, as they would continue paying into the social security system.

But embracing older workers will create new problems:Jerome Corsi, a political commentator who was recently subpoenaed to testify in Robert Muellers Russia investigation  told ABC News on Monday that hes expecting an indictment from the special counsel soon.

I dont know what theyre going to charge me with.  I think my only crime was that I support Donald Trump. That's my crime, and now I'm going to go to prison for the rest of my life for cooperating with them.

Details: Corsi was a prominent figure behind the birther conspiracy, which falsely claimed President Obama was born outside the U.S. He has connections to former Trump adviser Roger Stone Jr.More than 90% of the 3.5 million federal workers received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by Monday, the deadline set by President Biden in September, a senior administration official told Axios.

Why it matters: The official said the administration hopes that private businesses can use the federal government's worker vaccine mandate as an example to implement their own requirements for workers.President Trump, during his Tuesday morning Twitter tirade against France and its president, Emmanuel Macron, called out the country for charging tariffs on U.S. wine.

"On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!"

The big picture: The European Union's import tariff on U.S. wine ranges from $0.11 to $0.29 per 750mL bottle, according to the California-based Wine Institute. The U.S., meanwhile, charges, between $0.05 and $0.14. Trump has long been critical of the EU's trade policies, and views potential auto tariffs as his best leverage in getting a fair trade deal.Armenia is pressing ahead with plans to deploy military doctors and demining experts in Syria, Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan said on Monday.

Tonoyan told reporters that the Armenian military and other relevant parties are now completing memorandum-related procedures required for such a deployment.

It could be done very quickly, he said in comments cited by the Armenpress news agency. It could happen before the end of this year or early next year.

The group is fully prepared, it can leave [for Syria] immediately after that process is complete, he added.

Yerevans plans to launch a humanitarian mission in Syria were first announced by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian following his September 8 talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tonoyan clarified afterwards that the Armenian contingent will include about 100 medics, sappers and other military personnel tasked with protecting them.

According to one of Tonoyans deputies, Gabriel Balayan, they will be primarily helping civilians in the war-ravaged city of Aleppo. Balayan told RFE/RLs Armenian service on September 11 that the deployment will be carried out at the request of the Syrian government.

John Bolton, U.S. President Donald Trumps national security adviser, discussed the issue with Pashinian and Tonoyan when he visited Yerevan on October 25.

The prime minister said this was not going to be military assistance, it would be purely humanitarian, Bolton said after the talks. I think thats important. It would be a mistake for anybody else to get involved militarily in the Syrian conflict at the moment.

Russia has been trying to legitimize its strong military presence in Syria, criticized by the West, by getting other countries to also deploy troops there. A top Russian military official said in August 2017 Armenia and Serbia are ready to join a multinational coalition which Moscow hoped would help its soldiers clear landmines.

The former Armenian government seemed reluctant to commit troops for such a mission. Speaking at the UN General Assembly in September 2017, then President Serzh Sarkisian said Armenian deployment in Syria requires a UN mandate.

An estimated 80,000 ethnic Armenians lived in Syria and Aleppo in particular before the outbreak of the bloody civil war there in 2011. Most of them have since fled the country. Thousands of Syrian Armenians have taken refuge in Armenia.Armenia on Tuesday denounced Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for objecting, at a meeting with an Azerbaijani official, to its efforts to install another Armenian secretary general of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Russia and five other ex-Soviet states making up the alliance agreed in 2015 that their representatives will take turns to run the organization on a rotating basis. They appointed Armenias Yuri Khachaturov as CSTO secretary general in 2017.

The new Armenian government cut shot Khachaturovs three-year tour of duty after he was controversially charged in July in connection with the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan. It hoped that another Armenian official will be allowed to replace Khachaturov and run the CSTO until 2020.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian insisted on that at a CSTO summit held in Kazakhstans capital Astana on November 8. Lukashenko as well as Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev demanded, however, that a representative of Belarus be named as new head of the CSTO.

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly proposed a compromise solution that would see the CSTOs acting secretary general, Valery Semerikov, retain his position in the interim.

The CSTO leaders said they will again try to reach consensus on the issue when they meet again in Saint Petersburg, Russia on December 6.

Lukashenko made a point of reaffirming his position when he met on Monday with a senior diplomat from Azerbaijan, a country which is at war with Armenia and not part of the CSTO. He noted another Russian-led bloc, the Eurasian Economic Union, is also run by an Armenian.

This is a very heavy burden for a country which is going through a period of transition, added Lukashenko. Can Armenia carry that burden?

Lukashenkos comments raised eyebrows in Yerevan. Local politicians and commentators believe he deliberately made them at a meeting with Azerbaijans ambassador in Minsk in order to add insult to injury.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalian, also criticized the remarks. Armenia regards the CSTO as a platform for discussions on the collective security agenda applying to six states  This development highlights the need for the CSTO to sort out issues within itself, and as regards this situation, I must point out that it is not correct after all, she told reporters.

Lukashenko has never made his secret of his warm rapport with Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev. The long-serving Belarusian leader underlined it at Mondays meeting with the Azerbaijani diplomat, saying that all of his agreements with Aliyev are sacred for him.

In particular, Belarus has been a major supplier of weapons to Azerbaijan. Those include Belarusian-made Polonez missiles that have a firing range of 200 kilometers. The Azerbaijani military apparently acquired them early this year.

In early 2017, Lukashenko also sparked a bitter diplomatic row with Yerevan after ordering Belarusian law-enforcement authorities to arrest and hand over to Azerbaijan a Russian-Israeli blogger who had repeatedly visited Nagorno-Karabakh without Bakus permission.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned the move and implicitly branded Belarus a dictatorship. Senior Armenian lawmakers launched even more scathing attacks on Lukashenko at the time.The outgoing National Assembly began debating on Tuesday the Armenian governments draft budget for next year which would increase public spending by over 12 percent but keep public sector salaries and pensions largely unchanged.

The proposed budget calls for 1.64 trillion drams ($3.4 billion) in total expenditures and 1.49 trillion drams in tax and other revenues. This would further cut the budget deficit projected to fall to 2.7 percent of GDP this year.

Much of the extra spending planned by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians cabinet is to be channeled into defense and infrastructure projects.

In particular, Armenias military spending would soar by 25 percent, to 309 billion drams ($633 million), in 2019. The defense budget has already increased by 18 percent this year, reflecting a continuing arms race with Azerbaijan.

By comparison, the government is planning to spend 444 billion drams on social programs, 139 billion drams on education and 90 billion drams on healthcare. It envisages pay rises only for 14,000 or so doctors and other medical personnel working in state-run policlinics.

Presenting the spending bill to lawmakers, Pashinian defended the governments decision not to raise the salaries of other public sector employees as well as pensions and poverty benefits. He attributed it to a lack of state revenue and economic realities inherited from the previous government.

In that regard, Pashinian, whose party is widely expected to win snap general elections scheduled for December 9, promised wide-ranging tax cuts which he said will boost the real incomes of hundreds of thousands of Armenians. He said his government is specifically planning to introduce a flat 23 percent tax rate for all workers.

The promised tax cuts would primarily benefit relative high earners. The income tax rate is currently at 28 percent for monthly wages ranging from 150,000 to 2 million drams ($310-$4,150) and at 36 percent for higher incomes.

For his part, Finance Minister Atom Janjughazian stressed the need to maintain fiscal discipline and prevent a further sharp rise in the Armenian public debt which is approaching the $7 billion mark. The draft budget sets aside as much as $730 million for debt servicing in 2019.

The budgetary targets are based on a GDP growth rate of at least 4.9 percent expected by Pashinians government. The Armenian economy grew by 7.5 percent in 2017. According to most recent government projections, economic growth in the country will not exceed 6 percent this year.Hedge fund delay threatens hydropower projects

The governments inability to establish hedge fund, an insurance-like mechanism to cover the exchange rate risk, is affecting the progress of hydropower projects backed by foreign debt.The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) officially launched on Tuesday its observation mission for snap parliamentary elections that will be held in Armenia next month.

The mission is led by Urszula Gacek, a former Polish parliamentarian and diplomat. It will initially consist of 13 election experts from the OSCEs Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). They will be joined soon by 24 long-term election observers to be deployed by the ODIHR in various parts of Armenia.

The Warsaw-based body will then ask OSCE member states to provide some 250 short-term observers who will monitor voting and ballot counting in polling stations across the country on election day.

As was the case in just about every major Armenian election held in the past, the OSCE mission will first evaluate the conduct of the December 9 vote jointly with other monitors representing the European Parliament and the Council of Europe. Their findings will be critical for the international legitimacy of the polls resulting from last springs mass protests that brought down Armenias previous government.

Gacek insisted that the dramatic regime change, widely describe as a democratic velvet revolution, will not prejudge the OSCEs assessment of the upcoming elections.

We come with no preconceived ideas of how this election will be conducted, she told a news conference in Yerevan. We will use the same standards and approaches that were used in the previous elections.

Observers deployed by the OSCE and other pan-European structures gave a mixed assessment of Armenias last parliamentary elections held in April 2017. They cited credible information about vote-buying and pressure on civil servants and employees of private companies but reported no significant instances of multiple voting. They also said that the Armenian authorities generally respected fundamental freedoms during the election campaign.

Armenias current government and law-enforcement bodies have pledged to prevent vote buying and other types of serious fraud. They essentially managed to do that in recent municipal elections in Yerevan.The government signed on Tuesday a revised agreement with an Italian company planning to build a new thermal power plant in Yerevan that will further diversify foreign ownership in Armenias energy sector.

The company, Renco S.p.A, supposedly launched the $250 million project with a ground-breaking ceremony in March 2017 attended by then President Serzh Sarkisian. The start of the construction was apparently delayed for unknown reasons, however.

Armenias current government froze Rencos contract with the Sarkisian administration shortly after taking office in May. It said the deal is not beneficial for the Armenian side and must be renegotiated.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said last week that the government had a problem with the cost of electricity to be generated by the new 250-megawatt plant and purchased by the Armenian state.

We thought that the price offered by them is inflated and as a result of negotiations that price was cut, Pashinian told his cabinet as it gave the green for the revised deal with Renco.

The deal was signed by Armenian Energy Minister Garegin Baghramian and Rencos chief executive, Giovanni Rubini.

Speaking at an ensuing news conference, Baghramian said that the Italian firm agreed to cut its electricity tariff by 5 percent. That, he said, will allow Armenia to save $160 million in energy expenses over the next 25 years.

Baghramian also stressed that Rencos electricity will be cheaper than power supplies coming from two other gas-powered plants that currently meet roughly one-third of the countrys energy needs.

One of those plants was built in Yerevan in 2010 with a $247 million loan provided by Japans government. The other, more powerful facility is located in the central town of Hrazdan and owned by Russias Gazprom giant.

Rubini told reporters that his company is keen to start building the new plant as soon as possible. But neither he nor other officials present at the signing ceremony gave any concrete dates. They said only that the construction will take just over two years.

Renco has done business in Armenia since the early 2000s. It has not been involved in the local energy sector until now, investing instead in luxury housing, hotels and office buildings. But the company has built, installed or operated power generation and distribution facilities in other parts of the world.AHK Azerbaijan organises a business delegation trip to trade fair Z and Intec in Leipzig on 4-7 February 2019.

On 5-8 February 2019, the trade fair Z and Intec - the flagship of Saxonys industry trade fairs - will take place in Leipzig, Germany.

On this occasion, the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) organises a business delegation trip to the Z and Intec Trade Fair on 4-7 February 2019 for high-level representatives of Azerbaijani organisations and enterprises operating in Machine and Tool Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering industries within the framework of the Industry-Specific Sales Promotion Tool (BBA).

The project is funded by the Saxon State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport (SMWA), coordinated by the Saxony Economic Development Corporation (WFS) and implemented in cooperation with the AHK Azerbaijan.

The BBA-project programme includes a visit to the trade fair, participation at the workshops, site visits and matchmaking opportunities with the selected enterprises from Saxony as well as informal discussions and cultural events. The aim of the delegation trip is to bring together Azerbaijani and Saxon companies with similar business profiles and to facilitate bilateral business cooperation.

The participation is free of charge. The communication language throughout the delegation trip will be primarily Russian. The BBA-project of the Free State of Saxony covers costs for the organisation of the welcoming event, matchmaking with German enterprises, site visits within Saxony as well as translation services during the group programme.

Costs for flights, accommodation in Saxony and Visa are to be covered by the participants themselves. The AHK Azerbaijan offers its support to the participants in the purchase of flight tickets, hotel reservation and visa issues.

The representatives of Azerbaijani organisation and enterprises can register online through the registration link. The registration deadline is 30 November 2018.

Contact person for Delegation Trip:

Mrs Aygun Seyidova

E-mail: [email protected]

Tel: +99412 4976306/07

Contact person for Media:

Mrs Gunay Mirzayeva

E-mail: [email protected]

Tel: +99412 4976306/07

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Leman Mammadova

Economic relations between Azerbaijan and South Korea continue to expand.

An Azerbaijani-South Korean business meeting will be held in Baku on November 20, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said in a message.

Representatives of three Korean companies, namely, GS Global Corporation, BHI LTD and GV International, operating in the energy sector, construction sector, engaged in the production of oil and gas boilers, heating systems, construction of thermal power plants, will attend the meeting.By Trend

Azerbaijan and Slovakia have big opportunities for trade and human potential, which creates a reliable basis for cooperation, Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini told reporters in Baku on Nov. 13.

He said that the priority and promising areas for cooperation are alternative energy, the automotive, chemical and mining industries.

But economic cooperation cannot be limited only to these spheres, he added.

Pellegrini said that he is very glad that among the Slovak companies which present here there are also the companies which work in the field of innovative technologies and other spheres.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Slovakia for nine months of 2018 exceeded $20 million. Almost the entire volume of trade turnover with this country accounted for import of Slovak products.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Laman Ismayilova

A press conference was held ahead of the 9th START International Festival of Short Films.

Chairman of the START International Festival, honored art worker Ayaz Salayev, chairman of the jury of the national festival program, theater and film director Mirbala Salimli, senior advisor of the department cinema at the Ministry of Culture Almaz Sultanzade attended the press conference, Trend Life reported.

Addressing the event, the head of the START International Festival of Short Films, film producer Fehruz Shamiyev stressed that Iranian drama film "Three Faces" will be screened as part of the festival.

He noted that the director of the film "Three Faces" is an Iranian director, of Azerbaijani origin, Jafar Panahi, and sixty percent of the film is in Azerbaijani. The film will be shown at CinemaPlus in Ganjlik Mall on November 16.

Ayaz Salayev expressed gratitude to the festival organizers, stressing that its holding is important for the development of the cinema sphere in the country.

Almaz Sultanzade told that this year 490 films from 45 countries of the world were sent to participate in the festival.

"It is gratifying that 490 films are presented at the festival - this is the result that was achieved thanks to the hard and fruitful work of the festival's organizing committee," she said.

By the decision of the selection committee, 100 films from 30 countries are included in the main program of the festival. About 72 films (41 - feature films, 15 - documentaries, 11 - animation, 5 - experimental) are included in the international competition program and 28 films (17 feature films, 8 - documentary, 3 - animation) - in the national program.

"The format of the works presented at the festival is one of my favorites. It seems to me that short films are interesting and turn into a favorite film format among the audience," Mirbala Salimli told journalists.

The 9th START International Festival of Short Films will be held in Baku on November 14-17.

The slogan of the festival is "It is better to watch a hundred films than to hear about them a hundred times."

The project aims to review and discuss films, identify the best of them, familiarize local specialists with international practice and new trends in cinema. The festival "START" creates an opportunity to establish links between local directors and their foreign colleagues.

The international festival is co-organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Cinema Center for Young Cinematographers, Azerbaijan Youth and the Producers Guild.

The first ever film contest "Cinemobil" will be held as part of the festival. Films taken on a mobile phone will take part in the contest. Only three films out of 15 are allowed to online voting.

Moreover, a pitching (presentation of a film project with a view to finding investors willing to finance this project) will be held as well. Only three film projects will be chosen among 10 works.

The Organizing Committee has also increased the number of nominations. Along with the nominations "Best Feature Film", "Best Documentary Film", "Best Animated Film", "Best Experimental Film", the winners will also be defined in such categories as "Best Director of a Feature Film", "Best Director of a Documentary Film", "Best Director of Animated Film", "Best Experimental Film Director".

Azerbaijani films will compete for the prize in the categories "Best Feature Film", "Best Documentary Film", "Best Animated Film", "Best Director", "Best Producer", "Best Screenplay", "Best Cameraman".

The works included in the international competition program of the festival will be evaluated by members of the international jury consisting of five people - Ayaz Salayev (Azerbaijan), Gulbara Tolomushova (Kyrgyzstan), Cambuzia Partovi (Iran), Tobias Buchner (Germany) and Zahra Badalbeyli (Azerbaijan).

In addition, a special program dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the Azerbaijani cinema, as well as master classes, discussions, etc. will also be held.

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Laman Ismayilova

Iranian drama film "Three Faces" will be presented as part of the 9th START International Festival of Short Films.

The film will be screened at CinemaPlus in Ganjlik Mall on November 14-17, Trend Life reported.

"Three Faces" is a 2018 Iranian drama film directed by Jafar Panahi and starring Behnaz Jafari and Panahi as themselves. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, Panahi and co-writer Nader Saeivar won the award for Best Screenplay.

The film is about Behnaz Jafari, a popular Iranian actress, who searches for a young girl in northwestern Iran with her friend Jafar Panahi, a director, after seeing a video of the girl asking for help to leave her conservative family.

"Three Faces" is Jafar Panahi's fourth film made under his 20-year filmmaking ban imposed by the Iranian government.

Ticket price is 5 AZN ($ 3 ). Other films participating in the festival program are free. Film screenings will be held at the cinema from 12:00 to 16:00.

The 9th START International Festival of Short Films will be held in Baku on November 14-17.

The project aims to review and discuss films, identify the best of them, familiarize local specialists with international practice and new trends in cinema. The festival "START" creates an opportunity to establish links between local directors and their foreign colleagues.

The international festival is co-organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Cinema Center for Young Cinematographers, Azerbaijan Youth and the Producers Guild, Trend Life reported.

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Armenians are promoting separatism not only in the South Caucasus region, but also in the world, head of the Institute for Human Rights of Azerbaijans National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Ph.D. in political sciences, associate professor Elshad Mirbashiroglu told Trend.

He said that on the initiative and with the support of the Armenian lobby, which exists in various countries, individual officials and businessmen repeatedly made illegal visits to the occupied Azerbaijani territories and tried to engage in certain activities there.

In general, both the Armenian diaspora organizations and the Armenian diplomatic corps openly contribute to the criminal activities of the invading Armenian state, he noted.

Recently, the foreign press has been spreading information that the Armenian ambassadors in various countries have links with the criminal world. One of them appeared in the German press. This information refers to the close ties of Armenian Ambassador to Germany Ashot Smbatyan with the Armenian criminals. In addition, information has been spreading about the links of Bundestag member Albert Weiler with criminal groups.

Mirbashiroglu added that namely these ties allowed Weiler to illegally visit the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia. While actively lobbying for occupier Armenia, Weiler sought to be included in the delegation of German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to Azerbaijan, Mirbashiroglu noted.

However, the Azerbaijani side prevented it, he added.

As a rule, those who visited the occupied Azerbaijani territories are persons who have ties with Armenian criminal groups, he said. This suggests that the image of Armenians as criminals continues to strengthen in various countries. There are already extensive discussions in the German media outlets about the criminal activities of Armenians and German citizens having ties with them.

From these discussions, it is clear that Armenian criminal groups are characterized in Germany as quite dangerous ones, he noted. These criminal groups, with which Armenian officials are also closely associated, are trying to harm the Azerbaijani-German relations. Organization of a trip of the Bundestag member to the occupied Azerbaijani territories can serve as an example.

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 us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

The dismissal of the Armenian representative from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was predictable, because after Nikol Pashinyan's coming to power, Yerevan is conducting an erroneous policy in many directions, Azerbaijani MP Tahir Rzayev told Trend on Nov. 13.

The MP said that according to the CSTO procedures and rotational rules, and following the alphabetical sequence until 2020, the position of secretary general was to be held by a representative of Armenia. However, according to the decision of the Collective Security Council, which is the highest body of the CSTO, the representative of Armenia, Yuri Khachaturov, was prematurely dismissed as the CSTO secretary general, Rzayev added.

Rzayev described this step as Armenia's failure at the CSTO Astana Summit.

The MP also noted that the CSTO is aware of the policy that Armenia pursues in relation to neighboring states.

"It is because of such a policy that Armenia is an extra burden and problem for the CSTO. In general, since the organization's establishment, there has been no other such state that caused so much damage to the CSTO as Armenia. And the fact that a criminal case was initiated against the CSTO secretary general without consulting with other member countries is the biggest disrespect to the charter of the structure," Rzayev stressed.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Laman Ismayilova

The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have launched a two-year initiative to improve access to quality education for children with disabilities by partnering with the Azerbaijani Ministry of Education.

The new partnership Initiative will provide opportunities for a number of children with disabilities to cope with the misconceptions and attitudes and let them to receive education at comprehensive schools in the country.

Azerbaijani Education Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that positive dynamics was observed in the field of education over the past five years since the adoption of "State Strategy for the Development of Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan".

The minister underlined that the quality of education has increased as a result of reforms implemented.

"It is clear to me that everyone has the right to receive inclusive education, to engage in training and lifelong learning to ensure that the knowledge and skills gained by everyone is sufficient to fully participate in public life," said Ambassador Kestutis Yankauskas, Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan.

In his speech, UNICEF Representative in Azerbaijan Edward Carwardine stressed that involvement of children with poor health in the quality education process has a very positive impact on their learning and development.

He noted that this is a misleading idea that such children are unable to play an active role in public life.

"We are pleased to work with the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Union in the implementation of an initiative that will allow children to have access to a greater number of healthcare opportunities, enabling them to access education," he said.

The Partnership Initiative, which started today, aims to develop teachers' skills to provide high-quality inclusive education in comprehensive schools and to create a network of resource and support centers for inclusive education in seven cities of the country - Baku, Sumgayit, Ganja, Guba, Sheki, Agjabedi and Gazakh, as well as to increase public attention and support to the issue of integration.

Within the framework of this initiative, about 1,300 teachers from the Pedagogical University, 100 in-service trainers and more than 300 teachers at the Pedagogical University have been trained in new curricula and teaching methodologies, as well as special training on social change and behavioural changes that are of great importance in the successful implementation of inclusive education in secondary schools.

In addition, more than 10,000 school teachers and directors are expected to benefit from inclusive education training programs.

Overall, the project aims to provide approximately 5,000 children with disabilities with education in general schools by 2020.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzNEPSEs new online platform full of glitches

As technical glitches at Nepals only capital market continue for the second consecutive day, the confidence of investors in the market has been shaken.By Trend

The main motto and direction of Azerbaijan is the development of human capital and there is hope that Azerbaijan will soon achieve growth and development in human capital, Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas said at the presentation of the project "Development of Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities" on Nov. 12.

Thanks to the cooperation within the project, a big number of children with disabilities will have the opportunity to receive education, Jankauskas said.

He noted that everyone has the right to participate in public life on the basis of the acquired knowledge and skills, to receive an inclusive education, to be involved in training.

Jankauskas stressed that each person can contribute to the creation of modern Azerbaijani society.

"Our main goal is to change attitudes towards children with disabilities. This is not an easy issue. We, as the European Union, will work together in this direction," Jankauskas added.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Laman Ismayilova

Eastern sycamore, or as it is also called, chinar, is considered one of the most perennial trees.

A symbol of endurance, pride and longevity, it can live up to 1000 years. However, residents of Kolair village of Samukh region are sure that this tree is one and a half thousand years old.

There's all sorts of legends and myths around this sycamore tree.

One of the legends says that the place where the village stands today was visited by the Holy Imam Ali (who was the first of the Shiite imams, the fourth righteous caliph, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed) who lived in the seventh century.

People believe that the trace from the hoof of his horse named Duldul has survived to the present day on the trunk of a plane tree. Over time, the tree began to be honored as sacred, pilgrims began to come to it, and the people began to call it, like the horse of Imam, Duldul.

According to another legend, Hazrat Ali visited Azerbaijan and tied his horse in the shade of this tree. Pilgrims make a wish, tie shawls, pieces of cloth to branches if their wish comes true. They come back here, and bring gifts.

Associate Professor of Azerbaijan State Agrarian University Arif Gaziyev spoke about the sycamore tree from a scientific point of view.In an interview with Sputnik Azerbaijan, he said that sycamore tree, whose Latin name is Platanus Orientalis, is really considered a long-liver.

"Chinar has always been distinguished by its forms, magnificent views. For our people, it has always been sacred, therefore it was considered a sin to burn or cut down. In the Ganja region, they call it "Khan" for its majestic and proud look," he noted.

After examining the diameter of its trunk, experts concluded that it is not one and a half thousand, but about 700-800 years old.

Platanus is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere.

They are often known in English as planes or plane trees. Some North American species are called sycamores.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Another regular plenary meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament starts today.

The agenda of the meeting, which will last three days (Nov. 13,14,15), includes 11 issues.

In particular, the bills "On the state budget of Azerbaijan for 2019", "On the budget of the relevant executive authority implementing social security and protection for 2019", "On the state budget of the Unemployment Insurance Fund for 2019", "On living wage in Azerbaijan for 2019", "On the need criteria in Azerbaijan for 2019" will be introduced for discussion, and as well as amendments to laws "On the estimated expenditures of the Parliament of Azerbaijan for 2019", "On the estimated expenses of the Accounts Chamber for 2019", and a bill about amendments in "Internal Charter of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan, approved by law 74-IQ of May 17, 1996", "On the rules of ethical behavior of a deputy of the Parliament of Azerbaijan", "On notary".

The revenues of the 2019 state budget of Azerbaijan are projected at 22.917 billion manats, including centralized revenues at 22.18 billion manats and local revenues at 736.766 million manats, while the expenses are expected at 24.78 billion manats, including centralized expenses at 23.939 billion manats and local expenses at 840.812 million manats.

The forecast for the oil price, indicated in the 2019 state budget for calculating oil revenues, is $60 per barrel.

Some 59.8 percent of the forecast state budget revenues or 13.7 billion manats will account for the oil sector, and 40.2 percent or 9.217 billion manats will account for the non-oil sector.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

An Azerbaijani citizen Haldun Hajiyev has been detained in Turkey and extradited to Azerbaijan, the Foreign Ministry said in a message on Nov.13.

He was wanted under article 178 (fraud) and 320 (forgery, issuance or sale of official documents, state awards, seals, stamps, forms or use of forged documents) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

As part of the Command-Staff War Games held in the Azerbaijan army, the troops of the Nakhchivan garrison have been brought up to a level of full readiness under the leadership of the Commander of the Combined-Arms Army, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a message on Nov. 13.

The control posts and military units involved in practical actions were put on alert and withdrawn to the exercise area. The control posts of Army Corps and formations were deployed, and they received a reserve staff, called up for particular specialties.

The primary purpose of the Command-Staff War Games is to check and improve the level of interaction between command staffs.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Leman Mammadova

The project of Greece-Bulgaria interconnector, which envisages the transportation of natural gas from Greece to Bulgaria, is close to the construction stage.

The development of this interconnector will allow the delivery of Azerbaijani gas to Bulgaria, which will contribute to 40 percent of Bulgaria's gas demand.

European Commissions latest decision on the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) to approve the support measures by Greek and Bulgarian governments for the project opens the way for starting the construction of IGB, Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Giorgos Stathakis said.

The minister noted that the IGB will help diversify energy sources and enable natural gas to be delivered via Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).

It is a strategic project that highlights Greece as an energy hub of the wider region of Southeastern Europe and a key energy gate for the Old Continent, contributing to the prospect of unifying the European energy market, Stathakis added.

The European Commission has found Bulgarian and Greek plans to support the construction and operation of a natural gas interconnector to be in line with EU state aid rules.

The new gas interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria will increase the security of energy supply and enhance competition, to the benefit of citizens in the region. We have approved the support measures to be granted by Bulgaria and Greece because they are limited to what is necessary to make the project happen and therefore are in line with our state aid rules, Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said.

The measures approved by the Commission will support the construction and operation of a cross-border gas interconnector (called IGB) between Greece (Komotini) and Bulgaria (Stara Zagora). The gas interconnector is designed to transport 3 billion bcm per year of natural gas from Greece to Bulgaria by 2021. Later, the capacity may reach 5 bcm per year.

IGB will be owned by ICGB AD, a 50-50 joint venture between the IGI Poseidon consortium (which includes Edison of Italy and Greek gas incumbent DEPA) and BEH, the Bulgarian gas incumbent.

The total investment cost for the realization of the IGB interconnector amounts to 240 million euros.

The European Union attaches great importance to this project and has allocated 46 million euros for its funding. The project will be financed through the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR), which is centrally managed by the European Commission, in the amount of 45 million euros.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will also provide a loan of 110 million euros to BEH (and subsequently passed-on to ICGB AD).

As many as 39 million euros will come as a direct financial contribution from the Bulgarian State budget via the Bulgarian Operational Programme "Innovation and Competitiveness" 2014-2020 (OPIC).

The IGB project was supported by Greece and Bulgaria governments within Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2009. Bulgaria through Bulgargaz EAD company has already concluded a contract with the Azerbaijani state-owned company SOCAR for the delivery of 1 billion cubic meters per year from the second phase of Shah Deniz gas field. These volumes represent about 25-30 percent of the consumption of natural gas that Bulgaria expects by 2020 in our country.

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, to create an alternative source to Russian gas flowing to Bulgaria.

TAP in turn is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor which provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

The project is also supported by the U.S., which views the IGB as an important alternative for eastern European countries, because the U.S. is interested in reducing EUs gas dependence on Russia.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

The screening of the documentary titled Godfathers in Germany: Armenian Mafia and Thieves in Law, which was supposed to go on air on November 7 telling about the existence of the Armenian Mafia in Germany and relations of the Ambassador of Armenia Ashot Smbatyan with Armenian criminal gangs in that country, was postponed by the Berlin court based on the ambassadors claim.

Instead of a 30-minute documentary, a 7-minute video report was shown (https://www.mdr.de/thueringen/video-247040_zc-1201c59b_zs-4e0ede05.html). The report provided information about the activities of the Armenian mafia in Germany and its exposure by law enforcement agencies, told about the joint journalistic investigation of the MDR TV channel and Der Spiegel, and presented an interview with one of the co-authors of this investigation, MDR correspondent Axel Hemmerling.

The report noted that the Armenian mafia in Germany has spread throughout the country. The Armenian criminal groups are headed by "godfathers", who, in turn, are subordinate to thieves in law. According to the data provided by Europol and Interpol, the number of Armenian thieves in law varies between 670-900, and most of them live outside of Germany.

There is evidence that the Armenian mafia in Germany and Europe has ties with the Italian mafia, the report says.

Also, as the report says, the German law enforcement agencies have a weak legislative base and technical capabilities for combating organized crime.

The screening of the documentary film about the Armenian mafia was postponed by a court decision a few hours before the broadcast, and the Armenian ambassador demanded a refutation of the information presented in the journalistic investigation.

And when MDR did not comply with the demand, the ambassador applied to a court. Due to the lack of time to consider the claim and a response on the part of MDR, the court decided to postpone the airing of the film.

The documentary film will be aired after clarification of legal issues, the message says. The claims that may be an obstacle to freedom of the press in Germany are generally not supported by the court. Therefore, many believe that the lawsuit filed by the ambassador of Armenia will soon be resolved in favor of MDR, and the documentary will be aired.

In addition, the fact that the Armenian ambassador resorted to legal remedies, even more attracted public attention to this issue, and all the leading media outlets of Germany follow this topic in the context of journalistic solidarity in order to ensure freedom of press.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

he European Union will continue cooperation with Iran in transportation sector, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) Maja Bakran said at a seminar held in Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, ILNA reported.

Bakran said Europe has kept sea trade with Asia at various periods of the history, and that is why efforts are being made to continue this relationship between Asia and Europe.

"In 2016, I traveled to Iran under the leadership of Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. During the visit, valuable agreements were reached in the transportation sector and the EU takes steps according to these agreements," she said.

In terms of volume and value, 80 percent of the world's traffic is carried out by sea, and from this point of view, the EU intends to continue its relations with Iran in the sea trade, Bakran added.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump intend to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina at the end of this month. Among the issues they hope to discuss is the US decision to quit the INF Treaty, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Monday, TASS reported.

"[At the events in Paris on November 11] Putin had a quick word with Trump," Peskov said. "They agreed they had a great deal to discuss, including the INF Treaty. They decided to do this at the G20 summit in Argentina," Peskov said.

Putin and Trump last Sunday attended ceremonies in Paris at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Originally the Russian and US leaders had agreed to use that opportunity for conducting separate bilateral negotiations only to postpone them at the request of the French side, because a Russian-US summit might have distracted the world publics attention from the main theme of the events.

Last time Putin and Trump met in Helsinki last July. So far it was their first meeting not related with international forums. Before that Putin and Trump had met briefly on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Germany in July 2017 and the APEC summit in Vietnam in November 2017.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

The first train from Russia's Kazan to the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, will leave on December 11 from the Kazan-1 station, Uzbek media reported, referring to Russian outlets.

The cost of the trip ranges from 10,295 to 13,414 Russian rubles (roughly $152 - $198) per seat.

Travel time is 75 hours. The train will depart from Tashkent on Saturdays and from Kazan - on Tuesdays. Tickets can only be purchased at ticket offices. Online sale of tickets is not available.

The train is served by Uzbekistan Railways. The carrier extended the route 315/316 Tashkent - Yekaterinburg to Kazan.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzLiang is a doctoral student at Sichuan University, China. His research is focused on Chinas relations with Nepal.By Trend

Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury Sigal Mandelker announced that SWIFT had cut-off Iranian financial institutions targeted by the US sanctions, Sputnik reported.

The Iranian central bank is among the entities that lost their connection to SWIFT. The US Treasury official stressed that Washington would be strictly enforcing its sanctions regime against Tehran and announced that there would be "a lot more from the US on Iran."

Mandelker noted that Washington is not concerned by the idea of the creation of a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) in the EU to work with Iran, expressing confidence that the US and Europe could still work together. The official noted that despite the idea of an SPV, "companies already are leaving Iran."

"I am not concerned by the SPV actually at all. I think the bigger news in Europe is that companies are withdrawing from Iran in droves," she said.

SWIFT, a global messaging network designed for organizing financial communications between banks, earlier announced that it would sever its links to several Iranian banks and institutions for the sake of the overall stability of the network. The organization didn't say directly that it was cutting off Iranian banks subject to the new US sanctions.

The announcement by the financial messaging network came on the same day as US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the imposition of sanctions against the Iranian banking, energy and shipping spheres. Several days prior to the announcement, Mnuchin warned that SWIFT is no different than any other entity and could therefore also fall under secondary sanctions if it were to continue to work with Iranian banks.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Many refineries cant do without Iranian oil, member of Economic faculty of Allameh Tabataba'i University Mehdi Taghavi told Trend referring to the impact of US sanctions in comparison to previous sanctions against the country in 2012.

"Now the main issue is that if Iran fails to sell its oil, which currently reached about 2.5 million barrels of oil a day, the supply will drop," he said.

Oil prices in October rallied above $85 per barrel on fears of a steep decline in Iranian exports.

"If this amount of oil does not enter the market, the oil price will rise and the world economy will face a rise in costs, thus, no country is willing to comply with the US sanctions, such as India and China, which keep importing oil from Iran," said Taghavi.

"Some refineries are deeply dependent on Iran's crude oil and cannot replace it at all," he said referring to ability of these countries which are willing to import oil from Iran despite the financial problems.

"Iran's crude exports could fall to much less than 2.5 million bpd but Iran certainly will sell its oil."

The United States snapped sanctions back in place on November 5 to choke Irans oil and shipping industries, while temporarily allowing top customers such as China and India to keep buying crude from the Islamic Republic.

India imported 220.4 million tonnes (mt) crude in the last fiscal, of which Irans share was almost a tenth at 9.4 percent. India has been arguing that the technical configuration of many of its refineries make it heavily dependent on Iran.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzArmenia loses its last allies

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The occupation by Armenia of the territories of Azerbaijan and its reluctance to achieve peace to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, has turned into a headache for Yerevan.

The CSTO countries believe that the goal of this military bloc is to protect the territorial-economic space of the states, that are parties to the treaty, by joint efforts of the armies and auxiliary units from any external aggressors, and not to protect the interests of Armenia, which itself is the aggressor in light of its occupation policy in Karabakh.

It is surprising how much the prospect of losing the post of CSTO Secretary General put the country into a panic. Everyone, even those who previously fought hysterically, demanding that Armenia withdraw from this organization and from all other Eurasian structures, came to their senses and realized that they were losing. Both former authorities, and former opposition, and human rights activists insisted that the post of the CSTO Secretary General remain with Armenia. And this is understandable, because losing the position of the CSTO Secretary General, Armenia loses the most important factor of military-strategic development in this organization.

The fact that even their allies are not considered to be the interests of Armenia is that President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko negotiated issues discussed during the meeting in Astana with the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Belarus Latif Gandilov. He declared that Nikol Pashinyan just has to deal with the situation in the government because this country today heads the EAEU and the CSTO - a very large burden on a country that is in such a transition period and expressed doubt whther Armenia will cope with it or not. In turn, Latif Gandilov notified the President of Belarus that Ilham Aliyev will visit Belarus next week.

However, not only Belarus is so scornful of the Armenian authorities. Speaking at the 2018 Astana CSTO Summit, the President of the host country, Nursultan Nazarbayev, said that all the same, the quota of Armenia is left to act only one year and the new Secretary General will not even have time to go through all the member countries of the organization. Nazarbayev noted at a press conference after the meeting, the parties are inclined to hand over the post of Belarus, which follows Armenia in alphabetical order.

Moreover, a graduate of the Baku Higher Command School with great connections in the Azerbaijani military leadership Stanislav Zas was offered the position of the Secretary General. This is clear evidence that the CSTO member-countries -- Belarus and Kazakhstan -- do not hide their sympathy for Azerbaijan. This finally upset the Armenians. But they are no stranger to getting upset.

As a result of the Astana summit, Yerevan was unable to retain the post of the head of the CSTO and practically cannot influence the possibility of expanding this organization, in particular, accepting Azerbaijan as an observer. Demonstrative and careless attitude to the interests of Armenia was an adequate response to the same dismissive attitude of Yerevan towards the CSTO in the history of Khachaturov.

The consequence of the occupation of part of the territory of Azerbaijan was not only the economic isolation of Armenia but also political, diplomatic and military gaps in relations between Yerevan and its allied countries.

Thus, it is not hard to come to a conclusion that Azerbaijan, not being a member of the CSTO, has a greater influence in the CSTO than Armenia.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

The State Migration Service of Turkmenistan hosted a meeting with representatives of Hedayah, the UAE-based International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), the Turkmen representative office of Hedayah said in a message.

The meeting was attended by Elena Panova, permanent representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Turkmenistan.

An exchange of views on the prospects for partnership was held. Hedayah cooperates with UNDP in Turkmenistan as part of the regional project Strengthening Community Resilience and Regional Cooperation for Prevention of Violent Extremism in Central Asia, the message said.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Turkmenistan is considering the possibility of supplying natural gas to the European market and is holding the relevant negotiations with the European Commission, said Yagshygeldy Kakayev, advisor to the Turkmen president, the Turkmengaz State Concern said in a message.

He made the remarks at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC) underway in Abu Dhabi.

We are considering an export route to Europe and are actively negotiating with the European Commission and other transit countries on this issue, he said.

There were held negotiations in October in Brussels with Vice-President of the European Commission for the Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, where top managers of the fuel and energy complex of Turkmenistan took part, which has become the evidence of the intensification of the negotiation process.

This fact is particularly noteworthy because it happened against the background of the ongoing negotiations of the Turkmengaz State Concern with the Russian joint-stock company Gazprom on the resumption of gas deliveries interrupted in 2016.

The project of laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline along the bottom of the Caspian Sea to the shores of Azerbaijan is the best option for the delivery of Turkmen gas to the European market. Further, the Turkmen gas can be delivered to Turkey, which borders with European countries.

Turkmenistan declared its readiness to supply Europe with an annual volume of up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas over 30 years. It is expected that the gas supplies can be provided through the East-West gas pipeline, which begins from the large Turkmen Galkynysh field.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzTika R Pradhan is a senior political correspondent for the Post, covering politics, parliament, judiciary and social affairs. Pradhan joined the Post in 2016 after working at The Himalayan Times for more than a decade.Sister returning home after Bhai Tika attacked by brother

A man in Fungling Municipality, Taplejung, has attacked his younger sister about to return home after Bhai Tika.For the current food revolution, with skyrocketing startup costs for restaurants in large cities, food trucks have become some of the newest incubators of culinary innovation. The Food for Thought Truck, a mobile design lab from San Francisco interior design firm Studio O+A, serves as an incubator on wheels for urban design.It took one tiny sip of a $90 shot of Pappy Van Winkle 20-year-old bourbon to convince Johnathan Richard he had been wasting his time with Jim Beam.

It was a game changer when that beautifully aged, caramel goodness hit my tongue, he said Richard.

A maintenance worker in a refinery by day, the 36-year-old Vidor man is one of the men behind the SETX Bourbon Scene Facebook group.

Richard and his friends began hunting down, collecting and sharing bourbons, getting more into the scene after that fateful sip. When they realized other areas had Facebook pages were people who love bourbon could chat and compare notes on different bottles, they decided to make one for Southeast Texas.

There are a couple people in our area that are very knowledgeable on bourbons, scotches, ryes, you name it  but so many more people are in the same boat we were in and only know of Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Crown, Richard said. We wanted to make a community that would spread knowledge, talking about the better-tasting spirits that weve had since really getting into the hobby last year.

Even people who know nothing about bourbon can join in the conversation, Richard said. They understand that there are bourbon snobs out there, but have taken steps to ensure everyone feels welcome. Heck, you dont even have to like bourbon. They talk about all different kinds of liquor  beer included.

We wanted to make a page where no one would be bullied or trolled for a lack of knowledge. We encourage anyone and everyone to talk about and post pictures of what they like and why they like it, whatever it may be, Richard said.

The reviews dont have to be fancy, either.

If its good, say its good. If you taste cherry, vanilla, wood or spice, say that. If its fire-hot and you want to pour it down the drain, be sure to tell us that. We want to hear it all  and from regular people like us.

If you want a taste Under $35 Buffalo Trace Eagle Rare Henry McKenna Under $50 Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch 1792 Full Proof Belle Meade Sour Mash Under $100 Blanton's, Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel Boone County 12yr See More Collapse

Its not all about the pricey and rare bottles, either.

People get too caught up in wanting to find that allocated $300 bottle to drink when there are so many that we talk about daily on the page in a $30 to $50 price range that taste just as good, Richard said.

Richard says J Wilsons bar has the best bourbon selection in the area, but other places like Lukes and Rikenjaks have started carrying a larger selection of spirits at the request of page members.

The Facebook page, which was started in January, has more than 500 members, and new ones are added all the time.

A liquor rep in the Houston area said that the page is doing so well and growing so fast because of the way its managed, Richard said. If there is confrontation or trolling, its dealt with promptly. On the other side of things, we have great local liquor store owners that we have been working with to help spread the word and keep bringing in great products for us to create a buzz about.

The SETX Bourbon Scene group teamed up with Longhorn Liquor, helping them select a WhistlePig Rye whiskey to promote in store with a SETX Bourbon Scene label. Richard said he hopes to team up with more retailers and restaurants in the area, but his ultimate goal for the group is to host charity events with tastings and auctions.

The second thing I would think would be pretty fun is to turn the hobby into a career  be able to open a bourbon-driven bar like they have in the bigger cities, with all our own picks and local store picks on the shelf, he said.

For now, the group is planing meetups like the SETX Bourbon Scene Brunch Takeover at J Wilsons. The plan was to fill the entire bar area with page members, and bartenders offered specialty bourbon flights specifically for the event. The restaurant had not done that before.

Its about the community, Richard said. I just want the culture to expand and so everyone wanting to gain knowledge about bourbon or scotch or rye will be able to gain it. Hopefully this will give the Golden Triangle the push it needs to accept a little change and bring in some bars or speakeasy-type establishments.

haley.bruyn@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/HaleyWrites_BEA Lamar High School senior was gunned down Tuesday afternoon about a block from the campus in a shooting that Houston police believe was a targeted attack.

At least three suspects, one of them masked, confronted the 18-year-old student and a 15-year-old girl with him around 12:15 p.m., according to officials. One assailant opened fire and shot him on the sidewalk outside the Bethany Christian Church parking lot, which neighbors the River Oaks campus. The shooting marked the third gun-related death of a Lamar student in a week.

The gunman responsible for slaying the teen then stood over him and fired more shots, Houston police Executive Assistant Chief Troy Finner said during a press conference.

The slain teen was identified by his grandmother as Delindsey Mack, who Houston ISD officials say transferred to Lamar from Yates High School in the Third Ward. The grandmother, Dell Tatum, told the Houston Chronicle she had 10 grandchildren and Delindsey was her only grandson.

My daughter is all in pieces right now. Shes not well, Tatum said of Delindseys mother.

A bullet also grazed the shoulder of another Lamar student, a girl who was with the teen. She is expected to be OK, police said.

DAYS EARLIER: Two Lamar High School students dead in apparent murder-suicide

Were not just gonna stand by and let our streets become bloodbaths, were not, Finner said.

He said gang violence may have been a factor in the shooting, but he couldnt confirm it as the cause.

I dont care why its happened. You know what? I want to put an end to it. I want to get the individual, all these individuals, who are out here pulling triggers and shooting at people like theyre crazy in our city, Finner said.

The dozen or so gunshots  and the screams that followed  were overheard by a team of construction workers tasked with building a new $129.2 million wing to the 82-year-old school. One of those workers, Pedro Enriquez, 21, was on a break when he heard the shooting. He hid behind some cars and waited for the gunfire to stop. He then saw a black vehicle flee the scene.

Enriquez and his work crew rushed over to help Delindsey, according to a Facebook Live video Enriquez recorded. The footage shows him lying motionless on the ground while another construction worker tried performing CPR on him.

Before first responders could reach the scene, the teens appeared to stop breathing. He was taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

I was so sad. I was trying to pray for him because he was already lost, Enriquez said.

The gunman was last seen wearing a mask, black hoodie and possibly black clothes when he fled with the other suspects in a four-door, black Subaru with paper license plates, Finner said. The back passenger side window was covered with a plastic bag.

Despite being separated by the construction site, Eastside Street and the church parking lot, the fatal shooting investigation sent Lamar High School and the nearby St. Johns School into a lockdown, which lasted at least two hours.

As soon as the lockdown ended, classes resumed, but several students began leaving the school early with their parents.

At HoustonChronicle.com: To the mother of the gunshot victim I couldn't save

Vickie Snow picked up her ninth-grader son and left the school grounds tearful over the latest off-campus death, and two on Nov. 7. She said her son, Spencer, had known the 15-year-old boys who died last week in the apparent murder suicide since elementary school. According to the Harris County Medical Examiner, Samuel Yeargain killed his best friend, Pierce Schwartz, then turned the gun on himself at his apartment at The Park at River Oaks, about a half-mile from campus.

Its just too much, too soon, Snow said alongside her son. Im just glad hes safe.

She described the chaos she encountered inside Lamar as parents tried to pick up their children.

The parents are more upset than anything else, Snow said. It was insane in there. Lots of kids crying and lots of parents frantic.

Freshman student Claire Romero left the school limping. She never heard the gunfire but a commotion in the cafeteria prompted her and others to begin running away not knowing if they were in danger or not.

I tripped and hurt myself, Romero said. It really scared me. I had a panic attack. People were just confused.

While heading back to class, junior Braden Nathan said he and other students appeared unfazed by his classmates death.

Students nowadays have been desensitized to crime and violence. Its just something that happens. You just gotta move on with it, Nathan said.

In a statement Tuesday night, Mayor Sylvester Turner denounced the killing as a heinous act of violence and urged those with tips about the suspects to contact Houston police or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

Houston ISD police made plans to boost patrols at Lamar and Yates, while Houston ISD interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan reassured the public that despite the violence all of the other children were safe.

Lamar High School Principal Rita Graves said counseling is currently available for all students and staff.

Its a tough week for the students of Lamar, Graves said. Our kids have been taking good care of one another. Its a good, strong community.

Samantha Ketterer contributed to this report.UN Deputy Secretary General Amina to visit Nepal

UN Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed is arriving Nepal on November 15 to take part in the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) World Assembly.The Beaumont Fire Department worked three early morning fires Tuesday, according to information from the Fire Marshal.

The first took place on Washington Blvd and Irving street around 3:30 a.m. One person was burned and was airlifted to a Houston hospital.Southeast Texas got a helping of winter chill on Tuesday with sleet on the side.

Forecasters were expecting the frigid weather to last into Wednesday morning, although the chance of snow or sleet accumulation is less than 10 percent.

"Don't be surprised if you see a flake of snow mixed in with the rain, but it won't be likely," said Montra Lockwood of the National Weather Service.

That didn't stop people in the Beaumont area from taking to social media to declare the raw wintry weather as perfect for a pot of gumbo or motivation to get into the holiday spirit.

A small band of showers over the afternoon kept temperatures in the 40s and 30s. The wind, cold and sleet made a miserable combination, but it proved to not be an issue for law enforcement.

Carol Riley of the Beaumont Police Department said there were no reports of weather-related accidents.

The Texas Department of Transportation also said there were no reported issues on the roadways due to weather conditions.

Houston, meanwhile, saw a trace of snow for its earliest-ever recorded snow for the Bayou City. A trace of snow/sleet at Bush Intercontinental Airport, where the city's official weather is recorded, broke a record previously set on Nov. 23, 1979, the Weather Service said in a tweet.

With temperatures in the upper 30s, nothing is accumulating, said Molly Merrifield, a meteorologist at the League City office.

"It's just cool to watch it fall," she said.

Flurries fell in other parts of the Houston area earlier Tuesday, including Conroe and Ellington Airport. Light sleet and snow flurries hit the ground in College Station.

Some parts of the area, including Pearland, also experienced thundersleet, where in a thunderstorm, sleet falls instead of rain. A couple of lightning strikes were reported, Merrifield said.

The National Weather Service was forecasting temperatures between 25 and 32 degrees across southeast Texas.

Samantha Ketterer and Michela Garcia contributed from Houston.

erica.apodaca@beaumontenterprise.comPARADISE, Calif.  The inferno that ravaged the wooded town of Paradise in Northern California became the deadliest wildfire in the states modern history on Monday when officials said they had discovered the remains of 13 more people, bringing the death toll to 42.

The Butte County sheriff, Kory L. Honea, has said more than 200 people remain missing in and around the town, which sits in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and was popular with retirees.

The fire, which continues to rage in the hills and ravines east of the city of Chico, is also the most destructive fire in California history, with more than 6,475 structures destroyed, most of them homes.

Fires whipped by strong winds were raging through thousands of acres of forests and chaparral in both Northern and Southern California on Monday, having already wiped out a town in the Sierra Nevada and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents west of Los Angeles.

President Donald Trump on Monday evening said on Twitter that he had approved a request to declare the fires in California a major disaster, making people affected eligible for various types of federal government support.

The Camp Fire, which decimated Paradise, has already burned about 113,000 acres and is only about 25 percent contained.

An estimated 370 structures have been destroyed in the Woolsey Fire west of Los Angeles, up from the 177 figure provided on Sunday night. Another 57,000 structures are believed to be under threat. Two people have died in that fire, which is 20 percent contained and has charred more than 90,000 acres in communities like Malibu and Thousand Oaks.

Another blaze that has torn through 4,500 acres in Ventura County, the Hill Fire, was 80 percent contained.

While the Woolsey Fire chased residents from one of the wealthiest ZIP codes of California, near Malibu, the Camp Fire hit a low-income retirement community in Paradise. Some residents now wonder how  or if  it will be rebuilt.

It had no real economy, James Hana said of Paradise, where he has lived since 2002. The town was a haven for residents who were elderly or retired, many of them in mobile homes. A quarter of its residents were over 65, according to census data from 2017. Fourteen percent of the population was below the poverty line.

What are they going to do? Hana said. Theyre not going to rebuild.

Gene McAnelly and Gary Brand, two 70-year-old friends in wheelchairs who said they both rely on Social Security checks to survive, both lost their homes in the fire. But they both are confident they will return, theyre just not sure how yet. Just give me a tent, McAnelly said. Ill camp out.

Firefighters in California can expect little help from the weather over the next few days.

Conditions are forecast to worsen in Southern California, where the Woolsey and Hill fires are raging. Much of that region will face critical fire weather conditions through Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, with low relative humidity, no rain and a high-wind warning in effect for the mountains.

It just seems to be a story about winds, said Bonnie Bartling, a weather specialist at the Los Angeles/Oxnard Weather Forecast Office.

The strong winds propelled a new brush fire in Simi Valley on Monday morning, which quickly spread to cover about 105 acres before firefighters brought in under control.

It just hits home on the fact that we are still in significant fire weather and the existing fire is not our only concern, Chief Mark Lorenzen of the Ventura County Fire Department said.

While winds are slowing over the Camp Fire in Northern California, the low humidity there means the trees, brush and foliage that can fuel the fire remain dry. No rain is expected this week and theres only a small chance of some early the following week.

Were keeping our fingers crossed for it, said Cory Mueller, a meteorologist in the National Weather Services Sacramento office.

Blackened hills surrounded the 101 freeway and encircled the city of Thousand Oaks on Monday morning, the first time since the shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill that the city approached anything resembling normalcy. The wind had stayed calm through the weekend, giving firefighters the chance to make progress on the Woolsey Fire after it burned through more than 91,000 acres. But the Santa Ana winds are expected to pick up again on Monday, which could easily mean more embers blowing through the canyons.

Several residents had stopped at a gas station in Calabasas on their way home, said Rashid Stevens, who said he saw cars packed to the brim come through early Monday morning.

Were all hoping it calms down here, finally, he said. They deserve that at least.

Its still not certain what caused the most destructive wildfire in California history, but many fires in recent years have been caused by downed power lines. Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which has been blamed for billions of dollars in past fire damage, experienced an outage in Butte County about 15 minutes before the Camp Fire started on Thursday and also reported a damaged transmission tower in the area, according to report filed to state regulators. Officials said they were still investigating the causes of the current fires.

Southern California Edison also submitted a preliminary report to state regulators regarding the Woolsey Fire in Ventura County, citing an incident near its Chatsworth Substation minutes before the blaze was reported.

In September, California lawmakers passed a measure aimed at protecting against future fires. The legislation, Senate Bill 901, also protects PG&E from liability for such fires by enabling the utility to pass costs on to ratepayers.

Consumer advocates called the bill a bailout and criticized lawmakers for failing to ensure that the power companies fulfilled their responsibilities in maintaining their equipment.When looking for an ASC that's best for surgeons and their patients, physicians can start their search by consulting Google, especially if the surgeon is new to the area, according to West Orange, N.J.-based Mountain Surgery Center.

The center posted five tips for surgeons on their blog:

1. When surgeons are scouting out ASCs, they should be on the lookout the ASC's proximity to a hospital in case of an emergency, as well as accreditation status from agencies such as The Joint Commission or the AAAHC.

2. Surgeons should make sure to inquire about the infection rates at the ASC, and make a point of checking if the facility is clean and modern.

3. Meeting with the staff to ensure they would be good fits for the surgeon is another factor to consider.

4. Surgeons should be familiar with the other surgeons at the facility; surgery centers that employ reputable surgeons are reputable themselves.

5. Lastly, surgeons should check to see if the ASC is flexible with scheduling to avoid conflict over optimal surgery times in the future.Amy Holmes Riley is a trauma nurse and captain in the Air National Guard who serves as a nurse at Terre Haute, Ind.-based Wabash Valley Surgery Center and Union Hospital in her civilian life, the Tribune Star reports.

Here's what you should know:

1. Inspired by her grandfather and her father, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Vietnam War, respectively, she joined the Army Reserves with her twin sister while they were in high school.

2. They were called to duty after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and were later sent to Taji, Iraq, where they served one tour.

3. While in Iraq, an explosive device struck a vehicle in front of Ms. Riley. She sustained a brain injury that caused hearing loss and a slow-growing brain tumor, which was successfully treated and removed at the VA Hospital in 2010.

4. Upon returning home, Ms. Riley re-enrolled at Terre Haute-based Indiana State University and switched her major from education to nursing because of her experience in Iraq.

"When people got hurt they were taken to an aid station or med-evaced out," she said. "I just thought those people were saving lives  the nurses and doctors  and I wanted to be part of that. I knew what I was doing was important, but I wanted to help more."

5. She continued serving in the Army Reserves and later switched to the Air National Guard in 2010.

6. Ms. Riley encourages women, including her daughter, to consider joining the military.Steamboat Springs, Colo.-based UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center is weighing how to move forward with plans for a multispecialty orthopedic surgery center after a team of orthopedic surgeons pulled out of the proposal, the Steamboat Pilot reports.

Here's what you should know:

1. On Sept. 18, hospital CEO Frank May wrote in a letter to colleagues that the hospital was finalizing plans for the center. Later that day, Mr. May announced the hospital's local orthopedic group partners backed out of the deal.

2. The surgeons reportedly became uneasy about the project after the hospital submitted plans to build a new facility and began searching for new orthopedic surgeons.

3. Spokesperson Patrick Johnston, MD, said the surgeon group declined an offer from the hospital because it wanted to explore other avenues, which "included finding more affordable options to house our practice." However, Mr. May contended the surgeons turned down "a collaborative relationship that put patients first."

4. The hospital also wanted to set the center up as a hospital outpatient department while the surgeons preferred an ASC.

5. The surgeons and the hospital have resumed negotiations. Dr. Johnston said the surgeon group is considering all options.Georgia approved Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's certificate-of-need application to replace the 325-bed children's hospital in Atlanta with a larger one containing 446 beds, also located in Atlanta, according to Georgia Health News.

Here are three things to know:



1. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta received the approval in early November after filing the CON in June. No other hospital system opposed the construction. The $1.5 billion project is the largest in Georgia's CON program history.



2. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's CEO Donna Hyland said in a statement to Georgia Health News the hospital is "pleased that the Department [of Community Health] recognized the long-term value of this new hospital for Georgia's current and future generations of children. We remain laser-focused on top-quality patient care and operational excellence at all of our facilities as we plan to start construction on the new hospital in early 2020."



3. To meet growing demand, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta announced plans for its new hospital in November 2017. The proposal includes an advanced pediatrics center, support buildings, over 20 acres of green space, walking trails, a central energy plant, parking decks and funding for nearby road improvements.1. Yes. Nonprofit youth organizations are underfunded in the city. Its a good decision.

2. Yes. In conjunction with city-run programs, it will provide needed opportunities.

3. No. The money should be used to benefit all residents, not just the citys youth.

4. No. The funds should be invested in the area where the project is being developed..

5. Unsure. Its hard to say whether its an appropriate use of the money.

Vote

View ResultsAs hospitals acquire medical practices, merging various types of physician technology platforms is a goal, according to Black Book's annual practice management satisfaction survey.

The survey of more than 3,000 U.S. hospital-owned or employed physician practice organizations found 36 percent of respondents seek customized integrated practice management, revenue cycle management and EHR systems.

Four other findings:

1. Forty percent of large hospital system respondents said their organizations plan to replace multiple existing medical practice systems with integrated ambulatory technologies that merge with the hospital's EHR and RCM systems by the last quarter of 2020.

2. Most integrated delivery network executives (85 percent) said they believe the alignment of hospital and physician IT provides solutions amid value-based care challenges.

3. Most hospital executive respondents (89 percent) said nonintegrated EHR and current practice management systems fail to allow leaders to strategically design alternative reimbursement and payment methodologies aimed at improving physician engagement and patient care.

4. Hospital-owned and employed physician practices on an integrated EHR, practice management, RCM platform collect more on billed charges than independent practice physicians with nonintegrated or unconnected EHR RCM platforms  29 percent more, on average.

Read more about the survey here.

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As the deadly Camp Fire closed in on Paradise, Calif.-based Adventist Feather River Hospital, nurses were forced to evacuate their critically ill patients as the building burned, according to CBS News. Darrell Wilken and Nichole Jolly, both registered nurses, discuss what they remember about helping patients escape.

"We got these patients in wheelchairs ... we were pulling tubes out," Ms. Jolly told ABC News.



Workers at the hospital loaded patients into their personal vehicles and drove them away, while thousands of buildings burned in the surrounding area and cars caught fire.

Mr. Wilken told CBS that he had three patients in his car, two of whom were critically ill. Everyone in his car called their families to say goodbye as they drove away, knowing at any moment the car could ignite.

"I'm still shaking, every time I talk about it," Mr. Wilken told CBS News. "I didn't want to lose anybody. We have not just an obligation to our patients, but we have an obligation to humanity. We have to do our jobs, regardless of adverse conditions."

It took Mr. Wilken three hours to drive to safety, according to the report.

Ms. Jolly told ABC News she was in the hospital parking lot as the fire rushed toward her vehicle. She began driving away from the fire, but the flames were encroaching.

"There was sparks and flames hitting the side of my car. My car started to fill up with smoke," she told ABC. "I called my husband and I just said, 'I don't think I'm gonna make it out of this; it's coming in too fast, I don't even know where to go.'"

Ms. Jolly got out of her car, ran up a hill and hopped into the next car she found, which happened to be owned by a physician from Feather River Hospital. However, the physician's car began to fill with smoke, so Ms. Jolly got out and started running up the hill as her pants caught fire.

Then out of the darkness a fire truck pulled up, and a firefighter extinguished her pants and lifted her into the truck. Ms. Jolly managed to survive with just minor blisters to her legs.

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STAT: New York congressman mysteriously vanishes from biotech firm's top shareholders list

Thomas Jefferson U launches first international dual-MD degreeNew York Republican Rep. Chris Collins, who was indicted last year on insider trading charges, is no longer one of the biggest shareholders in Australian biotechnology firm Innate Therapeutics, now Amplia Therapeutics, despite being the company's second-largest shareholder earlier this year, according to STAT News.

Here are five things to know:

1. Mr. Collins said he made between $15,000 and $50,000 on Amplia Therapeutics stock on his most recent disclosure form dated June 20 and obtained by STAT. However, according to the company's most recent disclosure form dated Aug. 9, Mr. Collins is not among the top 20 largest shareholders.

2. STAT reports that even if Mr. Collins sold $50,000 worth of shares on June 20, it would not have been enough to downgrade him from the firm's top 20 shareholders. To do that, Mr. Collins would have had to part with 3.5 million of the 3.8 million shares he held as of May.

3. Congress members are required under law to publicly disclose their stock trades within 30 days of the sale. STAT reports there is no record of Mr. Collins selling the bulk of his shares. However, lawmakers are not required to report the sale of stock that amounts to $1,000 or less, and do not need to disclose certain gifts. STAT reports it is unclear if either reason supports why Mr. Collins is no longer among Amplia's top 20 shareholders.

4. Mr. Collins was indicted in August 2017 on charges he leaked confidential information about a drug Amplia was developing. The same year, Mr. Collins reportedly shared information about the drug's failure with his son and helped him avoid $570,900 in losses  all while serving as board chairman of Amplia, according to prosecutors cited by the publication.

5. Mr. Collins, who denies the allegations, said he will serve out the remainder of his term despite the indictment. His trial is scheduled to take place in February 2020.

To access the full report, click here.Amazon has reportedly selected New York City and Arlington, Va., to house the company's second headquarters, sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.

Sources said Amazon is expected to make an official announcement regarding the decision Nov. 13. The company is also expected to announce additional projects in other cities, sources told the publication.

Amazon, which declined to comment to The Wall Street Journal, will reportedly split its second headquarters between the Long Island City neighborhood in New York City and Arlington's Crystal City neighborhood. City officials in both locales are also expected to hold their own announcement events on Nov. 13, sources said.

The tech giant factored in a host of qualifications for the selection of HQ2, including access to mass transit, proximity to major airports with direct flights to its other headquarters in Seattle, and a pool of major tech talent. The company also reportedly sought to show it would influence the economy in the area it selected through investments and job creation.

Crystal City is just south of Washington, D.C., and is home to several Defense Department offices. Sources familiar with the decision told the publication the area was long considered a candidate for HQ2, in part because Amazon Founder, Chairman and CEO Jeff Bezos owns a home in the area and owns The Washington Post, also in Washington.

Similar to Crystal City, Long Island City in New York's Queens borough is near several major transportation venues and is in the midst of a residential housing boom as one of the fastest-growing communities in New York City, according to the report.

Amazon began its search for its second headquarters in September 2017 and narrowed down to 20 finalists in January. The company had reportedly been in late-stage negotiations with several locations, including New York City, Crystal City and Dallas, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

Last week, media reports indicated Amazon planned to split HQ2 evenly between two locations rather than pick one city. Amazon executives reportedly concluded they would be able to recruit more talent if they spread its offices over two locations. The move would also help ease potential issues with housing, transit and other factors where adding thousands of employees may cause issues.

To access the full report, click here.Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems is on track to divest Mary Black Health System, a two-hospital system based in Spartanburg, S.C., by the end of the year.

In October, CHS entered a definitive agreement to sell the two hospitals to Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. SRHS is on track to finalize the purchase by Dec. 31, Mark Aycock, COO of SRHS, told trustees at their recent monthly meeting, according to GoUpstate.com.

The acquisition of Mary Black Health System helps SRHS solve its need for more beds.

The two hospitals are among the several facilities with combined revenue of $2 billion that CHS intends to sell. When the transaction is complete, CHS will continue to operate four hospitals in South Carolina.

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HCA merges 2 Florida hospitalsHope Abram, a former revenue cycle director at Lewes, Del.-based Beebe Healthcare, has been sentenced to prison for embezzling more than $100,000 from Beebe Healthcare, according to the Salisbury Daily Times.

Ms. Abram was arrested earlier this year after Beebe Healthcare officials alerted police of a potential internal embezzlement. A standard audit of receivables and payments pointed to several irregularities tied to Ms. Abram. She recently pleaded guilty to theft of greater than $100,000 in connection with the incidents.

Between February and May of 2017, Ms. Abram requested refund checks for fictitious people. When the checks were returned, she deposited them into her personal account.

Ms. Abram was sentenced to 25 years in prison, but much of it was suspended. She will serve two years in federal prison followed by home confinement. In addition to the prison term, Ms. Abram was ordered to pay $201,451 in restitution, according to the report.

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FTC: Florida company made $100M selling fake insuranceA former financial analyst for Pleasant Valley Hospital in Point Pleasant, W.Va., faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $46,000 from the hospital, according to the Department of Justice.

As a financial analyst, Kevin Durst had access to Pleasant Valley Hospital's online bank accounts and could initiate wire transfers on some of those accounts. He admitted to transferring funds from active hospital accounts to a dormant account he knew wouldn't be scrutinized by hospital officials. He used the funds transferred to the dormant account for his personal use.

Mr. Durst also admitted to writing checks to himself from the dormant hospital account, and wiring funds from the hospital account to the Internal Revenue Service to make federal tax payments for his family's cemetery, according to the Justice Department.

Mr. Durst embezzled the funds from the hospital between July 20, 2016, and Aug. 22, 2016. He agreed to pay $46,021 in restitution to the hospital before he is sentenced.

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FTC: Florida company made $100M selling fake insuranceA judge in California said the former administrator of Tulare (Calif.) Regional Medical Center will have to wait until 2019 to know what will happen to cash and property seized during an investigation into his management of the hospital, according to the Visalia Times Delta.

Here are five things to know:

1. Tulare-based HealthCare Conglomerate Associates previously managed Tulare Regional Medical Center. Benny Benzeevi, MD, is chairman and CEO of HCCA.

2. Earlier this year, the FBI raided Dr. Benzeevi's home. To obtain the search warrant, investigators alleged he engaged in embezzlement and misappropriation of funds and property, fraudulently altering accounts, and theft of money or property under false pretenses, among other felony crimes. However, no charges were filed against Dr. Benzeevi.

3. Dr. Benzeevi's lawyers requested property and a bank account seized during the investigation be released. Items seized include iPads and computers. Prosecutors do not want to return the property because they argue the devices provide the best evidence in the investigation.

4. At a Nov. 9 hearing, the judge said an evidentiary hearing in early 2019 will determine if Mr. Benzeevi's property and money are returned to him, according to the report.

5. Tulare Regional Medical Center entered bankruptcy in September 2017 and shut down the next month. After ousting HCCA, the local health district entered a management agreement with Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health. The hospital reopened Oct. 15.

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FTC: Florida company made $100M selling fake insuranceHealth insurance startup Oscar Health filed a lawsuit against Florida Blue accusing the company of inking exclusive policy agreements with brokers to steer individuals toward Florida Blue plans only.

Here are four things to know:



1. Oscar's lawsuit, filed Nov. 13 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida Orlando Division, accuses Florida Blue of barring Orlando insurance brokers from selling any other insurance if they sell Florida Blue policies. Insurance brokers help Americans choose health insurance policies.

2. Oscar, which is offering individual health plans in Orlando for the first time in 2019, further claims Florida Blue's policy allows it to effectively operate as a monopoly. As a result, most of Orlando's insurance brokers only sell Florida Blue plans despite other suitable plans that are available, according to the lawsuit. This, Oscar argues, shrinks consumer choice and "undermines the role of brokers."

3. "Oscar vehemently opposes Florida Blue's policy and is demanding that it immediately terminate it so that consumers can make informed choices about their healthcare with the fair, impartial advice of their local health insurance agent," Oscar said in a news release.

4. Florida Blue told Becker's it believes Oscar's grievances don't have merit.



"Exclusive arrangements in the insurance business have been used for many years by such insurance companies as State Farm, Nationwide, Farmers, Florida Blue and others. There is also nothing about the Florida market which precludes any competitor  let alone a New York-based company with financial backing from Google and operations in nine states  from building an effective distribution channel. There are many agencies available that are not contracted with Florida Blue, and there are also other distribution channels from which they can sell their products."



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Humana CEO says insurer will continue to build on Walmart, Walgreens partnershipWalgreens is cutting thousands of dollars of bonuses for many store managers and other executives, sources familiar with the matter told the Chicago Tribune.

Here are three things to know:



1. The decision comes after Walgreens made several other changes to employees' benefits, like pledging to spend $100 million to raise hourly wages for workers. The retail and pharmacy benefit manager also said that in 2019 it will not provide paid time off for employees who work less than 30 hours a week. The current threshold is 20 hours. Walgreens will also drop health insurance for some of its retirees after 2019.



2. Walgreens notified managers and executives about the bonus changes in late October, according to the Chicago Tribune, which cites sources familiar with the situation. Store managers and other executives receive bonuses each year based on performance metrics and are expecting much lower ones in 2018 than typical.

3. Brian Faith, a spokesperson with Walgreens, did not provide more details about employee compensation to the publication. Walgreens operates more than 9,500 stores nationally.Walmart, Home Depot and other large U.S. employers are cracking down on drugmakers by offering their own programs to limit the amount patients spend on medication, Reuters reports.

Here are four things to know:

1. To have patients continue to use their medications, some drug manufacturers offer discount cards to keep patients' out-of-pocket spending low, and cover the rest of the payment required by the patient's employer. The industry's spending on copay cards has more than doubled to approximately $7 billion during the past five years, according data from consulting firm ZS Associates cited by Reuters.

2. Larger employers, like Walmart, claim the coupons drive up health plan costs and disincentivize patients  who use the discount cards for everything from multiple sclerosis treatment to arthritis medications  to seek less expensive treatment options.

3. Walmart, whose pharmacy is managed by Express Scripts, and Home Depot, managed by CVS Health, have begun offering programs that counteract the discount coupons offered by some drug manufacturers. These programs aim to either extract more money from drugmakers or redirect patients to cheaper medicine. A copay "accumulator" program recognizes when an employee uses a drugmaker discount card and ensures the money does not apply toward the patient's annual out-of-pocket spending requirement. When the copay card runs out, the patient must either cover the full copay cost, obtain a new discount card or stop filling the prescription. A copay "maximizer" program is more limited in scope, applying to a shorter list of drugs employees purchase from specialty pharmacies operated by Express Scripts and CVS.

4. Data from the National Business Group on Health suggests the programs are expected to expand within the next two years from about 25 percent of U.S. employers to as much as 50 percent, the report states. Executives from Pfizer and AstraZeneca told Reuters they are monitoring the effects the programs have on their businesses.

"The impact on our business is relatively limited, but it is a concern," an AstraZeneca executive told the publication.

To access the full report, click here.Mayer Katz, MD, retired surgeon of Lewes, Del.-based Beebe Healthcare, will be featured on the PBS show "We'll Meet Again," and will be reunited with the Vietnam veteran he saved more than 50 years ago, reports Delaware.com.

On Dec. 29, 1967, Roger Wagner was wheeled into a U.S. hospital in Vietnam for a for a leg amputation. When he woke up, he found both of his legs underneath the sheet, and a different surgeon standing by his bed with the last name of Katz. But he had never been able to find the physician to properly thank him.

On 2018, Mr. Wagner reached out to PBS in hopes of finding the surgeon who saved his life. He referred back to his journal and found entries describing Dr. Katz.

It turns out Dr. Katz was interested in meeting up with Mr. Wagner "to see how his leg is doing," according to Delaware.com.

The two met a couple of months later in Rehoboth, Del. The show was scheduled to air Nov. 13.

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The 5 root causes of patient falls in the ORPeter Antevy, MD, medical director for Broward County in Florida, was featured on Scott Pelley's program "60 Minutes" and spoke about emergency response in the wake of recent mass shootings, according to EMS1.com.

"My first instinct was [my son] needs a bleeding kit. My son, today, has a bleeding kit on his person," Dr. Antevy told Scott Pelley on "60 Minutes."

The "60 Minutes" segment reported AR-15 semi-automatic rifles have been the weapon most commonly used in the worst mass shootings in the U.S. like the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh and the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Broward County.

Laz Ojeda, a paramedic, indicated during the segment that part of the reason he was able to save a Stoneman Douglas student's life was because Broward County EMS equipped its healthcare teams with tools to properly treat "battlefield" wounds caused by weapons such the AR-15.

"We carry active-killer kits in our rescues," Mr. Ojeda told Mr. Pelley. "That is a kit that has five tourniquets, five decompression needles, five hemostatic agents, five emergency trauma dressings."

Dr. Antevy said mass shootings require "different training." EMS training changed after the Sandy Hook mass shooting in 2012. He also indicated that as mass casualty events become more common, it shows the importance of civilian training like Stop the Bleed.

"We have to have the general public understand that they are the first line of defense," Dr. Antevy said. "And every city, every community in this country needs to roll out those bleeding kits, or these active killer kits.  And every child has to learn how to do it."

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Most destructive wildfire in California history may have long-lasting health repercussions

College campuses see 'compassion fatigue' in wake of recent mass shootingsThe ongoing wildfires continue to char Northern and Southern California, blanketing parts of the state in smoke and ash and prompting the Bay Area and South Coast Air Quality Management Districts to issue smoke advisories Nov. 9., according to Wired.

Here are five things to know:

1. Wildfires are becoming more frequent due to climate change, inching closer to hitting more densely populated areas, and the smoke is affecting people's breathing. Due to the temperature of the fires, many cities that serve as wind blockers are destroyed, allowing the fire to grow exponentially.

"The air quality today is very bad, on par with something you might encounter in Beijing," Ralph Borrmann, public information officer at San Francisco-based Bay Area Air Quality Management District, told Wired.

2. Both the Bay Area and South Coast air quality management districts are concerned about the unhealthy levels of PM2.5, small pieces of liquids and solids suspended in the air about 2.5 micrometers long. Particles at this size can be inhaled into the deepest parts of the human lungs, bypassing the built-in body filtration systems where it slips into the bloodstream.

3. Regular clean air will have about a dozen micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter. People with heart or lung diseases can experience shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing or chest pain with 55 micrograms of PM2.5 in the air, and asthma sufferers will be prone to attacks. If the atmosphere rises above a 55-microgram PM2.5 concentration, anyone outside will suffer from complications. Any concentration level above 100 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter will feel their eyeballs beginning to sting, along with their throats, paired with chest tightness.

4. On Nov. 9, air monitors in San Francisco read the PM2.5 concentration levels had reached 162 micrograms per cubic meter, leading public health officials to advise people to stay indoors and set the air conditioning to recirculate mode. They also indicated the best way to protect yourself, if you have to go outside, is through a disposable respirator labeled N95.

5. Researchers have attempted to measure the full health repercussions from the wildfires' smoke wave, but do not have any hard results. The working consensus, based on hospital records, is that more smoke billowing into the atmosphere means more clinical trips for patients suffering from asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, COPD and heart failure. Vulnerable populations include children, the elderly, women, African-Americans and patients with chronic disease.

"As the climate continues to change, were going to see much more smoke, at higher intensities in the future," Jia Coco Liu, PhD, environmental health researcher at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins, told Wired.

Ms. Liu said her previous research indicated that by the middle of the century, more than 82 million people will experience smoke waves, defined as more than two days with high levels of wildfire-related air pollution. These smoke waves will most affect people in Northern California, Western Oregon and the Great Plains.

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Wildfire smoke reaches toxic 'emergency' levels in Sacramento

Elderly C. diff patients face higher risk of adverse outcomes

New VA hospital star ratings may say little about care qualityDonna Bell, MD, a Florida-based OB-GYN and primary care physician who practices via telemedicine, is claiming her credentials were stolen in a scheme to defraud Medicare, according to Fox 4.

A recent Fox 4 investigation revealed that scammers are using telemedicine to commit medical equipment fraud. Specifically, medical supply companies will allegedly hire physicians to prescribe a device, such as a back brace, to a patient who doesn't need it in order to reap a profit from Medicare, federal agents told the news outlet.

Dr. Bell believes one of these companies exploited her credentials to write fake prescriptions. She said she has been receiving phone calls inquiring about a pain cream that she never prescribed to patients.

Dr. Bell contacted the medical supply company and threatened to notify the inspector general if it didn't correct her information. After she made the call, she said the suspicious behavior stopped.

Ryan Lynch, a federal agent with the Medicare Strike Force unit in Tampa, Fla., told the news outlet that telemedicine fraud is on the rise. "When doctors are being paid $150 to write a prescription and they don't have a real relationship with the patient, that's a kick back," he explained. Dr. Bell noted that she makes much less  about one third of that  for each prescription she writes.

To avoid becoming a victim of telemedicine fraud, Dr. Bell recommends physicians fully vet each medical supply company they work with.Gerard Butler is a Scottish actor and producer, who has played the lead role in various films like 300, The Bounty Hunter, etc., His house was partly destroyed in the recent fire in California, USA.



Following this disaster, the actor took to Twitter to seek support from the internet fraternity, in order to rebuild the homes of the victims.



He Tweeted: "Returned to my house in Malibu after evacuating. Heartbreaking time across California. Inspired as ever by the courage, spirit and sacrifice of firefighters. Thank you @LAFD. If you can, support these brave men and women at supportLAFD.org ."



"Driving around Point Dume on Saturday. My heart aches for all those who lost their homes and their lives in California. I was one of the lucky ones, my home was only partially destroyed. A lot of people lost everything and will have to rebuild from scratch.



I am ok and so grateful for all of the well wishes. Please turn your support to those who need it most here, and throughout California. There's a Go Fund Me to help people across the state affected by the fires. Please join me if you can."



Apart from Gerard's house, there were other celebrities' houses like Miley Cyrus' that was damaged by the wildfire. Thousands of people are also homeless.Sinn Fein could influence how Brexit unfolds in Parliament if it took its seats in the House of Commons and stop engaging in "stunt politics", the DUP has claimed.

Nigel Dodds was speaking after delegations from Sinn Fein, the SDLP, Alliance and the Greens travelled to London to meet with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other opposition parties, including the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and Plaid Cymru.

Prime Minister Theresa May refused to meet them.

After the meetings, Sinn Fein described the trip as a "crucial show of unity" and underlined how "the majority of people" in the north opposed Brexit.

Michelle O'Neill emphasised how the backstop - which would see Northern Ireland remain part of the EU's customs union and single market - had to be permanent in any withdrawal agreement.

She also said that in the event of a no-deal Brexit in March there had to be a vote on a united Ireland, and her party would be pushing for one.

However, the DUP described it as a "classic example of stunt politics", saying Sinn Fein would have more impact if its MPs took their seats.

The Liberal Democrats also raised Sinn Fein's long-standing abstentionist policy as hampering the pro-Remain arguments in parliament during its meeting with the party.

DUP deputy leader Mr Dodds pointed to how many crucial Brexit votes had passed on the slimmest of margins. One vote passed in the Brexiteers' favour by just three.

He said: "At a time when crucial decisions are being made for Northern Ireland and the whole of the UK, Sinn Fein continue to boycott not just Westminster but the Assembly and Executive also.

"If they really cared or believed their own rhetoric they would end the boycotts but they are more interested in political stunts.

"On Brexit our voice and votes are counting whereas the boycotters render themselves increasingly isolated.

"The efforts of certain parties today to use Brexit to undermine the Union must not succeed. Their message is one which actually undermines the principles of successive agreements they purport to subscribe to."

On Sinn Fein not taking its seats, Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable added: "We can't tell them what to do and they have an historic mandate which we understood. Obviously it would be desirable for Northern Ireland to be fully represented in the House of Commons and we raised this issue in an amicable and business-like way."

When it was raised with Sinn Fein outside Parliament, Mrs O'Neill pointed towards the internal civil war within the Conservative Party between its Remain and Leave wings.

"We can analyse many hypothetical situations," Mrs O'Neill added.

"What's important in the here and now at this crucial point is we make our voices heard."

She also warned that a hard border, with infrastructure at the frontier, could become a target for dissidents.

"While I am very cautious not to over-egg that, I think it is important that people understand that's exactly what potentially could happen," she said.The new hotel at the Scottish Mutual Building

The opening of the George Best Hotel in Belfast city centre - which was expected in December - has gone into extra time.

The delay until 2019 is due to an issue with obtaining a licence, according to Liverpool-based developer Signature Living.

The company said Christmas parties that had been booked at the hotel would be honoured - but in the Waterfront Hall.

The company said it had been "continually" faced with objections from a nearby business to it obtaining a licence.

Signature Living chairman Lawrence Kenwright said last night: "Having discussed the issues relating to the additional objections, we have reluctantly taken the decision to delay the hotel opening.

"Conscious of our commitment to bookings for Christmas parties and guest rooms, we have put measures in place to ensure these will be honoured.

"Additionally refunds are being offered, and our team will facilitate, where possible, bookings elsewhere. Our customers are and will always be our priority.

"It is very unfortunate and extremely frustrating that these objections have caused us to delay our opening.

"We look forward to welcoming out first guests in early 2019."

The 15m hotel is being developed at the listed Scottish Mutual Building, next to Belfast City Hall. Signature Living also plans to convert the old Crumlin Road Courthouse into a 77-bed hotel.Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons is planning a new drive-thru outlet in Coleraine.

Its just six months since the multinational entered the Northern Ireland market with a store in the centre of Belfast.

The new outlet resulted in around 300 people queuing down Fountain Street for a taste of the chains coffee.

Tim Hortons is to open its second store here next month, a drive-thru at Connswater Shopping Centre in east Belfast.

Now a planning application submitted to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has revealed the next step in its expansion here.

SK Group, trading as Tim Hortons, is proposing a 900,000 development at the former Isaac Agnew site in Riverside Retail Park in Coleraine. The plan would see two new drive-thru outlets on the site next to McDonalds, with 62 parking spaces.

According to documents submitted to planners, Tim Hortons will occupy a larger 300 sqm unit on the site, with the occupant for the smaller 263 sqm unit yet to be confirmed.

However, the application confirms both will be coffee shops. Its unclear whether the Canadian chain will set up shop in both or lease the second unit to a rival company.

A supporting statement presented to Causeway Coast and Glen Council states: Close proximity to existing compatible business will not only create healthy competition, but additional economic benefits through direct and indirect jobs.

Last month Tim Hortons chief finance and commercial officer said: Tim Hortons is in the process of an expansion strategy which will see us identifying a number of sites across Northern Ireland in the coming few years.

Drive-thru coffee appears to be a growing trend in Northern Ireland. Two other similar bids were submitted to planning officials in recent weeks in Newtownards and Mallusk.Most businesses in Northern Ireland are understandably very apprehensive about the Brexit decisions which are imminent.

During the debate about Brexit, businesses have faced many examples of political arguments which took little account of business interests. The debate about a 'backstop' is to ensure that there is no return of a commercial border on this island damaging the benefits of the closer integration of the business economies, North and South.

That debate has been, for some political interests, treated as a debate about constitutional status. Devolution of aspects of Government policy to the different parts of the UK should be able to function without changes in devolution practices being treated as constitutional hurdles.

In the next few weeks the Government at Westminster must make the critical decision: what now for Brexit? Different options, centred around one of three decisions, are either:

l to approve the compromise agreement with the EU as now (nearly) finalised by Theresa May;

l to reject that compromise and 'walk away' with no deal; or

l if Westminster can find no majority for the compromise deal, to approve the withdrawal of the Article 50 application, meaning to continue EU membership.

From an NI perspective (and also when viewed from the Irish Government perspective) the 'walk away' option is dramatically the worst. Just so that there are no illusions about the effects of this option, now is the moment when business and civil society organisations should make their voices heard. A no-deal outcome brings business uncertainty and possible recession into any examination of future prospects.

Dramatically, there are already clear statements about the risks to cross-border bus services when EU obligations and privileges are effectively cancelled. The present electricity supply arrangements with cross-border trading would cease. All of the trade and services standards which fall within the regulatory alignment built up in the EU will be faulted and wait to be reassembled.

A no-deal scenario is not a painless, passive answer: it would be much more damaging than some unpopular parts of the deal now likely to be agreed by Mrs May. A no-deal option would worsen the already worrying indirect damage to the NI economy.

The business community has been demonstrating, perhaps not clearly and explicitly enough, that a no-deal answer is what is most feared and already has been having a deterrent effect on local investment. For the UK, a no-deal would see an even larger shift in business activities and investment across the English Channel to Germany, or across the Irish Sea to Ireland, for sections of international banking and finance. The implications for the car assembly firms are disturbing.

For Northern Ireland, the investment plans for firms that might expand have been delayed (or postponed) and show significant concerns that some local businesses will see advantages in moving activities south of the border. If this is a worry for businesses that are already established, then the logic when new arrivals are being sought is even stronger.

Jobs are being lost.

A no-deal outcome needs to be avoided, dare it be said, 'at all costs'.

The deal between the UK Government and the EU calls for significant compromises. Mrs May hopes to extend its scope to add arrangements for the freedom of services between the UK and the EU in addition to a flexible arrangement for trade in goods. One way or another, the Irish border will not be a physical checkpoint. The backstop should be in place.

If, however, the proposals of the UK Government are defeated in Westminster, then the best option for our political representatives is to support the withdrawal of the Article 50 application: back to the status-quo ante. Tensions and real fears arising from a potential big mistake need to be recognised.Drinks giant Diageo is offloading 19 brands including Parrot Bay rum to US firm Sazerac in a deal worth $550m (428m).

Diageo - which counts Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker and Guinness among its leading brands - said the move will allow it to concentrate on its premium US spirits.

The brands being sold in the deal are: Seagram's VO, Seagram's 83, Seagram's Five Star, Myers's, Parrot Bay, Romana Sambuca, Popov, Yukon Jack, Goldschlager, Stirrings, The Club, Scoresby, Black Haus, Peligroso, Relska, Grind, Piehole, Booth's and John Begg.

Diageo also said it has entered into 10-year supply contracts with Sazerac for five of the drinks being sold.

Proceeds of the deal - expected to be about 340m on a net basis - will be returned to investors through a share buy-back.

It is hoping to complete the sale early next year.

Ivan Menezes, chief executive of Diageo, said: "The disposal of these brands enables us to have even greater focus on the faster growing premium and above brands in the US spirits portfolio."

The US accounts for around 45% of Diageo's group profits.

Edward Munday at Jefferies International said the sale was "further evidence of the Diageo change story" and would boost growth in its US spirits division.

Diageo warned in September over "volatility" in some of its markets, with full-year profits expected to take a 45m hit due to currency fluctuations. But it said at the time that trading for the year had "started well" and in line with expectations.Clothing chain New Look has closed its store in Belfast's Forestside Shopping Centre with the loss of around 10 jobs as part of its turnaround plan, it has emerged.

The shop is the first of the chain's 26 units in Northern Ireland to shut as part of a Company Voluntary Arrangement, a form of insolvency.

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The company last week said it would close as many as 100 shops around the UK to cut costs and improve profitability.

It's already expected to vacate its unit at Fountain House in the city centre, with Primark due to take up the space instead following the fire at its flagship store.

Earlier this year the company's landlords had agreed to a CVA which would enable the struggling chain to stay open by negotiating reduced rents with landlords and shop closures in other cases.

Rent reductions were agreed but it's understood landlords had been given the option to give New Look notice to leave their units, if they did not want to accept a reduced rent and were confident of attracting a new tenant.

One retail property specialist said the option of giving notice was part of the CVA. "They had the right to put New Look out if they found another occupant on better terms."

Forestside Shopping Centre was not available for comment last night, while New Look also refused a request to comment.

However, the shop is no longer listed as an occupant on Forestside's website.

But it's understood New Look's remaining shops are still open.

Forestside and Foyleside Shopping Centre in Londonderry are owned by Forestside Acqusitions.

New Look has a store in Londonderry's Richmond Centre.The proposal for the new Doagh Road Business Park includes a storage and distribution centre, along with three light industrial units. (stock photo)

A bid to construct a new 17m business park in Newtownabbey with the potential to bring up to 60 construction jobs has been submitted to planners.

The proposal for the new Doagh Road Business Park includes a storage and distribution centre, along with three light industrial units.

It's close to the existing Ballyearl Business Park, on the opposite side of the A8 Ballynure Road, at Houston's Corner roundabout.

If approved, the project is expected to create between 50 and 60 construction jobs during the 12 months of development, providing an estimated 500,000 in salaries. According to the project's backers, the completed development could generate an additional 500,000 in annual rates for Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.

The application has been submitted by Kemark No 2 Ltd, a subsidiary company of Oxford Street Capital, a Belfast-based property investment firm owned by a London family, headed by David Creighton. It's understood that Kemark has been behind a number of large-scale industrial projects across NI, involving similar levels of investment.

The latest project would see the construction of a new 15,000 sqm warehouse, along with three smaller 2,000-4,000 sqm units. The entire project would add 24,152 sqm of floorspace to the 12 hectare site, which has been zoned as a 'major employment location' (MEL).

According to the applicants: "The proposal will contribute to the overall aims of the regional development strategy by achieving further sustainable economic growth, providing job creation across the region and providing further inwards investment."

Planning permission has previously been granted for a similar, but smaller, project for warehousing and industrial units next to the Houston's Corner roundabout.

Located near Mallusk, the area remains one of Northern Ireland's key centres for a variety of businesses. The major firms operating nearby include Montgomery Distribution.

The Doagh Business Park application was submitted following a 12 week public consultation exercise late last year. An event in Ballyearl Leisure Centre resulted in just five people submitting their views via comment cards, most citing concern over another industrial development in the area. Elected representatives were also engaged on the project, along with the Antrim and Newtownabbey council.

The resulting amendments to the Kemark proposal include more landscaping on the site and setting the development further back from the Doagh Road.Three-year-old Thomas McKeown is well prepared for the winter season, having received the flu nasal spray at his GP's surgery.

Thomas is one of the thousands of pre-schoolers aged between two and four who are eligible to receive the free flu vaccine in the form of a nasal spray. The vaccine provides children with the best line of defence against the illness and Thomas's mum, Sorcha, was keen that he had maximum protection against the flu this winter.

"My older son, James, will receive his vaccine at school," said Sorcha, who lives in Belfast. "I was keen that Thomas also received the vaccination to help keep him well this winter.

"The vaccination took very little time and, because it is a nasal spray, it was painless - he even remarked that it tickled."

Last year, seasonal flu activity was the highest seen since the 2009 pandemic, with 119 cases of flu in intensive care/high dependency units (ICU/HDU) - more than twice as many as the previous year - and a total of 22 deaths in ICU/HDU in which a diagnosis of influenza was confirmed.

Uptake of the childhood vaccine was down slightly last year. Flu vaccination plays a vital role in limiting the impact of flu, not only on those who receive the vaccine, but by also helping to reduce the spread of the virus among families and in communities.

The flu virus spreads easily and quickly, infecting both adults and children alike.

This can lead to days spent in bed rather than being at work or school, causing considerable inconvenience for the whole family, not to mention putting more vulnerable relatives at risk.

Evidence shows that the flu vaccine can provide direct protection to children and will also reduce the amount of flu circulating, thus providing indirect protection for older people and individuals with underlying health conditions.

Helping to protect the wider circle of friends and family was also a factor in Sorcha's decision to have her boys vaccinated.

"With Thomas in pre-school and James in primary school, and both of them spending a lot of time with their grandparents, I wanted to do what I could to look after not only the boys but also those around them," she added.

Flu can cause the same unpleasant symptoms in children as it does with adults - fever, chills, aching muscles and joints, headache and extreme tiredness. Symptoms can last between two and seven days and for some it can lead to serious illness and hospital admission.

Complications arising from flu can include bronchitis, pneumonia and painful middle ear infection. In severe cases, which are very rare, flu can lead to disability and even death. Younger children are more at risk and more likely to end up in hospital.

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The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging parents to get the free flu vaccine for their children to provide them with the best line of defence against the illness.

"The flu virus spreads through the air when people cough and sneeze without covering their nose and mouth," said Dr Lucy Jessop, Health Protection Consultant with the PHA.

"Young children don't always cover their noses or mouths when coughing or sneezing and they can spread the flu virus very quickly, making them 'super-spreaders'."

Pre-school children in Northern Ireland aged two years and over are eligible to receive the free flu vaccine through their GP. Children in primaries one to seven will be offered the vaccine in school. In addition, people over 65, 'at risk' children and adults, and pregnant women can receive the flu jab at their doctor's surgery.

Most children receive the vaccine via a quick and painless nasal spray. The nasal vaccine has been shown to provide even greater protection for children than the flu injection. There are a few children who cannot receive the nasal spray and they will be offered the injection instead.

Dr Jessop added: "Traditionally uptake rates for flu vaccination are high in Northern Ireland. However, last year we saw a slight drop. We mustn't become complacent - we need to maintain high rates of uptake every year to maximise protection for our community."

Some GPs may not directly invite all of their registered patients who are eligible for vaccination. If you, or someone in your care, are eligible to be vaccinated but do not receive an invitation, contact your GP to find out more about their flu vaccination clinics.

The vaccine changes each year to cover the strains which are likely to be prevalent over the course of the flu season, so it is important to get immunised annually.

As it takes approximately two weeks following vaccination to develop maximum protection against flu, it is important to get vaccinated by early December. If you wait until flu starts circulating, it may be too late for the vaccine to protect you, so get the flu vaccine and stay well this winter.

The flu vaccination programme is part of the wider Stay Well this Winter programme operated by the Public Health Agency and the Health and Social Care Board which enables people to take simple steps during the colder months to look after their health.

For further information on the flu vaccine see www.pha.site/fluleaflets. For information on how to help yourself stay well this winter visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/stay-wellA third alleged paedophile hunter is to contest charges of attempting to intimidate an investigative journalist, a court heard today.

George Keenan also intends to fight claims that he used disorderly behaviour and obstructed a road in south Belfast.

The 34-year-old's lawyer confirmed he is pleading not guilty to all the allegations against him.

Two co-accused, Richard Curtis, 33, and Tim Heron, 29, have already entered formal denials to the same charges.

A judge at Belfast Magistrates' Court listed the three defendants' cases for a contested hearing next February.

The charges against them relate to an alleged confrontation with BBC reporter Kevin Magee in February this year.

He was said to have encountered a group at a coffee shop on Botanic Avenue while making a news report on paedophile hunter groups operating in Northern Ireland.

Footage showed him being followed outside as he made his way to a car.

Curtis, from Albert Road in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim; Heron, of Cloverhill Vale in Bangor, Co Down; and Keenan, of Glenwood Court in the Dunmurry area of Belfast, are all charged with attempting by force, threat or menace to cause Mr Magee to refrain from broadcasting a television interview.

They are also jointly accused of unlawfully attempting to stop him from questioning them and others about paedophile hunting in his role as an investigative journalist.

The disorderly behaviour and obstruction of a road charges relate to the same alleged incident.

Keenan appeared back in court today for his response to the allegations against them.

Defence solicitor Michael Madden confirmed his client's not guilty plea to the charges.

With CCTV footage, photographs and social media material expected to feature in the main trial, District Judge Fiona Bagnall listed a further review in December.Britain and the EU are almost within touching distance of striking a Brexit deal, Theresa Mays de facto deputy has said.

After talks in Brussels continued late into the night for a second successive day, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said an agreement was still possible this week.

However, with the negotiations now down to the most difficult issues, he said that there had to be a measure of caution.

Still possible, but not at all definite I think pretty much sums it up, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

Mrs May is briefing senior ministers on the progress of the talks at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet in Downing Street on Tuesday.

Mr Lidington confirmed the final issues still to be resolved included the so-called Northern Ireland backstop, intended to ensure there is no hard border with the Republic in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

He said: We are not quite there yet. This was always going to be an extremely difficult, extremely complex negotiation, but we are almost within touching distance now.

But as the PM has said, it cant be a deal at any price. It has got to be one that works in terms of feeling we can deliver on the referendum result and that is why there is a measure of caution.

In her annual address to the Lord Mayors Banquet on Monday, the Prime Minister confirmed the negotiations were approaching the end game, but said there were still significant issues standing in the way of an agreement.

If there is no deal by the end of Wednesday, the prospects of a special Brexit summit in Brussels in November will recede sharply, further reducing Mrs Mays chances of getting a vote in Parliament before Christmas.

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Mr Lidington acknowledged it would be an important moment, but refused to be drawn on suggestions it will mark the point that the Government has to start putting into action its no-deal contingency plans if there was no agreement.

I am not going to put dates to particular ascribed actions, he said.

He added however: There does come a point at which contingency plans have to be stepped up simply so that in that eventuality, the preparations have been done.

You may have to run the two things in parallel.

Mrs May faces continuing unrest among Brexiteer ministers who fear she is preparing to give too much ground to Brussels in her efforts to get an agreement.

Around half a dozen ministers, including Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Environment Secretary Michael Gove, are prepared to tell her that leaving without a deal would be better than the proposals on the table from Brussels, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The group was said to have met for drinks at International Trade Secretary Liam Foxs office on Monday night to discuss their concerns, ahead of the Cabinet meeting.

In her speech at Guildhall in London, the Prime Minister said that while both sides in the talks wanted a viable withdrawal agreement, what we are negotiating is immensely difficult.

She added: Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit, and I am determined to deliver for them.

I want them to know that I will not compromise on what people voted for in the referendum. This will not be an agreement at any cost.Theresa May will need to win the support of her Cabinet (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

A Brexit deal has been reached by negotiators in Brussels and will be the focus of a crunch Cabinet meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

Cabinet ministers were invited to read the papers relating to the draft deal on Tuesday night ahead of the special meeting of Theresa Mays senior team to decide on next steps.

A Number 10 spokesman said: Cabinet will meet at 2pm tomorrow to consider the draft agreement the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels and to decide on next steps.

Cabinet ministers have been invited to read documentation ahead of that meeting.

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Ministers have been seen entering and leaving Downing Street throughout the day after Tuesdays Cabinet meeting.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock was the first to arrive following confirmation that a deal had been reached, followed by Chief Whip Julian Smith and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

Confirmation that a deal had been reached by officials follows months of protracted talks in Brussels, with measures to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland the main stumbling block.

Irish broadcaster RTE reported that a stable text had been agreed on the thorny issue of the Northern Irish border.

The broadcaster said the deal involved one overall backstop in the form of a UK-wide customs arrangement  as sought by Mrs May  but with deeper provisions for Northern Ireland on customs and regulations.

A review mechanism is understood to be part of the text, but it is unclear whether that would meet the demands of Tory Brexiteers  including some in the Cabinet  who want the UK to be able to unilaterally walk away from the deal to prevent it becoming a permanent settlement.

In a sign that Dublin may not be happy with the situation, a spokesman for Irelands deputy premier Simon Coveney said: Negotiations between the EU and UK on a withdrawal agreement are ongoing and have not concluded.

The developments came after the Prime Minister told Cabinet on Tuesday morning that a small number of issues remained to be resolved and her de facto deputy David Lidington described a deal as almost within touching distance.

No one is fooled by this theatre. Delay after staged managed delay. A deal will be reached and it will mean surrender by the UK. We will be doomed to remain in the customs union and under Brussels regulatory control. People did not vote for colony status 1/2  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 13, 2018

The agreement by officials on a draft deal came as:

 The Government was forced to agree to publish legal advice on the proposed deal

 The European Commission said UK citizens should continue to enjoy visa-free travel even in a no-deal scenario, as long as there is a reciprocal arrangement

 Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson accused the Prime Minister of stage-managing delays to the negotiations and warned a deal will mean surrender to Brussels.Scottish Secretary David Mundell said the draft Brexit agreement was encouraging but suggested the details could yet stymie agreement.

The Tory Cabinet Secretary said colleagues needed to reflect on the detail, understood to be referring to the latest technical details of the Northern Irish backstop.

Mr Mundell was heading into talks between the devolved UK nations chaired by de facto Deputy Prime Minister David Lidington as No 10 confirmed a draft Brexit deal would be laid in front of the Cabinet on Wednesday.

I think its encouraging theres a potential agreementDavid Mundell

On his way into the joint ministerial council (JMC) at the Cabinet Office, Mr Mundell said: I think its encouraging theres a potential agreement.

Obviously members of the Cabinet are going to have the opportunity to look at that in detail this evening and there will be a special Cabinet meeting tomorrow to reflect on whats in that documentation.

So Im encouraged, but we need to reflect on that detail and see whats there and hopefully be in a position to take forward a deal.

Thats what the Government has been working for all this time, to get a deal, and negotiators have worked incredibly hard to get us to this point, but we have to reflect on the detail and consider at Cabinet tomorrow.

On his way into the JMC, Scottish Brexit Secretary Michael Russell warned the threat of no-deal Brexit would not go away even if there was a deal struck.

He said: I dont know what we will hear from David Lidington and Dominic Raab, but quite clearly theyre here to discuss a range of issues including what progress theyre making, and particularly to get some information on that.

Its not good enough, with respect, to read it in the newspapers.

We need to know whats being done and we need to know what is being done in our name.

Myself and the Welsh representative, Mark Drakeford, will be making that point forcibly here today as well as the point about the issue of no-deal.

Whatever is resolved, that threat will not go away, given there are at least three more years of negotiations if there is a deal, and under those circumstances we will want to know what preparations there are for that.

Mr Russell had called for the UK Government to reveal documents to ministers in the devolved administrations, and not just the UK Government, ahead of the meeting.

The Press Association understands the Scottish Government has so far only had information about the draft deal via back channels.Irish Senators Mark Daly of Fianna Fail (left), Independent Frances Black (2nd from left), Frank Feighan of Fine Geal (3rd from right), with members of the families of those killed during the Ballymurphy massacre stand with images of those killed, outside Laganside Courts in Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA)

A barrister representing some of the Ballymurphy families has said there is widespread and deep concern that British soldiers are boycotting the inquest.

Michael Mansfield QC, who represents a number of the victims families, called for the coroner to take direct action on the issue.

The long-awaited inquests are examining the deaths of 10 people killed during shooting incidents involving the British Army in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast in 1971.

On the second day of the inquests, Mr Mansfield raised concern surrounding the cooperation of ex-soldiers.

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He said: There is widespread and deep concern from the families about what appears to be a boycott at what is a critical point of this inquest.

The appearance of a boycott is being articulated very clearly.

He said that former soldier Alan Barry, who is involved in the campaign group Justice for Northern Ireland Veterans (JFNIV), advised soldiers involved in Ballymurphy not to cooperate with requests to attend the inquests.

The comments were reported in a newspaper on Friday and repeated in a different newspaper on the first day of the inquest.

He said that these warnings to soldiers present serious risk of adverse inference.

Barrister Barry McDonald, who represents some of the other victims families, said that at least 12 soldiers fired 117 shots into an area known as the Manse field, however he added that not one of these soldiers have provided a statement.

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The soldiers who fired are simply refusing to cooperate with this inquest and are boycotting it, he added.

He said that soldiers believed to be involved have not been prepared to give statements and he called for them to be subpoenaed.

Continuing his opening statement on Tuesday, counsel for the coroner Sean Doran outlined details around the UVFs controversial claim of involvement.

The court was told that an Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) sniper was active in that part of west Belfast at the time of the 10 killings in August 1971.

Mr Doran said no information as to which of these deaths may have been caused by the sniper was given.

In May this year, the coroners service received correspondence from a solicitor representing an interlocutor who claimed he had information about the possible involvement of the UVF in a number of shootings in Ballymurphy.

The interlocutor, known as Witness X, said he had spoken to people he described as veterans of the UVF.

He said that information provided identified a UVF sniper, who is now dead, was active in the vicinity of where the shootings took place and may have caused some of the deaths.

It is understood the man named by the organisation is a now deceased member called Tommy West.

Mr Doran told the court that Witness X claims he was told a Mauser rifle had been used.

The barrister also described the extensive work the coroners service has been carrying out for the inquests.

He said that they have requested 127 military witness statements and around 800 soldiers have been identified as potentially being able to assist the inquest.

As part of its scope, the inquest will examine areas of the military operations taking place at the time.Irish politicians met with members of the victims families outside Laganside Courts (Liam McBurney/PA)

A coroner has warned the court has the power to issue subpoenas to witnesses who refuse to cooperate with the inquest into the killings of 10 people in west Belfast almost five decades ago.

Mrs Justice Siobhan Keegan made the stark warning after a barrister representing some of the Ballymurphy families said there is widespread and deep concern British soldiers are boycotting the inquest.

Michael Mansfield QC, who represents a number of the victims families, called for the coroner to take direct action on the issue.

The long-awaited inquests are examining the deaths of 10 people killed during shooting incidents involving the Army in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast in 1971.

Mr Mansfield said: There is widespread and deep concern from the families about what appears to be a boycott at what is a critical point of this inquest.

The appearance of a boycott is being articulated very clearly.

He said former soldier Alan Barry, who is involved in the campaign group Justice for Northern Ireland Veterans (JFNIV), advised soldiers involved not to cooperate with requests to attend the inquests.

The comments were reported in a newspaper on Friday and repeated in a different national newspaper on the first day of the inquest.

Mr Mansfield said these warnings to soldiers present serious risk of adverse inference.

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Mrs Justice Keegan expressed concern in learning about the media reports, saying: I would like to remind people that cooperation is key to my role.

If people refuse to cooperate I have the power to subpoena witnesses or draw adverse inference.

It is not permissible for people to discourage those who may have relevant information to come forward.

On the second day of the inquest, families of two of the victims read out statements and described the impact of the killings.

Patsy Mullan, whose brother Fr Hugh Mullan was killed as he tried to help a wounded man, described him as very helpful and kind.

When I was told that he was dead, I phoned our doctor and asked him to come to be with my mother as I didnt know how she would cope with this news, he said.

She was in a terrible state and had to be sedated.

Fr Mullans niece, Geraldine McGrattan, said: As a family we want this inquest to prove that my uncle was not a gunman as was stated in some of the newspapers at the time. That he was an innocent priest going about his pastoral duties.

Pat Quinn, the brother of 19-year-old Frank who was shot dead after trying to help a wounded man, said his death forever changed his familys life.

Mr Quinn, who was comforted by his other brother Liam as he broke down in court, added: It was like hell on earth that this was happening to our family.

Franks daughter Angela Sloan said: (There are) so many memories that we didnt get to make because someone decided that it was okay to take him from us, because he was a kind human being he went to help others.

I have always been proud of his bravery. Many a man would have walked away.

Defence barrister Barry McDonald said at least 12 soldiers fired 117 shots into an area known as Manse field, however he added not one of these soldiers have provided a statement.

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The soldiers who fired are simply refusing to cooperate with this inquest and are boycotting it, Mr McDonald added.

He said soldiers believed to be involved have not been prepared to give statements and he called for them to be subpoenaed.

Continuing his opening statement on Tuesday, counsel for the coroner Sean Doran outlined details around the UVFs controversial claim of involvement.

The court was told an Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) sniper was active in that part of west Belfast at the time of the killings.

Mr Doran said no information as to which of these deaths may have been caused by the sniper was given.

In May this year, the coroners service received correspondence from a solicitor representing an interlocutor who claimed he had information about the possible involvement of the UVF in a number of shootings in Ballymurphy.

The interlocutor, known as Witness X, said he had spoken to people he described as veterans of the UVF.

He said information provided identified a UVF sniper, who is now dead, was active in the vicinity of where the shootings took place and may have caused some of the deaths.

It is understood the man named by the organisation is a now deceased member called Tommy West.

Mr Doran told the court Witness X claims he was told a Mauser rifle had been used.

The barrister also described the extensive work the coroners service has been carrying out for the inquests.

He said they have requested 127 military witness statements and around 800 soldiers have been identified as potentially being able to assist the inquest.

The inquest will also examine areas of the military operations taking place at the time.Here are some of the questions being asked about the draft agreement which Downing Street says has been reached by negotiators in Brussels.

 How did we get here?

It has been a long road since the referendum vote to leave the EU on June 23 2016. A two-year period of negotiation was formally triggered by the UKs Article 50 letter on March 29 2017 and actual talks were delayed further by the snap general election of June 8. A Joint Report was agreed by Theresa May and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on December 8, but left some of the most contentious issues to be thrashed out.

 What is in the Withdrawal Agreement?

The Agreement covers arrangements for disentangling the UK from the EU after more than 40 years of membership. Key issues are the future rights of British expats living on the continent and Europeans in the UK; the settlement of the UKs financial liabilities, estimated at up to 39 billion; and the status of the border on the island of Ireland.

 What has held things up?

The main obstacle to an agreement has been the question of the Irish border, which will be the UKs only land frontier with the remaining EU after Brexit. Neither side wants a hard border with physical checkpoints and customs inspections, which they fear could undermine the Northern Irish peace process.

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 How are they proposing to keep the border open?

Both sides believe an eventual trade deal should resolve the issue. But Brussels has insisted on a backstop arrangement as insurance to protect the border while a deal is negotiated. EU proposals for a backstop keeping Northern Ireland inside the European customs area were rejected by Mrs May for effectively creating a border in the Irish Sea. Her counter-proposal of a whole-UK temporary customs union was rebuffed by Brussels over the issue of Britains unilateral right to pull out. It is understood that the draft agreement introduces a review mechanism for ending the arrangement.

 What does the Withdrawal Agreement look like?

It is thought to run into hundreds of pages of detail on all aspects of the divorce. Alongside it is expected to be a shorter Political Declaration setting out a framework for future relations between the UK and EU in areas like trade and security co-operation.

 What happens next?

Cabinet ministers were invited into 10 Downing Street on Tuesday evening to read through documents. They will gather for a special Cabinet meeting to consider next steps at 2pm on Wednesday. Mrs May is expected to ask them to give their approval to the draft.

In Brussels, the EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier would have to report to the European Council that decisive progress has been made in order for president Donald Tusk to convene a summit  probably in the last week of November  at which leaders of the remaining 27 EU states would be asked to put their stamp on the document. The agreement would then be sent for ratification to both the Westminster Parliament and the European Parliament. The Government would hope to stage a vote in the House of Commons before Christmas. If every obstacle is cleared, the deal would come into effect in time for the UKs departure on March 29 2019.

 Is the Cabinet certain to give the plan its backing?

Far from it. The Prime Minister is acutely vulnerable to resignations from her top team which could massively destabilise her position. Staunch Brexiters in the Cabinet like Liam Fox, Dominic Raab, Andrea Leadsom, Penny Mordaunt and Esther McVey must be convinced that the deal would not tie the UK too closely to Brussels.

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 What opposition will the draft agreement face in Parliament?

Mrs May will face resistance from Tory Brexiters like Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg who fear that a deal could tie the UK indefinitely to Brussels, following rules which it has no part in shaping. The DUP, which props up her minority Government in the Commons, will challenge anything which treats Northern Ireland differently from the rest of the UK. Remainers within the Conservative Party will argue that the draft offers worse terms than the UK already enjoys as a member of the EU. Labour has said it will oppose any agreement which fails to support jobs and the economy and leader Jeremy Corbyn has already said the draft is unlikely to be a good deal for the country. EU-backing Liberal Democrats and the SNP are expected to vote against the deal.

 What happens if the deal fails to win support in Westminster?

The default position is for the UK to leave the EU on March 29 without a deal, with the potential for chaotic scenes at ports and airports. Mrs May is expected to use this as a powerful lever to persuade MPs to back her for the sake of stability. However, there would also be huge pressure for a Peoples Vote second referendum to give the public the chance to decide whether it still wanted to go ahead with withdrawal. And Labour would push for a general election to give someone else the opportunity to negotiate a better deal.

 Is Mrs Mays own position safe?

Certainly not. She could face a vote of no confidence if 48 Tory MPs demand one, with speculation that that number is close to being reached. And her knife-edge control of the House of Commons mean that she risks losing her effective majority and her ability to pass legislation if she alienates more than a handful of her backers.Two years ago, when the series was first launched, I had reservations about the whole concept of BBC NI's Pop Goes Northern Ireland. After all, its RTE counterpart Reeling In The Years and various BBC 'I Love 1973 etc' episodes, could at least pepper the annual trail of months with quirky tales, heart-warming vignettes, amazing rescues and celebrity weddings, in among the hard news items.

You couldn't hold out much hope of that for Boom Goes Northern Ireland.

The prospect of, say, every single year from 1968 until 1998 and beyond filled with grim slayings on one hand and everything from The New Seekers to The Spice Girls and Boyzone, via the Rollers, U2, Whitney and Madge, on the other, was too much to contemplate.

How could that not be crass, disrespectful, tasteless, selective, nasty and embarrassing? Well, rather easily, as it has turned out.

It's been one of the silent hits of local broadcasting, managing to navigate with some aplomb all the obstacles above - and a few more I maybe hadn't even imagined in detail.

A few days ago, for example, there was a Facebook post about the programme by Ann Travers.

Gulp, you might think. This is where it all goes wrong.

Ann is one of the several formidable campaigners for justice on behalf of the victims of the Troubles, happily very visible and strong-willed, which is useful because she is also the subject of some of the most astonishingly vitriolic and hateful abuse on social media and in real life.

It'll be the 1984 episode, then. The one devoted to the year in which the IRA murdered her sister Mary and tried to murder her magistrate father Tom and her mother Joan outside St Brigid's Church on Derryvolgie Avenue in south Belfast as they emerged from Mass. There, in a neat little package of unspeakable grief, you have the whole catastrophe courted by the Pop Goes enterprise. But you'd be wrong. As indeed I was.

It happens that Ann, as always of course, spoke with grace and good sense when she saw last week the first airing of the episode devoted to that year which was horrendous to many, sadly, but also, very particularly, to her. The harrowing footage showed the scene following the murder, then cut to lovely Ann and her stoical mum walking into church, where Bishop Daly had strong words for the killers and their supporters.

"Thank you to all on Pop Goes Northern Ireland for such an amazing series," wrote Ann. "In this clip not only am I reminded of how young and devastated I was but also my lovely brothers and Mum," she added. "My Grandad and my aunts are also in this clip. How did we all survive it?"

I think that's as good a review as the programme, or as the series as a whole, will ever get.

Her final question was, of course, about how her family managed to endure and outlast the unimaginable.

However, it is a question with a wider resonance. How did any of us survive it? Indeed, did we actually survive it at all? That is, did we manage to get out of it in fact as lightly damaged as we like to think we did?

Ann Travers's remarks drew me back to that 1984 edition. Watching it and a few others from the series on iPlayer was certainly a disturbing experience.

One of the things you get from that now is how incredibly old the footage is! How long ago it all was! As the years roll backwards, the images move from a strangely bleached-out colour to a grainy and indistinct black-and-white - soon, everything is like fairly bad CCTV footage and feels more like 1950s Alabama or 1930s northern England.

This is definitely the stuff of History and its younger brother, Age.

Look at the strange fashions! We know Belfast had its punks and New Wave, metalheads and Ska fans, but it also had Slade, The Sweet and Spandau Ballet - and far more of them!

The cars - Ford Cortinas, Vauxhall Cavaliers, Austin Metros. The fashions (rah-rah skirts and catsuits anybody?). Men seemed to be inordinately fond of parka jackets. And, of course, the buildings (or rather the lack of certain ones). Look, there's Royal Avenue before CastleCourt. There's Crumlin Road Gaol. There's the Old Bandstand in Cornmarket.

Then there were the half-forgotten Secretaries of State: Humphrey Atkins, Jim Prior, Tom King, Peter Brooke minor characters from a story so long ago.

Perhaps most poignant were the shops: Christie's Wallpaper Shop, the Spinning Mill, Golden Discs, Caroline Music, Chalet D'or

I even found myself feeling a pang of nostalgia for the security gates and getting your bags searched well, not really.

So much has changed. Literally, decades have passed. In the case of that 1984 episode, 34 years.

That's a long time. Just over a third of a century. I was still at school then, hadn't even done O-levels. Children just born then may have marriages and divorces behind them today.

We who lived through it watch those flickering images and remind ourselves that it was all so long ago. It's like watching Gerry And The Pacemakers on YouTube or an episode of Hancock's Half Hour.

It's all Past Time shops, vintage clothing, Seventies and Eighties themed parties with the costumes hired out down town somewhere.

Except, Mary Travers wasn't murdered 34 years ago. It was yesterday. For many among us, those savage attacks happen each and every day, without ceasing and all in full 21st century colour. That can be how grief works its way through a life, becoming more contemporary every moment.

What Pop Goes Northern Ireland 'got' - and had the courage to act upon - was that it's not just the terrible events that can trigger surprisingly vivid memories, collapsing time itself, but that even the seemingly trivial and transient and harmless and innocent can bring back the wry and the poignant. We are back in the moment, engulfed again by the horror of it all, astonished that we made it through at all.

The past is always with us. There is an artistry about how to handle it with respect and sensitivity, but also with a lightness of touch which isn't overwhelming.

The Belfast poet John Campbell has a piece called simply 'Ned Keenan':

Whenever I lift an orange,

Ned Keenan comes to mind.

He could judge their sweetness,

Just by stripping off the rind.

'A sour one won't peel easy,'

He told me with a smile,

In the days he bossed the orange boats,

And we helped him stack the pile.

An explosion in McGurk's Bar

Left him and others dead.

Whenever I peel an orange,

I always think of Ned.

Memory, in its strange meanderings and associations, cannot be stopped. Guess what? It turns out, as Pop Goes Northern Ireland demonstrates, that's not something to shy away from.The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic has emerged as the main sticking point in nogotiations between Brotain and the EU (Brian Lawless/PA)

Theresa May has warned that although Brexit talks with the EU are now in the endgame, there are still significant issues that separate London and Brussels.

With Britains scheduled March departure from the multinational trade bloc rearing up ever larger on the horizon, questions remain over whether a withdrawal agreement can be made.

Here are answers to some of the main questions about what still separates the two sides:

 What is the biggest obstacle to a withdrawal agreement?

The main remaining issue is the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, with the UK and EU sides divided on the best way of avoiding the need for checkpoints  the so-called hard border.

 Why do they want to prevent a hard border?

Regulatory and customs checks at hundreds of crossing points used by thousands of vehicles every day would cause massive disruption to individuals and businesses.

An open border was also part of the Good Friday Agreement that ended decades of violence, and there are fears that checkpoints and cameras could become the target of sectarian attacks.

 What is the UK Governments favoured solution?

London thinks the border can be kept open as part of a broader trade deal which does away with the need for checks.

 What is Brussels proposing?

The EU is insisting on a backstop arrangement as a fallback to be used until a broader deal is in place.

This would involve Northern Ireland effectively remaining part of the European customs area, with checks taking place at ports and ferries between the region and the British mainland instead of at the border.

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 What does the UK think of that?

Theresa May has repeatedly said no prime minister could accept such a plan, as it would create a customs border down the Irish Sea and undermine the integrity of the United Kingdom.

 So what does London propose?

Mrs May has put forward an alternative backstop, featuring a temporary arrangement keeping the whole of the UK in a customs union, which she expects to be lifted by the end of 2021. On Monday, she warned she will not accept an agreement at any cost.

 Is that acceptable to Brussels?

Only if there is a backstop to the backstop, so that when the temporary UK-wide arrangement runs out, the Northern Irish carve-out would come into effect.

 What do Ireland say about the backstop?

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said last week: There can be no expiry date and there can be no unilateral exit clause, and if it were to be either of those things, the backstop would not be worth the paper it was written on.

 Does Mrs May at least have support in the UK for her proposal?

A lot of Conservative MPs  reportedly including some Cabinet ministers  are concerned that a temporary backstop would become permanent and want any agreement to include a firm date for it to lapse. Others on the Remain side are concerned that Britain would be a rule-taker without a say on a major chunk of economic policy.

 If Mrs May can reach agreement with Brussels, can she get it through Parliament?

This is highly questionable. Depending on the nature of any deal, she could lose support from as many as 80 hardline Brexiteers on one side of her party or an estimated 30 Europhile Tories on the other.

The DUPs 10 MPs have made clear they will not back anything which means Northern Ireland being treated differently from the rest of the UK.

And the PM will struggle to win much support from Labour MPs, with the partys leadership insisting it will vote down anything which fails its six tests.A man has been arrested in connection with a paramilitary style attack.

A 48-year-old man arrested in connection with a paramilitary style attack in west Belfast has been released.

Detectives from the PSNI's Terrorism Investigation Unit arrested the man in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, on Tuesday, November 12.

He was arrested in connection with an attack in the Turf Lodge area of west Belfast on September 28.

Detective Inspector Adrian Brown said police believe the attack was carried out on behalf of ANP.

Despite claims from the groups responsible for carrying out these paramilitary style attacks that they are protecting their communities, they are only ever about people cementing control over their communities," he said.

"The thugs carrying out these brutal attacks give no thought to the psychological damage that they cause to people witnessing these attacks.

I would appeal for anyone who saw the assault or who may have information which may assist our investigation to come forward and I am particularly keen to speak to anyone who was travelling in a small hatchback vehicle which was seen in the area on the night of the attack at around 11pm.

"Detectives can be contacted on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 1472 28/09/18. Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.

The man was released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service.A man has been released on bail following searches of three properties as part of a joint operation between the PSNI and the National Crime Agency (NCA), it was revealed yesterday

A man has been released on bail following searches of three properties as part of a joint operation between the PSNI and the National Crime Agency (NCA), it was revealed yesterday.

Three residential properties in Dunmurry, on the outskirts of Belfast, were searched on Friday as part of an investigation into the importation and supply of class A drugs.

The National Crime Agency and PSNI officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF) seized a quantity of cocaine.

The 42-year-old man, who was questioned by PCTF investigators, has since been released on police bail.

The investigation is continuing and NCA Belfast branch commander Billy Beattie said it was the latest example of its efforts with its partners.

"Working with our PCTF partners, we are determined to disrupt the illegal supply of drugs in Northern Ireland, and pursue the criminal gangs involved. This investigation is just the latest example of that, and our enquiries are ongoing," he said.

Meanwhile, PSNI Head of Criminal Investigation Branch, Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Evans, said: "We would encourage anyone with information to contact the police on 101 or alternatively information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

The PCTF was established to tackle criminality linked to paramilitarism as part of the Executive's action plan on tackling paramilitary activity, criminality and organised crime.Theresa May has warned Brussels she will not sign up to a Brexit agreement at any cost, amid signs of further rebellion among her senior ministers.

The Prime Minister will hold a Cabinet meeting in Downing Street on Tuesday after using a London speech to say she will not compromise on what people voted for in the 2016 referendum.

Ms May used her annual address to the Lord Mayors Banquet to say that while talks with the European Union were approaching the end game, there were significant issues that continue to block the path to a deal with Brussels.

Her comments seemed to extinguish hopes that the Cabinet might sign off a deal on Tuesday.

If no deal is agreed by Wednesday, the prospects of a special Brexit summit in Brussels in November will recede sharply, further reducing Mrs Mays chances of getting a vote in Parliament before Christmas.

Half a dozen Brexiteer ministers including Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Environment Secretary Michael Gove are due to tell Mrs May that leaving without a deal would be better than the proposals on the table from Brussels, the Daily Telegraph reported.

It said they met for drinks at International Trade Secretary Liam Foxs office on Monday night to discuss their concerns.

Mrs May told the audience at Guildhall in London that while both sides wanted a viable withdrawal agreement, what we are negotiating is immensely difficult.

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She added: Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit, and I am determined to deliver for them.

I want them to know that I will not compromise on what people voted for in the referendum. This will not be an agreement at any cost.

She repeated her assertion that a deal must give the UK control of our laws, borders and money, plus the freedom to strike trade deals while protecting jobs, security and the Union.

Jo Johnson, brother of former foreign secretary Boris, left his role as transport minister over Mrs Mays Brexit plans.

Writing in The Times, he said what was being offered was a false choice between vassalage and chaos and backed the campaign for a Peoples Vote, while former Brexit secretary David Davis wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Baldrick from Blackadder would blush at the false dichotomy between Chequers and no deal.

Mr Johnson said: Were today in the extraordinary position where even the staunchest advocates of Brexit, including my brother Boris, publicly admit wed be better off staying in the EU than with the PMs deal.

How have our ambitions for our country fallen this far this fast? We can and must do betterJo Johnson

Thats why the argument the government will present for its hopeless package is not that it is better for Britain than our current membership.

The only case she (Mrs May) can try to make is that it is better than the alternative of leaving the EU with no deal at all. Well, thats a low bar indeed.

How have our ambitions for our country fallen this far this fast? We can and must do better.

Both the EU and UK sides had earlier said issues remained to be settled despite weekend talks that went on into the early hours of Monday morning.

Downing Street said reports that Brussels chief negotiator Michel Barnier expected the parameters of a deal to be presented to ministers for approval at their regular weekly meeting should be taken with a bucket of salt.

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It is not thought that any deal will be on the table at the Cabinet meeting in 10 Downing Street, which will instead hear an update on negotiations and discuss preparations for a possible no-deal withdrawal from the EU.

In a move that could either provide a boost or an additional headache for Mrs May, senior EU officials are due to discuss whether UK citizens should be required to obtain a 52 (60 euro) visa to enter the EU after Brexit.

The college of commissioners will meet in Strasbourg where they will receive an update on Brexit negotiations from Mr Barnier.

But also due to be on the agenda is whether Britain should be treated as a third country whose citizens would require a permit to visit the continent.Grass is being laid in High Street near the Castle Junction Primark cordon in preparation for the installation of a carousel and an ice rink

An extra 1.1m being pumped into Belfast city centre in a bid to bring shoppers back in time for Christmas following the Primark fire has been described as a welcome "lifeline" by a retail group yesterday.

Head of the civil service David Sterling announced that the funding from Northern Ireland departments would help traders after the Bank Buildings blaze in August decreased footfall in the city centre

"This will help address some of the difficulties shoppers and visitors have faced as they try and move around the city centre. This funding package is part of our ongoing efforts to do everything we possibly can within our available resources," he said.

The latest cash injection follows a 1.7m input from Belfast City Council in October, a 2m pledge by Chancellor Philip Hammond in the November Budget, 500,000 donated by Primark and the 380,000 the Department for Communities gave the council.

The overall recovery package now stands at nearly 6m.

Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, welcomed the latest funding.

He said: "In the run-up to what should be the busiest time of the year for traders, but is in essence make-or-break time for many around the cordon area, this financial aid is a lifeline.

"Now we have seen support from Primark, the city council, the Treasury and the Stormont departments, we need to make sure that the monies are spent in a meaningful way with proper consultation with the business organisations for whom this is their day job.

"Our footfall figures from last month have shown no tangible uplift in consumer numbers to the city centre when we need shoppers back in their droves. We need action in turning this money into results that bring people back to our city centre."

Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said the money was welcomed but said more is needed.

"It is very welcome news that this contribution from NI government departments now brings the total city centre reconstruction fund to 6m," he said.

Mr Roberts warned, however, that people were leaving the city centre for out-of-town shops.

"We must recreate a Belfast city centre... to attract these shoppers back. This a huge undertaking and will take a lot more than 6m," he added.Northern Ireland is in the grip of a rat, mice and wasp epidemic as pest control companies report a record-breaking number of infestations.

Charlie Page, who set up North West Pest Control 47 years ago, said the hot summer led to an extended breeding period for rats and mice, which are now seeking the warmth of people's homes.

And an unprecedented number of wasps are also keeping pest control company Pestforce busy.

Mr Page warned people bringing their Christmas decorations down from the attic to be wary of disturbing a wasps' nest.

He said this has been one of the busiest years he has had in almost half a century of pest control.

"When I went into this business 47 years ago there really wasn't anyone else doing it in the Derry area," he said.

"Now there are other companies, but we are still working as hard as ever we did.

"In fact, things have stepped up considerably.

"This year we had a long, hot summer and people made the most of that by eating outside more, which in turn created an abundance of food for the rats and mice which contributed to ripe breeding conditions.

"The warm weather has also led to an increase in wasps and we expect to be called out to deal with wasp nests right up to January.

"The danger from wasp nests is that they can be in people's attics without them even being aware of it.

"But when, for example, someone goes into an attic for Christmas decorations and switches on a light, this disturbs the wasps and they attack.

"A wasp nest can house anything from 1,000 to 20,000 wasps, and at this time of the year they are dying and really aggressive, so they are a big problem for people."

Steve McCart, who launched Pestforce in Co Antrim in 2004, said people can do a lot to help prevent rats and mice infesting their homes.

He has seen a real increase in the number of callouts this year.

"This has been one of our busiest years for wasp infestations but we are also receiving a serious number of calls about mice and rat infestations," he said.

"We would always advise people to call us or their local council as soon as they see one rat because it will not be long before they see others, especially if that one rat was a pregnant female. We have come across incidents where rats are actually breaching the sewers and getting into the attics and cavities of people's houses that way."

Mr McCart added: "People can do a lot to prevent rats and mice from getting into their homes, like making sure there are no faults in the drainage systems or making sure garage doors are fully shut.

"A garage is a prime breeding ground for rats because people don't really go into their garages much during the winter months other than to get in and out of their cars, so they may not even know there are rats and mice there until they have a real problem."Post-mortem examinations of infants in Northern Ireland are to be moved to Liverpool, the Health and Social Care Board has announced.

Perinatal and paediatric pathology services in Northern Ireland are currently provided on a regional basis by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the work is undertaken by a consultant paediatric pathologist.

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However, it has now emerged this will change with effect from early 2019 when the paediatric pathologist leaves the post.

The move has been criticised, with SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan saying the change will mean "more stress for families".

The BBC reports around 240 hospital autopsies are carried out on children in Northern Ireland each year.

The Health and Social Care Board said it had made significant efforts to recruit a new pathologist to fill the role, but it has now become necessary to make alternative arrangements by securing paediatric pathology services from Alder Hey Childrens NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool.

The Board stressed that this was an interim arrangement and that it will continue to explore all avenues to provide a local service in the longer term.

Heather Reid, Public Health Specialist, speaking on behalf of the Health and Social Care Board and Public Health Agency said: We recognise that the loss of a child is one of the most devastating events that can ever happen to a family and fully accept that the prospect of the post-mortem being performed outside Northern Ireland may compound the distress experienced by families.

While we will have to adapt our service, we want to assure parents that they will continue to have the choice of whether or not to go ahead with a hospital post-mortem. We also believe there are opportunities to provide post-mortem findings more quickly and enhance the support and information families receive.

While it is acknowledged that a service outside of Northern Ireland is not what we would wish for, working closely with a much larger centre such as Alder Hey will provide a more robust service in the interim period.

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Ulster Unionist councillor Julie Flaherty, who lost her two-year-old son five years ago, expressed anger at the decision.

UUP MLA Doug Beattie, who lost a grandson at only 18 months old, also hit out at the Secretary of State Karen Bradley and told her to immediately appoint a health minister to take essential decisions.

Cllr Julie Flaherty, the current Lord Mayor of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon, said: It is a tragedy for any family to lose a baby or young child. Nothing can ever prepare you for it and even years after it, their loss remains with you for every hour of every day.

I lost my son Jake when he was only 2 years and 2 days old in 2013. Unfortunately I know from bitter experience how hard it is for parents to face delays for a post-mortem - my husband and I were forced to wait an extra 2 days in order for a specialist to be found.

That delay only made a nightmare even more difficult for us so Im furious that the experience we were forced to go through will now be imposed upon so many more parents in Northern Ireland."

Doug Beattie said: "The news that child post-mortems are going to be undertaken in England instead of Northern Ireland will only add to the hurt and heartache of those families that have lost a young loved one. This is truly disgraceful and the blame must be levelled at politicians who have not been in post to make strategic decisions and not at the Health and Social Care Board."

SDLP health spokesman Mark H Durkan MLA said the changes were "unacceptable" and has written to the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health seeking urgent answers.

Mr Durkan said: "The proposal that families will need to send their beloved child away for a week to get these answers will mean more stress and suffering for families in their darkest hour. It may well lead to parents opting out of the process altogether.

"I am seeking urgent clarification not only on how this completely unacceptable situation has arisen but also on what solutions have been explored.

"If this service is lost now, will it ever be restored? Is there the possibility of an all-island solution?"The PSNIs policy on facial hair is under the spotlight

A police officer who wants to be able to have a moustache has blasted the PSNI's "catch-all" ban on facial hair at the first day of an industrial tribunal in Belfast.

The hearing, held at Killymeal House, will examine the evidence given by the constable as well as up to six witnesses on the claimant's behalf.

The ban was introduced after a review of the PSNI policies in 2017, as officers may have to quickly put on breathing apparatus and it was determined that facial hair could lead to a breach of the seal on the tight-fitting mask.

Yesterday afternoon, on day one of the hearing, the officer was questioned by a PSNI lawyer who challenged him on a number of issues regarding his written evidence.

A panel made up of three members, including an employment judge, listened to the officer's arguments for around 90 minutes.

Some units in the PSNI implemented changes forcing the ban on facial hair. It's believed no officer has faced suspension in regards to the policy.

At the tribunal the complainant was heavily critical of training for members of the Armed Response Unit in how to use a particular type of face mask.

He said: "We have been given a respirator and not trained with how to use it."

He labelled the approach of Chief Constable George Hamilton (right) to the issue as "intransigent" and criticised him for not providing adequate training to his employees.

A lawyer representing the PSNI asked the officer if he did not think it would be appropriate to ask for training considering the seriousness of incidents he would be dealing with.

The officer responded: "I do not think that's up to me."

Listing several problems which he believed could pose a serious risk to the public and PSNI officers because of the mask - such as loss of speech, claustrophobia and laboured breathing - he again complained about a lack of training provided.

Despite agreeing that "familiarisation training" was received regarding the FM12 mask, he described the four-hour session as inadequate, with the PSNI lawyer arguing that concerns over training were not apparent in the court documents.

The constable's second argument surrounded the issue of him having a moustache.

The lawyer asked: "Do you see that there is a risk of facial hair interfering with a seal?"

The officer answered: "No."

The constable then explained that his moustache would not come into contact with the full-face seal of the face mask.

But questioned on how the PSNI could possibly manage individual cases depending on the style or length of moustache, the officer said it came down to "trust".

Using examples such as carrying weapons or driving a fast-powered car, he added that the same trust should be given in regards to masks.

When news of the case first arose in September, Superintendent Patricia Foy from Operational Policy Department said: "When worn and correctly used, respiratory protective equipment (RPE) can prevent serious lung conditions caused by inhaling dust and other contaminants."

She added that a study by the Health and Safety Executive indicated that "as facial hair is grown, the protection offered by a tight-fitting mask reduces".

"As a result, a change was made in relation to officers and staff who carry out those roles. The updated policy requires that those officers and staff who may be required at short notice to wear RPE must remain clean-shaven whilst on duty."

The tribunal continues today and is expected to last for the rest of this week.A young woman has vented her frustration after her mother was forced to spend 13-hours in pain in a "crisis" Northern Ireland A&E.

Coalisland woman Catherine Donnelly detailed her experience at Craigavon Area Hospital's emergency department on Sunday while her mother suffered in pain.

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She found there were no beds, a full waiting room, lines of people waiting for treatment, patients lying on trolleys in corridors, exhausted nurses working without breaks and a doctor so apologetic she thought he was on the verge of tears as he explained the "crisis" his hospital was facing.

She hit out at those MLAs - on both sides - who "refuse to work together for people's futures," in a post thousands have commented on and shared across the social media network Facebook.

Catherine said she was not looking publicity, rather she just wanted to express her "heartfelt thoughts and feelings about the state of a rudderless northern Ireland" and the impact on everyone's lives.

She said she witnessed one pregnant nurse having her lunch on the go while taking notes and clearly exhausted trying to do her job and others who past her hundreds of times seemingly never having time for a break.

"The clinical surgeon who came to see my mum to tell her the place was in crisis and they had to wait until a bed was available ...he too was exhausted ...he lent his back against the wall flushed face and apologised so much I thought he would cry," she said.

"To the MLAs on both sides while you are busy sitting on your hands, while your all busy 'celebrating the past' while you're busy doing nothing with our taxes .... those on the front line are taking care of the people whose lives are being put at risk by stretched services.

"It is not our NHS's fault, MLAs your childish spat for 'holding on to history' is the reason our services, health, education, services that need the wages you don't deserve, is on its knees."

She called for politicians to restore the Stormont institutions: "We just care about the future not the damn past or what you think people want, please, please do something.

"I'm merely looking for the MLAs to do the job they are paid for and help this northern Irish society to progress together and get the care and fair treatment they deserve.

"For far too long people from both sides and all walks of life are fed up with been treated as political pawns."REPRO FREE 13/11/18: The Woodland Trusts Brackfield Wood, just outside Derry/Londonderry, received a visit from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal (13 November). The centenary wood is a flourishing and lasting tribute to those lives lost, from across the island of Ireland, during the First World War. Guests made their mark by planting 100 saplings marking 100 years since the end of the war in November 1918. Her Royal Highness planted the final of the bunch  a flourishing oak. Pictured is Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal with Patrick Cregg, Director of the Woodland Trust inspecting a new poetry trail. Eight stone sculptures, strategically placed, are each carved with lines of poetry from Dr Sam Burnsides poetry collection By Brackfield Bawn. Picture: Michael Cooper

REPRO FREE 13/11/18: The Woodland Trusts Brackfield Wood, just outside Derry/Londonderry, received a visit from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal (13 November). The centenary wood is a flourishing and lasting tribute to those lives lost, from across the island of Ireland, during the First World War. Guests made their mark by planting 100 saplings marking 100 years since the end of the war in November 1918. Her Royal Highness planted the final of the bunch  a flourishing oak. Pictured is Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal with Lord Bellew the officiating Minister for the Act of Remembrance. Picture: Michael Cooper

REPRO FREE 13/11/18: The Woodland TrustOs Brackfield Wood, just outside Derry/Londonderry, received a visit from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal (13 November). The centenary wood is a flourishing and lasting tribute to those lives lost, from across the island of Ireland, during the First World War. Guests made their mark by planting 100 saplings marking 100 years since the end of the war in November 1918. Her Royal Highness planted the final of the bunch  a flourishing oak. Pictured is Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal with Patrick Cregg, Director of the Woodland Trust and Dr Sam Burnside inspecting a new poetry trail. Eight stone sculptures, strategically placed, are each carved with lines of poetry from Dr Sam BurnsideOs poetry collection By Brackfield Bawn. Picture: Michael Cooper

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal planting an oak tree with Patrick Cregg, Director of the Woodland Trust. Picture: Michael Cooper

A Centenary Wood in Co Londonderry's Faughan Valley was in the spotlight on Tuesday afternoon thanks to a visit from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.

With The Princess Royal as patron, the Woodland Trusts Centenary Woods project will see four flagship woods created, one each in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

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Brackfield Wood sits by the banks of the beautiful River Faughan, not far from the city of Londonderry. Still in its infancy, the wood will be home to 40,000 native trees, a respectful and flourishing tribute to those lives lost, from across the island of Ireland, during the war.

Guests made their mark by planting 100 saplings marking 100 years since the end of the First World War in November 1918. Her Royal Highness planted the final of the bunch, a flourishing oak.

The ceremonial planting came on the heels of Remembrance Day, which annually commemorates those who sacrificed so much in the two world wars and other conflicts.

A recently installed poetry trail also took centre stage. Eight stone sculptures, each carved with lines of poetry, are now strategically placed and waiting to lead visitors into and through the woodland, finishing at the riverside.

The poignant lines are taken from Dr Sam Burnsides poetry collection By Brackfield Bawn.

Patrick Cregg, director of the Woodland Trust, said: The wood, and the poetry trail, will help to ensure that the people of Ireland who sacrificed so much in the First World War will not be forgotten.

"It is estimated that as many as 40,000 lost their lives, with many others affected. Now, in contrast to the unimaginable sadness, we have a place of total beauty. Its a haven in which wildlife will thrive and, for people, a place for quiet reflection.

Were grateful to Her Royal Highness for taking the time to visit and to plant a tree. And we hope that everyone  local people and those from further afield  will be encouraged to explore this fantastic resource.Serious injuries in Northern Ireland's workplaces have risen by 27% over the past year.

The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) published its latest Annual Report on Monday.

All reportable injuries in the workplace have risen by 13% to 1,898.

However, fatalities are down 31% to 11, compared to 16 in the previous year.

Farm related fatalities increased by one with seven deaths and construction fatalities remained unchanged with three fatalities in 2017-18 as in the previous year.

During 2017-18 HSENI, in conjunction with local councils, raised the issue of slips and trips. Slips and trips are the most common cause of major injuries at work and make up over a third of all major injuries.

HSENI also carried out 6,233 inspections and served 216 formal enforcement notices where very poor practice was found.

Derek Martin, Chairperson of HSENI said that it was disappointing serious injuries in the workplace had increased.

HSENIs new draft Corporate Plan 2018-2023 focuses, not only on the causes of fatal accidents, but also on those activities and work areas where the most serious injuries and cases of ill health are known to occur. Over the coming years, these are areas which HSENI will collaborate with partners and industry sectors to drive the numbers down.

HSENIs Acting Chief Executive Bryan Monson said that farming still had a poor safety record.

"Any one of the four main causes  Slurry, Animals, Falls and Equipment  can cause a serious injury or farm death. Sadly in 2017/18 we are still seeing too many accidents of all types on farms," he said.

HSENI and its partners in the Farm Safety Partnership will continue our efforts to provide information, advice and support, but it is vital that farmers play their part as well by making safety a priority on their own farms.

"Many of the risks encountered can be minimised by taking a moment to stop and think about safety and taking simple measures to keep themselves and other on the farm safe - failing to do so ultimately results in tragedy.

No matter what sector people work in, everyone has the right to come home safe and well after a days work but the statistics clearly show some parts of some industries need to do more. While HSENI is keen to advise companies on how to meet their legal requirements, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where there is a clear danger to the health and safety of Northern Irelands workforce.A second senior republican has been told by police he is under threat from "criminal elements".

Sinn Fein has said Bobby Storey is the latest member of the party to be threatened in recent days.

The threats come after the homes of both Gerry Adams and Mr Storey were attacked with explosive devices in July.

Pat Sheehan, Sinn Fein MLA for West Belfast, said: "The PSNI came to Bobby's home on Sunday night and told him that he was under threat by criminal elements.

"They relayed an almost identical message to me just two days previously.

"These threats are clearly not isolated and follow a sustained campaign which is aimed at intimidating republicans who dare to confront and stand up to these criminals.

"There was a shot fired through my constituency office window a number of weeks ago, there has been an ongoing graffiti campaign and, of course, the homes of Bobby Storey and Gerry Adams were attacked back in July."

However, the former hunger striker insisted that republicans would not be deterred by such threats.

"Republicans have been at the forefront of defending communities and opposing repression, injustice and occupation for decades," he added.

"We have been through much worse than this, so if these criminal elements think they can intimidate republicans through faceless threats or cowardly attacks, they are very much mistaken.

"We will continue to confront them and expose their activities at every opportunity until they get off the backs of this community."

Two men were arrested in July over the firework attacks on the homes of Mr Adams and Mr Storey.

No one was hurt in either incident. Mr Adams handed CCTV images of the incident at his home to the police.Yesterday I joined with the other Northern Ireland Remain parties to stand up for the interests of this region. It is crucial the real voice of this region is heard, and the concerns and interests of people and business are taken into account.

Instead, the voices being heard, and indeed amplified, by the UK Government are leading to a distorted narrative and much riskier situation.

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There is no such thing as a good or sensible Brexit. All versions will pose huge problems and indeed dangers for the economy, political cohesion and opportunities for the people of Northern Ireland.

Three broad paths are available through Brexit. The first is a People's Vote for to reconsider the entire process.

The second is for the UK as a whole to enter into a fresh customs union with the EU and to stay in the single market.

And, if these are ruled out, then the third is to see a special deal in which this region stays inside both of those economic mechanisms.

The backstop itself is not that special deal, but rather reflects the basic steps to avoid a hard border and to protect the Good Friday Agreement. It is the necessary safety-net - an insurance policy. It only works if it is open-ended, until and unless something better is agreed.

Brexit is turning into an unprecedented crisis for the UK. With barely weeks to go before the effective deadline for a withdrawal agreement, it is clear the Government still doesn't have a coherent negotiating strategy and remains caught in contradictory red lines.

Any deal within the Government does not itself guarantee acceptance by the EU and the honouring of existing commitments, including around the backstop. In turn, any withdrawal agreement increasingly looks likely to struggle to get through Parliament.

I believe there is a majority across the UK and certainly among MPs for either a new referendum or a soft Brexit. It would be perverse in a democratic society to see a bad deal or no deal, with the UK going over the cliff edge, without these possibilities being fully tested.

More immediately, if a withdrawal agreement is to be concluded then all roads lead through the backstop. The only viable version is something based on the proposals from the European Commission.

The Prime Minister has made a profound mistake in making a drama out of this and in particular framing it in constitutional terms, or claiming the fragmentation of the UK economy. It is not a threat to or a change in the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. If anything, it would bring a level of certainty in an unstable and fluid environment.

Economically, there are already plenty of examples where this region does things differently. The backstop does not inhibit trade with Great Britain, and indeed could see Northern Ireland become a bridge between Great Britain and the EU, and vice versa.

Northern Ireland would do much better from remaining under the EU's trade umbrella and maintaining access to the largest market in the world, while benefiting from its trade deals. By contrast, the so-called independent trade policy is a delusion.

It is not too late for the UK to see sense and to turn this around. But it is time for anyone with a stake in the future to speak out.

Stephen Farry is the Alliance Party deputy leader and party spokesman on BrexitTrucks on the border between Belcoo in Northern Ireland and Blacklion in the Republic of Ireland (Niall Carson/PA).

The majority of people on the island of Ireland believe the UK should not proceed with Brexit if it results in a hard border being implemented there, a new survey has found.

More than six in ten respondents in Northern Ireland said if a deal was reached between the UK and the EU that included a hard border, the UK should not go ahead with Brexit.

In the Republic of Ireland, more than eight in ten people wanted to see a halt to Brexit in such circumstances.

The survey, jointly commissioned by RTE and BBC Northern Ireland, also revealed that 62% of those living in Northern Ireland believed a united Ireland was more likely because of Brexit.

In the Republic that figure was 35%.

As Brexit talks reach the end-game, RTE and BBC Northern Ireland teamed up for a special live Brexit programme on Monday night.

Attitudes about Brexit and its effect on people on both sides of the border were explored.

RTEs Claire Byrne and the BBCs Stephen Nolan swapped studios, with Ms Byrne broadcasting from BBC Northern Ireland in Belfast and Mr Nolan going live from RTE studios in Dublin, both in front of live audiences.

In Belfast, Fine Gael Senator Neale Richmond, journalist Susan McKay and Ben Lowry of the Belfast News Letter joined Ms Byrne, while in Dublin, Mr Nolan was joined by the leader of Traditional Unionist Voice Jim Allister, Sinn Feins David Cullinane, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long and Conservative MP Chris Chope.

Asked how they believed Brexit would affect their own financial situation, in Northern Ireland 55% said they thought they would end up worse off, while 9% said they thought they would be better off.

Almost 30% said it would make no difference.

In the Republic, 34% of respondents believed they would be worse off, with 2% believing they would be better off.

Almost half of respondents said it would make no difference.

The poll was carried out by Amarach Research in the Republic and LucidTalk in Northern Ireland. More than 2,000 people were interviewed across the island last week.By Shamim Natebwa.

The Buganda government is demanding for an independent commission of inquiry into the cause of the fire at St Bernards manya secondary school in Rakai district on Monday night that left over 10 lives lost.

According to Buganda Premier Charles Peter Mayiga all findings on the fire investigations should be shared with the public and culprits should be taken to courts of law of the affected families get justice.

Mayiga adds that every time theres a commission of crime police always talks of investigations and no report has been out.

Meanwhile the kingdom has expressed its condolence to the family and management of the school.

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1st lady vows to find the people who set St Bernard Manya SS dormitory ablaze

DP tasks govt to produce reports on school firesAlmost half the teachers at a north Belfast primary school will go on strike today.

Members of the NASUWT union at St Patrick's Primary in the New Lodge said there has been a lack of response to a series of concerns they have raised over "adverse managerial practices".

Late yesterday afternoon the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) and the Board of Governors at St Patrick's, which has close to 550 pupils, made a last ditch appeal to prevent the strike.

But union representative Justin McCamphill said it had come too late in the day.

"The industrial action will be going ahead, but we are still willing to engage," he said. The union said the culture teachers were expected to work in was having a negative impact on their working conditions, health and wellbeing.

Mr McCamphill added: "We have attempted at every stage to work with the employer to resolve the issues. There have been meetings with management but nothing has been resolved. Conditions are as bad as ever.

"The management style is not conducive to a healthy working environment for either staff members or pupils.

"This dispute is specific to St Patrick's, but as a union what we are seeing is more and more discontentment. With cuts in funding comes stress for teachers, discontentment and an extremely difficult working environment."

A letter was issued to parents on behalf of the Board of Governors by chairman Tony Fahy yesterday.

It stated: "NASUWT have advised us that there may be up to nine teachers taking action on any one of the days set aside for strike action. On that basis we have decided we should make every effort to keep the school open for all pupils and we have made appropriate school-based provision for them.

"We are deeply disappointed that some members of NASUWT have chosen to elevate their issues as a matter for industrial action.

"It is our firm belief that genuine issues of concern, including those held by the management of the school, can and should be dealt with through open and honest dialogue and, in the first instance, through the use of agreed procedures that are already in place for school leaders and teachers but which have not yet been used."

In a statement the CCMS said it was disappointed that no resolution had been reached.

"CCMS fully appreciates the right of teachers to take industrial action. However, we do not believe that in this instance such action is either proportionate or warranted. It is our firm belief that the issues at the heart of this dispute can best be dealt with through an open and honest dialogue which seeks to provide balance to the concerns of both sides," it said.

Further strike action at the school is planned for November 20, 22, 27, 28 and 29.Police remained at the scene on the Cornacully Road. Pic Google

A small tight-knit community in Co Fermanagh was said to be left stunned after a woman found her sister murdered in her home.

Concerns were raised when Pauline Kilkenny did not show for work on Tuesday morning.

Her sister later found the 59-year-old dead at her home on the Cornacully Road in Enniskillen around lunchtime.

Items had been taken from her handbag and a car taken.

Police have opened a murder investigation. They said the woman's family have been left traumatised. Forensic officers remained at the scene late on Tuesday evening.

Ulster Unionist MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone Rosemary Barton said the community between Belcoo and Garrison had been left stunned.

This is dreadful news which has stunned the tight-knit local community. This is a very quiet and rural corner of County Fermanagh, so news of the murder has caused real shock locally," she said.

This is obviously an absolute tragedy for the victims family and I would urge anyone with any information, no matter how big or small, to contact the PSNI immediately.

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell added: The victims body was discovered in her home by her sister at around 1pm today, Tuesday November 13 after concerns had been raised when she didnt turn up at work.

"Contents of the victims handbag and her car had also been removed from the property. A post-mortem examination has yet to take place but I am treating this as murder.

My thoughts go out to the victims family, including her sister who will no doubt have been left traumatised by the discovery of her sisters body and Im appealing to anyone who has any information to contact detectives at Serious Crime Branch on 101 quoting reference 573 13/11/18. Alternatively information can be passed to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.

A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, suspicion of possession of Cannabis and theft of a motor vehicle and remains in police custody.Failures in the justice system in dealing with victims of sexual violence and abuse crimes have been described as "alarming" but unsurprising for people in Northern Ireland by an Alliance MLA.

Reacting to a report from Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI), the body responsible for inspecting the various elements of the criminal justice system, South Belfast representative Paula Bradshaw said "victims deserve better" than the current justice system.

Faced with lengthy delays, an intrusive court process and a low chance of securing a conviction, a high number of complainants are choosing to withdraw their evidence rather than proceed with their case, Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland said.

Inspectors expressed concern that while 823 alleged rapes were reported to police in 2016/17, in that same 12 month period there were only 15 convictions for the crime, less than 2%.

Of the 2,335 other alleged sexual crimes reported that year, a total of 228 defendants were convicted, less than 10%.

The conviction rates for rape and sexual offences are the lowest in the UK, the CJINI said.

"The stark warning that victims of sexual crime often come to withdraw from the criminal justice system entirely because it has failed them, could not be clearer," said Mrs Bradshaw.

It is clear from the report in the period since the institutions collapsed the impetus has been lost in delivering on the recommendations of previous reports. Still now, the number of convictions per sexual crime reported is below one in ten."

Mrs Bradshaw said it was "no surprise" that victims going through the "traumatic experience" of the justice system would decide with withdraw it, and the current system does "little to address the trauma and intrusion" victims experience.

Hitting out at the "adversarial process", Mrs Bradshaw added: Yet again, we have another example of why those with the biggest mandate have the biggest responsibility. It is time to stop shirking it. Victims deserve better.

Writing on Twitter, former Justice Minister and Independent MLA Claire Sugden said on Tuesday she "not surprised by this report".

"The criminal justice system is slow, the process lacks humanity & communication is limited," she wrote.

"As one of the most prevalent crimes in NI, Addressing DV [domestic violence] & sexual violence needs to be prioritised by all."

Sadly, Im not surprised by this report. The criminal justice system is slow, the process lacks humanity & communication is limited. As one of the most prevalent crimes in NI, Addressing DV & sexual violence needs to be prioritised by all. Useful report https://t.co/GIhLhfbI3H  Claire Sugden (@ClaireSugden) November 13, 2018

'Simply unacceptable'

Chief inspector Brendan McGuigan noted that the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) was sometimes taking more than a year to decide whether to proceed with a charge, a time-frame he branded simply unacceptable.

This report concludes that the criminal justice processes in Northern Ireland for handling these cases take too long, are too expensive and conclude with, all too often, a failure to deliver an acceptable outcome for victims, he said.

A retired appeal court judge is currently reviewing how sexual offence trials are handled in the region.

Sir John Gillens work was prompted by a number of issues highlighted during this years high profile rape trial of former Ulster and Ireland rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding, who were acquitted of raping the same woman in 2016.

The CJINI inspection is not linked to the Jackson and Olding trial and was under way well before that case came to court.

The inspectors do not examine how trials are conducted, as that is outside their remit, rather how cases are progressed and built in the period before they reach the door of the courtroom.

Inspectors found that while there were many dedicated and professional individuals involved in dealing with incidents of sexual violence and abuse, delay was a substantial problem, said Mr McGuigan.

It occurred from when the initial police investigation and file preparation was undertaken, through the time taken by prosecutors to review the case and make a decision to prosecute or not, and afterwards in the number of adjournments at court before a trial commenced.

This report concludes that the criminal justice processes in Northern Ireland for handling these cases take too long, are too expensive and conclude with, all too often, a failure to deliver an acceptable outcome for victims.Brendan McGuigan

The report, which makes three strategic and six operational recommendations, outlined a number of case studies inspectors felt highlighted issues of concern within the system.

They included:

:: A woman with Downs syndrome who alleged she had been raped by a relation. She was interviewed by police and, three months after that, a file was sent to the PPS. But the woman died almost a year later and a decision on prosecution had still not been made. Six months after the womans death and a decision had still not been made.

:: A woman walked into a police station to allege she had been drugged, raped and forced to carry our explicit sex acts while being videoed by her husband. She alleged other men were brought into the house to rape her and that her husband tried to blackmail her so he would not share the footage. After the initial report, it took three weeks for an investigating officer to contact the woman to arrange an appointment. It would be another three months before the officer made contact again. Four days later she withdrew her evidence. A no prosecution was later directed.

:: A foreign national woman alleged she was tied up and raped by her partner. She had suffered a broken eye socket and ligament tears to her eyeball and significant internal injuries caused by the alleged rape. The woman claimed her partner had assaulted other women in his home country. The woman withdrew her support for the prosecution on a number of occasions. The PPS ultimately accepted a lesser assault charge from the defendant. Inspectors criticised the decision and said the rape charge should have been pursued in the public interest, even by compelling the complainant to give evidence.

Expand Close Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice Brendan McGuigan has called for a wider societal debate around the issue of consent and sex education (Liam McBurney/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice Brendan McGuigan has called for a wider societal debate around the issue of consent and sex education (Liam McBurney/PA)

Mr McGuigan said police and prosecutors had made progress in developing a more collaborative approach to work together to progress cases.

But from the outset, their ability to deliver improved outcomes and reduce delay has been hampered by challenges around securing sufficient staff and managing their ever increasing workload, he said.

The chief inspector added: Inspectors also found examples in their case file review where some PPS decisions on sexual offences exceeded one year which in our view was simply unacceptable.

The chief inspector said the report also highlighted high levels of victim withdrawal.

Victims who experience delay in the overall progress of their case can choose to withdraw their support for the criminal justice process, he said.

And for some, the prospect of an adversarial, highly intrusive trial where their intimate behaviours will be scrutinised and challenged, with only a very limited prospect of securing a conviction, may cause them to reconsider.

Mr McGuigan said impetus generated by previous inspection report recommendations had been lost and work required to bring about real change remains unfinished.

The result is that time and time again victims of sexual crime in particular are being failed, he said.

Mr McGuigan, whose report is to be considered by a Stormont all-party group on domestic and sexual violence, said it was time for a wider societal debate on the issue.

This inspection and recent public debate about rape cases has raised wider issues about the societal approach to sexual relationships, consent and the media attention on cases which come to trial, he said.

There is more to be done to prevent these offences occurring in the first place by providing better education for children and young people about healthy relationships, changing societal behaviours and attitudes and early interventions for those at risk.

I believe the time is right for a more informed political and public debate on the role of the justice system in dealing with these complex issues.

Responding to the report, assistant director of the Public Prosecution Service, Marianne OKane, said:  We very much understand that the rigour and robustness of the system can be difficult from a victims perspective, and this is particularly true of those who are a victim of a sexual crime.

For our part, we are wholly committed to working with our criminal justice partners to improve how we deliver together, with fairness and integrity.

We have accepted the recommendations of this report and are actively collaborating with our criminal justice partners on a shared action plan. Work is already well underway to deliver the agreed PPS actions.

Head of the Police Service of Northern Irelands Public Protection Branch Detective Chief Superintendent Paula Hilman said: We acknowledge the findings and recommendations the Criminal Justice Inspection has raised in its report.

As a police service we are committed to putting victims needs at the heart of what we do.

We recognise how difficult it can be for anyone to come forward to police, especially those who are a victim of sexual violence or abuse, and we have been working closely with our partners, in particular the Serious Crime Unit within the Public Prosecution Service and victim representative groups to improve the service we provide to victims, both adults and children.

We welcome the opportunity to have been part of this inspection and part of the ongoing review by Sir John Gillen.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said: We are working with our criminal justice partners on an action plan to address the points raised in the report.

Reducing the time it takes to complete criminal cases in Northern Ireland is a hugely challenging and complex issue, which means there is no quick fix.

Improvements will only be delivered through partnership working and close co-operation across the system.The overturned bus after the crash near Augher

A school bus driver has said seat belts saved the lives of all those on board after a serious crash in County Tyrone.

The bus overturned and landed on its roof next to a house after colliding with a car in Augher in October.

Pupils from Speerinview Special School in Dungannon were being taken home when the accident occurred.

Adrian Cullen, who was driving the bus, has been praised for his actions following the crash after he rescued four children.

Expand Close Bus driver Adrian Cullen. Credit: BBC / Facebook

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Speaking to the BBC, Mr Cullen said: The accident happened that quick it was over in a flash.

"The first thing you think about is: 'Are the children OK?'

"I checked on them and Sandra (Falloon) and myself, we got the children out of the seat belts and with the help of some people who came along, we opened the back door so we handed them out to them.

"It was the seat belts that saved them.

"They were well secured, which they are all the time."

Expand Close Sperrinview Special School principal Paula Jordan / Facebook

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Mr Cullen said that if any of the children had not been wearing their seat belts they would have been thrown around the bus "like a rag doll".

He added: "We were lucky, very, very lucky. Only for the seat belts, it could have been a lot worse."

Sperrinview Special School principal Paula Jordan agreed the seat belts had saved lives.

"And without them there is no doubt in my mind that some of those children would have been either very seriously injured or would have been killed," she said.

"The driver and the escort were superb and, as with all of our staff, their first priority was the children.

"Regardless of the fact that they had both been injured themselves, they put the children first and they did what was necessary.

"They were absolutely wonderful."Police have opened a murder investigation after a woman was found dead in her home.

Concern was raised after 59-year-old Pauline Kilkenny did not show for work. She was found in her home in the Cornacully Road area of Enniskillen by her sister.

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, who is leading the investigation, said: The victims body was discovered in her home by her sister at around 1pm today, Tuesday November 13 after concerns had been raised when she didnt turn up at work.

"Contents of the victims handbag and her car had also been removed from the property. A post-mortem examination has yet to take place but I am treating this as murder.

My thoughts go out to the victims family, including her sister who will no doubt have been left traumatised by the discovery of her sisters body and Im appealing to anyone who has any information to contact detectives at Serious Crime Branch on 101 quoting reference 573 13/11/18. Alternatively information can be passed to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.

A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, suspicion of possession of Cannabis and theft of a motor vehicle and remains in police custody.Mr McQuinn pointed to the number of financial workers that could relocate to Dublin if Londons banking sector was hit (PA)

Brexit is set to widen the housing costs gap between Dublin and rural Ireland, economists have predicted.

The economic fall-out will likely see income levels drop and unemployment rise in Ireland  factors that would dampen property price growth, experts from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) the told an Oireachtas committee.

But ESRIs head of economics Professor Kieran McQuinn highlighted that while housing demand may drop elsewhere in the country, other Brexit consequences could see it rise in the capital city.

Giving evidence to the joint committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government, Mr McQuinn pointed to the number of financial workers that could relocate to Dublin if Londons banking sector was hit.

The impact of Brexit on income levels and the labour market is fairly unambiguous  both are expected to be lower than a no Brexit scenario, he told committee members.

In this respect housing demand is likely to be lower due to both factors.

One could see significant regional differences in the impact of Brexit on the Irish housing marketProfessor Kieran McQuinn

Professor McQuinn added: But Brexit could result in large numbers of people moving to Ireland from the UK, particularly if there is significant fall-out for the financial sector in London.

This could see an increase in the number of people coming to live and work, particularly in Dublin, which would increase housing demand.

Therefore one could see significant regional differences in the impact of Brexit on the Irish housing market.

The rest of country might be more adversely impacted while the greater Dublin area less so.

The senior economist said supply of new homes could also be hit by Brexit  citing likely cost increases in securing labour and materials from the UK and potential difficulties accessing finance in a turbulent economic climate.

He said the supply of homes for lower income families could be particularly impacted.

If Brexit were to result in a lower level of housing provided by the private sector it is important that the State continues to invest in affordable and social housing, said Professor McQuinn.

He also predicted if disposable income falls post-Brexit more people will need to seek state assistance with housing costs.

Expand Close Dr Tom Healy, director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute, said more people from continental Europe were likely to relocate to Ireland post-Brexit (Oireachtas TV) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Dr Tom Healy, director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute, said more people from continental Europe were likely to relocate to Ireland post-Brexit (Oireachtas TV)

Dr Tom Healy, the director at the Nevin Economic Research Institute, also gave evidence to the committee on Tuesday.

He said the potential impact of relocating London financial workers should not be overestimated.

Dr Healy said a potentially more significant factor would be the fact people in continental Europe who intended to move to the UK to find work might instead choose Ireland post-Brexit.

They are more likely now, others things being equal, to move to the Republic of Ireland, he said.A group representing Irish sex workers has criticised a new report that encourages the criminalisation of the purchase of sex.

Disrupt Demand, a report published on Tuesday by The Immigrant Council of Ireland, found the Swedish approach  which was introduced in Ireland last year  has proved to be effective against sex trafficking and targeting demand.

In Sweden, the state adopted the position that prostitution is a form of violence against women and those purchasing sex should be arrested.

"I think when we are talking about trafficking with abolishionists we are talking about different thing" - @pastachips  Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) (@SWAIIreland) November 10, 2018

However, Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) says the report fails to address the reality of the lives of sex workers in all their diversity.

The group says it has seen the law do the opposite of protecting sex workers  putting them at more risk of exploitation by third parties, clients and landlords.

Kate McGrew, director of SWAI, said that violence against sex workers has increased since the law changed in Ireland in 2017.

We have seen an increase in attacks against sex workers, including a spate of violent knife attacks a few months after the law was introduced in the Republic of Ireland, she said.

There has also been an increase in trafficking in Northern Ireland in the last year, which seems to be the opposite of what this law was purported to do, which was not raised in the report.

Are currently working sex workers collateral damage in the futile quest to eradicate sex work entirely?

We see organisations who support further criminalisation of sex work minimise or ignore the harms and negative impacts that come from criminalisation.

SWAI says the report wrongly conflates human trafficking and exploitation with sex work.

The group recognises exploitation, violence, harm and safety issues exist, however it argues most sex workers did not want client criminalisation as a means to address these issues.

Trafficking is portrayed in dichotomy,

either kidnapping or as completely separate from SW. But the issues are around poverty, border enforcement, access to legal avenues to work and migrate. We forget this is about migration. We forget this is about work. #revoltingprostitutes  Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) (@SWAIIreland) November 9, 2018

Conflating human trafficking with all sex work only serves to marginalise and silence those best placed to report exploitative situations, and fails to acknowledge the choices women may make to migrate to engage in sex work, Ms McGrew adds.

The best way to tackle human trafficking is to strengthen identification procedures and prevention measures within the trafficking framework.

Its much easier to criminalise the purchase of sex work and brothel-keeping than to face that the compounding factors that make people susceptible to exploitation are too complex to be solved, with a broad stroke, by making a job illegal and shaming it out of existence, she said.

Poverty is the driving factor in instances of trafficking.

It is not subsidiary to demand for sexual services as the report states.

When people have to use third parties to migrate and find work across borders, they are more likely to see the terms of their agreement change or be taken completely out of their control. Their vulnerability becomes manifold. The report fails to address this reality for migrant sex workers.

In Ireland, the review of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 2017 is due to take place in 2020.A politician has held up a pair of thong underpants in the Irish parliament chamber to protest against the treatment of alleged rape victims in court.

Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger raised the issue of rape myths after one jury in a recent case was asked to consider the fact that the complainant was wearing a thong at the time of the alleged assault.

While holding up the underwear she said: It might seem embarrassing to show a pair of thongs here in this incongruous of the Dail. But the reason Im doing it: how do you think a woman feels at the incongruous setting of her underwear being shown in a court?

How heroic do you have to be Taoiseach (Prime Minister), to pursue a rape trial in this country? she asked.

I hear cameras cut away from me when I displayed this underwear in #Dail. In courts victims can have their underwear passed around as evidence and it's within the rules, hence need to display in Dail. Join protests tomorrow. In Dublin it's at Spire, 1pm.#dubw #ThisIsNotConsent pic.twitter.com/DvtaJL61qR  Ruth Coppinger (@RuthCoppingerSP) November 13, 2018

The question to the Irish leader comes just days after a social media campaign was sparked by the case in which a female solicitor referenced the alleged victims underwear to the jury.

Twitter users began posting pictures of their underwear online, with the hashtag #Thisisnotconsent, which quickly went viral both in Ireland and abroad.

Protests are to be held in Galway, Limerick, Dublin, Belfast and Cork throughout the week due to the support for the social media campaign.

Fiona Ryan, one organiser, said the case was endemic of what is currently wrong with how the justice system treats alleged victims of sexual assault.

Its absolutely appalling, she said.

This case and the particular awfulness of what was said is endemic in our judiciary system and its par for the course, its actually very regular to see this type of thing be brought up in any case of sexual violence, particularly sexual violence against women.

We decided to call this rally not just specifically about this case, but calling for an end to victim-blaming in courts.

This is really a demand for systemic change for people, particularly women, but every victim of sexual violence, to get a fair hearing. We cant wait any longer.

Its indicative of the huge amount of anger there, not just about this court case, but this symbolises the problems that are inherent in the system.

The international solidarity thats been extended to these awful cases when theyre exposed will go a long way towards pushing for genuine legal change, and unfortunately that comes from above, but were going to push from below to ensure it happens now.A new history textbook for schools has come under fire for getting its facts wrong.

Published earlier this year, Making History by renowned Irish historian Dermot Lucey is aimed at pupils aged 12-15 studying history in schools across the Republic of Ireland.

In perhaps the most glaring error, the textbook's 'Chronological Awareness' timeline lists that the Downing Street Declaration was signed in 1981 - 12 years before it was actually agreed in 1993.

The joint declaration issued on December 15, 1993 by Prime Minister John Major and Taoiseach Albert Reynolds paved the way for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

According to the publication, IRA prisoner Bobby Sands lived until 1982, rather than dying on hunger strike on May 5, 1981.

And schoolchildren are being told the McGurk's Bar bombing, in which 15 people were killed on December 4, 1971, happened two years earlier in 1969.

Margaret Burns, publishing director at Gill, said: "We will have those inaccuracies checked out and if there are any issues we will have them corrected as soon as practical."

She added: "Making History is written in line with the new Junior Cycle specification and includes content which fulfils the learning outcomes that will ultimately be examined."

Asked about the publisher's process for checking school books for inaccuracies and omissions in the absence of any statutory oversight, Ms Burns said the information was commercially sensitive.

"We cannot comment on content that is, or is not, required by the specification, that would be a matter for the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA)."

The NCCA, though, said there is no body or agency in the Republic charged with vetting textbooks.

"There is an open market in textbook production," added chief executive John Hammond.

"The NCCA briefs educational publishers a couple of times a year on curriculum developments under way at the time; usually these meetings focus on new or revised specifications that will be available in the following year or two.

"The NCCA advises the Department of Education on curriculum and assessment for early childhood, primary and post-primary schooling. Its statutory brief does not cover either textbook production or vetting."

The publication has already been criticised over 'airbrushing' the single deadliest atrocity in the history of the State - the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of May 17, 1974 - out of history.

Margaret Urwin, of Justice for the Forgotten, which represents survivors and families of the victims, said it is "absolutely incredible" the book makes no mention of the loyalist no-warning, rush-hour bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, which killed 33 people.

"They don't include it at all," she said. "They have literally airbrushed it out of history."

Making History is described by leading Irish publishing house Gill as "providing everything you need" for secondary students taking Junior Cycle history.

Author Dermot Lucey was unavailable for comment.By Ritah Kemigisa.

The Democratic Party (DP) candidate in the forthcoming Busia LC5 seat, Deo Njoki has turned down the appointment by president Museveni to serve as a member of the Uganda Human Rights commission.

Addressing journalists at the DPs party headquarters in Kampala, Mr Njoki said the timing of his appointment was wrong, unfortunate and suspicious since it was done one day after the closure of nomination for candidates in the race.

He added that much as the appointment to the human rights body would present many and better benefits, he would rather serve the people of Busia.

Njoki meanwhile said the reactions by the people following the circulating letter of his appointment on social media has given him hope and courage that people value his contribution and want change.

The letter in question according to the party president Mr Norbert Mao was leaked before they could finish handling the crisis internally as the party.

He however thanked Njoki for taking up the bold decision of turning down the offer by government.

Mao told journalists that prior to the announcement by Njoki, a crisis meeting was held on Monday night where he was tasked to reflect on his appointment and make a decision.

Mao said the appointment by their candidate shows that the president is under pressure and now wants to fish from the opposition by taking advantage of their weaknesses.

He meanwhile said he has talked to all the opposition top leaders among them FDCs Patrick Amuriat, Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi, New Formations Mugisha Muntu and the peoples president Dr Kiiza Besigye among others who have agreed to be in Busia today (Wednesday) to campaign for Mr Njoki at their first campaign rally in Majenje sub country Busia district.

The Busia LC5 seat by-election due on 28th November 2018 has attracted a total of five candidates among them NRMs Mr Paul Oguttu, opposition flag bearer Mr Deogratius Njoki and Mr Chrispus Bwire, Mr Tony Ojambo and Mr Geoffrey Wandera who are all independents.

The seat fell vacant in May after the court of Appeal in Mbale withdrew Mr OumaAdea on grounds that he had been convicted of corruption in 2013.DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the Prime Minister had a "hard sell" on her hands to convince all sides to back her agreement with the EU.

He described the proposals aimed at keeping Northern Ireland under the control of Brussels and within a customs union as "a trap".

It has been reported DUP MPs briefed Cabinet ministers against agreeing to the deal.

Read More

Sammy Wilson said the Cabinet must reject any deal that would see Northern Ireland carved off from the rest of the EU saying he and many other MPs would not be supporting any deal which included the provision.

This is the moment of truth. This is the fork in the road. Do we pursue a future as an independent nation or accept EU domination, imprisonment in the customs union and 2nd class status. Cabinet and all Conservative MPs should stand up, be counted and say no to this capitulation.  David Davis (@DavidDavisMP) November 13, 2018

.@NigelDoddsDUP says key issue is whether UK Cabinet will accept whats on offer and more importantly whether parliament will agree to it #Brexit pic.twitter.com/x0IRv4v0HD  RTE News (@rtenews) November 13, 2018

Reports surfaced on Tuesday afternoon of a draft agreement reached by both side which was confirmed by the UK Government.

It is understood the deal includes a UK-wide backstop with "specific provisions for Northern Ireland" and a review mechanism.

Theresa May has summoned individual ministers to Downing Street to explain the details of the text and a full Cabinet meeting is to be held on Wednesday afternoon where, it's hoped, the deal will be agreed.

Read More

The DUP said it predicted the deal would be a "hard sell" for Theresa May to get Cabinet and Parliament agreement.

Nigel Dodds said that the deal as reported would leave Northern Ireland "subject to the rules and laws set in Brussels with no democratic input or any say".

He added: "We object to that on constitutional grounds that our laws would be made in Brussels, not in Westminster or Belfast.

"That is the fundamental red line."

One picture, two stories.



In the foreground Boris Johnson says Theresa May's Brexit deal will keep us in Customs Union and undermine democracy.



In the background DUP is telling Cabinet they must not back PM's deal.



Over to you Theresa May... pic.twitter.com/7QcpfGzEGu  Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) November 13, 2018

Mr Dodds said it came as "no surprise" the technical discussion had come to an end.

He added: "The crucial issue is going to be what happens when it gets to Cabinet and what happens when it gets to Parliament.

"We have not seen any details, we will see what happens, people know our positions.. and we will judge whatever comes forward."

He continued: "I think a number of Cabinet ministers, never mind Conservative backbenchers, have voiced serious concerns on a number of issues so the trick for Theresa May is can she satisfy everyone.

"It's going to be a very hard sell, I would have thought. Let's wait and see the actual detail. Cabinet ministers will have to make up their minds and backbenchers will have to say where they stand."

Seems to be all lining up for Cabinet to sign off a text of divorce deal tomorrow.... but but but, not confirmed yet and we have been here before...  Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) November 13, 2018

Mr Dodds said any regulatory checks between the UK and Northern Ireland "would certainly be a breach of the PM's pledges to the people of Northern Ireland (and) the pledges that she made to the people of the United Kingdom".

Asked if the DUP would oppose the deal in Parliament he said: "We at that stage will look at all of this.

"I think there are many people in the Conservative and Unionist Party who will not stand for this kind of approach either."

Mr Dodds said that he also had concerns about the customs arrangement, saying that any special provision for Northern Ireland was "designed to solve a problem that doesn't exist" because there are already border checks.

He added: "It could even be solved by a protocol which all the parties pledge in treaty form that there won't be a hard border. This is a trap."

17m voted for Brexit and it would be a scandal if we left and were still tied to the EU. Sammy Wilson

Sammy Wilson said he expected a call from the Prime Minister "fairly soon" to outline the exact nature of what's been agreed. He said the rumours they had heard was that Northern Ireland would be treated differently to the rest of the UK in the deal.

He said the way the deal had been leaked to the Irish press was an indication of the "contempt the EU treated the UK with".

Jacob Rees-Mogg described it as "discourteous to the nation" that the text was shared with RTE and not the BBC.

East Antrim MP Wilson said the Cabinet needed to reassert to the Prime Minister they would not preside over the break up of the UK.

He said: "When it comes to the House of Commons it is not just the DUP that will make its voice known on this. A large number of Conservatives have already joined us on this and it will not go through unless she gets the support of Labour.. and what sort of humiliation would that be?"

"These are promises which she made because she recognised that the integrity of the United Kingdom was important. She has made them time and time in the House and to us privately and to the public."

He said it was not for the DUP to say if there should be a new Prime Minister.

"I would like to see her live up to the promises she had made," he added, "17million voted for Brexit and it would be a scandal if we left and were still tied to the EU."DUP leader Arlene Foster says the UK would be shackled to the EU without a clean exit and Northern Ireland dependent on Dublin should trade barriers be placed in the Irish Sea.

The UK Government has confirmed a draft agreement has been reached with the EU. Theresa May is meeting with ministers and a full Cabinet meeting is to be held on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the matter and decide next steps.

The Sun newspaper reports five senior ministers are backing the Prime Minister.

Read More

It is understood the deal includes a UK-wide backstop with "specific provisions for Northern Ireland" and a review mechanism.

ITV political editor Robert Peston said the text - thought to be around 600 pages long - takes the "swimming pool" approach. With the UK in the shallow end and Northern Ireland in the deep to ensure frictionless trace on the island of Ireland.

The whole of the UK would stay in the customs union if a long-term trading relationship between the UK and EU isn't negotiated and implemented by the end of 2020.

Read More

But in addition to being in the customs union, Northern Ireland would also remain in much of the single market and be forced to follow all EU directives and laws in relation to goods flowing back and forth between NI and the ROI.

"An agreement which places new trade barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain will fundamentally undermine the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom. That is not acceptable," Arlene Foster said.

"Over time, such a deal will weaken the Union. No unionist Prime Minister could argue that such a deal is in the national interest."

The Prime Minister must win the support of the Cabinet and the House of Commons. Every individual vote will count. Arlene Foster

The Daily Telegraph reports Attorney General Geoffrey Cox told Cabinet Northern Ireland will be in a "different regulatory regime" under the customs backstop and "subject to EU law and institutions".

He warned ministers that the plans may "cross a line" for the DUP and those concerned about the future of the Union, adding that the decision of the Cabinet is ultimately about how much "risk they are prepared to take".

Theresa May depends on the DUP's MPs to prop up her minority government.

The Irish Cabinet is to meet on Wednesday morning to discuss the text.

Read More

Arlene Foster said that while she wanted a sensible deal that would not mean they would accept any arrangement.

"It would be democratically unacceptable for Northern Ireland trade rules to be set by Brussels. Northern Ireland would have no representation in Brussels and would be dependent on a Dublin government speaking up for our core industries.

"The withdrawal agreement is a legally binding treaty which will shape our nation for the next generation. It will bind future governments and Prime Ministers.

"Without a clean exit clause, the United Kingdom would be handcuffed to the European Union with Brussels holding the keys. At least the United Kingdom people could vote to leave the European Union.

"I am heartened by friends of the Union on both sides of the House and across the United Kingdom who have pledged to stand with the DUP in opposing a deal which weakens the Union and hands control to Brussels rather than Parliament.

"These are momentous days and the decisions being taken will have long-lasting ramifications. The Prime Minister must win the support of the Cabinet and the House of Commons. Every individual vote will count.Negotiators from the EU and UK have agreed a Brexit withdrawal agreement text which avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland, it has been reported.

Theresa May is meeting with her Cabinet ministers on Tuesday evening to go through the details and allow them to read the draft agreement with the full Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Read More

One picture, two stories.



In the foreground Boris Johnson says Theresa May's Brexit deal will keep us in Customs Union and undermine democracy.



In the background DUP is telling Cabinet they must not back PM's deal.



Over to you Theresa May... pic.twitter.com/7QcpfGzEGu  Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) November 13, 2018

A UK Government source confirmed agreement had been reached at a "technical level".

Downing Street said in a statement: "Cabinet will meet at 2pm tomorrow to consider the draft agreement the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels, and to decide on next steps.

"Cabinet ministers have been invited to read documentation ahead of that meeting."

In a statement Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said talks had not concluded.

"Negotiators are still engaged and a number of issues are outstanding. We are not commenting further on leaks in the media," he said in a statement.

The DUP, meanwhile said it would wait to see the text of any deal.

MP Nigel Dodds said it came as "no surprise" the technical discussion had come to an end.

He added: "The crucial issue is going to be what happens when it gets to Cabinet and what happens when it gets to Parliament.

"We have not seen any details, we will see what happens, people know our positions.. and we will judge whatever comes forward."

Sammy Wilson said he hoped a call would be coming "fairly soon" on what the deal included. He said he hoped the Prime Minister would keep her promises.

Irish broadcaster RTE said the text was agreed at around 9pm on Monday night and sent to Downing Street for consideration.

Quoting two "well-placed sources" saying the text was "as stable as it can be" although this was not an indication negotiations had concluded.

The deal will allegedly contain a backstop aimed at trying to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. A review mechanism is understood to be part of the text.

Theresa May is to meet her Cabinet ministers on a one-to-one basis on Tuesday evening to run through the detail. They will then all meet at a full meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday.

EU and UK negotiators have agreed on a text that deals with the Irish border, @rtenews understands https://t.co/fSvBCfN4gp #Brexit pic.twitter.com/wiHDkjxDOd  RTE (@rte) November 13, 2018

BREAKING: EU and UK negotiators have agreed a text on how to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, which will form part of the Withdrawal Agreement, @rtenews understands  Tony Connelly (@tconnellyRTE) November 13, 2018

Seems to be all lining up for Cabinet to sign off a text of divorce deal tomorrow.... but but but, not confirmed yet and we have been here before...  Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) November 13, 2018

The agreement will see a temporary UK-wide customs arrangement, with specific provisions for Northern Ireland.

RTE reports the provision for Northern Ireland will "go deeper on the issue of customs and alignment on the rules of the single market than for the rest of the UK".

After a meeting of Cabinet on Tuesday it was reported Prime Minister Theresa May had said agreeing a deal on Brexit was now down to a "small number" of outstanding issues. She later told the London Lord Mayor's dinner the negotiations were at "the end game".

De facto deputy Prime Minister David Lidington described a deal as "almost within touching distance".The violent death toll in London has continued to rise with more homicides so far this year than in the whole of 2017.

A grim spate of bloodshed in the capital, including the week from October 31 when there were five stab murders, has brought the total to 119.

According to Home Office figures there were 118 in London in 2017, excluding the 13 victims of the terrorist attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and Finsbury Park.

The latest incident was the death of a 62-year-old woman who was found fatally assaulted at a home in Balham, south west London, at around 11.40pm on Monday.

A 66-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of her murder.

Earlier the same day, in a separate case, Devi Unmathallegadoo, 35, died from abdominal injuries in Ilford, east London.

Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, 50, of no fixed address, has been charged with her murder.

Expand Close Metropolitan Police headquarters, New Scotland Yard on Victoria Embankment (Metropolitan Police/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Metropolitan Police headquarters, New Scotland Yard on Victoria Embankment (Metropolitan Police/PA)

The Metropolitan Police has seen a sharp rise in alleged domestic homicides in the past year, although 2017 was a record low, and the forces murder squad is looking at why the number may have risen.

In London, there have been 26 so far this year not including the two deaths on Monday, compared to a record low of nine last year. There were 16 in 2016, 27 in 2015, 16 in 2014 and 31 in 2013.

Among the 119 homicides in 2018, there have been 68 stabbings, 12 shootings and two deaths involving a knife and a gun.

A third of the cases (42) involved victims aged 16 to 24, while 20 were teenagers.

Among the victims aged 16 to 24, 30 were stabbed, nine were shot, two died in attacks involving a knife and a gun, and one died in a fall.

For the teenagers aged 15 to 19, six were shot and 14 were stabbed.

Our @metpoliceuk officers are working around the clock to keep our city safe.



Officers from the City Hall funded Violent Crime Taskforce are out across our city in force - using a range of tactics to tackle violent crime & protect our communities.pic.twitter.com/P3vG414JSQ  Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) November 13, 2018

Levels of violent crime in the capital have remained a concern throughout the year, with monthly highs in February and March, when 18 homicides were recorded each month.

These were the second highest monthly totals recorded since April 2010.

The only higher peak was in June 2017 when there were 20, a figure that includes eight people killed in the London Bridge terror atrocity.

If this is excluded, the previous monthly peak was in April 2010 when there were 16.

In total, 111 homicides were recorded in 2016 and 122 in 2015 in the capital, according to Home Office data.

Before this the number of police-recorded homicides in London had been falling, from 164 in 2007 to 91 in 2014.

Looking at official figures for financial years, there was a peak in 2003/4 when there were 212, and then, bar one rise in 2010/11, the total gradually decreased until 2017/18 when it rose by 36% to 146.

In response to the bloodshed this year, the Metropolitan Police Violent Crime Task Force was set up, seizing 340 knives, 40 guns and 258 other offensive weapons in its first six months of operation, and making more than 1,350 arrests.

Mayor Sadiq Khan also announced plans for a violence reduction unit that would adopt the public health approach to tackle violent crime that was successfully used in Glasgow.

Police have pointed to links between violence and so-called county lines drug networks, where urban dealers force children and other vulnerable people to courier illegal substances to customers in more rural areas.

They are also known to take over innocent peoples homes to use as a base for crime.

Middle class cocaine users have come under fire from a number of public figures, including the countrys most senior police officer Scotland Yard Commissioner Cressida Dick, who pointed to the misery caused by the drugs trade.

Drill music, where rappers taunt rivals with lyrics laced with violence and threats, and the role of social media in escalating disputes have also come under the microscope, as have cuts to youth services and the police.

On Monday Home Secretary Sajid Javid admitted that police officer numbers were an important part of the fight against violent crime.South-western parts of the country are particularly vulnerable (Jane Barlow/PA)

Homes and business could be hit by flooding in parts of Scotland as heavy rain is set to hit the country.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Dumfries and Galloway, Lothian and the Borders.

It comes into force from 1am on Wednesday and lasts until 1pm, with disruption to travel and potential flooding of a few buildings highlighted as being possible.

Forecaster Martin Bowles said: Its a front thats aligned with the flow, so it acts like a conveyor belt which keeps bringing rain.

One particular area, Dumfries and Galloway, is going to get this rain pretty much continuously for a few hours.

That can cause some low-level surface water flooding, we could get enough surface water to make driving difficult.

It's looking very wet for parts of Southwest Scotland tomorrow, especially over the hills #weatheraware pic.twitter.com/ZjxIry3Mpd  Met Office (@metoffice) November 13, 2018

He added properties which are susceptible to flooding in the area may experience some issues.

Sepa has also issued four amber flood alerts covering western, central and south-western parts of Scotland.

Drier weather is expected to spread north-east in the afternoon.

The Met Office predicts accumulations of 20mm to 30mm in places, while it could reach 40mm to 50mm on higher ground.File photo dated 15/09/16 of police officers. A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a 35-year-old woman in Ilford, east London.

A 50-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a woman aged 35, police have announced.

The two were known to each other, Scotland Yard said.

It means the number of homicides in London so far this year is now 118, matching the total in the whole of 2017.

Police were called to a disturbance at an address in east London at 7.40am on Monday morning and found the woman suffering from an injury to her stomach.

She was pronounced dead in hospital at 11am.

The man was arrested at the scene in Applegarth Drive in Ilford on suspicion of attempted murder.

He was subsequently further arrested for murder and remains in police custody.

DCI Gary Holmes, of the Metropolitan Polices Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: This is a tragic incident and our sympathies are with the loved ones and friends of the victim.

Anyone who was in the area from Sunday night to Monday morning is urged to contact the police, he added.

It could prove vital to our ongoing enquiry.

No other people are being sought in connection with the investigation and enquiries continue, the police said.Theresa May faced a Brexiteer backlash as her Cabinet began consideration of a deal with Brussels.

Number 10 confirmed a draft deal had been reached by officials negotiating in Brussels after months of protracted talks.

Ministers have been invited to Downing Street to read documents relating to the agreement before a special Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson urged his ex-Cabinet colleagues to chuck it out, warning that the proposals made a nonsense of Brexit.

And Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the influential European Research Group of dozens of Tory MPs, said: It is a failure of the Governments negotiating position, it is a failure to deliver on Brexit and it is potentially dividing up the United Kingdom.

A series of ministers have been seen entering and leaving Downing Street following the Number 10 announcement.

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Chief Whip Julian Smith told reporters: I am confident that we will get this through Parliament and that we can deliver on what the Prime Minister committed to on delivering Brexit.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said ministers would have to reflect on the detail.

Thats what the Government has been working for all this time, to get a deal, and negotiators have worked incredibly hard to get us to this point but we have to reflect on the detail and consider at Cabinet tomorrow, he said.

The special meeting on Wednesday could potentially be a flashpoint for tensions between Brexiteers and Remainers around the Cabinet table, with speculation that Leave-supporting ministers including Penny Mordaunt, Esther McVey and Liam Fox could be prepared to walk out if a deal ties the UK too closely to Brussels.

The deal follows intense negotiation in Brussels, with measures to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland the main stumbling block.

Irish broadcaster RTE reported that a stable text had been agreed on the thorny issue of the Northern Irish border.

The broadcaster said the deal involved one overall backstop in the form of a UK-wide customs arrangement  as sought by Mrs May  but with deeper provisions for Northern Ireland on customs and regulations.

A review mechanism is understood to be part of the text, but it is unclear whether that would meet the demands of Tory Brexiteers  including some in the Cabinet  who want the UK to be able to unilaterally walk away from the deal to prevent it becoming a permanent settlement.

A Number 10 spokesman said: Cabinet will meet at 2pm tomorrow to consider the draft agreement the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels and to decide on next steps.

Cabinet ministers have been invited to read documentation ahead of that meeting.

Brexiteers lined up to condemn the deal before its details had even been officially confirmed.

Mr Johnson told the BBC: For the first time in a thousand years, this place, this Parliament, will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is a quite incredible state of affairs.

White flags have gone up all over Whitehall. It is a betrayal of the UnionJacob Rees-Mogg

Mr Rees-Mogg told the broadcaster: White flags have gone up all over Whitehall. It is a betrayal of the Union.

Ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith suggested Mrs Mays administration could collapse over the deal.

He warned that if reports of the deals contents were true, the Government was breaking their own agreed position and will be bringing back something that is untenable.

He added that if the Cabinet agrees it, the party certainly wont.

Asked if the Governments days were numbered, he said: If this is the case almost certainly, yes.

Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the DUP which props up Mrs Mays minority administration, said that the deal as reported would leave Northern Ireland subject to the rules and laws set in Brussels with no democratic input or any say.

He added: We object to that on constitutional grounds that our laws would be made in Brussels, not in Westminster or Belfast.

That is the fundamental red line.

Labour has been clear from the beginning that we need a deal to support jobs and the economy - and that guarantees standards and protections. If this deal doesnt meet our six tests and work for the whole country, then we will vote against it. #BrexitDeal  Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) November 13, 2018

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the party would vote against the deal if it failed to meet its tests.

We will look at the details of what has been agreed when they are available, he said.

But from what we know of the shambolic handling of these negotiations, this is unlikely to be a good deal for the country.

Neither Brussels nor Dublin confirmed that a deal had been reached, despite the Number 10 announcement.

A spokesman for chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier said the latest in the negotiations had been set out earlier by commission vice president Frans Timmermans, who said that while the talks were making progress we are not there yet.

The European Commission would take stock on Wednesday, he added.

A spokesman for Irelands deputy premier Simon Coveney said that negotiations were at a sensitive juncture.

We are not commenting on media speculation around the withdrawal agreement, the spokesman said.

Michel Barnier and the task force are charged with negotiating with the UK and we have been in constant communication with them throughout.Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said progress had been made on joint frameworks (Victoria Jones/PA)

Mike Russell has demanded part of the UKs Brexit legislation be immediately repealed after MPs were told progress is being made between Holyrood and Westminster on key cross-border issues.

The Scottish Constitutional Relations Secretary said this was the way to resolve the row over what SNP ministers have branded a Brexit power grab.

He spoke out after Theresa Mays de facto deputy, the UK Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington told MPs that significant progress was being made on agreeing common policy frameworks.

The Scottish Government has been insistent that when powers are returned from the European Union, these should go straight to the Edinburgh administration, rather than London.

Grabbing power from the Scottish Parliament and undermining the devolution settlement is obviously not conducive to cooperative working and section 12 should be immediately repealedMike Russell, Scottish Constitutional Relations Secretary

But UK ministers have argued that in areas such as agriculture, fishing and environmental issues, common frameworks need to be established.

With progress being made on these, Mr Russell said the UK Government should now repeal section 12 of the EU Withdrawal Act  the part of the legislation he said permitted UK ministers imposing policies and laws on Scotland against our democratic will.

No orders have been made so far under this controversial part of the legislation.

And Mr Russell was clear that while the Scottish Government still opposed the chaos of leaving the EU, he added: If Brexit is to happen, we have always said that co-operation between governments is clearly the right and best way both to ready our statute books and to agree common UK frameworks, where these are in Scotlands interests.

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He continued: The significant progress being made on frameworks vindicates the Scottish Governments consistent position and renders section 12 completely unnecessary.

We have made it clear that if the UK Government tried to introduce a section 12 order we could not continue co-operation.

Grabbing power from the Scottish Parliament and undermining the devolution settlement is obviously not conducive to cooperative working and section 12 should be immediately repealed.

He made the plea as it emerged a Brexit deal has been reached by negotiators in Brussels, which will be put before UK ministers at a crunch Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Confirmation that a deal had been reached by officials follows months of protracted talks in Brussels, with measures to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland having been the main stumbling block.

Mr Russell has already called for details of any Brexit deal to be shared with the Scottish Government and the other devolved administrations as a matter of urgency.The age of criminal responsibility could be raised to 12 in Scotland (Jane Barlow/PA)

Legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Scotland to 12 has been approved in principle at Holyrood, despite some MSPs calling on ministers to go further.

Scotland has one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility in the world at eight years old.

The Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill unanimously passed its first stage at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.

But Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton complained progress in increasing the age has been made at a snails pace

The Scottish Lib Dems have called for the age to be raised further to 16, which is the case in countries such as Portugal, Lithuania and Luxembourg.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: I dont think its unreasonable to suggest that this government arguably lied to the United Nations.

The UN set a floor of 12 as the minimum age of criminal responsibility to be adopted no later than 2007 and for countries to work upwards from that point.

Three parliaments have sat and risen from this chamber since that international starting gun was fired  only now has this government finally brought our country to the races.

.@agcolehamilton tells @ScotParl that he will seek to amend the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill going forward to raise the minimum age and better protect the human rights of children & young people in Scotland. #CriminalResponsibility #YouthJustice pic.twitter.com/ylTdfm5At3  includem (@Includem2000) November 13, 2018

He said while the Lib Dems backed the Bill it was with a sense of disappointment, adding: This is not a radical Bill, this is not even a progressive Bill.

The Liberal Democrat MSP spoke out after Childrens Minister Maree Todd stressed it was important to reflect on how far weve come, not least in understanding how best to prevent and address harm in childrens lives.

She said: We should be very honest with ourselves as parliamentarians  only a few years ago, we wouldnt be here with a consensus right across this chamber that the age of criminal responsibility should be raised.

Now our discussions are about what age to raise criminal responsibility to and on what safeguards and other issues need to be addressed. That is a significant and welcome shift.

Scottish Conservative MSP Oliver Mundell urged the Scottish Government to progress with caution and not be swayed to raise the age beyond the internationally recommended 12.

Expand Close Childrens Minister Maree Todd. (Andrew Milligan/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook

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He said: In many senses, this Bill is simply an attempt to tidy up our legal system and reflects the fact that a significant change was made in policy some time ago.

It is of course tempting to look at other European nations and to try to consider ourselves behind when it comes to this legislation but I think that is a false conclusion to draw.

Its about looking at childrens rights and the way our legal system operates in the round, and thats how we best identify the positive steps that can be taken.

We are on a journey and part of that journey is about making progress and moving at a pace that allows everyone to sign up and support initiatives.

Meanwhile, Labours Daniel Johnson said it was important Scotland complied with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Child and that we seek to prevent our most vulnerable children and young people from being exposed to the harmful effects of the criminal justice system.

He added: This is an area of law that needs to remain under constant review to make sure that the childrens justice system is doing what it was set up to do.Police have renewed their appeal for information about a violent robbery which landed a 98-year-old Second World War veteran desperately ill in hospital.

Emergency services were called on the morning of Tuesday November 6 after Peter Gouldstone was attacked in his own home, suffering severe injuries including two bleeds to the brain and extensive bruising on his body.

Officers returned to the scene of the attack in Enfield, north London, on Monday night in an effort to get people to come forward with information.

Officers revisit the scene of the Enfield aggravated burglary that left a 98-year-old man critically injured https://t.co/tJZyIYUiVi pic.twitter.com/RAKPCKHleT  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 12, 2018

Detective Inspector Paul Ridley from North Area CID, who is leading the investigation, said: Mr Gouldstone remains desperately ill in hospital while those responsible for his injuries are walking around free.

Any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could provide a missing piece of the investigation. Someone knows who these people are and I urge those people to come forward.

Mr Gouldstone is in a critical but stable condition, according to police.

A 26in Panasonic TV and other personal possessions belonging to Mr Gouldstone were stolen from the house, Scotland Yard said.

Mr Ridley added: I particularly want to hear from people that may have been offered the Panasonic television that was stolen, or who saw either people or vehicles in the vicinity of Evesham Road, Enfield, that may have appeared out of place.

A 10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the attack was offered by Crimestoppers on Thursday.

Mr Gouldstone has lived in his terraced house for more than 60 years.

His son, former civil servant Simon Gouldstone, 67, said on Wednesday: As a member of the family Im shocked, as a member of the human race Im lost for words at mans inhumanity to man, Im afraid.

He told reporters his father had worked on phone lines in Italy during the Second World War before going on to a career at the Post Office and retiring around 1980.Police Scotland are appealing for witnesses to the crash in Kirkcaldy (Andrew Milligan/PA)

An elderly man has died after he was knocked down by a car in Fife.

Thomas Beall, 81, was struck by a Ford Focus near Asda in Dunnikier Way, Kirkcaldy, at around 8.30pm on Monday.

The road was closed in both directions while police examined the scene and officers are appealing for any witnesses.

Sergeant Ewan Pearce said: Our condolences are with Mr Bealls family at this very sad time, who have described him as a much loved brother and uncle.

Our enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision.

Anyone who may have witnessed this, or who has information which may be able to assist with the investigation, and has not yet spoken to officers is urged to contact us.A deadline to speed up the removal of harmful content on social media is among the legislative measures being considered by the government in a bid to protect young people.

Speaking at the final evidence session for the Science and Technology Committees inquiry into the impact of social media, Minister for Digital Margot James said she is interested in Germanys recent approach.

It compels social networking sites to remove illegal content within 24 hours of it being reported, or face fines.

When asked by Labour MP Liz Kendall whether the government was considering such a move, Ms James responded: Yes, I mean that would be one of the aspects of what may require new law as opposed to the many non-legislative measures that were still developing.

Expand Close Social networks have previously acknowledged that regulation looks likely (Yui Mok/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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The minister warned there are some grey areas of what is deemed illegal content and what is not, which it is expected to be addressed in a white paper this winter.

Ms James sat alongside Jackie Doyle-Price MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Mental Health, discussing how government and social media companies could tackle a range of issues affecting children online, particularly cyber-bullying.

I think the social media companies could do a lot more, I think theyre being very slow in this area actually, and I have no doubt that it is the stick of regulation that has focused the mind to do more, Ms Doyle-Price said.

Prior to the pairs appearance, Childrens Commissioner for England Anne Longfield told the committee that children moving from primary school up to secondary school felt an avalanche of pressure to be more socially aware on social media.

I think the social media companies could do a lot more, I think they're being very slow in this area actually, and I have no doubt that it is the stick of regulation that has focused the mind to do moreJackie Doyle-Price MP

She said: There are of course huge positives, support, friendships, the learning you can get online is just unimaginable compared to ten years ago, but some of the negatives about the content, around things like self harming are clearly there.

A lot of my emphasis is about getting children the emotional resilience to be able to manage their time online positively, but then also look at all those other people, schools, government, social media companies, who have a role to play in being able to provide that positive platform for children to be able to get the most out of it rather than be drawn and sink into that negativity.

In October, technology giants including Google, Facebook and Twitter signalled they would not be opposed to the introduction of a regulator to monitor their platforms.

Karim Palant, Facebooks public policy manager in the UK, told the committee last month: Our chief executives have talked about the fact that some regulations are going to be inevitable.The parents of Katie Allan are demanding changes after the student took her own life behind bars. (Family handout/PA)

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has been urged to take action to halt the spiralling epidemic of suicides in Scotlands prisons.

The plea came after Mr Yousaf held talks with the parents of a young woman who took her own life while serving a sentence in Polmont Young Offenders Institution.

Four months after the death of Katie Allan, 21, in June, another inmate, 16-year-old William Brown  also known as William Lindsay  killed himself just 48 hours after being sent there on remand.

Stuart and Linda Allan, together with lawyer Aamer Anwar, met the Justice Secretary to plead for urgent changes to be made.

Expand Close Stuart Allan (left) and his wife Linda with lawyer Aamer Anwar. (Andrew Milligan/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Mr Anwar claimed there could be as many as 12 suicides in Scottish jails this year, adding this would represent the worst rate of suicides for over a decade.

The lawyer, together with Mr and Mrs Allan, demanded an immediate inspection of the young offenders institution at Polmont.

They also want a review of suicides in Scottish prisons and of mental health provision.

Mr Anwar said while 26 deaths have been recorded behind bars in 2018, only one had been formally noted a suicide.

He said: We heard today that half of the deaths so far they believe are in relation to natural causes.

That means approximately 12 deaths in Scottish prisons are potentially suicides.

We are not at the end of the year. If that is the case then this is the worst rate of suicides for over a decade.

The lawyer claimed the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) system of recording deaths in prison hides the spiralling epidemic of suicides in our prisons.

He said: They clearly havent learned lessons, William Lindsay should be alive today, he should not have died.

The care system failed him, the police failed him, the criminal justice system failed him, but ultimately Polmont Prison that should have learned lessons after the death of Katie Allan failed miserably.

Tues 13Nov we meet with Justice Minister @HumzaYousaf-We r fighting not just 4our #KatieAllanwho took her own life at 21 in Polmont-16yr old #WilliamLindsay should be alive 2day but was dead within 48hrs of going 2Polmont-How many more must die? https://t.co/v88R74trjD pic.twitter.com/09qJsRwKmE  Linda Allan (@Allan67Linda) November 12, 2018

Mr Anwar said neither the Crown Office nor the SPS had bothered to contact Mr Lindsays mother, Christine, following his death.

Locking people up in dungeons of despair doesnt rehabilitate anyone, the lawyer said.

The families of Katie Allan and William Lindsay hold the Scottish Prison Service, the health service and the care system directly responsible for their deaths, and they will fight to ensure other lives can be saved.

Mr Allan said: Its so important that people who go into the care system and people who go into prison, they are treated with respect and humanity.

We have witnessed what happened to Katie, we dont want that to happen to anybody else.

the tragic experiences Katie endured within the Scottish Prison Service are not unique to KatieFather Stuart Allan

He said the family had used the talks with Mr Yousaf to highlight the catastrophic failings within the criminal justice system.

He added: We wanted to make clear to Mr Yousaf that the tragic experiences Katie endured within the Scottish Prison Service are not unique to Katie.

You only have to look at the recent tragic death of 16-year-old William Lindsay, who spent his life in and out of care, only to end up taking his own life whilst in Polmont prison within 48 hours of being placed on remand.

The long list of failings which has led to Katie, William and many others taking their own lives under the care of the Scottish Prison Service and in particular Polmont prison is simply unacceptable and should not be allowed to continue any longer.

Mr Allan concluded: We believe what we are trying to do in Katies memory for her and so many others will be a fitting legacy for our daughter.

The Justice Secretary was also questioned on the deaths by MSPs.

He told them he was aware of concerns raised through recent cases around the mental health provision in HMP Polmont.

Mr Yousaf said: Any death of a young person is a tragedy for the individual and their family.

As with any death in custody, there will of course be a mandatory fatal accident inquiry.

However, I am determined that appropriate early actions are taken to ensure the safety and well-being of young people in custody.

He added: We are determined as a government to ensure that we are taking a cross-government approach to the support that young people have when they are within the criminal justice system but importantly the preventative measures we put in place to stop them from getting into the criminal justice system in the first place.

An SPS spokesman rejected claims the way deaths are recorded masked the number of suicides.

He said: We dont describe the circumstances of any deaths in custody, we publish that a death in custody has occurred immediately after the next of kin have been informed.

All deaths in prison are subject to an FAI, with the spokesman saying one death this year had been confirmed as a suicide because an inquiry had taken place.Hardline Brexiteers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson have described the draft agreement between the EU and the UK as a "betrayal of the union" and of handing more power to Dublin than London for governing Northern Ireland in some aspects.

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"For the first time since partition, Dublin - under these proposals - would have more say in some aspects of the government of Northern Ireland than London," said former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

Read More

It comes as a draft deal between the EU and UK has been agreed with individual Cabinet ministers meeting the Prime Minister and a full Cabinet meeting to be held on Wednesday afternoon.

It is understood the deal includes a UK-wide backstop with "specific provisions for Northern Ireland" and a review mechanism.

Both Boris Johson and Jacob Rees-Mogg said the deal as they had seen it could not be agreed and accused Theresa May of breaking her promises.

The DUP said it predicted the deal would be a "hard sell" for Parliament and has called on Cabinet to reject the deal.

Sammy Wilson said he expected a call from the Prime Minister "fairly soon". He said the rumours they had heard was that Northern Ireland would be treated differently to the rest of the UK in the deal.

It is a quite incredible state of affairs. Boris Johnson

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson said he would vote against the deal, claiming it was "vassal state stuff" and urged the Cabinet to "chuck it out".

He said he expected the deal to be "pretty much" what had been agreed a few week ago "we are going to stay in the customs union on this deal, we are going to stay effectively in large parts of the single market and that means it's vassal state stuff".

He told the BBC: "For the first time in a thousand years, this place, this Parliament, will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is a quite incredible state of affairs."

Mr Johnson added: "For the first time since partition, Dublin - under these proposals - would have more say in some aspects of the government of Northern Ireland than London.

"I don't see how you can support it from a democratic point of view, I don't see how unionists can support it, and I don't see how you can support it if you believe in the economic and political freedom of this country."

He claimed the deal was "making a nonsense of Brexit so I hope the Cabinet will do the right thing and I hope they chuck it out".

It is a failure of the Government's negotiating position, it is a failure to deliver on Brexit and it is potentially dividing up the United Kingdom. Jacob Rees-Mogg

Jacob Rees-Mogg said Theresa May should stick to her principles and if the leaked agreement he had seen was correct he would "find it very difficult to trust anything that comes out of Downing Street".

He said there had been a complete change in the government's approach very recently.

"The Prime Minister said she would not agree to anything that would separate Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.... basically the white flags have gone up all over Whitehall.

The leader of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Tory MPs, said the reported deal represented a betrayal of Theresa May's promise to maintain the integrity of the United Kingdom.

"If what we have heard is true, this fails to meet the Conservative Party manifesto and it fails to meet many of the commitments that the Prime Minister makes.

"It would keep us in the customs union and de facto the single market. This is the vassal state.

"It is a failure of the Government's negotiating position, it is a failure to deliver on Brexit and it is potentially dividing up the United Kingdom.

"It is very hard to see any reason why the Cabinet should support Northern Ireland being ruled from Dublin."The search for survivors is continuing in Paradise, California (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via AP)

At least 42 people have died in a wildfire in Northern California, making it the deadliest blaze in state history.

Authorities reported 13 more fatalities as the search for bodies continued.

Victims were found in burned-out cars, in the smouldering ruins of their homes, or next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could escape.

In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them.

Hundreds of people were unaccounted for by the sheriffs reckoning, four days after the fire swept over the town of Paradise and practically wiped it off the map.

As the search for victims dragged on, friends and relatives of the missing called hospitals, police, shelters and the coroners office in the hope of learning what became of their loved ones.

Paradise was a popular retirement community, and about a quarter of the population was over 65.

Tad Teays awaited word on his 90-year-old dementia-stricken mother. Darlina Duarte was desperate for information about her half-brother, a diabetic who was largely housebound because he had lost his legs.

And Barbara Hall tried in vain to find out whether her aunt and the womans husband, who are in their 80s and 90s, made it out alive from their retirement community.

Did they make it in their car? Did they get away? Did their car go over the edge of a mountain somewhere? I just dont know, said Ms Hall, adding that the couple had only a landline and calls were not going through to it.

Expand Close Scorched cars line the road in Paradise, California (AP Photo/Noah Berger) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Megan James, of Newfoundland, Canada, searched via Twitter from the other side of the continent for information about her aunt and uncle, whose house in Paradise burned down and whose vehicles were still there. On Monday, she asked on Twitter for someone to take over the posts, saying she was so emotionally and mentally exhausted.

The blaze was part of an outbreak of wildfires on both ends of the state.

Together, they were blamed for 44 deaths, including two in celebrity-studded Malibu in Southern California, where firefighters appeared to be gaining ground against a roughly 143-square-mile blaze that destroyed at least 370 structures, with hundreds more feared lost.

Some of the thousands of people forced from their homes by the blaze were allowed to return, and authorities reopened US 101, a major highway through the fire zone in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

CAL FIRE would like to continue to thank our out of state partners that came to our aide during these powerful wildfires. We appreciate their support. pic.twitter.com/hGYtkDYY6m  CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) November 13, 2018

Malibu celebrities and mobile-home dwellers in nearby mountains were slowly learning whether their homes had been spared or reduced to ash.

In Northern California, fire crews still fighting the blaze that obliterated Paradise contended with wind gusts of up to 40 mph overnight. The fire had grown to 177 square miles and was 25% contained, authorities said. Winds were expected to weaken on Monday night.

The 29 dead in Northern California matched the deadliest single fire on record, a 1933 blaze in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. A series of wildfires in Northern Californias wine country last autumn killed 44 people and destroyed more than 5,000 homes.Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been stopped at the border and barred from leaving Russia as he was about to travel to a court hearing at the European Court for Human Rights in France.

Mr Navalny said in a blog post on Tuesday that he was due to attend a hearing at the ECHR which is expected to rule if his countless detentions have been politically motivated.

He was stopped by border guards and told that a ruling by court bailiffs has barred him from leaving Russia.

The hearing in Strasbourg could prove a major embarrassment for the Kremlin which routinely dismisses Mr Navalny, arguably Russias most popular opposition figure, as a trouble-maker with no political backing.

The ECHR will soon announce its ruling on whether or not my numerous detentions were politically motivated. Apparently, Putin's regime thinks than not letting me fly to Strasbourg to hear this ruling will change anything https://t.co/tKAdzI4D6E  Alexey Navalny (@navalny) November 13, 2018

Mr Navalnys lawyer Ivan Zhdanov on Tuesday posted a picture of the ruling which barred him from travelling.

It was undated and lacked any details.

Mr Navalny has faced numerous criminal charges in the past that are widely viewed as attempts by the Kremlin to sideline him.

Two separate criminal cases have prevented Mr Navalny from travelling in the past but the ban was lifted in spring last year when he had to leave to Spain for urgent medical treatment.

Mr Navalny, who rose to prominence thanks to his investigations into official corruption, spearheaded major anti-government protests which have attracted Russians from across the political spectrum.An explosion as an Israeli airstrike has hit Hamas Al-Aqsa TV station (AP)

Gaza militants have fired dozens of rockets at southern Israel, killing a man in a strike on a residential building and vowing to further escalate their attacks if Israel keeps bombing the Palestinian territory.

As fighting raged throughout the day, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met his security cabinet to plot a way forward.

The heavy exchange of fire, which was triggered by a botched Israeli undercover raid into Hamas-ruled Gaza late on Sunday, marked the most serious escalation since an Israel-Hamas war in 2014.

International mediators have appealed for restraint, hoping to avert another war.

Expand Close An Israeli soldier walks by a house damaged in Ashkelon by a missile fired from the Gaza Strip (Tsafrir Abayov/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp An Israeli soldier walks by a house damaged in Ashkelon by a missile fired from the Gaza Strip (Tsafrir Abayov/AP)

The Israeli military said some 400 rockets and mortars have been launched from Gaza since Monday afternoon, with about 100 of them intercepted by Israels Iron Dome defence system.

Israel said it has struck more than 100 targets it says are linked to militants in Gaza, including one assault that destroyed Hamas TV station.

Three other buildings believed to be connected to Hamas were destroyed, it said.

On Tuesday, Gazas health ministry said two Palestinians in their 20s were killed in separate air strikes, raising the number killed since the Israeli offensive began to six, including four militants. At least 25 people have been injured.

Israeli medical officials said the body of a 48-year-old man was found under the rubble of a building hit by a rocket in the southern city of Ashkelon.

Expand Close Palestinians check the damage of a destroyed residential building hit by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City (Khalil Hamra/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Palestinians check the damage of a destroyed residential building hit by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City (Khalil Hamra/AP)

Relatives in the West Bank town of Halhoul identified the man as Mahmoud Abu Asbeh, a Palestinian labourer who had been working in Israel. He left a wife and six children behind.

Nearly 30 people have been wounded in Israel, three critically, according to medical officials.

The military said jets struck several key strategic Hamas targets, including military compounds, rocket launching posts and part of its vast underground tunnel network.

Also targeted was a Gaza City building serving Hamas military and intelligence forces which houses a munitions warehouse.

Expand Close Israeli firefighters work at the scene where a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck Sderot (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Israeli firefighters work at the scene where a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck Sderot (AP)

It is unclear whether Mr Netanyahu is prepared to escalate the offensive. Earlier this week, he said he was trying to avoid an unnecessary war.

Israel has fought three wars with Hamas since the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007.

Thousands of Palestinians and scores of Israelis have been killed, while Hamas has remained firmly in power and Israel has faced international criticism.

It is unclear what either side would gain in another round of sustained fighting. But if the rocket fire persists, Mr Netanyahus coalition partners, including hard-liners on the security cabinet, are likely to press for tougher action.

Hamas faces a similar dilemma: another war would bring new devastation to Gaza, but the group does not want to be seen as caving to Israeli pressure.

The armed wing of Hamas threatened to step up its attacks and fire rockets further north towards the Israeli cities of Ashdod and Beersheba if Israel continues with its air strikes.Donald Trump has suggested France would have been vanquished in both world wars if not for the United States.

The US president tweeted about his French counterpart Emmanuel Macrons suggestion that Europe would protect itself from the US, China and Russia.

Mr Macron argued that Europe should build up its military forces because it can no longer depend on America for defence.

Mr Trump tweeted: Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two  How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!

Mr Trump often complains that Nato countries do not pay their fair share of the defence alliances expenses.

He criticised Mr Macron before and after attending a weekend ceremony in Paris to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War.

Mr Trump and Mr Macron met on Saturday at the Elysee Palace and discussed defence, trade and other issues.

A top adviser to Mr Macron said the French position has been clarified. The official said Mr Macron explained the European army issue to Mr Trump, stressing that France was not making a choice between a European defence mechanism and multilateral organisations such as Nato.

Mr Trump also complained about tariffs on US wines sold in France, and appeared to take a dig at Mr Macrons low public approval rating.

The US leader tweeted that French tariffs on American wine is not fair, must change!

He wrote: On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!

Nearly all US wine exports to major markets, including the European Union  face tariffs, according to the Wine Institute, which represents California winemakers in Washington on matters of tax, trade and regulatory issues.

Mr Trump, who built a career as a businessman before he entered politics, opened a winery in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2011.

The president added that The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!.MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!

Mr Macron is hovering at around 30% in popularity polls, while the unemployment rate is just above 9%.

Mr Trumps continued complaints about France and Mr Macron struck a nerve with some in the European nation, especially since the presidents latest broadsides came on the third anniversary of the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in 2015.

It prompted French journalist Hugo Clement to tweet in response: We are already great, especially on november 13th. Go back to your room and give the phone to an adult.

Mr Trump also defended his decision to cancel a trip on Saturday to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery at Belleau Wood in Northern France after rainy weather grounded his helicopter.

The US president did go ahead with a trip and a speech in the rain on Sunday at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial just outside Paris.

He tweeted: By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!The Conservative Party has never in its history been in such a state of turmoil and civil war as is the case today over Brexit. The question is now legitimately being asked whether it can ever recover fully from the horrendous political damage it is inflicting on itself. People do not vote for parties which are scratching their own eyes out.

Jo Johnson, the hitherto orderly Transport Minister, has become the seventh member of the Government to resign over Brexit.

Unlike his brother Boris, Jo is a Remainer and has said that he is not out to remove the Prime Minister, but simply to change the policy.

If Johnson thinks the voters are fooled by that statement, he is a fool himself. He must know that every political missile hurled at the Prime Minister weakens her position, possibly to the point where she will topple over the edge.

These people say they are putting the good of the nation above that of party. Yet they warn that a Jeremy Corbyn Government would be a disaster for Britain.

Why then are they helping Corbyn and his henchmen on towards their goal of 10 Downing Street?

If they continue in this way, they will soon find out they've transformed the Conservative Party - once the epitome of loyalty and discretion - into a broken-down old horse ready for the knackers' yard.

They have been warned.

The Commons Speaker John Bercow must have the hide of a rhinoceros. I have never known anyone with so thick a skin.

He seems impervious to the barrage of criticism which continues on a daily basis to come his way, including allegations of favourites and non-favourites among MPs, accusations that he is pro-Labour in his dealings with the House and that he is not always as impartial on some political issues as his job demands.

And a sticker bearing the words "B******s to Brexit" was seen on a car parked in his place at the Palace of Westminster. On top of all that, he refuses to wear the robes which his predecessors have worn down the centuries.

Instead, he has fashioned his own type of housecoat which, when he wears it on special occasions, makes him look more like a pantomime version of Ronnie Corbett dressed as a hardware store assistant than as the holder of one of the great offices of state in the land.

Having already outstayed the period he originally said he would remain as Speaker, he has still shown no sign of budging, sticking to his chair like a barnacle. So, why do MPs continue to tolerate this man, whom some have already described as the worst Speaker in history? Is it that they simply can't be bothered to do it?

Or that they are too "frit" - as Margaret Thatcher would have said - to do it?

Probably a bit of both.

But it's no good MPs continually moaning about him and then just sitting there and doing nothing about it.

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that those who tell us to be "inclusive" in our dealings with others are sometimes themselves guilty of precisely the opposite.

Harriet Harman, a senior member of the parliamentary Labour Party, has suggested that there should be an all-women shortlist in the election of the next party leader.

That strikes me as being about as "exclusive" as it could be, cutting out more than half the parliamentary party.

Harman, incidentally, has expressed an interest to be considered as the next Speaker.

Conservative MP Helen Whately says there are too many "MPs-only" areas in the House of Commons, thus worsening the sense of "us and them".

When I worked in the Commons, I regret I took schoolboy delight in sneaking along forbidden corridors and being in places where I was not allowed. However, I paid the price.

Once I entered a Members-only lift. At the next level, I was horrified that Enoch Powell, that great stickler for the rules, stepped in.

He stared long and hard at the Members-only notice, and then stared long and hard at me, before commenting: "Oh dear, I must have missed the by-election."The son of Greysteel killer Stephen Irwin has been told to leave the country by dissident republicans or he will be killed.

But Richard 'Ricky' Mailey told Sunday Life he is staying put despite the threat to his life.

"They told me to leave the country but I'm not leaving; I think it's pure something to do with my dad, I do not know," said Mailey.

"I'm not leaving, it's just daft, whatever happens to me happens. If they're going to kill me they're going to kill me."

He added: "I wasn't even born when Greysteel happened."

The 24-year-old was recently the victim of a murder attempt but survived being shot at point-blank range with a sawn-off shotgun.

"I was attacked with bottles and hammers to the back of the head and before I knew it a masked gunman came out with a sawn-off shotgun and shot me close range in the stomach," he said recalling the murder bid.

"I still have 57 pellets stuck in me."

He is now living at a secret location outside of Belfast after the third attempt on his life.

"I've had to move house, I've lived in 10 different houses. I've been stabbed in the head five times and been assaulted two other times," said Mailey.

"I'm hiding out of the way because of the dissident threat.

"I struggle every day, I have to watch where I'm going, I can't stay anywhere two nights in a row, I need to keep constantly moving.

"I need to watch who I tell where I live, I'm very wary of who knows where I live.

"It's hard, it's very hard."

Mailey said he has no contact with his father, who was sentenced to life in prison for the Greysteel massacre.

"I haven't spoken to him for about five years," he said.

Irwin was initially released from prison in 2000 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement but was taken back to jail to serve the rest of his term in 2005 after slashing a man with a knife.

He was freed in 2013 after an appeal to the Sentencing Review Commissioners.

Mailey also spoke of the lasting mental health effects he suffers due to the repeated attempts on his life.

"I'm a paranoid schizophrenic as it is, I suffer from depression and anxiety, and I do worry that they are about to come.

"Every time I hear a bang or a car door I'm double looking to see who it is, see what they're doing," he said.Muslim men in Jakarta shout during a rally against a presidential decree giving officials sweeping powers to ban organizations, including Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, an Islamic organization that advocates for a global caliphate, Oct. 24, 2017.

Police in Bogor, Indonesia, said Tuesday they would not issue a permit for a two-day Muslim gathering billed for this weekend as a discussion on ushering an Islamic caliphate into the country, saying such a meeting was illegal.

A little-known group that calls itself Khilafatul Muslimin and says its leader is a caliph who oversees chapters across Indonesia and other countries is organizing the meeting. It is planned for Saturday and Sunday at the Az-Zikra mosque in Sentul, a suburb of Jakarta near the city of Bogor.

A Singapore think tank has described the group as a supporter of the extremist group Islamic State (IS), and two mosques in Jakarta have turned down requests to host the meeting whose theme is Indonesia: Ushering in the rise of Islam.

The gathering would not be allowed, Bogor police chief Andi Muhammad Dicky told BenarNews.

The event has to do with the intention to change the system of government, from democracy and Pancasila to the caliphate, Dicky said. Pancasila is the Indonesian state philosophy, which rests on pillars that include national unity, the belief in one God, democracy and social justice.

He said police feared potential clashes between participants and people opposed to the event.

We will disband the event if the organizers go ahead with it, Andi warned.

In response, Khilafatul Muslimin spokesman Jamaludin, who uses one name, said similar events had been held 10 times before without any issue in different places, such as Bandung, Klaten and Sidoarjo.

Asked if the meeting would be held without a police permit, he said: We still dont know.

This is the consequences of a struggle, he told BenarNews.

Its about devotion. We are not afraid, he said when asked if group members worried that they would be accused of treason.

Jamaludin said his group was not Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), a local branch of an international Islamic group campaigning to establish a caliphate.

The government outlawed HTI last year after President Joko Jokowi Widodo issued a decree banning organizations that were deemed as a threat to national unity and Pancasila.

Not just a dream

In a statement posted online, Khilafatul Muslimin said the gathering was intended to address accusations and slander by the enemies of Islam about the caliphate. It invited representatives from the military, police, government and Muslim groups.

For people who believe, the rise of Islam is not just a dream and an imagination, but has become a conviction, the statement from Khilafatul Muslimin said. This conviction has crystallized into a determination to immediately prepare in welcoming it. The Prophet also narrated that at the end of time there will be a caliphate based on the prophetic tradition.

Khilafatul Muslimin appointed Abdul Qadir Hasan Baraja as caliph, or leader, and has 21 branches across the country and in several neighboring countries.

Talking about the rise of Islam, means talking about the Islamic caliphate, because there is no other interpretation for the rise of Islam except the rise of the Islamic caliphate, its statement added.

In May 2015, the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore described the group as one of 18 in Indonesia supporting IS, in a report on counterterrorist trends and analysis.

Since 2014, Indonesian officials have dealt with the threat of terrorism from home-grown militants inspired by IS.

As many as 700 of an estimated 800 people from Southeast Asia who fought for IS in Syria and Iraq were Indonesian, Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said recently.Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe (left) shakes hands with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, while Chinese Politburo Member Yang Jiechi (second from right) greets Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, at the conclusion of a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Nov. 9, 2018. [AP]

Security analysts expressed doubts Monday that Beijing would heed Washingtons demand to remove its missile systems from a disputed South China Sea island chain, despite a rare statement from the United States urging the Chinese to do so.

The statement, released at the end of last weeks second U.S.-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue in Washington, was believed to be the first time the United States had directly addressed the issue as it confirmed earlier reports of Chinese missile deployments in the Spratly islands.

It is certain that they [China] would not demilitarize the islands, Seth Cropsey, director at the Center for American Seapower at the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, told BenarNews. There is no evidence that any of their aggressive moves in the South China Sea have been moderated. The evidence is to the contrary.

It is extremely unlikely that a statement from a U.S. official or two is going to reverse the course of policy of China over the past 10 years, Cropsey added.

Cropsey cited Chinas recent installation of military facilities on its outposts, including the expansion of shoals into artificial islands, in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

Six months ago, the U.S. TV news network CNBC, reported that China had installed surface-to-air missile systems and anti-ship cruise missiles on three of its outposts in the sea region  Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef  in April or May. CNBC cited sources with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence documents.

The Pentagon declined to comment after the story came out.

Fridays statement from the U.S. came after secretaries of State and Defense Mike Pompeo and James Mattis held talks with Chinese Politburo member Yang Jiechi and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe. The four met as part of an annual diplomatic and security dialogue, which was originally set for Beijing last month but had been called off amid rising tensions.

The United States called on China to withdraw its missile systems from disputed features in the Spratly Islands, and reaffirmed that all countries should avoid addressing disputes through coercion or intimidation, said the statement released on Friday.

Cropsey said Washington could attempt to punish Beijing through increased economic and diplomatic pressure. That could include tighter security cooperation with Taiwan and possible increases to naval patrols in the sea, the analyst said.



Taiwan also claims all of the Spratlys, an archipelago of about 100 islets, reefs and atolls. But Beijing claims that Taiwan belongs to China.

It is very unlikely that China will heed the U.S. demand, Jeffrey Ordaniel, a research fellow at the Honolulu-based Pacific Forum, said on Twitter.

China faced no consequences when it ignored earlier calls from Washington to halt reclamation in marine features in the Spratly archipelago that are claimed by China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam, said Ordaniel, whose research institute is a former subsidiary of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, another think tank.

There would be no reason for it to fold now, he said.

The guided missile destroyer USS Decatur (right) pulls into position behind the Military Sealift Command USNS Matthew Perry, seen from the bridge of USS Spruance, during a freedom-of-navigation operation in the South China Sea, Oct. 21, 2016. [AP]

Washington: Not pursuing a Cold War

Back in February, surveillance photographs published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer showed that China had almost completed transforming seven Philippine-claimed reefs in the Spratlys into military outposts.

After that report came out, Sung Kim, the American Ambassador to the Philippines, told reporters in Manila that Washington would be concerned anytime a claimant, including China, takes an aggressive unilateral action toward militarization.

It seems to suggest that they (China) are moving toward militarization, he said, as he reiterated the importance of keeping a U.S. naval presence in the region.

During Fridays dialogue with the Chinese officials, secretaries Mattis and Pompeo emphasized that Washington was not pursuing a Cold War or containment policy with China.

Rather, we want to ensure that China acts responsibly and fairly in support of security and prosperity in each of our two countries, Pompeo told reporters. He said that despite differences the two nations would still cooperate on a wide range of issues.

A statement from the State Department said China and the U.S. reaffirmed the importance of improving communication mechanisms to reduce the risk of misunderstanding between the two nations militaries.

The two sides decided to deepen engagement to advance their shared commitment to the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, State said.

The Philippines and the other ASEAN claimant states have been pushing for a legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea. In August, China agreed to a draft that would eventually serve as its basis.

Officials said the code would spell out legal parameters of what each claimant state could do in a bid to avoid the territorial disputes from spiraling out of control.

During the joint conference on Friday, politburo member Yang acknowledged that China had undertaken some constructions on its islands and reefs. Most of them are civilian facilities.

But the United States, he said, should stop sending its vessels and military aircraft close to Chinese islands and reefs and stop actions that undermine Chinas sovereignty and security interest, according to a transcript released by the State Department.

Mattis responded that the United States made clear during the meeting that it will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows.

Last month, China expressed anger after the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Decatur traveled within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the Spratlys. Officials described the operation as a threat to Chinas sovereignty.

Wei, the Chinese defense minister, reiterated during a post-meeting news conference that China would take any necessary measures to ensure the eventual unification of Taiwan was not threatened.

In the oath of allegiance to the U.S., there is this sentence saying this is a nation under God, indivisible. So it is the same with Taiwan. It is an inalienable part of China, he said. So if this territorial integrity is under threat, we will do it at any cost just like what the U.S. side had in Civil War.The body of slain defense volunteer Winai Haji is covered with banana leaves on a street in Bacho, a district of southern Thailands Yala province, Nov. 4, 2018.

Seven suspected insurgents have received life sentences in prison after a court found them guilty of being involved in an attack that wounded 12 policemen at a security checkpoint in the Deep South province of Yala last year, according to court documents.

The Yala Provincial Court, which handed down the ruling last week, also convicted an eighth defendant but gave him a five-year sentence. Up to 30 suspected insurgents, who were armed with guns and grenade launchers, attacked the checkpoint at a market in Krong Pinang district on April 3, 2017, authorities said.

Seven defendants will receive life imprisonment and the other 5 years in jail, the judge said as he issued his sentence on Nov. 7, court documents showed. They committed sabotage, taking part in crime syndicates and pre-meditated attempts to kill officials.

The attackers planted bombs, nail spikes and logs along the road to obstruct responding officers during their escape, according to court documents made available to BenarNews on Tuesday.

Surveillance footage from closed-circuit television showed that almost 30 attackers split into two groups during the attack, Police Capt. Pongsak Khaonuan, deputy inspector in Krong Pinang, told BenarNews last year.

The first group climbed up to the roof of the house next to the checkpoint, then fired heavy weapons at officers and used grenade launchers to attack, he said. Another group attacked the officers from outside the checkpoint.

Maj. Gen. Krisda Kaewchandee, the chief of police in Yala, also told BenarNews at the time that more than 20 men were involved in the attack, most of them locals.

Nearly 7,000 people have been killed since 2004 when violence related to a separatist insurgency reignited in the Deep South. The region encompasses the predominantly Muslim and Malay-speaking provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and four districts of Songkhla province.

Since 2013, Malaysia has facilitated different sets of peace talks between Thailand and southern insurgent groups.

Udomchai Thammasarorat, a former Thai army general, and Abdul Rahim Noor, a former Malaysian national police chief, met for the first time in Bangkok last month after their governments appointed them as their new top representatives in Malaysia-brokered peace talks.

The pair met in Bangkok over two days and on the sidelines of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamads first state visit to Thailand since his Pakatan Harapan alliance was elected in May. Officials from the two countries said this signaled a fresh start in the peace process.

Mahathir, during a joint news conference with his Thai counterpart, Prayuth Chan-o-cha, promised to help solve the conflict. Prayuth reaffirmed that the talks would go on with Malaysia in a role as peace broker.

Meanwhile, a Thai security source told BenarNews that the insurgents were looking to resume talks with an elected government as Thailand was expected to hold general elections in early 2019.

On Nov. 4, unidentified gunmen shot dead defense volunteer Winai Haji as he rode a motorcycle home in Bacho, a district in Yala. Six days later, a Muslim man was shot and killed in Thepa district of Songkhla province.

Police said they were still trying to establish motive in both killings.By Anne-Margaret Swary

When student-veterans and military students arrive on campus, they often face unique challenges. The transition to civilian life can be difficult, especially for those who bear the mental and physical wounds of combat. And for those still on active duty, they must balance the responsibilities of being a college student with the duties and obligations that their military service requires.

When their educational benefits run out, they also have the added burden or figuring out how to continue their studies. But thanks to the generosity of a fellow veteran and Falcon, this special class of Bowling Green State University students will have much-needed scholarship support to help them earn their degrees.

The Office of Nontraditional and Military Student Services recently received a $1 million gift from William Downing Sr. 57 and his late wife, Joan 57, to provide scholarships for student-veterans at BGSU, enabling them to continue their education when their GI Bill funding runs out.

To honor their substantial gift, the existing veterans center in the College Park Office Building was recently renamed the William and Joan Downing Military and Veteran Center.

A veteran of the Korean War who attended BGSU on the GI Bill, Downing particularly understands the challenges that military students face. Even six decades later, he remembers how hard it was to hold down numerous jobs while attending school to make ends meet.

I wanted to support the students who have served or will serve our country so that they could have the help they need because they are so deserving, Downing said. I was very fortunate to attend BGSU and end up with a good career, and this is a way to give something back.

The Downings both placed a high value on the importance of higher education. The Falcon Flames both graduated with education degrees and pursued initial careers as teachers.

The military and BGSU were both pivotal institutions in shaping our lives, Downing said. We want part of our legacy to be about helping young men and women who are present-day products of these same admirable institutions.

Their transformational gift has the potential to touch many lives. Today, the University has more than 600 military affiliated students from all branches of the service, said Dr. Barbara Henry, assistant vice president of Nontraditional and Military Student Services at BGSU. About 43 percent are veterans, and 57 percent are serving in the Ohio National Guard, Reserves and/or are on active duty.

While many of them can be found on campus, some employ distance learning, attending BGSU while serving in locations around the world. The Office of Nontraditional and Military Student Services provides support to them all.

For many military and veteran students, it takes time to find the right major, or maybe they deployed once or more while pursuing their education and have exhausted their military education benefits, Henry said. The Downing familys generosity provides the opportunity for BGSU to now offer scholarships for military students who find themselves in this situation, and provide a life-changing bridge to help fund the completion of their degrees.

Although the GI bill provides substantial educational benefits for service members, it does have its limitations, said David Rice, assistant director of Nontraditional and Military Student Services. For many service members, GI Bill funding is capped at 36 months of enrollment, and depending on the date of discharge, benefits can expire 10 to 15 years from the last date of service. This impacts many vets who decide to attend college later in life due to family obligations, career change or other personal circumstances.

In addition, more and more students are taking more than four years to graduate, Rice said. Its not uncommon for students who have recently returned from service to take a more gradual transition into life as a full-time student. But this means they arent able to complete their degrees within 36 academic months.

Students who take classes in the summer or who have to withdraw mid-semester if they are called up for active duty also are impacted by reduced benefits as they hit the 36-month cap before their degree is finished.

Thats where this funding really comes in handy for our military students, Rice said.

One of the first BGSU students to benefit from the Downing scholarship fund is Keylin Freeman, an electronics and computer engineering technology major and specialist in the U.S. Army.

In addition to currently serving in the National Guard, Freeman has been very active on campus as a tour guide, a member of the marching band and through his fraternity.

I never thought that I would need help, but with military training weeks falling mid-semester and then back-to back call-ups for hurricane relief happened, I was delayed in my path to earning my degree and exhausted my education benefits, Freeman said. I wasnt sure how I was going to finish, but I was determined. And now, thanks to Mr. Downings generosity, I have the opportunity to complete my degree this year and excel in life. It means so much.

In addition to their shared experiences as BGSU students and veterans, Freeman and Downing also bonded over the fact that Freemans grandfather was a Korean War vet.

Both are exemplary examples of men that I strive to live like every day, Freeman said.

I am certain he will go far, and I wish him the best of luck, Downing said of Freeman after having the chance to spend time with him during a visit to campus in August. I hope that all the students helped by these scholarships take full advantage of the opportunities to complete their degrees, to help their families and to help prepare for future careers and so that they might be able to one day give back themselves if an opportunity arises for them.

Downing also is pleased that his gift will help BGSU build on its already strong reputation as a university that is military-friendly.

Through the William and Joan Downing Military and Veteran Center, the University plans to offer transition seminars, peer tutoring and career counseling, as well as a first semester book program for new military students and a new laptop loan program for continuing students to support their academic success and degree completion.

BGSU has been consistently ranked as Best for Vets in the nation and No. 1 in Ohio by Military Times, Henry said. With the financial support provided by the Downing family, we will be able to expand our support of military and veteran students throughout their academic careers at BGSU for years to come.For Immediate Release, November 13, 2018 Contact: Jason Totoiu, (561) 568-6740, jtotoiu@biologicaldiversity.org Lawsuit Launched Over Federal Failure to Protect Turtles in Louisiana, Mississippi NEW ORLEANS The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a formal notice of intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to protect two species of map turtles under the Endangered Species Act. The Pascagoula and Pearl River map turtles are found only in Louisiana and Mississippi. The Center and other groups petitioned to protect them in 2010, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has yet to decide their status. We could lose these ancient species to extinction if the Fish and Wildlife Service doesnt act quickly to protect them, said Jason Totoiu, a senior attorney at the Center. Turtles are so important to the health of local rivers, and they really need our help. The Trump administration has a duty to save these animals. These turtles are threatened by habitat loss and degradation from dams, floodplain clearing and river channelization. A proposed dam in Rankin and Hinds counties, Mississippi threatens the Pearl River map turtle because it would transform the natural river ecosystem into a large lake. The dam would destroy important habitats and possibly drive the species extinct in the area. Map turtles serve as indicators of river health since they are sensitive to poor water quality, which can devastate their populations. Other threats include harvest of turtles for sale in Asian food and medicinal markets and collection for the pet trade. At the time of the petition, the Pearl River and Pascagoula River populations of the Pascagoula map turtle were considered to be a single species, but a scientific study determined the two populations are distinct. The Fish and Wildlife Service should have issued the decision in 2011. At least 46 species of plants and animals having gone extinct waiting for protection since the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973. Protecting and recovering these turtles under the Endangered Species Act will save them from extinction and help preserve two rivers tied to this regions rich culture and heritage, Totoiu said. Map turtles are often called sawbacks for ridges along their backs that can form small spikes. Pearl River map turtles can live up to 30 years in the wild.The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) has partnered with AUM Biosciences, a Singapore-based biotechnology company to develop small-molecule candidates for cancer therapy.

The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), Indias premier bio-innovation hub has signed an agreement with AUM Biosciences, a Singaporebased biotechnology company to strengthen its focus on the pre-clinical development of small-molecules as anti-cancer drugs. The agreement recognises AUM as one of CCAMPs first international incubatees.

Under this collaboration, C-CAMP will provide AUM with access to ongoing oncology research and drug development in the Indian biotechnology arena through its existing networks, and will pair that with AUMs rich experience in early drug development. CCAMP will also provide AUM with assistance in IP filing, MTA agreements etc. By tapping on each partys strengths, this symbiotic partnership hopes to advance India-discovered and developed small molecules as drugs for cancer therapy for patients in need across the world.

The partnership creates an avenue for Early Phase commercial exit for C-CAMPs existing startups in the oncology space that share AUMs mandate and vision by making way to license out their technologies. AUM has committed to offer its support to C-CAMPs existing start-ups, in line with Start-up India and Skill India initiatives by the Indian government. AUM Biosciences offers world-class drug development and regulatory strategies designed to rapidly move candidate molecules along the drug development pathway.

Welcoming the formalization of AUMs incubation at C-CAMP, Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO & Director, C-CAMP said  Cancer continues to be a huge healthcare burden across India and impacts both livelihood at the personal level and economy at the national. C-Camp is looking forward to having AUM as its international incubatee and supporting AUMs efforts in building new cancer therapeutics. We hope that this partnership will also allow global collaborations for Indian academia and startups..

AUM was found on the foundation of developing drugs in Asia for global. We are committed to working with C-CAMP to support the various initiatives by the Indian government. This partnership will enable us to leverage on AUMs therapeutic innovation expertise to identify, develop novel cancer treatments in Asia, Vishal Doshi, Founder and CEO, AUM Biosciences.CAN REVERSAL PROGRAMMES

BEAT DIABETES?

Our modern way of life is at odds with the optimal functioning and upkeep of the human machine. Unreasonable demands on the body and mind, coupled with erratic food habits has only added to the overall deterioration of the body-mind equilibrium, leaving us with numerous lifestyle disorders, which could have been avoided with a hard reset of our erring way of life as it stands. Unfortunately, there hasnt been much of an improvement in that department and consequently we are faced with a burgeoning diabetes-affected population. Healthcare providers are in the fray to launch various diabetes reversal programmes, to tackle this calamitous national (and international) healthcare challenge. We shall try and find out just how effective and viable these programmes are.Major contract to supply stents to Italian public hospitals

Indias leading medical device firm Sahajanand Medical Technologies (SMT) has bagged second tender through its Italian partner Eukon in Sicily region, Italy.

After the scrupulous assessment of the product quality, SMTs Supraflex stent was amongst the top 4 out of the 20 products to win the tender. The tender is to supply more than 7000 stents to 15 public hospitals in Sicily region over the next two years from the beginning of 2019.

This is the second successive tender won by SMT in Italy; first tender was bagged for the Emilia Romagna region to deliver approximately 10,000 of its Supraflex stents. SMT has successfully commercialized the Emilia tender. By qualifying for the Sicily tender SMT has successfully demonstrated its ability to compete with the best in the world for its drug-eluting coronary stents.

We have designed a strong growth plan and we are thoroughly living it! said Gennaro Broya de Lucia, EUKON Sales Manager. "The combination of a great product like Supraflex along with an experienced and dedicated sales team has been the main driver for this market acceptance he added. Supraflex has proved to be a great product he further continued, We have seen good product appreciation from our customers and the market response has been incredible. SMT is a great partner with a responsive and structured marketing, sales and quality control team. We are proud to have partnered with SMT

Gaurav Goel, Head of Western Europe Operations, SMT explains, Italy is one of the most rapidly growing market and we see it as an important territory to strengthen our presence in Europe. We are glad to know that the medical fraternity in appreciates our product quality. Our aim is to provide holistic 360 service to our customers starting from first contact to post sales along with continuous clinical evidence generation

Supraflex, a cardiac drug eluting stent designed and manufactured in India not only proved to be at par in safety as compared to Abbotts Xience but also 61% better in efficacy in an investigators-driven multicenter European randomized controlled study called 'TALENT'. The findings of the TALENT trial were presented at the 'late breaking trial session' at Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics 2018 (TCT), the largest global conference of cardiologist in San Diego, USA by a globally renowned cardiology researcher, Prof. Patrick Serruys.

Supraflex has advanced features like biodegradable polymer and ultrathin strut (60m) thickness. It is available in 65 countries across the world and is the largest selling drug eluting stent of SMT (Sahajanand Medical Technologies), Indias largest stent manufacturer.Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado

Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACIONPR Newswire

LARGO, Fla., Nov. 12, 2018

LARGO, Fla., Nov. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Joshua Harris, founder of Agency Growth Secrets, acknowledged our nation's soldiers for Veterans Day by exploring the ways they're uniquely qualified for entrepreneurship. Harris has a history of recognizing the accomplishments of veteran business owners. He attributes much of their success to their military experience and dedication, saying "Something about the things soldiers experience while in the military combined with unwavering determination makes them natural leaders." Harris continues, "I'm awestruck when I think about the sheer courage and self-sacrifice it takes to join the military. The middle-of-the-night training sessions, deployments away from family, and a life-threatening career choice takes a certain type of person."

Agency Growth Secrets' founder recently compiled a list of successful veteran entrepreneurs on his website. In learning about each of their unique business paths, Harris explored the common themes in their success. Harris reviews, "As a civilian, I have to admire and learn from our veterans in business. Handling conflict with confidence and pushing forward are great takeaways for overcoming risk."

Josh Harris is honest about risk in business, saying, "You know that the risk doesn't end. It's ever-changing and always present." To overcome the challenges in business, he notes that prioritizing growth is vital. Harris suggests blocking out time in your schedule to focus exclusively on growth. He adds "The only way to scale your business is to make time for the important task of fostering growth. Reorganizing your schedule or delegating some of your tasks could make the difference between success and failure."

There are endless resources for veterans looking to become entrepreneurs. On his website, Harris offers a list of valuable resources for veterans. He also makes professional recommendations for civilian entrepreneurs. He gives real-world suggestions and adds, "Pay attention to business owners you admire. What do they do differently? What challenges have they overcome? What characteristics do they have that you might be lacking?" He continues, "Carefully scrutinize the way they operate their business and borrow an idea or two. You'll be amazed at how dedicating your efforts to growth can pay off."

Harris honored all veterans and then concluded, "Let's also applaud those who shifted from the military to business ownership that serves the community. Taking what they learned in the service and adapting it to successful entrepreneurship is a big achievement."

Joshua Harris is the founder of Agency Growth Secrets, a digital marketing agency. Harris is passionate about lending support to military veterans becoming entrepreneurs. Joshua is a member of The Oracles, an elite group of entrepreneurs. He has been featured in both Forbes and Entrepreneur.

About Agency Growth Secrets: Agency Growth Secrets was founded by Joshua Harris, in 2008. The advanced high-tech marketing firm uses a highly enhanced, data-driven process to deliver qualified customers to its clients. Agency Growth Secrets uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to discover individuals who are wanting to make a purchase. Through this targeted method, the company is able to decrease customer costs and enhance marketing promotions.

SOURCE Agency Growth SecretsPR Newswire

MONTEREY, Calif., Nov. 13, 2018

MONTEREY, Calif., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau (MCCVB) welcomes the launch of non-stop American Airlines flight service between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Monterey, California  starting April 2, 2019. The service will have a week long preview from Feb 4 to 10, 2019 in time for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The new route will offer visitors over 100 connection opportunities to key domestic and international destinations that are important to growing Monterey County's tourism economy.

"Dallas is big win for our community. It is a key feeder market and it further opens up Texas," says Tammy Blount-Canavan, President & CEO, Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau, adding, "Additionally, this route is a bridge to making Monterey County more accessible to highly valuable meetings and conferences from the East Coast."

This flight announcement follows the recent non-stop service from Denver which began in October. The new growth is a key part of MCCVB's strategy for attracting incremental business for the destination  and results from working with the Monterey Regional Airport and other tourism leaders in the community.

"People coming from further away generally stay longer, do more and spend more," says Rob O'Keefe, MCCVB's Chief Marketing Officer, adding "These flights are enormously important to tapping into European markets where travelers are seeking the quintessential California experience that our destination offers."

'Team Fly Monterey' is a committee created by the Monterey Regional Airport and is made up of various community businesses and industries with a vested interest in growing air service for the destination. Mike La Pier, Executive Director for Monterey Regional Airport, created the committee at the direction of the Monterey Airport Board of Directors because they recognized the value of a team effort.

"Our Board understands how essential community participation is to building air service," La Pier explained, adding "They set forth a strategy that synergized the strengths of the community and with two new major markets so far this year  that strategy is working."

The American Airlines regular air service begins April 2, 2019 and operates through November 3, 2019. The daily flights depart Dallas at 9:15am arriving Monterey at 10:46am. The flight from Monterey to Dallas departs at 11:16am arriving in Dallas at 4:47pm.

Located on the stunning Pacific coast of California, Monterey County is home to rugged cliffs, cobalt blue waters and endless rolling green hills. Monterey County's coastline spans miles of scenic views of Big Sur, Highway 1, Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove, and more. With the bounty of the Salinas Valley, the dunes of Marina, Santa Lucia Highlands wineries, Carmel-by-the-Sea tasting rooms, Pinnacles National Park and award-winning restaurants, Monterey County is the West coast's premier must-visit destination.

For more information, please visit SeeMonterey.com/Dallas.

ABOUT MONTEREY COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAUThe Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau (MCCVB) is a 501c6 organization that drives tourism for Monterey County. Tourism is the largest industry on the Monterey Peninsula and the second largest in the County. The MCCVB is a partnership of the hospitality community and local governments that aims to drive business growth through compelling marketing and targeted sales initiatives that maximize the benefits of tourism to our guests, members and the community. Travel spending in Monterey County was $2.85 billion in 2017, representing a 3.5 percent increase from 2016. This $2.85 billion in visitor spending supported 24,990 jobs, contributed $255 million in total taxes and generated $127 million local tax dollars that directly benefited the community.

ABOUT MONTEREY REGIONAL AIRPORTMonterey Regional Airport (MRY) is Monterey County's only commercial airport and accommodates over 400,000 passengers each year. The airport services six nonstop markets with an average of 15 daily departures. We are committed to providing our customers with superior services in a safe, secure, professional environment. Be sure to visit www.montereyairport.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @montereyairport.

CONTACT: [email protected]

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/monterey-county-welcomes-non-stop-air-service-from-dallas-300749718.html

SOURCE Monterey County Convention and Visitors BureauPR Newswire

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13, 2018

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- PLMP FinTech, the local Financial Technology firm behind Singapore's first-ever Blockchain Technology Centre, celebrated its first year of operations this month with a raft of exciting first announcements. The FinTech firm successfully overcame the challenges posed by a bearish market outlook on Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) by helping a first consortium of innovative SMEs set their footprint in major fast-growing industries.

Additionally, PLMP FinTech announces a first-of-its-kind Blockchain Empowerment Programme (BEEP) to provide SMEs with Blockchain solutions and integration into their existing business operations, thereby allowing companies to seamlessly participate in the new digital economy.

Speaking in front of a huge audience of international delegates including Cambodian Prince Norodom Thanora, PLMP FinTech's Co-Founder Nicholas Lim says, "We crafted this company to help SMEs reap the benefits of implementing cutting-edge technology into their businesses."

Well ahead of its times, PLMP FinTech aims to be one of the first home-grown FinTech Firms to issue Security Tokens once the necessary licensing has been granted from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The tokens will be listed in the CMBDEX Exchange, the centralised trading platform that will be launched by the end of 2018.

Says Co-Founder Kym Kee, "We want to be pioneers in the global stage by offering this new Financial tool to SMEs from all over the world."

Offering a Conducive Environment for Technology Start-ups and Firms To Grow

PLMP Fintech's headquarters has established itself as a regional knowledge hub for technologists and developers. The building's top floor has been refitted with classrooms and an open digital library to offer a conducive learning space for SME entrepreneurs to discover the multifaceted applications of Blockchain.

Says PLMP FinTech's Co-Founder Peter Lim, "Singapore is just the starting point of a regional expansion that aims at replicating PLMP FinTech's success across the borders." The firm has established its presence in the main financial districts of Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand with plans to reach 10 Asian countries by the end of 2019, including an extensive space in what is meant to become China's own Blockchain Silicon Valley in Shanghai.

Enquiries: Email / Website / FacebookPR Newswire

TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018

TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Roxgold Inc. ("Roxgold" or the "Company") (TSX: ROXG) (OTC: ROGFF) today reported its third quarter financial results for the period ended September 30, 2018.

For complete details of the unaudited Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements and associated Interim Management's Discussion and Analysis please refer to the Company's filings on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or the Company's website (www.roxgold.com). All amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.

1. HIGHLIGHTS

For the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018, the Company:

Operations

Financial

Growth

"With the solid operating results achieved at Yaramoko this quarter, we are confident of achieving the upper-end of our 2018 full year guidance range and expect to be at the lower-end of our cost guidance. We generated strong cash flow this quarter and have maintained our robust cash balance while advancing our growth project," said John Dorward, President and Chief Executive Officer of Roxgold. "At Bagassi South, the project has been progressing well during the quarter and first development ore has been delivered to the ROM pad in late October on schedule. The process plant expansion, which will increase mill capacity nearly 50%, is also continuing to progress well. With all materials now on site, the expansion is on track to be completed by the end of the year."

2. 2018 PRODUCTION GUIDANCE AND COSTS

Based on the strong operational results to date, the Company is confident it will achieve at or above the upper end of its production guidance and expect to be at the lower end of its cost forecasts for the twelve-month period ending December 31, 2018. Updated guidance for 2018 include as follows:

3. MINE OPERATING ACTIVITIES

Three months ended September 30 2018

Three months ended September 30 2017

Nine months ended September 30 2018

Nine months ended September

30 2017

Operating Data

Ore mined (tonnes)

87,975

76,480

263,413

211,761

Ore processed (tonnes)

78,357

66,670

225,350

195,784

Head grade (g/t)

12.3

13.6

14.4

14.5

Recovery (%)

98.5

98.6

98.8

98.9

Gold ounces produced

30,532

28,410

106,812

91,970

Gold ounces sold2

31,400

27,912

106,770

91,679

Financial Data (in thousands of dollars)

Gold Sales2

37,890

35,907

136,903

115,050

Mining operating expenses

(15,072)

(12,649)

(45,449)

(40,480)

Government royalties

(1,516)

(1,514)

(6,236)

(4,620)

Depreciation

(7,622)

(6,909)

(25,829)

(21,794)

Statistics (in dollars)

Average realized selling price (per ounce)

1,207

1,286

1,282

1,255

Cash operating cost (per ounce produced)1

454

445

409

445

Cash operating cost (per tonne processed)1

177

190

194

209

Total cash cost (per ounce sold)1

499

522

468

496

Sustaining capital cost (per ounce sold)1

205

258

185

253

Site all-in sustaining cost (per ounce sold)1

734

779

669

749

All-in sustaining cost (per ounce sold)1

788

833

716

794

A. Health and safety performance

Safety is a core value of Roxgold. The Company regrets to report that a Lost Time Injury ("LTI") incident occurred in Q3 2018. The LTI was suffered by a drilling contractor's employee and marked the first LTI incident at Yaramoko since the commencement of gold production in April 2016.

B. Operational performance

The Company's gold production in Q3 2018 increased by 7% to 30,532 ounces compared to 28,410 ounces in Q3 2017. For YTD 2018, production increased by 16% to 106,812 ounces compared to 91,970 ounces in YTD 2017. The increased gold production was driven by continued improved operating performance in both the mine and processing plant.

During the quarter ended September 30, 2018, 87,975 tonnes of ore at 10.74 g/t were extracted from the underground mine along with completing 1,221 metres of development compared to 76,480 tonnes at 12.3 g/t of ore and 1,730 metres of development in the comparable period of the prior year. The mining tonnage increase of 15% was due to more areas available to extract ore and additional equipment increasing productivity. During the third quarter, approximately 80% of ore produced came from stoping activities which is a result of the extensive development that is in place at Yaramoko, with four open stopes available at the end of the quarter.

During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018, 263,413 tonnes of ore at 14.04 g/t were extracted from the underground mine compared to 211,761 tonnes of ore at 14.5 g/t in the comparable period of the prior year. The increase of 24% in tonnes mined was also due to more areas available to extract ore and additional equipment increasing productivity.

In the third quarter of 2018, decline development at the mine reached the 4947 level, approximately 350 metres below surface. Ore development was completed on the 4998, 4981 and 4964 levels. The mine continues to be well positioned to meet future production requirements with developed reserves for stoping in line with the Company's 18 months planned stoping objectives.

Reconciliation of mined material against the Company's Reserve model and Grade Control model for the year to date is trending within the expected range. The year to date trend for the Grade Control model to actual mined shows slightly more ounces produced, driven by marginally more tonnes produced. A review and reconciliation of the April 2017 Mineral Resource estimate ahead of the preparation of the Q1 2019 Mineral Resource and Reserve Estimate has commenced.

The plant processed a record 78,357 tonnes at an average head grade of 12.25 g/t Au in Q3 2018 compared to 66,670 tonnes of ore at 13.6 g/t in Q3 2017. This 18% increase is a result of ongoing optimisation at the plant and translates into a unit throughput rate which is 15% above nameplate capacity. Plant availability was 94.9% during the quarter and overall recovery was 98.5% during the quarter compared to 95.8% and 98.6% respectively for the comparative period in the prior year.

During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018, the plant processed 225,350 tonnes at an average head grade of 14.4 g/t compared to 195,784 tonnes of ore at 14.5 g/t during the comparable nine-month period in 2017. This increase is a result of increased throughput during the period. Plant availability was 94.9% during the nine-month period and overall recovery was 98.5% compared to 95.8% and 98.6% respectively for the comparative period in prior year.

C. Financial Performance

i) For the three-month periods ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017

During the quarter ended September 30, 2018, a total of 31,400 ounces of gold were sold with revenue from gold sales totalling $37,890,000 compared to 27,912 gold ounces sold2 and gold sales2 of $35,907,000. Revenues increased by 6% when compared to Q3 2017 as the volume sold increased by 12%. The Company realized an average gold sale price of $1,207, a 6% decrease compared to the average sale price in Q3 2017. The average market gold price in the third quarter of 2018 was $1,213 per ounce, a 5% decrease from the Q3 2017 average.

Mine operating expenses represent mining, processing, and mine site-related general and administrative expenses. During the quarter ended September 30, 2018, the cash operating cost1 per tonne processed totalled $177 per tonne, which is below the $190 per tonne processed achieved during Q3 2017. The variation is mainly due to increased efficiency and throughput during the period. The cash operating cost1 per ounce produced totalled $454 per ounce for the period compared to $445 per ounce in the prior period.

The total cash cost1 per ounce sold of $499 has decreased by 5% when compared to Q3 2017 due to lower cash operating costs per tonne produced and higher gold production. The Company generated a mine operating margin1 of $708 a reduction of 7% from $764 per ounce for Q3 2017.

During the quarter ended September 30, 2018, Roxgold invested $6,451,000 in underground mine development, representing a sustaining capital cost1 per ounce sold of $205 while the Company invested $7,196,000 at a sustaining capital cost1 per ounce sold of $258 in Q3 2017.

The Company continued to generate strong cash flow from mining operations1 for Q3 2018 totalling $18,593,000 (Q3 2017 - $18,028,000) with a site all-in sustaining cost1 of $734 per ounce sold (Q3 2017 - $779 per ounce sold) and all-in sustaining costs1 including corporate costs of $788 per ounce sold (Q3 2017 - $833 per ounce).

ii) For the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017

Gold sales for the nine-month period totalled $136,903,000 from 106,770 ounces of gold ounces sold compared to $115,050,000 in gold sales2 from 91,679 gold ounces sold2. During this period, the Company's average realized gold price for the period was $1,282 per ounce sold compared to the average sale price of $1,255 in YTD 2017. The average market gold price in the nine-month period of 2018 was $1,282 per ounce, compared to $1,251 in YTD 2017.

During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018, the cash operating cost1 per tonne processed totalled $194 per tonne, which is 6% below the $209 per tonne processed achieved during YTD 2017. The difference is mainly due to increased efficiency and throughput during the period.

The cash operating cost1 per ounce produced totalled $409 per ounce for the period compared to $445 per ounce in the prior period. The total cash cost1 per ounce sold of $468 compared to $496 in YTD 2017 is due to a reduction of cash operating costs offset by an increase in the blended 9-month royalty rate when compared to YTD 2017. Consequently, the Company generated a mine operating margin1 of $814 up 7% from $759 per ounce for YTD 2017.

The Company invested $19,721,000 in underground mine development for the nine-month period compared to $23,175,000 for the comparable period in 2017. The investments made during the nine-month period are in line with the 2018 mine plan.

The Company generated $75,134,000 cash flow from mining operations1 during the nine-month period compared to $61,573,000 during YTD 2017.

4. BAGASSI SOUTH EXPANSION UPDATE

During the third quarter of 2018, the Company received all permits and decrees required for Bagassi South mining and the process plant expansion. Development and construction are progressing well with overall project completion at approximately 75%. The Company has started mine development with approximately 491 metres completed to date, all structural steelwork and fabrication of the CIL tanks are complete. The Company has delivered first development ore from Bagassi South in early Q4 2018 and processing plant tie-ins are expected to occur during Q4 2018 planned maintenance stoppages.

5. REVIEW OF FINANCIAL RESULTS

A. Mine operating profit

During the third quarter of 2018, revenues totalled $37,890,000 (Q3 2017  $36,279,000) while mine operating expenses and royalties totalled $15,072,000 (Q3 2017 - $12,649,000) and $1,516,000 (Q3 2017  $1,514,000), respectively. The increase in sales is primarily due to increased production driven by higher throughput, offset by a lower average realized gold price which decreased from $1,286 per ounce in Q3 2017 to $1,207 per ounce in Q3 2018. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company achieved a total cash cost1 per ounce sold of $454 representing a mine operating margin1 of $708 compared to $522 and $764, respectively for the comparable period in 2017.

During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018, revenues totalled $136,903,000 compared to $113,959,000 for the comparable period in 2017. Mine operating expenses were $45,449,000 compared to $40,480,000 while royalties paid were $6,236,000 compared to $4,620,000. The increase in sales is primarily due to increased production driven by higher throughput and a higher average realized gold price which increased from $1,255 per ounce in YTD 2017 to $1,282 per ounce in YTD 2018. During the period, the Company achieved a total cash cost1 per ounce sold of $468 representing a mine operating margin1 of $814 compared to $496 and $759, respectively for the same period in 2017.

For more information on the cash operating costs1 see the financial performance of the Mine Operating Activities section in the Company's Q3 2018 MD&A.

Depreciation totalled $7,424,000 and $25,200,000 for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018, respectively compared to $6,670,000 and $21,037,000 in the corresponding period in prior year. The increase in depreciation is a result of the Company's further investments in the underground development combined with a higher throughput in our processing facility, offset by a reduction of $588,000 in depreciation related to derecognition of finance lease liability following a contract extension with the Company's mining contractor. Refer to finance lease note 14 in the September 30, 2018 condensed interim consolidated financial statements for more information.

B. General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses remained consistent over prior year totalling $1,115,000 and $3,708,000 for the three and nine-months ended September 30, 2018, respectively and $1,112,000 and $3,246,000 for the corresponding period in prior year.

C. Sustainability and other in-country costs

Sustainability and in-country costs increased to $589,000 and $1,352,000 for the three and nine-months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to $352,000 and $1,125,000 in the corresponding period in prior year and reflect the increased operating tempo associated with Bagassi South. These expenditures are incurred as part of Roxgold's commitment to responsible operations in Burkina Faso including a number of sustainability and community projects.

D. Exploration and evaluation expenses ("E&E"):

Exploration and evaluation expenses totalling $3,376,000 and $10,737,000 for the three and nine-months ended September 30, 2018, respectively compared to $3,004,000 and $9,865,000 for the corresponding periods in prior year. Current year expenditures reflect the regional exploration program ongoing at Houko and Kaho areas and infill drilling program at 55 Zone and Bagassi South. The 2017 program includes expenditures associated with the Bagassi South infill and extensional drilling program completed as part of the Feasibility Study on Bagassi South released on November 6, 2017.

E. Share-based payment

Share-based payments totalling $127,000 and $1,381,000 for the three and nine-months ended September 30, 2018, respectively compared to $1,185,000 and $2,250,000 for the corresponding periods in the prior year. The reduction is attributed to timing of the annual DSU grants which were issued in Q2 2018 and the year to date variation is impacted by the cancellation of unvested share awards related to employee turnover within the Company.

F. Financial income (expenses)

The Company's net financial income (expenses) for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 totalled $209,000 and ($1,639,000) respectively, compared to ($3,279,000) and ($12,058,000) in the comparable period of the prior year.

The decrease is mainly attributable to the change in the fair value of the Company's gold forward sales contracts, reduction of interest expense related to the long-term debt and the changes in the Company's foreign exchange gain (loss).

G. Current and deferred income tax expense

The current income tax expense is due to the Company's past cumulative losses being fully utilized in 2018. The deferred income tax expense is due to the recognition of the deferred income tax liability as the Company is making a profit from its operations in Burkina Faso.

H. Net income & EBITDA

The Company's net income for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 totalled $6,599,000 and $31,360,000 respectively, compared to $6,936,000 and $16,485,000 in the comparable period in the prior year.

During the third quarter of 2018 the Company generated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA")1 of $16,932,000 representing an improvement of 18% over the EBITDA1 achieved during Q3 2017 of $14,308,000. The nine-months ended September 30, 2018 period had EBITDA1 of $68,913,000 an increase of 54% over YTD 2017 of $44,595,000.

I. Income Attributable to Non-Controlling Interest

For the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018, the income attributable to the non-controlling interest ("NCI") was $706,000 and $3,552,000 respectively, (2017: $1,342,000 and $3,706,000). The Government of Burkina Faso holds a 10% carried interest in Roxgold SANU SA the Company's operating entity. Income attributable to the NCI excludes all items within Other expenses and Financial expenses on the Company's consolidated statement of income, except for sustainability and other in-country costs, interest expense, and financing fees.

6. CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST INFORMATION

A webcast and conference call to discuss these results will be held on Wednesday, November 14, 2018, at 11:00AM Eastern time. Listeners may access a live webcast of the conference call from the events section of the Company's website at www.roxgold.com or by dialing toll free 1-888-231-8191 within North America or +1-647-427-7450 from international locations.

An online archive of the webcast will be available by accessing the Company's website at www.roxgold.com. A telephone replay will be available for two weeks after the call by dialing toll free 1-855-859-2056 and entering passcode 3562589.

Notes:

1

The Company provides some non-IFRS measures as supplementary information that management believes may be useful to investors to explain the Company's financial results. Please refer to note 16 "Non-IFRS financial performance measures" of the Company's MD&A dated November 13, 2018, available on the Company's website at www.roxgold.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for reconciliation of these measures.

2

Gold ounces sold and Gold Sales include revenues of $36,279,000 and Q3 deferred revenues of $1,091,000 related to 850 ounces sold, but not shipped, as of September 30, 2017, due to the timing of the shipment in Burkina Faso, offset by Q2 deferred revenues of $1,463,000.

Qualified Persons

Iain Cox, FAUSIMM, Interim Chief Operating Officer for Roxgold Inc., a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, has verified and approved the technical disclosure contained in this MD&A.

Paul Weedon, MAIG, Vice-President, Exploration for Roxgold Inc., a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, has verified and approved the technical disclosure contained in this MD&A. This includes the QA/QC, sampling, analytical and test data underlying this information. For more information on the Company's QA/QC and sampling procedures, please refer to the Company's AIF dated March 28, 2018.

For further information regarding the Yaramoko Gold Mine, please refer to the technical report dated December 20, 2017, and entitled "Technical Report for the Yaramoko Gold Mine, Burkina Faso" (the "Technical Report"), available on the Company's website at www.roxgold.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About RoxgoldRoxgold is a gold mining company with its key asset, the high grade Yaramoko Gold Mine, located on the Hounde greenstone belt in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Roxgold trades on the TSX under the symbol ROXG and as ROGFF on OTC.

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation: statements with respect to Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resource estimates (including proposals for the potential growth and/or upgrade thereof), anticipated receipt and maintenance of permits and licenses, future production and life of mine estimates, production and cost guidance, anticipated recovery grades, and potential increases in throughput, the anticipated increased proportion of mill feed coming from stoping ore, future capital and operating costs and expansion and development plans including with respect to the 55 Zone and Bagassi South, and the expected timing thereof (including with respect to the delivery of ore), proposed exploration plans and the timing and costs thereof, the anticipated operations, costs, proposed funding, timing and other factors set forth in the Feasibility Study, and sufficiency of future funding. These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. In certain cases, forward-looking information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates", "believes", "could", "estimates", "expects", "may", "shall", "will", or "would". Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, the realization of resource estimates and reserve estimates, gold metal prices, the timing and amount of future exploration and development expenditures, the estimation of initial and sustaining capital requirements, the estimation of labour and operating costs, the availability of necessary financing and materials to continue to explore and develop the Yaramoko Gold Project in the short and long-term, the progress of exploration and development activities as currently proposed and anticipated, the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals and permits, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters, as well as assumptions set forth in the Company's technical report dated December 20, 2017, and entitled "Technical Report for the Yaramoko Gold Mine, Burkina Faso" available on the Company's website at www.roxgold.com and SEDAR at www.sedar.com. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.

Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include: changes in market conditions, unsuccessful exploration results, possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, changes in the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, inaccurate reserve and resource estimates, changes in the price of gold, unanticipated changes in key management personnel, failure to obtain permits as anticipated or at all, failure of exploration and/or development activities to progress as currently anticipated or at all, and general economic conditions. Mining exploration and development is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/roxgold-reports-strong-cash-flow-generation-in-third-quarter-2018-300749734.html

SOURCE Roxgold Inc.By Kim Bo-eun



South Korea received a waiver from sanctions on oil imports from Iran after Washington re-imposed these on Tehran, Monday.



Seoul was exempted on the condition that it would significantly reduce the scale of the imports, the foreign ministry said the same day.



The allies agreed, however, not to disclose the scale of the reduction.



The waiver will last for six months, but can be extended after this period expires.



A foreign ministry official said the government sought the exemption as "the oil and chemical businesses were key to the nation's economy."



"If these businesses are hit by sanctions on Iran, they will negatively affect the performance of the nation as a whole," he told reporters on condition of anonymity.



Receiving the exemption has allowed a stable supply of condensate, which is essential for the domestic oil and chemical businesses, the ministry said.



South Korea is one of Asia's largest importers of Iranian oil. It mainly imports an ultra-light form of crude oil known as condensate, accounting for 74 percent of its imports from Iran.



Meanwhile, the payment system for trade with Iran using an "escrow account" will also be maintained, allowing exports of items not subject to sanctions to the Middle Eastern country, the ministry continued.



The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has set up a Korean won account at the Industrial Bank of Korea and Woori Bank to make payments for bilateral trade through won. The oil refineries deposit payments for imports to the CBI Korean won account, and the exporting companies receive the payments through the same account.



Sanctions on Iran have been re-imposed as a means to curb the country's nuclear and missile activities, after the U.S. left the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May.



Seoul is among a list of eight countries that received exemptions. The others are China, India, Japan, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Taiwan, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press conference.



A day earlier he said despite the waivers, the sanctions have already had a significant impact, and stated the exempted states "need a little bit more time to get to zero."



Following its withdrawal from the JCPOA, the U.S. stated sanctions on automobiles and the trading of precious metals, steel and software would go into effect Aug. 7.



From Nov. 5, Washington added it would sanction the trade of Iranian oil, oil products and petrochemicals, transactions with Iranian financial institutions and the energy sector.



We listen to local police and fire departments scanner traffic, but sometimes miss crimes, wrecks, fires or other incidents, especially if they happen overnight. If you know of something were not covering yet, please let Managing Editor Jeff Pownall know by emailing him at jpownall@lufkindailynews.com, or submit a news tip online by visiting lufkindailynews.com/tips.In her first year at Brandon University, Debbie Huntinghawk said she was told by a professor that she didnt belong in his classroom because she was Indigenous.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/11/2018 (1105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Advertisement Advertise With Us

MELISSA VERGE/THE BRANDON SUN The poster with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action on education is unveiled on Friday at Brandon University by interim president Steven Robinson, Chris Lagimodiere and Lisa Park. This poster is at the School of Music office.

In her first year at Brandon University, Debbie Huntinghawk said she was told by a professor that she didnt belong in his classroom because she was Indigenous.

"I told him, I said, are you really saying that to me? and he did," Huntinghawk said, whos now in her fifth year of the clinical specialization program at the university.

On Friday, Huntinghawk led a smudging ceremony at the School of Music office, as a new poster with some of the calls to action on education from the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions final report was unveiled.

The poster includes calls to action and recommendations for education, language and culture, reconciliation, education for reconciliation, youth programs, newcomers to Canada and child welfare. On the bottom right hand corner, the poster had a quote on it from Justice Murray Sinclair, that says, "It is precisely because education was the primary tool of oppression of Aboriginal people, and miseducation of all Canadians, that we have concluded that education holds the key to reconciliation."

Although there were only a few listed on the poster, there are 94 calls to action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to "redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation."

MELISSA VERGE/THE BRANDON SUN Debbie Huntinghawk gives a smudging ceremony and a prayer at Brandon University on Friday before the poster detaling the calls to action on education from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was unveiled.

Huntinghawk hoped that posters like the one that was revealed would serve as a reminder to everyone, so that the situation she faced in first year doesnt get repeated.

"I think if the professors could read that and say yeah, we do have 10 times more barriers then non-Indigenous people, (that would be a step in the right direction)," she said.

"Were here, we want to learn, we also want the same things we want to make paths for our children and our grandchildren to come here without having to have the barriers that we have."

There are 27 posters that are being installed around the university, with the goal being for as many people to see them as possible, said Chris Lagimodiere, director for the Indigenous Peoples Centre and aboriginal initiatives at Brandon University.

"The more public areas are specifically chosen in high traffic areas so that public, students and staff can pass it and see it on a regular basis," Lagimodiere said.

Money from the presidents office paid for the posters. Initially, they had seen the posters hung at other places, and it was something that they wanted to get on board with, he said. The posters themselves are just reminders for people about their commitment.

"Within the institution we are trying to work towards reconciliation, so thats our ongoing commitment," he said. "Through investing in Indigenous education, supporting our Indigenous students, finding ways that we can improve the institutions structure and (we can) take some of the onus off of the students and see what we can do as an institution."

Brandon University is committed to working towards the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions calls to action on education, he said. Its a long-term process, but the posters are a step in that direction.

"They are a daily reminders now that they are mounted on the walls that this is a commitment of the institution, but also reminds us to take a minute to stop and reflect on the history and the direction that we want to go as an institution," he said.

The posters also send a message that everyone is responsible to participate, he said, not only to make change in the university, but in the country as a whole.

"Its not just one person whos working towards this, its not one office or one department, its that its the whole institution has to buy in," he said. "And, in order for the country to move forward towards reconciliation, it needs to be everyone, Indigenous people, non-Indigenous people, everyone working together to find a common ground."

 mverge@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @Melverge5Lunaticoutpost.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program , anaffiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.Amazon, the Amazon logo, MYHABIT, and the MYHABIT logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.Don't be a pest to the forum.No profanity in thread-titles or usernamesNo excessive profanity in postsNo Racism, Antisemitism + HateNo calls for violence against anyone..This website exists for fun and discussion only. The reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or implications of information posted here, be it fictional or based on real events. The content of posts on this site, including but not limited to links to other web sites, are the expressed opinion of the original poster and are in no way representative of or endorsed by the owners or administration of this website. The posts on this website are the opinion of the specific author and are not statements of advice, opinion, or factual information on behalf of the owner or administration of LunaticOutPost.Com. The owners or administration of this website can't be hold responsible for content hosted on sites that posters link to in; including, but not limited to, posts, signatures, private messages and such. This site may contain content not suitable for minors and if you feel you might be offended by such content, you should log off immediately.This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Users may make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of issues relating to civil rights, economics, individual rights, international affairs, liberty, science & technology, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.In accordance with industry accepted best practices we ask that users limit their copy / paste of copyrighted material to the relevant portions of the article you wish to discuss (no more than 50% of the source material) provide a link back to the original articleIf you are a legal copyright holder or a designated agent for such and you believe a post on this website falls outside the boundaries of "Fair Use" and legitimately infringes on yours or your clients copyright please contact [email protected] This website is owned by :Marco ZwaneveldDrijfriemstraat 522516 XR The HagueNetherlands.I will not rent, sell, share or otherwise disclose your personal information to any third party.We might contact you from time to time regarding your purchases or the services (like forums and announcement lists) you have subscribed to.Some of the 3rd party advertisers on lunaticoutpost.com may use cookiesto track peformance and/or to serve relevant ads.If you wish to read more and/or opt out of such cookies, please visit: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/Username: Password: or Register

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"Gracas a Deus": Portugal aircraft in emergency land with the help of two F-16 LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 473383

11-13-2018 06:29 PM











Post: #1 "Gracas a Deus": Portugal aircraft in emergency land with the help of two F-16

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A plane of the Dutch company Transavia with 149 passengers on board landed Monday at the Portuguese airport of Faro (south) helped by two fighters of the Portuguese Air Force after declaring an emergency after taking off from the island of Madeira.



In a statement, the Portuguese Air Force reported that the plane "reported pressurization problems when it made the route to Amsterdam, so it deviated and landed safely at the Faro airport at 12.51" (GMT).



The flight, which had taken off from the Funchal airport in the Madeira archipelago, was escorted by two F-16 fighters that left an air base located in Leiria, 150 kilometers north of Lisbon.



It is the second case of aerial emergency that occurs in the Portuguese airspace in 24 hours, since the fighters of the Area Force had already to escort on Sunday afternoon an Air Astana aircraft with six crew members that had a critical failure in navigation systems and flight control.



The aircraft took off from Alverca (north of Lisbon) and, after declaring an emergency and requesting to land at sea, managed to make landfall on the third attempt at the Beja airport (southeast).



Paulo Mata

@ironbirdphotos

#AirAstana @embraer ERJ-190 emergency landing in Beja, Portugal, filmed with the TGP of a @fap_emfa ??#F16 that was paramount in the success of the operation



https://twitter.com/ironbirdphotos/statu...4588769280



Portuguese Defense Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho posted a message on his Twitter profile saying that it is "very rare" to have two emergencies in such a short space of time , but he stressed that "the Air Force was prepared."



https://www.elsol.com.ar/video-aviones-e...de-dos-f16 It happened in Portugal, a few hours apart. Air Astana and Transavia aircrafts presented faults and made landfall thanks to the support of fighters of the Portuguese Air Force.A plane of the Dutch company Transavia with 149 passengers on board landed Monday at the Portuguese airport of Faro (south) helped by two fighters of the Portuguese Air Force after declaring an emergency after taking off from the island of Madeira.In a statement, the Portuguese Air Force reported that the plane "reported pressurization problems when it made the route to Amsterdam, so it deviated and landed safely at the Faro airport at 12.51" (GMT).The flight, which had taken off from the Funchal airport in the Madeira archipelago, was escorted by two F-16 fighters that left an air base located in Leiria, 150 kilometers north of Lisbon.It is the second case of aerial emergency that occurs in the Portuguese airspace in 24 hours, since the fighters of the Area Force had already to escort on Sunday afternoon an Air Astana aircraft with six crew members that had a critical failure in navigation systems and flight control.The aircraft took off from Alverca (north of Lisbon) and, after declaring an emergency and requesting to land at sea, managed to make landfall on the third attempt at the Beja airport (southeast).Paulo Mata@ironbirdphotos#AirAstana @embraer ERJ-190 emergency landing in Beja, Portugal, filmed with the TGP of a @fap_emfa ??#F16 that was paramount in the success of the operationPortuguese Defense Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho posted a message on his Twitter profile saying that, but he stressed that "the Air Force was prepared."

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Conall O Fatharta and Keiran Southern

Irish comic book artist Will Sliney has paid tribute to legendary father of Marvel comics Stan Lee as one of the "most important writers of all time".

Lee, whose death was confirmed by a family lawyer on Monday, created enduring superheroes as the founder of Marvel Comics including Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk.

His characters have since left the comic book pages and have grown into multi-billion dollar Hollywood franchises.

Cork's own Will Sliney worked on Marvels Spider-Man 2099 series and also worked on Marvel's Fearless Defenders series.

Speaking in the wake of Lee's death, the Cork artist described him as a giant who inspired generations of children and artists.

"To me he is the most important writer of all time. If you take what Walt Disney did for animation or Jim Henson did for puppetry, Stan Lee did that for comic books," he said.

Mr Sliney said Lee created superheroes that were everyday people and that this had inspired millions of young people around the world.

First of all he co-created the character I got to work on for so long - Spiderman. He was really the guy that brought comic books to real people like you and me.

"His heroes were everyday people. Peter Parker [Spiderman] was a 15-year-old nerdy kid for example. So the readers could really picture themselves as superheroes," he said.

The Cork comic artist also praised Lee for always crediting the artists and people behind the stories and that this "really opened the industry to a lot of people".

Meanwhile, flowers were placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame star of Stan Lee people around the world woke up to news of his death.

Hours after his death was announced, fans, some wearing T-shirts bearing his most famous creations, flocked to Lee's Walk of Fame star on Hollywood Boulevard to pay tribute.

Many left flowers while a Spider-Man comic book was also placed on the ground.

A note placed with one wreath, laid on behalf of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, read: "Dear Stan, what a marvel you are, a cultural icon, you made many so happy. Rest in peace, Walk of Fame."

Marvel paid tribute to Lee, calling him the "creator, voice and champion" of the company.

A statement on their website said: "Today, Marvel Comics and The Walt Disney Company pause and reflect with great sadness on the passing of Marvel Chairman Emeritus, Stan Lee.

"With a heavy heart, we share our deepest condolences with his daughter and brother, and we honor and remember the creator, voice and champion of Marvel."

It added: "Marvel and the entire The Walt Disney Company salute the life and career of Stan Lee and offer their undying gratitude for his unmatchable accomplishments within their halls. Every time you open a Marvel comic, Stan will be there."

Stan Lee

Lee founded Marvel Comics with Jack Kirby in 1961 and together they created some of the world's most loved and read comic book superheroes.

Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, X-Men, Black Panther, Daredevil and The Avengers were just some of Marvel's famous creations. However, in recent years, the brand expanded into Hollywood and is now a multibillion-dollar film franchise. Lee was known for making brief cameo appearances in Marvel universe films.

The cause of Lee's death is not known, but earlier this year it was disclosed that he was fighting a bout of pneumonia.A 6-year-old boy from Kerry is believed to be "the youngest person ever" to climb Morocco's Mount Toubkal.

Joshua Davison from Killarney scaled the 4,167 metre mountain over two days with his mother Lyndsey and her partner Lucky Flynn.

A Senior Infants pupil of Ms Dennehy's class at St Oliver's primary school in Killarney, Joshua faced snow, ice and high altitudes during his climb to the summit of North Africa's highest mountain

"Our first day was a four-hour trek to a mountain refuge where we spent the night," Lyndsey said.

We set off for the summit at 7am the next morning, wearing crampons on our feet. We climbed for six hours up a steep snow and ice slope, which was a 40-degree gradient in places.

"Josh was very strong even at this altitude.

"We're very proud of his achievement," she said.

Lyndsey says that Joshua first developed an interest in mountaineering when the family spent time in Nepal.

Joshua made the climb with his mother Lyndsey and her partner Lucky.

She says they are avid climbers and spend a lot of time in the nearby MacGillycuddys Reeks.

According to Lyndsey, Joshua was also the youngest person to climb Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest mountain, after reaching the peak this year.

He now has his sights set on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, which at 5,895 metres above sea level, is Africa's highest mountain and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

Joshua hopes to raise money for the Make a Wish foundation with his extraordinary efforts.

Digital DeskA major new cross border poll by RTE and the BBC, revealed last night, shows that 62% of those surveyed in Northern Ireland believed Brexit made a united Ireland a more likely possibility.

The survey revealed that 35% of those polled in the Republic of Ireland agreed.

11% of the respondents in Northern Ireland said Brexit made a united Ireland less likely with 24% saying it wouldnt make a difference and 3% saying they didnt know.

In the Republic 32% said it was less likely, 22% said Brexit would not make it more or less likely, while 11% responded saying they didnt know.

The findings are part of a landmark RTE and BBC Northern Ireland collaboration which culminated in a special live Brexit programme last night.

The survey, jointly commissioned by BBC NIs Nolan Live and RTEs Claire Byrne Live programmes, included a series of questions on economic, constitutional and social issues for Northern Ireland.

The poll found that the majority of those surveyed in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland said the UK should not proceed with Brexit if it meant a hard border in Ireland.

In Northern Ireland 61% of respondents answered no to a question about whether the UK should proceed with Brexit in the event of a deal including a hard border.

36% in Northern Ireland disagreed and responded with yes to the question while 3% were undecided.

In the Republic of Ireland 83% said No, 10% responded with a yes and 7% were undecided.

People were also asked how they believed Brexit would leave their own financial situation.

In Northern Ireland 55% said worse off, 9% said better off with 7 % saying they didnt know and 29% responded saying it would make no difference.

In the Republic of Ireland, 34% of respondents believed theyd be worse off with 2% believing theyd be better off and 44% saying it would make no difference. 20% in the Republic were unsure how Brexit would affect their financial situation.

In Northern Ireland, the survey showed that in the event of a UK and EU deal on the terms of Brexit, those surveyed believed there should be a second referendum.

58% surveyed said yes, 38% said no and 4% were undecided. In the Republic 77% said yes, 14% no and 9% were undecided.

The poll was carried out by Amarach Research and LucidTalk for Nolan Byrne Live on Thursday 8th and Friday 9th of November 2018. The Amarach Research Panel consists of over 1,000+ adults in the Republic of Ireland, all aged 18+. The LucidTalk NI Opinion Panel consists of over 1,000+ adults in Northern Ireland, all aged 18+.

Digital DeskBy Tom Tuite

A former head of security for pop star Rihanna has been spared jail for harassing a Garda sergeant with abusive text messages in which he threatened to put a stop to the lot of you one by one.

Geoffrey Keating, 40, of Woodbank Drive, Finglas, Dublin denied harassing Garda Sergeant Brendan Carey over the period of an hour and a half on the afternoon of August 21, 2016. He was found guilty following his trial before Judge Ann Ryan at Dublin District Court today.

He was given a six-month sentence suspended on condition he does not re-offend in the next 12 months and he gave an undertaking not to contact or approach the sergeant again.

The harassment consisted of nine messages from Keating who claimed he had contacted the sergeant initially to make a complaint about the conduct of other gardai.

Sergeant Carey had been based in Finglas previously but had been promoted and transferred to another station when Keating contacted him.

Keating claimed juveniles had been forced by gardai to strip to their boxer shorts and he contacted the sergeant so his complaint would be passed up the chain.

He had been on medication at the time, the court heard.

The sergeant had given him his personal number a couple of years previously when Keating helped gardai change a tyre. Keating had mentioned anti-social behaviour and crime problems in his area and the sergeant gave his number in case he needed to contact gardai.

Bodyguard Keating worked for Rihanna in 2012 and 2013.

Sergeant Carey had been transferred to a different station by the time he received the text messages on the Viber messaging app from Keating who accepted he sent them.

Judge Ryan heard that in his first message Keating said: I dont know what drugs you and your bully mates in the station are taking.

It was followed by: Im going to put a stop to the lot of you one by one.

Nothing to say bitch??, he wrote in the third message at which the sergeant replied a few minutes later with Who is this?

In the next text, Keating made references to two other gardai but which were not read out at the hearing.

Garda Sergeant replied, Well done you are a hero.

Keating then identified himself by name and gave his address before texting: You and your bully pals, Ill slap you around. You are nothing but a piece of crap and you are not fit to wear that uniform..

In the next message, he wrote: Youre a gobshite and Im warning you if you put your hand on another child, Ill make you wish your ma swallowed.

The following message from him was a question about the hero comment the Garda sergeant made and Keating followed up with watch your little mouth.

His final message stated: Now f**k off and do your job within the law, theres more than me watching fool. Mark my words youll be brought to book for your actions.it is all tactics now, bitch.

Sergeant Carey told the court he felt the threats were directed at him. He had not known who the sender was initially and he was concerned for himself and his colleagues.

He was on a rest day when the messages came through but did not report them to his superiors until two days later when he was back on duty, he said.

Questioned by defence solicitor Michael Hanahoe, he told the court he would not ring his superiors on a day off and that he did not have access to Garda emails.

He agreed he had given Keating his number two years beforehand if he needed to provide information about anti-social behaviour.

He said he called the message sender a hero as a flippant comment to someone who had not identified himself.

In evidence, Keating agreed he sent the texts to make someone aware of my frustrations. He also claimed he had spoken to the sergeant on the phone earlier that day.

He felt antagonised by the hero comment and he apologised for some of the remarks.

He said they were not directed at Sergeant Carey but gardai in Finglas as a whole.

In cross-examination, it was put to him that he was threatening and he replied that he was standing up for children.

Keating told the court he had also served in an elite military unit.

Det. Sergeant Gavin Ross (left) and Garda Sergeant Brendan Carey leaving the Dublin District Court today. Pic: Collins

Det. Sergeant Gavin Ross told the court that on August 23, 2016, he searched Keating's home and arrested him.

Keating said he contacted Garda Sergeant Keating because he had been made aware that other gardai had stopped two youths and forced them to strip to their boxer shorts and searched them.

He claimed he had six witnesses and when he went to complain at Finglas station, I was told I was talking gibberish.

He claimed he wanted to be arrested so it would go to court where it would come out about harassment and corruption.

He also admitted he has been using cannabis to keep calm and was on medication, and he alleged a Garda tried to get a patrol car to try and run him over.

Judge Ryan found him guilty of the charge.

The court heard Keating had nine prior criminal convictions including vehicle theft and six counts of deception offences.

Pleading for leniency his solicitor asked the judge to note Keating had a troubled background and that had led to frustrations in relation to complaints outlined in this case.

He also asked the court to note he had been on medication, and when arrested and interviewed, he immediately apologised.

He has not contacted the sergeant since and won't in the future, the court heard.

A probation report on him was also furnished to the judge.

Gardai need to be used to being given a rough time but have to be treated with a certain amount of respect and not to be abused in the way Sergeant Carey was, Judge Ryan said in sentencing.A new empowered agency needs to lead development and regeneration in Dublin's inner city and corporations should contribute towards progress there too, Fianna Fail has demanded.

Launching a Bill to establish a new body with statutory powers to redevelop the inner city, the Opposition party claimed the current government was only dipping in and out of creating new supports there.

Highlighting how the party had led the setting of the IFSC and Temple Bar in the capital, party TDs outlined their plans for a new Dublin North Inner City Development Authority to oversee regeneration.

It would function for 10 years, cooperate with other agencies such as Dublin City Council and drive social change, improvements in the areas and a new plan for Dublin's north east inner city.

This plan, by industrial relations specialist Kieran Mulvey, was published in June 2016 and commissioned by the former Taoiseach Enda Kenny after a series of shootings related the Hutch-Kinahan feud.

The new authority, proposed by Fianna Fail TDs John Lahart and Darragh O'Brien, would have powers to manage state lands for redevelopment.

City sites had massive potential, said the TDs. Furthermore, inner city companies beside the residential areas, such as Citibank and Google, should have some corporate responsibility contributing to the area, argued Mr Lahart.

The new authority would put together and oversee a strategy for the north inner city, explained local councillor Mary Fitzpatrick, a Fianna Fail general election candidate for Dublin Central.

TDs and Ms Fitzpatrick denied the new authority would just be another quango and insisted it help promote investment in the city.By Ann O'Loughlin

The former president of Waterford Institute of Technology, Professor Kieran Byrne, has claimed before the High Court he was humiliated and his reputation damaged after the college governing body declined to reappoint him to the post.

The decision not to reappoint Prof. Byrne as president was taken after a newspaper published an article concerning the level of expenditure of the president's office during his tenure.

Arising out of the decision he has brought proceedings against Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) seeking damages and various declarations.

Waterford Institute of Technology rejects the claims and denies any wrongdoing. It contends the decision of the governing body not to reappoint Mr Byrne as president was taken following a fully transparent process.

It denied representing to Prof. Byrne that he had been reappointed and rejects his claims the process was flawed.

Opening the case Ercus Stewart SC for Professor Byrne said his client was appointed WIT president in 2001 for 10 years.

A subcommittee of the WIT's governing body was set up to oversee the selection of president from May 2011 onwards.

Counsel said the subcommittee, after speaking to several parties, recommended that Prof. Byrne be reappointed for another five years.

Counsel said that recommendation was not ratified by WIT's governing body at a meeting on May 12, 2011.

Counsel said in April 2011 an article appeared in the Irish Examiner Newspaper about expenses incurred by the office of the president of WIT. The article referred to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Counsel said a meeting where Prof. Byrne was due to be ratified, took place the day after the article appeared.

Counsel said there was disquiet about the media report.

The decision to ratify his appointment was deferred and Prof. Byrne was subsequently informed an independent review of the expenditure was to take place.

Counsel said it has always been his client's case that the accounting methods used in responding to the FOI request were unorthodox and resulted in inaccurate records of expenditure.

Counsel said that in advance of the governing body's meeting in May 2011 his client was encouraged to resign by a member of the Higher Education Authority, which he refused to do.

On May 12, the governing body declined to ratify Prof. Byrne as WIT president for another five years, and the position was advertised.

While Prof. Byrne remained on as a member of WIT's management, counsel said his client felt he had been treated in a humiliating and disrespectful manner by the institute and he exercised his option to retire, counsel said.

WIT, represented by Mark Connaughton SC, deny the claims. Counsel said the decision was made by the governing body and it had acted at all times in a transparent manner during the selection process.

Mr Connaughton SC said it was accepted the media reports were considered by the governing body.

In reply to Mr Justice Senan Allen, counsel accepted that the contents of the media report concerning the expenditure of the president's office were something the defendant took into account when arriving at its decision.

In his proceedings against WIT, Prof. Byrne of Leoville, Dunmore Road, Waterford, claims there was a failure to conduct the selection process properly.

WIT also took irrelevant considerations into account when it decided not to ratify his reappointment and had represented and assured him that it would reappoint him, he claims.

WIT also failed to have any regard to the fact that no internal or external audit was critical on his presidency of WIT and had failed to heed his concerns about the accounting methods used to respond to the FOI requests.

He also claims there was a failure to allow him to make representations to the governing body about the media coverage and the FOI requests.

He seeks declarations that the decision of the governing body not to ratify his appointment as President was null and void and that he was entitled to be appointed to the position.

He also seeks damages for negligence and breach of duty, breach of contract and the damage he suffered to his good name, breach of legitimate expectation and misrepresentation.

The case continues.An Irish woman who killed her fiance in Sydney has told a judge she did not leave the "controlling and fairly unpleasant" man as she loved him dearly.

David Walsh said he would change but would revert back to his bad behaviour, Cathrina Cahill, 27, told her sentencing hearing.

She was giving evidence on Tuesday in the New South Wales Supreme Court after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Walsh, who she stabbed once in the neck in the early hours of February 18, 2017, at their home in Padstow, south-west of Sydney.

"I honestly thought he was going to change. He was someone I did love and adore," she told the court.

Cahill, whose guilty plea was based on diminished responsibility due to an abnormality of the mind, previously gave evidence about repeated violence by Mr Walsh.

This included punching strangers and biting her all over her body, while he also accused her of her sleeping with other men and deleted texts from her phone, the court heard.

She had packed her bags many times to leave him, but Mr Walsh would tell her everything was going to be different, Cahill told the court.

He would be making me dinner, buying me flowers, buying me a teddy bear, but after two to three weeks it would go back to the way it was.

She agreed with Justice Peter Johnson that her evidence revealed a "pretty stormy relationship" and that Mr Walsh might be seen to be a "controlling and fairly unpleasant person".

But she said she stayed with him as she "loved him very dearly".

The fatal attack occurred when an intoxicated Mr Walsh launched an unprovoked attack on a man invited into the home by Cahill and the two other female housemates.

Cahill, who also had been drinking, was punched by her fiance when trying to stop the attack, before she took out a "large, very sharp, bladed knife" from the cutlery drawer and stabbed him.

Cahill's barrister James Trevallion said there was no evidence his client had ever struck Mr Walsh without any provocation and noted she was smaller than him.

He submitted she had no intention to kill, the stabbing had involved a single blow and Mr Walsh was the one who initiated the violence.

Justice Johnson, who said the case involved "unusual features" such as a "type of two-way domestic violence", will sentence Cahill on December 12.

PABy Sonya McLean and Brion Hoban

A sex offender who is currently imprisoned for raping his former partner's daughter has received an eight-year sentence for raping that victim's younger sister.

The Central Criminal Court heard that the now 39-year-old victim was a vulnerable woman who was brought up in an extremely dysfunctional family and abused by four men.

She was abused by her uncle and grandfather. Her father has also been convicted of raping her and he got her pregnant as a young girl. She gave that baby up for adoption when the boy was four years old, which still causes her huge distress.

The 61-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, pleaded guilty to one charge of rape at the victim's family home in Co. Galway on an unknown date sometime in 1989 and 1991.

Mr Justice Michael White sentenced the man to eight years imprisonment and backdated the sentence to March 28, 2017, the date the man was arrested in prison for this charge.

A local Detective Garda told Karl Finnegan BL, prosecuting, that social workers had been involved with the victim's family from when she was young. He said there were issues of neglect and abuse, her mother was an alcoholic and the children in the family had a number of different fathers.

The man moved in with the family in 1988 and was in a relationship with her mother for eight years.

She said he raped her in her bedroom when she was either 10 or 12 years old. She felt him very heavy on top of her and described it as hurting her so much. She realised she was bleeding shortly afterwards and told her mother. Her mother checked her out and later brought her to a doctor.

The woman told the gardai that the doctor asked her if she had a boyfriend and she confirmed that she did not. The doctor spoke to her mother, they went back home and the man did not abuse her again.

The man was arrested in prison in March 2017 and made full admissions.

The detective confirmed that the woman, who is now living in England, felt she was not strong enough to come to court or make a victim impact statement.

She said she got the courage to make a statement to gardai in August 2015 following the man's conviction earlier that year for raping her older sister.

In 2015 he was sentenced to 12 years in prison with the final two years suspended after he pleaded guilty to raping the woman's older sister between November 1988 and December 1992 when she was aged between 11 and 15 years old.

The detective told Mr Finnegan that the woman in this case was sick to her stomach and always blamed herself and thought it was her fault.

She still suffers from severe depression and anxiety and is on medication to help her manage this.

The detective agreed with Kieran Kelly BL, defending, that his client is originally from Dublin and from a large family. He accepted that the victim and her sisters regularly were left hungry and his client often provided food for them.

A psychological report concluded that the man was below average intelligence and emotionally detached.

Mr Justice White said the victim in this case was a woman of some courage and said that there had been a serious breach of trust by the man. He said the mitigating factors in the case were the man's guilty plea, his age and his genuine remorse.It has emerged just 11 of Ireland's 31 local authorities are ready to collect the vacant sites levy.

The tax on vacant building land was first legislated for back in 2015 but was deferred until January next year.By Liam Heylin

A man has been given a two-year suspended jail term after a young woman who went to bed in the early hours of the morning after a house party woke up to find him sexually assaulting her.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain told Cork Circuit Criminal Court: "He took advantage of this girl when she was asleep.

The guard who investigated the case said there was a victim impact statement available for the judge today. The officer said of the victim: She is not here.

"She was not ready to be in the same room as the suspect. She did not want to see him.

The injured partys parents were present for the sentencing.

The incident at the centre of the case happened after a house party in County Cork in June last year.

The injured party reported she was sexually assaulted while attending the house party in (named area). She went to bed at 3am and fell asleep in bed alongside a girl who was a friend of hers.

She woke and her underwear and pants were pulled down and she felt a pain in her vagina, the guard said.

Donal McCarthy, prosecution barrister, said the accused put his fingers into her vagina.

The defendant was apprehended at his home several days later and taken to the local garda station to be interviewed. On legal advice he replied, no comment, to each question that was put to him.

Mr McCarthy BL said to be fair to the accused he did admit the offence as soon as he appeared in court in relation to the matter.

Alice Fawsett, defence senior counsel, said: He is very distressed at what he did. He has pleaded guilty to it. He was under the mistaken impression that she was awake. Judge O Donnabhain did not accept this and said the accused must have known the young woman was asleep.

The judge said that the plea of guilty was particularly important and it was acknowledged by the victim in her statement that she was entirely vindicated by his public acknowledgement of being 100% responsible for sexually assaulting her.

Ms Fawsett SC said of the 24-year-old defendant: He really, really regrets it and is very upset at the distress he caused. He really regrets what happened.

"He was at a party where a lot of drink and recreational drugs had been taken. I think there were four in the bed, one on a beanbag and it was one of these incidents that happened at the end of the night when people have had too much to drink.

"He totally misunderstood the situation. (Afterwards) he came very close to breakdown with suicidal ideation.By Liam Heylin

A 38-year-old woman was beaten to death by a man with whom she had been drinking in a flat over a shop in Cork, it was alleged as his trial by judge and jury commenced.

Prosecution senior counsel, Tom Creed, made the statement in his opening address to Ms Justice Eileen Creed and the jury of nine men and three women at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.

Mr Creed stressed that what he was telling the jury was an outline of the anticipated evidence and was not itself evidence. He said the accused was presumed to be not guilty.

Cathal O'Sullivan, 44, who is originally from Charleville, County Cork, pleaded not guilty to a charge of murdering Nicola Collins on March 27, 2017, at a flat at 6A Popham's Road, Farranree, Cork, over the Gala store. The late Ms Collins was a native of St Brendans Park in Tralee, Co Kerry, but who had been living at Clashduv Road in the Togher area of Cork for a number of years.

Mr Creed said in his opening speech: Effectively, the prosecution case is that he beat Nicola Collins to death.

She did not leave the premises after 11.24am on March 24. No one else was seen entering or leaving the premises. There were only two people in that apartment  Nicola Collins and Cathal OSullivan.

At 3.09am on the morning of March 27 he (the defendant) contacted emergency services. You will hear that phone call.

It will be apparent that an amount of drink was consumed over the course of a few days by both parties.

The fire brigade and ambulance arrived. The fire brigade was flagged down by the accused. There were five or six of them (emergency service personnel at the scene shortly after the call). She was completely naked, her legs up on the bed, her back on the floor.

They commenced CPR. You will hear she had obvious bruising to arms, stomach. In the bathroom there were bloodstained clothes. The deceased was unresponsive to CPR. They kept trying to revive her for 20 minutes with electric shock and everything. After that they were satisfied she was dead.

You will hear various members of the emergency services and gardai had conversations with the accused. You will hear the marks on the deceased were on her since she arrived at the property.

Garda Brian Desmond had conversations with the accused. Sergeant James Buckley (also spoke to him).

She (the deceased) arrived on the Thursday. There was a lot of drink.

There was an altercation and Mr OSullivan said she got stuck into him, that she tried to hit him. He dodged the digs. Certain marks on her were from him such as the black eye was from him. - Prosecution senior counsel, Tom Creed.

He phoned Mathew Twomey (a friend) at 1.33am  a 32-minute phone call. At 2.16am he rang him again. He (the defendant) did not ring emergency services until 3.09am.

Mr Creed SC said they would hear from Dr Margaret Bolster, pathologist, who found the deceased had a broken jawbone, multiple facial and scalp bruises and swelling of the brain and concluded that the late Ms Collins suffered extensive blunt force trauma in keeping with multiple blows to the head.

The trial continues tomorrowThe football referee who was seriously assaulted in Offaly on Sunday says he forgives his attackers.

Daniel Sweeney suffered a broken jaw and other facial injuries in the attack at a match in Horseleap.Exeter have announced the signing of Scotland international full-back Stuart Hogg on a two-year deal from next season.

Hogg, who has won 63 caps and toured twice with the British and Irish Lions, will move to Sandy Park from Glasgow Warriors.

The 26-year-old is Exeter's first new signing ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

Hogg has spent nine seasons in the Pro14 with Glasgow and established himself as one of the most exciting broken-field runners in world rugby.

"I am very excited about the move - it's a great opportunity for myself and my family," Hogg said.

Stuart Hogg is on his way to the Premiership 



The Scotland international will join @ExeterChiefs on a two-year deal next season  pic.twitter.com/5B3VlXPtx7  Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) November 13, 2018

"Like a lot of people, I have seen how the Chiefs have risen over the last few years, and I am a big fan of the way they play their rugby.

"This is a decision that has taken a great deal of thought, as I've loved my nine seasons at Glasgow Warriors.

"I said I would decide my next step for family and rugby reasons, and I feel now is the right time to gain new rugby experiences and push myself in different situations where I will be challenged and hopefully improve further."

Exeter rugby director Rob Baxter described Hogg's signing as a statement by the Chiefs.

"We've tracked him for some time and we actually wanted to sign (him) before he signed his last contract at Glasgow," Baxter said.

"At that stage, it wasn't the right time for him to move, but now it is and we feel he will be a fantastic addition to our squad.

"Yes, it's a statement on our part.

"But anyone who knows us and where we want to go will understand that for us to move forward and win trophies - which is undoubtedly what we want to do - we have to back ourselves fully, and that means bringing in players who we feel will take us to that next level."

- PAIreland captain Seamus Coleman has donated 3,000 to a GoFundMe page set up to help a 26-year-old suffering from severe scoliosis.

Jason Hanlon, from Donegal, has physical and mental disabilities and was diagnosed with scoliosis in 2009.

Jason Hanlon

Jason's family say he is now in constant pain, adding that he is non-verbal so "he communicates by different methods such as self-harm, (head banging, biting himself)." It is hoped that the operation will ease Jason's suffering.

Coleman's 3,000 donation has pushed the fundraising effort above the 10,000 goal.

A Facebook page set up for Jason said the donation was a sign of "the community looking after one another. We are so blessed."

The post added: "Thank you so much to Seamus for this donation. What a kind hearted soul you are."

Jason's operation is due to take place in November.

His mother, Liz,

Read More:

"He is in constant pain and we are feeding him painkillers which are not doing him any good. His bowels are suffering as a result and Im just not sure how long he can take this.

"This will kill him in the end and time is running out."

Jason's sister, Aine - who set up the GoFundMe page - said watching her brother suffer was unbearable.

"To sit and watch my brother scream 24/7 with tears streaming down his wee face is unbearable for my family and I. It is very difficult not being able to explain to him what is happening to his own body as you can imagine."

The family hope the money raised will help Jason's recovery.

"He requires an extreme amount of aftercare as he is a complex case. Jason will need specialised equipment. Financially this is an ongoing strain as Jason's allowance doesnt even cover his day to day care."

Earlier this year, Coleman

Read More:American broadcaster CNN is suing the Trump administration, demanding the return of correspondent Jim Acostas press credentials to cover the White House.

The US administration revoked Mr Acostas access last week following President Donald Trumps controversial post-election news conference, where Mr Acosta refused to give up a microphone when the president said he did not want to hear anything more from him.

CNN files a lawsuit against President Trump and top aides for banning reporter Jim Acosta https://t.co/ZcbdMDV4Ts pic.twitter.com/o5HK0nEBTr  CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) November 13, 2018

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in Washington DC district court.

CNN claims the revocation of Mr Acostas press pass violates the constitutional rights to freedom on the press and due process. The network is asking for an immediate restraining order to return Mr Acosta to the White House.

- Press AssociationA man has been arrested following a police appeal for a Ross from Friends look-alike which went viral.

The image of a suspected thief, taken in Blackpool in the UK, was widely shared after internet users noted his resemblance to actor David Schwimmer.

Lancashire Police said a 36-year-old suspect was arrested in Southall, west London, on suspicion of theft.

Following the appeal we posted looking for a man who resembles a well-known actor, we now have an update. Thanks to our colleagues @MetPoliceUK, a 36-year-old man was arrested in Southall last night on suspicion of theft. Thank you for the support, especially @DavidSchwimmer! pic.twitter.com/nOgF1KQb0X  Lancashire Police (@LancsPolice) November 13, 2018

Lancashire Police announced the arrest on Twitter, thanking David Schwimmer for his support.

After the original image was shared hundreds of thousands of times, the actor shared a video proclaiming his own innocence where he could be seen carrying a crate of beer out of a New York shop.

Officers, I swear it wasn't me.

As you can see, I was in New York.

To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation.#itwasntme pic.twitter.com/EDFF9dZoYR  schwim (@DavidSchwimmer) October 24, 2018

The Tweet read: "Officers, I swear it wasn't me. As you can see, I was in New York.

"To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation."

- Digital Desk"It grabbed my dog and threw it from side to side in its mouth like a rag doll. I was trying to pull and pull my dog away," she said. "I was screaming, 'Help me, help me'." No one was actually home at the house. It was only when a woman from across the road came out from her house to help, that the dogs ran away. The Good Samaritan then drove Ms Richardson and Coco to a vet in Gungahlin. Georgia Richardson and her son Owen, 11, with injured Coco. She says dog attack laws are far too lenient in the ACT. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos "I believe if it had not been for her, Coco would have bled to death in the street because I was nowhere near my own car," Ms Richardson said.

Coco ended up needing 14 staples in his left hind leg and there is a possibility of nerve damage. Mrs Richardson was astounded when she was told at the end of the consultation that the owner of the attack dog had already contacted the vet and paid the $368 bill for Coco's treatment. "I am very fortunate in that respect. A lot of people who go through this are very much out of pocket," she said. Ms Richardson said it was the fourth dog attack she or her family had suffered in Canberra over the past decade. She was concerned about walking her dog in the future and the impact of the attack not only on Coco, but on her 11-year-old son Owen, who was closest to the pet. Loading

"He has been such a calm dog and I'm worried how he will be now,'' she said. The vet told Ms Richardson Coco was lucky to not be more seriously injured and it was only her actions that saved him from being mauled more savagely. It's understood police caught the dogs initially and then handed them to Domestic Animal Services. The ACT Liberals are continuing their efforts to strengthen dog attack laws. They have already proposed that all dogs under investigation be impounded, something the government has rejected, saying it would lead to the Domestic Animal Services shelter being overrun. The latest proposal from the Liberals doubles the fee for dangerous dog licences from $750 per year to $1500.

It also removes a $60 fee for people who want to surrender a dangerous dog. Loading Ms Lawder said Urban Services Minister Chris Steel wanted to "punish responsible dog owners because, by his own admission, his government does not have the facilities to impound dangerous dogs that grievously injure people and their pets". "We should be incentivising responsible dog ownership and discouraging dangerous dog ownership. If Mr Steel wants dangerous dogs at large in the community, then he shouldnt get responsible dog owners to pay for it," she said. Mrs Richardson said, on the face of it, she agreed with the changes proposed by the Liberals, particularly as she had heard that laws in jurisdictions such as Queensland were much stricter in terms of dangerous dogs.

"From what I'm hearing, I'm surprised how lenient things are here," she said. Mr Steel said Ms Lawders proposal to double the cost of a dangerous dog licence was "an empty political gesture". "Of the nine dogs declared dangerous last year, seven were handed back [to Domestic Animal Services] to be euthanised. Of the eight dogs declared dangerous so far this year, seven have been euthanised," he said. Loading "Ms Lawders proposed legislation introduces mandatory seizure of any dog reported to [Domestic Animal Services]. This includes mandatory seizure of a dog that has been reported to have harassed or demonstrated aggressive behaviour. There does not have to have been a report of any injury. Ms Lawders proposed legislation also introduces mandatory investigation into any complaint," Mr Steel said.In 1947 she joined Peter Finchs Mercury Theatre School on a scholarship as a student playwright. She thought Finch was marvellous and all the students would have done anything for him. Her professional career began in 1948 when the Mosman Theatre Club commissioned her to write three plays for children: Pirates at the Barn, The Bushranger and Smugglers Beware. These plays took off nationally. In 1952 Eleanor made the visit to England and stayed five years in London. She applied to the BBC and was given a job as temp typist in the newsroom. It was here she encountered the British class system  class snobbery was always a strong theme in her writing. She said: It was like landing on another bloody planet! Eleanor said she was sacked from the BBC because they thought I was having it off in the annexe with one of the male typists." However, she made some great friends in London, including the eminent Indian historian Romila Thapar and the flamboyant academic and writer Coral Lansbury, Malcolm Turnbulls mother. Eleanor met young Malcolm when he was about eight. He looked up at her and asked: Miss Witcombe, would you say as a playwright you are important? She replied Im as important as William Shakespeare! He stared at her. Well, not quite so important, she admitted, but almost! Im sorry, said young Malcolm, but Im just not sure about that, Miss Witcombe.

While in London, Eleanor managed to get her childrens play Smugglers Beware produced at the Toynbee Hall in 1954. It was reviewed the following day in The Times. She returned to Australia and wrote drama adaptations of books and stories for ABC radio and the Macquarie and Lux Radio Theatres. Her serial Say Not Goodbye ran for 104 short episodes: It became one of the best soap operas going, she used to say. In 1963 she adapted her childrens play Smugglers Beware as a series for ABC-TV. The Australian Writers Guild was established in 1962 and she was one of its founding members, fighting for writers copyright, credits, fees and royalties. In 1964 a startling satirical comedy TV series was broadcast by the Seven Network. The Mavis Bramston Show was launched on an unsuspecting public and Witcombe, with her wicked sense of humour, was among the writers. She followed up by writing a TV drama series, Pastures of the Blue Crane, for the ABC in 1969. The new regulation on quotas for Australian production meant Australians were seeing their own lives, past and present, played out on television at last.

In 1971 she adapted Norman Lindsays much loved childrens book The Magic Pudding as a theatrical show for marionettes and it became a huge success. The following year she dramatised Lindsays boyhood novel Redheap. A great and enduring friendship began with Lindsays daughter, Jane Glad, an author in her own right. Eleanor, and her deaf Scottish terrier Mrs McGregor moved into the family stone house on the Parramatta River where Jane was living alone. The two women were soon soulmates except when battling over words in their sacred daily ritual of Scrabble at 5pm, accompanied by whiskies, a beloved assortment of dogs at their feet. Writer Eleanor Witcombe photographed with her pet "Mrs McGregor", Woolwich, 1977. Credit:Fairfax She then joined the writing team for the TV soap series Number 96 created by David Sale. Set in a fictional four-storey apartment block in Sydneys Paddington, the series was strictly adult and dealt with many social issues. It was said to be the first series in the world to feature a gay man as a regular character, accepted and integrated into the community. From that time Witcombe rode a wave that crested higher and higher. In 1973 she co-wrote the ABC-TV series Seven Little Australians, adapting Ethel Turners novel about the adventures of the mischievous Woolcot children in the 1880s.

Then came those big films she wrote at the renaissance of the Australian film industry The Getting of Wisdom for Bruce Beresford in 1977, an adaptation of the novel by Henry Handel Richardson. Beresford commented: I enjoyed working with Eleanor, though I had to spend a lot of time cutting her script to size. Still, she had a good ear for dialogue and wrote a lot of telling scenes. I always greatly enjoyed her witty company. In 1979 Eleanor adapted the landmark film from Miles Franklins book, My Brilliant Career. Produced by Margaret Fink, it launched the film careers of director Gillian Armstrong and actors Judy Davis and Sam Neill. It was nominated for the Palme dOr at Cannes, won six AFI awards including Best Film and Best Screenplay and for years it was Australias highest highest grossing film. Margaret Fink said recently: A screenplay is a films blueprint and Eleanors contribution to that film was incalculable. At the time of the films original release, Eleanor spoke about it at a girls private school: All the girls wanted to know was why Sybilla hadnt got married. I told them this young woman wanted to be a writer, to create. If shed got married shed have spent her time cleaning his bloody house, cooking and minding the kids. In Sybillas day there was no question of having it all. But those private schoolgirls just didnt get that. It is no surprise that Hollywood came calling. Paramount and Paul Hogan, with his Crocodile Dundee success, then commissioned Eleanor to write a film for Hogans wife Linda Kozlowski about the plucky Baby Doe who inherited a silver mine in the Rockies. This film did not reach production but Eleanor had fun doing the research. Some years before, Eleanor had met Katherine Hepburn and Sir Robert Helpmann and talked about making a film about Daisy Bates, the Victorian-era woman who lived with the Aboriginal people in the desert lands of South and Western Australia. Her research included the extraordinary revelation that Daisys first marriage was to another Australian icon, Harry The Breaker Morant. The planned book was never completed.

In 1999, the year of Jane Glads death, Eleanor received an Emeritus award from the Literature Board of the Australia Council, the first screenwriter ever to be so honoured. Angela Wales Kirgo, former CEO of the Australian Writers Guild, said: Eleanor Witcombes place in the history of Australian screenwriting is assured, not just by her wonderful screen adaptations of a series of Australian iconic classics but by her outsize personality and fierce passion for the rights of writers. Until Alzheimers encroached in the last few years, Eleanor always kept her zest for life, her capacity for friendship, her great generosity, her sassiness and her wicked sense of humour. Eleanor Witcombe in her 90s. She was fortunate, in the last decade of her life, in having two loving guardians: Llayna Richards and Yvonne Nikellys, two neighbours in nearby houses at Woolwich. In the Queens Birthday Honours in 2014, Eleanor was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her significant contribution to the arts in Australia."A unique experience on Sunday (November 11th)," writes Paul Watkins of Allawah. "At 11am, a three-minute Remembrance Day ceremony on the Train Link service, Grafton to Sydney, with the train pulled in to a siding for the duration. Well done to the organising manager and well done to Train Link. It was well appreciated by all on board."

Marilyn Irons of North Narrabeen was "reading Warren Faheys When Mabel Laid the Table when I came across a recipe for oat milk as a Great Depression substitute for milk: 'Soak half a pound of oatmeal in a quart of cold water for 12 hours, strain, ready to use in tea, coffee and cooking.' Everything old is new again".

To avoid regrettable experiences at hardware stores (C8), perhaps Paul Hunt and Col Shepherd should venture overseas. Hermine Scheeres of Double Bay says: On my yearly visits to Bali, I always find things to bring home from the fabulous Ace Hardware shop. While John Atkins of Hamilton South says: "I know where there is a really pleasurable hardware store, but it's a bit far to go for couple of bolts. I was in Dingle, Ireland, a couple of months ago and my wife and I were intrigued by the sign on the front of a building saying Crazy John's Bar and Hardware. On entering, we indeed discovered a bar on one side and shelves stacked with hardware items on the other. We had a pint of Guinness but passed on the hardware. Wonder if they serve Dogbolter.

We thought wed finally worked out Jack Robinson (C8), and then Rob Jackson of Cheltenham came along: Since the saying Before you could say Jack Robinson appears in Fanny Burneys Evelina of 1778, Sheridans use of the phrase in 1780 cant be the first. Indeed, its clear from the context that Sheridan was wittily drawing on a usage already in existence."

From one Jack to another. Brian Pymont of Frenchs Forest says: My old man used to say, about someone who was somewhat wealthy, that he had a pile of dough that Jack Rice couldnt jump over. So, who was Jack Rice? My pathetic investigations have only come up with an American bit-part actor of the pre-and immediate post-World War II periods.A 58-year-old former South Coast volunteer firefighter has been found guilty of lighting numerous bushfires between 2009 and 2013.

Eighteen-year Bendalong Rural Fire Brigade member Debbie Narel Brereton, of Manyana, wiped away tears when she was convicted in Bega District Court on Friday of lighting four fires in the Shoalhaven area.

Debbie Brereton in 2010. Credit:Fairfax Media

Brereton was facing nine counts of intentionally causing fire and being reckless as it spread, after being arrested in 2015 by members of the State Crime Command Property Crime Squad, part of Strike Force Toronto investigating arson attacks.

Three of Fridays convictions related to fires started in November 2009 near Bendalong, close to the Conjola National Park.A 37-year-old man was critically injured after he plunged from the balcony of an inner Sydney apartment on Sunday, sparking a police search for a man he had met up with via a dating app earlier that day.

Detectives are searching for the other man who they say is a potential witness to the "life-threatening" fall at the Surry Hills unit block after they met up using Grindr.

The injured man, who is an American and Swedish national, is believed to have fallen four floors onto a ground-floor patio, impaling himself on a table leg shortly before 4pm Sunday.

Police said the man was seen climbing over the balcony railing of his own volition before he fell.A member of the infamous Colt* incest family has told a Sydney court he has an alibi and was not in NSW at the time he is alleged to have carried out sex crimes he is charged with.

The man, given the court-ordered pseudonym Frank Colt, was one of eight members of the notorious family who were arrested and charged this year over allegations of sexual abuse of children at a property in rural NSW.

Mr Colt, 49, faces four charges of sexual intercourse with a person under age of 10 years and one further charge, laid this month, of sexual intercourse without consent.

In August, Central Local Court heard Mr Colt allegedly incited sexual intercourse between several children of the family, who were all aged under 13, on the family's NSW property in 2012. He is also accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old female relative.Almost $11 million worth of roadworks to connect the Brisbane CBD to the citys new $158 million cruise ship terminal at Luggage Point will start early next year, with tenders set to close just before Christmas.

Until the new cruise ship terminal is built, cruise ships more than 270 metres in length have to berth at the simple grain terminal at the Port of Brisbanes Fisherman Island.

The cruise terminal planned for Luggage Point. Credit:Port of Brisbane

Smaller cruise ships now dock at Portside Wharf at Hamilton.

Brisbane City Council agreed at its weekly meeting on Tuesday to go ahead with its 50 per cent share of a $10.9 million roads upgrade project at Pinkenba to connect passengers to Kingsford Smith Drive and into the citys hotels.A popular family-friendly pub at one of Brisbanes busiest shopping centres has been given the green light to install 45 poker machines, despite community objections.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, local Greens MP Michael Berkman slammed a decision by the state government regulator to approve the new pokies at the Pig n Whistle at Indooroopilly.

Poker machine profits have risen since gaming reforms were introduced. Credit:Peter Braig

Our volunteer-run community survey found 80 per cent of respondents opposed the pokies, while just 4 per cent supported. Just 30 per cent had even heard about the application, Mr Berkman wrote.

This would mean 45 pokies in a family-friendly environment at the Indooroopilly shopping centre, right next to the food court and cinemas. It's directly next to the westside's biggest bus interchange.Apparently they open November 23, several workers said.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk talks with Howard Smith Wharves chief executive Luke Fraser (right) and director Adam Flaskas( centre). Credit:Tony Moore

They are still a week or two away. Work crews are now swarming over them like ants.

Close, but not quite open.

Howard Smith Wharves restaurants and bars are almost ready.

But the first public event will be held on Tuesday night at the restored Howard Smith Wharves under Brisbane's Story Bridge.

A group of aviation industry delegates will become the first guests to use the River Shed event space.

Inside the River Shed at Howard Smith Wharves. Credit:Tony Moore

The plans for a hotel, event centre and public green space under the Story Bridge date back to former lord mayor Campbell Newmans days in 2011.

More than seven years later, the plan to turn 3.4 hectares of old wharf lands into parklands becomes a reality.The proposed Indooropilly bikeway has been transformed into the Indooroopilly Riverwalk, with two stages of the planned construction now to be completed at once to create an 800-metre shared path.

Brisbane City Council announced the four-stage bikeway, of which stage one alone was projected to cost about $8.5 million, would eventually connect the western suburbs of Kenmore and Indooroopilly to the University of Queensland.

An artist's impression of the planned shared pedestrian and cyclist Indooroopilly Riverwalk. Credit:Brisbane City Council

The council decided to expand the project into a shared five-metre-wide pedestrian and cycleway, to create a trail comparable to the New Farm Riverwalk.

Final costing for the new combined plan is not yet available.A man has been rushed to hospital after he was shot in Melbourne's south-east.

The shooting occurred about 6am on Elmslie Drive in Cranbourne East.

Paramedics on the scene at a shooting on Elmslie Drive in Cranbourne. Credit:Channel Nine

Paramedics were called to the scene at 6.04am. The man, 26, has been taken to The Alfred Hospital with lower body injuries.

Police have said the injuries are not life-threatening.A man has died in hospital after an explosion at the Yallourn Power Station in Victoria's east.

The man, aged in his 50s, was flown to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne with severe burns to his upper and lower body after a high-voltage circuit breaker exploded at the station at about 4pm on Monday.

A worker at Yallourn Power Station has died from severe burns after a circuit breaker exploded. Credit:Joe Armao

It is understood the fatal incident occurred during a scheduled maintenance of the generators which was part of a $40 million program.

The power station's owner, EnergyAustralia, said in a statement the man was a "popular and hard-working employee" from the Latrobe Valley.Greens MP Jenny Leong has made an extraordinary speech in NSW parliament, calling on her Greens colleague Jeremy Buckingham to resign and not contest the March election amid "sexual violence" allegations.

Using parliamentary privilege, Ms Leong said allegations made against Mr Buckingham by former Greens employee Ella Buckland meant Ms Leong could "not stay silent anymore".

Ms Buckland complained in April to the Greens that Mr Buckingham had touched her inappropriately in 2011.

"If he doesn't do this, then I am urging the party to act so that he is no longer a representative or member of the Greens," Ms Leong told the parliament.The NSW Greens are bitterly divided over the use of parliamentary privilege after Newtown MP Jenny Leong made an extraordinary speech in parliament, demanding her colleague Jeremy Buckingham resign amid "sexual violence" allegations.

Ms Leong's call for his resignation was echoed by Greens leaders Richard Di Natale, who said in a statement that he had communicated to Mr Buckingham that he should stand aside as a candidate for the next election.

Using parliamentary privilege on Tuesday, Ms Leong said allegations made against Mr Buckingham by former Greens employee Ella Buckland meant Ms Leong could "not stay silent anymore".

But fellow Greens MP, Cate Faehrmann, said "as a woman" she was angry the complaint was being used as a "political weapon".Filinvest Land Inc., the property unit of the Gotianun family, booked a net income of P4.22 billion in the first nine months, up 14 percent from P3.7 billion it declared in the same period last year, on the back a double-digit increase in rental income. Filinvest Land said in a financial report filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange that consolidated revenues increased 10 percent in January to September from a year ago. Rental income jumped 28 percent to P4.04 billion from P3.15 billion, on higher revenues from newly completed office and retail developments. The company said its continued focus on the expansion of its rental office and retail property portfolio resulted in recurring income now contributing 48 percent to the companys net income. Residential sales were flat at P10.3 billion. The property firm said it would continue to launch new projects to address the needs of affordable and middle income markets. The new projects this year are in Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Zamboanga City and Davao City. Filinvest Land currently operates 27 office and retail developments covering 595,000 square meters of gross leasable area.It said that by the end of 2018, about 200,000 square meters of additional GLA would be added to its portfolio. It also has a pipeline of 30 recurring income developments with 370,000 square meters of additional GLA under construction. Its office developments can be found mainly in Northgate Cyberzone, Filinvest City, other Metro Manila locations, Cebu City and Clark. We are confident of significant growth in our office rental business as we start operating new office buildings and achieve full occupancy in our new major land banks of Cebu, Clark and Metro Manila add to our bedrock Northgate Cyberzone in Filinvest City Alabang, Filinvest Land president and chief executive Josephine Gotianun-Yap said. Residential demand has also been on the rise and we expect this to continue as we expand both geographically and product wise, she said. The property firms landbank reached 2,165.82 hectares of raw land for development.The vast majority of Queenslanders want mining companies to clean up their own mine sites.

Leaked ALP research, obtained by the Brisbane Times, revealed 84.2 per cent of Queenslanders believed the mining industry should meet the cost of mine rehabilitation when mines closed.

Rehabilitation efforts at a former open cut mine in the Hunter Valley. Credit:Max Mason-Hubers

That view was shared by the majority of Labor, LNP, Greens, One Nation, independent and other, and undecided voters, the leaked research showed.

Only 4.1 per cent of all people surveyed thought taxpayers should foot the bill.People accused of having links to terrorism will find it harder to be released on bail or parole, under a bill introduced in Queensland.

The legislation follows Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's agreement at a 2017 COAG meeting to introduce state legislation.

Tributes at Pellegrini's in Melbourne's Bourke Street. Friday's incident in Victoria was cited by Queensland's Attorney-General when announcing the legislation. Credit:Joe Armao

The Justice Legislation (Links to Terrorist Activity) Amendment bill will ensure there is a presumption against bail and parole for people who have demonstrated support for, or have links to, terrorist activity.

Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath said terrorist attacks in Australia and abroad had led to terrorism gaining prominence as a global security concern.Queensland's plan to halt the extinction of native animals and plants has been derided as ad hoc and unlikely to conserve or recover many threatened species, in a new Audit Office report.

State auditor-general Brendan Worrall found the Department of Environment and Science had no strategy or framework for conserving or managing threatened species.

Species were chosen for conservation in Queensland based on whether they were "iconic", such as the northern hairy wombat, or due to departmental knowledge.

The department often directed conservation efforts based on "iconic value" (such as the koala, wombat and bilby), departmental knowledge (such as marine turtles), or because of significant work done by external conservation bodies (seabirds and shorebirds) rather than by an objective assessment of appropriate priorities.

That was despite the Nature Conservation Act 1992 requiring the department to develop an integrated and comprehensive strategy for the whole of the state.Prime Minister Scott Morrison has doubled down on his comments that Muslim communities must take greater responsibility for preventing radicalisation following Friday's deadly attack in Bourke Street.

Mr Morrison visited Pellegrinis Espresso Bar on Tuesday morning to pay his respects to Sisto Malaspina who was stabbed to death in the attack.

Scott Morrison places flowers outside Pellegrini's on Tuesday morning. Credit:Eddie Jim

The Prime Minister said religious communities must keep the wolves from coming in among the sheep.

He insisted Hassan Khalif Shire Ali who was killed after he went on a violent rampage on Friday had been radicalised in Melbourne.Premier Mark McGowan has said the state's live animal export trade is on notice over welfare issues and agreed he wouldn't be heartbroken if the industry disappeared.

In an interview with Gareth Parker on 6PR's Morning Show, Mr McGowan said the industry would lose state government support if there was another incident similar to the Awassi Express scandal in which thousands of sheep died in searing heat en route to the Middle East.

Protestors calling for the end of live exports earlier this year. Credit:Tony McDonough

"I've advised the industry that if there are any further incidents like Awassi Express, which was shocking, that obviously they'll lose public support and they'll lose our support," he said.

"It's really up to the industry now."Get a powerful vacuum cleaner with a mattress attachment. I tried my regular old shop vac from Kmart and a Dyson V10 with a proper mattress attachment. The Kmart vac, while more affordable, didnt get much out, whereas the V10 got an impressive, if sickening, amount out of the mattress and pillows. Using a proper mattress or upholstery attachment is key, because itll get a better seal, and using the handheld vacuum cleaner made the whole process much, much easier. If you have an electric blanket, be careful about vacuuming it because the wires can be fragile. Consider removing the electric blanket and just giving it a good shake and a sit in the sun. Instead just vacuum the mattress and wash the mattress protector (make sure you have mattress and pillow protectors). Finally, sprinkle baking soda over the whole thing to deodorise and kill some (not all) of the bacteria. Its OK if you want to use the whole box the first time, or if you havent done it in a while. Vacuum the mattress again to get out the baking soda, and then try to sleep, knowing that youre resting on a bacteria sponge. The Air According to the USA EPA, the air inside is often much more seriously polluted than the air outside. And the air outside is not great. We spend about 90 per cent of our time indoors, and hay fever sufferers likely spend even more time indoors cursing the bastard who decided planting Plane trees in the city was a good idea.

The solution for this one, at least, requires minimal effort on your part: Just get an air purifier. If you have a very small room, like a bedroom, the Dyson Hot + Cool Link is a great little all-in-one. Philips' air purifiers can clean up large rooms full of pollen or other irritants. But if you have more serious allergy concerns, or if you want to purify a living room, then a dedicated purifier like the Philips Air Purifier Series 2000 is a great choice for $529. Its able to clean a space up to 79m, which is larger than most inner-city two-bedroom apartments, making it one of the more powerful purifiers available on the market. If you need more than that, the Series 3000 can do 95m. Your Phone Millennials' aversion to phone calls makes a lot more sense once you know that your smartphone has more than 9000 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. No one wants to hold a toilet seat to their face.

Heres the bad news, though: the anti-fingerprint and oil coating on your phone does not respond well to cleaning products, particularly the more abrasive, antibacterial ones. Apple and Samsung recommend you only use a slightly damp, lint-free cloth and avoid cleaning products and compressed air. If you have a waterproof phone (triple check this), you can just rinse it under a tap and hope for the best. Cleaning wipes are your friends. If youre particularly concerned about the bacteria, companies like Laser sell anti-bacterial wipes designed for phones, screens and other hard surfaces. You can grab a 100 pack from Officeworks for $6.99. Keyboard, PC, laptop and video game controller Lets not go into the gross things that happen in front of home computers. However, your office computer has more than double the bacteria of your phone, with nearly 20,600 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Yes, I too just recoiled in horror.

Also, the fans in your PC (especially your gaming PC at home) are likely encrusted with dust and you should do something about it before the PC dies. The answer to the fan issue, and step one of cleaning your keyboard, is a can of compressed air. Just use some light bursts to get the dust out of the fans, and the debris out of your keyboard or laptop. If you have a mechanical keyboard, you might be able to remove the key caps to make this a bit easier, but make sure you confirm the key caps are supposed to be removable before you start ripping them off. If they are, you can soak the key caps in warm, soapy water. Just make sure theyre 100 per cent dry before you put them back on. As for the germs, most keyboard manufacturers say you shouldnt use anti-bacterial cleaners so you dont damage the surface. What they recommend is that you get your lint-free cloth or a cotton swab and lightly dampen it in some water (or, if youre feeling daring, warm soapy water) and wipe your keyboard or controller with that. Though, you can also use the aforementioned Laser anti-bacterial technology wipes, or get the surprisingly effective and satisfying Cyber Clean goo online. Goo that cleans! What a world.A Perth man and his Thai wife have been sentenced to death in Thailand for trying to smuggle half a tonne of crystal methamphetamine into Australia.

Luke Cook, 34, and Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, were arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport last December and charged in relation to a 2015 plot to smuggle half a tonne of crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $300 million into Thailand and then on to Australia.

Australian Luke Cook and his Thai wife Kanyarat Wechapitak. Credit:Narcotics Suppression Bureau

A Thai court has sentenced the couple to death, but that is expected to be commuted to life in prison, media reports on Wednesday said.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman declined to comment specifically on Cook, but said the Australian government was providing consular assistance to an Australian in Thailand.US President Donald Trump attacked his French counterpart on Tuesday in a series of tweets that underscored how much the once-friendly ties between the two leaders have soured, just two days after returning from Paris.

In five posts sent on the same day that French officials marked the anniversary of the 2015 terrorist attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, Trump blasted the key US ally over its near defeat to Germany in two world wars, its wine industry and Macron's approval ratings.Latest News Big Four reports suggest radical changes in home buying trends Both NAB and CBA have released data that suggests that Covid and housing affordability crisis have drastically altered how people buy property in Australia

Brokers are leading customers away from the Big Four, says research The broker channel is sending more clients than ever away from the Big Four  and customers are loving them for it

A federal court has rejected a $35million fine for one of the four major banks after it admitted breaking responsible lending laws.

Last year the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) began proceedings against Westpac in relation to its use of the Household Expenditure Measure (HEM) when assessing home loans.

ASIC argued the bank failed to conduct proper assessments to ascertain whether borrowers could afford to repay their loans.

The $35m penalty was a negotiated settlement between the two parties after it admitted to using the HEM to assess borrowers living costs.

ASIC alleged the bank approved around 50,000 home loans based on a HEM benchmark, even though expenses were presumably higher.

Among the explanations of the reasons behind the decision to refuse the penalty, Justice Nye Perram said the court had been asked to determine whether Westpac was in contravention of Section 128 of the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009.

Justice Perram said this section merely prohibits the making of a credit contract where an assessment has not been carried out. Regardless of the bank using the HEM benchmark, an assessment was in fact carried out.

Justice Perram also said that although both parties had agreed on the sum, the theoretical maximum penalty is therefore either $1.1 million or $1.7 million per contravention depending on the dates of contravention.

Justice Perram said because the parties could not agree on what contravened the section, it was difficult to judge the appropriateness of the $35m figure.

More detail to follow.Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Tuesday stressed the problem of K to 12 program was not legal but logistical as he called for an end to backlog in facilities. He called on the government to address the backlogs in the delivery of school facilities upon which the success of the said education reform hinged. He issued the statement following the Supreme Courts decision upholding the constitutionality of Republic Act 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, which expanded to 13 years the length of basic education in the country. The K to 12 program, Recto said, has not been hindered by legal challenges but by delays in the delivery of classrooms, equipment and the hiring of teachers whose numbers have to be increased commensurate to the addition of two years of senior high school in the education curriculum. However, the Senate leader commended the current DepEd leadership, led by Leonor Magtolis Briones, for reducing the huge backlog they had inherited. They have had to do a lot of catching up and are successful in this. He said K to 12s premise was that classrooms, teachers and equipment would already be in place to receive enrollees in the additional grade levels. That should have been the precondition. But the delivery of facilities was behind the curve, he said.As of July this year, there were 81,630 classrooms, funded in previous years, which were still in various stages of construction. This is on top of the 47,000 units to be built this year. Teacher recruitment was also hit by delays, Recto said. Of the 188,078 teacher items created from April 2016 to August 2018, only 114,019 teachers were hired from July 2016 to June 2018. This year the target is to hire 81,100 teachers. Another key education facility which suffered a procurement setback were technical-vocational packages, Recto said. Some 4,600 tech-voc packages were targeted for delivery this year, which, even if they will materialize, form a small part of a very big requirement, he added. We should remember that K to 12s promise was the graduation of employable high school graduates, many in the tech-voc field, but the absence of teachers and equipment betrayed this promise, he said.Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC

It was a salute to their service.

Brooklynites honored two dozen local veterans of the Korean War during a ceremony near a Downtown monument memorializing the conflict.

The groups Nov. 8 tribute at Cadman Plaza Parks Korean War Veterans Plaza provided a moving start to the boroughs many Veterans Day remembrances days before the official holiday on Nov. 11, according to an organizer.

It was amazing, incredible, said Toba Potosky, the president of green-space steward the Cadman Park Conservancy, who has staged the annual ceremony for the past five years.

Local pols  including Borough President Adams, Downtown Councilman Stephen Levin and state Sen. Marty Golden (RBay Ridge), who on Nov. 6 lost his seat of 16 years to Democrat Andrew Gounardes, but has yet to concede  joined veterans and their family and friends to honor the heroes, and to present 25 plaques to 25 men and women who served during the 195053 war between North and South Korea, in which United States troops fought alongside the South Koreans.

One honoree said the best part of the day was when his pals told him he didnt look a day older than when he first put on his military uniform decades ago.

I saw a lot of people that I know and everybody said to me, For a guy that had a stroke you look very well,  said Brighton Beach resident Jerome Jerry Forman, a Marine Corps veteran stationed in North Carolina during the war, who said he was never deployed.

The yearly tribute stands out among the boroughs Veterans Day events because the Korean War doesnt always get as much recognition as other conflicts, but its vets made the same sacrifices  and deserve the same honors, according to Potosky.

Often times the Korean War is overlooked, he said.Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC

State transit officials must install an elevator at Park Slopes Seventh Avenue subway station as part of their recently unveiled plan to make more hubs accessible across the city, locals and pols demanded.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority must include the Seventh Avenue station in any plans for accessibility upgrades, Councilman Brad Lander (DPark Slope) said at a Friday rally outside the station.

Lander called on the head of the state-run agencys local arm, New York City Transit chief Andy Byford, to include the F and G train hub as one of the 50 across the city set to receive accessibility upgrades including elevators as part of the $40-billion so-called Fast Forward plan to modernize the beleaguered system that he revealed in May.

Byford, who said no New Yorker should live further than two stops away from an accessible station in announcing his plan, has yet to name the locations that will be improved.

And Lander said the Seventh Avenue station deserves to be at the top of the list, due to its proximity to Methodist Hospitals main campus just down the street  as well as the hospitals new outpatient-care facility set to open on Sixth Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues in 2020  and the Park Slope Center for Successful Aging, which serves more than 4,000 oldsters each year.

Atlantic Terminal station is currently the areas nearest elevator-equipped hub, so bringing an elevator to Seventh Avenue would go a long way to opening Brooklyn and beyond to the neighborhoods disabled residents, who now must schedule trips with transportation service Access-a-Ride 24 hours in advance just to get around, according to one handicapped mom.

Theres a lot more New York has to offer that I would like to take advantage of, said Aisling Wharton, who lives two blocks from Seventh Avenue station, and is scooter bound due to chronic-fatigue syndrome.

The Fast Forward plan is not funded, however, and many locals are concerned that its $40-billion price tag underestimates its actual cost, which Park Slopes Assemblyman suggested is closer to $60 billion.

I think Andy Byford is very well intentioned, but his Fast Forward plan right now is a 70-page Power Point presentation  its not a budget and it is not detailed, Carroll said.

Lander promised to scrounge up whatever cash he can to help foot the estimated $30-million bill to install an elevator at Seventh Avenue station, but admitted whatever he may contribute from his discretionary budget would only be a drop in the bucket.

The volume thats needed is going to be a lot bigger than what we can do from a Council account, and the most important thing is its part of a real, systemic approach from the MTA, the councilman said.

The subway system predates the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, meaning that only new stations are legally required to be made accessible. But the Authority is currently fighting a class-action lawsuit filed last year on behalf of six organizations for disabled people and several handicapped individuals, which could potentially require all stations be made accessible, according to a plaintiff in the suit, Joe Rappaport, who is also the executive director of the Brooklyn Center For Independence of the Disabled.

And until a settlement is reached that legally requires the state-run agency to make all hubs accessible, Rappaport is skeptical about any promise  including the Fast Forward plans pledge to bring elevators to some 50 stations  that isnt backed by cold hard cash.

I guess you could say, without a legally binding statement, theres just no guarantee that these stations, or any others will be made accessible, he said.The specialized Mickey Mouse ear-design traffic stoplights are lighting up streets of the National Capital Region in time for the Yuletide season. This, after the Metro Manila Development Authority and Walt Disney Company Philippines, teamed up in a project decorating traffic signal lights in the metropolis. MMDA chairman Danilo Lim said his agency forged an agreement with Disney Philippines for a special collaboration decorating 90 selected Metro Manila traffic signal lights with Mickey Mouse ears. The special project hopes to serve as a simple reminder of childhood nostalgia and joy Mickey has brought Filipinos for the past nine decades. This special project also serves as a celebratory prelude to the holiday season, he said. This partnership will somehow provide a traffic relief especially in this time of the year where traffic is becoming heavier and heavier as everyone is on a rush preparing for Christmas, added Lim. Lim said the project dubbed as Mickey Lights Up Manila aimed to share a smile to Filipinos in their daily commutes simply by dressing up stoplights with Mickey ears.The special Mickey Mouse stoplights will be found across key cities in Metro Manila, such as Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila, Muntinlupa, Paranaque, Quezon City, and San Juan. The MMDA also joined Disney Philippines in celebrating the 90th anniversary of Mickey Mouse by creating a festive atmosphere in Metro Manila to elicit a smile to road users. Veronica Cabalinan, head of the Walt Disney Company Philippines, said the Mickey ear traffic lights relived the Mickey-legacy of fun and laughter, bringing-out the child in all of us as we reminisce the joy that Mickey once brought in our lives when we were young. Mickey is an icon of fun, laughter, and optimism and is one of the most enduring personalities for all ages. We feel privileged to be able to share a smile and spread happiness through Mickey to all Filipino kids and families during this festive season across Manila, she said.Dear Reader,

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Digital Editormajor Industries has shortlisted four countries - Nigeria, Egypt, Myanmar and Bangladesh - for the expansion of its overseas operations, a top company official said.

The company hopes to begin operations in one of them in the next financial year and in another in the following year.

The Kolkata-headquartered company has plans to go for either joint manufacturing with a local firm or acquisitions, where ever it is possible, in the new markets.

Besides, Industries would enhance its products portfolio by launching croissants by the end of this year and expand its offering in the value-added segment in the dairy business, where it aims to be a niche player in the drinkable.

"We are looking for two more countries to enter ... Our commitment is to enter into one new country every new year," Industries Managing Director Varun Berry told PTI.

He further added, "The countries which are in our shortlist are Nigeria, Egypt, Myanmar and Bangladesh."



On being asked about the time frame, Berry said, "At this point of time, we are very close to entering and one of them would be next financial year and another would be in FY2020-21."



As part of overseas expansion plans, Britannia Industries would locally manufacture its range of products to avoid high import barriers either through acquisition or through joint manufacturing.

"We would look at some kind of manufacturing locally as these countries have very high import duties, whether it is Nigeria, Egypt and Bangladesh, we would have to make sure that we do some local manufacturing," he added.

He further informed that Britannia's plant in Nepal would be operational by the end of this financial year.

"We expect our Nepal factory, which we are putting in, to get commercialised by the end of this financial year," he added.

Besides, Britannia Industries operates two factories in the Middle East.

According to Berry, presently Middle East business is "subdued" because of the political turmoil, but the company has gained market share.

About the expansion of the product portfolio, Berry said that this financial year would be a "landmark" year for the company, which would determine its future for the next 5 to 10 years.

"Lot more is coming up. We have croissants launch coming up in the fourth quarter... We have some other new categories, which we are looking at, would come in Q4. We have some new formats and completely new designed products in cakes," he added.

It is also starting milk collection at its Ranjangaon facility, which would be a hub for its dairy products manufacturing.The Indian unit of China's largest bank, the Industrial and Commercial of has set up $200 million fund for investing in the promising Indian micro, small and medium enterprises and ventures, its official said here.

Zheng Bin, of the Industrial and Commercial of (ICBC) on Monday gave an overview of Indian start-up ecosystem and how to invest in them at the 2nd 'Start-up India' Investment Seminar organised by the here.

"He also informed that the ICBC has established a USD 200 million fund for investing in the promising Indian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and ventures," the said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ICBC, a top state-run Chinese which is the country's largest lender by market value, opened its branch in in 2011.

More than 350 Chinese mostly representing Chinese (VC) funds, angel investors participated in a day-long pitching session and seminar organised by the in partnership with the Start-up Association (SIA) and Venture Gurukool.

Forty-two Indian entrepreneurs representing 20 Indian start-ups took part in the event which was expected to fetch good investments for the Indian firms, Prashant Lokhande, Counsellor Economic and Commerce of the Indian Embassy who addressed the event said.

Four out of the 12 Indian firms which took part in the first start-up India investment seminar held here last year got funding from the Chinese VCs to the tune of USD 15 million, the press release said.

In the current round, 7-8 start-ups out of 20 participants may get a commitment to the tune of $30 million, it said.

The event was planned to expose the Chinese VCs and investors to the promising Indian start-ups on one hand and help Indian start-ups to reach out to the huge Chinese investors community for receiving investment for growth of their companies, it said.

Addressing the event Acqino Vimal, Deputy Chief of Mission said Chinese investors should take part in the development process of India growth story through investing in Indian start-ups.

He said India's young demography, rapid economic growth and fast pace urbanisation and its challenges work as hotbed for growth of Indian entrepreneurs and start-up ecosystem, as well as provide them opportunity for offering unique, innovative, and affordable solutions for these challenges.

During the seminar, a report "India China: Start-ups & Beyond" by giving detailed account of Indian start-up ecosystem and why it is right place for making venture investments, was unveiled.Facebook on Monday categorised fake as an "existential threat" to the social media platform, leading to the company taking some tough measures to combat it.

The American giant said its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has created a "large number of teams" to combat disinformation and fake

"[Fake news] is an existential threat to the platform. As a social media platform, we are devoted to doing good and misinformation is the opposite of that," said Manish Khanduri, Head of Partnerships at Facebook.

"If it [content] violates community standards, eg. pornography that content, we have a very strong process for it and that gets taken down immediately. But when somebody says this is propaganda from a political party, we are entering the realms of speculation as well as opinion and that's not what Facebook could do," he said at the Beyond Fake News conference organised by the BBC in New Delhi.

Facebook was joined by representatives from other major social media platforms, such as Twitter and Google, for the first time in an open discussion about fake news as part of the BBC's new drive to combat disinformation.

The representatives from the global media giants discussed the threat the phenomenon of fake news poses, as well as the decision-making process around choosing what to take down and what to keep up on their platforms.

"In terms of identifying what is misinformation, there is a certain limit we have. We don't want to sit in judgment. We identify certain parameters around which misinformation exists and then we leave it to fact-checking agencies," said Irene Jay Liu, Lead for Google News Labs, Asia Pacific region.

"We believe training and upskilling is important and that's why we launched the Google news initiative training network, which will train 8,000 journalists in several local languages. We have already trained over 10,000 journalists," she said.

It emerged during the conference that none of the major social media has any board-level positions dedicated to tackling fake news.

"Do you want individual like ours to make decisions about what is true and what is not? That would be a tremendous challenge," noted Vijayya Gadde, Global Head of Trust and Safety on Twitter.

Beyond Fake News is the British public broadcaster's new international anti-disinformation initiative, looking at highlighting the problems posed by the fake news phenomenon and seeking solutions to it.General Electric Co is pursuing assets sales with "urgency" to reduce its high debt and is unsure when its ailing power business will hit bottom, Chief Executive Officer Larry Culp said in a television interview on Monday, sending its shares down as much as 10 per cent. Culp is facing tough questions about GE's financial strength and earnings prospects after he was named CEO on October 1 with a mandate to turn around the 126-year-old conglomerate. "We have no higher priority right now than bringing leverage levels down," Culp told CNBC. "We have ...Goldman Sachs Group Inc "cheated" Malaysia over its dealings with state fund 1MDB which is the subject of corruption and money-laundering investigations, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told CNBC in an interview aired on Tuesday. The United States, Malaysia and at least four other countries are investigating how billions of dollars went missing from 1MDB, founded by former Malaysian premier Najib Razak. US prosecutors filed criminal charges against two former Goldman Sachs bankers earlier this month. One of them, Tim Leissner, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder ...Senator Aquilino Koko Pimentel III on Tuesday said the Philippine National Police should go after all guns-for-hire and hit squads as part of their regular operations to promote law and order in the entire country.ASAP! Disarm them and file cases with sufficient evidence, said the former Senate president. If evidence warrants, he said charges should be filed against all those with links to the syndicate. He noted that those who employed guns-for-hire are actually principals in the crime. Their liability is the same or as serious as the gunman, he said. But Senator Panfilo Lacson said he believes it is premature for the PNP to name names if they are not yet ready to file the necessary charges.He said politicians using gun-for-hire elements to eliminate their opponents is happening as long as there were elections or since elections were first invented, especially at the local level. For his part, Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III said he doubts if PNP chief Oscar Albayalde plucked his report out of thin air. They must have uncovered plots or intelligent reports on guns-for-hire syndicates. The problem is proving these allegations in court to be able to file the necessary charges, he said.has been the only gainer in the sector in August from a revenue-per-user as well as profitability perspectives, helping it increase the market share sweepstake to 20.8 per cent, says a report.

The Mukesh Ambani-led teleco's market share rose to 20.8 per cent in August from 19.6 per cent in July, against Vodafone Idea's subscriber market to 37.9 per cent, making it the market leader.

Jio, already the third biggest by a number of subscribers, added the maximum number subscribers at 12.2 million, driven majorly by its 4G feature phone launch, it said, adding the competition reported flat numbers or even a decline from the year-ago levels.

On the average revenue per user (Arpu) front, the incumbent telcos have taken a hit due to Jio's aggressive marketing strategy over the past two years, it said.

At an Arpu of Rs 135, Jio is an "outlier" as this was the highest in the industry in Q1 as against 100-105 for competition. But the same fell steeply to Rs 131.7 per user in the second quarter but still managed to report higher net income of Rs 6.81 billion.

Against this, Bharti Airtel, which was the largest player before the Vodafone-Idea merger reported a steep 65.7 per cent plunge in net income for the September quarter to Rs 1.18 billion as its Arpu declined 29 per cent to Rs 101 from Rs 142 in the same period last year.

The merged entity of Vodafone Idea will announce its second-quarter numbers Wednesday.

Key players are now focussing low tariff plans coupled with large data allowance at a low price, which is further putting downward pressure on Arpu levels, it said.

From a profitability perspective, it said Jio's pretax margins were stable at 32 per cent for the last two quarters, but the same period saw second largest telco Bharti Airtel's margins sliding by 4.40 per cent.

"Bharti has lost 12 per cent of its annual revenue in India during the last six months, mostly to Jio. Also, Bharti's margin declined to 31 per cent in the first half from 38 per cent a year ago, attributable to increased competition and low Arpu realisation," it explained.The BJP alleged Tuesday that Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier's claims on the deal had exposed the lies of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi whose behaviour had become increasingly irresponsible and oblivious to India's security needs.

Union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said that Trappier's interview had particularly exposed the lie about the company's offset obligation.

The CEO, he added, made it clear that such an obligation with Anil Ambani's Reliance and 30 other firms would be undertaken solely by Dassault and that Government of India had no role whatsoever.

Gandhi had frequently alleged corruption in the deal and claimed that it was tweaked to favour Ambani, a charge denied by the government and also Reliance.

"The interview exposed all the lies of the Congress and its president," Prasad said, adding the fighter aircraft was inducted to "subserve" the security needs of the Indian Air Force.

Attacking Gandhi, he alleged, "Increasingly, as the Congress president, his behaviour is quite irresponsible and completely oblivious to the security needs of India. It is no surprise that the language of Rahul Gandhi and his friends in Pakistan are the same."



In Jabalpur, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters that the "lies of Rahul Gandhi had been caught again".

"The politics of lies, deceit and conspiracy promoted by Rahul Gandhi has yet again been exposed... He has become shameless to an extent which is unimaginable," Patra alleged.

In a media interview, Trappier had defended the contract and claimed no wrongdoing in the Rs 58,000 crore deal, asserting it was a "clean deal". He claimed his company chose Reliance as an offset partner.

The Congress dismissed his claims as "manufactured lies".Alleging a "fixed match" between the government and maker Dassault Aviation, the Congress on Tuesday said the "blatant corruption" in the fighter jet deal cannot be hidden and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into it.

"The nation does not need doctored explanations but fair investigation. A fixed match between the government and Dassault and public relation stunts of (Prime Minister Narendra) and ( CEO) Eric Trappier can't hide the blatant corruption," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

His comments come in the wake of Trappier's remarks in an interview to an Indian media outlet, rubbishing Congress President Rahul Gandhi's charges of "lying" and asserting that the intergovernmental deal to buy 36 Rafales was "clean".



Trappier also said that the company itself chose as offset partner for the deal and clarified that it had 30 more such partners other than

Dubbing Trappier's interview as "dictated" and "manufactured lies", the Congress said the " scam" cannot be suppressed.

"Mutual beneficiaries and co-accused's statements hold no value. Beneficiaries and accused can't be judge in their own case," said Surjewala, daring the government to submit itself for a JPC probe.



Leading the attack on the issue, Gandhi has accused Modi of corruption and Trappier of lying. Alleging "huge corruption", Gandhi had claimed that the deal was "done by Modi to give Rs 300 billion".

The Congress has earlier too rejected Dassault's justifications of the deal, saying the company will say whatver the Modi government wanted it to say.The two-day Ministerial meeting at Singapore failed to reach a consensus on chapters related to e-commerce, competition and investment, though progress was made on several other issues.

India was represented by Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu at the ministerial negotiations, to be followed by the Leaders' Summit on Wednesday. Prime Minister will be participating in the summit.

The ministerial took stock of the state of negotiations across the various chapters and also assessed the progress on 'The Package of Year End Deliverables'. They urged the negotiators to expedite talks with a view to conclude negotiations by the end of next year.



ALSO READ: PM Modi bracing for a tough RCEP meet in Singapore tomorrow

The (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) agreement is a mega trade pact aims to cover goods, services, investments, economic and technical cooperation, competition and intellectual property rights.

Member countries have differences over the issues concerning e-commerce, competition and investment as they apprehend that the norms would have adverse implications on their domestic industry as well as the economy.

"Ministers guided the negotiators to deliberate further on e-commerce, competition and investment chapters where consensus could not be reached during this meeting. Ministers urged the negotiators to intensify their work with a view of narrowing gaps and finding balanced outcomes in the negotiations with the aim of concluding negotiations by 2019," the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

Prabhu, according to the statement, said that 'substantial progress' has been achieved in the negotiations which should be reported to the leaders. He also impressed upon all the trade ministers to lend political support to fast track the negotiations.



ALSO READ: Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu leads delegation for RCEP meet in Singapore

The Commerce Minister defended India's interests effectively and secured maximum flexibilities, it said, adding, in both STRACAP and SPS negotiations, India managed to obtain balanced outcomes in the application of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism.

India also showed flexibility on the principle of 'consensus' in the Institutional Provisions Chapter which helped in its successful conclusion during the meeting.

The ministers acknowledged the good progress made in the negotiations so far with successful conclusion of 5 chapters this year alone, taking the total to 7 chapters, namely Economic and Technical Cooperation; Small and Medium Enterprises; Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation; Government Procurement; Institutional Provisions; Standards, Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures (STRACAP); and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS).

On the sidelines of the RCEP, the Commerce Minister held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Singapore, China, Japan and New Zealand. He discussed bilateral issues and progress in negotiations. He also had pull-aside meetings with trade ministers of South Korea, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Australia and Philippines to discuss matters of mutual interest.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) bloc comprises 10 members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their six partners - India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand."Customs administration is also about facilitating commerce and helping the economy grow." "Customs administration is also about facilitating commerce and helping the economy grow."

Three commissioners in a span of two and a half years is indicative of something that needs to be done with the Bureau of Customs other than changing the head of agency. Maybe its time to seriously consider better and more effective systems as an antidote to all forms of smuggling. Customs administration, after all is not just about increasing revenues from imports, or apprehending smugglers and confiscating contraband. Its also about facilitating commerce and helping the economy grow. When vital raw materials and supplies are held up at Customs, business efficiency suffers. When manufactures are not delivered to their buyers on time because supplies needed to complete the manufacturing process are delayed, the economy loses much. During the last years of the Cory administration, BoC entered into a pre-inspection contract with Societe Generale de Surveillance, a Swiss firm. This was implemented effectively during the succeeding Ramos government, but was scuttled by the Erap administration. Succeeding administrations have not revived pre-inspection. If shipments imported into the Philippines are pre-inspected at origin, the chances of contraband slipping into the country are minimized. This would mean faster customs clearance and less opportunity for under-the-table arrangements between shippers and their brokers and corrupt customs personnel. If a reputable company like SGS did the pre-inspection of the shipments of NFA rice from Vietnam or Thailand recently, there would likely have been no bukbok infestation in the imported rice, because they would have strictly enforced the terms of reference in the import contracts regarding the age of the shipped rice, and the pre-fumigation requirements thereto. Maybe the new Customs commissioner should look at more effective systems other than just changing officials in the agency with a new set of military men. Besides, the agency should have a list of reputable importers who have been clean through the years of their operation. Thus, examiners could just zero in on the more dubious and the less-known importers and their brokers. Apart from pre-inspection services, intelligence gathering and importer surveillance should help. * * * For the longest time, we have been complaining about the duopoly in telcos and the lousy service it has been giving us. Thus, consumers are putting their hopes on a third telco that would break the duopolys practices and improve service considerably. We have to congratulate Acting DICT Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. for conducting the process of selecting a third telco with utmost transparency and a sense of urgency despite his not being designated as a permanent secretary. But now that the DICT and NTC have bid out the license for a third telco to compete with the long-established Smart and Globe, everyone and his mother is throwing brickbats at the declared winner. Simply because Dennis Uy is from Davao, some charge that Malacanang pulled strings. Simply because he partnered with China Telecoms, security issues are brought up. Conveniently, the critics and carpers do not tell the public that one telco is controlled by an Indonesian conglomerate once connected to the Suharto regime which fell under the weight of legendary corruption. Or that the other telco lording it over the countrys telecommunications business has another foreign entity, SingTel, as partner.Just because the partner this time is Chinese, we throw in so many red flags. Come on, do we want to break the duopoly or not? Do we want faster Internet service or not? Do we want our connectivity to each other and the rest of the world to be quick or not, with no blind spots? * * * We have had several visitors in the past few weeks here in Taiwan. There was Rep. Lito Atienza and his wife Beng, along with members of his congressional staff. My tukayo and I reminisced about the days when I was a consultant in his office as mayor of the City of Manila. There was former DTI and Finance Secretary Titoy Pardo and his family, who went to Taipei to attend a conference with the Seven-Eleven Group, their long-time partners in the Philippine operations. Titoy and I were together in the cabinet of President Joseph Estrada. And last week, guess who blew into town? Former PNP director-general and former Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald Bato de la Rosa and his wife, who were invited by his friends in the Taiwan police force. Bato also met leaders of the Filipino community in Taiwan and visited the Taoyuan factory of I-Mei Food Products, where he was serenaded by workers who sang Pusong Bato. The former PNP chief gamely joined them in singing his signature song. I have to commend Gen. De la Rosas handlers for a very catchy slogan: Sagot ko kayo! Itaga niyo sa Bato! which was emblazoned in a polo shirt which he gladly handed as a souvenir to some of us in Meco and the Taiwan police officials. The latter hosted a dinner for their visiting former counterpart who is now running for senator. * * * Once again, BOC was able to foil the smuggling in of containers loaded with trash, this time from South Korea. Years ago, someone imported several containers filled with toxic hospital waste from Canada. My unsolicited advice to the new BOC commissioner Guerrero: Have the PNP arrest the president of the importing company, and ship him out of the country inside the containers loaded with trash, back to South Korea.On the eve of his Singapore visit, Tuesday said his participation in the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits symbolised India's "continued commitment" to strengthen its engagement with ASEAN members and with the wider Indo-Pacific region.

The PM would visit Singapore on Wednesday and Thursday to participate in the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits.

In addition, he would also participate in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Leaders' Meeting.

"My participation in these meetings symbolises our continued commitment to strengthening our engagement with ASEAN member states and with the wider Indo-Pacific region. I am looking forward to my interactions with other ASEAN and East Asia Summit leaders," Modi said in his departure statement issued Tuesday.



"On Wednesday, I will be the first head of government to deliver the Keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival," the prime minister said.

He said as the world's largest event on financial technology, the festival was the right forum not only to showcase India's strengths in this fast-growing sector, but also to forge global partnerships for fostering innovation and growth.

Modi said during the visit, he would also have the opportunity to interact with the participants and winners of the joint India-Singapore Hackathon.

"It is my firm belief that if we provide the right encouragement and a nurturing ecosystem, our youth has the ability to become global leaders in providing solutions to the challenges facing humanity," he said.



Modi said he was confident that his visit to Singapore would impart fresh momentum to New Delhi's growing partnership with ASEAN and East Asia Summit nations.

"As I depart for Singapore, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Singapore for their able chairmanship of ASEAN this year, and convey my best wishes for all success in hosting ASEAN and related summits," he said.

On the margins of these summits, the prime minister would hold bilateral meetings with other leaders. He would hold a bilateral meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence on November 14, the External Affairs Ministry had said here earlier.

The White House said last week that Pence and Modi would discuss the India-US defence cooperation and the bilateral relationship during their meeting in Singapore.The Narendra Modi government is considering whether to hold a truncated winter session of Parliament and subsequently a brief session in February to present its interim Budget, or go for a combined concluding session of the current Lok Sabha. Government sources said the winter session could begin on December 10 and end on December 23.

There is also a view in the government that it could follow the example of UPA 2, which in 2013-14 had combined the winter and budget sessions with a long recess in between. Usually, the official Budget session, if a government has completed its ...The release of the first list of BJP candidates for the has triggered a flurry of resignations in the party as many prominent names have failed to get ticket to contest.

State Minister Surendra Goyal has sent a curt resignation letter to Rajasthan party President Madanlal Saini saying he was resigning from the primary membership of the (BJP). He has been a five-time MLA for BJP.

He has said he will contest the upcoming election as an Independent from Jaitaran seat.

Habibur Rehman, an MLA from Nagaur, has also quit the party. He is expected to join the Congress.



Kuldeep Dhankhar, a former General Secretary of the BJP, also quit after he was overlooked or the election on Monday.

According to him, he might contest as an Independent from Virat Nagar and insisted that the candidate chosen by the BJP in his place was a bad choice.

The names of Health Minister Kali Charan Saraf, Transport Minister Yunus Khan and Industries Minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat are also missing from the list of candidates and speculation is rife that they too can desert the BJP.

Meanwhile, Avinash Rai Khanna, the BJP's election in charge of Rajasthan, told IANS that the party was doing all it can to end the dissidence.



"We are in the process of talking to the dissidents. Our leaders are trying to meet them and talk to them. We won't allow any of them to leave the party," he said.

Asked why no Muslim had been fielded, he said: "Our next list is pending and we shall speak on this issue once the list is out."

The supporters of dissidents have been reaching the BJP headquarters here in large numbers to express their anguish over the decisions of the party.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said: "We shall sit together to fight such dissidence."Consolidating the anti-BJP front in Tamil Nadu, the CPI-M on Tuesday said it will be a part of the DMK-led front in the state for the Lok Sabha election next year.

This was stated by Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury after a meeting with DMK President M.K. Stalin here.

"The defence of our country is the objective Stalin and I share. Alliances will always take place at the state level and then a national level alliance will take place. At the state level (Tamil Nadu), we have decided that we will be in the DMK-led secular formation," Yechury said with Stalin by his side after the meeting.



ALSO READ: DMK pledges support to Congress to defeat BJP in Lok Sabha polls 2019

Last week, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu met Stalin in a bid to strategize on an anti-BJP alliance at the national level.

Yechury described his meeting with Stalin as fruitful and the basic agenda was that all patriotic secular forces in India should come together and India need to be saved from the "onslaught" of the BJP and the manner in which it was running the country.



The constitutional republic and the country's unity and integrity had to be protected from the BJP, he said, adding that the livelihood of the people in the last four years and more had been continuously assaulted by the government.Britain and the are "almost within touching distance" of a deal after another late-night negotiating session, a close ally of Prime Minister said Tuesday.

Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, effectively the UK's deputy prime minister, said it's "possible but not at all definite" that the two sides can reach an agreement this week.

"We are not quite there yet," Lidington told the BBC.

"This was always going to be an extremely difficult, extremely complex negotiation, but we are almost within touching distance now." May's Cabinet met Tuesday for an update on the talks, with the prime minister under pressure from pro- ministers not to make further concessions to the EU.

The prime minister said Monday evening that the negotiations were in their "endgame" but that she would not sign up to an "agreement at any cost." Britain wants to seal a deal this fall, so that Parliament has time to vote on it before the UK leaves the bloc on March 29.

The European Parliament also has to approve any agreement.

Negotiators have been meeting late into the night in Brussels in a bid to close the remaining gaps.

The main outstanding issue is how to ensure there are no customs posts or other checks along the border between the UK's Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland after

The two sides are working on a proposed solution involving a common customs arrangement for the UK and the EU. But May faces pressure from pro-Brexit Cabinet members not to agree to an arrangement that binds Britain to EU trade rules indefinitely.

May also faces growing opposition from pro-EU lawmakers, who say her proposed is worse than the status quo and the British public should get a new vote on whether to leave or to stay.British and EU negotiators have reached a framework agreement that will be examined by the UK cabinet at an emergency meeting Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May's office said.

"Cabinet will meet at 2:00 pm (1400 GMT) tomorrow (Wednesday) to consider the draft agreement the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels, and to decide on next steps," Downing Street said in a statement.

A European source said a technical agreement had been struck but still needed political approval both on the British and European sides. Ireland's public broadcaster RTE cited two government sources saying a text crucially resolves the Irish border issue -- a key sticking point.

May's cabinet is splintered on Brexit, with some senior ministers opposed to provisions that could keep the UK closely tied to the European Union for years to come.



But cabinet approval could pave the way for a historic EU-UK summit in Brussels at the end of November that would finalise the agreement's text.

A final deal would then face other hurdles, the most notable one coming in the British parliament, where May's government's holds a razor-thin majority.

May would need strong support from her own Conservative Party, where dozens of eurosceptics have opposed the reported frameworks of the deal. Her coalition partners from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have also threatened to vote against the agreement if they find it splinters the province from the rest of Britain.

The news saw the British pound shoot up in value to 1.304 dollars from 1.285 on Tuesday at 2200 GMT.



Citing two sources, Ireland's RTE said the framework deal provides for a temporary solution aimed at keeping the Irish border open if London and Brussels fail to strike a new trade deal by the end of 2020.

This so-called "backstop" -- an issue the two sides have been unable to resolve for months -- would see the whole of the United Kingdom remain in a customs arrangement with the European Union.

It also provides for additional "deeper" provisions for Northern Ireland on customs and regulations, RTE said.

The report said the deal also provides for a review mechanism that Britain could use to try and leave the backstop arrangement, another key demand of eurosceptics in May's party.



Britain will formally split away from the other 27 EU nations on March 29, even if no final agreement clears all the hurdles both in the Britain and the EU.

The threat of a calamitous no-deal Brexit, in which no clear trade rules are set by March between the bloc and one of its largest economies, have weighed heavily on the negotiations.

May's government hopes that lawmakers in both chambers will rally around the deal once its text is set in stone, boosting investor confidence.The dead were found in burned-out cars, in the smoldering ruins of their homes, or next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could jump in behind the wheel and escape. In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that coroner's investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them.

At least 42 people were confirmed dead in the wildfire that turned the Northern California town of Paradise and outlying areas into hell on earth, making it the deadliest blaze in state history. The search for bodies continued Monday.

Hundreds of people were unaccounted for by the sheriff's reckoning, four days after the fire swept over the town of 27,000 and practically wiped it off the map with flames so fierce that authorities brought in a mobile DNA lab and forensic anthropologists to help identify the dead.





Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire as it continues to burn in Malibu, California. Photo: Reuters

Meanwhile, a landowner near where the blaze began, Betsy Ann Cowley, said she got an email from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. the day before the fire last week telling her that crews needed to come onto her property because the utility's power lines were causing sparks. PG&E had no comment on the email, and state officials said the cause of the inferno was under investigation.

As the search for victims dragged on, friends and relatives of the missing called hospitals, police, shelters and the coroner's office in hopes of learning what became of their loved ones. Paradise was a popular retirement community, and about a quarter of the population was over 65.

Tad Teays awaited word on his 90-year-old dementia-stricken mother. Darlina Duarte was desperate for information about her half-brother, a diabetic who was largely housebound because he had lost his legs. And Barbara Hall tried in vain to find out whether her aunt and the woman's husband, who are in their 80s and 90s, made it out alive from their retirement community.



A firefighter sprays water on a controlled burn at a wildfire. Photo: PTI/AP

"Did they make it in their car? Did they get away? Did their car go over the edge of a mountain somewhere? I just don't know," said Hall, adding that the couple had only a landline and calls were not going through to it.

Megan James, of Newfoundland, Canada, searched via Twitter from the other side of the continent for information about her aunt and uncle, whose house in Paradise burned down and whose vehicles were still there. On Monday, she asked on Twitter for someone to take over the posts, saying she is "so emotionally and mentally exhausted." "I need to sleep and cry," James added. "Just PRAY. Please."



The blaze was part of an outbreak of wildfires on both ends of the state. Together, they were blamed for 44 deaths, including two in celebrity-studded Malibu in Southern California , where firefighters appeared to be gaining ground against a roughly 143-square-mile (370-square-kilometer) blaze that destroyed at least 370 structures, with hundreds more feared lost.





A burned vehicle is seen on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Photo: AP/PTI

Some of the thousands of people forced from their homes by the blaze were allowed to return, and authorities reopened U.S. 101, a major freeway through the fire zone in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Malibu celebrities and mobile-home dwellers in nearby mountains were slowly learning whether their homes had been spared or reduced to ash.

All told, more 8,000 firefighters statewide were battling wildfires that destroyed more than 7,000 structures and scorched more than 325 square miles (840 square kilometers), the flames feeding on dry brush and driven by blowtorch winds.

In Northern California, fire crews still fighting the blaze that obliterated Paradise contended with wind gusts up to 40 mph (64 kph) overnight, the flames jumping 300 feet across Lake Oroville. The fire had grown to 177 square miles (303 square kilometers) and was 25 per cent contained, authorities said. Winds were expected to weaken on Monday night.

Greg Woodcox, who led a caravan of vehicles that was overcome by flames, said he heard screams and watched a friend die as the heat blew out the vehicle's windows. Four other people also died.





New evacuations were ordered in Carpinteria, a seaside city in Santa Barbara County that has been under fire threat for days. (Photo: AP/PTI)

The 58-year-old told the San Francisco Chronicle he was in a Jeep ahead of the other vehicles and ran when the flames overtook them. He followed a fox down a steep embankment and survived by submerging himself in a stream for nearly an hour.

But there were tiny signs of some sense of order returning to Paradise and also anonymous gestures meant to rally the spirits of firefighters who have worked in a burned-over wasteland for days.

Large American flags stuck into the ground lined both sides of the road at the town limits, and temporary stop signs appeared overnight at major intersections. Downed power lines that had blocked roads were cut away, and crews took down burned trees with chain saws.

The 29 dead in Northern California matched the deadliest single fire on record, a 1933 blaze in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. A series of wildfires in Northern California's wine country last fall killed 44 people and destroyed more than 5,000 homes.Audio linked to Jamal Khashoggi's murder inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate does not implicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Tuesday, citing others who have heard the tapes.

has previously said it shared recordings linked to the murder of Khashoggi -- a Saudi dissident and fierce critic of the crown prince -- with officials in Riyadh, and other capitals.

Khashoggi was last seen entering the consulate on October 2 to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage. After repeated denials, finally admitted the 59-year-old had been murdered at the mission in a "rogue" operation.

Bolton, speaking to reporters in Singapore ahead of a regional summit, was asked whether it was right to say the audio contained nothing that implicated the crown prince.

"I haven't listened to the tape myself but in the assessment of those who have listened to it that's right," he said.

Khashoggi's brazen murder has caused intense speculation over what, if anything, Crown Prince Salman might have known about the operation.

Turkish President has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government and pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Salman of responsibility.

The New York Times reported that a member of the team at the consulate had told a superior by phone to "tell your boss", suspected to be the crown prince, that the operation had been accomplished.

The Trump administration embraced the young prince as a reform-minded ally, but the murder of Khashoggi -- a US resident -- has soured that narrative.

Bolton emphasised that Trump has demanded a full investigation from the Saudis and for those responsible to be held accountable.

"The president has made it very clear that he expects we're going to get the truth from the Saudis -- and the king and the crown prince, in the conversations they've had with the president, have committed to that," he said.

But Trump has also emphasised America's important commercial, strategic and national security relationships with the petro-state as well as lucrative arms contracts.US Vice President Mike Pence met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday to discuss bilateral trade and to touch base on their policies on North Korea as the two sides tried to showcase alliance ahead of key regional summits this week.

Pence told Abe as their talks started that he planned to follow up on bilateral free trade talks that Abe and President Donald Trump agreed in September. The trade talks are expected to begin early next year.

Japan has faced demands that it reduce its trade surplus with the US and is also concerned about the impact of Trump's trade war with China.

Pence and Abe gave reassurances of their cooperation on North Korea's denuclearization. Pence will leave later Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Singapore and an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Papua New Guinea on behalf of President Donald Trump.

He said they would also talk about "advancing the goal of the de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" and that the United States supports Japan's commitment to free and open Indo-Pacific.

The two sides were also expected to discuss China's growing regional influence, Japanese officials said.

Pence said in a recent opinion piece in The Washington Post that America will soon begin negotiations for "a historic trade agreement with Japan." Trump's administration has made trade agreements with South Korea, Mexico and Canada. Pence said in the article that the new trade deals "will put American jobs and American workers first."



Pence also said the US will continue to put diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea and urged all Indo-Pacific nations to keep the pressure campaign and sanctions in place until the complete denuclearization of North Korea is achieved.A US think tank said on Monday it had identified at least 13 of an estimated 20 undeclared missile operating bases inside North Korea, underscoring the challenge for American negotiators hoping to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. In reports released by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), researchers said maintenance and minor infrastructure improvements had been observed at some of the sites despite the negotiations. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to ...Oil prices fell more than 1 per cent on Tuesday, with benchmark Brent crude slipping below $70 per barrel and US crude under $60, after US President Donald Trump put pressure on OPEC not to cut supply to prop up the market. The US dollar hovered near 16-month highs, making oil more expensive for importers using other currencies. Brent was down $1.03 at $69.09 per barrel by 0900 GMT. US light crude was $1.00 lower at $58.93. Both benchmarks are down 20 per cent since peaking at four-year highs in early October. "Sky-high production in the US, coupled with incremental ...Shortly after the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated last month, a member of the kill team instructed a superior over the phone to tell your boss, believed to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, that the operatives had carried out their mission, according to three people familiar with a recording of Mr. Khashoggis killing collected by Turkish intelligence. The recording, shared last month with the C.I.A. director, Gina Haspel, is seen by intelligence officials as some of the strongest evidence linking Prince Mohammed to the killing of ...OPEC built a case on Tuesday for cutting oil output when it meets next month, warning that a supply glut could emerge in 2019 as the world economy slows and rivals increase production more quickly than expected. Worried by a drop in oil prices and rising supplies, OPEC is talking again of reducing production just months after increasing it. Such a shift would anger US President Donald Trump, who on Monday urged OPEC not to cut supply. In a monthly report, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said world oil demand next year would rise by 1.29 million barrels per ...In the week before the mid-term elections, Donald Trump returned to his bread-and-butter issue: immigration. He knows that the only thing that will turn out his base, and possibly swing some independents over to his side, is fear. Economic indicators are in reasonably good shape (for now).

Hillary Clinton is nowhere near power (for now). He cant use the threat of North Koreas nuclear weapons because hes already told Americans after the Singapore summit that they can sleep soundly (for now). Ah, but a caravan of poor migrants, many of them women and children, ...Air India senior Captain Arvind Kathpalia has been relieved from the charge of Director (Operations) with immediate effect.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended his flying licence for three years after he failed the breath analyser (BA) test before his flight on November 11.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday said in its release, "Captain Amitabh Singh, ED (Training), AIL to be assigned the additional charge of the post of Director (Operations), AIL with immediate effect till further orders."

The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) had demanded the immediate termination of Kathpalia from the Air India's board calling him a "repeat offender" who endangers passengers' lives.

Kathpalia was found positive in a pre-flight breath analyser test and declared 'not fit to fly'. He was scheduled to fly AI-111 flight from Delhi to London on November 11.

According to the ICPA, Kathpalia had skipped the BA test on January 19 last year. He was scheduled to operate a flight from New Delhi to Bengaluru and proceeded to do so without undergoing the mandatory test claiming that the flight would get delayed. Upon landing at Bengaluru, the pilot allegedly refused to undergo the test once again.

The ICPA had also claimed that the signature pilots are mandated to make in a register upon completion of duty was also allegedly forged by Kathpalia.

The DGCA had suspended Kathpalia last year for three months after he had skipped compulsory pre-flight medical test on several occasions.

It is mandatory for pilots to undertake the BA test to ensure that they are not in an inebriated state before entering the cockpit. For safety reasons, they are prohibited from consuming alcohol before reporting for duty.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Air India's Chief Vigilance Officer will conduct a detailed inquiry into the administrative and disciplinary aspects of Captain Arvind Kathpalia's failed breath test and the impact of his actions on the passengers' safety, a statement from the airlines confirmed.

Kathpalia was found positive in a pre-flight breath analyser test and declared 'not fit to fly'. He was scheduled to fly AI-111 flight from Delhi to London on November 11. Earlier today, he was relieved from the charge of Director (Operations) with immediate effect.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also suspended his flying licence for three years after he failed the breath analyser (BA) test before his flight.

"The aforesaid facts, apart from being a violation of CAR, have serious implications on passenger safety, and an administrative inquiry has been ordered. Chief Vigilance Officer, Air India Limited would conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident of 11th November 2018 and on the administrative and disciplinary aspects of the conduct of Capt Arvind Kathpalia and the impact of his action on passenger safety," the Air India statement said.

The DGCA had suspended Kathpalia last year for three months after he had skipped compulsory pre-flight medical test on several occasions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday said that the negotiations on the United Kingdom leaving the European Union were "in the endgame," but asserted that securing an agreement on the same was "immensely difficult."

With time ticking out before the UK officially leaves the European bloc by next year, May said that a deal would not come "at any cost."

"Any deal must ensure we take back control of our laws, borders and money. It must secure the ability to strike new trade deals around the world," the British Prime Minister was quoted by CNN as saying.

Chief European Union negotiator, Michel Barnier, earlier said that intense negotiations on chalking out a Brexit deal were on. A European diplomat told CNN that Barnier had to scrap a planned news conference, owing to the talks with the British government.

Currently, both the UK and Ireland are part of the EU single market, which means that goods and services being transported between the two regions need not undergo custom checks.

The two countries also want to avoid a "hard border" between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which would require custom inspections. But, both the sides have been unable to come out with the conditions.

If the two sides fail to finalize the Brexit deal, a policy would be applicable in 2020, wherein Northern Ireland would effectively remain in the EU customs union.

The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019. However, in practice, a deal has to be finalized in the next few months to allow for parliamentary ratification.

In June, the EU Withdrawal Bill, also known as the Brexit Bill, became a law, after Queen Elizabeth II gave her approval.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)British Prime Minister Theresa May's office announced on Tuesday (local time) that a draft Brexit deal has been agreed on by negotiators from both Britain and the European Union (EU).

An emergency Cabinet meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday (local time) by the Prime Minister, who now faces the mammoth task of getting the Cabinet's approval of the draft deal and subsequently, passing it in the British Parliament.

Quoting a Downing Street spokesman, CNN reported that the meeting would be held at 2 pm (local time) to decide on the course of action, along with considering the Brexit deal that has been reached by negotiators from both the parties in Brussels.

Talks regarding the draft deal carried on through the night till a consensus was reached.

Border issues between EU-member Ireland and UK's Northern Ireland have been a roadblock in the talks, with both the sides not wanting a 'hard border' between the states which would call for customs checks on goods and services being transported between the neighbouring regions.

Details regarding the text of the deal have not been disclosed yet.

The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, while the EU Withdrawal Bill (or the Brexit Bill) became a law in June this year after Queen Elizabeth II gave her approval for the same.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)According to a recent study, diabetes medication empagliflozin can improve cardiac structure in diabetics who also have heart disease.

Led by St. Michael's Hospital researchers, the study was presented at the American Heart Association meeting in Chicago.

"Empagliflozin is used to reduce glucose in diabetes patients, but it also has profound cardiovascular benefits," said Dr Subodh Verma.

"The reasons why this medication results in profound reductions in death and heart failure are largely unknown," added Dr Verma. "And whether it can directly and favourably remodel the heart has been an important unanswered question."

The increased thickness of the heart's left ventricle is associated with heart disease and heart failure. The study found that when the subjects were given empagliflozin, it caused a significant regression in left ventricular mass index. The left ventricular mass index was assessed using cardiac MRI, the gold standard method for evaluating heart function.

"The results are truly impressive since they were observed on top of excellent standard of care and seen within a very short period of time," said Dr Connelly.

Dr Mazer added that the data "provide important clues as to how this medication is working, and how it may prevent heart failure in people with Type 2 diabetes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A coalition of main opposition parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has chosen Martin Fayulu as their candidate for December 23 presidential elections in the mineral-rich nation. The new coalition is called Lamuka.

The move follows a week of talks in Geneva under the auspices of the Kofi Annan Foundation.

Fayulu, 62, is the president of the opposition Commitment for Citizenship and Development party.

The coalition meeting in Geneva included Felix Tshisekedi of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) and Vital Kamerhe of the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC). The duo was widely considered to be among front-runners for the nomination.

The two other members of the collation are exiled Katumbi of Together for Change movement, and Jean-Pierre Bemba of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), who were both barred from competing.

Fayulu worked for the US group Mobil in several African countries from 1984 to 2003, first as auditor and then as director general.

Fayulu will face Peoples Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, who was chosen to replace Kabila.

There were 21 candidates approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) in September.

The December elections have been delayed for two years, as Kabila refused to step down following the 2016 expiration of his constitutionally determined presidential term.The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a bail plea filed by alleged middleman Manoj Prasad who was arrested in the bribery case against Rakesh Asthana, the special director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The High Court said that the allegations against Prasad were serious in nature. The court also noted the CBI submission that the investigation is at a crucial stage.

On Monday, the middleman had approached the High Court seeking bail in the case, following the dismissal of his similar application by a trial court here on November 3, when the court reserved its order on a bail plea filed by Prasad.

Prasad was arrested on October 17 by the CBI for allegedly seeking Rs 5 crore from a Hyderabad businessman Sathish Sana for getting relief from the CBI's summons. His custody was later extended by five days on October 25 by a Delhi court.

On October 29, Kumar had moved a bail application before the special court following his arrest by the CBI last week. In his application, Kumar mentioned that the agency did not have valid search warrants when his office and residence were raided by the agency's anti-corruption unit. During the raid, Kumar's personal computers were also seized by the officials.

However, on October 30, a Delhi Court had remanded Prasad to judicial custody for 14 days.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a case against its Deputy Legal Advisor Beena Raizada for allegedly forging signatures of the head of the branch in her annual appraisal report in order to get a favourable promotion.

The case has been filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 417 read with 511, 468, 471 and 477.

The FIR has been registered under suspected offences of cheating, forgery, use of bogus documents as genuine and fraudulently committing mischief of documents.

The complainant Ashish Prasad, Deputy Superintendent of Police at CBI AC-V Unit of Bhopal had registered the complaint at CBI AC-I Unit, Delhi.

ASP Sandeep Chaudhary has been entrusted with the responsibility of investigating the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress on Tuesday said that Centre's affidavit to the Supreme Court on the controversial Rafale deal was more concealing than revealing and sought clarification from the government on five contentious points about the fighter plane deal, which the government was justifying.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress leader and former Union Minister Manish Tiwari said, "The affidavit actually conceals more than it reveals. We would like to ask the NDA government five fundamental questions, which underscore the fact that the government is trying to conceal more than it reveals."

Tiwari stated that paragraphs 18 and 21 of the government's affidavit confirms that the UPA government's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal and the NDA's Rafale deal were two separate defense procurement agreements.

"Then how is it that on April 10, 2015, when the Prime Minister went to France, did the government arrive at the conclusion that India will purchase 36 aircraft, when the formal decision to terminate the MMRCA process was taken in June 2015," Tiwari asked.

The Congress leader then asked if the Indian Air Force (IAF) were on board to roll back the procurement from 126 to 36 aircraft. "The question is, was the air force on board with this decision. If this was the case, when was the SQRs (Service Qualitative Requirements) initiated? If the MMRCA had collapsed, the SQRs, which is the initiation of any such process, when were they done?" Tiwari asked.

He further asked when was the Statement of Case, which is issued by the (Army, Air Force or Navy), made. "Not only that it goes through something called the Service Capital Acquisition Plan Categorisation Committee (SCAPCC) and the SCAPC Higher Committee before it is submitted to the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) for the acceptance of necessity. So, when were these meetings held?" Tiwari enquired.

"These four fundamental steps constitute a clear violation of the defense procurement procedure," Tiwari added.

The Congress' third question was how could the government pre-decide that they needed 36 Rafale jets, the announcement for which was made on April 10, 2015, before the DAC accorded the acceptance of necessity on May 13, 2015.

"Our direct charge is that this is a command performance. Rather than a process dovetailing into a decision, a decision has been made and the process is structured in order to provide justification or legitimacy to that decision," Tiwari said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Democratic Alliance (NDA) government had on Monday submitted details of the decision-making process about the Rafale deal to the apex court, in accordance with the court's October 31 direction.

A version of the document, which was made available to the petitioners, said that all requisite steps as per the requirement of the Defence Procurement Procedure, 2013, were followed while procuring the fighter planes.

The document further added that the delay caused by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in finalizing the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft deal had allowed India's adversaries to ramp up defense procurement and expand their existing fleets of fighter planes with more advanced jets.

Tiwari further said that the BJP's justification for the hike in the per-aircraft price of the jets from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,600 crore, which the former said was down to making India-specific enhancements and arming the jets, was contradicted in the affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court.

The Congress leader highlighted paragraph 23 of the affidavit, which says that the "operational capability of 36 Rafale aircraft will be in accordance with the SQRs for the procurement of the MMRCA."

Tiwari added, "If the 36 aircraft that you bought is exactly similar to the 18 which the MMRCA tender process envisaged, how did the price go up by Rs 1,100 crore per aircraft?"

The Congress' fourth query was--why the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was cut out of the process at the last moment, adding that if there were a mismatch between the number of hours of labour work needed in India against that in France, they should have also accounted for the considerable difference in the labour costs in the two countries.

The final question the Congress sought an answer for was why the defense procurement procedure of 2013 was retrospectively amended on August 05, 2015, adding that it was done to "absolve the Ministry of Defence of pre-vetting India offset partners."

"Because it was very difficult to justify that the partner or the preferred partner, which according to President Hollande was a condition precedent for this transaction to go through, you amended the defense procurement procedure because you knew you will not be able to justify it," Tiwari said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A month after writer-producer Vinta Nanda accused actor Alok Nath of allegedly raping her, the Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA), on Tuesday, expelled Nath from its membership.

CINTAA released a statement on Twitter stating, "In view of the various allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against Mr. Alok Nath, after due diligence and consideration, the Exec. Committee of #cintaa has decided to expel him from the Association."

Speaking to ANI, Amit Behl, Sr Joint Secretary CINTAA said, "CINTAA has expelled Alok Nath from its membership till further notice after he failed to respond to CINTAA. He was supposed to appear before its ICC and Executive committee yesterday but he didn't turn up. Now CINTAA has asked him to be present in its annual general meeting on 1st May and if he fails to put his point, he will be permanently expelled from CINTAA."

In October, Nanda accused Alok Nath of rape. She narrated her horrifying ordeal in a Facebook post. She was the writer and producer of teleserial 'Tara' in the 90s, in which Nath played a lead role.

The actor had later filed a civil defamation suit against the Nanda after she accused him of rape. He also sought a written apology, along with a compensation of Re 1 and a restraining order against Nanda. However, the application was rejected by Mumbai's Dindoshi Sessions Court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Ministerial Security Division (MSD) officer of former Sri Lankan Minister of Petroleum Resources Development Arjuna Ranatunga, has been further remanded on orders of the Colombo Chief Magistrate on Monday after he was identified by two witnesses as the perpetrator behind a mob shooting at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) that left one dead.

On October 28, Ranatunga's security guard allegedly fired five live bullets at the crowd that had blocked the former Sri Lankan Minister's way when he arrived at CPC for a meeting. Two people got injured in the shooting while one of them succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

While Ranatunga was arrested a day after the incident his security personnel was arrested on October 28 and remanded to judicial custody.

Colombo Page reported that the security personnel was scheduled to be identified by three witnesses at the hearing held on November 12, during which two of the witnesses identified the officer as the shooter.

The MSD officer has been sent to judicial remand till November 15, while the Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne has also ordered for the submission of the post-mortem report on the next hearing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court on Tuesday reserved the bail orders for mining baron and former state minister Gali Janardhan Reddy who was arrested by the Central Crime Branch on Sunday in connection with a fraud case. The court will announce its verdict tomorrow.

Reddy was arrested in an alleged bribery case involving the Ambident Group. He is suspected to have received 57 kilograms of gold worth Rs 18 crore to help an accused in a case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Bengaluru Commissioner of Police T Suneel Kumar had earlier said, "A company Ambident, set up in 2016-17 assured investors a return of 30-40 per cent per month in the form of profits. Thousands of people were lured to invest. Initially, they returned the first batch profits as promised following which more people poured in. Subsequently, when it failed to return the principal amount, cases were registered."

He added, "In January 2017, the ED raided the company. The crime branch took over the case and a probe was conducted which revealed that transactions to the tune of Rs. 18 crore were carried out."

Kumar informed that it was discovered that the company had allegedly transferred the money to Ramesh Kothari, who runs a business in the name of Ambika Jewellers. On quizzing Kothari, he informed that he had used the money to buy the gold which was handed over to Reddy's personal assistant Ali.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) will contest the upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu in alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

After meeting DMK president MK Stalin at his residence here, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday said, "We have decided today that in Tamil Nadu, we will be with the DMK in the forthcoming elections. We are together on the issue of saving the unity, integrity and harmony of the people of India and the country's Constitutional institutions."

He added, "All the secular-minded parties should come together. We have a common objective. Alliances will take place at the state level. CPM will be with DMK at the state level."

The Congress, the Indian Union Muslim League and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) were the parties that had contested the previous Assembly elections as part of the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu. In fact, all these parties had contested the previous Lok Sabha elections together as well but for 2019 the equation is yet to be decided.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said that cyclonic storm Gaja, which was over west-central and adjoining East central and South Bay of Bengal, moved westwards during the last six hours.

The storm laid centred at 5:30 am on Tuesday. While moving westsouthwestwards, it is likely to weaken gradually and cross the Tamil Nadu coast between Cuddalore and Pamban as a 'cyclonic storm' during the forenoon of November 15, the IMD said.

Earlier, the weather agency, in a statement, said that cyclone Gaja would further intensify in the next 24 hours, and is likely to weaken gradually.

"It is very likely to move west-southwestwards and intensify further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm during next 24 hours and maintain the intensity during subsequent 24 hours. Thereafter, while moving west-southwestwards, it is likely to weaken gradually and cross north Tamil Nadu coast between Nagapattinam and Chennai as a cyclonic storm during November 15 forenoon," read the statement.

The districts that would be affected due to the cyclonic storm are Thiruvarur, Cuddalore, Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Puducherry, and Vizhuppuram. During that time, the speed of wind in the affected areas is expected to be in the range of around 80-90 km per hour and can go up to 100 km per hour.

The cyclone would reach at Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border on the midnight of November 14. "As per the current status between November 14 midnight to November 15 till the system crosses districts, the speed of the wind will be around 80- 90 km per hour, and at that 100 km per hour is expected," IMD deputy director S Balachandran told reporters on Monday.

Heavy rainfall is expected to hit north coastal Tamil Nadu from the evening of November 14 and is likely to continue till November 16. South Tamil Nadu will also experience heavy rainfall on November 15, and isolated areas to experience rainfall on November 16. Heavy rainfall is also expected in the south coastal region of Andhra Pradesh during the course of three days, that is, from the evening of November 14 to November 16. Kerala will also receive rainfall on November 15 and 16, the IMD has said.

In the wake of the cyclonic situation, a red alert has been issued for the administration in parts of Tamil Nadu to keep the government authorities ready to mobilise resources to meet any eventuality.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it will hear Zakia Jafri's plea challenging the clean chit given by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several others in 2002 Gujarat riots on November 19.

Zakia Jafri is the widow of former Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Ehsan Jafri. He was among the 69 people killed in the Gulbarg Society massacre.

The matter came up for hearing before a bench, comprising Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice Deepak Gupta.

The SIT, appointed by the apex court, conducted the investigation into the case and gave a clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, other top politicians and bureaucrats.

Challenging the Gujarat High Court's order dated October 5, 2017 that upheld SIT's clean chit, Zakia approached the Supreme Court. Zakia had alleged a larger conspiracy in the riots.

The Gujarat High Court had upheld the magisterial court's order, accepting the apex court-appointed SIT's closure report giving a clean chit to Modi and others, citing lack of "prosecutable evidence" against them.

Zakia had approached the Gujarat High Court in 2014 after the magisterial court rejected the petition challenging the SIT report.

Zakia's petition in the Supreme Court stated, "Grant ad-interim order to Special Investigation Team to carry out further investigation u/s 173(8) of Cr. P. C. in regard to the Petitioner's complaint dated 08/06/2006 and the evidence placed before the Learned through the Protest Petition dated 15/04/2013.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth on Monday said that if Opposition thinks Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a dangerous party, it must be.

Interacting with media outside Chennai airport, Rajinikanth, when asked if he agrees with the Opposition's stance that the BJP is a dangerous party, said, "If they (Opposition) think like that then definitely it (BJP) must be."

the opposition is forming an anti-BJP block and does he agree with the Opposition's stance that the BJP is a dangerous party

When further asked about the implementation of the demonetisation, he termed it as an incorrect move. "The demonetisation scheme was not implemented properly. We need to have a larger discussion on it," Rajinikanth told reporters.

Rajinikanth was among the few personalities who had supported the demonetisation move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016.

"Hats off @narendramodi ji. New India is born #JaiHind," he had said minutes after demonetisation was announced.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The head of the G5 Sahel anti-Jihadist force on Monday said the regional force is still looking for a new headquarters after the June attack.

The assault on the G5 Sahel taskforcea security mission composed of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritaniain the town of Sevare in Mali was perpetrated by militants in the war-stricken nation.

According to Mauritanian General Hanena Ould Sidion, the G5 Sahel anti-Jihadist force is still waiting for the Malian authorities to offer a place for its new headquarters.

We have no office to work, Sidion lamented at a meeting with the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, and her German counterpart of Defence, Ursula von der Leyen.

The talks with the two European ministers focused on the evolution of the arrival of financial aid, equipment, as well as the gradual resumption of operations.

Violence by armed groups with links to al-Qaeda and ISIS in the arid Sahel region has risen in recent years with targeted attacks on security forces.

The 5,000-strong G5 Sahel force launched last year has received millions of dollars in backing from the United States, European Union, Saudi Arabia and others.

The joint forces mandate includes fighting terrorism, organized crime and human trafficking; restoring state authority; helping displaced persons to return home; contributing to humanitarian operations; and helping to implement development projects.Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday told voters in poll-bound Chhattisgarh that, if voted to power, his party will provide jobs to the youth, free treatment in government hospitals and waive off farmers' loans.

"Chhattisgarh is a rich state - water, land, coal, mineral, it has everything. People of Chhattisgarh saw a dream of development. However, for 15 years the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken all money from the state and given it to few rich businessmen. The BJP leaders and ministers openly robbed the state," Rahul said in an eelction rally at Mahasamund, which will go to polls on November 20.

"Within 10 days after coming into power, the Congress party will waive off the loans of Chhattisgarh farmers. Secondly, you all were told that you will get bonus. Since last two years you have not been getting the same. Not only we will resume this practice, we will also compensate for the bonus of these two years, which BJP failed to do. They talk about MSP. Congress will get you Rs 2,500 for paddy. In every district, every block, the Congress party will put up food processing units. In the same factory, your children will get jobs," he added.

The Nehru-Gandhi scion went on to say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is only concerned about only 15-20 rich people in the country.

"In Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif was jailed as he took money from people and put it into Panama bank accounts. A country like Pakistan jailed him. The son of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister (Raman Singh) does the same thing, he puts money into Panama account, but no investigation is done on him," Rahul said.

Talking about the controversial Rafale deal, Rahul said, "In Rafale contract, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani. Whose money was it? It was the money of people who stood in queues and deposited in banks during demonetisation."

The first phase of assembly elections in Chhattisgarh was held on Monday, the second round is scheduled to take place on November 20, while the results will be declared on December 11.

The Congress party, which ruled Chhattisgarh's first state assembly from 2000 to 2003, is aiming to wrestle back the control of the state from BJP.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two terrorists were killed on Tuesday while attempting to infiltrate in Keren sector of Kupwara district.

The operation is still in progress as of now.

On Sunday, a terrorist was gunned down by police in Handwara town in Kupwara district. He was later identified as a member of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

One Army personnel also lost his life in the ceasefire violation by Pakistan at the Line of Control (LoC) in Naushera sector on Sunday.

On September 23, the security forces had foiled an infiltration bid and gunned down two terrorists in Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district in the state.

As of November 6, security forces had gunned down as many as 200 terrorists this year in the state, with 30 neutralised in October alone.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has clarified that the person accused of attacking Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) president Jagan Mohan Reddy did not have permission to enter beyond the premises of check-in area.

BCAS Director General (DG) Kumar Rajesh Chandra in his written reply to the questions raised by YSRCP general secretary and Member of Parliament (MP) Vijayasai Reddy, said that no permission was given to Fusion Foods owner Harshvardhan Prasad Chowdhary and accused J Srinivasan Rao to have access in the aerodrome entry point of Vishakhapatnam airport. Chowdhary belongs to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

In the letter, Chandra also clarified that accused Rao had obtained a temporary one-month Aerodrome Entry Permit (AEP) for the period from October 1 to October 30, 2018 which gave him access only till check-in area of the departure terminal. The restaurant operator, Fusion Foods, was granted a license for catering in the departure area of the airport only. There was another approval in the area of departure specifically for setting up a restaurant, the letter stated. In its clarification, BCAS categorically stated that Rao never had permission to access the VIP lounge.

The letter also pointed out that Rao's criminal track record was not shared with the BCAS by the restaurant. On whether accused Rao was given permission to serve food in the aeroplanes and whether restaurant had permission to serve food to passengers of different airlines onboard, it was clarified that the restaurant was allowed to serve food only within the premises of the restaurant and not outside the allocated area of the restaurant.

The detailed reply by the BCAS come days after Reddy had written to the BCAS Director General seeking to provide information and demanding a thorough inquiry.

The YSRCP party president Jagan Mohan Reddy was allegedly attacked at Visakhapatnam Airport by an airport canteen worker on October 25.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi's Patiala House Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of journalist Upendra Rai who was arrested in an alleged money laundering case.

Contesting against the bail plea, Enforcement Directorate (ED) submitted that the accused may influence the witnesses and may hamper the probe if released on bail.

Denying the relief to the accused journalist, the court said that charges against Rai were of serious nature.

On August 9, the Patiala House Special Court took cognisance of prosecution complaint filed by ED against Rai before the Special Judge (the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED filed the complaint against Rai on August 6 in an alleged money laundering case to the tune of Rs. 29, 58,09,570.

Rai was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) under PMLA on June 8 and has been in judicial custody since then.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Cho Myoung-gyon, South Korea's unification minister, will embark on a five-day trip to the USA on Tuesday to discuss issues related to North Korea denuclearisation and inter-Korean relations.

The official visit comes in the thick of almost stalled denuslearisation talks between the involved nations, with a recent New York meeting between US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Kim Yong-chol, a senior aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, being postponed without a date in sight.

The minister is slated to meet the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), and experts on North Korea from institutes like the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) during his trip, according to Yonhap News Agency.

He is likely to put forth easing of sanctions on USA's end towards North Korea for ease of cross-border projects, along with reiterating the belief that improved inter-Korean relations stand to benefit the denuclearisation process.

Meanwhile, a study published by CSIS has claimed to have located 13 out 20 undeclared North Korean missile operating bases, which may be a setback in talks between the US and North Korea, if proven to be true.

The study is largely based on satellite images and interviews with North Korean defectors, along with government officials internationally.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)New images from a commercial satellite have revealed that North Korea has multiple undeclared operating missile bases.

This comes after North Korea recently postponed high-level talks with United States on the denuclearisation of Korean peninsula.

The images indicate that North Korea is moving forward with its ballistic missile program amid international pressure from countries like South Korea and the US, reported CNN.

The existence of these undeclared bases has been known to the US intelligence agencies but US President Donald Trump has never openly acknowledged their existence or his knowledge of it.

Following his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June, Trump had said that Pyongyang is "no longer a nuclear threat."

The first summit between Trump and Kim was held on June 12 in Singapore, which saw the two sides signing a joint declaration.

The North Korean leader assured, "complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula", while the US President pledged "security guarantees" to North Korea.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Monday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government saying that it failed to formulate right policies for farmers.

Addressing a gathering here, Pawar said that in spite of discussing the issues being faced by the farmers, Ram temple has become the priority of the ruling dispensation.

He even accused the central government of diverting people's attention. "Be it loan waiver or other policies, this government failed in formulating right policies for farmers. Today farmers' problems are not being discussed, Ram temple is being discussed. This government has worked towards diverting people's attention. We have to be aware of this," he said.

Pawar had earlier targetted the Prime Minister Modi government over the Rafale deal signed between India and France.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The number of Indians studying in the United States has increased by 5.4 per cent over the last year to 196,271, according to the 2018 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, released on Tuesday.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that the total number of Indian students pursuing their higher in the United States has gone up.

Speaking at the US-Indian Educational Foundation (USIEF), Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs Joseph Pomper said, "Looking at the past 10 years of data, the number of Indians going to the United States has doubled. The reasons are clear--Indian students are looking for a great and the United States continues to offer this."

Pomper also stated that the Embassy continues to see well qualified Indians applying to study in the United States as well as record attendance at the US university fairs held across the country.

As per the report, Indians make up nearly 18 per cent of all international students in the United States, surpassed only by China. India provides the second highest amount of graduate students and fourth-most undergraduates.

The number of American students studying in India increased to 4,704, 12.5 per cent more than the year before. "I am thrilled to see a significant increase in the number of American university students choosing India as a study abroad destination," said Adam Grotsky, Director of USIEF.

"At USIEF, we believe that student exchange programs are one of the best ways to foster meaningful relationships and promote mutual understanding between American and Indian citizens," he added.

In 2017-18, US colleges and universities hosted more than one million international students for the third consecutive year. This marks the twelfth consecutive year of continued expansion.

The top places of origin for international students studying in the United States were China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil. The top host states were California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Singapore on Tuesday night to attend 13th ASEAN Summit at the invitation of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong. Singapore is the current Chair of ASEAN.

"I will be visiting Singapore on 14-15 November, to participate in the ASEAN-India and East Asia Summits," PM Narendra Modi said in his departure statement prior to his Singapore visit. "In addition, I would also participate in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Leaders' (RCEP) Meeting" he added.

"My participation in these meetings symbolizes our continued commitment to strengthening our engagement with ASEAN Member States and with the wider Indo-Pacific region. I am looking forward to my interactions with other ASEAN and East Asia Summit Leaders," said the Prime Minister.

"On 14 November, I will have the honour to be the first Head of Government to deliver the Keynote Address at the Singapore Fintech Festival. As the world's largest event on financial technology, the Festival is the right forum not only to showcase India's strengths in this fast-growing sector, but also to forge global partnerships for fostering innovation and growth," he added.

"During my visit, I will also have the opportunity to interact with the participants and winners of the joint India-Singapore Hackathon. It is my firm belief that if we provide the right encouragement and a nurturing ecosystem, our youth has the ability to become global leaders in providing solutions to the challenges facing humanity," he said in the statement.

"I am confident that my visit to Singapore will impart fresh momentum to our growing partnership with ASEAN and East Asia Summit nations. As I depart for Singapore, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Singapore for their able Chairmanship of ASEAN this year, and convey my best wishes for all success in hosting ASEAN and related Summits," he further said in the statement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has invited private investors to participate and make the most of the India growth story.

Speaking at a roadshow for Discovered Small Field-II bids here on Monday, Pradhan underlined that India has made giant strides in oil and gas sector in the last four years but the best is yet to come. No country, international organisation or company alone can go far without partnership and collaboration, Pradhan added.

Pradhan pointed out that India is presently the third largest energy consumer in the world. Energy consumption in India in the past decade has increased at a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 per cent. In future too, he highlighted, energy consumption in India is expected to rise by more than 4 per cent annually.

"Globally, the majority of the growth in energy demand is going to come from India. Our oil and gas demand is expected to increase nearly three- fold from 229 Million Metric Tons currently to 607 Million Metric Tons in 2040. There are several bright prospects in upstream oil and gas sector in India," Pradhan emphasised.

The minister said that the Indian government has undertaken measures to overhaul the policy framework encompassing the entire energy value chain to ensure energy security for the country.

"One of the most important areas of focus to ensure energy security is towards the E&P sector. Both Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy and Discovered Small Fields Policy are progressive measures aimed at facilitating investment for exploration in Indian acreages. 55 blocks spread across 10 sedimentary basins under maiden Bid Round of Open Acreages Licensing Policy were recently awarded after a gap of six years," Pradhan said.

In 2016, the Indian government launched Discovered Small Fields Bid Round-I which was a sterling success with 30 contract areas being awarded to 20 companies. The successful completion of DSF Round-I and OALP-I have given India immense confidence, and the second round of DSF and OALP are being launched.

Describing this as an unparalleled opportunity, Pradhan explained DSF II includes 60 discoveries with an estimated in-place reserve of over 195 Million Metric Tons of Oil and Oil Equivalent Gas. OALP Bid Round II includes 14 Blocks with a total area of 29,233 square kilometres.

Pradhan said that the Government of India has also brought out various other policy reforms including Coal Bed Methane policy, incentivize Enhanced Recovery for augmenting production of oil and gas from matured fields, exploration and exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbon from all fields.

He added that a state of the art Data Repository (NDR) has been set up which is a database of all the geo-scientific data of hydrocarbon resources in the country. Pradhan further pointed out that NDR is equipped with cutting-edge technology and provides ready access to interested companies.

The Minister said that India accords high priority to promoting a gas-based and clean economy. Currently natural gas forms a relatively small share of our energy mix.

"Gas infrastructure projects of over 8 billion US dollars are under implementation across the country. We aim to increase the share of natural gas in the energy mix from current 6.5 per cent to 15 per cent by 2022. Going forward, we intend to create a robust natural gas trading hub. The process to formalise the concept has already been initiated by our Government," Pradhan concluded.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Deputy Finance Minister: It Is Unrealistic to Increase Pension up to GEL 400

By Tea Mariamidze

Deputy Finance Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kakauridze criticized the presidential candidate of the United Opposition, Grigol Vashadze, for his pre-election promise that if he wins, the state pension will be increased up to 400 GEL.The Deputy Minister explains that it is a lie and absurd to increase pension so much, adding it is absolutely unrealistic to do so.If all state agencies are abolished, there still will not be enough funds in the state budget to increase pension to 400 GEL, he stressed.According to Kakauridze, even Vashadze knows it is impossible to implement such changes.Chairman of the Healthcare Committee of the Parliament, Akaki Zoidze, also commented on the issue. According to him, the pre-election promise of Vashadze equals to laughing at pensioners.The first thing we can do, in order to improve conditions of the pensioners, is to link pension to the economic growth of the country In order to implement Vashadzes promise, it needs GEL 2 billion, which will devastate the state budget, he added.Zoidze claims that Vashadze and some economists in his team are quite well aware that it is impossible to increase the pension up to GEL 400 in 2019, 2020 and even in 2021.During the pre-election campaign, Grigol Vashadze many times outlined his plans for economic prosperity by lessening bureaucracy in the public sector. He believes reducing costs could enable an increase in the monthly pensions allowance to 400 GEL and teachers salaries to 1000 GEL.Currently, there exists a universal basic pension in Georgia which amounts to 180 Gel (Around $ 65). According to the decision of the government, from January 1, 2019, the state pension will become GEL 200 (around $ 72.31).Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has admitted to 'theft' in the Rafale deal before the Supreme Court and changes made in the contract without consulting the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Gandhi tweeted in Hindi, "Modi ji has admitted to his theft in the Supreme Court. In the affidavit, he admitted to changes in the contract without asking the Air Force and put Rs 30,000 crore in Ambani's pocket. The picture is yet to come, my friend."

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma pointed out that Dassault Aviation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eric Trappier has once said on record that "there is a work share agreement finalised between Dassault and HAL."

"Eric Trappier has said on record that there is a work share agreement finalised between Dassault and HAL. So which of his statement is correct? He has to clarify now," Sharma told ANI.

He further questioned Trappier, "I would like to ask Mr Eric Trappier why did he make this statement on March 26, 2015 in the presence of the then Indian Air Force chief Arup Raha and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) chief announcing that Dassault and the HAL have almost finalised the agreement."

Trappier in an exclusive interview to ANI rubbished allegations made by Gandhi that the former lied about the details of the Dassault-Reliance Joint Venture (JV) for offset contracts in the Rafale Jet deal.

"I don't lie. The truth I declared before and the statements I made are true. I don't have a reputation for lying. In my position as CEO, you don't lie," said Trappier when asked to respond to Rahul Gandhi's charge that Dassault was covering up for possible cronyism in awarding the offset deal to Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group.

On Monday, the Centre submitted details of its decision-making process in the Rafale aircraft deal to the Supreme Court. In its affidavit, the government said that all the requisite steps as per the requirement of Defence Procurement Procedure 2013 were followed while procuring the fighter planes.

The submission by the Central government was made in the 14-page document that has since been made public. However, the pricing details provided in a sealed cover are in the custody of the apex court. The court will peruse both the documents and hear the matter on Wednesday.

Gandhi, time and again, has accused the Narendra Modi-led NDA government of ousting HAL as Rafale's offset partner and choosing Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence Limited to save the company's debt-ridden chairperson and his business.

The Congress has been accusing the Centre of irregularities in the high-profile 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.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his monthly radio address 'Mann Ki Baat', Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the people want a government, who will listen to their "Mann Ki Baat".

Addressing an election rally here, the Congress chief said, "We will not speak about our 'Mann Ki Baat.' We want to listen to your (people's) Mann Ki Baat. People want a government who will listen to their Mann Ki Baat."

Making a strong pitch for the state's real development, Gandhi said that outsourcing of jobs will be stopped if his party comes to power in the state. Gandhi told a cheering crowd, "Outsourcing of jobs will be stopped when we come to power."

"Nearly 60,000 posts of teachers and lecturers are lying vacant in the state. We will give what is yours. Instead of working for a few industrialists, the Congress will work for the development of agriculture, education and health in the state." " We will also develop food processing units for farmers in each district and blocks if voted to power where youths will also get jobs," added Rahul.

Promising a "people's government" in Chhattisgarh, Gandhi said that the Congress party would waive off farmers' loans within 10 days of forming the government. "Bonus will be given to farmers for their produce and food processing plants will be set up in all districts where farmers' children will get employment," he said.

Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by accusing him of insulting Congress leaders like Mahendra Karma and Narendra Kumar Patel, who fell to the bullets of Naxals in Chhattisgarh. "Our leaders in Chhattisgarh have made the real sacrifice by standing up against the menace of Naxals and Prime Minister Modi insulted them," he stated.

The Congress president claimed that Anil Ambani was chosen over the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Rafale deal despite HAL having 70 years experience in manufacturing fighter aircraft. He said, "Anil Ambani didn't have the experience. He may not have made even a paper aero plane."

The first phase of Assembly elections of Chhattisgarh polls took place on November 12 in which the voting was held for 18 sensitive seats in Bastar division. The second phase will be held on November 20. The counting of votes will take place on December 11.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lanka's Supreme Court will deliver its verdict on the legality of the January 5, 2019 snap polls announced by President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday, after 13 fundamental rights petitions were filed against the dissolution of the Parliament.

The decision came after the court adjourned hearing on the 13 fundamental rights petitions filed by several political parties including the United Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Tamil Alliance (TNA), All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), civil organization Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), former MP Mano Ganesan and Attorney Aruna Laksiri on November 12.

A three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Nalin Perera, Justice Priyantha Jayawardena and Justice Prasanna Jayawardene heard the petitions filed during November 12th's hearing.

The petitioners said that the President does not have the power to dissolve the Parliament under the 19th amendment of the constitution and have requested the Supreme Court to issue an order to nullify the gazette notification issued by Sirisena, wherein he dissolved the Sri Lankan Parliament, reports Colombo Page.

They further requested the apex court to suspend the January 5 snap polls until the passing of the verdict.

A submission made on behalf of TNA leader R. Sampanthan on Monday noted that the gazette notification issued by Sirisena on November 9 was in violation of the Constitution while outlining that conditions under which a President can dissolve the Parliament.

According to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the first situation in which a President can order for dissolution is when a motion is passed by the Parliament with a two-thirds majority, while the other situation is when a Parliament's term is beyond four and a half years.

These arguments made by President's Counsel K. Kanaga Eeshawaran on behalf of the TNA leader were echoed across most submissions made.

Earlier on Monday, UNP's Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa told Colombo Page, "We firmly believe that we will receive justice and the fair play from the Supreme Court rightly since it is the most honourable place. We have a constitution. We do everything according to that. But the President dissolving the Parliament is a violation of the constitution. If the constitution is continually being violated, the country would become anarchy."

Furthermore, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, the General Secretary of UNP remarked, "The court will determine the constitutionality of the matter we have presented. That is why we came to the court," while reaffirming their faith in the judiciary.

On November 11, Sirisena had addressed the nation while mentioning the reasons behind his decision to dissolve the Sri Lankan Parliament and hold snap elections.

He noted that the horse-trading of ministers to prove a majority was his first reason to dissolve the Parliament while mentioning former Speaker, Karu Jayasuriya's behaviour as his second reason.

Lastly, Sirisena claimed to have dissolved the Parliament to avert a physical fight between members once the Parliament reconvened on November 14. He stated, "It appeared to me that, if I allowed the Parliament to be convened on the 14th, without dissolving it, it could have brought about commotion and fights, in every city and every village would lead to very unpleasant and difficult situation for the average citizens of my beloved country."

The Asian island-nation is currently facing a political turmoil, that was set into motion when the incumbent President sacked UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe from the post of Prime Minister.

Wartime strongman and ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa was brought in place of Wickremesinghe, leading to political upheaval in the neighbouring nation.

Sirisena's party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), later admitted to not having the votes to confirm Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister, leading to latter's exit from SLFP.

Rajapaksa, his son and several prominent political figures joined the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), vowing to come out victorious under the leadership of both Sirisena and Rajapaksa in the 2019 elections.

Earlier on Monday, Wickremesinghe said the UNF and other political parties will forge a new alliance to "pull the nation out of the present curse". He also urged all political parties to join this new political force, Daily Mirror reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tencent and Shangri-La Group announced the signing of a strategic partnership today. The cooperation will be focused on developing and deploying Smart Hotel solutions to power the transformation of hotel operations and services for Shangri-La, and will expand to more future collaborations across various businesses within the Shangri-La Group worldwide.

Hui Kuok, Chairman of Shangri-La Asia Limited and Mr. Dowson Tong, Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent attended the signing ceremony at Futian Shangri-La Hotel, Shenzhen. By leveraging Tencent's strength in technology and connectivity, and by incorporating Shangri-La's hotel experience and resources, the partnership will help drive technology innovation and transformation of traditional industry models and enhance service quality and guest experience for hotel operators.

The Tencent and Shangri-La partnership is an example of collaboration between traditional hotel industry and the internet and technology sector. Tencent's leading technology in Cloud computing, AI, social communications and payment platforms will help support Shangri-La's transformation of its services and operations.

With Smart Hotel solutions, Shangri-La will be able to deliver greater convenience and personalised experience for its customers. At the same time, Tencent will be able to leverage Shangri-La hotels as test bed to continuously enhance and promote its Smart Hotel technologies.

In addition to Smart Hotel, Tencent and Shangri-La have plans to bring the strategic partnership to cover a much wider scope and scale in the future. Shangri-La will utilize its worldwide hotel network and business resources to support Tencent in promoting its cutting-edge technology to the world. The two companies will also explore the application of digital solutions and smart technologies beyond hotels to include Shangri-La's real estate business in shopping malls, service apartments, office buildings, as well as in over 500 hotel restaurants and other catering business.

Hui Kuok, Chairman of Shangri-La Asia Limited said, "We share the same vision with Tencent that technology is people-oriented. People and service are at the core of our business. The value of technology is not to replace the warmth of human contact and personal interaction. We will strive to work with Tencent and integrate hardware with heart ware, and to continue to deliver innovative products and excellent customer service."

Dowson Tong, Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent said, "As one of the world's premier hotel companies, Shangri-La has nearly five decades of experience in hotel operations. By incorporating Tencent's technology expertise in the internet sector, we can achieve greater success together. Our partnership can help Shangri-La enhance its capability in providing services and greater operational efficiency, as well as provide best practices for the transformation of the hotel industry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Karnataka police have filed a case against five people, including an RSS leader and a local journalist in the Kodagu district under Section 295(A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for religious abuse.

On November 5, a public programme was organised in Kodagu against the celebrations of Tipu Jayanti. During the programme, RSS leader Sudhakar Hosahalli, local journalist Santosh among others allegedly spoke against Tipu Sultan and demanded that the Karnataka government should not celebrate Tipu Jayanti.

Subsequently a person named Sidapur Oscar filed a complaint at the Gonikoppal Police Station against Santosh, Hosahalli, Robert Rozario, Rangakarmi Kariyappa and Bacharniyanda Appanna.

On Tuesday, the police registered the case against all five of them under Section 295 (A) which refers to "Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday arrested a female over-ground worker (OGW) carrying ammunition including grenades and live rounds.

The woman was arrested during a search operation at a check-point in Lawaypora area on the outskirts of Srinagar city.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of law and a probe has been initiated in the matter.

Earlier in the day, a heavily-armed terrorist was killed by the Indian Army on Tuesday in the Aknoor Sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The forces recovered five pistols, 10 pistol magazines, 60 bullets of the pistol, one AK assault Rifle, two AK Rifle magazines with 234 rounds of ammunition, fifteen hand grenades and twelve fuzes for IEDs.

The timely intercept of the intrusion of the terrorists with the cache of arms, ammunition and other warlike stores has thwarted any possible untoward incident, planned by the terrorist during the scheduled elections in the state.

The Indian Army is carrying out relentless and robust anti-infiltration operations in the state to break the backbone of terrorism and nip the designs of anti- elements and the enemy to foment trouble South of the Pir Panjal ranges in Jammu and Kashmir.

Also, two terrorists were killed today while attempting to infiltrate in Keren sector of Kupwara district. Since a few days, the state has witnessed a huge spurt in terror activity.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Board of Aurobindo Pharma at its meeting held on 12 November 2018 has transacted the following -

The company's subsidiary - Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc., USA, has entered into an agreement to acquire a product under development and related assets from 'Advent Pharmaceuticals, Australia, through AuroScience, Melbourne, a 100% subsidiary of Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc., USA.

The transaction is expected to close in January 2019. The cost of acquisition is USD 12.5 million.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)I come from a family of six generation Salvation Army born and raised and I am thankful for the upbringing I had and I think along with my ...As many as 130 candidates facing declared criminal cases, 90 of them involving serious charges like attempt to murder, are among the 1,079 candidates in the fray for the second phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly polls in 72 constituencies.

A total of 239 crorepati (multi-millionaire) candidates are contesting the second phase of polls to be held on Nov 20 in 19 districts.

According to an analysis by election watchdog the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the Congress with 18 such candidates leads the list of those with criminal antecedents followed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with 17 and the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) with 15. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 6 such candidates.

Of the 90 candidates facing serious criminal charges, 11 are from the Congress, 13 from the AAP and 14 from the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J).

Congress' Jaisingh Agrawal, vying for Korba seat, is among the candidates with the most number of criminal charges that include forgery, criminal conspiracy and obscene act. Another Congress nominee, Ashish Kumar Chhabra for the Bemetara seat is among those facing charges of attempt to murder.

Among the multimillionaires, 53 are from the Congress, 61 from the BJP and 35 from Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J).

Congress veteran T.S. Singh Deo, contesting from Ambikapur, is the richest nominee with assets in excess of Rs 500 crore. While 19 candidates have declared nil assets, independent nominee Rubeena Anjum from the Raipur City South possesses "assets" of just Rs 104.

599 candidates are school dropouts while 9 are illiterate. Only 111 female candidates are contesting in the second phase.

The first phase of polling in 18 constituencies spread across eight Maoist-affected district was held on Monday.

The results of the election to the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly will be declared on December 11.

--IANS

and/shs/sed

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Central government on Tuesday removed Air India's Director Operations Arvind Kathpalia, after the senior pilot failed a pre-flight breath analyzer test.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation, in an order on Tuesday, relieved Captain Kathpalia from his responsibilities as the Director Operations of the national passenger carrier, a day after his flying licence was suspended by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

""In pursuance to Ministry of Civil Aviation order..., Captain Arvind Kathpalia has been relieved from the charge of Director Operations with immediate effect and Captain Amitabh Singh, Executive Director (Training) Air India has been assigned the additional charge of the post of Director Operations with immediate effect, till further orders," the national passenger carrier said in a statement.

Kathpalia had failed a pre-flight alcohol detection test on Sunday. He was supposed to have piloted a New Delhi-London flight.

"In case of Captain Kathpalia being detected BA (breath-analyzer) positive on November 11, 2018, the privileges of his licence have been suspended for a period of three years from November 11 as per the provisions of applicable regulations," a senior DGCA official said on Monday.

As per the provision of Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules, no crew member of a flight, including pilots and engineers, should take or use "any alcoholic drink, sedative, narcotic or stimulant drug or preparation" within twelve hours of the commencement of the flight or in the course of the flight.

Reacting to the development, an official with Air India's pilots union -- ICPA (Indian Commercial Pilots' Association) -- told IANS that the prompt action by the government is a welcome move.

"We are happy. It also sends a strong signal to wrong doers," he said preferring anonymity.

The pilots union had demanded the immediate termination of Kathpalia from the national carrier's board calling him a "repeated offender" who endangers passengers lives.

In a letter to the Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu, the ICPA said Kathpalia continuing in the top post was "demoralising" for the cadres.

Referring to Kathpalia failing the BA test on November 11, the ICPA said he endangered the lives of innocent passengers.

"The flight was delayed and the passengers were left stranded. Kindly note this is a repeat offence. The said incident resulted in extremely bad publicity to the national carrier," the ICPA said.

"He has repeatedly tarnished the image of Air India and we request his immediate termination from the board," the ICPA said in the letter sent on Monday signed by T. Praveen Keerthi, General Secretary.

The ICPA in its letter also said an enquiry against Kathpalia is still pending as on January 19, 2017 in Delhi where he operated flight AI-174 and AI-173 without undergoing BA tests.

--IANS

rv-vj/sed

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After 14 years in the commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland Ltd, Vinod K. Dasari, CEO and Managing Director, has decided resign to pursue other interests, said Executive Chairman Dheeraj G. Hinduja on Tuesday.

Hinduja told the media: "Vinod has resigned to pursue his own interests. He will continue with the company till March 2019. Meanwhile, the company board has asked me to take over as Executive Chairman with immediate effect."

Hinduja, who was the company Chairman, said he would take the responsibility of Executive Chairman till a replacement for Dasari was found.

Asked whether the company would look inside or outside for a new Managing Director, Hinduja said: "The resignation was sudden. The Board needs some time to decide on the replacement."

He said it was the Hinduja family's policy to find the best talent. He expressed confidence that Ashok Leyland's growth momentum would continue.

According to Dasari, it was an amicable separation and there comes a time when one has to pursue own interest.

"It was a well thought out decision. I will work with Dheeraj till the end of this fiscal," Dasari said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)will begin to repatriate the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who last year fled a violent military crackdown in Myanmar, from Thursday onwards, an official said on Tuesday.

"As of now the decision is that the repatriation will start on November 15," Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Abul Kalam told Efe news.

The two governments agreed to repatriate 2,251 of over 700,000 Rohingya refugees living in camps, in the first of a phased process.

Kalam added that the initial phase of repatriation that begins Thursday could be completed in two weeks with around 150 going back to Myanmar each day.

Kalam, however, added that local authorities were yet to get the consent of who would be repatriated in the initial phase.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned that conditions are not safe for the repatriation of Rohingya to Myanmar from Bangladesh, even as the two countries were preparing for the return process.

A UNHCR spokesman in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, where are living in the cramped camps, told Efe news on Tuesday their role in repatriation is only to assess the "voluntariness of the refugees".

"UNHCR will assess the voluntariness of the refugees. We will start this process very soon and we can't speculate about the outcome," said UNHCR spokesman Firas al-Khateeb.

"The government of has also emphasized that any returns will be voluntary," he added.

The announcement of the Rohingya repatriation comes nearly a year after the two countries inked an agreement on November 23, 2017, to begin the process, following verification.

The exodus of the Rohingyas began on August 25, 2017 when a rebel group of the Muslim minority community launched a series of attacks on government posts in Rakhine state in western Myanmar.

The Myanmar army responded with an offensive that has been condemned globally for its rights abuses, including rape, torture, looting and torching of entire Rohingya villages.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had said the offensive had all the attributes of ethnic cleansing.West Bengal BJP Kisan Morcha (farmers wing) will stage a march to the state assembly on Novemnber 20 to press for the demands of the farmers, state morcha president Ramkrishna Pal said on Tuesday.

"The farmers in Bengal are struggling to meet their ends. We have already submitted memorandum regarding the demands of the farmers to the state government. We have also given copies of the memorandum to the BDO offices and to the governor. But no action has been taken yet. We have planned a march to state assembly to highlight the demands of the state farmers," Pal told reporters here.

According to BJP sources, party's state President Dilip Ghosh and national secretary Suresh Pujari will be present in the rally while the wing's all-India president Virendra Singh is also expected to attend the programme.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hundreds of BJP leaders and cadres on Tuesday paid their last respects to the mortal remains of Union Minister Ananth Kumar, who suddenly passed away here a day before, an official said.

The 59-year-old, who was ailing from cancer, died on Monday at a private hospital here due to multiple organ failure.

"Kumar's body was brought to the party office in Malleshwaram from his residence at Basavangudi on a flower-bedecked military around 9 a.m.," party spokesman S. Shantaram told IANS.

The cortege carrying the glass casket was draped in the national flag.

It was escorted by the city police on the 10km ride, clearing traffic during the peak hour, as the procession was already running behind schedule.

The casket was kept in the main hall of the party office as state unit chief B.S. Yeddurappa, K.S. Eshwarappa, R. Ashok, Union Ministers D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Ramesh Jigjinagi, party's members of Parliament and the state legislature among others gathered to pay their final floral tributes.

Many of the cadres arrived across the state by overnight trains, buses and private vehicles, Shantaram said.

"The body will be taken to the National College grounds at Basavangudi in the city's southern suburb by 11 a.m., and kept in state till afternoon," the official added.

A state funeral would be held later in the day with full military honours and 21-gun salute before the last rites are conducted in accordance with the Hindu rites at the Chamarajpet crematorium here.

Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and party's national president Amit Shah were expected to attend the last rites.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against its own Deputy Legal Advisor (DLA) deputed in the agency's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) division on charges of forging the signature of the unit head for showing favourable assessment reports for her promotion.

The central probe agency on Monday registered an FIR against Beena Raizada, posted in the CBI AC-VI unit, which is probing the Vyapam scam, for forging the signatures of ACB's Head of Branch (HoB) V.K. Singh.

Raizada was posted in CBI's Patna Zone office in Bihar when the alleged assessment reports were forged. She forged signatures of Singh, who was then posted as CBI's Deputy Inspector General in Patna. He is currently posted as Inspector General in the Jaipur range, Rajasthan Police.

Raizada has been booked for forgery, use of bogus documents and fraudulently committing

mischief of documents.

The agency's move came following an October 27 complaint of its Deputy Superintendent of Police (AC-V unit Bhopal) Ashish Prasad.

Raizada is accused of "interpolation in the assessment notes issued under the signatures of Singh for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016".

"During enquiry, it was revealed that Raizada joined as Senior Public Prosecutor in CBl's ACB division in Patna on May 5, 2014 and on promotion, she joined as DLA at the agency's Patna Zone on November 17, 2014. She was later relieved from there on January 5, 2017 upon her transfer to CBl, AC-VI unit, New Delhi.

"In the CBI headquarters in New Delhi, she personally submitted her three APARs (Authorized Program Analysis Report) together for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 along with the assessment notes for the same period bearing the signatures of V.K. Singh," the CBI FIR said.

As per the FIR, Singh accepted that the signatures on Raizada's assessment notes resembled his own but he denied making those signatures.

"He stated that Raizada was not on duty for a period of 90 days during 2014 and 2015 and therefore, there was no question of writing an assessment report in her favour. He stated that similarly there was no question of writing assessment report in her favour for the period 2016 since he was repatriated in 2015 to parent department," said the FIR.

As per procedure, the assessment notes for the law officers of the level of Assistant Public Prosecutor, Public Prosecutor and Senior Public Prosecutor posted in the branch are issued by DIG or HoB for annual appraisal.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)NGO WildAid on Tuesday welcomed the Chinese government's decision to temporarily ban the use of tiger bones and rhinoceros horn, but urged the authorities to sustain it indefinitely.

Beijing on Monday announced the suspension of an announcement made in October, which permitted the use of tiger and rhino products under special circumstances, such as treatments by doctors certified by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, with the decision causing an international outcry, reports Efe news.

"It's critical that a clear message is sent about the acceptability of animal parts in traditional Chinese medicine. With effective alternatives available, opening the door to some uses only puts every wild rhino and tiger in jeopardy," WildAid CEO Peter Knights told Efe.

"WildAid hopes the ban reversal will be cancelled permanently, but in the meantime, we are encouraged by the delay in implementation so that China can continue to assert its position as an environmental leader," he added.

On Monday, Ding Xuedong, a senior official of China's State Council, told Xinhua news agency that the ban on the use of tiger bones and rhino horn, in place for the last 25 years, will continue to be enforced temporarily.

"The Chinese government has not changed its stance on wildlife protection and will not ease the crackdown on illegal trafficking and trade of rhinos, tigers and their by products and other criminal activities," he said.

However, Ding added that in special cases an administrative permit could be obtained to use rhino and tiger products for scientific research.

The official said the Chinese government would continue to work with the international community to protect wildlife and illegal acts will be dealt with "severely."

The numbers of rhinos and tigers in the wild are already extremely low and any easing of the ban should be evaluated very cautiously, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chinese venture capital (VC) funds are likely to invest around $30 million in eight Indian start-ups, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said after the 2nd Startup India Investment Seminar held in Beijing on Tuesday.

"In the 1st Startup India Investment seminar, 12 Indian start-ups participated, of which 4 secured a funding of $15 million from Chinese VCs. In the current round, 8 start-ups out of 20 participants are set to get a commitment of around $30 million," it said.

The Ministry said the seminar was organised by the Embassy of India in China in partnership with Startup India Association and Venture Gurukool to foster innovation and entrepreneurship among the Indian youth. The first seminar was held in November 2017.

ALSO READ: Kerala invites RFP from Alternative Investment Funds to boost startups

"The event was planned to expose Chinese VCs and investors to the promising Indian start-ups and also help Indian start-ups to reach out to the large for receiving investment for their companies," the Ministry said in a statement.

42 Indian entrepreneurs representing 20 Indian start-ups participated in the event and pitched before More than 350 Chinese VC funds and angel investors participated in the day-long seminar, it said.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) CEO Zheng Bin shared ICBC's experience in India and gave an overview of the Indian start-up ecosystem and explained the process of investment.

ICBC India has established a $200 million fund for investing in promising Indian MSMEs and ventures, he said.Lelectricite est devenue, de nos jours, un besoin dune importance majeure, et cela, dans tous les domaines dactivite. Que ce soit dans les maisons ou []The first list of candidates announced by the Congress in Telangana for next month's Assembly elections triggered discontent in the party, with those denied ticket threatening to enter the fray as rebels.

The main opposition party late on Monday announced 65 candidates for the December 7 elections to the 119-member Assembly. The Congress, which is heading a four-party opposition alliance, has agreed to leave 24 seats for its three allies.

Followers of some aspirants, whose names did not figure in the list, staged protests at the party office Gandhi Bhavan here while some others decided to quit the party and contest as independent candidates.

Party spokesman M. Krishank has opposed the party's decision to give ticket to his father-in-law and former central minister Sarve Satyanarayana from Secunderabad Cantonment constituency. Krishank's supporters staged a sit-in at Gandhi Bhavan.

Krishank announced that he would contest as an independent from the same constituency. He wondered how the party can field a man who was defeated thrice in the past.

Senior leader and former minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, whose name did not figure in the first list, said he was surprised as he had been with the same party and contesting from the same constituency for last 35 years.

He was confident that the party will give ticket to him from Jangaon. He said there was no truth in reports that the Congress was planning to leave the seat for TJS leader M. Kodandaram.

Another senior leader and former central minister Renuka Chowdary also expressed displeasure over the first list.

She said the balance among various castes was not maintained. She also found fault with Ponnala's name missing from the list. She said the selection of candidates could have an impact on the party's prospects.

The Congress is also facing protest from its leaders who were unhappy over leaving some seats for allies.

Former legislator Bhikshapathi Yadav, an aspirant from Serilingampally constituency in Hyderabad, announced he will contest as an independent after the party left this constituency for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

NSUI state president Balmuri Venkat, who was aspiring for ticket from Peddapalle constituency, resigned from the Congress after the party named Vijay Ramna Rao its candidate.

Narayana Rao, former MLA from Tandur in Vikarabad district, announced that he too was resigning from the party.

Supporters of Mala Mahanadu President and Congress leader Addanki Dayakar staged a protest in Mahabubabad district headquarter, demanding party ticket for him from Tungaturti constituency.

In Vemulawada, supporters of E. Manohar climbed on a water tank to protest against the ticket allocation to Aadi Srinivas.

In Warangal East, local Congress leader Poshala Padma resigned from the party to protest the decision to leave the seat for Telangana Janata Samithi (TJS).

The TDP, which announced nine candidates late on Monday, is also facing rebellion from disgruntled leaders.

Tension prevailed at TDP headquarters NTR Trust Bhavan on Tuesday as a supporter of M. Satyanarayana tried self-immolation over denial of party ticket to him from Serlingampally. The TDP has fielded B. Anand Prasad from this constituency.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd has said it will invest Rs 2,500 crore to set up new cement manufacturing plants in Odisha.

Dalmia Cement, which participated in the second edition of Make in Odisha Conclave, said in a statement on Tuesday its new cement plants will come up in Rajgangpur and Cuttack.

DCBL also shared its vision and plan enriching its association with Odisha since 1950.

Puneet Dalmia, Managing Director, Dalmia Bharat Group and Mahendra Singhi, MD and Group CEO, Dalmia Bharat Cement, attended the conclave and laid the long-term road map for business and infrastructure growth in Odisha.

"Good governance, stable political leadership, industry-friendly policies, continued economic growth and availability of skilled manpower are prime motivators behind Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd reaffirming its faith to grow and expand its business in Odisha," said Mahendra Singhi.

The state is among the top three investment destinations in India and ranks first in investment implementation rate. With the implementation of smart cities and simultaneous development of social infrastructure, there will be an incremental growth in demand in the cement industry over the next five years, he added.

"Our business and strategic partnership with the state has matured over the years. The State's zeal to grow further thus compels us to partner in its next leap of growth," said Mahendra Singhi.

DCBL had earlier proposed a new unit of 2.25 million tonne per annum (MTPA) cement manufacturing and 3 MTPA clinker manufacturing capacity at Rajgangpur.

Once the plant goes live, the company's total capacity in Rajgangpur will increase to 6.25 MTPA in cement and 5.9 MTPA in clinker manufacturing.

Dalmia Cement which is credited with peripheral development of Rajgangpur and multiple deeper pockets of Odisha and East at large, now promises to generate further direct and indirect employment opportunities through its new plants.

The new Dalmia DSP Unit will entail an investment of Rs 2000 crore and it is expected to be commissioned by late 2019.

Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd is also putting up another new plant with cement manufacturing with cement manufacturing capacity of 2.5 million tonne at Kapilas, near Cuttack.

The project is expected to be completed in 18 months with an investment of about Rs 500 crore, the statement said.

IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Alleging that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its followers lose no opportunity to denigrate Jawaharlal Nehru, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has stated in a new edition of his 2003 book "Nehru: The Invention of India" -- scheduled to be launched on Tuesday evening by Sonia Gandhi -- that accusing Indias first Prime Minister of "every conceivable sin" is like "throwing pebbles at a mountain".

"They cannot even begin to dent the scale of his contributions to India. The truth is that Jawaharlal Nehru's extraordinary life and career is part of the inheritance of every Indian. His impact on India is too great not to be re-examined periodically. His legacy is ours, whether we agree with everything he stood for or not. What we are today, both for good and for ill, we owe in great measure to one man," Tharoor writes.

He describes Nehru as "a moody, idealist intellectual who felt an almost mystical empathy with the toiling peasant masses; an aristocrat, accustomed to privilege, who had passionate socialist convictions; an Anglicised product of Harrow and Cambridge who spent over 10 years in British jails; an agnostic radical who became an unlikely protege of the saintly Mahatma Gandhi" and contends that for the first 17 years of India's independence, Jawaharlal Nehru's stature was so great that India seemed inconceivable without him.

Following is an extract from the new Introduction of the book where the author explains Nehru's contribution in constructing India's democracy:

It was by no means axiomatic that a country like India, riven by so many internal differences and diversities, beset by acute poverty and torn apart by Partition, would be or remain democratic. Many developing countries found themselves turning in the opposite direction soon after independence, arguing that a firm hand was necessary to promote national unity and guide development. Upon the Mahatma's assassination in 1948, just five months after Independence, Nehru became the keeper of the national flame, the most visible embodiment of India's struggle for freedom.

Gandhi's death could have led Nehru to assume untrammelled power. Instead, he spent a lifetime trying to instill the habits of democracy in his people -- a disdain for dictators, a respect for parliamentary procedures, an abiding faith in the constitutional system. He himself was such a convinced democrat, profoundly wary of the risks of autocracy, that, at the crest of his rise, he authored an anonymous article warning Indians of the dangers of giving dictatorial temptations to Jawaharlal Nehru. 'He must be checked,' he wrote of himself. 'We want no Caesars.' And indeed, his practice when challenged within his own party was to offer his resignation; he usually got his way, but it was hardly the instinct of a Caesar.

As Prime Minister, Nehru carefully nurtured the country's infant democratic institutions. He paid deference to the country's ceremonial presidency and even to its largely otiose vice-presidency; he never let the public forget that these notables outranked him in protocol terms. He wrote regular letters to the chief ministers of the states, explaining his policies and seeking their feedback. He subjected himself and his government to cross-examination in Parliament by the small, fractious but undoubtedly talented Opposition, allowing them an importance out of all proportion to their numerical strength, because he was convinced that a strong Opposition was essential for a healthy democracy. He took care not to interfere with the judicial system; on the one occasion that he publicly criticised a judge, he apologised the next day and wrote an abject letter to the Chief Justice, regretting having slighted the judiciary.

And Nehru never forgot that he derived his authority from the people of India; not only was he astonishingly accessible for a person in his position, but he started the practice of offering a daily darshan at home for an hour each morning to anyone coming in off the street without an appointment, a practice that continued until the dictates of security finally overcame the populism of his successors.

It was Nehru who, by his scrupulous regard for both the form and the substance of democracy, instilled democratic habits in our country. His respect for Parliament, his regard for the independence of the judiciary, his courtesy to those of different political convictions, his commitment to free elections and his deference to institutions over individuals, all left us a precious legacy of freedom.

Nehru's opening remarks when he moved the motion at the newly established Constituent Assembly on 13 December, 1946, gives us a view of the immense pressure and responsibility he placed on himself to ensure that the embodiment of his democratic vision for the country responded fittingly to the situation and did justice to its enshrinement in the process of Constitution-making. He had to preserve the "past" idea of India and march towards the "future" idea of India

The American editor Norman Cousins once asked Nehru what he hoped his legacy to India would be. "Four hundred million people capable of governing themselves," Nehru replied. The numbers have grown, but the very fact that each day over a billion Indians govern themselves in a pluralist democracy is testimony to the deeds and words of this extraordinary man and the giants who accompanied him in the march to freedom.

(The new Introduction also looks at Nehru's contribution towards secularism, socialism, foreign policy and his life as a writer. Excerpts published with Permission from Penguin Random House India)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After meeting Twitter CEO and Co-Founder Jack Dorsey on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he enjoys being on the platform and has made "great friends" there.

Complimenting Dorsey for the passion with which he leads the company, Modi said that he was delighted to meet him.

"I enjoy being on this medium, where I've made great friends and see everyday the creativity of people," Modi, who has 44.4 million followers on Twitter, said in a tweet.

Dorsey thanked the Prime Minister for his ideas on Twitter.

"Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi for having us today. I enjoyed our conversation about the importance of global conversation," the Twitter CEO, who is on his maiden week-long India visit, tweeted.

The meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Dorsey took place a day after Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Monday held a meeting with Twitter officials, asking the micro-blogging site to take prompt action over "objectionable" content on the platform.

Vijaya Gadde, Global Head of Legal, Policy, Trust and Safety Lead at Twitter, and Mahima Kaul, Indian Representative of Twitter, were asked "to ensure a 24x7 mechanism for prompt disposal of requisitions of law enforcement agencies for deletion of unlawful/objectionable content from their platform".

Dorsey on Monday met Congress President Rahul Gandi and also addressed a townhall at Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi where he spoke on several issues, including the spread of misinfomation on Twitter.

"The real problem is not misinformation per se as jokes can also be categorised as misinfomation. But misinformation that is spread with the intent to mislead people is a real problem," stressed the Twitter CEO.

Dorsey also met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama over the past weekend.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actor John Abraham, who is busy shooting for his forthcoming film 'Batla House', has said that he enjoys giving content-driven films to his audience.

John Abraham was interacting with media when he launched brand Hershey's Sofit protein cookies on Tuesday in Mumbai.

John Abraham played negative character in Yash Raj Films 'Dhoom' which released in 2004. When asked if he would like to feature in it again since the franchise has become bigger in its scale, he said, "I don't know. If it is offered to me then, we will see. I am not producer of that film so, I can't say much."

John said he would like to feature in films which are high on content. "As a producer, I will make films like 'Vicky Donor', 'Madras Cafe' and 'Parmanu - The Story of Pokharan' and 'Batla Hose' because that is my space. I think today the audience likes content and as a producer and actor, I can only give content because I enjoy that."

He said shooting of 'Batla House' has started and it will release on August 15 next year.

Talking about his upcoming film, John said, "I have 'RAW' (Romeo Akbar Walter) releasing next and after that, we will release 'Batla House'. Then, I will start shoot for my comedy film 'Pagalpanti' with Anees (Bazmee) bhai."

John Abraham has worked with Deepika Padukone in 'Desi Boyz.'

When asked about his Christmas and New Year plans, he said, "I am shooting. Nikhil Advani is making me shoot till December 31 and I am again shooting from January 2."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a first, Facebook has agreed to allow French regulators to monitor what steps the social networking giant is taking to combat hate speech, the media reported.

Addressing the Internet Governance Forum held in Paris on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the two sides would work together for six months starting in early 2019, Ars Technica reported on Tuesday.

Macron called for a "common roadmap", which would include user-data protection and regulation of content.

Facebook spokesman Andy Stone told Ars that the collaboration with the French government was a "pilot programme" so that both sides can better understand the other's challenges in dealing with the issue of hate speech online.

"The purpose of this programme is to enable regulators to better understand Facebook's tools and policies to combat hate speech and, for Facebook, to better understand the needs of regulators," Stone said.

"The working group will not be based in one location but will travel to different Facebook facilities around the world, with likely visits to Dublin and California."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After Rahul Gandhi's barbs on the NDA's Rafale deal, faulting the government for making changes in it without consultation, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hit back saying the Congress President was trying to create a controversy around India's sensitive defence requirements to compensate for his "failed politics".

Accusing the UPA government of delaying the Rafale purchase, he claimed the Modi-led NDA government bought the fighter aircraft at a price cheaper than what UPA was negotiating.

Jaitley's remarks came after Gandhi sharpened his attack on the Prime Minister as the Centre made public the document submitted to the Supreme Court detailing the decisions to procure 36 fighter aircraft from France.

"Modi has admitted to his theft in the Supreme Court. In the affidavit, he admitted to changes in the contract without asking the Air Force and putting Rs 30,000 crore in Ambani's pocket," Gandhi had tweeted in Hindi.

In the document submitted to the Supreme Court, the government defended the deal and asserted that the purchase of the fighter aircraft was in conformity with the process laid down in the Defence Procurement Procedure of 2013.

"UPA delayed the Rafale purchase, much required for improving the combat ability of Indian Air Force," Jaitley said in a tweet.

"Realising that the Modi government bought the Rafale at a price cheaper than what UPA was negotiating, the disrupters are now resorting to petty hair-split," Jaitley said.

"Falsehood is not a substitute for Rahul Gandhi's failed politics," he added.

Gandhi has been accusing Modi of corruption, saying the deal was done to benefit his crony.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The six-month ban on import of fish, due to the scare involving use of formalin to preserve fish being sold in Goa, is a "irritant" to the travel and tourism industry in Goa, said Savio Messias, head of the state's leading travel and tourism body, on Tuesday.

The president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), a leading body of stakeholders from both industries, also said that tourists not being able to eat fish in Goa due to the ban was as absurd as tourists travelling to Russia and not being able to drink vodka, or those travelling to Mexico unable to savour tequila.

"The ban is going to wreck sections of the tourism industry like restaurants. It is an irritant to the industry. Tourists who come to Goa want to enjoy Goan food, which largely comprises fish," Messias said.

From Tuesday, the Goa government has banned import of fish from neighbouring states due to an ongoing controversy surrounding use of formalin, a carcinogenic chemical used to preserve cadavers, to preserve fish imported in the state.

As a result of the ban, fish markets in Goa wore a desolate look and prices of locally caught fish have soared over 100 per cent on the first day of the ban itself.

Messias said the TTAG had asked its members for suggestions to work around the ban and promised to lobby with lawmakers to bring in relaxations to the six-month ban, which would allow some inflow of fish into Goa. The state currently consumes nearly 50 ton of imported fish every day.

Goa is one of the top tourism destinations in the country and attracts nearly eight million tourists out of which half a million are foreigners.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In an open letter to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, as many as 60 former civil servants have questioned the unusual delay in the national auditor coming out with reports on demonetisation and the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"We wish to bring to the CAG's notice our concern about what seems to be unconscionable and unwarranted delay in bringing out the audit reports on demonetisation (November 2016) and the Rafale deal (April 2015)," read the letter, a copy of which has also been sent to President Ram Nath Kovind.

The signatories to the letter include former IPS officer J.F. Ribeiro, former IAS officers Jawhar Sircar, Aruna Roy, and Harsh Mandar, and former Indian Foreign Service officer Aftab Seth.

"The CAG's audit reports on the 2G scam, Coal scam, Adarsh scam, Commonwealth Games scam, etc., which influenced public perception of the then government's actions, had invited appreciation from various quarters.

"But an impression is gaining ground that the CAG is deliberately delaying its audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale deal till after the May 2019 elections so as not to embarrass the present government," it said as it reminded the auditor of its independence from the Executive as per Articles 148-151 of the Constitution read with the CAG's (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971.

"The CAG's failure to present the audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale deal in time may be seen as a partisan action and may create a crisis of credibility for this important institution," the letter said.

"In the past, the CAG has been criticised for nit-picking and focusing on trivial issues on the one hand, and for audit over-reach on the other. But there was never any occasion to accuse the CAG of being influenced by the government or having to remind it about the timely performance of its Constitutional duties," it added.

The letter urged the CAG to complete the audits and reports "without any further delay" so that they can be "tabled in the winter session of Parliament in December".

They said the citizens had a right to insist upon timely submission of audit reports by the CAG so that they can make an "informed choice" while voting.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Google is rolling out a new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based capability that would allow its first-party keyboard "Gboard" to suggest GIFs, emoji and stickers to conversations for Android users.

"Keep your eyes peeled for the 'GIF' icon to appear in the top left corner of Gboard. Tap it, and you'll see a selection of GIFs, emoji and stickers that Gboard thinks you might want to share," Angana Ghosh, Product Lead, Gboard, Google wrote in a blog post on Monday.

The feature would be processed entirely on the user's device to ensure that these suggestions are private and are incorporated in conversations as quickly as possible.

Earlier in September rumours surfaced that Google was working out ways to produce better, faster recommendations for GIFs and emoji within its keyboard, the media had reported.

The feature has first been released for Android users globally only in English language.

"Google plans to expand the feature to Gboard compatible with more languages and more types of content to help you do and say more right from your conversation," Ghosh added.

However, there has been no word from the search engine giant as yet about by when would the feature be made available for iOS users.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Centre on Tuesday extended the ban by five years on seven Meitei extremist groups which have employed violence in a bid to secede the state from India.

The organisations, their factions, wings and front organisation were outlawed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, a Home Ministry notification said.

They include the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and its political wing the Revolutionary People's Front; the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its armed wing the Manipur People's Army; the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Prepak) and its armed wing the 'Red Army'; the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and its armed wing also called 'Red Army'; the Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL), the Coordination Committee and the Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak (ASUK).

A Gazette notification said the reason for extending the ban was that these organisations have the aim and objective to form an independent Manipur by seceding from India.

"The Meitei organisations have been employing and engaging in armed means to achieve their objectives. They have been attacking the security forces, police and government employees and law-abiding citizens in Manipur. They are indulging in acts of intimidation, extortion and looting of civilian population for collection of funds for their organisations.

"They are making contacts with sources abroad for influencing public opinion and for securing their assistance by way of arms and training for the purpose of achieving their secessionist objective. They have been maintaining camps in neighbouring countries for the purpose of sanctuaries, training and clandestine procurement of arms and ammunition," it said.

The organisations were blamed for 756 violent incidents and the killing of 86 persons, including 35 security personnel, from January 1, 2013 to July 31, 2018.

The Ministry took the action "in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967)" and declared the Meitei groups along with all their factions, wings and front organisations as unlawful associations with immediate effect.

The notification said: "If the unlawful activities of these organisations are not curbed immediately, they will take the opportunity of mobilizing their cadres for escalating their secessionist, subversive, terrorist and violent activities and other activities."

--IANS

rak/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Samsung Electronics Co. and HARMAN International on Tuesday launched JBL PartyBox 200 and the JBL PartyBox 300 speakers for music enthusiasts in India.

The JBL PartyBox 200 costs Rs 32,499 while the JBL PartyBox 300 is available for Rs 35,999 on www.JBL.com and retail channels, including 350 Samsung brand stores, the company said in a statement.

The rechargeable battery on the PartyBox 300 can provide up to 18 hours of playtime. It can be powered up by plugging in to a 12V DC source or using the built-in 10,000mAh battery.

"For even larger sound, connect two speakers to create an amplified listening experience. PartyBox has a USB input, allowing anyone to connect their playlist directly via a USB drive," the company said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi High Court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of a middleman, Manoj Prasad, in a corruption case involving the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

Justice Najmi Waziri dismissed the bail plea observing that the allegations against Prasad were serious in nature and the investigation in the case was at a crucial stage.

The CBI had on October 15 registered a case against Asthana for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 2 crore from Sana Sathish Babu which was given through two middlemen -- Manoj Prasad and Somesh Prasad -- to wreck the probe against meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

Manoj Prasad was arrested on October 17.

CBI's Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, who is accused of falsifying records of the corruption case, was arrested on October 22. Kumar was granted bail by a trial court on October 31.

Kumar was an Investigating Officer in a case against Qureshi, who is facing multiple cases of money laundering and corruption.

On October 24, CBI chief Alok Verma was divested of his charge and Joint Director M. Nageshwar Rao was made the Interim Director.

Asthana was also divested of all his supervisory responsibilities.

The government took the decision after Verma and Asthana accused each other of taking bribes.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hindalco Industries, the metals flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, plans to invest about Rs 6,000 crore to set up downstream facilities over the next four years, a top company official said here on Tuesday.

"We are going to put up a downstream facility between Hirakud and Lapanga (in Odisha), which will entail about Rs 5,000 crore of investment and we are probably going for about 300 kt (kilo tonnes) of downstream products," company's Managing Director Satish Pai told reporters here.

He said the investments will also be made at Mundra in Gujarat for its upcoming extrusion plant.

"We will be investing Rs 6,000 crore in the downstream sector in the next four years," he said on the sidelines of the 'Make in Odisha' conclave.

The expansion and setting up of units for downstream products takes time and will be done in a phased manner.

He said the aluminium major would make a capital expenditure of Rs 1,600 crore this fiscal year ending March, of which Rs 700-800 crore will go towards maintenance of its facilities.

The remainder will be spent on brownfield expansion of Utkal Alumina and downstrem expansion.

Pai said the company would also look at coal mine auctions that are scheduled at November-end, as coal availability remains a concern.

"There is no quick-fix for coal shortages. We are not importing (coal) yet. We have started putting some volumes, about 0.5 million tonnes, for import at this stage. The company is waiting for coal mine auctions that are going to happen by the end of November," he said, adding that the company operates three coal mines - two in Chhattisgarh and one in Jharkhand.

"We can ramp up our coal production to meet our energy needs. The Dumri mine would be available by the middle of next year," he said.

Pai said that the acquisition of US-based aluminium sheet-maker Aleris Corp is expected to be completed by April-May next year.

-- IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hundreds of people, including BJP patriarch L.K. Advani and the party's National President Amit Shah, on Tuesday bid farewell to Ananth Kumar, as his mortal remains were cremated at a state funeral with military honours here.

Kumar, 59, died on Monday at a private hospital here due to multiple organ failure.

Even as the Army band sounded the bugle to mark the last rites, a 21-gun salute was given to the body while still in the glass casket draped in the Tricolour.

Kumar's younger brother Nand Kumar lit the funeral pyre amid chanting of Vedic hymns and loud cries of "Ananth Kumar amar rahe!" (long live Ananth Kumar).

Kumar's widow Tejeshwani, daughters Aishwariya and Vijeta and other family members were present at the Chamarajpet crematorium in the city's southwest suburb.

Advani, Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal, Harsh Vardhan and Mahesh Sharma laid wreathes and paid homage.

Karnataka Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar, state legislative council chairman Basavaraj Horatti and Bharatiya Janata Party's state leaders, including state unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa were present on the solemn occasion.

In view of space constraints at the old crematorium, several people, including party cadres and Kumar's supporters were restrained from entering the premises.

Vehicular traffic was diverted and security stepped up at the venue to prevent any untoward incident.

The cortege in a flower-bedecked military vehicle was brought in a procession for the last rites from the National College grounds at Basavngudi where it was kept for public viewing.

Thousands of people, including Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, former Prime Minister and JD-S supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and others paid tributes to Kumar at the venue.

Earlier in the day, Kumar's body was shifted from his residence at Basavangudi to the BJP state unit office in Malleshwaram by the military personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy.

Kumar was Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs since 2016 and Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers since 2014 when the BJP-led NDA government was formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi flew into the city on Monday night and paid last respects to Kumar at his residence.

A six-time parliamentarian from the high-profile Bengaluru South Lok Sabha constituency since 1996, Kumar was undergoing treatment for cancer in the UK and US since late August.

Karnataka is observing a three-day mourning since Monday.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Superstar Rajinikanth on Tuesday said it was for the people to decide whether the BJP is a "dangerous" party but said if 10 parties are ranged against one, then it shows who is strong.

Meeting the media in an apparent damage control exercise over remarks made by him on Monday, the actor refused to give his personal opinion on whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was a "dangerous party" as he had still not entered

"It is for the people to decide who is dangerous. I will not give my views because I have still not entered It is for the people to decide (about BJP). But the fact that 10 parties are uniting against one party (BJP), then it shows who is strong," he said.

On Monday, when he was asked whether the BJP was such a dangerous party that opposition parties were combining against it, Rajinikanth had said: "If they (non-BJP parties) have said it like this, then it must be definitely correct."

He also sought to correct an impression that he did not know anything about the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case whose demand for release was now pending with the Tamil Nadu Governor.

On Monday, when he was asked about it, he had countered: "Who, which seven people. I don't know."

On Tuesday, Rajinikanth said, "This Rajinikanth is not a fool that he does not know about the seven convicts. I think they have spent 27 years in jail and on humanitarian conditions they should be released."

He also recalled that he had telephonically talked to one of the convicts, Perarivalan, when he had come out on parole and had consoled him.

His reaction on Tuesday came after he faced a backlash in the social media where #Rajinikanth does not know" was trending on top.

--IANS

vsc/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India and Russia will hold joint military exercises in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh from November 18, it was announced on Tuesday.

"Exercise Indra 2018" will begin at the Babina Field Firing Ranges, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said. This forms part of a drill to combat insurgency under the UN aegis.

Company sized contingents of the 5th Army of Russia and a mechanised infantry battalion of India will participate in the 11-day training exercise.

"The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct enhance interoperability of the two Armies in peace keeping and enforcement environment under UN aegis," the official said.

--IANS

md/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two militants were killed on Tuesday by the Army near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said the militants were killed in Keran sector after they tried to sneak into India.

"The infiltration attempt has been foiled," the spokesman said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Iran will host a major Islamic conference to be attended by representatives from more than 80 countries later in November, the media reported on Tuesday.

The 32nd International Islamic Unity Conference, organized by the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, will be held from November 24-26 in Tehran, Tasnim news agency reported.

High-ranking political officials and religious figures, including 10 ministers and 40 Muftis, senior religious scholars, were expected to participate in the international event, according to Xinhua news agency.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani would deliver speeches at the conference.

The Islamic Unity Conference is held annually on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad in an effort to promote stronger solidarity among Muslims and provide appropriate solutions for their problems.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)So now we know why the tsunami-like floods occurred in "Kedarnath" in 2013? You see, a young Hindu girl who looks a lot like Sara Ali Khan fell in love with a not-so-young Muslim boy who bears an uncanny resemblance to Sushant Singh Rajput. When her parents raised hell and vowed they wouldnt allow the match to happen, she vows, "Then I will do jaap (holy chants) to make sure pralay (catastrophe) happens".

That's how the 2013's fury of nature pelted down on Uttarakhand.

Don't wonder. That's what the trailer of Abhishek Kapoor's "Kedarnath" tells us. If I was the father, I would say what Saif Ali Khan is heard telling his daughter Sara on "Koffee With Karan".

"Does he have money? Then take her," Saif has said in reference to prospective grooms for his daughter.

This would spare us the hysterical melodrama of unlikely lovers combating the world.

The sheer tackiness of the simulated natural calamity heightens the sense of unnatural emotions in a trailer that promises a film bedecked in absurdity. Sushant is a Muslim pithu (carrier) and debutante Sara is a tourist whom he carried to the top of the mountain. And there they should remain.

This is no "Jab Jab Phool Khile". Sushant lacks the natural charm of Shashi Kapoor. He labours over his cuteness and strains for drama. Sara is fresh-faced and unspoilt, more her mom Amrita Singh than dad Saif. Whether that is good or bad is upto you to decide.

What are the chances of this alliance actually happening in real life? Director Abhishek Kapoor is not keen to tell a realistic story. He just wants to go with the flow. Never mind if the flow is a studio-created tidal wave.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday invited the people from Haryana to visit the national capital to inspect the condition of schools and clinics here and to see the work done by his government.

In a recorded voice message, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) head also promised the state that if they will vote for the party in the next assembly elections -- slated for the later part of next year, the condition of schools and hospital there will also be improved.

"We have improved the conditions of schools and hospitals in Delhi a lot and not only this, the private schools were also not allowed to increase the fees.

"Try to visit these schools and hospitals some day to check yourself," he said.

"The condition of schools and hospitals in Haryana is very bad... When we can work on these in just three years, why can't Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has done anything in four years."

He also said he invited the Haryana Chief Minister to visit the same but he did not come as "he was scared".

Kejriwal, earlier this month, wrote to Khattar for a surprise cross inspection of his 'Mohalla Clinics' and Khattar's dispensaries.

"Vote for AAP in the next election and we will work more than we did in Delhi," Kejriwal said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Shiv Sena on Tuesday demanded that the upcoming Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway (NMSCE) should be named after its late patriarch Bal Thackeray.

There have been demands from the ruling ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to name the NMSCE after the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

PWD Minister (Shiv Sena) Eknath Shinde led a delegation of party leaders to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and submitted a memorandum demanding that the NMSCE be named after the late Thackeray, whose sixth death anniversary will be observed on November 17.

"Balasaheb Thackeray was the architect of the country's first-ever Expressway project, the Mumbai-Pune Yeshwantrao Chavan Expressway, which came up during the tenure of the first Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government which took office in 1995," Shinde said.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway was implemented by then PWD Minister Nitin Gadkari (now, a Union Minister) and Thackeray's dream was realized in 2000 when the project was inaugurated, he pointed out.

Shinde said that since the NMSCE was expected to be a game-changer by connecting the state capital with the second capital Nagpur, it would be fitting tribute to name if after Balasaheb Thackeray who was the guiding spirit behind the Mumbai-Pune Expressway project.

He added that after the first (Mumbai-Pune) Expressway, the second one (NMSCE) was also destined to come up during the tenure of the BJP-Sena government now and urged Fadnavis to do the needful.

However, a section of the BJP is keen that the NMSCE should be named after the late Vajpayee, who died three months ago.

A pet project of Fadnavis, the foundation stone for the NMSCE is expected to be laid soon with most land acquisition work completed.

The NMSCE Greenfield Project will zip through 10 districts, 26 sub-districts and 392 villages en route, slashing the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur from the present 18 to barely eight hours.

The Rs 46,000-crore NMSCE, likely to be completed by October 2019, will get an extra boost with a proposal to twin a railway line, a first such coordinated move in transportation in the country.

It will be a part of the proposed high speed rail corridor between Howrah and Mumbai, the diamond quadrilateral rail project.

--IANS

qn/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The number of Indian students studying in the US increased by 5 per cent since last year, coming second only to the Chinese students, a US Embassy official said on Tuesday.

The growth, however, declined from last year's 12 per cent, indicating, to an extent, the cost-sensitivity of Indian students in choosing the US as their higher destination, with a weak rupee causing a steep rise in the cost of living there.

According to the "Open Doors 2017-18" report published by the Institute of International Education, the number of Indians studying across the US increased by 5.4 per cent to 1,96,271.

Indians constituted the second largest community of international students, comprising 18 per cent of the total, with China topping the list with one-third of the total international students.

However during the same period, certain countries like Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Canada and Mexico registered a negative growth.

There was a drop of 15 per cent in the number of students from Saudi Arabia, 8 per cent from Mexico, and 7 and 4 per cent from South Korea and Canada, respectively.

On India, the Minister Counsellor for Consular Affairs Joseph Pomper said that this was the fifth consecutive year when the number of students going to the US for higher from here registered a positive growth.

"Looking at the past 10 years of data, the number of Indians going to the US has doubled. The reasons are clear, Indian students are looking for a great and the US continues to offer this," he told the media here.

The top host states were California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.

--IANS

vn/ksk/sed

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said the state has secured investment intents worth over Rs 4.19 lakh crore at the second edition of the investors' meet.

"The total investment intents received by the state as a lead upto the event and during the event are to the tune of Rs 4,19,574 crore in the 15 diversified sectors with the potential to generate 5.91 lakh additional jobs for the people of Odisha," he said at the Make in Odisha Conclave.

He said the government will extend all necessary support and is committed to ensuring grounding of the investment proposals received at the event before the next summit in 2020.

The conclave saw tremendous response with 5,074 industry captains and delegates from India and abroad participating in the event, a state official said.

The second edition of the state's flagship summit received 183 investment proposals.

Elaborating further, Chopra said 37 proposals in fertiliser, chemicals and petrochemicals fetched an investment intent of Rs 1,35,309 crore.

There were 53 proposals in minerals, metals and downstream industries having a total investment intent of Rs 1,88,635 crore.

Besides, 6 proposals were received in industrial parks and 12 proposals in logistics sector.

Among the major players, Haldia Petrochemicals proposed to invest Rs 70,000 crore for setting up refinery and downstream industries in the state, said Industries secretary Sanjeev Chopra.

Jindal Steel and Power Limited proposed to infuse Rs 60,950 crore for its expansion of steel plant to 20 mtpa at Angul. Mahanadi Coalfileds Ltd proposed to invest Rs 58,997 crore in mining sector and a company from Taiwan proposed to pump in Rs 43,000 crore in petrochemical and chemicals sector, said Chopra.

Steel Authority of India (SAIL) has proposed to expand its Rourkela steel plant with an investment of Rs 41,400 crore.

The conclave also received foreign direct investment from four countries including the Taiwan company. It received a proposal from Dutch-based company for logistic and infrastructure, food processing from a Thailand-based company and Japan.

The foreign investors have requested not to reveal their names, said Chopra.

The next edition of the "Make in Odisha" will be held during November 30 to December 4, 2020.

In the last edition in 2016, the state bagged about Rs 2.03 lakh crore of investment intents.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A total of 76.28 per cent of the voters cast their votes in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh assembly polls, the Election Commission said on Tuesday.

The final figure is slightly higher than the 2013 assembly elections in the first phase that stood at 75.93 per cent, the EC said.

Polling in the 18 assembly constituencies across Maoist-infested districts of the state was done on Monday amid tight security.

On Monday, at the time of the media briefing by EC officials the percentage stood at around 70 per cent but officials had said it was likely to go up as the data was being collated at that time.

People came out to exercise their right to vote in large numbers, battling several odds such as difficult terrain and threats from the red rebels.

The constituencies which went to the polls on Monday were Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Konta, Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Khairagarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot.

Polling in 10 constituencies -- Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Konta, Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal and Kondagaon -- started at 7 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m.

Voting at Khairagarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot started an hour later and ended at 5 p.m.

The Maoists, who had warned citizens against taking part in the poll process, detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Katekalyan in Dantewada district, minutes before the voting began, narrowly missing a foot patrol of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

In a later gun battle with the rebels, two CRPF personnel were injured in Pamed in Bijapur district. Security personnel also found IEDs near a polling station in Bijapur and in Sukma district.

The second and final phase of polling in Chhattisgarh will be held on November 20. The vote count will take place on December 11.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Palestinian militias in Gaza on Tuesday announced that they have agreed to a ceasefire after two days of escalating tension and firing more than 460 rockets fired into Israel, to which the Israelis responded with 160 airstrikes carried out on positions in the enclave.

The flare-up of violence was triggered by an Israeli military operation near the Gaza town of Khan Yunis on Sunday night in which seven militants and an Israeli soldier died and to which the Gaza militants responded by launching dozens of rockets into Israeli territory, Efe reported.

The joint operations centre of the Palestinian factions said that Egyptian efforts had led to strengthening the ceasefire between the "armed resistance factions" and Israel, with the armed resistance in Gaza committing itself to abiding by the ceasefire as long as Israel also adheres to it.

The factions include the Qassam Brigades - the armed wing of the Islamist movement Hamas that governs Gaza - and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, among others.

Shortly before the ceasefire announcement, high-ranking Hamas sources confirmed to EFE that the truce had come into force.

Cairo, with support from the United Nations, had pushed in the past few hours to ending the worst escalation of violence since 2014 between Palestinian militias and Israel.

During the violence over the past 48 hours, 14 militants, an Israeli soldier in Gaza and a Palestinian civilian in Israel were killed.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hundreds of thousands of people, mainly women, marked the festival of Chhath on Tuesday across Bihar by fasting, praying, singing traditional songs and making offerings to the setting Sun.

The four-day Chhath began on Sunday after devotees took a dip in the rivers, a tradition known as 'nahai khai'. It is followed by the ritual of 'kharna' on Monday when sweet dishes are prepared before fasting.

Married women observe fast for 36 hours during the festival.

Devotees traditionally offer wheat, milk, sugarcane, bananas and coconuts to the Sun God.

In many parts of the state, the festival is celebrated with religious fervour and zeal.

In Patna and other towns, all roads led to the riverbanks which were decorated and cleaned for the devotees to perform 'arghya' or oblations to the Sun.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his cabinet colleagues preferred to spend the day celebrating the Chhath with their families.

At the chief minister's official residence at 1 Anne Marg here, Chhath was a low key affair. His sister and sister-in-law (the wife of his elder brother) performed the Chhath puja.

Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, upset over elder son Tej Pratap's planned divorce from his wife of six months, and his threat that he won't return home unless his parents supported his decision, will not celebrate Chhath Puja this year.

Rabri Devi did not celebrate the festival in 2016 and announced that she would celebrate Chhath only after her two sons -- Tej Pratap Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, who were ministers in the previous Grand Alliance government -- get married.

In Patna, over 100 ghats or riverside bathing platforms on the banks of the Ganga have been given a last minute facelift by the administration and volunteers.

The authorities had declared more than two dozen 'ghats' in Patna unsafe and dangerous.

Chhath is associated with faith, purity and devotion to the Sun God.

Colourful idols of the Sun God riding his chariot with seven horses, a new attraction this year, were sold on the riverbanks.

The administration and dozens of voluntary organisations worked round-the-clock to clean the roads leading to the banks of rivers and water bodies.

The festival will conclude on Wednesday morning with devotees worshipping the rising Sun. Chhath is observed six days after Diwali.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Fresh from a 3-0 mauling of the West Indies in the T20 International rubber under his captaincy, star batsman Rohit Sharma's recent workload was taken into consideration as the BCCI on Tuesday decided to rest him from the India A squad for the first four-day match against New Zealand A.

"Rohit, who was originally named in India A's squad for the first four-day match against New Zealand A, has been advised rest by the BCCI medical team in consultation with the team management and the All-India Senior Selection Committee," a BCCI statement read.

"The decision was taken keeping in mind his recent workload," it added.

Rohit will now travel with India's T20 squad that will leave for Australia on Friday.

The three-match T20I rubber against the Kangaroos commences November 21, which will be followed by four Tests and three One-day Internationals.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Russian cosmonaut has offered to share his country's experience and best practices in the field of space exploration with Indian astronauts who are designated to go on India's first human space mission in 2022.

Interacting with Indian students during the recent Festival of Science and Culture here organised by Russian state-run nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko said that yoga could be a part of a rehabilitation programme for astronauts after returning from a space mission.

Kornienko, along with American astronaut Scott Kelly, spent a staggering 342 days in space on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015.

"We welcome Indian cosmonauts to Russia. We are ready to share our experience and best practices with them. All cosmonauts share their achievements with partners, adding something of their own to space exploration. and Indian cosmonauts can add something," he said.

The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) ambitious human space mission project 'Gaganyaan', announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address earlier this year, envisages sending three Indians to space by 2022.

The Russian noted that bones and muscles could severely decay in space "and this is a major problem for us cosmonauts after landing".

"Yoga, for example, can be very useful. For example, some yoga elements can help maintain strength and flexibility of the bones and muscles," he added.

Selected for Russia's cosmonaut training in 1998, Kornienko has spent a total of 516 days in space and has also carried out two space walks lasting over 12 hours in his extra-terrestrial career.

Lauding the progress made by the Indian space programme, Kornienko called for similar joint efforts by countries like Russia, India and China.

According to official sources in New Delhi, besides 'Gaganyaan', India and Russia are currently engaged in talks to establish ground stations for Russia's global positioning system (GPS) Glonass and for the Indian GPS NaVIC.

Under an agreement signed between India and Russia in 2015, the ISRO and Russian space agency ROSCOSMOS have agreed to work together in space research, including satellite navigation, launch vehicle development and critical technologies for human space flight programmes.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described the content of an audio recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the country shared with its Western allies, as a "calamity" and said it shocked a Saudi Arabian intelligence officer who listened to it, the reported on Tuesday.

Calling on Riyadh to take concrete action against the perpetrators of the murder, Erdogan said: "All those who asked have listened to the audio recording of this murder. Our intelligence organization did not conceal anything. Besides Saudi Arabia, the US, France, Canada, Germany and the UK listened to this recording.

"The (content of the) tape is a real calamity. Even, the intelligence officer of the Saudis was shocked when he listened to the recording, as he said 'this guy (perpetrator) is perhaps using heroin, only a man on heroin can do such a thing'," Erdogan told the on his return from Paris where he attended the centenary of the Armistice Day, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a supporter-turned-critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 after he went there to get documents for his forthcoming marriage.

Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor who visited Istanbul to discuss the killing with his Turkish counterpart seemed to be delaying his job even though there was sufficient evidence about the killing of Khashoggi, Erdogan said.

"The Crown Prince says 'I will shed light on this incident and will do whatever is necessary.' He told my special representative. We are waiting patiently."

The Turkish leader reiterated that the perpetrators of the killing were among 18 Saudi high-ranking officials who were specifically sent to Istanbul before Khashoggi's visit to the consulate.

Speaking about his meetings with world leaders in Paris, including US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Erdogan said they were making assessments on the audio recording.

Erdogan said he got the impression that Trump, Macron and Merkel were all very disturbed by the murder.

"I think they will place this incident in a different position as a result of information provided by their intelligence... The US Congress demanded a briefing from the CIA. I think the perspectives will change after this briefing."

Khashoggi's body is yet to be found. It has been reported that he was strangled, dismembered and his body dissolved in chemicals.

After a weeks-long denial, Saudi Arabia admitted on October 25 that the journalist fell victim to a premeditated killing in the consulate and arrested 18 people. However, it denies the ruling royal family's involvement in the killing.

--IANS

soni/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear appeals by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi along with party leader Oscar Fernandes challenging a Delhi High Court order directing re-opening of their income tax assessment for 2011-12 related to the National Herald case.

A bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Abdul Nazeer fixed December 4 as the final date of hearing.

Justice Sikri said there were two options: issue notice and allow the assessing officer to proceed with the re-opening or fix the matter after some weeks and decide it.

The court did not formally issue notice to the income tax authorities as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said he was present in court.

Senior counsel P. Chidambaram, appearing for Sonia Gandhi, said during the pendency of matter, the re-assessment ordered by the Delhi High Court would not be given effect to.

To which, Justice Sikri said: "Now it will not."

The Solicitor General said: "There is a difficulty, it may be time barred."

Justice Sikri said in that case, the apex court stays the High Court judgement and that would take care of issue of the time bar. However, no stay order was passed by the court.

Though there is no formal stay of re-assessment by the tax authorities, Solicitor General Mehta said the assessing officer may or may not proceed in terms of the High Court order.

Chidambaram told the court that Young India acquired the shares of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) which was running into losses so there was no question of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others having shares in Young India (YI) making any profit.

AJL runs newspaper National Herald that was founded by first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during freedom struggle.

He said both AJL and YI are registered under Section 25 of the Companies Act and so what gets transferred is only the assets of AJL to YI and the same can't be monetised. Thus there was question of anyone making monitory gains, he said.

Questioning the issuance of re-assessment notice under Section 148 of the Income Tax Act, Chidambaram said in the instant case, Section 148 is not attracted as it does not apply at all.

Under Section 148 of the Income Tax Act, tax authorities can issue notice for the assessment of income that might have escaped assessment at the relevant time.

The Companies Act says that the companies registered under Section 25 have to ensure that their profits and other incomes are utilized for the sole purpose of promoting its objects -- commerce, art, science, religion, charity or any other useful object.

It further says that it has to ensure that its profits are not being distributed for the payment of the dividend to its members and it should apply its profits or other incomes only in promoting its objects.

The law says that companies registered under Section 25 of the Companies Act are non-profit organisations.

The three Congress leaders have moved the top court challenging the September 10 Delhi High Court order by which it had dismissed their plea challenging the Income Tax notice seeking tax reassessment for the financial year 2011-2012.

Rahul, Sonia Gandhi and Oscar Fernandes had moved the High Court against Income Tax notice for tax reassessment as they had allegedly not disclosed their income earned through Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) for the year 2011-2012.

--IANS

pk/prs

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed until December 7 the dissolution of Parliament by the President, granting interim relief to political parties that had urged the apex court to junk Maithripala Sirisena's decision.

A three judge bench headed by Chief Justice Nalin Perera heard petitions filed by several political parties on Monday and Tuesday challenging Sirisena's dissolution of Parliament.

The case was fixed for argument on December 4, 5 and 6, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Gazette notification convening Parliament on November 14 will stand active, which means Parliament could be convened on Wednesday, according to Colombo Telegraph.

The political turmoil escalated in the island nation when Sirisena dissolved Parliament on Friday and called for a snap parliamentary election on January 5, over two weeks after sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replacing him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sirisena then immediately formed a caretaker government, a move which Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) called illegal.

The President's sudden move to dissolve Parliament came one and a half years ahead of the scheduled parliamentary polls.

Sirisena said his decision to dissolve Parliament and call for a snap election was to avoid violence from erupting on the streets of the country and on the floor of the House.

The parties which filed petitions challenging the President's move included the UNP, the main opposition Tamil National Alliance, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Tamil Progressive Alliance and the All Ceylon Makkal Congress.

After the Supreme Court's order, the JVP parliamentarians met Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and urged him to convene Parliament as soon as possible.

Wickremesinghe told his parliamentarians that he was ready to show his parliamentary majority at any time. He also told them to "get ready" to attend Parliament on Wednesday.

--IANS

soni/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lanka's on Tuesday suspended the dissolution of by President Maithripala Sirisena, granting interim relief.

A three judge bench on Monday and Tuesday heard Fundamental Rights petitions filed by several parties challenging the President's dissolution of



The political turmoil escalated in the island nation when Sirisena dissolved on Friday and called for a snap parliamentary election on January 5, over two weeks after sacking Prime Minister and replacing him with former strongman

The parties which filed petitions on Monday included the United National Party led by the sacked Wickremesinghe, the main opposition Tamil National Alliance, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the Tamil Progressive Alliance and the All Ceylon Makkal Congress.Leading food ordering and delivery start-up Swiggy on Tuesday said it would engage about 2,000 women as delivery personnel by March 2019.

"About 2,000 women will join our delivery team by March next year. Over the last few months, we have been working on training women for opportunities in this growing food delivery sector," the city-based online food delivery platform said in a statement here.

By deploying more women as delivery personnel across the country, the company said it aimed to create an inclusive workforce.

The company engages around a lakh personnel daily to deliver food across 45 Indian cities it operates in.

Currently, about 60 women are tied up with Swiggy across 10 cities, including Ahmedabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune, to deliver food.

World over, the employment of women as delivery personnel has been meagre.

"We are creating a women-friendly work environment with a dedicated helpline for any concern, as well as appointing more women in managerial roles," the company said.

Swiggy is identifying 'safe zones' for women delivery personnel to operate in and will allow them to complete their deliveries by 6 p.m., it added.

"Since inception, we have seen the potential in investing in logistical prowess, which has helped us in having end-to-end control over the food delivery experience," Swiggy Vice President (Operations) Sachin Kotangale said in the statement.

Set up in 2014, the food delivery platform claims to receive about 20 million orders a month across 45,000 restaurants in 45 cities, including New Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Gurugram and Pune.

It raised $210 million (around Rs 1,500 crore) from multiple investment firms, and has so far raised over $460 million (around Rs 3,350 crore).

The company, which has over 4,000 employees, reported an operating revenue of Rs 442-crore for the fiscal 2017-18.

--IANS

bha/shs/sed

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and a visiting Iranian official agreed on Monday that the US is placing snags in the political process in Syria, state news agency SANA reported.

The remarks were made during Assad's meeting with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister's Special Assistant for Political Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari in the capital Damascus.

They reportedly discussed anti-terror efforts and progress on the political track, mainly the formation of the constitutional committee which will be tasked with studying the Syrian constitution.

Ansari also met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem over the formation of the committee as well as the mechanism of its function.

The formation of the constitutional committee has become a problematic issue in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said he hopes the committee will start functioning by the end of 2018.

The constitutional committee is expected to include 150 members, equally divided into three groups, one chosen by the government, the second by the opposition and the third by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

In recent remarks, de Mistura said the objection remains, mainly from the government, over the third list that the UN is tasked with to include civil society representatives, religious and tribal leaders, experts and women in the committee.

The formation of the constitutional committee was agreed upon during inter-Syrian talks in Russia's Sochi in January, which was brokered by Russia, Iran, and Turkey.

In his recent remarks, Putin said that it's time to "agree on the third part with the participation of public organisations and representatives of various public bodies."

The work was not easy as each side would be striving to "fill this part with those people they trust," the Russian president noted.

--IANS

ahm/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A teacher was arrested here after he clobbered a 11-year-old student for not completing a school assignment, causing facial paralysis in the boy, police said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred in October at the Shri Shivaji Preparatory Military School (SSPMS), a government-aided residential school in Shivajinagar.

Following a complaint lodged by the parents, police arrested the teacher, Sandeep Gade, late on Monday.

"According to the parents, the incident occurred on October 25 before our terminal examinations but we were informed about it only yesterday (Monday). We have suspended the teacher," SSPMS Principal Smita S. Patil told IANS.

She added that Gade had been working for 15 years in the school with around 550 residential students but there had not been any such complaint in the past.

Patil said a committee set up to probe the incident will also decide on providing medical aid or compensation to the student.

The parents said they had gone from Indapur to Shivajinagar on November 3 to pick up their Class VI son for Diwali vacations. They noticed some abnormalities on the left side of his face but did not take it seriously.

As days passed, the flaws on the boy's face became prominent and he kept his face covered.

The traumatized boy then revealed that he was slapped and his head banged on a wooden bench for failing to complete a drawing project.

The family rushed him to a hospital in Baramati where the doctors said the boy had suffered facial paralysis.

--IANS

qn/ksk/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Thousands of people, including union and state ministers and the general public, paid homage to late Union Minister Ananth Kumar here on Tuesday.

The 59-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader died on Monday at a private hospital here due to multiple organ failure.

Kumar's body was kept in a glass casket draped in the national flag for people to pay their last respects.

Thousands of people, including school children, gathered at the National College Grounds from across Bengaluru to pay homage to him.

Among the national leaders who paid floral tributes to Kumar were Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala and Union Minister for Statistics and Implementation D.V. Sadananda Gowda.

The Vice-President laid a floral wreath on the casket containing Kumar's body and consoled Kumar's widow Tejaswini, their two daughters Aishwarya and Vijeta and the late Minister's siblings - brother Nand Kumar and sister Suhasini.

State leaders including BJP Karnataka unit President B.S. Yeddyurappa, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, Congress Lok Sabha legislator from Karnataka M. Veerappa Moily and other legislators also paid tributes to Kumar.

A state funeral will be held later in the day with military honours and a 21-gun salute before the last rites which will be conducted at the Chamarajpet crematorium in the city's southwest suburb.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP's national president Amit Shah and other Union Ministers are expected to attend the funeral.

Kumar's body was shifted from his residence at Basavangudi to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit office in Malleshwaram in the northwestern suburb at 9 a.m. on a flower-bedecked military vehicle by personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy.

The body was later shifted to the National College Grounds at around 11 a.m. for the public to pay tributes.

Party cadres from across the country had earlier gathered at the state unit office and paid their respects to Kumar.

Kumar, a six-time parliamentarian from the high-profile Bengaluru South Lok Sabha constituency since 1996, held the Parliamentary Affairs and Chemicals Fertilisers portfolios in the NDA-led government at the Centre.

He had undergone treatment for cancer in the UK and the US since August and was admitted to a city hospital since October 21.

--IANS

bha/ksk/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Trading at the India-Bangladesh "Border Haat" in Tripura was disrupted by some people forcing the authorities to ask the police to take action against those who were preventing vendors from entering the border market, an official said on Tuesday.

"Some people are reportedly preventing license holder vendors to enter the Kamlasagar 'Border Haat'. I have personally visited the Kamlasagar border market and asked the police to take action against those who are creating trouble," Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Sepahijala District Suresh Chandra Das told IANS.

Das, who is the Co-Chairman of the Kamlasagar "Border Haat" management committee, said that out of the 25 vendors from the Indian side, only two sellers had opened their shops on Sunday.

"I told the police officials that until fresh names of vendors were approved by the authorities, old license holder vendors will be allowed to do business in the market," the ADM said.

The existing vendors told the media that some people, backed by the ruling parties, were preventing license holder vendors, selected for three years during the previous Left Front government, from carrying out their business since October 28.

"As the Indian vendors were not allowed to open their shops, Bangladeshi vendors and buyers were not interested to come to the market," said an Indian vendor Shyamal Kar.

"The 'Border Haat' is not only a market place but also a meeting ground for friends and relatives from both sides of the border."

In the "Border Haat", 25 vendors each from India and Bangladesh are allowed to sell their local produce without any duty or tax.

India and Bangladesh have so far set up four "Border Haats" (markets) in Tripura and Meghalaya.

Officials of the two countries recently held meetings here to set up six more "Border Haats" along the frontiers with the northeastern states.

The states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam share a 1,880 km border with Bangladesh.

--IANS

sc/ksk/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pilots on duty who consume alcohol before or during flights should be treated as criminals, aviation experts said, adding that pilots should undergo breath analyser tests before and after a flight and any violation should be treated as a criminal offence.

They were also of the opinion that even aircraft maintenance personnel on ground should undergo the breath analyser (BA) test. The BA test must be strictly enforced as both pilots and ground crew staff were responsible for thousands of passengers' lives.

An official of the Indian Commerical Pilots' Association (ICPA) told IANS that post flight BA tests were done only for international flights to India whereas no pre-flight alcohol tests were done.

"If an Air India pilot flies an international flight after taking alcohol then he is risking the lives of several hundreds of passengers. But by the time he lands in India then the alcohol level might have gone down and would pass the BA test," he said.

The official said in the case of domestic flight, pre-flight BA test is done.

According to him, drunken flying should be treated as a criminal offence.

"The airline can hire doctors or agencies to oversee the conduct of the BA tests," the ICPA official added.

An Indian Air Force (IAF) official told IANS preferring anonymity: "No sane person will start a fighter jet under the influence of alcohol. It is akin to committing suicide."

When a pilot or a ground service personnel fails the BA tests or misses it for the first time then the penalty is three months of suspension of licence/approval.

In case of a failing the breath analyser test for second time then the licence or approval is suspended for three years.

When a pilot fails the test for third time then the penalty is cancellation of the licence/approval.

Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation suspended the licence of Air India's senior pilot and Director Operations Arvind Kathpalia for three years after he failed pre-flight breath-analyser test on November 11 before piloting the New Delhi-London flight.

--IANS

vj/in/sed

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two persons were electrocuted in Ballia district when they were returning home after making preparations for the festival of Chatth, police said on Tuesday.

The deceased, Satish Kumar (22) and Amit Yadav (20), were on their way home in Mahawal village around midnight when they came in contact with wired fencing in an agricultural field that had been electrified to keep off stray cattle, police said.

Residents of Akhtiyarpur Chitbada village, both were rushed to the hospital where they were declared dead.

Incensed over the death of their dear ones, the families vandalized hospital property. The hospital staff was also attacked.

Police were rushed to the hospital where senior officials pacified the mob and sent the bodies for post-mortem, sources said.

--IANS

md/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jawaharlal Nehru, widely regarded as the architect of modern India, had deep affection and regard for literature and scholarship. The Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) here bears this out, but has been the subject of much controversy during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led dispensation. Critics say that the government is "diluting" Nehrus legacy by changing the character of his memorial whereas the government has maintained that it is only "upgrading" it.

The NMML is housed in Teen Murti Bhavan, located south of Rashtrapati Bhavan, and was designed by Robert Tor Russell. It was built in 1929-30 as part of Edwin Lutyens' imperial capital and was initially the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief in India. In August 1948, after the departure of the last British Commander-in-Chief, Teen Murti Bhavan became the official residence of independent India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

It remained Nehru's residence for 16 years until his death in May 1964; and barely six months after his demise, S. Radhakrishnan, the then President of India, formally inaugurated the Nehru Memorial Museum in November 1964. Despite several additions and changes on the official website of NMML in recent months, it still acknowledges that the Government of India decided that the Teen Murti House should be dedicated to him (Nehru) and house a museum and a library.

An exclusive library building was constructed a decade later to make it a place of pilgrimage for the Indian masses on the one hand and a premier research centre for intellectual activity on the other. It was inaugurated by V.V. Giri, then President of India, in January 1974. The steady increase in the volume of research material further necessitated the construction of an annexe, which was completed in 1989. The Centre for Contemporary Studies was set up as a new unit of NMML in this building in 1990.

Over the next two decades, the NMML fast emerged as a premier institution of research on Indian history but never before had it faced an unrest comparable to what emerged after the rise of Narendra Modi and the BJP at the Centre in 2014.

The turmoil began as early as September 2015 when Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said that the appointment of Mahesh Rangarajan as the director of NMML during the Manmohan Singh led-United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was "unethical and illegal"; this was followed by the latter's resignation.

Founded as an autonomous institution, the General Council, President and the Vice-President of the NMML are nominated by the central government.

The NMML remained headless for almost a year but saw another controversy when a new director was appointed. Shakti Sinha, who was a private secretary to Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he headed the first BJP-led government at the Centre, was appointed as the new director of NMML in August 2016. Within days, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a member of the executive committee (EC), resigned from his post citing that rules were tweaked to appoint Sinha as the director.

Ironically, the advertisement (in picture) for the post of the director said that the Executive Council of NMML is the "Appointing Authority", but Mehta alleged that, according to the rules, only a scholar or writer could occupy the top post of NMML whereas the government tweaked it to allow an administrator (Sinha) to apply for it. Mehta maintains that the advertisement was never approved by the Executive Council.

Nonetheless, Sinha's appointment was the opening of the pandora's box as controversies continue to surface at India's premier research institution. On a new section recently added on its website, NMML says that it "reflects the democratic system of India" and "has been tasked by the Government of India to set up a New Museum on Prime Ministers of India".

This faced intense criticism from Congress leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who, in a letter, urged his successor Narendra Modi to "leave the Teen Murti Complex undisturbed as it is" and reminding him that it is "a memorial to our first Prime Minister Pandit Nehru. This way we will be respecting both history and heritage". The Opposition suspected that a plan was underway to change NMML into a Museum of all Prime Ministers of India.

In this context, Sinha, speaking earlier to IANS, said that the motive was to upgrade the NMML. "Even though NMML is not only limited to Nehru in its current form, the upgrade will see a greater representation of all former PMs, including Manmohan Singh," Sinha had said.

The government said that it was not changing NMML but merely building another museum inside the premises of the Teen Murti estate. Critics hit back saying that the proposed museum could be built anywhere else in the capital, but building it inside the premises of Teen Murti Bhavan would be changing the existing character of NMML.

The government, it turned out, was bent on its purpose. But where is the space for a new museum in Teen Murti estate? Are you going to cut down the trees?

In a surprise move, the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, chaired by Sonia Gandhi and housed in the Teen Murti estate, was asked by Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in September to vacate the premises on grounds of "unauthorised occupation". The letter said that NMML is in "dire need of space" and alleged that the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund is occupying the premises "without any authority of law".

Responding to the notice, N. Balakrishnan, Administrative Secretary of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, refuted its premise and asked that it be withdrawn. The five-page response noted that the premises has been in its occupation since 1967, and has "remained unchallenged and never questioned and has been cemented".

Even as there was (and is) no clarity over where the proposed museum would be built, the foundation stone for the "Museum of Prime Ministers" was laid on Oct 15 by Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri.

(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.)Facebook-owned on Tuesday announced that it has selected 20 research teams worldwide - including experts from and those of Indian origin -- who will work towards how misinformation spreads and what additional steps the mobile messaging platform could take to curb

Shakuntala Banaji from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Anushi Agrawal and Nihal Passanha from Bengaluru-based media and arts collective "Maraa" and Ramnath Bhat from LSE have been selected for the paper titled " Vigilantes? messages and mob violence in India".

The research examines the ways in which WhatsApp users understand and find solutions to the spate of "WhatsApp lynchings" that has killed over 30 people so far.

The has also directed WhatsApp to take necessary remedial measures to prevent proliferation of fake and, at times, motivated/sensational messages on its platform.

Among others selected were Vineet Kumar from Ranchi-headquartered Cyber Peace Foundation (principal investigator), Amrita Choudhary, of the Delhi-based non-profit Cyber Cafe Association of (CCAOI) and Anand Raje from Cyber Peace Foundation.

They will work as a team on the paper titled "Digital literacy and impact of misinformation on emerging digital societies".

P.N. Vasanti from Centre for Media Studies in woll work withS. Shyam Sundar, The Pennsylvania State University (Principal Investigator) to examine the role of content modality in vulnerability to misinformation, under the topic titled "Seeing is Believing: Is Video Modality More Powerful in Spreading "

WhatsApp had issued a call for papers in July this year and received proposals from over 600 research teams around the world.

"Each of the 20 research teams will receive up to $50,000 for their project (for a total of $1 million)," WhatsApp said in a statement.

Lipika Kamra from O.P. Jindal Global University and Philippa Williams from the Queen Mary University of London (Principal Investigator) will examine the role of WhatsApp in everyday political conversations in India, in the context of India's ecosystem.

According to Mrinalini Rao, lead researcher at WhatsApp, the platform cares deeply about the safety of its over 1.5 billion monthly active users globally and over 200 million users in

"We appreciate the opportunity to learn from these international experts about how we can continue to help address the impact of misinformation," Rao said.

"These studies will help us build upon recent changes we have made within WhatsApp and support broad education campaigns to help keep people safe," she added.

The recipients are from countries including Brazil, India, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, the UK and US.

WhatsApp said it is hosting them in this week so they can hear from product leaders about how it builds its product.

"Given the nature of private messaging - where 90 per cent of the messages sent are between two people and group sizes are strictly limited - our focus remains on educating and empowering users and proactively tackling abuse," said the company.

WhatsApp recently implemented a "forward label" to inform users when they received a message that was not originally written by their friend or loved one. To tackle abuse, WhatApp has also set a limit on how many forwards can be sent.

In India, WhatsApp has partnered with the to train community leaders in several states on how to address misinformation.

"We are also running ads in several languages -- in print, online, and on over 100 radio stations -- amounting to the largest public education campaign on misinformation anywhere in the world," the company noted.

Sayan Banerjee from University of Essex, Srinjoy Bose from University of New South Wales and Robert A. Johns from University of Essex will study "Misinformation in Diverse Societies, Political Behaviour & Good Governance".

Santosh Vijaykumar from Northumbria University, Arun Nair from Health Systems Research India Initiative and Venkat Chilukuri, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology are part of the team that will study "Misinformation Vulnerabilities among Elderly during Disease Outbreaks".

--IANS

na/kskThe world's most popular freeware instant messaging app confirmed its prior announcement that, as of Monday, any users who have not backed up their stored data and chats on Google Drive will lose their chat histories.

WhatsApp, which is owned by tech giant Facebook, had reached an agreement with Google last August to store user content on the Google Drive cloud storage service without said data affecting the user's maximum memory limit, Efe reported.

Furthermore, WhatsApp warned that any backups that hadn't been updated in over a year would also be automatically removed from the Google Drive storage.

This will also allow users to easily reload their data on different or new Android smartphones.

Android users can update their copy and configure its update frequency as long as they have a personal account on Google.

Earlier this year, WhatsApp's CEO and co-founder, Jan Koum, announced he was leaving Facebook

--IANS

ahm/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The White House on Tuesday said that it will mount a "vigorous" defence against the lawsuit filed by CNN accusing the administration of violating freedom of the press by suspending the press credentials of one of its reporters after a press conference confrontation with President Donald Trump.

"We have been advised that CNN has filed a complaint challenging the suspension of Jim Acosta's hard pass. This is just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against this lawsuit," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared in a statement, Efe reported.

The cable news service on Tuesday filed its suit in a District of Columbia court against the president and five members of his staff over the decision to permanently ban CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta from the presidential residence.

In its statement, the administration claimed that 50 other CNN reporters are accredited to cover White House news and that Acosta is not special in any way, suggesting that he can easily be replaced.

"The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta's First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process," CNN said in a statement.

The lawsuit, filed in DC District Court, asks for a restraining order requiring the return of Acosta's White House press pass.

When the White House suspended Acosta's pass last week, it said it did so because he had placed his hands on a female intern who was trying to take the microphone from him after Trump indicated he was no longer taking his questions. Video of the altercation shows only incidental contact.

CNN has said this fight was not about the intern but rather about the president's contempt for Acosta and CNN.

"While the suit is specific to CNN and Acosta, this could have happened to anyone. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials," CNN said.

The White House answered back, saying that the administration "cannot run an orderly and fair press conference when a reporter acts this way, which is neither appropriate nor professional."

"The First Amendment is not served when a single reporter, of more than 150 present, attempts to monopolize the floor. If there is no check on this type of behavior it impedes the ability of the President, the White House staff, and members of the media to conduct business," the White House added.

After the press conference, a member of the Secret Service approached Acosta and demanded that he turn in his press pass, according to a video recording of the incident posted by the journalist on Twitter.

--IANS

ahm/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)On the autonomy of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the strong headed former Finance Minister T T Krishnamachari had said, RBI was no more than a subordinated department of the finance ministry. Now, when the top brass of the RBI and the government of India are at loggerheads, what the former prime minister Manmohan Singh had said in 2014 has surfaced.

Singh had said, The finance minister is always superior and the RBI governor cant defy him. This view of Singh is reflection of his quiet and down-to-earth personality. But, in sum and substance, ...A 19-year-old male student has been sentenced to three days of imprisonment by a court here for posting a married woman's private pictures on a social networking website.

The Special Metropolitan Magistrate's Court here also slapped a fine of Rs 200 on Shaik Mudabbir Ahmed Monday, for creating a fake ID on the social networking site, posting the private pictures of the woman and demeaning her by tagging her friends and family members in those photos, a release from the Hyderabad Police said.

"The culprit, by doing so, tried to create a rift between the woman and her husband," the release said, adding that a "SHE" team (the police wing tasked with cracking down on eve-teasers and stalkers) apprehended Ahmed and produced him before the court, which sentenced him to three days of imprisonment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Supreme Court will hear on November 19 the petition filed by Zakia Jafri challenging the clean chit given by the Special Investigating Team (SIT) to in connection with the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat when he was the chief minister.

Zakia, the wife of Ehsan Jafri, an ex-MP who was killed in one of the worst incidents during the riots, has also challenged the Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 order rejecting her plea against the SIT's decision.

The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and Deepak Gupta also said the matter will be heard on November 19 as the bench has not gone through the petition in detail.

The SIT had, on February 8, 2012, filed a closure report and given the clean chit to Modi saying there was no prosecutable evidence against him.A 48-year-old assistant sub-inspector of Delhi Traffic Police was killed on duty allegedly after being hit by a truck in the Cantonment area on Tuesday, police said.

ASI Jitender Singh was a native of Sabga village in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, they added.

The police said Singh, along with Constables Pawan, Sandeep and Vijaypal, was on duty from 7 am on a stretch between Gurgaon station road and Rao Tula Ram Marg. At about 7.41 am, a truck coming from Dhaula Kuan hit the officer.

Singh was immediately rushed to Indian Spinal Injury Hospital in Vasant Kunj where he succumbed to his injuries, a senior police officer said.

Singh joined Delhi Police in 1988 and had served in Shahdara, East and Southeast districts before being transferred to the traffic unit, he said.

The officer is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son, he added.

The driver, identified as Asfaq Khan, 22, a native of Jamal Pur village in Nuh district of Haryana, was apprehended and the truck seized near Mahipalpur, the officer said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A voter turnout of 76.28 per cent was recorded in the first phase of elections in Chhattisgarh covering 18 assembly segments, a poll official said Tuesday.

The impressive turnout shows that Naxals threats seem to have had little impact in the first phase of polling in eight Maoist-hit districts, the official said.

"Chhattisgarh recorded 76.28 per cent polling in the first phase of elections held Monday," state Chief Electoral Officer Subrat Sahoo said in a press conference here.

The highest polling percentage was recorded in Dongargaon (85.15), followed by Khujji (84.48), Khairagarh (84.31), Bastar (83.51), Kondagaon (82.84), Dongargarh (82.53), Keshkal (81.32), Chitrakot (80.31), Mohla-Manpur (80), Rajnandgaon (78.66), Kanker (78.54) Jagdalpur (78.24), Bhanupratappur (76.77), Antagarh (74.45), Narayanpur (74.40), Dantewada (60.62), Konta (55.30) and Bijapur47.35 per cent.

"A good number of voters in remote areas exercised their franchise," Sahoo said.

The final polling percentage is much higher than the earlier estimates, which ranged from 60 to 70 per cent.

The Election Commission, at a press conference in New Delhi Monday evening, had said 70 per cent turnout was recorded in phase one of Chhattisgarh polls. However Sahoo had told reporters at Raipur later Monday that 60.49 per cent turnout was recorded, adding the figure may go up.

There were three encounters between security personnel and Naxals, and an IED blast Monday in the districts that went to the polls but the voting process, held under heavy security cover, was not affected.

In remote Naxal-affected areas, the polling received a good response from voters who appeared excited to exercise their franchise, Sahoo said.

Over 1.25 lakh police and paramilitary personnel were also deployed in the 18 constituencies falling under Naxal-hit areas of Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Kondagaon, Narayanpur and Rajnandgaon districts.

The second phase of polling in 72 seats, out of the 90-member Assembly, would be held on November 20 and counting of votes would take place on December 11.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least 76 per cent of the licensed gun owners have deposited their arms to the police in Mizoram ahead of the November 28 Assembly elections, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) L H Shanliana said that 10,337 licensed gun owners had deposited their firearms in various police stations across Mizoram.

The deputy commissioners of all the districts in the state had issued orders asking all registered gun owners to deposit their firearms before the Assembly elections as per a directive issued by the Election Commission of India.

Shanliana hoped that all licensed gun owners, including farmers, would deposit their firearms before the polls though the farmers need guns to protect their jhums (cultivation) from animals at this time of the year.

"We have received excellent cooperation from the village councils in the rural areas and the local councils in the capital Aizawl city," he said.

Keeping in mind the gun owners' sentiments about their guns, he said they would be able to check and clean their firearms whenever they want to do so by visiting the respective police stations and outposts.

The IGP said that DGPs of neighbouring Assam, Tripura and Manipur have been asked to ensure that no persons or materials that could disrupt the poll process in Mizoram should be allowed to enter the state.

Superintendents of police and officers-in-charge of border districts have been put on high alert.

Close circuit television cameras were in place in the border outposts at Assam border Vairengte, Saiphai and Bairabi and Tripura border Zawlnuam Police outposts, the IGP added.Top Tamil actor Rajinikanth on Tuesday virtually threw his weight behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was 'stronger' than '10 persons' aligning against him.

The superstar's remarks came amid speculation that opposition parties are looking at a mega coalition against the Modi government for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"When 10 persons go against one person, who is stronger? Those 10, or the persons they are aligning against. If 10 persons declare a war against one man, who is stronger," he told reporters here when questioned on the possibility of an alliance by opposition parties.



On Monday, Rajinikanth had said that "they (opposition parties) feel that way, then it should be definitely like that," when responding to a question whether the BJP was such a 'dangerous' party electorally, that warranted formation of a mega alliance against it.

Asked if Modi was "stronger" and whether he was implying it with his statement, the actor said he "can't be more clear."





Rajinikanth again insisted that when ten persons join hands against one man, apparently Modi, the latter is stronger.

Asked whether he would align with the BJP, he said it will be decided later.

The actor has already announced he will take the political plunge and contest from all 234 seats in the next Assembly elections, originally due in 2021. He is yet to launch his party.



TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu recently visited DMK president M K Stalin here as part of his efforts to bring together various parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to dislodge the BJP government at the Centre.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has also been batting for opposition unity against the BJP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a vocal critic of the saffron party led government at the Centre.

Rajinikanth is touted to be inclined towards the BJP, with Modi himself meeting the veteran star on more than one occasion in the recent past, once at his residence here.

His critics have often claimed that he was favourably disposed towards the saffron party.

However, he had on Monday described as 'flawed' the implementation of the much-hyped 2016 demonetisation effort by the prime minister.

"The implementation was flawed. It is a matter that should be discussed in detail," Rajinikanth had said Monday.Top Tamil actor Rajinikanth appeared to back Narendra Modi Tuesday in the backdrop of a mega opposition coalition shaping up against the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, saying the prime minister seemed to be a "strong" man.

He also clarified on his statement made Monday about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) being "dangerous" for its opponents, saying he made the remarks only in the context of the opposition parties.

Referring to his interaction with the media Monday, the superstar said he was asked about many political parties joining hands to defeat the BJP and whether it was such a dangerous party.

"My answer was the opposition parties think so (the BJP is dangerous). When they think so, the BJP is a dangerous party for them...," he said.

However, "people will decide" if the BJP was indeed "dangerous" or not, Rajinikanth told reporters here.

The actor was seeking to clarify his statement made Monday, when he was asked if the BJP was such a (electorally) "dangerous" party that it warranted the formation of a mega national alliance against it.

He had said, "If they (opposition parties) feel that way, then it should definitely be like that."



Asked to spell out his stand on whether the BJP was "dangerous" or not, the actor said, "I cannot say that now, people should decide that."



However, he seemed to back the prime minister, saying Modi was "stronger" than "10 persons" aligning against him.

Rajinikanth's remarks came amid speculation that opposition parties were looking at a mega coalition against the Modi government for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"When 10 persons go against one person, who is stronger? Those 10 or the person they are aligning against? If 10 persons declare a war against one man, who is stronger?," he asked when questioned on the possibility of an opposition alliance.

Asked if Modi was "stronger" and whether this was what he implied through his statement, the actor said he "can't be more clear".

When a reporter said 10 persons joining hands could also make them strong, Rajinikanth shot back, saying, "Then how strong should that one man be," apparently referring to Modi.

To a remark by a scribe that "if Modi is very strong", the actor laughed and said it would be evident in "2019", apparently referring to next year's general election.

Asked whether he would align with the BJP after he entered politics, he said it would be decided later.

Rajinikanth has already announced that he will take the political plunge and contest all the 234 seats in the next Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, originally due in 2021. However, he is yet to launch his party.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu recently visited Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M K Stalin here as part of his efforts to bring together various parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to dislodge the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has also been batting for opposition unity against the BJP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a vocal critic of the saffron party-led central government.

Rajinikanth is touted to be inclined towards the BJP, with Modi himself meeting the veteran star on more than one occasion in the recent past, including once at his residence here.

The critics of the actor have often claimed that he is favourably disposed towards the saffron party.

However, on Monday, Rajinikanth had described the implementation of the 2016 demonetisation exercise by the prime minister as "flawed".

"The implementation was flawed. It is a matter that should be discussed in detail," he had said.

The superstar also sought to clarify his comments on the release of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, alleging that attempts were on to "create an illusion" that he was ignorant about the issue.

On Monday, he had said, "Which seven convicts...I am hearing about it only now," when scribes had posed a query in this regard.

On Tuesday, he said the question was not properly framed as there was no mention of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and that it was only posed as "seven persons".

"Rajinikanth is not such an idiot not to know those seven persons. I had spoken to (AG) Perarivalan over the phone when he was released on parole and consoled him," he said.

Perarivalan is one of the seven persons convicted in the case related to the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The K Palaniswami-led Tamil Nadu cabinet had, in September, recommended to Governor Banwarilal Purohit for their release, though the latter is yet to take a call on it.

Rajinikanth batted for their release on humanitarian grounds.

On the controversy surrounding actor Vijay's film "Sarkar", he said he condemned violence in any form and opposed the damaging of banners and stalling the film's screening by AIADMK workers as they were opposed to the scenes showing people burning mixer-grinders -- the party's flagship scheme being burnt.

They were also opposed to a name deemed to be referring to late AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa.

Asked about the need for freebies, Rajinikanth said they were "100 per cent" required, but added that such items should not be given away just with an eye on votes.

On Palaniswami's recent statement that the media should highlight the salaries drawn by actors, Rajinikanth said they paid taxes for their earnings.

On reports about opposition to his next film "2.O" in Karnataka by some local pro-Kannada groups, he said the government in that state would handle it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The president of Afghanistan told a US audience Tuesday that his country is not losing the war to the Taliban and is not at risk of collapse amid escalating attacks by the militant group and an expansion of the territory it controls.

President Ashraf Ghani said his administration is intent on seeking a negotiated peace with the Taliban, which have shown no interest in direct talks with a government they see as illegitimate.

"The Taliban are not in a winning position," Ghani said by video to an audience at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington as a suicide bombing in Kabul and a deadly militant assault on districts in eastern Afghanistan suggested government control was slipping further.

Ghani said that more than 28,000 Afghan forces have been killed in the past four years but that the military will be able to retake territory as long as it has an air force and commando troops. He said most of the losses incurred by its security forces were in defending static positions, so the government was rethinking how it deploys its forces.

Speaking on Veterans Day, the Afghan leader paid tribute to American sacrifices in Afghanistan, including the death of Brent Taylor, a Utah mayor serving as a major in the state's Army National Guard who was training Afghan commandos. Taylor, 39, was fatally shot a week ago by one of his Afghan trainees.

But Ghani also offered a rare public accounting of the scale of the Afghan losses. He described how their casualties have risen sharply while U.S.-led coalition casualties have declined after Afghan forces assumed responsibility for combat operations in the country. He said that since 2015, 58 American forces have died in Afghanistan.

"In the same period, 28,529 of our security forces have lost their lives and become martyrs," he said.

US military officials have previously indicated that Afghan casualties have been increasing, but they have avoided giving hard figures, apparently because of political sensitivities.

In its most recent report to Congress, in October, the special inspector general for Afghanistan said Afghan casualty numbers had been reported only in classified form since September 2017 because the U.S. military command in Kabul said it had stopped making them public at the request of the Afghan government.

However, the report said that the average number of casualties between May and October this year was the greatest it has ever been during similar periods.

On Oct. 30, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Afghan forces had more than 1,000 dead and wounded during August and September alone, "and they stayed in the field fighting."



The Trump administration has marginally increased US troop numbers to train Afghan forces and intensify military pressure on the Taliban in hopes of forcing the insurgents to negotiate an end to the 17-year conflict. Successes on the battlefield have been elusive. The inspector general report said the number of districts under Afghan government control and influence has declined and stands at just 55 percent down 16 percentage points in the past three years.

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is on his second tour of the region in a month, seeking to kick-start a peace process.

The diplomatic veteran is making stops in Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office.

The insurgents say they met Khalilzad in Qatar last month.The Taliban have so far refused direct negotiations with Kabul, which they view as a US puppet.

On the sensitive topic of the US role in talks, Ghani said there was "total agreement" between the US and Afghan governments on moving the peace process forward.

"US engagement is to ensure that talks with the Taliban result not in negotiations with Taliban but with talks, direct talks, between the Afghan government and the Taliban," he said.

He insisted that the Afghan government was seeking a negotiated peace but would not do so "from a position of weakness." In a possible sign of America's efforts, Pakistan released two Taliban officials on Monday, members of the militant group said.

Abdul Samad Sani, a US-designated terrorist who served as the Afghan Central Bank governor during the militants' rule in the late 1990s, and a lower-ranking commander named Salahuddin, were freed, according to two Taliban officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

Ghani, however, said Pakistan has yet to demonstrate a "sense of urgency" in seeking an end to the Afghan conflict and a change in its policies.

Kabul has long protested that Afghan Taliban leaders and fighters enjoy sanctuary inside Pakistan, which Islamabad denies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)State-owned Allahabad Bank Tuesday reported a net loss of Rs 1,822.71 crore in the September quarter of 2018-19 financial year, on higher provisioning for bad loans.

The bank had posted a net profit of Rs 70.20 crore in the July-September quarter of 2017-18.

However, as compared to the June quarter this fiscal, the bank narrowed the losses from Rs 1,944.37 crore.

Total income also fell to Rs 4,410.72 crore during the reported quarter as against Rs 5,067.78 crore in the same period of 2017-18, Allahabad Bank said in a BSE filing.

Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) jumped to 17.53 per cent of the gross advances as on September 30, 2018 as against 14.10 per cent by the same period a year ago.

Net NPAs or bad loans fell to 7.96 per cent of the net loans as against 8.84 per cent in the year-ago period.

In absolute value, gross bad loans stood at Rs 27,236.19 crore by the end of September quarter 2018-19, as against Rs 21,454.27 crore in the year-ago period. Net NPAs were Rs 11,082.74 crore as against Rs 12,662.18 crore.

Due to rise in bad loans, provisioning for NPAs were raised to Rs 1,991.88 crore for the reported quarter from Rs 1,469.52 crore in the same period of 2017-18.

The overall provisioning and contingencies rose to Rs 2,356.04 crore for the quarter as against Rs 1,497.11 crore in the year-ago period.

Non-performing loan provision coverage ratio of the bank is 67.81 per cent, it said.

Citing RBI circular permitting banks to continue the exposures to MSME borrowers to be classified as standard assets, Allahabad Bank said it has retained advances of Rs 576.43 crore as standard asset as on September 30, 2018.

"In accordance with the provisions of the circular, the bank has not recognised interest income of Rs 18.84 crore and is maintaining a standard asset provision of Rs 27.88 crore as on September 30, 2018 in respect of such borrowers," it said.

The bank also informed that it has spread the provision for fraud/red flagged accounts of Rs 802.70 crore in 27 accounts as on September 30, 2018.

Further, a provision of Rs 161.30 crore (cumulative Rs 390.58 crore up to September 30, 2018) has been reversed out of Rs 390.58 crore, Allahabad Bank said.

Stock of the bank settled 9.98 per cent lower at Rs 37.45 on BSE.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Army has procured special anti-mine boots for troops deployed along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir with twin aims of facilitating domination of the landmine-infested forward areas and hot pursuit of terrorists if necessary, a top Army officer said.

As part of the counter-infiltration grid, the soldiers have to get into forward areas for domination and some times even undertake hot pursuit of the terrorists and subversive elements, General Officer Commanding of the Army's Jammu-based XVI Corps Lt. General Paramjit Singh told PTI in an interview on Sunday.

"We have purchased equipment such as anti-mine boots and deep search metal detectors out of the special funds to facilitate these operations and at the same time ensure the safety of our soldiers," he said.

He said the forward areas along the LoC under XVI Corps -- a length of nearly 250 kilometres of rugged terrain and dense bushes -- have inherent landmine dangers but all preparations, including safety precautions, have been taken for carrying out the operations.

"Some of the mines, laid as part of the counter-infiltration measures, drift from their original place due to rain and snowfall. Sometimes accidents happen," he said.

He was replying to a question about activation of landmines near the anti-infiltration obstacle system and subsequent casualties in which a Lt. Colonel and a jawan were injured on October 28.

Referring to recent incidents of two soldiers, including an officer, getting injured in anti-personnel mine blasts, Lt. Gen Singh said in both the cases, they had stepped on drifted mines.

"Fortunately, they were wearing the anti-mine boots which limited the damage to their feet and the limbs were saved," he added.

The Corps commander said the Army envisages that the terrorists will attempt to infiltrate into the state even after the snowfall this winter through non-traditional routes and areas.

"We are prepared to take on this challenge. Contingencies have been prepared and coordination done while some more steps are in progress. Police and civil administrations are seriously addressing surveillance and control of highways," he added.

Lt. Gen Singh said a robust anti-infiltration grid was in place as troops equipped with latest gadgets such as night vision devices are deployed to ensure that the ultras do not reach the hinterland.

"The deployment of Army and other sister agencies is in tiers. Even if the terrorists manage to get past the first tier, they are trapped in the depth," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Apollo Tyres Tuesday said its promoters O S Kanwar and Neeraj Kanwar, who are Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively, have agreed to take 30 per cent cut in their compensations for 2018-19 after a proposal from its nominations and remuneration committee (NRC).

The company's board has also recommended capping of promoter compensation at 7.5 per cent of Profit Before Tax (PBT) while the NRC has pitched for it to be further reduced over a period of time.

In September, minority shareholders of the company had rejected reappointment of Neeraj as Managing Director(MD), who is also the vice-chairman, over his compensation.

Subsequently, in October the NRC engaged with a range of institutional shareholders to take their views into consideration, Apollo Tyres said in a regulatory filing.

Further, an independent report from EY was also commissioned to benchmark MDs' compensation structures and amounts, it added.

"This twin process of consultation and external benchmarking has resulted in a significantly revised proposal from the NRC for the compensation package to renew Neeraj Kanwar's contract from May 2019," the board said in a statement.

It further said the revised proposal would result in a reduction of approximately 30 per cent in overall compensation for both the promoters.

"Respecting the spirit of this change, both Onkar S Kanwar and Neeraj Kanwar have voluntarily agreed to reduce their compensation for 2018-19 with immediate effect to fall in line with the new recommendations," the statement added.

In 2017-18, O S Kanwar received Rs 49.58 crore as total compensation, while Neeraj received Rs 44.64 crore.

Stating that "three substantive changes" related to compensation for promoters have been recommended, the board said it has recommended to shareholders for their approval of the same.

These include a cap on total promoter compensation is set at 7.5 per cent of Profit Before Tax (PBT) and performance-based remuneration will be targeted at approximately 70 per cent of the total compensation.

Besides, annual increments for the fixed portion of promoter compensation will be in line with that of the senior professionals of the company, it added.

"The NRC has further recommended, and the board taken on record, that the 7.5 per cent cap be further reduced over a period of time," it said.

These adjustments take into account the feedback received from institutional shareholders, and are in line with the independent external benchmarking study, the statement said.

"In light of this, the board of Apollo Tyres strongly recommends that the contract is renewed under the revised terms," it said.

In September, a special resolution for reappointment of Neeraj Kanwar as MD was not passed as the votes cast in favour (72.72 per cent) were less than three times the number of votes cast against (27.28 per cent).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Growing use of Artifical Intelligence will create challenges for the policy makers dealing with intellectual property rights in the times to come, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said Tuesday.

The DG of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) suggested that the problem of piracy in the media industry can be taken care of by business model based on reasonable subscription rates.

The future deliberations among policy makers globally would have to focus on whether actions need to be taken at the regulatory end or at the business level with regard to Intellectual Property laws as artificial intelligence is expected to play a disruptive role on the production side.

"It will not be long before Artificial Intelligence generated music is a regular feature. So you will see great disruption not only in distribution which you are seeing now, and consumption the way we consume music and audio visual, we will see that in case of production as well. So there are many many questions out there," Gurry said.

He is here in connection with the two-day 'Global Digital Content Market' conference being organised by WIPO in collaboration with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The conference will bring together CEOs, artists from around the world to discuss on opportunities and challenges of intellectual property rights in the digital age.

Referring to the issue of piracy, especially in the music and film industry, Gurry said the problem to a great extent can be sorted out by making accessible content digitally.

"Music industry was resistant to digital world initially and then over time ... in the last 2/3 years we saw expansion of music industry because of subscription... It is streaming based subscription, a new business model which makes available content on accessible terms. I think there is a lesson in that -- making available content reasonably.

"We have to be intelligent in the way we address piracy and recognise that business and business models have a lot to play by making available content on accessible terms. It helps compliance," he added.

Talking about India's IPR regime, Gurry said that India has made extraordinary efforts in recent years in strengthening its IPR regime.

"There is an extra ordinary reduction in processing time (of IPR applications). There is an improvement in the infrastructure of IP offices," he said.

Gurry said with time the distribution of content has gone from physical to digital and also from local to global.

"Some of the matters that need to be addressed from Intellectual Property point of view is how do we ensure that creators and artists continue to be protected. So that they are better protected and better remunerated in the digital platform...," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hinduja group flagship frim Ashok Leyland Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Vinod K Dasari has quit citing personal reasons and the company board has accepted his resignation, a top official said Tuesday.

However, the boart at its meeting here Tuesday asked him to continue till the end of March 2019 to facilitate a smooth transition, Ashok Leyland Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja, who was elevated as Executive Chairman in view of the resignation of Dasari, said.

The board had reappointed Dasari as Managing Director and CEO for a term of five years from April 1,2016 to March 31, 2021.

"This (resignation of Dasari) was something unexpected. The board needs time to discuss this (and find a replacement). Vinodh has done an excellent job and the team in Ashok Leyland is very strong," Hinduja told reporters.

Dasari, who had been associated with the commercial heavy vehicle maker for the past 13 years, said he had been thinking about quitting for some time.

"When we came to India 17-18 years ago, it was family decision. To come to Ashok Leyland and not go back to United States was my family decision. So, now my family is set by God's grace and I'd been thinking about it for quite sometime (about quitting)", he said.

Noting that he was not keen on putting his papers when the company did not perform well about six years ago, Dasari said, "we turned around and our team did a fantastic job. The team is strong now".

Asked would the resignation of Dasari pose a challenge to the company, Hinduja said, "there are lot of mentorship, guidance from the Board whenever needed. Of course there are challenges, but I think, we are well within meeting the timelines".

He said the company was having a very good board of Directors and of the ten, eight were independent directors and four of them with very rich credentials in the automotive industry.

He also said Ashok Leyland had aggressive plans on light commercial vehicles, Defense and electric vehicle segments.

Talking about Dasari, Hinduja said he was a people's person. "If he fixes a target, his team will do everything and achieve that. Last five years, he changed the culture in Ashok Leyland".

Noting that the focus was on making a smooth transition to find a successor to him, Dasari said the company had been his family.

"I am not running away from something. I just want to learn something else. Right now the focus is on smooth transition,internally," he said.

Replying to a question, Hinduja said the resignation of Dasari would not lead to a vaccum and it would be business as usual.

"Till we find a right person, based on the request of the Board, I will be the Executive Chairman. Vinodh and I have been working closely whether it is strategy, recruitment of senior people. I think it will continue. It will be business as usual," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A businessman from Assam was kidnapped by some armed men on Tuesday in East Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, police said.

Tapos Majhi, a 37-year-old ginger trader from Goalpara district of Assam, was abducted near Bansam Awe village when he was on his way to Rongsak weekly market.

Around 5/6 masked men came in motorbikes, stopped his vehicle and abducted him at gun point, police said adding that efforts are on to find out the businessman.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)has said it's wholly-owned subsidiary has entered into an agreement to acquire a product under development and related assets from Australia-based Advent Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd for $12.5 million.

"Our wholly-owned subsidiary, USA Inc., USA, has entered into an agreement to acquire a product under development and related assets from Advent Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, Australia, through AuroScience Pty Limited, Melbourne, a 100 per cent subsidiary of USA Inc, USA," a regulatory filing from Aurobindo said Monday.

Based out of Melbourne, Advent Pharmaceuticals is engaged in developing and commercialising generic inhaled medicines for global markets.Bangladesh poll authority Tuesday rejected the opposition's demand to further defer the general elections, a day after it delayed the polls by a week to December 30.

Last week, the Bangladesh Election Commission announced that the 11th general election will be held on December 23.

The Jatiya Oikya Front (NUF) a political alliance of opposition parties that includes the main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has urged the Election Commission to defer the polls by a month.

"There is no scope of delaying further the polls as the new Parliament must be formed by January 29," Chief Election Commissioner Nurul Huda said while briefing returning officers here.

He instructed the election officials to carry out their duties "neutrally" and "without any fear".

"We have considered a lot to set the date on December 30," Huda said.

He said the Parliament will have to sit on January 29 after the election.

"So, there is not enough time. We will need to publish gazettes for all 300 constituencies after the polls. It will take time," Huda said.

"We are happy since all the parties are going to participate in the upcoming election. However, there is no possibility of deferring the election date," the CEC said.

The Election Commission reset the date, saying it was deferred as the opposition announcement appeared "reassuring to the commission" about their participation in the elections.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has welcomed the decision to postpone the elections by a week.

The NUF has not responded yet, but the BNP said the voting date would coincide with Christmas and many foreign observers would not be able to come to Bangladesh to oversee the elections.

"The Election Commission set December 30 as the election day at the suggestion of the government so that the elections can be rigged in the absence of poll observers," BNP spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told reporters Tuesday.

The BNP abstained from the 2014 polls over its dispute with the ruling Awami League on the timing of the polls and emerged as the main opposition party outside parliament.

It insists the installation of a non-party caretaker government to oversee the polls.

The NUF emerged two months ago as an opposition platform and floated a seven-point demand including dissolution of parliament to pave way for a polls-time interim government for holding a credible election.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress unit in West Bengal is in favour of fighting the coming Lok Sabha election "alone" in the state despite the party forging alliances with different regional outfits in other parts of the country in its bid to oust the BJP.

The view has been communicated to Congress President Rahul Gandhi and the final call on the issue would be taken by the AICC leadership, West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) President Somen Mitra told PTI.

The Congress has already been hit with the exodus of its elected representatives to the Trinamool Congress.

The Bengal unit of the Congress feels that an alliance with either the CPI(M) or the Trinamool Congress will not serve the "long term" interests of the party. Such an eventuality will only further erode the party's base in the state though it had tasted success in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh by forging alliances with regional parties the JD(S) and the Samajwadi Party, Congress leaders said.

"During my meeting with our party president Rahul Gandhi, I had clearly said that it would be good if we fight the Lok Sabha election alone. We may not win many seats but our party will continue to exist in Bengal in the future," Mitra said.

"Forging an alliance with the Trinamool Congress might give us more seats, but it will also ensure that the Congress will cease to exist in Bengal as TMC is more keen on poaching our MLAs and elected representatives," Mitra said.

Senior Congress leaders like P Chidambaram have advocated state-wise alliances to defeat the BJP at the Centre.

According to state Congress leaders, aligning with the CPI(M)-led Left Front will not serve any purpose as it will not ensure winning seats as the Left itself is facing a rout in the state.

"So we have told the Congress president that it is better for the future of the party in Bengal that we fight the Lok Sabha election alone. Doing so may not ensure too many seats, but it will at least guarantee revival of our organisation in the long run," AICC member Subhankar Sarkar said.

Congress sources, who did not wish to be named, said one of main reasons behind the decision against aligning with the TMC is that the party is not very sure if it would be offered more than four LS seats, it presently has in the state, by the ruling party.

"Everyone aspires to contest the election on a ticket of the party he has been working with. But due to alliances with the TMC in 2001, 2009 and 2011 and CPI(M) in 2016 our organisation has suffered badly. We could neither offer seats to our party leaders, nor could we put up our symbols in various seats. That has badly damaged our organisation," a senior state Congress leader said.

The argument against going for an alliance with the CPI(M) is lack of consistency on the part of the Left Front to remain in an alliance as it had unilaterally walked out of the alliance in 2016 after its defeat in the state assembly polls.

There are some leaders within the state unit like Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury, the Congress MP from Malda South and the brother of late party stalwart ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury, his niece Mausam Benazir Noor, also an MP from the same district, who are strongly advocating Congress-TMC alliance to stop the march of BJP in West Bengal.

Former PCC president and MP Pradip Bhattacharya, who is also chairman of the party coordination committee, agreed that the mood of the state leadership is to go alone in the polls.

He said the assembly election result in five states and the outcome of the all-party meeting on November 22 in New Delhi will be crucial and play a deciding factor while chalking out Congress' strategy.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during TMC's Martyrs Day rally on July 21 had set the target of winning all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.



"We don't need anybody in Bengal. We can fight and win on our own," a senior TMC leader said.

CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said all secular and democratic forces should come together in order to defeat the BJP and TMC.

Out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, the TMC had won 34 seats, Congress four and CPI(M)and BJP two each in 2014.

The four seats which elected Congress MPs are in Malda and Murshidabad districts, which were traditional strongholds of Congress but have been penetrated by TMC.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Congress had contested 14 seats in the state and TMC in 27 seats and SUCI in one seat. The Congress had then won six seats, the TMC had 19 seats and the SUCI(C) one.

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh has mocked Congress, saying that the Congress will not be able to win a single seat in the state this time whether it forges an alliance or not.The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has awarded tickets to close family members of several party leaders to contest the December 7 assembly election in Rajasthan, deviating from its stand against dynastic

Party leaders said the deviation was necessitated to avoid revolt within the party.

The party was taking each step in ticket distribution cautiously to avoid revolt within the party, which otherwise could play spoilsport and affect its prospects in the crucial election.

In the BJP's first list of 131 candidates released on Sunday night, the party has given ticket to its 85 sitting MLAs and has taken care of the family members of prominent leaders who were denied ticket.

The first list comprises sons, grandsons and daughter-in-laws of several prominent leaders of the BJP.

The saffron party has given due attention to family members of leaders who died owing to health issues.

The BJP has given ticket to Ram Swaroop Lamba, the son of late MP Sanwar Lal Jat, to contest election from Nasirabad seat and to Shailesh Singh, the son of late former state minister Digamber Singh, from Deeg-Kumher seat.

The party has once again reposed faith in Lamba, who was fielded to contest the Lok Sabha bypoll from Ajmer seat earlier this year. He had lost the election to Congress's Raghu Sharma by 80,000 votes.

From Kolayat Assembly seat in Bikaner district, the party has given ticket to senior leader Devi Singh Bhati's daughter-in-law Poonam Kanwar. It has fielded Rishi Bansal's wife Ritu from Bayana seat in Bharatpur district.

The other names include former minister Nandlal Meena's son Hemant Meena from Pratapgarh, former legislator Gurjant Singh's grandson Gurveer Singh Brar, former legislator Kailash Bhansali's nephew Atul Bhansali from Jodhpur and former legislator Kunjilal's son Rajendra Meena from Bamanwas.

The leaders say that the step has been taken to avoid revolt as well as to avert results similar to the 2008 assembly election when the BJP had to lose power due to loss of more than 15 seats. The party could secure 78 seats and the Congress too could not touch the magic figure to form government.

If the party had not suffered a jolt due to revolt against then Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the BJP could have formed the government taking along Independent candidates, they said. The Congress won 96 seats in the 2008 assembly election. The BSP won six seats and Independents 14 in the 2008 election.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Gwalior mayor and BJP leader Sameeksha Gupta announced Tuesday that she has quit the party and will be contesting the November 28 Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh.

Gupta's announcement came even as senior BJP leaders including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are cajoling party rebels to opt out of the electoral race.

Gupta, who was mayor from 2009 to 2015, has already filed the nomination from Gwalior (South) as an independent. Three-time MLA Narayan Singh Kushwaha is contesting the election on BJP ticket from the seat.

Gupta alleged that the BJP had forsaken the ideology of Deendayal Upadhyay and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and embraced dynastic

"Dedicated party workers are being ignored. So I have resigned from the party," she said.

The deadline for withdrawal of nomination for the polls will end Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The mortal remains of Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar were consigned to flames with full state honours here on Tuesday after hundreds of mourners paid their last respect to the departed soul.

The funeral pyre was lit by Kumar's younger brother Nanda Kumar, who performed the last rites according to Smartha Brahmin traditions, amidst chanting of Vedic hymns by a battery of priests at the Chamarajapete cremation ground.

Kumar's tricolour-draped mortal remains were accorded a gun salute by military personnel in presence of his wife Tejaswini, daughters Aishwarya and Vijetha, other family members and, national and state leaders.

Chants of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Ananth Kumar Amar Rahe" rent the air as leaders paid homage and the mortal remains were consigned to flames.

Veteran BJP leader and former deputy prime minister L K Advani, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP president Amit Shah and state party chief B S Yeddyurappa and RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi were present at the the last rites.

Also in attendance were Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Mahesh Sharma, Vijay Goel and Sadananda Gowda.

Earlier, a steady stream of mourners led by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, BJP workers, supporters and members of public paid their last respects to Kumar.

Hundreds of mourners filed past the body of Kumar, which lay in state at his residence till this morning and was then taken to the party state headquarters 'Jagannath Bhavan" and the National College ground in his Bengaluru South parliamentary constituency.

From the Basavanagudi residence, the mortal remains were carried in a decorated military vehicle with personnel of the three services- the Army, Navy and the Air Force- accompanying it, amid slogans "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Ananth Kumar Amar Rahe" by his supporters.

The body was later shifted to National College ground for the public to pay homage. The six-time MP was closely associated with the ground, having hosted many of his political events there.

The Vice-President, who had shared a special bond with Kumar, paid his last respects to his former colleague at the National College ground.

The mortal remains were later brought for the final rites at Chamarajapet in a procession, that was accompanied by hundreds of his supporters and general public, who raised slogans hailing the "most loved" Bengaluru MP, known for his geniality and accessibility.

The Home Ministry had on Monday announced that a state funeral would be accorded to Kumar.

People had lined up on both sides of the roads on the final journey of Kumar, who was born into a middle class family and rose to great political heights, never looking back in his career spanning three decades.

The 59-year-old Bangalore South MP breathed his last during the early hours on Monday at the Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre where he was under care after returning home in October following treatment in the US and Britain.

In New Delhi, the Union Cabinet condoled the demise of Kumar, saying under his "stewardship" the BJP expanded in Karnataka and eventually formed a government of its own.

The special cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, noted that in the passing away of Kumar, the nation has lost an experienced leader, an official statement said.

The Cabinet also placed on record its appreciation of Kumar's services to the nation in different capacities and described his death as a loss of an experienced leader.

Modi had flown in here from Varanasi last night and paid his homage.

The Karnataka government has declared a three-day state mourning.

Making his political debut in 1987, Kumar, a quintessential organisation man, had remained in the inner circle of the central leadership of the BJP -- be it during the heyday of Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Narendra Modi-- bearing testimony to the trust he enjoyed in the party's top echelon.

Kumar and Yeddyurappa are among the few leaders who built the BJP brick by brick, making it a force that it is today in Karnataka, which the party sees as a gateway to the south.

Breaking new ground, BJP came to power in Karnataka in 2008, making it the first saffron party government in the south, and emerged as the single largest party in the 2018 May polls also, though it fell short of majority by a few seats.

Kumar, who made his parliamentary foray in 1996 from the politically conscious Bangalore South, where he was invincible till his death, had also served as an important link between the state and centre at the party and government levels.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The body of a 62 year-old man was Tuesday found dumped by a road near some fields in Narela of Rohini district, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Raghunath Mandal, a resident of Samaypur Badli, they said.

A passerby who spotted the body informed police about it around 7 am, police said.

On reaching the spot, police said, they found a body of a man dumped on a roadside near an isolated area in Narela, a senior police officer said.

A bullet injury was visible on the chest, the officer said.

A case was registered and the matter was being probed, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta said.

Police is probing all angles, including that of a personal enmity, the officer said.

"The body was dumped in an isolated area near the fields. There are no CCTV camera's in these spots. Prima facie it appears to be a case of personal enmity.

However, investigation is in progress to ascertain the exact sequence of event, a senior police officer said.

The officer said Mandal used to live with his nephew in Samaypur Badli and was a dealer in plastic products.

Mandal belonged to a village in Madhubani district of Bihar, police said, adding that the family of the deceased have been informed about the incident.

The body will be sent for post-mortem on Wednesday, the senior officer added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Bollywood-loving member of the Bahrain royal family is set to fight a nearly USD 42.5-million damages claim brought by an Egyptian businessman when a four-day trial opens in the UK High Court on Tuesday.

Ahmed Adel Abdallah Ahmed is suing Sheikh Hamad Isa Ali al-Khalifa, a cousin of the King of Bahrain, for allegedly reneging on a verbal agreement dating back to 2015.

Under the agreement, Ahmed claims Sheikh had legally contracted his firm CBSC Events to arrange private meetings with as many as 26 famous Bollywood stars on a wish list drawn up by him.

However, Sheikh reportedly went back on the deal after meetings with four Bollywood stars Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh and Aditya Roy Kapoor in Mumbai and Dubai for which he paid around USD 3 million.

In his legal claim for damages due to inconvenience and loss of earnings, Ahmed alleges that the Sheikh breached the terms of their agreement by refusing to pay the sums for additional meetings arranged and that he made excuses not to meet two further stars Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan.

"This is an interesting case and involves oral agreements reached in London between two parties from the Middle East, concerning arranging meetings with famous Bollywood stars," said Pavani Reddy, the Managing Partner of Zaiwalla & Co. the London-based law firm representing Ahmed in the trial.

Neither party in the case has chosen to present any of the Bollywood stars in question as witnesses as they were not privy to what had been agreed between the Sheikh and the businessman.

Sheikh had an agreement with the Claimant [Ahmed] to arrange the meetings, which Sheikh Hamad later reneged on, resulting in a breach in contract and loss of business for the Claimant, the case notes state.

The Sheikh, who, on his own admission had an "unbridled desire and fancy to establish contacts with Bollywood stars", accepts that an agreement was made to arrange meetings.

However, he disputes the actual terms of the said agreement, Ahmed's lawyers argue.

Sheikh is represented in the High Court in London by Herbert Smith Freehills law firm, after an attempt to move the case to Bahrain had failed last year.

In his defence, the Sheikh argues that he pulled out of the deal after Ahmed "started to put unfair pressure" on him, "making unwarranted demands for very large sums of money and seeking to arrange meetings which were not convenient".

While oral agreements are enforceable in UK courts, the judge will have to determine whether or not any such agreement was in fact breached.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A British Indian women's rights campaigner on Tuesday waived her right to anonymity to reveal that a UK peer had offered to make her a Baroness in the House of Lords if she agreed to have sex with him.

Jasvinder Sanghera is well-known in the UK as the founder of 'Karma Nirvana', a charity set up to combat the problem of young people, a majority from South Asian backgrounds, being forced into marriage.

Sanghera spoke out against Lord Anthony Lester after it emerged that the House of Lords is to vote on suspending the Liberal Democrat peer on sexual harassment charges dating back over a decade ago.

A Lords' Privileges and Conduct Committee investigation had concluded that Lester groped Sanghera and offered her "corrupt inducements" to become his mistress and has recommended that he be suspended till June 2022.

But the 82-year-old peer, a prominent lawyer, has strongly denied the allegations as "completely untrue".

Sanghera, who was honoured with a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II for her charity work in 2013, disclosed that she was the woman who lodged the complaint after finding the courage to speak out and highlight that "what he did to me wasn't acceptable and wasn't honourable".

"I'm supposed to be this empowered woman but I began to feel like a phoney," she told 'The Times' in an interview.

Born in the town of Derby in the East Midlands region of England, Sanghera was disowned by her British Sikh family when she ran away as a 16-year-old to escape a forced marriage to a much older man chosen by her parents. She has since been instrumental in campaigning against the practice, leading to forced marriage now being illegal in the UK.

"I speak about forced marriage in front of thousands of people. I talk about breaking the silence, but I hadn't spoken about what he did to me," said Sanghera, who wrote about her experiences in her autobiography 'Shame' in 2007.

She said she was contacted by Lester in 2006 to support his private member's bill on making forced marriage a civil offence. After a late meeting in Parliament, he allegedly made the indecent proposal to make her a "Baroness within a year" if she slept with him, warning that there would be repercussions if she refused.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement of women speaking out against their harassers, Sanghera sought legal advice and complained to the Lords Commissioner for Standards in November, 2017. The investigation concluded recently, with the committee recommending Lester's suspension.

"The sense of relief was overwhelming. I wanted him to know that what he did wasn't acceptable and honourable," she said, calling for a proper system in place for other victims to feel confident about speaking out against men in positions of power.

The decision to investigate a peer for alleged sexual misconduct marks an unprecedented step for the UK Parliament. The Lords sub-committee concluded that it was a "tragic irony" that Lester had for a short time become "obsessively attracted to the complainant to the extent that he completely lost all sense of judgment and propriety".

House of Lords members are expected to vote on Thursday on whether to accept the committee's recommendation that he should be suspended until June, 2022.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The West Bengal government has approved a cable-stayed bridge in place of the arterial Majerhat bridge, a part of which collapsed in September, an senior official of the state PWD said on Tuesday.

In cable-stayed bridges, the weight of the deck is supported by a number of cables running directly to one or more towers.

The state government has allotted around Rs 199 crore for the cable-stayed bridge project, Rs 21 crore more than what was fixed earlier for a new structure, the PWD official told PTI.

The bridge would have four lanes, each measuring 3.5 metres, and a divider of one metre taking the total width to 15 metres, he said.

PWD officials are of opinion that there should be an extension of 3 to 3.5 metres on both sides, but it may create hindrance for Metro Railway project going on beside the bridge, the IAS officer said.

Due to this, the committee set up to look after the construction of the new bridge, is unsure of the measurement of the side extensions.

"We have to seek approval from the Metro Railway as the state cannot decide on this extension decision alone," the official said.

It was learnt that the government has already got in touch with Railway authorities in New Delhi seeking a tripartite meeting, he said.

The state government also needs the permission of the railway officials for the construction and elevation of the rail over bridge, the official stated.

The entire Majerhat bridge on arterial Diamond Harbour Road, a portion of which collapsed on September 4 killing two persons, will be demolished and a new bridge will be built over the railway tracks.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has set an ambitious target of completing the task within a year, but it would be very difficult to meet, the official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sixty retired bureaucrats have written to the CAG expressing concern over audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale deal being "deliberately" delayed to not "embarrass" the NDA government till next year's general elections.

In a letter, they said there was concern over the "unconscionable" and "unwarranted delay" in bringing out the audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale fighter jet deal, and the reports should be tabled before Parliament in the Winter Session.

The CAG's failure to present the audit reports on note ban and the Rafale deal in time "may be seen as a partisan action" and could create a "crisis of credibility" for the institution, the letter said.

There was no immediate reaction from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

Quoting from media reports on demonetisation, the former bureaucrats said the then CAG Shashi Kant Sharma had pointed out that the audit would cover the expenditure on printing of notes, RBI's dividend to the Consolidated Fund of India and the huge amount of data generated by banks.

They also said it was also stated that the effectiveness of the follow-up action taken by the Income Tax Department in identifying potential tax evaders and pursuing action against them, among others, would also be covered.

"It is more than 20 months since the previous CAG made the above statement but there is no sight of the promised audit report on demonetisation," the letter said.

The signatories of the letter included former IPS officer and ex-DGP of Punjab Julio Riberio, former IAS officer turned social activist Aruna Roy, former Pune Police commissioner Meeran Borwankar, former CEO of Prasar Bharti Jawahar Sircar, former envoy to Italy K P Fabian, and officers from Central and all India services.

The letter claimed that there were reports that the audit of the Rafale deal would be done as late as September 2018, but the related files were yet to be scrutinised by the CAG.

The precise stage of the audit is therefore "unclear", it said.

The ex-bureaucrats said the CAG's audit reports on the 2G, Coal, Adarsh, Commonwealth Games scams had influenced public perception of the then UPA government's actions and had invited appreciation from various quarters.

"But an impression is gaining ground that the CAG is deliberately delaying its audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale deal till after the May 2019 elections so as not to embarrass the present government.

"The CAG's failure to present the audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale deal in time may be seen as a partisan action and may create a crisis of credibility for this important institution," they said.

Due to the cacophony of claims and counterclaims, accusations and mudslinging in the media and elsewhere, citizens do not know what the reality is, the former bureaucrats said, insisting that the CAG make timely submission of the audit reports so that people can make an informed choice while voting.

"In the past, the CAG has been criticised for nit-picking and focusing on trivial issues on the one hand, and for audit over-reach on the other. But there was never any occasion to accuse the CAG of being influenced by the government of India or having to remind it about the timely performance of its Constitutional duties," the letter said.

The CAG functions as a watchdog of the public purse, and it is his duty to ensure that every financial transaction is as per rule, sanction, provision and propriety, and guided by the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

In the past, the former bureaucrats had attacked the government over rising intolerance in the country and the Kathua gang rape case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The AAP government on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that CCTV cameras are likely to be installed in all DTC buses in the national capital by May next year.

The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao during the hearing of a PIL by a lawyer.

The petitioner has sought installation of CCTV cameras, and other safety and security features in all buses of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).

The court listed the matter for hearing in January after the advocate appearing for petitioner Manish Kumar opposed the Delhi government's submission and said earlier the DTC had claimed there were marshals present in some of its buses, but this was not correct.

The counsel sought time to file a response to the status report filed by the Delhi government, following which the court listed the matter for hearing in January.

The Delhi government, represented by its additional standing counsel Gautam Narayan, told the bench that tenders have been floated for installation of CCTV cameras in all the buses and the work would be finalised soon.

Kumar had filed the petition after his laptop was stolen when he was travelling on a cluster bus. When he confronted the thieves, they tried to slash him by knives but he escaped unhurt.

He had contended in his plea that no FIR was lodged in connection with the offence which occurred on September 20 last year and that police had referred him from one police station to another.

However, later, the Delhi government had told the court that a zero FIR has been lodged.

It had also told the court that all buses to be procured by the DTC in the future would have CCTVs installed in them.

Kumar has alleged in his plea that while the Delhi government was pushing people to opt for public transport, it was not doing anything to make the buses safer for passengers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amid the row over the Congress's election promise to ban government servants from attending RSS shakhas in Madhya Pradesh, the party's senior leader Digvijay Singh said Tuesday that such a prohibition already exists for Central government employees.

The opposition party's manifesto for November 28 Assembly polls in the state vows to ban shakhas of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on government premises and stop government employees from attending RSS shakhas.

"Ninety-five per cent of the promises made by the Congress, about farmers, women, youth, poor, tribals, Dalits, etc., are being ignored, and an issue which is already in practise under the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is being discussed," Singh told reporters here.

"There is an order, still in force, which says no Central government employee and official can attend RSS shakhas. Holding shakhas in government buildings or premises is also not allowed," he said.

Such orders are in force in many states too, he claimed.

"In Madhya Pradesh too this rule existed under the Jan Sangh and BJP governments under (then chief ministers) Virendra Kumar Sakhlecha, Kailash Joshi, Sundarlal Patwa, Uma Bharti and Babulal Gaur. We have only pledged to continue it. RSS was once banned by (country's first home minister) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel following Mahatma Gandhi's assassination," he said.

Asked about Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's statement that no one can ban RSS shakhas, Digvijay quipped, "Shivraj-ji should ask (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi to allow shakhas in Central government buildings."



Speaking at Khargone Monday evening, Chouhan had said, "RSS is an organisation of patriots and every nationalist and every government staff member can attend its shakhas."



The Congress manifesto, released Saturday, says under the head 'Administrative Reforms': "Holding of RSS shakhas on government premises would be banned and the order regarding the relaxation given to public servants to attend those will be revoked."The Congress government had banned RSS activities on government premises in Madhya Pradesh in 1981. The ban was revived in 2000 by then chief minister Digvijay Singh, and it continued under BJP chief ministers Uma Bharti and Babulal Gaur, before chief minister Chouhan lifted it in 2006.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The world's chemical arms watchdog is confronting a "difficult moment" after a series of recent attacks and a Russian spy scandal, the body's new chief said Tuesday.

In an interview with AFP days before a key meeting of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, director-general Fernando Arias said attacks in Salisbury, Kuala Lumpur and Syria were "worrying".

But Arias said the OPCW would look beyond "temporary" divisions among members because "this organisation is forever" when it came to the eradication of chemical arms.

"We are going through a difficult moment," Arias said at his office in The Hague. "But what I can say is that the general feeling of the member states of this organisation is that the OPCW is more needed than ever." The OPCW was rocked in October when Dutch authorities said they had caught and expelled four Russian agents trying to hack the organisation's computer system using equipment in a car parked in a nearby hotel.

The hacking bid came as the OPCW was investigating a nerve agent attack in the British city of Salisbury that London has blamed on Moscow, and also a suspected chemical attack in Russia's ally Syria.

Russia has meanwhile likened the OPCW to a "sinking Titanic" after member states agreed in June, despite Moscow's opposition, to boost its powers to be able to attribute blame for chemical attacks.

Both issues are expected to dominate the meeting of 193 OPCW member states in The Hague starting next Monday, but veteran Spanish diplomat Arias said the body had longer-term goals.

"What we are living now... is temporary, the conflicts are starting and finishing, but this organisation is forever," he said of the OPCW, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013.

"This organisation is much more than Syria -- Syria is an important issue of course, Salisbury is an important issue of course, but this is much more than that," he said.

"Instead of saying 'we have so many difficulties..' no, we are adapting to these new times." The OPCW is charged with enforcing the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the use, production and stockpiling of arms such as mustard gas, nerve agents and chlorine.

So far it has eradicated more than 96 per cent of the world's declared stocks, and was instrumental in enforcing a 2013 US-Russian deal under which Damascus gave up its chemical weapons.

But after a string of further chemical attacks in Syria -- coupled with the March 2018 Salisbury attack on a former Russian double agent, and the nerve agent murder of a half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2017 -- western nations led a successful push earlier this year to give the OPCW more teeth.

Next week's OPCW meeting will discuss how to implement the body's new power of attribution, which Arias described as a "difficult task".

He said the OPCW was setting up a Syria attribution team and had a "rapid response mission" to deal with alleged chemical weapons use elsewhere, but said the body needed "more resources, expertise, equipment."



Several member states have already pledged more funding, but on the other hand Russia has fiercely opposed the attribution power, warning that it could even pull out of the OPCW.

Russia was a "very important country and has had always an important role in this organisation", Arias insisted, saying that the key to the OPCW's success was the "universality" of having all but four nations on earth as members.

After the hacking incident, Arias said the "first reaction was to take in a very serious way anything related to cybersecurity", adding that the OPCW had suffered several such attacks since the beginning of the year.

But he stressed that it was important to try to keep all countries on board, whatever the external political tensions, adding that he was "doing the role of mediator or broker."



With the world just having marked 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Arias said it was important to keep a historical perspective of the OPCW's role.

On Sunday he had been in the Belgian town of Ypres "where chemical weapons were used for the first time on a massive scale.

"To die under an attack with chemical weapons is horrendous. We have to learn this lesson," he said.

But he played down fears that the world was entering a new era of chemical weapons attacks in the wake of Salisbury, Kuala Lumpur and Syria.

"It is worrying without any doubt. I am aware, it is worrying. But at the same time... we have the tools for reducing those risks," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi High Court Tuesday acquitted a security guard of a children's home of the charge of repeatedly sodomising a seven-year-old HIV positive orphan, observing that the situation remained a "classic, and unsolved locked room mystery".

Justice C Hari Shankar overturned the trial court's verdict which had sentenced the man to 10 years in jail, saying it would be a "travesty of justice" to convict him of having committed such an "unsolved" crime.

"... this court is of the view that, in the present case, the evidence marshalled by the prosecution, and relied upon by the additional sessions judge (ASJ), is insufficient to return a finding of guilt, against the appellant, of having committed sexual assault upon the child," the high court said, allowing the man's appeal against trial court's verdict.

The high court, in its 69-page judgement, noted that while the child was HIV positive, accused Amardeep Kujur, a Jharkhand native, was tested negative.

It said there were allegations that the child was sexually assaulted multiple times and the possibility of non-transmission of the HIV virus to the other person would be remote.

The high court disagreed with the trial court's finding that it was not necessary that the HIV virus would, in every case of sexual contact, be transmitted from partner to partner.

"... the ASJ has ignored the above two facts, apparent from the evidence, i.e., firstly, that the child had suffered mucosal tears in the private parts and, secondly, that the man was alleged to have repeatedly sexually assaulted the child. Sexual contact is, it is well known, the primary mode by which the HIV virus is transmitted," it said.

In the judgement, the high court said the mystery of how the assaulter entered the room where the minor was sleeping, and sodomised him day after day, remained "unanswered".

"The allegation being that the man committed repeated sexual assault on the child, it was totally impermissible for the ASJ to have returned a finding of guilt, without even ascertaining, as and when the offence occurred.

"The situation, in the present case, remains a classic, and unsolved 'locked room mystery', even while the man stands convicted and sentenced (by the trial court). This is entirely impermissible in law," it said.

The prosecution had said the Child Welfare Committee sent a letter to Shahbad Dairy Police Station in north west Delhi in February 2013 stating that a report submitted by NGO Child Survival India had alleged a 7-year-old boy was sexually abused and harassed by three minors of a children home in Alipur here.

During investigation, it was found that the child was allegedly sexually assaulted by the Children Home's guard who had also threatened the victim not to disclose it to anyone.

The child had alleged that he was sexually assaulted multiple times in the children's home room where he used to sleep along with several others.

While the child's father was in jail, his mother had died of HIV and, as there was not nobody to look after him, he was sent to the children home for boys.

When the minor was medically examined, he was found to be HIV positive and handed over to Child Survival India which looked after the children affected by the virus.

The man had claimed he had not sexually assaulted the victim.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Islands in the South Pacific don't fall within any country's sphere of influence, a Chinese diplomat said Tuesday, amid growing resistance to Beijing's efforts to broaden its footprint in a region long dominated by the United States, Australia and their allies.

Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang said other countries should abandon what he called a "Cold War mentality and the zero-sum game mentality which are both outdated." Asian leaders are meeting this month in Singapore and Papua New Guinea.

"The Pacific island region is not a sphere of influence of any country," Zheng told reporters at a briefing. "And we hope that all can contribute more to the development of the island countries' economies, the improvement of their peoples' livelihoods and contribute to the peace and stability of this region."



Chinese President Xi Jinping is to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Papua New Guinea and also travel to Brunei and the Philippines, both of which have territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.

China is seeking to boost trade and investment with both Brunei and U.S. treaty partner the Philippines, while also competing with Australia and the U.S. for influence with Papua New Guinea. Two U.S. Navy ships have paid port calls to Papua New Guinea in recent weeks, while Australia is jointly investing in a naval base on one of the nation's islands.

The rivalry plays into China's efforts to build its standing in the Western Pacific and South China Sea, where it has militarized man-made islands to back up its claim to virtually the entire strategic waterway.

China's efforts to help craft a "code of conduct" among other South China Sea claimants featured in remarks by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that brings together leaders from the U.S. and across the region.

"I want to reaffirm here that China will stay firm on the course of peaceful development," Li said. "What we hope is to have a harmonious relationship with our neighbors and together, we benefit from our good neighborliness.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chinese police have detained three more labour rights supporters, an activist group said, in a crackdown on a workers movement that drew in students fired by an official call to return to Marxism.

The Jasic Workers Solidarity group said police in the central city of Wuhan "violently arrested" three of its members on Sunday, with one of them pinned to the ground by at least three officers.

That follows Friday's police raids on the homes of at least 10 activists who were detained in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, including students from some of China's top universities, the group had said earlier.

Jasic Workers Solidarity rose to prominence this summer when student activists threw support behind efforts to form a workers' union at Chinese welding machinery company Jasic Technology in southern Guangdong province to agitate for better working conditions.

That triggered police raids in August that swept up a number of the group's members and student activists, according to Jasic Workers Solidarity, which said some of those detained were beaten.

The three latest reported detentions in Wuhan included a member of the solidarity group and a graduate of Renmin University, one of China's top schools.

A video which accompanied the labour group's statement showed a person held to the ground by several men dressed in black.

AFP could not independently verify the group's claims or the video.

Chinese police have not responded to requests for comment.

Peking University confirmed to AFP that graduate student Zhang Shengye was among those taken away on Friday, but declined to give further details.

Another Peking University student, Yu Tianfu -- who said he had witnessed Zhang's arrest and was himself tackled Friday night by masked men in black -- has subsequently gone missing and his account on Chinese social media deactivated, classmates posted on social media.

Rights campaigners told AFP Tuesday that five activists in Guangzhou who had been detained last week have now been released.

Activism at China's top universities has surged in recent years as the government of President Xi Jinping has advocated renewed study of Marxism and young college students rally behind labour rights and other leftist causes.

But that has also put the students in the cross-hairs of authorities who have waged a broad clampdown on dissent.

Yue Xin, a Peking University student who co-authored a petition demanding details on alleged sexual abuse at the school, has not been heard from since she was detained in the August raids.

Two students from Renmin University and Peking University were also detained for several hours Thursday after taking photos at an Apple store in Beijing, while protesting the alleged exploitation of workers at a factory of one of the US company's suppliers in southwestern China.

"These latest detentions and disappearances will only make matters worse in the long run because the authorities have so far failed to address the issues that gave rise to the protests in the first place," said Geoffrey Crothall, communications director for Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin, which supports Chinese workers' rights.

Those issues include poor factory pay and working conditions, and the right to unionise, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)China has deputed its Tourism and Culture Minister Luo Shugang as the special envoy of President Xi Jinping to attend the swearing-in-ceremony of the Maldives' President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in Male on November 17.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also due to attend the ceremony which marks the end of the term of current President Abdulla Yameen whose pro-China policies, including promoting heavy Chinese investments in the strategically- located archipelago in the Indian Ocean, sparked concerns in India, the US and European countries.

At the invitation of the Maldivian government, Luo will travel to the Maldivian capital Male from November 15-19 to attend the inauguration of President-elect Solih as special envoy of President Xi, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said here on Tuesday.

Over 120,000 Chinese tourists, the most from any country, have visited the Maldivian archipelago composed of 26 ring-shaped atolls which are part of numerous islands.

The fall of Yameen and the election of Solih has set off concerns in China, especially about the safety of massive Chinese investments as he is expected to pursue a more balanced foreign policy while resetting Male's damaged ties with New Delhi.

Much to the chagrin of India, the Maldives also signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China during Yameen's rule though it is yet to be implemented.

Xi has already greeted Solih and the Chinese foreign ministry earlier said the new Maldivian leader has assured China's Ambassador in Male, Zhang Lizhong, of improving bilateral ties when he called on him soon after the election.

"He (Solih) said that the new government will stay committed to enhancing ties with China following the already signed cooperation agreements and continue to implement the existing cooperation projects and continue to explore cooperation in more areas such as infrastructure, livelihood and tourism so as to move forward our bilateral ties," Luo told the media here last month.

China's big investments, including building of bridges and airports totalling over USD 1.5 billion, also caused concerns about the raising debt levels of the small island nation similar to the case of neighbouring Sri Lanka which also received huge Chinese loans but ended up mortgaging its Hambantota port on a 99-year lease as a debt swap.

A series of anti-India actions by Yameen including asking New Delhi to remove its naval helicopters sparked speculation about the likely establishment of a Chinese naval base in the Maldives, though both countries have denied such a move.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)One person has been arrested and six others booked after clashes broke out between two groups in Aterna village here over the alleged sexual harassment of a minor Dalit girl, police said on Tuesday.

The clash broke out on Monday evening after a five-year-old girl was allegedly sexually harassed by a villager, they said.

Police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, they added.

According to the complaint lodged by the girl's family, the accused and his aides hurled stones at them when they confronted him.

Amit Kumar (25) was injured in the stone pelting and was taken to hospital, SHO Hariram Yadav said.

A case has been registered under different sections of the IPC, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, police said.

A manhunt has been launched to nab the remaining six accused. Security has been tightened and extra police personnel deployed in the village, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)CNN Tuesday said it has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and several of his top aides, seeking the immediate restoration of the network's correspondent Jim Acosta's press pass to the White House which was suspended following a testy exchange with the US president.

During a White House press conference last Wednesday, Acosta challenged Trump's use of the word "invasion" to describe a migrant caravan heading to the US from Central America.

When Acosta tried to ask a question about the Russia investigation into alleged interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump told him repeatedly "that's enough" and "put down the mic".

Hours after the encounter, seen across the world, the White House, in an unprecedented move, suspended Acosta's press pass, known as a Secret Service "hard pass."



White House Press secretary Sarah Huckerbee Sanders said access was removed because he had put "his hands on a young woman".

Acosta has denied the allegations. White House insisted that its charges against Acosta were correct.

In a statement on Tuesday, CNN said it is seeking a preliminary injunction as soon as possible so that Acosta, the chief White House correspondent, can return to the presidential mansion right away, and a ruling from the court preventing the White House from revoking Acosta's pass in the future.

The suit alleges that Acosta and CNN's First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the ban.

The suit is being filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning, a CNN spokeswoman said.

Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. There are six defendants: President Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, Secret Service director Joseph Clancy, and the Secret Service officer who took Acosta's hard pass away last Wednesday. The officer is identified as John Doe in the suit, pending his identification.

The six defendants are all named because of their roles in enforcing and announcing Acosta's suspension, CNN reported.

On Friday, CNN sent a letter to the White House formally requesting the immediate reinstatement of Acosta's pass and warning of a possible lawsuit, the network confirmed.

The White House Correspondents Association President Olivier Knox in a statement "strongly" supported CNN's goal of seeing their correspondent regain a US Secret Service security credential that the White House "should not have taken away" in the first place.

"Revoking access to the White House complex amounted to disproportionate reaction to the events of last Wednesday. We continue to urge the Administration to reverse course and fully reinstate CNN's correspondent," Knox said.

The President of the United States should not be in the "business of arbitrarily picking" the men and women who cover him, he said.

Trump's combative relationship with the media deteriorated further last Wednesday with a conference where he called some reporters rude and accused a PBS reporter of posing a racist question when she asked him about white nationalists.

"It's such a hostile media," Trump said during his post-midterm election conference at the White House, after ordering reporter April Ryan of the American Urban Radio Networks to sit down when she tried to ask him a question.

The president complained that the media, while reporting "fake news", did not cover the booming economy and was responsible for much of the country's divided He said that "I can do something fantastic, and they make it look not good.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Air strikes by the US-led coalition have killed 28 people in an eastern Syria holdout of the Islamic State group on the Iraqi border, a war monitor said on Tuesday.

Those killed in the village of Al-Shaafa on Sunday included 22 civilian members of IS families, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

"On Tuesday, 22 bodies of civilians were retrieved including nine children, as well as the remains of six other people not yet identified," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

"The strikes targeted IS homes in Al-Shaafa," he said, inside a last pocket under jihadist control in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor.

The bodies could not be retrieved earlier because air raids were ongoing, he said.

A coalition spokesman did not immediately reply for a request for comment, but has previously said that it would investigate any credible claims of civilian casualties.

The coalition has been backing a Kurdish-led alliance called the Syrian Democratic Forces fighting the jihadists.

The SDF late last month suspended its fight against IS in protest at Turkish shelling of Kurdish militia positions along Syria's northern border.

But they said on Sunday they were resuming their battle after "intensive contacts" with the international coalition and "strong diplomatic activity" to defuse the crisis.

IS overran large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a "caliphate" in land it controlled.

But the jihadist group has since lost most of it to various offensives in both countries.

In Syria, the group has seen its presence reduced to parts of the vast Badia desert and the pocket in Deir Ezzor.

Since 2014 the US-led coalition has acknowledged direct responsibility for more than 1,100 civilian deaths in Syria and Iraq, but rights groups put the number killed much higher.

Syria's war has killed more than 360,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Thirteen fishermen, stranded in mid-sea off Kerala coast for four days after their boat developed a snag, have been rescued by the Coast Guard.

The fishermen - five from Kerala, as many from Tamil Nadu and three from Nepal - had put out to sea in the boat from Kanyakumari, President of the International Fishermen Development Trust (INFIDET) P Justin Antony said here Tuesday.

While fishing, the boat developed a fault in the engine and began to drift around 250 nautical miles off Kochi, he said.

The Coast Guard rescued the fishermen and towed their boat to the nearest island of Bithra in Lakshadweep, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The political row over the Rafale jet deal escalated Tuesday with the Congress dismissing as 'manufactured lies' the claims by the Dassault CEO there was no wrong-doing and its chief Rahul Gandhi firing a fresh salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The nation needs a "fair investigation" and not "doctored explanations" on the fighter jet deal, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

He was responding to Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier's defence of the contract in a media interview. Trappier has claimed no wrong-doing in the Rs 58,000 crore deal asserting it was a clean deal.

Trappier also claimed that his company had chosen Reliance as an offset partner.

" 'Dictated Interviews' and 'manufactured lies' cannot suppress the Rafale Scam. First rule of Law - Mutual Beneficiaries and Co-accused's statements hold no value. Second Rule:-Beneficiaries and accused can't be Judge in their own case. Truth has a way of coming out, Surjewala said on Twitter.

"Fixed match between BJP Government and Dassault and PR Stunts of PM Modi and Eric Trappier can't hide the blatant corruption," he alleged.

French aerospace major Dassault Aviation has partnered with Reliance Defence Ltd for delivering 36 Rafale fighter jets to the Indian Air Force(IAF).

The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that the Defence Procurement Procedure(DPP) as laid out by the UPA in 2013 was "completely followed" in the procurement of the 36 jets from France and the deal was subsequently approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security(CCS).

Mounting a fresh offensive against the prime minister, Rahul Gandhi tagged a media report alleging that the government in its affidavit before the apex court has thrown up more 'wrong-doings' by Modi in the Rafale deal.

The media report claimed that the affidavit has made it clear that the government did not take the most basic steps that are fundamental to any procurement and which are spelt out in detail in the DPP-2013 which governs the purchase.

The government failed to involve the IAF in formulating "service qualitative requirements"(SQRs) which specify the capabilities of the equipment being procured.

Gandhi in his latest tweet alleged that Modi has admitted to "theft" in the Rafale deal before the Supreme Court and changes in the contract without asking the IAF.

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.

Modi ji has admitted to his theft in the Supreme Court. In the affidavit, he admitted to changes in the contract without asking the Air Force and put Rs 30,000 crore in Ambani's pocket.

The picture is still to come my friend, Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

Gandhi raised the controversy over the Rafale deal again at a poll rally in Chattisgarh.

Modi went to France with Anil Ambani, snatched Rafale contract from the HAL and gave it to him, Gandhi said in Raipur.

The prime minister snatched Rs 30,000 cr from the poor, put it in Anil Ambani's pocket, Gandhi said, adding, "Modi works for very rich and not poor".

The Reliance in previous statements has said that the Indian Government, French government, Dassault and Reliance have clarified on multiple occasions 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.)The political row over the Rafale jet deal escalated on Tuesday with the Congress dismissing as "manufactured lies" claims by the Dassault CEO that there was no wrong-doing and party chief Rahul Gandhi firing a fresh salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Party leaders Randeep Surjewala and Anand Sharma joined Gandhi in accusing the government of a "cover-up".

The nation needs a "fair investigation" and not "doctored explanations" on the fighter jet deal, Congress chief spokesperson Surjewala said.

He was responding to Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier's defence of the contract in a media interview. Trappier has claimed no wrong-doing in the Rs 58,000 crore deal asserting it was a clean deal.

Trappier also claimed his company chose Reliance as an offset partner.

"Dictated interviews and manufactured lies cannot cover up corruption in the Rafale deal. The first rule of law is mutual beneficiaries and the co-accused's statements holds no value. The second rule is beneficiaries and accused cannot be a judge in their own case. Truth has a way of coming out. Mr Modi, the nation does not want doctored explanations," Surjewala said.

"The fixed match between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Dassault Aviation will not hide the scam. The PR stunt that Eric Trappier and the Prime Minister Modi are doing will not cover up the layers of corruption in the Rafale deal," he alleged.

French aerospace major Dassault Aviation has partnered with Reliance Defence Ltd for delivering 36 Rafale fighter jets to the Indian Air Force(IAF).

The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) as laid out by the UPA in 2013 was "completely followed" in the procurement of the 36 jets from France and the deal was subsequently approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

Mounting a fresh offensive against the prime minister, Gandhi tagged a media report with his tweet alleging that the government has thrown up more "wrong-doings" by Modi in the Rafale deal in its affidavit before the apex court.

The media report claimed the affidavit has made it clear that the government did not take the most basic steps that are fundamental to any procurement and which are spelt out in detail in the DPP-2013 which governs the purchase.

Gandhi in his latest tweet alleged that Modi has admitted to "theft" in the Rafale deal before the Supreme Court and changes in the contract without asking the IAF.

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.

Modi ji has admitted to his theft in the Supreme Court. In the affidavit, he admitted to changes in the contract without asking the Air Force and put Rs 30,000 crore in Ambani's pocket.

The picture is still to come my friend, Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

Gandhi also raised the controversy over the Rafale deal at a poll rally in Chhattisgarh.

Modi went to France with Anil Ambani, snatched Rafale contract from the HAL and gave it to him, Gandhi said in Raipur.

The prime minister snatched Rs 30,000 cr from the poor, put it in Anil Ambani's pocket, Gandhi said, adding, "Modi works for very rich and not poor".

Joining the attack, Congress senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said the government had embarked on a tardy cover-up of the scam.

"The timing of Dassault CEO Eric Trappier's interview is significant, as elections are nearing. All the processes and procedures are post-facto after the prime minister had personally changed the parameters and brought down the number of aircraft from 126 to 36," Sharma alleged.

He said the deal was shrouded in secrecy and the government was using all its deals for a cover-up but the Congress is determined to bring the truth out.

"We would urge the Supreme Court to seal all documents in the Rafale deal and conduct a forensic audit of the original tender. The Congress party will insist on the setting up of the JPC so that the truth comes out and the accountability is fixed," Sharma said.

Reliance in previous statements has said the Indian government, French government, Dassault and Reliance have clarified on multiple occasions 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.)The Madras High Court Tuesday directed the Tamil Nadu government to consider providing medical care to the state's prison inmates, including those suffering from mental illnesses.

A Division Bench, comprising Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice P Rajamanickam passed the order after going through a report by advocate R Vaigai, appointed as amicus curiae to look into the medical facilities available in prisons.

The report said there were prisoners with ailments, including mental illness, and sought a direction to extend care and assistance to them.

Taking note, the bench directed the Tamil Nadu Health Secretary to consider providing medical care to the inmates of all prisons including the undertrials and file a comprehensive report by December 13.

The amicus curiae, referring to Model Prison Manual, 2016, said the prison department must ensure that the inmates interact freely with the board of visitors, comprising official and non-official members at district and sub-divisional level to inspect the conditions at prisons.

Whenever the officials interact with the inmates, the prison officials are present, she said, adding that the prisoners hesitate to share their grievances out of fear of reprisal.

Also, she said that the government shall follow the guidelines laid down in the Model Prison Manual which says that during such visits, a visitor (member of the board of visitors) shall enjoy the right to converse secretly and separately with any prisoner who seeks a hearing.

However, such an interaction shall be held in a separate place within the prison.

After going through the report of the amicus curiae and the manual, the bench on its own impleaded the Principal Secretary and the Health Secretary as respondents, and posted the matter to December 13 for further hearing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): Indian Cotton Federation has finalised the crop estimate for 2018-19 at 373 lakh bales with each bale weighing 170 kg, president of the federation J Thalasidharan said here Tuesday.

The federation recorded the highest acreage and seed sales were nearly five lakh packets, he said in a press release.

Besides, there has been no major pink bollworm menace as there were close monitoring and quick action, the release said.

With production standing at 373 lakh bales and import of 18 lakh bales, the total supply for the current season would be 434 lakh bales, it said.

The demand would be 320 lakh bales for mills and other consumption and 60 lakh bales for raw cotton export, leaving 54 lakh bales as carryover stock, the release said.

The federation arrived at all these estimates as the Cotton Advisory Board has not met for a long time causing uncertainty thereby creating hardship for the trade and the spinning industry, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Delhi court on Tuesday discharged Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kumar Vishwas and their former party colleague Prashant Bhushan in a 2012 case of allegedly provoking protesters during a demonstration here on the coal block allocation issue.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal granted the relief to the accused who had staged the protest at the then Congress President Sonia Gandhi's 10-Janpath residence, Sisodia's lawyer Mohd Irshad said.

In its order, the court noted that the protest was peaceful and the police lacked evidence to prosecute the accused in the case.

The police had charged Bhushan, Sisodia and Vishwas with provoking people during the protest.

"Bhushan, Sisodia and Vishwas provoked their supporters and marched towards 10-Janpath. Despite warnings and use of water cannons, the crowd became more agitated and marched forward. Seven teargas shells were lobbed and as it did not help, mild force was used to contain them," the FIR had said.

The police had alleged that some of the protesters used the flag sticks to beat policemen besides damaging a DTC bus and deflating its tyre.

This was one of the five cases of rioting registered against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Bhushan, Sisodia, Vishas, Gopal Rai and several unnamed people after their protest on the coal block allocation issue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Cyclonic storm 'Gaja' has moved westwards and was now located at about 740 km east-northeast of the city and expected to cross coastal Tamil Nadu in the afternoon of November 15, the India Meteorological Department said Tuesday.

A bulletin from the department said 'Gaja' was likely to move west-southwestwards and intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours.

"While moving west-southwestwards, it is likely to weaken gradually and cross Tamil Nadu coast between Pamban and Cuddalore as a cyclonic storm in the afternoon of November 15," the bulletin said.

Owing to this, heavy rainfall may occur in north coastal Tamil Nadu and adjoining districts of south coastal Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh from the evening of November 14, it said.

Winds may reach a speed of 70-80 kmph and touch 90 kmph over west-central and adjoining east-central and south Bay of Bengal, the bulletin said.

The gale would gradually sweep at 90-100 kmph and then reach 110 kmph over southwest and adjoining west-central and southeast Bay of Bengal from November 14, it said.

Sea was expected to be rough to very rough along the coast of Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry from the morning of November 14, the bulletin said.

The waves were likely to rise to about one metre and inundate low-lying areas of Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal at the time of landfall.

Damage was expected in districts of Cuddalore, Nagappattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into central and south Bay of Bengal from November 13 to 15.

The Tamil Nadu government has put its machinery on alert and kept around 31,000 rescue personnel on stand-by.

Neighbouring Puducherry was also alerted and precautionary steps were being taken to meet the situation.

The National and State Disaster Response Force personnel have been deployed while vigil has been proposed in coastal districts.

In Pamban, Ramanathapuram district authorities are on an alert and the Collector advised people living in low-lying areas to move to safer places.

Fishermen in Pamban were asked to shift their boats to the 'Chinna Palam' area.

The fisherfolk did not put out to the sea for a third day today owing to the warning issued by the Met department on the likely rough due to cyclone 'Gaja'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has invoked UAPA sections pertaining to acts of terror against the accused arrested in connection with the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.

The CBI made a submission to this effect before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) S M A Sayyad here in Maharashtra on Monday.

"The central probing agency told the court that it has invoked sections 15 and 16 (acts of terror) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused persons," public prosecutor Vijaykumar Dhakane said.

So far, six people, including Hindu Janajagruti Samiti member and ENT surgeon Virendrasinh Tawde, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, have been arrested by the CBI in connection with the killing of Dabholkar.

The CBI had earlier filed a charge sheet against Tawde in 2016 under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder), among other charges.

The 90-day period for filing the supplementary charge sheet against the other five accused arrested a few months back is getting over on November 18, Dhakane said.

"Now, since the UAPA sections have been invoked, the CBI will get an extension of another 90 days to file the charge sheet against the accused in the case," he said.

According to the CBI, Andure and Kalaskar had allegedly shot Dabholkar on August 20, 2013 when he was on his morning walk on the Omkareshwar bridge in Pune.

The CBI had earlier claimed that Tawde was the "mastermind" of the conspiracy to kill Dabholkar and veteran CPI leader and rationalist Govind Pansare.

Pansare was shot at by unidentified assailants at Kolhapur in Maharashtra on February 16, 2015. He died of his injuries four days later.

Besides Andure, Kalaskar and Tawde, the CBI had arrested Rajesh Bangera and Amol Kale and Amit Digvekar in connection with the Dabholkar killing case.

Bangera and Kale are also accused in the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd on Tuesday said it will invest over Rs 2,500 crore in Odisha for setting up new manufacturing plants in Rajgangpur and Cuttack.

DCBL has proposed to set up a new unit of 2.25 million tonne per annum cement manufacturing plant and 3 mtpa clinker manufacturing capacity at Rajgangpur.

Once commissioned, the company's total capacity in Rajgangpur will increase to 6.25 mtpa in cement and 5.9 mtpa in clinker manufacturing, MD & Group CEO of Dalmia Bharat Cement, Mahendra Singhi said on the sidelines of the 'Make in Odisha' conclave.

The five-day investment summit began on Monday.

The new Dalmia DSP unit will entail an investment of Rs 2,000 crore and is expected to be commissioned by late 2019.

The company is also putting up another plant with cement manufacturing capacity of 2.5 mtpa at Kapilas, near Cuttack, which will likely be operational in 18 months, at an investment of Rs 500 crore.

"Good governance, stable political leadership, industry-friendly policies, continued economic growth and availability of skilled man power are prime motivators behind Dalmia Cement (Bharat) reaffirming its faith to grow and expand its business in Odisha," Singhi said.

He said with the implementation of smart cities and simultaneous development of social infrastructure, there will be an incremental growth in demand for cement over the next five years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The raging political row over the Rafale deal escalated further on Tuesday with the Congress dismissing as "manufactured lies" claims by the CEO of French plane maker Dassault Aviation that there was no wrong-doing in the contract and Rahul Gandhi firing a fresh salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over it.

Hitting back at Gandhi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Congress chief's failed is compelling him to resort to "falsehood" and "petty hair-splitting" to make the sensitive Rafale purchase defence deal controversial.

His Cabinet colleague Ravi Shankar Prasad told PTI that Trappier's claims have in fact "exposed all the lies" of Gandhi whose behaviour, he alleged, had become increasingly irresponsible and oblivious to India's security needs.

Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Randeep Surjewala joined Gandhi in accusing the government of a "cover-up", hours after Dassault CEO Eric Trappier rebutted the party's allegations.

Congress chief spokesperson Surjewala said the nation needs a "fair investigation" and not "doctored explanations" on the fighter jet deal, referring to comments by Trappier in a media interview that there was no corruption in the deal as alleged by the opposition party.

Dassault Aviation did not respond to a series of questions sent by PTI over the allegations including why it selected Reliance Defence Ltd, a company with not much experience in aerospace sector, for complying with offset obligations of the deal, and what was the reason behind the company's investment in loss-making Reliance Airport Developers Limited (RADL).

The Congress has been making a relentless attack on the government, alleging a massive scam in the deal and accusing it of forcing the French aerospace major to partner with Reliance Defence Ltd (RDL) for fulfilling offset obligations. The government, RDL and Dassault have rejected the charges.

Trappier's interview came a day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to examine the government's submission on the decision-making process and pricing details relating to the deal.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari alleged that the government, through its affidavit in apex court, was trying to "conceal more than it reveals" and posed a set of questions.

"Dictated interviews and manufactured lies cannot cover up corruption in the Rafale deal. The first rule of law is mutual beneficiaries and the co-accused's statements hold no value. The second rule is beneficiaries and accused cannot be a judge in their own case. Truth has a way of coming out. Mr Modi, the nation does not want doctored explanations," Surjewala said.

"The fixed match between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Dassault Aviation will not hide the scam. The PR stunt that Eric Trappier and the Prime Minister Modi are doing will not cover up the layers of corruption in the Rafale deal," he alleged.

The Left parties also alleged that the government had spun a "web of lies" to hide "corruption" and its "wrong doings" in the Rafale jet fighter deal.

CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury said "cronies" of all kinds, from France to India, were trying to defend the Modi government on the issue and such efforts will go in vain. CPI national secretary D Raja said Trappier's comments do not prove that there was no scam in the deal.

The Congress, on its Twitter handle also said, "The government's submission to Supreme Court on the Rafale Scam makes it clear they did not take the basic steps fundamental to defence procurement. Prime Minister Modi's corruption is crystal clear."



"There is a very clear violation of the Defence Procurement Procedure. Every process has been completed post-facto. The Rafale deal is shrouded in secrecy and it is very clear that a desperate government is using all tools and means at its disposal for a cover-up," Sharma alleged.

The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that the Defence Procurement Procedure as laid out by the UPA in 2013 was "completely followed" in procuring 36 jets from France and the deal was subsequently approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security.

Mounting a fresh offensive against the prime minister, Gandhi tagged a media report with his tweet alleging the government has thrown up more "wrong-doings" by Modi in the Rafale deal in its affidavit before the apex court.

The media report claimed the affidavit has made it clear that the government did not take the most basic steps that are fundamental to any procurement.

In a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi alleged "Modi ji has admitted to his theft in the Supreme Court. In the affidavit, he admitted to changes in the contract without asking the Air Force and put Rs 30,000 crore in Ambani's pocket.

"The picture is still to come my friend."



He also raised the issue of the Rafale deal at a poll rally in Chhattisgarh.

Modi went to France with Ambani, snatched Rafale contract from the HAL and gave it to him, Gandhi said in Raipur.

Modi snatched Rs 30,000 crore from the poor, put it in Ambani's pocket, Gandhi said, adding, "Modi works for very rich and not poor."



Sharma said the government had embarked on a tardy cover-up of the scam.

"The timing of Dassault CEO Eric Trappier's interview is significant, as elections are nearing. All the processes and procedures are post-facto after the prime minister had personally changed the parameters and brought down the number of aircraft from 126 to 36," he alleged.

The UPA government was negotiating a deal with Dassault for procuring 126 Rafale jets. However, the deal did not go through.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India's push for data localisation is not a "protectionist" approach but it is to "manage" local interests, head of a top Indian industry body said here on Tuesday.

Data localisation requires data about residents be collected, processed, and stored inside the country, often before being transferred internationally, and usually transferred only after meeting local privacy or data protection laws.

Addressing a global Fintech industries and expertise event, Rashesh Shah, President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) underlined the importance of leveraging technology for scaling up start-up eco-systems.

"It is not a big ask," said Shah who presented the FICCI views on the latest technologies at the ongoing Singapore Fintech Festival.

"Data localisation is not protectionist, it's to manage local interests," he said amid the row over the issue.

The Reserve Bank of India, in April, had issued a circular instructing all payments system providers like Mastercard, Visa, American Express in the country to ensure that data relating to systems operated by them is stored only in India and had set a deadline of October 15.

Although 80 per cent of the players operating in India have complied with the RBI directive, some global financial technology companies have reportedly sought an extension to the October 15 timeline.

The central bank's data localisation policy had elicited mixed response from the payment services industry. While some of the prominent domestic payment companies like Paytm and PhonePe have been supportive of the dictum, global players like Google (that offers Google Pay) had argued for free movement of data.

Speaking on "India Market Deep Dive", he also made it clear that there was no need to "lose hope on non-use of Adhaar by Fintech companies."



"A better way of electronic authentication will come up, I am sure," he said as part of a panel on technology.

The FICCI is participating in the festival, and showcasing 18 fintech companies under the India Pavilion.

Singapore's showcase fintech event brings together investors, regulators, entrepreneurs and technology executives who will traverse a myriad of topics including artificial intelligence in finance and cyber security.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first world leader to address the festival tomorrow.

On November 14, the FICCI will launch a meeting of India-Singapore CEO's Forum.

Meanwhile, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu and Singapore Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will be chief guests at Tuesday's "Ficci India Reception".

India's High Commissioner to Singapore, Jawed Ashraf, will be the guest of honour at the reception to be attended by the India-Singapore business leaders.

The reception is to celebrate FICCI's relationship with Singapore and the new engagements that FICCI is developing with Singapore including the India-Singapore CEO's Forum, said the industry body.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash on Tuesday moved the high court here challenging the fresh breach of privilege proceedings initiated against him by the Assembly on complaints by two of its committees.

The plea was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao which allowed it to be listed for hearing on Wednesday.

The petition has sought setting aside of the breach of privilege proceedings initiated by the Assembly's Privileges Committee based on complaints by the Question and Reference Committee (QRC) and the Protocol Committee.

The chief secretary's plea has also challenged the complaints made against him by the QRC and Protocol Committee.

He has contended that the breach of privilege proceedings initiated against him based on the two complaints were "violative of the Constitution of India as well as the Rules of the House and therefore, illegal and unconstitutional".

The petition also seeks quashing of the Speaker's decision to refer the two complaints to the Privileges Committee, saying it too was in violation of the Constitution and Rules of the House.

Apart from his latest petition, the chief secretary had in the past challenged breach of privilege proceedings initiated against him early this year by the Assembly panels for not appearing before them.

The earlier petition is at the final arguments stage and is scheduled to be heard next on November 27.

During the hearing on his earlier plea, Prakash had claimed that the entire process of summoning him before a privileges committee for questioning over certain issues was "biased" and "premeditated".

Prakash had filed the earlier plea in March this year after he was served a notice by the Privileges Committee for skipping a meeting on February 20.

The meeting, in which he was asked to appear, was scheduled a day after he was allegedly assaulted by two AAP MLAs -- Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal.

The court had earlier expressed displeasure with the panel for not completing its breach of privilege proceedings against the chief secretary despite questioning him for over four hours.

The Privileges Committee had issued him a notice on a complaint by the QRC.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Delhi court Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of journalist Upendra Rai, arrested in a money laundering case related to alleged extortion and dubious financial transactions.

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Syal denied the relief to Rai, saying the allegations against him were serious.

The court took note of the submissions made by ED's special public prosecutors N K Matta and Nitesh Rana that the accused may influence the witnesses and hamper the probe if released on bail.

The journalist was arrested on June 8 by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at the Tihar Jail here, moments after he secured bail in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case related to alleged extortion and dubious financial transactions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Demonetisation was the "biggest scam in independent India" due to which many citizens lost their lives, jobs and life-long savings, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged on Tuesday.

He hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for defending note ban on its second anniversary at a rally in poll-bound Chhattisgarh and reiterated that there was a scam in the Rafale deal.

"The way he was praising demonetisation appeared as if it was 'andher nagri chaupat raja' (a confused ruler, a chaotic state)," he said, referring to a popular Hindi phrase.

Singling out Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, Modi, had on Monday said in Chhattisgarh that the "mother-son duo were out on bail" and hit out at them for questioning the government's demonetisation move.

Without naming the Gandhis, he said "they should not forget" that it was due to the note ban move that they "had to seek bail".

On November 8, 2016, Modi had announced a ban on then in use Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination bank notes with immediate effect.

Addressing a press conference here, Surjewala claimed that around 120 people died waiting in bank queues for their money, while many lost their jobs and women had to forgo their life-long savings following note ban.

"It is the biggest scam in independent India," he alleged.

"On the second anniversary of note bandi, the prime minster finally broke his silence in Chhattisgarh on Monday. Instead of taking responsibility for the demonetisation scam, he was levelling charges against the opposition," he said.

Modi was appreciating note ban despite it snatching away the hard earned money of farmers, poor, labourers, middle class and shopkeepers, he said.

Surjewala claimed that demonetisation benefited those who had black money as they deposited it in the banks.

"Overnight, all the black money became white," the All India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesperson said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had on the second anniversary of note ban on November 8 said that it had resulted in formalisation of economy and increased tax base, prompting the government to earmark more resources for the poor and infrastructure development.

Surjewala alleged that ahead of demonetisation, BJP and RSS leaders had purchased properties worth hundreds of crores, and demanded that its details be made public and the matter be probed.

Terming the allegations as "baseless", BJP's state general secretary Santosh Pandey said the Congress was trying to gain attention by spreading rumours and was in fact afraid of Modi.

"Surjewala and the Congress don't have any issues to counter the development work done by the Raman Singh government in the state," he said.

"Out of frustration, the Congress is trying to contest the election through rumours. These allegations are baseless and have no facts. The Congress cannot attain success by spreading rumours," he told PTI.

"The Congress is afraid of Modiji and losing elections. The BJP has set a target of winning 65 seats in Chhattisagrh and will achieve it under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and Chief Minister Raman Singh," he added.

He claimed said people of the country did not trust the Congress anymore and that the opposition party's leaders were worried about protecting their existence in Chhattisgarh as well as in the country.

The BJP leader appreciated the note ban decision, claiming that it had "exposed fake NGOs in which Rahul Gandhi's people were partners".

Surjewala further slammed the Centre over the alleged Rafale scam and said, "Nation doesn't need doctored explanations but fair investigation."



"(The) fixed match between the BJP government and Dassault and the PR stunts of PM Modi and (French firm Dassault Aviation's CEO) Eric Trappier can't hide the blatant corruption," he alleged.

The government has denied allegations of corruption in the deal.

Attacking Modi, Surjewala called him a protector of "ghotalebaaz" (corrupt) and "chowkidar" (watchman) of looters.

The prime minister is frustrated as he is staring at defeat in the ongoing and upcoming elections in the five states as well as the Lok Sabha polls due next year, he claimed.

"Modi is unnerved by the lack of response to his empty rhetoric and 'jumlas' which stand rejected by people of India. He is worried about losing power and facing investigation on charges of corruption and an impossible bail that he may have to seek," he charged.

Surjewala said Modi can control Parliament on the strength of his party's majority but he can neither suppress the voice of Rahul Gandhi nor of the people.

"People will give him a befitting reply in the elections underway in five states and in the next year's Lok Sabha polls," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Discontent surfaced over the first list of candidates announced by Congress and TDP for the coming Telangana assembly polls with aspirants who failed to get the berth crying foul and supporters of some staging protests Tuesday.

Former PCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who had also served as a minister in Congress governments till 2014, rushed to Delhi as his name was not part of the first list.

Congress declared its first list of 65 nominees late on Monday.

Bikshapati Yadav, former MLA from Serilingampalli seat Hyderabad, was disappointed as his constituency had been alloted to the TDP, a partner in the Congress-led alliance.

Saying that he has already conducted a 'padayatra' in the constituency, he wondered whether this was the recognition one gets for having worked for the party.

"Is this the result the party gives for having served it?" he asked talking to reporters here.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had earlier talked about not giving tickets to those "who land in a parachute" at the time of elections but "what happened now", he said.

Demonstrations were held in some places in the state by supporters of some aspirants.

Asserting that Congress would form the government after the assembly elections, former MP and AICC secretary Madhu Yashki Goud said all the Congress aspirants would get due recognition and respect.

Congress is part of the "grand alliance" for the December 7 elections to the 119-member assembly. The alliance comprises Congress, TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS).

Congress has decided to leave 25 seats to its allies -- 14 to TDP, eight to TJS and three to CPI.

TDP has also released its first list of nine candidates late Monday night.

A group of supporters of an aspirant for Serilingampalli segment held a protest against the TDP ticket being alloted to Bhavya Anand Prasad. Holding placards, they raised slogans that their leader be made the nominee.

The process of filing nominations began Monday with the Election Commission issuing the poll notification.

Meanwhile, the supporters of a TRS aspirant from Khairatabad constituency in Hyderabad held a protest, seeking ticket for their leader.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Election Commission of India (ECI) Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that it registers political parties by their full name and not by abbreviations.

The poll panel's submission came on a plea by the Aam Aadmi Party against the ECI's decision to reject its objection against registration of the 'Aapki Apni Party (Peoples)' as a political party.

The Aam Aadmi Party has sought de-registration of the new party on the grounds that their abbreviation would be the same -- AAP -- which could confuse voters.

The ECI's counsel submitted before the high court that the panel registers political parties by their full names and not by abbreviations, so there would not be any confusion.

Justice C Hari Shankar listed the matter for further hearing on February 22 next year after the counsel for 'Aapki Apni Party (Peoples)' sought time to file its response to the plea and the Aam Aadmi Party's advocate also prayed for time to file rejoinder to the ECI's reply.

The ECI, in its affidavit, gave a list of various parties which have similar abbreviations and said when the Aam Aadmi Party was registered in 2013, there was already another party registered with the same abbreviation.

The petition, filed through advocate Anupam Srivastava, has claimed that the new party's name was sounded similar and that could confuse voters.

The Aam Aadmi Party has sought quashing of the ECI's July 16 order rejecting its objection against registration of Aapki Apni Party (Peoples) as a political party under provisions of the Representation of People Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An ancient Egyptian papyrus could be the oldest historical record of a star's brightness, providing a new perspective on the development of a triple stellar system over thousands of years, scientists say.

The papyrus, known as The Cairo Calendar, assigns predictions and prognoses to every day of the Egyptian year from 1244-1163 BC.

These prognoses indicate whether the day, or part of the day, is considered "good" or "bad".

The calendar also contains information regarding the day's astronomical observations, such as the behaviour of astronomical objects, especially Algol.

Researchers from University of Helsinki in Finland said that the astronomical symbolism discovered in the two most Ancient Egyptian myths suggest similar clues could be found in other ancient Egyptian texts.

The research, published in the journal Open Astronomy, looks at how the legends of the Egyptian deities Horus and Set were used in the calendar.

"The discovery of Algol's variability would have to be dated to thousands of years earlier than has been previously known. The star would have been a part of ancient Egyptian mythology as a form of the god Horus," said study author Sebastian Porceddu from the University of Helsinki.

The deities describe the behaviour of astronomical objects, specifically, the naked eye observations of the variable three-star system Algol.

However, next to nothing is known about who recorded Algol's period into the Cairo Calendar, nor how.

Researchers showed how the ancient Egyptian scribes present celestial phenomena as the activity of gods, which reveals why Algol received the title of Horus.

The study presents ten arguments which show that the ancient Egyptian scribes, known as the "hour-watchers" had the possible means and motives to record the period of Algol in the Cairo Calendar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose proposal for a mutual inspection of schools and government dispensaries has been cold shouldered by his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar, sought to connect with the people of the neighbouring state though recorded phone call messages asking them to vote for the AAP for better education and healthcare services.

Kejriwal had earlier this month invited Khattar to visit mohalla clinics and schools of Delhi government while proposing a similar visit of Haryana by him.

As his attempts failed to elicit any response from Khattar, the Delhi chief minister has come up with a recorded message in Haryanvi dialect in which he invited people to visit Mohalla clinics and schools in Delhi.

"We have improved government schools in Delhi very much. Take time to visit it. The condition of government schools and hospitals in Haryana is very poor. Why did not Khattar Sahab do it when we accomplished so much," Kejriwal is heard asking in the 58-second-long recorded message.

The campaign started Tuesday, an AAP leader said.

The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) is focusing on Haryana along with Punjab and Delhi for the coming Lok Sabha elections. The party has big plans for Arvind Kejriwal's home state, where Assembly elections will be held next year.

"Parties are clamouring for the post of chief minister in Haryana. Defeat all these parties and elect AAP. We will do more work than we have done in Delhi," the AAP national convener says in his recorded message.

On Monday, Kejriwal wrote a letter to Khattar warning him that people will not vote on religion this time and the next government in the state will be formed by those who will build schools and hospitals.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Experts have expressed apprehensions over the Supreme Court-appointed EPCA's proposal to ban non-CNG private and commercial vehicles, saying there is a need to strengthen public transport first.

Protection Control Authority (EPCA) Chairman Bhure Lal, in a letter to chief secretary of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, warned that if the air quality in Delhi continues to deteriorate then it would impose a complete ban on the use of non-CNG private as well as commercial vehicles.

"In the scenario that the weather remains adverse and that the current situation of air quality remains in 'very poor' or 'severe' category then there is no option but to direct for a complete stop on the use of private and commercial vehicles other than those plying on CNG so that pollution can be contained," Lal said in the letter.

Experts have said there is a need to strengthen public transport before taking this decision.

Sunil Dahiya, member of Greenpeace India, said there are bigger sources like industrial waste that needs to be targeted before.

"There is a need for stronger public transport system. People should be provided with alternatives before implementing such a move otherwise the plan might not work just like the firecracker ban did not," he said.

Ravina Kohli, an environmentalist and member of #MyRightToBreathe campaign, called the move a knee-jerk reaction.

"Where's the public transport to go to work then? If you see the source apportionment, one knee-jerk reaction alone isn't going to help. But collective wisdom and collective action will.

"We need changes in transport policy and public transport to ensure the most under served are not inconvenienced. You can say use cycles or walk, but where are the walkable footpaths and cycle tracks?," she asked



D Saha, former air quality chief at CPCB, said use of single fuel is not the right choice.

"Delhi is congested in terms of activity, vehicle thus needs the decongestion approach. Odd-even is one of the right choices, but it should be applied to entire NCR and all vehicles.

"Delhi people have either purchased another vehicle or hired from other towns, thus anticipated result was not gained," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The head of Ahmedabad police's crime branch, J K Bhatt, has filed a criminal defamation suit against a person accused of syphoning off Rs 260 crore of investors' money.

Accused Vinay Shah and his wife Bhargavi Shah have become untraceable after two FIRs were registered against them at Vastrapur police station in the last two days, a police official said.

However, before closing their office in the city and vanishing, Vinay Shah purportedly posted a 'suicide letter' on social media, claiming that he had paid Rs 86 lakh to Bhatt's middleman as "protection money".

The middleman took the money in three instalments ten months ago, Shah claimed.

Following the allegation, Bhatt, who is Special Commissioner of Police, crime branch, filed a criminal defamation suit against Shah, claiming that the allegations were baseless and they tarnished his image.

In a statement, Bhatt said he filed the case in a magistrate's court here Monday under IPC section 500 (defamation) and he will also file a civil defamation suit demanding damages of Rs 20 crore from Shah.

Shah and his wife had cheated people by offering very high returns on investment, he alleged.

According to Vastrapur police, Shah allegedly promised to double the investment in just one year by floating a scheme where the members had to click on online ads to get regular returns.

"In his so-called suicide letter, Shah claimed that his firms had a turnover of Rs 260 crore. So the fraud could be to the tune of Rs 260 crore. Till now, two complainants have come forward and claimed they lost Rs 1.04 lakh," said police inspector M M Jadeja.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Families which know the symptoms and complications of diabetes are best positioned to prevent it, WHO said Tuesday, asserting that health authorities should harness the capacity as about 91 million people in the South-East Asia Region live with the disease.

On the eve of World Diabetes Day, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Poonam Khetrapal Singh said the global health body will continue to support all member states to empower families to tackle diabetes head-on and ensure they can do so effectively everywhere.

"Families that know the signs, symptoms, risks and complications of diabetes are best positioned to prevent the disease and seek medical care to manage it," she said.

"Health authorities regionwide should harness this capacity given an estimated 91 million people in the WHO South-East Asia Region live with diabetes, with around 49 million unaware of their condition," she said.

Singh noted that undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes type 1 and type 2 can cause heart, kidney, nerve and eye damage, as well as premature death.

Singh said families provide a ready-made means to instill healthy habits that last a lifetime, dramatically reducing the risk of diabetes type 2, which accounts for the majority of such cases.

"They can also help ensure that the disease is detected and managed effectively. Doing so will avoid complications and the costs it results in for individuals, families, communities and countries," Singh said.

WHO's South-East Asia Region comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

As part of the region's flagship priority to tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), to which diabetes is a major contributor, member states can empower families to address the disease and enhance health outcomes, Singh said.

"That should occur at the same time as increasing access to services for diabetes and other NCDs at the primary healthcare level, as outlined in the Colombo Declaration adopted region-wide in 2016. There are several ways to do this," Singh said.

The WHO regional director said health authorities should ensure all families have access to educational resources that help them better understand diabetes.

"To enable this, health authorities can work across sectors to increase the access individuals and families have to healthy environments," she said.

Creation of green spaces and outdoor gyms in urban areas can facilitate exercise, she said.

"So too can policies to decrease the amount of sugar and fat in foods and enhance people's ability to make healthier choices," she said.

All families should have access to affordable diabetes medicines, medical products and care, she said, noting this starts with ensuring services at the primary level are equipped to detect the disease and that a reliable supply of medicines and medical products used to manage it are on hand.

"Each of the region's member states are dedicated to implementing National Multisectoral Action Plans to tackle NCDs and to prevent, treat and beat diabetes, including by applying the WHO Package of essential noncommunicable disease interventions (WHO PEN) at the primary level.

"This is commendable. WHO will continue to support all member states empower families to tackle diabetes head-on, and to ensure all families everywhere can do so effectively," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): Foreign currency equivalent to Rs 17.45 lakh was seized from a passenger bound for Kuala Lumpur from the airport here, air intelligence officials said Tuesday.

Riaz Ahmed was carrying American dollars, Australian dollars, Euros and dirhams and was detained Monday night for interrogation, the officials said.

In another incident, gold worth Rs 2.91 lakh was confiscated from a passenger who arrived from Kuala Lumpur, they said adding that he was identified as Nazar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two men who led different military coups in Fiji are battling for control of the island nation in a general election on Wednesday.

Opinion polls indicate Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama is poised to win a second term after he first held democratic elections in 2014, eight years after he seized power in a coup.

His main opponent is Sitiveni Rabuka, who led two military coups in the 1980s before serving for seven years as prime minister. Just this week, a judge cleared Rabuka of an electoral disclosure violation in a case many viewed as being politically motivated.

Fiji has not allowed the political tensions to affect its vital tourism industry, which promotes the Pacific nation's pristine, sunny beaches and friendly, welcoming people.

Given the history of coups, political stability has been a big issue leading up to the election, as have racial tensions and economic issues.

"Bainimarama does look set to secure his second victory at the polls and has already led the country for 13 years through a period of relative stability," said Jonathan Pryke, the director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank.

Many people in the nation of 920,000 seem appreciative of the economic gains they've made under Bainimarama.

"There are no school fees. Before, I paid a couple hundred for school fees," said Mere Rigamoto, a 42-year-old mother of three boys. "Bainimarama's government is not bad. He's OK."



But Bainimarama has a troubled political history that has contributed to the coup culture. There are rumors he could stage another coup should he lose the election.

"We're bound to have another coup if he doesn't win," said 30-year-old Robert Lum On, a recent university graduate. Fiji became independent from the UK in 1970. In 1987, Rabuka staged two racially charged coups to return the country to the hands of indigenous Fijians, called "iTaukei," and away from Fijians of Indian descent, or Indo-Fijians.

iTaukei make up about 57 per cent of the country's population, while Indo-Fijians make up 38 per cent.

Indo-Fijians have been a major ethnic group in Fiji since colonial times, when the British brought them in to work the sugar cane plantations. Many Indo-Fijians favor Bainimarama, whose new constitution in 2013 removed race quotas from parliament.

"Bainimarama's key success has been to establish the name 'Fijian' for all citizens of Fiji," said Richard Herr, a professor at Fiji National University who is based in Australia.

"His legislation has made campaigning on race, or even having a racially based party, illegal." On the campaign trail,



Bainimarama accused Rabuka of stoking the flames of racism that continue to divide the nation. But some indigenous Fijians believe Rabuka will help restore their prestige, and favor his promise to bring back the nation's Great Council of Chiefs, which Bainimarama disbanded.

Critics deride Bainimarama as authoritarian, but since forcing himself into power he has refashioned his image into that of a stable, legitimate leader.

His appeal was bolstered when he assumed the UN COP23 presidency in November 2017. In that role, which he holds until December, he shaped Fiji into a pioneer on climate change issues.

With COP23 as a platform, Fiji inserted small island developing states into the international conversation on climate change. The islands are on the front lines of global warming, rising sea levels, and ocean acidification.

After the 2006 coup, Australia and New Zealand imposed sanctions on Fiji, and Bainimarama reoriented regional alliances toward China. His critics accuse him of selling out the country to the Chinese.

The Lowy Institute says Fiji received about USD 360 million in aid from China between 2006 and 2016, putting it behind only Papua New Guinea in the Pacific region. China Exim Bank holds 39 per cent of Fiji's externally held public debt, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Fiji's relations have since normalised with Australia and New Zealand, but the period of sanctions enabled China to step up its regional influence.

Fiji has one of the healthiest economies of the Pacific Islands, and GDP is predicted to grow above 3 per cent annually through 2020. Tourism is the bedrock of the economy, accounting for more than 40 per cent of GDP.

Bainimarama's government takes credit for increasing social services, including free primary and secondary education, free bus fares for seniors, and aid in the aftermath of cyclones.

But widespread poverty persists. Bainimarama's opponents have vowed to raise the minimum wage, which remains only about USD 1.25 per hour.

Although the coup culture can't be erased, many argue that Fiji has stabilized under Bainimarama.

"His prime ministership to date has been marked with a steady movement back towards democracy," said Pryke, of the Lowy Institute.

"While there is still more work to do domestic media is engaged in significant self-censorship and opposition parties remain harassed the prime minister has delivered on political stability that has enabled economic growth and development progress to be prioritised." Polls close at 6 pm Wednesday (0500 GMT).

As well as Bainimarama's FijiFirst party and Rabuka's Social Democratic Liberal Party (Sodelpa), the National Federation Party (NFP) is also expected to be an election contender. In 2014, FijiFirst won 59 per cent of votes, Sodelpa won 28 percent, and NFP won 5.5 per cent.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Four people, including an Army jawan, were killed in road accidents Rajasthan's Bharatpur and Karauli districts, police said Tuesday.

Three motorcycle-borne men were killed when an unidentified vehicle hit them on the Bharatpur-Gangapur Mega Highway on Monday night, Station House Officer, Suroth, Sayed Sharif Ali Khan said.

The deceased were identified as Bhagwan Singh Jatav (35), his nephew Vikram Jatav (19) and Ravi Jatav (19).

The victims were on their way to attend a religious ceremony when the accident occurred, he said.

In Bhatapur, an army jawan was killed when an unidentified vehicle hit his bike in an area under the Rupbas police station.

The jawan was identified as Jitendra Singh Jat (22). He was posted in Leh-Ladakh, Station House Officer, Rupbas, Madan Lal Meena said.

Bodies of all four victims were handed over to their family members after post mortem, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will attend a road show in Mumbai this week to attract investors for the second tranche of highway projects of 586 km under toll-operate-transfer (TOT) basis, the road transport and highways ministry said.

The maiden bundle of nine highway projects under TOT was a huge success and had fetched NHAI Rs 9,681 crore.

TOT is a model for monetising operational National Highways projects. The investor makes a lump sum payment in return for long term toll collection rights backed by a sound tolling system.

"Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation will attend a Road Show on the second bundle of TOT in Mumbai on the 15th of this month," the ministry said.

"The objective of the Road Show is to invite prospective investors to be a part of the TOT projects. NHAI has done successful Road Shows in New Delhi, New York and Toronto in August and September this year," it added.

Under TOT the concession period is 30 years.

"Upto 49 per cent divestment is allowed till two years of the concession period. Upto 10 per cent change in ownership is allowed after two years. The investor is de-risked from undertaking any construction. If required, NHAI will conduct capacity augmentation at its own cost," the statment said.

The first TOT bundle of 9 projects, totalling approximately 681 KM of roads in two states of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, was awarded in 2018.

"The second bundle of over 586 kms is now offered spread over four States - Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal and Bihar. The offer has 12 toll plazas across four highways," the statment said.

These stretches include Chittorgarh-Kota & Chittorgarh Bypass Swaroopganj-Pindwara & Pindwara-Udaipur, Palanpur / Khemana - Abu Road, Jetpur-Somnath, PurneaDalkhola, DalkholaIslampur, Islampur - Sonapur - Ghoshpukur and Salsalabari - West Bengal Assam Border Section.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A day after veteran Italian music composer Ennio Morricone rubbished the interview with Playboy in which he was quoted calling director Quentin Tarantino "a cretin", the publisher of the magazine's German edition is standing by the story.

On Saturday, German Playboy quoted Morricone, who won the Oscar for his work on Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight", where he criticised the filmmaker for his "trash" films.

The music composer released a statement Sunday in which he dubbed the comments "totally false".

Morricone denied making the comments about Tarantino and his work. He also threatened to sue the German magazine.

On Monday, Herbert Burda Media, the publishing group that owns Playboy in Germany, issued a statement defending the interview.

"We are surprised that composer Ennio Morricone denies giving an interview to German Playboy. In fact, the conversation took place on June 30, 2018, at his estate in Rome.

"The interview, about the concert organizer Semmel Concerts, which was also present at the interview, had been agreed to with German Playboy. We also cannot understand that parts of the published statements were apparently not found to have been accurate," the statement by the company read.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Herbert Burda and Playboy Germany have not said if an audio recording of the alleged interview exists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The government has sabotaged the state owned telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) by not offering level playing field and releasing its dues at the hours of crisis, BSNL trade unions said here on Tuesday.

The trade unions want the government release 4G spectrum to the BSNL to compete in the highly-competitive telecom market.

In protest, members of the trade unions will bring out a procession across the country on November 14, All Unions & Association of BSNL West Bengal convenor Animesh Mitra said.

"BSNL was converted to a company 18 years before when the BJP was in power. Since then, consecutive governments have not done anything to change its situation for the better, and continued to sabotage the BSNL," Mitra said.

"BSNL is not able to modernise due to lack of 4G spectrum and funds. The government has not even returned Rs 8000 crore for surrender of spectrum in 2013, another trade union leader Tapas Ghosh said.

Mitra said government had been asked to return Rs 2,000 crore deducted by the government on account of pension contribution for the employees.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Buoyed by a good response for the first tender of mid-term (3 years) purchase agreement auction, the ministry will bring its second round for 2,500 Mw capacities to give relief to stressed assets, Power Secretary A K Bhalla said Tuesday.

A PPA is a prerequisite for getting coal supplies for power plants.

Power sector is facing stress due to coal shortage and other issues. Many power projects are starving for coal in the absence of PPAs. The government's scheme to auction 2,500 MW medium-term PPAs evoked good response and PPAs for 1,900 Mw capacities were signed under the scheme last month.

"We found that a lot of interest is coming up for (the scheme to auction) 2,500 Mw medium-term PPAs. So definitely there would be PPAs coming up (on the block). This was a pilot. We will try to bring a formal scheme for another round of 2,500 Mw medium-term PPAs.

"We did not have difference between fixed cost and variable cost. There was no escalation (of tariff). Those points will be discussed. Whatever (issues) stakeholders have raised, will be discussed," he said.

The power ministry in April 2018 had issued guidelines for a pilot scheme to facilitate aggregation of procurement of power (2,500 MW for 3 years) from commissioned coal-based power plants through competitive bidding.

The PFC Consulting conducted the bid process for selection of capacity on DEEP Portal from different projects. Subsequent to the bidding process, tariff was discovered as Rs 4.24 per unit and projects with aggregate capacity of 1,900 MW were declared successful bidders.

The agreements under the scheme were signed with the successful bidders and procuring DISCOMs on October 29, 2018.

The seven successful bidders were - RKM Powergen (550 MW), Jhabua Power (100 MW), MB Power (175 MW), SKS Power (300 MW), Jindal Thermal Power (125 MW), IL&FS Energy (550 MW) and JP Nigrie (100 MW).

The power procuring DISCOMs were Telangana and for 550 MW each, and for 200 MW each. consented to sign for 400 MW.

On the under utilisation of gas-based power plants, Bhalla said:"The PLF (capacity utilisation) of gas-based plants is less than 25 per cent. So you can estimate that at what capacity they are running because of less availability of domestic gas.

"It (policy for allocation of gas to power plants) was part of discussion in the high-level committee. Based on recommendations if something is to be worked out, we will be working out. "



He, however, refused to comment on consolidation of and

When asked about bringing another version of Shakti scheme, he said: "The Shakti scheme is (already) there. People can always get coal. All those who don't have PPAs can take coal linkage under Shakti and look for PPAs in two years time."



Shakti stands for Scheme to Harness and Allocate Koyla (Coal) Transparently in The objective of the scheme is to auction long-term coal linkages to power companies.Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip announced an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel on Tuesday after a severe escalation of violence threatened to descend into full-blown war.

The groups, including Hamas, issued a joint statement saying they would abide by the ceasefire as long as Israel did the same.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and the military had not commented on the announcement.

Israel's hardline defence minister, Avigdor Lieberman, issued a statement saying he did not support stopping the strikes.

"Egypt's efforts have been able to achieve a ceasefire between the resistance and the Zionist enemy," the statement by the Gaza groups said.

"The resistance will respect this declaration as long as the Zionist enemy respects it." Kuwait and Bolivia meanwhile requested an urgent closed-door meeting later Tuesday of the UN Security Council to discuss the violence, diplomats said.

The violent escalation between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza was the worst since a 2014 war.

Seven Palestinians were killed in Gaza over the course of some 24 hours as Israeli strikes targeted militants and flattened buildings while sending fireballs and plumes of smoke into the sky.

Sirens wailed in southern Israel and tens of thousands of residents had taken cover in shelters as around 460 rockets and mortar rounds were fired from the Gaza Strip, wounding 27 people, including three severely.

A Palestinian labourer from the occupied West Bank was killed when a rocket hit a building in the Israeli city of Ashkelon.

Schools were closed in the Gaza Strip and in southern Israel as both sides warned the other that it would respond forcefully to any further violence.

Egypt has negotiated ceasefires following previous flare-ups, while UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov has also been seeking a long-term truce between the two sides in recent weeks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL challenging the renaming of Allahabad as Prayagraj, saying the petitioner should first approach the Uttar Pradesh government with the grievance.

Acting Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice CD Singh granted liberty to the petitioner to file a representation before the state government on the issue.

The court order came on a day the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet at a meeting presided by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved renaming of Allahabad and Faizabad divisions as Prayagraj and Ayodhya respectively.

The high court refused to grant any relief to petitioner Sunita Sharma saying she directly moved the court by filing a Public Interest Litigation without first approaching the state government.

The petition had challenged renaming of Allahabad as Prayagraj and had sought quashing of a government order in this regard. It had urged the court to issue writ of mandamus directing the state government to do away with the changing of the city name.

The bench said, It is well settled that any person who seeks writ of mandamus must approach the authority concerned with his demand and in case of refusal only one can seek directions in the form of writ of mandamus from court.

In the petition, it was prayed that the court should declare as unconstitutional the state government's notification of October 18 by which Allahabad district was renamed as Prayagraj.

During the course of hearing, the petitioner's counsel also raised the issue that the Ardh Kumbh was wrongly renamed as Kumbh 2019.

However, the court refused to entertain the issue saying the petitioner had neither made any prayer in this regard in her petition nor had she approached the state government raising this issue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bombay High Court has granted an interim stay on an arbitral award that ordered the Mumbai civic body to pay a company Rs 1.25 billion as damages in a dispute over an agreement to put up street furniture and signages in the southern part of the city.

The (BMC) had approached the high court challenging a July 2017 order by the arbitrator directing the civic body to pay the amount to the company, Clear Channel Mumbai Private Limited.

In an interim order on October 29, Justice S C Gupte stayed the enforcement of the arbitrator's award.

The BMC's dispute with the company is over the civic body's decade-old initiative to provide world-class facilities to Mumbai citizens by way of street furniture and signages such as billboards, benches, litter bins, drinking fountains and beautification of traffic islands.

The had issued a public notice in 2008, inviting tenders for the initiative for seven zones in the city.

It selected Clear Channel Mumbai Pvt Ltd and entered into a 20-year contract with it in 2010, allotting it prime zone I area -- Marine Drive to Cuffe Parade -- in south Mumbai.

The company later claimed that after signing the contract, the civic body insisted on certain "unauthorised conditions".

The civic body issued a show cause notice to the firm and terminated its agreement in January 2012. After this, Clear Channel Mumbai Pvt Ltd approached the high court, challenging the validity of the agreement's cancellation.

The high court then sent the dispute for arbitration.

In July 2017, the arbitrator declared the contract was liable to be implemented and "had not been terminated at all".

The arbitrator directed setting aside of the BMC's decision to cancel the contract and granted the company its claim of Rs 1.25 billion "towards loss of profits from January 2012 till July 2017".

The then moved the high court and its counsel Jimmy Pochkhanawalla argued that the arbitrator had erred.

Justice Gupte observed that there was prima facie merit in the civic body's case.

"It appears doubtful if specific performance of such a contract is permissible," the court order said.

"The award of damages has been granted on the basis of loss of prospective and presumptive profits for the project. The estimation of losses appears to be a matter of speculation," it said.

The high court, while staying enforcement of the arbitrator's award, allowed the to substitute a bank guarantee that it deposited for Rs 1.25 billion into fixed deposits and also expedited hearing of its appeal.US President Donald Trump on Tuesday described India as "very good negotiators" as he celebrated Diwali in the White House along with top Indian-Americans and said he is "grateful" for his friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The United States has deep ties to the nation of India and I am grateful for my friendship with Prime Minister Modi," Trump said before lighting the ceremonial Diya in the historic Roosevelt Room of the White House. It is the second consecutive year that Trump has celebrated the largest festival of India and Indian Americans in the White House.

"We're trying very hard to make better trade deals with India. But, they're very good traders. They're very good negotiators. You would say right. The best. So we're working. And it's moving along," Trump said referring to the India-US trade deal negotiations that have started between the two largest democracies of the world.

Along with nearly two dozen top Indian American officials of his Administration, President Trump had invited the Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Singh Sarna, his wife Dr Avina Sarna, and his special assistant Pratik Mathur to be present during the White House Diwali celebrations, a rare.

"India is the world's largest democracy and the relationship between our two countries connect as a bulwark for freedom, prosperity, and peace," Trump said.

"Modi is my friend and now her (Ivanka) friend and has great respect for India and the Indian people that I can say," said the US President as he introduced his daughter to the audience, who was present in the room.

"Absolutely," replied Ivanka, who had visited India last year. She was the first top official of the Trump Administration to travel to India.

Sarna in his brief remarks thanks the President for this great honour for India and this great Indian community putting. "They feel very welcome here and so integrated with the American society," he said.

"I think, we are looking at one of the best times we ever had in India-US relationship," Sarna said, which was agreed by Trump. "I think, that's true. Very close, closer than ever before," said the US President.

In his remarks, Trump welcomed senior Indian American officials gathered at the White House for Diwali celebration.

"As we light the Diya in the White House we are joined by in a fellowship with all of those who light lamps in their own home, cities and places of worship. America is a land of faith and we are truly fortunate to have these wonderful traditions woven into the tapestry of our national life. And that is true," he said.

Trump said that he is thrilled to celebrate Diwali at the White House.

"I'm honored to host this beautiful ceremony at the White House. Very, very special people. We're gathered today to celebrate a very special holiday observed by Buddhist, Sikhs and Jains throughout the United States and around the world. Hundreds of millions of people have gathered with family and friends to light the Diya and to mark the beginning of a New year: very special new year," he said.

"Our nation is blessed to be home to millions of hardworking citizens of Indian and South East Asian heritage to enrich our country in countless ways. Together we are one proud American family. Do we agree with that? I think so. I think we do. Right? Better, believe it," he said.

Trump said Americans of Indian and South East Asian heritage have done an incredible job and identified several of them by name including the chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai; Manisha Singh, Acting Under Secretary of the Department of State; Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services; Uttam Dhillon, Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Neil Chatterjee, Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Raj Shah, the Deputy White House Press Secretary.

The first White House Diwali celebrations was held in 2003 under the then US President George W Bush, who never attended Diwali celebrations in person. A senior administration official represented him. It was mostly held in the India Treaty Room of Executive Office Building, which is part of the White House complex.

Since 2003, Diwali celebrations at the White House has become an annual tradition. In 2009, President Barack Obama lighted the ceremonial lamp in the East room of the White House. The event was attended by about 200 guests.

In 2013, First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated Diwali in the East Room. Immediately before the celebrations, she participated in a Bollywood dance with local students in the State Dining Room. In 2016, Obama celebrated Diwali in the Oval Office with a group of Indian Americans officials from his administration.

In 2016, Vice President Biden hosted a Diwali reception at his official residence Number One Observatory Circle. In 2017 President Trump celebrated his first Diwali in the Oval Office with Amb Nikki Haley, senior officials from his administration and a small group of Indian Americans.

Over the years, it is being celebrated by the Indian Americans in Pentagon and the State Department. For the past several years, Diwali is also being celebrated at the US Capitol by Rep and Senators, being hosted by India Caucus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amid a financial crunch at the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, India has appealed to nations to enhance contributions to the agency, saying this support will be a practical way of expressing continued solidarity with Palestine refugees.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was established by the UN General Assembly seven decades ago, looks after the welfare of 5.4 million Palestine refugees.

"However, almost all of the UNRWA's resources come from voluntarily contributions, with a limited donor base. This arrangement is fraught with uncertainties," First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Mahesh Kumar said here Monday.

Kumar, speaking at the UN General Assembly Fourth Committee meeting on the UNRWA, said even core services to the Palestinian refugees, notably in the fields of education, health, and assistance to the most vulnerable refugees are susceptible to interruption. He said provision of adequate, sustainable and predictable funding would have to be made and additional resource allocation from the regular budget could be considered.

He noted that the UN Board of Auditors in their latest report pointed out that as a result of suspended contributions amounting to 400 million dollars in respect of the years 2017 and 2018, the agency's projected overall deficit is around 450 million dollars.

"This is unsustainable and a cause of concern," he said.

"We appeal to other traditional donors of the UNRWA to consider enhancing their contributions and non donor member states to consider contributing to the UNRWA. This is perhaps the practical way of expressing continued solidarity with Palestine refugees," Kumar said.

The Trump administration had in August said that the US will not make additional contributions to the UNRWA.

Kumar said against the backdrop of the serious resource constraints faced by the UNRWA, India increased its annual financial contribution five-fold to the agency's core budget, from one million dollars in 2016 to five million dollars in 2018. India is also committed to contribute five million dollars in 2019.

As part of its ongoing assistance programmes in Palestine to strengthen capacity-building efforts focused on institutions, services and training personnel, India provides 150 places for Palestinian professionals every year in its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme.

During the last five years, under an India-Palestine development partnership, 17 agreements have been signed in the fields of agriculture, health care, information technology, youth affairs, consular affairs, women's empowerment and media.

Under those agreements, around 70 million dollars of financial support and project assistance has been offered for projects like post-2014 war reconstruction efforts in Gaza; the construction of five schools; the India-Palestine Centre of Excellence for Informational and Communication Technologies at the Al-Quds University, with a satellite centre in Ramallah.

The India-Palestine Techno-park in Ramallah; a 100-bed super specialty hospital in Bethlehem; an India Studies Chair at the Al-Quds University; the construction of the Palestine Institute of Diplomacy in Ramallah; a National Printing Press; and establishing a Heritage Centre for the Empowerment of Women and Young People.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India and China were among the top countries that sent the highest number of students to American institutions last year even as the number of new international students enrolling at US colleges and universities declined, according to a report.

According to the '2017 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange', it is the first time that the number of students has declined in the twelve years.

The report, released by Institute of International (IIE) and the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, said while the overall number of international students studying in the US has increased, the number of new international students those enrolled at a US institution for the first time in fall 2016 - declined by nearly 10,000 students to about 291,000, a three per cent decrease from the previous year.

"The scaling back of large Saudi and Brazil government scholarship programmes were a significant factor, as the number of students from those two countries showed the biggest decreases, particularly in non-degree study," it said.

The factors driving the slowing of growth include a mix of global and local economic conditions, and in some cases expanded higher opportunities at home and declining populations, the report said.

However, notwithstanding the decline, India and China were among the top places of origin for international students in the US, the report said.

"The top places of origin for international students studying in the United States were China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil," it said.

The top host states were California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. Each of these states saw increases in international students in 2016-17, it said.

The report said that the number of international students in the United States increased by three per cent over the previous year, and the number of American students studying abroad increased by four per cent from the prior year.

In 2016/17, for the second consecutive year the US colleges and universities hosted more than one million international students, reaching a record high of 1.08 million.

According to the report, 45 per cent of the campuses reported declines in new enrolments for fall 2017, while 31 per cent reported increases in new enrolments and 24 per cent reported no change from last year.

Amid a harsh political climate in the US and tightening immigration rules, studying and working in America has become shrouded in uncertainty.

However, the report said that international students benefit US communities, colleges and universities, in many ways, including economically.

In 2016 international students brought USD 39 billion to US' economy, through their spending on tuition, room, board and living expenses, according to the US Department of Commerce.

Their roles on campus as teaching and research assistants support the faculty in many departments, especially in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), and their diverse perspectives help enrich classroom learning for US students.

"Students continue to be attracted to the high quality and diverse opportunities offered by US colleges and universities. But it is critical for US institutions to set strategic goals and be proactive in reaching out to students and families in a wide range of countries in the coming year, and for the US to keep its academic doors open to students from all over the world," said IIE President and CEO Allan E Goodman.

The report states modest increases in the number of international students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees were partially offset by a decrease of 14 per cent in the numbers enrolled in non-degree programs, including short-term exchanges and intensive English language programmes.

The number of students staying on after graduation for 12 to 36 months of OPT rose by 19 per cent to more than 175,000 students, indicating a strong desire by international students to gain valuable career skills and connections before returning home.

The report further shows that 325,339 American students received academic credit last year at the home campus for study abroad in 2015/2016, an increase of four per cent from the previous year.

"The population of US students studying abroad continues to diversify, with greater inclusion of students from under-represented racial and ethnic backgrounds," it said.

The top host destinations for US students studying abroad in 2015/16 were the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, and Germany.

China dropped out of the top five host countries, as the number of US students studying there decreased by 9 per cent.

Europe was the top host region, attracting more than 50 per cent of Americans who studied abroad, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India and European Union have vowed to step up cooperation in effectively dealing with terrorism, extremism and radicalisation.

The issue figured prominently during India-EU annual counter terrorism and political dialogue in Brussels on Monday.

"The discussions focussed on the terrorist threats in Europe, South Asia and the Middle East. The EU and India underlined the importance of continuing the progress made in defeating Da'esh," said a statement by the EU.

It said both sides agreed to find ways to enhance cooperation to counter violent extremism and radicalisation as well as to deal with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats.

"Exchanges further touched on tackling terrorist use of the Internet and countering terrorism financing," the statement said.

"Finally, the EU and India had a fruitful exchange on multilateralism, underlining their full support for the United Nations, the Global Counter Terrorism Forum and other multilateral fora," it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Arjun Kapoor believes his next "India's Most Wanted" will ignite patriotism in people.

The film, a tribute to unsung heroes, centres around the capture of India's most wanted, without firing a single bullet.

The actor, who plays an intelligence officer in the film, wrapped up the project Monday.

"It is a scary and real story. It will be fascinating for audience to see it because when I heard about it, it left me in shock. Also, it made me feel proud to be an Indian. It is a film that will bring out your patriotic side," Arjun told PTI.

The actor said unsung heroes need to be respected and praised.

"Men in uniform defend and protect us but there are so many young heroes who protect us in plain clothes in plain sight. They are also the true unsung heroes and they deserve to be respected and applauded for keeping our country safe. The film is based on one such important event that changed the course of our country's history," he said.

Directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, the film is slated to be released on May 24, 2019.

Gupta is co-producing with Fox Star Studios.

Arjun, 33, also has Ashutosh Gowariker's "Panipat" in his kitty and this will be his first historical period drama. The film also features Kriti Sanon and Sanjay Dutt.

"Ashu sir is an expert in such films. My job as an actor is to be on the sets and play my character to the best of my ability. There are certain things that we are working on since few months.

"I begin filming by end of November. I still have some time to work on my character. I can't talk about it in detail as I feel at times it is better to do it and show, rather than speaking," he said.

According to reports, Arjun will play the role of Sadashiv Rao Bhau, the nephew of Peshwa Bajirao I. He served as commander-in-chief of the Maratha army in the third Battle of Panipat.

The actor has started prepping.

"I am playing a warrior in the film. There are certain basic things that I will have to keep in mind. We have started training in horse riding. We start practising sword fighting in the next coming weeks."



The film is slated to release on December 6, 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Rolls-Royce has been awarded a contract by the Spanish ship builder Freire to deliver ship design and equipment systems for a new oceanographic research vessel for Belgium. The IMO polar code compliant vessel will be designed to carry out research and survey tasks in the North Sea and its adjacent sea areas, but also in the Mediterranean and more northern areas.

Rolls-Royce has been awarded a contract by the Spanish ship builder Freire to deliver ship design and equipment systems for a new oceanographic research vessel for Belgium. The IMO polar code compliant vessel will be designed to carry out research and survey tasks in the North Sea and its adjacent sea areas, but also in the Mediterranean and more northern areas.

The vessel, which is to replace the current RV Belgica, will be a UT 844 WP design from Rolls-Royce.

The research vessel will cater for the requirements of the Belgian marine scientific community when performing advanced marine research and education at sea  today and in the coming years. This will include research within the fields of geology and sedimentology, fisheries, biology, chemistry, oceanography (including meteorology). In addition, the vessel will be part of hydrography campaigns.

Asbjrn Skaro, Rolls-Royce, Director Digital & Systems - Marine, said: Three European countries have now chosen Rolls-Royce as a supplier of design and technology to their new research vessels; Belgium, Norway and the UK. These are all advanced, high-tech vessels that will carry out fundamental research at sea and below the seabed. We are of course honored to be part of such great tasks.

The vessel, which is to replace the current RV Belgica, will be a UT 844 WP design from Rolls-Royce. In addition to ship design, Rolls-Royce will supply the main propulsion system, including side thrusters, Promas integrated propulsion and maneuvering system, power electric system and steering gear. A vital part of the systems delivery is also automation and control systems such as the propulsion control system, Unified Bridge and dynamic positioning (DP).

The project team responsible for the new research vessel is formed by the Belgian Defence, the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences  Operational Directorate Natural Environment (RBINS-OD Nature).

Detailed engineering and construction will take place at Freires shipyard in Vigo, Spain and the vessel is scheduled for delivery towards the end of 2020. Rolls-Royce currently has design and system deliveries for two other vessels under construction at Freire Shipyard.Kamala Harris, the first Indian-origin US Senator also known as the "female Obama", is considering to run for the White House in 2020, media reports said, days after a strong showing by the Democratic Party in the recent mid-term elections.

Harris, 54, the first time Senator from California, made her first trip to Iowa about a month ago, which media analysts here said was in preparation for her potential presidential run.

Born in Oakland, California, she is the daughter of an Indian mother who migrated to the US from Chennai in 1960 and a Jamaican-American father.

Her mother Shyamala Gopalan studied science, specifically endocrinology and complex mechanisms of cancer. Her father Donald Harris grew up in Jamaica, where he became a national scholar and earned the opportunity to study economics in the US.

The 2020 presidential cycle would kick off on February 3, 2020 in Iowa, where the first primary is scheduled to be held.

Media reports indicated that Harris' multiple stops in Iowa indicated an Obama-like energy in her meetings.

"I haven't seen that kind of energy since Barack Obama," Sean Bagniewski, the chair of the Polk County Democrats, told lake County Record-Bee after Harris addressed several hundred people at a downtown Des Moines ballroom in Iowa last month.

Harris has not announced her presidential bid yet.

In multiple media interviews, she has neither denied nor confirmed reports of her running for the White House in 2020.

During the Obama era, she was popularly called as the "female Obama". A decade ago, journalist Gwen Ifill called Harris "the female Barack Obama" on the "Late Show With David Letterman". Later, a small businessman from Willoughby Tony Pinto called her "a young, female version of the president".

She is considered to be close to Obama, the first black American President, who endorsed her in her various elections including that of the US Senate in 2016.

Harris said her visit to Iowa was to campaign for party during mid-term elections. After a gap of eight years, the Democratic party wrested from the Republicans the majority in the House of Representatives.

In the past two years, she has emerged as the star performer of the party in the Senate and a leading Democratic voice against

According to an online poll carried out by Axios, Harris would beat Trump most handily by a 10-point margin if the election were held now.

She polls well with African-American and white suburban women, but not with "Never Hillary" independent registered voters, Axios said in its report last week.

Harris is among the two-dozen potential Democratic leaders who are eyeing the US presidency in 2020. However, none of them have made a formal announcement yet.

Prominent among them include 2016 presidential candidates Senator Bernie Sanders and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton; and former US vice president Joe Biden.

Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker from Hawaii in the US Congress, is also considering to run for the presidency, according to sources close to her.

Several Democratic Senators in the potential race include Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jeff Merkley, Sherrod Brown, Amy Klobuchar and Richard Blumenthal.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee are said to be in the race to take on President Trump in his re-election bid.

Former first lady Michelle Obama has ruled out entering the electoral fray.

In the recently-concluded crucial midterm elections, opposition Democrats captured the House of Representatives while Trump's Republican Party retained its majority in the Senate, an outcome likely to intensify the political bitterness and fighting between the two major parties in the run up to the 2020 presidential poll.A pregnant Indian-origin woman has been killed after an arrow pierced through her abdomen in a crossbow attack in London.

Devi Unmathallegadoo's unborn bay survived after an emergency Caesarean section. The baby is fighting for his life in hospital following the attack on Monday evening in Ilford area of east London.

On Tuesday, Scotland Yard officers charged Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, 50, with the murder of 35-year-old woman, believed to be his former partner.

"The victim was found suffering an abdominal injury. She was taken to hospital where she later died," the Metropolitan Police said.

"This is a tragic incident and our sympathies are with the loved ones and friends of the victim," added Detective Chief Inspector Gary Holmes of the Met Police's Homicide and Major Crime Command, which is leading the murder investigation.

Devi Unmathallegadoo was known locally as Sana Muhammad after reportedly converting to Islam when she married her husband Imtiaz Muhammad around seven years ago.

She had three children, aged 18, 14 and 12, with her former partner and two young girls, aged five and two, with Muhammad. The baby boy who was born as a result of an emergency Caesarean operation on Monday has been named Ibrahim by his father.

"She was a wonderful mother and wife. We were together seven years. I am heartbroken; we were inseparable," Imtiaz Muhammad told the Evening Standard' newspaper.

The 42-year-old was at home when he noticed the attacker in their shed with a loaded crossbow. He ran back into the home to alert his wife and children, but she was shot with the arrow in her abdomen soon after.

"The arrow went up into her heart but did not touch the unborn baby. The baby was due in four weeks. They operated with the arrow still in because it would have been too dangerous to take out," he said.

Neighbours heard Muhammad screaming for help outside the house and described seeing a 30-cm-long crossbow being carried out of the home by police officers as evidence.

Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo remains in custody and will now appear before the Old Bailey court in London on Thursday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Army on Tuesday gunned down a heavily-armed Pakistani intruder along the Line of Control (LoC) in Akhnoor sector here, officials said.

The infiltration bid came after a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistan which left three Army personnel and a porter dead and three BSF personnel injured since Friday.

"An armed intruder was noticed trying to infiltrate into this side in Pallanwalla area of Akhnoor sector and was challenged by the alert Army personnel," an Army officer said.

He said the intruder opened fire and a gunfight ensued in which he was killed. A huge quantity of arms and ammunition including an AK assault rifle and a pistol were recovered from him.

The search operation in the area was still continuing and further details were awaited, the officer said.

An Army porter was killed by a Pakistani sniper along the sector on Friday followed by similar attacks from across the border in Sunderbani and Noushera sectors of Rajouri and Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch over the past three days which left three army personnel dead.

Three BSF personnel were also injured in ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

The casualties suffered by Pakistan in the retaliatory action could not be ascertained immediately but several of their posts including the ones with snipers were hit in the retaliatory action over the past four days, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has set a fresh deadline of June next year for the completion of the first phase of Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) which was started three years ago.

The deadline has been set to complete scanning of all 6.6 crore revenue documents and the decision regarding it was taken in a meeting convened here to review the progress of the ongoing DILRMP in the state, an official spokesperson said on Tuesday.

DILRMP is an integrated programme aimed at modernizing land records to minimize the scope of land or property disputes and enhance transparency in land records maintenance system. The project is fully centrally funded.

In the first phase, Srinagar and Jammu districts have been taken up for implementation of the project in November 2015 and was set to be completed by March this year.

In the second phase 10 more districts will be taken up after the completion of the first phase. In the third and final phase from April 2020 to March 2022, the remaining 10 districts will be covered. The entire process in the state has been targeted to be completed by March 31, 2022, the spokesperson said.

He said the meeting was informed that out of the 6.60 crore revenue documents and 55,000 revenue maps targeted to be scanned, 2.50 crore revenue documents and 45,000 revenue maps have been scanned till October 31.

As many as 1.30 crore revenue documents and 16,000 revenue maps have also undergone quality check during the same period, he said, adding all revenue documents of central record room, Jammu, have been scanned however completing the work in Srinagar will take some more time.

At the meeting, Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam asked the officials concerned to prepare a month and district-wise work completion schedule in consultation with the vendor and ensure that the task of scanning the remaining four crore revenue documents and maps is completed by June next year.

The chief secretary also emphasised on the need for ensuring that state data centre to host permanent record of digitized revenue documents is made fully operational by March next year, the spokesperson said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) Tuesday opposed inclusion of stainless steel flat products in the proposed RCEP agreement among 16 countries, including China.

ASEAN countries and their six trade partners such as India, China and Australia are negotiating a mega trade deal named as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

In a statement, JSL Managing Director Abhyuday Jindal said, "This has reference to the Inter-Ministerial Meet to be held in Singapore...reportedly for drawing substantial conclusions to the RCEP agreement between 16 countries, including China.

"This is a grave concern for domestic stainless steel industry. As largest stainless steel maker and the leading voice in industry, we strongly oppose inclusion of stainless steel flat products in the RCEP agreement."



The statement has come a day ahead of the second RCEP Leaders Summit in Singapore on Wednesday.

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu is leading a delegation for the meeting of trade ministers of RCEP member countries.

The move will open flood gates of Chinese imports into India through zero duty access, Jindal warned.

"This will make operations for domestic producers non-viable, thereby resulting in long-term losses. This may result in immediate shut down of small scale units and will simultaneously cascade into the organised sector," he pointed.

Jindal further said that investments made by domestic industry in capacity building worth Rs 35,000 crore would stand in jeopardy.

"Once operational, RCEP will turn India into a nation of traders alone. It will become a dumping ground for all goods through this 'Open Door Policy' approach by the government, thereby destroying the manufacturing sector in India, resulting in losses of jobs and investor confidence," Jindal warned.

India already has a free trade agreement with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan and South Korea and it is negotiating similar pacts with Australia and New Zealand.

India is pushing for liberalising norms to promote services trade as the sector accounts for about 55 per cent of India's GDP. India is looking for a balance trade agreement as it would cover 40 per cent of the global GDP and over 42 per cent of world's population.

"Though the FTAs were envisaged to promote trade between the two countries, much of the trade post FTA has been one sided and India has substantial trade deficit with both Korea and Japan. There is enough data to suggest that all these countries are riddled with excess capacity and have excess production. They have also been held guilty of repetitive dumping behaviour," Jindal said.

The government must review its stand on including stainless steel products in RCEP, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)/ --



JLL, India's leading real estate professional services firm, announced the appointment of Jaideep Dang as Managing Director of its Hotels and Hospitality Business based in Gurugram, this is Jaideep's second stint with the Firm wherein he will lead the specialized Hotels and Hospitality practice.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/678101/JLL_Logo.jpg )



(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/783679/Jaideep_Dang.jpg )Jaideep's appointment underlines the Firm's commitment to strengthening its hotels and hospitality focussed portfolio by building on existing and potential long-term strategic relationships with major Indian and global brands. In his earlier stint with the Firm from 2004 till 2011, Jaideep was instrumental in carving a premium positioning for JLL's hotels and hospitality business. He also successfully built a niche client base and negotiated multiple management contracts for investors with global chains such as Hyatt, Carlson, Marriott and Frasers in India. He had also contributed significantly in developing innovative solutions that are attuned to meeting emerging industry trends and client requirements.

Jaideep has wide-ranging and extensive experience across business consulting, transactions, management contracts, feasibilities & appraisals and market research. Prior to joining JLL, Jaideep was working with one of India's marquee hotel brands, The Oberoi Group, as Senior Vice President - Strategic Development for the India sub-continent, Asia and Africa.

Commenting on Jaideep's appointment, Ramesh Nair, CEO & Country Head, JLL India said, "The Indian travel and hospitality industry has emerged as one of the key growth drivers within the services sector, and the importance of hotels as an asset class within the overall real estate sector cannot be undermined. With clients valuing our work and expertise across different real estate asset classes, we want to be seen as the partner of choice for hospitality consulting mandates. With his ability to develop and nurture long standing relationships with Indian and international hotel chains, developers and investors, Jaideep's return to the JLL India fold provides us with a significant advantage in taking our hospitality business to the next level."



"He will focus on strengthening our transactional capabilities and leverage the larger JLL teams both in the country and other parts of the world for this. Jaideep will also help drive a One JLL approach to transactions and advisory mandates as well ensure trail opportunities for our other services," he added.

Jaideep Dang, Managing Director - Hotels and Hospitality Group said, "The hotels sector in India is experiencing healthy growth on the back of increased foreign tourist arrivals and growing domestic demand. Average rooms rates as well as occupancy ratios across all hotel segments has witnessed upward movement in all key business and leisure markets in India.

"On the other hand, new branded hotel supply is also adding up, albeit cautiously, which is a healthy scenario for new hotels as they look into the future to accommodate this growing demand. Nearly 65% of this new supply in the last few years has been in the mid to upscale segments. A large part of the new hotel supply is part of mixed use developments. With land prices rising, this trend of mixed use hotel developments will be the future. The timing could not have been better for investors to explore opportunities to buy existing and under construction hotel assets, both in business as well as leisure segments," he added.

The Indian hospitality sector is set to witness significant growth upside in the performance of hotels in most key markets across India with occupancy levels gradually increasing on back of better demand from increased office absorption, a 7.3% year-on-year growth in foreign tourist arrivals during January to July 2018, a booming domestic travel market and a slowdown in additional room inventory.

About JLL India:



JLL is India's premier and largest professional services firm specializing in real estate. With audited revenues at over INR 3,400 crores for FY 2017-18, the Firm has grown from strength to strength over the last 20 years in the country. JLL India has an extensive geographic footprint across 10 major cities (Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi and Coimbatore), presence in over 130 tier II & III locations with cumulative strength of over 10,000 staff. It provides investors, developers, local corporates and multinational companies with a comprehensive range of services. This includes research, strategic advisory & consultancy, capital markets, transaction management, project & development services, integrated facilities management and property & asset management. These services cover various asset classes such as commercial, residential, industrial, retail, warehouse and logistics, hospitality, healthcare, senior living and education.

JLL India won the Five-Star Award for Best Property Consultancy at the International Property Awards Asia Pacific 2018 -19. The Firm is also recognised amongst the Top 100 Best Places to Work in India for two consecutive years in 2017 & 2018 in the annual survey of 'India's Best Companies to Work For' - a joint study conducted by Great Place to Work and The Economic Times. It has also been acknowledged as 'Property Consultant of the Decade' at the 10th CNBC-Awaaz Real Estate Awards 2015. For further information, please visit http://www.jll.co.in.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of journalist Upendra Rai, arrested in June by the (ED) in a case related to alleged extortion and dubious financial transactions.

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Syal denied the relief to Rai, saying the allegations against him were serious and it was not a fit stage to grant him bail.

The court took note of the submissions made by ED's special public prosecutors N K Matta and Nitesh Rana that the accused may influence the witnesses and hamper the probe if released on bail.

It also noted the ED's submission that the investigation was still on in relation to the "top secret documents" recovered from Rai's possession and the agency was trying to find out how he procured them.

The also told the court that Rai is an influential person and he may destroy evidence and flee from justice, if he comes out of jail.

It had told the court through advocate Samvedna Verma that Rai had extorted money from various persons claiming he had information against them as he was a journalist and that thousands of crore of rupees were extorted.

In his bail application, Rai has claimed that he was not required for further custodial interrogation and no purpose will be served by keeping him in further custody.

The application said that Delhi-based scribe was ready to abide by any condition imposed by the court. Rai had denied before the court all allegations levelled against him.

The journalist was arrested on June 8 by the under the Prevention of Act (PMLA) at the Tihar jail here, moments after he secured bail in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case related to alleged extortion and dubious financial transactions.

He was arrested by the CBI on May 3 for allegedly indulging in dubious financial transactions, getting an airport access pass made by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) by furnishing false information, alleged extortion and manipulation of an Income Tax Department case against a Mumbai-bound businessman.

The Supreme Court had on May 4 refused to interfere with his arrest by the CBI.

The had registered a case against him based on the CBI FIR.After Republicans, including President Donald Trump, made unsubstantiated accusations of illegal activity, a judge on Monday urged the warring sides in the Florida recount to "ramp down the rhetoric," saying it eroded public confidence in the election for Senate and governor.

The state's law enforcement arm and elections monitors have found no evidence of wrongdoing, but lawyers for the Republican party and the GOP candidates joined with Trump in alleging that irregularities, unethical behavior and fraud have taken place since the polls closed last week.

"An honest vote count is no longer possible" in Florida, Trump declared Monday, without elaborating. He demanded that the election night results which showed the Republicans leading based upon incomplete ballot counts be used to determine the winner.

Trump went on to allege that "new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged," and that ballots are "massively infected." It was unclear what he was referring to. The recount is mandated by state law.

Much of the Republicans' ire was centered on Democrat-leaning Broward County and its Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes, a Democrat who was appointed in 2003 by then-Republican governor Jeb Bush. She has been re-elected four times. Critics have suggested the slow pace of ballot-counting in Broward is suspicious.

Broward elections officials have said this year's count was encumbered by the unexpectedly high turnout for a midterm election and the unusual length of this year's ballots, which contained 12 state constitutional amendment proposals, partly as a result of a constitutional revision commission that meets once every 20 years.

Bush said Monday on Twitter that Snipes should be removed from office, saying there was "no question" that she "failed to comply with Florida law on multiple counts, undermining Floridians' confidence in our electoral process." Snipes acknowledged Monday that "there have been issues that haven't gone the way we wanted."



She said "you can call it a mistake or you can call it whatever you want to call it." She declined to comment on Trump's remarks, except to say that "we're in an era where people oftentimes speak without having vetted the information, so I'm not sure where the president gets his information from." She said she had not spoken with Trump.

The president's allegations came just hours before Broward Chief Circuit Judge Jack Tuter held an emergency hearing on a request by lawyers for Republican Gov. Rick Scott, whose lead in the Senate race over incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson has narrowed with the counting of provisional and other ballots. They asked for additional sheriff's deputies to be sent to Snipes' office to monitor ballots and voting machines.

State law requires a machine recount in races where the margin is less than 0.5 percentage points. In the Senate race, Scott's lead over Nelson was 0.14 percentage points. In the governor's contest, unofficial results showed Republican former Rep. Ron DeSantis ahead of Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by 0.41 percentage points.

Once the recount is complete, if the differences in any of the races are 0.25 percentage points or less, a hand recount will be ordered. All 67 counties face a state-ordered deadline of Thursday to finish their recounts.

Meanwhile, the elections supervisor in heavily Republican Bay County said he allowed about 150 people to cast ballots by email, the Miami Herald reported. The county was devastated by a Category 4 hurricane in October, and Scott ordered some special provisions for early voting there.

A statement that accompanied the order noted that returning ballots by email was not allowed under state law.

Gillum expressed outrage about the emailed ballots.

"These are the stories that we know. Imagine the one that we don't," he said Monday at an African-American church in Boynton Beach. He said the recount need not be rushed because the next governor does not take office until January.

In their Broward request, Scott's lawyers alleged that Snipes was engaging in "suspect and unlawful vote counting practices" that violate state law and that she might "destroy evidence of any errors, accidents or unlawful conduct."



The motion was supported by lawyers representing the state Republican Party and opposed by Snipes' office, Nelson's campaign and the state Democratic Party.

"I am urging because of the highly public nature of this case to ramp down the rhetoric," Tuter said.

"If someone in this lawsuit or someone in this county has evidence of voter fraud or irregularities at the supervisor's office, they should report it to their local law enforcement officer," Tuter said.

"If the lawyers are aware of it, they should swear out an affidavit. But everything the lawyers are saying out there in front of the elections office is being beamed all over the country. We need to be careful of what we say. Words mean things these days." After Tuter told all sides to meet to discuss a compromise, they agreed to add three deputies to the elections office in Broward.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The mayor of Nepal's capital on Tuesday left for a five-day visit to China to gain firsthand knowledge about the functioning of modern cities.

Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Mayor Bidhya Sundar Shakya and Deputy Mayor Hariprabha Khadgi Shrestha embarked on the trip to attend various programmes being organised in Beijing and different sister cities of China, according to a notice issued by KMC.

They will attend the China International Friendship Cities Conference-2018 being held in Hunan City from November 14 to 16. They will also attend a ceremony in Lhasa on Wednesday where they will receive 'Outstanding Foreign Friendship Award' from the city.

The programme in Hunan city is being organised by Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, China International Friendship Association and the Hunan Municipal People's Government.

The KMC said the visit will help the Nepalese officials to learn about techniques of developing modern and environment-friendly cities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): With a robust startup ecosystem to its support, Kerala has all the potential to make a giant leap in Artificial Intelligence (AI), experts said Tuesday.

Such is the percolation of AI application of late that its use gaining vitality, they noted at a conclave organised by 'Maker Village' at Kinfra Hi-Tech Park, Kalamassery.

Titled 'AI enabled Transformational Changes



Opportunities, Challenges, and Future for Startup Entrepreneurship', the day-long deliberations focused on the impact of AI on startup entrepreneurships in the state.

Roshy John, Global Head, Industrial Robotics and Cognitive Systems, TCS, said AI has trickled down to every walk of life in such a manner that its role could no longer be underplayed in Kerala.

The state has not only the accessibilities and a strong start up ecosystem, but also immense support from the government, he noted while opening the session.

Anto Ajay Raj John, senior architect, Deep Learning Framework Power Platform, IBM (India), called AI the fourth Industrial Revolution, adding that it was to touch every aspect of human life.

"That being the scenario, in a state like Kerala, AI could be successfully employed in many fields.

Say, in the form of a drone, to find out which crop is suitable or unsuitable in a particular farmland," he said.

Interaction between start-ups and research centres is very pertinent for a strong startup environment, said Ambedkar Dukkipati, Computer Service & Automation, IISc-Bangalore.

"Hence, such an atmosphere in the state should be moulded for further improvement," he added.

Raghavendra Bhat, Principal Engineer, INTEL India sought an equilibrium between the hardware and software industries.

"Kerala is strong on the hardware startups and a little behind as far as the software startup industry is concerned," he said.

"It is definitely not because of the lack of talent, but opportunities," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday sought to summon Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis and government officials before the Koregaon-Bhima violence inquiry commission here.

Appearing before the commission in his capacity as a lawyer, Ambedkar represented M N Kamble, one of the witnesses to the violence.

Kamble has demanded that Fadnavis and some government officials should be examined before the judicial commission.

The commission, headed by Justice (retired) Jai Narayan Patel and with former state chief secretary Sumit Mullick as its member, was formed by the Fadnavis government in February.

"Our demand is the commission should summon and examine government officials, right from the investigating officer who is probing the violence case to Fadnavis," said Ambedkar.

"If the responsibility (for the violence) is to be fixed, all these decision-makers needs to be examined," he said.

Ambedkar also demanded that certain documents such as police station diaries, wireless and written communication between the government officials and police on December 31 and January 1 and documents pertaining to deployment of police force on these two days should be produced.

Justice Patel said the documents which are in public domain can be brought before the commission.

Ambedkar contended that the violence on January 1 was a clear case of failure of the government machinery, and the commission needs to establish at what level this failure took place and whether it was a case of lack of intelligence inputs or a failure to act on them.

Advocate Ashish Satpute, who is assisting the commission on legal points, said the commission's inquiry is at the initial stage, and the chief minister and government officials can be summoned at a later stage.

Justice Patel said the commission may summon Fadnavis and officials if it deems it necessary.

Special public prosecutor Shishir Hirey will be arguing on behalf of the state government.

Dalits visiting a memorial of an 1818 battle at Koregaon Bhima in Pune district -- in which the forces of the Peshwa, ruler of Pune, were defeated by the British East India Company -- came under attack on January 1 this year.

While Dalits see the victory as an assertion of Dalit identity as the British forces included Mahar (a formerly untouchable caste) soldiers, some Hindu right-wing organisations were opposed to the celebration.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Away from home, jailed RJD president Lalu Prasad on Tuesday took to Twitter on Tuesday to greet people on the occasion of Chhath, inarguably the most popular festival of Bihar.

The former Bihar chief minister, who is serving sentences in a number of fodder scam cases, is currently undergoing treatment at a Ranchi hospital.

He has, however, been sharing his thoughts and feelings on a number of issues on his official Twitter handle, which is managed by his close aides.

"Countless people have, while greeting me on the occasion of Chhath, credited me with having brought international recognition to this festival. I have only this to say to my well-wishers - this is all by virtue of you all. May Chhath Maiya bring peace and prosperity and fulfill all your wishes," the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief tweeted.

Prasad's wife Rabri Devi - a former chief minister herself - has been known to celebrate Chhath with gusto, observing all elaborate rituals associated with the festival, which involves rigours like a 36-hour-fast and offering prayers to the Sun while standing knee-deep in water.

His family, rattled by the decision of his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav seeking a divorce from his wife Aishwarya Rai barely six months into their marriage, has decided not to celebrate the festival this year.

However, making the announcement last week, RJD leader and Prasad's close aide Bhola Yadav had insisted that Rabri Devi was not keeping well and the decision had nothing to do with her son's marital discord.

In another tweet, Prasad raved about the rich repertoire of folk songs associated with Chhath and underscored that the festival was also about celebrating "dignity of woman, equality, social harmony and the conservation of eco-system and bio-diversity".

Earlier,too, the RJD supremo had spoken about the "uniqueness" of Chhath on the microblogging site.

"All items of use are such that they could be afforded by people irrespective of their economic status. The festival has remained unsullied by the vulgar display of modernity.

"All offerings made to the Sun God are bio-degradable," he tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday suffered a major setback as the Supreme Court in a landmark ruling overturned his controversial decision to dissolve Parliament and halted until next month the preparations for snap polls on January 5.

The apex court's decision deepened the political crisis in the island nation after Sirisena fired his coalition prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26 and installed former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new premier.

He also suspended Parliament till November 16. He, however, advanced the convening of the House to November 14 amid international and domestic pressure against the move.

A three-member bench, including country's chief justice Nalin Perera, delivered its verdict after two days of deliberations on as many as 13 petitions against and five for Sirisena's November 9 decision to dissolve Parliament.

The apex court said Sirisena's dissolution of Parliament will be suspended until December 7 and it will consider all the petitions filed on the President's decision next month before giving a final ruling.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament after it became clear that he lacked support from lawmakers to instal Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister following his sacking of Wickremesinghe as premier.

All petitions filed against Sirisena's decision will be heard on December 4, 5 and 6, the apex court ruled, in a historic judgement that could upset the 67-year-old president's political ambitions.

Major political parties, including the United National Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and an election commission member Ratnajeevan Hoole, on Monday dragged Sirisena to the Supreme Court, challenging his move by filing fundamental rights petitions against the move.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament last week, almost 20 months before its term was to end, and ordered snap election on January 5, plunging the country's into an unprecedented political and constitutional crises.

Wickremesinghe has maintained that his sacking by Sirisena was unconstitutional and illegal and he was still the prime minister.

Wickremesinghe demanded that Parliament be convened to hold a vote among the lawmakers to decide who enjoyed majority support in Parliament to be the Prime Minister.

As pressure grew and both sides claimed they had the numbers, the President dissolved Parliament and called for elections.

Rajapaksa needed the support of minimum 113 parliamentarians in the 225-member House to prove his majority.

Sirisena on Sunday stoutly defended his move to dissolve Parliament, saying it was taken to prevent clashes among rival lawmakers. He said there were reports that politicians would clash during the floor test, which was due on November 14.

At the hearing Tuesday, Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya, on behalf of the State, justified Sirisena's action, saying the powers of the President are clear and unambiguous as provided for in the Constitution and the announcement of the dissolution of Parliament was done by the President in accordance with the Constitution.

He pleaded for the dismissal of all petitions and said the President was empowered to dissolve Parliament.

Rajapaksa, 72, who ruled Lanka for a nearly decades from 2005, was unexpectedly defeated by his deputy Sirisena in the presidential election held in January 2015 with the support from Wickremesinghe's UNP.

However, the power-sharing arrangement between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe became increasingly tenuous on several policy matters, especially on issues like the economy and security. And subsequently, Sirisena abruptly ousted Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Rajapaksa.

Sirisena suspended parliamentary proceedings until November 16. Later, owing to domestic and global pressure, he issued a notice to reconvene Parliament on November 14. Last week, he dissolved Parliament and announced snap polls in January, 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Indian tech firm Lavelle Networks has formed an alliance with London-based Cloudtexo to expand its presence in the European market.

The partnership will help Lavelle Networks meet the demand from customers for their software as a service (SaaS) apps and cloud services requirements, a statement said.

"As enterprises select to run more applications in multiple public cloud environments, the definitions of the data centre are fast changing. Digital transition to multi-cloud/SaaS is driving tremendous growth in SD-WAN and Lavelle Networks is emerging as a key player in this market," Lavelle Networks Co-Founder and VP Sales Vishal Khare said.

Khare further said Cloutexo's experience in relevant areas will help Lavelle Networks expand in the European markets soon.

Cloutexo is a distributor focused on hybrid IT and risk management for Industrial Internet of Things, mobile and cloud.

Software-defined networking in wide area network (SD-WAN) simplifies the management and operation of the enterprise's network.

While, the SD-WAN market is still at a nascent stage, it is expected to become a USD 10 billion opportunity globally by 2023 as per industry reports.

The growth of SD-WAN market is expected to be fuelled by enterprises looking for traffic management to optimise bandwidth and reduce costs as they replace WAN with broadband network, without compromising on security.

"We are truly excited about our partnership with Lavelle Networks as their software-defined technology enables organisations to completely transform their WAN infrastructure and realise their investment almost instantly," Cloudtexo Founder and CEO Sanjay Patel said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tirupur Exporters Association Tuesday appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to consider Tirupur as the headquarters of the proposed territorial division of commercial taxes considering the current and future business potential of the knitwear hub.

In a statement here, president of the association Raja M Shanmugham said the government has planned to form a new division by including areas of Tirupur, Erode and Karur with Erode as the headquarters.

At present, the turnover of the knitwear sector in Tirupur was Rs 42,000 crore and it was likely to reach Rs one lakh crore by 2022, he said.

Over 80 per cent of the turnover comes from micro, small and medium enterprises comprising 8,350 units, he said.

Besides, the estimated number of registered dealers was more in Tirupur than in Erode.

Considering the number of knitwear units and their future growth, Shanmugham has sent to Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration K C Veeramani to announce Tirupur as the headquarters for the territorial division of commercial taxes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 38-year-old farmer was found dead in his field in Baruki village here on Tuesday, a day after he went missing, the police said.

The deceased, Satbir had gone to irrigate his field on Monday but did not return home. After a search, his body was found in his field, Circle officer, Bhopa police station, Ram Mohan Sharma said.

The cause of his death is not known yet, he added.

The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination and the matter is being probed, Sharma said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In this small hill state of just about 10 lakh people, parties' political equations appear as treacherous as its twisting and turning roads -- Both the ruling BJP and main opposition MNF are trying hard to prove their 'anti-BJP' credentials and both have had their own alliances with the saffron party.

The sudden prominence attained by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) for the November 28 elections for 40 assembly seats of this christian-majority state also contradicts a basic statistics of Mizoram's three-decade-old electoral history that the saffron party has never won an assembly seat so far.

But the BJP is now the main target of poll campaigns mounted by the Congress as well as the Mizo National Front (MNF) -- the two parties that have always ruled Mizoram one after another.

As the campaign gains momentum, both the Congress and the MNF are accusing each other of being the BJP's "real ally", by digging out old pictures, documents and meeting details from the past and splashing them all over before the voters.

While the Congress and the MNF are leaving no stones unturned to paint the BJP as "anti-Christian", the saffron party has launched a spirited campaign to get power in this strategically important north-eastern state sandwiched between Myanmar and Bangladesh, with the party president Amit Shah declaring that Christmas would be celebrated in Mizoram under the BJP rule this December.

The counting of votes would take place on December 11.

Mizoram is been seen by the BJP leaders as the "final frontier" in its 'Congree-free North East' campaign, as the party has already secured power in Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, besides joining ruling coalition in Meghalaya and Nagaland.

Mizoram is significant for the Congress too, as it remains the only state under the party's rule as against as many as five just about two years ago, which included Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.

The Congress has been in power in Mizoram since 2008 and is eyeing the third consecutive term. In the outgoing assembly, the Congress has 34 MLAs, while the MNF has five and Mizoram People's Conference has one.

The Congress improved its tally in 2013 elections, from 32 in 2008, but the BJP is making an all-out effort to snatch the power.

Earlier in two other Chritstian-dominated north-eastern states, Meghalaya and Nagaland, the BJP went on to become part of the government after joining hands with the runners-up, while the parties with highest number of seats (including Congress in Meghalaya) could not get the power.

While the MNF has been party of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the saffron party has decided to fight alone on all 40 seats.

The Congress is, however, accusing the MNF, its traditional rival in the state, of being silently in league with the BJP for the upcoming polls, in which about 7.68 lakh voters including 3.93 women are eligible to exercise their franchise.

The Congress has published 50,000 copies of a leaflet in Mizo language depicting the relationship between the BJP and the MNF, while putting on front a picture of the two party chiefs -- Amit Shah and Zoramthanga -- sitting together.

It contains various pictures and details of the former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga of MNF attending NDA and North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) meetings with seniorBJP leaders.

On its part, the MNF is vehemently denying any relationship with the BJP for the polls and points out at the alliance the two national parties had in the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) in Mizoram.

Congress had to publicly announce that it is no longer an ally of the BJP in the Council, an autonomous council for ethnic Chakma people that exercises legislative, executive and judicial powers over allotted departments in its territory spread over 1500 sq km.

Election to the 20-member CADC on April 20 gave a fractured mandate -- the MNF got eight seats, the Congress won six, and the BJP got five. Poll to one seat was stayed by the Gauhati High Court.

Traditional national rivals -- BJP and Congress -- later formed a coalition to stake claim to form the executive committee of the tribal council. The coalition, however, faced a setback after some Congress members withdrew support to the BJP-led CADC.

"The Congress's allegation that the BJP is behind MNF and is a secret ally has been reversed. It is having an adverse impact on the Congress itself and has exposed the party," said Robert Romawia Royte, a senior MNF leader and the party's candidate from Aizawl East-II constituency.

He said the MNF was planning to expose the "alliance" in a big way, but the Congress itself admitted it by saying they were breaking the alliance.

A Congress leader, however, said that the people are well aware of the fact that the MNF is part of the BJP-led NDA and NEDA.

"The NEDA Convenor and the BJP leader from Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has come here several times and worked with the MNF in selection of candidates," he alleged.

The Congress leader alleged the BJP is not liked by the people here as the party is seen as being anti-Christian and therefore it was banking on the MNF.

"We want to protect the dignity of the church, which is already at stake in Meghalaya and Nagaland," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congress President Rahul Gandhi Tuesday launched a diatribe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "misleading" people on India's development.

Addressing a rally here ahead of the second phase of polling in the state on November 20, Gandhi said as per Modi, development of the country began only after 2014, when he became the prime minister.

"He (Modi) doesn't even know that the country is run by the people and not by a single man. He insults you by making such comments," the Congress president said.

Demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was aimed to break the back of small and medium businesses, Gandhi said. Congress will encourage youth to do business and get loan facility from banks, he added.

The Congress is not against big industrialists, but if government gives them benefit, small and medium business should not be neglected, he said.

"Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya fled the country with thousands of crores of rupees belonging to the people of India. PM Modi does nothing to bring them back to the country and doesn't utter a word on the issue," he said.

He claimed the CBI director was removed from his post at 1 am to stop a probe into the Rafale deal. "If there is an investigation, only two names will come up: Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani. Modi is scared of a probe," he said.

Gandhi claimed Anil Ambani was chosen over HAL for the Rafale deal despite HAL having 70 years experience in manufacturing fighter aircraft.

"Anil Ambani didn't have the experience. He may not have made even a paper aeroplane," he said.

Gandhi said there is an undercurrent in favour of the Congress in the 18 constituencies of Chhattisgarh which went to polls Monday.

Results from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other poll-bound states will go in favour of the Congress, he said.

Chhattisgarh is rich in resources, the Congress president said, adding the "dream of the state was broken due to the misrule" of the BJP government.

Promising a "people's government" in Chhattisgarh if voted to power, he said people want a government which listens to their "Mann ki Baat".

"Instead of working for a few industrialists, Congress will work for development of agriculture, education and health in the state," Gandhi said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)NASA is planning to launch a challenge for the public and scientific community to design a self-assembling robot with artificial intelligence that can explore the surface of the Moon, William Harris, CEO of Space Centre Houston said Tuesday.

Space Centre Houston in the US, the official visitor centre for NASA Johnson Space Centre, conducts regular public outreach programmes to engage people of various ages and diverse backgrounds in scientific research.

These programmes encourage students and scientists to ideate innovative solutions for problems that the US space agency is trying to overcome in order to carry out successful space exploration missions.

"The next challenge is for the Moon -- it will be announced next year -- to develop a self assembling robot or rover on the Moon's surface that has an artificial intelligence platform so it can make decisions based on what it is learning about the lunar surface," Harris told PTI in an interview here.

"The reality is, when we sent humans to the Moon back in the 1960s, just going there and coming back safely was a huge accomplishment. We did not do a huge amount of science during those missions," he said.

Most of the astronauts then were test pilots. The first and only scientist to have visited the Moon is Harrison Schmitt, an American geologist, who is now the last living crew member of Apollo 17, Harris said.

There was very little scope to perform scientific experiments, and to date there is a lot we do not know about the Moon, he said.

However, the astronauts that NASA recruits now are scientists.

With plans underway to take humans back to the lunar surface, the US space agency is working on efficient technologies that can assist astronauts to conduct scientific experiments on the Moon.

In the recent decades, evidence of frozen water beneath the surface of the Moon has emerged. This not only presents the possibility for the Moon to host some form of primitive life, but also opens avenues for future astronauts to harvest water and set up a space colony.

The water could also be broken down to provide hydrogen fuel, using which we could send missions into deeper space, Harris said.

"NASA has come to recognise that you can become to insular with your own team. So it is better to open up to the general public to see if somebody has ideas that can help us address different challenges," he said.

Harris gave an example of a space robotics challenge in the past, that aimed to programme NASA's humanoid Valkyrie to perform human-like tasks.

"Within the group of ten semi-finalists, we had teams from two of the top universities. But the winner of the challenge was a stay-at-home dad, who came with his 6-year-old son," said Harris.

His solutions are now being used by NASA to programme Valkyrie. Involving the public in this way can help space programmes flourish and break new grounds, he said.

Harris was in New Delhi as a part of a delegation of representatives seeking to strengthen ties with Indian companies and to learn about the latest developments in the country's business environment and industries like aerospace, healthcare and information technology.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)KKR India's chief executive officer Sanjay Nayar Tuesday said the ongoing troubles at non-bank lenders will lead to a correction in their valuations and the firm is keen to up its funding to them.

Nayar, whose company also operates as a non-banking financial company (NBFC) in the country, said it will take up to four months for the liquidity related issues in the sector to settle down.

"Structurally, there will be a correction (in valuations), which is good in the long term," Nayar told reporters on the sidelines of a conference organised by industry body CII.

Return on equity cannot be created by overleveraging with the business having a thin net interest margin (NIM), he said, wondering how such firms trade at four times the book value.

He said the leverage ratios have to become "a lot more prudent" over time and added that liabilities have to be funded long term.

When asked if his company will be upping its play in investments and portfolio buys of NBFCs, Nayar replied in the affirmative and also added that KKR is underleveraged at present but will not take any decision in a hurry.

He refused to comment on reports of the company being in the race to buy Aadhar Housing

Echoing the views of many experts including the (RBI), Nayar said the present difficulties are emanating from asset liability mismatches and will be resolved in three to four months.

Nayar said the NBFC sector is critical to the and the stronger entities will be able to come out of the current difficulties.

However, there will be a better assessment of risk from here on and it may lead to an increase in rate of interest charged by the players from borrowers, he said.

Even as analysts are predicting a setback to consumption story because of the NBFC troubles, Nayar said it will not have an impact and funds will be available to those wanting to buy anything, albeit at an elevated cost.

NBFCs will become very conscious from here on and will have a better understanding of their customer base.

It can be noted that the NBFC sector has been facing liquidity constraints for over the last two months, ever since infra lender IL&FS' financial troubles erupted out.

There have been massive corrections in the stock prices of listed in this time as investors turn wary about the sector.Senior National Conference leader Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo Tuesday sought probe by a sitting high court judge into the killing of BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother in Kishtwar early this month.

Interacting with people, including a large number of members of a minority community in Kishtwar, he demanded that the probe report be made public in a time-bound manner.

"The culprits behind the killing of Parihar brothers should be exposed and sternly dealt with as per law. A judicial probe by a sitting high court judge should be ordered into the incident," the former minister said in a statement.

The NC leader alleged attempts are being made to polarise the situation to further political agendas and hoped that the people of Kishtwar would fight in a united manner and isolate such elements.

"Kishtwar town is known for its brotherhood as both Hindus and Muslims have been living in complete harmony from times immemorial," he said.

"The people of the land of sapphires, shrines and saffron will not allow the seeds of hate to be sown to vitiate the atmosphere," Kichloo said.

The NC leader said every time Kishtwar was targeted the people gave a befitting reply by maintaining unity and tranquillity.

He hoped that justice would be done in the case and urged the people not to heed rumours about the situation in Kishtwar.

"We will do everything necessary to restore calm and maintain peace in Kishtwar and the surrounding areas," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that the Nehruvian legacy was being "undermined" by those presently in power who have "contempt" for the country's first prime minister for all that he did to build an India which they want to change for the "worse".

Speaking at an event to relaunch Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's book 'Nehru: The Invention of India', the former Congress president said Jawaharlal Nehru, as India's first prime minister, "consolidated democracy and entrenched the basic values of India's polity -- values to which we are still proud to lay claim."



"What are these values. Shashi Tharoor summarises them as the core pillars of Nehruvianism -- democratic institutional building, staunch pan-Indian secularism, socialist economics and foreign policy of non-alignment. These values were integral to a vision of Indianness that is fundamentally being challenged today," she said on the eve of Nehru's birth anniversary.

But, that vision remains at the core of "our time-tested beliefs", Gandhi said.

"We all know, as Shashi Tharoor has just said, that this precious legacy is being undermined daily by those who rule us today. They express disdain and contempt for Nehru for all that he did to build the India they are bent upon changing for the worse," Gandhi said



She further said, "Today we must honour him by fighting with determination to safeguard our democracy against those who are undermining it."Tharoor, in his remarks at the event, lauded Nehru for strengthening democratic institutions and always encouraging "constructive criticism".

Narrating an anecdote, Tharoor said Nehru was asked by an American editor as to what he wanted his legacy to be, to which the first Indian prime minister said: "330 million people capable of governing themselves."



"A number of post-colonial heroes in other ex-colonies had gone the opposite way. They started off as democratically popular heroes and headed in an authoritarian direction...Nehru ji never fell into that trap.

"So if today, we have a chaiwala as prime minister, it is because Nehru ji made it possible to create the institutional structures through which any Indian can aspire to and rise to the highest office in the land," the MP from Thiruvanathapuram said.

Talking in detail about the four Nehruvian pillars, Gandhi said democracy could not have been taken for granted in 1947 that a country beset by acute poverty and torn apart by partition would become or remain democratic.

It was Nehru who instilled a democratic culture in our country by his regard for democracy, she said.

Nehru's regard for Parliament, his regard for the independence of the judiciary, his curtesy to those of different political convictions, his commitment to free elections, his faith in a free press and his deference to institutions over individuals -- have all left a precious legacy of freedom, Gandhi said.

On Nehru's commitment to secularism, Gandhi said he strived to prevent partition, but when it occurred, he never accepted that since Pakistan had been ostensibly created for Indian Muslims, what remained was a state for Hindus.

His life-long conviction was that India belonged to all its people and the majority community have a special obligation to protect the rights and promote the well-being of India's minorities, she said.

In both policy and personal practice, Nehru stood for an idea of India that embraced every religion, caste ethnicity and language, Gandhi asserted.

Talking about Nehru's idea of socialism, she said: "It is fashionable today to decry Nehruvian socialism as a system that tied India to many years of modest growth. This does not take into account the circumstances of the early years of independence when massive infrastructure was needed to be built up."



On his foreign policy of non-alignment, Gandhi said Nehru was a "convinced internationalist".

The Nehruvian vision was about safeguarding India's independence and self-respect against a potential encroachment on its sovereignty that still lies at the heart of the Indian National Congress, she said.

Gandhi highlighted that over the years Congress governments have taken Nehru's idea forward and cited the examples of Panchayati Raj and the Right to Information Act.

"They have defended secularism in the face of violent threats to our nation's diversity," she said.

Tharoor said a concerted campaign of vilification, calumny and an astonishing amount of lies was being spread on the internet against Nehru.

"If today, the government can boast about Mangalyaan, ask who created ISRO. Who decided that even a poor Indian can dare to aim for the skies. Who created the IITs who send so many bright young men to the Silicon Valley.

"All of this in the poor country was optional. You had to have the vision to say we need to do all these things. We need to lay the foundations to build India of the future," Tharoor said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US President Donald Trump Tuesday said he has nominated Indian-American Neomi Rao to replace Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.

"She is going to be fantastic. Great person," he said.

The powerful US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit is considered next to the US Supreme Court . A formal announcement in this regard is expected to be made by the White House on Wednesday.

"I just nominated Naomi to be on the DC circuit court of appeals, the seat of justice Brett Kavanaugh. That could be a big story," Trump announced



during the White House Diwali celebrations Tuesday.

Rao thanks the president for the "confidence" he has shown in her by nominating her to the powerful US court.

If confirmed by the Senate, Rao, 45, would be the second Indian American judge after Sree Srinivasan on the DC Circuit, which has jurisdiction over important regulatory, national security, and separation of powers questions.

Rao is currently the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

Trump made the announcement at the White House Diwali celebrations in the presence of his top Indian-American officials and Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Singh Sarna.

Called the 'regulatory czar' of Trump administration in her current capacity, she oversees implementation of the Administration's deregulatory agenda and regulation-related executive orders.

She was confirmed by the Senate with a 54-41 vote in July 2017 to head the OIRA and is known among legal circles as a highly respected administrative law scholar who has distinguished herself for her right-of-center views, media reports stated.

A former clerk for conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Rao was recommended for the post by former White House counsel Don McGahn. Trump's nomination of Rao is in recognition of her contribution in cutting down regulations.

Rao has previously served in all three branches of the federal government, and before taking on her current role in the executive branch, she was associate counsel and special assistant to the president for the George W Bush administration.

She has been known for promoting separation of powers in the three branches of government. Prior to joining the Trump administration in July 2017, Rao taught as an associate law professor at GMU, where she also founded and directed the Center for the Study of the Administrative State.

A graduate of Yale University and the University of Chicago Law School, Rao also worked in the private sector, in the international arbitration group of the London-based law firm, Clifford Chance LLP.

Born to Zerin Rao and Jehangir Narioshang Rao, both Parsi physicians from India, Rao grew up in Michigan and did her schooling from Detroit High School. She is married to Alan Lefkowitz and the couple has two children.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)People in Nepal on Tuesday celebrated the Chhath festival dedicated to the Sun god in the southern part of the country with traditional fervour.

The festival is extensively celebrated in the Madhes region - the southern plains mainly in Hanusha, Saptari, Siraha, Sunsari, Mahottari, Morang, Parsa and Bara districts.

Along with these districts, Chhath is also being celebrated in Kathmandu Valley, as well other areas where the Madhesi community lives.

In Janakpurdham, devotees observed the occasion around ponds, lakes and rivers including Gangasagar, Dhanushsagar, Ramsagar, Ratnasagar, and others.

Thousands of devotees made oblations to the Sun god at the banks of Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers and ponds in Kathmandu amid devotional songs.

Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari visited Kamalpokhar pond situated in the heart of Kathmandu to take part in Chhath festival and offered prayers.

The riversides and ponds in Kathmandu have been decorated with paper flags, banners and colourful lights on the occasion. Various delicacies such as 'thekuwa' and rice pudding are prepared and served during the festival.

Chhath festival is also being observed with zeal and enthusiasm in Terai Madhes region of southern Nepal including Janakpur, Birgunj and Biratnagar.

Bhandari and Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli greeted people on the occasion of Chhath.

The Chhath festival is dedicated to the Sun god, which is seen as essential to support life on earth and the festival is a way to pay tribute to the sun. The Hindu festival is observed for four days.

Devotees also offer 'Arghya' (offering of water) and pay a special homage to the sun in the evening. The festival will conclude with offerings to the rising sun on Wednesday, wishing for prosperity and happiness.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb Tuesday said a new waterway would come up within six months for movement of container ships between Sonamura in Sipahijala district of the state and Ashuganj river port in eastern Bangladesh to ply.

After the completion of the new waterways goods to the state will directly reach Sonamura town from Bangladesh easily, Deb told reporters here.

The central government would soon start dredging Gomati river on the Indian side for the new waterway to connect Ashuganj port on Meghna river covering about 60 KM, he said.

The secretary to the department of shipping of the central government had recently visited the state and the sites of the waterways recently and told the state government that dredging of Gomati river and construction of a small river port would be completed within less than six months time.

Deb said a bridge, which is being constructed by an Indian agency on Feni river in Sabroom sub-division of South Tripura district to connect the Chittagong port in Bangladesh would be completed by March next year.

Sabroom is about 130 km from here and Chittagong port is about 70 km from the bridge.

He said after the completion of the access to the port, a large portion of goods to the north eastern states would be transported through Tripura and Bangladesh government would get a good amount of revenue due to Indias access to the port.

Deb also said the 15 km long railway track from Agartala to Akhaura in Bangladesh would be completed within 2020 and the north eastern state would be well connected with south Asian countries through Bangladesh.

With the twin advantage of International Internet Gateway (IIG) and uninterrupted power supply, the Tripura government would hard sell the states potential for being an information technology hub.

Tripura is now a power surplus state.

The Agartala IIG is the third internet gateway after Mumbai and Chennai. Rs 19.14 crore was spent to create the infrastructure for the third IIG here to get access to the 10 gigabit bandwidth from Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited.

The optical fibre cable link for the purpose has been established between Akhaura (along Agartala) and Cox's Bazar in southeast Bangladesh.

Deb said, It is the dream of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India a digital India and at the same time it is also my dream to make Tripura a digital Tripura.

He said Tripura would be made a model state within the next four years and many modern cities having all facilities would be built in the state.

Besides, many new towers like tea tower, IT tower, police tower and big hospitals would be built on multistoried buildings.

"I want many more high rises of different institutions to come up in the state, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday launched a counter attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, saying the note ban hurt the poor and benefited the rich wearing "suit-boot".

Addressing a rally here ahead of the second phase of polling in the state on November 20, Gandhi also charged the Modi government with ensuring benefit to Anil Ambani's company through the Rafale aircraft deal.

The Modi-led government "snatched" Rs 30,000 crore from the poor and put it in the pocket of the industrialist, Gandhi said.

The Congress, if propelled to power, would write off debts of farmers in Chhattisgarh within 10 days into government, he said.

"He (Modi) said the note ban brought money out of pillows of people. He is right. But he did not tell from whom the money was snatched...all the poor people (had to) queue up (to exchange notes). Did any billionaire queue up? Did anyone in suit-boot queue up?" he asked.

"India's prime minister helped turn the black money of the rich into white. He snatched money of the poor, but ensured benefits for the rich," Gandhi said.

Hitting out at Rahul and Sonia Gandhi for questioning him on demonetisation, Modi had Monday said in a poll rally that he did not need a "certificate of honesty" from the "mother-son duo" who are out on bail.

The prime minister had also said that demonetisation helped recover from "under someone's bed and in cupboards".

"They want an account of demonetisation. It was due to the demonetisation that bogus companies were identified. And because of that you had to seek bail. Why do you forget that it was due to the note ban that you had to seek bail," he had said without naming the Gandhis.

Modi announced the ban on high-value currency notes on November 8, 2016.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan's top military brass on Tuesday discussed the situation along the Line of Control and alleged ceasefire violations.

The 215th Corps Commanders' Conference presided by Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Rawalpindi.

Army said in a statement that the forum reviewed geo-strategic environment and security situation of the country.

The commanders discussed the "situation along Eastern Border including Indian ceasefire violations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan is failing to educate a huge proportion of the country's girls due to shortage of government schools, under-investment in schools as well as gender discrimination and child marriage, Human Rights Watch said in a report.

The 111-page report, 'Shall I Feed My Daughter, or Educate Her?': Barriers to Girls' in Pakistan,' said that many girls have no access to

Nearly 22.5 million of Pakistan's children in a country with a population of just over 200 million are out of school, the majority of them girls. Thirty-two per cent of primary school age girls are out of school in Pakistan, compared with 21 per cent of boys. By ninth grade, only 13 per cent of girls are still in school.

"The Pakistan government's failure to educate children is having a devastating impact on millions of girls," women's rights director at Human Rights Watch Liesl Gerntholtz said adding that many of the girls are desperate to study, but instead are growing up without the that would help them have options for their future.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 209 people for the report most of them with girls who never attended school or were unable to complete their education, and their families in all four of Pakistan's provinces: Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh. Human Rights Watch also interviewed parents, educators, experts, and activists, and visited schools.

Human Rights Watch said factors keeping girls out of school include the government's under-investment in schools, lack of schools, prohibitive school fees and related costs, corporal punishment, and a failure to enforce compulsory education. Poor quality within both government and low-cost private schools, a lack of government regulation of private schools, and corruption also add to the reasons girls are forced to stay out of school.

In addition to these factors within the education system, girls are also blocked from attending school by external factors including child labour, gender discrimination, child marriage, sexual harassment, insecurity, and attacks on education.

The Pakistan government has consistently invested far less in education than is recommended by international standards. As of 2017, Pakistan was spending less than 2.8 per cent of its gross domestic product on education far below the recommended four to six per cent leaving the government's education system severely under-funded. Government schools are in such short supply that even in Pakistan's major cities, many children cannot reach a school on foot safely in a reasonable amount of time.

The situation is far worse in rural areas and there are many more schools for boys than for girls, the rights group said.

"Even parents who are not educated themselves understand that their daughters' future depends on them going to school, but the government is abandoning these families," Gerntholtz said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan confirmed on Tuesday that it has discussed with Canada the case of Asia Bibi, a day after Ottawa indicated that it wants to offer asylum to the Christian woman recently freed from prison after her blasphemy conviction was overturned.

Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal's remarks came a day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his government was holding talks with Pakistan over potentially offering asylum to Bibi.

Faisal said that Canadian Foreign Minister telephoned his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday.

"Among other issues, Asia Bibi was discussed. Canadian FM appreciated Supreme Court's courageous decision...Qureshi said that Asia Bibi is our national and Pakistan fully respects her legal rights," Faisal tweeted.

The confirmation about official contact by Canada about Bibi was made by Pakistan after Canadain Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, "We are in discussions with the Pakistani government."



Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, was release from Multan jail last week after the Supreme Court in its landmark decision acquitted her of blasphemy charges.

She was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. Bibi always maintained her innocence, but spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.

Bibi's acquittal sparked violent protests from radical Islamists across Pakistan.

The Imran Khan-led government had agreed to their demand to stop her from leaving Pakistan and extend its help to place her name on no-fly list.

The BBC Urdu's report that she had been taken to another country created a lot of confusion and the Foreign Office had to issue a clarification that Bibi was in the country.

Earlier, Bibi's husband had appealed to US President Donald Trump and premiers of the UK and Canada to help her and other family members leave Pakistan as their lives were in danger. Italy had offered asylum to Bibi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US Vice President Mike Pence will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Singapore on Wednesday during which the two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral defence cooperation and a common vision for maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Pence will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi, the White House said releasing the schedule of the Vice President on the eve of the meeting.

The meeting is scheduled to take place 12.30 pm local Singapore time.

Trump will be representing President Donald Trump at the ASEAN and East Asia Summit in Singapore.

"They will talking about the bilateral relationship and defence cooperation in the kind of larger context," a senior administration official told foreign reporters last week ahead of his trip.

"They'll also be talking about their common vision for maintaining what we refer to as a free and open Indo-Pacific," said the senior Administration official.

"Prime Minister Modi has talked about his Act East policy, and there is enormous convergence in these two approaches," the official noted.

"And so lots for them to discuss," said the senior administration official.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Army Tuesday said a heavily-armed Pakistani intruder was shot dead along the border in Akhnoor sector here, foiling the "nefarious plan" of terrorists to disrupt the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state.

The recoveries made from the slain terrorist included two assault rifles along with two magazines and 234 rounds of bullets, five pistols with 10 magazines and 60 rounds, 15 hand grenades and 12 fuses for Improvised Explosive Devices, Jammu-based Army PRO Devender Anand said.

"This huge cache has scuttled the nefarious plans of the terrorist outfits to derail peace and harmony in the region and disrupt the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state," he said.

The nine-phased panchayat elections will get underway on November 17.

Anand said an ambush party of the army killed the terrorist on this side of the international boundary at about 1.50 pm.

"The entire area near the scene of the gunfight has been cordoned off and search and destroy operation is still in progress," Anand said.

"The timely intercept of the intrusion of the terrorists with the cache of arms, ammunition and other war like stores has thwarted any possible untoward incident, planned by the terrorist during the scheduled elections in the state," the Army PRO said.

The infiltration bid comes after a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistan which left three army personnel and a porter dead and three Border Security Force (BSF) troopers injured on Friday.

"The Indian Army is carrying out relentless and robust anti-infiltration operations in the state to break the backbone of terrorism and nip the designs of anti national elements and the enemy to foment trouble south of the Pir Panjal ranges in Jammu and Kashmir," the PRO said.

The porter was killed by a Pakistani sniper along the sector followed by similar attacks from across the border in Sunderbani and Noushera sectors of Rajouri and Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch over the past three days.

The casualties suffered by Pakistan in the retaliatory action could not be ascertained immediately but several of their posts including the ones with snipers were hit over the past four days, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat Tuesday said a pledge has been secured from social media platforms stating they would curb the flow of posts which adversely affect the election process in the country.

Interacting with reporters here, he said the poll watchdog had made several attempts to curb the misuse of social media during elections.

"We have separately held talks with the national and regional heads of all important social media platforms and secured a pledge from them that they will stop the flow of all such posts that are likely to adversely affect the election process," he said.

Rawat said the expenditure on poll advertisements on social media will be added to the expenses of the candidates. Information would also be collected from the social media officials about the sponsors of such election advertisements.

In response to a question, Rawat said the EC has a strong mechanism in place to review the manifestos of political parties.

"We have made a firm commitment to review the electoral manifesto of all parties according to the Supreme Court's guidelines," he said.

Prior to his interaction with the media, Rawat held a meeting of top officials of police and administration of Indore, Ujjain and Narmadapuram divisions in the state and reviewed the preparations for the election.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer V L Kantha Rao was also present in the meeting along with several senior officials of the ECI.

Rawat expressed confidence that the EC would be successful in conducting free and fair assembly elections across the state on November 28.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a number of high-profile multilateral and bilateral meetings with global leaders including US Vice President Mike Pence and Singapore premier Lee Hsein Loong during his two-day visit here beginning Wednesday, Indian officials said Tuesday.

Modi, who will be here on November 14 and 15 at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee, will attend the ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit, India's High Commission here said in a statement.

He will also attend the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit hosted by Singapore as the current Chair of ASEAN grouping.

"The ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit at Singapore will provide an opportunity to review progress in the relationship," the statement said.

During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will have a bilateral meeting with his Singapore counterpart Lee.

On the margins of these Summits, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with other leaders.

Prime Minister Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with US Vice President Pence on November 14, the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi.

The White House said last week that Pence and Modi would discuss the India-US defence cooperation and the bilateral relationship during their meeting in Singapore.

As strategic partners, India and ASEAN enjoy close trade and economic relations. Trade between India and ASEAN stood at USD 81.33 billion in 2017-18 and constitutes 10.58 per cent of India's total trade. Exports to ASEAN countries constitute 11.28 per cent of India's total exports.

In January, India hosted ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit to celebrate 25 years of Dialogue Partnership, 15 years of Summit Level interaction and 5 years of Strategic Partnership.

In an unprecedented gesture, all 10 ASEAN Leaders attended the Commemorative Summit and graced the Republic Day celebrations as Chief Guests.

During the Summit, leaders reviewed the whole range of ASEAN-India cooperation and adopted the Delhi Declaration.

The East Asia Summit is a premier leaders-led forum in the Indo-Pacific Region comprising of the 10 ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam) and its eight dialogue partners - India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Russia.

Since its inception in 2005, it has played an important role in reviewing political, security and economic developments in the Indo-Pacific region, the statement said.

"This will be Prime Minister's fifth engagement with EAS. At the 13th EAS, Prime Minister will join other leaders to discuss international developmental issues such as information and communications technology, smart cities, maritime cooperation, education, finance, food security, environment and energy at both the retreat and plenary sessions.

"They will also deliberate on global and regional issues of mutual interest," the statement said.

Modi will attend the RCEP Summit to review the progress made on the negotiations presently underway to finalise the RCEP, a proposed free trade agreement presently being negotiated amongst 16 countries 10 ASEAN member-states and India, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

The agreement, once finalised, will cover 45 per cent of the world population, 40 per cent of the world trade and 34 per cent of the global GDP amounting to USD 21.3 trillion.

Since the commencement of negotiations in 2012, considerable progress has been achieved during the 24 rounds of negotiations at experts' level and 12 Ministerial Sessions.

"India remains committed to a forward looking and balanced outcome that results in a modern, comprehensive, high quality and mutually beneficial economic partnership," the statement said.

On November 14, Modi will deliver a keynote address at the Fintech Festival- the first Head of Government to do so.

The festival, now in its third edition, is one of the largest events on financial technology and will see participation from Indian companies as well, the statement said.

On the same day, he will felicitate the winners and participants of India-Singapore Hackathon conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education and Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway and the Ballabhgarh Metro Link, and lay foundation stone of Haryana Vishwakarma Skill University in Palwal on November 19.

He said on the same day, the prime minister will address a public meeting near Farukhnagar crossing in Gurgaon, where he would dedicate various projects to the people of the state.

Asserting that the BJP government in the state has carried out equitable development in the state in last four years, Khattar said Haryana bagged first place in the country for Gramin Swachh Survekshan this year and Karnal city bagged first place in the state in urban ranking and 42ndplace in the country.

He said that in order to give the message of cleanliness on 'Gurupurab', the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, on November 23, 11,000 lamps would be lighted in 20 schools of Karnal Municipal Corporation.

On Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's proposal to him for a mutual inspection of schools and government dispensaries in Delhi and Haryana, Khattar said, "Kejriwal should worry about Delhi and not interfere in matters of other states."



He said if there is any issue in Delhi and the Haryana government could fix it then Kejriwal should inform him through a written communication. The matter would be considered, the Haryana chief minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Andhra Pradesh Police and the Union government on a petition by YSR Congress chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy seeking a direction to the state government to transfer the probe into the recent attack on him to an independent agency.

A division bench, headed by Chief Justice T B N Radhakrishnan, also directed the Special Investigating Team probing the case to file its report in a sealed cover before the High Court within two weeks.

Jagan had moved the court on October 31 with a plea that the probe be entrusted to any appropriate independent agency not under the control of the Andhra Pradesh government.

When the plea came up for hearing Tuesday, the court ordered issuance of notices to Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP), Visakhapatnam Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and the Union government on the issue of airport security, among others, and directed them to file their counter affidavits.

The court posted the matter after two weeks for further hearing.

On October 25, Jagan was injured on the left shoulder when he was attacked by a man with a small knife, at the airport in Visakhapatnam.

The assailant, J Srinivas, was employed at the airport canteen, police had said.

Jagan, leader of the opposition in the Andhra Pradesh assembly, submitted Tuesday that he has no confidence in the probe being conducted by the state government and that it ought to be conducted by an independent and impartial agency which was not under the government.

Alleging that the attack on him was part of a "criminal conspiracy" to eliminate him, Jagan said it indicated a clear effort to "dilute" the investigation and "divert" it in the wrong direction.

He alleged that there was a conspiracy angle beyond doubt, going by the sequence of events at the airport and the manner in which the state police and the chief minister had been trying to "dilute" the incident by doling out "incoherent and uncorroborated" details to the media, even before the probe began.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Ministry of Corporate Affair's western region director had raised questions on some of the grounds Registrar of Companies (RoC) used to declare that the sacking of Cyrus P Mistry as chairman and director of Tata Sons and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) violated Companies Act and RBI rules, according to an RTI reply.

In response to a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry Group, which is the single largest shareholder of Tata Sons with 18.4 per cent shareholding, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs last month furnished two letters - a January 25, 2017 letter of the RoC, Mumbai and a February 17, 2017 letter from the Office of the Regional Director, Western Region of the ministry.

Responding to the observation of RoC, Mumbai on the procedural aspects like documents submitted or the signing authority, in removing Mistry as chairman and director of TCS, the Regional Director, Western Region, Ministry of Company Affairs -- the senior reporting authority, raised doubts on the efficacy of the findings.

According to the RTI response, the Regional Director (Western Region) asked RoC, Mumbai if a similar standard was followed or prescribed by RoC in all other cases of removal of directors.

It also asked RoC to furnish a list of companies where directors were removed under the Companies Act, 2013 and the details of documents furnished/called for in such cases.

In addition, the Regional Director questioned RoC on whether as per law, many documents which were not annexed to the Form DIR 12 filed by TCS pursuant to the removal of Mistry as director, were mandatorily required to be annexed. If not mandatory, whether RoC can insist on the same, it asked.

As per law, Form No. DIR-12 is to be filed with the Registrar within 30 days of the appointment/removal of a director.

According to the letter furnished in the RTI reply, RoC cited not sending of representation made by Mistry against his sacking to all shareholders but instead making it available for inspection at the company office as a violation of the Companies Act.

Other violations, according to it, were that the Special Notice for the sacking was not "properly authenticated". Also that the Article of Association of Tata Sons prescribed process of removal of the Chairman and that such a removal required prior approval of RBI as Tata Sons was registered as a non-banking finance company.

A Mumbai-bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in July this year dismissed a petition by Mistry who had alleged oppression of minority shareholders and mismanagement.

NCLT ruled that the board of directors is competent to dismiss executive chairman, adding that Mistry's conduct does not augur well for the smooth functioning of the group.

Mistry, who was ousted from the board of Tata Sons after a four-year stint in October 2016, claimed in his petition to NCLT in December 2016 that he was illegally removed as chairman of the software-to-salt conglomerate. He has challenged the NCLT order in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).

The RTI query was filed more than a month after the NCLT verdict, on August 31, 2018 and the reply was submitted to the applicant on October 3.

Tatas had vehemently denied any violation when the contents of the RoC letter revealed in the RTI were reported late last month.

Tata Sons had said all the requisite processes under the Companies Act were followed in removing Mistry as the group chairman and also from the board of TCS.

"The respective board of directors acted as per the provision of the Companies Act as well as in compliance of the articles of association of the company. This was subsequently approved by both the shareholders of Tata Sons and TCS the NCLT has also confirmed that the process followed for removal of Mistry was valid and accordance with law," a Tata Sons spokesman had said. "All requisite processes were followed in line with the Companies Act in case of Mistry's removal from the board of TCS as also as the chairman of TCS and Tata Sons.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Reacting to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's decision to attend an event organised by the Uttar Bhartiya Mahapanchayat Sangh, the BJP, Congress and the Samajwadi Party said Tuesday that he should first apologise to the North Indian community.

Thackeray, known for a strident anti-migrant stand, would be attending a gathering of the Mahapanchayat Sangh, an organisation of North Indians living in Mumbai, in suburban Kandivali on December 2.

City Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said that in the past Raj Thackeray and MNS had bullied the North Indian community living in the country's financial capital.

"Everyone knows...how this community was terrified by their bullying acts. If Thackeray wants to have a dialogue with the community now, there is no harm. But he should first tender an unconditional apology to each and every North Indian," Nirupam said.

Mumbai BJP general secretary Amarjeet Mishra echoed Nirupam's demand.

"Spitting venom against the poor and unemployed North Indians has certainly backfired on Thackeray and his party. Now MNS chief has bowed before the growing power of North Indians. He must first tender an apology to the community," Mishra said.

SP leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi called the MNS chief's decision "opportunistic".

"This is nothing but an opportunistic move. Raj Thackeray and his party have been reduced to zero, losing all MLAs and seats in the (Mumbai) corporation. He snatched the means of livelihood of thousands of unemployed migrants coming to Mumbai. He openly insulted them....Hope he will stop all this dirty politics now," Azmi said.

The MNS had launched violent agitations targeting North Indians in the past, alleging that they were snatching away jobs from the local Marathi-speaking youth.

The Uttar Bhartiya Mahapanchayat Sangh, which works for the welfare of the North Indians living in Mumbai, last month invited Thackeray to attend its gathering.

MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande said Monday that the organisers wanted Thackeray to attend the event and clarify his stand on the North Indians, and he has accepted the invitation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi High Court Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of middleman Manoj Prasad in a bribery case allegedly involving CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

Justice Najmi Waziri denied the relief to Prasad, saying the allegations against him were serious in nature and noted the CBI submission that the investigation is at a crucial stage.

Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee and Advocate Rajdipa Behura, appearing for the CBI opposed the bail plea on the grounds that investigation was at a crucial stage and Prasad's case was different from that of other accused.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Prasad, said he has been in custody for nearly a month and he has not been interrogated even once by the CBI during this period.

Prasad had approached the Delhi High Court on Monday seeking bail in the case, following dismissal of his similar application by a trial court here on November 3.

The trial court had denied bail to Prasad, saying it was not a fit stage to grant him the relief.

Prasad, who was arrested by the CBI on October 17, is currently in judicial custody.

Prasad, Asthana and CBI's Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar have also filed separate petitions in the high court seeking quashing of the FIR against them which are listed for hearing on Wednesday.

In his bail plea before the trial court, Prasad had claimed that he was not required for custodial interrogation and no purpose will be served by keeping him in further custody.

The probe agency had opposed his plea, saying the accused was an influential person and if released on bail, he may tamper with the ongoing probe and flee from justice.

Kumar, who was arrested on October 23, was granted bail by the trial court on October 31.

While hearing Prasad's plea challenging the FIR, the high court had earlier observed that his case was on a different footing from that of Asthana and Kumar.

It had said Prasad was a private person while Asthana and Kumar were public servants and nothing stops the CBI from probing a private individual.

Prasad, a resident of Burj Khalifa in Dubai, has also sought a stay on the investigation by the agency till the disposal of the petition.

The CBI had registered the case against Asthana on the basis of a complaint from Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Sana, facing probe in the 2017 case allegedly involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

Sana alleged that the officer had helped him get a clean chit.

The agency had arrested Prasad in the case, when he returned from Dubai. It was alleged by Sana that Prasad and his brother Somesh had taken Rs 2 crore to arrange a clean chit to him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)UF-IFAS-led project wins prestigious Kellogg Award

See full article here.

For seven years, the Healthy Gulf, Healthy Communities project helped Florida and Alabama residents recover from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and provided research opportunities for faculty members with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and collaborating institutions.

Now, Healthy Gulf, Healthy Communities has been honored with a prestigious W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award, which recognizes collaborative efforts between university personnel and members of individual communities. The award was presented Sunday, Nov. 11 in New Orleans at the annual meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, a non-profit organization that advances the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

This is the first time a UF-led project has been honored by the Kellogg awards program, said Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources.

Were absolutely thrilled, because community engagement is something weve been emphasizing more and more at UF and within UF/IFAS particularly, Payne said. Its gratifying to receive acknowledgment of our efforts and this honor will inspire our faculty and staff to work even harder to engage the residents of our state.

A Kellogg award was presented to each of four teams, representing the major U.S. geographic regions APLU serves. The Healthy Gulf, Healthy Communities team represented the Southern Region, and projects based at Virginia Tech and Texas Tech universities received Kellogg awards for the Northeast and Western regions, respectively. A team based at Ball State University represented the North Central Region and received not only a Kellogg award but also an overall national award, the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award.

Payne noted that many faculty members from the Healthy Gulf, Healthy Communities project team were unable to attend the APLU meeting and enjoy their moment in the spotlight because they were busy assisting with relief efforts necessitated by Hurricane Michael, which struck Floridas Panhandle Oct. 10.

Perhaps thats the greatest testament to the Healthy Gulf, Healthy Communities project  it worked so well that the project team members are in high demand whenever disasters strike Florida, Payne said.

Known colloquially as HGHC, the project existed from July 2011 to April 2017 and was supported by a $6.5 million federal grant and funding from UF/IFAS. It encompassed three research studies, concerning psychological effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, community resilience in the wake of the disaster, and the safety of locally harvested seafood. The project included an outreach team responsible for disseminating research results, interfacing with residents, and providing referrals to needed services and resources.

The HGHC project team was led by Dr. J. Glenn Morris, a UF professor of medicine and director of the UF Emerging Pathogens Institute, and included four principal investigators. Lynn Grattan, a professor with the University of Maryland School of Medicine neurology department, was principal investigator (PI) for mental health investigations; Tracy Irani, a professor and chair of the UF/IFAS family, youth and community sciences department, was PI for community outreach; Andrew Kane, an associate professor with the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions environmental and global health department, was PI for seafood safety investigations; Brian Mayer, an associate professor with the University of Arizona College of Social & Behavioral Sciences School of Sociology, was PI for community resilience investigations.

Overall, HGHC was active in six Gulf Coast communities in Florida and Alabama. Participants included community residents, volunteers and an academic team with faculty, staff and students from UF/IFAS, the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, the University of Arizona, University of Maryland, University of New Orleans and University of West Florida.The government is of the view that the Reserve Bank should resort to norms for capital adequacy in rather than the present stricter guidelines which restrict the lending capacity of lenders, sources said.

Currently, the RBI applies stricter norms and not those specified under for capital adequacy, leading to set aside higher capital for loans.

The government has been in favour of alignment of the capital adequacy norms with norms, sources said, adding this issue may come up for discussion in the upcoming board meeting on November 19.

This assumes significance amidst growing tensions between the RBI and the government, with the Ministry initiating discussion under the never-used-before Section 7 of the RBI Act which empowers the government to issue directions to the RBI Governor.



RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya had in a speech last month talked about the independence of the central bank, arguing that any compromise could be "potentially catastrophic" for the economy.

According to the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) report, core capital requirement for as prescribed by the RBI is 1 per cent higher than what Basel III norms recommend.



Indian banks as per RBI direction are required to maintain 5.5 per cent Common Equity Tier 1 (CET 1) as against 4.5 per cent required under the Basel III framework.

These higher capital norms translate into additional capital requirement, restricting lending potential and income generation, the BCBS report released in 2015 said.

"Several aspects of the Indian framework are more conservative than the Basel framework. This includes higher minimum capital requirements and risk weightings for certain types of exposures as well as higher minimum capital ratios. The RBI also applies certain restrictions to banking activities through its prudential framework," it said.



The RBI has fixed March 2019 as the deadline to meet capital requirements under the Basel III norms for banks.

As per the report, while the Basel framework requires the application of capital standards to all internationally active banks, these have been made applicable in India to all scheduled commercial banks, including banks which are not internationally active.

India has only four internationally active banks, which have more than 10 per cent of their assets in their overseas book.Amid speculation that BJP ally and RLSP president Upendra Kushwaha may join the opposition, his party MP Ram Kumar Sharma said Tuesday he wanted the party to remain in the ruling alliance and hoped that Kushwaha would not break ranks.

"I am in the NDA and would like to remain in the alliance. I am hopeful that our party will continue to be a part of it," he told PTI.

Sharma, who is one of the two MPs of Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) besides Kushwaha, when asked if the RLSP would split if its president left the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), parried the question. He merely expressed the hope that it would not happen.

RLSP sources said besides Sharma, one of the two MLAs of the party, was also of the view that it should remain in the NDA, indicating that it might be staring at a split in case Kushwaha switches allegiance.

They, however, added that many party leaders, some of whom were keen on contesting elections, were urging Kushwaha to not agree to the RLSP contesting on only two Lok Sabha seats as offered by the BJP.

BJP president Amit Shah had said every NDA constituent in Bihar would have to make a sacrifice to accommodate Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), which had joined the alliance last year.

Shah had also announced that the BJP and the JD(U) would fight equal number of seats in 2019.

The RLSP had contested three seats in 2014 and won all. One of its MPs, Arun Kumar, already left it and formed his own party.

Kushwaha had yesterday met opposition leader Sharad Yadav, fuelling speculation that he might switch camps over his differences with Nitish Kumar and the proposed seat-sharing arrangement among the saffron party's Bihar allies for the Lok Sabha polls.

NDA leaders believe that if some of RLSP functionaries, including Sharma, do not join Kushwaha in leaving the alliance, then it would weaken him. Sharma also comes from the same community.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The worst escalation between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza since a 2014 war threatened to descend into full-blown conflict on Tuesday after further barrages of rocket fire and dozens more air strikes overnight.

Six Palestinians were killed in Gaza in less than 24 hours as Israeli strikes targeted militants and flattened buildings while sending fireballs and plumes of smoke into the sky.

Sirens wailed in southern Israel and tens of thousands of residents took cover in shelters as around 400 rockets and mortar rounds were fired from the Gaza Strip, wounding 27 people, including three severely.

A Palestinian labourer from the occupied West Bank was killed when a rocket hit a building in the Israeli city of Ashkelon.

Schools were closed in the Gaza Strip and in southern Israel as both sides warned the other that it would respond forcefully to any further violence.

A spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, Abu Obeida, threatened to further expand its targets "if the enemy continues to bomb civilian buildings." Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said "what we have signalled to Hamas over this night is that we have the intelligence and capabilities to strike a very wide range of military targets that belong to Hamas."



Egypt, which has negotiated ceasefires following previous flare-ups, was said to be seeking to restore calm.

UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who along with Egypt had been seeking a long-term truce between Israel and Hamas, called the escalation "extremely dangerous" and said on Twitter that "restraint must be shown by all".

The latest round of violence began on Sunday with a botched Israeli special forces operation inside the Gaza Strip that turned deadly and prompted Hamas to vow revenge.

The clash that resulted from the blown covert operation killed seven Palestinian militants, including a local Hamas military commander, as well as an Israeli army officer.

Palestinian militants responded with rocket and mortar fire, as well as an anti-tank missile that hit a bus that Hamas says was being used by Israeli soldiers. A soldier was severely wounded in the attack.

Missile defences intercepted more than 100 rockets from Gaza and most others fell in open areas, though some hit houses and other civilian structures.

"Within two seconds (after air sirens) we heard a huge boom, we saw our curtains flying in the air, windows (broken), and only after a few minutes when we went out, we realised that the missile had hit the building next to us," said Claude Bonfito, who lives near an block of flats hit by a rocket in the Israeli city of Ashkelon.

Israel hit back with major air strikes, with targets including Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV station and internal security headquarters in Gaza City. The military says it has so far struck some 150 targets in the Gaza Strip. "What happened was like an earthquake," said Abu Ayman Lemzeni, who lives near the destroyed TV building.

"As you see, here there is no more the grocery, the pharmacy, the office, the wall, the building." Five of the dead in Gaza were claimed as members of various militant groups. Some 25 other people were wounded in the Palestinian territory, according to Gaza's health ministry.

After Sunday's clash, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to Paris and flew home.

He convened a meeting of his security cabinet on Tuesday.

The escalation has come despite Netanyahu's decision to allow Qatar to transfer millions of dollars in aid to the Gaza Strip for salaries as well as fuel to ease an electricity shortage.

The agreements had led to calmer protests along the Gaza border after months of deadly unrest.

Sunday's special forces operation and resulting clash upset those efforts, leading to questions over the timing of the covert Israeli move.

Israel said it was an intelligence-gathering operation and that those efforts must continue to defend the country.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008, and protests and clashes along the Gaza border since March 30 have repeatedly raised fears of a fourth.

At least 233 Palestinians in Gaza have since been killed by Israeli fire, the majority during protests and clashes.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): Motorcycle-manufacturer Royal Enfield has said the workers, who have been on strike since September 24 to press for various demands such as wage revision and bonus, reported for duty Tuesday.

All the three plants of the company - Oragadam, Thiruvottriyur and Vallam Vadagal - resumed operation to full capacity, Royal Enfield said.

Vice-president of Working People Trade Union Council and Royal Enfield Employees' Union R Sampath told PTI that 4,000 workers of the total 6,000-strong workforce had kept off duty seeking wage revision and bonus.

The employees were also against the reported move of the management that mobile phones of the workers should be left at the office of the security personnel before entering the premises of the Oragadam factory.

"Royal Enfield is deeply committed to maintain and furthering cordial relations with its workforce. We continue to maintain the highest standards of conduct and discipline, team work and respect for one another," the company said.

Sources in a trade union said the strike at Royal Enfield has been called off but the strike by employees of India Yamaha Motor and Japanese auto component-manufacturer MSI continued.

"We are expecting a meeting to be held Wednesday in the presence of District Labour Commissioner to sort out issues concerning the workers in India Yamaha Motor and MSI," the sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that a delegation would not go to the Davos World Economic Forum in January if top tycoons including Oleg Deripaska were kept out of the prestigious gathering.

"If all these decisions that have been taken in relation to Russian business representatives are not changed, then we will have to take a decision regarding the cancellation of participation in the Davos forum of state employees and Russian companies where the state has a stake," Medvedev said, Russian agencies reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said though the Supreme Court has not stayed its September 28 decision, permitting all women to offer prayers at the hill shrine at Sabarimala, his government would take a final call on the issue after consulting legal experts.

Speaking to reporters here, Vijayan said the state government would take legal advice on the matter.

"As per my understanding, the top court has clearly stated that there is no stay on its September 28 verdict.

We will consult legal experts on the matter", Vijayan said when asked if the verdict would be implemented during the Mandala Makaravillakku pilgrim season,starting on November 17.

Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court decision to hear the review petitions and hailed it as a "big victory" as the outcome was due to the blessings of Lord Ayyappa.

"The blessings of Lord Ayyappa and prayers of lots of devotees are behind this decision to hear the matter in the open court", a beaming Tantritold reporters.

Meanwhile,the main opposition Congress and the BJP welcomed the apex court verdict to hear the review petitions.

Opposition leader in the Kerala assembly Ramesh Chennithala wanted the state government to shed its 'stubbornness' in implementing the September 28 verdict.

"The CPI(M)-led LDF government should act maturely and not implement the decision during the upcoming two-month long pilgrim season," he told reporters at Sabarimala.

It was only the Congress party,through former Travancore Devaswom Board president Prayar Gopalakrishan, which moved the apex court against the Sabarimala verdict, Chennithala said.

"We welcome the apex court's decision to hear the review petition in open court.

Though there is no stay, the government must act maturely and not implement the order,allowing entry of women," he said.

BJP state President P S Sreedharan Pillai, who undertook a rath yatra from Kasargod in north Kerala to Pathanamthitta, where Sabarimala is situated, to 'protect' the Lord Ayyappa temple's traditions, described the apex court decision as a 'good step.'



"We accept the spirit of today's Supreme Court decision," he said.

CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the government would implement whatever decision the apex court takes on the issue of women's entry into the hill top shrine.

"We are waiting for details of the apex court's decision. The Chief Minister had earlier declared that whatever decision the apex court takes, it will be implemented.

The government will evaluate the situation and take an appropriate decision", he said.

The apex court had taken the decision to allow entry of women into Sabarimala after considering the Constitutional aspects, Balakrishnan told reporters here.

He also said that his party would observe November 26 as "Constitution protection day".

The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to stay its verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple, but agreed to hear in open court on January 22, a batch of review petitions in the matter.

The review petitions against the September 28 verdict were taken up 'in-chamber' by a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra.

"All the review petitions along with all pending applications will be heard in Open Court on 22nd January, 2019 before the appropriate Bench.

We make it clear that there is no stay of the judgement and order of this Court dated 28th September, 2018 passed in Writ Petition (Civil) No.373 of 2006 (Indian Young Lawyers Association & Ors. vs.the State of Kerala & Ors)," the order said.

In the in-chamber proceedings, the judges examine the review petitions by circulation and lawyers are not present.

There are around 50 petitions seeking review of the judgement.

On September 28, a five-judge constitution bench, headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala Temple, saying the ban amounted to gender discrimination.

Meanwhile, a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, reviewed the facilities at Sabarimala, where the two-month pilgrim season will commence from November 17.

An official press release said that the temporary accommodation facilities for devotees at Pamba, Nilackal and other places were nearing completion.Steps had also been taken to provide free meals to devotees at resting places en route to the shrine.

Steps had also been taken to provide more facilities at Chengannur, where a lot of devotees, who reach by train, arrive, it said.

The Kerala Water Authority has completed all arrangements to provide safe drinking water to the pilgrims, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actor Sam Worthington is all set to play the lead in an untitled Netflix action thriller.

The film will be directed by Brad Anderson, best known for helming the Christian Bale-starrer "The Machinist", a press release by the streaming giant stated.

The story follows a man who must find his courage and hold onto his sanity when his wife and daughter disappear in the middle of an ER visit, the official logline of the film read.

Alan B McElroy, who is known for his work in the horror genre on movies like "Spawn" and "Wrong Turn", has penned the screenplay.

The project will be produced by Paul Schiff, Neal Edelstein and Mike Macari.

Filming is expected to start later this year and Netflix is planning a 2019 release for the feature.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Luggage carried by a 15-member Saudi team dispatched to Istanbul included scissors, defibrillators and syringes that may have been used against journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi consulate, a pro-government Turkish daily said Tuesday.

X-ray images of the luggage were published in the Sabah newspaper as the New York Times reported that a member of the team at the consulate had told a superior by phone to "tell your boss", suspected to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that the operation was accomplished.

Turkish media has published gruesome details of the murder of 59-year-old Khashoggi who according to a Turkish prosecutor was strangled and dismembered soon after he entered the Istanbul consulate on October 2 to obtain paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

After repeated denials, Saudi Arabia finally admitted Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Riyadh critic, had been murdered at the mission in a "rogue" operation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the 15-member Saudi team travelled from Riyadh to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi.

The luggage carried by the team was loaded into two planes that left for Riyadh at 1520 GMT and 1946 GMT on October 2, Sabah newspaper said.

The luggage contained 10 phones, five walkie-talkies, intercoms, two syringes, two defibrillators, a jamming device, staplers, and scissors, the paper reported.

The team was being led by Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, the man named by Turkish media as the head of the operation against Khashoggi.

The New York Times, quoting sources familiar with a recording of Khashoggi's killing, reported Monday that Mutreb - a security officer who frequently travelled with Prince Mohammed - picked up a phone at the consulate to say "tell your boss" that the operation was accomplished.

Turkish intelligence officers have told US officials they believe Mutreb was speaking to one of the prince's aides, it reported.

And American intelligence officials believe "your boss" was a reference to Prince Mohammed.

Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government and he pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Salman of responsibility.

Ankara has shared voice recordings linked to the murder with a number of countries including Saudi Arabia as well as the United States and its Western allies.

But Turkish officials say they played them the recordings but did not hand them over.

"We played the voice recording linked to the murder with anyone who wanted," Erdogan told Turkish journalists aboard a plane returning from Paris where he attended commemorations at the weekend marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

"The recording is really disastrous," he said in quotes published by Sabah.

"When the Saudi intelligence agent listened, he was shocked and said this could only be done by someone who got heroin." Khashoggi's body has never been found, but Sabah reported on Saturday that his killers poured his remains down the drain after dissolving them in acid.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Saudi King Salman will resume an unprecedented domestic tour next week, the royal court said Tuesday, as the kingdom grapples with an international crisis over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The 82-year-old monarch visited central Qassim province and the neighbouring region of Hail last week in what observers call a "listening tour", his first since ascending to the most powerful throne in the Middle East in 2015.

The king is now set to visit the "northern regions of the kingdom" next week to "inspect the condition of citizens and inaugurate a number of development projects", the official Saudi Press Agency said citing the royal court.

It added that the industrial city of Waad al-Shamal would be among the stops to inaugurate "mining and industrial projects".

SPA said the king is also set to address the Shura Council, a top advisory body, on Monday, in his first public comments since the murder of insider-turned-critic Khashoggi on October 2 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The king, who was accompanied by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his tour last week, appears to be on a drive to shore up support domestically, including within the royal family, as Saudi Arabia faces international outrage over the murder.

King Salman has pardoned some "insolvent prisoners" and last month ordered the resumption of annual bonus payments to all government workers from the beginning of next year. The bonuses had been suspended under austerity measures in 2016 amid low oil prices.

The fallout over Khashoggi's murder is widely seen as the worst diplomatic crisis facing the kingdom since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

After first insisting Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, Saudi authorities said he was killed in an argument that degenerated into a brawl before finally accepting what Turkey had said virtually from the start -- that he was killed in a premeditated hit.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government.

The global fallout over the murder has tainted the image of 33-year-old Prince Mohammed -- the de facto ruler and heir apparent -- even though the kingdom strongly denies he was involved.

But it 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.

It was unclear whether the crown prince will accompany the king next week.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged greater cooperation with the United States on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. Abe met US Vice President Mike Pence in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Abe said, "Today, Vice President Pence and I had an in-depth discussion on North Korea. And we have agreed on the need for complete compliance with the UN Security Council's resolutions to achieve a complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."

Pence said, "The pressure campaign will continue, the sanctions will remain in full force, until we achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea. The United States, Japan and the world will accept nothing less."

North Korea has been hit with a number of UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs.

They target in part exports of coal and oil.

The country has been accused of trying to evade the sanctions through illicit maritime trade -- something Abe addressed. He said, "We have also reaffirmed that Japan and the United States should continue to cooperate to respond to ship-to-ship cargo transfers banned by the UN Security Council resolution."

Pence and Abe also touched on trade.

Earlier this year, Abe and the US President agreed to enter into negotiations on a trade agreement.

The US is looking to lower its trade deficit with the country -- a statement Pence echoed.

He said, "The United States has had a trade imbalance with Japan for too long, and American products and services too often face barriers to compete fairly in Japanese markets. It's for that reason that we welcome steps that have been taken to address these issues over the past two years, beginning with the US-Japan Economic Dialogue.

But the best opportunity of free, fair and reciprocal trade will come in a bilateral trade agreement.Ahead of assembly elections in Rajasthan beginning December 7, the Bundi district administration has come up with a cartoon series 'Sayana Kaka' to educate people on the importance of voting.

The cartoon characters -- Sayana Kaka (wise uncle) and his wife Sayani Kaki (wise aunt) -- ask citizens to give their vote to the 'right' candidate without being influenced by money or might.

The web series was first aired on November 3. Every morning a new episode is uploaded on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp, officials said.

Bundi District Collector and Bundi District Election Officer Mahesh Chand Sharma said following the directions of the Election Commission of India to generate awareness on significance of voting we thought of creating local characters with regional clothing and Hadouti dialect to spread awareness.

The Sayana Kaka series has been developed under Systematic Voter's Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Programme, said Sharma who is credited to have come up with the idea of the Sayana Kaka web series.

Sharma said he expects the web series to have a significant impact in the remote rural areas.

The series, which will go on till December 7, educates voters on latest electoral provisions like Voter Verified paper AuditTrial (VVPAT), Citizen Vigil (C-vigil) and electoral education, Sharma said.

Sunil Jhangid, an artist from Bundi city, has created and developed the Sayana Kaka characters.

"The Sayana Kaka series is proving to be an most effective means to reach out to voters in remote areas, especially because posters and banners cannot be put up in every village," said an official.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a massive crackdown on Amrapali Group for "willful disobedience" of its orders, the on Tuesday attached the company's 100-bed multi-speciality hospital, bank accounts, the building which houses its office, certain firms and a "benami" Villa in Goa.

The top court asked the Chief Financial Officer Chander Wadhwa to deposit Rs 116.9 million with its registry within three weeks. It also asked a statutory auditor Anil Mittal to pay Rs 4.7 million.

It restrained the realty firm from alienating its through which it had transactions and ordered attachment of such firms.

It also restrained Amrapali Group from creating any third party rights for 86 luxury cars and SUVs purchased from the company's funds.

The court sought the presence of CMD Anil Sharma and two directors Shiv Priya and Ajay Kumar on November 19.

A Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and U U Lalit said that Amrapali Group has deliberately not complied with its earlier order and committed a "serious fraud" by diverting home-buyers' money from one company to other.



The Bench ordered that attachment of the group's state-of-the-art, multi-specialty, 100-bed hospital situated at Greater Noida for which funds from Ultra Home Construction Pvt Ltd were utilised.

The Bench also attached the bank accounts of GauriSuta Infrastructures Pvt Ltd, its director Sunil Kumar and its assets after forensic auditors disclosed that Amrapali transferred home-buyers' money from one firm to sister using it as a conduit.

The top court also directed attachment of towers which housed the company's office and 'Aqua Fortis' villa in Goa for no one came forward to claim ownership.

Forensic auditors Pawan Kumar Aggarwal and Ravi Bhatia, appointed by the court to look into the affairs of the embattled firm, said that home-buyers' money was given as advances to the tune of Rs 4.42 billion to 15 and nine individuals from Amrapali Saphire project.



The report of forensic auditors said that Amrapali Infrastructure Pvt Ltd was the main company and around Rs 20 billion was transferred from it to other sister companies.

Bhatia told the Bench that a firm called 'Stunning Construction Pvt Ltd' did some "stunning work" as it paid income tax returns of the companies as well as directors and other individuals, for which it received Rs 5 billion.

The Bench then asked the forensic auditors to ascertain the investment of Amrapali in its projects and the "ghost" home buyers as the properties could have been sold to such benami persons to augment the value of the company.

"They have created a web of companies since 2010 to transfer funds from one project to another to circumvent the restrictions enforced in the Company's Act," the auditors told the bench, adding that promoters have also tried to avoid stamp duty by transferring the high-value property to other company.



ALSO READ: ICAI issues suo motu notices to statutory auditors of Amrapali Group

Aggarwal said that in the forensic audit they have found transactions of the Group with other 27 "dummy companies" and since last year the promoters of Amrapali have started withdrawing money from bank accounts of such companies.

The court also pulled up the Group for filling 3000-4000 page affidavit with no requisite information and warned that directors may be sent behind bars for not disclosing the details sought by the court.

"We are giving one last opportunity to explain everything to the concerned directors and the Amrapali Group and comply with the orders of the court. It should also be explained as to why contempt action should not be initiated against them," the Bench said.

The Bench posted the matter for further hearing on November 20.

On October 31, the apex court had directed the Amrapali Group to disclose the names of all the companies with which it had any kind of transactions after forensic auditors pointed out that there may be a web of more than 200-250 such firms where home-buyers' money was transferred.



The two forensic auditors, appointed by the court to look into the affairs of Amrapali Group had said besides 47 sister companies, they stumbled upon 31 companies whose names were never disclosed by the embattled real estate firm.

The court was also told that there may be a case of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), as a large amount of money was transferred to a multinational company based in Mauritius.

It questioned Wadhwa as to how a group company paid his Income Tax amounting to Rs 20 million when he was earning only Rs 50,000 per month.

It had also initiated contempt proceedings against Sharma and its directors for prima facie violating court's order and thwarting the course of justice. The matter is listed on November 20.

The court is seized of a batch of petitions filed by home buyers who are seeking possession of around 42,000 flats booked in projects of the Amrapali Group.The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to entertain a PIL seeking establishment of a separate bench of the Allahabad High Court in western Uttar Pradesh, saying this was not the right forum.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph said though a good issue has been raised in the petition, but the apex court cannot deal with it "on judicial side".

When lawyer K R Chitra, appearing for NGO 'Fight For Human Rights, said the litigants of western Uttar Pradesh also need smooth access to the high court, the bench said, "you are absolutely right, but the choice of the forum is wrong".

"The prayer made in the writ petition i.e. establishment of a permanent Bench of the High Court of Allahabad for western Uttar Pradesh cannot be the subject matter of judicial determination and directions.

"The writ petition is, therefore, not maintainable and is accordingly dismissed," it said.

The PIL said currently the Allahabad High Court has its separate branch at Lucknow and a similar bench be set up in the western part of the state to ensure easy access to justice for the natives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Supreme Court Tuesday said it would hear final arguments on December 4 on the pleas filed by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi challenging the Delhi High Court's verdict in a case related to re-opening of their 2011-12 tax assessments.

The apex court, which observed that the matter required "consideration", did not issue formal notice on the petitions filed by Rahul, Sonia and veteran Congress leader Oscar Fernandes as the Income Tax Department was represented by its counsel.

"Since the respondent (I-T department) has put in appearance, we are not issuing a formal notice. However, we are fixing the matter for final arguments on December 4," said a bench of Justices A K Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer.

Rahul, Sonia and Fernandes have challenged the September 10 judgement of the high court which had refused to give them relief in the case, giving opportunity to the I-T Department to scrutinise their records.

The matter is linked to the National Herald case in which the Congress leaders are also facing a criminal case.

During the hearing in the apex court, senior advocates P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and Arvind Datar appeared for the petitioners, while Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta was representing the I-T department.

Chidambaram started his submissions by giving the background leading to the income tax case.

To this, the bench said: "We are not concerned with the background of these proceedings but the question here is about the notice (issued by the I-T department) of the re-assessment of income tax. The issue is whether the notice is valid or not. You can raise this before the assessing officer".

Chidambaram said the question was whether the reasons given in the notice were right or not.

He said that Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), publisher of the National Herald newspaper, had decided to issue nine lakh shares to Young Indian (YI), a not-for-profit organisation, and convert them into equity.

He said that some of the shares were acquired by the petitioners.

Chidambaram said YI also acquired AJL's debt of Rs 90.2 crore and this does not give rise to any income in the hands of the Gandhis and Fernandes.

"We (petitioners) were shareholders. It can never give rise to income in my hands. We do not get any income," he said.

At this juncture, the bench told Mehta, "It (matter) requires consideration."



Mehta told the bench that the premise raised by the petitioners was wrong.

To this, the bench said, "We have two options. We will issue notice but we will say that assessing officer will proceed with the assessment. However, the final decision will not be given effect to and be placed before this court.

"Second option is that we will hear the matter after two weeks and you all can assist us. The high court judgment is lengthy."



Mehta said he wanted to place on record a summary note of the case prepared by him which was also placed before the high court during adjudication of the case there.

"I would request you to kindly take it (note) on record. Please go through it and have it (matter) next week and see if it requires re-consideration," Mehta told the bench which allowed his request.

When one of the junior counsels assisting the senior advocates for the Gandhis told the court that notice should be issued on the pleas, the Solicitor General said, "notice may not be necessary. I am here".

After the court dictated the order, Mehta urged the bench not to record in the order sheet that formal notice was not being issued.

"It does not matter. Once we are saying that we will hear final arguments, it is not necessary," the bench said.

When Mehta raised the issue of limitation of time in re-assessment of income tax, the bench observed, "Then it will be better if we grant a stay. Then this time will be excluded".

To this, Mehta said that the matter be heard on December 4.

On September 10, the Gandhis and Fernandes had failed to get any relief from the high court which dismissed their challenge on re-opening of their tax assessments for 2011-12.

Denial of any relief by the high court had paved the way for the I-T department to scrutinise the Congress leaders records for the assessment year.

The income tax probe against the Congress leaders has arisen from the probe into a private criminal complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy before a trial court here in connection with the National Herald case, in which the trio are out on bail.

Sonia and Rahul were granted bail in the case by the trial court on December 19, 2015.

A tax evasion petition (TEP) was also addressed to the finance minister by Swamy.

In the complaint before the trial court, Sonia, Rahul and others have been accused of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which YI had obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore AJL owed to the Congress party.

It was alleged that YI, which was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of Rs 50 lakh, had acquired almost all shareholdings of the AJL, which was running the National Herald newspaper.

The I-T department had said the shares Rahul has in YI would lead him to have an income of Rs 154 crore and not about Rs 68 lakh, as was assessed earlier.

It has already issued a demand notice for Rs 249.15 crore to YI for the assessment year 2011-12.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The issue of tigress Avni's killing figured in the Maharashtra cabinet meeting on Tuesday with senior Shiv Sena leader and Minister Ramdas Kadam seeking a judicial inquiry into the case.

Senior BJP leader and Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, however, said he was not aware of the issue being discussed during the meeting.

Talking to reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting, Kadam said he raised the issue of the tigress' killing and demanded a judicial probe.

When contacted, Mungantiwar said, "When I came for the meeting, nobody spoke about it. I am not aware if the issue was raised in my absence."



The BJP-led state government has come under fire over the death of the tigress, who was believed to have turned a man-eater and killed 13 people in the last two years in Yavatmal district.

The big cat was shot dead in an operation in a forest in Yavatmal district last Friday. The killing of T1, as the tigress was officially known, led to an outrage among animal lovers and wildlife organisations.

Shiv Sena chief president Uddhav Thackeray had described as "farce" the committee constituted by the state government to probe the killing of Avni.

He had demanded that a panel be formed under a retired judge to probe the tigress' killing.

"Those who had given the 'supari' (contract) to kill the tigress have been made members of the (probe) committee. The committee set up is a farce," Thackeray had said on Saturday.

Taking a dig at senior ally BJP, Thackeray said if Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis backed state Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar saying he could not be held responsible for the killing, why did Prime Minister Narendra Modi take credit for the surgical strike, when he had not himself conducted it.

The state government had Friday constituted a four-member committee, comprising wildlife experts and officials, to conduct an "in-depth" probe into the tigress' killing.

It is headed by Principal Chief Conservator of Forest S H Patil. It includes Wildlife Institute of India member Habib Bilal, Wildlife Conservation Trust chairman Anish Andheriya and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Nitin Kakodkar, an official statement from the forest department issued earlier said.

The committee will probe if established protocols and standard operating practices were followed in the case, and submit a report to the government.

Union minister Maneka Gandhi had lashed out at the state government over Avni's killing and dubbed it as a "ghastly murder". Avni was the mother of two 10-month-old cubs.

The Maharashtra government, however, defended itself calling the incident "sad but necessary" after the tigress attacked forest staff trying to tranquilise it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India has taken several steps such as organising workshops and training programmes for enforcement agencies like police and customs for proper implementation of laws pertaining to intellectual property rights (IPRs), a top government official said Tuesday.

Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Ramesh Abhishek said enforcement of IPR laws is an extremely important matter.

"We have worked with all agencies, states and police. We have conducted 33 enforcement training programmes for enforcement of IPR laws," he said here.

He also said that to combat online piracy, India has collaborated with various associations for removal of rogue websites and as many as 80 such websites have been removed.

"We need to see how our IPR laws are better enforced to stop any violations. We have taken initiatives to strengthen our IPR administration for better enforcement and the work is also in progress," he added.

The secretary said India would have to protect its IPs just like it protects the physical property.

"We also need to see how our IPR laws are better enforced to stop any violations. In the last four years we have taken many initiatives to enforce a good IPR policy regime. We have tried to streamline our IPR administration. We have also done a lot of training of police and judiciary for better enforcement. But this is work in progress," Abhishek said.

He said this while addressing media about the two-day conference on 'Global Digital Content Market', which is starting from Wednesday here. The conference will bring together CEOs, artists from around the world to discuss on opportunities and challenges of IPRs in the digital age.

Talking about digital content, he said India is a leader in many aspects of this content as it has robust music, film, media and publication industries.

"These industries are going to grow phenomenally in the next few years. We need to deliberate on the challenges and look at the opportunities that are coming in our way," he said.

Talking about the subject, World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) DG Francis Gurry said the digital content industry is huge and there is a need to ensure that the creators and writers receive a reward from utilisation of their content and India has a big music, film, and media industry.

There are several issues in this sector which need to be looked at and that includes how to ensure that creators continue to get protection, and get better remuneration at the digital platforms, he said.

Talking about India's IPR regime, Gurry said India has made extraordinary efforts in recent years in strengthening its IPR regime.

"There is an extraordinary reduction in processing time (of IPR applications). There is an improvement in the infrastructure of IP offices," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister on Tuesday night left for a two-day visit to during which he will attend the East Asia Summit, an ASEAN- informal meet, the summit and hold a bilateral meeting with US

Modi will reach on Wednesday morning for his 36-hour visit to the city-state and his first engagement after arrival will be to deliver the keynote address at the Fintech Summit.

"Continued focus on 'Act East Policy'. PM @narendramodi emplanes for Singapore to attend 13th #EastAsiaSummit, ASEAN- Breakfast Summit & #RCEP Summit. PM will also have bilateral meetings on the sidelines and deliver the keynote address at the Singapore FinTech Festival (sic)," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson tweeted.

The PM said his participation in the ASEAN- and East Asia summits symbolised India's "continued commitment" to strengthen its engagement with members and with the wider Indo-Pacific region.

"My participation in these meetings symbolises our continued commitment to strengthening our engagement with member states and with the wider Indo-Pacific region. I am looking forward to my interactions with other and leaders," Modi said in his departure statement issued Tuesday.

"On Wednesday, I will be the first head of government to deliver the Keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival," he said.

Modi said as the world's largest event on financial technology, the festival was the right forum not only to showcase India's strengths in this fast-growing sector, but also to forge global partnerships for fostering innovation and growth.

The PM said during the visit, he would also have the opportunity to interact with the participants and winners of the joint India-Singapore Hackathon.

"It is my firm belief that if we provide the right encouragement and a nurturing ecosystem, our youth have the ability to become global leaders in providing solutions to the challenges facing humanity," he said.

Modi said he was confident that his visit to Singapore would impart fresh momentum to New Delhi's growing partnership with ASEAN and nations.

"As I depart for Singapore, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Singapore for their able chairmanship of ASEAN this year, and convey my best wishes for all success in hosting ASEAN and related summits," he said.

On the margins of these summits, the prime minister would hold bilateral meetings with other leaders. He would hold a bilateral meeting with US on November 14, the had said here earlier.

The said last week that Pence and Modi would discuss the India-US defence cooperation and the bilateral relationship during their meeting in Singapore.Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena's supporters including some Cabinet ministers Tuesday filed five petitions in the Supreme Court supporting his controversial move to dissolve Parliament even as the apex court began hearing a case filed by Opposition parties against the move.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament on November 9 and announced snap polls to be held on January 5 next year after it became clear that he did not have enough support in the House to prove the premiership of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom he appointed prime minister after abruptly sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26.

Rajapaksa needed the support of at least 113 parliamentarians in the 225-member House to prove his majority.

Major political parties and an election commission member on Monday dragged Sirisena to the Supreme Court, challenging his move of dissolving Parliament, almost 20 months before its term was to end.

Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the leftist JVP or the People's Liberation Front (PLF) were among the 10 groups that filed the fundamental rights petitions in the apex court, seeking declaration of the President's action as illegal.

In response, five supporting petitions were filed in the Supreme Court by Sirisena backers including Prof G L Peiris, Minister Udhaya Gammanpila and leader Vasudewa Nanayakkara, the Daily Mirror reported.

Tight security prevailed around the Supreme Court complex as it began the second day's hearing of the petitions filed against Parliament dissolution.

The Supreme Court on Monday suspended the hearing after initial submissions. It was not clear if the judgement or the interim order pleaded by the petitioners would be granted on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya, on behalf of the state, justified Sirisena's action, saying the powers of the President are clear and unambiguous as provided for in the Constitution and the announcement of the dissolution of Parliament was done by the President in accordance with the Constitution.

He pleaded for the dismissal of all petitions and said the President is empowered to dissolve Parliament.

Jayasuriya said the court has no jurisdiction to hear and determine the Fundamental Rights petitions challenging the dissolution of Parliament and requested the apex court to dismiss all petitions.

Sirisena on Sunday stoutly defended his move to dissolve Parliament, saying it was taken to prevent clashes among rival lawmakers. He said there were media reports that politicians would clash during the floor test, which was due on November 14.

Rajapaksa, 72, who ruled Lanka for a nearly decade from 2005, was unexpectedly defeated by his deputy Sirisena in the presidential election held in January 2015 with the support from Wickremesinghe's UNP.

However, the power-sharing arrangement between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe became increasingly tenuous on several policy matters, especially on issues like the economy and security. And subsequently, Sirisena abruptly ousted Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Rajapaksa.

The island nation plunged into a constitutional crisis following the move.

Sirisena suspended parliamentary proceedings until November 16. Later, owing to domestic and global pressure, he issued a notice to reconvene Parliament on November 14. last week, he dissolved Parliament and announced snap polls in January, 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Six eminent professors have been awarded the Infosys Prize 2018 across different categories of science and research, the software major's science foundation announced Tuesday.

The annual award includes a pure gold medal, a citation and a prize purse worth USD 100,000 (or its equivalent in Indian rupees), the Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) said in a statement.

"India needs to cement its place as a hub for innovations across various fields of science," said Narayana Murthy, Trustee ISF and Founder, Infosys.

"The Infosys Prize seeks to honour the efforts of some of the brightest scientists and researchers and highlight the country's ongoing quest for science excellence," Murthy said.

A six-member jury of renowned scientists and professors selected the winners from 244 nominations received in six categories, ISF said.

By recognising these researchers and celebrating their achievements, the Infosys Prize aims to inspire young minds to explore science as a career option and advance innovation in the country, the foundation said.

"With improving synergies between the scientific community and industry we are poised for cutting-edge science and research innovation. The science of today is, after all, the technology of tomorrow," said K Dinesh, President of ISF.

In the field of Engineering and Computer Science, Navakanta Bhat, Professor, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore was awarded for his work on the design of novel biosensors based on his research in biochemistry and gaseous sensors that push the performance limits of existing metal-oxide sensors.

Bhat has devised gas sensors with ultra-precise detection accuracies necessary for space and environmental monitoring, especially useful for India's growing space, atomic energy and security programmes, ISF said.

In the Humanities category, Kavita Singh, Professor and Dean, School of Arts & Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi was awarded for her study of Mughal, Rajput and Deccan art.

Singh's work shows the significance of museums in highlighting the social impact of art, and thereby relates visual culture to large contemporary questions of secularity, modernity, and political conflict, the foundation said.

The prize for Life Sciences was awarded to Roop Mallik, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai for his work on molecular motor proteins, which are crucial for the functioning of living cells.

Mallik has identified and measured forces needed to transport large particles inside cells, and demonstrated their role in fundamental processes such as targeting pathogens for their destruction and moving lipid droplets for fatty acid regulation in the liver.

Nalini Anantharaman, Professor and Chair of Mathematics, Institute for Advanced Study, University of Strasbourg, France was awarded the prize in Mathematical Sciences for her work related to "Quantum Chaos".

The quantum world is the one of the deepest secrets of the universe and mathematics is the language that helps us understand this world, ISF said.

Mathematicians and physicists have been trying for decades to unravel the mysteries of this subatomic world.

In the field of Physical Sciences, SK Satheesh, Professor, Centre for Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, was awarded for his pioneering scientific work in the field of climate change.

His studies on black carbon aerosols, the dark, light absorbing, microscopic particles in air which greatly influence the energy balance of the atmosphere over the Indian subcontinent, have enabled a better understanding of the role of these particles on climate change, precipitation, and, human health in the Indian subcontinent.

The Infosys Prize 2018 for Social Sciences is awarded to Sendhil Mullainathan, Professor of Computation and Behavioral Science, the University of Chicago in the US for his path-breaking work in behavioural economics, ISF said.

Mullainathan's research has had substantial impact on diverse fields such as development, public finance, corporate governance and policy design.

A significant part of this work is relevant to India, ISF said.

"We hope the work of all our winners bears fruit and helps improve societies and economies across the world," said Dinesh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Japan's government has projected up to 47,000 foreign workers could come to the country in fiscal 2019 under proposed revisions to the immigration law.

Debate began in the Lower House plenary session on Tuesday on a bill to amend the Immigration Control law that would allow the entry of more foreign workers from April of next year.

Government officials said a labor shortfall of more than 600,000 people is expected in fiscal 2019. They said if the bill is passed, about 33,000 to 47,000 workers from other countries could be accepted during the period.

In the 5 years from fiscal 2019, officials have projected a labor shortage of between 1.3 and 1.35 million people and the arrival of about 260,000 to 340,000 foreign workers.

Opposition parties had been demanding that the number of workers accepted under the revised immigration bill be quickly quantified.A massive solar storm accidentally set off at least two dozen underwater mines during the Vietnam War, prompting the US Navy to look for alternatives that were more resistant to the effects of the Sun, scientists say.

Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder in the US and University of Newcastle in Australia looked at US Navy records from 1972 to understand the severity of the solar storm.

"Between 2 and 4 August 1972 (a sunspot) produced a series of brilliant flares, energetic particle enhancements and Earth-directed ejecta," researchers wrote in the study published in the journal Space Weather.

Those flares cleared the path for a subsequent ultra-fast shock that reached Earth in record time of 14.6 hours, 'Live Science' reported.

People all over the planet noticed that flare's effects. There were radio blackouts and X-ray emissions from the long-duration flare remained high for over 16 hours.

For the first time, a space-based detector observed gamma-rays during this solar flare, researchers said.

The flare also caused damage to solar panels on satellites in space. A defense communications satellite "suffered a mission-ending on orbit power failure."



"This is one of only a handful of events in the space age that would have posed an immediate threat to astronaut safety, had humans been in transit to the moon at the time," researchers said.

However, the space weather researchers of the time had largely ignored another consequence of the storm -- the sudden detonation of US Navy sea mines that had been dropped into the coastal waters of North Vietnam three months earlier.

Pilots flying over the area spotted about two dozen explosions in a minefield in just a 30-second period, researchers said.

Naval researchers of the time ultimately concluded that the magnetic sensors in the mines, primed to detect passing metal ships, had been triggered by the solar storm.

This event led to major changes within the US Navy, which rapidly researched alternatives to the magnetic sensor mines that would be more resistant to solar effects, researchers said.

However, the story never really made its way over to the space weather research community.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): The 10th anniversary celebrations of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) commenced here Tuesday with the release of a 'Special Cover'.

The commemorative Special Cover depicts a map of the Indian Ocean and littoral countries of the IOR, signifying the geopolitical importance of the region.

"It also has a sail-boat that majestically symbolises the importance of ancient trade routes used by the natives of the region to establish trade and socio-cultural links with the countries in the region," a defense release said.

The national flags of member nations form an integral part of the cover and symbolise the support and cooperation of these countries the common cause of maritime security, goodwill and growth in the region.

The special cover was released by the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba at the Lulu International Convention Centre here in the presence of Fisheries Minister Mercy Kutty Amma, Post Master General, Northern Region, Jithendra Gupta and Commander of Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi.

Chiefs of navies of Bangladesh, Iran, Japan, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Netherlands, South Africa and the UAE, as well as senior delegates from 16 other IONS member nations are attending the IONS anniversary celebrations.

The release of the Special Cover was followed by a seminar,wherein eminent guest speakers exchanged views on ways to address emerging maritime threats in the IOR, leverage IONS for better coordination Andrew resource sharing and enhance Maritime Domain Awareness in the region, the release said.

A total of 16 papers were presented over three sessions.

Bilateral meetings among chiefs of participating navies were also held on the sidelines of the seminar, where issues of common concern were discussed.

The IONS is an extremely significant regional maritime security initiative launched by India in February 2008 to attain collectively beneficial maritime security outcomes within the Indian Ocean by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues, it said.

IONS endeavours to generate a flow of information among naval professionals, resulting in common understanding and possible agreements on the way ahead to tackle common concerns.

The outcome of the discussions could thereafter be implemented through agreements to enhance of regional maritime security, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lanka' Supreme Court Tuesday overturned President Maithripala Sirisena's dissolution of Parliament and ordered a halt to preparations for snap elections on January 5, party officials present at the hearing said.

A three-member bench including the country's chief justice Nalin Perera delivered its ruling after two days of deliberations on as many as 13 petitions against and five for Sirisena's November 9 decision to dissolve Parliament.

All petitions filed against Sirisena's decision will be heard on December 4, 5 and 6, the apex court ruled.

The petitioners included a member of the independent election commission Ratnajeevan Hoole.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament and ordered snap election on January 5, plunging the country's into an unprecedented political and constitutional crises since October 26 when he sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Drug major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Tuesday reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 218.82 crore for the July-September quarter on account of a Rs 1,214-crore provision for the settlement of the Modafinil antitrust case in the US.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 912.12 crore for the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries said in a filing to BSE.

After accounting for the provision of Rs 1,214 crore for the estimated settlement amount payable to all the remaining plaintiffs related to the Modafinil antitrust litigation in the US, the net loss for the quarter was at Rs 219 crore, it added.

The company had entered into settlement with some complainants in the antitrust case last year.

Consolidated revenue from operations of the company stood at Rs 6,846.48 crore for the quarter under consideration. It was Rs 6,590.06 crore for the same period year ago.

Shares of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries today closed at Rs 561.70 on BSE, down 4.72 per cent from its previous close.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Aung San Suu Kyi's response to the persecution of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims is "indefensible", Malaysia's leader said Tuesday in a withering criticism of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate shortly before sharing a stage with her.

Mahathir Mohamed, 93, said he was "very disappointed" by Suu Kyi's failure to defend the Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority driven from Myanmar in their hundreds of thousands last year by an army campaign that UN investigators say amounted to genocide.

Mahathir made his remarks less than an hour before standing alongside Suu Kyi for a stoney-faced photo shoot at the start of the ASEAN regional summit in Singapore, the kind of diplomatic gathering where she was once feted by contemporaries as a beacon of democracy.

"Someone who has been detained before should know the sufferings and should not inflict it on the hapless," Mahathir told reporters in a reference to Suu Kyi's long years of house arrest under Myanmar's military junta.

"But it would seem that Aung San Sui Kyi is trying to defend what is indefensible," he added.

Suu Kyi has failed to clearly condemn Myanmar's army for its crackdown and has instead cast doubt on the veracity of Rohingya testimony of atrocities.

Mahatir, the outspoken leader of Malaysia -- a majority Muslim country -- also appealed to Myanmar to accept Rohingya as citizens.

"When Malaysia became independent in 1957, we had people of foreign origin.... but we accepted all of them," he said.

"They are now citizens, they play a full role in the of the country, they are free they are not detained because of race or any thing like that." Myanmar insists the Rohingya are interlopers from Bangladesh despite many living for generations in western Rakhine state and has long denied them basic rights and liberties.

The Rohingya crisis has dulled the diplomatic niceties that traditionally govern gatherings of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which is meeting in Singapore this week.

The bloc tends to shy away from any direct criticism of each other and promote consensus diplomacy.

But Mahathir has been much more willing to break with those diplomatic traditions.

Defenders of Suu Kyi say she has little control over Myanmar's military in a country where the generals still have huge political power and independence.

But critics say her failure to use her huge domestic appeal to publicly castigate the generals or push for protection of the Rohingya makes her complicit.

Suu Kyi's arrival in Singapore came a day after Amnesty International stripped her of its top award over her "indifference" to the atrocities committed by the military against the Rohingya.

The first stage of a long-delayed and deeply controversial plan to repatriate Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar is due to start on Thursday - despite widespread opposition from rights groups to any forced return.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The expansion of Tata Steel's Kalinganagar plant to 8 million tons per annum capacity from 3 mtpa will incur a cost of Rs 23,500 crore and take 48 months to complete, a top company official said on Monday.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion was held here at the 'Make In Odisha' Conclave 2018 by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The project configuration and costs include investments in raw material capacity expansion, upstream and mid-stream facilities, and infrastructure and downstream facilities.

"Tata Group's association with Odisha is very deep. It has over 100 years of relationship. Tata Steel has a very large capacity state-of-the-art plant in the state. With the phase-II expansion of Tata Steel Kalinganagar, Tata Group's investment in the state will cross Rs 100,000 crore," said N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Group.

The total capacity of Tata Steel India operations following the expansion will be 23.6 mtpa, which includes existing capacity of 10 mtpa at Jamshedpur, 3 mtpa at Kalinganagar and 5.6 mtpa of Tata Steel BSL.

"Kalinganagar has been a remarkable story for Tata Steel. Within a year of its commissioning, we were at almost full capacity utilisation, and now we are beginning the second phase of our expansion.

"The envisaged product mix will consolidate Tata Steel's presence in the automotive and high-end quality product market segments. The Kalinganagar facility is expected to be, one of the lowest-cost producers of steel in the world," said TV Narendran, CEO and MD, Tata Steel.

The Kalinganagar plant, which commenced commercial production in May 2016, has generated direct and indirect employment opportunities for more than 21,955 people in the state, a company official said.

About 59.6 per cent of the total employees engaged directly by Tata Steel are from Odisha, and 80.71 per cent of the total contractors' workforce working the company belong to the state, the official said.

Tata Steel is also promoting employability training of local youths, he said.

Skill Development training for placements and self-employment are being provided through Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS).

In the last four years, 358 youths were imparted skilling across various sectors, the official added.

Chandrasekaran also said the new 500-bed, multi-speciality hospital at Gopalpur in Ganjam district, being constructed by Tata Steel, will soon be operational.

This will be in addition to an eye hospital in Gopalpur and a multi-speciality hospital in Kalinganagar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In poll-bound Telangana, the ruling TRS and the Congress-led opposition alliance claim that it is going to be a straight fight between them and that the BJP is not in the reckoning.

The saffron party, on the other hand, claims that the southern state is staring at a hung verdict, indicating that it will emerge as a kingmaker.

"They (BJP) had five seats (in the dissolved Assembly). They may get one or two this time," All India Committee (AICC) in-charge of Telangana affairs R C Khuntia told PTI.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader and a key minister in the caretaker government, K T Rama Rao, son of party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao, echoed a similar view.

"The is our main rival. The BJP does not exist in Telangana," he said.



Rama Rao claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates would forfeit their deposits in more than 100 seats (of the 119 in the state) and "not even one MLA in the just-dissolved House will return".

TRS floor leader in the A P Jithender Reddy said it would be "great" for the BJP if it succeeded in retaining its five seats and claimed that the Amit Shah-led party was even finding it difficult to get candidates for the December 7 polls.

Khuntia said the people of Telangana were looking at a contest between the Congress-led alliance and the TRS.

"There is no in-between. Neither the BJP nor the smaller parties can create confidence among the people that they can form the government. The fight is between the Congress-led alliance and the TRS," he added.

But the saffron party is looking at the scenario differently.



"We are being seen as an underdog. We are being rated far below our potential. We certainly think the BJP will produce a very surprising and positive result in Telangana," BJP national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao told PTI.

"What we are staring at is in all probability a hung kind of an Assembly and the BJP emerging as a decisive player," he said.

The BJP fought the 2014 Assembly polls in alliance with the (TDP), winning five seats. This time, it is going it alone.

The 119-member Telangana Assembly will go to the polls on December 7 and the results will be announced on December 11.: Noted Journalist N Ram Tuesday said those who celebrated the entry of women into the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra were now against allowing women of all ages at the Lord Ayyappa hill shrine at Sabarimala.

The state, which recently witnessed a string of protests on the entry of women of all ages at Sabarimala, should oppose the "toxic political elements" dividing them, he said.

Kerala, "one of the most progressive states" in the country, was "now being tested", he said and urged the people to prove their "mettle".

Ram was speaking at an event titiled 'We the people #With_our_Constitution', organised by a collective of over 50 organisations, including Mumbai-based 'Humans' and Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham (Progressive Arts and Literary Organisation), also known as the PuKaSa, an Association for Art and Letters.

"The same elements which celebrated the entry of women into the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra are now objecting to the entry of women in Sabarimala," Ram said.

"People are being divided by toxic political elements. This issue is for all of India," he said.

Alleging that there are attempts to tamper with the Constitution, he said he was glad that people had recognised what was at stake.

"It is not just a single isolated issue. The Constitution itself is at stake," he said.

"We have a secular constitution, unlike most other countries. This is an occasion for Kerala to prove its mettle. The silent majority must assert a position and oppose the rouge elements creating violence in Sabarimala," he said.

Indu Abhayan, an organiser of the event, said that those opposing the apex court veridict claim that they are the voice of Kerala.

"We want to prove them wrong. We have seen that women are on the streets, opposing the Supreme Court verdict on Sabarimala. That is not the voice of Kerala. We wanted to show that there are other women, people who are with the Constitution," Abhayan said.

The Central stadium auditorium, where the function washeld, was filled with people from all walks of life.

A group of women from the Mala Araya community, which had earlier claimed that their rights to offer prayers at the Sabarimala temple was taken away from them, were also present.

Anoop Rajendran, a lawyer, who came to attend the event despite bad health, said he was interested in the event as it was the need of the hour.

"Our state is a progressive society. We used to respect the Constitution, but after the apex court verdict, many have come out opposing the decision and calling for open violation of the Constitution and the rule of law.This is not right," he said.

Harikrishnan,a college student, said certain elements were trying to exploit the situation.

"Certain political elements are trying to exploit the situation. At first they all welcomed the Supreme Court verdict. Then they decided to oppose it in the name of belief. This is purely against the Constitution," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Thousands of Afghans have fled to Ghazni city to escape fighting in two Hazara-dominated districts, with some describing the violence Tuesday as the worst they had seen in the 17-year conflict.

The Taliban have been battling members of Afghanistan's special forces and ethnic Hazara militia in the previously safe districts of Jaghori and Malistan in the southeastern province of Ghazni for nearly a week.

Hundreds of people, including civilians, militia, commandos and militants, have been killed, according to figures provided by locals and government officials.

Many families have fled to the provincial capital, some leaving their homes in the middle of the night and travelling on side roads to avoid Taliban checkpoints.

"We were scared, other people were fleeing so we decided to leave too," said a woman called Zainab, who drove with her five children for 12 hours on dirt roads from her home in Jaghori district to Ghazni city.

"We have never seen this kind of war and my children and I were scared," she told AFP, adding her husband had stayed behind to protect their property.

Around 2,000 families displaced by the fighting are living in mosques and hostels in Ghazni city, said Abdul Haleem Noori, director of the Afghan Red Crescent Society in Ghazni.

Others are staying with relatives as they wait out the fighting. Afghan security forces have stepped up ground and air offensives in the restive region, and US Forces also have launched air support, including aerial surveillance.

The escalation in fighting comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity to convince the Taliban to negotiate an end to the war.

Jaghori district "is surrounded by Taliban and there are a lot of them", Mohammad Ali told AFP in a mosque where he is staying with nine family members.

"They were very well equipped with night-vision goggles and heavy weapons." Fighting in the area has been ongoing since Wednesday. There are growing fears the violence could be rooted in ethnic or sectarian differences.

Most Hazaras belong to the Shiite branch of Islam.

The Taliban, which are Sunni and largely ethnic Pashtuns, have been accused of committing human rights violations against the group during their oppressive 1996-2001 rule.

As displaced families continued to arrive in Ghazni city on Tuesday, provincial police spokesman Ahmad Khan Sirat told AFP the "situation is under control".

"Commando forces have been deployed in both Jaghori and Malistan," Sirat said. "We have reports of sporadic fighting."



The Afghan Red Crescent Society has dispatched food, warm clothes and medicine to hundreds of families still in Jaghori and Malistan districts.

The fighting has angered many Hazaras, who blame the government for failing to protect the minority ethnic group.

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Kabul in the past two days to demand the deployment of military reinforcements to the Hazara districts under Taliban attack.

A suicide bomber blew himself up near the protesters on Monday, killing at least six people and wounding 20 in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Training of non-physician health care providers, ensuring continuous drug supply, electronic storage of health records and systematic patient assessment can help in better management of chronic conditions of patients at primary health care settings, according to a recent study.

The study on the effectiveness of a mHealth-Based Electronic Decision Support System for integrated management of chronic conditions in primary care in India was conducted by the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK (LSHTM) and the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC).

The report was presented at the prestigious American Heart Association annual meeting in Chicago on Saturday.

The results of the study were published in the American Heart Association Journal 'Circulation'. This study has key lessons for health systems of India in terms of the management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at primary care settings.

Professor Dorairaj Prabhakaran, vice president Research and Policy, PHFI and the principal investigator of the study, said the mWellcare study is an innovative trial evaluating the role of a nurse-led electronic-clinical decision-supported chronic disease care at the primary healthcare level.

Training of health care professionals and ensuring continuous drug supply in the health system were important, according to the study.

"Key lessons from the mWellcare study can contribute to the Indian government's ambitious Ayushman Bharat programme of enhancing the capacity of 1,50,000 health and wellness centres to provide comprehensive primary health care, with a strong focus on prevention and management of NCDs.

"The trial demonstrates the importance of trained non-physician health care providers and allied health professionals. In addition, it emphasizes the integral role of task shifting making provision for an NCD nurse for optimal management of chronic conditions at the PHC level, capacity building of primary care physicians and NCD nurses ensuring a continuous and adequate drug supply," Prabhakaran said.

This trial also demonstrated the feasibility of incorporating electronic decision support and electronic storage of health records for NCD management in primary care, components which are essential for augmenting and building effective primary healthcare centres in the Indian context, he said.

Highlighting the details of the study design, Pablo Perel, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and the Director Centre for Global Chronic Conditions, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), also co-investigator of the study, said it is possible to conduct large and high-quality trials to robustly evaluate ways of improving the care of people with chronic NCDs in low and middle-income countries.

Professor Nikhil Tandon, Professor and Head of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, AIIMS, a key collaborator on the study, said the electronic clinical decision support system combined with the systematic patient assessment and guideline-based management system which ensures follow-up of patients suffering from chronic conditions has demonstrated how an integrated mHealth system can deliver better quality of care to patients.

Trained NCD nurses were introduced as part of the study design in the health system to help monitor, manage and deliver effective healthcare services to patients.

"These results clearly endorse our strategy which combined the use of task-shifting (non-physician health care workers) with innovative technology as an effective system for management of chronic conditions at the community level," Tandon said.

The number of people with diabetes has shown a staggering rise from 26 million in 1990 to 65 million in 2016, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Donald Trump on Tuesday launched another attack against Emmanuel Macron over the French president's call for a European army, a proposal the US leader earlier had dubbed "insulting."



"Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the US, China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France?" Trump tweeted.

"They were starting to learn German in Paris before the US came along," Trump said. "Pay for NATO or not!" The Republican president has repeatedly lambasted European allies for not spending enough on their militaries, particularly Germany.

Macron had angered Trump by saying Europe needed its own army and listing the US along with Russia and China as a threat to European security.

One of dozens of world leaders attending World War I commemorations in France this weekend, Trump tweeted after landing in Paris that Macron's call for a "real European army" was "insulting."



In an interview recorded on Saturday with CNN after talks with Trump, Macron said the two leaders had spoken about what his office has portrayed as a misunderstanding.

Both leaders agree there should be "better burden-sharing within NATO," meaning Europe should be less reliant on US spending for its defence, Macron said.

But Macron told CNN: "To be very direct with you, what I don't want to see is European countries increasing the budget in defence in order to buy American and other arms or materials coming from your industry."



US officials have stressed that Washington is fully committed to the NATO alliance despite Trump's comments.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg meanwhile has welcomed stronger EU efforts on defense that could strengthen the alliance -- but warned against duplicating its work while potentially undermining transatlantic ties.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Turkey is waiting for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to shed light on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last month, the country's president was quoted as saying Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists on board his plane while returning from World War I commemorations in Paris, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also reportedly said audio recordings of the killing that Turkey shared with officials from Saudi Arabia and other nations were so "atrocious" that a Saudi intelligence official speculated that the killer may have been on heroin.

"The recording is truly atrocious. In fact, when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recording he was so shocked that he said 'this one probably took heroin. Only someone who took heroin would do it,'" Erdogan was reported as saying in comments published in pro-government Yeni Safak.

Turkey says The Washington Post columnist, who had criticized the crown prince, was killed by a 15-member assassination squad sent from Riyadh. Ankara insists the orders for the killing came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, but not King Salman.

The crown prince has come under scrutiny for having knowledge of the killing, which involved some members of his security entourage.

Pressing ahead with moves to maintain pressure on Saudi Arabia, Erdogan said the crown prince had told Turkish envoys that he would shed light on the October 2 killing at the kingdom's consulate and do what was "necessary."



"He said this to my special envoys," Erdogan was quoted as saying. "We are waiting patiently." Erdogan repeated that Turkey had shared audio recordings relating to the killing with Saudi Arabia and other nations, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Canada.

Under mounting pressure, Saudi Arabia has changed its narrative about Khashoggi's killing. It first said he walked out of the embassy the day he disappeared before eventually acknowledging Khashoggi died inside the consulate.

Saudi Arabia has also recently acknowledged Turkish evidence that showed the slaying was premeditated.

Turkey says a 15-member Saudi "hit squad" strangled and dismembered Khashoggi at the consulate. Media reports have suggested that his body could have been chemically dissolved as it has not yet been found.

Saudi officials characterize the killing as a rogue operation carried out by Saudi agents who exceeded their authority.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Global internet Body ICANN-supported UASG Tuesday conferred "Universal Acceptance Thought Leader award" on Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for enabling email service for citizens of the state in local script.

"Universal Acceptance Steering Group has recognised work of Hon'ble CM of Rajasthan and IT Department for Rajmail project that enables access to email address to people in the state in Indic script. The Universal Acceptance Thought Leader award was thus conferred by UASG in this regard," ICANN India head Samiran Gupta said.

The technology for the project was developed by Rajasthan based firm Data XGen Technologies.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a no-profit organisation and manages rules around website access over Internet.

UASG is working towards achieving truly multi-lingual Internet, one in which users around the world can navigate entirely in local languages. The body is supported by ICANN.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has agreed to allow some wounded Huthi rebels to be evacuated, following a visit to the region by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, his office said Tuesday.

The issue has proved a sticking point in previous peace talks and the move could now pave the way for fresh negotiations, Britain's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The Saudi-led coalition (has) agreed to the evacuation of wounded Huthis from Yemen, one of the key stumbling blocks to the UN Geneva talks in September," it added.

"Coalition forces will now permit the UN to oversee a Huthi medical evacuation, including up to fifty wounded fighters, to Oman ahead of another proposed round of peace talks in Sweden later this month."



During a visit to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on Monday, Hunt met Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as leaders from the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

He was in the region to boost support for UN efforts to end the nearly four-year conflict in Yemen, and to press the gulf kingdom over the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"In my meetings we have made progress in removing the largest stumbling block to previous proposed rounds of peace talks, and set out a credible path to a de-escalation of military activity," Hunt said following the trip.

"I leave the region encouraged by these signs of progress, and I am determined to do what it takes to convert this into a lasting peace for the people of Yemen." Hunt also pushed Saudi rulers for "real accountability" in the Khashoggi case, according to Britain's foreign ministry.

He pointed out "both the strong international condemnation and the need for evidence that such an act could never happen again", it said.

Britain and the United States are major suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition backing the Yemen government in its fight against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels.

Britain is seeking support among regional partners for new action at the UN Security Council for peace talks in Yemen.

"Diplomacy and negotiation remain the only path to ending the conflict and I am encouraged that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have shown their support for the UN peace process, led by Special Envoy Martin Griffiths," Hunt added.

"I will continue talking to partners about the best way for the Security Council to support the UN special envoy's efforts on the political process and improve the humanitarian situation." Griffiths is due to brief the Security Council on the situation in Yemen on November 16.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The University of Birmingham announced on Tuesday that it has appointed sustainable cold chain expert Pawanexh Kohli as an honorary professor of post-harvest logistics.

The Birmingham Energy Institute at the university made the high-profile appointment in recognition of Kohli's leadership in sustainable food logistics in meeting key development targets and his role in helping define the applied research programmes between Birmingham and India to deliver radical innovation.

As CEO of India's National Centre for Cold-Chain Development (NCCD), Kohli has played a key role in shaping policy and projects aimed at solving post-harvest food loss particularly in developing refrigeration networks linking the farmers to market, the university said.

Professor Martin Freer, Director of the Birmingham Energy Institute, said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set India the challenge of doubling farmers' income by 2022. The cold chain is a key part of a solution to boost India's food security and reduce environmental impact.

"Pawanexh Kohli has worked closely with government and industry to help define Indian policy in this area; a key figure in this critical field of developing expertise. He has been invaluable in helping the University of Birmingham effectively design its work in this field with Indian partners".

Kohli has a long relationship with the university and in 2015, the Birmingham Policy Commission on Cold Chain, chaired by Lord Teverson, recognised Kohli's contributions as an expert witness. He said the latest honour would "embolden" many other cold-chain stakeholders to do more.

"The University of Birmingham has clearly taken the lead in affirming that post-harvest logistics is the backbone to sustaining the agricultural system, worldwide. Effective post-harvest logistics makes agriculture more environmentally and economically relevant," he said.

The appointment follows a recent event in India, which saw the university welcoming environmentalists and industrialists to explore ways of advancing the use of clean cold technology to meet in a sustainable way the rising demand for cooling.

Representatives from the university's Indian 'clean cold' partner Shakti Foundation, the NCCD, and CEOs from industry and regional organisations gathered at the British High Commission in New Delhi.

The event followed an agreement signed this year by the university and the government of Haryana to develop centres of excellence for clean cold chains that will help to map a blueprint and delivery plan for sustainable cooling across the north Indian state.

Professor Robin Mason, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) of the University of Birmingham and Director of the University of Birmingham India Institute, said, "The University of Birmingham is a civic university with a global outlook. There exists a special bond between Birmingham and India which stretches back to the arrival of our first Indian students in 1909".

"The launch this year of the University of Birmingham India Institute affirms our deep and continued commitment to engagement with this great country. We are looking to grow our contribution to Indian society, as our researchers forge links with their counterparts, we hope to change millions of lives for the better".

This year the University of Birmingham created and hosted the world's first Clean Cold Congress, at which Kohli was a keynote speaker. Presently, the varsity is working towards establishing research centres in India, called living laboratories developed with partner universities with the support of state governments in India.

Effective refrigeration is essential to preserve food and medicine. It underpins industry and economic growth, is key to sustainable urbanisation and provides a ladder out of rural poverty. It makes much of the world bearable or even safe to live in.

Professor Toby Peters, from the University of Birmingham, added, "A seamless 'cold chain' is needed to move food swiftly from farm to consumer - reducing food loss to raise farmers' income and give them bigger markets, whilst expanding their selling range".

But at the same time, it must be clean and sustainable cooling. Climate change and toxic air pollution must be tackled by reducing use of conventional, highly polluting cooling technologies and adopting zero-emission technologies".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The UN rights chief on Tuesday urged Bangladesh to halt plans to repatriate more than 2,200 Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, amid reports of continued violations against the minority.

"Forcibly expelling or returning refugees and asylum seekers to their home country would be a clear violation of the core legal principle of non-refoulement, which forbids repatriation where there are threats of persecution or serious risks to the life and physical integrity or liberty of the individuals," Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet Tuesday asked Bangladesh to halt plans for the repatriation of more than 2,200 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, warning that forcibly returning them to their home country would be in violation of international law and put their lives and freedom at serious risk.

The UN Human Rights Office said in a statement that the refugees in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar are the victims of human rights violations committed in the midst of the violence that erupted in August 2017.

The violence led to more than 725,000 people fleeing the area.

The statement said that refugees have stated repeatedly that they do not wish to return under current conditions. Several of the refugee families apparently listed for return are headed by women or children.

"We are witnessing terror and panic among those Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar who are at imminent risk of being returned to Myanmar against their will," Bachelet said.

"Forcibly expelling or returning refugees and asylum seekers to their home country would be a clear violation of the core legal principle of non-refoulement, which forbids repatriation where there are threats of persecution or serious risks to the life and physical integrity or liberty of the individuals."



She said the human rights violations committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar amount to the "worst atrocities, including crimes against humanity and possibly even genocide."



The top human rights official said with an almost complete lack of accountability, with ongoing violations, "returning Rohingya refugees to Myanmar at this point effectively means throwing them back into the cycle of human rights violations that this community has been suffering for decades."She appealed to the Government of Bangladesh to ensure scrupulously that any repatriation takes place in line with international standards of voluntariness, safety and dignity, with full transparency, and only when the conditions are right.

"The history of the Rohingya in Myanmar is one filled with repeated episodes of violence, flight and return," Bachelet said.

"We need to speak with one voice to stop this cycle from repeating itself yet again."



The Office also continues to receive reports of ongoing violations of the rights of Rohingya remaining in northern Rakhine, which include allegations of killings, disappearances and arbitrary arrests, as well as widespread restrictions on the rights to freedom of movement, health and education.

About 130,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), many of whom are Rohingya, remain in camps in central Rakhine. Another 5,000 IDPs remain in No Man's Land between Myanmar and Bangladesh while more than 4,000 are in Aung Mingalar ward in Sittwe, where they are subjected to a wide range of restrictions. Hundreds of thousands of people in other parts of Rakhine also remain deprived of their rights to freedom of movement, to basic services and livelihood as well as their right to a nationality.

Some of the refugees have threatened suicide if they are forced to repatriate, and two elderly men in Cox's Bazar have already attempted suicide.

Bachelet called on the Government of Myanmar to show its seriousness in creating the conditions for return by addressing the root causes of the crisis in Rakhine state, in particular the systematic discrimination against and persecution of Rohingya.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Union Cabinet Tuesday condoled the demise of union minister Ananth Kumar, saying under his "stewardship" the BJP expanded inKarnataka and eventually formeda government of its own.

The 59-year-old Bangalore South MP died at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Monday after battling lung cancer for several months.

The special cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also observed a two-minute silence in the memory of Kumar.

The Cabinet noted that in his passing away, the nation has lost an experienced leader, an official statement said.

According to a resolution passed by the cabinet, from a student activist, Kumar became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"It was under his stewardship that the party expanded in the state of Karnataka and eventually formed the government of its own," the resolution said.

The Cabinet also placed on record its appreciation of Kumar's services to the nation in different capacities and described his death as a loss of an experienced leader.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The first list of Congress candidates for the coming Telangana assembly elections has evoked criticism from aspirants who failed to get a berth.

The party announced the list of 65 nominees late on Monday for the December 7 election to the 119-member assembly.

Even as AICC incharge of party affairs in the state R C Khuntia Tuesday said the nominees for the remaining segments would be declared by November 15, some aspirants who failed to get the ticket aired their disappointment publicly.

Bikshapati Yadav, former MLA from Serilingampalli seat Hyderabad, was disappointed as his constituency had been alloted to the TDP, a partner in the Congress-led alliance.

Saying that he has already conducted a 'padayatra' in the constituency and wondered whether this was the recognition one gets for having worked for the party.

"Is this the result the party gives for having served it?" he asked talking to reporters here.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had earlier talked about not giving tickets to those "who land in a parachute" at the time of elections but "what happened now", he said.

Former minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who had also served as PCC president, rushed to Delhi as his name did not find a place in the first list.

Prominent backward classes leader R Krishnaiah sharply criticised the Congress, accusing it of not giving adequate number of seats to those belonging to backward classes.

He claimed that leadership from backward classes was not being allowed to grow.

TRS hadf also not done justice to the backward classes, he alleged.

Khuntia, however, said Congress would give more seats to backward classes than the TRS.

"(On) the talk about BC communities, KCR (TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao) declared 105 and gave 19. We have given 13 (in 65). In the remaining seats, we will give more seats to BCs than KCR," he said.

Talking to reporters in Delhi, he also said, the complete list, in his view, will come by day after tomorrow (November 15)".

Congress is leading the "grand alliance" in which TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) are the other partners.

The party has decided to leave 25 seats - 14 to TDP, eight to TJS and three to CPI.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Uttar Pradesh government Tuesday approved renaming of Faizabad and Allahabad divisions as Ayodhya and Prayagraj respectively.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna told reporters.

Prayagraj division will comprise Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Fatehpur and Pratapgarh districts, while Ayodhya division will include Ayodhya, Ambedkarnagar, Sultanpur, Amethi and Barabanki districts, Khanna said.

The decision came a day after the Allahabad High Court asked the Centre and the state government to file counter affidavits within a week on a petition challenging the decision to rename Allahabad as Prayagraj.

Justices Vikram Nath and Rajesh Singh Chauhan of the Lucknow bench fixed the next hearing on Monday.

The sudden spate in changing the names of key UP districts, towns and railway stations drew criticism from not only the opposition but the ruling NDA constituent Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) too.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav blamed the chief minister for taking credit by just renaming cities.

"Raja Harshvardhan made 'Prayag Kumbh' great by offering donations, but today's rulers are trying to take credit for the work just by renaming the city to 'Prayagraj'," the former chief minister tweeted earlier.

"They (BJP) have even re-named 'Ardh Kumbh' as 'Kumbh'. This mocks our tradition and belief," he said.

The Congress, too, had hit out at the ruling dispensation, with a party leader saying that changing the name of the historic city to 'Prayagraj' is an attempt to toy with the history of the nation.

Uttar Pradesh minister and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar mocked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the move and said the party should change names of its Muslim leaders before changing the names of different towns and places.

"The BJP changed the names of Mughalsarai and Faizabad. They say they were named after the Mughals. They have a national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Uttar Pradesh Minister Mohsin Raza - three Muslim faces of the BJP. They should change their names first."



He said that the names of places were changed just to divert attention of the backward and oppressed people from the issues, which concern them.

"This is all a drama to distract the backward and oppressed people whenever they raise their voices for their rights. No one else has given the things that Muslims have given. Should we throw away the GT Road? Who built the Red Fort? Who built the Taj Mahal," he asked.

Earlier, the government renamed the Mughalsarai Railway station, another historic spot, as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya junction.

In August this year, the UP government had sent a request to the Centre to rename the airports in Agra, Bareilly and Kanpur. According to reports, the proposal is to rename the Agra airport after Jan Sangh founder Deen Dayal Upadhyay.

The ruling BJP has, however, justified the name changes across Uttar Pradesh, saying they are merely restoring older names and correcting historical distortions.

Allahabad's ancient name was 'Prayag', but was changed after 16th-century Mughal emperor Akbar built a fort near 'Sangam', the holy confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.

Akbar named the fort and its neighbourhood 'Ilahabad'. Later, Akbar's grandson Shah Jahan renamed the entire city as 'Allahabad'. But the area near the 'Sangam', the site of the Kumbh Mela, continues to be known as 'Prayag'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The number of foreign students heading to US colleges and universities fell again last year, the second straight decline after more than a decade of growth, a new report finds.

Enrollment of new international students dropped by about 7 per cent in fall 2017, according to an annual report released Tuesday by the State Department and the Institute of International Education, a nonprofit research group based in New York.

The overall number of foreign students in the US still increased slightly, by 1.5 per cent, fueled by growing numbers of students who stayed for temporary work after graduation. But the number of newly arriving students slid to about 271,000, the lowest levels since 2013.

The report's authors cited sharper competition from other countries including Australia and Canada, along with the rising cost of in the US. They largely dismissed worries among some colleges that the White House's policies and rhetoric surrounding immigration could be driving students away.

"We're not hearing that students feel they can't come here. We're hearing that they have choices," Allan Goodman, president and CEO of the institute, said in a call with reporters. "For the first time, we have real competition."



But some schools contacted by The Associated Press say the political climate in the US has made international students feel unwelcome, leading some to enroll elsewhere.

State Department officials underscored that the US hosted nearly 1.1 million international students last year, more than any other country in the world.

Yet the 1.5 per cent growth is the slowest since a period from 2002 through 2005, when international enrollment fell by 4 per cent following the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, according to data provided by the institute.

Among new students, the steepest losses came from Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Mexico, while China and India continued to send the largest numbers, accounting for more than half of all foreign students in the US.

The 15 per cent decrease from Saudi Arabia comes a year after the kingdom scaled back a scholarship program that covered costs for Saudis studying abroad.

Although the report focuses on data from 2017, it also included preliminary findings for fall 2018. Among 540 schools surveyed, total international enrollment held level while the number of new students fell by about 2 per cent, marking the third straight year of declines.

Compared to the previous year, more schools attributed decreases to challenges in the visa process, the US social and political climate, and student decisions to enroll in other countries.

At the University of Central Missouri, foreign enrollment surged to 2,600 in 2016 before plummeting to just 650 this year, according to data obtained by The AP. University officials have noticed increased competition but also cite the nation's political climate.

"We have had conversations with parents who feel like their children will not be safe here, that their son or daughter may not be physically safe," said Karen Goos, the school's assistant vice provost for enrollment management. "I do think that it's a contributing factor."



At Purdue University, one of the nation's biggest hubs for international students, total foreign enrollment fell by 2 per cent this year. Officials said they intentionally admitted fewer undergraduates from abroad amid worries that they might not accept the offer.

"There was concern that students might not find the U.S. to be as an attractive destination given certain political rhetoric these past two years," Michael Brzezinski, Purdue's dean of international programs, said in an email.

Losing foreign students can carry financial implications for schools that rely on them for revenue. Unlike US citizens, who often get scholarships or discounts, students from abroad are typically charged full tuition.

At Central Missouri, the declines have worsened a budget hole that led to more than USD 20 million in cuts last year.

At the same time, some other nations have drawn surging numbers of students from abroad. Canada reported a 20 per cent jump in 2017, while Australia saw a 12 per cent increase. Both countries have set ambitious goals to bolster international enrollments in the coming years.

Yet officials in Australia said they shouldn't be blamed for America's slowdown. Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Association of Australia, said pinning it on competition is "pure blame shifting," adding that Australia hasn't significantly changed its recruiting strategy over the past two years.

"Rather, everything we hear from prospective students and their agents in Muslim countries and Latin American nations is that they no longer feel welcome or safe studying at US colleges under President Trump," Honeywood said in a statement.

Despite the downturn in new students, officials behind the report are optimistic that the US will rebound. While foreign students account for a heavy share of the overall enrollment in Australia and other countries, they account for just 5 per cent of all students in the United States.

The report also found that the number of US students studying abroad ticked up by 2 per cent last year, continuing eight years of slow but steady growth. Europe remained the top destination, followed by Latin America and Asia.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US lawmakers returned to work Tuesday for the first time since contentious midterm election campaigns, with Congress facing a spending showdown and Democrats eager to protect special prosecutor Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

Also on Capitol Hill will be the newly elected members of the Senate and House of Representatives, including the two Democrats who flipped Republican-held Senate seats, as they attend orientation sessions ahead of their swearing in next January.

Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Nevada's Jacky Rosen, both of whom ousted incumbent Republicans in their races, met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Tuesday morning.

On the Republican side, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was scheduled to meet his party's three new members Wednesday.

Democrats reclaimed the House from Republicans in last Tuesday's election, but President Donald Trump's party retained control of the Senate. The changes take effect on January 3, 2019.

One potentially controversial arrival on Capitol Hill would be that of Florida Governor Rick Scott, who is locked in an uncalled Senate race with incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson and who reportedly stated he could travel to Washington this week.

The Florida race is undergoing a tense mandatory recount, with Trump and other senior Republicans openly accusing county officials of fraud.

Trump has repeatedly weighed in on the race, including on Monday when he claimed, without evidence, that an honest Florida vote count was not possible due to "massively infected" ballots.

During the "lame-duck" session -- when Congress meets between the election and the seating of the new Congress -- lawmakers face a December 7 deadline to prevent a partial government shutdown by passing a spending measure that funds the Department of Homeland Security through fiscal year 2019.

It could be tricky, as Trump has called for new funding for his wall on the southern US border with Mexico, an issue that has divided some congressional Republicans.

Meanwhile Democrats and some Republicans want to attach to the spending bill legislation that would protect Mueller and his investigation, after Trump sacked attorney general Jeff Sessions and replaced him with Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who has drawn criticism over his denial of Russia's meddling in the 2016 US elections.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Devraj Anbu on Tuesday laid wreath on the body of a soldier, who was killed by a Pakistani sniper along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, an Army official said.

Lance Naik Antony Sebastian, 34, died on Monday in Poonch district.

Sebastian's mortal remains were brought to the Palam Technical Area where the wreath laying took place.

At about 5.15 PM on Monday, Pakistan Army resorted to an unprovoked ceasefire violation in Krishna Ghati Sector (Mendhar) on the Line of Control (LoC), resulting in the death of a soldier and injuring another.

Sebastian was critically injured and succumbed to injuries.

"General Bipin Rawat #COAS & all ranks salute supreme sacrifice of Lance Naik Antony Sebastian KM & offer sincere condolences to the family. #BraveSonsOfIndia," the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army) tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Slamming the BJP over its campaign to rename cities, NCP chief Sharad Pawar Tuesday asked if the exercise would solve "core issues" like poverty and unemployment.

Speaking at an event to mark the birth anniversary of country's first education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Pawar wondered if the political leaders giving public statements on the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya had faith in the judiciary.

The former Maharashtra chief minister said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime was trying to divert people's attention from the core issues of poverty and unemployment as it was unable to resolve them.

"Names of cities are being changed. Now I hear the name of Agra, which is home to the Taj Mahal that makes the country proud, will be changed," said the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader.

"What is the need for all this? What purpose will it serve? Will it increase employment? How will this increase brotherhood among people?," he asked.

Close on the heels of renaming Allahabad as Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on November 6 announced that Faizabad district in that state would be known as Ayodhya district.

Latching on to a recent statement made by former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan, Pawar said the youth of the nation will have to pay for the government's note ban decision.

Rajan, while delivering the second Bhattacharya Lectureship at the University of California, Berkeley last Friday said the November 2016 ban on high-value currency notes and the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July 2017 dealt "really really hard blows" to India's economy at a time when global growth was peaking.

Accusing the Narendra Modi government of adopting the wrong policies, Pawar said if the nation was to be taken ahead, the BJP dispensation at the Centre must tread the path laid down by leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

"They are the ones who laid the foundation of development,showed the importance of education, science and technology, which is the way to development of the country," he said.

Pawar also claimed that the country's key institutions like the Supreme Court and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were being attacked, "which had never happened in the country before".

Recalling the demolition of Babri Masjid, Pawar said he had publicly announced in Faizabad that a mosque should be rebuilt at the site.

"In the evening when people from the minority community came to meet me, they asked me not to favour (rebuilding of) a masjid because they did not want to see again what they had seen," he said referring to the riots.

"They were ready to abide by the court's decision. However, political parties today publicly talk about going to Ayodhya and starting work on Ram temple," he said.

"Muslims tell me they are not against a temple at the site but the right lies with the judiciary. Do those talking about going to Ayodhya not trust the judiciary?" he asked.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A four-day regional meeting of the World Customs Organisation began here Tuesday with representatives of 33 member countries of Asia attending it.

The meeting is slated to deliberate upon various issues including the steps required for the capacity building and reforms in customs, an official release said.

The participants would also discuss and deliberate upon the amended Kyoto protocol, digital customs, e-commerce among other issues, the release added.

A summary of various efforts made by the National Trade Facilitation Committee for trade facilitation would also be tabled in the meeting. The meeting is being jointly chaired by WCO Deputy Secretary General Ricardo Travino and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs Chairman S Ramesh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury Tuesday called on DMK President M K Stalin in a bid to take forward the opposition attempt to stitch a mega alliance against the BJP at the Centre, and expressed confidence that such a coalition would indeed take shape.

Yechury said that more than the leaders' 'attitude', it was "people from the ground" who would 'push' them to save India, making them come together.

Responding to actor Rajinikanth's statement, virtually backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a 'strong' man electorally, Yechury referred to the earlier defeats of the late Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2004 and his successor Manmohan Singh in 2014.

Asked about attempts being made by Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, N Chandrababu Naidu and Mamata Banerjee respectively, to cobble together anti-BJP fronts and if a 'Mahagatbandhan' (mega alliance) would become a reality, he said "it will."



Political parties would be able to iron out their differences for this purpose, he said.

"More than the attitude of the leaders, it is the people from the ground who will push all the leaders to come together to save India. And it will happen," Yechury said.

He said it was important for all secular-minded parties who value Indian democracy, the Indian republic and unity of the people to come together in defense of the country, and on that basis, to create a better India.

"That is the objective that both Stalin and I share along with all other leaders... we have a common objective and this is going to be done along with all the other secular democratic forces in the country," he said.

"We are all together on this one issue of saving India today, saving Indian institutions, saving India's constitutional order, saving the unity, integrity and harmony of our people," Yechury added.

He said that the CPI(M) has decided to be a part of the DMK-led front in Tamil Nadu for the 'forthcoming' polls, possibly referring to next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Asked if his party would be a part of an alliance whose constituents could be the Trinamool Congress or Congress, the veteran Communist leader said "alliances in India have and will always take place primarily at the state level first."



"Then on that basis, the national alliance will emerge," he said, adding "things happen only after elections" at the national level, indicating at the possibility of a post-poll arrangement.

Responding to Rajinikanth's statement that Modi was 'strong' electorally, Yechury recalled the poll results of 2004 and 2014, even as he said he was a fan of the actor's films.

"I have great respect for Mr Rajinikanth as an actor. I am a fan of his films. Fifteen years ago in 2004, when we were in the midst of campaigning (during the then Parliamentary elections),your earlier generation of reporters used to ask us the same question-- who is the alternative to Mr Vajpayee," he said.

It was then said that there was no alternative to the BJP stalwart and how could the BJP be defeated, he added.

"What happened (in 2004 polls, which the BJP lost).After Jawaharlal Nehru, the longest serving Prime Minister uninterrupted was Dr Manmohan Singh...the alternative came (in 2014)," he said in an apparent reference to Modi leading the BJP to a thumping victory.

Such things were 'speculative' in nature, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Youth Congress activists staged a protest near Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari's residence in the North Avenue area here Tuesday over his alleged remark against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

They raised slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and sought his apology, accusing him of politicising the Chhath festival.

They also burnt an effigy of Tiwari.

During poll campaigning in Chhattisgarh recently, Tiwari had allegedly said had Sonia Gandhi observed Chhath, she would have had an intelligent son.

"Tiwari's unparliamentary language has hurt every mother in the country," Indian Youth Congress (IYC) vice-president Srinivas said.

Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress (DPYC) president Vikas Chhikara also took part in the protest.

IYC spokesperson Amrish Ranjan Pandey said Tiwari's statement was "shameful" and "anti-women".

"Would he ask the same question to BJP leaders," he said.

The police stopped the protest march as it reached near Tiwari's residence. The protesters were removed by the police when they insisted on moving ahead and taken to the Parliament Street police station, from where they were released subsequently.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Air India's director of operations, who failed two breathalyser tests before he was scheduled to be a pilot on a London to New Delhi flight on Sunday, has stepped down from his job and from the company's board, an official at the airline told Reuters on Tuesday.He was asked to resign by India's civil aviation ministry, the official said.The ministry's directive comes only a day after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended the license of the senior pilot, Arvind Kathpalia for three years.This is the second time Kathpalia has been in trouble over ...BEIJING (Reuters) - Chip design company ARM Holdings' Chinese subsidiary has signed an agreement with southwestern Sichuan province for a more than 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) research and development project, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday. ARM, owned by Japan's Softbank Group, will build a new complex on a site of about 200,000 square metres for microchip research and development, the report said.($1 = 6.9576 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by David Goodman)(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is ...(Reuters) - India's Ashok Leyland Ltd posted a lower-than-expected 37.5 percent rise in second-quarter profit on Tuesday due to higher raw material costs.Profit was 4.60 billion rupees ($63.32 million) in the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with 3.34 billion rupees a year earlier, the company said https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/AttachLive/298a78cc-1bf6-4298-bb0f-99dd0717d00c.pdf. Analysts on average had expected a profit of 5.13 billion rupees, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.Revenue from operations grew 25.2 percent to 76.08 billion rupees. However, cost of materials ...(Reuters) - BBA Aviation Plc said it expects core earnings at its Ontic aircraft parts and services unit to reach $100 million by the end of 2021, helped by acquisitions and contract wins.BBA's shares were 6.8 percent higher at 244.6 pence at 0900 GMT, making the stock one of the top gainers on London's midcap index.The company said the unit, whose major customers include Boeing, Airbus and British Airways, had a healthy pipeline of new licence acquisitions and was also benefiting from the company's recent acquisition of Firstmark Corp."Through effective execution of the licence and M&A ...By Nandita Bose and Euan Rocha(Reuters) - The chief executive of Flipkart Group, Walmart Inc's Indian e-commerce business, resigned following an internal probe into accusations of "serious personal misconduct," Walmart said Tuesday. The misconduct accusations followed an allegation of sexual assault, two people familiar with the matter said. The departure of Binny Bansal, 37, one of the co-founders of Bangalore-based Flipkart, could be a setback for Walmart's efforts to compete with Amazon.com Inc in India's huge consumer market. A tech-savvy billionaire, Bansal took over as CEO of ...By John Benny and Liz HamptonHOUSTON (Reuters) - General Electric Co on Tuesday unveiled a plan to raise about $4 billion by accelerating a proposed sale of a stake in oilfield services provider Baker Hughes, its latest move to simplify its businesses and reduce debt.Under the deal, the Boston-based industrial conglomerate will sell up to 101.2 million shares on the market and Baker Hughes will repurchase another 65 million shares from its parent. Based on Tuesday's share price of $23.76, the sale would raise around $3.97 billion. Once a symbol of American business power, GE faltered during ...By Rajendra JadhavMUMBAI (Reuters) - India's palm oil imports are unlikely to climb over November to January even as prices for the commodity plumb their lowest in three years, reined in by ample local supply of rival oilseeds and as a liquidity crunch hits would-be buyers, traders said.The South Asian country is the world's biggest importer of palm oil and is a key factor in international benchmark prices, which have fallen nearly a fifth so far in 2018."Imports won't rise. There is a liquidity crunch and domestic oil availability is improving," said Govindbhai Patel, managing director of ...By Henning GloysteinSINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell by more than one percent early on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump put pressure on OPEC not to cut supply to prop up the market.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were at $59.00 per barrel at 0014 GMT, down 93 cents, or 1.6 percent from their last settlement.International benchmark Brent crude oil futures had yet to trade, however both oil price benchmarks have shed more than 20 percent in value since early October. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Monday the Organisation of the Petroleum ...ABU DHABI (Reuters) - The TAPI pipeline project to supply Turkmenistan's gas to India and Pakistan via Afghanistan is moving closer to securing funding and a final investment decision could be made next year, its chief executive said on Tuesday. The development, a key step forward for the project after decades of delays, could see the new pipeline link the energy-rich central Asian nation to some of the strongest growth markets in the region. Muhammetmyrat Amanov, chief executive of the TAPI Pipeline company, told an industry conference in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi that the cost of the ...ABU DHABI (Reuters) - The TAPI pipeline project, designed to diversify Turkmenistan's gas exports, could deliver its first gas to Pakistan in 24 months, the company's CEO said on Tuesday. The pipeline is expected to link the energy-rich Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.Muhammetmyrat Amanov, chief executive of TAPI Pipeline company, told an industry conference in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, the primary cost of the pipeline was $5 billion and the total cost was expected to be around $7 billion. "We are planning to make a final investment decision ...Twitteratis have been asking for an edit button for the longest time. But that may still be some time away as the company does not want to "rush it" and will take a considered view of a use case for allowing individuals to make changes to their tweets. "We have been considering edit for quite some time but we have to do the right way.

We can't just rush it out. We have to make sure that we are actually solving the predominant reason why people would do it first and foremost and not making something that is distracting or takes anything away from the public ...Binny Bansal has quit as Flipkart Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) after an investigation into an alleged "serious personal misconduct", Walmart Inc said in a press statement on Tuesday. After the surprise resignation of Binny Bansal, Kalyan Krishnamurthy would now handle the group business of Flipkart. He currently heads Flipkart's e-commerce platforms.

"His decision follows an independent investigation done on behalf of Flipkart and Walmart into an allegation of serious personal misconduct," said the US based retail benemoth, which acquired the homegrown e-commerce giant in March for $16 billion.

The company said that Binny has strongly denied the allegation. "Nevertheless, we had a responsibility to ensure the investigation was deliberate and thorough," it added. "While the investigation did not find evidence to corroborate the complainant's assertions against Binny, it did reveal other lapses in judgement, particularly a lack of transparency, related to how Binny responded to the situation. Because of this, we have accepted his decision to resign," the statement added.

The exit of Binny over allegations of a "serious personal misconduct" comes as a surprise, even though there were murmurs that Binny would eventually have to call it quits after Walmart took over Flipkart. The nature of the misconduct is not yet known.

Walmart said Binny has been contemplating a transition for some time and that they were working together on a succession plan, which has now been accelerated. Meanwhile, the company has said Ananth Narayanan will continue to work as the CEO of Myntra and Jabong, and he will report into Kalyan. "Sameer Nigam will continue leading PhonePe as CEO. Both Kalyan and Sameer will report directly into the board," said the company.

Business Today had earlier reported that management changes were expected at India's largest e-commerce after the festival and shopping season.

The changes were delayed as the company did not want to get drawn into anything that upset business momentum. Satish Meena, analyst with Forrester Research, had told Business Today that Binny Bansal didn't really have a role as the Group CEO any longer.

"Myntra and Jabong have their own business heads. Kalyan Krishnamurthy takes care of Flipkart. There is little left. Plus, the company doesn't have to do any fund-raising. There is not much work left for Binny," Meena told Business Today in September .Months after Sachin Bansal exited from Flipkart, following its acquisition by the US retail company Waltmart Inc in May, his close friend and Flipkart Group CEO Binny Bansal also stepped down from the company he co-founded in 2007. Binny resigned from Flipkart, which is India's largest e-commerce company by market share, following an investigation by the parent company Walmart over the allegations of "serious personal misconduct". The surprise announcement by Walmart followed an email from Binny, denying the allegations, and the company board confirming Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy's induction as the Flipkart's Group CEO.

In a statement issued by Walmart, the company said: "...Binny Bansal announced his resignation as CEO of Flipkart Group, effective immediately. Binny has been an important part of Flipkart since co-founding the company, but recent events risked becoming a distraction and Binny has made a decision to step down."

However, the company did not disclose the nature of the allegations levelled against Binny Bansal. Sources told Business Today the complaint was filed in July by one of the ex-employees of Flipkart, following which an inquiry was conducted by an independent law firm at the behest of Flipkart board. But, the news of the 37-year-old Flipkart Group CEO's exit came as a surprise to everyone, including the company employees. "Can't believe that Binny can be involved in any of this, which could amount to personal misconduct," said one of the employees, who did not wish to be named.

After Walmart's statement confirming Binny's resignation, he himself wrote an email to the company employees, assuring that he will continue to serve as the board member and will also remain a large shareholder in the company.

In an emotional email, Binny Bansal said he was contemplating stepping down from his current role for a while, and that his current decision was accelerated by "certain personal events" that have taken place in the past. "Events related to a claim of serious personal misconduct made against me, which was uncorroborated after a thorough investigation completed by an independent law firm. The allegations left me stunned and I strongly deny them," he said, without even disclosing the nature of these charges.

Binny further wrote: "The investigation, however, did bring to light lapses in judgment, particularly a lack of transparency, related to how I responded to the situation. These have been challenging times for my family and me."

Unlike Sachin Bansal, who exited with his 5.5 per cent stake in the company, Binny said he would stay invested in Flipkart. To soothe the nerves of the employees, the company board and Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy reached out to them through emails, and termed Binny's exit as "unfortunate and challenging for Binny, his family and Flipkart".

The board said there will not be changes to the existing structure, and Kalyan Krishnamurthy will continue to be the CEO of Flipkart group entities. Ananth Narayanan and Sameer Nigam will continue to remain the CEOs of Myntra and Jabong, and PhonePe, respectively. They both will work under Kalyan, who will report to the company.

Kalyan Krishnamurthy assured the company employees that it will be business as usual, going forward. "Flipkart's leadership position today was possible due to the years of hard work and collaboration between all stakeholders of the e-commerce ecosystem, particularly you, whose ingenuity and dedication have led us to become the market leader in India," he said, while assuring the employees that there will be no more changes to the existing structure.It is going to be 17 months since Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had first asked the banks to take the 12 big loan defaulters to National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and try under the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

The move which was perceived as a bold step was expected to tame the ballooning non-performing assets (NPAs) on the books of banks and revive the debt-ridden companies bringing in a responsible management. Has it achieved the desired results?

Of the 1198 bankrupt companies admitted for resolution, just 52 are being sold until September end. The liquidation process has started in 212 cases. There are 816 cases pending for resolution.

According to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India, the IBC allowed resolution time of 270 days are over in 238 cases. The current law allows a maximum 270 days for resolution- an initial 180 days and an extra 90 days extension on case by case basis. By September end, 158 cases had crossed initial deadline of 180 days.

One reason for the delays is that the government has made many changes in the law through two amendments. There are lengthy legal proceedings due to complications in defining the law. The lack of sufficient resources in terms of insolvency professionals, judicial benches and technical experts at NCLT is another issue.

In September, finance minister Arun Jaitley said that the banks would recover Rs 1.8 lakh crore from overall NPAs through insolvency and other resolution mechanisms. The overall NPA so far would come around Rs 10 lakh crore.

The court initiated resolution process in the 12 companies, which together had an outstanding claim of Rs 3.45 lakh crore, soon after and four companies have been handed over to the new promoters-Electrosteel Steels to Vedanta; Bhushan Steel to Tata Steel; Monnet Ispat to JSW Steel; and Amtek Auto to Liberty House.

The financial creditors had an admitted claim of Rs 13,175 crore in Electrosteel, but the deal with Vedanta fetched just 40.38 per cent of the claim at Rs 5,320 crore. In Amtek, the claim was Rs 12,605 crore, but the realisation was Rs 4334 crore, 34.38 per cent.

The lowest was in Monnet, the Rs 2,892 crore deal was just 26.26 per cent of the admitted claim. But Bhushan had the highest realisation of 63.50 per cent as the deal was Rs 35,571 crore against the claim of Rs 56,022 crore.

NCLT had ordered to liquidate Lanco Infratech and Jyoti Structures, which are in the first list of 12 cases. The remaining six cases are still in the lengthy court proceedings. For Essar Steel, the lenders backed the Rs 42,000 crore repayment plan of ArcelorMittal.

However, the erstwhile promoters, the Ruia family had submitted a Rs 54,000 crore bid recently to get back control of the steel company. The plan involved repaying all lenders and operational creditors in full. They said the submission had been made under Section 12A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), which allows companies to be withdrawn from the resolution process.

In the initial round of bidding, another firm Bhushan Power and Steel (BPSL) received bids of Rs 11,000 crore from JSW Steel, Rs 17,000 crore from Tata Steel and Rs 18,500 crore from Liberty House. JSW subsequently revised its bid to Rs 19,700 crore, which has now won the lenders' approval.

But Tata Steel recently alleged that lenders have violated orders of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) by allowing JSW to change the basic parameters of its bid three times after the deadline. In the other four cases-Jaypee Infratech, Era Infra Engineering, Alok Industries and ABG Shipyard-the resolution process is on but there is no clarity yet on whether they will be sold to anyone.

Outside the big 12 cases, the lenders of Ruchi Soya had approved the Rs 6,000-crore bid of Adani Wimar in June but the deal is not yet concluded. Similarly, the Binani Cement case is also pending.The storm over the controversial Rafale deal has strengthened with Dassault Aviation's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eric Trappier categorically dismissing the allegations made by Congress Party president Rahul Gandhi earlier this month that he lied about the details of the Dassault-Reliance Joint Venture (JV) for offset contracts. "I don't lie. The truth I declared before and the statements I made are true. I don't have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO, you don't lie," Trappier said in an interview to ANI.

On November 2, Gandhi had fired a fresh salvo alleging that Dassault paid Rs 284 crore as "first instalment of kickbacks" to Anil Ambani's company and that the French firm was covering up for possible cronyism in awarding the offset deal to the Reliance Group. During the press conference, Gandhi had added that Dassault invested Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company promoted by Anil Ambani which was used to procure land in Nagpur.

However, Trappier claimed that there was no pressure to choose Ambani's firm. "We chose Ambani by ourselves. We already have 30 partners other than Reliance. The IAF is supporting the deal because they need the fighter jets for their own defence to be at the top," he added.

Instead, the Dassault chief focussed its long history with India and the Congress party. "We have a long experience with the Congress party. Our first deal was with India in 1953 with Nehru and other prime ministers. We have been working with India. We are not working for any party. We are supplying strategic products like fighters to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian government. That's what is most important," Trappier said.

When pressed to explain the choice of a partner with no prior experience in manufacturing jets, Trappier said, "We are not putting the money in Reliance. The money is going into the JV (Dassault-Reliance). Engineers and workers from Dassault are taking the lead as far as the industrial part of the deal is concerned."

Trappier added that for the time being, they have already put Rs 40 crore to start the work in the hanger and to pay workers and employees, which will be increased to Rs 800 crore gradually. "When we created the JV last year, decision of creating a JV was part of our agreement in 2012, but we waited for contract to be signed. We are supposed to put in this company together about 800cr as 50:50. Shares in the JV are 49% for Dassault and 51% for Reliance," he said.

(Edited by Sushmita Choudhury Agarwal)Cleaning trains in seven minutes flat and passengers with minimum baggage are what Indian railway officials are hoping to replicate in the country's bullet train project to ensure the famous clinical efficiency of Japan's Shinkansen trains.

Indian officials said the technology apart, the calm efficiency of workforce in Japan was the reason behind the reliability of its high speed network. They are hoping that the 300-odd employees, to be sent to Japan for training, will bring back these lessons for use at home.

"It was amazing how it took the cleaning crew exactly seven minutes to clean up the train. Everything here is precise, with no extra movements. One can hardly see any passenger with more than one bag or anyone using the overhead luggage storage space.

"It is this that we want to replicate because it ensures minimum waste of time whether in boarding or de-boarding," said Brijesh Dixit General Manager, National High Speed Rail Corporation which is implementing the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

Speaking on the sidelines of the International High Speed Rail Association conference here, Dixit said Indians needed to replicate this attitude.

"They truly challenge the limits of what a human being can do. We need to create this attitude in India. Our officials who are being trained in Japan are closely studying these aspects and hopefully they will help replicate this discipline in India," said Dixit.

Passengers on board Shinkansen trains, which are called bullet trains in India, mostly travel with just their handbags. They queue up in time before the train arrives and let those on board alight first.

The cleaning crew on the high speed trains are called the 'seven minute miracle workers' - of the 12 minutes in which a train is supposed to be in and out of the platform, two minutes are designated for passengers to alight and three more for waiting group to get aboard, leaving only seven minutes in between for cleaning.

"India should immediately begin training its workforce and create a support system for their high speed project. The success of the Japanese network is not just because of the technology, but also because of its people.

"It is dependent on its workers who clean the train, however dirty it is in seven minutes, or the drivers who at the cost of being laughed at shout out their every move to increase their efficiency.

"Even the passengers who travel with just their handbags are to be credited for it as they can get in and out of trains with ease. India has to adopt this to succeed," Professor Roderick Smith of Imperial College London who is also the Chair of the Future Railway Research Centre told PTI.

Smith points out that in Japan it is a rare sight to see passengers dragging luggage while on the streets or in trains.

They use the one of its kind system, 'takkyubin' where a customer's luggage is picked up and dropped at pre-decided destinations at their convenience. There are pick up services even for the airport, Smith said.

"Sometimes, if the person is not at home, the package is delivered to the nearest convenience store where it can be picked up. It's of course completely reliable. In your country as in mine, systems such as these needs to be developed to ensure that the benefits of high speed trains are maximised," said Smith.

The over-all system ensures that the average delay in running Shinkansen trains in Japan is around 60 seconds, including the delays incurred during natural calamities.The answer to the ticklish question of whether the government of India favoured Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence in the Rafale deal lies somewhere hidden in the government's claim before the Supreme Court that the Indian Negotiating Team (INT) held 74 meetings to discuss the Rafale deal between May, 2015 and April, 2016. Forty eight of those were INT's internal meetings while 26 meetings were held with the French counterpart Director General of Armament, ministry of defense, government of France.

It would be near impossible to fabricate such a vast record of meetings and discussions as well as minutes of meetings at both the Indian and French end. As this would not just involve record of presence and discussions but also travel records of all those part of the INT. Once the SC calls the minutes of these meetings and examines them, it would have enough evidence to decide whether Anil Ambani was favoured in the deal or not.

This flies in the face of opposition's claim that the government bypassed all processes in the Rafale deal and that the deal was allegedly done at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to favour Anil Ambani.

The INT was led by the Deputy Chief of Air Staff of Indian Air Force and its other members included joint secretary and acquisition manager (Air), joint secretary (defence offset management wing), joint secretary & additional financial advisor, finance manager (Air), advisor (cost) and assistant chief of air staff (plans).

"...the INT undertook a collegiate process involving due deliberations and diligence at various levels during the negotiations. Aspects pertaining to the responsibility and obligations of French government, pricing, delivery schedule, maintenance terms, offsets, IGA terms, etc. were discussed and negotiated during these meetings," says the Centre's submission before India's apex court.

The proposal for procurement of the 36 fighters in fly-away condition was presented thrice before the DAC (Defence Advisory Council) between August 28 and September 1, 2015 and then on January 11 and July 14, 2016 to approve different aspects of the deal. The INT's report was finalised and signed on July 21, 2016 and was submitted on August 4, 2016.

Defence ministry then undertook inter-ministerial consultations with the finance ministry and the ministry of law and justice before putting it before the Cabinet Committee of Security on August 24, 2016. The inter-governmental agreement was signed on September 23, 2016 by the Raksha Mantri and French Defence Minister. This submission challenges the opposition's claim that the then defence minister Manohar Parrikar was informed about the deal post-facto.

With the government finally relenting on Monday on its stand that it can't share pricing details by submitting pricing details in a sealed envelope, the ball is now in the SC's court as it now has all possible details to decide on the crucial case that has become a political hot potato. Only, the question is, why did it take so long for the government to disclose the process in detail!Telecom regulator TRAI on Monday issued a long-awaited consultation paper to debate whether Over-The-Top (OTT) services, including Whatsapp and Skype, should be brought under the regulatory regime. The discussion paper titled 'Regulatory Framework for Over The Top Communications Services' is aimed at analysing and discussing "changes that may be required in the current regulatory framework to govern these entities; and the manner in which such changes should be effected", a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) statement said.

OTT services refer to applications and services that are accessible over the Internet and ride on an operator's network. Skype, Viber, WhatsApp and Hike are some examples of popular and widely-used OTT services.

TRAI has asserted that the scope of its current consultation would be regulatory issues and economic concerns pertaining to those OTT services that are "same or similar" to the services provided by telecom service providers (TSPs).

The regulator has sought the industry's views on which OTT services should be regarded as the same or similar to those offered by telecom operators, and if "substitutability" should be the main criteria for comparison of regulatory or licensing rules applicable to TSPs and OTT service providers.

It has also asked whether "regulatory or licensing imbalance" is impacting telecom network investments especially required for capacity expansions and technology upgradations, and how OTT service providers can participate in infusing investment in the telecom networks.

"Would inter-operability among OTT services and also inter-operability of their services with TSPs services promote competition and benefit the users," the TRAI consultation paper said, asking stakeholders to state measures that can be taken to promote competition.

TRAI has also asked if there are issues surrounding lawful interception of OTT communication that need to be resolved in the interest of national security and whether responsibilities of OTT service providers and TSPs should be distinct.

TRAI has asked if there is an issue of "non-level playing field" between OTT providers and TSPs giving same or similar services and sought suggestions on whether regulatory or licensing norms should be imposed on OTT service providers to fix such regulatory imbalance.

Telecom companies in India have long been demanding that OTT players be brought in the ambit of the regulatory framework, as they offer similar services without attached licencing obligations, conditions and levies (such as licence fee). In addition, telecom operators also have to abide by stringent service quality benchmarks and invest in networks and infrastructure.

However, OTTs argue that a regulatory regime for them would stifle innovation.

"The objective of this consultation paper is to analyse and discuss the implications of the growth of OTTs; the relationship between OTT players and TSPs; the similarity, if any, between services provided by the TSPs and OTT players...," TRAI said.

When contacted, industry body COAI said that it is in the process of examining the consultation paper. Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) Director General Rajan Mathews told PTI that the association will come out with its detailed response in a few days after the members discuss the nuances of the OTT consultation paper.

Asked if TRAI's latest move has come as a relief to the COAI which has been flagging the absence of level playing field between OTTs and TSPs, Mathews said the consultation paper is useful and hoped that it would lead to "equitable solution" in terms of "same service same rules" as is being demanded by telecom players.

TRAI has asked the industry to give its views on various issues raised in the consultation paper by December 10, 2018, and counter comments by December 24, 2018.RBI Governor Urjit Patel, during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, discussed major issues of friction that erupted between the government and the central bank in the recent past. The meeting bears significance as both the RBI and the PMO are at loggerhead on various issues, including the surplus size of cash reserves and the autonomy of the RBI.

However, this could be a sign of thaw between the two sides. Government sources told India Today TV that both Patel and Modi discussed various points of friction last Friday, and that the RBI might agree to some demands of the central government. Earlier reports suggested the RBI Governor could resign at the central bank's next board meeting on November 19. Patel was handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Raghuram Rajan's term ended in 2016.

The spat had come out in the open after RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya's fiery speech, in which he warned that undermining the central bank's independence could be "potentially catastrophic". Government officials were left unhappy with Acharya's speech. Following this, the Finance Minister blamed the RBI for its lending spree between 2008 and 2014 that left banks with huge debts. His remark only inflamed the ongoing row between the RBI and the government.

Adding another layer to this conflict, RBI board member S Gurumurthy also wrote a letter to Urjit Patel, complaining about Acharya's speech. While refusing to divulge the contents of the letter, Gurumurthy said Acharya went public without discussing issues in the board meeting. There has been a long-running tug of war between the government and the RBI on whether the bank should part with some of its reserves to fund the country's fiscal deficit.

The government, however, last week clarified that it is not seeking transfer of Rs 3.6-lakh crore reserves from the RBI and the only proposal under discussion is to fix appropriate economic capital framework of the central bank. "Lot of misinformed speculation is going around in media. Government's fiscal math is completely on track. There is no proposal to ask RBI to transfer Rs 3.6 or 1 lakh crore, as speculated," Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg tweeted. The RBI board is likely to discuss the capital framework and other issues at its meeting scheduled to be held on November 19.

Edited by Manoj SharmaThe Sun Pharma stock closed lower in trade today after the drug major reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 218.82 crore for the July-September quarter on account of a Rs 1,214-crore provision for the settlement of the Modafinil antitrust case in the US. It reported a net profit of Rs 912.12 crore for the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

The stock was the top Sensex loser with a cut of 4.72% or 27.85 points to 561.70 level. On Nifty too, the stock was the top loser falling 4.75% to 561.50 level. The stock has been losing for the last two days and has fallen 5.74% during the period. It hit an intra day low of 556.05, down 5.68%.

The large cap stock has lost 1.59% since the beginning of this year and gained 5.48% during the last one year.

The stock is trading below its 50 day moving average of 595.90 and 200 day moving average of 570.38.

Its market capitalisation at the end of trade stood at Rs 1.34 lakh crore.

14 of 36 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or 'outperform', 13 "hold", six "underperform" and three "sell", according to analysts' recommendations tracked by Reuters.

After accounting for the provision of Rs 1,214 crore for the estimated settlement amount payable to all the remaining plaintiffs related to the Modafinil antitrust litigation in the US, the net loss for the quarter was at Rs 219 crore, it added.

The company had entered into settlement with some complainants in the antitrust case last year.

Consolidated revenue from operations of the company stood at Rs 6,846.48 crore for the quarter ended September 2018 compared to Rs 6,590.06 crore for the corresponding quarter of previous fiscal.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries business segments include US business, Indian branded generics business, emerging markets, global consumer healthcare business and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). Its rest of world segment includes Western Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other markets.

The company offers its products to therapy areas, such as cardiology, neuro-psychiatry, gastroenterology, anti-infective, diabetology and dermatology.

The company's products include AB PHYLLINE, ABZORB DUSTING POWDER, ACAMPROL, ACOSTIN 3 MIU, ACOSTIN FORTE and AB PHYLLINE SR 200. Its manufacturing units are situated in India, the United States and Brazil, among others.(Eds: Updates with fresh incident involving AI pilot) Mumbai, Nov 11 (PTI) Air India Sunday grounded its chief of operations Captain A K Kathpalia after he allegedly failed to clear pre-flight alcohol test, while another AI flight was delayed by over six hours after a pilot "forgot" to undergo the mandatory breath analyser test, airline sources said.Kathpalia was to operate the airline's London-New Delhi flight on Sunday afternoon.Air India had to call another pilot to replace him and operate the flight (AI-111), which departed after a delay of 55 minutes, causing inconvenience to passengers, an airline source said."We have grounded Capt A K Kathpalia as he failed twice in the breath analyser test. He was to operate the London flight from New Delhi, but he failed to clear the pre- flight alcohol test," the source said."He was given another chance, but the second test was also found positive following which he was grounded," he said.Air India spokesperson was not available for comments, but the Ministry of Civil Aviation has directed the government-run airline to take appropriate action in the matter.The ministry, in a tweet, said Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu has asked AI to take appropriate action in the matter.Meanwhile, a Bangkok-bound AI flight from New Delhi with over 200 passengers on board was delayed by over six hours Sunday after one of its pilots "forgot" to undertake the mandatory breath analyser test and returned to the Indira Gandhi International Airport, another airline source said."The flight departed from New Delhi for Bangkok almost on time at around 0200 hours but soon the pilot announced that the aircraft is returning to Delhi due to a technical snag. "After landing, they refuelled the plane but for hours together there was no word from the airline about the flights departure," said a passenger.The flight finally took off at around 0845 hours, the source added.AI spokesperson could not be contacted for comments, but a senior Air India official said the pilot missed the test by "error"."He (the co-pilot) missed it (breath analyser test) by error. He realised his mistake and returned," the official said.The co-pilot involved in the incident has been grounded for three months as per the DGCA rules for skipping the pre-flight alcohol test, the source said.Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from partaking any alcoholic drink 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him/her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight.The prescribed punishment for such offences under the DGCA rules is suspension of flying licence for three months in case of first breach.For violating the norms for a second time, the licence is suspended for three years and for a third time, the licence is permanently cancelled.Earlier, Kathpalia's flying licence was suspended in 2017 for three months by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for allegedly skipping the breath analyser test before a flight. He was subsequently removed from the post of executive director, operations.However, he was later appointed to the post of director (operations) in Air India Ltd for a period of five years.A senior official at the DGCA said a decision on Kathpalia's flying licence is expected to be taken on Monday. PTI IAS GK RSY ABHABHChandigarh, Nov 12 (PTI) Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar Monday denied arranging any meeting between former Punjab Chief Minister and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Kumar also denied having ever met Sirsa headquartered Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is currently serving a 20-year jail term in a rape case. Kumar issued the denial a day after the SIT, probing the 2015 police firings at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura in Faridkot at mobs protesting the state-wide sacrilege incidents, summoned him along with former Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.It has come to my knowledge that some rumours and false statements are being loosely made on social media about my involvement with a person named Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the context of a fictitious meeting involving Sukhbir Singh Badal, Akshay tweeted Monday.With all humility, I would like to state the following facts. I have never ever met Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in my life, anywhere. I learnt from social media at some point that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh resided for a while at some place in my locality Juhu in Mumbai but we never crossed each other's paths, Akshay said on micro-blogging site.Over the years, I have dedicatedly made films, promoting the Punjabi culture and the rich history and tradition of Sikhism through films like Singh is King, Kesari (based on the battle of Saragarhi) etc. I am proud of being a Punjabi and have the highest regard for the Sikh faith. I shall never do anything that would even remotely hurt the sentiments of my Punjabi brothers and sisters for whom I have the utmost respect and love," tweeted Kumar."My statement above is the utmost and absolute truth. I challenge anyone who can prove it otherwise, he added.Actor Kumar's name figures in the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report on the sacrilege incidents. The report was tabled in Punjab assembly in August.The report claimed Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had met former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal at the actor's flat in Mumbai in 2015 in connection with the release of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect head's movie 'MSG'.The meeting was allegedly held before the Dera chief was pardoned in a blasphemy case.The movie MSG could not be released in Punjab in September 2015 because of an edict by the Akal Takht against it.Akshay Kumar, however, had denied having met Dera Sacha Sauda sect head even then. SIT member Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, an inspector general of Punjab police, has issued separate summonses to the Prakash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Akshay Kumar on behalf of the SIT.While the senior Badal has been asked to appear before the Punjab Police SIT on November 16, the junior one has been summoned on November 19. Akshay Kumar has been asked to appear before the SIT on November 21. The three have to report to the SIT at the Amritsar circuit house.IGP Singh said the summonses relate to the investigation of cases involving various incidents of sacrilege in 2015. The summonses have been issued under the section 160 of the CrPC, requiring the attendance for investigation, relating to the Bargari sacrilege case and the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura police firing incidents.The summonses say, "The presence of the aforesaid person is necessary for the purpose of inquiry into the above-mentioned offence and the person summoned needed to give such information relating to the said alleged offence as he may possess. PTI CHS VSD RAXRAXHyderabad, Nov 12 (PTI) Taking a dig at some BJP-ruledstates over their "name-changing spree", AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi targeted BJP president Amit Shah, saying his surname was a Persian word and wondered if it would be changed. He was addressing an election campaign here Sunday evening for the December 7 assembly polls."Shah is a Persian word...will they change it or not... don't know," the Hyderabad MP said. According to officials, the NDA-led Centre has given consent to the renaming of at least 25 towns and villages across India in the past one year. Allahabad and Faizabad in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh are the latest additions to the growing list of places that have been renamed.On the BJP's proposal in its election manifesto to distribute one lakh cows free of cost every year, Owaisi wanted to know whether the party would give him a cow."They have to give and it is my responsibility. Indeed, Iwill respect it. But first tell me, will you give me a cow or not?" he said. Owaisi said his enquiries showed that a cow ate 16 kg offodder per day.He reasoned that if one lakh cows were to be given, 16 lakh kg fodder would be required per day, and asked thegathering from where could this be arranged. "Now they will tell I gave an inflammatory speech. I amtelling a fact. First of all fodder is not available and farmers are worried."But you (BJP) will not speak. We know what you want to do. You only want to spread hatred and when the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) exposes it, they feel pain," Owaisi alleged.On the BJP president's call to create 'MIM muktHyderabad', Owaisi said Shah should remember that "from Telangana, we will free BJP and also Congress". PTI VVK APR SRY(Eds: Adds identity of soldier) Jammu, Nov 11 (PTI) An Army soldier was killed Sunday by a Pakistani sniper along the Line of Control in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said, the third fatal casualty due to sniping from across the border in three days.The soldier, manning a forward post in Kalal area of Noushera sector, was shot by a Pakistani sniper, resulting in his death, they said.Naik Gosavi Keshav Somgir (29), belonged to village Sri Rampur of Nashik district of Maharashtra, a defence spokesman said. Somgir is survived by wife Yashoda Gosavi."Pakistan Army resorted to an unprovoked ceasefire violation in Noushera sector on the Line of Control at about 1445 hours resulting in critical injuries to Somgir due to fire from across the border and succumbed to gunshot wound injuries," the spokesman said in a statement.He said Somgir had served in the Army for 10 years and his death would not "go in vain"."The nation will always remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty," he said.He said Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively on Pakistan Army posts.On Saturday, a soldier was killed after he was hit by a sniper in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district.Rifleman Varun Kattal, 21, a resident of Mawa-Rajpura area of Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, was shot dead by a Pakistani sniper in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district, triggering an exchange of fire between the two sides which also left two BSF personnel injured.An Army portar lost his life in a similar attack in Akhnoor sector a day earlier.On October 21, three soldiers of Jammu and Kashmir light infantry regiment and two heavily-armed infiltrators, believed to be members of the Border Action Team (BAT) of the Pakistani army, and terrorists, were killed in Sunderbani sector.On November 6, a soldier was injured when he was hit by a sniper from across the border at Kalal in Noushera sector of Rajouri, while a BSF jawan was injured in a separate incident of firing by Pakistan along the LoC in the Manjakote area of the Rajouri-Poonch sector Friday.The number of ceasefire violations this year by Pakistan has been the highest in the past eight years.The first seven months of this year saw 52 deaths and 232 people getting injured in 1,435 ceasefire violations in the state, according to an RTI reply by the Home Ministry. PTI TAS SNE ABHABHJammu, Nov 12 (PTI) A sector commander-level meeting between the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers Monday resolved to maintain peace along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.The development comes amid heightened tension in the wake of a series of sniper attacks in which three soldiers and an Army porter have lost their lives since Friday."A sector commander-level meeting was held between the Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers in the Suchetgarh area from 1100 hours to 1200 hours," a BSF spokesman said.He said the BSF delegation comprising 18 officers was led by Deputy Inspector General, Jammu sector, P S Dhiman and Sector Commander, Chenab Rangers, Sialkote Punjab, Brig. Amjad Mehmud headed the Pakistan delegation comprising 14 officers. It was the first sector commander-level meeting between the two border guarding forces after tensions escalated in September when the body of a missing BSF jawan was found in a mutilated condition following a ceasefire violation along the IB in Samba district."During the meeting, the commanders of the border guarding forces, inter alia, discussed various issues including firing on the IB, presence of suspects in border areas and other routine issues related to border management," the spokesman said.He said it was decided to re-energize instant communication between field commanders, whenever required, to resolve petty matters."The meeting was held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere and the two sides agreed for expeditious implementation of the decisions taken at the earlier meeting and committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity at the IB," the spokesman said. PTI TAS GVS(Eds: Updating with more quotes) Bhopal, Nov 12 (PTI) The reference to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the Congress's manifesto continued to be at the centre of an acrimonious spat between the opposition party and the ruling BJP in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh Monday.While, earlier in the day, state Congress chief Kamal Nath accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "distorting" the RSS reference in his party's manifesto to divert public attention, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hit back, claiming that the opposition party was "nursing an ego".Speaking at Khargone Monday evening, Chouhan said, "The RSS is an organisation of patriots and every nationalist and government staffer can attend its shakhas. The Congress is nursing an ego."He added that he had lifted the ban (restricting government staffers) on attending RSS shakhas.Earlier at Khargone, the Congress's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Jyotiraditya Scindia, said religion should not be mixed with politics."Our intention is that politics should be kept away from religion. This is our old line of thinking. The Congress, (in order) to see that no government employee joins a political organisation, has raised the issue in its Vachan Patra (manifesto)," he said.Speaking at Khargone, state BJP chief Rakesh Singh took a swipe at senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, without naming him, by saying that the opposition party spoke about banning the RSS, while calling terrorist Osama bin Laden "Osamaji".At Indore, the BJP's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Anurag Thakur, said, "The ancestors of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, despite holding big posts at the Centre, could not ban the RSS. So, how can his (Gandhi's) party fulfil its poll promise in Madhya Pradesh? The Congress should stop bothering about the RSS."Earlier in the day, Nath said, "The BJP is intentionally fanning the RSS issue to divert people's attention from the public welfare issues mentioned in our Vachan Patra (document of pledges). In our manifesto, we have not said the RSS will be banned, nor do we have any such intention."He asserted that neither the party nor he himself had said the RSS would be banned.The Congress manifesto, released Saturday, under a head titled "Administrative Reforms", reads, "The holding of RSS shakhas on government premises would be banned and the order regarding the relaxation given to public servants to attend those will be revoked."The Congress government had banned RSS activities on government premises in Madhya Pradesh in 1981. The ban was revived in 2000 by then chief minister Digvijay Singh under the Civil Services Conduct Rule, senior journalist Rakesh Dixit said.Thereafter, he said, the ban continued under BJP chief ministers Uma Bharti and Babulal Gaur, before incumbent Chief Minister Chouhan lifted it in September 2006, describing the RSS as a "socio-cultural organisation and not a political outfit"."The BJP is trying to put words in our mouth. The RSS is free to hold its shakhas (classes) except on government premises. People will decide whether the RSS is a cultural or political organisation. We do not want to get into it," Nath clarified.The Congress leader accused the BJP of intentionally trying to create confusion so that the "people-friendly" points in the Congress manifesto were ignored."The public is intelligent, it will not get carried away with such tactics," he said.The Chhindwara MP said the Congress had incorporated the RSS issue in its manifesto after getting reports that the shakhas being held in tribal hostels and other government schools were hampering studies.On the Ram temple issue, he said the BJP raised it whenever polls drew close."Where was the BJP for the last four-and-a-half years? When elections are round the corner and six months are left for it (the 2019 Lok Sabha polls), the BJP is remembering the Ram temple," Nath said, adding that the saffron party was running a smear campaign claiming that the Congress was against the (building of) Ram temple."This (the RSS point in the Congress manifesto) is not an issue. I know (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (BJP president) Amit Shah very well. They turn a non-issue into an issue," Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil told reporters here.On Sunday, in a hurriedly-convened press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra had claimed that the Congress believed in "mandir nahin banane denge, shakha nahin lagne denge (won't allow the temple, won't allow shakhas)"."These are the very people who had earlier said Lord Ram did not exist, that he was a mythical character. That is why they were opposed to the construction of the Ram temple," he had said.The 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly will go to the polls on November 28 and the results will be announced on December 11. PTI LAL BNM RCBy Rajesh Rai Stockholm, Nov 12 (PTI) Air India plans to operate four direct flights every week between New Delhi and the Swedish capital from next year, a senior official of the national carrier said Monday. Air India presently operates three direct flights to Stockholm every week. "We are operating presently only thrice weekly to India ... and in the forthcoming year we intend to make this thrice weekly into the fourth flight. This will hopefully happen by the summer schedule because the response has been tremendous," said Sangeeta Sanyal, country manager Sweden, Air India at the india Sweden Business Day event organised by India Unlimited. Sanyal also expressed hope that by 2020 Air India would be having daily flights to Stockholm.Last year, she added, was very successful with over 75 per cent of occupancy in the flights operated by Air India.Air India launched direct flights to Stockholm in August last year, making the Swedish capital its tenth such destination in Europe.It offers thrice a week service from Delhi to Stockholm with flights every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. PTI RR MRMRMumbai, Nov 11 (PTI) Kubbra Sait has come forward in support of her "Sacred Games" co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui, after former Miss India Niharika Singh called him out in her #MeToo account.Niharika's story was shared on Twitter by Sandhya Menon, one of the journalists spearheading India campaign against sexual harassment.Niharika worked in 2009's "Miss Lovely" opposite Nawazuddin.In the post, the actor said she and Nawazuddin came close during the making of the film. Niharika said she developed a soft corner for him finding him "real, after all the superficial 'filmy' interactions I'd had in the past years".She revealed one morning she invited the "Manto" actor to her home for breakfast and he grabbed her."I tried to push him away but he wouldn't let go. After a little coercion, I finally gave in. I wasn't sure what to make of this relationship," she added.The two started dating but according to Niharika she decided to split with Nawazuddin because of his frequent lies. The former model also called Nawazuddin a "sexually repressed Indian man" in the post. Kubbra said one must not confuse a relationship gone sour with a #MeToo story."A relationship gone sour, isn't #MeToo. Someone needs to recognise the toxic difference before we go picking sides. I stand by #NawazuddinSiddiqui or #Nowaz as a man."I stand by the fact that although Niharika Singh may have had a tough time in the industry, categorising her once personal relationship as a #MeToo statement is incorrectly placed. We as humans are flawed. That isn't gender specific," Kubbra wrote on Twitter Saturday.Nawazuddin is yet to comment on Niharika's allegations.Last year, Niharika, along with actor Sunita Rajwar, had called out Nawazuddin for "exploiting and disrespecting women" to sell his autobiography, which was later withdrawn by the publishers Penguin Random House. PTI RDS SHDSHDNew Delhi, Nov 12 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea challenging the Constitutional validity of Section 375 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) which deals with rape on the ground that the provision is not gender-neutral. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul said the issue raised in the petition is a subject matter of the legislature's domain."We are not inclined to interfere at this stage as the issues raised pertain to legislations to be made by the Parliament, for which adequate recommendations have already been made by the Law Commission," it said.It said that NGO 'Criminal Justice Society of India' "may seek such other remedy, as may be available in law" and disposed of the PIL. "The issue falls in the realm of the Parliament. We don't want to say anything on it right now", the bench said, while granting liberty to the petitioners to make a representation to the legislature. While Section 375 of the IPC deals with rape committed on a woman by a man, Section 376 lists out the punishment for the offence. The top court was hearing a petition filed by NGO Criminal Justice Society of India, through advocate Ashima Mandla, contending that Section 375 violates Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution as it does not account for rape of men and Transgender persons. The plea sought that the definition of rape under Section 375 be held "ultra vires" for being "discriminatory and violative of Articles 14 (right to equality), 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex...) and 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution". The petitioner has submitted that the section applies only to women as victims and men as perpetrators. It does not take into account non-consensual sexual assault inflicted on a woman by a woman, on a man by another man, on transgender by another transgender or a man or woman, on a man by a woman. The plea referred to the August 2017 order passed by a nine-judge bench of the top court that declared privacy as a fundamental right and also cited the NALSA judgment that recognised transgenders as the third gender. "It is imperative to note that transgenders including but not limited to homosexuals & bisexuals, and men are sequestered from the point of view of victims of rape under the existing penal laws of the country, despite an impending need for the same", the plea said. PTI SJK PKS ABA MNL RKS SATokyo, Nov 12 (AFP) Telecoms giant SoftBank will list shares in its Japanese mobile unit next month in a sale that could raise over $21 billion and be one of the biggest tech IPOs in years.The company said the initial public offering will take place in Tokyo on December 19 and it will offer 1.6 billion shares in its SoftBank Corp mobile unit at 1,500 yen ($13) each.That values the mobile unit at 7.18 trillion yen, and the IPO could be Japan's biggest-ever, local media said.The company had announced in February that it was going ahead with the IPO after media speculation about the plan.It said the listing would give the mobile unit "greater managerial autonomy to develop its own growth strategy." Under its CEO Masayoshi Son, SoftBank has transformed from a software giant and is increasingly seen as an investment firm, ploughing funds into a broad range of companies and projects outside its core business.Using the SoftBank Vision Fund, worth an estimated $100 billion, Son has taken stakes in some of the hottest firms in the tech sector, including Uber, Slack, WeWork and Nvidia. (AFP) AMSAMSNew Delhi, Nov 12 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal Monday said there was a need to find out a long-lasting solution to the problems of stubble burning and directed the chief secretaries of four states to appear before it to explain ways to prevent it.A bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, directed the Union Agriculture Secretary and chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to remain present on November 15 after applying due diligence and strategic planning for action to prevent crop burning.The green panel said it is open to the central government also to organise a meeting on the subject on the same day or any other convenient day.The tribunal said the government came out with a scheme called the "National Policy for Management of Crop Residue - 2014" which provided assistance to farmers by way of machinery and equipments to avoid stubble burning.However, despite the steps taken, the problem still subsists. "We make it clear that we do not intend to criticise the working of any of the states or the central government. We have perused the affidavits and reports from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, NCT of Delhi and also reports of the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. "The fact remains that the problem has not been fully tackled and the adverse impacts on the air quality and consequent impacts on the citizens' health and lives are undisputed. The problem is required to be resolved by taking all such measures as are possible in the interest of public health and environment protection," the bench said.It said that it was not considering the issue of adverse coercive measures like prosecution etc. for offences under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 or other applicable laws but it does not see any difficulty why such economic incentives should not be duly planned or executed. "We make it clear that the existing Minimum Support Price (MSP) Scheme must be so interpreted so as to enable the concerned states to wholly or partly deny the benefit of MSP to those who continue to burn the crop residue. "If any such disbursements have already been made with respect to this year's paddy crop, the same can be adjusted in the future. Such a scheme may be worked out and notified forthwith preferably by November 14 this year"The short time is being given on account of urgency of situation with regard to deteriorating air quality prevailing in NCT of Delhi and adjoining areas," the bench said.The green panel was hearing the matter after taking note of a news report published in an English daily titled, "All fiddle as crop stubble burns, farmers say solutions out of reach."The report had claimed that crop burning shoots up the carbon dioxide levels in the air by 70 per cent.It had said that every year in October, the air quality in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana plummets as farmers set the leftover stubble and loose straw on fire after paddy is harvested using combines. It had also claimed that over the last two years, the central and state governments have devised a number of measures to prevent crop burning from slapping fines on farmers to subsidising equipment that allow seeds of the next wheat crop to be planted with the stubble still on the fields.The tribunal had earlier directed the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture to submit a status report within six weeks on providing infrastructural assistance to farmers to stop them from burning crop residue to prevent air pollution.It had asked the official to take feedback from the authorities concerned on steps taken to enforce the directions of the tribunal, including providing machinery to poor and marginal farmers.The Punjab government had earlier faced the wrath of the tribunal for not taking effective steps to provide financial assistance and infrastructure facility to farmers to encourage them not to burn agricultural residue in their fields.The green panel had said that three years had elapsed since its verdict in the Vikrant Tongad case, in which it had passed a slew of directions to stop crop burning, but the state government had shown a lethargic approach.It had said the Punjab government had also failed to tie up with any company, private or public, which could utilise the crop residue.The tribunal had directed Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh governments to convene a meeting to work out a clear mechanism on transportation and use of stubble as fuel in power plants. PTI PKS SJK KJKorean auto major Hyundai Motor is all set up to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government to invest Rs 7,000 crore to increase its production at Sriperumbudur facility.

Managing Director and CEO, Y K Koo, vice-president (corporate affairs), B C Datta and assistant vice president (Finance) N Ramesh of Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswamy at the Secretariat on Monday.

Datta said, "This Rs 70 billion project means increased production capacity, new model launch and powertrain, altogether. We have the MoU signing in January with Tamil Nadu Government," reported Business Standard. He added that the additional investment would create 700 new jobs.

Datta told that the objective of the meeting was to explain the new investment plans to the chief minister and request government's support through tax incentive, water and power for the expansion work. He added HMIL would sign MOU with the state government at the Global Investors Meet scheduled in January 2019.

With the new investments, the company's production capacity in the Sriperumbudur facility would increase from 700,000 units per year to 800,000 units, including 50,000 completely built-up units and another 50,000 completely knocked down (CKD) units. The investment also proposed to start manufacturing electric vehicles within the next three years.

The company also exports its products to around 87 countries, including the Asia Pacific, Africa, Latin America, and Australia.

(Edited by Vivek Dubey)Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is all set to launch the Lite version of its premium Mi Mix 3 flagship today. The company hasn't specifically mentioned the name of the device but the tech enthusiasts believe that it is going to be a cheaper or 'Lite' version of Xiaomi's Mi Mix 3. Lite version is usually the toned down version and comes with the budget specifications.

Xiaomi's Mi Mix 3 Lite is expected to come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 System on Chip (SoC) together with 4GB / 6GB RAM options and will take on Lenovo's Z Pro, a slider phone.

Xiaomi made the announcement of the new device via its official Weibo account and posted a picture stating that it will be coming out with the 'Youth' centric Smartphone.

This will be a second youth centric Smartphone after the Company launched Mi 8 Youth Edition. It was based on Xiaomi's Mi8 flagship. The Mix 3 Lite version is expected to have a 24-megapixel front-facing camera and a dual camera with 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor.

Earlier, Xiaomi had launched Mi 8 in the European market. The phone came packed with the 6.21 inch Super AMOLED notched display with over 83 per cent screen to body ratio. The touchscreen display had a resolution of 1080 x 2248 pixels. The phone internals had a super-powerful Snapdragon 845 based on 10 nanometer chipset with 6 GB or 8 GB RAM options. In comparison the Mi Mix 3 was launched last month in October. It had 6.39-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 2340 pixels. Mi Mix 3's Octa core processor comes with only a 6 GB RAM option at the moment. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Mi Mix 3 has a 12-megapixel (f/1.8, 1.4-micron) primary shooter and a 12-megapixel (f/2.4, 1-micron) secondary camera on the rear. On the front, it has a 24-megapixel (1.8-micron) primary camera and a 2-megapixel secondary camera.

The Xiaomi hasn't yet declared the India price or its availability yet but experts believe that the phone will be priced between Rs. 17,000- Rs. 20,000.

(Edited by Udit Verma)Apple has appointed Nokia's Chief Customer Operations Officer (CCOO) Ashish Chowdhary as operation head for India to oversee the sales function. Chowdhary had joined Nokia in 2003 and will take responsibilities in Apple from January 2019.

Apple CEO Tim Cook had recently said how the company has a "long-term focus on the market" in India. Chowdhary, replacing the company's current India operations head Michel Coulomb could be a move in this direction.

Over the last few months, Apple has lost major market share to new players like OnePlus. The company's market share in India has decreased to just 1 per cent, reports Hindustan Times.

Apple's decision to hire Chowdhary proves that the company is looking for long-term growth in a price-sensitive economy where its products are usually bought by those who have high spending capacity or can afford older generation phones for feasibility.

Nokia said, "Chowdhary will continue to lead Customer Operations and remain a member of the Nokia Group Leadership Team until the end of 2018. He will then leave Nokia to take a leadership position in another company."

Chowdhary holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Master's degree in Computer Science from the Emory University, Atlanta and an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from the University of Delhi in India.

Apple CEO Tim Cook had recently said that the weak rupee valuation had forced the company to increase prices of its devices in India.

Currently, Apple's core issue in India primarily revolves around pricing as the majority of the company's revenue is from older iPhone models like iPhone SE and iPhone 6S.

(Edited by Vivek Dubey)A new survey conducted by Jobs Expo Cork has found that 37% of jobseekers in Cork have considered leaving the city in order to secure employment.



The survey also illustrates the difficulties many of those are facing in finding a job close to home, with more than half (53%) of Cork job-seekers having applied for up to five jobs, a fifth applying for more than five jobs, and 11% having applied for more than 21 jobs.



While 37% have considered moving from Cork for work, a further 23% say they might consider moving in the future. Sixty six percent cited better employment opportunities (66%) as the main reason for moving, with 12% wanting to be closer to family and friends.

The survey was carried out in October, with 61% of the survey respondents originally from Cork; 19% were from elsewhere in Ireland and 20% from overseas.



Jobs Expo Cork is taking place on Saturday 17th November in Pairc Ui Chaoimh. As the leading jobs and careers event in Munster, it will feature some of the largest employers in Ireland and showcase hundreds of active job opportunities. It is a free event that will be of interest to anyone looking to meet leading employers in the region.



Speaking this week, Bronagh Cotter from Jobs Expo said, "Our survey results highlight some of the difficulties facing jobseekers in Cork in securing employment. People are often thinking about new employment options at this time of year, and events like Jobs Expo Cork allow them to access all kinds of useful information in one convenient location. Anyone attending will have the chance to speak directly to leading employers in the region and find out all everything they need to know to find the role that suits their requirements."

Source: www.businessworld.ieBausch Health Companies today announced it will invest to expand contact lens manufacturing capacity at its Bausch + Lomb sites in Waterford, Ireland and Rochester, N.Y. The Company is adding multiple production lines at these two sites to support the manufacture of its innovative daily disposable silicone hydrogel (SiHy daily) contact lenses.



It is expected that these site expansions will lead to the creation of more than 200 jobs over the next four years. Bausch Health currently employs approximately 1,350 people in Waterford and more than 1,000 people in Rochester.



Bausch Health has been working closely with the public and private sectors in support of the capacity expansions in both Waterford and Rochester. The investment in Ireland is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.



Welcoming the investment news, Minister for Business Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, said: I am delighted to see this investment which will result in a significant jobs boost for the South East. Bausch + Lomb is one of the best-known and most respected health care brands in the world, and I look forward to our mutually beneficial relationship continuing to develop even further in the years ahead.

Vice President, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Bausch + Lomb, Damain Finn added, "Rochester and Waterford have been collaborative partners for many decades, and both locations are now synonymous with innovation in the development and manufacture of contact lenses and eye health products that improve the quality of life for our customers. This investment will support the development of an important new line of contact lenses and represents a new chapter in the success story of collaboration and co-operation between the two sites."

Source: www.businessworld.iePrime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia doesn't have to choose between the United States and China. Photo: Ben Rushton/AFR

(AFR)  Australia would be willing to co-fund infrastructure projects with China, using its newly announced A$2 billion ($1.42 billion) package as leverage, if it helped with regional stability, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

Speaking to The Australian Financial Review before his departure to Singapore for the East Asia Summit, Morrison said Australia should not feel the need to choose between competing regional giants, the United States and China but, as John Howard did, seek to elevate both relationships in parallel.

The more stable the region is, the more prosperous the region is, he said.

Asked if that meant partnering in one-off projects as part of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, Morrison concurred, although he would not use the name the Chinese have given to their global infrastructure initiative.

We have always said we would consider individual projects on their own merits, Morrison said. We look at projects in their own right. However, others may describe them in any number of terms, we just look at an individual project and we consider that on its own merits.

Morrison will spend two days in Singapore at the summit before spending Friday in Darwin with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. On the weekend he will be in Port Moresby for the Australia-Pacific Economic and Co-operation (APEC) summit.

Rival initiative

Australia is increasingly having to navigate through rising tensions between the U.S. and China. On the weekend at APEC, a separate regional infrastructure initiative to rival Belt and Road and which involves Australia, the U.S. and Japan could announce projects.

On Monday, government finance agencies from the three countries met to formally agree on the joint financing initiative.

Americas Overseas Private Investment Corp., the Japan Bank for International Co-operation, and Australias Export Finance & Insurance Corp., to which Morrison gave another A$1 billion in funding last week, will work together on energy and other infrastructure projects that have national security implications.

Australias participation in this initiative will be separate from A$2 billion regional loans and grants fund that Morrison announced last week as part of the step-up into the south-west Pacific.

Morrison told the Financial Review the A$2 billion could be used to co-fund a venture with China or any other willing nation.

This can be used to leverage even bigger projects, he said.

Howard way

He said the ultimate goal was regional stability. Morrison said he would ape John Howard who proclaimed the simultaneous elevation of relationships with Beijing and Washington as one of his three top achievements in government.

In many respects youll see me try and take a similar approach to John, that shouldnt surprise you, he said.

He used to talk about that relationship and not having to choose but just understanding the differences in the nature of both relationships, Morrison said. As a sovereign nation, were going to have our own views on a range of things but we respect the views absolutely of those who may not share all beliefs with us. It means we can find areas of engagement we agree on and we dont take exception to other areas that are unrelated to things we are doing.

U.S. President Donald Trump will miss both summits but Vice President Mike Pence, who will represent the U.S., is talking tough against China ahead of his arrival.

We seek an Indo-Pacific  from the United States to India, from Japan to Australia, and everywhere in between  where sovereignty is respected, where commerce flows unhindered and where independent nations are masters of their own destinies, he wrote in The Washington Post. Authoritarianism and aggression have no place in the Indo-Pacific region.

This story was originally published in The Australian Financial Review.Comparisons of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative with the Marshall Plan are ubiquitous. But the insights to be gleaned from such comparisons are limited by confusion over what the Marshall Plan actually accomplished and how it accomplished it.

The Marshall Plans most visible accomplishments were its least important. U.S. funds contributed visibly to the reconstruction of Europes transport network, allowing the shipment of raw materials to factories and final goods to markets. But the problem with this story is that wartime damage to Europes transportation infrastructure was heavily cosmetic or easily repaired. This was the key lesson of Allied strategic bombing  that railways and bridges put out of commission one night could be put back into operation the next. While rail traffic in Western Europe was depressed immediately following World War II, it was back up to within a couple of percentage points of 1938 levels by 1947, well before the Marshall Plan came on stream.

The emphasis on transportation infrastructure is similarly evident in The Belt and Road Initiative. But the benefits are similarly limited. Transportation may be the key to unlocking trade and commercial development in landlocked Sub-Saharan African and Central Asian countries, but it is challenging to make this argument more generally. Ambitious projects like the port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka, Kenyas railway from Nairobi to Mombasa, and the Chinese-built road from Lusaka to Chirundu, in Zambia continue to disappoint.

It is difficult, similarly, to argue that the Marshall Plan was critical for aggregate investment and growth. At 2% of the recipient countries GDP spread over four years, it would have made only a relatively modest contribution even if the entirety of Marshall Plan funds went into investment, where in practice a substantial fraction paid for other things. The result was at most a quarter of a percentage point of additional growth per annum  helpful but not world altering.

Chinese investment in Africa similarly accounts for only a small fraction of the aggregate investment of the recipient countries. Again, the impact on growth operating through this channel is unlikely to exceed a fraction of a percentage point per annum.

Then there was the role of the Marshall Plan in providing energy and raw material inputs. This was another staple of Marshall-Plan publicity: colliers and freighters carrying raw materials and coal being unloaded at Europes docks. For select sectors and industries a case can be made: since Europe grew no cotton of its own it can be argued that Marshall-Plan funds relaxing the balance-of-payments constraint made a critical contribution to getting its cotton-textile industry back on its feet, for example. But there were also substitution possibilities: silk could be substituted for cotton, water power for coal. Again, therefore, the overall effects were small.

The connection today, in any case, runs in the other direction: the Belt and Road is designed to enhance Chinas access to imported energy and raw materials rather than the other way around. To the extent that these investments enhance the access of other countries to the Chinese market, the income effects are plausibly positive. But insofar as they increase the dependence of those countries on the production of natural resources, exposing them to the resource curse, they are a mixed blessing.

Finally the Marshall Plan financed visits by European managers to American firms, where they were able to see how production was organized and managed on the shop floor. One recent study of Italy finds that missions of European managers to the United States had a positive impact on firm sales and profitability.

In the current case, the flow of management has been heavily in the other direction, from China to countries receiving its investments. Chinese management practices have not been received favorably, to put an understated gloss on the point. The gap in managerial style between China and its foreign partners is evidently greater than that between the U.S. and Europe in the 1950s. Whether Chinese management practices can be productively transferred to other contexts is dubious at the least.

Where the Marshall Plan mattered most was in encouraging the recipients to implement economic reforms consistent with the preferences of the donor and, more importantly, with the maintenance of economic growth. European governments were required to balance budgets, stabilize exchange rates, and relax price and exchange controls  that is, to move in the direction of a market economy. They were required to reduce trade barriers. They were required to expel from government politicians and parties that opposed these policies and questioned the legitimacy of private property rights.

The resulting mixed economies still differed from the more free-wheeling market economy prevalent in the United States. But it nonetheless constituted a decisive move in the direction in the direction of the market economy, as opposed to the alternative paradigm of Soviet-style central planning.

Will the Belt and Road Initiative encourage the recipients to restructure their economies to more closely resemble Chinas? Chinas economic prowess, made more visible by Belt and Road investments, may encourage some governments to adopt elements of the Chinese model. Installation on the rooftops of African homes of satellite dishes capable of receiving television signals, prominently including Chinese programming, may have some impact on public opinion. But in contrast to the U.S. government after World War II, China has been reluctant to attach explicit policy conditions to its loans. There may be a populist reaction against light-touch regulation in the wake of the global financial crisis, but it is hard to imagine countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America and Africa jettisoning their market-oriented reforms in favor of Chinese-style central control.

That the Belt and Road Initiative will lead other countries to emulate the Chinese model thus seems unlikely on balance. More likely perhaps is that China itself will move in the other direction.

Barry Eichengreen is the George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Professor of Economics and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. His latest book is The Populist Temptation: Economic Grievance and Political Reaction in the Modern Era.Archive Nov 2021 (111) Oct 2021 (155) Sep 2021 (155) Aug 2021 (184) Jul 2021 (170) Jun 2021 (168) May 2021 (168) Apr 2021 (169) Mar 2021 (179) Feb 2021 (153) Jan 2021 (161) Dec 2020 (155) Nov 2020 (152) Oct 2020 (160) Sep 2020 (158) Aug 2020 (169) Jul 2020 (173) Jun 2020 (169) May 2020 (165) Apr 2020 (164) Mar 2020 (144) Feb 2020 (116) Jan 2020 (118) Dec 2019 (113) Nov 2019 (105) Oct 2019 (124) Sep 2019 (122) Aug 2019 (125) Jul 2019 (125) Jun 2019 (116) May 2019 (124) Apr 2019 (117) Mar 2019 (123) Feb 2019 (108) Jan 2019 (125) Dec 2018 (125) Nov 2018 (122) Oct 2018 (124) Sep 2018 (114) Aug 2018 (127) Jul 2018 (124) Jun 2018 (114) May 2018 (130) Apr 2018 (123) Mar 2018 (128) Feb 2018 (114) Jan 2018 (126) Dec 2017 (123) Nov 2017 (121) Oct 2017 (121) Sep 2017 (116) Aug 2017 (119) Jul 2017 (108) Jun 2017 (116) May 2017 (110) Apr 2017 (111) Mar 2017 (119) Feb 2017 (109) Jan 2017 (108) Dec 2016 (113) Nov 2016 (116) Oct 2016 (118) Sep 2016 (120) Aug 2016 (112) Jul 2016 (111) Jun 2016 (125) May 2016 (111) Apr 2016 (112) Mar 2016 (121) Feb 2016 (114) Jan 2016 (114) Dec 2015 (119) Nov 2015 (117) Oct 2015 (125) Sep 2015 (124) Aug 2015 (103) Jul 2015 (125) Jun 2015 (131) May 2015 (123) Apr 2015 (129) Mar 2015 (133) Feb 2015 (125) Jan 2015 (135) Dec 2014 (134) Nov 2014 (129) Oct 2014 (144) Sep 2014 (127) Aug 2014 (130) Jul 2014 (143) Jun 2014 (131) May 2014 (137) Apr 2014 (139) Mar 2014 (134) Feb 2014 (128) Jan 2014 (141) Dec 2013 (140) Nov 2013 (136) Oct 2013 (145) Sep 2013 (146) Aug 2013 (147) Jul 2013 (151) Jun 2013 (141) May 2013 (150) Apr 2013 (149) Mar 2013 (151) Feb 2013 (133) Jan 2013 (160) Dec 2012 (154) Nov 2012 (157) Oct 2012 (165) Sep 2012 (145) Aug 2012 (161) Jul 2012 (170) Jun 2012 (162) May 2012 (169) Apr 2012 (162) Mar 2012 (162) Feb 2012 (156) Jan 2012 (169) Dec 2011 (157) Nov 2011 (178) Oct 2011 (182) Sep 2011 (170) Aug 2011 (178) Jul 2011 (174) Jun 2011 (157) May 2011 (158) Apr 2011 (164) Mar 2011 (172) Feb 2011 (162) Jan 2011 (177) Dec 2010 (171) Nov 2010 (169) Oct 2010 (182) Sep 2010 (179) Aug 2010 (184) Jul 2010 (190) Jun 2010 (189) May 2010 (198) Apr 2010 (185) Mar 2010 (210) Feb 2010 (195) Jan 2010 (212) Dec 2009 (225) Nov 2009 (209) Oct 2009 (215) Sep 2009 (202) Aug 2009 (230) Jul 2009 (269) Jun 2009 (252) May 2009 (241) Apr 2009 (256) Mar 2009 (254) Feb 2009 (255) Jan 2009 (214) Dec 2008 (204) Nov 2008 (252) Oct 2008 (268) Sep 2008 (304) Aug 2008 (210) Jul 2008 (251) Jun 2008 (206) May 2008 (203) Apr 2008 (202) Mar 2008 (204) Feb 2008 (195) Jan 2008 (212) Dec 2007 (179) Nov 2007 (189) Oct 2007 (179) Sep 2007 (176) Aug 2007 (209) Jul 2007 (155) Jun 2007 (135) May 2007 (106) Apr 2007 (120) Mar 2007 (138) Feb 2007 (77) Jan 2007 (70) Dec 2006 (63) Nov 2006 (70) Oct 2006 (67) Sep 2006 (70) Aug 2006 (61) Jul 2006 (56) Jun 2006 (44) May 2006 (60) Apr 2006 (53) Mar 2006 (45) Feb 2006 (38) Jan 2006 (42) Dec 2005 (46) Nov 2005 (54) Oct 2005 (60) Sep 2005 (46) Aug 2005 (86) Jul 2005 (43) Jun 2005 (47) May 2005 (52) Apr 2005 (39) Mar 2005 (29) Feb 2005 (26) Jan 2005 (12)news, latest-news

Following the latest Melbourne terror attack, one senior AFP officer was quoted as saying: "The event yesterday for us is a reality check, even with the fall of the [Islamic State] caliphate ... the threat continues to be real." This comment was somewhat surprising given that such attacks are the new normal, and the fall of the caliphate was never likely to lead to a reduced terrorism threat in Australia. Indeed, Islamic State has been encouraging revenge against the countries that were part of the US-led coalition that caused it to lose its physical caliphate in Syria and Iraq - and Australia is well-known to have been a key player. The Sydney plot to bring down an Etihad flight in July 2017 was also intended as revenge - both against Australia for its part in the US-led coalition and against the UAE for hosting our RAAF contribution at its Al Minhad Airbase. Vehicle and knife attacks are now fairly common because they are easy to undertake and may occur with little or no warning. They may or may not be linked to terrorism. In fact, the likelihood with lone-actor attacks is that mental issues are going to be the major contributing factor. The security community in Australia is well aware that such attacks can occur at any time, and most downtown areas of Australian cities now have physical barriers in place to prevent vehicles being driven into pedestrians. Major events are now commonly protected by movable barrier systems. Buses are a good option for blocking streets because they can be easily moved to allow emergency service vehicles to enter protected areas if necessary. Given that lone-actor attacks are hard to predict, the other safeguard is to have city centre loudspeaker warning systems to advise the public what to do if an attack occurs, and sufficient police on hand to respond quickly and close down an incident before a perpetrator can cause many civilian casualties. Response to the latest Melbourne attack was a good example of an effective warning system and police being on hand quickly to limit the damage. The Melbourne attacker, Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, was said to have been inspired by Islamic State, but mental issues seem to have been a more significant factor. An imam and friend of Shire Ali's family told The Age the 30-year-old had complained of being chased by "unseen people with spears" in recent weeks, and noted he had been worried about Shire Alis mental state. The Prime Minister was quick to shift responsibility after the latest Melbourne attack to Muslim religious leaders, even though the main factor contributing to such attacks is the poor mental health structure in Australia - and federal and state underfunding of mental health facilities. The Australian Medical Association in January commented that currently Australia lacks an overarching mental health architecture. There is no agreed national design or structure that facilitates prevention or proper care for people with mental illness  Mental health and psychiatric care is grossly underfunded when compared to physical health. Among the startling figures quoted by the association - almost 64,000 people in Australia have a psychotic illness. The association noted the need for: improved service delivery; significantly increased funding; improved coordination; robust workforce and infrastructure solutions; prevention, education and research, and; e-health/ telemedicine solutions. The problem of inadequate mental health resources is not limited to Australia. In the UK there has been a similar trend of closing-down dedicated mental facilities and pushing people with mental problems into the general community. As a result, when people who should be in care become violent, police have to deal with the problem. In response, in 2006 the London Metropolitan Police set up a Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, or FTAC, where police and mental health workers could work together in the same facility to identify potentially violent persons who might mount attacks. For privacy reasons, police do not have access to medical records and health workers do not have access to police records, but they work cooperatively to identify and manage "high-risk individuals" who could pose a threat to the community. This has been a very successful model. The Queensland Police set up an FTAC in 2013, and Victoria established one in February 2018. It was announced in 2017 that Victoria's FTAC was to be staffed by 13 specialist police, forensic and mental health experts. Up to 300 people were expected to be processed in the centre's first year. "We know that centres like this help identify high-risk individuals and have the potential to stop violent incidents before they occur," Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville said. Even so, the new FTAC in Melbourne was unfairly criticised for being "loopy", "illogical" and lacking an evidence base. If Australia wants to be better positioned to anticipate and prevent lone-actor attacks, we need to put more resources into our mental health management systems, particularly in Muslim migrant communities that may not trust security authorities. Clive Williams is a visiting professor at the ANUs Centre for Military and Security Law and an adjunct professor at ADFA.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/1dba34a0-3191-4006-b658-e5abf315f9cc/r0_293_5760_3547_w1200_h678_fmax.jpgnews, latest-news

My first reaction on hearing the announcement about the Australian War Memorials plan to spend $500 million on an expansion and the initial commentary surrounding that was reflexive anger - it seemed obscene. Im not angry anymore, but I am troubled by a lot of things about it. The size of the spend, the nature of what they are proposing, the black and white nature of the debate, and the "Invictus Generation" branding makes me very worried. My experience from medical discharge to where I am today has been awful, in large part for three reasons: Firstly, the Department of Veterans Affairs system failed me. Secondly, the process of being medically discharged and a failure to connect with civilian society messed up my sense of self and identity. Finally, the public is unable to understand what I did during my service and what I experienced after it. When people ask about my military service and we get to the part where Iraq comes up, the conversation awkwardly hits a dead end. People don't know how to talk about it with me, and I have a hard time talking about it without feeling like I'm doing a bad job of explaining how an internal combustion engine works to a dog. "What did you do in Iraq?, a well-meaning person asks. My response: "I was an Arabic linguist and helped track down people who tried to blow us up with roadside bombs or by lobbing rockets at us." They then follow up with a vague platitude or two. Awkward silence ensues. Unfortunately this means we never get to the part where I'm comfortable saying what I feel: "The whole thing felt like total bullshit and like we didn't accomplish anything. It felt like the reason these people were trying to blow us up in the first place was as a negotiating tactic with an Australian polity that was so nervous about casualties they took our rifles off us after each patrol in case we hurt ourselves." If they asked me how to spend $500 million - the amount being spent on an expansion of the Australian War Memorial - on how to better address the needs of veterans today, this is what Id say. I'd like to see more money spent on fixing the Department of Veterans Affairs. They are understaffed and have terrible systems and processes, particularly their computer systems. They know it, and they do their best, but they don't get the support they need. I can see it getting fixed eventually, but it's largely too late to mitigate the worst of the damage done to this generation of veterans and families. I can't see how such a spend is justified on the Australian War Memorial when this is the case. I see a lot of opinions saying that the money could be better spent on services for veterans, but not much about what those services might be beyond vague notions of counselling or crisis support. It worries me that the focus on crisis and counselling constrains our thinking to a solution that provides too little too late. Suicide prevention starts long before someone enters crisis. I should know - I've been there. As with all crises, it was a case of the straw that broke the camels back. But what got me to the point where I attempted suicide began years earlier. Aside from the support of the nurses at Ward 17 at Austin Repatriation Hospital and the support of my family, I'm alive today and leading a meaningful life because I figured things out for myself. I wish I'd had the support to figure things out for myself much earlier. There needs to be more done to address issues around veterans' identity and social engagement with the Australian community. Only talking about counselling and crisis is too reactive and fails to consider the suffering of people with chronic but sub-critical embuggerances. Measures that help veterans and their families be part of the Australian community, without the alienation of being placed on a pedestal, would go a long way toward addressing veteran suicide. I feel that the public has a hard time relating to my military and post-military experiences for two reasons: the ANZAC mythos and the degree to which news coverage was controlled while we were deployed. In the absence of any clue about what was going on in Iraq, everything seems to get viewed through the lens of ANZAC. I'm concerned that what is proposed for the Australian War Memorial will perpetuate this but with different language. I've heard war memorial director Brendan Nelson use the phrase "Invictus Generation" and I worry that it is an attempt to extend the ANZAC-as-national-identity stuff via contemporary conflicts. It also feels really mawkish. My wife is a veteran and still serving and we had an uncomfortable laugh about how awful the label "Invictus Generation" sounds to us. The "veterans are uber citizens" vibe of the Australian War Memorial proposal and accompanying rhetoric annoys me. Idolizing military service helps foster learned helplessness and a misplaced sense of entitlement among parts of the veteran community. I also worry that this sort of jingoism squelches public debate about when we should engage in conflict and our national identity, among other things. Overall, I'd like to see the Australian War Memorial tell the stories of 1999 to today better, but I don't think it takes $500m to do it. Id rather that the war memorial spend some money on commemorating contemporary conflicts but that more money goes toward fixing the repatriation system and supporting veterans and their families. Lifeline: 13 11 14.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/5d651332-c920-4d46-9318-8529d46ac39d/r0_321_3264_2165_w1200_h678_fmax.jpgAllahabad High Court has released an employment notification calling out aspirants to apply for the post of Uttar Pradesh Higher Judicial Service. Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. Selected candidates can earn up to INR 63,070 per month. The last date to apply for this government job is 14 December 2018.

ICF Recruitment 2018 For Executive Assistants

Allahabad High Court Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Uttar Pradesh Higher Judicial Service Organisation Allahabad High Court Educational Qualification Graduate degree in law Experience 7 years Skills Required Communication skills Job Location Uttar Pradesh Salary Scale INR 51,550 to INR 63,070 per month Industry High Court Application Start Date November 15, 2018 Application End Date December 14, 2018

Age Limit: 35 to 45 years

Also Read: SSB Recruitment 2018: 833 Lecturers To Be Hired At Odisha

How To Apply For Allahabad High Court Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for Allahabad High Court Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the Allahabad High Court official website.

Step 2: Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on the Recruitment tab.

Step 3: The list of recruitments will be displayed on the screen.

Step 4: Click on the online application link once it is active from 15 November 2018.

Step 5: The registration form will open. Enter your details in the fields provided.

Step 6: Submit your details and complete the registration process.

Follow the link - http://www.allahabadhighcourt.in/event/event_4623_12-11-2018.pdf to read the detailed official notification.Photo: The Canadian Press Governor General Julie Payette places a wreath with her son Laurier Payette-Flynn during Remembrance Day ceremonies at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018.

Some of Canada's top military historians say the federal government missed an important opportunity to commemorate the First World War's centenary and that its efforts over the past four years paled in comparison to those of Britain, Australia and others.

Canada marked the 100th anniversary Sunday of the end of the four-year conflict, which claimed the lives of more than 60,000 Canadians and forever changed the country.

Veterans Affairs Canada says it has spent $13 million since 2014 on different events commemorating the war  with most of the money dedicated to last year's high-profile ceremony for the 100th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge.

But several respected military historians  Jack Granatstein, David Bercuson and Mark Humphries  say besides Vimy, the federal government has dropped the ball in commemorating the war and using the centenary as an opportunity to teach Canadians about their history.

The historians say the British government set a high bar by budgeting 100 million pounds, or about $170 million, for ceremonies, documentaries, school visits to the battlefields and other events  while Australia, France and Germany also did more.

Despite the criticism, Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan says he has personally seen more Canadians  especially young people  attending Remembrance Day events and other commemorations.Itacamba exports 200,000t of clinker

ICR Newsroom By 13 November 2018

Faced with a oversupply in its domestic market, Bolivias Itacamba, is focussing on export markets. To date the company has exported 200,000t of clinker to Paraguay.



We are taking advantage of our border location and in addition, taking advantage of the ports of the Tamengo Canal, the export of clinker-cement has been made feasible. So far we have exported around 200,000t. In 2019 we estimate to export at least 250,000t to Paraguay, "said Fernando Tuma, executive director of Itacamba.



In 2017 the company exported cement to northern Argentina, but a currency devaluation in the neighbouring country resulted in less profitable business.



"Itacamba expects to close this year with a production of 800,000t, but by 2019 we hope to produce 1Mt. Then, [total domestic] production will reach 6Mt, when [domestic] consumption only reaches 4Mt. Therefore, that surplus must be exported," he said.



The increase in output is due to the modernisation of cement plants owned by Fancesa, Coboce and Soboce as well as Itacambas new 1.2Mta plant in Yacuses. In addition, next year will see the commissioning of an extra 1.3Mta of production capacity by Ecebol.





Published underNorth Korea is operating at least 13 undeclared bases to hide mobile, nuclear-capable missiles, a new study released Monday has found, raising fresh doubts over US President Donald Trump's signature foreign policy initiative.

While the network of undeclared sites has always been known to American intelligence agencies, it has not been publicly acknowledged by President Donald Trump, who asserted that North Korea was "no longer a nuclear threat" following his June summit with dictator Kim Jong Un.

North Korea has halted missile flight tests, which haven't taken place in almost a year, but American intelligence officials say production has continued for nuclear material, new weapons and missiles that can be launched from secret bases.

The Beyond Parallel program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies identified the bases in a Monday report, signaling that Pyongyang has been misleading the West about its intentions to dismantle its missile program, according to The New York Times.

US President Donald Trump has been trying to deescalate conflict on the Korean peninsula.

The base, located in mountainous terrain, contains a unit equipped with short-range ballistic missiles, the report said, and could house medium-range ones. Just a year ago, he was threatening "fire and fury" against North Korea. They say there are seven more bases that remain hidden.

They are designed so that mobile missile launchers can quickly exit the underground facilities and move to previously prepared launch sites.

Following the June Singapore summit between the two leaders, the American president had declared that Pyongyang was "no longer a Nuclear Threat", and touted his own diplomatic achievements.

Recently, North Korea has demanded that the United States end its tough economic sanctions now that it is negotiating with Trump over its nuclear program.

"I realise I am a broken record, but North Korea has never offered to abandon its nuclear weapons", said Lewis.

Fox News notes that the report comes as denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea have stalled-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's planned meeting with his North Korean counterpart last week was delayed indefinitely.

"What North Korea has offered is the beginning of a process that might - might - someday lead to an outcome like that". A meeting scheduled for last week between Pompeo and Pyongyang's nuclear negotiator, Kim Yong Chol, was postponed unexpectedly, only days after North Korean state media released a commentary that suggested missile testing could resume if progress was not made on talks.

"The fact that North Korea has continued to build nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in the midst of high-level diplomacy with China, South Korea, and the USA should not come as a surprise", said Abraham Denmark, the Asia program director at The Wilson Center.

Analysts have long believed that North Korea had undeclared or hidden facilities in their missile programme, which has made issues related to verification and inspections a major part of working level talks between the USA and North Korea.

However, he added, the report could also make the current stalemate between Washington and Pyongyang last "longer than expected".In a Friday afternoon tweet sent from somewhere over the Atlantic - as he's now on board Air Force One en route to France - President Donald Trump floated the possibility of a new election in Arizona, where the votes are still being tabulated in the Senate contest between Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Martha McSally (R).

Arizona Republican Party chairman Jonathan Lines seemed to blame Democrats for election practices set by individual counties across the state.

Republicans in Arizona have filed a lawsuit that targets a rule in two counties, Maricopa and Pima, that allow voters to "fix issues with their ballots" up to five days after an election, CNBC reported.

Sinema pulled slightly ahead of McSally this week after roughly 127,000 votes in Maricopa County - the state's most populous county and home to Phoenix - were counted Thursday.

That's probably not good news for McSally, who is trailing in Maricopa County by more than 46K votes.

State law requires the envelope to be sealed and signed, and for elections officials to match each signature to the one on file with the voter's registration before even opening the envelope.

Many other counties in the state only allow voters to cure until polls close on Election Day.

Arizona Republicans and Democrats have agreed to give rural voters an extra chance to fix problems with their ballots in the count of the state's tight Senate race. "The Republican Party is doing everything it can to silence thousands of Arizonans who already cast their ballots", Democratic Party chairwoman Felicia Rotellini said in a statement. A Maricopa County official told the AP the number in her county is about 5,600. In this case, election officials can contact them to resolve the issue.

"I think we're on the right track in Arizona", Gardner said.

Coconino County has about 9,500 votes left to count, per the elections department there. Arizona typically counts its votes slowly.

State and county officials, and Republican Party officials who sued over discrepancies in the way Arizona counties check voter signatures on early ballots, agreed Friday to a settlement that allows the verification process to continue until 5 p.m. November 14.

"She understands there's a big job to do counting these ballots", McLeod said.

Fontes said his office's 1980s-era computer system is partly to blame. "The Recorder's Office said it allowed voters to determine what constitutes an emergency".

Less clear is whether the additional votes will affect several close races yet to be decided.

McSally forebore wading into the fray, and instead posted a picture on Twitter of being in a dentist's chair.

Sinema also had to wait for finality in her first congressional election that year, sweating out six long days of vote counts.Meanwhile, the Woolsey and Hill fires that ignited the same day in Southern California have blazed a path through Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, ravaging the celebrity enclaves like Malibu and Calabasas.

Miley Cyrus' home has been destroyed by the wildfires sweeping through California.

In the south, the Woolsey and Hill fires also continued to rage.

The "Camp Fire" has scorched approximately 117,000 acres. Ten of the bodies were found in the town of Paradise while four were discovered in the Concow area, both in Butte County.

Honea said the number of people listed as missing in the disaster remained officially at 228, but added that his office had received more than 1,500 requests for "welfare checks" from people concerned about the fate of their loved ones.

At least two people have died in the Woolsey Fire, which is 32 km long and 22 km wide, threatening 57,000 structures, officials said. That leaves a lot of dry vegetation to feed fires.

"But at this point, we have people depending on us and we have a job to do and we're not going to stop until these fires are put out", Spellman said in an interview with ABC News' Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos.

By the time she returned, her house had burned down. Photo: Eric Thayer/Reuters Vet Jesse Jellison rescues an injured goose in Paradise.

The 113,000-acre Camp Fire burning east of Chico is now the deadliest fire in state history, tying the 1933 Griffith Park wildfire in Los Angeles with 29 confirmed deaths.

Southern California had fires similar to the Woolsey fire in 1982, when winds were 60 miles per hour, but "the difference between 1982 and today is a much higher population in these areas".

The fire grew to more than 143 square miles (370 square kilometers) and was only 20 percent contained.

Many of those allowed to return were left without power or cellphone service, even if their homes were spared by the flames.

Devastating images of Paradise, a town of roughly 27,000 residents incorporated into Butte County, depicted destroyed homes and roads dotted with charred vehicles.

Caitlyn Jenner's Malibu home survived the fire, despite TMZ reports on Friday that said it had burnt down.

In Southern California, firefighters beat back a new round of winds Sunday and the fire's spread was believed to have been largely stopped, though extremely low humidity and gusty Santa Ana winds were in the forecast through at least Tuesday. This, in combination with low humidity, was expected to create the flawless conditions for fires to spread. But it's what is inside the house.

"Most of the residential [area] is gone".

PG&E declined to discuss the email when contacted by AP.

The fire remains 25 percent contained.

President Donald Trump has blamed what he called poor forest management for the fires.

Thicke posted a statement on Instagram thanking firefighters and volunteers who "risked their lives trying to save our home".

Officials and relatives held out hope many of those unaccounted for were safe and simply had no mobile phones or other ways to contact loved ones. "It's really a new age of firefighting now", Spellman said on "Good Morning America".Stacey Bradley, a STEAM Lab assistant at Wolftever Creek Elementary, received an I Am Hamilton T-shirt on Monday for her work with children in the lab focused on science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM.) Hamilton County Schools presents the special shirts to individuals for efforts that positively impact the lives of children.

Gail Huffstutler, principal of Wolftever Creek Elementary, presented the shirt to Bradly in front of her students today at the school. Stacey Bradley does an excellent job of providing exciting activities in the STEAM Lab, Ms.

Huffstutler said. Her efforts in the lab are instrumental in helping our children to grow academically.

I want to give the children an experience each day in the STEAM Lab that they will remember for the rest of their lives, Ms. Bradley said. I want what we do in the STEAM Lab to be life-changing.

I am Hamilton spotlights the contributions of alumni, teachers, parents, students, support workers, and community members in providing opportunities for children in the classrooms of Hamilton County Schools.Wild Child with Future Generations plays at Songbirds South on Thursday, Nov. 29, at 9 p.m. Door open at 8 p.m. and this concert is for 18 and older. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 day of show and available here.

Review for Wild Child:

Wild Child won't settle. For seven years now the Austin-based ensemble has carried its infectious blend of indie-pop and infectious melodies across the international music scene, charting viral hits and wrapping their arms around a diverse and dedicated fan base. But earlier this year when the band set out to make their fourth studio album, they found they had their hands full: After half a decade of maturation, the group had grown beyond its traditional writing and recording process.

We had too many ideas for how we wanted to make this record, says Kelsey Wilson, the groups lead vocalist and violinist. She shrugs. So we said, Why not just do all of them?

The group realized this offered an exciting opportunity to make a kind of record bands rarely get right: To take a new, multispectral approach to writing and recording that went beyond simply trying to engineer success.

The band made a list of their favorite musicians who were also great producers in their own right  choosing ones they thought would shine a new and unique light on specific compositions  and then Wild Child set about chasing their album from studio to studio all over the world, never saying no to an idea.The result  the bands fourth album, Expectations  is Wild Childs most creative, colorful and intellectually engaging album to date.

Now a seven-piece pop mini-orchestra (Wilson on violin and vocals; Alexander Beggins on ukulele and vocals; Sadie Wolfe on cello; Matt Bradshaw on keyboards, trumpet, and harmonica; Tom Myers on drums; Cody Ackors on guitar and trombone; and Tyler Osmond on bass), Wild Child formed in 2010 when the group's core duo of Wilson and Beggins wrote and released their first album, Pillow Talk. Wild Child shaped their last record, Fools, in the shadows of more than one failed love, and Expectations, as the title suggests, is a continuation of that personal experience into an awakening. Wilson and Beggins, whose voices fit each other as naturally as any family act, pushed their boundaries as writers, drawing freely from the stories they've lived as well as the artists around the world that have inspired their growth. Their rate of output over that last year got them thinking differently about producing, focusing on one track at a time.

Weve always focused on the record as a whole. We wanted to think about each track as its own piece- but somehow it all fits together, Wilson says of the approach.

That route took them around the world  from Chris Walla's (Death Cab For Cutie) studio in Troms, Norway, where the Northern Lights are the brightest in the world, to a home-built warehouse studio on the outskirts of Philadelphia, where Dr. Dog's Scott McMicken picked up the bass and joined the band for a week, arranging harmonies and sharing living and recording space. Back in Wimberley, Texas, Matthew Logan Vasquez (Delta Spirit) set up a makeshift studio in Kelsey Wilsons beloved childhood home  abandoned since the floods of 2015  where they found the muses were eager to resurface. The group also tapped the talents of frequent tour mate Chris Boosahda (Shakey Graves), Atlantic Records recording artist Max Frost, and Grammy-winning producer Adrian Quesada (Groupo Fantasma, Brown Sabbath, Spanish Gold).The result is a theater of possibilities, with arrangements that reflect the range of tastes of the producers, from scruffy lo-fi tape hiss, to smoothed out precision-cut electronic pop sounds. Smartly, the album avoids defining itself and kicks off with a childs voice telling Alexander Beggins, "Don't think that way." The track that follows (called "Alex") is a hook-spangled opener which in its three breezy minutes builds from a single ukulele to a lush and playful arrangement reminiscent of Beirut.

The record almost immediately settles in to find the band at its most expansive. Songs like "My Town" and the deep-breathing "Eggshells" stretch the spaces between beats like a Chinese finger/time trap. They stop for more than one layover in Detroit, with "Back and Forth" evoking the horn charts of Arthur Conley and Jackie Wilson (or even Jens Lekman), and "Think It Over" throws an unexpected nod to Sly and the Family Stone.The closing track, Goodbye, Goodnight, is also the first the group recorded, and the one they believe best epitomizes the journey of making this album.

At first, Scott McMickens production caught the band off-guard: He slowed the waltz down to the tempo of a dirge  or a dirge with the levity of a waltz  and built the track up at an almost excruciatingly slow pace that in the end gives you what you want from it, but only gives it to you once. At first we were all just trying to understand where he was coming from, Wilson says with a laugh. And it took us a while to get there, but the arrangement works out so well  with what the song is about and how we felt when we wrote it  that it ended up being one of my favorite songs on the record.

And the more you listen to Expectations, the more the many worlds of this project begin to cohere around you. After all, one of the great joys of traveling the world is discovering surprising connections: A skyscraper in Barcelona reminds you of a spire in the Utah desert; the Northern Lights in the Norwegian sky look like an oil slick on the Philadelphia pavement. Expectations, an album which can by turns be bitter, wistful, angry, and flirtatious, is rich with these surprising rhymes across the record.Were all growing and changing and learning new tricks, Beggins says. Wilson responds, Yeah, theres no right or wrong way to do anything. Her own record, though, is proof shes wrong.

Review for Future Generations:

Future Generations released their sophomore album Landscape in September via Frenchkiss Records. Since then, the band have been playing to packed rooms all over the U.S.

Landscape is the follow up to Future Generations 2016 eponymous debut. Produced by Justin Gerrish (Vampire Weekend, Hamilton Leithauser), Landscape is the first release from the band to feature their full lineup of Eddie Gore (vocals) Mike Sansevere (synthesizer, guitar, percussion), Eric Grossman (guitar), Devon Sheridan (bass), and Dylan Wells (percussion).

Of the albums title, Gore notes it came from ending the first significant relationship of my life. And with the bands move to Brooklyn, we were all put into this world wed never experiencedliving on our own and navigating the landscape of being in New York City.The Camp Fire is on track to be California's deadliest wildfire; Claudia Cowan reports from Paradise, California.

Nine law enforcement agencies had 42 people assigned to the search, in addition to 45 anthropologists from several institutions such as nearby California State University Chico and firefighters from 14 CalFire engine companies, said Megan McMann, community relations coordinator for the Butte County Sheriff's Office. A TV news crew located Martin Sheen safe on Friday night at Zuma Beach in Malibu, where he said the couple were fine and "probably going to sleep in the vehicle tonight".

Authorities made clear, however, that they are bracing for the number of fatalities to climb.

"We must remain vigilant and not let our guard down", Osby said. "Cumulative effect of warmth over many months also helped to dry out vegetation more than would otherwise have been the case", Swain added.

The two deadly wildfires tearing through Northern and Southern California are so massive that their smoke could be visible in New England this week, officials said.

As the fires continued to rage at both ends of the Golden State the death toll around the incinerated northern town of Paradise rose to 29, with two more dead near Malibu in the south.

Brown asked Trump on Sunday to declare the fires a major disaster, a move that would allow more federal resources to flow to California to help with relief and recovery.

California is requesting emergency aid from the Trump administration.

As of this morning, the fire has destroyed 6,453 residences and 260 commercial buildings.

"It took a long time to get out".

Holding a poster of his mother in front of him, Bechtold said it had been a rough few days. No one knows if they were able to evacuate, or even if their house still exists, she said. The fire has destroyed two structures and damaged two others.

In northern California, fire crews still fighting the blaze that obliterated Paradise contended with wind gusts up to 64kph overnight - with flames jumping 90 metres across Lake Oroville.

Perilous winds that stoked the fire through drought-parched brush and chaparral abated on Saturday, giving firefighters a chance to gain some ground against the flames.

Firefighters on Sunday managed to contain flare-ups generated by high winds in canyons along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and Bell Canyon in Ventura County, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said.

Southern California had fires similar to the Woolsey fire in 1982, when winds were close to 100 kilometres per hour, but "the difference between 1982 and today is a much higher population in these areas".

As of Sunday night, the fire had grown to more than 344sq km was 15 percent contained, authorities said.

Almost 9,000 firefighters, many from out of state, were battling to suppress the Camp Fire, the Woolsey Fire and a handful of smaller Southern California blazes, backed by squadrons of water-dropping helicopters and airplane tankers.

Forty-six people died in a flurry of wind-driven wildfires that swept northern California's wine country in October of a year ago, destroying some 8,900 homes and other structures. The worst of those blazes, dubbed the Tubbs Fire, was blamed for 22 of the deaths.Attorneys Matt Brock and Garth Best, partners at the law firm of Best Hayduk Brock PLLC, in Chattanooga, were named as 2018 Rising Stars for the Midsouth region. The two attorneys shared space for two years in the Flatiron Building before deciding to join forces in September of 2018 along with Andrea Hayduk.



Mr.

Brock has handled cases from simple speeding tickets to first-degree murder; however, his practice is primarily focused on DUI and drug-related crimes. He is one of the few attorneys in the nation certified as an instructor in the DUI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing course recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This is the same course that police officers take in order to make DUI arrests while in the Academy. He has been certified in ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement) to help dissect when officers are making calls of reasonable suspicion based on alcohol OR drugs. He has also taken a modified version of the drug recognition evaluation (DRE) training given to law enforcement. DRE includes a number of different tests, field sobriety tests (some of which are also used to determine alcohol intoxication) as well as physiological tests, (such as those which measure the dilation of the suspects pupils, blood pressure, internal clock, etc.) This training allows Mr. Brock to not only assess whether an arrest has been done properly for alcohol impairment but also allows him to stop officer's from making claims that they suspected there may have been other drugs involved as well.

Mr. Best received his J.D. in 2008 having conducted preliminary hearings on murder cases, defended violent offenders on probation violations, and had successfully negotiated over 200 cases during his studies. He accepted a position back to the training grounds of the Public Defenders offices where he was employed as an Assistant Public Defender until he went into private practice in 2010. Mr. Best has served as special judge on several occasions for almost all of the General Sessions judges in Hamilton County. He is an active member of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA), the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (TACDL), Chattanooga Bar Association (CBA), Chattanooga Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (CACDL). He is admitted to practice in all state courts of Tennessee, as well as in federal court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Mr. Best has defended almost every type of criminal violation from DUI to murder. He has handled both criminal and civil cases arising from matters throughout Tennessee and Northern Georgia.

Super Lawyers is a nationwide rating service that utilizes a selection process consisting of independent researchers, peer review nominations and evaluations to rate outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a "high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement." To attain Super Lawyer status, attorneys must first be nominated by their peers in Tennessee and only five percent of the states attorneys make it through the multi-phased selection process. officials saidNot an hours drive from where I now sit is one of the best restaurants in all of Tennessee. Its been some years since I last ate supper at High Point, a legendary mansion restored to elegance by the current owners but, back in the 60s, I got a wide-eyed teenagers peek at the place one Sunday afternoon. Whats this? 14-inch walls filled with sand to stop a G-mans bullet? Escape traps in the roof and the basement? Underground rooms to store prohibition whiskey? Tunnels to disappear?

Not many know this but before General Eisenhower built our magnificent freeway system, it was State Highway 41 that would take you through Chattanooga en route to Atlanta and Miami. Local legend has it that the mansion in Monteagle  halfway to Nashville-- was so named by a silent partner who quite adroitly financed its construction so he, his pal Public Enemy No. 1, his manager (for lack of a better word) Easy Eddie and da boys could have their drinks, play cards and visit over certain matters on its flagstone veranda.

The silent partner was Capone, thats him, Scarface, and the mountain folk knew to turn both mute and blind when they would spy the biggest gangster in the world shuffling canasta cards with John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd and those types at High Point, a code name of sorts Capone came up with because, after all, it is the highest point of terra between Miami and Chicago.

On this very day 79 years ago, the brains behind Capones criminal  as scattered as they most assuredly were after shotguns had done the dirty at a Chicago street corner five days before-- was buried in St. Louis. Easy Eddie was Als partner in many enterprises. He had a steel trap of a legal mind that could bend laws, fix juries, and even slow the mechanical rabbit at the dog track. Capone thought so much of him  get this -- the king of the gangsters actually married Easy Eddies fiancee a couple of months after ordering the hit! (Sidenote: Capone had horrible venereal disease.)

Before Easy Eddies Achilles started acting up, he had it all. Enough cash to set a wet mule on fire, a walled city-block of an empire in downtown Chicago, a covey of broads, and a son who was his True North. One day Eddie came home to find the boy lolling around on the sofa, eating cake and bonbons at age 13, and immediately shipped the kid off to a military academy to keep his boy from going soft.

Yet while the only lawyer in history to admit he was a crook, it pained him that his son would never have a good name but a notoriously sullied reputation. There is a story that has been going around for years that Easy Eddie went canary for the Feds to make things right with his son but the better angle was that J. Edgar and his FBI-iees were closing like lightning on the mob and Eddie was working for solid positioning.

There is also the take that Easy Eddie sang so forcefully youd have thought he had a silver-coated throat. The theory was part of the deal was to get the G-men to arrange some other favors and Eddie had the street smarts to know that ratting out Capone would carry some stiff consequences. More on that in a sec.

In 1931 Capone and his gang went to trial. By the time the docket was called, Capone had the jury rigged better than the U.S.S. Constitution. Easy Eddie tipped the IRS, the judge swapped the tainted jury for one that was clean just minutes before opening motions, and Big Al became much smaller in Cell 181 at Alcatraz.

On the cold November day Eddie was laid the rest, the nation faced troubling times. With Germany to our east and Japan to our west, war was a certainty and not volunteering for duty was worse than ratting out Scarface himself.

Instead of producing mobsters, The Greatest Generation fueled the war effort. One of the greatest heroes was Butch OHare  yes, for whom the airport is named. One day in 1942 he was flying a sortie when he noticed somebody on the USS Lexington had failed to top his fuel tanks. He had no choice but to turn back towards the fleet.

As he approached, he confronted nine Japanese Betty bombers and, realizing the fleet was defenseless with its pilots and planes on missions, he threw the throttle balls to the wall and put on the most dazzling show of aeronautical skills ever seen in U.S. military history. His wingmans guns instantly jammed, Butch knocked five of the enemy planes into the sea near Papua New Guinea.

When his ammo was spent, he then flew into the Japanese formation, trying to hit the enemy planes with his Hellcat. OHare finally ran the enemy away without a single Japanese bomb touching a Navy ship. And only when he landed his airplane was it found his plane was virtually unscathed, the lone bullet hole coming from friendly fire.

When he landed to the cheers from the crew, he sprinted towards the embarrassed gunner and said in a loud voice coming from his grin, Son, if you don't stop shooting at me when I've got my wheels down, I'm going to have to report you to the gunnery officer!"

The sailors adored it. That single day Butch OHare became the first Navy ace (five planes shot down,) was awarded the first Navy Medal of Honor on World War II, and placed in charge of several squadrons. To fly for OHare a pilot had to solemnly swear he would never call his commanding officer by any other name than Butch.

In the months that followed OHare would be awarded the Navy Cross and receive dozens of accolades for merit, bravery, and courage, but on November 23, 1943, flying in a series of night attacks from a carrier against the Japanese, Butch was caught in a crossfire and he and his Hellcat disappeared forever near the Gilbert Islands in the Pacific. Butch was 29 years old.

Where would you most imagine his love for flying would come from? Back when Butch was a kid, his dad had a passion for this new phenomena called airplanes, and he would take Butch with him and often Easy Eddie would let his delighted son take over the stick.

Easy Eddie OHare was Butch OHares daddy.

* * *

BUTCH OHARE TO HIS PILOTS: If you ever jump one of these Zeros and you surprise him, remember, the first thing he's going to do is a loop. Don't follow him into it! By the time you go into it a second time, he'll be behind you. The first thing you should do when he starts up the loop is make a hard right turn and keep turning. You'll come right around, and when he bottoms out of the loop, you'll be right on his tail!"

O'Hare also related "First of all, remember, in today's world, whenever you take off and engage the enemy, you're going to be outnumbered. If you want to survive this War, you have to look behind you every chance you get. Even when you pull the trigger, be sure to look behind because there's gonna be someone back there.

* * *

When Easy Eddie and Butchs mom divorced in 1927, Butch and his two sisters stayed with their mom in St. Louis. Aside from visiting his father, the man whose name today graces OHare International Airport never lived in Chicago.

* * *

At age 13, when Butch was shipped away to the Western Military Academy in 1932, he excelled and was accepted into the United States Naval Academy. There have been strong rumors for years that a Naval Academy appointment was part of Easy Eddies deal with the IRS for blowing the whistle but Butch earned the Medal of Honor on his own.

* * *

In April of 1942, OHare was greeted to a heros welcome in St. Louis and 60,000 were there to cheer. A sentence in the St. Louis Dispatch read, With President Franklin D. Roosevelt looking on, O'Hare's wife Rita placed the Medal around his neck. After receiving the Medal of Honor, then-Lieutenant O'Hare was described as "modest, inarticulate, humorous, terribly nice and more than a little embarrassed by the whole thing".

* * *

At Western Military Academy, in Alton, Ill., before it went belly up in 1971, Butch was a classmate of another soon-to-be-a-pilot, Paul Tibbetts. Paul remembered Butch as one helluva good man and a dear friend. You will recall that Tibbetts, who would become a Brigadier General in the Air Force, was best known as the pilot who flew the B-29 Superfortress known as the Enola Gay (named after his mother) when it dropped Little Boy, the first of two atomic bombs used in warfare, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

* * *

It has been 79 years  to this day  when Easy Eddie was laid to rest. Ten days from now will mark the 75th anniversary of the day Butch was reported missing. Thats a difference of four short years. When Easy Eddie was pulled lifeless from his gun-riddled car, this poem was found in his pants pocket:

"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power

to tell just when the hands will stop, late or early hour.

Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will

Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still."

royexum@aol.comGovernor Bill Haslam and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced today that Amazon will invest more than $230 million to establish a new Operations Center of Excellence in downtown Nashville.



As part of Amazons investment, the company will create 5,000 high-paying jobs in Davidson County, representing the single largest jobs commitment made by a company in Tennessees history.



This is a game changer for Tennessee. The ripple effect of Amazons decision to invest $230 million in our state and create 5,000 high-paying jobs in downtown Nashville will be felt for years to come, Governor Haslam said. Amazon has spent the past year searching the nation for the best possible locations to expand and it chose Tennessee because of our business-friendly policies, low taxes and skilled workforce. I thank Amazon for its continued investment in Tennessee.

Amazon has been a valued partner in Tennessee for a number of years and is currently home to six facilities across our state employing more than 6,500 Tennesseans, Commissioner Rolfe said. Todays announcement is a tremendous win for Nashville, Davidson County and Middle Tennessee. We are incredibly grateful to Amazon for selecting Nashville for its Operations Center of Excellence, and I look forward to the considerable impact these jobs will have on the citizens of our state.

Senator Bob Corker said, Todays announcement that Amazon will invest more than $230 million and create 5,000 high-paying jobs in Davidson County is outstanding news for Tennessee. Amazon executives extensively searched the region for an eastern U.S. hub, and the selection of Nashville is testament to our states business-friendly environment and skilled workforce. With this being the single largest jobs announcement in state history, it is clear that Tennessee is firing on all cylinders. I thank Amazon for deepening their commitment to the Volunteer State and applaud Governor Haslam, Commissioner Rolfe, and their teams for working tirelessly to drive job creation and make our state one of the best places to do business in America.



We are looking forward to joining the community and are excited to be creating high-paying jobs in Nashville. Our new Operations Center of Excellence will become the Eastern U.S. hub for our Retail Operations division, said Holly Sullivan, Amazon Public Policy.



Amazon has five fulfillment and sortation centers in Tennessee located in Charleston, Chattanooga, Lebanon, Murfreesboro and Nashville, as well as one Prime Now Hub in Nashville.



Amazon will build its Operations Center of Excellence in Nashville Yards, a 15-acre, mixed-use development in downtown Nashville. The one million square foot office space will house the tech and management functions of Amazons Retail Operations division, including customer fulfillment, customer service, transportation, and supply chain, amongst others.



This is fantastic news for the city. Nashville continues to prove itself as a desirable destination for businesses and, in turn, as an economic leader in our country, Nashville Mayor David Briley said. Amazons decision to put 5,000 high-paying jobs right in the heart of Nashville further underscores our citys vibrancy and is a direct nod to our talented workforce and overall financial health. Todays announcement is also a testament to the strong relationships we have with the State, TVA and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, who were all instrumental in this agreement.



The project is the single largest jobs announcement in the states history and is projected to create more than 13,000 jobs for Tennessees workforce. In addition, for every one direct job created by the project, an additional 1.6 jobs will be created in the state.



From 2011 to 2017, Amazon has invested more than $5 billion in Tennessee, including customer fulfillment infrastructure and compensation to its employees.



Along with the City of Nashville, the State of Tennessee also worked with key partners, including the Tennessee Valley Authority and Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, to recruit the project to the state.



TVA serves the Valley by keeping rates as low as feasible, generating ever cleaner reliable power, and working with communities to bring jobs to the Valley. When those three are working well it results in announcements like we have today, TVA President and CEO Bill Johnson said. We are honored to be part of this endeavor, one of the largest initial new jobs commitments in the history of TVA Economic Development, and we look forward to working closely in partnership with Nashville Electric Service and Amazon for years to come.



Its a testament to the vitality of the regions economy that an industry leader such as Amazon has chosen Nashville for its new Operations Center of Excellence, said Ralph Schulz, president and CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Nashvilles unique vibe, in-migration trends and strong business growth helped set us apart as a top 20 city for Amazons HQ2. Ultimately, being selected as a finalist opened the opportunity for Nashville to be chosen for this significant operation  a historic win for our region.A 29-year-old Trenton, Ga., man has been charged with having sex with a 16-year-old Chattanooga girl.

Bobby James Walter Black, of 2780 Highway 136, was charged with aggravated statutory rape.

Authorities said they began investigating a report by a school counselor where the girl attends.

A Child Protective Services worker filed for emergency temporary custody of the girl, giving custody to the girl's grandmother.

The report said there was reason to believe that the girl's mother and her husband knew about the relationship.

A relative said Black and the girl began dating in June. She said the couple had been having sex at their house and that Black was providing the girl with alcohol and marijuana.

The girl told authorities she met Black at the Red Lobster in May. She said they began having sex on a regular basis.Dr. Mack Worthington, Dr. Larry Schlabach, JoAnne Favors and the late Dr. Francis Fesmire will be honored at the Erlanger Health System Foundations annual Dinner of Distinction on Jan. 18, 2019. This is the 16th year for Erlangers annual recognition event, which is being held at the Westin Hotel, from 5:30-9 p.m.

Drs. Mack Worthington, Larry Schlabach, and Francis Fesmire were selected by previous Dinner of Distinction honorees and will be recognized for their enduring commitment to foster quality medical services to this community, as well as for demonstrating unquestionable character and human compassion. Additional criteria used to choose honorees includes: a person who has contributed a lifetime of medical benefit to the community and a person committed to the healing mission and values of Erlanger Health System, said officials.

The Erlanger Foundations will also honor recently-retired Tennessee State Rep. JoAnn Favors with the Gordon Street Distinguished Leadership award. This award, added in 2010, is given annually by Erlanger to community leaders who have championed the advancement of healthcare in the Greater Chattanooga region, committed to improving the health of people throughout the community and to the healing mission and values of Erlanger.

A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:45 p.m. and a program honoring the 2019 Distinguished Honorees.

Table sponsorships with premier seating are currently available at $1,500 per table. Tickets are $125 per person. Seating is limited. Reservation deadline to purchase tickets is Jan. 10.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Rebecca Styles with Erlanger Health System Foundations at 778-4803 or Rebecca.Styles@erlanger.org.The royal family is one of the most well-known families in the world. And Queen Elizabeth II has some incredible responsibilities. She oversees 15 commonwealths in addition to the United Kingdom, and also is in control of billions of dollars worth of property. All in all, shes a busy woman  but who is her go-to person for all of these day-to-day duties?

The queen has several people helping her out on a daily basis

It would be impossible to run every part of the royal familys responsibilities without several people keeping things going smoothly. The queen has butlers, assistants, private secretaries, and more helping her out with everything that goes on in her life. But some have said that what the royal family pays their employees is less than what it should be. The U.K.s Express reported in 2018 that several jobs up for grabs in the royal family, including a butler and a telephone operator, offered salaries that were not too high. The butlers salary equated to only just over $19,000. Its important to keep in mind, however, that the cost of living in the U.K. is less than in the United States.

Shes extremely close with her fashion advisor, Angela Kelly

The queen may have many people on her team, but she is closer to some than others. Her fashion adviser, Angela Kelly, has been her right-hand woman for years and has dressed her for many events. She has brought some of the queens most iconic looks, mostly her fun pops of color, to the table and is one of the only people in the queens inner circle who is actually allowed to touch Her Majesty. Kelly is a commoner with no royal roots, but over time, she has become one of the queens closest confidants. I love the queen and everything about her, Kelly once said in an interview.

In 2017, the queen hired her first black assistant

It was a long-overdue hire  in 2017, the queen hired her first back assistant, Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah. Twumasi-Ankrah is a Ghanaian-born officer who was hired as an equerry. His job is to oversee official engagements for the queen and handle welcoming the high-profile guests who arrive at the royal residences. The Independent reported that Twumasi-Ankrah moved here in 1982, and hes worked his way up to being one of the most important members of the queens inner circle. Plus, the royal family has been accused of racial discrimination in the past. Elizabeth Burgess, former personal secretary to Prince Charles, claimed she was often discriminated against for being black.

The queen recently replaced her private secretary, who left after 15 years

The queen needs her own private secretary, and she recently had to replace a veteran of the job. In 2017, Sir Christopher Geidt, who had been in the position since 2002, retired after 15 years. Some suspected the exit came because Prince Philip had made it clear that things were headed toward the younger generation. He retired from the public eye in 2017, which sparked a wave of assumption that the younger generation was getting ready to take on all responsibilities. The queens new secretary is Edward Young. Despite being 92 years old and very experienced with being the queen, she still has plenty of people helping her out.

Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!Vicki Gunvalson from The Real Housewives of Orange County may be a true OC girl, but recent rumblings about a new business in Mexico could mean the OG of the OC could be splitting her time.

For years Gunvlason has made Puerto Vallarta, Mexico her happy place. She often filmed vacationing there with her family and ex-husband Donn. But she also introduced boyfriend villain Brooks Ayers to her paradise, and now her new love, Steve Lodge.

Most recently, she took a girls trip to her favorite spot with renewed BFFs, Shannon Beador and Tamra Judge. The ladies partied hard, also hitting Gunvalsons infamous bar, Andale restaurant. Shes made it clear Puerto Vallarta is where she is happiest, so is she ready to make the leap from the OC and open a bar south of the border?

Buying a business in Mexico is nothing new

Gunvalson is all business, so buying a business in Mexico makes a lot of sense. In fact, Gunvalson may have considered buying her favorite bar, Andale a few years ago. In 2015, Gunvalson posted about the restaurant on Instagram hinting that exciting news is about to happen after meeting with Jorge, the owner of Andale. The restaurant even has a special drink in honor of Gunvalson called Vickis Medicine.

However, Gunvlason was still entangled with Ayers who ultimately drove a wedge between Gunvalson and her daughter, Briana. She still needed to give her relationships more attention so perhaps buying a bar at that time wasnt in the cards.

But she recently made this announcement

Once again, Gunvalson took to Instagram and posted, Should I open a bar??? Come join me in Mexico and well discuss over (drink emojis). Gunvalson admitted to Page Six she had her eye on Andeles. I actually was looking at buying into Andales and then I thought, Why dont I open up my own bar down there? and I entertained that a little bit.

Or is this a promotional ploy?

This is where the Instagram post seems to be actually trying to cross-sell Vacations with Vicki through Hyatt. After her coy Instagram query, Gunvalson adds, Use the link in my bio & story to join me in Puerto Vallarta this December 1-5th @hyattzivapuertovallarta Booking ends 11/16.

Gunvalson seems to have a side hustle with the Hyatt, which is located next to her condo. My condo is actually right next door to the Hyatt so I go to the Hyatt all the time, Gunvalson told Page Six. So its really natural for me to have that be the host. I just want to meet people that have been loyal fans for 12 years. Some of them have been 13 years, two years and its going to be nice and intimate. Itll be really fun  and itll just be nice and also to get away. I love traveling.

Fans can snag a deal to hang with Gunvalson through the Hyatt starting at $1550. Plus they receive a free Whoop it Up hat. Additionally, guests get plenty of face time with Gunvalson. Beginning with a beach party upon arrival and a cocktail party before departure. Sowas Gunvalson just toying with fans about buying a bar in Mexico to generate interest in her Hyatt getaway?

Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!Its a sad day for Marvel Comic and superhero fans across the globe. Stan Lee, the man who co-created Marvel Comics and who was still intimately involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has died. His daughter, J.C. Lee, confirmed his death with TMZ. He was 95.

In 1961, Lee started Marvel Comics with his co-creator Jack Kirby. The pair started with The Fantastic Four, and they went on to create Spider-Man, Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, and The Avengers. Though his name was behind some of our most beloved superheroes, many younger fans knew Lees face because he appeared in every single Marvel film from 1989 to 2018.

Stan Lees early career

Lee was born and raised in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1939 he got his foot in the door as an assistant at the new Timely Comics division of pulp magazine and comic-book publisher Martin Goodmans company. By the 1960s Timely would be known as Marvel Comics. Lee worked his way up from an assistant to writing filler in comic books and eventually writing entire comics.

A new kind of superhero

By the 1960s DC was king when it came to superheroes, dominating with Batman and Superman in both the comic books and on television. Lee and Kirby decided that it was time to make a new kind of superhero. They sought to create complex and relatable characters. They wanted their superheroes to have egos and arguments, and to have worries and fears that everyone could relate to.

As a result, Marvel became a smash success. In 1972, Lee stopped writing monthly comic books to become Marvels figurehead and public face.

Marvel on the big screen

Lee embraced Marvel going Hollywood, which got his beloved characters to an even bigger audience. In the early 1980s, he moved to California to oversee the development of Marvels TV and movie properties. However, this new transition was not without its trials and tribulations. In 2002, he was forced to sue the company for royalties he was owed for the first three Spider-Man movies (the films with Tobey Maguire). In 2005, Lee and Marvel settled their differences for $10 million. Since then, Lees relationship with Marvel has gone much more smoothly.

Stan Lees net worth and legacy

At the time of his death, Stan Lee worked for Marvel for over 65 years, and as of 2017, his net worth was $50 million. According to Bank Rate, Lees massive wealth was painstakingly built after he worked tirelessly to transform a small publishing house into a giant multimedia corporation.

While giving us such wonderful characters and worlds, Lee was also a big believer in giving back. He founded The Stan Lee Foundation in 2010 which focused on literacy, education, and the arts.

Lee passed away November 12, 2018, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Hed had several bouts of illnesses in recent years including a tough fight with pneumonia. However, his legacy, in the characters that we love and the people that he touched will certainly live on. As his daughter, J.C. told TMZ, My father loved all of his fans. He was the greatest, most decent man.

Read more: Every Character Marvel Gets Back Now That Disney Bought FoxChristian Jargon 'Broken,' 'Authentic,' 'Surrender' Not Very Biblical: Theologian Christian Post Contributor | 13 November, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov

A theologian has warned that the way believers use some popular Christian jargon today  including "broken," "authentic" and "surrender"  is not very biblical but taken from secular culture.

Dan Doriani, who is vice president of strategic academic projects and professor of theology and ethics at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, said in The Gospel Coalition that some terms that many Christians use today either take on meanings that aren't really biblical or are more tied with secular concepts.

"'Broken' is an interesting case. In my circles (perhaps not yours), certain pastors and teachers often tell their people they are broken or need to face their brokenness. Without completing a study of Hebrew and Greek terms, it may be enough to say that 'broken' typically appears between 100 and 200 times in standard English translations and that the sense is almost always negative, often sharply negative," he pointed out.

Doriani noted that there are several issues with the modern use of the word in a church setting, however.

"We sometimes hear a person glorying in his brokenness: 'I feel so broken.' They seem to mean they grieve their sin, but it's an odd way to say it and can have a prideful ring, as if one is glorying in his humility. Second, 'broken' drives out other, more biblical terms like 'sin.' A disciple once told me, 'My campus minister never told me I was a sinner or committed sins. I was simply broken,'" he wrote.

"So 'broken,' which sounds like a disability, not a moral problem, displaces sin and rebellion. I don't want to banish 'broken.' The term can label problems; for example, a broken political system. But a statement like 'God comforts his broken children' is ambiguous. Is sin in view? Third, this shows that overusing 'broken' can supplant clearer biblical language."

He continued by arguing that the terms "surrender," "transparency" and "authenticity" don't have any biblical basis at all.

"The Bible never uses 'surrender' in the jargon-laden sense of making peace with God through faith. And 'transparency' and 'authenticity' never appear in Scripture. Still, Christians often command believers to surrender to God and be more authentic. When we adopt opaque concepts, we may baptize secular concepts that sound quasi-Christian," he warned.

Read more about Christian jargon on The Christian Post.In June, Saudi Arabia persuaded fellow oil producers to end 18 months of production cuts and pump more crude in response to falling output in Venezuela and Iran.

Oil prices climbed on Monday as the world's biggest supplier Saudi Arabia announced plans to cut production in the face of fears of oversupply.

"In the short term, this is a positive for oil, but we must question the impact over the longer term unless it's the sign of more to come from OPEC", said Markets.com Market Analyst Neil Wilson.

The US administration has vowed to reduce Iranian oil exports to zero and US President Donald Trump has put pressure on Saudi Arabia to raise output to cool the market.

Major producers, including Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia, on Sunday warned that crude supply would outstrip demand next year at a joint OPEC non-OPEC ministerial monitoring committee meeting in Abu Dhabi.

A decision is expected only when the OPEC and non-OPEC ministers meet in Vienna on 5 December to assess the global energy market.

Ahead of the meeting, he acknowledged that so far there was no new deal to cut production among OPEC and non-OPEC producers, who struck an agreement in late 2016 to cut output by 1.8 million bpd to tackle an oversupply crisis.

This as global crude prices dropped by as much as 20 per cent since last month, easing the concerns of energy security and economic sustainability in countries that rely on oil imports - such as India, China, and Japan. Turn about: Opec members and its 10 allies are mainly anxious about the increasing U.S. production (11.4 million barrels a day).

Stephen Innes, head of Asia Pacific trading at Oanda, said: "The recent rebound in oil prices is a reminder that it will become increasingly hard for twin deficit currencies - rupee, rupiah and peso - to smooth currency volatility via rate hikes without hurting the economy, and through interventions without depleting reserves".

Falih said they would then decide whether to adjust production and by how much.

The market had anticipated that exports from OPEC member Iran would fall precipitously following the institution of USA sanctions in November.

When asked about the possibility of an output cut, he insisted it was "premature to talk about a specific action".

"We have to study all the factors", he said.

"I think it all comes down to Russian Federation", said Helima Croft, chief commodities strategist at RBC Capital Market LLC. Crude prices have dropped approximately one-fifth since early October.

Dudley said the waivers had been unexpected, so the market had been readjusting.

Commerzbank, Germany's second-largest lender, said on Friday that oil producers must act to prevent prices tumbling.'This Must Be What Hell's Going to Be': 31 Dead, Hundreds Missing in California Fires Christian Post Contributor | 13 November, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov

At least 31 people are dead and hundreds are missing as entire towns and thousands of homes burn up in the wildfires raging in California.

The death toll reached 31 on Sunday, now making it the deadliest fire in the state's history. Many of the fatalities have been people killed in their cars, officials said. Another 250,000 have been displaced.

The Camp Fire, which began on Thursday, has destroyed 6,700 structures, most of them homes, including nearly the entire town of Paradise in Northern California. At least 200 people are missing, with officials fearing that the death toll is set to rise as more bodies are discovered.

"We are doing everything we possibly can to identify those remains and make contact with the next of kin so we can return the remains to the family," Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said.

Christian chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team have been deployed near Sacramento, looking to comfort the suffering through their loss, trauma and fear.

"The chaplains are there to try to help people get through just the next hour of their life," said Al New, the Rapid Response Team's manager of emergency response and logistics.

"We are definitely praying for the first responders, the firefighters, and that some way, somehow, the weather would change and we'd get a lot of rain.

Read more about California wildfires on The Christian Post.While most of the discussions about securing our nations borders focus on threats from the south, a growing bevy of experts says the United States should be concerned about growing threats to the north.

Tom Quiggin, who worked for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Armed Forces and the United Nations Protection Force in Yugoslavia, believes Canada underestimates the threat to itself and the U.S. from extremists living within her borders. He said, Canada is becoming a foundational sort of place for Islamists of all stripes including Iranians.

Quiggin believes Canadas leadership denies the severity of the issue and points to a debate in the Canadian parliament about how to handle Canadian citizens who joined ISIS and were returning to the country as evidence. He said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau argued that if you are opposed to ISIS fighters returning to Canada it is because youre Islamophobic. In other words, its not them thats the issue. Its your opposing their return that makes you Islamophobic. It makes you racist.

In a debate in the Canadian Parliament in 2017, the Prime Minister got into a shouting match with Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer over the issue. Trudeau said conservatives, ran an election on snitch lines against Muslims. They ran an election on Islamophobia and division. And still they play the same games trying to scare Canadians.

Quiggin also expressed alarm about Trudeaus appearances at Canadas Reviving the Islamic Spirit convention as a member of Parliament in 2012 even after news reports the event was linked to a group that had funded Hamas. Trudeau greeted the convention via video in 2015 and said the meeting was about celebrating our shared beliefs of fairness, equality, opportunity, and acceptance.

Quiggin wanted to ask several questions about his comments at the event, including, Do you know who youre talking to? And why would you say that you share their values when their values are anti-democratic, anti-womens rights, pro-slavery, pro-stoning of women?

Anthony Furey, a columnist for the Toronto Sun and host at XM Sirius Canada expressed his disbelief at how Canadas leadership has turned a blind eye to the dangers within their borders. He told CBN, I think theres the idea that, well, we need to welcome everyone because everyones wonderful, so Kumbaya. This notion that ISIS fighters are somehow deserving of kind of a respect and cultural accommodation just as much as anyone else is nonsense.

Furey also worries that police have not been forthcoming about the true motive behind Julys attack on the Danforth in Toronto, which resulted in two deaths and thirteen injuries. He claims that Theres been a total cone of silence around the Danforth shooting story. I wrote a feature where I found out that the family statement which said [the suspect Faisal Hussain had] mental illness had actually been put together by a spin doctor, a self-described spin doctor whos associated with the NDP, Canadas left-wing party, and also a Muslim Community activist.

Most ominously, former Canadian Security Intelligence Service officer David Harris told CBN that an attack on the U.S. from extremists who live in Canada is only a matter of time. He also said that Many years ago I suggested that many of the Islamist extremists might regard Canada as an aircraft carrier from which to maintain operations against the United States.

The Toronto Star recently announced in 2016 that they would no longer use Islamic State to refer to ISIS, but rather the term Daesh. They said that ISIS is a criminal gang that has murdered, raped, and pillaged its way across the Middle East, while sending sycophants to slaughter millions abroad. They claim the group is neither Islamic nor an internationally recognized state.

Islam is currently Canadas fastest-growing religion.

Scott Slayton writes at One Degree to Another.

Photo courtesy: Maarten van den Heuvel/UnsplashAid agencies call on Jeremy Hunt to back Yemen peace moves

Aid organisations have implored Britain's foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt to use the influence of the UK government to bring to an end the long-running conflict in Yemen.

Christian Aid and CAFOD are among nine agencies to have written an open letter highlighting the desperate condition of the country's civilian population. An estimated 14 million people  half the country's population  are on the brink of famine and civilian deaths have increased dramatically in recent months, with 450 civilians killed during nine days in August.

The agencies say violence against women and girls has also risen significantly.

They say: 'The catastrophic food shortages in Yemen are entirely human made and a direct consequence of the warring parties' severe restriction on access to food, fuel, medical imports and humanitarian aid.'

They describe the situation as 'the most severe humanitarian disaster on the planet right now' and say: 'Given the UK's power and influence, and your commitments to upholding our country's values, you have a unique opportunity to show leadership and deliver a lasting peace for Yemen's beleagured civilian population.'

Hunt has raised the Yemen issue at meetings in Saudi Arabia, which is providing military support and conducting airstrikes in support of the government ousted by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

He told Reuters today that prospects for talks to end the war were 'more real' after Saudi Arabia confirmed to him its willingness to evacuate 50 wounded Houthi fighters as a confidence-building measure.

The Western-backed Saudi-led coalition in Yemen resumed air strikes on the main port city of Hodeidah after a lull on Monday.

Hunt said: 'Even though there's been a temporary lull in the fighting, ... it is a desperate humanitarian situation and so I impressed on everyone the urgency of the situation we're facing.'

Britain is s major arms supplier to Saudi Arabia. Opposition politicians and human rights groups have called on the government to cease such sales due to the high civilian death toll in air raids by the coalition in Yemen.Did Britain refuse asylum to Asia Bibi? Some questions

There's a story doing the rounds from the Huffington Post which I've seen widely shared. It's about Asia Bibi, and the claims by the chair of the British Pakistani Christian Association, Wilson Chowdry, that Britain has decided not to offer her asylum in the event of her being allowed to travel abroad.

It's no reflection at all on Wilson Chowdry  who is a doughty campaigner for Pakistani Christians and deserves huge respect for his work  to say that this story raises certain questions, or rather its reception by many Christians does.

Chowdry told HuffPo that he had been 'led to believe' that 'the UK government had concerns that her moving to the UK would cause security concerns and unrest among certain sections of the community and would also be a security threat to British embassies abroad which might be targeted by Islamist terrorists'.

Cue outrage among campaigners for Asia Bibi's freedom, both British and foreign. 'How on earth could we let ourselves be browbeaten by these fanatics?' was the cry. We should be ashamed of ourselves for giving in to terrorists. Was this the kind of country our brave boys fought for? (It was Remembrance weekend, after all.) We should be honoured to receive her, and it's only because our government is so weak, cowardly and generally useless that we have caved in.

The trouble is that there is absolutely no evidence that this story is true. Of course I believe that this is what Wilson Chowdry told HuffPo and that he said it in good faith. But the government has not confirmed it. No one actually knows, unless we know who told him and how they know. It may be true. It may not.

What's more interesting, though, is the traction it's got from so many people who are prepared to believe the worst of our government  and just to be clear, if it turns out to be true, it would be the worst. It would be one thing to tell Asia Bibi and her family, 'There might be safer countries for you to live in, but you're most welcome here'; another thing entirely to say, 'You can't come.' In the latter case, everything the retweeter army says would be true  however counter-intuitive it is. (Let's not forget that Malala Yousafzai, another Pakistani woman targeted by fundamentalist terrorists, was welcomed to the UK and has lived very happily here; the parallels are not exact, but they should make us hesitate before assuming Britain is frit.)

Why, then, are so many people so keen to believe it? Partly, I'm sure, it's because of our generalised disgust and disillusionment with a government that seems incapable of meeting the minimal standards of competence required of any legislature.

But there's a darker side. HuffPo's story plays to a wider narrative, a story told by people with a particular agenda. In that narrative, Islam is a violent and alien force intent on conquest. In some countries, like the UK, it's the enemy within, getting its way through useful liberal idiots and naked intimidation. In others, like the US, it's (largely) the enemy without, to be kept that way by a huge wall. A caravan of Middle Eastern jihadis is on its way through Mexico right now; best vote Trump, that will help. Well, no, no and no. It shouldn't really need saying that 'Muslim' does not equal 'terrorist' or even 'terrorist sympathiser', but it does.

Put these two narratives together  the notion of a weak, incompetent and defeatist government intimidated by a powerful fifth column of religious fanatics  and you can see the story's attraction. But it's a pity those so keen to like and share it don't pause for thought before doing so. No one can seriously doubt the truth of its first element; the second, not so much.

So does the story really add up? I beg leave to doubt it, and pending the truth being established either way  which it may never be  I suggest we all remain firmly on the fence.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoodsJailed Vietnamese pastor is denied vital medical treatment

A imprisoned Vietnamese pastor has been refused medical treatment for serious illnesses, according to International Christian Concern (ICC).

Nguyen Trung Ton was arrested in July last year with other members of his pro-democracy group, Brotherhood for Democracy. He was convicted of attempting to overthrow the communist government and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Imprisoned in Gia Trung Prison in the Central Highlands, he continues to suffer from wounds inflicted on his leg by security agents, according to ICC, and is virtually immobilised.

His wife, Nguyen Thi Lanh, undertook a 15-hour bus ride to see him. She told ICC: 'In October, me and others went to visit him, but the prison did not allow us to see him. They said due to health reasons he was unable to meet me.'

Travelling is challenging for her as she is the family's sole breadwinner and carer.

According to UCA News, Brotherhood for Democracy said that Pastor Ton told his wife on October 22 that he is suffering from a bacterial infection, kidney failure, and sleeplessness. 'His health is rapidly deteriorating due to being kept in bad conditions,' the group stated.

When his family sent medicine for him it was returned.

Gina Goh, ICC's regional manager, said: 'Based on humanitarian grounds, the prison should meet the medical needs of its prisoners. Yet Gia Trung Prison not only rejected crucial medical care for Pastor Ton, it prohibited his loved ones from visiting him. ICC calls on the international community to put pressure on the Vietnamese government so that Pastor Ton can receive the necessary treatment to treat his sustained pain.'Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. are among the companies considering first-round bids this month for closely held oil producer Endeavor Energy Resources LP, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The two oil majors may be joined by ConocoPhillips in competing for the business, which could be valued at about $15 billion including debt, said the people, asking not to be identified because the information is confidential. Royal Dutch Shell Plc has also been contacted and may participate, they said.

The value reflects Endeavors size, with drilling rights on 329,000 net acres, of which only 2 percent have been developed, the people said. A $15 billion sale would rank among the top 10 deals ever for a private energy company, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

PIPELINE DEAL: Anadarko sells pipelines for $4B to merged Western Gas spinoff

Representatives for Endeavor, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips and Shell declined to comment.

Endeavor, based in Midland, Texas, and owned by the family of founder Autry C. Stephens, agreed to explore a sale after its advisers got inquiries from prospective bidders, the people said. Despite that interest, the familys preference remains an initial public offering in 2019 so it can retain control, and the management team is continuing to organize its accounts for that goal, they said.

We think Endeavors asset base is likely to be attractive given the positioning in the core of the basin and the overall acreage continuity," Biraj Borkhataria, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said in a note to clients. "However, given the size of the transaction buyers would likely be limited to large independents or majors."

BLOCKAGE: Keystone XL pipeline project blocked by judge in Montana

Exxon Mobil is the most logical buyer, according to Borkhataria, because it has the financial capacity and is keen to grow its position in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. The oil major had already signed a seven-year joint venture agreement with Endeavor in 2014 to bolster its work in the basin. The analyst said he doesnt expect Shell to bid for such a large bundle of assets.

After a relatively slow start in the first half of the year, deal activity has increased in the North American oil and gas market, driven by companies looking to increase their interests in the Permian Basin. The deals have included Diamondback Energy Inc.s agreement in August to buy peer Energen Corp. for $8.4 billion and BP Plcs pending $10.5 billion acquisition of BHP Billiton Ltd.s onshore U.S. operations.

--With assistance from Kelly Gilblom.

2018 Bloomberg L.P.The world will increasingly depend on U.S. shale production to supply the crude oil needed to meet modest global demand growth, the International Energy Agency said in a new report.

The World Energy Outlook report focuses on the shift from oil to electricity to power the global economy. As a result, crudes market share will continue to shrink, but the United States will be leaned on to supply more than half of global oil and gas production growth at least through 2025.

As much as 75 percent of global oil production growth could come from the U.S. in the years ahead, meaning increasing volumes of crude would be exported around the world from port hubs in the Houston and Corpus Christi areas

The shale revolution continues to shake up oil and gas supply, enabling the United States to pull away from the rest of the field as the worlds largest oil and gas producer, the report said.

RELATED: Saudis see need for major supply cut as fears of glut grow

Driven by West Texas booming Permian Basin, the United States has emerged this year as the worlds top oil producer  the nation already churned out the most natural gas. U.S. oil production, which reach an estimated 11.6 million barrels of crude a day as of last week, accounts for more than 10 percent of the worlds supplies and that should jump to nearly 20 percent by 2025, the IEA said.

But over-reliance on American oil could trigger a supply crunch in the years ahead, which would lead to higher oil and fuel prices, the IEA warned. Oil production in shale formations declines at faster rate than in convention wells, but energy companies are not investing in developing enough other oil and gas fields.

Our projections already incorporate a doubling in U.S. tight oil from today to 2025, but it would need to more than triple in order to offset a continued absence of new conventional projects, the report added.

Most of the worlds energy growth outside of the United States is expected to focus on renewable energy and natural gas, the report said.

By 2040, global electricity demand could nearly double while oil demand will only grow by about 10 percent  if it grows at all. The IEAs environmental sustainability scenario  the possible future that sees countries working more aggressively to combat climate change  sees oil consumption declining by 2040. Nearly half of the global vehicle fleet could be electric by 2040, the IEA projected.

IN HOUSTON: Gasoline prices drop another 7 cents in a week

Crude oil use for automobile fuel will peak in the mid-2020s, but petrochemical demand for oil will keep rising, as will crude-based fuels for trucks, planes and ships.

Its anticipated that renewable power will surpass coal in the global power mix. Renewables share is expected to rise from 25 percent to 40 percent in 2040 as coal continues to lose ground. Solar power growth is expected to surpass wind in the coming decades. Solar alone would move past coal by 2040.

Still, without new governmental policies around the world, the report warned that carbon emissions will keep growing through 2040, contributing to climate change and falling short of the goals established in the recent Paris climate accord.

Gobal trade in liquefied natural gas is expected to more than double to supply developing nations, especially China. Several LNG export projects are in construction or planned along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast.

Global energy demand overall will continue to be led by Asian nations. In 2000, more than 40 percent of global energy demand came from Europe and North America, with about 20 percent from developing economies in Asia. By 2040, the positions are likely to be reversed, according to the IEA. China already leads the world in global demand, and both India and Africa will surpass the European Union by 2040.Rental housing investment firm Waypoint Residential is now moving into property management of student properties.

The Boca Raton-based company, which began purchasing student living in 2016 and now owns over 8,000 beds across 15 properties, is launching Waypoint Student Living, which will manage properties built near university campuses.

STUDENT HOUSING: Texas A&M gets top grade for student housing additions

"It's a growing industry because people feel like it's recession-proof," said Waypoint Student Living Senior Vice President Jason White. "When the economy is up, schools expand, and when the economy's down, people go to school."

Waypoint Student Living began managing seven of Waypoint's student housing properties on Tuesday, including 18 Seventy-Nine, which serves Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, and Midtown Corpus, which serves Texas A&M in Corpus Christi.

White pointed out that managing student housing differs from general property management because 70 percent of turnover happens within two weeks. "It's a marriage between a traditional dorm and an apartment," White said.

Just like in a dorm, students are only responsible for their own rent, not that of their roommates. The increased number of leases means that more management needs to stay on site to keep operations running smoothly. And to stay in tune with student needs, Waypoint Student Living will hire several student leasing assistants who will receive reduced rent in addition to pay.

"Waypoint Student Living enables us to deliver an exceptional student living experience while providing economies of scale," said Teresa DeVos, who will oversee Waypoint Student living. "The new group illustrates Waypoint's model of developing expertise and managing assets in our key sectors of conventional multifamily, student and senior rental housing."The way John Guess, Jr., sees it, this is no time for the Houston Museum of African-American Culture to present art that is merely thought-provoking. Given the climate of the country, he said he feels a duty to lead conversations about racism.

Guess and curator Dominic Clay will cap off a year of shows on a museums are not neutral theme with the opening of A Burning House, by New Orleans conceptual artist Ti-Rock Moore.

The works will include ice sculpture and live performance on a pedestal that references the removal of statues of Confederate War heroes. The shows title comes from an historic conversation between Harry Belafonte and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during which King says, We have fought hard and long for integration, as I believe we should have, and I know that we will win. But I've come to believe we're integrating into a burning house.

Moore is a white Southerner. Her work reminds people that African-Americans are not alone in expressing outrage at the continuing racial divide. She is not indifferent, and we see that as a hopeful sign in the museums conversation with its visitors, said HMAAC CEO Gina Carroll.

Guess said a number of school and church groups have visited the museums in-dif-fer-ence installation, which has been extended through the end of the year. That show contains three small areas for watching a trio of video montages.

Clip after clip of news footage loops on one monitor, showing President Donald Trump using language that encourages violence and otherness. In a nearby cubicle, viewers can watch a montage of clips from social media showing intense ugliness and arguments between people of color and white Americans in grocery stores and restaurants.

Every time he spews this stuff, theres real human consequences, every day, Guess said.

The chairs in the third cubicle sit behind a sculpture of a car by Clay that enables them to imagine theyre driving or riding as they watch the longest loop of all, more than an hours worth of footage of people of color being stopped by police for various reasons and injured.

Guess didnt just want to anger viewers, so he and Clay also set up a room called Democracy, where visitors could register to vote. That display will also continue.

If we dont keep this up, to say its still going on, it gets lost, Guess said. Racism will not change if we dont acknowledge that it exists, he added.

Hes proud that HMAAC is holding a constant multicultural conversation on race as part of its mission to achieve a common future.

A Burning House opens with a reception for the artist at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Houston Museum of African-American Culture, 4807 Caroline. Admission is free or by donation; 713-526-1015, hmaac.org.

molly.glentzer@chron.comDuring the three-day visit, Moon is scheduled to attend a trio of annual summits hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - a Korea-ASEAN summit, an ASEAN Plus Three summit also involving China and Japan and the broader East Asia Summit.

Some of those attending are expected to announce major progress on a massive China-backed trade deal that excludes the United States, in a rebuke to President Donald Trump's increasingly unilateralist approach to worldwide commerce.

Li is expected to rally support for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pact now being negotiated, showcased to be the free trade deal that will encompass more than a third of the world's GDP.

The pact - which is less ambitious than the TPP in areas such as employment and environmental protection - groups the 10 ASEAN members plus China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

According to the ASEAN department which is under Foreign Affairs Ministry, during the ASEAN and APEC meeting, the State Counsellor will speak with global leaders about increased cooperation, trade and investment, defense and security, among other issues.

Some ASEAN members and China have overlapping claims to islands in the sea, one of the world's busiest waterways.

The encounter, if it happens, would come on the heels of high-level talks in Washington where the two sides aired their main differences but appeared to attempt controlling the damage to relations that has worsened with tit-for-tat tariffs in recent months.

On the last two days of his tour, ... from the 17th 'til the 18th, President Moon will be in Papua New Guinea for the Asia-Pacific Summit, which brings together 21 countries from the Pacific Rim.

His remarks came at a business summit on the sidelines of meetings this week between the 10-member ASEAN and external partners, including the U.S. and China, which are in a dispute over trade.

"The President will reiterate the Philippines' principled positions on matters concerning the South China Sea and transnational and trans-boundary issues such as terrorism, violent extremism, trafficking in persons, illicit drugs and disaster risk reduction and management", the Palace said in a statement.

Also, ASEAN members states may announce the successful conclusion of agreements with Russian Federation and the United States on cooperating on cyber security.Over 100 rounds of ammunition and 18 undocumented immigrants were found in a stash house in east Laredo on Thursday, according to Border Patrol.

The agency said they made the discovery with assistance from a Laredo police officer at a residence off of U.S. Highway 59. Upon entry, authorities found 16 individuals being held in the home, all of whom were determined to be in the U.S. illegally.A woman has been arrested for burning her son's hand as punishment after she accused him of stealing $100, according to Laredo police.

Genitza Jenny Fernandez, 37, was arrested Nov. 6. She was served with an arrest warrant charging her with injury to a child and endangerment of a child.

She is out on bond from the Webb County Jail, according to custody records.

At about 4:50 p.m. Sept. 21, police responded to an injury to a child report at Trautmann Middle School.

READ ALSO: San Antonio mother arrested after disabled son dies of malnutrition, dehydration

A school counselor stated that an 11-year-old male student had said that his mother, Fernandez, had punished him by holding his hand to a hot stove-top burner, causing burn scars to the left palm and fingers, according to court documents.

But Fernandez stated that her son had accidentally put his hand on the hot stove-top burner while reaching for a food condiment, an arrest affidavit states.

Fernandez said she did not seek medical attention for her son when the incident occurred, but she added that she called a doctor in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, for advice, the affidavit states.

The child underwent a forensic interview at the Children's Advocacy Center. He stated his mother was trying to find out what happened to $100 she was missing, "which he admittedly had taken," according to the affidavit.

RELATED: LPD: Mother arrested after not seeking medical attention for infant who had fever for days

"(The boy) stated that as punishment, his mother held his hand onto a hot stove-top burner for six seconds until he admitted that he had taken her money," the affidavit states. "(The boy) stated that the burning 'hurt so much that some tears came out,' and that it was so painful that he 'stayed awake all night.'"

Police interviewed Fernandez. She stated that her son burned himself accidentally when he reached out for Parmesan cheese for some pizza. Investigators presented their findings to an assistant district attorney, who issued the warrant for Fernandez's arrest.If you were thinking about sending your great aunt a new pet snake for Christmas, better get the snake an Uber, because you won't be able to send it through the U.S. mail.

However, you may send her a baby alligator, as long as the gator is less than 20 inches long.With Sylvia Garcia resigning from her State Senate District 6 seat, an expedited election will take place to fill her spot before the start of the legislative session.

The Texas Legislature begins its 86th regular session on Jan. 8, 2019.

Garcia submitted her resignation on Friday, Nov. 9, after being elected to be the U.S. representative for District 29. The election fills the spot of retiring U.S. Rep. Gene Green. Later the same day, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation ordering a special election in Texas State Senate District 6.

The expedited special election will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 11, with early voting beginning on Monday, Nov. 26.

Candidates who wish to have their names placed on the special election ballot must file their applications with the Secretary of State no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16.

Texas State Senate District 6 is contained within Harris County. It is primarily in east Harris County but meanders into central Houston and includes portions of the Heights.

Two state representatives have already announced they will run to fill the spot vacated by Garcias resignation. District 143s Ana Hernandez and District 145s Carol Alvarado will vie for the open Senate seat.

In her announcement to social media, Hernandez said: I look forward to taking my message of a new generation of leadership in the continued fight for quality schools, affordable healthcare, and economic opportunities to the voters of Senate District 6.

In her announcement, Alvarado said: As chair of a major House committee and successful leader in other legislative positions, I have built relationships that will help me advocate an agenda that benefits all the members of our dynamic community, including protection for our DREAMERS, proper funding for public education, womens reproductive health, healthcare that is accessible, affordable and attainable higher education, good-paying jobs for our community in our emerging high-tech economy, and full recovery from Hurricane Harvey.

Garcia, a former Harris County Commissioner, filled the District 6 in a special election in 2013. She defeated Alvarado in the bid to fill the position after longtime Sen. Mario Gallegos died while in office. Green was a senator for the district for six years from 1987-1993.

rkent@hcnonline.comRaised on a Louisiana farm, the youngest of six children, Donna Johnson shares fond memories of time spent in the kitchen preparing food.

She credits her mom, Betty Miller, as the source for much of her cooking knowledge. As young as 7 or 8, Johnson was a presence in the kitchen and her older sister, Charlotte, served as a second mom.

One family tradition was a fresh fruit salad. Because Johnson was too young to use a knife, her role was to help peel some of the fruit. Everyone had a role in making the salad, she said.

Shes proud her grandson, a first-grader, keeps an apron at her home. My grandson loves to cook, she said. I think its important for men to know how to cook. That was among the skills she made sure her two sons learned.

What Johnson didnt learn from her mother, she taught herself through the years. The result is an award-winning cook. Johnson recently earned two ribbons in the recipe contest of the Katy Rice Festival: a third place for her entree Rice Farmers Stew and a first place for her dessert Rice Apple Pie Bites. Shes also brought home cooking honors from the former Katy Rice Harvest Festival, too.

Besides her love of cooking, Johnson adds, I love competing. I love the fact that everything is totally anonymous. Im not an athlete but I do like to cook.

The biggest compliment, though, came from her brother Steve Miller. After tasting her seafood gumbo with okra, he said, That tastes just like moms.

If you love to cook, your options are endless, said Johnson, a 30-year Katy resident. I love experimenting in the kitchen.

If you love to cook, it comes naturally, she added.

More Information Rice Cooking Winners Entree Category 1st Place - Dafney Hibbeler with Bulgogi Rice Burger 2nd Place - Tim Lewter with Jambalaya 3rd Place - Donna Johnson with Rice Farmer's Stew Dessert Category 1st Place - Donna Johnson with Rice Apple Pie Bites 2nd Place - Cathy Verneuil with Raspberry Creme Brulee 3rd Place - Ibis Leon with Arroz con Leche See More Collapse

For the festival contest, for example, she found recipes that she liked and then made adjustments, including the addition of rice, which was a requirement for the contest.

Even when shes not competing in a cooking contest, she said shes always adding and making changes in recipes till she comes up with something that she likes. She calls her husband and sons her best critics. Her sons  Jacob, 33, and his family, and David, 29, and his family  live nearby in Katy.

For Johnson home-cooked meals meant family time. Its important to sit around and talk, she said, as she remembers suppers where she, her husband and sons talked about their days as they ate. We never ran out of stuff to talk about.

Even though her sons are grown, she said she still cooks a lot at home and hosts frequent family nights with them and their families. Shes also known for exchanging dishes with her neighbors. And shes organized so that the meal is nearly cooked by the time guests arrive so that she can visit with them and not have to spend time in the kitchen.

One of her favorite dishes is chicken sausage gumbo. A family tradition is pot roast with rice and homemade gravy, green and lima beans salad and cole slaw. She loves beef and chuck roast is her favorite cut of meat. The Thanksgiving menu will include both ham and turkey with a rice dressing, of course, in addition to vegetable side dishes and pumpkin and pecan pies.

Preparing lunch for her father when he worked in the Louisiana rice fields also was important. During planting and harvesting time was of the essence, and her father and his crew ate plates of food in the field prepared by the women of the house. You didnt dare bring farmers a sandwich to eat in the field. They needed a warm meal. We didnt use paper plates then.

They also were self-sufficient. We grew all our vegetables and raised all our meat, said Johnson.

karen.zurawski@chron.comMontgomery County commissioners unanimously agreed to fund mobility projects for a 3,000-acre development near Magnolia.

According to the deal, known as a 381 Agreement, the county will reimburse Audubon Magnolia Development LLC a percentage of property tax collected above what is currently collected in that area.

Chapter 381 of the Local Government Code allows counties to provide incentives encouraging developers to build in their jurisdictions. A county may administer and develop a program to make loans and grants of public money to promote state or local economic development and to stimulate, encourage and develop business location and commercial activity in the county.

Sam Yager III, with AMD, presented the agreement to the court Tuesday. Yager presented a preliminary plan for the development to the Magnolia City Council in April.

He said he is planning just over $100 million road improvements for the area including new roads, bridges and intersection improvements.

In short, this is a big idea to solve a problem that already exists, Yager said.

Commissioners agree.

This has been a well thought out project, Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley said. I think it is a great partnership.

Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said he has been a fan of similar agreements, which have been used by the county before.

County Judge Craig Doyal echoed Riley.

Its a huge benefit ultimately to the county and the entire area, he said.

Its a win-win, Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Clark added.

Yager said the development is located on both sides of FM 1488 at the Texas 249 toll road, which is currently under construction. It is comprised of Municipal Utility Districts 130, 131 and 154 and will be one of the largest developments near the city of Magnolia. Since the start of the project in 2011, Yager said it has tripled in size.

"This is not a short-term project," Yager said in a previous article. "I'm very excited about the project we are going to put forth. We are really proud of it."

The project will include 6,900 residential units with 570 acres for mixed used development. To date, Yager said, AMD has made a total of $15.4 million contributions including donating 182 acres of right of way to the Texas Department of Transportation for the Texas 249 toll road project.

He added he is donating another 11 acres for the widening of FM 1488.

cdominguez@hcnonline.comThe Fort Bend Interfaith Community has a new host for its fourth annual community Thanksgiving celebration  St. Angela Merici Catholic Church in Sienna.

Looking forward to the community coming together is Rabbi Josh Lobel of Congregation Beth El in Missouri City who organized the initial observance.

Its an opportunity for different backgrounds and cultures to express a shared sense of gratitude, he said, adding that its especially meaningful in Fort Bend, which is recognized as one of the most diverse counties in the country. This years service will begin at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Missouri City church, 9009 Sienna Ranch Road. Lobel anticipates attendance of between 800 and 1,000 as in years past. The service will conclude with coffee, punch and cookies.

Admission to the free service is donation of a nonperishable food item that will be distributed to Fort Bend area food pantries.

The service will include many of the same participants from prior years representing congregations of Lutheran, Latter-Day Saints, Methodist, Baha'i Faith, Hindu, Catholic, Muslim and Jewish. This year they will be joined by representatives of the Missouri City-based Sikh community, said Lobel.

Lisa Jones, communications coordinator, St. Angela Merici, said,  For the majority of our staff and parish community this will be our first time to attend the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. We are happy to be introducing this Interfaith Service to our parish and to be hosting this beautiful, unifying event for the Fort Bend Interfaith community. We believe it has the promise to bear much fruit by providing understanding and deepening connections between all people of Fort Bend.

Jones explained that the churchs former Director of Faith Formation became involved with the Fort Bend Interfaith Community as a way to connect our very diverse group of parishioners with the diversity represented in Fort Bend county at large. Due to the building of our new larger worship space last year and our commitment to the community, he felt that this would be a good year for St. Angela Merici to host the Fort Bend Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service.

C. Chappell Temple, lead pastor of Christ Church Sugar Land, will deliver the homily and the interfaith choir will add music to the celebration.

Lobel talks of adding new readings and songs to the celebration which will speak to the community and which they will enjoy.

Right now were seeing such divisiveness and polarization in the political world, said Lobel. Its quite disheartening and scary. Were trying to preach the message of pluralism and respect.

He stressed the importance of education and of people getting to know each other and not be scared of someone different from themselves. Theyll find out were much more alike than were different.

The community needs to overcome the divisiveness, he said. When we hear all this in the news, we have to confront it, not shy away from it.

The shooting deaths of 11 members of a Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27 produced an evening of solidarity at Lobels Congregation Beth El in Missouri City.

If anything, we felt so embraced by the support of the interfaith community, he said. A couple hundred people, some bearing signs, supported the Jewish community in Fort Bend with the underlying message that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, said Lobel, referring to recent violent attacks occurring across the country.

Its unacceptable to be happening in America, said Lobel. Its up to us to pull together. Baseless hatred has no place in our country and our communities.

The Interfaith Community also organizes Dinner Dialogues. Lobel said a recent dinner drew a great response with dinner/discussion at each table about faith and what religion and cultures have taught people. That is another means of drawing members of a diverse community a little bit closer to each other. As a diverse community we dont live among each other but with each other, said Lobel.

karen.zurawski@chron.comA Houston-based company has been hired by the DEA and ICE to produce an undisclosed number of hidden surveillance cameras inside street lights in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.

"I can tell you thisthings are always being watched. It doesn't matter if you're driving down the street or visiting a friend, if government or law enforcement has a reason to set up surveillance, there's great technology out there to do it." Christie Crawford, who co-owns Cowboy Streetlight Concealments with her husband, a Houston police officer, told news website Quartz.com.

Federal contracting documents reveal that their Houston-based company has been hired by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to produce an undisclosed number of hidden surveillance cameras inside streetlights in cities across the U.S., including Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, Quartz reports.

RELATED: One injured after DEA plane crashes in west Houston near Sugar Land

"Basically, there's businesses out there that will build concealments for the government and that's what we do. They specify what's best for them, and we make it. And that's about all I can probably say," she said.

While the exact locations of the cameras are unclear, the DEA has reportedly paid Cowboy Streetlight Concealments approximately $22,000 since June 2018 for "video recording and reproducing equipment," while ICE has paid the local business around $28,000 over the same period of time.

What's more, the DEA has placed covert surveillance cameras inside traffic barrels and operates a network of digital speed-display road signs that contain automated license plate reader technology within them.

RELATED: Houston-area crimes caught on camera

Surveillance cameras in U.S. cities are expected to become more prevalent as the development of facial recognition algorithms becomes more commonplace among law enforcement agencies.

One corporation looking to outfit cameras with facial recognition used by the US Department of Homeland Security is mega e-commerce company, Amazon.

"We are ready and willing to support the vital [Homeland Security Investigations] mission," an Amazon employee wrote in an email, part of a chain of emails recently unearthed by the Project on Government Oversight.

"Efforts to put cameras in streetlights have been proposed before by local law enforcement," senior advocacy and policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union Chad Marlow told the website.

"It basically has the ability to turn every street light into a surveillance device."

Marcy de Luna is a digital reporter specializing in social media, the famous, and food. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna. Read her stories on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | Marcy.deLuna@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text messageStudents applying to Rice University are much less likely to be accepted now than they were a little more than decade ago, according to a new study by BusinessStudent.com.

Admissions rate data show Rice went from accepting 27 percent of applicants in 2006 to 11 percent in 2018, a 59.8 percent decrease. It was the eighth largest drop in admissions rates among schools that were ranked among the top 51 by the U.S. World & News Report.

Overall, the average admissions rate among the top schools fell from 35.9 percent in 2006 to 22.6 percent in 2018, a drop of about 37 percent.

GROWING CLASS: Rice University gets record number of applications

Only two of the 51 schools analyzed by the website became easier to get into over the past decade: Syracuse University and the College of William & Mary. The University of Chicago saw the biggest dip in admissions rates, falling from 38 percent to 7.2 percent.

The University of Texas - Austin became slightly more difficult to get into, with admissions rates falling from about 49 percent in 2006 to 40 percent in 2018.

A growing number of students applying to top colleges may be partially to blame for the lower admissions rates. Harvard University, the University of Southern California, Dartmouth set records for the number of applications they received this spring, according to press releases from those schools.

More than 20,000 students applied to Rice University this spring for the first time in the school's history, an increase of 16 percent over the previous year.

RELATED: Rice University announces free tuition for middle income undergraduate students

Yvonne Romero Da Silva, vice president for enrollment at Rice, said the spike in applications could be the result of several changes the school has made over the past decade. The school recently made some testing requirements optional, although applicants still must submit their SAT and ACT scores. Officials also increased the school's undergrad enrollment from 3,000 to 4,000, and the prior president made it a priority to increase awareness about the private school across the country.

The number of applications could increase again this coming year after the university announced it would provide full-tuition scholarships to students from low- and middle-income backgrounds beginning next fall.

Romero Da Silva said her office already has seen an increase in the number of students applying for early-decision admissions.

"While we had always offered need-based financial aid, it can be confusing at times. But with the Rice Investment, there's more clarity about what most families will receive at a minimum, and that has opened up the possibility in students' minds that this is a place they could go," Romero Da Silva said. "I think the word is just getting out more that we're here, we're in Houston, we're a great institution and we have a lot of things competitive students are looking for."Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who on Saturday poignantly visited the forest clearing in northeastern France where the Armistice was signed, had signaled beforehand that they meant to use the Paris ceremony to warn about the modern-day danger of nationalism.

Trump's tirade came just one day after French President Emmanuel Macron - once regarded as a close confidant of the U.S. president - rebuked Trump's "America First" brand of nationalism, comparing it to the forces that plunged Europe into conflict in the early 20th Century.

A GOP senator is responding to French President Emmanuel Macron's alleged criticism of President Trump. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism.

Opening the event, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "The concern I have is that blinkered nationalist views may gain ground once again".

Prior to the Forum, President Kagame joined world leader at Palais de l'Elysee for a luncheon hosted by President Macron for the 100th Anniversary of l'Armistice. By saying "our interests first" ... we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what gives it grace, and what is essential: "its moral values", he said.

Trump returned to Washington from a weekend in Paris to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War One where strained relations between the American President and European allies was on full display. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin each arrived to the commemoration separately, citing security reasons.

Trump and Macron, initially engaged in what the media widely labeled a "bromance", have sharply descended into open confrontation and hostility in the past weeks. That includes French President Emmanuel Macron, who on Sunday warned that the "ancient demons" that caused World War I and millions of deaths were once again making headway.

While praising France for "a wonderful two days", Trump described his rainy stop at the American cemetery at Suresnes as "the highlight of the trip".

A person in the crowd explained that the woman would be turning 101 the day after Armistice Day as the elderly woman turned to Merkel, saying, "You are Madame Macron".

"Two World Wars and a Cold War taught us the importance of doing things together", he said.

Plus, it was with French help that the United States defeated the British during the American Revolutionary War.

A handful of senior administration officials, including White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, went in the president's place, while Trump remained behind at the ambassador's residence with no alternate schedule for hours.

Instead, he said history would remember the image of multiple world leaders whose countries were once at war gathered in peace under the Arc.

The president was widely criticized for not visiting the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery on Saturday, where 1,800 American soldiers were killed during World War I.

On Sunday, Merkel met with the head of the United Nations, an organization born from the ashes of World War II, and the president of Serbia.A three-time killer from Dallas County now has a date with death.

Mark Robertson, who murdered a friend and his 81-year-old grandmother after a night of drugs and fishing, is scheduled for execution on April 11, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

"The execution date is premature," said defense attorney Lydia Brandt, pointing out that a federal appeals court recently bounced the case back to a lower court over claims Robertson was denied funding to investigate factors that could have swayed a jury to vote for a life sentence.

"Among other things," she said, "he was denied funding to show he suffered from a serious but treatable, mental illness that distorted his thinking and impaired his judgment, as well as serious abuse and neglect."

On a Saturday night in August of 1989, Robertson went to his friend's house to do some crank and smoke some weed, he later admitted in a written confession. Afterward, the then-21-year-old and his friend, Sean Hill, went fishing in the backyard.

They caught seven catfish, and then Robertson pulled out a gun and shot Hill in the head.

"After I shot him, Sean fell in the water," Robertson wrote. "I then ran in the house through Sean's bedroom and into the bathroom where I splashed some water over my face. I then walked into the den where (Edna Brau), Sean's grandmother, was watching TV and I shot her once. I unplugged the TV because it was playing and so was the radio in the bedroom."

There, he rummaged through her drawers for her purse, then took Hill's drugs and drove off in the grandmother's Cadillac. The next day, he watched the evening news report about investigators finding the bodies, so he decided to leave town and drive to Las Vegas.

He was caught there later that month, and confessed to police.

"Robertson readily and matter-of-factly admitted appalling details of the double murder to any Las Vegas police officer who would listen," Assistant District Attorney Patrick Kirlin wrote in The Prosecutor in 2009, "including the part where he waited until the bubbles stopped rising from Sean's body in the creek before proceeding to his elderly victim.

During his 1991 trial, the jury also heard about how he murdered a 19-year-old convenience store clerk over $55 a week before the killing that landed him on death row. He was sentenced to death for the robbery and murder of Brau, and netted two life sentences for the killings of Hill and store clerk Jeffrey Saunders.

On appeal, his attorneys argued that he'd had a "long-history of continuous and severe childhood abuse, deprivation, and neglect" and may suffer from untreated mental illness, so he didn't deserve a death sentence. And, they said, in the months before his crime spree, Robertson's live-in girlfriend told him she'd aborted their child and then moved out.

"Mark spiraled out of control in the weeks immediately preceding, and culminated in, the murders of Saunders, Brau and Hill," his lawyers wrote in a 2014 appeal. "Had the jury known the real Mark Robertson, they would not have sentenced him to death."

But the men and women who voted for a death sentence never heard about key details of his past, his appeals lawyers argued, because the trial team failed to properly investigate.

On top of that, a Texas prison warden gave false testimony about what his security classification would be in prison if he got a life sentence instead of death. That, the lawyers argued, could have changed the jury's opinion on whether he was a future danger in prison.

In 2003, his then-attorney won him a stay after the courts had already set an execution date. But now, 15 years later, a Dallas County judge signed off again.

The Lone Star State has executed 10 men this year, and - including Robertson - another six are on the calendar.

NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.The attacker had a specific type of victim: Asians, primarily women, many who lived in a community west of Houston's Chinatown.

For more than a year, he stalked them, sometimes for days, before stealing their jewelry, high-end purses, and large amounts of money, according to the Houston Police Department. Some of the incidents were violent, as when he allegedly bound a victim and threatened her with a gun at her home.

On Tuesday, police said a man, who was already in jail on an unrelated charge, was responsible for the attacks. Derrick Mondell Rogers, 41, faces a slew of charges related to 13 cases dating from June 2017 to September, police said. The burglaries and robberies took place in Houston, Harris County and Fort Bend County.

At a news conference Tuesday, Detective Tyrus Fontenot described some of the attacks, including one incident during late July, when a man approached a woman as she arrived at her home in the 7000 block of Leaders Crossing around 9:55 p.m and pointed a handgun to her head.

Fontenot said the attacker threatened to shoot her if she did not give him money. He zipped tied her wrists and ankles, duct taped her mouth, hit her with his knee and choked her before stealing her wallet and a few checkbooks from her purse.

This incident was captured on the victim's home surveillance camera. The video was released to the public in September and authorities were then able to identify Rogers, detectives said.

The same attacker, authorities said, targeted the same house three times over a five-month period. The first two times, he broke into the home when no one was there. The third time, someone was.

In that incident, detectives said he struck a woman in the head with a brick and then bound her with duct tape before robbing her.

Detectives said they do not know why he targeted Asian women, but that it could be because the suspect might have found them to be easy targets.

DEADLY CONSEQUENCES: Armed robberies take a tragic toll on Houston families

Officers recovered Rogers vehicle, two handguns and large amount of stolen property from robberies and burglaries, according to the police department.

Rogers faces aggravated assault of family member, burglary of habitation, robbery with bodily injury and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, police said.

At HoustonChronicle.com: Asian population growth spurs suburban Chinatown in Katy

Officers also believe there might be more robberies. Anyone with information should contact the HPD robbery division at 713-308-0700.

Here are the burglaries and robberies Rogers is accused of committing:

Sept. 24 - robbery, 9400 block Coventry Square Drive

Sept. 23 - family violence/assault, 9400 block Coventry Square Drive

Sept. 15 - robbery, 12300 block Longbrook

Sept. 8 - robbery, 3500 block Beech Ridge Lane (Harris County)

Sept. 1 - burglary, 13500 block Bonilla Lane (Harris County)

Aug 30 - robbery, 13100 block Woodvine Trail

Aug. 25 - burglary, 12500 block Ashling Drive

July 31 - robbery, 7000 block Leaders Crossing Drive

July 12 - burglary, 13100 block Woodvine Trail

May 20 - burglary, 2900 block Walnut Bend Lane

March 25 - burglary, 13100 block Woodvine Trail

June 6, 2017 - burglary, 12500 block Bear Valley Drive

The attacks were just west of Houston's Chinatown community, where neighborhood leaders last year were dealing with an epidemic of robberies and burglaries. Local law enforcement leaders, including Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, met with more than 300 people in the Chinese Community Center's gymnasium.

At the time, police warned residents of an uptick in "jugging," where thieves steal valuables from a car, and "sliding," where they steal a purse or other items from a vehicle when the occupant is fueling.

Ogg said then that her office was committed to trying to stop robberies in Chinatown as well as across the county. Chinatown is centered generally east of the Sam Houston Tollway and north of Beechnut.

"Those groups also target people in international communities because they are counting on the fear in those communities of the police," Ogg said. "That fear is unjustified. Police are here to respond to crimes, and prosecutors are available to work with them to prosecute those perpetrators."

NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.The saga of a Spring couple ordered to surrender their more than 200 cats by a Montgomery County judge continued Tuesday as David and Faye Spencer appealed the decision.

Montgomery County Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Edie Connelly on Oct. 31 ordered the Spencers to surrender their 231 cats to the Houston SPCA after an investigation found that several of the animals were in bad health. Connelly also ordered the couple to pay the more than $52,000 incurred in court fees and veterinarian bills by the Houtson SPCA over the two weeks between the seizure and Connellys ruling.

In order to appeal the ruling, the couple was required to put up twice the amount the court held them responsible for  more than $104,000  as bond.

The Spencers on Tuesday argued that they were unable to pay the amount and presented documentation to that effect in a closed session with Connelly, Montgomery County Assistant County Attorney Ronald Chin and several HSPCA animal cruelty investigators.

The documents turned over on Tuesday included court documents stating their only income came from social security and disability benefits and listing their only asset of value to be a $40,000 Ford truck.

But, Chin said, the documents submitted to the court by the couple appear to possibly misrepresent the financial situation of the Spencers  as well as, he claimed, show that they are potentially unable to financially care for the 231 cats.

I just dont think theyre disclosing everything, Chin alleged. If anyone has worked for a long time, they have a 401K or even a pension.

The couple alleges that they cared for the cats with the help of donations made through a non-profit organization called Dave and Fayes Cat Sanctuary, a registered Texas domestic corporation founded in June 2017, according to state records. Connelly gave the couple until Nov. 20 to submit financial documentation on the non-profit  the exact tax-exemption status of the organization, as well as how much money theyve raised through it, is unclear.

The couple maintains a website and Facebook page for their sanctuary, which has a link to a Paypal donation site that states it is managed in conjuction with WoodForest Bank. There was also a GoFundMe page set up for the couple, which showed several hundreds of dollars in donations from 15 donors.

I just want them to show the court and state how theyve been doing it, Chin said of the financial documents requested by officials.

For the Spencers, the investigation and subsequent seizure of their 231 cats is, in their opinion, a witch hunt.

Nobody seems to want to know the truth, David Spencer said.

HSPCA and Montgomery County Animal Control officials at the initial hearing on Oct. 24 testified to finding the Spencers home in disarray when they arrived to investigate animal cruelty claims on Oct. 16.

After receiving continued complaints from neighbors, officials found several of the cats suffering from skin conditions, emaciation, fleas and diarrhea. After an initial examination by HSPCA veterinarians, all 231 cats showed signs of upper respiratory infections and one was humanely euthanized due to its condition.

A cruelty investigator with the HSPCA declined to comment on the current state of the cats Tuesday, citing the ongoing court case.

Character witnesses brought in to the Oct. 24 hearing told Connelly of a caring couple dedicated to the excellent care of the cats, never adopting them out.

We love these cats, Spencer said. This has been our life. I miss them every single day.

Connelly is scheduled to rule on the appeal on Nov. 26.

mrincon@chron.comThe latest skirmish over Confederate monuments erupted this week in Orange, where video of a stranger's profanity-laden rant galvanized both sides of the ongoing debate.

The verbal barrage was filmed by a husband and wife who were protesting the 5-year-old Confederate Memorial of the Wind off Interstate 10 near Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. It is one of an estimated 68 such monuments remaining in the state.

WARNING: Video contains explicit language

"What gives you the right to be (expletive) protesting America," the unidentified man says as he approaches. He berates the couple as "stupid idiots" and at one point screams that he would "feel better if you (expletive) Democrats would go to hell."

The couple, Orange native Tracie Parzen and her husband, Jeremy, have been picketing the site periodically since last December. They raised money through a Go Fund Me campaign to purchase billboard advertising urging the Sons of Confederate Veterans to "repurpose" the site because it "doesn't reflect Orange, Texas community values."

The Parzens posted the 2-minute video of this weekend's encounter to Youtube, where it generated upward of 30,000 views. A copy shared on the Beaumont Enterprise's Facebook page spread the news even farther.

One commenter said she "totally" agreed with the man "with the exception of his language." She thanked him "for stopping and standing up for our country and our heritage." Her post was liked, and even loved, by more than 500 people.

"Yeah," a commenter with a different view responded. "Thank him for standing up to the history of the confederacy and their love of slavery."

A small minority noted "a difference between remembering and celebrating" history, which "this guy clearly does not get."

Comments supporting the attack on the protesters seemed to predominate, however. One man said he "love(d) every word of" the rant and suggested the man run for public office.

RELATED: PAISD will change Confederate school names

The stranger first yelled at the Parzens while driving by, then circled back and parked his truck at a convenience store. He walked across the street to confront them.

As the man walked away following his tirade, Tracie Parzen told him that Jesus loves him. He agreed, but assured them that "Jesus (expletive) hates you."

Parzen said that and the reaction to the video reinforces the need for people to stand up against the monument.

"It just tells us we're doing the right thing," she said. "There is this undercurrent of hatred where there are a lot of good people in Orange, a lot of good people who do not want this monument representing their town."

Parzen said they also represent "the people who may be too scared" to protest. She and her husband live in Houston but frequently visit their immediate and extended families in Orange.

"We believe those type of things belong in museums," she said. "We don't want to forget and repeat our history, but at the same time, a memorial is glorifying that history rather than educating about it."

Marshall Davis, spokesman for the Texas division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which owns the memorial to 32 Texas regiments of the Confederate Army, said the group is not trying to incite controversy.

"We have no agenda other than to honor our Confederate ancestors and preserve true history," he said.

Davis called the man's behavior in the video "deplorable" but said he agreed with some of his statements about heritage. He said Confederate history advocates "would like to be treated with the same tolerance and diversity that has been extended to other groups."

Davis said he does not believe the man is a member of the organization.

Tracie Parzen said protests are planned for December and Martin Luther King Jr. Day next year.

The $50,000 monument has long been a point of contention in Orange, a community of nearly 20,000 people barely 30 miles from the Louisiana border. The city passed a resolution opposing it in 2013.

City Attorney Jack Smith on Monday called the memorial "odious," but he said both sides have the right to freely express themselves. There's not much the city can do, he said, other than "try to keep the peace."

"This thing is very unpopular," Smith said

Thurston "Louis" Ackerman, Orange County Democratic Party chairman, said there has been bipartisan support for removing the Confederate tribute.

"This is something that can pull our community together, regardless of who you vote for because it doesn't represent values that we share as a community," Ackerman said in an email.

He also said he worried major companies would refuse to invest in a place "with a Confederate memorial on the highway."

But David Covey, who chairs the county's GOP party, said local Republicans are not focused on the Confederate issue but on road and drainage maintenance, "issues that will help make Orange County better."

The monument's supporters are not involved in the local GOP group, Covey added.

"We encourage Republicans to be adults and be mature about issues," Covey said. "Generally, Republicans respect history and are not about changing history, but it's not a primary focus at all for the local Republican party."

phoebe.suy@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/phoebesuy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.Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, has been at the forefront of international efforts to address common challenges notably those relating to peace and security, climate change and migration, said Moroccos Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

Speaking in Paris on the sidelines of the Paris World Peace Forum, Bourita reaffirmed that Morocco strives to create conditions favorable for international consensus by hosting and initiating landmark conferences such as the UN Climate Summit COP22 in 2016 and the upcoming migration summit in Marrakech next December.

He also recalled Moroccos Chairmanship of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum which aims at enhancing international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

Morocco firmly believes in the correlation between stability and development, Bourita said.

The Minister also highlighted Moroccos contribution in UN peace keeping missions saying that more than 60,000 Moroccan soldiers took part in 17 UN operations across the globe.

Some 2000 are deployed today under the helmet of the UN to keep peace and security and save human lives, he said.

Moroccos participation in the Paris Forum was also meant to highlight the concerns shared by African countries as far as stability and development are concerned.

Morocco is taking part in these debates in order to enrich multilateralism, he said, noting that multilateralism should not be limited to a handful of states but should rather be inclusive with the active participation of African countries.

Paris World Peace Forum is held a day after the ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I which was attended by King Mohammed VI and Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, along many world leaders.The UN-brokered agreement inked by Libyas warring factions in the Moroccan coastal town of Skhirat remains the only viable basis for achieving a long-term solution to the Libyan conflict, said on Tuesday Sergei Prikhodko, 1st Deputy Chief of the Russian Government Staff.

All parties in Libya must seek compromises based on the Skhirat accord which has been backed by UN Security Council and the international community, added the Russian official, who insisted on the need to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the North African country.

There is no other alternative to negotiation and all Libyan parties must continue dialogue to reach the necessary compromises, explained Mr.Sergei, adding that one of the main obstacles to peace in Libya are the insecurity and the presence of many terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaida.

These remarks coincide with the international conference on Libya, currently held in Palermo, Italy. The event is bringing together Libyan and international stakeholders to discuss a plan to resolve the political crisis in the North African country.

The Italian government organized the conference after the Paris summit held in France in May. At the Paris summit, Libyan leaders agreed to hold a referendum on the draft constitution by September 16 and presidential and parliamentary elections on December 10.

However, these elections, initially viewed as a step toward stability, were announced without any details on how to deal with the security issue besides the logistic challenges of organizing national elections in a short time.

United Nations Special Envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, conceded Monday in Palermo that violence in the North African nation had forced a postponement of the election date.

Speaking on the sideline of the Palermo conference, Salame said the election would be held between late March and late June. The envoy said 80 percent of Libyans insist on having elections.

Since the NATO-backed revolution ousted Gaddafi in 2011, the internationally recognized Libyan authorities have struggled with almost constant instability as heavily armed brigades of former rebels and their political allies wrestled for control of the vast country and its oil resources.

Foreign interference in Libya has also been criticized by Libyans and some European countries since the fall of the Gadhafi regime.

The United States also has an interest in the viability of the Mediterranean region, in particular the stability of important allies such as Italy, Spain, and Greece. All countries are directly threatened by illegal immigration as well as by the strengthening of international criminal organizations and smugglers of illegal migrants.

According to some experts, the stabilization of Libya includes containment of terrorism and preventing the spillover of the conflict to Libyas northern African and Sahel neighbors.The U.S. gave a stark warning to companies around the world: Evading sanctions on Iran will hurt.

"I promise you that doing business in Iran in defiance of our sanctions will ultimately be a much more painful business decision than pulling out of Iran," Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said Monday at a news conference in Washington, after the U.S. imposed penalties on 700 individuals, banks, ships, aircraft and companies tied to Iran's energy and financial industries.

Vowing "swift, severe penalties" to those caught violating sanctions, Pompeo said the U.S. pressure's campaign has cost Iran $2.5 billion in oil revenue since May. But oil traded close to a six-month low as Pompeo's tough talk was softened by his announcement of temporary waivers from penalties for eight nations.

President Donald Trump is trying to force Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions and what he calls its support for terrorism in the Middle East by choking off its oil revenue. The move came after he abandoned the deal that the U.S. and five other world powers reached in 2015 to ease sanctions in return for curbs on Iran's nuclear program.

Pompeo confirmed that the eight countries granted waivers from oil sanctions are China, India, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey. He said the waivers were only temporary measures to ease their transition from Iranian crude and avoid destabilizing the energy market. But some Republicans in Congress have vowed legislation to eliminate the waivers, and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani ridiculed them on Monday.

"That the U.S. is forced to exempt eight nations from sanctions on oil sales when it had previously said it wants to cut Iran's oil sales to zero, isn't that as sign of Iran's victory and the U.S. backing off," Rouhani said.

The waivers largely confirmed expectations in the energy market and eased concerns about the prospects of a tight global market at the end of the year. West Texas Intermediate crude for December delivery dropped as much as 1 percent to $62.52 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the lowest since April 9, before recovering 0.6 percent to $63.52 as of 1:51 p.m. London time.

While Iran and all of the other nations in the 2015 nuclear agreement have vowed to stand by its provisions, Pompeo said more than 100 companies have canceled their plans to do business with Iran since Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal in May.

The administration's pledges to be "aggressive" in enforcement of the sanctions indicates that U.S. individuals and companies in violation could face high penalties or even the threat of jail time, according to John Smith, who left Treasury in May as a civil servant leading the unit that issues and enforces sanctions and is now a partner at the law firm Morrison & Foerster.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin added 700 entities to the sanctions list on Monday bringing it to 900. Among those listed for the first time Monday were 50 Iranian banks, 200 individuals, and shipping vessels tied to Iran's shipping and energy sector and more than 65 Iranian aircraft. The only path to sanctions relief is for Iran's leaders to halt its support for terrorism and abandon its nuclear ambitions "immediately," Mnuchin said, adding that the U.S. is watching the Iranian regime with "laser focus."

The administration had signaled that its enforcement of sanctions would include targeting Swift, the global financial messaging network, for any violations of the new restrictions.

In a statement Monday, Swift said it would suspend "certain Iranian banks' access" to its system.

"This step, while regrettable, has been taken in the interest of the stability and integrity of the wider global financial system," according to the statement. "Our mission remains to be a global neutral messaging provider."

On Friday, Trump said he is open to a deal with Iran that blocks its nuclear-weapons program and that his so-called maximum pressure campaign targets Iran's government, not its people. But more sanctions will come until Iran's government decides to "either abandon its destructive behavior or continue down the path toward economic disaster," the president said.

But Rouhani said his country would engage in talks only if the U.S. honored its commitments in the Iran deal.

"Respect your commitments, then we will talk," Rouhani said in a meeting with economy officials, according to state-run Islamic Republic News Agency. "We have no issues with talks if the opposing side is a party that values its word, promise and pact."

- - -

Bloomberg's Ladane Nasseri, Golnar Motevalli, Grant Smith and Viktoria Dendrinou contributed.Pope Francis will visit Morocco on March 30 and 31 within the frame of the planned foreign trips of the 81-year-old pontiff in 2019.

The Vatican confirmed on Tuesday the Popes travel to the North African Kingdom, saying he will visit the cities of Rabat and Casablanca.

The Pope will visit the cities of Casablanca and Rabat, home of the Apostolic Nunciature since 1976, the director of the Vatican Press Office, Greg Burke, announced in a communique, relayed by Italian paper La Stampa.

He explained that the visit takes place in response to an invitation extended by King Mohammed VI, a sovereign respected at a global level by Muslim leaders and other religions for his positions open to dialogue.

Talks between King Mohammed VI and his guest will tackle several issues, with focus on inter-religious dialogue and emigration.

Pope Francis has often cited as an example the moderate Islam advocated by King Mohammed VI.

Actually, the Moroccan Sovereign has repeatedly pleaded for dialogue between religions, tolerance and mutual respect between individuals and peoples.

Pope Francis will be the second pope to travel to Morocco. John Paul II visited the country in 1985, a visit that was seen as an opportunity to build bridges between Muslims and Christians.

Morocco, a cradle of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, hosted last May an event under the theme Believers and citizens in a changing world.

The event, initiated by the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, was attended by scholars from Moroccan, Islamic and Pontifical Universities who discussed means of sealing dialogue between Christians and Muslims. They stressed in the final declaration that this dialogue shall be continued with patience and wisdom, because it is not optional, but it is a necessity for peace, security and the well-being of societies.

On the sidelines of the event, the Holy See and Rabita Mohammedia, a Moroccan organization of theologians, signed an agreement providing for holding biennial meetings on topics to be set by the two sides.

The Popes trip in March 2019 will therefore be a new opportunity to strengthen this already initiated dialogue between the Catholic Church and Islam.

Less than one percent of Moroccos population is Christian.

Pope Francis has already visited several Muslim countries, including Turkey in 2014, Azerbaijan in 2016 and Egypt in 2017.I am not a sheep, I have my own mind

I have had enough of being told what and how to think

Whilst we are still allowed the remnants of free speech,

I will speak out.



I also reserve the right to discuss less controversial matters should I feel the urge.You didnt hear nothing Alexa, all right? Nothing. Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Amazon, Getty Images

Not to be too partisan, but as a general rule, Intelligencer is firmly in the dont murder people in your home camp. But if you are going to murder someone in your home and you own an Amazon Echo, wed strongly urge you not to do it around election season. (This is called service journalism.)

Why? Consider the case of Timothy Verrill, a New Hampshire man accused of stabbing two women in his home. On Friday, a judge ordered Amazon to turn over any recording made by an Verrills Echo, because the state believes there may be recordings on Amazons servers from the time of the crime, though Amazon seems ready to fight to keep the information private, telling the AP it would not release the recordings without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us.

The case will likely play out in courts for a while  Amazon previously fought against releasing recordings in a similar murder trial in Arkansas on First Amendment grounds, saying both the queries and responses to an Echo were protected under Amazons First Amendmentprotected speech.

Before we go any further, a quick refresher how an Echo ostensibly should work when it comes to recording audio in your home. An Amazon Echo is always listening in your home, waiting to hear its wake word, Alexa. Once you say Alexa, the Echo then records the next few seconds of what you say and sends that off to Amazon servers for voice processing. That is the only time an Alexa actually records in your home, and the only audio Amazon holds on its servers.

The problem  and why we say you should avoid committing violent felonies when elections are coming up  is that wake word detection on the Echo can be spotty. Words that are phonetically similar to Alexa can sometimes trigger false positives, and will start recording.

After reading about Verrills case, I was curious and started going through all the recordings the two Amazon Echoes we keep in our home had made. By default, you go through and read a text transcript of every query youve made to Alexa, as well as to the audio. (Curious about what youve asked your Echo? Go to https://www.amazon.com/alexaprivacy.)

Most of it was pretty dull stuff. We have smart lights installed and a 7-month-old daughter, so theres a lot of recordings from 2:30 a.m. of my wife or me asking Alexa in a very tired voice to turn off all lights after we manage to get our kid back to sleep. Theres also us telling Alexa to play WNYC, queries about what the weather would be like that day, requests to set a timer  all pretty jejune.

But as I skimmed through, I noticed one odd query, which was transcribed as: alexa im coming up soon terrifying wheres and kelsey. We dont know anyone named Kelsey, and I didnt know what coming up soon terrifying would mean, so I played the actual audio recording. It turned out to be a snippet of my wife saying something to the effect of, Elections coming up soon, terrifying words in an email. (The audio quality is pretty bad, so this is just my best guess.)

I started combing through more audio snippets, and quick found that the word election or elections was phonetically similar enough to Alexa that there were at least four other instances of Alexa sending recordings to Amazon servers. Three were triggered by people on TV or podcasts saying the word elections, and another was triggered by me saying something like election-night plans.

All the rest of the recordings were shown as Text not available  audio was not intended for Alexa, which only means that Alexa didnt provide an audio response. But that audio recording did still exist on Amazons servers, and if I did happen to be murdering someone (again, something we do not recommend doing!) while that false positive happened on the Echo, the audio would be there if the state managed to compel Amazon to turn over the recording.

We reached out to Amazon for comment and will update the post if they should respond. In the meantime, unless youre a political junkie youre probably safe until 2020 (though, again, dont murder people).The red-hot, very close gubernatorial contest between Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp isnt over just yet. Photo: Getty Images

Wednesday was the day when Georgia Republican Brian Kemp was hoping to get himself certified as his states next governor, despite the steady shrinkage of his narrow majority as provisional ballots are counted. But two federal judges have stepped in to cast doubt on the results, and given Democrats a bit of hope.

First, U.S. District Court judge Amy Totenberg stepped in and stopped the states certification, at least until weeks end, while instructing Georgias election administration office (supervised by Kemp until he finally resigned after claiming victory on November 7) to cooperate in helping provisional voters fix problems with their ballots, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains:

U.S. District Judge Amy Totenbergs order calls for a hotline for voters to check if their provisional ballots were counted, a review of voter registrations, and updated reports from the state government about why many voters were required to use provisional ballots.

Totenberg said shes providing limited, modest relief to help protect voters. The order preserves Tuesdays deadline for county election offices to certify results and the Nov. 20 deadline for Secretary of State Robyn Crittenden to certify the election. The ruling enjoins Crittenden from certifying the election before Friday at 5 p.m.

Its not clear what happens if provisional ballots are cured after counties have certified their votes, but presumably Totenberg would intervene again if significant votes are left out of the totals.

The numbers here are crucial: There are an estimated 27,000 provisional ballots that havent been counted yet. Abrams would need to pick up an estimated 21,000 votes to deny Kemp a majority and send the race to a December 4 runoff, and a slightly lower number (19,000) to force a recount. Its a long shot for Abrams, to be sure, but Totenbergs order keeps her hopes alive at least for a few more days.

But a separate judicial development just this morning could push back certification of the gubernatorial race even more, while also affecting an unresolved congressional race in the north Atlanta suburbs, as the Hill reports:

A federal judge on Tuesday found that Gwinnett County violated the Civil Rights Act in its handling of absentee ballots during last weeks midterm elections, a ruling that will likely delay the overall vote tally in the states tight gubernatorial race.

U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May wrote in a 17-page order that the county was found to be acting in violation of the Civil Rights Act with its rejection of absentee ballots solely on the basis of an omitted or incorrect birth year.

The bulk of votes in the Seventh Congressional District are from Gwinnett, where at the moment incumbent Republican Rob Woodall holds a 901 vote lead over Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux in one of the midterm elections final unresolved races. Bordeauxs campaign brought the legal action that produced Mays ruling.

A week after Election Day, these two races in Georgia are officially still too close to call. Kemp, whose consistently questionable actions as secretary of State and election supervisor were a major issue in the gubernatorial race, may discover he let go of the reins a bit too soon. If so, it couldnt happen to a nicer guy.A prison supervisor has resigned after an inmate at a Texas lock-up snagged a computer password and allegedly sneaked online to watch porn - including suspected child porn - from inside the Pack Unit.

The prisoner, who investigators say admitted to the explicit web-surfing, has not been charged with a crime as officials are still working to determine the age of the girl in one of the images. The other "several hundred" images of interest to investigators either involved 3D-animated porn or did not appear to involve children.

CASE CLOSED: Texas prisoner accuses corrections officials of planting drill bits in cell

"Our own investigation discovered this incident but nonetheless it is a failure," Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jeremy Desel said on Monday. "It was determined that a Food Service Manager had allowed their password to become compromised to an offender. That offender was able to access pornographic images. The employee was disciplined and has since resigned from the agency."

The investigation kicked off in late September, when the prison system's internet security teams got an alert for possibly inappropriate activity on a food services computer at the Navasota prison, according to the Office of the Inspector General.

Often, when investigators get a hit for prohibited web activity, they'll wait to move in, hoping to catch the user in the act, according to Deputy Inspector General Joseph Buttita.

This time, though, officials confiscated the computer, turned it over to forensics specialists, and began interviewing those who may have had access.

Prisoners are banned from using computers that are connected to the internet, so investigators went to the food services manager whose password was used.

"Originally they said they didn't know who was on it," Buttita said, "and it turned out to be one offender."

Officials declined to say how the prisoner managed to get a hold of the supervisor's password but, under questioning, the inmate allegedly admitted to it all, saying he'd begun sneaking online to get news from home - then realized he could view porn instead.

He thought that private browsing would disguise the X-rated activity, but it still set off the prison monitoring system.

"He said no one else knew about it," Buttita said. "He basically admitted to having a sexual fetish with young girls."

Officials did not identify the inmate or say why he was in prison, and it's not clear how long the prohibited access had been going on.

In total, the computer sweep netted a few hundred files of interest to investigators, including 12 that appeared to show children. Of those, 11 turned out to be 3D animations and one was referred to the medical examiner for help determining an approximate age.

Though viewing porn is banned in prison, it's not a crime unless there's a child involved, Buttita pointed out, so it's not yet clear whether the inmate could be charged. Officials did not release the names of the inmate or the supervisor.

NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.Every time Phyllis Bhuiya heard a siren, she would drop whatever she was doing. Slipping on her shoes, she would rush to the convenience store behind her apartment where her husband Faruk Bhuiya worked and make sure he was alright.

Hes always there at night, and look where we live, the 58-year-old said, referring to their northwest Houston neighborhood where crime is a near constant.

Saturday night, Bhuiya heard the first siren and started putting on her shoes. By the third siren, she was out the front door, trying to finish getting her shoes on while walking fast. As she neared the store and saw police and emergency medical workers, a neighbor looked up and said, Im so sorry.

Her deepest fears were now reality: her husband had been fatally shot in the face by armed robbers who entered the store.

Faruk Bhuiya, 48, was the second convenience store worker killed in a robbery in a weeks span. He joins a group of store clerks in the Houston area this year who have been slain while earning their livelihood in an industry that nationwide is hit by thousands of holdups each year.

Bhuiya is at least the fourth person in 2018 to be gunned down during an attempted robbery of a convenience store in the Greater Houston area, according to a search of Houston Chronicle records. But while convenience stores are often perceived as dangerous places to work  law enforcement agencies reported almost 21,000 convenience store robberies in 2017  industry groups argue the reality may not seem as drastic as the perception.

Bhuiya was killed on Saturday after a pair of hooded men came into the Metro Convenience Store on Witte near Haddington around 8:30 p.m. while there were other customers in the store. They held him at gunpoint and demanding money from the register.

Its unclear what happened or how many shots were fired, but one of the men started shooting, fatally wounding the clerk, Houston police have said.

The suspects fled on foot and were still being sought on Monday. Store surveillance images show the faces of the two men  one in a dark-colored hoodie and one in a red one  who police say are involved in the crime.

Two days later and with just three hours of sleep, Phyllis Bhuiya acknowledged she was still in denial as she stood in her kitchen wearing a Hogwarts Alumni t-shirt and eating Ritz crackers. She kept shooting glances at the front door, still expecting her husband of almost two years to walk in and say, Ha! Gotcha!

But despite her pain and anguish, she forgives the criminals who killed the man she said balanced her out and made her a better person.

Carrying around this little bit of hate, it can fester. And next thing you know, youre hating everybody and everything, she said. And that is what Faruk would tell me. Forgive them.

Theres a lot shes going to miss about Faruk.

Shes going to miss the thoughtful gifts he would get her, like the elegant coffee cup painted with blue and pink roses. Shes going to miss their talks about religion  he was a practicing Muslim, she is a Catholic. Shes going to miss the coffee that was waiting for her on the kitchen counter in the mornings. Shes going to miss the way he, a Bangladeshi immigrant, tried to say American expressions  Farm out! (far out), and Hole eggs (eggs-in-a-hole).

Bhuiya held a candlelight vigil for her late husband at the convenience store Sunday, where she said more than 50 people showed up. When her daughter comes into town, shes going to do a balloon release in his favorite color, white.

Another family across town is experiencing a grief similar to Bhuiyas.

Just seven days before Bhuiyas death, father of five Hafeez Qureshi was killed while working a night shift at a southwest Houston convenience store.

At closing time on Saturday, Nov. 3, four men rushed into Sonnys on Dairy Ashford and shot 66-year-old Qureshi to death.

The clerk, who was working his last shift before his planned retirement, was getting ready to go home when the suspects came in the store.

Qureshis son-in-law, Ikram Ullah, said Qureshi was generous and would go out of his way to help everyone.

Originally from Pakistan, Qureshi never failed to provide his nine brothers and two sisters back home with financial and moral support. He would ask his wife to cook homemade meals for him to bring for his employees, making sure they ate before him  even if it meant he wouldnt eat at all. He would even help his employees financially, who Ullah said came to their family home crying in grief over his slaying. Several of Qureshis customers attended his funeral last Tuesday.

He never showed me if he was disheartened or broken down, Ullah said. He only ever showed me his strong side. He would rather help you than you help him.

His suspected killers  18-year-old Daivion Gully, 20-year-old Melvin Jones, 28-year-old Artavius Johnson, and 19-year-old DeAnjelo Wells, 19  were charged with capital murder Friday in connection with the slaying.

In August, a 32-year-old gas station store manager was fatally shot during a robbery as he was leaving his business in the Fifth Ward.

And in May, clerk Jose De Jesus Garcia was slain in a hold-up at a Spring Branch-area robbery of a convenience store.

Convenience stores are often perceived as dangerous places to work, in part because of late-night hours which can make them attractive to criminals.

Jeff Lenard, spokesman of the National Association of Convenience Stores pointed out that robberies at convenience stores and gas or service stations accounted for just 9.6 percent of all robberies in the United States in 2017, according to the FBIs Uniform Crime Report.

Law enforcement agencies reported 20,967 robberies at convenience stories and an additional 9,566 at gas or service stations, according to the 2017 crime report. That same year, a total of 319,356 places were robbed, including residences and banks.

Lenard said the perception of danger at convenience stores is largely due to the sheer amount of the establishments across the country, and that convenience stores exist in every community  regardless of whether its deemed a safe or unsafe neighborhood.

But Lenard stressed he didnt want to downplay the seriousness of the problem.

Perception is reality, Lenard said. Nobody wants to own a store that is in any way associated with crime. Its not good for business, its not good for getting employees there. You want to do everything you can to minimize the likelihood that your store is a target.

Lenard said that his association urges stores to carry less cash on hand and to use safes that are rigged to not open as quickly. Those tactics limit the robbers access to money, making the stores a less likely target, he said.

Time is a criminals enemy, because the more time thats spent committing a crime, the more likely they are to be noticed, Lenard said.

Other safety features in the building  such as easy visibility into windows, good lighting, fencing and limited access to the store  can also maximize the risk of robbing the establishments, Lenard said. Security experts also suggest that clerks dont resist when theyre robbed and quickly give in to the robbers demands, he said.A couple men are on the run after breaking into an ATM machine in the Energy Corridor early Tuesday, according to Metro Video.

Harris County deputies were called to the Chase Bank on Eldridge Parkway at Westheimer around 3 a.m. The banks security company said two men were trying to get into the ATM machine in the drive thru, Metro Video reported.HRCs very former adviser Mark Penn has co-written a laughable column claiming shes running again. Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images

It is unclear how long Mark Penn can continue to trade on his very, very former status as a pollster and campaign strategist for Bill and Hillary Clinton. But Penn is still being taken seriously by his new conservative friends as having deep insight into HRCs plans (much like former Clinton adviser and Penn ally Dick Morris was, years after he had definitively changed parties), even though he was kept miles away from her 2016 campaign.

So here Penn is, along with the very former New York politician Andrew Stein, explaining Hillary Clintons real plan for 2020 in the pages of the Wall Street Journal:

Get ready for Hillary Clinton 4.0. More than 30 years in the making, this new version of Mrs. Clinton, when she runs for president in 2020, will come full circle  back to the universal-health-care-promoting progressive firebrand of 1994. True to her name, Mrs. Clinton will fight this out until the last dog dies. She wont let a little thing like two stunning defeats stand in the way of her claim to the White House.

Theres no sourcing at all for the claim that HRC is running again, other than this dubious analogy:

Dont pay much attention to the I wont run declarations. Mrs. Clinton knows both Mr. Clinton and Mr. Obama declared they werent running, until they ran.

The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) has also said hes not running in 2020. Is that proof that he is?

As for the tale that Clintons decided to run as a fiery progressive, that seems to be part and parcel of Penn/Steins story line that she lost in 2016 because she ran to the left, and is now doubling down:

Mrs. Clintons transformation during the primaries, especially on social and cultural issues, cost her an easy win against Donald Trump. As Hillary 3.0 catered to the coastal elites who had eluded her in 2008, Mr. Trump stole many of the white working-class voters who might have been amenable to the previous version. Finally she had the full support of the New York Times and the other groups that had shunned her for Mr. Obama  but only at the cost of an unforeseen collapse in support in the Midwest.

Translation: Clinton did not run the kind of campaign Mark Penn would have advised her to run, so she was doomed.

Still, Penn and Stein say, she will without any doubt and without any trouble be the 2020 Democratic nominee:

The generation of Democrats who have been waiting to take over the party from the Clintons will be fuming that she is back and stealing their show. But they revealed themselves to be bungling amateurs in the Brett Kavanaugh nomination fight, with their laughable Spartacus moments. She will trounce them. Just as Mr. Trump cleared the field, Mrs. Clinton will take down rising Democratic stars like bowling pins. Mike Bloomberg will support her rather than run, and Joe Biden will never be able to take her on.

Yeah, Democratic mishandling of the Kavanaugh fight took a winnable midterm and turned it into a smashing coast-to-coast GOP victory, right? The unstated point here, of course, is that Democrats are such incompetent fools that they will go back to the same well and lose again.

This particular prophecy, for want of a better term, is blindingly stupid. As far as Im concerned, Hillary Clinton has the right to do whatever she wants. But shes not going to run for president again, in part because she understands that her fellow Democrats have almost exactly zero interest in rerunning the last excruciating contest. HRC2020 speculation exists entirely within the fantasy world of Republicans whose idea of heaven is to perpetually chant Lock Her Up! while reliving a whole generation of Clinton hatred.

Penn and Stein should be investigated as political pornographers.A group of conservatives, prominent lawyers and former deputy attorneys general have jumped into the debate over a Texas death row inmate, condemning a state appeals court and instead siding with the convicted killer whose lawyers are trying to prove hes too intellectually disabled to execute.

In a 24-page friend of the court brief - backed by a coalition including Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel whose probe led to President Bill Clinton's impeachment - the groups calls out the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for threatening the rule of law with its "disturbing disregard" for the Supreme Court's decision in the case of Harris County killer Bobby Moore.

Applying medical standards as required by this Courts prior decision in this very case, Bobby Moore is intellectually disabled, the group wrote. It is indisputable that this disability renders Moore categorically ineligible for the death penalty.

The amicus brief - one of three filed in the past week supporting Moores claims - is just the latest in a twist-laden case thats now before the Supreme Court for the second time in as many years.

The Houston mans appeals attracted national attention in 2017 after a split Supreme Court ruling that upended the way Texas determine intellectual disability. The court found that Texas was using a dated, nonclinical method based to determine intellectual disability, so the justices sent the case back to Harris County.

There, prosecutors and defense lawyers agreed that Moore is so mentally disabled that it would be unconstitutional to put him to death. But when the case landed in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for approval, the state justices agreed on a modern, clinical standard - then decided Moore didnt meet it anyway. Defense attorneys condemned the ruling as an "outlier" and "inconsistent" with the higher court.

Afterward, Moores attorneys returned to the Supreme Court this fall, and last week Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg's office filed a rare response in support.

Then late last week, the coalition of former deputy attorneys general weighed in, writing that the appellate ruling reflects a disturbing disregard for the binding authority of the Supreme Court and pointing out that the Texas court isnt allowed to simply ignore the Supreme Court because they dont like its decision.

The brief goes on to argue that Texas court just repackaged the factors used to determine Moore was fit to execute under the old standard - the one the Supreme Court struck down - and used the same logic to draw the same conclusion, using the new method as a window dressing.

Such disregard for this Courts binding authority is impermissible, and calls for swift correction, the group wrote, calling the Texas courts decision is a clear error that is inconsistent with the rule of law.

In another brief supporting Moores claims, the American Bar Association argued that letting the Court of Criminal Appeals subvert the Supreme Courts 2017 decision would give license to States simply to ignore this Courts judgments when they disagree with them.

Meanwhile, the American Psychological Association and other medical groups filed a brief criticizing the Texas appeals court for how it applied the new clinical standards it adopted, and recommend that the Supreme Court overturn the lower courts ruling. But - unlike in the other two briefs filed - the medical groups didnt clarify whether Moore counts as intellectually disabled.

The APA does not opine on the specifics of individual cases, attorney Jessica Amunson explained in an email Monday.

Moore was one of three men involved in the April 25, 1980 botched robbery of the Birdsall Super Market near Memorial Park. The trio targeted the store because two of the employees were elderly and the cashier was pregnant.

Moore, who fired the shot that killed elderly store clerk James McCarble, fled to Louisiana. But one of his co-conspirators turned himself in and confessed - and Moore was picked up by police 10 days later. He was sentenced to death during his 1980 trial.When three loud booms akin to rolling, distant thunder sounded off in the distance, a group gathered to remark on what they heard.

It was a blustery, unusually frigid afternoon in Galveston and the group of students from Texas A&M University stood in a circle in the parking lot at Kempner Park listening for an F/A-18 airplane breaking the sound barrier 10 to 20 miles south of the island over the Gulf of Mexico.

It sounded just like a bass drum, but not loud. A calm bass drum, said Maddie Hetlage, a doctoral student at Texas A&Ms aerospace engineering program.

If I was inside I wouldnt have noticed it, said another student.

While these particular sonic booms were on the higher end of the perceived decibel level scale that NASA is testing, for some Galveston residents, the sonic booms being recorded on the island are noticeably softer, similar to the slam of a car door, officials said  good news for the agency as it works to bring supersonic flight back to commercial airline travel.

But those sounds may not even resemble what is emitted from the new experimental research plane, the X-59, being built to quietly travel faster than the speed of a sound, said Jim Less, a research test pilot flying these missions.

Whether the sonic boom from the X-59 sounds like these thumps were doing, well have to build it to find out, Less said at a Tuesday news conference at Ellington Field after describing the dive maneuver pilots do over the water to send a quieter thump over the island.

The Galveston test flights, which began last week, instead are more of a dress rehearsal for the real thing. Starting around 2023, NASA will fly the X-59 over U.S. cities to collect data on how the areas are impacted by the supersonic flights.

Until then, NASA is using the F/A-18 flights in Galveston to perfect the process of soliciting community input before, during and after test flights. So far, fewer than 20 test flights have been conducted above Galveston, with NASA seeking input from 500 Galveston-area residents about the noise.

The sound of the sonic booms are measured by perceived decibel level (PL). The target for the X-59 sonic thump is around 75 PL. By comparison, a typical gunshot registers at around 130 on the decibel level scale, and a balloon pop is around 105 PL.

When Charles Vicario, a Galveston resident, first heard the quiet sonic boom last week, he told the Houston Chronicle he thought someone had body slammed his roof.

It sounded like something physical had came in contact with my house, Vicario said. Once I put two and two together and realized it was the sonic boom I was pretty impressed by how I was startled.

Vicario knew the testing was taking place because of a Facebook post, he added, but decided not to reach out to NASA about it.

They were actually pretty cool, he said.

The group listening intently at Kempner Park on Tuesday echoed that sentiment. The Texas A&M students are part of a multidisciplinary team of researchers selected by NASA to receive a five-year, $10 million grant as part of NASA Aeronautics University Leadership Initiative (ULI) to supplement the agencys efforts to perfect supersonic flight.

It sounded like construction noise to me, incidental construction noise. But exciting, said Chris Mabe, who accompanied her husband, James, a technical fellow for Boeing Research and Technology working with the ULI program in Galveston from College Station.

There have been some complaints, Larry Cliatt, principal investigator for NASAs Quiet Supersonic Flights 2018 campaign said Tuesday, but the testing has been an overall success.

We hope to take everything weve learned here  the community outreach, the recruitment process for the human subjects, the questions that we ask them, the feedback that they give us ... to the X-59 airplane once thats flying, Cliatt said.

The agencys ultimate goal with the X-59  which will never carry passengers  is to show the Federal Aviation Administration that it is time to develop new rules about supersonic passenger flights, which would cut cross-country, commercial flight times in half. Currently, the FAA bans these flights over land, in part because of concerns on how they would impact communities and infrastructure on the ground.

Were going to build the X-59 airplane and prove that we have the technology to make sonic booms so quiet that the FAA will change its regulations to allow over land supersonic flight, Cliatt said.

Sound was a problem in the 1970s when the Concorde  an aircraft that could cross the Atlantic in just over three hours by traveling twice the speed of sound  was built by European manufacturers and began making transatlantic flights.

In March 1973, the FAA banned the Concorde  and any future supersonic civil aircraft  from flying over land after residents complained about the sonic boom, saying it was a nuisance and a safety issue, according to a February 2017 Washington Post article. The Concorde stopped flying in 2003.

Officials expect to be flying above the island community for another week or so. Cliatt said NASA has not picked another city for these F/A-18 flights to occur.

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.

Nick Powell covers Galveston for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach him at nick.powell@chron.comWASHINGTON  A top U.S. State Department official said Tuesday that Houston native Austin Tice, a freelance journalist who was abducted more than six years ago while covering the war in Syria, is still alive.

In the government's most declarative statement on the case to date, Robert O'Brien, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, said investigators "have every reason to believe" Tice remains alive and captive in Syria.

"I want to make it very clear that the United States government believes Austin Tice is alive," O'Brien told a gathering of journalists, academics, government officials and family gathered at the National Press Club to discuss Tice's 2012 disappearance.

O'Brien declined to detail what proof the government has, or say who might be holding the 37-year-old journalist, a former Marine and student at the University of Houston who was working on a law degree at Georgetown University.

RELATED: Austin Tice's parents push for answers 6 years after son's kidnapping while reporting from Syria

O'Brien speculated, however, that Tice's relative youth and physical fitness as a Marine could help him survive the rigors of captivity. "I'm sure that's sustaining him," O'Brien said.

Tice's father, Marc Tice, noted that as of Tuesday his son had been in captivity for 2,282 days, a period during which the family has been outspoken in publicizing his plight internationally and exerting pressure on government officials to investigate his whereabouts and win his release.

Tice and his wife Debra Tice are planning at least their seventh trip to the Middle East in search of a breakthrough tip or contact that could end the mystery of his disappearance, which has been variously attributed to either pro- or anti-government groups in the ongoing Syrian civil war.

"Every time we go, our desire is to bring Austin home. We continue our relentless effort to find the key that will open the door for Austin's freedom," his father said. "We know Austin longs to walk free. Austin urgently needs to be free. Maybe soon."

Over the past six years of Tice's abduction, an estimated 192 journalists and aid workers have been killed in Syria, according to Margaux Ewen, North American director of Reporters Without Borders. "Reporters are victims of violence by all parties," she said, including the Syrian military and opposition groups such as the Islamic State.

Although O'Brien declined to say what regime or terrorist group is believed to be holding Tice, he twice mentioned the influence of Iran in Syria, which is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.

"Pariah states like Iran, terrorist organizations around the world continue to take Americans hostage or unjustly detain them," he said. "They do it because they believe they can extract some sort of concession from the United States, or that they can obtain political leverage over the United States. And I can tell you, that is not going to happen."

RELATED: Parents of Austin Tice, missing in Syria, get hopeful signs from U.S. officials

O'Brien, who works with the families of American hostages around the world, emphasized that the Trump administration will not negotiate for any hostage's release. "The idea that we will somehow bargain for innocent Americans like they're some sort of trinkets in a bazaar, is not going to happen," he said.

At the same time, he said Tice's case has involved the participation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and outgoing United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

"I can tell you that Ambassador Haley is engaged with her colleagues at the United Nations, with other governments that we believe may be able to bring influence to bear to help Austin," he said. Bolton and Pompeo have both met with Tice's parents and receive regular reports.

O'Brien also recognized the influence of Russia, which Obama-era Secretary of State John Kerry sought to employ to aid in Tice's release. "The Russians have tremendous influence in Syria," that's very clear, O'Brien said. "There are plenty of areas of disagreement between the United States and Russia at this time. One of the things that both Russia and the United States should agree on is that innocent Americans and innocent Russians, for that matter, should not be held hostage and not be held against their will. We continue to call on the Russians to exert whatever influence they can in Syria to bring Austin home ... It's something the United States would be grateful for."

O'Brien, a State Department official under former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice, said President Donald Trump remains dedicated to Tice's release, though he has not been as vocal about it as in the cases of recently released prisoners in Turkey and North Korea.

"Each one of these cases is different, and we'll bring different tools to bear at different times that we think will be most useful to bring the hostages home," O'Brien said. "I can tell you that the president is aware and is briefed regularly on Austin's case, and he wants Austin Tice back with his friends and family as soon as possible. At the appropriate time, if we felt it was helpful, the president would take whatever necessary measures he needs to to help facilitate that."

Meanwhile, several major news organizations Tice worked with, including McClatchy and the Washington Post, have been working with Reporters Without Borders to develop tips and champion Tice's case.

Last April the FBI offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Tice's release, an amount that the National Press Club and other news organizations are trying to double through a new promotional effort called "Night Out for Austin Tice." The plan is to encourage restaurants in the Washington area, where Tice studied before leaving for Syria, to take part in a revenue sharing deal on an appointed date next May 2.

"By talking about Austin, we are hoping to remind the public what a journalist is and what dangers a journalist can face when he's trying to bring a story home," said National Press Club President Andrea Edney.Dasvidaniya, Dana. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Over the weekend, there were probably a few long faces in the Kremlin when the Associated Press called the election for the 48th U.S. House District of California for Democrat Harley Rouda. This marked the end of the 30-year congressional career of Dana Rohrabacher, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan who became known for his exceptional spirit of friendship toward the former Evil Empires latest management. Often called Putins favorite congressman, Rohrabacher was also a big supporter of Putins other friend in the White House. Neither affiliation wore well on voters in his Orange County district, particularly this year, as the New York Times noted:

Mr. Rohrabacher, 71, was viewed as particularly vulnerable because he defended Russia in the midst of allegations about its efforts to intervene in elections in the United States.

In July, Mr. Rohrabacher admitted to meeting with Maria Butina, who was charged by federal prosecutors this summer with conspiracy and acting as a foreign agent, during his trip to Russia in 2015. Mr. Rohrabacher was considered so valuable to the Kremlin that the F.B.I. warned him in 2012 that Russia regarded him as an intelligence sourceworthy of a code name. His support for President Vladimir Putin of Russia raised questions even among fellow Republicans.

Rohrabachers vanquisher, real-estate investor Harley Rouda, is an ex-Republican who seemed tailor-made for this district, in which the GOP maintains a ten-point registration advantage over Democrats (which may be one reason national Democrats strongly favored Rouda over his primary opponents). The incumbent had routinely won by comfortable margins, including a 16-point win in 2016 (even as Hillary Clinton narrowly carried the district). But between Trumps (and Putins) unpopularity and gradual demographic change in Orange County, Rohrabachers number finally came up.

Rohrabacher has refused to concede until all the votes are counted, but since late ballots tend to trend Democratic in California (threatening to submerge two other Orange County Republican candidates, Mimi Walters and Young Kim, who are still ahead narrowly), Roudas four-point lead looks unassailable. Rohrabacher can now spend as much time as he wants in Russia  as a tourist.Mayor Virginia Raggi arrives on the scene of the escalator collapse. Photo: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

There are few manifestations of a bumbling city government that Romans loathe more than ATAC, the public transit agency that makes the MTA look positively Singaporean. In Rome, when your bus doesnt come, that may be because its in flames. The agencys popularity dipped even deeper into the mire when a subway escalator collapsed a few weeks ago, panicking and maiming its riders. Fortunately, citizens had an opportunity to express their displeasure in a citywide referendum with a single choice on the ballot: (a) break ATACs stranglehold on public transit, or (b) dont.

The result was spectacularly lopsided: More than three-quarters of those who voted checked the box to deregulate transportation and punish ATAC. Great! Lets take their lead and get an MTA-smashing proposal on the New York ballot next year.

Except, of course, that everything will actually stay the same. Why? Because despite the ire and despair that have been coursing through the city, only 16 percent of eligible voters bothered to show up at the polls, far less than the required quorum. Italian has a word for such a virulent strain of apathy: menefreghismo, which translates roughly to I-dont-give-a-shit-ism.

Mayor Virginia Raggi celebrated the failed referendum on Twitter: Romans want public transit to remain public, she declared. There are other, more plausible takeaways: Romans believe that if the system is corrupt, deregulating only adds to the possibilities for corruption. Romans have given up so completely on public transit that they dont care who runs it. Romans would rather drive anyway, and leave the buses to nonvoting immigrants. Whatever motivates their apathy, Romes nonvoters have sent a clear message to the world: If you dont speak up, the powerful will claim to know exactly what you meant to say.Hundreds of digitally-focused companies launch each year, each with different IT infrastructure needs. Thus, the demand for IT certified professionals is higher than ever, so earning an IT certification can be a smart career choice. However, there are dozens of IT certification vendors, and choosing the right vendor can shape your career path towards higher-level positions.

One of the most popular vendors is Microsoft, which offers certifications for Windows Server 2016; earning a Windows Server 2016 certification can help aspiring IT professionals land positions which require hardware virtualization skills. These MCSA and MCSE Certification Training Bundles feature prep courses for the Microsoft certification exams, and theyre both currently 95% off.

The first step towards earning a Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) certification for Windows Server 2016 is passing the 70-740, 70-741, and 70-742 exams. The MCSA bundle contains three courses, each dedicated to a different exam. The first course introduces readers to Hyper-V, Microsofts hardware virtualization environment. It covers features such as high availability, fault-tolerance, disaster recovery, automated backups, and network load balancing in Hyper-V.

The subsequent courses cover networking and identity in Windows Server 2016. In course two, readers are introduced to TCP/IP fundamentals, remote access technologies, and software-defined networking, which are necessary for the deploying and supporting Windows Server 2016. The Identity course covers the installation and configuration of Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS).

Alternatively, IT professionals may want to seek a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certification for Windows Server 2016. This certification requires you to pass 70-744 on top of the three previous exams. The MCSE bundle features the three previous courses, as well as a course on securing Windows Server 2016. This course teaches network administrators how to detect threats in Active Directories and identity infrastructures through auditing and implementing Advanced Threat Analytics (ATA).

The Ultimate MCSE Certification Training Bundle - $49



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The courses in Ultimate MCSA and MCSE Certification Training bundles cost $299 separately, but you can find both bundles in the CIO Shop for 95% off, driving the price down to $39 and $49 respectively.The SC18 international conference has kicked off in Dallas with a lot of exciting news about how Dell EMC is collaborating with customers to break new ground in high performance computing. In this post, I would like to highlight just a few of the organizations that are in the spotlight.

TACC Frontera  Expected to be in the Top 5

Once again making headlines, Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at the University of Texas at Austin is building a massive supercomputer, fueled by a $60 million grant from the National Science Foundation, to push the frontiers of science. The supercomputer  named Frontera, the Spanish word for frontier  will go into production in 2019. If completed today, Frontera would be the fifth most powerful system in the world, the third fastest in the U.S. and the largest at any university.

[1]Dell EMC will provide the primary computing system, which will be powered by Intel Xeon processors.[2] Other technologies that will be under the hood include Mellanox HDR InfiniBand solutions and CoolIT Systems Direct Contact Liquid Cooling, a modular, rack-based cooling solution that allows for increased rack densities, higher component performance potential and better energy efficiencies.

With this kind of technology, Frontera will have what it takes to help scientists and other researchers push the limits of what has been possible in the past. Some of the early projects TACC will likely support include analyses of particle collisions from the Large Hadron Collider, global climate modeling, improved hurricane forecasting and multi-messenger astronomy.

Great Lakes  Worlds first-ever deployment of HDR

The University of Michigan has selected Dell EMC as lead vendor to supply its new $4.8 million Great Lakes computing cluster. The new cluster, which will be available to the campus community in the first half of 2019, will support research ranging from aerospace engineering simulations and molecular dynamics modeling to genomics and cell biology, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Great Lakes will be based on Dell EMC PowerEdge C6420 compute nodes, PowerEdge R640 high memory nodes and PowerEdge R740 GPU nodes. Mellanox Technologies will provide networking solutions. Among other claims to fame, Great Lakes will be the first cluster in the world to use the Mellanox HDR 200 gigabit-per-second InfiniBand networking solution.[3]

Liquid-cooled Pitzer Cluster  OSCs most efficient supercomputer

Ohio Supercomputer Center engineers and Dell EMC specialists are now working to install, test and deploy the centers newest, most efficient supercomputer system, the liquid-cooled, Dell EMC-built Pitzer Cluster.

The Pitzer Cluster, which goes into production this month, features 260 nodes, including Dell EMC PowerEdge C6420 servers with CoolIT Systems Direct Contact Liquid Cooling, coupled with PowerEdge R740 servers. In total, the cluster will include 528 Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processors and 64 NVIDIA Tesla V100 Tensor Core GPUs, all connected with EDR InfiniBand network.[4]

This mix of technologies will help OSC and its researchers more quickly and efficiently tackle really big questions, from mapping the human genome to tracking the global spread of virus, using sophisticated capabilities like artificial intelligence and deep learning.

Learn more at SC18

If you are attending SC18, you can learn more about the technologies behind these and other groundbreaking HPC systems in presentations and demos. Just stop by the Dell EMC booth #3218 to hear more.

[1] University of Texas at Austin news release, New Texas Supercomputer to Push the Frontiers of Science, Aug. 29, 2018.

[2] HPCwire, TACCs Frontera Supercomputer Expands Horizon for Extreme-Scale Science, August 29, 2018.

[3] University of Michigan news release, U-M selects Dell EMC, Mellanox and DDN to Supply New Great Lakes Computing Cluster, October 16, 2018.

[4] Ohio Supercomputer Center news release, OSC installing new Pitzer Cluster built by Dell EMC, November 2018.Democrats dominated their state Senate races this week, ending the night winning as many as six of the chambers nine seats on Long Island while decimating the Republicans historic control of the region  known as the Long Island Nine. One of the more unexpected results was attorney Kevin Thomas narrow victory over state Sen. Kemp Hannon. In a Q&A with City & States Jordan Laird, Thomas weighed in on his groundbreaking win, what it means for Long Island and his top priority in Albany.

What does it mean to you to be the first Indian-American in the state Legislature?

Its a huge burden on my shoulders right now because since Im the first. I have to be a good role model to the younger generation that Im hoping will come out and run for office from the community. Parents usually kind of push their kids into going into math, science and the legal profession. They dont tell them go into a political career where Im hoping with my election thats going to change. I want to be a good role model to the emerging Indian-Americans who want to make a difference in their communities.

You and others dealt a serious blow to the Long Island Nine  the nine state Senate Republicans. How did you pull it off?

Heres the thing, I think my opponent was still running his campaign like its the 1990s and we were more in line with the present demographics. For example, we used a lot of social media. We basically sent out, published, a lot of our campaign videos over Facebook and on Twitter. I dont think my opponent was doing much of that. He was just putting up signs everywhere. So they were not really campaigning as much as they should have because they thought this was a seat that they could hold on to and I proved them wrong. Plus, I was knocking on doors every single night. I dont see much of that from the Republicans, going and knocking on doors.

In the past its been difficult for Democrats to win on Long Island. Why was this time different?

So there were of course a number of reasons for it. One is the current political climate with Trump in office. And second, we as a state needed to be more progressive and I believe the voters in District 6 really believed that they needed change because my opponent never stepped foot in communities in the Democratic base, like in Hempstead and in Uniondale. He never touched foot there and they lost connection with him. And this is what happens when youre comfortable being somewhere for 42 years, you forget who your constituents are.

You come from a district with a mix of Republicans and Democrats. Do you anticipate voting against your party in the Legislature?

The senators from Long Island, were going to work together and stand united as a team. Were going to do our best not to step on each others toes and do any of that. I think we have a basic understanding not to do that.

How will you balance your constituents interests, which might not be as progressive, with your partys policy initiatives?

Well, youve got to negotiate. At committee levels, you can talk about the issues that your constituents are concerned with and talk to the party heads at that point and begin negotiating. This isnt a blanket yes or no for a bill. Theres all these negotiations, theres all this work that we do across the aisle. Theres a lot of negotiations thats going to be taking place. And whenever I vote for a bill, its going to be for the best interest of my constituents. Thats the primary goal here.

Your race was predicted to go the other way and not a lot of resources were thrown your way. Do you feel you got enough support from your party?

So I could have gotten more support obviously. But I was the only candidate to have the Nassau Democratic Committee headquarters as my campaign office. And theyve basically helped me out in other ways as well. This race was not predicted to go the way it went, so they had priorities, that was Jim Gaughrans race and to hold on to (state Sen. John) Brooks seat, so they were expending resources there and, you know, this is politics. They had to put their money in the priority races first. But I am grateful for what theyve given me so far.

What is your No. 1 legislative priority heading into the state Senate?

Well, like I said before, my intention is always to make the lives of my constituents better and there are a number of bills out there, like the red flag law, commonsense gun safety legislation that we can pass, RHA investment, Health Act, Liberty Act, DREAM Act  there are so many different bills that have been brought that I want to jump on as quickly as possible. Commonsense legislation that has been blocked over and over again and these are things that we can do at the first hour on the first day.

Anything else you want to touch on?

District 6 has the highest population of minority voters on the island, so when Kemp Hannon won his seat back in the day, the demographics were different. And now he just lost touch with the voters.Last Tuesdays elections empowered many Democrats in New York, from the incoming state Senate majority leadership to future committee chairs in the House of Representatives such as Rep. Jerry Nadler. But for one Democrat, state Sen. Simcha Felder, his partys victory was his loss. Despite beating his primary challenger by a 2-to-1 margin and taking 81 percent of the vote in the general election, the Brooklynite will arrive in Albany with vastly less influence.

For the past six years, Felder  labeled a heretic, maverick, opportunist Democrat  has held outsize power by defecting to the Republican Party, and in recent years he tipped the balance of power 32-to-31 in their favor. Now, with Democrats set to hold a 39-24 advantage in the state Senate if Felder stays with the GOP, his lone vote is no longer decisive for either party. Senior Democratic Party officials told City & State that the once pivotal swing voter is now irrelevant.

Unlike past years, in which Felder extracted parochial concessions for his district by playing Republicans and Democrats off one another, What will Felder do? is more parlor game than high-stakes political drama, several Democrats said. But if the last six years has been a period of constant courtship for Felder, it seems the romance is dead because his vote matters so little now.

Felder declined to comment for this article.

In the wake of last weeks blue wave election, the political calculus has dramatically altered Albanys landscape. Progressives unseated most members of the former Independent Democratic Conference members, who had also allied with Republicans.

He has gone from kingmaker to court jester overnight, said one Democratic state senator, who asked not to be named as he will be working with Felder next session. He clearly had the chance to return to the conference in the spring. Gov. Andrew Cuomo even warned that this might happen, that he would be made irrelevant, and thats exactly what's happened.

Felders districts unique political geography, centered on a large Orthodox Jewish community in Borough Park and Midwood, is crucial to how he has operated: as a power broker advocating for his constituents hyperlocal concerns. His more memorable policy victories included blocking a plastic bag tax and obtaining public funding for school buses serving yeshivas.

Last April, shortly after Felder exercised his political leverage by holding up the budget bill and brokering a special exemption from oversight for yeshivas, all eyes were on the Brooklyn state senator. Cuomo publicly pitched the wayward Felder, asking him to return to the Democratic fold. Let me say that the Democratic conference will not need you in November the way they need you now, Cuomo wrote in an open letter to Felder. I believe there will be additional Democrats who win and are seated for the next Legislature. You have said that you act in the best interest of your constituents. For their benefit, now is the time that matters.

Felder politely acknowledged the request, but remained with the Republicans, who later jokingly tied him to a Senate chair with an ungrammatical notice taped to his chest reading Reserved threw 2019.

In some ways, Felder remains a prisoner of his past choices, now at the mercy of party leaders. Felder was not ousted by his primary challenger, as one-time IDC power broker state Sen. Jeff Klein was. Instead, Felder will haunt the halls in political limbo  a vestige of a quirky political moment when Democrats defected to ally with Republicans. Simcha Felders position is basically gone, said Susan Kang, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a founder of progressive advocacy group No IDC NY. The fact that he was able to play this swing vote and negotiate his preferred policy positions from either caucus  thats all gone.

Right now, Im not sure either side wants to give him anything, Kang added.

Several Albany Democrats confirmed that no decisions had been made by state Senate leaders, noting that state Senate Democratic leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins had not yet spoken with Felder since the election. A progressive advocate in Felders district voiced a common refrain from the campaign trail: Whether he does or doesnt want to rejoin the Democrats, the Democrats shouldnt take him back anyway. Make him sit with the Republicans and see how it feels to be in the minority, said Gus Christensen, the chief strategist of No IDC NY. The Dems dont need his vote and should give him nothing at all.

Some progressives would go further, seeking punitive action against the disloyal Democrat. A non-binding resolution was passed at the state party convention in May to strip Felder of his party affiliation.

If Democratic leaders chose to punish Felder and the two remaining former-IDC members for their disloyalty, that retribution could come in the form of committee assignments. However, some suggest that if these wayward legislators suffer any comeuppance, it may come slowly and in the form of redistricting in 2020, when legislators can redraw the boundaries of Senate and Assembly districts. Felders primary challenger Blake Morris won significant support from Brooklyn liberals and a new district could be gerrymandered to benefit a more liberal candidate who could oust Felder.

Courtesy Blake Morris for NYS Senate District 17

Republicans who pretend to be Democrats  if the knives were out for them in 2018, its going to be a bloodbath in 2020, the Democratic senator said. I dont think were going to be talking about Simcha Felder too much longer.

More moderating views may prevail, however, if only to ensure that history will not repeat itself. In 2009, the last time Democrats held a majority in the state Senate, they barely controlled the chamber for five months when a political coup handed power to Republicans. The concern among some Democrats is that any vengefulness against defectors could set the stage for infighting and resentment of the party leadership that could foment another rebellion. I dont think its wise to be overly punitive, said one Senate Democratic insider.

Still, one political analyst noted that the 2009 rebellion broke out when the party had a much slimmer majority and that Democrats could afford to make an example of Felder with their current comfortable lead, holding 39 of 63 senate seats. What incentive do they have to be nice? said Doug Muzzio, a political science professor at Baruch College. If I was a part of the Democratic leadership, I would put him in the far reaches of the basement so hed never see the light of day.

Id strongly recommend that he register as a Republican, Muzzio said.

While few Democrats wanted to speak on the record before party leaders had settled on a course of action, at least one party official was happy to welcome Felder home. Last I checked, Felder was re-elected as a Democrat, read an emailed statement from Frank Seddio, chair of the Kings County Democratic Committee. And hopefully, now he will be part of the new majority.

There is one arena where Felder remains unquestionably relevant and influential: the sought-after constituency of Orthodox Jews, from whom all mayors and governors in recent memory have courted support.

But given Felders alliance with Republicans and the gradual shift of his community towards the now-disempowered GOP, one state senator wondered whether that influence will be diminished in the next session. The Democratic senator noted that several progressives were just elected on a promise to enact the Child Victims Act, which was opposed by leaders in both the Orthodox community and the Catholic Church. I would see declining influence of religious figures, generally speaking, the lawmaker said.

Felders primary and general election results showed the strength of his support amongst voters in the district. It remains unclear, however, if the senator will be able to return the favor and provide them support from Albany.The networks giveth, the networks taketh away. Call a doctor, call the police, call a psychic. In Florida, its tightened up.

News anchors said those words on election night in 2000, as networks reversed their early call that the Democratic presidential candidate, Al Gore, would carry the state of Florida and thus the White House. They could have been speaking this week. Florida once again finds itself in tense recount territory, with three statewide races, including crucial Senate and gubernatorial contests, yet to be called a full week after residents went to the polls. This time, doubt has been cast on apparent Republican victories: for Rick Scott in the US Senate race, and for Ron DeSantis in the battle to succeed Scott as governor.

ICYMI: Florida candidates shortsighted on climate changes long-term impacts

GOP operatives have aggressively pushed the message that their candidates have wonjust as they did in 2000. The effort that Mr. Scott and Republican allies are waging today is strikingly similar to [the] multifront war in 2000 led by the George W. Bush campaign and an army of party consultants, Jeremy W. Peters and Maggie Haberman write in The New York Times. Among other similarities, surrogates for the Republican candidate are holding news conference calls with journalists and sitting for interviews on cable, blaming the Democrats for tarnishing the integrity of the electoral process.

The press is used to partisan warring over recount narratives. But our current media climate is very different to 2000. In the past two years, in particular, baseless claims of widespread voter fraud have become a common right-wing trope, percolating into mainstream discourse via coordinated online campaigns. In the run-up to the midterms, hackneyed conspiraciesthat Democrats would bus in illegal immigrants to vote, for instance, or that George Soros funds voting machinesswirled on social media. This past week, theyve crystallized into more specific lies. Far-right internet personalities and trolls have claimed (with varying degrees of embellishment) that crooked Florida election officials have magicked up boxes of Democratic votes since polling day, among other dirty tricks.

Recounts have always posed a problem for 24-hour news cycles. They become big stories because of their uncertainty, but uncertainty means a paucity of hard facts. TV news shows, in particular, thus have to find something else to fill their airtime. Centering the spin of establishment politicians is bad enough. This time, outlets have also had to contend with the incendiary interventions of President Trump, whose tweets accusing Democrats of trying to STEAL the Florida elections through massively infected ballots themselves reflect online conspiracy theories, as BuzzFeeds Jane Lytvynenko and Kevin Collier show.

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As the Florida recount has ground slowly on, media organizations have done a progressively better job of using the wait time to contextualize and debunk baseless rhetoric. (Some, like BuzzFeed, have cited reputable studies showing US voter fraud in general to be vanishingly rare.) Nonethelessas with so much that Trump gives a megaphonethe media as a whole has yet to find a consistent, foolproof way of reporting the presidents falsehoods and unproven allegations without lending them an air of credibility. Toronto Star Washington correspondent Daniel Dale flagged a series of headlines and tweets that gave oxygen to Trumps charges. After ABC News tweeted Trumps massively infected line, Dale responded: Three years into the Trump era, mainstream media outlets continue to blast out his lies to millions of people without pointing out theyre not true.

Below, more on the still-not-finished midterm elections:

Unprecedented in recent history: The Tampa Bay Times Kirby Wilson wraps some useful context around the Florida recounts, which experts say are unlikely to reverse the results. Of the 26 statewide elections to go to a recount since 2000, only three have flipped, and those races all involved finer margins to begin with.

The Tampa Bay Times Kirby Wilson wraps some useful context around the Florida recounts, which experts say are unlikely to reverse the results. Of the 26 statewide elections to go to a recount since 2000, only three have flipped, and those races all involved finer margins to begin with. Old news! Donald Trump, Jr., got in on the misinformation act in memorable fashion yesterday, tweeting an article from NBC Miami that he said showed 200,000 Florida voters may not be US citizens. A note editors appended to the original article yesterday speaks for itself: This story was published in May 2012. The initial list of 180,000 names was whittled to 2,625, according to the Florida Department of State An Aug. 1, 2012, state elections document showed only 85 noncitizens were ultimately removed from the rolls out of a total of about 12 million voters at that time.

Donald Trump, Jr., got in on the misinformation act in memorable fashion yesterday, tweeting an article from NBC Miami that he said showed 200,000 Florida voters may not be US citizens. A note editors appended to the original article yesterday speaks for itself: This story was published in May 2012. The initial list of 180,000 names was whittled to 2,625, according to the Florida Department of State An Aug. 1, 2012, state elections document showed only 85 noncitizens were ultimately removed from the rolls out of a total of about 12 million voters at that time. Wave new world: A week on from the midterms, commentators still cant decide whether the results qualify as a blue wave or not. The APs Steve Peoples comes down on the not side; but, he writes, a week after the voting, Democrats are riding higher than they thought on election night.

A week on from the midterms, commentators still cant decide whether the results qualify as a blue wave or not. The APs Steve Peoples comes down on the not side; but, he writes, a week after the voting, Democrats are riding higher than they thought on election night. Meanwhile, in Arizona: Democratic optimism was further fueled by yesterdays news out of Arizona, where Kyrsten Sinema was finally confirmed as the states new senator, beating out Republican Martha McSally. The drawn-out count was calmer than in Florida, despite Trumps attempts to undermine it. Over the weekend, Arizonas Republican secretary of state even published a blog post explaining the delay.

Democratic optimism was further fueled by yesterdays news out of Arizona, where Kyrsten Sinema was finally confirmed as the states new senator, beating out Republican Martha McSally. The drawn-out count was calmer than in Florida, despite Trumps attempts to undermine it. Over the weekend, Arizonas Republican secretary of state even published a blog post explaining the delay. A dangerous problem: The Washington Posts Margaret Sullivan says the medias rush for firm electoral conclusions does more harm than good. By giving in to the impulse to analyze immediately, journalists and pundits feed the notion that the election should be over on election night, she writes. Hard as it is to door even considerin our crazily speeded-up news environment, theres only one lesson for the media from the past week: Slow the hell down.

The Washington Posts Margaret Sullivan says the medias rush for firm electoral conclusions does more harm than good. By giving in to the impulse to analyze immediately, journalists and pundits feed the notion that the election should be over on election night, she writes. Hard as it is to door even considerin our crazily speeded-up news environment, theres only one lesson for the media from the past week: Slow the hell down. Doing it all again: Tonight, CNN will broadcast a second election-night special (one week after its first) to update viewers on the shifting midterms picture.



Other notable stories:

As the wildfire in northern California became the deadliest in the states recorded history yesterday, Poynters David Beard checked in with San Francisco Chronicle Editor Audrey Cooper. We have a cohort of reporters and photographers who love to do this work because they see how important it is firsthand to the community. They all will take addresses from readers and use their access to check on houses, Cooper wrote back. Its important work, but exhausting, and I know it kills them when they cant get to them all. Last year during the Wine Country fires I remember telling reporters that, yes, it was OK to expense underwear. They were out that long.

A member of the hit squad that killed the Saudi dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi in the countrys Istanbul consulate last month subsequently told a superior to inform his bossbelieved to be a reference to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Times reports. Bin Salman has denied coordinating Khashoggis murder.

CJRs Alexandria Neason spoke with Nancy Barnes, the (now former) editor of the Houston Chronicle, after an external investigation into a reporter at the paper failed to find 44 percent of the sources quoted in 744 of his stories. The investigation stopped short of stating that Ward made people up, however. You cant prove someone is not out there, Barnes told Neason. We laid out the facts as we found them and phrased it very carefully for that reason, and let people come to their own conclusions. Barnes will soon take over as senior vice president of news at NPR.

Jerome Corsi, the former Washington bureau chief of conspiracy-peddling site Infowars, told viewers of his YouTube show Monday that he expects to be indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the coming days. Corsi and his associate Roger Stone have come under Muellers spotlight recently over alleged ties to WikiLeakss October Surprise dump of emails from inside Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign.

Nikki Delamotte, a culture reporter with Cleveland.com, was killed on Monday in an apparent homicide. Her colleague Evan MacDonald rounded up tributes from inside the newsroom.

The BBC published two major reports on why ordinary citizens share fake news, looking, respectively, at Nigeria and Kenya and India. How ordinary citizens feel about a story can be more important than fact-checking when it comes to sharing news, the authors of the Nigeria and Kenya report write.

For CJRs print issue on race and journalism, Eric Deggans spoke with David Simon, who drew on his work as a cops reporter at The Baltimore Sun to create the hit TV series The Wire.

ICYMI: Climate change plays second fiddle as California burns

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.A ring of savvy car thieves in New York exploited a bureaucratic weakness by registering many of their ripped-off Lamborghinis and Range Rovers in South Dakota, a state that lets people register out-of-state vehicles by mail and wasnt thoroughly checking to see if they were stolen, the FBI said.

Federal prosecutors in New York brought federal conspiracy charges against seven people this week, blaming them for the thefts of 60 vehicles.

The ring registered many of the stolen cars in South Dakota, a state the FBI said conducted fewer or no checks to confirm lawful ownership of registered vehicles compared to other states.

The South Dakota Division of Motor Vehicles did not respond to an email request for comment Friday. A spokeswoman for Gov. Dennis Daugaard declined to comment.

The FBI and New York State Police said they dismantled the crew following a months-long investigation that involved wiretapping, undercover surveillance in several states and an analysis of cell tower data.

The defendants are charged with federal counts of conspiracy and possession, sale and transportation of stolen cars.

They stole from rightful owners and used a criminal network of thieves, fraudsters and forgers to line their pockets, all while driving themselves around in stolen Lamborghinis, Range Rovers and other pilfered prizes, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement. With our partners at the FBI and the State Police, we have slapped a boot onto these fast-paced heists and will now tow the defendants off to justice.

In all, the group stole about $3.1 million worth of vehicles, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan. The heists included the theft of five 2017 Nissan Titan pickups taken from a dealership in Tallahassee, Florida, and a Lamborghini Huracan stolen in Miami, according to court documents.

The group sold one of the pickups for $20,000 cash on Craigslist. The FBI says the vehicle was worth more than twice that.

The FBI intercepted several calls placed by the crews alleged ringleader, Marvin Williams, who is accused of coordinating the transportation of the vehicles across several states and efforts to evade law enforcement.

According to the FBI, Williams registered 43 vehicles with the South Dakota Division of Motor Vehicles using false documentation. At least 10 of those vehicles had been reported stolen, authorities said.

Williams defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.The cannabis industry was full of activity in 2018. By October, thirty states had legalized the use of cannabis products for medicinal purposes, with nine states legalizing recreational use. Although the sale and use of cannabis products have remained a violation of federal law since 1971, individual states have recently begun to legalize cannabis for both medicinal and recreational purposes.

The federal government marked changes in its stance on cannabis beginning in January when Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded The Cole Memo. The memo was issued in 2013 by Deputy Attorney General James Cole, and addressed the federal prosecution of offenses relating to cannabis sale and use. Under the memo, federal prosecutors would refrain from pursuing state-licensed cannabis businesses and cannabis use unless they violated state or federal law. If the cannabis product had been legally sold in a given state under that states law, the federal government would not prosecute alleging a violation of federal law. Attorney General Sessions memo was short on detail, and as a result, states have continued to regulate cannabis businesses within their borders without much interference from the federal government.

By Congressional appropriations statute, Congress blocked the federal government from spending money on medical marijuana prosecutions, assuming that growers and dispensaries would carefully follow state law. The statute, known as the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment, was extended in September through December 8, 2018 and signaled that the topic would be revisited by the end of the year.

Finally, at the end of June, the Federal Drug Administration approved the use of Epidiolex, a drug derived from cannabis that is used to treat two rare forms of seizures. At the end of September, the Drug Enforcement Administration reclassified Epidiolex as a Schedule 5 controlled substance  the lowest level of controlled substance  acknowledging the drugs proven medical benefits and indicating a low potential for abuse. As the first FDA-approved drug derived from cannabis, the reclassification of Epidiolex marks a significant departure from the federal governments previous stance.

Numerous changes were also seen at the state level, with refinements and additions to the laws governing the use of medicinal and recreational cannabis. In January, California approved recreational cannabis use for individuals over the age of 21, and other states with medical cannabis programs have continued to address how cannabis is used through case law and regulatory decisions. The Florida Supreme Court, for instance, overturned the legislatures attempt to institute a comprehensive ban on smokeable marijuana, holding that the only restriction on an individuals right to use medical marijuana was the inability to smoke it in public.

In July, the New York Department of Health added opioid replacement as a qualifying condition to recommend medical marijuana, and in September, Governor Cuomo signed a bill allowing medical practitioners to recommend marijuana as a treatment for pain management. The bill not only acknowledges that marijuana serves as an alternative to opioids, but also allows treatment providers of substance use disorder to use the drug to target and help patients manage underlying pain. Among the bills requirements, a registered physician must certify that a patients pain degrades her health and functional capability.

At the corporate level, companies that are engaged in the growth, manufacture, and production of cannabis products continue to grow and expand. In the last two years, Virginias General Assembly has passed several bills expanding its medical marijuana use laws to allow in-state production, sale, and dispensing of medical cannabis oil. In September, five applicants in Virginia were awarded conditional licenses to open the first medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, with one license awarded for each of the states five health service districts, as designated by the Virginia Department of Health. The applicants include Pharmacann Virginia, Dalitso, Dharma Pharmaceuticals, and Green Leaf Medical of Virginia, and Columbia Care, LLC of New York. According to the boards website, the conditional licenses allow companies to cultivate cannabis plants to manufacture cannabis oil for medicinal use.

The cannabis industry continues to grow as we approach 2019, with new companies seeking licenses and investors seeking new opportunities. What we can gather from 2018s record of change at the federal and state levels is that medical and recreational cannabis programs are almost sure to continue expanding.

Adam R. Dolan, co-chair of Goldberg Segallas Cannabis Law Practice Group, is an emerging authority in the field of cannabis law. He regularly authors articles exploring liability issues and shares his expert analysis of the latest trends and breaking news surrounding the cannabis legal landscape.Two women drowned in the back of a locked cage while being taken for involuntary commitment to a mental hospital because the police van they were in took an unsafe route and rolled over, and deputies lacked a key or bolt cutters to get them out, a lawyer for one of the womens families told South Carolina lawmakers Thursday.

The deputies, who drove around barricades and a manned checkpoint and ignored the safer route they had been given to avoid floodwaters from Hurricane Florence, bear plenty of responsibility for the deaths of Wendy Newton and Nicolette Green, said Tommy Brittain, a lawyer for Newtons family. They have been fired and a criminal investigation into their actions is coming to an end.

Neither woman was violent, their advocates said during a Senate subcommittee hearing. Newton was only seeking medicine for her fear and anxiety the day she died, the attorney said, while Greens family said she was committed at a regular mental health appointment by a councilor she had never seen before.

A system in South Carolina that treats nonviolent mental health patients more like criminals also contributed greatly to the womens deaths, Brittain told a state Senate panel Thursday.

They did wrong, serious wrong, Brittain said of the deputies. But if she had never been in that cage, shed be out of that van, shed be alive today. The people who made those decisions with indifference to her rights are also responsible for her death.

Sheriffs offices dont like the system either because it too often pulls deputies off the street to take people who are safe enough to be transported by ambulances or other means, South Carolina Sheriffs Association Executive Director Jarrod Bruder said.

A survey of about a third of the states counties showed 4,200 mental patients have been transported by officers so far this year. Hospitals and doctors often demand deputies to take patients even though the law allows family members or friends to take responsibility for patients who arent immediate threats to themselves or the community.

The hospitals are trying to avoid legal responsibility, said psychiatrist Christina Lynn.

Then I spend my first day with them telling them they didnt get arrested, Lynn said.

The Senate subcommittee plans to keep hearing testimony as the General Assemblys session approaches in January. The three members agreed the law needs to be changed, and the Department of Mental Health may need more funds.

Democratic state Sen. Marlon Kimpson said he wanted to call the hearings as soon as possible after the September deaths because they were so horrible.

A criminal investigation into the deputies is coming to an end and a report will be given to prosecutors, State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel said.

Keel refused to give details on the conversation between the deputies and the National Guard troops blocking the highway, the depth of the water the officers were trying to drive through and what the deputies did to try to rescue the women, saying it was part of his agencys investigation.

But Brittain and Greens sister, Donnela Green-Johnson, filled in some of the details Thursday.

Brittain told how what should have been a less than two-hour drive for the women inside the tiny cage from Horry County to Darlington had already been delayed by coffee breaks and detours when the van drove around a barricade and a manned checkpoint and into a hole in the highway covered with water.

The van rolled to its side, blocking one door. The deputies didnt have the key to open the other, Brittain said.

No key, no combination, no bolt cutters. No nothing, Brittain said. He climbed on top to save himself and the other officer and listened as water engulfed the van moment, after moment after moment as each woman saw her death rise in the water.

Greens daughter was with her that day and didnt forcefully request she be allowed to take her mother. Now she feels like she sent her mom to die, Green-Johnson said.

It was a horrible way for those two women to die. They knew. It was a slow death, Green-Johnson said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.None of this is surprising. Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

A report released on Monday by the Beyond Parallel program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington produces detailed evidence that North Korea maintains at least 13 and as many as 20 undeclared operational ballistic missile bases, including one just 50 miles north of the demilitarized zone and 80 miles from the South Korean capital, Seoul. While the report paints an unnerving picture of an undeterred, operational, and highly mobile North Korean missile program, there are good reasons not to call it a bombshell: The pun makes for poor gallows humor, for one thing, but more importantly, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has never made a commitment to freezing or dismantling his missile program.

The headline of the New York Times article covering the report reads: In North Korea, Missile Bases Suggest a Great Deception, but this is a bit misleading. Kim has certainly been deceptive in his dealings with the U.S. in general, but in this case, hes really not doing anything he said he wouldnt do. In fact, he made clear his intention to continue and even ramp up both programs this year in his 2018 New Years address, which instructed that the nuclear weapons research sector and the rocket industry should mass-produce nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles. He has yet to publicly renounce that objective.

Continuing these activities may be odious rogue-state behavior, but it doesnt violate any commitments North Korea has made, largely because it hasnt made any commitments at all. Kim hasnt broken any promises, nuclear nonproliferation expert Jeffrey Lewis told the Washington Post. Instead, hes making good on one of them  to mass produce nuclear weapons.

Despite President Donald Trumps triumphant declaration after his June summit meeting with Kim in Singapore that there is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea, Kim did not actually agree to much at that meeting, least of all to abandoning his cherished nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. The summit ended not with an accord but rather with a vaguely worded statement of intent to make peace and denuclearize the Korean peninsula. To the extent that Kim made any commitments in Singapore, they were vague, unverifiable, and contingent on generous reciprocal acts by the U.S.

Within weeks of the Singapore summit concluding, word began to leak from the intelligence community that the North Koreans had been actively working to expand, not restrict, their development of nuclear weapons, and by late July, intelligence officials were seeing evidence that the regime was producing more ballistic missiles. An International Atomic Energy Agency report in August also concluded that the nuclear program was continuing apace.

These reports over the summer also indicated that North Korea was working to hide the full extent of its nuclear arsenal from the U.S., perhaps as part of a pseudo-denuclearization strategy wherein it would destroy the warheads the U.S. knew about in exchange for a peace treaty and the lifting of sanctions, but retain others in secret. Such an outcome would constitute a catastrophic foreign-policy failure by the United States, albeit one Trump could spin as a historic victory for himself and his administration.

The one tangible commitment Kim has made was an announcement in April that his country would suspend nuclear weapons and ballistic missile testing, which it has so far upheld. In September, Kim held out the prospect of dismantling a major nuclear testing site, if and only if the U.S. first agrees to a formal end to the Korean War. Thats not going to happen, and even if it did, North Korea has a long history of beginning to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure only to turn around and rebuild it after negotiations inevitably break down.

Sure enough, the current round of talks looks like it may be on the verge of breaking down; North Korea canceled a planned meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York last week. Meanwhile, North Korean state media has warned that Pyongyang could resume nuclear testing if the U.S. doesnt make more concessions, and on Monday, it said small-scale joint military drills between U.S. and South Korean marines last week violated an agreement the North and South made in September to refrain from hostile acts. Trump had also promised in Singapore to stop holding joint military exercises with South Korea. It would be entirely in character for North Korea to use these slights as excuses for resuming the activities it has halted, or to use threats to that effect as leverage against Washington and Seoul.

On the other hand, the perfidy supposedly revealed by the CSIS report on Monday could be used by hawks in the Trump administration to undermine negotiations and make the case for a more aggressive approach to North Korea. Trumps national security adviser John Bolton, who believes the only cure for international intransigence is violent regime change, openly disdains any diplomacy with North Korea and has panned the strategy of sanctions and negotiation as worthless even as he was being enlisted to help implement it. If Bolton is trying to convince Trump that he is wasting his time talking to Kim, he just got a new talking point.

Ironically, Trumps habit of announcing the North Korean problem is largely solved before anything has actually been achieved increases the likelihood of bad news like this sinking the whole process. [T]hanks to the unrealistically high expectations Trump set at the outset of talks, Cato Institute policy analyst Eric Gomez points out, the report is being spun as a black mark against Trumps approach to North Korea.  Trump should have been honest about the limits of the agreement penned at Singapore, and he should have heralded the summit as the start of a long process rather than a kind of finish line.

Of course, it may be hard for Trump to admit that things arent going according to plan when just last week, he was insisting: The sanctions are on. The missiles have stopped, the rockets have stopped. He may also be loath to admit that the murderous tinpot Stalinist who wrote him beautiful letters and with whom he fell in love in Singapore has jilted him. In this case, Trumps love affair with Kim and his self-image as a master deal-maker might actually work in favor of peace by motivating him to be patient and try to achieve the victory he has already declared. On the other hand, it might compel him to take a shortcut to that victory, leading to a scenario in which he gives away too much for too little, just to say he made a deal.

In the meantime, the talks between Washington and Pyongyang remain stalled at the same old impasse, with each party insisting that the other make the first move: North Korea wont disarm without a peace treaty and sanctions relief (and probably cant be trusted to disarm at all), while the Trump administration wants to see verifiable, unilateral disarmament before its willing to meet those demands (and from North Koreas perspective, it cant be trusted not to invade as soon as that disarmament is complete). Trumps bromance with Kim is unlikely to break this deadlock; in international relations, interests almost always trump affinities.

As far as Kim is concerned, things are going about as well as can be expected. His nuclear arsenal is serving its intended purpose as an insurance policy against American and South Korean aggression, China and Russia are helping him get around U.S. sanctions, and South Korea is pursuing its own track of normalization with the North that would weaken the sanctions regime further. And even if Trump is ultimately willing to risk the massive destruction and loss of life a war with North Korea would entail, he is currently too preoccupied with punishing Iran for upholding the agreement it made to punish North Korea for violating one that doesnt yet exist.Trio of state qualifiers help gymnastics team win Section VI title In the weeks leading up to the Section VI Girls Gymnastics championship meet at Williamsville South, Clarence coach Mike Prelewicz had multiple chats with his athletes about needing their help...

Akron man charged with felonies after Nov. 10 chase, search Erie County Sheriffs deputies took 50-year-old David E. Cottom Sr. of Akron into custody Nov. 10, following a chase and search. Cottom was named a person of interest after a...

Clarence observes Veterans Day The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month is significant. As the day and time that World War I finally ended, it became Armistice Day in many...AKRON, Ohio - The Greater Akron Chamber has partnered with SummaCare to offer health benefits for businesses with 50 or fewer employees.

The Chamber Health Benefits Plan is a multiple-employer arrangement that is available to small businesses in a 16-county service area. The chamber received approval from the state to offer the plan.

"Our multiple employer welfare arrangement will provide a cost-effective solution for small businesses as they try to control the costs of providing health benefits for their employees," said chamber President and CEO Steve Millard in a news release. "We're excited to expand our offerings through SummaCare, a company that has been a partner to the chamber for almost 20 years in offering our small business members savings on health insurance premiums."

The plan is available to businesses that are Greater Akron Chamber members and features multiple SummaCare plan designs and networks.

"The multiple employer welfare arrangement allows small businesses to pool their risk by enrolling in a self-funded plan," said SummaCare Vice President of Sales Kevin Cavalier in the news release. "The premium savings, rate stability and protection against unexpected claims costs should make this plan very attractive to local employers."

The Chamber Health Benefits Plan will be sold through local brokers. To learn more about the plan, talk to a broker or contact the Greater Akron Chamber at 330-434-SAVE or visit www.greaterakronchamber.org/MEWA.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.BROOK PARK, Ohio -- Mayor Mike Gammella continues to work toward getting significant business enterprises to locate in Brook Park.

To that end, he told City Council members at their Nov. 7 meeting that he had met earlier that day with "multi-billionaire" Ray Park from Park Corporation to talk about economic development.

Brook Park Economic Development Commissioner Scott Adams and Stuart Mendel, chairman of the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission's Aerozone Alliance, also attended. The alliance aims to establish a technology-based employment center in areas surrounding Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

"I learned a lot from him," Gammella said about the 93-year-old owner of a $2.6 billion corporate empire. "We were there to tell Mr. Park about the Aerozone project that we've put together on the west end, and also how we've made it an Opportunity Zone. He seemed extremely interested."

Park built his vast business wealth, according to fundinguniverse.com, "by acquiring assets other companies no longer wanted."

"Park Corp. represents a multi-billion-dollar collection of a wide range of businesses," the site indicates. "Sometimes referred to as a recycler of industrial junk, Park Corp. has been involved in a diverse spectrum of business ventures, including ... real estate development in Ohio and elsewhere."

With a defunct 195-acre former Ford property currently for sale in Brook Park, it made sense that Gammella would talk to Park about economic development. Park bought a former military tank plant in 1977 that eventually became the International Exposition Center in 1985.

"Keep in mind that even though the I-X Center is in the city of Cleveland, we still derive the tax revenues from that building," Gammella told council. "So, it's a very, very important part of our economic base. We've assured Mr. Park we'll continue to do everything we can to work with him, just like the City of Brook Park has done in the past."

As for the vacant Ford site, Councilman Jim Mencini said he "would love to see Mr. Park spend money" on that property.

"I can tell you this," Gammella responded, "Mr. Park has an interest there, and that's as far as I'll go with it."MEDINA, Ohio -- Police locked down and searched the Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital and the adjacent Cleveland Clinic Medical Office Building Medina from floor to floor Tuesday afternoon following a report of a female with a gun holding hostages in the building. Medina Police Chief Ed Kinney characterized that call as a false complaint" and said it was a hoax.

We searched the hospital room by room, floor by floor and determined that there was no suspect that was armed. We did not locate that. We believe it was a false complaint, Kinney said.

Initial reports said there was a suspected active shooter in the building, according to Eileen Sheil, executive director of corporate communications for the Clinic. The lockdown began about 2 p.m. At 3:26 p.m., the police said no shots had been fired, and no one with a gun was found in the buildings. The all-clear allowing people back in the building was given at 3:28 p.m.

There is absolutely no evidence that anyone was at any risk at any time, said Clinic CEO and President Dr. Tom Mihaljevic.

Alisha Provost from Brewster, a medical student in internal medicine, was inside the main hospital when the Code Silver, or active shooter, alarm sounded.

When the alarms went off, everyone went into rooms and barricaded doors, she said. It was pretty quiet. At first everybody was afraid to make any noises. Provost was barricaded in an empty room with two nurses for about two hours.

Police are on scene at Medina Hospital responding to a potential active shooter situation in the medical office building. Both the hospital and office building are on lockdown. We advise no one travel to the Medina campus. We will continue to share updates.  Cleveland Clinic (@ClevelandClinic) November 13, 2018

After the all clear was lifted, patients and employees filed out the building, as new employees arrived for their shifts.

Margaret Brown, an intensive care nurse at the hospital, was supposed to come into work at 3 p.m. but was told to stay home until notified.

Even if they wouldve told me to come, I knew Id be safe, said Brown, who has worked at the hospital for 27 years and has never experienced a situation like this there before.

Police just gave the all clear at Medina Hospital. pic.twitter.com/iQB4t1hyTv  Ginger Christ (@GChristCLE) November 13, 2018

The Medina Medical Office Building offers primary care such as family medicine, internal medicine pediatrics, as well as specialty care for allergies, cardiovascular medicine and endocrinology, among other specialities. It also has an emergency department. Police were stationed in front of the emergency department entrance to keep it operational during the lockdown.

Our primary focus is the safety of our patients and the safety of our caregivers. When something like this happens, we have a procedure in place where we secure the premises, we lock down the hospitals and we particularly take care of the patients who need our services the most," Mihaljevic said.

Summa Health Medina Medical Center, which has an emergency department, is located one mile away from the Clinics Medina Hospital.

The medical building is located at 970 E. Washington St., Medina. Police directed traffic past the hospital and medical building during the lockdown, as drivers stopped to ask what was happening. About 150 officers from various law enforcement agencies were on the scene, Kinney said.

The Clinic took over operations at Medina General Hospital in 2009, investing an initial $40 million in capital improvements. The hospital had suffered budget deficits in 2006 and 2007.

As of March, the Clinic reported investing more than $105 million in the hospital, including new operating rooms, a wound center clinic and other outpatient services, according to Crains Cleveland Business. In 2017, the hospital made more than $1.7 million in renovations to its intensive care unit. The hospital also began a $5.8 million renovation of its emergency department.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Maple Heights man is competent to stand trial on federal charges that accuse him of plotting a terrorist attack on downtown Cleveland during Fourth of July celebrations.

Demetrius Pitts, 48, who also goes by the names Abdur Raheem Rafeeq and Salah ad-Deem Osama Waleed, was deemed competent in an Oct. 30 report by the psychologist who conducted the court-ordered evaluation at Pittss request.

U.S. Magistrate David Ruiz adopted the conclusion of the report after Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Baeppler and Charles Fleming, a lawyer in the federal public defenders office who represents Pitts, agreed with its findings during a short court hearing on Tuesday.

Pitts, who appeared in court with his wrist wrapped in a cloth bandage, also signed a waiver of his speedy trial rights that gives federal prosecutors until Jan. 27 to present his case to a federal grand jury for formal charges.

Pitts has been in federal custody since his July arrest, which U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman, FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Anthony and several Cleveland officials held a news conference to announce.

He is accused of plotting the attack in the name of al-Qaida, but Anthony and other officials declined at the news conference to say whether they believed Pitts was actually capable of carrying out an attack.

Anthony said Pitts had the desire and intent to conduct one.

The FBI first noticed Pitts in 2015, when he was living in Cincinnati and began posting to Facebook messages that included that the U.S. will be destroyed, according to an FBI agents affidavit. Pitts moved to Maple Heights in May, officials previously said.

An undercover FBI agent posing as an al-Qaida contact messaged Pitts, the affidavit said. The two met on June 15 in Willoughby, and Pitts described possible targets to attack, according to the affidavit.

Pitts told the FBI agent a week after the meeting that he wanted to target people watching Fourth of July fireworks in downtown Cleveland, the affidavit said. The agent gave Pitts a cellphone and bus pass so Pitts could scope out potential places to set off the explosives under the eyes of FBI surveillance, the affidavit said. Pitts told the undercover agent that he wanted to detonate a van full of explosives in front of the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Cleveland on July 4, the affidavit said.

Then-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions released a statement praising the investigators that worked on the case. Sessions resigned Wednesday at the behest of President Donald Trump.

To comment on this story, please visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments page.CLEVELAND, Ohio  Laurese Glover, Eugene Johnson and Derrick Wheatt had their adolescence and young adulthood ripped away from them, a lawyer said in her opening statements for the mens civil rights trial Tuesday.

The three men spent 20 years in prison for a murder they did not commit and spent the prime time of their lives in a prison cell. It all happened because East Cleveland detectives worked to convict them for a murder they didnt commit, attorney Elizabeth Wang said.

All the freedoms that we take for granted every day, they didnt have that in prison, she said.

Glover and Johnson, both 40, and 41-year-old Wheatt are asking a jury to find that East Cleveland and former city detectives Michael Perry, Vincent Johnstone and D.J. Miklovich violated their civil rights while investigating the 1995 shooting death of Clifton Hudson Jr.

The defendants deny any wrongdoing.

The men were convicted of murder in 1996, when they were just teenagers. They were released from prison in 2015, and a judge later dismissed the case based on new evidence and her finding that a former Cuyahoga County prosecutor maliciously inserted himself into a criminal proceeding.

A jury was selected Tuesday morning, and opening statements followed thereafter in U.S. District Judge James Gwins courtroom.

Michael Pasternak, another attorney representing the plaintiffs, focused his opening statement on two specific acts that proved the detectives acted in bad faith and performed callous, shoddy and reckless police work.

One was detectives decision to not put a report of statements from two boys, Eddie and Gary Petty, in the file later given to prosecutors. The report also wasnt released in 1998, when East Cleveland received a request for all documents related to the investigation into Hudsons death.

The records were considered exculpatory, or favorable to the all three men, Pasternak said, adding that the evidence will show the detectives hid it.

It wasnt until 2013, when the Ohio Innocence Project again made a request for documents, that the city released the documents.

The second, was the coercion of Tamika Harris, then a 14-year-old eyewitness, Pasternak said. Harris was manipulated by detectives into implicating the men in the murder, Pasternak said.

Harris recanted her testimony in 2004.

What it really did was put these guys away for 20 years, Pasternak said. They were in prison, but the world doesnt stop.

East Cleveland Law Director Willa Hemmons, in representing the detectives, said that police did their due diligence to find who killed Hudson. She said Glover, Johnson and Wheatt meant nothing to the detectives, as they didnt know the then-teenage boys from anybody else, and that there was no malice toward them at all.

These individuals did their job meticulously and thoroughly, Hemmons said.

The lawsuits have proved problematic for East Cleveland, a cash-strapped inner-ring suburb.

U.S. District Judge James Gwin sanctioned the city in November 2017 after Hemmons suggested the three men depose a former police sergeant who was in a coma at the time, among other witnesses.

Gwin also ruled that the city defendants had forfeited a key legal defense, qualified immunity, by not raising it in certain court filings before he ruled on whether the lawsuit could go to trial. Local governments frequently raise qualified immunity - which can shield officials from liability if the conduct at issue was not in violation of a person's legal rights or could be considered a reasonable mistake - as a defense from police misconduct lawsuits.

Johnson, Wheatt and Glover also sued the county and former prosecutors Carmen Marino and Deborah Naiman. The county settled with the trio for $4.5 million earlier this year.

The trio's lawsuits said Marino and Naiman told East Cleveland police in 1998 to not release records relating to Hudson's death to the defendants, who by that point had been convicted, and instead told the department to send copies of the records to the Prosecutor's Office.

The trial is expected to finish by the end of the week.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments section.Trump looks on as Macron and Merkel talk during a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe on November 11, 2018. Photo: FRANCOIS MORI/AFP/Getty Images

Theres a dreadful sameness to President Trumps European trips now. They begin with wishful thinking from commentators: Wouldnt it be great if this were the trip where Trump stood up to Putin, expressed genuine support for NATO, showed some grasp of 20th-century history, or simply managed not to offend anyone?

Then comes the actual trip, with the usual affronts; during his trip to France this past weekend to attend ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, President Trump skipped a planned visit to Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, citing rainy weather, and then traffic concerns  though Chief of Staff John Kelly and General Joseph Dunford Jr., chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, managed to attend, and the leaders of France, Germany, and Canada showed up at other sites outside Paris to honor fallen soldiers. This excursion featured a bonus gaffe, reported by the French paper Le Monde: When Trump first met the leaders of the three Baltic states (thats Baltic, near the Baltic Sea in northern Europe) he reportedly confused them with the Balkans (thats Balkan, in southern Europe (an easy enough mistake, but thats why he has foreign policy advisers, and a smartphone for the Chinese to hack). Trump proceeded to lecture the three leaders, small NATO allies under intense pressure from Moscow, about a conflict that occurred 30 years ago in countries 1,000 miles away.

Another typical feature of Trumps foreign travels: the part where a plucky European stands up to Trump. This time it was French president Emmanuel Macron, who gave a speech denouncing nationalism as Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin sat nearby. Macron explained the difference between healthy patriotism and unhealthy nationalism, saying in French, Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying our interests first, who cares about the others, we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what gives it grace. And what is essential  its moral values.

Americans might be tempted to read this as Trump, weakened after the Republicans loss of the House of Representatives in last weeks midterm elections, being rebuked by the stronger forces of the liberal order in Europe. But they would be sadly mistaken. Macron would probably love to have Trumps popularity; his own approval rating stands at just 29 percent, and French commentators are nervously looking over their shoulders at the French far right, which was just defeated by Macron in last years presidential election. For all the beauty and emotion of Macron walking the streets of Paris with the leader of Frances World War foe Germany, Angela Merkel is a lame duck  and it is unlikely that her successor will value European and trans-Atlantic unity quite as highly. Even Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau  who made a point of closing his umbrella during Saturdays commemorations in what was interpreted as a rebuke to Trump  is falling in popularity, and Canadas own right wing, helped along by American conservatives, have him in their sights. Then theres British prime minister Theresa May, who visited France a day early for separate ceremonies with Macron, then spent the weekend at home. Its a striking commentary that a German leader could observe the centenary the territory of its former opponent, but an English leader opted not mark the occasion on the territory of an ally.

All of which is to say that, as is often the case, theres a great danger that the controversy around Trumps persona is distracting us from what we really need to see. Historians are still debating the exact mix, but World War I happened because old powers were weak, young nationalists were restive, and alliances were not as strong as they had been imagined to be. Does that sound familiar? It gets worse. Observers believed that new technologies made communication clearer, and economic and interpersonal ties made war impossible. (Trump may believe foreign policy is all about his relationships with world leaders, but in 1914 the rulers of England, Germany, and Russia were cousins.)

In 1914, and again in 1939, the experts were wrong. So do we have any chance of doing better 100 years later? Perhaps. The World War I remembrances were a reminder of just how much carnage can be unleashed due to a few peoples say-so. One in every four British men joined or were conscripted into the military, as were thousands of colonial subjects in Africa and Asia; in some cases, those men fought and died weeks after the armistice, before word reached them to lay down their arms. Estimates put the wars total number of military and civilian casualties at around 40 million.

As Trump comes home, a lame-duck Congress considers whether to press him to end U.S. support for a deadly Saudi war against the people of Yemen; whether to pile yet more sanctions on Iran to egg its hard-liners toward violence; and whether to ratchet up the economic hostilities with China. If his trip reminds even some of our elected officials, whatever their ideologies, of how difficult it is to contain violence once it is loosed, it will not have been in vain.MEDINA, Ohio -- Medina Hospital was placed on lockdown Tuesday afternoon as law enforcement officers investigate a report of a potential active shooter situation, Cleveland Clinics news service said.

Update: The report was determined to be a hoax, and police found no evidence of a threat, according to The Plain Dealer.

The Medina Police Department said about 2:30 p.m. that no shots have been fired. They were investigating a report of a woman with a gun threatening people, according to a statement on the departments Facebook page.

Officers are still searching the hospitals medical office building, room-by-room, to determine if a threat exists.

Cleveland Clinic News said previously the report was related to a situation in the hospitals medical office building. The medical office building and the hospital are on lockdown.

Police are on scene at Medina Hospital responding to a potential active shooter situation in the medical office building. Both the hospital and office building are on lockdown.



We advise no one travel to the Medina campus.



We will continue to share updates.  ClevelandClinicNews (@CleClinicNews) November 13, 2018

There is suspected to be an individual with a gun at the Medina Medical Office Building, which is part of the Clinics Medina Hospital campus on East Washington Street in Medina, Clinic spokeswoman Eileen Sheil confirmed.

The Medina Police Department and Medina County Sheriffs Office said about 2:15 p.m. that officers were at the hospital. They declined to say why the officers went to the hospital or why it was placed on lockdown.

Cleveland Clinic spokespersons could not immediately be reached for comment.

Medina Hospitals administrative and security offices also could not be reached.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

Plain Dealer reporter Ginger Christ contributed to this story.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- CNN and reporter Jim Acosta have filed a lawsuit against President Trump seeking the restoration of Acostas White House press credential.

In the complaint, filed Tuesday, CNN asserts the actions of Trump and his aides violated the networks and Acostas First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, as well as their Fifth Amendment rights to due process.

The sole justification for Defendants' conduct is their dislike for Plaintiffs coverage of the administration and critique of the President. But that is insufficient to justify such a substantial restriction on Plaintiffs First Amendment rights, the complaint reads.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Deputy Chief of Staff Bill Shine, among others, are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.

The White House revoked Acostas hard pass -- which gives reporters access to the press room in the West Wing -- last week following a terse exchange at a press conference in the East Room a day after the election.

I think you should let me run the country. You run CNN, Trump said, responding to Acostas question about the migrant caravan that had become a flashpoint of the midterm campaign. And if you did it well, your ratings would be much better.

A White House intern then tried to take away the microphone from Acosta, who told her, Pardon me, maam, before proceeding to finish his question. When he was done, the President told him: Ill tell you what, CNN should be ashamed of itself, having you work for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldnt be working for CNN.

Later that evening, the White House revoked Acostas pass, with Trump saying the reporter failed to treat the White House with respect. Sanders also tweeted a video from the press conference apparently doctored to make it appear like Acosta forcibly put his hand on the intern.

The arbitrary revocation of Mr. Acostas press credential is causing irreparable injury each and every day because it is stopping him from reporting news from the White House, Ted Boutrous, attorney for CNN and Acosta, said in a statement.

The Supreme Court has held in no uncertain terms that the First Amendment protects robust political debate, including speech that is critical of those who hold publi office, Ted Olson, another attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. Mr. Acostas press credentials must be restored so that all members of the press will remain free to ask tough questions, challenge government officials, and report the business of the nation to the American people.

The White House responded to the lawsuit with a statement in which press secretary Sanders called it more grandstanding by CNN.

"The First Amendment is not served when a single reporter, of more than 150 present, attempts to monopolize the floor. If there is no check on this type of behavior it impedes the ability of the President, the White House staff, and members of the media to conduct business, the statement said.LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- The booming food truck industry and looming Lakewood Truck Park project planned for the corner of Edwards and Detroit avenues has City Council considering a mobile food service industry ordinance.

Lakewood At-Large Councilwoman Meghan F. George has proposed up-to-date standards in regard to safety, sanitation and liability.

"I'm referring to it as common-sense regulations around food trucks," George said. "I think it's important for us to know who is providing food services within our community. The idea is to make sure food trucks are safe for the public.

"So in addition to already being certified by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, they'll be inspected by the Lakewood Fire Department," she said.

After meeting with members of the Building Department and Fire Department, George proposed a one-time truck fee, which at $150 is right in line with other city permit costs.

"I think the one-time fee was important, because speaking with people within the food truck industry, if every city is having them pay a fee on an annual basis, at the end of the day they don't make any money," George said.

"The purpose isn't for the city to make money, it's to pay for the administration of the fee. With that, we'll make sure the food trucks are certified with the Fire Department from a fire-safety perspective."

George expects council to pass the food truck permit fee either this year or in early 2019.

Lakewood Director of Planning and Development Bryce Sylvester noted that George has been working closely with Lakewood Truck Park visionary and Cleveland area bar owner Justin Costanzo.

"We think the food truck concept is helping us to get to this point," Sylvester said. "We're taking a lead from a number of cities around us who have policies in place."

Regarding the proposed 6,000-square-foot Lakewood Truck Park -- which includes space for food trucks, outdoor seating and gathering spaces -- Sylvester said the plan has been approved by the Planning Commission and Architectural Board of Review.

"They've submitted construction documents to the Building Department," Sylvester said. "Their plan is to have it open by the summer of 2019."AKRON, Ohio  Police are searching for three teen suspects who robbed a downtown convenience store near Canal Park.

The three teens, estimated to be between 15 and 17 years old, entered the Main Street Market near the corner of South Main Street and West State Street at 8:30 p.m. Friday, according to police.

A woman working behind the counter asked the teens to remove the hoods from their sweat shirts when one pulled out a handgun. The armed suspect reached over the counter and grabbed a handgun that was attached to the register.

The three males then ran from the store.

One of the males was wearing a Nike hooded sweat shirt, while the other two, including the one with the handgun, were wearing black hooded sweat shirts.

The incident remains under investigation.

To comment on this story, go to the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.CLEVELAND, Ohio A city waste collection employee killed Tuesday while collecting trash on his route was a father of two, his grandmother said.

Patricia Hawkins said her grandson, DShane Wilcox, 28, was shot to death while working the job he loved. Wilcox was hired as a garbage collector in May 2017, according to city records.

No arrests have been made in the case. The shooting happened about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday on East 138th Street near Lambert Avenue in the citys Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Two other workers were working with Wilcox at the time of the shooting but were not injured.

I dont know how to feel right now, Hawkins said. Im trying not to be angry. I hope they catch the person who did this. He was a good kid.

Wilcox was the father of two sons, ages 4 and 2, his grandmother said. She said he spent most of his time hanging out with his children, working and little else. His brother also works for the city, Hawkins said.

She said one of her other grandsons, Larry Sumbry-Hawkins III, suffered a fatal gunshot wound in the neck in a drive-by shooting on Aug. 13, 2015 in front of her home on Strandhill Road. Sumbry-Hawkins is Wilcoxs cousin, she said.

Hawkins also said Wilcox had been shot several years ago, but survived.

Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams asked for the publics help in solving the case. He said they only have a cursory description of the shooter a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. He said investigators are still trying to determine what led up to the shooting.

CORRECTION: This story is updated to reflect Mr. Wilcoxs name. His name is DShane Wilcox, not Hawkins.

To comment on this story, please visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments page.CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budishs office wants the county to pay bills from a law firm that was hired in part to deal with inquiries from the Ohio Auditors Office about compensation for one of the countys administrators.

But the administration on Tuesday asked the Board of Control, which reviews such requests, to postpone consideration of the tab of up to $120,000, a move one board member attributed to the administration not providing enough details to County Council members.

We asked questions and we did not get the answer yet in writing, said Trevor McAleer, who serves on the board on behalf of Council President Dan Brady. The three representatives from council wouldnt have supported [approving the payment] because they didnt get the answers yet.

The Board of Control includes members of the county executives administration and representatives of County Council. In addition to McAleer, the current board includes council members Dale Miller and Nan Baker.

Budishs administration was requesting up to $120,000 for legal services provided by Tucker Ellis LPP on Sept. 24 and 25. According to the boards agenda, the legal work dealt with inquiries and requests from the state auditor, as well as development loans, and health and human services regulations, among other things.

Tucker and Ellis attorney John McCaffrey was listed as the contractor involved in the consultation, the agenda said. McCaffreys practice focuses on complex business litigation and white collar criminal defense, according to its website.

Budishs office sought the legal services days after Ohio Auditor Dave Yost took the unusual step of issuing a civil subpoena to Cuyahoga County to obtain records for an ongoing audit rather than follow the more common practice of asking for the records.

The subpoena sought emails sent or received by Budish between Jan. 1 2017 and July 21, 2017 related to compensation and/or benefits for the county's deputy chief information officer, James Hay.

Budish said at the time that it was his understanding the auditor was looking at whether he personally authorized a $15,000 bonus to Hay. Budish said he told the auditors office that he was not involved.

Bonuses and perks awarded by the Budish administration have been a source of controversy, as the county's internal auditor and the county prosecutor concluded that the Budish administration improperly awarded them.

Hay was also named in some of 14 subpoenas served on the county by public corruption investigators in an ongoing probe of the countys troubled IT Department.

Hay quit his $153,000-a-year job on Oct. 25 for personal reasons, according to a county spokeswoman.CLEVELAND, Ohio  The man accused of kidnapping his 1-month-old daughter during a violent home invasion, sparking an Amber Alert, surrendered Tuesday to police.

Ronald Davis, 28, turned himself into police on charges of aggravated robbery. He is expected to make his first court appearance on Wednesday.

The incident happened about 12:45 p.m. Nov. 8 at the girls mothers home on Central Avenue near East 31st Street, police said.

He broke in through a window and attacked the girls mother, police said. He grabbed the girl, jumped into a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu and sped off, police said.

Family members later took the girl to University Hospitals. She was not injured.

Davis has a criminal history that includes possessing a weapon as a felon, burglary and drug trafficking.NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio  The son of a slain deacon and his wife is in police custody Monday in connection with the deaths of his mother and father, police said.

North Royalton police tracked the cellphones of Dennis and Helen Lucak, both 72, after none were found inside their Harbour Light Drive apartment, Det. David Loeding said.

Both Dennis and Helen were shot multiple times and were found dead about 6:45 p.m. Sunday. Dennis Lucak was a deacon at Archangel Michael Church in Broadview Heights.

Loeding said they tracked the stolen cellphones to a Medina County Super 8 Motel, where they found the couples 44-year-old son.

Officers arrested the son and brought him back to North Royalton for questioning, Loeding said. He said they are questioning the son now and are searching the motel room, along with his car. The son has not been formally charged, police said.

Neighbors of the slain couple said that their son lived with them for a short time, until the couple asked him to leave about three weeks ago.

Dennis Lucaks sister alerted North Royalton police about 6:45 p.m. Sunday after Dennis and Helen did not show up for a Sunday church function.

She, along with police, went to the home for a welfare check. Officers found the couple dead inside, Loeding said.

Loeding said investigators are honing in on a motive, but that they were still piecing things together. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting North Royalton police, Loeding said.

To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments page.AURORA, Indiana  Two hunters suffered gunshot wounds after a dog knocked over a shotgun in a hunting blind, causing the weapon to discharge, reports say.

Reports say the two men had finished hunting waterfowl on Saturday and were standing outside a blind in a field near Aurora when the incident occurred at about 9 a.m.

According to Fox 59, a shotgun was propped up inside the blind when the dog went inside and knocked it over.

The shotgun went off, firing through the blind and hitting both men in the ankles. Reports say the safety was off on the 12 gauge Browning Maxus shotgun.

Adam Daugherty, 30, of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, first was taken to a nearby hospital but was later transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the Journal Press reports.

Jeremy Legge, 37, Petersburg, Kentucky, transported himself to a doctor for treatment, Fox 59 reports.

Reports say the incident remains under investigation.

To comment on this story, go to the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Authorities say a family of four has been arrested in the slayings of eight members of another family in rural Ohio two years ago.

The Ohio Attorney General's Office announced the arrest Tuesday of four members of a family who lived near the scenes of the killing.

No motive was announced.

Those arrested are: 47-year-old George "Billy" Wagner III; his wife, 48-year-old Angela Wagner; and their sons, 27-year-old George Wagner and 26-year-old Edward Wagner. The Wagners had since moved to Alaska.

A message was left with a lawyer who has been representing the Wagners in the investigation. An attorney has said previously the family cooperated with investigators.

The arrests are the culmination of a massive investigative effort since seven adults and 16-year-old boy were found dead in 2016 at four homes near Piketon.A man with a hankering for freedom fries. Photo: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images

Sunday was the 100-year anniversary of the end of World War I, a conflict that claimed the lives of over 1 million French soldiers. Two days later, France observed the three-year anniversary of the 2015 Paris attacks, a terrorist rampage that killed more than 100 French civilians, many of them under 30 years old.

So, naturally, the president of the United States decided that now would be the perfect time to mock the French for having lost to the Nazis.

Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia, Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two  how did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!

Here, Trump is responding to the French presidents recent call for Europe to develop its own, autonomous military capabilities. But in those remarks, Macron did not intend to propose a European army as a replacement for NATO  let alone, to suggest that the E.U. should regard the United States as a geopolitical threat. Rather, as the French leader made clear in an interview with CNN, Macron believes European nations should increase their defense spending, in order to more equitably share the burden of funding NATO, precisely as Trump has requested  he just doesnt want to invest that new spending in American munitions.

What I dont want to see is European countries increasing the budget in defense in order to buy Americans and other arms or materials coming from your industry, Macron told Fareed Zakaria over the weekend. I think if we increase our budget, its to have to build our autonomy and to become an actual sovereign power.

Trump was either unaware of these remarks, or else, defines Pay for NATO as pay tribute to arms manufacturers (the president has previously suggested that maximizing U.S. arms sales is one of his top foreign-policy goals).

Regardless, once Trump got started airing his grievances about the French, he couldnt stop. After a trip to Paris marked by critical coverage of his decision to take a rain check on ceremonies at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery  and a pointed rebuke from Macron, who said in a speech that nationalism was the opposite of patriotism  Trump let loose some politically incorrect truths about the quality of French wine (among other things):

On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!

The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!..MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!

By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!



Were it not for Frances protectionism, Franzia and the Trump Winery would surely dominate the Parisian wine market. But while few would quibble with presidents claim that American wine is of equal (if not superior) quality to Frances, Trumps tweet is still in tension with his administrations own policies  right now, the White House is pushing to end a tax break that American wine exporters say is vital to their competitiveness overseas.

The president is correct that Macron is currently, markedly less popular with French voters than Trump is with American ones. And hes probably right to insinuate that Macrons recent jabs at Trump were motivated, at least in part, by a desire to capitalize on the French publics contempt for the American leader. But Trumps praise of French nationalism  and his call for making that nation great again  would seem to be in tension with his demand for France to sacrifice its national interests (on arms sales and wine tariffs) in the interest of fairness.

Finally, it is possible that the medias coverage of Trumps failure to attend ceremonies at the Aisne-Marne were unfair, and that security concerns, not personal laziness (or concerns over a bad-hair day) kept Trump from traveling through the rain to the event. If so, then the Fourth Estates suggestions to the contrary were truly egregious  after all, what cause has Donald Trump ever given the press for denying him the benefit of the doubt?CLEVELAND, Ohio -- So many members of Clevelands arts community never personally met Nikki Delamotte, but through her articles and thoughtful social media posts, they felt like her friends.

Their outpouring of love and support for Delamotte, who was shot to death at a mobile home park near Toledo on Sunday, has been inspiring.

Friends are organizing a vigil Thursday evening at Upper Edgewater Park, a fundraiser Friday at the Side Quest and a GoFundMe account to support Delamottes boyfriend and her mom. (Details below.)

I think everyone felt like you knew her... It was 100 percent because of her, said comedian Deena Nyer Mendlowitz. She would comment and support everybody. When you have a community like Cleveland you have a lot of independent art. To have a focal point who supports all of it is pretty amazing.

Mendlowitz plans to donate profits from her Hanukkah show with author Ken Schneck to Delamottes family, helping to spread a little of Delamottes sparkly light.

Delamotte, who attended Springfield High School in Holland and graduated from Cleveland State University, worked for Cleveland Scene before coming to cleveland.com two years ago. She covered culture in Cleveland and seemingly knew everyone involved in the arts. She was overflowing with story ideas, about restaurants, makers, artists and more.

The Gofundme page puts it this way: As Nikkis friend Laura Wimbels so perfectly stated, Nikki wasnt just my friend or your friend, she was Clevelands best friend."

Delamotte amplified other voices, said Schneck, a Baldwin Wallace University professor and Cleveland Magazine freelancer who became friends with Delamotte first online.

You cant tell a story without a storyteller, Schneck said. She told our stories.

Here are the details:

Thursday vigil

A candlelight vigil will be held at the Cleveland script sign at Upper Edgewater Park at 6:30 p.m. Close friends of Nikkis have asked to organize the event to collectively mourn and to celebrate the wonderful and beautiful life she lived. The band Ouster will give a small performance.

In the bands words, She was the first person most Clevelanders thought to contact about anything supporting the art, music and culinary scene.

Friday fundraiser

The event will be held 7 p.m.-midnight at The Side Quest, 17900 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood. 15 percent of profits will be donated. Baskets will be raffled off. You can donate raffle items until 7 p.m. today at Coven.

Online fundraiser

We are all incredibly shocked by the tragic and sudden loss of Nikki, and while we collectively grieve, our community is also working to support to her mother Jo (and cat Sadie), her boyfriend Bob, and her cats who she adored, Phoebe and Bailey, the fundraiser says.

The account had raised more than $5,200 from more than 100 people by noon Tuesday.

Feel free to share your kind words and stories about Delamotte in the comments section of this story.PERRYSBURG TOWNSHIP, Ohio  Authorities are investigating after a woman and a man were found dead Monday at a Wood County trailer park where cleveland.com culture reporter Nikki Delamotte was reported missing.

Update 10:45 p.m. Investigators confirmed late Monday that Delamotte, 30, and her uncle Robert Delamotte, 67, were found dead in Perrysburg Township. They have not released any more details.

Investigators have not released the identities of the man and woman found dead just after 9:30 a.m. at Friendly Village Mobile Home Park in Perrysburg Township. More information will be released later Monday, police said.

Police have not said how the man and woman died, but did confirm they are relatives.

Delamotte, who joined cleveland.com two years ago, was reported missing Monday after she planned a Sunday visit with a relative at the mobile home park.

Someone familiar with her movements reached out to her mother, Joanne Ullman, on Facebook early Monday after not hearing from Delamotte.

Ullman called police to report her daughter missing. She met police at the trailer park, and officers checked the trailer. They emerged moments later and told Ullman to back up, she said.

Detectives took a statement from Ullman, who said she saw her daughters car parked, with her cellphone and wallet inside it.

The Perrysburg Township Police department confirmed Monday that they are investigating two deaths, but declined to offer any additional details. More information will be released this afternoon, police said.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Lucas County Coroners Office also have not offered any additional information.Rotunda Rumblings

The workers president? U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown told cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton that he will talk with his family over the holidays about whether he should run for president in 2020. Brown believes his message of worker empowerment should be embraced by the entire Democratic Party.

Amending the amendments: Cleveland.coms Laura Hancock has a look  and a poll  about toughening the process to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Ohio Republican legislative leaders say they would like to make it harder for out-of-state activists to influence Ohio politics. But ballot amendment defenders believe they give power directly to the people.

Grooming and public office: For more than 100 years, Ohio politicians in statewide executive offices have been clean shaven. But Dave Yost will change that, writes the Dayton Daily News Josh Sweigart in a historical perspective of beards and politics.

Back in Columbus: Eleven legislative standing committees will be meeting Tuesday, including the House Educational and Career Readiness Committee, which will discuss an abortion education bill (H.B. 619) and the Senate Judiciary Committee, where a bill would create a statewide system to track the processing of sexual-assault kits (S.B. 323.)

Taxing matters: The Ohio legislatures Tax Expenditure Review Committee is set to vote Tuesday on whether 15 sales-tax breaks worth an estimated $5.5 billion per year should be scrapped, kept, or modified. The vote comes more than four months after the committee was required by law to issue its first report on the tax breaks, which cover things ranging from sales of items to churches to the cost of preparing eggs for sale. The left-leaning think tank Policy Matters Ohio, in a release, called on the committee to put off the recommendations, saying the legislature didnt provide enough resources for the panel to adequately review the tax breaks.

Quixotic quest: The Columbus Dispatchs Jack Torry and Jessica Wehrman look at Ohio Rep. and House Freedom Caucus founder Jim Jordans uphill battle to become the U.S. House Republican leader next year when Democrats take control of the chamber.

Role model: Ohios new payday reform law is being held as a nationwide model because the Pew Charitable Trusts says its fairer to consumers. Pew helped work on the version of the payday law adopted by the Ohio General Assembly.

Empty your pockets, please: Ben Shapiro, a former Breitbart editor, is requesting metal detectors for his Tuesday Ohio State University visit, the Columbus Dispatchs Jennifer Smola writes.

Full Disclosure

Five things we learned from Rep. Emilia Sykes April 6 financial disclosure. Sykes, an Akron Democrat, won re-election to her seat Nov. 6.

1. Sykes didnt report any job outside the Ohio General Assembly, where she earned $68,891.27 last year.

2. She invests in Ohio Deferred Compensation and the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System.

3. At some point last year, she owed over $1,000 each to the U.S. Department of Education, Citibank student loans, Bank of America, Navient, Capital One, GM Financial and GE Capital.

4. Ohio Jewish Communities paid for a $1,642.27 trip to Israel. The organization also paid for $63.76 for lunch and swimming at the Dead Sea and a $160.87 tour of the country. Community Blight Solutions paid for $431.03 in food in Israel.

5. She accrued $1,657.40 for travel with e.Republic/the Governing Institute.

Straight from the Source

Anyone rooting for a @JohnKasich vs. @SenSherrodBrown presidential battle in 2020?

-Columbus Dispatch reporter Jim Siegel on Twitter on Monday.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.COLUMBUS, OhioThe Libertarian Party of Ohio might soon be headed into yet another court battle over whether the state should continue to recognize it as a minor political party.

Secretary of State Jon Husteds office says that the Libertarians, along with the Ohio Green Party, lost their ballot access because their respective candidates for governor in the Nov. 6 midterm election didnt get the 3 percent of the vote required under state law to remain a recognized minor party. The Libertarians gubernatorial nominee, Columbus activist and filmmaker Travis Irvine, got 1.8 percent of the vote, according to unofficial totals.

But Ohio Libertarians point to a part of the law (specifically, section 3501.01(F)(2)(b) of the Ohio Revised Code) stating that the 3-percent requirement is only for minor parties that have been recognized for at least a year before the election. The Libertarian Party of Ohio regained state recognition in July for the first time since 2014, a year after the GOP-controlled legislature passed new ballot-access rules (which the Libertarians tried unsuccessfully to fight in a lengthy court battle).

Secretary of state spokesman Sam Rossi disputed the Libertarians assertion that the 3-percent requirement doesnt apply to them in this case.

They pointed to one sentence, but if you look at all of [the law], theres other things to take into consideration there, in the way that its phrased, Rossi said.

Rossi also noted that the Libertarian Party of Ohios chair, Harold Thomas, claimed the day before the 2018 midterms that Irvine needed 3 percent of the vote to automatically achieve 2020 ballot access."

Rossi declined to comment further, saying the Libertarians are likely to file suit over the matter against Husteds successor, Republican Frank LaRose, who will be sworn in as secretary of state in January.

Indeed, thats exactly what Libertarian Party of Ohio spokesman David Jackson said his party would do, if they are notified by Husteds office that they are de-certified as a minor party.

Theyd be breaking the law, so wed have to report this and sue them for breaking their own law, Jackson said.

If Libertarians lose state recognition, they (as well as the Greens) would each have until 125 days before the 2020 election to submit roughly 43,000 petition signatures from registered voters to regain ballot access.

Being a recognized minor party brings a number of perks  the most visible of which is that candidates can appear on the ballot under their partys name, rather than having to run as independents. State recognition also allows minor parties to hold primaries, and their candidates need fewer petition signatures to get on the ballot, among other advantages.

Meanwhile, no ones disputing that the states only other recognized minor party, the Ohio Green Party, will lose their ballot access for the first time since 2008. Their gubernatorial candidate, Constance Gadell-Newton, garnered 1.1 percent of the vote, according to unofficial totals.

Nathan Lane, the Ohio Green Partys co-chair, said in an interview that once the midterm election results are certified on Nov. 27, there will be almost an immediate petition drive to regain ballot access.

Weve already had 20-some people sign up to assist with the effort, so I think it would be kind of foolish on the leaderships part to silence that desire from our membership, Lane said.

Lane also said that Ohio Greens and others are in the very early stages of putting a proposed state constitutional amendment on the ballot to set up a ranked-choice voting system in Ohio.

Under such a system, each voter ranks candidates in order of preference. If no candidate wins an outright majority, the candidate in the race with the least number of votes is dropped, and his or her votes are redistributed based on his/her supporters second choices.

Maine is the only state that currently uses ranked-choice voting for federal and state elections, though its being challenged in court as Maine elections officials continue to count ballots in the neck-and-neck race for that states 2nd Congressional District.SOLON, Ohio -- The city has been awarded $500,000 by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to aid in funding for the proposed Solon to Chagrin Falls Trail.

The ODNR taps into the Clean Ohio Trails Fund grant program for such awards. The money is in addition to $300,000 that was designated for the project earlier this year in the state's Capital Budget Program.

The $800,000 would go toward the first phase of construction, a two-mile segment of the trail from downtown Solon to the Bentleyville border.

The approximately 4-mile hiking/biking trail along the former and partially abandoned Chagrin Falls and Southern Railroad would extend from the Carter Lumber property next to the Sears site in Solon, into Bentleyville, through the Cleveland Metroparks and on to Chagrin Falls.

"A major goal of this administration is to create a more walkable and connected city," Solon Mayor Ed Kraus said in a press release last week.

"This includes more opportunities to access multi-purpose paths for our residents and to draw more people to our commercial retail areas. This grant is another momentum builder for improving opportunities for social interaction and promoting a healthy lifestyle for families in Solon and Chagrin Falls," he said.

The proposed trail will likely go before Solon's City Council, which would approve or reject construction of the trail.

Kraus and other proponents of the proposed trail believe it would bolster nearby businesses and provide opportunities for exercise and to observe nature.

Numerous homeowners whose properties bound the proposed trail are opposed to its construction. Mark Presser, president of the Solon Homeowners Association, says homes on more than a dozen streets in Solon would be directly affected by the trail.

Many residents are concerned that the trail would run too close to their homes, and would present safety, privacy, environmental and property value problems.

"I think there are going to be even more problems," said Presser, who also wants to see more cost analysis and environmental testing done on the proposed trail.

Presser, whose own home is within less than 50 feet from where the trail would run, says six homes on his street are within 19 to 35 feet of the trail.

Kraus and other city officials have met with residents to hear their concerns.

"There is much work yet to be done," Kraus said in his statement. "The city will be engaging with residents closest to the trail and citywide to continue to address concerns and questions and to collaboratively evaluate and implement solutions.

"But with the help of our partners and residents, the 'Solon to Chagrin Falls Trail' is well on the way to becoming yet another jewel for our city and our region."

Solon currently has three trails: the Hawthorn Parkway; the Pettibone/Liberty Road Trail; and the Solon Community Center Trail.STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- A Cuyahoga County court has ruled in favor of the city in a lawsuit over a fence separating two commercial parking lots.

Common Pleas Judge Sherrie Miday said Cameron-Allie Development Group LLC -- which built and owns Westwood Commons, a retail-restaurant development on Pearl Road just north of Ohio 82 -- erected the fence last year without a permit and should remove it, as the city has ordered.

Also, Miday said the fence didn't comply with site plans and conditions -- as approved and stipulated by the city's Planning Commission and Board of Building Code and Zoning Appeals -- for Westwood Commons and its neighbor, Architectural Justice Gallery & Cafe.

Cameron-Allie had installed the fence to discourage customers and vendors of Architectural Justice next door from parking in the Westwood Commons lot.

"The court finds that the (Strongsville) BZA's decision was legal, reasonable, constitutional and supported by the preponderance of substantive, reliable and probative evidence contained in the record of the administrative proceedings," Miday said in her Sept. 4 ruling.

Cameron-Allie, which filed the lawsuit in May, has already appealed the ruling to the Court of Appeals of Ohio, Eighth Appellate District. The firm is headed by longtime Strongsville developer Michael Catanzarite.

"The trial court (Miday) erred in finding that the City of Strongsville's violation notice, related to Cameron-Allie's construction of a fence, is valid and enforceable," R. Todd Hunt, Cameron-Allie's attorney, said in his Oct. 5 notice of appeal.

In a previous legal brief, Cameron-Allie said the city's terms for Westwood Commons zoning variances were too vague to exclude a future fence. Also, the developer said that by ordering the fence down, the city was violating the company's property rights by forcing Westwood Commons to give Architectural Justice use of its lot.

Lack of evidence

In her ruling, Miday said both Cameron-Allie and Architectural Justice sought city approval in 2015 to construct buildings at the northeast corner of Pearl Road and Westwood Drive. Cameron-Allie would build Westwood Commons, and Architectural Justice, a Medina interior design business, would open its second location, this one with a cafe.

"These buildings were part of a unified district for historical preservation known as the Town Center District," Miday said.

The Strongsville BZA approved zoning variances for Westwood Commons and encouraged Cameron-Allie and Architectural Justice to "work together" to connect the two properties for pedestrian traffic.

In September 2015, the Strongsville Planning Commission and the city's Engineering Department approved the Westwood Commons site plan "and a building permit was issued showing the connectivity between the two parcels," Miday said.

Then, in fall 2017, Cameron-Allie built the fence without first seeking city permission. City officials, upon noticing the fence, sent a violation notice to the developer. Cameron-Allie applied retroactively for a permit in March 2018, but the application was denied four days later.

"The fence does not conform with the conditions imposed by the Board of Zoning and Building Appeals ... nor the site plan approved by the Planning Commission," Building Commissioner Tony Biondillo wrote in his rejection notice.

Biondillo turned down the application also because Cameron-Allie never appealed his initial violation notice. Subsequently, Cameron-Allie appealed the violation notice, but was turned down.

Miday said that according to Ohio law and past appeals court decisions, "A court of common pleas should not substitute its judgment for that of an administrative board, such as the board of zoning appeals, unless the court finds that there is not a preponderance of reliable, probative and substantial evidence to support the board's decision."

Miday said one of the purposes of Strongsville's town center district, which is where Westwood Commons and Architectural Justice are located, "is to protect and enhance the city's attractions to tourists and visitors and the support and stimulus to business."

"(Cameron-Allie) erecting a fence between the two businesses does not promote pedestrian connectivity and stimulus to the businesses in the area," Miday said.

Further, Miday said Cameron-Allie admitted receiving a city violation notice regarding the fence in November 2017. The developer never appealed the notice, but applied for a building permit in March 2018, Miday said.

Parking problem

In previous legal briefs, Cameron-Allie said its project engineer never committed to a pedestrian connection from Westwood Commons to Architecture Justice due to topography on the site.

Cameron-Allie said that in September 2015, the city's Architectural Review Board and Planning Commission approved the Westwood Commons plan minus the pedestrian walkway suggested by the BZA.

Afterward, Cameron-Allie "worked with" Architectural Justice on the connecting walkway. Cameron-Allie then built the walkway on its property in Westwood Commons. The city approved the walkway in January 2016.

Meanwhile, the city in 2015 granted Architectural Justice a variance allowing just 17 parking spaces, instead of the 32 spaces required under code.

As a result, there was a shortage of parking slots, and Architectural Justice customers and delivery trucks started parking in the Westwood Commons lot and using the walkway to reach Architectural Justice.

This burdened Westwood Commons businesses, and the zoning board chairman admitted erring in granting Architectural Justice a variance for so many parking spaces, the developer said. So Cameron-Allie built a fence blocking the pedestrian walkway.

Catanzarite said the walkway was voluntary, not required, and that the city had only asked him to "work with" Architectural Justice on the walkway. That language is not legally binding, he said.

Catanzarite said it's unreasonable to expect Cameron-Allie to keep the walkway open forever. He said such a requirement would be an illegal taking of his property.

As for Biondillo's violation notice regarding the fence, Cameron-Allie said it was initially sent to the wrong address.STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- Giant Eagle isn't sure when it will start construction of a new GetGo Cafe + Market at the northwest corner of Ohio 82 and Webster Road.

Voters made the project possible Nov. 6 when they approved Issue 103 -- a rezoning of about 31.5 acres at Ohio 82 and Webster -- for Giant Eagle. The next step is for the grocery store chain to present a site plan to the city's Planning Commission for approval.

The GetGo project will also involve transferring most of the site -- about 23.9 acres -- to Cleveland Metroparks' Mill Stream Run Reservation, which is directly west of the proposed gas station and store.

"There is still much work to be done before construction would begin on this potential project," Dan Donovan, Giant Eagle spokesman, told cleveland.com in an email. "We look forward to continuing our conversations with the city in order to bring this project to life.

"At this time, we do not have a definitive timeline for the proposed project," Donovan said.

According to unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, Issue 103 passed citywide with 54 percent of the vote, or 9,799 to 8,245.

The issue also had to pass in Ward 1, where the proposed GetGo site is located. There, Issue 103 passed with 52 percent of the vote, or 2,164 to 2,009.

"We are excited about the opportunity to bring another high-quality, fresh-foods offering to Strongsville," Donovan said. "We thank our partners at Metroparks, the City of Strongsville and those living in and around Strongsville for their support.

"We take our responsibility to have a positive contribution in our communities seriously and are honored to be part of a project that would maintain important green space (in the Metroparks)," Donovan said.

Before City Council placed the rezoning on the ballot in July, about 10 residents who live near the intersection expressed concerns about the project, especially regarding additional traffic a GetGo might generate.

Donovan said Giant Eagle aims to be a positive influence in the neighborhood and city.

"We will work to address specific concerns in accordance with the city's requirements," Donovan said. "We appreciate all feedback on our store operations and will continue to listen to those in Strongsville who may have concerns."

The rezoning was complicated, because the proposed GetGo site consists of four lots of various sizes and zoning classifications.

Two smaller lots, together measuring about 1.75 acres, are owned by Lori F. Catanzarite and Michael Catanzarite, part of the family that owns Pat Catan's Arts and Craft Stores.

Two larger lots, together measuring nearly 30 acres, are owned by Spirnak Family LP. Both lots contain single-family homes.

A lot containing Hofer's Auto Service, at the very corner of Ohio 82 and Webster, and an isolated residential lot containing a home -- on Ohio 82 near the Metroparks' Valley Parkway - were not part of the rezoning.

Brent Painter, Strongsville's economic development director, said Giant Eagle will purchase Hofer's if the GetGo project proceeds.

Donovan said the Hofer's property would be converted to green space "to allow for a soft transition between the proposed GetGo and surrounding area."

The GetGo would stand close to Ohio 82, directly west of Hofer's. Giant Eagle would create a new lot, measuring about 3.2 acres, for the service station, and rezone most of the lot from a local-business district to motorist-service district, which permits gas stations.

Under the city charter, council can rezone that specific area on its own, without voter approval, because the rezoning would involve business districts only. Voter approval is needed only for rezonings of residential property.

In July, Councilman Matt Schonhut said council would not rezone the business-district portions unless the residential rezonings first cleared the November ballot.

Giant Eagle would like to add a relatively thin strip of residential land to the rear of its proposed GetGo lot. That is the part that required voter approval.

Meanwhile, the rest of the 31 1/2 acres -- land to the north and west of the proposed GetGo -- will become a public-facilities district and part of the Metroparks' Mill Stream Run Reservation.

Most of the land earmarked for the Metroparks is residential, so voters had to approve the rezoning to public facilities. A thin, bowling-alley lot near Valley Parkway is commercial, so council could rezone that property on its own, and is expected to do so now that Issue 103 has passed.Wesley Yang. Photo: Rich Woodson

Wesley Yang is a Korean-American essayist who, over the past decade, has quietly emerged as one of the most provocative and heterodox writers on race and identity in America. His debut book, The Souls of Yellow Folk, out this month from W. W. Norton, has been named by Publishers Weekly as one of the nonfiction books of the year. A collection of the authors published essays, the book includes the The Face of Seung-Hui Cho  a terrifying meditation on racial grievance and male sexual resentment refracted through Yangs identification with the Virginia Tech mass shooter  and the National Magazine Awardwinning Paper Tigers, a response to Amy Chuas Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, in which Yang sums up his feelings toward Asian values thusly: Fuck filial piety. Fuck grade-grubbing  Fuck earnest, striving, middle-class servility.

Yang writes forcefully about the psychic pain of life as a racial minority in America. Yet in his more recent work, some of which appears in this collection, he has become a searing and controversial critic of progressive identity politics. In an October column for Tablet, Yang blasted political correctness for threaten[ing] the core values of those for whom truth seeking is the lifeblood of their calling and empower[ing] a cohort of bureaucratic mediocrities and opportunists who launder their personal pathology and power seeking as the height of political and social virtue. Yangs increasingly vocal attacks on identity politics have attracted criticism of their own: In a review of The Souls of Yellow Folk for Bookforum, the Asian-American writer Frank Guan described Yang as the yellow epigone of free-speech warriors like Jordan Peterson (whom Yang has profiled) and a timid comformist siding with those  white men  who already hold power.

So where does Wesley Yang stand? His project, described in the introductory essay of the book, is to illuminate the liminal place of the Asian man in the American cultural imagination: an honorary white person who will always be denied the full perquisites of whiteness; an entitled man who will never quite be regarded or treated as a man; a nominal minority whose claim to be a person of color deserving of the special regard reserved for victims is taken seriously by no one. Neither truly oppressed nor truly an oppressor, the Asian mans marginality to the identity categories that dominate our culture war is, for Yang, the source of his claim to centrality, indeed his universality.

Yang spoke with Intelligencer about his new book, political correctness, and the role of Asian-Americans in the culture war. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Talk a bit about your own background.

I am a child of two immigrants from Korea. They were both refugees from the Korean War. Theyre actually quite unique, having been in the country in the 1950s, because the 1924 immigration act more or less ended any legal immigration from Asia until 1965. At the time my parents were here, there were fewer than a million people of Asian descent living in America.

Were they tiger parents?

No, in part because they were from an earlier cohort and so were sociologically distinct from the Asians who later came to embody the typical Asian-American experience. But both of them had also had their familial lives  as well as the continuity of Asian-y culture  destroyed by the war. Korean culture just wasnt deeply embedded in their own psyches.

Of course, an immigrant like my mother is going to have a much sterner set of ideas about parenting than the normative white American parent at the time. But neither my brother nor I were overachievers. I graduated in the bottom half of my high-school class and went to Rutgers.

I was interested in writing, so after college I went to work for one of those free weekly newspapers and then I worked at a small daily newspaper for a couple years. And then, through just a single contact, I got connected with these people who were starting a magazine called n+1. And I did some writing for them and sort of piece by piece became a freelance writer.

The title of the book is The Soul of Yellow Folk, which is obviously kind of a play on W. E. B. Du Boiss The Soul of Black Folk, and which suggests the book is some sort of statement about the Asian-American experience

The title is a kind of very irreverent and dry joke. How could it be otherwise? If I were earnestly trying to appropriate the work of this revered author I think it would be both delusional and disrespectful. The point is that these are the essays that launched my career, and they did so by foregrounding the Asian-American identity and using it as a foil and proxy for the larger set of themes I wanted to deal with.

So its like, how do you make this thing, Asianness, not end up having the invisibility that is endemic to it just reimposed upon it? You come up with a title that pops  that invokes something and then facetiously withdraws from it. Like, of course my role is not to be the W. E. B. Du Bois for Asians of the 21st century. Its a completely different problem.

The Souls of Yellow Folk. Photo: W. W. Norton & Company

So when I came up with the title, I knew there was a risk that the book would be straw-manned by its critics and had to think about whether that risk was worth taking. And it has been straw-manned in the most grotesquely literal and pedestrian ways. But thats the way it should be. The people who get it, get it, and theyre supposed to get it. And the people who dont, dont. I dont want them to get it, and they can straw-man me in the pages of our major newspapers and magazines, which they have done.

So why write about Asian-American identity at all?

I did not set out to be the person who wrote about the Asian-American identity, in part because its this kind of lukewarm conundrum that is not of any interest to anyone. That is the essence of what the conundrum consists of: that youre presumptively regarded as this kind of cipher or void, someone whose role is to be seen as tertiary, a support figure  somebody providing technical assistance, perhaps, but not a central figure in any of the dramas of the age. Its not ultimately determinative of your fate, but thats the presumption. So this was this thing, it was part of my life, but it was not something that I had articulated.

Why did I write about it? I was conscripted into it. It all goes back to the thing that I wrote about the Virginia Tech killer (The Face of Seung-Hui Cho), which was this kind of eruption or effusion of some deeply unresolved psychological  I wont even call it a trauma, but a meta-trauma. And it was on the basis of that piece of writing that people became interested in me as a writer. My editor at New York Magazine contacted me with stuff like having me read the Sex Diaries, and then when the Amy Chua book about tiger parenting came out, they asked me if I wanted to write about it. And my answer was, No, I do not want to write about this, what do you want me to say?

But they gently encouraged to me to start calling around and formulating this thing. And that became one of the essays in the collection, Paper Tigers, which was one of the early examples of how a story could go viral by battening on to racially charged questions. And while writing it, I was conscious that there was already an Asian-American studies discourse about the subject, in which everything is mapped out in this formulaic jargon that Ive always been resistant to, but which also covers a lot of the same emotional territory that I ended up writing about. I felt that by approaching the subject naively, without the theoretical armature that people rely on to make this discourse very rote and uninteresting, that I could make it come alive again. And I think I succeeded.

Having done that, I was continually conscripted to write about Asian-Americans and I began to see the very emptiness of the category, the very thing that makes peoples eyes glaze over, is what made it potentially a kind of volatile sore point in the culture. And that is something Im always interested in, which is poking my finger into various volatile sore points in the culture. There are all of these contradictions in the proper consensus of how were supposed to think about race. And Asians are situated in this very liminal space in the midst of it. And that liminal space, if you press on it hard enough, could potentially open new realities up.

Such as?

Well, Asian identity is this kind of very strange fulcrum point. Were the happiest to intermarry, the most readily received as an intermarrying class. But at the same time, in certain other ways, were the most culturally alien, the ones that are least likely to be seen on television or on a movie screen, such that one movie that happens to have an Asian-American cast, despite having only one Asian-American character, is the cause of all this strange catharsis and activism and weeping.

Like, Asians are the odd man out in both this traditional American hierarchy, which culminates in the white bro, and the alternate progressive hierarchy, which culminates in the intersectional stack. These hierarchies, which are rivals to one another in this ongoing cultural polemic, are both able to find their other in the Asian person.

What I end up proposing at the end of my introductory essay is that this very liminality of the Asian-American condition, as the person who is neither the white person nor the person of color, is going to allow the Asian person to say and do things that white liberals are now afraid to say and do, which is to stand up for certain fundamental values. Because the Asian-American male in particular is so dramatically other to both sides, hes just in a position to be able to call bullshit on everyone.

Look  right now at UC Berkeley, its classified as a microaggression to say I think the most qualified person should get the job, or that you can make it in America if you try. And Asian-Americans can actually say that this is absurd. Its something that seems more credible from people who are first-generation immigrants than it would from others. It doesnt mean that were going to take some crudely triumphalist view of the Asian-American experience or the American experience, which of course is a history that is built on genocide and slavery, but we can say that yes, there is actually a correlation between effort and reward, and a culture that is not able to say that is not long for the world.

A lot of your own essays  Im thinking particularly of the Cho piece and Paper Tigers, though there are others  touch on what we might call microaggressions, these small but wounding personal slights, and the psychological pain that results from that. At the same time, youve been quite critical of the sort of identity politics that has introduced the microaggression into our lexicon.

What is it that Im interested in all of these cases? Oppression, pain, the place where individual pain, or psychopathology or greed or anger articulates itself into some form of politics. And the demand for recognition that has now been unleashed in our politics in recent years, mostly as a result of our attainments.

Like, all of this is premised to a certain degree on equality. American law was white supremacist  it excluded Asians for 40 years. But that ended in 1965, and the Asians that came in after that went into the elite universities of this country within a single generation. Theres just no precedent for this kind of progress to be made by any group of immigrants anywhere in the history of the world. We wouldnt even be able to conceive of the microaggression were not the macroaggression stigmatized and on the retreat. My parents homes were reduced to rubble in Korea. To speak to them about a microaggression is just not credible, its simply absurd.

On the other hand, its also true that theres a lot of pain that goes with being an Asian-American, which I write about. These things are in tension in my own life and psychology and they are in tension in the lives of everyone who lives them. What I want you take away from the book is a series of exercises, where you have been made to enter into arguments that go below the level of simple propositional arguments and get to the emotional core of things. It goes beyond the microaggression. The microaggression is an attempt to create a kind of legalistic point where you can call people out on things or punish them. But it isnt even the things that you can call someone out for that are ultimately determinative of your fate. Some person may simply decline to show you the same degree of friendliness or regard as they would some other person. They may not consciously be guilty of anything. And that sort of thing iterated over time could mean that you are a much unhappier and lonelier person than you otherwise would have been, and I think that thats just true, and its fine to talk about it and its fine to be angry about it and its fine to write an essay about it.

But its like, when one looks at remediating that through a system of policing speech and thought, then you cross over into this whole other territory where youre talking about extinguishing human freedom for the purpose of pursuing some persons ill-defined therapeutic grievance.

One big theme running throughout the essays is this disorienting gap between the polite myths of liberal society and then the way that people actually experience the world, and the effect of the internet in blowing this gap wide open. On the one hand, it reveals all these extremely unflattering things about the way people work, while on the other hand, consolidating this deeply unreal discourse that theres tremendous pressure for people to publicly affirm.

This comes through especially in Game Theory, about the pickup artists. The advent of online dating gives you this ability to sort through people with maximum efficiency. And these pickup artists are learning to hack it, and what works is not at all to be the sort of kind, respectful, feminist man that one is encouraged to be. What works is to be a total sociopath. Its doesnt lead to the most fulfilling relationships, maybe, but the pickup artists are achieving their direct goal of getting women into bed, and theyre doing so through false bravado and preying on womens insecurities.

All people are driven to some degree by a set of algorithms. No one is reducible to them, and all of us index our humanity in some sense by the extent to which we are not reducible to them. At the same time, nobody acts without reference to those algorithms. And I have a fascination with these brutally realistic depictions of the human entity as a machine whose purpose is to survive and replicate.

The original pickup artists were these dark anti-heros. And what was interesting was their application of a kind of nerdish, game-playing rationality to this thing, love, that we imagine to be least susceptible to it. And through them we discovery that no, in fact, like all other forms of human behavior, love is susceptible to a certain kind of mastery. Now, to some extent, all of their literature is bullshit and bluster and promotional garbage. But on the other hand, yes, people who meet one another place each other within relative hierarchies, and the feelings they have toward one another have to do with that. And people who deny that those things exist are not being honest.

So the pickup artists were engaged in something very subversive to our social contract and to human decency, but in the process, they were also telling us a kind of truth about our society. That was what I wanted to describe. And that doesnt have to do necessarily with Asians, but its like, what would it take to admit the existence of the Asian man and his conundrums and resentments and his secret pride and his shame into our conception of what it means to be a person in America? Our perceptions of many things would have to change in order to do that. And they would have to change in ways that people are not comfortable with.

One way in which this comes out, it seems, is that a lot of criticism youve received, going back to Paper Tigers, is essentially saying that because youre not writing about the experience of Asian-American men in these explicitly woke terms, youre taking the side of white patriarchy.

But part of the Asian male grievance you describe is being denied full manhood in American culture  not getting to be aggressive, to take leadership roles, to be sexually attractive to women. And from the intersectional point of view, that demand for full masculinity is seen as illegitimate because masculinity itself is illegitimate. So they have to say, No, no, no, this cant be your actual grievance, you have to be mistaking it for something else, which ends up reproducing the very dynamic youre describing in which the Asian grievance is invisible unless it can be instrumentalized within a larger cultural polemic.

Yeah, I mean its very simple. Its just that as an Asian man, youre presumptively a loser to be overlooked. That could just be my own projection, and many people have argued thats the case. Theres no objective way to resolve this, although of course there are studies. So when it comes to Asian-American desirability, there was a study that was done by the Freakonomics guy. This was before the Tinder age, when your dating profile included a lot more information. And he reached the conclusion that the Asian-American male would have to make something like $370,000 more per year to be on parity with his otherwise identical white counterpart in terms of the likelihood that he would get a response.

So just as the Asian-American male is seen by Harvard as the highest achieving academically and yet the least interesting in his personality, the Asian-American male also has the highest median income in America, and yet the manner in which he is judged by participants on these dating sites is not so different from the way Harvard is judging him. There are very different motives and reasons for why thats the case, and yet it all ends up feeding the same kind of complex.

Of course, back when I wrote about all of this in Paper Tigers, in 2011, there wasnt yet this cottage industry of identity-grievance takes, which has since become the business model of a lot of large media companies. Today, every time a person expresses something like what Ive just described, someone will come along and decry it as toxic masculinity. If Eddie Huang or even John Cho said something to the effect of, [the difficulties of dating as an Asian man] are actually true and theyre true to my own experiences, their complaints would immediately be assimilated to the category of the toxic male, which is a form of being that simply must be eradicated within these progressive doctrines.

And theres this incredible unreality to this whole discourse. Its extremely involuted, self-referential, and jargon-ridden, where people talk in ways that are just not consonant with anyones actual experiences. And for the most part, you can get the people who write these things in a room and have a conversation with them and nothing they will say will be as uncompromising and as brutal as what they end up sounding like in this very strange form of professional ideological writing that has taken over the category of identity politics. I feel like Im writing about things that have a lot of overlap with what these people are talking about, but ultimately the hard ideological carapace in which it is presented is just completely alien to me at the level of aesthetics, at the level of thinking, at the level of honesty to experience.

But theyve managed to set themselves up with a kind of gatekeeping power over this discourse, and thats just how things are going to be. I just hope that I can continue to say the things that I feel to be true, and ultimately there will be enough people who dont want to see things through the lens of this totalizing ideology but to see them as they actually are.

And do Asian-Americans have a role in that?

A point that I make these days is that America needs an Asian-American president. To say that is typically to elicit a kind of halfway facetious, partly scornful laughter on the part of the other person. And theres a kind of unexamined reason why it does generate that kind of response.

But look at what happened at Yale after the Christakis affair. They hired their first Asian-American dean. And they did the same thing at the University of Missouri after their racially tense summer of 2015  they hired their first Asian-American dean. Its almost like, mortifyingly too obvious a move. But it also makes perfect sense. You take someone who is not really white and not really a person of color and you put them in a mediating role. And nobody is really happy about it, because nobody really likes Asian people, but they dont really fear them either, so they can default to them as a kind of lukewarm alternative that both sides in this tense argument can tolerate. And from that moment of lukewarm toleration, which of course is the essence of the Asian-American experience, one can see the iteration, the rearticulation, and the restrengthening of fundamental commitments and values that have now come under threat.

And theyve come under threat simply because theres this complex system of lies that grows ever more insular and ever more gaslighting of those who remain within it, such that no truths are speakable. So is the Asian person someone who can speak some truth? This is what I have been attempting, not just because I see some sort of social utility in my role but because thats my temperament. Any time theres going to be a series of dogmas placed upon what youre supposed to think or say, Im going to put myself on the side in opposition to that. Because the search for truth necessarily involves flouting those kind of restrictions.

And in my view, the struggle against political correctness and against racism should not be opposed to one another. They should be seen as part of a common project. If were going to arrive at the fundamental reworking of our racial and gender constitution that is called for, everything must be on the table. And one must be able, at minimum, to speak freely, so long as one is doing it in good faith. And of course there are many bad-faith actors out there who have made things worse for everyone. And those people should be marginalized and rightly so, because were not at a moment where bad-faith action can have any kind of salutary effect.

But I proceed from the premise, which may be a false one but which is the only one that I think that I can operate on, that there are in fact people who are trying to think about these issues in good faith. They may not be the ones who are assigned to look at my work, but theyre out there and one can enter into dialogue with them and, ultimately, restore the health of our discourse, simply by talking about things that are complex and conflicted, by speaking about ones anger and ones pain, and also by subjecting ones self to the test of reality, so that you dont take your anger and pain as a warrant to eradicate, like, freedom in America, right?Thousands of anti-abortion protesters walk past the U.S. Capitol building during the 43rd annual March for Life on January 27, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Democrats need conservatives to win conservative districts  or at least thats a frequent rationale for the partys vaunted big-tent approach to politics, and the reason for its traditional tolerance of pro-life candidates. But neither pro-life nor pro-choice Democrats are happy with the arrangement. Were not trusted in our party. We are not appreciated by Republicans, even though nothing can pass without us, Bart Stupak complained to a Democrats for Life gathering this year. Pro-choice activists, by contrast, frame the presence of pro-life Democrats as an existential threat to an endangered civil right. When we compromise our values, everyone loses, Meg Mikolajczyk, public affairs manager for Planned Parenthood Voters of Nebraska, told the Omaha World-Herald in 2017 amid controversy over the partys candidate for Omaha mayor, who was personally opposed to abortion. You cannot separate economic rights from reproductive rights; the two are inextricably intertwined, Mikolajczyk said. If we want economic security for Nebraskans, we cannot continue to barter away reproductive rights in this state.

In August, pro-choice activists lamented Democratic senator Joe Donnellys opposition to abortion rights as he fought a reelection campaign to represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate. I am, and have been, disappointed in his continued failure to advocate for Hoosier women and families regarding issues of reproductive justice, Emily OBrien, vice-president of the Indiana National Organization for Women, told USA Today at the time.

Last Tuesday, Donnelly lost. His failure not only cost his party a precious Senate seat, but it further shrinks the ranks of pro-life Democrats in national office and encourages his party to reconsider old tactics. After the midterms, is there a future for pro-life Democrats? Never fully in line with the partys professed values, the few pro-life Democrats left standing now seem even further out of step with their peers. The list of pro-life Democrats is now notable for more than just its brevity: All of the remaining members of Congress on the list are men, Ruth Graham wrote for Slate. Graham puts the number of Democrats for Life endorsees in Congress at four, down from 40 in the late 1990s. Congressional pro-life Democrats are also mostly white, meaning that the discrepancy between this group of pro-life Democrats and the partys increasingly diverse body of elected officials has become especially stark. There will be 123 women in Congress next session, most of them Democrats, and none profess a pro-life point of view.

The recent scarcity of the pro-life Democrat may owe its existence to party polarization. Historically, voters who prioritize abortion restrictions tend to be white Evangelicals, and that demographic remains committed to the GOP. As Vox reported last week, exit polling indicates that at least three-quarters of white Evangelicals voted for Republican candidates in the midterms. Abortion is important to these voters, but it isnt the only issue that drives their support for the GOP. In June, Pew Research Center reported that 70 percent of white Evangelicals supported an expanded border wall. While a June poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute showed that only 36 percent of white Evangelicals backed the Trump administrations family-separation policy, that trend didnt lead to significantly reduced support for either Trump or his party. There isnt much evidence, in other words, that white Evangelicals are as motivated by abortion as they are by Trumps white nationalism  which means they arent voters Democrats can win unless the party caters to racial prejudice in addition to abortion hostility. The Democratic base, meanwhile, is pro-choice, and steadily so. Between these two poles exists middle ground that does not appear shaped by the abortion politics of those who inhabit it.

If the theory underpinning the partys big-tent premise were accurate  that Democrats needed them in conservative areas  then a dearth of pro-life Democrats should signal trouble for the party in certain key states and House districts. At Christianity Today, Kate Shellnutt assessed that theory. Some pro-life Democrats insisted that the only way their party would bring a blue wave in the midterms was if it wooed disenchanted Republican voters  including Evangelicals  with candidates who took more moderate positions on abortion, she wrote. If 2018 was a test of this theory, as reported by Politico, the results are too few and too mixed to assess whether they were right. Barely any pro-life Democratic candidates emerged in this years elections; and in almost every case, they struggled.

Donnelly wasnt the only pro-life Democrat to lose a race last week. Dawn Barlow, a pro-life Democratic candidate for Tennessees Sixth Congressional District, lost to her Republican opponent by over 40 points. Other pro-life Democrats just eked out victories. Joe Manchins brand of pro-life Democratic messaging barely won him reelection; he finished just three points ahead of his Republican challenger, Patrick Morrisey. Pro-choice Beto ORourke, meanwhile, lost his Senate race to the vehemently pro-life Ted Cruz by only three points. Of all the Democratic candidates who flipped House seats and gubernatorial offices last week, not a single one ran on a pro-life platform.

As Shellnutt notes in her piece, its true that one in five people who support the repeal of Roe v. Wade identify as Democrats. But thats a small fraction of an already-small demographic, and it doesnt necessarily follow that the sort of pro-life voter who favors Democrats prioritizes abortion above, say, health care or the economy. Theres still widespread support for Roe. A July Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that 71 percent of Americans want to keep Roe; in fact, most Republicans say they oppose repeal. There just doesnt appear to be a constituency for pro-life Democrats, an observation borne out by electoral results in addition to issue-specific polls. Americas abortion debate isnt over, and the pro-life Democrat isnt extinct. Intraparty debates over the exact place pro-life Democrats should or should not occupy will likely continue, but the evidence increasingly favors one conclusion: The party doesnt need pro-life candidates to win. Democrats achieved a blue wave mostly without them. Theres no reason to think this will change in 2020, or afterward, as the party plots its post-Trump future.Playa Vista Isle, Hillsboro Beach, Florida Source: Concierge Auctions

The glut of hyperpriced mansions and luxury properties sitting on the market across the country has led sellers to turn to an unlikely solution: auctions. Real estate auctions, once used for foreclosures and distressed sellers, is moving upmarket. The number of multimillion-dollar homes being sold at auction has nearly doubled in the past year, according to real estate analysts and auction companies. The most expensive home ever offered at auction came back on the block this week. The property, called Playa Vista Isle, in Hillsboro Beach, Florida, went on the market in 2014 for $139 million, making it the most expensive home listed in the country at the time. It was later listed for $159 million, then pulled from the market in 2016.

Concierge Auctions

It stretches over 58,000 square feet, with 11 bedrooms and 22 bathrooms. It has a private IMAX theater, a 3,000 bottle wine cellar, a 20-car garage and columns and carvings with more than 500,0000 pieces of gold leaf. The pool alone has over 150,000 gallons of water. At over 5 acres, it has 500 feet of oceanfront and two yacht docks. Concierge Auctions, the biggest player in high-end real estate auctions, said it will sell at least 20 homes this year that were listed for more than $10 million  double last year's total. And next year is already looking even stronger. "The trend for high-end real estate going to auction is definitely on the rise," said Laura Brady, CEO of Concierge. "We're seeing more sellers across the country more than ever before, especially in the $10 million, $20 million-plus and even $100 million-plus category.

Playa Vista Isle in Hillsboro Beach Fla. may become the most expensive home ever sold at auction. Source: Concierge Auction

Lake Como

Concierge, for instance, just auctioned off a property on Lake Como in Italy that had been listed for $112 million (100 million euros). The auction purchase price hasn't been disclosed. A home in Palos Verdes, California, which had been listed at $53 million and featured a massive underground complex with a spa, pool and tennis court, recently sold at auction for around $23 million. An estate that had once been the most expensive home listed in Dallas, was on the market for $50 million and sold at auction for $36 million. The investor Peter Lynch is selling his golf property in Arizona at auction next month, after failing to attract any buyers for two years with a price tag of $14 million. The reason for the surge in high-end auctions is simple supply and demand. Developers and investors have built a vast supply of massive homes aimed at wealthy buyers with sky-high price tags. But the market for those homes remains relatively small, especially since Russian, Chinese and Middle East buyers have faded from the U.S. market. Brokers say that while the buyers are there for big homes, they are waiting for prices to fall.

Playa Vista Isle in Hillsboro Beach Fla. may become the most expensive home ever sold at auction. Source: Concierge Auction

Price drops

Granted, auctions don't always work. Michael Jordan put his Chicago estate up for auction in 2012 but failed to get his minimum price and it's still on the market. A home in Sands Point, New York, that had been listed for $38 million was scheduled to sell at auction last month but failed to attract enough bidders. And many of the price drops can be dramatic  making some sellers reluctant to sell at auction. But many of today's high-end homes, like works of art and collectibles, are unique without real comparisons. So the auction allows them to find a real market price. "Because of how much inventory there is in the United States priced at $10 million or more, there are a good deal of sellers that may have an overinflated view of what their properties are worth," Brady said.

Playa Vista Isle in Hillsboro Beach Fla. may become the most expensive home ever sold at auction. Source: Concierge Auction

For sellers, auctions give them a chance to sell the property in a fixed time frame. And Concierge's data-base of over 500,000 potential buyers and sellers and real-estate contacts worldwide gives sellers a bigger buying pool. Bidding on Playa Vista Isle started Monday on ConciergeAuctions.Com and concludes Thursday night. Technically there is no reserve, meaning there is no minimum price at which the seller will sell. But Brady said interest is already high and dozens of bids are expected. In order to bid, however, buyers need to wire $250,000 into an escrow account, which they get back or apply to the purchase price if they win the bid. "This is an amazing property, it's not going to sell for $10 million or some unrealistically low price," Brady said. "It cost $100 million to build. The buyers that are coming forward are smart, they understand the value. It's up to my team to explain what was put into the property, the value of the property and the land, so it's going to sell at a fair market price."

Playa Vista Isle in Hillsboro Beach Fla. may become the most expensive home ever sold at auction. Source: Concierge AuctionA previously secret guilty plea by a former commodity trader at J. P. Morgan Chase, who admitted that he rigged precious metals markets, has drawn the attention of a lawyer who has already accused traders at the nation's largest bank of similar conduct.

The lawyer, David Kovel, told CNBC he was struck by how much in common his civil case pending in New York federal court against J. P. Morgan Chase has with the conduct outlined in the ongoing criminal case in Connecticut against John Edmonds.

Edmonds, a 36-year-old Brooklyn resident, pleaded guilty in October to fraudulently manipulating the precious metals markets from 2009 to 2015.

He admitted working with "unnamed co-conspirators" at his former employer, J. P. Morgan, the Justice Department made public Nov. 6, when it unsealed the case in U.S. District Court in Connecticut.

Edmonds' criminal plea related to "spoofing," a certain type of improper trading that has been the subject of a broader regulatory crackdown on market manipulation in the decade since the 2008 financial crisis.

So far this year, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has announced 26 enforcement actions that involved market manipulation, attempted manipulation, false reporting, spoofing or deceptive conduct. That is more than double the number in 2017  and six times that in 2016.

Prosecutors said Edmonds learned the deceptive strategy "from more senior traders" at the bank, and that he "personally deployed this strategy hundreds of times with the knowledge and consent of his immediate supervisors." His guilty plea related specifically to trading in silver futures contracts, as well as in gold, platinum and palladium futures.

Nearly four years ago, Kovel sued J. P. Morgan on behalf of a colorful hedge fund operator and big-stakes poker player, Daniel Shak, and two metals traders, Mark Grumet and Thomas Wacker. The civil lawsuit accused J. P. Morgan of manipulating the silver futures market from 2010 through 2011, costing Kovel's clients $30 million in losses.

Edmonds isn't named in the Kovel case, or mentioned in its allegations. But he was questioned under oath by lawyers for the traders. And Edmonds worked at J. P. Morgan in the same group of traders who are identified as participants in the scheme alleged in the civil case.

"The conduct that Mr. Edmonds admits to is highly consistent with the conduct that my clients allege harmed them and it's not surprising because he was working with the same people at J. P. Morgan trading in the silver markets at that time," Kovel told CNBC.

"We are currently exploring how this could impact the evidence we will put forward in the case," Kovel said.

Separately, last Wednesday, another group of lawyers filed suit in Manhattan federal court against Edmonds, J. P. Morgan and unnamed precious metals traders. The suit, which is seeking class action status, claims the parties engaged in manipulative precious metals futures trading.Jerome Corsi, a right-wing conspiracy theorist linked to Trump confidant Roger Stone, told NBC News in an interview Monday that he believes he will be indicted for perjury in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Corsi said that Mueller's team told him he would be indicted about a week ago. He is one of several associates of Roger Stone who have been called by Mueller to appear before a grand jury, according to NBC News.

Corsi allegedly knew ahead of time that emails from John Podesta, Hilary Clinton's former campaign chairman, had been stolen and given to WikiLeaks, NBC reported. Corsi has denied the allegations.

"I don't recall ever meeting [WikiLeaks founder] Julian Assange or getting information from anyone about what he had including the Podesta emails," Corsi said Monday. "But they have all your emails and phone recordsThey're very good at the perjury trap."

Mueller's spokesman, Peter Carr, declined to comment to NBC News.

Corsi said to NBC News that he "figured out" that Podesta's emails would be released after reading the first round of emails released by WikiLeaks, seeing that Podesta's emails were included and assuming they would be published by WikiLeaks later. He also said he's cooperating with Mueller's investigation.

"This was one of the most confusing and frightening things I've experienced. I'm 72 years and I'm afraid they're going to lock me up and put me in solitary confinement," he said to NBC News.

Corsi is a right-wing author and commentator and was formerly the Washington bureau chief for InfoWars, the far-right conspiracy website run by Alex Jones.

Read the full NBC News storyTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his counterpart Vice Premier Liu He have resumed discussions about a possible deal that would ease trade tensions, just weeks before President Trump and President Xi are set to meet in Argentina for the G20 summit.

Mnuchin and He spoke via phone on Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people briefed on the conversation. The US is demanding that China put forth an offer before negotiations on a trade deal can begin, while China would like discussion to begin before making a formal proposal.

Chinese officials are not expecting to come to an agreement during the G20 summit, but instead a framework followed by negotiations on the details, The Wall Street Journal said. At most, the US and China may be able to come to a ceasefire in their ongoing trade war, with the US not raising prices.

The US has put $250 billion worth of tariffs on Chinese imports. On Jan. 1, $200 billion of goods are set to increase to 25% from 10%. The US is also reportedly considering tariffs on all remaining Chinese imports, worth $257 billion, if an agreement is not reached at the G20. These new tariffs would be the US's final push to force concessions from China.



Read the full story in The Wall Street Journal

WATCH: This trade deal may be what Trump needs to take on ChinaAfter months of speculation, Amazon has officially announced that the locations of its much-anticipated second headquarters will be Long Island City, New York, and Arlington, Virginia. Many cities were eager to attract Amazon's additional headquarters. But Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, recently elected to represent the 14th Congressional District of New York, which borders the district that includes Long Island City, is not excited about the company moving into the neighborhood. "We've been getting calls and outreach from Queens residents all day about this," she tweeted on Tuesday. "The community's response? Outrage." She continued, "Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here." Housing displacement is a major concern of Ocasio-Cortez's. She is a vocal advocate for affordable housing and says she fears that Amazon's decision to set up shop in Queens will hasten gentrification, increase housing prices and displace current residents.

According to The New York Times, American cities and states spend roughly $90 billion a year in cash and tax incentives to attract companies like Amazon. Because Amazon required each city to sign a nondisclosure agreement, citizens may never know what their elected officials offered the company. For months, cities across the country eagerly wooed Amazon, which had promised to spend $5 billion developing the new headquarters that would employ some estimated 50,000 people. Local politicians insisted that each of their cities had the workforce and infrastructure necessary for the business partnership that promised to bring tens of thousands of jobs. Philadelphia business leaders spent $85,000 wrapping public buses and trains in Seattle, Amazon's home-base, with ads for Philadelphia, in an attempt to attract the company to The City of Brotherly Love.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez listens to questions at a town hall event, September 19, 2018 in The Bronx borough of New York City. Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesSteve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft and one its top stockholders, said this week that he'd be unloading his shares if the company tried to move away from its Windows franchise.

Microsoft split up its Windows group earlier this year, putting some of the business into the unit that develops the Azure cloud and the rest into the group that works on Office and devices. It's all part of Microsoft's shift to focus on the cloud and artificial intelligence under Ballmer's successor, Satya Nadella.

Still, Windows is producing more and more revenue and a big chunk of profit, even as Nadella changes direction.

"I mean, this less importance on Windows thing I find a humorous thing by the press," Ballmer said in an interview on Monday at the WSJ Tech D.Live event in Laguna Beach, California.

Ballmer said he can't imagine the company would do anything to unwind it.

"If they were, I'd be selling," he said.

Windows revenue increased 5 percent to $19.5 billion in the latest fiscal year, which ended on June 30. That represents more than 17 percent of total revenue. Microsoft doesn't disclose operating income for Windows, but Ballmer said at the conference that the business accounts for $13 or $14 billion of operating profit. If true, that would represent about 40 percent of the total.Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size

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An Auburn University student and two spring graduates have been named finalists for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.

Senior Natalie Palmquist and spring graduates Katie Kirk and Chris Maurice will interview Nov. 16-17 to possibly be named among 32 U.S. Rhodes Scholars who will pursue graduate studies at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Palmquist, of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is a senior civil engineering major and is minoring in philanthropy and nonprofit studies. She will interview in Salt Lake City as part of Rhodes District 13. Kirk and Maurice will interview in Birmingham as part of Rhodes District 7. Kirk, of Little Texas, Alabama, is a spring 2018 summa cum laude graduate with a major in philosophy and minors in German and English. Maurice, of New Orleans, is a spring 2018 summa cum laude graduate in finance.

Our students engage and lead at extraordinarily high levels, and Chris, Katie and Natalie are wonderful examples of Auburn excellence, Auburn President Steven Leath said. We are eager to see the impact they will have on their communities and our world.

Only 200 students are named finalists each year by the Rhodes Trust from among 1,000 students endorsed by their respective universities. The Rhodes Trust is a British charity established in 1904 to honor the will and bequest of Cecil J. Rhodes. Auburns Office of National Prestigious Scholarships in the Honors College coordinates Auburns endorsement process.

Finalists for Rhodes Scholarships are already members of an exclusive group worldwide, said Skip Bartol, associate dean of research and graduate studies in Auburns College of Veterinary Medicine and chair of the campus-wide interview committee. This years finalists from Auburn are no exception.

The Rhodes Trust states that Rhodes Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and to the common good and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead. By these standards, Auburns Rhodes finalists are ready to compete, and prepared to lead.

For more information about national prestigious scholarships at Auburn, contact Paul Harris, associate director of the Honors College, at paul.harris@auburn.edu.

More information about the Rhodes finalists:

Natalie Palmquist, of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is a senior civil engineering major and is minoring in philanthropy and nonprofit studies. She serves as president of the Auburn University Engineers without Borders Chapter and is its Rwandan team leader. She is a program intern with Engineering Ministries International in Delhi, India; a recipient of the 100+ Women Strong Leadership Award; a Jeff Stone Scholarship recipient which recognizes outstanding leadership among civil engineering majors outside of their field of study; an International Student Orientation Leader with Auburn Global; an undergraduate teaching assistant in the College of Human Sciences; and vice president of the Turkish Student Organization. If named a Rhodes Scholar, she will pursue a masters degree in development studies.

Katie Kirk, of Little Texas, Alabama, is a spring 2018 summa cum laude graduate with a major in philosophy and minors in German and English. She received the Presidents Award for the College of Liberal Arts last spring as the top graduating senior. Her honors also include being a recipient of the Phi Kappa Phi Most Outstanding Second-Year Award; selected as Phi Beta Kappa her third year; and a finalist for Female Student Leader of the Year in 2017-2018. Last spring she was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Germany and is working at the Herschelschule Gymnasium in Hannover. If named a Rhodes Scholar, she will pursue a second bachelors degree in psychology, philosophy and linguistics.

Chris Maurice, of New Orleans, is a spring 2018 summa cum laude graduate in finance. He has been named as a 2018 iMerging Young Leader by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the University of Georgias 2018 Next Top Entrepreneur competition. He placed first in the Atlanta Regional Entrepreneurs Organization Global Student Entrepreneurship 2018 Awards and was selected as the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business Presidents Medal recipient last spring at Auburn. An Eagle Scout, for the past five years Maurice has served as a volunteer at the United Cerebral Palsys Camp SMILE in Mobile, Alabama. If awarded the Rhodes Scholarship, he will pursue a Master of Science in economics for development and a Master of Public Policy.Citi has been consolidating its New York area staff anyway, moving workers to its headquarters in glitzy Tribeca and other locations. It has already planned a move out of the Queens location but has accelerated the plan. On Tuesday, the banking giant said it would move 1,100 workers from its tower in Long Island City to other locations in the first half of next year "to make room for Amazon."

Citigroup is rolling out the red carpet for Amazon 's move to the New York City area by moving more than 1,000 employees out of its Queens office tower to accommodate the e-commerce giant.

"Given what it would mean to New York and Long Island City to have Amazon establish a significant presence here, we want to do our part to make this possible," said Citi CEO Michael Corbat in a statement.

The tower at One Court Square, bearing Citi's name on the top, opened nearly 30 years ago and has been home to various Citi units. The move represents roughly one-third of its 3,000 employees who work in the tower in about 1 million square feet of office space. The bank had already indicated plans to move most of its workers out of the location by 2020.

After a year of suspense, Seattle-based Amazon finally revealed its choice for a second headquarters on Tuesday. It is splitting the location between Long Island City and a site in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has a home in D.C. and also owns The Washington Post.

WATCH: How Amazon has changed the Seattle skyline in the last 3 yearsBelow is the transcript of a First On CNBC interview with Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad. The interview was first broadcast on CNBC's Squawk Box Asia on 12 November 2018.

All references must be sourced to a "CNBC Interview'.

Interviewed by CNBC's Sri Jegarajah.



Sri Jegarajah(Sri): Prime Minister, can we start with the economy? You targeting a wider fiscal deficit, higher debt, and slower growth on the horizon as well. How worried are you about a credit rating downgrade against that backdrop?



Mahathir Bin Mohamad (Dr.Mahathir): We're worried of course if we're downgraded, but the rating agencies should understand that when you are open and you reveal all the truth about the situation in the country, they should take that into consideration, they should also think what we're doing in order to improve the situation. I mean listening to the previous government which hid a lot of things and rating on that basis is, I think, wrong. Because they are not telling the truth and you are giving the rating based on untruth. But here we're doing something very positive, the economy and finances are recovering, it's much less now that it was when we took over and we have only six months, so that should be taken into considerations by the rating agencies.



Sri: Rating agencies do say that Malaysia is too dependent on oil revenues, and not enough has been done in terms of significant revenue raising policies? How would you respond to that, Prime Minister?



Dr. Mahathir: We're not dependent on oil revenues. You see, we're a small producer of oil, 600K barrels a day, nothing compared to countries like Saudi which is entirely dependent upon oil revenue. We have other sources of revenue, we produce a lot of palm oil which used to fetch good prices. 82% of our exports is made up of manufactured goods, so how can you say we're dependent upon oil revenue. It's not.



Sri: The issue seems to be, Prime minister, GST - zero-rated. That was one of the actions your administration took when you were elected. The issue seems to be revenue generation and filling that shortfall. What's been done to fill that GST shortfall?



Dr. Mahathir: We have introduced SST: sales and services tax (Sri: is that enough?) It's enough, it's more than enough. Actually the figure given about the revenue from GST was inflated, money that should be returned to the tax payers were included as revenue, put into the consolidated account, that is wrong. Actually it's not 40 billion, it's about 25 billion. And from that SST, we can get 25billion, so it's not affecting us at all.

Sri: How confident are you that fiscal deficit comes down to 3-percent of GDP by 2020? That's your target. What's been done to achieve this? And how confident are you that this target will be met?



Dr. Mahathir: If you take the real figures during the previous regime, you will find that the figure was extremely high. Now it's 3.7% and I think we can bring it down further. But of course the fact is that the previous government borrowed huge sums of money, we have to pay interest on that, we have to pay the money that we borrowed and that of course affects our ability to attend to other issues. We're not... we're still able to pay salaries and things like that, but we have to cut back on development. That is all.



Sri: According to Bank Negara's figures and this is a figure that I've read in the Malaysian press. Total public debt stands in the region of 983.6 billion ringgit as of the second quarter. That is, in the region of almost 71% of annual GDP? What are your reflections on that figure?



Dr. Mahathir: Well, it was 1.2 ... 1.3 trillion before. So if it is 900billion now, it is already a good reduction of some 300billion ringgit. So we think the situation has improved. But one has to take into consideration that the amount of money that was borrowed before. If you don't pay, all you can ... other ways is to hide. We're not hiding. We're telling what's the truth about the borrowing.



Sri: What that is the extend of the inherited debt, if I can put it that way, the liabilities that were inherited by your administration by the Najib-era administration?



Dr. Mahathir: In terms of the absolute number, it's about 1.2 trillion. That's a big number.



Sri: You do believe that the ratings agencies have taken account of this number or they should take account of this number?



Dr. Mahathir: The previous regime mentioned a figure of about 600billion or 700billion. And rating agencies apparently accepted their figures. When we took over the government, we found that the amount of money borrowed was much more than that. It was 1.2 trillion dollars, so the figure of course is quite different, the ratings should be different.



Sri: And on that basis, do you believe that you can, sovereign Malaysia, can avoid downgrade, because they recognize or should recognize the extent of the inherited debt?



Dr. Mahathir: They should recognize that, inherited debt. They should also recognize the fact that we have been able to reduce the amount. Everybody knows that we're not going ahead with huge projects like the high-speed rail and also the East coast Railway.



Sri: And you can avoid the downgrade? Malaysia can avoid the downgrade you believe?



Dr. Mahathir: We can avoid downgrade if the rating agencies take into consideration the success of our ability to reduce the amount of loans from 1.2 trillion to about 900 billion.



Sri: Prime minister, how high are the downside risks to Malaysia economy in 2019 considering the deepening trade conflict?



Dr. Mahathir: If you are going to xxx a figure, that I can't do. What I can say if the figure now is not as high as it was before we took over.



Sri: Do you think that the downside risks are higher in 2019 because of the trade conflict? Malaysia seems to be very exposed given the export dependency - almost 70% of the GDP, if I am not mistaken.



Dr. Mahathir: Yes we are in a way very exposed because we're a trading nation. Or economy is based on what we export and what we import; therefore whatever happens to the markets affect us. But it has not so far affected us to the point where we cannot manage the government, we can still keep up the wages and all that, we can pay. Really development expenditure is reduced.



Sri: What's the risk of that Malaysian economic growth falls below 4.5% in 2019?



Dr. Mahathir: That's not much of a risk. I think we will do better than that.



Sri: External conditions are very challenging right now.



Dr. Mahathir: Yes, it is so, but we have been very resilient. We have faced many crises before, and we have learnt from our experience of handling crisis.



Sri: Are you worried about currency depreciation? Given the fact that US Dollars remains quite strong. U.S. Fed is committed to gradual pace of tightening.



Dr. Mahathir: Unless there is deliberate trade in currencies that tends to fiddle with the ratings, I think our currency will not depreciate that much.



Sri: Do you think the trade conflict between the U.S. and China which seems to be really at the heart of some rather bleak forecasts from the IMF, for 2019 beyond, do you think that trade conflict is going to be prolonged in nature? Are we going to see an economic cold war or even, and the situation that lasts years and not months before it is resolved?



Dr. Mahathir: It all depends on whether Mr. Trump remains the President of the United States. As you can see from the mid-terms elections, he has not fared so well. The chances of him getting a second term is a bit, oh well, bleak at the moment. If Trump is not there, I think the other members of the U.S. government, whether they be republican or Democrats, they will not continue with this very disruptive trade war.



Sri: So it is your belief, Prime Minister, that President Trump will not be elected, re-elected in 2020?



Dr. Mahathir: I will be surprised if he's re-elected after what his poor showing in the midterm election. And the comments that we hear among Americans as to his performance. He's very fond of dismissing people. He is accused of getting Russian help during the election. In order to stop people from investigating, he has sacked people. That kind of thing doesn't bear a good future for him.



Sri: In the near term, how confident are you that there will be any kind of breakthrough or any kind of compromise on this trade conflict between the U.S. and China when Mr. Xi and President Trump meet as expected on the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Buenos Aires?



Dr. Mahathir: With Trump, you can't predict anything. We don't know how he will react. We never expected him to meet the President of North Korea, but then he met. He was patting his back, he was so friendly yet at one time he says he didn't want to meet. So with Trump, you can't predict.



Sri: Oil prices are currently trading in the low 70s - low 70 dollars a barrel. That cannot be good for Malaysia from a revenue sustainability point of view.



Dr. Mahathir: Better than 40 dollars. It was 40 dollars at one time and everybody suffered. But now at 70 dollars we are much better off than at 40 dollars. There is a possibility that oil prices will go up.



Sri: And you don't expect oil prices remain depressed in 2019 given the global headwinds, given the downside risks to the global economy, the trade war, the effect that's going to have on global demand?



Dr. Mahathir: When oil price hit 80 dollar, there was talks about 100 dollar per barrel price. So people are really unable to predict things. For me to predict the future is something that is beyond me.



Sri: What's OPEC's role in this? Should they take actions to stabilize the price of oil and cut production when they meet in December?



Dr. Mahathir: OPEC is not effective. They are always at loggerheads with each other, so they cannot make decision. What is important the production of shale oil from America.



Sri: Why do you believe that's important? Is it because increasingly the U.S. is being perceived as the swing producer, not Saudi?



Dr. Mahathir: The only problem with U.S. is the environment and the people who are concerned about the pollution caused by shale ... extracting oil from shale.



Sri: And if we can bring the conversation about oil back to Malaysia. Establishing a sovereign wealth fund, I am not talking about a political slush fund. What's been done to create a fund for Malaysia's oil wealth that provides for the longer-term security and benefit of the nation, and is the Norwegian model, Prime Minister, an appropriate one for Malaysia?



Dr. Mahathir: The Malaysia oil business, although it's 100% owned by the government, is not managed like other sovereign oil companies. In other cases, they were only interested in collecting royalties. We have gone in the, all the the different aspects of the oil industry. We're producing oil, we are also consuming oil. We are very big in gas production. So I think Malaysia will not feel as severely as other people because we're not just a producer, collecting ... we are not just depending on the collection of royalty. We are producing oil in other countries, not only in Malaysia. And there are prospects of our producing gas in Canada for example that we will give us which will give us very good return.



Sri: That is one topic we will end here, that is the trade, the economy etc. I will move to the domestic political scene. Prime Minister, let's talk about the transition. And let me start by asking you how long you are going to be Prime Minister of Malaysia for?



Dr. Mahathir: Well, I have promised that I will step down after 2 years or so. And I will keep my promise. But of course lots of things can be done in two years; but lots more need to be done. So it's up to my successor to deal with it. But as far as I can see, 6 months after taking over, we have cleaned up the government; We have already improved the financial situations. So it looks like we can improve further, we're working like ... getting Japanese Yen loan and things like that. This will contribute to our efforts to reduce the amount of loans that we have to bear.



Sri: Would you consider stepping down earlier than 2020?



Dr. Mahathir: If the people want me to step down earlier, I have no problem.



Sri: What would have to change for you to consider stepping down before 2020, Prime Minister?



Dr. Mahathir: If people were to tell me that I'm not performing, I will step down. No problem.



Sri: Who, in your opinion, is worthy potential successor to yourself? Is it Mr. Anwar? And another name has been mentioned, and that is Azmin Ali.



Dr. Mahathir: Well, anybody can be. But the promise is that if I step down or when I step down. Anwar will succeed me. That was a promise, that was undertaking of the party.



Sri: And you 've said if the people want Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister, they are entitled to have him. Does that imply that there will be a popular vote? Or what exactly would be the process under the Malaysia constitution that will decide the next Prime Minister, your successor?



Dr. Mahathir: We still believe in democracy and the rights of the people to choose their leader, their government.



Sri: So there wouldn't be some popular vote, would there?



Dr. Mahathir: If they want do, they can do that. But what happens is that as a party, as a coalition, we promise that, but it doesn't bind the people.



Sri: Does it bother you that there is something of a leadership struggle emerging within PKR? the largest party in Pakatan Harapan coalition?



Dr. Mahathir: There is a struggle at the lower level, at the second level. As far as their leader is concerned, there is no dispute.



Sri: But this doesn't point towards divided government, in anyway?



Dr. Mahathir: Well, we will have to see. I am not good at predicting the future.



Sri: Well, let's talk about reforming institutions. And let's talk about the legacy of 1MDB, and closure. It is alleged that Malaysia financier Jho Low masterminded the 1MDB fraud. Just bring us up to speed, prime minister with where you believe he is, wh is it taking such a long time to locate him? And for him to answer these claims in the court of law in Malaysia?



Dr. Mahathir: We suspect that he's in China, but China has denied. So we are in no position to prove that the denial is without basis, so we have to accept that. He is a man with many passports, he can move around, he has shown that he can move around quite easily in the past, maybe he's hiding somewhere.



Sri: It's been alleged that Jho Low helped engineer some of China infrastructure deals that your government froze, the China infrastructure deals under the Najib era. Is there any truth to that?



Dr. Mahathir: I think there is some truth, because he has tremendous influence over the prime minister. You know this new book that has come out (Sri: Billion Dollar Whale) There are many...many stories about how he managed to influence decision simply by calling up the prime minister.



Sri: Can Jho Low be guaranteed a fair trial if he comes back to Malaysia?



Dr Mahathir: There will be a fair trial. I must admit that in the previous regime there is an attempt to fiddle with the judiciary, but we want a fair judiciary. And we hope that there will not be bias.

Sri: Can you say the same for the former prime minister? Can he be guaranteed a fair trial?

Dr. Mahathir: Yes, we will get a fair trial.



Sri: Ultimately, is it your intention to see him and those who have aided and betted the alleged fraud at 1MDB sentenced and serving jail time? Is that what Malaysia needs to achieve real closure on this story?



Dr. Mahathir: We believe in the rule of law. Whatever the law says, we accept. If he has to be tried, he should be tried, if he's charged and he's found guilty, then the rule of law will apply. If he's found innocent, then the rule of law will also apply.



Sri: Has any date been set for Najib's trial?



Dr. Mahathir: Judge fixed the date in February next year.



Sri: Will you allow international observers?



Dr. Mahathir: Yes, Yes. Anybody can come and see. We are open.



Sri: And if you can talk about Goldman Sachs. Revelations are emerging now about the involvement of Goldman, the underwriting of 1MDB bonds, former Goldman partner, Tim Leissner, who pledged guilty to conspiring to laud the money etc. Is it safe to say that Goldman Sachs will never be permitted to do business in Malaysia again? Are they persona non grata in your country?



Dr. Mahathir: We are watching. Of course, there is evidence that Goldman Sachs has done things which were wrong. They shouldn't have done that, but we want to see the results of all these investigations and the actions taken against Leissner for example.



Sri: What does this tell you about compliance control at Goldman Sachs?



Dr. M: It doesn't work very well.



Sri: And Malaysia seeking restitution from Goldman as well? How much could we be talking about, Prime Minister?



Dr. Mahathir: I don't know the exact amount. But obviously we have been cheated through the compliance by Goldman Sachs people.



Sri: Institutional reform, do you admit that corruption existed during your administration.



Dr. Mahathir: Corruption is found in every country at any period of time, but it is the extent that is the important.



Sri: But do you admit that it happened during your watch?



Dr. Mahathir: There was corruption I believe, but what we can detect we detect. But the kind of corruption you see during Najib's team was not seen during my term.

Sri: So what guarantee can you give Malaysia public that you can start the eradication of abuse of power that happened in prior governments, your own government, and former Prime Minister Najib's government? What guarantees can you give, here and now, to the Malaysia people that you have started the process to eradicate corruption?

Dr. Mahathir: We have reduced the power of PM for example, he can serve only two terms. And most of the decision-making is now transferred to parliament.



Sri: How long do you think you have to go before you can truly say that you have meaningfully reformed the institutions in Malaysia?



Dr. Mahathir: I think even now people don't talk anymore about corruption in Malaysia. There can be corruption but certainly on the scale that is so obvious to the public.



Sri: Prime Minister let's move on to foreign relations. One of the first things that you did when you were elected was review the Najib-era Chinese infrastructure deals. You visited Beijing this year too. Have those deals been restructured on more favorable terms or are they completely abandoned now?



Dr. Mahathir: It does not reflect on China, it reflects on Najib. It is Najib who decided to have the railway for example. It was he who decided to borrow $55bn and all that. So we are blaming Najib. Our relationship with China is normal, like before. But it is getting at Najib. In the process of course it may involve some contracts entered into with Chinese companies.



Sri: But are those deals being restructured? Are they more transparent and are they more economically viable? And have they been restructured on more economically favorable terms?



Dr. Mahathir: On the East Coast Railway for example we have stopped the work on this because they have overpaid the contractor because of the terms of the previous contract was that they paid equity to the timetable without regard for the work done. So that has been stopped, so we are now considering deferment or some other solution to the railway construction, because we feel that at this moment we cannot afford.



Sri: How would you describe economic relations with China?



Dr. Mahathir: Very good. China is still our best and biggest trading partner



Sri: Are you pivoting more towards Japan as the preferred provider of FDI?



Dr. Mahathir: We are friendly with all countries in the world. Any country that is beneficial for us in terms of being a good market for us, we will do our best to be friendly with them. The fact that we are friendly with Japan does not reflect on our friendliness with China.



Sri: Malaysia has been named one of the potential beneficiaries of the trade conflict and by that I mean companies doing business in China - they could be Chinese companies - are looking at relocating their supply chain to South East Asia because of the trade conflict. Are you seeing any evidence of that transfer happening towards Malaysia?

Dr. Mahathir: Nothing is yet happening but that is one of the possibilities. We are hoping that if the people want to produce things to sell to the U.S., it should be better to invest in Malaysia and other countries than in China, at this moment.

Sri: And this recent tussle that occurred between your country and China and any bad blood that occurred during that renegotiation process, that's not jeopardizing any of that inflow?

Dr. Mahathir: There's no bad blood between us and China. I was there, I was received very well by them, I had the full series of negotiations and they were very forthright, very friendly.

Sri: Why is it taking Malaysia so long, Prime Minister, to ratify the CPTPP?

Dr. Mahathir: Because it may affect our domestic business and politics.

Sri: So in other words taking down the trade barriers, that may create inequalities of wealth and that's what you're worried about? Can you just elaborate on why the process is taking so long?

Dr. Mahathir: It is a negotiation of countries with unequal status of development. Obviously when you bring down borders, the people with the goods to cross the borders will benefit the most. The richer countries can then enter into the poorer countries. The poorer countries don't have much to sell except probably raw materials. And that too is controlled by market forces. For example, tin. The tin market has been - not manipulated - has been in London all this while. I mean we have no say until now. It is the country with the biggest amount of things to export who will benefit most from bringing down borders. But what do we get in return, that is the question that we must ask ourselves.

Sri: Do you simply need more time to sell this proposition to the Malaysian public?

Dr. Mahathir: There are lots of protests in the country about entering into this agreement because many people feel that it's not beneficial for the country.

Sri: And where does Malaysia stand in terms of the negotiations with another very major trade deal and that is the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership?

Dr. Mahathir: Well we are still studying it to see whether there are any negative things about that trade negotiation

Sri: And is it potentially the same set of issues that is delaying the ratification of CPTPP that are delaying RCEP as well? You're worried about inequality?

Dr. Mahathir: Malaysia is a developing country. In addition to that we have a multi-racial population and the multiracial population do not have equal distribution in terms of wealth. So we need to avoid these disparities in our country and the racial problem. Whenever we enter into negotiations with other countries, because other countries will be thinking only about trade, we have to think about our domestic politics.

Sri: Racial politics has been an incredibly divisive issue for your country. How can you ever begin that process of  how can I describe this diplomatically  harmonizing or reforming maybe I should say  race-based politics in Malaysia?

Dr. Mahathir: That's what some people say. But we have managed racial politics much better than other countries. In many countries when they became independent, they expelled foreigners. Indians were expelled from Myanmar, from Fuji, from Tanganyika and other places. We, on the other hand, allowed people of foreign origin to stay in our country, we give them scholarships, they are able to retain their language, to have schools, etc. So we have managed our racial relations much better than other countries to the point where Malaysia is very stable. And only once was there any racial complaint.

Sri: But the Bumiputera policy, you are open to reforming it? It's going to be a very long process but you are open to reforming it?

Dr. Mahathir: I mean you have to understand what the Bumiputera policy is all about. In even a single ethnic country, if there is a huge disparity between rich and poor, there will be revolution, there will be civil war. But in Malaysia that can be amplified by racial differences. So we have to be very careful about this. That we have managed to keep the country stable and peaceful is something that people should appreciate because normally in a multi-racial country there will be fights. Even a multi-religious country like Northern Ireland you see how long it took them? And of course in the Arab countries you see a lot of things like that.

Sri: It's a very fine balance. ASEAN. What's your message, Prime Minister, to this 33rd ASEAN Summit?

Dr. Mahathir: ASEAN has tremendous potential. But we are countries of people with different ethnic and racial groups. And our economic performance is not at the same level. Europe I think is much more able to overcome these differences in economic advancement. But ASEAN -- you see great disparities between the members. We need I think for example to ensure that whatever we do, we do observe the development of the least developed countries in the ASEAN region. But what is important is that ASEAN is a very big entity. It has more than 600 million people. 600 million people, even if they are poor they form a good market. We need to look inside our markets and to find ways and means where we can help the less-developed country catch up with those.

Sri: Does it bother you that President Trump won't be attending this ASEAN summit?

Dr. Mahathir: It doesn't bother me.

Sri: And why is that?

Dr. Mahathir: Because I don't know what he's going to say. And he's not committed.

Sri: And what's your message to Aung San Suu Kyi? Because you've made it very clear your position on the Rohingya matter. Have you lost faith in Aung San Suu Kyi?

Dr. Mahathir: When Malaysia became independent we gave citizenship to people who were obviously of foreign origin. We made them citizens, they became a part of the government, there was less discrimination, only some discrimination on certain issues. But Myanmar cannot even allow people who have been there for 800 years. They have been there. And in fact when Myanmar was formed, actually by the British, the British set up a single government to govern the area they called Burma. But inside Burma were these Rohingya. They are not foreigner. They are people who were living there.

Sri: Do you support her anymore? And if you don't support her, what does that mean from the standpoint of diplomatic relations, foreign relations between Malaysia and Myanmar?

Dr. Mahathir: Well, we still continue with our diplomatic relations, but we feel very unhappy indeed with the behavior of Myanmar.

Sri: Singapore-Malaysia relations. How rocky are they, Prime Minister?

Dr. Mahathir: Well neighbours, who compete with each other, we have some tough crisis and problems, but we can resolve these problem. It's not going to lead to confrontation or violence of any kind. But obviously when you are competing, there are times when you win, sometimes when you lose and sometimes there will be disappointment or even satisfaction with the relation.

Sri: The two-year deferment of the high-speed rail link has been worked out. Can you guarantee from your side that there will be no more delays to the HSR project beyond 2020?

Dr. Mahathir: Well we said two years and we hope to be able to recover enough to have the money to finance a new line. But is it necessary that we should continue with something that was costly and perhaps not as give-return as we expect.

Sri: And Prime Minister can we finish our conversation by asking you to offer a few words on the situation in the Middle East. How concerned are you about deeper political stability in that region?

Dr. Mahathir: The problem with the Middle East is a refusal to recognize the problem. You see, before there was no problem in the Middle East. The whole area was ruled by Turkey at one time and they were not fighting each other. Syria for example was one country, it is now divided into five countries now. All these things were perpetrated by the British and the French, dividing up. And then on the top of that they decided to take land belonging to the Arabs and give it to the Jews because they had a Jewish problem. Their solution to the holocaust is to take other people's land and give it to the Jews. There were 94% Arabs in Palestine at that time. Naturally they are very angry. Unless you attend to that, the problem, the frustration felt by the Arabs and find ways to stop them from feeling that way, you will not solve the problem of the Middle East.

Sri: Have relations between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia changed since the killing of Jamal Khashoggi?

Dr. Mahathir: Our relations with Saudi Arabia is not influence by just one issue. We are really unwilling to be associated with wars. And currently Saudi Arabia is fighting a war with Yemen and we cannot have our troops there, because people may suspect that we are helping Saudi fight a war in Yemen. That is our main problem. Of course the Khashoggi thing has come up and if it is true then I think

Sri: And there is a historically severe famine in Yemen. And it's cost the lives of thousands of Yemenese. Proxy wars continue in Syria. What role can Malaysia play as a Muslim country to stop the killing?

Dr. Mahathir: Preach Islam. Because Islam does not promote those things. They are doing things against the teachings of Islam. They have forgotten their religion. They are being lured, they are being led by the sentiments, the leadership of their leaders. They do not follow their Muslim religion, they follow their leaders. That's why these things happen.

Sri: Prime Minister, I'm very grateful for your time today.

Dr. Mahathir: You're welcome.

Sri: Thank you very much. Thank you.

END

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CNBC is a division of NBCUniversal. For more information, visit www.cnbc.comDallas mayor Mike Rawlings reacts during an election night party for Democratic candidate Colin Allred shortly after Allred was announced a projected winner for the Texas 32nd U.S. congressional house district at the Magnolia Hotel Dallas Park Cities in Dallas, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. Andy Jacobsohn | AP

As Amazon dubbed not one, but two East Coast locations as its new headquarters Tuesday morning, cities in the middle of country lost a chance at becoming an emerging tech market. Dallas Mayor Michael Rawlings told CNBC Tuesday he was disappointed his city wasn't selected, but was not entirely surprised by Amazon's choice. "I do believe there was an East Coast bias at the top level of the organization, which is fine," Rawlings said in a phone interview. He said that Amazon's priorities likely evolved throughout the process and the desire to be near the political and media magnates of New York and D.C. "became a higher priority than the benefits that a Dallas provide." "Any time a company takes a year to make a decision, and this was an important decision, they're going to change their levels of importance through that process, that's just natural," Rawlings said. "I don't believe that people at the beginning of this process said, 'we're going to be in the East Coast' because I believe Amazon people are good people and would not have put the country through this if this was the case."

Amazon galvanized hundreds of cities across the country to woo the tech giant to their area with the promise of 50,000 jobs and a $5 billion investment. In the end, Amazon announced Tuesday morning it would split its headquarters between two predictable East Coast locations, Long Island City in New York and an area of Arlington, Virginia, just outside D.C. It also announced it would create a new Operations Center of Excellence in Nashville with 5,000 workers. Despite receiving up to $2.2 billion in performance-based incentives from its three new locations, Amazon stressed that available talent, rather than incentives, was a top priority in its headquarters selection. According to Dallas' recently-released proposal, the city would have offered Amazon a $600 million incentive to move in its second headquarters with 50,000 employees, plus an additional $10,000 per job from the Texas Enterprise Fund, which would have amounted to $1.1 billion, Dallas News reported. By contrast, for half the number of workers, Amazon will receive more than $1.5 billion in performance-based incentives for its Long Island City location and $573 million in performance-based incentives for its National Landing location in Virginia. Still, Rawlings said he believes that incentives were not a key driver in Amazon's decision, adding that the company told him that its desire to be on the East Coast and need for a strong tech talent pool in the short term drove them to choose Long Island City and National Landing.The combative approach is partly an outgrowth of Democrats' strategy of maximizing their oversight authority in the House once they wield the gavel. With Republicans in control of the White House and Senate, Democrats have little chance of passing meaningful legislation. Instead, they're doubling down on accountability for the Trump administration  and business provides a back door.

"To appeal to the Democratic base right now requires them to at least posture as though they're going to meaningfully contest corporate power," said David Segal, executive director of Demand Progress, a liberal advocacy group.

In the week since the midterm election, Democratic lawmakers have vowed to launch inquiries into publicly traded companies with ties to President Donald Trump and his top lieutenants, including Deutsche Bank , Boeing , and AT&T . They plan to seek answers directly from pharmaceutical CEOs on the cost of prescription drugs. And they want to turn up the pressure on consumer-facing companies like Wells Fargo , Equifax and payday lenders.

Democrats are promising new scrutiny of corporate America's biggest names as they expand their power on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., expected to become chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, is seeking information from Deustche Bank, a lender to the Trump Organization. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the likely chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Axios he wants to re-examine Trump's role in blocking AT&T's merger with Time Warner.

In the Senate, a quartet of Democrats  including potential presidential candidates Cory Booker of New Jersey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts  are spotlighting Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' meetings with Chevron, Boeing, and Greenbrier last year while he reportedly held stakes in those companies.

"Those meetings raise questions about Secretary Ross's compliance with criminal federal conflict of interest statutes," they wrote in a letter to the agency's ethics office.

Democrats also want to test how an aggressive stance toward big business might play among voters as they eye the 2020 presidential elections. Exit polls showed health care was the top issue in the midterms, and Democrats intend to make investigating pharmaceutical companies a top priority.

"Health care and the cost of prescription drugs are why I ultimately decided to run," incoming Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan told CNBC. "We are not settled as a nation on how we're going to provide health care to our people, and we need to make it affordable."

Rob Kelner, an attorney with Covington & Burling, said Democrats have sent roughly 100 letters during the past two years to companies in four main sectors: pharmaceuticals, tech, energy and financial services. Now, they're more likely to get answers.

"Prepare, prepare, prepare," Kelner said he tells his clients. "Don't wait to get hit on the head with a 2-by-4 before you get your ducks in a row."

Kelner said tech and social media companies are likely to face heightened scrutiny as bipartisan consensus builds to rein in their reach and increase transparency. Democrats could also target energy companies as a counterweight to the administration's deregulatory agenda and dismissal of climate change. And Waters has been open about her top corporate targets if she takes over the financial services committee: Equifax, over its massive data breach, and Wells Fargo, over its fraudulent accounts.

"Americans are concerned about the state of our country, particularly their economic security, and they have given Democrats a mandate to support that call for change," she wrote in a letter to colleagues last week and obtained by CNBC.

Some liberal groups are pushing Democrats to go even further. Demand Progress is calling for nominees with extensive backgrounds in consumer protection to fill vacancies at regulatory agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. Those agencies are headed by bipartisan commissions, and Democrats are allowed to choose their nominees.

Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project, also is encouraging Democrats to cast a wide net across corporate America. He urged the party to issue subpoenas to businesses ranging from hedge fund Renaissance Technologies, which has close ties to the Trump administration and is locked in a legal battle with the IRS, to embattled retailer Sears, whose chief executive was Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's college roommate.

"Democrats need to develop a consistent political brand," Hauser said. "In this populist moment, the Democrats' best opportunity to brand themselves is as the political party that fights the worst excesses of corporate America on behalf of ordinary Americans."

 CNBC's Karen James and Janhvi Bhojwani contributed to this report.

WATCH: Trump's economy: Here's where he gets credit, and what could go wrongU.S. Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Makan Delrahim testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during an oversight hearing on the enforcement of antitrust laws in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill October 03, 2018 in Washington, DC.

The chief of the Department of Justice's antitrust division said Tuesday that political considerations do not impact the department's work. The comments come a day after President Donald Trump suggested Comcast could face increased scrutiny for alleged anti-competitive behavior.

"I think it's great that we have such a debate about free markets and the antitrust laws there to protect free markets," said Makan Delrahim, the assistant attorney general for the DOJ's antitrust division.

"As far as what we do, and our enforcement, we need the evidence, we need the economics, we go to court," he told CNBC's David Faber on "Squawk on the Street." "Politics, that goes on between various aspects of the government, don't affect our decisions to make these cases."

The words may not help the president avoid potential congressional inquiries into his repeated threats to use the government's regulatory powers to punish businesses and individuals affiliated with news networks that cover his administration.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Democrats plan to investigate some of those attacks when they take the House of Representatives next year, according to a Sunday report in Axios. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Schiff cited the president's opposition to the $85 billion merger between CNN parent company Time Warner and AT&T, as well as an alleged plot to "browbeat the postmaster [general] into raising postal rates on Amazon." Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, owns The Washington Post, and is a frequent target of the president's barbs.

Delrahim said Tuesday that the department gets input on antitrust matters from both the executive and legislative branches.

"By the way, these types of concerns raised about Amazon are bipartisan," he said. "Senators raise them. The president has raised it."

The Time Warner-AT&T merger was approved by a federal judge earlier this year, though the Justice Department has appealed the decision.

AT&T accused Trump of wielding political influence over the department as it pursued its case against the media conglomerate. The DOJ denied any improper influence. In an affidavit at the time, Delrahim insisted he had received no "orders, instructions, or directions" in conjunction with the merger.

The president has said that he has stayed away from the Justice Department's litigation, though he has continued to comment on antitrust matters. As recently as Monday, Trump wrote in a post on Twitter that the American Cable Association has "big problems" with Comcast, which owns CNBC's parent company NBCUniversal.

"They say that Comcast routinely violates Antitrust Laws," Trump wrote. Citing a statement made by Fox Business Network correspondent Charles Gasparino, Trump suggested that Comcast posed bigger threats than the Time Warner-AT&T merger.

Tweet

The ACA, which represents more than 700 video and broadband providers, is asking the Justice Department to open an investigation into Comcast.

Earlier this month, the ACA sent a five-page letter to Delrahim alleging that Comcast has shown a "willingness to harm rivals" and offering its assistance in any potential inquiry.

The letter was sent amid reports that AT&T had approached Comcast subsidiary NBCUniversal to discuss potential licensing deals that could threaten media rivals such as Disney and Netflix. In a statement, Comcast said that ACA's letter was "without merit and constitutes an inappropriate attempt to gain leverage in the commercial marketplace."

Powerful Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., have raised antitrust issues regarding corporate giants such as Amazon and Comcast.

Warren told The New York Times earlier this year that Amazon has "got to pick one business or the other." Meanwhile, Blumenthal called for a renewed investigation into Comcast's integration with NBCUniversal, saying the merger of the two companies, approved in 2011, poses a "very serious threat to competition."

The president has targeted NBC News, a unit of NBCUniversal, throughout his presidency. In September, the president threatened to "look at" NBC's television license, calling the network "fake news" and saying that he had "long criticized NBC and its journalistic standardsworse than even CNN."

On Tuesday, CNN filed a lawsuit against the president and his top associates alleging violations of the First and Fifth amendments of the Constitution for suspending the press pass of the network's chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta.

Disclosure: Comcast owns CNBC's parent company NBCUniversal.



WATCH: Trump's tweets can cost a company billions of dollars. Here's how...Dunkin' Brands is confident that its new espresso will lure coffee drinkers away from rival Starbucks.

"Our espresso is so good, you don't have to go to Starbucks," Tony Weisman, chief marketing officer, at Dunkin', told reporters during the company's annual media day outside of Boston on Tuesday.

While Dunkin' has no plans to stray from its roots in drip coffee, its newly revamped espresso, which hits stores next week, offers it a gateway to reach younger consumers. Weisman said 2017 was the first year in history in which consumers under 35 years old drank more espresso beverages than hot drip coffee, which ultimately pushed Dunkin' in to reevaluating its espresso.

Research shows that more than 50 percent of millennials are opting for espresso beverages when they order coffee, the first generation to do so, said Dan Wheeler, vice president of strategic initiatives.

"Espresso skews younger  I graduated from pop and soda to drip coffee, but my kids are graduating from Coolattas to lattes," Dunkin' CEO Dave Hoffmann told reporters Tuesday.

As the brand pushes out from its stronghold in the Northeast, there's demand for more specialty drinks. The company has said that 90 percent of its next 1,000 stores will be west of the Mississippi.

Hoffmann said he's hoping the combination of good flavor, cheap prices and fast service will be enough to lure  not only existing customers to try its espresso  but customers at other cafes.

The company created a new recipe for its espresso, increasing the amount of coffee used and decreasing the amount of water. The new shot is thicker, richer and less bitter than the old espresso, which launched in 2003 and was made with more water and brewed at a higher temperature.

This new espresso gives Dunkin's beverages a more premium taste, but it won't come at a premium cost, executives said.

Dunkin' will roll out its new espresso drinks at $2 during its initial promotion before rising to $3.39 for a medium drink, compared with $5 or $6 at Starbucks.

In addition to iced and hot espresso beverages, the company will also sell affogato, an Italian-style dessert in which a shot of hot espresso is poured over a scoop of ice cream, at locations that are both a Baskin Robbins and a Dunkin'.

So far, the company hasn't seen any cannibalization of its other beverages in offering these espresso drinks, executives said.

"We're going after market share," Parag Patel, a Dunkin' franchisee that owns 30 locations in California and Maryland. "But, we are not just trading consumers from hot or iced coffee, we are targeting different consumers and different day parts."

Patel, who was the franchisee that ran Dunkin's espresso test in Baltimore over the summer, said his stores sold a lot of espresso later in the day. Afternoon traffic is something that many restaurants have tried to cultivated with value offerings and new menu items. It is seen as an undervalued time of the day with the potential for boosting sales.

Patel also said that close to 90 percent of customers who tried the new espresso said they would return to buy it again.

And if the price isn't enticing enough, Dunkin' is promising to deliver its espresso beverages to consumers faster than its competitors.

"Dunkin' is a place to take five [minutes], not 50," Wheeler said to reporters.

Executives said they are rearranging and updating kitchen equipment so employees can make the new beverages fast.

"We may aspire to sit around and sip lattes," Meredith Morris, senior manager of consumer insights, said, alluding to rival Starbucks' reputation for being a destination location for coffee drinkers. "But espresso gives you energy while you are on the run. We have busy lifestyles."

On Tuesday, second-generation franchisees Victor and Octavio Carvalho, who own the first Dunkin' Donuts location as well as the first Next Gen store, praised the company's collaborative efforts and said the financial commitment they had to make to revamp the espresso was "the right thing to do."

"This is where it's heading," Octavio said. "That's what people enjoy drinking."

"The commitment is worth it in the long run," Victor added.

WATCH: Why Dunkin' is failing in IndiaPro-EU protesters demonstrate against Brexit with flags outside the House of Parliament on November 13, 2018 in London, England.

The European Union and Britain have agreed to a draft text of a Brexit withdrawal agreement and Prime Minister Theresa May will present it to her senior ministers on Wednesday, after more than a year of tortuous negotiations.

While officials choreograph the first withdrawal of a sovereign state from the EU, it remains unclear whether May can get any deal approved by the British parliament as hardline Brexiteers said she had surrendered to Brussels.

"Cabinet will meet at 2 p.m. (1400 GMT) tomorrow to consider the draft agreement the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels, and to decide on next steps," a spokesman at May's Downing Street office said.

"Cabinet ministers have been invited to read documentation ahead of that meeting," the spokesman said, after Irish and British media were leaked details of the breakthrough.

A senior EU official confirmed that a draft text had been agreed upon. EU leaders could meet on Nov. 25 for a summit to seal the Brexit deal if May's cabinet approves the text, diplomatic sources said.

Sterling, which has seesawed since reaching $1.50 just before Britain's 2016 referendum that saw a 52-48 percent margin for leaving the EU, surged to $1.3036

Brexit will pitch the world's fifth largest economy into the unknown and many fear it will help to divide the West as it grapples with both the unconventional presidency of Donald Trump and growing assertiveness from Russia and China.

Supporters of Brexit say that while the divorce might bring some short-term instability, in the longer term it will allow the United Kingdom to thrive and also enable deeper EU integration without such a powerful reluctant member.European equity markets moved higher on Tuesday, helped by a reversal in stocks stateside.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 ended provisionally 0.74 percent higher in trade, with most major bourses and sectors in positive territory.

Telecoms were the best performing stocks during Tuesday, with Vodafone being the top gainer following the release of its results. The firm posted a loss of 7.8 billion euros ($8.76 billion) in the first six months of the year, but shares rose after Chief Executive Nick Read promised to reduce operating costs by 1.2 billion euros by 2021 and to review tower assets in order to drive higher returns.

In other corporate news affecting the sector, Telecom Italia CEO Amos Genish has reportedly been stripped of his executive powers following an enduring tussle between two of its major shareholders, Vivendi and Elliott Management. Per Reuters, Genish's executive powers have been transferred to TIM's Chairman Fulvio Conti on a provisional basis.

In individual stocks, health care firm BTG soared to the top of the pan-European benchmark after reporting an increase in its first-half pretax profit and an upgrade in earnings guidance. The firm's share price rose more 9.9 percent.

Stocks stateside were initially hit by a plunge in Apple shares. One of Apple's suppliers  Lumentum Holdings - said that one of its largest customers had asked to reduce shipments for its products. Two other Apple suppliers issued warnings that suggested weakness in iPhone sales. This sparked fears across the tech sector and dented sentiment also in Asian trading.

However by the end of Tuesday morning trade in the United States, Apple had reversed course to rise 1 percent.

The Wall Street Journal reported Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He had resumed trade talks. The report comes ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Investors are keeping a close eye on oil prices, after new comments from President Donald Trump. He said that the group of oil producers OPEC should not cut supply to prop up the market. Oil prices fell about 1 percent on Tuesday.

In Europe, Brexit and Italy continue to be the main issues for investors.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that negotiations are hitting the "endgame" but there are still considerable differences to fix.

And Rome has until the end of Tuesday to submit a new budget plan for 2019 to the European Commission, after the latter said the original plan was not in line with previous commitments.

In the meantime, Italy's Banca Carige has said that the country's biggest banks and private investors will step in to boost its capital position by up to 400 million euros ($451 million) to meet a year-end deadline by the European Central Bank.

WATCH: Here's what drives the price of oilEurope's much-vaunted banking union has made progress but more needs to be done to make it perfect, the vice president of the European Banking Federation, told CNBC.

"We have made a lot of progress, in terms of putting in place the banking union. We have the Single Supervisory Mechanism and the Single Resolution Board and we have case studies of how it is working in reality so I think a lot of progress has been done but having said that, is it yet perfect? Not at all," Jose Maria Roldan told CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche Tuesday.

"We need to make further progress," Roldan, who is also chairman of the Spanish Banking Association, said.

A European-wide banking union that was initiated in 2012 in the region as a way to prevent further financial shocks, and to separate sovereigns from their banking systems, is still not entirely complete with a European deposit insurance scheme still missing.

What has been implemented, however, is the Single Supervisory Mechanism, which has seen the European Central Bank take on certain supervisory tasks over the EU financial system, and the Single Resolution Fund, funded by euro zone banks and to be used as a last resort to rescue struggling euro zone banks.FAO Schwarz returns to the Big Apple this week, three years after closing its landmark Fifth Avenue store, offering holiday shoppers an experience they can't get online, including a new twist on the big floor piano that Tom Hanks danced on in the movie "Big."

Creating a bigger-than-life, "experiential" feel at physical stores is "probably the biggest buzzword in retail," said David Conn, CEO of ThreeSixty Brands, whose parent company, ThreeSixty Group, bought FAO Schwarz in 2016.

"We joke that we have a brand that is 150 years old and was 'experiential' before it was cool," Conn told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday. His retail pedigree includes roles as CEO of True Religion Brand Jeans and president of licensed brands at VF Corp., the company behind The North Face, Timberland and Wrangler.

The new FAO Schwarz megastore, located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, opens Friday with everything from live in-store magic shows to stations where custom remote-control cars can be made.

"We have a baby doll adoption center" as well, where kids will be "interviewed by our employees dressed as nurses and doctors just to make sure they're 'fit parents,'" Conn said. "A lot of the products are exclusive and can't be found anywhere else. And therefore, we can charge somewhat of a premium for those."

ThreeSixty Group, whose portfolio also includes Sharper Image and Discovery Kids, purchased FAO Schwarz for an undisclosed amount about two years ago from struggling Toys "R" Us, which closed the Fifth Avenue location in 2015.

However, some of the old favorites are coming over to the new flagship store, including a version of the colossal clock tower.

"And of course, it's FAO Schwarz, so we have the big dance-on piano. But this time, not just on the floor, it's also on the ceiling above," Conn added. "We wanted the people who are standing in the plaza to see people dance and see the keys lighting up."

The new FAO Schwarz also plans to set up a permanent presence in Canada and China and open pop-up shops in Spain, Australia and London.

 CNBC's Lauren Thomas contributed to this report.The OECD Observer online archive takes you on a journey through half a century of public policy and world progress.

Since November 1962, the OECDs experts and leading guests offer insights on the questions facing our member countries with concise and authoritative analysis, and provide our audiences with an excellent opportunity to understand policy debates and consider solutions.

Each edition of the OECD Observer reports on a core theme of the OECDs on-going work, from economics and society through governance, finance, and the environment, and articles are bolstered by tables and graphs.Germany's economy faces risks on both a domestic and international level, according to prominent German economists, and there is little the country can do about a lot of them. "For me there are two risks," Achim Wambach, the president of Germany's influential ZEW research institute, told CNBC on Monday. "There are political risks  Brexit is not decided, and then we see Italy (and its populist government) which makes markets nervous -- and we see protectionism in the U.S. and China which, for Germany's export-orientated economy, would be a potential risk on the horizon." "But then we also see homemade risks, in particular, in the automobile industry," he told CNBC's Annette Weisbach at the German Economic Summit in Berlin. The latest ZEW Institute measure of economic sentiment among financial experts in Germany showed what Wambach called a "severe" drop on that metric in October to a level of minus 24.7 points.

The indicator has thus reached the same low-point as in July of this year, being at its lowest reading since August 2012, ZEW said. The negative expectations were largely a result of the trade dispute between China and the U.S.

Berlin's Brandenburg Gate PHAS | UIG | Getty Images

Germany's economy is expected to have seen weak growth in the third quarter largely due to concerns over international trade and a dip in car manufacturing, one of its major export industries, although the Bundesbank believes growth should rebound in the final three months of the year. The German government expects 2018 growth to be 1.8 percent, down from an initial 2.3 percent previously forecast. Christoph Schmidt, an economist and president of the RWI Essen (the RWI-Leibniz Institute for Economic Research) told CNBC that the latest growth data was a temporary blip but that Germany faced longer-term risks. "It's a unique quarter I think, the German economy will bounce back and we think it will grow according to potential, roughly 1.6 percent this year and 1.5 percent in 2019 so this temporary blip will be overcome but there's not enough potential to grow stronger than potential now so it will be a one-off loss," he said, speaking to CNBC's Annette Weisbach on Monday.

"But in an international environment, the trade conflicts, the upcoming Brexit (in March 2019), possible problems in the euro area (posed by Italy), these are elements of the international environment that are disturbing and disconcerting in the domestic realm."

Building trustU.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi celebrates the Democrats winning a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives with House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (L), her grandson Paul (3rd R), U.S. Rep. James Clyburn (2nd R) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Ben Ray Lujan (R) during a Democratic midterm election night party in Washington, U.S. November 6, 2018.

Educational attainment keeps rising, especially among women. Declining marriage rates leave a larger proportion of Americans living as single adults. The rural population declines, while urban and suburban areas grow.

The demographic changes follow long-established trends. Year by year, the share of whites in the population shrinks while the share of Latinos, blacks and Asian-Americans swells.

Those currents were demographic change, Democratic mobilization and disaffection with President Donald Trump . As is clearer now than on election night, they produced a blue wave that has fundamentally altered the political calculus of the capital.

One week ago, three distinct but overlapping currents combined to shift tidal forces in America's midterm elections  and smash the Republican Party's congressional fortress.

All those demographic trends expand the pool of Democratic-leaning voters. But they've been offset in recent midterm elections by low rates of voting among specific Democratic constituencies, most notably young voters and Latinos.

That's where the second current  Democratic mobilization  made a difference. In small but consistent ways, the party's campaigns altered turnout patterns in their favor.

Exit polls provide one basic measure. In 2010 and 2014, about the same number of Democrats and Republicans showed up to vote. This year, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 4 percentage points.

The Democratic data firm Catalist, in a preliminary analysis of precinct, county and congressional district election results, adds more detail. It found the share of white voters dropped by 3 percentage points, from 79 percent to 76 percent, while the share of blacks, Latinos and Asian-Americans rose by 1 point apiece.

Similarly, the share of voters ages 18-24 and 25-29 each edged up by 1 percentage point; the share ages 30-39 ticked up 2 percentage points. The proportion of single voters and voters with college degrees swelled by 3 percentage points apiece.

Non-college-educated white men, the most Republican demographic group, dropped to 22 percent of the electorate from 25 percent in 2014; college-educated women of all races edged by two points. Rural voters fell by three points to 26 percent overall.

Those shifts occurred as turnout surged across the board. An estimated 49 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, up from 37 percent four years ago. Turnout of voters under 30, Tufts University researchers estimate, climbed to 31 percent from 21 percent in 2014.

Moreover, Democrats benefited from better-targeted turnout boosts. "They were more energized than Republicans in competitive races, but less so in targeted ones where their voters weren't as needed," says GOP pollster Patrick Ruffini.

The Trump factor powered Democratic mobilization and built on it. Alarm over Trump's policies and behavior propelled superior Democratic fundraising, which paid for late ads and turnout efforts.

At the same time, reaction to Trump made the Democratic-leaning constituencies that party strategists turned out even more Democratic-leaning than before. Thus exit polls showed that voters under 30, who backed Democrats by 11 percentage points in 2014, backed them by 35 points this time.The maker of blu e-cigarettes plans to tighten its sales practices in an effort to restrict underage access and appease federal health officials amid an industry-wide crackdown on "epidemic" teen use.

Fontem Ventures, a unit of tobacco company Imperial Brands, said it will raise the minimum age requirements to buy pods on its website to 21 across the U.S. and require its online retail partners to use age verification technology, among other measures designed to stop kids from buying its products. The new age requirements will apply even for sales to consumers living in states with lower age limits, the company said.

It also plans to review its packaging and product descriptions, possibly changing them, to ensure they're "responsible," CEO Richard Hill told CNBC. Unlike some of its competitors that are pulling flavored nicotine pods off the market, blu will continue selling its sweeter flavors, including "honeymoon," "neon dream," "blue ice" and "melon time," according to a list on its website. Critics argue fruity flavors attract kids to e-cigarettes, but the company insists they help former adult smokers switch to its products.

"We don't think our products are attractive to kids but are for adults. I'm actually sitting here as we speak vaping on blueberry," Hill said during a phone interview with CNBC.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in September ordered Imperial Brands and four other manufacturers  Juul Labs, British American Tobacco, Altria and Japan Tobacco International  to come up with solutions to what he's calling "epidemic" levels of teens using e-cigarettes by last Sunday.

Some of the companies have released their plans. Altria said it will voluntarily remove its MarkTen pod-based products and will stop selling all flavors except for menthol or tobacco in its "cig-a-like" products until the FDA reviews and approves them. The company said it also supports federal legislation to make 21 the minimum age to buy tobacco products.

Juul, the market leader, plans to pull its mango, cucumber, fruit and creme flavored nicotine pods from convenience store and other retailers, a person briefed on the company's plan who asked not to be named because the proposal is not yet public told CNBC. The company plans to restrict most of its sales to its age-verified online shop, the person said.

Fontem Ventures' Hill said the manufacturer stands behind its flavors because research shows they're "really important" in helping smokers switch from conventional cigarettes. Plus, he's not convinced flavors alone caused a surge in teen use. Instead, he thinks it's the marketing practices of "one brand," though he declined to name which one.

"When you look at the issue of youth access generally, let's be clear: We see this as being caused by the irresponsible actions of one brand in particular," he said. "Thinking about this as an industry issue is slightly wrong, but nonetheless, we take this issue very seriously."

Fontem Ventures will instead focus most of its efforts on limiting teen access of its products.

It will also start a hotline for consumers to report underage sales of its products and create a new youth access officer to oversee efforts to monitor social media. Juul has already started scraping Instagram and Facebook to scrape inappropriate posts.

Fontem Ventures pledges to end contracts with retailers found illegally selling e-cigarettes to teens despite a federal ban on sales to minors.

Fontem Ventures also plans to start testing connected devices outside of the U.S. early next year that may be equipped child locks and geofencing technology to prevent minors from using the e-cigarettes. In order to introduce new e-cigarettes in the U.S., companies need to submit them to the FDA for review.

Gottlieb told CNBC in September he's considering fast-tracking the process for e-cigarettes with features proven to keep kids from using them. He's expected to announce this week new restrictions on where pod-based flavored e-cigarettes can be sold, barring them from convenience stores and gas stations, senior FDA officials told CNBC.

So even though Fontem Ventures doesn't plan to pull its flavored products from stores, regulators may limit where they can be sold.

WATCH: How Juul made vaping cool and became a $15 billion e-cigarette giantGrowth is slowing in a number of the world's big economies, and the International Monetary Fund is warning that investor sentiment could make a "sudden reversal" for the worse. "Although still supportive of growth, global financial conditions have started to tighten," the fund said in its latest Regional Economic Outlook report for Middle East and Central Asia, released Tuesday. The report is published annually and gives a broad overview of recent economic developments and of prospects and policy issues for the medium term.

A worsening of these developments, or faster-than-anticipated monetary policy tightening in advanced economies, increases the risk of a sudden reversal in global risk appetite. International Monetary Fund

"Global conditions are changing in terms of the risk metrics," Jihad Azour, director of the Middle East and Central Asia at the IMF, told CNBC's "Capital Connection." "Although we're still enjoying a high level of growth, that growth is plateauing," he added. The IMF said higher U.S. interest rates, a stronger U.S. dollar, and financial market volatility could bring pressure in some emerging-market and developing economies. "A worsening of these developments, or faster-than-anticipated monetary policy tightening in advanced economies, increases the risk of a sudden reversal in global risk appetite," the report said.

Some big economies seen slowing

The IMF forecasts global growth for 2018-2019 to remain steady at its 2017 level of 3.7 percent, but the growth outlook for a number of major economies has been marked down. In the United States, while the real GDP growth outlook for 2018 is unchanged at 2.9 percent, the forecast for 2019 has been revised down to 2.5 percent due to the recently announced trade measures. The United States has entered a serious tariff dispute with China, and it remains unclear how long that conflict will last. The outlook for emerging and developing economies is also weaker, reflecting downward revisions for some large emerging market economies due to country-specific factors, tighter financial conditions, geopolitical tensions and higher oil prices, according to the report. "Real GDP in the Euro area will slow to 1.9 percent in 2019, compared to 2.9 percent in 2018. Growth will also moderate in the United Kingdom, following surprises that suppressed activity in early 2018," it said. The IMF blamed the recent trade measures between the United States and China for projected declining growth in China, which it now sees at 6.2 percent in 2019, 6.6 percent in 2018 and 6.9 percent in 2017.

Optimism for the Middle East

Despite a recent slide in oil prices, the IMF is more optimistic about the Middle East, but warned of numerous uncertainties in the region. "The oil price has gone up by more than 60 percent in two years, and the levels that we're seeing today are equivalent to those of 2015," Azour said. The IMF forecast that oil exporters in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan  which it refers to as MENAP  will experience visible improvements in external and fiscal balances in 201819. "Economic activity in MENAP oil-exporting countries is expected to strengthen this year and next. Real GDP growth is projected at 1.4 percent in 2018 and 2 percent in 2019, up from 1.2 percent in 2017," the report said. "Growth among MENAP oil-importing countries is expected to continue at a modest pace in 2018 and to strengthen slightly over the medium term. Growth in the region is projected to reach 4.5 percent in 2018, up from 4.1 percent in 2017, before moderating to 4 percent in 2019," in added.

WATCH: The US market sold off big  here's what four experts say investors should watchGermany's finance minister has told CNBC that he can understand some of the reforms that Italy says it wants to spend its budget on.

Italy's populist government is at odds with the European Commission in Brussels after submitting a budget proposal for 2019 that incurs a deficit of 2.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The previous Rome administration had submitted a far less costly 0.8 percent deficit proposal.

For the first time in history, a draft budget proposal from an EU member has been rejected by commissioners, but on Tuesday the German Finance minister, Olaf Scholz, told CNBC's Annette Weisbach that there were some aspects of Italian spending plans that anyone could understand.

Speaking at the SZ Wirtschaftsgipfel Economic Summit in Berlin, Scholz said a complete lack of support for long-term unemployed in Italy was "a bit astonishing" and a change of policy in that area could be considered.

"If they, the Italian government is working on questions like this, we can understand this," said Scholz.

The finance minister cautioned however that in doing this, Italy would also be expected to be very cautious with its budget.

"If you have a very high amount of sovereign debt it is absolutely necessary that you are cautious and this is what the Italian government will have to be," he said.

Italy is expected to resubmit its budget on Tuesday but CNBC has learned that the Italian Finance Minister, Giovanni Tria, won't be meeting with the country's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte until late in the evening. CNBC has also learnt from sources that the Deputy Prime Ministers Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio will attend that meeting.White House Chief of Staff John Kelly attends a Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on August 16, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Melania Trump's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, told CNBC in a text message that "Chief Kelly and the First Lady have never 'clashed.'"

Two White House officials told NBC that Melania Trump had told the president earlier in 2018 that Kelly had repeatedly turned down requests to promote some of her aides, even as Kelly's staff received promotions. Trump reportedly directed Kelly to approve the first lady's requests after learning of the disputes.

Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, is being considered for the job, among other candidates, three of the sources told NBC.

President Donald Trump 's chief of staff, John Kelly, may be out of his job soon as a result of a conflict with first lady Melania Trump and other people in the White House, seven sources have told NBC News .

Multiple outlets also reported that Trump also planned to remove deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel, who is a top staffer to national security advisor John Bolton.

In an unusually harsh statement Tuesday, the first lady's spokeswoman said Ricardel "no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House."

The Wall Street Journal, citing a White House official, reported shortly after that statement that Ricardel had been fired and escorted from the White House. But another official told reporters the story was untrue, and that Ricardel still worked at the White House.

Asked to confirm or deny that Ricardel still worked at the White House, Grisham told CNBC: "I have no idea."

Javers tweet

Multiple outlets had reported Tuesday that Ricardel had clashed with the first lady's staff during a trip to Africa last month, among other disputes. But Grisham had told CNBC shortly before noon ET that Ricardel was "still there to my knowledge" and appeared to deny the report that there had been a dispute.

Earlier Tuesday afternoon, Ricardel had attended a White House event, where President Donald Trump led a ceremony for the religious holiday Diwali.

NBC's report followed a slew of news that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen may be on her way out, too.

The secretary's potential forthcoming departure was reported a week after the midterm elections and days after the forced resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

But multiple outlets reported recently that Trump was planning a staff shakeup that would lead to both Nielsen and Kelly being removed.

"The Secretary is honored to lead the men and women of DHS and is committed to implementing the President's security-focused agenda to protect Americans from all threats and will continue to do so," DHS press secretary Tyler Houlton said in a statement Tuesday.

Nielsen had served in the Trump administration under Kelly before being confirmed to the Cabinet-level position in December.

Trump had praised Nielsen over the summer after she defended the administration's border security goals amid a roiling controversy surrounding then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions' "zero tolerance" immigration policy.

Trump tweet Nielsen July

But in the White House tell-all book "Fear," Watergate reporter Bob Woodward wrote that Kelly had fought to convince Trump to confirm Nielsen.

"She's terrible," Trump reportedly told Kelly. "You're the only one that thinks she's any good. Maybe we'll have to withdraw her nomination." Trump ended up supporting Nielsen.

On Wednesday, Trump announced that Sessions, who said he was resigning at the president's "request" in a letter to Trump, would be replaced with Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker before a permanent replacement was selected.

That announcement, which came less than a day after Democrats won back majority control of the House in the midterm elections, was immediately met with criticism from Democrats and legal experts, who alleged that Whitaker was unconstitutionally appointed and was selected because of his past skepticism toward special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

 CNBC's Eamon Javers and Dan Mangan contributed to this report.Democratic candidate Kyrsten Sinema speaks to supporters after officially winning the U.S. Senate race at the Omni Montelucia resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S., November 12, 2018.

The Republican Party's difficulties in the traditionally red state of Arizona aren't likely to end with the election of Democrat Kyrsten Sinema to the U.S. Senate, according to a longtime political advisor to late Sen. John McCain.

Mark Salter, who was a confidant to and co-author for the Republican Arizona lawmaker and Washington icon for decades, responded to Sinema's victory, which became apparent nearly a week after Election Day, by breaking down what it meant for President Donald Trump and the GOP in the state.

Read more: Here are the seven senators most likely to lose their seats in 2020

His prognosis isn't good for Republicans  particularly if they tie themselves tightly to Trump, as Sinema's opponent, Martha McSally, did during the campaign.

"Trump, who barely won AZ two years ago, is even more disliked there now," Salter wrote, suggesting it could get worse for the president when he is up for re-election in two years. Salter, like McCain, is known to be critical of Trump.

Salter tweet 1

Salter tweet 2

Salter tweet 3

The numbers back up Salter's argument about Trump's favorability and performance in the state. According to polling from Morning Consult, Trump had a net positive approval rating of 2 percentage points in Arizona in October, sharply down from 20 in January 2017, when he took office.

Trump won Arizona in 2016 by a margin of about 3.5 percentage points. It was a surprisingly small victory, given that Republicans have a strong presidential track record there. They have won the state in all but one election year dating to 1952. (Bill Clinton edged Bob Dole there in 1996.)President Donald Trump's top economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, on Tuesday disavowed comments from White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, who last week lambasted Wall Street influence in U.S.-China trade negotiations in comments that helped weaken the stock market.

"He was not speaking for the president, nor was he speaking for the administration," Kudlow told CNBC on Tuesday. "His remarks were way off base. They were not authorized by anybody. I actually think he did the president a great disservice."

"I think Peter very badly misspoke," added Kudlow, who took over as director of the National Economic Council earlier this year. "He was freelancing and he's not representing the president or the administration."

The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Navarro, known for his hawkish economic views toward China, has encouraged Trump's tough talk with Beijing throughout an escalating trade war between the two countries. He doubled down on his aggressive tone last week, saying any agreement between the two countries will be on Trump's terms and not subject to Wall Street intervention.President Donald Trump's administration is looking at a multifaceted infrastructure plan, according to top White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow on Tuesday.

"We are looking at infrastructure in many different ways," Kudlow said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street."

"I'd like to do energy infrastructure. I'd like to do pipeline," Kudlow said. "I'd like to do anything that will help LNG, terminals, shipping. We'd like to revise the U.S. shipping industry, which has been dormant for many years. We'd like to export oil, natural gas to Europe and to Asia."

There are early signs that European leaders would be willing to support the building of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, import terminals. New terminals could lead to an increase of American LNG exported to the continent. Trump met with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in July, and boosting natural gas trade was one of the top issues.

"They want LNG, they want it badly, and we're going to do everything we can to accommodate them," Kudlow said.

As the U.S. continues trade talks with Europe, the Trump administration has continued to push its European allies to import more LNG. The U.S. is also urging Europe to reduce its reliance on Russian state-controlled companies for natural gas transported by pipeline. Russia dominates Europe's supply of natural gas. But the U.S. is making some early inroads into the European market, as the German government offered support to build an LNG terminal in northern Germany.

Trump has made infrastructure a priority in domestic politics as well. A day after the 2018 midterm elections, Trump said he hopes to work with congressional Democrats on infrastructure. Members of both the Republican and Democratic parties have called for improvements to the country's aging bridges, roads and airports.

WATCH: CNBC's full interview with White House advisor Larry KudlowIn response to CNBC's request for comment, Boeing said it is "confident in the safety of the 737 MAX."

That aircraft feature is the automated stall-prevention system found on Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 models, the Journal reported, citing industry sources including safety experts, aviation regulators and airline pilots.

Boeing failed to warn the airline industry about a potentially dangerous feature in its a new flight-control system that is suspected of playing a role in the fatal Lion Air crash in Indonesia last month, The Wall Street Journal reported late on Monday.

"We are taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this incident, working closely with the investigating team and all regulatory authorities involved," a spokeswoman said in an email.

The system in question is designed to help pilots avoid raising a plane's nose too high, which can cause it to stall, according to the report. The potential fault in the system is that it can push the plane's nose down "unexpectedly and so strongly" that pilots can't pull it back up even when flying manually, the report said. It added that when that happens, the plane could dive or crash.

Boeing revealed the possible fault in a bulletin to airlines about a week after the Lion Air crash, the report indicated.

Lion Air's new Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed into the Java Sea last month shortly after taking off from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport. The plane was carrying 189 people, including crew.

For the full report on Boeing's flight control feature, read The Wall Street Journal.

Watch: Airline seats really are getting smallerMacy's is testing smaller stores to slash expenses on staffing and inventory, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The department store chain currently is trying the idea at four locations, including at Stamford Town Center in Connecticut, to cut its real estate by as much as a fifth there and turn those shops into "neighborhood stores." It mimics similar initiatives already taken by rivals Kohl's and Nordstrom. Kohl's is dividing some of its bigger stores to allow room for new tenants like grocer Aldi, while Nordstrom is trying a small-shop concept known as Nordstrom Local in Los Angeles. Even mall operators like Macerich are looking at store space in a new way, rolling out stores that showcase a number of brands for a short period.

"If your store is too big and your dollars per square feet are too low and you can't lease the space to someone else, then you've got to hive off a floor," Macy's CEO Jeff Gennette told the Journal in an interview. "If we were building stores today, we'd build them smaller."

Not needing so many locations  and with some being unprofitable  Macy's in early 2017 shut 100 stores as it's been working to whittle down its real estate. It's also been working with Brookfield Asset Management to allow the real estate firm to redevelop all or part of 50 select properties. Macy's had roughly 690 locations, including those under the Bloomingdale's banner, still open as of the latest quarter.

Macy's "neighborhood stores" will reportedly have more self-service options and an area dedicated to picking up online orders. It's unclear what Macy's will do with the space leftover after the store shrinks in size. A spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Macy's, meanwhile, has set aside about 350 of its more productive stores to get a facelift, including expanded merchandise, remodeled dressing rooms, Starbucks coffee shops, couches for lounging and more, Gennette told the Journal. He said sales at these newly renovated "magnet stores" are surpassing expectations already.

Macy's is set to report fiscal third-quarter earnings before the bell on Wednesday, when it is planning to discuss its real estate strategy in greater detail.Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and President Donald Trump are seen following a meeting at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., July 20, 2017.

WASHINGTON  Secretary of Defense James Mattis will travel to Texas on Wednesday to visit troops currently deployed in support of the Southwest border mission.

Mattis' trip comes amid a significant active-duty troop presence along the U.S. border with Mexico to deter a caravan of migrants seeking asylum.

The Department of Defense estimates that more than 7,000 troops will be positioned in California, Arizona and Texas in support of the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection. In which case, the border mission, will have a larger U.S. military footprint than the combined efforts in Iraq and Syria.

What's more, President Donald Trump said he was prepared to deploy as many as 15,000 service members to the border, a move that would be on par with the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan, which remains America's longest war.

"I'll visit the border tomorrow," Mattis told reporters Tuesday before meeting his Qatari counterpart at the Pentagon. "We'll update you on costs [associated with border mission] as they become known," he added.

Last week, CNBC learned that the price tag for the troop deployment is shaping up to have a cost of $220 million, according to two U.S. defense officials who were not authorized to speak publicly.With any new role, it can be easy to feel out of your depth.

Studies suggest that as many as 70 percent of people have suffered from a sense of inadequacy, or "imposter syndrome," at some stage in their lives. And it turns out, that's no different if you're the first lady of the United States.

Michelle Obama, in her new book "Becoming," reveals that she felt "overwhelmed," "unworthy" and "uncertain of [her] purpose" when her husband's appointment as president propelled her to become the country's first African-American first lady.

In fact, Obama said it wasn't until two months in, when she met with a group of schoolgirls from north London, that she figured out the real purpose of her role.

"At this point, I'd been first lady for just over two months," Obama writes in her memoir, released on Tuesday. "In different moments, I'd felt overwhelmed by the pace, unworthy of the glamour, anxious about our children, and uncertain of my purpose."

It was early 2009, and the Obamas were in the U.K. on their first official overseas visit. While President Barack Obama was meeting with officials, the then-first lady was invited to a government-funded, all-girls secondary school in London's Islington neighborhood. Like herself, the majority of the girls there were ethnic minorities from modest backgrounds.An oil tanker sits beside transfer pipes at a terminal as it prepares to unload its cargo of fuel on July 4, 2018 in Zhoushan, China.

Global energy demand is set to skyrocket over the next two decades, OPEC said in its latest annual outlook, with India and China the most important contributors to this growth.

In the influential oil cartel's 2018 World Oil Outlook (WOO), the group said it expects total primary energy demand to surge around 33 percent from 2015 levels.

Driven almost entirely by developing countries  most notably India and China  demand is expected to increase at an average annual growth rate of nearly 2 percent, reaching 365 million carrels per day (bpd) in 2040.

"Energy demand in India and China in this period is forecast to increase by 22 million bpd and 21 million bpd, respectively, which is more than 50 percent of the energy demand growth in developing countries during this period," OPEC said in the report.

At present, energy market participants are increasingly concerned about a slowdown in the global economy, escalating trade tensions, emerging market countries' currency weakness and the potential fallout this could have on oil demand.

Last month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its outlook for the world economy in 2018-19 by 0.2 percentage points to 3.7 percent.There's a magic number that can complicate your open enrollment process: $120,000.

If you earned that much or more in 2018 from a business, the IRS considers you a "highly compensated employee," or HCE, of that company. (In 2019, the threshold will rise to $125,000.) That HCE designation also automatically applies if you owned more than 5 percent of the business at any time in that preceding year.

Further, employers can elect to consider you a highly compensated employee if your pay puts you among the top 20 percent of employees.

Becoming an HCE, however, can require extra planning at open enrollment.

Highly compensated workers are often subject to reduced contribution limits or access to certain pre-tax benefits  notably, 401(k) plans and dependent care flexible spending accounts. They may also have an opportunity during open enrollment to sign up for something called a deferred compensation arrangement, whereby the company holds a portion of their salary to be paid out at a later date.

"Don't just assume your open enrollment choices are the same as last year," said certified financial planner Carolyn McClanahan, director of financial planning for Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida.

More from Personal Finance:

Avoid making these three bad assumptions during Medicare open enrollment

Investors welcome rising interest rates, despite Trump's resistance

Employment scams are on the rise in tight labor market

Restrictions on highly compensated workers stem from so-called non-discrimination tests, which the IRS requires retirement plans and certain benefit offerings to pass every year to maintain their tax advantages. Broadly speaking, the tests compare how HCEs and non-HCEs are making use of those programs, to ensure the highly paid workers aren't disproportionately benefiting, said Nicole Wruck, national health leader at benefits administrator Alight.

"The burden is on the plan sponsor to make sure they pass those IRS tests," she said.

Roughly 15 percent to 20 percent of companies curb highly compensated employees' 401(k) contributions in some way to keep their plans from failing those nondiscrimination tests, said Rob Austin, head of research for Alight.

"What is kind of an interesting angle is, these people who are newly highly compensated," he said. "Crossing over the threshold, it can be jarring to see the percentage of pay you can contribute drop."

How companies handle that cutoff varies. Some plans cap highly paid workers' contributions either upfront or at some point during the year, Austin said. About 12 percent return excess pre-tax contributions to workers as taxable pay after the plan year ends, according to the Plan Sponsor Council of America's annual survey of profit sharing and 401(k) plans.China is committed to opening up its insurance sector just as it's indicated, but it will be on its own time, said Mike Wells, Prudential Group CEO on Tuesday.

"Beijing is saying they have a plan for greater opening, and I think like everything in China the time frame is misaligned with U.S. time frames," Wells told CNBC at the Singapore FinTech Festival.

"You're not going to succeed across Asia if you're not successful in China," Wells said.

Prudential, Britain's largest insurer, has been expanding into China for years. Prudential has a 50-50 joint venture with Chinese conglomerate Citic.

"We have licenses in about 70 percent of the economic footprint now with China, so our biggest challenge is growing into that footprint quickly," Wells said.

China said this year it would accelerate a plan to lift the foreign ownership restriction in life insurance companies to 51 percent and eventually fully scrap the restriction.

"I think China's not looking for a flood of foreign models, insurers and management teams in the market but they are saying 'We want the expertise, the products, the capabilities,'" he said.

Since August, there have been media reports that China's most valuable insurer Ping An Insurance Group is looking to buy Prudential's Asian business.

Last month, Prudential's Asia chief executive, Nic Nicandrou, said the insurer had not received any offer for the regional business.

Asked about the Ping An deal, Wells said he was unable to comment on mergers and acquisitions, but that Prudential now has its hands full spinning off its U.K. business.

"It's not off the table but ... our days are pretty full right now," Wells said.

 Reuters contributed to this report.Howard Davies, chairman of British bank RBS, told CNBC on Tuesday that the U.K. risks a slowdown to its economy if uncertainty over Brexit continues.

In October, the Royal Bank of Scotland said it had set aside, as an impairment provision, 100 million pounds ($128 million), in order to account for economic uncertainties - Brexit being the biggest concern for the British lender.

"If we get continued political uncertainty for some period, which is now quite possible, then I think we may see a weakening in the U.K. economy," he told CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche at the UBS European Conference.

Davies added that the bank is seeing a slowdown in the pipeline of loan applications for investment as businesses wait on the outcome of Brexit. "If you have a choice to invest or not invest in present circumstances, I think sitting on your hands looks like a prudent strategy."

Davies said the probability of a "no-deal" Brexit, where Britain crashes out of the European Union with no trade agreement in place, had not increased in his view.

But he cautioned, the chances had risen that U.K. leader Theresa May's proposal, known as the "Chequers plan," would likely fail the test of fellow lawmakers. The RBS chairman said a prepackaged deal was starting to look like an option.

"Some kind of continued customs union but nothing special for the U.K., or as people are taling about a potential Norway option," he said.

Davies said Theresa May was sticking fast to her plan as she was likely receiving a lot of advice to say that a no deal Brexit "really could be a mess."

"I'd be very surprised any prime minister, however 'Brexit-enthusiastic' they may be, faced with that advice would say well you know what you can say that, but I'm just going to go for it."A deal has been struck to install tidal kite technology in waters surrounding the Faroe Islands.



The agreement, between Swedish marine energy business Minesto and Faroese power firm SEV, encompasses the installation, commissioning and operation of two of Minesto's DG100 models.



SEV has also committed to buy the electricity produced by the technology through a power purchase agreement, Minesto said in a statement Monday.



Weighing between one and two tons, the DG100 model has a wing span of four to six meters and a power rating of up to 100 kilowatts.



Minesto's technology harnesses underwater current, which creates a hydrodynamic lift force on its wings, pushing it upwards. A rudder steers the kite in a figure of eight trajectory and as it "flies", water flows through the turbine, producing electricity.



"As a remote island society, we don't have the option of buying electricity from neighboring countries," Hakun Djurhuus, SEV's CEO, said in a statement.



"For the last year, we have carried out tidal stream measurements, as tidal energy at the right cost level can be one important piece of the puzzle," Djurhuus went on to add.



A site for the installation of Minesto's technology has been identified in Vestmannasund, a strait in the north west of the Faroe Islands. The first unit is to be installed at the end of 2019 or beginning of 2020, while the second will be installed in 2020.



The European Commission has described "ocean energy" as being both abundant and renewable. Ocean energy could potentially contribute around 10 percent of the European Union's power demand by 2050, according to the Commission.The U.S. trade spat with China and other countries is having a negative impact on business decisions and passing on the cost to investors and consumers as a result, the leader of a top trade organization has said.

"What I hear businesses say is that this is having an impact on the decisions they make, on the business decisions they make; that they are not making investment decisions because they fear that the turbulence is too high," Arancha Gonzalez, executive director of the International Trade Center, told CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche on Tuesday.

"I hear small businesses saying they have to absorb costs that are going to mean a lot for their bottom line simply because there is no way they can pass this onto consumers and then I hear other companies saying we are passing this onto consumers there's no way we can absorb this," she added.

"So all I know is this is negative, negative, negative: negative for business, negative for investors and negative for consumers. And if there was an issue about fairness in international trade, we haven't yet solved it."

The Trump administration has engaged in a tense war of both words and action with China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union over the past few months, both threatening and imposing trade tariffs on the basis that existing trade arrangements put the U.S. on an unequal footing.

The U.S. managed to secure a deal with Mexico and Canada to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) following talks that went down to the wire in late September. However, Washington has not yet settled separate battles with Beijing and Brussels.

On Monday, Bloomberg News reported that President Trump plans to meet with his trade team to discuss a draft report on tariffs for European autos. The president has previously said he thinks the European Union is "almost as bad as China, just smaller."Looking to draw tech workers, creatives and other digital nomads, Tulsa, Oklahoma has created Tulsa Remote, a special program that offers $10,000 grants to eligible applicants who commit to living in the city for a year and working remotely.

Eligible workers receive access to additional benefits, including a co-working space that comes with complimentary snacks and beverages, as well as monthly meetups and workshops with fellow members and Tulsa entrepreneurs.

Program participants will also have the option of living in a new, fully-furnished apartment for a discounted rent, plus free utilities for the first three months.

Money from each grant will be distributed throughout the course of one year. Participants will receive an initial $2,500 for relocation expenses, a $500 monthly stipend and a final payout of $1,500 once the program is completed.

By enticing young professionals to stay for at least one year, the city hopes that newcomers will decide to remain in Tulsa long term and shape the community by starting new businesses, launching non-profits or even running for political office, says Ken Levit, an executive director at the George Kaiser Family Foundation, a group that works to tackle pressing issues in the Tulsa community and is partnering with the city on this initiative.

While the program seeks strong workers from the tech sector, adds Levit, it also hopes to draw a broad array of "dynamic and talented" applicants, such as corporate recruiters, researchers and writers.

Tulsa Remote began accepting applications today. To be eligible, applicants must provide proof of employment, be 18 or older, work for a business that's based outside of Tulsa County, and pledge to move to and live in Tulsa for a minimum of one year.

Participants can live in the City of Tulsa or in the county. Those who live in the county must work out of the co-working space the program has provided. The program will start with small groups of around 10 to 15 people at a time, Levit says. Eventually, he adds, the city hopes to have up to 300 remote workers in the program.

Tulsa joins a growing list of U.S. cities looking to attract young professionals, a list that includes: Baltimore, Maryland; St. Clair County, Michigan; and Marquette, Kansas.

Similarly, Vermont signed a bill into law last May that will pay workers $10,000 to move to the state and work remotely for an out-of-state employer.

"Remote workers have an economy already that they'll be bringing with them," says Levit. "We want to target folks who show promise."

Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube!

Don't miss: 8 U.S. cities that will pay you to move thereThe European banking system needs consolidation and "as time goes by, it will become more and more inevitable," the head of one of the largest banks in Europe told CNBC on Tuesday.

Often investors, policy-makers and other industry experts refer to fragmentation as one of the biggest hurdles to profitability in European banks. UBS chief Sergio Ermotti told CNBC in an exclusive interview at the UBS European Conference that the issue is "not sustainable."

"That's something that as time goes by will become more and more inevitable, is part of the solutions. For sure consolidation needs to happen, in particular in Europe, where we see a lot of fragmentation that it is not sustainable," Ermotti told CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche.

He further added that technology will make the sector more "effective and more efficient."

European banks have suffered from a trust deficit and have struggled to convince investors, since the global financial crisis. Since the start of the year, the European banking index is down about 20 percent.

Going forward it is hard to predict how investors will see European banks, Ermotti told CNBC.

"Difficult to predict sentiment and investors' approach. I think it is quite clear that investors are very reluctant to invest in our sector," he said. "I do respect the merits and a more balanced approach to valuations in our industry but we have to recognize this is a very challenging moment," he added.

Banks have had to deal with several crisis-legacy issues, such as bad loans, amid a low-interest rate environment and tougher regulations.The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is investigating several reports of bright lights and unidentified flying objects (UFOs) that were seen by commercial airline pilots last Friday off the south-west coast of Ireland.

A British Airways pilot contacted Shannon air traffic control on November 5, asking if there were military exercises being carried out in the area as there was something "moving so fast" but she was told there were none, according to a record of the conversation published on Airlive, a website for plane enthusiasts.

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Flying from Montreal to Heathrow airport in England, the pilot of the Boeing 787 said there was a "very bright light" and the object had come up along the left side of the aircraft before it "rapidly veered to the north" and the "disappeared at a very high speed." She said there was no likely collision with the object.

Air traffic controllers said there was nothing showing on their radars.

Shortly afterwards, another pilot from a Virgin plane also reported "multiple objects following the same sort of trajectory" and that they were very bright. He described it as a "meteor or another object making some kind of re-entry."

Airlive said another pilot also reported a sighting.

The IAA told CNBC on Tuesday that it had filed a report on the matter:

"Following reports from a small number of aircraft on Friday 9th November of unusual air activity the IAA has filed a report. This report will be investigated under the normal confidential occurrence investigation process," it said.U.S. shale oil producers would need to add the equivalent of Russia's entire crude oil production within just seven years to head off a global shortage, according to a global energy watchdog.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said Tuesday there will be robust demand growth for oil over the next few years driven by the rise in industry, aviation, and petrochemical needs

But Fatih Birol, the executive director of the Paris-based group, told CNBC's Street Signs that because of the current low number of newly approved drilling projects in countries such as Saudi Arabia or Russia, the world can expect a supply crunch developing by the mid-2020s.

The economist said while some have pointed to the ability of U.S. shale oil to make up the difference, that theory would be severely tested as between now and 2025, the U.S would need to add more than 10 million barrels per day.

"In other words, the U.S. needs to add one single Russia in seven years time in order to avoid a major tightening in the markets," said Birol before adding, "It can happen but it would be be a small miracle."

The group's annual World Energy Outlook, published on Tuesday, predicted energy demand to grow by more than a quarter between 2017 and 2040. That figure doubles if there is no improvement from current levels of energy efficiency.

In the near term, however, concerns about oversupply have sent oil prices skidding lower.

Oil prices fell by around 1 percent on Tuesday, with Brent crude sliding below $70 and WTI below $60 per barrel, after U.S. President Donald Trump put pressure on OPEC not to cut supplies to prop up the market.

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Both oil price benchmarks have shed more than 20 percent in value since early October.

Birol told CNBC that while it was not his job to comment on the opinion of Trump, there was some merit to keeping prices at lower levels. But Birol said he was hearing from "lots of different corners" that it is time to go back and cut the production and push the prices up.

"I would be very careful to wish to see, even from the producers' point of view, prices go back up again and creating a serious challenge for global economic growth," he said.

The IEA executive director said lower prices were crucial to providing a boost to economic growth, especially in big oil-buying countries such as India.Top White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said Tuesday the U.S. is talking with China again on trade.

"I think that's very, very, very positive," he said, confirming reports that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has restarted trade talks with his Chinese counterpart.

President Donald Trump said Nov. 1 he had a conversation with China's President Xi Jinping, and the two sides plan to discuss trade at the Nov. 30-Dec.1 G-20 summit of world leaders in Argentina. Talks between the U.S. and China had stalled this fall amid an escalating tariff battle.

Kudlow made the remarks in an interview with CNBC's David Faber.

The communications right now are at all levels of the U.S. and China governments, and Kudlow said he has spoken to Mnuchin about it as part of their preparation for the summit.

Kudlow added that the U.S. is in "very good" communications with the European Union and with Japan, as well.

"We're moving ahead on trade discussions."

WATCH: CNBC's full interview with White House advisor Larry KudlowNational Security Advisor John Bolton answers questions from reporters as he announces that the U.S. will withdraw from a treaty with Iran during a news conference in the White House briefing room in Washington, October 3, 2018.

A European initiative aimed at bypassing U.S. sanctions on Iran is unlikely to meaningfully help the Islamic Republic, according to White House National Security Advisor John Bolton.

"We think the government is under real pressure and it's our intention to squeeze them very hard," Bolton told media in Singapore on Tuesday, expressing confidence that Washington's latest measures against Iran would put significantly pressure on its economy. "As the British say, squeeze them until the pips squeak."

Several international corporations already decided to end their dealings with Tehran in May, when President Donald Trump announced that he would be re-imposing sanctions on Iran.

"The position of some European governments is different from the position of their businesses," he said, suggesting that European firms were unlikely to do business with the Islamic state even if the initiative was introduced.

The initiative  known as a "special purpose vehicle"  aims to facilitate payments related to Iran's exports and imports despite sanctions by the U.S.

The bulk of European companies have more commercial links with the U.S. than with Iran, and it remains unclear how much impact the special purpose vehicle would have.

The Iran nuclear accord was implemented in January 2016. Formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, it removed international sanctions on the country in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But when Trump abandoned the accord in May, European leaders scrambled to save the deal.

Bolton, a former U.S Ambassador to the United Nations, and Vice President Mike Pence are in Singapore this week for the ASEAN-U.S. Summit as well as the East Asia Summit. They will also be heading to Papua New Guinea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum later this month.

Asian heavyweights such as Japan, China, India and South Korea will still be allowed to purchase Iranian crude, having been granted exemptions by Washington. But those exemptions are on a six-month basis so any trade flows between Iran and Asia will be temporary, Bolton said.

Washington will ensure sanctions are properly enforced, Bolton continued, adding that new sanctions aimed at tightening counter-terrorism could also be introduced. The U.S. has been in discussions with a number of European countries on that matter following allegations of an Iranian assassination attempt in Denmark, Bolton said.The oil market is undergoing a stunning reversal as crude futures wipe out this year's gains after hitting their highest levels since 2014 just six weeks ago. The slump reflects a fundamental change in the outlook for the oil prices. A month ago, traders were concerned that a looming shortage of oil would push crude futures to $100 a barrel. Now, supply is expected to swamp demand at the start of 2019. As a result, oil prices have plunged more than $20 a barrel since the start of October, when Brent crude rose to nearly $87 a barrel and U.S. crude traded just shy of $77. Both benchmarks are now trading firmly in bear market territory, having fallen more than 20 percent from their 52-week highs. Along the way, U.S. crude has posted its longest losing streak since it began trading in New York more than three decades ago. The contract has now fallen for 12 consecutive sessions. It settled at $55.69 on Tuesday, its lowest closing price since Nov. 16, 2017. The roots of the pullback can be traced back to the most recent rally itself. At the peak of the run-up, many energy analysts said oil prices never should have risen so far so fast. Crude futures rose to four-year highs on Oct. 3 as the market braced for renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran, OPEC's third biggest producer. Through September, the threat of sanctions wiped about 800,000 barrels a day off the market, fueling speculation that some oil importers would struggle to find supplies.

Stock market sell-off

That left oil prices vulnerable to a pullback just as the stock market was about to sell off. One week after crude futures struck their highs, two-thirds of the stocks in the plunged into correction territory. That kicked off a broad market rout that saw investors shed risk assets, including crude futures. Oil and stocks do not always move in tandem, but the assets were closely correlated during last month's sell-off. Right around the same time that investors started dumping stocks and commodities, concerns about faltering oil demand sharpened.

Weaker consumption outlook

In October, both OPEC and the International Energy Agency said oil consumption would grow less than previously forecast, pointing to signs of slowing global economic growth due to trade tensions, rising interest rates and weak emerging market currencies. Forecasters grew particularly concerned about oil demand deteriorating in places like India, Turkey and Indonesia as oil prices hit new highs in October. "For many developing countries, higher international prices coincide with currencies depreciating against the U.S. dollar, so the threat of economic damage is more acute," the International Energy Agency said last month. The U.S. dollar has risen nearly 3 percent against a basket of currencies over the last two months. That makes crude oil, which is sold in dollars, more expensive to holders of other currencies.

Rising output

Meanwhile, the world's top three oil producers are pumping at or near all-time highs and the 15-member OPEC cartel is in the middle of a coordinated production increase. U.S. output has topped 11 million barrels per day in recent months, while Russia is pumping at post-Soviet era highs at roughly the same level. Saudi Arabia has trailed just behind at 10.6 million bpd in October. OPEC, along with Russia and several other producers, began capping their output in January 2017 to drain a global crude glut and end a punishing oil price downturn. However, they agreed to reverse course and hike output in June after cutting output more than they intended. The rising production and weakening demand outlook now has much of the market convinced that supply will outstrip the world's appetite for oil early next year.

Iran waivers

The Trump administration's decision to allow eight countries to continue importing Iranian crude for the next six months has also relieved upward pressure on oil prices. "That really messed up the calculus" for OPEC and its oil market allies, said John Kilduff, founding partner at energy hedge fund Again Capital. The group was pumping more oil to offset the anticipated drop in Iranian exports, but "the waivers really undercut that," Kilduff said. "They worked so hard over the last few years to balance the market. They sort of tripped into an oversupply situation," he told CNBC.Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST

Bazaar Corporate Radar

Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar.Gisela Stuart is Chair of Change Britain. She is a former Health Minister.

Successful or not, these are the final days of Theresa Mays negotiations and, as with all EU negotiations, they are getting heated as time runs out. So far, so predictable. But as the media focuses ever more tightly on Downing Street and the Commons, and MPs tour studios promoting solutions from second votes with two options or second votes with three options to Norway, EEA, the Customs Union, a customs union, backstops and backstops to backstops, it may be a good time to remember what this is all about.

Its about implementing a direct mandate given to the Government and MPs in Parliament by the people they entrusted with the decision of whether we should remain in the European Union or leave. It was to be a generational decision  accompanied by the promise that whatever they decided, the Prime Minister would implement.

The mandate then was and still is to leave the European Union. That means that the UK has the final say on laws, borders, taxes and trade deals. The mandate, delivered in the referendum on a turnout of 72 per cent and with a clear majority of 3.8 per cent, was accepted by the two main political parties in the 2017 general election. The Liberal Democrats, who promised to overturn the referendum, were trounced.

Parliament endorsed the time table by voting to trigger Article 50, thus giving the Government two years to complete a Withdrawal Agreement before the end of the multi annual financial framework, the European Parliamentary elections and a new EU Commission.

Now, as the months count down, the deal that the Government is trying to secure is being rejected by MPs who campaigned for Leave and Remain alike. No one deal, we are told, is capable of winning a majority in Parliament. Brexit is unworkable. The whole project was doomed from the start. We need another referendum, where we can change our minds and vote to go back in.

Three observations may help to add clarity. Whilst politicians in Westminster have argued with themselves, there is no evidence that the public has changed its mind. Another vote would undermine the validity of the first, but probably produce the same result. Fearing that outcome, some are already proposing a vote with multiple options and an alternative voting system, overlooking the irony that AV was rejected in an earlier referendum.

The EU has identified and pursued its strategic goals and remained united. UK negotiators have failed to split EU capitals from one another and from the Commission, while at the same time seeming ready to compromise at every opportunity to avoid the appearance of conflict. Our political classes have been out-performed. They have lacked clarity of purpose and vision. Even basic skills of political management and analysis have seemed woefully lacking.

One reason that the political classes were so surprised by the 2016 vote to Leave is because it was in part a referendum on their failure to understand or engage with the experience of ordinary voters in towns and villages across the country, and on their tendency to get stuck within their own unconscious bias about what ought to be in the best interest of the majority of the UK.

The referendum offered a second chance; an opportunity to start listening, think about national renewal and to bring politics home to communities across the country as we took back control from the EU. Instead, political leaders in Westminster are signalling they have learned very little from 2016.

What is to be done? Chequers and the backstop do not allow us to leave the EU, and there is a real danger that if we fail to deliver Brexit the breakdown of trust between London and the rest of the country will be hard to repair. In Westminster, the hope will be that Parliament can take control, postpone Brexit so that we can have another referendum or have time for a change in government to refresh the negotiating team.

The most significant point of Jo Johnsons resignation statement was his reference to the failure of statecraft. He was right. As Mervyn King put it recently, you have to ask yourself how the worlds sixth largest economy, with a reputation for political stability and administrative capacity, has got itself into such a mess. If government, the civil service and MPs are unable to deliver Brexit, the correct diagnosis is not that Brexit is impossible, but rather that our politicians have failed.

Its not too late. There is still time for a change in policy, for adoption of a comprehensive free trade deal on offer from the EU and applied to the entire UK, which even now could provide a way forward. Faster and more comprehensive preparation for departure on WTO terms would both strengthen the UKs negotiating position and give us another way out as an independent and self-governing country.

Such a change, however, requires a grasp of statecraft we have so far found lacking. It is what the people voted for  but we may find our political class are found wanting.Henry Newman is Director of Open Europe.

Without a breakthrough on Brexit over the next few days, there may be no November summit, and the prospect of a deal will slip back to December. It will still be possible to get something through Parliament if one is agreed pre-Christmas  and perhaps even into the New Year. But the delay means that some of the Governments No Deal plans will need to be switched on. Im told that these are more advanced than is often believed, and that Dominic Raab has taken a particular interest in ramping up preparations since his appointment.

Senior figures in the European Commission are concerned that as No Deal plans are activated (on both sides), theres a danger that we get set on a slippery path towards such an outcome. No Deal could become self-fulfilling. But many of the mitigation measures for No Deal simply cant be turned on at the last second.

At this point, it is hard to be definitive about what will happen over the next few weeks. A deal is almost done between the negotiators, with just the backstop left to resolve. The draft Political Declaration is largely agreed, ready and waiting in a Whitehall cupboard. Agreement seems within grasp  as briefings from Brussels to the Financial Times yesterday suggest. But although the Prime Minister is determined to secure a deal, she hasnt yet been able to get the negotiating teams over the line. On Sunday, the talks reportedly continued until close to 3am, yet left substantial issues still to overcome.

It may just not be possible to find a way through. Some have assumed that Theresa May would ultimately cave in. But as Damian Green put it a few weeks ago, a bad version of the backstop would be worse than no deal.

There are few MPs advocating No Deal as a preference. And theres certainly no majority demanding that the Prime Minister just pick up her papers and walking away from the table. But what if May stood up in Parliament and explained how she had sought compromise and considered unpalatable options, but that she simply could not agree to a backstop which divided the UK? Some MPs clearly prefer any deal to no deal, but its not clear how Parliament would actually act in a circumstance where a Unionist Prime Minister refused to agree to something she described as unacceptable, particularly if it created new internal barriers.

Overall, Brussels has consistently said that if theres no agreement on the backstop, there can be no so-called side deals. The Commission say its Deal or No Deal. All paths to a deal, they insist, come via a backstop. If we dont agree to the backstop there can be no other agreements in areas such as aviation, data, or citizens rights. Nor can there be a No Deal Plus option unless the EU changes its mind on side deals.

A No Deal No Deal  exit without any side agreements  would mean that the EU was willing to treat the UK in a manner akin to North Korea, rather than as a partner and close ally. Its hard to see this situation lasting, with Ireland in particular in line for a huge economic shock, and an enormous hole blown in the Commissions budget. Open Europes research has shown that over the medium term, No Deal would have a limited effect on the UKs growth rate, especially if the Government took mitigatory steps. But the extent of the short-term disruption of No Deal, for both the UK and EU, will depend on whether Brussels holds to its no-side-deals mantra.

Although a deal isnt certain, its within grasp. And if it is agreed, and passes Cabinet with the Government still broadly intact, then my hunch is that it will ultimately pass Parliament. Despite Keir Starmers insistence on his impossible six tests, the Labour leadership shows little real interest in trying to reverse Brexit. And if the EU (and with them the Irish Government) are happy that the backstop protects Northern Ireland  which by definition they would be if they sign off on a deal  would Labour really turn round and say they disagreed with them? Voting down the deal would also mean attacking jeopardising citizens rights and the transition which Labour claim they called for in the first place. We now expect that a Brexit deal will mean a UK customs union for as long as it takes to negotiate a new relationship, which addresses another of Labours objections.

Its always seemed possible to me that Labour ultimately wont stand in the way of a deal in Parliament. Of course oppositions like to oppose, and there are examples of how in the past Labour was willing to use Europe as a stick with which to beat a Conservative Government. But voting against the Maastricht Treaty didnt risk imploding our relationship with Europe. And Maastricht hadnt just been backed by the public in a referendum.

Some MPs like to think that Parliament will step in and control the process both in the event of No Deal and if a deal fails to pass the meaningful vote. But can the legislature really force the executive to pursue a path to which it is implacably opposed? Anyway, Article 50 means the UK leaves the EU, deal or not, at the end of March.

Thats not to say that things in Westminster wont get bumpy  potentially very bumpy  over the coming weeks. Its likely that if a deal is reached, endless amendments will be attached to the Withdrawal Agreement Implementation Bill. Its also possible that Parliament initially votes the deal down.

But I believe that if a deal passes Cabinet with the Government broadly intact, its likely to pass Parliament eventually, perhaps with rebels on both sides of the chamber. After all, that wouldnt be too unprecedented: the European Communities Act in 1972 only passed second reading by 309-301 with 39 Conservatives voting against the Government, and 68 Labour MPs backing the Government. The Opposition leader, Harold Wilson, accused the Prime Minister of failing to secure the full-hearted consent of Parliament and of not getting through on Tory votes in a majority of this House. Heath pressed ahead nonetheless.James Frayne is Director of Public First and author of Meet the People, a guide to moving public opinion.

Lord Finkelstein has been at the heart of debates about the future of the Conservative Party for two decades. A leading figure in the Partys modernising shift in the early 2000s, his voice still carries weight  not least as Chairman of the new Onward think tank. His Times column last week  which explored why Trump has been mostly successful electorally in the US  argued the following: Appealing more to white voters who are poorer, older and more culturally conservative may change the electoral map, but, unlike with Trump in 2016, not in the Conservatives favour. The party would lose marginal seats in prosperous areas while increasing the vote in safe Labour seats it cant win. In addition, as the country is becoming more liberal, more urban and more diverse, it would be foolish for the Conservatives to become less of each of these things.

Is he right? Certainly yes about the need to appeal to a diverse electorate in a multicultural Britain (which the vast majority of voters are rightly comfortable with). But what about the rest? We must ask four big questions. Firstly, what is the nature of the seats the Conservatives have a chance of taking? Secondly, what campaign issues would most likely appeal to voters in these seats? Thirdly, are these seats viable long-term Conservative holds (ie once Brexit is settled)? And, fourthly, is it possible to craft a campaign for these voters that has broader, national appeal  rather than alienating those that currently vote Conservative?

Lets look at the Conservatives target seats to begin with  ones where there is a realistic chance of taking them. Looking at the top 100 Conservative targets, where a swing of around eight per cent or less is needed, the vast majority are Labour-held. Of these seats, there are clearly some that fall into the affluent and/or urban category he describes. These include, for example, Kensington, Twickenham, and Oxford West. There are 27 seats where the median weekly wage is higher than the national median wage (of 570). However, on this list of target seats there are 73 where the median wage is at, or lower, than the national median. These include, for example, Bassetlaw, Bishop Auckland, Bolton North East and North West, Burnley, Bury North and South, Darlington, Dudley North, Newcastle under Lyme and Scunthorpe. Some of these average and less affluent seats are in cities, and some are in London. Some are highly diverse. But relatively few of them fit into the sorts of seats he describes as essentially being Labour-held no-hopers  and relatively few that are affluent liberal strongholds.

He is on stronger ground with his concerns about seats the Conservatives are defending. They include places like Finchley and Golders Green, Harrow West, Watford, Hendon and Wimbledon. But, again, theyre a mixed bag. They also include Broxtowe, Stoke-on-Trent South, Bolton West, Telford, Mansfield, Walsall North, Erewash and Sherwood. The Conservatives cannot just dump affluent suburbs and become a working class party. But on the basis of targets to attack and defend, it makes no sense to try to reboot Cameronism.

Lets look now at the sort of campaign themes that might appeal to these average and less affluent voters. Like it or not, they are more likely to have voted Leave, of course. Furthermore, these voters are more likely to say that immigration, law and order, housing and welfare are top issues for them. They are probably reasonably described as small-c conservatives, as Finkelstein suggests, although they arent classic big-C Conservatives. They remain permanently strong supporters of the NHS and dont back conventional ideas of a small state (much as they distrust politicians). Theres no denying that they would respond better to the sort of campaign that Finkelstein worries about.

Which brings us to the final two questions: are they temporary supporters? And can the Conservatives craft a campaign that prevents the defection of existing supporters?

On the first of these questions, its impossible to say for sure but the answer appears to be: not necessarily; in fact, they could be permanent supporters. Many of them have clearly come over to the Conservative Party because they assume the Conservatives support Brexit and Labour does not. However, disaffection with Labour seems fundamental. As I have written many times here, lots of Labours traditional working class supporters feel let down by Labour over their perceived weakness on issues like crime, border control and welfare reform. They also consider themselves to be simple patriots, and they find much of Corbyns past support for things like Irish Republicanism hard to stomach. And they dont believe that Labour helped to spread affluence across the country when they were in power. It would be too much  far too much  to suggest the Conservatives have locked these voters down, but they are in contention.

Finally, I strongly believe that the Conservatives can create a campaign that appeals both to voters in these Labour-held seats, as well as to those voters in the vast majority of those they still hold. While the Conservatives campaign came unstuck at the last election, its easy to forget that Theresa Mays early campaigning as Prime Minister was extremely successful  helping to establish massive leads over Labour. She was always clear about Brexit, even as a Remain voter and campaigner. She didnt revel in Brexit and ram it down Remainers throats. Her approach fused traditional Conservatism with a direct appeal to the sorts of working class and lower middle class voters that fill the sorts of target seats highlighted above. Furthermore, to a large extent, there are regular, encouraging flashes of this sort of successful campaigning now  with the focus on tougher messages on law and order, with more spending for the NHS, and so on.

Finkelstein cant be right that there is no mileage in going after small-c conservatives in Labour seats. This is surely the best place to look for new supporters and new seats. I also dont believe that a campaign should necessarily alienate most existing supporters. However, I do agree that such an approach is probably incompatible with an appeal to those urban, very liberal (almost in the American sense of the term) voters that self-consciously define in this way. I just happen to think that there are relatively small numbers of these voters that define themselves aggressively like this  and I fear that most are lost to the likes of Jeremy Corbyn anyway.Raab, Cox, Gove, Fox, Mordaunt  all these Cabinet members, and others, should resign tomorrow if necessary.

As this month began, we set five tests for any Brexit deal that Theresa May might recommend to her Cabinet members. They were as follows:

Would it hive off Northern Ireland? Will there be either an an exit date or a unilateral escape mechanism from the backstop?

Will there be either an an exit date or a unilateral escape mechanism from the backstop? Does it threaten to break up the Union? If there isnt, and Northern Ireland is effectively to be kept in the Single Market, wont that boost the SNPs campaign for Scottish independence  and the break-up of the Union?

If there isnt, and Northern Ireland is effectively to be kept in the Single Market, wont that boost the SNPs campaign for Scottish independence  and the break-up of the Union? Would it trap the country in a customs union? If Great Britain is to be put into a parallel customs union, will there be either an exit date or a unilateral escape mechanism from it?

If Great Britain is to be put into a parallel customs union, will there be either an exit date or a unilateral escape mechanism from it? Does it hand over money for nothing ? Since a future trade deal will be covered by an unenforceable political declaration  not the Withdrawal Agreement  what safeguards are there against shelling out 40 billion for nothing?

? Since a future trade deal will be covered by an unenforceable political declaration  not the Withdrawal Agreement  what safeguards are there against shelling out 40 billion for nothing? Chequers or Canada ? Given that the political declaration is likely to be written in vague, Cheqada terms, which future does it really point to  Chequers or Canada?

In the wake of the Prime Minister summoning Cabinet members for one-to-one meetings this evening, with a full Cabinet meeting due tomorrow, it is possible that there are reassuring answers to all these questions.

But it is also possible that, as we wrote then, the proposed deal would wreck the prospect of meaningful trade deals, hand over 40 billion for no bankable gain, and potentially threaten the break-up of the UK.

It is very unlikely that May has called that formal meeting of all Cabinet members tomorrow on the same basis that she previously called informal meetings of some of them  in other words, to test the water.

It looks as though she has summoned it to recommend whatever has been agreed by Sabine Weyand and Olly Robbins. Otherwise she would scarcely be calling some of its members one by one as we write.

I can rely on your support tomorrow, cant I, Dominic? (Or Penny; or Michael; or Penny: please insert a name of your choosing at will.) That is surely the purpose of these individual meetings  to square tomorrows Cabinet before it happens.

One can scarcely blame May for the attempt. But one would surely blame any Minister with doubts about whatever is being proposed  or even merely questions  if he or she does not answer in roughly the following terms.

Naturally, Prime Minister, I want to support you. But, obviously, I cant make any commitments until I have made a full timely study of the text of the proposal and the Attorney-Generals legal advice about it  500 pages of the Withdrawal Agreement alone, Im told.

I dont see how any of us will be in a position to do that on the basis of a few hours reading tomorrow morning and a Cabinet meeting tomorrow afternoon  because that doesnt give us enough time to undertake that full timely study.

If May then proposes, at tomorrows Cabinet meeting, that it immediately approve the draft deal, such Ministers would have no option but to seek to persuade the Cabinet as a whole to withold that approval  even if that means missing the November deadline for a summit.

On our count, Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Dominic Raab, Gavin Williamson, Liam Fox, Michael Gove, Chris Grayling, Esther McVey, Natalie Evans, David Mundell and Penny Mordaunt have all variously asked questions or expressed doubts about where the deal is going.

Add Liz Truss, Andrea Leadsom and Geoffrey Cox to the list  all these are entitled to attend Cabinet, though they are not full members  and one reaches 14 of a total of 29, just under half.

Of course, it is the Prime Minister who takes the voices and shapes Cabinet minutes: its members dont do anything so crude as cast votes. In short, if she is determined to make the proposed deal the basis for a summit, Cabinet members arent well placed to stop her.

Which leaves only one course open to them. If those resistant to approving any deal on the basis of a single meeting arent heeded, they will have no practicable alternative but to resign.

Our article of a month ago was headed: the Cabinet must stand ready to take back control. Tomorrow may be the last chance that its members have to do so.11/13/2018

Photo (c) krblokhin - Getty Images Starting November 14 and continuing through November 22, Prime members can snag a deal on Thanksgiving turkeys at Whole Foods

The company announced today that an organic turkey will cost $3.49/lb, while an antibiotic-free turkey will cost $2.49/lb. Prime members can save an extra 50 cents per pound on both turkeys, in addition to savings on other foods for holiday entertaining.

This Thanksgiving, Whole Foods Market and Amazon are working together to deliver exceptional value and quality to all our customers, with even more savings for Prime members, A.C. Gallo, President and COO at Whole Foods Market, said in a statement.

We want to be the go-to destination for both delicious and high-quality food and culinary expertise. Our butchers are a fantastic resource for tips on turkey prep and we have experts across the store to help make holiday entertaining easy.

Subscription offer

Amazon is hoping to get more consumers to sign up to become Prime members by offering $20 off their next Whole Foods in-store purchase of $20 or more when they join Prime.

Whole Foods is also extending its pickup and delivery times via Prime Now in select cities. On Thanksgiving Day, pickup is available until as late as 1 p.m. and delivery will be available as late as 2 p.m.

Customers can also reserve their turkeys in advance at wholefoodsmarket.com.

Amazon notes that its digital assistant Alexa can fill Prime members in on the latest Prime deals at Whole Foods Market. Customers can simply say, Alexa, what are my Whole Foods deals to hear the latest.

Amazon, which acquired Whole Foods Market in 2017, announced earlier this month that all customers -- not just Prime members -- can get free shipping without a minimum purchase requirement for the duration of the holiday season.We are analyzing the site. Please wait a few seconds..The global energy watchdog International Energy Agency (IEA) has called India's electrification of every village the greatest success story of 2018. In its latest report, World Energy Outlook 2018, the IEA has called India a "star performer" in terms of achieving the big milestone of the providing power to each village. "In particular, one of the greatest success stories in access to energy in 2018 was India completing the electrification of all of its villages," said the IEA. It added that countries like Indonesia and Bangladesh have also achieved the commendable electrification rate of 95% (up from 50% in 2000), and 80% (up from 20% in 2000), respectively.

This 643-page report by the IEA says over 120 million people worldwide gained access to electricity in 2017. For the first time ever, the total number of people without access fell below 1 billion, it said. The mega plan of providing electricity to 597,464 villages in India was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech in 2015. On April 28, 2018, PM Modi confirmed that India had achieved its goal ahead of schedule. "This is one of the greatest achievements in the history of energy," said the IEA.

Praising the Narendra Modi government for making efforts towards lighting up every village in India, the agency said: "Since 2000 around half a billion people have gained access to electricity in India, with political effort over the last five years significantly accelerating progress."

India's achievement of providing universal household electricity access will improve the lives of over 230 million people, said the IEA. For a start, electric lighting makes the use of candles, kerosene and other polluting fuels for lighting redundant, not only saving money (and providing more light) but also seriously improving health, it said.

Though the global energy agency has called India "a success story", and a "bright spot for energy access", it says huge challenges remain in other regions of the world where over 670 million people still live without electricity access. "90% of these people are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa," said the report.

Seven decades after independence and nearly three decades after India's economic liberalisation, the Modi government achieved the historic milestone of giving power to every single village of India, 12 days ahead of the deadline set by PM Modi. Leisang in Manipur became the last village to be connected to the grid.

The agency also praised India for tackling a related problem: access to clean cooking facilities. "While an estimated 780 million people in India rely on biomass for cooking, progress is emerging, as India is one of the few countries in the world targeting this "blind spot" of energy policy," it said.

Around 36 million LPG connections have been made since Prime Minister Modi and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme in May 2016 to provide free connections to families living below the poverty line. In India, around 50 million free LPG stoves and initial refills have been provided to poor households via this scheme since 2015. The government has set a target of providing LPG connections to 80 million households by 2020.

Edited by Manoj SharmaThe Biggest Network Headlines Of 2017

The networking world will remember 2017 as the year intent-based networking and software-defined WAN took center stage with plans of redefining the network. Next-generation technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence made its way into the industry as leaders looked to make smarter, more intelligent and cost-effective networks.

The networking landscape itself was shaken up with vendors like Aruba and Extreme Networks making some serious advancements, while players such as Avaya and Brocade Communications had a rough 2017. As the market tries to reinvent itself in the digital age through software and subscription-based selling, 2017 was truly a transformational year for networking. CRN breaks down the 10 biggest stories of 2017 that captured the network world's attention.

Get more of CRN's 2017 tech year in review .Carnival Cruise Line today announced the inaugural schedule for the Carnival Radiance in 2020.

The Radiance will emerge after a $200 million drydock of the Carnival Victory.

The schedule of cruises includes 9- to 13-day European voyages, the lines first to Cuba from New York and Norfolk, four- to nine-day sailings to the Caribbean, Canada/New England from New York, and a winter season of voyages to the Caribbean and Cuba from Port Canaveral, Fla.

The Carnival Radiance will debut April 29, 2020, with a 10-day Mediterranean sailing from Barcelona followed by nine-and 12-day departures visiting top destinations throughout the region, including Italy, France, Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain. The ship will then embark on a 13-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to New York June 11-24, 2020, positioning the vessel for its inaugural season in the Big Apple.

The Carnival Radiance will offer a series of four- and six-day Bermuda cruises from New York as well as a four-day cruise to Saint John, New Brunswick, eight-day eastern Caribbean voyages and the lines first Cuba cruises from New York - nine-day sailings that include a full-day and overnight stay in Havana and two Bahamian ports of call.

The New York program will conclude with a series of Canada/New England voyages featuring stops in Boston, Portland, Saint John, and Halifax, Carnival said.

The ship will also offer four five- to seven-day voyages from Norfolk in October and November 2020, including the lines first Cuba cruises from that port.

The week-long Cuba cruises will feature an extended stop in the capital of Havana along with visits to two Bahamian ports.

There will also be a five-day Bahamas cruise and a six-day cruise visiting three of the countrys most popular destinations, including the private island of Half Moon Cay.

Following the cruises from the Northeast, Carnival Radiance will reposition to Port Canaveral, Fla., to operate a winter schedule of six- to eight-day voyages to the Caribbean and Cuba beginning Nov. 8, 2020.

The program includes six-day voyages featuring a day-long visit and overnight call in Havana and two Bahamian ports; a six-day sailing to Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Dominican Republic and Nassau, The Bahamas; and seven-and eight-day Caribbean voyages visiting some of the regions most popular and beautiful islands, including Aruba, Curacao, St. Kitts and Grand Turk.SunStone Ships announced it had inked deals to build two more Infinity-class expedition ships, the fourth and fifth in a series of vessels being built in China and chartered to various customers.

Our charterers are anxious to enjoy the advantages of our cutting-edge technology, like the X- bow design, along with the significant operating efficiencies offered by the Infinity Class. So, were moving as quickly as possible to get them into the market," said SunStone President and CEO, Niels-Erik Lund.

All vessels have ice class and are available in various configurations, from 120 to 200 guests.

SunStone will deliver the Greg Mortimer in August 2019, which will be operated by Aurora Expeditions.

Then the Ocean Victory will delivered in Sept. of 2020, while the Ocean Explorer will be delivered in March 2021 and will be followed by a fourth ship in September of 2021.

The fifth ship in the series, the Ocean Odyssey, then debuts in May 2022.

SunStone said the fourth and fifth vessels already have long-term charter clients in place.

This contract is part of the ten-vessel Framework Agreement with China Merchants Heavy Industries.

We are very pleased with the development and the speed with which we are signing these new-build contracts, stated Lund, in addition to the five vessels already ordered, SunStone is in negotiations for additional vessels and it is expected that the remaining five options will be signed within 2019, so that ten Infinity-class vessels will be built at CMHI," Lund said.ANSONIA-After months of demonstrations, rallies, posturing and verbal disputes the city, its Board of Education and the teachers union are headed to Derby Superior Court this morning.

There Superior Court Judge Barry K. Stevens will begin hearing oral argument on the Boards request for summary judgment seeking the return of $600,000 it claims the city illegally removed from its 2017-18 budget. Frederick Dorsey, who represents the Board, will be joined in the argument by Eric Chester, the lawyer for the Ansonia Federation of Teachers.

The teacher union claims the cuts have led to several teaching positions being eliminated and some classrooms reaching 30 or more students, many with learning disabilities, making it difficult to teach.

The city claims the $600,000 was given to the Board of Education during the 2017-18 to help it weather the state budget crisis. The city, which is represented by Vincent Marino, said the school board eventually received $1.8 million from the state while the city was cut $1 million. As a result it claims it invoked a state law passed during the crisis that allows it to reduce a school board budget.

Lawyers for the teachers, the school board and even the states Board of Education claim that action is illegal. They maintain the state Minimum Budget Requirement law not only prohibits the city from reducing a school boards budget once approved but also requires it include the removed amount in each succeeding budget. That means they say city must not only give back the $600,000 taken from the 2017-18 budget but also include it in the 2018-19 budget.

The Board has since sued the city and the teachers union has joined it. In June, the city agreed to a mediated settlement which required they place $500,000 in a contingency fund to help the school board meet end of the 2017-18 school year expenses.

The current school board budget is $31,860,483 about half of the citys $63,524,255 budget for 2018-19.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.The states Catholic bishops are calling for a state law to require minors to notify their parents if they plan to have an abortion, claiming that Connecticut is one of the few states lacking such a law.

But pro-choice advocates said the laws can be damaging and prevent scared young people from seeking timely care.

Parents rightfully want to be involved in their teenagers lives, but good family communication cant be mandated by the government, said Susan Yolen, vice president of public policy and advocacy for Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, in an email.

In its 11th annual State of Abortion in Connecticut report, the Connecticut Catholic Conference  the public policy office of the Catholic bishops in Connecticut  calls for adoption of a parental notification law.

The report states that 37 states have active laws requiring some form of parental notification, and that six other states passed such laws, but legal challenges have made these laws inactive in the states.

The time seems right to address the need for such a law in Connecticut, particularly since parents often need to give consent for teens to receive medical services or participate in school activities, said Michael C. Culhane, the executive director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference.

Theres a litany of activities dealing with minors that require notification, Culhane said. It seems that if you are pregnant and a minor, that you lack the ability to make that kind of decision.

Connecticuts law requires only that minors younger than 16 be given counseling prior to receiving an abortion. Culhane said the Catholic Conference has tried in the past to at least make counseling a requirement to all minors, but that wasnt successful. He said the State of Abortion report was sent to members of the state legislature Monday but he has not yet gotten a response.

Parental notification laws vary from state to state, with some requiring only parental notification, and others requiring parental consent. In many cases, a judge can excuse minors from the requirement.

The Catholic Conference report cites state Department of Public Health statistics showing that, in 2017, four 12-year-old girls in the state received abortions. That year, 9,584 abortions were performed in the state, the bulk of them  7,203  on women ages 20 through 34. Fewer than 300 women younger than 18 received abortions that year. The data show that no one younger than 12 received an abortion that year.

Some advocates said a parental notification law is potentially dangerous, and flies in the face of recommendations from a variety of medical groups.

Vulnerable young people just need the support of medical professionals, said Sarah Croucher, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut. They shouldnt have to go before a judge and defend their decision.

Croucher said several professional medical groups  including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics  have come out against parental notification and parental consent laws.

Indeed, in 2017, the AAP published a statement titled The Adolescents Right to Confidential Care When Considering Abortion, which declares that a minor should not be compelled or required to involve her parents in her decision to obtain an abortion, though she should be encouraged to discuss the pregnancy with her parents and/or other responsible adults.

The statement references data showing that the laws do not achieve the intended benefit of promoting family communication, but do increase the risk of harm to the adolescent by delaying access to appropriate medical care or increasing the rate of unwanted births.

Yolen agreed with that assessment, and said that there is no basis to push for a parental notification law in Connecticut. She pointed out that abortions in Connecticut are declining  a point that the Catholic Conference report also makes  and that state reproductive health providers are generally responsible in their treatment of young patients.

Further legislation in this area, while well-intentioned, is simply unnecessary and health care providers share parents deep concern for the safety of young people, Yolen said. Young people seeking confidential health care are routinely encouraged to ask for the support and guidance of family members prior to ending a pregnancy. And most patients of any age who can, do so.The states leading advocacy group for the homeless has name a new chief executive officer.

Richard Cho, who resides with his wife and children in Hamden, will begin his new duties with the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness on Nov. 26.

We are delighted to welcome Richard to the CCEH family, said Cathy Zeiner, president of the Hartford-based groups board of directors. . Richard brings remarkable experience to our organization and we are look forward to working with him to end homelessness for the most vulnerable individuals and families in our state.

Cho has spent 20 years in the housing and homelessness sector including three years as deputy director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the federal agency that coordinates the federal response to homelessness. There Cho coordinated efforts across 19 federal departments to implement Opening Doors, the federal strategic plan to end and prevent homelessness in America, and played a key role in the national push to end veteran and chronic homelessness.

He currently serves on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios Crisis Prevention and Response Task Force, as well as the Kings County/Brooklyn (NY) District Attorney Eric Gonzalezs Justice 2020 Committee, Mental Health Subcommittee. He received a Masters degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctorate in philosophy from New York University.

It is especially meaningful to me that when we succeed, the families, children, and individuals who will have homes will be my own neighbors, here in the state I have called home for more than a decade, Cho said.

The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness estimates that there are 4,500 homeless state residents every night and that one in every five are children. The Coalition serves as an advocate for homeless services, does research and analysis on the issue and causes in Connecticut and provides emergency support for homeless individuals.

The search was conducted with support from NPAG, a national firm that partners with mission-driven clients in the nonprofit and public sectors as well as the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, Fairfield Countys Community Foundation, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Melville Charitable Trust.FAIRFIELD - Heinz Vonkuthy just wanted to kiss his wife goodbye.

But instead, officials at Regal Care in the Southport section of Fairfield had the 91-year-old Easton man arrested.

I was there, and my wife was very happy to see me and then they made me leave, Vonkuthy told Hearst Connecticut Media on Tuesday. It was all very strange.

In fact, according to the police report, officials at Regal Care called police who came and arrested Vonkuthy and charged him with criminal trespass. He was released on a promise to appear in court.

The report states that when officers arrived Vonkuthy was standing outside his wifes room.

He wanted to give his wife a kiss and then said he would leave, police stated in the report. However, it continues that nursing home officials insisted that police arrest Vonkuthy.

The manager of Regal Care, Onyeabo Ekekwe, stated he could not allow (Vonkuthy) to do that because they were concerned he would pass items to his wife through his mouth, the police report states.

Officials of Regal Care did not immediately return calls for comment. Vonkuthy had previously gotten an order from probate court allowing him to visit his wife at the nursing home.

The report states that officers have been called to the nursing home 26 times regarding Vonkuthy. The report states that he doesnt respect the rules of the facility and has been told he cannot see his wife.

Vonkuthys wife is 77 and has been at the nursing home for a year and a half.

Im going to take her out and take her to a more reasonable senior center, Vonkuthy told Hearst.Ali Zardari-Faryal Talpur remand extened till December 10

KARACHI: Former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister, Faryal Talpur, appeared before the banking court in Karachi today in a case pertaining to money laundering of billions.



The court after the hearing extended till December 10 the interim bail granted earlier to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders.



The money laundering case is also being probed by a joint investigation team formed by the Supreme Court (SC).



Moreover, 32 people are being investigated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in connection to money laundering from fictitious accounts. Former President Zardaris close aide Hussain Lawai was also arrested in July in connection with the case.



In August, the PPP co-chairmans other close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed and his son, Abdul Ghani, were also arrested by FIA. However, Majeeds three other sons have been granted interim bail.Conor McGregor didnt take any time off from his grueling schedule while he was developing Proper No. Twelve, the Irish whiskey he launched this past September. I was in training, I was fighting, I had a kid, he tells Entrepreneur, but Im a perfectionist; I dont do anything half-assed. It was vital for the MMA champion to be as hands-on as possible throughout the process -- and his hard work has paid off.

In addition to positive reviews for the brown stuff, liquor stores -- including the British grocery behemoth Tesco -- are putting signs on their displays limiting the amount of Proper No. Twelve consumers can buy due to bottles selling out too quickly. A sample that was sent to the Entrepreneur office was gone soon after it arrived, thanks in no small part to its sweet, peaty flavor and all-around smoothness. (Our editors proclivity for free alcohol had nothing to do with it, we swear.)

Related: Lacrosse's First Million-Dollar Athlete Was Frustrated by the Status Quo, So He's Starting an All-New Pro League

I wasnt going to sacrifice the quality of Proper No. Twelve to check it off the bucket list -- this project means way more to me than that, McGregor tells us. Read on to learn just how fun the development process was, how his MMA training translates to the liquor business, and which opponents hed never, ever want to share a bottle with.

We loved the sample of Proper No. Twelve sent to the Entrepreneur office. What made you decide to make a whiskey in the first place?

Great to hear you loved it! I call it liquid gold. The decision to make my own Irish whiskey was very natural, almost inevitable. Ive always loved Irish whiskey -- Im an Irishman after all. My late grandfather played a huge role in my taste for Irish whiskey. It was under his tutelage I began to study and truly appreciate whiskey.

Over the years, Ive been approached by many Irish whiskey brands asking me to endorse their product. I have nothing against endorsement deals; I have several with brands and products I believe in, that is no secret. However, something about simply endorsing an Irish whiskey didnt feel right to me -- I wanted to create my own, I wanted to do it my way and I wanted to do it right -- from start to finish. I love Ireland, its land and its people. I was born here, will raise my children here, and I will die here. I wanted to make an Irish whiskey emblematic of our culture as a whole -- something that would make my people proud.

Proper No. Twelve has sold more than most brands sell in a full year in the first few weeks on the market. Its also selling out all over the place -- to what do you attribute this success?

The reaction to Proper No. Twelve has been absolutely amazing. Im extremely humbled and thrilled that consumers are as excited about Proper Twelve as I am! Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world have been reaching out asking where they can purchase a bottle. I am lucky to have the best fans in the business, and their support and loyalty has definitely played a role in Proper Twelves success. In 10 days we sold six months worth of product.

Related: 5 Must-Use Tools for Brainstorming Company Names

I just got back to Ireland after spending 10 days traveling throughout the U.S. to meet buyers from top accounts, distributors and consumers. The reception to Proper No. Twelve was energizing. My favourite part of the trip was hand delivering World Series tickets to the Boston Fire Department. It's hard to articulate what a special experience it was to shake their hands and thank them for their hard work. Truly humbling.

You created this whiskey yourself. What was the development process like?

The moment I decided I was going to do this, make my own Irish whiskey, I assembled a team and we began developing the brand under the project name Notorious. I think we expected it to be a little easier than it was. It turned into a long, complicated project, but I wasnt going to rush it. I know better than anybody that there is no substitute for hard work.

Image credit: Proper No. Twelve

Proper No. Twelve is a custom blend of grain and the finest single malt that is great neat, on the rocks, in a cocktail or as a shot. The project name of Notorious became Proper No. Twelve to salute my history. Sure, its my brand and my company, but it is much bigger than me. This is a brand that stands on its own. The name is directly tied to my hometown of Crumlin, Dublin 12 and the fact that it is a proper Irish whiskey.

The tastings in particular must have been fun.

Oh yes, it was fun and still is. From the get-go, I wanted to create a blend that could be enjoyed by everyone and to price it for everyone. The tastings were loads of fun, but also very interesting -- I had to do my research! I continued to hone in on which flavors and profiles I did and did not want for my whiskey until it was proper and right. This blend is our first expression and we are already working on what comes next for Proper No. Twelve. It will be tasty, that you can bet!

Related: Habits of the World's Wealthiest People (Infographic)

Did you take any lessons you learned from MMA in developing/marketing Proper No. Twelve?

Absolutely. I always apply the lessons learned throughout my life to whatever the current project is at hand, so MMA/Proper No. Twelve is no different. A strong work ethic, the desire to learn and holding yourself accountable will get you far. It wouldve been easy to just sign an endorsement deal or have someone else do all of the hard work, the tastings, etc. and just give me an overview. But thats not how I do things. Proper No Twelve is who I am, and although I was anxious at times to just launch it -- I couldnt wait to share it with the world -- Im so glad I took the time, put in the hard work, have the best team in the business and launched it properly.

For every case sold, you're donating $5 up to $1,000,000 annually to first responders. Why is that cause so important to you?

Thats right. First responders are true, proper heroes. Their line of work is the ultimate act of valor and utter selflessness. They put their lives on the line daily. They run into buildings -- to save complete strangers -- when everyone else is running out. They operate under the one for all mentality, and to me that is heroic. It's an infinite honor to be able to give back to first responders globally, as a way to say thank you for everything they sacrifice to keep our families and our people safe.

Who would you rather share some Proper No. Twelve with, Khabib Nurmagomedov or Floyd Mayweather?

To be honest, neither. I drink Proper No. Twelve with those close to me. My friends and family and those I grew up with, that is whom I like to sit and have a glass of Proper whiskey with. I also love to enjoy it with customers and consumers in bars. That has been even more fun than I expected.

Related: Inspiring Quotes to Help You Get Through Your Work Day

In the last five years, youve gone from a plumber receiving welfare checks to becoming one of the highest paid athletes in the world. What advice would you give aspiring entrepreneurs looking to achieve their dreams?

Youve got to be passionate about what youre doing. Find your passion and chase your dreams, fearlessly. Ive had a lot of crazy dreams in my life, and theyve all come to fruition because of my passion, hard work and will to succeed. Youve got to put in the effort day in and day out to perfect your craft, and never give up. Never settle, never be complacent, stay hungry to learn and always try to be better than you were yesterday. If someone tells you no or doubts your ability, fuck em. I dont care what they think. I believe in myself and never waiver from that mentality. Thats how I got to where I am today. Surrounding yourself with the right people is important too. Loyalty is everything. Youve got to have a strong support system, people who genuinely believe in you and want you to succeed. My team -- who have become my brothers and sisters -- my family and close friends have gotten me to where I am today.

Related:

From MMA Champ to Whiskey Entrepreneur: a Conversation With Conor McGregor

Olympic Superstar Michael Phelps Won Medals in the Water. Now He's Fighting to Save It. (Video)

6 Sleep Habits and Early Morning Rituals of World Cup Champion Alex Morgan



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedEvery year, 250,000 military members leave the service and enter the civilian workforce. Making the transition to civilian life is one of the greatest challenges they face in their careers. While remembering, honoring and thanking veterans is important each Veterans Day --- and every day for that matter -- helping our veterans succeed following their service to our country is equally vital.

Related: 5 Veterans Share Their Tips for Successfully Transitioning From Service to Entrepreneurship

Through their military training, tested leadership and professional skill sets, veterans are often uniquely suited to work in industries outside the military. Many organizations actively recruit veterans for this very reason. Companies like PenFed, UPS, Coca Cola and Home Depot have robust veteran hiring programs that harness these skills for the civilian sector.

Still, finding employment can be difficult, especially for young veterans. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs predicts that our nation will have almost two million veterans under age 34 by 2020. And despite studies showing that hiring veterans is one of the best moves a business can make, many employers dont recognize that the skills veterans gain both on and off the battlefield are perfectly suited for many business environments.

Veterans have a history of entrepreneurship.

Traditionally, many Veterans started their own businesses after leaving the service. Half of all American World War II Veterans and 40 percent of Korean War Veterans became entrepreneurs. Today, of the 5.5 million businesses in the United States, 7 percent are veteran-owned.

But that number is declining. Only 4.5 percent of the 3.6 million people who have served in the U.S. military since September 11, 2001, have launched a company. Why the decline? Pressure to settle for a financially secure position, and a lack of networking opportunities, are part of the problem.

Perhaps most importantly, many veterans today simply cannot get financing without a business history -- which most veterans dont have. Over half of businesses today require up to $25,000 to start. Thats a lot of money for the average service member just coming out of the military.

This is one reason why the PenFed Foundation I lead launched the Veteran Entrepreneur Investment Program (VEIP) this year. VEIP helps veteran-owned businesses succeed by providing seed money to get started and a support network of over 1,700 business partners. Since we announced the program in April, weve raised more than $1.4 million from businesses that support veteran entrepreneurs.

Related: The Service Industry: Why Veterans Are Flocking to the Franchise World

True Made Foods, our first investment, was founded by Navy helicopter pilot Abe Kamarck, in 2015. A father of four, Abe was concerned about the unhealthiness of some of the foods his kids were eating. He decided to rethink how ketchup and other popular sauces are made. True Made Foods adds real vegetables to the recipes, turning empty calories from sugar into nutrient-rich flavors. This company is already seeing remarkable success, selling its products in over 1,400 stores across the country, including major grocery chains like Safeway, Wegmans and ShopRite.

Veterans like Abe already possess a critical skill for successful entrepreneurship: grit. They persevere when others give up. This is because their military training has uniquely taught them how to perform at a high level under the most stressful conditions. Today, veteran-owned businesses earn $1.14 trillion in annual revenue and create jobs, with a payroll of $195 billion. Walmart, FedEx, RE/MAX, Sperry Shoes, Nike, GoDaddy and Enterprise Rent-a-Car are just a handful of the veteran-owned companies out there that are phenomenally successful.

Veteran entrepreneurs also help reduce veteran unemployment. Veteran-owned businesses started within the past 15 years have created 324,000 jobs. This means there is great untapped potential for future job growth.

How you can help a veteran.

This Veterans Day, all Americans, but especially our countrys entrepreneurs, should be thinking about how they can support veterans in building these enterprises. Entrepreneurs and industry experts can help support veteran-owned startups in three ways:

By using their extensive social networks to help spread the word about businesses like True Made Foods.

By sharing their networks with veterans by connecting with veterans' groups on LinkedIn and offering their expertise through mentorship.

Organizations like Score, ACPs Womens Veteran Mentoring Program and eMentors Military Entrepreneur Program all help connect veterans with mentors. Veterans in Global Leadership, a program that trains, mentors and empowers veteran leaders, is an exceptional avenue for entrepreneurs to support veterans through networking and mentoring.

And through Elite Meet, industry leaders can connect with, hire and mentor elite veterans (former pilots, special forces and Navy seals) who are transitioning out of the military. Entrepreneurs active in their universities alumni programs can guide veterans who are looking to pursue higher education. And, of course, entrepreneurs that want to learn more or get involved can do so through our Veteran Entrepreneur Investment Program.

Consumers can also invest in veteran entrepreneurs.

BuyVeteran.coms searchable directory is one easy way consumers can find veteran-owned businesses nearby. But its also important to think beyond retail. Entrepreneurs and people looking for a service, like a financial advisor or IT consultant, should consider hiring veterans first.

Related: These 12 Remarkable Veterans Changed Business Forever

Supporting veteran-owned businesses isnt a charity effort. These businesses successfully provide critical services and fill critical needs every day. This Veterans Day, we should support veteran entrepreneurs not only because they have put their lives on the line for our nation, but because they are now contributing to our national economy-- and doing it well.

Related:

This Veterans Day, Let's Focus on Helping Ex-Military Become Entrepreneurs

4 Things Companies Don't Understand About Vets Transitioning From the Military to the Corporate World

The Best Way to Honor Veterans Is to Hire One



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedPakistan sought help from EC for IMF

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has sought help from European countries to ensure smooth sailing during talks at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board for securing a bailout package and recovering stolen assets, presumably stashed in the European states, including Switzerland.



The request for help was made by Finance Minister Asad Umar during an interaction with ambassadors of some 15 European nations. The interaction took place at the Board of Investment (BOI) and was also attended by BOI Chairman Haroon Sharif and Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood.



The interaction was also aimed at conveying to the European capitals that Pakistan was open to doing business with the developed world, as the incumbent governments tilt has so far remained towards China and the Middle East.



It was the first such high-level interaction by Pakistans economic managers with the European ambassadors. Before that Prime Minister Imran Khan had visited Saudi Arabia twice, besides going to China last month.



Pakistan has communicated the message that it is open to all countries for investment and would provide level-playing field to all, said Sharif, the BOI Chairman. He said Pakistan looked forward to European investment and technology.



Moreover, Finance Minister Umar has appreciated the UK response to Pakistans request for legal assistance in recovering assets acquired through illegal means.



However, Umar said Switzerland was not forthcoming in discussing issues related to the provision of mutual legal assistance, sources told. He sought support from the envoys in this regard, but the Swiss ambassador was not present in the meeting.



The interaction with the envoys took place a day before the start of policy-level talks with the IMF team which is in town to negotiate a bailout package. IMFs Washington-based Mission Chief Harald Finger on Monday joined the talks on the last day of the technical round.



The European Union has four members in the IMF Board and their vote will be critical in view of the United States apparent opposition. Umar also briefed the European envoys about actions his government has so far taken to put the economy on track.



The European ambassadors asked questions about Pakistans strategy to deal with the IMF, the loans it is expecting from the friendly countries, and implications regarding the second phase of the Free Trade Agreement with China, said the sources privy to the discussions at the meeting.



The envoys conveyed that Pakistani businesses had expressed apprehensions about an adverse impact of the FTA with China.



At least two ambassadors questioned Pakistans strategy to deal with the IMF as they were of the view that Pakistan should have waited for the right time before devaluing its currency and increasing utility prices, said the sources.



Our government is acting in the interest of the country with an aim to take the ownership of these reforms instead of throwing responsibility on the IMF, Umar said while replying to them.



He then informed the ambassadors that Pakistan wanted to get the IMF package to implement reforms and to provide a sense of satisfaction to global and local investors. He informed the envoys that Pakistan would soon receive $1 billion out of the $3 billion committed by Saudi Arabia.



Umar also told the ambassadors that talks were underway with China and the United Arab Emirates for a bailout package.



Dawood, the PMs adviser, is said to have told the ambassadors that China had assured doubling Pakistans exports, but he admitted it was difficult for Pakistan to avail this facility due to lack of exportable surplus.



There was, however, no mention of any immediate direct cash assistance from China, said the sources.



Instead of highlighting the opportunities that can be offered to the European capitals, the adviser focused more on the challenges and issues being faced by Pakistan on the trade front.Discussion about wargaming and military history, primarily WWII in North Africa. Also discussion about AFV's and artillery.Jenna Shapiro woke up miserable the day after Donald J. Trumps election in 2016. The 21-year-old daughter of Democratic activists from Manhattan, Shapiro had canvassed for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire and worked on phone banks at Wesleyan, where she was a first-semester senior studying history and contemplating a career in teaching.

I felt like I hadnt done enough, not nearly enough, said Shapiro, whose childhood memories include her fathers arrest while protesting the Supreme Courts Bush-Gore decision in 2000. I never want to wake up after another election believing I hadnt done everything I could for a candidate I believed in.

She woke up happy after Election Day 2018.

Now 23, Shapiro  who put off a career in education for political organizing after graduating in 2017  was the Hartford regional coordinator for Fight Back Connecticut, the field organization U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy began assembling in early 2017 for the Democrats statewide coordinated campaign.

In the final four days of the campaign, a staff of 20 paid organizers oversaw 14,000 volunteers who Murphy says knocked on roughly 250,000 doors and made one million phone calls.

It was an element of a Democratic ground game that helped produce the best mid-term election turnout in Connecticut since 1990, contributing to an unexpectedly strong 44,500-vote plurality for Gov.-elect Ned Lamont and the first Democratic gains in the General Assembly since Barack Obamas landslide win here a decade ago.

Over pizza at local party headquarters in West Hartford last week, Shapiro was one of the young organizers who thanked the volunteers, a mix of first-timers and veterans, millennials and boomers, and everything in between. Joseph Hutton, the director of the coordinated campaign, peeked around a corner, standing next to Nick Marroletti, the organizing director. Hutton is 29, Marroletti, 25. Somewhere in the crowded room was Jenna Lowenstein, the 31-year-old who managed Murphys campaign.

Were going to keep it going, and we want you to stay involved, because 2016 was a wake-up call to Democrats, and I think Sen. Murphy heard that wake-up call, state Sen. Beth Bye told them, her tone more maternal than fiery. Young people, people of color and women did not feel represented by our party. And Sen. Murphy said, Enough. He reached out to candidates, he reached out to you all. Look at this room. This is the Connecticut Democratic Party.

Murphy was last to arrive. He sat near Gary Turco, a Democrat from neighboring Newington who defeated a two-term Republican state representative by 66 votes. Turco credited Fight Back Connecticut and volunteers who came from West Hartford, where they had run out of doors to knock and phones to call.

Ive been involved here in Connecticut politics for a long time. And Ive ran campaigns and helped Democrats to win. There has never been a coordinated operation like Sen. Murphy and all you put together that Ive ever seen, Turco said. You made it happen.

Turco smiled and said he would be happy to reciprocate by campaigning for Murphy in Iowa or New Hampshire in 2020. Murphy politely ignored the offer.

Re-elected to a second term last week with 59.5 percent of the vote, Murphy seemed content to watch Shapiro and others run the show. Murphy was 22 when he managed his first campaign, Charlotte Koskoffs challenge of U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson in 1996. Koskoff lost by just 1,587 votes.

Ten years later, it would be Murphy who finally took the western Connecticut seat for Democrats. He ran as an opponent of the war in Iraq, giving him common cause with Lamont, who defeated Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in a primary. Lieberman won as an independent in the fall, but retired in 2012 rather than run without a partys backing. Murphy succeeded Lieberman in the Senate.

With Gov. Dannel P. Malloy exiting after two terms, it was Murphy who took control of the statewide coordinated campaign, personally interviewing and signing off on its top hires.

Lamont, 64, will be Connecticuts governor in January. Richard Blumenthal, 72, is its senior senator. But at 45, Murphy is the leader of a generation reshaping the Democratic Party in Connecticut.

At a key juncture, he urged other Democratic contenders to coalesce around Lamont. And he encouraged Jahana Hayes, the 2016 national teacher of the year, to run for his old seat in the 5th District, giving Connecticut Democrats their first black nominee for Congress. Hayes will join the 116th Congress as one of the first two black women from New England to serve in the U.S. House.

Connecticut senators have not traditionally gotten as deeply involved as I have in the details of candidate recruitment and state-party building, Murphy said in an interview Thats a rule that was made to be broken, that should have been broken long ago.

Murphy says Fight Back Connecticut was effectively born during the Womens March, the day after Trumps inauguration. It was a massive outpouring that filled Washington DC., with satellite demonstrations staged the same day across the U.S., including 10,000 outside the State Capitol in Hartford, and in cities around the globe.

I left the womens rally thinking that we had to find a way to channel this energy into winning elections, and that every day we waited to do that was a lost opportunity, Murphy said. So I convened this first conversations about this because I saw this as a tremendous opportunity, and Im glad others saw it, too.

Marroletti was the first hire, joining Fight Back in March 2017, less than two years after finishing his undergraduate studies at New York University. In 2016, he was a field organizer for Hillary Clinton in Iowa, where he recruited and trained two dozen precinct leaders in a rural eastern county before the caucuses, then did a similar job in Kansas. He ended the cycle as the regional organizing director for the Democrats coordinated campaign in North Carolina.

Using small house parties, some featuring internet video connections with Murphy, the effort slowly built. Organizers found volunteers, who in turn became recruiters for other volunteers. They tried to complement Action Together Connecticut, Indivisible and other grass-roots groups that flowered after the 2016 election.

Trump was a constant, if unwitting, ally.

A seemingly unending list of the presidents policy initiatives mobilized the left, including efforts to ban immigration from Muslim-dominant nations, attacks on the Affordable Care Act, attacks on the courts and Department of Justice, opposition to abortion rights, reversal of protections for transgender youths and military personnel, his refusal to unambiguously denounce white nationalists, and the rejection of climate science and promotion of coal-burning power plants.

Murphy said the energy was palpable  the only challenge was how to direct it.

I think my staff would tell you that Im always way too involved in the details of organizing, Murphy said. I love it. I love figuring out how to mobilize people around an issue or a candidate. I think, frankly, more elected officials should care deeply about organizing. Our whole party probably would be better off.

The victory was not just Murphys, nor the turnout exclusively the work of Fight Back. The coordinated campaign, which Lamont embraced, largely worked in places where they could mine veins of straight-ticket voters. The larger ground game  identifying and pulling supportive voters to the polls  ran the gamut.

Candidates like James Albis of East Haven, a state representative seeking re-election in a blue-collar Democratic district carried by Trump in 2016, organized their own field operations, buttressed by volunteers sent by the House and Senate Democratic caucuses and canvassing by the union-funded Working Families Party.

We did a lot of doors in East Haven, said Lindsay Farrell, the executive director of Working Families in Connecticut. We made our decisions on where to focus primarily based on legislative targets.

Albis won by only 11 votes two years ago. Last Tuesday, he was re-elected with 58 percent of the vote, outperforming the top of the ticket in his community: Murphy carried East Haven with 51 percent, while Lamont lost with 40 percent. Albis credits the partys ground game.

We had 100 volunteers from Saturday to Tuesday, Albis said, describing the final four days of the campaign. That was far greater than any time I can remember. Fifty is the maximum Ive reached in the past.

Will Haskell, the 22-year-old Democrat who unseated state Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, in one of the years big upsets, said Fight Back Connecticut worked closely with his campaign and the Democratic Town Committees in his well-to-do Fairfield County district. Fight Back worked on turnout, leaving messaging to Haskell.

They were all mobilization, no persuasion, Haskell said. By noon, the turnout had exceeded 2014 altogether. I think Fight Back deserves a ton of credit.

The Murphy touch was personal, Haskell said. Haskell was a Georgetown University student when he first contacted Murphys office about running. He was encouraged by Murphys staff and, later, by Murphy.

He was just really a confidant and a friend along the way, Haskell said. In July, he said, Murphy helped draw a crowd of volunteers that filled the headquarters in Westport, telling them, This is an October crowd, not a July crowd.

On Election Day, Murphy stood with Haskell outside a polling place in Westport, greeting voters arriving for the late-afternoon rush. Murphy stayed for an hour.

Murphy said Fight Back Connecticuts larger goal beyond winning 2018 was to build an organization that will help Democrats in municipal races next year and preserve legislative majorities in 2020.

A cautionary lesson for Democrats is that they swept the congressional races and won supermajorities in the General Assembly in 2008. From the high of 2008, the legislative majority steadily eroded.

This is very different than 2008, Murphy said. President Obama had an army of volunteers and had trouble translating that into people who would fight for him on issues. I dont think we will have the same trouble, because this army started as issue advocates.

Of course, many were inspired, albeit in a negative way, by a president not on the ballot this year.

He says he will be on the ballot in 2020.State tax revenue projections surged again Tuesday, shrinking the projected shortfall in the upcoming two-year budget  and leaving Connecticut with nearly $2.1 billion in reserves to combat the deficit.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloys budget staff and the legislatures nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis upgraded revenue projections for the upcoming biennium by $880 million.

The latest consensus revenue report also found tax receipts for the current fiscal year should approach $16 billion  $87 million more than anticipated.

Even with Tuesdays good news, Connecticuts red ink still exceeds its reserves and any potential additions by a little more than $1.4 billion over the two-year cycle  or about $700 million per year or nearly 4 percent of the General Fund.

And it still remains unclear whether Gov.-elect Ned Lamont and the 2019 General Assembly will choose to tap all of those reserves to close the remaining shortfall.

These new consensus revenue estimates reflect the strong recent growth we have seen in our economy and demonstrate that policy changes  are working and helping taxpayers, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Ben Barnes, Malloys budget director, said Tuesday. Governor-elect Lamont and the next General Assembly will have a difficult task ahead in balancing the budget and keeping it under the spending cap, but the economic performance we are experiencing has made the task more manageable.

Income tax receipts, which frequently have fallen short of state officials expectations since the last recession, have been doing the opposite over the past 12 months.

And in the new report, Connecticuts single-largest revenue engine performed robustly again.

Income tax receipts from paycheck withholding  which represents about two-thirds of the overall tax stream  created most of the $87 million jump in projected tax receipts for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Both segments of the income tax  withholding as well as the quarterly filings dominated by capital gains and other investment earnings  drove a rosier revenue forecast for the upcoming two-year state budget.

Rising revenues vs. projected deficits

According to the legislatures nonpartisan analysts, state finances  unless adjusted  will run $2 billion in deficit next fiscal year and $2.4 billion in the red in 2020-21.

That two-year, $4.4 billion shortfall effectively matches what analysts were forecasting back in January for the post-election budget.

Back then, Connecticut held just $212 million in its reserve and anticipated adding nearly another $700 million to the rainy day fund over the summer.

That meant roughly $900 million in savings to mitigate a $4.4 billion gap.

But as tax receipts continued to surge, Connecticut ended the summer with $1.2 billion in its rainy day fund. And with the latest report, analysts now are saying it could add another $900 million this fiscal year.

Thats $2.1 billion potentially available to mitigate a $3.54 billion deficit  which has been reduced thanks to improved revenue forecasts for the next two years.

That still leaves a gap of $1.44 billion over two years  or an average of $770 million per year for Lamont and the new legislature to solve.

And the governor-elect said during the campaign that he did not want to tap Connecticuts budget reserves to solve the deficit.

Lamont, a Democrat, may find lawmakers from both parties pushing him to compromise on that position, since he also said he was opposed to raising the income and sales taxes.

Unless unionized state employees  who granted concessions in 2009, 2011 and 2017 and still enjoy significant protections against layoffs  granted further givebacks this spring, Lamont would have a hard time closing the shortfall without deep cuts in municipal aid. And he argued throughout the campaign that he would try to shield cities and towns.

Though the evolving state budget picture is far from perfect, state officials saw the glass as half full earlier Tuesday afternoon as they discussed the impending revenue forecast at the legislatures Appropriations Committee meeting.

We havent been in circumstances like this for quite some time, said. Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, House chairman of the committee.

The upward revenue trend is a whole lot better than weve had in many, many years, Barnes told lawmakers, adding it reflects a growing and strengthening economy.

Barnes added cautiously that he expects positive trends to continue for the rest of the calendar year and at least into the first few months of 2019.Iran and the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea

10/18/18

By Bahman Aghai Diba, PhD International Law of the Sea



Caspian Sea

On 12 August 2018, five littoral states of the Caspian Sea (Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan) signed a convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. This convention should be approved by the legislative bodies in all five states before it becomes officially binding.

The Caspian Convention has determined certain important points and at the same time, has made determination of certain other important points contingent on future agreements of the concerned states.

The most important points determined by the Caspian Convention are:

A 15-mile territorial Sea for the littoral states A 10-mile exclusive fishing zone for the littoral states Leaving the superjacent waters of the Caspian Sea out of the national territories for the "common use" of the littoral states The littoral states are free to lay submerged pipelines without the need to get approval of others The littoral states are committed not to let non-littoral states have military presence in the Caspian Sea

The most important points which are not determined in this convention are:

The share of littoral states in the seabed of the Caspian Sea The baselines for measuring the maritime areas ( noting that the baselines are not determined, the extent of internal waters- behind the baselines- and width of territorial sea , exclusive fishing zone and the start of the international sector is not determined in practice). Details of flight over the Caspian Sea for the military aircraft Legal status of using Volga-Don waterways Conditions for using the living resources Conditions for entry of the naval units of the other littoral states to the territorial and internal waters Conditions for cooperation of littoral states with the real and legal persons of the non-littoral states

What Iran loses in the new Caspian Convention?

A- Noting that the Caspian Sea is 640 miles long and 270 miles wide, what is important is the fact that except for 15 miles of territorial sea, and 10 miles of exclusive fishing zones, that goes to the littoral states, the remaining vast area of the Caspian Sea has been considered as "international waters" for the five littoral states. Other than Russia (which has some of its most advanced naval and industrial fighting units in the Caspian Sea), no other state has any important naval or industrial fishing units there. This means that the Russians get the naval and industrial dominance over the vast areas of the Caspian Sea.

B- Iran loses its leverages for putting pressures on the other states of the Caspian Sea to give more attention to its disadvantaged situation, despite the fact that once Iran and Russia were the only two states in the coasts of the Caspian Sea. In the past Iran had even rejected the validity of the Russian agreements with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan (based on the MML- Modified Median Line) dividing their parts of the Caspian Seabed.

C- If the seabed of the Caspian Sea is divided according to the length of coasts (median line), Iran will get the smallest share (around 13 percent) of the Caspian Sea. (Using the same method, Russia and Azerbaijan each get around 20, Kazakhstan gets around 30 and Turkmenistan gets around 17 percent of the Caspian Sea). The new agreement opens the way for this.

D- Iran was using its rejection of the trans-Caspian pipelines (submerged pipelines of oil and gas) as a tool to put pressure on the neighboring states (under the pretext of environmental issues and with cooperation of Russia, which did not want the rivals get stronger in the market) to give more attention to its demands.

What Iran gains:

Commitment from the Caspian littoral states not to give permission for the military presence of non-littoral states in the Caspian sea Commitment from the other littoral states not to let their sections in the Caspian Sea be used for "invasion" or military operations against IRI

Some important Points:

In this Convention, the Iranian government gains security for the regime of Iran and against the national interests of the people in Iran, and Iran loses some of its levers to pursue national interests in the Caspian Sea. Iran has given a free hand to Russians in major parts of the Caspian Sea, because of its bad relations with the Western countries. Iran - as an isolated state that insists on policies contrary to the national interests of the Iranian people as well as the peace and security in the region and the world - has played badly in this game. Perhaps Iran could have waited to gain a better position in the future to settle an issue that has lasted for the last twenty years. The people in Iran have historically negative views about Russian plans on Iran. This agreement has expanded that pessimism. The people of Iran have gradually become disappointed about the ability of the government during the IRI regime to assert the rights of the people. The general approach of Iranian people to the recent agreement is: This is the continuation of the regime's failure to protect Iran's rights in the case of Iran-Iraq war and disputes with the neighboring counties (on various issues, including water rights). Iranian people feel defeated, embarrassed and humiliated due to an unbalanced agreement in the Caspian Sea, without it addressing the demands (and expectations) of Iranians. This has increased the level of distrust and even opposition of people towards the regime.

The share of Iran from the Caspian Sea will be the smallest part of this body of water. None of the other littoral states (Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan) of the Caspian Sea is ready to accept anything more than this for Iran. At the same time, the Iranian part of the Caspian Sea (almost 13 percent of the Caspian Sea) has not any important oil and gas resources that is so far identified by any method. Even if new and economical resources of oil and gas are found in this sector in future, their exploration and exploitation requires high investment and technology (this sector is the deepest part of the Caspian Sea). Iran has none of them in the proper level. Again, if it has any of them, it would be easier and more profitable for Iran to use them in other places (such as the Persian Gulf). Therefore, it is possible to say: Caspian Sea has not high economic priority for Iran.

On the other hand, the Caspian Sea and its littoral states can pose a security threat for the regime of Iran. Most of the Caspian littoral states are very interested in having good relations with the Western, especially the US, government and companies. Azerbaijan Republic is an ally of the US and it has very close relations with Israel. In recent years, when the issue of a possible attack against Iran has been discussed, Azerbaijan is named as a possible route for this. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan attach great importance to the Western companies for development of their resources in the Caspian Sea.

While conflicts between Iran and US is still widespread and peaceful solutions for removing the conflicts are not so promising due to the policies of the Iranian regime (the US and its allies want Iran to stop regional interfering and support of terrorism) , the possibility of confrontation is growing. If this happens, the Caspian littoral states, except then Russia, will be in the opposite side of Iranian regime. For the same reason, the regime in Iran that attaches the highest priority to its survival, is more concerned about the military-security issues in The Caspian Sea, rather than resources in the seabed or even Iran's share of the whole area. The regime in Iran has been using every legal and political occasion, to block the presence on non-littoral states, especially the US, in the Caspian Sea, with cooperation of the Russians who have similar worries. Iran and Russia have used all meetings of the Caspian littoral states in the last twenty years or so to put pressures on the other Caspian sates to keep the West out of the region.

The recently concluded Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, has not really anything about the most important issue that it was supposed to address: the legal regime of the Caspian Sea or in fact what belongs to whom in the area.. If so, what was the hurry to conclude an agreement which is not solving the problem? The answer is in the chapters of the new convention prohibiting the presence of non-littoral sates in the Caspian Sea and the commitments of the littoral states not to let their territory in the Caspian Sea (without knowing where it is really) to be used for attacking others.

Iranian Majlis (parliament) has to approve this agreement with two thirds majority. There is a possibility that Majlis will not do so. If the leader interferes in favor of the approving the agreement, he will lose more credibility (especially under the present conditions of Iran).

About the author:



Bahman Aghai Diba, PhD International Law of the Seas, is the author of several books. His latest books were published in 2011:Its a double-edged sword when global media run stories about our hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. While were humbled and excited to have our city recognized for its awesomeness, were also a bit like, Shhh, dont tell anyone. Many of us like living in a best kept secret.

So when Inc. Magazine ran its super optimistic piece, Why the Next Great Startup Will Come from Des Moines, our team read it (and reread it) with enthusiasm and a smidge of dread. Could an article like this flood our town with entrepreneurs hungry for a fertile environment? It sure could; entrepreneurs are nothing if not nomadic. I moved (quite literally) across the world to find the best place to launch and scale a fintech business.

In many respects, the article was spot-on. There was, however, one really important benefit to building a company in Des Moines the author missed. In addition to offering startups an eager and involved government, proximity to Iowa State University and a slew of heavy-hitter business leaders, Des Moines has another really important attribute  a collection of progressive, smart and eager lenders.

And many of these lenders are credit unions.

Theres a proven willingness among our communitys credit union scene to finance entrepreneurs and idealists. Of course, its not only credit unions contributing to this sense of financial adventure. Our entire financial services community  a sector rich with incumbents hungry for innovation  is incredibly strong and active in the pursuit of industry transformation.

The interesting thing about progressive financial institutions is they attract progressive financial providers. In our community alone, CO-OP Financial Services, PSCU, Shazam and many others have planted sizable flags. Mash them together with our venture capital firms, like Next Level Ventures and Plains Angels, or cooperative investors like Veridian Credit Union, and thats when the magic really happens. Combining their expertise, strategies and funding, these organizations working in collaboration can (and do) help accelerate fintech and other startups ambitions for scale.

All that said, the role of civic leaders cannot be overstated. It absolutely matters that our states central business hub is also home to the states government. Local leaders are available and make time to interact with business. The governor of Iowa attended our launch party; a clear indication she believes in the power of startups to advance the states economy. Government cant create a startup scene, but there is a lot they can do to support it. Its happening in Des Moines, but shhh, dont tell anyone.When Paris was hit by two major terrorist attacks in 2015, France embarked on a painful journey to understand the radicalisation of its youth. Three years later, researchers have discredited initial theories about the typical home-grown terrorist.

On January 7, 2015, three Islamist terrorists killed 17 people and injured a dozen more by attacking the central Parisian offices of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, and the Hypercasher supermarket on the outskirts of the French capital. On November 13, the same year, Paris was again left shell-shocked when nine terrorists killed 130 people and injured more than 350 others in coordinated gun and bomb attacks targeting the citys nightlife.



As information about the killers trickled out into the media, the French were astounded to learn that the majority of the perpetrators were home-grown terrorists, having been brought up in either France or in its closest neighbour, Belgium. The discovery came as a blow to authorities who hadnt realised the magnitude of Frances radicalisation problem, and sparked an onset of questions about why anyone would sacrifice their life to wage ideological warfare on their own homes and people. The French government quickly rolled out a nationwide program to detect and deradicalise these disoriented youths, but French scholars and researchers are now increasingly disagreeing with both the detection theories applied, and the ways in which radicalisation has so far been tackled.

Theres no typical profile



In 2015, after the January and November attacks, the prevailing discourse consisted of stating: These people are sick, they need to get treatment, French psychiatrist Guillaume Monod, whos written a book on radicalisation, said at a Paris conference that drew some 90 psychologists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists earlier this week.



Very quickly, a bunch of people declared themselves experts, without even having met any jihadists. Today, the topic has become a real academic discipline, he said, noting that French researchers have learned a lot in the three years since the government launched its anti-radicalisation program, not the least from how differently they now view these youths.



When the investigation into Amedy Coulibaly and the Kouachi brothers  the perpetrators of the January 2015 attack  began, this typical profile [of radicalised youth] began to emerge. [And] the typical path of the jihadist terrorist: A young man, of immigrant origin, with an absent father and who had been through either the child welfare services or judicial child protection services, he was cited as telling French daily 20 Minutes, noting that this picture did not remotely correspond to the picture he got when he started speaking with radicalised inmates himself.



The very first observation I made is that its only a very minority of jihadists who suffer from psychiatric problems. But Monods second observation is perhaps even more surprising: I met former drug addicts, family fathers, executives of private companies, jobless youths and those who were well integrated in both their jobs and workplace. In short, they all had very little in common with the stereotypical radicalised youth.

We looked for ready-made answers



Muriel Domenach, the secretary general of Frances Interministerial Committee on Crime Prevention (CIPDR), said that the stereotype was born out of her subjects need to provide fast answers.



In 2015, the shock was so big that we looked for reassuring, ready-made answers that were monocausal. Meanwhile, the experiences we have from being out on the field have shown that the causes of radicalisation are multiple, she said.



Serge Hefez, a psychiatrist at the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital in Paris and whos in contact with some 40 radicalised youths, said that one common thread among those who become radicalised seems to be a number of failures during adolescence, sometime quite big failures, and radicalisation is an attempt to exit this existential angst they find themselves in.



Although every family of radicalised youth differs, when it comes to their backgrounds, religions, and sometimes [even] very closely-knit families, Hefez said that the family dynamic can often be compared to that of a sect. And so the youth looks for another sect, radio broadcaster France Inter cited him as saying.



France has already been forced to review its anti-radicalisation program and pull back some of its early initiatives, including its controversial deradicalisation centre in Pontourny which was closed after none of the nine youths that were held there completed their training. At the end of 2017, the French interior ministry said that some 25,000 people were on its terror watch list -- 9,700 of whom were suspected radicalised Islamists.



Saying youre wrong doesnt work. The real task is to make them distance themselves from the violence, Monod concluded.Watered Down Domestic Violence Bill in Approval Stage Eight Years After Drafting in Iran

10/22/18

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

Hardliners Claim Bill Threatens Foundations of Iranian Families



"International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women"

by Iman Khaksar, Iranian daily Ghanoon



A heavily revised Bill for the Protection of Women Against Violence has been sent to the Iranian city of Qom for review by Shia scholars, according to Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar, who made the announcement on October 12, 2018.

Domestic violence is not mentioned by name in Iranian law; women can only attempt to address it by navigating through the country's Sharia (Islamic) legal system.

A female Iranian attorney told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) that the bill is the first of its kind and introduces an issue into Iranian law that was previously omitted, but it fails to meet UN standards for protecting women from violence in the home.

"The barriers for access to justice for women in Iran are so intense," said the attorney, who requested anonymity for security purposes. "For example, married Iranian women are legally obligated to live where their husbands want them to live. In situations involving domestic violence, they can only leave their homes if they can prove that their life or reputation is in danger."

"But proving that your life is in danger when your assailant is your husband and his words carry greater legal weight than your own is very difficult," said the attorney, who added that vulnerable Iranian women often don't speak out against violence in the home not only because of the lack of legal protections but also because of societal expectations that they keep family matters private.

"Clerics and hardline judicial officials have claimed this bill could endanger the foundations of Iranian families if women are allowed to make complaints about their husband over domestic violence, which they consider a small issue," she said.

According to a May 2017 study by a prominent, Iran-based charity that examined "Violence Against Women in Peripheral [disprivileged] Families," 32 percent of Iranian women in urban areas and 63 percent in rural areas have experienced some form of domestic violence. These numbers could be much higher given that victims of domestic violence are pressured to keep their experiences secret.

The UN recommends that legislation defining domestic violence should include physical, sexual, psychological and economic violence. But the bill has been strongly opposed by political hardliners and religious conservatives, who want to prevent domestic violence from being addressed through Iran's legal system.

"This bill was sent to the judiciary by the government and unfortunately it calls for imprisonment for dozens of situations," said Hojatoleslam Hadi Sadeghi, the deputy judiciary chief for cultural affairs, at a judicial conference in Tehran on June 27, 2018.

"If a woman sends her husband to prison, then the man will no longer be her husband and she will have to suffer the pain of divorce," he added.

The judiciary's assistant for legal affairs, Zabihollah Khodaian, had earlier complained in August 2017 that the bill puts men in prison for "mistakes."

"We should not be putting everyone in jail for making mistakes, including husbands and wives who get into fights," he added.

On the other hand, some female Iranian officials have emphasized the urgency of passing the bill.

In a September 2018 interview with Etemad newspaper, the reformist leader of the women's faction in Iran's Parliament, Farideh Oladghobad, urged the judiciary to present its final views on the bill so that lawmakers could begin the legislative process.

"The Bill for the Protection of Women Against Violence should be submitted to Parliament as soon as possible in order to defend women's human dignity in accordance with Articles 20 and 21 of the Constitution," Oladghobad said.

She added: "As mothers, women need peace and security in the family to be able to raise their children well. The family should be free from verbal and non-verbal violence. In addition, we are witnessing violence against women in public. We believe that women need security in order to conduct social affairs."

Long Drafting Process, Many Articles Removed

The bill, which has been a decade in the making, had half its articles removed before reaching the final approval stage.

Various drafts of the bill were conceived during the second term of the government of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013). In August 2010, Iranian media outlets reported that the Parliament and Interior Ministry were working separately on drafting bills against domestic violence.

In 2011, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called for women to be protected from domestic violence, creating an opening for the Center for Women and Family Affairs in the president's office to draft another bill.

By November 2012, the final draft of the bill had been revised six times and was not submitted to Parliament until 2015, after further revisions by the government of President Hassan Rouhani (2013-2021).

On September 14, 2017, Ashraf Geramizadegan, the director of the Center for Legal Research at the Office of the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, said the bill had been sent to the judiciary for review, which is required before Parliament begins deliberating bills.

Most recently, in October 2018, the draft-with half of the original articles removed-was sent to Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani for his approval.

Larijani appears to be seeking the consent of Qom's religious leaders before giving the bill his approval before sending it to Parliament for deliberations.For Subscribers New businesses, opportunities arising in Confluence because of the GAP

Dive in for a taste of the new restaurants, art hubs and other additions to the evolving town of Confluence.LYNBROOK, N.Y. (AP)  A former New York City correction officer and his 21-year-old girlfriend have been charged in the fatal beating of the womans mother on Long Island.

Nassau County police say 27-year-old Ralph Keppler and 21-year-old Francesca Kiel, both of Lynbrook, were arrested Sunday on murder charges.

Police say the victim, 56-year-old Theresa Kiel, was brutally attacked and struck in the face with a metal barbell at her apartment in Long Beach in December of 2016. She lost and eye and remained in a vegetative state until she died this Saturday.

Prosecutors had alleged the motive to be a business dispute.

Keppler had been charged back in January with attempted murder and assault and was out on bail. His lawyer says hes innocent.

Information on Francesca Kiels lawyer wasnt immediately available.Our company deals with customers, which willing to buy fuel wood chips in Ukraine for export to Poland. Send us your offer specifying the terms of delivery (preferable - railway) and production/warehouse location.Our company, located in Turkey, is interested in wood pellets of good quality. Send us specifications for your product and a price list. Also we need company information for quality check, if possible.Our company is looking for a reliable supplier of high-quality wood pellets A1 to Denmark. The volume we are interested in depends on price and quality of your product. Pellets should meet A1 specifications. We deal with customers and the overall volume we supply to them is approx. 350-500 tons per month, but there is an opportunity to increase the volume of supply.

We are interested in pellets of 6-8 mm in diameter packed in 15 kg bags. The reasonable price is about 110-125 EUR/ton depending on the place of loading that affects on the cost of delivery. We work on a prepayment basis only with reliable suppliers. One sample truck of your product required for quality and packing check. Usually, we work on FCA terms, but we considering other terms of delivery. We need delivery all over Denmark, but generally to our stock in Randers.Britain may be on the brink of the greatest political and constitutional crisis in my lifetime.

The Brexit train, which has seemed stuck at the platform for so many months, is now lurching forward at full speed. Some say it is lurching out of control.

Yesterday Theresa May struck her Brexit deal. That in itself is a huge achievement for a prime minister whos repeatedly been written off as doomed, weak and useless.

It is, predictably, being criticised by Brexiteering Tory MPs, but I wonder how many of them have the faintest idea of the detail contained in the 400-500 page document.

Yesterday Theresa May struck her Brexit deal. That in itself is a huge achievement for a prime minister whos repeatedly been written off as doomed, weak and useless

For many, though, its not the detail but this key point: that Britain will effectively remain  for the time being at least  part of a European customs union.

This is what Mrs May has wanted all along. She has been shaken by warnings from British industry that exports to Europe would grind to a chaotic halt if we stayed outside. But securing temporary membership of the customs union carries a cost.

It means the UK will not have the ability to strike independent deals with non-EU countries. And that horrifies Brexiteers. Nor can they stomach the idea that we will have to continue writing multi-billion-pound cheques to Europe.

And they absolutely recoil at the thought that we will be subject to EU rules and regulations  and the European Court of Justice.

Mrs May now faces the mammoth battle of pushing her deal through Parliament at a time when Tories are saying the mood within the parliamentary party and the grass roots is hostile

Similarly, Remainers  such as former transport minister Jo Johnson, who quit on Friday  are bridling at a deal which gives us no say in making the European laws we will be forced to obey after crashing out of the EU on March 29.

Mrs May now faces the mammoth battle of pushing her deal through Parliament at a time when Tories are saying the mood within the parliamentary party and the grass roots is hostile. Boris Johnson, of course, is against it. So are many other ex-Cabinet ministers, such as Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson.

Crucially, the Democratic Unionists  upon whose backing the May Government depends for a Commons majority  are beside themselves with fury.

Remainers  such as former transport minister Jo Johnson, who quit on Friday  are bridling at a deal which gives us no say in making the European laws we will be forced to obey after crashing out of the EU

In a menacing development for Mrs May, a livid Nigel Dodds declared: Our laws will be made in Brussels  not in Westminster or Belfast. That is the fundamental red line.

As for Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party, it has pledged to vote against Mrs May and wants a general election. It may get it.

Mrs May always knew her Brexit deal was a gamble, but it was a gamble she had to take. The question is whether it will turn into a mutiny that destroys her premiership.

That is why last night she invited Cabinet ministers, one by one, into Downing Street in order to persuade them to back her deal ahead of a Cabinet meeting tomorrow. She figured that she has a better chance of persuading them individually.

It was a sensible precaution  although I was reminded of one cold, November night back in 1990 when Margaret Thatcher chose to meet her Cabinet individually on the eve of her political destruction.

We may well see more resignations this week, even today. How many and how senior?

Well, the Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom, is strongly tipped to go, but that would not matter that much on its own. But the departure of Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, or Environment Secretary Michael Gove, would be fatal and usher in a period of political instability of a kind we have not seen for more than half a century.

As for Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party, it has pledged to vote against Mrs May and wants a general election. It may get it

But all is not lost for the Prime Minister. If  and I accept its a big if  she manages to persuade the Cabinet to back her, then I believe her position is considerably stronger than it looks, because she has time on her side.

Her Brexit deal wont be agreed with Europe until a summit at the end of this month. A Commons vote wont take place until December, which is more than enough time for Tory whips to get to work.

Hardline Brexiteers, who last night were broadcasting horrified determination to vote against the Government, may think again once they reflect that the alternative is Jeremy Corbyn in No 10. Meanwhile, loyal ministers have four weeks to make their case.

Theresa May has come through a lot. Yes, her biggest test awaits, but we shouldnt write her off yet. She got her deal, and shes got at least a fighting chance of winning the day in Parliament.Over in Brussels, Germanys Angela Merkel was making an ein-Volk-eine-Armee speech. France was demanding that the EU become an empire.

Meanwhile, Downing Street finalised a stinky-sounding Brexit contract it must now put to the Cabinet, whose members were being hauled in to see Mrs Heath one by one.

A day of developments.

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, face wan with fatigue, appealed for common sense. He estimated that any legal advice would entail about 5,000 pieces of paper going back two years

And in the House of Commons? Petty games from Labour and a coven of lawyer MPs with pinkies at an angle as they jigged on a Brexit pin.

When Sir Francis Drake played bowls before the Armada he at least sucked down some Plymouth air. Yesterday our tribunes were just inhaling Westminster dust.

The Commons passed, without division, a Labour motion instructing HM the Queen to release any legal advice in full that her Government had received on Brexit. Note that any.

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington  face wan with fatigue  appealed for common sense. He estimated that any legal advice would entail about 5,000 pieces of paper going back two years.

Is the parliamentary photocopying budget going to be able to cope with this?

Mr Lidington half-heartedly hoped Labour would not press its demand. He joined his palms in a prayerful gesture and lifted them to his chin. He spoke emolliently but he was ignored. The moment the debate ended, he ambled out of the Chamber, alone.

Why was Labour demanding this unprecedented release of so much legal advice? Because Tory Eurosceptics and Democratic Unionists had been agitating to see the legal opinion given to Theresa May by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox. They think Mrs May might lie about her Attorney-Generals advice, just as Tony Blair was suspected of doing before the Iraq war. A vicars daughter not tell the full truth?

Because Tory Eurosceptics and Democratic Unionists had been agitating to see the legal opinion given to Theresa May by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox. They think Mrs May might lie about her Attorney-Generals advice, just as Tony Blair was suspected of doing before the Iraq war. A vicars daughter not tell the full truth?

Labours stance was driven by a desire to create friction between Mrs May and her fidgety troops. Not that Sir Keir Starmer, shadow Brexit Secretary, admitted that. He claimed only high motives, saying it was all because Brexit was so important. MPs needed the full legal text in order to ensure that they voted from a position of the fullest information, etc. As opposed to just voting for sly careerist reasons, which is of course unimaginable.

Labours ruse was successful as far as it went. The motion passed unopposed because the Government Chief Whip, his right shirt collar askew, knew he had lost his majority.

Europhile Anna Soubry (Con, Broxtowe), staring wildly, raged that Eurosceptic Tory MPs seemed to be running the show. Ha! If only! Tory MPs who had served as law officers or government lawyers were horrified by the thought of legal advice being shown to the public. Sir Oliver Heald (NE Herts), Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield) and Victoria Prentis (Banbury), although all Remainers, argued that such a rupture of client confidentiality was v. poor form.

It would make future legal advice less forthright. Lawyers might even stop putting opinions in print.

Veteran Brexiteer Sir William Cash (Con, Stone) wished Cabinet ministers had been given legal advice before being ambushed by Mrs May at Chequers.

Labour Remainer Hilary Benn (Leeds C) made an impenetrable, gabbled speech, at one point speaking of a Northern Irish backschtop.

There were echoes of his father in that furry pronunciation but Tony Benn would have never supported Brussels as his son does.

One thing I thought about lawyers  sorry, eminent lawyers, as they were described by minister Robert Buckland, himself a lawyer  was that the raw words on a document were what mattered.

But Sir Keir, the moment his motion passed, made a point of order insisting that he did not, after all, seek any legal advice in full. He was only keen to see the final advice given to Mrs May by Mr Cox. I think thats called a lawyer trying to have it both ways.

Speaker Bercow told him that the motions wording could not be changed now that it had been passed. The Queen has been given her orders and her Government must now cough up 5,000 documents.Finding the perfect travelling outfit can leave many women stumped.

But now two jet-set fashion experts have shared their fail-safe wardrobe formula for taking to the skies.

UK-based Instagram stars Jordan and Loanne Collyer of the Collyer Twins explained an ideal long-haul flight outfit consists of six key pieces: a cashmere knit, chunky trainers, polished joggers, a striped tee, a bucket bag and an oversized scarf.

Their full guide, published on Who What Wear, notes a jersey dress is a suitable alternative to the top and bottoms - and can be worn with the same accessories, too.

Scroll down to find out more about each flight must-have - and get ready to jet off in your chicest look yet...

On the right lines: Actress Emma Watson gives a masterclass in chic airport separates in a striped top as she touched down in JFK, New York in April 2015. A striped top is part of the winning flight wardrobe formula from sisters Jordan and Loanne Collyer of the Collyer Twins

Striped t-shirt

A favourite of celebrities like Emma Watson and Jennifer Garner, a striped tee is a building block of any casual-yet-cool wardrobe.

Jordan and Loanne explained that not only do printed tops look good - but they have a practical purpose too.

'They help disguise any turbulence-induced spills.'

So whether it is black and white striped, red and white, or classic navy, make sure to reach for a striped top as the base of your travel ensemble.

Cosy: Gwyneth Paltrow in another must-have, a cashmere jumper in New York in April 2016

Cashmere jumper

While a striped t-shirt is a great place to start, many of us find ourselves in need of something a little more substantial to keep us warm on the plane.

A cashmere jumper, like this chunky knit seen on Gwyneth Paltrow, provides the ideal solution for wrapping up when the temperature.

'The high wool content keeps us toasty but doesn't make us overheat either,' the Collyer twins said. 'Perfect for notoriously chilly nighttime flights.'

Scarf

And when the jumper isn't enough to keep you warm, it is a good idea to have an oversized scarf to wrap around and snuggle into.

It makes a great alternative - or addition - to the airport blanket and can be used to layer up any outfit on your arrival at your destination.

Wrapped up warm: Supermodel Heidi Klum rocks two of the long-haul must haves - an oversized scarf and polished tracksuit bottoms - while landing in New York in January 2016

Polished trackies

What to wear on the bottom half can prove particularly difficult as many women's go-to choice - jeans - can become uncomfortable over long periods of time.

As a sharp alternative, the Collyer twins suggest opting for a pair of 'polished' tracksuit bottoms, which give you the flexibility and comfort of exercise clothes but with the tailored appearance of a smarter trouser.

The Collyers suggest looking for a pair with side stripes as they are 'more fashionable' than other options.

Hold-all: Sienna Miller is effortlessly stylish with a bucket bag in London in June 2015

Bucket bag

'Bucket bags are great as they're roomy enough to hold all of your in-flight essentials cinch closed to ensure nothing falls out and don't take up much of your leg room,' the twins said.

The easy tie top makes it perfect for being able to reach in and take out liquids without too much fuss on the way through security - perfect for travellers in a hurry.

Chunky trainers

Chunky trainers have become one of the year's must-have accessories and they've proved particularly popular with flyers looking to stay comfortable without sacrificing their style credentials.

Jordan and Loanne Collyer pointed out that not only do they mean you can get on the go quicker once you've touched down, but the chunky style helps disguise 'unsightly but very necessary flight socks'.She's the epitome of a chic mother-to-be but the pregnant Duchess of Sussex, 37, has been relying on a nifty cheat to hide tired eyes, according to an expert make-up artist.

While she usually favours a dark brown eye pencil, Meghan Markle, who is expecting her first child in spring, opted for a flesh-toned version for her first Armistice Day service at the Cenotaph with the Royal Family on November 11.

Her liner of choice - traced along her eye's lower waterline - may have been a minute detail to the untrained observer.

But it's a tried-and-tested technique for perking up fatigued eyes, A-list make-up artist Francesca Abrahamovitch told FEMAIL.

The Duchess of Sussex, 37, who's expecting her first child in spring, has switched her usual dark brown eyeliner for a nude pencil traced along her waterline. Make-up artist Francesca Abrahamovitch says it's a great way to make eyes appear brighter, bigger and less tired

Look closely: Before her pregnancy, Meghan preferred to wear a brown or black pencil applied liberally along bottom lashes close to the whites of her eyes (above in Cheshire on June 14)

'Meghan appears to be wearing a nude eyeliner in her lower waterline. I love this look and use it a lot on my clients, especially when they have super-early starts,' she explained.

'It's a really effective way of making your eyes appear bigger and brighter.

'It also hides any redness or tiredness making it look as though you've had a full eight hours sleep - even when the reality is very different,' said Francesca who works with celebrity mothers Rochelle Humes, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden.

For those looking to follow Meghan's lead, Francesca advised: 'Simply trace your white or flesh-toned pencil along the area just above your lower lashes and pair with mascara.

'If you still want smoulder, smudge your dark pencil below it. As long as you steer clear of that all-important waterline, you'll maintain the eye-brightening illusion.'

Like her sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan is partial to dramatic eyeliner.

But she usually chooses a dark brown or black tone - applied liberally along both her top and bottom lashes.

She's previously named MAC Eyeliner in Teddy, 15, a favourite.

The deep brown hue is soft enough to be blended but stays in place for hours.

She's also worn Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-lasting Eye Liner in Cassis, 22, in the past.

The variant's another brown - this time with purple undertones that'll help enhance hazel eye colours.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat, 22.50, is also though to be a staple for Meghan. Containing light-reflective flecks, it can help banish signs of fatigue when placed in the under-eye zone.

It's no surprise expectant mother Meghan has been reaching for an eye-brightening tool of late.

The last few weeks have seen her and husband Harry, 34, jet across Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand for her first Royal tour.

She was back in the spotlight again on Saturday evening as she attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall with Prince Harry, the Queen and other senior family members.

On Sunday, she joined the royals at the Cenotaph for her first Remembrance Day commemorations since marring Prince Harry in May this year.

Hours later, she attended a Westminster Abbey service to pay tribute to those who fought in the Great War, alongside Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

A glowing Duchess of Sussex looked radiant as she attended a remembrance service at Westminster Abbey with Prince Harry on Sunday night. Meghan's baby bump seemed more pronounced than ever with her belt accentuating it

Dressed entirely in black bar the flourish of a red poppy, the Duchess of Sussex stood next to Elke Budenbender, the wife of the German president, as she attended the First World War Centenary commemoration event on SundayThe mastermind behind the iPhone's exterior design has created a unique ring cut from a single lab-grown diamond.

Sir Jony Ive, Apple's Chief Design Officer, and renowned industrial designer Marc Newson, have unveiled a diamond ring unlike any other, because it is created purely out of one lab-grown rock.

The estimated $150,000 to $250,000 ring, which features no metal, has not actually been carved yet - just designed - so that it can be made fit the finger of one winning bidder at a special charity sale at Sotheby's Auction in Miami, Florida, or one very lucky recipient of the buyer's choosing.

Incredible: The Sotheby's auction house in Miami, Florida, is auctioning off the first ring made entirely out of one lab-made diamond

The ring will be created exclusively for the auction house as part of its (Red) Auction, and the winning bidder will have the option to have the ring fitted to any size, up to a 5, which is the largest size that the diamond can be used to create.

In a press release, the group admitted that crafting a diamond into a ring shape is 'no small feat', explaining that the process of actually creating the ring involves a very detailed process unlike any other jewelry design.

Genuis: The man behind the one-of-a-kind ring is Apple's chief designer, Sir Jony Ive

'The interior ring will be cylindrically cut out for the desired smoothness using a micrometer thick water jet inside which a laser beam is cast,' the press release stated.

'The finished ring will have between 2,000-3,000 facets which has never been seen before on a single piece.'

In comparison, the most popular diamond cut - the modern round brilliant - features just 58 facets. Most traditional diamond cuts, including the princess and the radiant, have no more than 70 facets.

Sir Jony is used to working on incredibly detailed projects, having been responsible for creating the exterior of many of Apple's most well-known products, from computers to iPhones.

Lately however, the Apple expert has expanded his set skills in order to create the one-of-a-kind diamond ring that features zero metal.

Marc, meanwhile, has been working with Sir Jony for years, and has helped to create a number of special pieces for Apple, including a pair of 18k rose gold Apple EarPods and a red Mac Pro, both of which were auctioned off to earn money for (Red).

Incredible: Sir Jony, pictured with Apple CEO Tim Cook, has helped design the exterior for iPhones and laptops. But now he is using his skills for this one-of-a-kind ring

As for the diamond being used to create the ring, it is a lab-grown rock, also known as an engineered, man-made, or cultured diamond, created by Diamond Foundry, and has been especially chosen for its large size.

Any smaller rock would not offer enough diamond to create an entire ring shape, which will be carved into a solid piece in the shape of a ring, before the finger hole is created so that it can be worn.

But instead of adding additional material, like metal, to the ring, the design will be executed by removing the center of the rounded shape to fit a size 5 finger or smaller.

The money made from the diamond ring will go towards HIV/AIDS relief in Africa and Chicago, according to the press release.

People can bid on the one-of-a-kind ring in-person or over the phone on December 5 starting at 7pm EST.We offer RUF briquettes for export to Poland and Germany from Ukraine. Contact us to negotiate the details.A mother has shared a heartwarming photo of her disabled daughter posing next to an image of a model who was also born without her left arm.

Niamh Counihan, 24, from Limerick in Ireland, spotted the portrait of Kelly Knox in the window of her local Penneys (Primark) store while shopping with her 18-month-old daughter, Fiadh.

The youngster was born without her left arm - just like 34-year-old Kelly, who shot to fame in 2008 after winning Britain's Missing Top Model.

Taking to Instagram, Niamh shared the photo and explained she 'couldn't wait' to show her daughter the picture when she was older.

Model Kelly then spotted the snap and shared it with her own followers, writing: 'This is what it's all about... Have actual tears in my eyes!!!

'From the beginning of time, "disabled" people are made to feel inferior and dehumanised. This image and quote is so powerful! Thank you.'

Niamh Counihan, from Limerick in Ireland, shared a sweet photo of her daughter, Fiadh, posing next to a model who was also born without their left arm

She had been out shopping with her 18-month-old daughter when she spotted the photo of Kelly Knox in the window

Niamh said: 'Primark is one of the biggest companies I know of so when I saw the photo I just had to get the picture. I thought it was brilliant, it's great to see that picture being put up by such a big brand'

She added: 'It is every person's birthright to grow up confidently in their own skin knowing they do not have to change anything about themselves to feel beautiful or be included in society. Representation matters!'

Speaking to Femail, Niamh explained the importance of disability representation and how she hopes it will make it easier for her daughter as she grows up.

She said: 'It's amazing to see. I think [representation] is increasing, it's becoming a bit more normal to be a bit different.

'You were born with blue eyes, you were born with curly hair, and you were born with one arm. Everybody's a little bit different, and she's just a bit more different.'

Niamh, 24, praised Primark in particular for running the inclusive campaign which went viral earlier this year.

Kelly Knox spotted the photo on Instagram and shared it with her followers, saying 'this is what it is all about... have actual tears in my eyes!!!'

Kelly Knox, pictured at London Fashion Week in 2017, shot to fame in 2008 after winning Britain's Missing Top Model

Although the tot, pictured with her father Cian Healy, doesn't have a clue she's different just yet, Niamh is hopeful that increased representation will make it easier for her growing up

Niamh added: 'You were born with blue eyes, you were born with curly hair, and you were born with one arm. Everybody's a little bit different, and she's just a bit more different'

She added: 'Primark is one of the biggest companies I know of so when I saw the photo I just had to get the picture. I thought it was brilliant, it's great to see that picture being put up by such a big brand.

'At the minute she doesn't have a clue she's different, but it will make it easier in the future, that there are people out there like her and that's okay.

'Kids with the same disability, they see that and think "they're the same as me".'

Niamh and her partner Cian Healy had no idea their little girl's left arm had not grown until she was born.

Although they were initially worried - Niamh's father's first thought was 'how's she going to tie her shoelaces?' - they have since found a community of other parents with disabled children on Instagram and in their home town.

Niamh has found a community of mothers with children who have the same disability as Fiadh on Instagram and in her home town. One mother from America even named her daughter Fiadh after she helped to put her at ease

Fiadh is being fitted for her second prosthetic at the moment, but Niamh is hopeful that better disabled representation on shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and Great British Bake Off will mean she never feels the need to wear it

The pre-school teacher regularly shares photos of her daughter on social media, and one mother from America even named her daughter Fiadh in her honour.

Fiadh is currently being fitted for a prosthetic arm, but Niamh is hopeful that her daughter will never feel the need to use it thanks to better representation of disabilities in the media and on shows like Strictly Come Dancing and the Great British Bake Off.

She added: 'I want her to be comfortable in her own skin and to know that she's beautiful and that she looks perfect. She doesn't need a prosthetic but if she does want it when she goes to school, it's there for her.

'If this kind of representation is going to be a thing in every day life, it's going to make it a lot easier for her.'

Since winning the spin-off show of Britain's Next Top Model, Kelly has starred in episodes of Gok Wan's How To Look Good Naked and walked for Teatum Jones at London Fashion Week.

She recently hit the headlines after Primark hired her for their campaign back in July.A disgusted dad has slammed an Australian supermarket after bakers allegedly ruined his son's frog-themed birthday cake with their 'pathetic' decorating skills.

In preparation for his son Mason's third birthday, Shane Hallford, 43, claims to have forked out $49 on a special birthday cake from his local Woolworths store in Tamworth, New South Wales, on November 11.

The dad-of-two claims his request for a frog-themed birthday cake was confirmed by the store three days prior to picking it up  but the policeman and his wife Amy, 29, were both horrified to discover that their son's cake looked 'nothing' like what they ordered.

'They told me it could be done, no worries at all. He wrote down everything I said and said it would be ready by Sunday morning. I was very excited to see it,' Mr Hallford said.

Scroll down for video

A disgusted dad has slammed an Australian supermarket after bakers allegedly ruined his son's frog-themed birthday cake with their 'pathetic' decorating skills

In preparation for his son Mason's (middle) third birthday, Shane Hallford, 43, (left) claims to have forked out $49 on a special birthday cake from his local Woolworths

'I went down to pick it up on the morning of Mason's birthday party. I was in a rush getting extra supplies and didn't actually check it at the store because it was in a huge box,' he added.

'I just assumed it would be fine. When I got home, I opened it up with my wife and we were both mortified.'

Instead of a colourful number three and a big green frog decoration they had envisioned, the 'mortified' parents were met with a 'pathetic' smiley face and small 'three' both written in green icing.

The dad-of-two claims his request for a frog-themed birthday cake was confirmed by the store three days prior to picking it up

'Amy was very upset, as our guests were arriving in a couple of hours. We thought we would have to try and bake something else,' he said.

'I decided to just ring Woolworths to see if they could fix it. I explained the situation but was told that they didn't "decorate" cakes.'

Mr Hallford explained that because the supermarket has lovely looking pre-made cakes he thought they would do a good job.

'They told me it could be done, no worries at all. He wrote down everything I said and said it would be ready by Sunday morning. I was very excited to see it,' Mr Hallford said

'They do this every day for a living. Surely, they could have done something better than this,' he said.

Shane said the 'pathetic' cake forced his family to seek help from another cake decorator who thankfully 'saved' his son's birthday cake just twenty minutes before guests arrived.

And despite the initial 'disaster', Shane said his son Mason still had a great birthday party and enjoyed the 'repaired' version of the cake which featured a frog beside water.

Shane said the 'pathetic' cake forced his family to seek help from another cake decorator who thankfully 'saved' his son's birthday cake just twenty minutes before his guests arrived

'Amy was very upset, as our guests were arriving in a couple of hours. We thought we would have to try and bake something else,' he said

Shane's angry post has since gone viral, racking up thousands of likes and shares on social media.

'A cake is an integral part of any child's birthday party. You want a nice one, so you're able to remember it and take photos,' he said.

'I was most disappointed with just the lack of effort. It seemed like they didn't even care.

'It was a disgrace. I will never be buying cakes from Woolworths again.'

Woolworths told FEMAIL that staff have since reached out the family and provided them with a gift card.

'We're sorry to have disappointed the customer with our cake decorating, particularly on such a special day for the family,' the company said in a statement.

'Weve been in contact with the customer to apologise and provided them with a $50 Gift Card.'An Australian man has bucked tradition and taken his wife's surname - and he is calling on other men to do the same.

After tying the knot with the love of his life in June 2014, Cam Middleton-Else, 50, decided to go against tradition, a move that often attracts 'weird stares' from others, who the primary school teacher said seem 'baffled' by his decision.

Mr Middleton-Else, from Wodonga, Victoria said that although his wife Ros Else, 50, was a little hesitant when first presented with the idea, she was more than happy to keep her own surname while her husband took on hers.

'I guess I'm not your typical blokey-bloke. I've got a very open mind and have always been open to anything,' he said.

An Australian husband has bucked tradition and taken his wife's surname - and he is calling on other men to do the same

Cam Middleton-Else, 50, (right) decided to go against tradition

'I've always been one to challenge the toxic masculinity and ingrained sexism whenever I've come across it,' he added.

The primary school teacher insists that it 'shouldn't be a big deal' and added that it was something that should happen more in this day and age.

He explained he is rallying against what he sees to be toxic masculinity and ingrained sexism that in his view is prevalent in Australian society.

'I never understood why my wife should have to take on my surname. To me, it just never made sense,' he said.

'Instead of her having to change her name, I was more than happy to take on her surname. It felt natural to me.'

'I guess I'm not your typical blokey-bloke. I've got a very open mind and have always been open to anything,' he said

Mr Middleton-Else said he made the decision to hyphenate his surname to join with his wife Ros, as his children from a previous relationship shared his surname and he wanted to keep that connection.

But the dad said that if he did not have children, he would have no qualms about forgoing his surname altogether.

'For whatever reason, it is hard for some people to get their heads around. It has certainly got us a few weird looks and curious questions,' he said.

Mr Middleton-Else said he made the decision to hyphenate his surname to join with his wife Ros, as his children from a previous relationship shared his surname

'After we got married, we had to go get a few documents changed over like my car registration and things like that.

'During that process, I remember there were some workers who felt the need to ask me three or four times if that was really my surname before they believed me. They asked me why I'd take on my wife's surname.'

Mr Middleton-Else added that the move for husbands to take on their wives' surnames could aid in breaking down the stigma of it  which he believes stems from an ingrained toxic masculinity that exists in today's society.

'I find that there is a huge blokey mentality that a lot of men feel they need to conform to,' he said.

Mr Middleton-Else added that the move for husbands to take on their wives' surnames could aid in breaking down the stigma of it

'I know that men taking their wife's surnames is not that common, but I think it shouldn't be a big deal at all. I'm happy I've done it and will never regret this decision.'

He pointed out that it isn't illegal to adopt his wife's last name and he isn't doing anything wrong by making this decision.

'There is nowhere written in law about a woman having to take their husband's name,' he said.

'If that's what I want to do, and if I feel comfortable with it, that's how it's going to be. At the end of the day it's my life and my decision.'Makeup artist to the stars Charlotte Tilbury has officially accepted her MBE at Buckingham Palace.

The London-based beauty guru, who launched her eponymous makeup line just five years ago, wore a plunging LBD and hat from couture milliner Victoria Grant for the occasion - calling the accolade a 'dream come true'.

She wore head-to-toe black, teaming an Alice Temperley 'Parachute' cocktail dress with a Lara Bohinc belt and Jimmy Choo shoes.

Tilbury, 45, was accompanied by her husband George Waud and her parents, Patsy and Lance, for the investiture ceremony on Tuesday.

Charlotte Tilbury receives her MBE at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 13 November. The beauty guru, who launched her eponymous makeup line just five years ago, has gone from makeup artist to bonafide businesswoman with her range which is now sold across the globe

Charlotte Tilbury is made an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 13 November

Charlotte Tilbury with her MBE medal at Buckingham, Palace this morning. The beauty doyenne wore head-to-toe black, teaming an Alice Temperley 'Parachute' cocktail dress with a Lara Bohinc belt and Jimmy Choo shoes

Tilbury has gone from makeup artist to bona fide businesswoman with her beauty range, which is now sold in cities across the globe.

With 26 years' industry experience, well-connected Tilbury, 45, counts Kate Moss among her inner circle and is close friends with the likes of Edward Enninful and Cara Delevingne.

Her makeup range has been worn by everyone from Amal Clooney to Lady Kitty Spencer, while the Duchess of Sussex is rumoured to be among her fans.

Just this week, the brand was named as the exclusive makeup sponsor for the Victoria's Secret runway show in New York.

And earlier this year Tilbury - who is widely regarded as the pioneer of the liquid eyeliner 'feline flick', was named in the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2018 for services to the beauty and cosmetics industry.

Charlotte Tilbury with supermodel Kate Moss in London, 2013. After working on some 100 Vogue covers, in 2013 she launched her beauty and skincare range in Selfridges, with the collection becoming the retailer's biggest-ever beauty launch for turnover

In a statement on Tuesday, she said: 'Today has been one of the most magical days of my life. I am so delighted and thrilled to receive this honour, especially from Her Majesty, the Queen who has been an endless source of inspiration to me.

'She is not only an icon of this country, but of the world. To be recognized for my contribution to the beauty industry is a dream come true.'

And in a short video message to fans this morning, she said: 'Darlings, it's an incredibly exciting day, a dream come true. I'm going to Buckingham Palace to get my MBE.'

After working on some 100 Vogue covers, in 2013 she launched her beauty and skincare range in Selfridges, with the collection becoming the retailer's biggest-ever beauty launch for turnover.

Earlier this year, her Pillow Talk lipstick  a universally flattering nude shade loved by everyone from Alexa Chung to Mariah Carey  was extended into eye and cheek products for the first time.

The lip liner is such a global success that one of the cult products sells every six seconds around the world.A pair of high school sweethearts are now living as a polyamorous triad after inviting another woman to join their five-year relationship.

Mechanic Robert McCoy, 22, and his girlfriend Victoria Gibson, 23, from Fresno, California, fell in love after they met at a local skate park in 2012 after school, embarking on a long term monogamous relationship.

But when Robert met receptionist, Destiny Griffin, 22, through work in May this year, the three started to spend time together, and have officially been in a closed triad since August.

The trio say they see love as an emotion that shouldn't be limited, and argue that the best thing about their unusual set-up is that there is twice as much love as there is in a traditional relationship.

And they're planning to get married and start a family together in the future.

Polyamorous couple Robert McCoy, 22, and Victoria Gibson, 23, (seen centre and right) met as teenagers have become a trio after inviting another woman Destiny Griffin, 22 (seen left) to join their five-year relationship

When Robert met receptionist, Destiny Griffin, 22, through work in May this year, the three started to spend time together, and have officially been in a closed triad since August

Speaking about their new relationship, Robert said: 'Morally speaking, society has embedded monogamy into the depths of individuals and shuns those who say they love more than one person.

'I believe love and all other emotions have no boundaries or limits, so why not love as much as you can love.'

Recalling how his more traditional relationship with Victoria, who has spina bifida, began, he explained: 'We have not always been a triad. Me and Victoria were together for a little over five years before we got with Destiny.

'Me and Victoria met at the skate park while we were in high school. Me and Destiny met through work.'

Admitting that the women in his life had some questions over how their three-way relationship would work, he added: 'We fell in love as a triad after many, many long nights of talking and getting to know each other.

'Destiny is very, very open minded, but at the same time had plenty of questions on the true working of potentially being in a triad and perusing a relationship.'

Explaining that he wants to break tradition and help create a new concept of family, Robert said: 'I also see so much beauty in breaking free of what society says is "okay", and showing people that life is what you make of it, not what most people say it should be.

'This is not how I imagined life, yet now that it is here, I can't imagine anything different. The thought of a closed poly triad family unit is beautiful to me.'

Receptionist Destiny said: 'Since being in a triad, I've been able to open my mind to see that there's more to life and love than what people really think. The connection goes so much deeper and having two people by my side each day just deepens the connection we have.

Now the triad are focused on growing stronger together and one day plan to get married and start a family together (Robert, Victoria and Destiny - left to right)

'Thinking back to a year ago, I would've never thought of myself being in a triad because it sounded foreign and it's looked down upon to want to be with two people at once.

'People ask me how it is being with two people, I tell them that I receive double of everything while being able to give double of everything; love, affection, support.

'Being in a triad can be complicated at times but it never takes away from the good times that we have. I love my two and the life that we have built together so far.'

Robert, Victoria and Destiny's families are all accepting of their non-conventional relationship.

The high school sweethearts who have been joined by his colleague Destiny want to show the world that true love has no limits or boundaries.(Robert, Destiny and Victoria - left to right)

When Robert met receptionist, Destiny Griffin (left) through work in May this year the three started to hang around together and bonded over their similar interests and have officially been in a closed triad since August

Victoria explained how her family took the news and spoke about how the triad navigate any natural feelings of jealousy that may arise.

'My family is okay with pretty much everything I do as long as I'm happy and okay,' she said.

'I do get jealous, but I realise that it's small natural jealousy and I never let it become an issue. I'm really working on being able to discuss my feelings of jealousy when they come up so we can work through them together.

'In the future I plan on having a beautiful family with my partners and having a house big enough to fit us all comfortably.'

Victoria (seen centre) explained how her family took the news and spoke about how the triad navigate any natural feelings of jealousy that may arise

The trio love spending time together, and are seen here pumpkin carving. They plan to have a family together in the future

Robert added: 'I don't get jealous. To me it was a beautiful thing watching the person I love fall in love.'

'And at this point it's even more beautiful watching the two girls I love work together and provide for each other in ways I never could. Something about the way a woman cares and nurtures can never be recreated, especially by me.'

Destiny addressed her own feelings of jealousy within their unit, adding: 'Jealousy is a natural feeling that a human will always feel sometime in their life. In a triad, it's very important to recognise, acknowledge, and talk about where each other are when it comes to jealousy.

Destiny (seen centre) addressed her own feelings of jealousy within their unit, adding: 'Jealousy is a natural feeling that a human will always feel sometime in their life

'It will happen and it's important to let that person know that they are still loved and is not left out. There have been times when I got jealous. I would crave someone's attention while they are giving or receiving attention from or to the other, but at the end of the day, they've never failed to attack me with love and just show that I'm still important.

'In our relationship, there's not much jealously, except little things which can be easily talked about. The key to keeping jealousy at a minimum is to find a balance that fits everyone's needs.'

Speaking about the reaction he receives when he tells people about their relationship, Robert admitted they usually differ between sexes.

Speaking about the reaction he receives when he tells people about their relationship, Robert admitted they usually differ between genders, with men making it about the sexual aspect

'My reactions would mainly depend of the gender of the person I tell. Most females are rather curious, ask questions, give their views on it and we can really have a good conversation about the ideology of polyamory,' he said.

'Guys on the other hand don't see very further than the sexual aspect of the relationship. They also don't initially see the emotion and effort that goes into being in my position but rather see it as a status symbol or ego booster.

'Most of the time I won't really talk about it with other guys because my emotions do run very strong for these girls and I like to express how I feel about them, not answer sexual questions or not be taken seriously as far as my relationship goes.

'The one message I would like to convey would have to be that an individual's happiness lays strictly in their hands, nobody knows what will make you happier than you know yourself.'Tesco has become the first UK supermarket to launch larger nappies specifically designed for children with disabilities, after responding to a mother's campaign.

Charity worker Laura Rutherford, 34, from Falkirk, Scotland, started campaigning in 2016 after finding it difficult to find nappies for her six-year-old son Brody, then four.

Brody has an undiagnosed genetic syndrome, autism and epilepsy, and his condition means that he is doubly-incontinent.

And after Laura's campaign raised over 18,500 signatures, Tesco responded to her call for larger nappiers, launching Health Junior Nappies this month.

The range, priced at 4.50 for 20, is specifically designed to cater for children whose disability means they continue to need nappies and have outgrown regular sizes.

Tesco has become the first UK supermarket to launch larger nappies specifically designed for children with disabilities, after responding to Scottish mum Laura Rutherford's campaign for 6-year-old son Brody (seen)

The nappies have been created in conjunction with Laura and include a wetness indicator and double strength fixing tapes to help with a secure fit on a larger child.

Sharing her story, Laura explained: 'When you have a baby one of the many things you don't expect to use indefinitely is nappies.

'You look in to the not so distant future and envisage the "joys" of potty training and eventually a nappy-free life.

'For parents of children with disabilities it can be very different,' she added.

Speaking about little Brody, Laura recalled the difficulties she encountered as he outgrew smaller-sized nappies.

Brody has been as an undiagnosed genetic syndrome, autism and epilepsy, and his condition means that he is doubly-incontinent, and Laura started to have trouble finding him nappies when he hit the age of 4

She said: 'When he was four, he started to outgrow the nappies sold in supermarkets.

'I was unable to access products from our NHS continence service at that time, and found that I could only buy larger nappies online, which was inconvenient, not to mention expensive.

'There are thousands of children in the UK like Brody, older than "typical" children, who are not potty trained and require bigger nappies. I felt like something needed to be done.'

And after Laura's campaign raised over 18,500 signatures, Tesco responded to her call for larger nappiers, launching Health Junior Nappies this month

The range, priced at 4.50 for 20, is specifically designed to cater for children whose disability means they continue to need nappies and have outgrown regular sizes

And after setting up a petition on Change.org, Laura was surprised at the response and support she received.

'The support from other parents was brilliant and I discovered that whilst the NHS continence service is fantastic, referral age, there is a huge demand for larger nappies in supermarkets,' Laura said.

'It was great to meet with the team at Tesco and give my suggestions for the design of the nappy, having a product specifically designed for larger children makes it a lot easier for parents like me.

'This will help so many families and that means the world to me and Brody.'

Sinead Bell, Tesco Category Director, Baby, Beauty & Toiletries added: 'After hearing Laura's story we wanted to try and help.

'It was great to work closely with Laura on the design of the nappies and incorporate her thoughts into the final product. We hope this is a little help to Laura and Brody and other families in the same position.'Michelle Obama says daughter Malia begged her and the President to 'be cool' when her prom date came over to pick her up several years ago.

The former first lady, 54, shared details of then-16-year-old Malia's first prom in her new book, Becoming, which is out today.

Michelle admitted that she and Barack did cause a bit of embarrassment for the teenager, but they were also determined to make sure she had a good time.

Family times: Michelle Obama opened up about her daughter Malia (left) going to prom for the first time in 2015 in her new memoir Becoming

Sweet: The proud mom gushed about how grown up her now-20-year-old daughter - pictured at a State Dinner in 2016 - looked

Malia, who is now 20, attended the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.

In the spring of 2014, Michelle wrote in her book, 'a boy she kind of liked' asked her to prom, and Malia begged her parents to 'just be cool please'.

They were cool in at least one way; Malia was typically only allowed to be driven in Secret Service vehicles, but her parents made a special exception for prom and allowed her date to give her a ride.

The Secret Service just trailed behind them all night.

Painting a scene that could have been taken straight from the 1998 Disney Original Movie My Date with the President's Daughter, Michelle described the moment that Malia's unnamed date arrived at the White House.

'On the appointed evening, her date arrived in his car, clearing security at the southeast gate of the White House, following the path up and around the South Lawn by which heads of state and other visiting dignitaries normally arrived, and then gamely  bravely  walking into the Dip Room dressed in a black suit,' she wrote.

'Her embarrassment [had] already [begun] to smolder as we rode the elevator downstairs.

'I was barefoot, and Barack was in flip-flops. Malia wore a long black skirt and an elegant bare-shouldered top. She looked beautiful and about twenty-three years old.'

Yikes! Michelle said she and President Obama caused 'embarrassment' with their footwear choices and Malia begged them to 'be cool'

Emotional: 'Barack and I shook the young mans hand, snapped a few pictures, and gave our daughter a hug before sending them on their way,' she said

The proud parents kept it cool while basking in how grown up their daughter had become.

'Barack and I shook the young mans hand, snapped a few pictures, and gave our daughter a hug before sending them on their way,' she went on.

'We took what was perhaps unfair comfort in the knowledge that Malias security detail would basically ride the boys bumper all the way to the restaurant where they were going for dinner before the dance and would remain on quiet duty throughout the night.'

Michelle had spoken about her gratefulness for Secret Service being at Malia's prom before.

'Our daughters had their own detail all the time, so imagine trying to go to prom with eight men with guns and doing anything else youre trying to do as a teenager,' she said this summer at the American Library Association conference in New Orleans.

'Barack and I were very happy about it. But we had to learn how to discipline them without letting them think their agents told on them.'

President Obama had also shared his relief that Secret Service was there to keep an eye out when he spoke about the prom several years ago.

'The truth is, Im pretty relaxed about it for two reasons,' he said on Raleigh radio station WDCG in 2016.

'One is Michelle  shes such a great example of how she carries herself, her self-esteem, not depending on boys to validate how you look or not letting yourself be judged by anything other than your character and intelligence.'

Cute: Malia  pictured with her reported boyfriend, Rory Farquharson  went to prom with a boy she liked

She said: 'Malia wore a long black skirt and an elegant bare-shouldered top. She looked beautiful and about twenty-three years old'

'Hopefully Ive been a good example in terms of how I show respect to my wife,' he went on.

Second, he added, was that the Secret Service would stick close.

Later, after the prom, he spoke more about the experience on Live! With Kelly and Michael.

Sharing: Michelle is opening up about her family in her new book, Becoming

'Malia did have her first prom,' he said. 'Its fair to say that the first time you see your daughter in heels is a bit jarring.'

In her new book, Michelle said that Malia 'still laughs' when she thinks back to her date meeting the parents, which she describes as 'a bit excruciating'.

Michelle's memoir, for which she received part of a $65 million advance in a joint book deal with her husband, features a number of tidbits about the family's life in the White House, including the occasionally-stifling presence of so many staff members, and the rigorous security regulations.

During a recent interview with Oprah for Elle magazine, the former first lady discussed a moment in her book when she revealed that she and her daughters weren't even able to window without 'causing a fuss'.

'As first lady, youre not alone much. There are people in the house always, there are men standing guard,' she wrote in her book.

'There is a house full of SWAT people, and you cant open your windows or walk outside without causing a fuss.'

When pressed by Oprah about whether she was being serious about opening a window, Michelle insisted she was telling the truth, explaining that both of her daughters 'tried to' but they quickly 'got the call' from the Secret Service telling them to 'shut the window'.They're two of the most divisive foods around - and now Brussels sprouts and Marmite have been combined in a single dish that's sure to cause debate in dining rooms up and down the country.

Iceland has announced the launch of a special pack of Brussels sprouts smothered in Marmite butter, following a survey that showed more than half of Brits think the famously unpopular greens will soon disappear from our annual festive feast altogether.

Landing in supermarkets on November 19, Iceland Marmite Sprouts, 1.50 for 400g are a collaboration between the iconic spread and the frozen food retailer as part of a humorous 'Save Our Sprouts' campaign.

Marmite and Iceland have collaborated on the creation of unique Marmite-covered sprouts, 1.50 for 400g. Launching on November 19, it comes as a study showed more than half of Brits think they'll soon disappear from our festive feasts

The quirky product unveiling comes as a study of 2,000 people, commissioned jointly by Marmite and Iceland, found a third of Brits haven't been served sprouts in the last three years - and a fifth of have never bought a Brussels sprout in their life.

Two thirds (57%) of Brits thought that Brussels sprouts have declined in popularity and seven in ten young people surveyed cited them as the most likely festive food to end up in the bin.

Instead, they named tender stem broccoli and cauliflower cheese as more likely to be chosen this Christmas. This was closely followed by sweet potato fries, with 13 per cent of people in the country planning to serve them up in December.

'Combining Brussels sprouts and Marmite draws out the natural sweetness of the vegetable, while suppressing some of the bitterness,' says Wayne Edwards, Director and Co-Founder at The Food People - a global food trends agency

The divisive pairing may seem like an unusual combination but according to one expert, they make for a smart double-act.

Wayne Edwards, director and co-founder at The Food People, a global food trends agency, said combining sprouts with Marmite draws out the 'natural sweetness' of the veg - while 'suppressing some of the bitterness'.

'Not only does this give the sprouts a real flavour boost, but the taste is similar to that achieved when pairing chocolate and salt together,' he said.

Camilla Williamson, Marmite Brand Manager, comments: 'Much like Marmite, the humble Brussels Sprout is either loved or hated. By bringing these two together we hope that two wrongs will make a right and the nation will get behind this festive pairing over Christmas'

'This type of flavour layering gives the brain a positive biological response. The reason behind this is that in addition to being able to process sweet and salty flavours, our tongues also have additional sweetness receptors that activate only when sugar is in the presence of salt.

'Regardless of how contradictory it may seem, adding even a small amount of salt to food can make it taste even sweeter,' Wayne adds.

Two thirds (57%) of Brits thought that Brussels sprouts have declined in popularity and seven in ten Gen Z's (aged 37 - 53) cited them as the most likely festive food to end up in the bin, according to the poll by Marmite and Iceland

Camilla Williamson, Marmite Brand Manager, comments: 'Much like Marmite, the humble Brussels Sprout is either loved or hated. By bringing these two together we hope that two wrongs will make a right and the nation will get behind this festive pairing over Christmas.'

Neil Nugent, Head Chef at Iceland, agrees: 'Both Brussels Sprouts and Marmite are known for dividing opinion but it's amazing how well the two flavours work together. We're excited to be bringing this new flavour combination to customers as part of our Christmas range, and hopefully encouraging more people to enjoy sprouts in this must-try dish.'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are keen for their interim private secretary to become a permanent part of staff following recent high-level departures from the household.

The Queen's former assistant private secretary Samantha Cohen is acting as Harry and Meghan's joint private secretary on a temporary basis as staff work to fill the role left vacant by Edward Lane Fox, who left this summer following five years of service.

However parents-to-be Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, have reportedly struck up a rapport with Australian-born Cohen, affectionately nicknamed 'Samantha the Panther', and want her to stay on in the position full-time, it is reported.

Changing staff: The Queen's former assistant private secretary Samantha Cohen is acting as Harry and Meghan's joint private secretary on a temporary basis but the couple, pictured in Australia last month, reportedly want her to stay on full-time following recent departures

Trusted: Cohen, 49, has been a trusted aide of the royals for 17 years, described as 'deeply committed to serving the monarchy' and was given the task of preparing Meghan for her life as a royal earlier this year. Pictured, Australian-born Cohen at the royal wedding in May

'They are aware that they have lost some key staff members in recent months, but they really like Sam and want her to stay on,' a source told Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair.

Cohen, 49, has been a trusted aide of the royals for 17 years, described as 'deeply committed to serving the monarchy' and was given the task of preparing Meghan for her life as a royal earlier this year.

Originally from Brisbane and married to a dentist, mother-of-three Cohen had previously worked as a private secretary for the Queen and earned the nickname 'The Panther' for her feisty attitude.

She moved to the Duke and Duchess' household this summer.

Shake-up: Former army man Edward Lane Fox joined Prince Harry in 2013, after a career in the the Household Cavalry and with financial communications firm RLM Finsbury. He left his role in Kensington Palace this summer. Pictured, Harry with Mr Lane Fox in Chile in June 2014

'Right hand man' Prince Harry and Mr Lane Fox at the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, in September 2014

A statement released in April said: 'The recruitment process to appoint Mr. Lane Foxs successor is ongoing. In the meantime, Samantha Cohen, who will shortly complete her tenure as assistant private secretary to Her Majesty the Queen following delivery of a successful CHOGM [Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting], has kindly agreed to serve as interim private secretary, starting late summer.'

It comes days after Richard Eden of the Daily Mail confirmed a personal assistant, named only as Melissa, had 'quit suddenly'.

A Kensington Palace spokesman declined to comment on the departure of the PA. However, a Palace source was authorised to pay tribute to her.

Sudden departure: A personal assistant named only as 'Melissa' has also left her role at the Kensington Palace (pictured in stock image) household, it was revealed last week

'Melissa is a hugely talented person,' the source said. 'She played a pivotal role in the success of the Royal Wedding and will be missed by everyone in the Royal Household.'

It follows the departure of Edward Lane Fox, described as Prince Harry's 'right-hand man' who stopped working for the Prince in the summer after five years in the role.

At the time, a spokesman for the Prince said: 'His Royal Highness is hugely grateful to Ed for his hard work during a period that has seen the launch and growth of the Invictus Games, countless tours around the world, and the detailed planning for his wedding.'Experts warn it could cause side effects such as allergic reactions and irritation

A controversial new beauty routine has set the industry alight with interest after promising to ensure a smooth, blemish-free complexion for up to a year at a time  without the need for any foundation.

The flip side, however, is the treatment that you have to undergo in order to achieve these results involves having BB cream microneedled into your face in a two-hour-long process that has to be done at least two times.

Aishe Balic, co-founder of Glo Skin & Laser in New York City, has been offering the new procedure, which originated in Russia, at her office since July. She told DailyMail.com that there have been overwhelmingly positive results on everyone who has undergone the procedure so far.

New: BB Glo, a microneedling treatment involving BB cream, offers clients the opportunity to have semi-permanent foundation implanted underneath their skin (stock picture)

'The benefits of the BB Cream is that it evens out skin tone, helps to minimize the appearance of hyperpigmentation and redness, and lessens the appearance of pore size,' Aishe said.

'Since we are microneedling the skin, we (are) awakening the fibroblast cells to stimulate and grow new collagen thus helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.'

Aishe decided to first learn about the procedure when she became interested in microneedling and microblading. People were able to create semi-permanent eyebrows through microblading, so she wondered if it was possible for other areas of the face.

'Wouldnt it be cool if you could do makeup that way?' Aishe said.

This inquiry led her to discover the BB Glo treatment, which she said has been used in Moscow, Russia, for the last four to five years.

BB Glo involves a client coming in for a minimum of two treatments ($500), spaced out four weeks from each other, to set the BB cream underneath the skin.

When a client first comes in, their skin will be numbed by a numbing agent for 30 minutes. During this time, Aishe will work with the client to color match their skin with the BB cream.

'A lot of people like to go a little bit lighter if they are trying to hide blemishes or pigmentation issues,' Aishe said. 'So it helps to brighten, especially underneath the under-eye area.'

The microneedling will begin once the skin is numb and entail tiny needle pricks implanting the makeup deep within the skin to act like a semi-permanent foundation underneath the top layer.

Innovative: Aishe Balic, co-founder of Glo Skin & Laser in New York City, has been offering the new procedure (pictured) in her office since earlier this year

Interesting: The microneedles penetrate the skin with the BB cream, and the effects last for six months to one year

'We basically go as deep as we can without hitting the dermis,' Aishe said.

The tool will go as deep as 1mm to 1.5mm depending on the thickness of the client's skin. It will then be pulled back to hit skin layers closer to the surface, at depths ranging from 0.25mm to 0.7mm.

Once the area is microneedled, it is then set with a mask to help soothe the skin before getting gently wiped off with a dry towel or sheet.

For 24 hours, the client is unable to wet their face to help the BB cream set underneath the skin. It is also recommended to avoid the gym for 72 hours and any sun exposure or use of Retin-A products for one week.

'The longer you go without putting any foundation on the better because you want your skin to heal,' Aishe explained. 'You dont want to put anything into your pores. Theyre kind of sensitive right after microneedling.'

Clients will typically experience redness, dryness and flaking skin a few days after the procedure. The 10-day mark is when they should notice the change in their skin tone and decrease of pigmentation and marks.

Aishe said the average client will do two to three treatments, and the results will last six months to one year depending on how well the skin is cared for after the procedure.

The BB cream naturally phases out of the body within the year as the skin continues to regenerate itself layer by layer, Aishe explained.

But the procedure, which has yet to be FDA regulated, comes with critics who warn against possible side effects.

Incredible: Aishe said clients, like this woman, 23, pictured before and after the procedure, experience a decrease in redness, hyperpigmentation and scarring

Dr. Kenneth Howe, a New York-based dermatologist at Wexler Dermatology, warned against the procedure, telling DailyMail.com that he 'would not recommend' it to anyone, 'not for patients, friends, or family members; not for strangers on the train'.

'Were talking about a procedure that will introduce material  from Russia  deep into our skin,' he continued, before adding that, when it comes to products being used at that level, he 'has a basic rule: it has to be sterile, and it has to be FDA-approved.'

'The point is that BB creams are designed to go onto the surface of our skin, obviously,' he continued.

'What blends nicely with our skin surface does not necessarily co-habitate well [at a deeper level]. These are very different environments.'

He did highlight the fact that 'the procedure, as a concept, is not a bad idea', explaining that it is really just an alternative treatment to many that are already in existence  and have been for years.

However, he suggested trying one of the numerous, safer options on the market, like Dermasweep  which 'uses pressured infusion to deliver agents into the skin, reaching the level of the dermis without discomfort'  or Coollift  which 'is a pressurized gun that shoots hyaluronic acid into the skin'.

Other experts agreed with Dr. Howe's estimations about the treatment.

Improved: The treatment gives the appearance of BB cream on the skin, but experts warn it could cause adverse effects such as allergic reactions and irritation

'While this procedure certainly has appeal, we just don't have data yet to give it the green light from a safety perspective,' Dr. Darren Smith, a board certified plastic surgeon in New York City, told DailyMail.com.

'Short-term problems could include issues ranging from infections to pigmentation irregularities or allergic responses,' he continued. 'Long-term problems might include adverse effects on skin texture over time with repeated applications or even more severe health problems depending on the chemicals used,'

These concerns are recognized at Aishe's office, who said she and her employees make sure to regulate the clients undertaking the procedure.

She explained that anyone with known dermatitis, psoriasis, cystic acne, skin allergies or any active inflammation on the face is excluded.

'If youre just concerned about whether or not you will have a reaction, well do a test treatment to see how your skin reacts,' she said explaining that the test goes either on the neck or underneath the hairline. 'But for the most part, as long as Ive been working with it, I havent had any negative reactions.'

As for the formula used to implant underneath the skin, it is claimed to contain no harsh chemicals, dyes or metals.

'It doesnt have any harsh chemicals and youre not putting anything different then what we put on a daily basis on our face,' Aishe said.

Since starting the procedure earlier this year, she has received positive feedback from all of her clients who boast even skin tones, diminished redness and improved appearance of scars.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Advertisement

While celebrations are underway for a certain prince's 70th birthday in London, the Swedish royals put on a glittering soiree of their own in Stockholm last night.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her sister-in-law Sofia put their best foot forward on Tuesday evening as they welcomed the President of Italy and his daughter with a glittering state banquet.

The future queen, 41, accompanied by her husband Prince Daniel, dazzled in a floor-length emerald gown paired with an emerald necklace which complimented her ceremonial green sash.

Former model Sofia, 33, opted for a striking pale grey dress with a satin top featuring a bateau neckline and lace skirt as she arrived on the arm of Victoria's brother Prince Carl Philip, 39, for the dinner, hosted by Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf..

Both women and their husbands wore the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic as a nod to their guests - President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter Laura - teamed with dazzling tiaras as they arrived at Stockholm's Royal Palace.

It was revealed last week that the Swedish royals would not be attending the Prince of Wales' birthday dinner, hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace tonight, due to the Italian state visit.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, pictured with her husband Prince Daniel, stunned in a jade green floor-length dress at a state banquet held in honour of the Italian president at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Tuesday 13 November (left) while her sister-in-law Sofia, pictured with husband Prince Carl Phillip, wore a pale grey evening dress with a satin top (right)

Queen Silvia, pictured with President Sergio Mattarella of Italy, hosted the state banquet at Stockholm's Royal Palace. The event was held in honour of the Italian president at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Tuesday 13 November

Last night's candlelit gala dinner at the Royal Palace in Stockholm after the first day of the state visit. Participants included King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, Italian president Sergio Mattarella and his daughter, Laura Mattarella

Sofia framed her face with her brunette tendrils, while Victoria chose a slick up do with a side parting. The mother-of-two, who gave birth to Prince Gabriel last August, opted for a smoky eye and barely-there lipstick.

Walking arm-in-arm with Prince Daniel, who looked suave at the white-tie event, Victoria accessorized with a silver clutch bag and large diamond earrings. Sofia also kept her jewellery to a minimum, wearing a small silver bracelet, pearl earrings and a petite crown.

The Swedish royals hosted the state banquet at Stockholm's Royal Palace as part of a three-day tour of the country by the Italian delegation. The visit will focus on digital transformation and sustainability, European co-operation, research and culture.

Having visited Gustav IIIs Museum of Antiquities, the Hall of State, and the Royal Stables, Sergio and Laura are set to visit Lund and Malmo.

As the daughter of President Sergio, who is a widow, Laura has accompanied her father on many trips and has acted as the First Lady of Italy since 2015.

Crown Princess Victoria, 41, chats to guests during last night's gala dinner. The future queen dazzled in a floor-length emerald gown paired paired with an emerald necklace which perfectly complimented her ceremonial green sash

Crown Princess Victoria, the future queen of Sweden, dazzles in a jade green gown during last night's state dinner. She paired the glamorous backless number with a diamond tiara and glitzy necklace bedecked with emeralds

Crown Princes Victoria styled her hair in an oversized chignon during last night's state dinner, hosted by her parents King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia in honour of the visiting Italian president and his daughter

Last night's gala dinner was a display of pomp and splendour, attended by royal guards (pictured). The Italian president is on a three-day visit to Sweden that will focus on digitisation and sustainability, European cooperation and research, and culture

Guards at last night's gala dinner. The Swedish royals hosted the state banquet at Stockholm's Royal Palace as part of a three-day tour of the country by the Italian delegation. The visit will focus on digital transformation and sustainability, European co-operation, research and culture

During the day, Queen Silvia, Laura, Sergio and King Carl Gustaf, pictured, visited Gustav IIIs Museum of Antiquities, the Hall of State, and the royal stables. Last night's state banquet was held in honour of the Italian president at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Tuesday 13 November

Laura, second from left, joined her father Sergio on the trip that will focus on digital transformation and sustainability, European cooperation, research and culture. The state banquet was held in honour of the Italian president at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Tuesday 13 November

Sergio, pictured here with Queen Silvia, will visit Stockholm, Lund and Malmo during the three-day visit. Last night's state banquet was held in honour of the Italian president at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Tuesday 13 November

Victoria chose a slick up do with a side parting and made her eyes pop with a simple smokey eye and barely-there lipstick at a state banquet held in honour of the Italian president at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Tuesday 13 November

Queen Silvia wore a bright purple dress and floor length shawl for the event, and also chose a silver clutch.

It's been a busy time for Victoria and her husband Daniel, 45, who last month visited Jordan to raise the UNs sustainability goals with a focus on equality and climate and humanitarian issues.

They hiked in Amman and took part in Eco Peace talks about their work on improving water conservation in the Jordan River and the challenges of the sinking water level.

The royal couple also visited Pau, in south-west France, along with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, in early October.

The royals were there to mark the 200th jubilee of the House of Bernadotte, the ruling dynasty in Sweden.She and Felipe, 50, were visting Fundades programme, a social initiative in Lima

Queen Letizia of Spain looked stylish in a checked suit as she and King Felipe continued their tour of Peru today.

Letiza, 46, opted for a checked grey jacket and tailored trousers as she and Felipe, 50, visited the Fundades programme, a social initiative in Lima.

The mother-of-two finished off her look with a white camisole underneath, adding a splash of colour with a red clutch bag and co-ordinating heels.

Letizia and Felipe are in Peru for a three-day visit, in a bid to strengthen ties between the two countries.

Queen Letizia of Spain looked stylish in a checked suit as she and King Felipe continued their tour of Peru today. They visited the Fundades programme, a social initiative in Lima

Letiza, 46, opted for a checked grey jacket and tailored trousers as she joined husband Felipe, 50, for their first engagement of the year

The couple's first engagement of the day was attending a presentation for the Fundades programme on Tuesday.

The programme helps some of the most vulnerable groups in Peru, including those with disabilities.

Both Letizia and Felipe looked in high spirits as they met with representatives from Fundades, including those who have benefited from the initiative.

The Spanish royals touched down in Lima on Monday, where they were greeted by Peru's President Martin Vizcarra and First Lady Maribel Diaz.

Letizia wore here brunette locks down over her shoulders, while opting for a natural make-up look for the engagement in Peru

Letizia and Felipe attended a presentation for the Fundades programme, which helps vulnerable groups in Lima, on Tuesday

The couple were welcomed at the Government Palace in Lima with a Guard of Honour after arriving in Lima.

Peru's Foreign Office explained how the Spanish royals were visiting the country at the invitation of President Vizcarra.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: 'The presence of Their Majesties in Peru has particular significance, as it helps strengthen the solid friendship with Spain and renew deep historic-cultural, economic, and cooperation ties binding the two nations'.

The visit to Peru comes after Felipe travelled to France at the weekend for Remembrance Day commemorations without Letizia.The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the worst to ever rock the country since the horror disease was discovered there in 1976.

Health officials in the African nation say they have never seen such a fierce outbreak. Figures show the current one has infected at least 319 people and killed 198.

And, unusually, children are being badly affected because they're catching the virus while in medical clinics for other reasons, experts say.

'No other epidemic in the world has been as complex as the one we are currently experiencing,' said Dr Oly Ilunga Kalenga, the DRC's health minister.

Armed groups have attacked, kidnapped and killed medical staff trying to combat the outbreak, equipment has been destroyed, making it difficult to help victims.

Ebola has now killed at least 198 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, making it the worst outbreak ever in the central African country, the government says

The outbreak is happening in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces in the north east of the African nation, which borders Uganda and South Sudan.

Having started on August 1, it is the 10th outbreak since the disease, which causes extreme fever, bleeding and diarrhoea, was first discovered 42 years ago.

'This epidemic remains dangerous and unpredictable, and we must not let our guard down,' said Dr Kalenga.

'We must continue to pursue a very dynamic response that requires permanent readjustments and real ownership at the community level.'

He added: 'Since their arrival in the region, the response teams have faced threats, physical assaults, repeated destruction of their equipment, and kidnapping.

'Two of our colleagues in the Rapid Response Medical Unit even lost their lives in an attack.'

Dr Kalenga said teams responding to the outbreak are violently attacked, on average, three to four times a week.

In October, militants killed 11 civilians and a soldier in Beni, a city with a population of around 230,000 people where the outbreak is thought to have started.

Among the 198 people who have died in the outbreak, 163 of them were confirmed to have had Ebola, with 35 of them 'probable' cases.

Around 100 people are thought to have survived the incurable virus.

A Congolese health worker administers an experimental Ebola vaccine to a boy who had been in close contact with a confirmed sufferer in Mangina, North Kivu

Congolese soldiers are pictured patrolling an Ebola treatment centre in Beni in the aftermath of an attack that killed more than a dozen civilians

A doctor is pictured caring for a patient inside an isolated cube at the Alliance for International Medical Action treatment centre in Beni

Despite facing resistance from people who don't want health workers treating them, the government has managed to vaccinate more than 27,000 people.

Those who are known to have come into contact with others who had the disease have been targeted by the vaccination programme.

The head of UN peacekeeping operations vowed this week to do more with DRC's government to help improve security in the country's east.

HAS THE DRC HAD AN EBOLA OUTBREAK BEFORE? DRC escaped the brutal Ebola pandemic that began in 2014, which was finally declared over in January 2016 - but it was struck by a smaller outbreak last year. Four DRC residents died from the virus in 2017. The outbreak lasted just 42 days and international aid teams were praised for their prompt responses. The new outbreak is the DRCs tenth since the discovery of Ebola in the country in 1976, named after the river. The outbreak earlier this summer was its ninth. Health experts credit an awareness of the disease among the population and local medical staff's experience treating for past successes containing its spread. DRCs vast, remote geography also gives it an advantage, as outbreaks are often localised and relatively easy to isolate. Advertisement

The majority of the Ebola cases have been in the city of Beni  at least 120 confirmed cases have occurred there.

And at least 30 of these  27 of them fatal  have hit children under the age of 10, officials revealed last month, meaning children are dying at an unprecedented rate.

Jessica Illunga, a spokesperson for the health ministry in DRC said in October: 'There is an abnormally high number of children who have contracted and died of Ebola in Beni.

'Normally, in every Ebola epidemic, children are not as affected.'

Dr Peter Salama, emergency response chief at the World Health Organization (WHO), last month warned the current Ebola outbreak would only get worse.

The combination of rebel violence and pre-election unrest is creating a 'perfect storm' for an even worse epidemic, he said.

Armed opposition attacks in North Kivu province have risen in recent weeks.

Refugee workers were even forced to evacuate Beni due to a deadly raid that left more than a dozen locals dead.

Fears and misconceptions about the virus are also being exploited by politicians ahead of the DRC's December election, which is causing the public to lose faith in health workers, according to Dr Salama.

Last month, Ebola was found to be responsible for the death of a woman in Butembo, which has a population of around 1.4 million.

In response, Dr Salama said 'no-one should be sleeping well tonight around the world'.Most of us know we could be fitting a bit more exercise in day to day.

But now the US Department of Health and Human Services is telling you to get your act together and find some shortcuts.

New federal exercise guidelines published on Monday urge Americans that any bit of physical activity is important, whether you're are at work, walking their dog - or even using the toilet.

It's an attempt to raise the bar higher - previously, guidelines said adults should be aiming for at least 10 minutes of aerobic activity a day.

But adherence has been low, so scientists are now changing tact, encouraging people to see the benefit in any bit of movement - even if it just last two or three minutes.

With hectic work schedules and raising children, it can feel overwhelming to fit in an hour-long workout routine.

In-home personal trainer Elizabeth Crutchfield, owner of HomeBodies in New York City, reveals six ways that you can fit workout moves into everyday, mundane activities from doing push-ups against your kitchen counter while cooking to squatting while using the bathroom.

Updated guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services guidelines say any amount of physical activity - from walking to work to lunges while cooking - can contribute to overall health (file image)

1. MOVE AS SOON AS YOU GET OUT OF BED

Crutchfield recommends creating a five-minute movement routine right after you wake up.

'You could do something like marching in place, dancing, stretching, which really gets you in touching with your body,' she told Daily Mail Online.

'It's before you have the time to negotiate. If you wait to do it until 5pm, there's too much time to talk yourself out of it.'

Several studies have extolled the benefits of working out when you wake up as opposed to in the evening.

A 2012 study from Brigham Young University in Utah found that women who worked out in the morning were more active throughout the day and less likely to consume excess calories.

2. PARK FURTHER AWAY FROM YOUR JOB

Even while you're at work, there are still ways to get movement into your day, Crutchfield says, starting when you arrive.

'Park far away from your job,' she said. 'Get off one subway stop before your regular stop or get off one bus stop early and walk.'

According to the 2013 National Walkers' Health study, conducted by UC Berkeley, walking was found to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol by seven percent and it lowered risk of type 2 diabetes by 12 percent.

3. ONCE AT WORK, DON'T SIT FOR MORE THAN 30 MINUTES

Once you actually get to work, don't sit behind your desk all day.

'If you need to talk to the receptionist, walk over and talk to him or her, or take a walk around the block after lunch,' Crutchfield says.

'If it benefits you, get one of those smartwatches that reminds you to stand so you're not sitting too long.'

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine last year found that those who sat for less than 30 minutes at a time had the lowest risk of early death.

4. TURN YOUR ROUTINE DOG WALK INTO A WORKOUT

Turns out that the 10-to-15 minute dog walk you go on once or twice a day can benefit your own physical health.

Crutchfield recommends taking your canine to the park and, while they're running around, you can get some aerobic exercise in.

'You can do some step-ups on the park bench, five on each side, or you can do some push-ups on the upper or lower part of the bench depending on your arm strength,' she said.

Crutchfield also suggests taking your pooch to a park that as a lot of hills or stairs.

Why is that important? Because walking at an incline requires a greater use of your muscles. Muscle burns more fat than calories, meaning that increasing muscle mass will help you lose weight quicker.

Additionally, walking uphill can create a similar intensity to running, but without as much impact on the knee or hip joints.

'Also make a commitment that you're going to walk so many steps a day,' Crutchfield said. 'Start off with something manageable like 3,000 to 4.000 and then work your way up to 10,000.'

5. YOU CAN GET A SHORT WORKOUT IN WHILE COOKING

Even while you're doing seemingly mundane activities, you can get some movement in towards your weekly activity goal.

'While you're waiting for a pot of water to boil, for example, you can do push-ups against the counter or do five lunges on each leg,' Crutchfield said.

You can even do isometric exercises, which are contractions of a particular muscle or group of muscles, to help maintain muscle strength.

'Squeeze your butt and hold it as tight as you can for 10 seconds and then release' Crutchfield said.

'Or make a muscle and contract your biceps or triceps for 10 seconds and release.'

6. DO SOME SQUATS WHILE YOU'RE USING THE TOILET

For an unusual alternative, Crutchfield says you can even so squats while you're on the toilet.

'You're already down there so, before you get up, do eight to 10 squats before you stand,' she said.

Squats don't just help tone your leg muscles and strengthen you core, but can also reduce the risk of injuries from falls as you age.

A 2017 study conducted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Illinois found that squatting during a backwards fall reduced wrist injuries by 11 percent, and hip injuries by 18 percent.At school, Alastair Thompson struggled to keep up with his friends, and felt permanently out of breath, especially after exercising.

He was eventually diagnosed with asthma, but strangely, using an inhaler didnt help.

I remember running cross country when I was about 13, and I was gasping so much that my PE teacher took me to one side and told me to see a doctor, recalls Alastair, now 20. I was then diagnosed with asthma.

Despite being given both reliever and preventer inhalers, Alastair, now at Bath University, grew increasingly tired and breathless. Over the years, he returned to the doctor several times and asked to try different medication but these made no difference.

Hidden problem: Alastair Thompson, 20, was diagnosed with asthma but as a teenager but inhalers didnt help him - so he sought a second opinion which revealed a shocking truth

Then, two years ago, Alastair was in a coffee shop with friends when his heart started beating so fast he thought he was having a heart attack.

He was rushed to hospital where his heart rate was found to be 240 beats per minute. The healthy resting heart rate for a man his age is between 60 and 100.

Alastair had an MRI scan, an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) and an electrocardiogram (or ECG, to record the hearts electrical signals) which revealed a rare congenital heart defect called partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage (PAPVD).

This occurs when up to three of the pulmonary veins that bring oxygenated blood from the lungs are connected to the wrong part of the heart, resulting in fatigue, breathlessness and ultimately, heart failure, where the heart is unable to pump effectively. He also had a hole in his heart. But he did not have asthma.

I was absolutely horrified, says Alastair. All that time, Id been treated for asthma, and instead I had a defective heart and was in danger of collapsing at any time.

Like Alastair, a surprising number of heart patients are misdiagnosed with asthma.

A recent Canadian study found that 2 per cent of people told they had the lung condition actually had heart defects. This suggests that thousands of the 5.4 million people in the UK with asthma may have been misdiagnosed.

The problem is that breathlessness is a common feature of both, but doctors may not think to delve further. Fortunately for Alastair, his PAPVD was caught before it was too late and after successful open heart surgery, he feels completely well.

He says: I was very lucky  when I spoke to other young heart patients in hospital, many of them had also been told they had asthma, and for some, the delay in diagnosis meant their hearts had become too weak for treatment. It made me very angry.

Stunned: I was absolutely horrified, says Alastair. All that time, Id been treated for asthma, and instead I had a defective heart and was in danger of collapsing at any time

Music therapist Tess Jewson, 28, was also wrongly diagnosed with asthma as a child, only to discover years later that her breathlessness was a sign of a very serious heart and lung condition.

I was forever going backwards and forwards to my asthma consultant and I tried every inhaler and steroid going, but none of them really made a difference, says Tess, who lives in Chelmsford, Essex.

Constantly short of breath, Tess took her mind off her poor health by throwing herself into music. She played the cello and the piano, and as a talented trumpeter despite her breathlessness, it was her dream to tour the world with a famous orchestra. But at 17, she collapsed with terrible chest pain on her way home from college.

A friend called an ambulance, and Tess was rushed to hospital. At first, doctors thought she was having a severe asthma attack, but tests showed that her heart was failing. Investigations revealed she actually had pulmonary hypertension, a life-limiting heart and lung condition.

Here the pulmonary arteries (the vessels that provide the lungs with blood and oxygen) become thickened or stiff, so cant expand easily to allow blood through  as a result the heart must work extra hard to pump oxygenated blood back to the lungs.

This causes the right side to become enlarged and weakened, eventually causing heart failure.

Fact: A recent Canadian study found that 2 per cent of people told they had the lung condition actually had heart defects - which means 5million UK people could be misdiagnosed

There is no clear cause, and no cure. Those affected experience breathlessness just as asthmatics do, but they will also have other symptoms, such as pain in the limbs and chest, swollen ankles and exhaustion.

Early treatment with a range of drugs is essential to prolong life, and in extreme cases patients will be offered a heart and lung transplant, although this is very much a last resort.

As the illness is relatively rare, it often goes untreated for a long time  recent research by the charity Pulmonary Heart Association (PHA UK) found that 40 per cent of patients surveyed saw four or more doctors before getting a correct diagnosis.

Such delays carry serious consequences, says Philippa Hobson, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation. When people with a heart condition are misdiagnosed or have a delayed diagnosis, they miss out on receiving the correct and timely treatment that could then make their problem more difficult to treat.

These patients can end up feeling resentful and incredibly let down by the medical profession.

Signs it's not asthma... Common heart conditions such as angina, heart failure, valve diseases and arrhythmias result in shortness of breath and can often be mistaken for asthma, says Philippa Hobson, a nurse at the British Heart Foundation. She says: If an asthma patient is still unwell after taking prescribed medication and mentions chest pain, palpitations or dizziness, an ECG (to record the hearts electrical signals) should be done. This could diagnose a heart problem, rather than waiting for further symptoms to appear. Its not just young people who are at risk, says nurse consultant Iain Armstrong, adding that with late onset asthma on the rise, doctors need to assess whether people of all ages have been given the right diagnosis. Advertisement

Iain Armstrong, a nurse consultant at Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, and chair of PHA UK adds: Too many patients have to wait far too long for the correct diagnosis, which can have a very serious impact on their health.

This was certainly the case for Tess, who after her collapse was told that she might not make it to her 18th birthday, nine months later. But although her heart was failing, it wasnt as badly damaged as the doctors first thought, and she responded well to treatment.

Realising I was so dangerously ill was terrifying, recalls Tess, who remained in hospital for three months where she was given drugs to try to open up her pulmonary arteries.

Nevertheless, she was left to face the fact that she had an incurable heart condition that would get progressively worse. And as if that wasnt bad enough, she was told that she would have to stop playing the trumpet as it would put too much pressure on her heart.

It felt like all my dreams had all been destroyed at once, says Tess. If Id been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension as a child, Id have made much less ambitious plans for my future. It was very, very hard to let my dreams go.

Tess, who is married to Terry, 28, an electrical engineer, cannot have children as pregnancy would put too much pressure on her heart.

She also frequently needs oxygen to help with her breathing and takes sildenafil (brand name, Viagra) to help the blood vessels in her heart relax.

But Tess is determined not to dwell on these. Im a positive person and I feel lucky to still be here, she says. Not everyone is so fortunate.

Having a serious heart condition is hard enough. Being misdiagnosed really put my life on the line. I dont want anyone else to have to go through the same thing.More women could be treated with testosterone gel for a low sex drive after menopause, according to new research.

The hormone  which, in men, controls sex drive and adult male characteristics such as facial hair and muscle mass  has increasingly been prescribed to post-menopausal women for low sex drive, tiredness and low mood.

However, concerns have been raised about whether the hormone increases their risk of breast cancer.

Thats because testosterone is converted into oestrogen in the blood  and in some women, oestrogen can stimulate breast cancer cells.

Fact: In women, testosterone affects sex drive, muscle mass, fat distribution and the production of red blood cells (which supply the bodys tissue with oxygen)

Now, a review, to be published next month in the journal Anticancer Research, has found there is no evidence that testosterone significantly increases the risk of breast cancer in these women  and it does improve their sex drive.

Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon at The Princess Grace Hospital in London, who led the study, says the use of testosterone gels in post-menopausal women has been increasing rapidly in the UK.

However, theres a theoretical concern about a link with breast cancer that has stopped some doctors prescribing it, he says.

We carried out this research to address the question.

Women produce testosterone in the ovaries and in the adrenal glands (small glands near the kidneys), although they make five times less of the hormone than men.

In women, testosterone affects sex drive, muscle mass, fat distribution and the production of red blood cells (which supply the bodys tissue with oxygen).

From around age 30, womens testosterone levels fall as their ovaries production of hormones gradually declines. One theory is that the reduced sex drive, low mood and sluggishness that affect some women after the menopause are as a result of low testosterone, although this is unproven.

These symptoms could also be caused by the natural decline in oestrogen as women come to the end of their reproductive lives. This  in addition to concerns over the breast cancer risk  has made treating women with testosterone controversial.

Did you know? From around age 30, womens testosterone levels fall as their ovaries production of hormones gradually declines...

Around 15 per cent of women will experience a low sex drive post-menopause. Currently, NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recommends that women should only receive testosterone treatment if hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a combination of the female hormones oestrogen and progestogen, is not effective.

The treatment is given as a cream  a pea-sized blob has to be applied daily. It can lead to side-effects such as acne and excessive hair growth.

The new review analysed three trials involving almost 2,000 post-menopausal women who were all using testosterone patches.

Professor Mokbel says the results they examined suggest no link with breast cancer.

However, the review does have limitations  the follow-up of the women was short (the longest study was for four years) and the possible link with breast cancer was not the main focus of the studies analysed.

Dr Channa Jayasena, of the Society for Endocrinology, who is also a clinical senior lecturer in endocrinology at Imperial College London, says only a small number of studies were used in the review and, while it establishes that there is no risk of breast cancer, more research is needed to ensure testosterone does not increase the risk of heart disease and stroke in women.

It is thought that testosterone may increase cholesterol and the risk of blood clots.A mother has been forced to raise 90,000 for a life-extending drug after claiming the NHS is leaving her to die.

Emma Shaw, 40, from Rothley, Leicestershire, was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in August - just nine months after being given the 'all clear' from the disease.

The tumours have since invaded her liver, with doctors giving her just a year to live.

Due to her type of cancer - triple negative breast cancer - and her terminal diagnosis, Ms Shaw claims the NHS will only provide palliative chemotherapy rather than life-prolonging treatment.

But the mother-of-one is refusing to give up and is determined to show her eight-year-old son Theo that his 'mummy tried her best to see him grow up'.

After researching her options online, Ms Shaw is fundraising 90,000 in the hope of receiving a drug in the US that is not routinely available on the NHS.

Emma Shaw has been forced to raise 90,000 for a life-extending drug after claiming the NHS is leaving her to die. She is pictured with her son Theo, eight, before being diagnosed with breast cancer last March. It then spread to her liver and she has been given just a year to live

Pictured after undergoing chemotherapy, Ms Shaw claims the NHS has told her there is nothing they can do to treat her triple negative breast cancer given the fact it is terminal. But she is determined not to give up and wants to show Theo she fought hard to see him grow up

Pictured with her boyfriend Darren, Ms Shaw accepts her cancer cannot be cured but wants to be around for as long as possible. She is fundraising to get the drug Keytruda in the US, which is not routinely available on the NHS. It stops cancer cells from hiding from the immune system

Other patients battling different types of cancer have previously raised money to access the drug, called Keytruda (pembrolizumab), privately in the UK.

Speaking of her diagnosis, Ms Shaw said: 'Being told your only option is to die is awful, I am still having chemotherapy with the NHS but no one is sure if this will shrink the cancer or keep me stable.

'The NHS staff at Leicester Royal Infirmary were amazing the first time I was diagnosed last March but the second time around you feel like you're just forgotten and there's no hope for the future.

'I'm too young to just accept that I have just months left to live so I'm clinging onto hope.'

Ms Shaw is raising money towards paying for Keytruda, which prevents cancer cells from hiding from the immune system so it can attack them.

In June this year, NHS England announced it would be making the drug more routinely available - but only for lung cancer that has spread.

Ms Shaw was previously unaware Keytruda was available at all in the UK and assumed the US was her only option.

She is meeting with one of the few specialists in the UK tomorrow to discuss her options. If her treatment goes ahead in the UK, she expects it will cost between 7,000 and 8,000 for a session every three weeks.

'I'm not blaming the NHS as I know they have procedures to follow but it's just so scary fighting this alone,' Ms Shaw said.

'There's so many people who are going through the same horrendous ordeal as me, I wake up every day shaking with anxiety.

'Every second of every day I feel terrified that I'm going to die and that I can't get help here.'

Ms Shaw is hoping the money she raises will cover her travel costs to the US, as well as her treatment, which she expects she will require for the rest of her life.

'America is very much ahead of their game when it comes to treatment but it comes at a very big price,' she said.

'I can't put a cost on my life and time with Theo, so I am determined to make this work so at least I can say I tried.

'Theo needs to see his mummy trying to fight this awful disease. I also hope my story shows other women there are other options when the NHS can't help.

'I don't want anyone to think I'm being negative about the hospital I have been treated at as they're amazing, it's just a shame they don't offer anymore options when it's secondary.'

Pictured recently with Theo, Ms Shaw claims she wakes up every day 'shaking with anxiety' that she may die at any moment. With her terminal diagnosis, she feels 'forgotten' by doctors

Pictured this year with Darren and Theo, Ms Shaw says she is too young to accept life is over

WHAT IS KEYTRUDA? AND IS IT AVAILABLE IN THE UK? Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is an IV immunotherapy that works with a cancer patient's immune system to help them fight the disease. It does this by blocking PD-L1 on the surface of cancer cells. This takes the brakes off the immune system, setting it free to attack cancer cells. Keytruda, developed by Merck, has been approved by the FDA to treat the following cancers: Advanced melanoma

Advanced non-small lung

Head and neck squamos cell

Classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma

Bladder and urinary tract

Advanced stomach

Advanced cervical

Those with a 'DNA mismatch repair', which can include breast In the US, Keytruda - injected twice a week - can be used in adults or children with any of the above cancers that cannot be surgically removed or have progressed following treatment. In June 2018, NHS England announced the drug will be routinely available on the health service for patients with lung cancers that have spread. It can already be dished out for patients with melanoma or Hodgkin lymphoma. Some patients have also chosen to have the treatment privately. Studies show the drug can shrink different types of tumours and boost a patient's response to other treatments. But Keytruda can also cause the immune system to attack healthy organs and tissue, which can be life threatening. Complications may include colitis, hepatitis or kidney failure. Source: Keytruda.com Advertisement

Ms Shaw was told her breast cancer had returned and spread to her liver in August after being diagnosed with pneumonia.

Doctors scanned her lungs and the surrounding areas to assess the infection, only to discover her cancer had come back.

'I felt really unwell as soon as I got back from holiday,' she said. 'I couldn't believe it when I was told my cancer was back.

'I'd had a lumpectomy after my first diagnosis the year before but having a mastectomy now isn't an option as the cancer is so aggressive.

'It has been a whirlwind ever since but, despite it all, I have tried to enjoy as much time with my son, Theo, and boyfriend, Darren, as possible.'

After starting her fundraising page last week, Ms Shaw has already raised more than 19,000.

'I'm so grateful to everyone who has already donated,' she said.

'I am hoping I'll be able to go to America at the start of next year for the immunotherapy treatment.

'It won't cure me but it could make my cancer stable.'

She claims she cannot put a cost on her life or her remaining time with Theo, which motivates her to keep fundraising so she can 'at least say she tried'. They are pictured this yearA Pakistani baby girl who was born with an abnormal bulge on the top of her head is desperately waiting for life-changing surgery.

Anila Ali, from Dokri in the Sindh province of Pakistan, was born with an unusually large, soft head, which doctors diagnosed as a severe form of craniosynostosis.

This is thought to be causing pressure to build inside the three-month-old's head, which is forcing her brain to spread outside of her skull.

Medics are baffled as to how to treat the newborn, who also suffers from a severe form of spina bifida, which they claim has caused a tumour to develop on her back.

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Anila Ali is desperately waiting for surgery to treat the abnormal bulge on the top of her head

Anila also suffers from myelomeningocele, which is considered the most severe form of spina bifida. X-ray shows how her spine and spinal cord did not form or close properly in the womb

Anila's 19-year-old mother Naushaba (pictured) was initially thrilled to give birth to her first child three months ago but was immediately taken aback when she saw Anila's large head

Anila's 19-year-old mother Naushaba, said: 'I was happy when I gave birth to Anila, my first child, three months ago in a private clinic.

'But, I got afraid when I first saw her head.

'Her head was not developed properly and doctors told us to take her to the children hospital in Larkana.

'Her head was so soft that doctors told us that even a small injury on her head can do her a lot of damage.'

Naushaba and her husband Amad Ali, 21, took Anila to Larkana where doctors then advised them to take her to Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre in Karachi.

Unable to afford to make the 270-mile (430km) journey, the couple's friends and family gave them 800 to cover the cost of their travel and stay in Karachi.

Amad, who earns just 4 a day as a daily wage labourer, said: 'We took a lot of loans to arrange a visit and stay in Karachi.

'I wish our daughter gets the right treatment here.'

WHAT IS CRANIOSYNOSTOSIS? Craniosynostosis is a rare skull problem that causes a baby to be born with, or develop, an abnormally shaped head. It is rare, affecting an estimated one in every 1,800 to 3,000 children. Three out of every four cases affect boys. The irregular skull shape in craniosynostosis can cause persistent headaches, learning difficulties, eye problems and other symptoms. Craniosynostosis is the result of the premature fusion of different sections of the skull. This means the skull is unable to grow in affected areas. When one area of the skull is prevented from growing, other areas may 'overgrow' to compensate and limit the pressure developing around the brain. Advertisement

As well as crainosynotosis, Anila also suffers from myelomeningocele, which is considered the most dangerous form of spina bifida.

This occurs when a baby's spine and spinal cord do not form or close properly in the womb.

Professor Raza Rizvi, head of neurosurgery at Karachi's Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, said: 'The patient [was] admitted [to] our hospital and we are monitoring her.

'Anila has crainosynotosis. Her brain is spread out of her skull. She also suffers from myelomeningocele'.

Professor Rizvi claims Anila's myelomeningocele has caused a 'small tumour' to develop on her back.

This can occur if the spinal cord and its nerves become tangled in a benign fatty growth.

'We will start by operating [on] her for myelomeningocele and we are yet to decide on how we will proceed with her skull surgery,' Professor Rizvi said.

'A brain reconstructive surgery is possible but that could be very risky as the patient is very young.'

Complications of the surgery may include stroke, seizures, nerve damage and spinal fluid leakage.

Anila is thought to have a build-up of pressure inside her head, which is forcing her brain to spread outside of her skull. Medics worry brain reconstructive surgery will be too riskyYou may think the bathroom is one of few places you can expect to be left alone.

But toilets may one day be giving health advice by analysing your urine and faeces, a technology boss has claimed.

The chief of a company making computer chips says artificial intelligence will one day analyse people's waste in real time.

This could save the need for trips to the doctor and pick up on illnesses earlier than people do, said Sanjay Mehrotra, chief executive of Micron Technology.

AI could one day be used in toilets to scan people's urine and faeces to try and pick up on any diseases or health problems earlier than someone might notice them and go to the doctor

And his claims aren't so far-fetched  artificial intelligence (AI) is already capable of detecting diabetes or Alzheimer's disease from scans.

And a Japanese tech company has even invented a smart litterbox to analyse the urine of cats.

'Medicine is going toward precision medicine and precision health,' Mr Mehrotra said at the Techonomy conference in San Francisco this week.

'Imagine smart toilets in the future that will be analyzing human waste in real time every day. You don't need to be going to visit a physician every six months.

'If any sign of disease starts showing up, you'll be able to catch it much faster because of urine analysis and stool analysis.'

Stool and urine samples are used often in medicine and can help diagnose stomach infections, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, diabetes and sexually transmitted infections.

Sanjay Mehrotra, the CEO of microchip company Micron Technology, said at the Techonomy conference in San Francisco this week that toilets of the future could use artifical intelligence to collect health information about their users

But using smart toilets could one day avoid the need for the inconvenient and potentially embarrassing or messy process of collecting samples yourself.

Toilets fitted with AI technology could analyse urine and faeces in the toilet before they're flushed, CNET reports, meaning they could be tracked over time so changes picked up quickly.

And the reports could then be uploaded to the internet to be sent to a doctor, potentially saving the time it would take to do more tests.

AI uses technology based on the human brain, which is programmed to recognise patterns and remember them, giving it the ability to learn.

Scientists at Cambridge University revealed in July they have already come up with ways to make toilets test people's urine for blood sugar and alcohol levels.

Their smart loo could also pick up on whether a person is depressed, pregnant, a smoker or using drugs by testing chemicals in their urine.

This, they say, could detect disease like diabetes earlier and reduce the pressure on health services if simple tests can be done at home.

And a Japanese company in 2015 announced it had created a toilet which could measure someone's urine flow rate, which can indicate prostate cancer or bladder problems.

Smart toilets already exists in the feline world  tech company Sharp Corp unveiled its smart litter box for cats in June this year.

The litter box uses AI to analyse cats' urine and track their bodyweight, testing for abnormalities.

The 175 device sends a daily health report for up to three pets to the owner's smartphone.Stabbings are spreading 'like a disease' because friends and family of victims are arming themselves, a leading trauma surgeon has warned.

Duncan Bew, of King's College Hospital, warned of the 'transmission' of stabbings, which he said sweep through networks of people.

He added many stab victims are those who started carrying a knife after seeing someone they know get stabbed.

His comments come after it was revealed today that London's murder rate in 2018 has topped last year's, with 68 of those deaths caused by stab wounds.

Duncan Bew, the director of trauma at King's College Hospital, says stabbings are spreading 'like a disease' because fear is driving increasing numbers of people to carry knives

Mr Bew's comparison of stabbings being like a disease refers to the way they spread through groups of people.

He suggests that when one person is stabbed, friends and family arm themselves, making a circle of people around the original victim who are more likely to be attacked because they now have a knife.

Then, if one of those gets stabbed, another circle of people arming themselves forms around them  the cycle continues in a similar manner to an infection.

'We see violence acting like a disease, with clusters of transmission and spread,' Mr Bew told The Times.

He added: 'The majority of people are victims, people who feel frightened, don't feel protected and so carry a weapon because they feel they have to protect themselves.

'The majority are driven by fear and people feeling they have to arm themselves.'

And because of this there is a 'lower threshold for people to injure people', because other non-violent or less serious incidents escalate more quickly.

There were five people stabbed to death in London in the week between October 31 and November 7, bringing the total stabbing toll for the UK to 250 and London's murders to 119

He said fewer than 10 per cent of stab victims he treats are in gangs and some are as young as 11.

A study published in the BMJ Open last week confirmed Mr Bew's concerns. It found one in 10 stab victims are aged under 16.

And there is a spike in incidents between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays when children finish school, the research revealed.

The study also found the proportion of patients being treated for more than one stab wound at once has doubled in the past 30 years.

Mr Bew, who is also a founder of the anti-knife crime charity Growing Against Violence, says social change is needed to combat the deadly trend.

He says children must be given better options than crime and not made to feel like they need to protect themselves with violence.

'The transition from primary to secondary school is very difficult for young people growing up in very impressionable environments,' he told The Times.

John Ogunjobi, 16 (left), was stabbed to death in Tulse Hill in south London earlier this month. Right, teenagers in the area lay flowers for the boy. Four men in their 20s have been arrested on suspicion of murdering the boy more than four years their junior

'It's a cliff edge for many young people. They're very scared and they want to feel they matter and have status and we have to help them make the right choices.'

Mr Bew said sensationalising knife crime is adding to fear, and the cycle of fear needs to be broken, alongside more police being sent to stabbing hotspots like fried chicken shops and bus stops.

Earlier this month, five men and boys were stabbed to death in the space of a week from October 31 to November 7.

Rocky Djelal, 38, was fatally stabbed in Rotherhithe, 15-year-old Jay Hughes was stabbed in Bellingham, Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17, was was fatally knifed in Clapham, Ayodeji Habeeb Azeez, 22, was stabbed in Anerley, and John Ogunjobi, 16, was killed in Tulse Hill.

Experienced detectives say they have shocked by the volume of violent crime and ferocity of some attacks in the capital this year.

A total of 20 of those killed have been teenagers, six of whom were shot and 14 of whom were stabbed.Now 90 cases of the rare polio-like disease, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), striking US children have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease has been reported in 27 states, and the numbers announced today reflect an 18-case increase from the CDC's October 31 update.

Another 162 cases are still under investigation as the agency scrambles to work out what might be causing the mysterious illness causing paralysis in American children.

On a call with reporters, the CDC insisted that there have been no AFM fatalities this year - despite accusations that the agency is ignoring the deaths this year of two children who developed AFM in 2016 published just hours ago by CNN.

This year, 90 children have confirmed cases of the polio-like disease AFM, the CDC said Tuesday - but it is not counting the deaths of Carter Roberts, five (pictured), and another child earlier this year following their 2016 contractions of the disease

AFM is not new, but cases have been on the rise since 2014.

Though the condition remains very rare - affecting only one in a million people in the United States - CDC director Dr Robert Redfield, who took the job in March this year, says it is the agency's top priority.

Scientists are investigating a number of causes, including viruses, environmental toxins and genetic disorders.

In previous outbreaks, a virus called EV-D68 was implicated in the development of AFM.

'We know that EV-D68 - as well as other enteroviruses - can cause limb weakness, but we don't know what's triggering AFM in these patients,' said Dr Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases on Tuesday.

'We want to take advantage of all of [our] resources to figure out what is causing AFM.'

She said that the presence of pathogens in the spinal fluid is among the best indicators of AFM - but that doesn't mean the pathogens are the cause, per se.

'It could be one of the viruses we've detected, or it could a virus we haven't detectred, or it could be that [viruses are] kicking off another process' - such as an autoimmune disease or response - 'that is triggering AFM,' Dr Messonnier said.

It's unlikely that the disease is transmissible from human to human, and some children recover from their paralysis, though others never do.

Earlier today, the parents of two children who died of AFM earlier this year after their 2016 diagnoses told CNN they were outraged that that the CDC was not 'counting' their children's deaths.

Hours later, several reporters on the CDC telebriefing reiterated questions about deaths this year to Dr Messonnier.

The CDC has confirmed 386 cases since an outbreak in Colorado in August 2014, almost all of them in children

The CDC says it is investigating 252 cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). Of that number, 90 cases have been confirmed in 22 states, including five-year-old Elizabeth Storrie (pictured) from Willow Park, Texas

She said that no deaths had occurred linked to the 2018 outbreak.

But she did acknowledge that'we have not been following every single AFM patient' diagnosed in previous years,' she said.

'It's a gap in our understanding. We don't understand the long-term effects' but now she says the agency intends to 'follow-up with patients that have gotten [AFM] in previous years.'

The average age of those affected is four years old and more than 90 percent of cases overall are in children under 18.

The condition, caused by a viral infection, appears to start off as a common cold, before progressing to paralysis.

Ominously, data show there seems to be a spike in cases every two years, which has also left the agency baffled.

'CDC's been working very hard on this, since 2014, to try to understand causation and etiology,' Dr Redfield said in the interview, which will be aired on Tuesday.

'As we sit here today, we don't have understanding of the cause. We are, you know, continuing to strengthen our efforts, working in partnership with state and territorial health departments, and academic experts to try to figure this out.'

AFM affects the nervous system and most resembles the polio virus. Health officials have determined it is caused by a virus, but have been unable to pinpoint an exact cause. Orville Young, four (pictured), of Minnesota, was likely the earliest confirmed case in the state

WHAT IS AFM?

AFM is a rare, but serious condition that affects the nervous system. Specifically it attacks the area of the spinal cord called gray matter, which causes the body's muscles and reflexes to weaken.

Symptoms often develop after a viral infection, such as enterovirus or West Nile virus, but often no clear cause is found.

Patients start off having flu-like symptoms including sneezing and coughing. This slowly turns into muscle weakness, difficulty moving the eyes and then polio-like symptoms including facial drooping and difficulty swallowing.

'If [AFM affects gray matter] lower in the spinal cord [paralysis will] be more in the legs and if it's higher up, it'll be more in the arms,' Dr Fernando Acosta, a pediatric neurologist at Cook Children's Medical Center, in Fort Worth, Texas, told Daily Mail Online in an interview last week.

'Or if it's closer to the neck, they can't move head, neck and shoulders. We had one case of that and that was just awful.'

In the most severe cases, respiratory failure can occur when the muscles that support breathing become weak.

In rare cases, AFM can cause neurological complications that could lead to death.

'It's a pretty dramatic disease; children have a sudden onset of weakness,' said Dr Messonier.

No specific treatment is available for AFM and interventions are generally recommended on a case-by-case basis.

Children with weakness in their arms or legs may attend physical or occupational therapy.

The average age of those affected is four years and more than 90 percent of cases are in children aged 18 and younger. Among them is Julia Payne, two (pictured) from Chicago, Illinois

However, physicians admit they are unaware of the long-term outcomes for those with AFM.

WHO HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY AFM?

The CDC does not track AFM in terms of its prevalence, but rather in outbreaks.

The agency has confirmed 386 cases since an outbreak in Colorado in August 2014, almost all of them in children.

The CDC confirmed 33 AFM cases in 2017, 149 cases in 2016, 22 cases in 2015, and 120 cases in August to December 2014.

Of the 62 cases diagnosed this year, it known that 24 have been in three states: 10 in Illinois, eight in Texas and six in Minnesota.

'We have not been able to find the cause of the majority of AFM cases...and we're frustrated that we haven't been able to identify the cause of illness,' Dr Messonnier told reporters in a media call last week.

The states Daily Mail Online is currently aware of with confirmed cases includes: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.

A press officer for the CDC told Daily Mail Online last week that the agency would not be naming the additional states where cases have been confirmed due to 'privacy issues'.

While the pattern of AFM most resembles an infectious disease, much remains unknown about the condition.

Among the children infected is two-year-old Julia Payne from Chicago. She remained in the pediatric intensive care unit at Lurie Children's Hospital for weeks on a respirator and using a feeding tube because she was unable to swallow.

She has since been discharged and transferred to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, a rehabilitation center where she will face several weeks of physical therapy to regain strength and movement.

In Minnesota, four-year-old Orville Young was likely the earliest confirmed case in the state, according to the Star Tribune.

Orville has been in physical therapy for the last month-and-a-half. His mobility and gait have not returned to normal, but his legs are mostly functional now. His right arm, thus far, is still paralyzed.

Fortunately many make a full or nearly full recovery of their movement as did five-year-old Elizabeth Storrie of Willow Park, Texas.

She spent a month at Cook Children's Hospital, in Fort Worth, on IV fluids and a feeding tube until her condition improved.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST POLIO?

AFM has been called a polio-like illness due to its resemblance to the viral infection that impacted hundreds of thousands, particularly between the late 1940s and early 1950s.

The CDC even states on its website that symptoms 'have been most similar to complications of infection with certain viruses, including poliovirus, non-polio enteroviruses, adenoviruses, and West Nile virus'.

Poliovirus is not the cause of any of the cases, but some cases have been linked to the enteroviruses EV-A71 and EV-D68, both of which are distant relatives of polio.

Some cases have also been linked to rhinovirus.

'I'm not old enough to have seen a case of polio during my time in practice, but my colleagues who have say [AFM] is similar to what they saw back then,' Dr Acosta said.

'Is this a variant? Potentially, but we don't know.'

In 1957, the US government approved the polio vaccine. After a nationwide campaign to get children immunized began, the numbers began falling drastically and, in 1979, polio was declared to be eradicated in the US.

This year, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where cases of wild poliovirus have been confirmed - largely due to poor sanitation and low levels of vaccination coverage.

However, global eradication is now at risk due to vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) in five countries in Africa this year.

Health experts say that this could result in silent transmission of both polio and AFM, because both can lead to paralysis if left undetected.

Anti-vaxxers have blamed childhood polio vaccines for the outbreak, despite physicians saying there is no evidence to suggest this is the case.

'There is no evidence vaccines are causing this,' said Dr Acosta.

'And if we identify the agent that is causing it, the next step would be to develop a vaccine. It's the same reason, we developed flu vaccines - to lessen the burden of disease.

'The reason why you see lower rates of polio, whooping cough and other diseases is because we have vaccines that have made them very rare.'

HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF?

The CDC advises getting vaccinated against Poliovirus and West Nile Virus due to both being potential causes of AFM.

Health experts say this does not simply mean just staying up-to-date with vaccinations, but also minimizing exposure to mosquitoes.

Additionally, you can use warm water and soap to avoid getting sick and spreading germs.

'It's a one-in-million chance to get this so it's extremely unlikely your child will get this,' said Dr Acosta.

'Even if they have sudden onset of weakness, AFM is unlikely to have caused it. It's more likely to be a stroke. However, if your child develops it, bring them in and this gives them the best chance of survival.'The nation's leading e-cigarette maker says it has halted store sales of some flavors to deter use by kids.

The announcement Tuesday by Juul Labs Inc. comes ahead of an expected government crackdown on underage sales of e-cigs.

Juul said it has stopped filling store orders for its mango, fruit, creme and cucumber pods but not menthol and mint. It will sell all flavors through its website and limit sales to those 21 and older.

The company said it was closing its Facebook and Instagram accounts and pledged other steps to make it clear that it doesn't want kids using Juul products.

E-cigarettes are generally considered a less dangerous alternative to regular cigarettes, but health officials have warned the nicotine in them is harmful to developing brains.

San Francisco-based Juul Labs Inc announced it had stopped filling orders for its mango, fruit, creme and cucumber pods but not menthol and mint. It will sell all flavors through its website and limit sales to those 21 and older

The move follows a high profile announcement by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb that he was cracking down on Juul to target what he brands an 'epidemic' of teen use.

'What I can't tolerate is another year of this level of growth,' FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in an interview last Wednesday.

At the start of 2018, things were moving peacefully and steadily between the FDA and Juul, as normally happens with regulation. The FDA had asked for documents and information about sales techniques from all e-cigarette companies, and said in interviews that Juul was being cooperative.

Then, in the first week of October, the FDA launched a surprise raid on Juul headquarters - the biggest raid in the agency's 100-year history.

The agency said the sting was to find details on how Juul was marketing to kids in order to curb the booming trend of teens with the USB-looking devices.

Asked by Politico's Dan Diamond why he changed tact, Dr Gottlieb insisted it wasn't a change of message, but he felt Juul had been dragging its heels in terms of curbing child use.

'I said that the companies have been helpful, they've been helpful in terms of answering questions and bringing forward information,' he said.

'I think they are starting to take measures that are going to address aspects of this problem,' he added, 'but up until recently they have not been helpful. I don't think that they've recognized that this is an existential threat.

'I think they could have stepped into the market with more forceful action much earlier in the year.'

He insists he does not aim to cut off the e-cigarette industry entirely, acknowledging its clear health benefits for adult smokers trying to quit.

'But in order to close the on-ramp for kids we are going to have to narrow the off-ramp for adults,' Dr Gottlieb told Politico.

'In order to make it much harder for kids to get access to these products, we are going to have to take action that will put some speed bumps in the way of adults as well. That's just the reality. There's no way to do this without some measures that's going to make it a little harder for adults to get all the products that they want.'A Michigan man narrowly escaped a brush with death after he contracted a flesh-eating bacteria which, surgeons believe, came from fecal matter that brushed onto his hands while he was renovating someone's bathroom.

Last month, construction worker Josh Munoz, from Detroit, took a break from the renovation to take a trip to Texas with his wife Sarah for their one-year wedding anniversary.

It was there that the father-of-three noticed pieces of his flesh falling off his inner left thigh while he was taking a shower.

The couple drove all the way back to Michigan, where doctors told Munoz that he had contracted a rare blood infection and that he needed immediate emergency surgery or else he would die.

Josh Munoz (left and right, with his wife Sarah), from Detroit, Michigan, was in Texas on an anniversary trip with his wife last month. Munoz was taking a shower and, as he scrubbed his inner left thigh, he saw that pieces of flesh were falling off

The couple drove 20 hours back to Michigan where their children were. Doctors in the emergency room diagnosed Munoz with necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacteria that destroys tissue under the skin. Pictured: Munoz's leg after the surgery

Munoz said he had no symptoms prior to the shower but that he was horrified when he saw chunks of skin near the drain.

'My skin was being washed away,' Munoz told the Houston Chronicle.

'Not like a sunburn, like enough for me to know something was majorly wrong. I was losing meat off my leg, you could see everything.'

Munoz called his doctor back home, who told him to go to the emergency room immediately.

WHAT IS NECROTIZING FASCIITIS? Necrotizing fasciitis is a bacterial infection that quickly kills surrounding tissue. Once the bacteria enters the body, through the tiniest cut, it can spread to the muscles, nerves, fat and blood cells around the infected site causing damage. About 700 to 1,200 cases are reported in the US each year. Symptoms: Pain or soreness

Swelling near wound

Ulcers, blisters or black spots

Fever

Chills

Fatigue

Vomiting Treatment: Strong antibiotics are imperative to treating the disease and are typically administrated through an IV. Surgery is recommended when the antibiotics are unable to reach the tissue that has already been infected. This happens when the bacteria has prevented blood flow to those areas. If any of the infection is left in the body after surgery, it can cause organ failure. About 25 to 30 percent of necrotizing fasciitis cases result in death. Source: CDC Advertisement

However, the couple decided to drive 1,500 miles back home to be near their three son, ages 16, 14 and two.

Sarah drove the 20 hours back to Michigan because Munoz said he was going in and out of consciousness.

At one point during the drive, Munoz asked to stop and rest but his wife was insistent that they continue driving.

In the emergency room, doctors diagnosed Munoz with necrotizing fasciitis, a rare bacterial infection that spreads quickly in the body and can cause the loss of limbs or death.

The exact cause of the infection is unknown, but it enters the body through the tiniest cut or scrape in the skin, with between 700 and 1200 cases occurring in the US each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The health agency says that a prompt diagnosis and rapid treatment is key to stopping the infection in its tracks.

Early symptoms include a red or swollen area of the skin and severe pain. Later symptoms can include dizziness, nausea, blisters and change in skin color.

The CDC says about 25 to 30 percent of necrotizing fasciitis cases every year result in death.

Munoz says doctors believe he contracted the infection from fecal matter while renovating a customers bathroom.

'Within 20 minutes of seeing me, the doctor said he was going to prep for emergency surgery,' Munoz told The Chronicle.

Munoz said that, when he awoke from surgery, the doctor told him there was an 80 percent chance he would have died in his sleep if he hadn't made it back to Michigan when he did.

Munoz received emergency surgery upon arrival. Doctors told him that if he had visited a day later, he would have died. Pictured: Munoz with his family

So far, Munoz has had five surgeries, including skin graphs from pig skin and cadavers. He will still need to undergo plastic surgery for his thigh and will be bedridden for three to six months. Pictured: Munoz with his wife and youngest son

Surgeons believe the infection came from fecal matter that Munoz touched while renovating a customer's bathroom and that it entered his body through cuts on his hands. Pictured: A blurred out photo of Munoz's blackened thigh

'I was so thankful to my wife for being persistent and keeping me going,' he said.

According to a GoFundMe page, Munoz has had five surgeries, including skin graphs from pig skin and cadavers.

He will still need to undergo plastic surgery for his thigh and will be bedridden for three to six months, unable to work.

'It's a traumatic and life-altering experience,' Munoz told The Chronicle. 'Not just for myself, but for my three sons and my wife. My eldest son has stepped up and gotten a part-time job.'

Munoz's friends have set up the GoFundMe page to cover his medical expenses and the family's living expenses.

So far, more than $3,500 has been raised out of a $5,000 goal.You might think that after the bloody events in Turkey which saw journalist Jamal Khashoggi murdered, leaders in Saudi Arabia would be bending over backwards to keep friends in the West sweet.

But instead of keeping the oil flowing, following the US's re-imposition of sanctions on Iraq, Saudi Arabia has responded to a 17 per cent drop in the Brent crude oil price since October by declaring it is ready to support the price by cutting production.

That may be brilliant for Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in support of his 'reformist' economic agenda but it will not be welcomed by oil importing economies.

Taxing: Saudi Arabia has declared it is ready to support the oil price by cutting production

Higher oil prices are in effect a tax on Western economies, raising the cost of fuel for motorists and putting up the cost of energy supplies for business.

Indeed, there is a circularity about all of this. Saudi Arabia's oil minister Khalid al Falih warns that the Kingdom will need to cut supplies by around 1m barrels per day from October levels because of weakening demand. But one of the factors which has caused a supply surplus is the deleterious impact of higher oil prices on energy-importing nations. No sooner than the Saudis said they would cut production than the oil market changed direction with the price of both Brent crude and US crude futures surging in latest trading. Essentially the kingdom is withdrawing the benefit of an extra 1.05m barrels a day as a result of extra production from their own wells, Russia and the US.

There is a strong risk that Saudi Arabia could be shooting itself in the foot. Among the responses to higher market prices for oil earlier this year was for American producers, many of them independent fracking operations, to up their game.

US crude production has climbed to a record 11.6m barrels a day, almost one third of global output, and is expected to reach 12m barrels a day next year. BP is among those joining the new oil rush buying BHP's US shale assets for 8.1 billion. Over the longer-haul the increasing ability of the US to supply its own energy needs and export (it is already shipping natural gas to British Gas owner Centrica) will mean that the Gulf countries will be less able to hold the rest of the world to ransom.

In the interim it is the motorist who will suffer with higher prices and squeezed incomes. An imperfect market will mean Britain's oil majors BP and Shell can look forward to several more quarters of gushing earnings.

Down the hatch

If there were any doubt where Diageo aims to position itself in its main markets, it is underlined by a decision to sell-off several no-frills brands in the US.

Superfluous brands include such evocative names as Piehole Whisky, Goldschlager Schnapps, Romana Sambuca and Popov Vodka. Britain's global booze champion will pick up a modest net gain of 340m for this case of curio spirits, which includes bootlegger's favourite Seagram's Five Star. The more upmarket Seagram's Crown American stays with Britain's 67 billion drinks star.

The US is Diageo's biggest overseas market accounting for some 25 per cent of its sales and nearly half of its profits. The secret ingredient in the US has been heavy promotion of premium offerings, with Johnnie Walker the leader along with newer premium brands including Grey Goose Vodka and the fancy tequila Casamigos created by George Clooney and mates.

Rather than pocketing the money received from American buyer Sazerac, Diageo is to give it back to investors as part of a 2 billion share buyback.

Perennial speculation is that next on the sale list could be Guinness, but that is not thought to be on the agenda of chief executive Ivan Menezes. Diageo has invested heavily in its expanded Dublin brewery on the Liffey and its premium beers have become a favourite in Africa.

Menezes is tidying up, not breaking up.

T-ceremony

Vodafone chief executive Nick Read faces trial by fire when he presents half-year results today after a calamitous fall in the shares. The mobile pioneer's problems are a sharp contrast to Softbank's stewardship of Voda's former Japanese offshoot T-Mobile, which is now expected to be valued at as much as 54 billion when it floats in Tokyo.

The goal is to attract the 'Mrs Watanabes', Japan's version of the 'tell Sids'. Bit of a change from the old widows and orphans favourite of Japanese government bonds.The former chief executive of Stobart Group yesterday denied claims he conspired against the company as the most explosive boardroom bust-up of the year went to trial at the High Court.

The infrastructure company is suing Andrew Tinkler, claiming he launched an unlawful conspiracy in a 'significant campaign' to overthrow the chairman Iain Ferguson at the AGM this summer. It claims he breached his duties as a director.

Tinkler backed Edinburgh Woollen Mill boss Philip Day for the role, but investors narrowly voted to keep Ferguson at the helm.

Allegations: The infrastructure company is suing former chief executive Andrew Tinkler

At the same AGM shareholders also voted to keep Tinkler on the company's board  but executives later dismissed him.

'The company would say this is a man who truly has his own interests at heart,' the firm's legal team told the judge yesterday.

Some of the biggest names in the City  including fund manager Neil Woodford and Day  will give evidence in the two-week trial. The court will hear how the relationship between Tinkler and other members of the board broke down after he stepped back from the chief executive role  which he held between 2007 and 2017.

Ferguson told the High Court how he was on the receiving end of a 'tirade of abuse' from Tinkler during a meeting earlier this year.

The board also alleges he took 5m of 'excessive and unnecessary' expenses in breach of company policy. He denies all the allegations.

Tinkler's team have argued the allegations over expenses should never have been brought and suggested they had been made to provide an excuse to fuel lurid headlines in the media.

Tinkler's side will also argue that the vote was clinched after chief executive Warwick Brady and Ferguson agreed to transfer shares from the Stobart Group treasury from the Employee Benefit Trust. Shares from the trust were later used to vote for Ferguson.Babcock has hit back at 'false and malicious' claims made against it by a shadowy research firm.

The FTSE 250 defence contractor, which works on UK military aeroplanes and naval bases, yesterday reassured investors about its finances and even quoted a Government spokesman to back it up.

The unusual move followed a series of highly critical research notes published last month by a firm called Boatman Capital, which has accused Babcock of 'burying bad news' and overpaying in a takeover deal.

Claims: Defence contractor Babcock works on UK military aeroplanes and naval bases

Boatman is reportedly based in Panama but its directors are not listed. The company did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.

However, Babcock said it strongly rejected the claims and was trying to find out who ran Boatman. It described the mysterious research firm as 'anonymous and so far untraceable'.

'This report included many false and malicious statements,' Babcock's statement said. 'We can confirm Babcock continues to enjoy a healthy financial position with cash generation in line with expectations.'

A Government spokesman said: 'We monitor the health of all of our strategic suppliers, including Babcock, and remain committed to working with them on a wide range of programmes.'

However, last night Babcock was facing fresh questions about its relationship with the Ministry of Defence. The firm has been placed on watch over its handling of a submarine maintenance contract, according to the Financial Times. One official reportedly said: 'They need to pull their finger out.'

Boatman Capital's report alleged that Babcock had a 'terrible' relationship with the Ministry of Defence, while claiming Babcock had misled investors over its performance.

It also attacked chairman and defence industry veteran Mike Turner and chief executive Archie Bethel, claiming the pair were 'not up to the job'.Premier Foods, the food giant behind Mr Kipling cakes and Bisto gravy, said it will start stockpiling ingredients to protect itself from possible delays at ports in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The warning comes as the group also announced the sale of its Ambrosia custard brand and the departure of its boss Gavin Darby, just months after he narrowly survived an attempted coup by hedge funds.

Premier Foods, which also owns Oxo stock cubes and Asian products Sharwood's, said stockpiling could lead to a working capital hit of around 10million over the next few months.

For sale: Premier Foods is in talks with third parties over the possible sale of Ambrosia

It said in a statement: 'Like all businesses, for several months, Premier Foods have been planning on a range of scenarios subject to the nature of any Brexit deal that is reached.

'In the absence of certainty over the arrangements for the UK's departure from the EU, the Group shortly intends to start a process of building stocks of raw materials to protect the Company against the risk of delays at ports.'

Meanwhile, the group also said it was in talks with third parties over the possible sale of Ambrosia and its factory in Lifton, Devon, as it looks to boost its performance and slash its 500million debt pile.

And boss Darby, who has been six years at the helm of the company, will step down on January 31 following a public row with activist investor Oasis Management.

And it comes just months after Darby's re-election was opposed by 41 per cent of investors  a sizeable revolt  with 25 per cent also rejecting his 1.2million pay.

Premier Foods shares rose 2 per cent to 38.86p in afternoon trading.

Fiona Cincotta, analyst at City Index, said Premier Foods appears to have caved the demands of activist investors.

'Assets other than Ambrosia could be destined for the chopping block, now that Premier Foods appears to have caved to the demands of activist investors.

Chief executive Gavin Darby will leave at the end of January

'Among them could be Batchelors, which key investor Oasis has already singled out a possible sale candidate. To be sure, letting go of Batchelors would be a painful process for the board, given management's efforts to revitalise the noodle brand are gaining traction.

'They'd at least want to see a fat offer emerge before letting go of a business that generated revenue growth of 6.8% in the first half.'

Premier's half-year results also announced on Tuesday showed pre-tax losses widened to 2.2million in the six months to September 29.

On an underlying basis, pre-tax profits rose 14.3 per cent to 30.2million.Experts are calling for retirees to be sent clear warnings so they are not left 'high and dry' if they risk running down their pot

Tens of thousands of savers are at risk of running out of money in retirement without warning.

A Money Mail investigation has discovered there are no requirements for pension providers and investment firms to alert people if their pot is getting low.

Experts are calling for retirees to be sent clear warnings so they are not left 'high and dry'.

Currently, just one pension firm automatically sends customers a letter if it is starting to look as though their nest egg may not last.

It means that if retirees do not pay a financial adviser to keep an eye on their account, they risk running down their pension pot too quickly without realising.

Since the revolutionary pension freedoms were introduced three years ago, savers have been allowed immediate access to every penny of their private pensions.

Previously, you had to purchase an annuity  or income  but you can now dip in and out of your personal pension as often as you like after you reach 55.

The City watchdog has issued warnings about blowing all your savings.

And overspending is not the only risk. 'We've been very lucky with a ten-year bull market supporting the pension freedoms, but a significant market correction could change everything and reduce the value of pension pots,' says Tom McPhail, head of policy at Hargreaves Lansdown.

Meanwhile, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is concerned about the number of retirees using pension freedoms without an adviser.

Anyone who wants to take money from a private pension, whether a lump sum or a regular monthly amount, must first convert their pension into an income drawdown account.

This allows you to take out what you need and leave the rest invested in the stock market. You can then withdraw more when you need it.

An adviser can help predict how long your savings are likely to last.

It is not an exact science, because the amount in your pot depends on how the stock market performs. But an adviser could help set sensible withdrawal levels, with an idea of how long the savings would last.

An adviser would also contact you when reserves start getting low, allowing you time to perhaps reduce how much income you take.

Those who take an income from their pension without advice, however, must work this out on their own.

Baroness Ros Altmann, former Conservative pensions minister, says: 'Not everyone can afford or wants to use an adviser, so people need clear warnings if their money is running low so they're not left high and dry.

They will need time to plan how to plug that income gap. Perhaps drawdown contracts could include a section where customers can request an alarm call for when their pot is running out.'

Risky: Since the revolutionary pension freedoms were introduced three years ago, savers have been allowed immediate access to every penny of their private pensions

Around one-third of people who started drawdown pensions last year  28,000  did not use an adviser, according to official figures.

Money Mail research found that providers vary in the way they treat customers who do not have an adviser.

All drawdown customers are sent an annual statement which includes a current 'valuation'  the balance of their account. This figure can change depending on what the stock market is doing.

Along with their annual statement, Hargreaves Lans-down, Aviva, Fidelity and Scottish Widows also send out a projection for how the customer's pension fund is expected to perform.

This assumes savers will continue withdrawing money at the same rate as they do now, and shows how it would perform if the stock market delivered low, medium or high growth rates.

However, the figures and assumptions can be confusing. Money Mail found just one drawdown provider, Royal London, directly warns customers before they run out of cash. It has around 500 people in drawdown without an adviser.

Steve Webb, director of policy at Royal London, says: 'In late 2017 we developed a basic form of drawdown for those without an adviser. These customers benefit from a service which allows us to determine whether their income is sustainable.

'If there is less than an 85 per cent chance that a customer will be able to take the income they want until their target age, the firm will deem their pot as unsustainable and automatically send out a warning letter.'

Customers could then alter how much income they take, rejig other investments or seek professional advice.

Around 2,800 Phoenix customers with no active adviser receive annual statements and a letter one month before their money is due to run out  but this does not leave savers enough time to do anything about it.

Charlie Musson, of broker AJ Bell, which provides drawdown accounts to 2,000 savers without an adviser, says: 'It is up to customers to review their accounts. This can be done very easily via our website or mobile app, in the same way that you check your bank balance.'

Scottish Widows and Hargreaves Lansdown customers can also access their drawdown accounts online.

A spokesperson for Fidelity says: 'We continually review our communications and will be introducing more frequent and enhanced reporting [to customers].'

A spokesman for the FCA says: 'We are particularly interested in monitoring non-advised drawdown sales, because of the risks of managing drawdown.'Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya, pictured at the Old Bailey today, allegedly plotteded with her brother to dodge speeding tickets

A Labour MP plotted with her brother to dodge speeding tickets by lying to police and blaming a man in Russia when her Micra was clocked breaking the limit, a court heard today.

Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya, 34, was served with a notice of intended prosecution when the Nissan in her name was captured by a speed camera doing 41mph in a 30mph zone in Thorney, Cambridgeshire, in July 2017.

The Labour whip was asked in the form to state whether she was behind the wheel at the time or else name who was.

When the paperwork was returned, it allegedly named a man called Aleks Antipow as the driver and provided an address and telephone number for him.

David Jeremy QC, prosecuting, told the Old Bailey: 'Mr Antipow does exist, but he was not driving Ms Onasanya's car on July 24, 2017. He was in fact at home with his parents in Russia.'

Onasanya and her brother, musician Festus Onasanya, 33, rented a property in the Chesterton area of Cambridge, where Mr Antipow had lived between August and September 2016.

Jurors were told the details supplied for him as the nominated driver did not belong to him and were instead linked to Mr Onasanya.

The jury was told that is question to decide was 'whether Festus Onasanya (pictured before a previous court hearing) was acting alone when he perverted the course of justice'

Mr Jeremy said: 'The purpose in providing the name of a real person as the driver, but providing a false address and telephone number that were connected to Festus Onasanya, was that Mr Antipow, while a real person, would remain untraceable to the police and so the true driver of Ms Onasanya's car on July 24, 2017 would escape prosecution.'

The MP denies a single charge of perverting the course of justice but Festus admitted three identical allegations last week, the court was told.

Mr Jeremy explained: 'This method of avoiding prosecution for speeding offences was not only used in relation to Miss Onasanya's vehicle on July 24, 2017.

'It had been used in relation to Festus Onasanya's car when it triggered a speed camera on June 17, 2017, and it would also be used again when his car triggered another camera on August 23, 2017.

'It must, as some of us will know, be very irritating to receive that bit of paper telling us we have triggered a speed camera and asking us to name the driver of the car.

'But while irritation is perhaps an understandable human reaction, telling lies to frustrate an investigation into an offence is not.

Onasanya attends the Remembrance service in her constituency's city centre on Sunday

'What Miss Onasanya did when her vehicle was trapped on July 24, 2017, was not just to own up and tell the truth, which would have been so much better.

'It was to adopt her brother's method of evading prosecution and thus being able to speed as often as he liked with impunity.

'The two of them were acting jointly in telling lies in order to prevent the prosecution of the true driver.'

Mr Jeremy said the question for the jury to decide was 'whether Festus Onasanya was acting alone when he perverted the course of justice in relation to the trapping of Miss Onsanya's car on July 24 or whether the two of them were acting together'.

The Micra registered to Onasanya was clocked doing 41mph in a 30mph zone on a road in Thorney at 10.03pm on Monday, July 24, 2017.

A notice of intended prosecution (NIP) was sent first class the following Tuesday, August 1, to her home stipulating that 'only the addressee should complete the information on the reverse'.

The court heard the paperwork provides for the addressee to state whether they were the driver or not; and to sign a declaration as to its truth.

'Of course, forms such as this are not only irritating to receive, they can be read superficially, particularly by a busy person.

'As you will hear, Miss Onasanya is and was a busy person. She is a serving Member of Parliament, an MP. But not only is she an MP, she is also a qualified solicitor.

Ms Onasanya (pictured yesterday) denies one count of perverting the course of justice

'She is someone who is, you may think, is used to dealing with paperwork, to reading and digesting and analysing and understanding and expressing.

'Indeed she had been sent one of these forms previously. On February 3, 2017 her car had triggered another speed camera on the January 26.

'On that occasion, when she was sent the form she had had no difficulty filling in the form correctly, accepting on that occasion - she did the right thing - that she was the driver.

'She was able to complete a speed awareness course and thus avoid points on her licence. So, this was a form she had seen and dealt with before.'

Jurors heard that the box had been ticked on the form indicating the MP was not the driver.

Mr Antipow's details were also provided, along with a telephone number, with Onasanya's name and signature filled into the corresponding boxes.

The court heard Mr Antipow was not the driver of Onasanya's car and 'he had never driven it'.

He had lived at an address rented by the siblings the previous year but had never resided at the address filled in on the paperwork.

The address was 'occupied by individuals known to Festus Onasanya' and the telephone number included corresponded to a company he used to work for as a self-employed delivery driver between September 2015 and January last year.

Onasanya's reply was dated August 5, three days after jurors heard the NIP should have been received.

'It was not as though she was being asked a number of weeks or momths later who was driving her car on this day,' the prosecutor said. 'This was nine days later.

'The prosecution suggests that in those circumstances when she received this form containing that question, she would have known whether she was driving her own car on the Monday from the previous week.

'And if she really did have any doubt as to who was driving her car some nine days before she would, without too much difficulty, have been able to reconstruct her life over the previous nine days or so to work out whether she was driving her car on the previous Monday.

'This is particularly true given the life that we know someone like Ms Onasanya was leading at that time.'

Onasanya was elected MP for Peterborough on June 8 last year.

The House of Commons rose for its summer recess on Thursday, July 20 - days before her Micra triggered the speed camera just outside Peterborough the following Monday.

Jurors heard her expenses forms showed that she claimed for hotel accommodation in London on Friday, July 21, 2017 but not again until September 2017.

Mr Jeremy said that part of the police investigation into the alleged offence examined mobile phone cell site evidence.

He added that the data showed both of the politician's mobile phones connecting with cells in the area of the traffic camera in Thorney at the time it was triggered.

'Where was she? Was someone else using both of her phones in that area? Was someone else driving her car?' Mr Jeremy asked.

'What sort of a coincidence would it have had to have been for others to have been using both her phones and car to be in the area of that traffic camera?'

Mr Jeremy explained that Onasanya was therefore ' the principle candidate' to be behind the wheel.

He said that while her life as an MP 'would doubtless have been a busy one', it would also have been a 'highly structured' one with her and various assistants keeping a variety of communications and diaries.

'When she received that NIP towards the end of the first week in August she would have been able to work out easily and exactly where she had been on that previous Monday,' the prosecutor said.

Having received a response, Cambridgeshire Police sent an NIP to Mr Antipow, which came back marked 'return to sender - not known at this address'.

A letter was subsequently sent to the MP on 14 September asking her to provide the correct details.

Jurors heard that in her reply she stated: 'I am not sure how I can be of further assistance.

'I have supplied the details made known to me as well as the licence information. It is a criminal offence to say I was the driver when I was not. I have provided a completed nomination previously and do not have any other information other than that which has been provided.'

Mr Jeremy added: 'That can only have been a reference to Aleks Antipow.'

After another NIP was unsuccessfully mailed to Mr Antipow, an investigator on behalf of the Cambridgeshire Camera Ticket unit emailed Onasanya on October 16 asking her to get in touch.

When she failed to respond, he wrote her a letter dated October 25 telling her that an investigation had been commenced.

The prosecutor told jurors she again failed reply but an investigator was eventually able to contact her on November 2 after finding a Parliamentary number for her online.

They spoke that morning and jurors heard the investigator noted the conversation on the computer system, detailing how 'she stands by her nomination' and adding that 'the details written within the document were completed by the nominated driver'.

'Ms Onasanya therefore claimed that Mr Antipow filled in his own details,' Mr Jeremy said. 'That is untrue.'

From December 12 onwards, a police officer became involved in the investigation and made a number of calls to her London Parliamentary office and local constituency office leaving messages asking her to call him.

After hand delivering a letter to her home address two days later Onasanya arranged to attend a voluntary interview at Bedford Police Headquarters on January 2 this year.

Mr Jeremy told jurors Ms Onasanya 'must have been an extremely busy person as a newly elected MP' but said her 'reluctance' to engage with the investigators was not just down to her hectic schedule.

'Once she had made the really bad choice of adopting her brother's method of making prosecutions for speed camera traps disappear - once she had made that really bad choice - she was trapped in a number of lies and at every stage she had to keep lying or confess and admit what she had done,' he said.

'Unfortunately and sadly she has just kept on lying all the way to this court.'

The prosecutor explained that Onasanya gave no answers when quizzed about whether she was driving the Micra when it triggered the speed camera.

'This case did in fact start as a case about an offence of speeding,' Mr Jeremy said. 'It has become, as a result of the choices made by Ms Onasanya, a case about lying.

'Lying persistently and deliberately. Lying all the way to this court, and it may be even lying in this court. Lying in a way that has had to be coordinated with lies told by her brother.

'Lying to avoid prosecution for a breach of the laws that apply, or that should apply, to every single one of us whoever we may be. And what a shame she did not tell the truth from the beginning.'

Onasanya, from Peterborough, denies one count of perverting the course of justice. The trial, which is expected to go on for a week, was adjourned until tomorrow.

Before sending jurors away, Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC told them: 'I'm sure it does not need saying, but politics do not come into it. They cannot be a factor in the decision-making process at all.'

After working as a solicitor, Onasanya took her seat in the Houses of Parliament in 2017 with a majority of 607 votes.

She ousted former Conservative MP Stewart Jackson and became a party whip, responsible for discipline within Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party.Undercover police officers have performed a covert operation to catch drivers on their phones by dressing up as windscreen washers.

Pictures posted online showed a man wearing an orange hi-vis jacket walking along a grassy verge as cars wait at traffic lights.

In his right hand was a black and silver squeegee, but the man was not all he seemed.

Undercover police officers have undergone a covert operation to catch drivers on their phones by dressing up as windscreen washers

The Facebook post said: 'This is amazing. Undercover cops pretending to be windscreen washers and catching people on their phones at the lights.'

The photos were taken at the intersection of Maroondah Highway and Springvale Road in Nunawading, eastern Melbourne.

In a statement given to Daily Mail Australia, Victoria Police said Forest Hill officers were conducting a traffic operation in Nunawading yesterday targeting distracted drivers.

A spokesman said: 'Part of the operation involved covert observations of drivers in stationary vehicles.'

The undercover officers would radio their colleagues 200m down the road, who then pulled the driver over and issued a fine.

'Police issued 38 infringement notices to drivers for using their mobile phone while driving.'

Taking into account the standard on-the-spot fine, the operation would have earned authorities around $18,390.

The spokesman added officers did not actually wash windscreens.

The cunning tactic, which has since gone viral, drew widespread praise from social media commenters.

One user said: 'Clever! You know what if it saves lives go for it. The amount of drivers I pass and see them look down at their phones'

One user said: 'Clever! You know what, if it saves lives go for it. The amount of drivers I pass and see them look down at their phones....'

Another also praised the operation, even if it was limited to observing the lights but not the open road.

They said: 'It is meant to change the blase behaviour around touching devices. If you do it at a set of lights, youre more likely to do it whilst driving.'

But not everyone was thrilled with police resorting to disguises to catch minor misdemeanours, with one user saying 'how low can you go'.

Some, meanwhile, thought the officer could have improved his disguise as 'window washers don't wear hi-vis'

Some, meanwhile, thought the officer could have improved his disguise as 'window washers don't wear hi-vis'.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Victoria Police for comment, who said they were investigating the matter.

The penalty for using a mobile phone or device under Victorian law is four demerit points and an on-the-spot fine of $476.

Roadside window washers are only legal in the ACT in Australia.

That ruling has still been challenged in Canberra in recent years, with one coroner partly blaming the practice for distracting a driver at an intersection - who was then fatally struck by a truck with faulty brakes.Police and emergency crews are bracing for this weekend when more than 22,000 school graduates let their hair down for 'Schoolies' celebrations across the country.

Nearly 50 arrests were made in Surfers Paradise last year during Gold Coast's annual rowdy event, with dozens of teenagers busted for drug possession and brawling.

Despite the inevitable carnage inflicted on the seaside resort town every year, authorities said there was not a lot they could do to stop the kids coming.

Team of police were on hand all night to ensure party goers were kept safe, seen here checking in with one happy young girl

Nearly 50 arrests were made in Surfers Paradise last year during Gold Coast's annual rowdy event, with teens busted for drug possession and getting involved in fights

Despite the inevitable carnage inflicted on the seaside resort town every year, authorities said there was not a lot they could do to stop the kids coming

Despite an estimated 80 per cent of attendees being underage, most are likely to drink heavily during the celebrations.

'Many people say "ban Schoolies, let's just close the airport and anyone under 17 can't come in to Surfers Paradise" - (but) we can't hold back the tide,' Schoolies Advisory Committee Chair Mark Raeburn told Seven News.

'Our concern is always what goes on in the rooms, but we can't be there,' Mr Raeburn said.

Hundreds of volunteers will be on hand to help those who need respite or medical aid due to the effects of partying, but they say not all those need urgent help.

At least 80 per cent of attendees are expected to be underage, and likely to be indulging in the customary practice of drinking alcohol

Hundreds of volunteers have developed a keen sense the teens need during the festivities, and say they aren't always in crisis when they need help.=

'There not all necessary in distress, some of them are extremely happy - they just need a bit of time out,' Angela Driscoll of Gold Coast Youth Services said.

Closely-watched and cordoned-off party zones with high fences and soft beach sand have been carefully thought out by the organising committee.

They provide safe, high security areas for teens to go about their partying and hopefully wear themselves out.

Most past year arrests were related to drug possession, however it was unknown why this man was taken into custody

Closely watched cordoned-off party zones with high fences and soft beach sand (one man appeared to have been caught with a bag of cask wine)

One attendee appeared rather glum as they were wheeled away in a chair by an SES officer

Red Frogs Australia spokesman said parents should feel comfortable sending their children to the Gold Coast for Schoolies, because 'it is by far the safest place'.

Children taking part in the raging two-week-long celebration on the Gold Coast have become renowned for disturbing and often dangerous antics.

But police and volunteers from Red Frogs, a Christian support group for university students and school-leavers, know what to expect and are well-equipped.

A man was spotted at last year's festivities being walked away by two police officersA man who paraded around an Ohio shopping mall wearing just a towel was taken into custody last week shortly before police discovered cocaine and a firearm in the back of his vehicle.

Wilbur Rosado was arrested outside the Biddulph Plaza in Brooklyn after a concerned shopper reported a suspicious man sporting a towel in the public building.

When authorities arrived, they ordered him to drop his belongings and asked, 'why are you out here naked?'

Wilbur Rosado (pictured) was arrested outside the Biddulph Plaza in Brooklyn last week

A concerned shopper reported a suspicious man walking around the shopping center in a towel. When police arrived and asked him about his bizarre behavior, he said, 'I don't know, it's the PCP'

Police asked Rosado if he had been using PCP. He replied: 'No, not no more'

Rosado mumbled back to them: 'I don't know, it's the PCP.'

Rosado is pictured above in his mugshot

Police inquired about his PCP use and asked if he was high at the time of the bizarre incident. He replied: 'No, not no more.'

Shortly after, the officers searched his car for valuables as they prepared to tow it.

While doing so, one of the officers found a unloaded handgun and a stash of cocaine in the trunk.

The heavily-tattooed man shouted at the officers and ordered them to stop searching his vehicle.

The officer who was searching his trunk also said there were 'some hard rocks' in the bag of coke.

Officers searched his car for valuables as they prepared to tow it. They first found an unloaded handgun

An officer then found a large bag of coke with 'some hard rocks' inside

Rosado, who became more infuriated, added: 'Put my s**t back in the car!'

One of the men told Rosado: 'OK, you want me to put the gun and drugs back in the car?'

Rosado said the cocaine was for his 'personal use.'

He was jailed and now faces drug and gun charges that have been approved by a grand jury, according to Fox4KC.A man pretending to look for a job attacked and robbed a female manager in a trendy Manhattan restaurant.

Police said the man entered Quality Meats, located on 58 Street, through a side entrance and entered the basement on Friday around 12.30 pm.

The restaurant was closed at the time but the attacker posed as someone looking for a job.

Footage released by the NYPD shows the man grabbing the woman in a choke hold position

The man punches the woman then gets her in a choke hold position before robbing her

An employee directed him to the manager's office, where he encountered a 35-year-old female restaurant manager.

Once inside the office, the perpetrator punched the manager in her left eye and put her into a choke hold, police said.

The attacker then demanded money and stole $400 from the victim's backpack before running away.

The woman was treated at the hospital for swelling and bruising to her eye.

Police describe the man as being about five foot seven and around 180 pounds with black hair.

He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black jacket and a winter hat.

The vicious incident took place at Quality Meats in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday

'I worked 15 years in the prison system, I know what desperation can do to people but its not an excuse,' customer Jim Steinberg told CBS New York.

Anyone with information in regards to the above incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

The brazen robbery in Midtown Manhattan comes after a series of violent assaults in Manhattan over the past week.

Five people were assaulted in the nearby Hells Kitchen area, including a man and woman attacked by a homeless man Friday morning.

Another man was struck with a broomstick across the head by a 23-year-old attacker that same day.A Texas man who was sent to intensive care after being bitten by a rattlesnake in September got sweet revenge by cooking another one he encountered.

Bob Hansler uploaded a video to his YouTube channel in October, showing his approximately 178,000 subscribers how to enjoy the 3ft creature as a delectable meal.

The post from two week ago has had more than half a million views and shows the survivalist skinning, bread crumbing and then frying the meat in a Dutch oven with legs on an open fire in the desert.

Bob Hansler was bitten by a Diamondback Rattlesnake in September

He uploaded the rattlesnake cooking video in October to YouTube

Rattlesnake venom 'becomes completely inert during the cooking process'

'We're going to show you how we do it down South,' he says in the clip before using a mixture of milk and eggs for the snake to soak in.

The Runge, Texas man sets up his station with hot coals and tips plenty of oil in a separate pan.

'This is a western diamondback rattlesnake (that) one of the neighbors dropped off here last night,' he adds. 'They ran this over and brought it to me, so fresh snake.'

Hansler makes sure every part of the snake is used by rolling the skin to prepare it for freezing and using later on.

Hansler skins the 3ft creature and places the entire thing in a pan

After creating a mixture of eggs and milk he soaks the snake in the liquid for easy binding

Hansler then coats it in corn meal by shaking in a Ziploc bag

His YouTube channel shows him chowing down on unconventional meals in various primitive cooking clips so he was treated to the catch by someone who knew of his love for eccentric food.

'Waste not, want not,' he says about his intention to tan the skin and cure it later on.

To help bind the Quaker yellow corn meal to the snake's surface he drops it in a Ziploc bag to make sure it's well covered then proceeds to cook the animal on both sides in the cast iron spider skillet over the fire.

Referring to his preparation as 'catfish style' he adds that it's about achieving a 'golden brown' color rather than keeping it on the heat for a certain period of time.

Hansler reveals he received the snake as a gift from a neighbor

Hansler explains how its about browning the snake rather than cooking for a certain time

But even when the snake is done Hansler's pet dog Huckleberry is unsure of trying the meal that consists of a lot of vertebrae.

After peeling the 'back strap' off for the bulk of the meat and then biting between the ribs to show viewers how to tackle eating rattlesnake, his pooch  who Hansler says had tried snake before and is not a picky eater  sniffs it but turns down the offer of tasting.

'Reptile itself is a very oily meat,' Hansler says, adding that it tastes similar to alligator.

Hansler says the creature also makes a good soup and he would know, his YouTube page also boasts other quirky cuisine videos.

In one of them posted four weeks ago, he cooks a rattlesnake inside a cactus.

He then eats it with his hands, first peeling the meaty back strap off

He explains the eater should bit between the vertebrae to enjoy the meal

But even Hansler's dog isn't keen to try the meal

After the demonstration he shows viewers the 17 buttons on the snakes rattle.

Every time a snake sheds  which can happen multiple times a year - it adds another button.

Hansler expresses how 'remarkable' 17 is considering the snake was fairly mediocre in size.

'I wouldn't expect to see a rattle this large for anything under 6-and-a-half/7ft,' he says.

Luckily rattlesnake venom 'becomes completely inert during the cooking process' but Hansler wasn't so fortunate a couple of months ago when he was bitten by a diamondback rattlesnake while on a nature walk.

Hansler explains how the snake had 17 rattles which is many for a small snake

Hansler (seen with a giant spider on his face) is known for his outdoor adventures

'The rattlesnake did not coil in defense or attempt to flee, but instead charged and struck repeatedly,' a GoFundMe page that raised $4,334 for his medical costs states.

'This rattlesnake managed to strike Bob a glancing blow in his left arm before being subdued. The arm began to swell almost immediately and Bob was rushed to the local hospital and shortly thereafter transferred to San Antonio.'

Hansler had to endure 'three rough days in ICU and six doses of anti-venom' to recover from the painful bite.

While their bites are usually not deadly, they can cause an internal hemorrhage, plus destroy skin tissues and blood cells.

The irony of consuming the dead snake was not lost on his fans.

'I'm surprised you didn't throw it on ice after cooking it,' viewer Jon M commented on the video. 'After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.'Advertisement

Gerard Butler filmed the devastation around his smoldering neighborhood just a day after a horrifying California wildfire tore through the area.

Butler, whose home was destroyed, was driving around Point Dume on Saturday when he captured the destruction his community in two videos.

'It's like a war zone,' Butler tells viewers as he surveys the area destroyed by the Woolsey blaze. 'Every house after a certain point is gone.'

Gerard Butler filmed the devastation around his smoldering neighborhood just a day after a horrifying California wildfire tore through the area

Butler, whose home was only partially destroyed, was driving around Point Dume on Saturday when he captured the destruction in two videos

'It's like a war zone,' Butler tells viewers as he surveys the area. 'Every house after a certain point is gone'

'What a difference a day can make to a community,' the actor says as he walks into a backyard of a home. Butler shared the videos on Instagram on Monday afternoon

Gerard Butler's home is seen in ruins on November 12 after being destroyed by the Woosley Fire in Malibu, California

'What a difference a day can make to a community,' the actor says as he walks into a backyard of a home.

Butler shared the videos on Instagram on Monday afternoon.

'My heart aches for all those who lost their homes and their lives in California. A lot of people lost everything and will have to rebuild from scratch,' he wrote in the caption.

'I am ok and so grateful for all of the well wishes,' Butler said before encouraging others to donate to a GoFundMe account that has been set up to help people across California affected by the fires.

Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, and Camille Grammer Meyer of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills were among those whose Malibu homes were destroyed in the Woolsey fire.

On Monday, Miley's fiance Liam Hemsworth was seen survey damage to Miley Cyrus' property.

He rode around in a Club Car with his Westworld star brother Luke on Monday, with both men wearing respirators to guard against the lingering smoke.

Miley revealed Sunday that her 'house no longer stands' on her $2.525M Malibu compound after being scorched.

Camille Grammer posted a photo of her home up in flames and revealed it had been destroyed

Grammer Meyer managed to salvage some of her most precious belongings, including dog Joey, from her $3.282M Paradise View Estates mansion on Saturday hours before it was destroyed in the Woolsey Fire

April Love Geary, Robin Thicke's girlfriend, revealed on Sunday that their $2.4million mansion had burned to the ground

Sad times: Robin Thicke's girlfriend April Love Geary has posted a heartbreaking photo of their home which was destroyed by California wildfires

Lady Gaga turned up at a Red Cross shelter at Pacific Palisades High School in Los Angeles on Sunday to support evacuees of the devastating Woolsey fire

The 32-year-old hitmaker and actress was herself forced to flee her home on Friday after authorities issued an evacuation order covering all of Malibu

On Monday, Robin Thicke's girlfriend April Love Geary posted a heartbreaking photo of their home which was destroyed.

The 23-year-old model took to her Instagram Story to share a snap of what remains of their Malibu home.

Love Geary captioned the snap: 'This is a picture I received of my house from the other. While material objects are replaceable, the memories shared in this house aren't.'

Grammer Meyer managed to salvage some of her most precious belongings, including dog Joey, from her $3.282M Paradise View Estates mansion on Saturday hours before it was destroyed in the Woolsey Fire.

'I went to my safe and I grabbed jewelry, documents, birth certificates, and passports,' the 50-year-old newlywed recalled to People on Monday.

'The bigger pieces of art we couldn't take, but we grabbed an Andrew Wyeth painting. I also took some photographs that meant something to me - my great-aunt who passed away a couple years ago. I took pictures of my family. We packed as much as we could into three cars.'

Meanwhile the Kardashian clan, Simon Cowell, Will Smith and Martin Sheen were among other those who had to evacuate the star-studded Malibu and Calabasas areas.

Lady Gaga turned up at a Red Cross shelter at Pacific Palisades High School in Los Angeles on Sunday to support evacuees of the devastating Woolsey fire.

The 32-year-old hitmaker and actress was herself forced to flee her home on Friday after authorities issued an evacuation order covering all of Malibu.

Butler's video was shared shortly after two new wildfires broke out in Southern California on Monday as the state continues to fight back blazes that have left 31 dead and wreaked havoc for days.

Firefighters were already battling the deadly Woolsey fire, which has killed two people and is only 20 per cent contained, as well as the Hill fire when two new blazes suddenly sparked.

Will Smith posted a video to his Instagram story expressing worry that his own home would be hit by the flames

The ground at the home of Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth (pictured) still smolders after the Woolsey Fire in Malibu

On Monday, Liam surveyed the damage to girlfriend Miley Cyrus' property after wildfires destroyed her home

Earlier, Liam (left) was spotted heading to Miley's home with brother Luke (in driver's seat)

The Lynn fire broke out in Thousand Oaks, which is still reeling from a horrific mass shooting that took 12 lives last week.

It burned five acres as of Monday morning but the Ventura County Fire Department said the threat to nearby structures was 'diminishing' as firefighters were able to 'get a handle' on the flames, according to LAist.

By 11.45am officials said surrounding homes were not under threat and that the fire was holding.

Meanwhile, a new blaze dubbed the Peak fire was seen burning right by the 118 Freeway in Simi Valley. It was reported around 10.30am and at least 105 acres have been burned.

Fire crews said they stopped forward progress of the flames around 1pm.

Butler's video was shared shortly after two new wildfires broke out in Southern California on Monday as the state continues to fight back blazes that have left 31 dead and wreaked havoc for daysA Seven News reporter has angrily slapped down right-wing activist Neil Erikson for interrupting her live television broadcast from the scene of the Bourke Street terrorist attack.

News reporter Jodi Lee was reporting from the scene of Melbourne's Bourke Street terror attack on Friday when she was interrupted by United Patriot Front founder Neil Erikson shouting 'Islamic terror!' into her live microphone.

'Are you out of your god damn mind?' Ms Lee shouts at Erikson as the far-right activist films her with his phone.

A Seven News reporter has angrily after her live broadcast from the scene of the Bourke Street Mall terrorist attack was interrupted by right-wing activist Neil Erikson (pictured)

'Excuse me?' he replies.

The Seven News reporter continues to ask him if he is out of his mind as he shouts back at her.

'Say what it is, say what it is fake news,' he says.

The reporter then asks the man if he thinks he is Donald Trump before she looks to move away from him.

The two argue until police are forced to intervene with an officer attempting to move Mr Erikson on before the reporter's own cameraman tells Erikson he's on live TV.

Mr Erikson gives the camera man the middle finger before the camera man returns the same gesture.

Mr Erikson continues to shout at the news crew before the video ends.

Seven News reporter Jodi Lee angrily confronted the man who interrupted her live broadcast before the two shared heated words in front of shocked onlookers

Mr Erikson shared the video to his Facebook page and its already been viewed 138,000 times and shared almost 2,000 times.

A number of people were quick to jump to his defence.

'He should have took that time while he was live to say exactly what he was trying to get across productively,' one user wrote.

'Good work Neil. Well done for capturing this on camera. Who knows what they would say if they only had their own footage without anything from your phone to disprove their lies?' another added.

But not everyone was so quick to support Mr Erikson and his approach.

Seven News journalist Jodi Lee (pictured) was covering the aftermath of the Bourke Street terrorist attack when Mr Erikson rushed her microphone and shouted 'Islamic terror!'

'I'm a bit confused with this.....i thought they did report this as being terror related, so how is it fake news? I'm not defending her, i just don't know what was said for it to be fake news! ' one user wrote.

'All news platforms have addressed it as a suspected terrorist attack, im (sic) confused as to why shes being attacked for fake news?' another added.

Mr Erikson runs an online blog and has given himself the moniker Senator Slayer, he has been working on the blog since July of this year.

He told Daily Mail Australia he describes himself as an 'anti Islam activist or Nationalist'.

Neil Erikson (pictured) uploaded footage of the incident to his Facebook page and its already been viewed 138,000 times and shared almost 2,000 times

He said he founded the United Patriots Front in 2015 with Blair Cottrell after the Sydney Siege that left two people dead.

'My main goal is to change the culture,' he said.

It's not the first time Mr Erikson has made headlined for ambushing a journalist and in March of this year he was scolded by a judge.

He was charged with contempt of court when he arrived to his hearing wearing a Toll high visibility vest.

He was in court after Toll had claimed videos and photos he had shared online while wearing the company uniform had done their public image damage.

Federal Circuit Court judge Suzanne Jones labelled Mr Erikson 'childish' for his behaviour before and said his claims of 'punching up against big corporations' as 'rubbish'.A Samoan man has been found guilty of murdering his wife after stabbing her with such force the tip of the kitchen knife he used broke off in her head.

Arona Peniamina was found guilty of the vicious March 2016 murder of his wife Sandra Peniamina, 29, at their Kippa Ring residence north of Brisbane, according to The Courier Mail.

The court heard the 38-year-old punched the mother-of-four and stabbed her multiple times with a kitchen knife, kicking her when she fell to the ground, and hitting her with a fence bollard in their driveway when she tried to escape.

A man has been found guilty of murdering his wife (pictured) after stabbing her with such force the tip of the kitchen knife he used broke off in her head

Arona Peniamina was found guilty of the vicious March 2016 murder of his wife Sandra Peniamina, 29, at their Kippa Ring residence north of Brisbane

'She died on the driveway of that house covered in her own blood, you will hear, most likely killed with a bollard that was taken from the fence line,' prosecutor Dzenita Balic told the jury during the trial.

Early in the trial Peniamina plead guilty to a lesser offence of manslaughter, however, this was rejected by prosecutors.

The court heard the couple's relationship had been rocky, Peniamina was concerned his children would be taken from him, and he believed his wife was having an affair.

After the initial assault, when Mrs Peniamina tried to escape, her husband followed her, threw her to the ground in the driveway, kicked her again and beat the back of her head with a bollard.

The handle of the knife he used was later found by police underneath the family's parked car, the blade was discovered nearby and its tip was lodged in the woman's head.

'This was a killing with a murderous intent by him on the basis of a sequence of events,' Ms Balic said.

After the initial assault, when Mrs Peniamina tried to escape, her husband followed her, threw her to the ground in the driveway and beat the back of her head with a bollard

The jury was shown crime scene photos with blood spattered across the dining room and kitchen floors, on kitchen cupboards and the inside of the front door. Peniamina later told an undercover police officer his wife had tried to kill him, the court heard.

At least one of the couple's children saw the attack and told police of seeing their father 'smashing' their mother's head into the floor.

The child talked of feeling unable to do anything, the jury was told.

In an emotional testimony, neighbour Michael White recalled hearing a woman inside the Peniamina's home screaming for up to 15 minutes.

Mr White said he told his mother to call triple-0 and walked to the front of the house, where he found the victim facedown on the driveway.

The jury took less than three hours to find Peniamina guilty of murder and he was due to be sentenced on Tuesday.An associate of longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone says he expects to be indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for lying to federal authorities in the Russia investigation.

Jerome Corsi, a right-wing author who has espoused conspiracy theories about Barack Obamas place of birth and the September 11 attacks, said on his YouTube broadcast on Monday that he anticipates an indictment soon.

He said that in the two months since he was initially questioned by FBI agents working for the Mueller investigation, the entire negotiations and discussions have just blown up.

I fully anticipate that in the next few days I will be indicted by Mueller for some form or other of giving false information to the Special Counsel or the grand jury... but I am going to be criminally charged, Corsi said on his show.

Jerome Corsi, a right-wing author who has espoused conspiracy theories about Barack Obamas place of birth and the September 11 attacks, said on his YouTube broadcast on Monday that he anticipates an indictment soon

Corsi hosts a daily internet program. He has written books alleging that Obama was not an American citizen, John McCain had secret ties to Al-Qaida, and the government orchestrated the 9/11 attacks.

This has been one of the most frightening experiences of my life, Corsi said on Monday.

At the end of two months my mind was mush.

The 72-year-old Corsi said: Im going to be indicted. Thats what weve been told. Everyone should know that.

Trying to explain yourself to these people is impossible I guess I couldnt tell the special prosecutor what he wanted to hear, he said.

Corsi denounced Mueller and the Department of Justice, accusing them of politically persecuting him because of his support for President Donald Trump.

The Department of Justice is run by criminals, Corsi said. I think my crime really was that I supported Donald Trump.

Now I guess Ill go to prison for the rest of my life, because I dared to oppose the Deep State.

Corsi is appealing to his supporters for help in funding his legal defense.

He created a PayPal page where donors could contribute money.

Corsi is one of several associates linked to Roger Stone (above) who have been questioned by the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller

Corsis entanglement in the investigation has been reported in recent weeks as Mueller has focused on associates of Stone.

Stone has claimed that Corsi and another former friend, Randy Credico, were his sources of damaging information about Democrats.

Stone told The Washington Post on Monday that he and his lawyers have fully reviewed all of his communications with Corsi.

When those arent viewed out of context they prove everything I have said under oath regarding my interaction with Dr. Corsi is true, Stone said.

It is possible to take individual communications out of context to create a false impression to a grand jury.

Such a case would be weak and would fail.

Stone appeared on the Infowars website on Monday and speculated that perhaps [Muellers prosecutors] have squeezed poor Dr. Corsi to frame me.

Corsi said on Monday that to the best of my recollection he never met Julian Assange or had any ties to him or WikiLeaks.

Mueller (seen above in 2017) has reportedly focused on Stone in recent weeks over his alleged ties to WikiLeaks

He also denied having advance knowledge of WikiLeaks revealing sensitive information about the Democratic Party.

There was no conspiracy, Corsi said.

I found out what I knew largely from open sources.

Stone has said that Corsi and Trump met and bonded over the formers contention that Obama was not really born in the United States.

The special counsel has spent dozens of hours trying to figure out if Stone really did have knowledge of Wikileaks' plans to released hacked Democratic emails before the 2016 presidential election.

Stone himself claimed during the presidential campaign that he was in touch with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (above). In August 2016, Stone predicted that WikiLeaks would once again leaks thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic Party

Stone himself claimed during the presidential campaign that he was in touch with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

In August 2016, Stone predicted that WikiLeaks would once again leaks thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic Party.

'I actually have communicated with Assange,' he bragged to a Republican group in Florida that month.

A few weeks later, Stone tweeted that it would soon be 'Podesta's time in the barrel', seemingly referring to Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta.

Six weeks later, WikiLeaks unleashed dozens of stolen emails from Podesta's account.Harvey Weinstein has already had one of the six criminal charges filed against him dropped by the district attorney's office, and a hearing has been set for next month to dismiss the entire case.

This is all the result of emails and texts uncovered by defense attorney Ben Brafman and the dogged work of former NYPD detective Herman Weisberg in learning what was happening behind the scenes in the case.

Weisberg has also worked for the Manhattan district attorney.

The two men have formed a dream team that now looks capable of doing what was once thought to be impossible - help Harvey Weinstein walk free.

Scroll down for video

Dynamic duo: Attorney Ben Brafman and private investigator Herman Weisberg have managed to dismantle part of the case against Harvey Weinstein (above in June 5 with Weisberg circled)

Stand by your man: Weisberg (circled in July) is a former detective with the NYPD who is now a private investigator and has worked with the Manhattan district attorney's office

Earlier this year, The Daily Mail spoke with Weisberg about his new job as a private investigator.

He is known as the 'Mistress Whisperer' to some, a man who is able to talk women into settlement agreements and out of their threats to expose the rich men they are battling in court.

Weisberg was clear in that interview however that he does not rely on the immoral and potentially illegal tactics of other investigative agencies.

'My job as an investigator is to establish the facts and determine the truth and provide that to counsel so they can effectively defend their clients,' explained Weisberg.

There is little much he had to say, which is not much of a surprise given how valued discretion is in his line of work.

Brafman is the more chatty of the two, and in that interview explained that his job is a very clear one - to prove that specific incidents do not rise to the level of criminal conduct.

'I am not defending behavior,' explained Brafman.

Some of the famous faces whose behavior has not been defended by Brafman in the past include Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs, Jay Z, Michael Jackson, Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Martin Shkreli.

In all those cases, with the exception of Shkreli, the men were able to walk free.

And Brafman is not afraid to go after women who are not involved in the trial but have accused his client of sexual misconduct, most notably Asia Argento.

The sheer duplicity of her conduct is extraordinary and should demonstrate to everyone how poorly the allegations against Mr Weinstein were actually vetted and accordingly, cause all of us to pause and allow due process to prevail, not condemnation by fundamental dishonesty,' he said after it was revealed that she had sex with a then-underage Jimmy Bennett.

He also alluded to the emails and texts which have since been released between Weinstein and his accusers in the criminal case.

'Were seeing email traffic between him and these women at the time they claim they were assaulted which is substantially inconsistent with that type of relationship and more consistent with a friendly, respectful relationship,' explained Brafman.

He also admitted that Weinstein was in a difficult place, but has continued to work.

'Hes lost everything: work, reputation, family, wealth and he feels he has been betrayed by a lot of people,' said Brafman.

'But he is standing his ground.'

Brafman has in the past defended Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs and Michael Jackson

Weinstein did have reason to smile last month in court after the judge agreed to dismiss a charge of criminal sex act against the disgraced mogul that was related to a 2004 allegation.

Lucia Evans claimed she had been forced to perform oral sex on Weinstein while attending a meeting at his office in New York.

That claim fell apart however after a friend of Evans who was with her night that she met Weinstein told a detective that her friend had willingly performed a sex act on Weinstein in exchange for a film role.

That detective then encouraged the witness to keep quiet and, in the presence of her lawyer, informed her that 'less is more.'

He also did not report the information, and is now being investigated for these actions.

Evans, who was a college student at the time, claims that she never described the assault to the witness.

Weinstein had been facing up to 25 years in prison for that charge of criminal sex act, and this could have far greater repercussions at trial, as the defense could use the dismissal of this charge to cast doubt on the district attorney's case.

There was not however any conflicting information about a log maintained by Evans as had been reported by multiple outlets prior to the proceedings on Thursday.

The witness also revealed that on the night she and Evans met Weinstein the mogul offered them money to expose their breasts.

They did not do this at the time, but she said that Evans later told her she exposed her breasts to Weinstein in a hallway.

Evans later disputed this claim.

Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi told the court that the prosecution would not object to the dismissal, noting that the defendant is still facing five additional charges.

'Upon defendants request, Judge Burke today lifted a protective order which previously covered the attached letter sent from ADA Joan Illuzzi to Benjamin Brafman on September 12, 2018, regarding mandatory disclosures under Criminal Procedure Law 240.20 and Brady v. Maryland,' as spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney said.

'Additionally, in light of the newly-discovered and mandatorily-disclosed information contained within the letter, the Court today  upon defendants motion  dismissed Count Six of the indictment, concerning a forcible sexual act against a woman in 2004, while granting leave for the People to re-present Count Six to a Grand Jury.'

It was then noted: 'The dismissal of Count Six does not affect the remaining counts of the indictment.'

Those remaining counts may be dismissed however in a month, which is when Brafman and Weisberg will learn if they managed to destroy the case it took a year to build before it even gets to trial.A maths teacher who sexually assaulted his 15-year-old student boasted about his actions online.

Nicolaas Bester, from Tasmania, spent two years behind bars over the 2010 assault of a schoolgirl at Hobart's prestigious St Michael's Collegiate.

Bester maintained he was the real victim, even after he was jailed for an additional four months for describing his experiences with the teenager _ who was battling anorexia and depression at the time _ as 'awesome' and 'enviable'.

Despite the conviction, Bester had argued the victim, who cannot be named, 'was 15 going on 25',news.com.au reported.

Nicolaas Bester, from Tasmania, spent two years behind bars over the 2010 assault of a schoolgirl at Hobart's prestigious St Michael's Collegiate

Bester took to social media to attempt to clear his name, boasting about the sexual abuse in the process

Bester took to social media to attempt to clear his name, boasting about the sexual abuse in the process

In response to an online critic, he replied: 'Zip up your testicles in the feminist handbag, you sorry little pr*ck. Judging from the emails and tweets I have received, the majority of men in Australia envy me. I was 59. She was 15 going on 25 it was awesome.'

The court later heard he continued responding to a man on Facebook who had attacked his behaviour.

'I had a sexual relationship with a girl who was younger than seventeen. How many others do this? Go to Moohah, New Norfolk and do a door knock and stop trying to stigmatise my association.'

Recently, Bester was confronted by 60 Minutes journalist Allison Langdon over the 2010 assault.

The convicted sex offender, Nicolaas Bester (left), is allowed to speak freely and has previously made statements claiming the relationship was consensual and that he was the real victim

Outside an Officeworks, Bester, now 65, refused to admit any wrongdoing, saying he did 'nothing of the kind' when approached by Ms Langdon.

After the journalist asked if he was ready to apologise to the victim, Bester halted.

'There's that word again, victim. We'll see who the victim is.'

He also made no apologies for his behaviour.

The then-teenager was preyed on by Bester, a highly regarded teacher, who assaulted her at school, in his office, a hotel room and at church.

She said she saw him as a father figure while she struggled to cope with a broken family life and an eating disorder.

A woman who was sexually assaulted by her maths teacher at 15-years-old has been silenced by a barbaric and outdated law that criminalises victims who share their story

After six months of abuse, she found the courage to report the assaults to police who jailed the 58-year-old for two years.

His sentence was increased for making child exploitation material, another conviction be believed was unfair because he unintentionally downloaded the material when he attempted to change the font on his desktop computer.

Section 194K of the Evidence Act in Tasmania prohibited revealing the identity of a sexual assault survivor - even if they are willing to share their story.

The young woman - who is forced to keep her identity a secret - shares her story and the law that continues to obstruct her truth

Section 194K of the Evidence Act 2001 Anonymity of sexual assault complainants in Tasmania is protected by s 194K of the Evidence Act 2001 (Tas). In summary, a person cannot publish anything to identify a victim of a sexual crime. They are only able to if they have a court order. A court will only authorise publication if information is considered public interest. They are likely to impose conditions to the publication. It is punishable as a contempt of court, without authorisation. SOURCE: Tasmania Law Reform Institute Advertisement

Publishing information without court authorisation is punishable as contempt of court.

In the 60 Minutes report, 'Jane Doe' was forced to speak behind an alias where her face was blurred and voice altered.

'The fact that I can't take control of my own story, that's frustrating, and it adds to that feeling of I have to be ashamed of my story, of my past, which shouldn't be the case,' Jane Doe said.

In a particularly horrifying instance, Bester manipulated a memory the young woman shared with him of prior abuse as a child, where she was locked in a closet.

He forced her to recreate the moment and told her to take off her clothes. She described the incident as cruel, haunting and evil.

Under Tasmanian law, the conviction against Bester had no mention of rape, sexual abuse or grooming.

He was charged with maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person, despite months of grooming Jane Doe endured and her youth.

When he was released from prison, Bester released an interview branding himself as a victim who lost his wife, status in the community and job as a result of the conviction.

American actor and activist Alyssa Milano, who has been an advocate of the #MeToo movement, also spoke with 60 Minutes.

The Charmed star had launched the #LetHerSpeak social media campaign in the hope of starting further conversation.President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, mysteriously arrived in Washington, DC, Monday morning just a month ahead of his December sentencing.

Cohen was seen walking with one of his criminal defense attorneys, according to ABC News, but it's still unclear why he was in DC.

Video of his arrival shows reporters asking him about his visit, but Cohen refuses to comment.

President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen (pictured), mysteriously arrived in Washington, DC, Monday morning

Cohen was seen walking with one of his criminal defense attorneys, but it's still unclear why he was in DC

It's believed Cohen may have been in DC to prepare for 'an upcoming grand jury appearance', according to BuzzFeed News.

On the other hand, Cohen's appearance could have been for another interview with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Just hours before his DC arrival, Cohen gushed about former first lady Michelle Obama in a tweet.

'Watching Becoming @MichelleObama on #abc2020 and pray that her words bring back unity to our country,' his tweet read.

Cohen, who recently registered as a Democrat and who pleaded guilty to multiple counts of campaign finance and tax violations, also twice retweeted Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum.

In September, Cohen, paid an unannounced to the federal courthouse in New York where he pleaded guilty in August.

Just hours before his DC arrival, Cohen gushed about former first lady Michelle Obama in a tweet (pictured)

Cohen (pictured) is awaiting a December sentencing after pleading guilty to tax fraud, bank fraud and campaign finance violations

At the time, Cohen, 51, declined to say why he was there.

He also shook his head in response to a request to comment on discussions he's had with Mueller.

Mueller is investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Also in September, Cohen and one of his lawyers confirmed in a tweet that he had met with Mueller and provided 'critical information'.

Cohen is awaiting a December sentencing after pleading guilty to tax fraud, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

During his plea, Cohen said Trump directed him to arrange a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels and a $150,000 payment through a media company to Playboy playmate Karen McDougal to influence the 2016 election.

As part of his plea, Cohen agreed not to challenge any sentence of less than five years and three months in prison.

Even without a cooperation agreement, he might still be able to win a measure of leniency at sentencing by cooperating with authorities in New York and Washington.Omar Zouhri (pictured) a 58-year-old kebab shop worker, was bitten by a cat while visiting family in Mehdya two weeks ago

A British tourist has died after catching rabies from a cat on holiday in Morocco and not getting a life-saving vaccine in time.

Omar Zouhri, a 58-year-old kebab shop worker, was bitten by a cat while visiting family in Mehdya two weeks ago, reports the Sun.

The same rabid cat is believed to have also bitten a young girl in the area, but she was treated locally and managed to make a full recovery.

Mr Zouhri, from Aylesbury Bucks, is believed to have dual British-Moroccan citizenship and was staying 30 miles away from the Moroccan capital Rabat when he was infected with the disease.

He did receive treatment in Morocco and the UK, but allegedly was not given vital anti-viral drugs in time.

The father-of-two is believed to have died on November 4, leaving behind his widow Chadia, 51, who said: 'You have no idea how tragic this is. It will all come out at the inquest.'

Mr Zouhri (left), from Aylesbury Bucks, is thought to be a dual British-Moroccan national and was staying 30 miles away from the capital Rabat, when he was infected with the disease

He did receive treatment in Morocco (capital Marrakesh's main square pictured) and the UK, but allegedly was not given vital anti-viral drugs in time

His family and friends, as well as medics involved in the case, are being monitored and offered vaccinations.

Professor Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: 'My understanding is that this is somebody who had contact with a cat that was behaving abnormally and sought care, I believe in Morocco and in the UK, but unfortunately didn't receive vaccination until it was too late.

'I believe that the cat bit this person a few weeks ago.'

He added: 'The typical time interval (for symptoms to appear) is two to three months, so you do have enough time (to seek care).

'But it can be as short as a week and that's why seeking prompt care and getting vaccination is so important. In this tragic case the person didn't get the vaccine in time.

A map shows the risk of rabies in different countries, with darker green areas higher risk and light green lower risk. Morocco, in the north east of Africa, south of Spain, is high risk

'It is hard to know from the information provided, the delay could have been Morocco, the delay could have been in the UK.

'So one of the messages is that health workers must be clued in to the possibility of rabies. There are high stakes, you must not get it wrong.'

The UK has been rabies-free since 1922, when the last indigenous non-fatal case was recorded, with the exception of rabies-like viruses in some wild bat species.

The last bite death caused by rabies in a UK animal was in 1902, but was brought back to Britain in animals returning with soldiers from the First World War.

Dog licensing, euthanasia of stray dog and quarantining were credited with killing off the virus.

Western Europe is now considered low risk by the World Health Organisation, while countries in Eastern Europe are listed as 'moderate risk' and African and Middle Eastern countries are 'high risk'.

Popular tourist destinations like Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey all carry a high risk of dogs transmitting rabies to people, but it is more rare that cat bites are the cause.

Rabies is more commonly associated with dog bites but can also be caught from cats. File image used

The last recorded rabies case in the UK was in 2012, when a grandmother in her 50s was bitten by a dog in South Asia.

She was treated in isolation at London's Hospital for Tropical Diseases but died around two months after the bite.

In 2002 David Macrae, a conservation worker from Angus, died after contracting a rabies-like virus from a bat.

Between 2000 and 2017, five UK residents became infected with rabies from animal abroad, official statistics show.

Anyone bitten should needs at least four doses of a vaccine over a month if not already vaccinated, or at least two doses a few days apart if they have.

The disease is nearly always fatal if treatment is not given soon after the bite or scratch.

PHE insisted there is 'no risk' to the wider public, but issued warnings to other people travelling to at-risk areas.

Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisations at PHE, said: 'This is an important reminder of the precautions people should take when travelling to countries where rabies is present.

'If you are bitten, scratched or licked by an animal you must wash the wound or site of exposure with plenty of soap and water and seek medical advice without delay.

'There is no risk to the wider public in relation to this case but, as a precautionary measure, health workers and close contacts are being assessed and offered vaccination when necessary.'A bouncer heroically tried to save the life of beloved business owner Sisto Malaspina during Friday's horrific Bourke Street terrorist attack.

Eamon Davie was working at the Carlton Club bar in Melbourne's CBD on Friday afternoon when Hassan Khalif Shire Ali mounted his ute on a footpath on Bourke Street before it burst into flames.

Cafe owner Sisto Malaspina saw the explosion and ran to help Ali, who got out of the vehicle and stabbed him to death.

Mr Davie witnessed the attack and locked his colleagues inside the building, before sprinting to give Mr Malaspina CPR in a desperate attempt to save his life.

Eamon Davie (pictured) was working at the Carlton Club in Melbourne's CBD on Friday afternoon when Hassan Khalif Shire Ali mounted his ute on a footpath on Bourke Street

Cafe owner Sisto Malaspina (pictured) saw the explosion and ran to help Ali, who got out of the vehicle and stabbed him to death

Mr Davie's sister has started a Go Fund Me page for him in an attempt to raise money as he takes time off work.

'My brother was there when it all unfolded... he doesn't think he's a hero,' Jackie wrote.

'He locked his work colleagues into their building and then called triple zero. He ran after the attacker to intervene but respected police instruction to stay back.

'He then turned his efforts to assisting in CPR on stabbing victim Sisto Malaspina, who unfortunately couldn't be saved.'

'He has rent and bills to pay and hopefully this will mean he doesn't have to return to work before he's ready.'

Jackie compared her brother's actions to a homeless man affectionately nicknamed 'Trolley Man' who also intervened during the horrific attack.

Shire Ali, 30, stabbed three men before being shot in the chest by a police officer he threatened with a knife on Friday

'I've set up this account in the hope that Melburnians will show their generosity, love and support towards him, as they have with ''Trolley Man'',' Jackie said.

More than $100,000 has been raised for 'Trolley Man', while Mr Davie's fundraiser has garnered almost $900.

Shire Ali, 30, stabbed three men before being shot in the chest by a police officer he threatened with a knife on Friday.

Sisto Malaspina, a 74-year-old Italian restaurateur, died at the scene. Another victim is recovering in Royal Melbourne Hospital while a third was released on Monday.Michelle Obama made a surprise visit to her old high school and was greeted with cheers from students who got to read exclusive exerts from her new book.

The former first lady stopped off at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago a day before the release of her book, detailing her early years through to the White House.

Becoming describes Obama's upbringing on Chicago's South Side, as well as her time at Whitney Young and Princeton University.

She will also talk with TV host Oprah Winfrey about the book at the United Center in the city today, as the book is officially launched.

Former first lady Michelle Obama embraces a student at her for mer high school, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, on Chicago's West Side a day before the launch of a book tour to promote her memoir, Becoming

Obama joked with students and she shared stories about her time at Whitney Young Magnet School

Michelle when she attended Whitney Young Magnet School before she graduated in 1981

During the discussion she told teenagers, 'if they are negative, you feel like you spend your life trying to prove to people, "youre wrong. Theres more to me than what I look like".'

At yesterday's visit she walked into a roundtable discussion with some 20 students who had been given excerpts from the former first lady's new memoir and was met with cheers, hugs and dancing from the students.

The group of graduating seniors were sitting in a circle and discussing the pressures of sometimes being the only minority and the difficulties of being the first in their families to try and go to college, when Obama walked in and joined their class.

She then hugged every girl and then sat down with each students, asking for feedback on the parts of her book they had read and telling them she wanted to hear their stories, telling them, 'I want to know about you all'.

Obama then told the teenagers that often those with titles are often unqualified and that there is much 'legacy and favoritism' in the world.

She told the group: 'As you grow up, you'll understand how arbitrary stats are: Who gets into what school; who gets to run a corporation; how affirmative action really works; how much legacy and favoritism does operate in the world.

Former first lady Michelle Obama told students there was unfair favoritism and legacy in America as she visited her former high school

Michelle Obama was greeted with hugs and smiles as she walked into s classroom of students to discuss her new book

'And you'll start to see, "just because you're sitting with the title doesn't mean that you actually know anything".'

'You think there are certain voices that are more important than others. And they look a certain way, they have a certain title. That gets us into a lot of trouble, when we measure people just by what I call people's stats, and not their story.'

Obama, 54, grew up in South Shore and graduated in 1981 from the high school known for its high-achieving student body.

She told the students: 'It's important for you guys, that when you are at the table, you bring your full voice.

'Thats the problem with stereotypes. You know that when people see your gender, your skin color, they make assumptions, and we all know what those assumptions are. If they are negative, you feel like you spend your life trying to prove to people, "youre wrong. Theres more to me than what I look like".'

Former US first lady Michelle Obama joined the roundtable to read extracts of her book and discuss the issued raised with students

Obama told the group, 'what you guys have to remember is that at some point you become the leaders, even in your family'

Obama said that while she was a student at the high school she was doubted by her guidance counselor but applied to Princeton University and was accepted nonetheless.

She told the students not to take it personally when their relatives and close friends seem uneasy with their ambitious choices.

Obama then told the group they would become leaders in their families, the Chicago Tribune reports.

She added: 'That's a huge weight you have to carry, when your family doesn't want you to go to the next level. What you guys have to remember is that at some point you become the leaders, even in your family.'

In the opening chapters of her book, Obama writes about her educational journey from Bryn Mawr Elementary School in her neighborhood to the prestigious magnet high school.

In her new memoir Obama has described her dismay that so many American women chose 'misogynist' Donald Trump as their president instead of the first female nominee of a major party, Hillary Clinton.Democrat Kyrsten Sinema has defeated Republican Martha McSally to win a close U.S. Senate race in Arizona and become the first female senator elected to represent Arizona in the Senate.

Sinema won Arizonas open U.S. Senate seat Monday in a race that was among the most closely watched in the nation, beating McSally in the battle to replace GOP Sen. Jeff Flake.

The three-term congresswoman won after a slow vote count that dragged on for nearly a week after voters went to the polls on November 6.

She becomes Arizonas first Democratic U.S. senator since 1994, and the country's first openly bisexual senator.

Sinema spoke to reporters at a Scottsdale hotel and declared victory. She is pictured here declaring victory

Kyrsten Sinema speaks to a supporter on November 6, 2018, in Phoenix, Arizona

She won a race that was among the most closely watched in the nation, beating McSally in the battle to replace GOP Sen. Jeff Flake

Sinema, who at 42 will be one of the Senate's youngest members, addressed cheering supporters in Phoenix, where she took a moment on Veterans Day to thank McSally - the country's first female fighter pilot to fly in combat - for her service to the nation.

Sinema appeared to call out Trump's scorched earth tactics in her remarks, as she called for healing after the tense midterm elections.

'Arizona rejected what has become far too common in our country: name-calling, petty personal attacks, and doing and saying whatever it takes just to get elected,' she said. It's dangerous, and it lessens who we are as a country. But Arizona proved that there is a better way forward.

'We can work with people who are different than us, we can be friends with people who are different than us, we can love and care about people who are different than us.'

Sinema also paid tribute to Arizona native son John McCain, the senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee who emerged as a key Trump critic and who died of cancer earlier this year.

'Senator McCain is irreplaceable, but his example will guide our next steps forward,' she said.

'He taught us to always assume the best in others, to seek compromise instead of division, and to always put country ahead of party.'

Arizona Congresswoman Martha McSally posted a concession video Monday on Twitter in which she congratulated Sinema.

I just called Kyrsten Sinema and congratulated her on becoming Arizonas first female senator after a hard-fought battle, McSally said in the video as she sits next to her dog on a living room couch.

Im so grateful for everyone who voted for me, McSally said as she held her dogs paw.

How Kyrsten Sinema has overcome the odds At 14 she began taking college courses, and she finished high school a year early at 16 Sinema was born in 1976 to a father who practiced law and a mother who cared for her children in Tuscon, Arizona. The family's fortunes changed and her father lost his job in the 1980s recession. Her parents divorced in 1983. Her mother remarried and took Sinema and the two other children to Florida, and it was there that she lived in an abandoned gas station from the ages of eight to 11, according to AZCentral. Sinema has spoken about her mother relying on food stamps when her parents got divorced and when her family was homeless. Things began looking up for her family in 1987 when her mother and stepfather secured work and they bought a house with the help of a church. At 14 she began taking college courses, and she finished high school a year early at 16. In two years she obtained a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University, and she also married fellow student, Blake Dain. They later divorced. In 2005, she made her first public comment about being bisexual, when a Republican's speech insulted members of the LGBT community. She said: 'We're simply people like everyone else who want and deserve respect.' When questioned by reporters, she replied: 'Duh, I'm bisexual.' Sinema, now 42, now has a master's degree, law degree and a PhD. She worked as a social worker, a criminal defense attorney, and was a political activist in her 20s, running as an independent Green Party candidate for the Arizona House. Success story: Kyrsten Sinema is pictured left shaking hands with Arizona State's Kobe Williams during the coin toss before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, in Tempe, Ariz. on November 3, and right at the game She then became a Democrat and served several terms in the state Legislature. Sinema started as an overt liberal but developed a reputation for compromise among her Republican peers, laying the groundwork to tack to the center. She published a book on bipartisanship. When the 9th Congressional District was created after the 2010 Census, Sinema ran for the Phoenix-area seat as a centrist and won the 2012 election. After the three-term congresswoman's win on Monday, she becomes Arizonas first Democratic U.S. senator since 1994, the country's first openly bisexual senator, and the first female senator elected to represent Arizona in the Senate. Advertisement

McSally, the first ever woman to fly combat missions for the United States Air Force, called her supporters her wingmen and women.

Sinema's win cemented Arizona as a swing state after years of Republican dominance.

Sinema portrayed herself as a moderate who works across the aisle to get things done.

McSally, a former Air Force pilot who embraced President Donald Trump after opposing him during the 2016 elections, had claimed that Sinemas anti-war protests 15 years ago disqualified her and said one protest amounted to what she called 'treason.'

But during her six years in Congress, Sinema built one of most centrist records in the Democratic caucus, and she voted for bills backed by Trump more than 60 per cent of the time.

McSally was the first ever woman to fly combat missions for the United States Air Force. She is pictured here speaking with voters on November 6

Arizona Congresswoman Martha McSally posted a concession video Monday on Twitter in which she congratulated her Democratic opponent, Kyrsten Sinema, for winning the U.S. Senate seat in a tightly contested race

She backed legislation increasing penalties against people in the country illegally who commit crimes.

McSallys attacks on Sinema reached back more than 15 years, when Sinema was a Green Party spokeswoman and liberal activist.

McSally backed Trumps tax cut, border security and the Affordable Care Act repeal agenda as she survived a three-way GOP primary in August, defeating two conservative challengers who claimed her support for Trump was fake.

McSally also campaigned on her military record and support for the Armed Forces.

Sinema attacked McSallys leadership of last years failed Affordable Care Act repeal effort as a sign that she would not protect Arizona residents with preexisting medical conditions.

McSally argued that she would protect patients, despite her vote on the bill that would have removed many of those protections.

The contest drew more than $90million in spending, including more than $58million by outside groups, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

Attack ads by both sides clogged the airwaves for months.

Sinema, 42, has a law degree, worked as a social worker and was a political activist in her 20s, running as an independent Green Party candidate for the Arizona House.

She then became a Democrat and served several terms in the state Legislature.

Sinema started as an overt liberal but developed a reputation for compromise among her Republican peers, laying the groundwork to tack to the center.

Flake was an outspoken critic of Trump and announced in 2017 that he would not seek re-election, acknowledging he could not win a GOP primary in the current political climate

When the 9th Congressional District was created after the 2010 Census, Sinema ran for the Phoenix-area seat as a centrist and won the 2012 election.

McSally, 52, was the first female Air Force pilot to fly in combat, flying A-10 attack jets.

She also was the first woman to command a fighter squadron, again in A-10s.

McSally lost her first race in Arizonas 2nd congressional district in 2012, when she was narrowly defeated by Democratic Rep. Ron Barber, who replaced Rep. Gabby Giffords after she was wounded in a 2011 assassination attempt.

But McSally came back to win the 2014 election, beating Barber by a narrow margin.

She was re-elected in 2016.

Flake was an outspoken critic of Trump and announced in 2017 that he would not seek re-election, acknowledging he could not win a GOP primary in the current political climate.

His support of the presidents initiatives, however, was mixed.

He strongly backed last years tax cut bill but criticized Trumps positions on free trade.A newlywed US marine who allegedly murdered his wife just hours after attending a military ball in Virginia claimed he 'blacked out' from drinking alcohol and can't remember killing her.

Police in Arlington found 20-year-old Natasha Rivera dead inside a hotel room at the Crystal Gateway Marriott on the morning of November 3.

Her husband Rodolfo Valencia, who was at the scene, was taken into custody and he has subsequently been charged with murder.

The couple, who had an infant child, were both in the Marine Corps and were stationed in Quantico.

Rodolfo Valencia (left) is charged with murdering his wife Natasha Rivera in a hotel room

Natasha Rivera just had a baby with her new husband and she always wanted to be a mother

Rodolfo Valencia, 24, told officers that he drank to the point of 'blacking out' following a Marine Corps dinner he and his wife attended.

He said he had no memory of what had happened the night before.

Rodolfo told officers he woke up that morning with his dead wife beside him and did not render medical aid or immediately call 911.

He also mentioned having an anger problem and said he and his wife of seven or eight months were the only ones in the hotel room.

Riveras friends and family remembered her as a vibrant person who would have defended herself from a violent attack.

Leyda Cruz, a family friend, told Fox 5: 'She was full of life, she had more to give and it was taken away from her.'

Cruz said she was living her dream both as a lance corporal in the Marine Corps and as a new mother.

Rodolfo claimed he 'blacked out' after drinking. He is pictured here with his late wife

Rodolfo Valencia and his wife both served in the Marine Corps and were stationed in Quantico

'She didn't get to raise her baby. Its not fair what he did. I can imagine her fighting for her life because shes tough, very tough girl and Im very proud of her. I just want the world to know she is a hero,' Cruz added.

The victims sister, who was not named, told Fox 5 their mother will raise her child.

'My mom has sole custody of him and we are going to raise him exactly how my sister would have wanted him to be raised,' she said.

It is still not known what led to Natasha's murder. She was already dead when police and medical personnel arrived at the hotel.

Riveras friends and family are remembering her as a vibrant and loving person who was tough

Valencia had told a dispatcher just after 10am that his wife was unconscious and that he believed he had killed her, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Free Lance-Star.

Arlington Detective Jasmine Sean wrote that Natasha Rivera had injuries to her neck consistent with strangulation and bruising to her arms and face indicative of a 'brutal' beating.

Among the items seized from the couples Stafford home were an iPhone and a laptop computer.

Rivera Valencia is being held in the Arlington County Detention Center under no bond.

The couple had attended a ball celebrating the Marine Corps' 243rd birthday, according to the Free Lance-Star.A lawyer rushed to the aid of police to tackle an accused shoplifter who was being chased through a shopping precinct by officers.

Sydney-based lawyer Mohamad Sakr gave chase near Blacktown local court when he noticed another man was running from officers, saying his 'instincts kicked in'.

He reached the target well before the police behind him, and knocked him into a pop-up shoe stall and onto the ground, where police were able to arrest him.

CCTV footage obtained by 7News showed the community-minded moment, in which Mr Sakr dashed quickly to intercede.

While other bystanders seemed to be oblivious to the fleeing man Mr Sakr leapt into action, bouncing the alleged thief into a rack of shoes.

'In the circumstances you don't think about your safety. It's more the helping and taking into account Australian values, and trying to act on that,' Mr Sakr said.

A lawyer rushed to the aid of police to tackle an accused shoplifter who was being chased through a shopping precinct by officers

'After they arrested that man, they came up to me and thanked me for my efforts.'

He went on to say people should be less concerned with recording incidents for social media and more concerned with trying to help.

'You see bystanders with cameras out, I don't want to be that type of person, I thought I needed to intervene.'Broadcaster Ray Hadley has blasted a fundamentalist Muslim leader for blaming police for Melbourne's Bourke Street terrorist attack.

Sydney 2GB presenter Ray Hadley was incensed at how the spiritual leader of the hardline Hume Islamic Youth Centre claimed Australian authorities were responsible for Somali immigrant Hassan Khalif Shire Ali's knife rampage.

Sheikh Mohammed Omran, the Sunni spiritual leader of the Coolaroo mosque in Melbourne's north, suggested the police had been unable to catch a man on a watch list.

'This person was on the watch list,' he told The Australian.

'So what did they do? Nothing.

'After he jumped in the street and started waving his knife to them - sometimes they are running after him and sometimes they are running after them, and even the public interfered to take his attention because the police, they couldn't handle him.'

Hadley, radio 2GB's number one morning presenter, said people like Sheikh Mohammed Omran did not belong in Australia.

'Sheikh Mohammed Omran, I don't know whether he's a naturalised Australian or he's taken citizenship: nick off,' he said.

Sydney radio broadcaster Ray Hadley (pictured) was incensed at how the leader of the Hume Islamic Youth Centre claimed Australian authorities were responsible for the terrorist attack

Sheikh Mohammed Omran (pictured), the Sunni spiritual leader of the Coolaroo mosque in Melbourne's north, suggested the police had been unable to catch a man on a watch list

'Go back from what you came, old mate.

'If you're not happy here, not happy with the government, not happy with the police, nick off, go away.'

Sheikh Omran's mosque is run by the hardline Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association, a Salafist version of Islam that preaches seventh-century values from the time of the Prophet Mohammad.

Melbourne teenager Jake Bilardi had reportedly visited the mosque before he became a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2015.

Three other men who had been through its doors were charged in 2016 with plotting a Christmas Day terrorist attack in Melbourne.

Somali-born immigrant Hassan Khalif Shire Ali went on a knife rampage on Melbourne's Bourke Street that saw one man killed and two others stabbed

Hadley contrasted Italian immigrant Sisto Malaspina, the co-owner of the Pellegrini's Bar Espresso, with the terrorist who stabbed him to death on Friday afternoon.

'This is a story of two immigrants: one came here and contributed greatly to our country,' he said.

'He brought some charm from his native land. He embraced Australia.

'Then we have a person who also came here as an immigrant: the terrorist.'

On the day Prime Minister Scott Morrison asserted the terrorist had been 'radicalised in Australia with extreme Islam', Sheikh Omran described him as 'this bloody Prime Minister'.

Hadley contrasted Italian immigrant Sisto Malaspina (pictured), the co-owner of the Pellegrini's Expresso Bar cafe, with the terrorist who stabbed him to death on Friday afternoon

The Prime Minister on Tuesday visited Pellegrini's Bar Espresso as it reopened its doors for the first time since the terrorist attack.

He hit back at Sheikh Omran's suggestion that authorities were to blame for the Bourke Street terrorist attack, that saw one man killed and two others stabbed by a Somali immigrant who came to Australia as a five-year-old boy.

'Our authorities have done an extraordinary job working with communities to be able to thwart these attacks,' Mr Morrison told reporters in Melbourne.

'What I'm calling for is an even higher level of co-operation, standing up even more and to ensure that we don't look the other way and we call this out and we root this out of religious Islamic communities in Australia so the fundamental extremism, the violent extremism, the hate, can take no place in these peace-loving communities.'Two young boys from Brisbane were rushed to hospital yesterday after ingesting a dangerous, unknown substance.

The boys, aged six and eight, had allegedly been at their neighbour's house on Mayes Avenue near Kingston when they became seriously ill.

Emergency services were called to the property at 11.45am on Monday and the boys were rushed to Queensland Children's Hospital.

Reports claim the boys possibly took the liquid ecstasy drug GHB.

Two boys, aged six and eight, from Brisbane have been hospitalised on suspicion they overdosed on the liquid ecstasy drug GHB

A Queensland police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the boys are in a stable condition and are awaiting toxicology results.

GHB  Gamma-hydroxybutyrate  is a depressant drug that slows down the messages travelling between brain and body.

It is also referred to as the 'date rape drug' and the effects range from nausea and vomiting, through to seizures, repressed breathing and even death.

Last month, a Victorian man was sentenced to three years and six months in jail for providing a fatal overdose of the drug to a 13-year-old girl.

She and a friend had been smoking cannabis and using a plunger to ingest GHB in the man's apartment.

The young girl reportedly had more of the drug than the others.

By the time her mother arrived the next morning, she had tragically passed away.

Emergency services were called to the property in Kingston at 11.45 am on Monday and the boys were rushed to Queensland Children's Hospital

Detectives from Queensland police's child protection unit arrived on the scene today and are investigating. Both houses remain a crime scene and are being guarded by uniformed police

Detectives from Queensland police's child protection unit arrived at the Mayes Avenue address today and are investigating.

Both houses remain a crime scene and are being guarded by uniformed police.

Neighbours told Nine news 'unruly noise' can often be heard coming from the two houses with many people coming and going.

No residents are currently at home but a carpenter from a worksite opposite the houses said he met the two boys recently.Being overweight is directly linked to depression, a major study has concluded  and the psychological impact of obesity hits women twice as hard as men.

Scientists at Exeter University who looked at the genes of 340,000 people found those with a high body mass index (BMI)  a measure of whether a person is a healthy weight for their height  were more likely to suffer depression.

On the BMI scale, for which a score of 25 is considered overweight and 30 obese, every additional five points saw the risk of depression rise 11 per cent for men and 23 per cent for women.

Scientists at Exeter University who looked at the genes of 340,000 people found those with a high body mass index (BMI), and directly linked obesity with depression [File photo]

Dr Jess Tyrrell, of the University of Exeter Medical School, said: Our genetic analysis concludes that the psychological impact of being obese is likely to cause depression.

'This is important to help target efforts to reduce depression, which makes it much harder for people to adopt healthy lifestyle habits.

Every additional five BMI (Body Mass Index) points saw the risk of depression rise 11 per cent for men, above, and 23 per cent for women [File photo]

A report last year by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed UK obesity rates have nearly doubled since the 1990s.

Antidepressant use has tripled since 2000.Police probing sexual misconduct claims against ex-Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond are investigating alleged incidents at Edinburgh airport.

Airport staff were interviewed last week after inquiries into complaints by two Scottish Government employees brought alleged new information to light.

It is thought that the incidents took place in 2008 when Salmond frequented the airport due to his position as First Minister.

However these claims did not form part of the sexual harassment claims surrounding Salmond, which sparked the investigation.

Police probing sexual misconduct claims against ex-Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond are investigating alleged incidents at Edinburgh airport

A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: 'We can confirm that we are assisting Police Scotland with its inquiries. We cannot comment further at this time.'

Police Scotland would not comment.

The former first minister is taking court action against the Scottish Government to contest the complaints process activated against him in relation to sexual harassment claims.

Airport staff were interviewed last week after inquiries into complaints by two Scottish Government employees brought alleged new information to light

Two allegations, which he strongly denies, were made in January.

He has since resigned from the SNP and is pursuing a judicial review in Scotland's highest civil court.

The case is due to call at the Court of Session for a hearing set for four days from January 15, with an earlier procedural hearing on November 6.

A secret probe into Salmond's conduct was carried out after two women raised complaints about him, the Daily Record reported.

One alleged incident is said to have happened late one evening at the First Minister's official residence in Edinburgh, Bute House, in December 2013.

He is alleged to have told the complainant to move from a public room to the bedroom, repeatedly offered her alcohol  which she refused  and then told her to get into bed.

Salmond then, reportedly, lay on top of her, kissed her, and touched her sexually on her breasts and bottom through her clothes.

He only stopped after she repeatedly asked him too, the Daily Record newspaper reported. Salmond denies all the claims.

In his resignation statement last night he said: 'I truly love the SNP and the wider independence movement in Scotland. They have been the defining commitment of my life.

It is thought that the incidents took place in 2008 when Salmond frequented the airport due to his position as First Minister

'But today I have written to the National Secretary of the Party resigning my membership.

'I read carefully Nicola Sturgeon's statement on Sunday and watched her television interview of a couple of days ago. She made it clear that the SNP have never received a single complaint about my personal conduct in my many decades of membership.

'I refute these two complaints of harassment and I absolutely reject any suggestion of criminality.

'I did not come into politics to facilitate opposition attacks on the SNP and, with Parliament returning next week, I have tendered my resignation to remove this line of opposition attack.

'Most of all I am conscious that if the Party felt forced into suspending me it would cause substantial internal division.

'In my letter to the National Secretary I state that it is my absolute intention to reapply for SNP membership just as soon as I have had the opportunity to clear my name.'

'In the meantime, I would urge no one else to relinquish their SNP membership,' he added.

He also wrote to Scotland's top civil servant calling for an inquiry into how sexual harassment allegations against him were made public.

The Government previously said its investigation into two complaints against Salmond has been 'entirely confidential throughout'.

Leslie Evans, Permanent Secretary at the Scottish Government, said the complaints were raised in January and Salmond was notified in March about an investigation.

Salmond had first become SNP leader in 1990, and stayed in the role for 10 years, during which time the devolved Scottish Parliament was established.

After returning to the role he was elected First Minister in 2007 in the SNP's first ever Holyrood election victory.

He stepped down seven years later in the wake of the 2014 independence referendum defeat.

After serving as a Westminster MP from 1987 to 2010, he returned to the House of Commons in the SNP's landslide at the 2015 general election.

But he lost the Gordon seat to the Conservatives at last year's snap election.A woman who allegedly worked as an underage prostitute for a billionaire associate of Prince Andrew is now living in Australia where she has 'turned her life around.'

Virginia Roberts, 33, said she was recruited into prostitution in her native Florida aged 15 by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

She said she was paid to have sex with the financier and his associates - and travelled around the world with him under the guise of being his masseuse.

Virginia Roberts, now 33, is living in remote northern Australia where she 'plays slot machines, loves a drink' and brings up her three children. She is pictured here in Queensland on October 26

She lives with her Australian husband Robert (pictured in October in Queensland) and their three school-aged children in a quiet, gated community surrounded by palm trees

Through Epstein, she met Prince Andrew in New York in 2001 and this picture of the pair together was seen around world

Through Epstein, she met Prince Andrew in New York in 2001 and a picture of the pair together was seen around world.

But Roberts has since swapped jet-setting the globe with wealthy men for daily school runs and afternoons at her local pub in Cairns, northern Queensland.

She lives with her Australian husband Robert and their three school-aged children in a quiet, gated community surrounded by palm trees.

Roberts told MailOnline she was happy with her new life in Cairns and that her husband of sixteen years, whom she married after 10 days of dating in Thailand, is 'very protective of me'.

Friends say she loves a drink and plays the 'pokies'  an Aussie colloquialism for slot machines  with her husband.

Roberts (pictured on October 26) told MailOnline she was happy with her new life in Cairns and that her husband of sixteen years, whom she married after 10 days of dating in Thailand, is 'very protective of me'

Friends say she loves a drink and plays the 'pokies'  an Aussie colloquialism for slot machines  with her husband. She is pictured here on October 26

Neighbours say the pair keeps to themselves. Pictured: Roberts doing some food shopping in Cairns on October 26

They live alongside families with well-kept homes and new-model family vehicles.

Stunning sandy beaches, world-class restaurants, and quality schools are all within a few miles.

Neighbours say the pair keep to themselves, with one saying: 'You probably wouldn't advertise a past like that. This community is a great place for living a peaceful life.

'None of us really interact with each other. I met her [Virginia] once when she was taking the kids around for Halloween.'

Another neighbour, who only gave his name as John, says: 'I read a bit in the Cairns Post about that case a good couple of years ago, but I had no idea she lives across the street!'

A bartender at the Smithfield Tavern, where the couple are regulars, added: 'They come in here a fair bit. They're both really lovely, especially her. I can't believe she's involved with all that. It just goes to show that you never really know anything about people!'

Stunning sandy beaches, world-class restaurants, and quality schools are all within a few miles of Roberts' house (stock image)

Roberts lived a tough life in her teens. She said she was 'recruited' at 15 after Epstein apparently spotted her picking up towels at Donald Trump's Florida Mar-A-Lago resort where her dad worked as a groundsman.

In the years prior, she was busted stealing money from Palm Beach burger bar Roadhouse Grill, where she worked as a waitress.

Roberts also alleged she'd lived on the streets at age 13, and was molested by a close family friend.

But when she began working with Epstein, her family believed she'd hit the jackpot.

Her Aunt Carol said: 'My brother thought it was all very legitimate. When Virginia told us she'd met Prince Andrew we were thrilled. Virginia gave my Mum a copy of the picture of Andrew with his arm around her  the picture which has now been seen around the world. At the time I couldn't believe Virginia had met Prince Andrew. I was ecstatic.'

When her story was revealed by the Mail On Sunday in 2007, friends suggested she'd had problems with marijuana - and alleged she'd been in rehab at 15.

Now, her only habits appear to be smoking a pack of cigarettes a day and the occasional pint at the pub or beer at home.

The Roberts family say Virginia's husband was her saving grace. Aunt Carol said: 'She met Robbie and turned her life around.'

A source told MailOnline: 'He has a heart of gold when it comes to his family, and if he has a fault, it's that he's almost too protective of Virginia. But you can't blame the guy, given all she's been through.

'Relocating to Cairns was the best decision they ever made. She seems really happy with her new life. She's fairly private, but very polite. Virginia calls people "sweetheart", a lot, which a nice because she's a real sweetheart herself.'

Billionaire Epstein, now 65, was sentenced to just 18 months in county jail and 12 months house arrest after he was convicted of a single charge of soliciting prostitution from underage girls in 2006. He served just 13 months.A Swedish-American national is in a critical condition after plunging from a balcony after meeting with a man he met on Grindr and impaling himself on a table leg.

The 37-year-old met with his date at the unit on Brisbane Street in Surry Hills, an inner Sydney suburb, on November 4, according to police.

Just before 4pm, the man fell from the unit block balcony onto the ground floor patio below.

It's unclear whether his Grindr date was present at the time.

Police said a man who the 37-year-old met on Grindr had earlier visited the unit block. It was unclear whether he was present at the time of the near-fatal fall

The man remains in the intensive care unit at St Vincent's Hospital.

Detectives have appealed for the other man to come forward as they believe he may is crucial to their inquiries.

Grinder is a dating app used by members of the gay community.

People who witnessed the fall or have information about either men have been urged to contact police.

He was described as Middle Eastern-Mediterranean appearance with a slim build, dark hair, and at the time was wearing a dark t-shirt and blue jeans.

The man remains in the intensive care unit at St Vincent's Hospital (pictured is man police believe was at the unit block earlier that day)

Security footage showed the man wearing long dark trousers, a black shirt with a red Nike logo, a chain necklace, black watch, black sneakers and a dark pair of sunglasses

Anyone who may know this man, or has information about the incident, is urged to contact police via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police are also reminding the public to show caution when using dating apps.

Surry Hills Police Area Commander, Detective Superintendent Gavin Wood, said users need to be situationally aware.

Anyone who may know this man, or has information about the incident, is urged to contact police via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

The 37-year-old met with his date at the unit on Brisbane Street (pictured) in Surry Hills, an inner Sydney suburb, on November 4, according to police

'Know who you are meeting, where you're meeting them, what their intentions are and perhaps establish some safeguards beforehand such as providing close friends with those details,' Det Supt Wood said.

Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.Radio host Alan Jones has been taken to hospital and will be off the air indefinitely.

Jones, 77, missed his regular breakfast slot on Sydney's 2GB on both Monday and Tuesday after seeking treatment for severe back pain, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Fellow 2GB host Ben Fordham said the station 'needed Jones back on air'.

'Alan has more backbone than anyone I know so I am sure he is going to make a full recovery,' Fordham said.

Radio host Alan Jones has been taken to hospital and will be off the air indefinitely

Macquarie Radio chief executive Adam Lang confirmed Jones' absence was health-related.

'Unfortunately, Alan Jones is unwell at the moment and receiving care in a hospital,' Mr Lang said.

'We hope that Alan is as comfortable as possible and that he has a swift recovery.'

Jones had surgery on his back in November 2016 and has undergone several neck operations.

Fill-in host Chris Smith announced on air that Jones was having treatment for severe back pain.

'His doctors are working to establish what the problem is. The end result is he'll be back as soon as he can but we're not sure exactly when that will be,' Smith said.Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner spent $13,940 of taxpayer money purely on transporting and accommodating Secret Service agents for their controversial vacation to Barnard, Vermont after the Charlottesville rally last year.

The job creation adviser to her father, President Donald Trump - who also showcases her 'economic empowerment, workforce development & entrepreneurship' role on her personal Twitter page - went to a ritzy resort with husband Jared Kushner in August 2017.

Kushner took two days out of driving foreign and domestic policy in his senior adviser to POTUS job to relax on Twin Farms while agents racked up their own whopping bill because they spent eight days in the area.

Ivanka Trump carries her son Theodore as she holds hands with son Joseph, alongside her husband, Jared Kushner and daughter Arabella in Washington, DC, August 27, 2017

Trump and Kushner went on a trip to Twin Farms mid-August for a relaxing vacation

It's not clear why the Secret Service needed to be there for so much longer than the couple, the New York Daily News reported, adding a request for comment on the matter was not immediately returned.

On Monday the publication obtained expense reports via a Freedom of Information Act request.

The hefty price tag was achieved because the rates in the area during the summer period had shot up.

US General Services Administration states that average rates for staying in that area are approximately half the amount the agents' accomodation ended up costing.

Despite the government agency's estimation they were permitted to splash out because costs were 'at a premium' while hotels were in 'high demand'.

It boasts two-level properties that are large enough to accommodate multiple fireplaces

The family stayed at Twin Farms while Secret Service agents spent taxpayer money on staying nearby for a eight days

Trump and Kushner were absent from a press conference after anti-fascist activist Heather Heyer, 32, was killed by a neo-Nazi who drove his car into a crowd at the Charlottesville rally.

On August 12 white supremacists took to Charlottesville to protest a Confederate-era statue being removed.

Two days later the president spoke at the Trump Tower in New York about the incident that injured 19 other people, five critically, and was criticized for saying 'both sides' were to blame for what happened at the alt-right rally.

Trump, adviser to POTUS, went despite a white supremacist rally ending in tragedy days before

Heather Heyer was killed when a car slammed into a crowd of people protesting against a white supremacist rally

He then said growing jobs would have a 'tremendous' impact on race relations in the country.

Meanwhile, his daughter and son-in-law took the trip to the property where it can cost several thousand dollars for just two people to occupy a cottage per night at that time of year.

Locals were surprised to see a helicopter bearing the Trump name hovering over the estate which provided ample privacy to the First Lady and her family.

It boasts two-level properties that are large enough to accommodate multiple hot tubs and fireplaces.Automated phone calls offering health care plans have surged in recent weeks as the enrollment period for 2019 has begun.

Nomorobo, a spam-call-blocking service which is based in Long Island, blocked more than 850,000 health-related 'robocalls' in October - nearly five times the number of interceptions for September.

Nomorobo's Founder Aaron Foss said the company tracked about 820 different robocall pitches for health insurance in the last week of October,SFGate reported.

Nomorobo Founder Aaron Foss with a 96,293 page list of 14 million calls the company blocked

A robocall is a phone call that uses a computerized automated dialer to deliver a pre-recorded message. They are often associated with political and telemarketing phone campaigns.

Foss said that More than 100 calls were from a robot by the name of Anna.

According to rules published by the Federal Trade Commission in 2009, the vast majority of these calls are illegal.

Consumer advocates warn that many offer the wrong health plans that do not cover what a client might need.

Others could be entirely fraudulent, with unscrupulous insurance brokers taking payment and promising insurance that never comes through.

Alice Cave, 62, a retired data analyst from Alexandria, Virginia said she has gotten so many of calls that she typically will not answer her phone unless she recognizes the number.

Automated phone calls offering health care plans have surged in recent weeks as the enrollment period for 2019 has begun

The yearly period when people can enroll in a health insurance plan for 2019 runs from November 1, 2018 to December 15, 2018.

She said she repeatedly gets calls from a person known as Anna.

Alice told San Francisco Gate: She was saying, 'I really need to talk to you - we've got deals on health insurance.' I thought, 'God, what a crock.

If it's too good to be true, it probably is. Anything that comes in on the phone, I'm going to be skeptical. Why would they offer me this deal? I already have great insurance. It's crazy.

Janice Rocco, deputy commissioner for health policy and reform said The California Department of Insurance is investigating health insurance robo-calls.

Janice Rocco is California's Deputy Insurance Commissioner overseeing Health Policy and Reform at the California Department of Insurance

In August, the agency filed a court order against Health Plan Intermediaries Holdings, accusing the Florida company of deceptive and misleading practices in selling 'Obamacare' plans that did not comply with the health law.

The company could face fines of up to $10,000 per violation, Rocco added.

Under federal law, calls using prerecorded messages are legal only for doctor appointment reminders, flight cancellations, credit card fraud alerts and political candidates. Calls to sell products and services are illegal.

San Francisco Gate reported that the voice will ask the consumer to dial 'one' to enroll or 'two' to opt out of future calls. Both options can be a trap, experts say.

'If you pick up, you become a lead that's sent to health insurance agents or brokers,' Foss added.

Option two doesn't put you on a do-not-call list and it merely lets the spammers know they've hit a working number, he said.

The Federal Communications Commission claimed the best thing for consumers to do when they receive one is to just hang up or not to respond to unfamiliar numbers.A Catholic priest accused of child abuse was not reported to police despite apparently admitting he ordered a group of Scouts to strip naked, an independent inquiry has been told.

Father John Tolkien, son of The Hobbit author JRR Tolkien, returned to active ministry after allegedly being 'sent for treatment' by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham in the late 1960s.

A week-long series of hearings of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is examining the archdiocese's response to allegations made against four priests including Fr Tolkien, who died in 2003.

Fr Tolkien, pictured here from a clip on Youtube, was accused of child abuse while working as a Catholic priest in the 1960s, but was not reported to police by church officials, it is claimed

Addressing the inquiry panel on Monday, counsel to the inquiry Jacqueline Carey said Fr Tolkien had 'repeatedly and consistently' denied the allegations made by a complainant to the Catholic Church in 1993.

The alleged sexual abuse is said to have taken place while Fr Tolkien was a priest in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham in the 1950s, when the complainant was 12.

Mrs Carey told the inquiry the then Archbishop of Birmingham, Maurice Couve de Murville, informed the complainant in 1993 that Fr Tolkien was in poor health and was going to retire.

The lawyer told the inquiry panel, which is sitting in London: 'As part of Archbishop Couve de Murville's 1993 inquiries, he appears to have read a note from 1968 which alleged that Fr Tolkien had made some Boy Scouts strip naked.

'The actual 1968 note is not available but we have Archbishop Couve de Murville's note of the note, which on the face of it suggests that Fr Tolkien admitted those allegations, and was possibly sent for treatment.

'Aside from that treatment, it seems no action was taken in 1968, and certainly no action was taken by Archbishop Couve de Murville in 1993. Neither matter was reported to the authorities.'

The panel was told that the allegations were reported to police in 1994 but no action was taken until an inquiry was launched in May 2001, which did not lead to any charges.

Fr Tolkien's father was the author JRR Tolkien

A second complainant came forward to make allegations against Fr Tolkien in June 2002 and wrote to the archdiocese, prompting it to ask solicitors for advice in the face of civil legal action.

Richard Scorer, a specialist abuse lawyer at law firm Slater and Gordon, told the panel he represented five victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the archdiocese.

Mr Scorer told the hearing that complainant Christopher Carrie had campaigned for years to expose alleged abuse, but died earlier this year.

The lawyer said of Mr Carrie: 'He was never able to see the file which the archdiocese has been forced to disclose by this inquiry.

'We now discover for the first time that the archdiocese was apparently on notice since 1968, if not earlier, that Fr Tolkien might present a risk to children.

'It seems that in 1968 a complaint was made to the archdiocese by at least one complainant, possibly more, as a result of which Fr Tolkien was apparently referred for some form of treatment... but the archdiocese did not report the matter to the police.

'Fr Tolkien rapidly returned to active ministry. Tomorrow, chair, you will hear from one of our clients. He will tell about how he was sexually abused by Fr Tolkien in 1970.

'You can perhaps imagine how he felt on learning recently that barely two years before the abuse that he suffered, the archdiocese had seemingly been made aware that Fr Tolkien posed a risk to children.'Advertisement

Five victims of what has now been confirmed as the deadliest wildfire in California history have been identified as three men and two women.

The official death toll in Northern California's Camp Fire has climbed to 42 after local authorities revealed that the remains of another 13 people were found on Monday.

Ernest Foss, 65, of Paradise, and Jesus 'Zeus' Fernandez, 48, of Concow, were identified as friends and family paid tributes to them on social media.

Carl Wiley, 77, of Maglia, and Ellen Walker, in her 70s, of Concow, were also killed in the deadly blaze. Family members of Lolene Rios, 58, have also identified her as another victim in Paradise.

The Camp Fire now also ranks as the most destructive fire on record in California, having leveled more than 7,100 homes and other buildings since it erupted on Thursday and tore across 125,000 acres. It is currently 30 percent contained.

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Ernest Foss, 54, of Paradise (left), and Jesus 'Zeus' Fernandez, 48, of Concow (right), both died in the Camp Fire in California

Family members of Lolene Rios, 58, (right) have also identified her as another victim in Paradise. Her husband Rick Rios, 69, (left) barely made it out of their home alive

Northern California's Camp Fire has become the deadliest wildfire in state history as the death toll climbs to 42. A body is recovered from the Ridewood Mobile Home Park on Monday

Butte County Sheriff Cory Honea revealed that the remains of 13 additional people were located on Monday. Honea said 10 human remains were located in Paradise. Seven of those were found in homes and three outside. A body is recovered in Paradise, California

A member of the Sacramento County Coroner's office looks for human remains in the rubble of a house burned at the Camp Fire in Paradise on Monday

This map shows the location of the Camp, Hill and Woolsey fires in California. In total, 44 people have died in the blazes

The other three remains were found in the Concow area, two were outside homes and one was inside a home. Charred remains of mobile homes are seen in Paradise

Honea said his team is working to identify the remains and notify the next of kin as soon as possible. A member of the Sacramento County Coroner's office looks for human remains in the rubble of a house burned in Paradise

Butte County Sheriff Cory Honea said the remains of 10 people were located in Paradise. Seven of those were found in homes and three outside.

The other three remains were found in the Concow area, two were outside homes and one was inside a home.

Honea said his team is working to identify the remains and notify the next of kin as soon as possible.

Paradise is a popular retirement community with a quarter of the population there over the age of 65.

Rios and her husband Rick, 69, had both relocated in Paradise after losing their home to another fire in Concow in the 1990s.

The retired couple, like many in the town, only found out about the blaze when it was too late.

Rick went on the roof of the couple's home when he saw their neighbor's house on fire, hoping he could still save their house by taking out any spot fires.

Coroner search teams, many accompanied by a chaplain, have fanned out across Paradise, visiting dozens of addresses that belong to people reported missing since last week's explosive blaze

Authorities were bringing more resources in to find the dead - two mobile morgue units and dozens of additional search and rescue personnel

When a body is found, a call goes out, yellow police tape goes up - and the blue body bag arrives. In many cases, there is almost nothing left

Honea said authorities have brought in 13 special search-and-recovery teams to seek out any further victims from the Camp Fire, and have requested additional cadaver-dog crews (pictured) to assist in the search for human remains

What appears to be figurines from a Christmas nativity scene is seen resting atop a scorched car in Paradise

A fallen power line is seen on top of burnt out vehicles on the side of the road in Paradise, California after the Camp fire tore through the are

Sheriff Honea (pictured) said the number of people listed as missing in the disaster remained officially at 228, but added that his office had received more than 1,500 requests for 'welfare checks' from people concerned about the fate of their loved ones

JUST IN: Death toll in Northern California wildfire increases to 42 as Butte County Sheriff announces that the remains of 13 additional people have been located today. https://t.co/foxuJDZdDp pic.twitter.com/3F71P3u6uc  ABC News (@ABC) November 13, 2018

Rios went to the basement as she began gathering the family's dogs. In moments, the house was up in flames.

Rick was rescued by firefighters who pulled him off the roof. He is now recovering in the hospital with severe burns on his hands and face, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

'My dad is in a lot of pain,' Maria Rios said. 'He keeps saying, "I have no skin, no skin". As soon as he heard my voice, he broke down. He kept saying, "Everything is gone. Everything is gone."'

Honea said over the weekend that the devastation is so complete in some neighborhoods that 'it's very difficult to determine whether or not there may be human remains there'.

'In some cases, the only remains we are able to recover are bones or bone fragments,' Honea said, adding that these were so small that coroner's investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them.

Honea said the number of people listed as missing in the disaster remained officially at 228, but added that his office had received more than 1,500 requests for 'welfare checks' from people concerned about the fate of their loved ones.

Authorities have set up a rapid DNA analysis system and brought in cadaver dogs and mobile morgue units from the military in an intensified effort to find and identify victims. They have also requested 150 additional search-and-rescue personnel.

Cafe tables and umbrellas stand idle as the remains of Mama Celeste's Gastropub and Pizzeria lies in ruins after wildfires devastated the area in Paradise, California

'It's like a war zone': Gerard Butler films the devastation surrounding his smoldering California home Gerard Butler filmed the devastation around his smoldering neighborhood just a day after a horrifying California wildfire tore through the area. Butler, whose home was destroyed, was driving around Point Dume on Saturday when he captured the destruction his community in two videos. 'It's like a war zone,' Butler tells viewers as he surveys the area destroyed by the Woolsey blaze. 'Every house after a certain point is gone.' Gerard Butler filmed the devastation around his smoldering neighborhood just a day after a horrifying California wildfire tore through the area 'What a difference a day can make to a community,' the actor says as he walks into a backyard of a home. Butler shared the videos on Instagram on Monday afternoon. 'My heart aches for all those who lost their homes and their lives in California. A lot of people lost everything and will have to rebuild from scratch,' he wrote in the caption. 'I am ok and so grateful for all of the well wishes,' Butler said before encouraging others to donate to a GoFundMe account that has been set up to help people across California affected by the fires. Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, and Camille Grammer Meyer of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills were among those whose Malibu homes were destroyed in the Woolsey fire. Butler, whose home was only partially destroyed, was driving around Point Dume on Saturday when he captured the destruction in two videos 'It's like a war zone,' Butler tells viewers as he surveys the area. 'Every house after a certain point is gone' 'What a difference a day can make to a community,' the actor says as he walks into a backyard of a home. Butler shared the videos on Instagram on Monday afternoon Gerard Butler's home is seen in ruins on November 12 after being destroyed by the Woosley Fire in Malibu, California Advertisement

'I want to recover as many remains as we possibly can, as soon as we can. Because I know the toll it takes on loved ones,' Honea said on Monday night.

Chaplains accompanied some coroner search teams that visited dozens of addresses belonging to people reported missing.

The searchers use a grim calculus at each scene: No cars in the driveway was a considered a good sign, one car a little more ominous and multiple burned-out vehicles more reason for worry.

When a body is found, a call goes out, yellow police tape goes up - and the blue body bag arrives. In many cases, there is almost nothing left.

The long bag looks almost empty as it's carefully carried out of the ruins and placed in a black hearse.

The 42 confirmed fatalities marks the largest loss of life ever from a single wildland fire in California, Honea said.

It also far surpasses the all-time record number of deaths from a California wildfire - 29 in 1933 from the Griffith Park blaze in Los Angeles.

Authorities reported two more people perished over the weekend in a separate blaze, dubbed the Woolsey Fire, that has destroyed 370 structures and displaced some 200,000 people in the mountains and foothills near Southern California's Malibu coast, west of Los Angeles.

It has burned 96,314 acres and as of Tuesday morning was 35 percent contained.

The victims from the Woolsey Fire died in their car while trying to flee. Together, the Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire are blamed for 44 deaths statewide.

Earlier on Monday, two new wildfires broke out in Southern California. Pictured is the Peak fire on California State Route 118

The California Highway Patrol has since closed part of the 118 freeway as firefighters worked to fight back against the blaze

The area covered by the Woolsey fire is shown in red on the right, while the Hill fire is in red on the left. Celebrities affected by the fire include: 1) Gerard Butler, whose house was partially destroyed; 2) Miley Cyrus, house destroyed; 3) Robin Thicke, house destroyed; 4) Lady Gaga, who has been evacuated; 5) Will Smith, evacuated; 6) Simon Cowell, evacuated

On Monday, President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for California at the request of Governor Jerry Brown, hastening the availability of federal emergency assistance to fire-stricken regions of the state.

Trump's announcement came just days after he was criticized for his initial response to the raging wildfires.

'There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor,' Trump said in a series of tweets on Saturday.

'Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!'

Brown had asked the president over the weekend to declare a major disaster to bolster the emergency response and help residents recover.

The major-disaster declaration from Trump will make victims eligible for crisis counseling, housing and unemployment help, and legal aid.

Brown told a press briefing that federal and state governments must do more forest management but said that's not the source of the problem.

'Managing all the forests everywhere we can does not stop climate change,' Brown said. 'And those who deny that are definitely contributing to the tragedies that we're now witnessing, and will continue to witness in the coming years.'

Brown warned that it would take 'hundreds of billions' of dollars to continue to fight California's growing number of wildfires and blamed climate change for 'threatening our whole way of life'.

'This is not the new normal,' he said. 'This is the new abnormal.'

On Monday, President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for California at the request of Governor Jerry Brown, hastening the availability of federal emergency assistance to fire-stricken regions of the state

Trump's announcement (pictured) came just days after he was criticized for his initial response to the raging wildfires

The fires have spread with an erratic intensity that has strained resources and kept firefighters struggling to keep up with the flames while catching many residents by surprise.

The remains of some of the Camp Fire victims were found in burned-out vehicles that were overrun by walls of fire as evacuees tried to flee by car in panic, only to be trapped in deadly knots of traffic gridlock on Thursday night.

'It was very scary,' Mayor Jody Jones recounted of her family's own harrowing escape from their home as fire raged all around them.

'It took a long time to get out. There was fire on both sides of the car. You could feel the heat coming in through the car,' she told CNN. Jones said her family is now living in their mobile home parked in a vacant lot.

Honea said authorities have brought in 13 special search-and-recovery teams to seek out any further victims from the Camp Fire, and have requested additional cadaver-dog crews to assist in the search for human remains.

A mobile DNA lab and anthropologists are also on site to help identify victims.

Earlier on Monday, two new wildfires broke out in Southern California.

Firefighters were already battling the Woolsey fire and the Hill fire when two new blazes suddenly sparked.

The Lynn fire broke out in Thousand Oaks, which is still reeling from a horrific mass shooting that took 12 lives last week.

The Lynn fire broke out in Thousand Oaks, which is still reeling from a horrific mass shooting that took 12 lives last week. Pictured is a map showing the area where the fire has broken out

Smoke from the initial three California wildfires have been so intense that they even reached the metro Detroit area by Monday as it stretched across the US (pictured)

It burned five acres as of Monday morning but the Ventura County Fire Department said the threat to nearby structures was 'diminishing' as firefighters were able to 'get a handle' on the flames, according to the LAist.

By 11.45am officials said surrounding homes were not under threat and that the fire was holding.

Meanwhile, a new blaze dubbed the Peak fire was seen burning right by the 118 Freeway in Simi Valley. It was reported around 10.30am and at least 105 acres have been burned.

Fire crews said they stopped forward progress of the flames around 1pm.

People could be seen turning their cars around and driving the wrong way on the freeway to get away from the smoke and flames. The California Highway Patrol temporarily closed part of the 118 Freeway as firefighters worked to contain the flames.

Two water-dropping helicopters and a firefighting airplane were spotted at the scene and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department initially issued evacuation orders for nearby residents.

An air tanker drops water on a fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley, California on Monday

The fires have spread with an erratic intensity that has strained resources and kept firefighters struggling to keep up with the flames while catching many residents by surprise

The remains of some of the Camp Fire victims were found in burned-out vehicles (pictured) that were overrun by walls of fire as evacuees tried to flee by car in panic, only to be trapped in deadly knots of traffic gridlock on Thursday night

The search for victims, both human and non-human, continued on Monday in Paradise

A wildfire-ravaged property is seen Monday in Malibu. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby says he expects further damage assessments to show that hundreds more homes have been lost on top of the 370 already counted

A horse evacuated by members of the Humane Society of Ventura County from an area affected by a wildfire in Malibu

The inside of a car that was completely incinerated as the Woolsey fire burned through Malibu over the weekend

Several animal rescue volunteers have also risked their lives saving dozens of animals. A burned cat waits for animal control to arrive after they were called by responders who discovered it near Bille Road in Paradise, California on Sunday

Smoke from the initial three California wildfires have been so intense that they even reached the metro Detroit area by Monday.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association maps showed smoke from the wildfires stretching across the US.

Officials said that smoke is expected to stay present in Detroit until around 7pm, according to WXYZ.

Firefighters put out a red weather alert late in Southern California on Sunday, fearing high Santa Ana winds could reach up to 50mph and keep fanning the flames into Wednesday - making things worse before they get better.

Huge plumes of smoke rose in the fire area, which stretches miles from the northwest corner of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley to the Malibu coast.

'Sadly, with these winds, it's not over yet,' Scott Jalbert, chief of Cal Fire's San Luis Obispo Unit, said Sunday morning.

Two water-dropping helicopters and a firefighting airplane were spotted at the scene trying to fight back the new blaze

A helicopter drops water on brush burning near Pepperdine University as the Woolsey Fire continues to burn in Malibu on Monday morning

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said approximately 600 officers would be 'saturating evacuated areas' on patrol for looters and to 'ensure the protection of residents and their properties'. A sign in the area read: 'Welcome 2 Point Dume. Looters get bullets. Fireman get HUGS

When the Camp Fire struck near Paradise on Thursday morning, 27,000 people tried to flee the town on roads that were quickly blocked (pictured, a downed power line stops traffic) or else clogged with cars

Journeys that should have taken minutes ended up taking hours, with dozens of people telling how they jumped out of the cars and ran, carrying whatever they could

Gerard Butler, Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, and Camille Grammer Meyer of 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' were among those whose Malibu homes were destroyed in the Woolsey fire.

Meanwhile the Kardashian clan, Simon Cowell, Will Smith, Lady Gaga and Martin Sheen were among other those who had to evacuate the star-studded Malibu and Calabasas areas.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said approximately 600 officers would be 'saturating evacuated areas' affected by the Woolsey fire to patrol for looters and to 'ensure the protection of residents and their properties'.

A sign in the area read: 'Welcome 2 Point Dume. Looters get bullets. Fireman get HUGS.'

Los Angeles County has also advised all residents to stay indoors as much as possible and keep windows and doors closed due to unhealthy air quality and exposure to 'ash, soot, and small particles'.

New footage emerged on Monday that showed panicked residents of the town trying to escape Paradise as the roads became blocked with traffic.

Evacuations were hindered by the fact that Paradise is a popular retirement community, meaning many residents are elderly and struggle to move

Medics at the Feather River Hospital in Paradise were given just 20 minutes to clear all the patients out before the fire arrived

At least seven people burned to death inside their vehicles while trying to escape from Paradise on Thursday as 27,000 people packed on to a four-lane road - the only route out of town that wasn't blocked.

Survivors sat in miles-long tailback as flames licked at their car doors, while others jumped out and ran, carrying pets and valuables.

Greg Woodcox who led a caravan of vehicles that was overcome by flames from a wildfire says he saw his friend die.

CALIFORNIA FIRES BY THE NUMBERS - 42 people have died in Northern California's Camp fire - 2 people have died in Southern California's Woolsey fire - 228 people are still missing - 7,000 structures have been damaged - 57,000 structures still remain under threat - 149,000 people still under evacuation order - 8,000 firefighters on the front lines Advertisement

Woodcox said Monday that he heard his friend scream as the heat blew out windows. Four other people in the vehicles died. Woodcox said he was too exhausted to talk more by phone.

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, the 58-year-old said he was in a Jeep ahead of the other vehicles and ran when the flames overtook them.

He said he followed a fox to a path down a steep embankment, and he survived by submerging himself in a stream for nearly an hour.

Nichole Jolly, 34, a nurse at the hospital in Paradise, said she attempted to flee in her truck before being rammed into a ditch by another motorist trying to get out.

She climbed out of her truck and tried to get into another, but the handles had melted off, so she ran up the road as her pants leg caught on fire.

'I'm breathing in the hottest air I've ever been in. My throat is bloodied, I'm about to hit the ground but the bottom of my shoes were melting,' she told NBC.

'I put hand out in front of me and prayed to God, 'Please, don't let me die like this.''

She did eventually make it to a fire truck, where the crew told her to 'brace yourself because we might not make it'.

It was only after a bulldozer arrived to clear the road that the truck, and Jolly, were able to escape.

Sheriff Honea said that finding human remains is proving difficult, as many bodies have been reduced to little more than bone fragments. Sgt Nathan Lyberger of the Yuba County Sheriff Department is seen preparing a bag to remove human remains

Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers are seen loading a load a body into a hearse in Concow, California

University of Nevada Reno archaeology students recover human remains in a mobile home park in Paradise on Sunday

Meanwhile Lauri Kester, a caretaker for the elderly, told the New York Times that it took an hour to drive just three miles on Thursday as the fire advanced.

Eventually, a police officer running past told Kester to abandon her vehicle and make a break for it. She grabbed her dog Biscuit and ran.

'It was hot, it was smoky and - this sounds like such an exaggeration, but - it was apocalyptic,' she said.

Wendell Whitmore, 62, was another of those who tried to flee Paradise in his car, but was forced to make a break for it on foot as the situation became desperate.

California's Camp Fire melts aluminum in cars The raging Camp Fire became so hot as it passed through Northern California that it melted aluminum in cars. Photos showed aluminum flowing from the melted wheels of burned-out vehicles outside of homes in Paradise. If aluminium is involved in a fire and the temperature rises to above its melting point, the metal begins to melt. The melting point for aluminum is 1,221 degrees Fahrenheit. The raging Camp Fire became so hot as it passed through Northern California that it melted aluminum in cars Photos showed aluminum flowing from the melted wheels of burned-out vehicles outside of homes in Paradise. If aluminium is involved in a fire and the temperature rises to above its melting point, the metal begins to melt. The melting point for aluminum is 1,221 degrees Fahrenheit Advertisement

He told the Sacramento Bee: 'There were flames to the left of me and flames to the right. The flames were up in the trees, all the houses were on fire.

'The fire was three feet from my car. The rubber around the windows was melting. That's when I decided to get out.'

Barbara Hall has been calling shelters and the sheriff's office hoping to find out whether her aunt, Arlene and her husband Paul Bickel made it out of their home in a retirement community in Paradise.

So far, Hall has had no luck. Her relatives are in their 80s and 90s and Hall isn't allowed into Paradise to see if their car is in front of a house that may no longer be standing.

The first victim identified over the weekend was an ailing woman whose body was found in bed in a burned-out house in Concow, near Paradise. Ellen Walker, who was in her early 70s, was home alone when the fire struck on Thursday, according to Nancy Breeding, a family friend

Pieces of crumbling wall and a chimney is all that remains of this house which was gutted in the Camp Fire

Some cars never made it off the driveway before being consumed by the flames, which have also destroyed 6,500 buildings

Game warden finds wife's wedding ring while in the rubble of their home destroyed by the Camp Fire When the fire broke out in Paradise, state Fish and Wildlife warden Jake Olsen was one of many law enforcement agents who rushed to a retirement home to evacuate the infirm. He crammed three patients into his pickup, and his partner rode under a fire blanket in the bed with a fourth patient. Meanwhile, the Paradise home where he and his wife and four children lived burned to the ground. So did Olsen's parents. And his wife's parents' home is gone, too. Fish and Wildlife warden Jake Olsen found his wife's wedding ring while sifting through the rubble of their destroyed home in Paradise His sister-in-law's Paradise home was also destroyed. On Saturday, his colleague helped him sift through the rubble and found his wife's wedding ring. 'It's just amazing,' he said, describing how he started digging. 'I just didn't think we were going to find it, but we had to try.' His wife told him where she left her ring in their bedroom, and that's where it was found next to his gun locker containing guns melted in the fire. A few minutes later, she called to check in and he tearfully told her the good news. 'It's something,' he said with a sad smile. His wife told him where she left her ring in their bedroom, and that's where it was found next to his gun locker containing guns melted in the fire Advertisement

Hall asked: 'Did they make it in their car? Did they get away? Did their car go over the edge of a mountain somewhere? I just don't know.'

She said she was making phone calls with her daughter's mobile phone from nearby Redding, where her daughter lives. The couple only had a landline, which had phone numbers programmed into it, and calls to it don't go through.

Hall says her aunt's parents adopted her father when he was a boy and that she is like a big sister to her.

Jody Jones, mayor of Paradise who previously worked as a traffic specialist in LA, said the town did put together an evacuation plan after a fire tore through in 2008.

The plan called for Paradise to evacuate neighborhood by neighborhood, and they even practiced it last year, but it fell to pieces within moments on Thursday.

'I don't know that you could build the infrastructure to evacuate an entire town that quickly,' she said. 'I just don't know if that's possible.'

The Rocklin Police Department, which was called on to assist Butte County with the Camp fire, also shared a chilling video of the area's destruction over the weekend.

Officers filmed apocalyptic scenes that showed dozens upon dozens of burned-out cars, buses, and trucks, and residential streets that had been completely leveled by the fire.

The fire originated on Camp Creek Road near Highway 70 around 6.30am on Thursday.

Firefighters were dispatched to a vegetation fire in the area 'under the high tension power lines' at 6.33am.

Firefighters immediately realized that the blaze would be hard to access, and that the flames were being fanned by 35mph winds.

Betsy Ann Cowley, who owns land near where the deadly wildfire started in Northern California, said Monday that Pacific Gas & Electric Co sought access to her property just before the blaze started because the utility's power lines were causing sparks.

PG&E has said it experienced a problem on an electrical transmission line near the site of the massive fire, minutes before the blaze broke out.

The fire started on 64 acres of land in Pulga, California, owned by Cowley.

Cowley said she received an email from the utility on Wednesday telling her that crews needed to come to her property to work on the high-power lines because 'they were having problems with sparks'.

PG&E declined to discuss the email.

Two days before the fire started, PG&E told customers in nine counties, including Butte County, that it might shut off their power November 8 because of extreme fire danger.

The remains of a house can be seen in Westlake Village, near Thousand Oaks, after the Woolsey Fire swept through Sunday

This was the scene in Westlake Village, in California, on Sunday. The suburb is located in Thousand Oaks, just a few miles from where last week's mass shooting took place

Firefighters work to extinguish a flare-up of the Woolsey Fire on a hillside in West Hills, California on Sunday afternoon

Men 'dressed as US Forest Service workers' are arrested for suspected looting in devastated Paradise Suspected looters who appeared to be impersonating US Forest Service workers have been arrested in Paradise, California. The town of Paradise has been nearly decimated by the Camp fire, which has already taken 42 lives. But it appears some were hoping to take advantage of the devastating tragedy. Men who were dressed in bright yellow jackets similar to those worn by US Forest Service workers were arrested in the fire zone on Saturday night. Suspected looters who appeared to be impersonating Forest Service workers were arrested in Paradise, California on Saturday night. One is pictured here Men who were dressed in bright yellow jackets similar to those worn by US Forest Service workers were arrested in the fire zone Authorities said the men may have worn the jackets to gain access to the evacuated area, according to CBS San Francisco. Police have not disclosed what the men were trying to steal. There have been 53 reports of suspected looting in the scorched area. And law enforcement have confirmed that the Camp fire has sparked a crime wave in Butte County. Authorities said the men may have worn the jackets to gain access to the evacuated area Police have not disclosed what the men were trying to steal. There have been 53 reports of suspected looting in the scorched area Sheriff Kory Honea promised on Saturday that looting suspects would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 'If we discover looting and evidence of looting, we will investigate,' he said during a press conference on Saturday. 'And even if we don't catch you there, we will investigate to determine if we can identify you and make an arrest.' As of Sunday night, Honea said the department had received 66 additional calls about 'suspicious incidents' - including looting - in the area. Advertisement

But the utility company called off the shutdown, telling customers nine hours after the Camp Fire began that the weather conditions 'did not warrant this safety measure'.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation but CalFire spokesman Scott McLean said 'electric equipment' was being included in the probe.

Gerard Butler was among those celebrities able to return to their homes on Sunday after being evacuated, only to find it destroyed. Pictured is what is left of his Malibu home

Robin Thicke's home was also completely destroyed by the fire, leaving nothing more than a pile of rubble and ash behind

Aerials show the extent of damage inflicted on Thicke's mansion, which he shares with girlfriend April Love Geary

And hopes that the weather will aid the battle against the fire remain low.

'In terms of the overall long-range (forecast), there is no significant precipitation or cooldown,' National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun told the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday.

'The forecast remains dry and unseasonably warm through the rest of the week and through the weekend at this time.'

The California Department of Forestry and Protection expanded its red-flag warning through Monday due to the 'gusty winds and low humidity'.

Officials say fire behavior has changed statewide after years of drought and record summer heat that have left vegetation extremely crisp and dry.

Miley Cyrus also took to Twitter on Sunday to reveal that her home had been destroyed

The ground at the home of Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth still smolders after the Woolsey Fire in Malibu

Miley's dog statue (pictured) could be seen with smoke coming from the ground next to its feet from the blaze

Camille Grammer also revealed on Sunday that she had lost her home (pictured on Monday), saying it 'couldn't be saved'

Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson also lost his home in the blaze this weekend. He posted photos of what was still left standing on Saturday

'Things are not the way they were 10 years ago...the rate of spread is exponentially more than it used to be,' said Lorenzen, urging residents to not put their lives at risk by trying to defend their own homes instead of evacuating.

That change has impacted the ability to move firefighting resources around the state, officials said.

'Typically this time of year when we get fires in Southern California we can rely upon our mutual aid partners in Northern California to come assist us because this time of year they've already had significant rainfall or even snow,' said Osby, the LA County fire chief.

With the devastation and loss of life in the Northern California fire, 'it's evident from that situation statewide that we're in climate change and it's going to be here for the foreseeable future,' he said.Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker will consult with Justice Department ethics officials about 'matters that may warrant recusal' amid pressure from Democrats to step aside from overseeing the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Whitaker is 'fully committed to following all appropriate processes and procedures,' including consulting with senior ethics officials about his 'oversight responsibilities and matter that may warrant recusal,' Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a statement Monday.

Since his appointment last week, Whitaker has faced mounting pressure to step aside from overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, due to critical comments Whitaker made about the investigation before joining the Justice Department last year.

In an interview with CNN in July 2017, Whitaker suggested the Mueller probe could be starved of its resources by cutting the budget 'so low that his investigation grinds to almost a halt.'

Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker will consult with ethics officials about overseeing the Mueller investigation. Whitaker is seen (left) next to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (right) in Arlington, Virginia on Monday

He also penned an op-ed last year that said Mueller would be straying outside his mandate if he investigated Trump family finances.

In an interview with a talk-radio host, Whitaker maintained there was no evidence of collusion between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.

Whitaker, a Republican Party loyalist and chief of staff to just-ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions, was elevated last week after Trump forced Sessions out.

Mueller's investigation had been overseen by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein until Sessions' ouster.

The Senate's top Democrat, Sen. Chuck Schumer, called for Whitaker to step aside from overseeing Mueller's investigation and said Democrats would he would seek to tie a measure protecting Mueller to must-pass legislation if Whitaker did not recuse himself.

Schumer, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats sent a letter Sunday to Lee Lofthus, an assistant attorney general and the department's chief ethics officer, asking whether he had advised Whitaker to recuse himself.

Whitaker is also telling associates he won't use his new power to starve the Russia probe of funds  although he mentioned the budget choking strategy last year.

Now Whitaker, having obtained that very post, is saying he won't use the tactic.

He is telling associates he won't slash the funding and will allow the Mueller probe to go forward, Bloomberg News reported.

The probe ran up a $16million tab during its first year of operation, and had spent an additional $10million through the end of March, according to its public filings.

Mueller's team has recently assigned staff to other projects, leading to speculation he could be bringing the investigation toward a conclusion.

President Trump has repeatedly demanded what he calls a 'witch hunt' be ended.

Whitaker, too, has applied that term to the investigation.

He wrote in an op-ed for CNN in 2017: 'Mueller has come up to a red line in the Russia 2016 election-meddling investigation that he is dangerously close to crossing,' he wrote.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly slammed the Mueller probe as a 'witch hunt' and railed against former attorney general Jeff Sessions for recusing himself of oversight of the inquiry

Whitaker, a GOP loyalist and chief of staff to just-ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions, was elevated last week after Trump forced Sessions out. Robert Mueller's (above) investigation had been overseen by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein until Sessions' ouster

'If he were to continue to investigate the [Trump family's] financial relationships without a broadened scope in his appointment, then this would raise serious concerns that the special counsel's investigation was a mere witch hunt.'

Since Trump tapped him, Democrats have threatened to investigate Whitaker and closely monitor his conduct.

'Our very first witness on after January 3, we will subpoena, or we will summon  if necessary, subpoena, Mr. Whitaker,' incoming House Judiciary chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler told CNN 'State of the Union' on Sunday.An Irish woman who killed her fiance in Sydney has told a judge she did not leave the 'controlling and fairly unpleasant' man as she loved him dearly.

Cathrina 'Tina' Cahill also told her sentence hearing she believed David Walsh every time he said he would change but he always returned to his bad behaviour after a few weeks.

She was giving evidence on Tuesday in the New South Wales Supreme Court after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of her 29-year-old fiance.

She stabbed Mr Walsh once in the neck in the early hours of February 18, 2017, at the Padstow, Sydney south-west, home they shared with two other Irish nationals.

Cathrina 'Tina' Cahill (pictured) has told a judge she did not leave her 'controlling and fairly unpleasant' fiance as she loved him dearly

Cahill stabbed fiance David Walsh (the couple are pictured together) once in the neck in the early hours of February 18, 2017

Cahill told her sentence hearing on Tuesday she believed Mr Walsh (pictured together left and right) every time he said he would change

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.

Prosecutor Nanette Williams on Tuesday noted Cahill told police in September 2015, after an AVO was issued against Mr Walsh to protect her, that she held no fears against him.

'I was in fear of getting in more trouble from David if I told the truth,' she said.

'He would call me a rat and a dog.'

She agreed she also told police Mr Walsh was not a risk to her in any way, but she said she was trying to protect him.

She had packed her bags many times to leave him, but Mr Walsh would tell her everything was going to be different.

Cahill said she stayed with Mr Walsh (pictured) as 'I loved him very dearly' and he did have some good features

The parents of Cathrina Cahill, Rita Cahill (left) and Daniel Cahill (right), arrive for her sentence hearing at the New South Wales Supreme Court on Tuesday

'He would be making me dinner, buying me flowers, buying me a teddy bear but after two to three weeks it would go back to the way it was.'

She agreed with Justice Peter Johnson that her evidence revealed they had a 'pretty stormy relationship' and that Mr Walsh might be seen to be a 'controlling and fairly unpleasant person'.

But she said she stayed with him as 'I loved him very dearly' and he did have some good features.

The hearing continues.The humble Bunnings sausage sandwich is set to undergo a revolutionary change after the hardware giant was handed a health and safety memo.

A good sausage sizzle is a cornerstone of Australian society - and the best part of any trip to Bunnings - but regulars will notice something different in their sausage sizzles from this weekend.

And the change is coming to every single one of the hardware giant's 294 stores.

As a matter of safety, those running the BBQ have been instructed by head office to add onions to the sandwiches before placing the sausages on top - so the onions don't fall out and become a slipping hazard.

The iconic sausage in bread has undergone a shift at Bunnings Warehouse after the hardware giant decided to change their classic weekend snack forever

'Safety is always our number one priority and we recently introduced a suggestion that onion be placed underneath sausages to help prevent the onion from falling out and creating a slipping hazard,' Bunnings Chief Operating Officer Debbie Poole said.

'This recommendation is provided to the community groups within their fundraising sausage sizzle welcome pack and is on display within the gazebos when barbeques are underway.'

The Bunnings Sausage sizzle is one part of the company's commitment to community support.

Community groups, from school committees to sporting clubs, are given the chance each week to help raise money for their cause by getting prime position at the warehouse doors.

The onions that are added to the sausage and bread will now have to be placed on the bottom instead of the more traditional placement atop the meat for customer safety (file photo)

Despite the change to the humble snag in bread Mrs Poole was still able to see the lighter side.

'Regardless of how you like your onion and snag, we are confident this new serving suggestion will not impact the delicious taste or great feeling you get when supporting your local community group,' she said.

Community groups and charities wishing to run their own Bunnings sausage sizzle need to send a written submission to their nearest Bunnings Warehouse for consideration.It would cost the Australian government $1 billion a year to hire the 9,000 additional staff needed to monitor those on the terrorist watch list, it has been revealed.

The alarming figures from the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation come after it emerged Friday's Bourke Street terrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali was not being actively monitored by police despite being on their radar.

An expert has claimed it would take up to 10 officers to keep tabs on the 400 counter-terrorism investigations.

It would cost the Australian government $1 billion a year to hire the 9,000 additional staff needed to monitor those on the terrorist watch list, it has been revealed (pictured Friday's Bourke Street terrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali lunging at police)

Speaking to Channel 7, the source said some of those listed would be physically tracked - but others would simply have their internet and phones tapped.

The ASIO said individuals deemed a potential threat to national security are monitored by the organisation or the Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) as part of a 'grid'.

The Australian reported that grid was arranged into concentric circles, with those in the system circulating between the heavily-scrutinised centre and the less-surveilled outer rings.

The JCTT is a part of the agency working with state and federal police.

An ASIO spokesman told Daily Mail Australia said it used a range of prioritisation systems and review mechanisms to keep tabs on anti-terror threats.

A source also told The Age the government department used a risk-management strategy which meant only a small number of people were physically kept track of.

Just 2,000 people work for the ASIO in total - a number which would include staff whose job was not related to counter-terrorism.

Just 2,000 people work for the ASIO (pictured headquarters in Canberra) in total - a number which would include staff whose job was not related to counter-terrorism

Shire Ali who carried out the lone attack on Friday afternoon on Bourke St which shocked the nation, was known to ASIO officials.

In 2015, his passport was revoked, amid fears he was planning to fly to Syria to fight for Islamic State.

It's understood ASIO was tracking his movements due to his behaviour and links with terror suspects but wasnt under constant physical or electronic surveillance on Friday when he carried out the deadly attack, the Herald Sun reported.

Eamon Davie (pictured) was working at the Carlton Club in Melbourne's CBD on Friday afternoon when Hassan Khalif Shire Ali mounted his ute on a footpath on Bourke Street

Peter Dutton, Australia's Home Affairs Minister, dismissed speculation Ali had direct links to Islamic State.

'In relation to his connections (with Islamic State) or with any terrorist group  there's not, as I'm advised, a membership of an organisation or a definite link,' he said.

'The working theory is at the moment a case where this person (Ali) had been downloading information or receiving messages in his own mind about what he should be doing. It's inspired, as opposed to affiliation or membership.'

Police pay their respect to Sisto Malaspina, who was killed by Shire Ali in the attack, outside Pellegrini's on Bourke St in Melbourne's CBD

Mr Dutton also conceded it was impossible to stop all terrorist attacks in Australia, before going on to defend ASIO - who failed to classify Ali as a high-risk terror threat.

'These are very difficult circumstances to stop,' he said.

'Yes, (Ali) was referred to by ASIO and other agencies before.'

'But police did not have intelligence in relation to this person that he was about to commit such an act.'

Dutton also revealed 14 terror attacks had been prevented, but seven had resulted in serious adverse results, including Sydney's Lindt Cafe siege in 2014 which saw two hostages killed.

Victoria's Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton says hundreds of radicalised potential terrorists who arent being monitored at all times have the potential to carry out a atrocity similar to the Bourke St tragedy.

He told the Herald Sun counter-terrorism agencies need thousands more officers to physically watch every suspect, with terrorist numbers seemingly always on the rise.President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to dismiss Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen after becoming impatient and frustrated with her approach to immigration.

The Washington Post reports she could be out as soon as this week as five current former and current White House officials claim her departure is to happen within the next few weeks.

Trump is said to have this weekend told advisers of his plan to get rid of her as Nielsen's one-year job anniversary of December 6 approaches.

President Donald Trump (right) is reportedly planning to dismiss Kirstjen Nielsen (left)

Nielsen (pictured in San Diego March during a tour of border wall prototypes) allegedly has not been enjoying the job within the last few months

The news came after he canceled their trip to visit troops at the border in South Texas.

Now it's alleged the American leader wants someone with a more aggressive attitude to curtailing immigration but with no deputy secretary since April, Nielsen's responsibilities could land in Claire M. Grady's lap.

If not the undersecretary for management, Trump is reportedly considering Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection and David P. Pekoske.

The president (center with Melania Trump right) reportedly wants someone tougher on immigration. Nielsen is pictured left with Governor Rick Scott Florida in October

Nielsen delivered an enthusiastic speech at the opening of his wall in Calexico, California recently. She also defended Trump's decision to separate families at the border

But the Homeland Security secretary could be fired in next few weeks according to aides

Both have been confirmed by the Senate and Pekoske is the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration and used to be a vice commandant of the Coast Guard.

The Post also reports Kris Kobach, who lost out on the Kansas governor role, could be nominated however the secretary of state may be considered too extreme for Senate approval.

After the position was created in 2003 following the September 11 terrorist attacks and George W. Bush had two over six years during his terms.

Barack Obama had two across his eight years as president and Trump is already on his second as he nears two years as POTUS.

'If I were advising the White House, I'd encourage them to nominate someone with executive branch experience,' an anonymous senior DHS official said. 'This will be our fourth secretary in two years. The last thing we want is someone who needs hand-holding.'

Chief of Staff John F. Kelly has been fighting to keep her (pictured October 2017) after pushing for her to get the role. However staff members are reportedly not keen on his praise for her

Nielsen is pictured as she takes the Oath of Office as the Sixth Secretary of Homeland Security in December 2017, joined by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (center) and Executive Clerk of the White House David Kalbaugh

A source claimed Nielsen  who used to work on disaster management response for the White House under Bush  is referred to as a 'Bushie' by Trump.

He reportedly claims she's too loyal to the former president despite her defending Trump's stance on separating families at the border. He then ended the operation days later.

Nielsen also delivered an enthusiastic speech at the opening of his wall in Calexico, California recently.

Still, Trump is said to have blamed her for a rebound in the number of people arrested at the Mexican border this year.

Insiders claim that Trump berating her in Cabinet meetings and belittling her to staff has made Nielsen want to quit the role but Madame Secretary is reluctant to before having done a year.

Claire Grady (right), Acting Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security, could be left with Nielsen's responsibilities

US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan (left) could be in the running for the role as could David P. Pekoske (right), administrator of the Transportation Security Administration

Trump with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (left) at the White House in July 2017. He could be considering Kobach as Nielsen's replacement

The Post reports that while she feels that way Chief of Staff John F. Kelly has been fighting to keep her.

He supposedly wants to delay the removal of Nielsen, White House colleagues have become annoyed at his constant and possibly unjustified praising of her despite her lack of experience in the field.

Kelly pushed for her to be confirmed in the role and three aides added that his own job hangs in the balance.

A DHS spokesperson declined to comment on the speculation the The Post.

Trump's administration has been marked by its unusually high turn over of high ranking officials with at least 55 leaving their roles since the inauguration.

At least 18 of those were publicly fired, including the most recent firing of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.More than 200 children have been revealed as alleged victims of sexual abuse across rural towns in Western Australia's sparsely populated Pilbara region.

A major police inquiry into widespread sexual abuse claims identified at least 224 child victims from Roebourne, Karratha and surrounding towns.

The highly secretive investigation revealed some of the accused perpetrators to be children attending high schools with their victims who are also students, State Government briefing notes revealed.

A major police inquiry into widespread sexual abuse claims identified 224 children from Roebourne, Karratha (pictured) and surrounding towns in Western Australia's Pilbara region

More than 200 children have been revealed as alleged victims of sexual abuse across rural towns in Western Australia's Pilbara region. The town of Newman is pictured

The names of the alleged victims and alleged offenders identified from the inquiry have been shared with school leaders, The West Australian reported.

Child protection authorities have said this is to ensure the children could be monitored, but Shadow minister for child protection Nick Goiran said the situation was 'intolerable' that accused sex offenders would be at the same school as their alleged victims.

Safety meetings had also been held at the schools, specifically educating students about the risks of using social media amid concerns that victims were being 'groomed' online.

The briefing notes were released ahead of a Department of Communities budget hearing on Wednesday to provide more detail into the long-running and highly secretive investigation.

The investigation revealed some of the accused perpetrators to be children attending high schools with their victims who are also students. The town of Roebourne is pictured

Operation Fledermaus was launched in 2016 by WA Police to investigate large-scale sex abuse in the Pilbara region. In July, 54 men were charged with more than 360 child sex abuse offences

Since Operation Fledermaus was launched in late 2016, the details about what was uncovered had been closely guarded, with senior officials refusing to release any information.

The investigation was believed to have started after police spoke with an injured girl being treated in hospital, prompting a rigorous inquiry into widespread sexual abuse.

In July this year, 54 men were charged with more than 360 child sex abuse offences. More than 180 children and teenagers were suspected to have been abused.

One man from the Pilbara town of Roebourne pleaded guilty to forcing girls aged 13 to 16 to perform sex acts and recording them with a camera between 2015 and 2016 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Most of the accused were men from towns including Roeburn, Wickham and Karratha and surrounding areas, most with a high Aboriginal population. Many were regarded as elders in their communities.

However, newly revealed briefing notes revealed the number of alleged victims was much higher than previously estimated, with 224 alleged victims identified and other children still in the process of being interviewed in Tom Price, Onslow and Port Hedland.

Shadow minister for child protection Nick Goiran said the Government had told Parliament it was aware of just 42 alleged child victims. Pictured: Communities Minister Simone McGurk

The high number of alleged victims has troubled those in government, who said they were told the figures were much lower.

Nick Goiran, the shadow minister for child protection, said the WA government had told Parliament it was aware of just 42 alleged child victims.

'In October, Sue Ellery, representing Ms McGurk, told me the Department of Communities was aware of all child victims identified under Operation Fledermaus and of where they were living and whether they were going to school, and she said there were 42,' Mr Goiran said.

'Even if you wanted to say there was a difference between a victim who was the subject of charges that have been laid against an offender, from a child protection perspective these are at-risk kids.

'You have a responsibility to be across all 224, not just the ones who end up in court.'

Mr Goiran urged the minister and her department to more precisely monitor the victims and their safety.

The identities of those arrested, charged and convicted were undisclosed.Prime Minister Scott Morrison has blasted a fundamentalist Muslim leader for suggesting he was to blame for Melbourne's terrorist atrocity.

Sheikh Mohammed Omran, the spiritual leader of the hardline Hume Islamic Youth Centre, argued the Prime Minister had to be held responsible for the failure of the police to prevent Friday afternoon's knife rampage on Bourke Street in the city.

Somali-born terrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, 30, had worshiped at the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association's fundamentalist mosque at Coolaroo, in Melbourne's north.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured in Melbourne outside Pellegrin's Expresso Bar) blasted a fundamentalist Muslim leader for suggesting he was to blame for Friday's terrorist atrocity

Responding to Sheikh Omran's claims, Mr Morrison said that as a Pentescostal Christian, leaders of his church community would be aware of a preacher failing to properly teach the Gospel.

Standing outside Melbourne's Pellegrini's Expresso Bar, where co-owner Sisto Malaspina was stabbed to death, the Prime Minister argued Muslim leaders needed to be accountable for youths being radicalised in their mosque.

'Now this is an assault on these communities, I should stress,' he told reporters on Tuesday.

'I'm standing up for the integrity of their communities and want to work closely with religious leaders and others in the community to ensure that they don't allow these wolves in.

Sheikh Mohammed Omran (pictured), the spiritual leader of the hardline Hume Islamic Youth Centre, argued the PM had to be held responsible for the Bourke Street terrorist attack

'These wolves will take advantage of vulnerable people.'

He was responding after Sheikh Omran - who preaches a Salafist, seventh-century version of Islam funded by Saudi Arabian interests - told The Australian the terrorist from his mosque was on a watch list.

'So what did they do? Nothing,' he said.

'After he jumped in the street and started waving his knife to them - sometimes they are running after him and sometimes they are running after them, and even the public interfered to take his attention because the police, they couldn't handle him.'

Somali-born terrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali (pictured) had worshiped at the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association's fundamentalist mosque at Coolaroo, in Melbourne's north

The leader of the mosque that has radicalised several young men argued the 'bloody Prime Minister' was responsible for the Bourke Street stabbing frenzy that left one man dead and two others injured.

'Instead of turning the heat on somebody else, he should answer us about what he did,' Sheikh Omran said.

'He has spent billions of dollars  billions  on security service. And what is the end result? We have crazy people in the street.'

Melbourne teenager Jake Bilardi had reportedly visited the mosque before he became a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2015.

Three other men who had been through its doors were charged in 2016 with plotting a Christmas Day terrorist attack in Melbourne.A surprised mother didn't know she was having twins until she gave birth - leading to her midwife being suspended while an investigation is carried out.

Brooke, surname withheld, gave birth to identical twins in Melbourne on October 19. She chose not have any ultrasounds during her pregnancy.

Midwife Martina Gorner from Ten Moons Homebirth Services delivered the babies. She has since been suspended while an investigation is carried out.

The twins were born premature at 35 weeks and had to be rushed to hospital by ambulance after one of them had breathing difficulties.

The incident has sparked a furious online debate between mothers, as some are accusing the birthing service of negligence for not detecting the multiple pregnancy, while others are defending the midwife and mum for choosing a natural birth with limited medical assistance.

Brooke (pictured), surname withheld, gave birth to twins on October 19 in Melbourne, and didn't realise she was pregnant with identical siblings as she did not have any ultrasound scans

Midwife Martina Gorner (pictured) from Ten Moons Homebirth Services delivered the babies, and she has since been suspended while an investigation is carried out

A post announcing the birth on the Ten Moons Facebook page said it was 'full of unexpected surprises'

A post announcing the birth on the Ten Moons Facebook page said it was 'full of unexpected surprises'.

'Mum gave birth to her sweet little baby boy in water and then we thought the placentra was about to come... but as it turned out there was another baby boy about to make his entrance into the world,' the post read.

'What a super hero mum Brooke is. What an amazing birth!'

The post stirred up some strong debate among commenters.

'This is like advertising your own incompetence. Any decent provider would have noticed it was a multiple pregnancy and treated it like the high risk pregnancy it was. Mum and babies are very lucky,' one person said.

Another asked how the mother did not know she was pregnant with twins to which Ten Moons said: 'Mum decided not to have any scans during this pregnancy'.

Other people said having unexpected twins was not an emergency.

'Emergencies can happen with just one baby too, twins are not an automatic high risk factor,' another person said.

'Good for this mum and her babies.'

The twins were born premature at 35 weeks and had to be rushed to hospital by ambulance after one of them had breathing difficulties

A petition titled 'Mothers have the right to a safe natural birth of their choice' defending Ms Gorner has attracted more than 36,000 signatures, calling her suspension an 'outrageous tragedy'.

'This birth unfortunately had terrible implications for Martina, one of the attending midwives, because when mum brought her happy and healthy babies in for a check-up, a hospital staff member made a complaint and Martina was suspended,' the petition said.

'This, many of us feel, is an outrageous tragedy.'

A Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia spokeswoman told Nine News the organisation could not comment on Ms Gorner's case but that suspensions are 'only taken in the most serious cases when the NBMA believes it is necessary to take action to protect the public'.

'Before a decision to take immediate action is made, a practitioner is given notice and an opportunity to show cause as to why the action is not necessary,' she said.

Other people said having unexpected twins was not an emergencyAustralia has responded to the growing threat of Islamic State in the Philippines by deploying troops to the region.

With over 100 foreign fighters now calling the Filipino island of Mindanao home, the Australian special forces are concerned the caliphate may be searching for a new home, after strongholds in Iraq and Syria were both disbanded.

The foreign fighters known to be hiding out in the community are primarily from Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Middle East, 9News reported.

Australia has responded to the growing threat of Islamic State in the Philippines by deploying troops to the region

Over 1,100 people died and another 300,000 were displaced during the process, but after a five month siege the extremists were overrun and their stronghold liberated

And the reported number is double the estimate the Filipino intelligence agency provided in January of 2018.

Only a year ago, the city of Marawi on the island of Mindanao was freed from the Islamic State control.

Over 1,100 people died and another 300,000 were displaced during the process, but after a five month siege the extremists were overrun and their stronghold liberated.

With over 100 foreign fighters now calling the Filipino island of Mindanao home, the Australian special forces are concerned the caliphate may be searching for a new home

Over 100 Australian military personnel including special forces have been deployed to the region to train local soldiers and contain the threat

But with four separate organisations currently pledged to ISIS in the region - Maute, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, Abu Sayyaf and Ansar Khalifah Philippines - and easy access to the island via boat, the military are struggling to contain the threat.

Over 100 Australian military personnel including special forces have been deployed to the region to train local soldiers and contain the threat.

The mission, named Joint Task Group 629 has successfully trained over 4,500 Filipino army and marine personnel.

Their goal is to teach troops how to best incorporate air and ground officers.

Professor Rommel Banlaoi, chair of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research believes despite the extremists losing their stronghold in Mindanao, the threat is increasing.

'The [foreign fighters] regard Mindanao as the new land of jihad, safe haven and alternative home base,' Prof Banlaoi said.A married man with a young daughter has today been convicted of pretending to be an undercover police officer and forcing an escort to perform a sex act on him.

Daine Robert Johnson, 37, from the Gold Coast, pleaded guilty to one count each of fraud and assume designation or description of a police officer at Southport District Court this morning.

His victim, 24, told the court she performed the sex act reluctantly, adding that it was 'one of the most horrible things I had to do'.

Daine Robert Johnson, 37, from the Gold Coast, pleaded guilty to one count each of fraud and assume designation or description of a police officer at Southport District Court this morning

Judge David Kent sentenced Johnson to two years in prison and ordered that he pay his victim $200 in restitution, The Courier Mail reports.

The incident took place on February 18, 2015 when Johnson had booked time with the sex worker at her unit.

When he arrived, he told her he was an undercover police officer and was fitted with a recording device.

The sex worker had earlier admitted to not holding a licence, and Johnson told her she was consequently committing a crime.

He then said if she performed a sex act on him, he would make a fake recording and she would not be charged.

His victim, 24, told the court she performed the sex act reluctantly, adding that it was 'one of the most horrible things I had to do'

Johnson told the sex worker he was an undercover cop and that she was acting illegally

Crown prosecutor Denise Darwin said Johnson had been blocking the door and she felt intimidated so agreed to his terms.

'She described it as the most sheepish and timid experience of her life,' Ms Darwin said.

Defence barrister Jason Buckland said Johnson did not threaten the woman with violence at any stage.

Johnson served a jail sentence in 2008 for violently assaulting and robbing sex workers after using their services, but has now pledged to change his ways.

'I have my wife and my little daughter now. They are my main concern. I have been trying to make myself a better person,' he said.

Judge Kent warned that any further assaults would see him locked up for 'longer and longer'.

'You need to realise that these complainants and the system does not have to put up with this,' he said.Amazon has confirmed that the two locations for its second headquarters will be based in New York and Northern Virginia, bringing a combined 50,000 new jobs to the two areas.

The retailer plans to build a secondary headquarters site in Long Island City, Queens and another in Arlington's Crystal City neighborhood, Amazon officially announced on Tuesday.

The online retail giant will also locate its East Coast operations hub in Nashville, Tennessee, bringing an additional 5,000 new corporate jobs to the Music City.

The Nashville operations hub will be responsible for the company's customer fulfillment, transportation, supply chain, and other similar activities. It is separate from the new 'dual second headquarters' in New York and Virginia.

This building at 1851 South Bell Street is though to be the location of one of Amazon's new HQs

Bustling 44th Drive in Long Island City could potentially be a location for the new Amazon headquarters with a decision expected to be announced later today

'We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia,' said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, said in a statement.

'These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities.'

Tax incentives offered to Amazon City and state governments offered Amazon the following sweeteners and incentives for choosing the new locations to expand: Long Island City, Queens $1.2 billion refundable state tax credit over 10 years

$325 million cash grant from state over 10 years 'National Landing', Virginia $550 million cash grant from Virginia over 12 years

$23 million cash grant from Arlington over 15 years

$195 million in infrastructure investment near new site Nashville $65 million cash grant from Tennessee over seven years

$15 million cash grant from Nashville over seven years

$21.7 million state tax credit over seven years Advertisement

The decision brings to an end a year-long contest that started with 238 candidates and ended with a surprise split of Amazon's 'HQ2'.

Amazon will build its Queens location in Long Island City, a fast-growing neighborhood directly across the East River from Manhattan's Upper East Side.

The company says New York will give the company $1.25 billion in tax incentives and a $325 million cash grant to locate part of its new headquarters in Queens.

'This is a giant step on our path to building an economy in New York City that leaves no one behind,' New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statment. 'We are thrilled that Amazon has selected New York City for its new headquarters.'

Not everyone was thrilled at the prospect of the new Queens headquarters, however.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 29-year-old socialist recently elected to represent New York's 14th Congressional district in Queens and the Bronx, said that she had been hearing 'outrage' from her constituents over Amazon's plans.

'Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here,' Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter.

'Displacement is not community development. Investing in luxury condos is not the same thing as investing in people and families. Shuffling working class people out of a community does not improve their quality of life,' said the Congresswoman-elect, whose district will include parts of Long Island City.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 29-year-old socialist recently elected to Congress from Queens, voiced her opposition to Amazon building its second headquarters there

The Virginia building will be located in Arlington County's Crystal City and Pentagon City neighborhoods, an area which Amazon is re-branding as 'National Landing'.

The area is adjacent to Ronald Reagan National Airport and across the Potomac River from downtown Washington DC.

Officials in Virginia offered Amazon cash grants totaling $573 million for siting part of their second headquarters there, the company said.

The commonwealth will also invest $195 million in infrastructure in the neighborhood, including improvements to the Crystal City and the Potomac Yards Metro stations and a pedestrian bridge connecting National Landing and Reagan National Airport.

'This is a big win for Virginia  I'm proud Amazon recognizes the tremendous assets the Commonwealth has to offer and plans to deepen its roots here,' said Virginia Governor Ralph Northam in a statement.

'Virginia put together a proposal for Amazon that we believe represents a new model of economic development for the 21st century, and I'm excited to say that our innovative approach was successful.

Both sites are forecast to employ about 50,000 people combined.

For the operations hub in Nashville, which Amazon says will bring 5,000 new jobs, the city will get $80 million in cash grants from the city and state, plus $21.7 million in tax incentives, Amazon said.

Amazon had started their search for a second headquarters with more than 230 candidates before eventually deciding on Queens and Crystal City.

Other cities in the running included Denver, Toronto and Dallas.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had been working feverishly to bring the billion dollar company to New York and at one point said he would 'do whatever I need to do to make it a reality'.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (left) believes the project will work out in the long run with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (right) claiming he is excited about unveiling the plans

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has voiced his concerns about the project but believes it will work out in the long run.

'There will be hassles, there will be challenges, but I think we can accommodate them,' he told reporters last week.

'We will have to invest in infrastructure. I think it will be worth it'.

De Blasio referred to the Amazon move as 'the single biggest economic deal in the history of New York City' while speaking on NY1 Monday.

Part of Amazon's current headquarters (pictured) in Seattle, Washington

'We are talking about a number of jobs that would make this company the single largest private employer in the city when it fully plays out,' the mayor said.

'And, yeah, it will take work to implement properly and we need the company to work well with the neighborhood.

'But I want to say to everyone who is looking at this: We have never seen this magnitude of economic progress in terms huge number of jobs and high quality of jobs'.

The choice of Crystal City in Arlington County as one of the winners could cement Northern Virginia's reputation as a magnet for business and potentially reshape the Washington region into an eastern outpost of Silicon Valley over the next decade.

In picking Crystal City, Amazon opted for a close-in suburban site, just across the Potomac River from Washington and a half-mile from Reagan National Airport.

Outdated buildings and underused properties now fill the site, where some office buildings have yawning vacancies.At least 10 teenagers allegedly bashed a woman after she stepped off a ferry on Monday night.

The 35-year-old was walking through Orleigh Park after getting off the ferry at 10pm at the West End terminal in Brisbane when she allegedly was set upon.

The gang allegedly punched and kicked her, before dragging her toward Brisbane River and making off with her iPad.

At least 10 teenagers ferociously beat up a woman after she got off a ferry on Monday evening (stock)

She was able to fend off the group but was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital with facial injuries and lacerations, police said.

The police dog squad attended the scene soon after and arrested a 14-year-old boy and two girls, aged 14 and 15. They have all been charged with one count of robbery.

Police also located an iPad in the same street the teenagers were found.

Detectives believe at least seven other youths were involved in the attack and have continued their investigations.

Anyone with further information or who may have witnessed the incident is encouraged to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers.Democrats say Republicans are trying to silence their votes while the GOP says their opponents are trying to steal Floridas elections as a contentious recount begins in the Sunshine State on Tuesday.

Floridas governor and Senate races have yet to be determined as a legally mandated recount begins.

Andrew Gillum, the Tallahassee mayor, is less than half of a percentage point behind Republican Ron DeSantis in the race for governor.

Gillum, the Democrat, initially made a concession speech, but he withdrew it days later.

Andrew Gillum, the Tallahassee mayor, is less than half of a percentage point behind Republican Ron DeSantis in the race for governor. He is seen above at a Fort Lauderdale church on Monday

Election workers are seen above sorting ballots on Sunday at the Broward Supervisor of Elections office in Lauderhill, Florida

Palm Beach County election workers check ballots during the machine recount in Riviera Beach on Monday

Even if it takes you into the middle of next week, you better count every vote, Gillum told a Fort Lauderdale church on Monday.

His comments were reported by CBSMiami.

Were not going to be shushed. Were not going to be sat down.

We are not going to be ignored.

Governor Rick Scott, the Republican challenger who faced incumbent Senator Bill Nelson, accused the Democrat of clearly trying to commit fraud by trying to win this election.

He told Fox News on Monday: I won the election.

Im going to focus on getting to Washington and getting my agenda implemented.

Nelson called on his Republican opponent to recuse himself from overseeing the process, and President Trump alleged without evidence that ballots were missing and forged.

Governor Rick Scott, the Republican challenger who faced incumbent Senator Bill Nelson, accused the Democrat of clearly trying to commit fraud by trying to win this election. He told Fox News on Monday: I won the election'

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

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Scott, meanwhile, has filed three lawsuits against election supervisors in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

Dr. Brenda Snipes, the top election official in Broward, has been accused of unlawfully counting ballots that were received after a Saturday deadline.

Ive asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to do an investigation to find out what happened here, but we clearly know the judges have already said they clearly violated the law, said Scott.

Scott is also suing to get voting tabulation machines impounded after the recount.

Nelson issued a statement of his own, accusing Scott of trying to prevent a fair counting of the ballots.

If Rick Scott wanted to make sure every legal ballot is counted, he would not be suing to try and stop voters from having their legal ballot counted as intended, the Democrat said.

An automatic recount was triggered after Tuesday's election result showed Scott leading by just a tiny margin. In the Senate race, Scott's lead over Nelson (left) is 0.14 percentage points

Much of the Republicans ire was centered on Brenda Snipes (above), a Democrat who was appointed in 2003 by then-Republican governor Jeb Bush. She has been re-elected four times. Critics have suggested the slow pace of ballot-counting in Broward is suspicious

President Trump went on to allege that new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged, and that ballots are massively infected.

Gillum replied to the President on Twitter: 'You sound nervous'

Hes doing this for the same reason hes been making false and panicked claims about voter fraud - hes worried that when all the votes are counted hell lose this election.

We will not allow him to undermine the democratic process and will use every legal tool available to protect the rights of Florida voters.

After Republicans, including President Donald Trump, made unsubstantiated accusations of illegal activity, a judge on Monday urged the warring sides in the Florida recount to ramp down the rhetoric, saying it eroded public confidence in the election for Senate and governor.

The states law enforcement arm and elections monitors have found no evidence of wrongdoing, but lawyers for the Republican party and the GOP candidates joined with Trump in alleging that irregularities, unethical behavior and fraud have taken place since the polls closed last week.

An honest vote count is no longer possible in Florida, Trump declared Monday, without elaborating.

He demanded that the election night results - which showed the Republicans leading based upon incomplete ballot counts - be used to determine the winner.

Trump went on to allege that new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged, and that ballots are massively infected.

It was unclear what he was referring to.

Much of the Republicans ire was centered on Snipes, a Democrat who was appointed in 2003 by then-Republican governor Jeb Bush.

She has been re-elected four times.

Critics have suggested the slow pace of ballot-counting in Broward is suspicious.

Broward elections officials have said this years count was encumbered by the unexpectedly high turnout for a midterm election and the unusual length of this years ballots, which contained 12 state constitutional amendment proposals, partly as a result of a constitutional revision commission that meets once every 20 years.

Bush said Monday on Twitter that Snipes should be removed from office, saying there was 'no question' that she 'failed to comply with Florida law on multiple counts, undermining Floridians' confidence in our electoral process.'

Snipes acknowledged Monday that 'there have been issues that havent gone the way we wanted.'

She said 'you can call it a mistake or you can call it whatever you want to call it.'

Gillum (left) withdrew his concession on Saturday. He trails former Rep Ron DeSantis (right) by 0.41 percentage points in the election for governor

She declined to comment on Trumps remarks, except to say that 'were in an era where people oftentimes speak without having vetted the information, so Im not sure where the president gets his information from.'

She said she had not spoken with Trump.

Rebuffing Scotts campaign, state Judge Jack Tuter ruled against the governors request to have local sheriffs seize ballots and machines in Broward County not in use in the recount.

Tuter said that there was no evidence of voter fraud and that Snipes needs to be allowed to do her job and finish the count.

Tuter also appeared to admonish the Scott team for suggesting voter fraud without offering evidence of it.

'Everything the lawyers are saying out there at the elections office is being beamed out across the country. We should be careful what we say,' Tuter said.

'These words mean things these days, as everybody in the room knows.'A Federal Judge has ordered Georgia to wait until Friday to certify the results of the midterm elections amid concerns about the states voter registration system and the handling of provisional ballots.

US District Judge Amy Totenberg ruled late Monday that Georgia must not certify the election results before Friday at 5 pm, which falls before the November 20 deadline set by state law.

Totenberg also ordered the secretary of states office to establish a hotline or website where voters can check whether their provisional ballots were counted.

Democrat Stacey Abrams (left) and Republican Brian Kemp (right) will not find out if they will have to contest each other in an election runoff until Friday, a Federal court judge decided

US District Judge Amy Totenberg ruled late Monday that Georgia must not certify the election results before Friday at 5pm

Current unofficial returns show Republican Brian Kemp leading by a margin that would make him the victor in what has been one of the nations most acrimonious campaigns for Governor.

But Democrat Stacey Abrams maintains enough outstanding votes remain to pull Kemp below the majority threshold and force a December 4 runoff.

Totenbergs order stemmed from a lawsuit filed November 5 by Common Cause Georgia.

It accuses Kemp, who was the states top elections official until he resigned as secretary of state last week, of acting recklessly after a vulnerability in Georgias voter registration database was exposed shortly before the election.

Kemps actions increased the risk that eligible voters could be illegally removed from the voter registration database or have registration information illegally altered, the lawsuit staes.

Sara Henderson, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, said in an emailed statement that the ruling helps increase voter confidence in elections.

Oprah Winfrey and Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams greet the audience during a town hall style event at the Cobb Civic Center on November 1

Former US President Barack Obama and Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams pose for a photo during a campaign rally

A spokeswoman for the secretary of states office did not respond to an email sent late Monday seeking comment.

Abrams explained her refusal to end her bid to become the first black woman elected governor in American history.

In a statement she said: 'I am fighting to make sure our democracy works for and represents everyone who has ever put their faith in it.

'I am fighting for every Georgian who cast a ballot with the promise that their vote would count'.

Kemps campaign retorted that Abrams latest effort is 'a disgrace to democracy' and ignores mathematical realities.

A Fulton County election worker counts provisional ballots on November 8 in Atlanta

'Clearly, Stacey Abrams isnt ready for her 15 minutes of fame to end,' said Kemp spokesman Ryan Mahoney.

As of Monday evening, a hearing had not been scheduled for arguments in the case, but Abrams campaign was expecting a federal court in Atlanta to set a Tuesday hearing given the time sensitivity.

Unofficial returns show Kemp with a lead just shy of 60,000 votes out of more than 3.9 million cast.

Abrams would need a net gain of about 21,000 votes to force a December 4 runoff.

The Georgia race along with Floridas gubernatorial and Senate matchups that are requiring recounts are among the final measures of a midterm election cycle that already has allowed Democrats to deal serious blows to President Donald Trump.

Republican candidate Brian Kemp accused Stacey Abrams of ignoring mathematical realities

Democrats already have won the House, flipped seven governors seats and reclaimed more than 300 state legislative seats in statehouses around the country.

The GOP maintained its Senate majority, and could still expand it. But its looking to hold the governors mansions in Florida and Georgia to deny Democrats important gains in presidential battlegrounds ahead of the 2020 election.

Republicans have occupied the governors mansion in Georgia since 2003 and in Florida since 1999.

Trump has put a premium on the two states, endorsing both Kemp and Floridas GOP nominee Ron DeSantis when they were in competitive GOP primaries and then campaigning in person for them ahead of the November 6 election.

Georgias interim Secretary of State Robyn Crittenden on Monday directed county officials to count some provisional ballots that had been rejected because of voters failure to provide their year of birth, provided the voters identity and eligibility was still established.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the State Election Board asked Crittenden to send a letter instructing county election officials how to handle absentee ballots.Kurt Salzinger, 89, at was Penn Station in New York when a man shoved him to the ground

An 89-year-old Holocaust survivor died Thursday, days after hitting his head when he was pushed at a New York train station.

Kurt Salzinger was on his way to visit Macy's in Herald Square when a man shoved both him and wife Dr Deanna Chitayat, 85, to get on a 3 train toward Brooklyn at Penn Station.

While both fell onto the ground in the incident that was not captured on camera, Salzinger suffered bleeding of the brain, contracted pneumonia and died 12 days later.

The family is awaiting for an official cause of death from the medical examiner.

His family shared he had been in good spirits while in hospital, wral.com reports.

Speaking in front of 100 people at the Riverside Memorial Chapel Sunday daughter Meryl Salzinger said he cheekily asked a nurse what she was doing when she adjusted his bed sheets.

Salzinger (pictured with one of his children) fled the Nazis in 1939 took two-and-a-half years to reach Seattle with family

Salzinger's wife Dr Deanna Chitayat, 85, also fell but he suffered bleeding on the brain, got pneumonia and 12 died days later

100 people at the Riverside Memorial Chapel Sunday to remember him (pictured center with colleagues in 2010)

After the pair joked about her not taking a peek he responded: 'I just don't want her to be disappointed.'

She added to the laughing attendees on the Upper West Side of New York City: 'We cracked up and he sat back with a satisfied smile. It was a testament to his magic that in the middle of the night, he could turn that drab hospital room into a joyous space.'

The man from Austria fled the Nazis in 1939 and took two-and-a-half years to reach Seattle with his father, mother and older brother by taking a Trans-Siberian Railway to Japan then a boat to the United States with an underground Jewish network.

Professor Kurt Salzinger (seconnd left) and wife Deanna Chitayat (left), with his former wife Suzanne Salzinger (bottom right) at the graduation of his grandson Sanjay Day in June 2017

His stepdaughter Mara Chitayat told gatherers about his incredible life as his wife, six children and stepchildren, and four grandchildren said goodbye.

The family is awaiting for an official cause of death from the medical examiner

She added that the behavioral psychology expert who had written 120 research papers and taught at the likes of Hofstra University, Columbia University and City College, was a believer that fascism was on the rise again.

'He felt that there were some parallels to what was happening today and he was very angry about it  that it was reminiscent of the rise of fascism,' Chitayat said.

He also wrote 14 books.

Speaking about his death, she added that the way he died was a reminder of how older people in the community go uncherished.

'It just shows a complete disregard for the elderly,' Chitayat said.Liz Hurley (pictured with her model nephew Miles) is furious at police for dropping the investigation into his stabbing

Liz Hurley has blasted police for dropping their investigation into the stabbing of her model nephew.

Miles Hurley, 21, and his friend were stabbed in the back in a random attack by a stranger in Nine Elms, south west London on March 8.

The Dolce & Gabbana model is believed to have lost four pints of blood in the attack, which saw his aunt, 53, rush home from a trip to the US to be with him.

But she has this week said she is 'annoyed but not surprised' police are not continuing their investigation over a lack of evidence.

Detectives claim there is not enough quality DNA evidence from the street where the pair were attacked to build a full profile of a suspect.

A source close to the actress told The Sun: 'The family were warned the DNA was not of sufficient quality to get a full profile. Liz's concern was that these scumbags who tried to murder Miles are still out there, and will strike again.

'Miles has spent a lot of time recovering and still has nightmares  so to be told there is nothing police can do is upsetting for everyone.'

The Dolce and Gabbana model, 21, and his friend were stabbed in the back (wound pictured) in a random attack by a stranger in Nine Elms, south west London on March 8

At the time, Hurley tweeted: 'My 21-year-old nephew was repeatedly stabbed in a brutal attack in London.

'The police and hospital are being fantastic. Thank you for all your messages. It is an appalling time for him and our family.'

She added: 'He lost more than four pints of blood.

'A policeman was patrolling close by and administered first aid until the ambulance arrived.

'The deepest wound just missed severing his spine. By some miracle, no vital organs were damaged. We are praying that these animals are caught before they maim, or even kill, someone else. These are sad days.'

Images of Miles terrifying injuries were posted on social media at the time but police have now dropped the investigation

According to the newspaper, Miles, who she is very close to, has been 'lying low' at his mother Kate Curran's Hertfordshire home since the attack.

Liz and Miles Hurley have not yet responded to requests for comment.

A Met Police spokesman told MailOnline: 'Police launched an investigation following a stabbing in Ascalon Street on Thursday, 8 March 2018.

'Despite media appeals, CCTV analysis, ANPR and witness enquiries and forensic analysis, unfortunately officers have been unable to identify a suspect/s for this incident and the case was closed on Thursday, 4 October pending any further investigative opportunities.

'Both of the victims, two 21 year old males, have been informed of this development.

CCTV footage from the night of the stabbing in Nine Elms, south west London shows a car that overtook the pair just before they were attacked

'There have been no arrests. Though officers had found DNA at the scene, it was not available in a sufficient enough level to be compared against the national police DNA database and accurately identify any match.

'Should any further investigative opportunities come to light, they will be assessed.

'Anyone with information regarding the incident that may assist police is asked to contact Wandsworth CID on 101 quoting ref: CAD 7495/8March or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.'An Adelaide man accused of trying to suffocate his wife with helium in order to claim her life insurance policy has been granted home detention bail.

Corbus Kenneth Bruns faced Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday, charged with attempted murder over the October assault.

Lawyers for Bruns, who appeared by video-link from prison, indicated he would fight the charge.

Corbus Kenneth Bruns was accused of attempting to suffocate his wife with helium

A police prosecutor told the court Bruns bound and gagged the woman, and put a breathing apparatus connected to a helium canister over her mouth and nose.

Bruns allegedly used his body weight to restrain her and told her 'you're not going anywhere', before putting a plastic bag over her head, tightening his hands around her throat and saying 'this will only take a minute'.

The assault continued 'for a long period of time' before the victim managed to pull her hand free from the binding and escape the house.

Police believe the alleged attack was premeditated and Bruns was motivated by financial benefit.

'They were in serious financial trouble (and) there was a life insurance policy out on the victim,' the court heard.

Police believe the motivations behind the alleged attack was to claim the wife's life insurance

'She is aware that he had been trying to sign over their marital home and forging documents in her name.'

Opposing all forms of bail, the prosecutor said Bruns had been intimidating witnesses from jail, and his release would cause psychological trauma to the victim.

But magistrate Simon Smart granted him home detention bail on strict conditions, including restricted access to financial records.

He will reappear before the court in July, allowing the prosecution time to complete DNA analysis and access forensic banking records.A US airman has been stabbed to death, allegedly by his Japanese girlfriend who is said to have told police that she attacked him when he tried to break up with her and threatened to kill herself afterwards.

Master Sgt. Nicholas Vollweiler, 35, was stabbed to death in his home near the Yokota Air Base on Friday. Police arrested 27-year-old Aria Saito at the scene.

According to Military.com, she told Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department afterwards that she and Vollweiler were 'dating' and she attacked them because they had recently broken up and it had gotten 'complicated'.

'I stabbed a man I was dating with a knife, aiming at his right neck,' she allegedly said.

Master Sgt. Nicholas Vollweiler, 35, was stabbed to death on Friday at his home near the Yokota Air Base. His 'girlfriend', Aria Saito (right) was arrested for his murder

Police are shown at the scene of the killing on Friday. The woman told them she was upset that her boyfriend had tried to break up with her

Vollweiler, who was from Pennsylvania, had tried to break up with her but she did not want their relationship to end, according to local media.

She threatened to kill herself before attacking him, it was reported.

Vollweiler was taken to the hospital but died of his injuries. He was a member of the 374th Security Forces Squadron.

It is unclear how long he had been in Japan or in the Air Force.

A representative could not immediately provide his service record when contacted by DailyMail.com on Tuesday morning.

Colonel Otis Jones said he would be 'missed' by the community.

Vollweiler was a Pennsylvania native and a member of the 374th Security Forces Squadron

'His family, friends, fellow defenders and all of the Yokota community are in our prayers during this heartbreaking time,' he said.

Vollweiler's cousin, Lou Romeo told WNEP, a photographer with the station: 'The first day he put on that uniform, he knew what he wanted to do.

'I regret not facing him one-on-one and looking in his eye and shaking his hand and saying thank you for serving and protecting us.'Turkish media have revealed airport X-ray images they claim shows specialist equipment carried by the Saudi hitmen accused of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Pictures from Istanbul's Ataturk airport show syringes, scissors and staple-guns in the 15-man hit squad's luggage, according to Turkey's pro-government newspaper Sabah.

They also show scalpels, defibrillators, a signal jammer and a taser, the newspaper reported. The images are said to have been taken as the Saudis passed through security checks at the terminal when they left the country.

According to Sabah, no sign of Khashoggi's bodyparts were found in X-ray records from the airport on the day of his death - despite his body still being missing.

X-ray images taken in Istanbul's Ataturk airport of the hit squad's luggage showed syringes and radios. Jamal Khashoggi was killed on October 2 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on the same day the 15-man squad flew in

Another image purportedly showing one of the hit squad member's bags shows a pair of scissors

Two members of the Saudi team which is said to have killed Jamal Khashoggi going through the scanners at Ataturk airport on October 2 where the contents of their bags were pictured

Items found inside the squad's bags included; 10 telephones, five radios and wireless intercoms for those radios, two separate syringes, two defibrillators, one technical monitoring jammer, three staplers and a cutting tool similar to a scalpel.

The presence of the defibrillator suggests the team may have wanted a means of keeping Khashoggi alive if his torture went too far.

The release of the X-ray images reinforces Turkish officials' beliefs that the murder was planned and orchestrated from the Saudi capital Riyadh, rather than being an interrogation gone wrong as Saudi Arabia has previously claimed.

It comes as Turkey's president claimed the audio recordings of Jamal Khashoggi's murder were so 'appalling' that a shocked Saudi intelligence officer who listened to them said the killer must have been on heroin.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on his plane returning from a weekend visit to France that he discussed the Saudi journalist's killing with the US, French and German leaders at dinner in Paris.

Other scans also showed what appeared to be a pair of staple-guns and a taser in the luggage

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) said recordings related to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi are 'appalling' and shocked a Saudi intelligence officer who listened to them

He said the recordings related to the killing of the Washington Post columnist, which Turkey has shared with Western allies, are 'appalling', Turkish media reported on Tuesday.

Khashoggi, a critic of de facto Saudi ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate last month in a hit which Erdogan says was ordered at the 'highest levels' of the Saudi government.

'We played the recordings regarding this murder to everyone who wanted them from us. Our intelligence organisation did not hide anything,' Erdogan said.

'We played them to all who wanted them including the Saudis, the USA, France, Canada, Germany, Britain.

'The recordings are really appalling. Indeed when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recordings he was so shocked he said: 'This one must have taken heroin, only someone who takes who heroin would do this,' he added.

Khashoggi's killing has provoked global outrage but little concrete action by world powers against Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and a supporter of Washington's plans to contain Iranian influence across the Middle East.

Erdogan (pictured with Donald Trump on Saturday) told reporters on his plane he discussed the Saudi journalist's killing with the US, French and German leaders at dinner in Paris

Erdogan said it was clear the murder was planned and that the order came from the top level of Saudi authorities but that he could not think such a thing of King Salman, for whom he has 'limitless respect'.

'The crown prince says 'I will clarify the matter, I will do what is necessary'. We are waiting patiently,' Erdogan said, adding that the perpetrators of the killing were among 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia.

'It must be revealed who gave them the order to murder.'

Erdogan has not given details of the contents of the tapes but two sources with knowledge of the issue have told Reuters that Turkey has several audio recordings.

They include the killing itself and conversations before the operation which Turkey subsequently uncovered, the sources said.

These had led Ankara to conclude from an early stage that the killing was premeditated, despite Saudi Arabia's initial denials of any knowledge or involvement.

Saudi Arabia's prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb has since said Khashoggi's killing was planned in advance, although another Saudi official said Prince Mohammed had no knowledge of the specific operation.

Jamal Khashoggi (pictured) was killed in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate last monthMotorists can give their wallets a break as petrol prices plummet across the nation to as low as 133.2cents a litre.

New South Wales reached an average of 138.9cents a litre on Tuesday, while Victoria reached an average 143.5cents a litre, and Queensland enjoyed 134.1cents a litre.

That is an extraordinary 14.6 per cent fall from last month's decade-high prices which strained the wallets of drivers across the country.

Petrol in Sydney reached an eye-watering $1.75 a litre, Melbourne hit a 10-year high last month, and Adelaide motorists forked out an average of $1.67 a litre.

Motorists can give their wallets a break as petrol prices plummet across the nation (stock)

New South Wales reached an average of 138.9cents a litre on Tuesday (stock image)

Poll Do you think the government needs to do more about the soaring petrol prices? Yes No Unsure Do you think the government needs to do more about the soaring petrol prices? Yes 68 votes

No 3 votes

Unsure 1 votes Now share your opinion





However, this relief might not last long and motorists are advised to continue checking various petrol stations before filling up.

Currently, NSW is the only state where fuel prices are published in real time.

Queensland and South Australia have expressed interest in trialling a similar scheme.

NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury is calling for a national live fuel publication.

Prices are also published on the state government's website and the motoring group's mobile phone app, which has been downloaded close to 840,000 times since its launch in May.

NSW is the only state at the moment with where fuel prices are published in real time (stock)

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is also facing pressure from Coalition MPs to slash the $12 billion a year fuel excise (stock)

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing pressure from Coalition MPs to slash the $12 billion a year fuel excise.

Liberal MP Craig Kelly has called on Mr Morrison to 'substantially reduce' the crippling fuel tax, which adds an extra 40 cents to the cost of every litre.

The fuel tax is levied by the federal government and used to repair roads and fund infrastructure projects.

Mr Morrison put the soaring fuel prices on notice and is pressuring the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissioner (ACCC) Rod Sims, to take action.

'I want some answers out of the ACCC,' Mr Morrison told K Rock 95.5.

'They're the cop on the beat, they're the ones we fund to go out there and monitor why prices are moving up and down and how they're timed.'

The prime minister conceded some factors, such as the international cost of oil, were out of the local market's control, but said the ACCC had powers to investigate if consumers were being hard done by.

'What we can ensure is the people who are selling it here behave,' he said.

'I'm expecting some action.'A teenager who believed he was 'invincible' died in his sleep after he swallowed a single amphetamine tablet during a night out, despite having already suffered two seizures from taking Ecstasy in the past.

Jack Brereton had been repeatedly warned by his family about the dangers of taking party drugs, and his parents had told him that 'he wasn't the same as everybody else', due to him suffering from epilepsy.

However, the 19-year-old was found dead by his mother at their home in Greater Manchester, just hours after his pupils were seen to be dilated during an evening out at a club.

Jack Brereton (left) had been repeatedly warned by his family about the dangers of taking party drugs. The 19-year-old (also right) had recently completed courses with the Princes Trust

During an evening out on May 5 2018, a female friend had asked Jack: 'Why do you look so on it?' - and he replied: 'Because I am'.

Tests revealed Jack died after the amphetamine tablet triggered a deadly seizure which killed him as he lay in bed.

An inquest heard the shop assistant had completed courses with the Princes Trust and the National Citizen Service but suffered from 'absent seizures' which cause sufferers to blank out or stare into space for a few seconds.

His mother Lisa Tennant told the Stockport hearing: 'He was a lovely young man - he did the Princes Trust and did the NCS and he absolutely loved it and he had plans for the future.

'He did experiment with recreational drugs but when he did he had a convulsion and the paramedics were called and we were called.

'We spoke to him in July 2017 about him taking MDMA or ecstasy and he was very embarrassed and he believed his drink was spiked.

Jack (left) was found dead by his mother at their home in Manchester. The teenager (also right) had been out with friends before his death

'But on November 2017 we had a phone call from the paramedics as it happened again and an ambulance was called. We were quite frightened but I was livid at the same time as being worried sick.

'He confirmed he had taken it, we had a conversation with him about it - but I don't think he thought about it being an issue.

'He didn't acknowledge the effect it had on him. He had epilepsy and he pretended he didn't.

Jack (pictured) had been taking amphetamine and meth amphetamine before he died

'Even though we told him he wasn't the same as everybody else in that respect, he thought he was invincible - but he wasn't.'

The tragedy occurred on May 5 when Jack went out with a friend Kai Witty who was due to be staying over that evening.

Mrs Tennant added: 'He messaged later asking me to leave his key out as he had left his key in the house. I didn't hear them come in, they must have been like mice.

A post-mortem report concluded that Jack (pictured above) died of 'sudden unexpected death' and epilepsy due to amphetamine use

'Kai stayed over and when I got up in the morning the key was on the sofa so I knew that he was home. I went into his room to check they were back OK but Jack was face down on the bed as if he was hiding because it was too early.

'Something didn't seem right as he didn't even acknowledge the fact I was there. I couldn't believe it. I was in shock.

'There was other children in the house that I had to keep out of the way so they wouldn't see.

'Kai was in shock. My husband called for paramedics but nothing could be done.'

In a statement Mr Witty said: 'We arranged to go out drinking and I saw him have a couple of bottles of Budweisers but I didn't think Jack took drugs of any kind.

'He previously indicated he had taken drugs before but I never actually saw him take drugs. After we finished we went to get some food from McDonald's. We got back around 4am.

'Before he went to sleep he asked if we were going to sleep straight away and I said I was going to because I was knackered. I didn't wake up until his mum came into the room in the morning.'

Tests showed amphetamine and meth amphetamine was found in Jack's blood, but not in excess.

Jack (pictured) had been told by his family to stop his use of recreational drugs and moderate his alcohol intake by family members

A post-mortem report concluded the teenager died of 'sudden unexpected death' and epilepsy due to amphetamine use.

Det Insp Gina Brennand who investigated said: 'There were two previous incidents, after the last incident his family had spoken to him about his use of drugs and it was agreed he was not to take them again. He was happy in the last few days of his life.

'A friend, Charlotte Summer said he had been out the previous evening and noticed Jack's pupils were dilated and she asked him: 'Why Do you look so on it?' And he said: 'because I am'. He said he had taken a pill but he didn't say what it was or where he had got it from.

WHAT IS MDMA? Ecstasy, known chemically as MDMA or molly, has been used by clubbers for decades due to its effects in helping keep people awake. It can come in the form of various pills and often takes about 30 minutes for its long-lasting effects to kick in, which can include feelings of love. In the UK, possession of any form of ecstasy - considered a Class A drug - comes with a potential jail term of up to seven years. In the US, the jail term can be as severe as 40 years in some states. Drug campaigners warn the biggest of taking MDMA revolves around the fact that many users are unaware of what is in the substance they are taking. It can include other drugs, such as PMA, which can be fatal in lower doses than MDMA itself. The Office for National Statistics recorded an eight fold increase in ecstasy deaths last year compared to 5 years ago. The statistics showed that 63 people died from taking MDMA in 2016 - significantly higher than that of the record low in 2010 of eight deaths. Advertisement

'They left a bar at 2am. They had been drinking alcohol during the course of the evening and went home.

'Jack asked Kai if he wanted to sleep straight away or stay up for a bit and Kai told Jack he was knackered so they went to sleep.

'There was no evidence of their being third party involvement.'

Jack's GP Dr Andrew Stringer said: 'He was diagnosed in May 2014 with epilepsy. He was on medication but then he didn't have any spells for some years so he was taken off the medication.

'He had been taken to A&E after some convulsions after taking ecstasy. He was told to stop his use of recreational drugs and moderate his alcohol intake by family.

Coroner Alison Mutch recorded a conclusion of accidental death and told Mrs Tennant: 'I know it's terrible to talk about somebody in these circumstances, especially speaking about a child at that age, the sense of shock you felt on that day is evident.

'It came across in your evidence that he was a picture of a young man who was prepared to work in the community, he successfully completed the NCS and he was successful with the Princes Trust.

'He was offered a job and was looking forward to starting that, he had a sense of achievement which comes with working. It is clear he came from a supportive family and you were very close.

'You did speak to him about his taking of amphetamine but you did summarise it yourself by saying that teenagers think they are invincible. Who knows what was going on in his mind.

'His friends had no concern at all in the evening leading up to his death. They crashed in Jack's room, his friend slept on the floor and Jack slept in his bed.

'When you found Jack he was probably dead. Nothing more could have been done for Jack.

'He thought he was not a child anymore, but he was your child. He had an unwitnessed seizure triggered by the use of amphetamine.

'He was a young man from a loving family who spoke to him and notified him about the effects of recreational drugs. It's difficult to say what could have been done and its difficult to say why he experimented in the way he did.'A 21-year-old with alleged anger issues has been granted bail after reportedly punching a paramedic during a road rage incident.

Joshua Burke allegedly inflicted nasty injuries on the student paramedic, 23, in Sommerville, east Melbourne on Thursday, using a deodorant can.

Burke claims he was acting in self-defense, 9 News reported.

A 21-year-old with alleged anger issues has been granted bail after reportedly punching a paramedic during a road rage incident (pictured: paramedic)

Joshua Burke (pictured leaving court) allegedly inflicted nasty injuries on the student paramedic, 23, in Sommerville, east Melbourne on Thursday, using a deodorant can

Joshua Burke, 21, allegedly became enraged after a 23-year-old paramedic, known as Erin, flashed her headlights at him after he cut her off while driving along Bungower Road in Sommerville, east Melbourne.

After pulling over to the side of the road, Burke approached her car and allegedly began to bash her over the head, delivering multiple blows using a can of deodorant.

Burke also allegedly smashed her car window and kicked her side mirror.

Erin was taken to hospital with serious injuries to her face, including a broken eye socket. Her eyebrow super-glued back together.

The student paramedic may have to undergo surgery.

Burke also allegedly smashed her car window and kicked her side mirror (pictured)

Burke is on trial for a string of offences, including assaulting an emergency worker, intentionally causing serious injury, possessing cannabis and a controlled weapon.

The 21-year-old Woolworths worker has anger issues, the court heard.

Burke was granted bail on the premise he has no prior offenses and his family are able to provide him with a support network.

Burke's mother held a white shirt protectively over her son's face as they left Frankston Magistrates Court on Monday.

She has reportedly booked her son in for an appointment with a psychologist.

The trial continues.President Donald Trump again weighed in on Florida's election recount Tuesday, calling for the state's Democratic senator to admit he lost and again implied two counties' election officials are trying to steal the election from the Republicans without offering any proof.

Trump tweeted out Tuesday morning, 'When will Bill Nelson concede in Florida? The characters running Broward and Palm Beach voting will not be able to 'find' enough votes, too much spotlight on them now!' Nelson is narrowly losing his re-election bid to Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who has also accused Broward and Palm Beach of fraud.

Both the state elections department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which are run by Republican appointees, have said they have seen no evidence of voter fraud anywhere in the state and a Broward judge challenged anyone who has evidence of fraud to file a report.

President Donald Trump called on Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson (pictured) to concede while votes are still being counted

But there have been problems. Palm Beach said it won't finish its recount by the Thursday deadline. And in oft-criticized Broward County, additional sheriff's deputies were sent to guard ballots and voting machines, a compromise aimed at alleviating concerns.

White House spokeswoman Mercedes Schlapp said Tuesday the president 'obviously has his opinion' on the recount. Trump on Monday tweeted that 'An honest vote count is no longer possible' in Florida, without elaborating, and said 'new ballots showed up out of nowhere.' It was unclear what he was referring to. He demanded that the election night results - which showed the Republicans leading based upon incomplete ballot counts - be used to determine the winner.

'It's been incredibly frustrating to watch. You have a 12,000-vote gap and the other candidate refuses to concede,' Schlapp said, referring to Scott's opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. 'So I think at this point that it's going to go through the process of the manual recount and the machine recount and we'll see what happens, but we're confident that Rick Scott will be the next senator of Florida.'

Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes, right, shows a ballot box that was found in a rental car after the elections and turned out to only contain election day supplies, as election employees sort ballots and prepare to count them, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, in Lauderhill, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami-Dade Election Center supervisors recount the ballots and are already halfway through the recount total on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018

An election worker calibrates a new vote counting machine, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, at the Broward Supervisor of Elections office in Lauderhill, Fla. The Florida recount continued Monday in Broward County

Miami-Dade Election Center supervisors recount the ballots and are already halfway through the recount on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018

State law requires a machine recount in races where the margin is less than 0.5 percentage points. In the Senate race, Scott's lead over Nelson was 0.14 percentage points. In the governor's contest, unofficial results showed Republican former Rep. Ron DeSantis ahead of Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by 0.41 percentage points.

Once the recount is complete, if the differences in any of the races are 0.25 percentage points or less, a hand recount will be ordered. All 67 counties face a state-ordered deadline of Thursday to finish their recounts.

Broward Chief Circuit Judge Jack Tuter held an emergency hearing Monday on a request by Scott's lawyers that deputies be put in charge of ballots and voting machines that aren't being used until the recount is over.

The characters running Broward and Palm Beach voting will not be able to 'find' enough votes, too much spotlight on them now!' wrote Trump

An attorney for Election Supervisor Brenda Snipes described layers of security including keycard and password access to rooms where ballots are kept, secured by deputies and monitored by security cameras and representatives of both campaigns and parties.

Scott's lawyers had alleged in court documents that Snipes was engaging in 'suspect and unlawful vote counting practices' that violate state law and that she might 'destroy evidence of any errors, accidents or unlawful conduct.'

The judge said he could see no evidence of any violations, and said 'I am urging because of the highly public nature of this case to ramp down the rhetoric.'

'If someone in this lawsuit or someone in this county has evidence of voter fraud or irregularities at the supervisor's office, they should report it to their local law enforcement officer,' Tuter said.

'If the lawyers are aware of it, they should swear out an affidavit, but everything the lawyers are saying out there in front of the elections office is being beamed all over the country. We need to be careful of what we say. Words mean things these days.'

Meanwhile, Elections Supervisor Mark Andersen in heavily Republican Bay County told the Miami Herald on Monday that he allowed about 150 people to cast ballots by email, which is illegal under state law. The county was devastated by a Category 4 hurricane in October, and Scott ordered some special provisions for early voting there.

Manatee County, south of Tampa Bay, had to restart its recount Monday because a needed button on the machine wasn't pushed. The error was caught after about a quarter of the county's nearly 165,000 votes had been recounted, said Michael Bennett, the county's Republican elections supervisor. It shouldn't affect the county's ability to meet Thursday's deadline.

In Palm Beach, Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher said the county's 11-year-old tallying machines aren't fast enough to complete the recount by Thursday. The county is doing the Senate race first and will then do the governor. If the deadline is not met in a race, the results it reported last Saturday will stand.

___

Associated Press writers Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg, Florida; Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida; and Darlene Superville in Washington, D.C.; contributed to this report.

___

For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. midterm elections: http://apne.ws/APPolitics .

Miami-Dade Election Center supervisors recount the ballots and are already halfway through the recount total on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. (C.M. Guerrero/Miami Herald via AP)

An election worker calibrates a new vote counting machine, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, at the Broward Supervisor of Elections office in Lauderhill, Fla. The Florida recount continued Monday in Broward County. (Joe Cavaretta /South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Miami-Dade Election Center supervisors recount the ballots and are already halfway through the recount on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. (C.M. Guerrero/Miami Herald via AP)

Sorted ballots are seen Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, at the Broward Supervisor of Elections office in Lauderhill, Fla. The Florida recount continued Monday in Broward County. (Joe Cavaretta /South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Employees at the Broward County Supervisor of Elections office check a machine as they sort ballots before being counted, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, in Lauderhill, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)Boris Johnson today dramatically called on Cabinet ministers to resign over Theresa May's Brexit deal - warning it will turn Britain into a 'vassal state'.

He said the agreement is 'as bad as it could possibly be' and urged his ex-Cabinet colleagues to 'chuck it out', warning that the proposals made a 'nonsense of Brexit'.

He unleashed his fury as the plan's details leaked out, showing the UK will stay in a customs deal with the EU, while Northern Ireland will have more regulatory checks.

The PM faced a barrage from all sides as Remainers also turned their fire on her plan at a massive anti-Brexit rally in Westminster tonight.

While the DUP - which is propping Mrs May up in power - said she appeared to have caved into Brussels and if that is the case they 'could not possibly vote for' her deal.

If they pull their support for the PM then they could send her administration crashing down - ending her time in Number Ten.

Mr Johnson said: 'It's vassal state stuff as for the first time in 1,000 years this Parliament will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is utterly unacceptable to anybody who believes in democracy.'

Asked by Sky News what Cabinet ministers should do, he said: 'I think they should have some guts and determination and man up and woman up and chuck it out - it is not the right way forward.'

Allies of Mr Johnson added: 'Anyone who doesn't resign now will give up any chance of the leadership.'

Mrs May tonight dramatically summoned her Cabinet one by one to Number Ten to brief them on the plan as she faces the political battle of her life to get it signed off.

Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured in Parliament today) chairman of the influential European Research Group of dozens of Tory MPs, said the deal is a failure of the Government's negotiating position

Chancellor Philip Hammond (left) - one of the supporters of a soft Brexit - and Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom (right) - on the Brexiteer side of the argument - were spotted in Downing Street tonight

She will call an emergency Cabinet meeting tomorrow where she hopes to get their formal seal of approval for the deal.

But many of her ministers have been placed on resignation watch amid fears they could heed calls by Tory Brexiteers for them to walk out over the plan.

Mrs May hopes that by making personal appeals she can cut the risk of resignations by Brexiteers when the senior team gathers again at 2pm tomorrow.

What have politicians said about Theresa May's Brexit plan? Here are what some of the UK's leading politicians have said abut Theresa May's Brexit plan: Boris Johnson, ex Foreign Secretary 'It's vassal state stuff as for the first time in 1,000 years this Parliament will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is utterly unacceptable to anybody who believes in democracy.' Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP 'The withdrawal agreement is a legally binding treaty which will shape our nation for the next generation. It will bind future governments and Prime Ministers. 'Without a clean exit clause, the United Kingdom would be handcuffed to the European Union with Brussels holding the keys.' Ian Duncan Smith, Tory MP Brexiteer former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it looked like the government was 'breaking their own agreed position and will be bringing back something that is untenable'. He added that 'if the Cabinet agrees it, the party certainly won't'. Nigel Dodds, DUP, deputy leader DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said: 'If the reports are as we are hearing, then we couldn't possibly vote for that.' Mark Francois, Tory MP 'The Cabinet is at the apogee of our political system. Those members of the Cabinet  what they do in the next 24 hours will probably be the most important thing that they do in their lives,' he told reporters. 'And they now have an opportunity to stand up for their country and to defend its destiny. We very much hope that they will take it.' Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader 'We will look at the details of what has been agreed when they are available. 'But from what we know of the shambolic handling of these negotiations, this is unlikely to be a good deal for the country. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland First Minister 'If the PM's 'deal' satisfies no-one and can't command a majority, we mustn't fall for her spin that the UK crashing out of EU without a deal is then inevitable - instead we should take the opportunity to get better options back on the table. 'Also, though the Withdrawal proposals will get most attention initially, the declaration on future relationship is just as important. If that is vague and dodges tough issues, a blindfold Brexit would beckon - it would be deeply irresponsible for parliament to sanction that.' Advertisement

However, even if the premier survives the crunch session with her Cabinet unscathed, she is facing a massive task to push the deal through the Commons.

The European Research Group (ERG) - the powerful body including dozens of Eurosceptic Tory MPs - furiously denounced the blueprint.

And the DUP - whose ten MPs hold the balance of power in the Commons - also lashed it.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said warned it risks leaving the UK 'handcuffed to the European Union with Brussels holding the keys'.

The dramatic movement came as the clock runs down on a deadline for triggering an EU summit that could approve a divorce package this month.

If it was not met, staging a vote in Parliament had appeared impossible.

EU and UK negotiators are said to have agreed a text for a 'backstop' to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic last night.

Mrs May's envoy Olly Robbins and Michel Barnier's deputy Sabine Weyand have been working into the early hours as the key issue threatened to derail the whole process.

But Tory Brexiteers are incandescent at the idea that the UK will not be able to exit the 'backstop' unilaterally.

Instead, the two sides are thought to have agreed that there can be a 'review' mechanism with independent arbitration.

And the DUP fear that Mrs May has agreed extra regulatory checks in Northern Ireland - and warned this would breach their red line.

Mrs Foster said: 'We want a sensible deal which works for Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom and our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland.

'But our desire for a deal will not be superseded by a willingness to accept any deal.

'An agreement which places new trade barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain will fundamentally undermine the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom. That is not acceptable.

'Over time, such a deal will weaken the Union. No unionist Prime Minister could argue that such a deal is in the national interest.

'It would be democratically unacceptable for Northern Ireland trade rules to be set by Brussels.

'Northern Ireland would have no representation in Brussels and would be dependent on a Dublin government speaking up for our core industries. The withdrawal agreement is a legally binding treaty which will shape our nation for the next generation.

'It will bind future governments and Prime Ministers. Without a clean exit clause, the United Kingdom would be handcuffed to the European Union with Brussels holding the keys.

'At least the United Kingdom people could vote to leave the European Union.'

She said she is 'heartened' by support from Labour and Tory MPs who have pledged to stand with the DUP.

She added: 'These are momentous days and the decisions being taken will have long-lasting ramifications. The Prime Minister must win the support of the Cabinet and the House of Commons. Every individual vote will count.'

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said: 'If the reports are as we are hearing, then we couldn't possibly vote for that.'

Brexiteer former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it looked like the government was 'breaking their own agreed position and will be bringing back something that is untenable'.

He added that 'if the Cabinet agrees it, the party certainly won't'.

Asked if the Government's days were numbered he said: 'If this is the case almost certainly, yes.

'Because they are in real trouble if they bring back something that is unacceptable to the party.'

Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the ERG, said the deal would leave the UK a 'slave' to Brussels.

He said: First of all the backstop of the customs union  it is harder to leave the customs union under the proposed backstop than it is currently.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox (pictured leaving Downing Street tonight) was among the ministers who arrived to see the Prime Minister

Theresa May (pictured at Downing Street this week) tried to head off the mounting unrest by saying she will not do a deal 'at any cost'

Former minister Jonathan Djanogly accused Brexiteers of 'throwing their toys out of the pram' before even seeing the full terms of the deal

'So we go from being a vassal to being a slave, which seems to me to be a grave error.

The Northern Ireland bit is really seriously. The rules for Northern Ireland would potentially be more made in Dublin than they will in either Belfast or in London, and that is an improper way to treat part of our country.

Then there is the issue of what we are going to pay 39billion for when we have no idea what the future agreement is going to be, or how that will be laid out.

'And of course once we have left the European Union the ECJ should have no role in our affairs.

Fellow Tory MP Mark Francois urged Cabinet to stand up against the Brexit deal.

'The Cabinet is at the apogee of our political system. Those members of the Cabinet  what they do in the next 24 hours will probably be the most important thing that they do in their lives,' he told reporters.

How has Theresa May tried to resolve the Irish border issue? The Brexit divorce negotiations have boiled down to the issue of the Irish border. The line between Northern Ireland and the Republic will be the UK's only land border with the EU after we leave the bloc. Brussels had initially demanded that Northern Ireland stays within its jurisdiction for customs and most single market rules to avoid a hard border. But Mrs May flatly rejected the idea, saying she would not agree to anything that risked splitting the UK. Instead, the government has mooted a temporary customs union for the whole UK, and accepted the need for extra regulatory checks in the Irish Sea. Brussels has also given ground, and appears to have signed up to a UK-wide backstop in the divorce deal. That left the mechanism for ending the backstop as the final hurdle to overcome - but the two sides had different views. These were the options on the table: UNILATERAL EXIT Dominic Raab and other ministers argued that the UK should be able to scrap the backstop arrangements by giving three to six months' notice. That would have assuaged Eurosceptic fears that the country could end up being trapped in an inferior customs union indefinitely, unless the EU gives permission for it to stop or a wider trade deal is sealed. ALL-WEATHER BACKSTOP For its part, the EU has been adamant that the backstop must offer an 'all-weather' solution to the Irish border issue and stay in place 'unless and until' it is superseded by other arrangements. The bloc has already effectively killed off calls for a hard end date to the backstop - and No10 had been convinced over recent weeks that a simple unilateral notice period would not unlock the talks. COMPROMISE PLAN A way through seemed to materialise when Mrs May and Irish PM Leo Varadkar discussed a 'review mechanism' for the backstop last week. It could involve an independent arbitration body assessing whether the terms were being honoured and if the arrangement should be ended. Potentially this would allow Mrs May to say the backstop would not go on for ever. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox - an eminent QC and strident Brexiteer - had been involved in coming up with a text that satisfies both sides. But the devil will be in the detail, and the success of the package depends on whether Mrs May can convince ministers and MPs there are 'robust' ways for the UK to escape. Advertisement

'And they now have an opportunity to stand up for their country and to defend its destiny. We very much hope that they will take it.'

But other Tories condemned their colleagues' uncompromising response.

Simon Hart, leader of the Brexit Delivery Group which is fighting to get a deal over the line in time for exit day, told MailOnline: 'This is now judgment day. Every minister and MP needs to weigh up what's on offer, compare it with alternative outcomes and make their decision and live with the consequences.

'Using this moment to play politics or grandstand will rightly be greeted with dismay by all our voters, irrespective of whether they voted to leave or remain.

'We are looking for calm assessment of the position not the political hysteria which has been all too frequent when discussing Europe.'

Writing on Twitter, Conservative MP Jonathan Djanogly asked: 'How come all these Brexiteers are throwing their toys out of the pram .... before we know the deal terms.'

Chief whip Julian Smith said ministers would want to study the agreement carefully but said he was confident they could get it through the Commons.

'I am confident that we will get this through Parliament and that we can deliver on what the Prime Minister committed to on delivering Brexit,' he told reporters.

'The negotiation team have been working through the night for the last few weeks and we're hopefully on the cusp of beginning to get to the point where we are delivering on Brexit in a really practical way.'

'Could it be that they always intended us to jump naked off the cliff whatever the terms!'

Opposition leaders and Remainers also rounded on Mrs May's Brexit deal, and said she would not be able to get it through Parliament.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: 'If the PM's 'deal' satisfies no-one and can't command a majority, we mustn't fall for her spin that the UK crashing out of EU without a deal is then inevitable - instead we should take the opportunity to get better options back on the table.

'Also, though the Withdrawal proposals will get most attention initially, the declaration on future relationship is just as important. If that is vague and dodges tough issues, a blindfold Brexit would beckon - it would be deeply irresponsible for parliament to sanction that.'

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: 'We will look at the details of what has been agreed when they are available.

'But from what we know of the shambolic handling of these negotiations, this is unlikely to be a good deal for the country.

'Labour has been clear from the beginning that we need a deal to support jobs and the economy - and that guarantees standards and protections. If this deal doesn't meet our six tests and work for the whole country, then we will vote against it.'

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable warned the Prime Minister would not be able to get the agreement through Parliament and called for a second referendum as 'the only way to escape from this mess'.

He said: 'Any Brexit deal will leave the UK weakened and the public poorer. Before the ink is dry, the Conservative Party will tear into what little Theresa May has been able to agree.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling (left) and Health Secretary Matt Hancock (right) were among the ministers going into No10 tonight

Chief Whip Julian Smith was also in Downing Street tonight (pictured) before insisting he was confident the deal could be past in Parliament

'The Prime Minister now faces a defeat in Parliament, as a majority will be hard or impossible to secure for what she has come up with.'

A source told RTE that the agreement - which runs to between 400 and 500 pages - was now 'as stable as it can be' and had been sent to Downing Street.

A No10 spokesman said: 'Cabinet will meet at 2pm tomorrow to consider the draft agreement the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels, and to decide on next steps.

'Cabinet Ministers have been invited to read documentation ahead of that meeting.'

The EU's mechanisms for summoning a special summit at the end of November will now swing into action - with a meeting of ambassadors due tomorrow evening and foreign ministers due to gather on Monday.

But Mrs May must still get it past an increasing restive Cabinet, before running the gauntlet of vehement opposition from Remainers and Brexiteers in Parliament.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss came to No10 to be briefed on the deal tonight

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab is said to be spearheading a group of ministers who have been warning that crashing out of the EU would be better than caving into EU demands.

Mr Raab has apparently being trying to harden the resolve of colleagues by assuring them that a no-deal Brexit can be 'managed'.

Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt yesterday insisted the Cabinet would act as a 'check' on what kind of deal the premier agrees to.

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom and Work and Pensions Secretary Andrea Leadsom have also been put on 'resignation watch' by No10.

Mrs May used a speech in London last night to try and head off the disquiet, saying she will not do a deal 'at any cost'.

In her annual address to the Lord Mayor's Banquet, she said negotiations were approaching 'the end game'.

But she stressed there were still 'significant' issues that continue to block the path to a deal with Brussels.

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington gave the first hints at progress this morning, saying the two sides were within 'touching distance'.

'We are not quite there yet. This was always going to be an extremely difficult, extremely complex negotiation but we are almost within touching distance now,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today.

'But, as the PM has said, it can't be a deal at any price. It has got to be one that works in terms of feeling we can deliver on the referendum result and that is why there is a measure of caution.'

Mr Lidington admitted that the government would need to trigger large scale no-deal plans soon if there is no resolution - but played down suggestions this week is a hard deadline to launch contingencies and avoid the UK being unprepared to leave without an agreement.

A draft Brexit deal agreed - but how WILL Theresa May persuade her Cabinet, Brussels and Parliament to back it (and save her job)? Theresa May (pictured at the Lord Mayor's Banquet on Monday) has struck a Brexit deal with Brussels - but now has to sell it to her Cabinet and then Parliament Emergency EU Summit, Brussels, November 25 What will happen? If the divorce package is agreed between the two sides, it will need to be signed off by EU leaders. EU council president Donald Tusk will convene a summit where formal approval will be given by EU leaders. This is expected sometime between November 22 and 25. Will the whole deal be agreed? The Brexit deal is due to come in two parts - a formal divorce treaty and a political declaration on what the final trade deal might look like. The second part may not be finished until a regular EU summit due on December 13-14. Assuming the negotiations have reached an agreement and Mrs May travels to Brussels with her Cabinet's support, this stage should be a formality. What if there is no agreement? If EU leaders do not sign off on the deal at this stage, no deal becomes highly likely - there is just no time left to negotiate a wholly new deal. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured) is still a crucial figure in the Brexit drama The so-called 'meaningful vote' in the UK Parliament, December 2019 What will happen: A debate, probably over more than one day, will be held in the House of Commons on terms of the deal. It will end with a vote on whether or not MPs accept the deal. More than one vote might happen if MPs are allowed to table amendments. The vote is only happening after MPs forced the Government to accept a 'meaningful vote' in Parliament on the terms of the deal. What happens if May wins? If the meaningful vote is passed, there will be a series of further votes as the withdrawal treaty is written into British law. It will be a huge political victory for the Prime Minister and probably secure her version of Brexit. What happens if she loses? This is possibly the most dangerous stage of all. The Prime Minister will have to stake her political credibility on winning a vote and losing it would be politically devastating. Brexiteers do not want to sign off the divorce bill without a satisfactory trade deal and Remainers are reluctant to vote for a blind Brexit. She could go back to Brussels to ask for new concessions before a second vote but many think she would have to resign quickly. The Prime Minister (pictured at the EU Council in June) has made clear the UK will leave without a deal if MPs reject her package Ratification in the EU, February 2019 What will happen? After the meaningful vote in the UK, the EU will have to ratify the agreement. The European Parliament must also vote in favour of the deal. It has a representative in the talks, Guy Verhofstadt, who has repeatedly warned the deal must serve the EU's interests. Will it be agreed? In practice, once the leaders of the 27 member states have agreed a deal, ratification on the EU side should be assured. If the deal has passed the Commons and she is still in office, this should not be dangerous for the Prime Minister. Exit day, March 29, 2019 At 11pm on March 29, 2019, Britain will cease to be a member of the European Union, two years after triggering Article 50 and almost three years after the referendum. Exit happens at 11pm because it must happen on EU time. If the transition deal is in place, little will change immediately - people will travel in the same way as today and goods will cross the border normally. But Britain's MEPs will no longer sit in the European Parliament and British ministers will no longer take part in EU meetings. Negotiations will continue to turn the political agreement on the future partnership into legal text that will eventually become a second treaty. Both sides will build new customs and immigration controls in line with what this says. Transition ends, December 2020 The UK's position will undergo a more dramatic change at the end of December 2020, when the 'standstill' transition is due to finish. If the negotiations on a future trade deal are complete, that could come into force. But if they are still not complete the Irish border 'backstop' plan could be triggered. Under current thinking, that means the UK staying in the EU customs union and more regulatory checks between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Eurosceptics fear this arrangement will prevent the country striking trade deals elsewhere, and could effectively last for ever, as Brussels will have no incentive to negotiate a replacement deal. Advertisement

At a 45-minute Cabinet meeting this morning, Mrs May said there were only a few issues to be finalised and UK officials were pushing for the 'best text that can be negotiated'.

But Mr Johnson tore into 'stage managed delays' to the Brexit process, saying people should not be 'fooled by this theatre' and a 'surrender' by the government is imminent.

'No one is fooled by this theatre. Delay after staged managed delay,' he wrote on Twitter.

'A deal will be reached and it will mean surrender by the UK.

'We will be doomed to remain in the customs union and under Brussels' regulatory control. People did not vote for colony status.

'The future can be bright if only we change course now.'

Michel Barnier seemed to make a bid to bounce the UK into a deal yesterday, after he briefed EU ambassadors that a deal was 'largely' done and could be put to the Cabinet this morning.

Downing Street dismissed the claim as 'total b******s'.

There had been warnings that failure to agree a package by tomorrow would reduce the prospects of a special Brexit summit in Brussels this month close to zero.

The next available opportunity would not be until mid-December - killing Mrs May's chances of holding a vote in Parliament before Christmas.

Among the ministers at the Cabinet meeting today were (left to right) Jeremy Hunt, Liz Truss, and Esther McVey

Michel Barnier (pictured in Brussels this week) seemed to make a bid to bounce the UK into a deal, after he briefed EU ambassadors a deal was 'largely' done

Dominic Raab (pictured right in Downing Street with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson this morning) has apparently being trying to harden the resolve of colleagues by assuring them that a no-deal Brexit can be 'managed'

Mr Raab is said to have met for drinks with other senior Brexiteers in Trade Secretary Liam Fox's office last night to discuss their concerns.

Mrs May told the audience at Guildhall in London that while both sides wanted a viable withdrawal agreement, 'what we are negotiating is immensely difficult'.

She added: 'Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit, and I am determined to deliver for them.

'I want them to know that I will not compromise on what people voted for in the referendum. This will not be an agreement at any cost.'

She repeated her assertion that a deal must give the UK control of 'our laws, borders and money', plus the freedom to strike trade deals while protecting jobs, security and the Union.

The growing Remainer backlash against Brexit was illustrated last week when Jo Johnson, brother of former foreign secretary Boris, quit as transport minister demanding a second referendum.

Writing in The Times, he said what was being offered was a false choice 'between vassalage and chaos' and backed the campaign for a People's Vote.

Mr Johnson said: 'We're today in the extraordinary position where even the staunchest advocates of Brexit, including my brother Boris, publicly admit we'd be better off staying in the EU than with the PM's deal.'

'That's why the argument the government will present for its hopeless package is not that it is better for Britain than our current membership.

'The only case she (Mrs May) can try to make is that it is better than the alternative of leaving the EU with no deal at all. Well, that's a low bar indeed.

'How have our ambitions for our country fallen this far this fast? We can and must do better.'

In a move that could either provide a boost or an additional headache for Mrs May, senior EU officials are due to discuss whether UK citizens should be required to obtain a GBP52 (60 euro) visa to enter the EU after Brexit.

The college of commissioners will meet in Strasbourg where they will receive an update on Brexit negotiations from Mr Barnier.

But also due to be on the agenda is whether Britain should be treated as a 'third country' whose citizens would require a permit to visit the continent.

Who are the Cabinet ministers who could resign over Brexit and how damaging would their exits be? With the Brexit deal thrashed out in principle between the UK and EU negotiating teams, Theresa May now faces the tough challenge of getting her Cabinet to support it. Here are the Cabinet ministers who Number Ten fear could walk over the agreement, and an assessment of how damaging their departures could be. The Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey (pictured in Downing St today) is one of the Cabinet's leading Brexiteers Esther McVey, Work and Pensions Secretary Ms McVey is one of the cabinet's leading Brexiteers. She was said to have been unhappy at the way the Brexit talks were heading fearing that the plan for an Irish border backstop could keep Britain trapped inside the EU customs union. She was only promoted to the Cabinet in January this year, is not a household name, and did not play a big role in the Leave campaign as she did not have a parliamentary seat when the Brexit referendum was run. Damage score: 4/10 As Britain's second Brexit Secretary in six months, Dominic Raab (pictured in Downing Street today) is a central player in the Cabinet Dominic Raab, Brexit Secretary As Britain's second Brexit Secretary in six months, Mr Raab is a central player in the Cabinet. The ardent Brexiteer was one of the faces of the Vote Leave campaign, and was promoted to his post in June after David Davis quit in fury at the Chequers plan. While he has maintained his loyalty to Theresa May publicly, he has been a fierce critic of EU blocking the UK from ensuring it could leave the EU customs union unilaterally. Losing a second Brexit Secretary in six months would be hugely damaging to the PM. Damage score : 9/10 Andrea Leadsom (pictured in Downing Street last month) was a leading face with Vote Leave Andrea Leadsom, leader of the Commons Another leading campaigner with the Vote leave campaign, she had been a contender for the Tory leadership before withdrawing - clearing the way for Theresa May's coronation. She is a committed Brexiteer who has largely kept out of the rows over the PM's strategy. But she pointedly refused to back Mrs May to stay on as Prime Minister in the long-run last month. Damage Score: 6/10 Michael Gove (pictured in Downing St yesterday) was the frontman of the Vote Leave campaign alongside Boris Johnson Michael Gove, Environment Secretary Alongside Boris Johnson, Micheal Gove was the frontman of the Vote Leave campaign - breaking ranks with his long-time and close friend David Cameron to campaign to quit the EU. After the resignations of Mr Johnson and David Davis, he is one of the final leading Brexiteers still sticking with Mrs May and in the Cabinet. His resignation would be a body bow to the PM - and a sign that she had finally lost support of most of the Brexiteer wing of her party. Damage Score: 9/10 Penny Mordaunt (pictured in Downing Street) never explicitly backed Theresa May's Chequers Brexit plan - only saying that she backed the PM. Penny Mordaunt, International Development Secretary A leading Brexiteer popular with Tory MPs, Penny Mordaunt was promoted to the Cabinet last November. She never explicitly backed Theresa May's Chequers Brexit plan - only saying that she backed the PM. She is often named as one of the Cabinet ministers most likely to walk over Brexit - but if she does go she risks cutting her cabinet career short. Damage Score: 5/10 Liam Fox (pictured in Downing Street yesterday) long-time Brexiteer, he was one of the trio of leading Eurosceptics - alongside Boris Johnson and David Davis - elevated to the Cabinet after Theresa May was made Tory leader Liam Fox, International Trade Secretary A long-time Brexiteer, he was one of the trio of leading Eurosceptics - alongside Boris Johnson and David Davis - elevated to the Cabinet after Theresa May was made Tory leader. He has largely stayed out of the political Brexit rows which have plunged the PM's government into one crisis after another. But if he did quit it would show that Mrs May is losing her influence over the Brexiteers. Damage Score: 6/10 AdvertisementThis is the shocking moment an oil tanker loses control and crashes into the side of another vessel while on voyage.

CCTV footage captures the Taiwanese tanker Kinshing smashing the side of chemical tanker Der Yun in Kaohsiung Harbour in Taiwan.

Moments earlier the tanker had also collided into a Japanese cargo ship named Setsu Maru.

The collision took place on November 3 while the Kinshing was leaving port.

Footage shows the moment the Taiwanese oil tanker Kinshing crashes into the side of the chemical tanker Der Yun while leaving Kaohsiung Harbour in Taiwan

The boat in unable to steer clear of the berthed chemical tanker Der Yun and crashes into its side

Security cameras catch the moment the boat collides into the side of the chemical tanker while leaving port

During the video retrieved from security cameras the vessel slowly approaches the berthed cargo ship before scraping along its side rails.

The Setsu Maru sustained minimal damages to its bow.

Moments earlier the boat had crashed into a Japanese cargo ship named Setsu Maru

The Taiwanese company that owns the Der Yun, CPC Corpotation, confirmed the collision and added there were no casualties

A maritime official said: 'But there was a water tank rupture on the left side of the hull'

Following the shocking incident the Setsu Maru was able to continue its voyage to the Japanese island of Okinawa.

CPC Corpotation, the Taiwanese company that owns the Der Yun tanker, confirmed the collision.

They added that there were no casualties and no oil had spilt into the sea as a result of the collision.

A maritime official said: 'But there was a water tank rupture on the left side of the hull.'This is the awkward moment Angela Merkel is mistaken for the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron by an 101-year-old woman during a First World War commemoration.

The remarkable encounter was caught on video as the German Chancellor was meeting pensioners during Armistice Day events to commemorate 100 years since the end of the Great War.

In the clip the woman, who was born during the conflict, could be seen heaping praise on President Macron as they shook hands.

'Mr Macron, it's not possible, a little woman like me shaking hands with the President of the Republic, it's fantastic,' she said to Mr Macron.

Macron and Merkel met the woman while participating in a remembrance event over the weekend

She can be heard saying 'You are Mrs Macron!' to Merkel after turning to greet her having spoken to Macron

But hilarity ensues as she turns to Mrs Merkel and exclaims: 'You are Mrs Macron!'

With a stern look on her face Merkel then attempts to explain: 'No, I am the Chancellor of Germany.'

Despite trying to tell her several times in French that she is the German Chancellor, the woman seems not to hear her.

In fact, she seems not to have absorbed the information at all as she is heard repeating 'It's fantastic!'

In the footage, captured by FranceInfo, Mrs Merkel can then be seen making a surprised face to the camera as they posed together for photographs.

Macron and Merkel took part in several events together over the weekend as part of remembrance day services.

Mr Macron, 40, is married to 65-year-old Brigitte Marie-Claude Trogneux-Macron, who met him when she was a teacher at the school where he was a student.

As the trio posed for photos Merkel could be seen making a surprised face in front of the camerasA juvenile justice officer accused of bashing a teenage detainee has been charged with assault.

The 17-year-old detainee was allegedly assaulted by the 54-year-old officer at the Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre at Kariong, in New South Wales' Central Coast, on Saturday.

Officers from Brisbane Water Police District attended the scene on Monday after being notified of the detainee's facial injuries.

The 17-year-old detainee was allegedly assaulted by the 54-year-old officer at the Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre (pictured) at Kariong, in New South Wales' Central Coast, on Saturday

A New South Wales Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the teenager was treated on the scene and not hospitalised.

The 54-year-old Tumbi Umbi man who allegedly assaulted the detainee was taken to Wyong Police station on Tuesday.

He was was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The juvenile officer was granted conditional bail to appear at Gosford Local Court on 4 December.This is the shocking moment a gang hack at a man with huge machetes and brutally attack him after knocking him to the floor.

A horrified resident captured the footage from the window of a nearby home on Trinity Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham.

Two thugs brandishing 3.5 foot long machetes can be seen using them to repeatedly strike the victim on his head and body as he cowers on the ground.

A gang chase a victim with huge machetes and hammers on Trinity Road, Perry Bar, Birmingham, before carrying out a vicious attack

The men repeatedly kick the victim, stamp on his head and batter him with hammers

Other members of the gang throw vicious kicks, stamp on the victim's head and use hammers to beat him.

Two members of the public bravely step in to confront the thugs, who sprint away down the road.

One of the men who intervenes in says: 'What the f***k are you doing?'

Terrified neighbours called 999 and police officers chased the gang on foot to a nearby road.

The victim cowers on the ground as he is slashed with a 3.5 foot long machete before the gang suddenly run off

Police tracked down and arrested two men on Aston Lane carrying a 3.5 foot machete, a hammer and a rubber mallet

Police tracked down and arrested two men on Aston Lane carrying a 3.5 foot machete, a hammer and a rubber mallet.

It comes as recent figures show that knife crime in Birmingham is at its highest in eight years - up 19 per cent since 2017.

And the West Midlands has seen the biggest increase in knife crime of any part of the country outside London, with almost 3,000 incidents reported last year.

Meanwhile, knife possession offences have also rocketed by 159 per cent, according to figures from police.

West Midlands Police today said: 'Two men aged 20 and 28 were arrested on Aston Lane, Perry Bar at 3.40pm on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon'.

'Fantastic teamwork by A Unit Newtown and the public (who called us initially) , responding to a call of males brandishing a machete and hammers. Arrived quickly on scene and detained the males after a chase. 2 in custody!'

Cars can be seen driving past the incident as the gang carry out the vicious attack

The number of murders in the UK has soared by 14% as the number of knife crimes and robberies also rises.

This week stabbing deaths in the UK hit 250 this year, with five of those murders coming in the past seven days in London alone.

London is at the centre of fears of rising levels of violence, after the number of killings in the capital topped 100 this summer.

This has increased the number of murder investigations in London to 120 this year.

The number of murders, knife crimes and robberies all went up in the last year according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics last month

This comes as 16-year-old John Ogunjobi who was stabbed to death on November 5 by a number of suspects in south London.

The teenager collapsed in the street and died in front of his devastated parents, with one witness describing his mother screaming at the scene.

John was one of five people stabbed to death in London last week in the capital.

John Ogunjobi, was stabbed to death by a number of suspects last week in south London

Frenzied stabbings and gangland murders on the streets of London sparked a row between police and Sajid Javid.

Earlier this week, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said Home Office rules were making it harder for her officers to work.

She slammed a failure to introduce laws allowing police to use facial recognition and said more funding is needed.

It came after a row over whether cuts in funding are linked to rising crime as the force investigates its 120th murder this year.

Mr Javid said it was not fair to place to blame solely on his department.A disgruntled shopper has claimed she was left looking like a 'drag queen gone wrong' after a gold 'TOWIE' jumpsuit she ordered online turned out to be completely see-through.

Ellen Williams had purchased the outfit from fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing and had planned to wear it at her Christmas party.

The 21-year-old had ordered the 35 jumpsuit after seeing former The Only Way is Essex star Lauren Goodger wearing it.

Ellen Williams (left) had ordered a new outfit for her Christmas party. However when she tried it on (right) it was completely see-through

However, once the order arrived and Miss Williams had tried the outfit on, she was horrified to discover that the glittery ensemble hung off her body, bunched around her ankles and was completely transparent, revealing her underwear.

Miss Williams, who works as a personal assistant said she was forced to throw the 'shocking' garment away but shared hilarious pictures of herself modelling the item with her friends.

She now believes the jumpsuit is made of different materials to the one modelled in the advert and said: 'It's shocking to see how nice something looks on the picture compared to what came through the post. It's so disappointing.

Ellen Williams (pictured left with her boyfriend Tyler) said she looked like a 'drag queen gone wrong' after trying on the 35 jumpsuit (right)

'I looked awful. I said I looked like a drag queen gone wrong.

'When you get something that makes you think 'oh yes, that'd look really nice on me' then the quality is really bad, it makes you feel a bit rubbish about yourself.

'There's a little part of you that thinks 'is it actually me?'

'I've seen a few celebrities wearing that jumpsuit. I'd seen Lauren from The Only Way is Essex wearing it and it looks like it did online on her, but there's no way I was sent the same.

The outfit looked completely different on the Pretty Little Thing website (left). When Miss Williams tried it on (right) she said she looked like a 'drag queen gone wrong'

'They have 100 per cent used different material for the model.

'It's like two different outfits. It seems like very, very cheap fabric.'

Miss Williams, from London, contacted Pretty Little Thing who immediately gave her a refund for the jumpsuit and told her not to bother returning it.

Ellen Williams took these photos (left and right) of her wearing the outfit, which looked completely different on the model. Pretty Little Thing told her to not bother returning the item

Although she admits the cut seemed the same, Ellen, who is 5ft 7, was left with a mountain of fabric around her ankles as the jumpsuit was so long.

Ellen said: 'When it was in the packaging I didn't really notice straight away because it was all layered and looked okay.

'But when I got it out the wrapping I wouldn't have usually bothered trying it on, but thought it'd look so funny.

Ellen Williams (pictured) who works as a personal assistant in London was horrified when she discovered the poor fit of the jumpsuit

'It's inconsistent. I ordered a dress for New Year's Eve last year that was a red gown and it was beautiful. I loved it.

'I do look on there and I will go there if I want something for a party and I bought this on Tuesday night for my Christmas party in December.

'I like their jumpsuits usually. When they have the odd good item, you have a bit of hope.

'35 isn't the cheapest. It's cheaper than some things, but if I'm paying 35 for an outfit I would expect to be paying for the quality as well.

'It almost seems like one of those outfits you'd wear over a swimming costume or something if you were going to a pool party or something, but that's not what they've advertised it as.

'I definitely won't be braving wearing that out.

'I'd pretty much say it was the same cut, but there was a lot of material at the bottom and I'm quite tall, I'm 5ft 7.

'Pretty Little Thing asked me to let them know my order number and refunded me.'

MailOnline contacted Pretty Little Thing for comment.Mark Zuckerberg has refused to attend an 'international grand committee' investigating fake news at Facebook and its impact on elections.

Rebecca Stimson, Facebook's head of public policy for the UK, turned down an invite from the governments of Ireland, Argentina, Australia, Britain and Canada to attend a hearing scheduled for November 27.

In a letter to the committee, she wrote: 'Mr. Zuckerberg is not able to be in London for your hearing and sends his apologies.'

Mark Zuckerberg has refused a request from the UK, Canada, Ireland, Argentina and Australia to appear before an investigation into fake news and its effect on elections

Damian Collins, a British MP (pictured), and his Canadian counterpart Bob Zimmer have been asking Zuckerberg to attend for months, and hoped additional pressure from three other countries might force him to reconsider

Facebook had previously turned down an invitation from Damian Collins, a British MP, and Canadian minister Bob Zimmer to attend the summit.

It was hoped that additional pressure from Argentina, Ireland and Australia might force Zuckerberg, who is one of the world's richest and most powerful men, to reconsider his position.

Facebook insists it is willing to cooperate with the investigation, but that its founder cannot make time to appear.

The new letter, seen by CBS, then goes on to detail actions that Facebook has been taking to combat fake news.

Zimmer said that Canada will consider subpoenaing Zuckerberg to appear before minister, and could hold him in contempt if he fails to do so.

'Being held in contempt of Parliament really does not look good on a resume,' he said, though admitted he does not have powers to force Zuckerberg to attend.

A previous letter pointed out that he has already testified before US Congress and at the European Parliament.

Facebook has been facing accusations from around the globe that its advertising platform was used to spread disinformation by political actors in an attempt to sway elections (file)

'It is not possible for Mr. Zuckerberg to be available to all Parliaments,' it said.

Damian Collins, chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, said at the time that Zuckerberg's response 'is not good enough'.

'By dismissing our request, Facebook is failing to acknowledge its line of accountability not only to legislators, but to its users worldwide.

'There remain serious questions to be answered about what measures Facebook is taking now to halt the spread of disinformation on its platform and protection for user data.'

Facebook has grappled with a string of scandals in recent years as evidence has emerged of political actors using the network to influence voters around the world.

The social media giant was fined 500,000 by the Information Commissioner's Office in July, the maximum fine possible, for failing to protect millions of users' personal information which ended up in the hands of controversial election consultants Cambridge Analytica.

A week later the Electoral Commission fined Brexit campaign groups Vote Leave and BeLeave, and referred them to police for breaches in campaign spending centered around political advertising on Facebook.

This year, the company also released details of 'inauthentic co-ordinated activity' on the platform originating from Russia and Iran which targeted British and American politics.A teenage schoolboy has been caught on camera punching a fellow pupil as his friends goad the victim to report him for bullying.

Disturbing mobile phone footage shows the boy grabbing hold of his victim, demanding he 'face the camera' and 'say sorry'.

The youngster, who onlookers claim is a 'little Somalian boy', tries to walk away, but the thug holds him back before smacking him hard in the head.

Onlookers filming the incident burst into fits of laughter as the attacker mocks him for threatening to report him.

The shocking incident is believed to have happened in Mordern, south London and has gone viral online with parents urging others to share it and 'stand up to bullying'.

The pupils involved are believed to attend the Harris Academy in Mordern, just a short walk away from where the assault took place.

Disturbing mobile phone footage from Mordern, south London shows a teenage boy (left) grabbing hold of his victim (right) before punching him in the head

Another clip, part of a series of four, posted on social media shows the attacker pinning his victim to the bonnet of a car as he shouts: 'I'll strangle you'.

An onlooker then jokes: 'Shame on [boy's name], he's getting reported for this crime. Bullying a little Somalian kid.'

They add: 'Did you see that, that was some hefty bang!'

The first clip sees the teenage boy saying: 'Will you say it again please? One more time. Face the camera, come on. This car will be the next one I strangle you on. Say sorry.'

The victim then pleads 'relax bruv' but the assault continues.

'Get the f*** off me bruv,' the bully goes on.

'I'll get reported. Report me, go on. Report me to the camera. Three, two, one, action.'

Posting the clips on Facebook, a concerned local wrote: 'Please Parents and Teachers in London identify this Bully Boy to Stop ! so next one don't take a knife.

'Please share it please stand up for bullying Hello London please lets get together and stand up.'

Parents and neighbours reacted with fury, commenting on how 'disgraceful' the bully's behaviour was.

Another clip filmed in Mordern, south London posted on social media shows the attacker pinning his victim to the bonnet of a car as he shouts: 'I'll strangle you'

One parent posted: 'It's disgusting!!! My kids go Harris. Do something will you Harris?????'

Another commented: 'Absolutely disgusting!!! Think he is the big man cos he showing off in front of his friends!

'We should be looking out for one another not bullying and beating each other!

'It's bullies like that that cause so many suicides and deaths because they don't care or understand the consequences for their actions! I'm appalled!'

One person added: 'This is terrible, horrible to watch. Hope the boy is ok and knows the little s*** is a thug and bully.'

Mr Lee Mallin, Principal of Harris Academy Morden told MailOnline in a statement: 'I wanted to assure everyone who has seen the footage online today of one of our students being bullied that we will not tolerate this type of behaviour.

'We were made aware of it this morning and Senior Staff have met with families and are completing investigations into the matter.

'The incident that was filmed apparently took place in May in the local community but we are still treating this seriously.

'Rest assured, the perpetrators are being dealt with appropriately and the police involved should that be necessary. We are in contact with local community groups and they are providing us with their full support.'Charles Bronson was seen for the first time in more than a decade yesterday when he left his trial for attacking a prison govenor

Charles Bronson today insisted in court that he would not have bitten a prison governor's nose off during an alleged attack, saying: 'I'm a vegetarian and all'.

The inmate, who is defending himself in a trial at Leeds Crown Court, made the comment while cross-examining Mark Docherty, a governor at HMP Wakefield whom he is accused of attempting to seriously harm on January 25.

Jurors previously heard how Bronson, 65, who denies a charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, had pinned the governor to the ground prior to a welfare meeting and told him: 'I will bite you f***ing nose off and I will gouge your eyes out.'

Responding to suggestions he would have bitten the governor's nose off had he not been quickly restrained by prison officers, Bronson said: 'I can assure you I have never bitten anyone's nose off in my life. Plus, I'm a vegetarian and all.'

Demonstrating to jurors the speed at which he can throw blows by punching his own hands in the dock, Bronson, a serving prisoner at HMP Frankland in County Durham, said: 'In three seconds, I could hit a man ten times in the face.'

Prison governor Mark Docherty (left, pictured today) suffered minor injuries before Bronson (right, pictured yesterday) allegedly attempted to bite his face

Addressing Mr Docherty, he said: 'If I had used both hands, I would have hit you 20 times in the face. Do you accept that?'

When the governor denied this, Bronson told how, due to the speed at which the prison staff grabbed him and moved him away, he was only on top of Mr Docherty for three seconds during the incident and did not throw a single punch.

He said: 'But why did I not throw a punch? Because I wasn't going to punch you. I wasn't going to hurt you.'

The court heard how Mr Docherty suffered swelling to the neck, scratches to the face and whiplash following the alleged attack.

Admitting he was struggling not to laugh at the suggestion the governor suffered whiplash, Bronson said: 'I don't think that in a month of Sundays you had whiplash.

A court sketch of Bronson (centre) listening as Mr Docherty gives evidence at Leeds Crown Court today

'I think you're trying to pull the wool over people's eyes. Is that true?' The governor indicated this was not true.

Jurors were told how, prior to his wedding to the actress Paula Williamson at the prison in November 2017, Bronson had been told he and his new wife would be given 22 wedding photographs, all taken by prison staff, and no guests would be allowed to take their own pictures.

But Mr Docherty said staff decided not to give the pictures to Ms Williamson after hearing that among the guests was a member of the 'paparazzi' who had previously had their press licence taken away, and a prankster who entered the pitch at Stoke City Football Club with the words 'Free Charles Bronson' written on the back of his prisoner-style outfit.

Bronson asked Mr Docherty: 'How do you feel about humiliating my wife? How do you feel about the fact that my wife was the only bride in Britain on that day not to have a wedding photograph?

The trial is the first time Bronson has been seen in public since he launched an appeal in 2004

'How would you feel if that was your wife or husband? I don't know what happens in your personal life, you may have a wife or a husband.'

Asking questions on whether the withholding of the pictures was perceived to have been a motivation behind the alleged attack, Bronson said: 'Is it possible that all I was going to do was get you in a bear hug, a gentle one, and just whisper in your ear 'where are my wife's wedding photos?'.'

During the cross-examination, Bronson noted how Mr Docherty had described him in reports as being 5ft 6in tall, saying this was 'belittling' him as he is actually 5ft 10in.

'That's what the prison service does, belittle people,' he said.

Bronson arrives at Leeds Crown Court in a prison van ahead of his trial continuing this morning

While cross-examining another prison officer later in the afternoon, Bronson said: 'For the first time in 44 years in prison I never intended to be violent. I never meant to hurt the governor.'

Bronson married Paula Williamson in 2017

Earlier, Mr Docherty told the court how Bronson lunged at him and said: 'I will take your f***ing eye out'.

Mr Docherty suffered minor injuries after being wrestled to the floor at HMP Wakefield before Bronson attempted to bite his face and gouge his eyes out, it was claimed.

Details of the alleged attack were heard during the trial at Leeds Crown Court today of Bronson, who denies attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.

The court had heard Bronson attacked Mr Docherty while whistling the theme tune from The Great Escape.

The court previously heard he allegedly bore a grudge against Mr Docherty after he had banned guests from taking photos of Bronson's prison wedding to actress Paula Williamson last year.

Jurors were told the attack took place at a monthly welfare and engagement meeting chaired by Mr Docherty.

Bronson, wearing a green and yellow prison boiler suit and sporting a handlebar moustache, is representing himself at his trial under his new name, Charles Salvador.

As Mr Docherty took the stand, Bronson was asked if he could see the governor clearly - to which he replied: 'I don't really want to see him but I can see him.'

Giving evidence, Mr Docherty said he had been in the role as prison governor at HMP Wakefield for around two years prior to the attack.

Mr Docherty's relationship with Bronson broke down in early 2017 after a request for one of the inmate's visitors to attend in his own wheelchair was initially refused, the court heard.

He said: 'The relationship fell foul. He made a request to speak to security regarding one of his visitors attending a visit in his own wheelchair and that security had initially refused his request. When I went back to inform him of this, he personally blamed me.'

The visitor was eventually allowed to attend using his own wheelchair opposed to a prison issue one but Bronson did not recognise that, a court heard.

On January 25, Bronson elected to attend a monthly care management meeting, something he had declined to attend previously, a court heard.

Supporters of Bronson, including his brother Rod Harrison (left) attended court yesterday

The meeting, scheduled for 2.15pm, was also due to be attended by a psychologist, the independent monitoring board, probation and a personnel officer.

'They don't have to attend if they don't want to, they are invited,' added Mr Docherty. 'He didn't attend these meetings.

Bronson was last pictured in this image from inside Wakefield prison in June 2004

'I was slightly ahead of the entrance to the door on his left. I was reading the notes, I was sitting down. I could hear him (Salvador) out in the corridor.

'I invited him into the room. Custodial manager Steven Coomber came into the room first, then the staff and Mr Salvador entered the room.

'The next thing I looked to my right and could see Mr Salvador coming towards me in an aggressive manner. I tried to get up out of my chair.

'I could see Mr Salvador looking to throw a punch or grab me around the neck. I grabbed hold of his arm because it was coming around my neck.

'As I grabbed hold of his arm, I went back into my chair and the momentum of myself and Mr Salvador going in the same direction, I ended up on the floor with Mr Salvador on top of me.'

Mr Docherty told how Bronson began making threats and screamed he was 'going to bite my f***ing face off'.

He then threatened governing governor David Harding as he was dragged away by prison staff, a court heard.

The alleged attack unfolded when Bronson was taken to see the governor of Wakefield Prison

'His whole hand was over the side of my face and he was squashing my face,' Mr Docherty added. 'I could hear him say 'I will take your f***ing eye out'.

'I got up and could hear Mr Salvador shouting tell Mr Harding he is next.'

A jury yesterday heard Salvador attacked Mr Docherty because he blamed him for withholding photos from his wedding ceremony to Miss Williamson.

Jurors were told how Bronson had married Miss Williamson during a ceremony at HMP Wakefield in November last year, with guests being told they were not allowed to bring in electronic devices or attempt to take pictures.

The inmate was said to have been whistling the tune from The Great Escape moments before he attacked the prison governor

But prison staff were allowed to take photos which were to be distributed to Bronson and his new wife, the court heard.

The inmate was said to have been whistling the tune from The Great Escape moments before he attacked Wakefield Prison governor Mr Docherty.

Once Mr Docherty was on the floor, Bronson shouted: 'You can F with me but you can never F with my mother', a court heard.

Prosecutor Carl Fitch said that, once the prisoner had been restrained, he told officers he had wanted to attack the governor since November 2017 after he 'disrespected his wife'.

Mr Fitch said: 'The prison would never allow these photographs to be taken outside the prison, as they feared that Ms Williamson would give them to the media if they did.

'The Crown says that it is for that reason, among others, that Mr Salvador had a grudge against Mr Docherty, who he held responsible for the withholding of these photographs.'

As Mr Fitch took a gulp of water during the morning session, Bronson, who has served over 40 years in prison, was heard to say: 'I hope that's not gin.'

The trial, which is expected to conclude this week, continues.A devastated family of eight are at risk of homelessness after losing their life savings in an unsuccessful car detailing franchise.

Adam O'Grady and his wife Kristy from the NSW Central Coast claim they lost $400,000 after their Waves Detail Pro franchise failed, leaving them financially ruined.

The couple said they spent $250,000 buying into the business after Waves Detail Pro Managing Director Daniel Fuchs allegedly told them they would earn a guaranteed $5,300 per month.

A shattered Adam O'Grady (pictured) has been forced to sell his family home after losing $400,000 in a failed franchise

Mr O'Grady claims the franchise failed to make money because of a lack of support from the head office, forcing the family to sell their home.

The distraught father said his biggest concern is for their six kids, who he feels he has let down.

'I can sleep in the car and sleep on a bench if I have to but the kids..... I can't do it to them,' he told A Current Affair as he fought back tears.

Kristy added: 'I did this all for my children and he doesn't care.'

The O'Gradys are not the only young family whose Waves Detail Pro franchise has failed.

Alexandra and Ash James told A Current Affair they are now $100,000 out of pocket, but believe they're among the few lucky ones.

'I hear of people every day going bankrupt, losing everything, families being torn apart, partners separating and he's flying around in jets. How is that even fair!' Ms James said.

Alexandra and Ash James' (pictured) Waves Detail Pro franchise also failed

Mr Fuchs is an ordained minister turned entrepreneur.

When confronted by A Current Affair, Mr Fuchs admitted his company had been having problems, despite just coming back from Vegas on what he claimed was a business trip.

He also admitted mistakes had been made.

Shortly before the program aired, Mr Fuchs posted a statement on the Waves Details Pro Facebook page.

It states the company has experienced unprecedented growth and development in the last year, which has generated a series of internal conflicts and problems within a small and 'isolated' group of franchisees.

'It is sad and disappointing to see a small number of franchisees voluntarily abandon the conflict resolution and mediation process that they initially committed to,' Mr Fuchs posted.

'Instead of following the mediation process set out for franchises by the ACCC, the franchisees in question have solicited a sensationalist news media outlet to present their story. '

Daniel Fuchs (pictured) portrays himself as successful entrepreneur on social media

Mr Fuchs said he remains committed to finding solutions and solving problems, 'no matter how great or small.'

'I openly and warmly welcome any of our franchisees or stakeholders, both past and present, to raise any problems or concerns with me directly. We can discuss the matter and together we can work towards a resolution,' he ended the post.

In 2016, Business News Australia ranked Mr Fuchs in the top 20 of Brisbane's young entrepreneurs aged under-40 after signing up 41 franchisees within 18 months.

'We are a mobile services franchise company, offering world-class training and support to our franchisees, who then delivery world-class detailing and protection services to the masses,' Mr Fuchs said at the time.The emotional first meeting between a 13-year-old cancer patient and the German donor who saved his life has been captured on video.

Jack Withers was just 10 when was told he had six months to live, but a bone marrow donor came forward and saved his life.

A video shows Jack and his donor, Michael Merten, 27, embracing each other before Mr Merten is surrounded and hugged by members of Jack's family.

In 2015, Jack was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer called Myelodysplatic syndrome (MDS) at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

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Jack was just 10 when was told he had six months to live, but bone marrow donor Mr Merten came forward and saved his life

Jack's twin Emily had been diagnosed with the condition eight years previously.

Their mother, Jo Withers, said the news was 'totally out of the blue' and that she never expected 'lightening to strike twice'.

Fortunately for Emily, their twin's older sister Lauren was a match and was able to give her a life-saving donation.

But Lauren was not a match for Jack, from Walsall near Birmingham, so a hunt for a donor was launched.

'We were told there and then that he would only have six months to live,' said Mrs Withers.

'That was never an option in my head, I gave birth to three children and three children were here to stay.'

The emotional first meeting between a 13-year-old cancer patient and the German donor who saved his life has been captured on video

Strict donation rules mean that donors and recipients cannot meet for a set amount of time, and both parties must request the meeting.

But now the restriction has lifted, blood cancer charity DKMS set up the emotional meeting at its fundraising gala in London.

Mr Merten was found to be a match for Jack after searching the international database of donors.

He said: 'When you think of what little it takes out of your body to save someone else's life, then it's easy and good to do.'

Mrs Withers encouraged people to sign up to the register, adding: 'To see him [Jack] well, cured, sitting here, should be enough to make anybody think "we'll get our self on that register".'

Jack, now 13, added: 'Do it because you'll be helping lives like mine.'

For more information on joining the register visit www.dkms.org.uk/en/register-nowThe number of killings in London so far this year has now soared past the total in the whole of 2017.

A week of violence in the capital earlier this month - and two further suspected murders yesterday - have taken the total number of homicides to 121.

It means that with more than a month left to go until the New Year, the total is already above the 118 homicides seen in the capital in 2017.

John Ogunjobi, Ayodeji Habeeb Azeez and Malcolm Mide-Madariola are among the most recent of London's mounting number of murder victims

Two murder probes have already been launched this week, with 35-year-old Devi Unmathallegadoo, dying from a stomach wound in Ilford, east London yesterday.

Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, 50, has been charged with murder and will appear in court later today.

This morning, police announced a 62-year-old woman had been killed in Balham late last night and a 66-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder.

A year of bloodshed has seen 68 stabbings, 12 shootings and two deaths involving a knife and a gun.

In February, London's murder rate rose past that of New York, with Scotland Yard looking at 15 suspicious deaths and the NYPD investigating 11.

The murder rate surged again in the week from October 31, when there were five fatal stabbings.

The growing number of murders in the capital have happened in the south and north of London

What's causing the rise in the murder rate? Police have pointed to links between violence and so-called county lines drug networks, where urban dealers force children and other vulnerable people to courier illegal substances to customers in more rural areas. They are also known to take over innocent peoples homes to use as a base for crime. Middle class cocaine users have come under fire from a number of public figures, including the countrys most senior police officer Scotland Yard Commissioner Cressida Dick, who pointed to the misery caused by the drugs trade. Drill music, where rappers taunt rivals with lyrics laced with violence and threats, and the role of social media in escalating disputes have also come under the microscope, as have cuts to youth services and the police. A breakdown of the first 100 murders showed only a quarter were thought to be gang-related. Advertisement

Earlier this month, in the space of a week, Rocky Djelal, 38, was fatally stabbed in Rotherhithe, 15-year-old Jay Hughes was killed in Bellingham, Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17, was was fatally knifed in Clapham, Ayodeji Habeeb Azeez, 22, was murdered in Anerley, and John Ogunjobi, 16, was killed in Tulse Hill.

Experienced detectives say they have shocked by the volume of violent crime and ferocity of some attacks in the capital this year.

A total of 20 of those killed have been teenagers, six of whom were shot and 14 of whom were stabbed.

The number is still below the 205 killings recorded between April 2003 and March 2004.

Mayor Sadiq Khan has been criticised for failing to do enough to stop the violence.

He announced plans for a Violence Reduction Unit that would adopt the public health approach to tackle violent crime that was successfully used in Glasgow.

The Metropolitan Police Violent Crime Task Force has meanwhile seized 340 knives, 40 guns and 258 other offensive weapons in its first six months of operation, and making more than 1,350 arrests.A mother-of-two who was allegedly brutally stabbed to death by her ex-husband in a domestic violence attack had taken out an AVO against him just hours before her death.

Maria Van Beers, 63, was allegedly murdered by Paul Thomas Ryan at a home in Tweed Heads, on New South Wales' Far North Coast, at 6.30pm on Sunday.

The couple had been married for 37 years and shared two children together.

Despite separating two years ago, they continued to live under the same roof, according to 9News.

Maria Van Beers (pictured) was allegedly murdered by Paul Thomas Ryan at a home in Tweed Heads, on New South Wales' Far North Coast at 6.30pm on Sunday

Ms Beers (pictured) was married to her former husband for 37 years and they shared two children together

Ms Beers took a protection order out against her husband less than 24 hours before police were called to her home. She died at the scene.

Police also discovered Mr Ryan at the home and arrested him after a 'short struggle'. He has been charged with her murder.

He was refused bail.

'The scene was horrible, horrible for the police in attendance,' Officer Wayne Starling from Tweed Heads Police told 9 News.

Police were called to a unit on Brent Street in Tweed Heads (pictured) about 6.30pm on Monday after they received reports of a domestic-related incident

The incident has sparked a debate and placed pressure on authorities to prevent more women dying at the hands of their abusive partners.

Anti-domestic violence activists believe that perpetrators of domestic violence get off too lightly in Australia and shouldn't be able to escape without life sentences.

They are pushing for reforms in Australian law so that domestic violence is classified in the most severe category of murder.

Over 100 domestic violence killers avoided life sentences in the last 27 years in Australia, a recent Daily Telegraph investigation revealed.A member of the hit squad who killed Jamal Khashoggi made a call to a Saudi official instructing them to 'tell your boss' that the 'deed was done,' according to sources familiar with a recording of the killing.

American intelligence officials believe 'your boss' was a reference to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, although he was not mentioned by name, the New York Times reported.

They see it as the strongest evidence linking the kingdom's de facto ruler to the murder of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month.

Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb  one of the 15 Saudis sent to Turkey to confront Khashoggi on October 2  spoke in Arabic during the call, the three sources briefed on the matter told the Times.

Turkish intelligence officials have told their US counterparts that they believe Mutreb was speaking to one of Prince Mohammed's aides and although Arabic translations might differ, he reportedly told the aide words to the effect of 'the deed was done.'

Mutreb - a security officer who frequently travelled with Prince Mohammed - is the man named by Turkish media as the head of the operation against Khashoggi.

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Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb (right), a member of the hit squad who killed Jamal Khashoggi (left) made a call to a Saudi official instructing them to 'tell your boss' that the 'deed was done'

Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer who is now with the Brookings Institution, a think tank, told the Times that the phone call is 'about as close to a smoking gun as you are going to get.'

He added: 'It is pretty incriminating evidence.'

However, Turkish and US officials have cautioned that the audio doesn't conclusively implicate Prince Mohammed.

In a statement on Monday, Saudi officials denied the crown prince had anything to do with Khashoggi's killing.

They also claimed there was no mention of the phrase 'tell your boss' in records Turkey provided to Saudi intelligence officials.

Turkey had 'allowed our intelligence services to hear recordings, and at no moment was there any reference to the mentioned phrase in the such recordings,' the statement added.

American intelligence officials believe 'your boss' was a reference to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (pictured)

Turkish authorities have multiple recordings, including surveillance of phone calls, and may have only shared audio selectively.

But the call was part of a recording Turkish officials played for CIA director Gina Haspel during her visit to Ankara in October, the Times reports.

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey had shared audio recordings relating to the killing with Saudi Arabia and other nations, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Canada.

Erdogan also said Turkey is waiting for Prince Mohammed to shed light on the killing.

Speaking to journalists on board his plane while returning from World War I commemorations in Paris, Erdogan also reportedly said the audio recordings of the killing were so 'appalling' that a Saudi intelligence official speculated that the killer may have been on heroin.

Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb (circled right) walks at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on October 2 - the day Jamal Khashoggi was murdered

A man identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb is seen on surveillance footage captured on October 2 walking outside the Saudi consul general's residence in Istanbul

'The recording is really appalling. In fact, when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recording he was so shocked that he said `this one probably took heroin. Only someone who took heroin would do it.''

Khashoggi, a critic of de facto Saudi ruler Prince Mohammed, was killed in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate last month.

Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from 'the highest levels' of the Saudi government and he pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Salman of responsibility.

Turkey says a 15-member Saudi 'hit squad' sent from Riyadh strangled and dismembered Khashoggi at the consulate.

The call was part of a recording Turkish officials played for CIA director Gina Haspel (pictured) during her visit to Ankara last month

Media reports have suggested that his body could have been chemically dissolved as it has not yet been found.

The crown prince is widely suspected of at least having knowledge of the killing, which involved some members of his security entourage.

Khashoggi was a Washington Post columnist and was living in self-imposed exile in the US before his death.

Pressing ahead with moves to maintain pressure on Saudi Arabia, Erdogan said the crown prince had told Turkish envoys that he would shed light on the killing at the kingdom's consulate and do what was 'necessary.'

'He said this to my special envoys,' Erdogan was quoted as saying in pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper. 'We are waiting patiently.'

Under mounting pressure, Saudi Arabia has changed its narrative about Khashoggi's killing.

It first said he walked out of the embassy the day he disappeared before eventually acknowledging Khashoggi died inside the consulate.

Saudi Arabia has also recently acknowledged Turkish evidence that showed the slaying was premeditated.

But Saudi officials characterise the killing as a rogue operation carried out by Saudi agents who exceeded their authority.

Yet some of those implicated in the killing are close to the crown prince.A married father as shot dead on his wife's birthday as he sat in their car while she bought food to celebrate her big day in South Africa, it has emerged.

Married Shai Mohapi, 54, was executed with five shots from a revolver in broad daylight at the Commando Shopping Centre in the town of Welkom, South Africa on Saturday afternoon.

Horrific footage shows the moment the senior executive with South Africa's leading gold mine was shot dead in cold blood by two men in the car park.

According to TimesLIVE, Mophapi's wife, who was celebrating her birthday, was paying for her shopping as the brutal attack unfolded outside the store.

Horrific footage shows the moment a senior executive with South Africa 's leading gold mine is shot dead in cold blood by two men in a supermarket car park. The men approached the car in the Commando Shopping Centre in the town of Welkom in the Free State province before one opened fire

After shooting the man in the driver's seat the two attackers could be seen dragging him out of the vehicle

A witness, named only as Belinda, said as soon as Mrs Mohapi saw what had happened she screamed 'That's my car!'

Thieves then dragged her husband's body out of the blue VW Polo and dumped it on the ground, as Mrs Mohapi fell to the ground and screamed 'Oh God, oh no, no, no!'

The couple had reportedly been going to the supermarket to buy provisions for her birthday, including ingredients for a cake at the time.

In horrifying footage captured on the store's CCTV cameras two men can be seen slowly walking up behind the car with one pretending to be on his mobile phone as the family man sits behind the steering wheel.

The assassin is then seen taking a gun out of his waistband as they near the drivers' side door and yanking it open as his accomplice leans in to try to grab the keys.

The gunman then aims his weapon at the driver and gun smoke can be seen coming from the barrel as he opens fire from point blank range.

A South African Police Service spokesman confirmed that Mr Mohapi was hit three times in the chest and twice in his arm and was certified dead at the shooting scene.

Mr Mohani was Chief Safety Officer for Sibanye-Stillwater which is the largest individual gold producing mining company in South Africa and also mines platinum.

The men were caught on camera walking slowly towards the car in the almost empty car park

He is based at the Beatrix mine which came under extreme pressure from mining unions over safety issues earlier this year when 1000 miners were trapped underground.

They were rescued after 30 hours but many of the men refused to go back to work with the mining unions furious with the company and seeking improvements in safety.

Mr Mohani was murdered in the car park of the Commando Shopping Centre in the town of Welkom in the Free State province after parking up at 5.30pm on Saturday.

Police spokesman Captain Stephen Thakeng said: 'Two unknown African men shot him three times in his chest and twice in his left arm then pulled him from the car.

'They then drove off with his vehicle which was recovered later. No arrests have been made and we are still searching for the suspects. Mr Mohani was certified dead'.

One shopper who witnesses the shooting scuttles away and another passerby casually saunters by having heard the shots and watches the victim being pulled from the car.

One of the killers gets behind the wheel and the actual gunman then calmly strolls round the rear of the car to the passenger door and gets in.

After shooting their victim they left his body lying by the side of the vehicle and jumped into his VW Polo

The stolen car was later found abandoned next to a motel called Diggers Inn near a gold mine several miles away

As they drive off it appears they dying man's leg and arm are still moving and incredibly another witness drives off without helping.

The stolen car was later found abandoned next to a motel called Diggers Inn near a gold mine several miles away.

Police say they are investigating a case of murder and hijacking.

On November 7, the wife of a manager at nearby Harmony gold mine also in Welkom was abducted outside her workplace by kidnappers who demanded gold as ransom.

Free State police spokesperson Colonel Thandi Mbambo said on Friday eight suspects had been arrested and 21 gold nuggets and R500,000 (28,000) in cash recovered.

Harmony spokesperson Sihle Maake said the woman hostage was released unharmed.A Delta flight was forced to abandon a high-speed takeoff today after another plane appeared at the end of the runway, according to the Chinese aviation authority.

Detroit-bound flight DL582 was about to take off from Shanghai Pudong Airport at 11:40am when a Japan Airlines plane 'invaded the runway', according to a statement released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

All 217 passengers and 15 crew members have returned to the terminal safely and no injuries have been reported, according to a Delta spokesperson.

Videos and photos shared by witnesses show emergency services putting out a fire after the aircraft's tyres burst. Detroit-bound flight DL582 was about to take off from Shanghai Pudong Airport at 11:40am when a Japan Airlines plane 'invaded the runway', according to officials

All 217 passengers and 15 crew members have returned to the terminal safely after the incident

Passengers told Xinmin Evening News that the nose of the Airbus A350 had already lifted off the ground when the pilot slammed the brakes.

Videos and photos shared by witnesses show emergency services putting out a fire after the aircraft's tyres burst.

Inspections were also completed by the maintenance team, a Delta spokesperson told MailOnline.

All passengers have been arranged to board an extra flight, DL9924, which is scheduled to depart Shanghai tomorrow at 8am.

Inspections were also completed by the maintenance team, a Delta spokesperson said

The incident occurred on runway 34L at the Shanghai Pudong Airport this morning

All passengers have been arranged to board an extra flight, DL9924, which is scheduled to depart Shanghai tomorrow at 8am. No one was injured in the incident today (file photo)

The CAAC East China Regional Administration is investigating the incident.

This is not the first time a near-miss incident has occurred in Shanghai.

On October 11, 2016, flight MU-5643 was about to take off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport when it encountered another plane in its path along the runway.

The pilot, named He Chao, chose to accelerate and fly over the other aircraft avoiding a head-on crash by just 19 metres (62 feet).

The pilot was rewarded with three million yuan (335,000) for preventing the collision and saving the lives of 439 people.Nine out of ten wet wipes labelled as 'flushable' do not disintegrate after making their way through Britain's sewers, new tests have discovered.

Research carried out on behalf of water companies showed that the vast majority of the wipes failed to break down in conditions that imitated the UK's drainage system.

Flushable wipes should contain biodegradable cellulose, however studies have shown many brands are made from synthetic substances like plastic or polyester.

There are approximately 300,000 sewer blockages every year due to wet wipes, costing the UK 100million to clear the 'fatbergs' they leave behind.

Thousands of properties suffer sewer flooding caused by these blockages, creating misery for homeowners and businesses.

There are approximately 300,000 sewer blockages every year due to wet wipes, costing the UK 100million to clear the 'fatbergs' (this one was found in Whitechapel, east London)

Andy Drinkwater, of the Water Research Centre, which conducted the tests, said 'about 10 per cent of wipes are borderline to acceptable' to the water industry.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Costing the Earth, he added: 'A test on the large majority of wet wipes shows us that a lot of the products that are marketed as flushable are not really flushable.

Mr Drinkwater said that manufacturers' tests were 'far more vigorous' than the water industry standard and therefore wipes broke up quicker than they did in the sewer.

He said: 'The industry is making wipes that are flushable according to its own testing but the water industry doesn't believe those testing standards are correct and that is problem.'

Tim Henderson, a 'flusher' or trunk sewer technician holds a fatberg as he works in the intersection of the Regent Street and Victoria sewer in London

Among the brands to claim that their wet wipes are flushable are Andrex Washlets and Kandoo.

Most wipes are not designed to be flushed but nonetheless, consumers chuck baby wipes, cosmetic wipes and others down the loo, with awful consequences.

A study last year found they were responsible for more than 90 per cent of sewage blockages in the UK.

Groups like the Marine Conservation Society have reported big increases in wet wipe litter on beaches.

Those containing polyester break down, fuelling the problem of microplastic pollution of the environment and sea.Michelle Obama has revealed she initially struggled with her dual roles of being a wife and career-woman as she tried to merge her ambitions with fulfilling the role of a traditional housewife.

The Former First lady said she was desperate to be a like Mary Tyler Moore's character, who was a working mother who still had 'great hair' and was not bossed around' by her husband.

In her new memoir, Becoming, Michelle says also suffered from loneliness during the early stages of her marriage to the future president.

Her struggles during the early years of her marriage were not helped when husband, Barack, took a 'honeymoon' on his own to work on his new book.

The 44th President flew to Bali in 1993 to work on a draft of his book Dreams from My Father, not long after the couple got married.

Michelle also admits that at the age of 29, she 'wanted everything', balancing her career with being a traditional wife and mother.

Michelle and Barack on their wedding day at Trinity United Church in Chicago, where Barack 'didnt pledge riches, only a life that would be interesting', she said

The couple in 1995, when Barack took Michelle to Kenya to show her more about his family history in the area

First lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama descend the steps from the U.S. Capitol in 2009 after his inauguration as 44th President

In her own book Michelle, released today, reveals she wanted to 'live with the hat-tossing, independent-career-woman zest of Mary Tyler Moore'.

But at the same time, Michelle wanted to have the 'stabilizing' and 'bland normalcy' of the household with a 'work life and a home life' just like her own mother.

Michelle revealed she was fascinated by Mary Tyler Moore, who had a 'snappy wardrobe' and 'great hair', but did not get bossed around.

She said she had been raised to be confident and 'see no limits', while believing she could get 'absolutely anything I wanted'.

But she also admitted in the early days of family life she did not know if this balancing act was possible.

She wrote: 'My considerable blessings in life were now causing a kind of psychic whiplash. Id been raised to be confident and see no limits, to believe I could go after and get absolutely anything I wanted. And I wanted everything.

'I wanted to live with the hat-tossing, independent-career-woman zest of Mary Tyler Moore, and at the same time I gravitated toward the stabilizing, self-sacrificing, seemingly bland normalcy of being a wife and mother.'

She wrote in the new book that it felt for her, as it can for many women, that just the word 'wife' can feel like a loaded word.

During the early stages of their marriage, Barack spent around five weeks alone while Michelle stayed at home in Chicago living above her mother.

She wrote in her new book that she reconciled missing her new husband because she had married an 'outside-the-box thinker'.

Barack and Michelle Obama during Christmas in Hawaii, shortly after their marriage in 1992

Michelle performing gymnastics at Whitney Young Magnet School in Chicago (left) and a newspaper cutting from a fashion show to raise money for victims of the Ethiopian famine (right)

In her new book Michelle Obama describes her 'lonelier moments' while new husband was in Bali finishing his new book Dreams from My Father in 1993

Michelle also said she believed Barack had taken himself off over 9,700 miles away to shield her from the 'chaos' of writing his book, which chronicled his early years in Honolulu and Chicago.

He was taking the most most 'sensible and efficient' way to finish the novel, she wrote, as a 'honeymoon with himself' after his honeymoon with his new wife.

While Barack was on what seemed to be a 'beach vacation' she admitted having 'lonelier moments', as she filled her time meeting friends and going to the gym.

She wrote: 'He had taken the chaos of his unfinished book and shipped himself out to do battle with it. Possibly this was out of kindness to me, a bid to keep the chaos out of my view.

'Id married an outside-the-box thinker, I had to remind myself. He was handling his business in what struck him as the most sensible and efficient manner, even if outwardly it appeared to be a beach vacation  a honeymoon with himself (I couldnt help but think in my lonelier moments) to follow his honeymoon with me.'

Becoming describes Obama's upbringing on Chicago's South Side, as well as her time at Whitney Young high school and Princeton University.

Barack and Michelle at home. In her new book, Becoming, Michelle said she 'wanted everything', balancing her career with being a traditional wife and mother

The front cover of Becoming, a memoir mostly about her childhood in Chicago, her marriage and her time in the White House (left) and right during her time at college

Michelle Obama's portrait when she graduated from Princeton University in 1985

In the opening chapters of her book, Obama writes about her educational journey from Bryn Mawr Elementary School in her neighborhood to the prestigious magnet high school.

In her new memoir Obama has described her dismay that so many American women chose 'misogynist' Donald Trump as their president instead of the first female nominee of a major party, Hillary Clinton.

In her new book, she recalled how she reacted in shock the night she learned he would replace her husband in the Oval Office and tried to 'block it all out' and how she could never forgive him for the birther allegations around Barack's birth certificate.

She also describes her own battle to become a mother and how her two daughters were conceived by IVF.

Michelle will be talking with TV host Oprah Winfrey about the book at the United Center in her home town of Chicago tomorrow, as the book is officially launched.A jilted bride-to-be set fire to her fiance's home and watched it burn after he called off their marriage, a court has heard.

Catherine Jarvis, 54, had already taken her partner Colin's surname by deed poll but had moved out of his home in Kingskerswell, Devon, after their engagement ended.

In court it was said that Ms Jarvis discovered her fiance was in contact with another woman and cancelled the wedding, however Mr Jarvis claims they split because he was the victim of domestic abuse.

The pair traded accusations of infidelity and domestic abuse at Exeter Crown Court today, where jurors heard Ms Jarvis returned to her partner's house and used a ladder to climb in through an upstairs window before using a lighter to set fire to tassels on the sofa in the living room.

Catherine Jarvis, 54, used a ladder to climb into her ex-fiance's home and set fire to tassels on the sofa. She admitted arson and was jailed for 21 months, suspended for two years

She escaped from the burning house by going down the ladder but was arrested when firefighters saw her watching them.

She first denied having anything to do with the blaze and made an insurance claim for 15,000, even though she had started the fire and the damage was actually just over 3,000.

Jarvis, who now lives in Wimbledon, London, admitted arson and was jailed for 21 months, suspended for two years.

Colin Jarvis, 55, (pictured) said the couple had been together for two years before the wedding was called off and the fire happened

She was also ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid community work and pay 3,000 compensation by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court.

Judge David Evans told Jarvis: 'It was through great good fortune that the fire service arrived within five minutes and the fire did not spread from the property, and thankfully, no lives were put in danger.

'The damage you caused ran to thousands of pounds and more importantly, Mr Jarvis has been left feeling unsafe in his own home. It was a ridiculously stupid thing to do.'

He said her approach to the case in her police interviews, defence statement, and insurance claim had been 'thoroughly dishonest' as she lied and lied and he urged her 'to tell the truth' in the future.

He said she only admitted the arson after she had 'no wriggle room left'.

Originally Jarvis was not going to be prosecuted but Mr Jarvis appealed the decision.

Prosecutor Caroline Bolt said Jarvis had been living at her fiance's home until she discovered he was in contact with another woman and broke off the engagement on June 3, 2016. She then cancelled the wedding which was planned for July 2.

She returned to the house on June 13, by which time he had changed the locks on the front and back doors. She got in by using a ladder to reach an upstairs balcony where her key still worked.

Jarvis first denied setting the fire (pictured) and filed an insurance claim for 15,000, even though the damage was actually just over 3,000

She started the fire before leaving the same way and when arrested she told police she had gone to fetch medication and had nothing to do with the fire.

One neighbour saw her walking away from the house shortly before another saw the smoke and called the emergency services.

Miss Emily Pitts, defending, said Jarvis was in emotional turmoil at the time but the fire had not been a revenge attack.

Jarvis was said to have moved on with her life in the two years since the fire and has a new job and a new relationship.

Miss Pitts said her client had not lit the fire deliberately but had been flicking a lighter when the upholstery caught fire. She had not used any accelerant.

Although it was said in court that the wedding was called off after Jarvis claimed she had found Mr Jarvis was attempting to start another relationship, he denies this.

Responding to the claims outside court, he said: 'That was fabricated. It was mentioned in court, but I think that was trying to get her a lesser sentence.

Jarvis returned to the house on June 13 2016, by which time Mr Jarvis had changed the locks on the front and back doors. She got in by using a ladder to reach an upstairs balcony

'She had seen a text message sent to someone, but there wasn't a relationship or anything. We'd split up because she hit me with the crab, after she hit me I said 'that's it.''

He said: 'We were due to be married, I called it off. That's what triggered it all.

'We'd been together for a good two years or so, engaged for about 12 months of that.'

Colin said his ex-fiance use to throw hot potatoes and ornaments at him while they were together.

He said: 'Before the fire, she had been out on a hen night and she got back and battered me over the head with an ornamental crab.

'She had thrown roast potatoes at me, I can't stand physical violence like that at all. When she hit me with the crab it was over. It took me a good while to get her out, a month or so.

'I was woken up one night and she was stood in my bedroom saying, 'I love you' and all that. I told her to get out and said it was over.

'I could forgive the hot potatoes but when she battered me with the crab it was a red flag - no one needs that.'

Mr Jarvis said a neighbour told him about the fire at his home.

He said: 'I was working away, in Surrey, and my neighbour rang me and said my house was on fire.

'I've lived there for 30 years, it's my castle - I've done a lot of work on the house over the years.

'I set off for home and called the police because it was obvious to me Cath had started it. She was stood outside watching the fire. She was arrested that same day, she was in the police van when I got there.

'She denied it and the police told us they were dropping the case but I appealed the decision and I got them to look at it again.

'That time they decided there was enough and it went to court. She changed her plea right at the last minute.'A preacher survived after a gunman's attack during a church service in Brazil by jumping behind an altar with 'Jesus' written on it.

Weslei Souza, 30, opened fire inside the Temple of Angels church in Mogi das Cruzes, in the state of Sao Paulo, on Sunday evening, authorities said, as the service was being broadcast live on social media.

Souza can be seen calmly striding to the front of the full church while aiming his weapon directly at the pastor, Adilio Carloto da Silva, who was seated behind the altar.

A preacher survived after a gunman's attack during a church service in Brazil by jumping behind an altar with 'Jesus' written on it

Dozens of horrified viewers witnessed the the terrified pastor attempt to dodge the bullets fired in his direction.

The dramatic video shows his assailant appeared to stalk him, firing shot after shot.

But Da Silva miraculously survived the onslaught despite being hit twice by bullets and after undergoing emergency surgery. He is reported to be in a serious condition, but out of danger.

Souza reportedly claimed he entered the building to rob the church.

But police dismissed this motive as 'unconvincing' because he appears to deliberately target the pastor in the video.

Despite the gunman operating at close range, the majority of the bullets missed the people on the platform as they dived for cover. Only the pastor was injured in the attack.

Authorities say Weslei Souza opened fire inside the Temple of Angels church in Mogi das Cruzes on Sunday

The pastor survived the attack after leaping behind the altar. He is in a serious condition in hospital after undergoing emergency surgery

Additional video footage shot by witnesses and included in police evidence shows the minister scrambling for safety.

Souza was overpowered by members of the congregation, with one heroic worshipper seen tackling him to the floor and others pinned him to the ground.

Local reports said he had to be rescued by police 'before he was lynched.'

He was taken to Luzia de Pinho Melo Hospital for treatment for head injuries before being arrested.

Souza (pictured being taken into custody) was taken to hospital for treatment before being arrested on Sunday. He has been charged with attempted murder

Military police captain Alex Amaral said: 'The situation doesn't look like a robbery and we are not convinced by what he claims it to be.

'From the images, it appears that the assailant is shooting at a target and pursuing him on purpose. This does not have the characteristics of a robbery.'

Investigators have launched an inquiry into the background of both the victim and suspect to determine any links between them.

Souza has been charged with attempted murder. He already has a criminal record for drug trafficking.Former First Lady Michelle Obama has revealed why she and the Queen put their arms around each other during a G20 summit - they were bonding over their sore feet.

Eyebrows were raised in 2009 when Mrs Obama was seen putting her arm around the Queen's shoulders during a Buckingham Palace reception, and the monarch responded with an arm around the American's waist as they stood side by side.

But in her memoir Becoming, Mrs Obama said her conversation with the Queen was about the pain in their feet after a long day stood up in heels.

Many publications have reported that at first Mrs Obama was awestruck by Britain's head of state, who she described as an 'honest-to-goodness icon'.

But the Queen, who is famed for her humour - which she uses to put nervous guests at ease, commented on how tall the then First Lady was before highlighting how her shoes must be painful.

Former US First Lady Michelle Obama with her arm around Britain's Queen Elizabeth ll at the reception at Buckingham Palace, London, Britain April 1 2009

Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama pose for photographs with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh during an audience at Buckingham Palace on April 1, 2009, where the former first lady says she and the Queen bonded over their sore feet

Mrs Obama wrote: 'The Queen then glanced down at the pair of black Jimmy Choos I was wearing. She shook her head.

'These shoes are unpleasant, are they not?' she said. She gestured with some frustration at her own black pumps.

'I confessed then to the Queen that my feet were hurting. She confessed that hers hurt, too. We looked at each other then with identical expressions, like, when is all this standing around with world leaders going to finally wrap up? And with this, she busted out with a fully charming laugh.'

Mrs Obama added that despite their positions, they were just 'two tired ladies oppressed by our shoes', and without thinking she put her arm around the Queen in a gesture of bonding.

Michelle Obama put her hand around the Queen and despite going against royal protocol, the Queen reciprocated the gesture

To some it was an act of sacrilege, the most grave breach of royal protocol  but Mrs Obama believes the Queen 'was OK' with it.

It was thought inconceivable that Mrs Obama would be unaware of the strict 'dos and don'ts' of interacting with Her Majesty  with No 1 being that she is not touched.

She wrote: 'I then did what's instinctive to me any time I feel connected to a new person, which is to express my feelings outwardly. I laid a hand affectionately across her shoulder.

'I couldn't have known it in the moment, but I was committing what would be deemed an epic faux pas.'

However, the warm gesture prompted the Queen to rest her own hand on Mrs Obama's back.

'Our interaction at the reception was caught on camera, and in the coming days it would be reproduced in media reports all over the world: 'A breach in royal protocol!' 'Michelle Obama dares to hug the Queen!'

It revived some of the campaign-era speculation that I was generally uncouth and lacking the standard elegance of a First Lady, and worried me somewhat too. But I tried not to let the criticism rattle me.

'If I hadn't done the proper thing at Buckingham Palace, I had at least done the human thing. I daresay the Queen was OK with it too, because when I touched her, she pulled closer, resting a gloved hand lightly on the small of my back.'

Former US President Barack Obama (L) and First Lady Michelle Obama (2nd-R) greet Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (2nd-L) and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, for a reciprocal dinner at the Winfield House in London, on May 25, 2011

Her memoir also reveals that when the couple moved into the White House, despite Mr Obama's job, she would berate him to leave the Oval Office to have dinner with her and their two children.

'Family dinners; that was one of the things I brought into the White House,' she reveals during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. 'That strict code of: You gotta catch up with us, dude. This is when we're having dinner. Yes, you're president, but you can bring your butt from the Oval Office and sit down and talk to your children.'

The former first lady said it had been difficult to keep a sense of normality for Malia, now 20, and Sasha, 17, who spent most of their childhood in the White House.

During the interview, published in Elle magazine, Mrs Obama said that her husband drove her 'mad' by regularly coming home later than promised, making him too late to see their girls before bedtime.

After Mr Obama served nearly a decade as president, the family moved to a new home in Washington, and on her first morning without a White House chef 'fussing' over her, she delighted in making her first meal  cheese on toast.

'So here I am in my new home,' she told Elle magazine. 'And I do a simple thing. I go downstairs and open the cabinet in my own kitchen  which you don't do in the White House because there's always somebody there going, 'Let me get that. What do you want? What do you need?'  and I made myself toast. Cheese toast.'

Queen Elizabeth II (L) and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (R) stand with former US President Barack Obama and First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle ahead of a private lunch hosted by the Queen on April 22, 2016

She recently accused Donald Trump of endangering her family by supporting the 'birther conspiracy'  the inaccurate rumour that her husband was born in Kenya, so was not eligible to be president.

She said she would 'never forgive' Mr Trump and 'stopped even trying to smile' at his inauguration.

Mrs Obama appears on the cover of this month's Elle magazine, which is on sale today.Panicked halloumi lovers have reacted to fears that the cheese's growing popularity in China could threaten global supplies.

The increase in demand has sparked concern that Cypriot dairy farmers will struggle to meet the unprecedented desire for the cheese.

It led to British customers expressing their concern, with one vowing to get 'emergency supplies' amid concern of a 'repeat of the great avocado shortage of 2017'.

The UK is the biggest importer of the cheese from Cyprus - but now, another nation has fallen in love with the trendy Mediterranean staple.

China has put major demand on the supply chain with calls for tonnes of the cheese to be shipped overseas.

Farmers who make Halloumi on the small island have said they simply cannot meet the gigantic orders.

Along with avocado and falafel, halloumi has become a much sought after staple, as a meat replacement or a side dish.

Halloumi cheese has become a much-loved staple in dishes across the country. But a shortage could be looming as demand from China soars

In 2017, avocado also ran low - causing great upset across the nation.

Twitter users vowed to stockpile the cheese.

One woman compared it to the 'great avocado shortage of 2017'.

Another said: 'First, global warming. Then, the financial crash.

'Where will it all end?'

Halloumi, which has a long shelf life, is traditionally made of a mix of cow's, sheep's and goat's milk.

However, more recently the amount of cow's milk in the cheese has doubled in some areas over a shortage of goat and sheep milk.

In a bid to increase output farmers have begin importing cattle from Denmark and the Netherlands.

Sheep are also being brought over borders from Italy and Denmark.

Soaring temperatures this summer saw the animals loose appetite and production dropped.

'I don't know if this is a curse or blessing,' Yiannis Pittas, the founder and owner of Cyprus' biggest halloumi producer, told The Times.

'But we're struggling to cope with the unprecedented global demand.'

A deal has been struck to increase imports to China which has a market of three million consumers for the cheese - posing the risk that supplies to Europe will dwindle.

Social media users were unhappy with the news as Cypriot farmers rush to plug the production gap

Since 2013, exports of halloumi have increased from about 6,000 tonnes to 26,000 tonnes.

Britain imports more than any other European nation at about 9,000 tonnes a year.

over the summer, emergency supplies were sent to Sainsbury's and Tesco as British barbecues were stocked with the Cypriot product.

Last year, a team from the Roslin Institute at Edinburgh University, where Dolly the sheep was cloned, is helping Cypriot farmers to increase their milk production to boost halloumi yields.

The UK imports about 9,000 tonnes of the cheese every year - making it the biggest importer of the product in Europe

The institutes Ricardo Pong-Wong said: The team in Cyprus are doing a fantastic job and they are already seeing benefits.

In Britain, a Syrian refugee opened an award winning business as she made her own halloumi in Britain.

Razan Alsous and her husband Raghid, who are Syrian refugees, decided to make a version of halloumi when they couldn't source any in their new hometown in Huddersfield.

Razan, 35, and Raghid, 53, who fled war in Syria with their three children in 2012, first started making the 'Squeaky Cheese' that tastes just like halloumi, at their home in West Yorkshire.

Razan thought of the idea after struggling to find the foods she craved on her local supermarket shelves soon after she immigrated.

She said: 'I couldn't find halloumi in Huddersfield, so I thought, 'why not make it myself?'

'I started experimenting at home. We got a 2,500 loan to make it commercially.

'People love to eat our cheese.'One of the brightest minds in nightlife has called for Sydney's lockout laws to be scrapped - and offered a simple solution to revive the city's night economy.

'We need to really change the narrative and explain to people that lockout laws have had a negative effect on the image of Sydney,' VibeLabs co founder and Global Night Mayor advocate Mirik Milan told Daily Mail Australia.

Mr Milan was one of many international key speakers at Tuesday's Global Cities After Dark, a forum that studies night time culture from a global standpoint.

Sydney's (pictured) nightlife came to a standstill after the controversial laws were brought into effect in 2014

VibeLabs co founder and Global Night Mayor advocate Mirik Milan (pictured) was one of many key speakers at Tuesday's Global Cities After Dark

The forum was held in Sydney this week for the second time, with lockout laws an ever-pressing talking point.

'I think the [NSW] State Government has a totally different agenda and that is where the real issue is,' Mr Milan said.

'The State Government has to be very careful that they don't use young people for their own political gain.'

Sydney's nightlife came to a standstill after the controversial laws were brought into effect in 2014.

Draconian measures were placed at venues in Kings Cross and throughout the Sydney CBD, making it compulsory for bars and venues to reject patrons after 1.30am.

Mirik Milan said part of the problem for the alcohol-fueled violence at Kings Cross was a lack of mobility and transport options

While assaults are down 50 per cent at Kings Cross, assaults have risen 17 per cent in lockout-free zones like Newtown, Double Bay and Bondi

The lockout laws were imposed in response to a spate of one-punch attacks, which included the deaths of Daniel Christie and Thomas Kelly, in Kings Cross.

While assaults are down 50 per cent at Kings Cross, assaults have risen 17 per cent in lockout-free zones like Newtown, Double Bay and Bondi.

Mr Milan believes it's a sign lockout laws simply aren't having the desired effect.

'You can only change behaviour from the grassroots up. If you open up 100 bars in a different district, you would have the same amount of alcohol-related violence.'

Foot traffic has dropped by 84 per cent in Kings Cross and more than 170 venues have closed, with live music being one of the sectors hardest hit.

Mr Milan said a strong night economy is supported by three pillars: talent, venue and policy framework.

Collaboration has to occur between governments, councils and interested stakeholders, he said.

He said Australia should take note of how other countries have driven up their night economy.

Foot traffic has dropped by 84 per cent in Kings Cross and more than 170 venues have closed, with live music being one of the sectors hardest hit

Amsterdam, for instance, has put a large focus on creating 'multi-disciplinary' venues.

'I'm not talking about bars that focus on alcohol or table service. It's about creating community spaces, that make the city unique.'

He said the focus had even been shifted outside of the CBD, with 24 hour licences granted to venues on the outskirts.

'We managed to get alcohol-related violence down by 25 per cent and 30 per cent in any kind of nuisance behaviour, like public urination, littering in Amsterdam.'

He said part of the problem for the alcohol-fueled violence at Kings Cross was a lack of mobility and transport options.

'At Kings Cross you suddenly had thousands of people on the street at night, but only a few hundred taxis coming through the area.

'The more transportation you have coming through the easier it is to disperse the crowd and the less violence you will have.'

The NSW State Parliament will debate a bill about whether or not to lift the lockout law in parliament on November 15

Night time economy ambassador for the City of Detroit Adrian Tonon said his hometown had even looked into changing its drink cut-off times, with the hope of improving its nightlife.

'We [Detroit] serve alcohol until 2am.

'What happens sometimes is someone will get to a bar at 1 o'clock and say I've got an hour to drink. They'll consume as much as they can.

'If you extend it to 4am in certain zones, and after studying best practices around the world, we find crime will go down, folks won't get in the car right after a night out.'

He said Detroit is planning to work with transport giants like Lyft, Uber and public buses to create a better night life.

The NSW State Parliament will debate a bill about whether or not to lift the lockout law in parliament on November 15.

The Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party presented the bill in late October.Police are hunting for a disturbing pusher who shoved an innocent pedestrian into oncoming traffic.

Footage shows a taxi screech to a halt and miss the victim by just inches after the man sneaks up on him from behind.

Police say the victim and his attacker had 'exchanged words' just before the attack after the pair brushed shoulders.

An onlooker took a photo of the pusher before he made his getaway.

Although the incident took place on July 23, in New Bridge Street in the City of London, police have only just released the footage in a bid to catch the man.

They cited 'protocol' as the reason for the delay.

City of London Police today released an image of the suspect who is believed to have pushed the innocent pedestrian into the road

They are hunting for the disturbing pusher who was caught shoving an innocent pedestrian into oncoming traffic along New Bridge Street in London

Despite the incident happening four months ago City of London Police have only just released an image of the suspect, citing 'protocol' as the reason for the delay

The incident occurred along New Bridge Street on July 23 this year in front of witnesses

The victim told police that before the incident he had brushed shoulders and exchanged words with the suspect.

The victim continued to walk down the road on his way to work but he was followed by the suspect who then pushed him towards the oncoming cars.

The victim sustained grazes to his hands and arms and was dazed for a brief period of time.

Members of the public helped and some even followed the suspect to confront him.

One member of the public took a photo of the suspect which is being released by the City of London Police alongside CCTV of the incident.

In response to the reasons why the footage was delayed a police spokesperson said: 'There was not a big reason why the footage was delayed. We were just following protocol and there were lines of investigation we had to follow before releasing it to the public.'

Officers are now asking anyone who witnessed the bizarre attack to step forward.

Detective Constable Duff, from the City of London Police, said: 'We would like to speak to anyone who witnessed this incident in July or who may know the man in the photograph.

Members of the public were seen helping the victim from the road and some even followed the suspect to confront him

'The quick thinking actions of the taxi driver undoubtedly prevented this incident having much more severe consequences for the victim. However he is still naturally shocked and horrified by what happened to him.

'If you have any information that can assist our investigation please call us on 0207 601 2999.'

The incident follows the case of the Putney Pusher who shoved a 33-year-old woman in front of an oncoming bus in May 2017

The incident follows the case of the Putney Pusher who shoved a 33-year-old woman in front of an oncoming bus in Putney, south west London, in May 2017.

Despite officers questioning more than 50 suspects the hunt for the so-called Putney Pusher was called off with the police admitting defeat in the hunt for the culprit.

Anyone with information concerning the incident should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit their website on www.crimestoppers-uk.org.A tabby cat found with serious injures in a wildfire ravaged street in Paradise, northern California has died, animal activists have said.

A picture of the cat, nicknamed Billiegirl on social media after the road where she was found on Sunday, was shared all over the world as a miracle rescue, but unfortunately the animal did not survive its injuries.

An organisation of animal lovers known as California Wildfire Pets which has been trying to reunite lost animals with their owners disclosed the news on Facebook.

They had earlier posted: 'Are you missing an orange tabby kitty from the area of Billie Rd in Paradise?' with a picture of the cat in the hope its family could be found.

Billiegirl the cat became one of thousands of animals who have perished in the deadly wildfires ravaging the state of California. Others have managed to escape or have been rescued, but the blazes have had a devastating impact on wildlife.

Heartbreaking images from animal clinics or during rescue efforts show a cat in a makeshift incubator, a bunny rabbit whose ears were burned off by the flames, and emergency workers desperately ferrying animals from the edge of the fires to safety.

Rest in peace: The badly burned cat was pictured cowering in agony before animal rescuers could take it to a veterinary center, after it was discovered near a residential block in Paradise, California on Sunday

Crossed over: A local animal activist group helping to reunite pets and owners announced that the tabby cat, nicknamed Billiegirl, had not survived her injuries

Rescued: A cat is treated for burns and smoke inhalation due to the Woolsey Fire in Woodland Hills, southern California

Heartbreaking: A rabbit suffering from burns struggles to find safety, as the Woolsey Fire continues to burn near Malibu in California

The Camp Fire devastating Northern California, and the Woolsey Fire, which is currently raging near Malibu in the south, have forced residents to flee their homes, and have left many unable to also save their beloved pets.

As the confirmed human death toll of the Camp Fire reached 42 on Tuesday morning, with the flames having levelled more than 7,100 homes and other buildings, it now ranks as the deadliest and most destructive wildfire on record in California.

It is not known how many animals - wild or pets - have been killed or injured in the wildfires, which have been raging since Thursday, but it is thought to be at least several thousand.

Urgent evacuation orders have seen many animals abandoned, including horses and other farm animals, with residents potentially underestimating how damaging the fire would become.

A dog is treated for severe burns on its paws from the Woolsey Fire. Volunteer veterinarians with Veterinary Angels and The Little Angels Project, created a mash tent at Pierce College to treat animals injured or displaced by the fires

Injured: Shiloh, a two-year-old golden retriever, has suffered burns to her face and needs veterinarian treatment, but her owner, Cathy Fallon is refusing to leave her property because authorities will then not allow her to return due to the evacuation order

Cathy Fallon pets her dog Shiloh outside their burned-down home in Paradise, California

A cat is treated by workers at the Little Animals Project in LA after they were found with burns in the Woolsey fire

Equine veterinarian Jesse Jellison carries an injured goose to a waiting transport during the Camp Fire in Paradise

A badly burned bunny was rescued from the fires and treated for its wounds

Dr. Maritxu Ravenscroft with Veterinary Angels and The Little Angels Project, looks over treatment notes for animals displaced by the fire

As well as pets, Northern California area is home to a myriad of wild animals, including several types of deer, black bears, bobcats, elks and cougars, and the Butte County area where Camp Fire burns hosts several wildlife sanctuaries.

Other common forest creatures are coyotes, raccoons, squirrels, skunks and foxes as well as a number of birds and snakes.

Volunteers and professionals have bandied together to try to rescue as many as possible, helped by donations from animal lovers - including Hollywood actress Sandra Bullock.

The Oceans 8 actress has donated $100,000 donation to The Humane Society of Ventura County, which announced the generous boost on their Facebook page.

'Our efforts for rescuing and caring for evacuated animals from the Hill and Woolsey fires had caught her [Ms Bullock's] attention and her team reached out to the shelter to show their support,' the organization, which operates in southern California, wrote.

Members of the UC Davis Veterinary Emergency Response Team, Ashley Nola, left, and Catherine McFarren, right, tend to burns on a dog that was brought in to the Butte County Fair Grounds where large animals are being sheltered during the Camp Fire

Disaster: Many large animals have been taken to the Butte County Fair as nearby communities are ordered to evacuate

Horses are evacuated by members of the Humane Society of Ventura County from an area affected by a wildfire in Malibu, California

A horse is seen as members of the Humane Society of Ventura County evacuate animals from an area affected by a wildfire in Malibu

A donkey rests on a roadside as the Camp Fire burns in Big Bend, California

'Sandra Bullock and her family have reached out to other nonprofit organizations both during this incident and in the past.

'However, this time she wanted to contribute to those on the frontline rescuing animals in peril and hope others will choose to do the same.'

'The HSVC pledges to care for these animals for as long as is needed or until their owners feel comfortable in safely reuniting their families.'

A makeshift animal clinic has been set up in the Butte County Fair Grounds, 30 miles south of Paradise, at the weekend, where emergency service veterinarians tended to dogs with burned paws and fur.

Goats and horses have also found temporary shelter at the Fair Grounds as the Camp Fire continues to burn through the region, fueled by high winds in Butte County.

In Big Bend, Fire Captain Steve Millosovich carried a cage full of cats that were found abandoned in the road after the Camp Fire.

Stanley the giraffe, one of several exotic animals at Saddlerock Ranch, is shrouded in smoke in the aftermath of the Woosley Fire. The animals on the ranch survived, but several buildings on the property we destroyed or damaged by the fire

Images of Stanley in his pen with the fires raging behind him were shared on social media

Elsewhere, celebrities including Khloe Kardashian and Ariel Winter slammed a wine estate in Malibu for allegedly abandoning a giraffe.

Malibu Wines which owns the Saddlerock Ranch where some exotic animals are kept, had reportedly abandoned Stanley the giraffe to his fate.

Pictures emerging from Stanley's enclosure show him standing near a fence just meters away from scorched earth caused by the devastating fires and flames in the background.

Saddlerock Ranch claimed in a statement last week that the animals were being evacuated, however this has been disputed by activists, including actress Whitney Cummings who visited the site on Saturday and found Stanley in his pen.

The ranch said all animals on the ranch survived, but several buildings on the property we destroyed or damaged by the fire.

'House gone, hope the dogs got out': Desperate owners post images of their beloved pets on social media as they search for animals missing in the California wildfires

Pet owners across California have turned to social media in the hopes that their beloved animals lost in the wildfires may have survived the flames.

Facebook groups such as Cowboy 911 and Camp Fire Pet Rescue and Reunification are being inundated with posts by worried local residents.

Many are pleading for help to find cats, dogs, horses and even pigs which they were forced to leave behind during the urgent evacuations last week, or were unable to locate in time.

Missing pets: Facebook groups helping California wildfire survivors are being inundated with posts by owners from across the state who were unable to take their pets with them when they evacuated their homes

Dozens of posts are being shared online, containing pictures of pets in happier times, as owners express their hope that their four-legged friend is one of the lucky ones to have been rescued.

'Our pug Nahla was trapped in the house, if she is found or was rescued please contact me. She is very loved, she is our baby,' as a caption to a picture of an adorable pug wearing a a pink flower tiara around her waist.

'House is gone. Hoping they got out,' another writes on a post urging anyone who has spotted eight pets including a dachshund puppyu and a labrador, to get in touch.

Another missing pet is a large pig named Sumo who is still missing from near Chico, California.

The owner of Boo Boo the cat has posted a picture of their 'handsome little kitty' on a Facebook group for pet owners who are looking for their animals lost in the wildfires

This little piggy: Sumo the pig is still missing after the Camp Fire in northern California

The owners of this male tabby cat called 'Kitty Friend' hope to be able to find him

Rescued: These two horses were found running around in Paradise, California, and an alert was posted on Facebook by a group set up to help reunite owners and rescued pets

This heartbreaking image was shared by a woman working at a veterinary centre after the badly burned cat was picked up in Paradise, California, and appears to have since been identified by its owners who spotted the Facebook post

Many veterinary centers and sanctuaries in the areas of the Camp Fire, Woolsey Fire and Hill Fire are in turn posting pictures of saved animals, some with horrific injuries, to try to track down their owners.

This has seen a few sunshine stories, such as that of a badly injured female cat picked up in Paradise, California.

Thanks to the cat's unique markings, its owner was able to identify it as its one-year-old pet.This is the frightening moment a woman is crushed and suffers broken bones after a horse she was riding gets spooked while wading through water and throws her off.

Kelly Sword, 21, was riding her grandmother's horse Izzy when the 1,100lb animal 'flipped out', pushing its rider beneath the water of a shallow pond.

Miss Sword, a college student from Groveland, Florida, said she feared for her life when her foot became trapped in the stirrup, and she found herself beneath the belly of the adult horse.

Kelly Sword, 21, is riding her horse when it is spooked by light reflection in the water

Miss Sword is thrown off the horse and is crushed as the animal 'flips out' and tramples in the pond

Miss Sword said she believes her horse was 'spooked' by a light below the water's surface.

Miss Sword, a business and accounting student, said: 'She was really chill and then just started flipping out.

'It all happened so fast and my foot was trapped in the stirrup. I remember hitting the water and thinking, 'This horse is going to fall on me.'

'I don't know how I survived because I was under the water, under her belly.. I was under for less than a minute.'

Miss Sword suffered a broken leg and a torn ligament in her knee from the freak accident

The college student says she is 'lucky to be alive after she fell off the horse and her stirrup got caught

The frightening footage was captured by Miss Sword's brother and she was rushed to hospital after the horse injured her leg

Miss Sword was rushed to hospital following the accident after she she tore a ligament in her knee and fractured her leg, which required surgery.

The student said she feels lucky to have survived but will never be able to walk the same again.

She said: 'I didn't feel pain in that moment, but afterwards I was in extraordinary pain,' she said.

'I tore my ACL and I broke my tibia. Doctors aren't sure I'll ever have full mobility in my leg again but I'm taking small steps.

'I'm exercising on the treadmill and trying to do my physical therapy at home.'

The frightening footage was captured by Miss Sword's brother Cody Schuler, 22, who was filming Miss Sword, her mother Sonya Sword, 44, and stepdad Nathan Jenkins, 36, on the ride in a pond on property owned by her grandmother Diane Mills, 65, in Groveland.

Miss Sword said watching the clip takes her back to the frightening moment during which she believed it was 'all over'.

'When I watch that video it brings me right back to that scary moment when I thought I was going to die. I thought it was the end.'Advertisement

The Norwegian warship which rolled onto its side after colliding with a UK-bound oil tanker last week has sunk after the wires holding it in place were torn.

Pictures released of the KNM Helge Instad on Tuesday, part of a NATO fleet in the Atlantic, showed the frigate almost completely submerged in the water after sinking overnight.

The ship had been being held afloat by cables since last weeks incident but officials from the Forsvaret, Norway's armed forces, confirmed that the cables had snapped leading it to slide further and further underwater.

'The ship sunk a meter further and, as a result, two wires broke. They were replaced with two stronger ones. We worked until midnight on this. After midnight, we realized it was not safe for our staff to carry on the work further,' Haavard Mathiesen, the head of the salvage operation for the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency said Tuesday.

'Around 0600 (0500 GMT), more wires broke and the ship sank further. It is now in deep water and stable,' he told a news conference.

Crew on board the warship, which is one of the largest in the Norwegian navy, were reportedly warned several times it was on a collision course with a Britain-bound oil tanker before the two vessels smashed into each other.

Pictures released by the Forsvaret, Norway's armed forces, on Tuesday morning showed the KNM Helge Ingstad almost totally submerged having run aground last week. The frigate collided with a UK-bound oil tanker and rolled onto its side on Friday despite the crew's insistence the situation was 'under control'

The boat has now almost completely sunk just off the coast near Bergen, Norway after officials revealed that the cables holding it out of the water had snapped

The warship's control tower and radio masts could be seen floating above the water on Tuesday morning after the boat sunk deeper and deeper into the bay

The KNM Helge Instad pictured shortly after it ran aground near the coast and rolled over onto its side surrounded by support boats from the Norwegian navy

Crew on board the KNM Helge Instad, part of a NATO fleet in the Atlantic, insisted they 'had control' of the ship before smashing in to Sola TS in Sture, north of Bergen, Norway

Despite the warnings, however, they insisted they 'had control' before smashing into Sola TS in Sture, north of Bergen, Norway.

The frigate had received alerts from the tanker and from the Coastal Maritime Traffic Center Fedje VTS, sources have told the Norwegian news website Aldrimer. But ship management are said to have responded: 'We are in control' in the run-up to the crash.

Some 10,000 litres of helicopter fuel from the frigate has leaked into the sea after the collision tore a large hole in its side, the military said. The frigate's 137 crew members were evacuated amid fears that it may sink.

Eight people on the KNM Helge Instad were injured in the 4am collision said Rear Adm. Nils Andreas Stensoenes, the head of Norway's navy. Two of them were taken to a nearby hospital.

The ship, which had recently taken part in the vast Trident Juncture NATO military drill in Norway, is 'strongly listing,' Stensoenes told a news conference Thursday afternoon.

The 442ft long frigate, built in Spain in 2009, is part of a NATO fleet in the Atlantic. The alliance has been informed of the accident, he said.

A Norwegian navy frigate (pictured) and a Maltese oil tanker collided in a fjord in western Norway yesterday morning, injuring seven people

Eight sailors were injured after the warship, one of the largest in the Norwegian navy, collided with the oil tanker

Despite the terrifying collision and fears of the warship sinking, none of the 137 people on board were seriously injured

The Maltese-flagged oil tanker, Sola TS, was not damaged and its 23-man crew remained on board. The shipping site Sysla reported the tanker had been loaded with crude oil and was on its way to Britain.

Stensoenes said the cause of the accident was not clear and the Navy would wait for the findings of Norway's Accident Investigation Board. Earlier reports had said a towboat was also involved in the collision, but Stensoenes denied that report.

He said the frigate had been pushed by towboats into shallow water where it could not sink fully.

The tanker, the Sola TS, was only slightly damaged and it appears that it did not spill oil after the collision with the warship

Norwegian Lieutenant Colonel Ivar Moen said: 'The armed forces is now reviewing all the means available in the region to assist the KNM Helge Ingstad'

'We are in a security phase for the time being,' he said. He declined to comment on what would happen to the weapons on board the ship.

Some 10,000 liters of helicopter fuel from the frigate has leaked into the sea, said Johan Marius Ly of the Norwegian Coast Guard. The fuel was expected to evaporate quickly.

Norway's largest oil and gas company, Equinor, formerly known as Statoil, said its non-emergency activities at the Sture terminal where the collision occurred were shut down as a precaution for many hours but were gradually starting up again late Thursday afternoon.

The Accident Investigation Board said because the tanker is Maltese-registered, the Marine Safety Investigation Unit (MSIU) of Malta will participate in the investigation.

A total of 137 people were on board the frigate (pictured) while 23 were on the tanker, which was flying the Maltese flag

The circumstances of the accident, which took place shortly after 4am yesterday in the Hjeltefjord near Bergen, are not yet clear

Built in 2009, the KNM Helge Ingstad participated in chemical disarmament operations in Syria between December 2013 and May 2014A 62-year-old woman was found dead at a home in London last night as police launched their 121th murder probe of the year.

Officers were called to the property in Balham, South West London, at about 11.40pm yesterday and found the victim had been fatally assaulted.

Her death brings the number of homicides being investigated by Scotland Yard this year to 121, more than there were in the whole of 2017.

A police car has been parked outside the home in Balham, South West London, this morning

A forensics officer is seen leaving the house where the alleged crime took place overnight

A 66-year-old man, known to the victim, was arrested on suspicion of murder and remained in custody today. The woman's family were told of her death.

The incident happened on a road next to Wandsworth Common and Balham train station, where properties are worth an average of 1.4million, and up to 4.3million.

The value of the property where the incident happened is not available, but the adjoining home - which is similar and part of the same building - is worth 1.3million.

Police attended with paramedics from the London Ambulance Service, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem will be scheduled.

Today, two police cars were parked outside but there was no cordon around the semi-detached Victorian home, where officers and detectives spoke on the street.

An officer stands by the door of the home in Balham today after a murder probe was launched

A forensics officer leaves the property today after the murder investigation was launched

The blinds were up on the top floor of the two-storey townhouse but curtains had been drawn in the large bay window downstairs.

The property appears to be split into two flats that are owned by a housing association. The womans next-door neighbour said: "It's a shock.

The first I heard of it was in the press this morning. She was a very kind woman. She brought food round when my wife died. I think her husband died some years ago.

She has lived here quite a while. We have helped her out with her garden before, clearing it out, trimming the hedges and so forth."

Officers said enquiries continue today by detectives from the Metropolitan Police's homicide and major crime command.

Police walk outside the property in Balham where a woman's body was discovered last night

The incident in Balham prompted the second murder probe to be launched by police yesterday

It was the second murder investigation launched by police yesterday, following the death of 35-year-old Devi Unmathallegadoo in Ilford, East London.

The Metropolitan Police has seen a sharp rise in alleged domestic homicides in the past year, although 2017 was a record low, and the force's murder squad is looking at why the number may have risen.

In London, there have been 26 so far this year not including the two deaths yesterday, compared to a record low of nine last year. There were 16 in 2016, 27 in 2015, 16 in 2014 and 31 in 2013.

Among the 119 homicides in 2018, there have been 68 stabbings, 12 shootings and two deaths involving a knife and a gun.

A third of the cases (42) involved victims aged 16 to 24, while 20 were teenagers.

Police at the home in Balham today after a man aged 66 was arrested on suspicion of murder

Among the victims aged 16 to 24, 30 were stabbed, nine were shot, two died in attacks involving a knife and a gun, and one died in a fall.

For the teenagers aged 15 to 19, six were shot and 14 were stabbed.

Levels of violent crime in the capital have remained a concern throughout the year, with monthly highs in February and March, when 18 homicides were recorded each month.

These were the second highest monthly totals recorded since April 2010.

The only higher peak was in June 2017 when there were 20, a figure that includes eight people killed in the London Bridge terror atrocity.

If this is excluded, the previous monthly peak was in April 2010 when there were 16.

In total, 111 homicides were recorded in 2016 and 122 in 2015 in the capital, according to Home Office data.

The murders across the capital so far this year are shown in this graphic (CLICK TO EXPAND)

Before this the number of police-recorded homicides in London had been falling, from 164 in 2007 to 91 in 2014.

Looking at official figures for financial years, there was a peak in 2003/4 when there were 212, and then, bar one rise in 2010/11, the total gradually decreased until 2017/18 when it rose by 36% to 146.

What's causing the rise in the murder rate? Police have pointed to links between violence and so-called county lines drug networks, where urban dealers force children and other vulnerable people to courier illegal substances to customers in more rural areas. They are also known to take over innocent peoples homes to use as a base for crime. Middle class cocaine users have come under fire from a number of public figures, including the countrys most senior police officer Scotland Yard Commissioner Cressida Dick, who pointed to the misery caused by the drugs trade. Drill music, where rappers taunt rivals with lyrics laced with violence and threats, and the role of social media in escalating disputes have also come under the microscope, as have cuts to youth services and the police. A breakdown of the first 100 murders showed only a quarter were thought to be gang-related. Advertisement

In response to the bloodshed this year, the Metropolitan Police Violent Crime Task Force was set up, seizing 340 knives, 40 guns and 258 other offensive weapons in its first six months of operation, and making more than 1,350 arrests.

Mayor Sadiq Khan also announced plans for a violence reduction unit that would adopt the public health approach to tackle violent crime that was successfully used in Glasgow.

Police have pointed to links between violence and so-called county lines drug networks, where urban dealers force children and other vulnerable people to courier illegal substances to customers in more rural areas.

They are also known to take over innocent people's homes to use as a base for crime.

Middle class cocaine users have come under fire from a number of public figures, including the country's most senior police officer Scotland Yard Commissioner Cressida Dick, who pointed to the misery caused by the drugs trade.

Drill music, where rappers taunt rivals with lyrics laced with violence and threats, and the role of social media in escalating disputes have also come under the microscope, as have cuts to youth services and the police.

Yesterday, Home Secretary Sajid Javid admitted that police officer numbers were "an important part" of the fight against violent crime.

Anyone with information is asked to call Scotland Yard on 101 and quote CAD 8110/12 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.Hundreds of staff at the heart of British government have complained about being bullied or sexually harrassed, an investigation has revealed.

More than five-hundred civil servants in three years have sought help over workplace intimidation and harassment across Government departments and publicly funded bodies.

Freedom of Information requests submitted by The Guardian, revealed 551 complaints were made with 95 being over sexual harassment.

However, few have been punished.

Disciplinary investigations have not been opened into many of those who are alleged to have made others' lives miserable.

When asked for data over bullying, only 21 departments and bodies responded to requests by the Guardian.

Within Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) there were 294 complaints of bullying from 2016 until this year, but less than 20 people were subjected to investigations.

The HM Revenue and Customs offices in Whitehall where 294 complained of bullying between 2016 and this year

There were no disciplinary probes at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) when 13 men and fewer than ten women made complaints, the Guardian investigation found.

It comes as MPs said there was a 'cover up culture' in Government.

Bullying and sexual harassment claims were probed in a new report, last month, which called for major change.

Last month, Dame Laura Cox authored the report into bullying in Whitehall.

She published the results of her probe into the abuse suffered by staff employed directly by the House of Commons, such as clerks, with shocking results.

The damning report heard from 200 staff members past and present and exposed a 'toxic' culture of bullying and sexual harassment which had festered for years.

She lashed the 'institutional failings' in the Commons and warned a culture of 'deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence' has helped to cover up abuse

The second investigation, which will also be led by a QC, will look at the sexual harassment and bullying suffered by aides working directly for MPs and peers.

MPs themselves have warned of the situation escalating if a change is not made.

Labour's Jess Phillips said she has received some 'harrowing' reports of behaviour by people who work in the House of Commons.

Dame Laura Cox QC probed the bullying claims in Government and released a staggering report which said there was a 'toxic' culture of bullying

The Birmingham MP said a system in which politicians, staff members and others can 'without prejudice' log concerns would allow patterns to show up, and avoid a situation where people have suspicions but nothing else follows.

Tory former minister Maria Miller warned that a culture of 'complacency, cover-up and denial' persisted.

After raising concerns over non-disclosure agreements, Ms Phillips said: 'I also think that some of the issues that have been raised about whether we can have a log where things can just be logged but not necessarily action taken is a really important point that came up - also the issue of third-party reporting.

'I have received some harrowing reports of behaviours in this place or by people in this place rather, that I know people won't ever come forward to say and then I'm left a little bit with my hands tied knowing some of those things.

'I do think there needs to be some system so we don't end up in a Jimmy Savile situation where everybody says "Well, we all knew, oh everybody knew he was a bit like that, oh yeah, course he was".

In October last year 40 Tory MPs including six serving Cabinet ministers were listed on a spreadsheet dubbed the 'dirty dossier' accusing them of bad behaviour, including sexual harassment.

The list was branded a 'witch hunt' by many although the recent reports suggest a culture of sexual harassment must be addressed within the halls of power in Britain.A newborn baby was killed by a monkey after it snatched the infant from his mother's arms in India.

The woman, called Neha, had been breastfeeding her 12-day-old son Arush when the animal came into her home on the outskirts of Agra on Monday, the Times of India reports.

The victim's father Yogesh, an auto-rickshaw driver, told the newspaper that they chased the monkey.

Newborn baby Arush (pictured) was killed by a monkey after it snatched the infant from his mother's arms in India

The animal eventually left the baby on a neighbour's roof  but by then, it was too late.

'The main door of the house was open, and my wife was breastfeeding out son, suddenly a monkey barged inside our house and grabbed the child by his neck,' Yogesh told the Times of India.

'Before Neha could understand anything, the monkey took away our son.

'After a chase, the monkey left our son on a neighbour's roof but it was too late, Arush was heavily bleeding and had no pulse.'

They took the baby to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead, the father added.

A monkey came into the family's home on the outskirts of India and ran off with the baby. File photo shows a monkey in north India

The infant was the couple's only child. They have been married for two years.

Local residents reported the same monkey had tried to attack a 14-year-old girl around 15 minutes before snatching Arush.

Police officer Atbir Singh told the times that the baby sustained grave injuries to its skull and neck.

He also said another infant had been attacked by a monkey in the area two months ago.

That baby survived but remains in hospital.A woman who allegedly snapchatted herself sitting in an Audi has been charged with two counts of being carried in a stolen car.

Police allege Shannon Blackman, 18, was a passenger in a stolen Silver Audi captured on CCTV in Bonnet Bay, south of Sydney, at 5.50pm on October 15.

On Monday, a prosecutor at the Sutherland Local Court said the photo of the 18-year-old was uploaded to social media.

Shannon Blackman (pictured) allegedly snapchatted herself sitting in a stolen silver Audi

'There is a photo on her phone that shows the Audi ... saying ''all fresh and clean'',' said the prosecutor.

Blackman's solicitor Nicholas Digges said she was unaware the vehicle she was travelling in was stolen.

Blackman also allegedly travelled in a stolen blue Ford Focus at 6.30pm on 12 November, before she was arrested, reports the St George Shire Standard.

Mr Digges said Blackman suffered from mental health problems and was seeing a childhood psychologist just before she turned 18.

'Her father is currently in custody, and her mother died when she was six years old - there isn't a sort of role model that a young mentally ill person needs.'

Blackman (pictured) also allegedly travelled in a stolen blue Ford Focus at 6.30pm on 12 November, before she was arrested

Blackman said she had gone 'downhill' because she hadn't been able to live at home with her grandmother since June of last year.

Blackman pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted strict conditional bail.

The 18-year-old will be required to live with a family friend, observe a curfew from 8pm until 6am and abstain from alcohol and drugs unless prescribed.A British couple who survived the Bataclan terror attack in Paris on their first date have revealed how they refuse to allow the tragedy to define their relationship.

Hanna Corbett and Jack Konda, both 24, were in the crowd at an Eagles of Death Metal gig when three gunmen shot and killed 90 people on November 13, 2015.

But while the tragedy may always be a factor in their lives, the pair firmly believe they would still be together even if they had not been at the concert on that night.

The pair admit they still struggle to celebrate the beginning of their relationship as their third anniversary today brings back the trauma of the horrific night.

Hanna Corbett and Jack Konda pictured in Paris last year for the memorial to those who were involved in the Bataclan attack in Paris

Hanna and Jack are pictured at Jack's graduation (left), and in Paris two weeks ago, outside the Louvre museum

Both still attend concerts, despite their horrific experience, however they insist on standing close to an exit through fear of the same ever happening again.

Hanna and Jack plan to celebrate their milestone with a low-key meal and believe the tragic events 'liberated' them to make the most of the rest of their lives.

Hanna, from Harpenden, Herts, said: 'It's hard to put into words but the anniversary brings up everything that you try to push to the back of your mind all year round.

'We always try to do something for the anniversary. It hasn't been that many years but we try to distract ourselves from it. We do recognise that it was a huge part of our lives.

'We involuntarily count the day of the concert as our anniversary. We weren't official until after Christmas but this was when all our friends and family saw us as becoming official.

'I think the Bataclan has become other peoples' ideas of our relationship. You can tell family members are just itching to ask about it.

A photograph taken from inside the Bataclan by Hanna moments before three gunmen entered the building and shot people

The pair admit they still struggle to celebrate the beginning of their relationship as their third anniversary today brings back the trauma of the horrific night

'That's how Jack's family found out about me and how mine found out about Jack so I guess that's how other people see the foundation of our relationship.'

Despite bravely travelling the world together and both achieving First-class degrees since then, Hanna says she still becomes anxious in crowds and with sudden noises.

Meanwhile Jack battled horrific nightmares and admits he still feels paranoid and the couple aim to be near exits when going to concerts.

Hanna added: 'It's really hard to get your head around because you feel sad but you're also really lucky to have survived so you should feel happy.

'God, I remember [the terror] so clearly. I was very much thinking "I've spent my life in a library, I haven't really achieved anything, I've done nothing with my life".

'It literally switched me on. People were dying around me and they'd done nothing to deserve that and I somehow lived. That's like a real reason to live.'

Hanna and Jack (pictured on holiday) plan to celebrate their milestone with a low-key meal and believe the tragic events 'liberated' them to make the most of the rest of their lives

Band members of the Eagles of Death Metal are pictured on stage moments before bullets rang out inside the venue

The couple, then 21, had been friends at university but only confessed their feelings for each other shortly before Jack left for his year abroad studying in Paris in 2015.

Hanna travelled to Paris for the first date in November, with a stroll around the tourist sites and finishing the day at the Eagles of Death Metal concert.

Jack, from Richmond upon Thames, London, said: 'I think the Bataclan anniversaire always overshadows our anniversary really. It makes me feel very reflective.

'I remember thinking as I pulled Hanna onto the floor [during the attack], 'we could either both die or I could fall on top of Hanna and maybe one person might survive'.

'In that environment everything comes down to each second, when you're expecting to be like [snaps fingers].

'When you think that every second could be your last second, the space between them seem impossibly long.

Miss Corbett (right, with Jack) said she originally thought the noise of gunfire was firecrackers or fireworks and part of the show

Hanna travelled to Paris for the first date in November, with a stroll around the tourist sites and finishing the day at the Eagles of Death Metal concert

The pair dropped to the floor along with the rest of the crowd and narrowly avoided being killed as they managed to crawl on their hands and knees to safety.

They described how some played dead in a bid to avoid being shot while others were 'screaming like they were being tortured'.

Miss Corbett said she originally thought the noise of gunfire was firecrackers or fireworks and part of the show.

Hanna said: 'We try not to talk about it because it can really bring you down. I do notice that people don't mention it if there's a whiff of anything wrong.

'I've avoided telling new friends about it because it can really bring you down in your mood and can just turn a whole nice evening into something quite upsetting.

'Jack once innocently played some Eagles of Death Metal music at a barbecue we went to and everyone was asking who it was.

'Jack said it was a band we went to see in Paris which obviously launched a thousand questions.

'Obviously they don't mean any harm by it - it was just the natural flow of the conversation - but it was something that we could have avoided.'A three-year-old girl has been kidnapped, raped, tortured, then beaten to death with a brick in India.

The girl, who has not been identified, went missing on Sunday after being lured away from her friends as they were playing outside their homes in a suburb of Delhi.

Her remains were discovered the following day inside an abandoned shop barely 300 yards from where she went missing.

The three-year-old was playing outside her home in Delhi on Sunday morning when police say 20-year-old Sunil Kumar lured her away, raped her, then murdered her (file image)

Police told the Hindustan Times that the girl was found in a pool of blood with bruises on her shoulders, waist, chest and back, indicating she had been tortured.

She had been raped, including with a wooden instrument, and suffered severe internal injuries.

Medical examiners say she was forced to endure the attack before being hit over the head with a brick, fracturing her skull.

She died from 'the head injury and excessive internal bleeding', examiners said.

Officers are now hunting for a 20-year-old labourer named Sunil Kumar, who had been visiting his mother in the city at the time, who they believe is responsible.

The girl's relatives learned she had gone missing on Sunday after her friends said she left with a stranger who promised to buy her chocolate.

The attack happened in Gurugram, a suburb of Delhi which has seen 109 sexual attacks reported against children this year alone

They did not immediately call police and instead tried to find her themselves. Relatives eventually found her inside the shop the following morning.

Four bricks had been piled on top of her body and a plastic bag placed over her head in order to try and hide the remains.

She was naked, and her clothes were found near her body.

Kumar has been charged with murder, aggravated rape and crimes against a child, and four police teams are now hunting for him.

There were 106 cases of rape against children reported in the suburb of Gurugram alone this year, with 40 in September and October.A woman who owns property near the point where a deadly wildfire started in Northern California says she was warned by a utility company last week that crews would need to come onto her land to investigate power lines causing sparks.

The fire started last Thursday in an area of 64 acres of land in Pulga, California, owned by Betsy Ann Cowley. It engulfed the nearby town of Paradise, killing 42 people.

Cowley said she had received an email the day before, on Wednesday, from Pacific Gas & Electric Co saying that crews needed to come to her property.

Betsy Ann Cowley, who owned the land where the deadliest single fire in Californian history started, walks through Pulga, near where investigators were trying to determine the cause of the fire that destroyed the town of Paradise

A day before a deadly blaze destroyed a California town, the giant utility Pacific Gas & Electric Co. got in touch with Cowley, saying they needed access to her property because their power lines were causing sparks

The email said the company was sending employees to work on the high-power lines because 'they were having problems with sparks.'

Two days before the fire started, PG&E told customers in nine counties, including Butte County, that it might shut off their power November 8 because of extreme fire danger.

But the utility company called off the shutdown, telling customers nine hours after the Camp Fire began that the weather conditions 'did not warrant this safety measure'.

The fire started about 6.30am that morning.

Fire crews clear rubble from the road near a building burned in the Camp Fire on Monday 12 November

A member of the Sacramento County Coroner's office looks for human remains in the rubble of a house burned at the Camp Fire

PG&E said Thursday it experienced a problem on an electrical transmission line near the site of the massive fire, minutes before the blaze broke out. The company declined to discuss the email when contacted by The Associated Press.

California fire investigators were at Cowley's property on Monday, as the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

CalFire spokesman Scott McLean said 'electric equipment' was being included in the probe.

Sheriff's deputies recover the remains of a victim of the Camp Fire on Saturday, November 10, 2018, in Paradise, California

Krystin Harvey, left, comforts her daughter Araya Cipollini at the remains of their home burned in the Camp Fire

Officials said the Camp Fire only grew moderately on Sunday despite new wind gusts, but dangerously low humidity levels will continue into the week.

More than a dozen coroner search and recovery teams searched for human remains from the fire - which is the deadliest in state history - as anxious relatives visited shelters and called police hoping to find loved ones alive.

Lisa Jordan drove 600 miles from Yakima, Washington, to search for her uncle, Nick Clark, and his wife, Anne Clark, who lived in Paradise.

Anne Clark suffers from multiple sclerosis and is unable to walk. No one knows if they were able to evacuate, or even if their house still exists, she said.

Thousands of firefighters spent a fifth day digging battle lines to contain California's worst ever wildfire as the wind-whipped flames cleaved a merciless path through the state's northern hills, leaving death and devastation in their wake

Chris and Nancy Brown embrace while looking over the remains of their burned residence after the Camp fire tore through the region in Paradise

'I'm staying hopeful,' she said. 'Until the final word comes, you keep fighting against it.'

Authorities were bringing in two mobile morgue units and requesting 150 search and rescue personnel. Officials were unsure of the exact number of missing.

'I want to recover as many remains as we possibly can, as soon as we can. Because I know the toll it takes on loved ones,' Honea said.

Chaplains accompanied some coroner search teams that visited dozens of addresses belonging to people reported missing.

For those on the grim search, no cars in the driveway is good, one car a little more ominous and multiple burned-out vehicles equals a call for extra vigilance.

Wildfires have broken out on both ends of the state. Together, they were blamed for 44 deaths, including two in celebrity-studded Malibu in Southern California

Stan Craig's sister, Beverly Craig Powers, has not returned numerous texts and calls, and the adult children of her partner, Robert Duvall, have not heard from their father, he said.

The couple was last seen evacuating their Paradise home on Thursday with two pickup trucks and a travel trailer, so they could be camping.

He knows friends and family are still being reunited with missing loved ones, but he said his unease grows every day.

Still, the Fresno, California, resident wasn't planning on heading to the fire area. As a former firefighter himself, he said he understands the chaos wildfires cause.

'I'm going to stay here until I have something more to go on,' he said.

Shawn Slack rests after felling trees burned in California's Camp Fire, Monday, November 12, 2018

The blaze was part of an outbreak of wildfires on both ends of the state. Together, they were blamed for 44 deaths, including two in celebrity-studded Malibu in Southern California, where firefighters appeared to be gaining ground against a roughly 143-square-mile blaze that destroyed at least 370 structures, with hundreds more feared lost.

All told, more 8,000 firefighters statewide were battling wildfires that destroyed more than 7,000 structures and scorched more than 325 square miles, the flames feeding on dry brush and driven by blowtorch winds.

There were tiny signs of some sense of order returning to Paradise and anonymous gestures meant to rally the spirits of firefighters who have worked in a burned-over wasteland for days.

Firefighter Jose Corona sprays water as flames consume from the Camp Fire consume a home in Magalia, California

The fire started last Thursday in an area of 64 acres of land in Pulga, California, owned by Betsy Ann Cowley. It engulfed the nearby town of Paradise, killing 42 people

Flames consume a home as the Camp Fire tears through Paradise, California, on Thursday, November 8, 2018

Large American flags stuck into the ground lined both sides of the road at the town limits, and temporary stop signs appeared overnight at major intersections. Downed power lines that had blocked roads were cut away, and crews took down burned trees with chain saws.

The 42 dead in Northern California surpassed the deadliest single fire on record, a 1933 blaze in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. A series of wildfires in Northern California's wine country last fall killed 44 people and destroyed more than 5,000 homes.

State officials said the cause of the inferno was under investigation.A Border Force ship patrolling the English Channel has intercepted a stolen French fishing boat with 17 Iranian migrants, including three children, on board.

The fishing boat is thought to have been stolen from the French port of Boulogne late last night and the group jumped on.

UK officials and a lifeboat were alerted and stopped the vessel in rough seas off the coast of Dover.

This French trawler, pictured, was intercepted by UK officials after it was stolen last night

The migrants, from Iran and Iraq were on the stolen boat, which was taken from Boulogne

Border force officers intercepted a stolen French fishing boat early this morning carrying 17 suspected illegal migrants

A further seven men were found in Dover having crossed the Channel in the back of a HGV.

It is the latest in a series of similar incidents in the English Channel, where migrants are attempting to cross the 21 mile stretch of water between France and Britain.

Ingrid Parrot, a spokesman for maritime authorities in northern France, explained agents monitoring the coastline alerted their British counterparts after seeing a boat that was taking a 'bizarre' route between 9.30pm and midnight on Monday.

Officials identified the 12-metre (40-feet) boat and contacted its owner, who said the vessel had been stolen from the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Agents from Britain's Border Force then intercepted the migrants at around 1am.

'It's an unprecedented method,' Parrot said, noting that previous migrants had used rafts or small sailboats unfit for Channel crossings.

French officials said the stolen boat was seen taking a 'bizarre' route between 9.30pm and midnight last night

The green and white painted boat was brought into the marina where Border Force officials were waiting to board it.

The vessel, named L'Epervier, The Sparrow Hawk in English, was being looked at by officers at the Marina today.

The group, 14 men and three minors, who all presented themselves as Iranian, are understood to have been 'extremely cold' when they were brought ashore.

One boatman, who did not want to be named, said: 'This situation is happening more and more but this seems like a particularly large incident involving a lot of people.

'It's always worrying. They've clearly been through a lot to have got this far and only on a small boat. People are concerned for them.

'You hear of people coming through on lorries through the tunnel but this is rarer.

The boat crossed the English Channel and was intercepted by Border Force at around 1am

'Nobody knows if it will get better or worse as well when Brexit happens. Who knows?'

A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Border Force attended a report of a fishing vessel at Dover Harbour this morning, Tuesday 13 November, and boarded it with assistance from Dover Harbour Authorities and HM Coastguard.

'Fourteen men and three minors, all of whom presented themselves as Iranian, were found on board.

'The Home Office will progress their cases in accordance with the immigration rules and the three minors have been referred to social services.'

French police are investigating the theft of the boat.

Pascal Deborgher, the owner of the stolen fishing boat, said it was taken from its berth on Monday night and he was 'surprised' to see it gone.

Mr Deborgher has been mooring the The Sparrow Hawk in Boulogne since the 1980s, where he runs a successful fishery business.

He said: We dont know if the boat has been damaged or not, when we will be able to recover it or at least see it. For the moment, we are waiting for news of the investigation.

He said it had not gone out to work on Monday night because of strong winds - leaving the thieves to board and break in.

British authorities have not yet to confirmed details of the incident, including the nationality of the migrants

I got a call from the authorities to see it had been spotted following an erratic route across the Channel. I went to the harbour and was surprised to see it gone.'

Mr Deborgher told the Voix du Nord newspaper: 'To run the boat, you need a minimum of knowledge.

You have to know how to start it, to follow a course, especially in the middle of the night and when it is low water. But despite this, they got to Britain.

If they cannot get through the tunnel or in the trucks, they will steal boats.

The temptation is huge when you know that only thirty kilometers separates France and the English coast.

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke said: 'This brazen attempt to break into Britain shows yet again the extreme lengths these desperate people will go to.

'The port authorities, Coastguard, border officers and Dover Lifeboat deserve real credit for calmly dealing with this potentially dangerous situation.

'This latest incident underlines why we need to significantly boost our borders budget - and increase the number of vessels patrolling the whole border.

'This is a growing problem - and the Home Office must not turn a blind eye.'

French authorities intercepted migrants in the English Channel 23 times in 2016 and 12 times in 2017.

So far this year French maritime officials have again launched 23 operations, either to rescue migrants in the Channel or to stop groups about to set sail.

In the early hours last Friday, a dinghy with seven Iranian migrants was discovered two miles off the Kent coast at Dover after they dialled 999 for help.

And 15 migrants were discovered in two separate incidents on the same day where a rigid hulled inflatable boat and a dinghy were intercepted.Britain will not develop Terminator-style machines which can kill without human command because they are unethical, the chief scientist at the Ministry of Defence said.

Countries worldwide are in a new arms race to develop lethal autonomous weapons (LAWS) which can kill in a war zone without a person having to push a button.

But this has sparked major fears that some countries could develop a fleet of killer robots which are not reined in by humans.

Simon Cholerton, the MoD's chief scientific adviser, has revealed that Britain is 'doing no work and has no plans to develop fully automated weapons'.

He said that Britain will snub the new technological field even if the UK's Armed Forces are put at a disadvantage on the battlefield, because it is immoral.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, he said: 'There will be a certain amount of asymmetry around this, and there always is when you face an enemy who doesn't share our values.

'But that makes no difference to our ethics.'

Britain will not develop Terminator-style machines which can kill without human command because they are unethical, the chief scientist at the Ministry of Defence said (pictured, Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2)

He said that while some automated weapons exist for defence purposes, developing them as killing machines represents a 'red line' for Britain.

Britain's military launches its biggest ever robot training exercise The Ministry of Defence has announced that it is launching the biggest military robot exercise in British history. Defence chiefs said the 'game changing' Autonomous Warrior experiment will test the use of drones and other robots to protect troops in the battlefield Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: 'Our troops now have the chance to test out a huge range of robotic kit in what will be the biggest exercise of its kind in our history. 'Were always working with the brightest minds in Britain and across the world to see how they can support our military of the future, but now the frontrunners have the chance to prove what they can really do on a battlefield. 'This equipment could revolutionise our Armed Forces, keeping them safe and giving them the edge in an increasingly unstable world.' Advertisement

Instead, the UK's military machine will focus on using artificial intelligence (AI) to protect the country's troops against attacks.

Mr Cholerton added: 'On the battlefield, the question is how do you protect soldiers from systems that we consider absolutely unethical..

'As we see threats emerge, we need to develop technologies and strategies that work within our ethical principles.'

He said that weapons such as lasers and 'directed energy weapons' could be developed to 'protect our people'.

The UN has held talks to try to thrash out an agreement that bans the development of robots which can kill without human oversight.

The march of AI has raised the prospect that machines like the lethal androids in The Terminator films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger could be on the horizon.

But the talks have stalled after several countries - including Russia and the United States, blocked progress towards an international agreement during negotiations in Geneva two months ago.

The MoD yesterday announced that it is launching the biggest military robot exercise in British history.

Defence chiefs said the 'game changing' Autonomous Warrior experiment will test the use of drones and other robots to protect troops in the battlefield

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson (pictured,left, today walking into Downing Street for Cabinet with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab) yesterday announced that Britain's Armed Forces will be embarking on its biggest ever training exercise with robotic kit designed to protect troops in the battlefield

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: 'Our troops now have the chance to test out a huge range of robotic kit in what will be the biggest exercise of its kind in our history.

'Were always working with the brightest minds in Britain and across the world to see how they can support our military of the future, but now the frontrunners have the chance to prove what they can really do on a battlefield.

'This equipment could revolutionise our Armed Forces, keeping them safe and giving them the edge in an increasingly unstable world.'A former Nazi concentration camp guard has voiced his shame at having been part of the SS but told a German court he was unaware of the systematic killings there.

Johann Rehbogen, 94, stands accused of complicity in mass murder at the Stutthof camp near what was then Danzig, now Gdansk, in Poland.

In a statement read out by his lawyer, Rehbogen said: 'I'm of course ashamed to have been part of the SS. But I still don't know today if I would have had the courage to do otherwise.'

He said he was forced into joining the Schutzstaffel troops, as 'there would have been reprisals against my family if I hadn't gone'.

Johann Rehbogen (pictured in court last week) stands accused of complicity in the murders of several hundred Stutthof camp prisoners between 1942 and 1944

Johann Rehbogen sits in a wheelchair for the beginning of the third day of his trial at the regional court in Muenster on Tuesday

'When I saw the detainees I knew that the SS was wrong, but I didn't have a choice,' said Rehbogen, who served as a watchman from June 1942 to September 1944 at Stutthof.

He denied knowledge of the gruesome crimes at the camp.

'I knew nothing of the systematic killings, I knew nothing of the gas chambers as well as the crematoria,' he told the court.

'I was ashamed of the conditions that the detainees were in, and felt sympathy for them, even if that's probably not the right word as I was not suffering like they were.'

He said he 'would have liked to leave' but added that 'I did not trust myself to speak with anyone and had no-one I could trust'.

'I will only say that I am not a Nazi, I never have been one, and never will be.'

More than 60,000 people were killed at Stutthof and prosecutors argue that as a guard, Rehbogen, pictured arriving in court, was an accessory to at least hundreds of those deaths

But lead prosecutor Andreas Brendel said that there were 'ways out' of serving at the camp for guards like Rehbogen.

'We believe that the guards knew a lot more than what has been recounted today,' he said.

Plaintiffs voiced dismay at Rehbogen's statement.

'I am disappointed but not surprised to hear the defendant is denying that he took part in the killings at Stutthof,' said Benjamin Cohen, who represented his grandmother Judy Meisel at the hearing.

'My grandmother's account of her time in the camp and the murder of her mother tells a very clear story about the role of these guards.'

Manuel Mayer, a lawyer of a former detainee, said: 'His statement was absurd. I don't believe him.'

Rehbogen is due to reply to plaintiffs' questions when the trial resumes on Thursday.

Rehbogen, a German man from the western district of Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia state, is a retired landscape architect and divorced father-of-three, according to German media.

His statement marks a rare occasion for victims and their relatives to hear directly from the accused on the alleged crimes committed seven decades ago.

At the trial opening last week, the defendant shed tears as he heard written testimony from Holocaust survivors who now live in the United States or Israel.

He is charged with being an accessory to the murders of several hundred camp prisoners.

These included more than 100 Polish prisoners gassed in June 1944 and 'probably several hundred' Jews killed from August to December 1944 as part of the Nazis' so-called 'Final Solution'.

Aged 18 to 20 at the time, and therefore now being tried under juvenile law, Rehbogen is 'accused in his capacity as a guard of participating in the killing operations,' Dortmund prosecutor Andreas Brendel told AFP.

Murdered: The crematorium at the former German Nazi concentration camp Stutthof in Sztutowo, northern Poland, where prisoners were gassed, shot, starved and killed with an injection of gasoline to the heart

If found guilty, he faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison - even though, given his age and the possibility of an appeal, he is considered unlikely to serve any time behind bars.

Christoph Ruecken, a lawyer representing an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor who now lives in the United States, said: 'It would be an important sign for us if (Rehbogen) stood there to confirm the reality.'

'An apology would be good.'

Although the trial is late in coming, Ruecken said it 'eases the suffering of my client'.

'A punishment would be symbolic for such an old man but that's important in times like now when nationalism and anti-Semitism are returning,' he said.

'It's important to show that the rule of law says you will face the court if you do these things.'

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which helped locate some 20 Stutthof survivors for the case to serve as possible witnesses, emphasized that such trials are important, even more than 70 years after the end of World War II.

'The passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of Holocaust perpetrators and old age should not afford protection to those who committed such heinous crimes,' said the center's head Nazi hunter, Efraim Zuroff.

Many survivors, along with relatives of victims, are also joining the trial as co-plaintiffs as allowed under German law.

Fight for justice: Many of the 20 survivors of Stutthof, pictured, will be attending the trial, as will relatives of some of the 60,000 people murdered in the death camp

Germany has been racing to put on trial surviving SS personnel, after the legal basis for prosecuting former Nazis changed in 2011 with the landmark conviction of former death camp guard John Demjanjuk.

He was sentenced not for any atrocities he committed, but on the basis that he served as a cog in the Nazi killing machine at the Sobibor camp in occupied Poland.

German courts subsequently convicted Oskar Groening, an accountant at Auschwitz, and Reinhold Hanning, a former SS guard at the same camp, for mass murder.

However both men, convicted at age 94, died before they could be imprisoned.

At his trial in 2015, Groening apologised and sought forgiveness. He also admitted 'moral guilt' although he denied any legal culpability.

Like Groening, Hanning told his victims he was sorry.

He admitted to being 'silent all my life' about the atrocities because he felt deep shame, not having spoken about it even to his wife, children or grandchildren.

Another trial against a 96-year-old former medical orderly at the Auschwitz death camp collapsed in 2017 because he suffers from dementia.

Wheelchair-bound Hubert Zafke had faced 3,681 counts of being an accessory to murder at the concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland, but his trial ended in disarray.

Death camp: A picture shows some of the beds used at Stutthof in Sztutowo, northern Poland

Even though the number of suspects is dwindling, the special federal prosecutor's office in Ludwigsburg that investigates Nazi war crimes still has multiple cases ongoing.

In addition to looking at camps like Stutthof, Buchenwald, Ravensbrueck, Mauthausen and Flossenbuerg, it is also investigating former members of the mobile killing squads known as the 'Einsatzgruppen.'

The Stutthof case is the first time a prosecution is going to trial using this line of reasoning for a concentration camp guard instead of a death camp guard.

But prosecutors have expressed confidence it can be applied, since tens of thousands of people were killed in Stutthof even though its sole purpose was not murder.

Stutthof was established in 1939 and underwent several iterations, initially being used as the main collection point for Jews and non-Jewish Poles removed from the nearby city of Danzig on the Baltic Sea coast.

From about 1940 onward, it was used as a so-called 'work education camp' where forced laborers, primarily Polish and Soviet citizens who had run afoul of their Nazi oppressors, were sent to serve sentences and often died. Others incarcerated there included criminals, political prisoners, homosexuals and Jehovah's Witnesses.

From mid-1944, it was filled with tens of thousands of Jews from ghettos being cleared by the Nazis in the Baltics as well as from Auschwitz, which was overflowing, and thousands of Polish civilians swept up in the brutal suppression of the Warsaw uprising.This is the first picture to surface of the baby who was narrowly missed by a crossbow attacker's arrow as it plunged into an expectant mother's stomach.

Eight months pregnant Sana Muhammad was killed in front of her five children as she did the washing up at the family home in Ilford, east London, on Monday morning.

Her husband, Imtiaz Muhammad, went to the shed at 7.30am to put a box away and discovered the armed attacker hiding inside.

The father-of-three shouted 'run, run, run' as the killer chased him into the kitchen and fired the weapon.

The 35-year-old mother-of-five was hit by a bolt and rushed to hospital, where medics delivered her baby son with the arrow still lodged in her abdomen.

The tiny baby, who relatives have named Ibrahim, is now being looked after in hospital, where doctors say he is in a stable condition.

A shocking photo released by the family shows little Ibrahim in hospital on Monday

Pregnant Sana Muhammad was shot and killed with a crossbow yesterday. Her unborn baby boy was delivered by emergency Caesarian and is now in intensive care

Mrs Muhammad's ex-husband, Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, has been charged with murder

Father-of-three Imtiaz Muhammad shouted 'run, run, run' as the killer chased him into the kitchen and fired the weapon

An aerial shot shows a police incident tent pressed up against the window through which the killer show Mrs Muhammad

Mrs Muhammad's husband, Imtiaz (right), said she was standing at the sink when the arrow hit

The victim's husband told The Evening Standard: 'I can't help thinking she took my arrow. Maybe it should have hit me. The kids were all there, it was horrific.'

The arrow is said to have passed just inches from the unborn baby before his mother ran upstairs to get away, the arrow still stuck in her body.

Mr Muhammad added: 'The arrow went up into her heart but did not touch the unborn baby. The baby was due in four weeks. They operated with the arrow still in because it would have been too dangerous to take out.'

Neighbours said Mrs Muhammad's ex-husband, Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, was taken away by police. He has since been charged with murder.

Mr Muhammad had been going out to the shed (pictured) to put some tools away when he spotted the attacker

After he spotted the attacker in the shed, Mr Muhammad ran in to warn his family, telling them to 'run'

Heartbroken Mr Muhammad described his partner of seven years as a 'wonderful mother and wife'.

Friends said she had five children, three with her previous partner, aged 12, 14 and 18, and two with Mr Muhammad, aged two and five.

Mrs Muhammad, who was born in Mauritius, had been a Hindu but converted to Islam in order to wed builder Imtiaz, who is originally from Pakistan.

The couple met and fell in love after her marriage to Mr Unmattallegadoo, who is also from Mauritius, fell apart.

'Sana became a Muslim so she could marry Imtiaz. Their's was a love marriage,' a close family friend, who asked not to be named, told MailOnline.

Video from the scene showed a man being taken away by police after the attack yesterday

Mrs Muhammad's husband, Imtiaz, said her killer was hiding in the shed before attacking them

Mr Muhammad said he fears the killer may have been aiming for him when he hit his wife

The friend added: 'She is from Mauritius and had previously been a Hindu. Her marriage to her first husband was arranged. He was so much older than her and they were not happy.

'They lived together in the house [in Newbury Park] but he [Ramanodge] moved out after they split up.'

The friend said of Mrs Muhammad's second marriage: 'Sana and Imtiaz were very happy. They loved having the kids around them. We all used to spend time together and share food. It is such a tragedy what has happened to her.'

A witness of the aftermath of the attack said: 'The husband Imtiaz came out the house screaming for help - he was banging on doors.

'The kids were all there and they were crying for help. Imtiaz had gone to put a cardboard TV box in his garage and he found the ex husband standing there.

'It was 7.30am, so the devil must have been there in the night, laying in wait.'

Mrs Muhammad married her husband six years ago. They have two children together and were looking forward to welcoming their third

The killing happened at the family's terraced home in Ilford, east London yesterday morning

Floral tributes have been left at the scene of the attack by Mrs Muhammad's grieving friends

Neighbour Navneet Buttar, 35, was at home at time of the incident and also saw the aftermath.

She said: 'I saw man come out he was shaking, nervous and he said 'help, help'. Then within minutes the police came.'

Ms Buttar described Sana as a 'very nice lady', adding: 'She is my friend on this road. Her kids and my kids go to nursery together.'

Friends said the victim converted to Islam seven years ago, shortly before she remarried.

The alleged murderer and his ex-wife still jointly own the house where she was killed, documents showed.

Mr Unmathallegadoo bought the home with Mrs Muhammad in 2011 for 329,950.

One neighbour described how Mrs Muhammad was not content when married to her previous husband.

'She clearly wasn't happy with her life, she married too young with a big age gap,' the neighbour said.

A Met Police spokesman said: 'A man has been charged with the murder of a woman in Ilford. This follows an incident at an address in Applegarth Drive, Ilford at approximately 07:40hrs on Monday, 12 November.

'The victim was found suffering an abdominal injury. She was taken to hospital where she later died. Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command are investigating.

'No other persons are sought in connection with this investigation. The arrested man and woman were known to each other. Enquiries into the circumstances continue.'

A total of 121 people have been killed in London this year, with the total already beyond the number killed in the whole of last year

Mrs Muhammad became London's 120th homicide victim this year, with another killing in Balham last night taking the total number killed in the capital in 2018 to 121.

It means that with more than a month left to go until the New Year, the total is already above the 118 homicides seen in the capital in 2017.

Experienced detectives say they have been shocked by the volume of violent crime and ferocity of some attacks in the capital this year.

Steve O'Connell, Chairman of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee said today: 'We have reached the depressing situation where London has seen the numbers of people killed so far this year reach the same total as for the whole of last year.

'This is a tragedy not only for those most affected, the family and friends of the victims, but for all Londoners.

'Violent crime now has to be the top priority for the capital and it is time that more action was taken by the Mayor, alongside the Met, and by central government to stem the tide of lawlessness.

'Recent initiatives like the Mayor's planned Violence Reduction Unit may be part of the answer in the long run but Londoners are crying out for urgent solutions now - not 10 years in the future.'Advertisement

Stunning archive images of the first person to ever perform on television are set to come to auction nearly a century after they were first captured.

The unique images were built up over more than 50 years by John Logie Baird's assistant William Taynton, and are set to come to light at an auction at Ewbank's later this month.

Baird, originally from Scotland, was the first person in the world to demonstrate a working television system. On January 26 1926, a viable television system was demonstrated using mechanical picture scanning with electronic amplification at the transmitter and at the receiver.

It could be sent by radio or over ordinary telephone lines, leading to the historic trans-Atlantic transmissions of television from London to New York in February, 1928.

William Taynton (pictured) was the first person to appear on television when he was asked by John Logie Baird to sit in front of the monitor

This image shows John Logie Baird setting up his equipment. He was the first person in the world to demonstrate a working television system

Following his television appearance Taynton (left) was pictured with the actress Raquel Welch (right). His fame was to bring him face to face with many celebrities

Baird is famously credited with inventing the medium of television, but he was only the second person to appear on screen back in 1925.

Baird had placed his assistant William Taynton in front of the camera, in order for him to be able to monitor the transmission and to see whether or not it had worked.

The 20-year-old shop worker was feted for his unique contribution for the rest of his life, and understandably took a close interest in the development of television and from then decided to build up an impressive collection of associated memorabilia until his death in 1973.

It included correspondence between the Bairds and the Tayntons who kept in contact permanently.

These postcards which are part of the auction, show Taynton appearing on television along with the head of the ventriloquist doll

Now his collection, including photographs, letters, cards and even an inscribed gift from the Bairds, will come to auction.

Consigned by a Taynton descendant, the collection also includes books and ephemera signed by and linked to Baird, as well as copies of Television magazine dating back to the 1920s, photographs  including one of that first TV appearance  press cuttings and vinyl records containing recordings of a 1948 BBC interview with Taynton about Baird.

The auction is set to take place at Ewbank's in Surrey on November 30.

This book, which was signed by Baird is also part of the collection. The book is the life story of the inventor and was penned by Ronald F. Tiltman

This clock had been a gift from Baird and his wife to Taynton upon his marriage and had been engraved especially

Following appearing on television Taynton found his own fame and was often spotted with celebrities

'This is the first time this historic collection has been seen in public,' said auctioneer Chris Ewbank.

'The sheer level of detail and the extent of the material shows just how ground-breaking the invention of television was in the 1920s and how William Taynton's part in it captured the public's imagination.

'It's astonishing to realise how, when Baird fetched a rather reluctant Taynton from the neighbouring office downstairs for what was, in reality, brief assistance with an experiment, it was to change the young man's life profoundly forever.'

Taynton has previously recalled his experience with Baird in a television interview broadcast on the BBC in 1965 (above)

It was said that Taynton (pictured) had made television history when he had stepped in to help Baird at the studio in London

A few years after his initial television debut William Taynton recalled his experiences in a March 1929 article for Television magazine, where he said Baird had been 'excited' when he had asked for his help.

'I remember very clearly how one afternoon while I was working in Mr Cross's office in Firth Street, Mr Baird, who had his laboratory above us, came running downstairs in a very excited condition, and almost pushed me in front of him into the laboratory and got me to sit in front of his projection lamps.

'These were enormous electric bulbs, and gave out a tremendous amount of heat. Behind the lamps there was a whirling disc, and behind that again a quantity of wireless apparatus.

More notes and postcards which were kept in Taynton's collection. These date back to 1957 and detail the cast members of 'This is your life'

'After I had sat down Mr Baird went into the next room where the receiving machine was, and left me in front of the lights. Without realising that I was spoiling the experiment, I moved back a little way to avoid the glare and heat. After about five minutes Mr Baird returned, and the moment he saw me he said: 'Ah! Why did you go back?  that explains it  you must keep exactly where I put you.'

Knowing what was required, Taynton said he knew he had to be still in order for the tranmission to be effective.

'I did not move this time, and held on as long as I could. I was just beginning to feel I could not keep still any longer, when I heard a shout from the next room. 'Open your mouth.' I did this, and then was told to turn sideways and this was followed by Mr Baird's sudden return to the transmitter, saying: 'William, I saw you; would you like to see what television looks like?'

This book was dated March 1989 and has an article inside which had been cut out from a newspaper. The article was penned by William Taynton himself

'Mr Baird seemed very excited, and took me through into the other room, where I looked through a little square opening at the face of a revolving plate. The square seemed covered with a reddish light.

'A minute or two later Mr Baird went into the other room, and on a little screen his face immediately appeared. It was not very clear, but by looking closely I could see his eyes and I could see his mouth open and close and recognise that it was Mr Baird himself.

'Although I did not realise it at the time, I was the first man in the world whose face had been transmitted by television, and the second man to have seen a televised human face.'

In what seems to be a scrap book of articles, this one from the South Wales Echo and Evening Express was also pasted in and details the 'triumph and genius' of Television

Highlights in the sale at Ewbanks are set to include the Bairds' wedding gift to Taynton, an eight-day Mappin & Webb clock from 1941, engraved with the message: To WM Taynton, the 1st person to be seen by television from John L Baird. With Best Wishes for a long and happy marriage July 1941.

Items signed by Baird featured in the sale include various books on the subject of television and a 1941 letter from Baird to Taynton.

Other letters relate to TV awards, honours and dinners, including one concerning the granting of Honorary Lifetime Associate Membership of the Television Society.

This article was dated as May 10 1980 and was a pictorial article featuring images of Taynton appearing on the TV for the first time

In 1964, Baird's wife Margaret presented Taynton with the Baird medallion at the Baird festival, and there are even photographs of Taynton with the actress Raquel Welch cuddling up to him. His fame was to bring him face to face with many such celebrities.

There is even a photograph of the inventor Baird with his televisor.

Despite having been an accomplished inventor, it hadn't always been plain sailing for Baird. On his journey inventing the medium of television, he had hit many road blocks and had invested both his time and money in the project.

Taynton had also managed to get his hands on a comic strip which had detailed the day Baird had asked him for help in his Soho studio

When his family, who had been based in Scotland, discovered the conditions that Baird had been living in, they responded by purchasing 500.00 worth of shares in his company in order to continue to float his ideas.

The little known company is now formed and known as Television, Ltd. Baird had a huge cash boost and immediately set about remodelling his apparatus and improving its optical system.

The effect of this rendered the transmitted images more sharply than ever before but still with no detail.

On the evening of 1st October 1925 Baird then concluded a series of tests using the latest light-sensitive system that he had devised.

A selection of photographs which Taynton had kept hold of will also go on sale of the auction at Ewbank's in Surrey

The next day he fitted the device and overhauled the equipment. Early on this Friday afternoon he placed a rather dilapidated ventriloquist's doll in front of the screen.

On his previous tests the dolls head would come through on the receiving screen as a white blob with three black blobs marking the position of the nose and eyes. But this time the doll appeared as a recognisable image, with shading and detail.

The nose, eyes and eyebrows could be distinguished and the top of the head appeared rounded. In his autobiography quoted on Teletronic, Baird described this historic occasion: 'The image of the dummy's head formed itself on the screen with what appeared to be almost unbelievable clarity.'

Despite many rare items going up for auction later this month, auctioneer Chris Ewbank has said he doesn't expect prices to rocket.

'Many of the items will be offered without reserve and this is not a sale where we expect prices to rocket.

Paper clippings, notes and photographs were all collected by Taynton, as well as gifts he had received from Baird

'The point is that this is really an historic archive shedding light on a brief moment in a studio in Frith Street, Soho that was to have a profound and lasting effect not just on those present but on the whole of humanity.

'From that aspect alone, it is an honour to be presenting this archive to the public.'

The full list of Taynton effects for the November 30 auction will appear online at www.ewbankauction.co.ukA pharmacist accused of murdering his wife had been cheating on her by having sex with men he met on the Grindr dating app, a court heard today.

Mitesh Patel, 37, is accused of killing his wife and business partner Jessica, 34, at their large Victorian home in a wealthy suburb of Middlesbrough on May 14 this year.

Mrs Patel's body was found at 8.20pm at the house in Linthorpe and a murder investigation was launched by Cleveland Police - but Mitesh Patel denies killing his wife.

His trial is about to start at Teesside Crown Court where potential jurors were addressed by the judge Mr Justice James Goss.

He told them Mr Patel's infidelity and sex with men was an accepted part of the case by both the defence and the prosecution.

But he told them that if they had used or did use the Grindr dating app, the world's largest social networking app for gay, bisexual and transsexual people, they would be excused from jury service.

Mitesh Patel, 37, denies killing his wife and business partner Jessica, 34, (pictured together in Venice in April 2016) but admits meeting men for sex using the popular dating app Grindr

Mrs Patel was found dead at the couple's large Victorian home in a wealthy suburb of Middlesbrough on May 14 this year (pictured)

Mr Justice Goss said today: 'The death of Jessica Patel happened in her home on May 14 this year and her husband Mitesh Patel, the gentleman sitting in the dock, is charged with her murder.

Patel's murder trial will begin later this week where he is expected to plead not guilty

'Both of them worked as pharmacists at the pharmacy on Roman Road in Linthorpe.

'It is agreed that during the course of the marriage the defendant Mitesh Patel had been unfaithful to his wife including having met men for sexual intercourse'.

He added: 'Some of them he met using the social networking site called Grindr.'

His words came as jurors were being selected from a larger panel before Nicholas Campbell, QC, opens the case.

Mr Justice Goss further told jurors: 'It is agreed that to seek to ensure your objectivity as jurors that if you frequented the Roman Road Pharmacy over the last seven years or you have used the Grindr app at any time over the same period you should be excused from sitting in this case.

'If either of these apply you should not be considered to be available for selection.'

Police investigating the alleged murder also focussed on the pharmacy they ran together on Teesside. Potential jurors who went there have also been barred from deciding on the case

The trial is expected to get underway with a full opening of the case on Thursday morning.

Jessica's murder shocked the suburb of Linthorpe where she and her husband lived on The Avenue, a short walk from their work.

The pair ran the pharmacy together and married after they had first met at university in Manchester.

At the time of her death Jessica's family paid tribute to her in a statement saying: 'We have lost Jessica, a kind-hearted, gentle and selfless person who was loved dearly by her family and friends.

'She was completely dedicated to all of her family and her loss has brought an unbearable pain.'

Mr Patel denies the murder.

The case resumes later this week.A split between the U.S. and two powerful European allies grew deeper Tuesday as German Chancellor Angela Merkel endorsed the creation of a 'true European army' and President Trump railed against President Emmanuel Macron for comments the French leader made about nationalism.

Trump derided Macron's proposed European army in tweets just prior to Merkel's speech, bringing up German military aggression in World War I and World War II as he accused the French president of turning on him to boost his own popularity ratings.

The dispute among friends boiled over into a full-blown diplomatic conflict, with Trump venting about the tax treatment of American-made versus French wine and complaining about the the existing NATO alliance.

'Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France?' he asked. 'They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!'

A wedge between the United States, France and Germany was jammed deeper on Tuesday as Angela Merkel endorsed the creation of a 'true European army' and Donald Trump railed against Emmanuel Macron for comments the French leader made about nationalism.

Trump derided key U.S. allies after returning to the United States from Paris, where he joined Macron, Merkel and other world leaders for a ceremony marking the centennial of the armistice that ended World War I.

He said they were 'starting to learn German in Paris' during the Nazi occupation in the Second World War 'before the U.S. came along' and saved the day.

'The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject,' Trump said in the stunning appraisal of the leader he had praised as a friend three days prior.

'By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!' he said in a rage on Twitter. 'MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!'

Trump's flag-waving history lesson followed Macron's rebuke of Trump's 'America First' nationalist ideology, saying in a speech that patriotism 'is the exact opposite of nationalism' and warning that its rise could lead to a return of blood-soaked European conflicts of the past.

Trump had a terse meeting with Macron in Paris on Saturday at the French's president's official residence about the United States' financial contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Macron delivered the remarks in his native tongue as Donald and Melania Trump, who speaks French, sat front and center below the Arc de Triomphe for the history lesson at the event in Paris commemorating the end of the war that saw the United States fighting against Germany alongside France.

Trump said later, in remarks at a cemetery, that he and Melania had been beautifully and graciously received in France by the Macrons.

He'd had a terse meeting with Macron the day before at the French's president's official residence about the United States' financial contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Trump said that if France wants a stronger Europe, it and other countries should pay more into the existing defense group, but he's willing to work with Macron on the best way to do that.

'You know what my attitude has been, and we want a strong Europe,' Trump said. 'Its very important to us to have a strong Europe. And whichever way we can do it the best and most efficient would be something that we both want.'

Macron said he's in full agreement with the president on cost-sharing but wants to ensure that France's protection goes beyond the umbrella of the transnational organization.

'But its unfair to have the European security today being assured just by the United States, and we need a much better burden sharing,' Macron told him. 'When President Trump has to protect or to defend one of the states of the United States, he doesnt ask France or Germany, or another government of Europe to finance it.'

The president accused the French president of trying to change the subject

Trump called to 'make France great again' in the midst of his Twitter attack

Trump returned to the decision, for which he was skewered in the media, of failing to attend a visit to a U.S. military cemetery on his first full day in Paris. He says he 'suggested' driving after Marine One 'couldn't fly' due to a bad weather call, but was turned down by the Secret Service

Trump, who does not drink, brought up the issue of tariffs on U.S.-made wine

The peace among allies was short-lived. By Monday morning, Trump was complaining about Europe's lackluster contributions to NATO again.

He left no wound unsalted as he lashed out against Macron on Tuesday on Twitter again for saying that Europe needs to build up an army to serve as a check potential military threats from other world powers, including the United States.

'Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia,' Trump wrote. 'But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France?' the president asked. 'They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!'

Trump went dark for an hour and then returned to the subject, blasting France for import laws that he claimed are unnecessarily burdensome on American wine producers.

'On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!' he said.

Trump's attack on the French followed a defiant speech from Macron in Paris on Sunday at an Armistice Day celebration.

Macron called nationalism a 'betrayal of patriotism' and warned against 'old demons coming back to wreak chaos and death.'

'Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism,' declared Macron, who has defended the multinational organizations and cooperation that Trump often belittles and resists.

The president did not respond immediately to the remarks that were delivered in French. It was not until Tuesday that he rebuffed Macron for the speech that was largely interpreted as a shot across the bow at him.

Trump also returned to his familiar refrain that allies are not meeting their obligations to fund NATO's military budget.

'It is time that these very rich countries either pay the United States for its great military protection, or protect themselves,' he vented in a Monday morning tweet.

Trump claimed then that 'much was accomplished' in his meetings in Paris.

But the U.S. pays billions 'protecting other countries, and we get nothing but Trade Deficits and Losses,' and it's time for the abuse to end, he countered.

He was still fuming on Tuesday morning, when he invoked German military aggression from the last century.

His chief economy adviser, Larry Kudlow, declined to get in the middle of the dispute as he spoke to reporters at the White House. He said that he was not an expert on French and American wine imports and exports and would have to look into it.

On nationalism, he said the American president is simply looking after American interests.

'The president is looking after the United States and its interests, and when he talks about nationalism, that's what he's referring to, and I think that's a good thing, not a bad thing,' Kudlow said. 'I don't even know if he agrees with President Macron, because I think President Macron himself was on several sides of that issue.'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel endorsed Macron's call for a 'true European army' in a speech to EU ministers on Tuesday

Merkel had traveled to Paris for the centennial of the armistice and stood between Trump and Macron for a somber ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe.

She and Macron led a procession of foreign leaders that excluded Trump, who arrived separate in his own motorcade as a security precaution, down the Champs-Elysees in commemoration of the cessation of hostilities on the same day and time 100 years ago in Paris.

The day before she and Macron had walked hand-in-hand through Compiegne, the first of the battle sites to learn of the armistice in a display that was so moving an elderly woman attending the service thought Merkel was Mrs. Macron.

A visibly uncomfortable Trump twitched as Macron tried to put his hand on the visiting leader's knee earlier in the day as they met at Elysee.

He had tweeted at the start of his trip that Macron's proposal for a 'real European army' was 'very insulting,' considering France doesn't currently pay its own way.

Macron said afterword that there had been a misunderstanding, but also told CNN: 'To be very direct with you, what I don't want to see is European countries increasing the budget in defense in order to buy American and other arms or materials coming from your industry.'

He made cutting remarks about the Twitter diplomacy that Trump had engaged, in as well, telling the network, 'I always prefer having direct discussion or answering questions than making my diplomacy through tweets.'

After Trump's rant on Tuesday, Merkel endorsed Macron's call for a 'true European army' in a speech to EU ministers.

'What is really important, if we look at the developments of the past year, is that we have to work on a vision of one day creating a real, true European army,' she said.

Merkel said she envisioned the fighting force working NATO, yet said, 'only a stronger Europe is going to defend Europe' in the speech layering on to Macron's warning to Trump.

'Europe must take our fate into our own hands if we want to protect our community,' she said.

Responding immediately to Trump's tweet about Germany on Tuesday, the Council on Foreign Relations president said the American president was offering an opinion that is 'offensive and uniformed' about peacetime relations with its allies.

'This tweet is offensive and uninformed. The former is obvious. RE latter, NATO is not about a pot of money that allies chip into but rather an alliance based on national effort and coordination that won the Cold War and is still needed to keep a peace serving US national interest ,' Richard Haass said.Six terror attacks have been foiled in France this year, the country's security minister has revealed, as the nation marked three years since terror attacks in Paris killed 130 people.

Christophe Castaner's announcement came on the country mourned those who died in co-ordinated ISIS attacks on the French capital on November 13, 2015..

Gunmen and bombers struck the Bataclan concert hall, where 90 people were slaughtered, and other night spots during the atrocity.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe (center left) and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo (center right) walk to the bar 'La Bonne Biere' in Paris during a ceremony on Tuesday to mark three years since terror attacks in Paris left 130 people dead

Mr Castaner said the most recent thwarted plot involved far-right extremists detained last week on suspicion of targeting President Emmanuel Macron.

The minister said that three years after Islamic extremists slaughtered concert-goers at the Bataclan venue and other places in Paris, the terror threat to France remains high.

But he said it has 'changed shape', with the Islamic State group weakened and counter-terrorism efforts strengthened.

Mr Castaner said that 'nearly every week' security services 'intervene on the ground to neutralise risks.'

A woman touches the commemorative plaque at the entrance of the Bataclan in Paris on Tuesday during a ceremony held for the victims of the 2015 attack

Guards stand by a wreath of flowers in front of a commemorative plaque next to the bar 'La Belle Equipe' in Paris on Tuesday

He added their work is dissuasive to potential attackers who 'know that we keep watch, that we hear'.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took part in a ceremony held to remember the victims of the attacks on Tuesday.

They were joined by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.The widow of a former Welsh Government minister who was found dead while facing a sexual misconduct allegation has been granted the right to challenge the inquiry into his sacking.

Carl Sargeant, 49, was found hanged at his home last November, four days after being removed from his role as cabinet secretary for communities and children while facing allegations of sexual harassment, inappropriate touching and groping.

His widow Bernie, also 49, was given the go ahead to challenge the legality of a government inquiry into his actions after raising concerns that the investigation could become a 'cover-up'.

The widow of former Welsh Government minister Carl Sargeant, pictured, has won the right to challenge the legality of an inquiry which led to his sacking while facing allegations of sexual misconduct. Mr Sargeant, 49, was found dead last November days after his sacking

A judge in London granted Mrs Sargeant permission for a judicial review, ruling that she had an 'arguable case'.

A full hearing is expected to take place in Cardiff on a date to be fixed.

The politician, from Connah's Quay, North Wales, was suspended from the Labour Party over allegations of 'unwanted attention, inappropriate touching or groping' on November 3.

His family have said he was not told the details of what he was accused of and was unable to properly defend himself.

The father-of-two was found dead at his home on November 7.

An investigation into the way Carl Sargeant was treated by First Minister Carwyn Jones had been suspended pending today's hearing at the High Court over how it should proceed.

The First Minister announced an independent inquiry into how he handled his former minister's sacking.

The High Court action was launched to challenge the 'unlawful' decision-making of the First Minister of Wales and the Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Government in relation to the investigation's operational protocol, which will govern how it will proceed.

Bernie Sargeant took the case to the High Court arguing the decision making of First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones, pictured, was 'unlawful'

Mrs Sargeant's lawyers say she is challenging a number of decisions.

They include a decision to 'bar the family's lawyers from being able to question witnesses', another 'to allow the independent investigator to bar the family from hearings', and also a decision to 'prevent oral evidence from being heard in public'.

Nathalie Lieven QC, for Mrs Sargeant, argued before Mr Justice Supperstone that the way the terms of the investigation had been set amounted to a 'flagrant breach of natural justice'.

When news of the legal action was announced, Mrs Sargeant said: 'We have a right to be able to hear and challenge the evidence.

'Please believe me, we are not trying to be obstructive, we just want to get to the truth and feel that we have a great deal to offer the inquiry. We don't want to be excluded.'

She said: 'All I want is to understand and process why my husband is no longer here.

'This whole thing just adds agony to heartbreak, but I owe it to Carl to get the full picture.'

A spokesman for the First Minister has said: 'This is not, and was never intended to be, a public inquiry. Nor is it an investigation into the tragic death of Carl Sargeant.'

He said: 'The First Minister established this investigation voluntarily, solely and specifically to give independent scrutiny of the actions and decisions which he took in relation to Carl Sargeant at the time of the ministerial reshuffle last November.'

Mr Justice Supperstone heard the argument on Mrs Sargeant's behalf following an earlier rejection of her case by another judge who reviewed her application on paper.

Mr Sargeant was found hanged at his home in November 2017, pictured

Speaking last year, Mrs Sargeant and children Jack, 23, and Lucy, 25, pointed the finger at Labour and said Mr Sargeant was not afforded 'common courtesy, decency or natural justice'.

They said in a statement: 'Carl was not informed of any of the detail of the allegations against him, despite requests and warnings regarding his mental welfare'.

Friends and colleagues have said the former Welsh cabinet member had been 'thrown to the wolves'.

Writing the day before his death, Mr Sargeant's lawyer warned that the case was causing him anxiety and distress and that any delays in concluding the party's investigation would be 'prejudicial... to his physical and mental well-being'.

He noted the party had confirmed that no 'parallel investigations' - such as a police inquiry - were being conducted.An infamous underworld figure who spent more than 11 years behind bars in maximum security over the killing of a landscaper has been released from jail.

Jade Lacey, 35, was handed a lengthy sentence in over the 2007 death of Kevin Palmer and the torture of drug dealer Owen Matthews, who was forced to dig his own grave on South Stradbroke Island, Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

He was later acquitted of Mr Palmer's murder, but was found guilty of unlawful wounding with intent. Jade, a former aspiring rapper dubbed 'Lace Italiano', was also convicted of drug trafficking and beating a hairdresser to a pulp after he allegedly botched his then girlfriend's haircut.

His younger brother Dionne - who is still behind bars in Victoria - was an accomplice in the killing of Mr Palmer and fired the bullet that killed him. He was convicted of manslaughter.

Jade Lacey (pictured) was handed a lengthy sentence over killing of Kevin Palmer and the torture of drug dealer Owen Matthews

Lacey (pictured) was acquitted of Mr Palmer's murder, but was found guilty of unlawful wounding with intent

The 35-year-old got his first breath of fresh air on October 31 after serving 11-and-a-half years, and was met by his Gold Coast identity father, Ken Lacey, whom he shared a cell with after the 61-year-old pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine last year.

His family said the first thing Lacey did was head straight to the beach and jump into the water to 'wash away all the jail away from him'.

Lacey remains on parole until 2022 and is required to wear an ankle tracking bracelet for three months, the publication reported.

The 35-year-old got his first breath of fresh air on October 31 after serving 111-and-a-half years, and was met by his Gold Coast identity father, Ken Lacey (left), whom he also shared a cell with

Despite his lengthy criminal record, Lacey's family say he is now a changed man and plans to run a friend's Gold Coast gym after working on his physique while in jail.

They claim money doesn't mean anything to Lacey who 'did the crimes and he deserved to do the time'.

'He may have made a lot of money in the past in the drug trade, but money means nothing to him now  it's just about being happy, having his family and friends around him and focusing on fitness, health and the (gym) business.'

'Being deprived of his liberty for so long has just made him appreciate the simple pleasures in life.

Lacey's girlfriend, is expected to arrive from the Netherlands to live with him following his release.

'She's stood by Jade since 2010 and she's a great girl,' the family member said.A dog thief was punished in public with flogging after being caught stealing pets by villagers in southern China.

Police said the thief was captured by residents at the Zhang Village in the county of Mengshan, Guangxi Province, yesterday morning before being beaten.

The thief had to be rescued by police officers after they arrived at the scene.

A trending video shows a man being repeatedly beaten by another man with a bamboo stick. Police in China said the knelt man was a dog thief and he had been caught red-handed

Footage circulating on the Chinese social media platforms shows a man who is kneeling on the ground getting flogged by another man who appears to be furious.

The knelt man is repeatedly beaten on the head by a bamboo stick.

Next to the pair, there is a bloodied dog, apparently dead, and some banknotes on the ground.

Mengshan County Police were alerted of the incident after noticing the trending videos. They quickly dispatched officers to the scene.

The thief was taken to the hospital by policemen and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, Mengshan County Police said in a statement.

The police have launched an investigation into the matter. They said those who beat the dog thief could also face penalties.

The dog thief had to be rescued by police officers after they arrived at the scene. He was taken to the hospital. Police urged the public not to punish suspected criminals by themselves

Every year, thousands of pet dogs are poisoned and stolen in China, and as many as 20 million dogs are killed to satisfy the dog meat industry.

Dog snatchers often drive a van and use a lasso to catch pet or stray dogs.

Toxic darts are sometimes used too. In those cases, the thieves would go back to the location to collect the dogs' bodies after they are poisoned.

Dog theft is particularly common in southern parts of China, including Guangxi and Guangdong provinces.

Dog thieves in China often use lassos, poisonous darts or toxic syringes to steal (file photo)

In February this year, a suspected dog thief was brutally attacked by residents of Fengshun after being caught stealing their pets. It was reported that the man sustained multiple fractures and the tendons on his hands were severed.

One month earlier, a woman was tied to a gate and beaten by angry villagers in China after being spotted killing a dog using poisonous darts.

Mengshan County Police urged the public to call the police and not to penalise suspected criminals with violence by themselves. Any offenders could face criminal charges too.'El Chapo' (above) faces 17 criminal counts and a potential life sentence if convicted

The trial of Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman begins today amid extraordinary security measures.

His wife Emma Coronel arrived hours after the Brooklyn Bridge was closed to allow the motorcade to take the 61-year-old to the courthouse in Brooklyn.

But to the court's dismay, the long-awaited opening of the trial was delayed by 24 hours after a juror begged to be kicked off the case... and was successful/

Juror No 1, as she was referred to in court, asked during jury selection of she could be excused - a request Brooklyn federal court Judge Brian Cogan denied.

But today he had no choice after she turned up armed with a compelling case to withdraw.

'I got a handwritten letter which details medical issues that have been brought about by her selection,' Judge Cogan told lawyers.

'This person has been anxious and upset since selection If I were to ask further questions, it will result in a breakdown and crying.'

Emma Coronel, center, the wife of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman leaves Brooklyn Federal court after opening arguments on Tuesday

Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, center, sits next to his defense attorney Eduardo Balazero, left, for opening statements as Guzman's high-security trial gets underway on Tuesday

El Chapo's wife, Emma Coronel, arrives at the courthouse in Brooklyn. Last week the judge denied his legal team's application for the pair to be allowed a hug in the courtroom, citing security fears

She braved the weather and the media pack before heading into the courthouse

The departing juror will not b replaced with one of the six alternates, however, as lawyers on both sides have agreed to select a new one.

Guzman wore a suit and blue tie and waved to his wife at the start of proceedings.

Despite the pouring rain, the former beauty queen had put on a very chic show as she arrived at the courthouse, modeling a black velvet suit, with a puff-sleeved jacket and cigarette pants.

She paired the pantsuit with a plain black blouse, and wore simple stiletto heels.

Coronel further emphasized the business-like look by pulling her long brunette locks back into a ponytail, instead of wearing her tresses in a loose wavy style as she has so often done in the past.

Her trademark makeup look remained however; the 29-year-old showed off lined lips, long lashes, and a sharp contour as she made her way inside the building.

The Brooklyn Bridge this morning: It was closed to traffic as the El Chapo motorcade passed over

After a week of jury selection, the trial was due to begin with with lawyers' opening statements in the federal court, amid intense public attention.

Federal prosecutors say that as leader of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, Guzman, directed massive shipments of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine bound for the United States. He faces 17 criminal counts and a potential life sentence if convicted.

As well as smuggling drugs to the United States, the Sinaloa Cartel has played a major role in narco violence between rival gangs that has torn areas of Mexico apart and defied successive governments.

More than 200,000 people have been killed -- many in cartel feuds -- since the Mexican government sent troops in to take on the drug gangs in 2006.

The security around him is so strict that U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan, who is presiding over the case, last week denied a motion by Guzman asking to hug his wife before the trial.

The jurors will remain anonymous and be escorted to and from by armed U.S. marshals. Prosecutors have said the security is necessary because of Guzman's history of intimidating and even ordering murders of potential witnesses. Guzman's lawyers have called those claims unfounded.

Guzman's lawyers have signaled that they intend to downplay their client's role in the cartel and argue that the prosecutors' witnesses are motivated by self interest and not believable.

Guzman, who twice dramatically escaped from Mexican maximum security prisons, has been kept in solitary confinement in Manhattan and transported to court in Brooklyn in a heavily guarded motorcade.

Prosecutors have also taken extraordinary measures to protect witnesses they plan to call during the trial, which could last up to four months.

According to court filings, those witnesses will include former Sinaloa Cartel members and others involved in the drug trade who are now cooperating with the U.S. government. None have been publicly named, and some may testify under aliases.

Guzman was one of world's most wanted fugitives until he was captured in January 2016 in his native Sinaloa. He was extradited to the United States a year later.

The four-month trial will have extraordinary security and has attracted press from around the world (above, media set up camp outside the Brooklyn courthouse)

In 2009, Forbes Magazine put him on its list of the worlds richest people, with an estimated $1 billion fortune but investigators say it is impossible to know exactly how much he was worth.

Guzman used his wealth to buy off politicians, police chiefs, soldiers and judges, Mexican prosecutors say. His nickname, a reference to his five foot, six inch (1.67 meters) height, is often translated in English as 'Shorty.'

Several former Guzman associates are known to have struck deals to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors, raising the possibility that they will appear on the witness stand.

They include Vicente Zambada, son of top Sinaloa Cartel figure Ismael Zambada, who pledged to cooperate in a plea agreement made public last week, and Chicago-born twins Pedro and Margarito Flores, one-time drug traffickers who secretly taped Guzman.

The defense will be spearheaded by Eduardo Balarezo and William Purpura, who previously defended Mexican drug lord Alfredo Beltran Leyva, and Jeffrey Lichtman, best known for securing the acquittal of mafia boss John Gotti's son.

Beltran Leyva, once a partner and later a rival of Guzman, was found guilty of U.S. drug charges and sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in Washington last year.George Brooksbank, 72, passed away in the week of August's Baptism at the All Saints Chapel in Windsor Great Park, which was attended by the Queen. A royal insider told MailOnline: 'George had been in hospital with covid and had not been the same after that. He had been unwell for some time. It's been a difficult time for Jack losing his father before the Christening'. Another source said it had been a 'miracle' George survived Covid last year after five weeks on a ventilator and that it had been 'wonderful' that he had been alive to see August born. Mr Brooksbank's cause of death has not been confirmed. Buckingham Palace has been asked to comment. The tragedy hit the Royal Family just before the double Christening of the Queen's two great grandsons, August and his second cousin Lucas Tindall, the son of Zara and Mike Tindall. Despite the bad news, Jack and Eugenie decided the event should still go ahead. The couple both put on a brave face yesterday despite suffering the secret heartbreak of Mr Brooksbank's passing. He had been battling ill health having caught Covid last year and spent a period in ICU. Mr Brooksbank, a retired chartered accountant and company director, split his time with his wife of 36 years Nicola at their homes in Wandsworth, south London, and Bordeaux, France. He had suffered from poor health having been in intensive care with coronavirus at the start of the pandemic last April. Eugenie and Jack were warned to 'prepare for the worst' when Jack's father was put on a ventilator for five weeks. But he recovered from the life-threatening battle with the virus and left hospital last June.Advertisement

Westminster council has moved to ban the mega mansions favoured by oligarchs and billionaire businessmen in a bid to address the capital's housing crisis.

The authority, which handles planning in the affluent areas of Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Mayfair, is set to outlaw homes larger than 1,615 sq ft (150 sq m).

It is part of a clampdown on 'Monopoly board-style investments', in which much-needed living space is being bought up by rich owners who in many cases are leaving the properties empty.

The move was announced this week as part of Westminster City Council's new development plan, which promises to build upwards of 10,000 affordable units before 2040.

It is part of a drive to improve social and affordable housing in the area, where the average home sold for 957,000 in August.

Forbes House in Belgravia has been bought by a Qatari sheikh for around 150million but after adding a new swimming pool, cinema and garage it could be worth 300million - under new plans, such homes could not be built from scratch

Forbes House is spread over an acre of some of the country's most valuable land sandwiched between Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park in central London

Up these magnificent staircases at Forbes House there will also be two floors for children, with games and TV room and two sitting rooms in the 50,000 sq ft super-mansion and 'his and hers' master bedroom suites on the floors below

The proposals would mean the end of large new build houses and high-end apartments, with developments like John Caudwell's ultra-prime Audley Square project potentially impossible in the future.

At one point, plans for the block saw each penthouse have its own lift, gym and swimming pool and the largest, which would have been 13,401 sq ft, would value at more than 100million.

It would also make recent redevelopments like those on Avenue Road, near London Zoo, impossible.

Over the past decade a number of large homes on the tree-lined road were demolished and replaced with neo-classical mega-mansions, some of which are more than 20 times the size English home.

Planning proposals like those at Forbes House, a potential 300 million mega-mansion, could still get the go-ahead as they could be classified as 'protecting a heritage asset', despite measuring a gigantic 50,000 sq ft.

Hamad Bin Jassim al-Thani is believed to have bought the six-storey pile in Belgravia for around 150million and will carry out a refurbishment expected to double its value.

Forbes House is spread over an acre of some of the country's most valuable land sandwiched between Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park in central London.

Sheikh Thani, 57, who is worth around 1billion, already personally owns a large chunk of One Hyde Park - the Candy brothers' luxurious apartment block in Knightsbridge.

Thani's new Belgravia stately home has more than 20 bedrooms, a carriage driveway sweeping through its landscaped lawn and parking for 32 vehicles.

Earlier this year, Westminster Council rejected plans to convert a terrace of student houses measuring more than 100,000 sq ft into mansions worth 250million, with officers telling the developers they needed to 'wake up'.

Hamad Bin Jassim al-Thani, who is worth 1billion, is believed to have bought Forbes House from the Barclay brothers, with stamp duty alone probably reaching 20million

Developments such as 6 Buckingham Gate, located opposite Buckingham Palace, where residents are expected to pay 2.4million for a year, would likely have never got the go ahead by planners

The proposals would mean the end of large new build houses and high-end apartments, with developments like John Caudwell's ultra-prime Audley Square project (pictured) in Mayfair potentially impossible in the future

Earlier this year, Westminster Council rejected plans to convert York Terrace East (pictured) into luxury mansions worth 250million, with council officers telling the developers they needed to 'wake up'

Westbourne Capital Partners applied for permission to transform York Terrace East, near Regent's Park, into 13 townhouses and mansions which were up to 15 times the size of the average property.

The largest home on the terrace would fail to meet the new criteria due to it measuring 17,000 sq ft, making it 18 times the size of the average home and worth more than 40 million.

However councillors voted down the plans, with chairman of planning Richard Beddoe adding: 'Our city's golden post codes must not be used for Monopoly-style investments to cater only for oligarchs and the most wealthy.'

Developments such as 6 Buckingham Gate, where would-be residents are expected to pay 2.4million for a year in rent, would likely have never got the go ahead by planners should they have been submitted after 2019.

The six-bedroom mansion opposite Buckingham Palace is spread over 15,850 sq ft and as such is valued at an eye-watering 76.5million.

The council's proposals have been met with a mixed reaction from property professionals who operate in the area.

Henry Pryor, a buying agent and property commentator, said: 'In the already crowded city it is hard for councils to meet targets to build new homes.

'It is all about numbers rather than what is built and so more smaller homes helps the council to achieve their quotas.

'No one could argue that Westminster is short of mansions so some sort of moratorium on new ones being built is unlikely to bother anyone except developers and estate agents.

'It's not how many we are building but what. Even in Westminster what is needed are homes for people who can't afford to buy or rent homes currently and if that means one less mansion then I think this is a price worth paying.'High-ranking barrister Max Hill QC defended the large fall in the number of rape charges

The new Director of Public Prosecutions today defended the fall in the number of rape charges to its lowest level in a decade.

High-ranking barrister Max Hill QC has claimed the 23 per cent drop was down to prosecutors attempting to raise the 'quality' of cases brought to trial.

The former terrorism watchdog added that he understood concerns over the fall  but denied prosecutors were given targets to screen out weak cases.

It follows fears from the Women's Equality party that the most vulnerable rape victims were missing out on justice because rape prosecutors were taking a more risk-averse approach to cases.

But Mr Hill told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning: 'That is absolutely not part of the Crown Prosecution Service thinking. We don't screen out. We don't set targets.

'We don't have any statistical evaluation. We apply the code for prosecutors. That means in any and every case where there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest we will charge.'

Mr Hill's predecessor Alison Saunders (pictured) announced she was quitting the post in April

He added that 'past failures' at the CPS had led to trials collapsing over failures to disclose evidence, but insisted prosecutors were working to 'improve file quality'.

On November 1, Mr Hill pledged to build public trust in the criminal justice system as he took over from Alison Saunders as Director of Public Prosecutions.

Who is the new Director of Public Prosecutions? Max Hill QC, who was called to the bar in 1987, successfully prosecuted the failed 21/7 bombers and appeared in the inquest into the 7/7 attacks, as well as acting in fraud, corporate crime and serious violence cases. He is from Hertfordshire and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2008. The Oxford graduate has appeared on Channel 4 programme The Trial, in which real juries, barristers and judges tried a fictional murder case to see how the jury system works. He had been the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation since March 2017. Advertisement

He took charge of the CPS after months in which it has been heavily criticised for a catalogue of disclosure failings that led to cases collapsing.

Ms Saunders announced she was quitting in April, rejecting criticisms of her five-year stint and describing claims that standards had slipped as 'hugely insulting' to prosecutors.

Confidence in the criminal justice system was rocked after a flurry of cases collapsed when it emerged vital evidence had not been passed to defence lawyers.

The collapsed trial of rape-accused Liam Allan raised the profile of a string of similar sex cases, where charges were dropped when critical material emerged at the last minute.

The revelations prompted a review of every live rape and serious sexual assault prosecution in England and Wales, which found issues with the disclosure of unused material in 47 cases.

A Justice Committee report concluded the CPS may have underestimated the number of cases stopped because of disclosure errors by 90 per cent.Tommy Robinson has not been granted a visa in time to travel to America, where he had been set to meet with Republican politicians.

The English Defence League co-founder was due to travel to Washington this week at the invitation of the Middle East Forum.

But Daniel Pipes, president of the conservative Philadelphia-based organisation, said Robinson had not been granted a visa in time for the meeting.

Tommy Robinson, pictured outside the Old Bailey in October, was due to travel to Washington this week at the invitation of the Middle East Forum - but he has reportedly been denied a visa

Timeline of Tommy Robinson in prison May 25: Robinson is jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after Facebook Live protest outside a trial in Leeds May 27: Sentence sparks protests in London including outside Downing Street June 9: Free Tommy Robinson march in Whitehall turns violent with 21 police officers hurt when bottles are hurled July 18: Robinson launches appeal against his sentence August 1: Judges order his release and say he must face new hearing September 27: A new contempt of court case at the Old Bailey is adjourned after Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC asks for written submissions from all parties October 23: After considering submissions, judge says case is 'too complex' and evidence must be considered by Attorney General The Attorney General's office confirms it will look at the case and decide whether to stage a High Court hearing Advertisement

Mr Pipes said Robinson recently applied for a visa at the US Embassy in London but realised it 'will take a while' for him to be allowed into the country.

But Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, categorically denied his visa application had been rejected.

He told the Press Association reports about it were 'fake news' and hung up the phone without answering further questions.

Robinson is currently barred from the US after attempting to enter the country using a friend's passport in 2012, having been blocked from travelling under standard arrangements because of 'multiple criminal convictions, including several for violent conduct and assault as well as mortgage fraud'.

He gained a high profile in the US after right-wing websites took up his cause when he was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court.

The sentence was later quashed and the case has been referred to the Attorney General.

On Sunday The Middle East Forum wrote on its website that Robinson will speak at the event via video link, but did not say whether this was due to his visa not being approved.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, categorically denied his visa application had been rejected. He is pictured here outside Westminster Abbey earlier this month

The US Embassy in London said it could not comment on individual visa application due to privacy.

Travellers with criminal convictions applying to enter the US have to go through an adjudication process and could have their visa denied.

Robinson's planned tour of the US sparked more than 50 cross-party MPs to write to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging him not to permit Robinson to enter America for a fundraising tour.

The MPs asked Mr Pompeo to issue an assurance the US will not grant a waiver to allow Mr Robinson to accept invitations to speak in Washington DC on November 14.A South Sudanese girl was sold as a 'virgin bride' to a wealthy businessman on Facebook for 500 cows, three luxury cars and $10,000 (7,688).

A picture of the 17-year-old, who is from South Sudan's Eastern Lakes state, was posted on Facebook on October 25.

The post said five men were participating in the auction for her dowry.

The highest bidder, a wealthy businessman, reportedly gave the girl's father over 500 cows, three luxury cars and $10,000 as a dowry, according to major girls' rights charity Plan International.

The teenager's marriage took place on November 3.

A picture of the 17-year-old girl (right), who is from South Sudan's Eastern Lakes state, was posted on Facebook on October 25

Pictures of the girl in a wedding gown were shared on various social media sites.

Some reports referred to her as a 'virgin bride' or 'the most expensive woman in South Sudan'.

Taban Abel, information minister in Eastern Lakes in the centre of the war-torn nation, said the girl had since gone into hiding in the capital, Juba, but did not offer any more details.

And her auction could spur other families to use social media to demand bigger dowries for their daughters, activists said, urging authorities and Facebook to take much tougher action.

'That a girl could be sold for marriage on the world's biggest social networking site ... is beyond belief,' said George Otim, country director of Plan International South Sudan.

Facebook said it removed the post and the user from its platform for violating its community standards last Friday

Facebook told the Thomson Reuters Foundation it removed the post and the user from its platform for violating its community standards last Friday, when it was made aware of the material.

'Any form of human trafficking whether posts, pages, ads or groups that co-ordinate this activity are not allowed on Facebook,' a spokesman said.

Campaigners also called on the Sudanese authorities to take action against those involved in the bidding as some were reportedly state officials, according to Plan and local media.

Despite the legal age of marriage being 18 years old, more than 50 percent of South Sudanese girls are wed before their 18th birthday, says the United Nations children's agency UNICEF.

High levels of poverty, conflict, instability, low levels of literacy and gender gaps in education have fuelled child marriage in South Sudan for years, according to campaigners.

Many South Sudanese communities see child marriage as a way to protect girls from pre-marital sex and unwanted pregnancies, or to exchange them for dowry of resources such as cattle.

Child rights groups welcomed Facebook's action in taking down the post - but said the post had been public for several days and ultimately resulted in the illegal marriage of a minor.

This could create a dangerous precedent whereby other families may seek to use social media sites to get greater dowries for their daughters, according to charity Equality Now.

'Facebook has a responsibility on securing and protecting the rights of women and girls,' Judy Gitau, a lawyer at Equality Now, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

'They need to put sufficient resources into monitoring what is on their platform.'The hunt is on to track down gutless thieves who stole a six-week-old disabled foal from a racehorse trainer.

Nathan McPherson took to social media on Monday night to launch a desperate search for his beloved foal Holly, who was stolen from a racing stable at a Carrum Downs property on Melbourne south-eastern outskirts on Monday.

Holly is the first foal for retired racehorse Zagenza, who won $22,000 in her 11-race career.

Six-week-old foal Holly (pictured) vanished without a trace and is believed to be stolen

'This is a very hard foal to miss,' Mr Pherson posted on Facebook.

'Holly is six-weeks-old and was born with contracted tendon. I've been work my ass off to get her right and when arrived home from work today someone has cut her braces off that were heavily stuck on. Best be bringing my foal back before I find the people responsible.'

The heartfelt Facebook post has since attracted 10,800 shares and 1900 reactions.

'It's just unconditional love you know,' horse trainer Nathan McPherson (pictured) said

Since Holly is unable to walk, Mr McPherson has been looking after the foal night and day since she was born, sleeping in the paddock and carrying her to Zagenza for hourly feeds.

'My brother has done everything to keep Holly alive and to get her legs strong enough for her to lead a normal happy life in the paddock with her mum,' his sister Bianca Willis posted on Facebook.

Mr McPherson went to work on Monday to help cover the mounting vet bills and returned later the same night to find Holly missing. The straps on her leg braces had been cut, he said.

'Holly needs her mum she is still a baby and still feeds from her mum who is absolutely frantic without her beautiful girl,' Bianca Willis posted on Facebook (pictured together)

'It's just unconditional love you know,' he told 9 News.

'I didn't hear or see from her and as I started to walk through the paddock, noticed her bandages and splints and bits of pipe made up for her braces were scattered all through the paddock.'

Security cameras in the racing stable had stopped working for unknown reasons.

Holly's mother is retired racehorse Zagenza (pictured) who won $22,000 in her 11-race career

A search party of eight people frantically scoured the the 20 acre property but found no sign of Holly.

Frankston Crime Investigation Unit is investigating the brazen theft of Holly.

Ms Willis pleaded for the foal's return.

'Holly needs her mum she is still a baby and still feeds from her mum who is absolutely frantic without her beautiful girl,' she posted.A Hollywood film director has been banned from driving after police found him drunk and asleep at the wheel.

Stuart Renfrew, 54, admitted downing half a bottle of Malbec red wine before he and his wife set off from their 850,000 Westminster home for her yoga session on October 28.

He dropped her off in Notting Hill and had two more glasses of red wine at a nearby pub before returning to the car to wait for her and falling asleep at the steering wheel.

Officers found him asleep in the car with his two dogs, where they arrested him and took him in for questioning.

Renfrew, who was an assistant director on The Queen, and worked on Game of Thrones, Spooks and Dirty Pretty Things, admitted drink-driving at Westminster Magistrates Court and was given a 17-month driving ban.

Stuart Renfrew, 54 (pictured) admitted downing half a bottle of Malbec red wine before he and his wife set off from their 850,000 Westminster home for her yoga session on October 28

Police found him asleep in the car in central London (street pictured) with his two dogs where they arrested him and took him in for questioning

Malachy Pakenham, prosecuting, said: 'Police came across the vehicle protruding into the carriage-way one and half metres from a parking bay.

'In the vehicle there were two dogs. He was interviewed about the matter and does say he drank half a bottle of red wine in the afternoon on an empty stomach.'

Renfrew was breathalysed at Kensington Police Station and found to have 83 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - more than twice the legal drink drive limit.

Renfrew worked on Game of Thrones in 2013. Pictured: Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington star in the fantasy HBO drama

He wore a black suit and tie with a white shirt in court today and hung his head after confirming his identity.

Magistrate Jessica Baldwin said: 'We take into consideration your early guilty plea. We have also read the many letters of reference that you supplied the court.

'We have kept the disqualification as low as we are able to- that is a disqualification for 17 months. You will also be fined 300 and pay costs of 85.

'The ban is very important you must not drive on any road in the UK and Northern Ireland when you are banned. Often people are put in prison for driving while disqualified.'The moment a Good Samaritan was smashed in the head with a tomahawk while trying to save a woman from her murderous ex-partner has been captured in shocking CCTV footage.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court released the chilling footage of the moment Robert Rudd tried to save Vickie Fidel, 66, from her ex-husband Etem Duga, 73.

Duga could be seen chasing Ms Fidel down a flight of stairs while wielding a tomahawk and knife in October 2016.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court released the chilling footage of the moment Robert Rudd tried to save Vickie Fidel from her ex-husband Etem Duga

Duga had just murdered Ms Fidel's new partner, Philip Fidel, 73, in a nearby unit.

After hearing screams, Mr Rudd stepped out of his Yokine unit in Perth to see what was going on.

Mr Rudd met Duga at the bottom of the stairs and appears determined not to let the man pass, despite the obvious danger.

The footage shows that it only took angry Duga a moment to lose patience before he took a swing at the man.

Mr Rudd can be seen recoiling and holding his hand against his head where he was hit. Duga then continues on his chase for his ex-wife.

Duga was found guilty of murder, attempting to murder and intending to cause bodily harm on Friday. He now faces a life behind bars.

Prior to the murder, Duga was sporting a high-vis vest. He was also carrying a big cardboard box when he turned up on the doorstep of Mr and Ms Fidel's unit.

Prosecutors alleged Duga had deliberately disguised himself in a fake courier's outfit before he killed Mr Fidel.

Duga claimed he was acting in self-defence, after Mr and Ms Fidel first attacked him.

Mr Duga testified that he was in a confused state and only hit Mr Rudd because he wanted to escape.

The Good Samaritan can be seen recoiling and holding his hand against his head

'I was confused. I didn't know what I was doing  I just wanted to walk away,' he claimed.

Ms Fidel sought safety in another neighbour's unit following the stabbing.

The neighbour suffered a stab wound to the chest before they managed to overpower Duga and pin him to the ground until police arrived on scene.

A released recording of a triple-0 call revealed a terrified Ms Fidel.

'He's killed my partner... He's got an axe and a knife.'

Victim Mr Fidel suffered 18 sharp injuries, which included one that pierced his skull.

Duga will be sentenced in February.Shocking video has captured the moment laughing bullies forced a 14-year-old boy with cerebral palsy to lie face down in a muddy creek so they could use him as a human bridge.

Brett Corbett was made to lie in the freezing cold creek in Nova Scotia, Canada last Tuesday as about 30 students from his high school yelled profanities, laughed and walked over him.

The footage of the ordeal has since gone viral on social media and has prompted a police investigation and several anti-bullying protests at Glace Bay High School.

Brett Corbett, 14, was made to lie in the freezing cold creek in Nova Scotia, Canada last Tuesday as students used him as a human bridge to cross the water

The boy initially told his mother, Terri McEachern, that he was dared to swim in the creek behind his school.

But the videos filmed by his classmates tell a different story.

In one video, Brett can be seen standing in the middle of the creek as he is surrounded by a group of teenagers.

He was filmed lying down on his stomach as the water rushed around him.

A girl then stepped on his back and leaped across to the other side of the bank.

Another video shows Brett standing up out of the water before the students order him to lie back down again.

'Do it you f**king b***h,' one student can be heard yelling.

At least three students used Brett as a human bridge, while others threw rocks at him while he was lying in the creek.

The 14-year-old initially told his mother that he was dared to swim in the creek behind his school but the videos filmed by his classmates show students yelling: 'Do it you f**king b***h'

He was filmed lying down on his stomach as the water rushed around him before a girl then stepped on his back and leaped across to the other side of the bank

'I was standing there as a dare and then they said if 'you don't get in I'm going to effin punch you, get on your effin stomach',' Brett told the Global News.

'Then I let a girl walk on my back thinking it was nice, but then I realized it wasn't nice at all.

'I was freezing... no one tried to help me. The girl literally walked on my back, she said, 'could you get back down please, I don't want to get wet'. I shouldn't have let her walk on my back.'

Brett said he is subjected to this kind of bullying on a daily basis.

His heartbroken mother said the school hasn't done anything to stop her son being bullied but the video going viral finally prompted officials to suspend several students.

'I'm heartbroken and angry everyone in that video is standing and watching and no one helped. I want this to stop,' McEachern told The Chronicle Herald.

About 30 students stood around laughing and throwing rocks at Brett as he was made to lie in the freezing water. At least three students used him as a human bridge

'As of yesterday there was no mention of it at the school. They did suspend the students after it went viral. But before that the school tried to brush it under the rug.

'A teacher assistant at the school actually told him today it's his fault that students are getting suspended, that he chose to take part in that incident and he should watch his actions.

'He said he was being pushed into it.'

Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education said they are treating the incident with Brett seriously.

'The behaviour of the students involved is not one that the Centre for Education is proud of,' the school district said in a statement.

'Both the school and administration are presently investigating the incident. It is the intent of administration to sit down with the family to discuss the incident further.'

Several students walked out of class on Friday in protest over the treatment of Brett.

There is also an anti-bullying demonstration scheduled for Tuesday at the school.Monica Lewinsky has sat down for numerous interviews over the past two decades, but rarely has she spoken about her affair with former president Bill Clinton.

That is all set to change however with new A&E docuseries The Clinton Affair, where Lewinsky discusses everything from how Clinton wooed her to the infamous stain on her blue dress.

In one episode, which was viewed by the New York Post, Lewinsky says that she was not even aware the dress was stained and one point believed she had gotten spinach dip on the frock, as mentioned in The Starr Report.

She also said that she got the stain after performing a sex act on the president in the Oval office bathroom, shortly after he gifted her a hat pin and copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.

Scroll down for video

Surprise: Monica Lewinsky reveals that she did not even know Bill Clinton had stained her blue dress in the new A&E docuseries The Clinton Affair (above)

Gifts: She was called to the office with the promise of presents, and Clinton gifted her a hat pin and copy of Walt Whitman's Leave of Grass (Clinton and Lewinsky in 1997 just before their bathroom rendezvous)

Apologize: Lewinsky also penned an essay for Vanity Fair revealing that she wished Clinton felt the need to apologize for the fallout from their relationship (Clinton above in 1998 denying the affair)

'I went to dinner that night. None of these people said to me, "Hey, youve got to go to the bathroom, youve got stuff all over your dress,"' says Lewinsky.

She reveals that she was beckoned to the White House with the promise of a present, and entered the Oval with Clinton and his secretary, who quickly hid out in the dining room.

The blue dress (above), which Lewinsky thought was stained with spinach dip

The secretary only entered so that the two would not be seen alone, having been meeting in secret for two years at that point.

Clinton then handed out his gifts for Lewinsky, which included a hat pin.

She said he told her 'you always look so cute in hats, or you and your hats'.

That was followed by a 'really beautiful copy' of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.

Then, they made a trip to the lavatory.

'And so we moved to the bathroom and were more intimate. There was some attention paid on me and then I was reciprocating, where up until that point he had always stopped before completion on his part,' recalls Lewinsky.

'I sort of stood up and said I wanted to move past that stage and so he finally said OK.'

She then adds: 'So that finished and then I hugged him after. And he hugged me. And off I went.'

Ahead of the show's premiere, Lewinsky opened up about the affair in an essay for Vanity Fair, in which she expresses her disappointment that Bill does not think he should apologize to his former intern as well as her desire to tell Hillary she is sorry.

'The process of this docuseries led me to new rooms of shame that I still needed to explore, and delivered me to Griefs doorstep,' writes Lewinsky.

She then lists off the examples of grief, ending with: 'Grief for a relationship that had no normal closure, and instead was slowly dismantled by two decades of Bill Clinton's behavior that eventually (eventually!) helped me understand how, at 22, I took the small, narrow sliver of the man I knew and mistook it for the whole.'

Lewinsky spoke about her disappointment with Bill over the comments he made back in June when asked if he owed Lewinsky a personal apology, and her disbelief that it took so long for someone to even ask that question.

It was Craig Melvin who put Bill on the spot during an interview on Today, and the former president responded to the question by saying: 'No. I do not  I have never talked to her. But I did say publicly on more than one occasion that I was sorry.'

In response to that Lewinsky writes: 'So, what feels more important to me than whether I am owed or deserving of a personal apology is my belief that Bill Clinton should want to apologize. Im less disappointed him, and more disappointed for him.'

She then adds: 'He would be a better man for it . . . and we, in turn, a better society.'

That moment was a huge shift writes Lewinsky, and one that was a long time coming.

'If you want to know what power looks like, watch a man safely, even smugly, do interviews for decades, without ever worrying whether he will be asked the questions he doesnt want to answer,' writes Lewinsky.

She is also quick to admit that she has some people to apologize to for her actions.

'My first public words after the scandaluttered in an interview with Barbara Walters on March 3, 1999were an apology directly to Chelsea and Mrs. Clinton,' writes Lewinsky.

'And if I were to see Hillary in person today, I know that I would summon up whatever force I needed to again acknowledge to hersincerelyhow very sorry I am.'

Lewinsky does not however address recent comments made by Hillary that dismissed her own statement that the relationship between the president and his intern was an abuse of power.

Baffled Bill: 'If you want to know what power looks like, watch a man safely, even smugly, do interviews for decades, without ever worrying whether he will be asked the questions he doesnt want to answer,' writes Lewinsky (Clinton on Today in June, when asked to comment on the Lewinsky scandal)

Entourage: 'So, what feels more important to me than whether I am owed or deserving of a personal apology is my belief that Bill Clinton should want to apologize. Im less disappointed him, and more disappointed for him,' writes Lewinsky

Starr: Lewinsky told the special prosecutor that she thought the dress might have been stained with spinach dip (above)

At the time the affair began between the president and his intern in November 1995, Clinton was 49 years old and Lewinsky was a 22-year-old White House employee.

Clinton would initially deny having sexual relations with Lewinsky in a sworn deposition back in January of 1998, going so far as to claim that the two were never even alone together in the White House.

Unbeknownst to him at the time, Lewinsky had already revealed to Linda Tripp that the two were together nine times between that first encounter and March of 1997, and engaged in oral sex multiple times.

The affair became public one day after Clinton's sworn testimony, at which point Tripp gave tapes of Lewinsky admitting to her relationship to Kenneth Star, who at the time was pursuing the Whitewater controversy and Clinton's alleged sexual harassment of Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state employee.

Clinton continued to deny reports that he had relations with with the brunette from Beverly Hills even after the report broke, famously saying: 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky' in a nationally televised White House news conference.'

Months later, he admitted to the affair and claimed that his definition of sexual relations differed from that of others.

This resulted in the House voting to impeach Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice back in December of 1998, with the vote then moving to the Senate.

The Senate then acquitted him of those charges when the Senate did not achieve the two-thirds vote necessary to remove Clinton from office.

A second attempt at impeachment, on an additional perjury charge and abuse of power, never made it past the House.

Tripp had worked in the Pentagon alongside Lewinsky when the former White House intern opened up to her about her affair with Bill Clinton.

She taped their conversations for months it was later revealed and then handed the recordings over to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr to avoid facing wiretapping charges.

Prior to that she handed the tapes over to lawyers for Paula Jones, who was suing Clinton for sexual harassment at the time.

Jones' lawyers then added Lewinsky to their witness list, but the judge ruled that her testimony would be immaterial to the case before tossing it out.

A few months later, Clinton settled with Jones for $850,000 when her legal team launched an appeal.A Louisiana woman was arrested and charged, Sunday, after another woman's wig was pulled off her head and 'set on fire' during an argument that also involved the brandishing of 'a knife and a shovel.'

The spat, involving Sherita L. Griffin, 34, and another woman, began at 8:30 a.m. outside a home in Clayton Street, Port Allen, near to Baton Rouge, police said.

According to an affidavit obtained by Baton Rouge's WAFB-TV, the argument soon became physical and Griffin allegedly hit the woman.

The spat, involving Sherita L. Griffin, 34, and another woman, began at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, outside a home in Clayton Street, Port Allen, near to Baton Rouge, police said

The other woman allegedly stabbed Griffin with a knife.

Things got particularly heated when Griffin pulled the other woman's wig off. She then took out a 'cigarette lighter to set the wig on fire,' police said.

Police intervened when Griffin allegedly tried to hit the other woman with a shovel.

Griffin who posted this message on her Facebook page, Monday, pulled the other woman's wig off. She then took out a 'cigarette lighter to set the wig on fire,' according to police

Griffin was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Sunday.

She allegedly admitted to a number of charges, which include aggravated assault, simple arson and fistic encounter. It's unknown if she is still being held or whether she has an attorney.

It isn't clear whether the other woman was arrested.An Australian Hells Angels bikie and his wife have been sentenced to death in Thailand for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine into the country.

Luke Joshua Cook, 34, and Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, were arrested at the Bangkok international airport in December last year after arriving off a flight from Australia following a tip off from local police, Daily Telegraph reported.

Thai courts sentenced the pair to death after they attempted to smuggle the drugs with an estimated street value of $300million.

Luke Joshua Cook, 34, and Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, were arrested at the Bangkok international airport in December last year

Thai courts sentenced the pair to death after they attempted to smuggle ice, with an estimated street value of $300million (pictured Luke Joshua Cook)

Personal assets including luxury cars, bikes, guns, money and houses worth $800,000 were forfeited by police (pictured Luke Joshua Cook)

However, their sentences are expected to be commuted to a life sentence.

Personal assets including luxury cars, bikes, guns, money and houses worth $800,000 were forfeited by police.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed they are 'providing consular assistance to an Australian in Thailand'.

The Australian gang member was detained by immigration officials as local authorities continued their crack down against Hells Angels in a city known for its sex industry and international crime syndicates.

Cook is accused of smuggling ice from a boat off the Thailand coast where he reportedly threw a large amount of the drug overboard after spotting a patrol boat, according to local media.

Police reportedly later found 50 kilograms of the drug washed ashore and issued arrest warrants for the couple.

'It is a big transnational crime organisation which is just escalating its operations in Thailand,' Major General Apichat Sirisith told media at the time.

Authorities also allege Cook was given an eye-watering $15million by Hells Angels boss Wayne Schneider to store and then ship the drugs to Australia.

Authorities also alleged Cook was given an eye-watering $15million by Hells Angels boss Wayne Schneider (pictured) to store and then ship the drugs to Australia

Cook also believed to have helped convicted murderer Antonio Bagnato (pictured), 28, escape to Cambodia

Schneider demanded his money back following the failed operation, but was then brutally murdered by members of the Hells Angels gang.

His naked body was found mutilated and covered in bruises, lacerations and ligature in a shallow grave in Pattaya.

Cook was convicted of Schneider's murder and was handed a two-year suspended sentence.

He is also believed to have helped convicted murderer Antonio Bagnato, 28, escape to Cambodia where he was arrested earlier that year.

Bagnato was sentenced in a Thai court to death after hiring four men to kill Schneider.

An inquest heard Schneider was bound to a chair and bashed to death.

Bagnato was also wanted over the murder of racing identity Bradley Dillon in Leichardt in August 2014 over a debt owed, the publication reported.Two California power companies' stocks have plummeted amid the possibility that they could be found liable for California's deadly wildfires.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) saw its shares drop 48 percent in the two days of trading since the horrific Camp Fire first began on Thursday.

Camp Fire is now the deadliest blaze in California's history, killing 42 people and destroying more than 7,000 structures.

As the fire continued to burn on Monday, trading was briefly suspended as PG&E became the worst-performing stock on the S&P 500 index.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) saw its shares drop 48 percent in the two days of trading since the horrific Camp Fire first began on Thursday

Its stocks plummeted as Betsy Ann Cowley (pictured) revealed the company had emailed her the day before the Camp Fire began and said it needed to investigate power lines that were causing sparks on her land

The company's shares closed at $32.98, down by 17.4 percent.

'We're not going to speculate or comment on what factors may or may not be impacting the market,' PG&E spokesman Paul Doherty told the San Francisco Chronicle.

'Right now, our entire company is focused on supporting first responders and assisting our customers and communities impacted by the Camp Fire.'

The company could face nearly $5billion in liabilities for the fire if it's found responsible, according to Susquehanna Financial Group.

PG&E's stocks plummeted as Betsy Ann Cowley revealed that the company had emailed her the day before the Camp Fire began and said it needed to investigate power lines that were causing sparks on her land.

Cowley, 31, lives on 64 acres in Pulga, California. Her property is right next to a junction with Camp Creek Road, where the fire first sparked around 6.30am on Thursday.

Cowley, 31, lives on 64 acres in Pulga, California. Her property is right next to a junction with Camp Creek Road, where the fire first sparked around 6.30am on Thursday

Illustrated are three of the blazes currently raging across California - investigators are examining whether the Camp Fire and the Woolsey Fire were sparked by faulty power lines

'They told me they were coming through because of problems with the line,' she said.

The email said the company was sending employees to work on the high-power lines because 'they were having problems with sparks'.

Cowley, who was on vacation at the time, said PG&E visited her home on Wednesday. She does not know what the conclusion of their visit was.

It was also revealed that, two days before the fire started, PG&E told customers in nine counties that it might shut off their power on November 8 because of extreme fire danger.

One of the counties included was Butte County, where Paradise - the town completely wiped out by the Camp Fire - was located.

The utility company ultimately decided to call off the shutdown, telling customers nine hours after the Camp Fire began that the weather conditions 'did not warrant this safety measure'.

Southern California Edison also saw its shares drop after reporting that there was an outage on an electric circuit right by the area where the Woolsey Fire first began in Los Angeles

The Woolsey fire has since killed two people and burned through 96,314 acres in Los Angeles, including a number of celebrities' homes in Malibu. Pictured is the blaze on Friday

PG&E informed the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that a high-voltage power line experienced a problem near the origin of the Camp Fire just minutes before the blaze broke out.

California fire investigators were at Cowley's property on Monday and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

CalFire spokesman Scott McLean said 'electric equipment' was being included in the probe.

The CPUC said it plans to look into the PG&E's compliance with 'applicable rules and regulations in fire impacted areas,' according to spokeswoman Terrie Prosper.

Its investigation 'may include an inspection of the fire sites once Cal Fire allows access, as well as maintenance of facilities, vegetation management, and emergency preparedness and response'.

Sen Jerry Hill, a California Democrat and longtime critic of PG&E, called the report of troubles on the utility company's lines in the area extremely worrisome.

'At some point, we have to say enough is enough, and we have to ask: Should this company be allowed to do business in California?' Hill said.

'It takes a spark to cause a fire, and that spark seems to always be coming from PG&E lines - and that's the problem.'

The Camp Fire (pictured on Friday) is now the deadliest and most destructive blaze in California's history

'We need to see how we can hold them responsible or look at alternative way of doing business.'

Mike Danko, a lawyer representing Camp Fire victims, said he plans to file a complaint against the company this week.

Danko claims that the company did not go through with the planned shutdown on November 8 because company bonuses are tied to customer complaints.

'This is the worst of them all, because PG&E knew what to do to prevent the fire, knew what the risks of a fire are, and instead lined their pockets at the expense of customer safety,' he said.

PG&E isn't the only utility company facing heat for the current barrage of wildfires in the state.

Southern California Edison reported to the CPUC that there was an outage on an electric circuit right by the area where the Woolsey Fire first began.

Just two minutes after the outage occurred on Thursday afternoon, the first reports of the fire started coming in.

The Woolsey fire has since killed two people and burned through 96,314 acres in Los Angeles, including a number of celebrities' homes in Malibu.

Mike Danko, a lawyer representing Camp Fire victims, said he plans to file a complaint against the company this week

SoCal Edison said it has received no indication that its equipment was involved in the fire, but authorities said the cause remains under investigation.

Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said it would not surprise him if the Santa Ana winds caused equipment failure that could have sparked the deadly blaze.

Alex Robertson, a plaintiff lawyer who has brought cases against SoCal Edison in the past, said he plans to file 'several dozen' lawsuits this week.

Robertson told DailyMail.com that SoCal Edison could be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars for the fire.

The lawyer said a resident called 911 at 2.24pm on Thursday after she saw that high winds had brought down a power line in the same area where the Woolsey Fire began.

According to fire department officials, the fire was first reported at 2.24pm on Thursday at an old lab, formerly owned by aerospace firm Rocketdyne.

In an email to regulators, SoCal Edison reported that just two minutes earlier, an electrical substation on the lab site tripped. The email said Edison was investigating the incident.

Photos taken from a news helicopter at 4.37pm showed the fire burning next to the substation, just 1,000 yards from the site of the 1959 partial nuclear meltdown at the lab.

A member of the Sacramento County Coroner's office looks for human remains in the rubble of a house burned at the Camp Fire on Monday

The photos appear to show the source of the fire in a cluster of trees which the power lines passed through, just below the substation, backing up the neighbor's account of a fire sparked from lines downed by trees in the wind.

Robertson said he also spoke to firefighters who were on the scene that day, who confirmed the blaze was started by downed power lines.

'I spoke to firefighters who were at my neighbor's house on Friday who are from LA County,' said Robertson. 'They were up at Rocketdyne when the fire first started and they confirmed to me that it was caused by a downed power line.'

Robertson also spoke to the neighbor who made the 911 call. They revealed that the same problem had caused another fire in the same place earlier this year.

'She told me that another fire started underneath those very same power lines earlier this year during high wind conditions,' said Robertson.

'The local homeowners were able to put it out quickly when it was just a spot fire. So Edison was obviously on notice that this has been a problem in that area.'

Robertson said that due to California law, he only needs to prove that SoCal Edison equipment caused the fire to hold them liable for damages from the fire.

And he has been quick to sign plaintiffs, as he lives in the middle of the evacuation zone.

Sheriff's deputies recover the remains of a victim of the Camp Fire on Saturday in Paradise

'Our office is literally right in the middle of the fire zone. I live in Simi Valley, where the fire burned right down my street on either side of my house. We know lots of victims, they've already been reaching out to us,' he said.

Robertson estimated that he will end up representing several hundred clients, with damages ranging from $300,000 to $500,000 per household or more in cases of multi-million dollar homes.

Shares of SoCal Edison's parent company, Edison International, have tumbled more than 20 percent since the fire started.

Both PG&E and SoCal Edison could face severe financial pressure if they are found liable for the Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire.

California is one of just two states that hold electric companies entirely liable for damage caused by their equipment, even if they followed all safety precautions.

Gov Jerry Brown signed a new law in September that would make it easier for utility companies to pass on some of these costs to consumers and help them avoid bankruptcy from a series of major fires in 2017.

But the law has a major gap: No damages specific to 2018 were included, so utilities face a higher bar to bill customers to cover those costs.

And this year has already supplanted 2017 as the most destructive in California's recorded history.A toy manufacturer has introduced a line of 'MAGA building blocks' that encourage children to 'Build the Wall' just in time for Christmas.

The stocking stuffers from Keep and Bear, a conservative gift retailer, come with 101 pieces including a miniature President Donald Trump and a hard hat emblazoned with his 'Make America Great Again' mantra.

When assembled, the Lego knock-off wall bears one of Trump's beloved phrases: 'Build the Wall'.

The toy's description on Keep and Bear's website includes an extensive endorsement of the border wall that decries the migrant caravan making its way to the US, employing rhetoric similar to what one would hear at a Trump rally.

Conservative gift retailer Keep and Bear has introduced a line of 'MAGA building block' toys that encourage children to 'Build the Wall' - just in time for Christmas

The 101-piece sets include a mini President Trump and a Make America Great Again hard hat

The description reads: 'A mob of 10,000 Central American migrants is marching through Mexico and heading toward El Paso, Texas. Mexican border agents attempted to stop them at the Mexican border, but to no avail.

'We understand why they want to flee Honduras and live and work in America. After all, we are the greatest nation on earth.

'In the interest of national security, however, we cannot allow just anyone and everyone to cross our borders. While there are good people attempting to enter our nation, there are also gangs, criminals, and terrorists. Everyone who wants to enter our country must enter legally for the safety of all.

'The wall must be built. The wall will keep America safe and strong. Only then will we be able to help those in need.

'We are pleased to announce the launch of a brand new line of toys: MAGA building blocks! This toy makes a great Christmas gift for your kids and grandkids!'

The gift sets are now available for pre-order priced at $29.95, and will begin shipping on November 23.

The toy's description on Keep and Bear's website includes an extensive endorsement of the border wall that decries the migrant caravan making its way to the US

The 'MAGA toys' line also includes two Hillary Clinton-themed sets, one entitled 'Trump Sends Hillary to Prison' and another called 'Hillary in Orange'.

The first set comes with three figures: Trump, Hillary and a Joker from the Batman franchise.

'Comes with stand, MAGA hat interchangeable with Trump's hair, and interchangeable heads to create the Hillary for Prison character from the joker figure,' the toy description explains.

The 'Hillary in Orange' set comes with a prison jumpsuit-clad Clinton and a Joker figurine.

The description on both sets says: 'This woman should never have been considered a viable candidate for President. Like Trump said, she should be prosecuted and sent to prison for her many crimes!'

The 'MAGA toys' line also includes two Hillary Clinton-themed sets entitled 'Trump Sends Hillary to Prison' and 'Hillary in Orange'. They feature a Trump figurine similar to the one in the wall-building kit as well as Clinton in an orange prison jumpsuit and the Joker from Batman

The prison jumpsuit-clad Hillary is pictured with the Joker and a piece referring to the former secretary of state's email scandal in the 'Hillary in Orange' toy set

The site also sells a six-pack of 'History's Legends' figures which includes a President Trump like the one included in the 'Build the Wall' set.

The other figures are an angry Hillary Clinton, the Statue of Liberty, action star Chuck Norris, William Wallace from the movie Braveheart and a sword-wielding 'crusader'.

KeepAndBear.com launched in 2016 as a marketing tool for the documentary 'Keep And Bear: The Movie,' which aims to convince people to become gun owners.

The online retailer now boasts 'the best selection of Trump gifts anywhere', declaring on its site: 'Shop here and the terrorists lose!'Two long-lost twin sisters in China have finally found each other after spending nearly half a century apart in an unexpected twist of fate.

The younger sibling, now 48 years old, was given away to an orphanage in 1970 when she was just one month old.

Their elder brother claims that their impoverished parents were forced to make the decision because they couldn't afford to raise both daughters.

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Elder sister Shen Qing (right) and young sister Zhou Hong (left) are reunited after 48 years

The sisters met for the first time last week - accompanied by their two biological siblings - after many a failed attempt to contact each other in nearly half a century, according to a news report on Zhejiang Satellite TV.

Interestingly, their reunions were brought into reality after the local policemen had seen both of their identity information and thought one of them had a double registration.

Shen Qing and Zhou Hong live in two cities 80 miles apart in eastern China's Zhejiang province.

The elder sister Shen Qing lives in Shengzhou where the family are originally from and the younger sister Zhou Hong lives in Hangzhou, the capital city of the province.

The report said that police officers overseeing Ms Shen's residential area discovered the ID information of a resident of Hangzhou, who looked nearly identical to Ms Shen. They thought Mr Shen had registered her information twice in two cities.

The two siblings, both living in eastern China, tried to find each other many times, but all their attempts failed. Speaking to Shaoxing TV Station, the elder sister (right) said her father often told her to check with programmes that helped people find their missing family members

Ms Shen lives in Shengzhou in Zhejiang Province (pictured), where her family are from

After contacting Ms Shen, police were told that Ms Shen had lived in Shengzhou all her life. However, Ms Shen informed the officers that she had a long-lost twin sister and wondered if the information could belong to her.

Shengzhou police coordinated with their counterpart in Hangzhou and found out that the two women were twins. They called Zhou Hong who immediately agreed to come to Shengzhou to meet her sister.

Having been separated for 48 years, Ms Shen and Ms Zhou were finally reunited last Thursday at the Longhui Community Police Station.

The younger sister said she found her sister's former wet nurse in 1993, but later lost contact

Ms Zhou lives in Hangzhou (pictured), the capital city of Zhejiang province in eastern China

Speaking to the Shaoxing TV station, Ms Shen said she had been trying to find her younger sister many times.

She said: 'My father often saw programmes on TV which helped people find their family members.

'He told me to try and see if there were anyone my age (who was looking for a sister).

'Whenever I had time, I would go to check with the programmes.'

The twins' elder brother said their parents had been forced to give away one of the twins

The sisters met for the first time last week in Shengzhou, accompanied by their elder siblings

Ms Zhou said she had also come to Shengzhou in a bid to find her sister.

She said: 'We came here once in 1993 to find her (and that was) a long time ago.

'We managed to find (my sister's) former wet nurse, but we lost contact with her after a while.'

The twins' elder brother told the reporters that their parents were only paid two to three mao (0.2p-0.3p) a day when the twins were born.

He said they had to give one of them away because it was too difficult for them to raise both babies.

The man said as soon as he stepped into the room, he could sense that Ms Zhou was his sister.

Ms Zhou said she understood her parents' decision and she was happy that she finally got to meet her sister.A rabbi has warned that the current Gaza clashes could mark the start of a holy war.

Pinchas Winston said he believes the current fighting in the Gaza strip or Israel's battle with neighbouring Syria could cause an apocalyptic war.

Winston told Breaking Israel News the IDF should be ready for a biblical war that may arrive 'at any moment without any warning'.

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Pinchas Winston said he believes the current situation in Gaza has the potential to escalate

Israel and Palestine have been exchanging high power rocket barrages with explosions seen on both sides of the border

'Any student of history knows that hindsight is 20-20 but in the moment, you never know what can set off a war,' Winston said.

'The First World War was set off by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. The same is true for the War of Gog and Magog but even more so.'

Winston said he believes the current Gaza conflict could be akin to the Old Testament's War of Gog and Magog, a war so devastating it precipitates the Messianic Redemption.

It comes as the Israeli army announced it is reinforcing Armored Corps and infantry units near the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, its spokesperson said.

The Israel Air Force struck over a hundred Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets on Monday overnight, including a munitions warehouse, weapons factory and a military compound and Hamas' Public Security offices, said the spokesperson.

People look at the rubble of a building in Gaza City on November 13 after a devastating Israeli airstrike

Rabbi Winston likened the current situation to an apocalyptic war. Pictured: Palestinian children in the rubble of their former home

Israel came under a heavy barrage of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip on Monday, a day after a flare-up in which an Israeli officer and seven Palestinians were killed.

An anti-tank missile launched from Gaza hit a bus in southern Israel, severely wounding a 19-year-old soldier.

The Israel Defense Forces said the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted around 100 out of some 370 launches from Gaza.

EU Ambassador to Israel Emanuele Giaufret also tweeted in response to the escalation: 'Following with great concern the situation and the indiscriminate firing of rockets towards the south of Israel.

'Attacks on civilians are unacceptable and need to stop. Everyone must step back from the brink.'

Missiles being launched toward Israel as hundreds of deadly rockets have been intercepted by the Iron Dome systemA boy miraculously survived a 40ft plunge from a rooftop in India when he landed on his friend.

Swapnil Jagre and his friend had been flying a kite in the town of Pusad in Maharashtra state to celebrate Diwali on Sunday.

Swapnil climbed up a drainpipe to free a trapped kite but slipped and tumbled three storeys towards the ground.

But his fall was broken when he landed on top of his friend - and both escaped without any injuries.

A boy miraculously survived a 40ft plunge from a rooftop in India when he landed on his friend

The incident was captured on CCTV cameras from a nearby building.

Swapnil's mum Swati Jagre said: 'Seeing the footage, I can only say that it is by God's grace my son's friend broke his fall, and both of them escaped unscathed.

'It is like a second birth of my son.'

The boy was in exactly the right place to save Swapnil because he was rushing over to collect the kite which drifted down moments before.

When the boys told their families about the fall their parents didn't believe them -until they saw the footage.

Swapnil Jagre's fall was broken when he landed on his friend in Pusad in India on Sunday

His friend had been in the right spot to break his fall because he had come over to pick up the kite which came down moments beforeA Fox News pundit claims she was hounded out of a Brooklyn bar by an angry patron because of where she works.

Kat Timpf, who reports for National Review and regularly appears on the Greg Gutfeld Show, said she was at a bar in Brooklyn over the weekend when a stranger followed her around the bar and berated her after overhearing she worked at Fox.

'I was just ran out of an establishment because of where I work. Chewed out, abused. But I guess thats the norm now,' the 30-year-old Libertarian tweeted on Sunday morning around 2am.

She spoke on Fox's Your World with Cavuto on Monday to describe the bullying encounter.

Kat Timpf says she was hounded out of a bar over the weekend for working at Fox News, sending this tweet out early Sunday morning right after the incident

She spoke on our World with Cavuto on Fox on Monday to describe the encounter where a belligerent woman yelled at her and followed her around the bar until she fled

Here is @KatTimpf's recount of the harassment incident she experienced early Sunday morning in a New York bar. pic.twitter.com/1TNAt160ZI  Joe Kollege (@JKollege) November 12, 2018

'Over the weekend I was at a bar and a girl realized I worked at Fox News and started screaming at me telling me to get out. I tried to move to a different area of the bar and she kept screaming at me, telling me to get out,' she said.

'I kept trying to say, what did I say that you had a problem with. Maybe I thought it was one of my views that was so offensive. She said it doesn't matter. I don't think she knew a single thing that I ever said on TV. She just knew where I worked and that was enough for me to be run out of the bar,' she added.

Timpf described the woman who forced her out of the bar as very belligerent.

'I was afraid she was going to hit me or throw a drink at me. She was super belligerent. Like I said I tried to move to a different area of the bar but the yelling continued. So I didn't really see that I had a choice,' she said.

Speaking to National Review, Timpf said she told a man at the bar she worked at Fox and the angry woman overheard and confronted her.

Timpf said the woman was surrounded by a large group of men and women who simply stood by and laughed as she launched her rampage.

'It was super uncomfortable and I didnt want things to get physical,' Timpf said.

It's not clear where the confrontation took place.

She took to Twitter to vent about the incident and bite back at unsympathetic social media users. This it the third time Timpf was harassed in public for her job

She shared this flick before speaking on Fox where she said: 'I don't think [the woman at the bar] knew a single thing that I ever said on TV. She just knew where I worked and that was enough for me to be run out of the bar'

But this isn't the first time the Fox News personality was attacked for her views in public.

In July 2017 a man dumped water on the libertarian's head while she was attending a political event where she was supposed to speak and on another occasion a stranger berated her as she was eating dinner in a restaurant.

'I can't believe that this is the third time something like this has happened to me,' she said in a statement.

'First I had that water dumped on my head, then a few months ago I had someone interrupt my dinner and tell me I was ruining the country, now this. None of these people have even been able to tell me what exactly I have said or done myself that they had a problem with. I think it's disgusting and I shouldn't have to worry about going out in public because of where I work,' she added.

She said things have gotten so bad there are times she tries to change her appearance to be less recognizable.

'There have been times where I'm hesitant to go out with my glasses because it makes me more recognizable. But I have to live my life, I can't let this ruin it,' she said.

Last week Smash Racism DC protesters gathered at Fox News host Tucker Carlson's home in DC chanting 'Racist scumbag, leave town!'

The same group also filmed a confrontation with Ted Cruz as he ate with wife Heidi in Washington restaurant Fiola two months ago

The incident comes just days after antifa protesters with Smash Racism DC targeted Fox News host Tucker Carlson and rallied outside his Washington D.C. home chanting 'Racist scumbag, leave town!'

That same day a Twitter account called 'ShutitDownDC', which is affiliated with the protesters, released the home address of Carlson, his brother Buckley Carlson, as well as the addresses of Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Neil Patel.

In September, Smash Racism DC hounded Ted Cruz out of Fiola, an Italian restaurant located near the White House.

On Twitter, the group then threatened Cruz, the President and 'any the rest of the racist, sexist, transphobic, and homophobic right-wing scum' by saying: 'You are not safe. We will find you. We will expose you. We will take from you the peace you have taken from so many others.'

Carlson has also spoken out about being targeted while he ate, saying there is only one restaurant he now goes to for fear of being shouted at.Family and friends of a feared Colombian drugs lord threw a raucous birthday celebration for the jailed gang leader just outside his prison walls Friday.

Fireworks erupted overheard, a mariachi band played and more than a dozen revelers gathered outside the El Pedregal correctional facility to mark William Andres Moscoso-Monsalve's birthday.

Last year, just two days before his birthday, Moscoso-Monsalve, was arrested and later sentenced to seven years in jail after pleading guilty to aggravated conspiracy to commit a crime and drug trafficking.

But being behind bars didn't stop the leader of 'La Terraza' gang, based in one of Medellin's most dangerous 'comunas', from celebrating turning 37 on Friday, El Colombiano reports.

Video shows several friends and family hosting birthday activities for Moscoso-Monsalve, also known as 'El Chivo' ('The Goat') or 'El Mono' ('The Monkey'), just a few feet away from the prison.

Gang leader William Andres Moscoso-Monsalve (center) is serving a seven-year prison sentence in Medellin, Colombia for selling drugs

On Friday, family and friends of the feared Colombian drugs lord threw a raucous birthday celebration for him, including a mariachi band

They sang popular Mexican birthday song, 'Las Mananitas' together, joining in with the mariachi band, and watched the impressive fireworks display.

Moscoso-Monsalve may have enjoyed the festivities, but the authorities were less than impressed with his associates' use of fireworks as gunpowder, an important component, is banned in Medellin.

The Secretary of Security of Medellin, Andres Tobon, confirmed the celebrations were for the benefit of an inmate and warned: 'It is important to remember that the use of gunpowder is prohibited in Medellin, people know it.'

Moscoso-Monsalve was jailed in 2017 for conspiracy to commit a crime and drug trafficking after authorities seized five tons of marijuana he was planning to sell in Medellin and in the nearby municipality of Sabaneta.

A dozen or so friends and family members of a jailed criminal gang showed up at a hill overlooking a correctional facility in Medellin and held a fireworks display to wish him well on his birthday

A fireworks show was held Friday when a group showed up outside a Colombian jail to wish one of their jailed friend and family member a happy birthday

The vicinity of a prison in Medellin, Colombia was in a festive mood when a jailed leader of a criminal gang was feted on his birthday, a year and two days after he was arrested

The drugs boss aligned his gang with his jailed uncle's criminal syndicate, 'La Oficina' ('The Office').

His uncle Jose Leonardo Munoz Martinez, also known as Douglas, has been behind bars since 2008, serving a 32-year sentence.

The police had been tracking Moscoso-Monsalve for some time but he slipped through their fingers during a sting on January 22, 2017.

However, it did lead to the arrest of 19 drug dealers, including members of his gang, and the seizure of 2.3 tons of marijuana.

Concerned his own men would snitch, 'The Goat' hired spies inside Colombia's Technical Investigation Team and sneaked inside the district attorney's bunker to threaten the suspects.

The cops finally caught up with him on November 7, 2017, - just two days before his birthday - when they arrested him in a shopping mall in Los Colores neighborhood, linking Moscoso-Monsalve to two aggravated drug trafficking events, including the seizure of 5 tons of marijuana in the east of Medellin and the municipality of Sabaneta.



Angela Merkel called for the creation of a 'real, true' European army during a speech to EU ministers on Tuesday in a rebuke to President Trump.

The German Chancellor also called for a European Security Council that would be responsible for coordinating defence policy across the continent.

Merkel spoke out after French President Emmanuel Macron floated the same idea last week, and hours after Donald Trump lambasted him for it on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Trump joked that Parisians 'were starting to learn German before the U.S. came along' and liberated France during the Second World War - and told EU leaders to pay their fair share to NATO.

Angela Merkel called for the creation of a European army and Security Council during a speech to ministers in Strasbourg on Tuesday

She spoke hours after Trump lashed out at Emmanuel Macron for the same idea on Twitter, telling European leaders to pay their fair share of NATO first

In her speech, which was about the future of the EU, Merkel said: 'What is really important, if we look at the developments of the past year, is that we have to work on a vision of one day creating a real, true European army.

She said the new army would work in conjunction with NATO, but added that 'only a stronger Europe is going to defend Europe.'

'Europe must take our fate into our own hands if we want to protect our community,' she said.

The remark drew widespread applause and a smattering of boos from watching lawmakers.

Macron made the same suggestion last week in an interview with TV station Europe 1 when he spoke about Russian aggression and Trump's decision to withdraw from a key Cold War missile pact.

Emmanuel Macron first put forward the idea of a European army last week, saying it was necessary to 'protect ourselves when it comes to China, Russia and even the United States of America'

He said: 'I believe in the project of a sovereign Europe. We won't protect Europe if we don't decide to have a true European army.

'We have to have a Europe that can defend itself alone - and without only relying on the United States in a more sovereign manner.

'We should protect ourselves when it comes to China, Russia and even the United States of America.'

That last remark angered Trump, who met with Macron on Friday last week and tweeted before the meeting: 'President Macron of France has just suggested that Europe build its own military in order to protect itself from the US, China and Russia.

'Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of NATO, which the US subsidizes greatly!'

The French government insists that Macron meant Europe needs to protect itself from decisions the US makes - such as withdrawing from the missile treaty - and not from an invasion, though Trump seems to have interpreted it differently.

Shortly before Merkel spoke, Trump rekindled the feud on Twitter, writing: 'Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia.

Trump lashed out at Macron's comments on Twitter last week, calling them 'very insulting' ahead of a meeting between the pair

Trump and Macron's spat marks a significant falling-out for the two world leaders, who had shared a cordial friendship despite their differing views

'But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along.

'Pay for NATO or not!'

Trump also bashed Macron for his low approval rating in France and being unfair to the U.S. on trade.

The spat marks a major falling-out for the two world leaders, who had previously shared a friendship which made Macron Trump's closest ally in Europe.

Trump also bashed Macron for his low approval rating in France and being unfair to the US on trade

Shortly before Merkel spoke, Trump rekindled the feud on Twitter, writing: 'Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia'

Trump said afterwards that European leaders had caved in to his demands to meet a 2 per cent spending minimum quicker than planned, amid denials from others, including Macron

Macron and Merkel's comments come against a backdrop in which Trump has questioned the purpose of NATO and stoked fears that America might fail to honour its key common defense clause.

At times during his Presidency, Trump has hinted that America could renege on the pledge, which states that an attack on one member state is an attack on all.

His most recent comments came in July this year, shortly after a summit with Putin in Helsinki, in which he bemoaned Montenegro becoming part of the alliance.

Speaking to Fox News's Tucker Carlson, he said: 'Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people... They're very aggressive people.

Trump said afterwards that European leaders had caved in to his demands to meet a 2 per cent spending minimum quicker than planned, amid denials from others, including Macron

'They may get aggressive, and congratulations, you're in World War III.'

Just before the Putin summit, Trump had attended a NATO summit in Brussels in which he arrived late, left early, and refused to sign a joint statement with the rest of his allies.

He also blasted leaders for failing to meet spending targets while suggesting a January deadline for doing so, with possible U.S withdrawal if they failed.

Trump said afterwards that European leaders had caved in to his demands to meet a 2 per cent spending minimum quicker than planned, amid denials from others, including Macron.

Trump also complained today about tariffs on U.S. wines sold in France and appeared to take a snipe at Macron's low public approval rating.

The president tweeted that French tariffs on American wine were, 'not fair, must change!'

'On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!'

Nearly all U.S. wine exports to major markets, including the European Union face tariffs, according to the Wine Institute, which represents American winemakers in Washington.

Trump himself opened a winery in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2011.

His comments came amid a series of twitter outbursts where Trump also accused Macron of trying to divert the public's attention away from his poor approval rating.

Trump wrote: 'The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!.......MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!' he said.

American troops are pictured liberating Paris in 1944, after Trump joked that Parisians 'were starting to learn German before the US came along'

Chief UK Eurosceptic Nigel Farage, who is a member of the EU parliament, also attacked Mrs Merkel's speech on Tuesday.

Speaking to the parliament, he said: 'The European project was set up to stop German domination, and what you've seen today is a naked takeover bid.'

Referencing remarks by Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, he added: 'This is a European Union that wants to become an empire, a militarized European Union.

'An undemocratic European Union, a European Union that seeks to continually expand to the east, a European Union that has launched a new Cold War against the United States of America'.

Merkel announced her retirement from politics earlier this month, but will remain as Chancellor - and de-facto head of Europe - until her current terms ends in 2021.Furniture flat-pack giants Ikea have branched out further into home delivery and have signed up with Uber Eats to offer hungry customers the chance to get their famous Swedish meatballs delivered direct to your door.

It's the first time the Swedish retailer has allowed the signature dish to be delivered to customers, as the tasty treat is only usually available in the chain's 21 UK stores.

However, there is a catch. Only Londoners will be able to scoff the sought after meatballs, as you have to be in close proximity to its pop-up kitchen to be able to order them for delivery.

The menus range in price from 10 to feed two people of 20 to feed four

Fans wanting to order the meatballs will have to be lucky enough to live or work within two miles of Ikea's pop-up kitchen in Geffrye Street, Hackney and can choose from three set menus on the Uber Eats app or website from Friday November 16 until Tuesday November 20.

The menus range in price from 10 to feed two or 20 to feed four and each come with free Ikea homeware products.

The Snug set menu for two people will set you back just 10 and will give you 20 meatballs, mash potato or chips, cream sauce, lingonberry jam and even two Daim chocolate cakes for dessert.

There is also an alternative option for two diners for 10 called 'The Formal', this includes veggie balls, butternut squash, courgette and kale hash, plain sugar donuts, as well as a wine glass and a place mat.

The family platter for 20 includes both vegetarian and meat options.

The food will be delivered in Ikea's iconic blue plastic bags Frakta bags - and it will also come with Ikea wine glasses, placemats, cushion covers, throws, napkins, scented candles, an LED light, and even a fake flower, depending on what set menu you order.

The menus cater for both traditional meatballs lovers and vegetarians and a veggie meal is an option

You will only be able to order one set menu per Uber Eats account per day and you won't be able to swap out any of the items on the set menus.

The deal is only a trial run, but if it's successful, it could mean that Ikea and Uber Eats roll out the offer across the country so that everyone can enjoy the famous meatballs at home.

The new initiative is part of the brand's drive to encourage the nation to stay in and have everyday celebrations in their homes. The special service is inspired by the Swedish tradition of fredagsmys - a cultural movement to celebrate kicking off the weekend in style by staying in.

Research by Ikea found that nearly nine in 10 (88%) UK adults would rather kick off the weekend with a cosy night in than head out into town and 89% are choosing to celebrate good news with friends and family at home.

Furthermore, 66% say comfort food is the most important factor for a great night in. This comes as 80% say they start hibernating and staying in more once the nights get colder.

Uber Eats also recently launched Eats for Business as a way for organisations to use Uber Eats to manage food delivery for employees, whether they're ordering to the office or traveling for work.

Commercial food manager for IKEA UK & Ireland, Ellie Pniok said: 'We know that for many people meatballs on demand is a cause for celebration.

'Together with Uber Eats we hope that it helps all of us find the ultimate cosiness and makes staying in a reason to celebrate'.

Henry Harding, head of marketing for Uber Eats UK and Ireland added: 'We love giving people the chance to relax and unwind in their homes and what better way to do this than by partnering with IKEA to create the ultimate cosy setting complete with delicious food straight to their door.'A group of women and teenagers were caught on camera attacking two police who were attempting to arrest a neighbor accused of theft.

The skirmish broke out in Rimac, a district in the Peruvian capital of Lima, on Sunday afternoon when officers responded to reports that wanted cellphone thief Jimmy Josue Romero-Villanueva, had been seen in the area.

Officers Roberto Quiroz-Alvarado and Quiroz-Alvarado had caught up with the 20-year-old suspect and they were tussling on the ground when they were suddenly surrounded by a group of Romero-Villanueva's neighbors.

Peruvian residents in the Lima district of Rimac intervened during the arrest of a 20-year-old suspected thief that police officers were trying to make. A wild skirmish broke out before the suspect escaped. Cops are still searching his whereabouts

Jimmy Josue Romero-Villanueva, wanted in Lima, Peru, for stealing cell phones is assisted by a villagers in the town of Rimac who intervened during his arrest Sunday afternoon and allowed him to escape

An unidentified man pulled Romero-Villanueva free from the officer and the alleged phone thief fled.

Meanwhile, the women and young teens swarmed the two officers, kicking, hitting and dragging them to prevent them from chasing the suspect in the 39-second video that went viral on Facebook.

Quiroz-Alvarado was still on the ground as he tried to defend himself from the mob's attack.

According to Diario Correo, two female aggressors were arrested, including a 15-year-old girl, for their roles in obstructing the officer's arrest.

A young woman attempts to push away a cop as his partner is laying on the ground being beaten by another woman after the cops were alerted of a 20-year-old man who had been accused of stealing cell phones in the Peruvian town of Rimac

A video of an angry mob in Peru went viral Sunday after female protesters, including a 15-year-old girl who was among two arrested, joined in on the beating of a police officer, who along with his partner was trying to arrest Jimmy Josue Romero-Villanueva, a suspected cell phone thief

Police are now renewing their hunt for Romero-Villanueva.

General Rodriguez told RPP Noticias: 'It is necessary to point out that it's the National Police's duty, it faces whoever it has to face to safeguard the citizens

'We will not allow violence,' he said.CNN filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration after the White House suspended White House correspondent Jim Acosta's 'hard pass' press credential. Acosta clashed with President Donald Trump and a press office intern during a November 7 press conference.

The networks' suit, filed by a team that includes former George W. Bush solicitor general Ted Olson, demands the immediate return of Acosta's credentials. The White House fired back at CNN, one of the president's favorite targets, for 'grandstanding.'

Acosta lost access to the building last Wednesday night, hours after refusing to give up a microphone when the president said he had answered enough of his questions.

Scroll down to read the lawsuit

Acosta saw his press credentials rescinded Wednesday after he clashed with an intern over a press conference microphone

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Acosta 'physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern.' That appeared to be softer language than her earlier claim that he placed 'his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job.'

CNN vigorously disputed the implication of anything more than minor physical contact.

Attorneys for CNN sued Tuesday in Washington, D.C. in U.S. District Court.

The network claims the revocation of Acosta's press pass violates the constitutional rights to freedom of the press and due process. CNN is asking for an immediate restraining order to reinstate Acosta's access to the White House.

The suit 'demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN's Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta's First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process,' according to a CNN statement.

'We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process.'

The suit names as defendants Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications and former Fox News executive Bill Shine, the director of the U.S. Secret Service and the uniformed officer who took away the credentials.

The network is seeking a preliminary injunction. It has already written the White House demanding an end to Acosta's punishment.

The suit was filed by Ted Boutrous, and Olson, of the firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Olivier Knox, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, said in a statement that the group 'strongly supports CNN's goal of seeing their correspondent regain a US Secret Service security credential that the White House should not have taken away in the first place.'

Sanders responded: 'We have been advised that CNN has filed a complaint challenging the suspension of Jim Acostas hard pass. This is just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against this lawsuit.'

She continued: 'CNN, who has nearly 50 additional hard pass holders, and Mr. Acosta is no more or less special than any other media outlet or reporter with respect to the First Amendment. After Mr. Acosta asked the President two questionseach of which the President answeredhe physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern, so that other reporters might ask their questions. This was not the first time this reporter has inappropriately refused to yield to other reporters.'

'The White House cannot run an orderly and fair press conference when a reporter acts this way, which is neither appropriate nor professional. The First Amendment is not served when a single reporter, of more than 150 present, attempts to monopolize the floor. If there is no check on this type of behavior it impedes the ability of the President, the White House staff, and members of the media to conduct business,' Sanders concluded.

Acosta was banned from the White House last week after a heated exchange with President Trump during a press conference in which an intern tried to take his microphone away

Acosta, who has frequently clashed with President Trump during persistent questioning, lost access to the White House on Wednesday night

CNN's lawyers say Acosta's First and Fifth Amendment constitutional rights were violated

The White House did not respond on Tuesday to a question about whether Sanders issued the statement in her capacity as a presidential spokesperson or as a named defendant in the lawsuit.

Floyd Abrams, a veteran lawyer and expert in First Amendment law, told CNN's Reliable Sources on Sunday that the network would have a robust case.

'I think it's a really strong lawsuit,' Abrams said.

'I can understand CNN being reluctant to sue because the president keeps saying CNN is the enemy of me, and CNN might have reluctance to have a lawsuit titled "CNN vs.Donald Trump." That said, yes, I think they should sue,' he said.

Former ABC News journalist Sam Donaldson appeared on the program and revealed he had been asked to sign an affidavit in support of CNN's case.

He described the decision to ban Acosta as 'not only wrong and unfair' but also 'dangerous for the press as a whole.'

Even as he had lost his access to the White House, Acosta tweeted a defiant message to Trump from Paris Friday, saying he intended to cover the president's trip there despite being stripped of his access.

The reporter tweeted a view of the Eiffel Tower and said: 'Greetings from Paris where we are on the ground for Trump's trip to France. #1A'

The hashtag was a reference to the first amendment, which prohibits the federal government from curtailing the publishing rights of the press.

Sanders went after Acosta in a White House statement immediately after last Wednesday's incident, and tweeted a video of the encounter that contained sped-up footage that accentuated the minor physical contact and made it look as if Acosta delivered a karate chop to the young woman whom the White House identified as an intern.

One video expert claimed it was doctored to make Acosta's conduct appear more aggressive.

A frame-by-frame comparison with the original clip appeared to show that the one tweeted by Sanders was altered to speed up Acosta's arm movement as he pulled the mic away from her.

The edit was spotted by Abba Shapiro, an independent video producer who examined the footage. Shapiro noticed that frames in the tweeted video didn't match those in the original.

The tweeted video also does not have any audio, which Shapiro said would make it easier to doctor.

'We will not tolerate the inappropriate behavior clearly documented in this video,' Sanders tweeted from her official '@PressSec' account last week.

In her statement announcing Acosta's suspension, Sanders said the White House won't tolerate 'a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job.'

While the origin of the manipulated video is unclear, its distribution marked a new low for an administration that has been criticized for its willingness to mislead.

The White House News Photographers Association decried the sharing of the footage.

'As visual journalists, we know that manipulating images is manipulating truth,' said Whitney Shefte, the association's president.

'It's deceptive, dangerous and unethical. Knowingly sharing manipulated images is equally problematic, particularly when the person sharing them is a representative of our country's highest office with vast influence over public opinion.'

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted the clip to justify the White House's decision to revoke Acosta's press pass

The ACLU responded to the suit with a statement by Ben Wizner, director of the group's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project.

'It is un-American and unlawful for the president to expel a reporter from the White House briefing room for doing his job. It shouldnt take a lawsuit from CNN to remind the president of the First Amendment. The White House should reverse its decision immediately.'This is the moment a gang of armed robbers are caught in the act by a team of undercover police who surround them in unmarked vehicles before chasing them on foot.

The dramatic footage was recorded by CCTV at a petrol station in the Southern District of Israel.

In the video, a thief can be seen walking with a member of staff into the petrol station shop before being spooked and running back outside into a waiting car.

A thief walks with a member of staff into the petrol station shop before he is spooked and runs back outside

The driver tries to speed away from the scene but his route is blocked by four unmarked police vehicles which swoop in at high speed from every direction and surround the gang's car.

The thugs jump out of their car and sprint away in chaotic scenes as dozens of officers begin to chase after them.

Officers arrested three people at the scene who have all now been charged, local media reported.

The gang member runs back outside into a waiting car and they try to make a get away

The gang had been followed to the petrol station by police who had raised an alert as they regarded the car and its occupants as suspicious following a roadside check, a report from investigators stated.

The armed men were reportedly carrying assault rifles, were trying to rob the shop and threatened the petrol station attendant.

The report states that one suspect was stopped immediately whilst the other two were caught after a chase. The investigation is ongoing.Advertisement

Harrowing before-and-after photos show the devastation wrought by the California wildfires that have wreaked havoc across more than 220,000 acres, reducing entire communities to ash.

Countless homes and businesses have been destroyed and at least 50 people have died in the fires that broke out last week, despite the tireless efforts of thousands of firefighters across the state.

In Northern California, the Camp Fire ripped through Butte County, killing at least 48 and becoming the deadliest in the state's history.

In Southern California, firefighters are still working to tame the Woolsey Fire that has ravaged scenic canyons and celebrity enclaves by the Pacific Ocean.

Massive clouds of smoke can be seen billowing from the affected areas and blanketing large swaths of the state in satellite images, while photos captured on the ground show rescue crews and residents re-entering communities to face what's been lost.

 Slide me  The satellite images above show the area ravaged by the deadly Camp Fire in Northern California over the last six days. The image at left was taken last Tuesday before the fire broke out and the one at left was taken today

 Slide me  The images above show a wider view of the region north of Sacramento where the Camp Fire torched more than 113,000 acres. The photo at left was taken on November 6 and the one at right was taken a week later on Tuesday

 Slide me  Two other infernos were ignited in Southern California on Thursday, quickly taking over nearly 150 square miles. The affected area north of Los Angeles is pictured left last Tuesday before the wildfires and right today cloaked in smoke

 Slide me  This wider view shows the area in Southern California (left on November 6 and right on November 13) where firefighters are still working tirelessly to corral out-of-control flames from the Woolsey Fire

The official death toll in Northern California's Camp Fire climbed to 48 on Tuesday as coroner and recovery teams began surveying the damage in Paradise, a small town in the Sierra Nevada foothills nearly entirely devoured by the inferno last week.

Abandoned, charred vehicles clutter the main streets of Paradise, evidence of the panicked evacuation that took place on Thursday as the flames chased some 50,000 people out of the area.

The fire tore across 125,000 acres leaving at least 6,453 homes and 260 commercial buildings in its wake, numbers that are expected to rise as the damage is surveyed.

The Camp Fire now ranks as the deadliest and most destructive fire on record in California's history. It was 30 percent contained on Tuesday morning.

 Slide me  Paradise resident Gregory Trosset shared the photos above of his home before and after the Camp Fire to Twitter on Monday

 Slide me  Rose Tryon also shared photos of her home before (left) and after (right) it burned down in the Camp Fire last week

 Slide me  A Jack in the Box fast food restaurant is engulfed in flames as the Camp Fire overtook the town of Paradise Thursday night (left) and after the flames were subdued on Friday (right). The restaurant was one of the many buildings destroyed in the fire

 Slide me  Fire crews are seen policing a street in Paradise after the worst of the fires passed (right). The road is seen beforehand at left

 Slide me  A McDonald's restaurant in Paradise that was decimated by Camp Fire is pictured before (left) and after (right) the inferno

 Slide me  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is pictured before (left) and after (right) it was razed by the Camp Fire

Meanwhile in Southern California, at least 435 buildings were torched by the Woolsey and Hill fires that ignited on Thursday afternoon and ripped across nearly 100,000 acres in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Two people fleeing the Woolsey Fire in Malibu have been reported dead.

Firefighters are now bracing for the return of the Santa Ana winds, which threaten to fuel the immense Woolsey blaze stretching from north of Los Angeles to the Pacific coast, which is at 35 percent contained as of Tuesday morning.

Officials warned that hot embers smoldering at homes left in the fires' wake could spark new flames as the winds pick up through Wednesday.

 Slide me  A pristine beach in Malibu is pictured left prior to the Woolsey Fire and right on Monday as it continued to tear across nearly 100,000 acres north of Los Angeles, casting an orange glow over the devastated region

 Slide me  The visitor center at Leo Carrillo State Park in Los Angeles County is seen before (left) and after (right) it was gutted by flames

 Slide me  A chimney stack is all that's left of this Malibu property after the wildfires razed entire communities to the ground

Firefighters put out a red weather alert late in Southern California on Sunday, fearing high Santa Ana winds could reach up to 50 mph and keep fanning the flames into Tuesday, making things worse before they get better.

Huge plumes of smoke rose in the fire area, which stretches miles from the northwest corner of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley to the Malibu coast.

'Sadly, with these winds, it's not over yet,' Scott Jalbert, chief of Cal Fire's San Luis Obispo Unit, said Sunday morning.

Officials said Monday that an estimated 370 structures burned in the Woolsey fire and that only 15 per cent of their damage estimate has been completed.

They said over the weekend that 177 buildings had burned amid predictions that the number would grow higher with new damage assessments.

 Slide me  A sign advertising Malibu as '21 miles of scenic beauty is pictured left before the Woolsey Fire and right in its wakePolice want to speak to the neighbors of a 13-year-old girl kidnapped from a North Carolina mobile home park as the desperate search for the missing teen enters it second week.

Investigators are trying to speak Hania Noelia Aguilar's neighbors and are urging people to report any suspicious behavior after she was snatched from outside the Rosewood Mobile Home Park in Lumberton on November 5.

Lumberton Police Chief Michael McNeill asked on Monday for people to contact police if someone they know is acting strange.

'Maybe they haven't gone to work, haven't come home or they aren't answering your calls or your text messages,' he said.

The total reward in the case has now jumped to $20,000.

Hania Noelia Aguilar, 13, was kidnapped outside the Rosewood Mobile Home Park in Lumberton, North Carolina last Monday

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's office is offering $5,000 for information that leads to Hania, while the FBI is also offering $15,000.

Meanwhile, authorities are seeking help identifying someone caught on surveillance video walking near the kidnapping scene around the time of Hania's disappearance.

Witnesses told police they saw a man dressed in black with a yellow bandana grab the eighth grader outside her home and force her into a green Ford Expedition before driving off.

The vehicle, which had the South Carolina license plates NWS 984, had been idling outside the girl's home in the moments before she was snatched.

Authorities said they located the green Ford Expedition on Thursday in the Lumberton area, about eight miles from where Hania was abducted.

Relatives said Hania had taken her aunt's keys and gone outside just moments before to start the SUV in preparation to drive to the bus stop so she could go to school.

The FBI had previously released footage of the stolen SUV driving through the streets just moments after the kidnapping.

Investigators are now seeking help in identifying a person seen on surveillance video walking near the kidnapping scene around the time of Hania's disappearance

Witnesses told police they saw a man dressed in black with a yellow bandana grab the eighth grader and force her into a green Ford Expedition before driving off

Investigators are continuing to collect and analyze surveillance video from the area and are asking anyone who has a camera or surveillance system to save the video and immediately contact them.

Evidence related to the case was flown on Saturday to Quantico so it could be analyzed by the FBI.

Soon after the teen vanished, FBI Supervisor Andy de la Rocha read a statement from Hania's mother saying she doesn't 'have anything against whoever did this to' her daughter and just wants her back.

'It breaks my heart to stand here before you five days after Hania has been missing and kidnapped and not have her back yet,' Lumberton Police Chief Michael McNeill told reporters on Friday.

'We urgently need the public's help. We need them more now than ever to find Hania and bring her back.'

Hania is described as a Hispanic girl who is 5 feet tall and weighs about 125 pounds, according to the FBI. She has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a blue shirt with flowers and blue jeans.

Authorities set up a special tip line to help investigators find Hania: (910) 272-5871.

Hania is described as a Hispanic girl who is 5 feet tall and weighs about 125 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes, according to the FBI

Authorities said they located the green Ford Expedition on Thursday in the Lumberton area, about eight miles from where Hania was abductedJohn Bercow today admitted that he has 'bullied' other MPs by mocking their accents in Parliament.

The Commons Speaker apologised for his mimicry, which he admitted could have caused offence to politicians.

He made the extraordinary admission today after Welsh MP Jonathan Edwards accused the Tories of making 'disparaging remarks' about his accent.

It comes as Parliament has been rocked by claims that MPs, peers and senior staff have bullied and sexually harassed employees over many years.

Mr Bercow, who oversees order in the Commons, has been hit by a number of bullying allegations by former members of his staff, which he has strongly denies.

Speaking in the Chamber today, he said Mr Edwards was 'absolutely right' to raise the issue, and admitted that he has mimicked accents of MPs including the Tory ex minister Ken Clarke.

Welsh MP Jonathan Edwards (pictured in Parliament today) accused the Tories of making 'disparaging remarks' about his accent

He said: 'Personal mockery of one another and members come in all shapes and sizes with a wide diversity of accents, national origins and ways of speaking, is wrong and to many people it constitutes a form of bullying.

'I am the last person to depreciate good humour in the way in which we interact, I may on occasion myself have caused offence by my extraordinarily ineffective mimicry for which I apologise.

What are the claims of bullying and bad behaviour made against John Bercow? John Bercow has been hit by a number of bullying claims, all of which he denies. Here are the allegations: Andrew Sinclair, the former Speaker's Secretary: Said he left his post in 2010 after he was subjected to angry outbursts, foul- mouthed tirades and mimicry by John Bercow. He said was 'gagged' and stopped from speaking out about his time in the role as part of an 86,000 early retirement payoff. David Leakey, former Black Rod: Mr Leakey, who retired last year, said staff were terrified of the Speaker. Kate Emms, John Bercow's former private secretary: She took a job as Mr Bercow's private secretary in May 2010 but left her role less than a year later in February 2011 amid claims she was bullied by the Speaker. Her colleagues alleged that this was because of the behaviour of Mr Bercow after she told staff that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Colleagues told Newsnight that she was undermined by Mr Bercow in a range of ways  and he seemed to shout at her a lot. Advertisement

'I have been known to seek to imitate the Father of the House (Ken Clarke) who has been a friend of mine for well over 20 years.

'As I say, my efforts at imitating him are usually feeble and they've always been undertaken in a friendly spirit.

'But I think it is a safe rule of thumb that people should not mimic other people, let's debate the issues, play the ball rather than the man or the woman.'

He made the admission after Mr Edwards, from Plaid Cymru, had accused a Tory MP - who he did not name - of taking the micky out of his thick accent when he spoke in a parliamentary debate yesterday.

Mr Edwards said: 'During the debate on the second reading of the Finance Bill yesterday it was brought to my attention that a fellow member of this House, rather than engaging with the substance of the issue being discussed chose to make disparaging remarks about my accent.

'This is not the first incident of its kind in this place.

'This House is meant to be representative of all the nations, accents and backgrounds of the British state and this kind of behaviour only serves to reinforce privilege and exclusive perception of Westminster politics.

'Mocking an accent is a very serious matter as it ultimately undermines an individual or a group of people's identity.'

'I would like to seek your advice as to whether this behaviour  that of a member mocking the accent of another member of this house, is befitting of this place.

'And can I put on record Mr Speaker, that I am extremely proud to be Welsh and of my accent.'

The row comes just three weeks after a senior Tory repeatedly failed to understand a Scottish MP's accent in an awkward encounter in the Commons.

The Plaid Cymru Mp Jonathan Edwards did not name which Tory MP was meant to have cruelly mocked him in Parliament (pictured, the Commons Chamber today)

Sir Paul Beresford was taking questions on behalf of the ruling Commons Commission when the embarrassing incident happened.

The SNP's David Linden, who represents Glasgow East, rose to ask Sir Paul whether the Parliamentary estate would be made more accessible for disabled people as part of the planned multi-billion pound restoration project.

But Mole Valley MP Sir Paul, who was born in New Zealand, said: 'I'm sorry, it must be something to do with my Antipodean background.

'Could he please repeat the question, because I didn't understand it.'

Amid laughter, a bemused Mr Linden tried again. But once again Sir Paul was unable to follow his words.Future congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez blasted Amazon.com and the New York City government on Tuesday over a tax-relief agreement that will bring the giant e-tailer's next business expension to the Big Apple.

Amazon's take in the deal could exceed $1.5 billion, or $48,000 per new employee. According to the company, tax relief for hiring in northern Virginia, where its other new headquarters will go, will be about $22,000 per job.

Ocasio-Cortez, 29, identifies herself as a Democratic socialist in the vein of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

She claimed on Twitter that she's hearing 'outrage' from residents of the borough of Queens where Amazon plans to locate part of its headquarters expansion.

'Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here,' she added.

Democratic socialist Congresswoman-Elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez complained on Twitter about the terms of a tax-relief deal that will benefit Amazon.com when it opens one of its two new headquarters in a New York City neighborhood

Amazon will hire as many as 25,000 New Yorkers; Ocasio-Cortez is concerned that tax breaks, which lured the company to the Big Apple, were far too generous

Amazon estimates making $5 billion in investments as it expands to the East Coast of the U.S.

Amazon said Tuesday that in New York it expects to get 'performance-based direct incentives of $1.525 billion' from govrernments over ten years. That's if it creates 25,000 jobs in Long Island City.

The incentives will mostly come from New York state, not New York City.

The company will have access to up to $1.2 billion from the state's Excelsior Program, depending on how much it pays its employees. If the average salary is above $150,000, that will works out to $48,000 per job for 25,000 jobs.

Empire State Development, another state government agency, will pony up as much as $325 million in grants, depending on how much office space Amazon occupies in the next decade.

The company will have to hit a series of incremental targets in order to collect the cash.

Amazon chose two locations for its second headquarters, in New York and Northern Virginia, bringing a combined 50,000 new jobs to the East Coast of the U.S.

WHAT WILL TAXPAYERS PAY AMAZON? WHAT WILL THEY GET? Amazon stands to get nearly $2.5 billion in tax breaks and other incentives as part of its deals to open up two new offices with more than 25,000 new jobs at each location. New York City and Arlington, Virginia, won the competition Tuesday to house Amazon's two new offices, which are being called the second and third headquarters locations for the Seattle online retailer. Nashville, Tennessee, was selected to become an operations hub. Following are some of the perks Amazon says it will get, along with the benefits to the chosen cities. NEW YORK CITY - Long Island City Incentives offered to Amazon: Performance-based direct incentives of $1.525 billion, based on 25,000 full-time, high-paying jobs created. This includes a refundable tax credit of up to $1.2 billion calculated as a percentage of the salaries Amazon expects to pay employees over the next 10 years, which equates to $48,000 per job for 25,000 jobs with an average wage of over $150,000.

Cash grant of $325 million based on the square footage of buildings occupied in the next 10 years.

Amazon will also apply for as-of-right incentives including New York City's Industrial & Commercial Abatement Program and New York City's Relocation and Employment Assistance Program. There was no dollar figure immediately attached to this benefit. City Benefits: More than 25,000 full-time jobs.

$2.5 billion investment from Amazon.

Facilities totaling 4 million square feet, with the potential to double in size.

Projected incremental tax revenue of more than $10 billion over 20 years. ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - Neighborhoods close to Reagan National Airport Incentives offered to Amazon: Performance-based direct incentives of $573 million based on 25,000 jobs created with an average wage of over $150,000.

Cash grant of $23 million over 15 years based on the incremental growth of existing tax on hotel rooms. City Benefits: More than 25,000 full-time jobs with average wage exceeding $150,000.

$2.5 billion investment from Amazon.

Facilities totaling 4 million square feet, with the potential to double in size.

Projected incremental tax revenue of $3.2 billion over 20 years. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE Incentives offered to Amazon: Performance-based incentives of up to $102 million based on 5,000 jobs created over 7 years with an average wage of over $150,000.

Cash grant of up to $15 million based on $500 for each job created over the next 7 years.

Job tax credit to offset franchise and excise taxes from the state of Tennessee of $21.7 million based on $4,500 per new job over the next 7 years. City Benefits: 5,000 full-time jobs with an average wage exceeding $150,000.

More than $230 million in investment.

1 million square feet of energy-efficient office space.

Estimated incremental tax revenue of more than $1 billion over the next 10 years.  Associated Press Advertisement

Ocasio-Cortez is 29 years old and will be the youngest member of Congress in history

Ocasio-Cortez also vented about her perception that Amazon's hiring and benefits practices won't be progressive enough to satisfy her liberal-voting constituents

The retailer plans to build a secondary headquarters site in Long Island City, Queens and another in Arlington's Crystal City neighborhood, the company confirmed Tuesday.

The online retail giant will also locate an operations hub in Nashville, Tennessee, bringing an additional 5,000 new corporate jobs to the Music City.

Ocasio-Cortez seemed to criticize the high-tech company for not hiring people who already live in the New York City neighborhood where it will build, regardless of their skill-sets.

She also is demanding to know if Amazon's new workforce will be allowed to unionize.

'When we talk about bringing jobs to the community, we need to dig deep: - Has the company promised to hire in the existing community? - Whats the quality of jobs + how many are promised?' she tweeted. 'Are these jobs low-wage or high wage? Are there benefits? Can people collectively bargain?'

Ocasio-Cortez also demanded Amazon's new development provide New Yorkers witl 'good healthcare, living wages [and] affordable rent. Corporations that offer none of those things should be met w/ skepticism.'

This building at 1851 South Bell Street in Arlington, Virginia is thought to be the location of one of Amazon's new HQs

Bustling 44th Drive in Long Island City, a New York City neighborhood, could be a location for the new Amazon headquarters

The decision on Long Island City and Crystal City would bring to an end a year-long contest that started with 238 candidates and ended with a surprise split of its 'HQ2'.

The Virginia building will be located in Arlington Countys Crystal City neighborhood, and the Queens one will be in Long Island City, according to The Washington Post.

The sites are forecast to employ about 50,000 people combined.

Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine didn't have any qualms about claiming victory in the Amazon 'HQ2' sweepstakes.

'Im thrilled that our skilled workforce helped persuade Amazon to bring a major new headquarters and its tens of thousands of jobs to Virginia,' he said Tuesday. 'Congratulations are in order to Governors McAuliffe and Northam and the local leaders who worked to ensure that this deal includes investments in our education and transportation infrastructure.'

Amazon had started its search with more than 230 candidates before eventually deciding on Queens and Crystal City. Other cities in the running included Denver, Toronto and Dallas.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had been working feverishly to bring the billion dollar company to New York and at one point said he would 'do whatever I need to do to make it a reality.'

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (left) believes the project will work out in the long run with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (right) claiming he is excited about unveiling the plans

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has voiced his concerns about the project but believes it will work out in the long run.

'There will be hassles, there will be challenges, but I think we can accommodate them,' he told reporters last week.

'We will have to invest in infrastructure. I think it will be worth it.'

De Blasio referred to the Amazon move as 'the single biggest economic deal in the history of New York City' while speaking on NY1 Monday.

Part of Amazon's current headquarters (pictured) in Seattle, Washington

'We are talking about a number of jobs that would make this company the single largest private employer in the city when it fully plays out,' the mayor said.

'And, yeah, it will take work to implement properly and we need the company to work well with the neighborhood.

'But I want to say to everyone who is looking at this: We have never seen this magnitude of economic progress in terms huge number of jobs and high quality of jobs'.

The choice of Crystal City in Arlington County as one of the winners could cement Northern Virginias reputation as a magnet for business and potentially reshape the Washington region into an eastern outpost of Silicon Valley over the next decade.

In picking Crystal City, Amazon opted for a close-in suburban site, just across the Potomac River from Washington and a half-mile from Reagan National Airport.

Outdated buildings and underused properties now fill the site, where some office buildings have yawning vacancies.

In New York, the company had been eyeing a neighborhood in Queens called Long Island City, across the East River from Midtown Manhattan.A Canadian man has been ordered to repay his ex-fiancee for the couple's engagement rings, which he bought on her credit card.

Mike McLaughlin spend C$3,490, which is around $2,640 (2,032), on two rings when he proposed to girlfriend Corinne McKay.

But when the couple broke up shortly after their engagement he refused to pay her back so she sued him for the money.

It is not known why the couple broke off their engagement but it was said in court documents to be 'abrupt'.

The case went before a civil court in their home province of British Columbia, where a judge heard McLaughlin borrowed her cash to buy the jewelry.

He later bought his own ring with matching pink gemstones and again charged it to her card.

Mike McLaughlin spend C$3,490 on two rings when he proposed to Corinne McKay on her card but refused to repay her when they split up (file photo)

She said she agreed to the purchases on the basis he repay her in full at a rate of C$500 (294.13) a month.

After the breakup, McKay held onto the rings, saying she would only hand them over once McLaughlin paid her back in full, the British Columbia's Civil Resolution Tribunal heard.

But he claimed there had been no agreement to the payment plan, even though she gave the court messages and voice recordings between the couple detailing their arrangement.

McLaughlin also argued he should not have to pay for the entire cost of her ring because she did not give back his PlayStation, a 58in flat screen TV, surround sound system, microwave and a 'professional' set of pots and pans when they split.

He said there was C$4,900 in what he calls 'stolen property', which also included a leather couch.

The tribunal ruled on November 2 he had ten days to repay C$3,722.78 (2,472) to McKay, followed by another ten days for her to return the rings.

The court also dismissed a counterclaim by McLaughlin arguing McKay had kept his belongings after the relationship 'ended abruptly' and they went their separate ways.

Mike McLaughlin was ordered to repay C$3,722.78 to Corinne McKay ten days after the ruling by a civil court in British Columbia earlier this month (file photo)

Julie Gibson, a member of the tribunal, wrote in the panel's judgment released last week: 'He says Ms McKay pressured him to make payments for the rings.

'There is no evidence that he has paid Ms McKay anything for the rings, and I find that he has not.

'I find that Ms McKay made reasonable attempts to ensure that Mr. McLaughlin could retrieve all of his belongings and... she may now dispose of them as she sees fit.'

If McLaughlin does not want the rings back, the tribunal ruled McKay is free to do what she wants with them.

The tribunal also ordered he repay $57.08 in credit card interest to McKay as well as court costs.

In June 2017 another Canadian judge ruled a woman could keep her C$19,000 engagement ring following a breakup after her ex-fiance sued her for the return of the jewelry when their relationship ended.Legendary former DEA undercover agent Mike Vigil

A legendary undercover DEA agent has revealed the chilling inside story behind the long-awaited new series of Narcos, which charts the rise of the ruthless Guadalajara cartel in 1980s Mexico.

Season four of the hit Netflix show out Friday focuses on boss Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo and the cat-and-mouse battle with DEA agent Enrique Kiki Camarena, who was eventually kidnapped, tortured and killed by the cartel.

DEA legend Mike Vigil, who spent 16 years undercover in Colombia and Mexico, was best friends with the murdered agent  and nailed one of his killers in a dramatic capture after tracking him down.

In fact he was about to shoot cartel underboss Juan Ramon Matta Ballesteros when the billionaire trafficker pleaded for his life.

Mike said: Ballesteros was sprawled on his back with his gun aimed at me.

I was about to go boom, boom, boom with my own .45 automatic when he suddenly said dont shoot, I can get out of jail but I cant get out of a tomb.

The capture was part of the massive Drug Enforcement Administration operation to find the killers of Kiki, who had been working undercover in Mexico.

Mike Vigil pictured left on a 'seek and destroy' mission for drugs in Colombian jungle in the early 1980s, and, pictured right, his friend and fellow DEA agent Enrique Kiki Camarena

Mike Vigil rose to become the DEAs head of international operations

Mike, who rose to become the DEAs head of international operations, today details those murderous times  and the unvarnished truth about being undercover with the cartels, where a nervous bead of sweat meant instant execution.

Pal Kiki was kidnapped in February, 1985, after his information led to 450 Mexican police destroying a 2,500 acre marijuana plantation that produced 6.2billion of the drug annually.

He was taken to a Gallardos isolated ranch and mercilessly tortured and interrogated for 30 hours before being killed.

The agent is played by American Hustle star Michael Pena in the new series, which switches focus from the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar in Colombia.

Diego Luna plays Gallardo, who nurtured a young Joaquin Guzman, the eventual cartel boss who was to find infamy as El Chapo and is on trial this week in New York.

Mike, who spent three years undercover fighting cartels in Colombia and 13 years doing the same in Mexico, said: Kiki became a great friend of mine after we started working together in the late 1970s.

When his wife Geneva reported him missing there was sense of dread and foreboding in the agency. We didnt know what had happened.

There had been a lot of threats by the Guadalajara cartel and they had already machine gunned some of our cars. When we discovered he had been tortured and killed our foreboding turned to outrage.

Mike Virgil's friend DEA agent Enrique Kiki Camarena is played by Michael Pena (pictured) in the upcoming fourth series of the hit drama

Mike continued: We started a worldwide manhunt, determined to turn over every rock on the planet to find who killed him, because they had gone to ground.

Gallardos lieutenants Rafael Caro Quintero and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo were also in the frame.

But there was another drug lord also in the DEAs sights, Ballesteros.

Mike, who had switched from Mexico to the Colombian city of Medellin by the time Kiki was snatched, picked up an intriguing call at one of the many phone intercept centres he set up in the country.

The owner of a house under surveillance in the Caribbean coastal city of Cartagena was out but rang his maid and said Senor would be arriving.

Mike said: The deference the guy was giving Senor you would think it was the second coming of Christ. So I got over there and after some considerable surveillance an SUV pulled in with two individuals. I couldnt see faces, but to me one had to be Ballesteros.

I decided to hit the place and got the local police colonel to load a truck with heavily-armed officers. But he makes the mistake of just driving up to the house.

Theres no surprise now so the colonel rapped on the door and the maid came to the window looking scared. Then I saw Ballesteros there too.

The former DEA agent continued: I smashed the door in. It led to an open courtyard and Ballesteros was already running with a 9mm pistol in his hand.

Vigil (centre) with Colombian national police in front of 25 tons of marijuana they seized on one of many missions in the 1980s

Mike Vigil with half a ton of seized cocaine in Mexico during an operation in the mid 1980s

He was sprinting to the back and jumped over a wall. But he fell between that wall and a second one, which he couldnt negotiate so he was trapped. I got over the first wall and he was on his back with his pistol pointing up at me.

Thats when I was about to pull the trigger. I thought, Im not going to wound him. Im going to kill him.

He had his gun on me and it was kill or be killed. I also thought it would save a lot of grief for everyone if he was departed. Thats when he pleaded for his life.

Ballesteros was bundled into the house. And then came an unexpected twist.

He turns to me and says if you release me Ill give you $3million and I can have the money here in 20 minutes, said Mike.

And I said screw you, theres no deals. Youre going to jail. He would have got the money no question, $3million to him was like $10 to anyone else.

Former US marine Kiki was 37 and working out of the DEAs office in the city of Guadalajara when he was kidnapped in broad daylight by corrupt cops working for Gallardo.

His captors recorded his interrogation and torture in sickening tapes, which were discovered on Fonseca when he was eventually arrested.

I listened to them and Kiki showed outstanding bravery during his horrific ordeal, said Mike.

Vigil travelling on a mule deep in the Colombian jungle as he and his team seek out drugs to destroy

His torturers tried to get him to identify DEA informants in Mexico and he constantly deflected the questions with vague answers.

Several times he passed out because of the torture and they had a doctor on hand to revive him. Kiki told them he knew they would kill him.

Drugged and tortured with a cattle prod plus savage beatings, Kiki held out.

Mike continued: They were doing inhuman things to him. Sticking things up him and other appalling torture.

After more than 30 hours Rafael Caro Quintero came to the ranch house.

Mike said: According to one of the witnesses, he was high on cocaine. He walked up to Kiki and hit him on the head with a piece of pipe. That was the death blow.

Fonseca, older and wiser than Quintero, then showed up and saw Kiki was dying. He slapped Quintero on the face and told him, this is your baby, you live with it.

Thats because he knew killing a US federal agent was going to bring the full force of our government against them. He was smart enough to know that. Quintero was much more brazen and thought get away with anything.

Ballesteros was conclusively tied to the horror when strands of his hair were found in a drained swimming pool at the kidnap ranch.

Mike, who spoke Spanish while growing up in Espanola, New Mexico, spent years dicing with death to snare cartel kingpins as he passed himself off as a Mexican trafficker.

Mike (center) spent three years undercover fighting cartels in Colombia and 13 years doing the same in Mexico

When you are sitting across a table from cartel leaders, major drug lords, you have to be deadly calm, he said. A bead of sweat on your brow can lead to your death, because they figure youre too nervous. These people have no qualms, they would end your life on the spot.

I would expunge from my mind completely that I was a US federal agent and I converted myself psychologically into being a drug trafficker.

You are somebody else. The thought of anything with my past life, with my career, that was all gone. Not for one fleeting nano second did I think of my past life. I was 110 per cent drug trafficker. I acted like them, I talked like them.

He added: There were times when I worked undercover with particular guys for over a year.

So I was with them constantly and then when you are like that you have to expect the unexpected because nothing it going to go the way you want it to go.

I kept calm and I made rational decisions. If you are in a panic you are not going to do that. You are going to make mistake and those mistakes can cause your death or the deaths of people with you.

Mike won the confidence of several drug lords through his string of informants, who gained him the introductions. From these he would make fictitious deals and string them along.

Mike, who spoke Spanish while growing up in Espanola, New Mexico, spent years dicing with death to snare cartel kingpins. Pictured: With 40 tonnes of intercepted marijuana

He added: The top guys would test you all the time, asking who you know and checking you out. Its a tightrope. If things got sticky Id just say no one you know, because ultimately they are greedy people and wanted to make money.

And your story had match your informants under pressure. I would go over it repeatedly with an informant before we went into a situation. Otherwise then we got there it would be boom. The retribution is immediate.

Often meetings or busts descended into a gun battle.

There were plenty of times I was involved in gunfights where we were just feet from each other, said Mike. For some reason, I was always totally calm because I dont believe I feared death. If someone is in a panic in that situation they miss, even from that short distance.

However one time was a very close escape when the agent was on an undercover operation to bust a large-scale marijuana shipment near Caborca, Mexico.

He was with a trafficker waiting at a service station for a truckload of the drug to arrive when one of the Mexican cops keeping surveillance broke cover because he was getting impatient.

As Mike and the trafficker were walking across the forecourt, the officer came up and stuck his pistol into the cartel members chest.

The bad guy grabs the barrel, hes got leverage, and he turns it around on the cop and boom, said Mike.

Diego Luna plays Gallardo, who nurtured a young Joaquin Guzman, the eventual cartel boss who was to find infamy as El Chapo

It was like in slow motion. The bullet hit the Fed in the head and I just saw a spray of dark red blood go up in the air like a fine mist.

And the guy turns the gun to me and fires two shots that went by my head. I could feel the breeze as they passed by my ear. I had my gun in my waistband at the back and I quickly returned fire and hit him twice in the chest.

He died later. Amazingly the Fed survived. The bullet missed his brain.

Mike rose to become the DEAs head of international operations and is one of the agencys most decorated agents. After 9/11 he launched Operation Containment in Afghanistan to cut the flow of heroin from that country, where he remains a hero.

Now retired from the DEA, based in Arlington, Virginia, he advises on anti-terrorism and fighting drug trafficking.

But there is one area he is reticent to discuss  how many people he had to kill in the line of duty.

It was a lot, he said somberly. Taking someones life, no matter who they are, is never easy, never comfortable.

Those words have added poignancy considering the fate of his pal Kiki.

Mike said: Kiki told his kidnappers that he had a wife and children. That didnt matter to them, it made no difference. People like them have no problem taking a life.Maryland is challenging the appointment of Matthew Whitaker as the new U.S. acting attorney general, arguing that President Donald Trump sidestepped the Constitution and the Justice Department's own succession plan by elevating Whitaker to the top job.

In their filing, lawyers in the office of Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh argue that the job should have gone to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein instead of to Whitaker.

The Tuesday filing sets up a court challenge between a state and the federal government over the legitimacy of the country's chief law enforcement officer and foreshadows the likelihood of additional cases that present the same issues.

It comes as Democrats call on Whitaker to recuse himself from overseeing the special counsel's Russia investigation because of critical comments he has made on the probe and amid concerns over his views on the scope of judicial authority.

Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker isn't a legitimate choice for the job, according to the Maryland attorney general, a Democrat who's asking a federal judge to rein in Trump

President Donald Trump picked Whitaker, who was former Attorney General Jeff Sessions' chief of staff, bypassing a long list of deputy and assistant AGs

They cite a statute governing the line of succession at the Justice Department that says that in the case of a vacancy in the attorney general position, the deputy attorney general may exercise 'all the duties of that office.' If neither is available for the job, according to that statute, then the associate attorney general is supposed to be elevated.

Beyond that, the lawyers say, the Constitution requires the duties of the attorney general to be carried out only by someone with Senate confirmation.

The state argues that Congress always intended for the attorney general to be confirmed by the Senate, given the national security and criminal justice powers of the position, including the authority to control an investigation into the president.

Without a set chain of command, according to the filing, a president could pick and remove a series of attorneys general until he got his way.

'Absent the Attorney General Succession Act, the President could fire the Attorney General (or demand his resignation), then appoint a hand-picked junior Senate-confirmed officer from an entirely different agency, or a carefully selected senior employee who he was confident would terminate or otherwise severely limit the investigation,' the filing states.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh demanded Trump reverse his appointment of Whitaker; he has previously sued the president on the issue of the U.S. Constitution's emoluments clauses and his business ventures

Whitaker (center) sat behind Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen (left) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (right) during ceremonies on Veteran's Day at Arlington National Cemetery

A Justice Department spokeswoman had no immediate comment, though the department was expected to release as soon as Tuesday an opinion from its Office of Legal Counsel defending the legitimacy of Whitaker's appointment.

Whitaker was appointed last year as chief of staff to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He became acting attorney general on Nov. 7 when Sessions was forced out.

The Maryland filing was made Tuesday in a legal dispute with the Trump administration over the Affordable Care Act. That lawsuit names Sessions as an individual defendant.

The state asks the judge to substitute Rosenstein as the defendant in place of Sessions, a move that would effectively declare him the proper attorney general.

The state's lawyers say that in addition to their concerns over the line of succession, Whitaker has 'expressed idiosyncratic views that are inconsistent with longstanding Department of Justice policy.'

They cite his criticism of the landmark Supreme Court opinion Marbury v. Madison, which ensured that courts had authority to strike down laws they considered unconstitutional.Speaking after a meeting in Strasbourg, commission vice president Frans Timmermans stressed a Brexit deal was still the EU's preferred solution

Britons will not need visas to travel to the EU even if there is no Brexit deal, Brussels conceded today.

Anyone staying for less than 90 days will be able to visit freely as long as the UK reciprocates.

The reassurance from the EU will be a major relief for holidaymakers - and businesses across the continent who thrive on British tourism.

The commission said: 'In the scenario where the UK leaves the EU without a deal, this would apply as of 30 March 2019.

'If a deal is reached, however, it would apply as of the end of the transition period.'

The statement said the fallback plan - which will need to be signed off by the European Parliament - was 'entirely conditional upon the UK also granting reciprocal and non-discriminatory visa-free travel for all EU member states'.

Speaking after a meeting in Strasbourg, commission vice president Frans Timmermans stressed a Brexit deal was still the EU's preferred solution.

'Very intense negotiations are ongoing. It is clear that although we are making progress, we are not there yet,' he told a press conference.

'We also discussed a number of issues related to our no-deal planning. You have to do that anyway.

'We are working very hard for a deal and let's be clear that is by far our preferred option. But we need to prepare for all options.'

Despite the good news on visas, the commission's new no-deal guidance said UK driving licences will no longer be recognised automatically by EU states.

Motorists will need to check with individual countries whether they will require an international driving permit, the notice said.

UK nationals will no longer be able to use the priority EU passport queue and will be subject to extra questions about the purpose and length of their visit, it said.

As efforts intensify to thrash out a deal, the PM told Cabinet today that no breakthrough has yet been secured on the crucial Irish border issue.

The clock is running down on a deadline of tomorrow for triggering a crunch summit that could approve a divorce package this month.

Motorists will need to check with individual countries whether they will require an international driving permit. Pictured is holidaymakers queuing at the Port of Dover

Mrs May said during a 45-minute discussion that UK officials were pushing for the 'best text that can be negotiated'.

Sources said agreement was 'undoubtedly closer than yesterday', and ministers are increasingly confident they will be summoned for another meeting.

But Boris Johnson tore into 'stage managed delays' to the Brexit process, saying people should not be 'fooled by this theatre' and a 'surrender' by the government is imminent.

As pressure ratchets up on Mrs May, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab is said to be spearheading a group of ministers warning that crashing out of the EU is better than caving into the bloc's demands.

Mr Raab has apparently being trying to harden the resolve of colleagues by assuring them that a no-deal Brexit can be 'managed'.



A southern Missouri school district has suspended a history teacher who allowed a ninth-grader to dress as a Ku Klux Klan member for their class presentation.

A photo of the student wearing the white hooded robes in American History class went viral after an outraged recent graduate spotted it on Snapchat and shared it on her Facebook page.

'How in the actual f**k is this okay??' the Poplar Bluff High alum wondered in a post. 'There's no excuse for this kind of ignorance. I'm so ashamed of this and I'm not even a student there anymore.'

It's unclear if the teacher directed the student to dress as a Klansman. The district says it doesn't believe the ninth-grader who put on the offensive costume was acting with discriminatory intent.

This photo showing a ninth-grade student in Missouri dressed as a Klansman during a class presentation resulted in the suspension of a history teacher

Education officials said the incident took place while students at Poplar Bluff High School were studying the 15th Amendment, which awarded voting rights to black men

Courtesy of KFVS

The Friday class the student had dressed up for had discussed organizations that engaged in voter suppression, during a wider talk about the 15th Amendment, which awarded voting rights to black men, reported the Springfield News-Leader.

The teacher who supervised the class, who has not been named by the school citing privacy concerns, has since been suspended.

Poplar Bluff district superintendent Scott Dill even visited the class Monday to read the suspended teacher's letter of apology.

A recent graduate of the school shared a photo of the student dressed in a white hooded robe, which was taken by someone who was present in the classroom

'Theres no context for this,' Dr Dill, the superintendent, said of the costume choice in an interview with KFVS12. 'Theres no point at which anyone in our public school system is going to say that this is okay.

'It is very obvious that this cant happen in any setting anywhere, and so we will do our best to ensure that we do what we do best, which is education.'

In the apology letter addressed to students, parents staff and the town's community, the unnamed history teacher at the center of the firestorm expressed regret 'for the pain and negative attention' caused by what the educator described as a 'lapse in judgement.'

'I made a mistake on Friday during our skit assignment,' the missive stated. 'I let a student wear an inappropriate costume that was unacceptable and hurt many people's feelings.

'As the professional in the room, I should have known better. I am sorry.'

According to records, 85 per cent of Poplar Bluff High School's student population is white. Just under 11 per cent of the 1,480 students enrolled at the school are African-American and 2.5 per cent are Hispanic.The number of hate crimes reported to law enforcement agencies in the US increased for the third year in a row, according to the FBI's annual Hate Crimes Statistics report for 2017.

Total reported hate crimes rose by 15 percent from 2016 to 2017, which is a considerable jump from the increases between years past, dating back to at least 2014.

There were increases in attacks motivated by racial bias, religious bias and because of a victim's sexual orientation.

The report released on Tuesday showed there was a nearly 17 percent increase in specifically anti-Jewish religious-based hate crimes, over the past reporting year.

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said the numbers are a 'call to action' and that the offenses were 'despicable violations of our core values as Americans.'

The FBI noted that although the amount of reported attacks has increased, so has the number of law enforcement agencies reporting hate-crime data.

The number of hate crimes reported to law enforcement agencies in the US increased for the third year in a row, according to the FBI's annual Hate Crimes Statistics report for 2017; Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said the numbers are a 'call to action' and that the offenses were 'despicable violations of our core values as Americans'

The FBI defines a hate crime as 'a committed criminal offense which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offenders bias(es) against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.'

The total number of hate crimes reported in 2017 was 8,437, with 8,126 of those reported as single-bias incidents, meaning the motivation could be pinpointed to being aggressive against one particular class of people.

In 2016, the total numbers were 7,321 reported hate crimes, including 7,227 single bias incidents, which equates to the 15 percent increase overall.

The jump from 2015 to 2016, at slightly over six percent, and 2014 to 2015, at just over seven percent, were less dramatic.

Between the 2017 categories of hate crimes motivated by racial bias, religious bias and because of a victim's sexual orientation, racial bias-motivated attacks were the overwhelming majority, account for 57 percent of the total reported hate crimes.

Nearly 20 percent of the reported hate crimes were attributed to religious-based motivation slightly over 15 percent were reported as motivated by the victim's sexual orientation.

The largest increase in reported hate crimes came for religiously-motivated attacks specific to the Jewish faith.

The FBI report released on Tuesday showed there was a nearly 17 percent increase in specifically anti-Jewish religious-based hate crimes, over the past reporting year

There were 976 anti-Jewish hate crimes reported in 2017, compared to 834 in 2016.

This revelation comes on the heels of a mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during which a shooter, who was identified by police as Robert D. Bowers, murdered 11 congregants and injured six people, including four police officers.

Bowers was charged on October 31 with federal hate crimes in a 44-count indictment.

Religious-based hate crimes, in general, rose by nine percent from 2016 to 2017, encompassing reported attacks against 14 subcategories of different faiths, including a category for attacks against Atheist and Agnostic individuals.

The number of reported racially motivated hate crimes jumped by 14 percent from 2016 to 2017, with 4,832 crimes reported with the 2017 data versus 4,229 reported for 2016.

The number of reported racially motivated hate crimes jumped by 14 percent from 2016 to 2017, with 4,832 crimes reported with the 2017 data versus 4,229 reported for 2016

Hate crimes reported as lodged against individuals based on the victim's sexual orientation rose by seven percent from 2016 to 2017, from 1,218 cited in 2016 to 1,303 in 2017

Hate crimes reported as lodged against individuals based on the victim's sexual orientation rose by seven percent from 2016 to 2017, from 1,218 cited in 2016 to 1,303 in 2017.

With the exception of just one of the aforementioned categories in just one year, every category listed here saw an increase in reported hate crimes for every year between 2014 and 2017, according to the FBI.

As for the exception, between 2015 and 2016, attacks motivated by the victim's sexual orientation dropped by one, from 1,219 reported incidents in 2015 to 1,218 reported incidents in 2016.

Participation tables from the years 2015 through 2017 show a steady increase in the number of law enforcement agencies reporting hate crime statistics to the FBI.

Participation tables from the years 2015 through 2017 show a steady increase in the number of law enforcement agencies reporting hate crime statistics to the FBI; 2017 participation date is shown

But the percent increase in total hate crimes is still greater than the percent increase in the number of people covered by jurisdictions that were added to the data by increased reporting from law enforcement agencies; 2016 participation date is shown

A total of 16,149 agencies reported in 2017, accounting for law enforcement's protection of 306,435,676 people in the US.

In 2016, 15,494 agencies responsible for 289,814,003 people reported stats.

That equates to a six percent increase in the number of people under the jurisdiction of the law enforcement agencies that reported their hate crime data to the FBI, to match up with the 15 percent increase in total hate crimes reported from 2016 to 2017.

Between 2014 and 2015, however, there was a drop in the number of agencies reporting as well as the total population covered by those reporting agencies; Even so, during that time, there was a seven percent increase in the total number of hate crimes reported; 2015 participation date is shown

Between 2014 and 2015, however, there was a drop in the number of agencies reporting as well as the total population covered by those reporting agencies.

There were 15,494 agencies that reported to the FBI in 2014, covering 297,926,030 people, while in 2015, only 14,997 agencies including 283,884,034 people within their jurisdiction reported.

Even so, during that time, there was a seven percent increase in the total number of hate crimes reported.A woman who waited two days before calling police to say she murdered her husband has been pictured in her mugshot with two black eyes.

Sheila Ridenour, 55, was arrested at her home in Crawfordsville, Indiana on Monday.

Montgomery County Sheriff's Office deputies found her 62-year-old husband Billy Ridenour shot dead inside the home after she called 911 to allegedly report that she had killed him.

Sheila Ridenour, 55, was arrested at her home in Crawfordsville, Indiana on Monday after calling 911 to report that she had shot dead her 62-year-old husband Billy Ridenour

Sheila told the 911 dispatcher that she had shot him on Friday, according to police.

Following an interview with police, Sheila was taken into custody and booked into the Montgomery County Jail for murder and failure to report a dead body charges.

Authorities have not released any further information about her husband's death or a possible motive.

Sheila was pictured in her mugshot photo with visible bruising on her face. It may be an indication of a possible struggle before Billy's death.

Sheila and Billy are believed to have married in October last year, according to social media posts. Police have not released a motive after Sheila allegedly told them she killed her husband

Police said they are still investigating and are trying to determine why Sheila waited two days to alert authorities.

Authorities said they have not received any prior reports of domestic violence at the home.

Sheila and Billy are believed to have married in October last year, according to social media posts.

She is being held at the Montgomery County Jail without bond.An autistic man grieving over the death of his grandmother took his own life after his benefits were cut, an inquest heard.

Christopher Fisher, of Headcorn, Kent, was found dead in nearby woodland on August 17 this year, eight days after he went missing.

An inquest into his death heard he struggled to cope with change and had been hit by the death of his grandmother, a cut in his disability benefit and other problems.

Autistic Christopher Fisher took his own life as he struggled to cope with a series of changes in his life, including having his disability benefit cut and the death of his grandmother

A coroner in Maidstone was told 31-year-old Mr Fisher left the family home on August 9 last year to take his dog Molly for a walk, and seemed 'fairly happy'.

He was not seen again and his Vauxhall Corsa was later found at the woodland where he died by police investigating his disappearance.

A statement by Christopher's mother, Margaret, said: 'Over the last 18 months, it had been tough for Chris.

'There had been a change in the way his disability benefit was received and it had been reduced.'

His mother said he had suffered headaches in the days before his death, but otherwise seemed 'his usual self;

His mother's statement continued: 'His support worker changed and his car started making funny noises too, which bothered him.

'It was a change of routine and all these things disrupted his life. It took him a while to adapt because of his autism.

'He had not been feeling well, suffering with migraines for a few days before he disappeared. He had been taking tablets but apart from the headaches, he was his usual self.'

The inquest heard police could not find his dog after they discovered his body and his car nearby.

Assistant coroner Katrina Hepburn recorded a verdict of suicide and said: 'Chris was alone, save for his dog being with him when he did the act.

'There was nobody else involved... he did intend to take his own life.

'A number of factors in his life were causing him stress. He did not cope well with changes to his routine.'

Police found his car near the village of Pluckley (pictured) and later discovered his body

The coroner added: 'There had been a number of changes at time of his death - bereavement, financial concerns, change in support worker, illness with his dog and an issue with his car making noise.

'For this gentleman, these would have caused him some concern. Given these stress factors, he did intend to take his own life.

'It was not a cry for help - nobody was in the vicinity. He chose that location and I am satisfied that he intended to take his own life.'

For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local branch. See www.samaritans.org for details.A Michigan mom has been charged with child abuse after her two sons and her niece were all killed when a fire broke out while they were home alone.

Amber Renee Swain, 28, allegedly left her two sons Brandon Mahone, 9, and 8-year-old brother Zyahir Swain, in their Eastpointe home, with their cousin, four-year-old Madison Adams, to go to work at 5am on March 10.

Swain picked up her sister, Madison's mom Lauren, from her job on her return and the two headed home to the 1,300-square-foot house they shared in Eastpointe, MaComb Daily reports. But when they finally arrived, the building was ablaze.

Police say the three children were found huddled together in an upstairs bedroom.

Amber Swain (left) has been charged with child abuse after three children, including four-year-old Madison Adams (right) were killed in a fire when she left them home alone

The children, including eight-year-old Zyahir Swain (right) and nine-year-old Brendon Mahone, (left)) were home alone when fire struck the Eastpointe home in March

Swain is now facing up to 30 years in jail after she was charged with three counts of second-degree child abuse.

The cause of the fire hasn't been publicly disclosed, although officials have said they did not find any working smoke detectors.

A message seeking comment has been left for Swain's attorney. Eastpointe deputy police chief Eric Keiser says Swain has cooperated with investigators.

The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning in March 2018 (pictured is the fire damaged home earlier this year)

Fire officials conducted a lengthy investigation into the cause of the deadly fire but also say that no working smoke detectors were found in the house which could have helped the kids

The three children lived at the home with their mothers and two other children.

The family's other children had stayed with their father on the night of the fatal fire.

'It's just a tragedy, something I would have never expected to happen,' Denis Mosley, the grandfather of the two boys killed, said

'It's just a tragedy, something I would have never expected to happen,' Denis Mosley, who is the grandfather of the two boys killed, Brendon and Zyher Cameron Mosley, said to WDIV.

Zyahir Swain was in the second grade at Forest Park Elementary School, while Brandon Mahone was a fourth-grader at Pleasantview Elementary School.

Eastpointe fire officials conducted a lengthy investigation into the cause and origin of the deadly fire.

More than 250 people contributed about $11,400 to aGoFundMe account last winter to help pay for the funerals.

Swain returns to court on November 20.President Trump says it wasn't his fault he skipped a ceremony Saturday at a WWI memorial and cemetery.

The Secret Service told him that it was unsafe to fly and the site was too far away to drive to, he said in a tweet that finally responded to his critics.

'By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving,' he tweeted. 'Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetery in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!'

The White House jumped in late Sunday to defend the president from criticism that followed a visit it cancelled to a war memorial in France amid a light drizzle.

President Trump says it wasn't his fault he skipped a ceremony Saturday at a WWI memorial and cemetery

The Secret Service told him that it was unsafe to fly and the site was too far away to drive to, he said in a tweet that finally responded to his critics

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders insisted to press on the flight back to the United States that the weather was too bad for Trump to fly in Marine One and a motorcade would have snarled traffic.

Yesterday, because of near-zero visibility, Marine One was unable to fly, as had been planned.

'A car ride of two and a half hours, each way, would have required closures to substantial portions of the Paris roadways for the Presidents motorcade, on short notice, she said of the Saturday afternoon trip Trump was supposed to make to the Belleau Wood battlefield and monument.

President Trump delivered remarks in a steady downpour on Sunday at an American war memorial and cemetery in France, without the cover of an umbrella, as he honored American vets and heroes

Trump noted in the speech, which he gave after coming under fire for calling off a war memorial tour the day before, that Nov. 11 marks the centennial anniversary of the First World War

President Trump did not want to cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people. He was honored to be able to attend todays event at the Suresnes American Cemetery and was deeply moved by the sacrifices of so many for the cause of freedom.

Trump delivered planned remarks on Sunday in the unyielding rain, without the cover of an umbrella, at Suresnes to lawmakers and veterans just before he departed France.

He had come under scrutiny the day before from the grandson of Winston Churchill, a former national security adviser to Barack Obama and political commentators for opting out of the previously planned with the first lady to Belleau Wood to honor American marines who fought in the battle in WWI.

They called it a disgrace and ripped the White House for failing to come up with an alternative site to visit or way to get to Trump to the memorial in the custom-made limousine that travels around the world with every U.S. president.

Trump gave speech on Sunday at Suresnes cemetery that coincided with centennial anniversary of the First World War, which he was in Paris to celebrate over the weekend

'Exactly 100 years ago today, on Nov. 11 1918, World War One came to an end. Thank god,' he said. 'It was a brutal war.'

President Donald Trump, left, arrives for an American Commemoration Ceremony, Sunday Nov. 11, 2018, at Suresnes American Cemetery near Paris

Trump gave the speech on the centennial anniversary of the First World War, which he was in Paris to celebrate over the weekend, after coming under scrutiny for calling off a trip to a similar memorial while it was raining the day before

The U.S. president called it 'one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history' and a 'horrible, horrible war' in an 11-minute address with the Eiffel Tower behind him.

'We gathered together at this hallowed resting place to pay tribute to the brave Americans who gave their last breath in that mighty struggle,' he said.

Lightening the mood, he told six WWII veterans he said were in attendance, 'You look like you're in really good shape, all of you. I hope I look like that someday. You look great.'

'You look so comfortable up there, under shelter, as we're getting drenched. You're very smart people,' he said to laughter. 'America is forever in debt, and we are forever in your debt. And we really appreciate you being here.'

Attendees of the president's speech, including members of Congress in Paris for the event, huddled together under umbrellas and ponchos.

'Thank you very much. I know you wanted to be here very badly. We appreciate it,' he told lawmakers who made the trek.

Attendees covered themselves in ponchos during the remarks that Trump made in spite of a light rain

With the celebration of war's end, also came mourning for the lives it claimed.

'On this day, in the year 1918, church bells rang, families embraced, and celebrations, as you know, filled the streets like never before, in towns throughout Europe and the United States. But victory had come at a terrible cost,' Trump acknowledged.

More than a million French had died, and 116,000 American soldiers were killed.

'Countless would come home bearing the lasting scars of trench warfare and the grisly horrors of chemical weapons,' he said. 'Here on the revered grounds of Suresnes American Cemetery lie more than 1,500 U.S. service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in the First World War.'

Trump said the patriots 'embody the timeless virtues' of France and the United States: 'honor and courage; strength and valor; love and loyalty; grace and glory.

'It is our duty to preserve the civilization they defended and to protect the peace they so nobly gave their lives to secure one century ago,' he stated.

The president kept his remarks at the monument brief. As the rain continued, he claimed without irony, 'This has been a wonderful two days we spent in France. And this is certainly the highlight of the trip.

Trump left Paris later on Sunday for the United States, where he arrived in the evening on the same day.

He had been there to attend an internationally broadcast gathering for world leaders at the Arc de Triomphe. He lunched with his counterparts on Sunday before driving a half-hour outside of the city to Suresnes for the invite-only ceremony commemorating the end of WWI.

The speech closed out an awkward chapter in his relationship with the host nation's president that began when Trump blasted him on Twitter as he arrived at Orly airport late on Friday.

Trump's rising feud with Emmanuel Macron boiled on Sunday as the French leader forcefully denounced nations 'looking after their own interests' and decried nationalist policies like the ones the American president has embraced.

Macron specifically referred to the 'selfishness of nations only looking after their own interests' in remarks at an Armistice Day event in Paris that Trump and other world leaders attended.

'Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying our interests first, who cares about the others, we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what gives it grace. And what is essential its moral values,' he said in an English-language translation of the speech he delivered with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin sitting in the front row.

Still, Trump kindly acknowledged Macron, saying that he and the first lady 'were deeply honored to be the guests' of the French government at the event that morning. He said, 'It was very beautiful and so well done. '

Trump and Macron have been sparring over comments that Macron made last week about his desire to form a European army. The U.S. president said in a stinging tweet that Macron's comments were 'very insulting' as he landed in Paris on Friday evening with the first lady.

Donald Trump 's rising feud with Emmanuel Macron took a new turn on Sunday as the French leader forcefully denounced nations 'looking after their own interests' and decried nationalist policies like the ones the American president has embraced

The leaders later attended a luncheon at Elysee Palace with other heads of state as part of a program that Macron is hosting in France this weekend commemorating the cessation of hostilities in World War One.

Donald and Melania Trump skipped an arrival ceremony at the residence of the French president earlier in the day and did not walk down the Champs-Elysees with fellow leaders, traveling to the Arcin the U.S. president's bullet-proof limousine, instead.

They remained inside the car and out of the rain until after visiting leaders and Macron lined up under a covered seating area.

President Trump greeted President Macron again -- having already sat down with him at Elysee and across from him at a dinner for dignitaries that took place on Saturday -- and took his place nearby in the front row of a riser below the arc.

The U.S. president's grand entry was then upstaged arrival of Russia's Putin, who shook Trump's hand and gave him a thumbs up before taking his own seat to Macron's left. Trump was seated two down from Macron, next to Germany's Angela Merkel.

UPSTAGED: Russian President Vladimir Putin was the last to arrive at the Arc de Triomphee. He hook Trump's hand and gave him a thumbs up before taking his own seat to Macron's right

President Trump greets Angela Merkel as he arrives at the Arc in Paris on Sunday

Trump gave Putin a pat on the back as he bid the Russian leader hello in Paris

First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump arrive in the rain for the ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe on Sunday

Right to Left: Russian President Vladimir Putin. Brigitte Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump

Putin upstaged Trump by arriving at the ceremony last, after the American president and his wife had entered. Macron and other world leaders came together on buses.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told DailyMail.com in response to an inquiry about Trump's delayed arrival, and the possibility that Trump was meeting with Putin during the time that he was missing, that he was merely abiding by protocol.

'Due to security protocols the President arrived separately,' she said, without commenting on the possibility that he was talking privately with the Russian leader.

Putin confirmed later that he and Trump did not talk in Paris and would have a formal meeting at the G20 in Argentina later this month.

As President Trump was arriving at the unity ceremony in Paris on Sunday, a topless woman bearing the messages 'fake' and 'peace' on her chest threw herself at the president's motorcade in protest as it pulled up.

Two other women also tried to approach the president and were physically arrested by security guards.

Several minutes later, the Trumps entered the ceremony under separate umbrellas, the president in a blue coat and red tie and the first lady in a grey dress and matching overcoat.

The American president and his wife participated in a centennial celebration of Armistice Day, honored in Europe annually on Nov. 11, after the Pentagon indefinitely postponed a military parade Trump planned to have in Washington.

In America, the holiday is marked by Veteran's Day, which Trump honored at the Suresnes cemetery in the afternoon.

World leaders including Donald Trump greet Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives for the ceremony

The armored limousine known as 'The Beast' carrying US president arrives ahead of the ceremony

BY NOW: Trump gets in the his vehicle just before attending the Sunday leaders' lunch

Bells tolled in Paris on Sunday in remembrance of the cessation of fighting that concluded at 11:00 in the morning on Nov. 11, 1918 in Compiegne, France.

The United States entered the war on April 6, 1917 in response to a declaration of war request against Germany from President Woodrow Wilson.

A year and a half later, the war ended, but Europe was again thrown into chaos two decades later with WWII, when America also fought alongside France.

The two sides have become close allies in the nearly 75 years since the fighting began. Macron and Merkel entered the ceremony in Paris on Sunday as part of a united front after walking hand-in-hand through Compiegne on Saturday.

In remarks that were broadcast in French and translated to English, Macron appeared to take a shot at Trump's self-proclaimed nationalism.

'The lesson of the Great War can not be that of resentment between peoples, nor should the past be forgotten,' Macron said during the broadcast that included a military fly-over. 'It is our deeply rooted obligation to think of the future, and to consider what is essential.'

As Trump was arriving in France, they fought over Macron's proposal to draft a 'true European army' that would protect the continent's interests in the face of a recoiling United States. He suggested the fighting force would also serve as a check on U.S. military might, lumping the ally in with threats from Russia and China.

Trump said the comment was 'very insulting' and ignored the United States' generous contributions to Europe's defense via the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The following day, the leaders proclaimed themselves to be 'very good friends' at a one-on-one meeting, even as Trump's body language told a different story.

'You know what my attitude has been, and we want a strong Europe. Its very important to us to have a strong Europe. And whichever way we can do it the best and most efficient would be something that we both want,' Trump said.

Macron told him that he agrees. 'But its unfair to have the European security today being assured just by the United States, and we need a much better burden sharing.

'Thats why I do believe that we need more European capacities, more European defense, in order to take this part of the burden,' he assessed. 'When President Trump has to protect or to defend one of the states of the United States, he doesnt ask France or Germany, or another government of Europe to finance it.'

President Trump visited Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial after cancelling a trip to Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial on Saturday when a bad weather call grounded Marine One.

He and first lady Melania Trump had planned to visit the memorial for American marines near the Belleau Wood battlefield, however their program was nixed at the last minute due to a storm that would have prevented them from helicoptering to the site that is more than an hour's drive from Paris.

Despite the heavy security presence a topless female protester was able to break through near the President's motorcade

Trump caused controversy on Saturday after his trip to the Ainse-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial was called off because of the rain

'The President and First Lady's trip to Ainse-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial has been canceled due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather,' the White House said. 'An American delegation led by Chief of Staff General John Kelly and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joe Dunford will attend on their behalf.'

The site honors United States Army's 2nd Division and an attack it led on the Germans on June 6, 1918 that liberated the Bouresches. The skirmishes ended 20 days later on June 26.

According to the American Battle Monuments Commission, 8,100 soldiers died in the wooded area near Belleau, France that month.

Macron gifted Trump with a sapling from the area during a state visit in April.

Trump was blasted abroad and at home for skipping the trip to the memorial and was compared to Canada's Justin Trudeau, who last year visited monuments in France under a steady downpour.

The U.S. president sidestepped the controversy on Sunday but gave a nod to the battle site in his speech at Suresnes.

'Among those buried here are legendary Marines who fought in the Battle of Belleau Wood,' he said.

'In that treacherous forest and the surrounding fields, American Marines, soldiers, and Allied Forces fought -- and they fought through hell -- to turn the tide of the war. And that's what they did -- they turned the tide of the war,' he stated.A double rapist has been warned to leave Northern Ireland or face murder at the hands of a province-wide network of paramilitaries.

Brian Davey, 27, originally from Bangor, Co Down, was jailed for six years for a double rape in 2013. After his release in 2016 he sexually assaulted a teenager and imprisoned again, only to be released five weeks ago.

He sparked outrage after it was revealed he had joined Tinder within days of his release, billing himself as an easy-going guy who was into sport and going to the cinema.

Now Unionist paramilitary groups have said they want him dead and instructed the entire community - not only those in his native County Down - to act against him, Belfast Live has reported.

In 2013 Davey's victim woke up to find him performing a sex act on her before he pinned her down and raped her twice

It is believed that prior to his original sentencing paramilitaries in County Down plotted to murder him at the Bangor off-licence where he had been working.

A source told Belfast Live: They were persuaded not to kill him but he remained under threat, and police from Newtownards delivered a letter to him informing him that he was under death threat.

'Loyalist paramilitary organisations believed he was a rapist and a danger to women.'

Davey served time at Maghaberry Prison in Co Antrim after his convictions.

The source explained: He wasnt popular inside Maghaberry jail and within the hierarchy of convicts, hes considered one of the lowest of the low.

"Now that hes out he remains unpopular on the outside and is considered by the paramilitary organisations as an ongoing danger to women in Northern Ireland because of his history.

Today it has been confirmed that the death threat from the loyalist paramilitary organisations remains in place and is active.

But unlike previously where Davey was the subject of attention only in Co Down, the threat has now been escalated and is community-wide so no matter where he goes theres a network on the look-out for him and theyve been given permission to act when and where the opportunity arises.

The organisations want him out of Northern Ireland where he can become someone elses problem.

They just do not trust him to behave himself, to conduct himself properly with young girls and woman.

"Theyve said hes welcome to leave and if he doesnt leave, he risks being shot dead or dealt with in some other manner.

Davey has built dating profiles since his release from prison a month ago but now faces death threats from paramilitaries who want him out of Northern Ireland

Last month, the father of one of Davey's victims said he was 'amost sick' to discover the sex criminal had uploaded profiles on dating apps and websites since his release on October 5.

In them he is described as an easy going guy who loves meeting new people, with interests that include Gone In 60 Seconds, cuddles, fitness and health, Messi and restaurants.

In one profile he says he is open to having children and is described as living alone.

Despite his 2013 conviction for double rape, and later conviction for the sexual assault of a young woman while on out of jail on licence, Davey - the son of a retired police officer - faces no restrictions under Northern Irelands public protection arrangements.

The jury at Belfast Crown Court heard that in 2013 he had invited himself to a womans home where his advances were rejected. His victim woke with Davey performing a sex act before he pinned her down and raped her twice.

A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said the service did not comment on named individuals.A mother-of-two from Michigan has pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the death of her six-month-old son who was left in a car seat in a room without air-conditioning and denied food for days.

Lovily Johnson, 23, entered the plea Tuesday. As part of an agreement with prosecutors, the woman is expected to get a minimum of 15-25 years in prison when she is sentenced on January 10.

A Kent County judge declared a mistrial in September because jurors were unable to reach a verdict after five days of deliberations.

Lovily Johnson, 23 (pictured in court in September, left), has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the July 2017 death of her infant son, Noah Johnson (right)

The Michigan mom-of-two (pictured with Noah after his birth) told police she had not fed him from July 17 until July 19, when she brought his body to a hospital

Her second trial was scheduled to get under way on November 26.

The Wyoming, Michigan, mother was initially charged with child abuse and first-degree murder in the death of her youngest child, Noah Johnson.

Police said the infant was ignored for about 32 hours spread over three days last year in an attic bedroom where the temperature was 90 degrees.

Johnson's attorney has characterized Noah's death as a tragedy, not a murder, saying that his client was overwhelmed by being a young mother and caring for other children, including her two-year-old daughter and her kid sister.

On July 19, 2017, Johnson arrived at about 2.35pm at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids with the decomposing body of her son. She was arrested hours later.

The woman left her son strapped in his car seat in a sweltering, 90-degree attic room, for three days

A police detective wrote in a probable cause affidavit that the mother had left her son strapped in his car seat without any food since July 17 inside their overheated home.

At the time of his death, baby Noah weighed just 12lbs, reported the Detroit Free Press.

Records indicate that in August 2016, Johnson was charged with embezzlement of less than $200 for an incident at a business on 28th Street SE.

She had been placed on probation in September 2016 for eight months and ordered to stay away from Woodland Mall.Three teens have caught themselves on video throwing rocks and bottles out of the window of a moving car at oncoming vehicles.

The mother of a girl who was not in the car saw the video in a Snapchat story on her daughter's phone, and reported the incident to authorities in Moore, near Oklahoma City, where some of the teens live.

'If they went out again next weekend, and I had done nothing and maybe someone died - I would have lived with that forever,' the mother told KFOR.

'That would have been my fault because I could have said something.'

The video shows the teens laughing and egging each other on as they throw large rocks and bottles out of the window of a moving car at oncoming traffic

The video shows clips of three rowdy teens, two males and a female, riding in a car and hurling objects at oncoming vehicles.

Some of them appear to be drinking underage. The teens egg each other on in the video and repeatedly throw objects at other cars, including a large rock the size of a grapefruit.

The mother posted the video online to call attention to the inappropriate behavior, and says her daughter quickly got a message from one of the girls in the car.

'Please take down the video. It was all a joke,' the message said.

'I said that wasn't a joke when you're throwing things out a window at moving cars,' the mother told the news station.

The mother who contacted authorities and posted the video on Facebook says that the female teen in the video sent her daughter the message above

She asked not to be identified because she said her family had been threatened after she shared the video.

After seeing the video, one man realized that one of the trucks seen in the video looked like his work truck, which had been parked on the street.

Jerrell Brewer went outside to inspect the truck and found a dent in the driver's side door, and a bottle lying nearby.

'They could have hurt someone,' he said. 'I don't think they understand how bad the situation could have got.'

Brewer says he wants to press charges in the case as an example to other teens who think such activity is funny.

Jerrell Brewer believes he is one of the victims, and found this dent in the door of his truck

Though some of the teens live in Moore, police there said the incident occurred in nearby Oklahoma City.

'The incidents happened in Oklahoma City, which is outside our jurisdiction,' Moore police said in a statement.

'Although we are not always in a position to provide real-time updates on events happening in our community, be assured that we will do our best to keep everyone informed,' the statement said.

Police in Oklahoma City are investigating the incident, a department spokeswoman confirmed to DailyMail.com.Ronny Padilla (pictured) stabbed his flatmate in Streatham, south-west London, but told police it was a terrible accident

A shop assistant who stabbed his flatmate to death then claimed his friend had run into the knife as he prepared potatoes for dinner faces life in prison after being found guilty of murder today.

Ronny Padilla, 23, from Ecuador inflicted a fatal chest wound on 19-year-old Sabri Chibani, from Italy, in south-west London.

Padilla admitted the stabbing but sobbed in the Old Bailey witness box as he described the 'pain' of killing 'one of my best friends' in a 'terrible accident'.

Mr Chibani staggered from his block of flats in Streatham bleeding heavily on February 11.

He was living at the multi-occupancy property with his brother, Sadok, another man called Pablo Chavez and store worker Padilla.

Mr Chibani moved into the flat last November and the four occupants 'got on well with each other' aside from the odd quarrel over the payment of bills, the Old Bailey heard.

He arrived home from work at around 2am that morning and sat up playing Xbox with his brother for an hour, leaving him to continue until around 7am.

Mr Chibani slept through most of the day until around 3.45pm when he was woken by the sound of his brother 'shouting out as if in pain', prosecutor William Emlyn-Jones said.

'He could see that his brother Sabri was not in their shared bedroom,' he said. 'So, he ran out of the door and out into the corridor and there he saw the defendant on top of his brother on the floor in the hallway and he was holding a knife.'

The victim's distraught brother later told police: 'I seen him kill him. I opened the door and I seen him kill him...I think if I didn't open the door he was try to kill him more.'

Padilla was today convicted of murder following a retrial and warned he faces a life sentence when he appears in court on Thursday.

Mr Chibani's father sobbed in court after the verdict was given while the killer sat with his head bowed in the dock.

Judge Rebecca Poulet QC said: 'Tragically, from the family's point of view, we still do not know exactly what occurred and you may wish to speak to the defendant, now convicted as he is, as to whether he is now prepared to say through you or give some idea of what happened.

Sabri Chibani (pictured) was stabbed to death at the age of 19

'I know it is a matter for you and a matter for him, but I have seen the grief that the family have been through and the anxiety and desire really just to know what happened.'

Jurors heard two neighbours claimed they had been disturbed 'by loud voices and then screaming' coming from the flats.

They then looked on as Padilla walked out and dropped the knife before the brothers followed and Mr Chibani collapsed.

The court heard one of those tending to the stricken Italian pointed out Padilla as the knifeman, prompting the neighbour to ask him: 'Did you do this?' Jurors were told Padilla 'looked up at her and just nodded'.

He was taken to Brixton Police Station having been arrested on suspicion of GBH at the scene.

But officers informed him at 4.45pm that Sabri had died and he was further arrested on suspicion of murder. He was interviewed twice the following day.

'In short summary, in his interview the defendant said that he and the deceased had been friends,' said Mr Emlyn Jones. 'He used the term "best friends".

'He admitted that he had caused Sabri's fatal injuries. He said it had been an accident.

'He described how he had been just about to make himself a meal and had a kitchen knife in his hand ready to prepare some potatoes.

'However, he said having picked up the knife he realised there were no potatoes in the kitchen.

'He said that he had forgotten that he kept the potatoes in the closet in his bedroom so, still holding the knife, he went off to the bedroom to get the potatoes and then passed Sabri, who he said was "rushing or something, and I stab him for accident in the chest".

'He said this happened when he was on his way back to the kitchen from his bedroom, when he was holding the two potatoes he had picked up.'

Padilla told jurors he had not seen his friend coming, adding that he was moving 'very fast' before shouting out 'very high in pain'.

'At the time you used your right hand to take the knife out of Sabri did you still have the potatoes with you or not?' asked his barrister, Julia Smart.

'No,' said Padilla. Describing how he felt when police told him Mr Chibani had died, he said: 'A lot of pain because he was one of my best friends and I didn't believe that that could have happened.'

Ms Smart asked Padilla if he ever bore any ill-will towards Sabri and whether he wanted him dead or seriously harmed.

'Totally to the contrary,' he replied, weeping in the witness box. 'We protected each other. We trusted each other in everything.'

He added: 'If I would have heard him coming I would have avoided him, but everything was really quick. I didn't know what to do.'

But Mr Emlyn Jones told jurors: 'Was this a deliberate stabbing as the prosecution allege, or was it just a terrible accident?'

He said Sabri suffered, a wound to the heart as well as cuts to his forehead and palm of his left hand.

'The last point which may assist you is to do with an aspect of the defendant's account,' the prosecutor continued. Where are the potatoes?

'The basis for his story that this was just an accident is based exclusively on his claim that at 3.45pm in the afternoon he was going to fetch potatoes which he kept in his bedroom to make a meal. But where are the potatoes, members of the jury?

'There aren't any potatoes - not in his bedroom, not in the kitchen, not on the floor in the corridor.

'There are no potatoes, and if there are no potatoes you may think that may indicate to you that what the defendant has said about this is simply not true.'

Padilla, of Streatham, southwest London, denied murder but was convicted by the jury. He was remanded in custody ahead of sentence.Pet owners across California have turned to social media in the hopes that their beloved animals lost in the wildfires may have survived the flames.

Facebook groups such as Cowboy 911 and Camp Fire Pet Rescue and Reunification are being inundated with posts by worried local residents.

Many are pleading for help to find cats, dogs, horses and even pigs which they were forced to leave behind during the urgent evacuations last week, or were unable to locate in time.

Missing pets: Facebook groups helping California wildfire survivors are being inundated with posts by owners from across the state who were unable to take their pets with them when they evacuated their homes

Dozens of posts are being shared online, containing pictures of pets in happier times, as owners express their hope that their four-legged friend is one of the lucky ones to have been rescued.

'Our pug Nahla was trapped in the house, if she is found or was rescued please contact me. She is very loved, she is our baby,' as a caption to a picture of an adorable pug wearing a a pink flower tiara around her waist.

'House is gone. Hoping they got out,' another writes on a post urging anyone who has spotted eight pets including a dachshund puppyu and a labrador, to get in touch.

Another missing pet is a large pig named Sumo who is still missing from near Chico, California.

The owner of Boo Boo the cat has posted a picture of their 'handsome little kitty' on a Facebook group for pet owners who are looking for their animals lost in the wildfires

This little piggy: Sumo the pig is still missing after the Camp Fire in northern California

The owners of this male tabby cat called 'Kitty Friend' hope to be able to find him

Rescued: These two horses were found running around in Paradise, California, and an alert was posted on Facebook by a group set up to help reunite owners and rescued pets

This heartbreaking image was shared by a woman working at a veterinary centre after the badly burned cat was picked up in Paradise, California, and appears to have since been identified by its owners who spotted the Facebook post

Many veterinary centers and sanctuaries in the areas of the Camp Fire, Woolsey Fire and Hill Fire are in turn posting pictures of saved animals, some with horrific injuries, to try to track down their owners.

This has seen a few sunshine stories, such as that of a badly injured female cat picked up in Paradise, California.

Thanks to the cat's unique markings, its owner was able to identify it as its one-year-old pet.

Meanwhile at least 50 people have died state-wide in the fires - 48 of whom were killed in the northern Camp fire, and two of which died in the southern Woolsey Fire.Monica Lewinsky is opening up about the grief and fear she felt when she was told that she would have to cooperate with the FBI investigation of Bill Clinton, or face time in prison.

'In order to cooperate and avoid charges and I would have to make monitored phone calls which they would listen in to and record and I might have to wear a wire and go see people in person,' reveals Lewinsky in a preview for the upcoming A&E docuseries The Clinton Affair.

It was too much for Lewinsky, who says that after a few hours she began to think about commiting suicide.

Twenty years later, it still causes her to break down in tears.

Scroll down for videos

Tears: Moinca Lewinsky considered jumping out of a window at the Ritz Carlton in January 1998 when the FBI told her she would need to become an informant (above in The Clinton Affair)

Mood swings:In the new A&E series The Clinton Affair, Lewinsky says that she did not flip as easily as agents wanted, and went from being hysterical to totally shut off

'The ground completely crumbled in that moment. I felt so much guilt. And I felt terrified,' she reveals in the interview.

An FBI agent involved in the case acknowledged this, saying that Lewinsky was 'alternating between being hysterical, being angry, being abusive.'

Lewinsky admits that she was not cooperative at the time, believing she had t protect Clinton.

'They imagined that I would have flipped really easily. They had no plan in place for what would happen if i said no,' she reveals in the series.

That then gave way to thoughts of ending her own life.

'There was a point for me somewhere within these first several hours where I would be hysterically crying and then I would just shut down,' she recalls.

'And in the shut down period I just remember looking out the window and thinking the only way to fix this is to kill myself.'

Lewinsky, who up until that point had managed to hold back her tears, then bursts out sobbing.

'I just felt terrible ... and I was scared ... and I was mortified,' she says while trying to regain her composure.

This all played out at the Ritz Carlton in January 1998, with the Office of the Independent Counsel getting Linda Tripp to set up a meeting with Lewinsky.

She was then taken to a room and held by prosecutors until that night.

Lewinsky admits that the thing that made this so difficult for her was the fact that she was still in love with Clinton.

Ahead of the show's premiere, Lewinsky opened up about the affair in an essay for Vanity Fair, in which she expresses her disappointment that Bill does not think he should apologize to his former intern as well as her desire to tell Hillary she is sorry.

'The process of this docuseries led me to new rooms of shame that I still needed to explore, and delivered me to Griefs doorstep,' writes Lewinsky.

She then lists off the examples of grief, ending with: 'Grief for a relationship that had no normal closure, and instead was slowly dismantled by two decades of Bill Clinton's behavior that eventually (eventually!) helped me understand how, at 22, I took the small, narrow sliver of the man I knew and mistook it for the whole.'

Lewinsky spoke about her disappointment with Bill over the comments he made back in June when asked if he owed Lewinsky a personal apology, and her disbelief that it took so long for someone to even ask that question.

It was Craig Melvin who put Bill on the spot during an interview on Today, and the former president responded to the question by saying: 'No. I do not  I have never talked to her. But I did say publicly on more than one occasion that I was sorry.'

In response to that Lewinsky writes: 'So, what feels more important to me than whether I am owed or deserving of a personal apology is my belief that Bill Clinton should want to apologize. Im less disappointed him, and more disappointed for him.'

She then adds: 'He would be a better man for it . . . and we, in turn, a better society.'

Apologize: Lewinsky also penned an essay for Vanity Fair revealing that she wished Clinton felt the need to apologize for the fallout from their relationship (Clinton above in 1998 denying the affair)

Gifts: She was called to the office with the promise of presents, and Clinton gifted her a hat pin and copy of Walt Whitman's Leave of Grass (Clinton and Lewinsky in 1997 just before their bathroom rendezvous)

That moment was a huge shift writes Lewinsky, and one that was a long time coming.

'If you want to know what power looks like, watch a man safely, even smugly, do interviews for decades, without ever worrying whether he will be asked the questions he doesnt want to answer,' writes Lewinsky.

She is also quick to admit that she has some people to apologize to for her actions.

'My first public words after the scandaluttered in an interview with Barbara Walters on March 3, 1999were an apology directly to Chelsea and Mrs. Clinton,' writes Lewinsky.

'And if I were to see Hillary in person today, I know that I would summon up whatever force I needed to again acknowledge to hersincerelyhow very sorry I am.'

Lewinsky does not however address recent comments made by Hillary that dismissed her own statement that the relationship between the president and his intern was an abuse of power.

At the time the affair began between the president and his intern in November 1995, Clinton was 49 years old and Lewinsky was a 22-year-old White House employee.

Clinton would initially deny having sexual relations with Lewinsky in a sworn deposition back in January of 1998, going so far as to claim that the two were never even alone together in the White House.

Unbeknownst to him at the time, Lewinsky had already revealed to Linda Tripp that the two were together nine times between that first encounter and March of 1997, and engaged in oral sex multiple times.

The affair became public one day after Clinton's sworn testimony, at which point Tripp gave tapes of Lewinsky admitting to her relationship to Kenneth Star, who at the time was pursuing the Whitewater controversy and Clinton's alleged sexual harassment of Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state employee.

Clinton continued to deny reports that he had relations with with the brunette from Beverly Hills even after the report broke, famously saying: 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky' in a nationally televised White House news conference.'

Months later, he admitted to the affair and claimed that his definition of sexual relations differed from that of others.

This resulted in the House voting to impeach Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice back in December of 1998, with the vote then moving to the Senate.

The Senate then acquitted him of those charges when the Senate did not achieve the two-thirds vote necessary to remove Clinton from office.

A second attempt at impeachment, on an additional perjury charge and abuse of power, never made it past the House.

Tripp had worked in the Pentagon alongside Lewinsky when the former White House intern opened up to her about her affair with Bill Clinton.

She taped their conversations for months it was later revealed and then handed the recordings over to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr to avoid facing wiretapping charges.

Prior to that she handed the tapes over to lawyers for Paula Jones, who was suing Clinton for sexual harassment at the time.

Jones' lawyers then added Lewinsky to their witness list, but the judge ruled that her testimony would be immaterial to the case before tossing it out.

A few months later, Clinton settled with Jones for $850,000 when her legal team launched an appeal.Elon Musk has been criticized for promoting Tesla's model X and S vehicles by saying their air purification systems may be able to help people affected by the California wildfires.

The 47-year-old billionaire last week asked Twitter followers to tell him if the company could help with the ongoing crisis, writing: 'If Tesla can help people in California wildfire, please let us know.

'Model S & X have hospital grade HEPA filters. Maybe helpful for transporting people.'

Many responded thanking him for the offer and pleading with him to send a fleet of the vehicles to areas that had been cut off by the flames.

Musk tweeted on Friday that if Tesla could help in the wildfires, it would. He added that the air purifying filters in the Model X and S would help people breathe

Others, however, saw it as a 'camouflage ad' which was useless to anyone who did not already own a vehicle.

They compared his weighing in to when he threw his hat in the ring in July as the world watched for a group of Thai schoolboys to be rescued from a cave they were trapped in.

Musk offered up a team of Tesla engineers at the time but local rescuers said their plan was not full proof and would never have worked.

In response, he called one of the men who saved the boys a pedophile.

Musk was criticized by people who viewed the tweet as 'camouflage' promotion of his products

'This is about as useful as his the submarine idea to get those kids out of the flooded cave,' said one critic.

'This guy has no shame...maybe send the Thai rocket there,' quipped another.

Others accused him of injecting 'salesmanship' into his compassion.

Another said bluntly: 'All offers made for helping people were actually camouflaged advertisements for Tesla products.'

Since the fires broke out, Tesla has been giving customers free supercharging so their vehicles will not run out of battery

Others shared photographs of the air particle count before they turned on the bioweapon defense mode (left) and afterwards once they had the windows up (right)

Another customer said it took three minutes for the quality of the air in their vehicle to go from 51 micrograms per cubic meter of pollution to 7

Musk, who lives in Bel Air, has not had to evacuate his home

Since the fires broke out, several Tesla owners in California have credited their cars - and specifically the bioweapon defense mode they can activate - with helping them breathe precious clean air.

Some have taken refuge in the vehicles because the air quality is so much better once they are inside and it is turned on.

Tesla has also given everyone in the area additional and free charging so that their cars will not run out of battery.

Musk also told staff in an email that they were to help 'anyone they could'.

'If theres any way for Tesla to be helpful, please provide assistance and dont worry about payment,' he said.

Musk, who has a collection of homes in Bel Air, has not been evacuated.

Many who live in Malibu and along the coast have lost their homes.Scott McGregor had already been removed from front line duties and now faces a further internal investigation after being cleared of stalking and domestic violence for the second time in just over a year

A love cheat police officer who brawled naked in bed with two of his girlfriends has now been cleared of attacking and stalking a third lover.

Scott McGregor had already been removed from front line duties and now faces a further internal investigation after being cleared of stalking and domestic violence for the second time in just over a year.

McGregor, who is now in a relationship with a fourth woman, was described in court as 'controlling' and accused of forcing Samantha Abbot, 32, to have an abortion.

There was uproar in court after McGregor was cleared of assault and stalking and a relative of Miss Abbot shouted: 'How many women's lives is he allowed to ruin?'

The court was told McGregor was guilty of a string of abusive incidents including repeatedly pinching Miss Abbot's leaving her covered in bruises, lifting her off the ground with his hands around her throat, and giving the impression he was tracking her.

But Sheriff Keith O'Mahoney cleared him at Perth Sheriff Court today.

Miss Abbot, a riding instructor, wept as she told how McGregor forced her to terminate a pregnancy during a 20-month long campaign of 'intimidating and obsessive' behaviour.

She said McGregor 'intimidated, bullied and manipulated' her during their relationship and threatened to commit suicide if she had their baby.

She said she suspected McGregor had secretly placed a tracking device on her phone as he would turn up in random places to find her.

Prosecutor Tina Dickie said: 'She was left anxious and very low. She was intimidated and felt that she had been controlled by the accused.'

McGregor was described in court as 'controlling' and accused of forcing Samantha Abbot, 32, to have an abortion

Witnesses told the trial that McGregor was seen repeatedly hitting Miss Abbot so hard that his knuckles went white and one described her being covered in bruises.

McGregor tailgated his girlfriend while berating her on the phone for smoking and he was spotted cruising past her friends homes to 'check up on her.'

Sheriff Keith O'Mahoney said it was an unusual case because most of McGregor's behaviour was not in dispute.

However, he found McGregor not guilty of assault by repeatedly nipping Miss Abbot because some witnesses had described it as 'toy fighting' and 'mucking about.'

He found the stalking charge not proven and said: 'Some allowance has to be made for the tumultuous nature of every relationship.

'I have to decide whether the conduct, which unusually seems more or less agreed, amounts to the usual norms of rowing or whether it comes to something more.

'I don't think I can conclude beyond reasonable doubt that it amounts to a stalking offence.'

Giving evidence behind screens, she said: 'I very unexpectedly found out I was pregnant. He threatened me with suicide - that if I gave birth to a child he wouldn't be here. I felt I was being forced into a situation of terminating a child.'

The same court heard last year how McGregor, 29, from Perth, was bitten on the leg by his mistress during a naked brawl with her and his other lover.

Details of the naked three-way fracas between McGregor and his two lovers were aired during his trial on charges of stalking and attacking ex-girlfriends.

Kirstyn Fullerton, 24, told the court she believed she was McGregor's girlfriend - but had gone to his home to find him naked with his 'former' girlfriend Lisa Baird.

Kirstyn Fullerton (left), 24, told the court she believed she was McGregor's girlfriend - but had gone to his home to find him naked with his 'former' girlfriend Lisa Baird (right)

She said there was a violent bust-up between the trio which included McGregor slamming his elbow into her and pinning her down on his bed.

Miss Fullerton said she retaliated by biting the naked police officer on the thigh and she admitted she had been convicted of assault as a result.

She told Perth Sheriff Court: 'Both of them had not one piece of clothing on. Scott threw me onto the bed and attacked me. He had me face down on the bed and was punching me on the back of the head.

'I was screaming and shouting for help because he was attacking me. He elbow-dropped me on the back of the head.

'He grabbed my head and forced it between his legs and he still had no clothes on. That's when I bit him in the thigh. My arm was sore and my body was bruised for quite a while after that night.'

Lisa Baird contacted the police and Miss Fullerton was arrested and subsequently convicted of assault.

Former door steward Miss Fullerton told the court that on another occasion McGregor kicked her and broke her finger and hacked into her phone to find out where she was.

She said: 'I think he probably hacked into my phone because there were a lot of times he would have had no idea where I was and he turned up at places..'

Another ex-girlfriend, Katherine Allan, 28, previously told the court McGregor stalked her on and off for three years after their year-long relationship fizzled out.

She said he tailed her in his car for several miles and entered her bedroom uninvited as she recovered from a car crash.

McGregor, from Perth, was cleared of stalking Katherine Allan between October 2007 and May 2010.

He was also cleared of stalking and assaulting Miss Fullerton by lying in front of her car and secretly accessing her social media accounts.

The court heard how McGregor had been redeployed to desk duties.Age verification on internet porn have been delayed again and will not be in place until Easter, a minister admitted today.

Culture Minister Margot James said she hoped legislation would be in Parliament before the end of the year but that websites would need time to 'get up to speed' after.

She told the Science and Technology Committee's inquiry into the impact of social media it had taken longer than hoped but 'we have got it right'.

Under the current scheme adult websites will have to provide their own verification software, which will then have to meet standards and checks carried out by the British Board of Film Classification.

Margot James (pictured in the commons today) said she hoped legislation would be in Parliament before the end of the year but that websites would need time to 'get up to speed' after

Ms James said: 'We can expect it to be in force by Easter of next year and I make that timetable through the knowledge we have laid the necessary secondary legislation before parliament.

'I am hopeful of getting a slot to debate it before the end of the year. We have always said that we will permit the industry three months of getting up to speed with the practicalities and delivering the age verification that they will be required by law to deliver.

'We have also had to establish with the British Board for Film Classification, which has become the regulator, and they have had to consult on the methods of age verification.

'So it has taken longer than I would have liked but I would balance by a confidence that we have got it right.'

Under the current scheme adult websites will have to provide their own verification software, which will then have to meet standards and checks carried out by the British Board of Film Classification (file image posed by models)

Ms James also said a deadline to speed up the removal of harmful content on social media is among the legislative measures being considered by the government in a bid to protect young people.

It compels social networking sites to remove illegal content within 24 hours of it being reported, or face fines.

When asked by Labour MP Liz Kendall whether the government was considering such a move, Ms James responded: 'Yes, I mean that would be one of the aspects of what may require new law as opposed to the many non-legislative measures that we're still developing.'

The minister warned there are some grey areas of what is deemed illegal content and what is not, which it is expected to be addressed in a white paper this winter.A neighbour felt her floor pounding as the man in the flat below blared an Eminem CD at the time he is said to have shaken his 10-week-old daughter to death, a court heard.

Darren Turner, 32, had amphetamines, cocaine, morphine and cannabis in his system when he allegedly inflicted a fatal head injury on baby Mya-May.

He had visited the child's mother, his on-off partner Danielle Cox, at her flat in Thamesmead, southeast London, shortly after 1pm on 4 November 2016 and was alone in the apartment looking after the girl when the mother went out.

Prosecutor Sarah Whitehouse QC said one of Ms Coxs neighbours, Stephanie Herbert, heard a male voice shouting amidst loud music between 2.30pm and 3pm that afternoon.

Darren Turner, 32, arrives at the Old Bailey; he denies manslaughter and cruelty to a child

That half-hour was crucial because it is during that time that the prosecution say Mya-May suffered the assault which eventually led to her death, she said.

Today Ms Herbert described to jurors at the Old Bailey how the floor was vibrating underneath my feet with the noise of the rappers CD.

I live in quite an old block of flats with thick concrete floors and generally dont hear my neighbours, she said.

I am surrounded by children and dont hear them. I dont hear their television, dont hear their music.

She described hearing music coming from the flat below on numerous earlier occasions, but said it was never as loud as it was that day.

Asked whether she may have been exaggerating the volume, Ms Herbert added: The floor was vibrating underneath my feet; thats how loud the music was.

She described recognising Turner as being someone who regularly visited the flat and always assumed the male voice shouting a number of times was him after spotting him arriving.

Talking about the raised voice she heard on November 4, Ms Herbert said: The way that this person shouts, if somebody shouted at me like that I would be afraid first of all, and I think people would recognise the voice.

It was the same voice I heard on previous occasions.

Jurors at the Old Bailey (pictured) were told by a witness the 'floor was vibrating underneath my feet'

Jurors heard two police officers later attended each flat where they found the rap CD still sitting in the stereos disc tray.

One of them went up to Ms Herberts apartment while the other remained downstairs, slowly increasing the volume.

The officer who went upstairs told jurors she could only hear the music when the sound was ramped up to level 60 - the maximum volume.

After going back down to Ms Coxs flat, she described it being intolerable to be in the same room as the stereo system while the CD was blaring.

She said it was painful to listen to, adding that she had to shut her eyes and walk out because it was too loud.

Jurors heard Mya-May was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital just before 4pm that afternoon and died six days later having suffered a severe head injury.

Ms Whitehouse said pathologist Dr Nat Cary found Mya-May had been subjected to a forceful gripping of her chest.

At the same time of the gripping of her chest she had suffered a head injury and it is that head injury which ultimately proved to be fatal.

In the opinion of Dr Cary the injuries seen in this baby was consistent, or typical, of the kind of injury seen when a child is shaken or thrown on to a soft surface.

The expert found Mya-May had suffered subdural haemorrhages; extensive, recent, internal bleeding in both eyes, affecting the retinas and optic nerves; and multiple posterior rib fractures.

Jurors were told the fractures had occurred at two different times - one several days prior to her death, including the period shortly before her admission to hospital, and the second several weeks before then.

Dr Cary concluded that Overall, this is the sort of pattern of injuries seen when an infant is forcibly squeezed, shaken and thrown down onto soft furnishings, a so-called shake-throw mechanism, Ms Whitehouse added.

Turner, of Titmuss Avenue, Thamesmead, southeast London, denies manslaughter and cruelty to a child.

The trial continues.Pink's husband Carey Hart is encouraging victims of the California wildfires to defend their properties from looters by using their Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Hart wrote on Instagram Tuesday morning: 'It's unfortunate that some people take advantage of others in a crisis. While the Malibu fires have been burning, some locals have been fighting off and defending their property against the fires.

'There have been sightings of looters breaking in to homes. Well, if you are a looter, think twice if you are heading back into malibu (sic). #DefendYourLand #2ndamendment.'

The former professional freestyle motocross competitor's warning was posted alongside a black and white photo of a group of men holding firearms with a sign that reads: 'Looters will be shot on site.'

It is unclear when the photo was taken. The corner of the sign says: 'PDC Posse.'

Pink's husband Carey Hart encouraged fellow victims of the California wildfires to defend their properties from looters by exercising their Second Amendment right to bear arms in a threatening Instagram post on Tuesday morning (pictured)

The former professional freestyle motocross competitor's Instagram warning is shown in full

Pink and Hart (pictured in January) were among the 250,000 people forced to evacuate their homes in Southern California as the Woolsey and Hill fires torched nearly 100,000 acres

At least 435 buildings north of Los Angeles were torched by wildfires that forced the evacuation of 250,000 people in Southern California over the weekend.

The statewide death toll from wildfires over the past week in California has reached 50 - 48 who died in the Camp Fire which torched the town of Paradise, and two who died in the Woolsey fire which burned through Malibu.

As firefighters continue to battle the Woolsey Fire, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office announced Monday that it was dispatching teams of law enforcement officers to help handle looting in evacuated neighborhoods.

'We have experienced some looting activity during the past two days. Southeastern Ventura County is within a declared disaster area. People need to stay out of the area to let public safety crews do their work,' the sheriff's department said in a press release.

'People found in areas where they do not belong will be contacted by law enforcement and may be arrested.'

Two people have been arrested for looting in Ventura County as of Tuesday afternoon.

Several of the communities evacuated, including Malibu and Calabasas, were home to high-profile celebrities including the Kardashians, Miley Cyrus and Gerard Butler.

Pink and Carey Hart were also among those forced to flee their $110million home in Malibu, which is believed to have survived the wildfires, which torched nearly 100,000 acres.

Pink and Hart's $110million beachside home in Malibu (pictured) reportedly survived the firesPolice will get a further 150,000 to investigate the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, it was reported today.

The funding will keep Operation Grange going until March 2019.

The news was met with anger on social media as taxpayers demanded justification for pouring more money into the probe which has already cost 11.6million.

In September The Home Office confirmed it was considering an application from Scotland Yard for more funding to continue the hunt for the youngster

Kate and Gerry McCann are 'incredibly grateful' to the Home Office for approving Scotland Yard's latest request for more money amid stringent government cutbacks, family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said.

He said: 'They are very encouraged that the Met Police still believe there is work left to be done in the search for their daughter and they remain incredibly grateful to the Home Office for providing an extra budget for the investigation.

'Beyond this they cannot comment on the ongoing operation.'

The Yard had applied for renewed funding in September but the Home Office has declined to say until today if it had been approved - leaving Maddie's desperate parents on tenterhooks for weeks.

A spokesperson said: 'We have confirmed that Special Grant funding of 150,000 will be provided to the Metropolitan Police Service for the six-month period to 31 March 2019. This is an ongoing police investigation.'

Three-year-old Maddie vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal's Praia da Luz in May 2007.

She had been left alone sleeping with her younger twin siblings while her parents were dining with pals in a nearby tapas restaurant.

Dave Edgar (left) remains 'hopeful' that Madeleine McCann will be found alive in Portugal

Former GP turned medical worker Kate and heart doctor Gerry, both 50, of Rothley, Leicestershire, cling onto a glimmer of hope that Maddie could still be alive after more than 11 years.

She would be aged 15. Detectives have refused to discuss details of the 'important final line of inquiry' they are pursuing.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'We cannot give a running commentary on the investigation while it is ongoing.'

The inquiry, launched in May 2011 and now headed by Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Wall, still has 'important work to do and focused lines of investigation to be pursued, a force spokesman said:.

'The inquiry has not reached a conclusion and we're continuing with focus and determination. There are no immediate plans to reduce officer numbers further at this time.'

Mr Mitchell said: 'Kate and Gerry appreciate everything the authorities have done and are doing to get a resolution after all this time. It gives them hope that one day they may finally find out what happened to their daughter.'

Dave Edgar was hired by Kate and Gerry McCann to look into their daughter's disappearance and worked on the case for three years

Ex police chiefs and some members of public have slammed the Maddie inquiry as a waste of public money and officers' time despite it being drastically scaled down over the past few years.

The McCanns have around 4million saved in a public fund to help find their daughter. But they fear this could be swallowed up in legal fees and a potential libel payout to former Portuguese officer Goncalo Amaral in their ongoing and bitter court battle.

There is a healthy balance of nearly 750,000 sitting in the Find Maddie Fund. The stash of cash - made up mainly of public donations and profits from Kate's bestseller book - has grown over the past financial year, according to the latest accounts.

Last month a former detective has revealed he remains 'hopeful' that Madeleine McCann will be found alive in Portugal, where she went missing in 2007.

Former Detective Inspector Dave Edgar was hired by Kate and Gerry McCann to look into their daughter's disappearance and worked on the case for three years before it was taken over by the Met Police in 2011.

Mr Edgar believes the case is 'solvable' and maintains there are 'people out there who know what happened'.

Last year Mr Edgar claimed the kidnapper was being protected and said the disappearance was 'intricately planned by a gang of paedophiles'.

He once said he believed Madeleine was being held in an underground cell or dungeon, like the victims of Josef Fritzl.

Mr Edgar told The Sun in October there is still the chance of a breakthrough, adding: '[Madeleine] could literally be anywhere in the world but my hunch is that she is in Portugal.

'The chance that she may have been smuggled out of the country without being detected is highly unlikely. There is someone in Portugal with an open knowledge of where she is and what happened.'

In September the Home Office confirmed it was considering an application from Scotland Yard for more funding to continue the hunt for the youngster.

In a blog published on September 26, it said: 'We have received and are considering a request from the Metropolitan Police Service to extend funding for Operation Grange until the end of March 2019.

'The Home Office maintains an ongoing dialogue with the MPS regarding funding for Operation Grange.'

Scotland Yard launched Operation Grange in 2013 after a Portuguese inquiry failed to make any headway.

UK detectives were granted an extra 150,000 in March to continue the probe to the end of September.President Donald Trump is planning to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly in a major post-election shakeup of his administration.

At least four news outlets reported in the past 24 hours that either or both officials' heads are on the chopping block.

Trump wants a more aggressive approach to border control. A White House aide said when she was appointed that the president made the move on the recommendation of Kelly, her longtime mentor.

But the president believes the Kelly protege hasn't measured up, that same official said Tuesday.

NBC News reported that Kelly will be pushed out because of his clashes with first lady Melania Trump's office, what's known as the East Wing, and with National Security Adviser John Bolton.

'There have been instances where the East Wing staff were not treated as equals to the male-dominated decision makers in chief Kellys office,' one White House official told NBC. 'Promotions were denied then finally granted after months of requests.'

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly could be fired soon over his management style and clashes he's had with National Security Advisor John Bolton and members of first lady Melania Trump's staff

Homeland Security Secretar Kirstjen Nielsen, a Kelly protege, has already found her head on the chopping block since President Trump reportedly wants a more aggressive approach to U.S. border security

The president was expected to engage in a cabinet shuffle or start a period of senior staff turnover after the midterm elections

It's unclear when Nielsen and Kelly might leave the administration.

Trump is considering replacing Kelly with Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Nick Ayers, according to ABC News reported.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, has sought to bring more stability to the White House operation under the unpredictable Trump. During his time as chief of staff, he and the president have had a rocky relationship, according to various news reports and Bob Woodward's best-selling book 'Fear: Trump in the White House.'

Trump has sought to toughen immigration policies and has been reportedly unhappy with Nielsen's efforts to tighten the border.

The president has vowed to begin cutting millions of dollars in aid to Central America over a caravan of thousands of mostly Honduran migrants who say they are fleeing violence and poverty at home. He has called the caravan, which is currently in Mexico, a national emergency and an 'invasion.'

Last week the U.S. military said over 7,000 troops would go to the border with Mexico.

Kelly has reportedly infuriated first lady Melania Trump because he slow-dragged promotions for her top aides

Nielsen (pictured in San Diego during a March tour of border wall prototypes) reportedly has not been enjoying her job

Kelly, Nielsen's mentor, has been fighting to keep her (pictured together October 2017) after pushing for her to get the Homeland security role

TRUMP'S DEPARTURE LOUNGE President Donald Trump's administration has seen the resignation or firing of a long series of senior officials. This is a list of the most prominent ones, in the order they left their positions: Michael Flynn, National Security Advisor Sean Spicer, Press Secretary Reince Priebus, Chief of Staff Anthony Scaramucci, Communications Director Steve Bannon, Chief Strategist Katie Walsh, Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Dubke, Communications Director Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President K.T. McFarland, Deputy National Security Adviser Tom Price, Secretary of Health and Human Services Omarosa Manigault-Newman, Spokeswoman, Office of Public Liaison James Comey, FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Deputy FBI Director Dina Powell, Deputy National Security Adviser Walter Shaub, Office of Government Ethics Director Angella Reid, Chief Usher Rob Porter, Staff Secretary Josh Raffel, Deputy Communications Director Hope Hicks, Director of Strategic Communications Gary Cohn, National Economic Council Director John McEntee, Personal Aide to the President Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State H.R. McMaster, National Security Advisor David Shulkin, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Michael Anton, National Security Council Spokesman Tom Bossert, Homeland Security Adviser Scott Pruitt, EPA Administrator Nikki Haley, United Nations Ambassador Jeff Sessions, Attorney General Advertisement

Earlier this year the Trump administration tried to deter illegal immigrant families from traveling to the border by instituting a 'zero tolerance' policy, resulting in the separation of thousands of children from their parents as the adults were prosecuted.

Trump is said to have told advisers that he plans to get rid of Nielsen as the anniversary of her 2017 appointment approaches.

The news came after he canceled their trip to visit troops at the border in South Texas.

Trump wants someone with a more aggressive attitude to curtailing immigration but with no deputy secretary since April, Nielsen's responsibilities could land in Claire Grady's lap.

If not the undersecretary for management, Trump is reportedly considering Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and David Pekoske.

Nielsen delivered an enthusiastic speech at the opening of his wall in Calexico, California recently. She also defended Trump's decision to separate families at the border

Both have been confirmed by the Senate and Pekoske is the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration and used to be a vice commandant of the Coast Guard.

The Post also reports Kris Kobach, who lost out on the Kansas governor role, could be nominated however the secretary of state may be considered too extreme for Senate approval.

After the position was created in 2003 following the September 11 terrorist attacks and George W. Bush had two over six years during his terms.

Barack Obama had two across his eight years as president and Trump is already on his second as he nears two years as POTUS.

'If I were advising the White House, I'd encourage them to nominate someone with executive branch experience,' an anonymous senior DHS official said. 'This will be our fourth secretary in two years. The last thing we want is someone who needs hand-holding.'

Nielsen is pictured as she takes the Oath of Office as the Sixth Secretary of Homeland Security in December 2017, joined by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (center) and Executive Clerk of the White House David Kalbaugh

A source claimed Nielsen  who used to work on disaster management response for the White House under Bush  is referred to as a 'Bushie' by Trump.

He reportedly claims she's too loyal to the former president despite her defending Trump's stance on separating families at the border. He then ended the operation days later.

Nielsen also delivered an enthusiastic speech at the opening of his wall in Calexico, California recently.

Still, Trump is said to have blamed her for a rebound in the number of people arrested at the Mexican border this year.

Insiders claim that Trump berating her in Cabinet meetings and belittling her to staff has made Nielsen want to quit the role but Madame Secretary is reluctant to before having done a year.

Claire Grady (right), Acting Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security, could be left with Nielsen's responsibilities

US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan (left) could be in the running for the role as could David P. Pekoske (right), administrator of the Transportation Security Administration

Trump with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (left) at the White House in July 2017. He could be considering Kobach as Nielsen's replacement

The Post reports that while she feels that way Chief of Staff John F. Kelly has been fighting to keep her.

He supposedly wants to delay the removal of Nielsen, White House colleagues have become annoyed at his constant and possibly unjustified praising of her despite her lack of experience in the field.

Kelly pushed for her to be confirmed in the role and three aides added that his own job hangs in the balance.

A DHS spokesperson declined to comment on the speculation the The Post.

Trump's administration has been marked by its unusually high turn over of high ranking officials with at least 55 leaving their roles since the inauguration.

At least 18 of those were publicly fired, including the most recent firing of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.Advertisement

Heroic nurses have told how they rushed patients into an abandoned garage after fleeing their burning hospital in Paradise last Thursday as the deadliest wildfire California has ever seen razed the entire city.

Nurses and doctors were forced to flee the Feather River Hospital in Paradise on Thursday as the Camp Fire encroached on them.

They bundled elderly and newborn patients into any vehicles they could and fled. They hoped to get to other hospitals nearby but were confronted almost immediately by flames and became stuck.

Tamara Ferguson and Crissy Foster got in one ambulance with a critically ill elderly patient. They were following another ambulance when it caught fire and they were all forced to abandon their vehicles.

They had stopped near the home of Desiree Borden who had fled with her family that morning. Borden's garage was somehow still in tact and provided a shelter for the nurses, doctors, EMTs and patients.

Patients lay on the floor of the garage (left) while nurses including Crissy Foster and Tamara Ferguson cared for them after they were forced to flee the Feather River Hospital in Paradise, California, on Thursday. One of the nurses is shown sweeping up (right) to get flammable leaves and branches away from the home

A man stands on the roof of the garage, one of the only buildings that was left standing, to hose it down after other EMTs arrived

Once inside, they lay the patients on the ground and prayed for their lives. Some called their loved ones to tell them they did not think they would make it out alive.

Ferguson recounted the terrifying ordeal in a Facebook post. She said: 'We moved patients to the garage of the only house not burning, laid them down and tried to reassure their scared faces while hiding ours.

'I wanted to run, just get out and run down the street and dodge flames and get to safety but reality reminded me I am not faster than a fierce, fast blowing fire...

'I felt so scared, hopeless, and desperate.'

Crissy had managed to track down the homeowner on Facebook after seeing her name on the mailbox.

She sent her a message asking: 'I know this is random. Is your house (address)? I noticed your last name is the same one that was on the mailbox.

Borden replied: 'Yes! Isit gone...are you ok?'

Foster responded: 'I am a nurse at feather river and we got trapped there and it saved our life. We were on the roof and watered and when we left it was still standing.'

She went on to say it was a 'safe haven' which had saved them.

Eventually, other firefighters and EMTs arrived to rescue the group. Before they could leave, the two nurses swept away leaves from the property which could have worsened the fire.

The nurses are pictured with some firefighters. They said that while they feared for their own lives, they would not abandon their patients

Crissy messaged the homeowner after they were safe to tell her the extraordinary story of how her garage kept them all safe

After the flames had passed and it was safe enough for them to come back out, they hosed down the area. Right is the shell of what is thought to have been their ambulance

This is the garage where they hid. It is surrounded by trees and greenery and is one of the only buildings in Paradise that is still standing

They all went back to the hospital and set up a triage center in the parking lot where the two nurses sat in a car with a new mother who had just given birth via c-section and could not walk.

She helped her breastfeed and gave another woman, who had also just given birth and whose baby was rushed away to a different hospital, pain medication.

Nurse Nichole Jolly fled in her car but quickly got caught in the flames when her car was rear ended and she was pushed into a ravine.

She phoned her husband to tell him she was going to die and to tell their children she loved them.

'I said, "I think I'm going to die. Tell the kids I love them. I'm not gonna make it home,"' Jolly recalled to NBC afterwards.

Nurse Nichole Jolly wheels an elderly patient out of Feather River Hospital in Paradise, California, on Thursday after evacuating the hospital in just 20 minutes when the Camp Fire approached

In addition to the people who were patients at the hospital, residents and animals from nearby who had nowhere to go also showed up because they thought it was one of the few safe places left

The hospital was entirely razed by the Camp Fire on Thursday not long after the patients were evacuated

'My kids thought I was dead. It was heartbreaking,' she said.

Nurse Nichole Jolly told her family that she thought she would die. She is pictured after returning to the hospital to continue treating patients

She got out of the vehicle but her pants caught fire.

'My car started to fill up with smoke, someone came up behind me and pushed me off the road amd the back of my pants were on fire, the air was so hot.

'It was burning my lungs.

'I thought I was going to die,' she told GMA on Monday morning.

Miraculously, she found her way to a nearby fire truck and banged on the window.

'They extinguished my pants and put a fire blanket round me,' she recalled.

A bulldozer then cleared their path and she was able to return to the hospital where she continued treating patients in a makeshift triage area set up in the parking lot.

Her home was completely destroyed in the fire but she is grateful to be alive.

'It's completely gone... it's just stuff.

'I am alive and I thought I was going to die multiple times,' she said.

Hospital staff rush a patient on a gurney to safety at the Feather River Hospital in Paradise in California

Staff set up an emergency triage center in the parking lot nearby while the hospital burned down

Doctors and nurses brought some of the vital equipment out of the hospital to continue treating patients when the hospital went down

Two elderly patients are put into sheriff's vehicles in the parking lot of the Feather River Hospital in Paradise on Thursday, November 8

Nurse Cassie Lerossignol hugs a co-worker as they take a brief moment out of treating patients in the parking lot

Hospital staff stand in the parking lot of the Feather River Hospital on Thursday surrounded by equipment after the Camp Fire seized itBrodie Wilkinson III, 22, was shot dead in his truck on October 6 in Robertson, Tennessee

A Tennessee man unknowingly recorded his own murder and helped officers track down his suspected killers.

Brodie Wilkinson III, 22, was found shot dead inside his crashed truck on Highway 76 outside of Nashville, Tennessee, on October 6.

But before his murder, Wilkinson picked up his cell phone and began recording from his truck as two men got out of a white 2008 Dodge Charger - and one was holding a gun.

'In the video, you can hear the sound of a gunshot after (Wilkinson) passes and the penetration of the projectile as it entered the truck and Mr. Wilkinson,' according to an affidavit filed at the Robertson County Circuit Court Clerk's Office.

Wilkinson had reported three trespassers swimming in a creek on his family's property on October 6.

He confronted the group of two men and one women who refused to leave before Wilkinson left to call police.

Daniel Blake Scott, 28, (left), Jennifer Henning, 23, (center) and Darick A Hinerman, 25 (right) have been arrested and held on $1million bail each

Court documents obtained by the Tennessean reveal that Wilkinson told the dispatcher he would meet officers at a nearby location and was heading there when he ran into the suspects again.

Daniel Blake Scott, 28, Darick A Hinerman, 25, and Jennifer Henning, 23, were all arrested in connection with Wilkinson's death.

The three suspects reportedly spotted Wilkinson 's truck heading in the opposite direction and pulled over.

According to Henning's affidavit, she was driving and pulled over. That's when Scott and Hinerman got out of the car and approached Wilkinson's truck.

Wilkinson was found dead inside his crashed truck.

At first, authorities were called to investigate a car crash, but later discovered it had been a homicide.

He had confronted three trespassers who were swimming in a creek on his family's property and when they refused to leave he called authorities. Pictured is scene where Wilkinson's truck was found

As Wilkinson was driving to meet officers, the trespassers appeared in their car and allegedly shot him dead

All three were tracked to a home in Springfield and arrested later that night.

They are being held on $1million bond each and could face first-degree murder charges when the grand jury meets next week.

Officers reviewed Wilkinson's cellphone video and used another cellphone to record in slow motion, the affidavits said.

In slow motion, they were able to see Hinerman holding a black gun as he approached the car.

After a single gunshot was fired, the truck crashed and Wilkinson died at the scene.

Robertson County Sheriff Mike Van Dyke released a statement to the media saying that his department's thoughts and prayers were with the Wilkinson family.

'I am proud of our sheriff's office team for apprehending these suspects quickly and removing them from the streets,' he said in the statement.Welcome Guest! You Are Here:Theresa May (pictured today leaving No 10) has struck a Brexit deal with Brussels - but now has to sell it to her Cabinet and then Parliament

Theresa May has struck a Brexit deal with Brussels - but now has to sell it to her Cabinet and then Parliament.

Getting the support of her Cabinet is a crucial first step over the next 24 hours - after which the full details of the plan will be revealed to the nation.

Then she will have to face down MPs in Parliament in December and has to win a vote on whether the country accepts the deal.

This is a potentially much more challenging hurdle because she is already facing opposition to the deal from the DUP, some Tory Brexiteer and Remainer MPs and Labour.

If she fails to get Cabinet support or win a vote in Parliament, her government will likely collapse and the nation will in all probability face another general election.

Here is how events could develop over the coming hours, days and weeks now a draft agreement has been reached.

Special Cabinet, today

What will happen? The Cabinet will assemble in Downing Street this afternoon to formally make a decision about whether to adopt the plan.

Britain's most senior minsters are likely to have an extensive and frank discussion about the terms of the deal. The meeting, in Downing Street's Cabinet Room, will be the last opportunity to make clear criticism and disagreement.

The Prime Minister already meet her ministers individually last night for a personal briefing on what is in the deal.

She survived that hurdle - if Mrs May had miscalculated her position, rebellious ministers could have resigned on the spot - potentially destroying the plans. The Prime Minister can probably survive one or two resignations - but a mass walkout would almost certainly finish her.

What if Cabinet cannot agree? Anyone who cannot agree to the plan or who attacks it after will be expected to resign or face the sack.

Much like after the one on one meetings, no individual resignation will sink the Government but a raft of people quitting could collapse the Government.

Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt, Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom and Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey are seen as most likely to resign - but the loss of any would be survivable.

Losing the senior Brexiteers in the Cabinet - particularly Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab - would be more damaging and possibly terminal.

Chances of no deal would rocket as there is little time to negotiate a new deal.

What if there is agreement? At the end of the meeting, Mrs May will likely sum up and ask her Cabinet to endorse the plan.

Once the Cabinet has agreed, they are all bound by a 'collective responsibility' to defend it in public.

If an agreement is reached, the Prime Minister is expected to hold live televised press conference and the full 500 page divorce deal will be published.

The crucial dates on Theresa May's path to securing a Brexit deal Today: Special Cabinet meeting. If an agreement is reached the plan will be revealed to the public November 22-25: Emergency EU summit. EU Leaders will meet to sign off on the deal December: Vote in Parliament. Theresa May needs to win support for the deal from a majority of MPs March 29, 2019: Exit Day. Britain leaves the EU and enters a 'transition period' either governed by a deal or under WTO rules if no deal is reached. Negotiations turn to securing a final agreement between the EU and Britain December 2020: The transition period ends. A trade deal comes into effect. If there isn't one, the Irish border 'backstop' plan could be triggered. Advertisement

Emergency EU Summit, Brussels, late November

What will happen? If the divorce package is agreed between the two sides, it will need to be signed off by EU leaders.

EU council president Donald Tusk will convene a summit where formal approval will be given by EU leaders. This is expected sometime between November 22 and 25.

Will the whole deal be agreed? The Brexit deal is due to come in two parts - a formal divorce treaty and a political declaration on what the final trade deal might look like.

The second part may not be finished until a regular EU summit due on December 13-14 - it depends whether or not it is published today.

Assuming the negotiations have reached an agreement and Mrs May travels to Brussels with her Cabinet's support, this stage should be a formality.

What if there is no agreement? If EU leaders do not sign off on the deal at this stage, no deal becomes highly likely - there is just no time left to negotiate a wholly new deal.

The so-called 'meaningful vote' in the UK Parliament, December 2019

What will happen: A debate, probably over more than one day, will be held in the House of Commons on terms of the deal.

It will end with a vote on whether or not MPs accept the deal. More than one vote might happen if MPs are allowed to table amendments.

The vote is only happening after MPs forced the Government to accept a 'meaningful vote' in Parliament on the terms of the deal.

What happens if May wins? If the meaningful vote is passed, there will be a series of further votes as the withdrawal treaty is written into British law.

It will be a huge political victory for the Prime Minister and probably secure her version of Brexit.

How can she win? The Prime Minister needs a simple majority of the House of Commons - excluding the Speakers, Sinn Fein and Tellers this means 318 votes.

She can rely on around 150 members of the Government and maybe another 80 Tory MPs - getting her to about 230 votes - leaving her almost 90 votes short.

Mrs May is likely to get the backing of some Labour MPs - but probably no more than 45 at the most.

This mean she can only win the vote if she can squeeze the Brexiteer rebels down from up to 80 votes and get the 10 DUP MPs in line.

What happens if she loses? This is possibly the most dangerous stage of all.

The Prime Minister will have to stake her political credibility on winning a vote and losing it would be politically devastating.

Brexiteers do not want to sign off the divorce bill without a satisfactory trade deal and Remainers are reluctant to vote for a blind Brexit.

She could go back to Brussels to ask for new concessions before a second vote but many think she would have to resign quickly.

The Cabinet (pictured in July) will assemble in Downing Street tomorrow afternoon to formally make a decision about whether to adopt the plan

Ratification in the EU, February 2019

What will happen? After the meaningful vote in the UK, the EU will have to ratify the agreement.

The European Parliament must also vote in favour of the deal. It has a representative in the talks, Guy Verhofstadt, who has repeatedly warned the deal must serve the EU's interests.

Will it be agreed? In practice, once the leaders of the 27 member states have agreed a deal, ratification on the EU side should be assured.

If the deal has passed the Commons and she is still in office, this should not be dangerous for the Prime Minister.

Exit day, March 29, 2019

What will happen? At 11pm on March 29, 2019, Britain will cease to be a member of the European Union, two years after triggering Article 50 and almost three years after the referendum.

Exit happens at 11pm because it must happen on EU time.

If the transition deal is in place, little will change immediately - people will travel in the same way as today and goods will cross the border normally.

But Britain's MEPs will no longer sit in the European Parliament and British ministers will no longer take part in EU meetings.

Negotiations will continue to turn the political agreement on the future partnership into legal text that will eventually become a second treaty. Both sides will build new customs and immigration controls in line with what this says.

Transition ends, December 2020

What will happen? The UK's position will undergo a more dramatic change at the end of December 2020, when the 'standstill' transition is due to finish.

If the negotiations on a future trade deal are complete, that could come into force.

But if they are still not complete the Irish border 'backstop' plan could be triggered.

Under current thinking, that means the UK staying in the EU customs union and more regulatory checks between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland.

Eurosceptics fear this arrangement will prevent the country striking trade deals elsewhere, and could effectively last for ever, as Brussels will have no incentive to negotiate a replacement deal.Cadre: John McDonnell has called for the collective ownership of land

John McDonnell last night promoted the collective ownership of land and said if he gets in power he will transform the state from within.

Speaking at a rally in St Pancreas Church in London, Labour's shadow chancellor vowed to replace the House of Lords with an elected senate and nationalise utilities.

He implied that Labor MPs who don't support the party leadership would be held 'accountable' and said collective land ownership could shake up society.

'One of the big issues we're now talking about is land, how do we go about looking at collective ownership of land, Community Land Trusts, the development of those by local communities that's a huge challenge to the existing power relationships within our society at the moment, it's one I think that could be fundamentally important.'

Community Land Trusts are set up by local people to collectively build, own and manage houses in their community.

There are now almost 290 CLTs in England and Wales, and the sector has grown six-fold in the last six years.

Mr McDonnell said CLTs contribute towards his broader aim to dramatically change the power structure in the UK.

He said: 'It's the development of the ideas of "in and against the state" at the local level.'

Mr McDonnell said the state forces working class people 'to conform to the existing distribution of wealth and power within our society' and needs to be fundamentally re-thought.

He said his mission was 'to gain power to empower,' reported the New Statesman.

The 67-year-old celebrated Labour reaching 50,000 members but added: 'Weve got to convert ordinary members and supporters into real cadres who understand and analyse society and who are continually building the ideas'.

The policy of collective ownership was advocated by German philosopher Karl Marx in his Communist Manifesto.

It comes after an ally of Jeremy Corbyn has said last week all private homes should be 'nationalised' by giving town halls the right to buy them.

Hard-left Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle (pictured) told a rally that council bosses should be given the power of first refusal on houses up for sale

Hard-left Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle told a rally that council bosses should be given the power of first refusal on houses up for sale.

The plans would see swathes of privately-owned property being taken into public control.

In response, Tory chairman Brandon Lewis tweeted: 'Even your home is not safe from Labour now.'

Mr Russell-Moyle, 32, also said he wants to tear up planning laws to allow local authorities to build high-rise flats in suburbs and leafy villages.

He claimed Labour would order mass compulsory purchases of former council homes sold off under Margaret Thatcher's Right To Buy scheme.

The MP for Brighton Kemptown made his controversial comments at an anti-austerity conference in London.

He declared: 'Let's not just talk about council houses  let's get those bloody private houses back into our hands.'

Speaking under a banner reading 'Stand With Corbyn', Mr Russell-Moyle said a future Labour government would abolish the right to buy and 'compulsory purchase en masse' housing stock which had been sold.

Mr Russell-Moyle spoke under a banner reading 'Stand With Corbyn' (pictured, the Labour leader).

'We need to develop a system that slowly over time takes property out of private hands and puts it into public hands,' he said.

former housing minister Grant Shapps branded the plans 'pure madness'.

The Tory MP said: 'The truth's out  cuddly Corbyn wants to nationalise your home.'

The party's deputy chairman James Cleverly tweeted: 'Your home isn't safe under Labour. That 'right to buy' will be at a price of Labour's choosing and it won't be at its full market value.'

In response to the speech, a Labour Party spokesman said: 'This is not Labour policy.

'Labour will end the housing crisis by building 100,000 genuinely affordable homes a year, introducing controls on rents, longer tenancies and improved renters' rights and taking action to end rough sleeping.'Boris Johnson today tore into Theresa May's proposed Brexit deal - warning it will turn Britain into a 'vassal state'.

The ex Foreign Secretary said the plan is 'totally unacceptable' as he joined other leading Brexiteers in warning that MPs will not back it.

He was among a string of leading Brexiteers who furiously rounded on the PM's proposed deal as details of the plan leaked out tonight.

Mr Johnson said: 'We are going to stay in the customs union, we are going to stay in large parts of the single market.

'It's vassal state stuff as for the first time in 1,000 years this Parliament will not have a say over the laws that govern this country.

'It is utterly unacceptable to anybody who believes in democracy.'

Boris Johnson (pictured in Parliament today) tore into Theresa May's proposed Brexit deal - warning it will turn Britain into a 'vassal state'

Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured in Parliament today) chairman of the influential European Research Group of dozens of Tory MPs, said the deal is a failure of the Government's negotiating position

Tory Brexiteers lined up alongside the DUP - the powerful Northern Irish party which is propping the Tories up in No10 - to warn that the deal looks unacceptable.

Conservative backbenchers said reports the plan would include a backstop which means more and different regulatory checks in Northern Ireland would cross a red line.

Mr Johnson urged his ex-Cabinet colleagues to 'chuck it out', warning that the proposals made a 'nonsense of Brexit'.

And Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the influential European Research Group of dozens of Tory MPs, also turned his fury on the proposal.

He said: 'It is a failure of the Government's negotiating position, it is a failure to deliver on Brexit and it is potentially dividing up the United Kingdom.'

It comes as Mrs May summoned her cabinet ministers one by one to Downing Street tonight to personally brief them on the Brexit plan.

What have politicians said about Theresa May's Brexit plan? Here are what some of the UK's leading politicians have said abut Theresa May's Brexit plan: Boris Johnson, ex Foreign Secretary 'It's vassal state stuff as for the first time in 1,000 years this Parliament will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is utterly unacceptable to anybody who believes in democracy.' Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP 'The withdrawal agreement is a legally binding treaty which will shape our nation for the next generation. It will bind future governments and Prime Ministers. 'Without a clean exit clause, the United Kingdom would be handcuffed to the European Union with Brussels holding the keys.' Ian Duncan Smith, Tory MP Brexiteer former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it looked like the government was 'breaking their own agreed position and will be bringing back something that is untenable'. He added that 'if the Cabinet agrees it, the party certainly won't'. Nigel Dodds, DUP, deputy leader DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said: 'If the reports are as we are hearing, then we couldn't possibly vote for that.' Mark Francois, Tory MP 'The Cabinet is at the apogee of our political system. Those members of the Cabinet  what they do in the next 24 hours will probably be the most important thing that they do in their lives,' he told reporters. 'And they now have an opportunity to stand up for their country and to defend its destiny. We very much hope that they will take it.' Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader 'We will look at the details of what has been agreed when they are available. 'But from what we know of the shambolic handling of these negotiations, this is unlikely to be a good deal for the country. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland First Minister 'If the PM's 'deal' satisfies no-one and can't command a majority, we mustn't fall for her spin that the UK crashing out of EU without a deal is then inevitable - instead we should take the opportunity to get better options back on the table. 'Also, though the Withdrawal proposals will get most attention initially, the declaration on future relationship is just as important. If that is vague and dodges tough issues, a blindfold Brexit would beckon - it would be deeply irresponsible for parliament to sanction that.' Advertisement

She is hoping to win them over to the deal so she can get the cabinet official deal of approval at an emergency meeting at 2pm tomorrow.

Chief Whip Julian Smith told reporters: 'I am confident that we will get this through Parliament and that we can deliver on what the Prime Minister committed to on delivering Brexit.'

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said ministers would have to 'reflect on the detail'.

'That's what the Government has been working for all this time, to get a deal, and negotiators have worked incredibly hard to get us to this point but we have to reflect on the detail and consider at Cabinet tomorrow,' he said.

But several Brexit-backing cabinet ministers - including Penny Mordaunt, Esther McVey and Liam Fox - have been placed on resignation watch amid fears they could storm out of Government over the deal.

The agreement has be en thrashed out in principle between the UK and EU after intense and lengthy negotiations with Brussels.

But Brexiteers are furious at the plan, which is expected to include a backstop which keeps the UK in a custom partnership with the EU, and stipulate extra regulatory checks for Northern Ireland.

Mrs May faces the political battle of her life to get the deal first passed her Cabinet, and then through a hostile Parliament.

A Number 10 spokesman said: 'Cabinet will meet at 2pm tomorrow to consider the draft agreement the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels and to decide on next steps.

'Cabinet ministers have been invited to read documentation ahead of that meeting.'

Brexiteers lined up to condemn the deal before its details had even been officially confirmed.

Mr Rees-Mogg told the broadcaster: 'White flags have gone up all over Whitehall. It is a betrayal of the Union.'

Ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith suggested Mrs May's administration could collapse over the deal.

He warned that if reports of the deal's contents were true, the Government was 'breaking their own agreed position and will be bringing back something that is untenable'.

He added that 'if the Cabinet agrees it, the party certainly won't'.

Asked if the Government's days were numbered, he said: 'If this is the case almost certainly, yes.'

Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the DUP which props up Mrs May's minority administration, said that the deal as reported would leave Northern Ireland 'subject to the rules and laws set in Brussels with no democratic input or any say'.

He added: 'We object to that on constitutional grounds that our laws would be made in Brussels, not in Westminster or Belfast.

'That is the fundamental red line.'

Chancellor Philip Hammond (left) - one of the supporters of a soft Brexit - and Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom (right) - on the Brexiteer side of the argument - were spotted in Downing Street tonight

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling (left) and Health Secretary Matt Hancock (right) were among the ministers going into No10 tonight

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the party would vote against the deal if it failed to meet its tests.

'We will look at the details of what has been agreed when they are available,' he said.

'But from what we know of the shambolic handling of these negotiations, this is unlikely to be a good deal for the country.'

Neither Brussels nor Dublin confirmed that a deal had been reached, despite the Number 10 announcement.

A spokesman for chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier said the latest in the negotiations had been set out earlier by commission vice president Frans Timmermans, who said that while the talks were making progress 'we are not there yet'.

The European Commission would 'take stock' on Wednesday, he added.

A spokesman for Ireland's deputy premier Simon Coveney said that negotiations were at a 'sensitive' juncture.

'We are not commenting on media speculation around the withdrawal agreement,' the spokesman said.

'Michel Barnier and the task force are charged with negotiating with the UK and we have been in constant communication with them throughout.'US investigators are asking questions about Nigel Farage for an inquiry into Russian influence in the 2016 election, it was claimed today.

Jerome Corsi, an author who worked for right-wing website InfoWars, said he was questioned by investigators working for special counsel Robert Mueller and expects to be criminally charged with lying to them, which he denies.

He claimed they questioned him about Mr Farage, who campaigned for Donald Trump, and also Ted Malloch, an academic and friend of Mr Farage who informally advised the president.

Jerome Corsi claimed investigators questioned him about Mr Farage (right with Trump and British businessman Aaron Banks) in Trump Tower in November 2016

Former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage arrives at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France on Tuesday

'They asked about both Nigel and Ted Malloch, I can affirm that they did,' Corsi told the Guardian.

Corsi said he was questioned in Washington two weeks ago.

He added: 'But I'm really not going into detail because I respect the special counsel and the legal process.'

A spokesman for Nigel Farage said: 'This is ill-informed, intentionally malicious gossip and wholly untrue.'

Farage has not been contacted by Mueller's team, the Leave campaign said.

In January 2017, Mr Farage said claims the FBI were interested in him were 'hysterical'.

The former UKIP leader told the BBC that he has been friends with some of Mr Trump's team for years but has no connections to Russia.

It comes amid questions over Russian influence in the Brexit referendum.

Aaron Banks, one of the founders of the Leave.EU organisation, has been accused of breaking electoral law over an 8million donation. He denies the money came from Russia.

The National Crime Agency launched the investigation after the Electoral Commission said there were reasonable grounds to suspect that Banks was not the 'true source' of the donation.

Jerome Corsi, 72, pictured in 2008

On Monday, Mr Corsi, a friend of longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone, said on his YouTube show that negotiations fell apart with special counsel Robert Mueller's team and he expects in the coming days to be charged with making false statements.

'I'm going to be indicted,' the 72-year-old said on his show. 'That's what we were told. Everyone should know that, and I'm anticipating it.'

Corsi's attorney, David Gray, declined to comment Monday evening. A spokesman for the special counsel's office also declined to comment.

American intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian agents were the source of hacked material released by WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign, including emails belonging to former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.

And Mueller's office is trying to determine whether Stone and other associates of President Donald Trump had advance knowledge of WikiLeaks' plans.

Mr Corsi, the former Washington bureau chief of the conspiracy theory outlet InfoWars, said Monday that he had no recollection of ever meeting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

'To the best of my recollection, what I knew in advance about what Julian Assange was going to do in terms of having the Podesta emails, I figured out,' he said.

Mr Corsi said Monday that he has been cooperating with the Mueller investigation since receiving a subpoena in late August. He said he gave investigators two computers, a cell phone and access to his email accounts and tweets.

But he said talks with investigators recently had 'blown up.'

'I fully anticipate that in the next few days, I will be indicted by Mueller,' he said, as he made a pitch for donations to his legal defence fund.

Mr Stone, who has also said he expects to be indicted, has denied being a conduit for WikiLeaks, which published thousands of emails stolen from Podesta in the weeks before the election.

Last month, Mr Stone said: 'I had no advance notice of the source or content or the exact timing of the release of the WikiLeaks disclosures.'Britain and the EU both went in to battle with high powered teams of negotiators after Article 50 was triggered last spring.

The two sides were led by a group of powerful individuals at the head of small armies of officials tasked with turning political deals into cold legal text.

In the final days the teams have worked until the small hours to finalise a deal that could be put to an emergency summit later this month.

Downing Street revealed yesterday that the talks on Sunday night ran until 2.45am.

Brexit Secretary DOominic Raab and EU negotiator Michel Barnier have led the teams finalising the deal in recent weeks

The final deal is thought to be at least 500 pages long and civil servants on both sides have spent months hammering out the detailed legal language.

The treaty includes clauses on the 39billion divorce bill, the rights of nationals living abroad on both sides and crucially how the Irish border will work.

The key players on each side were:A historic hotel is up for sale and it could all be yours for just $100.

The Shirley Hotel in Bethungra, in southwest New South Wales, is once again on the market and the current owners have come up with an ingenious way to sell.

The hotel was built in 1886 and features 13 grand guest bedrooms over two-floors and a Federation-style wraparound balcony.

Robyn and Allan Cox took to Facebook this month to announce 'We are giving away our home/business'.

The historic Shirley Hotel in Bethungra, in the New South Wales south-west, is being sold through a unique application process

The hotel was built in 1886 and was renovated a few years ago but period features remain throughout the property

There are 13 grand guest bedrooms and attached family residence which features six rooms

The hotel is described as 'quite an iconic building' and a central part of the Bethungra community

'We will cover the settlement costs and the stamp duty. All you have to do is fill out an application, pay $100 for a processing fee and wait,' the Facebook post said.

'We are allowing three months for applications to come in. Then a neutral party will come in to process the final stage of the application process and the successful applicant will be informed.

'We are hoping enough local interest will keep this lovely old lady in local hands if not this will ensure somebody will have a debt free start with her.'

Those keen are being advised to like the 'Apply for my home Hotel Shirley B&B Bethungra' Facebook page and look out for a link to the application process.

Owners Robyn and Allan Cox (pictured) purchased the property in 2014 sight unseen and moved from Perth to run the hotel

A Facebook post advising of the sale, which requires interested buyers to 'fill out an application, pay $100 for a processing fee and wait'

The property features a rotunda and is described as being suitable for weddings and other events

Ms Cox said there was a minimum number of applicants required to ensure the sale goes ahead.

'We need a minimum 20,000 people to apply to cover the costs as half the money will be taxed and if we don't meet the minimum interest required, we will refund all applicants,' she told Fairfax Media.

Ms Cox, who is originally from Perth, said health reasons were behind the decision to sell and she is hopeful the new owners will breathe new life into the bed and breakfast.

'It's quite an iconic building and we realised that it would be selfish to think of this as a family home,' she said.

The hotel was last sold in June, 2014 for $470,000.

The stone building was renovated prior to it being sold to give it contemporary updates but period features retained include high-pressed metal ceilings.

There is also an attached wing which comprises a six-room family residence.A group of inmates at Gwinnett County Jail have paid tribute to an officer who was fatally shot in the line of duty last month.

Officer Antwan Toney, 30, was days away from celebrating his third year with Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office in Georgia when he was fatally shot while responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle on October 20, and was struck by a bullet shot from inside the car.

The Sheriff's Office shared the two-page letter on Facebook on Saturday, fittingly one day before Veteran's Day. The message was penned by 20 inmates who joined the community's chorus of appreciation for the fallen officer.

'On behalf of myself and a number of fellow prisoners who are currently serving time in the Gwinett County Detention center, I wish to extend condolences to Officer Toney's family and the GFSO Brotherhood as a whole,' the letter says.

Twenty Gwinnett County Jail inmates in Georgia penned a moving letter for Officer Antwan Toney, who died while in the line of duty on October 20

The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office shared the touching letter online saying they 'received a heartfelt letter from the most unlikely group of citizens expressing their sorrow'

The letter signed by 20 people at the jail is pictured above. They wrote: 'Although law enforcement and criminals may be considered opposites, the intrinsic value of a human life transcends those boundaries'

'This was a tragic incident that never should have occurred. And although law enforcement and criminals may be considered opposites, the intrinsic value of a human life transcends those boundaries by far. Right is right and wrong is wrong. No matter the color uniform.

'It is from this standpoint, in a spirit of gratitude and utmost respect that I submit this letter to honor all police officers, military personnel, and first responders. Your service and sacrifice make the world a better place for all. Thank you...,' the letter adds.

The Sheriff's Office shared the letter on Facebook for all the community to read.

'Sheriff Butch Conway received a heartfelt letter from the most unlikely group of citizens expressing their sorrow at our loss and their support of law enforcement...We're not including their names to protect their privacy, but we're deeply appreciative of this act of kindness from these men,' the post said.

Toney (pictured left and right) was raised in California and previously worked as a security guard before he joined the Gwinnett Police force three years ago

Toney was investigating a suspicious car where Tafahree Maynard, 18, (left) and Isaiah Pretlow (right) were inside. Pretlow was arrested near the scene of the murder. Maynard went on the run and was shot by an officer two days later on October 22

Toney was killed three weeks ago while responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle.

When he arrived on the scene he was shot by the occupants inside. Two men inside that car fled but crashed about a mile away from the murder scene and 19-year-old Isaiah Pretlow was arrested and charged with aggravated assault.

The second man, 18-year-old Tafahree Maynard, fled and was on the run for two days. He was finally tracked down on October 22 and was found hiding in a shed armed with a lawnmower blade in the Snellville area.

After he 'failed to comply' he was tasered. When he was tasered, cops realized he was hiding the blade behind his back, leading a second officer to fire his gun, according to Fox News.

Maynard, who was considered armed and dangerous, died at the scene.

Police Chief Butch Ayers said during a press conference after the shooting, what 'prompted Mr. Maynard to fire we may never know.'

However he noted there were four firearms and drugs found in Maynard's car after the incident.

Toney was raised in California and previously worked as a security guard before he joined the Gwinnett Police force three years ago.A family of four has been arrested for the gruesome slayings of eight people from another family in rural Ohio two years ago.

George 'Billy' Wagner III, 47; his wife Angela Wagner, 48; and their two sons, George Wagner, 27, and Edward 'Jake' Wagner, 26, were all arrested on Tuesday in connection to one of the state's most notorious crimes.

The Wagners, from the rural southern Ohio village of Peebles, were all charged with planning and murdering the Rhoden family who lived in the neighboring village of Piketon, 11 miles away, back in April 2016.

Attorney General Mike DeWine revealed this week authorities believe that the murders had been meticulously planned over the Wagner family's 'obsession with custody'.

Sophia Wagner, now 5, is the daughter of one of the suspects and one of the victims. DeWine said there was a 'fixation' and 'obsession' regarding custody of Sophia.

George 'Billy' Wagner III, 47; his wife Angela Wagner, 48; and their two sons, George Wagner, 27, and Edward 'Jake' Wagner, 26, were all arrested on Tuesday for the murders of the Rhoden family in Ohio in 2016

Edward Wagner, Angela Wagner and George Wagner are seen here in July 2017

The Wagners, from the rural southern Ohio village of Peebles, were all charged with planning and murdering the Rhoden family who lived in the neighboring village of Piketon, 11 miles away

Jake Wagner, one of four charged Tuesday with aggravated murder, was the former longtime boyfriend of Hanna Rhoden, 19, when she was murdered in April 2016.

Sophia is their daughter. She was not with her mother on the night of the killings, but three other children, including a step-sister, were. They were all unharmed.

Sophia remains in Jake Wagner's custody having moved with her father and the rest of the family to Alaska shortly after the killings in 2017.

Hanna May Rhoden, 19, was the ex-girlfriend of one of those arrested, Edward 'Jake' Wagner. They shared custody of their daughter at the time of the massacre

The arrests are the culmination of a massive investigative effort since the seven adults and a 16-year-old boy were found dead at four different homes.

The victims were Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his ex-wife Dana Rhoden, 37; their three children, Clarence 'Frankie' Rhoden, 20; Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; and Hanna Rhoden, 19; Frankie Rhoden's fiancee, Hannah Gilley, 20; an uncle, Kenneth Rhoden, 44; and a cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38.

Three children were found unharmed.

The Wagner family, who lived nearby and whose son Jake fathered Hanna May Rhoden's child, moved to Alaska after being questioned over the killings multiple times.

They took the toddler with them.

Investigators scrambling to determine who targeted the Rhoden family had conducted over 130 interviews and processed over 100 pieces of evidence and 550 tips, while getting assistance from more than 20 law enforcement agencies.

Authorities had refused to discuss many details about the slayings, saying they didn't want to tip their hand to whoever was responsible for the shootings.

Authorities in June of 2017 announced they were seeking information about the Wagners, including details on personal or business interactions and conversations that people may have had with the four.

None was named a suspect at the time. Investigators also said they had searched property in southern Ohio sold by the Wagners.

Jake Wagner was a long-time former boyfriend of Hanna Rhoden, one of the eight victims, and shared custody of their daughter at the time of the massacre.

Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40, and his ex-wife Dana Rhoden, 37, were among those killed in April 2016 in Piketon in southern Ohio

Clarence 'Frankie' Rhoden, 20, and his fiancee, Hannah Gilley, 20, were shot dead while sleeping with their child

Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s brother Kenneth Rhoden, 44, (left) and a cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38, were also shot dead.

Both Jake Wagner and Angela Wagner told the Cincinnati Enquirer they were not involved in the April 2016 killings.

Angela Wagner said in an email to the newspaper that what happened was devastating and Hanna Rhoden was like a daughter to her.

A message was left on Tuesday with John Clark, an attorney who has been representing the Wagners. Clark said a year ago that four of the Wagner family members had provided laptops, phones and DNA samples to investigators, and agreed to be interviewed about the slayings.

The Wagner family had lived in Peebles, Ohio, at the time of the killings but later moved to Alaska.

Clark said at the time that the family was being 'harassed while the real killer or killers are out there'.

Christopher Rhoden Sr. had 'a large-scale marijuana growing operation', which initially lead many to speculate that the killings were drug-related.

Investigators scrambling to determine who targeted the Rhoden family had conducted over 130 interviews and processed over 100 pieces of evidence. Pictured above is one of four murder scenes

The hearses carrying five members of the Rohden family are pictured above ahead of their funerals in April 2016

Autopsy reports suggested the murders were calculated and brutal with the coroner saying all but one of the victims was shot more than once.

Christopher Rhoden Sr. is the only victim who was believed to have been awake when they were shot.

The father-of-three sustained nine gunshot wounds in his forearm, torso and cheek.

Sharing a trailer with Christopher Sr. was his brother Gary, who was shot twice in the head and a third time in the face. His autopsy report says a 'muzzle stain' was left on his head, suggesting at one point a shot was fired while the gun was pressed against him.

Dana Rhoden was carefully shot four times around her head and a fifth time from under her chin.

She was sharing a trailer with Christopher Jr. and Hanna who were both shot in the head multiple times. Hanna was in bed with her five-day-old child at the time.

Frankie Rhoden and Hannah Gilley were also shot in the head, but their six-month-old child, who was sleeping between the couple, was spared. Hannah was shot five times in total, with one shot hitting her left eye.

Kenneth Rhoden was shot only once, with the bullet entering his right eye.

Three funerals were held for the victims.Advertisement

Two deadly wildfires continued to burn largely out of control in California on Wednesday - driven by tinder-dry conditions and hurricane-strength winds.

In the south, the Woolsey Fire ripped through 50 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains in 30 minutes on Tuesday morning as gusts of 85mph caused a flare-up, even as thousands of people were allowed back to their homes.

Meanwhile in the north, six more bodies were found among the ashes of Paradise - a town completely incinerated by the fire - bringing the death toll from that fire alone to 48, the deadliest in state history.

The state-wide death toll now stands at 50, including a couple who died in the Woolsey Fire, though more than 200 people are still unaccounted for.

The Woolsey Fire was 40 percent contained at 8pm Tuesday having already torched an area the size of Denver, with high winds expected to continue into Wednesday before dying out.

The Camp Fire was just 35 percent contained, as infrared satellite images revealed some of the destruction the fire has caused and the ferocity of the flames firefighters are battling.

The Woolsey fire continued to burn largely out of control in southern California on Tuesday night after hurricane-strength winds fanned flames in the Santa Monica Mountains, causing a flare-up which burned 50 acres in 30 minutes (pictured left)

Palls of smoke poured off the mountains on Tuesday morning as the fire whipped itself up, even as thousands of people further to the east were allowed to return to their homes

The blaze (seen on Tuesday) has prompted new evacuations at the same time thousands of residents are finally being allowed back into their neighborhoods after the Woolsey Fire first ignited on Tuesday

Authorities believe the new flare-up (pictured) was caused by what are known as 'red flag conditions', in which low humidity and high winds combine to make the perfect conditions for a wildland fire combustion

 Slide me  Meanwhile satellite images revealed the extent of the devastation near Paradise, in the north of the state. The left image shows the community of Magalia, just next to Paradise, back in December. The image on the right shows an infrared image of the flames in Magalia on Friday, by which time Paradise itself - seen bottom left - was already destroyed

A NASA satellite took this image of the Camp Fire on Monday. The town of Paradise, where the majority of those killed in the blaze have been found, was covered by a thick pall of smoke

This image was released by NASA on Tuesday but was taken last week, on November 9, and shows smoke rising from both the Camp and Woolsey fires at either end of the state

Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott told Fox News that there is 'no end in sight' for the dry weather which has turned California into a tinder-box.

Authorities believe the flare-up was caused by what are known as 'red flag conditions', in which low humidity and high winds combine to make the perfect conditions for a wildland fire combustion.

'It's critically dry with incredibly strong winds, so that really puts us back into a day where we could see rapid fire spread as a result of any new fires or flare-ups,' Cal Fire Division Chief Chris Anthony told the Los Angeles Times.

'We are not out of the woods yet,' added Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen. 'We still have incredibly tough conditions ahead of us.'

Thankfully firefighters were already in a nearby area and quickly responded to the newest blaze. A red flag warning will remain in effect in the region until 5pm on Wednesday.

Red flag warnings were also raised in the San Diego area through Wednesday and San Diego Gas & Electric has begun shutting down electricity in fire-prone areas.

An airplane flies over a large wildfire plume from a recent flareup of the Woolsey Fire near Lake Sherwood on Tuesday

Actor James Woods tweeted this photo of the California fires from above the clouds as he took off from Los Angeles on Tuesday evening, while firefighters battled the blazes miles below him

Tyler J Duncan snapped photos of the flare-up from California State University, Channel Islands on Tuesday (pictured)

Dangerous high winds of 25 to 40mph are expected to last until Wednesday afternoon, and could peak at 55mph on Tuesday afternoon. Pictured is the flare-up on Tuesday from California State University, Channel Islands

A red flag warning will remain in effect in the region until 5pm on Wednesday. Pictured is the flare-up on Tuesday afternoon

Authorities sent aircraft to drop retardant and water on the new blaze as it broke out near the community of Lake Sherwood on Tuesday (pictured)

Forecasters had warned of continuing fire danger in Southern California due to persistent Santa Ana winds, the withering, dry gusts that sweep out of the interior toward the coast, pushing back moist ocean breezes. Pictured is the blaze on Tuesday

Fire officials lifted evacuation orders early Tuesday in all or parts of about five communities in Ventura and Los Angeles counties - including the star-studded Hidden Hills, Calabasas, and Malibu.

But large, populated areas remained off-limits and authorities warned residents of those areas to stay out, saying there were hazards including downed power lines, embers that could re-ignite, buckled roads, and lack of power and communications.

There was some good news for Southern California. The Hill Fire, which has also been burning through the weekend, was 90 percent contained Tuesday after scorching 4, 531 acres in Ventura County.

In Northern California, the first five victims of the Camp Fire - now the deadliest wildfire in the state's history - were identified.

Ernest Foss, 63, of Paradise, and Jesus 'Zeus' Fernandez, 48, of Concow, were named as friends and family paid tributes to them on social media.

Carl Wiley, 77, of Maglia, and Ellen Walker, in her 70s, of Concow, were also killed in the deadly blaze. Family members of Lolene Rios, 58, have also identified her as another victim in Paradise.

The Camp Fire now also ranks as the most destructive fire on record in California, having leveled more than 7,100 homes and other buildings since it erupted on Thursday and tore across 130,000 acres.

Ernest Foss, 63, of Paradise (left), and Jesus 'Zeus' Fernandez, 48, of Concow (right), both died in the Camp Fire in California

Family members of Lolene Rios, 58, (right) have also identified her as another victim in Paradise. Her husband Rick Rios, 69, (left) barely made it out of their home alive

Northern California's Camp Fire has become the deadliest wildfire in state history as the death toll climbs to 48. A body is recovered from the Ridewood Mobile Home Park on Monday

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea revealed that the remains of 13 additional people were located on Monday. Honea said 10 human remains were located in Paradise. Seven of those were found in homes and three outside

A volunteer search and rescue crew from Calaveras County comb through a home destroyed by the Camp Fire in Paradise on Tuesday afternoon

This map shows the location of the Camp, Hill and Woolsey fires in California. In total, 44 people have died in the blazes

The other three remains were found in the Concow area, two were outside homes and one was inside a home. Charred remains of mobile homes are seen in Paradise

Honea said his team is working to identify the remains and notify the next of kin as soon as possible.Forensic investigators search a community swimming pool for victims of the Camp Fire in Paradise on Tuesday

A volunteer search and rescue crew from Calaveras County comb through a home destroyed by the Camp Fire in Paradise on Tuesday afternoon

Paradise is a popular retirement community with a quarter of the population there over the age of 65.

Rios and her husband Rick, 69, had both relocated in Paradise after losing their home to another fire in Concow in the 1990s.

The retired couple, like many in the town, only found out about the blaze when it was too late.

Rick saw their neighbor's house up in flames and went on the roof, hoping he could still save their house by taking out any spot fires.

Coroner search teams, many accompanied by a chaplain, have fanned out across Paradise, visiting dozens of addresses that belong to people reported missing since last week's explosive blaze

Authorities were bringing more resources in to find the dead - two mobile morgue units and dozens of additional search and rescue personnel

When a body is found, a call goes out, yellow police tape goes up - and the blue body bag arrives. In many cases, there is almost nothing left

Honea said authorities have brought in 13 special search-and-recovery teams to seek out any further victims from the Camp Fire, and have requested additional cadaver-dog crews (pictured) to assist in the search for human remains

What appears to be figurines from a Christmas nativity scene is seen resting atop a scorched car in Paradise

A fallen power line is seen on top of burnt out vehicles on the side of the road in Paradise, California after the Camp fire tore through the are

Rios went to the basement as she began gathering the family's dogs. In moments, their house was ablaze.

Rick was rescued by firefighters who pulled him off the roof. He is now recovering in the hospital with severe burns on his hands and face, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

'My dad is in a lot of pain,' Maria Rios said. 'He keeps saying, "I have no skin, no skin". As soon as he heard my voice, he broke down. He kept saying, "Everything is gone. Everything is gone.'''

Ernie Foss Jr's daughter, Angela Loo, said her family is devastated by his death.

Foss, a music teacher, had moved to Paradise eight years ago to escape the rising costs in San Francisco. He had advanced lymphedema and could not walk. He was found outside his home on the street with his dog Bernice.

Carl Wiley will be buried next to his wife in a cemetery in Magalia, which was also devastated by the Camp Fire.

James Wiley said his father, a former tire recapper for Michelin, will share a headstone with his wife Mary Lee, who died of cancer nearly three decades ago.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said over the weekend that the devastation is so complete in some neighborhoods that 'it's very difficult to determine whether or not there may be human remains there'.

'In some cases, the only remains we are able to recover are bones or bone fragments,' Honea said, adding that these were so small that coroner's investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them.

Honea said his office had received more than 1,500 requests for 'welfare checks' from people concerned about the fate of their loved ones.

Authorities have set up a rapid DNA analysis system and brought in cadaver dogs and mobile morgue units from the military in an intensified effort to find and identify victims. They have also requested 150 additional search-and-rescue personnel.

Cafe tables and umbrellas stand idle as the remains of Mama Celeste's Gastropub and Pizzeria lies in ruins after wildfires devastated the area in Paradise, California

Chaplains accompanied some coroner search teams that visited dozens of addresses belonging to people reported missing.

As the Camp Fire continues to rage, it is blanketing the Bay Area in massive amounts of smoke that have led to an increase in flight delays at San Francisco Airport due to reduced visibility.

The airport was experiencing an average of 30 minute delays as of Tuesday morning, according to SFO spokesman Doug Yakel.

The 48 confirmed fatalities in northern California surpasses the all-time record number of deaths from a California wildfire - 29 in 1933 from the Griffith Park blaze in Los Angeles.

Earlier on Monday, two new wildfires broke out in Southern California. Pictured is the Peak fire on California State Route 118

The California Highway Patrol has since closed part of the 118 freeway as firefighters worked to fight back against the blaze

On Monday, President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for California at the request of Governor Jerry Brown, hastening the availability of federal emergency assistance to fire-stricken regions of the state.

The major-disaster declaration from Trump will make victims eligible for crisis counseling, housing and unemployment help, and legal aid.

Trump's announcement came just days after he was criticized for his initial response to the raging wildfires.

'There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor,' Trump said in a series of tweets on Saturday.

'Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!'

Trump spoke briefly about the fires again on Tuesday, saying there were more victims 'than anybody would ever even think possible'.

On Tuesday it was also announced that US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke would cancel a planned trip to Asia at the direction of the White House and travel to California instead.

Zinke will first travel to Paradise and then head to Southern California to visit a community that has been devastated by the Woolsey Fire. He also plans to meet with Brown.

In response to Trump's comments, Brown said that federal and state governments must do more forest management but said that's not the source of the problem.

'Managing all the forests everywhere we can does not stop climate change,' Brown said. 'And those who deny that are definitely contributing to the tragedies that we're now witnessing, and will continue to witness in the coming years.'

Brown warned that it would take 'hundreds of billions' of dollars to continue to fight California's growing number of wildfires and blamed climate change for 'threatening our whole way of life'.

'This is not the new normal,' he said. 'This is the new abnormal.'

An air tanker drops water on a fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley, California on Monday

The fires have spread with an erratic intensity that has strained resources and kept firefighters struggling to keep up with the flames while catching many residents by surprise

The remains of some of the Camp Fire victims were found in burned-out vehicles (pictured) that were overrun by walls of fire as evacuees tried to flee by car in panic, only to be trapped in deadly knots of traffic gridlock on Thursday night

The search for victims, both human and non-human, continued on Monday in Paradise

A wildfire-ravaged property is seen Monday in Malibu. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby says he expects further damage assessments to show that hundreds more homes have been lost on top of the 370 already counted

A horse evacuated by members of the Humane Society of Ventura County from an area affected by a wildfire in Malibu

The inside of a car that was completely incinerated as the Woolsey fire burned through Malibu over the weekend

Gerard Butler, Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, Neil Young, and Camille Grammer Meyer of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills were among those whose Malibu homes were destroyed in the Woolsey fire.

Meanwhile the Kardashian clan, Simon Cowell, Will Smith, Lady Gaga and Martin Sheen were among other those who had to evacuate the star-studded Malibu and Calabasas areas.

The Camp fire originated on Camp Creek Road near Highway 70 around 6.30am on Thursday. Firefighters immediately realized that the blaze would be hard to access, and that the flames were being fanned by 35mph winds.

Betsy Ann Cowley, who owns land near where the deadly wildfire started in Northern California, said Monday that Pacific Gas & Electric Co sought access to her property a day before the blaze started because the utility's power lines were causing sparks. The fire started on 64 acres of land in Pulga, California, owned by Cowley.

And, two days before the fire started, PG&E told customers in nine counties, including Butte County, that it might shut off their power November 8 because of extreme fire danger.

But the utility company called off the shutdown, telling customers nine hours after the Camp Fire began that the weather conditions 'did not warrant this safety measure'.

PG&E informed the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that a high-voltage power line experienced a problem near the origin of the Camp Fire just minutes before the blaze broke out.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation but CalFire spokesman Scott McLean said 'electric equipment' was being included in the probe.

Robin Thicke's home was also completely destroyed by the fire, leaving nothing more than a pile of rubble and ash behindRetired broadcast journalist Sam Donaldson filed a court affidavit supporting the lawsuit that CNN filed against the White House on Tuesday, suggesting President Donald Trump needs thicker skin to withstand tough questions from reporters he dislikes.

Donaldson, who spent 46 years with ABC News and covered the White House during the 1970s, '80s and '90s, sided with CNN correspondent Jim Acosta in his legal tussle with the Trump administration.

The White House revoked Acosta's press credentials hours after a contentious November 7 news conference in which he verbally disagreed with Trump and clashed with a female intern rather than give up a microphone.

'No president fully likes reporters who ask uncomfortable questions, which may call for answers explaining mistakes or flaws or controversial actions in a president's performance,' wrote the 84-year-old Donaldson.

'But President Harry Truman summed up the necessary interplay between a president and the press corps when he advised government officials at every level: "If you can' t take the heat, get out of the kitchen".'

Scroll down to read the lawsuit

Famed ABC Newsman Sam Donaldson sided with CNN reporter Jim Acosta on Tuesday in a battle over access to the White House

The Trump White House banned Acosta following a contentious verbal tussle with the president and a more physical clash with a female intern, both during a press conference

CNN sued the White House on Tuesday and Donaldson sided with the network, saying that he could never imagine a White House revoking a reporter's credentials over behavior like Acosta's during the Nov. 7 press conference

Donaldson suggested President Trump is thin-skinned when confronted by reporters he doesn't like, quoting former President Harry Truman sayingL:'If you can' t take the heat, get out of the kitchen'

Acosta saw his press credentials rescinded Wednesday after he clashed with an intern over a press conference microphone

Other than Donaldson and Acosta himself, two other newsmen offered sworn statements: CNN Washington Bureau Chief Sam Feist and Dallas Morning News White House correpondent Todd Gillman.

Harry Truman, the 33rd U.S. president, famously offered his advice about heat and kitchens to people who couldn't stomach the intense pressure of running the government

Gillman wrote that he oversaw the creation of a manual for new White House reporters in 2017, explaining how to get the kind of 'hard pass' credential that the White House confiscated from Acosta.

That action was unprecedented, he said.

'To my knowledge, eligibility for a hard pass has never been denied, revoked or suspended for any reason other than an individual being reassigned from the White House beat, failing to enter the White House for an extended period of at least six months, or because of a red flag on a criminal background check,' Gillman wrote.

Donaldson's statement calls Acosta's reporting 'most able and professional,' and wrote that taking away the pass that allows him to enter the White House grounds was 'unprecedented and wholly without justification.'

'It appears to have been done solely because President Trump does not like Jim Acosta,' he added, speculating that it's because the CNN veteran has often 'pressed him to explain his answer to a proper question about a matter of public interest.'

'I am not aware of any prior situation in which a White House correspondent's hard pass was revoked,' Donaldson wrote. 'My colleagues and I never would have imagined such action was possible.'

CNN's federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration after the White House suspended White House correspondent Jim Acosta's 'hard pass' press credential. Acosta clashed with President Donald Trump and a press office intern during a November 7 press conference.

The networks' suit, filed by a team that includes former George W. Bush solicitor general Ted Olson, demands the immediate return of Acosta's credentials. The White House fired back at CNN, one of the president's favorite targets, for 'grandstanding.'

Donaldson was a White House correspondent during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s; he's pictured asking President Bill Clinton a question in April 1998, during his first press conference after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke

Acosta lost access to the building last Wednesday night, hours after refusing to give up a microphone when the president said he had answered enough of his questions.

He wrote in his own affidavit that what happened next was a first.

'At one point a White House intern approached me and attempted to physically remove the microphone from my right hand. ... I held onto the microphone, stated "Pardon me, ma'am," and continued asking the President my questions.

He disputed the White House's claim that he 'placed his hands on' the female intern.

'In my time as a White House correspondent, I have not seen or experienced a White House intern trying to physically remove a microphone from a reporter's hand,' he explained.

'I interpreted the intern's unprecedented actions as an expression of the President's dissatisfaction with the topics of my questions.

At the time Acosta had already asked two questions and Trump had called on another reporter.

Acosta was banned from the White House last week after a heated exchange with President Trump during a press conference in which an intern tried to take his microphone away

Donaldson covered many presidents, including Jimmy Carter (background), all for ABC News

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Tuesday that Acosta 'physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern' during the press conference on Nov. 7.

That appeared to be softer language than her earlier claim that he placed 'his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job.' CNN has disputed the implication of anything more than minor, incidental physical contact.

Attorneys for CNN sued Tuesday in Washington, D.C. in U.S. District Court.

The network claims the revocation of Acosta's press pass violates the constitutional rights to freedom of the press and due process. CNN is asking for an immediate restraining order to reinstate Acosta's access to the White House.

The suit 'demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN's Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta's First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process,' according to a CNN statement.

'We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process.'

The suit names as defendants Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications and former Fox News executive Bill Shine, the director of the U.S. Secret Service and the uniformed officer who took away the credentials.

Acosta, who has frequently clashed with President Trump during persistent questioning, lost access to the White House on Wednesday night

The network is seeking a preliminary injunction. It has already written the White House demanding an end to Acosta's punishment.

The suit was filed by Ted Boutrous, and Olson, of the firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Olivier Knox, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, said in a statement that the group 'strongly supports CNN's goal of seeing their correspondent regain a US Secret Service security credential that the White House should not have taken away in the first place.'

Sanders responded: 'We have been advised that CNN has filed a complaint challenging the suspension of Jim Acostas hard pass. This is just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against this lawsuit.'

She continued: 'CNN, who has nearly 50 additional hard pass holders, and Mr. Acosta is no more or less special than any other media outlet or reporter with respect to the First Amendment. After Mr. Acosta asked the President two questionseach of which the President answeredhe physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern, so that other reporters might ask their questions. This was not the first time this reporter has inappropriately refused to yield to other reporters.'

'The White House cannot run an orderly and fair press conference when a reporter acts this way, which is neither appropriate nor professional. The First Amendment is not served when a single reporter, of more than 150 present, attempts to monopolize the floor. If there is no check on this type of behavior it impedes the ability of the President, the White House staff, and members of the media to conduct business,' Sanders concluded.

The White House did not respond on Tuesday to a question about whether Sanders issued the statement in her capacity as a presidential spokesperson or as a named defendant in the lawsuit.

Donaldson appeared Sunday on CNN's 'Reliable Sources' program, first revealing he had been asked to sign an affidavit in support of CNN's case.

He described the decision to ban Acosta as 'not only wrong and unfair' but also 'dangerous for the press as a whole.'

The ACLU responded to the suit with a statement by Ben Wizner, director of the group's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project.

'It is un-American and unlawful for the president to expel a reporter from the White House briefing room for doing his job. It shouldnt take a lawsuit from CNN to remind the president of the First Amendment. The White House should reverse its decision immediately.'Moscow court refuses to seize $60 mln assets of ex-banker Motylev

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

10:40 13/11/2018

MOSCOW, November 13 (RAPSI)  The Moscow Commercial Court has refused to seize assets worth 3.9 billion rubles (about $60 million) of the Russian Credit banks ex-owner Anatoly Motylev upon a petition of Russias Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA), according to court records.

The court has also dismissed a similar DIAs claim in the amount from 5.5 to 6.5 billion rubles in relation to four other managers of the bank.

The motions have been lodged as part of the DIAs demand to collect damages worth over 12 billion rubles from the former Russian Credit top managers. According to the applicant, the defendants have granted loans to companies, which have not had adequate return and property to service debts.

Russian Credit was declared bankrupt in October 2015.

In May 2018, the bank filed a claim to include nearly 33.3 billion rubles (about $500 million) in the creditors demands list against former head of the banking group Motylev.

Motylev, who currently lives abroad, is a former owner of several Russian banks including Russian Credit, M Bank, AMB B and Tulsky Industrialist. In July 2015, the Central Bank of Russia revoked licenses of the financial organizations.

In May 2016, Moscows Basmanny District Court seized the businessmans property including several apartments and land plots in the Moscow Region.

Motylev is reportedly a defendant in a case on embezzlement at M Bank. Allegedly, over 1 billion rubles were transferred from the bank to phony companies where they were cashed and stolen.The East and West Wings of the White House went to war on Tuesday over an aide to the president that the first lady's office wants to oust.

Melania Trump took the extraordinary step of making a public call for the president to fire Deputy National Security Advisor Mira Ricardel - one of the highest-ranking women in the White House - after clashes over seating assignments on the first lady's plane ride to Africa and requests for assistance from the National Security Council.

A top aide to National Security Advisor John Bolton, Ricardel is also a suspected leaker, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

Ricardel was reportedly on her way out over the dust-up until the West Wing intervened, defending her to DailyMail.com and pushing back on a false claim that she had been escorted off the premises.

'This did not happen. She is still here at the WH,' a senior official said in an afternoon email.

First Lady Melania Trump took the extraordinary step of making a public call for the president to fire one of his national security advisors

'It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House,' said spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham.

A second high-ranking source claimed as the battle continued, 'She is not a leaker.'

That official also claimed that Melania has never even met Ricardel, insinuating that the dispute is being driven entirely by White House staff.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that the first lady's office was out for blood in the melee.

It incorrectly reported that she had been escorted out of the building later on Tuesday.

But a senior White House official told DailyMail.com the claim was inaccurate, and the outlet had to back track, with the author of the report explaining in a tweet that Ricardel is expected to be fired but was still at her desk.

Melania's office declined to go into detail on the record but bluntly told ABC News that it wanted Ricardel gone.

The first lady's office was out for blood after Mira Ricardel argued with the first lady's office about seating assignments on Melania's plane ride to Africa and assistance from the National Security Council

'It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House,' said spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham.

A West Wing official slapped back, telling CNBC in response: 'The East Wing speaks for the East Wing.'

The person couldn't say whether Ricardel would still be on the job the next day, but affirmed that she still works at the White House.

She had been seen standing near Trump at a Diwali ceremony earlier in the day in the Roosevelt Room.

Melania was meanwhile tweeting about her 'Be Best' campaign and how for 'World Kindness Day' she'd surprised tourists at the White House in a twist of irony following the public knifing of Ricardel.

USA Today reported that the first lady felt 'short-changed' by Ricardel over government resources allocated to her Africa trip and was angered when Ricardel disparaged two of her aides.

Melania is also said to suspect that Ricardel was leaking stories to the press misrepresenting the spat.

The dispute with Ricardel had initially been overlooked in a major report of the day that led with claims that the president was about to fire White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen was also said to be on her way out.

Trump was reportedly planning to fire both officials in a major post-election shakeup of his administration.

At least four news outlets reported in the past 24 hours that the current and former heads of Homeland Security are on the chopping block.

Trump wants a more aggressive approach to border control. A White House aide said when Nielsen was appointed, the president made the move on the recommendation of Kelly, her longtime mentor.

But the president believes the Kelly protege hasn't measured up, that same official said Tuesday.

NBC News also reported that Kelly will be pushed out because of his clashes with first lady Melania Trump's office, what's known as the East Wing, and with National Security Adviser John Bolton.

'There have been instances where the East Wing staff were not treated as equals to the male-dominated decision makers in chief Kellys office,' one White House official told NBC. 'Promotions were denied then finally granted after months of requests.'

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly could be fired soon over his management style and clashes he's had with National Security Advisor John Bolton and members of first lady Melania Trump's staff

Homeland Security Secretar Kirstjen Nielsen, a Kelly protege, has already found her head on the chopping block since President Trump reportedly wants a more aggressive approach to U.S. border security

The president was expected to engage in a cabinet shuffle or start a period of senior staff turnover after the midterm elections

It's unclear when Nielsen and Kelly might leave the administration.

Trump is reportedly considering replacing Kelly with Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Nick Ayers, according to ABC News. Just last month Ayers denied the claim during an Oval Office encounter with a reporter in the presence of Trump and Kelly.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on new claims that Kelly is on his way out.

Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, has sought to bring more stability to the White House operation under the unpredictable Trump. During his time as chief of staff, he and the president have had a rocky relationship, according to various news reports and Bob Woodward's best-selling book 'Fear: Trump in the White House.'

Trump has sought to toughen immigration policies and has been reportedly unhappy with Nielsen's efforts to tighten the border.

The president has vowed to begin cutting millions of dollars in aid to Central America over a caravan of thousands of mostly Honduran migrants who say they are fleeing violence and poverty at home. He has called the caravan, which is currently in Mexico, a national emergency and an 'invasion' that has to be stopped.

Last week the U.S. military said over 7,000 troops would go to the border with Mexico.

Kelly has reportedly infuriated first lady Melania Trump because he slow-dragged promotions for her top aides

Nielsen (pictured in San Diego during a March tour of border wall prototypes) reportedly has not been enjoying her job

Kelly, Nielsen's mentor, has been fighting to keep her (pictured together October 2017) after pushing for her to get the Homeland security role

TRUMP'S DEPARTURE LOUNGE President Donald Trump's administration has seen the resignation or firing of a long series of senior officials. This is a list of the most prominent ones, in the order they left their positions: Michael Flynn, National Security Advisor Sean Spicer, Press Secretary Reince Priebus, Chief of Staff Anthony Scaramucci, Communications Director Steve Bannon, Chief Strategist Katie Walsh, Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Dubke, Communications Director Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President K.T. McFarland, Deputy National Security Adviser Tom Price, Secretary of Health and Human Services Omarosa Manigault-Newman, Spokeswoman, Office of Public Liaison James Comey, FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Deputy FBI Director Dina Powell, Deputy National Security Adviser Walter Shaub, Office of Government Ethics Director Angella Reid, Chief Usher Rob Porter, Staff Secretary Josh Raffel, Deputy Communications Director Hope Hicks, Director of Strategic Communications Gary Cohn, National Economic Council Director John McEntee, Personal Aide to the President Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State H.R. McMaster, National Security Advisor David Shulkin, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Michael Anton, National Security Council Spokesman Tom Bossert, Homeland Security Adviser Scott Pruitt, EPA Administrator Nikki Haley, United Nations Ambassador Jeff Sessions, Attorney General Advertisement

Earlier this year the Trump administration tried to deter illegal immigrant families from traveling to the border by instituting a 'zero tolerance' policy, resulting in the separation of thousands of children from their parents as the adults were prosecuted.

Trump wants someone with a more aggressive attitude to curtailing immigration but with no deputy secretary since April, Nielsen's responsibilities could land in Claire Grady's lap.

If not the undersecretary for management, Trump is reportedly considering Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and David Pekoske.

Nielsen delivered an enthusiastic speech at the opening of his wall in Calexico, California recently. She also defended Trump's decision to separate families at the border

Both have been confirmed by the Senate and Pekoske is the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration and used to be a vice commandant of the Coast Guard.

The Washington Post also reports Kris Kobach, who lost out on the Kansas governor role, could be nominated however the secretary of state may be considered too extreme for Senate approval. Trump suggested last week that he could give him and other mid-term losers jobs in the administration.

After the position was created in 2003 following the September 11 terrorist attacks and George W. Bush had two over six years during his terms.

Barack Obama had two across his eight years as president and Trump is already on his second as he nears just two years in the job of POTUS.A Missouri Megachurch pastor is facing a backlash from outraged yogis after he took a religious swipe at 'demonic' yoga.

Pastor John Lindell told members of his 10,000 plus congregation, at James River Church in Ozark, they should stop taking part in the popular activity because of its 'demonic roots,' as reported by the Springfield News-Leader.

Lindell delivered the sermon the Sunday before Halloween which covered fortune-telling and Wicca, a form of paganism, before honing in on yoga.

He conceded members of the congregation might be shocked to hear yoga compared to the paranormal.

'That, to me, is an indication of how far our society has drifted into a post-Christian culture. Earlier, it would have been a given that yoga was inherently a form of eastern mysticism that Christians should absolutely avoid, but that is no longer the case,' he said during the sermon.

Lindell also had strong opinions about yoga poses.

'Yoga positions were not designed by your local fitness instructor. They were designed, they were created with demonic intent, to open you up to demonic power because Hinduism is demonic.' he said.

Pastor Lindell (left) told members of his 10,000 plus congregation at James River Church in Ozark, Missouri, they should stop taking part in the popular activity because of its 'demonic roots'

Lindell went on to blast the sun salutation yoga poses and said the sequence is meant to worship Surya, the Hindu sun god.

Christians should stay away from yoga because of its demonic roots,' he said.

Meditation also came under fire with Lindell remarking it's 'spiritually dangerous.'

Lindell said his message was born out of concern for people's spiritual well-being.

Stop doing yoga, he told his congregation, and there was no need to be afraid.

'Yoga positions were 'designed, they were created with demonic intent, to open you up to demonic power because Hinduism is demonic.' Lindell said

However, there was a warning for those who ignored the sermon's message and continued to go to yoga class.

'I can't say the same if you keep doing it,' Lindell said.

'I don't do it to make anybody mad. If I made you mad, that's unfortunate,' he said. 'But I have a responsibility before God as the shepherd of souls to say I told you the truth,' he added.

At the end of the sermon the congregation are heard applauding.

Some local Yoga enthusiasts have spoken out against the pastor's message.

Heather Worthy, who runs a yoga class at a Republic, Missouri, gym said attendance was down the week following the sermon.

Worthy said many gym goers are active members of Lindell's church.

Stephanie Wubbena who owns a yoga business, Live Pure Yoga, in Springfield, made a rebuttal video and posted it to YouTube. It's had over 1,700 views to date.

'I do not agree, with a very powerful man coming out and attacking small businesses,' she said.

Stephanie Wubbena who owns a yoga business in Springfield, Missouri, made a rebuttal video, she said she is concerned about the impact on yoga businesses

James River Church provided a written statement to the Springfield News-Leader.

'As a church our heart is to provide people with Biblical insight and teaching that will strengthen their faith and their daily walk with God.

'We would encourage anyone who wants to know what was said in Pastor John's sermon 'Haunted: Pursuing the Paranormal' to watch the message available at https://jamesriver.org/sermon/haunted-pursuing-the-paranormal.An American used car dealer was assassinated outside his Ciudad Juarez home - one of 11 killed by dangerous criminal gangs in the Mexican border town this past weekend.

Witnesses told police that the victim had stepped out of his home after three men called out his name on Tuesday, according to El Diario de Juarez.

The man, whose name and age has not been released, reportedly got into a heated discussion with his aggressors. During the argument, one of the men pulled out a gun and shot him dead.

The American, who was living in Mexico, had only recently returned home after being discharged from hospital 21 days earlier for multiple stab wounds.

The US Embassy has not yet confirmed the death of an American national.

The assassination was just one of dozens in the violent border town which has seen 44 homicides in the first two weeks of November alone.

An American used car dealer was one of 11 people assassinated in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, over the weekend (file photo of a Mexican cop)

Earlier Tuesday, a 35-year-old woman was found dead sitting on a bench and laying against a wall with a bullet to her head.

Another man was killed while walking down the street at 6.40am the same day.

Later in the morning, a male store clerk was found stabbed to death at an electronics store by a customer that had just entered the business.

The first 10 months of 2018 have generated 1,043 homicides, mostly attributed to warring rival drug cartels battling for turf. There were 764 homicides reported in 2017.

The American was assassinated outside his Ciudad Juarez home. He is one of 11 killed by dangerous criminal gangs in the Mexican border town this past weekend.

January tallied 72, February 44, March 56 and April 65 and May nearly doubled with 124 homicides.

Killings spiked up as the second half of the year came around.

June listed 177 and July also finished with 177. August generated 182 homicides but it simmered down over the next two months with 82 in September and 64 in October, according the numbers released by the district attorney's office.

But November, unfortunately, is rivaling the previous summer months centenary figures with 44, including seven women.



A Sheikh who told Prime Minister Scott Morrison to blame police and not Islam for the deadly Melbourne terror attack has spoken for the first time about his son being killed by a missile strike in Syria.

Sheikh Mohammed Omran's son Ayman, 26, died in 2016 in Idlib after travelling to the northern Syrian rebel stronghold 'as a volunteer to provide humanitarian aid'.

The leader of the Hume Islamic Youth Centre had thrown his support behind his son's decision to travel to the war-torn country, The Australian reported.

But he said he was angry the Australian Government had not been able to shed any light on who ordered the airstrike.

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Sheikh Mohammed Omran pictured in 2003 with his sons Usama (pictured right) and Ayman (left) who died in Syria in 2016

Sheikh Omran, the Hume Islamic Youth Centre emir, said he is angry the Australian Government has not been able to shed any light who ordered the airstrike that killed his son

'If the Australian government are a government for all Australians, they will give me the answer to that; how this happened, why he was hit by an aeroplane,' he said.

'They come and say 'we are sorry for your loss' (but) they don't care about anything. They care only to put me in the newspaper and on the TV.'

Sheikh Omran said it was the federal government's job 'to find out' and added the government 'have American friends to tell them'.

Ayman's death was confirmed in March, 2016 by the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association of Australia, an organisation directed by Sheikh Omran.

The news was announced via a Facebook post.

'Ayman travelled as a volunteer to provide humanitarian aid, an act consistent with his soft heartedness and caring demeanor,' the post stated.

There are claims the organisation Ayman worked for in Syria received Federal Government funding, although Sheikh Omran's spokesman Mustafa Abu Yusuf was unable to provide details about the organisation.

Ayman was also working as a baker at the time, with Sheikh Omran reportedly told nothing remained of his son or the bakery following the missile strike.

Sheikh Omran sparked controversy this week by saying 'bloody Prime Minister' Scott Morrison (pictured) should shoulder the blame for Friday's terror attack in Melbourne

Hassan Khalif Shire Ali was shot dead by police on Bourke Street after he tried to blow up his ute, stabbed three men, and then lunged at officers with a knife

The Australian Government warns residents not to travel to conflict zones such as Syria or Iraq.

'Syria is listed as a "do not travel" destination in DFAT's travel advice. Due to the exceptionally dangerous security situation, the Australian Government's capacity to provide consular assistance or to confirm deaths in Syria is extremely limited,' a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'The Government discourages, in the strongest possible terms, Australians from travelling to conflict zones such as Syria and Iraq.'

Sheikh Omran this week sparked controversy after claiming Australian authorities were responsible for Somali immigrant Hassan Khalif Shire Ali's knife rampage in Melbourne.

Ali was an active member at the Hume Islam Youth Centre, in Melbourne's west, in the months leading up to Friday's terror attack.

The 30-year-old was shot dead by police on Bourke Street after he tried to blow up his ute, stabbed three men, one fatally, and then lunged at officers with a knife.

Sheikh Omran suggested authorities had been unable to catch a man on a watch list following the deadly Melbourne terror attack committed by Hassan Khalif Shire Ali

Sheikh Omran said while Ali was 'crazy', it's 'bloody Prime Minister' Mr Morrison who should shoulder the blame.

'He has spent billions of dollars - billions - on security service. And what is the end result? We have crazy people in the street,' Omran previously told The Australian.

Sheikh Omran suggested authorities had been unable to catch a man on a watch list and pointed to the fact pedestrians felt the need to get involved as further evidence of police incompetence.

'After he jumped in the street and started waving his knife to them - sometimes they are running after him and sometimes they are running after them, and even the public interfered to take his attention because the police, they couldn't handle him,' he said.

Following the terror attack, Mr Morrison had said extremist Islam was the greatest threat facing Australia.

'We would be kidding ourselves if we did not call out the fact that the greatest threat of religious extremism in this country is the radical and dangerous ideology of extremist Islam,' Mr Morrison said.A Pennsylvania woman who left her boyfriend's four-year-old daughter in a hot car on a sweltering day in July 2016 has been acquitted of charges in the girl's death and fined just $25.

A jury found Brittany Renee Borgess, 30, innocent of charges of involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment on Friday.

Senior Judge Dudley N Anderson found her guilty of the summary charge of leaving a child unattended in a car and fined her a meager $25.

The Lycoming County courtroom erupted when the jury announced its verdict after deliberating for just three hours - leading deputies to escort several friends and family members of victim Samaria Motyka out of the room.

Brittany Renee Borgess, 30, was found innocent of involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges stemming from the July 2016 death of her boyfriend's four-year-old daughter on Friday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Borgess left Samaria Motyka (right) in her SUV on a 97-degree day and returned more than six hours later to find the child unconscious

Video courtesy WNEP

On the morning of July 22, 2016, Borgess dropped her two-year-old son Isaac off at day care in Williamsport and then drove to work, forgetting to bring Samaria to her own day care along the way, according to PennLive.com.

The then-28-year-old parked her SUV at the rear of a downtown business where there was no shade, leaving four-year-old buckled into a booster seat in the back.

Six and a half hours later, Borgess discovered Samaria unconscious on the floor of the SUV. She had climbed out of her booster seat to the front seat.

The outside temperature had reached 97 degrees that day as experts speculate the car's interior likely hit upwards of 120 degrees.

Samaria's internal temperature was measured at 110 degrees when she was brought to the hospital.

Borgess is seen leaving her arraignment on involuntary manslaughter charges in August 2016

Borgess and Samaria's father, William Motyka (pictured) had been living together in DuBoistown for three years before the girl's death. They are reportedly no longer together

Attorney's for Borgess claimed that a brain malfunction had caused the mother to lose awareness.

Borgess did not consciously disregard or knowingly forget Samaria was in the SUV, lawyer Peter T Campana said during closing arguments.

Campana contended that Borgess was chronically sleep deprived and under stress because she was about to get married to Samaria's father, William Motyka.

However, prosecutors argued that there was no reasonable explanation for why Borgess left the young girl in the SUV that day.

No matter your verdict, Samaria will not be brought back. -Peter Campana, defense attorney for Brittany Renee Borgess

First Assistant District Attorney Martin Wade told the court that forgetfulness should not be accepted as an excuse for Samaria's death, saying: 'It's absurd to leave a child to die in a car.'

The jury was ultimately tasked with determining whether Borgess' actions constituted a criminal act or a mere lapse in memory.

Campana had asked jurors to base their verdict on evidence rather than emotion, telling the court: 'No matter your verdict, Samaria will not be brought back.'

Samaria's friends and family decried the verdict outside the courtroom on Friday as deputies escorted Borgess and her family from the building.

Borgess and Samaria's father had been living together in DuBoistown for three years before the girl's death. They are no longer together, according to PennLive.com.Thousands of teenagers planning to ditch traditional Schoolies locations to celebrate in Bali are being warned they could get slapped with criminal convictions when they return home.

School leavers usually descend on tourist hot spots, such as the Gold Coast, to party with their friends to mark the end of final exams, but about 6,000 will be heading to Indonesia.

But police have issued a caution for young revellers to avoid bringing dangerous weapons back to Australia or risk criminal charges.

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Thousands of teenagers are planning to ditch traditional Schoolies locations such as the Gold Coast to celebrate the end of exams

Authorities have issued a caution for revellers to avoid bringing dangerous weapons back to Australia with them

Knives, flick blades, hidden swords, tasers disguised as phones, knuckle dusters, throwing stars and lasers have been brought back to Australia by previous school leavers.

Hefty fines and in some cases criminal convictions can be issued for those caught.

Teenagers are attracted to Bali by its free nightclubs and cheap drinks.

Schoolies were spotted partying hard in bars and on the streets of Kuta in November last year, enjoying the low prices and lax rules.

Alcohol flows freely in Bali and costs a fraction of what it does back home.

'For $35 I got at least 15 vodka and Cokes and five of these other things, I'm not sure,' one teenager told A Current Affair.

Drinks can contain poisons like methanol, or contains substances made in backyard labs, warned local security expert Richard Flax.

'The kids really don't know what they're drinking some of the time and that's the problem,' he said.

The mother of a young Australian who died in Bali four years ago said Schoolies should consider saying home.

eenagers are attracted to Bali by its free nightclubs and cheap drinks

As well as methanol, drinks have been known to contain mosquito repellent and arak - Balinese liquor.

Bali's harsh penalties for drug use are well-known, but schoolies seemed unaware of the dangers of another popular Balinese pastime - riding motorbikes.

Motorbikes and scooters are ubiquitous in Kuta, and Schoolies can be seen riding them recklessly from club to club.

Mr Flax warned Bali was not the place to learn how to ride a motorbike, and urged schoolies to be careful on mopeds.27-year-old Taylor Kristopher Meyer's body was found stabbed to death on the street in Playa Del Carmen

A man from California has been stabbed to death in a park at a Mexican beach resort.

The body of 27-year-old Taylor Kristopher Meyer was found on Friday at the Lazaro Cardenas park in Playa del Carmen.

Meyer, from Hermosa Beach, Los Angeles, had arrived at the popular beach vacation spot with a group of friends, including some members of his fraternity when he was the apparent victim of a robbery gone wrong.

Meyer's parents were contacted by the US Consulate to inform them of their son's death and that he had been killed in a robbery.

His cousin, Tracy Goetz, told KCRG that authorities have given few details about what led to Meyer's death.

'This was a random act of violence,' she told the television station. 'They stole his shoes and his wallet.'

Local police arrested a man on Monday for his alleged participation in the stabbing.

Courtesy: Tribune

An unidentified source says the deceased is Taylor Kristopher Meyer, 27, from LA who was out celebrating a friend's birthday when he was stabbed. Police have not confirmed the info

Meyer had flown to the resort town for his friend's thirtieth birthday party

Parents Kris and Krista Meyer were told their son was stabbed to death and were in disbelief

Three people were reported to be in the park with Meyer at the time of the robbery according to Riviera Maya News.

'They don't want people to know that there are murders happening like this because then people are not going to go there,' Goetz told KCRG. 'It needs to be known that it's not a safe place to go. It's not okay to go and the Mexican officials need to fess up to it.'

Meyer's parents are also concerned that local authorities will claim the murder was 'tourist on tourist' crime and not one committed by locals.

'We first didn't believe it,' Kris Meyer, the victim's father, said to ABC News. 'This is just news that we thought was a very cruel hoax, but then we confirmed it was real.'

This man arrested in connection with the stabbing death in a Playa del Carmen park but his identity has been obscured

'Three people attacked him, and that's what the witnesses said,' Krista Meyer said.

The family said their son's wallet, shoes, watch and iPhone were taken during the attack.

'We're afraid of this cover-up and we're never going to find the true story about all these unanswered questions,' Meyer's father, Kris, told FOX31.

'We don't want this to happen to another family,' his father continued.

His parents don't understand how their son ended up so far from the condo he rented with friends.

'The bar is here,' dad, Kris, said, demonstrating with his hands. 'There was a 10 minute walk to the gate, the AirBnB they rented in a gated community. His body was found 32 minutes walking the other direction and a 10 minute cab ride away from the bar.'

Friends who traveled with Meyer told his parents the group became separated and they lost track of Meyer.

Meyer's family is hoping the FBI can look at the case, and are planning his funeral for Saturday in California, where he was living prior to his death.

'We would just like the FBI overseeing and getting permission from the Mexican government to oversee this investigation,' his father said. 'And so that we have clarity that we know that this is what really happened.'

Meyer was attacked around 3am while he was out with the group of about 14 people

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family pay for funeral expenses which has so far managed to raise $2,000.

On Sunday, more than 100 of Meyer's family and friends gathered at the Hermosa Beach pier to hold a candle light vigil.

The gathering remembered the fun loving man who loved country music, playing golf and organizing gatherings with friends.

'They brought him back to life for us,' Krista Meyer said of the vigil for her son.

In August, the State Department issued an update to its Mexico travel advisory, urging tourists to 'exercise increased caution' when visiting the country.

The update came after authorities confirmed the discovery of eight bodies outside the resort areas of Cancun.

The State Department says the area 'experienced an increase in homicide rates compared to the same period in 2016.'

'While most of these homicides appeared to be targeted, criminal organization assassinations, turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens,' the advisory notes. 'Shooting incidents injuring or killing bystanders have occurred.'David the chimp - who starred in Dynasties with David Attenborough - has been beaten to death.

The 'aggressive' leader had been alpha male of his troop for three years before younger apes 'jumped' him.

He hit screens this weekend in the show's first episode, but was found dead seven months after filming concluded.

Younger males beat their leader to death, according to Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project director Jill Pruetz.

David (pictured) had been alpha male for three years before he was beaten to death after younger males 'jumped' him

David Attenborough brought his namesake chimpanzee to viewers this weekend in the first episode of Dynasties

She told The Daily Telegraph: 'He died from wounds inflicted from what I'm sure are these young males.

'There aren't other animals that would have inflicted wounds like that  especially when you have multiple individuals attacking a single individual.'

She said that the evidence pointed to adult males 'jumping' him, adding that a chimpanzee called Jumkin had taken over as alpha male.

A female and baby in the group that David led. There are seven adult females in the group whom the 12 males all compete over. A chimpanzee called Jumkin has taken over as alpha male

A baby chimp in the group David used to lead, as documented on Dynasties. 'Aggressive' David was alpha male of his troop for three years until he was beaten by younger males

David the chimp featured this weekend in the show's first episode, but was found dead seven months after filming finished

But she said his leadership was under threat from beta male Luther, who she said is 'already challenging him a bit'.

David - who led the troop in the jungles of Senegal and Guinea, West Africa - was the longest-reigning alpha in the group's history.

The new BBC show also explores the lives of Emperor penguins in Antarctica and lions in Kenya as well as tigers in Indias Bandhavgarh National Park.The chief of police in a Chicago suburb has revealed that the officer who shot dead a black security guard outside a bar over the weekend was white, raising questions over whether race was a factor - and prompting a local elected official to call for Cook County prosecutors to investigate the fatal incident.

It also emerged on Tuesday that the victim, 26-year-old Jemel Roberson, was apparently wearing a hat emblazoned with the word 'SECURITY' across the front when he was gunned down by an officer from the Midlothian Police Department outside Manny's Blue Room in Robbins, a predominantly black community just south of Chicago.

At the time, according to witnesses and a lawsuit, Roberson was attempting to detain a suspect in a separate shooting that wounded several other people at the tavern.

Gunned down: Jemel Roberson, 26, pictured left with his young son, Tristan, in an undated photo, was shot dead by a white police officer while working security in a Chicago suburb (pictured in uniform, right)

The shooting happened outside Manny's Blue Room Bar in Chicago on Sunday

'Here is a security guard who is subduing a suspect,' but the officer 'just sees a black man with a gun and kills him,' Alderman Keith Price said.

Roberson was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds. The Cook County medical examiners office ruled his death a homicide.

Price said he learned from witnesses that there are security cameras inside and outside the bar. He urged the Cook County State's Attorney's Office to launch an investigation.

Harvey, Illinois, Alderman Keith Price has called for Cook County prosecutors to investigate Roberson's fatal shooting

The Illinois State Police declined to comment on their investigation. The spokeswoman for the sheriff's department, which is also investigating, said she did not know if there were security cameras at the bar.

Another security guard at the bar said that the white officer jumped onto the bar and waved an assault rifle before running outside and fatally shooting the guard, an attorney said Tuesday.

Gregory E. Kulis, who on Monday filed a civil rights lawsuit against the officer and the community where he works, said the surviving guard told him that the officer pointed a gun at him until he screamed at him that he was a security guard.

'That's when he jumped off the bar, waving the gun, and ran outside the door,' said Kulis, who declined to identify the other security guard. The name of the officer, who is from the community of Midlothian, has not been released either.

What is known about the cop so far is that he has served on the force for seven years and is a member of a SWAT team. He has been placed on administrative leave, reported the Chicago Tribune.

Midlothian Police Chief Daniel Delaney initially said only that the officer shot 'a subject with a gun.'

On Tuesday, he released a second statement, describing Roberson as 'a brave man who was doing his best to end an active shooter situation at Mannys Blue Room.'

A lawyer who filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Roberson's family said the victim was wearing a hat with 'security' printed across the front at the time of his death

The statement from the chief continued: 'the Midlothian Police Department is completely saddened by this tragic incident and we give our heartfelt condolences to Jemel, his family and his friends. There are no words that can be expressed as to the sorrow his family is dealing with.'

Kulis, the lawyer representing Roberson's family in their excessive force lawsuit against the officer and the village where he works, would not say if he thinks race played a role in the shooting, but the fact that the Midlothian officer is white and Roberson was black has prompted some - including a prominent local African-American newspaper columnist - to question the officer's thinking.

'I believe a police officer showing up at a chaotic scene where a white man has a gun would have at least hollered for him to put the gun down before opening fire,' Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell wrote after the shooting. 'But too often, black men are not given the benefit of the doubt.'

Kulis said he is trying to gather information about the white officer.

Cell phone footage of the aftermath shows cops at the scene. Witnesses said they told the officers Roberson was a security guard but that they shot anyway

Footage from surveillance or body cameras could explain whether Roberson was clearly identifiable as a security guard.

Audio could determine what, if anything, was said to the officer before the shooting and whether, as witnesses have told the media, they shouted to the officer before he fired that Roberson was a security guard.

Such footage could also help investigators determine what kind of charges should be filed against the man who is suspected of firing a gun inside the bar. The man was one of four people who suffered non-life threatening gunshot wounds.

In his federal lawsuit, Kulis contends that the officer who shot Roberson violated the man's 4th Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.

'The use of force is considered a seizure, and he needed probable cause to use force and he did not have that,' he said.

Roberson's family said he was a talented musician. He played the organ for local churches

Courtesy of WGN9

Roberson's friends and family have since paid tribute to him as a devout Christian and a talented musician.

The 26-year-old, who had a young son named Tristan, played the organ at local churches and was about to start training to become a cop himself, they said.

A GoFundMe campaign that was launched to help Jemel's mother with her son's final expenses has drawn more than $80,000 in donations as of Tuesday evening.

The organizer of the campaign wrote of Roberson that he was 'a young man who was greatly loved by all who knew him.'Amor Ftouhi, 53, was convicted on federal terrorism charges on Tuesday in Michigan

A Tunisian man who told investigators that his 'mission was to kill and be killed' has been convicted of terrorism and other crimes in the stabbing of an airport officer.

It was a slam dunk for federal prosecutors: Witnesses saw Amor Ftouhi attack Lt. Jeff Neville at the Flint, Michigan airport in June 2017 and wrestled him to the ground.

On Tuesday, the jury convicted Ftouhi, 53, of three crimes after deliberating for just over an hour.

The father of three is a native of Tunisia who was living in Montreal at the time of the stabbing.

'This isn't a mystery. He was caught right there. He has the knife in his hand,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Cathleen Corken told jurors.

Investigators say Ftouhi wanted to stab Neville, take his gun and start shooting people in the airport.

Amor Ftouhi, 49 (left), was charged with terrorism and related charges for stabbing police officer Jeff Neville (right) while shouting 'Allahu Akbar' on June 21, 2017

He legally drove into the U.S. at Champlain, New York, and arrived in Flint five days later. He tried but failed to buy a gun at a gun show and instead bought a large knife.

Witnesses said he yelled, 'Allahu akbar' - God is great - during the attack before stabbing Neville with an eight-inch serrated knife.

'He further exclaimed something similar to, 'You have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die,'' according to a court affidavit submitted by authorities.

Investigators said Ftouhi had unsuccessfully tried to purchase a gun while in the United States, prior to the attack.

Neville survived but has lost feeling in part of his face as a result of being stabbed in the neck.

'This is what a Muslim is born for,' Ftouhi said in a handwritten note to his wife that was found in his apartment.

Police officers gathered at the airport on June 21 after Neville was stabbed

Travelers and traffic sit outside a terminal at Bishop International Airport on June 21, 2017 after Ftouhi stabbed an airport police officer in the neck

FBI agent Shadi Elreda told jurors about his interview with Ftouhi after his arrest. He said Ftouhi was upset that Neville might survive.

'His mission was to kill and be killed. He said his mission was not over,' Elreda testified.

Ftouhi's lawyers didn't offer an opening statement at trial and didn't call any witnesses.

The trial lasted only a week, including jury selection.

Montreal Police are seen last June guarding the building in Montreal where airport stabbing suspect Amor Ftouhi lived before traveling to the US and stabbing a police officer

In her closing argument, attorney Joan Morgan said Ftouhi was unstable and believed it would be easier to be killed by police in the U.S. than in Canada.

'He was a person who was absolutely looking for a way out,' she said.

Ftouhi was convicted of committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, committing an act of violence at an international airport and interference with airport security.

He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The attack came amid a wave of jihadist-inspired attacks in Europe, but investigators have said there is no information to suggest that the Flint stabbing was part of a wider plot.Yandex.Taxi fined $1,500 for inappropriate advertising

 RIA Novosti, Natalia Seliverstova

16:58 13/11/2018

MOSCOW, November 13 (RAPSI) - The Federal Antimonopoly Agency (FAS) has fined Yandex.Taxi 100,000 rubles ($1,500) for a small print in its advertisement, the watchdogs statement reads.

According to the FAS, from mid-March to May, the company advertised its services in several Russian cities including Kursk, Petrozavodsk, Stavropol, Pyatigorsk, Ivanovo, Cherepovets and Murmansk. A part of the ads text was published in an unreadable print.

The antimonopoly agency held that a substantial part of the advertisement was published in a fine print; therefore, customers had misperception of the services cost.

In September, the watchdog found Yandex.Taxi guilty of distributing misinforming advertisement and issued the company an instruction to stop the violation.



Charrington (pictured) was jailed for more than 15 years following his trial in Alicante

A British drugs baron once described as one of the top 10 most wanted criminals in Europe has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison after a Costa Blanca trial.

Brian Charrington, 61, a former associate of notorious gangster Curtis Warren, was handed a 12-year jail sentence after being convicted of drugs trafficking.

He was sentenced to an additional three and a half years in prison for money laundering.

As well as a lengthy prison term the former Middlesbrough car dealer, whose criminal biography is mapped out on a Wikipedia page he is rumoured to have updated himself as a hobby, was ordered to pay a fine of more than 26million.

His son Ray, one of nine defendants tried in April over a massive 10million July 2013 cocaine seizure in Albir near Benidorm, was also handed a three and a half year jail sentence after being convicted of money laundering.

The British father and son learnt their fate nearly seven months after their trial started at a criminal court in the Costa Blanca capital of Alicante.

The three trial judges announced their verdicts and sentences today in a 66-page written document in which they acquitted five of the nine defendants, including Brians French girlfriend Isabelle Robert and a Brit named as Wayne Sherwin.

Police held Charrington after a long-running investigation sparked by a tip-off from French police he and Robert were running a drugs-smuggling operation and bringing cocaine into Europe from Venezuela.

Charrington (pictured) was jailed for drugs trafficking as well as money laundering at the Costa Blanca trial

Their luxury villas in Calpe near Benidorm on the Costa Blanca were among a number of homes raided by police on July 4 2013.

Prosecutors claimed in a 13-page indictment released ahead of their trial Charrington tried to erase information he had chalked on a blackboard in his office about amounts of cocaine and sale prices during the raid on his home.

Police revealed at the time of the operation they had seized around 200 kilos of cocaine worth 10million at another apartment in Albir near Benidorm, said to have been smuggled into Spain through the nearby port of Altea.

Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), Venezuelan police and a regional 18-member-state police organisation called Ameripol set up to fight drugs trafficking, were also involved.

Charrington started out as a car dealer in Middlesborough but went on to own a Rolls Royce, Bentley, private jet and fleet of yachts thanks to his international drugs empire. In 2011 his fortune was put at 20million.

In the eighties he teamed up with Curtis Warren, whose personal fortune was so large he appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List, to import cocaine to the UK from Venezuela.

Charrington (pictured) was jailed alongside his son for his part in the drugs operation

The pair were arrested in early 1992 after a shipment of more than 900 kilos of cocaine sealed inside lead ingots in steel boxes was discovered.

The subsequent trial collapsed after it transpired Charrington was a police informant for the North-East Regional Crime Squad.

Britain's security forces went on to re-home him in Australia but his visa was revoked shortly after his arrival.

He went on to build up links with north African drug dealers after relocating to Spain and laundered millions of pounds from a fortified villa on Spain's Costa Blanca which he used to bring hashish from Morocco across the border.

He was acquitted in two drugs trials in the UK before being extradited to Germany and sentenced to seven years jail in 2003 for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the country.

Charrington was extradited to France following his release in 2006 to serve a two year prison term over the discovery of 650 kilos of hashish found on his yacht in the English channel in 1995.

In 2004 he lost a civil suit against the Assets Recovery Agency over more than 2million found in his loft which he and Curtis Warren disputed the ownership of.

The civil recovery order against him and Warren was described at the time as the largest of its kind.

Spanish police described Charrington after his 2013 arrest in Spain as 'one of the ten most investigated criminals' by European police forces and 'leader of an international gang of drugs smugglers'.

Isabelle Robert is the former lover of Alain Coelier, a French drugs trafficker and right-hand man of Charrington's who was shot dead on the Costa Blanca in June 2010 along with his bodyguard days after being released on bail from prison.

Charrington, who insisted at his trial he made his living from property sales and pays his taxes, pleaded not guilty like his son. The pair have been given five days to appeal their convictions and sentences.Police are searching for two women accused of stealing $600 worth of sex toys from an adult super store.

Three women were seen on CCTV footage entering the sex toy shop 'Libido' inPerth's Northbridge at 12.10am on Sunday.

Two of the women, one wearing high-waisted lace pants and a crop top, allegedly removed packaging from four high-end vibrators and left the store with the sex toys hidden in their clothing.

A group of three women (pictured) were seen on CCTV footage entering the sex toy shop Libido in Perth at 12.10am on Sunday

Two of the women, one wearing high-waisted lace pants and a crop top, allegedly removed packaging of high-end vibrators and left the store with the items hidden in their clothing

Libido owner Garry Smith told the Daily Mail the women managed to take off with four of his best-selling vibrators.

One of the vibrators, the Come Hither Rabbit, was valued at $280.

He alleged one woman had initially entered the busy store alone, and had unboxed a vibrator while staff had been busy with other customers.

She allegedly left the store with the product before returning with a friend to grab more items.

Smith said CCTV footage showed the pair grab three other vibrators, priced between $85 and $140 and take them into the dressing room.

They pair allegedly left the empty packaging in the changing room and left with the pricey products without the staff member noticing.

Four best-selling vibrators were stolen from the sex toy shop 'Libido' in Perth 's Northbridge on Sunday. One of the items was the Come Hither Rabbit (left), which retails for $280. Another vibrator that was stolen was the Commotion Rhumba (right), which retails for $140, according to store owner Garry Smith

Police have released images of the women caught on CCTV footage that they believe can assist with the investigation.

Smith is offering a $50 voucher to anyone who can identify the women.

He said every six months he loses about $2,500 in goods to theft.

'It's just a constant issue for us,' he said.

'We have a lot of issues, because we are one of the few retailers on the street, we're open during night time to capture that passing trade.'

Mainly female sex toys were taken, he said.

Australia's sex toy industry has been booming and demand for products is high, according to a report from adult toy retailer Randy Fox.

Anyone with information about the Libido theft should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit crimestoppers.com.au and quote reference number 9070.Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson has filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction as the Florida recount approaches a new phase where canvassers will examine ballots one by one to determine the intent of voters who turned in incorrectly filled-out or scribbled ballots.

Nelson and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee are seeking a court injunction over the vote-count standards, in a suit filed by election lawyer Marc Elias.

'Absent relief, scores of eligible Florida voters stand to be disenfranchised, not on the basis of her eligibility to vote or whether she has clearly indicated her choice of candidate, but rather on the basis of arbitrary and unconstitutional standards, in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,' according to the suit.

HERE WE GO AGAIN: Broward County canvassing board member Judge Robert Rosenberg examines a disputed absentee ballot Saturday, Nov. 25, 2000, at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. during the presidential recount. Lawyers for Sen. Bill Nelson want to protect ballots where a definite choice can be discerned

The lawsuit anticipates the hand-count phase that will begin after a Thursday deadline of a state-mandated machine count of ballots, in a race where there there are currently only 13,000 votes separating Republican Ron DeSantis and the trailing Nelson, out of more than 8 million cast.

The lawsuit also asks a federal judge to push back the deadline for starting the hand-count.

The suit seeks to ensure the counting of ballots cast by voters 'who clearly indicated their definite choice' in the Senate race, 'but may not have done so in the same manner for every race on the ballot or may not have cancelled-out erroneous over-votes using written words, as the State has already confirmed they are eligible and registered to vote and the voter has provided a clear indication on the ballot that the voter has made a definite choice under Florida law.

I PREFER LUCY: The suit notes the 'consistency requirement' mandating that a voter use the same method throughout a ballot. A ballot that meets it would be counted so long as the voter's intent is clear

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has filed suit over the rules for canvassing during a hand-count of rejected ballots

The deadline for a machine count of ballots is Thursday

Attorney Marc Elias exits Sandra Day O'Connor United States Courthouse in Phoenix, AZ, with attorney Amanda Callais on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016. He filed a suit in Florida on behalf of Nelson and Democrats

It is aimed at canvassing boards who will charged with going through thousands of ballots that were initially rejected by machines.

'These voters fundamental right to vote and to have their votes counted depends on the application of regulatory standards for determining voter intenti.e., whether the voters ballot contains a clear indication that the voter in fact made a definite choice in the race,' according to the race.

The suit keeps to seek canvassers from enforcing the 'consistency requirement' in a way that would bump ballots. For example, it cites a rule to be applied for a voter who properly fills in two ovals to properly cast a vote  but then circles a candidate for another office.

WRONG! The suit points to situations where a voter tries to correct their incorrect vote by writing 'wrong' or other descriptions

BE CONSISTENT: In some cases, a voter makes an allowable marking, but it isn't consistent with other parts of the ballot, thus violating the 'consistency standard'

The suit raises constitutional arguments against canvassing rules

Another case seeks a restraining order and includes a 'show cause' motion requiring the Florida Secretary of State to explain his position

That vote wouldn't count even though circling the name of a candidate is 'otherwise deemed valid,' due to the so-called consistency requirement.

The vote would be scotched 'solely because the voter did indicate her preference in the same manner as she did for other races on the same ballot (the Consistency Requirement)' according to the suit.

'Absent relief, scores of eligible Florida voters stand to be disenfranchised, not on the basis of her eligibility to vote or whether she has clearly indicated her choice of candidate, but rather on the basis of arbitrary and unconstitutional standards, in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,' according to the suit

The suit also seeks relief for cases where a voter 'erroneously selected more than one candidate and failed to write certain words on the ballot to cancel out her erroneous selection, even if she clearly expressed that intent by crossing out, striking through, and/or scribbling out the erroneous selection.'

The suit also raises the so-called 'Magic Words Requirement,' where a voter writes words on a ballot expressing what seems to be clear intent.

This occurs when a voter veers from proper voting procedure but still writes something direct on the ballot, such as 'not this,' 'ignore this,' 'don't want,' or 'wrong.'

In these cases, the voter's 'definite choice is clearly indicated.'

However, the suit seeks to expand the universe of allowable votes, in such cases where a voter has 'crossed out with an X, stricken through, or scribbled out one choice, and then marked a different choice in one of the ways permitted by Rule 1S-2.027(3)(b) or Rule 1S-2.027(4)(c)(1)-(14), has thereby cast a valid vote,' according to the suit.

It argues a valid and discernible vote should not be rejected 'solely because the voter failed to satisfy the Consistency Requirement or Magic Words Requirement imposed by Defendant.'A family has brought attention to the assisted suicide debate by sharing images of their brother who has just days to live.

Perth father-of-four Peter Wales, 66, was diagnosed with cancer in January this year.

'He can't talk, hasn't been able to for four days. He's just wasting away to nothing. It's like something out of Auschwitz. It's terrible,' his brother Steve told 9News.

Scroll down for video

Father-of-four Peter Wales, 66, was diagnosed with cancer in January this year

Peter Wales before he was diagnosed during his racing days

The family wanted the images shown but requested his face be blurred because they are so graphic.

The Western Australian parliament will have a conscience vote to consider an assisted dying bill next year.

If the bill is passed WA will become the second state in Australia to legalise the practice after Victoria in as soon as 18 months.

'He can't talk, hasn't been able to for four days. He's just wasting away to nothing. It's like something out of Auschwitz. It's terrible,' his brother Steve said

WA ASSISTED DYING BILL An expert panel is to be appointed to draft the bill Voluntary assisted dying would become legal for patients with a terminal illness The legislation would be brought to parliament in second half of 2019 A doctor could do the procedure where the patient is unable Death would need to be reasonably foreseeable Patients would need decision making mental capacity Patients would have to be aged over 18 and reside in WA Patients would need to be assessed by two doctors Health practitioners would not be forced to participate Advertisement

'I'd like to get a message out there to these do-gooders who don't want this law passed,' Steve Wales said.

'It's ok for them, they don't have to have it. They can die how they like, but let us go how we want to go.'

Victoria passed the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act in November 2017, however, the law does not come into effect until mid 2019.

The Prime Minister at the time, Malcolm Turnbull, spoke out saying he was not a supporter of the laws, however, the Victorian government had jurisdiction.

Patients will need approval from two medical experts, have lived in Victoria for 12 months, be over the age of 18, and be mentally fit.

Users will also have to administer the shot themselves or in some cases have a doctor do the procedure.Advertisement

Theresa May last night hailed her Brexit deal as being in the 'national interest' after convincing her Cabinet to back it - but only after a stormy five-hour meeting in which minister after minister had spoken against the plans, sparking fears of an imminent coup against her leadership from furious Brexiteers.

Mrs May finally won the day after declaring it was 'this or Jeremy Corbyn', but the fallout from the discussions left at least one minister - Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey - on 'resignation watch'.

In all at least 10 mutinous ministers spoke out against Mrs May's draft deal with Brussels during the meeting that stretched into yesterday evening.

Ms McVey called for a formal ministerial vote during the tempestuous debate before Mrs May rebuffed her. Others who declared themselves against the plans included International Trade Minister Liam Fox, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

After the Cabinet battle, which went on three hours longer than scheduled, the premier took to the steps of Downing Street admitting that the debate had been 'long and impassioned' and there were 'difficult days ahead'.

'The collective decision of Cabinet was that the government should agree the draft Withdrawal Agreement and the outline political declaration,' Mrs May said. 'I firmly believe with my head and heart that this decisive choice is in the best interests of the entire UK.'

Mrs May's reference to a 'collective' decision rather than a unanimous one immediately raised eyebrows. Around 10 ministers - nearly a third of the total - are understood to have spoken out against parts of the package, amid reports that a no confidence vote against the PM could be triggered as early as today.

Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt, who was thought to be among those closest to quitting, demanded assurances from the premier on key points. Defence Secretary Gavin Willliamson also expressed reservations about elements of the deal, as did Sajid Javid, Liam Fox, Jeremy Hunt and Andrea Leadsom.

But one Cabinet source told MailOnline that Ms McVey was an 'outlier' in the strength of her opposition, and appeared 'emotional'.

There are also rumours swirling about Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab's intentions after he endorsed the plans with a 'heavy heart'.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell had emerged as a potential risk after he signed a letter warning against giving away fishing rights as part of the agreement, but tonight confirmed that he was staying in the tent.

However, the apparent victory for the PM could be only temporary respite, as she faces an even bigger task to get the measures through Parliament amid a massive mutiny from Tory backbenchers and the DUP, and Labour opposition.

There are growing signs that Mrs May could face an imminent no confidence vote. The Eurosceptic ERG group - which claims to have up to 80 Tory MP members - has shifted its position after previously holding off sending letters to the 1922 committee chairman Graham Brady.

An ex-minister told MailOnline: 'I think a few people are holding off, will read the deal, square off their associations this weekend, then put in a letter.'

Meanwhile, DUP leader Arlene Foster has turned up the heat by warning Mrs May there will be 'consequences' if she pushes her plan through.

After nearly five hours of behind-closed doors discussions, the PM declared that she will press ahead with her controversial plan

Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt was summoned to Downing Street for pre-Cabinet talks this morning, amid rumours she is considering quitting. And she was one of the first to arrive for the Cabinet meeting this afternoon

DUP leader Arlene Foster - whose 10 MPs are propping Mrs May up in power - warned there would be 'consequences' if Mrs May pushes her deal through

Environment Secretary Michael Gove (left) is said to be 'tense', while Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has deep misgivings about some of the compromises in negotiations with Brussels

Mrs May delivered an impassioned defence of the package at PMQs earlier, insisting it was a 'significant' step forward in taking the UK out of the EU.

But she was warned she is making a 'shambolic mess' of the talks by Jeremy Corbyn - and her own MPs said she was 'not delivering the Brexit people voted for'.

The trouble was brewing as Boris Johnson vented fury over a leaked note claiming the deal means the UK will have to 'swallow' EU rules for good.

The former foreign secretary urged ministers to 'live up to their responsibilities' by blocking the agreement from going forward.

A draft Brexit deal agreed - but how WILL May get it through (and save her job)? Theresa May has struck a Brexit deal with Brussels - but now has to sell it to her Cabinet and then Parliament. Here is how events could develop now a draft agreement has been reached. Emergency EU Summit, Brussels, late November What will happen? If the divorce package is agreed by the cabinet, it will need to be signed off by EU leaders. EU council president Donald Tusk will convene a summit where formal approval will be given by EU leaders. This is expected sometime between November 22 and 25. Will the whole deal be agreed? The Brexit deal is due to come in two parts - a formal divorce treaty and a political declaration on what the final trade deal might look like. The second part may not be finished until a regular EU summit due on December 13-14. Assuming the negotiations have reached an agreement and Mrs May travels to Brussels with her Cabinet's support, this stage should be a formality. What if there is no agreement? If EU leaders do not sign off on the deal at this stage, no deal becomes highly likely - there is just no time left to negotiate a wholly new deal. The so-called 'meaningful vote' in the UK Parliament, December 2019 What will happen: A debate, probably over more than one day, will be held in the House of Commons on terms of the deal. It will end with a vote on whether or not MPs accept the deal. More than one vote might happen if MPs are allowed to table amendments. The vote is only happening after MPs forced the Government to accept a 'meaningful vote' in Parliament on the terms of the deal. What happens if May wins? If the meaningful vote is passed, there will be a series of further votes as the withdrawal treaty is written into British law. It will be a huge political victory for the Prime Minister and probably secure her version of Brexit. How can she win? The Prime Minister needs a majority of the House of Commons - excluding the Speakers, Sinn Fein and Tellers this means 318 votes. She can rely on around 150 members of the Government and maybe another 80 Tory MPs - getting her to about 230 votes - leaving her almost 90 votes short. Mrs May is likely to get the backing of some Labour MPs - but probably no more than 45 at the most. This mean she can only win the vote if she can squeeze the Brexiteer rebels down from up to 80 votes and get the 10 DUP MPs in line. Depending on the number of Labour rebels, she could have to win the support of 50 hardcore Tory Brexiteer MPs to get her What happens if she loses? This is possibly the most dangerous stage of all. The Prime Minister will have to stake her political credibility on winning a vote and losing it would be politically devastating. Brexiteers do not want to sign off the divorce bill without a satisfactory trade deal and Remainers are reluctant to vote for a blind Brexit. She could go back to Brussels to ask for new concessions before a second vote but many think she would have to resign quickly. Ratification in the EU, February 2019 What will happen? After the meaningful vote in the UK, the EU will have to ratify the agreement. The European Parliament must also vote in favour of the deal. It has a representative in the talks, Guy Verhofstadt, who has repeatedly warned the deal must serve the EU's interests. Will it be agreed? In practice, once the leaders of the 27 member states have agreed a deal, ratification on the EU side should be assured. If the deal has passed the Commons and she is still in office, this should not be dangerous for the Prime Minister. Exit day, March 29, 2019 At 11pm on March 29, 2019, Britain will cease to be a member of the European Union, two years after triggering Article 50 and almost three years after the referendum. Exit happens at 11pm because it must happen on EU time. If the transition deal is in place, little will change immediately - people will travel in the same way as today and goods will cross the border normally. But Britain's MEPs will no longer sit in the European Parliament and British ministers will no longer take part in EU meetings. Negotiations will continue to turn the political agreement on the future partnership into legal text that will eventually become a second treaty. Both sides will build new customs and immigration controls in line with what this says. Transition ends, December 2020 The UK's position will undergo a more dramatic change at the end of December 2020, when the 'standstill' transition is due to finish. If the negotiations on a future trade deal are complete, that could come into force. But if they are still not complete the Irish border 'backstop' plan could be triggered. Under current thinking, that means the UK staying in the EU customs union and more regulatory checks between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Eurosceptics fear this arrangement will prevent the country striking trade deals elsewhere, and could effectively last for ever, as Brussels will have no incentive to negotiate a replacement deal. Advertisement

Mrs May spent much of the morning engaged in frantic efforts to win over wavering ministers to the blueprint ahead of the Cabinet meeting.

Irish PM Leo Varadkar has revealed that if she is successful an EU summit to sign off the pact will be summoned on November 25.

But Mrs May suffered a major blow when it emerged Michel Barnier's deputy, Sabine Weyand, boasted about the divorce package in a briefing for Brussels officials.

She apparently claimed the UK will have to 'align their rules but the EU will retain all the controls', bragging that Britain is effectively accepting staying in the customs union for good, and will have to 'swallow' demands over fishing waters.

The extraordinary comments will reaffirm the fears of Brexiteers - and could tip ministers over the edge.

In a stunningly vicious backlash, Tory Eurosceptics and the DUP have warned Mrs May that her 'days are numbered' if she sticks to the plan.

Mr Johnson jibed today that the mooted package rules out a looser Canada-style relationship with the EU.

'This means super-Canada impossible. Cabinet must live up to its responsibilities & stop this deal,' he tweeted.

Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey is also considered at high risk of quitting, but the intention of others is unclear. Cabinet sources told MailOnline that things were still 'up in the air'.

Doubts about Mr Mundell were raised when he join 12 other Scottish Tory MPs - in signing a joint letter warning the PM they could not support a deal which failed to restore 'complete control and full sovereignty' over the UK's fishing waters.

Mr Mundell is among the few MPs to have viewed the draft agreement.

In the letter, the MPs warn: 'We could not support an agreement with the EU that would prevent the UK from independently negotiating access and quota shares... We also cannot stay in the Common Fisheries Policy after December 2020.'

Mrs May might be able to survive one or two departures, but fears are running high that the whole process could spectacularly collapse.

Speaking at PMQs, Mrs May said her package 'brings us significantly closer to delivering on what the British people voted for in the referendum'.

'We will take back control of our laws, borders and our money. We will leave the Commons Fisheries Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy while protecting jobs, security and the integrity of our United Kingdom,' she said.

'I will come back to the House to update it on the outcome.'

But Tory Brexiteer Peter Bone confronted the premier with his concerns, saying: 'If media reports about the EU agreement are in any way accurate, you are not delivering on the Brexit people voted for and today you will lose the support of many Conservative MPs and millions of voters around the country.'

Mrs May insisted she was delivering on the referendum  pointing to curbs on free movement - and added: 'This is a deal that delivers on that vote but in doing so protect jobs, protects the integrity of the United Kingdom and protects the security of people in this country.'

She acknowledged concerns about the fallback position of the UK being closely tied to the EU's customs union becoming a permanent situation but insisted that if the arrangement was needed it would be temporary.

'I am aware of the concerns that there are, that we don't want to be in a position where the European Union would find it comfortable to keep the UK in the backstop permanently,' she told MPs. 'That's why any backstop has to be temporary.'

Jeremy Corbyn attacked Mrs May's draft deal, describing it as a 'failure in its own terms'.

The Labour leader said: 'After two years of bungled negotiations, from what we know of the Government's deal it's a failure in its own terms.'

But Mrs May shot back by accusing Labour of seeking to 'frustrate' Brexit.

'Time and time again he has stood up in this House and complained and said that the Government isn't making progress, that the Government isn't anywhere close to a deal,' she said.

'Now when we're making progress and close to a deal he's complaining about that.

At an emergency Cabinet meeting expected to run for a marathon three hours this afternoon, the PM will warn ministers it is now 'make or break' for avoiding a chaotic exit.

Downing Street claims it has headed off plans that could have led to Northern Ireland being 'annexed' by the EU after Brexit and insists it has laid the groundwork for a 'good deal'.

But according to a note leaked to The Times, Ms Weyand told European ambassadors on Friday that the UK was getting the worst of the deal.

'We should be in the best negotiation position for the future relationship. This requires the customs union as the basis of the future relationship,' she said.

'They must align their rules but the EU will retain all the controls. They apply the same rules.

'UK wants a lot more from future relationship, so EU retains its leverage.'

She added that Britain 'would have to swallow a link between access to products and fisheries in future agreements'.

Other notes of the remarks were apparently less inflammatory - claiming she had in fact suggested the 'backstop' was the 'starting point' for future trade talks.

Mrs May is yet to publish her 400-500 page draft EU withdrawal agreement, but it is understood to include:

A guarantee there will no physical border checks reintroduced between Northern Ireland and the Republic;

A backstop to avoid a hard border that would come into force after a mooted transition period in December 2020 - and last 'unless and until' another solution is put in place.

Brussels is said to have dropped its demand to create a border in the Irish Sea;

But instead the customs union would apply indefinitely to the whole of the UK and Britain could not be able to walk away from the arrangement without approval from an 'independent panel' made up of civil servants from the EU and Britain;

There could also be enhanced regulatory checks between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland;

Commitments to ensure a 'level playing field' during the backstop including accepting EU rules on environmental and labour standards and state aid;

A review due to be held in July 2020, towards the end of the transition period, will decide whether the backstop needs to come into force;

The three million EU citizens living in the UK and one million British citizens living in the EU will keep all their existing rights post-Brexit;

A divorce bill of between 39billion and 46billion will be paid to Brussels;

DUP leader Arlene Foster - whose 10 MPs are propping Mrs May up in power - has flown to London for crisis talks and to read the Withdrawal Agreement in full.

Speaking to journalists in Parliament's Central Lobby, she warned her party would not 'be led by anyone' and would decide how it votes after seeing the deal.

She said: 'The Prime Minister has been very clear about our position. Just to be clear we wrote to her on November 1.

'If she decides to go against that  to go against herself because on many occasions she has stood up and said she will not break up the United Kingdom if she decides to go against all of that there will be consequences.'

Is May's deal already sunk? 100 Tories, the DUP and Labour have come out against - leaving her staring at defeat on December 11 Theresa May's task of getting her Brexit deal past the House of Commons is looking near-impossible as opposition mounts. The 'meaningful vote' promised to MPs will happen on December 11 and is the single biggest hurdle to the Brexit deal happening - as well as being the key to Mrs May' fate as PM. But despite opinion polls suggesting the public might be coming round to her deal, there is little sign of a shift among politicians. Remainers have been stepping up calls for a second referendum in the wake of Sam Gyimah's resignation as universities minister over the weekend - while Brexiteers including Boris Johnson have accused Mrs May of betrayal. Mrs May needs at least 318 votes in the Commons if all 650 MPs turns up - but can probably only be confident of around 230 votes. The number is less than half because the four Speakers, 7 Sinn Fein MPs and four tellers will not take part. The situation looks grim for Mrs May and her whips: now the deal has been published, over 100 of her own MPs and the 10 DUP MPs have publicly stated they will join the Opposition parties in voting No. This means the PM could have as few as 225 votes in her corner - leaving 410 votes on the other side, a landslide majority 185. This is how the House of Commons might break down: Mrs May needs at least 318 votes in the Commons if all 650 MPs turns up - but can probably only be confident of around 230 votes. Mrs May needs at least 318 votes in the Commons if all 650 MPs turns up - but can probably only be confident of around 230 votes. The Government (plus various hangers-on) Who are they: All members of the Government are the so-called 'payroll' vote and are obliged to follow the whips orders or resign. It includes the Cabinet, all junior ministers, the whips and unpaid parliamentary aides. There are also a dozen Tory party 'vice-chairs and 17 MPs appointed by the PM to be 'trade envoys'. How many of them are there? 178. What do they want? For the Prime Minister to survive, get her deal and reach exit day with the minimum of fuss. Many junior ministers want promotion while many of the Cabinet want to be in a position to take the top job when Mrs May goes. How will they vote? With the Prime Minister. European Research Group Brexiteers demanding a No Confidence Vote Who are they: The most hard line of the Brexiteers, they launched a coup against Mrs May after seeing the divorce. Led by Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker. How many of them are there: 26 What do they want: The removal of Mrs May and a 'proper Brexit'. Probably no deal now, with hopes for a Canada-style deal later. How will they vote: Against the Prime Minister. Other Brexiteers in the ERG Who are they: There is a large block of Brexiteer Tory MPs who hate the deal but have so far stopped short of moving to remove Mrs May - believing that can destroy the deal instead. They include ex Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith and ex minister Owen Paterson. Ex ministers like Boris Johnson and David Davis are also in this group - they probably want to replace Mrs May but have not publicly moved against her. How many of them are there? Around 50. What do they want? The ERG has said Mrs May should abandon her plans for a unique trade deal and instead negotiate a 'Canada plus plus plus' deal. This is based on a trade deal signed between the EU and Canada in August 2014 that eliminated 98 per cent of tariffs and taxes charged on goods shipped across the Atlantic. The EU has long said it would be happy to do a deal based on Canada - but warn it would only work for Great Britain and not Northern Ireland. How will they vote: Against the Prime Minister. Remain including the People's Vote supporters Who are they: Tory MPs who believe the deal is just not good enough for Britain. They include the group of unrepentant Remainers who want a new referendum like Anna Soubry and ex-ministers who quit over the deal including Jo Johnson and Phillip Lee. How many of them are there: Maybe around 10. What do they want? To stop Brexit. Some want a new referendum, some think Parliament should step up and say no. A new referendum would take about six months from start to finish and they group wants Remain as an option on the ballot paper, probably with Mrs May's deal as the alternative. How will they vote? Against the Prime Minister. Moderates in the Brexit Delivery Group (BDG) and other Loyalists Who are they? A newer group, the BDG counts members from across the Brexit divide inside the Tory Party. It includes former minister Nick Boles and MPs including Remainer Simon Hart and Brexiteer Andrew Percy. There are also lots of unaligned Tory MPs who are desperate to talk about anything else. How many of them are there? Based on public declarations, about 48 MPs have either said nothing or backed the deal. What do they want? The BDG prioritises delivering on Brexit and getting to exit day on March 29, 2019, without destroying the Tory Party or the Government. If the PM gets a deal the group will probably vote for it. It is less interested in the exact form of the deal but many in it have said Mrs May's Chequers plan will not work. Mr Boles has set out a proposal for Britain to stay in the European Economic Area (EEA) until a free trade deal be negotiated - effectively to leave the EU but stay in close orbit as a member of the single market. How will they vote? With the Prime Minister. The DUP Who are they? The Northern Ireland Party signed up to a 'confidence and supply' agreement with the Conservative Party to prop up the Government. They are Unionist and say Brexit is good but must not carve Northern Ireland out of the Union. How many of them are there? 10. What do they want? A Brexit deal that protects Northern Ireland inside the UK. How will they vote? Against the Prime Minister on the grounds they believe the deal breaches the red line of a border in the Irish Sea. Labour Loyalists Who are they? Labour MPs who are loyal to Jeremy Corbyn and willing to follow his whipping orders. How many of them are there? Up to 250 MPs depending on exactly what Mr Corbyn orders them to do. What do they want? Labour policy is to demand a general election and if the Government refuses, 'all options are on the table', including a second referendum. Labour insists it wants a 'jobs first Brexit' that includes a permanent customs union with the EU. It says it is ready to restart negotiations with the EU with a short extension to the Article 50 process. The party says Mrs May's deal fails its six tests for being acceptable. How will they vote? Against the Prime Minister's current deal. Labour Rebels Who are they? A mix of MPs totally opposed to Mr Corbyn's leadership, some Labour Leave supporters who want a deal and some MPs who think any deal will do at this point. How many of them are there? Maybe 10 to 20 MPs but this group is diminishing fast - at least for the first vote on the deal. What do they want? An orderly Brexit and to spite Mr Corbyn. How will they vote? With the Prime Minister. Other Opposition parties Who are they? The SNP, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, Green Caroline Lucas and assorted independents. How many of them are there? About 60 MPs. How will they vote? Mostly against the Prime Minister - though two of the independents are suspended Tories and two are Brexiteer former Labour MPs. Advertisement

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley (left) is a close ally of the PM, while Dominic Raab (right) is expected to hang on despite serious doubts

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt's endorsement will be critical if Mrs May is to get her proposals past Cabinet

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, an eminent QC and staunch Brexiteer, has emerged as a key figure in wrangling over the Irish border 'backstop'. Treasury minister Liz Truss (right) is also among those joining the session

Flanked by senior ministers at PMQs in the Commons earlier today, Mrs May tried to put a brave face on her Brexit woes

Boris Johnson (right) arrived at Parliament today on his bike as he led criticism of the Brexit blueprint thrashed out by the government

Boris Johnson highlighted the remarks by Ms Weyand as he urged ministers to 'stop this deal' (left). The DUP's Sammy Wilson said his party would 'not be voting for this humiliation'

Ominously, she stressed that the party's confidence and supply deal was with the Tories rather than Mrs May personally.

DUP chief whip Jeffrey Donaldson upped the pressure earlier by making clear it was currently determined to reject the proposals.

How Boris and Rees-Mogg ambushed the PM's Brexit plan Boris Johnson was live on TV in central lobby within minutes of the deal emerging last night (pictured) as the Tory rebels launched an ambush on the plans Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg joined forces with the DUP to launch an ambush on Theresa May's Brexit deal within minutes of it emerging last night. Tory rebels dramatically marched to Parliament's Central Lobby - flanked by the bloc of DUP MPs who are supposed to be propping up Mrs May in No 10 - to hold court with journalists. In a furious briefing before a deal was even confirmed by Downing Street, they derided it as 'totally unacceptable' because it would leave the UK a 'vassal state' under the yolk of EU control. Mr Johnson and Mr Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Brexiteer European Research Group, renewed their attack on the plans today demanding the Cabinet throw out the plan. Last night's ambush began within minutes of details being leaked to the Irish broadcaster RTE at around 4pm. Just 90 minutes later the rebel MPs were speaking live to broadcasters just feet from the Commons chamber having arrived from Iain Duncan Smith's office. The condemnation of the plans had started before Downing Street had even confirmed it had a deal and Mrs May would meet Cabinet ministers one-on-one before a crucial meeting later today. Advertisement

He told BBC Radio 4's Today the Unionist party 'don't fear a general election', when asked whether it would risk Jeremy Corbyn, a long-term supporter of a united Ireland.

He said: 'It's not about who is prime minister, it's not about who governs the country, it's about the constitutional and economic integrity of the UK, that is fundamental for us.

'And it is not just us, the DUP does not stand alone on this, we have many friends within the Conservative Party and indeed in some other parties, who believe this deal has the potential to lead to the break-up of the UK.

'That is not something we can support.'

If the PM manages to squeeze her plan past Cabinet she will argue it represents the only chance of a deal, or risk crashing out of the EU on March 29 next year.

Mrs May appears to have convinced Brussels to drop its demand that Northern Ireland should remain in the customs union during the transition period that ends on December 31 2020.

But in return she may have agreed to a 'level playing field' measures tying Britain to more EU rules in that period.

Iain Duncan Smith warned last night that the Prime Minister's 'days were numbered' if she tried to keep the UK tied to Brussels.

Mrs May's ability to get a deal through Parliament was put in doubt when Eurosceptic MPs were joined at an impromptu Westminster briefing by senior figures in the Democratic Unionist Party.

They voiced fury at reports that the proposed agreement could drive a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Intriguingly, Mr Duncan Smith was also seen entering the famous building - although it is thought he was in to talk about a government climbdown over delays to curbs on 'crack cocaine' gambling machines.

As she left home today, Mrs Leadsom told journalists: 'I've had a good conversation with the PM and I'm looking at the details of the deal today and I'm extremely optimistic that we'll have a good deal, but I'm looking at the details today.'

Moderate Tories accused leading Brexiteers of 'throwing their toys out of the pram' before they have even seen the details of the proposed withdrawal agreement.

And today former foreign secretary Lord Hague cautioned MPs that voting down Mrs May's deal might mean 'Brexit never happens'.

Here is the full text of Theresa May's statement on the steps of Downing Street The Cabinet has just had a long, detailed and impassioned debate on the draft withdrawal agreement and the outline political declaration on our future relationship with the European Union. These documents were the result of thousands of hours of hard negotiation by UK officials and many many meetings which I and other ministers held with our EU counterparts. I firmly believe that the draft withdrawal agreement was the best that could be negotiated, and it was for the Cabinet to decide whether to move on in the talks. The choices before us were difficult, particularly in relation to the Northern Ireland backstop. But the collective decision of cabinet was that the government should agree the draft withdrawal agreement and the outline political declaration. This is a decisive step which enables us to move on and finalise the deal in the days ahead. These decisions were not taken lightly but I believe it is a decision that is firmly in the national interest. When you strip away the detail the choice before us is clear: this deal, which delivers on the vote of the referendum, which brings back control of our money, laws and borders, ends free movement, protects jobs, security and our Union, or leave with no deal, or no Brexit at all. I know that there will be difficult days ahead. This is a decision that will come under intense scrutiny and that is entirely as it should be and entirely understandable. But the choice was this deal which enables us to take back control and build a brighter future for our country, or go back to square one with more divisions, more uncertainty and a failure to deliver on the referendum. it is my job as Prime Minister to explain the decision the government have taken, and I stand ready to do that, beginning tomorrow with a statement in parliament. But if I may end by just saying this: I believe that what I owe to this country is to take decisions that are in the national interest and I firmly believe with my head and my heart that this is a decision which is in the best interests of our entire United Kingdom. Advertisement

'For the DUP... they advocated leaving the EU, they also have to face up to the fact that if they vote down a deal because they are not happy with the details, well, the consequences may be that Brexit never happens,' he told the BBC.

However, worryingly for Mrs May, leading Tory Remainer Dominic Grieve said he currently could not support the package.

How has Theresa May tried to resolve the Irish border issue? The Brexit divorce negotiations have boiled down to the issue of the Irish border and Theresa May is claiming victory. The line between Northern Ireland and the Republic will be the UK's only land border with the EU after we leave the bloc. Brussels had initially demanded that Northern Ireland stays within its jurisdiction for customs and most single market rules to avoid a hard border. But it appears the PM has encouraged them to back down by agreeing a deal being compared to a swimming pool. It is understood that during the transition period lasting until the end of 2020, Northern Ireland will be in the 'deep end' of the pool. NI would have a 'special status' to be aligned to more of the EU's rules while mainland Britain will be in the 'shallow end' and have to accept fewer rules than Belfast. Irish broadcaster RTE reported that the deal now involves one overall 'backstop' in the form of a UK-wide customs arrangement - as sought by Mrs May - but with deeper provisions for Northern Ireland on customs and regulations. The Guardian reported that an independent arbitration committee will judge when a UK-wide customs backstop could be terminated. There will also be a review in July 2019 six months before the end of the transition period, at which it will be determined how to proceed - a new trade deal, the backstop or an extension to the transition period. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox is said to have told Cabinet that Northern Ireland will be in a 'different regulatory regime' under the customs backstop and subject to EU law and institutions, something that may 'cross a line' for the DUP. Advertisement

'I could not look my constituents in the eye and say this would be a better deal than the one we have as a member of the EU,' he said.

Former minister Philip Lee said he wanted a second referendum. 'Where we're going to end up is not where was promised. This is political fraud, and I'm not putting my name to it,' he said.

Yesterday's breakthrough came after days of gruelling negotiations in Brussels, in which both sides made further concessions.

Downing Street was tight-lipped about the contents of the withdrawal agreement, which runs to more than 400 pages of legal text.

An accompanying document on the 'future framework' is said to be as short as five pages, and is set to be the subject of intense negotiations.

But sources said Brussels had backed down over the controversial 'backstop' plan which is designed to prevent a return to a hard border in Northern Ireland if trade talks falter.

The EU had demanded a scheme that would have kept Northern Ireland in the customs union after the rest of the UK left. Brussels has now accepted a proposal that could keep the whole UK in a temporary backstop until trade terms are finalised.

A Government source said: 'The idea of a Northern Ireland-only customs backstop has been dropped. There is no backstop to the backstop.'

Last week, seven Cabinet ministers, including Mr Raab warned Mrs May that the UK must have a 'unilateral' exit clause from the arrangement.

Sajid Javid yesterday became the latest minister to warn the deal would not get through Parliament without this.

But the proposal was rejected by Brussels and is thought to have been replaced by a complex joint mechanism, which will raise Eurosceptic fears that Britain could be 'trapped' in a customs union against its will.

Sources said the deal allows for an independent panel to decide when the UK can leave a backstop arrangement.

It will review progress on a transition deal in July 2019 and decide if the UK is ready to switch to a free trade deal, transfer to the backstop or extend the transition period until 2021, reported the Guardian.

The EU demanded a 'level playing field' guarantee, which could see the UK made to follow Brussels rules during any backstop period.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the European Court of Justice would have a role in deciding when the backstop arrangement would end, something that would infuriate Eurosceptics.

The newspaper also said that the Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox, told the Cabinet the backstop arrangement would leave Northern Ireland under a 'different regulatory regime subject to EU law and institutions.'

Earlier this week, Miss Mordaunt suggested the Cabinet was ready to act as a check on Mrs May's Brexit compromises.

Michel Barnier (pictured in Brussels this week) seemed to make a bid to bounce the UK into a deal, after he briefed EU ambassadors a deal was 'largely' done

Irish news organisations claimed the agreement involved deeper customs and regulatory checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, breaching a DUP 'red line'.

A Whitehall source last night dismissed this claim as Dublin 'spin'. The source warned there was no realistic prospect of further concessions from Brussels, adding: 'It's make or break time. This is the basis for a good deal, but the negotiators are clear they have taken this as far as they can.'

The DUP said it had been kept in the dark, raising doubts about the future of the confidence and supply deal that props up Mrs May's minority government at Westminster.

Speaking on Ireland's broadcaster RTE the Democratic Unionist Party's Sammy Wilson said it was not a deal that his party could support.

'What we've heard and seen of the deal it is something which we would absolutely oppose,' Mr Wilson said.

So what has been agreed with the EU? Ireland: The Prime Minister has killed off EU demands for a Northern Ireland-only 'backstop' designed to prevent a hard border with the Republic. However, in its place is a 'temporary' plan that could see the whole UK stay in a form of customs union until a trade deal is finalised. Regulations: The UK is set to have to follow most single market regulations during any backstop period. Theresa May has said she wants the UK to continue following a 'common rule book' for goods and farm products in the final trade deal  a move opposed by Brexiteers. Money: The Brexit deal will confirm a 39billion 'divorce payment' to the EU and is expected to outline a mechanism for agreeing additional payments in the event of an extended transition. Trade: The deal is expected to contain only a brief 'political declaration' on future trade arrangements. Ministers hope to beef this up before MPs are asked to vote on the deal next month. Citizens: The deal will guarantee the existing rights of the three million EU citizens living in the UK and the one million Britons living in Europe. But the EU is still pushing for the UK's new immigration system to grant preferential treatment to EU citizens in return for a better trade deal. Advertisement

'It goes against everything the Government promised it would deliver. Indeed it's a regurgitation of what the Prime Minister said last March, no British Prime Minister could ever sign up to and it would split the United Kingdom.

'It would keep the UK tied and handcuffed to the European Union with the key for those handcuffs remaining in the hands of the EU.'

He added: 'I don't think it's only us who will be opposing it.'

Members of the European Research Group urged ministers to block the deal. Chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg said: 'It is a failure of the Government's negotiating position, it is a failure to deliver on Brexit and it is potentially dividing up the United Kingdom.'

Former foreign secretary Mr Johnson said: 'For the first time in a thousand years, this place, this Parliament, will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is a quite incredible state of affairs.'

But moderate MPs suggested the Eurosceptic response had little to do with the details of the deal.

Simon Hart, founder of the Brexit Delivery Group of MPs, which is backing efforts to strike a deal, said: 'This is now judgement day. Every minister and MP needs to weigh up what's on offer, compare it with alternative outcomes and make their decision and live with the consequences.

'Using this moment to play politics or grandstand will rightly be greeted with dismay by all our voters, irrespective of whether they voted to leave or remain.

'We are looking for calm assessment of the position, not the political hysteria which has been all too frequent when discussing Europe.'

Michel Barnier's team was due to update member states in Brussels on the deal this afternoon.

The meeting had originally been intended only to cover no-deal preparedness but has now had 'state of play' on the talks added to the agenda.

One diplomat said: 'The ball is on the side of the UK and its internal processes. It's now for Theresa May's Cabinet to decide if it is satisfied.'

Further Brussels sources last night said the deal would include a review before the end of the transition to determine whether to trigger the Irish backstop.

Who were the key power brokers on each side of the talks? Both Britain and the EU had teams of negotiators hammering out the final stages of the deal working late into the night. The two sides were led by a group of powerful individuals at the head of small armies of officials tasked with turning political deals into cold legal text. In the final days the teams have worked until the small hours to finalise a deal that could be put to an emergency summit later this month. Talks on Sunday night ran until 2.45am. The final deal is thought to be at least 500 pages long and civil servants on both sides have spent months hammering out the detailed legal language. The treaty includes clauses on the divorce payment, rights of nationals on both sides and crucially how the Irish border will work. The key players on each side were: TEAM UK Dominic Raab Brexit Secretary Drafted in to replace David Davis in July, Raab was ordered to deliver the Chequers plan as Theresa May's political representative in the talks. A committed Brexiteer, he was part of the Vote Leave campaign and leading DEXEU was his first Cabinet job. Unlike his predecessor, Raab was explicitly appointed to deputise for the Prime Minister in the talks rather than personally lead them - but has been the point man in Brussels. Oliver Robbins Prime Minister's Europe adviser At around 6ft 3in, the burly civil servant certainly looks like he won't be messed with, but is best known in Whitehall for his intellect. Only 43, the Oxford PPE graduate has already served in senior roles for David Cameron, Theresa May and Gordon Brown. Brexiteers have repeatedly criticised him for dragging the talks toward a soft deal. TEAM EU Michel Barnier Chief EU Brexit negotiator A seasoned French official was once called an 'enemy of Britain' for trying to impose controls on the City. Ambitious, he is distrusted in some UK quarters, but is also known as an ultra-charming negotiator. Brexit role has made him a 'rock star' figure in Brussels. Promised a hard-line approach throughout the talks and never deviated from the rules handed to him by EU leaders. Sabine Weyand Michel Barnier's deputy A former student at Cambridge in the 1980s and seen as one 'the best and brightest' of the Brussels technocrats. The German has more than 20 years' experience carving out trade deals for the Commission. Can be brusque but is known as a problem-solver. Brexit Secretary DOominic Raab and EU negotiator Michel Barnier have led the teams finalising the deal in recent weeks AdvertisementAsia Bibi, pictured, is under threat of death after she was accused of blasphemy in her native Pakistan

Ministers were accused of bowing to the mob last night by refusing to grant asylum to Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi.

Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs select committee, claimed the mother-of-five was not offered refuge in the UK because British officials feared reprisal attacks.

He claimed Home Secretary Sajid Javid had suggested allowing her into the country but had met resistance from Foreign Office diplomats in Pakistan.

Mrs Bibi was freed from death row last month after eight years in jail on blasphemy charges, but she now faces being lynched by extremists. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in Pakistan to demand that the Roman Catholic farm worker  who is in hiding under police protection  is put to death.

Former Tory chairman Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, said that if Pakistan could not keep Mrs Bibi safe, the UK should take her in, adding: We cannot tolerate mob rule.

The claims emerged as pressure mounted on Theresa May to intervene.

More than 70 MPs and peers signed a letter to the PM calling for a grant of asylum and asking her to take account of the exceptional circumstances of the case.

The letter, which was organised by Tory MP Rehman Chishti, warned of the clear threat to life to a woman who had been persecuted for her faith.

It said such a move would be in line with the Governments clear moral commitment to standing up for justice, human rights and respect for religious freedom.

Last night, Mr Chishti said: It is morally and ethically the right thing to do.

A separate letter, signed by Muslim and Christian leaders including Paul Butler, the Bishop of Durham, was addressed to Mr Javid. It said: Britains commitment to freedom of religious expression is one of our most important values. We call on you to make a clear and proactive statement that Britain would welcome a request for sanctuary here.

Mrs Bibi, pictured with two of her five children, was jailed for nine years after a row over a cup of water. Now she is in hiding after a bounty was placed on her head by religious leaders

Some Pakistani Muslims have threatened to kill Mrs Bibi if she is spotted on the street

Some British MPs have urged the government to offer asylum to Mrs Bibi and her family

It came after former foreign secretary Boris Johnson wrote to Mr Javid demanding asylum for Mrs Bibi, 53. He said: We cannot allow the threat of violence to deter us from doing the right thing.

Yesterday, Mrs Bibis lawyer, Saif ul-Mulook, said she had not left Pakistan because no other country had offered her a visa. He said Western countries such as Britain were guilty of talking a lot.

He told Radio 4s Today programme: The moment any country of the world offer visas she will be out the next minute. That is the real reason that she is unable to fly.

This contradicts suggestions in Whitehall that she cannot be offered asylum because she has been banned from leaving the country. Mr Tugendhats comments came as he cross-examined the Foreign Offices most senior civil servant, Permanent Secretary Sir Simon McDonald.

He told Sir Simon: The Home Office has made some suggestions  including offering asylum  to an individual who would qualify on absolutely every ground.

One of the reasons this has not been done is because the Head of Post in country is worried about the security implications for staff.

Does that not raise the question that either staff should be withdrawn or security increased because otherwise British policy is being dictated to by a mob?

Sir Simon rejected suggestions that the UK was hoping for an offer from another country. The Canadian government is in talks with Pakistan over the case.

Tim Farron, ex-leader of the Lib Dems, is organising a petition in Parliament calling for an asylum offer. He said: Her plight is appalling. The plight of her family and those who have worked to secure her freedom is shocking. Its a tragedy that although her release from prison has been secured she is not actually free.

The UK should demonstrate its commitment to religious tolerance and offer unconditional asylum to her and her family.

The questionable characters we have provided with sanctuary Jet hijackers: Nine Afghans who hijacked a plane at gunpoint in their homeland in 2000  ordering it to be diverted to Stansted Airport  won refuge in the UK. After being freed from jail on appeal in 2003, they gained full leave to remain and claim benefits. Incredibly, one was later found working as a cleaner at Heathrow. Abu Qatada: Once regarded as Osama Bin Ladens top man in the UK, the extremist cleric was granted asylum in 1994 after arriving on a false passport. During an eight-year deportation farce, costing taxpayers more than 2million, he used human rights laws to delay his removal to Jordan until 2013. Parsons Green bomber: Ahmed Hassan  who injured 23 passengers trying to blow up a District Line train  lied to immigration officials in 2015 that he was a 16-year-old orphan who had been trained to kill by Islamic State in Iraq. He was jailed for 34 years over the attack last September. Serbian paramilitary: Dejan Tolics 1999 asylum application was refused after he admitted being a member of the White Eagles, a Serbian paramilitary group linked to atrocities in the Yugoslav wars. However, he was allowed to remain on human rights grounds. African war criminal: Joseph Lissa was branded a war criminal after being accused of raping and killing enemies during Sierra Leones civil war. He won the right to stay after fathering a child here. IAN DRURY Advertisement





Row over a cup of water that led to murder, riots and global outrage with a Christian mother sentenced to death over blasphemy charges

For a Christian Pakistani, it is far safer to be neither seen nor heard in public life. Prejudice against the tiny majority  just 1.6 per cent of the overwhelmingly Muslim population  is not only endemic in society, but enshrined in the countrys Penal Code.

Asia Bibis ordeal demonstrates how even a triviality can be dressed up as blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammed, leading to prison and the threat of the gallows, or the summary justice of a murderous mob.

For brave Muslims who defend Christian Pakistanis against such persecution, the consequences can also prove fatal.

Asias case may have become a 21st-century international cause celebre, with London writer and film-maker Jemima Goldsmith castigating her ex-husband Imran Khan, the Pakistani prime minister and former cricket international, for appeasing Islamists baying for the defendants blood.

Pakistan's Christian minority has stood up against the threat to Ms Bibi, although those

But its origins lie in an innocuous pastoral scene that would not have seemed out of place in the western Punjab at any time over the past two millennia.

It was June 2009, and a group of women were picking falsa berries outside the village of Ittan Wali, on the dusty, hardscrabble agricultural plain west of the city of Lahore.

Among them was Asia, who is thought to be 53, an illiterate mother of five married to a labourer called Ashiq Masih.

The heat of the Punjab summer is intense, and like most rural villages there was no running water in Ittan Wali. So Asia was sent by her co-workers to draw from the local well. After she drank using a utensil from which everyone was to quench their thirst, some of the women refused to drink from it.

They were Muslims and she was Christian, an infidel. Therefore the cup was now haram  unclean to them. It has been reported they even claimed the well was defiled because Asia had drunk from it.

That is when her real troubles began; troubles that would put her in jail for nine years under the threat of death and now, on release, to fear for her life.

The approximately 2.5million Christians in Pakistan are largely descended from low-caste Hindus who were converted by British missionaries during the Raj. Many did so to escape the prejudices and oppressions of the Hindu caste system. Now their descendants find themselves trapped in poverty and fear by a different kind of strict religious hegemony.

In recent years, their vulnerability has only increased thanks to the rise of militant Islam.

Blasphemy laws introduced by Islamist President Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq in the Eighties, have been used as a stick to subjugate non-Muslim minorities. The most significant in this instance is Section 295c of the Penal Code, passed in 1986. Anyone found guilty of defiling the name of the Prophet Mohammed would face a mandatory death sentence.

Asia and her family were the only Christian household in her village, and therefore already vulnerable. Previously she had been harassed to convert to Islam. But the day she drank from the well there was an argument with three other women during which it was alleged religious insults were swapped. A fight took place.

Five days later the local imam, Mohammed Qari Salim, became involved  and not as a peacemaker. He used his position  and the loudspeakers of his mosque  to whip up hatred against Asia, who was beaten by a mob chanting: Death to the Christian. He also filed a blasphemy complaint to police.

They tried to put a noose around my neck so they could kill me, Asia later said of her assailants. But before she could be lynched she was arrested under Section 295c.

Her husband and children went into hiding, having received anonymous death threats. He told the BBC: They say, Well deal with you if we get our hands on you. Now everyone knows about us, so I am hiding my kids here and there. I dont allow them to go out. Anyone can harm them.

Asia was charged with insulting the Holy Prophet and the Koran, allegations she has always denied. She then spent 18 months in jail on remand.

She said the allegations were made up by one village woman who had a long-standing grudge against her. Such score-settling is a common abuse of the blasphemy laws, according to human rights campaigners.

In November 2010, at a district court, Asia became the first woman in Pakistan to be sentenced to death under blasphemy laws, and was told to pay a fine equivalent to 2,180. A female farm worker in Punjab earns around 2 a day. At the court, a mob chanted: Kill her, kill her. Asia was put on death row under 24-hour surveillance  for her own protection.

The death sentence caused outrage outside Pakistan  Pope Benedict called for clemency  but delight among the countrys religious hardliners. Imam Salim, who helped bring the case against her, said: Any Muslim, if given the chance, would kill such a person. You would be rewarded in heaven. He said he burst into tears of joy when the sentence was passed.

Meanwhile, a cleric in the city of Peshawar offered a reward of 4,000 to anyone who killed Asia if she escaped execution.

Some official voices spoke out on her behalf. One of the most important and impressive was the Governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, a long-time critic of abuses of his countrys blasphemy laws.

He visited Asia in jail and said he would ask the then president, Asif Ali Zardari, to pardon her. The governor said Asia told him she had not disrespected the Holy Prophet and claimed she was sexually assaulted and dragged through her village by a mob.

That sealed his fate.

A few days into the January of 2011, he was gunned down by his own bodyguard, shot 27 times in central Islamabad. The killer was hailed a religious hero by many in Pakistan, and when in 2016 he was hanged for the murder, Islamist mobs went on the rampage in towns across the country. His funeral was attended by an estimated 100,000 mourners.

Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistans minister for minorities and himself a Roman Catholic, also protested against Asias conviction and sentence. He had been receiving death threats from Islamist groups including the Taliban and Al Qaeda for years. His outspoken support for Asia only served to precipitate the inevitable.

Less than two months after Governor Taseers death, Mr Bhatti, 42, was driving through Islamabad when his car was riddled with bullets. He died in hospital.

Ms Bibi has been banned from leaving Pakistan by the government, which has placed her life at considerable risk as some religious leaders have placed a large bounty on her head

He had foretold the manner of his death in a video that was released after the assassination. Speaking to the camera he said: I believe in Jesus Christ who has given his own life for us, and I am ready to die for a cause. Im living for my community... and I will die to defend their rights.

With Asia behind bars, attacks on her fellow Christians increased in frequency and ferocity.

In 2013, a twin suicide bomb attack on a church in Peshawar killed around 80 people. The following year in Lahore, bomb attacks on churches killed 14 and wounded 70. Christians celebrating Easter in Lahore in 2016 were hit by a suicide bombing that killed 70 and injured 340, while a church attack in Quetta last year caused dozens more casualties.

A new hard-Right Islamist party called Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) was established, calling for blasphemers to be killed and their murderers celebrated.

Meanwhile, despite the grave threat to their safety, Asias supporters fought on. In October 2014, her appeal to the Lahore High Court against her conviction was dismissed and the sentence upheld. The following summer, the Supreme Court suspended her death sentence while the appeals process ran its course.

Then, on October 31 this year, three Supreme Court judges, led by the Chief Justice, quashed the blasphemy convictions and death sentence. One said: Blasphemy is a serious offence, but... a conclusion is inescapable and irresistible that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

While Asia expressed her delight from her cell, Islamists took to the streets, bringing towns and cities to a halt. The TLP party called for the judges to be killed.

Having praised the Supreme Court decision and the rule of law, Imran Khan caved in to the extremists and reportedly agreed to bar Asia from leaving Pakistan, and even have the verdict examined by another court.

This caused international outrage, not least from his ex-wife Miss Goldsmith (the mother of his children). She tweeted: Three days after a defiant & brave speech defending the judiciary, Pakistans gov caves in to extremist demands to bar #AsiaBibi from leaving Pak, after she was acquitted of blasphemy  effectively signing her death warrant.

Asias lawyer, Saif ul-Malook, had already fled the country, fearing for his life. His client is now in limbo, having been flown from her jail to the capital. Asia Bibi is completely secure at a safe place in Pakistan, a foreign ministry spokesman said. She can go anywhere she wants to, she is a free national ... if she wants to go abroad, no harm in it.

But it is clear that if she is allowed to leave there will be further fury from Islamist protesters  which means the moral credibility of Mr Khan is now in question as her fate is decided.

Will he let Asia go, or will he pander to those who would keep her in Pakistan where it is likely she will be hunted down and killed?Perhaps the strangest thing about Lord Lesters allegedly very strange seduction technique is that this outwardly sane, worldly and highly distinguished man could have possibly envisioned it ending in success

Perhaps the strangest thing about Lord Lesters allegedly very strange seduction technique is that this outwardly sane, worldly and highly distinguished man could have possibly envisioned it ending in success.

The 82-year-old married Liberal Democrat peer not only seemed to think an elegant womens rights campaigner three decades his junior could be talked into becoming his mistress, but also decided the best way to pursue this ignoble aim would be to crudely proposition her.

That, at least, is the claim made by Jasvinder Sanghera, whose testimony to the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards has mired the veteran parliamentarian in a sex scandal.

She has accused Lester, to quote the conclusions of a nine-month investigation, of being responsible for multiple incidents of unwanted touching, including groping her in his car and the kitchen of his 3 million South London house, and of persistently making sometimes revolting sexual comments and offers to her, even after she clearly objected.

After repeatedly rebuffing him, Sanghera says he then decided to offer her a corrupt inducement to submit to the creepy advances, saying: If you sleep with me, I will make you a baroness within a year.

Finally, when all else had failed, Lester stands accused of turning nasty: threatening to see to it that I never had a seat in the House of Lords, before using his power and influence to ensure she was dropped from the guest-list for important parliamentary meetings.

For any public figure to indulge in such sleazy behaviour would be deeply unedifying.

For the supposed perpetrator to be a distinguished Left-wing barrister  an architect of the famous 1975 Sex Discrimination Act, and a man regarded (in the words of a newspaper profile) as the Godfather of human rights legislation, who has spent his life campaigning for minorities, especially women  it is surreal.

Yet just such a conclusion was this week reached by the powerful Lords Committee for Privileges and Conduct, which found that Lord Lester of Herne Hill became so obsessively attracted to the younger woman that he completely lost all sense of judgment and propriety.

It recommended that he be suspended from the Upper House until June 2022, the longest parliamentary suspension of the modern era.

That, at least, is the claim made by Jasvinder Sanghera, whose testimony to the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards has mired the veteran parliamentarian in a sex scandal

Its decision was laid out in a 130-page report concluding the claims made by Sanghera, who has waived anonymity, are more likely than not to be true, on what was described as the balance of probabilities.

Before coming to this ruling, the Committee spoke to ten witnesses. Six of them helped prop up the case against Lord Lester, who continues to dismiss every allegation of impropriety as a pack of lies. Four spoke in his defence.

The events in dispute date back to 2006 when the peer contacted Sanghera to ask for help to pass a Private Members Bill that would make forced marriage a civil offence.

On paper, it represented a terrific opportunity. Jasvinder Sanghera, who grew up in a strict Sikh family in Derby  before running away as a teenager to escape such a marriage herself  has spent 25 years campaigning relentlessly on the issue. In 1993, she set up a charity called Karma Nirvana to champion the rights of women in minority communities, having seen her sister Robina commit suicide in order to escape an abusive spouse.

The award-winning organisation set up refuges in Derby and Stoke, runs a helpline which offers advice to around 600 women a month, and has lobbied against everything from so-called honour killing, to female genital mutilation, to the failure of authorities to deal with Asian grooming gangs for fear of rocking the multicultural boat. For her tireless work Sanghera, now 53, was awarded the CBE.

She has accused Lester, to quote the conclusions of a nine-month investigation, of being responsible for multiple incidents of unwanted touching, including groping her in his car and the kitchen of his 3 million South London house, and of persistently making sometimes revolting sexual comments and offers to her, even after she clearly objected'

Lord Lesters proposed Bill seemed like a victory for her campaigns, so Sanghera travelled to London to help draft it. Yet almost immediately, she sensed a second agenda.

After their first meeting, at Lesters barristers chambers, she was invited to accompany him to Wildys, an antiquarian bookshop in Lincolns Inn, where, she says, he bought her valuable copies of two classics: Shakespeares sonnets and Anna Karenina.

Initially, Sanghera, who has three children from two marriages and lives with a long-term partner, assumed the gesture was eccentric rather than romantic. But according to a statement she gave to the Commissioner, things darkened significantly a few weeks later when she met him in Parliament for a series of meetings, plus a dinner, with supporters of the proposed Bill.

By the time proceedings finished, Sanghera had missed her train home from London. When Lester found out, he invited her to spend the night at his six-bedroom home in Herne Hill, South London, saying that his wife wanted to meet her.

There followed an extraordinary journey in the elderly peers car.

He kept repeatedly missing the gearstick with his hand and instead very firmly placed his hand on my right thigh, she claimed. The first time it happened, I thought it must have been an accident, but when it continued, I realised it was not. I removed his hand and asked him to stop. He just smiled. He continued to grope my thigh for the length of the journey, despite my protests.

On arriving home, Lester introduced her to his wife Catherine, who made them a cup of tea, before he escorted Sanghera to a spare room.

Once we had reached where I would be sleeping, he said it was not far from his bedroom, which he insisted on pointing out to me, she added.

The comment so unsettled Sanghera that she went to bed clothed, and scarcely slept all night. Instead, she phoned a friend (described in evidence as T) who told her to put a chair under the door handle to stop anyone gaining access. The friend was one of six people  including a judge, a senior lawyer and a senior civil servant  with whom she would share details of Lesters alleged harassment over the coming months. All acted as witnesses during the recent Lords inquiry.

Lady Katya Lester is a retired Asylum and Immigration Judge and has volunteered in the past for the Cambridge House Legal Centre

The next morning, when Sanghera went downstairs, Lady Lester had left. She recalled: At some point, I went over to place the crockery in the sink, it was then that he came up behind me and put his arms around my waist.

I pushed him away. Again, he placed his arms around me and further up my body. I had to force myself away. He pursued me around the kitchen and I pleaded with him to stop. Once he stopped, I told him that I wished to leave. I wanted to call a cab, but he insisted he went with me.

At the railway station, she says, the peer said that he had strong feelings for me. When Sanghera responded that she did not feel the same way, he persisted and told me that he loved me and said he could not help himself.

A few weeks afterwards, things took a yet more extraordinary turn during a meeting at the Lords to discuss Lesters Bill. When she ventured outside for some air, he allegedly followed and propositioned her again, three times.

He questioned whether I was concerned that he would not be able to have sex, and told me that there were things he could buy for this. I was shocked and did not respond. He went on to make other inappropriate sexual comments, she recalled.

On their way back inside he then declared if you sleep with me I will make you a baroness within a year, added Sanghera. He even spelt it out putting my surname in, and asked me how that sounded.

Once inside, he started pointing to passers-by and commenting on the reason they have reached the positions they held  including one individual who had slept with someone

Finally, she claims, he turned nasty: He said that if I did not [sleep with him] he would see to it that I never had a seat in the House of Lords, and warned me that there would be other repercussions for me, which he did not specify. He said that if I was a good girl and did what he was asking, I would be in the House of Lords and could visit his house abroad with him.

He made a number of further inappropriate sexual comments to me, such as that he could see me becoming a demanding mistress. I was distressed and shocked.

Shortly afterwards, she says, she received a text message from Lester saying: You want to think about my proposal.

Though she shared her version of events with several friends, Sanghera says she did not file a formal complaint since she did not wish to derail his legislation.

She was also concerned that she would not be believed, and was unsure as to whether the Lords had a disciplinary process for members accused of sexual harassment.

However in November 2017, the MeToo campaign persuaded her to speak out. A formal inquiry was launched in February, and its conclusions were published this week. In finding that Jasvinder Sangheras claims are likely to be true, the reports authors, who include several eminent lawyers, point out that she has no obvious motive for making the claims up and is not seeking compensation.

Her case is also strengthened by the evidence of the six reliable witnesses to whom she reported the incidents at the time.

Lord Lester, for his part, has denied everything.

Among the evidence he cited in his defence are emails and messages Jasvinder Sanghera sent to him after the supposed events, in which she addresses him affectionately in her sign off. Sanghera argues that this is simply her usual way of ending emails.

The peer has also complained that the Lords disciplinary process did not afford him the opportunity to cross-examine his accuser, arguing that he has therefore been denied natural justice.

Interestingly, only a few years ago, he poured scorn on the idea that four peers accused of sleaze offences should be allowed to cross-examine their accusers, saying: This isnt a court of law.

Now, the boot is on the other foot, and the hard-won legacy of this supposed Godfather of human rights hangs in the balance.Both Britain and the EU had teams of negotiators hammering out the final stages of the deal working late into the night.

The two sides were led by a group of powerful individuals at the head of small armies of officials tasked with turning political deals into cold legal text.

In the final days the teams have worked until the small hours to finalise a deal that could be put to an emergency summit later this month. Talks on Sunday night ran until 2.45am.

The final deal is thought to be at least 500 pages long and civil servants on both sides have spent months hammering out the detailed legal language.

The treaty includes clauses on the divorce payment, rights of nationals on both sides and crucially how the Irish border will work.

The key players on each side were:

TEAM UK Dominic Raab Brexit Secretary Drafted in to replace David Davis in July, Raab was ordered to deliver the Chequers plan as Theresa May's political representative in the talks. A committed Brexiteer, he was part of the Vote Leave campaign and leading DEXEU was his first Cabinet job. Unlike his predecessor, Raab was explicitly appointed to deputise for the Prime Minister in the talks rather than personally lead them - but has been the point man in Brussels. Oliver Robbins Prime Minister's Europe adviser At around 6ft 3in, the burly civil servant certainly looks like he won't be messed with, but is best known in Whitehall for his intellect. Only 43, the Oxford PPE graduate has already served in senior roles for David Cameron, Theresa May and Gordon Brown. Brexiteers have repeatedly criticised him for dragging the talks toward a soft deal. TEAM EU Michel Barnier Chief EU Brexit negotiator A seasoned French official was once called an 'enemy of Britain' for trying to impose controls on the City. Ambitious, he is distrusted in some UK quarters, but is also known as an ultra-charming negotiator. Brexit role has made him a 'rock star' figure in Brussels. Promised a hard-line approach throughout the talks and never deviated from the rules handed to him by EU leaders. Sabine Weyand Michel Barnier's deputy A former student at Cambridge in the 1980s and seen as one 'the best and brightest' of the Brussels technocrats. The German has more than 20 years' experience carving out trade deals for the Commission. Can be brusque but is known as a problem-solver.July 10, 1995: Monica Lewinsky, a 21-year-old recent college graduate from Los Angeles, begins working at the White House as an unpaid intern

November 14, 1995: The federal government shutdown commences. Interns take on the roles of furloughed Federal employees and an intimate relationship between Monica Lewinsky and the President begins.

April 16, 1996: Lewinsky is transferred from the White House to the Pentagon where she befriends Linda Tripp. Lewinsky later revealed her relationship with the President to Tripp in detail.

September 18, 1997: Linda Tripp informs her friend, literary agent Lucianne Goldberg, about Lewinskys relationship with President Clinton. Goldberg advises Tripp to begin taping her phone conversations with Lewinsky.

November 21, 1997: Linda Tripp is contacted by Paula Jones' lawyers. Tripp informs Joness lawyers for the first time to the existence of Monica Lewinsky.

November 24, 1997: Linda Tripp is subpoenaed in the Jones case.

December 17, 1997: President Clinton telephones Lewinsky to inform her that her name has appeared on the witness list for the Jones case.

December 19, 1997: Lewinsky receives a subpoena from the Jones lawyers.

January 7, 1998: Lewinsky signs an affidavit, denying a sexual relationship with President Clinton.

January 12, 1998: Tripp calls the Office of the Independent Counsel and reveals what she knows about Monica and the President, offering them their taped conversations.

January 16, 1998: The OIC has Tripp set up a meeting with Lewinsky at the Ritz-Carlton. There, Lewinsky is ambushed by FBI agents and taken to a hotel room where she is held by waiting prosecutors from the OIC until late in the night.

January 17, 1998: President Clinton sits for his deposition in the Jones case.

January 17, 1998: Michael Isikoff's reporting on the Lewinsky investigation is leaked to Matt Drudge, who breaks the story on the Drudge Report including details such as Monica Lewinsky's name.

January 21, 1998: The Lewinsky story breaks in the Washington Post and ABC News and begins to dominate mainstream news coverage.

January 26, 1998: While speaking at the White House, President Clinton denies having 'sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky'

January 27, 1998: On NBCs Today show, Hillary Clinton denounces a vast right-wing conspiracy.

March 15, 1998: Kathleen Willey appears on 60 Minutes and tells her story of her harassment by President Clinton in 1993 to a national audience.

July 28, 1998: In exchange for an agreement of immunity, Lewinsky gives the OIC a dress stained with Bill Clinton's semen and agrees to cooperate with the investigation

August 3, 1998: The White House Physician draws a vial of blood from President Clinton.

August 17, 1998: President Clinton submits to four hours of videotaped testimony from Starrs prosecutors for the grand jury. LaterHere are what some of the UK's leading politicians have said abut Theresa May's Brexit plan:

Boris Johnson, ex Foreign Secretary

'It's vassal state stuff as for the first time in 1,000 years this Parliament will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is utterly unacceptable to anybody who believes in democracy.'

Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP 'The withdrawal agreement is a legally binding treaty which will shape our nation for the next generation. It will bind future governments and Prime Ministers.

'Without a clean exit clause, the United Kingdom would be handcuffed to the European Union with Brussels holding the keys.'

Ian Duncan Smith, Tory MP

Brexiteer former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it looked like the government was 'breaking their own agreed position and will be bringing back something that is untenable'.

He added that 'if the Cabinet agrees it, the party certainly won't'.

Nigel Dodds, DUP, deputy leader

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said: 'If the reports are as we are hearing, then we couldn't possibly vote for that.'

Mark Francois, Tory MP

'The Cabinet is at the apogee of our political system. Those members of the Cabinet  what they do in the next 24 hours will probably be the most important thing that they do in their lives,' he told reporters.

'And they now have an opportunity to stand up for their country and to defend its destiny. We very much hope that they will take it.'

Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader

'We will look at the details of what has been agreed when they are available.

'But from what we know of the shambolic handling of these negotiations, this is unlikely to be a good deal for the country.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland First Minister

'If the PM's 'deal' satisfies no-one and can't command a majority, we mustn't fall for her spin that the UK crashing out of EU without a deal is then inevitable - instead we should take the opportunity to get better options back on the table.

'Also, though the Withdrawal proposals will get most attention initially, the declaration on future relationship is just as important. If that is vague and dodges tough issues, a blindfold Brexit would beckon - it would be deeply irresponsible for parliament to sanction that.'The Polisario Front is panicking in the run-up to decisive deadlines at the African Union (AU), in particular the revision of the pan-African organizations charter as requested by Morocco with the support of the majority of member countries.

The separatist front leader, Brahim Ghali, went as far as calling the African Union to put an end to the Moroccan attempts to undermine the constitutive act of the AU.

His call came in an address read out on his behalf last week in the Tindouf camps during a campaign aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality.

Since the accession of Morocco to the AU, we have witnessed repetitive attempts to undermine the AU Constitutive Act and the unity of this organization by ignoring its decisions, Brahim Ghali added.

The Polisario leaders fear that Moroccos dynamic diplomacy on the African chessboard will lead to the revision of the AU Charter, a revision that would inevitably mean the expulsion of the so-called Sahrawi republic SADR from the pan-African organization.

But in fact, Morocco is simply trying to correct the mistakes made in the Cold War era by the former Organization of African Unity (OAU) with the admission of this puppet entity that does not fulfil the universally recognized criteria of a sovereign state to become a member of the organization.

Besides, the pseudo-RASD has never been recognized as a state by the United Nations or any other regional, continental or international organization, with the exception of the OAU, which was forced to do so by the former Algerian and Libyan regimes.

What makes the Polisario leaders even more wary is the precedent of the 27th African Union Summit held in July 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda. Twenty-eight AU member states had then addressed to the Chadian President and acting AU Chairman, Driss Deby Itno, a motion in which they openly demanded the expulsion of the ghostly SADR from the AU.Samsung is developing a TV system that might one day allow users to flick channels and adjust the volume using their brains.

The so-called Project Ponthius is part of a cooperation between the South Korean electronics giant and the Center of Neuroprosthetics of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.

The aim of the project is to give people with severe physical disabilities, like quadriplegia, a chance to enjoy their favorite shows without the help of others.

Samsung is developing a TV set that might one day allow users to flick channels and adjust the volume using their brains.

HOW COULD THE BRAIN CONTROLLED TV WORK? The system uses a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) to connect the viewer with the TV set. The BCI relies on a headset covered with 64 sensors and an eye-motion tracker. The scientists are currently taking brainwave samples to determine how the mind behaves when we have a desire to watch movies. This could one day lead to a system that uses cues from the brainwaves to make predictions, and then eye movements to confirm. Advertisement

The company presented a prototype during its developer conference in San Francisco last week.

'How can we provide accessibility to people who cannot move or who have extreme limitations on their movements,' senior scientist at EPFL Ricardo Chavarriaga said during the panel.

'We're making tech that is more complex, that is more intelligent, but we should not forget this tech is being made to interface with humans.'

The system uses a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) to connect the viewer with the TV set.

The BCI relies on a headset covered with 64 sensors and an eye-motion tracker.

The scientists are currently taking brainwave samples to determine how the mind behaves when we have a desire to watch movies.

This could one day lead to a system that uses cues from the brainwaves to make predictions, and then eye movements to confirm.

Once selections have been made, the software will be able to build up a viewer profile and inform future suggestions, streamlining the content selection process.

Although the technology might one day help people who have been paralyzed, it is unlikely to become mainstream anytime soon.

That's because to use the current prototype users will need to apply gel to their heads before wearing a sensor helmet, something that may be more cumbersome than spending a few minutes looking for the remote control that you lost in the sofa cushions.

A layer of gel has to be applied to the head for the sensor helmet to work.

Samsung and EPFL are also working on another system that will allow viewers to interact with TV sets with their brainwaves alone.

This system could be particularly useful for people who suffer from disabilities such as locked-in syndrome, the highest form of paraplegia.

Other companies are also working on BCIs that might one day allow humans to interact with machines.

They include Elon Musk's Neuralink, which is developing 'ultra high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces to connect humans and computers'.It was not so long ago when swimmers at Ein Gev would lay out their towels in the grass at the edge of the Sea of Galilee.

Today, they put up their parasols 100 metres (yards) further down, on a sandy beach that has appeared due to the shrinking of the iconic body of water.

'Every time we come we feel an ache in our hearts,' said Yael Lichi, 47, who has been visiting the famous lake with her family for 15 years.

'The lake is a symbol in Israel. Whenever there is a drought, it is the first thing we talk about.'

In front of Lichi, wooden boats with Christian pilgrims aboard navigate the calm waters, among groups from across the world that visit.

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Environmentalists have raised the alarm and plans are being drawn up to resuscitate the freshwater lake. Its shrinking has been a source of deep concern. Two islands appeared recently due to falling water level

The Sea of Galilee, where Christians believe Jesus walked on water, has been shrinking for years, mainly due to overuse, and environmentalists are raising the alarm.

Plans are being devised to resuscitate the freshwater body known to Israelis as the Kinneret and to some as Lake Tiberias.

For Israel, the lake is vital, having long been the country's main source of water. Israeli newspaper Haaretz provides its water level daily on its back page.

Its shrinking has been a source of deep concern. When two islands appeared recently due to falling water levels, it received widespread attention in the Israeli media.

Since 2013 'we are below the low red line' beyond which 'salinity rises, fish have difficulty surviving and vegetation is affected,' said Amir Givati, hydrologist at Israel's water authority.

Believed by Christians to be where Jesus walked on water, the Sea of Galilee has been shrinking mainly due to overuse

The Sea of Galilee has been shrinking for years, leading to the appearance of sandy spots at the water's edge

The level is only around 20 centimetres (less than eight inches) above the record low plumbed in 2001 -- except, at that time, 400 million cubic metres (14.1 billion cubic feet) a year were pumped out for irrigation.

'This year, we only pumped 20 million cubic metres, but the lake is in a very bad state,' said Givati.

Added to that is the 50 million cubic metres Israel sends to neighbouring Jordan as part of peace agreements.

Its unique characteristics go beyond its religious significance.

It is 200 metres (650 feet) below sea level, located north of the Dead Sea, the River Jordan between them.

Both the Dead Sea and the Jordan have also suffered from overuse.

THE SEA OF GALILEE The Sea of Galilee is a site of great religious importance in the Christian and Jewish faiths. It is not a sea at all, but a large freshwater lake in Israel where it's said that Jesus walked on water. In the Old Testament, it was known as the Sea of Chinnereth, and was later dubbed the Lake of Gennesaret, among a number of other names. The lake where Christians believe Jesus walked on water has declined to its lowest level in a hundred years, an Israeli official said Tuesday It's also appeared in other biblical scenes, including the Sermon on the Mount. The 'sea' is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth, and sits in the depression of Jordan River at between 215 and 209 meters below sea level. But, for decades, the water level has been dropping. Now, officials say it's reached the lowest point in the last century. Advertisement

The Galilee covers some 160 square kilometres (60 square miles), roughly the size of Liechtenstein.

At the water ministry, blame for its condition is placed on five years of drought.

But 'climatic factors alone are inadequate to explain the record shrinkage of the Sea of Galilee,' wrote Michael Wine, Alon Rimmer and Jonathan Laronne, researchers at Israel's Ben Gurion University.

Irrigated agriculture, pumping and diversions are the main culprits, they say in an analysis.

Israel constructed a national aqueduct in the 1950s in the years after the country's birth, when it was on a quest for nation-building and sought to 'make the desert bloom', as its early pioneers put it.

The aqueduct carried water from the lake towards the rest of the country.

Israel's water authority blames the Sea of Galilee's condition on five years of drought. For Israel, the lake is vital, having long been the country's main source of water. Israeli newspaper Haaretz provides its water level daily on its back page

'Lake Tiberias was used as a national reservoir,' said Julie Trottier, a professor who specialises in Israeli-Palestinian water issues.

A man-made canal supplied water to the west towards the Mediterranean coast and into the Negev desert in the south, she said.

That system has not been in place for some 10 years. Now, most homes in the west of the country use desalinated water from the Mediterranean, while farms are irrigated with water that is treated and recycled.

But eastern Israel does not have access to desalinated water, said Orit Skutelsky, of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.

Farmers in the region rely on rivers that provide 90 percent of the lake's input.

Researchers have said that 'climatic factors alone are inadequate to explain the record shrinkage of the Sea of Galilee'

Irrigated agriculture, pumping and diversions are the main reasons for the lake's shrinking, researchers have said

Dozens of pumps remove nearly 100 million cubic metres (3.5 billion cubic feet) each year from those sources, whose flow has decreased and is no longer enough to supply the lake, says the researcher.

Several kilometres from the beaches at Ein Gev, at the foot of rocky hills, immense nets cover banana trees whose leaves wilt with the surrounding dry vegetation.

Plans are being devised to resuscitate the freshwater body known to Israelis as Kinneret and to some as Lake Tiberias (shown)

'We call it the valley of bananas,' said Meir Barkan, tourism director for the Ein Gev resort.

'When they began planting trees, there was no water problem and the banana is the only fruit that you harvest year-round.'

But without desalinated or recycled water, the farms are a main player in the 'competition for resources between nature, agriculture and tourism,' said Eran Feitelson, geography professor at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

For Lior Avichai, agronomist at the Zemach Nisyonot research centre, the solution is not to 'kill agriculture and the local economy,' but to use less water.

Authorities propose providing the region with desalinated water via the aqueduct.

Skutelsky said that to better manage the ecosystem, the water should be sent further upstream and then allowed to flow down naturally.

But 'that would be very expensive,' said Skutelsky.

Menahem Lev, 59, has spent 39 years of his life on the lake as a fisherman.

In his open palm, he displays a Saint Peter's fish just pulled from his nets, barely bigger than his hand.

'The solution can only come from the government -- or from the sky,' he said.

He points to the half-abandoned dock which pilgrims' boats can no longer reach, forcing visitors to disembark on the bank.

'I am really ashamed when tourists see the lake in this state,' Lev said.WhatsApp will now rank your friends in order of how often you interact and the type of content you share with them.

As the name suggests, the new Ranking feature will automatically arrange your contact list by pushing your 'favourite' friend's status updates to the top of your list.

Status updates published by the contact with the highest ranking will always be at the top of the list, so you will quickly be able to find your favorite status updates.

The data will be used in the Status section of the app and monitor your activity with friends, showing you updates from the people it thinks you want to see at the top.

This means people you frequently ignore or rarely interact with on the messaging app will be moved to the bottom of the list.

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WhatsApp will introduce a new feature which is now being tested on the iPhone, which will automatically rank your friends in order of who you most interact with

According to WABetaInfo, the algorithm analyzes various elements including how much you chat, whether you are in the same WhatsApp groups and the amount you mention them to others.

The data also assumes that a person you frequently call is someone you care about and so their ranking will go up.

Rankings will be determined by your phone locally meaning that if you delete the app or change your phone, it will return to a chronological layout while it re-learns your the ranking system.

The picture shows the old version, left, which listed updates in chronological order and the right, the new way which will show your 'favourite' contacts first

This algorithm is very similar to the one adopted by Instagram which amassed many complaints from users because they wanted to see posts from people in order of when it was posted.

In 2015, the company quietly introduced a new feature which allowed users to see who they spoke to most by going into the settings option and clicking the 'storage usage' button.

This shows the total number of messages you have sent and received at the bottom, as well as a breakdown of the number in each conversation from high to low.

The feature has only been enabled today so for any IOS user who has the version 2.18.102.4 beta installed, it should take time before WhatsApp is able to rank all your contacts, so you should still see the status list in chronological order.

WhatsApp is just rolling out the feature todaySpace scientists should be used as guinea pigs to test the equipment they build, the head of the Russian space agency has said.

Dmitry Rogozin said engineers of the next-generation Russian spacecraft, Federatsiya, should be used as test dummies for the first manned flights - just like they were during the Stalin-era.

The comments - made at a closed-door meeting in Moscow - were met by nervous laughter, with people unsure if he was being serious.

Federatsiya, which translates as Federation, is tentatively set for its first manned flight in 2024.

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Space scientists should be used as guinea pigs to test equipment they build, the head of the Russian space agency (pictured) has said

'When comrade Stalin was shown an armoured vehicle that he was supposed to ride in  with claims that a [submachine gun] couldn't pierce it  he put the car's designer inside and sprayed it with machine-gun fire,' Mr Rogozin told officials according to a report by The Times.

He said the practice should be used during safety tests for the Federatsiya.

Scholars estimate that under Stalin - who was leader of the USSR from 1929 to 1953 - more than a million people were executed in political purges.

Millions more died in the vast prison camp system or as a result of mass starvation and deportations.

A Roscosmos spokesperson said the comments were not meant to be taken literally.

He said Mr Rogozin only meant that designers should be held 'personally responsible' for their results.

The Russian space agency has had a series of setbacks with Soyuz rockets.

Earlier this month a sensor was damaged during assembly of a Soyuz rocket which forced it to abort its trip two minutes after it was launched.

The Soyuz-FG rocket carrying Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin failed shortly into the October 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.

Previous manned Soyuz missions have also failed with astronauts on-board.

In 1983 a crew was forced to eject from their rocket as it exploded on the launchpad and a 1975 missions saw the Soyuz capsule crash back to Earth from 90 miles up after a rocket failure.

The crews survived in both missions.

Dmitry Rogozin said engineers of the next-generation Russian spacecraft, Federatsiya, should be used as test dummies for the first manned flights - just like they were during Stalin's-era. A man holds a portrait with Soviet leaders Vladimir Lenin (l) and Joseph Stalin (r) (file photo)

Earlier this month a sensor was damaged during assembly of a Soyuz rocket (pictured) which forced it to abort its trip two minutes after it was launched

In total Soyuz rockets have been launched 745 times of which 21 have failed.

Thirteen of those failures have been since 2010, calling into question the continued reliability of the rocket.

Earlier this month Mr Rogozin laid out plans to develop a moon base operated by remote-controlled avatars.

He claimed this endeavour is more ambitious than the iconic US 'Apollo' programme of the '60s and '70s.

'This is about creating a long-term base, naturally, not habitable, but visited. But basically, it is the transition to robotic systems, to avatars that will solve tasks on the Moon surface,' Mr Rogozin said.

He was not drawn on the appearance or role of these robotic systems and did not provide a timeline for its introduction.

He was not drawn on the appearance or role of these robotic systems and did not provide a timeline for its introduction. Roscosmos has also mused that it will put humans on the moon for the first time around 2030 (file photo)

THE SOYUZ ROCKET: DECADES OF BLASTING INTO SPACE The Soyuz programme is an ongoing human spaceflight programme which was initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, originally part of a Moon landing project. There have been 138 manned missions, of which 11 have failed and one astronaut has died. Here are some of the notable failures, including one in 1967 when an astronaut was killed, one in 1975 when two astronauts hurtle to Earth. 1967: Soviet astronaut Vladimir Komarov was killed during landing due to a parachute failure 1975: Two Russian astronauts had to abort a mission to a Russian space station at an altitude of 90miles due to a rocket failure. They hurtled towards Earth and safely landed in the Altai Mountains on the Russia-China border. One of the astronauts never flew to space again, never fully recovered from the accident and died aged 62 in 1990. The other made two more flights. 1983: A rocket malfunctioned during the countdown to take off in southern Kazakhstan. Automatic systems ejected the two Russian crew-members just seconds before the rocket exploded. The fire burned on the launch pad for 20 hours. 2002: A Soyuz ship carrying a satellite crashed during launch in Russia when a booster suffered an engine malfunction. The ship landed near the launch pad, killing one engineer on the ground. 2011: A Soyuz-U mission carrying cargo failed to launch to the International Space Station when the upper stage experienced a problem and broke up over Siberia. 2016: Another cargo ship was lost shortly after launch, likely due to a problem with the third stage of the Soyuz-U. August 2018: A hole in a Soyuz capsule docked to the International Space Station caused a brief loss of air pressure and had to be patched. The Russians claimed the hole was drilled deliberately in an act of sabotage either on Earth or in orbit. Another theory is that the hole was a production defect. Advertisement

Roscosmos has also mused that it will put humans on the moon for the first time around 2030.

The space agency is reportedly looking into the use of lunar soil as a potential building material and using 3D printing techniques to manufacture a variety of structure.

Mr Rogozin revealed that Russia would go to the moon despite issues plaguing its new piloted spacecraft.

It says it will use the Angara carrier rocket and the existing Soyuz spacecraft to reach the moon.Palm oil is responsible for the destruction of vast swathes of forestry and is being used in products from a wide range of companies.

Food giant Mondelez, which provides palm oil for Cadbury chocolate bars, Ritz crackers and Oreo biscuits, has been named as the worst offender by a Greenpeace report.

The damning report found that supplying palm oil to the snacking behemoth has come at the expense of 173,000 acres (70,000 hectares) of rainforest since 2016.

Extreme deforestation has pushed local wildlife into tiny corners of their habitat and has forced many species, including the critically endangered orangutans, towards the 'brink of extinction', Greenpeace claims.

According to the report, twelve brands are using palm oil from 20 suppliers that are all allegedly at fault for destroying the habitat of the apes.

Those that are cited as using the tainted product are: Colgate-Palmolive, General Mills, Hershey, Kellogg's, Kraft Heinz, L'Oreal, Mars, Mondelez, Nestle, PepsiCo, Reckitt Benckiser and Unilever.

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The palm oil industry came to under widespread scrutiny after Iceland's emotional advert (pictured) was banned for being too political. Food giant Mondelez, which provides palm oil for Cadbury's chocolate bars and Oreos, is the worst offender according to Greenpeace

The report found a total of 25 palm oil suppliers had cleared more than 320,000 acres (130,000 hectares) of rainforest since the end of 2015.

That is an area almost twice the size of Singapore that has been destroyed in less than three years.

Forty per cent of this occurred in Pupua, Indonesia, one of the last remaining natural sanctuaries before the encroachment of the palm oil industry.

Palm oil is a versatile liquid which is made from an edible liquid derived from the fruit of the African oil palm tree.

It has a range of uses which means it is found in shampoo, detergent, ice cream, instant noodles, lipstick, soap, bread and more.

Mondelez was one of many firms named in the report but is named as the primary culprit by Greenpeace.

Reckit Benckiser and Unilever are large firms that manufacture a huge range of products such as Durex, Strepsils and Veet and Dove, Cif and Comfort, respectively.

Mondelez sources a large chunk of its palm oil from a variety of companies, including Wilmar International, the world's largest palm oil trader.

'Mondelez, Wilmar and other companies that use and trade palm oil have totally failed to clean up their supply chains or do their bit to reform the palm oil sector,' the authors write in the report.

Between 1999 and 2016 over half of the population of the endangered apes have perished on the South-East Asia island. Many of those losses were apparently driven by the demand for logging, mining, paper, hunting and deforestation (pictured) as well as the palm oil industry

Palm oil is a versatile liquid which is made from an edible liquid derived from the fruit of the African oil palm tree (pictured). It has a range of uses which means it is found in shampoo, detergent, ice cream, instant noodles, lipstick, soap, bread and more

WHAT COMPANIES ARE BUYING TAINTED PALM OIL? Colgate-Palmolive General Mills Hershey Kellogg's Kraft Heinz L'Oreal Mars Mondelez Nestle PepsiCo Reckitt Benckiser Unilever Advertisement

Greenpeace and Wilmar have been in conflict over palm oil and habitat destruction for some time.

Thirty Greenpeace activists occupied a palm oil plant belonging to Wilmer in September on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi in protest.

One group of activists climbed the anchor chain of a tanker ship transporting palm oil and are preventing it from moving.

Another group scaled the refinery and are painting 'DIRTY' in five-metre high letters on the storage tanks.

This was condemned by Wilmer who called the protest 'not only a criminal act of trespassing and vandalism but a safety risk to the activists as well as Wilmar staff'.

The palm oil provider slammed the action and has since called on Greenpeace 'to take collaborative action' with them in order to resolve the issue, in a news release.

'It's outrageous that despite promising to clean up its palm oil almost 10 years ago, Mondelez is still trading with forest destroyers,' said Kiki Taufik, from Greenpeace Southeast Asia's Indonesia forests campaign.

'Palm oil can be made without destroying forests, yet our investigation discovered that Mondelez suppliers are still trashing forests and wrecking orangutan habitat, pushing these beautiful and intelligent creatures to the brink of extinction.

'They're literally dying for a biscuit.'

Extreme deforestation has pushed local wildlife in Borneo into tiny corners of their habitat and has forced many species, including the critically endangered orangutans (pictured), towards the 'brink of extinction'

An area almost twice the size of Singapore that has been destroyed in less than three years in pursuit of palm oil which is commonly used in snacks such as Oreo biscuits (pictured)

Mondelez has since published a statement claiming it has got rid of 12 of its suppliers as a result of breaches.

The release was published yesterday but does not claim to be related to the Greenpeace report.

It states the firm is pushing for 100 per cent sustainability and 100 per cent transparency in palm oil sourcing.

Palm oil production has received widespread public scrutiny following the outpouring of sympathy for the plight of the Borneo orangutan following the banning of a controversial Iceland advert that tackled the topic.

The supermarket chain's festive commercial features the friendship between a young girl and a baby orangutan.

The orangutan tells the little girl about his home and the advert shows a digger ripping up trees.

Cadbury's chocolate bars (pictured)use palm oil from Mondelez. It has been slammed by a damning Greenpeace report about its ethics

Despite claiming to be the first firm to responsibly source palm oil, Wilmer is accused by Greenpeace as contributing to deforestation (pictured) which is pushing orangutans towards extinction

Palm oil production has received widespread public scrutiny following the outpouring of sympathy for the plight of the Borneo orangutan following the banning of a controversial Iceland advert that tackled the topic (pictured)

'There's a human in my forest and I don't know what to do,' the orangutan says. 'He took away my mother and I'm scared he'll take me too.'

The advert eventually ends with the caption: 'Dedicated to the 25 orangutans we lose every day.'

It comes as Iceland goes about removing palm oil from all of its own-label food amid concerns over its impact on wildlife.

Recent scientific studies have discovered that

Nearly 150,000 orangutans from the island of Borneo have disappeared in just 16 years.

Between 1999 and 2016 over half of the population of the endangered apes have perished on the South-East Asia island.

Twelve brands are using palm oil (pictured) from 20 suppliers that are all allegedly at fault for destroying the habitat of the apes. Those that are cited as using the tainted product are: Colgate-Palmolive, General Mills, Hershey, Kellogg's, Kraft Heinz, L'Oreal, Mars, Mondelez, Nestle, PepsiCo, Reckitt Benckiser and Unilever

Numbers of Borneo orangutans are expected to decrease by 45,000 individuals in the next 35 years. The main drivers for the devastating loss of numbers are human interference with the habitat of the apes and the palm oil industry

Many of those losses were apparently driven by the demand for logging, mining, paper, hunting and deforestation as well as the palm oil industry.

A recent report by the Indonesian government alleged that orangutan populations had increased by more than 10 per cent between 2015 and 2017.

This has been called 'biologically impossible' by the scientific community and directly contradicts their body of research, it is claimed.

The controversial Indonesian report focused on nine monitoring sites including national parks.

Their data suggest the orangutan population doubled in one year, going from 1,153 orangutans in 2015 to 2,451 individuals in 2016.

Most scientific data indicate that the survival of orangutan species continues to be seriously threatened by deforestation and killing.

Doctor Erik Meijaard, of Borneo Futures and the IUCN Species Survival Commission, said: 'All three species of orangutan are Critically Endangered and on a steep decline.

'Their numbers are not increasing as indicated by the Indonesian government report.

'It is biologically impossible for an orangutan population to double its size in a year.'Greece's culture ministry said that archaeologists have located the first tangible remains of a lost city that the ancient Greeks believed was first settled by Trojan captives of war after the sack of Troy.

A ministry statement said excavations from September to early October in the southern Greek region of the Peleponnese turned up 'proof of the existence of the ancient city' of Tenea, until now known mostly from ancient texts.

Finds included walls and clay, marble or stone floors of buildings, as well as household pottery, a bone gaming die and more than 200 coins dating from the 4th century B.C. to late Roman times.

Remains of walls and floors, probably from houses, from the lost ancient city of Tenea. The ministry said Tuesday archaeologists have located the first tangible remains of the city that, according to tradition, was first settled by Trojan war captives after the Greek sack of Troy.

THE HISTORY OF TENEA One famous description of Tenea comes from Pausanias 'Such is the account I heard of the Asopus. When you have turned from the Acrocorinthus into the mountain road you see the Teneatic gate and a sanctuary of Eilethyia. The town called Tenea is just about sixty stades distant. The inhabitants say that they are Trojans who were taken prisoners in Tenedos by the Greeks, and were permitted by Agamemnon to dwell in their present home. For this reason they honor Apollo more than any other god. Pausanias, Description of Greece Advertisement

A pottery jar containing the remains of two human fetuses was also found amid the foundations of one building.

That was unusual, as the ancient Greeks typically buried their dead in organized cemeteries outside the city walls.

Lead archaeologist Elena Korka, who has been excavating in the area since 2013, told The Associated Press that her team had only been digging in the rich cemeteries surrounding Tenea until this year.

In one, antiquities smugglers dug up two remarkable 6th century B.C. marble statues of young men in 2010 and tried to sell them for 10 million euros.

'This year we excavated part of the city itself,' Korka said.

Excavation work continues on the cemeteries, located near the modern village of Hiliomodi about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Athens.

Archaeologists discovered nine burials there this year, finding gold, copper and bone jewelry, pottery and coins dating from the 4th century B.C. to Roman times.

'The citizens seem to have been remarkably affluent,' Korka said, adding that the city probably did well out of trade, standing on a key route between the major cities of Corinth and Argos in the northeastern Peloponnese.

Finds included walls and clay, marble or stone floors of buildings, as well as household pottery

A bone gaming die and more than 200 coins dating from the 4th century B.C. to late Roman times were also uncovered

So far, not much was known about Tenea, apart from ancient references to the reputed link with Troy and to its citizens having formed the bulk of the Greek colonists who founded the city of Syracuse in Sicily.

Korka said more should emerge during the excavations, which will continue over coming years.

Not much was known about Tenea, apart from ancient references to the reputed link with Troy and to its citizens having formed the bulk of the Greek colonists who founded the city of Syracuse in Sicily.

'(The city) had distinctive pottery shapes with eastern influences, maintained contacts with both east and west ... and had its own way of thinking, which, to the extent that it could, shaped its own policies,' she said.

Tenea survived the Roman destruction of neighboring Corinth in 146 B.C., and flourished under Roman rule.

It appears to have suffered damage during a Gothic invasion in the late 4th century A.D. and may have been abandoned around the time of Slavic incursions two centuries later.The mystery surrounding what killed off the ancient Indus valley civilisation may finally have been solved.

Scientists say that climate change led to the advanced people's demise by driving them out of their cities, which were among the earliest ever built.

As seasonal rainfall dried up due to global warming, the Indus were forced into villages in the Himalayan foothills 4,000 years ago.

Within the next millennium these isolated village groups died off as their water supply diminished, researchers said.

They warned the find spells trouble for modern groups in the Middle East and Africa forced from their land by climate change.

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Pictured is an archaeological site in Pakistan that was once a settlement built by the Indus valley civilisation

'It's remarkable, and there's a powerful lesson for today,' said study coauthor Dr Liviu Giosan, a researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.

'If you look at Syria and Africa, the migration out of those areas has some roots in climate change.

'This is just the beginning - sea level rise due to climate change can lead to huge migrations from low lying regions like Bangladesh, or from hurricane-prone regions in the southern US.

'Back then, the Harappans could cope with change by moving, but today, you'll run into all sorts of borders. Political and social convulsions can then follow.'

The Indus Civilisation, also known as the Harappans, was an advanced Bronze Age society that thrived in the Indus River Valley of what is now modern Pakistan.

Along with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, it was one of three early civilisations of the Old World.

The Indus Valley Civilisation possessed considerable skills when it came to town planning and building, including toilets and baths (pictured), which were connected to a brick drainage system that ran along the streets

Among their settlements, researchers have previously uncovered the world's first known toilets, along with complex stone weights, drilled gemstone necklaces and exquisitely carved seal stone.

The civilisation died out around 4,000 years ago, and researchers have spent decades trying to understand why.

Researchers studied sediment samples taken from the ocean floor at several sites in the Arabian Sea off Pakistan's coast.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION? The Indus Civilisation, also known as the Harappan Civilisation, was an advanced Bronze Age society. It developed mainly in the northwestern regions of South Asia from 5,300 to 3,300 years ago. The Indus cities were at their richest between and 2600 and 1900 BC. Along with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, it was one of three early civilisations of the Old World. The Indus occupied the Indus River Valley area in modern Pakistan and India The Empire stretched from the Arabian Sea to the Ganges, over what is now Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. At its peak, the civilisation may have had a population of more than 5 million, making up 10 per cent of the world's population. Among their settlements, researchers have uncovered the world's first known toilets, along with complex stone weights, drilled gemstone necklaces and exquisitely carved seal stone. Etched in of these artefacts is an unusual and complex script, which researchers are racing to decipher. Why the Civilisation disappeared around 3,000 years ago remains a msytery, but experts have suggested war, famine or even climate change could have been responsible. Advertisement

They examined fragments of ancient DNA found in the sediments to give them clues about what organisms thrived in the region during the summer and winter.

'The seafloor near the mouth of the Indus is a very low-oxygen environment, so whatever grows and dies in the water is very well preserved in the sediment,' Dr Giosan said.

'You can basically get fragments of DNA of nearly anything that's lived there.'

Their findings showed that winter monsoons in the area intensified around 2500 BC, while summer monsoons dried up.

This was evident in the sediment DNA as strong winds brought nutrients from the deeper ocean to the surface, feeding a surge in plant and animal life.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE INDUS' CITIES? The Indus Valley Civilisation possessed considerable skills when it came to town planning and building. The cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are laid out in grids, with individual homes supplied with water from wells and waste water diverted to covered drains. This is perhaps the world's first known sanitation system. Some houses had two storeys, a bath and a courtyard. The needs of citizens were catered for with municipal buildings, marketplaces, dockyards, granaries, warehouses and protective walls to shield inhabitants from floods and attack. Unlike in other early human civilisations, no evidence of temples or palaces have been found, yet evidence suggests the Indus had a social hierarchy. It's thought most city dwellers were traders or artisans, with elaborate pottery, beads and metalwork recovered. Advertisement

Likewise, weaker winds other times of year provide fewer nutrients, causing slightly less productivity in the waters offshore.

By 1800 BC, the Indus had abandoned their cities as agriculture in the huge urban areas became impossible, moving to smaller villages in the Himalayan foothills.

The rains in the foothills were enough to hold the rural Harapans over for the next millennium, but even those eventually dried up, likely contributing to their demise.

"We can't say that they disappeared entirely due to climate - at the same time, the Indo-Aryan culture was arriving in the region with Iron Age tools and horses and carts,' Dr Giosan said.

'But it's very likely that the winter monsoon played a role.'Oxygen on-board future space missions will be made from the recycled breath of astronauts.

The Advanced Closed Loop System (ACLS) has been built by the European Space Agency (ESA) and is now being installed on-board the orbiting spacecraft.

The apparatus recycles half the carbon dioxide (CO2) exhaled by astronauts and converts it into oxygen.

Scientists have heralded the invention as an important step towards long-term missions to mars and beyond.

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ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst poses with the ACLS life-support rack, newly installed on the International Space Station. The apparatus recycles 50 per cent of the carbon dioxide exhaled by the astronauts back into oxygen

The ACLS arrived at the space station in late September via a Japanese cargo ship.

The system is housed in a payload rack weighing 1,650lbs/750kg and stands 6.5 feet/1.98 metres tall.

The invention from the European Space Agency (ESA) has decreased the amount of water needed to produce air.

Producing breathable air from recycled exhaled air requires a huge amount of water and the ACLS could slash the amount needed by 100 gallons (400 litres).

Saving weight is a priority for space missions as added weight requires more fuel to successfully launch.

As the air passes through the system, the CO2 is trapped in small beads made of amine, an organic compound similar to ammonia.

The beads then react the CO2 with hydrogen and extract water and methane.

Water is further split into hydrogen and  more importantly  oxygen, which the astronauts can breathe.

In the past, all water for making oxygen would have to be brought from Earth.

Daniele Laurini, who led the ESA team that developed the system said that the new process extracts an equal amount of water and methane.

But there is currently no use for the methane, which is produced in the form of carbon dust.

HOW DOES THE ADVANCED CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM WORK? The 1,650lbs/750kg system, housed in a payload rack 6.5 tall/1.98 metres, recycles 50 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) exhaled by the astronauts back into oxygen. As the air passes through the system, the C02 is trapped in small beads made of amine, an organic compound similar to ammonia. When they remove CO2 from the cabin air, it is extracted from these materials to expel almost pure CO2 Then, the Daniele Laurini, who leads the ESA team reacts the CO2 with hydrogen and extract water and methane. The water is further split into hydrogen and  more importantly  oxygen, which the astronauts can breath. Advertisement

Scientists have heralded the invention as an 'important step' towards long-term missions to mars and beyond (stock)

'Processing pure methane in orbit and getting something usable out of it is quite challenging,' Mr Laurini said.

'Dust in microgravity is messy. So, we just vent the methane to space.'

The team do not plan to increase the efficiency of the system to recycle more than the current 50 per cent of the exhaled CO2.

However, the team will test the system in conjunction with an algae photo-bioreactor developed by the German aerospace agency, DLR.

'This system will take extracted CO2 to feed to the algae which through photosynthesis will release oxygen, according to Laurini.

ACLS will be installed inside the US Destiny module in November and will provide half of the oxygen needed for three astronauts, European Space Agency officials said in statement.

WHAT ARE EUROPE'S PLAN FOR A MOON BASE? In 2016, the head of the ESA elaborated on plans to build a village on the moon, designed by London firm Foster + Partners. 'The future of space travel needs a new vision,' said Jan Woerner. The concept is a base for lunar exploration by humans and robots, which would act as a stopover for spacecraft, and become a 'village' with mining and even tourism.

Multi-dome lunar base being constructed, based on the 3D printing concept. Once assembled, the inflated domes are covered with a layer of 3D-printed lunar regolith by robots to help protect the occupants against space radiation and micrometeoroids 'Right now we have the Space Station as a common international project, but it won't last forever,' said Woerner. 'If I say Moon Village, it does not mean single houses, a church, a town hall and so on. No, that would be misleading. 'My idea only deals with the core of the concept of a village: people working and living together in the same place. 'And this place would be on the moon. 'In the Moon Village we would like to combine the capabilities of different spacefaring nations, with the help of robots and astronauts. Structures for a lunar base could be built by robots sent ahead of human astronauts. Experts said 3D printing technology can currently construct an entire building in around a week 'The participants can work in different fields, perhaps they will conduct pure science and perhaps there will even be business ventures like mining or tourism.' Woerner said the village could even help man get to Mars. 'The Moon Village would also act as a 'pit stop' for the further exploration of the Universe,' he said. 'Esa is eager to fly to Mars as well. For ESA's 3D-printed lunar base concept, Foster+Partners devised a weight-bearing catenary dome design with a cellular structured wall to shield against micrometeoroids and space radiation, incorporating a pressurised inflatable to shelter astronauts 'For more than a decade, we have had a very successful spacecraft orbiting there. And now, with ExoMars, two unmanned missions are aiming at martian orbit and the surface. 'Yes, the Americans want to send astronauts to Mars one day, but today's technology isn't prepared for this trip yet. 'For example, we must develop countermeasures against the cosmic radiation that endangers the health of humans on long space trips. And we have to learn how to endure longer periods of time in space, not only in low orbit as on the Space Station. 'This is where our Moon comes into play  it is the perfect stepping stone to Mars.' The space agency has been touting the permanent lunar colony as a replacement for the orbiting International Space Station, which is due to be decommissioned in 2024 Advertisement

The agency plans to test the system for one or two years.

'There is a trade-off between launch mass and the number of days you spend in the place,' he said. Traveling on Earth, 'if you go only for a couple of weeks, you don't need to bring with you a washing machine.

'[Similarly, in space] it would only make sense if you are going for longer-duration missions  90, 120 days  then the trade-off between recovery and an open-loop system becomes convenient.'

For a future mission to Mars, which could take years to complete, a closed-loop system would be a necessity; resupply missions would not be possible, and carrying resources that would last for the entire mission would be too costly, according to experts.

ESA is already working on a closed-loop system called Melissa that would recycle all the resources the crew would need to survive on Mars: food, water and oxygen.

This system would take exhaled air, human waste and wastewater and use bacteria, algae and higher plants create drinkable water and breathable oxygen. The system would also grow plants for the astronauts to eat.Astronomers have discovered a remarkably faint ghost galaxy hiding behind the Milky Ways disc.

The object, dubbed Antila 2 (or Ant 2), is roughly 10,000 times dimmer than another known satellite of the Milky Way and is considered to be a dwarf galaxy.

It was found by an international team who scoured data from ESAs Gaia satellite in search of old, metal-poor stars that are often seen in this type of galaxy.

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Astronomers have discovered a remarkably faint ghost galaxy hiding behind the Milky Ways disc. The object has been dubbed Ant 2. File photo

This is a ghost of a galaxy, said lead author Gabriel Torrealba.

Objects as diffuse as Ant 2 have simply not been seen before. Our discovery was only possible thanks to the quality of the Gaia data.

Dwarf galaxies were the first to form in the early universe. Despite its massive size, the researchers say it gives off much less light than expected.

The team used data on RR Lyrae stars to locate the well-hidden object in the Milky Ways neighborhood.

RR Lyrae had been found in every known dwarf satellite, so when we found a group of them sitting above the Galactic disc, we werent totally surprised, said co-author Vasily Belokurov, from Cambridges Institute of Astronomy.

But when we looked closer at their location on the sky it turned out we found something new, as no previously identified object came up in any of the databases we searched through.

After spotting the stars, however, the team realized they had only a limited amount of time to get more data, as the Earths motion would soon render Ant 2 unobservable for months.

But, the researchers were able to measure the spectra of more than 100 red giant stars in time, allowing them to confirm the discovery.

Dwarf galaxies were the first to form in the early universe. Despite its massive size, the researchers say it gives off much less light than expected. The team used data on RR Lyrae stars to locate the well-hidden object in the Milky Ways neighbourhood

According to the team, Ant 2 sits about 130,000 light-years from the Milky Way, and has a much smaller mass than expected given its size.

The simplest explanation of why Ant 2 appears to have so little mass today is that it is being taken apart by the Galactic tides of the Milky Way, said co-author Sergey Koposov, from Carnegie Mellon University.

What remains unexplained, however, is the objects giant size. Normally, as galaxies lose mass to the Milky Ways tides, they shrink, not grow.

It remains unclear what process is to blame for Ant 2s unusual size and luminosity, though some suspect vigorous star formation may have played a role.

THE MILKY WAY'S OLDEST STAR A newly discovered star is thought to be one of the oldest in the Milky Way. Scientists at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) in Spain believe that it might have formed about 300 million years after the 'Big Bang'. IAC researcher Jonay Gonzalez Hernandez said: 'Theory predicts that these stars could form just after, and using material from, the first supernovae, whose progenitors were the first massive stars in the Galaxy.' Researchers hope the star, known as J0815+4729, which is in line with the Lynx constellation, will help them learn more about the Big Bang, the popular theory about the galaxy's evolution. IAC director Rafael Rebolo said: 'Detecting lithium gives us crucial information related to Big Bang nucleosynthesis. We are working on a spectrograph of high resolution and wide spectral range in order to be able to measure (among other things) the detailed chemical composition of stars with unique properties such as J0815+4729.' Advertisement

Even if star formation could re-shape the dark matter distribution in Ant 2 as it was put together, it must have acted with unprecedented efficiency, said co-author Jason Sanders.

Compared to the rest of the 60 or so Milky Way satellites, Ant 2 is an oddball, said co-author Matthew Walker, also from Carnegie Mellon University.

We are wondering whether this galaxy is just the tip of an iceberg, and the Milky Way is surrounded by a large population of nearly invisible dwarfs similar to this one.A robot that communicates with humans via facial expressions and understands people by scanning their face has been stumped when it met a person with botox.

Furhat Robotics unveiled its 'world's most advanced social robotics and conversational artificial intelligence platform' last week.

The android can communicate with humans in the way we do with each other - by speaking, listening, showing emotions and reading changes to facial features.

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Furhat (pictured), a robot that communicates with humans via facial expressions and understands people by scanning their face, has been stumped when it met a person with botox

The Stockholm-based start-up were left scratching their heads when one test subject completely threw the eerily-lifelike robot.

A Furhat insider said: 'We were at a loss as to why one of our robots wasn't interacting properly with a human test subject.

'It was misreading the subject's face, much to our bemusement.

'As it turned out, the test subject had recently had a course of botox therapy  flat foreheads and taut skin can trip up the most advanced technology, it seems.

'After some software tinkering and readjustment, the robot was able to work around the problem and make up for its social faux pas.

'But when the robot revolution comes, it might be worth us all stocking up on the botox just in case.'

Furhat combines digital assistant technology akin to Alexa or Siri and humanoid robots like SoftBank's Pepper to create the new era device.

It's essentially a disembodied head that can be customised with different faces - even characters from the sci-fi film Avatar.

A wide-angle projection system is built into the device, which enables it to display animated faces on the head.

WHAT IS FURHAT? Furhat is a social robot created by Stockholm-based startup Furhat Robotics. It weighs just over 7lbs and is essentially a disembodied head with a face projected onto it. AI allows the device to speak, engage and react to users, while a camera allows it to maintain eye contact. Furhat can speak more than 30 languages and users can customize its face by swapping out animations. Currently, the device is being marketed to businesses and organizations. Advertisement

Each face has its own personalities and quirks 'like a real human,' Furhat Robotics says.

'Furhat is a social robot that communicates with us humans as we do with each other - by speaking, listening, showing emotions and maintaining eye contact,' the firm explained.

'It can serve customers, provide companionship, train employees or teach a language.'

Furhat comes with a range of pre-selected expressions and gestures that can be customized by users.

This is so that when people interact with Furhat, it's capable of responding and interacting just like a human would.

Regular faces can be projected onto the head, but Furhat Robotics said it also allows users to choose from animal and character faces.

The robot listens, speaks and reacts all while maintaining eye contact with the user, thanks to a camera integrated in the device.

Furhat's eyebrows move up and down or furrow in confusion, while its mouth is able to arc into a smile or a grimace.

Users can record their own voice and have Furhat lip sync automatically. Furhat uses artificial intelligence to understand natural language, as well as respond

Furhat comes with a range of pre-selected expressions and gestures that can be customized by users. When people interact with Furhat, it responds and interacts just like a human would

'A wide-angle, high fidelity camera and beamforming stereo microphones give Furhat outstanding situational awareness,' Furhat Robotics said.

Two Hi-Fi speakers are situated below Furhat's head to power its voice.

It can speak over 30 languages thanks to text-to-speech technology.

What's more, users can record their own voice and have Furhat lip sync automatically, the firm noted.

Furhat listens, speaks and reacts, while maintaining eye contact with the user. Its eyebrows move up and down or furrow in confusion, while its mouth arcs into a smile or a grimace

Furhat was first unveiled earlier this year, but Furhat Robotics debuted the latest version of its AI assistant at the Web Summit conference on Tuesday. It's unclear how much the device costs

Furhat uses artificial intelligence to understand natural language, as well as respond.

'This is the culmination of many years of dedicated research and development both internally and through working with industry and technology partners,' Furhat Robotics CEO Samer Al Moubayed told New Atlas.

'From its beginnings at KTH (Royal Institute of Technology) we have taken Furhat to a point where social robots are no longer a hope for the future but a reality of today.'

It's unclear how much the device will cost and average consumers can't yet purchase Furhat through the firm's website.

For now, Furhat Robotics is marketing the social robot as a device for businesses and organizations.

The company said it's working with Disney, Honda, Intel and Merck to bring Furhat to the workplace.PHILIPPINE SEA  A Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5) F/A-18F experienced a mechanical issue that resulted in the crew ejecting while conducting routine operations in the Philippine Sea Nov. 12, Task Force 70 public affairs said in a release.

The crew was immediately and safely recovered by USS Ronald Reagan search-and-rescue aircraft and brought back to the ship for evaluation by medical personnel, the release said. Both aviators are in good condition.

The F/A-18F was flown by Strike Fighter Squadron 102, one of four Super Hornet squadrons assigned to Carrier Air Wing Five.

Two other CVW-5 aircraft have been lost in mishaps over the past year. On Nov. 22, 2018, a C-2A Greyhound assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 Detachment Five crashed into the Philippine Sea while en route to Ronald Reagan, killing three Sailors. On Oct. 19, an MH-60R Seahawk assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77 crashed on the flight deck of the carrier, injuring 12 persons.

CVW-5 is embarked onboard Ronald Reagan and is currently underway in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ronald Reagan has resumed normal operations and the crash is under investigation.It's not looking good for the iPhone XR.

Longtime Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo cut his forecast for iPhone XR shipments by 30 million units, signaling weak demand for the budget handset, according to MacRumors.

Kuo now expects Apple to ship 70 million iPhone XR units during the holiday quarter, down from his original forecast of 100 million units.

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Longtime Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo cut his forecast for iPhone XR shipments by 30 million units, signaling weak demand for the budget handset in the upcoming holiday quarter

'We have reduced our iPhone XR shipment estimation from 100mn units to 70mn during the new product lifecycle (4Q18 - 3Q19),' Kuo said in a note to investors.

He gave three reasons for his lowered forecast, citing negative impacts on consumer confidence from the Chinese-American trade war.

What's more, consumers may prefer the slimmer bezels and improved cameras on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Plus.

Kuo believes consumers could also be waiting for Apple to release a cheaper iPhone XR.

Still, he said more consumers may be opting to purchase the higher-end iPhone XS models or the lower-end iPhone 8 model instead.

On top of that, Kuo believes Apple may be facing increased competition from Huawei's Mate 20 smartphones, which are popular in China and other overseas markets.

Kuo now expects Apple to ship 70 million iPhone XR units during the holiday quarter, down from his original forecast of 100 million units, citing demand for other Apple devices

At its iPhone launch event in September, Apple introduced the lower-cost iPhone XR, made of aluminum, along with two other models, the XS and XS Max.

The firm hoped the iPhone XR would persuade owners of older iPhones to switch to the newer model, which costs $749 (749) - a sizable discount from the $999 iPhone XS and the $1099 XS Max.

The iPhone XR began shipping on October 25th and, since then, has been mired with speculation of weak sales.

These fears were stoked even further after Apple announced it would no longer break out exactly how many iPhones it sells in its financial results.

Analysts interpreted the move as an indicator that Apple may have 'something to hide.'

On a call with investors, CEO Tim Cook said the firm had 'very, very little data' on iPhone XR sales, in contrast to the iPhone XS and XS Max which he said were 'off to a really great start.'

Moves from several Apple suppliers have also given credence to rumors of poor iPhone XR reception.

Lumentum and Japan Display, which produce facial recognition tech and LCD displays, respectively, scaled back their forecasts on Monday.

Neither firm mentioned weak iPhone demand in their reasoning, but analysts speculate that it could be the driver.

Apple accounted for half of Lumentum's revenue in its December quarter in 2017, while the iPhone is expected to represent 50 percent of Japan Display's revenue this year, according to the Wall Street Journal.

That's on top of a negative report from the Nikkei Asian Review, which said Apple told iPhone assemblers Foxconn and Pegatron to stop plans for additional production lines of the iPhone XR.Facebook has patched a bug that could have let anyone view your likes, posts and friends.

The vulnerability was fixed by Facebook in May after it was first discovered by cybersecurity firm Imperva.

Imperva found a flaw in Facebook's Search feature that allowed attackers to quietly siphon off user data.

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Facebook has patched a bug that could have let anyone view your likes, posts and friends. The flaw was fixed by Facebook in May after it was first discovered by cybersecurity firm Imperva

WHAT IS THE FACEBOOK SEARCH FLAW? Researchers from cybersecurity firm Imperva discovered a flaw in Facebook's Search feature that let attackers view users' likes, interests and friends. Users would be tricked into visiting a malicious website and would then click anywhere on the page, triggering a new tab to open. In this new tab, attackers would use Facebook's search function to view users personal information, as well as their friends' data. Facebook has since patched the flaw. Advertisement

Ron Masas, a security researcher at Imperva, discovered that the Search feature was vulnerable to cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks, which take advantage of a user being logged into a service to perform unwanted tasks on their browser.

In this case, users had to visit a malicious website in Google Chrome and already be logged into Facebook.

Users would be tricked into visiting a malicious website and clicking anywhere on the page.

Doing so would open several Facebook searchers in a new tab, allowing hackers to run any number of queries to discover personal information about the user.

Attackers could access data like who you're friends with, what pages you've liked and what interests your friends have.

'By manipulating Facebooks graph search, its possible to craft search queries that reflect personal information about the user,' Masas explained.

Searches could be made even more specific, based on location, religion, specific words and other factors.

One example given was that attackers could search if a user has taken photos in a certain country or if the user has written posts that contain a specific word or phrase.

He also demonstrated how the attack worked in a video, showing that hackers could see which Pages he liked.

Imperva noted that the vulnerability was not a common technique, but said the attacks could be more common in the coming years.

Facebook emphasized the flaw could also affect other websites.

'We appreciate this researcher's report to our bug bounty program,' a Facebook spokesperson told the Verge.

'We've fixed the issue in our search page and haven't seen any abuse.

'As the underlying behavior is not specific to Facebook, we've made recommendations to browser makers and relevant web standards groups to encourage them to take steps to prevent this type of issue from occurring in other web applications,' the firm added.

The discovery of the vulnerability comes as CEO Mark Zuckerberg has grappled with the fallout from several user data mishaps at the firm over the past year

It comes as Facebook has faced several user data mishaps over the past year.

In March, it was revealed that approximately 87 million users' data had been harvested without their knowledge and shared with Trump-affiliated research firm Cambridge Analytica.

Additionally, Facebook announced in October that it had been hit by its worst-ever data breach, with hackers gaining access to 50 million accounts, as a result of a flaw in its 'View As' feature.If you're a nervous flyer, then you might want to look away now.

Nerve-wracking footage taken from the cockpit of a plane going into land at Palma de Mallorca in Spain shows two pilots navigating a thunderstorm.

Their bodies can be seen juddering in the turbulence, with torrential rain resulting in zero visibility.

Nerve-wracking footage taken from the cockpit of a plane going into land at Palma de Mallorca in Spain shows two pilots navigating a thunderstorm

The pilots frantically try to right the aircraft as it is pounded by heavy gusts of wind hitting 40mph.

The windscreen wipers also appear to be working overtime, as sheets of water pound down.

Gradually as the Boeing 737-800 descends, the ground below comes into view.

Lights running along the runway then start to shine through the rainy haze.

The pilots frantically try to right the aircraft as it is pounded by heavy gusts of wind hitting 40mph

Amazingly, the plane makes a pretty smooth landing and the pilots calmly guide it to its allotted stand

Amazingly, the plane makes a pretty smooth landing and the pilots calmly guide it to its allotted stand.

To date, YouTube footage showing the stormy plane landing has been watched more than 87,000 times.

Many viewers have applauded the pilots for their skilled landing.

Airbus A380 wrote: 'What a skilled pilots! Great job!', while Riad Salkanovic added: 'Excellent execution. Bravo.'Advertisement

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Jetman!

New vertigo-inducing footage shows 59-year-old Swiss daredevil Yves Rossy pulling yet another gravity-defying stunt with two equally as fearless friends, high above the Norwegian fjords.

The aviation addict, who is known as Jetman for the jet-powered carbon fibre wings he invented, is seen zooming through the skies at speeds of around 120mph with his sidekicks in tow.

New vertigo-inducing footage shows Swiss daredevil Yves Rossy pulling his latest stunt with two equally as fearless friends, high above the Norwegian fjords

The supermen-styled trio are seen speeding over rocky cliffs and somersaulting towards the earth, before swooping back up to new heights.

At one point they loop in formation in front of Norway's famed Troll Wall, Europe's tallest vertical mountain wall.

The four-minute video was released as a teaser to an upcoming film titled Loft: The Jetman Story.

It tells the story of Rossy's progression from a military and commercial pilot to Jetman.

The supermen-styled trio are seen speeding over rocky cliffs and somersaulting towards the earth, before swooping back up to new heights

The four-minute video was released as a teaser to an upcoming film titled Loft: The Jetman Story. It tells the story of Rossy's progression from a military and commercial pilot to Jetman.

The documentary was apparently a culmination of '25 years of research and development, 24 months of planning and 25 days spent on the ground  and in the air'.

According to Rossy's website, he became the first and only man in the history of aviation to fly with a jet-propelled wing in 2006.

He started out as a military pilot, flying fighter jets for the Swiss air force for 17 years. He then switched jobs and became a commercial pilot.

His website says that he 'has always dedicated all his free time to flight and experimented with all its forms', which saw him go on to create a harness with inflatable wing panels that he subsequently developed into a rigid wing with four engines.

Now instead of flying planes, Rossy prefers propelling himself through the skies.

According to Rossy's website, he became the first and only man in the history of aviation to fly with a jet-propelled wing in 2006. He started out as a military pilot, flying fighter jets for the Swiss air force for 17 years. He then switched jobs and became a commercial pilot

In 2013 Vince Reffet became Rossy's protege and the following year, Jetman moved operations to Dubai, with the Jetman Dubai brand established. Fred Fugen, another daredevil, also joined the team. The three extreme pilots all feature in the yet-to-be-released film

His custom built flight suit weighs almost 55kg and has a wing span of two metres.

His invention is now so refined, that 'all he has is an altimeter for safety, and a tiny throttle control in his hand' to control his speed.

To date, he has completed flights over the Swiss Alps - including Lake Geneva in 2002 - and, in 2008, he crossed the English Channel in the flight path of Louis Bleriot.

He flew next to a 1940s' Breitling Douglas DC-3 over Lake Lucerne in Switzerland in 2012.

He has also previously soared over the Grand Canyon for eight minutes.

In 2013 Vince Reffet became Rossy's protege and the following year, Jetman moved operations to Dubai, with the Jetman Dubai brand established.

Fred Fugen, another daredevil, also joined the team.

The three extreme pilots all feature in the yet-to-be-released film.Craig Revel Horwood admitted that he thinks Ashley Roberts is 'one of the best dancers' to ever appear on Strictly Come Dancing.

The judge, 53, gave his opinions on the celebrity competitors to commemorate the show's halfway mark, in a feature published in the Radio Times on Monday.

Speaking about the former Pussycat Dolls member, 37, he admitted: 'She's one of the best dancers I think we've ever seen on the show.'

Honest: Strictly's Craig Revel Horwood admitted on Monday that Ashley Roberts is 'one of the best dancers' to appear on the show... as he revealed hope for Stacey Dooley to win

Though he was quick to add: 'Shes at the top of the leader board all the time! That might discourage people from voting for her.'

Craig then went on to discuss journalist Stacey Dooley, 31, and he revealed: 'I can see her winning.

'She has a lot of the audience on her side, shes very popular and so far shes getting through this with flying colours.'

Impressed: Craig went on to discuss journalist Stacey Dooley, and said: 'I can see her winning'

He went on to explain that he believed that the decision to cast Joe Sugg, 27, in the show was 'brilliant' because it means the show draws in a completely different group of viewers to usual.

Craig explained: 'I thought it was brilliant of the BBC to ask an internet star like Joe to take part. Wed never done that before.

'I didnt know who he was to begin with  but its brought a whole new audience to Strictly, which is just wonderful.'

Pleased: Craig went on to explain that he believed that the decision to cast Joe Sugg, 27, in the show was 'brilliant' because it draws in a completely different audience to usual

Read more: To see the full interview in this week's Radio Times, which is out now

Discussing the kissing scandal between Seann Walsh and Katya Jones, Craig said he thought it only swept the nation because of 'a lack of news.'

Katya and Seann were spotted kissing in the street on a night out last month, despite Katya being married to Neil Jones and Seann being in a long-term relationship to actress Rebecca Humphries at the time.

And said of the 32-year-old comedian's return: '[He] came back after that week with flying colours, and it probably helped push him a bit harder.

'Like any professional, you have to leave whatevers going on behind that door and just perform.'

Read the full interview in this week's Radio Times, which is out now.She dropped jaws when she hit a Sydney beach on Monday in a barely-there black string bikini.

And just hours later Emily Ratajkowski modelled the same swimsuit again on her Instagram page.

The 27-year-old American beauty stretched out in a white version of the revealing two-piece for a spot of sunbaking at her hotel.

So nice she wore it twice! Emily Ratajkowski wears another barely-there string bikini for a spot of sunbaking... after turning heads on a Sydney beach in the same revealing swimwear

The brunette stunner once again left little to the imagination as she basked in the sun alongside a glass filled with rose wine.

Emily jetted to Australia over the weekend.

On Monday, she headed straight to a local Sydney beach where she proudly paraded her figure in her favourite string bikini from her own swimsuit line.

While at the beach Emily accidentally spilled out of her top as she picked up an iced coffee, but quickly adjusted herself.

Summer just got hotter! Hours earlier Emily dropped jaws in a black version of the string bikini at a Sydney beach

Nip slip: While at the beach Emily accidentally spilled out of her top as she picked up an iced coffee, but quickly adjusted herself

Emily is Down Under to host GQ Australia's Men Of The Year awards this coming Wednesday.

In 2013, she appeared in Robin Thicke,'s Blurred Lines music video which catapulted her to international fame as somewhat of a sex symbol.

She recently explained her brand of feminism, after acknowledging that some critics view her perspective as controversial.

Wild thing! The Instagram sensation ran her fingers through her luscious brown mane as the sun beat down on her tanned skin

Nothin' but a G-string thing: The tiny black bikini bottom was almost too small to contain Emily's pert derriere

Stringy! The star's unique bikini, which is from her own bikini line, featured string ties around the torso

Two peaches for the price of one! Emily was joined by a female friend, who was more than happy to showcase her curves in a revealing bikini

Life's a beach! On Sunday, Emily shared a photo of the iconic Bondi Icebergs at Sydney's Bondi Beach, alongside the caption: 'She's Here!'

'It all started with boobs, I developed very early,' she told Busy Philipps last week on Busy Tonight.

'Sometimes they make me feel good and I just want to feel myself.

She added: 'It's about loving yourself, and body positivity is important.'

Criticism: Speaking to Office magazine last week, Emily said she was once told to 'tone down' her image in order to be taken seriously in Hollywood

Speaking to Office magazine last week, Emily said she was once told to 'tone down' her image in order to be taken seriously in Hollywood.

'I've had people say to me, 'How do you expect people to take you seriously?' That's the line I get a lot. Like, 'If you want to be a serious actress, you need to stop dressing like you do'', she said.

'It's something I've been dealing with forever. So now, I'm just over it. I'm just going to keep doing me.'She famously sang Til It Happens To You in 2015.

And Lady Gaga certainly could relate to that message when she turned up at a Red Cross shelter at Pacific Palisades High School in Los Angeles on Sunday to support evacuees of the devastating Woolsey fire.

The 32-year-old hitmaker and actress was herself forced to flee her home on Friday after authorities issued an evacuation order covering all of Malibu.

Doing her best: Lady Gaga turned up at a Red Cross shelter at Pacific Palisades High School in Los Angeles on Sunday to support evacuees of the devastating Woolsey fire

Gaga told the crowd: 'I extend my love ... I know we do not know each other, but I love you. This is an emergency, but you are not alone.'

She encouraged everyone to take advantage of mental health counselors on the premises, and to 'share your stories and talk to each other during this time.'

The Star Is Born actress, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, reportedly spent about 90 minutes at the shelter.

She took photos, handed out gift cards and even sang to a 98-year-old woman who had been evacuated.

Fab pad: The 32-year-old hitmaker and actress was herself forced to flee her home on Friday after authorities issued an evacuation order covering all of Malibu

As Gaga put it: 'Let's keep the faith, together.'

Gaga's home has reportedly survived the flames so far, but it's obvious the danger of the Woolsey fire is taking an emotional toll.

There's no doubt her time and words were greatly appreciated, and heped lift spirits.

Getting overit: Gaga, real name Stefani Germanotta, leaned against fiance Cristian Carina at a mall in Century City, Los Angeles, on Saturday, miles \from the fire tha forced her out of Malibu

The fire has burned more than 91,500 acres and is now 20 percent contained, according to a Monday morning update from Cal Fire.

Fire officials now estimate that at least 370 structures have been destroyed by the blaze, which started Thursday afternoon in the hills south of Simi Valley.

However, that total will change as officials have completed only about 15 percent of the overall damage assement, so far confirming 44 structures were destroyed.She's made a name for herself with a skyrocketing career in modeling.

And on Monday, Paris Jackson kept a relatively low profile as she navigated through Los Angeles International airport to catch her flight out of the city.

The 20-year-old had a nonchalant manner about her while sporting an ensemble consisting of a black printed sweater and grey sweatpants for the occasion.

Comfort is key: Paris Jackson kept a relatively low profile as she navigated through Los Angeles International Airport to catch her flight out of the city

It seemed rather apparent that Paris was more focused on comfort than her appearance, having added a pair of sneakers to her attire while covering half of her face with the addition of a dark beanie.

The daughter of the late Michael Jackson sported no makeup as she paced through the terminal with an iced beverage in her hand and a brown backpack hanging from her right shoulder.

She pulled her sweater's hoodie over her head in a clear attempt to go incognito while making her way to her destination.

Barely recognizable: The 20-year-old had a nonchalant manner about her while sporting an ensemble consisting of a black printed sweater and grey sweatpants for the occasion

It was just on Tuesday when the gorgeous brunette had been spotted with rumored boyfriend Gabriel Glenn at The Viper Room in Los Angeles.

The two have been linked to one another since August when they put on a loved-up display before gracing the stage and performing together under their stage name The Soundflowers.

At the time, a source insisted to PEOPLE the two were 'just friends.' The pair performed together at an event as The Soundflowers.

She endured no struggle blending in with others: It seemed rather apparent that Paris was more focused on comfort than her appearance, having added a pair of sneakers to her attire

Paris had previously been in a relationship with drummer Michael Snoddy and was recently linked to model Cara Delevingne, 26.

Hosting an 'Ask me anything' session on her Instagram account, Paris responded when one fan asked: 'Are you bi?'

She replied: 'That's what you guys call it, so I guess, but who needs labels?'

However, she refused to confirm whether or not she was dating Delevingne.

Things seem to be heating up: The brunette is believed to be dating Gabriel Glenn, who is also a member in their joint band The Soundflowers; photographed ahead of an LA show in August

'None of yourgodd**n business,' she said when fans prodded.

Following the fan Q&A session, Jackson expressed her frustration on Twitter when Digital Pride 'welcomed' her to the LGBTQ community.

'How many times have I publicly referred to the community as 'my fellow LGBTQ+'? I've been a part of the community for years,' she tweeted.

'I even mentioned having crushes on girls when I was eight in a magazine. I've been caught kissing girls in public. This is not news'Bridget Malcolm, 26, was forced to step away from modelling earlier this year due to her complex relationship with weight loss and her battle with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).

Now, the former Victoria's Secret model has spoken about her previous struggle with over-exercising which left her injured.

In a blog post published on Tuesday, the New York-based model revealed she now has 'long term injuries and hormonal issues' after she engaged in intense training 'three to four hours per day.'

'I destroyed my back and I cannot walk down steps without pain!' Former Victoria's Secret model Bridget Malcolm reveals how excessive exercise left her injured

'For me, I used to train 3-4 hours a day. And it was not steady, low intensity training  it was super intense and used to leave me unable to move from the couch,' she explained.

'I kept this up for about six months, and then body parts started to go out. I destroyed my back (which has a tenuous grip on reality at the best of times) and I still cannot walk down steps without a lot of pain in my left knee.

Bridget also touched on the emotional toll of her excessive gym routine and revealed she would 'cry' if she had to skip a workout.

'I wasn't sleeping, and if I had to skip a workout for any reason I would get so anxious I would cry,' she wrote.

'If I had to skip a workout for any reason I would get so anxious I would cry': Bridget also touched on the emotional strain of her excessive gym routine and revealed she would 'cry' if she had to skip a workout. Pictured modelling at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2015

The model delved deeper into her exercise regime, sharing: 'I also had a fun habit of walking entire airports whilst on flight layovers, and would always choose to walk two or more hours instead of taking the subway 15 minutes to my destination.'

'The amount of times I turned up at the gym with my suitcase either en route to or from a red eye is astounding. My entire life was ruled around how much working out I could get in,' she wrote.

'Ironically, I thought I was so fit. But mentally I was a mess.

'Now, at 26 I have long term injuries and hormonal issues. Was it all worth it?'

'I enjoy lower intensity workouts, usually centered around friends': Four years on, the blonde model said she has now adopted a much healthier relationship with exercise. Pictured on the Victoria's Secret runway on November 30, 2016 in Paris

Four years on, the model said she has now adopted a much healthier relationship with exercise.

'Now, four or so years on I still have to keep an eye on my exercise levels. I discovered how much I enjoy lower intensity workouts, usually centered around friends,' she explained.

'I go for long walks in nature, paddle board and swim in the ocean, sometimes go for a slow jog, stretch every night and do Pilates a couple of times a week. I don't obsessively check my steps for the day.

'If I don't feel like it, I do not do it. I no longer sacrifice sleep time for training.'

'I hit a wall so hard that I completely crumbled': She previously revealed why she was forced to step away from the industry for three months

What is premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and what are the symptoms? While most women with PMS find their symptoms uncomfortable, a small percentage have symptoms severe enough to stop them living their normal lives. This is the result of a more intense type of PMS known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). The symptoms of PMDD are similar to those of PMS, but are more exaggerated and often have more psychological symptoms than physical ones. Symptoms can include: feelings of hopelessness

persistent sadness or depression

extreme anger and anxiety

decreased interest in usual activities

sleeping much more or less than usual

very low self-esteem

extreme tension and irritability As depression is a common symptom of PMDD, it's possible that a woman with PMDD may have thoughts about suicide. PMDD can be particularly difficult to deal with as it can have a negative effect on your daily life and relationships. Source: NHS choices Advertisement

Bridget's latest blog post comes after she revealed why she was forced to step away from modelling for three months.

In a blog post last month, the 26-year-old wrote that she 'completely crumbled' earlier this year as a result of her complex relationship with weight loss and her battle with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).

'The loss of my self-containment through under eating, combined with the body dysmorphia and anxiety attack-laden PMDD left me overly porous to the world around me,' she explained.

'Things that normally would never faze me suddenly stuck with me for far too long. I couldn't trust my body like I had been able to my entire life. And suddenly it all became too much,' she added.

'To go from this level of self-assurance to losing any connection to the Bridget I knew was terrifying.

'For a while I tried to push on through, tried to keep doing jobs while keeping up appearances. But, shortly after my last blog post [in June], I hit a wall so hard that I completely crumbled.'

In June, Bridget revealed her secret battle with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), a condition that results in extreme bouts of 'anxiety, lethargy and debilitating emotional pain' in the two weeks before a period.

In late April, Bridget opened up about another health battle - body dysmorphia.

She revealed that even at her skinniest, she still thought she needed to lose weight.

'I was portraying this image of me being fit and healthy and full of life, when in reality, I was breaking down. I was anxious, struggling with food and struggling with everything,' she told Channel Seven's The Morning Show at the time.Kerri Russell and co-star Jesse Plemons were bundled up for the chilly Canadian weather on the set of their new supernatural thriller Antlers.

While there was now snow on the ground on the Hope, British Columbia set (about an hour and 45 minutes east of Vancouver), the stars were prepared for the chilly weather.

Russell is also playing a big role in Star Wars 9, which is still filming, but it's possible the actress has already wrapped her role and moving on to Antlers.

Staying warm: Keri Russell gets bundled up on the Hope, Canada set of Antlers

Russell was seen wearing light blue jeans and grey-black work boots, while stuffing her hands into the pockets of a thick grey peacoat.

While she looked to be in a very serious mood in one photo, another shows her brightly smiling, as she likely sees someone she recognizes on the set.

Plemons was seen wearing a Sheriff's costume, which consisted of a thick brown coat with his badge attached, along with a tan shirt, dark green pants and black shoes.

On set: Plemons was seen wearing a Sheriff's costume, which consisted of a thick brown coat with his badge attached, along with a tan shirt, dark green pants and black shoes

Russell, 42, is playing a teacher who becomes interested in a 'withdrawn student,' according to The Hollywood Reporter report from July.

She ultimately discovers that the boy is harboring a secret that is vital to the entire town's survival.

Variety broke the news on Plemons' casting in August, and while that report didn't reveal any character details, he's listed on IMDB as Paul Meadows, with Russell listed as Julia Meadows, so they could be husband and wife.

On location: Russell, 42, is playing a teacher who becomes interested in a 'withdrawn student,' according to The Hollywood Reporter report from July

Russell and Plemons lead a cast that also includes Graham Greene, Rory Cochrane and Amy Madigan.

Scott Cooper (Hostiles) is directing from Nick Antosca (The Forest) and newcomer Henry Chaisson, with Guillermo del Toro producing.

This marks the third film Cooper has directed that Plemons has starred in, following Hostiles and Black Mass.

Emmy nominee: Russell (seen at the Emmys in September) and Plemons lead a cast that also includes Graham Greene, Rory Cochrane and Amy Madigan.

Fox Searchlight is distributing Antlers but no release schedule has been determined quite yet.

Both Russell and Plemons were nominated for Emmys in September, with Russell up for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work in FX's The Americans and Plemons nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie for Black Mirror.

Plemons will next be seen in Vice, in theaters Christmas Day, with The Irishman starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro slated for release in 2019 and Jungle Cruise with Dwayne Johnson set for 2020.Filming for the Veronica Mars revival is underway.

And Kristen Bell was spotted on set in Hermosa Beach Tuesday, where walked alongside a large brown and white dog on the sand.

Donning a black leather jacket and skintight jeans, the 38-year-old actress looked a bit out of place along the coastline.

Beach attire? Kristen Bell was spotted on set in Hermosa Beach Tuesday, where she walked alongside a large brown and white dog across the sand

The now grown-up detective trudged through the sand in dark leather boots as she did her best to encourage her trusty pooch to follow her.

She donned a striped black and white top and accessorized with a gold pendant necklace.

Her long blonde tresses were parted down the middle and were the most California-part of her shoreline-adjacent look.

This way: Donning a black leather jacket and skintight jeans, the 38-year-old actress looked a bit out of place along the coastline

Filming began for the upcoming fourth season of the rebooted series began on November 1.

The day before, Kristen stopped by Busy Philipps' new E! talk show Busy Tonight to tease details about Veronica Mars' highly-anticipated return.

'We have our first table read for Veronica Mars today,' an extremely excited Bell said, which was met with applause from the studio audience, before teasing a 'sexy' show.

Action: Filming began for the upcoming fourth season of the rebooted series began on November 1

'I'm so over the moon because we sort of made it a much more grown-up world and Veronica is an adult and it's just gonna be sexy and cinematic and it's gonna be exciting.'

The actress added that, while she's excited to deliver the show to fans, she might not watch it herself.

'I probably won't even watch it because we don't stay up late,' Bell said. 'I'm probably asleep by like 9:30.'

Looking out: Veronica Mars originally aired between 2004 and 2007, first on UPN and then on the network's successor, The CW

Veronica Mars originally aired between 2004 and 2007, first on UPN and then on the network's successor, The CW.

The first three seasons of the show followed the title character's exploits as a teenage private detective, balancing the mysteries she solves with school work in the fictional coastal town of Neptune, California.

While the show didn't have a lengthy run, it retained a cult following, and when Bell and series creator Rob Thomas launched a crowd-funding campaign for a new movie, those fans showed up with their pocketbooks open.

The Kickstarter campaign for the Veronica Mars movie hit their original $2 million goal in just 11 hours, raising a total of $5.7 million.

Hulu announced in September that they have picked up a Veronica Mars revival, handing out an eight-episode order which will debut in 2019.The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Camille Grammer managed to salvage some of her most precious belongings (including dog Joey) from her $3.282M Paradise View Estates mansion on Saturday hours before it was destroyed in the Woolsey Fire.

'I went to my safe and I grabbed jewelry, documents, birth certificates, and passports,' the 50-year-old newlywed recalled to People on Monday.

'The bigger pieces of art we couldn't take, but we grabbed an Andrew Wyeth painting. I also took some photographs that meant something to me - my great-aunt who passed away a couple years ago. I took pictures of my family. We packed as much as we could into three cars.'

'It's a total loss': The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Camille Grammer managed to salvage some of her most precious belongings from her $3.282M Paradise View Estates mansion on Saturday hours before it was destroyed in the Woolsey Fire (pictured November 4)

The 50-year-old newlywed recalled to People on Monday: I went to my safe and I grabbed jewelry, documents, birth certificates, and passports. The bigger pieces of art we couldn't take, but we grabbed an Andrew Wyeth painting. I also took some photographs that meant something to me - my great-aunt who passed away a couple years ago. I took pictures of my family. We packed as much as we could into three cars'

Neither the two-time cancer survivor nor her 17-year-old daughter Mason thought their home would make it, and as they evacuated Malibu on the gridlocked Pacific Coast Highway Camille marveled: 'It was like the apocalypse.'

Grammer (born Donatacci) originally bought the 6K-square-foot, gated community property in April 2015 following her 2011 divorce from Frasier alum Kelsey Grammer, and their 14-year-old son Jude is staying with him.

LAFD reportedly retrieved some of the Newport Beach-born blonde's priceless artwork (collected over 20 years) as well as two Ferraris in the garage.

'They were so brave to do that. They did whatever they could. They are incredible,' the Bravo-lebrity - who's staying in a San Diego hotel - said.

Neither the two-time cancer survivor nor her 17-year-old daughter Mason (R) thought their home would make it, and as they evacuated Malibu on the gridlocked Pacific Coast Highway Camille marveled: 'It was like the apocalypse'

Her son is safe: She originally bought the 6K-square-foot, gated community property in April 2015 following her 2011 divorce from Frasier alum Kelsey Grammer, and their 14-year-old son Jude (pictured) is staying with him

'It's a total loss. Most everything is gone. We'll see if there is anything to salvage. But we can't get into the house because it's dangerous.'

It's been less than a month since Camille walked down the aisle for the second time with father-of-two and attorney David C. Meyer on Hawaii's Big Island after a year- long romance.

'I went from one of the best days of my life, to such a tragedy. It's so sad. It's such a tragedy,' Grammer sighed.

'They were so brave to do that': LAFD reportedly retrieved some of the Newport Beach-born blonde's priceless artwork (collected over 20 years) as well as two Ferraris in the garage

The Bravo-lebrity - who's staying in a San Diego hotel - said: 'Most everything is gone. We'll see if there is anything to salvage. But we can't get into the house because it's dangerous'

'I went from one of the best days of my life, to such a tragedy': It's been less than a month since Camille walked down the aisle for the second time with father-of-two and attorney David C. Meyer on Hawaii's Big Island after a year-long romance

'The backyard of [RHOBH alum Eileen Davidson's] home was burned, but her house was safe, thank God. Denise Richard's house is fine, so she's okay. We've been in contact. She's just happy to know that everyone is safe.'

The real-life drama kept the reality star from joining her castmates on a trip, but fans can catch more of Camille in a 'friend capacity' for the ninth season of the Bravo reality show, which premieres next year.

Not so fortunate were the 31 people (29 in NoCal and 2 in SoCal) who've lost their lives as the three major wildfires rage on, and at least 228 more have been reported missing.

Grammer sighed: 'The backyard of [RHOBH alum Eileen Davidson's] home was burned, but her house was safe, thank God. Denise Richard's (2-R) house is fine, so she's okay. We've been in contact. She's just happy to know that everyone is safe' (pictured October 30)Jackie 'O' Henderson shocked fans last month when she announced her split with husband of 15 years, Lee.

And on Sunday while out with daughter Kitty, seven, in Sydney's Bondi, the radio host was all smiles after her heartache.

The 43-year-old cut a casual chic figure in a black smock top and a white denim skirt, as the pair enjoyed a coastal walk.

Bouncing back after heartbreak! Jackie 'O' Henderson, 43, smiled as she stepped out in Sydney's Bondi on Sunday, with daughter Kitty, 7, following her shock split from husband Lee

Jackie teamed the look with white lace-up sneakers and a black quilted Chanel handbag slung over one shoulder.

Carrying Kitty's navy zip-up jacket in one hand, the doting mother concealed her gaze behind tinted sunglasses.

Jackie's blonde locks fell loosely around her face, and she appeared to sport a minimal makeup palette.

Casual chic: The radio host sported a black smock top and a white denim skirt for the outing

Coordinating style: Jackie added white lace-up sneakers and a black quilted Chanel handbag to the look

Doting mother: The media personality carried Kitty's navy zip-up jacket over one arm and concealed her gaze behind tinted sunglasses

The newly-single star walked hand-in-hand with her daughter, who looked cute in a white T-shirt, denim shorts and black thongs.

In late October, Jackie announced on the Kyle and Jackie O show, that she and her British photographer husband Lee Henderson were splitting, after 18 years together.

The couple began dating for three years in 2000, prior to tying the knot in 2003.

Radiant: Jackie allowed her blonde locks to flow freely and she appeared to sport a minimal makeup palette

Relaxed: Jackie appeared relaxed and at ease as she enjoyed quality time with her daughter

Cute: Kitty looked cute in a white T-shirt, denim shorts and black thongs

Having a laugh: Kitty giggled as she walked along the pavement with her famous mother

At around 8:30am, she said on air: 'Lee and I, we decided to separate.'

'It's not a decision we took lightly at all,' she revealed. 'We have been so lucky that our separation has been extremely amicable. And I know everyone says that, but we actually have remained really good friends throughout all this.'

Jackie added that they still 'talk everyday on the phone' and 'hang out as a family' with their daughter Kitty, who is coping well amid the separation.

She explained the break-up 'didn't happen overnight' for the couple, and that they have been separated 'for quite some time now'.

Affectionate: Jackie placed her arm affectionately around her daughter's shoulders

Chit chat: The pair engaged in conversation

Shock split: In late October, Jackie announced on the Kyle and Jackie O show that she and husband Lee have split, after 18 years together

Timeline: Jackie and British photographer Lee dated for three years, prior to tying the knot in 2003

Jackie said that it was a 'miracle' they were able to keep the news a secret, adding that they wanted it to stay private 'for as long as [they] possibly could'.

Meanwhile Jackie told Daily Mail Australia their 'focus' going forward is on their daughter Kitty.

'After 18 years together, we have made the decision to separate. We do so amicably, sharing many incredible memories and remaining best friends,' Jackie said.

'Our focus for this next chapter is of course our wonderful daughter and continuing to provide her love and happiness, together,' she added.

Priority: Meanwhile Jackie told Daily Mail Australia their 'focus' going forward is on their daughter Kitty

Statement: 'After 18 years together, we have made the decision to separate. We do so amicably, sharing many incredible memories and remaining best friends,' Jackie said

She added: 'Our focus for this next chapter is of course our wonderful daughter and continuing to provide her love and happiness, together'Simon Cowell has insisted he 'never fell out' with Little Mix, despite the girlband splitting from his record label Syco.

The music mogul, 59, revealed that tensions between himself and Little Mix's management led to an 'embarrassing row' over a songwriting credit for their new track Woman Like Me - forcing him to walk away from the X Factor winners.

Simon told The Sun his decision wasn't financially motivated, but an attempt to rid himself of any toxicity in his business as he claims he's spent years living like a vampire, staying awake until 8am in the morning.

Setting the record straight: Simon Cowell has insisted he 'never fell out' with Little Mix, despite the girlband splitting from his record label Syco

Speaking to the publication, Simon explained that he didn't like how Syco was painted as label trying 'to rip artists off and make them unhappy'.

Discussing the events that led to him walking away from Little Mix's management, Modest Management, and any artists associated with the label, Simon revealed he and the team had got into a 'row' over a songwriting credit for Woman Like Me - the girls' new single in collaboration with Nicki Minaj.

Simon branded the incident 'embarrassing' and claimed Little Mix's management 'hadn't wanted to record the track', as he said: 'The irony was the record they were arguing about they didn't want to record... this was one of those ironic times that we were having a hit and nobody was happy.'

The X Factor judge revealed he was left annoyed as staff members who had worked hard within his label were being 'misrepresented', claiming: 'Why do artists think they're more important? They're not. They're the same.'

Had enough: In an interview with The Sun , Simon admits his decision wasn't financially motivated, but an attempt to rid himself of any toxicity in his business

Ouch: Simon revealed he and Little Mix's management team got into a 'row' over a songwriting credit for Woman Like Me - with Modest claiming Syco had done a 'terrible job' on the track

Drama: Simon branded the incident 'embarrassing' and claimed Little Mix's management 'hadn't wanted' to record Woman Like Me - insisting 'no one was happy' with the hit

He added that his decision to walk away from Modest Management and its artists was not financially driven. He was left angered by them saying Syco had done a 'terrible job' and decided Syco could no longer work with the management as a result.

Simon stressed that he and the Little Mix girls - Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock - have 'never fallen out' and he plans to meet with the girlband to discuss their split from Syco and clear the air.

Branding the girls 'the hardest working bunch' he has ever worked with, Simon said: 'Everyones like, "There must have been something massive and thats why it collapsed"... I can show you all the correspondence between me and the girls - there's never been an instance when we've fallen out.'

MailOnline have contacted a representative for Simon Cowell.

News surfaced revealing Little Mix's split from Syco on Saturday - just days before the release of the band's new album LM5.

Strictly business: He added that his decision to walk away from Modest Management and its artists was not financially driven and he has 'never fallen out' with the Little Mix girls

No tension: Simon plans to meet with the girlband to discuss their split from Syco and clear the air, while branding Little Mix the 'hardest working bunch' he has ever worked with

The girl group, who won The X Factor in 2011, are claimed to have grown increasingly frustrated with the company over the last year, which resulted in arguments.

According to The Sun, Little Mix confronted Simon in an email, which reportedly caused a row between their management Modest and the music mogul. Little Mix is believed to stay within Sony, but will move to record label RCA instead of Syco.

A spokesperson confirmed to MailOnline: 'Syco Music will no longer work with Modest Management and therefore any artists signed to that management company.

'We do, of course, wish all artists affected by this decision every future success. Consequently, LM5, the forthcoming Little Mix album A&Rd and released on Syco Music, is to be serviced by RCA at the request of Syco and Simon Cowell.'

The reports come after Jesy Nelson appeared to like a cryptic Instagram post lashing out at record label Syco.

She hit the heart button on a post by a fan account called @littleshadymix, who said: 'Theyre gonna leave Syco and then tell us what s*** Syco put them through.'

Little Mix's fifth studio album LM5 is set for release on 16 November, with the girls enjoying success with the album's first single Woman Like Me. They collaborate with rapper Nicki Minaj on the track and saw it peak to number two in the official UK music charts at the beginning of November.Jaden Smith performed at Tyler, The Creator's 2018 Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, where he gave fans a big surprise, revealing he's dating Tyler.

'I just wanna say Tyler, The Creator is the best friend in the world. And I love him so f***ing much, and I wanna tell you guys something, I wanna tell you, Tyler doesnt wanna say, but Tyler is my mother f***ing boyfriend.'

'And he's been my mother f***ing boyfriend my whole f***ing life,' Smith, 20, added on stage, which was captured by the MyMixtapez Instagram and others on social media like Twitter user @NickiGoat.

Jaden coming out?: Jaden Smith declared on stage at Tyler, The Creator's 2018 Flog Gnaw Carnival that the rapper is his boyfriend

Tyler, The Creator (real name Tyler Gregory Okonma), 27, was seen laughing off stage, at one point even giving Jaden 'the finger.'

Another man came onto the stage and said something to Jaden, who turned back to the crowd and said the fire marshal is about to 'shut us down,' asking the fans to move back.

But after that was out of the way, Smith said, 'Tyler, the Creator is my f***ing boyfriend,' with Tyler seen laughing on the video monitor when Smith said that.

'I love him so f***ing much, and I wanna tell you guys something, I wanna tell you, Tyler doesnt wanna say, but Tyler is my mother f***ing boyfriend' Jaden (right) said on stage

Laughing it up: 'And he's been my mother f***ing boyfriend my whole f***ing life,' Smith, 20, added on stage, which was captured by the MyMixtapez Instagram and others on social media like Twitter user @NickiGoat

Tyler laughter: Tyler, The Creator (real name Tyler Gregory Okonma), 27, was seen laughing off stage, at one point even giving Jaden 'the finger'

'If you take anything away from this f***ing show, that's what you need to take away,' Smith added, before going back to his set.

Then at 2:41 AM, Jaden took to Twitter, stating, 'Yup @tylerthecreator I Told Everyone You Can't Deny It Now.'

Tyler responded by tweeting back, 'hahaha you a crazy n***a man.'

Jaden tweets: Then at 2:41 AM, Jaden took to Twitter, stating, 'Yup @tylerthecreator I Told Everyone You Can't Deny It Now.'

Tyler responds: Tyler responded by tweeting back, 'hahaha you a crazy n***a man'

Neither Jaden nor Tyler have responded any further on social media regarding their supposed relationship.

Jaden has said in the past that he considers himself 'gender fluid,' but he has never opening discussed his sexuality before.

While Tyler, The Creator has come under fire for using homophobic slurs in his music, he has fired back that he is not homophobic in interviews.

Tyler flipping the bird: Tyler, The Creator (real name Tyler Gregory Okonma), 27, was seen laughing off stage, at one point even giving Jaden 'the finger'

Tyler's 2017 album Flower Boy featured a song I Ain't Got Time, which features a lyric that many interpreted as Tyler coming out as gay.

'Next line will have em like, Whoa / Ive been kissing white boys since 2004,' he said in the song.

He also said in a 2015 Rolling Stone interview that he would 'go gay' for Leonardo DiCaprio in 1996, even tweeting a photo of him from the 1996 movie Romeo + Juliet with, 'yes boyfriend yes.'

He also tweeted in 2015, 'I TRIED TO COME OUT THE DAMN CLOSET LIKE FOUR DAYS AGO AND NO ONE CARED HAHAHHAHAHA.'

Jaden on stage: Jaden has said in the past that he considers himself 'gender fluid,' but he has never opening discussed his sexuality beforeNewlywed Karlie Kloss donned an asymmetric, sophisticated dress for the Glamour Women of the Year Awards: Women Rise, which took place at Manhattan's Spring Studios on Monday night.

The 26-year-old IMG Model dressed her statuesque 6ft2in figure in a shoulder-baring b&w pencil dress and silver pumps selected by stylist George Cortina.

The Chicago-born, St. Louis-raised beauty gave her blonde bob a big boost with hair extensions and make-up artist William Scott madesure she was ready for her close-up.

Sophisticated: Newlywed Karlie Kloss donned an asymmetric dress for the Glamour Women of the Year Awards, which took place at Manhattan's Spring Studios on Monday night

Karlie finished off her polished red carpet look with large diamond stud earrings to coordinate with her eight-carat, cushion-cut diamond wedding ring estimated to be worth $500K.

Once inside, California Senator Kamala Harris received a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd as she accepted the night's Advocate Award onstage and delivered an inspiring speech.

Kloss later Insta-storied a clip of her long legs 'walking into the week like...' for the amusement of her 16.1M social media followers.

Amazon: The 26-year-old IMG Model dressed her statuesque 6ft2in figure in a shoulder-baring b&w pencil dress and silver pumps selected by stylist George Cortina

Babe: The Chicago-born, St. Louis-raised beauty gave her blonde bob a big boost with hair extensions and make-up artist William Scott made sure she was ready for her close-up

Bling: Karlie finished off her polished red carpet look with large diamond stud earrings to coordinate with her eight-carat, cushion-cut wedding ring estimated to be worth $500K

'History will ask us where we were during this inflection moment': Once inside, California Senator Kamala Harris received a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd as she accepted the night's Advocate Award onstage and delivered an inspiring speech

The former Victoria's Secret Angel - who possessed 'wings' from 2013-2015 - has been hard at work on the set of the 17th season of Bravo's Project Runway since replacing Heidi Klum as producer and host on October 22.

Brandon Maxwell, Nina Garcia, Christian Siriano, and Elaine Welteroth are also among the new line-up of experts for the designing reality TV competition airing next year.

The March for Our Lives protester also keeps busy shooting her YouTube vlog, and she demonstrated a full-body work-out alongside her personal trainer Dara Hart last Friday.

'Always a privilege to be in the company of such extraordinary woman!' Kloss later Insta-storied a selfie and clip of her long legs 'walking into the week like...' for the amusement of her 16.1M social media followers

'BTS': The former Victoria's Secret Angel has been hard at work on the set of the 17th season of Bravo's Project Runway since replacing Heidi Klum as producer and host on October 22

'I need a catchphrase!' (from L-R) Brandon Maxwell, Nina Garcia, Christian Siriano, and Elaine Welteroth are also among the new line-up of experts for the 2019 designing competition

'You can do it anywhere': The March for Our Lives protester also keeps busy shooting her YouTube vlog, and she demonstrated a full-body work-out alongside her personal trainer Dara Hart last Friday

Karlie converted to Judaism to wed fiance Joshua Kushner on October 18 in upstate New York in front of 80 guests following a brief engagement and six-year romance.

The 33-year-old investment mogul happens to be the younger brother of White House Senior Advisor to President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, who's married to his eldest daughter Ivanka.

The troubled 37-year-old has raised eyebrows for not paying any federal income tax between 2009-2016, using private email servers, not disclosing foreign contacts, and requesting a 'secret and secure communications channel' with the Kremlin using Russian facilities.

'Happily ever after': Karlie converted to Judaism to wed fiance Joshua Kushner on October 18 in upstate New York in front of 80 guests following a brief engagement and six-year romanceBristol Palin accused her ex husband Dakota Meyer of 'stealing' money from her during their bitter divorce and he vehemently denied the accusation.

Speaking on Teen Mom OG on Monday night Dakota, a war veteran who won a Medal of Honor, told the producers that his accountant had deposited some money into 'the wrong account' and she had blamed him for the clerical error.

'She tried to put me in jail for 18 months over itit was bullsh*t,' sighed the 30-year-old veteran.

War hero: Dakota Meyer was angry with Bristol Palin for accusing him of 'stealing' money from her on Monday's episode of Teen Mom: OG

Adding: 'I feel like all the time she's trying to bait me in, and it's just not going to work.'

He also accused Bristol of badmouthing him to their two-year-old daughter Sailor.

'I've got a video here of Sailor, she said ''I'm mad at daddy because daddy stole mommy's money''It's like how does my two-year-old know anything about what is going on with me and Bristol? Because I know that I don't talk about it in front of them,' he said angrily.

Bristol, the daughter of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, insisted that he had 'stolen' the money.

Money issue: Bristol insisted that Dakota had 'stolen' the money

'The principle, of you stealing the money that is not yours,' the 28-year-old told her friend Marina.

'Do I want to sit here and have it known, and the line in the sand, that you're not going to f*** with me, you're not going to, or just say ''Ok someday he'll have a conscience'' and maybe someday he'll look back and say ''Wow, I was in the wrong'',' added Bristol, who claimed she'd spent 'thousands and thousands' on legal fees to fight him over it.

'I was just a suckerhis mentality is just he's above the law and he can do whatever he wants, some of his posts online are just scary to me,' said Bristol, who shares two daughters with Dakota and has nine-year-old son Tripp whom she gave birth to at 18, while her mother was running for vice president.

Line drawn: The daughter of Sarah Palin decided to draw a line in the sand with Dakota

'It's bullshithigh school cheerleading squadI just hope it can be squashed and he can grow up,' she grumbled.

Meanwhile, Amber Portwood, 28, had been 'feeling pretty sick lately' and hoped she wasn't pregnant again.

She was relieved to discover that she wasn't.

Press event: Bristol later traveled to New York City for an MTV press event for Teen Mom: OG

'I really need to get on birth controlit's just not the time to have another kid,' she said.

All the Teen Mom OGs met in New York for a press event.

Beforehand Amber demanded 'respect' from the show's executive director.

Respect request: Amber Portwood demanded respect from the MTV producers in NYC

'There's been a lot of things that has happened in 10 years on this show from my f***ing life, that I have let you guys watch, that has been really personal, so I need that respect back. We would really like some f***ing respect,' she commanded.

Her ex Gary Shirley met the private investigator who was looking for his biological father, which led to a dead end.

'It's depressing,' said Gary, who was irritated because he thought his mother might be hiding something from him.

Father search: Gary Shirley continued his search for his biological father

'I kind of feel like there's no hope,' he lamented.

Catelynn Lowell Baltierra's husband Tyler visited his ex-jailbird father Butch, in his new sober living home in Austin, Texas.

They talked of Tyler's sister, who had been abusing alcohol and Percocet.

Sober living: Tyler meanwhile made plans to visit his father Butch at his new sober living home in Austin, Texas

'She's immature and irresponsible,' sighed Tyler.

Maci Bookout McKinney's ex Ryan Edwards was back in rehab.

'Coming from a 30-year-old dude who's never even had to wash his own underwear, I can't imagine that he's ever had to work through anything, mentally, by himself, I want him to be the Ryan that everybody knows and loves,' she said.

Teen Mom OG continues next week on MTV.Clueless alum Alicia Silverstone showcased her ode to eighties-style shoulder pads while attending the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards: Women Rise at Manhattan's Spring Studios on Monday night.

The 42-year-old Golden Globe nominee donned a black long-sleeved bedazzled Christian Siriano top with matching flared pants for the feminist function.

The Book Club beauty - who first found fame as the 'Aerosmith girl' in the nineties - wore her naturally flaxen locks down and rocked false lashes.

Clueless alum: Alicia Silverstone showcased her ode to eighties-style shoulder pads while attending the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards: Women Rise at Manhattan's Spring Studios on Monday night

Padded shoulders: The 42-year-old Golden Globe nominee donned a black long-sleeved bedazzled Christian Siriano top with matching flared pants for the feminist function

Alicia's date for the night was none other than the Project Runway champ who designed her ensemble, and he frequently dresses her for red carpet events.

Christian - who's celebrating his 33rd birthday this Sunday - gushed on Instagram: 'God I love my date tonight so much!'

Once inside, Siriano Insta-storied a snap of the California blonde mingling with Nomad Management model, Coco Rocha, also wearing his designs.

'The first [fashion memory] that pops to mind was when I was about eight years old. I did an Yves Saint Laurent fashion show when I was like, a baby,' the Lip Sync Battle champ told Coveteur on October 31.

Minimalist: The Book Club beauty - who first found fame as the 'Aerosmith girl' in the nineties - wore her naturally flaxen locks down and rocked false lashes

PDA: Alicia's date for the night was none other than the Project Runway champ who designed her ensemble, and he frequently dresses her for red carpet events

Christian - who's celebrating his 33rd birthday this Sunday - gushed: 'God I love my date tonight so much!'

'Love my dates!' Once inside, Siriano Insta-storied a snap of the California blonde mingling with Nomad Management model, Coco Rocha, also wearing his designs

The Lip Sync Battle champ recently told Coveteur: 'I always like a little bit of a French [vibe], or just sophisticated and womanly [style]. But I also like to feel chic and sexy. I'm not loud or anything; I'm not super adventurous'

'I always like a little bit of a French [vibe], or just sophisticated and womanly [style]. But I also like to feel chic and sexy. I'm not loud or anything; I'm not super adventurous...my instincts are always to go for sophisticated, clean lines.'

Alicia and her estranged husband Christopher Jarecki - whom she legally separated from in May - are still ' locked in negotiations' over custody of their seven-year-old son Bear Blu, according to The Blast.

'He's never had to take medicine in his life,' Silverstone told Page Six on Thursday.

Separated in May: Alicia and her estranged husband Christopher Jarecki are still ' locked in negotiations' over custody of their seven-year-old son Bear Blu (pictured last Wednesday)

Silverstone told Page Six on Thursday: 'He's never had to take medicine in his life. He can get sniffles and a runny nose but hes not down, he still goes to school. Two times in his life has he been like, "Mommy I don't feel good." And it was only for a few hours'

New gig! After the Paramount Network canceled her show American Woman in September, the Daytime Emmy nominee signed on to star in Amy Miller Gross' wedding-themed 2019 flick The Pleasure Of Your Presence

'He can get sniffles and a runny nose but hes not down, he still goes to school. Two times in his life has he been like, "Mommy I don't feel good." And it was only for a few hours and he was back running around.'

The My Kind Organics founder is known to be a very outspoken anti-vaxxer, vegan, animal activist, and environmentalist.

After the Paramount Network canceled her show American Woman in September, the Daytime Emmy nominee signed on to star in Amy Miller Gross' wedding-themed 2019 flick The Pleasure Of Your Presence - according to Deadline.She has graced the cover of many of the top fashion magazines across the globe during her career.

And on Monday, Coco Rocha put her catwalk skills on display when she attended the 2018 Glamour Women of the Year awards in New York City.

The 30-year old model was a showstopper in her white Christian Siriano gown that added extra flash with aqua tulle along the arms and chest area.

Wow: Coco Rocha attended the Glamour Women of the Year awards in NYC on Monday

The form-fitting number showcased her toned 5ft 10in figure, but also gave off a sense of elegance and sophistication.

While the tulle gave the ensemble just enough color to grab the attention of fans and photographers.

Opting to show off her chiseled facial features, she wore her dark brown tresses long - to nearly her waistline - but pulled it back into a ponytail and added a part in the middle.

It factor: The 30-year old model was a showstopper in her white Christian Siriano gown

The details: The number had added extra flash with aqua tulle along the arms and chest area

Stylish: The Canadian model pulled her dark brown tresses into a long ponytail

North American friends: The 30-year old model was born in Toronto, Canada

Showstopper: The 5ft 10in stunner showed off her runway skills on the red carpet

The Canadian beauty broke into modeling in 2004, at the tender age of 16. She has gone of to make it into the pages of such high-profiles magazines as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, among many others.

Glamour's 28th annual Women of the Year Awards honors rule breakers of 2018 with a night of uplifting speeches and moments from some of the most celebrated women and men.

The recipients of this year's Women of the Year honor included: Chrissy Teigen, Viola Davis, Janelle Monae, Senator Kamala Harris, park ranger Betty Reid Soslin, Saudi Arabian women's rights activist Manal al-Sharif, some of the female leaders of the 'March for Our Lives' protest and the hundreds of gymnasts who survived the abuse of Team USA doctor Larry Nassar.

Match made in heaven: Coco's makeup blended perfectly with her white gown

Shining star: Photographers snapped away as the model showed off some of her movesChris Hemsworth is one of the many celebrities who took to social media on Tuesday to mourn the death of legendary writer Stan Lee.

The 95-year-old Marvel Comics creator passed away in a Los Angeles hospital on Monday.

Chris - whose most famous role to date has been that of Thor, a Marvel superhero - paid tribute to his late 'friend' on Instagram.

Tribute: Chris Hemsworth is one of the many celebrities who took to social media on Tuesday to mourn the death of legendary writer Stan Lee

The 35-year-old actor shared a playful photo of the respected comic book writer wearing Thor's helmet and clutching his iconic hammer over one shoulder.

'RIP my friend. Thank you for the incredible adventures your stories took all of us on. My love and support goes out to all your friends and family #stanlee #legend,' Chris wrote.

In addition to being the brains behind Thor, Stan was also a fan of the immortal superhero.

During a 2016 interview with Express, he was asked who would win in a fight between Thor and Hulk, another one of his creations.

Loss: 'RIP my friend. Thank you for the incredible adventures your stories took all of us on. My love and support goes out to all your friends and family #stanlee #legend,' wrote Chris

Marvel universe: Chris - whose most famous role to date has been that of Thor, a Marvel superhero - paid tribute to his late 'friend', who was the genius behind the character

'I would have to say Thor, because as strong as Hulk is, he's still a mortal. Thor is one of the Norse gods!' Stan told the publication.

Stan even made a cameo appearance in the 2017 movie, Thor: Ragnarok, playing a hairdresser who cuts off Thor's trademark long blonde hair.

In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald last year, Chris revealed he almost turned down the opportunity to play the beloved superhero.

The creator: In addition to being the brains behind Thor, Stan was also a fan of the immortal superhero

Near miss: Chris revealed he almost turned down the opportunity to play the beloved superhero

'I was crossing the road in Vancouver... and I remember the exact moment getting a call from from my lawyer and my manager saying, "You got the offer,"' he told the newspaper.

'And then kind of going, "Oh wow, cool. So what is it?" "It's a superhero thing and it's a six-picture deal."

'And we were like, "That's a lot of films to sign up for. We should pass on this."'Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown broke down in tears in Atlanta on Monday after wrapping the eight-episode third season of the Netflix binge-watching favorite, which starts streaming next summer.

The 14-year-old SAG Award winner - who famously chopped off her waist-length tresses for the role - earned between $250K-$300K per episode to continue portraying psychokinetic sensation Jane 'Eleven' Ives, according to Deadline.

'Last day of shooting for Stranger Things 3. I will cry all day, FYI,' the Spanish-born, Florida-raised Brit - who boasts 19.5M social media followers - Insta-storied.

'That's a wrap!' Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown broke down in tears in Atlanta on Monday after wrapping the eight-episode third season of the Netflix binge-watching favorite, which starts streaming next summer

Pay raise: The 14-year-old SAG Award winner - who famously chopped off her waist-length tresses for the role - earned between $250K-$300K per episode to continue portraying psychokinetic sensation Jane 'Eleven' Ives

To her castmate Sadie Sink (who plays Eleven's rival Max), Millie wrote: 'I can't say goodbye.'

To her castmate Noah Schnapp (who plays the Upside Down-infected Will), Brown wrote: 'This is not okay.'

The 14-year-old New York native appeared to be in a far brighter mood, sliding down the escalator 'one last time' at Hawkins' brand new Starcourt Mall, which is a major setting for the upcoming season set in mid-1985 Indiana.

It's at the Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream shop where Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) befriends 'alternative girl' Robin (Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke's daughter Maya), whose character 'stumbles onto a Hawkins secret.'

The Spanish-born, Florida-raised Brit Insta-storied: 'Last day of shooting for Stranger Things 3. I will cry all day, FYI'

To her castmate Sadie Sink (who plays Eleven's rival Max), Millie wrote: 'I can't say goodbye'

To her castmate Noah Schnapp (who plays the Upside Down-infected Will), Brown wrote: 'This is not okay'

Mall madness: The 14-year-old New York native appeared to be in a far brighter mood, sliding down the escalator 'one last time' at Hawkins' brand new Starcourt Mall, which is a major setting for the upcoming season set in mid-1985 Indiana

New series regular! It's at the Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream shop where Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) befriends 'alternative girl' Robin (Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke's daughter Maya), whose character 'stumbles onto a Hawkins secret'

'I just wrapped!' Also announcing ST3 wrap was Finn Wolfhard (who plays Mike), who revealed he'd 'shaved off my gross mustache for the first time in six months'

'Spoilers without context': And on Saturday, David Harbour (who plays Hawkins Police officer Jim Hopper) shared a 'wrapped' selfie of a blue Gary's Plumbing & Heating cap and he hashtagged the 1985 Chevy Chase undercover detective comedy Fletch

'Getting stranger!' Directing duo Ross (R) & Matt Duffer will introduce two more actors to the talented ensemble in season three, including Cary Elwes (L) as a self-centered politician and Jake Busey as Hawkins Post reporter Bruce (pictured September 18)

Also announcing ST3 wrap was Finn Wolfhard (who plays Mike), who revealed he'd 'shaved off my gross mustache for the first time in six months.'

And on Saturday, David Harbour (who plays Hawkins Police officer Jim Hopper) shared a 'wrapped' selfie of a blue Gary's Plumbing & Heating cap and he hashtagged the 1985 Chevy Chase undercover detective comedy Fletch.

Directing duo Ross & Matt Duffer will introduce two more actors to the talented ensemble in season three, including Cary Elwes as a self-centered politician and Jake Busey as Hawkins Post reporter Bruce.

But first, fans can catch more of the precocious two-time Emmy nominee in Calvin Klein's upcoming campaign. Millie famously signed with IMG Models in 2017 shortly after signing on as brand ambassador for the New York fashion label.Jane Fonda looked stunning at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on Monday as she was honored at the Trophee des Arts Gala 2018, a luxe gala thrown by the French Institute Alliance Francaise.

Fonda, 80, looked lovely in a long-sleeved floor-length gown with black stitching and pointy black heels.

The double Oscar winner accessorized with a black necklace, dangling earrings and a gold watch as she was the center of attention at the Gotham event.

Scroll below for video

Icon: Jane Fonda, 80, looked stunning at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on Monday as she was honored at the Trophee des Arts Gala 2018

The Barbarella actress took the podium at the black tie event, which the organization says is to fund its 'mission to teach French, promote Francophone culture, and strengthen the relationship between French and American peoples.'

The organization cited Fonda's track record of philanthropy, feminism and political activism in cementing the honors for the Trophee des Arts award.

The award, according to the FIAF, 'recognizes a distinguished artist or cultural icon who exemplifies FIAFs mission of French-American friendship and cross-cultural exchange.'

Also honored at the event was AccorHotels Chairman and CEO Sebastien Bazin, who was given the 2018 Pilier dOr award.

Accomplished: Fonda was honored with the Trophee des Arts award for her track record of philanthropy, feminism and political activism

Legends: Fonda posed alongside venerated Law & Order actor Sam Waterston

Happy time: The Academy Award winner beamed as she posed with Jeff Koons

The daughter of Hollywood icon Henry Fonda and socialite Frances Ford Seymour told Travel + Leisure last month about how she absorbs the timeless French culture during her sojourns there.

'When Im in France, I like to sit outside at the cafes and go to the museums,' she said prior to a trip there, where she received a lifetime achievement award at the Lumiere film festival in Lyon, France.

Ties: Fonda has a history of traveling to France and had some formative experiences there

Victorious moment: The Barbarella actress took the podium at the black tie event to accept her award

'It was in Lyon that Auguste and Louis Lumiere invented the cinematograph,' Fonda said, 'so its a special place for people who love and work in film.'

Fonda chat with Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux the day she received the honors last month, Variety reported, opened up about how she was in Paris amid the civil unrest in France in May 1968, and the imprint it left on her personally.

'It was an upheaval for me,' she said. 'We thought students could unite against the government. And I felt everything more intensely because I was pregnant.'She's a movie star with a heart of gold.

And Sandra Bullock took the expression quite literally on Monday night when the 54-year-old wore a black dress with an orange and gold strip right down the center to the premiere of her new film Bird Box.

The dazzling display came just hours after it was revealed that the Academy Award winner had donated $100,000 to help animals affected by the Californian wildfires.

All that glitters: Sandra Bullock dazzled on Monday night when the 54-year-old wore a black dress with an orange and gold strip right down the center to the premiere of her new film Bird Box

The Speed star showed off her flawless figure in the strapless Vivienne Westwood gown.

A thigh split gave a hint of Sandra's perfect pins.

The mother-of-two wore her wavy, shoulder-length tresses loose for her red carpet turn.

Her styling for the big evening came courtesy of Elizabeth Stewart.

Red carpet ready: The Speed star showed off her flawless figure in the strapless Vivienne Westwood gown

Bird Box concerns a mysterious force that is decimating the world's population, when only one thing is certain: if you see it, you lose your mind and take your own life.

Facing the unknown, Sandra's Malorie must flee with her two young children (played by Julian Edwards and Vivien Lyra Blair) down a treacherous river to the one place left that may offer sanctuary.

But to survive, they'll have to undertake the perilous two-day journey blindfolded.

Great hair day: The mother-of-two wore her wavy, shoulder-length tresses loose for her red carpet turn

Earlier, The Humane Society of Ventura County thanked Sandra for her generosity when the Hollywood superstar dug deep for animals affected by the wildfires.

'Our efforts for rescuing and caring for evacuated animals from the Hill and Woolsey fires had caught her attention and her team reached out to the shelter to show their support,' the organization wrote on their Facebook page.

'Sandra Bullock and her family have reached out to other nonprofit organizations both during this incident and in the past.'

'However, this time she wanted to contribute to those on the frontline rescuing animals in peril and hope others will choose to do the same.'

Tiny stars: Sandra crouches down for a photo with her two young co-stars, Julian Edwards [L] and Vivien Lyra Blair

Netflix cancelled a scheduled AFI FEST red carpet event for the film 'out of respect to the victims', reported Deadline.

In a statement, the streaming giant wrote, 'Our hearts are with the victims, families and brave first responders for both the Borderline shooting and California Wildfires.'

'In light of these tragedies, we will be cancelling tonights AFI FEST red carpet coverage for BIRD BOX. The screening will continue as planned.'

'We thank you in advance for understanding and encourage you to support one of the many organizations who are helping those impacted.'

Down under talent: Australian actress Jackie Weaver, 71, who co-stars in the film, wore black for the event

Dapper: Mr Robot actor B.D. Wong also made a red carpet appearance at the eventRyan Gallagher has split from his New Zealand model girlfriend, Alya Browne.

The Married At First Sight star, 30, is back on the market once again after confirming to Daily Mail Australia that his relationship with the beauty, 24, recently ended.

The pair met while Ryan was judging the Miss Hawaiian Tropic contest on the Gold Coast in September, and he had since gushed about 'falling for her' after taking the model home to meet his parents.

Scroll down for video

'Rock bottom': MAFS' Ryan Gallagher splits from New Zealand model girlfriend Alya Browne following whirlwind romance

After attending the Sydney premiere for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald on Monday, the aspiring stand-up comedian proved there were no hard feelings by poking fun at his newfound single status.

'Went to a Harry Potter movie by myself whilst being a single man, rock bottom, any women out there speak Klingon? Great movie though,' Ryan captioned a solo snap.

Last month Ryan recalled the moment he first laid eyes on the stunning blonde during a gushing chat with Nine Honey Celebrity.

'Went to a Harry Potter movie by myself whilst being a single man, rock bottom, any women out there speak Klingon?' Ryan proved there were no hard feelings by poking fun at his single status as a film premiere on Monday following his split from the bikini model

Spoke too soon! Last month Ryan recalled the moment he first laid eyes on the stunning blonde during a gushing chat with Nine Honey Celebrity and gushed he had 'fallen for her'

'She had never seen the show [Married At First Sight] so she had no idea who I was or what happened, so it was really refreshing,' he revealed.

Admitting he was too shy to ask her out on a date in person, Ryan contacted Alya via Instagram and the pair enjoyed dinner at The Star the following day.

'It's my first relationship since the show and my first real relationship in the past four years,' he gushed.

Ryan added that Alya is the fourth girl he has taken to meet his parents - but the hunk does not count reality star Davina Rankin.

'I've definitely fallen for her but it's only been a month,' he confessed.Advertisement

She frequently delights followers with her sizzling Instagram snaps.

And Emily Ratajkowski showed off her incredible physique in a revealing white bikini on Monday while lapping up the sun on her hotel rooftop in Sydney.

Having sported the same swimming costume in black shortly before at Camp Cove beach, the 26-year-old actress was showcasing her frame yet again in the sexy ensemble as she reclined and kept up to date on her phone.

Hot stuff: Emily Ratajkowski was taking her stunning physique from the grid to the shores at the Camp Cove beach in Sydney on Monday, as she showed off her frame in a white ensemble

Emily looked sensational in the white number, which was designed to draw attention to her taut abs thanks to the wraparound detail at her waist while her perky bust was perfectly highlighted.

The brunette beauty recently discussed how she treats her Instagram page as a 'sexy feminist magazine', as she litters her account with super saucy shots from her various shoots and also smouldering selfies.

In a chat with Paper Magazine, she discussed her right to show off her body whenever and however she seems fit. The model opened up about how she aligns her sultry social media snaps and her feminist views in the interview.

Emily was propelled her into stardom after she appeared in Robin Thicke's controversial video for his song Blurred Lines, back in 2013. In the video, Emily danced along with Robin, now 41, Pharrell Williams, 45, rapper, T.I., 37, and model Elle Evans, 28, and Jessi M'Bengue, 28.

Wow! Having sported the same swimming costume in black shortly before, she was showing off her frame

Hot stuff: She was no doubt the envy of the beach as she flaunted her incredible figure in the blissful sunshine

Woah! While the swimsuit may not be for everybody, it certainly made the most of her frame

All three men wore outfits such as suits and button-down shirts while the women wore white shorts and matching bras, with Emily ending up in a flesh-colored thong.

The video came as the song was accused of having a sexist undertone, of being 'rapey' and of celebrating the objectification of women.

Emily later called the video the 'bane of [her] existence' in an interview with InStyle UK, wondering why people were still talking about it three years after its release.

Stunner: The brunette beauty recently discussed how she treats her Instagram page as a 'sexy feminist magazine', as she litters her account with super saucy shots from her various shoots and also smouldering selfies

Woah mama! She also wore the ensemble in black - proving herself to be quite the style chameleon

Modelling was intended to be a day job for Emily, a temporary gig that would enable her to make some money before possibly going back to school.

'To have something that I was just viewing so much as a 9-5 job turn into something I really was not expecting was super surprising,' she told Paper Magazine.

Emily has stuck with modeling, appearing on the cover of Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and CR Fashion Book, among other publications. She has walked the runways of some of the highest-profile designers, including Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu.

Checking out your likes? As she boasts 20.4million Instagram followers, Emily was no doubt checking out the photosharing site



Viola Davis is only a Grammy Award away from elite EGOT status, but she added a different trophy to her mantel in Manhattan on Monday night at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards: Women Rise.

The 53-year-old actress took home the evening's Icon Award after addressing the star-studded crowd from onstage Spring Studios.

And the South Carolina-born, Rhode Island-raised star certainly flaunted significant cleavage as she did so, thanks to a supportive black bustier.

Honoree: Viola Davis is only a Grammy away from elite EGOT status, but she added a different trophy to her mantel in Manhattan on Monday at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards

Thank you: The 53-year-old actress took home the evening's Icon Award after addressing the star-studded crowd from onstage Spring Studios

Viola layered her lingerie beneath a navy sparkly blazer and matching pencil skirt, and she finished off her red carpet attire with black patent leather pumps selected by stylist Elizabeth Stewart.

Hairstylist Jamika Wilson coiffed the American Koko narrator's curly Afro while make-up artist Sergio Lopez-Rivera made sure she was ready for her close-up.

Joining Davis was her husband of 15 years, Julius Tennon, who's collaborated with her in six films.

Werrrrk! And the South Carolina-born, Rhode Island-raised star certainly flaunted significant cleavage as she did so, thanks to a supportive black bustier

Suited: Viola layered her lingerie beneath a navy sparkly blazer and matching pencil skirt, and shewore black patent leather pumps selected by stylist Elizabeth Stewart

Glam: Hairstylist Jamika Wilson coiffed the American Koko narrator's curly Afro while make-up artist Sergio Lopez-Rivera made sure she was ready for her close-up

Arm candy: Joining Davis was her husband of 15 years, Julius Tennon, who's collaborated with her in six films

Adopted in 2011: The Julliard grad and the 64-year-old Simone Biles Story actor left their seven-year-old daughter Genesis back at home for their date night (pictured August 12)

The Julliard grad and the 64-year-old Simone Biles Story actor left their seven-year-old daughter Genesis, whom they adopted in 2011, back at home for their date night.

Earlier, the Suicide Squad star - who boasts 5.4M social media followers - tweeted a tribute to Marvel creator Stan Lee who died, age 95, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after a battle with pneumonia.

Viola kicked off her morning with a Build Series Q&A alongside her Widows director Steve McQueen and castmates Elizabeth Debicki and Michelle Rodriguez.

'Thank you for creating great heroes! Rest well': Earlier, the Suicide Squad star tweeted a tribute to Marvel creator Stan Lee who died, age 95, after a battle with pneumonia

'I feel very blessed and grateful': Viola kicked off her morning with a Build Series Q&A alongside her Widows director Steve McQueen (R) and castmates Elizabeth Debicki (L) and Michelle Rodriguez (2-R)

Finally hits US theaters this Friday! The Broadway thespian portrayed mastermind Veronica opposite Liam Neeson (who plays her husband Harry Rawlings) in the Chicago heist flick

Davis said onstage: 'I feel very blessed and grateful to be in my career but sometimes when you get into Hollywood you have to go through this thing where you have to be commercialized.'

The Broadway thespian portrayed mastermind Veronica opposite Liam Neeson (who plays her husband Harry Rawlings) in the Chicago heist flick, which finally hits US theaters this Friday.

The Fences actress also continues her role as defense attorney professor Annalise Keating in the 15-episode fifth season of How to Get Away with Murder, which airs Thursdays on ABC.She often styles a number of fashionable ensembles for the red carpet.

And Lea Michele looked pretty in polka dots when she made her departure from Joan's on Third, in Studio City, California on Monday.

The Glee star, 32, paraded her toned bronze legs in her spotty dress which had a flirty hem with frayed edges to frame her assets.

Stand out in spots: Glee star Lea Michele showed off her flirty side in a ruffled spotty dress as she stepped out for lunch on her own in Studio City, California on Monday

Pleats were stitched into the skirt of the polka dot number to flatter the Scream Queens star's sensational figure as she sashayed through the streets of California.

The actress complemented her features with a topping of make-up, styled her locks in a straight fashion and added shades to her look.

Lea dressed down her sweet dress with a pair of mules which she matched with her stone coloured handbag.

Pin-credible looks: The Glee star, 32, paraded her toned bronze legs in her spotty dress which had a flirty hem with frayed edges to frame her assets

Ravishing in ruffles: Pleats were stitched into the skirt of the polka dot number to flatter the Scream Queens star's sensational figure as she sashayed through the streets of California

As for romance, Lea is happily engaged to Zandy Reich, 35, after the president of AYR clothing brand popped the question back in April.

The lovebirds were firm friends before they decided to start dating in July last year, according to E! News. The source said: 'They have been friends for a while.'

It is not known when the couple will tie the knot in a romantic ceremony.

How to accessorise: Lea dressed down her sweet dress with a pair of mules which she matched with her stone coloured handbag

Glamorous day out: The actress complemented her features with a topping of make-up, styled her locks in a straight fashion and added shades to her look

Prior to Zandy, Lea dated the late Cory Monteith after their high school sweetheart characters on Glee translated into a real life romance.

But Cory was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room in 2013 from a mixture of heroin and alcohol just one month after rehab.

Lea is best known for her role in Glee but she also has small screen credits with American hit Scream Queens and The Mayor.

Paris Hilton handed out bottles of her perfume and cushions with her name across the front as she visited survivors of the 2017 Mexican earthquake on Monday.

The 37-year-old heiress singed gift sets and posed for pictures with some of those whose homes were destroyed in the 7.1 magnitude quake which killed 370 and wounded 6,000 when it struck in September last year.

At one point she even knelt down in order to kiss a pregnant woman's baby bump, then struck poses and flashed a peace sign as cameras clicked around her.

Paris Hilton visited San Gregorio, on the outskirts of Mexico City, on Monday where she handed out gift sets of branded perfume to survivors of the 2017 earthquake

Flanked by security, the millionaire heiress signed boxes of her merchandise for survivors of the quake which killed 370 and injured more than 6,000

In one bizarre moment, the 37-year-old knelt down to kiss the stomach of a pregnant woman

Paris kneels in front of a Mexican earthquake survivor - holding one of her name-branded cushions - after kissing her baby bump

The socialite also struck poses alongside survivors who have been living in temporary housing since theirs were destroyed in the disaster more than a year ago

Hilton arrived in San Gregorio, on the outskirts of Mexico City, as she donated $350,000 to help rebuild the city, which was badly hit in the quake.

Of the 370 who died, 228 came from Mexico City, where more than 40 buildings were toppled by the tremor.

Flanked by security, Hilton - who has an estimated worth of $300million - wore patterned jeans, a dark top and large sunglasses as she struck poses for the waiting photographers.

Paris visited the disaster-struck area the day after launching a new range of shoes in Mexico City.

This is not the first time Paris has visited this area. She made another trip in 2017 when she also handed out branded cushions

The reality TV star also made a donation of $350,000 to help rebuild housing in Mexico City, which was hardest hit by the quake

Paris arrived in San Gregorio in jeans and a shirt - having dressed down following a red carpet event to promote her new line of shoes just the day before

The socialite walked down the red carpet on Sunday night decked out in black lace with diamond-studded earrings and a large, jewel-encrusted necklace.

On Monday, she opted for a more sombre ensemble as she visited the disaster-hit slum.

It is not the first time that Paris has visited the victims of the earthquake. She arrived in San Gregorio just two months after the quake where she handed out more branded pillows and took photographs with the children.

The Peubla earthquake was one of the deadliest and most destructive to hit Mexico in recent years, destroying an estimated 200,000 homes and leaving 4million children without a permanent school place.

Paris's money will go towards efforts to help rebuild parts of Mexico City, with charities warning that healthcare is still limited and many children do not have schools to attend

Paris poses on the bed of one of the victims, inside a temporary shelter

In need: The blonde looked deep in thought as she returned to the community following her trip last November

Some families were reduced to living in makeshift tent camps after their homes were levelled, while others sheltered with neighbours.

A year on from the disaster, charity International Community Foundation reports that many people are still without permanent shelter or basic healthcare.

'The challenge of providing shelter, food, clean drinking water, and proper sanitation continues daily,' the charity wrote in a February report.

'Organized hygiene efforts help, but people still require medical care and their access to it has been reduced by the earthquake.

'A significant number of children have not yet returned to the classroom, after their schools were disrupted by the disaster.

'The delay in education could have long-term consequences for these children, especially because the nation is already struggling to provide quality education to its youth.

The earthquake caused widespread devastation across Mexico City where a school collapsed

Earthquake: The tremor struck near the Puebla state town of Raboso, about 75 miles southeast of Mexico City, and came on the anniversary of another devastating earthquake in 1985

Heartbreaking: It also came just days after another 8.1-magnitude earthquake which struck Chipas, killed at least 98 people, and hours after nationwide emergency practice drills

'Efforts are underway to help bring them back to school as soon as possible  and to monitor the wellbeing of the children who are still out of school.

'This is an ongoing process in need of continued funding and assistance.'

The earthquake also came just days after another 8.1-magnitude earthquake which struck Chipas, killed at least 98 people, and hours after nationwide emergency practice drills.

At the time, the government of Mexico declared a state of disaster in Mexico City, freeing up emergency funds.

President Enrique Pena Nieto said he had ordered all hospitals to open their doors to the injured after the magnitude 7.1 quake.

Return: Paris also delivered aid to the community last year, delivering hundreds of pillows, shoes, clothes, food and toys

Touched: Speaking to the crowd two months after the earthquake last year, she said: 'I feel that this is my second home, I've been coming to Mexico all my life'

Speech: 'I love the people, I think they are all beautiful, they have great hearts, they are beautiful inside and out, they are very genuine and incredible', she previously said

Sincere: 'I'm sorry for what happened on that horrible September 19, day of the earthquake', Paris added

Emotional: 'When I heard what happened with the earthquake my heart broke, I was devastated', she continued

Listening: During her visit, Paris spent time with the families, listening to their stories from the horrifying day

Stuck to her word: 'I know there are people who are suffering and going through hard times, so every time I return I will do something to give back,' she previously said

Welcoming: 'I am here to support these people. They have lost their homes, all of their belongings and family members. everything has been taken away. It's so important to help', Paris said

Aid: She added that she hoped to be a voice and raise awareness of the cause to help rebuild the community

On the day of the quake, 40 percent of Mexico City and 60 percent of Morelos state have no electricity.

Pena Nieto also said that 20 children and two adults had died at a school that collapsed in the nation's capital.

Paris also delivered aid to the community last year, delivering hundreds of pillows, shoes, clothes, food and toys.

Speaking to the crowd two months after the earthquake last year, she said: 'I feel that this is my second home, I've been coming to Mexico all my life.

MEXICO'S DEADLIEST RECENT QUAKES Tuesday's quake is one of the deadliest since 1985; here are the others: Sept. 19-20, 1985: Two earthquakes in western Mexico, one magnitude 8.0, kill at least 9,500 people in Mexico City and other parts of central and western Mexico. Oct. 9, 1995: Magnitude 8.0 quake near Manzanillo on central Pacific coast kills at least 51 people. Sept. 30, 1999: Magnitude 7.5 quake kills at least 20 people in southern state of Oaxaca. Jan 21, 2003: Magnitude 7.8 quake strikes western and central Mexico, killing at least 28 people, injuring 300 and leaving 10,000 homeless, many of them in the state of Colima. Sept. 7, 2017: Magnitude 8.1 quake hits southern coast of Mexico, killing at least 90 people and damaging or destroying thousands of houses and hundreds of schools. Advertisement

'I love the people, I think they are all beautiful, they have great hearts, they are beautiful inside and out, they are very genuine and incredible.'

'I'm sorry for what happened on that horrible September 19, day of the earthquake. My heart is with all of you and I want you to know that I think of you, I love you and that is why I came to support you today,' she added.

'When I heard what happened with the earthquake my heart broke, I was devastated.'

During her visit, Paris spent time with the families, listening to their stories from the horrifying day.

'I know there are people who are suffering and going through hard times, so every time I return I will do something to give back,' she continued.

She added that she hoped to be a voice and raise awareness of the cause to help rebuild the community.

A source said: 'All the children were in awe of her, they were so thrilled and excited to meet her,' one witness said. 'Paris gave speeches that had all the people crying with her kind encouraging words of support.'

Paris is a frequent charity supporter; while serving as resident DJ at Amnesia in Ibiza last summer she hosted a special Foam & Diamonds party just for kids, which raised more than $100,000 for APNEEF, a charity for children with special needs.

Support: Paris is a frequent charity supporter; while serving as resident DJ at Amnesia in Ibiza last summer she hosted a special Foam & Diamonds party just for kids, which raised more than $100,000 for APNEEF, a charity for children with special needs

Away from the spotlight, Paris has been busy planning her upcoming wedding to fiance Chris Zylka.

The TV personality postponed their nuptials earlier this year after needing more time to prepare her extravagant nuptials.

It was recently reported that they pushed their wedding date to May 2019 from November 2018.

Paris and Chris got engaged during a New Year's weekend ski trip in Aspen, Colorado, as he presented her with a $2million, 20-carat ring.

The couple, who went public with their romance in February last year, have known each other for seven years after a chance meeting at an Oscar party.

Working hard: The TV personality postponed their nuptials earlier this year after needing more time to prepare her extravagant nuptials

Love for children: In October, Paris shared with DailyMail TV that playing with her nieces and nephews was making her broody

In good company: 'I love kids, I feel I'm a kid at heart, I always will be and I love children. They just make me so happy', she revealedIn April, champion mixed martial artist Conor McGregor, 30, attacked a bus full of fellow cage fighters with a dolly, allegedly injuring several people.

And on Tuesday, The Project's Waleed Aly asked UFC boss Dana White, 49, if the incident was just a publicity stunt, given that cameras were already rolling for the violent episode.

'Do you understand,' began Dana, 'he [Conor] got arrested?! He went to jail! He had to go before the New York attorney general ...'

'Do you understand? He got arrested! He went to jail!': Waleed Aly got into an awkward clash with the UFC's Dana White (pictured) over that Conor McGregor bus incident on Tuesday... and Dana announced a new UFC fight for Melbourne

Dana's voice was raised as he said: 'They already took care of it. What I am going to do?'

As Aly, 40, began his next question, Dana interjected: 'He was suspended! He was suspended! He couldn't fight because he was in jail!'

Ali said he just wanted Dana to 'level with us' about the incident, adding that while the state has suspended McGregor, Dana had invited him to fight again.

Set-up? In April, champion mixed martial artist Conor McGregor, 30, attacked a bus full of fellow cage fighters with a dolly, allegedly injuring several people. Aly (pictured) asked Dana if the incident was just a publicity stunt, given that cameras were already rolling for the violent episode

'I'm levelling!' said Dana. 'That's what I do - I put on fights.'

Earlier in the interview, Dana explained the cameras which captured the bus attack were there because they were in the middle of filming the show UFC Embedded, 'where we follow the fighters around'.

The UFC president also announced that there will be a mixed martial arts fight in Melbourne on February 10, 2019.

'Do you understand,' began Dana, 'he [Conor] got arrested! He went to jail! He had to go before the New York attorney general. They already took care of it. What I am going to do?'

'The headliner is going to be Australia's first-ever UFC champion Robert Whittaker, taking on Kelvin Gastelum,' said Dana.

'You're going to see an incredible fight. Both guys are knockout artists, both guys like to stand up and bang,' he added.

Whittaker, 27, is the current middleweight champion of the UFC.

Earlier in the interview, Dana explained that there already cameras there to capture the bus attack as they happened to be in the middle of filming the show UFC Embedded, 'where we follow the fighters around'. Pictured: Conor McGregorThey have been dating since 2014 and Lily James and Matt Smith still look as though they are in the first flushes of love.

The couple were pictured kissing and cuddling one another out in Mayfair, London, after dining together at Hush restaurant.

Lily, 29, threw her arms around her man as they focused their attentions on one another, without a care in the world.

The look of romance: Lily James and Matt Smith put on a very romantic display as they cuddled and kissed one another following a dinner date at Hush in Mayfair

Matt, 36, was wearing a navy coat for the outing, complete with black jeans and a beanie hat.

While Lily wore a grey coat and cropped navy trousers with white Adidas trainers.

Just a couple of days ago, the couple made an appearance at the Etihad Stadium ahead of the much anticipated Manchester derby.

Whispering sweet nothings: Matt, 36, was wearing a navy coat for the outing, complete with black jeans and a beanie hat

The acting couple occupied seats in the blue end of the stadium as home side Manchester City trounced local rivals Manchester United 3-1 in the Premier League clash.

And Matt, 36, couldnt contain his delight as three superbly taken goals from David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan emphasised the widening gulf between the two teams.

The Lily and Matt love story started when the couple were first introduced to each other on the set of their movie Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in 2014.

Leaning in: While Lily wore a grey coat and cropped navy trousers with white Adidas trainers

Speculation the pair were an item was first ignited when the couple made an appearance at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival together.

Despite going from strength-to-strength over the last four years, the actress admitted that she has found it difficult to find the perfect work/life balance and will consider slowing down in the future to focus on their relationship.

Lily recently confessed she almost didn't audition to star as Meryl Streep's younger screen character Donna in the sequel to Mamma Mia.

The Downton Abbey leading lady revealed the audition clashed with an event she was attending with her partner Matt.

She told NET-A-PORTER's digital magazine PorterEdit: 'So it was a real argument!

'We went straight to Glastonbury and I think I got the part that weekend but my agents knew not to call me because I wouldn't have been reachable.'She reinvented herself as a blonde in August this year for her milestone 21st birthday.

But Kylie Jenner seemed to be pining for her raven locks as she posed for a throwback snap posted to her Instagram page on Tuesday morning.

Feeling nostalgic for her former look, the makeup mogul shared with her 119 million followers a sultry photo of her dark raven 'do as she displayed her toned abs in a leopard print bandeau with lace trim.

Do blondes have more fun? Kylie Jenner seemed to be pining for her raven locks as she posed for a throwback snap posted to her Instagram page on Tuesday morning

Flaunted her figure in a glittering mini skirt, theKeeping up with the Kardashians star pulled her luscious hair locks to one side.

The youngest of the Kardashian clan revealed in her post's caption that she was 'almost ready for my dark hair'.

Some of her followers were quick to share their excitement with the mother-of-one's revelation, with one writing: 'I love your dark hair!' and another said: 'Yes, dark is so much better on you.'

Bombshell: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star reinvented herself as a blonde in August this year for her milestone 21st birthday (also pictured on Tuesday)

Feeling nostalgic: The makeup mogul shared with her 119 million followers a sultry photo of her dark raven 'do as she displayed her toned abs in a leopard print bandeau with lace trim

Last week, Kylie caused headlines after having given her fans the impression that she was engaged to her rapper boyfriend Travis Scott, 26.

The rumours continued after the beauty was spotted heading to her Miami Beach hotel wearing a stunning diamond encrusted ring on her wedding finger on Saturday.

Kylie sported the same ring on Sunday, before making her way to her beau's concert in Miami, Florida.

Is that a ring? Last week, Kylie caused headlines after having given her fans the impression that she was engaged to her rapper boyfriend Travis Scott, 26

Earlier that week, the cosmetics entrepreneur arrived home to a stunning display of roses from Travis, which had given many social media users the impression that the gesture was in relation to a possible engagement.

But while the gesture was exceedingly romantic, it was not a proposal.

'Travis' gesture was to celebrate Kylie Cosmetics partnering with Ulta Beauty stores,' a source told TMZ.

Meanwhile: Last week, the cosmetics entrepreneur arrived home to a stunning display of roses from Travis, giving fans the impression that Travis had proposed to his girlfriend

'It was also an elaborate bon voyage gift to mark the beginning of his tour. She and the baby are going with.'

Jenner, who launched Kylie Cosmetics in 2015, announced that her products would be in every single Ulta Beauty store starting November 17.

'So I'm going to be starting off with just my best lip kits first, and then I'm going to be expanding and adding a lot more things super fast,' she told her social media followers.

Kylie and Travis welcomed baby daughter Stormi into the world in February after starting to date in 2017.Hugh Grant has given a rare insight into fatherhood, in a candid chat while promoting his new movie A Very English Scandal.

The father-of-five confessed his life is 'chaotic' while speaking at an LA press conference, shortly before revealing he sees fellow A-lister Penelope Cruz at playgroup where their children 'try and kill each other'.

The 58-year-old Notting Hill star, who married his long-term girlfriend Anna Eberstein in a low-key ceremony in Chelsea in May, is famously guarded about his private life but no doubt delighted fans with the admissions about life as a Grant.

Hot stuff: Hugh Grant has given a rare insight into fatherhood, in a candid chat while promoting his new movie A Very English Scandal

Hugh and Anna have been together six years and share three children, John Mungo, who was born in September 2012, and another child born in December 2015.

Hugh's ex Elizabeth let slip in March that Hugh had had a third child with Anna, but the birth date and gender are unknown.

As well as his three children with Anna, Hugh also shares two children with ex Tinglan Hong. The star enjoyed a 13-year romance with actress and model Hurley, splitting in 2000 but remaining great friends.

While not detailing which of his kids attend the playgroup, he spoke about his chats with Penelope, who is mother to Leo, seven, and Luna, five.

Beloved wife:L The father-of-five confessed his life is 'chaotic' while speaking at an LA press conference, shortly before revealing he sees fellow A-lister Penelope Cruz at playgroup where their children 'try and kill each other' (pictured with his wife Anna Eberstein in July)

Stunner: Hugh and Anna have been together six years and share three children, John Mungo, who was born in September 2012, and another child born in December 2015

He said: 'We have a chat while our children kill each other. Shes lovely. Yeah, Id be absolutely delighted to do anything with her.'

On the idea of the children following him in acting, he said: '[My kids heading into acting] has crossed my mind but thankfully, I've been to see them in their school plats and they're utterly talentless so I don't think that problem will arise!'

He continued: 'I have five small children and life is total chaos. I've always said yes to writing or directing a project but part of my problem now is that I just lack time'.

Grant was well-known for his reluctance to marry after he split with his actress girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley in 2000 after 13 years together.

Pals: While not detailing which of his kids attend the playgroup, he spoke about his chats with Penelope, who is mother to Leo, seven, and Luna, five

Happy days: Grant was well-known for his reluctance to marry after he split with his actress girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley in 2000 after 13 years together

Hugh's children 1987-2000 - Hugh enjoyed an extremely high-profile romance with Elizabeth before splitting following his infidelities. While they never had children, he is Godfather to her son Damian, 15 September 2011 - Hugh became a father for the first time, to a daughter Tabitha with receptionist Tinglan Hong, after 'a fleeting affair' September 2012 - The actor later became a father for a second time to John Mungo, his first baby with Anna December 2012- After a brief reunion, Hugh and Tinglan had another child, as she gave birth to a boy called Felix although this only became publicly known when a birth certificate leaked when he was 16-months-old December 2015 - Anna and Hugh became parents once more to a second child, although they have never announced the child's name Advertisement

He told People magazine in 2015: 'I'm not really a believer in marriage. I've seen very few good examples, maybe five, in my life, but I think otherwise it's a recipe for mutual misery.'

Hugh went from having no children to being a father of four in just four years.

At the time of Tabitha's birth, Hugh's spokesman said: 'He and the mother had a fleeting affair and while this was not planned, Hugh could not be happier or more supportive. He and the mother have discussed everything and are on friendly terms.'

When Ms Hong gave birth to Felix, Mr Grant wrote on Twitter: 'In answer to some journos. Am thrilled my daughter now has a brother. Adore them both to an uncool degree. They have a fab mum.'

In 2014, he spoke for the first time about his son. Speaking to Swedish newspaper Nojesbladet, he said of Anna: We are very good friends and shes a very good mother.

The actor said he had plenty of contact with his son. He said: 'I see him all the time, all the time - most days'.

His relationship with the boy was excellent, he said, adding: I love him very much. He also spoke warmly about the charms of Sweden, which he has visited several times.They are billionaire heiress sisters who share a famously close bond.

And Tamara and Petra Ecclestone have candidly discussed motherhood, their careers and dealing with online abuse in a new interview with this week's edition of Grazia.

Tamara, 34, and Petra, 29, gave an insight into their lives juggling motherhood to their four children, and the pressure of life in the public eye - along with poking fun at their past fashion and make-up mishaps.

Candid: Tamara and Petra Ecclestone have candidly discussed motherhood, their careers and dealing with online abuse in a new interview with this week's edition of Grazia

Oh dear: The sisters, also playfully derided their style and make-up choices back in the day. Tamara said: 'Oh my god I looked like an Oompa Loompa, I wore too much make-up.' (pictured in 2005)

The beauties, who are the daughters of F1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, 88, spoke about social media trolls, with a defiant Tamara, who breastfed daughter Sophia until the age of four, slamming 'mum-shaming.'

On her decision to keep her Instagram public, while Petra choose to remain private, she said:

'On the whole I've had such good feedback and I feel like it was a nice thing for me to be able to make other people less ashamed.

'It's ridiculous that there's this stigma attached to it. If I'm being judged then maybe they won't feel so bad about being judged too. Everyone is trying to do their best and I think that mum-shaming is the lowest of the low.'

Fury: A defiant Tamara, who breastfed daughter Sophia until the age of four, slammed online 'mum-shaming'

Petra added that people commenting on her parenting ability or her children, along with the 'constant judgment' seen online made her keep her Instagram account private.

The sisters, who have a mutual passion for fashion and estimate they have around '20-30' Hermes Birkin bags each, also playfully derided their style and make-up choices back in the day.

Tamara said: 'Oh my god I looked like an Oompa Loompa, I wore too much make-up.'

The brunette beauty also said that while she wears all her casual clothing, she estimates around 60 per cent of her dressy purchases go unworn.

She said: 'It's ridiculous that there's this stigma attached to it. If I'm being judged then maybe they won't feel so bad about being judged too. Everyone is trying to do their best and I think that mum-shaming is the lowest of the low'

A member of staff will go through her and Sophia's wardrobes, removing anything that hasn't been worn for a season, with the clothes going for sale on Ebay - with proceeds donated to the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Tamara shares her beloved daughter with businessman husband Jay Rutland, who she wed in 2013.

Petra is mother to Lavinia, five, and twin sons, James and Andrew, three with ex husband James Stunt.

She has since found love with handsome Sam Palmer, who runs the LA Maddox gallery.

The star said her family's unwavering support had helped her through her divorce from Stunt.

Smitten: Tamara shares her beloved daughter with businessman husband Jay Rutland, who she wed in 2013

Petra and 36-year-old billionaire James were granted a quick divorce after a five minute hearing last year. It came six years after they tied the knot in a 12million ceremony held in a castle in Italy.

While no details of the divorce settlement were released, it was reported that James signed a 16million prenuptial agreement, with Petra.

Petra is preparing to open Petra's Place, a facility which provides support to children of pre-school age with autism, as well as their families.

She was inspired to do so afrer Lavinia was diagnosed with global developmental delay (GDD) as a toddler. Petra began to reseach autism, and although her daughter did not turn out to have the condition, the star's interest remained.

Having moved to LA, Petra, who has a net worth of 230m, couldn't help but notice that there were more services available overseas for children with special needs than there are in the UK.

Split: Petra is mother to Lavinia, five, and twin sons, James and Andrew, three with ex husband James Stunt (pictured in 2011)

New love: She has since found love with handsome Sam Palmer, who runs the LA Maddox gallery

She told MailOnline earlier this month: 'The lack of support here is so frustrating. I was fortunate enough that I could have the best therapists and the best doctors.

'But even for me, coming back to the UK, there wasn't that much out there. There definitely needs to be better services. Parents need more help. They need a break.'

Petra said she is pleased to have the centre almost up and running, (it opens in two weeks and has been two years in the making.)

She said: 'Tamara and I do have a privileged lifestyle but there is more to us. People are always saying we should do more or donate more money. It's never enough.'Vicky Pattison has unfollowed her fiance John Noble on Twitter and Instagram after video emerged of him cosying up to a pretty blonde in a Dubai nightclub on a lads' holiday.

The 30-year-old reality star was said to be planning to confront her other half about the tape upon his return - with the businessman landing back in England on Tuesday.

His return aligns with Vicky - who revealed she was heading home after spending a long weekend in Brighton to celebrate her birthday.

Unfollow: Vicky Pattison has unfollowed her fiance John Noble on Twitter and Instagram after video emerged of him cosying up to a pretty blonde in a Dubai nightclub on a lads' holiday

Vicky has not spoken publicly about John's recent behaviour, yet a source close to the star told MailOnline: 'Vicky is upset with the pictures and looks forward to speaking to him when hes back about it.'

Meanwhile, John appeared to hint at discontent when he shared a pained looking selfie, captioned 'mood'.

MailOnline has contacted Vicky's representatives for comment.

Shocking: Vicky is said to be planning crisis talks with John after seeing footage of him grinding with a blonde in a Dubai nightclub on Sunday

Vicky is said to be planning crisis talks with John after seeing footage of him grinding with a blonde in a Dubai nightclub on Sunday.

Her understandable distress comes as John was filmed with his lips just inches away from the mystery blonde before she started grinding on his lap.

An eyewitness told MailOnline that the scenes were 'shocking', describing the interaction as 'very flirty'.

Back home: John appeared to hint at discontent when he shared a pained looking selfie, captioned 'mood' after flying back to the UK on Tuesday

Working through it: The couple, who got engaged in July 2017, have been going through a difficult patch recently but seemed to be getting back on track

The Newcastle businessman got up close and cosy with the mystery blonde just hours before a posting a photo of Vicky on Instagram along with the words Cant wait to get back to this little monster.

John had been partying at the Billionaire Mansion when he met the blonde, with an eyewitness telling MailOnline: I was really shocked. I recognised John as soon as he got into the club because Im a fan of Vickys.

I couldnt believe that he was talking so close to her. The music was loud so he was leaning into her so that he could hear her. Then she started grinding on his lap.

It was very flirty and they were really close.

Very close: Vicky's understandable distress comes as John was filmed with his lips just inches away from the mystery blonde before she started grinding on his lap

John had begun the evening dining in the Taj Hotel restaurant that turns into a nightclub when he struck up a conversation with the girls on the next table.

The insider added: John asked the girls on the neighbouring table if they were all right and if theyd mind posing for a selfie with him and his friends, which seemed a bit strange but the girls didnt seem to mind.

Then his group were joined by this really attractive young blonde, aged only in her early 20s, wearing a revealing nude dress and nude heels and with really long hair extensions.'

Living it up: John had been partying at the Billionaire Mansion when he met the blonde and has been documenting his holiday with his friends on Instagram

The shocking scenes come after Vicky admitted she is 'fighting a battle' in her relationship after being plagued by rumours of strife following the death of her best friend Paul Burns and two of John's grandparents' passing earlier this year.

Speaking to New Magazine, the former Geordie Shore star was typically candid about her battles as she admitted the couple are struggling.

She said: 'We're going to Dubai, so we're out of the hardest bit. My birthday's coming up, his birthday is coming up, so we're on a nice run of seeing each other a lot. Everyone's fighting a battle to make it work.'

The couple, who got engaged in July 2017 - were apparently not on speaking terms before their romantic trip and had severed ties on social media, with sources claiming their relationship is 'hanging by a thread'.

Make-or-break: Vicky and John recently went on a make-or-break holiday, and she asked him to accompany her in Dubai where she was working so they could 'talk things through'

Vicky reportedly asked John to accompany her in Dubai where she was working at the time so they could 'talk things through'.

John had allegedly felt like he was playing 'second fiddle' to Vicky's busy lifestyle in London. The businessman is also reportedly desperate to start a family while Vicky was said to be less keen.

It seemed the pair were back on track, however, when just last week she shared pictures of herself trying on wedding dresses at Suzanne Neville's Knightsbridge boutique.They are enjoying a romantic break away in Dubai.

But just before their glorious trip, Chloe Ferry and Sam Gowland made time for an intimate Newcastle date night at Tomahawk Steak House on Monday.

Clearly impressed with her looks, the Geordie Shore star cheekily lifted up his girlfriend's miniskirt to get a good look at her surgically-enhanced peachy posterior.

Perfect pair: Chloe Ferry put her peachy posterior on display in VERY small pleated shorts as she enjoyed a date night with hands-on beau Sam Gowland in Newcastle on Monday

Chloe put her rounded derriere in her minuscule striped shorts which have pleats to give it the appearance of a very tiny miniskirt.

The Instagram sensation, with three million followers to her name, elevated her height in her stiletto thigh-high boots.

As the frosty air has started to freeze Britain, the plastic surgery fan picked out a seasonal turtleneck for warmth and she added a baker boy cap for style.

Closer than ever: The Geordie Shore couple looked happier than ever in each other's arms, having recently shot down cruel rumours they were on the verge of splitting up

Meanwhile, Sam looked trendy in his open denim shirt and torn black jeans which he paired with a hoodie to keep the chill at bay.

The Geordie Shore couple looked happier than ever in each other's arms, having recently shot down cruel rumours they were on the verge of splitting up.

In November at the MTV EMAs, Sam told MailOnline of their relationship: 'I saw the rumours of a split when I was on my way to a PA and I was like where do these things come from?'

Aside from their romance, Chloe confessed she suffered from body dysmorphia which fueled her desire to get plastic surgery.

Raunchy! Clearly impressed with her looks, the Geordie Shore star cheekily lifted up his girlfriend's miniskirt to get a good look at her surgically-enhanced peachy posterior

She has had rhinoplasty, liposuction, breast implants and a breast uplift in three years, as well as several fillers, injections and non-invasive procedures.

Chloe shared she has suffered with body dysmorphia after she was propelled into the limelight on the set of Geordie Shore.

She told Closer magazine: 'It's ever since I started having surgery that I've felt like this, and maybe after some of the negative comments.

'I didn't have body dysmorphia before Geordie Shore [2015] I would say it's happened since I started getting surgery. I think that's what created it.'Their widely-discussed feud saw the dissolution of a 17-year friendship.

Yet Sam Faiers and Ferne McCann finally buried the hatchet earlier this year in time for sister Billie's hen do, as scenes set to air on Wednesday night's The Mummy Diaries show the duo putting their tricky past behind them.

Celebrating Billie's forthcoming nuptials in their UK hen, prior to jetting to Ibiza to continue the festivities, the duo can be seen larking around together while playing with a host of phallic party treats.

Happy days! Sam Faiers and Ferne McCann finally buried the hatchet earlier this year in time for sister Billie's hen do, as scenes set to air on Wednesday night's The Mummy Diaries show the duo putting their tricky past behind them

Ferne and Sam's initial fall-out was plagued with contrasting reports as Sam reportedly alleged she warned her pal off ex Arthur Collins, while Ferne insisted her decision to take on her rival mummy show was the reason for the row.

Speaking to MailOnline in May, Ferne revealed the reasons for the feud as she said: 'The reason as far as I'm concerned is that she fell out with me is because I decided to take First Time Mum as a show...

'We had like 15 years of friendship, my first baby is one week apart from her baby and it can still be lovely and all I'll say is it's a terrible shame.'

Now however, the hatchet has been buried since the group went away for Billie's hen do in Ibiza, during which they appeared to get on famously.

Larking around: Celebrating Billie's forthcoming nuptials in their UK hen, prior to jetting to Ibiza to continue the festivities, the duo can be seen larking around together while playing with a host of phallic party treats

The clip from the UK hen do opens with Sam and Billie's mum Sue setting up for the party with a host of phallic novelty items, including a penis shaped water gun.

Cheeky Sue said: 'We're trying to keep it classy but a hen so wouldn't be a hen do without a willy!', before Billie was seen having drink sprayed in her mouth.

Billie's hen and her fiance Greg Shepherd's pre-wedding celebrations have been a cause of contention for the pair after she branded his Marbella stag 'chavvy'.

Despite Greg having his wild stag-do in Marbella, Sam said she had no worries whatsoever when her beau Paul Knightley, 30, joined him on his trip to Las Vegas.

She said: 'Paul has a drink and a laugh but he's not the type of person to get out of control. I knew they would have a laugh and a brilliant time in Vegas.'

And with the main story-line of the series being 28-year-old Billie's upcoming wedding in the Maldives, the star divulged more details how preparations were going for the big day.

'Billie has it all pretty much all under control,' she said. 'I know that Billie wants quite a lot of surprises for all of her guests as well.

Sam and Billie Faiers: The Mummy Diaries continues on Wednesday at 9pm on ITVBe. You can catch up with the series on the ITV HubRob Kardashian has allegedly filed to lower his $20,000 a month child support payments to ex Blac Chyna and believes she should be paying him due to her millionaire status, reports The Blast.

The reality star, 31, is reportedly claiming he can 'no longer afford' to give thousands of dollars to his former fiancee for their two-year-old daughter Dream- and is said to believe that due to Blac's increased wealth, she should be paying him.

According to documents filed by the ex couple and seen by the website, Rob and Chyna have been embroiled in an acrimonious custody battle for months over child support.

Claim: Rob Kardashian has allegedly filed to lower his $20,000 a month child support payments to ex Blac Chyna and believes she should be paying him due to her millionaire status, reports The Blast (pictured in 2016)

Beloved: The reality star, 31, is reportedly claiming he can 'no longer afford' to give thousands of dollars to his former fiancee for their two-year-old daughter Dream- and is said to believe that due to Blac's increased wealth, she should be paying him

Rob is said to be asking for a 'modification' due to his dwindling funds, something he is allegedly blaming Chyna, 30 for, claiming the domestic violence restraining order she filed in 2017 harmed him.

The brother of reality titans Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, has remained out of the spotlight during the battle and has not appeared on recent Keeping Up With The Kardashians episodes.

In the document seen by the website, Rob's declaration reads: 'I have not participated in the filming of any episodes since this summer when [Chyna] filed a request for a restraining order against me. Her request was widely publicized and I was scrutinized by the media.'

He continues, 'It has been an extraordinarily difficult time for me emotionally and I have no desire to continue participating in the reality show.

Parents: According to documents filed by the couple and seen by the website, the former couple have been embroiled in an acrimonious custody battle for months over child support (pictured in 2016)

'I would like to maintain my privacy, try to recover from the emotional damage of the past several months, and explore other business ventures.'

The documents reportedly show Rob's contract with KUWTK guarantees him a minimum $1m annual salary for his appearance on the show.

But in 2018, the website reports he was only paid for episodes he appeared in and at a reduced pay of $50,000 an episode.

He is not contractually obliged to participate in the show, unlike his sisters and mother Kris Jenner, and reportedly 'has no desire to do so.'

Rob and his legal team are allegedly claiming that Chyna has capitalised from the drama and amassed a fortune totalling more than $1m.

Devoted: Rob and his legal team are allegedly claiming that Chyna has capitalised from the drama and amassed a fortune totalling more than $1m

The star is said to state in the documents: 'She has appeared in the press and on social media to discuss both cases at every opportunity.'

Chyna is said to be worth more than $1.4 million, with Rob claiming his income has dwindled from $100,000 per month at the time of their split, to less than $10,000.

Glamour model Chyna is said to earn around $60,000 a month.

It was reported that Rob now believes he should be being paid child support, with his lawyers estimating based on Chyna's earnings, he should collect $2,864 for his joint custody of Dream.

Chyna is said to be disputing the attempted modification of the child support, and has allegedly accused the star and his legal team of 'manipulating' the date to make Rob appear in dire financial straits.

A judge was said to have suspended child support obligations at a hearing earlier this year, until the battle could be settled. Both sides were then said to have handed over financial documents.

Wealth: Chyna is said to be worth more than $1.4 million, with Rob claiming his income has dwindled from $100,000 per month at the time of their split, to less than $10,000

Baby girl: It was reported that Rob now believes he should be being paid child support, with his lawyers estimating based on Chyna's earnings, he should collect $2,864 for his joint custody of Dream

The warring pair are scheduled to meet with a judge in December for a final decision.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Rob and Chyna for comment.

The pair enjoyed a whirlwind romance starting in January 2016, getting engaged in February, with Chyna giving birth to Dream in November that year.

However, their romance came to a tumultuous end in 2017.

Between Chyna, Rob and his famous sisters, the group has hurled insults and accusations at one another since they separated.

Despite that, when asked about getting back together with Rob, Chyna told DailyMailTV that a reconciliation is possible.

She answered: 'Yes, maybe, we'll see. OK?'

She also has son King, 5, with rapper Tyga.Hugh Jackman looked every inch the Hollywood hunk as he arrived at the New York studios of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday night.

The Logan star cut a dapper figure in a checked grey suit as he stepped out of his car and waved at onlookers.

The 50-year-old Australian was all smiles as he took the time to signal to his fans.

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Check him out! Australian hunk Hugh Jackman, 50, cut a dapper figure in a patterned suit as he arrived at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Hugh looked handsome in his suit which he paired with a light blue shirt and royal blue tie, finishing off his smart look with a pair of black business shoes.

The A-lister appeared on the show to promote his latest film The Front Runner, which follows the scandal that brought down one-time presidential favourite Gary Hart back in 1988.

But as soon has he walked onto the set he was stopped in his tracks when he spotted comedian Andy Lee and his girlfriend Rebecca Harding in the front row of the audience.

Peace out! The famously friendly actor took the time to signal to his fans

Dapper: Hugh looked handsome in his grey suit, which he paired with a light blue shirt and royal blue tie

Hugh immediately walked over and gave a big hug to Andy, 37, and kissed Rebecca, 27, on the cheek, before returning to the set.

Stephen Colbert quickly followed suit - giving the Australian couple the same treatment before dashing back to the set.

Hugh Jackman quickly apologised to his host, adding 'thank you, that was very rude, I know that was rude.'

Smart: He finished off his smart look with a pair of black business shoes

'Not at all,' replied Stephen.

'I'm not going to let somebody out-hug an audience member,' he jokingly added.

'Andy in Australia is almost as famous as you are here,' said Hugh.

'I felt really bad because Andy had sent me an email today and I hadn't replied,' he added.

Fellow Aussies: Hugh immediately walked over and gave a big hug to Andy, 37, and kissed Rebecca, 27, on the cheek, before returning to the set

On the program, Jackman said he remembered Stan as a 'true gentleman who had this glint in his eye.

'He was a creative genius.'

Legendary Marvel Comics co-founder Stan Lee passed away on Monday at the age of 95.Seann Walsh's ex-girlfriend Rebecca Humphries has detailed how she coped following his explosive cheating scandal with Strictly partner Katya Jones.

The actress penned an impassioned article for Vogue.com to celebrate World Kindness Day on Tuesday, in which she indirectly touched upon the scandal which saw her ex lock lips with the married dancer on a boozy night out last month.

While Rebecca proudly discussed how the kindness of friends helped her rebuild her 'shattered' life, funnyman Seann has removed himself from social media after being kicked off the show over two weeks ago.

Lashing out: Seann Walsh's ex-girlfriend Rebecca Humphries has detailed how she coped following his explosive cheating scandal with Strictly partner Katya Jones

Seann and Katya stunned Strictly fans and the showbiz world when footage emerged last month showing the pair on a boozy night out at a west London pub after which they locked lips in a steamy clinch in the street.

The comedian issued a feeble apology in which he blamed his actions on alcohol, while Katya echoed the sentiments however insisted her marriage to fellow Strictly Come Dancing professional Neil Jones is fine.

After the kiss came to light, Rebecca dumped Seann online in a scathing statement in which she revealed she was taking their beloved cat Winston.

The stunner has now embellished on the shocking and very public dumping as she penned the first person piece for the fashion magazine's website in which she lauded her nearest and dearest for helping her overcome her scenario.

Birthday girl: The actress penned an impassioned article for Vogue.com to celebrate World Kindness Day on Tuesday, in which she indirectly touched upon the scandal which saw her ex lock lips with the married dancer on a boozy night out last month

She wrote: 'Its been a revelatory few weeks in many ways. On October 8, I had an aim: to present a more fully formed and accurate version of a woman than the neater, simpler character of "spurned partner" that was already being run with...

'The woman whose truth I was standing up for was myself. In doing so came revelation number one; that of a strength and resoluteness I had forgotten I possessed...

'Perhaps the biggest shock (no mean feat), has been of the thousands of people who recognised the Wonder Woman behind that statement was at the same time standing in the ruins of a shattered reality'.

Shock: The actress was left heartbroken when the funnyman was caught kissing his dance partner earlier this month after which she dumped him online in a scathing statement in which she revealed she was taking their beloved cat Winston

Following his departure from the Strictly stage, Seann has disappeared into obscurity somewhat as he has not posted on social media since leaving the show.

After the scandal erupted, Rebecca was lauded far and wide when she broke her silence with an impeccably written statement detailing the kiss happening on her birthday, Seann not apologising directly afterwards and her taking their cat.

While she has maintained a dignified silence since, even in the face of recent claims that he bedded a stripper in the midst of their romance, she took to Twitter in the midst of the Strictly results show to like a message about Katya.

In her full statement released last month, Rebecca wrote: 'Hello there, My name is Rebecca Humphries and I am not a victim. I wasn't sure whether to respond to events from the past week, but I feel the narrative has missed a couple of crucial elements that I would like to clear up...

'Its incredibly good of Sean(n) and Katya to apologise in the media. I have received nothing. other than the support of my family, friends, and a host of strangers on the internet who all wanted to make sure I was OK.

'What I have also kindly received are many offers to sell my side of the story, but I would prefer for it to be on my own terms...

'Those pictures were taken on October 3, it was my birthday. I was alone at home when Sean texted at 10pm saying the two of them were going for one innocent drink...

'We spoke, and I told him, not for the first time, that his actions over the past three weeks had led me to believe something inappropriate was going on...

'He aggressively and repeatedly called me a psycho/nuts/mental. As he has done countless times throughout our relationship when Ive questioned his inappropriate, hurtful behaviour...

Moving on: 'Those pictures were taken on October 3, it was my birthday. I was alone at home when Sean texted at 10pm saying the two of them were going for one innocent drink'

Back to work: The stunner has now embellished on the shocking and very public dumping as she penned the first person piece for the fashion magazine's website in which she lauded her nearest and dearest for helping her overcome her scenario

'But - this whole business has served to remind me that I am a strong, capable person who is now free: and no victim...

'I have a voice and will use it by saying this to any woman out there who deep down feels worthless and trapped with a man they love: Believe in yourself and your instincts. It's more than lying. It's controlling.

'Tell some very close friends who, if theyre anything like my wonderful network, will swoop in and take care of the logistics and of you.

'Its important also to recognise that in these situations those who hold power over you are insecure and fragile and the need for control comes from a place of vulnerability. I think it certainly does in Seans case. Despite everything I hope he gets what he wants from this. I'm not sorry I took the cat, though.'

Shocker: Jatya and Seann caused shockwaves when they locked lipsShe has made her name in the fashion spheres following her career in reality television.

And Millie Mackintosh put a fashionable foot forward once again when she was spotted making her very stylish arrival at Sexy Fish in London's Mayfair on Tuesday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 29, looked effortlessly chic and stylish in her ocean blue De La Vali velvet suit for her glamorous lunch date.

Looking fabulous! Millie Mackintosh looked astonishing in her ocean blue De La Vali velvet suit as she attended a plush lunch date in London's Mayfair on Tuesday

Millie displayed her fitness-honed waist when she slipped into slim-fit trousers which she paired with the jacket in the same soft fabric.

Fresh from her 400-a-night Thailand wellness retreat, the married star complemented her glowing tan with natural make-up enhancements.

For a feminine touch, Professor Green's ex strutted her stuff in steep heels and she toted a dazzling gem encrusted handbag.

Millie is well and truly settled into married life with sunglasses entrepreneur Hugo Taylor ever since they tied the knot earlier this year.

Entrancing: The fashion queen put her fashionable foot forward once again when she was spotted making her very stylish arrival

The couple were married in a romantic ceremony at his uncle's country estate, Whithurst Park, in West Sussex on June 22.

They followed up the big day with a romantic Greek honeymoon to the islands of Crete and Kefalonia.

Millie and Hugo first dated back in 2011 when they co-starred on Made In Chelsea, but split when it emerged Hugo had cheated on her with her friend Rosie Fortescue.

She's so stylish: For a feminine touch, Professor Green's ex strutted her stuff in her steep heels and she toted a dazzling gem encrusted handbag

They reunited in May 2016 shortly after Millie's split from first husband, rapper Professor Green, 34.

Millie was married to the musician, real name Stephen Manderson, for two-and-a-half years before they announced their split in February 2016.

The couple finalised their divorce in May 2016, the same week that Millie went public with Hugo on a trip to the Monaco Grand Prix to celebrate Hugo's 30th birthday.

Hugo then popped the question a year later during a holiday in Mykonos, Greece, in July 2017.

Talking about his bride, Hugo told Hello! magazine at the wedding: 'I knew she was The One within about five minutes of us getting back together.'

Millie concurred: 'But if we'd stayed together when we were younger, we wouldn't be together now. We had to go away, do our separate things and grow as people. We needed that time apart.'She's set to marry Kane Vato in a 'natural and rustic' Byron Bay ceremony in December.

And as Gold Coast based Instagram model Pia Muehlenbeck's big day grows closer, the 26-year-old has reportedly now issued a strict dress code to all guests.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the bizarre guide was issued on a private website which was shared with all of the happy couple's RSVPs.

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'Everyone is requested to wear natural earth tones': Instagram model Pia Muehlenbeck sets strict dress code for guests at her Byron Bay wedding to Kane Vato next month

'Everyone is requested to wear natural earth tones,' the beauty reportedly wrote on password-protected website, kaneandpia.com.

'We would love if everyone could adhere to this direction with their attire. Light, muted, earthy, natural tones.'

Pia is said to have then provided a Pinterest mood board full of her chosen colour tones for guests to get some inspiration while shopping for their outfit.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Pia's rep for comment.

'We would love if everyone could adhere to this direction with their attire. Light, muted, earthy, natural tones,' Pia (pictured trying wedding dresses on recently) reportedly wrote on a private website for guests, the Daily Telegraph reports

With over two million followers online, Pia is reportedly also going above and beyond to ensure her wedding location does not leak.

'Guests will not even know where the ceremony is, until they're picked up half an hour beforehand,' the publication also reported.

Pia's representatives spoke to The Daily Telegraph about the wedding dress code this week, claiming that it is nothing more than a 'helpful guide' that was not to be taken too seriously.

Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich are said to be among the VIPs attending.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia in October, Pia gushed she's 'excited' for her big day which will be held in Byron Bay.

'Guests will not even know where the ceremony is, until they're picked up half an hour beforehand,' the publication also reported ensuring the venue information does not leak

'It's going to be a few days of celebration, and the theme will be summery, natural, rustic and a Byron Bay sort of theme,' she revealed.

With the big day just around the corner, Pia admits there's still a lot to do..

'Wedding planning is going! It's literally 64 days away, which feels like I should have planned that a lot earlier but Im one of these last minute people,' she said at Fenty Beauty by Rihanna's first anniversary event in Sydney.

'But weirdly it's coming together quite nicely, I'm not stressed anymore, I'm excited about it!'Storm Keating has revealed her 19-month-old son Cooper was hospitalised for three days after contracting a virus.

The TV personality, 37, shared a series of pictures of her baby boy on Instagram on Tuesday during his time in The Portland Hospital as she expressed a gratitude to the doctors and nurses.

Storm, who has been married to Ronan for three years, admitted she wished she could have taken the illness instead, but assured fans the youngster is now on the mend.

On the mend: Storm Keating took to Instagram on Tuesday to reveal her 19-month-old son Cooper was hospitalised for three days after contracting a virus

She wrote: 'After a very long 72 hours... were finally taking our little button home.

'Thank you Dr Massoud and all the wonderful team #theportlandhospital for taking such amazing care of our boy 

'#sorelieved #emotionallyexhausted #thattimeoftheyear #kidsandviruses #nasty #poorbaby #sickbaby #muchbetternow #thetrialsandtribulationsofparenthood #wishicouldhavetakenitforhim'

Feeling better: Storm, who has been married to Ronan for three years, admitted she wished she could have taken the illness instead, but assured fans the youngster is now on the mend

Doting daddy: Storm shared a snap of Ronan sitting beside Cooper in his crib as she captioned the image: 'After a very long 72 hours... were finally taking our little button home'

Storm and Ronan were married in Ireland in 2015, the same year that the star divorced first wife Yvonne, and they welcomed Cooper in 2017.

Ronan also has children Jack, Missy and Ali from his first marriage, yet revealed that the two families blend together perfectly.

In an interview with New Ideas magazine, he said of his wife: 'She's amazing. She's fantastic, she's understanding and she's strong. The kids love her so it's perfect...

'It's been amazing to watch them. There is such a bond between all four of them'.

Play time: One sweet snap showed Ronan and Cooper using the playroom in the hospital

Adorable: Storm cuddled up to her baby boy as she sat inside his crib in one sweet snap

He added that his son Jack even calls his baby brother 'adorable' and referred to the closeness the family feel as a 'completeness'.

Ronan went on to say that Storm, real name Sharon, took to motherhood 'like a duck to water' and is 'so calm' as a mum.

The pair married in a spectacular wedding in Scotland with Ed Sheeran entertaining guests at the reception.He plays a flight instructor, rather than a fighter pilot, in the upcoming Top Gun sequel.

But anyone worried Tom Cruise wouldn't get his hands dirty will rest at ease at the sight of the star looking roughed up in his flight suit.

The evergreen 56-year-old was spotted on Sunday shooting scenes for Top Gun: Maverick near a Highway Cafe in Santa Clarita, California.

Feel the need: Tom Cruise looked rough and ready in a flight suit as he shot scenes for Top Gun 2 in California on Sunday

Rocking some dark and modern-looking military attire, he was missing just his flight helmet.

The actor's face was covered in dirt and grime, suggesting Captain Pete Mitchell had just survived a rough ride.

The highly-anticipated and long-awaited sequel follows on from the classic 1986 original.

It will see Val Kilmer also reprise his role as Maverick's rival and frenemy Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky, once a Lieutenant, now a Commander.

Rocky landing: The actor's face was covered in dirt and grime, suggesting Captain Pete Mitchell had just survived a rough ride

The past: Cruise in his flight suit in the 1986 movie with Rick Rossovich on the left and Tim Robbins on the right

Miles Teller meanwhile joins the cast as pilot trainee Bradley Bradshaw, son of Maverick's late partner Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, played in the original by ER's Anthony Edwards.

Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris and Insecure's Jay Ellis all also star.

The sequel has been in the works since 2010, when paramount approached producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott.

However when Tony  brother of fellow director Ridley Scott  committed suicide in 2012, the project's future was in question.

The closely-guarded plot will reportedly focus on the end of the dog-fighting era, and the rise of drones.

Top Gun Maverick is slated for release on June 26, 2020, having been pushed back from July of 2019.Kate Hudson seems to really enjoy being being a mom to a newborn.

On early on Tuesday morning the Almost Famous actress shared a photo of her hands and the hand of her partner Danny Fujikawa holding on to new baby Rani, born just over a month ago, while still in bed

The caption read, 'Two hands are missing to complete this family portrait but its far to early for my big guys  #SleepyHeads #FeedTime #AllDayEveryDay.'

Happy family unit: Kate Hudson seems to really enjoy being being a mom to a newborn. On early on Tuesday morning the Almost Famous actress shared a photo of her hands and the hand of her partner Danny Fujikawa holding on to new baby Rani

Rare date night for this couple: Kate and Danny happy at the Michael Kors party on November 7 in Beverly Hills

Rani's middle name is Rose.

Their daughter's first name (pronounced Ronnie) is in honor of boyfriend Danny Fukijawa's father, Ron. "Ron was the most special man who we all miss dearly. To name her after him is an honor," she wrote on Instagram..

'Everyone is doing well and happy as can be,' she wrote. 'Our family thanks you for all the love and blessings that have been sent our way and we send ours right back.'

In addition to Rani, the movie star has Ryder Robinson, 14, with ex Chris Robinson of Black Crowes.

Date night: And Kate Hudson and Danny Fujikawa enjoyed a night out without their newborn on Wednesday, as part of the Kate Hudson X Michael Kors dinner in Los Angeles

Looking good: The actress still had that post-baby glow with a radiant complexion and rosy cheeks

Family first: Kate proved to be in good company as she was also joined by her eldest son Ryder Robinson, 14

She also has Bingham Hawn Bellamy, aged seven, with ex Matt Bellamy.

Kate enjoyed a night out without their newborn on Wednesday, as part of the Kate Hudson X Michael Kors dinner in Los Angeles.

The siren showcased her incredible post-baby body physique as the ambassador for the United Nations World Food Programme and supporter of the designer's Watch Hunger Stop initiative.

Kate stunned in a chic black wrap style dress with a shimmery silver design.

So much love: Kate is seen kissing Rani and said love is 'existence'

The ensemble effortlessly fell down to her just above her ankles and she teamed the look with a pair of matching colored pumps.

She kept her accessories minimal with a pair of earrings and a clutch.

Kate styled her short blonde hair into tousled loose waves. The actress still had that post-baby glow with a radiant complexion and rosy cheeks.

New and first-time dad Danny looked uber dapper for the date night.

At one point during the evening, she was seen with mom Goldie Hawn's long-term partner Kurt Russell.

He dressed in all black with a button-up shirt underneath his smart suit.He transformed from a lovably husky comedian to full action hunk for his role in Guardians Of The Galaxy.

And Chris Pratt, 39, was hard at work once again on Monday, as he was spotted leaving his local LA fitness center.

The ex of Anna Faris looked like he'd gotten quite the intense workout, seen with a sweat-drenched olive green shirt.

Ready to sweat! Chris Pratt was seen while heading to his LA gym on Monday

Chris' brawny arms and muscular calves were on full display as he exited the establishment.

The star, who was born and raised in Minnesota, was seen Facetiming someone as he headed off.

It's possible he was connecting with girlfriend Katherine Schwarzegger, who has been linked to the actor since June.

Working hard! The Guardians Of The Galaxy actor worked up quite the sweat while out

Face to face! The star, who was born and raised in Minnesota, was seen Facetiming someone as he headed off

Earlier on the actor arrived in a sporty all grey outfit which consisted of sweats, a church tee shirt and Adidas sneakers. He carried his things in a backpack.

Over the weekend Chris and his girlfriend Katherine were spotted out the lunch with Schwarzenegger's dad Arnold.

It seems the actor has the action hero's stamp of approval, as People explained: 'Arnold seemed happy that Chris and Katherine joined him.'

Getting along: Over the weekend Chris and his girlfriend Katherine (above in August) were spotted out the lunch with Schwarzenegger's dad Arnold

Another person at the scene said that the group was a 'lively bunch.'

'A lot of laughter and storytelling,' the insider continued. 'Arnold seemed very pleased to spend time with Chris. It was obvious that they got along and enjoyed getting to know each other. They had eggs, breakfast meats and fruit. Chris settled the check.'

Before dating Katherine, Chris was in a decade-plus relationship with actress Anna Faris.

The two share a six-year-old son named Jack.Shawn Booth has broken his silence following his split from his Bachelorette fiancee Kaitlyn Bristowe.

The former couple announced they had broken off their engagement last week, three years after he popped the question on the reality dating show.

On Tuesday the 31-year-old thanked his fans for their support 'during this painful time' in a Instagram post.

Single: Shawn Booth has broken his silence following his split from his Bachelorette fiancee Kaitlyn Bristowe; seen in 2017

'I just want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of my relationship with Kaitlyn over the years,' he captioned a July 2015 photo of the pair in New York, just days after she presented him her final rose in season 11.

'Youve made me feel incredibly special, supported, and very loved. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. It truly means a lot.

'And thank you to everyone who has sent their love & support during this painful time. I love you guys,' he concluded.

Last week People reported Kaitlyn was 'devastated' following the split.

Over: On Tuesday the 31-year-old thanked his fans for their support 'during this painful time' in a Instagram post

According to a source, the 33-year-old wanted 'to be married and have kids' but realized Shawn, 31, just wasn't going to make that commitment.

Canadian Kaitlyn and Shawn, from Connecticut, made their home in Nashville after he proposed to her on the reality show three years ago.

But despite the ring on her finger, the pair never actually walked down the aisle.

'This was the last thing Kaitlyn wanted,' the insider said. 'She was willing to fight for the relationship, but there was nowhere for it to go.'

In a statement given to People when they split, the couple announced they decided to break up after 'thoughtful, respectful consideration', and plan on remaining friends.

'Even though we are parting as a couple, we're very much committed to remaining friends,' the reality TV stars explained.

Split: Kaitlyn and Shawn are seen in November last year; they had a three-year engagement

'We have both evolved as people, which is taking us in different directions, but with the hope that we will continue to support each other in new ways.

'Due to the nature of how we met, our relationship has always been very public, and we have enjoyed sharing it with all of you, but we ask that you respect our decision and our privacy at this time.'

The couple had been plagued by split rumors, but had insisted all was well in their relationship.

Kaitlyn addressed the speculation on a summer episode of her podcast, Off The Vine, insisting she and Shawn were completely devoted to each other.

High point: Kaitlyn became engaged to Shawn on The Bachelorette finale after ending it with runner-up Nick Viall

'Shawn and I are 110 percent committed to each other and, yes, we are still together,' she said back in August.

The reality star was even talking about their wedding in June.

'We talk about doing it in Hawaii,' she told Us Weekly, though added she and Shawn 'go back and forth with if we want it big or small, we haven't made the decision on that.'

Speaking about their future together, Kaitlyn told E! in May, 'We just hope we are healthy and happy. Maybe married. Maybe babies? Ok I'll calm down.'

Season 11 of The Bachelorette began with a major twist.

In a departure from prior seasons, the male contestants voted who they wanted to be the Bachelorette - Kaitlyn or Britt Nilsson.

Kaitlyn was ultimately chosen, and she became engaged to Shawn on the finale after ending it with runner-up Nick Viall.Bristol Palin is new on Teen Mom OG - but she is clearly unafraid to speak her mind about former cast member Farrah Abraham.

On Monday's episode, the 28-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin recalled meeting Farrah, 27, years ago.

Bristol said that Farrah, who rose to fame on 16 And Pregnant and is also in porn, 'was still rude back then' when they met and 'really does choose to have enemies.'

As seen on the show: Bristol Palin is new on Teen Mom OG - but she is clearly unafraid to speak her mind about former cast member Farrah Abraham

Said Bristol: 'I know people talk about me in such a negative way, so I give everyone the benefit of the doubt.'

She went on; 'So I watch the show [thinking] I feel bad for her, that must suck to feel like people hate you. But I feel like she really does choose to have enemies, all over.'

Bristol and Cheyenne Floyd were the new additions to the cast this season, joining longtime Teen Mom OG stars Catelynn Lowell, Maci Bookout and Amber Portwood.

Though Maci felt meeting the new girls would be 'awkward,' she shared: 'Having to hang out with anyone is better than having to hang out with Farrah.'

Sun fun: On Monday's episode, the 28-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin recalled meeting Farrah, 27, years ago, TooFab reported; Farrah is pictured in the Maldives over the wekend

Amber was initially less sanguine about the new cast members, particularly because she, Catelynn and Amber had not been asked about the decision before it was made.

Insisting on some 'f***ing respect,' Amber wondered aloud, since there were new cast members: 'Are we doing something wrong that's not good enough anymore?'

Amber explained: 'Hopefully we're not dealing with Farrah s***, but I don't think they're anything like that from what everyone's been saying.'

There's Bristol: Bristol said that Farrah, who rose to fame on 16 And Pregnant and is also in porn, 'was still rude back then' when they met and 'really does choose to have enemies'

Said she: 'It's simply the courtesy of letting the girls who've been doing this for 10 years, who built this franchise with them, know what's going on on their show.'

Calling Teen Mom 'this hateful horrible show' Farrah announced this February that she would be 'moving on' from the series.

She has since told TooFab and DailyMail.com that she would like to use Teen Mom as the subject of a screenplay.

Arrivals: Bristol and Cheyenne Floyd were the new additions to the cast this season, joining longtime Teen Mom OG stars Catelynn Lowell, Maci Bookout (pictured) and Amber Portwood

After Bristol's casting was announced, Farrah spoke to TMZ and expressed her surprise that the executive producer Morgan J. Freeman 'is actually open to letting a Republican - like I'm just a humanist, an independent - but he's actually open to a Republican being on his show with his Trump-hate cult.'

Farrah went on to say that 'it's just weird that she thinks she's showing anyone a new journey. She's basically another Maci with three kids on the show, and I hope that one day, they have an amazing, hard-working mother like myself with a single child on the show as well, 'cause they're really missing that in their storyline.'

She then told The Blast that Bristol 'looks like she wants to be a Farrah Abraham, but isnt,' but Bristol swung by The Jenny McCarthy Show and retorted, referring to Farrah, that 'you could not pay me to want to be anything like you.'They just walked alongside one another at the Victoria's Secret fashion show.

Now, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid are both gracing the cover of the second issue of the Chaos SixtyNine Magazine.

The 23-year-old models both tapped into their darker and edgier sides for their covers.

Edgy! Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid both scored covers of the second issue of the Chaos SixtyNine Poster Book which were released on Tuesday

The magazine is actually a poster book that features over 100 posters to tear out and hang.

Both Kendall and Gigi are each featured separately in a total of four different covers.

In the first of Kendall's, the Keeping Up With The Kardashian's star showcased her taught tummy as she posed bra-less wearing an unbuttoned mens jacket a pair of driving gloves.

The star's stunning face was covered by a white and black handkerchief tied over her mouth and she rested her hands artfully over her head.

Model squad: The real life best friends each lent their image to four different covers for the pricey poster book

A pair of mens slacks sat low on Kendall's slim hips and the pants were left undone and folded over.

On her second cover, the leggy brunette was shot in a side profile in a black and white image.

She looks a bit like a vagrant dressed in nothing but boots that are several sizes too big, a ginormous wool coat and a body suit.

Totally different: Kendall took on a whole different look for one cover that depicted the socialite as a vagrant

The photo depicts the beauty with her hair in a messy bun, arching her back as she chugs a bottle of beer with no hands.

For her good pal Gigi Hadid's covers, the starlet was a bit more reserved.

One features an extreme closeup of the California girl's freckled face and blue eyes that were rimmed with a chalky aqua mascara.

'WATCHIN U,' Gigi wrote about the cover in social media.

'Catch of the day:' Gigi captioned her image holding another model for Chaos as 'girls saving girls'

And, her second cover showcased some serious girl power.

In the image, the sister of Bella Hadid stood at a riverbank in an industrial area dressed in baggy orange coveralls and a platinum blond wig.

Over her shoulders, Gigi has hoisted model Mica Arganaraz who appears mostly nude with the exception of some red strappy heels.

The poster book's premiere issue last year featured model and actress Cara Delevingne.

Elite! This is only the second issue of the London-based luxury brand's poster book. Last year featured model Cara Delevingne

Different looks: Last week the besties were baring all at the glamorous Victoria's Secret Show in New York

Gigi captioned the pic on social media: 'catch of the day / girls saving girls !'

She added: ' loooove you @micarganaraz, Id save you any day'

Gigi and Kendall's looks for the London based luxury brand are decidedly grungier than their Angel wings.

Last week the real life pals took to the catwalk in New York for the annual Victoria's Secret Show.Kim Zolciak loves to show off her body with a good mirror selfie inside her Georgia mansion she shares with husband Kroy Biermann.

And on Monday the Real Housewives Of Atlanta star was at it again, flashed her tiny midsection as she wore a cropped sweater.

This comes after the mother-of-six posted an image of her bottom, which she called 'juicy.'

So small: Kim Zolciak shared a look at her tiny tummy in this selfie posted on Monday

Busy babe: The star seemed to have a black bra underneath as she stood in what looked to be her messy closet with rows and rows of stiletto heels on display

The star seemed to have a black bra underneath as she stood in what looked to be her messy closet with rows and rows of stiletto heels on display.

The Don't Be Tardy standout had on tight skinny jeans in black with matching high-heeled boots with a pointy toe.

She added a beige hat over her long, slightly curled locks.

The hat trick: She added a beige hat over her long, slightly curled locks

Details: The Don't Be Tardy standout had on tight skinny jeans in black

She also talked workout tips.

Zolciak said that cardio is key as she explained: 'I run three to four miles five times a week. I have ALWAYS loved to run.'

And Kim also stays active as she said that she 'rarely sits down' from when she wakes up to when she goes to sleep.

The reality star also said that she has 'never' eaten red meat or pork and that she quit smoking.

Zolciak concluded: 'I posted this pic because it took 3x to get my a** to look this juicy!!'

Showing off: The TV star showed off her pert derriere in a bikini selfie posted on Instagram early Sunday morning

Her red carpet look: The beauty us seen here in 2017 at Foxwoods Resort and Casino

This comes just days after she posted a slew of throwback photos in honor of her daughter Ariana Biermann's 17th birthday last week.

The reality star looked completely unrecognizable in one of the images she posted of herself as a new mom.

Kim held her then baby daughter Ariana in her arms, looking worlds apart from her current self with a head full of bold blonde curls.

Unrecognizable: Kim looked completely unrecognizable as she posted a throwback photo of herself holding her daughter Ariana in her arms on Wednesday

The future reality star wore a lacy pink top and a face full of makeup as she doted on her daughter.

'Happy Birthday to my angel @arianabiermann 17 on the 17th!!' Kim gushed in the caption. 'I honestly wonder where the time went!? How has it been 17 yrs? I am so incredibly proud of you Ariana.'

'You have gone from sneaking out and sneaking sweets to being too damn honest lol and drinking celery juice! All jokes aside THANK YOU for choosing me to me your mom! I Never knew how we were going to get through our days 17 yrs ago and someone we managed.

'You will always be my strength! Love you far beyond words!!!!!!!!'

Kim posted a slew of sweet throwback photos marking her daughter's special day.This well-established Blog is worth visiting on a regular basis for a wealth of information of interest to Armenian nationals and to the Armenian Diaspora world-wide. Although it has a particular role in promoting international recognition of the Genocide, the Blog encompasses much more and includes many articles of general appeal to all those concerned with Armenian affairs. Much of the content is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere and the long list of links provided gives easy access to a plethora of material on social, political, religious, educational and cultural matters, and many news items from around the world.



She's the mind behind the iconic franchise, and has even written the script for this recent addition.

But Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling showcased her magical sense of style in a stylish navy blue gown on Tuesday night, as she walked the blue carpet for the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald London Premiere.

The 53-year-old writer looked sensational in the flowing gown with matching tasselled earrings for the star-studded launch, after stepping up to write the script for this fantasy sequel.

Amazing: J.K. Rowling showcased her magical sense of style in a navy blue gown on Tuesday, as she walked the blue carpet for the Fantastic Beasts: Crimes Of Grindelwald Premiere

Rowling looked nothing short of sensational in the wraparound gown with semi-sheer sleeves, teaming the look with a long beaded necklace.

The novelist-turned-producer also made a statement with matching blue tasselled earrings, and her sleek tresses in a simple up-do.

She joins the large cast of actors who came out in support of the latest instalment in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

Gorgeous: The 53-year-old novelist-turned-producer made a bold statement in the wraparound frock which perfectly matched the blue carpet in London's Leicester Square

Flawless: Rowling finished her look with a matching tasselled necklace and earrings, along with her sleek hair pulled into a simple updo

The film is set in the Harry Potter universe and finds villain Grindelwald - played by Johnny Depp - seeking to gain power and divide 'pureblood' wizards from humans in 1920s Paris.

While Rowling only acted as a behind-the-scenes consultant on the early Harry Potter films - reviewing all of their scripts after stipulating all relevant roles should be played by only British actors - before moving up to producer on Deathly Hallows Part One and Two.

But Rowling herself has written the scripts for this Fantastic Beasts film and the last as part of a planned five-film series, with the third already set for 20th November 2020.

Beautiful: She made a sensational arrival for the event after turning screenwriter for the latest instalment in the series she helped create with the Harry Potter franchise

Quirky: Rowling did add a cheeky pop of colour to her look with dramatic red fingernails

Rowling previously faced backlash when she cast Johnny Depp as the villain Grindelwald last year, with fans questioning why domestic violence allegations made against the actor by ex-wife Amber Heard didn't preclude him from the project.

The British writer released a statement late last year, saying 'Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.'

Depp told EW that he felt bad Rowling had to issue such a statement of support.

'Ill be honest with you, I felt bad for J.K. having to field all these various feelings from people out there. I felt bad that she had to take that. But ultimately, there is real controversy.

The Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will be released worldwide on 16 November.Kris Smith and pregnant girlfriend Sarah Boulazeris have just five weeks left until they welcome their 'Christmas baby' together.

And ahead of the birth, the couple decided to spread some festive cheer in their home by putting up their Christmas tree.

But the 41-year-old Myer model's decorations fell a little flat this year.

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'Is this the most pathetic Christmas tree ever?' Kris Smith is left in hysterics as he shows off his bizarre festive decoration

'If that's not the most pathetic Christmas tree you've ever seen, let me know? What is that?,' Kris wrote on his Instagram story on Tuesday.

He then filmed his heavily pregnant girlfriend sitting on the couch, who taunted 'it is not decorated yet!'

'I can see that. What is it? It's not a Christmas tree babe!' Kris replied laughing.

Cute: Kris Smith and pregnant girlfriend Sarah Boulazeris have just five weeks left until they welcome their first ' Christmas baby' together

The couple's tree was actually a metal light installation with small branches, where one silver bauble was seen hanging.

Kris and Sarah, who is currently 33 weeks pregnant, have just five weeks left until they welcome their first child together.

On Tuesday, Kris revealed how he reacted to the news he was expecting his second child.

Sweet story: On Tuesday, Kris revealed how he reacted to the news he was expecting his second child

The British hunk - who also shares son Ethan, eight, with ex Dannii Minogue - said Sarah first told him she was pregnant at Sydney's Coogee beach, before she burst into tears as she handed him a card.

Kris posted a smiling selfie on Instagram on Tuesday at Coogee beach, with the caption: 'This is the exact spot Sarah told me we was pregnant, she handed me the most amazing card and then she stepped back and she burst histerically [sic] into tears!'

How it happened: Kris posted a smiling selfie on Instagram on Tuesday at Coogee beach, with the caption: 'This is the exact spot Sarah told me we was pregnant, she handed me the most amazing card and then she stepped back and she burst histerically [sic] into tears!'

'She had no idea what my reaction would be. I opened my arms with a smile so big you could park your car in there, I was so over the moon, yes everything happened so fast, but we knew it was meant to be.'

Sarah, 27, responded to her boyfriend's post by writing: 'Thank you so much for holding my hand every step of the way. I couldn't be prouder to have you as my baby daddy, five weeks to go xxx.'

It will be an extra special event for the couple, given the timing of the baby's birth.

Sarah, 27, has excitedly revealed her due date is December 17, telling Who magazine recently: 'It's a Christmas baby!'It was the kiss that scandalised and shocked the nation.

And axed Strictly Come Dancing contestant Seann Walsh and his professional partner Katya Jones are reportedly set to reunite on the BBC One series' finale next month.

According to The Sun, the comedian, who was dumped by girlfriend Rebecca Humphries amid the controversy, will be joining forces with the married Russian dancer yet again - much to the dismay of her 'gutted' husband Neil Jones.

Back together: Axed Strictly Come Dancing contestant Seann Walsh and his professional partner Katya Jones are reportedly set to reunite on the BBC One series' finale next month

Seann and Katya stunned Strictly fans and the showbiz world when footage emerged last month showing the pair locking lips outside a west London pub.

The comedian issued a feeble apology in which he blamed his actions on alcohol, while Katya echoed the sentiments however insisted her marriage to fellow Strictly Come Dancing professional Neil is fine.

However it appears that Katya's other half has reason to worry again, as the pair are said to be dancing together for the finale in a few weeks.

A source told the publication: 'Neil will be gutted as when Seann was voted off the show, he was glad to see the back of him.

Reunion: The comedian, who was dumped by girlfriend Rebecca Humphries amid the controversy, will reportedly be joining forces with the married Russian dancer yet again

'He was glad to see the back of Seann': Their alleged pairing for the finale is much to the dismay of Katya's 'gutted' husband Neil Jones

'Since he went, the atmosphere backstage has improved and Neil has been visibly happier.

'Things are back on track in his marriage - so hell be gutted when Seann is back on set.'

MainOnline has contacted representatives for Seann, Katya and Neil for further comment.

After the kiss came to light, Seann was dumped by girlfriend Rebecca online in a scathing statement in which she revealed she was taking their beloved cat Winston.

And just last week, Jones couldn't help but post a cryptic message about 'never looking back' as he took to Instagram to share a smouldering snap.

'Things are back on track in his marriage': It appears that Katya's other half Neil has reason to worry again, as the pair are said to be dancing together for the finale in a few weeks

Scandalous: Seann and Katya stunned Strictly fans and the showbiz world when footage emerged last month showing the pair locking lips outside a west London pub

Aftermath: The comedian issued a feeble apology in which he blamed his actions on alcohol, while Katya echoed the sentiments however insisted her marriage to fellow Strictly Come Dancing professional Neil is fine

The snap came amid reports that Neil allegedly likened Seann to a 'scab' and said he was 'delighted' his wife and the comedian were kicked off Strictly after the pair were caught kissing.

According to The Sun, Neil 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'.

Seann and Katya's appearance on the show, which ended in elimination in October, was shrouded in controversy after they were pictured kissing after a drunken night out at a London pub.

Sources claim Katya and Neil, who has since forgiven his wife for the indiscretion, are worried they will be dropped by BBC bosses because of the incident and subsequent backlash from viewers.

Consequences: After the kiss came to light, Seann was dumped by girlfriend Rebecca online in a scathing statement in which she revealed she was taking their beloved cat Winston

Moving forward: just last week, Jones couldn't help but post a cryptic message about 'never looking back' as he took to Instagram to share a smouldering snap.

A source told The Sun: 'January is when the new cast contracts are issued and this year there is massive panic from the dancers about their futures.

'Katya and Neil are worried bosses feel her dalliance with Seann has left a black mark that can't be removed against their names.'

And it seems that the married couple aren't the only ones fretting over their future on the show.

The insider said: 'Others are also panicked. Everyone feels that they have to be on best behaviour.'She's jetting back to Australia in the coming days for the new series of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!

But Georgia Toffolo was still battling the chilly British November weather on Tuesday night as she attended the Skate at Somerset House launch bash.

The 24-year-old reigning I'm A Celeb champion looked cost in a pretty bow jumper and camel coat as she headed to the ice rink's annual opening bash.

Cosy: Georgia Toffolo was still battling the chilly British November weather on Tuesday night as she attended the Skate at Somerset House launch bash

Georgia had her trim figure on display in the simple cream jumper and blouse combo, which she teamed with black skinny jeans and platform boots.

The ex-Made In Chelsea star kept warm in a brown trench coat, with her essentials in a dusky pink shoulder bag.

Georgia also had her blonde bobbed tresses lightly curled for the outing with her flawless complexion accentuated thanks to defined eyes and a nude lip.

She also took to Instagram to share a snap or two from the outing, gushing that she was enjoying her first pig in blanket of the festive season at the event, held in association with Fortnum & Mason.

Looking good: The 24-year-old had her trim figure on display in the simple cream jumper and blouse combo, which she teamed with black skinny jeans and platform boots

Her appearance comes after she exclusively set the record straight to MailOnline regarding her love life, revealing that she is single and that she was never 'really together' with Jack Maynard.

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.'

Yum! She also took to Instagram to share a snap or two from the outing, gushing that she was enjoying her first pig in blanket of the festive season

Georgia 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.

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.'A Greens senator has told a conservative colleague to get his hands off "his rosaries and her ovaries" before the upper house sunk his motion about abortion.

Nationals senator Barry O'Sullivan on Monday moved a motion calling for pro-choice activists to be banned from disrupting annual Day of the Unborn Child observations.

The Australian Greens' Larissa Waters told Senator O'Sullivan he should be ashamed of himself, saying he would never understand women's choices.

"Senator O'Sullivan needs to get his hands and his rosaries off my ovaries and those of the 10,000 Queensland women who have an abortion each year," Senator Waters told parliament.

She later withdrew the remark after conservative Tasmanian Eric Abetz called for her to take it back because it reflected on Senator O'Sullivan's religion.

The motion noted the hypocrisy of "pro-abortion" activists complaining about pro-life group activities near abortion clinics while also protesting at the pro-choice gathering.

While a handful of government senators voted for the motion after being given a conscience vote, many abstained from the division which was lost 32 to 12 in the 76-member chamber.

Labor sided with the Greens, arguing it was a complex issue that shouldn't be dealt with by a simple vote.

Soon after, Senator O'Sullivan took the unusual step of stopping Senator Waters from moving a separate motion congratulating Queensland for recently legalising abortion.

The two senators represent Queensland.Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, has highlighted "failings" at the French-backed "G5 Sahel" force which is supposed to lead the fight against terrorism in the vast region

Mauritania's deputy chief of staff General Hanena Ould Sidi will take charge of the five-nation "G5 Sahel" force following a series of deadly jihadist rebel attacks, official sources said.

The decision to remove Malian commander General Didier Dacko from the post was reached July 2 at a G5 meeting of Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad but not announced, the sources told AFP late on Saturday.

A spate of attacks in Mali and neighbouring Niger has left more than two dozen people dead since the end of June, including a suicide bombing at the G5 headquarters in central Mali on June 29.

The day after the bombing, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, hosting an African Union summit of more than 40 leaders, pointed to "failings" at the French-backed G5 force which is supposed to lead the fight against terrorism in the region.

"If the headquarters has been attacked, it's because there are a huge number of failings that we must correct if we want to bring stability to the Sahel region," he said.

"General Hanena Ould Sidi has been officially appointed to lead the combined forces of G5 Sahel," an official source told AFP.

The general ran military intelligence in Mauritania, a field where G5 has been found to be sorely lacking, the UN and experts say.

His deputy will be Chadian general Oumar Bikimo who led his country's forces to fight jihadists in Mali in 2013.

Security in the G5 Sahel region

Bikimo, who replaces Burkina Faso's Major Colonel Yaya Sere, was deputy chief of the UN's MINUSMA peace-keeping mission in Mali from 2015-2016.

The suicide bombing was the first attack on the headquarters of G5, set up with French support in 2017 to fight Islamist insurgents and criminal groups in the vast and unstable Sahel region.

The Al-Qaeda-linked Support Group for Islam and Muslims, the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel, claimed both the attack on the G5 base and another on French troops in northern Mali on July 1.

The G5 aims to have a total of 5,000 troops but has faced funding problems and lack of equipment.

It is intended to operate alongside France's 4,000 troops in the troubled "tri-border" area where Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso meet, and alongside the UN's 12,000-strong MINUSMA operation.Mali has been struggling to return to stability after Islamist extremists took control of the north in early 2012

Three Malian civilians were killed and around 30 people were wounded in a suicide attack late Monday in the country's violence-hit north, officials said, as a diplomat said some of the injured were sub-contractors for the UN.

The attack took place in the city of Gao when a 4x4 vehicle blew up in a residential area, the security ministry said in a statement.

The blast was claimed by the GSIM, the main jihadist group operating in the Sahel region. It has ties to Al-Qaeda and was blacklisted by Washington in September.

The GSIM -- the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) -- said the attack had targeted "invading crusader forces" in central Gao in an area "where there are British, German and Canadian troops".

A local official told AFP the fatalities were Malians who lived in the area.

The government gave an initial toll of just two injured, but a French security source told AFP on Tuesday that the number of wounded had risen to "around 30".

A Western diplomatic source also said four foreigners were among the wounded -- two Cambodians, a South African and a Zimbabwean.

They were working for an organisation subcontracted by the UN's mine-clearing operation, UNMAS, which has a field office in the city, the source said.

The attack was condemned by the French and German defence ministers as they visited Gao on Tuesday.

"The attack last night in Gao was despicable. Once again, it is civilians who have paid for this violence with their lives," said French Defence Minister Florence Parly, echoing remarks by German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen.

Malian and international security forces have been mobilised following the "tragic incident", the security ministry said.

The French-German defence delegations had flown over to discuss Mali's troubled peace accord and plans to set up a five-nation anti-terror force in the vast, arid Sahel region.

Mali has been struggling to return to stability after Islamist extremists took control of the north in early 2012, prompting a military intervention by France.

The extremists were routed in the French operation in 2013 but large stretches of the landlocked African state remain out of government control.Turkey walked out of peace talks after eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar (R) joined a meeting on the conference's sidelines with his UN-backed rival Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and other leaders, but not Turkey

Italy and the United Nations on Tuesday praised an international conference on the Libya crisis as a success, despite the stark divisions that emerged among key players in the chaos-stricken nation.

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the UN envoy said all parties had agreed to a UN conference planned for early 2019 to prepare for elections to end the crisis.

The Italian initiative was the latest international effort to stabilise the North Africa state which has struggled with fighting amoung rival factions since the fall of Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 civil war.

Two days of talks and suspense saw eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar finally turn up at the Palermo meeting but snub the actual conference, preferring instead to hold a series of meetings on the sidelines.

When Turkey was not invited to one of those meetings, its Vice President Fuat Oktay walked out of the actual conference, voicing "deep disappointment".

Nevertheless, Conte told journalists after the conference that "a strong cohesion of the international community has come out of this."

"The support of the international community can accelerate the stabilisation process that must be totally left up to the Libyans," Conte said.

- 'More conviviality' -

UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame praised a "much higher level of conviviality among Libyan stakeholders so I do consider this conference a success."

Italy is the latest country aiming to bring Libya's disparate and often warring factions together after a Paris summit in May saw the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and Haftar agree to hold national polls on December 10 -- a date which has fallen by the wayside.

Now the UN is targeting a national conference in early 2019 that would be organised to provide "a platform" for Libyans to spell out their vision for the future.

Elections are slated for a few months later, with no precise date yet decided.

"I saw unanimous support in the international community for it (the national conference) but also I got commitment from those Libyans here that they will attend it... so I feel more reassured," Salame said.

"I think now we have a reasonable chance of success and that's why we're moving."

Salame said that Haftar was committed to next year's conference, playing down his dramatic arrival and departure.

"All international conferences have various formats, sometimes smaller, sometimes larger. In some circumstances people are prepared to meet with enthusiasm, in some they are not prepared to," Salame said.

Turkey walked out after Haftar joined a meeting on the conference's sidelines with his UN-backed rival Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and other leaders, but not with Turkish representatives.

The Haftar camp regularly accuses Turkey and Qatar of militarily and financially backing his rivals, including Islamists.

"Any meeting which excludes Turkey would prove to be counter-productive for the solution of this problem," Vice President Oktay said in a statement.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, UN envoy Ghassan Salame, European Council President Donald Tusk and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also attended the Sarraj-Haftar meeting, hosted by Conte ahead of roundtable talks, which were to have included Turkey.

Haftar left Sicily immediately after the meeting.

- 'A fundamental step' -

Map showing areas of control in Libya

Haftar, whose forces control all of northeastern Libya, refuses to sit down at the same table as the Islamist leaders he fiercely opposes.

Just as in May, the key Libyan invitees were Haftar, the eastern parliament's speaker Aguila Salah, GNA head Sarraj and Khaled al-Mechri, speaker of a Tripoli-based upper chamber.

For Rome's populist government, a top priority is stemming the flow of migrants who exploit Libya's security vacuum in their quest to reach European shores, often via Italy.

In September, Italy's defence minister and parliamentary speaker both partly blamed France for Libya's security crisis, which continues to simmer seven years after the NATO-backed uprising toppled Kadhafi.

Libyan premier Fayez al-Sarraj (R), seen with his Italian counterpart, went into a meeting with eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar after their arrival

The Italian criticism came as Tripoli was hit by militia clashes that killed at least 117 people and wounded more than 400 between late August and late September.

Rome and Paris have for months been at loggerheads over Libya's election timetable. While France repeatedly endorsed the December date, Italy opposed it. But Salame told Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper on Monday that any differences between Paris and Rome had now been "left behind".Pope Francis has already visited several Muslim-majority countries

Pope Francis, who has made building bridges between Christianity and Islam a cornerstone of his papacy, will visit Morocco in March, the Vatican said Tuesday.

Francis, 81, will be the second pope to travel to Morocco, following John Paul II more than three decades ago.

He will take in Rabat and Casablanca on the March 30-31 trip to the Muslim-majority country, the Vatican said.

The pontiff was "accepting the invitation extended by King Mohammed VI and the bishops", it said.

Francis has already visited several Muslim countries, including Turkey in 2014, Azerbaijan in 2016 and Egypt in 2017.

John Paul II went to Morocco in 1985 on a trip that was also seen as an opportunity to build ties between Muslims and Christians.

"The late pope's visit to Morocco over 30 years ago drew headlines, as it was the first time a Roman pontiff had been invited to visit a Muslim country by the head of state, not the local church," said religious website Cruxnow.

John Paul II had been invited by the current king's father, Hassan II, who in turn visited the Vatican in 1991.

Over 99 percent of the population in Morocco is Sunni Muslim, with Christians, Jews, Shia Muslims and Bahais making up the rest. Just over 27,000 are Catholic, according to the Vatican Insider newspaper.

Islam is the state religion and the king describes himself as the "commander of the faithful".

Foreign Christians worship freely and are protected by the authorities. But those who convert to Christianity -- estimated to be a few thousand people -- do so quietly.

While renouncing Islam is not explicitly mentioned in the penal code, attempts to "undermine the faith of a Muslim or convert a Muslim to another religion" can be punished by jail sentences of up to three years.

- Freedom of conscience 'a threat' -

Pope John Paul visited Morocco at the invitation King Hassan II in 1985

Morocco's minister of state for human rights, Mustapha Ramid, said in June that freedom of conscience was a "threat" to the country's "cohesion".

Pope Francis moved quickly after his election in 2013 to make overtures to Jews and Muslims, inviting two old friends from Buenos Aires -- a rabbi and a Muslim professor -- on a trip to the Middle East where he condemned religious hatred.

But the Catholic Church has found it harder to bridge differences with Islam than with Judaism.

Benedict XVI angered the Muslim world with a speech in 2006 in which he appeared to endorse the view that Islam is inherently violent, sparking deadly protests in several countries as well as attacks on Christians.

Since then the Vatican's pontifical council for inter-religious dialogue has been working overtime to mend fences with moderate Islam -- a task made no easier by the rise of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Morocco is the only trip officially on Francis's schedule for 2019 after a visit to Panama scheduled for the end of January.

But the pontiff is also expected to visit Bulgaria, Japan, Madagascar, Mozambique and Romania next year.

The Vatican said it would be releasing the programme for Morocco at a later date.

Francis's decision to visit in March lays to rest rumours he planned to go to Marrakesh for a UN migration conference in December.Bahraini women at an anti-government protest in the village of Jannusan, west of the capital Manama, on September 19, 2014

Bahrain's public prosecutor on Tuesday detained and charged a man for a tweet saying he would boycott elections this month, with a rights group identifying him as a former lawmaker.

Opposition movements have been outlawed in Bahrain and hundreds of dissidents have been imprisoned -- with many stripped of their nationality.

Ahead of legislative elections on November 24, Muhanna al-Shayji, the head of Bahrain's electoral crimes unit, said a man had been taken into custody over his Twitter account.

He has been charged with influencing public opinion and "obstructing the electoral process", Shayji said in a statement released by the public prosecutor's office.

The London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy identified the man as Ali Rashed al-Asheeri, a former member of parliament with the now-banned Al-Wefaq opposition group.

Asheeri on Thursday tweeted that he and his family would be boycotting the polls.

"I am a Bahraini citizen deprived of my civil and political rights. My family and I will therefore boycott the parliamentary and municipal elections. No to the laws of political isolation," he wrote.

Bahraini authorities have banned the country's two main opposition groups -- the Shiite Al-Wefaq and secular Waad -- from submitting candidates for parliament.

The Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom has been hit by waves of unrest since 2011, when security forces crushed Shiite-led protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.

Bahraini authorities accuses Shiite Iran of provoking unrest in the kingdom, an allegation Tehran denies.

Sheikh Ali Salman, who headed the Al-Wefaq group, was sentenced to life in prison on November 4 for spying for rival Gulf state Qatar, in a ruling rights groups have called a travesty.

Human rights groups have frequently said cases against activists in Bahrain -- men and women, religious and secular -- fail to meet the basic standards of fair trials.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch categorise many of those jailed as prisoners of conscience.

Bahrain, a key ally of the United States, is home to the US Fifth Fleet and a permanent British military base.

US President Donald Trump has eased restrictions on arms sales to Bahrain since taking office, which had been tightened over the kingdom's treatment of protesters.The association said Vietnamese shrimp has a competitive advantage over other major competitors in the EU market such as India and Thailand. These countries have seen a reduction in their exports to the EU due to problems relating to quality standards.



Meanwhile, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is expected to come into effect next year so Vietnam will be allowed to avoid import tariffs on shrimp and processed shrimp.

In addition, more European consumers are buying shrimp in supermarkets, instead of eating shrimp at restaurants. This is an advantage for white-leg shrimp exports because the volume of white shrimp in the EUs retail market is increasing, according to the VASEP.

European restaurants often use tiger prawns because of their taste and size, but the economic crisis has made white shrimp more popular. This is an opportunity for businesses that can provide white shrimp at lower prices.

In terms of processed products, demand for steamed shrimp in MAP (modified atmospheric packaging) is increasing in the European market, according to VASEP.

To promote shrimp exports to the EU, local enterprises should increase the number of farms and factories that are certified for good farming practices and meet environmental and quality standards, the association said. They also should increase the number of factories with upgraded processing lines meeting European retail standards.

VASEP reported the EU is the largest export market of Vietnamese shrimp, accounting for 24.7 percent of Vietnams total shrimp exports. Vietnams shrimp exports to this market as of September this year reached 648.4 million USD, up 11 percent over the same period in 2017.

Of which, the UK is the largest importer of Vietnamese shrimp, accounting for 27 percent of Vietnams shrimp exports to the EU. In the first nine months of this year, shrimp exports to the UK reached nearly 176 million USD, up 27.6 percent year on year.

Over the past three years, Vietnamese shrimp exports to the UK have grown steadily from 114.6 million USD in 2014 to 210.6 million USD in 2017, up nearly 84 percent.

The Netherlands is the second largest export market of Vietnamese shrimp in the EU, after the UK. In the first nine months of this year, shrimp exports to the Netherlands reached 158.6 million USD, up 11.6 percent year on year. Vietnam was the largest supplier of shrimp to the Netherlands, accounting for 37.6 percent of the total import value to this market in 2017.

In the structure of Vietnamese shrimp products exported to the Netherlands, white shrimp accounted for the highest volume of 86 percent, followed by black tiger shrimp at 10 percent and other kinds of shrimp at 4 percent.Yemeni pro-government forces gather on the eastern outskirts of Hodeida, as they continue to battle for the control of the city from Huthi rebels on November 9, 2018

In the heart of Yemen's port city of Hodeida, caught in a war of attrition between rebels and a regional military alliance, Mohammed fears his family will be trapped -- but he cannot bring himself to leave.

Father to an 11-month-old daughter, Mohammed lives in the Dahmiya district, just three kilometres (1.8 miles) from the frontline between Yemen's Huthi rebels and pro-government troops.

"I lost my job because of the war," said the 30-year-old, who was a pharmaceutical representative until a few weeks ago when armed clashes brought his city to a standstill.

"What I'm most afraid of is that the war will drag on, and that we'll somehow be trapped here, and that we'll have a hard time finding water, food, medicine," he said.

"But I'm not even considering leaving. I'll wait for this to be over, and then I'll find a job again."

A city on western Yemen's Red Sea coast, Hodeida is home to its most important port, a lifeline to 14 million people -- half the population -- who risk starvation in the war-torn and impoverished country.

The port has been under Huthi rebel control since 2014, when the armed northern tribes staged a takeover of large parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia and its allies have fought alongside the Yemeni army against the Iran-aligned Huthis since 2015, expelling them from a string of Red Sea ports but failing to retake Hodeida and Sanaa.

- 'When will the war end?' -

The people of Hodeida do not like to talk politics, at least with journalists -- no declarations of allegiance, resistance or readiness to fight.

"The only thing we talk about is when this war will end and how," said Lubna, who lives in southern Hodeida.

She is terrified, she says, by talk of an all-out attack on the port, or on the only remaining road in or out of the city, to the north.

"We're afraid of food shortages. We're afraid of a humanitarian disaster."

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that the destruction of Hodeida port would be "catastrophic" for Yemen.

Some aid shipments are allowed into the docks of Hodeida, after prior inspection by the Saudi-led alliance, and then face a long and uncertain journey to other parts of Yemen.

The docks came under attack on Monday night but, according to the port's deputy director Yahya Sharafeddine, were still operational.

Across Hodeida, residents say the rebels have barricaded roads with containers or large concrete blocks, lining them with sandbags and mounds of dirt.

Snipers are now stationed on rooftops across the city and in some neighbourhoods, fighters are stationed in makeshift trenches.

When Saudi Arabia and its allies first launched an offensive to retake Hodeida, five months ago, thousands fled the densely populated city, once home to some 600,000 people.

When a temporary ceasefire was announced in August, some returned. Many now regret it.

Yemeni pro-government forces gather on the eastern outskirts of Hodeida as they continue to battle for control of the city from Huthi rebels on November 10, 2018

"This time we are really scared. The fighting this time is worse than all the other times," said Najwa, who lives in western Hodeida with her mother and brothers.

"We are close to the port, which will sooner or later be a target. We're scared. We're scared to go out into the streets."

"I don't want to leave again," said Hanaa, 36, another Hodeida resident. "I don't want to go back to a city where we have nothing. Neither do my children."NEW YORK (AP) - For much of the country, the 2018 midterm season is over. But unresolved races for governor in Georgia and Florida are raising major strategic questions for Democrats as they turn their attention to the upcoming battle for the White House.

As in other states, Democrats in Florida and Georgia drew record turnout in last week's election. The coalition of suburban women, young people and minorities delivered the House to Democrats for the first time in nearly a decade.

But it wasn't enough to score decisive victories in the closely watched races for governor in Georgia and Florida, where fresh-faced African-American Democratic candidates for governor trailed their older, white Republican competitors. In Georgia, Stacey Abrams hasn't conceded her race while Andrew Gillum's contest in Florida is undergoing a recount.

For some Democrats, the lesson emerging from the 2018 midterms is that massive turnout can win suburban House races across New Jersey, Pennsylvania and California. But the coalition that produced some success elsewhere may not be enough in Florida, the nation's premier presidential battleground state, and Georgia, a state Democrats view with increasing optimism.

"It's not a viable long-term plan to constantly rely on record turnout," said Democratic strategist Steve Schale, who led former President Barack Obama's efforts in Florida. "We have a national issue we have to deal with."

While Gillum and Abrams have much in common, they ran on different messages.

Andrew Gillum the Democrat candidate for governor speaks at a news conference on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Tallahassee, Fla. Gillum has withdrawn his concession in the Florida gubernatorial race following a recount. "I am replacing my words of concession with an uncompromised and unapologetic call that we count every single vote," Gillum said. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)

Gillum, the 39-year-old mayor of Florida's capital city, ran as an unapologetic member of the Trump resistance. He openly called for President Donald Trump's impeachment. And he accused his Republican opponent, former Rep. Ron DeSantis, of blatant racism.

Abrams, the 44-year-old former minority leader in Georgia's House of Representative, highlighted her bipartisan credentials throughout her bid for governor. While she and Gillum embraced liberal policy priorities, such as "Medicare for All," she promoted her work with Republicans in the state legislature, even highlighting a handshake with GOP Gov. Nathan Deal in a campaign ad.

Still, both were viewed as rising stars within the evolving Democratic Party, a new generation of Democratic leadership that could expand the party's appeal among all voters.

Racial divisions appear to have limited their appeal, however.

Both Gillum and Abrams won African-Americans and young voters by overwhelming margins. But they struggled with older, white voters, particularly noncollege-educated white voters, who make up the core of Trump's political base.

Gillum won 92 percent of black voters, according to VoteCast, a wide-ranging survey of the electorate conducted by The Associated Press. He also won 60 percent of voters 18 to 29 years old, and 54 percent of women.

But Gillum earned just 44 percent of the male vote. And he won only 39 percent of the overall white vote - and 35 percent among noncollege-educated white voters.

It was worse for Abrams, who was poised to become the nation's first African-American female governor.

She won 94 percent of Georgia's black vote, but just 25 percent of white voters. She carried 56 percent of women, but just 40 percent of men. A dismal 19 percent of noncollege-educated white men supported her, according to VoteCast.

Nationwide, 43 percent of white voters backed Democrats, including 38 percent of noncollege-educated whites.

The results "absolutely" demonstrated black candidates like Gillum and Abrams have a harder time winning in the Trump era, NAACP President Derrick Johnson told the AP.

"What the president has done is played to the lowest common denominator and created a culture of intolerance and racial hatred," Johnson said. "You build up negative energy based on fear to a point where there are segments of the population who are reacting to fear and not pure policy considerations."

Leading Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg agreed that racism likely shaped the elections.

"This was a big election in which the president used immigration to send a kind of racist message about the need to stand up whites against the invasion," Greenberg said of Trump's final-days focus on a caravan of Latin American immigrants heading to the U.S. border to seek asylum.

Trump and his allies took "every opportunity," he continued, "to attack black politicians and athletes and others. It's not subtle in terms of what they've done."

Greenberg acknowledged Democrats' nationwide struggle among working-class white men, but he highlighted Gillum and Abrams' ability to drive tremendous turnout overall.

With votes still being counted, Gillum received more than 4 million votes, shattering the previous midterm record set in 2014 by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, who earned 2.8 million votes. While significantly fewer voters typically participate in off-year elections, Gillum came close to matching Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's 2016 total of 4.5 million votes.

It was much the same in Georgia, a smaller state, where Abrams actually exceeded Clinton's 2016 vote total, earning a midterm Democratic record 1.9 million votes.

But so far, at least, the Republican candidates in both states earned more votes.

The dynamic does not bode well for Democrats' fight to deny Trump a second term, even as America grows more diverse.

Schale said Democrats in Florida and Georgia - and others - must do a better job managing their losses among voters in Republican-leaning regions, which are increasingly turning away from his party. It's unclear, however, how exactly to do that.

"In a lot of places right now, it's very foreign to vote for a Democrat," he said. "We've got to find a way to broaden the appeal."The devastation is complete in Paradise, California, where a wildfire tore through town and destroyed everything, killing at least 23 and destroying so many houses it's already the most destructive fire on record in the state.

In other places in the state, fires were more selective, leaving some houses leveled and others still standing. Two people were also found dead in a wildfire in Southern California, where flames tore through Malibu mansions and working-class Los Angeles suburbs alike.

More than 8,000 firefighters in all battled three large wildfires burning across nearly 400 square miles (1,040 square kilometers) in Northern and Southern California, with out-of-state crews continuing to arrive and gusty, blowtorch winds starting up again.

___

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Sgt. Nathan Lyberger, of the Yuba County Sheriff's Department, carries a bag with human remains found at a burned out home at the Camp Fire, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Deputy Coroner Justin Sponhaltz, right, of the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, carries a bag with human remains found at a burned out home at the Camp Fire, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A vehicle drives through smoke from a wildfire near Pulga, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Firefighters take pictures of fire retardant dropped on a burning hillside Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Paul Leonard, a resident of the Seminole Springs Mobile Home Park for two years, rides his motorcycle past destroyed properties, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, after wildfires tore through the neighborhood in Agoura Hills, Calif. Leonard said his own property was spared in the wildfires. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

A firefighting DC-10 makes a fire retardant drop over a wildfire in the mountains near Malibu Canyon Road in Malibu, Calif. on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. Strong Santa Ana winds have returned to Southern California, fanning a huge wildfire that has scorched a string of communities west of Los Angeles. A one-day lull in the dry, northeasterly winds ended Sunday morning and authorities warn that the gusts will continue through Tuesday. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

As the Camp Fire burns nearby, a scorched car rests by gas pumps near Pulga, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

An American flag is draped over the charred remains of an old pickup truck entering Point Dume along the pacific coast highway in Malibu, Calif., on Sunday Nov. 11, 2018. Strong Santa Ana winds have returned to Southern California, fanning a huge wildfire that has scorched a string of communities west of Los Angeles. A one-day lull in the dry, northeasterly winds ended Sunday morning and authorities warn that the gusts will continue through Tuesday. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A police officer takes pictures as a helicopter ascends after filling up its water tank at Pepperdine University as firefighters continue to battle the Woolsey fire Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Donna Phillips, left, finds a charred ceramic sun among the possessions of her friend Marsha Maus, right, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, after wildfires tore through the Seminole Springs Mobile Home Park in Agoura Hills, Calif. Maus has been a resident of the neighborhood for 15 years. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

A vehicle drives through smoke from a wildfire near Pulga, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Smoke billows from the Camp Fire as a firefighting helicopter flies near Pulga, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A firefighter monitors a wildfire burning along a hillside Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A tattered flag flies over a burned out home at the Camp Fire, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)WASHINGTON (AP) - Stepping up Democratic efforts to shield the Russia investigation, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would seek to tie a measure protecting special counsel Robert Mueller to must-pass legislation if acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker does not recuse himself from oversight of the probe.

"Democrats in the House and Senate are going to attempt to put on must-pass legislation, mainly the spending bill, legislation that would prevent Whitaker from interfering in any way with the Mueller investigation," Schumer told The Associated Press Sunday.

Schumer said keeping Whitaker in charge of the investigation would create a "constitutional crisis" and said if he doesn't recuse himself, Democrats would push to introduce legislation to protect Mueller's investigation.

Schumer sent a letter to the Justice Department on Sunday along with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats that calls for Lee Lofthus, an assistant attorney general and the department's chief ethics officer, to disclose whether he had advised Whitaker to recuse himself from oversight of the probe.

The Democrats cited Whitaker's past public statements, which have included an op-ed article in which he said Mueller would be straying outside his mandate if he investigated President Donald Trump's family finances. In a talk-radio interview he maintained there was no evidence of collusion between the Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.

The letter to the Justice Department asked Lofthus to explain his reasoning for any recommendation he made to Whitaker regarding recusal and to provide all ethics guidance provided to the acting attorney general.

Acting United States Attorney General Matt Whitaker, center, and Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, second from right, attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Whitaker, a Republican Party loyalist and chief of staff to just-ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions, was elevated Wednesday after Trump forced Sessions out.

Whitaker has faced pressure from Democrats to recuse himself from overseeing Mueller based on the comments, which were made before he joined the Justice Department last year. He has also tweeted an ex-prosecutor's opinion piece that described a "Mueller lynch mob," which he said was "worth a read."

"Let's face it, Whitaker is already biased," Schumer said. "He has already talked about ways to strangle the Mueller investigation, such as cutting off their funding."

The Mueller protection bill would give any special counsel a 10-day window to seek review of a firing and ensure that the person was fired for good cause.

It's unclear if Republicans would agree to add the bill to the spending legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said there is no need for it, but other Republicans, like Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Maine Sen. Susan Collins, have called for the bill since Whitaker was appointed.

Schumer declined to say whether Democrats would be willing to force a government shutdown if Congress did not pass a measure protecting Mueller suggesting it wouldn't come to that because of bipartisan support. "There's no reason we shouldn't add this and avoid a constitutional crisis," he told CNN's State of the Union. "If that doesn't happen, we will see what happens down the road."

The bipartisan Mueller legislation was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in April and was co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, described Trump's appointment of Whitaker as "an attack" on the Mueller investigation and said protecting that probe will be his committee's top priority.

Nadler told ABC's "This Week" if Whitaker is still acting attorney general when Nadler becomes Judiciary chairman next year, "one of our first orders of business will be to invite him, and if necessary to subpoena him, to appear before the committee."

___

Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.WASHINGTON (AP) - Facing closely contested election races in Florida and Arizona, President Donald Trump is spreading misleading rhetoric regarding voting fraud.

He says votes are suspiciously appearing "out of the wilderness" in Arizona after Election Day to boost the Democratic candidate in the Senate race. It's actually typical for the state to take additional days after an election to finish tabulating mail-in votes.

Trump also suggests that heavily Democratic counties in Florida may be improperly seeking to inflate the Democratic vote in the state's Senate and governor races. There's no evidence of that. The Florida state agencies charged with investigating potential fraud say no credible allegations exist.

Meanwhile, on the economy, Trump asserted that U.S. growth under his watch has been unprecedented. In fact, it was surpassed just four years ago during the Obama administration. He also minimized the trade threat from China and claims a U.S. steel industry renaissance that isn't really happening.

A look at his claims, also covering health care and veterans:

FLORIDA ELECTIONS

President Donald Trump talks with reporters before departing for France on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

TRUMP: "You mean they are just now finding votes in Florida and Georgia - but the Election was on Tuesday? Let's blame the Russians and demand an immediate apology from President Putin!" - tweet Friday.

TRUMP: "Trying to STEAL two big elections in Florida! We are watching closely!" - tweet Saturday.

THE FACTS: He's making baseless charges of "stealing" elections in Florida's Senate and governor races, which headed for recounts due to razor-thin leads held by Republicans Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis, respectively.

It's not uncommon for vote tallies to change in the days after the election as local officials process mailed and provisional ballots. In Florida, both Scott and DeSantis saw their leads dwindle in recent days as the Democratic strongholds of Palm Beach and Broward counties continued to count votes. That vote count concluded Saturday, leading to the Florida secretary of state's order for recounts after the unofficial results in both races fell within the margin that by law triggers a review.

In the past two elections, in 2016 and 2014, Florida counted more than 99 percent of the vote on Election Day and in the early hours of the next day. In Broward, election officials updated vote totals for days after Election Day.

In alleging potential fraud, Scott, as outgoing governor, had said Thursday night that he was asking the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate elections offices in Palm Beach and Broward. However, the agency said Friday there were no credible allegations of fraud and therefore, no investigation is active.

Scott's campaign also filed a lawsuit asking that the Broward County supervisor of elections be ordered to turn over several records detailing the counting and collection of ballots cast. A judge Friday sided with Scott and ordered Broward's election supervisor to release that voter information; the ruling did not address allegations of fraud.

The state's election division, which Scott runs, said Saturday that its observers in Broward had seen "no evidence of criminal activity."

Voting fraud in Florida and nationwide, in fact, is extremely rare. Trump often asserts that voter fraud is a significant issue, but has not provided evidence of consequential fraud.

After the 2016 election, Trump convened a commission to investigate potential voting fraud, after alleging repeatedly and without evidence that fraud cost him the popular vote. Trump won the Electoral College. But he disbanded the panel in January, blaming the decision on more than a dozen states that refused to comply with the commission's demand for reams of personal voter data.

___

ARIZONA SENATE RACE

TRUMP: "Now in Arizona, all of a sudden, out of the wilderness, they find a lot of votes, and she's - the other candidate is just winning by a hair." - remarks to reporters Friday.

TRUMP: "Just out - in Arizona, SIGNATURES DON'T MATCH. Electoral corruption - Call for a new Election? We must protect our Democracy!" - tweet Friday.

THE FACTS: There is no evidence of anything unusual going on in the vote-counting in Arizona. Trump made the charges of "electoral corruption" and votes appearing "out of the wilderness" as Republican pessimism grew about Rep. Martha McSally's prospects in the Senate race. However, Arizona normally takes more than a week to count its ballots, and no elected Republican officials in the state have cried foul. It's possible that Democrat Kyrsten Sinema's opponent, McSally, could jump back into the lead in the coming days. That wouldn't be suspicious, either.

The vote count tends to take longer in Arizona because residents like to vote early, by mail, and a mailed-in ballot requires more work for elections officials.

State law requires the envelope to be sealed and signed, and for elections officials to match each signature to the one on file with the voter's registration before even opening the envelope. In this election, that's about 1.7 million individual signatures that had to be confirmed, one by one. A total of about 2.4 million votes were cast in Arizona.

The work piles up in the final days before the election as ballots flood in. Voters can also drop off sealed mail ballots on Election Day, adding to the pile. The state's Republican secretary of state, Michele Reagan, added another reason: election security. To ensure against voter fraud, mail ballots dropped off Election Day - which totaled 320,000 - are double-checked with votes cast at the polls to confirm no one voted twice.

The GOP had filed a lawsuit seeking to stop Maricopa and Pima counties from contacting voters after Election Day about problems with the signatures on their mail ballots. But they, Democrats and the state's counties settled the complaint Friday to essentially allow the rest of the state to follow the more lenient Maricopa and Pima standards. Those standards are what Trump seemed to complain about in his "signatures don't match" tweet.

___

MIDTERM ELECTIONS

TRUMP, on the message taken from Tuesday's elections: "I think the results that I've learned, and maybe confirm, I think people like me. I think people like the job I'm doing, frankly. Because if you look at every place I went to do a rally ... and it was very hard to do it with people in Congress because there are just too many ... but I did it with the Senate. I did it with (Kentucky Rep.) Andy Barr, as you know. And he won." - news conference Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Trump is wrong to suggest that congressional candidates won in every state where he held a rally on their behalf.

Two Republicans who closely embraced Trump in their Senate races - Montana's state auditor, Matt Rosendale, and West Virginia's attorney general, Patrick Morrisey - lost to Democratic Sens. Jon Tester and Joe Manchin, respectively. Trump had visited Montana four times and West Virginia three times to rally voters. Also losing Tuesday were Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada, defeated by Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen, and Leah Vukmir, a GOP state lawmaker in Wisconsin who lost her Senate race to Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Trump campaigned for Heller in Nevada on Oct. 20 and for Vukmir in Wisconsin on Oct. 24.

In the House, Republican Rep. Jason Lewis lost his race in Minnesota to Democrat Angie Craig, whom he had defeated by 2 percentage points in 2016. Trump campaigned in Minnesota on Oct. 4 after Lewis invited Trump to appear for him.

___

TRUMP: "Fifty-five is the largest number of Republican senators in the last 100 years." - news conference Wednesday.

THE FACTS: His party didn't win 55 Senate seats Tuesday. Republicans held 55 seats in the Senate in 2005-2006, as well as 1997-2000, according to the Senate historian's office.

After Tuesday's elections, Republicans will hold a 51-46 edge, with races in Florida and Arizona too close to call. A special election in Mississippi has advanced to a runoff election on Nov. 27 between Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Mike Espy. That means 54 Republican seats if those three races all break the GOP's way.

___

ECONOMY

TRUMP: "America is booming like never before. ... In terms of GDP, we're doing unbelievably." - news conference Wednesday.

TRUMP, on his telephone conversation Tuesday night with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi: "We didn't talk about impeaching. We didn't talk about - what do you do? Do you impeach somebody because he created the greatest economic success in the history of our country?"

THE FACTS: The economy is healthy, but it's not unbelievable or unprecedented. It's also not clear what he means in claiming the nation's "greatest economic success" ever.

The economy expanded at a 4.2 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, then by 3.5 percent in the July-September quarter. Those are the best two quarters in just four years. Growth reached 5.1 percent in the second quarter of 2014, followed by 4.9 percent in the third quarter.

The economy has boomed much more dramatically in the past. In the late 1990s, growth topped 4 percent for four straight years. It reached 7.2 percent in 1984. The unemployment rate is now at an impressive 50-year low of 3.7 percent. But it remained below 4 percent for nearly four years in the late 1960s.

___

TRUMP: "And our steel industry is back. Our aluminum industry is starting to do really well. These are industries that were dead. Our miners are working again." - news conference Wednesday.

THE FACTS: He's exaggerating.

The steel industry has added jobs at a faster rate than the economy as a whole since Trump's inauguration, though all the gains occurred before the administration imposed tariffs on steel imports in March. Still, the rebound has hardly restored steel to its former glory.

The United States has added 5,500 steel jobs since Trump entered the White House for a total of 86,500. Before the Great Recession, there were about 100,000 steel jobs. Aluminum factories have added 2,600 jobs since the inauguration for a total of 60,100. These are minor changes in an economy with almost 150 million jobs.

Meanwhile, not many miners are working again. Coal mining jobs have increased just 1,900 to 52,600 since Trump's inauguration. That's also a lot lower than the roughly 70,000 coal mining jobs that existed as recently as 2014.

___

TRUMP: "China got rid of their 'China '25' because I found it very insulting. I said that to them. I said, 'China '25' is very insulting, because 'China '25' means, in 2025, they're going to take over, economically, the world. I said, 'That's not happening.'" - news conference Wednesday.

THE FACTS: There's no evidence China has abandoned its economic plan. Trump is referring to China's "Made in China 2025" plan, under which that country's government aims to develop world-leading companies in robotics, semiconductors, electric vehicles and other advanced technologies. It's a sore point between the two nations because the United States and other countries argue that China is using unfair tactics to achieve those aims, such as forcing U.S. companies to share technology and providing government subsidies.

Chinese officials have played down the plan in recent months because of the international criticism. But there's little sign they have "gotten rid of" the plan. Because China sees the plan as a key step in the development of its economy, many observers worry they are unlikely to scale it back, which suggests U.S.-China trade fights aren't going away anytime soon.

___

VETERANS

TRUMP: "I've done more for the vets than any President has done, certainly in many, many decades, with Choice and with other things, as you know. ...If you look at Choice - Choice alone - I mean, just take a look at what we've done with Choice." - news conference Wednesday.

THE FACTS: He's taking premature credit for improvements that will take years to see full effect in regards to the Veterans Choice program.

Trump signed legislation in June to expand the private-sector Choice program, which was first approved in 2014 during the Obama administration in the wake of a scandal at the Phoenix VA medical center in which some veterans died while waiting months for appointments. The current Choice program allows veterans to see doctors outside the VA system if they must wait more than 30 days for an appointment or drive more than 40 miles to a VA facility.

How much Choice will be expanded, however, will depend on yet-to-be-completed regulations that will determine eligibility for veterans as well as available money for the program. The Department of Veterans Affairs has yet to resolve long-term financing due to congressional budget caps that could put funding for VA or other domestic programs at risk of shortfalls next year.

Also important to the program's success is an overhaul of the VA's electronic medical records to allow seamless sharing of medical records with private physicians, a process expected to take up to 10 years. VA Secretary Robert Wilkie has said full implementation of the expanded Choice program is "years" away.

___

HEALTH CARE

TRUMP, on keeping health premiums down and covering people with preexisting medical conditions: "What we're doing, if you look at the Department of Labor also - (Health and Human Services) Secretary (Alex) Azar, what they've done. They've come up with some incredible health care plans, which is causing great competition and driving the prices right down." - news conference Wednesday.

THE FACTS: He's glossing over the limitations of his administration's new health care options, which offer lower premiums than comprehensive plans such as the Affordable Care Act but also cover less. The availability of Trump's short-term health plans also is not going to "drive down" prices of the Obama-era overhaul or comprehensive plans, but may increase premiums for robust coverage if fewer healthy people take it as a result.

Strictly speaking, the short-term and association health plans are not new. The Trump administration has broadened their potential reach, although some states may push back with restrictions.

Short-term plans don't have to take people with medical conditions or provide benefits such as coverage for maternity, mental health, prescription drugs and substance abuse treatment. Association health plans do have to accept people with pre-existing medical conditions, but they don't have to cover the full menu of 10 "essential" kinds of benefits required by Obamacare.

Gary Claxton of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation says short-term plans may turn out to be more costly than Trump administration officials suggest. The plans now cover up to 90 days, but if insurers expand them to offer up to 36 months' coverage, the companies will be taking on more risk.

"You'll have to pay more up front because there's a longer time during which you could get sick," Claxton said.

___

Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi, Calvin Woodward, Alan Fram and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.

___

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In this Nov. 7, 2018, photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - When U.S. forces and their Afghan allies rode into Kabul in November 2001 they were greeted as liberators. But after 17 years of war, the Taliban have retaken half the country, security is worse than it's ever been, and many Afghans place the blame squarely on the Americans.

The United States has lost more than 2,400 soldiers in its longest war, and has spent more than $900 billion on everything from military operations to the construction of roads, bridges and power plants. Three U.S. presidents have pledged to bring peace to Afghanistan, either by adding or withdrawing troops, by engaging the Taliban or shunning them. Last year, the U.S. dropped the "mother of all bombs" on a cave complex.

None of it has worked. After years of frustration, Afghanistan is rife with conspiracy theories, including the idea that Americans didn't stumble into a forever war, but planned one all along.

Mohammed Ismail Qasimyar, a member of Afghanistan's High Peace Council, wonders how U.S. and NATO forces - which at their peak numbered 150,000 and fought alongside hundreds of thousands of Afghan troops, were unable to vanquish tens of thousands of Taliban.

"Either they did not want to or they could not do it," he said. He now suspects the U.S. and its ally Pakistan deliberately sowed chaos in Afghanistan to justify the lingering presence of foreign forces - now numbering around 15,000 - in order to use the country as a listening post to monitor Iran, Russia and China.

"They have made a hell, not a paradise for us," he said.

In this Oct. 31, 2018 photo, a group of Afghan National Army soldiers watch others participate in a live fire exercise at the Afghan Military Academy, in Kabul, Afghanistan. When U.S. forces and their Afghan allies rode into Kabul in November 2001 they were greeted as liberators. But after 17 years of war, the Taliban have retaken half the country, security is worse than it's ever been, and many Afghans place the blame squarely on the Americans. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Afghanistan is rife with such conspiracy theories. After last month's assassination of Kandahar's powerful police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq, social media exploded with pictures and posts suggesting he was the victim of a U.S. conspiracy. Recent insider attacks, in which Afghan forces have killed their erstwhile U.S. and NATO allies, have attracted online praise.

"In 2001 the Afghan people supported the arrival of the United States and the international community wholeheartedly," said Hamid Karzai, who was installed as Afghanistan's first president and twice won re-election, serving until 2014.

"For a number of years things worked perfectly well," he said in a recent interview. "Then we saw the United States either changed course or simply neglected the views of the Afghan people and the conditions of the Afghans."

He blames the lingering war on the U.S. failure to eliminate militant sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan, the bombing of Afghan villages and homes, and the detention of Afghans in raids.

Others blame the notoriously corrupt government, which Karzai headed for more than a decade, and which is widely seen as yet another bitter fruit of the American invasion.

"All the money that has come to this country has gone to the people in power. The poor people didn't get anything," said Hajji Akram, a day laborer in Kabul's Old City who struggles to feed his family on around $4 a day. "The foreigners are not making things better. They should go."

It's not just Afghans. The United States' own inspector general for Afghanistan's reconstruction offered a blistering critique in a speech in Ohio earlier this month.

John Sopko pointed out that the U.S. has spent $132 billion on Afghanistan's reconstruction - more than was spent on Western Europe after World War II. Another $750 billion has been spent on U.S. military operations, and Washington has pledged $4 billion a year for Afghanistan's security forces.

The result?

"Even after 17 years of U.S. and coalition effort and financial largesse, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest, least educated, and most corrupt countries in the world," Sopko said. "It is also one of the most violent."

Hamidullah Nasrat sells imported fabrics in the capital's main bazaar on the banks of the Kabul River, a fetid trickle running through a garbage-filled trench. He remembers welcoming the overthrow of the Taliban, who had shut down his photography studio because it was deemed un-Islamic.

"After the Taliban we were expecting something good, but instead, day by day, it is getting worse," he said. "How is it that a superpower like the United States cannot stop the Taliban? It is a question every Afghan is asking."

The U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in 2014. Since then, the Taliban have carried out near-daily attacks on rural checkpoints and staged coordinated assaults on major cities. Authorities stopped publishing casualty figures earlier this year, deeming them classified. An Islamic State affiliate has meanwhile carried out massive bombings against the country's Shiite minority.

Afghans who have recently served on the front lines complain of faulty equipment, inadequate supplies and reinforcements that show up late and ill-equipped, if at all.

Tameem Darvesh served in the Afghan army for nearly five years in the southern Helmand province. This year he went on holiday and never returned, trading his $180 monthly salary for work as a day laborer making much less. He said morale is at an all-time low, with many soldiers expressing sympathy for the Taliban.

Jawad Mohammadi served for more than seven years in the security forces until 2015, when he stepped on a land-mine he was tasked to clear and lost both his legs. He was just 25 years old.

He recalls how the foreign instructors told him to always check his mine detector by waving it over a piece of metal before heading out into the field. But whenever a device failed to respond, his Afghan commander would tell him to use it anyway.

"I was told that's all we have. That's what we were given, you just have to use it," he said.

The next time he went out with a faulty device, his foot found a bomb the detector had missed.

"I felt myself being thrown through the air. I looked and I saw my legs were near me and there was so much blood. I yelled: 'Please help me.'"

___

Associated Press writer Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.

In this Oct. 31, 2018 photo, Afghan National Army teachers inspect the accuracy during a live fire exercise, at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan. When U.S. forces and their Afghan allies rode into Kabul in November 2001 they were greeted as liberators. But after 17 years of war, the Taliban have retaken half the country, security is worse than it's ever been, and many Afghans place the blame squarely on the Americans. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

In this Nov. 1, 2018, photo, Afghanistan's former president Hamid Karzai speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan. When U.S. forces and their Afghan allies rode into Kabul in November 2001 they were greeted as liberators. But after 17 years of war, the Taliban have retaken half the country, security is worse than it's ever been, and many Afghans place the blame squarely on the Americans. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

In this Oct. 25, 2018, photo, Hamidullah Nasrat, left, an Afghan shopkeeper sells imported fabrics in the capital's main bazaar on the banks of the Kabul River in Kabul, Afghanistan. In an interview with The Associated Press, Nasrat said he remembers welcoming the overthrow of the Taliban, who had shut down his photography studio because it was deemed un-Islamic. Afghans, who once welcomed Americans as liberators, now increasingly see them as the architects of their country's demise. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

In this Oct. 31, 2018 photo, Afghan National Army soldiers carry out a training exercise at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan. When U.S. forces and their Afghan allies rode into Kabul in November 2001 they were greeted as liberators. But after 17 years of war, the Taliban have retaken half the country, security is worse than it's ever been, and many Afghans place the blame squarely on the Americans. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

In this Oct. 31, 2018 photo, Afghan National Army soldiers make a mock arrest during a training exercise at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan. When U.S. forces and their Afghan allies rode into Kabul in November 2001 they were greeted as liberators. But after 17 years of war, the Taliban have retaken half the country, security is worse than it's ever been, and many Afghans place the blame squarely on the Americans. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

In this Oct. 26, 2018 photo, Afghan National Security Forces search passengers and their vehicles at a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghans, who once welcomed Americans as liberators, now increasingly see them as the architects of their country's demise. The United States has lost more than 2,400 soldiers in its longest war and spent more than $900 billion on trying to stabilize the country. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)

In this Oct. 26, 2018 photo, Jawad Mohammadi, a former member of the Afghan National Security Forces, sits with his children as he gives an interview to The Associated Press, at his home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Mohammadi served for more than seven years in the security forces until 2015, when he stepped on a land-mine he was tasked to clear and lost both his legs. He was just 25 years old. Afghans, who once welcomed Americans as liberators, now increasingly see them as the architects of their country's demise. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)

In this Oct. 29, 2018 photo, Mohammed Ismail Qasimyar, a member of Afghanistan's High Peace Council, talks during an interview with The Associated Press at his home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Qasimyar wonders how U.S. and NATO forces -- which at their peak numbered 150,000 and fought alongside hundreds of thousands of Afghan troops, were unable to vanquish tens of thousands of Taliban. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)SUVA, Fiji (AP) - Two men who led different military coups in Fiji are battling for control of the island nation in a general election on Wednesday.

Opinion polls indicate Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama is poised to win a second term after he first held democratic elections in 2014, eight years after he seized power in a coup.

His main opponent is Sitiveni Rabuka, who led two military coups in the 1980s before serving for seven years as prime minister. Just this week, a judge cleared Rabuka of an electoral disclosure violation in a case many viewed as being politically motivated.

Fiji has not allowed the political tensions to affect its vital tourism industry, which promotes the Pacific nation's pristine, sunny beaches and friendly, welcoming people.

Given the history of coups, political stability has been a big issue leading up to the election, as have racial tensions and economic issues.

"Bainimarama does look set to secure his second victory at the polls and has already led the country for 13 years through a period of relative stability," said Jonathan Pryke, the director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank.

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 28, 2018, file photo, Fiji's Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters, in New York. Opinion polls indicate Bainimarama is poised to win a second term in Fiji's general election Wednesday after he first held democratic elections in 2014, eight years after he seized power in a coup. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Many people in the nation of 920,000 seem appreciative of the economic gains they've made under Bainimarama.

"There are no school fees. Before, I paid a couple hundred for school fees," said Mere Rigamoto, a 42-year-old mother of three boys. "Bainimarama's government is not bad. He's OK."

But Bainimarama has a troubled political history that has contributed to the coup culture. There are rumors he could stage another coup should he lose the election.

"We're bound to have another coup if he doesn't win," said 30-year-old Robert Lum On, a recent university graduate.

Fiji became independent from the U.K. in 1970. In 1987, Rabuka staged two racially charged coups to return the country to the hands of indigenous Fijians, called "iTaukei," and away from Fijians of Indian descent, or Indo-Fijians.

iTaukei make up about 57 percent of the country's population, while Indo-Fijians make up 38 percent.

Indo-Fijians have been a major ethnic group in Fiji since colonial times, when the British brought them in to work the sugar cane plantations. Many Indo-Fijians favor Bainimarama, whose new constitution in 2013 removed race quotas from parliament.

"Bainimarama's key success has been to establish the name 'Fijian' for all citizens of Fiji," said Richard Herr, a professor at Fiji National University who is based in Australia. "His legislation has made campaigning on race, or even having a racially based party, illegal."

On the campaign trail, Bainimarama accused Rabuka of stoking the flames of racism that continue to divide the nation. But some indigenous Fijians believe Rabuka will help restore their prestige, and favor his promise to bring back the nation's Great Council of Chiefs, which Bainimarama disbanded.

Critics deride Bainimarama as authoritarian, but since forcing himself into power he has refashioned his image into that of a stable, legitimate leader.

His appeal was bolstered when he assumed the U.N. COP23 presidency in November 2017. In that role, which he holds until December, he shaped Fiji into a pioneer on climate change issues.

With COP23 as a platform, Fiji inserted small island developing states into the international conversation on climate change. The islands are on the front lines of global warming, rising sea levels, and ocean acidification.

After the 2006 coup, Australia and New Zealand imposed sanctions on Fiji, and Bainimarama reoriented regional alliances toward China. His critics accuse him of selling out the country to the Chinese.

The Lowy Institute says Fiji received about $360 million in aid from China between 2006 and 2016, putting it behind only Papua New Guinea in the Pacific region. China Exim Bank holds 39 percent of Fiji's externally held public debt, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Fiji's relations have since normalized with Australia and New Zealand, but the period of sanctions enabled China to step up its regional influence.

Fiji has one of the healthiest economies of the Pacific Islands, and GDP is predicted to grow above 3 percent annually through 2020. Tourism is the bedrock of the economy, accounting for more than 40 percent of GDP.

Bainimarama's government takes credit for increasing social services, including free primary and secondary education, free bus fares for seniors, and aid in the aftermath of cyclones.

But widespread poverty persists. Bainimarama's opponents have vowed to raise the minimum wage, which remains only about $1.25 per hour.

Although the coup culture can't be erased, many argue that Fiji has stabilized under Bainimarama.

"His prime ministership to date has been marked with a steady movement back towards democracy," said Pryke, of the Lowy Institute.

"While there is still more work to do - domestic media is engaged in significant self-censorship and opposition parties remain harassed - the prime minister has delivered on political stability that has enabled economic growth and development progress to be prioritized."

Polls close at 6 p.m. Wednesday (0500 GMT). As well as Bainimarama's FijiFirst party and Rabuka's Social Democratic Liberal Party (Sodelpa), the National Federation Party (NFP) is also expected to be an election contender. In 2014, FijiFirst won 59 percent of votes, Sodelpa won 28 percent, and NFP won 5.5 percent.

___

Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to this report.JERUSALEM (AP) - The latest on the outbreak of violence between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers (all times local):

4 a.m.

The U.N. Security Council has failed to agree on any action on the fighting between Israel and the Hamas militant group in Gaza.

Kuwaiti Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi told reporters after the closed consultations late Tuesday that "we were not able to find a solution to the situation in Gaza" because of divisions in the most powerful U.N. body.

Al-Otaibi said that "the majority of member states raised the issue that the council should do something, and one of the issues that has been introduced is that the Security Council should consider going on a visit to the occupied territories."

Council diplomats said Swedish Ambassador Olof Skoog raised the idea of a trip, which was endorsed by Russia and Britain. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private.

An Israeli soldier jumps off a tank near the Israel Gaza border, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Kuwait and Bolivia called for the closed Security Council consultations.

___

11:40 p.m.

Israel's U.N. ambassador says Security Council members that want to blame Israel for the latest fighting with the Hamas militant group in Gaza are "morally bankrupt" and rejects those who call for restraint by both sides.

Danny Danon told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York that "there is no such thing as both sides."

He added: "There is Hamas that attacks and fires over 460 missiles at civilians and there is Israel that protects its people."

Danon said ahead of closed Security Council consultations late Tuesday that the council must condemn only Hamas "for its aggressive assault on civilians."

Asked about an undercover Israeli military operation that sparked the Hamas attacks and Israeli bombing of Gaza, Danon said: "We take action to protect our people and we will continue to do that."

___

9 p.m.

The Palestinian U.N. ambassador says Egyptian mediators are in Israel trying to get the government to agree on a Gaza cease-fire.

Riyad Mansour, who represents the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday that "we are grateful for the Egyptians who are mediating."

The Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, says it agreed to the Egyptian cease-fire proposal. There has been no word yet from Israel.

Mansour says "the Palestinian side is holding the quietness in order to allow for the Egyptian efforts to succeed."

He says Abbas is returning from Kuwait for emergency meetings.

Mansour condemned Israel for starting the cycle of violence with a botched undercover military operation on Sunday.

At the Palestinians' request, he said, Kuwait and Bolivia have asked for a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the Israeli actions. China, the current council president, has called for closed consultations late Tuesday.

___

8:40 p.m.

Some Palestinians in Gaza are celebrating and Israelis in southern Israel are protesting an emerging cease-fire deal to end more than 24 hours of heavy fighting.

Gazans see the cease-fire as a win for Hamas, for having brought Israel to heel with a barrage of rocket fire. Amid an apparent lull in violence, hundreds of Hamas supporters took to the streets in sporadic gatherings, cheering for the group's military wing.

In the southern Israeli town of Sderot, which has been pounded by rockets, dozens of protesters burnt tires, blocked traffic and chanted "disgrace" at what they saw as the government's caving in to militant violence.

While there has been no word from Israel, Gaza militants earlier Tuesday announced they had accepted an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire.

___

5:40 p.m.

Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip say they have accepted an Egyptian-mediated cease-fire amid a major flare-up of violence with Israel.

Hamas and smaller armed groups announced the cease-fire in a joint statement late Tuesday.

The deal would end the heaviest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas since a 2014 war.

Terms of the deal were not immediately known, and there was no immediate comment from Israel.

___

5:15 p.m.

The leader of the Hamas militant group has signaled a readiness to halt the latest round of fighting with Israel.

Ismail Haniyeh said Tuesday that his group will stop its rocket fire on Israel if Israel halts its airstrikes.

In a statement, Haniyeh said "the Palestinian resistance is defending its people and itself before the Israeli aggression," adding that "if the occupation stops its aggression, it's possible to return to the cease-fire understandings."

Gaza militants have fired hundreds of rockets into Israel over the past 24 hours as Israel has struck militant targets across Hamas-ruled Gaza. The violence was triggered by a botched Israeli military raid on Sunday in which seven Palestinians and an Israeli officer were killed.

___

5 p.m.

Israel's Security Cabinet has ordered the military to continue strikes in Gaza "as is necessary," signaling that the latest flare-up of violence may be far from over.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his Security Cabinet Tuesday to plot a way forward amid the fighting. Rocket fire and airstrikes continued throughout the six-hour meeting.

The Israeli military says some 400 rockets and mortar shells have been launched from Gaza since Monday afternoon, with about 100 of them intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defense system.

Israel said it has struck more than 100 targets it says are linked to militants in Gaza, including a strike that destroyed the TV station of the ruling Hamas militant group.

At least seven Palestinians, among them five militants, have been killed during the fighting. A Palestinian man working in Israel was killed after a rocket hit the building he was in.

___

4:30 p.m.

Israeli media are reporting that a meeting of the Security Cabinet has ended after more than six hours.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened the meeting of ministers Tuesday to plot a way forward amid an intense flare-up of fighting with the Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

No official statement was released following the meeting, and it remained unclear what if anything had been decided.

The heavy exchange of fire, which was triggered by a botched Israeli undercover raid into Hamas-ruled Gaza late Sunday, marked the most serious escalation since an Israel-Hamas war in 2014.

___

11:55 a.m.

The man killed in a Palestinian rocket attack in southern Israel has been identified as a 48-year-old Palestinian laborer who had been working in the Israeli city of Ashkelon.

Relatives say Mahmoud Abu Asbeh had worked in Ashkelon for 15 years, leaving his West Bank village of Halhoul each Sunday and returning home on weekends.

His cousin Jihad Abu Asbeh called it a "big shock" and says the entire village is sad. He says it was "God's will and there's nothing we can do about it."

Mahmoud's body was found in the rubble of a building struck by a rocket fired from Gaza. His cousin says Mahmoud was married with six children.

___

8:55 a.m.

The armed wing of Hamas says it will step up attacks and fire rockets at Israeli towns of Ashdod and Beersheba if Israel continues to carry out airstrikes in Gaza.

The warning was issued on Tuesday, hours after a rocket fired from Gaza killed an Israeli man in a direct hit on a residential building in the coastal town of Ashkelon. The rocket was fired after an Israeli airstrike destroyed Hamas' TV building in Gaza.

The spokesman for the Hamas military wing, identified only as Abu Obeida, said in a statement that Ashkelon "has entered the range of fire as a response to the bombing of buildings in Gaza."

He says that Ashdod and Beersheba "are the next targets if the enemy continues bombing civilian buildings."

Of the three cities, Ashkelon is closest to Gaza.

___

8 a.m.

Israeli medical services say a man has been killed by a rocket that hit an apartment building in southern Israel and a woman was critically wounded.

Magen David Adom says the two were trapped in an apartment in Ashkelon that was struck by a rocket from Gaza early on Tuesday. It's the first casualty in Israel from the most intensive wave of attacks since the 2014 Gaza war.

Gaza militants pummeled Israel overnight with dozens of rockets and the Israeli military responded with strikes against militant targets in Gaza.

The military says there were some 370 launches from Gaza since the current round began on Monday afternoon. About 100 of them were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defense system.

Israel has struck more than 100 militant targets in Gaza.

Palestinian mourners carry the body of PFLP militant Mohammed al-Tattri, 27, during his funeral in Jabalia refugee camp, north Gaza Strip. Tuesday, November 13, 2018. Al-Tattri was killed in an Israeli airstrike Monday. On Tuesday, Gaza militants fired dozens of rockets at southern Israel, killing a man in a strike on a residential building, and warning they would escalate their attacks if Israel continues bombing targets in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Abed el Kareem Hana)

The facade of an apartment building shows damage after it was hit by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza , in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

An Israeli woman walks in the yard of a house after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza Strip, in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)NEW YORK (AP) - The latest from the New York trial of the Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo" (all times local):

7 p.m.

Two presidents of Mexico are denying a U.S. lawyer's claim they took bribes to protect drug traffickers.

A lawyer for Mexican smuggler Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman told a jury in New York Tuesday his client was not the real leader of a cartel that sent tons of cocaine into the U.S.

Defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman blamed another reputed trafficker, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

Lichtman told the jury Zambada evaded capture by paying millions of dollars in bribes to the current and former presidents of Mexico.

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, surrounded by US Marshals, waves to his wife as he enters the courtroom at Brooklyn Federal Court, as his high-security trial got underway in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. The infamous Mexican drug lord has been held in solitary confinement since his extradition to the United States early last year. Guzman pleaded not guilty to charges that he amassed a multi-billion-dollar fortune smuggling tons of cocaine and other drugs in a vast supply chain that reached New York, New Jersey, Texas and elsewhere north of the border. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon said on Twitter those allegations are "absolutely false and reckless."

A spokesman for current President Enrique Pena Nieto called the bribery claim "false and defamatory."

Guzman's trial is expected to last into next year.

___

5:25 p.m.

A lawyer for the Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo" says his client wasn't running a violent cartel and should be acquitted at his U.S. trial.

Defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said in his opening statement to a jury in New York on Tuesday it would have been impossible for Joaquin Guzman (wah-KEEN' gooz-MAHN') to be in charge of the vast drug-dealing organization since he was either in jail or in hiding the entire time of the alleged conspiracy.

The lawyer says the real boss was another kingpin who has paid bribes to corrupt government officials in Mexico to keep his freedom.

Lichtman is set to resume his opening statement Wednesday.

Guzman was extradited to the U.S. after breaking out of prison in Mexico twice.

___

4:30 p.m.

Opening statements have begun in the New York City trial of a Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Fels told a jury inside a highly secured Brooklyn federal courthouse Tuesday they'll hear defendant Joaquin Guzman (wah-KEEN' gooz-MAHN') in his own words.

Fels says they'll see his text messages as he carried out a ruthless drug trafficking organization that funneled hundreds of tons of cocaine to the U.S.

The prosecutor described how Guzman started modestly in the early 1970s by selling marijuana in Mexico, but built his reputation by building tunnels across the Mexico-U.S. border to transport drugs.

His lawyers say he's being framed by cooperators.

___

Noon:

A lawyer for the Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo" says he's ready to defend his client and has nothing to prove.

Eduardo Balarezo spoke to journalists on Tuesday while entering the highly secured Brooklyn federal courthouse where Joaquin Guzman (wah-KEEN' gooz-MAHN') is being tried.

One of the jurors was excused shortly before opening statements were set to begin. The reason was unclear.

The lawyers and judge have been working to select a replacement. It's not known how long that will take.

___

11:20 a.m.

Opening statements in the U.S. trial of Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo" have been delayed because of a problem seating a full jury.

One of the jurors selected for the New York City trial of Joaquin Guzman (wah-KEEN' gooz-MAHN') was excused shortly before the trial was set to open on Tuesday.

The reason was unclear.

The lawyers and judge were working to select a replacement from a pool of potential jurors who had previously been considered for the trial but hadn't made the final cut.

It wasn't known how long it would take to get the alternate on the jury so both sides could make their opening statements.

___

10:20 a.m.

The notorious Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo" is being tried in New York City amid intense security measures.

The wife of defendant Joaquin Guzman (wah-KEEN' gooz-MAHN') entered a Brooklyn courthouse on Tuesday to watch opening statements at his trial.

The defendant's history of violence has prompted patrols by heavily armed officers outside the Brooklyn courthouse.

The jury is anonymous.

Guzman also has been held in solitary confinement and barred from seeing his wife out of concerns he could pass messages to his cohorts.

The evidence will include the testimony of more than a dozen cooperating witnesses who prosecutors say are risking retribution. There also will be evidence about multiple murders committed in drug wars in Mexico, cocaine smuggling and Guzman's brazen escapes from jail.

His lawyers say he's being framed by cooperators.

___

12:01 a.m.

A U.S. jury is set to hear an epic tale about the notorious Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo."

Opening statements at the trial of Joaquin Guzman are to begin Tuesday morning in a New York City courtroom under tight security.

The evidence will include the testimony of more than a dozen cooperating witnesses who prosecutors say are risking retribution by taking the stand. There also will be evidence about multiple murders committed in drug wars in Mexico, about cocaine smuggled in jalapenos cans and Guzman's brazen escapes from jail.

His arrest and extradition to New York City shook up Mexico's drug underworld and remains a big story there.

He could face life in prison if convicted of drug-trafficking charges. His lawyers say he's being framed by the cooperators.

Emma Coronel, the wife of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, arrives for his trial in Brooklyn federal court, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, in New York. Opening statements at the trial of the notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman are to begin Tuesday morning under tight security. The evidence will include the testimony of more than a dozen cooperating witnesses who prosecutors say are risking retribution by taking the stand. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

FILE - In this Jan. 19, 2017 file photo provided U.S. law enforcement, authorities escort Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, center, from a plane to a waiting caravan of SUVs at Long Island MacArthur Airport, in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. A jury has been picked for the U.S. trial of the Mexican drug lord. Seven women and five men were selected Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, as jurors in the case against Guzman. The trial is set to begin Nov. 13 with opening statements in federal court in Brooklyn. (U.S. law enforcement via AP, File)

A K-9 team walks past people waiting to enter Brooklyn federal court, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, in New York. Opening statements at the trial of the notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman are to begin Tuesday morning under tight security. The evidence will include the testimony of more than a dozen cooperating witnesses who prosecutors say are risking retribution by taking the stand. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

A K-9 team walks past people waiting to enter Brooklyn federal court, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, in New York. Opening statements at the trial of the notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman are to begin Tuesday morning under tight security. The evidence will include the testimony of more than a dozen cooperating witnesses who prosecutors say are risking retribution by taking the stand. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)Donald Trump did not want to disrupt Paris roads with a last-minute motorcade to a cemetery in northern France, the White House has said.

The president has been stung by criticism for not attending an event honouring US military.

Mr Trump had been scheduled to lay a wreath and observe a moment of silence on Saturday at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, located adjacent to Belleau Wood and about 60 miles north-east of Paris.

The White House cited weather conditions that grounded the presidents helicopter for the cancellation.

Mr Trumps car seen at the Elysee Palace in Paris (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

In the wake of criticism that Mr Trump did not travel by car to the event, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement on Sunday that noted the weather and near-zero visibility.

It also referred to concerns that a motorcade on short notice would have required closing substantial portions of roads on the way.

President Trump did not want to cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people, Ms Sanders said.

She also said the trip to Aisne-Marne was two hours 30 minutes each way by car.

Instead, Mr Trump spent much of Saturday at the US ambassadors residence following a meeting and lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Trump was in Paris for events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Attending the cemetery event in Mr Trumps place were the White House chief of staff, retired Marine General John Kelly; the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Joe Dunford; and several members of the White House staff.

The Battle of Belleau Wood was a critical conflict in the war and a pivotal encounter in Marine Corps history.

The determination to ground Marine One, the presidents helicopter, due to bad weather is made by the Marine Corps and the White House Military Office, which then presents the recommendation to the White House in collaboration with the Secret Service, according to a Secret Service official.

Paris was covered in clouds with drizzling rain through most of Saturday.

On Sunday, Mr Trump attended a scheduled event honouring American war dead at a US cemetery just outside of Paris.That has been reported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development after five year implementation of agricultural restructuring project towards value added increase and sustainable development.



According to the ministry, agricultural, forestry and seafood export turnover reached US$157.49 billion in the phase of 2013-2017, up 51.2 percent over the average level in the previous five year phase.

The country had 1,955 newly established businesses in agricultural field in 2017, up 20 percent compared to the average number in three year 2014-2016.

As of September this year, the country has over 49,600 businesses operating in farm produce production, processing and trading; accounting for 8 percent of the countrys enterprises.

By T.QUANG  Translated by Hai MienAs the mobs on the streets of Pakistan baying for Asiya Bibis blood grow larger, the calls for her assassination louder, it has become increasingly clear that she would surely be lynched by the citizens of her own country. The most credible route for her survival would be asylum in a secular foreign state.

As the case makes headlines all around the world, many countries should have offered her suo motu asylum. The least they could have done was allowed her refuge if she so requested. Britain, however, has denied her asylum for security reasons. As she stays in hiding in Pakistan until the legal process of her battles with the state are over, Britain's decision to deny her refuge would surely have added to her fears of an imminent death, as if being jailed in solitary confinement for almost a decade wasnt awful enough.

After staying jailed in solitary confinement for almost a decade, Asiya Bibi is now forced to live in hiding. (Photo: Reuters)

Ravaged by the experience of World War II, Britain was one of the main countries that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the United Nations General Assembly. The Declaration set out, for the first time in history, rights that were fundamental and inalienable, that had to be universally protected for every human being. They included the rights to freedom and justice. Article 14 of the document declared Asylum from Persecution a right.

Britain, however, has decided to turn its back on the very cause of human rights and dignity that it once championed. By doing so, not only has the country gone back on its own promise, it has set a deadly precedent  communities formed from immigration becoming enforcers in their host countries of the religious and cultural codes of the societies they had left behind.

Globalisation, the free movement of goods, people and ideas, has proved to be a boon to the world in previously unimaginable ways. From trade to skills, university students to tourists, everything around us is moving globally like never before. This also includes migration into free democracies, which has over time led to large religious and cultural diasporas in these countries, where their vote makes them significant political pressure groups within the broader cultural paradigms of the countries theyre in.

In most cases, the second- or third-generation migrant groups adopt the overall ethos of the country their ancestors moved into. But if this cultural integration does not happen, every Western democracy will have a crisis of values centered around immigration and diversity.

Diversity is rightly celebrated in democracies around the world, but an absolute refusal by immigrant communities to adhere to the basic cultural tenants of the countries they are in could mean the end of asylum system itself.

Britain was one of the main countries that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, it has gone back on its promise. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Countries that offer safety and freedom to asylum seekers are also the countries that have taken in extremely large numbers of immigrants. Unites States of America boasts of 44 million immigrants, 15% of its population. More than 1 in 5 Canadians were born abroad, with 22.3% population belonging to visible minorities. The figure is 19% for France. In 2004, the number of people who became naturalised citizens of Britain formed 12% of its population, majority of whom came from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China.

With religious persecution of minorities on the rise in China, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the minorities of these countries often find themselves applying from asylum in the same countries that host huge populations from their home countries. When the persecution asylum seekers are fleeing is from their own governments, countries like Britain are guarantees of safe refuge. But what happens if it is religious and societal persecution they must flee from? Britain refusing asylum to Asiya Bibi has laid it bare.

Were Pakistani Muslims in Britain as well integrated as Britains own health and vitality requires, Asiya Bibi would be living in the UK now. But as it is, the religious and social attitudes that she needs to escape from in Pakistan, are now present in Britain too, to such an extent that Britain fears giving her asylum lest Pakistani Muslims do about Asiya Bibi in Britain what theyve been doing in Pakistan. As immigration continues and expectation of integration continues to be frowned upon in the name of multiculturalism, eventually, there may be no place left for religiously and socially persecuted people to find asylum. This in the long run would destroy any form of dissent  political, religious, ideological  because the dissenters would have nowhere left to go.

This will be fatal to the cause of freedom, free speech, and the socio-political development of the countries most in need of those things. In such a world, Hussain Haqqani, who lives in exile in the US, could not write a book that might force Pakistanis to reconsider the condition and future of their countries. Edward Snowden would not be able force the US to look at its state surveillance system. Ayan Hirsi Ali, VS Naipaul, and Salman Rusdhie would be silent.

A majority of Britain's naturalised citizens come from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China. (Photo: Reuters/File)

Dissenters in asylum push their own countries and societies away from oppression and absolutism. Britain, by denying refuge to Asiya Bibi, has helped no one but extremist elements like Khadim Rizvi and the mobs baying for her blood.

From the Komagata Maru incident which Indians are familiar with, to the recent apology by Justin Trudeau to the Jews for having sent back a ship of refugees seeking asylum in 1939, we see the humane asylum system that took decades to establish.

In 1914, Canada turned a group of asylum seekers back to Calcutta. 20 of them died after the British fired at them upon their return. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The UK overturned it, just like that.

This should set alarm bells ringing for every freedom and democracy minded person in the world.

Britains betrayal of Asiya Bibi is both a tacit acknowledgement that it is at threat from extremist elements, and a surrender to them. It is a recognition of the political might of these forces of intolerance within Britain, and it is an abdication of the responsibility of the British State to ensure that the British society is free and safe, for Britons and for those who need refuge.

No wonder Britain voted for exit from the European Union (Brexit). Its a call by Britons to retake control of their immigration and social policy.

The United Kingdoms denial to Asiya is only going to strengthen the political Rights anti-immigration stand in all democratic countries. It will feed the Far Rights intense hostility to Muslims. All Muslims, whatever their views about Asiya Bibi, would be looked at as extremists, a threat to citizens, other asylum seekers, and liberal democracy itself. Sadly, this could affect people fleeing awful conditions, such as the Rohingya, Iraqis, Afghans fleeing persecution or war.

If dissenters were not welcomed, the voices of Ayan Hirsi Ali, VS Naipaul, and Salman Rusdhie today would be silent. (Photos: Reuters)

In his book Melting Pot or Civil War, Reihan Salam argues that due to lower class immigrants moving into the US, and the inter-generational immobility of economic advancement, second- or third-generation immigrants are likely to be poor, and would therefore hold a strong grudge against the rich white Americans, which could cause radicalism and eventually a Civil War within the US itself. Refusal of asylum to Asiya Bibi could fuel shift of the anti-immigration views from the Far Right on to the centrist position. Reihan Salam is the son of Bangladeshi immigrants and not a part of the Trump-supporting White privileged men.

Normalisation of the anti-immigration position because of migrants who, rather than integrating, create political power for the conservative religious and social views of their home countries, would be devastating to people fleeing war and genocide.

If Britain does not provide Asiya Bibi asylum because of the fears of what British Pakistani Muslims might do, Britons should think about what Britain has become. (Photo: Reuters)

By giving up on its own principles of liberalism, justice and secularism, the UK has added momentum to the destruction of the liberal world order, in which liberal democracies were havens of freedom and security, where people around the world could escape persecution and brutality.

If Britain does not provide Asiya Bibi asylum because of the fears of what British Pakistani Muslims might do, Britons should think about what Britain has become.

Also read: Asia Bibi verdict: What is happening in Pakistan now is blasphemyThe determination, with which the inland waterways plan has been operationalised in the last three years, is another manifestation of the governments transformative zeal, as it promises to be a game-changer for the logistics sector.

History was created on November 12 when PM Narendra Modi received at Varanasi India's first container vessel carrying cargo belonging to food and beverage giant PepsiCo India, which sailed from Kolkata on October 30. This was the first commercial container movement on an inland waterway in India post-Independence.

In a major boost to port-led development and harnessing our Jal Shakti for India's growth, an inland waterways terminal will be inaugurated in Varanasi tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/mGMuyPejUe  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 11, 2018

The PM also inaugurated Indias multi-modal terminal on the Ganga river in Varanasi. This is the first of the three such terminals and two inter-modal terminals being constructed on the river.

The multi-modal terminals are being built as part of the central government's Jal Marg Vikas Project, which aims to develop the stretch of the river Ganga between Varanasi and Haldia for navigation of large vessels weighing up to 1,500-2,000 tonnes.

With this, a paradigm change in the working of Indias logistics sector clearly seems to be in the offing.

Even as we wait for the potential benefits to show, it is important to understand why the inland waterway is a game-changer. Equally important is to know how this was pursued and operationalised through the determination of shipping minister Nitin Gadkari.

#Video | The terminal on Ganga river, inaugurated by PM @NarendraModi, comes under a project aimed at promoting inland waterways as a cheaper and more environment-friendly means of transport. pic.twitter.com/1AEN5vFenB  Hindustan Times (@htTweets) November 12, 2018

It needs to be noted that in India less than 3.5 per cent goods are transported through waterways. This is abysmally low, compared to other countries. In China, Japan, South Korea and across Europe, this percentage is over 40 per cent. Even in Bangladesh, waterways account for over 30 per cent of the logistics sector.

Ferrying products through waterways brings down the transportation costs significantly. As a result, it reduces the final price of the goods, which in effect, will make these goods more competitive globally.

Equally, in a country like ours, which faces a huge problem of pollution and road safety, inland waterways offer big benefits for both. A robust inland waterway system will decongest our highways as well as city roads (where bypasses are not available on the highway), besides reducing fuel emissions from vehicles. It will also open up a new stream of employment opportunities.

Now, the manner in which 106 rivers were expeditiously enabled to be Inland Waterways in one go is a case study in itself. It may be noted here that while National Highways Act, 1956, vests full power in the central government to declare new highways as national highways merely by notification to that effect in official gazette, the same is not the case with Inland Waterways.

Inland waterways project was pursued and operationalised through the determination of shipping minister Nitin Gadkari. (Source: India Today)

In fact, if one went by precedent each of the previous five inland waterways was declared so, by a separate Act of Parliament. Hence, it was incorrectly assumed that a separate Act of Parliament would be required to declare each river as inland waterway.

Gadkari was in a hurry. He knew the importance of inland waterways in transforming the logistics sector and bringing the logistics costs down, and hence, various alternatives were mulled over. One option was to go in for a constitutional amendment, vesting powers in the central government to declare by notification, new rivers into inland waterways, just like the national highways.

It was, however, felt that a constitutional amendment itself would be a time consuming process and might take up to two years. Other options were mulled over. Precedent notwithstanding, was there any rule that prevented the government from declaring multiple rivers as inland waterways by a single act of Parliament?

Finally, it was decided to attempt the unprecedented. Hence, all of 106 rivers were declared as Inland Waterways by a Bill introduced in Parliament towards the end of 2015.

Now it is a fact that it may take a couple of decades to operationalize all of these waterways and some of them may not seem viable eventually. But getting them all enabled in one go was important to initiate feasibility studies and DPRs (Detailed Planning Report).

It was a statement of intent by a government which is on the go and committed to transforming systems.

Also read: Shashi Tharoor at sea: The 'liberal intellectual' falters on SabarimalaAmerica's decision to grant a waiver to India (and seven other countries) on ending oil purchases from Iran by November 5 on pain of sanctions for not complying has avoided an unpleasant situation that risked causing appreciable damage to the steadily improving India-US relationship.

India, in principle, has no obligation to reduce oil supplies from Iran at US behest. Doing so would amount to India also sanctioning Iran for no offence caused to us. US sanctions have the force of US power, not international law, and compliance by India and others would mean succumbing to coercive diplomacy.

Two-faced

We have no policy differences with Iran over its regional policies. We can hardly object to Irans missile programme when Pakistan has a flourishing one and we have one of our own.

We have no quarrel with Iran on the terrorism issue.

For us, it is not Iran but Pakistan that is the epicentre of international terrorism. That on this issue Iran should be subject to draconian sanctions and Pakistan should escape lightly is another reason for us not to join in punishing Iran for its alleged terrorist misdeeds.

On the nuclear issue, while Iran is adhering to the nuclear agreement as certified by the IAEA, it is the US that has unilaterally repudiated a UN Security Council approved deal in disregard of the position of the other signatories.

We have no policy differences with Iran. (Photo: Reuters)

Here again, Pakistans expanding nuclear programme and its nexus with China, its development of tactical nuclear weapons and its frequent threats of nuclear weapon use against India are escaping material censure by the US and the international community in general.

The difference in approach to Irans nuclear programme that is under international supervision and that of Pakistans is one that cannot be overlooked by India in approaching the Iranian nuclear issue.

Israels fear that a nuclear armed Iran will become bolder in promoting terrorism against it is precisely the experience we have with Pakistan that uses terrorism as an arm against us under cover of its nuclear capability.

Iran is important to us in other ways.

It is the third largest source of oil for India and the terms are more attractive than that of our other suppliers.

With India importing 82 per cent of its crude oil needs, and the price of oil shooting up because of concerns about Iranian oil going off the international market because of US sanctions, Indias position is vulnerable.

The impact of rising global oil prices on the price at which petrol is sold in India has important political repercussions for the government, especially in an election year.

Iran as a transit country for access to Afghanistan and Central Asia in the immediate through the Chabahar port and to Russia prospectively when the International North South Corridor project gets seriously implemented has strategic importance for us. For Americas short term reasons India should not be put in a situation of having to pay a long term price in managing ties with Iran.

Iran is the third largest source of oil for India. (Photo: Reuters)

Building trust

It is not a question of India choosing Iran over the US or ignoring the all-important ties with the US for the sake of a limited relationship with Iran  it is a question of having to subscribe, at the cost of legitimate national interest, to unilaterally decided immoderate US policies.

America is wrong to put its friends in such avoidable diplomatic quandaries. If India had not been given a waiver and sanctions had followed, the trust that has been building up in bilateral ties ever since the India-US nuclear deal would have received an erosive blow.

India has long suffered from US sanctions in the nuclear and missile areas and those of high and dual use technologies, but the last few years these sanctions have been lifted in great measure, and this enhanced strategic trust between the two countries.

Reverting once again to a sanctions syndrome in our ties would erase many of the transformative gains made in the last thirteen years or so, reviving concerns that America cannot be trusted and can change course whenever it suits its interests and that its longer term commitment to a relationship cannot be relied upon.

It is not a question of India choosing Iran over the US. (Photo: Reuters)

Pragmatic approach

At one level, the waiver constitutes a success of Indian diplomacy in that we seem to have made an effective case for not being able to bring our oil trade with Iran to a halt by November 5.

The problem, however, is not yet over, because we will be expected to progressively show reductions of oil imports from Iran in the months ahead.

One can only hope that developments in the next few months will throw up some openings for India to continue oil trade with Iran, especially if Europe stands firm on protecting its commercial interests and resists the extra-territorial application of US laws.

America has avoided a sharpening of the quarrel with China and Turkey by granting them waivers unilaterally. (Photo: Reuters)

The waiver given to the Chabahar project and the railway line to connect the port to Afghanistan is even more significant.

It shows a refreshing pragmatism on Americas part that needs acknowledgement and appreciation.

A final point: America has given a waiver to China, now seen as a strategic threat to US power, as also to Turkey with which its ties are under strain.

Both countries had announced that they would not subscribe to US sanctions.

America has avoided a sharpening of the quarrel with both by granting them waivers unilaterally. This would suggest caution in interpreting the waiver to India as an exceptional gesture.

(Courtesy of Mail Today)

Also Read: India's grandstanding on 'strategic autonomy'Speaking at an election rally in Chhattisgarh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi referred to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singhs son featuring in the so-called 'Panama Papers'. He then went on to allege that no action has been taken because the Chief Minister of the state is corrupt, the Prime Minister himself is corrupt.

Over the last year or so Rahul Gandhi has been progressively upping the ante against the Prime Minister on corruption. From accusing him of crony capitalism and being a friend of corrupt industrialists, he has moved onto calling Narendra Modi chor without mincing words.

By all accounts and appearances, the Congress is carrying out a systematic and well-planned campaign. Apart from its own analytics cell, it is believed to have deployed field researchers to gauge the impact and reactions of voters. So, these are not cavalier statements that Rahul Gandhi is making on the election trail. These are well-scripted speeches and considered positions. The strategy must be backed by data that shows the accusations are sticking after the Pandoras Box on Rafale was opened.

Rahul Gandhi at an election rally in Chhattisgarh. (Credit: Twitter)

This should be a matter of concern for the BJP because so far, a Teflon-coated clean image has been Narendra Modis USP (unique selling proposition). It is clear that the Congress is trying to do a Bofors on Modi with Rafale. In fact, the Congress newspaper the National Herald carried a banner headline calling Rafale: Modis Bofors.

How Modi and the BJP will respond to this is yet to be seen. But, react they surely will because they cannot allow the Prime Ministers reputation of being incorruptible get sullied. One saving grace for the BJP being, as some commentators have pointed out, Rahul Gandhi is no VP Singh, who had a lily-white public persona. Sadly, todays Congress and its leadership do not command the same credibility.

However, the interesting take out from this crossfire is how easily labels of corruption can be put on politicians and no one bats an eyelid. The sad truth is people find it difficult to believe that anyone can be a politician and yet not be corrupt. This is not cynicism. It is based on the understanding of ground reality. Even the common man realises it costs a fortune to fight elections.

Voters have a problem when the enrichment appears disproportionate and seen to benefit a handful. That was the perception on Bofors and, more recently, on 2G, Coal Scam, etc. Now the same formula is being used for discrediting Narendra Modi on Rafale.

This is doubly unfortunate. First, because corruption in public life in indeed a fact. Second, for all our pride in being the largest democracy in the world, we look like yet another third world country, where parties come and go out of power by levelling charges of corruption against one another. The more it changes, the more it remains the same or gets worse.

Congress and other Opposition party leaders during a protest against the Modi government over Rafale deal, at Parliament House. (Credit: PTI photo)

The point is not about the substance and veracity of the accusations. The downside of fighting elections on the plank of corruption charges devoid of ideology and real agenda is that it can descend to a zero-sum game.

The public develops fatigue hearing new remixes of old records. After a while they become immune to this allegations and accept it as the new normal. That emboldens politicians further. The scale of corruption balloons. As stakes increase, so does the need for larger war chests. It becomes a vicious cycle.

From there on the country easily slip on a banana peel to go the way of our South Asian neighbours. To be one up  a new wave of vendetta politics gets triggered. Foreign powers start to fish in troubled waters.

At the moment the oppositions single point agenda is to defeat Narendra Modi and drive BJP out of power. For that they are willing to bury principles, ideology and past rivalries.

Leading the charge as a self-anointed messiah, Rahul Gandhi is campaigning in an as-if-there-is-no-tomorrow mode. He has mounted a two-pronged attack. The first is targeted at Narendra Modi personally, trying to destroy his credentials for honesty. The second is aimed at RSS as an institution  painting it in the lurid light of communalism and anti-national antecedents.

A 2009 file picture of Narendra Modi with RSS leaders during an event in Ahmedabad. (Credit: YouTube)

Under Rahul Gandhi, the Congress may have diluted the previous line of Hindu terror. But, in adopting a soft Hindutva approach, temple runs and promise of gaushalas, he is trying to add a new layer of Good Hindu Vs Bad Hindu to the narrative.

This may be working as per his election strategists in pushing the BJP to the wall. The current mood of the commentariat is upbeat about the prospects of Congress and the mahagathbandhan pulling it off. There is a great deal of optimism in the anti-Modi camps about the likely outcome of the state elections. They could well be right.

But, victory will not be an unmixed blessing. It will come with conditions attached.

Parallels are cited about how the entire opposition got together to oust Indira Gandhi. But, there is a fundamental difference. 1977 was about defeating an individual and the threat to democracy posed by the Emergency.

Rahul Gandhi offering prayers at Somnath temple ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections last year. (Photo: PTI photo)

Now, no matter how Modi is demonised and the RSS portrayed as a fascist force  it will be seen as a battle against Hindu majoritarianism. This sentiment will get further solidified if the BJP is cornered by a disparate but united Opposition.

Narendra Modi if put on the backfoot on Rafale and other charges might choose to move away from making it a personal 1:1 fight between him and Rahul Gandhi or even the BJP Vs the dynastic Congress. In case of a setback in the Assembly elections, a broader front will open up. It would almost certainly turn into a war between the Modi and RSS Vs Rahul and the rest.

Irrespective of who wins the finals of 2019, it will create chasms that might be difficult to bridge. That is a scary prospect. Looking at a cracked mirror will not be a pretty sight.

Therefore, one can only wish real issues will prevail over rhetoric and propaganda. For that, the intelligentsia and media can play a big role by rising above partisanship and prejudices.

Also read: Both Congress and BJP prove India cares a fig for minoritiesExactly a century ago, the Middle East began to unravel. In 1918, fresh from victory in World War I, the United States, Britain and France carved out the region among themselves using a combination of military force, deceit and co-option.

As dozens of world leaders gathered amidst a drizzle in Paris on Sunday, November 11, 2018 to commemorate the end of World War I, that thought must have entered more than a few of their minds.

Heads of states and world leaders attend the ceremony to commemorate the end of World War I in Paris. (Source: AP)

Iraq (the former Mesopotamia) was occupied by Britain under a mandate after WWI. So were Palestine and Transjordan. Syria and Lebanon went to France, also under a mandate. Much of the rest was subsumed by Saudi Arabia, soon to fall under American protection.

The al-Saud family had captured large areas of the Ottoman empire, defeated in WWI. In 1932, the al-Sauds named the new country the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

World War 2 further altered the geography of the Middle East but not the West's control. Oil had been struck. The deserts of Saudi Arabia and the former Persian Empire (Iran) as well as Mesopotamia (Iraq) promised an oil and gas bonanza.

America's grip now tightened. Imperial Britain and France, weakened by WW2, began a gradual political withdrawal from the Middle East but not from its oil wells. Their petroleum companies ran the region's new oil fields.

The bargain was simple: US military protection in exchange for oil and geostrategic assets as the Cold War with the Soviet Union loomed in the late-1940s.

Iran and Iraq presented a particularly difficult problem. Washington approached it in a way that resonates today 70 years later.

The Shah of Iran (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi) had succeeded his father Reza Shah Pahlavi, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, in 1941. Reza Shah Pahlavi had been forced to abdicate following the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Imperial Iran.

The young Mohammad Shah Pahlavi (he was 22 when he took over as monarch during WW2) would soon become Washington's proxy. Iran was America's most favoured nation in the Middle East  till 1979.

Ayatollah Khomeini's revolution that year changed the political dynamic in the Middle East more than any other single event. Overnight, Iran became America's most reviled enemy, a status that, 39 years later, remains unchanged.

Ayatollah Khomeini's revolution that year changed the political dynamic in the Middle East. (Source: Wikiwand)

Meanwhile, America's relationship with its other puppet regime of the time, Iraq, was being handled more covertly. Saddam Hussein, under the watchful gaze of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), played a leading role in toppling the Iraqi government in a coup in 1968, bringing the Ba'ath party back to power. He was initially as much America's man in the Middle East as the Shah of Iran had been till he was overthrown by Ayatollah Khomeini.

In 1979, Iraq was still a secular country. Women walked to work in skirts. Saddam, a Sunni, ruled his 60 per cent Shia majority nation with an iron fist but gave Shias reasonable opportunities in government and the bureaucracy.

To its east though, Iran was in ferment under the Ayatollah. Iran's descent into Islamic fundamentalism, the US feared, could spread like a virus across the Middle East. The Shah had meanwhile fled to Egypt after the Iranian revolution. He died there aged 60 in 1980.

In 1980 too, the US instigated a devastating eight-year war between Iraq and Iran. The CIA covertly ran the war. Over 5,00,000 Iraqi and Iranian soldiers died in a battle of attrition that ended in stalemate in 1988.

America's objective was to use Saddam's regime to overthrow Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran. Two great civilisations, Mesopotamian and Persian, were thus made to fight each other in a brutal war that left half-a-million Arabs and Persians dead.

Saddam Hussein was unhappy with America's interference in Iraq. (Source: AP)

Saddam, frustrated by the war and increasingly unhappy at America's interference in Iraq, made a fatal mistake in 1990 by invading Kuwait, another oil-rich American protectorate, on the grounds that it had historically been part of Iraq and would on amalgamation give Iraq access to the waters of the Persian Gulf.

Overnight, Saddam became America's enemy number one. Iraq was invaded, Kuwait "liberated" in the Gulf war in 1991 and debilitating decade-long sanctions imposed on Iraq.

No-fly zones over Iraq prevented vital medicines and food reaching Iraq. Thousands of Iraqi children died as a result. Saddam himself was hunted down and killed in 2006.

Fast-forward to today. Iraq is a shadow of its former self. Iran is under harsh new US sanctions. Saudi Arabia, silent witness to the economic destruction of rival states around it, has funded Islamist terrorists and become the region's most toxic country.

It retains a staunch friend though in America. President Donald Trump has coddled the Saudi regime. His son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has backed 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, widely regarded as having ordered the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Jamal Khashoggi was allegedly killed on the orders of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. (Source: Reuters)

The US-Saudi relationship has been the most self-serving and damaging alliance in the Middle East. The US has destroyed a once-secular country, Iraq, and is attempting to destroy another once-secular country, Iran. Tehran may have fundamentalist rulers but nothing justifies the devastating sanctions America has imposed on it.

While its partner-of-choice Saudi Arabia runs the region's most brutal regime, America, as it has done for nearly a century, continues to back it with arms and technology. Washington shouldn't forget that 15 of the 19 attackers who hijacked four jetliners in the 9/11 carnage in New York and at the Pentagon were Saudi nationals.

When it comes, the backlash against America's subversive Middle East policy will be fierce. World leaders in Paris on Sunday commemorating the end of WWI would do well to be mindful of the lessons of history.

Also read: Why India hasn't yet honoured its troops who died fighting in WWIIndia's outreach to Vietnam has been a clear indication of an open challenge to China in its backyard. The growing engagement between both countries will act as a security provider

In the 46th year of diplomatic relations, India and Vietnam have witnessed several high level visits and exchange of delegations. The forthcoming visit by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, will be the third such bilateral visit this year, which was earlier preceded by the visit of the late President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Tran Dai Quang in March 2018 and the Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visit earlier in January 2018. Several ministerial level delegations and inking of defence agreements between the two countries have also happened this year. It is hoped that the Presidents visit will consolidate the already existing political trust and cement strong defence and security cooperation between the two countries.

Some of the potential areas of cooperation in the non-traditional security areas include information technology, artificial intelligence, cyber security, solar alliances, traditional medicine, agricultural innovation, disaster management and climate change. As an emerging market and supplier in the regional value chain, Vietnam together with India could play a significant role in the global value chain. Capacity building and entrepreneurship development under development cooperation initiatives are already making progress and leaving their imprints.

Ram Nath Kovind is also expected to visit the ancient relics of Cham civilisation in My Son, which stand a time-tested testimony to our civilisational inheritance. The historical and cultural linkages between the two civilisations abound our mythologies and ancient literature. It is believed that Hinduism and Buddhism became the mainstream religion of the Chams living in the central and southern part of Vietnam. The architectural style of My Son relics, which is today a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the ancient archaeological remains scattered in the coastal areas of Vietnam from Da Nang to Binh Thuan, speak about these historical legacies.

Over the years, Vietnam has emerged as a significant player in Indias foreign policy projection  a partner in sub-regional, regional, and multilateral fora. It is an integral member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and plays an important role in Indias Act East policy. India is one of the three countries with whom Vietnam shares Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, together with China and Russia.

The elevation of the strategic partnership between the two countries to that of comprehensive strategic partnership is a clear indication of goodwill, trust and importance the two countries place on their relationship. It is also an acknowledgment of the existing strong bilateral defence and security ties and our mutual desire to contribute to regional peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity. Moving beyond the ideological linkages, both countries have endeavoured to revamp their relations in the changing geo-politics of the Indo-Pacific.

From strategic partnership in 2007 to a comprehensive partnership in 2016, the two countries have built up synergies for deeper cooperation between them. These have been envisaged in a multi-faceted and a multi-sectoral cooperation on a wide range of issues covering political, defence and security relations; trade and commerce; energy cooperation; science and technology; capacity building; connectivity links; health, education, culture, tourism and people to people exchange; and cooperation in international, regional and sub-regional forums.

Vietnams geographical location in Asia Pacific has added to its geo-political importance for the regional players like China, India, Australia and Japan and also for the external powers like the United States and its re-balancing strategy in the Asia-Pacific. In the changing architecture of the world politics from trans-Atlantic to the Asia-Pacific, Vietnam emerges as a significant actor shaping the great game politics in the region.

Given the evolving regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific, role of Vietnam in the emerging quadrilateral partnership in the region becomes significant. As Vietnam faces mounting pressure from China amidst its growing assertiveness in the disputed waters of its East Sea, it is looking to multiple partners in Asia and beyond. Vietnam has reached out to the United States and stepped up security cooperation with Japan, Australia long with India and a number of its Southeast Asian neighbours.

Amidst Vietnams quest for multiple partners in Asia and beyond, India has been of very special strategic interest to Vietnam. Over the years, New Delhi has gradually expanded its defence and naval cooperation with Vietnam and assisted in its efforts in modernising the military force. Indias outreach to Vietnam has been a clear indication of its open challenge to China in its backyard. It is believed that Vietnams growing engagement with India will also lead to a stable balance of power and as a security provider in the region.

Fearing the growing aggression of China, Vietnam has welcomed and embraced India in this particular stance. The high-level comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Vietnam is equally important as it shares the anxieties and act as deterrence against the increasing Chinese presence in the region.

According to security experts, since China continues to increase its influence, defence and maritime cooperation and procurements from countries like India, the United States and Japan enable Vietnam to uphold its position.

Internal synergies between India and Vietnam have also played a significant role in bringing the two countries on the same page building upon mutual trust and cooperation over the years.

Vietnam as an emerging middle power and India as a net security provider in the region has the convergence which makes them an ideal partner for all seasons at the sub-regional, regional and multilateral forums.

Given the cultural-religious linkages, based on their closer association with the historical kingdoms and the impact of Buddhist philosophy to the anti-imperialist struggle during the colonial rule and foreign intervention during the Second World War and thereafter, both the countries have developed closer ties and a shared destiny based on a shared world view.

In the context of the geo-strategic paradigm and the forces shaping the internal dynamics of Vietnam, its foreign policy orientations vis-a-vis the great powers in the region and its engagement with India is a critical area of concern.

(The writer is a Fellow at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and Assistant Professor at University of Delhi)Hollywood star Diego Luna hopes the Indian audience will embrace "Narcos: Mexico" as he believes both the countries share a lot of cultural similarities.

Luna, his co-star Michael Pena and showrunner Eric Newman joined Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt and director Shakun Batra to talk about the latest season of the Netflix drug drama, which starts streaming from November 16.

"I find so many similarities between the Indian culture and the Mexican culture... There is so much in common. The contrast you live when you go out and the richness in terms of cultural diversity is amazing. It feels like you are from here. I think this is why you would love 'Narcos: Mexico'," Luna said.

The actor, however, was hesitant to talk about his spiritual connection with India despite Batra's prodding about a chat they had Sunday night.

"I told you this because I had four vodkas inside me... The spiritual connection is different... It is personal. I don't see how it connects with 'Narcos'," he said when Batra shared with the audience that Luna's grandmother was born in India and he had read parts of Bhagavad Gita.

While the earlier seasons dealt with Pablo Escobar, the man behind the rise of Medellin Cartel, and then the Cali Cartel in Colombia, the fourth season shifts to Mexico and revolves around the rise and fall of Guadalajara Cartel.

Luna, who grew up in Mexico at the time when the Cartel was at its peak, said the show was "personal" for him because it is the "foundation of the mess" that his country is in today.

He plays the role of Felix Gallardo, the man behind the rise of Guadalajara Cartel. Gallardo is currently serving a 37-year-sentence in Altiplano in Mexico.

"The case of Kiki Camarena determines the relationship between the States and Mexico... I was six when this happened but I did not know about it because my father was hiding this Mexico from me.

"But in the '90s, I was reading about the violence erupting and understood how crucial 1980s were," he added.

Wagner Moura and Pedro Pascal were the two popular faces of the previous seasons but Pena and Luna are not worried about comparisons.

"I don't think about it like that. It was not like Pedro Pascal had enough and they brought the little me... It was not like he played Kiki Camarena (the DEA agent) and then I came. We were constantly working, travelling and had pages to memorise," Pena said.

For Luna, it was a blessing to be a part of a show that is already well established.

"Obviously, when you see something, you compare it with the last thing you saw. Those guys made the show so popular that for the first time, I don't have to worry about people watching my show," Luna said.

"...The team they put together is amazing... I have to be very honest. It is very bold to say 'Let's start all over again'. It is a different project... There is a new director, place and cast... They complement each other very well but you won't be thinking about the previous seasons."

The actor said he read a lot of news stories and other people's commentary about the notorious drug dealer to understand the inner world of character, whose personality was different from the usually flamboyant cartel bosses.

"There was a period of time when he (Gallardo) liked to be in the newspaper. He wanted to be seen as a businessman and wanted to be seen on the social part of it... But it is difficult to find images of his personal life... While many of these characters are very flamboyant, this guy knew the value of being discreet in this world... He was like a politician," Luna said.

Pena said it took him a while to understand what motivated Camarena to put himself in the harm's way and talking to Camarena's wife helped shape his portrayal.

"I was not really getting the gist of what made him tick. What would motivate somebody to put himself in the harm's way to accomplish what he thought was justice. I had more understanding when I talked to Mika Camarena, his wife.

"He is a person who is jut fed up with injustice... The local police, the federal police, the local government, everybody was turning a blind eye. This fuelled him to bring it upon himself to make some difference," he said.

Newman believes the drug lords are not the real star of the show but cocaine, whose trail they have been following season after season.

"It would be a mistake to think that these characters are monsters. They are not... They are the product of their environment, economic disparity and the endless appetite for cocaine that America represents... The mistake that we make in America is that we are always looking for the monster and we ignore the monster taking shape behind us," he added.Sharpshooters of Pakistan army on Monday evening targeted one of the forward Indian posts in Mendhar sector of Poonch, killing a jawan and grievously injuring another in a sniping incident.

Fresh sniping attack from the Pakistani side followed in response to a strong 'retaliatory' strike carried out by the Indian army inside Pak territory to avenge the killing of Indian soldiers earlier.

According to unconfirmed reports, "at least two Pakistani troopers were killed and five others received critical injuries in heavy firing from the Indian side on Sunday".

According to Ministry of Defence spokesman in Jammu, Lt Col Devender Anand, "at about 5.15 p.m on Monday Pakistan army resorted to an 'unprovoked' ceasefire violation in Krishna Ghati sector of Mendhar tehsil in Poonch in which one soldier attained martyrdom while another received critical injuries."

The deceased soldier was identified as Lance Naik Antony Sebastian KM while injured soldier was identified as Havildar Mari Muthu D. According to Defence PRO, Lance Naik Antony Sebastian KM, aged 34, hailed from Ernakullam district of Kerala and is survived by his wife.

This is the fourth incident in a row in which Indian army has lost its third soldier while one civilian porter attached with the Indian army had earlier succumbed to his fatal injuries on Friday in Akhnoor sector.

Meanwhile, situation continues to remain grim along the line of control as there has been no let up from the Pakistani side in 'provoking' the situation. According to Defence PRO, "Indian army too retaliated strongly and effectively targeting Pakistani posts on Monday evening".

Earlier, commenting on the repeated incidents of sniping along the line of control, Indian army Chief General Bipin Rawat had told reporters in Pathankot, "sniping has been a regular affair. We have got to make sure our drills are good and we don't give them the opportunity.We also have a snipers ready to snipe at him (adversary) and why just snipers, we should be able to hit him harder".

General Rawat also claimed, "Indian army is continuously engaging the 'adversary' and hitting back in equal measure".

He said there is lot happening from our side also but we don't want to blow a trumpet unnecessarily.

Whenever he (Pakistan) is doing something it is a reaction to something. He doesn't take the initiative. He also knows that we are strong and we can take very strong action, he added.Customs officials at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport have arrested an Indian male passenger and a duty manager of Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited (AISATS) posted at Terminal-3 while they were exchanging the smuggled gold bars worth Rs 14 lakhs in a toilet inside the airport premises. They also arrested a staff member of Sri Lankan Airlines for allegedly assisting the passenger in smuggling gold bars.

According to Dr Amandeep Singh, Additional Commissioner of Customs, they had received specific inputs regarding a male passenger following which an officer of Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) stopped the man.

The man after de-boarding flight, which had come from Dubai at Terminal-3, went to the toilet in international arrival hall. The man was caught red handed by officers while he was handing over the smuggled gold bars to the duty manager of AISATS in the toilet.

Both were searched which resulted in the recovery of four gold bars weighing around 464 grams with market value around Rs 14 lakh, said Dr Singh.

AISATS is a joint venture between Air India Limited and Singapore-based SATS Limited which works as a gateway services and food solutions provider in Asia.

"During questioning, they also disclosed a staff member of Sri Lankan Airways working a station security coordinator who assisted the passenger in smuggling the gold.

Duty manager and staff member of the Sri Lankan airways have also admitted smuggling of similar gold previously on one occasion," said Dr Singh.

"Above case was a significant success as we managed to break an organised smuggling ring involving mid level airline and ground handling staffers. All accused have been placed under arrest under the provision of section 104 of the customs act. Further investigation is going on," Dr Singh added.The Vietnamese Goods Week will last until November 26 at over 140 supermarkets of NTUC FairPrice Group, aiming at intensifying direct export of Vietnamese goods to the distribution system of multinational corporations.



Lot of products showcased under the event are the result of the Ministry of Industry and Trades assistance activities to startups with strategies to develop in foreign markets. They comprises three specific fruits of Vietnam including sapodilla, pomelo and red fresh dragon fruit.

To prepare for the event, Vietnamese businesses have taken over 600 commodities into Singaporean supermarkets.

NTUC FairPrices retail system has shelved over 20 new Vietnamese products such as shrimp, fish, milk, rice paper, pho and vermicelli.

Besides showcasing Vietnamese products, the Vietnamese Goods Week will organize trade promotion activities between Vietnamese and Singaporean firms and Vietnamese cuisine performance.





By AI VAN  Translated by Hai MienAllianz SE, together with its subsidiaries, provides property-casualty insurance, life/health insurance, and asset management products and services worldwide. The company's Property-Casualty segment offers various insurance products, including motor liability and own damage, accident, general liability, fire and property, legal expense, credit, and travel to private and corporate customers. Its Life/Health segment provides a range of life and health insurance products on an individual and a group basis, such as annuities, endowment and term insurance, and unit-linked and investment-oriented products, as well as private and supplemental health, and long-term care insurance products. The company's Asset Management segment offers institutional and retail asset management products and services to third-party investors comprising equity and fixed income funds, and multi-assets; and alternative investment products comprising infrastructure debt/equity, real assets, liquid alternatives, and solutions. Its Corporate and Other segment provides banking services for retail clients, as well as digital investment management services. Allianz SE was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in Munich, Germany.

Read MoreDeutsche Pfandbriefbank AG provides commercial real estate and public investment finance products. Its commercial real estate financing activities include financing instruments, such as financing investment projects, development finance, cross-border portfolio financing, investment bridge finance facilities, standby/backup facilities, and derivatives. The company primarily finances offices, retail, and logistic real estate companies, as well as residential properties targeting real estate companies, institutional investors, real estate funds, and medium-sized and regionally orientated clients. It is also involved in the public investment financing activities, such as financing for public sector facilities, municipal and residential buildings, utilities, infrastructure, medical and geriatric care facilities, and administration and insurance facilities. In addition, the company operates a digital platform for public sector borrowers and institutional investors under the CAPVERIANT name. Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG has offices in four locations in Eschborn, DAsseldorf, Hamburg, and Berlin in Germany; and five locations in London, Madrid, Paris, Stockholm, and New York City. The company was formerly known as Hypo Real Estate Bank AG and changed its name to Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG in June 2009. Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG is headquartered in Garching, Germany.

Read MoreThe gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.The following companies are subsidiares of Jabil: AOC Technologies Co. Ltd., AOC Technologies Inc., Badger Technologies LLC, Celetronix, Celetronix India Private Limited, Celetronix USA Inc., Clothing Plus Hong Kong Ltd., Clothing Plus MBU Oy, Clothing Plus Zhejiang Ltd., Clothing+, Eco.logic Brands Inc., Ecologic Brands, F-I Holding Company, GET Manufacturing, Green Point Electronic Technology Co. Ltd., Green Point Precision Electronic Co. Ltd., Green Point Precision Sdn. Bhd., Green Point Technology Co. Ltd., Green Prosperity Co. Ltd., Greenam Electricity (Proprietary) Limited, JCI Funding Ireland Designated Activity Company, JCI Labuan Limited, JN Global Holdings C.V., Jabil AMS LLC, Jabil Advanced Mechanical Solutions Inc., Jabil Advanced Mechanical Solutions de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil C.M. S.r.l., Jabil Canada Corporation, Jabil Chihuahua Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Circuit Austria GmbH, Jabil Circuit Belgium N.V., Jabil Circuit Cayman L.P., Jabil Circuit China Limited, Jabil Circuit Co. Ltd., Jabil Circuit Financial II Inc., Jabil Circuit Holdings Limited, Jabil Circuit Hong Kong Limited, Jabil Circuit Hungary Contract Manufacturing Services Ltd., Jabil Circuit Inc., Jabil Circuit India Private Limited, Jabil Circuit Investment Co. Ltd, Jabil Circuit Italia S.r.l., Jabil Circuit Limited, Jabil Circuit Ltd., Jabil Circuit Luxembourg II S.a r.l., Jabil Circuit Luxembourg S.a r.l., Jabil Circuit Netherlands B.V., Jabil Circuit Pte. Ltd., Jabil Circuit SAS, Jabil Circuit Sdn Bhd, Jabil Circuit Technology LLC, Jabil Circuit Ukraine Limited, Jabil Circuit de Chihuahua S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Circuit de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Circuit of Michigan Inc., Jabil Consulting Limited Liability Company, Jabil DR S.R.L., Jabil Defense and Aerospace Services LLC, Jabil Denmark Aps, Jabil Dutch Mexico B.V., Jabil EMS Switzerland GmbH, Jabil Electronics Co. Ltd., Jabil Energy Ltd., Jabil Green Point Precision Electronics Co. Ltd., Jabil Green Point Technology Co. Ltd., Jabil Guadalajara Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Healthcare DR S.R.L., Jabil Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Holdings Ltd., Jabil Hungary LP Services Limited Liability Company, Jabil India Manufacturing Private Limited, Jabil Industrial do Brasil Ltda., Jabil International Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil International Treasury Pte. Ltd, Jabil Investment Pte. Ltd., Jabil Israel Ltd., Jabil Japan Inc., Jabil Korea International Limited, Jabil Limited Liability Company, Jabil Mexico Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Mexico Investment S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Monterrey S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Nypro Holding LLC, Jabil Nypro I LLC, Jabil Nypro II LLC, Jabil Nypro International B.V., Jabil Optics Germany GmbH, Jabil Poland Sp. z.o.o., Jabil Precision Industry Co. Ltd., Jabil Science and Telecommunication Trading Co. Ltd., Jabil Sdn Bhd, Jabil Services Korea Limited, Jabil Silver Creek Inc., Jabil South Africa (Pty) LTD, Jabil Switzerland Manufacturing GmbH, Jabil Technology Co. Ltd, Jabil Technology and Trading Co. Ltd., Jabil Torres S. de R.L. de C.V., Jabil Tuttlingen Manufacturing GmbH, Jabil Umkirch Manufacturing GmbH, Jabil Vietnam Company Limited, Jabil do Brasil Industria Eletroeletronica Ltda., Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices, Kasalis, Kasalis Inc., Kuatro Technologies, Kuatro Ukraine LLC, Manna Renewable Energy Investments Two (Pty) Ltd, NP Medical Inc., NPA de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Nypro, Nypro Alabama LLC, Nypro Atlanta LLC, Nypro China Holdings Limited, Nypro DR LLC, Nypro Deutschland GmbH, Nypro France SAS, Nypro Guadalajara S.A. de C.V., Nypro Healthcare Baja Inc., Nypro Healthcare GmbH, Nypro Healthcare LLC, Nypro Inc., Nypro Iowa Inc., Nypro Limited, Nypro Monterrey Management S. de R.L. de C.V., Nypro Plastics & Metal Products Co. Ltd., Nypro Plastics & Molding Products Co. Ltd., Nypro Puerto Rico Inc., Nypro Research and Developments Limited, Nypro Spain Holding S.L.U., Nypro de Amazonia, Nypro de la Frontera S. de R.L. de C.V., NyproMold Chicago Inc., NyproMold Inc., NyproMold Investment Corp., PT Jabil Circuit Indonesia, Plasticast Hungary Kft., Plasticos Castella S.A.U., Radius Chicago LLC, Radius Hong Kong Limited, Radius Product Development Inc., Roosevelt Insurance Company Ltd., S.M.R. Metal Ltd., Shay Motion Ltd., Shemer Group, Shemer Motion (2009) Ltd., Taiwan Green Point Enterprises, Taiwan Green Point Enterprises Co. Ltd., Telmar Network Technology, TrueTech, Westing Green Plastic Co. Ltd, Wolfe Engineering, Wolfe Engineering Co. Ltd., and Yen Investments 140 (Proprietary) Limited.Nevsun Resources Ltd. engages in the mining and development of mineral properties in Europe, Africa, and North America. It explores for gold, copper, zinc, and silver deposits. The company's principal assets include Timok project, a copper-gold development project in Serbia; and Bisha copper- zinc mine in Eritrea. It also holds exploration licenses and permits in Serbia and Macedonia, as well as in the Bisha mining district. The company was incorporated in 1965 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. As of January 7, 2019, Nevsun Resources Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group Company Limited.

Read MoreNovan, Inc., a clinical development-stage biotechnology company, provides nitric oxide-based therapies to treat dermatological and oncovirus-mediated diseases. Its clinical stage dermatology drug candidates include SB204, a topical monotherapy for the treatment of acne vulgaris; SB206, a topical anti-viral gel for the treatment of viral skin infections; SB208, a topical broad-spectrum anti-fungal gel for the treatment of fungal infections of the skin and nails, including athlete's foot and fungal nail infections; and SB414, a topical cream-based gel product candidate for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. The company also develops SB207, an anti-viral product candidate for the treatment of external genital warts; WH602, a nitric oxide-containing intravaginal gel to treat high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV); WH504, a non-gel formulation product candidate to treat high-risk HPV; and SB019 for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Novan, Inc. has a license agreement with Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; and a strategic alliance with Orion Corporation. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina.

Read MoreBryan Edward Redshaw Sr., 71, of Port Republic, Maryland passed away on Saturday, November 10, 2018, ironically the Marine Corp birthday, after losing his battle with a long-time illness. A true, full-blooded Irishman, Bryan was born in Montreal Quebec, Canada to Albert and Kathleen Redshaw. At a young age, his parents brought him to Maryland and his brother, Gary was born.



He started a family after graduation and later joined the USMC. He always joked that he was oldest recruit in the group. He went on to become a 3rd generation printer /plate maker and retired working at the Government Printing Office in Washington,D.C.



Bryan loved to fish, swim and hang out on the beach. This man could smoke some rockfish and blues! He was an avid reader mostly in history, mysteries and fiction, but loved all genres. He enjoyed celebrating the holidays with family, especially the grandkids and great-grand kids. He loved his dogs and everyone else's. He was seldom without them.



He is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Susan Marie Redshaw, father of, John, Michelle, Renee, Bryan Jr, and Adrienne who is like our daughter. He is also survived by 11 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and his brother, Gary Redshaw. Bryan was preceded in death by his daughter Monica and a granddaughter Krystal.



The family will receive friends on Monday November 19, 2018 from 1-2 PM at the Rausch Funeral Home, 4405 Broomes Island Road, Port Republic, Maryland where services will follow at 2 PM. Interment is private. Memorial contributions may be made to Wounded Warriors Project.Valley National Bancorp is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of retail and commercial banking services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Lending; Commercial Lending; Investment Management; and Corporate and Other Adjustments. The Consumer Lending segment consists of residential mortgage loans, automobile loans and home equity loans, as well as wealth management and insurance services. The Commercial Lending segment includes the floating rate and adjustable rate commercial and industrial loans as well as fixed rate owner occupied and commercial real estate loans. The Investment Management segment refers to investments in various types of securities and interest-bearing deposits with other banks. The Corporate and Other Adjustments segment represents the income and expense items not directly attributable to a specific segment. The company was founded on November 12, 1982 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Read MoreXcel Energy, Inc. operates as a holding company, which engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity. It operates through the following three segments: Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility and All Others. The Regulated Electric Utility segment generates, transmits and distributes electricity primarily in portions of generates, transmits and distributes electricity in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. In addition, this segment includes sales for resale and provides wholesale transmission service to various entities in the United States. It also includes commodity trading operations. The Regulated Natural Gas Utility segment transports, stores, and distributes natural gas primarily in portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Michigan and Colorado. The All Others segment engages in steam, appliance repair services, nonutility real estate activities, processing solid waste into refuse-derived fuel and investments in rental housing projects that qualify for low-income housing tax credits. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, 2nd Road Pty Ltd., ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Ltd, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Innovation Singapore Holdings Pte, ?What If! Limited, ?What If! Shanghai Co. Ltd, ?What If! USA LLC, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD Dialeto Agencia de Publicidade SA, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Beijing) Mobile Technology Co Ltd, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co Ltd, Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (South Africa) Pty Limited, Accenture (UK) Ltd, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Azerbaijan Ltd, Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BV, Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A, Accenture CAS GmbH, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc., Accenture Capital DAC, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd., Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SAS, Accenture Customer Services Limited, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Delivery Poland sp. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital France Holdings SA, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance (Gibraltar) III Ltd, Accenture Finance GmbH, Accenture Finance GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II GmbH, Accenture Finance II GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II Ltd, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services Srl, Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Ghana Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Ltd., Accenture Global Services Ltd, Accenture Global Solutions Ltd, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services Ltd, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc., Accenture Holding GmbH, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holding GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SAS, Accenture Holdings plc, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazylym Cozumleri Limited irketi), Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazlm Cozumleri Limited Sirketi), Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture Insurance Services SAS, Accenture Insurance Services SpA, Accenture International BV, Accenture International Capital SCA, Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture International Sarl, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea BV, Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Managed Services SpA, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Middle East B.V, Accenture Middle East BV, Accenture Minority I BV, Accenture Minority III Ltd, Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi (Pty) Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Newco LLC, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations Sp. z o.o., Accenture Outsourcing SRL, Accenture Outsourcing Services, Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations BV, Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru S.R.L, Accenture Peru S.R.L., Accenture Post Trade Processing SAS, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process Ltd, Accenture Product Lifecycle Services, Accenture Properties, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture S.A., Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture SAS, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sendirian Berhad, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Ltd, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.r.l., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services Sp. z o.o., Accenture Services Sp. z.o.o., Accenture Services and Technology Srl, Accenture Services fur Kreditinstitute GmbH, Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Servicos Administrativos Ltda, Accenture Servicos de Suporte de Negocios Ltda, Accenture Solutions Co Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Sp. z o.o., Accenture Sp. z.o.o., Accenture SpA, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc., Accenture Sub Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag KFT, Accenture Technologia, Accenture Technologia Consultoria e Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Technology Infrastructure Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions SAS, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn. Bhd., Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures BV, Accenture Technology Ventures S.P.R.L., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co., Accenture Vietnam Co. LTD, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Limitada, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Customer Insight Limited, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Agave Consultants Limited, Agilex Technologies Inc., Allen International, Allen International Consulting Group Ltd, Alnova Technologies Corporation S.L., AlphaBeta Advisors, Altima, Altima Asia Ltd., Altima SAS, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Appaloosa Technology SAS, Arca, Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Avanade, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade (Thailand) Co Ltd, Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Denmark ApS, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Ltd, Avanade Europe Services Ltd, Avanade Federal Services LLC, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SAS, Avanade GZ Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd. (SH), Avanade Guangzhou, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy SRL, Avanade KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Netherlands BV, Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland Sp. z o.o., Avanade Poland Sp. z.o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain SL, Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Ltd, Avanade do Brasil Limitada, Avanade Osterreich GmbH, AvantBiz Consulting Limited, Avenai, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Benext, Bionic, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Boomerang Pharmaceuticals Communications Ireland Limited, Bow & Arrow, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brand Learning LLC, Brand Learning Ltd, Brand Learning Partners Limited, Brand Learning Pte Limited, Bridge Energy Group LLC, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CadenceQuest Inc., Capable Marketer Limited, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc., Certus Solutions Consulting Services Ltd, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cimation UK Limited, Cirruseo, Cirruseo SAS, Clarity Insights, Clearhead, Clearhead Group, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas (SN) (PTE.) Limited, Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Ltd., Cloud Talent Limited, Cloudsherpas, Cloudsherpas Inc., Cloudworks, Codagenic Pty. Ltd., Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda., Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda., Context Information Security, Coritel S.A., Corliant Inc., CreativeDrive, CustomerWorks Europe SL, Cutting Edge Solutions Ltd, D5 Global Holdings LLC, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., DMA Solutions Limited, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (Australia) PTY LTD, DayNine Consulting (Deutschland) GmbH, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting France SAS, DayNine Consulting Japan K.K., DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings, Declarative Holdings LLC, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digiplug SAS, Digital Consulting & Software Services LLC, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Ltd., Duck Creek Technologies, Duck Creek Technologies LLC, Deja Vu Security LLC, ESR Labs, Elcurator SAS, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting L.P., End-to-End Analytics, Energuia Web, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Ltd., Energy Quote Private Ltd., EnergyQuote JHA, EnergyQuote JHA Ltd., EnergyQuote Trading Ltd., Enimbos, Enkitec, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V. , Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enterprise System Partners PR LLC, Enterprise System Partners S.A.S., Entropia, Epylon, Ethica Consulting Group, Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Exton Consulting, Fairway Technologies Inc, Fairway Technologies LLC, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, First Annapolis International, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Focus Group Europe Limited, Formicary, Formicary Holdings Limited, Formicary Limited, FusionX, FutureMove Automotive, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, Genfour Limited, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gestion Altima Canada Inc., Gevity, Global Public Firm S.L., GlobalView SAS, GoodFilm GmbH Filmproduktion Stuttgart, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Hytracc Consulting UK Limited, Hytracc Holding AS, I-Faber S.p.A., IBB Consulting, IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INCAD, INSITUM, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Imagine Broadband (USA) Ltd, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Industrie&Co, Infoman AG, Infoman Schweiz AG, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Infusion Development Inc., Infusion Development UK Limited, InfusionDev LLC, Innoveer Solutions India Pvt Ltd, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria Brasil LTDA, Insitum Consultoria Colombia SAS, Insitum Consultoria Europa SL, Insitum Consultoria Peru SAC, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., Intrepid, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Advertisement (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inventor Technology Limited, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, Javelin Group (Bulgaria) EOOD, Javelin Group Limited (UK), Javelin Group SASU, K Comms Group Limited, KCS.net AG, KCS.net AG West, KCS.net Deutschland GmbH, KCS.net Holding AG, KCS.net Osterreich GmbH, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Ltd, Kogentix Singapore Pte. Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kunstmaan NV, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon UKI, Kurt Salmon UKI Ltd., Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LabAnswer, LabAnswer Government, LemonXL Limited, Logistics Market Place Limited (UK), Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Corporation, Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte. Ltd., Mackevision UK Ltd, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd., Maihiro, Matter, Matter Llc, Maud Corp Pty Limited, Maxamine International, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing Corporation, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mindtribe Product Engineering LLC, MobGen, MobGen Technology S.L, Moonrise NV, Mortgage Cadence, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, N3 LLC, NBS Marketing Inc., NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile, Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Chile SpA, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda., New Energy Aborda, New Energy Associates Ltd, New Energy Group, New Energy S.r.l., NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage China Ltd., NewsPage Pte Ltd, Nice Agency Limited, Northstream, Northstream AB, Northstream Holding AB, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology LTDA, Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Octo Technology SPRL, Octoman SAS, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Openmind, Openminded, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium Consulting Ltd, Orbium GmbH, Orbium Holding AG, Orbium Inc., Orbium International AG, Orbium International sp. z o.o., Orbium Licences AG, Orbium Limited, Orbium Pte. Ltd., Orbium Pty Ltd, Orbium Services sp. z o.o., Orbium Sarl, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PCO Innovation Canada Inc., PCO Innovation EURL, PIXO PUNCH Limited, PLM Systems S.r.l, POC Holdings, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, Pach Invest SARL, Pach Invest SAS, PacificLink Group, PacificLink iMedia Ltd., Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald Inc., Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Partners Technology Mexico Holdings BV, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production K/S, Perseroan Terbatas. Accenture, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Ltd, Pragsis Technologies S.L, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Ltd, Procurian Germany GmbH, Procurian Inc., Procurian International I LLC, Procurian International II LLC, Procurian LLC, Procurian Singapore Pte. Ltd., Procurian Switzerland GmbH, Procurian USA LLC, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co Ltd, Radiant Services, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Limited, Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (Asia) Pte Ltd, Redcore (India) Private Limited (India), Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Renacentis IT Services, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Rothco, Rothco Holdings Designated Activity Company, Rothco Unlimited Company, S.C. EnergyQuote S.r.l., S3 TV Technology Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SEC Servizi, SEC Servizi S.p.A., SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Sagacious Consultants LLC, Salt Solutions, Sanchez Capital Services Pvt Ltd, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Airline Planning Group, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace Asia (Hong Kong) Limited, Seabury Aviation Consulting LLC, Seabury Cargo Advisory B.V., Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Human Capital LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Seabury Structured Finance LLC, Search Technologies BPO, Search Technologies BPO Inc., Search Technologies GmbH, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LATAM, Search Technologies LATAM S.A., Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Sente Partners LLC, Sentelis, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Shackleton, Shackleton Barcelona S.L., Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton Madrid S.L., Shackleton S.A., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., Silveo, Simian Pty Limited, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Commerce GmbH, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., SinnerSchrader Swipe GmbH, Sistemes Consulting S.L., Solutions IQ, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Storm Digital, Storm Digital B.V., Structure Consulting Group, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Systor AG, TQuila Limited (UK), Tadata Creative Unlimited Company, Tara Insurance DAC, Tara Risk DAC, TargetST8, TargetST8 Consulting LLC, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica Ltd., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Limited, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Total Logistics Supply Chain Consultants Limited, Tquila, Trivadis AG, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Verax Solutions, Verax Solutions Corporation, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong, Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd., Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, Weblinc Pty Ltd, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wire Stone Sarl, Wolox, Workforce Insight, Yesler, Zag, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines, Zenta Global Philippines Inc., Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc., Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, and solid-serVision.com GmbH.Agilent Technologies, Inc. engages in the provision of application focused solutions for life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. It operates through the following segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets; Diagnostics and Genomics; and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers application-focused solutions that include instruments and software that enable to identify, quantify, and analyze the physical and biological properties of substances and products, as well as the clinical and life sciences research areas to interrogate samples at the molecular and cellular level. The Diagnostics and Genomics segment consists of activity providing active pharmaceutical ingredients for oligo-based therapeutics, as well as solutions that include reagents, instruments, software and consumables. The Agilent CrossLab segment includes startup, operational, training and compliance support, software as a service, and asset management and consultative services. The company was founded in May 1999 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of American International Group: AGC Life Insurance Company, AIG APAC HOLDINGS PTE. LTD., AIG Advisors S.r.l., AIG Aerospace Insurance Services Inc., AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd., AIG Asset Management (Europe) Limited, AIG Asset Management (U.S.) LLC, AIG Assurance Company, AIG Australia Limited, AIG Brazil Holding I LLC, AIG CIS Investments LLC, AIG Canada Holdings Inc., AIG Capital Corporation, AIG Capital Services Inc., AIG Claims Inc., AIG Egypt Insurance Company S.A.E., AIG Employee Services Inc., AIG Europe (Services) Limited, AIG Europe Holdings S.a.rl., AIG Europe S.A., AIG Federal Savings Bank, AIG Financial Products Corp., AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd., AIG Global Asset Management Holdings Corp., AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., AIG Global Reinsurance Operations, AIG Holdings Europe Limited, AIG Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, AIG Insurance Company China Limited, AIG Insurance Company JSC, AIG Insurance Company of Canada, AIG Insurance Company-Puerto Rico, AIG Insurance Hong Kong Limited, AIG Insurance Limited, AIG Insurance Management Services Inc., AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited, AIG International Holdings GmbH, AIG Investments UK Limited, AIG Israel Insurance Company Ltd, AIG Japan Holdings Kabushiki Kaisha, AIG Kenya Insurance Company Limited, AIG Korea Inc., AIG Latin America I.I., AIG Latin America Investments S.L., AIG Lebanon SAL, AIG Life Holdings Inc., AIG Life Insurance Company (Switzerland) Ltd, AIG Life Limited, AIG Life South Africa Limited, AIG Life of Bermuda Ltd., AIG MEA Holdings Limited, AIG MEA Limited, AIG Malaysia Insurance Berhad, AIG Markets Inc., AIG Matched Funding Corp., AIG PC Global Services Inc., AIG Philippines Insurance Inc., AIG Property Casualty Company, AIG Property Casualty Inc., AIG Property Casualty International LLC, AIG Property Casualty U.S. Inc., AIG Re-Takaful (L) Berhad, AIG Resseguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., AIG Shared Services Corporation, AIG South Africa Limited, AIG Specialty Insurance Company, AIG Technologies Inc., AIG Travel Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., AIG Travel Assist Inc., AIG Travel Assist Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., AIG Travel EMEA Limited, AIG Travel Inc., AIG Uganda Limited, AIG Vietnam Insurance Company Limited, AIG WarrantyGuard Inc., AIG-FP Pinestead Holdings Corp., AIG-Metropolitana Cia. de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A., AIGGRE EOLA LLC, AIGGRE Europe Real Estate Fund I GP S.a r.l., AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I GP LLC, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I LP, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund II GP LLC, AIU Insurance Company, AM Holdings LLC, Ageas Protect, AlphaCat Managers Ltd., American General Corporation, American General Life Insurance Company, American Home Assurance Co. Ltd., American Home Assurance Company, American Home Assurance Company Escritorio de Representacao no Brasil Ltda., American International Group Inc., American International Group UK Limited, American International Overseas Association, American International Overseas Limited, American International Realty Corp., American International Reinsurance Company Ltd., American International Underwriters del Ecuador-Holding S.A., American Security Life Insurance Company Limited, Arthur J. Glatfelter Agency Inc., Avondhu Limited, Blackboard Customer Care Insurance Services LLC, Blackboard Insurance Company, Blackboard Services LLC, Blackboard Specialty Insurance Company, Blackboard U.S. Holdings Inc., Chartis Takaful Enaya B.S.C. (c), Commerce and Industry Insurance Company, Crop Risk Services Inc., Eaglestone Reinsurance Company, Ellipse, Fortitude Group Holdings LLC, Fortitude Life & Annuity Solutions Inc., Fortitude Reinsurance Company Ltd., Franklin Life Insurance Company, Fuji Fire and Marine, Glatfelter Insurance Group, Globe and Rutgers Insurance Group, Grand Isle SAC Limited, Granite State Insurance Company, Group Risk Services Limited, Group Risk Technologies Limited, Illinois National Insurance Co., Jefferson Eola Venture LLC, Johannesburg Insurance Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, Laya Healthcare Limited, Lexington Insurance Company, MG Reinsurance Limited, Mt. Mansfield Company Inc., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh Pa., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Vermont, New Hampshire Insurance Company, PT AIG Insurance Indonesia, Pine Street Real Estate Holdings Corp., Private Joint-Stock Company AIG Ukraine Insurance Company, Risk Specialists Companies Insurance Agency Inc., SA Affordable Housing LLC, SAFG Retirement Services Inc., Service Net Warranty LLC, Stratford Insurance Company, SunAmerica Affordable Housing Partners Inc., SunAmerica Asset Management LLC, Talbot Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Ltd., Thai CIT Holding Company Limited, The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, Travel Guard, Travel Guard Group Canada Inc./Groupe Garde Voyage du Canada Inc., Travel Guard Group Inc., Tudor Insurance Company, VALIC Financial Advisors Inc., Valic Retirement Services Company, Validus Holdings, Validus Holdings (UK) Ltd., Validus Holdings Ltd., Validus Reinsurance (Switzerland) Ltd, Validus Reinsurance Ltd., Validus Ventures Ltd., Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services Inc., Western World Insurance Company, and Western World Insurance Group Inc..American Water Works Co., Inc. engages in the provision of complementary water and wastewater services. It operates through the following segments: Regulated Businesses; Market-Based Businesses; and Other. The Regulated Businesses segment provides water and wastewater services to customers. The Market-Based Businesses segment is responsible for Military Services Group, Contract Operations Group, Homeowner Services Group, and Keystone Operations. The Other segment includes corporate costs that are not allocated to the Company's operating segments, eliminations of inter-segment transactions, fair value adjustments and associated income and deductions related to the acquisitions that have not been allocated to the operating segments for evaluation of performance and allocation of resource purposes. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Camden, NJ.

Read More(BLADE) A professor at the University of Kentuckys College of Public Health who is credited with bringing millions of dollars in federal research funds to the university for projects he initiated has accused university officials of removing him as a department chair because of his status as a non-binary male who identifies as transgender.

In a nine-page statement provided to the Washington Blade, Richard A. Crosby, an endowed professor with a doctorate degree in health behavior, accuses university officials of fabricating a series of charges against him as an excuse to oust him as chair of the Department of Health Behavior.

In its decision in July 2015 to remove him as department chair while allowing him to retain his position as a tenured professor, the university cited complaints by colleagues that he exhibited volatile and explosive behavior and that junior faculty members working under him were terrified of his behavior.

University officials also said Crosby demeaned a female colleagues promotion claiming it was not based on her merit but instead because she is a woman, genitalia.

Crosby vehemently disputes those allegations, saying they were all lies attributed to people that the university has refused to identify.

His allegations of anti-transgender discrimination follow a two-and-a-half-year legal battle he waged against the university in a lawsuit alleging a denial of his constitutional due process rights in his dismissal as department chair. But the lawsuit made no mention of allegations of transgender related discrimination.

Crosbys decision to contact the Washington Blade last month about the transgender allegations surprised university officials, who strongly deny his dismissal as chair was based on discrimination. In court filings in response to Crosbys lawsuit university officials said the dismissal of him as department chair was based solely on his alleged improper behavior toward colleagues.

In several court briefs, the universitys attorney asserted that under a longstanding policy all department chairs serve at will and can be removed for any reason as part of an administrative action thats not protected by the normal due process procedures that come into play for firing someone from the position of a tenured professor.

Dr. Crosbys tenure was not in question nor was it impacted, said University of Kentucky spokesperson Jonathan Blanton. This was solely about  and has always been solely about  his position as department chair, Blanton said.

Blanton points to the universitys strongly worded nondiscrimination policy that includes protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Blanton also points out that the university in recent years opened an Office of LGBTQ Resources with a full-time director.

Crosby acknowledges the university has adopted LGBT supportive policies but says those policies mostly were put in place after he filed his lawsuit.

This is one university professors account of how a large Southern university (the University of Kentucky) clandestinely removed me as department chair, and simultaneously initiated extreme fabrications designed to remove tenure from me as an endowed full professor, Crosby says in his statement to the Blade.

To be clear, it is now evident that two reasons for this were operating: 1) my research agenda is highly focused on HIV prevention for black gay malesand 2) I am a non-binary white male, which greatly threatens the cisgender white male culture of privilege at this very conservative university, Crosby says in his statement.

This hatred of my research and gender expression prompted actions to remove me despite being a strong breadwinner for the university, he said, pointing to many federal research grants he obtained on behalf of the university for his research on black gay men and AIDS prevention efforts.

Crosby said some of his more recent research has focused on transgender women of color in the context of condom use for any sex to avert HIV infections.

Although he identifies as non-binary and transgender Crosby told the Blade that he prefers to be addressed by the pronouns he and him.

U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Hood of the Eastern District of Kentucky dismissed Crosbys lawsuit on Sept. 30, 2016, just over one year after court records show Crosby first filed the lawsuit on Sept. 16, 2015.

In a 22-page opinion Hood ruled that the universitys policy of treating department chairs as at will administrative positions was not in violation of constitutional protections as argued by Crosby. Hood held that the university and its top officials had full legal authority to dismiss Crosby as department chair without offering a hearing for him to contest the dismissal as long as the university did not attempt to remove him as a tenured professor.

Crosby appealed the dismissal to the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which upheld the lower courts ruling in a 2-1 decision in July 2017. He appealed that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in turn declined to hear the case and by so doing upheld the appeals court ruling against Crosby.

Crosby told the Blade that although he always believed the underlying motive to remove him as department chair was a bias against his gender identity he chose not to make those allegations in his lawsuit at the advice of his attorney.

He also points out that while the lawsuit makes no mention of gender identity discrimination it points out that up until the time university officials first accused him of improper behavior toward colleagues at the department in June 2015, no complaint against him had ever been lodged since he was first hired as a professor at the University of Kentucky in March 2004 and promoted to the position of chair of the Department of Health Behavior in 2006.

The lawsuit also notes that up until the time of the June 2015 accusations against him, he had received the highest possible performance ratings during every rating period from the time he was first hired as a professor in 2004.

According to Crosby and two former colleagues at the university who are supportive of him, the accusations against him by unnamed colleagues in June of 2015 took place about six months after he began to transition into what he now says is his identity as a non-binary male and transgender person.

Among other things, his appearance took on characteristics of a female in dress and hairstyle, Crosby said. Its for that reason, he now says, that he believes the motive behind the accusations was a bias against his gender identity.

Senior university administrators were unaware of any change in Professor Crosbys dress. Period, said university spokesperson Blanton in a written statement. Our board and President have repeatedly made it clear that the university does not discriminate on the basis of gender identity. Period, he said.

Richard Clayton, Emeritus Professor at the University of Kentucky whos now retired, told the Blade that he hired Crosby as a professor and later named him chair of the Department of Health Behavior. He said the entire time he has known Crosby and observed his work as professor and department chair up until the time Clayton retired in 2013 he had never observed Crosby exhibit the type of inappropriate behavior he was accused of engaging in.

Tom Collins, an adjunct professor at the Department of Health Behavior who serves a coordinator of Crosbys research project, said he, too, has never observed alleged improper behavior university officials claim Crosby engaged in during the many years that Collins says he has worked for Crosby.

None of the things he is accused of doing are characteristic of what I observed of him, Collins told the Blade.

However, both Collins and Clayton said they also never observed others who had dealings with Crosby appear to treat him in a negative or disparaging way based on Crosbys gender identity. The two said they were aware that some of Crosbys colleagues asked question about his change in appearance when he began transitioning his gender identity in 2014.

But I dont feel those questions were asked out of malice, said Collins.

Although they say they dont have definitive proof, Collins and Clayton said they believe at least one motive for the accusations made against Crosby related to his alleged improper behavior that led to his dismissal as department chair was resentment and fear of the high work related standards Crosby put in place when he became department chair.

I hired him because he was an outstanding researcher and he won numerous teaching awards, Clayton said. I think part of the problem that these junior faculty members may have had  he expected them to perform and to meet the criteria for promotion, which includes getting grants and publishing articles in peer reviewed literature and being good teachers, said Clayton.

He had high expectations and those expectations were spelled out, Clayton said. And if you are not performing well on those expectations you should not expect to get a good evaluation.

Thus Clayton and Collins speculated that disgruntled faculty members working under Crosby at the department might have concocted a plan to exaggerate their grievances against him as a means of having him ousted as department chair.

Crosby, meanwhile, says he remains convinced that the motive behind his ouster as department chair was bias against him for his gender identity and bias against his research projects that focused on gay sex and HIV prevention and trans women of color.

Although the safe road would be to remain silent, I have an obligation to any professional colleagues through the U.S. to break this silence in service of protecting the rights and privileges of the academy and upholding LGBT rights for professors, he said in his statement to the Blade.

University spokesperson Blanton says the university remains firm in its assertion that its action against Crosby had nothing to do with his gender identity.

Dr. Crosby was removed as chair by his Dean for his behavior following a number of complaints from his colleagues that resulted in an extensive investigation by our Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity  nothing more; nothing less, he told the Blade in a statement.

Dr. Crosby brought a legal challenge to the Universitys decision to remove him, Blanton said At no time in his legal challenge did he reference, suggest or make any argument about his gender identity, he said. It is unfortunate that in the face of multiple courts rejecting his specious claims that he now seeks to use important identity categories  like gender identity and expression  in this way.Belmond Ltd. engages in the hotel and travel businesses. As of December 31, 2017, the company owned, invested in, or managed 36 deluxe hotels and resort properties in the United States, Mexico, The Caribbean, Europe, Southern Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia; 1 stand-alone restaurant in New York; 7 tourist trains in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Peru; 1 river cruise in Myanmar; and 1 canal boat business in France. Its portfolio of hotels includes 3,203 individual guest rooms and multiple-room suites. The company was formerly known as Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. and changed its name to Belmond Ltd. in June 2014. Belmond Ltd. was founded in 1971 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Read MoreToyota Motor Corp. engages in the manufacture and sale of motor vehicles and parts. It operates through the following segments: Automotive, Financial Services, and All Other. The Automotive segment designs, manufactures, assembles and sells passenger cars, minivans, trucks, and related vehicle parts and accessories. It is also involved in the development of intelligent transport systems. The Financial Services segment offers purchase or lease financing to Toyota vehicle dealers and customers. It also provides retail leasing through lease contracts purchase by dealers. The All Others segment deals with the design and manufacture and sale of housing, telecommunications and other businesses. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda on August 28, 1937 and is headquartered in Toyota, Japan.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of PPG Industries: AIPCF V Texstars Blocker Inc., AkzoNobel, Alermac Inversiones S.A. de C.V., Alpha Coating Technologies LLC, Alpha Coatings Inc., Broad Range Development Limited, Brown Brothers Distribution Limited, CG Holdings Manufacturing Co., Centro de Investigacion en Polimeros S.A. de C.V., Chemfil Canada Limited, Chorlton Trade Paints Limited, Comercial Mexicana de Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Comex, Comex Industrial Coatings S.A. de C.V., Consorcio Comex S.A. de C.V., Cristacol S.A., Cuming Microwave Corporation, Deutek SA, Dexmet Corporation, Dexmet Holding Corporation, Distribuidora Kroma S.A. de C.V., EPIC Insurance Co. Ltd., Eberle Design Inc., Empresa Aga S.A. de C.V., Ennis Canadian Holding Company, Ennis Flint Soluciones Seguras Para Trafico, Ennis Highway Traffic Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Ennis Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Ennis Paint Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Ennis Paint Boya Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Ennis Paint Canada ULC, Ennis Paint Germany GmbH, Ennis Paint Netherlands Holdings LLC, Ennis Paint U.K. Holding Company Limited, Ennis Prismo Italio S.r.l., Ennis Traffic Safety Solutions Pty Ltd, Ennis  Flint Mexico, Ennis  Flint New Zealand, Ennis  Flint New Zealand Holding Pty Ltd, Ennis-Flint, Ennis-Flint Africa (Pty) Ltd, Ennis-Flint Inc., Foshan Bairun Chemicals Co. Ltd., Fpu Industrial S.A. de C.V., Grupo Comex S.A. de C.V., Hemmelrath Automotive Coatings (Jilin) Co. Ltd., Hodij Coatings B.V., Homax Products, Industria Chimica Reggiana I.C.R. SPA, Johnstones Paints Limited, Kalon Investment Company Limited, Kalon South Africa Proprietary Limited, Manchester Thermoplastics LLC, Masterwork Paint, MetoKote Canada Limited, MetoKote Corporation, MetoKote Mexico Holding Inc., MetoKote UK Limited, MetoKote de Mexico S. de RL de CV, PPG AC - France SA, PPG ALESCO Automotive Finishes Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PPG AP Resinas S.A. de C.V., PPG Aerospace Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Architectural Coatings (Puerto Rico) Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Canada Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Ireland Limited, PPG Architectural Coatings Italy S.r.l., PPG Architectural Coatings UK Limited, PPG Architectural Finishes Inc., PPG Asian Paints Private Ltd., PPG COATINGS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD., PPG Canada Inc., PPG Cieszyn S.A., PPG Coatings (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, PPG Coatings (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., PPG Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Thailand) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Wuhu) Company Ltd., PPG Coatings (Zhangjiagang) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings B.V., PPG Coatings Belgium BV, PPG Coatings Danmark A/S, PPG Coatings Deutschland GmbH, PPG Coatings Europe B.V., PPG Coatings Manufacturing SARL, PPG Coatings Nederland BV, PPG Coatings S.A., PPG Coatings South Africa (Pty) Ltd., PPG DYRUP S.A., PPG Deco Czech a.s., PPG Deco Polska sp. z.o.o., PPG Deco Slovakia s.r.o., PPG Deutschland Business Support GmbH, PPG Deutschland Sales & Services GmbH, PPG Distribution S.A.S., PPG Europe B.V., PPG Finance B.V., PPG France Business Support S.A.S., PPG France Manufacturing S.A.S., PPG Guadeloupe SAS, PPG Hellas S.A., PPG Hemmelrath Coatings Inc., PPG Hemmelrath Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Holdco SAS, PPG Holdings (U.K.) Limited, PPG Holdings Argentina USA LLC, PPG Holdings Latin America USA LLC, PPG Iberica S.A., PPG Iberica Sales & Services S.L., PPG Industrial Coatings B.V., PPG Industrial do Brasil - Tintas E. Vernizes - Ltda., PPG Industries (Korea) Ltd., PPG Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PPG Industries (UK) Ltd, PPG Industries Argentina S.R.L., PPG Industries Australia PTY Limited A.C.N. 055 500 939, PPG Industries Colombia Ltda., PPG Industries Czech Republic s.r.o., PPG Industries Delfzijl B.V., PPG Industries Europe Sarl, PPG Industries France S.A.S., PPG Industries International Inc., PPG Industries Italia S.r.l., PPG Industries Kimya a Sanayi VE Ticaret AS, PPG Industries LLC, PPG Industries Lipetsk LLC, PPG Industries Middle East FZE, PPG Industries Netherlands B.V., PPG Industries New Zealand Limited, PPG Industries Ohio Inc., PPG Industries Poland Sp. Z.o.o., PPG Industries Securities LLC, PPG Industries de Mexico S.A. de C.V., PPG Italia Business Support S.r.l., PPG Italia Sales & Services S.r.l., PPG Japan Ltd., PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes Canada LP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.K. LLP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.S. LLC, PPG Luxembourg Finance S.aR.L., PPG Luxembourg Holdings S.aR.L., PPG Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Mexico S.A. de C.V., PPG Packaging Coatings (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Paints Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Performance Coatings (Hong Kong) Limited, PPG Powder Coatings (Shanghai) Limited, PPG Romania S.A., PPG SSC Co. Ltd., PPG Switzerland GmbH, PPG Trilak Kft., PPG Vietnam Co. Ltd., PRC-DeSoto Australia Pty Ltd., PRC-DeSoto International Inc., PT. PPG Coatings Indonesia, Painter's Supply, Paintzen, Peintures de Paris SAS, Plasticos Envolventes S.A. de C.V., Polymeric Systems Inc., Prismo Road Markings Limited, ProCoatings B.V., ProCoatings BV, Protec Pty Ltd. A.C.N. 007 857 392, Reno A&E LLC, Revocoat France SAS, Revocoat Holding SAS, Revocoat Iberica SLU, Revocoat S.A.S, Road Infrastructure Investment Holdings Inc., SEM Products Inc., Sealants Europe SAS, Sierracin Corporation, Sierracin/Sylmar Corporation, Sigma Marine & Protective Coatings Holding B.V., SigmaKalon (BC) UK Limited, SigmaKalon Group, SigmaKalon Middle East B.V., Sikar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Spraylat International Ltd, Texstars LLC, The Crown Group Co., The Crown Group Inc, The Homax Group, Tikkurila Group, Traffic Safety Intermediate LLC, Traffic Safety Parent LLC, United International Business NV, Vanex Inc., Vernisol S.p.A., Versaflex, Viasa S.A. de C.V., Whitford, Whitford B.V., Whitford Corporation, Whitford Jiangmen Ltd., Whitford Ltd. (HK), Whitford Ltd. (UK), Whitford Pte. Ltd., Whitford S.r.l., Whitford Worldwide Company LLC, Worwag Coatings, and Zaganite Industries Pty Ltd.The following companies are subsidiares of Valero Energy: AIR BP-PBF DEL PERU SAC, BELFAST STORAGE LTD, CANADIAN ULTRAMAR COMPANY, COLONNADE TEXAS INSURANCE COMPANY LLC, COLONNADE VERMONT INSURANCE COMPANY, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY LLC, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OF CANADA INC., DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL HOLDINGS LLC, DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL LLC, DIAMOND K RANCH LLC, DIAMOND OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., DIAMOND SHAMROCK REFINING COMPANY L.P., DIAMOND UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., DSRM NATIONAL BANK, ENTERPRISE CLAIMS MANAGEMENT INC., GCP LOGISTICS COMPANY LLC, GOLDEN EAGLE ASSURANCE LIMITED, HAMMOND MAINLINE PIPELINE LLC, HUNTWAY REFINING COMPANY, MAINLINE PIPELINES LIMITED, MAPLE ETHANOL LTD., MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT GP LLC, MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT L.P., MRP PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, NECHES RIVER HOLDING CORP., NORCO METHANOL LLC, OCEANIC TANKERS AGENCY LIMITED, PARKWAY PIPELINE LLC, PENTA TANKS TERMINALS S.A., PI DOCK FACILITIES LLC, PICKARD PLACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, PORT ARTHUR COKER COMPANY L.P., PREMCOR USA INC., PROPERTY RESTORATION L.P., PURE BIOFUELS DEL PERU S.A.C., PURE BIOFUELS HOLDINGS L.P., Parkway Pipeline, Premcor, Pure Biofuels Del Peru, SABINE RIVER HOLDING CORP., SABINE RIVER LLC, SAINT BERNARD PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, SUNBELT REFINING COMPANY L.P., THE PREMCOR PIPELINE CO., THE PREMCOR REFINING GROUP INC., THE SHAMROCK PIPE LINE CORPORATION, TRANSPORT MARITIME ST. LAURENT INC., ULTRAMAR ACCEPTANCE INC., ULTRAMAR ENERGY INC., ULTRAMAR INC., Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, V-TEX LOGISTICS LLC, VALERO (BARBADOS) SRL, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS GP LLC, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS LIMITED, VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ARUBA ACQUISITION COMPANY I LTD., VALERO ARUBA FINANCE INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA HOLDING COMPANY N.V., VALERO ARUBA HOLDINGS INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA MAINTENANCE/OPERATIONS COMPANY N.V., VALERO BROWNSVILLE TERMINAL LLC, VALERO CANADA FINANCE INC., VALERO CANADA L.P., VALERO CAPITAL CORPORATION, VALERO CARIBBEAN SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO COKER CORPORATION ARUBA N.V., VALERO CUSTOMS & TRADE SERVICES INC., VALERO EAST BAY LLC, VALERO ENERGY (IRELAND) LIMITED, VALERO ENERGY ARUBA II COMPANY, VALERO ENERGY INC., VALERO ENERGY LTD, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS LP, VALERO ENERGY UK LTD, VALERO ENTERPRISES INC., VALERO EQUITY SERVICES LTD, VALERO FINANCE L.P. I, VALERO FINANCE L.P. II, VALERO FINANCE L.P. III, VALERO FOREST CONTRIBUTION LLC, VALERO GRAIN MARKETING LLC, VALERO H2 PIPELINE COMPANY LLC, VALERO HOLDCO UK LTD, VALERO HOLDINGS INC., VALERO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC., VALERO LIVE OAK LLC, VALERO LOGISTICS UK LTD, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY (PANAMA) LLC, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY COMPANY, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPY INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO MARKETING IRELAND LIMITED, VALERO MKS LOGISTICS L.L.C., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEW AMSTERDAM B.V., VALERO OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONS SUPPORT LTD, VALERO PARTNERS CCTS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS EAST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS WEST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS EP LLC, VALERO PARTNERS HOUSTON LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LOUISIANA LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LUCAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MCKEE LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MERAUX LLC, VALERO PARTNERS NORTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS OPERATING CO. LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PAPS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PORT ARTHUR LLC, VALERO PARTNERS SOUTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS TEXAS CITY LLC, VALERO PARTNERS THREE RIVERS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WYNNEWOOD LLC, VALERO PAYMENT SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE LLC, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE OIL TERMINAL LTD, VALERO PLAINS COMPANY LLC, VALERO POWER MARKETING LLC, VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL PARTNERS LLC, VALERO REFINING AND MARKETING COMPANY, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-ARUBA N.V., VALERO REFINING COMPANY-CALIFORNIA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-OKLAHOMA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-TENNESSEE L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-MERAUX LLC, VALERO REFINING-NEW ORLEANS L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-TEXAS L.P., VALERO RENEWABLE FUELS COMPANY LLC, VALERO SECURITY SYSTEMS INC., VALERO SERVICES INC., VALERO SKELLYTOWN PIPELINE LLC, VALERO TEJAS COMPANY LLC, VALERO TERMINAL HOLDCO LTD, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO TEXAS POWER MARKETING INC., VALERO ULTRAMAR HOLDINGS INC., VALERO UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., VALERO WEST WALES LLC, VRG PROPERTIES COMPANY, VTD PROPERTIES COMPANY, WARSHALL COMPANY LLC, and ZELIG COMMERCIAL INC..Invesco Fundamental High Yield Corporate Bond ETF's stock was trading at $17.87 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, PHB shares have increased by 8.1% and is now trading at $19.32.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.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.The following companies are subsidiares of Crane: "CPI-Kiev" LLC, ARDAC Inc., AeroHose, Alfa Laval - The Industrial Flow Group, Armature d.o.o., Automatic Products (UK) Ltd., Automatic Products international - Assets, B. Rhodes & Son Ltd., Barksdale GmbH, Barksdale Inc., CA-MC Acquisition UK Ltd., CR Holdings C.V., CashCode Co - Assets, Coin Controls International Ltd., Coin Holdings Ltd., Coin Industries Ltd., Coin Overseas Holdings Ltd., Coin Pension Trustees Ltd., Conlux Matsumoto Co. Ltd., Consolidated Lumber Co, Corva Corp, Crane (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., Crane Aerospace Inc., Crane Australia Pty. Ltd., Crane Canada Co., Crane Composites Inc., Crane Composites Ltd., Crane Controls Inc., Crane Currency, Crane Electronics Corporation, Crane Electronics Inc., Crane Environmental Inc., Crane European Financing LLC, Crane Fengqiu Zhejiang Pump Co. Ltd., Crane Fluid & Gas Systems (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Crane Global Holdings S.L., Crane GmbH, Crane Holdings (Germany) GmbH, Crane International Capital S.a.r.l., Crane International Holdings Inc., Crane International Trading (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Crane Ireland Ventures Designated Activity Company, Crane Ltd., Crane Merchandising Systems Inc., Crane Merchandising Systems Ltd., Crane Merger Co. LLC, Crane Middle East & Africa FZE, Crane Ningjin Valve Co. Ltd., Crane North America Funding LLC, Crane Nuclear Inc., Crane Overseas LLC, Crane Payment Innovations GmbH, Crane Payment Innovations Inc., Crane Payment Innovations International Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Pty Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Sarl, Crane Payment Innovations Srl, Crane Pension Trustee Company (UK) Limited, Crane Process Flow Technologies (India) Pvt. Ltd., Crane Process Flow Technologies GmbH, Crane Process Flow Technologies Ltd., Crane Process Flow Technologies S.P.R.L., Crane Process Flow Technologies S.r.l., Crane Pumps and Systems Inc., Crane Resistoflex GmbH, Crane SC Holdings Ltd., Crane Stockham Valve. Ltd., Crane Yongxiang (Ningbo) Valve Company Ltd., Croning Livarna d.o.o., Cummis-Allison Corp, Delta Fluid Products, Delta Fluid Products Ltd., Dixie Narco, Donald Brown (Brownall) Ltd., ELDEC Corporation, ELDEC Electronics Ltd., ELDEC France S.A.R.L, Edlon - PSI division, Environmental Products USA, Etex Group - Business, Flow Technology Inc., Friedrich Krombach GmbH Armaturenwerke, General Technology Corp., Hattersley Newman Hender - Assets, Hattersly Newman Hender Ltd., Hydro-Aire Inc., Inta-Lok Ltd., Interpoint S.A.R.L., Interpoint U.K. Limited, Kessel (Thailand) Pte. Ltd., Kontron America - Mobile Rugged Business, Laminated Profiles - Assets, Lasco Composites, Liberty Technologies, MCC Holdings Inc., MEI Australia LLC, MEI Auto Payment System (Shanghai) Ltd., MEI Conlux, MEI Conlux Holdings (Japan) Inc., MEI Conlux Holdings (US) Inc., MEI Payment Systems Hong Kong Ltd., MEI Queretaro S. de R.L. de CV, MEI de Mexico LLC, MOVATS - Nuclear Valve Division, Merrimac Industries, Merrimac Industries Inc., Mondais Holdings B.V., Money Controls, Money Controls Argentina SA, Money Controls Holdings Ltd., Multi-Mix Microtechnology SRL, NABIC Valve Safety Products Ltd., Nippon Conlux Co. Ltd., Noble Composites, Noble Composites Inc., Number One Supply, Owens Corning - FRP Panel Business, P.L. Porter, P.T. Crane Indonesia, Pegler Hattersly Ltd., Resistoflex, Sequentia Holdings, Signal Technology, Sperryn & Company Ltd., Stentorfield, Streamware, Telequip, Terminal Manufacturing Co., The Dow Chemical - Plastic-Lined Piping Products division, The Krombach Group, Triangle Valve Co. Ltd., Unidynamics / Phoenix Inc., Ventech Controls, Viking Johnson Ltd., W.T. Armatur GmbH, Wade Couplings Ltd., Wask Ltd., Westlock Controls, Xomox, Xomox Chihuahua S.A. de C.V., Xomox Corporation, Xomox Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Xomox France S.A.S., Xomox Hungary Kft., Xomox International GmbH & Co. OHG, Xomox Japan Ltd., Xomox Korea Ltd., Xomox Sanmar Ltd., and Yilme Holdings B.V..There is not enough analysis data for Dividend 15 Split Corp. II.

5.0 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Dividend 15 Split Corp. II has received 4 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes Dividend 15 Split Corp. II has received 1 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

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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NextGuess?, Inc. engages in designing, marketing, distributing and licensing of contemporary apparel and accessories for men, women and children that reflect the American lifestyle and European fashion sensibilities. It operates through the following segments: Americas Retail, Americas Wholesale, Europe, Asia, and Licensing. The Americas Retail segment includes the Company's retail and e-Commerce operations in North and Central America and its retail operations in South America. The Americas Wholesale segment consists of the Company's wholesale operations in the Americas. The Europe segment comprises the Company's retail, e-commerce and wholesale operations in Europe and the Middle East. The Asia segment refers to the Company's retail, e-commerce and wholesale operations in Asia and the Pacific. The Licensing segment includes the worldwide licensing operations of the Company. The company was founded by Paul Marciano and Maurice Marciano in 1981 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

Read More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 General Dynamics: 42SIX LLC, ARMA Global Corporation, Advanced Technical Products, Aeromil (Australia) Pty Ltd, Aeromil Aircraft Engineering Pty Ltd, Aeromil Aviation Services Pty Ltd, Aeromil IT Services Pty Ltd, Aeromil Marine Pty Ltd, Aeromil Pacific Pty Ltd, American Overseas Marine Company LLC, Anteon International Corporation, Applied Physical Sciences, Applied Physical Sciences Corp., Ascend Intelligence, Australian Avionics Pty Ltd, Autonomic Resources LLC, Avion Logistics Limited, Avjet Corporation, AxleTech International, Axsys, BATH IRON WORKS CORPORATION, BP-HP Pte Limited, Bath Iron Works, Bath Iron Works Australia Corporation, Bath Iron Works Canada LLC, Bluefin Robotics Corporation, Blueprint Technologies Inc., Braintree I Maritime Corp., Braintree II Maritime Corp., Braintree III Maritime Corp., Braintree IV Maritime Corp., Braintree V Maritime Corp., Buccaneer Computer Systems & Service Inc., CSC Computer Sciences Venezuela S.A., CSRA, CSRA (Costa Rica) S.A., CSRA (Guyana) Inc., CSRA (Middle East) LLC, CSRA Argentina S.R.L., CSRA BH d.o.o., CSRA Bahamas Limited, CSRA Bahrain S.P.C., CSRA Belgium SPRL, CSRA Bolivia S.R.L., CSRA Brazil Servicos de Tecnologia Ltda., CSRA Canada Inc., CSRA Caribbean Inc., CSRA Chile SpA, CSRA Colombia SAS, CSRA Commerce 2010 LLC, CSRA Consular Services Holding Company LLC, CSRA Consular Services Inc., CSRA France SARL, CSRA Guatemala Solutions Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Honduras Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Inc., CSRA Information Systems LLC, CSRA Information Technology Spain SL, CSRA Ireland Limited, CSRA Italy S.R.L, CSRA Kosovo L.L.C., CSRA LATAM LLC, CSRA LLC, CSRA Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., CSRA Netherlands B.V., CSRA Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Panama Inc., CSRA Peru S.R.L., CSRA Senegal SARL, CSRA South Africa (Pty) Ltd, CSRA State and Local Solutions LLC, CSRA Systems & Solutions LLC, CSRA Trinidad & Tobago Limited, CSRA Turkey Bilisim Teknolojileri Limited Sirketi, CSRA Uruguay S.R.L, CSRA Visa Services Israel Ltd., CSRAIT - Information Services Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Centauri Solutions LLC, Command System, Computing Devices International, Concord I Maritime Corporation, Concord II Maritime Corporation, Concord III Maritime Corporation, Concord IV Maritime Corporation, Concord V Maritime Corporation, Convair Aircraft Corporation, Convair Corporation, Creative Technology, Customer Services Ecuador CSRA S.A., Devcor, Diamond Fortress Technologies, DynPort Vaccine Company LLC, EB Groton Engineering Inc., EBV Explosives Environmental, ELCS-CZ s.r.o., Eagle Enterprise Inc., Earl Industries - Ship Repair and Coatings Division, Ebv Explosives Environmental Company, Electric Boat - Australia LLC, Electric Boat - UK LLC, Electric Boat Canada LLC, Electric Boat Corporation, Electric Boat France LLC, Electrocom Inc., Engineering Technology, Expro Finance Inc., FBD Fahrzeug und Bremsendienst GmbH, FC Business Systems, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Force Protection, Force Protection Europe Limited, Force Protection Inc., ForeSight Technology Services LLC, Freeman United Coal Mining Company LLC, GD Brazil Holdings LLC, GD European Land Systems - Steyr GmbH, GD European Land Systems Holding GmbH, GDOTS Services Corporation, GM GDLS Defense Group L.L.C., GPS Source Inc., GTE Government Systems, GWA-Datatrac FAST LLC, Galaxy Aerospace Company, Gayston Corporation - Defense Operations, General Dynamics - OTS (Global) Inc., General Dynamics AIS Australia Pty Ltd, General Dynamics Canadian Finance Inc., General Dynamics Canadian Holdings Inc., General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services LLC, General Dynamics European Finance Limited, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Austria GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Bridge Systems GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Czech s.r.o., General Dynamics European Land Systems - Denmark ApS, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Deutschland GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - FWW GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Mowag GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems Romania S.R.L., General Dynamics European Land Systems S.L., General Dynamics Global Force LLC, General Dynamics Global Holdings Limited, General Dynamics Global Imaging Technologies Inc., General Dynamics Government Satellite Services LLC, General Dynamics Government Systems Corporation, General Dynamics Government Systems Overseas Corporation, General Dynamics Information Technology Canada Limited, General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., General Dynamics Information Technology Limited, General Dynamics Installation Services LLC, General Dynamics International Corporation, General Dynamics Itronix LLC, General Dynamics Land Systems - Australia Pty. Ltd., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada Corporation, General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada Services Inc., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canadian Services Limited, General Dynamics Land Systems - Force Protection Inc., General Dynamics Land Systems Customer Service & Support Company, General Dynamics Land Systems Inc., General Dynamics Limited, General Dynamics Marine Systems Inc., General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., General Dynamics Mission Systems International Limited, General Dynamics Mission Systems Overseas Company LLC, General Dynamics Motion Control LLC, General Dynamics OTS (Aerospace) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (California) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (DRI) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (Niceville) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (Pennsylvania) Inc., General Dynamics One Source LLC, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Canada Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Canada Valleyfield Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Simunition Operations Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc., General Dynamics Overseas Systems and Services Corporation, General Dynamics Properties Inc., General Dynamics Robotic Systems Inc., General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies Inc., General Dynamics Satcom Technologies Asia Private Limited, General Dynamics Satellite Communication Services LLC, General Dynamics Saudi Holdings S.L., General Dynamics Shared Resources LLC, General Dynamics Support Services Company, General Dynamics Swiss Financial Management Limited, General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited, General Dynamics Worldwide Holdings Inc., General Dynamics-OTS Inc., General Motors Defense, Gulfstream 100 Holdings LLC, Gulfstream Aerospace, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (CA), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (DE), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GA), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (OK), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation of Texas, Gulfstream Aerospace Hong Kong Limited, Gulfstream Aerospace LLC, Gulfstream Aerospace LP, Gulfstream Aerospace Ltd., Gulfstream Aerospace Services Corporation, Gulfstream Aerospace Sociedad de Responssabilidad Limitada de CapitalVariable (S. de R.L. de C.V.), Gulfstream Do Brasil Servicos De Suporte E Manutencao A Aeronaves Ltda., Gulfstream International Corporation, Gulfstream Leasing LLC, Gulfstream Product Support Corporation, Gulfstream Services Corporation, Gulfstream Tennessee Corporation, Gulfstream-California Inc., Hawker Pacific (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Hawker Pacific Aircraft Management Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Airservices Limited, Hawker Pacific Airservices Pvt Ltd, Hawker Pacific Asia Holdings Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Asia Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Australia Pty Ltd, Hawker Pacific Aviation Services Pty Ltd, Hawker Pacific NZ Limited, Hawker Pacific Pty Ltd, IPWireless, IPWireless PTE. Limited, Information Services Consulting Limited, Interiores Aereos S.A. de C.V., International Manufacturing Technologies Inc., Itronix, Janteq Australia PTY Limited, Janteq Corp., Jet Aviation, Jet Aviation (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., Jet Aviation (Bermuda) Ltd., Jet Aviation (Hong Kong) Ltd., Jet Aviation (Malaysia) SDN BHD, Jet Aviation 125 Services LLC, Jet Aviation AG, Jet Aviation Brazil Holdings Inc., Jet Aviation Business Jets (Hong Kong) Limited, Jet Aviation Business Jets AG, Jet Aviation Business Jets FZCO, Jet Aviation California LLC, Jet Aviation Dulles LLC, Jet Aviation Flight Services Inc., Jet Aviation France SAS, Jet Aviation Holding GmbH, Jet Aviation Holdings USA Inc., Jet Aviation Houston Inc., Jet Aviation International Inc., Jet Aviation Malaga SA, Jet Aviation Management AG, Jet Aviation Netherlands B.V., Jet Aviation Savannah Holding LLC, Jet Aviation Services GmbH, Jet Aviation St. Louis Inc., Jet Aviation Teterboro LP, Jet Aviation Texas Inc., Jet Aviation of America Inc., Jet Aviation/Palm Beach Inc., Jet Professionals LLC, Kylmar, Longreach Energy LLC, MAYA Viz, Maricom Systems Incorporated, Material Service Resources Company LLC, Matthews Land Company, Mediaware International, Mediaware International Pty Ltd, Metro Machine, Metro Machine co, Midwest Properties Sales LLC, NASSCO, NASSCO Holdings Incorporated, NES Associates LLC, National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, Network Connectivity Solutions Corp., Newberry Holdings LLC, OOO Jet Aviation Vnukovo, Open Kernel Labs, Page Europa Srl, Patriot I Shipping Corp., Patriot II Shipping Corp., Patriot IV Shipping Corp., Plane 79 LLC, Praxis Engineering Technologies LLC, PrimeX Technologies, Prodelin India Private Limited, Proyectos Prohumane Mexico S.A. de C.V., Quincy Maritime Corporation III, Raven Acquisitions LLC, SENTECH INC., SRA International Inc., Saco Defense, Santa Barbara Sistemas S.A., Savannah Air Center LLC, Signal Solutions LLC, Southern Illinois Recovery Inc., Spectrum Astro, St. Marks Powder Inc., Stabilo Pty Ltd, Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug AG & Co KG, Sydney Jet Charter Pty Ltd, Tadpole Computer, Tecnologias Internacionales de Manufactura S.A. de C.V., Tenacity Solutions Incorporated, The Depth of Ideas for General Trading LLC, TriPoint Global Communications, Vangent, Vangent Servicios de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Veridian, Vertex Antennentechnik GmbH, ViPS, Vulnerability Research Labs LLC, and Weco LLC.Fortis Inc. operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 433,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 98,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,233 megawatts (MW), including 59 MW of solar capacity. The company also sells wholesale electricity to other entities in the western United States; owns gas-fired and hydroelectric generating capacity totaling 65 MW; and distributes natural gas to approximately 1,048,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, it owns and operates the electricity distribution system that serves approximately 572,000 customers in southern and central Alberta; owns 4 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 225 MW; and provides operation, maintenance, and management services to five hydroelectric generating facilities. Further, the company distributes electricity in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador with an installed generating capacity of 143 MW; and on Prince Edward Island with a generating capacity of 130 MW. Additionally, it provides integrated electric utility service to approximately 67,000 customers in Ontario; approximately 270,000 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador; approximately 31,000 customers on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and approximately 15,000 customers on certain islands in Turks and Caicos. The company also holds long-term contracted generation assets in Belize consisting of 3 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 51 MW; and the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility. It also owns and operates approximately 91,000 circuit Kilometers (km) of distribution lines; and approximately 49,500 km of natural gas pipelines. Fortis Inc. was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. John's, Canada.

Read MoreGTT Communications, Inc. provides cloud networking services to multinational enterprises, carriers, and government customers in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers wide area networking, such as software-defined wide area networking, multiprotocol label switching, and virtual private LAN service; high bandwidth-Internet connectivity and IP transit, as well as broadband and wireless Internet access services; managed equipment and security services; and unified communication services consisting of session initiation protocol trunking, cloud unified communication service, and traditional analog voice. It also provides transport services, such as Ethernet services that enable to design network equipment; and video transport services to support broadcast quality transmission of live events, sports entertainment, and news to media and entertainment industry. In addition, the company offers infrastructure services enabling transport of high volume data between data centers, enterprise office locations, and media hubs; wavelength services to deliver scalable high-performance optical connectivity; colocation, turnkey, duct, and dark fiber services; advanced solutions, including security, hybrid cloud, database, and application management Its IP network consists of approximately 600 points of presence. GTT Communications, Inc. markets its products and services through a network of direct sales force and indirect sales channels. The company was formerly known as Global Telecom & Technology, Inc. and changed its name to GTT Communications, Inc. in January 2014. GTT Communications, Inc. was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Read MoreIn a Nov. 10 interview with a Polish newspaper, the president of Poland announced he would support a ban of homosexual propaganda in schools and scouting organizations, Queer.pl reported.

I think that this kind of propaganda should not take place in schools, it has to be calmly and consistently opposed, President Andrzej Duda said. If such a law was created and would be well written, I do not exclude that I would approach it seriously.

Dudas comments came in response to two recent demonstrations for LGBT support in Poland.

According to Gay Times, on Oct. 26, an informal event  Rainbow Friday  involved a number of students sporting rainbow patterns to school for Polands LGBT community.

Students participated despite the event being banned by government officials; including the Minister for National Education, who urged parents to report the event, and warned that any enabling school principals would face consequences.

Compounding the debate was a dispute with the Polish Scouting Association. Gay Star News reported that back in May, the Association stated its support for the LGBT community.



Dignity and human value are not dependent on his sexual orientation, as scouts we have a duty to respect persons who are homosexual or bisexual. And such people are also involved in the scout movement, the statement said. We should oppose hatred and contempt for them, because our task is to see our neighbor in everybody.

Duda, a former scout, later stated the Association's support went against his Catholic values.

Pink News reported a 2014 poll found 70 percent of Poles felt that same-sex sexual activity was morally unacceptable. Additionally, Poland is ranked 38th among 49 European countries when it comes to LGBT rights, according to rights group ILGA-Europes annual Rainbow Europe index.

The Independent reported that in August the anti-gay propaganda law in Russia, active since 2013, has led to the first attempted conviction of a minor.























The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Global Wealth Management segments. The company offers financial advice and solutions, and day-to-day banking products, including debit and credit cards, chequing and saving accounts, investments, mortgages, loans, and insurance to individuals; and business banking solutions comprising lending, deposit, cash management, and trade finance solutions to small businesses and commercial customers, including automotive financing solutions to dealers and their customers. It also provides wealth management advice and solutions, including online brokerage, mobile investment, full-service brokerage, trust, private banking, and private investment counsel services; and retail mutual funds, exchange traded funds, liquid alternative funds, and institutional funds. In addition, the company offers international banking services for retail, corporate, and commercial customers; and lending and transaction, investment banking advisory, and capital markets access services to corporate customers. Further, it provides Internet, mobile, and telephone banking services. The company operates a network of 952 branches and approximately 3,540 automated banking machines in Canada; and approximately 1,400 branches, 5,200 ATMs, and 22 contact centers internationally. The Bank of Nova Scotia was founded in 1832 and is headquartered in Halifax, Canada.

Read MoreEarnings Growth Earnings for Esterline Technologies are expected to grow by 1.73% in the coming year, from $4.62 to $4.70 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market The P/E ratio of Esterline Technologies is 29.37, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 15.30.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector The P/E ratio of Esterline Technologies is 29.37, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Aerospace sector average P/E ratio of about 20.80.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio Esterline Technologies has a PEG Ratio of 2.78. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.The following companies are subsidiares of Anthem: 1-800 Contacts, AIM Specialty Health, AMERIGROUP Community Care of New Mexico Inc., AMERIGROUP Corporation, AMERIGROUP Maryland Inc., AMERIGROUP New Jersey Inc., AMERIGROUP Ohio Inc., AMERIGROUP Tennessee Inc., AMERIGROUP Texas Inc., AMERIGROUP Washington Inc., AMGP Georgia Managed Care Company Inc., ATH Holding Company LLC, America's 1st Choice of South Carolina Inc., America's Health Management Services Inc., American Imaging Management Inc., Americas 1st Choice, Amerigroup, Amerigroup Delaware Inc., Amerigroup District of Columbia Inc., Amerigroup Health Plan of Louisiana Inc., Amerigroup IPA of New York LLC, Amerigroup Insurance Company, Amerigroup Iowa Inc., Amerigroup Kansas Inc., Amerigroup Mississippi Inc., Amerigroup Oklahoma Inc., Amerigroup Partnership Plan LLC, Amerigroup Pennsylvania Inc., Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company, Anthem Financial Inc., Anthem Health Plans Inc., Anthem Health Plans of Kentucky Inc., Anthem Health Plans of Maine Inc., Anthem Health Plans of New Hampshire Inc., Anthem Health Plans of Virginia Inc., Anthem Holding Corp., Anthem Innovation Israel Ltd., Anthem Insurance Companies Inc., Anthem Kentucky Managed Care Plan Inc., Anthem Life & Disability Insurance Company, Anthem Life Insurance Company, Anthem Partnership Holding Company LLC, Anthem Services Company LLC, Anthem Southeast Inc., Anthem UM Services Inc., Anthem Workers' Compensation LLC, Applied Pathways LLC, Arcus Enterprises Inc., Aspire Health Inc., Aspire Healthcare Corp, Associated Group Inc., Beacon Health Options, Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthcare Plan of Georgia Inc., Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin, Blue Cross of California, Blue Cross of California Partnership Plan Inc., CareMarket Inc., CareMore Health Plan, CareMore Health Plan of Arizona Inc., CareMore Health Plan of Nevada, CareMore Health Plan of Texas Inc., CareMore Health System, CareMore LLC, Cerulean Companies Inc., Claim Management Services Inc., Community Care Health Plan of Louisiana Inc., Community Care Health Plan of Nevada Inc., Community Insurance Company, Compcare Health Services Insurance Corporation, Crossroads Acquisition Corp., DBG Holdings Inc., DeCare Analytics LLC, DeCare Dental Health International LLC, DeCare Dental Insurance Ireland Ltd., DeCare Dental LLC, DeCare Dental Networks LLC, DeCare Operations Ireland Limited, Delivery Network LLC, Designated Agent Company Inc., EHC Benefits Agency Inc., EasyScripts Cutler Bay LLC, EasyScripts Hialeah LLC, EasyScripts LLC, EasyScripts Westchester LLC, Empire HealthChoice Assurance Inc., Empire HealthChoice HMO Inc., Federal Government Solutions LLC, Freedom Health Inc., Global TPA LLC, Golden West Health Plan Inc., Greater Georgia Life Insurance Company, HEP AP Holdings Inc., HMO Colorado Inc., HMO Missouri Inc., Health Core Inc., Health Management Corporation, Health Ventures Partner L.L.C., HealthKeepers Inc., HealthLink HMO Inc., HealthLink Inc., HealthLink Insurance Company, HealthPlus HP LLC, HealthSun Health Plans, HealthSun Health Plans Inc., HealthSun Holdings LLC, HealthSun Management LLC, HealthSun Physicians Network I LLC, HealthSun Physicians Network LLC, Healthy Alliance Life Insurance Company, Highland Acquisition Holdings LLC, Highland Holdco Inc., Highland Intermediate Holdings LLC, Highland Investor Holdings LLC, Imaging Management Holdings LLC, IngenioRx Inc., Legato Health Technologies LLP, Legato Health Technologies Philippines Inc., Legato Holdings I Inc., Legato Holdings II LLC, Living Complete Technologies Inc., Matthew Thornton Health Plan Inc., Memphis Supportive Care Partnership LLC, Meridian Resource Company LLC, Missouri Care Incorporated, NGS Federal LLC, Nash Holding Company LLC, National Government Services Inc., New England Research Institutes Inc., Optimum Healthcare Inc., Park Square Holdings Inc., Park Square I Inc., Park Square II Inc., Pasteur Medical Bird Road LLC, Pasteur Medical Center LLC, Pasteur Medical Cutler Bay LLC, Pasteur Medical Group LLC, Pasteur Medical Hialeah Gardens LLC, Pasteur Medical Holdings LLC, Pasteur Medical Kendall LLC, Pasteur Medical Management LLC, Pasteur Medical Miami Gardens LLC, Pasteur Medical North Miami Beach LLC, Pasteur Medical Partners LLC, Resolution Health Inc, Resolution Health Inc., RightCHOICE Managed Care Inc., Rocky Mountain Hospital and Medical Service Inc., SellCore Inc., Simply Healthcare Holdings, Simply Healthcare Plans Inc., Southeast Services Inc., State Sponsored DM Services Inc., The Anthem Companies Inc., The Anthem Companies of California Inc., TrustSolutions LLC, UNICARE Health Plan of West Virginia Inc., UNICARE Illinois Services Inc., UNICARE National Services Inc., UniCare Life & Health Insurance Company, UniCare Specialty Services Inc., Valus Inc., WPMI LLC, WellCare of Nebraska Inc., WellPoint Acquisition LLC, WellPoint California Services Inc., WellPoint Dental Services Inc., WellPoint Health Solutions Inc., WellPoint Holding Corp., WellPoint Information Technology Services Inc., WellPoint Insurance Services Inc., WellPoint Military Care Corporation, Wellmax Health Medical Centers LLC, Wellmax Health Physicians Network LLC, and Wisconsin Collaborative Insurance Company.The following companies are subsidiares of Vodafone Group: 360 Connect S.A., [email protected] Telecom, A-ccelerator B.V., A-ccelerator Holding B.V, AAA (Euro) Limited, AAA (MCR) Limited, AAA (UK) Limited, Acorn Communications Limited, Africonnect (Zambia) Limited, Ag Mercantile Company Private Limited, Al-Amin Investments Limited, Amsterdamse Beheer- en Consultingmaatschappij B.V., Apollo Submarine Cable System Limited, Array Holdings Limited, Asian Telecommunication Investments (Mauritius) Limited, Aspective Limited, Astec Communications Limited, Autoconnex Limited, Aztec Limited, BelCompany BV, Bluefish Apac Communications Pte. Ltd, Bluefish Communications, Bluefish Communications Limited, Business Serve Limited, C&W Worldwide Nigeria Limited, C.S.P. Solutions Limited, CCII (Mauritius) Inc., CGP India Investments Ltd., CGP Investments (Holdings) Limited, COOP Mobil s.r.o, CT Networks Limited, CWGNL S.A., CWW Operations Limited, Cable & Wireless Access Limited, Cable & Wireless Americas Systems Inc., Cable & Wireless Aspac Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Services Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Svyaz LLC, Cable & Wireless Capital Limited , Cable & Wireless Communications Data Network Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Starclass Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Technical Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd (Beijing Branch), Cable & Wireless Europe Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless GN Limited, Cable & Wireless Global (India) Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Business Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Holding Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Telecommunication Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Holdco Limited, Cable & Wireless Networks India Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Trade Mark Management Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Waterside Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Pension Trustee Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Voice Messaging Limited, Cable & Wireless a-Services Inc, Cable & Wireless a-Services Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited Indian Branch Office, Cable and Wireless Nominee Limited, Cable and Wireless Worldwide South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cavalry Holdings Ltd, Celfocus  Solucoes Informaticas Para Telecomunicacoes S.A, Cellops Limited, Cellular Operations Limited, Central Communications Group Limited, Central Telecom (Northern) Limited, Centurion GSM Limited, Chelys Limited, City Cable (Holdings) Limited, Cobra do Brasil Servicos de Telematica ltda., Commnet Cellular Inc., Complete Network Technology, Connect (India) Mobile Technologies Private Limited, Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited, Dataroam Limited , Device Insight, Digital Island (UK) Ltd, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, East Africa Investment (Mauritius) Limited, Emtel Europe Limited, Energis (Ireland) Limited, Energis Communications Limited, Energis Holdings Limited, Energis Local Access Limited, Energis Management Limited, Energis Squared Limited, Erudite Systems Limited, Esprit Telecom B.V., Eudokia Limited, Euro Pacific Securities Ltd., Eurocall Holdings Limited, Europolitan Holdings AB (now Europolitan Vodafone AB), FB Holdings Limited, FM Associates (UK) Limited, FinCo Partner 1 B.V., FireFly Networks Limited, Flexphone Limited, GS Telecom (Pty) Limited, Gateway Communications Africa (UK) Limited, Gateway Communications Tanzania Limited, General Mobile Corporation, Generation Telecom Limited, Ghana Telecommunications, Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited, Global Cellular Rental Limited, Globe Limited, GrandCentrix GmbH, Grupo Corporativo ONO S.A.U., H3ga Properties (No 3) Pty Limited, HBO Nederland Cooperatief U.A., HBO Netherlands Channels sro, HBO Netherlands Distribution B.V., Hellas Online, How2 Telecom Limited, Hutchison Essar Ltd, Indus Towers Limited, Intercell Communications Limited, Internet Network Services Limited, Invitation Digital Limited, Ipergy Communications NV, Isis Telecommunications Management Limited, Jaguar Communications Limited, Jaykay Finholding (India) Private Limited, Jupicol (Proprietary) Limited, KABELCOM Braunschweig Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, KABELCOM Wolfsburg Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, Kabel Deutschland, Kabel Deutschland Holding, Kabel Deutschland Holding Erste Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Holding Zweite Beteilgungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Neunte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Siebte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabelfernsehen Munchen Servicenter GmbH & Co. KG, LG Financing Partnership, LGE HoldCo V B.V., LGE HoldCo VI B.V., LGE HoldCo VIII B.V., LGE Holdco VII B.V., LLC Vodafone Enterprise Ukraine, Le Bunt Holdings Limited, Legend Communications Limited, Liberty Global, Liberty Global Content Netherlands B.V., London Hydraulic Power Company, M-PESA Foundation, M-PESA Holding Co. Limited, ML Integration Group Limited, ML Integration Limited, ML Integration Services Limited, MV Healthcare Services Private Limited, Mannesmann AG, MetroHoldings Limited, Mezzanine Ware Proprietary Limited (RF), Mirambo Limited, Misrfone Trading Company LLC, MobiFon S.A., Mobile Commerce Solutions Limited, Mobile Phone Centre Limited, Mobile Wallet VM1, Mobile Wallet VM2, Mobile by Sainsburys Limited, Mobiles 4 Business.com Limited, Mobileworld Communications Pty Limited, Mobileworld Operating Pty Ltd, Mobilvest, Motifpros 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Multi Risk Indemnity Company Limited, Multi Risk Limited, ND Callus Info Services Private Limited, Nadal Trading Company Private Limited, Nat Comm Air Limited, National Communications Backbone Company Limited, Navtrak Ltd, Netforce Group Limited, Netgrid Telecom SRL, Number Portability Company (Proprietary) Limited, ONO, Omega Telecom Holdings Private Limited, Oni Way  Infocomunicacoes S.A, Oskar Mobil S.R.O., Oxygen Solutions Limited, P.C.P. (North West) Limited, PPL Pty Limited, PT Network Services Limited, PTI Telecom Limited, Peoples Phone Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Group Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Limited, Plex Limited, Plustech Mercantile Company Private Limited, Prime Metals Ltd., Project Telecom Holdings Limited, Quickcomm Software Solutions, Radio Opt GmbH, Rian Mobile Limited, SBC SMART CITY 1517 B.V., SMMS Investments Pvt Limited, Safaricom Limited, Safenet N.P A., Sarmady Communications, Scarlet Ibis Investments 23 (Pty) Limited, Scorpios Beverages Pvt. Ltd, Silver Stream Investments Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Ltd., Singlepoint Payment Services Limited, Siro Limited, Spar Aerospace (Nigeria) Limited, Sport TV Portugal S.A, Starnet, Stentor Communications Limited, Stentor Limited, Storage Technology Services (Pty) Limited, T.W. Telecom Limited, T3 Telecommunications Limited, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern Beteiligungs GmbH, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co. KG, TNAS Limited, TSM NZ Limited, Talkland Airtime Services Limited, Talkland Australia Pty Limited, Talkland Communications Limited, Talkland International Limited, Talkland Midlands Limited, Talkmobile Limited, Tele2 Italia SPA, Tele2 Spain, Telecom Investments India Private Limited, Telecommunications Europe Limited, Ternhill Communications Limited, The Cobra Group, The Eastern Leasing Company Limited, The Old Telecom Sales Co. Limited, Thus Group Holdings Limited, Thus Group Limited, Thus Limited, Thus Profit Sharing Trustees Limited, TnT Expense Management LLC, Tomorrow Street GP S.a r.l., Tomorrow Street SCA, Torenspits II B.V., Townley Communications Limited, Trans Crystal Ltd., UMT Investments Limited, UPC Nederland Holding I B.V., UPC Nederland Holding II B.V., UPC Nederland Holding III B.V., Unified Communications, Uniqueair Limited, Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH & Co.KG, Usha Martin Telematics Limited, VAPL No. 2 Pty Limited, VBA (Mauritius) Limited, VBA Holdings Limited, VBA International (SL) Limited, VBA International Limited, VEI S.r.l., VM SA, VND S.p.A, VSSB Vodafone Shared Services Budapest Private Limited Company, Verwaltung Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH, Victus Networks S.A., Vizzavi Finance Limited, Vizzavi Limited, Voda Limited, Vodacall Limited, Vodacash s.p.r.l., Vodacom (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business (Angola) Limitada, Vodacom Business (Ghana) Limited, Vodacom Business (Kenya) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa (Nigeria) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group Services Limited, Vodacom Business Cameroon SA, Vodacom Business Cote Divoire S.A.R.L., Vodacom Congo (RDC) SA, Vodacom Financial Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Group Limited, Vodacom Insurance Administration Company (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Insurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom International Holdings (Pty) Limited, Vodacom International Limited, Vodacom Lesotho (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Life Assurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom Payment Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No.2 (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Tanzania Limited Zanzibar, Vodacom Tanzania Public Limited Company, Vodacom UK Limited, Vodafone (NI) Limited, Vodafone (New Zealand) Hedging Limited, Vodafone (Scotland) Limited, Vodafone 2, Vodafone 4 UK, Vodafone 5 Limited, Vodafone 5 UK, Vodafone 6 UK, Vodafone Albania Sh.A, Vodafone Alternatif Telekom Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Americas 4, Vodafone Americas Virginia Inc., Vodafone And Qatar Foundation L.L.C, Vodafone Asset Management Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Automotive Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Automotive Electronic Systems S.r.L, Vodafone Automotive France S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Iberia S.L, Vodafone Automotive Italia S.p.A, Vodafone Automotive Japan K.K, Vodafone Automotive Korea Limited, Vodafone Automotive SpA, Vodafone Automotive Technologies (Beijing) Co Ltd, Vodafone Automotive Telematics Development S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Telematics S.A, Vodafone Automotive UK Limited, Vodafone Belgium SA/NV, Vodafone Benelux Limited, Vodafone Bilgi Ve Iletisim Hizmetleri AS, Vodafone Business Services Limited, Vodafone Business Solutions Limited, Vodafone Canada Inc, Vodafone Cellular Limited, Vodafone Central Services Limited, Vodafone China Limited (China), Vodafone China Limited (Hong Kong), Vodafone Connect 2 Limited, Vodafone Connect Limited, Vodafone Consolidated Holdings Limited, Vodafone Corporate Limited, Vodafone Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Czech Republic A.S., Vodafone DC Pension Trustee Company Limited, Vodafone Dagitim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Data, Vodafone Distribution Holdings Limited, Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications S.A.E., Vodafone Elektronik Para Ve Odeme Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Empresa Brasil Telecomunicacoes Ltda, Vodafone Empresa Mexico S.de R.L. de C.V., Vodafone Enabler Espana S.L., Vodafone Enterprise Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Austria GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Bahrain W.L.L., Vodafone Enterprise Bulgaria EOOD, Vodafone Enterprise Chile SA, Vodafone Enterprise Communications Technical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Denmark A/S, Vodafone Enterprise Equipment Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited  Czech Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited  DubaiI Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Finland OY, Vodafone Enterprise France SAS, Vodafone Enterprise Germany GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Global Businesses S.a r.l., Vodafone Enterprise Global Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network HK Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network Pte. Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Hong Kong Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Italy S.r.L, Vodafone Enterprise Korea Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Luxembourg S.A., Vodafone Enterprise Netherlands BV, Vodafone Enterprise Norway AS, Vodafone Enterprise Regional Business Singapore Pte.Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Singapore Pte.Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Spain S.L.U.  Portugal Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Spain SLU, Vodafone Enterprise Sweden AB, Vodafone Enterprise Switzerland AG, Vodafone Erste Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Vodafone Espana S.A.U., Vodafone Euro Hedging Limited, Vodafone Euro Hedging Two, Vodafone Europe B.V., Vodafone Europe UK, Vodafone European Investments, Vodafone European Portal Limited, Vodafone Finance Limited, Vodafone Finance Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Finance Sweden, Vodafone Finance UK Limited, Vodafone Financial Operations, Vodafone Financial Services B.V., Vodafone Fixed Ltd, Vodafone Foundation, Vodafone Foundation Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Gestioni S.p.A, Vodafone Ghana Mobile Financial Services Limited, Vodafone Global Content Services Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Hong Kong) Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Italy) S.R.L., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Japan) K.K., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Vodafone Global Enterprise Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Russia LLC, Vodafone Global Enterprise Taiwan Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Telecommunications (Hellas) A.E., Vodafone Global Network Limited, Vodafone Global Network Limited  Slovakia Branch, Vodafone Global Services Private Limited, Vodafone GmbH, Vodafone Group (Directors) Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Pension Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Services GmbH, Vodafone Group Services Ireland Limited, Vodafone Group Services Limited, Vodafone Group Services No.2 Limited, Vodafone Group Share Trustee Limited, Vodafone Hire Limited, Vodafone Holding A.S., Vodafone Holdings (Jersey) Limited, Vodafone Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Holdings Europe S.L.U., Vodafone Holdings Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Finance Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Receivables Pty Limited, Vodafone IP Licensing Limited, Vodafone India Digital Limited, Vodafone India Limited, Vodafone India Services Private Limited, Vodafone India Ventures Limited, Vodafone Institut fur Gesellschaft und Kommunikation GmbH, Vodafone Intermediate Enterprises Limited, Vodafone International 1 S.a.r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone International 1 S.a r.l., Vodafone International 2 Limited, Vodafone International Holdings B.V., Vodafone International Holdings Limited, Vodafone International M S.a r.l., Vodafone International Operations Limited, Vodafone International Services LLC, Vodafone Investment UK, Vodafone Investments (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Investments Australia Limited, Vodafone Investments Limited, Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Ireland Distribution Limited, Vodafone Ireland Ltd., Vodafone Ireland Marketing Limited, Vodafone Ireland Property Holdings Limited, Vodafone Ireland Retail Limited, Vodafone Italia S.p.A., Vodafone Jersey Dollar Holdings Limited, Vodafone Jersey Finance, Vodafone Jersey Yen Holdings Unlimited, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Field Services GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Kundenbetreuung GmbH, Vodafone Kenya Limited, Vodafone Leasing Limited, Vodafone Libertel B.V., Vodafone Limited, Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone M-PESA SH.P.K., Vodafone M-Pesa S.A, Vodafone M.C. Mobile Services Limited , Vodafone Magyarorszag Mobile Tavkozlesi Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Vodafone Malta Limited, Vodafone Marketing UK , Vodafone Maroc SARL, Vodafone Mauritius Ltd., Vodafone Mobile Commerce Limited, Vodafone Mobile Communications Limited, Vodafone Mobile Enterprises Limited, Vodafone Mobile NZ Limited, Vodafone Mobile Network Limited, Vodafone Mobile Operations Limited, Vodafone Mobile Services Limited, Vodafone Multimedia Limited, Vodafone Nederland Holding I B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding II B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding III B.V., Vodafone Net Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Network Pty Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Foundation Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Limited, Vodafone Next Generation Services Limited, Vodafone Nominees Limited1, Vodafone ONO S.A.U., Vodafone Oceania Limited, Vodafone Old Show Ground Site Management Limited, Vodafone Overseas Finance Limited, Vodafone Overseas Holdings Limited, Vodafone Panafon International Holdings B.V., Vodafone Panafon UK, Vodafone Partner Services Limited, Vodafone Payment Solutions S.a r.l., Vodafone Portugal  Comunicacoes Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Procurement Company S.a r.l., Vodafone Property Investments Limited, Vodafone Pty Limited, Vodafone Qatar Q.S.C., Vodafone Retail (Holdings) Limited , Vodafone Retail Limited, Vodafone Roaming Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Romania S.A, Vodafone Romania M - Payments SRL, Vodafone Romania Technologies SRL, Vodafone Sales & Services Limited, Vodafone Satellite Services Limited, Vodafone Servicios SL.U, Vodafone Servizi E Tecnologie S.R.L, Vodafone Servicos Empresariais Brasil Ltda., Vodafone Shared Services Romania SRL, Vodafone Specialist Communications Limited, Vodafone Stiftung Deutschland Gemeinnutzige GmbH, Vodafone Technology Solutions Limited, Vodafone Teknoloji Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Tele-Services (India) Holdings Limited, Vodafone Telecel-Comunicates Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Telecommunications (India) Limited, Vodafone Telekomunikasyon A.S, Vodafone Towers Limited, Vodafone UK Content Services Limited, Vodafone UK Investments Limited , Vodafone UK Limited1 , Vodafone US Inc, Vodafone Ventures Limited1 , Vodafone Vierte Verwaltungs AG, Vodafone Worldwide Holdings Limited, Vodafone Yen Finance Limited , Vodafone m-pesa Limited, Vodafone-Central Limited Vodaphone Limited, Vodafone-Panafon Hellenic Telecommunications Company S.A., VodafoneZiggo Group Holding B.V, Vodata Limited , Vouchercloud SA (Pty) Ltd, Wataneya Telecommunications S.A.E, Waterberg Lodge (Proprietary) Limited, Wayfinder, Wheatfields Investments 276 (Proprietary) Limited, Wireless Interactions & NFC Accelerator 2013 B.V., Woodend Cellular Limited, Woodend Communications Limited, Woodend Group Limited, Woodend Holdings Limited, XB Facilities B.V, XLink Communications (Proprietary) Limited, Your Communications Group Limited, ZUM B.V., ZYB, Zelitron S.A., Zesko B.V., Ziggo B.V., Ziggo Bond Company B.V., Ziggo Deelnemingen B.V., Ziggo Finance 2 B.V., Ziggo Financing Partnership, Ziggo Holding B.V., Ziggo Netwerk B.V., Ziggo Netwerk II B.V., Ziggo Services B.V., Ziggo Services Employment B.V., Ziggo Services Netwerk 2 B.V., Ziggo Zakelijk Services B.V., and Zoranet Connectivity Services B.V..The following companies are subsidiares of Lloyds Banking Group: A G Finance Ltd, A.C.L. Ltd, ACL Autolease Holdings Ltd, ADF No.1 Pty Ltd, Addison Social Housing Holdings Ltd, Alex Lawrie Factors Ltd, Alex. Lawrie Receivables Financing Ltd, Amberdate Ltd, Anglo Scottish Utilities Partnership 1, Aquilus Ltd, Automobile Association Personal Finance Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services 2 Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 2) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 3) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland)) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 1 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 2 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 3 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 4 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 5 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 6 plc, BOS (USA) Fund Investments Inc., BOS (USA) Inc., BOS Edinburgh No 1 Ltd, BOS Mistral Ltd, BOS Personal Lending Ltd, BOSSAF Rail Ltd, Bank of Scotland (B G S) Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland (Stanlife) London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Branch Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Central Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Edinburgh Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Equipment Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Foundation, Bank of Scotland LNG Leasing (No 1) Ltd, Bank of Scotland London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Nominees (Unit Trusts) Ltd, Bank of Scotland P.E.P. Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Structured Asset Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Transport Finance 1 Ltd, Bank of Scotland plc, Bank of Wales Ltd, Barents Leasing Ltd, Barnwood Mortgages Ltd, Birchcrown Finance Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Financial Services Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Land Development Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Mortgage Services Ltd, Black Horse (TRF) Ltd, Black Horse Executive Mortgages Ltd, Black Horse Finance Holdings Ltd, Black Horse Finance Management Ltd, Black Horse Group Ltd, Black Horse Ltd, Black Horse Offshore Ltd, Black Horse Property Services Ltd, Boltro Nominees Ltd, British Linen Leasing (London) Ltd, British Linen Leasing Ltd, British Linen Shipping Ltd, C.T.S.B. Leasing Ltd, CBRail S.A.R.L., CF Asset Finance Ltd, CF1 Ltd, CM Venture Investments Ltd, Cancara Asset Securitisation Ltd, Capital 1945 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 12 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 3 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 5 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 9 Ltd, Capital Bank Property Investments (3) Ltd, Capital Personal Finance Ltd, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2018-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2019-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Cardnet Merchant Services Ltd, Cashfriday Ltd, Cashpoint Ltd, Caveminster Ltd, Cedar Holdings Ltd, Celsius European Lux 2 S.A.R.L., Central Mortgage Finance Ltd, Chariot Finance Ltd, Cheltenham & Gloucester plc, Cheltenham II Securities 2020 DAC, Cheltenham Securities 2017 Ltd, Chepstow Blue Holdings Ltd, Chepstow Blue plc, Chester Asset Options No.2 Ltd, Chester Asset Options No.3 Ltd, Chester Asset Receivables Dealings Issuer Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings No.2 Ltd, Chiswell Stockbrokers Ltd, Clerical Medical Finance plc, Clerical Medical Financial Services Ltd, Clerical Medical International Holdings B.V., Clerical Medical Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Clerical Medical Managed Funds Ltd, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Spanish Prop Co SL, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Prop Co SA, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Property Company S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Funding S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Investments S.A.R.L., Conquest Securities Ltd, Corbiere Asset Investments Ltd, Create Services Ltd, Credit Card Securitisation Europe Ltd, Dalkeith Corporation, Deva Financing Holdings Ltd, Deva Financing plc, Deva One Ltd, Deva Three Ltd, Deva Two Ltd, Dunstan Investments (UK) Ltd, Edgbaston RMBS 2010-1 plc, Edgbaston RMBS Holdings Ltd, Elland RMBS 2018 plc, Elland RMBS Holdings Ltd, Eurolead Services Holdings Ltd, First Retail Finance (Chester) Ltd, Fontwell Securities 2016 Ltd, Forthright Finance Ltd, France Industrial Premises Holding Company, General Leasing (No. 12) Ltd, General Reversionary and Investment Company, Gresham Nominee 1 Ltd, Gresham Nominee 2 Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 1) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 10) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 11) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 12) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 13) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 14) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 15) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 16) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 19) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 20) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 21) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 22) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 23) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 24) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 25) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 26) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 27) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 28) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 29) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 3) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 30) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 31) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 32) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 33) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 34) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 35) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 36) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 37) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 38) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 39) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 40) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 41) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 44) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 45) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 46) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 47) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 48) UK Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No 3) Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No.11) UK Ltd, HBOS Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS Final Salary Trust Ltd, HBOS Financial Services Ltd, HBOS Insurance & Investment Group Ltd, HBOS International Financial Services Holdings Ltd, HBOS Investment Fund Managers Ltd, HBOS Social Housing Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS UK Ltd, HBOS plc, HSDL Nominees Ltd, HVF Ltd, Halifax Credit Card Ltd, Halifax Financial Brokers Ltd, Halifax Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Halifax Financial Services Ltd, Halifax General Insurance Services Ltd, Halifax Group Ltd, Halifax Investment Services Ltd, Halifax Leasing (June) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (March No.2) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (September) Ltd, Halifax Life Ltd, Halifax Loans Ltd, Halifax Ltd, Halifax Mortgage Services Ltd, Halifax Nominees Ltd, Halifax Pension Nominees Ltd, Halifax Premises Ltd, Halifax Share Dealing Ltd, Halifax Vehicle Leasing (1998) Ltd, Heidi Finance Holdings (UK) Ltd, Hill Samuel Bank Ltd, Hill Samuel Finance Ltd, Hill Samuel Leasing Co. Ltd, Home Shopping Personal Finance Ltd, Horizon Capital 2000 Ltd, Housing Association Risk Transfer 2019 DAC, Housing Growth Partnership GP LLP, Housing Growth Partnership LP, Housing Growth Partnership Ltd, Housing Growth Partnership Manager Ltd, Hyundai Car Finance Ltd, IBOS Finance Ltd, ICC Enterprise Partners Ltd, ICC Equity Partners Ltd, ICC Holdings Unlimited Company, Inchcape Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Software Ltd, International Motors Finance Ltd, Kanaalstraat Funding C.V., Katrine Leasing Ltd, LB Healthcare Trustee Ltd, LB Motorent Ltd, LB Quest Ltd, LB Share Schemes Trustees Ltd, LBCF Ltd, LBG Brasil Administracao LTDA, LBG Capital Holdings Ltd, LBG Equity Investments Ltd, LBI Leasing Ltd, LDC (General Partner) Ltd, LDC (Managers) Ltd, LDC (Nominees) Ltd, LDC GP LLP, LDC I LP, LDC II LP, LDC III LP, LDC IV LP, LDC Parallel (Nominees) Ltd, LDC V LP, LDC VI LP, LDC VII LP, LDC VIII LP, LTGP Limited Partnership Incorporated, Legacy Renewal Company Ltd, Leicester Securities 2014 Ltd, Lex Autolease (CH) Ltd, Lex Autolease (VC) Ltd, Lex Autolease Carselect Ltd, Lex Autolease Ltd, Lex Vehicle Finance 2 Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing (Holdings) Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing Ltd, Lime Street (Funding) Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I Holdings Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I plc, Lloyds (Gresham) Ltd, Lloyds (Gresham) No. 1 Ltd, Lloyds (Nimrod) Specialist Finance Ltd, Lloyds America Securities Corporation1, Lloyds Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Branches) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Colonial & Foreign) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (I.D.) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (International Services) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Stock Exchange Branch) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Asset Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Scotland Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (HP) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.4) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets plc, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (LM) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds LLP, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 7) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 9) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Holdings Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 11) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 20) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 5) Ltd, Lloyds Bank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Hill Samuel Holding Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank Insurance Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank International Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 6) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 8) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank MTCH Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 10) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 13) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No.16) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Offshore Pension Trust Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 1) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 2) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pensions Property (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Properties Ltd, Lloyds Bank Property Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank S.F. Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Subsidiaries Ltd, Lloyds Bank Trustee Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank plc, Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Ltd, Lloyds Capital GP Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Properties Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Property Investments Ltd, Lloyds Corporate Services (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Development Capital (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Engine Capital (No.1) U.S LLC, Lloyds Far East S.A.R.L., Lloyds General Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Group Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Hypotheken B.V., Lloyds Industrial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds International Pty Ltd, Lloyds Investment Bonds Ltd, Lloyds Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Lloyds Investment Securities No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Leasing (North Sea Transport) Ltd1, Lloyds Leasing Developments Ltd, Lloyds Nominees (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Offshore Global Services Private Ltd, Lloyds Plant Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Portfolio Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Premises Investments Ltd, Lloyds Project Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 3 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 4 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Secretaries Ltd, Lloyds Securities Inc., Lloyds TSB Pacific Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Rentals Ltd, Lloyds UDT Hiring Ltd, Lloyds UDT Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Ltd, Lloyds Your Tomorrow Trustee Ltd, Loans.co.uk Ltd, London Taxi Finance Ltd, London Uberior (L.A.S. Group) Nominees Ltd, Lotus Finance Ltd, MBNA, MBNA Direct Ltd, MBNA Europe Finance Ltd, MBNA Europe Holdings Ltd, MBNA General Foundation, MBNA Global Services Ltd, MBNA Indian Services Private Ltd, MBNA Ltd, MBNA R & L S.A.R.L., MBNA Receivables Ltd, Mainsearch Company Ltd, Maritime Leasing (No. 19) Ltd, Membership Services Finance Ltd, Mitre Street Funding S.A.R.L., Molineux RMBS 2016-1 plc, Molineux RMBS Holdings Ltd, Moor Lane Holdings Ltd, NFU Mutual Finance Ltd, NWS Trust Ltd, Nominees (Jersey) Ltd, Nordic Leasing Ltd, Ocean Leasing (July) Ltd, Oystercatcher Nominees Ltd, Oystercatcher Residential Ltd, PIPS Asset Investments Ltd, Pacific Leasing Ltd, Penarth Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Penarth Funding 1 Ltd, Penarth Funding 2 Ltd, Penarth Master Issuer plc, Penarth Receivables Trustee Ltd, Pensions Management (S.W.F.) Ltd, Peony Eastern Leasing Ltd, Peony Leasing Ltd, Peony Western Leasing Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 1) Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 2) Ltd, Permanent Holdings Ltd, Permanent Master Issuer plc, Permanent Mortgages Trustee Ltd, Permanent PECOH Holdings Ltd, Permanent PECOH Ltd, Perry Nominees Ltd, Prestonfield Investments Ltd, Proton Finance Ltd, R.F. Spencer And Company Ltd, Ranelagh Nominees Ltd, Retail Revival (Burgess Hill) Investments Ltd, SARL Coliseum, SARL Hiram, SAS Compagnie Fonciere De France, SCI Astoria Invest, SCI De LHorloge, SCI Equinoxe, SCI Rambuteau CFF, SW Funding plc, SW No.1 Ltd, SWAMF (GP) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (1) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (2) Ltd, Saint Michel Holding Company No1, Saint Michel Investment Property, Saint Witz 2 Holding Company No1, Saint Witz 2 Investment Property, Salisbury II Securities 2016 Ltd, Salisbury II-A Securities 2017 Ltd, Salisbury III Securities 2019 DAC, Salisbury Securities 2015 Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 Holdings Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 plc, Sandown Gold 2012-1 Holdings Ltd, Sandown Gold 2012-1 plc, Savban Leasing Ltd, Scotland International Finance B.V., Scottish Widows Administration Services (Nominees) Ltd, Scottish Widows Administration Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Annuities Ltd, Scottish Widows Auto Enrolment Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Europe, Scottish Widows Financial Services Holdings, Scottish Widows Group Ltd, Scottish Widows Industrial Properties Europe B.V., Scottish Widows Ltd, Scottish Widows Pension Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Property Management Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth (ACD) Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Wealth Holdings Ltd, Scottish Widows Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Funds Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers Ltd, Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Society, Seabreeze Leasing Ltd, Seaspirit Leasing Ltd, Share Dealing Nominees Ltd, Shogun Finance Ltd, Silentdale Ltd, St Andrews Group Ltd, St Andrews Insurance plc, St Andrews Life Assurance plc, St. Marys Court Investments, Standard Property Investment (1987) Ltd, Standard Property Investment Ltd, Sussex County Homes Ltd, Suzuki Financial Services Ltd, Swan Funding 2 Ltd, Syon Securities 2019 DAC, The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Plc, The British Linen Company Ltd, The Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, The Mortgage Business plc, Thistle Financing Holdings Ltd, Thistle Investments (AMC) Ltd, Thistle Investments (ERM) Ltd, Thistle Leasing, Three Copthall Avenue Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (10) Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (7) Ltd, Tranquility Leasing Ltd, Trinity Financing plc, UDT Budget Leasing Ltd, UDT Sales Finance Ltd, Uberior (Moorfield) Ltd, Uberior Co-Investments Ltd, Uberior ENA Ltd, Uberior Equity Ltd, Uberior Europe Ltd, Uberior Fund Investments Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments (No.2) Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments Ltd, Uberior Investments Ltd, Uberior Nominees Ltd, Uberior Trading Ltd, Uberior Trustees Ltd, Uberior Ventures Australia Pty Ltd, Uberior Ventures Ltd, United Dominions Leasing Ltd, United Dominions Trust Ltd, Universe The CMI Global Network Fund, Upsaala Ltd, Vine Street IX LP, WCS Ltd, Ward Nominees (Abingdon) Ltd, Ward Nominees (Birmingham) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees (Bristol) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees Ltd 1, Waverley  Fund II Investor LLC, Waverley  Fund III Investor LLC, Waymark Asset Investments Ltd, West Craigs Ltd, Wetherby II Securities 2018 DAC, Wetherby III Securities 2019 DAC, Wetherby Securities 2017 Ltd, Wood Street Leasing Ltd, and Zurich Insurance Group - UK Workplace Pensions and Savings Business.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.



The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various personal and commercial banking products and services in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases through auto dealer network. It also provides credit cards; real estate secured lending; auto finance; consumer lending; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, private banking, investment advisory, and trust services to retail and institutional clients; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to companies, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,085 branches, 3,440 automated teller machines, and 1,223 stores, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Read More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.

Read MoreThere is not enough analysis data for General Steel.

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NextTotal Energy Services Inc. provides various products and services to the oil and natural gas industry primarily in Canada, the United States, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Contract Drilling Services, Rentals and Transportation Services, Compression and Process Services and Well Servicing. The Contract Drilling Services segment offers contract drilling services to oil and gas exploration and development companies. As of December 31, 2020, it operated a total fleet of 98 drilling rigs. The Rentals and Transportation Services segment provides drilling, completion and production rental equipment, and oilfield transportation services in western Canada and in the United States. This segment owned and operated a fleet of 87 heavy trucks. The Compression and Process Services segment offers gas compression services; and designs and packages skid style compressors and proprietary trailer-mounted compressors under the NOMAD brand in Canada and the United States, the European Union, Australia, and Mexico. It had 54,800 horsepower of compression in its rental fleet. The Well Servicing segment offers well services. This segment operated a total fleet of 83 well servicing rigs across Western Canada, mid-western United States, and Australia. It has a strategic alliance with Pason Systems Inc. to develop and deploy drilling automation and optimization technologies. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Read MoreTelecom Italia S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Europe, South America, and the Mediterranean Basin. The company operates through Domestic, Brazil, and Other Operations segments. It offers fixed and mobile voice and Internet, and public telephony services, as well as products managed and developed for individuals and families; and voice, data, and Internet services and products, and information and communications technology solutions for small and medium-size enterprises, small offices/home offices, the public sector, large accounts, and enterprises in the fixed and mobile telecommunications markets. The company also manages and develops a portfolio of regulated and unregulated wholesale services for fixed and mobile telecommunications operators; provision of infrastructure for housing radio transmission equipment of mobile telephone networks; and development, engineering, building, and operation of network infrastructures, information technology (IT), real estate properties, and plant engineering. In addition, it engages in customer care, operating credit support, loyalty, and retention activities; and staff functions and other support activities. Further, the company offers office products and services for IT sector. The company was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Rome, Italy.

Read More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.

Read MoreVanguard Total World Stock ETF's stock was trading at $67.27 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, VT stock has increased by 61.3% and is now trading at $108.49.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.Scientists have created the soundtrack of the 5,000th Mars sunrise captured by the robotic exploration rover, Opportunity, using data sonification techniques to create a two-minute piece of music.

Audio

Researchers created the piece of music by scanning a picture from left to right, pixel by pixel, and looking at brightness and colour information and combining them with terrain elevation. They used algorithms to assign each element a specific pitch and melody.

The quiet, slow harmonies are a consequence of the dark background and the brighter, higher pitched sounds towards the middle of the piece are created by the sonification of the bright sun disk.

Dr Domenico Vicinanza, of Anglia Ruskin University, and Dr Genevieve Williams, of the University of Exeter, will present the world premiere of the piece, entitled Mars Soundscapes in the NASA booth at the forthcoming Supercomputing SC18 Conference in Dallas (13 November).

The piece will be presented using both conventional speakers and vibrational transducers so the audience could feel the vibrations with their hands, thus enjoying a first-person experience of a sunrise on Mars.

Opportunity is a robotic rover that has been providing photographic data on Mars for NASA since 2004. Earlier this year, it ceased communications following a dust storm. Scientists hope that it may resume its function later this year.

Dr Vicinanza, Director of the Sound and Game Engineering (SAGE) research group at Anglia Ruskin, said: "We are absolutely thrilled about presenting this work about such a fascinating planet.

"Image sonification is a really flexible technique to explore science and it can be used in several domains, from studying certain characteristics of planet surfaces and atmospheres, to analysing weather changes or detecting volcanic eruptions.

"In health science, it can provide scientists with new methods to analyse the occurrence of certain shapes and colours, which is particularly useful in image diagnostics."



Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.Farmers in Kenya are supplying a local agri-processing company with millet, groundnuts and honey to produce nutritious snacks and strengthen local value chains.

Established in 2015 by Irene Ikarede Etyang, Akimaa Africa blends locally-produced ingredients together, resulting in highly-nutritious snacks. Its Tasty Millet Meal Bar is high in protein, as well as several key minerals, including calcium, iron, phosphorus and zinc. Obesity is on the rise in Kenya, and Africa at large, Etyang explains. My Tasty Millet Bar is therefore a good replacement for the sweet foods people like because it is low-fat and highly nutritious. The bar is also gluten free and has no added sugar, making it good for diabetics.

The firm currently contracts over 200 farmers to produce and supply millet. Another 10 farmers provide groundnuts and two youth groups supply the bulk of the honey. In our team, we have agronomists who have been instrumental in ensuring that we get the right raw materials as per our specifications, states Etyang. She adds that the company has trained farmers on good agricultural practices and proper food handling. Food quality and safety is key for us because we produce human food, and we are sure to adhere to food policies and legislations.

The company has a small factory in Busia county and uses a milling machine to grind down the groundnuts and millet into flour and blend it together. Our production capacity is 500 bars per day, retailing at Ksh 100 [0.86] each, Etyang says. The companys customers are predominantly health-conscious urbanites, and demand is increasing. The challenge we have is a lack of processing equipment; most of our production is manual, she adds. We hope to automate the process as we scale up. Etyang states that this would also enable the company to begin to provide a wider range of products, including confectionery.

Gladys Emojong is one of the farmers supplying millet to the company and observes that most farmers had previously abandoned millet cultivation due to poor prices and the crops intensive labour requirements, but the companys production has resuscitated its cultivation. Tabitha Apurut, another millet supplier for Akimaa Africa, explains that before she was introduced to Akimaa Africa by a friend, income from the crop was low. I used to sell 1 kg of millet for Ksh 25-35 [0.21-0.30]  mostly to middlemen  but now Akimaa Africa buys it at Ksh 100 [0.86]. This has motivated me to grow more, says the mother of five. Apurut, who cultivates millet on 1 ha, says she intends to lease more land to plant the crop and, since 2015, has earned approximately 680 from the crop each year.

Apurut also lauds the knowledge of good agricultural practices (GAPs) acquired through Akimaa, which have enabled her to improve her production and post-harvest handling. All of the farmers contracted to deliver their produce to Akima Africa are offered training on millet husbandry and GAPs relating to the use of fertilisers, pest control methods and post-harvest handling of their produce. Training is provided through extension visits, open days and demonstrations on farms.Sophomore fillies Lyons Hedgeabet and Shotgun Sally captured finals of the Ontario-sired Harvest Series on Monday evening (November 12) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

A field of six clashed in the $43,000 final for trotting fillies, while a full field of 10 battled in the $49,900 final for pacing fillies.

Lyons Hedgeabet picked the perfect time to break her maiden by winning the $49,900 final for pacing fillies in 1:52.3.

Driven by Bob McClure, Lyons Hedgeabet got away eighth from post position four. Race favourite Miss Rockadali, seeking a series sweep, shot out to the lead and posted a :26.4 opening quarter. D Gs Shadowsbell, also going for the sweep, was parked second and had to grind things out the entire mile on the outside.

Miss Rockadali rolled the field to the half in :55.2 and three-quarters in 1:24.2.

McClure moved Lyons Hedgeabet ahead of the half into the outer flow and sat third-over sixth, just four lengths from the lead turning for home.

In the stretch, Lyons Hedgeabet stormed by rivals to the top and paced a :27.2 final quarter to score a convincing 4-1/4-length victory. D Gs Shadowsbell showed plenty of grit to finish second, while I Shadow U was third and Oxford Comma fourth.

Trained by Jeff Gillis, Lyons Hedgeabet finished third in last weeks second leg after a runner-up finish in a first leg division. The Mach Three filly was making her seventh career start on Monday and entered with a trio of runner-up finishes and trio of third-place finishes.

Owned by Geoffrey Lyons Mound, Lyons Hedgeabet increased her earnings to $39,800 with the maiden-breaking score. She paid $12 to win.

Johnny William filly Shotgun Sally and driver Paul MacKenzie showed plenty of patience in capturing Mondays $43,000 Harvest Series final for trotting fillies in a career-best 1:56.4.

Power And Grace hustled off the wings of the gate to grab the top spot with last weeks second leg winner Miss Adam T getting away second before circling to the top early in the second quarter. Shotgun Sally got away fifth and sat in that same spot while Miss Adam T led the field by the half in :57.1.

MacKenzie gave Shotgun Sally her cue to go entering the far turn and the 6-5 favourite trotted up into third, just over two lengths from Miss Adam T at the third marker.

In the stretch, Shotgun Sally immediately powered by Miss Adam T and pulled away to a 5-1/4-length victory in 1:56.4. Miss Adam T finished second, while Gradabra rallied for third.

Trained by Todd Clements, Shotgun Sally won the opening leg of the series before being scratched from last weeks second leg due to transportation issues. She now has four wins in 26 starts this season.

Owned by Trisha Barsby, Shotgun Sally, who made just two starts as a rookie, has now earned $52,588 in her career. She paid $4.60 to win.

The Harvest Series was open to Ontario-sired three-year-olds, who were non-winners of $30,000 in 2018 as of September 30, 2018.

Dunbar Hall and driver Jody Jamieson got things their own way in Mondays $34,000 Preferred Handicap Trot and turned it into a second consecutive victory at the top level.

A group of six battled in the weekly feature with star trotting mare Dream Together having issues before the start and never joining her rivals in the contest. The removal of a key contender allowed Dunbar Hall and Jamieson to claim the top spot in the early stages.

Dunbar Hall posted a :27.2 opening quarter before stealing away with a :59.3 middle half, while 6-5 favourite Dancer Hall sat in the two-hole.

In the stretch, Dunbar Hall sprinted home in :27 to win by two lengths in 1:54, the same clocking as his victory last week. Dancer Hall had to settle for second, while Big Rich was third and Catch The Dream fourth.

A four-year-old gelding, Dunbar Hall picked up his eighth win in 23 starts this season. He has now earned $217,930 in 2018 to bring his career numbers to 13 wins and $331,184 earned for owners Carl Jamieson and George Harrison. Stephanie Jamieson trains the winner.

A $2 win ticket on Dunbar Hall returned $4.80.

Live racing resumes Thursday evening at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Post time is 7:10 p.m.

To view Monday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Monday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.

(With files from Woodbine Mohawk Park)As part of its mandate as agreed to with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation through the Long Term Funding Agreement, Ontario Racing (OR) will assume management of the Thoroughbred Horse Improvement Program.

Ontario Racing, which annually directs the Horse Improvement Program (HIP) in support of the provinces horse racing industry, will commence administration of the Thoroughbred Horse Improvement Program (TIP) for the 2019-20 season.

Ontario Racing currently administers the Standardbred and Quarter Horse HIP Programs but had previously contracted out administration of the TIP program to the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (CTHS).

Ontario Racing is streamlining its Horse Improvement Program operations to bring stability to the TIP program, allowing for greater transparency and stronger administration of the purse fund for the entire horse racing industry, said Katherine Curry, executive director, Ontario Racing. Ontario Racing has substantial expertise in overseeing this type of initiative and it has been determined that it is in the best interests of the provinces horse racing industry to bring the administration of the Thoroughbred Horse Improvement Program back under ORs full sponsorship. The change has been ratified by Ontario Racings Board of Directors indicating the industrys full support.

Ontario Racing represents over 95 per cent of the horse racing industry, across all levels of racing and breeding of racehorses in Ontario, including representation by racetracks and horsepeoples associations.

The HIP program was created by government to support the Ontario horse racing industry and its administration under the purview of its industry association and as such, subject to a high level of transparency and reporting.

Administration of the HIP programs forms a substantial part of Ontario Racings mandate. HIP requires a total industry perspective on performance indicators including various quality and quantity metrics. The investment should be evaluated in light of the overall effect on the entire Ontario racing program. Direct administration will also allow the HIP program to be evaluated against comparable industry programs in other jurisdictions.

Ontario Racing has administered the HIP programs for the Standardbred and Quarter Horse breeds of our industry with great success, said Bob Broadstock, president of Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario Inc. ORs management team will offer similar innovative financial and technological solutions to the Thoroughbred Horse Improvement Program that will be cost effective and will balance and further the interests of the Ontarios entire horse racing business.

Affairs and allocations of the full Horse Improvement Program, including TIP, will continue to be deliberated at Ontario Racings board committee level and approved by its full board of directors, led by John Hayes, the organizations independent chair. The CTHS will continue to have a seat on the TIP committee.

The 2018 Ontario Thoroughbred racing season will conclude on December 20. The timing of the 2019 racing season (meet openers are set for April 20 at Woodbine and May 28 at Fort Erie), offers orderly timing on the transfer of executional duties of TIP from the CTHS to Ontario Racing.

(Ontario Racing)Marking Seven Decades of Ministry, Leading Gospel Broadcaster Declares That 'Radio Still Rocks'

Despite claims by some that radio is dying, it remains at heart of FEBC's pioneering ministry, even as it uses new-tech pathways to share the gospel



Contact: Gregg Wooding,

972-567-7660



LA MIRADA, Calif., Nov. 13, 2018 /Standard Newswire/ -- As it marks 70 years of proclaiming the gospel to some of the farthest corners of the world, FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company, www.febc.org), the pioneering Christian broadcaster, is in a Mark Twain moment.



Photo: Christian radio still reaches people like this mother from the Philippines who don't have access to other forms of broadcast. Each year, FEBC distributes thousands of preset radios airing Gospel music, Christian teaching, biblical encouragement, and health advice.



Just as the celebrated humorist once noted that a report of his death had been "greatly exaggerated," so the ministrywhose vision statement is "Until All Have Heard"affirms that its long-time radio focus is not only alive and well, but thriving, even as many claim the traditional medium's impact is in decline.



While FEBC is creatively using new forms of communication like streaming, social media, and smartphones to open up new avenues for sharing the good news of Jesus, it declares that radio still rocks. The format remains its effective core in reaching countless listeners for whom shortwave, AM and FM programming continues to be their gateway to the life-changing gospel.



"Whatever others may say, there is simply no question that radio is alive and well, and remains absolutely key to our missionbroadcasting the gospel to those who desperately need to hear it," says FEBC USA President and CEO Ed Cannon.



First broadcasting from a radio station in Manila, Philippines, FEBC has since expanded to almost 150 transmitters and stations that between them can reach some 3 billion people, with a focus on those with little or no access to the gospel. Almost 900 hours of programming are offered daily, in 113 languages and dialects and some 50 countries. Last year, FEBC received 2.25 million letters, texts and emails from listeners, as well as 5 million online responses.



Much of the widespread chatter about radio's diminishing power centers on the waning commercial FM music audience in the United States, where many listeners have gravitated to online streaming services, social media, and podcasts.



But it's a very different picture in ministry broadcasting in other parts of the world where, outside of radio, some have no other way of hearing about Jesus. That may be because they live in remote places where there is no television and internet access is limited. Financial limitations also prevent many from using their cell phones to download content.



Meanwhile, government restrictions on publishing, and crackdowns on churches in countries such as Russia and China, leave radio as the easiest and most cost-effective way of presenting the gospel to nonbelievers and discipling believers.



Illustrative of radio's enduring central role in FEBC's work is the opening in 2016 of two new stations in predominantly Buddhist Mongolia. Since beginning its work there 12 years ago, FEBC has launched ten stations, with plans for 20.



Another example is FEBC's ongoing distribution of fixed-dial radios to people in hard-to-reach places. Hundreds of thousands have been given away over the years, with several thousand smuggled or floated by balloon into repressive Communist North Korea over the past couple of years.



Even where FEBC is using other forms of communication to broadcast, radio remains the fuel that drives the train. When FEBC's long-time radio stations in Russia were forced to close, it began streaming on social media.



"All these different forms of social media are essentially radio, except it is going out over the internet or a cell phone," says Cannon. In some cases, FEBC films a radio broadcast in-studio and streams that programming online in another country where they speak the same language, to further extend its reach.



The ongoing emphasis on radio is not about living in the past, however. Using technology to overcome barriers for people to hear the gospel has been FEBC's focus since it was founded in 1945, with broadcasts starting three years later. "Over the years we have pursued ways to be innovative," says Cannon.



Those efforts include adopting sim cards to share content, satellite broadcasting, distributing speaker boxes for groups of people to be able to listen to broadcasts, and providing cell phone charger stations in remote areas with local hot spots that provide access to downloadable content.



"We have always looked for ways to use new tools, but our core mission remains the same," says Cannon, "to use radio to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those who do not know him."



FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Radio, www.febc.org) was founded in 1945 to share the gospel in China. Today, more than 900 staff and almost 2,000 volunteers produce around 850 hours of programming each day, broadcast across Asia, Russia, Ukraine, the Indian Sub-continent, the Middle East and Africa. Programs in 113 languages air from 149 stations.

PENSII majorate de la 1 ianuarie 2022. Noua FORMULA de CALCUL, propusa de PSD, acceptata de PNL. Ce se intampla cu PENSIILE peste 4.000 de leiChandigarh: Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar Monday denied arranging any meeting between former Punjab Chief Minister and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Kumar also denied having ever met Sirsa headquartered Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is currently serving a 20-year jail term in a rape case.

Kumar issued the denial a day after the SIT, probing the 2015 police firings at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura in Faridkot at mobs protesting the state-wide sacrilege incidents, summoned him along with former Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.

"It has come to my knowledge that some rumours and false statements are being loosely made on social media about my involvement with a person named Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the context of a fictitious meeting involving Sukhbir Singh Badal," Akshay tweeted Monday.

"With all humility, I would like to state the following facts. I have never ever met Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in my life, anywhere. I learnt from social media at some point that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh resided for a while at some place in my locality Juhu in Mumbai but we never crossed each other's paths," Akshay said on micro-blogging site.

"Over the years, I have dedicatedly made films, promoting the Punjabi culture and the rich history and tradition of Sikhism through films like Singh is King, Kesari (based on the battle of Saragarhi) etc. I am proud of being a Punjabi and have the highest regard for the Sikh faith. I shall never do anything that would even remotely hurt the sentiments of my Punjabi brothers and sisters for whom I have the utmost respect and love," tweeted Kumar.

"My statement above is the utmost and absolute truth. I challenge anyone who can prove it otherwise," he added.

Actor Kumar's name figures in the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report on the sacrilege incidents. The report was tabled in Punjab assembly in August.

The report claimed Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had met former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal at the actor's flat in Mumbai in 2015 in connection with the release of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect head's movie 'MSG'.

The meeting was allegedly held before the Dera chief was pardoned in a blasphemy case.

The movie MSG could not be released in Punjab in September 2015 because of an edict by the Akal Takht against it.

Akshay Kumar, however, had denied having met Dera Sacha Sauda sect head even then.

SIT member Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, an inspector general of Punjab police, has issued separate summonses to the Prakash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Akshay Kumar on behalf of the SIT.

While the senior Badal has been asked to appear before the Punjab Police SIT on November 16, the junior one has been summoned on November 19. Akshay Kumar has been asked to appear before the SIT on November 21. The three have to report to the SIT at the Amritsar circuit house.

IGP Singh said the summonses relate to the investigation of cases involving various incidents of sacrilege in 2015. The summonses have been issued under the section 160 of the CrPC, requiring the attendance for investigation, relating to the Bargari sacrilege case and the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura police firing incidents.

The summonses say, "The presence of the aforesaid person is necessary for the purpose of inquiry into the above-mentioned offence and the person summoned needed to give such information relating to the said alleged offence as he may possess."The time is finally arriving! It is just a day for the much-awaited star couple Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh (DeepVeer)s wedding. They are taking this step after 6 long years of dating.

Both of them met on the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Goliyon Ki Rasleela: Ram-Leela and went on complete a hattrick with him after working in films like Bajirao Mastani and the latest being Padmaavat.

While the director definitely holds a special space and it was strongly assumed he was invited for the wedding, he wasnt the only celeb who was speculated as part of the grand ceremony. It was being reported that Deepika also invited Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan who gave the actress her Bollywood break with Om Shanti Om. On the other hand, Ranveer, who is too fond of Aditya Chopra, was said to have invited the director for his big day.

However Deccan Chronicle has now come to know that none of this news is true since only 40 guests have travelled to Lake Como in Italy and not a single celebrity is part of it. The wedding will be a close-knit affair since only friends and family have arrived at the venue.

Moreover we also learnt that the security there is of three levels to avoid any kind of gatecrashers, but all the guests receive a warm welcome and are personally received by the bride and the groom.

Deepika, who is usually known to have a knack for details, along with Ranveer, has paid special attention to everything, right from food to clothing, at the venue.

Shah Rukh Khan had earlier said, "I get really emotional when they get married. I called Deepika and I wanted to hug her, I told her be happy. My love to Deepika and Ranveer. We will be celebrating as and when they call."There were reports in some sections of the media that Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone have already bought their dream home in suburban Mumbai. Even the location of this earthly paradise was revealed by some insider sources.

However, the truth, as told by one of the couples close friends, is that their dream house is yet to materialise. They havent had the time to look around seriously for the house that theyll be sharing after their wedding. They did look at some property. But nothing major transpired. They will hunt around seriously for what the media refers to as their dream house after they return from their wedding, says the couple's friend.

Luckily, both Ranveer and Deepika have taken a break from work to be together after they have tied the knot.

In the meanwhile, one hears that Ranveer will move into the apartment Deepika currently occupies, which is amply spacious to accommodate them both.

HT03Donations trickled in slowly during the pandemic, but the new bookstore run by the Hermosa Beach Friends of the Library looks to change that.Superstar Shah Rukh Khans wife Gauri Khan has carved a niche for herself as an interior designer. Over the years, celebrities like Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar, Sidharth Malhotra, Jacqueline Fernandez to name a few have called upon Gauri to design their homes. Last year she designed a restaurant in the suburbs and has added yet another to her list. And being a dotting husband Shah Rukh attended the launch of the new restaurant designed by his wife.

Accompanied by her husband at the launch, when Gauri was asked about her work, she posed a question in return. This is the third restaurant that I have designed. We have a special guest who I have to impress and I hope you are impressed? asked Gauri turning to her husband.

Shah Rukh Khan with wife Gauri Khan

Replying to his wifes question SRK in his inimitable style said, I only come to those restaurants which she has designed because I get free food. This is a Mexican joint and then there are two more of Arth in Pune and Mumbai. Please open more such restaurants. I am going to do my next party here.

One thing the star wife did reveal is that superstar hubby is not allowed to go to any other restaurants but only the ones she has designed. This is close to my home. The open area of this place is cool and I also love their bathroom. The indoor-outdoor vibe of this place is very inviting. People love to stay outdoors rather than stay cooped up in their homes. I hope everyone enjoys the space designed, guffaws Gauri.

 Sanskriti Media

HT04Stan Lee, who dreamed up Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Panther and a cavalcade of other Marvel comics superheroes died on November 12, 2018, at the age of 95. Lee died early Monday morning in Los Angeles, a family representative told The Hollywood Reporter.

Besides his work as a writer and publisher for Marvel, Lee was also popularly known for his quirky cameos in Marvel movies.

Hollywood celebs including Samuel L Jackson, Robert Downey Jr, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman and others mourned the death of Marvel legend Stan Lee.

Read celebrity reactions to the death of Stan Lee below:

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige tweeted, "No one has had more of an impact on my career and everything we do at Marvel Studios than Stan Lee. Stan leaves an extraordinary legacy that will outlive us all. Our thoughts are with his daughter, his family, and his millions of fans. #ThankYouStan #Excelsior!".

Downey Jr posted his old picture with the comic book legend on Instagram and wrote, "I owe it all to you... Rest In Peace Stan... #MCU #Excelsior #legend #rip #stanlee #TeamStark"

Actor Dwayne Johnson wrote, "What a man. What a life. When I first broke into Hollywood, he welcomed me with open arms and some very sage advice I'll forever take to heart. A true icon who impacted generations around the world. Rest in love, my friend. #imagination #stanlee."

What a man. What a life.

When I first broke into Hollywood, he welcomed me with open arms and some very sage advice Ill forever take to heart.

A true icon who impacted generations around the world.

Rest in love, my friend. #imagination #stanlee  pic.twitter.com/dw3FXMgyHp  Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) November 12, 2018

Hugh Jackman, who played the X-Men character Wolverine in eight films across 17 years, called Lee a "creative genius".

"Stan Lee was a pioneering force in the superhero universe. I'm proud to have been a small part of his legacy and .... to have helped bring one of his characters to life. #StanLee #Wolverine" he wrote on Twitter.

Weve lost a creative genius. Stan Lee was a pioneering force in the superhero universe. Im proud to have been a small part of his legacy and .... to have helped bring one of his characters to life. #StanLee #Wolverine pic.twitter.com/iOdefi7iYz  Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) November 12, 2018

"Thor" actor Chris Hemsworth shared an image of Lee in the character's traditional helmet and holding Mjolnir on Instagram. He wrote, "RIP my friend. Thank you for the incredible adventures your stories took all of us on. My love and support goes out to all your friends and family."

Actor Samuel L Jackson wrote, "Thank you @TheRealStanLee for the escape from this world & great joy inhabiting the ones you created!! You made so many believe in the good, the heroic, the villainous, the exciting, most of all, you were giving & gracious to us all. RIP."

Thank you @TheRealStanLee for the escape from this world & great joy inhabiting the ones you created!! You made so many believe in the good, the heroic, the villainous, the exciting, most of all, you were giving & gracious to us all. RIP  Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) November 12, 2018

"Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds posted a picture of Lee's cameo from the film's sequel on Twitter and wrote, "Damn... RIP Stan. Thanks for everything."

Damn... RIP Stan. Thanks for everything. pic.twitter.com/TMAaDJSOhh  Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) November 12, 2018

"Pineapple Express" actor Seth Rogan wrote, "Thank you Stan Lee for making people who feel different realize they are special."

Thank you Stan Lee for making people who feel different realize they are special.  Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) November 12, 2018

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill wrote, His contribution to Pop Culture was revolutionary & cannot be overstated. He was everything you hoped he would be & MORE. I loved this man & will never stop missing him. They say you should never meet a childhood idol. They are wrong. #RIPStanTheMan

His contribution to Pop Culture was revolutionary & cannot be overstated. He was everything you hoped he would be & MORE. I loved this man & will never stop missing him. They say you should never meet a childhood idol. They are wrong. #RIPStanTheMan pic.twitter.com/6OKH07ahJg  Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) November 12, 2018

"Avengers: Infinity War" director duo Anthony and Joe Russo thanked Lee for filling their childhoods with "such joy".

Bollywood celebrities also took to social media to offer their condolences in the wake of Marvel legend Stan Lees demise.

Sonam Kapoor on Stan Lee:

"Manmarziyaan" star Taapsee Pannu wrote, "Today we lost the hero of my favourite films. #StanLee I almost believed he is a super hero who will never leave us  Along with him , my dream of meeting him, to discover a super power I always dreamt of having, will rest in peace forever n ever""

Today we lost the hero of my favourite films. #StanLee

I almost believed he is a super hero who will never leave us 

Along with him , my dream of meeting him, to discover a super power I always dreamt of having, will rest in peace forever n ever  taapsee pannu (@taapsee) November 13, 2018

Ayushmann Khurrana on Stan Lee:

Arjun Kapoor wrote, "The man who made me believe heroes exist around us & within us. Thank you @TheRealStanLee for giving us the hope & belief we all love latching onto... #RIPStan u will always be the worlds first super hero !!!"

The man who made me believe heroes exist around us & within us.

Thank you @TheRealStanLee for giving us the hope & belief we all love latching onto... #RIPStan u will always be the worlds first super hero !!! pic.twitter.com/4JwjkWQqqc  Arjun Kapoor (@arjunk26) November 13, 2018

Stan Lee's death has sure left a void in the hearts and minds of millions of people. RIP Legend. Excelsior!BERLIN - A 59-year-old man was charged in Germany on Monday on suspicion of trying to sell stolen diaries and other items that had belonged to the late Beatle John Lennon.

The suspect, identified by the Berlin prosecutors office only as Erhan G., in 2014 commissioned an auction house in Berlin to sell the items, receiving an upfront payment of 785,000 euros ($884,000), the office said in a statement.

The items, which were stolen from Lennons widow Yoko Ono in 2006 and ended up in Berlin, also included letters, a recording of a Beatles concert and a pair of Lennons glasses.

Among them was Lennons last diary which ended on Dec. 8, 1980, the day he was shot and killed in New York.

It contained the entry that on that morning Lennon and Ono had an appointment with photographer Annie Leibovitz. The resulting portrait of a naked Lennon curled up around Ono on their bed ran on the January, 1981 cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

Further documents, an illustration and another pair of John Lennons glasses were found hidden in the suspects car, the prosecutors office said, adding it was charging the man with receiving stolen goods and conspiracy to fraud.

Police have said they suspected the items were stolen by Onos former driver before being taken to Turkey and were only brought to Berlin in 2013 or 2014.

They were alerted after the items were found by the administrator for a bankrupt auction house, which had previously valued the objects at 3.1 million euros.

The items were handed over to Onos lawyer on Sept. 21, 2018, the prosecutors office said.Following her complaint, the accused was arrested and produced before the court, which convicted him of the offence and imprisoned him for three days and also fined him Rs 200, said the police. (Representional Image)

Hyderabad: A 19-year-old student from Zaheerabad, who posted the private pictures of a married woman on social media and also shared them with her family members to disturb her family life, was convicted by a court and imprisoned for three days.

The accused Shaik Mudabbir Ahmed is a resident of Zaheerabad in Sangareddy district and was pursuing his graduation.

For several months, he had been harassing a married woman who was his relative. He had been asking her for sexual favours.

When she refused and stopped talking to him, Ahmed clandestinely took her phone and transferred her private pictures onto his phone, and ever since has been using them to blackmail her.

The She Teams police said that Ahmed created a fake Facebook profile and posted the womans pictures by tagging her profile and also her family members and friends.

It has even created a rift between the victim and her husband.

Following her complaint, the accused was arrested and produced before the court, which convicted him of the offence and imprisoned him for three days and also fined him Rs 200, said the police.A pressure cooker and a hammer were found at the spot, police said. (Representational Image)

Mumbai: A 62-year-old man died in Navi Mumbai's Koparkhairane area after he was allegedly hit on the head with a pressure cooker, police said.

The victim's son, said to be a schizophrenic, was also inside the flat when it happened. He was found with injuries to his hand and was rushed to a hospital, police added.

"Vijaykumar Dohatre was found in a pool of blood with a head injury by neighbours who heard sounds of a scuffle from the house. A pressure cooker and a hammer were found at the spot," said Sudhakar Pathate, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-I), Navi Mumbai police.

Police said that prima facie, the son's involvement is under suspicion, adding that a probe into the incident was underway.

Police has registered a murder against an unidentified person.Bengaluru: A 70-year-old ailing doctor had to be carried to hospital on foot when the ambulance couldn't gain entry into the 6th Block at Arkavathy Layout. The BDA layout has been at the receiving end of apathy and neglect and 15 years after it was constructed, still lacks basic amenities like roads, underground drainage, water and power supply.

"I had to be rushed to hopsital when I developed a medical emergency last Setember. Although the ambulance was available, its services could not be utilised as the vehicle could not enter the layout, thanks to the absence of a road. A few neighbours saved my life by carrying me to the ambulance," recalls a stricken Dr Lokanandhan. "This is the sorry state of affairs at the BDA's Arkavathy Layout."

Delays have been a constant feature, failing to provide both water and electricity. Many residents are forced to dig borwells although it is the duty of the BDA to provide a BWSSB water connection and a power connection too. This is done through the provision of infrastructure like poles and transformers. However, residents here pay a premium on water, which they get from tankers. They also pay the highest electricity bills in the city, even more than commercial units. With no infrastructure to facilitate power supply, residents are dependent on temporary power connections which cost a whopping Rs 10.50 per unit, Dr Lokanandhan rued.

Archaic as it may sound, asphalted roads, underground drainage and st reet lights are amenities most people take for granted but to Arkavathy Layout residents, they remain a distant dream. At least for a few more years. The repeated pleas of residents have fallen on deaf ears, Dr Lokanadhan added. "Owning a BDA site and building a house is the Bengalurean dream. However, families now regret buying BDA sites because they are so badly maintained and ill-equipped," he said.

Another resident, Jayamurthy, says the BDA erred in denotifying land. "Not denotifying land in the middle of the layout is common sense," he said.

Troublingly, the BDA's Kempegowda Layout is up and running, while Arkavathy, which was developed over a decade ago, is still lacking. "Why the step motherly treatment?" he asks. "Ironically, the BDA has acquired land in different villages but there is no connecting road. Even today, residents have to pass through private land. Luckily, the landlord has not objected to the movement of the public," he said.

When DC contacted BDA commissioner Rakesh Singh he said that its a old layout and denied that it is being by the BDA. Various works at the layout have been tendered it includes road and street lights too. Tenders for Rs. 220 crore has been floated and infrastructure will be provided at the earliest, he assured.

B02Hyderabad: Candidates have lined up at the astrologers for an auspicious day to file nominations, after the election season started with the filing of papers on Monday. Some astrologers claimed that November 14, 17,18 and 19 would bring luck to the candidates and increase their chances of winning. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who is said to be a firm believer, is also set to file his nomination papers on the first auspicious day.

It can be recalled that he also dissolved the Assembly on an auspicious day, according to astrologers.

Half of the days set by the Election Commission for the nominations have turned out to be lucky according to astrologers. Some of them have become busy giving suggestions to the candidates on which date and at what time to file their nominations in order to hit the jackpot in the elections.

Apart from the experienced independent candidates, many of the first time independent candidates are set to file nominations only after consulting their purohits. Though there is a blanket cover on certain days being good days, purohits are also giving personalised suggestions based on the individuals horoscope.

Though there were instances of these predictions going wrong in the past, candidates are not willing to take the risk by breaking tradition.

A local priest, on the condition of anonymity, said, As of now dozens of candidates came to me to ask when they should file their nominations. I advised most of them to go for November 14, Wednesday, Sapthami.

Chilkur Balaji temple chief priest Dr C.S. Rangarajan, had another take. He said that all the days in Karthika masam usually turned out to be favourable days for any kind of important activities. Till Pournami the days are good, he said.Addressing a rally here ahead of the second phase of polling in the state on November 20, Gandhi also charged the Modi government with ensuring benefit to Anil Ambani's company through the Rafale aircraft deal. (Photo: File)

Mahasamund: Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday launched a counter attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, saying the note ban hurt the poor and benefited the rich wearing "suit-boot".

Addressing a rally here ahead of the second phase of polling in the state on November 20, Gandhi also charged the Modi government with ensuring benefit to Anil Ambani's company through the Rafale aircraft deal. The Modi-led government "snatched" Rs 30,000 crore from the poor and put it in the pocket of the industrialist, Gandhi said.

The Congress, if propelled to power, would write off debts of farmers in Chhattisgarh within 10 days into government, he said.

"He (Modi) said the note ban brought money out of pillows of people. He is right. But he did not tell from whom the money was snatched...all the poor people (had to) queue up (to exchange notes). Did any billionaire queue up? Did anyone in suit-boot queue up?" he asked.

"India's prime minister helped turn the black money of the rich into white. He snatched money of the poor, but ensured benefits for the rich," Gandhi said.

Hitting out at Rahul and Sonia Gandhi for questioning him on demonetisation, Modi had Monday said in a poll rally that he did not need a "certificate of honesty" from the "mother-son duo" who are out on bail. The prime minister had also said that demonetisation helped recover from "under someone's bed and in cupboards".

Read: 'Those seeking bail giving certificate to Modi': PM attacks Gandhi family

"They want an account of demonetisation. It was due to the demonetisation that bogus companies were identified. And because of that you had to seek bail. Why do you forget that it was due to the note ban that you had to seek bail," he had said without naming the Gandhis. Modi announced the ban on high-value currency notes on November 8, 2016.Bengaluru: He had a dream run in electoral politics that few can boast of. Since winning his first Lok Sabha election in 1996, H N Ananth Kumar went on to win the next five LS polls too from Bengaluru South, defeating the best of Congress candidates, who tried to take him on.

Hailing from Hubballi, he did his homework before choosing Bengaluru South as his constituency. He had a good knowledge of its voter configuration and began nurturing it as far back as in 1991, while he was still president of the BJP Yuva Morcha.

The constituency was at the time dominated by Brahmins and Vokkaligas followed by Jains and other working middle class people. With the Vokkaligas backing the Congress, the party had always won both Bengaluru constituencies until then. But having set his mind on winning over Bengaluru South, Ananth Kumar persuaded noted economist, Prof Venkatagiri Gowda, who was active in Vokkaliga Sangha politics, to join the BJP and the combination of Vokkaliga, Brahmin, Jains and middle class voters got the party its first victory in Bengaluru city. Prof. Gowda, who was fielded by the party, won by a comfortable majority.

But Ananth Kumar did not stop there. He also persuaded Mr H N Nanje Gowda, a prominent Vokkaliga leader and irrigation expert, to join the BJP and made sure he contested from the Basavanagudi Assembly constituency with its large number of Vokkaliga voters in the 1994 state elections. His twin strategy paid off as the two wins helped consolidate the Vokkaliga vote in favour of the BJP in Bengaluru South .

In 1996 the BJP decided to field Ananth Kumar himself from Bengaluru South and an upset Prof Gowda contested as an independent. But neither he nor Mrs Varalakshmi Gundurao, widow of the late Chief Minister, Gundu Rao, fielded by the Congress, could stop him and he won the election comfortably.

In the Lok Sabha elections that followed he defeated all the candidates fielded by the Congress , D P Sharma, B K Hariprasad, M Krishnappa, Krishna Byre Gowda and Nandan Nilkeni.

One of the secrets of his success was his ability to stay grounded even when he was in power and his willingness to help all the eight MLAs of his parliamentary constituency, irrespective of their political affiliation. He also fostered small group activities, and was easily accessible to them. His constituents too found him easy to approach.

Ananth Kumars social work added to his gains. The Akshaya Pathre scheme that he introduced through his Adamya Chethana Trust to feed poor children in government schools, helped him reach out to their parents in slums and the minority community. One of his greatest strengths, however, was his wife , Tejaswini who not only took care of the trusts activities, but also spoke on his behalf to people, who came in search of him. She never interfered in politics, but ensured that the personal problems of the people of the constituency were attended to, earning him their gratitude.Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Monday asked the Election Commission of India to inform the court by next Monday about steps it has taken to review the election manifesto so far released by various political parties for the election in Telangana state. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice S.V. Bhatt was dealing with a PIL by M. Narayana Charyulu to spell out its stand on a PIL seeking to direct political parties to give written assurances.Demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was aimed to break the back of small and medium businesses, Gandhi said. (Photo: File)

Baloda Bazar: Congress President Rahul Gandhi Tuesday launched a diatribe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "misleading" people on India's development.

Addressing a rally here ahead of the second phase of polling in the state on November 20, Gandhi said as per Modi, development of the country began only after 2014, when he became the prime minister. "He (Modi) doesn't even know that the country is run by the people and not by a single man. He insults you by making such comments," the Congress president said.

Demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was aimed to break the back of small and medium businesses, Gandhi said. Congress will encourage youth to do business and get loan facility from banks, he added.

The Congress is not against big industrialists, but if government gives them benefit, small and medium business should not be neglected, he said.

"Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya fled the country with thousands of crores of rupees belonging to the people of India. PM Modi does nothing to bring them back to the country and doesn't utter a word on the issue," he said.

He claimed the CBI director was removed from his post at 1 am to stop a probe into the Rafale deal.

"If there is an investigation, only two names will come up: Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani. Modi is scared of a probe," he said. Gandhi claimed Anil Ambani was chosen over HAL for the Rafale deal despite HAL having 70 years experience in manufacturing fighter aircraft. "Anil Ambani didn't have the experience. He may not have made even a paper aeroplane," he said.

Gandhi said there is an undercurrent in favour of the Congress in the 18 constituencies of Chhattisgarh which went to polls Monday. Results from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other poll-bound states will go in favour of the Congress, he said.

Chhattisgarh is rich in resources, the Congress president said, adding the "dream of the state was broken due to the misrule" of the BJP government.

Promising a "people's government" in Chhattisgarh if voted to power, he said people want a government which listens to their "Mann ki Baat". "Instead of working for a few industrialists, Congress will work for development of agriculture, education and health in the state," Gandhi said.There has been a major increase in viral infections this year and doctors say that it is because of over-crowding, low temperatures and change in the environment.

HYDERABAD: Sporadic cases of chicken pox are being seen in the city, doctors said on Monday. Chicken pox is caused due to the virus Varicella zoster. Due to the rampant viral infections, this virus is also active in the air.

Dr M. Govardhan, a senior general physician, explained, The chicken pox virus is very contagious cases are seen in places where people are crowded together like hostels, colleges and shared accommodation, where there are many people in one unit. Chicken pox is being seen throughout the year but in a sporadic manner and not in clusters.

There has been a major increase in viral infections this year and doctors say that it is because of over-crowding, low temperatures and change in the environment.

Dr Anish Anand, general physician with Apollo Hospitals, said, We are seeing a lot of viral infections in terms of cold, cough and respiratory infections. There are also cases of dengue and chikungunia which are being seen in large numbers. The changing climate, exposure to high levels of pollution, especially nitrogen and sulphur dioxide is reducing immunity levels in people making them susceptible to viral infections.On September 28, Supreme Court had paved way for entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple saying that the ban amounted to gender discrimination. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to consider on Tuesday a batch of petitions seeking review of its September 28 verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

On September 28, a five-judge constitution bench headed by the then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple saying that the ban amounted to gender discrimination.

A batch of 48 petitions seeking review of the judgement would be taken up for consideration in-chamber by a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra.

Besides these pleas, three separate petitions seeking review of the verdict are also slated to come up for hearing in the open court before a bench comprising CJI Gogoi and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K M Joseph. The apex court's judgement has led to protests and counter-protests at the hill-top shrine in Kerala.

The top court had on October 9 declined an urgent hearing on the review plea filed by an association which had contended that the five-judge Constitution bench's verdict lifting the ban was "absolutely untenable and irrational". Later, the court had said that it would consider the review pleas on November 13.

A plea filed by National Ayyappa Devotees Association (NADA), which has sought review of the verdict, had said that "the notion that the judgment under review is revolutionary, one which removes the stigma or the concept of dirt or pollution associated with menstruation, is unfounded. It is a judgment welcomed by hypocrites who were aspiring for media headlines. On the merits of the case, as well, the said judgment is absolutely untenable and irrational, if not perverse".

Besides the association, several other petitions including one by Nair Service Society (NSS), have been filed against the apex court verdict. The NSS had said in the plea that as the deity is a 'Naishtika Brahmachari', females below the age of 10 and after the age of 50 years are eligible to worship him and there is no practice of excluding worship by females.

"Hence, the delay or wait for 40 years to worship cannot be considered as exclusionary and it is an error of law on the face of the judgement," the plea had said.Gujarat High Court had in October 2017 dismissed Zakia's plea challenging the SIT's clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others pertaining to 'larger conspiracy' behind the 2002 riots. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea filed by Zakia Jafri, challenging clean chit given by the Special Investigation Team to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, other top politicians and bureaucrats in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The apex court will hear the plea on Monday, November 19.

Zakia Jafri is the widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was among the 69 people massacred in Gulbarg society during the 2002 riots.

The Gujarat High Court had in October 2017 dismissed Zakia's plea challenging the SIT's clean chit to PM Modi and others pertaining to larger conspiracy behind the 2002 riots in which more than 1,000 people were massacred in Gujarat.

The court upheld the magisterial courts verdict, accepting the Supreme Court-appointed SITs closure report giving clean chit to PM Modi and others, citing lack of prosecutable evidence against them.Hyderabad: The Telangana and Andhra Pradesh state police are trying to approach the court in Thane, to get Nowhera Shaik, founder of The Heera Group, to the southern states to question her in the cases registered against her regarding allegations of cheating and money circulation acts.

On Tuesday, the High Court of Judicature, Hyderabad, issued orders cancelling the bail sanctioned by a lower court in Hyderabad. A petition was filed by the Central Crime Station sleuths who had arrested Nowhera in Delhi.

On October 29, Nowhera was granted bail by the Nampally court, but Mumbai police filed a PT warrant in the court and took her into custody for questioning. The court in Mumbai sanctioned 13 days custody of Nowhera.

With the order of the higher court, the police of Kukatpally police and CCS police along with the Crime Investigation Department of Andhra Pradesh are trying to file PT warrants with the court there and bring her to the city and produce in the court. Nowhera is currently in the custody of Thane police.

Meanwhile, the CCS police who have arrested Nowheras associate Biju Thomas for supporting her in developing websites and maintaining records of the company, has found that she reportedly used morphed pictures on her website about receiving several awards from top politicians in the country including from Union External Minister Sushma Swaraj.

It is learnt that the images posted by her in the website are false. We are investigating to find if she really received any award for doing businesses in various countries, and about her doctorate, as officially we know that Nowhera only cleared her SSC examinations, said a senior CCS official.Hyderabad: A gang of five persons have been held by the city police for running fake agencies and issuing false certificates to students to apply for higher studies abroad. The gang has reportedly helped about 200 persons to leave the country. Police seized 680 fake certificates and 32 passports of the aspirants. The five have been remanded to judicial custody.

Acting on a tip-off, the central zone task force team apprehended five persons J. Srikanth Reddy, 33, owner of Just Visa Consulting Pvt Ltd and Indo-European Foundation, Mohd Ateeq ur Rahman, 43, partner in Indo-European Foundation, K. Sharath Chandar Prasad, 25, owner of Risers Organisation Consultancy, Imran Shaik, 27, and Akil Manati, 25, for making fake certificates of JNTU, OU, Prof Jayashankar University, Gitam University and other institutions. These fake certificates were later used to apply for admissions in foreign universities.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner, Mr Anjani Kumar said that accused Srikanth, Ateeq and Sharath were running consultancies to provide admissions in foreign colleges. They used to forge the original certificates and issue fake certificates, false bank statements and also fake fixed deposit certificates to produce them during the admission process. Each candidate was charged Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 for the work done.

Once a student approached any of the said consultancies, expressing interest to go abroad, Ateeq, Srikanth and Sharath used to send the aspirants to Imran Shaik, who is also into the preparation of fake certificates, bank statements and other documents required for admission process. The same were given to the foreign universities and the admissions were done.

The accused Akil also acted as an agent in bringing the candidates to the consultancies for a commission. Many candidates who have successfully gone abroad are recommending others, who have failed in examinations but wish to study abroad. About 680 fake certificates, 680 original certificates, 96 fake stamps, four CPUs, 89 bank statements, 25 fake IELTS certificates and also two FDs in Andhra Bank, besides 32 original passports have been seized, said Commissioner Mr. Anjani Kumar.

Another police official said, About 150 to 200 students were sent abroad in the last two years. They are preparing fake IELTS examination results and bank statements, with fake barcodes and QR Codes, to create an impression that they were genuine using high-end scanners and printers.Mukesh called her, but she did not answer. He then peeped through the kitchen door and found her hanging to the ceiling, said the police. (Representional Image)

Hyderabad: A first-year Chartered Accountant student hanged herself following a phone call at her house on Monday night.

The Narsingi police booked a case of suspicious death and a probe is on.

Narsingi inspector G. Ramana Goud said the student Garima Agarwal was a resident of Hydershakote area in Gandipet. She was pursuing first year CA. On Monday, her family went out for work and reached home at about 4.40 pm.

Rakesh Agarwal, father of the girl said that he along with his wife Sunitha and his brother Mukesh Agarwal and his kids went out on work and when they returned Garima did not open the door. Mukesh called her, but she did not answer. He then peeped through the kitchen door and found her hanging to the ceiling, said the police.

The inspector said, It is found that the girl was on a phone call before she took the extreme step. We are verifying the call data records and will also ask her fellow students if they noticed any unusual happenings with her in the recent past.

A case of suspicious death has been registered on her fathers complaint, the inspector added.The bench termed the human being as the worst tourist whoever visited planet earth said that he was causing irreversible damage to the environment.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday directed both the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments to come up with an action plan for a plastic ban in temples from both the Telugu speaking states.

Criticising the untidy environment all across both the neighbouring states, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice S.V. Bhatt directed the Pollution Control Board, Endowments department officials to submit a detailed action plan.

The bench termed the human being as the worst tourist whoever visited planet earth said that he was causing irreversible damage to the environment.

The court also directed the authorities to implement the Centres rule on plastic waste management.

The court passed the order after taking suo motu cognizance of the report submitted by Warangal and Nizamabad district judges after inspecting and the difficulties faced by the devotees in temples.

Advocate-generals from both the states put forth their arguments before the HC adjourned for the next week.Hyderabad: In a significant development with regard to the shifting of Dharna Chowk from Indira Park to a faraway place, the Hyderabad High Court on Tues-day directed the TS Police to allow protest meetings, dharnas and rallies at the Chowk for six weeks.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakris-hnan and Justice S.V. Bhatt while granting the interim order, observed that peoples protests are a key pillar of democracy and democracy is sustained when protesting voices are heard, and if we suppress them then democracy would be in danger.

In a significant development with regard to the shifting of Dharna Chowk from Indira Park to a faraway place, the Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday directed the Telangana Police to allow protest meetings, dharnas and rallies at the Chowk for a period of six weeks.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice S. V. Bhatt while granting the interim order observed that peoples protests are a key pillar of democracy and democracy is sustained when protesting voices are heard, and if we suppress them then democracy would be in danger.

Making it clear that in a democratic country like India the rulers cannot suppress the voice of the people, the bench said that the court will not remain a mute spectator if the voice of the people is suppressed.

The bench said that the people of this country have a right to speak, right to live, and right to assemble, and the rulers cannot suppress their rights without citing reasonable grounds.

The bench was dealing with a public interest litigation (PIL) by Congress leader V. Hanumantha Rao, and the CPIs Ch Venkat Reddy challenging the action of the government in not permitting dharnas and protest meetings within the limits of the city, including at Dharna Chowk at Indira Park.

The bench has also taken up a PIL on the letter of Professor Visweswara Rao.

S. Sharath Kumar, counsel for the government, submitted that the government has identified a place at Saroornagar stadium for the Dharna Chowk in view of the complaints from people residing near Dharna Chowk at Indira Park, that they are inconvenienced due to the frequent protests and traffic jams in the area. Also, there are a number of hospitals in the vicinity of Dharna Chowk and patients are suffering with the noise pollution.

Reacting to the submission of the counsel, the bench asked who told you to give permission for hospitals near the Chowk? Why have you allowed a number of educational institutions near it and do you want to crush the peoples' voice for the sake of private institutions?

The Chief Justice said that people may not know where the Chief Justices bungalow is located, but they easily recognise Dharna Chowk.

The Chief Justice said, If I engage a car to go to my residence, I invariably guide the driver on how to reach my house, but if I hire a car to go to Dharna Chowk, the driver takes me to the place easily.

While directing the police to allow the dharnas and protests at the site, the High Court bench adjourned the case.Hyderabad: Hyderabad traffic cop Raju received a thank you letter from an Italian citizen for helping his father, a professional cyclist currently on a world tour.

Dr Armando Basile an Italian cyclist reached Koti Womens College, Hyderabad, and sought help from the cop to get to Kurnool. The man also requested the cop to mail his son about his safe arrival and departure from Hyderabad. After the cop did as requested, the cyclists son thanked the cop through an email.

Dr Armando Basile was on a world tour on his cycle from Germany. When he reached Koti Womens College, I was regulating traffic at Koti. He stopped to ask details of Kurnool route. After I shared the road map, he asked me to email his son Dirk Basile, saying that he was safe. The same was informed to his son who in returned thanked me, said the cop. The email sent to officer Raju stated, Thank you very much to the police officers of Hyderabad for helping my father Armando Basile to find the right way out of the town on his 7th trip on bike around the world Dirk Basile.Hyderabad: Caretaker Minister for IT and Municipal Administration K T Rama Rao on Tuesday assured disabled persons that he would discuss with the Chief Minister to revive the Disabled Welfare programme which was currently functioning as an integral part of the Women and Child Welfare department. He suggested it should function as an independent department and work exclusively for the welfare of the disabled in the city.

Addressing a disabled persons meet at Jalavihar of the city, KTR said that Chief Minister K Chandra-sekhar Rao would increase the pension for disabled people to Rs 3016 after December 11.

Maintaining that the TRSs aim was to increase the revenue and distribute it among the poor, he said Telangana was the only state in the country which spent 43 per cent of the states revenue for the welfare of the poor through 453 schemes. He said that the TRS government had stood first in disabled welfare and it had also received an award from the Centre.

Promising to increase the budget for disabled welfare after regaining power, K T Rama Rao said that Mission Bhagiratha would be completed by the end of this month.Venkat Krishnapur, vice president, engineering, and managing director, McAfee India, said, Cyber-attackers are well aware that people do not pay much attention to their online activities during this time and use this to their advantage. (Representional Image)

Hyderabad: The festive season sales lead people to be more careless when shopping online and also leads to clicking on an unfamiliar email because it offered savings on their festive shopping.

According to a report by McAfee, the computer security software company, consumers are very concerned about finding the lowest price even if that means potentially jeopardising their online security by using a website they are unfamiliar with

Online shoppers will risk sharing their personal credentials for a good deal during the festive season.

Attractive pricing options along with the convenience of home delivery are driving people to shop online to find the perfect gift.

The survey finds that the festive season tends to amplify financial stress in a family or individual owing to the increased shopping activity. About 46 per cent of respondents felt a bit stressed during this season while 31 per cent of respondents said that they feel a lot of stress during the festive season.

McAfee commissioned MSI-ACI to conduct a survey of 1,017 adults in India between the ages of 18 and 55 in October 2018.

The survey also noted that the online buying habits of Indian shoppers are evolving as awareness around shopping frauds is increasing. About 74 per cent of respondents do their research and ensure the website is genuine before clicking on an unfamiliar link or email. People tend to check their bank statements more often during the festive season and will not make a purchase over an unsecure Wi-Fi connection.

Venkat Krishnapur, vice president, engineering, and managing director, McAfee India, said, Cyber-attackers are well aware that people do not pay much attention to their online activities during this time and use this to their advantage. Consumers should be vigilant of the deals and offers that appear too good to be true online and take proper steps to ensure they can enjoy a safe festive season.Former Union minister Renuka Chowdary has said everyone should work hard for the victory of the Mahakutami.

Hyderabad: Aggrieved at not being on the first list of candidates for Assembly seats released on Monday, several party leaders are quitting the party and some have announced they will contest as rebel candidates.

Former Union minister Renuka Chowdary has said everyone should work hard for the victory of the Mahakutami.

TPCC star campaigner Vijayashanti said that it is not correct to say that the Congress did not allot a ticket to her.

The Congress high command had asked her to contest the Assembly elections but since she was appointed a star campaigner, she could not also contest the election.

Other Congress leaders were very angry with the party for denying them tickets. They are holding meetings with their followers to decide their future course of action. Some of them are thinking of leaving the party. Former MLA Narayana Rao has resigned, expressing his displeasure at the Tandur ticket going to Rohith Reddy.

In Warangal district, Naini Rajendar Reddy was expecting the ticket for Warangal West, but with the seat adjustment, Warangal West was allotted to the Telugu Desam and former MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy has got the TD ticket.

Rajendar Reddy is a strong candidate and is thinking of contesting as a rebel.

The Serilimgampally Assembly seat was also allotted to the TD and industrialist Bhavya Anand Prasad has been named the TD candidate. Bhikshapathi Yadav of the Congress announced that he will contest as an independent candidate if the Congress does not rethink its decision.

He said he has been campaigning in the constituency for the last one month on the directive of his party but at the last minute the seat was allotted to the TD.

Telangana NSUI (National Students Union of India) president B. Venkat has announced his resignation from the Congress. He aspired to the Peddapalli Assembly seat which was given to Vijaya Ramana Rao who joined the Congress after abandoning the TD, along with A. Revanth Reddy.New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to stay its verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple but agreed to hear in open court on January 22 a batch of review petitions in the matter.

The review petitions against the September 28 verdict were taken up in-chamber by a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices R.F . Nariman, A.M. Khan-wilkar, D.Y. Chandrac-hud and Indu Malhotra.

All the Review Petitions along with all pending applications will be heard in Open Court on 22nd January, 2019 before the appropriate Bench. We make it clear that there is no stay of the judgment and order of this court dated 28th September, 2018 passed in Writ Petition (Civil) No.373 of 2006 (Indian Young Lawyers Associa-tion & Ors. vs. The State of Kerala & Ors), the order said.

In the in-chamber proceedings, the judges examine the review petitions by circulation and lawyers are not present. There are around 48 petitions seeking review of the judgement.

Earlier in the day, the top court had made it clear that fresh pleas related to the Sabarimala Temple will be heard only after it decides the earlier petitions seeking review of the judgment allowing entry of women of all age groups into the shrine in Kerala. The bench stated this while hearing the three fresh petitions filed by G. Vijaya Kumar, S. Jaya Rajkumar and Shailaja Vijayan challenging its September 28 verdict.

On September 28, a five-judge constitution bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala Temple saying the ban amounted to gender discrimination.

The top court had on October 9 declined an urgent hearing on the review plea filed by an association which had contended that the five-judge Constitution benc-hs verdict lifting the ban was absolutely untenable and irrational. A plea filed by the NADA, had said, The notion that the judgment under review is revolutionary is unfounded.Hyderabad: The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to stay its verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple, but agreed to hear in open court on January 22, a batch of review petitions in the matter.

Law minister A. K. Balan said, The Supreme Courts decision to hear the Sabarimala review and writ petitions in the open court on January 22 is appropriate. Status quo can be maintained so that the Mandala Makaravilakku season will be peaceful.

Devaswom minister, Kadakampally Surend-ran, said, The government will implement the Supreme Courts decision. After studying the order, I will hold talks with the chief minister and take an appropriate decision.

Meanwhile, slamming Kerala chief minister, BJP state president, P. S. Sreedharan Pillai, said, We welcome the Supreme Courts decision which is a blow to those who rejected our demand. The chief minister should apologise for planning to convert the state into a conflict zone.

Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court decision to hear the review petitions. He said, It is a big victory for Ayyappa. Todays outcome was due to the blessings of Lord Ayyappa and the prayers of devotees. The shrine had never before faced such troubled times: first came the floods damaging the infrastructure in and around the temple complex and then the apex court order of September 28 permitting women of all age groups to enter the temple.

Ramesh Chennithala, Opposition leader said, The LDF government should rethink its decision. to allow the entry of young women. in Sabarimala during the Mand-ala Makarvilakku season. I welcome the SCs decision which is a victory for the devotees. Am-ong the political parties, only the Congress had filed a review petition.

G. Sukumaran Nair, ge-neral secretary, NSS, said, NSS hopes that the state will take a prudent decision without affecting the rituals. of the temple to maintain peace.

Rahul Easwar, Ayyappa Dharma Sena president  I dont expect justice from the Supreme Court in the case related to the young womens entry in Sabarimala temple. An ordinance may be needed on the Jallikettu model. We will continue our battle against the move to subvert tradition and explore all legal options. The devotees from Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry will reach Sabarimala and will not obey the police orders.

Vellapally Natesan, SNDP Yogam general secretary - The SC's decision is a boost to those who had approached the court against young womens entry in the temple. I request everyone to avoid the conflicts and ensure peace. The devotees and the politicians should show decorum. Even if there is a verdict in favour of young womens entry, they will not try to enter Sabarimala.

Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPM state secretary -The government will do the needful as per the Supreme Court verdict and considering all aspects. The chief minister has already said that the government will implement the Supreme Court verdict. There is no crisis for the government.

K. Sudhakaran, KPCC working president -The Supreme Court's decision gives hope to the people that the final order will be favourable to the devotees. The KPCC will go ahead with the protests and Vishwasa Samrakshana rallies. Once the padayatras and vehicle rallies culminate at Pathanamthitta on Thursday, the KPCC will decide on the further course of action.

A. Padmakumar, president, Travancore Devaswom Board  First let us study the verdict. Then we will take an appropriate decision.

Mullapally Ramachandran, KPCC president - I welcome the courts decision. The LDF government should have filed a review petition when the Supreme Court issued the first verdict allowing young women to enter Sabarimala. The Congress party is with the devotees. The government should take steps to improve the infrastructure at Sabarimala.

P. G. Sasikumar Varma, president of Pandalam palace coordination committee  The Supreme Court's decision is a blow to the LDF government. It should save its face before the Makara - Mandalavilakku season starts on Friday evening.Lucknow: The Shiv Sena is up in arms against the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for holding its rally in Ayodhya on the same date as the Shiv Sena.

The VHP has announced a rally in Ayodhya on November 25 which is also the date when Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be visiting the holy town and will address a rally.

Shiv MP Sanjay Raut who visited Ayodhya on Monday, said that the Shiv had announced its Ayodhya plan last month on Dusshera while the VHP chose the same date later.

Our programme was declared much before the VHP came up with its programme. The VHP should know that the temple will not be constructed by collecting crowds,the Shiv Sena MP said.

The Shiv Sena chief will be visiting Ayodhya and special trains from Maha-rashtra will bring Shiv Sainiks for his meeting.

The Sena, apparently, wants to make its presence felt in Uttar Pradesh and win over those disgruntled Hindus who are upset with the BJP. The Sena plans to contest Lok Sabha elections from select seats in UP. The party has demanded that legislation for the construction of Ram temple.

There is no use in indulging in rhetoric and misleading the people on this issue.

VHP spokesman Sharad Sharma, meanwhile, said that the proposed Dharam Sabha on November 25 had been decided by the high powered committee of the VHP last month and the programme had nothing to do with the Shiv Sena programme.

The VHP has already started preparing for the event to which all Ram bhakts are invited.

A local VHP leader said that the crowds at the VHP event would give the much needed snub to the Shiv Sena which is unnecessarily trying to meddle in Ayodhya politics.

The local BJP workers are supporting the VHP programme and feign ignorance about the Shiv Sena programme. "The Shiv Sena has nothing to do with UP. They should restrict themselves to Maharashtra. The VHP has been fighting for decades for the Ram temple," said a local party worker.

Meanwhile Shiv Sena sources said that Mr Uddhav Thackeray would now arrive in Ayodhya on November 24 and would honor 100 saints at a programme at Laxman Tila.The Committee under the direction of AICC president Rahul Gandhi is dealing with the unhappy leaders.

Hyderabad: The Congress has formed a special committee led by senior AICC leader Ahmed Patel to convince the leaders who failed to get tickets for the forthcoming Assembly elections in Telangana state.

The Committee under the direction of AICC president Rahul Gandhi is dealing with the unhappy leaders.

The in-charge of Telangana Congress affairs Mr R.C. Khuntia, said, The party will give importance to the leaders who failed to get tickets for the assembly elections. The same leaders will be given preference during the MLC elections and in filling the nominated posts in the government. The Committee led by Ahmed Patel is speaking with those leaders who are unhappy. The important leaders will also tour the districts to take on the unhappiness and dissatisfaction.

He added, This is common when the tickets are announced. It is even more when it comes to seat adjustment among the allies. Sometimes the leaders should be ready to sacrifice their seats for the allies, which will not be accepted by the party cadre. But, we are sure that the candidates who sacrifice their seat will be extended a helping hand after the government is formed.

Meanwhile, TPCC working president Revanth Reddy met R.C. Khuntia and expressed dissatisfaction about the ticket allotment to his men.

The former PCC president Mr Ponnala Lakshmiah met some senior leaders of the party and expressed his dissatisfaction about not being mentioned in the first list.

It is expected that Mr Ponnala will meet Mr Rahul Gandhi in a day or two to express his views.Hyderabad: Both in the TRS and Congress, Reddy candidates are dominating by getting a lions share of tickets in the forthcoming Telangana Assembly elections. The TRS has announced 107 candidates out of 119. Congress is contesting in 94 seats after allotting 25 seats to the allies of Mahakutami.

The TRS still has to announce 12 candidates and the Congress has to announce 29 candidates. In the TRS, 37 seats were given to the Reddy community out of 107 candidates and Congress gave 23 seats out of 65 seats to the Reddy community. After the announcement of all the candidates by these two parties, the number of seats to the Reddy community is likely to increase further.

Out of 107 seats, the TRS has given 20 seats to the BC community while the Congress has given 13 out of 65 seats. The TRS may give some more seats to the BCs in the remaining seats. The Congress had earlier said that it would give more tickets to BCs than the TRS. Accordingly, of the remaining 29 seats, the Congress would have to give a minimum of eight seats to BCs to keep its promise.

But in the remaining 29 seats, for about 10 seats, Reddy candidates are under consideration. But AICC general secretary R.C. Khuntia said in the second list that they would give some more seats to BCs. He said that the TRS was contesting in 119 seats whereas the Congress was contesting in 94 seats only.

Every political party speaks of 33 per cent reservations to women, but it is just hype. There are only four women candidates out of the 107 candidates in the TRS. The Congress appears to be slightly better because it has given out 10 seats out of the 65 candidates announced by it. But the Congress may give some more seats to women in the remaining 30 candidates it is still to announce.Hyderabad: In a dramatic development, the Telangana state revoked its own order to drop criminal cases against TRS supremo K. Chandrasekhar Rao, caretaker minister K.T. Rama Rao, Professor Kodandaram and 136 other politicians, who were booked by the Railway police during the agitation for a separate state.

However, within 24 hours of the government ordering the Railway police, which falls under the Central government, to drop the charges, another circular was issued on Tuesday stating that the first order was revoked.

It should be noted that the filing of nominations for the Assembly elections will intensity from November 14 with TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao and top guns in the political establishment filing their papers.

The cases booked against politicians are significant as details of every criminal case filed against them has to be mentioned in their affidavit. With the earlier order to drop the cases, the burden of mentioning them would have decreased, but now that the order has been revoked, politicians will have to list the cases against them.

The government requested the prosecuting officer concerned to take necessary action for withdrawal of prosecution against the accused persons.

In a dramatic development, the Government of Telangana state revoked its own order to drop criminal cases against TRS supremo K. Chandrashekar Rao, caretaker minister K.T. Rama Rao, Professor Kodandaram and 136 other politicians, who were booked by the Railway police during the Telangana agitation.

The first order that stands cancelled now, stated: The government, after careful examination of the matter and keeping in view the judgement of the Supreme Court in Rajendra Kumar Jain Vs. The State through Special Police Establishment & Others (AIR 1980 SC 1510) and in exercise of the powers conferred under section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2 of 1974) have decided to withdraw the said cases pending on the file of the II MM for railways Court.

The second order stated: In view of the Modle Code of Conduct in force, the orders issued in the GOs. for withdrawal of prosecution in several Crime Numbers, are kept in abeyance until further orders.

The people against whom cases were withdrawn are BJP MP Bandaru Dattatreya, caretaker minister for power G Jagadeeshawar Reddy, and Nayani Narasimha Reddy among others.

An officer with the Railway police said, We have not received the latest orders. Nevertheless, the Railway police had submitted the case details booked against politicians. If the cases are withdrawn the TRS would have taken the advantage however now that it is revoked.Hyderabad: Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao alleged that the Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) president Prof. M. Kodandaram supported the Congress indirectly in the 2014 Assembly elections. He was doing so directly now, the TRS leader said.

TJS Sangareddy district secretary Nagesh joined the TRS along with his followers apart from the Private employees union leaders in the presence of Mr Harish Rao at Telangana Bhavan, on Monday.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Harish Rao alleged that Prof. Kodandaram had become a slave to Delhi" for just four Assembly seats.

He said that Prof. Kodandaram was made chief of the Telangana Joint Action Committee by the TRS in the Telangana movement, but now he was ditching the party.

Mr Harish Rao said that when the TD and Congress targeted Prof. Kodandaram, the TRS had come to his rescue. He said that the TJS chief was showing his true colours. He said that Prof. Kodandaram should answer to the people of Telangana state, for joining hands with the TD.Trump has hailed his July summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as having opened the way to denuclearization of the divided peninsula, defusing tensions that less than a year ago brought the two countries to the brink of conflict. (Photo: File)

Washington: North Korea is operating at least 13 undeclared bases to hide mobile, nuclear-capable missiles, a new study released Monday has found, raising fresh doubts over US President Donald Trump's signature foreign policy initiative.

Trump has hailed his July summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as having opened the way to denuclearization of the divided peninsula, defusing tensions that less than a year ago brought the two countries to the brink of conflict.

Since the summit in Singapore, North Korea has halted nuclear and missile tests, dismantled a missile test site and promised to also break up the country's main nuclear complex.

But researchers at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said they have located 13 missile operating bases that have not been declared by the government, and that there may be as many as 20.

"It's not like these bases have been frozen," Victor Cha, who leads CSIS's North Korea program, told The New York Times, which first reported on the study.

"Work is continuing. What everybody is worried about is that Trump is going to accept a bad deal -- they give us a single test site and dismantle a few other things, and in return they get a peace agreement." Cha had been in line for appointment as US ambassador, but was dropped because of disagreement with the Trump administration's approach.

While US sanctions on North Korea remain in place, enforcement by traditional trading partners China and Russia has relaxed since the summit, US officials have acknowledged.

The bases, which are scattered across the country, are located in underground facilities tunnelled in narrow mountain valleys, according to the researchers.

They are designed so that mobile missile launchers can quickly exit the underground facilities and move to previously prepared launch sites.

The bases are arranged in three belts across North Korea, according to the report, with those for strategic missiles deep inside the country.

Medium-range missiles capable of striking Japan and all of South Korea reportedly are deployed in an operational belt 55 to 100 miles (90 to 150 kilometres) north of the demilitarized zone.

Shorter range missiles fit into a tactical belt 30 to 55 miles from the DMZ.

The report included a detailed profile of one such tactical missile operating base, illustrated with commercial satellite imagery, that is just 84 miles northwest of Seoul.

Led by Joseph Bermudez, an authority of North Korea, the researchers' findings were based on satellite imagery, defector interviews and interviews with intelligence and government officials.Khashoggi, a critic of de facto Saudi ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate last month in a hit which Erdogan says was ordered at the 'highest levels' of the Saudi government. (Photo: File)

Istanbul: President Tayyip Erdogan said recordings related to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which Turkey has shared with Western allies, are "appalling" and shocked a Saudi intelligence officer who listened to them, Turkish media reported on Tuesday.

Khashoggi, a critic of de facto Saudi ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate last month in a hit which Erdogan says was ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.

Erdogan told reporters on his plane returning from a weekend visit to France that he discussed the Saudi journalist's killing with the US, French and German leaders at dinner in Paris.

"We played the recordings regarding this murder to everyone who wanted them from us. Our intelligence organisation did not hide anything. We played them to all who wanted them including the Saudis, the USA, France, Canada, Germany, Britain," he said.

"The recordings are really appalling. Indeed when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recordings he was so shocked he said: 'This one must have taken heroin, only someone who takes who heroin would do this," he added.

Khashoggi's killing has provoked global outrage but little concrete action by world powers against Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and a supporter of Washington's plans to contain Iranian influence across the Middle East.

Erdogan said it was clear the murder was planned and that the order came from the top level of Saudi authorities but that he could not think such a thing of King Salman, for whom he has 'limitless respect'.

"The crown prince says 'I will clarify the matter, I will do what is necessary'. We are waiting patiently," Erdogan said, adding that the perpetrators of the killing were among 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia.

"It must be revealed who gave them the order to murder."

Erdogan has not given details of the contents of the tapes but two sources with knowledge of the issue have told Reuters that Turkey has several audio recordings.

They include the killing itself and conversations before the operation which Turkey subsequently uncovered, the sources said. These had led Ankara to conclude from an early stage that the killing was premeditated, despite Saudi Arabia's initial denials of any knowledge or involvement.

Saudi Arabia's prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb has since said Khashoggi's killing was planned in advance, although another Saudi official said Prince Mohammed had no knowledge of the specific operation.The city police have arrested a Mexican man for sexually harassing a woman at a Jewish prayer centre on Richmond road and punching a cop who went to inquire the incident.

Julian Heriberto (25) joined as a cook six months ago at the Chabad Jewish Centre on Richmond Road. A couple -Noa Pivkin (35) and her husband David Rabbi- acted as the centres caretakers. They lived inside the centres premises at an outhouse.

Police said David Rabbi was on a trip abroad and his wife was in-charge of the centre. At 5 pm on November 11, a woman came to the place for Sunday prayers and Heriberto allegedly touched her inappropriately, prompting her to raise an alarm.

Sampath Kumar R (40), a head constable at the City Armed Reserve (CAR), who was deployed at the place for security as foreign nationals came to pray there, hurried into the prayer hall after hearing the woman scream.

Heriberto punched Kumar on the face, brandished a knife and threatened to stab the cop if he made attempts to capture him. Kumar called the police control room for reinforcement. A team of policemen reached the spot soon and arrested Heriberto.

The woman Heriberto abused, meanwhile, refused to file a complaint with the police saying that she had plans to travel abroad and the case will come as an obstacle, police said.

Noa Pivkin later apprised her husband of the incident and, with his consent, lodged a complaint with the Ashok Nagar police.

Police booked Heriberto under IPC section 354-A - sexual harassment, 353 - assault or using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duties, 504 - Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace and 506 - criminal intimidation.Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his last respect to his cabinet colleague and longtime party friend Ananth Kumar, who passed away on the early hours of Monday.

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, Karnataka BJP President BS Yeddyurappa and Union Minister JP Nadda accompanied Prime Minister.

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Prime Minister stayed in Ananth Kumar's residence for 10 minutes and consoled the family members. The condolence letter was handed over to the family members by Union Health Minister JP Nadda.

Public viewing was stopped prior to PM visit, where the huge crowd had gathered near Ananth Kumar's residence. It was a herculean task for police personnel to control the crowd. After the departure of the prime minister, the public was allowed inside.

BJP national president Amit Shah and other senior BJP national leaders are expected to attend Ananth Kumar's funeral on Tuesday.

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Ananth Kumar was lawyer, but I made him politicianIndia is likely to join United States, Japan and Australia for a four-nation consultation on the Indo-Pacific on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia summits scheduled to take place in Singapore on Wednesday and Thursday.



Notwithstanding its detente with Beijing, New Delhi is unlikely to withdraw from the 'quad'  an informal four-nation bloc, which re-emerged in November 2017 comprising India, US, Japan and Australia, ostensibly to counter the hegemonic aspirations of China in the Indo-Pacific.



While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the India-ASEAN summit and East Asia Summit in Singapore, India's senior diplomats are likely to join their counterparts from the US, Australia and Japan for a meeting of the quad on the sidelines of the multilateral meetings, sources told DH.



The proposed meeting among the diplomats of India, US, Japan and Australia in Singapore will focus on issues of common interests in the Indo-Pacific and signal the continuation of the 'quad'  the popular name for the consultation mechanism launched by the four nations in Manila in November 2017.



The diplomats of the four nations will discuss ways to pursue shared objectives in the areas of connectivity and development; regional security, including counterterrorism and non-proliferation; humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as well as maritime cooperation, sources in New Delhi said. They are likely to reaffirm support for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and common commitment, based on shared values and principles, to promote a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.

The nations will also reaffirm the centrality of the ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) in the political and security architecture of Indo-Pacific to allay the apprehensions that the quad might undermine the 10-nation bloc in the region.



China has been accused by the US, Japan and other nations of undermining the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific. The communist country's territorial disputes with its maritime neighbours in the East and the South China Sea and its reluctance to resolve disputes in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea has often prompted the other nations to criticise it for not adhering to international laws.



India's complex relations with China hit a new low last year over the 72-day long military face-off at Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan. The two neighbours, however, have been trying to get relations back on track since early this year  with a series of high-level engagements, including an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Wuhan in China in April and two meetings on the sidelines of multilateral conclaves in Qingdao of the East Asian nation in June as well as in Johannesburg in South Africa in July. Modi and Xi are likely to meet again on the sidelines of the G-20 summit at Buenos Aires in Argentina later this month.



Speculations had risen that India might seek to avoid  at least for some time  the appearance of closing ranks with Australia, Japan and the US to counter China in the Indo-Pacific. New Delhi, however, apparently decided to maintain a balance and send its diplomats to attend the 'quad' meeting in Singapore.Hitting out at the Modi government, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said the nation must fight with determination to safeguard democracy from those undermining it.

Sonia accused the Modi government of changing for the worse the legacy of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who instilled democratic culture in independent India.

Nehru's precious legacy is undermined daily by those who rule us today. They express disdain and contempt for Nehru for all that he did to build the India that they are bent upon changing for the worse, the former Congress President said at the relaunch of Shashi Tharoor's book 'Nehru: Invention of India'.

Today, we must honour him (Nehru) by fighting with determination to safeguard our democracy from those who are undermining it, Sonia said.

Congress has been accusing the Modi government of trying to undermine Nehru's legacy.

Nehru's role

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech in Parliament in February, had refused to endorse the widely held view of Nehru's role in establishing democracy in post-1947 India.

According to Modi, Nehru cannot be credited with nurturing democracy in the country since India was known for its democratic credentials since the time of Lord Buddha.Varanasi/ New Delhi, DHNS/PTI: In an apparent bid to counter the Opposition charge that the BJP was trying to push the Ram Temple issue to gain mileage in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said at a public meeting here that people would vote on the issue of development even as he invoked Ganga and Lord Shiva and ended his speech by chanting Har Har Mahadev (slogan hailing Shiva).

Addressing a public meeting here after dedicating and inaugurating several schemes for his Parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, Modi said that the BJP government at the Centre and in the states were committed to develop the country.

The nation wants politics of development.....people will vote on the issue of development..

Vote bank politics will not work now, the prime minister said.

Even though Modi showcased the works his government had undertaken for the development of Varanasi, he also referred to his recent visit to Kedarnath and said that he considered himself to be fortunate that he got an opportunity to have darshan of Kedarnath and Kashi Vishwanath.

Folded hands

Earlier, while dedicating the Inland Waterways Terminal on Ganga here, Modi paid respect to the holy river with folded hands from the terminal.

The opposition parties have accused the BJP of raking up the Ram Temple issue to gain mileage in the next LS polls.

The prime minister dropped hints that the BJP would be including the development of his Lok Sabha constituency in its agenda in the next general elections in 2019.

Varanasi will show the country how development can transform a region....how we can achieve the targets within a time frame....it will emerge as a hub of nature, culture and adventure, he remarked. It was Modis 15th visit to the temple town after being elected to Lok Sabha from here in 2014.

PepsiCo first to use

Food and beverages major PepsiCo India on Monday said it has become the first company to use the countrys inland waterways for container movement by transporting products from its plant in Kolkata to Varanasi.

Commenting on the development, PepsiCo India President and CEO Ahmed El-Sheikh, , who was present on the occasion,, said: This is a significant milestone in the development of the inland waterways and we believe this can be a huge enabler for the consumer goods industry.

The consignment had set sail from Kolkata in the last week of October.

PepsiCo India had shipped 16 containers, equivalent to 16 truckloads of products, as part of the pilot project on National Waterway 1.

These products, made at PepsiCo Indias snacks plant in Kolkata, would be further distributed to various markets from Varanasi, the company added.The Centre has told the Supreme Court that more than three years of delay in finalising the contract for buying Rafale fighter jets as well as euro-rupee exchange variations resulted in the price escalation of the equipment sought to be procured for the Indian Air Force.

The documents  supplied by the Union government to a number of PIL petitioners who alleged corruption in the Rafale deal with France  maintained that it completely followed the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) guidelines 2013 for obtaining 36 aircraft.

The petitioners included former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and advocate Prashant Bhushan. Two other advocates, M L Sharma and Vivek Dhanda, had filed separate petitions. AAP MP Sanjay Singh had also filed another PIL in the matter.

All the requisite steps... have been followed. The approval of DAC (Defence Acquisition Council) was taken. An Indian negotiating team was constituted which conducted negotiations with the French side for about a year and the approval of CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security), being the CFA (Competent Financial Authority), was taken before signing the IGA (Inter-Governmental Agreement), it said.

Since 2002, over 1,100 crore contracts valued at Rs 7.45 lakh crore were successfully concluded using the DPP structure, introduced after the Kargil war.

The Rafale deal, as well as its pricing details, were questioned by the main opposition Congress party to attack the central government for buying the aircraft for a higher price.

In its response to the apex courts October 31 order to provide details of the process for offset obligations, the Union government said it was again as per the DPP guidelines 2013.

It said two offset contracts were signed  one with M/s Dassault Aviation and another with M/s MBDA on September 23, 2016, the same day on which the Indian and the French governments signed the agreement for procurement of 36 Rafale aircraft.

With regard to the earlier bids to acquire 126 aircraft on August 28, 2007, the Centre said the contract negotiations could not conclude, mainly due to unresolved issues related to the 108 aircraft to be manufactured in India. These issues pertained to lack of common understanding between Dassault and HAL. The manhours that would be required to produce the aircraft in India: HAL required 2.7 times higher manhours compared to the French side for the manufacture of Rafale in India, it said.

Read More:

Rafale is your right, Rahul Gandhi tells HAL employees

Rafale is the Bofors moment for Modi: Yechury

Rafale will be game-changer for subcontinent: Air chiefThe Supreme Court on Monday expressed its "shock" over the failure of the Bihar police to arrest former cabinet minister Manju Verma in a case related to sexual assault of young girls at Muzaffarpur shelter home.

"Fantastic", "too much" and "unbelievable" were the words used by a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta to describe the situation.

Verma had to step down after her husband Chandrasekhar Verma's name cropped up having been linked to prime accused Brijesh Thakur. Her husband had surrendered before the court last month in a case related recovery of illegal arms from their residence. Her plea for anticipatory bail was dismissed by the Patna High Court on October 9.

On Monday, as a state counsel submitted that Manju was not available, the bench asked state DGP to appear before the court on November 27, if she still could not be apprehended.

"We are quite shocked that former Cabinet Minister can't be traced by the police in Bihar. It is difficult to believe," the bench said.

Advocate Aparna Bhat, acting as amicus curiae, sought to highlight the fact the child welfare committee was not properly working in Bihar, the court said, "What to talk about child welfare committee, even police are not working."

The matter before the top court arose out of a petition filed by a Patna-based journalist, Nivedita Jha.ROSE VALLEY  The horror of war and mastery of craftsmanship met a century ago in trenches from the Franco-Swiss border to the North Sea.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Rose Valley Museum and Historical Society curator Ryan Berley presented a talk on trench art Sunday at Thunderbird Lodge. Dressed as a doughboy, the lecture addressed the little-known link between the Great War and the Arts and Crafts movement of the period.

Trench art did not start with World War I, he said. There are examples dating to the Civil War and it continued through World War II and Vietnam.

The war to end all war was fought in the trenches. Allied and Axis soldiers dug elaborate channels and underground systems protected from assault by barbed wire, mines, camouflaged trapping pits and other obstacles. The area in between was known as no mans land, which soldiers crossed to attack the opposing side, firing an estimated one million artillery shells.

The trenches were their homes and soldiers used their idle time to create art from scraps of metal and remnants of munitions. They hammered spent shell casings into vases, ink wells, ashtrays (Just about everyone smoked  it was one of the little things that kept them sane) and trinket boxes, each a map of their movements or a desire to translate battle in beauty.

A lot happened behind the lines, because hammering metal is loud and they did not want to give up their position, said Berley. They often set up tables out of the way of snipers.

A number of soldiers had agrarian roots and fashioning an item no longer useful into a beneficial one was a skill they mastered on the farm. War widows also converted casings into picture frames and other decorative articles, opening shops throughout France to sell their wares. Trench art became a cottage industry and those whose battlefield injuries prevented them from returning to their pre-war professions sold their creations.

The war years coincided with the end of the Arts and Crafts movement and soldiers fashioning artwork in the trenches was not unlike the professional and itinerant craftsmen designing similar pieces at home. Borough artisans handcrafted chairs, tables and other pieces of furniture stamped with the Rose Valley seal, a wild rose superimposed by a V and circled by a buckled belt to symbolize fellowship.

A proliferation of artisan work had just started to gain steam in the early 20th century and Id like to think the movement did not end, said Berley. It kept going in the trenches and afterward.

Berley has been reenacting and collecting World War I pieces for 25 years, illustrating his talk with photos of soldiers, trench art, field guns and other memorabilia. An exhibit of his collection will be on view through April.

Feel free to pick them up and examine them, he said. You really cant hurt them  theyve already been through a war.

***

The Rose Valley Museum at Thunderbird Lodge is open select weekends and other times by appointment. General admission is $10 and included with annual membership. For more information visit rosevalleymuseum.org.MEDIA  Delaware County celebrated Veterans Day with their 59th Annual parade, which stepped off on State Street at 11:11 a.m. Monday. The hour- long parade saluted veterans and their fraternal organizations from across the county.

A line of Corvettes and classic cars chauffeured many of the veterans along the parade route to the front steps of Delaware County Courthouse at Veterans Square. Among them were World War II veterans Eugene Vickers of Newtown Square, who celebrated his 103rd birthday Sunday, Angelo Marsella of Brookhaven, who was at Utah Beach on D-Day with the U.S. Naval Amphibious Forces, Bill Fili of the Army Air Corp, and Phyllis Stevick, of Media, an Army nurse in World War II.

The Grand Marshal was Joe Dimond, who served in the United States Marine Corps for more than nine years.

Dimond spoke briefly about his military service, including a combat deployment to Fallujah, Iraq, where he served as NCOIC for the EOD Security Team. He said when he joined two years before the September 11th attacks, noting that when he joined he didnt envision himself ever actually having to fight in a war as the country was in a period of peace.

Dimond recalled heading home from base that fateful day and the realization of the transition he was about to undergo: He would soon be fighting.

The world had changed, Dimond said.

He also spoke briefly about his time in Fallujah when he and his team ran close to 400 missions in and around the city. including encounters with what he called pure evil. Dimond earned a Combat Action Ribbon and Navy Achievement Medal with V distinguishing device for Valor in Combat. He left the Marine Corps at the rank of staff sergeant.

Dimond said he spent years preparing for war, but only three days decompressing, partly by his own error. When he returned to the states a questionnaire asked if he had seen any death up close. Other soldiers told him if he checked that box, it would delay his return home, so he didnt.

He credited his father, Bob Dimond, a Korean war veteran and longtime organizer of the county veterans day program, for helping him assimilate after his return from the war.

Dimond asked the public to keep politics out of discussions with Iraq war veterans. He said both political sides are quick to blame former President George W. Bush for starting the war or Obama for mismanaging it, but Iraqi veterans do not want to be told their work was futile.

Please dont go over Iraq veterans with your political views, Dimond said. The last thing we want to hear is how we screwed up over there.

Dimond spoke about the growing issue of veteran suicide, which he said now stands at 20 a day, half of whom are Vietnam veterans. He thanked those in attendance for supporting veterans and called on younger veterans to step up and help Vietnam vets as they transition from their working lives to confronting issues they may have repressed since the war.

In addition to veterans, numerous school groups marched in the parade with high school and middle school bands from Upper Darby, Strath Haven, Marple Newtown, Penncrest and others as well as Rose Tree school district elementary schools.

Among those marching in the parade were members of the 78th re-enactors from Delaware County. One of their members, Matt Moore of Aston, pointed out his 1917 Enfield rifle was made at the Baldwin locomotive plant in Eddystone.

Retired Pennsylvania state trooper, and South Coatesville Police Chief Lt. Kevin Pierce, sang the National Anthem, God Bless the USA and America The Beautiful during the service following the parade.

Winners of the annual Mary Ryan Memorial Essay Contest for middle school students, sponsored by the Veterans Legacy and the Delaware County Intermediate Unit, read aloud their winning essays.

The days events finished with three rounds by seven members of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 67 Honor guard and the playing of taps.SALT LAKE CITY  Heres a look at the news for Oct. 12.

Our morning headlines:

Orrin Hatch, who is the longest-serving Republican U.S. senator in history, is stepping into retirement. Read more.

Utahs Qualtrics acquired by German tech giant SAP in monumental $8 billion deal. Read more.

The AP has projected Proposition 3 will pass. Heres how Utah officials plan to implement it.

The newest starters got the job done for the University of Utah in a win over Oregon. Read more.

More Utah firefighters are headed to California to help fight the states worst wildfires since 1991. Read more.

These 28 restaurants in Utah will be offering deals for veterans.

A look at our InDepth coverage:

Our most popular stories:

Heres a look at some national headlines:Cookie banner

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By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.SOUTH JORDAN  Residents can test their baking and decorating skills in the citys annual gingerbread house contest.

Submissions are due Monday, Nov. 26, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Gale Center of History and Culture, 10300 Beckstead Lane.

Entries must be totally edible and all candy must be unwrapped. No lollipop sticks, and no foods that may spoil should be used. In addition, contestants will not be allowed to use gingerbread house kits. Entries must be free-standing and securely attached to a plywood base. Only battery-operated lighting can be used.

Judging will take place on Monday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. The gingerbread houses will then be put on display in the Gale Center Auditorium from Tuesday, Nov. 27, through Thursday, Dec. 6, where visitors can vote on their favorite creation. The center is open Mondays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesdays through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Winners will be announced Friday, Dec. 7 at citys Light the Night event in the lobby of City Hall, 1600 Towne Center Drive.

For more information, log on to the citys website at sjc.utah.gov.SALT LAKE CITY  One of the officers who was trying to arrest a wanted felon in downtown Salt Lake City last month was hit by the suspect's car prior to police fatally shooting the man, according to a newly released search warrant.

New details about the shooting on Oct. 18 were revealed in a pair of search warrants unsealed in 3rd District Court.

Members of the Metro Gang Unit and the U.S. marshal's Violent Fugitive Apprehension Team were looking for Andrey Tkachenko, 23, of Salt Lake City, in connection with several recent felony crimes.

The officers spotted the vehicle they believed Tkachenko was driving, as well a second vehicle following it. Police watched the two vehicles pull into an alley near 455 E. 300 South. It was there that a confrontation took place between officers and Tkachenko, according to police. The officers were outside their vehicles when something prompted two officers to shoot, Unified police previously stated.

A Unified police officer and an officer from the Saratoga Springs Police Department fired their weapons. Tkachenko died en route to the hospital. The Saratoga Springs officer who fired his gun was treated at a local hospital for a knee injury, though police would not say at the time how he received his injury.

But according to a search warrant affidavit, "one of the Metro Gang detectives had been struck by the Altima (that police were following) prior to the shooting. Your affiant observed the drivers window on the Altima was shattered and there were numerous bullet holes on the vehicle and blood inside the vehicle. Your affiant also observed damage to the front of the vehicle and was informed the Altima struck a cement wall and a detectives vehicle at the scene."

A gun was also observed by police on the ground next to the vehicle Tkachenko was in, the warrant states.

The two cars that police followed into the alley were both determined to be stolen, the warrant states. Another man, a woman and a juvenile girl were also at the scene.

"The four involved parties were at the location of the incident in order to perform a drug transaction where Tkachenko was supposed to sell illegal drugs," the warrant states.

Inside the vehicle Tkachenko was in, police found meth, heroin, drug paraphernalia and a "large folding knife," according to a return for the warrant.

A resident who lives nearby said he heard five to 10 shots and then saw police pull Tkachenko out of a car and give him medical attention.

Court records show Tkachenko had a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for theft, burglary, drug possession, and in at least one case firing shots at a woman. He also had a history of fleeing from police, according to police records.

West Valley City is conducting the independent investigation into the shooting. The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office will then make a decision whether the officers were justified in using deadly force.SALT LAKE CITY  The Swedish Heritage Society will celebrate the spirit of the holiday season during Lucia 2018 on Saturday, Dec. 1.

The event, which celebrates Saint Lucia's Day, will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the First Baptist Church, 777 S. 1300 East. Tickets are $7 for those 17 and older, and $4 for children ages 4 to 16. Tickets can be purchased online through Wednesday, Nov. 28, at through the societys Facebook page.

A traditional Swedish Christmas dinner catered by Copper Grill will be served from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults and $10 or children 10 and under.

Meal tickets must be purchased by Friday, Nov. 23, through the Facebook page.

During the meal and after the program, patrons will be able to purchase Christmas gifts and traditional foods and brands at the Swedish Store, which raises funds for the society.

The store will be stocked with such items as Swedish cheeses, pickled herring, crisp bread, pearl sugar, Swedish candy, marzipan candy, limpa bread, traditional saffron buns and other items.SALT LAKE CITY  More than 100 Utah firefighters traveled to California to battle one of two wildfires that together have killed more than 40 people and charred about 200,000 acres.

Their journey was not seamless. One engine suffered a mechanical issue just a few hours into the trip, delaying its arrival as crews awaited a replacement in Beaver. Mechanics from a tire shop fixed another problematic engine Sunday on their day off, the Unified Fire Authority posted on Facebook.

The crews arrived in California Monday afternoon.

"We're anxious and we're ready to get to work," said Unified firefighter Ryan Love. "They can't do it on their own. They're an amazing state and have great resources, but this fire is just so great and so big and so out of their scope that they need help."

Most of the Utah teams on Monday embarked on the last leg of their trip, waking up in Las Vegas before reaching Ventura County. But before heading out, they arrived at the parking lot of their hotel to find someone had spray-painted a Salt Lake City engine, Unified fire said in a statement. They managed to scrub most of the paint off of the truck.

The Utah group includes four task forces from across the Beehive State, plus two representatives from the state of Utah and a Unified fire mechanic. They are assigned to help battle the Woolsey Fire in the Ventura County town of Camarillo.

As of Monday, the blaze had killed two people, torched 91,500 acres and destroyed 370 buildings, the Associated Press reported. The second fire burning north of Sacramento is the deadliest and most destructive in California's history, scorching 113,000 acres and more than 6,000 homes.

Sunday morning, the Utah teams hugged their families goodbye at the Maverik Center in West Valley City before departing. Many are missing Thanksgiving at home to fight flames in California for the second year in a row. They're expected to return in two weeks.

"I couldn't think of a greater thing to do than to come and help people when they need it the most, when no one else can," Love said.

Contributing: Alex CabreroSALT LAKE CITY  Celebrities are feeling the impact of the California wildfires, too.

Whats going on: One of the deadliest combined wildfires in California continues to ravage through the Golden State. At least 31 people have died from the blazes, which have spread through multiple counties, BBC News reports. Thousands of buildings have been destroyed as the Camp Fire has consumed more than 111,000 acres. The Woolsey Fire in Southern California has destroyed 85,000 acres.

Thousands and thousands of residents have been asked to leave their homes in California, including several celebrities, some of whom saw their homes burned to ashes in the fires, CNN reported.

Who?: Miley Cyrus, Neil Young, Robin Thicke and Gerard Butler are among those who saw their homes destroyed by the Woolsey Fire, according to those celebrities social media posts.

Gerard Butler:

Returned to my house in Malibu after evacuating. Heartbreaking time across California. Inspired as ever by the courage, spirit and sacrifice of firefighters. Thank you @LAFD. If you can, support these brave men and women at https://t.co/ei7c7F7cZx. pic.twitter.com/AcBcLtKmDU  Gerard Butler (@GerardButler) November 11, 2018

Robin Thicke:

Miley Cyrus:

Completely devestated by the fires affecting my community. I am one of the lucky ones. My animals and LOVE OF MY LIFE made it out safely & thats all that matters right now. My house no longer stands but the memories shared with family & friends stand strong. I am grateful for  Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) November 12, 2018

Neil Young shared that he lost his house in the California wildfire in a post on his website about climate change.

Kanye West tweeted Friday that his family was safe as well.

Thank you for everyones prayers. Our family is safe and close  ye (@kanyewest) November 9, 2018

West offered his condolences to anyone losing homes in the fire.SALT LAKE CITY  A man with a history of running from police has been arrested after officers say he attempted to flee from them again, and nearly hit an officer in the process.

Adam Hosman, 22, of Salt Lake City, was arrested Friday for investigation of four counts of failing to stop for police, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon by a restricted person, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police say Hosman fled from officers on Oct. 26. Investigators spotted him again on Friday at a McDonald's near 5600 S. Redwood Road and started following him in unmarked patrol cars, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report. The cars followed him to a dead end street in Murray, where officers attempted to make an arrest, the report states.

"Hosman elected to turn his vehicle around and exit the area at a high rate of speed, nearly striking a West Valley City officer's vehicle and driving on residential lawns as he did so. The West Valley unit was forced to rapidly reposition his vehicle to avoid collision," according to the report.

Hosman drove to the Willow Brook Cove apartment complex, 1455 E. 4705 South, where he got out and ran. Officers with their guns drawn commanded him to stop, but he kept running, the report states.

When officers were finally able to catch up with him and arrest him, they found there was "a large knife around his neck," according to the report.

Hosman, who has prior drug-related convictions, was found to have drugs in his car when he was arrested, police said. Last year, he was convicted of failing to stop for law enforcement, according to court records. A charge of attempted aggravated assault on an officer was dismissed at that time as part of his plea deal. Hosman had warrants out for his arrest at the time he was apprehended Friday for violating the conditions of his probation on his prior felony convictions.

Hosman's father is Aaron Daniel Hosman, 41, who last year was charged with murder after police say he intentionally ran over a man who had confronted him with allegations of abusing his dog. A four-day trial in that case is scheduled to begin in April.SALT LAKE CITY  From the people who knew him personally, to those who were inspired by the characters he created, many are mourning the death of comic writer Stan Lee on Monday.

Lee was the creative mastermind behind superhero classics such as Spider-Man, Captain America, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk and more.

Many of those whose lives were touched by his legacy paid tribute to him on social media following the news of his death.

Marvel

Today, we pause and reflect with great sadness on the passing of Stan Lee: https://t.co/J0cwgdn677 pic.twitter.com/eOBdZAqdZ0  Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) November 12, 2018

Bob Iger, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company.

"Stan Lee was as extraordinary as the characters he created. A super hero in his own right to Marvel fans around the world, Stan had the power to inspire, to entertain, and to connect. The scale of his imagination was only exceeded by the size of his heart.

Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios

No one has had more of an impact on my career and everything we do at Marvel Studios than Stan Lee. Stan leaves an extraordinary legacy that will outlive us all. Our thoughts are with his daughter, his family, and his millions of fans. #ThankYouStan #Excelsior!  Kevin Feige (@Kevfeige) November 12, 2018

The Russo Brothers, directors of "Avengers: Infinity War"

Thank you for filling our childhoods with such joy. You will be dearly, dearly missed... pic.twitter.com/Qt2sZqaNlc  Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers) November 12, 2018

Chris Evans

There will never be another Stan Lee. For decades he provided both young and old with adventure, escape, comfort, confidence, inspiration, strength, friendship and joy. He exuded love and kindness and will leave an indelible mark on so, so, so many lives. Excelsior!!  Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) November 12, 2018

Robert Downey Jr.

Mark Ruffalo

Tom Holland

Samuel L. Jackson

Thank you @TheRealStanLee for the escape from this world & great joy inhabiting the ones you created!! You made so many believe in the good, the heroic, the villainous, the exciting, most of all, you were giving & gracious to us all. RIP  Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) November 12, 2018

Sebastian Stan

Jeremy Renner

Hugh Jackman

Winston Duke

THANK YOU, @TheRealStanLee. You gave us characters that continue to stand the test of time and evolve with our consciousness. You taught us that there are no limits to our future as long as we have access to our imagination. Rest in power! #EXCELSIOR #StanLee #rip pic.twitter.com/hnSmnHIDln  Winston Duke (@Winston_Duke) November 12, 2018

Lou Ferrigno, The Original Hulk

Not enough kind words to post about my dear friend @TheRealStanLee

My life wouldnt be the same without his incredible talent as a creator, storyteller and friend



Rest In Peace Stan. Youll be missed.

.#legend #hulk #stanlee #rip pic.twitter.com/9XU45GHCnq  Lou Ferrigno (@LouFerrigno) November 12, 2018

Army

Rest in peace, Soldier.



Comic book creator @TheRealStanLee has passed away at the age of 95. Lee served in the #USArmy Signal Corps during WWII from 1942-1945. We are deeply grateful for his service to our country and for his tremendous support to servicemembers. #Excelsior! pic.twitter.com/P9tdwoxxx2  U.S. Army (@USArmy) November 12, 2018

DC Comics

He changed the way we look at heroes, and modern comics will always bear his indelible mark. His infectious enthusiasm reminded us why we all fell in love with these stories in the first place. Excelsior, Stan.  DC (@DCComics) November 12, 2018

NASA

Were saddened by the loss of @TheRealStanLee, a visionary who created a universe of superheroes and comics. In his honor, heres a deep-field look into the universe from our @NASAHubble Space Telescope. #Excelsior pic.twitter.com/9UHjyXwIkh  NASA (@NASA) November 12, 2018

Backstreet Boys

So sad to hear of the passing of Stan Lee. The king of comic book culture and the man who gave us our very own. Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/Y7cuvAUZOi  Backstreet Boys (@backstreetboys) November 12, 2018

MUTTS Comics

Today we say goodbye to a giant of the comics. Rest in peace, Stan Lee. pic.twitter.com/1sjfj4Kwy6  MUTTS (@MUTTScomics) November 12, 2018

Gordon Ramsay

We lost an absolute legend today in @TheRealStanLee....It was such an honour to have him in #HellsKitchen many years ago. Rest in peace and thanks for inspiring so many Gx https://t.co/IizBYQowfq  Gordon Ramsay (@GordonRamsay) November 12, 2018

Seth Rogen

Thank you Stan Lee for making people who feel different realize they are special.  Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) November 12, 2018

Dan Farr, Bryan Brandenburg and FanX Team

Were very sad to hear about the passing of Stan Lee. I got to know him personally and I dont think he would want people to mourn him, but would rather they celebrate and emulate his passion for life. I believe his secret to longevity was living such a productive life. He could have retired decades ago but instead he spent his time traveling the world, meeting fans, and inspiring them to reach for the stars and find the superhero within. We had the opportunity to have him as a guest at our inaugural event in 2013 and again in 2014. In 2017 he had to cancel his appearance due to health reasons but took the time to talk with the fans via Skype. We will always remember the Amazing Stan Lee for showing us that With Great Power comes Great Responsibility.SALT LAKE CITY  At least three of Utah's four Republican members of the U.S. House are readying themselves to be in the minority in the next Congress after Democrats won control in last week's midterm election.

Reps. Rob Bishop, Chris Stewart and John Curtis all were re-elected on Nov. 6, but the 4th Congressional District race between Rep. Mia Love and her Democratic challenger, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, remains too close to call.

Whether Utah ends up with a House member in the majority won't be known until all the votes cast in the 4th District are counted. More vote totals are expected to be released Tuesday and likely Thursday before final county canvasses on Nov. 20.

Bishop, a former Utah House speaker first elected in 2002, is the only member of Utah's congressional delegation there long enough to have served when Republicans were last out of power in the House, for four years starting in 2006.

"I had never served in the minority in the state Legislature, either, so I was somewhat naive about what to expect," Bishop said. As speaker during his legislative days, he recalled, he frequently invited Utah House Democrats to fill in for him on the dias.

"You just don't do that back here (in Washington)," he said. "In Utah, the minority is always treated as the minority but they're treated a lot nicer because they're always the overwhelming minority. Here, there's always a lot of fighting for control."

With Democrats taking over the House, Bishop will lose his chairmanship of the House Natural Resources Committee. But given his seniority, he's likely to become the committee's ranking Republican and stay on the Armed Services Committee.

During the lame duck session, Bishop said he'll try to get a package of public lands legislation through Congress focused on transferring federal facilities such as a fish hatchery to the state.

He said it remains to be seen whether that legislation would deal at all with the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, slashed in size last year by President Donald Trump.

For Curtis, the newest member of Utah's congressional delegation, moving to the minority after just a year in office could mean losing some committee assignments as Republican seats are turned over to the Democrats.

Curtis is currently serving on the natural resources, foreign affairs and small business committees and had hoped to get on the energy and commerce committee, something made more difficult after the midterm election.

First elected last year to fill the remainder of former Rep. Jason Chaffetz's term, Curtis said he's trying to be optimistic that the bipartisan support behind the five bills he passed in the House last year will help him.

"This is all very new for me," said Curtis. "I'm confident we can still, through hard work and creativity and working across the aisle, advance Utah's causes.  I'm ready to go back to work."

Stewart said he has enough seniority to stay put on two key committees, intelligence and appropriations, since he was first named to both after being elected in 2012.

"We won't be in as strong a position as we were before, but we'll still be in a position where we can take care of priorities for Utah, or at least many of them," Stewart said of his Appropriations Committee assignment.

But the House Intelligence Committee may be a different story, he said.

"That one worries me quite a lot," Stewart said, because the incoming chairman, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, has talked about launching investigation into the Republican president, including his ties to Russia.

"I think Congress should have an important oversight role. That's one of the important responsibilities we have," Stewart said. But he said more important intelligence issues will be overshadowed "by frankly, meaningless investigations."

All three Utah Republicans said they hope Democrats will focus on getting more done under their leadership rather than taking on Trump, who is already campaigning for re-election in 2020.

"If they decided to spend all their time on oversight," Bishop said, "it's just going to be a very miserable and very boring and very long two years."

A former Utah congresswoman, Enid Mickelsen, who was elected in 1994 as part of a the first GOP House majority in 40 years, said the state could be most hurt by a Democratic majority when it comes to securing funding for defense programs.

Democrats are "going to have some differences on the budget. That's where the biggest impact on Utah can come in, anything our congressional delegation members were able to insert because of their positions on committees," she said.

That includes funding for Hill Air Force Base and other defense spending, "which are huge for Utah," Mickelsen said. But she said Stewart, who served as a U.S. Air Force pilot, has the respect of his colleagues on appropriations.

Jason Perry, head of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics, said there's a long list of significant issues Utahns want to see tackled in Congress, including public lands, health care and immigration.

Perry said House Democrats may be distracted by their new oversight authority over the White House, which includes subpoena powers, "an enormous tool" that can be wielded without the minority party.

"I believe the Democrats are going to have a very powerful oversight opportunity here and I believe they're going to use it," Perry, a former chief of staff to GOP Gov. Gary Herbert, said. "But Utahns have an interests in what happens in key areas."

Scott Howell, the Democratic co-chairman of the Utah Debate Commission and a former state Senate leader, said Democrats will be making a mistake if they pursue impeachment before the special counsel probe into Trump is complete.

"I really think it's a time for healing," Howell said. "It's so contentious. Democrats can learn a big lesson and take some leadership and be more welcoming and more of a team" despite what he terms a "problematic" president.

For the Republican members of Utah's congressional delegation, Howell said this is also a learning experience because now "they'll better understand some of the frustrations we've had as Democrats in Utah."

Love, who remains in Utah while votes in her race continue to be counted, did not comment on the impact of Democrats taking control of the U.S. House.

McAdams said voters have sent a message that they're "tired of a dysfunctional Washington. They're tired of the partisanship and the bickering. We've got some important issues that have got to be addressed."SALT LAKE CITY  Heres a look at the news for Nov. 13.

Our morning headlines:

The Deseret News published its latest in the yearlong series on teens and anxiety, focusing on returned Latter-day Saint missionaries. Read more.

A new 28-story skyscraper will be built in Salt Lake City by a Church-owned developer. Read more.

Qualtrics was just sold for $8 billion. So whats next for Utah? Read more.

Democrats control the U.S. House. Heres how Utah Republican House members reacted to that change.

Here are 22 theater productions for families to enjoy this holiday season. Read more.

The Utah Jazz defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 96-88 Monday night. Read more.

The California-bound fire crews face hiccups en route to the scorched coast. Read more.

Read more from our Generation Vexed series:

Our most popular stories

A look at this mornings national headlines:

California wildfires updates: 42 deaths make Camp Fire deadliest in state history [The New York Times]

Hamas fire rockets into Israel, threaten more if bombing continues [New York Post]

China, after outcry, reinstates ban on rhino and tiger parts in medicine [The New York Times]

Martha McSally concedes defeat to Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona Senate race [CBS News]

Whitaker consulting ethics officials on possible recusal from Mueller probe [Politico]SALT LAKE CITY  New vote updates Tuesday did little to clarify who won in the 4th Congressional District, as Democrat Ben McAdams' lead over incumbent Rep. Mia Love dropped from nearly 5,000 votes to just 1,229.

And even though the race is still too close to call, McAdams, Salt Lake County's mayor, is in Washington this week attending orientation for congressional freshmen.

Love, a Republican seeking her third term, continues to trail McAdams in the 4th District, which includes portions of Utah and Salt Lake counties as well as Sanpete and Juab counties. Three of the counties released new numbers Tuesday.

In Salt Lake County, Love added 4,722 votes to 5,059 for McAdams. But in Utah County, she gained 5,776 votes to 1,890 more votes for McAdams. In Sanpete County, Love added 213 votes to McAdams' 85.

Now, throughout the district, McAdams has 115,549 votes to 114,320 for Love. McAdams continues to hold the lead in the race with 50.27 percent of the vote to Love's 49.73 percent.

Salt Lake County is expected to continue to release results daily.

About 17,000 votes were added to the county's vote totals Tuesday out of about 76,000 that were outstanding, including some 16,000 provisional ballots. It is not clear how many remaining Salt Lake County votes are in the 4th District.

Utah County Chief Deputy Clerk Auditor Scott Hogensen said there's still approximately 27,000 votes to be counted, including provisional ballots. He estimated that about 1 in 7 of those votes are in the 4th District.

Hogensen said the next release of votes from Utah County will come Friday by 3 p.m.

Both campaigns remained optimistic as new numbers rolled in throughout the day Tuesday.

"The numbers are moving in the right direction and we are diligently watching for additional results," Love's campaign manager, Dave Hansen, said in a statement Tuesday.

Love is said to be in Utah waiting for the race to be resolved.

McAdams' campaign manager, Andrew Roberts, said, ""The mayor's lead continues to hold and we remain optimistic about the final tally. We will continue watching results as they come in."

Roberts again thanked election officials "for their diligence and hard work over this past week."

Even though his race to unseat the two-term congresswoman has yet to be settled, McAdams is in Washington, D.C., Tuesday for the start of the orientation program for new representatives.

McAdams' participation in the orientation was confirmed by his campaign manager, Andrew Roberts.

The new lawmakers will meet through the week, take a break for Thanksgiving, and return Nov. 29 through Dec. 1. Utah's election results are set to be certified by counties on Nov. 20 and by the state on Nov. 26 at noon.

The freshman orientation for newly elected lawmakers set to take office in January includes information on hiring staff and running their congressional offices, according to The Associated Press.

Democrats gained at least 32 seats in the midterm election, regaining control of the House after eight years of Republican leadership. If McAdams wins the 4th District, he will be the sole Democratic member of Utah's congressional delegation.

The last Democrat to represent Utah in Congress was former Rep. Jim Matheson, who beat Love in the then-new 4th District in 2012. After Matheson retired, Love won the seat in 2014 and again in 2016.

Even if the 4th District race ends up close once the final statewide vote canvass is complete on Nov. 26, there is no automatic recount in Utah, state Elections Director Justin Lee said.

Instead, it would be up to the losing candidate to request a recount by Dec. 3 if he or she is within 0.25 percent of the winner. Of course, to figure that out, the final vote totals will have to be determined.

"It does need to be a pretty close race," Lee said, noting 0.25 percent is not a "huge margin. Thats the tricky thing. We dont know what the threshold is until we get the final tally of votes."LAYTON  A 43-year-old man wanted for questioning in an alleged domestic violence incident in Morgan County was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot in Layton early Tuesday.

Sometime late Monday, the Morgan County Sheriff's Office reported, Jarrett Lichtenstein went to an apartment where a longtime girlfriend he had recently broken up with lives, crawled through her dog door to get into her residence, kicked in her bedroom door and then confronted her at gunpoint. For the next couple of hours, Lichtenstein threatened to kill the woman, her dogs and her landlord, according to the sheriff's office.

Lichtenstein eventually left about 1:30 a.m. The woman, who was not injured, immediately called the sheriff's office which put out an attempt to locate to other law enforcement agencies.

A little before 2 a.m., Layton police officers went to Lichtenstein's home near 1100 North and 3500 West to look for him, and knocked on his door, said Layton Police Lt. Travis Lyman.

"Right as they knocked on the door they heard a single gunshot from inside the house," he said.

The officers immediately backed away and called in a SWAT team. For the next couple of hours, police attempted to make contact with either Lichtenstein or his 20-year-old son, who was also believed to be in the house. But Lyman said neither answered their cellphones or attempts by officers to contact them by calling out.

Eventually, the SWAT team used a flash-bang device at the front door, an apparatus that makes a very loud "bang" like an explosive. That noise woke up the son who was unaware of what was happening and did not know where his dad was, Lyman said.

By 6:45 a.m., the SWAT team broke out Lichtenstein's bedroom window, and using a camera attached to a pole were able to see his body inside, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot, Lyman said.

In April, Lichtenstein was arrested after police say he got into a fight with his girlfriend at the same Layton home, prevented her from allowing to leave the house and took her phone so she couldn't call for help, according to a Davis County Jail booking report.SALT LAKE CITY  Salt Lake police on Tuesday released a few more details regarding a fatal officer-involved shooting from the weekend.

But there are still many questions about what prompted an officer to use deadly force against Cody Paris Belgard, 30, a popular rap artist in the Glendale area who used the moniker "See Smoke."

Belgard was shot about 8 p.m. Friday at 800 N. Sir Michael Drive (1955 West) in Salt Lake City. West Valley police are conducting an independent investigation.

On Friday, Salt Lake officers were notified that a car that had fled from them last week was spotted near 2300 South and 1300 East.

"They responded and made contact with the suspect and his girlfriend. The suspect was uncooperative and during the contact he was able to get into his vehicle. He rammed a police car and hit two other vehicles in the parking lot, and attempted to hit officers. He then fled the scene with officers in pursuit," according to a statement from Salt Lake police.

A short time later, the vehicle was spotted again near 800 N. Sir Philip Drive. Belgard "was again noncompliant and due to his actions, shots were fired," police said in a statement on Tuesday without elaborating about those "actions."

According to city policy, police have to release body camera video of the incident to the public  if it exists  within 10 days.SALT LAKE CITY  Fed up with what he says is a false narrative about the so-called extraction destiny for Bears Ears National Monument, a Utah lawmaker wants the state to craft its own management plan for the lands in southeastern Utah.

"I am a conservative conservationist," said Rep. Keven Stratton, co-chairman of the Commission for the Stewardship of Public Lands, adding it is "completely irresponsible" for people to assert that Utah leaders want mining and drilling in the monument.

In a Tuesday meeting, Stratton, R-Orem, convinced his colleagues on the legislative body to vote unanimously in favor of opening a bill file to create a management plan for the monument in San Juan County.

"I have seen a lot of different reaction to federal plans that have come forth. I have not seen a state-generated plan that takes into consideration (management) and has at the table all the stakeholders," Stratton said.

"I have not seen this legislative body pass a piece of legislation on how we would manage it if we had it."

The vote came after a lengthy philosophical discussion about Bears Ears National Monument, which was designated in 2016 by former President Barack Obama at 1.35 million acres and subsequently shrunk 85 percent last year by President Donald Trump.

The Trump action left Bears Ears divided into two smaller units  Indian Creek and Shash Jaa  and immediately prompted a flurry of lawsuits by Native American tribes and environmental groups challenging the reduction.

A proposed federal management plan by the Bureau of Land Management is now under federal review.

Environmental groups such as the Utah Sierra Club object to the BLM moving forward on a management plan, asserting it is premature given the legal challenges in place.

The BLM has said there is little oil or gas resources on the monument lands, and an idle uranium mine sits outside the boundaries.

San Juan County Commissioner Bruce Adams, who addressed the commission via telephone, said any of the drilling activity that has led to production has happened on nearby Navajo Reservation lands.

One drill hole on school trust lands at Cedar Mesa, he added, was dry.

Stratton said, regardless, the state needs to make it clear on how it want the lands managed.

"What if we started with it and memorialized it here?" Stratton said. "So there isn't this fuzziness or headlines that create this narrative that does not reflect what we are trying to communicate."

Rep. Joel Briscoe, D-Salt Lake City, quoted headlines from newspapers detailing extraction plans in lands at the former Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument  which was also reduced  and insisted the threats are not "false" news.

That's not the case, responded Sen. David Hinkins, R-Orangeville, for Bears Ears.

Stratton emphasized the state needs to quit being so reactionary and acting as a servant to the "master" federal government.

"We have a tremendous divergence of opinion. Can we not bring this together and reset the clock with all interests? Instead of responding to someones pen that sits thousands of miles away, we can use our own pen to put together a plan that would protect the cherished treasures that are there," Stratton said.

"At some point the question is going to be asked: What are you going to do with the lands if you controlled them," he added.SALT LAKE CITY  Attorneys for a St. George teenager accused of bringing a homemade backpack bomb to school in March want a judge to toss the case, saying the charges are too hefty.

The admission of Martin Farnsworth, 16, to police that he "kind of a little bit" intended to hurt others isn't strong enough to support a charge of attempted murder, attorney Ed Flint argues in court filings, adding that the device the teen is accused of fashioning doesn't fit the definition of a weapon of mass destruction.

"They're both the wrong charges," he said.

His client faces one count of using a weapon of mass destruction in 5th District Court in addition to the attempted murder charge. Both are first-degree felonies and a conviction carries a possible sentence of up to life in prison.

Deputy Washington County attorney Angela Adams said she believes the charges will stand.

"We're confident the judge wouldn't grant that, because the court has already found probable cause after a lengthy hearing," she said.

A juvenile court judge ordered the teen to face the charges as an adult in July after determining there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

Flint echoed previous testimony from a bomb expert who said the device could have caused a fire but would not have exploded. Flint said the materials in the backpack  shotgun powder and pellets, plus petroleum and matches  do not amount to a weapon of mass destruction.

He noted his client had been bullied and he has autism spectrum disorder, and believes employees at the teenager's school failed to spot the signs and evaluate him.

"Nobody tested him for autism until after he was in custody," Flint said.

A Washington School District spokesman said educators aren't qualified to diagnose students, and their role is to help parents find the best learning tools after a doctor diagnoses their children.

No injuries were reported, but Pine View High School was evacuated on March 8 after students discovered the smoking backpack that investigators say Farnsworth put together and left near a vending machine. A trial is set for March 2019.

The teen also has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in juvenile court after police say he painted "ISIS is comi--" on a Hurricane High School wall, Adams said. A second misdemeanor count he faced for allegedly cutting up an American flag there and replacing it with a makeshift ISIS flag has been dismissed.SALT LAKE CITY  The Utah Attorney General's Office on Tuesday charged a man with a number of felony crimes, including human trafficking, for allegedly forcing at least two women into prostitution.

James Savage Brown, 52, who is listed in court records as homeless, is charged in 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated human trafficking, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and forcible sodomy, all first-degree felonies. In addition, Brown is also charged with two counts of aggravated exploitation of a prostitute, a second-degree felony.

In June, investigators met with a woman who "felt she needed to come forward and share her story." The woman told investigators that while she was incarcerated at the Salt Lake County Jail, she met another woman who was assaulted and sexually abused by Brown like she was, according to charging documents.

The woman found out that Brown was using her name "to recruit others into his commercial sex organization," the charges state.

The woman alleged that for seven to eight years, Brown would "compel her to work for him in commercial sex" by threatening her with violence.

In July, the second woman said she was hired to deliver drugs to Brown in a motel room, investigators say. After making the delivery, Brown raped the woman and refused to let her leave, charging documents state.

The woman told investigators that Brown "kept her in the room for multiple days. Brown would have long conversations trying to convince victim 2 to perform sexual acts for money," according to charging documents. "During this time, Brown prevented victim 2 from leaving the motel and raped her multiple times."

While allegedly being held captive, the second woman said she suffered several injuries by Brown, including being stepped on, hit with his fists, hit with a "mini bat," burned with a cigarette, and stuck with an insulin needle that he broke off in her arm, the charges state.

Prosecutors have requested Brown be held without bail, noting he has a "lengthy" criminal history in both Utah and California.SALT LAKE CITY  The body of Maj. Brent Taylor, the North Ogden mayor killed while serving in Afghanistan, will arrive in Utah on Wednesday.

He will arrive 3 p.m. at the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City.

A public viewing is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday at the Dee Events Center, 4400 Harrison Blvd., in Ogden. Following the viewing, a vigil will begin at Myers Mortuary as members of the military watch over Taylor's remains, according to a tweet from the Utah National Guard.

The funeral will take place Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Dee Events Center, after which Taylor will be laid to rest in the Ben Lomond Cemetery in North Ogden.

Taylor, 39, took an unprecedented one-year leave of absence from his post as mayor for his deployment in January.

Taylor volunteered for a NATO mission to train members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. While on a foot patrol, one of the Afghan commandos shot and killed Taylor on Nov. 3. Other Afghan commandos immediately killed the attacker. Another U.S. service member was injured in the attack.

Taylor leaves behind his wife, Jennie, and seven children ranging in age from 13 years to 11 months.The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has shut down almost 10,000 social media accounts for spreading politically harmful information.

According to Reuters, the accounts were largely operated by independent news providers not registered with the Chinese state  dubbed self-media by the CAC. They were targeted under a sweeping crackdown on unofficial news which was launched by the regulator last month.

These so-called self-media channels typically provide offer critical opinions that fall outside of party lines, whether on political developments or celebrity news. Under President Xi Jinping, the Communist Party has enacted several laws aimed at reducing the spread of such opinions via stricter online censorship.

While the CACs crackdown has also taken aim at illegal content such as pornography, the South China Morning Post has noted that 1,300 websites have been taken offline in the past three years to maintain a clean cyberspace, prompting complaints from internet users that any criticism is being shut down.

CAC seems unconcerned about such accusations, having issued a warning to social media chiefs  including the bosses of WeChat and Weibo  that the chaos among self-media accounts has seriously trampled on the dignity of the law and damaged the interests of the masses.The four mobile operators active in Myanmar are launching a collaborative campaign to raise awareness of possible pitfalls related to data usage.

MPT, Mytel, Ooredoo and Telenor have pledged to educate their subscribers on the issue so that they avoid inadvertently racking up high usage bills or exhausting their data allowance. The campaign aims to encourage aware and efficient data usage to prevent such occurrences.

In a statement, the operators said that many data users in Myanmar were unaware of how to reduce or prevent unintentional data consumption, for example by changing the settings of their apps and devices or being more mindful of how their usage patterns could generate unexpectedly high bills.

To this end, each operator is releasing a ten-point guide with tips on setting up data connectivity and using it efficiently.Indonesias government has made a commitment to ensure telecommunications and broadband access for the countrys fast growing population of 267 million people.

In line with this vision, Moratelindo continues to develop the nationwide fibre optic network with the construction of the Jayabaya high speed submarine cable system for Java Island, with Nexans supplying a total of 915 kilometres of fibre optic cables for this project.

The Jayabaya cable will provide a fibre optic link between Jakarta, Indonesias capital and largest city, and Surabaya, the capital of the East Java province on Java Island. The link will comprise three submarine segments: Jakarta to Cirebon; Cirebon to Semarang; Semarang to Surabaya.

The fibre optic cable is based on Nexans 24-core unrepeatered (URC-1) design. Near the shore, at water-depths below 20 meters, it will feature a double-armoured (DA) construction for extra protection against damage from shipping and fishing activities. For depths between 20 and 200 meters a single-armoured (SA) fibre optic cable will be deployed.

In todays hyperconnected world, reliable communications and broadband services are a vital element for the socio-economic development of any country, said Hans-Martin Norstrm, sales manager for Nexans' Submarine Telecom and Special Cables (STSC) division. By delivering the Jayabaya fibre optic link, Nexans is very happy to contribute to a further extension of Indonesias information superhighway, bridging the digital divide for the local communities scattered across the Indonesian archipelago.

The installation of the cable is ongoing and is expected to be completed by the end of November 2018.Driverless cars, according to Silicon Valley analysts, are less than a decade away from being mainstream. The future brings the promise of minimal traffic accidents, less fuel consumption, more free time and easier commutes. But while thats the direct benefit of the upcoming technology, researchers believe the autonomous cars could also become a new place to have paid sexual intercourse.

According to a study conducted on the impact of autonomous vehicles on urban tourism, co-authors Scott Cohen and Debbie Hopkins believe the autonomous vehicles, with no driver inside will be the perfect alternative to shady motels where sex workers like to operate.

The study envisions that in the future, car manufacturers could specifically design autonomous vehicles into microbrothels where there could be beds instead of seats along with convenient lights and music, even massage chairs. There could be user-controlled electro-chromatic windows to keep people from looking in, and more to make the experience more private.

Its only a natural conclusion that sex in autonomous vehicles will become a phenomenon, co-author Cohen told the Washington Post. The lack of a prying eye on the front-seat and the convenience could be a big factor into turning autonomous vehicles into mobile-brothels.

The researchers studied over 150 articles on the future of cars and extrapolated the findings to determine how driverless cars could impact tourism in marquee cities.

The first impact of autonomous vehicles will be that traditional cabs will vanish from the roads. Energy efficiency and safer roads are other two impacts. With the manufacturers now free of driver costs, they could invest more in improving the customer experience. Spacious interiors, massage chairs, beds, etc. could be installed in the cars.

This, researchers say, will give rise to hotels-by-the-hour on wheels. Tourists could call for one from an app thats yet to be invented of course.

While this sort of a consequence is more likely to happen in cities where prostitution is legal like in Amsterdam, which has the worlds largest Red Light District, it could also be seen happening in places where its illegal like in the United States. It wont be that difficult to get around the law.

While driverless cars will likely be monitored to deter passengers from having sex or using drugs in them, such surveillance may be rapidly overcome, disable or removed, the Washington Post quoted the study.

Waxing further, the study states that autonomous vehicles could be used for far more sinister purposes like drug dealing, and even terrorism in the form of remote-controlled bombs.

Autonomous vehicles could also lead to a lot of inequality since algorithms can be influenced to favor someone specific over the others. No safety standards for autonomous vehicles have been drafted yet, however. Although, a common theme, Washington Post reported, in AV conferences is using the technology as a platform for delivery of services. And sex is just one such services.

Theres also the matter of privacy. Tinted windows cannot really hide everything. Further, there will be a bevy of sensors in the driverless cars including speakers and cameras. Even for the sex workers, it may not be all that enticing considering the technology could be used against them in places where prostitution is criminalised.Fake news is one of the biggest problems on the internet today and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey talked about it in detail during his maiden week-long visit in India. The executive has met IIT students and a number of well-known personalities to discuss the multi-variable steps, including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), to curb the spread of misleading information ahead of 2019 general elections on the micro-blogging platform in India. The government, however, says that Twitter's initiative on taking down objectionable content is not efficient enough and it should install a 24X7 response to investigations.

During his townhall-style meeting with IIT-Delhi students, Dorsey admitted that fighting fake news is no easy task. The real problem is not misinformation per se as jokes can also be categorised as misinformation. But misinformation that is spread with the intent to mislead people is a real problem," said he Twitter CEO. He added that no one can build a perfect lock, but we need to stay ahead of our attackers. AI could probably help.

Our job is to identify misinformation in any form. they can even be in the form of jokes. We need to identify the reason behind spreading that misinformation and whether it is intended to mislead. Once we do that, our job is to make sure it doesn't spread, Dorsey said. He added that the tweets that call out erroneous messages of fake news often get more engagement than the fake news itself.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey with students at IIT-Delhi

Twitter is powerful today because it provides people access to the conversation... Every morning, I wake up and check the trending topics. Sometimes, it's Twitter at its best with great conversations, sometimes, it's really disappointing and toxic. We need to address these issues so that we can make the hashtags and the conversations on Twitter be of more value to people," Dorsey told the crowd at IIT.

Dorsey, however, also stressed that people should be more responsible when it comes to curbing the dissemination of the fake news. He said that it is important to ask questions from governments and leaders. You should ask your leaders what they are doing about solving global problems like climate change or what they are doing about having universal basic income. No lock is unbreakable. One can create the most secure lock and yet someone will create a key to break it. So, it is important for us to try and keep working on the lock or the code that keeps Twitter secure, Dorsey urged the gathering.

The Twitter CEO also met Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Twitter has grown into the most dominant conversations platform globally. Jack explained some of the steps being taken to keep those conversations healthy & to tackle the menace of fake news, Gandhi tweeted. The executive also met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama over the weekend and thanked him for being an amazing teacher.

Meanwhile, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba held a meeting with Vijaya Gadde, Global Head of Legal, Policy, Trust and Safety Lead at Twitter, and Mahima Kaul, Indian Representative of Twitter, and asked the micro-blogging site to take prompt action over objectionable content on the platform. The companys India representatives have been asked to ensure a 24x7 mechanism for prompt disposal of requisitions of law enforcement agencies for deletion of unlawful/objectionable content from their platform. The government told the company officials that action taken by Twitter has been slow in some cases and compliance for removal of unlawful content has been about 60 per cent even where orders have been issued by the competent authority after following due process of law.

Thank you @DalaiLama. Youre an amazing teacher.



Also: thank you for not actually pulling out my nose ring, despite a lot of painful effort. pic.twitter.com/fEYtui5EY0  jack (@jack) 10 November 2018

Cover Image: Jack Dorsey Twitter handleJet Airways reviews route plans as Q2 loss mounts to Rs1,297 crore

Jet Airways, the country's biggest full-service carrier, on Monday reported a Rs1,297-crore Q2 loss, its third straight quarterly loss, hurt by higher fuel costs and a weak rupee, compared with a profit of Rs49.6 crore a year earlier, the airline said.

Jet Airways said it would seek to lower costs, fuelled by a 58.6 per cent increase in fuel costs and boost revenues. On Monday, the airline said its costs rose 58.6 per cent to Rs2,420 crore in July-September this year.

The airlines said it would cut flights on less profitable routes and add capacity to more lucrative sectors, as part of its effort to lower costs and boost revenues as it struggles to stay aloft.

"The airline has embarked on a comprehensive review ... The measures will include rationalisation of operations on select, uneconomic routes," Jet Airways said in a statement, adding that it will redeploy planes to more productive domestic and international sectors.

Jet Airways, which is part-owned by Etihad Airways, said with falling oil prices and a more efficient network, the airline expects to deliver profits despite shrinking market share.

"With our clearly defined focus on profitability, we are in the midst of turning the ship around," Jet Airways chief executive officer Vinay Dube said in the statement.

A combination of rising oil prices, high fuel taxes, a weak rupee, low fares and intense competition have slashed profits in the world's fastest-growing aviation market, which is clocking 20 per cent annual passenger growth.

Jet Airways had a negative net worth as on 30 September, with current liabilities exceeding current assets, the airline said.

The company said it is on track to meet its target of more than Rs2,000 crore of cost cuts over two years, having already made savings of Rs500 crore in the first half of the current fiscal year.

During the latest quarter it expanded a code share agreement with Delta Airlines, Etihad Airways, Korean Air, Malaysian Airlines and Bangkok Airways to boost revenues.

It said it continued to talk to financial stakeholders regarding its funding requirements and was working on selling assets and raising capital.

Earlier this month, a media report said Tata Group was in talks to buy a majority stake in the airline and its frequent flyer programme, JetPrivilege. Jet Airways said the report was speculative.

"We are confident that we will overcome our current challenges, honour our commitments to our stakeholders, and deliver a more strategic, efficient and financially viable airline," Dube said.Rafale deal in full compliance with procurement norms, says govt

The centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France was in full compliance with Defence Procurement Procedure and that the deal was subsequently approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

In a document presented to the court, the government stated that the procurement of the Rafale fighter jets were in conformity with the process laid down in the Defence Procurement Procedure-2013 and with the approval of the CCS.

The 14-page document also said the agreement was arrived at after negotiations between the Indian and the French governments.

The document also said that the Indian negotiating team was constituted which held negotiations with the French side for about an year and approval of the CCS, being the Competent Financial Authority, was taken before signing the Inter-Government Agreement.

The apex court had asked the government to furnish details and the steps taken in the decision making process for the procurement of the jets in a sealed cover.

The SC directive follows a group of petitions filed by among others, former BJP leaders and union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and activist senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, on 31 October.

The apex court had sought details, including the steps in the decision making process for the procurement of jets, which could legitimately be brought into public domain, be made available to the parties who have filed petitions before it in the matter.

It had also 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. Later, the centre also submitted the price details of the fighter jets in a sealed cover to the court.

The apex court had also told the government that if the pricing detail was exclusive and could not be shared with the court then it should file an affidavit in this regard.

The petitioners had sought a court-monitored probe into the procurement of 36 Rafale jets. The document was also handed over to the petitioners.

The apex court will hear the matter on 14 November.

India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition at an estimated cost of Rs58,000 crore, as part of the equipment upgradation process of the Indian Air Force.

The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.

The petitions seeking the probe in the Rafale deal were first filed by advocates Manohar Lal Sharma and Vineet Dhanda. Later, AAP MP Sanjay Singh also filed the petition.

Since then, Sinha, Shourie and Prashant Bhushan had filed a joint petition.Rajinikanth bats for Narendra Modi in NDA vs Mahagathbandhan

Superstar Rajinikanth who is on the cusp of a political carrier, today said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is actually stronger than the alliance of 10 opposition parties that are ganging up to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Rajnikant, who on Monday remarked that the Bharatiya Janata Party may be dangerous for the opposition parties that are teaming up to fight the might of Narendra Modi, today said if 10 opposition parties are ganging up against the BJP, then the person on the other side must be stronger.

My answer was if the opposition parties are seeing the BJP as a dangerous party, then for them (opposition parties), the BJP is a dangerous party. It is for the people to decide, the actor-turned-politician clarified while speaking to reporters in Chennai today.

Who is powerful? If 10 people are ganging up against one? Imagine who is powerful? You can decide, he added, endorsing PM Modi in the Mahagathbandhan versus NDA battle.

While responding to a reporters question in Chennai on Monday, Rajinikanth had said that if most of the opposition parties feel the BJP is dangerous, then it must be so.

The actor who is believed to be close to BJP and supported the governments demonetisation decision when it was announced in November 2016, however, said it was not implemented properly.

The implementation went wrong, it (demonetisation) should have been carried out after a detailed research." Rajini said.

Minutes after the policy was announced on 8 November 2016, Rajinikanth had tweeted, Hats off @narendramodi ji . New india is born #JaiHind.

Asked about the centres denial to process the letter sent by the Tamil Nadu government to the President seeking premature release of the seven convicts in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhis assassination case, the actor said quipped, "Which seven convicts. I am hearing about it only now."

I am not a fool to not know about the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. I was one of the first persons to meet Perarivalan when he came out on parole. The matter is with the governor but on humanitarian grounds, they need to be let out. It has been 27 years.

Rajinikanth also said that strict laws should be enforced against sexual harassers of girls, in reaction to the death of an Adivasi girl who was raped in Dharmapuri. The 16-year-old tribal girl succumbed to her injuries after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by two teenagers who belong to her own village.

Commenting on the Sarkar row, Rajinikanth said: I condemn it. This is violence and I condemn it. Attacking theatres and tearing banners and stopping the film is wrong. There should be discussion first.

On the practice of freebies being doled out in Tamil Nadu ahead of elections, Rajinikanth said there was nothing wrong with freebies but the important question is for whom they are meant and when are they supposed to be given. One should not give freebies for election purposes, he told reporters.Phone app effectively identifies potentially fatal heart attacks with near accuracy of medical ECG

Can your smart phone determine if you're having the most serious, and deadly, form of heart attack? A new research study says it can  and may be a valuable tool to save lives.

The international study, led by researchers from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, found that a smartphone app to monitor heart activity and determine if someone is having an ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), a heart attack in which the artery is completely blocked, has nearly the same accuracy as a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), which is used to diagnose heart attacks.

Researchers say the findings are significant because the speed of treatment after a STEMI heart attack helps save lives.

"The sooner you can get the artery open, the better the patient is going to do. We found this app may dramatically speed things up and save your life," says J Brent Muhlestein, MD, lead investigator of the study and cardiovascular researcher at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute.

In the study, 204 patients with chest pain received both a standard 12-lead ECG and an ECG through the AliveCor app, which is administered through a smartphone with a two-wire attachment. Researchers found the app with the wire set-up effective in distinguishing STEMI from not-STEMI ECGs accurately and with high sensitivity compared to a traditional 12-lead ECG.

"We found the app helped us diagnose heart attacks very effectively -- and it didn't indicate the presence of a heart attack when one wasn't occurring," Dr Muhlestein said.

A STEMI is a very serious type of heart attack during which one of the heart's major arteries -- which supplies oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the heart muscle -- is blocked. ST-segment elevation is an abnormality that's detectable on the 12-lead ECG.

Researchers presented results from the study at the American Heart Association's 2018 Scientific Session in Chicago.

Researchers conducted the study, called the ST LEUIS International Multicenter Study, at five international sites that are all associated with the Duke University Cooperative Cardiovascular Society (DUCCS), with Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute serving as the coordinating institution where they collected and collated data.

Other participating research centres include  Duke University, Integris Heart Hospital (Oklahoma City), Catholic University (Argentina), Mayo Clinic, Stanford University, Erlanger Institute for Clinical Research (Tennessee), University of Utah Health, AliveCor Corporation, and the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions.

The idea for this kind of ECG set-up perhaps came from the use of treadmills for personal fitness development, said Dr. Muhlestein. Many people using treadmills wear a simple device that can detect their heart rate, through a single ECG lead, more accurate than just checking the pulse. "It's a simple jump from there to putting it on a smartphone, and then recording the same ECG lead from several body positions." he said.

The new Apple 4 smartwatch also comes with a single-lead ECG. A typical ECG has 12 leads, which improves the accuracy of a diagnosis because heart attacks happen in different parts of the heart, and each lead looks at a different part. With the AliveCor app, the two wire leads are moved around the body in order to record all 12 parts.

The findings of the study are important for two reasons, said Dr. Muhlestein.

The first is it could speed up the urgent treatment a patient needs after suffering a STEMI. American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines recommend that the "door-to-balloon time" - or the time from when a patient enters the hospital to when a catheter with a balloon on the tip is inserted into the patient's blocked artery, then inflated to flatten plaque against the wall of the artery - be less than 90 minutes.

"If somebody gets chest pain and they haven't ever had chest pain before, they might think it's just a bug or it's gas and they won't go to the emergency room," Dr. Muhlestein said. "That's dangerous, because the faster we open the blocked artery, the better the patient's outcome will be."

The app can take the electrocardiogram on the spot, send the results into the cloud where a cardiologist reviews it immediately and, if a STEMI is found, tell the person so they can be rushed to the hospital.

Secondly, the price of the app with the two-wire extension is low, which could put the power of an ECG into the hands of anyone with a smartphone or smartwatch, and make ECGs accessible in places like third world countries where people have smartphones but where expensive ECG machines are hard to find, if they're available at all.Local representatives are unhappy with the lack of consultation prior to the announcement that 100 people seeking international protection will arrive in the county within the next fortnight.

On Friday night, it was revealed by the Donegal Democrat/DPP that the Caiseal Mara hotel in Moville will be used as an accommodation centre to house 100 people seeking international protection.

Since news of the plan emerged, local politicians have been insisting that they knew nothing about it.

Cllr Paul Canning said he was very unhappy with the lack of consultation.

The infrastructure in Moville isn't fit for 100 extra people, he said.

He suggested that it would fit the government better to improve the infrastructure in Moville, adding that services across the community would be strained.

Cllr Jack Murray said there was real concern among the community of Moville and that he personally did not agree with direct provision.

The Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen Municipal District, Cllr Martin Farren said the population of Moville would increase by 7 per cent with the arrival of 100 people.

There was absolutely no consultation at all. There is no doubt that this is a massive challenge, he said.

He called on Minister Joe McHugh and the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) to hold an information evening to answer the questions and concerns of the local community.

However, Minister of State for Equality, Immigration, and Integration David Stanton said there will be no consultation.

Minister Stanton said that previous public meetings in other areas didnt add anything to the process.

Meanwhile a Fianna Fail Deputy has said that it is very important that concerns of the people of Moville are listened to by the relevant authorities before 100 people arrive to reside in the area within the next few weeks.

Deputy Charlie McConalogue said: They should take on board the concerns of the local people. This is not the way to do things, it doesn't reflect well on the Department of Justice.

Minister Stanton said the community of Moville were made aware of the plans at the earliest opportunity.

Speaking yesterday, he said it was a commercial contract with the owner of a private operation and therefore the issue was not one that could have been discussed in a local town hall, and at the same time as a contract was being negotiated.

Minister Stanton said the news could not be made public until an agreement was made with the owner.

Irish people in general are very welcoming, he said.

He added that the Chief Executive of Donegal County Council Seamus Neely was written to on the matter on November 7.

He said that the hotel Caiseal Mara has been inspected by department officials and that high standards are adhered to in these centres.

Cllr. Martin McDermott said council members should have been told of the situation.

He said the fact that councillors in Inishowen were not told was poor practice.

It's only manners to let people know what is happening, he said.John Downey, granted bail on Thursday following his arrest earlier last week in relation to an extradition warrant for offences relating to a 1972 bombing in Enniskillen in which two members of the British Army were killed, was among the attendance at a 10th anniversary commemoration near Ballintra at the weekend

The ceremony on Saturday for the former Mayor of Ballyshannon PJ. Branley and Dessie McNulty, Ballintra, who lost their lives in a tragic accident at Ballymagroarty, Ballintra was attended by a large number of people.

The ceremony included the immediate families, Deputies Pearse Doherty and Martin Kenny as well as Conor Murphy MLA and Gemma Dolan MLA.

Sinn Fein councillors were also in attendance at a ceremony which was described as a "poignant occasion for all".

Mr. Downey is challenging a European extradition warrant on suspicion of the killing of two soldiers 46 years ago.

At his hearing on Thursday last, the court was told that Mr. Downey had worked in a positive manner for the peace process and has been involved in reconciliation work

He told the Democrat that he felt that there was no case to answer but that he would strongly challenge the warrant.

Asked how he felt, he joked "Well, I will have to say I was treated very well over the few days and had my breakfast every day, something I mightn't bother with at home.

"I haven't felt as wanted for a long, long time."

Car accident

PJ Branley, Mayor of Ballyshannon, Dessie McNulty and Michael O'Sullivan, a young man who just loved cars, tragically lost their lives in a car accident at Ballymagroarty in 2008.

Deputies Pearse Doherty and Martin Kenny welcomed the three families to a separate function in Dorrian's Hotel in Ballyshannon on Friday night and paid warm tributes to the three deceased.

Deputy Doherty said that the former mayor had always been of great inspiration to him.

He had a level head and cut through the fuss, Deputy Doherty said.

He was a big loss to us in Sinn Fein but an even bigger loss to his family as all three were.

His party colleague, Martin Kenny echoed these words adding that PJ Branley was a great community man, always putting Ballyshannon and its people first.

He recognised from the very start that all politics are local, putting people first, he said.Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

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Support our mission and join our community now.The PSNI has renewed an appeal for information about the murder of Saoirse Smyth (29), who was last seen on April 11, 2017 when she was living in the Omeath area.

The Belfast's woman's body has never been found in the murder investigation.

Earlier this year gardai searched the Omeath cottage where Ms Smyth was living in before she disappeared.

A 40-year year-old-man and a 48-year-old woman from the Newry area have been arrested in connection with the murder.

Both the man and woman have since been released on bail.

Last week the PSNI reported that they had identified a third suspect in the case. The suspect in question is currently serving a sentence in Dublin's Mountjoy prison and has yet to be formally interviewed by gardai in relation to the murder.

Saoirse is described as being 4ft 11in tall, of a slim build, with red hair and blue eyes.Promoting the stability and efficiency of EU financial markets beyond Brexit

Speech by Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB, at the Deutsche Bundesbank reception on the occasion of Euro Finance Week, Frankfurt, 13 November 2018

Its a pleasure to be speaking to you here today. In my intervention this evening, I am accepting the challenge set by the organisers to address the topic that has been on everyones minds lately, and which I am sure will figure prominently in this weeks discussions: Brexit. This is a difficult matter to tackle given all the uncertainty around it: we do not know what kind of Brexit we will eventually have.

We are all waiting to see whether a deal will be struck in the coming days, or whether we should prepare for a hard Brexit in March 2019. But I will not comment on the ongoing negotiations. As you know, we at the ECB have already expressed our views on the immediate cliff-edge risks in the financial sector. And we will provide more insight on these risks in our Financial Stability Review, to be published later this month.

I rather see Euro Finance Week as an occasion to take a step back from the day-to-day discussions and make a clear-eyed assessment of the issues and challenges that will shape the future of the financial sector. And Brexit is certainly one of these defining issues.

So today I am going to take a broader perspective and discuss the longer-term challenges that Brexit poses for the EU. I will cover three issues that I believe need to be addressed through long-term innovation in the EUs architecture.

First, Brexit accentuates the need to develop and integrate the EUs capital markets to prepare for the likelihood that the City of London will play a reduced role in the future. We should therefore renew our ambition for the capital markets union (CMU) project.

Second, Brexit means that the EUs future relationship with the United Kingdom in financial services needs to be defined. We will need to balance reaping the benefits of financial integration with safeguarding financial stability.

Third, Brexit reminds us that we should continue to deepen Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and bolster the Single Market beyond its financial dimension.

Renewing the ambition for the CMU project

Financial services are an area where the EU-27 and the United Kingdom have strong and deep ties. To date, in some areas, the EU has relied on the City of London to provide key financial services which are necessary to support investment and growth.

But let me first put matters into perspective, notably in terms of financial services provided to the euro area economy. The direct provision of credit from the United Kingdom is extremely limited, not exceeding 1% of credit to firms and 2% of credit to households in the euro area. Lending through loan syndicates is also small: around 10% of syndicated loans granted to euro area firms involve UK banks. Turning to securities issuance, the share of total debt and equity issued by euro area firms listed on UK exchanges ranged from 5% to 15% over last decade.

Other areas, such as securities underwriting activity, are more meaningful  with UK-domiciled banks or subsidiaries accounting for about 40% of top book-runners in debt securities issued by euro area firms. These might be relatively easy to relocate, however. Derivatives transactions conducted in London also account for about one-fifth of the euro area real economys hedging activities.[1] Finally, UK-domiciled central counterparties play an important role in clearing euro-denominated transactions, notably over-the-counter derivatives and repos. Admittedly, cross-border clearing of derivatives contracts is one area where financial stability risks may arise in a cliff-edge Brexit scenario without sufficient mitigating actions.

The transition to a new equilibrium therefore requires the financial sector to make appropriate preparations. But a reduced role for the City of London also underlines the need for revitalising the CMU project, which will improve the efficiency of credit allocation, facilitate private risk-sharing and diversify sources of financing for the real economy. This would also contribute to enhancing the attractiveness of our markets internationally.

I see two areas where progress is needed in promoting a consistent framework of supervision and rules that underpin the functioning of capital markets.

First, further harmonising insolvency rules and consumer protection laws is essential to protect rights and contracts, create a level playing field and promote cross-border investment.

Second, cross-border holdings of equity and debt seem to be the most effective way of smoothing consumption and fostering cross-border private risk-sharing.[2] Reducing or removing the taxation bias that favours debt over equity would help equity markets develop.

But neither of these steps will be enough on their own. As continental Europes financial markets adapt to the new post-Brexit reality, we could see one or several financial centres emerge, possibly in competition with each other, or perhaps not competing but rather specialising in certain areas.

If the EU-27 financial markets deepen, diversify and expand across borders, there is a clear flipside: these developments will need to be accompanied by sufficient oversight and tools to avoid the build-up of risks in certain parts of the system. That is why, in my speech yesterday,[3] I called for the macroprudential toolkit to be expanded to address potential risks around interconnection, liquidity, leverage and cross-border activities of non-bank financial institutions  in particular, investment funds. I also argued that we should consider elevating the responsibility for supervising these institutions, and potentially activating macroprudential tools, to the European level.

More consistent market oversight and enforcement of the relevant regulations will level the playing field. It will also facilitate cross-border integration because market participants will know they will be subject to the same rules across borders. At the same time, more centralised supervision would prevent harmful regulatory arbitrage. Ultimately, as a long-term goal we could also consider creating a single supervisor for capital markets.

Reaping the benefits of financial integration after Brexit while safeguarding stability

Developing a sound institutional framework to ensure sustainable financial integration is also at the core of my second point  the EUs future relationship with the United Kingdom in the field of financial services.

To be clear, the ECB does not participate in Brexit political negotiations. So I will only be outlining considerations from the perspective of our monetary policy mandate, our supervisory responsibilities and our role in promoting financial stability.

The Single Market includes a common rulebook for financial services and an institutional framework of supervisory and oversight authorities. This framework allows European and national authorities to cooperate, exchange information and manage opportunities and risks arising in the Single Market. It is a careful balancing act between integrating Member States financial markets on the one hand, and safeguarding national and European financial stability on the other.

The United Kingdoms decision to leave the Single Market and its institutional framework means we have to perform an additional balancing act  one where we balance ensuring that EU financial markets are integrated and can interact efficiently with a non-EU country against the need to safeguard financial stability. There are benefits in maintaining a high level of integration with the United Kingdom after Brexit, and indeed, trade openness is in the DNA of the EU. But Brexit also entails making important policy choices regarding how open the EUs financial markets need to be, and what measures need to be in place to ensure financial stability, protect EU consumers and investors and safeguard the Single Market.

While not confirmed, current discussions indicate that the way in which we will interact with the United Kingdom in the area of financial services will be based on the EUs existing equivalence regime, with some expected enhancement. The aim would be to ensure sufficient regulatory and supervisory cooperation, information exchange and mechanisms to minimise unwarranted disruption in the functioning of markets linked to a potential loss of market access. This will of course be vital for the UK-EU situation after Brexit, but also provides an opportunity for our relations with other key non-EU countries.

However, a key principle underpinning third-country regimes needs to be maintained: we should avoid a situation in which non-EU firms are able to operate across the Single Market on the basis of a different rulebook and without a proper institutional framework. We cannot permit opportunities for regulatory arbitrage and let risks build up in the financial system.

It is also crucial that Brexit does not lead to a race to the bottom in regulatory and supervisory standards, and that the efforts that have been made to strengthen the financial architecture of the EU following the crisis do not unravel.

The framework thus needs to provide sufficient safeguards for maintaining financial stability. And, as risks differ across financial services, this in turn implies that different financial services may need to be regulated by different third-country models.

In the short term, a number of proposals should be adopted.

First, on the review of the prudential framework for banks (the Capital Requirements Regulation and Directive) the European Commission proposed that non-EU headquartered banks with subsidiaries in the euro area would establish an intermediate parent undertaking within the EU. This would bring certain non-EU branches under the umbrella of European banking supervision, as is established practice in the United Kingdom and United States. Going forward, further harmonisation of the regulatory and supervisory framework of third-country branches in the Union would be of the essence.

Second, we need to adapt how large investment firms are supervised to reflect the many similarities between their activities and those of banks. It therefore makes sense to supervise these investment firms as if they were banks, in line with the principle that similar risks are treated in a similar manner.

Last but not least, we need to finalise the review of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation. Currently, the system is not designed to cope with major systemic central counterparties operating from outside the EU. We therefore need to adapt it to the post-Brexit reality and enhance the role for the central banks to monitor and address risks to the EUs financial system.

Creating a prosperous and stable macroeconomic environment: reducing and sharing risks in our monetary union

Brexit is, or at least should be, acting as a catalyst to modernise the architecture of the EUs capital markets and safeguard their stability. These markets have to be embedded in a resilient EMU across all its dimensions  which is my third point today.

Given that the EU financial system will remain predominantly bank-based, completing banking union in all its dimensions is certainly a key priority.

For this, we need to continue to forcefully address the legacy issues which are still weighing on the stability of the banking sector and damaging trust among Member States. This includes addressing the stock of non-performing loans (NPLs) and Level 2 and 3 exposures. Progress has been made: over the past three years, the NPL stock of significant banks decreased by one-third, supported by our supervisory action. The proportion of significant institutions total assets accounted for jointly by Level 1, 2 and 3 assets has also fallen from over 30% to 23%.[4] However, further efforts are needed from banks, supervisors and regulators.

At the same time, we should establish a credible common backstop to the Single Resolution Fund and create a European deposit insurance scheme. And, yes, this implies risk-sharing. But as I have argued before, a complete banking union is also a confidence-building mechanism that contributes to risk reduction, for example by enabling the credible and effective resolution of banks.[5]

As demonstrated by the financial crisis, financial markets do not operate in a vacuum. Their strength and resilience can lift economic growth and shield sovereigns. But the dependence also runs the other way: flourishing and resilient financial markets depend on a stable macroeconomic environment. That is why further steps to reduce and share risks in the fiscal and economic spheres are critical.

Without fiscal policy space or sound economic policies, even well-functioning financial markets can be adversely impacted during downturns as growth slows, banks balance sheets weaken and financial integration goes into reverse. To underpin the financial and fiscal spheres with strong growth, we need to reflect on how to bolster the implementation of structural reforms  an area which has seen lacklustre progress in recent years.

As we look for ways to increase potential growth, Brexit also reminds us of the opportunities available by deepening the Single Market  the E in EMU. With the departure of the United Kingdom and its 66 million citizens, the Single Market will obviously shrink, but it has always had two dimensions which can be leveraged to increase its benefits. One is its geographical size; the other is its depth.

So it is crucial that we complete the Single Market for services and expand its reach into new areas, especially those that are relevant for innovation, such as the digital economy. This is an essential driver of economic progress that benefits consumers, businesses and the economy as a whole and will also provide a healthy ecosystem for financial services.[6]

Conclusion

Let me conclude. The unifying theme of the three priorities I have outlined today can be summarised by looking at the nature of the Single Market. In a nutshell, the Single Market  including for financial services  provides a framework in which integration is accompanied by supervisory and regulatory convergence through common rules and institutions. It is this landscape of rules and institutions which provides the necessary protection for people and businesses to engage in cross-border activities. It is a framework that has delivered tremendous benefits to its members. It is extremely valuable and needs to be protected.

Whatever the outcome of the negotiations with the United Kingdom, the integrity of the Single Market must be ensured. And we should constantly show the public how our reforms will benefit ordinary people.

Brexit underscores the need to move ahead with securing all facets and institutional foundations of our Union. A Union which has led to peace on the Continent. A Union which has provided great benefits for the people of Europe, increasing living standards across Member States and bringing them closer together. But this great European project has to do more than just reflect on its past achievements. It needs to continue improving itself to deliver visible benefits for peoples day-to-day lives. I am confident Europe will once again rise to the challenge.

Thank you.Scientists just gave us another terrifying reason to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels: If temperatures push much beyond that point, both Greenland and Antarctica's ice sheets could reach a point where nothing can stop them from melting.

An international team of researchers published this chilling finding in Nature Climate Change Monday. The researchers set out to study how the ice sheets would fare in a warming world, and the results were urgent.

"A big take-away is that the ice sheets, like many components of the climate system, likely have tipping points. Once they reach a certain amount of warming (~1.5 - 2.0C), positive feedbacks kick in and commit us to long-term ice sheet mass loss and sea level rise," study author and Rowan University School of Earth and Environment Assistant Professor Luke Trusel explained on Twitter.

If these tipping points are tipped, it would be catastrophic for coastal communities and low-lying islands. The ice sheets combined contain enough water to raise sea levels by 65 meters (approximately 213 feet), according to a press release from the Netherlands Earth System Science Center (NESSC), one of the groups involved with the research.



To put that in perspective, this animation shows what the world would look like after just six meters (around 20 feet) of sea level rise.

Sea Level Rise Animation in Google Earth www.youtube.com

Of course, all of that sea level rise wouldn't happen at once. It would take several thousands of years for the Greenland ice sheet to disappear entirely and hundreds to thousands of years for the same thing to happen to the West Antarctic ice sheet.



But, as Trusel points out, it's frightening to think that our inaction today could set things in motion that would persist so long after we are gone.

"These ice sheet instability mechanisms mean we are committed to sea level rise for centuries and millennia based on what we do now and in the very near future," Trusel tweeted.

Besides, sea level rise is already causing problems for islands and coastal communities around the globe in the form of both more extreme storm surges and daily erosion and tidal flooding. Adding more would only increase the devastation.

Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100 wouldn't stop sea level rise entirely, of course. Melting is already in motion and would likely continue at current rates until the end of the century, though researchers won't rule out the possibility that those rates could still increase. But stopping our global fossil fuel binge at the 1.5 degree mark could be the difference between manageable difficulties and catastrophe.

Lead author and Universite Libre de Bruxelles professor Frank Pattyn laid it out at the beginning of a Twitter thread explaining his research.

"It is important to limit global warming by 2100 to 1.5C to maximise the chance of avoiding so-called tipping points that would dramatically accelerate mass loss from Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets," Pattyn wrote.Great news from China! Following intense international backlash, the Chinese government said Monday that it has postponed a regulation that would have allowed the use of tiger bone and rhino horn for medicine, research and other purposes.

In October, China alarmed animal rights activists around the world when it weakened a 25-year-old ban on the trading of the animal parts. Conservationists said it would be akin to signing a "death warrant" for endangered tiger and rhino populations.

Ding Xuedong, the executive deputy secretary-general, told the state news agency Xinhua that the October regulation was "postponed after study."

China will continue to enforce its 1993 ban on the import, export and sale of rhinos, tigers and their byproducts, he said.

"I would like to reiterate that the Chinese government has not changed its stance on wildlife protection and will not ease the crackdown on illegal trafficking and trade of rhinos, tigers and their byproducts and other criminal activities," Ding added.

The October plan would have allowed the trade of rhino horns and tiger bones from captive animals for use in medical and scientific research, education and "cultural exchanges," Reuters reported.

Conservation groups say that relaxing any ban on the trade of those parts would confuse consumers and authorities on which products were legal, provide cover for black market sales, stimulate demand for the products and spur more poaching.

The are currently only 3,900 tigers and 30,000 rhinos left in the wild. The animals are threatened by poaching and habitat loss.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) celebrated China's reversal.

"WWF welcomes the news that China has postponed lifting its ban on the domestic trade in rhino horn and tiger bone, signalling a positive response to international reaction," Margaret Kinnaird, WWF's wildlife practice leader, said in a press release. "Allowing trade from even captive animals could have had devastating impacts on wild rhino and tiger populations. This move helps maintain the leadership role China has taken in tackling the illegal wildlife trade and reducing market demand."Kindergarten has taken some getting used to for Walker Sheppard, who didnt attend preschool or day care. Besides all the new rules to remember, theres a new nightly routine: homework.

We spend anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour on it, said Michael Sheppard, Walkers dad.

When the 5-year-old comes home every day, Sheppard said, his son is tired and not ready to sit down and figure out his assignments.

He doesnt like it, said Sheppard, who lives in Pulaski, Va. The first week he went to school he asked us why he was having to do schoolwork at home.

Thats a question a lot of parents are asking, especially when it comes to the youngest pupils. Studies by researchers including Harris Cooper, a Duke University psychology and neuroscience professor who wrote The Battle Over Homework, have consistently shown that homework has minimal academic benefits for children in the early-elementary years.

Instead, both the National Education Association and the National PTA endorse Coopers so-called 10-minute rule, which calls for roughly 10 minutes of homework a night per grade level beginning in 1st grade. So children in 2nd grade would have 20 minutes, those in 3rd grade would have 30 minutes, and so on. In high school, students may exceed that recommendation depending on the difficulty of the courses they choose.

Split Opinions

Those guidelines dont even mention kindergarten. But thats not stopping educators in many places from assigning homework.

Delilah Orti said that every Monday her daughter, Mia, a kindergartner last year in the Miami-Dade Public Schools system in Florida, received a homework packet with about 25 worksheets that were due at the end of that week.

Orti said the packet included work on phonics, spelling, reading comprehension, and social studies. She describes her daughter as a quick learner who was already reading in kindergarten but still needed her help with word problems and science worksheets.

She could read the words, but she had no idea what they meant, said Orti.

Orti said Mia spent 30 minutes reading every night and an hour on the packet.

I felt that it was inappropriate for that age, said Orti. What she was getting for homework was more busywork. I dont think she was getting anything out of it and I think it was way too much.

But such concerns arent shared by administrators or parents at Arlington Traditional School, a countywide elementary school in Arlington, Va., with a waiting list of parents eager for their children to attend.

Kindergartners there are expected to do 30 minutes of homework a night, Monday through Thursday.

Every student at the school is expected to spend 15 minutes reading a night. For kindergartners who cant read yet, that means their parents are expected to read to them. The other 15 minutes is spent doing things like dictating a story to their parents using words that start with a sound theyve been learning in class or exercises that involve circling that letter.

We feel that this is a connection that we want with parents, said Holly Hawthorne, the schools principal. We want them to know what their children are learning at school, we want them to know how theyre doing in school, if the work is too hard, if its too easy, we want them to be able to support what the kids are learning at school at home as well.

Eliminating Packets

Still, some kindergarten teachers remain firm in their opposition to mandatory homework.

Barbara Knapp used to assign her kindergarten pupils at Bradley Elementary School in Corralitos, Calif., weekly homework packets. But that all changed 10 years ago during the Great Recession.

Teachers were only given two reams of paper a month at my school, so we were forced to cut back, said Knapp.

She and some of her colleagues at the school located about 90 miles south of San Francisco decided a good way to do that would be to eliminate those homework packets. During that time, she said, she started to research homework and found the case against it for young elementary pupils very compelling.

The research showed that there was no correlation between school success and the traditional paper-pencil homework in kindergarten, said Knapp, who has 19 years of classroom-teaching experience.

When she was assigning homework, Knapp said parents sometimes complained that it was frustrating for their children. Other times, it was obvious the parents had done the work rather than the child.

Now, Knapp only assigns nightly reading of her pupils choice, a move that she credits with making them better readers. She adds that she hasnt seen any deterioration in other skills since she eliminated traditional homework, and shes been able to spend more time on lesson preparation rather than grading homework.

Its been great not having to focus on homework, said Knapp. Putting together the packet, running them all off, grading them all, it was a huge amount of time that was being taken instead of us planning really wonderful, rich, in-class lessons. Homework took away a lot of planning time for just a bunch of busywork.

Risk of Busywork vs. Parental Bonding

Cathy Vatterott is no fan of busywork at any grade level and doesnt think homework should be part of kindergarten. Shes a professor of education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the author of Rethinking Homework. Theres enough of an adjustment for young children in kindergarten without throwing in homework, said Vatterott.

And she worries that adjusting to school routines combined with homework could turn off young students to learning.

I want to make sure that they dont hate school, said Vatterott, who noted that young children learn best through play.

She also points to a 2016 University of Virginia study, Is Kindergarten the New First Grade?, which found that kindergarten in 2010 was more like the 1st grade of the late 1990s. Vatterott says shes concerned that children who arent developmentally ready for this work might internalize that theyre not smart or that theyre not good at school.

But keeping the bond strong between home and school is one of the reasons that Duke researcher Cooper doesnt mind homework for pupils in kindergarten, with a few caveats.

The assignments need to be short, simple, and lead to success, said Cooper. We dont want young children to get frustrated with homework. We dont want them to get bored, and we dont want them to begin thinking that schoolwork is too difficult for them so that they begin to develop a self-image of not being a good student.

Finding a Balance

Some kindergarten teachers are embracing short, unique assignments for their pupils that dont involve worksheets.

Shannon Brescher Sheas sons kindergarten teacher provides a list of activities the children can do at home if they choose. The activities ask them, for instance, to draw a picture of what they did over the weekend or collect and count a handful of leaves by ones.

Shea says after visiting her sons classroom in suburban Rockville, Md., and seeing how much work he does, shes even more against the idea of mandatory homework for children in kindergarten.

They are going through so much energy and so much focus at school already and exerting so much self-control that to then have these kids come home and do homework on top of that is a recipe for them not wanting to go to school and not enjoying learning, said Shea.

Jennifer Cravens daughter is also in kindergarten this year, and she said so far the young girl has been asked to practice tying shoes, practice writing her name, and read two books each night.

Craven, who lives in Meadville, Pa., a city about 90 miles from Pittsburgh, said her family would be doing these activities anyway, and for now, her daughter thinks homework is fun.

I think this is very age appropriate and I dont mind the use of the term homework at this age, as they will realize what real homework is soon enough, said Craven.

Michael Sheppard talked to his sons teacher in Pulaski about the homework she assigns. He said the 30-year classroom veteran acted like it was out of her hands.

Sheppard, 42, who attended school in the same district as his son, Walker, said he didnt have to deal with homework until well after kindergarten.

Maybe there should be homework, said Sheppard. I just think it would be better starting at 3rd grade.A federal appeals court has revived a civil lawsuit filed against a Tennessee district stemming from a 2016 school bus crash that killed six elementary students and injured numerous others.

The panel held that the Hamilton County school system may be liable on a theory that the principal violated students right to be free from bodily harm by requiring them to ride the bus each day with a driver who had been the subject of multiple dangerous driving complaints.

The Woodmore Elementary School students were killed when, prosecutors said, Johnthony Walker was speeding and using his cell phone, and lost control of his bus.

The appellate court ruled that the victims may pursue a claim based on a U.S. Supreme Court decision, that found a school district or other municipal body may be held liable for the acts of an employee 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.A Tennessee district is facing backlash from parents and gun-safety advocates after National Rifle Association gun-safety literature was passed out to elementary students.

Some parents at Moore Elementary School in Franklin said they were dismayed at the material, which is part of the NRA Eddie the Eagle GunSafe program. Moore Elementary is a K-4 school.

Tennessee led the nation last year in accidental child gun deaths, according to a report by the Childrens Firearm Safety Alliance.

Franklin schools officials said the district will look for other gun-safety resources going forward.Turkey to export Kirkuk oil

Iraq will stop trucking crude oil from Kirkuk Province to Iran in November to comply with US sanctions imposed on Tehran. Turkey will be the only choice for the new Kirkuk oil transfer route.

Kirkuk is one of the biggest and oldest oilfields in the Middle East. Last year Iraq began to ship crude from Kirkuk to Iran for use in its refineries, and Iran agreed to deliver the same amount of oil to Iraq's southern ports.

Iraq will stop trucking crude from its northern Kirkuk oilfield to Iran in November to comply with sanctions imposed on its neighbor by the United States, five sources familiar with Iraqi oil export operations said on Friday.

TURKEY'S SIGNIFICANCE

Currently, Iraq is exporting less than 30,000 barrels per day (bpd) to Iran via truck. Iraq aims to raise its export capacity to 8.5 million barrels per day (bpd) in the coming years from less than 5 million bpd currently, 1 million of which could come via Kirkuk.

"Kirkuk oil trucking to Iran will be halted in November in line with the American sanctions against Iran. (State oil marketer) SOMO plans to sell 30,000 bpd from a small oilfield near Mosul as of November as an alternative. SOMO issued the tender on Thursday," one source said.

With the new regulation, Turkey has taken on new significance. According to industry sources, Washington has pressured Baghdad to suspend all shipments of oil to Iran and resume flows from Kirkuk to Turkey.This Monday is Columbus Day, a federal holiday which celebrates the man who discovered North America and helped lead to the continent eventually housing the country that is thriving here today.

Because the day is a holiday, several businesses, offices, and other places may have altered hours as a result. Below is a list of expected hours for various places.

OPEN:

National Parks: National Parks should be open, though you may need to check with individual sites, as some may have reduced hours, or could be closed in observance of the holiday.

Private Businesses: Check with local establishments to see what hours they may have. Some may be closed entirely, operate on a normal schedule, or may have reduced hours.

Restaurants: Expect most chain restaurants to be open and operating with normal hours, though call ahead to check.

Retail Stores: If you need to do some shopping, all stores, including Costco, Walmart, Target, Kohl's, Macy's Rite Aid, CVS and more are not only expected to be open, but with normal hours, though you should call individual locations to check. Many are also offering big sales in honor of the holiday.

Transportation Services: While transportation services should be open, the levels of service may be altered to reflect a holiday schedule. Check locally, but some of the more major transit services across the U.S. have the following schedules:

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA): No information on changes was available

Massachusetts Bay transit Authority (MBTA): Subways, Commuter Rail, Buses and Boat Services will all operate on a weekday schedule

Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA): Subway trains and all local, limited, SBS, and express buses will operate on with normal weekday service

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA): Metrorail will be open from 5 a.m. to midnight and will operate at Saturday service intervals, and off-peak fares will be in effect all day. Metrobus will operate on a Saturday supplemental schedule and some post-midnight trips on the Saturday schedule will not operate.

CLOSED:

Banks: Most, if not all banks are expected to be closed, though you should check with your specific financial institution to be sure.

Courts: State and local courts are closed.

Department of Motor Vehicles: All DMV offices are closed

Federal Offices: All federal offices (like IRS etc.) are closed

Libraries: Check with your local establishment, but all are expected to be closed on Monday

Municipal Offices: Municipal offices are expected to be closed

Post Office: All U.S. Post Offices are closed, and mail service is suspended for the day

Sanitation Department: Sanitation services and garbage collection is suspended

Schools: All schools are closed

State Offices: State offices should be closed

U.S. Stock Market: Financial markets are closedBoston, MA - The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), a national non-profit organization whose mission is to support and advance healthy aging through biomedical research, is proud to recognize the outstanding contributions of David A. Sinclair, Ph.D., and Laura Niedernhofer, M.D., Ph.D., to the field of aging research through its annual honorary Scientific Awards of Distinction.

This year's awards will be presented at a special ceremony in Boston held in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) on Friday, November 16, 2018 at Hynes Centers-207 Convention Center from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., followed by a reception from 6:30-7:30 pm.

David A. Sinclair, Ph.D., professor of genetics and co-director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging at Harvard Medical School, will receive the Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction. Established in 1982, the Irving S. Wright award is named in honor of AFAR's founder and recognizes exceptional contributions to basic or clinical research in the field of aging. Dr. Sinclair will be recognized for his contributions investigating age-related processes and the development of drugs to treat diseases of aging.

Laura Niedernhofer, M.D., Ph.D., professor of biochemistry, molecular biology, and biophysics at the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences, will receive the Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award in Aging Research. The Cristofalo award, established in 2008, is named in honor of the late Dr. Vincent Cristofalo, who dedicated his career to aging research and to encouraging young scientists to investigate important problems in the biology of aging. Dr. Niedernhofer will be recognized as a leader in the field of DNA damage and repair, and how DNA damage contributes to aging.

"These awards are given annually to members of the aging research community whose work advances the field and advances our understanding of aging," says AFAR Executive Director Stephanie Lederman, Ed.M. "The Irving S. Wright and Vincent Cristofalo awards are named for two visionary scientists whose leadership made AFAR and aging research what it is today. Dr. Sinclair and Dr. Niedernhofer follow the very highest standards for aging research that have been part of AFAR's DNA from the beginning."

At the awards presentation, each winner will present a lecture sharing insights from their research.

Dr. Sinclair's lecture "Understanding Why We Grow Old As We Grow Older" will highlight the latest research breakthroughs regarding the pathways that control the pace of age-related changes, along with updates on human clinical trials and predictions about where the field of aging research is going from here.

Dr. Niedernhofer's lecture "DNA Damage: The Most Stalwart Pillar of Aging" will discuss how reduced DNA repair in mice and in people accelerates the aging process, affecting virtually every organ system. And she will share insights on how drugs that specifically target senescent cells have been shown in mice to reduce age-related decline.

Nominations for the awards are by invitation, and are judged by an independent panel of leading aging researchers.

Both awards come with framed citations and carry a cash prize of $5,000. The two honorees were also recognized at AFAR's Annual Awards dinner in New York City on Tuesday, November 6.

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To date, AFAR has presented thirty-nine Irving Wright Awards and eleven Vincent Cristofalo awards. Learn more about the history of AFAR's Scientific Awards and past awardees at http://www.afar.org/research/awards/scientific-awards.

In addition to these honorary awards of distinction, AFAR supports the field of aging research through its biology of aging and physician training grant programs. To date, AFAR's grant programs have contributed more than $178 million to the field of aging research, by supporting more than 4,100 investigators and students.

About this Year's Awardees

David A. Sinclair, Ph.D. is professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, co-director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging, professor and head of the Aging Labs at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, and AFAR Board Member. He is best known for his work on genes and small molecules that delay aging, including the Sirtuin genes, resveratrol, and NAD precursors. He has published more than 160 scientific papers, is a co-inventor on 50 patents, and has co-founded Life Biosciences and other biotechnology companies in the areas of aging, vaccines, diabetes, fertility, cancer, and biodefense. He is co-chief editor of the scientific journal Aging and works with national defense agencies and with NASA. He has received 35 honors, including the CSL prize, an Advance Global Award, an ASMR Medal, the NIH Director's Pioneer award, a Member of the Order of Australia (Australia's knighthood), and TIME magazine's list of the "100 most influential people in the world."

Laura Niedernhofer, M.D., Ph.D., recently joined the University of Minnesota to direct the new Institute on the Biology of Aging & Metabolism. Internationally recognized as an expert in the molecular and cellular basis of aging, Dr. Niedernhofer's expertise is in DNA damage and repair, progeroid syndromes and cellular senescence. Prior to moving to Minneapolis this summer, Dr. Niedernhofer was at The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida. She studied chemistry at Duke University, physiology at Georgetown, and completed the medical scientist training program at Vanderbilt. Her post-doctoral training was at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, training in mouse genetics with Jan Hoeijmakers, an expert in genome instability disorders. Together, she and Jan have really championed the idea that DNA damage plays a causal role in aging. Laura has served on study section for NCI, NIEHS and NIA. She has been awarded for research in aging, cancer and environmental health science. Perhaps more importantly, she has been awarded for her efforts in advocacy and mentoring physician scientists.

About AFAR - The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to support and advance healthy aging through biomedical research. Founded in 1981, AFAR has championed the cause and supported the funding of science in healthier aging and age-related medicine. To address the shortage of physicians and researchers dedicated to the science of healthier aging, AFAR funds physicians and scientists probing the fundamental mechanisms of aging, as well as specific diseases associated with aging populations at critical points throughout their careers. AFAR engages the public through webinars, conferences and our online resource, InfoAging, featuring over two dozen downloadable guides, edited by guest experts on topics ranging from theories of aging, age-related conditions, healthy lifestyle tips, and more. Learn at http://www.afar.org or follow AFARorg on Twitter and Facebook.A new collaborative venture between Northwestern University and Tel Aviv University brings together researchers and students in the field of nanotechnology through joint research and development projects, student exchange programs and research grants.

Under the new partnership, two researchers from each university will receive post-doctoral fellowships supporting two years of research at the partner institution. The fellowships, which cover approximately 75% of the total cost of the research, were paid for with funding provided by philanthropist and businessman Roman Abramovich. The respective hosting laboratories will provide for remaining expenses.

The new joint Northwestern-TAU venture also includes a student exchange program, which will allow three graduate students from each institution to study at the partner university and attend an annual nanotechnology workshop and international conference on cutting-edge breakthroughs in the field.

The new nanotech collaboration is slated to offer up to two research grants a year to support pilot projects that bear unique commercial potential. TAU's Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and Northwestern's International Institute for Nanotechnology will together select the winning projects, which will receive funding to cover the costs involved with completing proof of concept.

In 2020, TAU and Northwestern exchange students will all have the opportunity to study at TAU's new Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology building. The ambitious center, made possible through Mr. Abramovich's $30 million gift to Tel Aviv University, is expected to be the leading facility of its kind in the Middle East. French architect Michel Remon is responsible for the innovative design of the new building, which will span over 75,300 square feet (7,000 square meters) and house core research labs, quantum effects labs, medical nanosystems labs and smart biotechnology labs, as well as a prominent visitors center, which will be open to the general public.

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American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's most influential, comprehensive and sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). TAU is recognized and celebrated internationally for creating an innovative, entrepreneurial culture on campus that generates inventions, startups and economic development in Israel. TAU is ranked ninth in the world, and first in Israel, for producing start-up founders of billion-dollar companies, an achievement that surpassed several Ivy League universities. To date, 2,500 US patents have been filed by Tel Aviv University researchers -- ranking TAU #1 in Israel, #10 outside of the US and #43 in the world.Opioid-related overdoses and deaths remain a major public health concern in Massachusetts, yet adolescents who experience opioid-related nonfatal overdose (NFOD) have been rarely studied. Using public data, Brigham investigators recently unearthed several important ways in which the opioid crisis is playing out differently among young people versus adults.

Performed in collaboration with colleagues at the Boston University School of Medicine and Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the analysis examined data on adolescents in Massachusetts, ages 11 to 17, who experienced an opioid-related nonfatal overdose between 2012 and 2014. In addition to understanding how prevalent these events were in young people compared to adults, researchers also found differences in how adolescents receive medication to treat opioid use disorder after experiencing a nonfatal overdose. The team's results were recently published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Among the findings were that adolescent girls were more likely to experience an opioid-related nonfatal overdose - the opposite of what has been observed in adults - although the reasons for this remain unclear. Additionally, investigators discovered these events were, overall, far less common in young people in the period studied, occurring in 195 adolescents versus 22,311 adults.

"This evidence will help guide the conversation about adolescent opioid abuse. In a lot of ways, this study raises more questions than answers, such as why more adolescent girls are overdosing than boys," said Avik Chatterjee, MD, MPH, first author and associate epidemiologist in the Division of Global Health Equity at the Brigham. "The ability to bring attention to a population that has been understudied with regard to the opioid epidemic will help researchers and physicians explore ways to treat this epidemic in adolescence."

An opioid-related nonfatal overdose occurs when an individual uses an opioid, sometimes in conjunction with other drugs, and becomes mentally altered or sedated to the point that immediate, lifesaving treatment is necessary.

"A nonfatal overdose might be an opportunity to intervene," said Chatterjee. "People are using opioids so much that they are at risk of dying, so this could be a time when health care professionals could step in and help the person obtain treatment before a fatal overdose occurs."

To examine the adolescent and adult NFOD rates in Massachusetts, researchers analyzed data from 2012 to 2014, pooled from the entire state as part of Chapter 55 of the Acts of 2015. This dataset represents 98 percent of Massachusetts residents and includes non-identifiable medical information from hospitals, ambulance systems, substance-use systems, health insurance companies and homeless shelters.

Researchers were interested in examining whether adolescents received medication - methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone - to treat an opioid use disorder within 12 months of experiencing a nonfatal overdose. They found that only 8 percent of adolescents were prescribed one of these medications within a year of the overdose.

"Adolescents have not received as much focus as adults in the opioid crisis," said senior author Sarah Bagley, MD, an assistant professor and primary care physician at Boston Medical Center. "However, these data illustrate that in Massachusetts, adolescents have not been spared and that they are not receiving timely treatment."

The authors note that these numbers may be low because many people now have access to opioid overdose reversal drugs outside of a health care setting.

"This analysis took advantage of a unique tool developed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) to enable us to access linked, multi-year data for analysis of fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses, as well as for other health priorities and trends," said Dana Bernson, DPH Assistant Director, Special Analytic Projects. "These results highlight the importance of our partnerships with researchers from academic, non-profit, private and government agencies in using data to respond to the opioid epidemic."

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Funding for this work was provided by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (1K23 DA044324-01 and 1UL1TR001430), National Institute for Drug Abuse (K23 DA042168, K23 DA045085 and L40 DA042434) a Boston University School of Medicine Department of Medicine Career Investment Award, a Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award and an Academic Pediatric Association Young Investigator Award.

Paper cited: Chatterjee, A et al. "Non-fatal opioid-related overdoses among adolescents in Massachusetts 2012-2014" Drug and Alcohol Dependence DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.09.020

Trends in Opioid Prescriptions in Children, Adolescents Brain Bateman, MD, researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital, found prescription opioids provided to children and adolescents have steadily decreased since 2012 in an analysis of data from a large commercial insurance provider.

In 2004, three out of 1,000 kids had received an outpatient opioid prescription in a given month, which then increased to four per 1,000 between 2009 to 2012 before dropping to two of every 1,000 at the start of 2017. The trend in long-term opioid prescription use (three or more consecutive months) also similarly declined.

Data for this analysis came only from a single large commercial insurance provider, and the authors note opioid dispensing rates may differ in other populations and settings.

Paper cited: Bateman, B et al. "Trends in Opioid Prescription in Children and Adolescents in a Commercially Insured Population in the United States, 2004-2017". JAMA Pediatrics DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.3668About 140 years ago, Charles Darwin seemed to be bothered by evidence suggesting the sudden occurrence of numerous angiosperms in the mid-Cretaceous. Since Darwin's theory of evolution implies that all organisms should increase gradually, the sudden appearance of angiosperms would have represented a headache in his theory.

Therefore, the sudden occurrence of numerous angiosperms (if seen by Darwin as "the origin of angiosperms") would rightfully have been mysterious and abominable to him.

Over more than a century of study, however, people have found many angiosperms dating to earlier periods, suggesting the origin of angiosperms was much earlier than the mid-Cretaceous. So what was the phenomenon that bothered Darwin so much?

A group led by Prof. WANG Xin from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (NIGPAS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences may have an answer. In the Nov. 13, 2018 online issue of Scientific Reports, the scientists describe a flower, Lijinganthus revoluta, embedded in Burmese amber dating to 99 million years ago (Ma). The fossil is exquisite and complete, including all parts of a perfect pentamerous flower, namely, the calyx, corolla, stamens, and gynoecium, and belongs to the Pentapetalae of Core Eudicots.

Together with contemporaneous flowers and fruits, Lijinganthus indicates that Core Eudicots flourished on Earth about 100 Ma. Although this group can be dated back to the Barremian (about 125 Ma) by their characteristic tricolpate pollen grains, Eudicots did not dominate vegetation until about 20 million years later (mid-Cretaceous).

Accompanying this Core Eudicot Boom, Gnetales and Bennettitales underwent rapid decline. Apparently, what bothered Darwin was not the assumed "origin of angiosperms" but a Core Eudicot

Boom! According to current knowledge of the fossil record, angiosperms originated much earlier.

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The co-authors of the paper include Dr. LIU ZhongJian at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and Dr. HUANG Diying and CAI Chenyang at NIGPAS. This paper is freely available online at http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-35100-4.Gatersleben/Leipzig. Biodiversity goes beyond species diversity. Another important aspect of biodiversity is genetic variation within species. A notable example is the immense variety of cultivars and landraces of crop plants and their wild progenitors. An international research consortium led by the of the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK Gatersleben) and supported by the iDiv research centre has now characterised at the molecular level a world collection comprising seed samples from a total of more than 22,000 barley varieties. In a study published in the journal Nature Genetics, the scientists usher in a new era for gene banks that transform from museums of past crop diversity into bio-digital resource centres.

Genebanks store samples of cultivars, landraces and wild relatives of crop plants from all over the world to safeguard our agricultural heritage and exploit it for future crop improvement. The German federal ex situ gene bank at IPK in Gatersleben hosts one of the world's most comprehensive collections of cultivated plants, including 22,000 barley seed samples. Under the leadership of the IPK Gatersleben, researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), the Julius Kuhn Institute (JKI, German Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants) in Quedlinburg and the University of Gottingen collaborated with colleagues from Japan, China, and Switzerland. This international cooperation revealed how well the IPK collection represents global barley diversity. A single plant was genotyped for each of more than 22,000 seed samples, enabling the scientists to identify duplicate samples within the collection. Opening up new ways for genetically informed quality management, this comprehensive dataset also guides the effective use of the collection in research and breeding by pinpointing lines for further in-depth characterization.

Prof Dr Nils Stein (IPK Gatersleben and University of Gottingen) says: "This publication enables us to fully describe the wide range of morphological diversity of a worldwide genebank in terms of molecular genetics." To do this, Stein and his team used a method called "genotyping by sequencing" (GBS). The complete DNA sequence of the barley variety 'Morex', which was released in 2017, forms the basis of the present work. It serves as a high-quality sequence anchor for the GBS information. To characterise genetic diversity between cultivated and wild barley forms throughout the whole genome, the researchers searched for so-called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms). In total, they found more than 171,000 of these small DNA variants in the huge barley genome consisting of 5 billion base pairs. Stein adds: "This density is sufficient to find even very small differences between samples, but also to confidently flag pairs of duplicated samples in our collection."

"We can now draw conclusions about the origin, distribution area and relationship between the barley populations hosted in our collection. All digital genetic data are publicly accessible and targeted queries can be submitted on-line. A state-of-the art database combines traditional passport records with the new molecular data to inform research and breeding applications," explains Dr Martin Mascher of the IPK and iDiv, who co-led the study. The combination of historical field data of the genebank with modern molecular analyses is an impressive showcase for the opportunities that still lie dormant within gene banks around the world. New research methods and international collaborations have paved new ways for the preservation and use of this valuable genetic diversity. Prof Dr Frank Ordon from the Julius Kuhn Institute (JKI) points out: "Detailed knowledge about genetic variability and its use are prerequisite for breeding new varieties adapted to a changing environment. In the future, plant breeders will have to cope with heat, drought stress and new pathogens and also must adapt to changes regarding the use of fertilisers and pesticides. Genes that code for key properties can thus be detected in native species or related wild species more quickly and be used in breeding."

In the past, the lack of genetic data at the level of whole collections limited practical applications of genetic diversity in breeding and research. Thanks to the new analysis and open research data, it will now be possible to search across 22,626 barley seed samples. To host this unique resource, the researchers developed the BRIDGE "Data Warehouse" as a first steps towards a bio-digital resource centre.

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The BRIDGE project:

BRIDGE stands for "Biodiversity informatics to bridge the gap from genome information to educated utilisation of genetic diversity hosted in Genebanks". Funded in frame of the Leibniz Competition, the project was launched on 1 May 2015 and has been financially supported for the past three years with nearly 1.2 million euros. The aim of BRIDGE is to develop appropriate procedures to connect genetic, genomic and phenotypic information about plant genetic resources preserved in gene banks, enabling fast and easy access to the collection by researchers and breeders. More information is available at: http://bridge.ipk-gatersleben.de/bridge/ .

Original publication:

Sara G. Milner, Matthias Jost, Shin Taketa, Elena Rey Mazon, Axel Himmelbach, Markus Oppermann, Stephan Weise, Helmut Knupffer, Martin Basterrechea, Patrick Konig, Danuta Schuler, Rajiv Sharma, Raj K. Pasam, Twan Rutten, Ganggang Guo, Dongdong Xu, Jing Zhang, Gerhard Herren, Thomas Muller, Simon G. Krattinger, Beat Keller, Yong Jiang, Maria Y. Gonzalez, Yusheng Zhao, Antje Habeku, Sandra Farber, Frank Ordon, Matthias Lange, Andreas Borner, Andreas Graner, Jochen C. Reif, Uwe Scholz, Martin Mascher, Nils Stein (2018): Genebank genomics highlights the diversity of a global barley collection, Nature Genetics. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0266-x, DOI: 10.1038/s41588-018-0266-x .

Former media releases about similar topics:

Wheat genome fully mapped (iDiv news item based on a media release by the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Gatersleben, 23.08.2018): https://www.idiv.de/de/news/news_single_view/news_article/bread_for_th.html

Barley genome sequenced: a story of malting genes and vulnerable diversity (iDiv news item based on a media release by the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Gatersleben 28.04.2017): http://www.ipk-gatersleben.de/fileadmin/content-ipk/content-ipk-institut/Presseinformationen/2017/170426_PM_2017_5_Nature_dt_FINAL.pdf

Contact:

Prof Dr Nils Stein

Head of research group Genomics of Genetic Resources

Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Gatersleben

Professor for Genomics of Plant Genetic Resources, CiBreed, Georg August University Gottingen

Tel.: +49 39482 5522

E-mail: stein@ipk-gatersleben.de">stein@ipk-gatersleben.de

Web: http://www.ipk-gatersleben.de/genbank/genomik-genetischer-ressourcen/

Dr Martin Mascher

Head of the research group Domestication Genomics

Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Gatersleben

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)

Tel.: +49 39482 5243

E-Mail: mascher@ipk-gatersleben.de">mascher@ipk-gatersleben.de

Web: http://www.ipk-gatersleben.de/unabhaengige-arbeitsgruppen/domestikationsgenomik/

Prof Dr Frank Ordon

Vice president of the Julius Kuhn Institute (JKI)

Head of the Institute for Resistance Research and Stress Tolerance at the JKI

Tel.: +49 3946 47602

E-Mail: frank.ordon@julius-kuehn.de">frank.ordon@julius-kuehn.de

Web: https://www.julius-kuehn.de/en/resistance-research-and-stress-tolerance/

Dr Volker Hahn

Head of Media and Communications

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)

Tel.: +49 341 9733154

E-Mail: volker.hahn@idiv.de">volker.hahn@idiv.deAluminium alloys have unique material properties and are indispensable materials in aircraft manufacturing and space technology. With the help of high-resolution electron tomography, researchers at TU Graz have for the first time been able to decode mechanisms crucial for understanding these properties. The research results have recently been published in Nature Materials.

Nano structures responsible for material quality

Alloy elements such as scandium and zircon are added to the aluminium matrix to improve the strength, corrosion resistance and weldability of aluminium alloys. After further treatment, tiny roundish particles only a few nanometres in size, so-called nano-precipitates, are formed. Their form, atomic structure and the 'struggle' of the scandium and zircon atoms for the 'best place' in the crystal lattice are decisive for the properties and usability of the material.

Researchers at TU Graz analysed these structures with the help of the Austrian Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (ASTEM) at the Graz Centre for Electron Microscopy (ZFE). The device can produce high-resolution element mappings of three-dimensional structures. 'The thus arrived at tomographic analysis provided an image which, surprisingly, could not be interpreted according to the previous level of knowledge,' said Gerald Kothleitner, head of the working group for analytic transmission electron microscopy at the TU Graz's Institute of Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis. 'We detected anomalies in the generated core-shell structures. On the one hand, we found higher quantities of aluminium in the nano-precipitates then we had presumed. On the other hand, we discovered a zircon-enriched core as well as border zones between the core and shell with an almost perfect composition and crystal structure.'

Quantum mechanics and Monte Carlo methods provide answers

To track down this phenomenon of self-organisation, researchers from the Institute of Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis (FELMI) and the Institute of Materials Science, Joining and Forming (IMAT) fell back on quantum mechanical calculations and simulations. It was found that the system separates itself and forms atomically narrow channels in which the foreign atoms can diffuse. Atoms encountering each other block these channels and stabilise the system. Doctoral student Angelina Orthacker, whose thesis was funded by the Austrian Cooperative Research (ACR), gives a graphic explanation of the movement of the atoms: 'The diffusion process can be compared with the formation of an emergency corridor in an urban area with heavy traffic. The traffic manages to organise itself in a split second to enable the free flow of emergency vehicles. But it only takes a few individual vehicles to block the emergency corridor thus stopping it from working.' And this is exactly the same behaviour in the interior of aluminium alloys. 'Emergency corridors' promote the material transport of scandium and zircon atoms and even slight disturbances stop this transport reaction. The research team presumes that the new findings about these diffusion processes also play a role in other multi-component alloys. Their properties can now be adjusted even more.

###

This research area is anchored in the Field of Expertise "Advanced Materials Science", one of five research foci of TU Graz. Participating researchers are members of NAWI Graz - Natural Sciences.ARLINGTON, Va. - Before patients receive intravenous (IV) antimicrobial infusion therapy outside of the hospital - whether at home, a doctor's office or a skilled nursing facility - an infectious diseases (ID) specialist should review the order to ensure the most appropriate treatment, suggest updated guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Once they begin receiving outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT), patients should be monitored regularly, note the guidelines, which are being published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

OPAT has long been the standard of care to treat an infection that requires IV antimicrobials because it is less expensive than hospital-based treatment and is preferred by most patients. Since the previous guidelines were published in 2004, three large studies have found this strategy to be safe: there is no difference in the number of adverse events related to OPAT compared to hospital-administered IV antimicrobial therapy.

Additionally, new research underscores the value of review by an ID physician, nurse or pharmacist before starting OPAT, noting that it is associated with a lower risk of hospital readmission. In many cases the ID specialist will recommend an oral instead of an IV antimicrobial. Studies show up to 39 percent of OPAT patients can be switched from IV to oral antimicrobials and also note that as many as 1 in 10 patients don't need an antimicrobial at all. One study found an ID specialist-led stewardship program reduced pediatric OPAT orders by 24 percent, without increasing readmissions.

"The majority of patients referred for OPAT therapy do need it, but in many cases an oral antimicrobial would do the job. Given the growing worldwide problem with antimicrobial overuse and resistance, any opportunity to de-escalate these drugs is critically important," said Anne H. Norris, MD, guidelines co-chair and associate professor of clinical medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. "Not only does this provide good stewardship of antimicrobials, but lowers costs and potentially improves patients' well-being. It's always better to avoid IV access if possible, and the narrower spectrum oral antimicrobials kill off fewer healthy bacteria than broader spectrum agents."

Newer research also suggests patients should have regular blood tests while receiving OPAT to monitor for toxicity and ensure the drug levels are adequate. Although there is no definitive evidence regarding how often that should occur, most patients are tested weekly, said Dr. Norris.

Other new recommendations in the guideline include:

OPAT vancomycin should be monitored closely throughout the course of treatment for adverse events as one study found 42 percent of patients developed nephrotoxicity (kidney damage) after 14 days on therapy. If nephrotoxicity develops, options include lowering the dose or stopping the vancomycin and switching to another medication such as daptomycin.

In patients with no history of allergy to antimicrobials in the same class, the first dose of a new IV antimicrobial may be given at home under the supervision of a health care worker who is trained to manage an allergic reaction.

In patients receiving OPAT antimicrobials for two weeks or less, it is acceptable to deliver the medication using a midline catheter in the arm rather than via a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) or central venous catheter.

If a patient with a PICC develops a blood clot, it is not necessary to remove and replace the catheter if anticoagulation is started, the catheter is well-positioned and arm pain and swelling have decreased.

###

In addition to Dr. Norris, the guidelines panel includes co-chair Nabin K. Shrestha, MD, MPH, FIDSA; Geneve M. Allison, MD, MS, Sara C. Keller, MD, MPH, MSHP; Kavita P. Bhavan, MD, MHS, FIDSA; John J. Zurlo, MD; Adam L. Hersh, MD, PhD; Lisa A. Gorski, MS; John A. Bosso, PharmD, FIDSA; Mobeen H. Rathore, MD, FIDSA; Antonio Arrieta, MD, FIDSA; Russell M. Petrak, MD, FIDSA; Akshay Shah, MD, FIDSA; Richard B. Brown, MD, FIDSA; Shandra L. Knight, MS and Craig A. Umscheid, MD.

IDSA has published more than 50 treatment guidelines on various conditions and infections, ranging from HIV/AIDS to skin and soft tissue infections. As with other IDSA guidelines, the OPAT guidelines will be available in a smartphone format and a pocket-sized quick-reference edition. The full guidelines are available free on the IDSA website at https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciy745/5175018.

Note: For a copy of the OPAT guidelines released Nov. 13, 2018, please contact Lauren Martin at (312) 558-1770 or lmartin@pcipr.com">lmartin@pcipr.com.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), based in Arlington, Va., is a professional society representing more than 11,000 physicians and scientists who specialize in infectious diseases. For more information, visit http://www.idsociety.org. Follow IDSA on Facebook and Twitter. Clinical Infectious Diseases is a leading journal in the field of infectious diseases with a broad international readership. The journal publishes articles on a variety of subjects of interest to practitioners and researchers. Topics range from clinical descriptions of infections, public health, microbiology, and immunology to the prevention of infection, the evaluation of current and novel treatments, and the promotion of optimal practices for diagnosis and treatment. The journal publishes original research, editorial commentaries, review articles, and practice guidelines and is among the most highly cited journals in the field of infectious diseases. Clinical Infectious Diseases is an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).OHSU study compares rates of health care utilization at Community Health Centers in states with, without Medicaid expansion programs

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 100 million Americans are either living with diabetes or have higher than average blood sugar levels consistent with prediabetes.

Management of these chronic conditions requires consistent monitoring of blood sugar levels, robust medication regimens and frequent health care appointments, all of which take time, resources and money. Because of these barriers, many Americans with diabetes often go undiagnosed or ignore necessary treatment options altogether.

A study published online in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine has confirmed one way to ensure broader usage of preventive and disease management services for diabetes patients: access to affordable health care.

sing electronic health record data, Nathalie Huguet, Ph.D., and a team of researchers at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, compared changes in insurance and primary care visit rates among patients diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes, and individuals with no diagnosis. Patients received care at community health centers in 13 U.S. states, nine of which have Medicaid expansion programs.

Researchers found that the rates of uninsured visits to Community Health Centers decreased in all states across the three patient groups. Further, consistent with national averages, patients previously diagnosed with diabetes had higher clinic visit rates when compared with prediabetes or undiagnosed patients.

While the researchers did not find an overall increase in visits among this population, Huguet, a research assistant professor of family medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine, says that due to higher rates of obtained insurance, many patients were able to receive critical treatments and services, including preventive screenings, lab testing, specialized care and some medication not accessible to them before.

"This is particularly true for patients with lower socioeconomic status," she said. "The utilization rates of these services prove how critical programs such as the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Expansion are to a growing and vulnerable patient population."

###COLUMBUS, Ohio - A new national study shows that people whose mothers had more partners - married or cohabiting - often follow the same path.

Results suggest that mothers may pass on personality traits and relationship skills that make their children more or less likely to form stable relationships.

"Our results suggest that mothers may have certain characteristics that make them more or less desirable on the marriage market and better or worse at relationships," said Claire Kamp Dush, lead author of the study and associate professor of human sciences at The Ohio State University.

"Children inherit and learn those skills and behaviors and may take them into their own relationships."

The study was published today (11-13-18) in PLOS ONE.

While a lot of research has found that children of divorce are also more likely to divorce, this new study broadens the picture, Kamp Dush said.

"It's not just divorce now. Many children are seeing their parents divorce, start new cohabiting relationships, and having those end as well," she said.

"All of these relationships can influence children's outcomes, as we see in this study."

Data came from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth Child and Young Adult (NLSY79 CYA). Both surveys have followed the same participants for at least 24 years.

All the people in the NSL79 CYA survey were the biological children of women in the NLSY79, so the researchers could get a long-term look at the number of partners for people in both generations. The surveys included information on not just marriage and divorce, but also cohabiting relationships and dissolutions.

The surveys are run by Ohio State's Center for Human Resource Research.

This study included 7,152 people in the NLSY79 CYA survey.

Both the number of marriages and the number of cohabiting partners by mothers had similar effects on how many partners their children had, the study found.

However, results showed that siblings exposed to their mothers' cohabitation for longer periods had more partners than their siblings exposed to less cohabitation.

"You may see cohabitation as an attractive, lower-commitment type of relationship if you've seen your mother in such a relationship for a longer time," Kamp Dush said.

"That may lead to more partners since cohabitating relationships are more likely to break-up."

The study discussed three theories about why children tend to follow their mothers in terms of the number of relationships.

One theory has been that many people dissolve relationships because of the economic instability associated with divorce and cohabitation dissolution; one partner's income is usually lost. Economic hardship can lead to poorer child outcomes and a more difficult transition to adulthood, leading to more unstable partnerships in adulthood, the theory says.

While economic instability was indeed related to the number of partners a person had, controlling for economic factors in the study did not significantly reduce the mother-child link in the number of partners. This means money problems were likely not the main reason behind why many people follow the path of their mothers when it comes to relationships.

A second theory suggests that the actual experience of observing your mother going through a divorce or breaking up a cohabitation - or multiple breakups - leads children to have more partners themselves. According to this theory, an older half-sibling who saw his or her mother go through multiple partners should be more at risk than a younger half-sibling who wasn't exposed to as many partners.

But this wasn't the case, Kamp Dush said. A sibling who experienced his or her mother moving from relationship to relationship did not have a statistically greater number of partners compared to a sibling who did not experience instability.

So what does explain why mothers and their children share partnering trends?

"What our results suggest is that mothers may pass on their marriageable characteristics and relationship skills to their children - for better or worse," Kamp Dush said.

"It could be that mothers who have more partners don't have great relationship skills, or don't deal with conflict well, or have mental health problems, each of which can undermine relationships and lead to instability. Whatever the exact mechanisms, they may pass these characteristics on to their children, making their children's relationships less stable."

###

Kamp Dush conducted the study with three former Ohio State graduate students: Rachel Arocho, now at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Sara Mernitz, now at the University of Texas; and Kyle Bartholomew, now at TEKsystems in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Contact: Claire Kamp Dush, Kamp-dush.1@osu.edu

Written by Jeff Grabmeier, 614-292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.eduChinese scientists recorded the first cave-dwelling centipede known so far from southern China. To the amazement of the team, the specimens collected during a survey in the Gaofeng village, Guizhou Province, did not only represent a species that had been successfully hiding away from biologists in the subterranean darkness, but it also turned out to be the very first amongst the order of stone centipedes to be discovered underground in the country.

Found by the team of Qing Li, Xuan Guo and Dr Hui-ming Chen of the Guizhou Institute of Biology, and Su-jian Pei and Dr Hui-qin Ma of Hengshui University, the new cavedweller is described under the name of Australobius tracheoperspicuus in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

The new centipede is quite tiny, measuring less than 20 mm in total body length. It is also characterised with pale yellow-brownish colour and antennae comprised of 26 segments each. Similar to other cave-dwelling organisms which have evolved to survive away from sunlight, it has no eyes.

In their paper, the authors point out that Chinese centipedes and millipedes remain poorly known, where the statement holds particularly true for the fauna of stone centipedes: the members of the order Lithobiomorpha. As of today, there are only 80 species and subspecies of lithobiomorphs known from the country. However, none of them lives underground.

In addition, the study provides an identification key for all six species of the genus Australobius recorded in China.

###

Original source:

Li Q, Pei S-j, Guo X, Ma H-q, Chen H-m (2018) Australobius tracheoperspicuus sp. n., the first subterranean species of centipede from southern China (Lithobiomorpha, Lithobiidae). ZooKeys 795: 83-91. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.795.28036Tourist locations are hardest hit during natural disasters, but also provide significant, and often unheralded, resources during recovery efforts.

A research group at Rochester Institute of Technology is measuring those efforts and the value of the contributions hotel and lodging sector personnel and facilities provide during times of crisis, beyond basic shelter. The research effort combines two distinct groups from the university with expertise in both hospitality and disaster recovery--to collect information that could influence the industry in how it produces broader guidelines and assistance plans for disaster response and recovery.

"We are more than an industry that accommodates vacation and business travelers. We play a crucial role in the community, not just for jobs, taxes and economics, but also in how we use our expertise and ability to support local communities during and after weather-related disasters," said Rick Lagiewski, assistant professor in RIT's Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management. "We knew that companies were trying to put a value on their efforts, their corporate social responsibility, during disasters and toward community recovery. The hotel industry does a lot, but it hasn't ever been looked at holistically, specifically, for all the critical contributions they make to assist their community."

According to Moody's Analytics, Hurricanes Irma and Harvey caused between $150-$200 billion in property damage in Texas and Florida. Both areas rely on tourism as an economic driver, and both have high rates of destructive, weather-related events. Hotels have contingency plans when severe weather storms through a region. Staff are trained in procedures to ready hotels for impending storms and to protect personnel, guests and property.

While the economic impact of the hotel and lodging industry is well-documented, what is less understood is the value the industry provides local communities during and after major disasters. The RIT researchers are developing a tool to assess the financial value of lodging resources provided for recovery efforts through a one-year, $45,000 grant provided by American Hotel and Lodging Educational Foundation. Data will be collected from multiple sources, including regional and national restaurant and lodging associations, as well as through surveys, interviews and focus group sessions with general managers of tourist destinations in the target areas. Analyzing data from these resources will be the baseline for metrics to determine valuation of time and resources for non-financial contributions, Lagiewski explained.

"I think what is going to be most interesting and surprising will be the experiences and learning that aren't generally public," he said. Previous news coverage of the aftermath of hurricanes highlights some non-operational activities--serving meals to recovery workers, housing hotel staff and families including pets, or offering the expertise of hotel engineers, for example. "What is less known are the best practices gained from these hotels that aid in community response and recovery. That is where our research will focus."

Lagiewski is leading the research project with Muhammet Kesgin, assistant professor in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management. They will be joined by Jennifer Schneider, Eugene H. Fram Chair in Applied Critical Thinking and principal, for the Collaboratory for Resiliency and Recovery. This latter group helps provide integrated information about incident response capabilities to ensure communities can be prepared in the event of catastrophic events and emergencies. RIT's research began in September and will continue until June 2019. Both the hospitality and resiliency programs have numerous alumni in U.S tourist destinations such as central and the southernmost tip of Florida--regions that experience hurricanes and tropical storms annually.

###

Note: Through an internal CONNECT grant, sponsored by Advance RIT and the Office of the Provost, an extensive literature review was conducted from 2016-2017 on Disaster Science: Management and recovery in hospitality and tourism. The work was incorporated into a paper, "Critical Hospitality: Metrics as a path to resort resilience," authored by Sarah Dobie, an RIT graduate student and research project team member, which was presented at the International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology Conference (June 2018).HOUSTON - (Nov. 13, 2018) - Organic solar cells that can be painted or printed on surfaces are increasingly efficient, and now show promise for incorporation into applications like clothing that also require them to be flexible.

The Rice University lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer Rafael Verduzco has developed flexible organic photovoltaics that could be useful where constant, low-power generation is sufficient.

Verduzco and his team incorporate a network of elastic additives that make the electrically active material less brittle with little to no loss of current flow.

The research appears in the American Chemical Society journal Chemistry of Materials.

Organic solar cells rely on carbon-based materials including polymers, as opposed to hard, inorganic materials like silicon, to capture sunlight and translate it into current. Organics are also thin, lightweight, semitransparent and inexpensive. While middle-of-the-road, commercial, silicon-based solar cells perform at about 22 percent efficiency - the amount of sunlight converted into electricity -- organics top out at around 15 percent.

"The field has been obsessed with the efficiency chart for a long time," Verduzco said. "There's been an increase in efficiency of these devices, but mechanical properties are also really important, and that part's been neglected.

"If you stretch or bend things, you get cracks in the active layer and the device fails."

Verduzco said one approach to fixing the brittle problem would be to find polymers or other organic semiconductors that are flexible by nature, but his lab took another tack. "Our idea was to stick with the materials that have been carefully developed over 20 years and that we know work, and find a way to improve their mechanical properties," he said.

Rather than make a mesh and pour in the semiconducting polymers, the Rice researchers mixed in sulfur-based thiol-ene reagents. The molecules blend with the polymers and then crosslink with each other to provide flexibility.

The process is not without cost, because too little thiol-ene leaves the crystalline polymers prone to cracking under stress, while too much dampens the material's efficiency.

Testing helped the lab find its Goldilocks Zone. "If we replaced 50 percent of the active layer with this mesh, the material would get 50 percent less light and the current would drop," Verduzco said. "At some point, it's not practical. Even after we confirmed the network was forming, we needed to determine how much thiol-ene we needed to suppress fracture and the maximum we could put in without making it worthless as an electronic device."

At about 20 percent thiol-ene, they found that cells retained their efficiency and gained flexibility. "They're small molecules and don't disrupt the morphology much," Verduzco said. "We can shine ultraviolet light or apply heat or just wait, and with time the network will form. The chemistry is mild, fast and efficient."

The next step was to stretch the material. "Pure P3HT (the active polythiophene-based layer) started cracking at about 6 percent strain," Verduzco said. "When we added 10 percent thiol-ene, we could strain it up to 14 percent. At around 16 percent strain we started seeing cracks throughout the material."

At strains higher than 30 percent, the material flexed just fine but became useless as a solar cell. "We found there's essentially no loss in our photocurrent up to about 20 percent," he said. "That seems to be the sweet spot."

Damage under strain affected the material even when the strain was released. "The strain impacts how these crystal domains pack and translates to microscopic breaks in the device," Verduzco said. "The holes and electrons still need paths to get to the opposite electrodes."

He said the lab expects to try different organic photovoltaic materials while working to make them more stretchable with less additive for larger test cells.

###

Rice graduate student Jorge Wu Mok is lead author of the paper. Co-authors are Rice graduate student Zhiqi Hu, undergraduate Changxu Sun and alumnus Isaiah Barth; summer researchers Rodrigo Munoz and Joshua Jackson of Rice and Houston Community College; research scientist Tanguy Terlier of Rice's Shared Equipment Authority; and Kevin Yager of Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, N.Y.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Welch Foundation for Chemical Research and the Department of Energy Office of Science Facilities.

Read the abstract at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b03791.

This news release can be found online at http://news.rice.edu/2018/11/07/stretchy-solar-cells-a-step-closer/

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Video:

https://youtu.be/M0nFkdtkia4

Video produced by Brandon Martin/Rice University

Related materials:

CAREER honor for Verduzco: http://news.rice.edu/2014/01/08/career-honor-for-verduzco/

Verduzco Laboratory: http://verduzcolab.blogs.rice.edu

Rice Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: https://chbe.rice.edu

George R. Brown School of Engineering: https://engineering.rice.edu

Images for download:

http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/11/1112_PHOTOVOLTAICS-1-WEB-1ew3bum.jpg

Rice University engineer Rafael Verduzco holds a flexible solar cell developed by his lab. The lab is working to make organic solar cells that stretch and flex. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

? http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/11/1112_PHOTOVOLTAICS-2-WEB-1gp55ah.jpg

Rice University scientists have developed flexible organic photovoltaics with a chemical additive that mitigates the material's brittle qualities without losing efficiency. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/11/1112_PHOTOVOLTAICS-3-WEB-1m2y05n.jpg

Flexible organic photovoltaics under development at Rice University have a chemical additive that mitigates the material's brittle qualities. The lab employs thiol-ene molecules that infiltrate the polymer and form a mesh that makes the material stretchable without losing efficiency. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/11/1112_PHOTOVOLTAICS-4-WEB-u8aljv.jpg

Rice University undergraduate Changxu Sun mounts a flexible, organic photovoltaic cell to a test device. Scientists at the lab use a chemical additive to mitigate the material's brittle properties and make it more adaptable for applications like clothing or thin solar films for windows. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://tinyurl.com/RiceUniversityoverview.

David Ruth 713-348-6327 david@rice.edu">david@rice.edu

Mike Williams 713-348-6728 mikewilliams@rice.edu">mikewilliams@rice.eduSalk research focuses on the development of compounds that may protect against the diseases of aging, such as Alzheimer's

LA JOLLA--(November 13, 2018) Old age is the greatest risk factor for many diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cancer. Geroprotectors are a recently identified class of anti-aging compounds. New Salk research has now identified a unique subclass of these compounds, dubbed geroneuroprotectors (GNPs), which are AD drug candidates and slow the aging process in mice.

"The argument for geroprotectors is that if one can extend the lifespan of model organisms, such as mice, and translate this effect to humans, then you should be able to slow down the appearance of many diseases that are associated with aging, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer and overall frailty," says first author Dave Schubert, Salk professor and head of Salk's Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory

The study, which appeared in the journal Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, on November 13, 2018, was conducted in collaboration with Salk Senior Staff Scientist Pamela Maher, whose lab is in the Cellular Neurobiology department and who is the study's senior author.

The team started with two chemicals found in plants that have demonstrated medicinal properties: fisetin, a natural product derived from fruits and vegetables, and curcumin, from the curry spice turmeric. From these, the team synthesized three AD drug candidates based upon their ability to protect neurons from multiple toxicities associated with the aging brain. The lab showed that these three synthetic candidates (known as CMS121, CAD31 and J147), as well as fisetin and curcumin, reduced the molecular markers of aging, as well as dementia, and extended the median lifespan of mice or flies.

Importantly, the group demonstrated that the molecular pathways engaged by these AD drug candidates are the same as two other well-researched synthetic compounds that are known to extend the lifespan of many animals. For this reason, and based on the results of their previous studies, the team says fisetin, curcumin and the three AD drug candidates all meet the definition of being geroneuroprotectors.

The group is now focusing on getting two GNPs into human clinical trials. The fisetin derivative, CMS121, is currently in the animal toxicology studies required for FDA approval to start clinical trials. The curcumin derivative, J147, is under FDA review for allowance to start clinical trials for AD early next year. The group plans to incorporate biochemical markers for aging into the clinical trials to assay for potential geroprotective effects.

"Since we found that the natural products curcumin and fisetin are also GNPs and commercially available as supplements, they could provide some therapeutic benefits right now," says Maher.

Other studies in the lab are determining whether these compounds have effects on organs outside of the brain. "If these drugs have benefits for other body systems, such as maintaining kidney function and overall muscle health, they could be used in additional ways to treat or prevent the diseases of aging," Schubert says.

The investigators say that the discovery of these AD drug candidates validates the drug discovery model they have developed as a plausible method for identifying additional GNP compounds that will help promote healthy aging. This could greatly accelerate the pipeline for drugs to treat the diseases of aging for which there are currently no cures.

###

Other researchers on the paper were Antonio Currais and Joshua Goldberg of Salk, Kim Finley of San Diego State University, and Michael Petrascheck of The Scripps Research Institute.

This work was funded by National Institutes of Health grants RO1 AG046153, RF1 AG054714 and R41AI104034; the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine; the Edward N. & Della Thome Memorial Foundation; the Paul F. Glenn Center for Aging Research at the Salk Institute; and the Bundy Foundation. Schubert is an unpaid science advisor for Abrexa Pharmaceuticals, which is moving J147 into clinical trials.

About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies:

Every cure has a starting point. The Salk Institute embodies Jonas Salk's mission to dare to make dreams into reality. Its internationally renowned and award-winning scientists explore the very foundations of life, seeking new understandings in neuroscience, genetics, immunology, plant biology and more. The Institute is an independent nonprofit organization and architectural landmark: small by choice, intimate by nature and fearless in the face of any challenge. Be it cancer or Alzheimer's, aging or diabetes, Salk is where cures begin. Learn more at: salk.edu.The cognitive skills and personality of a future employee are examined during a job interview: does the candidate have the right training? The right career history? Does he present himself well? And is he affable? However, qualifications and a nice character don't necessarily mean that the interviewee will be a good boss or a competent colleague, especially in professions where social interactions play a pivotal role. The individual's emotional intelligence has to be factored in, that is, his or her capacity to understand, regulate, recognise and manage emotions in the specific context of the work environment. Researchers at the Universities of Geneva (UNIGE) and Berne (UNIBE), Switzerland, have devised an emotional intelligence test that measures emotional competences at work. Known as the Geneva Emotional Competence Test (GECO), it is now available for research purposes and commercial use - and you can read all about the results in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

The importance of emotional intelligence is widely acknowledged today, whether it's about recognising and understanding emotions, regulating one's own feelings or managing those of others. But up to now there has never been a test for measuring these skills in the specific context of work and the standards that govern it, that was entirely based on scientific findings and empirically validated. "In fact, someone may behave in a totally different way with their family or at work. They might be authoritarian in one environment and submissive in another," points out Marcello Mortillaro, a researcher in UNIGE's Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (SCAS). "That's why we were so keen to develop an emotional intelligence test focusing exclusively on situations specific to the professional environment. The aim was to assess a person's level in this area and provide both individuals and organizations with a scientifically based description that could help in personal development, in hiring the right candidate for the job, and in giving the right job to the person."

The Geneva Emotional Competence Test

The Geneva Emotional Competence Test (GECO) consists of four tests for evaluating the different parts of emotional intelligence, namely: understanding emotions, recognising emotions, regulating one's own emotions and managing other people's emotions. Katja Schlegel, a researcher at UNIBE's Institute of Psychology, explains: "We concentrated on problematic situations that involve negative emotions: fear, sadness, anger and inappropriate happiness or Schadenfreude."

"The GECO results were controlled and validated by additional tests, and they are very convincing," continues Mortillaro. "The more emotional intelligence skills you have and the better those skills are, the better your work outcomes are, above and beyond your cognitive intelligence or personality." The researchers also found that a superior ability to regulate one's own emotions is linked to earning a slightly higher salary. In fact, emotional intelligence goes hand-in-hand with a higher degree of empathy, openness to others, respect for moral rules and, in overall terms, a positive temperament. "We tested GECO on people aged 20 to 60, and the results show that emotional intelligence increases with age and experience, meaning it's a faculty that can be improved and developed," says Mortillaro. Women on the whole obtain superior results than men, notably when asked to interpret nonverbal emotional expressions. "Emotional intelligence is also linked to a person's well-being and satisfaction with his or her lifestyle," adds Schlegel.

"We also noted that managers who perform well on GECO have better results in standardized leadership tasks and students with higher GECO scores get better grades," says Schlegel. This finding explains why GECO is now being marketed by a Bern-based company and is being used for recruitment and career guidance assessments. The test currently exists in French, English and German with an Italian version being developed. "We now want to analyse the data to see whether there are differences across different language regions. We're continuing to develop GECO so that it can support the role of emotional intelligence in recruitment and scientifically validate the predictive aspect of a person's abilities in their professional careers," says Mortillaro.

1000 people to validate GECO

The various questions included in GECO were drawn up using interviews with over 40 managers working in Swiss-based firms. Participants were asked to explain diverse situations where they were faced with fear, sadness, anger or inappropriate happiness. They then presented the answers specific to these situations, which were validated by emotion experts and other managers as well as representatives of the general public. More than 1000 individuals then completed the four tests that make up GECO.

During the first subtest, which focuses on understanding emotions, participants are presented with 20 emotional scenarios and are asked to choose from 15 possible options which emotion was probably experienced in each scenario. The second test, designed to assess the recognition of emotions, consists of 42 videos of a person expressing a particular emotion. Once more, participants had to select the right emotion from 14 suggestions. The third test was geared towards the ability to regulate emotions: 28 scenarios portrayed a particular situation, with participants having to choose how they would behave. There were four possible answers but subjects were only allowed to choose two, the objective being to reduce the negative emotion rather than maintain it. Finally, the fourth test evaluated the management of other people's emotions. As Mortillaro notes: "This was the most important and meaningful test, especially in a professional context". In each of 20 scenarios, a person expressed fear, sadness, anger or inappropriate happiness. Participants had to choose from five possible courses of action the one they thought most effective to manage the emotional state of the other person: cooperation, compromise, acceptance, avoidance or assertiveness. "In this instance, context is everything. You might think that cooperation is always the right solution but that's by no means the case," warns the UNIGE researcher.

###BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Using freshly resected lung tissue from 21 patients and two distinct mouse models, tuberculosis researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Africa Health Research Institute, or AHRI, have identified a protein that plays an essential role in host defense against this deadly disease.

The research is led by Andries "Adrie" Steyn, Ph.D., a UAB professor of microbiology who maintains labs at both UAB and the AHRI, in Durban, South Africa. Due to very high rates of tuberculosis, or TB, in South Africa, infected human lung tissue is readily available from nearby hospitals, as patients undergo surgery as a last hope for recovery.

Direct study of microanatomic niches in the fresh lung tissue -- including healthy and severely diseased areas -- then can reveal the differences in immune responses and cell activity in these distinct regions. Steyn and his research team say this unique approach will aid in identifying potential host factors that could be therapeutically targeted to limit the extensive tissue damage associated with chronic pulmonary TB disease. This dangerous lung tissue, including lungs infected with multi-drug-resistant or extensively drug-resistant TB bacteria, is carefully handled in an advanced biosafety lab at the AHRI because as few as one to three TB bacteria in an aerosol droplet can cause infection. TB infections by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, or Mtb, kill about 1.3 million people a year.

Steyn and colleagues were able to separate different types of cells found in distinct niches of human freshly resected TB lungs and characterize those cells for production of the protein heme oxygenase-1. Heme oxygenase-1, or HO-1, is an enzyme that protects cells from harmful reactive oxygen or nitrogen intermediates; HO-1 also is able to control inflammatory responses.

The researchers found that HO-1 in human TB lungs was expressed primarily by myeloid immune cells, including neutrophils and macrophages, and that HO-1 levels in these cells were directly proportional to protection against TB pathophysiology.

Specifically, there was a greater percentage of HO-1-producing neutrophils and macrophages in uninfected areas of the lung than in diseased areas, and those cells in uninfected areas produced more HO-1 than the cells in diseased areas. As a consequence, the lack of HO-1 protection in diseased areas allowed myeloid cell-production of destructive reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. What makes these findings clinically relevant is that HO-1 is essential in humans but not in mice, which points to the importance of examining human TB lung tissue to complement animal models for TB.

"To the best of my knowledge, this extensive analysis of freshly resected human TB lung tissue is the first of its kind, as these lungs are scarce," Steyn said.

This finding in humans was supported by two HO-1 deficient mouse models that showed HO-1 is necessary to control myeloid cell infiltration and inflammation to protect against TB progression. One mouse model was a global knockout of the HO-1 gene; the other model was an HO-1 knockout in myeloid cells only. In both models, knockout mice had more susceptibility to Mtb infection -- the knockout mice died sooner and had higher loads of Mtb in their lungs and spleens. The knockout mice also had increased infiltration of immune cells and levels of cytokines, the cell-signaling proteins that regulate or stimulate immune responses.

Overall, the findings from human lungs and the mouse models showed that expression of HO-1, especially within myeloid cells, appears to be essential for host defense against Mtb disease progression. For human TB patients, Steyn says, the research suggests that finding a way to upregulate HO-1 activity might limit immunopathology during active TB disease.

This research was published Nov. 13 in the journal Cell Reports, and it is also featured on the front cover of the journal.

Two labs, a world apart

Steyn is a professor and primary faculty at UAB Department of Microbiology and maintains a research laboratory at UAB. He is also a full-time investigator at AHRI and lives in Durban, South Africa. He visits UAB at least six times a year.

Steyn is responsible for creating a program where students from UAB Graduate School and School of Medicine get a unique opportunity to visit and conduct research at AHRI as part of research training internships. "Once you go to remote areas in Africa and see the devastation of the disease," Steyn has said, "it just changes you. It makes a difference."

Working at AHRI gives students, especially those in the medical training program, an excellent opportunity to work in a state-of-the-art research facility located in a country with one of the highest disease burdens in the world. Seven UAB Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students have done research in Steyn's lab in Durban as part of the annual UAB-AHRI International Summer Research Program.

Steyn's Cell Reports work follows an earlier study also using human TB lung tissue. That study, published last May in Frontiers in Immunology by Steyn and colleagues, examined the distribution of iron in diseased TB lungs. Iron is an essential factor for the growth and virulence of Mtb, but little was known about how the host controls iron availability during infection.

Steyn and colleagues found an essential role for the ferritin H iron-storage protein in the control of TB, which is directly linked to HO-1. The researchers found that a mouse model that had a knockout of the ferritin heavy chain gene in myeloid cells was more susceptible to TB, as shown by increased numbers of Mtb in organs, more spread of Mtb beyond the lungs and decreased survival. Notably, reduced levels of iron were found in human TB lungs.

###

The Cell Reports paper, "Microanatomic distribution of myeloid heme oxygenase-1 protects against free radical-mediated immunopathology in human pulmonary tuberculosis," was the result of team work led by first author Krishna C. Chinta. The research also included other members of Steyn's team: Vikram Saini, Joel N. Glasgow and Vineel P. Reddy at the UAB Department of Microbiology and Md. Aejazur Rahman, Kievershen Nargan and Gordon Wells at AHRI. Vikram is now at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

In Alabama, collaborations with Anupam Agarwal, UAB executive vice dean and director of the UAB Division of Nephrology, and James George, professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, UAB Department of Surgery, were crucial for the project, says Steyn. Agarwal lab members Jeremie M. Lever and Amie Traylor were also involved in the study. Also, contributions by co-authors Pratistadevi K. Ramdial and Rajhmun Madansein, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital and University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, were significant.

Along with above-mentioned researchers, co-authors in the Cell Reports paper are Ryan M. Wells, UAB Department of Microbiology (currently at University of Minnesota); Shepherd Nhamoyebonde and Alasdair Leslie, AHRI, Durban, South Africa; Gene P. Siegal, UAB Department of Pathology; and Veena B. Antony and Jessy Deshane, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, UAB Department of Medicine.

Support for this work came from National Institutes of Health grants AI111940, AI127182 and DK59600; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation award OPP1130017; and the South African Medical Research Council. Support also came from the UAB Center for AIDS Research and the UAB Center for Free Radical Biology.

At UAB, Agarwal holds the Marie S. Ingalls Endowed Chair in Nephrology Leadership, George holds the Cardiovascular Surgical Research Chair, and Siegal holds the Robert W. Mowry Endowed Professorship in Pathology.The African elephantnose fish generates weak electrical pulses to navigate its environment. This localization sense apparently shows an astonishing similarity to vision, as a study by the University of Bonn now shows. The study demonstrates that different objects have different electrical "colors". Fish use these colors for instance to distinguish their favorite food - mosquito larvae - from other small animals or plants. The study is published in the renowned journal Current Biology.

Elephantnose fish are nocturnal, which means they cannot rely on their eyes when hunting for prey. But they don't need to: They carry a kind of "electric flashlight" in their tail, which they use to generate short electrical pulses up to 80 times per second. Their skin, especially their trunk-like chin, is covered with electroreceptors: small sensors with which they can measure how these pulses are reflected by the environment.

And in this they have become champions: With their electro-sense they can estimate distances, distinguish forms and materials, differentiate between dead and living objects. And more than that: Within fractions of a second, they can recognize whether mosquito larvae, their favorite food, are hiding in the gravel or sand at the bottom of their habitat. They can do this with considerable accuracy, largely ignoring the larvae of other insects.

How they do this was uncertain for a long time. Objects certainly change the intensity of the electrical signal in a characteristic way - some reduce it significantly, others reflect it better. "However, this is not enough to clearly identify prey animals," explains Martin Gottwald of the Institute of Zoology at the University of Bonn. "For example, the signal strength also decreases as the distance increases." But there is another characteristic of living organisms: They also modify the shape of the electric pulses. But even this signal change depends on distance, size and position.

The combination of the two signal characteristics could solve these problems. The human eye works in a similar fashion: Its retina contains receptors for red, green and blue light. Our brain then uses the "mixing ratio" to calculate the color of the object we see. And this remains largely constant, no matter how large or far away the object in question is.

Two different receptor types

However, until now there was no proof that a similar process occurs in elephantnose fish. Nevertheless, it is clear that the animals have two different types of electric receptors. One only measures the intensity of the signal, the other additionally measures its shape. "We have now been able to demonstrate that the fish uses the relation between these two measurements to identify their prey," explains Prof. Dr. Gerhard von der Emde, who led the study.

At first, the scientists determined how intensity and shape of the localization signal behave in relation to each other depending on the type of object. "We found that this ratio is always constant for the same objects," says von der Emde. "And this applies regardless of their distance or other environmental parameters." "A mosquito larva therefore actually has a constant 'electrical color', which is clearly different from that of other larvae, plant parts, members of the same species or other fish," adds Gottwald.

The researchers now examined the extent to which their laboratory animals used this information. They presented them with various electronic "mini chips" with a diameter of only one millimeter. Some chips produced different electrical colors; for example, they glowed like a mosquito larva or like other insect larvae. Other chips were electrically 'colorless', similar to a pebble.

Hungry for chips

The effect was astonishing: If the chips were colored like their favorite food, the elephantnose fish chomped down reflexively. They let themselves be fooled in this way in 70 percent of all cases, even though the fake meals did not smell at all like typical prey. Even after numerous experiments, the animals did not learn to avoid the chips. They largely spurned differently colored chips, and even completely ignored electrically colorless ones. "This may suggest that the prey color is hardwired in the brains of the fish," speculates von der Emde.

That would make sense: The electrical properties of living beings (and thus also their color) are decisively determined by their inner structure. And this cannot be changed easily. It is therefore barely feasible for a mosquito larva to simply add camouflage.

###

Publication: Martin Gottwald, Neha Singh, Andre Haubrich, Sophia Regett and Gerhard von der Emde: Electric Color Sensing in Weakly Electric Fish suggests Color Perception as a Sensory Concept beyond Vision; Current Biology; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.09.036

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Gerhard von der Emde

Institute of Zoology

University of Bonn

Tel. +49 (0)228/73-5555

E-mail: vonderemde@uni-bonn.de">vonderemde@uni-bonn.deIf you were to take a seed and zap it into the future to see how it will respond to climate change, how realistic might that prediction be? After all, seeds that actually grow in the future will have gone through generations of genetic changes and adaptations that these "time traveling" seeds don't experience.

Scientists from the University of California, Davis, and the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom examine that question in a study published today in the journal Global Change Biology. They found that specialized outdoor laboratories more closely resemble what happens in nature than was previously realized.

ABOUT FACE

Atmospheric carbon dioxide has been steadily rising since the Industrial Revolution and is now at the highest concentration the Earth has seen for several million years. Scientists have been investigating how plants are likely to respond to future climate change at outdoor facilities called Free Air CO 2 Enrichment (FACE), where fields of crops are blasted with air containing increased amounts of carbon dioxide.

The study authors compared plant responses at FACE facilities with plant responses across 11 naturally occurring, high-CO 2 springs. Plants at these springs survive extremely high concentrations of carbon dioxide, up to 1,000 parts per million in some areas, for many years over multiple generations.

"The results say, pretty surprisingly, that yes, all of those experiments we've done in FACE facilities are giving us a pretty good idea of how plants are likely to respond in the future," said corresponding author Gail Taylor, a UC Davis professor and chair of the Department of Plant Sciences.

GLOBAL GREENING COULD CONTINUE

And how are plants likely to respond? Positively, Taylor said. But there's a big caveat.

As an isolated factor, high CO 2 concentrations are expected to result in more plant growth and continued global greening. Yet drought and high temperatures - both of which are expected to increase under future climate projections - can limit that growth.

"If plants are exposed to higher temperatures and drought, there will likely be negative impacts, overall, so it's a tradeoff," Taylor said. "But our analysis gives us confidence that plants are likely to keep responding positively to rising CO 2 if no other climatic factors are limiting."

With rising CO 2 , crop yields are expected to increase in northern latitudes but may decrease closer to the equator. California is expected to experience lower crop yields because of water limitations and high temperatures, while in Britain, impacts on crops will be variable.

Most of the FACE experiments have concentrated on commodity crops like soybeans, maize, wheat and rice. Specialty crops, like the nuts, fruits and vegetables grown in California, have not been studied in FACE facilities yet, but Taylor hopes to change that.

HIGHER-CARB FUTURE?

While the study did not analyze the effects of rising carbon dioxide on crop quality or nutrition, it did indicate that some crops may have higher carbohydrate content under future conditions.

"The analysis shows that it's possible to test new varieties of plants in FACE experiments before it is critical that they perform in the wider world," Taylor said. "These 'time-traveling' plants that move forward and backwards across the decades can be extremely valuable in understanding how plants are likely to respond to the changes projected as a consequence of anthropogenic climate change."

###

Additional authors include Jasmine Saban and Mark Chapman of the University of Southampton.

The study was supported by funding from the Natural Environment Research Council, UC Davis and the British Council.Treating brain tumors comes at a steep cost, especially for children. More than half of patients who endure radiation therapy for these tumors experience irreversible cognitive decline, a side-effect that has particularly damaging consequences for younger patients. Up to now, scientists had been unable to test potential strategies to prevent this problem because there were no laboratory models that faithfully captured the clinical lifecycle of brain tumors.

But in a new study published Nov. 13 in the journal eLife, UC San Francisco scientists report the first animal model of glioma -- the most aggressive and most common form of brain cancer in the U.S. -- that can also be used to study the long-term effects of radiation therapy in tumor-bearing brains. Using this mouse model, the researchers showed that a drug that temporarily suppresses a key component of the brain's immune system can prevent radiation-associated cognitive decline.

The Cost of the Cure

The National Cancer Institute estimates that there will be nearly 24,000 new cases of brain cancer this year. According to Professor of Neurological Surgery Nalin Gupta, MD, PhD, radiation therapy is among the most common treatments for these malignancies, but it exacts a tremendous toll.

"Radiation treatment has a significant effect on cognitive function in both children and adults," said Gupta, chief of pediatric neurological surgery at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and co-senior author of the new study. "However, age plays a major role and radiation has a much more severe effect on young kids."

Earlier studies have found that young children may experience an eight- to 12-point drop in IQ in the years following radiation treatment. These patients may also exhibit conspicuous changes in behavior.

"If you talk to these kids, they'll speak to you normally," Gupta said. "But they'll have substantial problems with problem solving, retention of long-term memories and executive function. Some show behavioral abnormalities as well -- impulsiveness, acting out and bad temper."

To figure out why radiation therapy leads to cognitive impairment, Gupta teamed up with UCSF neuroscientist Susanna Rosi, PhD, an expert on the neurological effects of radiation who previously developed mouse models to study how cosmic radiation affects astronauts.

Radiation Turns Immune System from Friend to Foe

Prior work from Rosi's lab found that exposing mice to radiation led to activation of the brain's immune system -- in particular, a type of cell known as microglia.

"When the brain's immune system is activated by an insult, like radiation, we generally see that microglia start to affect synapses," said Rosi, professor in the Departments of Physical Therapy and of Neurological Surgery and co-senior author of the new study.

But in mice, the same insult that activates the immune system can also cause it to go haywire.

"Activation of the immune system after an insult like radiation is initially protective," said Rosi. "But with time, instead of resolving, the activation persists and becomes deleterious to the neurons."

In these cases, microglia continue to surveil the brain but no longer limit their search to damaged areas. Instead, they begin to attack healthy brain structures, which results in cognitive impairment. The researchers thought that radiation therapy for brain tumors might be launching the immune system into overdrive in a similar way.

A New Model Emerges

Both the presence of glioma and exposure to radiation are known to activate the brain's immune system, so nobody knew whether immune cells would respond to radiation in the same way in tumor-bearing versus tumor-free brains.

"What we wanted to do in this paper is model what actually happens in patients with brain tumors when you treat those patients with radiation. To do this, we had to develop a mouse model of glioma that recapitulates what occurs in the clinic from the onset of the disease through radiation treatment and beyond," said Gupta, a member of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Though mouse models of brain cancer were already available, they harbored an intrinsic flaw: in order to introduce cancer into most mice, researchers have to shut down their immune systems. But given that the immune system plays a major role in both the glioma microenvironment and the brain's response to radiation, models that relied on these so-called immunocompromised mice would not suffice.

Gupta and Rosi devised a way to introduce gliomas into mice without shutting off their immune systems by choosing glioma cells and mouse strains with identical immune profiles, thus allowing the cancer to take hold in immunologically normal mice. Using this model, they were able to study the tumor's biology during and after treatment using a system that more accurately reflects what occurs in the clinic.

Radiation, Not Cancer, Impairs Cognition

Prior to this study, scientists didn't know whether tumors contribute to the cognitive deficits observed in cancer patients, or whether the effects arise solely from irradiation. To probe this question, the researchers performed novel object recognition (NOR) tests -- a way to test for cognitive deficits -- on two groups of glioma-bearing mice, one that received no radiation treatment, and one that did.

The NOR tests demonstrated that only the irradiated mice had problems forming new memories; the tumor itself seemed to have no effect on cognitive abilities, and Rosi said her previous research suggests an explanation.

"The hippocampus -- the brain region in rodents and humans that's involved in forming new memories -- is more sensitive to radiation injuries," she explained. "We've used other tests that relate to other cortical structures, and the animals are not impaired. Radiation seems to specifically injure the brain region involved in learning and forming new memories."

A Drug Prevents Cognitive Damage

After establishing that the treatment -- not the disease -- caused cognitive impairment, the researchers figured out how to prevent the immune system from damaging parts of the brain after radiation therapy.

Rosi's lab had previously shown that a compound called PLX5622, developed by Berkeley, Calif.-based Plexxikon Inc., prevents cognitive damage when administered prior to irradiation. The compound acts by inhibiting a receptor in the brain called CSF-1R, which normally activates the brain's immune system after an injury.

"By using this compound to deplete the immune system at the time of irradiation and allowing it to repopulate on its own afterwards, microglia are no longer primed to alter synapses. If we do this, we can prevent neuronal damage and consequently, prevent the cognitive deficits that develop over time after irradiation," Rosi said.

The researchers administered this compound to tumor-bearing mice prior to radiation treatment and found that they could shrink the tumor without impairing cognition -- a result with profound clinical significance if it could be replicated in human patients.

"Ideally, we'd be able to provide this compound to patients prior to their scheduled treatment and prevent cognitive deficits form forming in the first place," Gupta said, adding that he and Rosi hope to move this work into clinical trials.

Another Plexxikon compound that also targets CSF-1R is now being tested in several clinical trials, said Gupta, "and once a drug has completed Phase I trials for another disease, it's relatively easy to get approval to repurpose it for a separate use if you have evidence of its efficacy -- which is what we hope our research can provide."

###

Authors: Additional authors on the paper include Xi Feng, PhD, Sharon Liu, and David Chen, MD, MPH. Susana Rosi, PhD, is also a member of the Weill Institute for Neurosciences and the Kavli Institute of Fundamental Neuroscience.

Funding: Gupta's research is supported in part by an Institute Award to UCSF from the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Rosi's research is supported in part by National Cancer Institute Grant R01CA213441.

Disclosures: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

About UCSF: UC San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences; and a preeminent biomedical research enterprise. It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises three top-ranked hospitals - UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland - as well as Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Children's Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF faculty also provide all physician care at the public Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, and the SF VA Medical Center. The UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program is a major branch of the University of California, San Francisco's School of Medicine. Please visit http://www.ucsf.edu/news.During the late Cretaceous period, more than 65 million years ago, birds belonging to hundreds of different species flitted around the dinosaurs and through the forests as abundantly as they flit about our woods and fields today.

But after the cataclysm that wiped out most of the dinosaurs, only one group of birds remained: the ancestors of the birds we see today. Why did only one family survive the mass extinction?

A newly described fossil from one of those extinct bird groups, cousins of today's birds, deepens that mystery.

The 75-million-year-old fossil, from a bird about the size of a turkey vulture, is the most complete skeleton discovered in North America of what are called enantiornithines (pronounced en-an-tea-or'-neth-eens), or opposite birds. Discovered in the Grand Staircase-Escalante area of Utah in 1992 by University of California, Berkeley, paleontologist Howard Hutchison, the fossil lay relatively untouched in University of California Museum of Paleontology at Berkeley until doctoral student Jessie Atterholt learned about it in 2009 and asked to study it.

Atterholt and Hutchison collaborated with Jingmai O'Conner, the leading expert on enantiornithines, to perform a detailed analysis of the fossil. Based on their study, enantiornithines in the late Cretaceous were the aerodynamic equals of the ancestors of today's birds, able to fly strongly and agilely.

"We know that birds in the early Cretaceous, about 115 to 130 million years ago, were capable of flight but probably not as well adapted for it as modern birds," said Atterholt, who is now an assistant professor and human anatomy instructor at the Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. "What this new fossil shows is that enantiornithines, though totally separate from modern birds, evolved some of the same adaptations for highly refined, advanced flight styles."

The fossil's breast bone or sternum, where flight muscles attach, is more deeply keeled than other enantiornithines, implying a larger muscle and stronger flight more similar to modern birds. The wishbone is more V-shaped, like the wishbone of modern birds and unlike the U-shaped wishbone of earlier avians and their dinosaur ancestors. The wishbone or furcula is flexible and stores energy released during the wing stroke.

If enantiornithines in the late Cretaceous were just as advanced as modern birds, however, why did they die out with the dinosaurs while the ancestors of modern birds did not?

"This particular bird is about 75 million years old, about 10 million years before the die-off," Atterholt said. "One of the really interesting and mysterious things about enantiornithines is that we find them throughout the Cretaceous, for roughly 100 million years of existence, and they were very successful. We find their fossils on every continent, all over the world, and their fossils are very, very common, in a lot of areas more common than the group that led to modern birds. And yet modern birds survived the extinction while enantiornithines go extinct."

One recently proposed hypothesis argues that the enantiornithines were primarily forest dwellers, so that when forests went up in smoke after the asteroid strike that signaled the end of the Cretaceous - and the end of non-avian dinosaurs - the enantiornithines disappeared as well. Many enantiornithines have strong recurved claws ideal for perching and perhaps climbing, she said.

"I think it is a really interesting hypothesis and the best explanation I have heard so far," Atterholt said. "But we need to do really rigorous studies of enantiornithines' ecology, because right now that part of the puzzle is a little hand-wavey."

Atterholt, Hutchison and O'Connor, who is at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, China, published an analysis of the fossil today in the open-access journal PeerJ.

Theropod dinosaurs evolved into birds

All birds evolved from feathered theropods - the two-legged dinosaurs like T. rex - beginning about 150 million years ago, and developed into many lineages in the Cretaceous, between 146 and 65 million years ago.

Hutchison said that he came across the fossil eroding out of the ground in the rugged badlands of the Kaiparowits formation in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Garfield County, Utah, just inside the boundary of the recently reduced monument. Having found bird fossils before, he recognized it as a late Cretaceous enantiornithine, and a rare one at that. Most birds from the Americas are from the late Cretaceous (100-66 million years ago) and known only from a single foot bone, often the metatarsus. This fossil was almost complete, missing only its head.

"In 1992, I was looking primarily for turtles," Hutchison said. "But I pick up everything because I am interested in the total fauna. The other animals they occur with tells me more about the habitat."

According to Hutchison, the area where the fossil was found dates from between 77 and 75 million years ago and was probably a major delta, like the Mississippi River delta, tropical and forested with lots of dinosaurs but also crocodiles, alligators, turtles and fish.

Unlike most bird fossils found outside America, in particular those from China, the fossil was not smashed flat. The classic early Cretaceous bird, Archaeopteryx, was flattened in sandstone, which preserved a beautiful panoply of feathers and the skeletal layout. Chinese enantiornithines, mostly from the early Cretaceous, are equally beautiful and smashed flatter than a pancake.

"On one hand, it's great -- you get the full skeleton most of the time, you get soft tissue preservation, including feathers. But it also means everything is crushed and deformed," she said. "Not that our fossils have zero deformation, but overall most of the bones have really beautiful three-dimensional preservation, and just really, really great detail. We see places where muscles and tendons were attaching, all kinds of interesting stuff to anatomists."

Once Hutchison prepared the fossils and placed them in the UC Museum of Paleontology collection, they drew the attention of a few budding and established paleontologists, but no one completed an analysis.

"The stuff is legendary. People in the vertebrate paleontology community have known about this thing forever and ever, and it just happened that everyone who was supposedly working on it got too busy and it fell by the wayside and just never happened," Atterholt said. "I was honored and incredibly excited when Howard said that I could take on the project. I was over the moon."

Her analysis showed that by the late Cretaceous, enantiornithines had evolved advanced adaptations for flying independent of today's birds. In fact, they looked quite similar to modern birds: they were fully feathered and flew by flapping their wings like modern birds. The fossilized bird probably had teeth in the front of its beak and claws on its wings as well as feet. Some enantiornithines had prominent tail feathers that may have differed between male and female and been used for sexual display.

"It is quite likely that, if you saw one in real life and just glanced at it, you wouldn't be able to distinguish it from a modern bird," Atterholt said.

This fossil bird is also among the largest North American birds from the Cretaceous; most were the size of chickadees or crows.

"What is most exciting, however, are large patches on the forearm bones. These rough patches are quill knobs, and in modern birds they anchor the wing feathers to the skeleton to help strengthen them for active flight. This is the first discovery of quill knobs in any enantiornithine bird, which tells us that it was a very strong flier."

Atterholt and her colleagues named the species Mirarce eatoni (meer-ark'-ee ee-tow'-nee). Mirarce combines the Latin word for wonderful, which pays homage to "the incredible, detailed, three-dimensional preservation of the fossil," she said, with the mythical Greek character Arce, the winged messenger of the Titans. The species name honors Jeffrey Eaton, a paleontologist who for decades has worked on fossils from the Kaiparowits Formation. Eaton first enticed Hutchison to the area in search of turtles, and they were the first to report fossils from the area some 30 years ago.

Thousands of such fossils from the rocks of the Kaiparowits Formation, many of them dinosaurs, contributed to the establishment of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996.

"This area contains one of the best Cretaceous fossil records in the entire world, underscoring the critical importance of protecting and preserving these parts of our natural heritage," Atterholt said. "Reducing the size of the protected area puts some of our nation's most valuable natural and scientific resources at risk."

###

Hutchison's field work was supported by the Annie M. Alexander endowment to the UCMP.Religion in the European Refugee Crisis explores the use of faith during the crisis

The role of religion in the recent European refugee crisis has been detailed in a new book by a group of world-leading academics.

Religion in the European Refugee Crisis is the first of its kind to explore the use of faith in the mass-movement, which was the continent's biggest influx of people since the Second World War. The book, published by Palgrave, investigates the crisis from a variety of viewpoints, with contributions from scholars from different regions of Europe and different faith commitments.

University of Chichester lecturer Professor Graeme Smith, who writes on social, public, and political theology, coedited the book with Ulrich Schmiedel of Ludwig-Maximilians University in Germany. He said: "Religion is radically ambiguous, simultaneously causing social conflict and social cohesion in times of turmoil.

"Christianity, for example, has been used as a force for both good and bad - by the Church to raise public awareness of the refugee crisis, and also by far-right groups to challenge other faiths. I hope this book will deepen our understanding of the crisis."

The book, a collection of essays, combines sociological, philosophical, and theological accounts of the crisis to investigate how religion has been employed to call both for the elimination and the enforcing of the walls around Europe. Scholars also assess faith both as a problem and a promise from the perspectives of all three Abrahamic faiths, before offering innovative approaches to the study of migration in Europe.

Julie Clague, a lecturer in Catholic Theology from the University of Glasgow, said: "This collection of essays unpacks the complex ways that religion is implicated in Europe's so-called migrant crisis. The effect is to show the enduring imprint of religion on politics and culture across Europe, and to remind us of religion's dual capacity to open hearts and to close minds."

To read more about Religion in the European Refugee Crisis, including a list of contributing authors, go to http://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319679600. For more about Professor Graeme Smith and his research at the University of Chichester visit http://www.chi.ac.uk/staff/professor-graeme-smith.

###

NOTES TO EDITORS

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-67961-7

Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-67960-0

Graeme Smith: Professor of Public Theology

Graeme Smith is Professor of Public Theology in the Department of Humanities whose research investigates questions and issues relating to the public role of religion in society. He has also written extensively on public and political issues including journal articles on Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Red Toryism and Reinhold Niebuhr.

Professor Smith has published two books: 'A Short History of Secularism' and 'Oxford 1937: The Universal Christian Council of Life and Work'. He is the co-ordinator of the BIAPT Public Theology strand and was one of the founding editors of the journal 'Political Theology', of which he remains an editor emeritus.

Ulrich Schmiedel: Lecturer in Systematic Theology

Ulrich Schmiedel is Lecturer in Systematic Theology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, Germany. Combining systematic theology with sociology of religion and philosophy of religion, his research concentrates on contemporary Christianities. Recently, he published 'Elasticized Ecclesiology: The Concept of Community after Ernst Troeltsch'.A largescale genomic analysis has found the strongest evidence yet that being overweight causes depression, even in the absence of other health problems.

The research, jointly led by the University of Exeter and the University of South Australia, suggests that it is the psychological impact of being overweight that causes depression, rather than associated illnesses. This furthers understanding of the complex relationship between obesity and depression. While it has long been known that depression is more common in obesity, the research, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, is the first to conclude that higher body mass index (BMI) can cause depression in itself, even where no other health problems exist.

The team looked at UK Biobank data from more than 48,000 people with depression and compared them to more than 290,000 controls in the UK Biobank cohort of people born between 1938 and 1971, who have provided medical and genetic information. They used hospital admission data and self-reporting to determine whether people had depression.

The team used a genetic research approach to explore the causal link between the two conditions. The team separated out the psychological component of obesity from the impact of obesity related health problems, using genes associated with higher BMI but lower risk of diseases like diabetes. These genes were just as strongly associated with depression as those genes associated with higher BMI and diabetes. This suggests that higher BMI causes depression both with and without related health issues. This effect was stronger in women than in men.

Dr Jess Tyrrell, of the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "Obesity and depression are both global health problems that have a major impact on lives and are costly to health services. We've long known there's a link between the two, yet it's unclear whether obesity causes depression or vice-versa, and also whether it's being overweight in itself or the associated health problems that can cause depression. Our robust genetic analysis concludes that the psychological impact of being obese is likely to cause depression. This is important to help target efforts to reduce depression, which makes it much harder for people to adopt healthy lifestyle habits."

The team tested their results in a second large-scale cohort, using data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. They reached the same conclusion, verifying their results.

###

The full paper, entitled Using genetics to understand the causal influence of higher BMI on depression, is published in International Journal of Epidemiology. Authors are Jessica Tyrrell, Anwar Mulugeta, Andrew R. Wood, Ang Zhou, Robin N. Beaumont, Marcus A. Tuke, Samuel E. Jones, Katherine S. Ruth, Hanieh Yaghootkar, Seth Sharp, William D. Thompson, Yingjie Ji, Jamie Harrison, Rachel M. Freathy, Anna Murray, Michael N. Weedon, Major Depressive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Cathryn Lewis, Timothy M. Frayling, Elina Hypponen.Physicist Zhifeng Ren, director of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston, has received a research award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Ren, an expert in thermoelectric materials, devices and systems, will use the award to further a collaboration with Kornelius Nielsch, director of the Institute for Metallic Materials at IFW Dresden, a German research institute focused on the physics and chemistry of new materials.

Ren was named director at the Texas Center for Superconductivity at UH in September. Known as TcSUH, the center includes more than 200 affiliated faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students working in the fields of superconductivity, energy and health.

A fellow of the American Physical Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Ren was recruited to UH in 2013 as M.D. Anderson Chair Professor of physics and a principal investigator at TcSUH. By then, his reputation for cutting-edge research in a variety of fields was well established, including work in high-temperature superconductivity, carbon nanotubes and high-performance thermoelectric materials.

With the Humboldt award, he and Nielsch will focus on new fabrication techniques and the theoretical understanding of thermoelectric nanomaterials, as well as the discovery of new thermoelectric materials.

Thermoelectric materials are considered an important potential source of clean energy because they can produce electricity from sources of heat that would otherwise go to waste, such as power plants and vehicle tailpipes, without generating additional greenhouse gases. But so far, most thermoelectric materials that have been discovered have power conversion efficiency ratios that are too low for large-scale practical applications.

"To improve the energy conversion performance of thermoelectric materials is extremely challenging since it requires three factors that are difficult to obtain at the same time: high temperature coefficient of voltage, or Seebeck effect, high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity," Ren said. "However, there is no theoretical limit on achieving them. When that happens, efficient thermoelectric power generators and coolers could replace some of the existing clumsy and low-efficiency devices."

The Humboldt Foundation every year offers research awards - endowed with 60,000 euros, or about $67,000 - to bring renowned scientists from around the world to work with colleagues at German research institutions. The award also will allow Ren to host future post-doctoral researchers from Germany, funded by the Humboldt Foundation through its Feodor Lynen Research Program.

Ren received the 2014 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Science from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering & Science of Texas and is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Among his discoveries currently under development for commercial applications are a nanotechnology solution to boost oil recovery and several catalysts designed to more efficiently produce hydrogen from water, along with a breakthrough on achieving thermal conductivity higher than 1000 watts per meter per Kelvin at room temperature.

###AMHERST, Mass. - As the nights grow longer and winter settles in across the north, a team of health researchers is using a "community mobilization" approach to translate research into practice for an Alaska Native youth suicide prevention program in 15 remote Alaska towns.

The intervention, "Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide" (PC CARES) was developed by Lisa Wexler and Cris Smith at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with colleagues from Northwest Alaska and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Wexler and colleagues pilot-tested the program in 10 far-flung Native Alaska communities over the past year. They recently received a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health to expand the project, "re-envisioning it to adapt to a new region," as she explains.

Wexler says that rural Alaska Native suicide rates are up to 18 times higher for young people when compared to all American youth, 124 vs. 6.9 per 100,000, and the health disparity of youth suicide continues to plague rural indigenous communities in Alaska. The current system of care - with a focus on mental health - is not effective, she adds, 79 percent of suicide decedents and 62 percent of attempters received no mental health care.

PC CARES seeks to respectfully provide Native communities with a practical method for translating scientific research into culturally relevant ways to reduce suicide risk factors and increase safety, help-seeking and support, she points out.

Wexler, associate professor of community health education at UMass Amherst's School of Public Health and Health Sciences, adds, "So much suicide prevention focuses on mental health services, but in an area where there are no roads and a mental health professional may visit only one or two days a month, putting more effort into that kind of resource is not really helpful to the community. PC CARES offers a way of translating research into community practice on their terms, so they are better equipped to use research in ways that are helpful in their communities."

For example, Wexler says, studies show that suicide deaths can be reduced by making it a little harder, adding even just 10 minutes, to delay access to lethal, dangerous means. In practical terms to Alaska Native communities where approximately 50 percent of deaths are by gunshot, this may mean that taking the bullets out of a gun or fitting it with a gun lock can make the difference. "If you can make it 10 minutes or longer that people can't get access to the weapon, you have a bigger chance to save a life," she says.

Sharing such information widely and respectfully isn't easy or straightforward in Alaska Native communities, but results of her pilot study suggest to Wexler and colleagues that promoting community conversations is helpful. Pilot results show that people learned, gained skills and took actions for prevention after participating in PC CARES.

Even more exciting, she notes, is evidence suggesting that friends and family members of PC CARES participants also increased their prevention behaviors, a show of social efficacy. Village facilitators teach service providers, family and friends "what works" from prevention science, host discussions to adapt this information to their local community and cultural contexts, and work together to take actions to support culturally relevant suicide prevention and health promotion.

"Depending on the context, there are right and wrong ways to go about putting ideas into prevention practice," Wexler says. "I may be able to share some information about 'what we know' from scientific research, and local people know how to best put it into practice. I don't. We try to bring some basic information to youth groups, elders, community organizers, tribal leaders, law enforcement and others who have social capital in the community, grandparents, friends, aunts and uncles, in learning circles to learn together both from the scientific literature and from each other. Social diffusion does the rest."

In community learning circles, church leaders, schoolteachers, social workers and health care professionals, counselors and families may see a five-minute video about how to be a good listener, for example, then pair up to try out particular skills. Or community members may reflect on a graph that shows demographics and suicidal behavior at different times of year. "We try to offer practical, applicable information and tools that can be put into practice in a variety of ways to promote wellness and reduce risk," Wexler says. "Multilevel prevention efforts, like emotional support, plus less access to lethal means, is the most effective suicide prevention."

The PC CARES program was piloted with eight learning circles, but is being condensed to include four learning circles, lasting approximately three hours each. The new funding will support its implementation in 15 Yupik, Siberian Yupik and Inupiaq communities in the Norton Sound area, just south of the pilot region, Wexler says.

PC CARES seeks to give a whole community a chance to learn something, reflect on it, talk about it among themselves and put new ideas into practice, she adds. "Our focus is on taking earlier action, changing basics and not waiting for warning signs," the health educator notes.

"People in the community are interested in coming together to learn and work toward prevention. It is important that the learning circles themselves are facilitated by local people, and that they are designed so that everyone can learn how to be a part of wellness. Mental health counselors can learn more about local culture and practices of rural Alaska Native communities, and community members can learn what tools are effective according to prevention science. Bringing people and ideas together in this way can lead to small and huge efforts for innovative actions, and we are excited to begin."

###PITTSBURGH, Nov. 13, 2018 - Nearly half of black teenagers surveyed in Allegheny County report losing a friend or family member to murder, a disproportionately stark statistic that is associated with suicide attempts and other negative childhood experiences, according to research led by UPMC and University of Pittsburgh scientists.

The findings are presented today at the American Public Health Association's 2018 Annual Meeting & Expo in San Diego. "Health Equity Now" is the theme of this year's meeting.

"Our analysis is a call to action for both practitioners and researchers to engage in work related to homicide survivorship," said Patricia Murungi Bamwine, Ph.D., M.A., M.S.W., postdoctoral scholar at Pitt's School of Medicine and UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. "This work highlights that violence prevention and youth development cannot solely focus on reducing homicide. We also must focus on the ripple effects of traumatic loss on not only young people, but communities as a whole."

While Bamwine was serving as an AmeriCorps member at the Braddock Youth Project, a youth-driven employment program south of Pittsburgh, a young man was shot and killed a few blocks away. Following the murder, she observed behavioral changes in the youth she was working with. The experience led her to shift her research focus from East African conflict and terrorism to community violence intervention and prevention in America.

Motivated by her experience, Bamwine and her team, which included researchers at Pitt's School of Social Work, analyzed the results of a 2014 survey of 1,609 youth ages 14 through 19 in Allegheny County, called The Healthy Allegheny Teen Survey. Of all the participants, 13 percent reported losing a friend or family member to murder. But black youth were disproportionately affected - despite comprising 15 percent of the participants, they accounted for 46 percent of homicide survivors.

After adjusting for demographics, participants whose loved ones were victims of homicide had twice the odds of considering the idea of suicide when compared to those who did not lose a friend or family member to homicide. Of those who reported suicidal ideation, the teens whose family or friends were murdered had nearly three-fold higher odds of actually attempting suicide.

"Traumatic loss is one of the greatest barriers for youth to thrive," said Bamwine. "Not only are young people who live in oppressed neighborhoods exposed to disproportionate rates of violence, but they also must wrestle with questions related to death, life, hope and healing. I believe that youth are agents of change, and my ultimate mission is to help young people turn their pain into action by creating spaces for youth to both process and support others that are grieving."

###

Additional authors on this research are Jaime Booth, Ph.D., John Wallace, Ph.D., Kelley Jones, Ph.D., M.P.H., Carla Chugani, Ph.D., L.P.C., Elizabeth Miller, M.D., Ph.D., and Alison Culyba, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., all of Pitt.

The Healthy Allegheny Teen Survey was supported with funds from The Heinz Endowments, Grable Foundation, FISA Foundation and Hillman Foundation.

About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1998. In rankings recently released by the National Science Foundation, Pitt ranked fifth among all American universities in total federal science and engineering research and development support.

Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see http://www.medschool.pitt.edu.

About UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Regionally, nationally, and globally, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh is a leader in the treatment of childhood conditions and diseases, a pioneer in the development of new and improved therapies, and a top educator of the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists. With generous community support, UPMC Children's Hospital has fulfilled this mission since its founding in 1890. UPMC Children's is recognized consistently for its clinical, research, educational, and advocacy-related accomplishments, including ranking 13th among children's hospitals and schools of medicine in funding for pediatric research provided by the National Institutes of Health (FY2017).

http://www.upmc.com/media

Contact: Allison Hydzik

Office: 412-647-9975

Mobile: 412-559-2431

E-mail: HydzikAM@upmc.edu

Contact: Andrea Kunicky

Office: 412-692-6254

Mobile: 412-439-5264

E-mail: Andrea.Kunicky@chp.eduThe UTSA Academy for Teacher Excellence (ATE) and Northwest Vista College (NVC) have established the Latino-Teacher Academy Learning Community (Latino-TALC) project with $3.75 million in federal funding from the United States Department of Education through the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program.

The five-year project aims to provide a smooth transition for teacher candidates from Northwest Vista College to UTSA, increase Hispanic teacher graduation rates, and to ultimately diversify the teacher pipeline.

About 70 percent of students in UTSA's teacher preparation programs came from community colleges, said Lorena Claeys, lead principal investigator and executive director and research associate in the Academy for Teacher Excellence.

This partnership will strengthen student support services including academic, faculty-student engagement, student leadership, and personal psychosocial-emotional support.

"Latino-TALC will provide teacher candidates support as they navigate from a learning community to a professional learning network as they embark into the teaching profession," said Claeys.

The main goals of Latino-TALC include:

-Increasing the number of Hispanic students prepared to enroll at Northwest Vista College and UTSA as education majors -Increasing the number of Hispanic and underrepresented students graduating from Northwest Vista College and transferring to UTSA and majoring in education -Increasing the number of online and face-to-face academic advising, psychosocial, and culturally relevant support systems available to Hispanic and underrepresented groups majoring in education within one or more of the critical teaching shortage areas -Creating a community of leaders composed of faculty, staff, and administrators from Northwest Vista College, UTSA, and partner high schools to create a college-going culture and strengthen the teacher pipeline -Evaluating best practices in increasing Hispanic and high-need students' college completion rates among teacher candidates and create a model that can be replicated at other institutions

As part of the Latino-TALC project, researchers will reach out to local high schools to enroll, prepare, support and graduate a higher number of certified Hispanic teacher candidates to teach bilingual education, English as a second language, mathematics and science in public schools.

"It's important to have greater teacher diversity to reflect the culturally diverse population they teach," said Claeys. "Latino students and other students of color have limited access to role models during academic development and research shows that all students benefit academically by having a teacher of color instructing them."

Claeys is working with co-principal investigators, Belinda Bustos Flores, UTSA professor and associate dean of professional preparation, assessment, and accreditation, Norma Guerra, associate professor and associate dean for undergraduate studies at UTSA and Margarita Machado-Casas, professor and chair for the Dual Language Department at San Diego State University on this project.

"Latino-TALC project is grounded in our research that has been disseminated over the last 15 years, which will greatly ensure the success of the teacher candidates and the program. We plan to continue examining and refining our present model through this project, so we can continue being leaders in this area," according to Bustos Flores.

Claudia Verdin, professor of mathematics, and NSF MIM Scholarship Program Director, is the co-principal investigator at Northwest Vista College.

The UTSA College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) is the leading provider of educators in the San Antonio area and one of the largest in Texas. COEHD is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through teaching and learning, research and discovery, community engagement and public service.

###Genetic tumor profiling provides new information for more than one in two

New research has shown that many Australians with rare cancers can benefit from genomic profiling. The findings of the patient-driven trial are being presented today at the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting and could result in dramatic changes to the way those with rare cancers are diagnosed and treated.

The initial data from the pilot study for Nominator Trial is being presented by Professor Clare Scott from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and was funded in part by Rare Cancers Australia.

The data shows that genomic profiling provides meaningful information that influences diagnosis and treatment in approximately 50 percent of people with rare cancers. 20 percent of those tested got a new treatment plan as a result and 6 percent of participants were given a new diagnosis.

The aim of the national initiative is to trial the use of genomic testing to match rare cancers to cancer treatments. Testing is used to identify molecular features of the cancer or genetic mutations that can be targeted with existing treatments used in other cancer types with the same characteristics.

While genomic testing is becoming increasingly used in other cancer types, this is one of the first Australian studies of its kind to look at the potential benefits for those with rare cancers, which have very low survival rates.

Professor Clare Scott says the initial pilot data is exciting and proves that there is a current unmet need.

"The treatment options for Australians with rare cancers are currently extremely limited and this ultimately leads to poor survival rates. Research has also typically been restricted because of the challenges of finding enough of each type of cancer patient to design appropriate clinical trials.

"Australians in this trial came to us after they had exhausted all their options. The cancers they had are extremely rare - the chances of being diagnosed with these cancer types are often around one in a million.

"Using genomic profiling we were able to uncover new information that gave many patients new treatment options - and ultimately, new hope."

Professor Scott will share examples during her presentation of those who have benefited.

"In one case we were able to identify that a rare heart tumour actually had a genetic profile most closely resembling a melanoma. Using that information we were able to get access to the latest treatments that are benefiting melanoma patients - which we hope will provide better outcomes for this patient."

The Nominator Pilot Study results released today included 36 patients. The two-year study will eventually include 100 patients and will lay the groundwork for other national initiatives looking into genomic profiling across a range of cancer types.

Professor Phyllis Butow, President, Clinical Oncology Society of Australia said one of the impressive things about the study was that it was driven by Australians directly affected by rare cancers.

"Around 52,000 Australians are diagnosed with rare or less common cancers each year. Those directly affected by the disease, led by Kate and Richard Vines from Rare Cancers Australia, helped call for and fund this research, so it's great to see these initial promising results being presented to cancer experts from across the country."

###

The trial was funded by Rare Cancers Australia, the Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance, the Australian Genomics Health Alliance, Melanie and Neil Rae and the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Foundation.

About the COSA ASM

The Clinical Oncology Society of Australia ASM is Australia's premier oncology event with delegates including clinicians, researchers, medical and radiation oncologists, cancer surgeons, nurses, pharmacists and allied health workers.

This year's conference themes are mesothelioma and gastro-intestinal cancers.

The event is being held from 13 - 15 November at the Perth Conference and Exhibition Centre.

Top Australian and international speakers will present the latest research and developments in cancer to more than 700 delegates in Perth this week, with a focus on research, treatment and supportive care.Revised Budget Deadline Sets Up Italy Versus EU Dispute

After a rejection of Italy's 2019 proposed budget by the European Commission, today represents the deadline for Italy to submit a revised budget. The controversy stems from Italy's hope to increase public expenditure to 2.7%, running a deficit of 2.4%.

News has been mixed of late with regards to a revised budget with some sources indicating Italy intends to stand firm in the face of EU pressure with the specific intention of prompting a dispute in a country where (according to the

latest Eurobarometer Survey) only 44% are reported to be happy with their EU membership status. Over the weekend Italian newspapers hinted that GDP estimates for the EU member state may be reduced and clarification added to the budget ahead of the deadline.

A failure to revise their budget to a satisfactory level could result in punitive measures, amounting to sanctions, imposed against Italy.

In today's briefing, Danske Bank pointed to the ongoing dispute as a central focus for markets, "Politics continue to be in the spotlight as Italy faces a deadline today for a revised budget to the EU Commission. There are no signs though that Italy will budge and change it and the way is thus paved for a collision with the EU. The Commission will most likely proceed by initiating an excessive deficit procedure against the country."

With Brexit on one front and Italy on the other, today's news is likely to cause volatility for the Euro against a basket of currency pairs.Privacy Settings

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NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using.French authorities evacuated hundreds of migrants from a wood on the northern coast near Calais on Tuesday over fears it could become a magnet for others hoping to head to Britain.

Some 350 men, women and children, most of them Iraqi Kurds, had been living for weeks in squalid conditions in the wood on the edge of the town of Grande-Synthe.

Hundreds of police were brought in to dismantle the camp as its residents were packed onto buses, bound for migrant centres in 10 different regions across France.

At the last count there were 56 children present and around 40 women. I cant let this situation go on anymore, local mayor Damien Careme told AFP on Monday before the operation.

Grand Synthe lies 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the port city of Calais, where authorities dismantled the sprawling Jungle camp  which at its height was home to 10,000 people  in late 2016.

Over the objections of the central government, Careme had opened a refugee camp in Grande-Synthe that met international standards in early 2016.

But the camp, where 1,500 people had been sheltered, was destroyed in a huge fire that broke out in April after a brawl involving hundreds of Afghans and Kurds.

Careme went up against the government again more recently when he proposed setting up new facilities for migrants on the site of the burned-down camp to allow them to live in more dignified conditions.

But Paris categorically opposed the move, with the interior ministry saying Monday that this would only encourage migrants seeking to head to Britain, potentially leading to another large-scale camp.

For more than a decade Frances northern coast has been a magnet for refugees and migrants trying to reach Britain, causing tension between the two neighbours.

Though the Jungle camp has been cleared, hundreds of people are believed to remain in the Calais area seeking to break into Britain-bound trucks or pay smugglers to help them get across the Channel.

Migrants have been encouraged to register asylum applications in France, but many are determined to travel to Britain for family, language or work reasons.

Another nearby camp, at Norrent-Fontes, was cleared of its 85 residents on Monday. They were taken to migrant centres in the region.A San Antonio oil and gas company with operations in California has filed for bankruptcy protection, blaming a dispute with its new lender.

All American Oil & Gas Inc.s Chapter 11 reorganization is the largest bankruptcy filing in San Antonio this year. Its the parent company of exploration and production company Kern River Holding Inc. and small power company called Western Power and Steam Inc., both of which also filed for bankruptcy.

AAOG President Patrick Morris in court papers described a feud with a lender that recently acquired the companies secured debt. He accused lender Kern Cal Oil 7 of attempting to strip the companies of their equity as part of a predatory loan-to-own strategy.

Unlike many E&P cases, this bankruptcy filing is not the result of the Companys poor operational underperformance, illiquidity, debt maturities or lack of underlying value, Morris said in a court filing. Rather, it was precipitated by KCO7s efforts to exploit its rights under the Credit Agreements to obtain (the companies) assets on the cheap, and thereby to destroy tens of million in equity value.

The companies equity value ranges from $35 million to $55 million, Morris said. They have an enterprise value ranging from $175 million to $195 million based on a recent valuation. They have about $142 million in debt that doesnt mature for at least a year, he added in the court papers filed Monday.

Our primary goal here is to protect the value of the companies, Deborah Williamson, a bankruptcy lawyer for the three companies, said Tuesday. We hope to be able to confirm a plan of reorganization that addresses the debt. Our goal is to file a plan that pays that debt in full  and pays all of our creditors in full over a reasonable period of time.

Williamson added, We are just trying to keep the companies operational and stable while we figure out if theres a resolution, consensual or otherwise, with our lenders.

An emergency hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday before Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ronald King.

Kern River Holding has a 215-acre lease in the Kern River Oil Field in Californias San Joacquin Valley where the company has 124 producing wells, 43 steam injection wells and 15 observation wells. Western Power and Steam operates a 20-megawatt cogeneration facility adjacent to Kern River Holding. Western provides electricity and steam to aid Kern River Holdings oil extraction.

Kern River Holding is cash-flow positive and generated $25 million in earnings before interest, taxes and other items last year. It obtained two credit facilities totaling $137.6 million from a fund of investment management firm AllianceBernstein in 2015 and 2016. The debt, which is guaranteed by AAOG and Western, matures in 2019 and 2020.

Morris court filing indicated Kern River Holding anticipated refinancing the credit facilities over the next year or so, as it has done in the past.

That plan changed in mid-October when KCO7 acquired the debt from AllianceBernstein, Morris said.

KCO7s principals include Paul Kromwyk and Cary Meadow, who Morris alleged were fired for cause from Cappello Capital Corp., the former investment bank and financial adviser for both AAOG and Kern River Holdings.

Attached to Morris declaration was a 2016 claim Cappello filed against Meadow and Kromwyk with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or Finra, the securities industrys self-policing organization. Cappello accused the pair of fraud and misappropriation of confidential information, among other claims. The outcome of the case, which did not involve AAOG, couldnt immediately be determined.

Kromwyk, as a Cappello director, and presumably Mr. Meadow, had access to all of AAOGs, Kern River Holdings and Westerns confidential information while at Cappello, Morris said in his declaration. Morris believes the pair used this insight in acquiring the debt. A call to Kromwyk and Meadows office in Santa Monica, Calif., was not returned.

Kromwyk and Meadow first approached the companies management as part of their due diligence in August, Morris said.

They  stated they (and their still unidentified investor) had no real interest in being a lender to the (companies) but rather intended to use their debt interest to acquire the (companies and their) assets, Morris said in the court filing.

At an Oct. 17 meeting in New York, KCO7 handed AAOG CEO Robert Morris  Patrick Morris father and the majority owner  a notice of default, claiming Kern River Holding was insufficiently hedged. In the court papers, Patrick Morris said KCO7s hedging requirement was stricter than the previous lenders.

KCO7 elected to charge default interest of 2 percent and 3 percent over the floating rate on the loans, Morris added.

I believe that this meeting  with its orchestrated default notice  was a transparent attempt to intimidate AAOG into handing over the (companies) to KCO7 for little to no value to its shareholders, he said.

Morris said they tried putting additional hedges in place with no success.

AAOG executives met with KCO7 again last Wednesday, but Morris said they could not resolve the alleged defaults, Morris said.

Kern River Holding was scheduled to make an interest payment the following day. Morris said making the payment jeopardized the companies short-term ability to meet their going concern obligations and long-term ability to maximize the value of (the) businesses for all of (their) stakeholders. So the companies sought bankruptcy protection.

The two largest unsecured creditors listed in AAOGs petition are Camden Financial Services of Irvine, Calif., owed $4.2 million, and Air Quality Consultants Inc. of Huntington Beach, Calif., owed $1.8 million.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPDBALTIMORE  Facing a reignited crisis of credibility over child sexual abuse, the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States came to a meeting in Baltimore on Monday prepared to show that they could hold themselves accountable.

But in a last-minute surprise, the Vatican instructed the bishops to delay voting on a package of corrective measures until next year, when Pope Francis plans to hold a summit in Rome on the sexual abuse crisis for bishops from around the world.

Many of the more than 350 American bishops gathered in Baltimore appeared stunned when they learned of the change of plans in the first few minutes of the meeting.

They had come to Baltimore wanting to prove that they had heard their parishioners cries of despair and calls for change. Suddenly, the Vatican appeared to be standing in the way, dealing the bishops another public relations nightmare.

We are not ourselves happy about this, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said at a midday news conference. We are working very well to move to action, and well do it. We just have a bump in the road.

The order from Rome is the latest twist in a long power struggle between the U.S. bishops and the Vatican over how to respond to the abuse crisis. For nearly three decades and three papacies, the United States has been the focal point of the crisis, and the American bishops have been pushed to the forefront of the churchs response.

The Vatican also applied the brakes in 2002 when the Americans took steps that had not been adopted by the global church, like establishing a zero tolerance standard for abusive priests and a national review board made up of laypeople.

The new delay was immediately denounced Monday by abuse survivors and advocates who had traveled to Baltimore from across the country to put pressure on bishops to take action.

This is a disaster, and I think its a dark day for Catholics, especially victims and survivors, said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a research and advocacy group based in Boston, When the Vatican intervenes, regulations get weaker, not stronger.

Peter Isely, an abuse survivor from Wisconsin and leader of Ending Clergy Abuse, an advocacy group, said in an interview: This is a completely cowardly decision by the American bishops. They could still vote on it, and let the Vatican rescind the votes.

Many Catholic commentators have called the abuse scandal the greatest crisis in the Catholic church since the Reformation.

Since June, a prominent U.S. cardinal has been forced to resign, a Pennsylvania grand jury has found that 300 priests had abused more than 1,000 child victims and more than a dozen state attorneys general have opened investigations into the church. And that is just in the United States.

Bishops in countries like Italy, Chile, Australia and India are now facing accusations of cover-ups, and in some places, investigations by law enforcement authorities as well.

The great unfinished business of the long-simmering abuse scandal has been the failure of the bishops to discipline themselves. U.S. bishops passed a charter of measures in 2002, after the scandal erupted in Boston, but those steps were focused on discipline for abusive priests.

The initiatives that the American bishops had planned to debate and vote on in Baltimore included creating a hotline for reporting accusations against bishops, up a lay review board to hear the allegations, and a mechanism to permanently sideline bishops who are judged to be abusers themselves. They also intended to decide on a proposed bishops code of conduct.

The bishops knew they were under intense scrutiny and felt a need to show that they were taking action.

I hope this doesnt look like a dodge, Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of Burlington, Vermont, said of the Vaticans delay order in an interview.

Coyne said the postponement was actually helpful in some ways, because the bishops had received the text of their proposed measures only a week ago, and here were many amendments that needed to be debated and put to a vote.

Coming into the meeting, I wasnt all that hopeful wed be able to accomplish as much as we wanted to, said the bishop, who leads the conferences committee on communications.

DiNardo said at the news conference that he did not know whether Pope Francis himself had requested the delay. He said that when he met with the pope in October, Francis was very positive.

The cardinal said he learned of the delay order only Sunday, in a letter from the Vatican office known as the Congregation for Bishops.

He suggested that the Vaticans objections could be related to cultural heritage. While he did not elaborate on what that meant, the Americans urgency to act has sometimes been dismissed by the churchs predominantly Italian headquarters at the Vatican.

DiNardo said that another reason for the delay could be that the measures proposed by the American bishops were seen in the Vatican as requiring changes to canon law.

He suggested that there was some wisdom in waiting until after the global bishops conference takes up the same questions next year.

Sex abuse is a universal problem, he said, and the church has to handle it universally.

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, who rose quickly to speak to the bishops after the surprise announcement about the delay, suggested that they go ahead and debate the measures and take a nonbinding vote in the next two days. He also proposed an extra meeting in March, after the global meeting, to make the new policies final.

A person close to the pope, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, said he believed that the delay was not intended to prevent action on sexual abuse.

He said he thought the pope wanted to see a coordinated global response, and that it did not make sense for the bishops conference of one country to move independently ahead of others. He acknowledged that the delay would raise expectations that the global meeting at the Vatican next year would produce concrete results, but he said that was the meetings purpose in any case.

In an address to the bishops in Baltimore, Archbishop Christopher Pierre, the Vaticans ambassador to the United States, appeared to warn them not to cede too much authority to laypeople.

Surely, collaboration with the laity is essential, he said. However, the responsibility as bishops of this Catholic Church is ours.

The bishops in Baltimore spent most of Monday in prayer and repentance in an enclosed hotel ballroom that had been converted into a makeshift sanctuary. Most did not leave the hotel where they are staying during the three-day meeting, heeding warnings that there could be throngs of protesters outside.

As it happened, the demonstrations Monday were fairly sparse. But the bishops were confronted inside the hotel with the anguish of two abuse survivors who had been invited to speak to them during the day of prayer.

Luis A. Torres Jr., from New York, told the bishops to have the courage to move ahead not in three months, not in six months  yesterday.

Be the priests you were called to be, Torres said. Please act now.

This article originally appeared in The New York TimesMcALLEN, Texas  The Border Patrol agent, she remembers, was calm when he tied her to the tree and put silver duct tape over her mouth. He said very little.

She was a 14-year-old immigrant who had just crossed the Rio Grande illegally, traveling with a teenage friend and the friends mother from Honduras. They had hoped to surrender to the Border Patrol and stay in the United States.

But instead of taking them in for processing, the agent, Esteban Manzanares, had driven them to an isolated, wooded area 16 miles outside the border city of McAllen, Texas. There he sexually assaulted the friend and viciously attacked her and her mother, twisting their necks, slashing their wrists and leaving them, finally, to bleed in the brush. Then he led the 14-year-old girl to the tree.

I only asked him why he was doing this, she recalled. Why me? He would only say that he had been thinking about it for days. He had been thinking about this for days.

The Border Patrols parent agency, Customs and Border Protection, is the largest law enforcement agency in the country, with nearly twice the personnel of the FBI. Through the years, a small number of officers have succumbed to temptation and reached for a share of the millions of dollars generated in the smuggling of drugs, weapons and people across the southwest border.

But a civil suit stemming from the March 2014 attack near McAllen, now making its way through the courts, is shedding light on a more sinister kind of corruption. During the past four years, at least 10 people in South Texas have been victims of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping or rape  all, according to prosecutors and officials, at the hands of Border Patrol agents who suddenly and violently snapped.

In April, Ronald Anthony Burgos Aviles, 29, an agent in the sprawling 116-county Laredo sector, was charged with stabbing and killing his girlfriend and their 1-year-old son. In September, another Laredo sector agent, Juan David Ortiz, 35, admitted to investigators that he had gone on a 12-day killing rampage, fatally shooting four people working as prostitutes and trying to abduct a fifth.

As a result of a civil suit filed by the three women attacked by Manzanares, the Border Patrol has been forced to answer questions about its hiring practices, its ability to weed out disturbed agents and whether there is adequate supervision of officers.

Sworn testimony and other documents filed in that case, as well as lengthy interviews the three women gave to The New York Times, provide an unusual window into a case that otherwise might have had little scrutiny. Manzanares never went to trial, because he fatally shot himself as soon as federal investigators discovered his crimes and closed in to stop him.

Critics say the very nature of Border Patrol agents work  dealing with vulnerable, powerless people, often alone on the nations little-traveled frontiers  makes it easy for troubled agents to go unnoticed.

In September, Judge Randy Crane of U.S. District Court in McAllen dismissed claims of negligent hiring and supervision of Manzanares filed by two of the women. The judge concluded that supervisors had not been alerted to any problem in the agents background and had no reason to know that anything was amiss. But he allowed claims filed by the 14-year-old girl, now 18, whose ordeal went on well into the night  and might have been prevented if Manzanares actions had been detected earlier  to proceed.

The case will drag out for months, however. Crane suggested recently that he was prepared to allow appeals of some of his previous rulings to proceed before the case goes to trial.

Lawyers for the three women presented evidence that Manzanares supervisors had failed to notice or intervene when the agent ignored his duties for hours and had failed to thoroughly inspect his truck when he returned at the end of his shift. If they had, the evidence showed, they would have found used duct tape, blood and discarded restraints.

Manzanares, a father of two, had no major disciplinary infractions during his six years with the agency, which he joined in 2008 after serving with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and working as a jailer for the Hidalgo County Sheriffs Department. But according to court documents, he appeared to have become a pedophile, and one of the issues in the lawsuit has been whether the Border Patrol should have conducted the kind of employee reviews that would have brought that to light.

In late 2013 and early 2014, he was in the midst of a divorce, living in an apartment in the border city of Mission with his two dogs. Neighbors said he largely kept to himself.

His rampage that day might never have been discovered had the older woman he left for dead not encountered another Customs and Border Protection officer as she emerged from the brush, bleeding and terrified.

The man who did this to her and her daughter, she told the officer, was dressed just like you.

I Tried to Be Strong

The woman, M.G., still has trouble sleeping. (All three women, interviewed in January, asked to be identified only by their initials.) When she dreams, the border agent returns to her in her nightmares. When she wakes, she stares and rubs at the scars on both of her wrists, not so much neat slices as pale, jagged, random dashes.

Last night, I dreamed all of it, from the moment that we crossed the river, she said. Every time I dream it, I live through it again. Sometimes Id like to block my mind and think this didnt happen, but this did happen.

The three women, all from the same small town in northern Honduras, had crossed the Rio Grande together early that morning on a smugglers raft. They had been on a dirt road for only a matter of minutes when Manzanares pulled up in his Border Patrol vehicle.

When I saw him, I said, Thank God,' M.G. said.

But as they sat on metal benches in the back of the truck, M.G. thought there was something strange about the way the man was breathing. At first, she tried not to show her fear.

I pretended, she said. I tried to be strong.

When her husband entered the United States, he got lost in the desert for three days. He told me that the only thing that he did was to pray Psalm 91 many times, and he told me thats how God had saved him and protected him, she said. So the three women prayed Psalm 91 as Manzanares drove.

We prayed it many times, many times, many times, M.G. said.

Manzanares made a series of stops. J.E., the girl who was tied to the tree, recalled that he told them to get on their knees so he could put plastic restraints on their wrists. On one of the last stops, M.G.'s daughter, N.C., watched Manzanares force her mother out of the back of the truck and lead her into the woods.

I was crying, telling him to leave my mom alone, said N.C., who is now 18.

M.G., now 40, recalled hearing her daughters screams. I was begging him to kill me but not kill my daughter, and my daughter was screaming there where she was: Come kill me, dont harm my mother.'

He threw M.G. down, twisted her neck and cut her wrists. I felt I was losing consciousness, but every time my daughter screamed, I didnt want to go, she said.

He returned to the truck for N.C., took her out into the woods, twisted her neck, molested her, took pictures of her, cut her wrist and then covered her with dirt and brush, as she pretended to be dead.

He went back to the vehicle again and drove J.E. to a stand of trees at the edge of a field. She said she steeled herself, in part, by keeping her mind blank, as if nothing were happening.

It is unclear how many hours she was handcuffed to the tree. According to interviews with the victims and court documents, Manzanares left his Border Patrol station at the end of his shift, just before 6 p.m. He changed out of his uniform and went back to get her in his own pickup. He took J.E. from the tree and drove her to his apartment. J.E. recalled that she still had duct tape over her mouth when he carried her over his shoulder from the truck to his apartment, and that she made eye contact with a woman standing in the complex.

She didnt do anything, J.E. said. Why didnt she do anything?

Inside, Manzanares used shoelaces to tie her hands and feet to the bed. Then he took pictures of her, naked, with his phone.

He behaved like he had done it before, she said. He began talking about things that did not make sense, telling her a drug cartel was coming to kill her. She did not believe him, but in that moment, it felt like my life was over.

She asked him one thing: If he had any daughters, would he like it if someone did the same thing that he was doing to me, to them.

He sexually assaulted her three times that night, while she remained tied to a bunk bed in a bedroom.

FBI agents and Mission police officers, meanwhile, had identified the agent based in part on M.G.'s report and were closing in.

Shortly before 1 a.m., J.E. heard loud knocking on the apartment door, and then a single gunshot. Officers eventually forced open the door, untied her and kept her wrapped in a blanket as they put her in an ambulance.

Manzanares had shot and killed himself with a .40-caliber pistol while seated at his dining room table. On the table, officers found a two-page suicide note. I am sorry for what I have done, he wrote, explaining that he had been troubled since coming back from Afghanistan. I am a monster.

No Questions Asked

The three women now live far from the South Texas border, in southwestern Virginia. All three were granted what are called U visas, issued to victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes.

Officials with Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that they could not comment on the lawsuit but that they take allegations of misconduct seriously. CBP has a workforce of dedicated men and women who are among the finest civil servants in the world, who carry out their duties with the utmost professionalism, efficiency, honor and distinction, the statement read. CBP acts decisively and appropriately to address any misconduct.

But agency officials revealed in their response to the womens lawsuit that they had no procedure for supervising agents in the field and no policy requiring supervisors to make contact with agents during a shift.

Manzanares even briefly drove his victims into and out of his Border Patrol station in McAllen that day, but no one questioned his actions. And none of his superiors tried to find out why he had failed to respond to most of the alerts of suspicious activity in his zone that day.

Government officials defended the criminal background checks performed on Manzanares. In court documents, they said two background investigations of Manzanares  one in 2007 before he started working as an agent and another in 2013  had turned up nothing. He was hired before a requirement that all applicants undergo polygraph tests took effect; one official testified that a polygraph test probably would have revealed that Manzanares appeared to be a pedophile.

Now the agency is likely to face similar questions about Ortiz in Laredo. Authorities are continuing to examine whether any government equipment and weapons were used in the assaults he is accused of and whether his supervisors were aware of any unusual behavior.

These individuals who are supposed to be protectors were predators, both of them, Christine Poarch, a lawyer who represents Manzanares three victims, said of the Ortiz and Manzanares cases. They preyed on vulnerable populations.

Mitchell Ferman contributed reporting from McAllen, Texas.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.The U.S. envoy for hostage affairs Tuesday called on Iran and Russia to use their influence in Syria to help free Austin Tice, an American freelance journalist who was taken captive there six years ago and is believed to be alive.

Robert O'Brien, the point man trying to secure the release of about 20 Americans held unjustly around the world, said some countries are being "very helpful" in trying to get Tice freed. Asked which countries were not being helpful, he replied: "The Iranians are not helpful. And they're heavily involved in Syria."

Later, he added, "If Iran wants better relations with the United States, it should use its influence in Syria to help us return Austin home."

O'Brien sounded a similar note when asked about Russia, which provides military support to the Syrian government.

"One of the things that both Russia and the United States should agree on is that innocent Americans, or innocent Russians, for that matter, should not be held hostage and should not be held against their will," he said. "We continue to call on the Russians to exert whatever influence they can in Syria to bring Austin home."

The status of U.S. efforts to free citizens imprisoned overseas as geopolitical pawns is a closely held secret. O'Brien, who was appointed to the job in July, made rare public remarks during an event at the National Press Club focused on raising reward money for information on Tice, who is now 37.

The former Marine and Georgetown University law student was in Syria reporting on the beginnings of the civil war when he was taken prisoner in August 2012. His stories focusing on the war's impact on civilians appeared in The Washington Post and McClatchy Newspapers.

About five weeks after Tice vanished, a proof-of-life video turned up in which Tice said repeatedly, "Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus," as armed men led him blindfolded down a rocky mountainside. There was no message apart from the headline: "Austin Tice is alive." He has not been heard from since.

Despite the passage of years, U.S. officials and Tice's parents, Marc Tice and Debra Tice, are convinced he is still alive.

"Austin is a strong, fit young man," O'Brien said. We have every reason to believe that he is alive. We believe that he's being held captive in Syria."

O'Brien said that Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has asked her fellow ambassadors for help freeing Tice. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, U.S. national security adviser, have both met with Tice's parents.

In April, the FBI offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Tice's return. The National Press Club and Reporters Without Borders are spearheading a campaign to double the reward through a project called Night Out for Austin Tice. Restaurants in the Washington area are being encouraged to donate a share of their proceeds May 2, the evening before World Press Freedom Day. The organizers plan eventually to take the campaign nationwide.

Tice's parents have made several trips to the Middle East hoping to bring their son home. Marc Tice said they are about to leave on their seventh or eighth trip to Beirut - at this point, they are unsure how many trips they've made to advocate for their son. The trips are intended to reach out to those who are holding their son captive.

"Every time we go, our greatest desire to is to bring Austin home," his father said. "We know Austin longs to walk free. Two thousand, two hundred and eighty-two days. Austin urgently needs to be free. Maybe soon."Authorities on Monday raided the law office of former Harris County Republican Party chairman Jared Woodfill.

Investigators with the Harris County District Attorneys office wheeled carts of documents from Woodfills office at 3 Riverway at least an hour after they arrived.

Houston Chronicle

Woodfill was the chairman of the county GOP for 12 years until 2014. He frequently practiced in juvenile and divorce courts in Harris County.

Now Playing: the Houston Police Department raids the office of attorney Jared Woodfill, former head of Harris County GOP. Video: Dolcefino Consulting

He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Woodfill is the subject of two separate formal complaints  one to the State Bar of Texas and the other to the Houston Police Department. In both complaints, Woodfill is accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients trust accounts.

In the criminal complaint, filed in March 2017, Richard Rodriguez accused Woodfills firm of stealing more than $300,000 from a divorce trust account. Rodriguez said Monday he believed the search was related to his complaint.

A Monday hearing in Rodriguezs case was suspended shortly before the search at Woodfills office, according to court records and an interview.

In a separate case also involving a divorce, a federal bankruptcy court judge found in 2016 that Woodfills firm acted in extreme bad faith by misrepresenting how much its attorneys were owed while in Harris County family court and in a subsequent bankruptcy case.

Woodfills firm had taken funds from the (trust) account that have not yet been earned and, thus, several thousands of dollars have been unaccounted for, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Jeff Bohm wrote in a February 2016 finding of fact document, federal court records show.

Indeed, Bohm continued, based on the information provided at trial, there is at least $140,449.36 in unaccounted funds and/or overpayments to (Woodfills firm).

Woodfills firm disputed and planned to appeal Bohms finding, court records show.

In November, the State Bar of Texas publicly reprimanded Woodfill in a complaint that the Chronicle found is related to the bankruptcy matter.

Woodfill had direct supervisory authority over members of his firm who violated the disciplinary rules during the representation in a divorce, the State Bar of Texas wrote, and Woodfill failed to take reasonable action. He was ordered to pay $3,490 in attorneys fees and direct expenses.

rob.downen@chron.com

lise.olsen@chron.comDemocrat Gina Ortiz Jones efforts to bridge the 1,000-vote gap between her and Republican incumbent Rep. Will Hurd hit a wall in a Bexar County courtroom Tuesday.

County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen testified that none of the still-uncounted provisional votes in the countys portion of Congressional District 23 could be validated by the voters who cast them.

Jones has been trying to obtain a list of voters who cast provisional ballots after they failed to produce acceptable ID at the polls or because of other problems. The campaign planned to reach out to those voters and encourage them to present proper ID at the county elections office so their ballots could be cured and added to the official count.

Jones asked a state district judge to compel Callanen to release the list and extend by two days the deadline for curing the votes, which was 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Judge Stephani Walsh rebuffed both requests, and the deadline passed later in the day.

Siding with election officials, Walsh said the names of county voters who cast provisional ballots in the congressional race  about 200  could not be made public until election officials have finished reviewing them.

That work is done by early voting ballot boards  small, bipartisan panels appointed by county officials  and is still underway in Bexar County. The boards review provisional and mail ballots and determine whether they are valid.

In a further blow to the Jones camp, Callanen testified that none of the 200 provisional ballots at issue in Bexar County involved problems with voters IDs. Therefore, she said, the ballots could not be cured through any effort by the voters. Those provisional ballots were used because of discrepancies in voters registrations, because voters appeared at the wrong polling places or other reasons.

The ballot boards and the election administrator will decide on the validity of those ballots, Callanen said.

After hearing arguments from both sides, Walsh said it was clear that the publics right to access those records is after the early voting ballot board has completed their review.

The judges ruling means that the race will be decided based on ballots already counted or under review. Tuesday was also the deadline for voters in the military or who were overseas at the time of the election to submit ballots.

The District 23 race is one of a handful in the country that remains too close to call. Hurd has declared victory, but Jones has vowed to ensure that every outstanding vote is tallied.

Counting provisional, absentee, overseas and military ballots, at least 1,000 votes have not been verified and added to the results, according to election officials in 17 of the districts 29 counties  a bloc that accounted for about 90 percent of the vote. Its unclear how many of those votes will ultimately be counted.

Nevertheless, Jones is within the legal margin to request a recount. Her campaign hasnt indicated whether it plans to do so. Counties have until next Tuesday to certify their results, and the governor has until Dec. 6 to validate the election.

Callanen, who at times has expressed exasperation at the controversy surrounding the count, praised Walshs ruling.

Were doing what were supposed to do, she said. So were pleased.

Two lawyers for Hurd joined Bexar County attorneys in arguing against Jones request. Chris Gober, a lawyer for the Hurd campaign, questioned the Jones camps motives.

As you heard from Ms. Callanen, the vast majority, if not all, of the provisional voters at issue here have no ability to cure their provisional ballots, Gober told the judge. It seems to me that what the plaintiff is really asking for is the ability to conduct some kind of public relations circus, as opposed to doing anything that cures ballots.

Isabel de la Riva, a lawyer for Jones campaign, took offense at that characterization.

We are trying to avoid voters from being disenfranchised, de la Riva said. Thats it.

Walsh asked how anyone was being disenfranchised because Callanen said there are no voters who could cure their provisional ballots.

Because theres no way to confirm that information from an administration thats not complying with the law, de la Riva said.

Jones lawyers had argued that the law requires that election judges at each polling site create a list of provisional ballots, which are sent to the elections administrator. Thats the list the campaign was looking for, they said.

Walsh said that is more than 100 lists  not one.

Callanen acknowledged that she did not receive the lists from every polling place, but she said she cant enforce the rule because she cant be at every site.

Its a sad day, de la Riva said after the judges ruling. She said some voters who went to the polls to cast ballots had their votes thrown in the trash.

The countys lawyers said Callanen will produce the list of provisional voters once it is final and becomes public record. They said the elections administrator has been following the guidance of the Texas secretary of states administrative code, a contention Walsh ultimately accepted.

Hurds campaign manager, Justin Hollis, said the Republican incumbent wants every vote counted, with a clear, uniform standard in accordance with the law.

If they are, the final vote tally will reflect the will of the voters and re-elect Will Hurd to Congress, he said.

The race has been tight even by the standards of District 23, a swing district that stretches from San Antonio to El Paso County and regularly produces nail-biting finishes.

On election night, early returns showed Hurd leading comfortably, and around 10:30 p.m. he claimed a historic victory. Soon afterward, Jones appeared to concede the election.

Over the next few hours, however, the race tightened dramatically, and around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, figures posted by the secretary of states office showed Jones ahead by 282 votes. The reversal was the result of a tabulation error in Medina County. Once the mistake was corrected, Hurd regained the lead, and he has held it since.

Dylan McGuinness covers local politics and the Bexar County government for the Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dylan.mcguinness@express-news.net | Twitter: @DylMcGuinnessA federal agent has signed a plea deal in which he admits he received and accessed thousands of images of child pornography.

Richard Nikolai Gratkowski, 40, who has been with Homeland Security Investigations since 2008, took a plea offer instead of going to trial.

A guilty plea means he faces five to 20 years on the charge of receiving the images and up to 20 years on a count of accessing child porn with intent to view it. He is expected to formalize the deal at a plea hearing expected to be scheduled within a week in federal court in San Antonio.

According to court testimony, Gratkowski most recently worked on gang investigations in San Antonio for HSI, a section of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He also had worked in Eagle Pass.

An FBI agent previously testified that Gratkowskis employer put him on paid leave and was working to fire him.

All Department of Homeland Security employees are held to the highest standards of behavior and ethics, ICE said in a statement issued after Gratkowski was arrested in January. While ICE does not comment on personnel matters, the agency is fully cooperating with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Inspector General (OIG) regarding this issue.

Gratkowski was arrested Jan. 4 after his case was referred to the FBI by his own agencys internal affairs branch and the Internal Revenue Services criminal investigators, FBI special agent Larry Baker testified at a hearing in February.

Baker testified that Gratkowskis arrest arose out of an investigation into a child porn website on The Onion Router, or TOR network, which seeks to keep users anonymous by using thousands of relays or servers, much like the layers of an onion. The same investigation also ensnared then-Border Patrol agent Paul Casey Whipple, 35, of Hondo in mid-December.

According to Baker, the website in question provided access to more than 117,000 graphic child porn videos. Gratkowski and Whipple were both identified as users.

In Gratkowskis case, he used his USAA bank account  and his government ID  to buy bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, and open an account on the child porn website in April 2016, Baker said. Gratkowski then established a second account that gave him access to the site through much of 2017.

Baker said Gratkowski also visited two other child porn websites on the TOR network and used a social media app called Kik to get to another child porn site.

The FBI served a search warrant at Gratkowskis home in early January and recovered two nonworking iPhones and a computer hard drive, but did not find any child porn images, Baker said. But the FBI did find  in one of two working iPhones recovered from Gratkowski  evidence of links to child pornography, and he admitted visiting the child porn sites, Baker said.

He said that in April 2016, he turned to child porn and turned to the site and two other (child porn) sites on the TOR network, Baker testified at the February hearing. He advised hed been in a dark place as a result of problems with his wife, work stressors and financial stressors.  He went to the dark net to avoid detection.

Baker testified that before the raid, Gratkowski used an anti-forensics program to wipe child porn images from his computers.

Gratkowski also told agents he destroyed the computer he used to download child pornography in mid-December and threw it in a Dumpster outside the San Antonio apartment he shared with his girlfriend.

In his plea deal, he admits to many of Bakers allegations. The documents show an external hard drive contained 190 deleted files of child porn.

The plea deal also said he used the Kik app on his phone to view child porn when he could not access it on the computer in the home where his wife and children live.

Gratkowski, who served in the Army, was awarded a Bronze Star and was honorably discharged, according to testimony from his father, who lives in Washington state. Hes been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, his father added.

Gratkowskis wife filed for divorce in March in Bexar County, and Gratkowski filed a counterclaim in September. The case is pending, records show.

Whipple, meanwhile, is charged with producing, distributing and possessing child pornography. Hes accused of sexually assaulting a minor and sharing images of it over the internet. He faces 15 to 30 years for the production charge alone. His trial is scheduled for Nov. 29, but his plea deadline is Friday.

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Emergency room physicians did not take kindly to being scolded last week by the National Rifle Association to stay in their lane and not get involved in the nations gun debate.

As of Monday morning, 26,000 doctors, nurses, paramedics, social workers and other health professionals, including at least one in San Antonio, signed an open letter to the NRA, penned Friday night and headlined Gun Violence Is Our Lane. In addition, the hashtag #ThisISOurLane is spreading around the globe.

Dr. Ronald Stewart, a trauma surgeon at University Hospital who treated people injured in the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church mass shooting last year, was one who signed. He said he was shocked when he saw the NRA's response, adding that it seemed insulting to medical professionals who deal with the physical toll of gun violence daily. Stewart said he has treated hundreds, if not thousands, of patients with gunshot wounds.

It struck such a nerve because when youre caring for the patients and when youre helping them and youre dealing with their grief and pain and dealing with the problems that are entailed, its unbelievable for somebody to say, Stay out of this, this is not in your lane, he said.

Stewart, who chaired the committee on trauma for the American College of Surgeons until earlier this year, said the organization has tried to be inclusive in its approach to reducing firearm injuries and deaths, one he said starkly contrasts with the gun lobbys reaction. Tackling the complex public health crisis requires putting aside philosophical differences, he said.

As somebody who has called for everyone to work together, it was incredibly disappointing, Stewart said.

Its not about getting rid of guns at all. Its about making firearm ownership safer for those who own guns and those who dont.

The NRA did not respond to an emailed request for comment Monday.

The dust-up began Oct. 30 after a position paper by doctors was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, an academic medical journal published by the American College of Physicians. The physician authors called for gun violence to be treated as a public health crisis and urged what they called reasonable restrictions on gun purchases as well as more governmental study. They also asked for the freedom to speak to patients about gun safety.

Three days later, the NRAs Institute for Legislative Action responded with its own position paper that began: Everyone has hobbies. Some doctors collective hobby is opining on firearms policy.

Things really heated up last Wednesday when the NRA, in promoting its paper, tweeted: Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane.

And with that, it was on.

Doctors around the country quickly slammed the NRA, carrying #ThisISOurLane into battle in the newly declared Twitter war.

Do you have any idea how many bullets I pull out of corpses weekly? This isnt just my lane. Its my (expletive) highway, a San Francisco pathologist tweeted. Other doctors began posting their blood-splattered faces after treating gunshot victims.

Then hours after the NRA sent its tweet, a gunman opened fire at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Thirteen people were dead, including a police officer and the shooter. Many others were wounded. One of the dead had survived the mass shooting in Las Vegas just a year before.

The notion that doctors who spend careers trying to save shooting victims should keep quiet infuriates Rhonda Hart, a Texas mother whose 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, died May 18 in the Santa Fe High School massacre.

The short answer is the NRA needs to shut up, Hart said Monday when asked about the battle between the doctors and the gun lobby. The longer answer is I think the doctors are right. They have probably the best perspective on this, except for maybe family members.

So far this year there have been 12,626 deaths and 24,533 injuries involving guns, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group that produces an online tracking of incidents collected from thousands of news media, law enforcement records and government sources each day. Advocacy groups say gun death and injury numbers are difficult to tally.

The gun lobby has argued that the data is one-sided and does not include evidence that guns can help thwart violence.

Still, research has been in short supply for more than two decades, ever since in 1996 it mostly ground to a stop after Congress threatened to strip Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding unless it halted studies on firearm injury and death.

Earlier this year, though, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said he favored restarting the research.

Dr. Megan Ranney, a Rhode Island physician and chief research officer for AFFIRM, a national nonprofit organization that studies gun violence, wrote the doctors letter to the NRA in response to the rapidly escalating events and, in part, out of frustration.

With each time, we say this is the tipping point, she said Monday about mass shootings.

The letter describes how even if a victim survives a shooting, there is a lifelong toll, both physical and psychological.

Stitching up a wound in an operating room is not the end, but the beginning, it said.

On Monday she admitted she was surprised by the number of doctors who have signed on for the fight and the attention it is stirring. She said she was scheduled to be interviewed by the BBC later in the day.

I think the time is here, she said.

Staff Writer Lauren Caruba contributed to this story.

jenny.deam@chron.com

lcaruba@express-news.netDemocratic congressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones clash with county and state election officials over provisional ballots that could decide her race will reach its deadline Tuesday  and a group of prominent Democrats are now backing her up.

At issue is the final vote count in Congressional District 23, where Jones trails incumbent Republican Will Hurd by more than 1,000 votes. Jones wants to see a list of voters in Bexar County who cast provisional votes so the campaign can encourage them to cure their ballots, or correct them to ensure theyre counted.

The deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The clock is ticking, and were working hard so that all voters can stand up and be heard, Jones said.

On ExpressNews.com: Hurd's lead in CD-23 grows, Ortiz Jones says every vote will be counted

The Hurd-Jones race is one of a handful across the country  most significantly in Florida and Arizona  that are still undecided a week after the midterm elections.

The Hurd campaign has called his lead insurmountable and declared victory.

Jones said her campaign filed public records requests Wednesday for the lists in all 29 counties of the district. The campaign said 18 have complied with the request, including large counties such as El Paso and Maverick.

Several prominent San Antonio Democrats  including former Housing and Urban Development Secretary and Mayor Julian Castro and his brother, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro  aligned themselves behind Jones and chastised Bexar Countys handling of the matter.

Releasing the list will facilitate opportunities to inform eligible voters of their rights and ensure that they have ample opportunity to cure their ballots or otherwise ensure they are counted, the Democrats wrote in a letter to county commissioners.

Election officials shot back, arguing that the release of the lists would be illegal and the notification to voters redundant.

Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen has said she cant legally release the list before the countys early voting ballot board  a small, bipartisan group charged with reviewing provisional and mail-in ballots  completes its work.

The lists become public records after the review, according to election law.

Jones said other counties have complied with her requests. The Texas secretary of states office said that might be because their ballot boards are already done with their reviews. Bexar County accounts for more than half the districts votes.

OnExpressNews.com: Ortiz Jones won't call it quits until all votes counted in hotly contested race against Hurd

Theyre beating me up, Callanen said Friday after Jones staffers implored her to release the list at a Commissioners Court meeting. Theyre asking me to break the law, and I wont do it.

Callanen declined to comment Monday, saying she had the day off because of the Veterans Day holiday.

The secretary of states office has supported her claims. Keith Ingram, the state election director, said the office precisely changed its rules in 2014 to forbid what Jones is trying to do.

The new rule came after campaigns wanted the provisional voter list in Williamson County after a 2014 judicial race was decided by 12 votes, Ingram said. The county granted their request.

The secretary of states office thought it should have been withheld, and it changed its rules to forbid release of the voter lists until ballot boards finish their work.

Secretary of State spokesman Sam Taylor said our agencys rule ensures that voters are not bothered by campaigns after the election.

Voters who cast provisional ballots because they did not meet ID requirements  the only votes that can be cured by voters  are given a notice at the polls with instructions, the deadline and a map to their county registrars office.

Any additional notice from a campaign would be redundant and potentially confusing to voters, Taylor said.

The Jones campaign said it has not received an official response from Bexar County authorities regarding its request. The attorney general, which rules on public records disputes, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

The small margin in the race has elections officials in the districts 29 counties furiously trying to tally outstanding ballots that were not included in figures from the election last Tuesday. Those include the provisional ballots, mail or absentee ballots, which were accepted until 5 p.m. Wednesday, and military and overseas ballots, which can arrive through Tuesday.

For the most part, the task of reviewing those votes falls to each countys early voting ballot board.

OnExpressNews.com: Beto bump tightened race between Hurd and Jones

At least 850 such votes are outstanding in the district, according to elections officials in 17 of the districts 29 counties that provided numbers to the San Antonio Express-News. Those counties made up about 90 percent of the vote Tuesday. It remains unclear how many of the votes will ultimately count.

Bexar County officials last week released the result of 446 votes the county had tallied since Tuesday. Jones gained a net 70 votes, bringing the margin to 1,080 votes.

County Judge Nelson Wolff, a Democrat, also supported Callanen. He said he spoke with Secretary of State Rolando Pablos early Monday about the concerns the officials raised in their letter.

The state sets the legislation, the secretary of the state sets the rules, we have to carry it out, Wolff said. To the best of my knowledge, Jacque has followed the law.

All ballots will be received by Tuesday. The official result may not be known until the first week of December.WASHINGTON  The first trial challenging the Trump administrations plan to ask people in the 2020 census if they are U.S. citizens has unearthed evidence that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross began pushing for the question even before he was confirmed last year, and that Ross took advice from anti-immigration hardliners.

In U.S. District Court in New Yorks Southern District, the trial could conclude this week amid speculation that the Supreme Court likely will decide the issue. The case is on a fast track given the need to make printing arrangements soon for millions of census questionnaires.

Another suit, filed by groups in Texas - where an undercount of Latinos could have profound consequences - is scheduled to be heard in federal court in January and alleges a conspiracy to violate civil rights.

Critics of including the question in the census say that Texas, with an estimated 1.6 million undocumented immigrants, has much to lose by an undercount of Latinos. Texas stands to add three congressional districts after the next census because of population shifts. In addition, an inaccurate count threatens Texass share of the $600 billion in federal funds distributed by population.

Trump allies contend that the government has unlimited authority to conduct the census and that its reasonable to collect information on the number of undocumented immigrants in the country, data that can help allocate government services.

Ross has persisted with demands to ask the citizenship question despite worries by many - including his own Census Bureau  that it would jeopardize an accurate count of minorities.

Related: Why a Houston lawmaker is joining a lawsuit against the U.S. census

Earlier this month, a report commissioned by the Census Bureau concluded that asking the question could pose a major barrier to the willingness of some Latinos to fill out the forms.

Focus group participants expressed intense fear that information will be shared with other government agencies to help them find undocumented immigrants, the report concluded, adding that Latinos did not believe the Census Bureaus promise of confidentiality.

The case in New York  brought by sixteen states, seven cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors  argues that asking the question violates the Constitutions requirement to conduct an actual enumeration of the population.

Five former Census Bureau directors from both Republican and Democratic administrations have entered the case supporting claims against the government, among them Steven Murdock, a Rice University sociologists who led the census under George W. Bush,

Im concerned about it, Murdock said. I think that for many people with uncertain status that the inclusion of that type of question is going to cause them not to respond.

Murdock added in an interview: One could say theyre not citizens. But theyre people that counties and other jurisdictions provide for, and its very difficult to plan budgets and delivery of their services without actual numbers.

Ex-Trump adviser Bannon was advocate

Emails that surfaced in the New York case spell out involvement by a list of people including former Trump advisor Stephen Bannon and Kris Kobach, who headed the abolished Commission on Voter Fraud. Kobach last week lost to a Democrat in the race for governor in red-state Kansas.

The emails raise questions about Rosss reasons for changing the census form and his truthfulness with Congress.

For subscribers: Census citizenship question draws fire

Last March, Ross announced the decision to add the question to the 2020 census: Is this person a citizen of the United States? Shortly before, he testified in Congress that the decision was solely at the request of the Justice Department for use in enforcing the Voting Rights Act.

But emails disclosed that long before, Ross was pressing the Census Bureau  over which he presides  and a reluctant Justice Department to proceed with the question.

I am mystified why nothing has been done in response to my months-old request that we include the citizenship question, he wrote in May 2017 to Commerce Department aides.

Despite telling Congress he had no contact with the White House on the matter, emails showed that he had talked on the phone with Bannon that spring. The topic was Bannons request that Ross speak with Kobach, Kansas secretary of state at the time and a hardliner on immigration policy in national circles.

In an email from Kobach to Ross that became part of the court record, Kobach suggests wording for the citizenship question. He noted the problem that aliens who do not actually reside in the United States are still counted for congressional reapportionment purposes.

The politics underlying the question has been a concern of Democrats in Congress, who are expected to be aggressive in overseeing the census next year after winning control of the U.S. House seats in the midterm elections.

The Trump re-election arm has cheered the initiative, proclaiming to its contact list earlier this year that the president wants the United States 2020 census to ask people whether or not theyre citizens. In another era, this would be common sense.

Texas suit alleges conspiracy

The Census Bureaus American Community Survey, which gathers information for a variety of reasons, asks people about their citizenship and where they were born. But the question has not appeared on the decennial count of the population since Harry Truman was president.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform, which presses for immigration limits, is among groups pressing the administration to hold firm.

You have to think that the people opposing it dont want this information to be collected and revealed, said federation spokesman Ira Mehlman.

Mehlman argued that fears about release of information to Border Patrol agents are ridiculous. Youre talking about how people out there in the streets with T-shirts that say Undocumented and Unafraid are going to be terrified by a question on an anonymous form, he said.

All told, six suits have been filed to block the question. A consolidated case will be argued in Maryland on behalf of the Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus, the Texas House Hispanic Caucus, La Union Del Pueblo Entero, a Rio Grande Valley group, the San Antonio-based Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and other organizations.

In alleging conspiracy, the suit on behalf of the Texas interests goes beyond what is being argued in the New York court. The complaint alleges a deliberate effort by Ross and others to deprive immigrants and minorities of their rights to equal representation and fair allocation of federal money.

I think its pretty clear that Ross was conspiring with Bannon and Kobach to get the request form for the question from the Justice Department and then get it granted, said Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which is representing the groups in court.

This has special significance in Texas, which gained new representation in Congress last time because of increasing Latino and African American population, he said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct a spelling error in Kris Kobach's name.Re: U.S. is not at war with immigrants, Editorial, Nov. 5:

One of the definitions of war is hostility or struggle. This is not happening right now but could occur if one of the caravans decides it will invade the U.S. southern border en masse and try to overwhelm the Border Patrol and any military group at that point of entry, then disperse throughout the countryside.

And if they are successful, future caravans will take the same approach, and then it would be a war to defend our borders and this countrys sovereignty from these migrants. We would be at war with the migrants because they want what we have and they dont want to go through the legal immigration process to get it.

We understand their struggles in their country of origin. But why dont they use the same amount of effort they are taking at our southern borders and use it to overthrow their countrys current government? Why arent they seeking asylum in the first country available to them, Mexico? No, they seem to want all or nothing in the United States, and that is not acceptable to this country. If the U.S. cannot take care of its own poor and its war veterans then it has no right to care for these illegal aliens who are invading our borders.

Robert M. Louie, Houston

Unequal justice

I am a natural-born U.S. citizen, and I defended this country with 24 years of service in the Navy. If I commit an illegal act I cant expect to receive benefits from our government for my lawless action. But if I hail from a foreign country and I manage to illegally cross the border, what might I expect from our government for this lawless action?

Under our current immigration system, if I simply claim that I am fearful of returning to my home country, I will most likely be released into the U.S. to wait many years for a hearing to determine if I deserve asylum. I can begin to enjoy many of the benefits of being on American soil.

If I choose to disappear into the fabric of this country and never report for my asylum hearing, I can likely live out my life in this country as an illegal alien. If I choose to return for my asylum hearing, I have the prospect of legally enjoying all the benefits this great country provides for the rest of my life.

This is the way our current legal system works, but this is surely not equal justice under the law.

Billie W. Wieland, Spring Branch

Greatest for whom?

Donald Trump likes to say this is the greatest economy in history. Trumps words only add to his 4,230 lies  per Washington Post fact-checkers.

Is it really great when 80 percent of U.S. workers live paycheck to paycheck (according to The Guardian)? Its very difficult for most American families to stay afloat even with two or three paychecks. At the same time, we have 18 million living in extreme poverty, according to the United Nations, with 1 of 4 of those children deprived of basic human needs  food, clean water, health care, shelter and education.

Yet, Trump and his 1 percent of the wealthiest people in the U.S. will get 82 percent of last years Republican tax cuts (by 2027). How will that get paid for? If this is the greatest, then greatest economy for whom? Only the 1 percent. The rest of us will be fighting Republican attempts to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Thats how they want to pay for their tax cuts.

Adam Castillo

Err on side of PC

What is political correctness? Where does one draw the line?

A Saturday Night Live comedian mocks an injured war veteran; if the comedian is chastised, is that being politically correct? Megyn Kelly makes a stupid and insensitive comment about blackface she is roundly criticized by some in the media, then the same for NBC for political correctness. Some say she was fired for her comment, and thats viewed as a travesty. Kelly was fired because her ratings were tanking. She will walk away with a healthy settlement and live to host another show.

One persons accusation of political correctness is anothers racial and gender slur. What happened to common decency, human respect and consideration? What have we gained if that is lost? I would rather err on the side of political correctness.

Pamela Wessel, Bulverde

Sad cemeteries

My sister, visiting from Vermont, expressed an interest in seeing the cemeteries all decked out for Dia de los Muertos.

As we drove though San Fernando No. 2 and No. 3, we were appalled at the condition of the cemeteries. I wonder if the person responsible for the overall condition of cemeteries has gone to inspect them. The grounds are in need of major work. Headstones are covered with grass and weeds. The grass is in need of mowing, trimming and edging. Trash cans were upturned. The veterans section of San Fernando No. 3 is an insult to those buried there.

If I understand their website, the Archdiocese of San Antonio is responsible for these cemeteries. The archbishop should take a stroll through them. Folks who have loved ones buried there should be raising holy hell.

Chuck Wiatrowski

DST useless

Re: Clock has run out on senseless daylight saving time, by state Rep. Lyle Larson, Another View, Nov. 5:

Larson is right on the money about daylight savings time. DST is an anachronistic nuisance that long ago outlasted any benefit it may have ever had. DST is nothing more than a useless and absurd ritual. Texas should lead the way in abolishing it. Millions of laying hens and dairy cattle will thank us.

Jon Kindred, Army colonel, retired, BanderaJessica Hill / Associated Press

FAIRFIELD - Sacred Heart University on Wednesday night will host a post-election analysis of the statewide election, featuring a panel that includes a pollster, a professor and two reporters.

The event, which will begin at 7 p.m. will be held in the universitys Martine Forum, at 5401 Park Avenue. What Happened and What Lies in Store for Connecticut, is free and open to the public. The discussion will be moderated by Lesley DeNardis, director of the universitys Institute for Public Policy and director of the Master of Public Administration program.Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. is an early-stage contract research company, which provides essential products and services to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, government agencies and academic institutions. It operates through the following segments: Research Models & Services, Discovery & Safety Assessment and Manufacturing Support. The Research Models & Services segment comprises of the production and sale of research models, and also offers services designed to support its client's use of research models in screening non-clinical drug candidates. The Discovery & Safety Assessment segment offers discovery and safety assessment services, both regulated and non-regulated, in which it include both in vivo and in vitro studies, supporting laboratory services, and strategic preclinical consulting and program management to support product development. The Manufacturing Support segment provides endotoxin and microbial detection, avian vaccine and biologics testing solutions. The company was founded by Henry L. Foster in 1947 and is headquartered in Wilmington, MA.

Read MoreiShares MSCI Taiwan ETF's stock was trading at $36.70 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWT shares have increased by 80.3% and is now trading at $66.16.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.iShares MSCI Denmark ETF's stock was trading at 60.79 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EDEN stock has increased by 84.7% and is now trading at 112.29.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.by Geordi Gustafson | Tue, Nov 13th 12:10am EST

Jeff Teague finished with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, and had 11 assists, three steals, and one rebound while logging 35 minutes in Minnesota's 120-113 win over Brooklyn on Monday night.By Tracy Turner | Ohio State Chow Line

I bought two turkeys last November, with the intent to cook one at Thanksgiving and the second one for New Years Day. We ended up going to a friends house on New Years instead, so now I still have the frozen turkey from last year in my freezer. Is it safe to cook it for our Thanksgiving meal this year?

Great question!

Yes, you can still safely cook that turkey as long as it has been stored in the freezer unopened and uninterrupted and stored at or below 0 F, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Thats because freezing keeps food safe by slowing the movement of molecules, causing microbes to enter a dormant stage, USDA says. Freezing preserves food for extended periods because it prevents the growth of microorganisms that cause both food spoilage and foodborne illness.

However, in order to safeguard against the potential growth of harmful bacteria that may have been present on the bird before it was frozen, its important to use safe methods to thaw the turkey before cooking, said Sanja Ilic, the state food safety specialist for Ohio State University Extension. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University (CFAES).

Thawing a frozen turkey

There are three safe ways to thaw a frozen turkey: in the refrigerator, in a container of cold water or in a microwave.

The best method is to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator even though it is also the longest method, Ilic says. This allows the turkey to thaw in a controlled environment out of the temperature danger zone  between 40 and 140 degrees  where bacteria can multiply rapidly.

Turkeys thawed in the refrigerator take one day for each 4-5 pounds of weight. So, for example, if your turkey weighs 15 pounds, it can take three days to thaw. And, once thawed, you should cook the turkey within two days to ensure safety.

If you need to thaw the turkey faster, you can place it in a container or sink and submerge it in cold water. But its important that the turkey stay cold, so you need to ensure that the turkey is completely submerged in cold water by replacing the water with fresh cold water every 30 minutes. Turkeys thawed using this method will need 30 minutes of defrosting time per pound.

You can also thaw your turkey in the microwave by taking it out of its packaging and placing it on a microwave-safe dish. Use the defrost function based on the turkeys weight, USDA says. Generally, allow six minutes per pound to thaw. Once the turkey has thawed, you should cook it immediately.

Cooking a Thanksgiving turkey

When cooking your turkey, its best not to stuff it with dressing (or stuffing depending on what you call it), because uncooked poultry can harbor bacterial pathogens, which can be present both on the inside and outside of a raw turkey.

To ensure that youve destroyed the bacteria, which can cause foodborne illnesses, cook your turkey until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F before you serve it. Otherwise, it will not be safe to eat, USDA says.

And, be sure to use a digital tip-sensitive food thermometer to determine its actual temperature. While other methods have been used in many a kitchen, such as how golden brown the turkey looks or if the juices run clear, they dont provide an accurate measurement of how safely done the bird is.

Chow Line is a service of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and its outreach and research arms, OSU Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Send questions to Chow Line, c/o Tracy Turner, 364 W. Lane Ave., Suite B120, Columbus, OH 43201, or turner.490@osu.edu.MOUNT HOPE, Ohio  Switching your dairy herd to a grain-free operation is a big decision that requires careful planning and insight.

That was part of the message that three dairy farmers tried to get across during a panel discussion at the fourth annual Organic Farming Conference, held Nov. 8-9 at the Mt. Hope Event Center.

Make a plan in advance, so that youre not doing that sudden stop, advised Cheyenne Christianson, who operates an 80-cow dairy in northwestern Wisconsin. His family joined Organic Valley in 1999 and their organic herd has been grain-free for 20 years.

Other panelists were Aaron Hershberger, a dairyman from Mount Hope who gave up the grain in 2017, and Brent Beidler, an organic farmer from Vermont, who recently sold his grain-free herd. The panel was moderated by dairy farmer Myron Martin, who operates Peace Hollow Farm, a grain-free operation near Knoxville, Maryland.

Pasture acres

According to the panelists, dairy graziers need to account for additional pasture needs, drought and inclement weather, and the unique challenges and opportunities of where they farm. Martin reminded those attending to think of unique circumstances in their own region, including the weather patterns and also the ability of the soil to produce enough forage.

Grain-free dairies can use grazing during the growing season, but they also have options with dry hay and baleage, which allows them to bale and wrap at higher moisture. And, based on experience, the panelists said the cows often prefer the baleage over the dry hay.

Cow behavior

Hershberger said its also important to watch the cows, and learn from their behaviors. As a young dairyman, he said he often has more questions than answers, but hes learning a lot just by watching cow behavior, and what they will and will not eat.

Grain-free dairy farmers can also feed supplements, as needed, but they come at a cost. Molasses is a common supplement, although there are many others.

Christianson said his goal is to be self-sufficient as a dairy farm, producing as much of his feed and bedding as possible. But other panelists said that even when they have to buy from other farms, its not necessarily bad, because its a way of bringing in more nutrients that end up in the pasture.

Asked about the greatest challenge to profitability, Christianson said its often balancing the number of cows to the farm. In his case, he said he probably has more cows than he needs, but cutting back takes a planned effort.

Hershberger said his biggest challenge is improving soil fertility and cow genetics.

Farmers often see a decrease in milk production when going grain-free, but production can be rebuilt over time, the panelists said.

Sometimes, grain-free dairies just flat out have to be creative, and determined.

When you put yourself in a situation, or the situation puts you in a situation, and you have to, you will, Martin said.

Other topics

The keynote speaker for the day was Gary Zimmer, an organic farmer and founder of Midwestern BioAg, a soil health and nutrient company based in Wisconsin, and with a location in Bellefountaine, Ohio.

Zimmer gave two talks on the importance of soil biology and how to test and prepare soils in a way that gets biology working.

He is known as the father of biological farming, and has authored books on the topic, and given speeches internationally on how to build and maintain healthy soils.

The two-day event also included sessions on raising organic row crops, beekeeping, heritage livestock breeds, organic vegetable production, and various cooking and home care sessions.HERSHEY, Pa.  Marie Canon, of Mercer County, received the Pennsylvania Farm Bureaus Outstanding Woman in Agriculture Award during the farm organizations 68th annual meeting in Hershey Nov. 12-14.

Canon, who is an active worker on the family dairy and crop farm in West Middlesex, is being recognized for her decades of outreach to the public through her promotion of agriculture.

Canon has a long history of opening the barn doors for visits by school children and residents of the local community.

Ive always enjoyed having children on the farm, showing them how we care for our baby calves and cows, how dairy barns are designed for the comfort of our animals, how much it takes to feed the cows and how overall cow comfort helps us produce more milk, said Canon. In addition, the kids absolutely love seeing the cows being milked by our robots.

Canon has hosted school children on the family farm for the past 27 years, reaching more than 1,000 children.

Busy ag promoter

She is a member of the Pennsylvania State Dairy Promotion Board and an active member of PFBs Ag Promotion Committee. Canon participates in a variety of activities with the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation, including assisting with the Mobile Ag Ed Science Lab during a local community food bank visit and participating as a reader to hundreds of primary school students as part of PFBs Ag Literacy Week.

Canon also demonstrated robotic technology in front of about 125 representatives from the county and local schools during a Chamber of Commerce event called TechBrek. Canons farm was the first in Mercer County to use a robotic milking machine for their dairy cows.

People constantly refer to Maries proactive and can-do attitude and her love of talking with school children about farm life and food production, said PFB President Rick Ebert. Marie is involved in every aspect of the farm and believes in sharing her experience and knowledge with others through her Pass it Along vision.

Brunch on the Farm

Canons family farm has hosted numerous farm tours over the years, including Mercer County Farm Bureaus 2017 Brunch on the Farm. After having brunch in a nearby park, nearly 500 people were transported to her farm to interact with five agricultural education stations.

Agriculture education is the key, Canon emphasized.A group of vets has accused Defra of telling "barefaced lies" about the progress of the badger cull in England.

Prion Interest Group has written to the UK's Chief Vet, Dr Christine Middlemiss, asking her to ensure Defra retracts "insupportable claims that its badger cull policy is working".

Defra Farming Minister George Eustice announced reductions in new outbreaks of bovine TB were recorded in Gloucestershire and Somerset following the completion of their licensed four-year badger culls.

The data, published on 13 September, showed a decline in TB incidence in the first two cull areas with the rate of new confirmed breakdowns now at about half the level they were before culling began.

In the Gloucestershire cull area, the data showed TB incidence fell from 10.4% before culling started to 5.6% in year four of the cull, while in Somerset it has reduced from 24% to 12%.

But Dr Iain McGill, a veterinary surgeon and director of Prion Interest Group, told BBC News that Defra's claims that badger culling lowered bovine TB cases in cull zones amounts to "barefaced lies".

"According to Defra's figures, they claim that they calculated that the incidence [of TB in cattle] has reduced," Dr McGill said.

"But their calculations are unclear and deliberately opaque. And, indeed, the current situation in the cull zone says there is an increased prevalence."

He added: "So, either their figures were calculated on an extremely inaccurate basis and they've got it very badly wrong, or they have actually gerrymandered those figures to make it look as if the incidence is falling when the evidence clearly shows that the prevalence has gone up.

"Badger culling has not worked. They are issuing barefaced lies in this matter."

However, a Defra spokesman said all statements had been "absolutely correct".

It follows an open letter released in October, published in The Observer from veterinary and animal welfare figures, calling on Mr Eustice to retract the statement he made in September about the badger cull progress.

The open letter requested that Defra release the data upon which their calculations for incidence and prevalence are based.

England has the highest incidence of bovine TB in Europe and the disease costs taxpayers over 100m every year.

In 2017 more than 33,000 cattle had to be slaughtered in England to control the disease.Farmers must take greater responsibility for on-farm controls, biosecurity and safe trading practices to stop bovine TB from spreading, according to major new review.

The Godfray review, led Sir Charles Godfray into the Governments 25-year bovine TB eradication strategy, has been published on Tuesday (13 November).

The report, which was commissioned by Defra Secretary Michael Gove in February, aims to inform future strategies around the Governments goal of eradicating the disease by 2038.

Bovine TB is a devastating disease. Last year more than 33,000 cattle were slaughtered in England because of it and more than 3,800 farms that had been clear of the disease were affected by it.

The report's main findings are:

 The farming industry must take greater responsibility for on-farm controls, biosecurity and safe trading practices to stop the disease spreading

 More can be done to help farmers make purchasing decisions reflecting the risks of cattle being infected

 Evidence shows that badgers do transmit bovine TB to cattle and contribute to the persistence of the disease

 Disease reduction would benefit from greater flexibility and agility in adapting bovine TB control measures as new research findings emerge

 A new independent body on disease control would be helpful to take over disease control operations from APHA, Natural England and local authorities

The Review Panel said it is "acutely aware" of the "burden" bovine TB places on the welfare and well-being of farmers and their families, and the distress many people feel about badger culling.

'Horrible and complex disease'

In response to the report, the NFU said it wishes to see the eradication of bTB as quickly as possible while retaining a viable cattle industry.

NFU Vice President Stuart Roberts said: To tackle this disease it is crucial that we use every tool available to us, including cattle testing, cattle movement controls, on-farm biosecurity, vaccination and control of the reservoir of disease in wildlife in areas where it is endemic.

No farmer has ever wanted to see their herd affected by this horrible and complex disease. The industry has stepped up to work with Government in tackling bTB."

Mr Roberts added: Farmers are already taking a range of steps to protect themselves against this disease, with measures like securing feed stores, double fencing fields to stop nose-to-nose contact with cattle on adjoining farms, and preventing wildlife accessing buildings to help mitigate the risk of the disease spreading.

The Godfray review suggests more can be done but the question many cattle keepers have is which measures bring the greatest disease control benefits," he said.

'Extremely concerned'

Animal welfare and green groups have criticised the report for recommending that badger culling continue.

The Wildlife Trusts said it is "extremely concerned" that the report recommends the policy continues, saying it "flies in the face of robust scientific evidence".

Ellie Brodie, Senior Policy Manager of The Wildlife Trusts said: The Wildlife Trusts believe that cattle and not badgers should be the focus of efforts to eradicate bTB.

Only 1 in 20 cases of bTB herd infections are transmitted directly from badgers, so culling badgers is not the answer. Several scientific studies have demonstrated that culling increases the prevalence of bTB in the badger population, and results in it spreading to other areas.

She added: We believe that more must be done by both the government and farmers to improve farm biosecurity and cattle movement controls.

The review is now with Ministers who will consider its recommendations before publishing a response, setting out the next steps for the bTB Strategy.The UK and Scottish Government have been told to solve their differences on the Agriculture Bill so a new Scottish agricultural policy is made ready for Brexit.

Letters sent by NFU Scotland to Defra Secretary Michael Gove and Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy, Fergus Ewing urge the two to make progress and to break the current political log jam.

At present, the Scottish Government has refused to participate in the Agriculture Bill and is keeping open the option of introducing its own Scottish Agriculture Bill to the Scottish Parliament.

The main thrust of the Bill is to establish a new framework for agricultural policy in England and for the Welsh and Northern Irish administrations, who have opted in.

The UK Governments Agriculture Bill was published in September and is currently receiving scrutiny in the House of Commons.

The Bill is enabling legislation, providing broad powers to current and future governments to provide financial assistance and make other policy interventions around land use and agriculture after the UKs departure from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

'Politicised'

But according to the NFU Scotland, the Bill has become "politicised". It has called for "meaningful progress" to be made between the UK Government and Scottish Government, and farmers are "desperate" for certainty and confidence.

NFU Scotland, Director of Policy Jonnie Hall said: The politicisation of the process has, so far, been unhelpful and we must see meaningful progress between the two governments soon.

We need the very best outcomes for Scottish agriculture, so it is vital that both Holyrood and Westminster act with urgency and establish a satisfactory outcome for all sides."

He added: The real prize from exiting the EU is to move away from the CAP, while developing and implementing new agricultural policies that are bespoke to the unique and differing needs of the UK.

This will only happen if both governments break the current impasse and play their respective and complementary roles."

'Legal framework'

Due to the continued Brexit stand-off between UK and Scottish ministers on the principle of agreeing common, UK-wide frameworks, the Scottish Government has chosen not to take any powers in the Agriculture Bill.

This means that it is uncertain how the legal framework on which a new Scottish agricultural policy is developed will be enabled.

Mr Hall said: If the requirements of both governments can be met, then Scottish Ministers could take up the option to include a Schedule, right up to the final stages of the Bill.

"An alternative possibility is that Scottish Government introduces its own Bill on agricultural matters to the Scottish Parliament.

But with the current absence of a clear commitment from the Scottish Government to take such an alternative route, it is our current view that a Schedule should be included in the Agriculture Bill, if the Bill is amended to allay concerns in other areas."

He added: If the Scottish Government were to take up the offer of having a Schedule inserted into the Bill, that would provide the necessary legal basis upon which Scotland could continue beyond Brexit with agricultural policies with very similar objectives and operations to existing measures, such as Voluntary Coupled Support and the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme.

Moreover, it could also provide the vehicle to design and implement new measures that deliver an improved Scottish agricultural policy that is more fitting to the needs of our unique agricultural profile," he said.The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.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:Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release

SubCategory Select Sub-CategoryDeepika - Ranveer Wedding: Complete detail of Sangeet ceremony & performances | FilmiBeat

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's sangeet and mehendi ceremony is all set to begin in just a few minutes at the Villa Del Belbianello and their near and dear ones are in full attendance soaking into the wedding spirit.

The whole atmosphere is soulful and filled with sufi music and along with their family members, the couple's hairstylist, make-up artists and managers are present as well.

Their sangeet and mehendi ceremony is scheduled to begin around 11 am Italian time and it is reported that the couple will shake a leg to songs from Band Baaja Baaraat and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani among others.

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are all set to tie the knot on November 14 and 15 and have requested all the guests to not carry their mobile phones as they don't want any of their pictures to be leaked to the media. Anyway, here's wishing Deepika and Ranveer a life full of happiness, joy and well-being.

Rakhi Sawant: Tanushree Dutta Had Lesbian S*x With Me & She Has Raped Other Women Too, I Have ProofMarvel Comic Icon Stan Lee passed away yesterday (November 12, 2018) ages 95. the cause of his death has not been revealed. According to the sources, he was rushed to the hospital in Los Angeles where he passed away. Stan Lee had appeared in all of the Marvel films and even made a cameo in Avengers 4, which is due to release in May 2019. As soon as the news about his death broke, several Hollywood celebrities took to their Twitter handle to mourn the loss. This is what Chris Patt, Chris Evan and more celebrities had to say about losing a legendary star.

Chris Evan Tweeted, "There will never be another Stan Lee. For decades he provided both young and old with adventure, escape, comfort, confidence, inspiration, strength, friendship and joy. He exuded love and kindness and will leave an indelible mark on so, so, so many lives. Excelsior!!" - (sic)

Chriss Patt said, "Thanks for everything Stan Lee! What a life, so well lived. I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have gotten to meet you and to have played in the world you created." Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds also Tweeted, "Damn... RIP Stan. Thanks for everything." - (sic)

Hugh Grant wrote, "We've lost a creative genius. Stan Lee was a pioneering force in the superhero universe. I'm proud to have been a small part of his legacy and .... to have helped bring one of his characters to life. #StanLee #Wolverine" - (sic)

Hollywood actress Zoe Saldana also mourned Stan Lee's death saying, "Today we lost one of the greats. @TheRealStanLee, you were a inspiration and superhero to us all. Thank you for contributing so much- and giving us all something to aspire to!" - (sic)

Mark Ruffalo Tweeted, "Sad, sad day. Rest In Power, Uncle Stan. You have made the world a better place through the power of modern mythology and your love of this messy business of being human..." - (sic)It has been over a year since the release of the Malayalam song Jimikki Kammal. The superhit Malayalam song emerged as a big sensation with the song getting lapped up by not just the Malayalam film audiences alone but also the other language audiences as well. As a result, the song went on to set some new records on YouTube in terms of view counts.

Meanwhile, the craze surroounding this Malayalam song denies to settle down and the fact that the song has been used in one of the upcoming Tamil movies is indeed a testimony of the fact. The song Jimikki Kammal has been used in the Tamil movie Kattrin Mozhi, starring Jyothika in the lead role.

The same Malayalam song has been used in the movie and in this version, Jyothika and the rest of the cast of the movie could be seen grooving to the tunes of this song with some fresh dance steps. The video of the same has hit the online circuits and it has opened to a good reception. Kaatrin Mozhi will be hitting the theatres on November 16, 2018.

The Malayalam song Jimikki Kammal is from the movie Velipadinte Pusthakam, starring Mohanlal in the lead role. The superhit song has been set to tune by Shaan rahman and the song penned by Anil Panachooran has been sung by Vineeth Sreenivasan and Ranjith Unni.Television actors Prince Narula and Yuvika Chaudhary got married recently following years of dating. Prince and Yuvika first met on Bigg Boss 9, fell in love with each other and there was no looking back. They got engaged in January this year and got married exactly one month ago in Mumbai. Today, (November 13, 2018) marks their first month anniversary. Prince Narula shared video on his Instagram handle to celebrate the day and had the sweetest message for his wife.

Prince captioned the video as, "Happy one month anniversary beba ,I love u so much my princess .waheguru hamesha hume ase rakhe @yuvikachaudhary #blessed #waheguru" - (sic). The video consisted of some of the most beautiful pictures from their fairy tale wedding.

After the wedding, Prince and Yuvika took off to Maldives for their honeymoon. The duo shared pictures from the post wedding vacation on Instagram and the love between the two was showcased in every picture and video that they shared.

Fans congradulated Prince and Yuvika on their first month anniversary. The comments read, "@amanprince5714 congratulations sir for your 1 month marriage anniversary sir both are adroble couple love you @princenarula sir" and "@madhu1978Yuvika u r so pretty, u both look awesome together ..  many many congratulations to both of u .. God bless u" - (sic)

MOST READ : Oh No! Hina Khan Injures Herself While Trying To Do This! Shares The Sad News With Fans

Another fan said, "God bless you both.... Such a great and lovely couple... All the best wishes to you both... U guys are truly Adorable... I seriously don't have words to describe my feelings when I see Ur pics and videos... I get so overwhelmed.. I pray to God to keep u both together and happy like this forever and ever... love your love... Stay blessed together... Be happy together for ever and ever and ever....." - (sic)

{document1}Kapil Jokes That He Tried To Stop Wedding But In Vain!

Regarding his wedding, Kapil was quoted by HT as saying, "Maine shaadi rokne ki bahut koshish ki, par kuch nahin hua (laughs)." He adds, "Jokes apart, I am ecstatic to be with Ginni and I know this marriage will be a huge change in my life. Discipline aayega. She takes good care of me and is a huge support in my life. People like me are surrounded by many people at work or events or otherwise, but when you come home, ghar khali lagta hai."

Kapil & Ginnis Love Story

Kapil met Ginni during college and introduced her to his mother. Since there was a huge difference in their social status, things didn't move forward. Later, he came to Mumbai and rarely met her. He says, "We did not have the usual dating scenario as both our families are conservative. Last year, when I was going through a low phase, she was there with me throughout. That's when I felt that if she is with me during my low phase, then she is the one for me. I can rely on her."

Kapil Announced His Love For Ginni In 2017

It has to be recalled that Kapil introduced Ginni to his fans and announced his love for her in March 2017. But later there was no news about the same, when asked about that, he told the leading daily, "Back then, we had decided that we would get married but due to my hectic schedule, we couldn't lock a date. My mum stays in Amritsar and worries about me. Now that I am getting married, I think it was destined. I feel marriage is an essential part in our lives as it brings stability."

Kapil Feels Marriage Is The Best Thing To Happen To Him

"Then the next phase is parenthood, which is another important step in a person's life. I have seen people change after marriage, as they want to go home to be with their wives or kids. I want to experience it all as well. Being a bachelor, having your fun is good but only for a while. Later, it becomes routine and then you look for stability. I feel marriage is the best thing to happen to me."

The Comedian Talks About His Struggle

About last one year, where he was surrounded with controversy and had to step back from his public life, the actor-comedian says, "During the last year, I realised that I've never given time to myself. I have been working for 14 years and it has been non-stop, with one project right after the other on TV. I realised that one should take a break and rejuvenate."

He Says That it Was Self realisation Phase For Him

"This time was a self realisation phase for me. I travelled a lot and went to Holland, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, etc. I spent a lot of time with my family and friends and realised that everybody loves me so much. It's important to earn money but it is also important to spend quality time with your loved ones. In the last 3-4 months, I have been to Amritsar three times while in all these years, I used to go once in a year for just two days."

Kapil Crosses 11 Million Mark On Instagram

Meanwhile, Kapil, who has great fan following, crossed 11 Million mark on Instagram. He took to social media to thank fans. He shared a note on his Instagram story which said, "Thank U for making it 11 Millions." - (sic)NANJING, China, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 28, the 2018 GCHERA World Agriculture Prize (WAP) Ceremony and the "Belt and Road" Cooperation Forum on Agricultural Education and Research were held in Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU). Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, professor of the University of Ghana and Rattan Lal, professor of Ohio State University, won the 2018 World Agriculture Prize for their outstanding achievements in crop breeding and soil sustainable management.

More than 100 leaders, experts of agricultural-related universities from 15 countries including the United States, Canada, and South Africa etc., gathered in NAU. Together with nearly 1,000 faculties and students from NAU, they took the opportunity of the WAP Ceremony to discuss global agricultural research and education innovation in life sciences.

Prof. Danquah has long been committed to the breeding development and promotion of local high-quality crop varieties. Three high-yielding maize hybrids released in Ghana have significantly improved corn productivity. In 2007, he promoted the establishment of the West Africa Center for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana. Prof. Danquah promoted the University of Ghana to establish an international master's degree in seed science and biotechnology center, making the University of Ghana one of the best endowed, focused and supported higher educational institutions for agriculture and the life sciences in all Sub-Saharan Africa.

Prof. Lal has long been concerned about agroecosystems and the sustainable management of soil resources, and believes that "the health of soil, plants, animals, humans and ecological areas is an inseparable whole". 40 years ago, he carried out the world's first research on the effects of deforestation on climate, oil and crop growth. Since 1987, he has been working to improve crop output and quality, reduce chemical use, mitigate climate change and restore soil health by regulating the storage and management of organic carbon concentrations in the soil.

WAP is an international award established by Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agricultural and Life Sciences (GCHERA). The prize aims to encourage individuals who have made outstanding contributions to education, research and innovation in agricultural and life sciences. It includes agriculture, forestry, natural resources, food, bio-based products, biomass energy, rural development, natural environment and other fields.

WAP was formally proposed by both Prof. Zhai Huqu, former President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and Prof. Zhou Guanghong, President of NAU on October 20, 2012 on NAU's 110th anniversary. It was approved by the General Assembly at the GCHERA Executive Committee Uruguay meeting on October 29, 2012. The GCHERA WAP has been awarded six times in succession, which has exerted a wide range of influence at home and abroad, contributing to global exchange and cooperation in related fields, and has inspired international scientists on innovation in agriculture and life sciences around the world.

For more information, please visit: http://wapcn.njau.edu.cn/The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.- Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive disease, with high unmet medical need -

- If approved, this Tecentriqcombination would be the first cancer immunotherapy regimen for the treatment of PD-L1-positive, metastatic triple-negative breast cancer -

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) and granted Priority Review for Tecentriq (atezolizumab) plus chemotherapy (Abraxane [albumin-bound paclitaxel; nab-paclitaxel]) for the initial (first-line) treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in people whose disease expresses the PD-L1 protein, as determined by PD-L1 biomarker testing. The FDA is expected to make a decision on approval by March 12, 2019. A Priority Review designation is granted to medicines that the FDA has determined to have the potential to provide significant improvements in the treatment, prevention or diagnosis of a disease.

"Tecentriq in combination with nab-paclitaxel has the potential to meaningfully advance treatment for people with PD-L1-positive, metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. People need more options for this type of breast cancer, which is particularly difficult to treat," said Sandra Horning, M.D., chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. "We are working closely with the FDA to bring this Tecentriq combination to people with PD-L1-positive, metastatic triple-negative breast cancer as soon as possible."

The sBLA is based on data from the Phase III IMpassion130 study, which was presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress and published in the New England Journal of Medicine in October 2018. Results demonstrate Tecentriq plus nab-paclitaxel as an initial (first-line) treatment for unresectable locally advanced or metastatic TNBC significantly reduced the risk of disease worsening or death (progression-free survival; PFS) compared with nab-paclitaxel alone in all randomized patients (intention-to-treat [ITT]) (median PFS=7.2 vs. 5.5 months; hazard ratio [HR]=0.80, 95% CI: 0.69-0.92, p=0.0025) and the PD-L1-positive population (median PFS=7.5 vs. 5.0 months; HR=0.62, 95% CI: 0.49-0.78, p<0.0001), a subgroup determined by PD-L1 biomarker testing. At this interim analysis, statistical significance was not met for overall survival (OS) in the ITT population (median OS=21.3 vs. 17.6 months; HR=0.84, 95% CI: 0.69-1.02, p=0.0840), but the combination showed a clinically meaningful OS improvement in the PD-L1-positive population (median OS=25.0 vs. 15.5 months; HR=0.62, 95% CI: 0.45-0.86). Due to the hierarchical statistical design, results in the PD-L1-positive population were not formally tested for statistical significance. Follow-up will continue until the next planned analysis. Safety in the Tecentriq plus nab-paclitaxel arm appeared consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual medicines, and no new safety signals were identified with the combination. Serious adverse events were reported in 23 percent of people who received Tecentriq plus nab-paclitaxel compared to 18 percent of people who received nab-paclitaxel alone.

Currently, Genentech has seven ongoing Phase III studies investigating Tecentriq in TNBC, including early and advanced stages of the disease. If approved, this Tecentriq combination would be the first cancer immunotherapy regimen for the treatment of PD-L1-positive, metastatic TNBC.

About the IMpassion130 study

The IMpassion130 study is a Phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind study evaluating the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of Tecentriq plus nab-paclitaxel compared with placebo plus nab-paclitaxel in people with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic TNBC who have not received prior systemic therapy for metastatic breast cancer. The study enrolled 902 people who were randomized equally (1:1). The co-primary endpoints are PFS per investigator assessment (RECIST 1.1) and OS. PFS and OS were assessed in all randomized patients (ITT) and in the PD-L1-positive population. Secondary endpoints include objective response rate, duration of response and time to deterioration in Global Health Status/Health-Related Quality of Life.

About triple-negative breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 269,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and more than 41,000 will die from the disease in 2018. Breast cancer is not one, but many diseases based on the biology of each tumor. In triple-negative breast cancer, tumor cells lack hormone receptors and do not have excess HER2 protein. Approximately 15 percent of breast cancers are triple-negative based on the results of diagnostic tests. It is an aggressive form of the disease with few treatment options.

About Tecentriq

Tecentriq is a monoclonal antibody designed to bind with a protein called PD-L1 expressed on tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells, blocking its interactions with both PD-1 and B7.1 receptors. By inhibiting PD-L1, Tecentriq may enable the re-activation of T cells. Tecentriq may also affect normal cells.

Abraxane is a registered trademark of Abraxis Bioscience, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Celgene Corporation.

Tecentriq U.S. Indication (pronounced 'te-SEN-trik')

Tecentriq is a prescription medicine used to treat:

A type of bladder and urinary tract cancer called urothelial carcinoma.

Tecentriq may be used when your bladder cancer: has spread or cannot be removed by surgery, and if you have any one of the following conditions you are not able to take chemotherapy that contains a medicine called cisplatin, and your doctor has tested your cancer and found high levels of a specific protein on your cancer called programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), as determined by an FDA-approved test, or you are not able to take chemotherapy that contains any platinum regardless of PD-L1 status on your cancer, or you have tried chemotherapy that contains platinum, and it did not work or is no longer working



The approval of Tecentriq in these patients is based on a study that measured response rate and duration of response. There is an ongoing study to confirm clinical benefit.

A type of lung cancer called non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Tecentriq may be used when your lung cancer : has spread or grown, and you have tried chemotherapy that contains platinum, and it did not work or is no longer working

:

If your tumor has an abnormal EGFR or ALK gene, you should have also tried an FDA-approved therapy for tumors with these abnormal genes, and it did not work or is no longer working.

It is not known if Tecentriq is safe and effective in children.

Important Safety Information

What is the most important information about Tecentriq?

Tecentriq can cause the immune system to attack normal organs and tissues and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become serious or life threatening and can lead to death.

Patients should call or see their healthcare provider right away if they get any symptoms of the following problems or these symptoms get worse.

Tecentriq can cause serious side effects, including:

Lung problems (pneumonitis) -signs and symptoms may include new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain

-signs and symptoms may include new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain Liver problems (hepatitis) -signs and symptoms of hepatitis may include yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes, severe nausea or vomiting, pain on the right side of the stomach area (abdomen), drowsiness, dark urine (tea colored), bleeding or bruising more easily than normal, and feeling less hungry than usual

-signs and symptoms of hepatitis may include yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes, severe nausea or vomiting, pain on the right side of the stomach area (abdomen), drowsiness, dark urine (tea colored), bleeding or bruising more easily than normal, and feeling less hungry than usual Intestinal problems (colitis) -signs and symptoms of colitis may include diarrhea (loose stools) or more bowel movements than usual, blood or mucous in the stools or dark, tarry, sticky stools, and severe stomach area (abdomen) pain or tenderness

-signs and symptoms of colitis may include diarrhea (loose stools) or more bowel movements than usual, blood or mucous in the stools or dark, tarry, sticky stools, and severe stomach area (abdomen) pain or tenderness Hormone gland problems (especially the thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, and pituitary) -signs and symptoms that the hormone glands are not working properly may include headaches that will not go away or unusual headaches, extreme tiredness, weight gain or weight loss, dizziness or fainting, feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual, hair loss, changes in mood or behavior (such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness), feeling cold, constipation, the voice gets deeper, urinating more often than usual, nausea or vomiting, and stomach area (abdomen) pain

-signs and symptoms that the hormone glands are not working properly may include headaches that will not go away or unusual headaches, extreme tiredness, weight gain or weight loss, dizziness or fainting, feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual, hair loss, changes in mood or behavior (such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness), feeling cold, constipation, the voice gets deeper, urinating more often than usual, nausea or vomiting, and stomach area (abdomen) pain Problems in other organs -signs and symptoms may include severe muscle weakness, numbness or tingling in hands or feet, confusion, blurry vision, double vision, or other vision problems, changes in mood or behavior, extreme sensitivity to light, neck stiffness, eye pain or redness, skin blisters or peeling, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, or swelling of the ankles

-signs and symptoms may include severe muscle weakness, numbness or tingling in hands or feet, confusion, blurry vision, double vision, or other vision problems, changes in mood or behavior, extreme sensitivity to light, neck stiffness, eye pain or redness, skin blisters or peeling, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, or swelling of the ankles Severe infections -signs and symptoms of infection may include fever, cough, flu-like symptoms, pain when urinating, and frequent urination or back pain

-signs and symptoms of infection may include fever, cough, flu-like symptoms, pain when urinating, and frequent urination or back pain Severe infusion reactions-signs and symptoms of infusion reactions may include chills or shaking, itching or rash, flushing, shortness of breath or wheezing, swelling of the face or lips, dizziness, fever, feeling like passing out, and back or neck pain

Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious. A healthcare provider may treat patients with corticosteroid or hormone replacement medicines. A healthcare provider may delay or completely stop treatment with Tecentriq if patients have severe side effects.

Before receiving Tecentriq, patients should tell their healthcare provider about all of their medical conditions, including if they:

have immune system problems (such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or lupus); have had an organ transplant; have lung or breathing problems; have liver problems; have a condition that affects the nervous system (such as myasthenia gravis or Guillain-Barre syndrome); or are being treated for an infection

are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Tecentriq can harm an unborn baby. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they become pregnant or think they may be pregnant during treatment with Tecentriq. If patients are able to become pregnant: A healthcare provider should do a pregnancy test before they start treatment with Tecentriq. They should use an effective method of birth control during their treatment and for at least 5 months after the last dose of Tecentriq.

are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Tecentriq passes into the breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment and for at least 5 months after the last dose of Tecentriq.

Patients should tell their healthcare provider about all the medicines they take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

The most common side effects of Tecentriq in people with urothelial carcinoma include:

feeling tired

decreased appetite

nausea

constipation

urinary tract infection

diarrhea

fever

The most common side effects of Tecentriq in people with non-small cell lung cancer include:

feeling tired

decreased appetite

muscle pain

cough

shortness of breath

Tecentriq may cause fertility problems in females, which may affect the ability to have children. Patients should talk to their healthcare provider if they have concerns about fertility.

These are not all the possible side effects of Tecentriq. Patients should ask their healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information. Patients should call their doctor for medical advice about side effects.

Report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or http://www.fda.gov/medwatch. Report side effects to Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.

Please visit http://www.Tecentriq.com for the Tecentriq full Prescribing Information for additional Important Safety Information.

About Genentech in breast cancer

Genentech has been advancing breast cancer research for more than 30 years with the goal of helping as many people with the disease as possible. Our medicines, along with companion diagnostic tests, have substantially improved outcomes for HER2-positive breast cancer. As our understanding of breast cancer biology rapidly improves, we are working to identify new biomarkers and approaches to treatment for other subtypes of the disease, including triple-negative and hormone receptor-positive.

About Genentech in personalized cancer immunotherapy

For more than 30 years, Genentech has been developing medicines with the goal to redefine treatment in oncology. Today, we're investing more than ever to bring personalized cancer immunotherapy (PCI) to people with cancer. The goal of PCI is to provide each person with a treatment tailored to harness his or her own immune system to fight cancer. Genentech is studying more than 20 investigational medicines, 10 of which are in clinical trials. In every study we are evaluating biomarkers to identify which people may be appropriate candidates for our medicines. For more information visit http://www.gene.com/cancer-immunotherapy.

About Genentech

Founded more than 40 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181112005851/en/

Contacts:

Genentech

Media Contact:

Courtney Aberbach, 650-467-6800

or

Advocacy Contact:

Katie Creme Henry, 202-258-8228

or

Investor Contacts:

Loren Kalm, 650-225-3217

Karl Mahler, 011 41 61 687 8503LONDON, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Io-Tahoe, a pioneer in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven data discovery and catalog products, announced it will attend two major conferences on Big Data this month in London.

Io-Tahoe will join more than 100 other leading global data solution providers and consultants at the Big Data LDN (London), which begins today. Io-Tahoe will showcase its AI-driven data discovery and catalog software from booth 133. Big Data LDN is a free to attend, two-day combined conference and exhibition focusing on how to build dynamic, data-driven enterprises. Delegates will learn from pioneers, experts and real-world case studies, discovering new tools and techniques, enabling them to deliver business value from successful data projects.

Later in the month, Io-Tahoe will also exhibit at the one-day Big Data Analytics Conference - the UK's premier event dedicated to building world-class analytics for enterprises, being held at the Park Plaza Victoria.

"AI-driven data discovery and cataloging accomplishes what organizations simply cannot achieve manually or without automation," said Lola Bhadmus, vice-president of marketing and communications at Io-Tahoe. "During these London conferences, we will demonstrate the significance of automatically discovering the hidden and implied data relationships; and show why this is the foundation to gain consistently greater insights from enterprise data."

Conference attendees at both events will be able to view a demonstration of Io-Tahoe's AI-driven data discovery and catalog product. Io-Tahoe's automated data catalog enables data and business professionals to easily create, maintain and search a business glossary of data sources and critical data relationships identified through Io-Tahoe's relationship discovery. Population of the data catalog is automated by using artificial intelligence and leveraging the discovery functionality and natural language analysis to automatically tag data. This automation facilitates smarter crowd sourcing allowing data owners, stewards and subject matter experts to define and govern multiple data rules.

As the Big Data London website notes, "Big Data is much more than simply a matter of size - it presents an opportunity to discover key insights and emerging trends in data, make business more agile, board room decisions better informed, and answer questions that have previously been considered unanswerable." The use of AI to help discover patterns across those immense amounts of data as a way of discovering those answers is seen as key to the success of today's analytics: AI has emerged as a key factor in helping companies gain continuous control of their data, as a major element of a successful data governance strategy. This is especially vital, given today's focus on the necessity for companies to be able to track all of their data, regardless of where it resides.

About Io-Tahoe

Io-Tahoe (www.io-tahoe.com) is an enterprise AI-driven data discovery and catalog product that enables enterprises to accelerate to next-generation data management practices, radically improving data governance and regulatory compliance while driving significant advancements in business analytics and technological transformation. Io-Tahoe's discovery goes beyond traditional metadata, leveraging ML and AI to look at the data themselves, automatically discovering critical, implied and often unknown relationships across an inherently heterogeneous and complex enterprise landscape.

Io-Tahoe has been custom-built by a team with a deep understanding of data challenges, giving it first-hand insight and appreciation into our customers' diverse and complex data needs. Io-Tahoe is particularly valuable to businesses with large numbers of customers and diverse data sets, such as those in the financial services, utilities, retail, transportation, insurance, healthcare and manufacturing industries.

Follow Io-Tahoe on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/iotahoe

Follow Io-Tahoe on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9194521/

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/655317/Io_Tahoe_Logo.jpgNokia Corporation

Stock Exchange Release

November 13, 2018 at 09:30 (CET +1)



Nokia to sharpen customer organization focus as the 5G era accelerates and announces changes in the composition of the Nokia Group Leadership Team

Ricky Corker appointed President of Customer Operations, Americas

Federico Guillen appointed President of Customer Operations, EMEA & Asia

Ashish Chowdhary to leave Nokia at the end of 2018 after 15 successful years

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced plans to realign its primary customer-facing organization into two regional groups: one covering the Americas and the other responsible for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. The company also announced changes in the composition of the Nokia Group Leadership Team.

"As we enter the 5G era, extreme customer focus is a must," said Nokia President and Chief Executive Officer, Rajeev Suri. "The changes we are announcing today will ensure that we continue to have the senior management capacity necessary for superb customer relationships in a world of increasing speed and complexity. I am extremely pleased that we have two very strong leaders, Ricky Corker and Federico Guillen, to lead these new groups."

Ricky Corker is appointed President of Customer Operations, Americas. Corker is currently Executive Vice President and President North America, and he has played an instrumental role in returning the business in North America to growth and positioning Nokia strongly in 5G and other technologies. Prior to this he was Head of the Asia Pacific Region and held senior roles in Europe and Australia. He has a degree in Communications and Electronics from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Corker will report to Suri and, effective January 1, 2019, will join the Nokia Group Leadership Team.

Federico Guillen is appointed President of Customer Operations, EMEA & Asia. Guillen is currently President, Fixed Networks, where he has delivered consistently strong financial performance while also investing in future-oriented opportunities such as the cable market. Prior to this he was President of Alcatel-Lucent Spain and head of the Telefonica account team. His extensive international experience includes leadership roles across Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Africa and India. He also sits on the board of Nokia Shanghai Bell. He has a degree in Telecommunications Engineering and a Master's degree in Switching & Communication Architectures from the ETSIT at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Guillen will continue to report to Suri and remain a member of the Nokia Group Leadership Team. A new leader for Fixed Networks will be announced in due course.

Ashish Chowdhary will continue to lead Customer Operations and remain a member of the Nokia Group Leadership Team until the end of 2018. He will then leave Nokia to take a leadership position in another company.

"Everyone has a time in their career when they want to try something new and, after 15 successful years at Nokia, Ashish has reached that moment," said Suri. "The decision to leave Nokia was his alone, but he goes with my full support. Ashish has been a close friend, confidant and business partner for many years. He is a person with deep integrity, far-reaching insight, strong leadership skills and a work ethic like few others. I am pleased that he will be joining one of the world's great companies in a prominent role, and I wish him every success."

As a result of these changes, Nokia's Group Leadership Team will, effective January 1, 2019, consist of the following members: Rajeev Suri, Basil Alwan, Hans-Juergen Bill, Kathrin Buvac, Ricky Corker, Joerg Erlemeier, Barry French, Sanjay Goel, Bhaskar Gorti, Federico Guillen, Kristian Pullola, Sri Reddy, Marc Rouanne, Maria Varsellona and Marcus Weldon.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

It should be noted that Nokia and its businesses are exposed to various risks and uncertainties and certain statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect Nokia's current expectations and views of future developments and include statements regarding: A) expectations, plans or benefits related to our strategies and growth management; B) expectations, plans or benefits related to future performance of our businesses; C) expectations and targets regarding financial performance, results, operating expenses, taxes, currency exchange rates, hedging, cost savings and competitiveness, as well as results of operations including targeted synergies and those related to market share, prices, net sales, income and margins; D) expectations, plans or benefits related to changes in organizational and operational structure; E) expectations regarding market developments, general economic conditions and structural changes; F) our ability to integrate acquired businesses into our operations and achieve the targeted business plans and benefits, including targeted benefits, synergies, cost savings and efficiencies; G) expectations, plans or benefits related to any future collaboration or to business collaboration agreements or patent license agreements or arbitration awards, including income to be received under any collaboration or partnership, agreement or award; H) timing of the deliveries of our products and services, including our expectations around the rollout of 5G services; I) expectations and targets regarding collaboration and partnering arrangements, joint ventures or the creation of joint ventures, and the related administrative, legal, regulatory and other conditions, as well as our expected customer reach; J) outcome of pending and threatened litigation, arbitration, disputes, regulatory proceedings or investigations by authorities; K) expectations regarding restructurings, investments, capital structure optimization efforts, uses of proceeds from transactions, acquisitions and divestments and our ability to achieve the financial and operational targets set in connection with any such restructurings, investments, capital structure optimization efforts, divestments and acquisitions; and L) statements preceded by or including "believe", "expect", "expectations", "commit", "anticipate", "foresee", "sees", "target", "estimate", "designed", "aim", "plans", "intends", "focus", "continue", "project", "should", "is to", "will" or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. These statements are based on management's best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. These forward-looking statements are only predictions based upon our current expectations and views of future events and developments and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Factors, including risks and uncertainties that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: 1) our strategy is subject to various risks and uncertainties and we may be unable to successfully implement our strategic plans, sustain or improve the operational and financial performance of our business groups, correctly identify or successfully pursue business opportunities or otherwise grow our business; 2) general economic and market conditions and other developments in the economies where we operate, including the timeline for the deployment of 5G and our ability to successfully capitalize on that deployment; 3) our ability to manage and improve our financial and operating performance, cost savings, competitiveness and synergies generally and our ability to implement changes to our organizational and operational structure efficiently; 4) our ability to retain, motivate, develop and recruit appropriately skilled employees, as well as the risk factors specified on pages 71 to 89 of our 2017 annual report on Form 20-F published on March 22, 2018 under "Operating and financial review and prospects-Risk factors" and in our other filings or documents furnished with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proven to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.



About Nokia

We create the technology to connect the world. Powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers, with the industry's most complete, end-to-end portfolio of products, services and licensing.

We adhere to the highest ethical business standards as we create technology with social purpose, quality and integrity. Nokia is enabling the infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things to transform the human experience www.nokia.com (http://www.nokia.com)



Media Inquiries:

Nokia

Communications

Tel. +358 (0) 10 448 4900

Email: press.services@nokia.com (mailto:press.services@nokia.com)

Jon Peet, Vice President, Corporate Communications

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: NOKIA via Globenewswire

STOCKHOLM, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Insurtech company Greater Than enters the Irish market by entering a partnership with Zurich Insurance UK and Sixt Ireland. With a common goal to increase safety and driver influence in the car rental industry, the partners will implement Greater Than's AI-based, digital risk assessment platform on the entire Sixt car fleet on Ireland - giving more than 3500 vehicles a new, user-based management tool.

The partnership makes way for Zurich Insurance and car rental company Sixt on Ireland to integrate a user-based, digital risk assessment and fleet management solution on the entire Irish Sixt fleet. For Sixt customers the system aims to increase safety and reward a safe driving behavior, which is possible through technology from Greater Than that uses AI, machine learning and Big Data to calculate and price risk in real-time.

"We are continuously looking for innovative solutions that can enhance our business processes, and this AI-based tech platform is of great value for that advancement. Influencing drivers to drive safer is essential to us and this is another good example of thinking outside the box", says Darren Stoddart, Senior Underwriter, Emerging Motor Risks at Zurich Insurance.

Zurich Insurance is one of the world's leading multi-insurers that operates in more than 170 countries. The client Sixt Ireland is a part of the global Sixt Group, who provides high-quality mobile services in more than 2100 stations across the globe, managing a total fleet of more than 238 000 vehicles.

AI-based technology going global

Greater Than and its AI-based platform Enerfy offers real-time risk profiling and individual premium pricing for auto insurance. The growing company has established several insurance solutions in Northern Europe and Asia, while recently also entering a partnership with the global organization FIA, Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, to create a new global competition, FIA Smart Driving Challenge.

"Joining forces with three major partners like Zurich, Sixt and Marsh demonstrates that our strategy to establish global presence is underway. This is a large step on our path towards international expansion" says Liselott Johansson, CEO at Greater Than.

The partnership was managed by Marsh, one of the global leaders in insurance broking and risk management with operations in more than 130 countries.

For media inquiries and more information, please contact:

Johanna Lindberg, PR Manager Greater Than

+46-70-322-51-69

johanna.lindberg@greaterthan.eu

www.greaterthan.eu

www.enerfy.se

Andrew Lyons,

Media Relations Manager, Zurich Insurance UK

andrew.lyons@uk.zurich.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/greater-than/r/greater-than-enters-partnership-with-zurich-insurance-and-sixt-ireland,c2670222

The following files are available for download:13 November 2018

TECTONIC GOLD PLC

("Tectonic Gold" or the "Company")

MOUNT CASSIDY RESEARCH UPDATE

Tectonic Gold plc (TDIM: TTAU), the Intrusive Related Gold System ("IRGS") exploration pioneer, is pleased to announce results from the 2018 Mount Cassidy field program, which includes a collaborative research project with Centre of Ore Deposit Excellence Studies (CODES), University of Tasmania, Australia.

Highlights:

Large intrusive mapped at the intersection of two major crustal faults establishing the setting and prospectivity for a significant IRGS system;

Identical geological sequences as the nearby Mt Morgan area;

Rock chip samples assayed to 20.7g/t Au with 4.03g/t Ag and 13.95g/t Mo;

Hylogger and Terraspec analysis confirms IRGS signature chemistry and alteration zoning;

Coincident magnetite destruction zone and potassium high.

About the Mount Cassidy Prospect:

Mount Cassidy lies along the same structure as the region's largest historic gold mine, Mount Morgan (8Moz Au). Mt Cassidy was mined on a small scale during the 1930's and produced gold with recorded grades averaging over 15g/t Au. Tectonic Gold is the first company to identify the extent of the system at Mt Cassidy, connecting numerous surface expressions not previously understood due to geological cover.

Gold mineralisation at Mt Cassidy is related to intrusive activity along the major fault zones and cross structures and is also found in sheeted veins proximal to the mapped intrusions.

Limited historic drilling confirms mineralisation to depths of 150m+ and recent geophysical mapping shows the depth extension of those mineralised structures to at least 500m.

Mount Cassidy presents all of the signature components of a large-scale Intrusive Related Gold System with proven grade, neighbouring major historic mines.

About Tectonic Gold:

Tectonic Gold is a specialist gold exploration company, focused on the identification and delineation of large-scale, multimillion-ounce Intrusion Related Gold System ("IRGS") assets. Tectonic Gold holds a number of gold discoveries in the New England Orogen in Eastern Australia, a prolific gold region that is home some of Australia's largest gold mining Companies.

Mr. Brett Boynton, Managing Director - Tectonic Gold plc

"Although the focus this year has been on Specimen Hill and we expect our first assay results from recent drilling by the end of the week, we have also been advancing Mt Cassidy and our research program. We are using the same systematic predictive approach to drill targeting that has given us the recent positive developments at Specimen Hill. Targeting will be completed with follow up geochemistry and high resolution 3D IP, which will allow us to plan a diamond drilling program to extend the existing drilling at Mt Cassidy next year."

Follow our progress on the website at www.tectonicgold.com and on Twitter @tectonic gold.

Qualified Persons:

Mr Jonathan Robbeson - BSc (Hons1), MEconGeol, MMinEng, (CP Geo) is a full time employee Signature Gold Limited and is a registered Chartered Professional (Geology) with the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM - 304542). Mr Robbeson has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the Note for Mining Oil & Gas Companies, June 2009, of the London Stock Exchange and the 2012 Edition of the 'Australian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves' (JORC Code). Mr Robbeson consents to the inclusion in the release of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

For further information, please contact:

Tectonic Gold plc

Brett Boynton

Sam Quinn

www.tectonicgold.com . +61 2 9241 7665 NEX Exchange Corporate Adviser and Broker

Peterhouse Capital Limited

Mark Anwyl

+44 20 7469 0930 Financial Adviser and Broker

VSA Capital Limited

Andrew Raca +44 20 3005 5004

EndsLONDON, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Findings support development of ?d T cells for gastrointestinal diseases

GammaDelta Therapeutics Ltd, an emerging biotech company developing novel immunotherapies for cancer and other diseases announced today the publication in Nature Immunology of new data examining the biological role of gamma delta (?d) T cell receptors. The findings arose from an ongoing collaboration between GammaDelta and Professor Adrian Hayday's laboratories at King's College London and The Francis Crick Institute.

The study shows for the first time how ?d T cell receptors can act independently from other immune signals, functioning as a two-pronged device to discriminate cancer cells from normal cells before proceeding to kill them. The receptors combine so-called innate immunity with so-called adaptive immunity by using different regions of the receptor to recognise different molecular targets, one associated with healthy tissues and the other associated with malignant cells. The study focused on ?d T cells that line the gut surface where cancers often develop. By casting greater light on the complex gut immune system, the findings also enable further exploration of the causes and possible treatments for inflammatory bowel disease.

Paolo Paoletti, CEO at GammaDelta, said: "We are delighted with the productive collaboration between GammaDelta and Professor Adrian Hayday's laboratories. Deeper understanding of the fundamental biology of ?d T cells is crucial to exploiting their potential for therapeutic applications."

Commenting on the findings, Adrian Hayday said: "I am very excited about these unexpected findings, which are a key step in unravelling the complex mechanisms by which ?d T cells attempt to maintain tissue integrity in the face of an unending spectrum of microbial and chemical challenges."

Reference

Melandri, D. et al. The ?dTCR combines innate immunity with adaptive immunity by utilizing spatially distinct regions for agonist selection and antigen responsiveness. Nat. Immunol. (2018) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-018-0253-5

About GammaDelta Therapeutics

GammaDelta Therapeutics is working to develop improved immunotherapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The company's research and development is focused on exploiting the unique properties of tissue resident gamma delta (?d) T cells, which are a unique and conserved population of lymphocytes that contribute to many types of immune responses and immunopathology.

GammaDelta Therapeutics was founded in 2016 by Abingworth with support from Cancer Research Technology Limited based on research undertaken by Professor Adrian Hayday and Dr Oliver Nussbaumer at King's College London and the Francis Crick Institute. The company's offices and laboratories are located in London, UK. In May 2017, GammaDelta Therapeutics entered into a strategic collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.

Contact

For GammaDelta Therapeutics Ltd:

Paolo Paoletti, MD

Chief Executive Officer

T: +44 (0)207-691-1122

http://www.gammadeltatx.comParis, Bruyeres-le-Chatel, November 8 2018 - Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, announces it will provide its BullSequana X1310, Atos' first Arm-based supercomputer, to the CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)'s Military Applications Division (CEA/DAM). The machine will include the new Marvell ThunderX2 64-bit processors.

CEA has been developing large, multi-physics, mission critical codes for over 40 years. This is particularly the case of CEA's Military Applications Division (CEA/DAM) since the end of the French nuclear tests 22 years ago. The validation of those codes is an important part of the work of developers and CEA's teams have observed that running these codes on different platforms from different architectures and using a variety of compilers and libraries from different sources helps find bugs and deviations from standards. Therefore, in order to provide the best validation environment at scale to its code developers, CEA/DAM ordered an Arm-based BullSequana cluster from Atos, using the new ThunderX2 CPU from Marvell.

Developed by Atos, this system is part of the Mont-Blanc 3 project, funded by the European Commission, which aims to assess the potential of Arm-based clusters to address exascale HPC needs, develop the corresponding software ecosystem and issue recommendations for an exascale ARM-based system.

The new model, which will be delivered at the end of 2018 in the Ile-de-France CEA/DAM center, located at Bruyeres-le-Chatel, includes a BullSequana rack with 92 BullSequana X1310 blades, three compute nodes per blade, dual Marvell ThunderX2 processors of 32 cores @ 2.2 GHz, based on the Armv8-A instruction set, with 256 GB per node and Infiniband EDR interconnect. The new ThunderX2 processor supports up to four threads per core with 8 memory channels delivering the combination of compute and memory bandwidth required for critical scientific workloads. The ThunderX2 family is fully compliant with Armv8-A architecture specifications as well as the Arm Server Base System Architecture (SBSA) and Arm Server Base Boot Requirements (SBBR) standards. ThunderX2 further accelerates adoption for Arm servers in the most demanding HPC deployments by providing the next level of computing performance and ecosystem readiness for commercial deployments.

In preparation for this installation, CEA/DAM has already received an initial set of blades to begin work on software porting, characterization and optimization. The first results show that this new cluster is a very promising architecture for memory intensive applications.

"We are proud to install the first BullSequana X1310 system at the CEA. This is the culmination of our long-term commitment to the Mont-Blanc European project, which assesses the potential of using Arm-based clusters to address exascale needs. This system is the commercial version of the prototype developed and built, by Atos, as part of the Mont-Blanc project for tests and evaluation. The availability of this new model is fully in-line with our policy of technological openness and our support for the European exascale supercomputer effort," said Sophie Proust Houssiaux, Head of Big Data and Security Research and Development at Atos.

"Marvell is pleased to partner with CEA and Atos to accelerate the overall development and optimization of key mission critical codes on the Arm architecture with ThunderX2. CEA is respected world-wide for its leadership in scientific innovation and high performance computing expertise and this collaboration will further enhance the maturity of the HPC software application ecosystem on ThunderX2," said Gopal Hegde, Vice President and General Manager, Server Processor Business Unit at Marvell Semiconductor, Inc.

Atos at SC'18

Atos will be at SC'18, the High Performance Annual Conference (https://sc18.supercomputing.org/) that takes place in Dallas, Texas, from 11-16 November, and will exhibit the full breadth of its High Performance Computing offer on booth #2213.

###

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 120,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of  13 billion. European number one in Cloud, Cybersecurity and High-Performance Computing, the Group provides end-to-end Orchestrated Hybrid Cloud, Big Data, Business Applications and Digital Workplace solutions through its Digital Transformation Factory, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting-edge technologies and industry knowledge, Atos supports the digital transformation of its clients across all business sectors. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Syntel, Unify and Worldline. Atos is listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index.

For more details : www.atos.net (http://www.atos.net/)

Press contact: Laura Fau | laura.fau@atos.net (mailto:laura.fau@atos.net) | +33 6 73 64 04 18 | @laurajanefau (https://twitter.com/laurajanefau)





About the CEA and the Military Applications Division

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a public research organization working in four main areas: defense and security, low carbon energies (nuclear and renewables), technological research for industry and fundamental research. Building on its recognized expertise, the CEA takes part in implementing cooperation projects with a wide range of academic and industrial partners. With its 16,000 researchers and employees, it is a major player in European research and is expanding its international presence. In 2017, Thomson-Reuters / Clarivate identified the CEA as the most innovative public research organization in Europe.

More information: www.cea.fr (http://www.cea.fr/)

The CEA's Military Applications Division ("DAM") takes charge of defense and security missions. The DAM is responsible for the design, manufacture, through-life support and dismantling of the nuclear warheads that equip France's sea- and airborne deterrence forces. It is also responsible for the design and manufacture of the nuclear reactors and reactor cores on the French Navy submarines and aircraft carrier. It assists the Navy with in-service follow-up and through-life support for these reactors. The DAM is in charge of procuring strategic nuclear materials required for the nation's deterrence. The DAM also contributes to national and global security through the technical support it provides to the authorities relative to the prevention of nuclear proliferation and terrorism.

More information: www-dam.cea.fr

Press contact: Nicolas Tilly - +33 1 64 50 17 16 - nicolas.tilly@cea.fr (mailto:nicolas.tilly@cea.fr)

About Marvell

Marvell first revolutionized the digital storage industry by moving information at speeds never thought possible. Today, that same breakthrough innovation remains at the heart of the company's storage, processing, networking, security and connectivity solutions. With leading intellectual property and deep system-level knowledge, Marvell's semiconductor solutions continue to transform the enterprise, cloud, automotive, industrial, and consumer markets. To learn more, visit: https://www.marvell.com/ (https://www.marvell.com/)

Press contact: Kristin Hehir - +1 408-222-8744 - kristinh@marvell.com





Click here for PDF (http://hugin.info/143359/R/2225401/872909.pdf)



This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: ATOS via Globenewswire

CAMBRIDGE, England, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Azeria Therapeutics Limited, a newly formed drug discovery company, today announced the appointment of Dr Julian Blagg as VP Drug Discovery.

Dr Blagg has over 30 years' experience in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery; he was most recently Deputy Director and Head of Chemistry at The CRUK Cancer Therapeutics Unit at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, UK where he focused on the discovery of small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and became a strong advocate for the use of quality chemical probes in biomedical research. Dr Blagg joined the ICR in 2007 following 19 years in the pharmaceutical industry at Pfizer in the US and the UK, where he was responsible for the progression of multiple development candidates into clinical trials across four therapeutic areas.

Stephen Myatt, Chief Executive Officer of Azeria Therapeutics said: "We are very pleased to welcome Julian to the Azeria management team at this exciting time for the Company. Azeria was created to accelerate R&D and build on the discoveries made by its founder Dr Jason Carroll at CRUK's Cambridge Institute at the University of Cambridge in the pioneer factor field, an untapped target class in oncology. Having previously been appointed to Azeria's Scientific Advisory Board, we believe Julian's commitment to Azeria's approach combined with his drug discovery experience and track record of delivering small molecule drugs into clinical trials, will add significant value and help us advance our programmes to help cancer patients."

Dr Julian Blagg, newly appointed VP Drug Discovery of Azeria commented: "I am delighted to take on the role of VP Drug Discovery at Azeria. I strongly believe in Azeria's unique and differentiated approach to treating unmet clinical need in breast and prostate cancer and look forward to advancing this innovative research rapidly towards clinical trials and patient benefit."

Azeria recently raised 4m ($5.3m) in a Series A fundraising from the CRT Pioneer Fund, which is managed by Sixth Element Capital LLP. The company aims to use the proceeds to develop a pipeline of small molecules designed to selectively inhibit pioneer factors, with the first target being FOXA1.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Azeria Therapeutics

Azeria Therapeutics is the world's first pioneer factor drug discovery company developing breakthrough treatments for hormone resistant breast and prostate cancer patients where there are significant areas of unmet clinical need.

Founded in 2017 by the leading expert in pioneer factors in cancer, Dr Jason Carroll, Azeria is using its proprietary drug screening platform to develop a pipeline of small molecules designed to selectively inhibit pioneer factors.

Azeria is initially targeting the essential pioneer factor FOXA1, which has shown to be pivotal in the tumour development and maintenance of Estrogen receptor (ER) positive luminal breast cancer and is also thought to be critical in the development of prostate cancer.

Based in Cambridge, Azeria successfully raised 4 million in a Series A financing in 2018, provided by specialist oncology investment fund, the CRT Pioneer Fund, managed by Sixth Element Capital.

https://www.azeriatherapeutics.comSingapore's Technology Roadmap identifies Services 4.0 as the future of services

SINGAPORE, Nov. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) launched a series of initiatives to support the infocomm media (ICM) sector in capturing exciting opportunities in the future of services ecosystem, as part of its Framework for Action to develop Singapore's digital economy. The initiatives were announced by Minister for Communications and Information, Mr S Iswaran, at IMDA's second SG:Digital Industry Day, which saw more than 1,500 participants from the ICM industry attending the event.

Services and Digital Economy Technology Roadmap

Services 4.0 was identified through the Services and Digital Economy Technology Roadmap[1] (SDE TRM) as a potential engine of growth for Singapore's digital economy, as the services industry accounts for 72%[2] of Singapore's GDP and 74%[3] of national employment. The TRM, conducted in consultation with local and international business leaders and technology experts, provides a scan of the digital technology landscape in the next 3 to 5 years, identifying the impact of key shifts and technology trends.

Services 4.0: The future of services in a digital economy

Services 4.0 is Singapore's response to the TRM, envisioning Singapore delivering next-generation services that are end-to-end, frictionless, empathic, and anticipatory to customer needs.

As emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Interfaces are made more accessible, services will be designed around customers' needs, allowing customers to enjoy an improvement in service experience, offered predictively and seamlessly. This will also allow business to innovate and create new value quickly.

Services 4.0 is a vision that puts people at the centre -- harnessing technology for workers to have more fulfilling work, enabling businesses to innovate nimbly to capture opportunities in a digital marketplace, and delivering superior experience to customers[4].

Productivity for workers is enhanced as machines do repetitive and mundane tasks, so workers can focus on high value areas where their creativity, analytical thinking, emotional intelligence and human insight would be required. Workers augmented with smart machines and tools can also make better decisions through access to superior insights and be more creative due to enhanced design processes.

To realise the Services 4.0 vision, the TRM identified Cloud Native Architecture[5] as the heart of the evolving ICM ecosystem, providing easier access to emerging technologies that will make it more cost-effective and scalable for companies, and help meet customers' demands in an agile manner.

The TRM also noted that the ICM ecosystem will need to transform itself to remain relevant in the ever changing landscape. About 30 companies and associations have pledged their support for the Cloud Native Architecture by joining the pioneer batch of SG:Digital Cloud Community to promote the adoption of the Cloud Native Architecture.

"Leading business-to-consumer enterprises have already started their Services 4.0 journeys. Businesses of all sizes can benefit from the new technology shifts, and IMDA's programmes will provide the support to help every business become a digital business", said Mr Tan Kiat How, IMDA's Chief Executive.

Projects and Programmes to support Services 4.0

To support companies' participation in the Services 4.0 ecosystem, as a start, IMDA has initiated the following projects.

GoCloud for ICT SMEs

GoCloud[6] aims to help ICT SMEs move to a Cloud Native Architecture, so that they can participate in future opportunities in Services 4.0. Traditionally, ICT solutions are built on complex and inflexible software architecture. GoCloud will equip ICT SMEs with digital capabilities in Cloud Native, Microservices and DevOps, transforming the way they develop, deploy and deliver applications. This will enable SMEs to unlock benefits of cloud computing and rapid software delivery, create services that are more flexible, scalable and adaptable, and significantly reduce their time to market. GoCloud will be rolled out in early 2019.

IMDA's PIXEL expands its scope

PIXEL[7] was launched in 2016 to grow the ICM innovation community through tech and media facilities - previously known as PIXEL Labs and PIXEL Studios. In line with Services 4.0, ICM companies will increasingly need to combine digital technologies, engaging content and human-centred design to build great experiences for their customers.

PIXEL will expand scope of its programmes, with a focus on bringing tech, media and design capabilities to develop customer-centric digital experiences. PIXEL has identified four new capabilities to support digital innovation for Services 4.0 -- Design Thinking, User Interface/User Experience, Immersive Experiences and Digital Storytelling. These capabilities will be made available to the industry through regular workshops and masterclasses, as well as mentors and coaches for innovation projects. On top of existing incubation, production and prototyping facilities, PIXEL will outfit two additional labs to facilitate experimentation and testing of digital experiences -- an Immersive Experiences Lab and User Testing Lab. IMDA will also work with strategic partners to bring innovation and acceleration activities and programmes to PIXEL, so that PIXEL provides a physical platform that connects our community with technical resources, expertise and market access opportunities. The new PIXEL programmes and facilities will be rolled out from Jan 2019.

Digital Services Laboratory (DSL)

The DSL[8] brings together research communities, ICM players and end-users to co-architect and engineer solutions across multiple technology domains right from early-stage to deployment. Mainly comprising engineering and technical talent, the DSL seeks to address industry digitalisation challenges and national strategic interest areas which could benefit from faster intermediation. DSL also looks to help significant projects overcome barriers including high costs and resources required for industry-scale transformation. By leveraging or translating emerging technologies from local research institutes and universities, DSL will work with the industry to co-develop innovative digital engineering solutions from early stage to deployment. DSL will look to accelerate technologies' speed-to-market through partnerships, as well as work with relevant industry players to propagate successful models to the rest of industry. For technologies or solutions created by IMDA, such as a suite of Artificial Intelligence libraries[9], they can be released as open-source to benefit and share with the ICM ecosystem. Available today are the first two: the National Speech Corpus announced in November 2017, and the Intelligent Sensing Toolbox.

[1] The Services and Digital Economy Technology Roadmap (SDE TRM) is available for review at http://www.imda.gov.sg/SDETRM [2] Singstat -- Singapore Economy [3] Ministry of Manpower - Employee Distribution by Industry [4] Annex A: Services 4.0 -- a selection of company case studies [5] Annex B: Cloud Native Architecture [6] Annex C: GoCloud [7] Annex D: PIXEL [8] Annex E: Digital Services Laboratory [9] Annex F: Open Source AI Libraries

About Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA)

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) leads Singapore's digital transformation with infocomm media. To do this, IMDA will develop a dynamic digital economy and a cohesive digital society, driven by an exceptional infocomm media (ICM) ecosystem -- by developing talent, strengthening business capabilities, and enhancing Singapore's ICM infrastructure. IMDA also regulates the telecommunications and media sectors to safeguard consumer interests while fostering a pro-business environment, and enhances Singapore's data protection regime through the Personal Data Protection Commission.

For more news and information, visit www.imda.gov.sg or follow IMDA on Facebook IMDAsg and Twitter @IMDAsg.Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 13, 2018) -Mr. Dan Blondal, CEO at Nano One (TSXV: NNO) (OTC Pink: NNOMF) (FSE: LBMB), is pleased to announce that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") has issued a notice of allowance for a patent application made in 2017. This will be Nano One's tenth patent and is directed to improved methods of producing lithium ion cathode materials.

"This patent relates to the methods we have developed for scaled up production of lithium ion battery cathode materials, " said Mr. Blondal. "It reinforces our patenting strategy and positions us well in a fast paced market as we evaluate our technology with strategic interests in the battery supply chain."

The USPTO issues a notice of allowance after it makes a determination that a patent should be granted from a patent application. Issuance is expected by early 2019.

Nano One's processing technology applies to cost reductions and performance improvements for lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium nickel manganese cobaltate (LNMC) and lithium manganese nickelate (LMN, High Voltage Spinel or HVS). Innovation continues on these materials and occasionally on other emerging chemistries. As an example, Nano One recently submitted a patent application for an economical method of producing niobium titanium oxide (NTO). NTO is a higher density anode alternative to lithium titanium oxide (LTO) and it has specialized applications where fast charging, safety and longevity are critical.

"NTO was developed by Toshiba," said Mr. Blondal, "for use in a future generation of fast charging batteries for mild hybrid EV applications. Our patent pending process could overcome some of NTO's production challenges and we are pleased to be adding it to our technology offering along with LFP, NMC and HVS."

As a Reporting Issuer, Nano One would also like to report that it has granted 2,125,000 options with an exercise price of $1.28 to directors and officers of the company.

Mr. Blondal added "The board, management and scientific teams at Nano One are confident in our growing portfolio of technologies and we are actively pursuing strategic interests and partnership opportunities."

Nano One Materials Corp.

Dan Blondal, CEO

For information with respect to Nano One or the contents of this news release, please contact John Lando (President) at (604) 420-2041 or visit the website at www.nanoone.ca.

About Nano One:

Nano One Materials Corp ("Nano One" or "the Company") is developing patented technology for the low-cost production of high performance battery materials used in electric vehicles, energy storage, consumer electronics and next generation batteries. The processing technology addresses fundamental supply chain constraints by enabling wider raw materials specifications for use in lithium ion batteries. The process can be configured for a range of different nanostructured materials and has the flexibility to shift with emerging and future battery market trends and a diverse range of other growth opportunities. The novel three-stage process uses equipment common to industry and Nano One has built a pilot plant to demonstrate high volume production, provide larger volumes of material for third party testing and has preliminary engineering plans in place for full scale production of a range of cathode materials. This pilot plant program is being funded with the assistance and support of the Government of Canada through Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and the Automotive Supplier Innovation Program (ASIP) a program of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). Nano One also receives financial support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). Nano One's mission is to establish its patented technology as a leading platform for the global production of a new generation of nanostructured composite materials. For more information, please visit www.nanoone.ca

Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the actual receipt of the grant monies, the execution of the Company's plans which are contingent on the receipt of such monies and the commercialization of the Company's technology and patents. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'believe', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'intend', 'continue', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'ongoing', or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are 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 statements or forward-looking information. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or 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 statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that is incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASEGrowing into Greatness with God: 7 Paths to Greatness for our Sons & Daughters, and Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul: Reclaiming Your Heart in order to Live and Love Harmoniously. Janet Autherine is the author of, and





Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul , is a beautiful collection of poems that tell the stories of strong, vulnerable, courageous women who love deeply, sometimes fall hard but always lead with their hearts. It is a deep and gritty, fresh and robust look at the thrill of loving unconditionally, as well as the mental and physical toll that it takes when peace and harmony are sometimes lost in the process. Drawing on personal experiences from her own journey of the past 30 years, J Autherine delves into the vulnerable hearts of women from around the world, including from her early years in Jamaica .





Growing into Greatness with God , 7 Paths to Greatness for our Sons and Daughters is inspired by her own experiences growing up in Jamaica , as well as her experience raising her three sons to recognize and nourish what God has planted within each of them. Her goal, through her writing, is to empower adults and children to see themselves as unique and amazing, already blessed with the ability to succeed in life and achieve their dreams.





Janet was born in St. Thomas , Jamaica , and immigrated to the United States when she was twelve. She grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Pennsylvania State University and Boston College Law School . Janet continues to practice law but wakes up at 5am almost every morning to cultivate her inspirational writing and introduce readers to great books through her publishing company, Autherine Publishing. She is a proud introvert and running and reading are her peaceful passions.



Her books are available on Amazon and she blogs at www.JanetAutherine.com .





Facebook Address: https://www.facebook.com/JanetAutherineJ/



Inside the Book Title: WILD HEART, PEACEFUL SOUL: POEMS AND INSPIRATION TO LIVE AND LOVE HARMONIOUSLY

Author: J. Autherine

Publisher: Autherine Publishing

Pages: 158

Genre: Poetry

BOOK BLURB:

Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul, is a beautiful collection of poems that provide inspiration to strong, vulnerable, badass women who love deeply, sometimes fall hard but always lead with their hearts. It is a deep and gritty, fresh and robust look at the thrill of loving unconditionally, as well as the mental and physical toll that it takes when peace and harmony are sometimes lost in the process.



Drawing on personal experiences from her own journey of the past 30 years, J Autherine delves into the vulnerable hearts of women from around the world, including from her early years in Jamaica. Poems such as Quiet Storm reveal the pain of sudden loss, while The Rebel Soul carries with it that air of doubt or uncertainty we all feel when in love.



The pain and struggle of women who love deeply and pour into others without first filling their own jars is prevalent throughout, as is the reoccurring theme of reclaiming your heart in order to live and love harmoniously.



Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul has the ability to pick you up in moments when you feel broken or not good enough to be loved and provide the strength in the love you always need as we search for the one who is worthy of our love.

ORDER YOUR COPY: Amazon | Barnes & Noble



, is a beautiful collection of poems that provide inspiration to strong, vulnerable, badass women who love deeply, sometimes fall hard but always lead with their hearts. It is a deep and gritty, fresh and robust look at the thrill of loving unconditionally, as well as the mental and physical toll that it takes when peace and harmony are sometimes lost in the process.Drawing on personal experiences from her own journey of the past 30 years, J Autherine delves into the vulnerable hearts of women from around the world, including from her early years in Jamaica. Poems such asreveal the pain of sudden loss, whilecarries with it that air of doubt or uncertainty we all feel when in love.The pain and struggle of women who love deeply and pour into others without first filling their own jars is prevalent throughout, as is the reoccurring theme of reclaiming your heart in order to live and love harmoniously.has the ability to pick you up in moments when you feel broken or not good enough to be loved and provide the strength in the love you always need as we search for the one who is worthy of our love.

Q: Welcome to The Writers Life! Now that your book has been published, wed love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? When did you come up with the idea to write your book?

I am really excited to share my first book of poetry and inspiration, Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul! This collection of poems and inspiration is a love offering to strong, vulnerable, badass women who lead with their hearts, love deeply and sometimes fall hard. The poems are inspired by my own journey spanning 30 years; it also dives deeply into the vulnerable hearts of women globally. Many of the poems capture the pain and struggle of women who love deeply and pour into others without first filling their own jars. The poems and inspirational quotes provide empowerment by holding a mirror to our common struggles and motivate us to care for ourselves and rise above our challenges.

My writing journey started as a child in Jamaica , I spent a lot of time memorizing verses both in church and in school (songs, poems, written word).



After moving to the United States , I started reading everything that I could find by great authors, such as Dr. Maya Angelou. Her poems, Phenomenal Woman and Still, I Rise gave me the courage to walk confidently in the world. Books by Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison also sparked my love for issues that are close to the heart of women. As women, we spend our lives caring for others and putting the needs of others first. This often comes at a cost to our emotional and physical health and well-being and Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul doesnt shy away from the tough issues. Many of the poems in the chapter, Wild Heart, deal with self-sacrificing behaviors that eat away at our self-esteem. The poems in the chapter, Peaceful Soul, are empowering and help us find our way back to being the Phenomenal Woman that sister, Maya envisioned for all women.

Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

Poetry usually comes from the heart. The words come from a very vulnerable place. I would advise writers to focus on truth and authenticity of emotions.



When you leave your heart on the page, readers can relate to you and it will resonate with them. In Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul, I tried to capture the stories about love and life that women only speak about to their best friends, if at all.

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

My books are published by Autherine Publishing, which is a company that I started. My primary goal is to publish content that is inspirational and will motivate readers to live boldly and confidently walk into their purpose.

Q: Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

During the writing process, it is easy to get discouraged, especially when writing inspirational material. As a writer, you wonder if any of it really matters. I was really surprised when I posted a few excerpts on my Instagram page (@j.autherine) and realized that it was really resonating with readers. I am always surprised at the marketing process. I encourage writers to start building their audience through a website and social media the minute that they begin writing the book. By the time that the book is published, readers will be eagerly anticipating the arrival of your work.

Q: What other books are you working on and when will they be published?

My next book is Everythings Irie: An Island Girls Approach to Mindful Living and Being. It is the story of how my childhood in Jamaica has influenced every step of my journey. It is a testament to how a loving home, hard work, optimism, a good education and some good fortune can inspire a young girl to stay grounded through many of the struggles of life. As a tribute to Jamaica and the many islands that bring us fun and "Irie" times even when the people that serve you with a smile are fighting their own battles, I coined the term island mindfulness; Island mindfulness is focusing on mindful living and being; it is living in the moment, whatever that moment brings, knowing that you can weather any storms that will come your way. It will be available on Amazon January 2019.

Q: Whats one fact about your book that would surprise people?

Readers will be surprised by the mix of vulnerability and empowerment. A reoccurring theme in Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul is reclaiming your heart in order to live and love harmoniously. Chapter 1, Wild Heart, takes the reader on a journey of self discovery  being an empath in a sometimes harsh world, feeling broken after losing love, not feeling good enough to be loved, facing rejection and abandonment, and navigating life with a heart that just wants to love unconditionally. The second chapter, Peaceful Soul, is an empowering meditation on the peace that comes with reclaiming your heart  finding strength in the love and support of sister friends, practicing self-love while responsibly loving others, and finding joy in loving those that are worthy of our love. As readers journey through the book, it feels like a best friend just poured her heart out to you as you sat in a coffee shop together and you bothleave feeling closer, stronger and empowered.

Q: Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?

Live boldly! Embrace all that you are! Embrace your journey! You can be both strong and vulnerable at the same time. Most importantly, care for your mind, body, heart and your soul because it is difficult to live your best life unless you are in a healthy place physically and emotionally.

Q: Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story and the story of women globally through poetry. I am thrilled that poetry is again being embraced.



GUILDFORD, England, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Developing Targeted Therapies With Potential Applicability Across Many Cancer Types

HOX Therapeutics, the private biotechnology company developing first-in-class, highly targeted cancer therapies based on HOX genes, announces the appointment of Dr Karl Keegan as Chief Executive Officer.

The HOX genes offer a novel therapeutic target with potential applicability across many cancer types. The Company's scientific approach is based on the over expression and unique role of developmental HOX genes in tumour biology and pathogenesis. HOX Therapeutics has developed proprietary technology that disrupts specific or targeted HOX to co-factor binding making the previously intractable HOX biology druggable.

Dr Karl Keegan has over 25 years' experience in the biotech/pharma sector. Following his MPhil/PhD degrees at Cambridge, he did postdoctoral work at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas before moving to industry. He worked in research and strategic product development at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals before moving to the City as a top ranked investment analyst. From 2009, he has held key executive positions including CFO/corporate development roles at Pharming Group NV, Vectura Group Plc and Shield Therapeutics Plc. He has significant experience in financing companies, business development and corporate M&A.

HOX Therapeutics was founded by world leading experts in HOX gene family biology and clinical oncology, Professor Hardev Pandha, Head of Oncology, University of Surrey and Professor Richard Morgan, Institute of Cancer Therapeutics, Bradford, UK. The role of HOX genes in early embryogenesis has been characterised over at least a hundred years but has hitherto been undruggable. Academic and industry interest in HOX as wholly new class of cancer therapies is now rising rapidly.

James Culverwell, Chairman of HOX Therapeutics, said:

"We are very pleased to welcome Karl at this critical stage in the Company's development. As we are preparing to move into phase I proof-of-concept studies with our lead product, we are expanding the executive leadership team with experts in clinical oncology and operations, regulatory affairs and manufacturing as HOX transitions to be a clinical-stage biotech company."

Karl Keegan, Chief Executive Officer of HOX Therapeutics, said:

"As the burden of cancer continues to rise globally there is an urgent need for effective therapies for hard to treat cancers associated with particularly poor outcomes.The HOX technology has potential applicability across many cancer types, offering a novel modality to develop therapeutics. We are initially focused on developing innovative therapies for braincancer and prostate cancer, huge areas of major unmet medical need. I look forward to working with the team to take our lead asset to treat brain cancer into clinical development in 2019."

Brain tumours are one of the rarest cancers and account for 3% of the overall cancer occurrences in the UK. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and malignant sub-type of brain tumour. There are few clinically meaningful treatment options for patients with these aggressive cancers. The Glioma market in the US, EU5 and Japan is c. $700m today with growth to > $3bn by 2024 (source, GlobalData).

HOX Therapeutics

HOX Therapeutics is developing innovative, first-in-class and highly targeted cancer therapies. Its scientific approach is based on the over expression and unique role of developmental HOX genes in tumour biology and pathogenesis. The HOX genes offer a novel therapeutic target in cancer biology with potential applicability across many cancer types. Largely silenced just after birth, aberrant HOX gene expression has been shown to have pro-oncogenic effects. There is increasing recognition that re-activation of HOX genes is involved in the pathogenesis of common cancers. HOX proteins bind to DNA in combination with a co-factor, Pre-B-cell Leukaemia Homeobox (PBX). The Company was founded by world leading experts in HOX gene family biology and clinical oncology, Professor Hardev Pandha, Head of Oncology, University of Surrey and Professor Richard Morgan, Institute of Cancer Therapeutics, Bradford. The Company is initially focused on novel treatments for brain and prostate cancer. For more information: http://www.hoxtherapeutics.comLONDON, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Property prices in cities across England, Scotland and Wales need to fall by an average of 36 per cent to 125,329 to make owning a home affordable for a single person earning an average wage.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/782919/Open_Property_Group.jpg )



The only place in that is affordable for a single person with an average salary for that city and a mortgage of 3.5 times salary is Durham according to research from Open Property Group.

Using average salary and house price data for cities, it can reveal Cambridge is the most overpriced place in England where prices would need to fall by 68 per cent for someone with a 20 per cent deposit earning an average wage to afford to buy.

It was closely followed by Chichester, where a drop of 67 per cent would be needed and Oxford, which would require a drop of 65 per cent.

At the other end of the country house prices in Durham could rise by 12 per cent and still be affordable for someone on an average wage with a 20 per cent deposit and a mortgage of 3.5 times salary.

Open Property Group Managing Director, Jason Harris-Cohen said: "Home ownership peaked in the UK in 2007. These figures show just how far out of reach the right of passage enjoyed by the Baby Boomer generation is for Millennials.

"The figures make stark reading for anyone hoping to get onto the property ladder. Successive Governments have tinkered around the edges of the housing market with the 'Help to Buy' scheme and stamp duty exemptions for first time buyers.

"But it has done very little to improve the real position of those looking to buy their first home and the market has priced many out of ever owning a home in the town or city they grew up in.

"The Government needs to address the issue by providing better employment opportunities in the North, more incentives for first time buyers and by increasing the supply of affordable new homes in the South.

"Naturally, if there is a better supply of available properties, prices could become more affordable as developers and home sellers compete to make their properties more saleable."

The Affordability Index

Least affordable with 20 per cent deposit and 3.5 x average salary mortgage Percentage drop for Affordable Actual house house price to be City house price price affordable Cambridge GBP139,742 GBP440,126 68% Chichester GBP122,176 GBP368,328 67% Oxford GBP139,291 GBP402,020 65% City of Westminster GBP342,961 GBP956,365 64% Brighton & Hove GBP130,979 GBP363,639 64% Bath GBP130,813 GBP335,481 61% Exeter GBP103,469 GBP256,442 60% St Albans GBP211,737 GBP502,956 58% City of London GBP306,998 GBP709,020 57% Bristol GBP118,484 GBP272,545 57%

Most affordable with 20 per cent deposit and 3.5 x average salary mortgage Percentage drop/increase Affordable Actual house for house price to be City house price price affordable Durham GBP112,941 GBP100,674 12% Stoke-on-Trent GBP101,325 GBP108,366 6% Stirling GBP165,121 GBP180,889 9% Sunderland GBP104,707 GBP114,755 10% Glasgow GBP113,444 GBP132,454 14% Liverpool GBP110,097 GBP128,960 15% Dundee GBP105,241 GBP125,599 16% Preston GBP106,663 GBP127,944 17% Lancaster GBP119,849 GBP147,906 19% Hull GBP91,004 GBP113,549 20%

Sources: ONS House Price Index June 2018 and ONS Labour market statistics for England, Scotland and Wales.

Assumptions - data for 49 cities was available and affordability is based on a single buyer with a lifestyle that would enable borrowing of 3.5 average salary by city. To calculate the affordability by city we have multiplied the average salary for that city by 3.5 times to get 80 per cent of the affordable price then added a deposit of 20 per cent to get the affordable house price.

For more information please visit www.openpropertygroup.com

About Open Property Group

Open Property Group are a professional house buying company and buy all types of vacant or let property throughout England and Wales.

OPG specialise in buy to let property purchasing which suit landlords who want to cash in property quickly without disrupting the tenants.

Homeowners benefit from a quick sell house fast process , with a completion date fixed to the owners' requirements. By selling directly, you pay no agent fees, ?and can plan ahead with certainty. We also pay your agreed legal costs too.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.PORTLAND, Oregon, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Widespread adoption of 5G, increase in implementation of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connectivity, and advent of internet of things (IoT) are expected to propel the growth of the global optical fiber industry.

Allied Market Research published a report, titled, Optical Fiber Market by Mode (Single Mode and Multi-Mode), Type (Glass Optical Fiber and Plastic Optical Fiber), and Industry Vertical (Telecom & IT, Public Sector, Healthcare, Energy & Utilities, Aerospace & Defense, Manufacturing, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025. The report provides an extensive analysis of the changing industry dynamics, executive summary, insights on market competition, key segments, and recent developments. As per the report, the global optical fiber market garnered $3.4 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $8.1 billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 11.6% from 2018 to 2025.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg )



Widespread adoption of 5G, rise in implementation of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connectivity, and advent of internet of things (IoT) drive the growth of the industry. However, high cost of installation and widespread presence of wireless communication systems would restrain the market growth. On the other hand, increase in investments in optical fiber cable (OFC) network infrastructure would create new pathways in the industry.

Request Sample Report at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/368

Single mode segment reigns the global market in terms of revenue

The single mode segment accounted for nearly three-fourths of the total market share in 2017, owing to various associated benefits such as high attenuation & dispersion, huge data-transmission capabilities, and usability within high-speed networks. This segment is expected to remain its dominant position throughout the forecast period. However, in terms of growth rate, the multi-mode segment would supersede the single mode segment, registering the fastest CAGR of 13.1% from 2018 to 2025, owing to the feasibility of using such systems for short distances at a significantly lower cost than single-mode.

Healthcare sectorwould go on to be the fastest

The healthcare sector would grow at the fastest CAGR of 16.8% from 2018 to 2025, owing to the adoption of advanced biomedical instrumentation for achieving enhanced efficiency in patient monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment. However, the telecom & IT segment contributed more than one-third of the total revenue in 2017, owing to the need for higher bandwidth and faster connections especially across emerging countries. The other segments analyzed in the study are public sector, energy & utilities, manufacturing, aerospace & defense among others.

For Purchase Enquiry:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/368

North Americafastest, Asia-Pacific dominating

Rise in investments in defense sector & security infrastructure along with increase in adoption of the technology in communication & data transmission services have enabled North America to grow at the fastest CAGR of 14.3% during the forecast period. However, Asia-Pacific region accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total market share in 2017, and will maintain its lead position by 2025, owing to technological advancements and rapid acceptance in the telecom & IT sectors.

Leadership board

The major market players analyzed in the study are Fujikura Ltd., Sterlite Technologies Ltd., Corning Incorporated, The Prysmian Group, Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Finisar Corporation, Reflex Photonics, Inc., Nexans S.A., and Tata Communications Ltd. New product launches, expansions, joint ventures, collaborations, partnerships, mergers & acquisitions, and others are some of the strategies adopted by them to achieve a strong position in the industry.

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Knowledge tree is a cloud-based intelligence platform that offers more than 2,000 selective, off-the-shelf reports on niche markets to enable our clients gain deep insights on the latest trends, dynamic technologies, and emerging application areas.

Purchase an enterprise user license and get 1 month complimentary access to our Knowledge Tree subscription. Offer valid till 15th November 2018. (*Terms and Conditions apply)

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Trending Reports of Medical Devices Market:

Fiber Optic Connectors Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2015 - 2020

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About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK COMMODITIES INCOME INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

54930040ALEAVPMMDC31

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Commodities Income Investment Trust plc at close of business on 12 November 2018 were:

76.79p Capital only

77.99p Including current year income

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

3. Following the Buyback of 37,897 ordinary shares on 22 October 2018, the Company now has 116,126,515 Ordinary Shares in issue (excluding 2,839,485 Ordinary Shares which are held in Treasury).

4. For the latest daily net asset value, previous month end performance statistics, asset allocation and ten largest holdings of the BlackRock managed Investment Trusts; see BLRKINDEX on Reuters or page 8800 on ICB (Topic 3).

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK GREATER EUROPE INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

5493003R8FJ6I76ZUW55

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust plc at close of business on 12 November 2018 were:

342.02p Capital only (undiluted)

342.02p Capital only (Diluted for treasury shares)

342.17p Including current year income (undiluted) XD

342.17p Including current year income (Diluted for treasury shares) XD

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

3. Following the purchase of 50,000 ordinary shares on 12th November 2018, the Company now has 86,409,691 Ordinary Shares in issue (excluding 23,919,247 Ordinary Shares which are held in Treasury).

4. For the latest daily net asset value, previous month end performance statistics, asset allocation and ten largest holdings of the BlackRock managed Investment Trusts; see BLRKINDEX on Reuters or page 8800 on ICB (Topic 3).

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK WORLD MINING TRUST PLC

LNFFPBEUZJBOSR6PW155

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock World Mining Trust plc at close of business on 12 November 2018 were:

388.24p Capital only (undiluted)

399.10p Including current year income (undiluted)

Notes:

1. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

2. Following the buyback of 25,000 ordinary shares on 23 October 2018, the Company has 176,330,242 ordinary shares in issue, excluding 16,681,600 which are held in treasury.

3. For the latest daily net asset value, previous month end performance statistics, asset allocation and ten largest holdings of the BlackRock managed Investment Trusts; see BLRKINDEX on Reuters or page 8800 on ICB (Topic 3).

4. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK THROGMORTON TRUST PLC

5493003B7ETS1JEDPF59

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Throgmorton Trust plc at close of business on 12 November 2018 were:

525.22p Capital only

533.30p Including current year income

525.22p Capital only (adjusted for treasury shares)

533.30p Including current year income (adjusted for treasury shares)

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. The Company's issued share capital comprises 73,130,326 Ordinary Shares and 7,400,000 Treasury Shares.

3. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK EMERGING EUROPE PLC

549300OGTQA24Y3KMI14

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Emerging Europe plc at close of business on 12 November 2018 were:

410.95c per share (US cents) - Capital only

319.39p per share (pence sterling) - Capital only

422.62c per share (US cents) - Including current year income

328.46p per share (pence sterling) - Including current year income

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value.

3. Following the cancellation of 5,000,000 treasury shares on 09 November 2018, the Company's share capital consists of 35,916,028 Ordinary shares carrying one vote each. There are no shares held in treasury.



4. As announced on 19 October 2018, the Company has published proposals which will result in the liquidation of the Company's assets subject to approval at a General Meeting to be held on 15 November 2018. The daily valuation includes an accrual in respect of expected costs associated with the liquidation. This accrual accounts for costs directly attributable to the liquidation. It is expected disposal costs will also be encountered while selling down the portfolio however such costs cannot be reliably estimated until the sale is executed. Consequently disposal costs have not been accrued in the valuation at this point."

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK NORTH AMERICAN INCOME TRUST PLC

549300WWOCXSC241W468

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock North American Income Trust plc at close of business on 12 November 2018 were:

173.48p Capital only

175.26p Including current year income

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

3. Following the buyback of 75,000 ordinary shares on 14 June 2017, the Company has 68,874,044 ordinary shares in issue, excluding 31,487,261 which are held in treasury.

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK LATIN AMERICAN INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

UK9OG5Q0CYUDFGRX4151

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc at close of business on 12 November 2018 were:

644.18c per share (US cents) - Capital only

644.44c per share (US cents) - Including current year income

500.66p per share (pence sterling) Capital only

500.86p per share (pence sterling) - Including current year income

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

3. Following the Buyback of 20,000 ordinary shares on 24 May 2018, the Company now has 39,259,620 Ordinary Shares in issue (excluding 2,181,662 Ordinary Shares which are held in Treasury).

4. For the latest daily net asset value, previous month end performance statistics, asset allocation and ten largest holdings of the BlackRock managed Investment Trusts; see BLRKINDEX on Reuters or page 8800 on ICB (Topic 3).

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK INCOME AND GROWTH INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

5493003YBY59H9EJLJ16

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Income and Growth Investment Trust plc at close of business on 12 November 2018 were:

188.74p Capital only (undiluted)

193.54p Including current year income (undiluted)

Notes:

1. Following the buyback of 41,500 ordinary shares on 08 October 2018, the Company has 24,059,668 ordinary shares in issue excluding 8,874,264 shares in treasury.

2. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis, with the exception of the holding in Patisserie Valerie which has been valued at a directors' valuation following its suspension from trading on AIM on 10 Oct. The portfolio's holding in Patisserie Valerie at 12th November 2018 represents 0.16% of the Company's total portfolio following this revaluation

3. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK SMALLER COMPANIES TRUST PLC

549300MS535KC2WH4082

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust plc at close of business on 12 November 2018 were:

1404.50p Capital only and including debt at par value

1397.97p Capital only and including debt at fair value

1418.42p Including current year income and debt at par value XD

1411.89p Including current year income and debt at fair value XD

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. The total number of ordinary shares in issue excluding treasury shares is 47,879,792. The total amount of ordinary shares

held in treasury is 2,113,731.

3. For the latest daily net asset value, previous month end performance statistics, asset allocation and ten largest holdings of the BlackRock managed Investment Trusts; see BLRKINDEX on Reuters or page 8800 on ICB (Topic 3).

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK FRONTIERS INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

5493003K5E043LHLO706

The unaudited net asset values for the ordinary shares of BlackRock Frontiers Investment Trust plc at close of business on 12 November 2018 were:

163.71c Capital only USD (cents)

127.24p Capital only Sterling (pence)

170.88c Including current year income USD (cents)

132.81p Including current year income Sterling (pence)

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

3. Following the share issuance of 500,000 ordinary shares on 12th November 2018, the Company has 203,991,108 ordinary shares in issue.- Travelport's 2018 Digital Traveler Survey highlights continuing demand for digital tools

- Mobile devices remain vital whilst new technologies grow in prominence

- India retains top position in this year's global digital traveler country rankings

LANGLEY, United Kingdom, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's travelers say mobile devices are as vital for travel as for other aspects of their life whilst the desire for new technologies, such as voice search, e-payment and digital room keys, to simplify and enhance their travel experience is increasing.

These are among results from the Travelport 2018 Global Digital Traveler Survey of 16,000 travelers from 25 countries which include:

Mobile remains crucial, but travelers want a consolidated experience:

Almost half of those surveyed have booked and paid for an entire or part of a trip through their smartphone. China is the global leader, with close to 100% of survey participants booking and paying for travel through their mobile phone

is the global leader, with close to 100% of survey participants booking and paying for travel through their mobile phone

Nine out of ten now have apps to make their life easier when at their destination with maps, airlines, weather and social media topping the list of favorites



On average, travelers use 10-12 apps throughout the searching, booking and traveling parts of their trip



The top three most important features identified by leisure travelers in their travel apps are the ability to search & book flights (68%), real-time flight alerts throughout their journey (64%) and being able to see an entire trip itinerary in one place (67%)



Only around a fifth of travelers are currently using itinerary management tools.

New technologies are continuing to grow in prominence:

Over half of travelers use voice to search either during booking or whilst traveling - up 3% on last year globally



In China and Turkey , over 70% of travelers are already using voice search. However, in Japan and some parts of Europe , the proportion of travelers using voice search is less than 40%

and , over 70% of travelers are already using voice search. However, in and some parts of , the proportion of travelers using voice search is less than 40%

Almost half of all respondents, both leisure (47%) and business (55%), think the ability to pay using Apple/Android pay (Touch ID) is important or very important



Over half of business travelers asked said they wanted to be able to check in to their hotel via an app, rather than at a reception desk. 50% also wanted to use a digital room key to unlock their hotel room door from their phone.

Travelers want technology to continue to simplify and enhance the travel experience:

Most travelers asked would happily use biometric scanning to reduce the need for waiting in security lines, with little difference between those traveling for business (81%) and those traveling for leisure (75%). For Nigerian travelers, with one of the youngest populations in this year's survey, 90% said they were happy to share personal data to speed through customs and immigration



Over two-thirds of travelers think digital boarding passes make travel so much easier

Gordon Wilson, President and CEO of Travelport, commented, "We can all see the way technology is changing almost every aspect of our lives. The travel industry has always been about new experiences and adopted new technologies early. This is as true today, with such high demand for voice search and biometric screening, as it was when I joined this industry almost thirty years ago.

"At Travelport, we'll always provide choice for customers and travelers, drive performance and use the intelligence in our platform to personalize and tailor your travel experience. But we're also busy innovating, inspiring and experimenting with ways to use new technologies to make buying and managing travel continually better. It's great to see confirmation that today's travelers are already as excited about future technologies as we are about making them."

The 2018 Global Digital Traveler League Table

The report also includes the 2018 Digital Traveler League Table, with India crowned champions for the second year in a row as the country with the most digitally-advanced travelers. The standings are based on a combination of the main indicators of using technology to enhance the travel experience. For example, India's top position is maintained due to 69% of the country's travelers using voice search, over 60% wanting digital room keys and 88% saying they are influenced to travel by friends on social media.

The countries are ranked as follows (*= new country surveyed in 2018):

Country 2018 Rank (2017 ranking) India 1 (1) Indonesia 2 (3) Brazil 3 (4) China 4 (2) Nigeria* 5 UAE 6 (8) Turkey* 7 Saudi Arabia 8 (5) Colombia 9 (9) Mexico 9 (6) South Africa 10 (7) Singapore* 11 Argentina* 12 South Korea* 13 Hong Kong* 14 USA 15 (11) Russia 16 (14) Italy 17 (10) Spain 18 (12) France 19 (13) Australia 20 (16) Canada 21 (15) UK 22 (17) Japan 23 (18) Germany 24 (19)

About the 2018 Global Digital Traveler Survey

Travelport's Global Digital Traveler Research was developed by the company's market intelligence team and carried out online through Toluna Research in August 2018. The research covered 25 countries and surveyed people who had taken at least one round trip flight last year. In total, there were over 16,000 respondents. The report is available to download at http://www.travelport.com/gdtr.

Alongside the Global Report, Travelport is publishing separate detailed country reports.

About Travelport (www.travelport.com)

Travelport (NYSE: TVPT) is the technology company which makes the experience of buying and managing travel continually better. It operates a travel commerce platform providing distribution, technology, payment and other solutions for the global travel and tourism industry. The company facilitates travel commerce by connecting the world's leading travel providers with online and offline travel buyers in a proprietary business-to-business (B2B) travel marketplace.

Travelport has a leadership position in airline merchandising, hotel content and distribution, car rental, mobile commerce and B2B payment solutions. The company also provides critical IT services to airlines, such as shopping, ticketing, departure control and other solutions. With net revenue of over $2.4 billion in 2017, Travelport is headquartered in Langley, UK, has approximately 4,000 staff and is represented in 180 countries and territories.

Travelport Media Contacts:

Anna Davies

Global Head of Communications

t: +447787501908

anna.davies@travelport.com

Julian Eccles

VP, PR and Communications

t: +44 (0)7720 409374

julian.eccles@travelport.comNew hub integrates all of ABB's activities in southeastern coastal city to create state-of-the-art campus specializing in advanced technologies

US$300 million investment in the hub which is ABB's largest innovation and manufacturing site at 425,000m 2

Employs 3,500 people, covering the full range of business activities

Strong symbol of ABB's ongoing commitment to China, where it has invested more than US$2.4 billion since 1992

Pioneering technology leader ABB today inaugurated its new ABB Xiamen Hub in the city's Torch Hi-Tech Industrial Park. The new site integrates the full value chain of ABB's activities, including R&D, engineering, manufacturing, sales and service, as well as supply chain management and corporate functions. Constructed and equipped using the latest environmentally sound materials and systems, including ABB's record-breaking fast-charging stations for electric vehicles, the site sets new standards in sustainability.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005681/en/

New ABB Xiamen Hub in the city's Torch Hi-Tech Industrial Park (Photo: Business Wire)

"The Xiamen Hub is ABB's largest and one of our most advanced manufacturing sites, and it demonstrates the potential of Industry 4.0 on our own premises. It is designed to provide state-of-the-art solutions and services for our customers in China as well as enterprises active in China's Belt-and-Road Initiative," said Ulrich Spiesshofer, CEO of ABB. "By bringing all of our activities together in one central hub, we will be ideally positioned to support China's reform agenda by helping Xiamen and the surrounding region build up leading positions in advanced industries."

The ABB Xiamen Hub will focus primarily on the development and manufacturing of products and solutions for ABB's Electrification Products and Power Grids divisions. It is home to one of ABB's largest R&D centers for low-voltage electrical systems as well as a 1,200kV ultra-high voltage test lab, the highest voltage level in China. The site also has ABB's first digitally connected remote service center in China. Since the launch of ABB's leading ABB Ability digital offering last year, the Group's digital business in China has doubled in size.

The inauguration ceremony of the Xiamen Hub was attended by Pei Jinjia, Secretary of the Communist Party of China Xiamen Municipal Committee, and other government representatives, ABB customers from the utility, industry, and transport infrastructure sectors, and ABB Group and local management. In acknowledgement of Xiamen's central role in ABB's Chinese operations, ABB will host a major customer event this week at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center. This event, ABB Customer World, will bring in more than 6,000 people and showcase the company's Power Grids, Electrification Products, Industrial Automation, and Robotics and Motions divisions.

"Xiamen has long been one of the most important industrial bases for ABB in China and globally," said Chunyuan Gu, President of ABB's Asia, Middle East and Africa region. "The city was home to our first joint venture in China 26 years ago and has played a crucial role in the development of ABB in China, where we now employ 18,000 people in more than 140 cities, including more than 2,000 in R&D."

The new hub is one of a number of major new investments ABB is making in China. In October, the company announced a US$150 million investment in a new robotics "factory of the future" in Shanghai. In May, it inaugurated a new Robotics Application Center in Chongqing, the company's fourth such site in China. And in December 2017, it opened the ABB Shenzhen New Energy Technology Center, which carries out research and development for solar and electric-vehicle-charging solutions for use around the world. ABB has invested more than US$2.4 billion in China since 1992.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in power grids, electrification products, industrial automation and robotics and motion, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport infrastructure globally. Continuing a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization with two clear value propositions: bringing electricity from any power plant to any plug and automating industries from natural resources to finished products. As title partner in ABB Formula E, the fully electric international FIA motorsport class, ABB is pushing the boundaries of e-mobility to contribute to a sustainable future. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees. www.abb.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005681/en/

Contacts:

ABB Ltd

Affolternstrasse 44

8050 Zurich

Switzerland

Media Relations

Phone: +41 43 317 71 11

Email: media.relations@ch.abb.comA group of financial and strategic investors back Velox's commercially available, market-proven, disruptive technology



ROSH HA'AYIN, Israel, Nov. 13, 2018, the leading developer of the world's only mass production direct-to-shapeand O.R.T. Technologies Ltd. , and joined by strategic investors ALTANA , Evonik as well as existing investors Michael Ilan Management & Investments Ltd., Dr. Shlomo Shamir, and additional private investors.

With equipment commercially deployed, and multiple high-value strategic global accounts secured, Velox is seen as an industry standout. Velox's uniquely formulated inks and proprietary printing process enables it to take digital printing from the domain of special-editions-only into the mass packaging decoration mega market.

Investor Quotes:

"Our investment in Velox is an expression of our strategic and on-going interest in high-performance digital printing technologies," said Dr. Christoph Schlunken, member of the ALTANA Management Board. "Velox's technology delivers a performance leap that has the potential to re-shape multiple markets."

"Velox developed a disruptive technology that for the first time takes digital printing into the mass market of packaging decoration," said Dr. Gaetano Blanda, Senior Vice President and General Manager Coating Additives of Evonik. "Since unique ink formulations are a major element of this technology, we feel this is an ideal match to Evonik's strategic interests."

"By combining a leading-edge, high-value technology with huge market potential, Velox represents a unique opportunity," said JAL Ventures Co-founder and General Partner Joshua Levinberg.

"The overwhelming market feedback, coming from both major packaging manufacturers as well as tier-1 global brand-owners, demonstrates the technology readiness as well as market acceptance," added Tamar Raz, O.R.T. Technologies CEO.

"Velox is on a fast trajectory for defining and dominating a huge market, thanks to its extraordinary team, its proprietary disruptive technology, and the backing of strong strategic and financial investors," said Liora Ettinger, CEO of MILMI, an early investor in Velox.

Velox's industrial digital decoration solution offers an end-to-end replacement to existing decoration technologies in terms of quality, production speed, and total cost-of-ownership in addition to utmost agility and efficiency.

"This investment signifies a new chapter in the company evolution and will be used to accelerate our go-to-market strategy, as well as strengthen our technology leadership," said Marian Cofler, Velox's CEO and Co-founder. "The strategic cooperation with ALTANA and Evonik, coupled with the vast experience of JAL Ventures and O.R.T. Technologies in building leading technology companies, will enable us to reach new achievements in industrial digital printing more quickly. We are proud that such a group of strategic and financial investors have demonstrated their faith in Velox and its future."

About Velox

Veloxdevelops and manufactures industrial-grade direct-to shape digital decoration solutions for the rigid container industry. Its proprietary DTS-Inkjet technology, based on uniquely formulated inks and dedicated deposition architecture, introduces an entirely new approach to digital printing that is disrupting the packaging decoration market. Velox's industrial-grade digital decorator delivers, at full production speed, superior decoration quality and capabilities that outstrip the benefits of analog printing solutions, while allowing a more efficient and flexible production process and a low total cost-of-ownershipor visit @Velox_DigiPrint on Twitter.

CONTACT:

Joanne Stanway

Rainier Communications

978-273-1473

velox@rainierco.com

Merav Sheffer

Velox

+972-3-5138051

merav.sheffer@velox-digital.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f7b5d2d1-433a-46f0-ad51-f015b2e723c9

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/18830401-bcdb-4c6a-acad-20c76ae11b49

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/77d374a5-8f21-4fd6-b0b4-112359e11dc0ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / Findit, Inc. (OTC PINK: FDIT) a Nevada Corporation offers insight into why Findit is the ideal platform for digital marketers that use a multi-channel approach.

A great marketer knows there's no one-size-fits-all solution for marketing. Each channel appeals to a different type of user and a different demographic. Instagram and Snapchat (SNAP) skew younger, whereas, Facebook (FB) has sort of become the party all the parents and grandparents have crashed.

According to DigitalMarketing.com, the spread of digital marketers using platforms to distribute their content is as follows:

91% use LinkedIn

85% use Twitter

81% use Facebook

73% use YouTube

34% use Pinterest

22% use Instagram

If you're looking for business leads or sales, LinkedIn might be your platform of choice, but there are a few reasons why marketers look to diversify their efforts and find the next "It" platform.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOL6SxCLthU

Diversifying your approach gives you a different way to reach people (maybe one method isn't getting through to them) and it helps you to become censor-proof by ensuring that if one channel is blocked, you have alternatives. Lastly, some users will follow you on other channels because they've seen your content on a certain platform, which raises your brand's collective profile.

The next It-platform is hiding in plain sight. Findit is a multi-channel marketers dream because it allows members to share across most of their other social media profiles. This makes Findit the perfect place to generate your content from to be able to quickly distribute it throughout the internet.

Clark St. Amant of Findit stated, "What makes Findit the perfect starting point for any social media user or influencer is that it can be shared to so many different places. Reaching more people and engaging your audiences can be done so easily and quickly. Posts on Findit can be shared to Facebook, LinkedIn, Google +, Twitter (TWTR) and more and visitors to Findit can share your content to their sites, exponentially increasing the number of people that can see and share your content. No other site lets you have that much control and provides you with that much reach on your status updates."

https://www.findit.com/calvmonster/RightNow/creativity-is-intelligence/5bbf4d55-4c64-4963-8726-f4c77b83dcf1

Furthermore, the site is built to be SEO-friendly, so not only are members able to boost their social media content through it, they are also able to make sure it's seen on the greater web. Additionally, Findit is a more sustainable channel long-term because they won't try to limit your freedom of speech and ban your profile.

Marketers have seen years of work deleted overnight by Facebook and Twitter, among others. In Findit, users have a landing page that they can distribute from with the virtual guarantee of permanence, which is rarer than you might think in the P.C. era of social media.

Findit, Inc. is a public company trading under the stock symbol FDIT.

About Findit, Inc.

Findit, Inc., (OTC Pinksheets FDIT) owns Findit.com which is a Social Media Content Management Platform that provides an interactive search engine for all content posted in Findit to appear in Findit search. The site is an open platform that provides access to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines access to its content posted to Findit so it can be indexed in these search engines as well. Findit provides Members the ability to post, share and manage their content. Once they have posted in Findit, we ensure the content gets indexed in Findit Search results. Findit provides an option for anyone to submit URLs that they want indexed in Findit search result, along with posting status updates through Findit Right Now. Status Updates posted in Findit can be crawled by outside search engines which can result in additional organic indexing. All posts on Findit can be shared to other social and bookmarking sites by members and non-members. Findit provides Real Estate Agents the ability to create their own Findit Site where they can pull in their listing and others through their IDX account. Findit offers News and Press Release Distribution. Findit, Inc., is focused on the development of monetized Internet-based web products that can provide an increased brand awareness of our members. Findit, Inc., trades under the stock symbol FDIT on the OTCPinksheets.

Safe Harbor:

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including statements regarding potential sales, the success of the company's business, as well as statements that include the word believe or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Findit, Inc. to differ materially from those implied or expressed by such forward-looking statements. This press release speaks as of the date first set forth above, and Findit, Inc. assumes no responsibility to update the information included herein for events occurring after the date hereof. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to factors such as the lack of capital, timely development of products, inability to deliver products when ordered, inability of potential customers to pay for ordered products, and political and economic risks inherent in international trade.

Contact:

Peter Tosto

Phone 404-443-3224

By Connor Judson Garrett

Findit, Inc.View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/527818/Why-Marketers-Keep-Looking-Beyond-Facebook-Twitter-and-Instagram-for-the-Next-It-Platform-and-What-the-Next-It-Will-Look-LikeThomson Reuters Appoints Michael Friedenberg as President of Reuters News

TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) today announced that Michael Friedenberg will join the company as president of Reuters news and media operations, effective December 3.

Editorial content will continue to be led by editor-in-chief Stephen J. Adler, who will report to Friedenberg.

"Michael's understanding of the challenges facing our media customers and proven track record driving profitable growth will add significant strength to our team as we work to further monetize trusted, mission-critical news for our customers," said Jim Smith, president and chief executive officer of Thomson Reuters.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead the world's number one international news organization," said Friedenberg. "Reuters has always held a special place in my life as the go-to for news and information. This moment to meld art and science within the Reuters business model is incredibly exciting. I am very much looking forward to being part of the team that continues to transform and modernize Reuters business model and global footprint," he added.

"I am excited to join forces with Michael as we continue to strengthen Reuters as a business and a news provider. I'm especially looking forward to dedicating more of my time to leading our talented and intrepid journalists, who every day rise to the challenge of covering news with speed, accuracy and fairness under often difficult and dangerous circumstances," said Adler. "Trusted news is more important than ever, and I am confident Michael will help us fulfill our vision of being the world's most trusted and influential news organization."

Friedenberg previously served as global CEO of IDG Communications, a media, data and services firm, leading the company across 147 countries. He will be based in New York.

Reuters

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world's largest international multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people every day. Reuters provides trusted business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktops, the world's media organizations and directly to consumers at Reuters.com and via Reuters TV. Follow news about Reuters at @ReutersPR.

Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) is the world's leading provider of news and information-based tools to professionals. Our worldwide network of journalist and specialist editors keep customer up to speed on global developments, with a particular focus on legal, regulatory and tax changes. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. For more information, visit tr.com and for the latest world news, reuters.com.WINNIPEG, MB / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / Preferred Dental Technologies Inc. ("Company") (CSE: PDTI, US OTC: PDTTF): Receives PDT Wellness CBD Inventory ahead of schedule.

Preferred Dental Implant Corp. is pleased to report that the US fulfilment center has informed them that all CBD product for the "PDT Wellness" line has arrived earlier than anticipated. "PDT Wellness" is a product line of organic, full spectrum pharmaceutical grade CBD available in gel caps and tinctures.

PDT Wellness will now begin sending samples of product to independent sales representatives to begin demonstrations, as well as follow up with parties who have expressed interest.

"PDT Wellness" is a line of products designed for dental offices and beyond. The products are manufactured from the highest quality, organic, pharmaceutical grade cannabidiol (CBD) which is grown, harvested and manufactured in the US. CBD is one of the non-intoxicating components of hemp, with research indicating significant supplemental medical benefits. All "PDT Wellness" products are THC free and will be marketed where permitted following individual state and federal regulations.

PDTI President, Mr. Erik Siegmund stated, "We have been hard at work, ensuring the timing of our first trained sales representatives coincided with the launch of 'PDT Wellness'. In addition to our EAS Series of dental implant components, those marketing our EAS system will also be promoting our range of CBD-based products. We feel that this will create a major impact on dental professionals being introduced to the company in the following weeks. Additionally, as has been outlined in past news releases, the company has a strong follow-up planned with additional product in both our dental accessories line, and our CBD focused line currently under development. We plan to capitalize on these strong first impressions we expect to generate within the dental space and demonstrate that PDTI is a company to follow for future growth and innovative solutions going forward."

About PDTI

Preferred Dental Technologies Inc. (PDTI) has been established to advance development and commercialization of various evolutionary and disruptive technologies in the dental implant industry.

MISSION - INNOVATIVE & PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE DENTAL INDUSTRY

Visit: www.preferreddentalimplant.com

www.prefdent.com

On behalf of Preferred Dental Technologies Inc.

Erik Siegmund

Chief Executive Officer

Email: info@prefdent.com

Tel: 204.691.3722

www.prefdent.com

This news release may contain forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release may include, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, those risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of The Canadian Securities Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Preferred Dental Technologies Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/527817/Preferred-Dental-Technologies-Inc-Company-CSE-PDTI-US-OTC-PDTTF-Receives-PDT-Wellness-CBD-Inventory-Ahead-of-SchedulePALM BEACH, Florida, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Financialnewsmedia.com News Commentary

The hemp-based CBD market continues its blazing progress through 2018 as revenues continue to climb and optimism in the industry grows as legalization and mainstream adoption continue to develop. Hemp is taking root in the United States, thanks to the 2014 Farm Bill, which allowed limited production. Hemp-CBD production is booming for not only U.S. demand but globally as well. According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, hemp imports surged an astounding 1,200% between 2005 and 2015 - from $5.6 million to about $78.2 million. Sophisticated manufacturing, strategic product development and pricing, and vertical integration are keys to continued growth in the Hemp-CBD market as the U.S. market for hemp-derived CBD products is expected to approach $600 million this year, according to cannabis research firm Brightfield Group, and brands are eager to capitalize on the surging popularity of THC's non-psychoactive relative. Active Companies from around the market with current developments this week include: Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC:MCOA), Player's Network, Inc. (OTC:PNTV), Kona Gold Solutions, Inc. (OTC:KGKG), Puration, Inc. (OTC:PURA), Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC:MJNA).

Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTCPK:MCOA) BREAKING NEWS: Marijuana Company of America, an innovative hemp and cannabis corporation, is pleased to announce the official launch of its television commercial ad campaign in conjunction with the Company's strategic partner, asseenontv.pro (ASONTV), to market its hempSMART Full Spectrum Pet Drops.

The new campaign will market the Company's pet product to direct consumers via a 60 second TV advertising campaign for the duration of the next six weeks during the 2018 holiday season. Customers interested in purchasing the product or viewing the new commercial can do so by visiting http://www.hempsmartpetdrops.com

Donald Steinberg, CEO of MCOA, stated, "Our Company has prepared diligently for the expected influx of orders in relation to the launch of our commercial ad campaign to promote our hemp derived CBD pet product. Our CBD product brand hempSMART will continue our affiliate marketing program in combination with our direct sales ad campaign during Q4 which, the Company expects to be our best quarter to date."Read this and more news for MCOAat:http://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-mcoa/

In the industry developments and happenings in the market this week include:

Player's Network, Inc. (OTCQB:PNTV), a rapidly growing company in the adult use and medical marijuana industry and the Argentine province of Jujuy jointly announce the signing of a binding Memorandum of Understanding. Under its terms the joint venture has begun developing the Argentinean cannabis market. The current laws in Argentina only allow for domestic distribution of CBD oils to hospitals for clinical studies of refractory epilepsy. The joint venture between a newly formed company, Green Leaf Farms Jujuy and Cannabis Avatara, owned by the province of Jujuy intends to supply the country with all the needed oils to conduct its clinical trials. This joint venture has obtained the permits to cultivate, extract, manufacture and export cannabis based products to other countries where such products are legal.

Kona Gold Solutions, Inc. (OTCPK: KGKG), a hemp and CBD lifestyle brand focused on product development in the functional beverage sector, recently announced a two hundred and twenty-five percent (225%) increase in revenue from the previous month on thirty-two thousand dollars($32,000) in sales. The Company recorded its strongest month-to-date off of the signing of new distribution partners and extremely strong sales of its popular Kona Gold Hemp Energy Drinks and HighDrate CBD Energy Waters. The Company has also seen an eight-seven percent (87%) increase in sales on Amazon.com over the last 30 days and a two hundred and ninety-two percent (292%) from this time last year. Kona Gold has forecasted one hundred fifty-three thousand dollars($153,000) in revenue for Q4 with fifty-six thousand ($56,000) in gross profit.

Puration, Inc. (OTCPK:PURA) recently announced securing a thirty percent (30%) interest in US Cannabis Health LLC, a new company established in partnership with Kali, Inc. (KALY) and Nouveau Life Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NOUV). The three companies have each contributed assets in exchange for respective 30% stakes in US Cannabis Health which has been set up to develop cannabis pharmaceutical and wellness therapies estimated to be a $50 Billion market by 2029. A reserve of 10% equity is set aside for a US Cannabis Health management team yet to be selected. Hosted by PURA at their corporate headquarters, management from the three companies met this week in Dallas, Texas to finalize plans for US Cannabis Health. The meetings were held in conjunction with KALY finalizing the acquisition of NCM Biotech. KALY and NCM Biotech expect to imminently make a formal announcement of the acquisition closing.

Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTCPK:MJNA), the first-ever publicly traded cannabis company in the United States, announced recently that subsidiary HempMeds will exhibit its line of award-winning cannabidiol (CBD) hemp oil products at the Marijuana Business Conference (MJ Biz Con) on Nov. 14-16 in Las Vegas. MJ Biz Con, the largest cannabis conference in the world, is the preeminent conference to drive business deals and forge valuable connections with cannabis professionals in business today. The event will attract more than 20,000 cannabis professionals and 1,000 exhibitors at the Las Vegas Convention Center at 3150 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89109..

DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates Financialnewsmedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed MNU has been compensated forty six hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press release issued by Marijuana Company of America, Inc. by the company. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

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Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - November 13, 2018) - Excelsior Mining Corp. (TSX: MIN) (FSE: 3XS) (OTCQX: EXMGF) ("Excelsior" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on pre-production preparations at the fully-permitted Gunnison Copper Project in southeast Arizona. Ramp-up activities at the Johnson Camp Mine (JCM) have been running in parallel with the permitting process as the Company seeks to ensure an efficient transition into the pending construction and production phases. Excelsior is now poised to be a major long-term employer within Cochise County for the next quarter century.

The number of employees at JCM now totals 31 individuals, as the Company fills essential positions related to production. Key management personnel are in place and essential employees required to operate the production facility at JCM are being hired at a rapid pace. The JCM offices have been fully refurbished in anticipation of start-up. In addition, the drilling contract for the well field is in place and the contractor is awaiting instructions to mobilize the drilling rigs. Long lead items have been ordered and drill casing is currently on site and awaiting the arrival of the first drill rig. Additionally, early equipment and vehicles have been purchased.

Both basic and detailed engineering are complete. The Project Execution Plan and Construction Plans are also complete. A general contractor has been selected and all other major contracts have now been concluded. Key corporate systems, such as safety and environment, are now in place and implemented. All other corporate systems, such as the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) are nearing the completion of the implementation process.

On the personnel side, one of the key hires is Cregg Bossard brought aboard as the senior project manager responsible for mine construction. Mr. Bossard has more than 42 years' experience in the mining, environmental remediation, and construction industries. He has worked in operations, research and development, technical sales, engineering, and construction across the entire spectrum of the mining operations. Mr. Bossard was most recently with Fluor Enterprises, where as a project director and area manager, he was responsible for engineering, procurement and construction, systemization and commissioning activities in several mining projects worldwide, including the US$ 1.7 billion Ras Al-Khair Area for the Wa'ad Al-Shamal Phosphate EPC Project.

Commenting on these pre-production activities, Excelsior's Chief Operating Officer, Roland Goodgame said, "We want to assure all stakeholders that we will be ready to move into production next year as per our schedule. During the permitting process, we have been ramping up activity at JCM so that we will be in a position to move seamlessly into the construction and production phases."

About Excelsior Mining

Excelsior Mining "The Copper Solution Company" is a mineral exploration and development company that is advancing the Gunnison Copper Project in Cochise County, Arizona. The project is an advanced staged, low cost, environmentally friendly in-situ recovery copper extraction project. The Feasibility Study projected an after-tax NPV of US$ 807 million and an IRR of 40% using a US$ 2.75 per pound copper price and a 7.5% discount rate.

Excelsior's technical work on the Gunnison Copper Project is supervised by Stephen Twyerould, Fellow of AUSIMM, President & CEO of Excelsior and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Twyerould has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

Additional information about the Gunnison Copper Project can be found in the technical report filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com entitled: "Gunnison Copper Project, NI 43-101 Technical Report, Feasibility Study" dated effective December 17, 2016.

For more information on Excelsior, please visit our website at www.excelsiormining.com.

For further information regarding this press release, please contact:

Excelsior Mining Corp.

Concord Place, Suite 300, 2999 North 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85018.

JJ Jennex, Vice President, Corporate Affairs

T: 604 723 1433

E: info@excelsiormining.com

www.excelsiormining.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" concerning anticipated developments and events that may occur in the future. Forward looking information contained in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to:; (i) economic benefits from the Gunnison Project; (ii) the completion of start-up activities for construction, commencement and completion of construction and the start commencement of commercial production from the Gunnison Project; (iii) the results of the Feasibility Study, including operating and capital cost estimates and the economic benefits from the Gunnison Copper Project; and (iv) the ability to mine the Gunnison Project using in-situ recovery mining techniques.

In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words 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" suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and mineral reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, copper and other metal prices, the timing and amount of future development expenditures, the estimation of initial and sustaining capital requirements, the estimation of labour and operating costs, the availability of necessary financing and materials to continue to develop and construct the Gunnison Project in the short and long-term, the progress of development activities, the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals, the estimation of insurance coverage, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.

Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined including the possibility that mining operations may not commence at the Gunnison Project, risks relating to variations in mineral resources and reserves, grade or recovery rates resulting from current exploration and development activities, risks relating to the ability to access infrastructure, risks relating to changes in copper and other commodity prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of copper and related products, risks related to increased competition in the market for copper and related products and in the mining industry generally, risks related to current global financial conditions, uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources, access and supply risks, reliance on key personnel, operational risks inherent in the conduct of mining activities, including the risk of accidents, labour disputes, increases in capital and operating costs and the risk of delays or increased costs that might be encountered during the development process, regulatory risks, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, including the risk that the financing necessary to fund the exploration and development activities at the Gunnison Project may not be available on satisfactory terms, or at all, risks related to disputes concerning property titles and interest, environmental risks and the additional risks identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's reports and filings with applicable Canadian securities regulators.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information.Art finance experts OMNIA Asset Solutions have spent the week meeting colleagues and potential customers as one of the partner sponsors for Luxembourg Art Week.

The company, which helps collectors raise finance against their high value luxury assets, was one of several leading companies sponsoring the prestigious European event.

A division of financial firm, OMNIA Global, OMNIA Asset Solutions has been attracting attention since its launch earlier this year.

Their unique model allows collectors to generate an income from their pieces over a five-year period, while retaining full ownership.

Their expert team, headed by fine art expert and Managing Director, Amelia Hunton, joined a series of meetings and discussions during the Luxembourg Art Week.

As well as private views, a walking tour and wine-tasting, OMNIA Asset Solutions hosted tables at the event's closing Gala Dinner and unveiled the findings of their specialist white paper.

As Daniel Hansen, CEO, OMNIA Global, explains: "We were delighted to be able to be a part of such an important event and to show collectors and investors the range of services we can provide.

"Luxembourg has become a centre for alternative asset finance innovation and we feel we are offering something truly unique.

"We know that many high net worth individuals have fortunes stored in assets, such as fine art, classic cars and diamonds.

"These collections will be appreciating in value and becoming a bigger part of the combined wealth of our clients, but not accumulating cash flow.

"We have structured a solution which allows clients to use their assets as the base of a cash flow.

"At OMNIA, art functions as 'backup' for private equity investments. For the art owner there is an unleveraged private equity portfolio protecting the pledged assets.

"OMNIA Asset Solutions secures the 'Asset Portfolio' which underpins the operation of OMNIA Bonds II, a subsidiary of OMNIA Global, which raises funds secured by high value assets.

"We look forward to meeting collectors and telling them more about what we do."

ABOUT OMNIA GLOBAL AND OMNIA ASSETS SOLUTIONS

OMNIA Global launched in 2009 as an alternative source of finance to entrepreneurs running privately held companies. Over the past few years OMNIA have expanded their footprint within Private Equity investments in SME's as well as Yachts and Aviation.

"OMNIA saw art finance as an under-served market in which to invest," says Daniel Hansen.

Annual art market reports support the growing consensus of viewing art as an asset class build year-on-year. With Deloitte's prediction of $2.7 trillion being dedicated to art-related wealth by 2026, who wouldn't be looking to provide a sophisticated finance solution.

OMNIA Asset Solutions offers individuals, corporations, foundations and institutions the ability to earn an annual income from an agreed fixed percentage of the appraisal value during the contractual pledge period of five years, with the possibility of retaining full ownership of the asset at the end of the bond term.

A typical transaction will be valued at 1million upwards of the agreed value leveraged. The contractual period for the pledged assets is five years.

ends

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005740/en/

Contacts:

OMNIA Global

Amelia Hunton

Managing Director

+44 (20) 36 959 710

ah@omniaas.comCALHOUN, Georgia, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mohawk Industries, Inc. (NYSE: MHK) today announced that Paul De Cock has been promoted to President of the company's Flooring North America segment.

For the past ten years, De Cock has served as president of the floor covering division of the Company's Flooring Rest of World segment. In that position, he successfully led businesses manufacturing the Company's major product categories, including carpet, laminate, LVT and wood.

"Paul's deep understanding of the flooring market derives from more than 20 years of experience in Europe and the U.S., with a history of successfully running plants, large manufacturing operations and a multinational sales organization," said Jeff Lorberbaum, chairman and CEO of Mohawk Industries. "His experience includes successfully managing a broad product portfolio across many markets as well as delivering strong results in his past role in our U.S. operations."

After Mohawk's 2005 acquisition of Unilin, De Cock served as President of the Company's North American hard surface business, where he grew the Quick-Step brand in the U.S., integrated the 2007 Columbia wood flooring acquisition and increased sales across all channels. After returning to Europe in 2009, De Cock transformed Unilin's flooring operations from laminate manufacturing into a total hard surface business and expanded direct sales through greenfield and the acquisition of distributors in ten markets worldwide. In 2013, he led the integration of Pergo into Mohawk, improving manufacturing while enhancing the premium brand's value through performance and design innovation and product extensions. Prior to the Company's IVC acquisition, De Cock and his team designed and installed the first automated LVT line in Europe. Most recently, he managed the acquisition of Godfrey Hirst, the largest carpet manufacturer in Australia and New Zealand, and the subsequent consolidation with Mohawk-owned distributors in those markets.

Brian Carson, former president of the Company's Flooring North America segment, will leave the Company on November 12, 2018 to pursue other interests.Company moves forward with commitments of its Global Transparency Initiative

Today, Kaspersky Lab announces that threat-related data shared by European users will now be processed in two data centers located in Zurich, Switzerland, along with the opening of the company's first Transparency Center. These activities initiate the first part of a relocation commitment made by the company in late 2017 as part of the Global Transparency Initiative.

The relocation of data processing is part of a major infrastructure move designed to increase the resilience of the company's IT infrastructure to risks of data breaches and supply-chain attacks. The move also reflects the company's determination to assure the integrity and trustworthiness of its products, services and internal processes.

From November 13, malicious and suspicious files shared by users of Kaspersky Lab products in Europe will start to be processed in two data centers, which are world-class facilities in compliance with industry standards to ensure the highest levels of security. The data, which users have actively chosen to share with Kaspersky Lab, includes suspicious or previously unknown malicious files and corresponding meta-data that the company's products send to Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) for automated malware analysis.

Protection of customers' data, together with the safety and integrity of infrastructure, is a top priority for Kaspersky Lab, and that is why the file processing relocation comes first and is expected to be fully accomplished by the end of 2019. The relocation of other types of data processed by Kaspersky Lab products, consisting of several kinds of anonymized threat and usage statistics, is planned to be conducted during future phases of the Global Transparency Initiative.

Today also marks the opening of Kaspersky Lab's first Transparency Center in Zurich, enabling authorized partners to access reviews of the company's code, software updates and threat detection rules, along with other activities. Through the Transparency Center, Kaspersky Lab will provide governments and partners with information on its products and their security, including essential and important technical documentation, for external evaluation in a secure environment.

According to independent rankings, Switzerland is among the world's top locations in terms of the number of secure internet servers available, and the country has an international reputation as an innovative center for data processing and high quality IT infrastructure. Being in the heart of Europe and, at the same time, a non-EU member, Switzerland established its own data privacy regulation, which is guaranteed by the state's constitution and federal laws. In addition, there are strict regulations on processing data requests received from authorities.

"The settlement of Kaspersky's Transparency Center in Switzerland underlines that our country has become a global center for innovation and technology with a strong cyber security cluster, offering advanced and secure digital infrastructure within a strong framework of security and privacy that attracts ever more technology leaders," said Liv Minder, investment promotion director from Switzerland Global Enterprise.

In October 2017, the Kaspersky Lab Global Transparency Initiative was announced, and these initiatives in Switzerland mark continued progress of the company's plans. These two major developments will be followed by the relocation of data processing for other regions and, in phase two, the move of software assembly to Zurich as well.

"Transparency is becoming the new normal for the IT industry and for the cybersecurity industry in particular," said Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky Lab. "We are proud to be on the front line of this process. As a technological company, we are focused on ensuring the best IT infrastructure for the security of our products and data, and the relocation of key parts of our infrastructure to Switzerland places them in one of the most secure locations in the world. The promises made in our Global Transparency Initiative are coming to fruition, enhancing the resilience and visibility of our products. Through the new Transparency Center, also in Switzerland, trusted partners and governments will be able to see external reviews of our products and make up their own minds. We believe that steps such as these are just the beginning, for the company, and for the security industry as a whole. The need to prove trustworthiness will soon become an industry standard."

In addition to the Transparency Center opening and the IT infrastructure relocation, a number of other actions are being undertaken. In particular, Kaspersky Lab has engaged one of the Big Four professional services firms to conduct an audit of the company's engineering practices around the creation and distribution of threat detection rule databases, with the goal of independently confirming their accordance with the highest industry security practices.

The assessment will be done under the SSAE 18 standard (Statement of Standards for Attestation Engagements). The scope of the assessment includes regular automatic updates of antivirus records, created and distributed by Kaspersky Lab for its products operating on Windows and Unix Servers. The company is planning the assessment under SSAE 18 with the issue of the SOC 2 (The Service and Organization Controls) report for Q2 2019.

Additionally, Kaspersky Lab continues to improve the security of its products with the help of a community of security enthusiasts from all over the world through its bug bounty program. Within one year, Kaspersky Lab resolved more than 50 bugs reported by security researchers, of which several were acknowledged to be especially valuable.

Learn more about Kaspersky Lab transparency principles and the Global Transparency Initiative here: https://usa.kaspersky.com/about/transparency

Note to editors

On November 13, 2018, Kaspersky Lab will be hosting a live online panel debate about rebuilding trust in cybersecurity and minimizing the risks of transparency, featuring IT security leaders and influencers. The debate will be broadcast from Zurich and forms part of the Kaspersky Transparency Summit in Zurich. Further details and registration can be found here

About Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company, which has been operating in the market for over 20 years. Kaspersky Lab's deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into next generation security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005169/en/

Contacts:

Kaspersky Lab

Denise Berard, 781-503-1836

Denise.Berard@kaspersky.comVANTIQ Pronto Dynamic Advanced Event Broker enables organizations with real-time business responsiveness across enterprise, cloud and edge events



PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., Nov. 13, 2018, VANTIQ announced VANTIQ Pronto , the industry's first dynamic "Advanced Event Broker" (AEB). IT leaders from across the U.S. learned how Pronto is designed to deliver unique advantages for companies looking to power modern, event-driven applications with the real-time business responsiveness, intelligence and agility required for digital transformation initiatives. VANTIQ Pronto will be generally available to developers on November 30 at no charge for up to 2 million event messages in production per month.

According to Gartner, "Application leaders engaged in digital transformation must include event-driven computing in their portfolio of skills and technology, including the key related responsibilities for event brokering and event stream analytics."1

Providing capabilities well beyond traditional event and message brokers, the VANTIQ Pronto Dynamic AEB enables constant monitoring of an operation by accepting events from anywhere (e.g. IoT, mobile devices, legacy systems), analyzing them in real time, and sending those event messages to subscribing applications and systems. Events can be analyzed independently, in streams, or combined with other events or information from external services - enabling comprehensive situational awareness and true digital business innovation.

"VANTIQ continues to innovate on the real-time, event-driven technologies required for successful IoT, IIoT, artificial intelligence, and business blockchain initiatives," said Marty Sprinzen, CEO and co-founder of VANTIQ. "VANTIQ Pronto can even function as a broker of brokers, supporting event management for real-time business responsiveness in complex systems. Pronto enables applications to easily sense, analyze and act on events in a way that was not previously easily achievable."

The Purpose of Event Brokers: Why the Right Choice Matters

Gartner continues, "Middleware products that additionally offer special support for event-centric use cases (for example, a persistent event ledger for analysis and event sourcing, or programmable extensibility for custom filtering and analysis) are 'advanced' event brokers."2

VANTIQ Pronto has those advanced event broker capabilities, yet is unique in that it delivers a Dynamic AEB that:

Provides for the easy discovery and re-use of event streams across enterprise applications via the Pronto Dynamic Event Catalog

Enables the rapid development and application of complex augmentations and transformations to events from multiple sources, using VANTIQ's high-productivity, low/no-code approach - also featured in VANTIQ's rapid application development platform, Modelo

Ensures there is no single point of failure, removes bottlenecks, and reduces latency with the unique Pronto Dynamic Event Mesh deployment at run-time

Orchestrates connections between data sources, other event brokers and message queues via standard integrations including Kafka, IBM MQ, MQTT, AMQP, and others; easily integrates into virtually any application platform or environment using the VANTIQ Enterprise Connectors SDK

As a result, the VANTIQ Pronto Dynamic AEB is the only advanced event broker that delivers the continuous awareness, intelligence and agility required for modern event-driven systems.

"Our industrial customers who are on a digital transformation journey can benefit from VANTIQ's innovation with the Pronto Dynamic AEB, as well as the highly productive distributed VANTIQ Modelo application development platform," said Bryan DeBois, software manager at RoviSys - VANTIQ partner and the largest independent systems integrator in the United States building industrial applications that enable powerful process control and automation. "By combining our deep expertise in OSIsoft PI System and industrial software projects with VANTIQ's scalable Pronto for event management, we can deliver real-time event-driven applications with greater speed and agility."

Availability

VANTIQ Pronto is available in a Cloud Edition, fully managed by VANTIQ running on major clouds including AWS, Azure, and Alibaba Cloud; a Server Edition for use in private clouds; and an Edge Edition for use on edge nodes. Users can build dynamic event broker applications with the VANTIQ Pronto Cloud Edition and bring them to production at no charge up to 2 million event messages per month. Pronto will be generally available on November 30, 2018. Sign up here to be notified when Pronto releases.

About VANTIQ

VANTIQ - the company that powers real-time business operations - provides the only truly dynamic platform for quickly and easily creating transformative, digital applications to drive your agile business operations in real time. Founded in 2015 by renowned tech industry veterans Marty Sprinzen and Paul Butterworth, VANTIQ enables those involved in mission-critical business operations to benefit from a new breed of digital applications with dramatically reduced time-to-market, significantly lower development and maintenance costs, and maximum agility in response to constantly-changing operational requirements. For more information, visit www.vantiq.com .

Media contact:

VANTIQ

Dana Dye

+1-415-928-1310

ddye@vantiq.com





1 2 Gartner: Innovation Insight for Event Brokers, by Yefim Natis, Keith Guttridge, W. Roy Schulte, Nick Heudecker, Paul Vincent, July 31, 2018, refreshed October 5, 2018

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bf66d969-2943-4595-ad66-a96fa018ef18Rothans to Lead Sales and Training Teams to Enable Rapid Growth

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / Wrap Technologies, Inc. (the 'Company') (OTCQB: WRTC), an innovator of modern policing solutions, has promoted Michael Rothans, the Company's Senior Vice President of Business Development since September 2017, to the position of Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, Rothans will lead sales, training and technical support teams, a critical role as the Company prepares to expand its sales efforts with respect to its new BolaWrap 100 non-lethal remote restraint solution to law enforcement agencies in the United States and certain other key countries.

Michael Rothans

Rothans is a proven law enforcement executive with deep knowledge and experience in police engagements. He retired in 2015 as a thirty-one year, highly-decorated veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department ('LASD'). His last position with the LASD was as Assistant Sheriff overseeing the department's patrol operations. As Assistant Sheriff, he was responsible for a nearly one-billion-dollar budget and supervised over 6,000 sworn and civilian personnel. In addition, he served the important role of Chair of the Executive Force Review Committee for the LASD, during which time he was responsible for reviewing all officer involved shootings and significant uses of force for the department and determined if those force incidents met LASD standards.

'Mike brings invaluable knowledge about real world encounters between the police and the public to his new position,' said David Norris, the Company's President. 'Since joining the Company in late 2017, Mike has been instrumental in our business development, leading the introduction of our new early restraint product to key law enforcement agencies across the United States. He has been a credible Company spokesperson, and we are thrilled to have his talent and proven leadership managing and advancing our growth.'

'It is a rare opportunity to work with a Company that can positively impact a national social issue, such as police encounters with individuals suffering from a mental health crisis,' said Rothans. 'It is a privilege to be part of a solution to a problem that has plagued law enforcement for many years- reducing the level of force used to subdue people in crisis while addressing the negative social perception of police force, and mitigating the cost of these encounters to law enforcement agencies, local communities, and ultimately the taxpaying public. I am proud to be part of this organization and to have this opportunity to apply my knowledge and experience in my new role while focusing on driving expanded growth in 2019.'

About Wrap Technologies (OTCQB: WRTC)

Wrap Technologies is an innovator of modern policing solutions. The Company's BolaWrap 100 product is a patented, hand-held remote restraint device that discharges an eight-foot bola style Kevlar tether to entangle an individual at a range of 10-25 feet. Developed by award winning inventor Elwood Norris, the Company's Chief Technology Officer, the small but powerful BolaWrap 100 assists law enforcement to safely and effectively control encounters, especially those involving an individual experiencing a mental crisis. For information on the Company, please visit www.wraptechnologies.com. Examples of recent media coverage are available as links under the 'Media' tab of the website.

Trademark Information: BolaWrap is a trademark of Wrap Technologies, Inc. All other trade names used herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective holders.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements-Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the 'safe harbor' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to statements regarding the Company's overall business, total addressable market and expectations regarding future sales and expenses. Words such as "expect," "anticipate," "should," "believe," "target," "project," "goals," "estimate," "potential," "predict," "may," "will," "could," "intend," variations of these terms or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond the Company's control. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to: the Company's ability to successful implement training programs for the use of its products; the Company's ability to manufacture and produce product for its customers; the Company's ability to develop sales for its new product solution; the acceptance of existing and future products; the availability of funding to continue to finance operations; the complexity, expense and time associated with sales to law enforcement and government entities; the lengthy evaluation and sales cycle for the Company's product solution; product defects; litigation risks from alleged product-related injuries; risks of government regulations; the ability to obtain patents and defend IP against competitors; the impact of competitive products and solutions; and the Company's ability to maintain and enhance its brand, as well as other risk factors included in the Company's most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q and other SEC filings. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and were based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations.

WRAP TECHNOLOGIES' CONTACT :

Investor Relations

800-583-2652, Ext #515

IR@wraptechnologies.com

SOURCE: Wrap Technologies, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/527873/Wrap-Technologies-Promotes-Michael-Rothans-to-Chief-Operating-OfficerVANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / Ximen Mining Corp. (TSX-V: XIM) (FRA: 1XMA) (OTCQB: XXMMF) (the "Company" or "Ximen") is pleased to announce that the investor sentiment at the International Precious Metals & Commodities Show in Munich was positive. As a result, the company has decided to accept opportunities to present in various cities throughout Europe over the upcoming months. Invitations that were extended to the company during the show this past weekend are being accepted.

Prior to the PDAC in March 2019, the company is planning over the next few months to expand its road show throughout Germany into Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Berlin. Furthermore, Ximen will be accepting invitations to present in Switzerland, Austria, and the United Kingdom including Zurich, Geneva, Vienna, and London.

Over the coming winter months, the company will be continuing with its permitting activities in Southern BC for underground drilling and development at the Brett Epithermal Gold Project. In addition, the company is addressing some other synergetic opportunities that could possibly arise as a result of current market conditions.



Ximen CEO, Mr. Anderson, and Ximen supporters,

including Ralph Wintermantel - Deriva Magazine Publisher (on the right)

If you are interested in learning more about Ximen mining and its activities in the precious metals space in southern BC Canada, please contact the company and we would be happy to make time to personally introduce you to the company and its plans going forward.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Christopher R. Anderson"

Christopher R. Anderson,

President, CEO and Director

Ximen Mining Corp. 604 488-3900

About Ximen Mining Corp.

Ximen Mining Corp. owns 100 percent interest in all three of its precious metal projects located in southern BC. Ximen's two Gold projects are The Gold Drop Project and The Brett Epithermal Gold Project. Ximen also owns the Treasure Mountain Silver Project adjacent to the past-producing Huldra Silver Mine. Currently both the Gold Drop Project and the Treasure Mountain Silver Project are under option agreements. The option partners are making annual staged cash and stocks payments as well as funding the development of these projects.

Ximen is a publicly listed company trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol XIM, in the USA under the symbol XXMMF, and in Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin Stock Exchanges in Germany under the symbol 1XMA and WKN with the number as A2JBKL.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state in the United States in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

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.

Ximen Mining Corp

888 Dunsmuir Street - Suite 888,

Vancouver, B.C., V6C 3K4

SOURCE: Ximen Mining Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/527900/Ximen-Mining-Corp-was-Well-Received-at-the-Munich-Gold-Conference-and-is-Expanding-Presentations-Throughout-EuropeBy Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

Eastern sycamore, or as it is also called, chinar, is considered one of the most perennial trees.

A symbol of endurance, pride and longevity, it can live up to 1000 years. However, residents of Kolair village of Samukh region are sure that this tree is one and a half thousand years old.

There's all sorts of legends and myths around this sycamore tree.

One of the legends says that the place where the village stands today was visited by the Holy Imam Ali (who was the first of the Shiite imams, the fourth righteous caliph, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed) who lived in the seventh century.

People believe that the trace from the hoof of his horse named Duldul has survived to the present day on the trunk of a plane tree. Over time, the tree began to be honored as sacred, pilgrims began to come to it, and the people began to call it, like the horse of Imam, Duldul.

According to another legend, Hazrat Ali visited Azerbaijan and tied his horse in the shade of this tree. Pilgrims make a wish, tie shawls, pieces of cloth to branches if their wish comes true. They come back here, and bring gifts.

Associate Professor of Azerbaijan State Agrarian University Arif Gaziyev spoke about the sycamore tree from a scientific point of view.In an interview with Sputnik Azerbaijan, he said that sycamore tree, whose Latin name is Platanus Orientalis, is really considered a long-liver.

"Chinar has always been distinguished by its forms, magnificent views. For our people, it has always been sacred, therefore it was considered a sin to burn or cut down. In the Ganja region, they call it "Khan" for its majestic and proud look," he noted.

After examining the diameter of its trunk, experts concluded that it is not one and a half thousand, but about 700-800 years old.

Platanus is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere.

They are often known in English as planes or plane trees. Some North American species are called sycamores.







IMMINGHAM, England, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Above: ABP Regional Director Simon Bird and British Steel Deputy CEO Paul Martinsign the Immingham Bulk Terminal Limited contract

ABP has today made a major announcement to confirm that it has agreed a new deal with British Steel in which ABP has agreed to invest 65 million into the Immingham Bulk Terminal (the "Terminal"). The investment will help to help support the long-term future of steel manufacturing in the Humber region.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/740500/ABP_Logo.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/783835/Associated_British_Ports.jpg )

The new deal will see ABP take over the operation of the Terminal from British Steel, which is located on the west side of the port in Immingham. Measures are in place to preserve all jobs at the facility and it is expected that a limited number of additional jobs will be created.

All staff currently working for British Steel at IBT (approximately 45 people) will be invited to join Immingham Bulk Terminal Limited, within the ABP group.

The Terminal currently handles over 5.5 million tonnes of bulk cargoes such as iron ore, coal and coke each year destined for the steel manufacturer's Scunthorpe headquarters. The project will help to strengthen the long-term future of British Steel's manufacturing operations in the region as well as the long association of the Humber Ports in supporting the steel industry.

The UK's largest port operator, ABP, already owns and operates four ports along the River Humber, in Grimsby, Hull, Goole and Immingham (the UK's largest port by tonnage).

As part of its 65 million commitment to the project, ABP will invest in new cranes, equipment and infrastructure to underpin the safe and reliable operation of the site for the future use.

Simon Bird, Regional Director of ABP Humber, said: "We see this new venture as a fantastic opportunity for the Humber. Not only will people benefit from potential new job opportunities in the area, but ABP and British Steel will be working together to run a smooth operation which has scope for further expansion of steel manufacturing in the Humber region."

Gerald Reichmann, British Steel's Chief Financial Officer, said: "We're delighted to be working in partnership with ABP, whose expertise in running operations like IBT will enable us to focus on our core steelmaking operations."

"As well as investment, the agreement will give us access to additional berthing opportunities to support our current requirements and enable further growth."

http://www.abports.co.uk

Notes to editors:

About ABP Humber

The four ports of Grimsby, Immingham, Hull and Goole handle more than 58 million tonnes of cargo between them each year worth approximately 75 billion.

The Humber ports support 34,900 jobs in the region and contributes 2.5 billion to the UK economy each year.

With 364 hectares of development land available across the Humber, the company recently launched its new property website https://property.abports.co.uk/.

Grimsby and Immingham form the UK's busiest trading gateway and move around 50 million tonnes of cargo per annum.

More than 130 million has been invested in Immingham Renewable Fuels Terminal, the specialist biomass handling terminal, in a Humber-wide agreement with Drax Power Ltd that has seen a further 25 million invested in a biomass handling facility in Hull.

The Port of Hull handles 10 million tonnes of cargo per annum and is the focal point for the development of the UK's largest offshore wind turbine manufacturing, construction, assembly, and service facility, Green Port Hull, which is located on the Port's Alexandra Dock. This new facility represents a 310 million investment and has created around 1,000 direct jobs.

The Grimsby River Terminal represents an investment of 26 million and allows large car-carrying ships to berth outside the port's lock system. This development confirms the port's position as one of the UK's leading automotive handling facilities.

Each year, more than the equivalent of 1 million TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) containers are shipped through ABP's Humber ports.

Goole is situated 50 miles upriver and is the UK's premier inland port. It handles over one million tonnes of cargo annually.

Video content links: Introduction to ABP Humber

About ABP (http://www.abports.co.uk)

ABP is the UK's leading ports operator with 21 ports and other transport related businesses creating a unique national network capable of handling a vast array of cargo.

The company contributes 7.5 billion to the UK economy every year and supports 119,000 jobs. Our current investment programme promises to deliver an extra 1.75 billion for the economy every year.

ABP:

Handles over 1.5 million vehicles every year

Generates around one quarter of the UK's rail freight

Has 1.4 million square metres of covered storage

Has 1,000 hectares of open storage

Handles around 90 million tonnes of cargo each year

Owns 5,000 hectares of port estate

Has 87km of quay

Our five-year investment programme across the group is worth 1 billion. Our investment is designed to respond to the needs of our customers whose business relies on our ports for access to international and, in some cases, domestic markets.

Video content links:

Introduction to ABP

ABP Vimeo Channel

Follow us on social media:

Twitter

LinkedIn

YouTube

If you do not wish to receive copies of ABP news releases, you can opt out of future mailings by emailing

unsubscribe@abports.co.ukThoughtSpot now certified to run on Google Cloud Platform

Integration with Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine merges search-driven analytics and data science workflows

ThoughtSpot, a leader in search and AI-driven analytics, today announced a partnership with Google Cloud to deliver multi-cloud analytics to the enterprise. As part of this partnership, ThoughtSpot has been certified to run its in-memory calculation engine Falcon, one of the fastest in the industry, on Google Cloud Platform, and announced new integrations with Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine to simplify machine learning and data science workflows.

Harnessing the Power of Multiple Clouds

Cloud technologies are reshaping every industry by streamlining operations, reducing inefficiencies, and unlocking completely new opportunities for organizations. As cloud technologies proliferate, however, enterprises face a new set of challenges in managing and harnessing the collective power of their multiple clouds. ThoughtSpot breaks these barriers by enabling enterprises to analyze data across their public cloud, private cloud, and on premise environments.

Benefits include:

Unlock the Stack : By running on multiple public clouds, private clouds, and on premise environments, ThoughtSpot gives enterprises the flexibility to choose the right infrastructure for their specific data needs.

: By running on multiple public clouds, private clouds, and on premise environments, ThoughtSpot gives enterprises the flexibility to choose the right infrastructure for their specific data needs. Single Source of Truth: Instead of different teams and departments analyzing different slices of data, ThoughtSpot enables everyone in an organization to analyze the totality of the company's data at once for a single source of truth.

Instead of different teams and departments analyzing different slices of data, ThoughtSpot enables everyone in an organization to analyze the totality of the company's data at once for a single source of truth. Future Proof the Cloud: As new cloud technologies inevitably become available, ThoughtSpot enables enterprises to easily integrate these into their analytics without extensive rearchitecting.

Merging Machine Learning and Self-Service Analytics

In addition to working with Google Cloud Platform to bring multi-cloud analytics to the enterprise, the new partnership will include new integrations with Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine to improve efficiency for data science teams, while making insights derived from data science searchable in seconds.

Streamlined Data Science: Data science teams can quickly test and deploy CMLE algorithms and incorporate them into their data models.

Data science teams can quickly test and deploy CMLE algorithms and incorporate them into their data models. Bring Data Science to Business Users: By incorporating CMLE into ThoughtSpot, any business user, regardless of their technical sophistication, can quickly extract data science derived insights using a simple search.

"As we move into a new world characterized by multiple clouds, enterprises need new ways to harness the insights siloed and locked away in these different data sources if they want to truly revolutionize their business," said Sudheesh Nair, CEO of ThoughtSpot. "By partnering with Google Cloud, we're giving every enterprise employee an unprecedented ability to tap into the collective power of all their cloud data sources to find answers and make decisions."

"Customers want to take advantage of their existing IT investments but they also want the agility and velocity that cloud computing provides," Sudhir Hasbe, Director Product Management, Google Cloud. "Our partnership with ThoughtSpot gives customers the ability to quickly run analytics and machine learning workloads at scale, while enabling a bridge to multi-cloud environments."

Availability

ThoughtSpot is generally available for Google Cloud Platform. For more information, please visit our website or contact sales@thoughtspot.com.

About ThoughtSpot

ThoughtSpot, the leader in search AI-driven analytics for the enterprise, is helping the largest companies in the world succeed in the digital era by putting the power of a thousand analysts in every business person's hands. With ThoughtSpot's next-generation analytics platform, business people can use Google-like search to easily analyze complex, large-scale enterprise data and get trusted insights to questions they didn't know to ask, automatically all with a single click. ThoughtSpot connects with any on-premise, cloud, big data, or desktop data source, deploying 85 percent faster than legacy technologies. Customers like Amway, Bed Bath and Beyond, BT, Celebrity Cruises, Chevron Federal Credit Union, De Beers, PetCo and Scotiabank have put ThoughtSpot at the core of their business processes. With ThoughtSpot, business leaders and frontline workers alike have made more than 3 million data informed decisions per year.

ThoughtSpot was co-founded in 2012 by Ajeet Singh, co-founder and former Chief Product Officer at Nutanix, the largest tech IPO of 2016, and is currently led by CEO Sudheesh Nair. With a founding team coming from Google and Amazon, ThoughtSpot has raised over $300M in funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, General Catalyst Partners, Sapphire Ventures, Geodesic Capital, and Capital One Growth Ventures. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, with offices in Dallas, Seattle, London, and Bangalore. For more information please visit www.thoughtspot.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005405/en/

Contacts:

ThoughtSpot

Ryan Mattison

press@thoughtspot.comAmended Filings to Show no Significant or Material Changes

FORKED RIVER, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / Dream Homes & Development Corporation (OTCQB: DREM), a licensed new home builder and general contractor in New Jersey, is ramping up its marketing strategy to accelerate and expand sales. The strategy includes new video, television commercials, print advertising, and seminars to communicate its strong reputation that has helped earn local awards and contribute to outstanding customer service ratings. Most recently Dream Homes was awarded "Best of the Best" for both Modular Home Builder and Home Improvement Contractor. CEO Vince Simonelli also provides an update and commentary on recent financial filings.

Dream has produced a new three-minute video, and two 30-second TV commercials that currently air locally on 12 Comcast Cable channels. Interested parties and shareholders are invited to view at:

Dream Homes - Link to Three Minute Video

Dream Home - 30 Second TV Commerical #1

Dream Homes - 30 Second TV Commercial #2

Dream Homes has established an excellent reputation for quality home construction, customer satisfaction, and reliable service. This reputation has led Dream Homes to be named as Reader's Choice "Best of the Best" in Ocean County by the Asbury Park Press for a second year in a row for best "Modular Builder" and best "Home Improvement Contractor".

The Company's next Building & Real Estate Seminar is scheduled for tomorrow, November 14th, 2018. It will be held at the Tuscan Bistro in Toms River across from the Ocean County Mall. Company representatives will offer design, architectural, and construction advice for new home projects, elevations & renovations. If you'd like to personally attend, please call (609) 693-8881 or (732) 300-5619 for reservations. The Seminar will also be streamed on Facebook Live. If you can't be there, watch us online and email questions or comments during the seminar.

Of particular note at this seminar, Dream Homes will discuss modular homes and its exciting newest offering, "Add a Level in A Day." In the near future, Dream will announce further details about this huge market opportunity and how the company will pursue it.

Dream Homes CEO Mr. Vincent Simonelli stated, "I'm more comfortable and confident about the future of Dream Homes than I have ever been. Though we've taken on a number of new clients, opened new lines of business, and completed another acquisition, we've been less vocal about our business and new developments over the past six months than we might have been."

Mr., Simonelli further clarified, "Earlier this year, our auditor discovered a few errors that principally related to the accounting of certain contracts. We've now confirmed that these errors show no significant or material changes, and that all amended filings as well as our third quarter ended September 30, 2018 will be completed very soon."

About Dream Homes & Development Corp.

Dream Homes & Development Corp. (OTCQB: DREM) is a full-service construction company based in Forked River, New Jersey equipped to complete all aspects of a building project including design, architectural, engineering, and construction. As licensed new home builders and general contractors, Dream Homes is actively building, raising, renovating and reconstructing homes up and down the New Jersey shore area. Please visit our website at www.dreamhomesltd.com and blog at http://blog.dreamhomesltd.com for more information.

Please email matt@greenchipir.com if you wish to be alerted in the future when Dream Homes (DREM) announces news.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. The words "believe," "expect," "should," "intend," "estimate," "projects," variations of such words and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not a forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements are risks are detailed in the Company's respective filings at www.otcmarkets.com.

Company Contacts:

Dream Homes & Development Corp.

Vincent Simonelli, President & CEO

Office: (609) 693-8881

Email: vince@dreamhomesltd.com

SOURCE: Dream Homes & Development Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/527803/Newly-Produced-TV-Commercials-Print-Advertising-Readers-Choice-Awards-and-Upcoming-Seminar-All-Contribute-to-Growth-Strategy-and-Recognition-for-Dream-HomesVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 13, 2018) - Fremont Gold Ltd. (TSXV: FRE) (FSE: FR2) (OTC Pink: USTDF) ("Fremont" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the terms of a non-brokered private placement of up to 7,200,000 units ("Unit") at a price of $0.14 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $1,008,000 (the "Private Placement"). Net proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to undertake further drilling at Fremont's Gold Bar and Gold Canyon projects located in Eureka County, Nevada, and for general working capital.

Gold Bar and Gold Canyon Projects

Fremont's Gold Bar and Gold Canyon projects are both former mines in the Gold Bar District in Eureka County, Nevada, an active mining district within the Battle Mountain-Eureka Trend. The district contains several Carlin-style sediment-hosted gold deposits, including McEwen Mining Inc.'s ("McEwen") Gold Bar project, which is scheduled to produce 62,800 oz Au/annum, at US$770/oz, starting in early 2019(1).

Fremont's Gold Bar and Gold Canyon projects are adjacent (west) and immediately north of McEwen's Gold Bar project. While McEwen's project and Fremont's project share the same name, the historic Gold Bar mine is held by Fremont. McEwen's project comprises four of the five satellite pits to the historic Gold Bar mine, whereas Fremont controls the remaining satellite pit, Gold Canyon

Fremont's Gold Bar project comprises the historic Gold Bar mine, which produced 286,354 ounces of gold from 1986 to 1994(2), and the Millsite deposit, which hosts a historic resource of 147,000 ounces of gold (1.62 Mt @ 2.57 g/t gold)(2,3). Millsite is believed to be a faulted offset of the historic Gold Bar mine and is located to the northwest of the open pit. Fremont recently completed a soil sampling program based on a new structural interpretation and identified coincident gold and mercury geochemical anomalies to the southeast of the historic Gold Bar mine. This new interpretation and data suggest that gold mineralization related to the historic Gold Bar mine may extend to the southeast (see news release dated October 30, 2018). Part of the Private Placement proceeds will used to drill test these anomalies. Drilling is expected to commence in early 2019 immediately upon completion of permitting.

Gold Canyon is adjacent to and directly northwest of McEwen's project, approximately 800 metres from McEwen's Gold Ridge deposit. Gold Canyon produced approximately 41,000 ounces of gold from 1990-1994(2) and a stockpile of previously mined ore still exists at site. Drilling undertaken by Fremont earlier this year intercepted a previously unrecognized mineralized zone approximately 60 metres below the pit floor (see news release dated July 25, 2018). Part of the Private Placement proceeds will used to further define this zone. Drilling is expected to commence in early 2019.

The Units

Each Unit will be comprised of a common share of the Company and one half of one share purchase warrant. Each whole share purchase warrant ("Warrant") will entitle the holder to purchase one common share at a purchase price of $0.20 per for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Private Placement.

The warrants will be subject to an accelerator provision. If, over a period of 15 consecutive trading days between the closing date and the expiry of the Warrants, the daily volume weighted average trading price of the Company's common shares exceeds $0.30, the Company may give written notice (via news release) that the Warrants will expire on the 30th day following the provision of notice.

Fremont may pay a finder's fee of up to 6% of the gross proceeds raised in connection with the Private Placement. Closing of the Private Placement and the payment of any finder's fees will be subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The securities offered will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from the registration requirements.

All securities issued pursuant to the private placement will be subject to a four month hold period under Canadian securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, as applicable.

About Fremont Gold

Fremont's mine-finding management team has assembled a portfolio of high-quality gold projects in Nevada with the goal of making a new discovery. Fremont's Gold Bar and Gold Canyon are past producing gold mines adjacent to McEwen's Gold Bar project, where mine construction is underway. Other projects include North Carlin, Goldrun, Hurricane, and Roberts Creek. We are aligned with our shareholders: Management and directors own approximately 26% of Fremont.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Blaine Monaghan"

CEO

Telephone: +1 604-676-5664

Email: blaine@fremontgold.net

www.fremontgold.net

1McEwen's website

2Internal report, Atlas Precious Metals, Mines, December 13, 1995, prepared by Pincock, Allen & Holt

3 The Company has not verified these historical resources and is not treating these historical estimates as current mineral resources

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

Certain statements and information contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which are referred to collectively as "forward-looking statements". The United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements and information regarding possible events, conditions or results of operations that are based upon assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action. All statements and information other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "seek", "expect", "anticipate", "budget", "plan", "estimate", "continue", "forecast", "intend", "believe", "predict", "potential", "target", "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" and similar words or phrases (including negative variations) suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking statements in this and other press releases include but are not limited to statements and information regarding raising the required funds to drill the Gold Bar project and Gold Canyon project in early 2019 or at all. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Fremont undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this press release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Not for Distribution in the U.S.The Company will occupy a retail location from November 15, 2018 to January 31, 2019 to capitalize on the increased holiday season demand

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 13, 2018) - Peekaboo Beans Inc. (CSE: BEAN) (OTCQB: PBBSF)("Peekaboo Beans" or the "Company") will be hosting a pop-up retail location at Tsawwassen Mills, a shopping mall in Delta, BC that specializes in a mix of premium fashion brands and factory outlets.

The launch of the pop-up shop is the latest addition to the Company's updated distribution model that focuses on the Company's transition from the traditional direct selling model to an omnichannel approach, securing both online and in-person sales. Along with the revised website and online store, as well as the membership and reward programs, the pop-up retail location will provide the Company with a new source of customers within the target market.

Traci Costa, President and CEO of Peekaboo Beans Inc., commented, "Pop-up shops have a lot of significance in the retail market currently, as they are low-cost, low-commitment and provide brands with a massive amount of foot traffic during the busy holiday season. We have carefully selected a location that is large enough to host a mix of our current in-season and sale products, while being located near Santa's workshop-a very busy area for families. Most retail bricks and mortar stores can generate an entire year's revenue in the holiday season alone, so we are eager to see the outcome for Peekaboo Beans."

The pop-up location will host Peekaboo Beans' recently unveiled Winter Collection that features a range of items designed to provide comfort through the cold season. The Company will also be selling limited out-of-season products for a discounted price, offering a further incentive for loyal customers to browse the pop-up shop.

About Peekaboo Beans Inc.

Peekaboo Beans is a children's apparel brand with a focus on environmentally responsible clothes that are intentionally designed to inspire play. Through an omni-channel approach, Peekaboo Beans engages sellers through social platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, as well as online retailers, to maximize revenue and build brand loyalty. The Company works to promote a playful lifestyle for children by designing comfortable clothes that are built to last.

To learn more about Peekaboo Beans, visit: www.peekaboobeans.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Peekaboo Beans Inc.

Ms. Traci Costa, President and CEO

(604) 279-2326

For more information, please contact the Company at:

BEAN@kincommunications.com

1-866-604-6730

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.ELKO, NV / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / Lithium Corporation (OTCQB: LTUM) ("LTUM" or "the Company"), a North American company focused on energy metals for the growing energy storage sector and high tech industries, is pleased to announce that it has renewed its consulting agreement with RB Milestone Group LLC ("RBMG"), a US-based capital markets consulting firm. Over the one-and-a-half-year relationship, RBMG has and will continue to assist LTUM with communicating its corporate characteristics to applicable investment and media communities throughout the Unites States.

About RB Milestone Group LLC

RB Milestone Group ("RBMG") is a US-based capital markets consulting firm with offices in Stamford, CT and New York, NY. RBMG specializes in assisting small and venture-stage companies with enhancing: corporate strategy, investor awareness, business development, market intelligence and research. RBMG partners with clients globally and across a wide range of industry segments including natural resources and energy metals. Staff specialists have diverse sector knowledge centered on capital markets. Website: www.rbmilestone.com

About Lithium Corporation

Lithium Corporation is an exploration company based in Nevada devoted to the exploration for energy storage related resources throughout North America, and looking to capitalize on opportunities within the ever-expanding next generation energy storage markets. The Company maintains a strategic alliance with Altura Mining, an ASX listed natural resource development company that is currently ramping up production at its 100% owned world-class Pilgangoora lithium pegmatite property in Western Australia. Website: www.lithiumcorporation.com

Contact Info

Tom Lewis, CEO

Lithium Corporation

775-410-2206

info@lithiumcorporation.com

Trevor Brucato, Managing Director

RB Milestone Group, LLC

tbrucato@rbmilestone.com

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This current report contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future.

Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with mineral exploration and difficulties associated with obtaining financing on acceptable terms. We are not in control of minerals prices and these could vary to make development uneconomic. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our most recent annual report for our last fiscal year, our quarterly reports, and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE: Lithium Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/527802/Lithium-Corporation-Re-Engages-US-Based-Consulting-Firm-RB-Milestone-GroupGUANGZHOU, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / UniPlaza Takes the Leading Role of the Cross-border Social E-commerce!

Since 2018, Pinduoduo has received a huge amount of financing of more than 3 billion US dollars, followed by the completion of B-round and C-round financing respectively of Yunji and Gifts, as well as the successful listing of the Youzan. All kinds of signs once again prove that the "new mode" of social e-commerce in the Post-E era has come to the fore.

As the industry leader of cross-border social e-commerce platform, UniPlaza has successfully established its own marketing team and operation team in more than 20 countries and regions around the world since 2012. It has successively launched complete marketing programs and implemented them in many countries. UniPlaza integrates the global logistics system, supports 13 global mainstream languages, links more than 150 mainstream social platforms with one-click forwarding links, and covers 90% of consumers in countries and regions around the world.

UniPlaza technical team independently researched the ATS automatic trading system, which obtained more than 30 international patents. The team built a complete cross-border social e-commerce transaction closed loop, and launched the first innovative mode in the industry in the aspects of product service display, transaction payment and logistics delivery. At the same time, UniPlaza has international patents covering cross-border settlement, distribution and settlement, and user relationship chain algorithms. It solves the multiple problems of cross-border social e-commerce such as payment, social networking, logistics, supply chain, and becomes the only cross-border social e-commerce platform capable of doing global business. UniPlaza brings a mature and convenient global cross-border social e-commerce model to the world through tangible high-quality services and institutional guidance.

The Highly Praised "Social Network Business Like Alibaba"

At the 2018 World Expo Social E-Commerce Session, Ms. Anne Kim, the founder of UniPlaza, was invited to take the stage to analyze UniPlaza's new global cross-border social e-commerce model for Internet economic experts from more than 20 countries and regions around the world. After the speech, Ms. Anne Kim was invited to participate in the Global Social E-Commerce Roundtable Forum to discuss the impact of social e-commerce on the new economic structure of the Internet with international renowned economists such as Mr. Larry H.P. Lang. UniPlaza's unique social e-commerce model was highly praised by Mr. Larry H.P. Lang for breaking the traditional pattern of social e-commerce.

UniPlaza's cross-border social e-commerce model embodies the essence of sharing economy in the Internet age, focusing on the integration and output of services, information and content. Seeking a balance between "extreme product and services" and "ordinary price", the foothold of UniPlaza Platform is to share among friends and to do every detail with the most devoted ingenuity.

UniPlaza has always been committed to promoting the mature social e-commerce model to the world, sharing the really valuable good things to the people all over the world, so that people are willing to share and win the life they want. It facilitated buyers and sellers, the platform and the logistics side which will achieve a win-win situation and the happy vision of UniPlaza and the world.

Contact Info:

Name: Uniplaza

Email: morningstar.editors@gmail.com

Organization: Guangzhou Youmi Technology Co., Ltd.

Website: https://www.uniplaza.com/

SOURCE: Guangzhou Youmi Technology Co., Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/526751/UniPlazas-New-Economy-of-Global-Cross-border-Social-E-commerce-was-Highly-Appraised-by-Mr-Larry-HP-LangLeading Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning and Professional Services Automation Provider Hires FINN's Tech Practice to Showcase How Companies Can Evolve Their Business for the New Services Economy

NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FinancialForce, a leading customer-centric Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Professional Services Automation (PSA) cloud solution native to the Salesforce Platform, has selected Finn Partners as its global communications agency of record.

Finn Partners will spearhead influencer relations, executive thought leadership and product PR on behalf of FinancialForce. The partnership focuses on helping FinancialForce extend its leadership position as the best and highest-value cloud ERP and PSA solution for the new services economy.

The new assignment will be supported out of the firm's San Francisco and London offices, led by Jodi Brooks, managing partner, head of FINN's tech practice; Jeff Seedman, senior partner, leader of the firm's SF tech group; and Flora Haslam, managing partner, director of FINN tech, Europe.

As the leading cloud ERP and PSA provider for the new services economy native to the Salesforce platform, FinancialForce unifies data across the enterprise in real time, enabling companies to rapidly evolve their business models with customers at the center. The company's Financial Management and PSA offerings provide services-centric businesses with a platform that organizes these functions entirely around their customers.

"Our business has reached a point of growth that requires support from content, media relations and thought leadership experts who understand the industry and can hit the ground running," said Letty Ledbetter, vice president, Global Communications at FinancialForce. "Finn Partners demonstrated that they are strong across all areas and well connected to the influencers important to us. We're excited about the start of our new partnership and the accomplishments we will achieve together moving forward."

With more than 130 technology professionals across three continents, Finn Partners is the third largest independent technology agency in the world boasting a unique mix of researchers, storytellers, content specialists and media relations experts.

"FinancialForce is at an exciting and critical point in their growth trajectory and we're excited to support the organization as they set out to extend their leadership position in the cloud ERP and PSA sectors," said Brooks. "Finn Partners is providing an experienced team of enterprise software communications professionals that simply move quickly, identify opportunities in real time, and generate industry-leading results every day. We're honored to be selected by FinancialForce and we're excited about all this relationship has in store as we help them differentiate in the market and move further ahead of the pack."

About FinancialForce

FinancialForce is the leading cloud ERP and PSA provider for the new services economy. A key ERP solution native to the Salesforce platform, FinancialForce unifies data across the enterprise in real-time, enabling companies to rapidly evolve their business models with customers at the center. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, FinancialForce is backed by Advent International, Salesforce Ventures, Technology Crossover Ventures, and UNIT4. For more information, visit www.financialforce.com.

About Finn Partners, Inc.

Founded in 2011 on the core principles of innovation and collaborative partnership, Finn Partners has more than tripled in size in six years, becoming one of the fastest growing independent public relations agencies in the world. The full-service marketing and communications company's record setting pace is a result of organic growth and integrating new companies and new people into the Finn Partners world through a common philosophy. With 575 professionals, Finn Partners provides its clients with global access and capabilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia, in addition to PROI Worldwide. Headquartered in New York, Finn Partners' other offices are located in: Chicago, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Nashville, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore and Washington D.C. Find us at finnpartners.com and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @finnpartners.

Contact: Renee Martin, 646 307 6334, renee.martin@finnpartners.comThunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 13, 2018) - Benton Resources Inc. (TSXV: BEX) ("Benton" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has commenced diamond drilling on its Bolton Bay gold project located in northwestern Ontario. The program will consist of approximately 400m and is designed to test several areas on the project including two holes that will target the projected down plunge mineralization envelope of the historical 'West Zone" where recent Benton sampling returned grades of up to 145 grams per ton (g/t) gold (Au) in selective surface grab samples as well as 0.90g/t Au over 17m in channel sampling. Recent stripping of overburden at the West Zone uncovered an outcrop which could be the surface expression of a vertical, quartz breccia pipe hosting gold. A third hole will test a newly discovered deformation/shear zone containing green mica (fuchsite or roscoelite), quartz and quartz carbonate within a silicified volcanic which graded 0.42g/t Au over 7.5m including 1.2g/t Au over 1m. A fourth hole will test a copper-nickel-platinum-palladium target where anomalous mineralization was discovered at surface. Recent logging in the area is providing excellent access to the mineralized zones, which historically were only accessible by water or air.

Benton would also like to announce that it has renegotiated the terms of the Bedivere Lake option agreement (see Benton PR dated November 1, 2016 for original terms), subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval, and has made the amended third anniversary payment to the vendors in the amount of $35,000 and will issue 300,000 common shares of the Company upon regulatory approval. The amended option payment schedule is as follows:

$35,000 and 300,000 common shares on or before October 31, 2018 (Paid)

$50,000 and 300,000 common shares on or before October 31, 2019

$65,000 and 400,000 common shares on or before October 31, 2020

$80,000 and 500,000 common shares on or before October 31, 2021

$90,000 and 600,000 common shares on or before October 31, 2022.

Highlights from the 2017-2018 diamond drilling completed by the company include 1.5g/t Au over 14.0m including 6.43gpt over 2.0m in BED-17-001 and 37.3gpt Au over 1.0m in BED-17-003, 3.09g/t Au over 4.0m including 11.2g/t Au over 1.0m and a second parallel zone of 4.04g/t over 1.0m in BED-17-13, 7.87gpt gold over 2.1m in drill hole BED-17-016 and 2.73gpt gold over 4.0m in BED-17-019 and the deepest hole to date on the Traxxin zone, which assayed 1.61g/t over 20.0m including 3.43g/t over 7.4m and 9.11g/t over 1.0m and 7.65g/t over 1.0m in BED-18-022. In addition, the most southerly hole completed, approximately 1km south of the Traxxin zone has identified highly prospective rocks within the mineralized structure. Drilling in this area intersected wide zones of anomalous gold including an altered quartz breccia that graded 0.21g/t gold over 42m, with locally higher grades up to 1.7gpt gold over 1.0m.

Finally, the Company would like to acknowledge and thank the Ontario Prospector's Association and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation for approving the Company's participation in the Junior Exploration Assistance Program. Benton recently received a grant under the program in the amount of $100,000 based upon the Company's 2017 diamond drilling program at Bedivere.

Nathan Sims, P.Geo., Senior Exploration Manager for Benton Resources Inc., is the qualified person responsible for this release and has prepared or supervised the preparation of or reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.

About Benton Resources Inc. (TSXV: BEX)

Benton Resources Inc. is a well-funded Canadian-based project generator with a diversified property portfolio in Gold-Silver, Nickel, Copper, and Platinum group elements. Benton holds multiple high grade projects available for option which can be viewed on the company's web site. Most projects have an up to date NI 43-101 report available. Interested parties can contact Stephen Stares using the contact information found below.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Benton Resources Inc.,

"Stephen Stares"

Stephen Stares, President

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements."

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.

For further information contact Stephen Stares @:

684 Squier Street,

Thunder Bay, ON

P7B 4A8

Phone (807) 475-7474

Cell (807) 474-9020

Fax (807) 475-7200

www.bentonresources.ca

sstares@bentonresources.ca(All amounts expressed in US dollars, unless otherwise stated)



VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atico Mining Corporation (the "Company" or "Atico") (TSX.V: ATY | OTC: ATCMF) today announced its financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2018, posting a net income of $3.0 million.

Fernando E. Ganoza, CEO and Director, commented, "We are pleased to report very strong financial results for the third quarter and first nine months of the year. The Company's improvements in most financial metrics have yielded good results and have put us in position to completely repay our long-term debt by year-end." Mr. Ganoza continued, "For the remainder of this year, we will continue to have a strong emphasis on cost control initiatives particularly on operating costs while in parallel advancing on our regional and underground exploration drill programs."

Third Quarter Financial Highlights

Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2018 ("Q3-2018") amounted to $3.0 million, compared with $0.9 million for the same period last year ("Q3-2017"). Net income for the period was positively affected by an increased amount of concentrate shipped and provisionally invoiced and higher average realized copper and gold prices and an income tax recovery as compared to Q3-2017.

Sales for the period increased by 25% to $14.9 million when compared with Q3-2017. The increase was due to increased amount of concentrate shipped and provisionally invoiced and higher average realized copper and gold prices as compared to Q3-2017. Copper ("Cu") and gold ("Au") accounted for 95.1% and 4.9% of the total amount provisionally invoiced during Q3-2018. The average realized price per metal on provisional invoicing was $3.10 (Q3-2017 - $2.94) per pound of copper and $1,199.48 (Q3-2017 - $1,301.69) per ounce of gold.

Working capital was $6.9 million (December 31, 2017 - $4.6 million), while the Company had long-term loans payable with $0.2 million (December 31, 2017 - $2.7 million) outstanding at the reporting date.

Cash costs(1) were $123.64 per tonne of processed ore and $1.49 per pound of payable copper produced(2), increases of 10% and 8% over the same period last year, respectively.

Income from operations was $2.8 million (Q3-2017 - $1.2 million) while cash flow from operations, before changes in working capital, was $4.6 million (Q3-2017 - $4.1 million). Cash used for capital expenditures amounted to $3.5 million (Q3-2017 - $2.8 million).

At the end of the quarter, 9,107 (December 31, 2017 - 7,366) wet metric tonnes ("WMT") of non-invoiced concentrate remained at the Company's warehouses.

All-in sustaining cash cost per payable pound of copper produced(1)(2) for Q3-2018 was $1.95 (Q3-2017 - $2.04).

Third Quarter Summary of Financial Results

Q3

2018 Q3

2017 %

Change Revenue



$ 14,900,072 $ 11,955,651 25% Cost of sales



(9,953,022) (9,023,709) 10% Income from mining operations



4,947,050 2,931,942 69% As a % of revenue



33% 25% 35% Selling, general and administrative expenses



2,035,184 1,712,339 19% Income from operations



2,807,190 1,152,169 144% As a % of revenue



19% 10% 95% Income before income taxes



1,383,145 1,120,699 23% Net income



2,972,922 872,597 241% As a % of revenue



20% 7% 173% Operating cash flow before changes in non-cash operating working capital items(1)



$ 4,629,186 $ 4,136,992 12%

Third Quarter Operations Review

During the quarter, the Company produced 5.4 million pounds ("lbs") of copper, 3,010 ounces ("oz") of gold, and 10,250 oz of silver. When compared to Q3-2017, production increased 5.0% for copper and 6.3% for gold. In the case of copper, the 8% increase in processed material was partially offset by a 1.0% decrease in recovery relative to Q3-2017, while for gold a decrease of 1.3% in recovery slightly offset the increase in processed material.

Cash costs(1) for the period were $123.64 per tonne of processed ore, and $1.49 per pound of payable copper produced, increases of 10% and 8% over the same period last year, respectively. The increase in the cash cost per pound of payable copper net of by products is mainly explained by a higher cost per processed tonne, partially offset by a higher gold content value. The increase in direct mining cost of 22% for the same period, slightly offset by a 3% reduction in the milling and processing cost and 2% decrease in the indirect cost, explains most of the increase in the cost per processed tonne. All-in sustaining cash cost per payable pound of copper produced(1)(2) was $1.95.

Third Quarter Operational Details

Q3

2018 Q3

2017 %

Change Production (Contained in Concentrate)(3) Copper (000s lbs) 5,358 5,099 5% Gold (oz) 3,010 2,831 6% Silver (oz) 10,250 10,840 -5% Mine Tonnes of material mined 70,652 74,919 -6% Mill Tonnes processed 71,760 66,443 8% Tonnes processed per day 837 794 5% Copper grade (%) 3.63 3.68 -1% Gold grade (g/t) 2.17 2.16 0% Silver grade (g/t) 11.28 10.31 0% Recoveries Copper (%) 93.4 94.3 -1% Gold (%) 60.3 61.1 -1% Silver (%) 40.3 49.5 -19% Concentrates Copper Concentrates (DMT) 10,877 10,551 3% Copper (%) 22.3 21.9 2% Gold (g/t) 8.6 7.5 15% Silver (g/t) 29.3 29.0 1% Payable copper produced (000s lbs) 5,105 4,844 5% Cash cost per pound of payable copper ($/lbs)(1)(2) 1.49 1.37 8%

The financial statements and MD&A are available on SEDAR and have also been posted on the company's website at http://www.aticomining.com/s/FinancialStatements.asp

El Roble Mine

The El Roble mine is a high grade, underground copper and gold mine with nominal processing plant capacity of 800 tonnes per day, located in the Department of Choco in Colombia. Its commercial product is a copper-gold concentrate.

Since obtaining control of the mine on November 22, 2013, Atico has upgraded the operation from a historical nominal capacity of 400 tonnes per day.

El Roble has a measured and indicated resource of 1.87 million tonnes grading 3.46% copper and 2.27 g/t gold, at a cut-off grade of 0.93% copper equivalent. Mineralization is open at depth and along strike and the Company plans to further test the limits of the resource.

On the larger land package, the Company has identified a prospective stratigraphic contact between volcanic rocks and black and grey pelagic sediments and cherts that has been traced by Atico geologists for ten kilometers. This contact has been determined to be an important control on VMS mineralization on which Atico has identified numerous target areas prospective for VMS type mineralization occurrence, which is the focus of the current surface drill program at El Roble.

Qualified Person

Mr. Thomas Kelly (SME Registered Member 1696580), advisor to the Company and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 standards, is responsible for ensuring that the technical information contained in this news release is an accurate summary of the original reports and data provided to or developed by Atico.

About Atico Mining Corporation

Atico is a growth-oriented Company, focused on exploring, developing and mining copper and gold projects in Latin America. The Company operates the El Roble mine and is pursuing additional acquisition opportunities. For more information, please visit www.aticomining.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Fernando E. Ganoza

CEO

Atico Mining Corporation

Trading symbols: TSX.V: ATY | OTC: ATCMF

Investor Relations

Igor Dutina

Tel: +1.604.633.9022

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.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The securities being offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 'U.S. Securities Act'), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, a "U.S. person" (as defined in Regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act) unless pursuant to an exemption therefrom. This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This announcement includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation the use of net proceeds, are forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties and are based on certain factors and assumptions. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs; the need to obtain additional financing to maintain its interest in and/or explore and develop the Company's mineral projects; uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones for the Company's mineral projects; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the prospectus of the Company dated March 2, 2012 filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com

The Company has not based its production decisions and ongoing mine production on mineral reserve estimates, preliminary economic assessments or feasibility studies, and historically such projects have increased uncertainty and risk of failure. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The items marked with a "(1)" are alternative performance measures and readers should refer to Non-GAAP Financial Measures in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 as filed on SEDAR and as available on the Company's website for further details.

(1) Alternative performance measures; please refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" at the end of this release.

(2) Net of by-product credits

(3) Subject to adjustments on final settlementRas Al Khaimah Chamber recently hosted a high-level delegation from Sweden to discuss economic and investment opportunities in the sectors of life sciences, manufacturing, clean technologies, smart cities, future transportation and tourism.



The Swedish delegation was headed by Sven Otto Littorin, chairman of the National Trade Organization for Sustainability in Sweden and Chairman of the UAE-Sweden Business Council.



Mohammed Hassan Al Sabab, director general of RAK Chamber, welcomed the desire of the two parties to enhance cooperation and benefit from expertise in various fields and sectors. He assured that the meeting contributes to enhancing investment opportunities and cooperation among businessmen.



Moreover, the Chamber seeks to contribute to enhance and encourage investment by all possible means. In the forthcoming phase, the Chamber plans to initiate several development projects within its strategic plan and to develop the infrastructure of its current projects to increase the revitalization of the commercial movement and enhance the attractions of the private sector in the Emirate.



Furthermore, it seeks to promote the sustainability and competitiveness of the business environment in the Emirate and to encourage and stimulate international trade.



Al Sabab referred to the Chamber's commitment to open new horizons and areas of cooperation between companies and institutions in both the Emirate and Sweden, especially in areas of mutual interest.



These areas are sectors and fields of life sciences, manufacturing, clean technologies, smart cities, future transportation and tourism, and other important areas. He assured the importance of the strategic location of the Emirate, which facilitates the process of expansion of investors in the markets of the region and the development of their trade and investment business and activity.



Sven Otto Littorin, declared that the UAE is one of the top 28 countries that Sweden aims to increase trade with, because of the strength, flexibility and diversification of the UAE economy. He assured that the forthcoming phase is to focus on what other countries need from Swedish companies, instead of what Sweden can sell to them. Sweden has a high and successful economic diversification and competitiveness



The meeting covered, moreover, the services provided by Ras Al Khaimah Chamber and discussed the available opportunities to enhance trade and investment exchange in economic sectors of common interest. In addition, it focused on increasing services and facilitating trade and investment between the two parties.  TradeArabia News ServiceThe Trials Show 50% More Value versus Plants not CO2 Gassed and 20% More Value Than CO2 Gassed Plants

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / Toronto based CO 2 GRO Inc. ("GROW") (TSX-V: GROW; OTCQB: BLONF) is pleased to announce positive value results from two pepper grow trials using its dissolving CO2 Foliar Spray technology. The first pepper trial was performed at a commercial Michigan aeroponics facility using dissolved CO 2 Foliar Spray technology versus no CO 2 gassing on a limited number of pepper plants. The second trial at St. Cloud State University was overseen by Dr. Matt Julius. He used dissolved CO 2 foliar spray versus both a pepper plant control group that received CO 2 gassing at 800 PPM (typical greenhouse level) and a no CO 2 gassing pepper plant control group.

POSITIVE YIELD AND RIPENING RESULTS

Control Plants

Base Line Fruit Value

Control Plants 800 PPM CO2 gassed

Base Line Fruit Value Comparison plus 30%



(20% more fruit yield and grown 10% faster)

Dissolved CO2 Sprayed Plants

Base Line Fruit Value Comparison plus 50%



(30% more fruit yield and grown 20% faster)



Michigan Aeroponics Facility Commercial Pepper Trial

This commercial pepper trial was conducted by David Marshall of Morningstar Grower Services. David also oversaw GROW's first commercial flower trials previously announced on October 24, 2018.

This trial replicated the St. Cloud State pepper trial design other than dissolved CO 2 foliar spray was manual. Additionally, leaf foliar spraying frequency was every 30 minutes to match the aeroponics company's water and dissolved nutrient application frequency on exposed pepper plant roots.

Results were consistent with St. Cloud State University's scientific pepper data with increased pepper yields and accelerated fruit ripening.

St. Cloud State University Scientific Pepper Trials

These pepper trials were automated and started from seeds. Controlled growth chambers used foliar spray at twenty-minute intervals with CO 2 infused water dissolved at 1000 PPM. CO 2 foliar sprayed plants showed a 10% fruit yield increase over CO 2 gassed plants and 30% fruit yield increase over plants that were not gassed. Additionally,10% to 20% faster fruit ripening was shown versus the two control plant groups.

Also, the CO2 foliar spray which displayed distinctly superior results, used 50% less CO2 gas versus CO2 gassing at 800 PPM.

John Archibald, CEO of GROW stated, "Until legal cannabis, the top two greenhouse crops in Canada were tomatoes at 38% and peppers at 33% of a 2015 estimated $1.3B vegetable greenhouse market. (Source: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada).

Our pepper results show the value superiority of our dissolved CO 2 Foliar Spray technology over CO 2 gassing and dramatic value superiority over no CO 2 gassing of plants. We can add plant yield and speed to maturity value to any greenhouse or indoor grow facility that does not use CO2 gas, that does use CO2 gas or to the 95% of the world's plant food grown outdoors, where it has been impossible to add CO 2. until now."

About CO2 GRO Inc.

GROW's mission is to accelerate all indoor and outdoor value plant growth naturally, safely, and economically using its patented advanced CO 2 foliar technologies. GROW's global target plant markets are retail food at $8 trillion per year (Plunkett Mar 2017) and retail non-food at an estimated $1.2 trillion per year with retail tobacco at $760 Billion (BA Tobacco estimate), floriculture at $100B by 2022 (MarketResearch.Biz estimate) and legal retail cannabis at $50 billion per year by 2022 (Bay St Analyst estimates).

GROW's CO 2 technologies are commercially proven, scalable and easily adopted into existing irrigation systems. GROW's proven crop yield enhancements and revenue model are compelling for growers and Agri-industrial partners.

GROW's sole focus is working with its plant grower and Agri-industrial partners in proving and adopting its CO 2 technologies for specific growers' plant yield needs.

The CO 2 technologies work by transferring CO 2 gas into water and foliar spraying across the entire plant leaf surface area, which is a semi permeable membrane. The dissolved concentrated CO 2 then penetrates a leaf's surface area naturally like nicotine naturally dissolves through human skin from a nicotine patch.

Foliar spraying of natural water, dissolved nutrients and chemicals on plant leaves has been used for over 60 years by millions of indoor and outdoor plant growers. To date, outdoor growers have not had any way to enhance plant CO 2 gas uptake for faster growth.

Indoor use of CO 2 gassing has enhanced plant yields for over 60 years. However, about 60% of the CO 2 gas is typically lost through ventilation. Current greenhouse CO 2 gassing levels of up to 1500 PPM are also not ideal for worker health and safety. GROW's safer infused CO 2 foliar spray can be used by indoor and outdoor plant growers with minimal CO 2 gas lost and much greater plant bioavailability resulting in higher yields.

Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on CO2GRO's expectations, estimates and projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. Statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances, unless otherwise required to do so by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information, please visit www.co2gro.ca or contact Sam Kanes, VP Business Development at 416-315-7477.

SOURCE: CO2 GRO Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/527906/CO2-GRO-Inc-Announces-Two-Positive-Pepper-Grow-Trials-Using-CO2-Foliar-Spray-TechnologyIn connection with the release of Golden Ocean's third quarter 2018 results in the morning (CET) Tuesday November 20, 2018, a teleconference/webcast will be held as described below:

Teleconference and webcast

A conference call will be held at 03:00 P.M. CET (09:00 A.M. New York Time) on Tuesday November 20, 2018. The presentation will be available for download from the Investor Relations section at www.goldenocean.bm (under "Presentations") prior to the teleconference/webcast.

In order to listen to the presentation you may do one of the following:

a. Webcast

Click the "Webcast" link on www.goldenocean.bm

b. Conference Call

PARTICIPANTS DIAL IN TELEPHONE NUMBERS

International Dial In/UK Local #: +44 (0)330 336 9411

Norway Toll Free #: 800 149 47

US Toll #: +1 646-828-8193

Participants will be asked for their full name & Conference ID. The Conference ID is 3591971.

There will be a Q&A session after the presentation. Information on how to ask questions will be given at the beginning of the Q&A session.

Please download the presentation material from www.goldenocean.bm (http://www.goldenocean.bm/) in order to follow the presentation slides while listening to the conference.

REPLAY DETAILS (available for 7 days)

Replay Access Number:3591971

International Dial In/UK Local #: +44 (0) 207 660 0134

Norway Toll Free #: 800 196 72

USA Toll #: +1 719-457-0820

Participant list information required: Full Name & Company

November 13, 2018

Hamilton, Bermuda

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements of section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Golden Ocean Group Limited via Globenewswire

Sudbury, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 13, 2018) - Transition Metals Corp (TSXV: XTM) ("Transition", "the Company") has initiated a program of reverse air blast (RAB) drilling in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. RAB drilling produces a mixture of crushed rock powder and chips when the ground being drilled is extensively weathered and broken.

Transition is testing exploration targets highlighted from mapping, sampling and airborne geophysical surveys completed this fall. Results from the airborne survey show a number of parallel kilometer-scale faults which are associated with known zones of sub-cropping, high-grade gold mineralization.

In addition, till investigations have detected an extensive area of anomalous samples down ice from these structures that host elevated gold grain counts. These grain counts may be sourcing their gold from a number of these large fault structures. Transition intends to complete between 500 and 1000 metres of RAB drilling this fall to evaluate as many target areas as possible while weather conditions permit.

Commenting on progress, Transition CEO Scott McLean stated: "We are very encouraged by results so far. Previous diamond drilling on the property struggled to recover representative samples in the mineralized zones due to problems with excessive fracturing and core loss. The history of glaciation and weathering in the highlands is similar to other regions in the country such as the Klondike. In the Klondike, RAB drilling has proven to be a more successful and cost-effective exploration tool."

Exploration to date has led to the identification of more than 30 mineralized bedrock occurrences within an approximate 50 square kilometre area of which 9 samples returned bedrock assays greater than 8 g/t gold and up to 104 g/t gold, and 23 returning higher than 1.7 g/t gold.

About the Highland Gold Property

The Highland Gold property covers an extensive cluster of high-grade gold occurrences in an area that has seen very limited exploration. The property is located approximately 60 kilometres northwest of the city of Sydney, Nova Scotia in the Cape Breton Highlands. It consists of staked mining licenses on crown land that covers approximately 5,408 hectares in an area of active forestry operations. The property can be easily reached by a major road (Highland Road) and a network of logging roads that provide truck access to most of this portion of the Cape Breton Highlands.

The regional geologic framework is similar to that hosting First Mining Gold's Hope Brook deposit in Newfoundland (844,000 ounces of gold grading 4.77 g/t gold in the Indicated Resource category and 110,000 ounces grading 4.11 g/t gold in the Inferred Resource category*) and Oceana Gold's Haile Mine in South Carolina (3.32 million ounces grading 1.77 g/t gold in the Measured and Indicated Resource category and 0.6 million ounces grading 1.4 g/t gold in the Inferred Resource category)**.

 Source: Novascan report AR-ME-1987-204, Report of Exploration on the Cape Breton Highlands Project, Scominex.



*Source: First Mining Gold Website - https://firstmininggold.com/projects/newfoundland/hope-brook-project/

**Source: Oceana Gold Media Release dated March 29, 2018



Qualified Person

The technical elements of this press release have been approved by Mr. Greg Collins, P.Geo. (APGO, APGNS), a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Historical assay results cited above have not been verified by the Qualified Person and should not be relied upon.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact contained herein, the information in this news release constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities law. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "plans", "proposes", "estimates", "intends", "expects", "believes", "may", "will" and include without limitation, statements regarding estimated capital and operating costs, expected production timeline, benefits of updated development plans, foreign exchange assumptions and regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, metal prices, competition, risks inherent in the mining industry, and regulatory risks. Most of these factors are outside the control of the Company. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Further information is available at www.transitionmetalscorp.com or by contacting:

Scott McLean

President and CEO

Transition Metals Corp.

Tel: (705) 669-1777TORONTO, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

FSD Pharma Inc. ("FSD Pharma" or the "Company") (CSE: HUGE) (OTCQB: FSDDF) (FRA: 0K9) announced today that the license of its wholly-owned subsidiary, FV Pharma Inc. ("FV Pharma") under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations ("ACMPR") has been migrated to the Cannabis Act and its regulations, effective November 8, 2018. The issuance of the new cannabis license includes the ability to sell cannabis to other licensed producers in accordance with subsection 11(5) of the Cannabis Regulations.

As of November 7, 2018, FV Pharma also received license amendments approving all of the remaining 25,000 square feet currently built out for additional grow and operations. The Company continues to move aggressively to achieve its next significant development of a further production footprint of 220,000 square feet.

Thomas Fairfull, President, CEO and Founder of FV Pharma stated "The migration of the Company's license, with the ability to sell under subsection 11(5) of the Cannabis Regulations, along with the recent addition of grow and operation areas to its existing license, brings the Company to the verge of readiness for a pre-sale inspection and obtaining of a full sales license from Health Canada."

About FSD Pharma

FSD Pharma is focused on the development of the highest quality indoor grown, pharmaceutical grade cannabis and on the research and development of novel cannabinoid-based treatments for several central nervous system disorders, including chronic pain, fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome. The Company's phase one growth plan involves the development of 25,000 square feet of indoor grow space at its Ontario facility and an additional 220,000 square feet, which pending approval by Health Canada, is expected to be operational in the first quarter 2019.

FSD facilities sit on 72 acres of land with 40 acres primed for development and an expansion capability of up to 3,896,000 square feet.

FSD's wholly-owned subsidiary, FV Pharma, is a licensed producer of cannabis having received its cultivation license under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) on October 13, 2017 and is now operating under the recently enacted Cannabis Act. FV Pharma vision is to transform its current headquarters in a Kraft plant in Cobourg, Ontario into the largest hydroponic indoor grow facility in the world. FV Pharma intends to cover all aspects of this exciting, new industry, including cultivation, legal, processing, manufacturing, extracts and research and development.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Corporation's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to the development of the Corporation's indoor cannabis facility and its business goals and objectives. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof, and the Corporation is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward looking-information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Additional Information:

Zeeshan Saeed

President, Founder and Director

FSD Pharma Inc.

Email: zeeshan@fsdpharma.com

Tel.: +1-(416)-854-8884

Contact Information:

Investor Relations:

Email: IR@fsdpharma.com

Website: http://www.fsdpharma.com

Media Relations:

Ned Berkowitz

Email: Ned.Berkowitz@russopartnersllc.com

Tel.: +1-(646)-942-5629Ship Finance International Limited ("Ship Finance" or the "Company") (NYSE: SFL) plans to release its preliminary financial results for the third quarter of 2018 on Tuesday, November 20, 2018.

Ship Finance plans to host a conference call and webcast for all shareholders and interested parties on Tuesday, November 20, 2018 at 10:00 AM (EST) / 4:00 PM (CET). Relevant material will be available from the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.shipfinance.bm on the same day.

In order to listen to the presentation you may do one of the following:



A: Webcast

Visit the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.shipfinance.bm and click on the link to "Webcast". The webcast with slideshow will be played live from this platform. To listen to the conference call from the web, you need to have installed Windows Media Player, and you need to have a sound card in your computer.



B: Conference Call

Participants dial-in details:

US Toll Free telephone number +1 888 394 8218 International Dial-in telephone number +47 23 50 02 96 Conference ID: 5577737

There will be a Q&A session after the presentation. Information on how to ask questions will be given at the beginning of the Q&A session.



A replay of the conference call will be available for seven days by dialing:

US Toll Free telephone number +1 888 203 1112 International dial-in telephone number +47 23 50 00 77 The replay access code is: 5577737#

Investor and Analyst Contacts:

Harald Gurvin, Chief Financial Officer, Ship Finance Management AS

+47 23 11 40 09

Andre Reppen, Senior Vice President, Ship Finance Management AS

+47 23 11 40 55



Media Contact:

Ole B. Hjertaker, Chief Executive Officer, Ship Finance Management AS

+47 23 11 40 11

About Ship Finance

Ship Finance International Limited (NYSE: SFL) has a unique track record in the maritime industry, being consistently profitable and paying dividends every quarter since 2004. The Company's fleet of more than 80 vessels is split between tankers, bulkers, container vessels and offshore assets, and Ship Finance's long term distribution capacity is supported by a portfolio of long term charters and significant growth in the asset base over time. More information can be found on the Company's website: www.shipfinance.bm

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward looking statements. These statements are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including Ship Finance management's examination of historical operating trends. Although Ship Finance believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond its control, Ship Finance cannot give assurance that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or intentions. Important factors that, in the Company's view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in this presentation include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions including fluctuations in charter hire rates and vessel values, changes in demand in the tanker market as a result of changes in OPEC's petroleum production levels and worldwide oil consumption and storage, changes in the Company's operating expenses including bunker prices, dry-docking and insurance costs, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, and other important factors described from time to time in the reports filed by the Company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

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: Ship Finance International Limited via Globenewswire

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / The Board of SolGold ("SolGold" or the "Company") (LSE: SOLG; TSX: SOLG) wishes to advise of the pending retirement of Mr John Bovard following the Company's AGM to be convened in December 2018. Mr Bovard joined the Board of SolGold in 2009 and has served on the Company's Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee during his tenure.

Mr Bovard has signalled his intention to spend more time on his other personal interests in the resources sector, and the Board would like to thank him for his service to the Company over the past nine (9) years.

The Company will reconsider the composition of the Board of Directors and advise in due course.

By order of the Board

Karl Schlobohm

Company Secretary

References to figures and tables relate to the version visible in PDF format by clicking the link below:

http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/2098H_1-2018-11-13.pdf

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: SolGold PLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/527915/Solgold-Announces-Pending-Retirement-of-DirectorParis, 13 November 2018 - 17h35

Coface SA: Keyvan Shamsa appointed Business Technology Director

Keyvan Shamsa is appointed Business Technology Director of Coface and joins the Group's Executive Committee.

Keyvan, 56, holds a PhD in computer science and brings broad experience in financial market information systems and knowledge of new technology approaches to Coface.

He takes over from Valerie Brami, who is leaving Coface, after having undertaken, as Group Chief Operating Officer, a large transformation of Coface IT systems, embedding the IT organisation as well as the culture of teamwork and client service. Her contribution was instrumental in the progress of IT projects within the "Fit to Win" plan. She laid the foundation of the IT systems architecture and organisation, which will help Coface accelerate on the path of digitalisation and innovation in client service.

Keyvan started his career with Credit Lyonnais Corporate and Investment Banking in 1991 in the information systems team, in charge of the development and integration of various trading and market risk systems globally. In 2000, he was appointed Chief Information Officer of Credit Lyonnais Asset Management (now Amundi).

In 2005, he joined Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking in New York as head of Corporate Banking information systems for Americas. In 2008, he joined BNP Paribas Asset Management in Paris as the Chief Information Officer, where he also held other managing director positions over the past 10 years.

CONTACTS



MEDIA RELATIONS







Monica COULL

T. +33 (0)1 49 02 25 01

monica,coull@coface,com (mailto:monica.coull@coface.com)







Maria KRELLENSTEIN

T. +33 (0)1 49 02 16 29

maria,krellenstein@coface,com (mailto:maria.krellenstein@coface.com)



ANALYSTS / INVESTORS







Thomas JACQUET

T. +33 (0)1 49 02 12 58

thomas,jacquet@coface,com (mailto:thomas.jacquet@coface.com)







Ana Cecilia URIBE ARCE DE BREANT

T. +33 (0)1 49 02 22 40

anacecilia.uribearce@coface,com (mailto:anacecilia.uribearce@coface,com)





FINANCIAL CALENDAR 2019 (subject to change)

FY-18 results: 11 February 2019 (after market close)

Q1-2019 results: 24 April 2019 (after market close)

Annual General Shareholders' Meeting 2018: 16 May 2019

H1-2019 results: 25 July 2019 (after market close)

9M-2019 results: 23 October 2019 (after market close)

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

This press release, as well as COFACE SA's integral regulatory information, can be found on the Group's website: http://www.coface.com/Investors (http://www.coface.com/Investors)

For regulated information on Alternative Performance Measures (APM)

please refer to our Interim Financial Report for S1-2018 and our 2017 Registration Document.

Coface: for trade - Building business together



70 years of experience and the most finely meshed network have made Coface a reference in credit insurance, risk management and the global economy. With the ambition to become the most agile, global trade credit insurance partner in the industry, Coface's experts work to the beat of the world economy, supporting 50,000 clients in building successful, growing and dynamic businesses. The Group's services and solutions protect and help companies take credit decisions to improve their ability to sell on both their domestic and export markets. In 2017, Coface employed ~4,100 people in 100 countries and registered turnover of 1.4 billion.



www.coface.com (http://www.coface.com)



COFACE SA. is listed on Euronext Paris - Compartment A

ISIN: FR0010667147 / Ticker: COFA





Coface SA: Keyvan Shamsa appointed Business Technology Director (http://hugin.info/161449/R/2225535/872979.pdf)



This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Coface SA via Globenewswire

Champion of China Singles' Day Sales for the 3rd Consecutive Year[1]

Over 1 Million Units Sold During Diwali in India

Best Seller in Western Europe, South East Asia and Russia

SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Honor, the young, innovative and trendsetting smartphone e-brand for digital natives, announced today the brand was the top Singles' Day performer in terms of sales volume and revenue under the Smartphone category on both Tmall.com and JD.com, the two biggest e-commerce platforms in China. The success represents the 3rd consecutive year of Honor's sales supremacy during this festive season.[2]

Singles' Day helped to extend Honor's growing influence into Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, Honor became a best seller in Mobile Category and Electronics Category at shopee.com, selling over 8,000 units within 80 minutes.

Moreover, the recently launched Honor Magic2 was another strong sales performer. It was the best-selling smartphone in terms of sales volume and revenue in RMB 4,000-5,000 range (US$580-720) at Tmall.com and JD.com.

Meanwhile in India, over one million units of Honor products were sold during the Diwali promotional period, a 300% YoY increase from 2017. The most popular products included Honor 9N, which became the Star Product on Flipkart's Big Billion Days; and the recently launched Honor 8X, which became the Best Seller on Amazon India on the first selling day.

Since its launch this September, Honor's rising star the Honor 8X Series has sold six million units globally. It became the Best Seller in these countries or regions: Amazon Germany[3]; France smartphone online sales[4]; GITEX, the biggest technology show in Middle East, North America and South Asia.

George Zhao, President of Honor, commented: "I'm thrilled that Honor achieved these unbeatable results even under what has become a tough situation for the global smartphone industry. Global smartphone shipments in Q3 2018 represented a 6% YoY decline, the Chinese smartphone market is also declining and was down 11% in the first half of 2018. Our strategy and undiminished efforts in R&D have ensured Honor bucked this global trend, especially in key areas of smartphone technology innovation such as AI, GPU Turbo, and our excellence in smartphone design."

With Black Friday and the Christmas season arriving soon, Honor will roll out more promotional festive deals in its global markets and share its success with Honor fans all over the world.

About Honor

Honor is a leading smartphone e-brand under the Huawei Group. In line with its slogan, "For the Brave", the brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams. In doing this, Honor has set itself apart by showcasing its own bravery to do things differently and to take the steps needed to usher in the latest technologies and innovations for its customers.

For more information, please visit Honor online at www.hihonor.com or follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/honorglobal/

https://twitter.com/Honorglobal

https://www.instagram.com/honorglobal/

[1] Best seller in terms of volume and revenue in smartphone category. [2] Best seller in terms of volume and revenue in smartphone category. [3] Under "newly launched smartphone category". [4] According to GFK report, W41 2018.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/783813/HONOR_singles_day.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/783814/HONOR_diwali.jpg9 months

Sales 1,438m (+8.6% vs. September 30, 2017)

EBITDA 94m (6.5% of sales)

Net income (group share) 52m

Regulatory News:

Jacquet Metal Service (Paris:JCQ):

On November 13, 2018 the Board of Directors chaired by Eric Jacquet examined the consolidated financial statements for the period ended September 30, 2018.

m Q3 2018 Q3 2017 30.09.18 9 months 30.09.17 9 months Sales 453.7 412.5 1,437.7 1,323.2 Gross margin 107.9 99.2 356.8 335.2 % of sales 23.8% 24.1% 24.8% 25.3% EBITDA 1 26.7 22.1 94.1 82.8 % of sales 5.9% 5.4% 6.5% 6.3% Adjusted operating income 1 20.9 16.6 78.9 66.7 % of sales 4.6% 4.0% 5.5% 5.0% Operating income 20.4 16.8 82.5 66.0 Net income (Group share) 11.8 9.4 52.4 37.1

1 Adjusted for non-recurring items The activity report includes a definition of non-IFRS financial indicators and explains the methods used to calculate them.

Sales and earnings for the period ended September 30, 2018

Sales amounted to 1,438 million, +8.6% compared to September 30, 2017 (Q3: +10%), including the following effects:

Volumes sold: +1.3% (Q3: -1.9%)

> Price: +7.3% (Q3: +11.9%). The price effect compared to Q2 2018 was +2.9%.

Gross margin amounted to 356.8 million, representing 24.8% of sales (Q3: 23.8%) compared to 335.2 million (25.3% of sales, Q3: 24.1%) as of September 30, 2017.

Operating expenses excluding non recurring items amounted to 277.9 million, +3.5% compared to 268.6 million as of September 30, 2017 mainly due to the increase in Group activity.

EBITDA increased +13.6% and amounted to 94.1 million (Q3: 26.7 million), representing 6.5% of sales, compared to 82.8 million (6.3% of sales) as of September 30, 2017.

Net income (Group share) amounted to 52.4 million (3.6% of sales) compared to 37.1 million (2.8% of sales) as of September 30, 2017.

Financial position

As of September 30, 2018, operating working capital represented 25.4% of sales and amounted to 471 million (including inventories of 499 million) compared to 383 million (including inventories of 418 million) as of December 31, 2017.

As a result, as of September 30, 2018, Group net debt amounted to 238 million, compared to shareholders' equity of 364 million, resulting in a net debt to equity ratio (gearing) of 65.5% (55.2% as of December 31, 2017).

Earnings as of September 30, 2018 by division

JACQUET

ABRASERVICE Stainless steel and wear-

resistant quarto plates STAPPERT Stainless steel

long products IMS Engineering steels m Q3 2018 30.09.18 9 months Q3 2018 30.09.18 9 months Q3 2018 30.09.18

9 months Sales 100.9 311.7 126.6 379.5 225.7 745.1 Change y.o.y. 11.3% 8.7% 13.9% 7.9% 8.3% 9.4% Price effect 14.1% 5.0% 12.0% 3.8% 10.9% 10.1% Volume effect -2.8% 3.7% 1.9% 4.1% -2.7% -0.7% EBITDA 1 2 9.6 27.4 6.7 21.6 9.2 40.1 % of sales 9.6% 8.8% 5.3% 5.7% 4.1% 5.4% Adjusted operating income 2 7.6 21.6 5.7 19.7 7.1 34.8 % of sales 7.6% 6.9% 4.5% 5.2% 3.2% 4.7%

1 Non-division operations (including Jacquet Metal Service SA) contributed 1.2 million to Q3 2018 EBITDA and 5 million as of September 30, 2018.

2 Adjusted for non-recurring items. Non IFRS financial indicators are specified in the Activity Report.

JACQUET Abraservice specializes in the distribution of stainless steel and wear-resistant quarto plates. JACQUET and Abraservice have separate sales networks. The division generates 73% of sales in Europe and 20% in North America.

Sales amounted to 311.7 million, up +8.7% from 286.6 million as of September 30, 2017: volumes sold +3.7% (Q3: -2.8%), prices +5% (Q3: +14.1%). The price effect compared to Q2 2018 was +4.4%.

The gross margin amounted to 101.5 million and represented 32.6% of sales (Q3: 33.1%) compared to 86.8 million (30.3% of sales, Q3: 29.1%) as of September 30, 2017.

EBITDA amounted to 27.4 million representing 8.8% of sales (Q3: 9.6%) compared to 17.7 million (6.2% of sales, Q3: 4.6%) as of September 30, 2017.

STAPPERT specializes in the distribution of stainless steel long products in Europe. The division generates 43% of sales in Germany, the largest European market.

Sales amounted to 379.5 million, up +7.9% from 351.7 million as of September 30, 2017: volumes sold +4.1% (Q3: +1.9%), prices +3.8% (Q3: +12%). The price effect compared to Q2 2018 was +4.1%.

The gross margin amounted to 81.2 million and represented 21.4% of sales (Q3: 20.5%) compared to 79.3 million (22.6% of sales, Q3: 20.9%) as of September 30, 2017.

EBITDA amounted to 21.6 million and represented 5.7% of sales (Q3: 5.3%) compared to 22.2 million (6.3% of sales, Q3: 4.9%) as of September 30, 2017.

IMS group specializes in the distribution of engineering steels, mostly in the form of long products. The division generates 48% of sales in Germany, the largest European market.

Sales amounted to 745.1 million, up +9.4% from 681.2 million as of September 30, 2017: volumes sold -0.7% (Q3: -2.7%), prices +10.1% (Q3: +10.9%). The price effect compared to Q2 2018 was +1.6%.

The gross margin amounted to 172.6 million and represented 23.2% of sales (Q3: 21.8%) compared to 164.6 million (24.2% of sales, Q3: 23%) as of September 30, 2017.

EBITDA amounted to 40.1 million and represented 5.4% of sales (Q3: 4.1%) compared to 35.3 million (5.2% of sales, Q3: 4.2%) as of September 30, 2017.

Key financial information

Income statement

m 30.09.18 9 months 30.09.17 9 months Sales 1,437.7 1,323.2 Gross margin 356.8 335.2 % of sales 24.8% 25.3% EBITDA 1 94.1 82.8 % of sales 6.5% 6.3% Adjusted operating income 1 78.9 66.7 % of sales 5.5% 5.0% Operating income 82.5 66.0 Net income (Group share) 52.4 37.1

1 Adjusted for non-recurring items. The activity report includes a definition of non-IFRS financial indicators and explains the methods used to calculate them.

Cash flow

m 30.09.18 9 months 30.09.17 9 months Operating cash flow before change in working capital 76.3 67.2 Change in working capital (92.4) (8.8) Cash flow from operating activities (16.2) 58.4 Capital expenditure (16.2) (20.2) Asset disposals 4.3 0.9 Dividends paid to shareholders of Jacquet Metal Service SA (16.6) (11.8) Interest paid (7.4) (7.5) Other movements (3.4) (4.0) Change in net debt (55.4) 15.8 Net debt brought forward 183.1 205.3 Net debt carried forward 238.5 189.5

Balance sheet

m 30.09.18 31.12.17 Goodwill 68.3 68.3 Net non-current assets 155.3 156.2 Net inventory 499.1 418.0 Net trade receivables 218.2 189.3 Other assets 101.9 93.9 Cash cash equivalents 108.0 102.1 Total assets 1,150.9 1,027.9 Shareholders' equity 364.3 331.8 Provisions (including provisions for employee benefit obligations) 102.7 106.5 Trade payables 246.8 224.0 Total borrowings 350.3 289.6 Other liabilities 86.8 75.9 Total equity and liabilities 1,150.9 1,027.9

Activity report available: www.jacquetmetalservice.com

2018 Full year results: March 13, 2019 after close of trading

Jacquet Metal Service is a European leader in the distribution of specialty steels. The Group operates and develops a portfolio currently comprising four brands: JACQUET (stainless steel quarto plates), STAPPERT (long stainless steel products), Abraservice (wear-resistant quarto plates) and IMS group (engineering steels).

With 3,329 employees, Jacquet Metal Service has a network of 110 distribution centers located in 25 countries in Europe, China and North America.

Compartment B

ISIN: FR0000033904

Reuters: JCQ.PA

Bloomberg JCQ FP

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005938/en/

Contacts:

Jacquet Metal Service

Thierry Philippe Group CFO

comfi@jacquetmetals.com

or

NewCap - Investor relations

Emmanuel Huynh T: +33 1 44 71 94 94

jacquetmetalservice@newcap.euThe WWE Superstar, Actor, Television Personality and Humanitarian Joins SKYY's Progressively Bold Campaign, Debuts "The Pledge" Video

See the John Cena "The Pledge" Video Here

NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SKYY Vodka, the San Francisco born premium vodka in the cobalt blue bottle, announced today the addition of WWE Superstar, Actor, Television Personality and Humanitarian, John Cena, to its "Proudly American" campaign. Debuting a new digital video starring Cena, "The Pledge," SKYY continues its positive platform in telling the stories of those who believe in celebrating the spirit of today's bold Americans.

SKYY's "Proudly American" campaign, which launched earlier this year, explores the values - and the evolution of those values - on which America was founded, and what they mean to today's optimistic citizens. The campaign juxtaposes iconic phrases from American culture, such as "Home of the Brave," with powerful, vivid imagery featuring people who shine brightly in the face of adversity, celebrate diversity, and are proud to inspire today's articulation of being American. The campaign reflects SKYY's core beliefs which stem from the brand's San Francisco roots - celebrating a progressive, diverse and innovative society.

This latest phase of "Proudly American" features John Cena narrating a lighthearted take on the nation's traditional pledge. Inherent freedoms such as 'writing your own history' and 'you being you' are overlaid against a background of a lively and inclusive America. Pairing smart humor with cinematic style, award-winning female director J.J. Adler captures John's entertaining and celebratory personality as he inspires all to live their own version of the American dream - whatever that may be. The spot is set to the music of Jai Wolf, a Bangladeshi-American artist whose family moved to America when he was one year old.

"I have always been proud to live in a country that promises people can live, love, and thrive without restrictions," said John Cena. "I am inspired by fans every day that share their stories of conquering adversity and believing in who they are. SKYY's dedication to embracing the ever-evolving America and offering a podium to those who embody, and at times even redefine, what it means to be American is a cause I stand proudly behind."

"John Cena exemplifies SKYY's Proudly American persona with his incredible spirit, work ethic, charisma, and dedication to inspiring others," said Melanie Batchelor, Vice President of Marketing, Campari America. "He uses his considerable worldwide platform to encourage inclusiveness and positivity. We are honored to partner with him to carry forward the next phase of SKYY's Proudly American storytelling."

As the newest partner with SKYY Vodka on this campaign, Cena joins a growing family of influencers and activists who have helped shape the "Proudly American" message, including out-and-proud Olympian Gus Kenworthy; writer and cultural curator Kimberly Drew; and "RuPaul's Drag Race" talents, Trixie Mattel and Dusty Ray Bottoms.

The latest chapter in SKYY's integrated campaign will launch before Thanksgiving, and will include out-of-home, digital, social media, PR and event activations. A full social media campaign @SKYYVodka will support Proudly American and connect those who are proud in their daily lives to share their stories and show their bold, optimistic America of today.

About SKYY Vodka

SKYY Vodka was born in San Francisco in 1992 and is steeped with the innovative and progressive spirit of California. Conceived by a first generation American inventor looking to create the world's smoothest vodka, SKYY revolutionized vodka quality with its proprietary quadruple-distillation and triple-filtration process to deliver a fresh, clean spirit. Like many things that originate in San Francisco, SKYY grew from a tiny startup into what it is today. To learn more, visit SKYY.com.

About Campari America

Campari America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Milan: CPR.MI). At the heart of Campari America are two legends in the American spirits industry. The first, Skyy Spirits, was founded in San Francisco back in 1992 by the entrepreneur who invented iconic SKYY Vodka. The second is the world-famous Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, where they have been making the world's finest whiskies since the 1800's. Both companies were purchased by Davide Campari-Milano and together they form Campari America, which has built a portfolio unrivaled in its quality, innovation and style, making it a top choice among distributors, retailers and consumers. Campari America manages Campari Group's portfolio in the US with such leading brands as SKYY Vodka, SKYY Infusions, Grand Marnier, Campari, Aperol, Wild Turkey Straight Kentucky Bourbon, American Honey, Russell's Reserve, Glen Grant Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Forty Creek Canadian Whisky, BULLDOG Gin, Cabo Wabo Tequila, Espolon Tequila, Appleton Estate Rum, Wray & Nephew Rum, Coruba Rum, Ouzo 12, X-Rated Fusion Liqueur, Frangelico, Cynar, Averna, Braulio and Jean-Marc XO Vodka.

Campari America is headquartered in New York, New York. More information on the company can be found at www.campariamerica.com, www.facebook.com/campariamerica, Twitter: @CampariAmerica, Instagram: @CampariAmerica, and www.camparigroup.com. Please enjoy Campari America brands responsibly and in moderation.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/783551/SKYY_Vodka_John_Cena.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/783539/SKYY_Vodka_Logo.jpg

The Company for Cooperative Insurance (Tawuniya) has entered into a contract with Saudia Airlines to provide insurance coverage for its aircraft fleet and its affiliated airlines.



According to the contract, Tawuniya will provide insurance coverage for the Saudia Airlines aircraft against aviation accidents and public liability due to third parties injuries, death, and property damage as well as covering war risk.



Furthermore, Tawuniya had signed a contract with Flynas to provide insurance coverage for its aircraft. The Company also provides property insurance to local and international airports of the General Authority of the Civil Aviation (GACA). By these contracts, Tawuniya acquired insurance contracts of the commercial airlines and civil aviation in Saudi Arabia.



Tawuniyas senior vice president for Sales and Marketing Adel Al-Hamoudi expressed his pleasure in Saudia confidence, which emphasized a distinguished partnership between both companies. This partnership led to the signing of the largest aviation insurance contracts in the Kingdom and will enhance the growth of Tawuniyas aviation insurance portfolio.



Al-Hamoudi noted that this insurance contract provides full protection for all of Saudi aircraft, in partnership with major global reinsurers who will provide an integrated reinsurance program for this type of risk.



Al-Hamoudi also praised the wide scope of cooperation with Saudia that includes one of the largest medical insurance contracts to provide health care to Saudia employees and their family members. - TradeArabia News ServiceMouser Electronics, Inc. the New Product Introduction (NPI) leader empowering innovation, is pleased to announce a new partnership with SamacSys, a global leader in electronic component library solutions. Under the new partnership, announced today at electronica 2018 in Munich, Mouser will provide its customers with a range of free design resources including PCB footprints, schematic symbols, and 3D models for more than 1.1 million components.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005907/en/

Mouser Electronics and SamacSys announce a new partnership at electronica 2018. Using SamacSys' electronic component libraries, Mouser will provide customers a range of free design resources for more than 1.1 million components.(Photo: Business Wire)

These design resources work seamlessly with top engineering CAD systems, including Cadence, Altium and other programs. The new service will be available free to Mouser customers around the world on millions of Mouser's product detail pages featuring components from leading manufacturers. More importantly, SamacSys will fully support all of Mouser's new product introductions, giving engineers access to a current, high-quality library of PCB footprints, schematic symbols, and 3D models for the newest available components.

"Mouser is excited to collaborate with SamacSys by adding these new advanced engineering resources to our extensive selection of components for our customers," said Hayne Shumate, Mouser's Senior Vice President of Internet Business. "Answering the technical needs of our customers is always top of mind at Mouser. We are constantly looking for ways to help engineers and buyers save time and get to market faster, whether it's selecting, purchasing or designing. We look forward to a great partnership with SamacSys."

"Being chosen by Mouser to provide ECAD Models to their customers is an exciting partnership for us," said Alex MacDougall, Managing Director at SamacSys. "Mouser is recognized by many as the favored platform for electronic components. Combining this with our design assets will help more engineers create their electronic products in less time. The initial reaction from the engineering community has been incredibly positive, and we're looking forward to our continued collaboration with Mouser."

Finding PCB footprints, schematic symbols and 3d models and incorporating them can be a frustrating and time-consuming process. Together Mouser and SamacSys answer the decades-old problem of easy access to high-quality PCB library content, for every component and every engineer. The goal is to speed time to market by ensuring quality and trustworthy libraries are available to all, with seamless integration into engineers' existing PCB design tools. A global leader in component library solutions, SamacSys has over 100,000 users in more than 180 countries; its customers range from individual makers to professional engineers to international brands.

Mouser's partnership with SamacSys will further complement the technical support, service, tools, and resources that Mouser already provides for more than 600,000 customers worldwide. To learn more, visit www.mouser.com/ecad.

With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser strives to empower innovation among design engineers and buyers by delivering advanced technologies. Mouser stocks the world's widest selection of the latest semiconductors and electronic components for the newest design projects. Mouser Electronics' website is continually updated and offers advanced search methods to help customers quickly locate inventory. Mouser.com also houses data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools.

About Mouser Electronics

Mouser Electronics, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is an award-winning, authorized semiconductor and electronic component distributor focused on rapid New Product Introductions from its manufacturing partners for electronic design engineers and buyers. The global distributor's website, Mouser.com, is available in multiple languages and currencies and features more than 5 million products from over 750 manufacturers. Mouser offers 23 support locations around the world to provide best-in-class customer service and ships globally to over 600,000 customers in more than 220 countries/territories from its 750,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility south of Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.mouser.com.

Trademarks

Mouser and Mouser Electronics are registered trademarks of Mouser Electronics, Inc. All other products, logos, and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005907/en/

Contacts:

Mouser Electronics

Further information, contact:

Kevin Hess, 817-804-3833

Senior Vice President of Marketing

Kevin.Hess@mouser.com

or

For press inquiries, contact:

Kelly DeGarmo, 817-804-7764

Manager, Corporate Communications and Media Relations

Kelly.DeGarmo@mouser.comPress release

November 13, 2018, 6:00 pm

Extraordinary General Meeting

Availability of preparatory documents

SOLUTIONS 30 SE (the Company), European leader in Solutions for New Technologies, informs its shareholders that an Extraordinary General Meeting will be held at the office of Leonie GRETHEN, notary of residence at 10, avenue Guillaume, L-1650 Luxembourg, on December 5th 2018 at 10:00 am (the EGM).

The EGM notice including the agenda was filed with the Luxembourg Register of commerce and companies, and published in the Recueil Electronique des Societes et Associations (RESA) as well as in the Letzebuerger Journal, Luxembourg on November 13th 2018. The procedures for participation and voting at this EGM are set out in this notice.

At this EGM, the Company will submit to the vote of its shareholders a new version of its Articles of Association, which has become of paramount importance to enable SOLUTIONS 30 SE to comply with the law of August 10th 2016 modernising the amended law of August 10th 1915 on commercial companies and to benefit from the evolutions contained therein. It will also include an English text version to better satisfy its international shareholder base.

To facilitate the understanding of the draft Articles of Association submitted to the vote of its shareholders and the proposed changes, the Company makes available on its website at http://www.solutions30.com/regulatory-information/?lang=en :

The draft Articles of Association submitted to the vote of the shareholders; and

An explanatory table of the proposed evolutions.

The documents and preparatory information relating to this EGM are available to shareholders and can be consulted on the Company's website at http://www.solutions30.com/regulatory-information/?lang=en



A copy of the documentation relating to this EGM is available at the Company's registered office and on its website at http://www.solutions30.com/regulatory-information/?lang=en . In addition, shareholders may obtain a free of charge copy of those documents at the Company's registered office or by sending a written request to investor.relations@solutions30.com .

For any further information, please:

visit the website: http:// www.solutions30.com (http://www.solutions30.com); or

(http://www.solutions30.com); or contact the Company by email at the following address: investor.relations@solutions30.com (mailto:Investors@solutions30.com)



About Solutions 30

The Solutions 30 Group is the European leader in solutions for new technologies. Its mission is to make the technological developments that are transforming our daily lives accessible to everyone, individuals and businesses alike. Yesterday, it was computers and the Internet. Today, it's digital technology. Tomorrow, it will be technologies that make the world even more interconnected in real time. With more than 10 million call-outs carried out since it was founded and a network of more than 6,000 local technicians, Solutions 30 currently covers all of France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Spain. The share capital of Solutions 30 SE consists of 104,057,392 shares, equal to the number of theoretical votes that can be exercised.

Solutions 30 SE is listed on Euronext Growth

Contacts - Solutions 30

SOLUTIONS 30 EDIFICE COMMUNICATION Nezha Calligaro | CEO PA Samuel Beaupain | Media Relations +352 2 648 19 17 | nezha.calligaro@solutions30.com 06 88 48 48 02 | samuel@edifice-communication.com GENESTA FINANCE Herve Guyot | Listing Sponsor Nathalie Boumendil | Investor Relations 01 45 63 68 60 | hguyot@genesta-finance.com (mailto:hguyot@genesta-finance.com)

06 85 82 41 95 | nathalie@edifice-communication.com

AttachmentVANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / ALCHEMIST MINING INC. (CSE: AMS) ("Alchemist" or the "Company") announces that in preparation for its change of business, the option agreement dated March 3, 2017 whereby the Company could acquire up to 100% interest in the Aubaine Gold Property, has been terminated.

"These are exciting times for Alchemist as we solidify our plan to transition from mining into the technology sector," stated CEO, David Gdanski.

The Company further announces that it has entered into a debt settlement agreement pursuant to which the Company has agreed to issue 181,800 common shares (each, a "Share"), at a deemed price of $0.055 per Share, to settle indebtedness of $9,999 (the "Transaction"). All securities issued in this Transaction are subject to a statutory four-month and one-day hold period.

For further info on the Company, please email dgdanski@alchemistmining.com.

On Behalf of the Board

Dave Gdanski, CEO

Alchemist Mining Inc.

(778) 903-7325

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results. Such statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements.

SOURCE: Alchemist Mining Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/527955/Alchemist-Mining-Announces-Corporate-UpdateStrong effort to provide a positive workplace dedicated to employee development recognized through rigorous evaluation

Bonitasoft, publisher of the Bonita open-source platform for intelligent management of business processes, has received certification as a Great Place to Work.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005124/en/

Bonitasoft certified a Great Place to Work (Photo: Business Wire)

This certification acknowledges the strong effort made by Bonitasoft to create a welcoming and positive workplace, dedicated to employee development, and is significant recognition of its efforts to be an outstanding employer.

This certification was earned in part through employee participation in the "Trust Index" survey. With a response rate of more than 92% of its employees, 86% confirmed their view that the company is a good place to work. In addition:

92% said that management recruits people who fit well in the company;

98% that new employees are welcomed; and

90% feel they can count on help from colleagues and others.

"As our market is becoming more competitive and suffering from a shortage of technical skills, we are proud of this new certification which reflects the efforts we have made," said Carole Winqwist, Vice President of Marketing at Bonitasoft. "We have been committed for several years to retain, develop and motivate our employees, while focusing on recruiting and attracting new talent."

With this new certification, Bonitasoft will continue its efforts to meet three major challenges identified through the survey:

Strengthen its employer brand and its attractiveness in a competitive job market;

Continue to improve its Human Resources policies based on its fundamental values of collaboration, excellence, transparency, merit and sharing; and

Benchmark Human Resources practices with companies of the same size and type to set new goals for growth.

Winqwist notes that Bonitasoft also strives to promote diversity within its teams, in terms of nationality, age and gender. This is underscored by the evidence that there is no significant pay difference between male and female employees.

According to Winqwist, "Few companies of our size have obtained this badge. At Bonitasoft, everyone is accessible and our teams and practices are aligned with the themes of customer service and providing value."

Although Bonitasoft will soon celebrate its 10th anniversary, the company has kept its can-do "start-up" spirit. It was recently awarded a Best Place to Work by Best in Biz International Awards and maintains a presence on recruitment platforms Glassdoor and Welcome to the Jungle (in French).

About Bonitasoft

Bonitasoft helps innovative companies worldwide deliver better digital user experiences for customers and employees. The extensible and open Bonita application platform unleashes the full potential of multidisciplinary development teams to create Living Applications: applications that allow continuous and incremental improvement, connecting tailored user interfaces with reliable back-office operations.

With more than 1000 customers in 75 countries, and its ecosystem of more than 130,000 members, Bonitasoft is the largest provider of open-source Business Process Management, low-code and digital transformation software worldwide.

About A Great Place To Work

A Great Place To Work is the reference for quality of life at work. Our teams of experts have supported the cultural transformation of organizations for over 25 years. We evaluate the perception of employees and the practices of companies using a unique and structured methodology. We also offer tailor-made support solutions to help organizations become and remain great places to work and to anchor trust at the heart of their corporate culture. The goal: to sustainably maintain the overall performance and professional fulfillment of their employees.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005124/en/

Contacts:

Press

Bonitasoft

Carole Winqwist, +33 (62) 346-5205

carole.winqwist@bonitasoft.comVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 13, 2018) - International Lithium Corp. (TSXV: ILC) (the "Company" or "ILC"), announces the resignation of Kirill Klip from the Board of Directors, effective today. This follows a Board vote, following consultation with major shareholders, not to put Mr. Klip forward for re-election at the Company's AGM to be held on December 10, 2018.

Mr. Klip was Chairman and CEO of the Company from January 2017 until he was removed by the board in March 2018. Previously he served as President of the Company and before that, Non-Executive Co-Chairman.

The Board thanks Mr. Klip for his service to the Company over several years.

About International Lithium Corp.

International Lithium Corp. has a significant portfolio of projects, strong management, and a strategic partner and key investor, Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd., ("Ganfeng Lithium") a leading China-based lithium product manufacturer.

The Company's primary strategic focus is now on the Mariana project in Argentina and on the Raleigh Lake project in Canada.

The Company has a strategic stake in the Mariana lithium-potash brine project located within the renowned South American "Lithium Belt" that is the host to the vast majority of global lithium resources, reserves and production. The Mariana project strategically encompasses an entire mineral rich evaporite basin, totalling 160 square kilometres that ranks as one of the more prospective salars or 'salt lakes' in the region. Current ownership of the project is through a joint venture company, Litio Minera Argentina S. A., a private company registered in Argentina, owned 82.754% by Ganfeng Lithium and 17.246% by ILC. In addition, ILC has an option to acquire 10% in the Mariana project through a back-in right.

The Raleigh Lake project, now consisting of 3,027 hectares of adjoining mineral claims in Ontario, is now regarded by ILC management as ILC's most significant project in Canada. It is 100% owned by ILC, is not subject to any encumbrances, and is royalty free.

Complementing the Company's lithium brine project at Mariana and rare metal pegmatite property at Raleigh Lake, are interests in two other rare metal pegmatite properties in Ontario, Canada known as the Mavis Lake and Forgan Lake projects, and the Avalonia project in Ireland, which encompasses an extensive 50-km-long pegmatite belt.

The ownership of the Mavis Lake project is now 51% Pioneer Resources Limited ("Pioneer") and 49% ILC. In addition, ILC owns a 1.5% NSR on Mavis Lake. Pioneer has an option to earn an additional 29% by sole-funding a further CAD $8.5 million expenditures of exploration activities, at which time the ownership will be 80% Pioneer and 20% ILC.

The Forgan Lake project will, upon Ultra Lithium meeting its contractual requirements pursuant to its agreement with ILC, become 100% owned by Ultra Lithium, and ILC will retain a 1.5% NSR on Forgan Lake.

The ownership of the Avalonia project is currently 55% Ganfeng Lithum and 45% ILC. Ganfeng Lithium has an option to earn an additional 24% by either incurring CAD $10 million expenditures on exploration activities or delivering a positive feasibility study on the project, at which time the ownership will be 79% Ganfeng Lithum and 21% ILC.

With the increasing demand for high tech rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles and electrical storage as well as portable electronics, lithium has been designated "the new oil", and is a key part of a "green tech", sustainable economy. By positioning itself with solid strategic partners and projects with significant resource potential, ILC aims to be one of the lithium and battery metals resource developers of choice for investors and to continue to build value for its shareholders.

International Lithium Corp.'s mission is to find, explore and develop projects that have the potential to become world class lithium, potash and rare metal deposits. A key goal is to become a well funded company to turn that aspiration into reality.

On behalf of the Company,

John Wisbey

Chairman and CEO

www.internationallithium.com

For further information concerning this news release please contact +1 604-449-6520.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information or forward-looking statements in this news release may include: the timing and anticipated results of drilling on the Mavis Lake Project, the expectation of feasibility studies, lithium recoveries, modeling of capital and operating costs, results of studies utilizing membrane technology at the Mariana Project, budgeted expenditures and planned exploration work on the Avalonia JV, and continued agreement between the Company and Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. regarding the Company's percentage interest in the Mariana project. In addition, the information in this news release about the private placements; the use of the proceeds from the private placements; the jurisdictions in which the FT Shares will be offered or sold; the number of FT Shares offered or sold; the size of the private placements; the timing and ability of the Company to close the private placements, if at all; the timing and ability of the Company to satisfy the customary listing conditions of the TSX Venture Exchange, if at all; the timing and ability of the Company to obtain all necessary approvals; the tax treatment of the securites issued under the FT private placement under the Income Tax Act (Canada), the timing to renounce all Qualifying Expenditures in favour of the subscribers, if at all; may be forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, including, among others, , risks relating to the private placements; volatility in the trading price of common shares of the Company; risks relating to the ability of the Company to obtain required approvals, complete definitive documentation and complete the private placements; the ability of the Company to complete further exploration activities, including drilling; property interests; the results of exploration activities; risks relating to mining activities; the global economic climate; metal prices; dilution; environmental risks; changes in the tax and regulatory regime; and community and non-governmental actions, and those risks discussed in the sections entitled "Risks" and "Forward-Looking Statements" in the interim and annual Management's Discussion and Analysis which are available at www.sedar.com. While management believes that the assumptions made are reasonable, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking information. Forward-looking information herein, and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on expectations, estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the time of such statements, are subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These estimates and assumptions may prove to be incorrect and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.VIENNA, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The final station in a network of 21 Australian nuclear test monitoring facilities, "IS03", at Davis Base, Antarctica, was recently certified. To mark capping a 20 year programme, there will be a commemorative event at Geoscience Australia, attended by Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/784128/CTBTO_Logo.jpg )



(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/784127/CTBTO_nuclear_test_monitoring_stations.jpg )



During his visit to Australia from 19-21 November 2018, Zerbo will also meet Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and other high-level officials in Canberra. He will also brief heads of missions for South Pacific countries at a CTBTO workshop in Melbourne, hosted at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and its verification system and its civil and scientific applications.

During his visit to New Zealand from 22-23 November 2018, Zerbo will meet with high-level officials and scientific experts in Wellington and Christchurch, and visit the "Red Zone", an area of the city centre that had been cordoned off following the February 2011 earthquake that caused widespread damage across Christchurch.

Press opportunities include:

Availability of interviews with Executive Secretary Zerbo by phone or in person in Australia and New Zealand .

Zerbo can speak on issues related to nuclear testing and nuclear non-proliferation, North Korea's six announced nuclear tests that were detected by the CTBT International Monitoring System (IMS), completion of Australia's segment of the global monitoring system to detect nuclear tests, and the civil and scientific uses of IMS data for public safety and the advance of science.

John Gee Memorial Lecture at the Australian National University

In Canberra, Zerbo will also deliver the John Gee Memorial Lecture at the Australian National University (ANU), with opening remarks from ANU Chancellor and Former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans.

When: 20 November at 17:30

Where: Lecture Theatre 1, Hedley Bull Building (130), corner of Garran Road and Liversidge Street, ANU. Full details: https://bit.ly/2B17c8R

Public Address at New Zealand Institute of International Affairs on advancing nuclear disarmament

When: Thursday 22 November 2018, at 17:30.

Where: RHLT1 Rutherford House, Victoria University, 23 Lambton Quay, Wellington.

Full details: https://bit.ly/2zK8OSq

Background

The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions everywhere, by everyone, and for all times. The CTBTO has established an International Monitoring System to ensure that no nuclear explosion goes undetected. Currently, 296 certified facilities - of a total of 337 when complete - are operating around the world. The data registered by the IMS can also be used for disaster mitigation such as earthquake monitoring, tsunami warning, and the tracking of the levels and dispersal of radioactivity from nuclear accidents.

TV B-roll and still photos are available

Watch analyst describe working at CTBTO when North Korea detonated a nuclear bomb: https://bit.ly/2TbBBIq

Map of Australian monitoring facilities: https://bit.ly/2DqoVc7

Map of global monitoring network: https://bit.ly/2RKaR0h

http://www.ctbto.orgQualityOne gains momentum with leading chemical and cosmetics companies to improve partner collaboration and maintain regulatory compliance

Veeva Systems (NYSE:VEEV), a provider of quality and regulatory cloud software for the consumer goods, cosmetics, chemical, and life sciences industries, today announced Laboratoires FILL-MED, a Filorga Group company, and Novacap are adopting Veeva QualityOne to modernize quality management. QualityOne allows organizations to manage quality processes, document control, and data in a single application. Leading chemical and cosmetics companies can now implement agile quality processes to ensure ongoing compliance and improve collaboration.

Laboratoires FILL-MED is a fast-growing French company that specializes in developing innovative medical devices for aesthetic medicine. The company will use QualityOne to stay ahead of evolving standards and maintain audit readiness.

"Veeva QualityOne is essential to our strategy of making quality and innovation two key pillars of the company," said Christophe Foucher, CEO of Laboratoires FILL-MED. "We will have greater flexibility in maintaining quality and drive greater efficiency in product development."

Novacap is a leading raw materials supplier and contract manufacturing organization for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics markets. QualityOne provides Novacap the foundation to closely collaborate with their customers and achieve GMP and FDA regulatory compliance.

"Veeva has demonstrated its broad range of capabilities in the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry over the past 10 years," said Alexandre Gultzgoff, CIO of Novacap. "The company's reputation, proven cloud solutions, and commitment to meeting our industry requirements were important factors in our decision to select Veeva. Veeva will help us unify people, processes, and data across the organization."

QualityOne is helping cosmetics and chemical companies deliver continuous improvement on quality from product development to manufacturing and in-market claims. With more than 30 customers, QualityOne continues to gain momentum by providing a unified, easy-to-use cloud application for organizations to modernize quality management and document control.

"Leading companies are recognizing that a more agile approach is needed to manage the product journey," said Frank Defesche, SVP and GM at Veeva. "QualityOne is fulfilling pent-up industry demand in North America and Europe for an innovative quality management solution. We look forward to helping more chemical and cosmetics companies modernize their quality processes."

Join Veeva at the Congres Parfums Cosmetiques event, Nov. 14-15, in Chartres, France to learn more about QualityOne. For more information, visit veeva.com/CosmeticsEvents.

Additional Information

For more information on QualityOne, visit: veeva.com/QualityOne

Connect with Veeva on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/qualityone

Follow @veevaindustries on Twitter: twitter.com/veevaindustries

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About Veeva Systems

Founded in 2007, Veeva (NYSE:VEEV) is a global provider of industry-specific, cloud-based software solutions for the consumer goods, cosmetics, chemical, and life sciences industries. Our applications enable manufacturers to realize the benefits of a modern, cloud-based platform to manage the product journey and bring innovative, high-quality products to market faster without compromising industry-specific functionality, quality, or regulatory compliance. Veeva is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Learn more at www.industries.veeva.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements, including the market demand for and acceptance of Veeva's products and services, the results from use of Veeva's products and services, and general business conditions, particularly in the life sciences industry. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon Veeva's historical performance and its current plans, estimates, and expectations, and are not a representation that such plans, estimates, or expectations will be achieved. These forward-looking statements represent Veeva's expectations as of the date of this press announcement. Subsequent events may cause these expectations to change, and Veeva disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements in the future. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect Veeva's financial results are included under the captions, "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," in the company's filing on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 31, 2018. This is available on the company's website at veeva.com under the Investors section and on the SEC's website at sec.gov. Further information on potential risks that could affect actual results will be included in other filings Veeva makes with the SEC from time to time.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006125/en/

Contacts:

Roger Villareal

Veeva Systems

925-264-8885

roger.villareal@veeva.com

Lisa Barbadora

Veeva Systems

610-420-3413

pr@veeva.comNovartis International AG / Alcon files initial Form 20-F registration statement with SEC for proposed spinoff; plans investor days in New York and London . Processed and transmitted by West Corporation. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Basel, November 13, 2018 - Novartis today announced that Alcon has filed an initial Form 20-F registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in relation to the previously-announced intention of Novartis to spin off its eye care division as an independent, publicly-traded company. An application will be made to list the shares in Alcon on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol "ALC".

The initial Form 20-F outlines plans for a tax neutral 100% spinoff of Alcon and includes a detailed overview of its business, strategy, financials, competitive strengths and certain risk factors relating to Alcon's business and the spinoff. Alcon leadership will focus on these, among other topics, at Capital Markets Days for investors and analysts in New York on November 27, 2018 and in London on December 4, 2018.

Earlier this year, Novartis said that the planned spinoff would better position both Novartis and Alcon to capitalize on significant growth opportunities and to focus resources on their respective businesses and strategic priorities.

Vas Narasimhan M.D., CEO of Novartis, said: "As we progress towards the spinoff we are confident in the potential of Novartis and Alcon as separate companies to increase shareholder value. The transaction is expected to support our transformation to become a more focused innovative medicines company. For Alcon, it means more strategic focus and flexibility to pursue compelling growth opportunities in eye care devices, where it has the strongest portfolio and unmatched ability to serve patients worldwide."

David Endicott, CEO of Alcon, said: "This important milestone shows the planned spinoff of Alcon is firmly on track. We are closing in on a unique opportunity to debut as the world leader in the large, attractive and growing eye care devices sector. Our leadership, and the entire Alcon team, is excited and motivated by the prospect of creating a new company poised to deliver innovation that can truly help patients see better. We look forward to creating a business with sustainable growth for our shareholders based on important new products for our customers and their patients."

Completion of the planned spinoff is subject to general market conditions, receipt of necessary authorizations, tax rulings and opinions, final endorsement by the Board of Directors of Novartis and shareholder approval at the 2019 Novartis annual shareholder meeting. If approvals are secured and conditions are met, the spinoff is expected to be completed in the first half of 2019.

A copy of the initial Form 20-F can be found at https://www.novartis.com/sites/www.novartis.com/files/alcon-20f-filing-2018.pdf (https://www.novartis.com/sites/www.novartis.com/files/alcon-20f-filing-2018.pdf) and will be available at www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov). The information in the initial Form 20-F is not final and remains subject to change.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that can generally be identified by words such as "initial," "proposed," "plans," "intention," "strategy," "strengths," "will," "to focus," "would," "planned," "strategic priorities," "expected," "growth opportunities," "progress towards," "confident," "potential," "to become," "strategic focus," "compelling," "portfolio," "on track," "closing in," "to debut," "growing," "prospect," "poised," "look forward," "subject to," "expectations," "future," "sustainable growth," or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding the potential completion of the announced spinoff of Alcon; regarding whether the spinoff is in the best interests of shareholders, regarding the future commercial performance of Novartis or of a stand-alone Alcon company, or regarding any potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities as a result of the spinoff; or by discussions of strategy, plans, expectations or intentions. 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 proposed spinoff will be completed in the expected form or within the expected time frame or at all. Neither can there be any guarantee that Novartis or a stand-alone Alcon company will be able to realize any of the potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities as a result of the spinoff or any related actions, within any particular time frame, or at all. Nor can there be any guarantee that shareholders of Novartis or Alcon will achieve any particular level of shareholder returns. Neither can there be any guarantee that the spinoff of Alcon will be in the best interests of shareholders, or that the Group or any of its divisions, or a stand-alone Alcon company, will be commercially successful in the future, or achieve any particular credit rating or financial results. In particular, our expectations could be affected by, among other things: an unexpected failure to satisfy the required conditions to the proposed spinoff, or to obtain the shareholder and other approvals needed to complete these actions, or unexpected delays in meeting these requirements; the potential that the strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities expected from the proposed spinoff may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the inherent uncertainties involved in predicting shareholder returns; the successful separation of the Alcon business from the Novartis Group; potential adverse reactions to the proposed transaction by customers, suppliers, strategic partners or key Alcon personnel and potential difficulties in maintaining relationships with such persons; the uncertainties inherent in the research and development of new healthcare products, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection, including the ultimate extent of the impact on Novartis of the loss of patent protection and exclusivity on key products which commenced in prior years and will continue this year; safety, quality or manufacturing issues, including withdrawal of products from the market; uncertainties regarding actual or potential legal proceedings, including, among others, actual or potential product liability litigation, litigation and investigations regarding sales and marketing practices, intellectual property disputes and government investigations generally; uncertainties involved in the development or adoption of potentially transformational technologies and business models; general political, economic and trade conditions, including uncertainties regarding the effects of ongoing instability in various parts of the world; uncertainties regarding future global exchange rates; uncertainties regarding future demand for our products; and uncertainties regarding potential significant breaches of data security or data privacy, 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 SEC or in the initial Form 20-F filed by Alcon with the SEC. 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 as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, any securities of Novartis or, following the proposed spinoff, of Alcon, and may not be relied upon in connection with the purchase or sale of any such security. Should you wish to invest in Alcon, you should do so solely on the basis of information Alcon will file with the SEC at or around the time of the spinoff, including the section "Risk Factors" included in the Form 20-F. The information filed with the SEC will be available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov).

About Novartis

Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 1 billion people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 125 000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at www.novartis.com (http://www.novartis.com).

About Alcon

Alcon is the global leader in eye care devices. As a division of Novartis, we offer the broadest portfolio of products to enhance sight and improve people's lives. Our products touch the lives of more than 260 million people each year living with conditions like cataracts, glaucoma, retinal diseases and refractive errors, and there are millions more who are waiting for solutions to meet their eye care needs. Our purpose is reimagining eye care, and we do this through innovative products, partnerships with eye care professionals and programs that enhance access to quality eye care. Learn more at www.alcon.com (http://www.alcon.com/).

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis (http://twitter.com/novartis)

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Media release (PDF) (http://hugin.info/134323/R/2225608/873049.pdf)

Forward Looking Statements: This Press Release contains 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 that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, including matters related to the Company's operations, pending contracts and future revenues, ability to execute on its increased production and installation schedules for planned capital expenditures and the size of forecasted deposits. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties. In addition, other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are discussed in the Company's most recent filings, including Form 10-KSB with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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.Global Upside (www.globalupside.com) has won "Partnership in HR Excellence" award at the prestigious 2018 HRO Today Awards Gala in Amsterdam.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006065/en/

From left to right Zachary Misko, President, HRO Today Member Services; Ragu Bhargava, Co-Founder and CEO, Global Upside; Elliot Clark, CEO, SharedExpertise Media; and Rohit Lohia, Managing Director, India, Global Upside. (Photo: Business Wire)

The award acknowledges Global Upside's work as an HR partner to some of the world's leading companies. Global Upside provide Hire to Retire solutions spanning talent acquisition, employment documentation, employment law advisory, compensation and benefits, payroll, global mobility, and more.

"The Global Upside team has demonstrated measurable excellence in providing HR services in 100+ countries and solving complex challenges that come with operating globally," said Zachary Misko, President of HRO Today Member Services.

Recently, Global Upside launched a first of its kind HR software Mihi (www.mihi.com) - a global HCM, time and benefits management software, for employees in 100+ countries. Mihi is compliant with local statutory wage, hour, and benefits regulations and connects with all major ERP and Payroll systems allowing companies to seamlessly manage global employees and automate the flow of payroll data between systems.

"Mihi was created in response to a need from a Client who needed a single software for their 5000 employees spread across 40 countries. They needed it fast and we were tasked with finding a software for them. We realized no single software catered to employees globally so we actually built this software and today it's supporting thousands of employees globally in 17+ languages," said Ragu Bhargava, Global Upside's Chief Executive Officer.

"It's an honor to be recognized by HRO Today. We are humbled by the adulation we are getting from our peers in the industry and motivated to continue to do more innovative work and make doing business easier for companies no matter where they operate," he added.

HRO Today is a media and news company that offers objective, game-changing content to over 180,000 senior-level human resources decision makers worldwide. For details about the HRO Today Awards, visit http://www.hrotoday.com/association/awards/.

About Global Upside

Global Upside solves business complexity with world-class HR, Payroll, Accounting, Tax, Compliance, PEO, and Talent Acquisition services. With our integrated, end-to-end support, companies can focus on innovation, growth, and excel in their fields. Founded in 1999 in Silicon Valley, Global Upside today empowers companies in 100+ countries and is dedicated to solving complexity for companies everywhere they do business. Learn more at www.globalupside.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006065/en/

Contacts:

Ritu Bhargava

Public Relations and Social Manager

408-913-9130

ritu.bhargava@globalupside.comSaudi Arabias steel manufacturers and the government must work together to ensure the competitiveness of this strategically important sector of the economy, a key steel industry body has said.

Saudi Arabia is a major steel importer while more than half of its manufacturing capacity remains unutilized, lamented the National Committee for the Steel Industry (NCSI). Saudi Arabia is the 18th largest steel producing country globally and the largest in the Arab world.

Saudi Arabias leading steel manufacturers took the stage at the 13th Arab Steel Summit this week to discuss how the government and private sector can work together to ensure the future competitiveness of one of the nations most strategically significant industries and how it could greatly contribute to the success of Vision 2030s economic development agenda.

The NCSI sponsored a dedicated one-day strategy conference at the annual Arab Steel Summit held in Amman, Jordan.

The event spotlighted both the current and potential future economic impact of Saudi steel producers as well as serious threats to an industry.

We established NCSI under the guidance of the Council of Saudi Chambers to recognise the importance of ensuring the future impact of a strategic industry that plays a crucial role in diversifying non-oil sources of income, the main objective of the Saudi Vision 2030, said Dr Sami Al-Obaidi, chairman of Council of Saudi Chambers.

The Arab Steel Summit was an important platform for us to start to address the current challenges our industry faces, said Engineer Rayed Abdullah Al-Ajaji, NCSI chairman. Despite the fact that so many of our manufacturers are producing at less than 50 per cent capacity due to unfair competition, as a country we are a net importer of steel.

Al-Ajaji added Saudi Arabia is losing billions of dollars due to the unfair competition. We have an opportunity today to work together to stop that and keep this revenue in the country to help achieve our ambitious national growth plans. The steel industry is strategically important to our economic future. Our country has invested billions over the years in world-class facilities that manufacture the highest quality steel products and we must work together to ensure it remains competitive and thriving.

NCSI reports that the Saudi market requires more than 20 million metric tonnes of steel products to meet the current domestic demand, a number that will continue to increase as more Vision 2030 development and infrastructure projects come online. However, approximately 55 per cent of that total domestic demand is supplied through imports, while actual production has dropped to less than 50 per cent of the capacity available due to unfair competition.

The objective of NCSI and the Council of Saudi Chambers is to work with our government partners to activate and enforce common standards and rules that help ensure a level playing field for Saudi companies to best compete in both domestic and international markets while improving overall safety standards, said Mohammed Al-Jabr, NCSI vice-chairman. In doing so, we have the opportunity to become a model for the country to implement fair and reciprocal trade that reflect best international practices and frameworks set up by the World Trade Organization for all Saudi economic sectors.

As part of its effort to promote growth in the Saudi steel industry, NCSI will organise the Saudi International Iron and Steel Conference in March 2019 in Riyadh. This will be the first international steel summit to be held in Saudi Arabia and will bring together local, GCC and global industry leaders to address critical issues that impact the future of the steel industry.

The topics of interest Saudi steel leaders will explore at this conference include:

 New technologies, manufacturing practices and certification standards to protect quality and safety of both domestically produced and imported steel products;

 Promoting a common approach to a fair and competitive steel market both domestically and across the GCC;

 Addressing the challenge of scarcity in raw materials and feedstock to support future production growth;

 Economic integration and trade among Arab countries; and

 Employment growth potential of the Saudi steel industry and efforts to develop the next generation of local leaders to drive the future of Saudis steel and industrial sectors.

The steel industry is one of the key non-oil producing industrial sectors that will help drive the Saudi economy of the future. We have a responsibility to work together to help create a more stable foundation to ensure that this industry delivers on its potential for the benefit of all. We will use this first-ever local industry summit to help build our roadmap for the future of Saudi steel, said Abdulaziz Al-Hudaib, NCSI vice-chairman.

The National Committee for the Steel Industry is a non-profit organisation with a mandate to meet the challenges of the development and growth of the steel industry sector with the goal of realisation of Saudi Vision 2030. The group is responsible for creating an attractive environment for investment and employment, developing a culture of industrial and communal responsibility and engaging with industry members to address their challenges and champion their development.  TradeArabia News ServiceSuncorphas today announced it is now targeting the 28th of February 2019 as the completion date for the sale of its Australian life insurance business.The Group signed a share sale deed with TAL Dai-ichi Life Australia in September which targeted a completion date of this year's end.The new date reflects Suncorp's latest expectation regarding the timing of regulatory approvals for the transaction,The company has pushed back its EGM previously scheduled for December to seek shareholder approval for the pro-rata return of capital and share consolidation until after completion of the sale.Shares in Suncorpare down 1.61 per cent to $13.78.India will have the right over 65 percent of 6 million barrels of crude oil that ADNOC will store at the countrys maiden strategic storage at Mangalore.

New Delhi: India on Monday signed an initial pact to lease out a part of its underground strategic oil storage at Padur in Karnataka to Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) for storing crude oil, the second such deal with the UAE firm this year, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

#ADNOC signs MoU with the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL), to explore storage of of Crude Oil at Padur Underground Facility in Karnataka, which has a 2.5 million tonne (~17 million barrels) capacity pic.twitter.com/Yq3urXdMah  ADNOC Group (@AdnocGroup) November 12, 2018

India has built 5.33 million tonne (MT) of emergency storageenough to meet its oil needs for 9.5 days, in underground rock caverns in Mangalore and Padur in Karnataka and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. It has allowed foreign oil companies to store oil in the storages on condition that the stockpile can be used by New Delhi in case of an emergency.

ADNOC had in February this year signed a pact to fill half of the 1.5 MT strategic oil storage at Mangalore. India will have the right over 65 percent of 6 million barrels of crude oil that ADNOC will store at the countrys maiden strategic storage at Mangalore. ADNOC will send three large ships carrying crude oil beginning April to fill half of the 1.5 million tonnes strategic oil reserves that India has built at Mangalore, a senior government official said.

Out of the crude stored, 35 percent can be used by ADNOC for commercial purposes, i.e trading or selling to refiners whenever it wants. The remaining 65 percent would be for strategic purpose of meeting Indias oil need during a contingency like supply disruption, he said. ADNOC will of course be paid for the oil if India were to draw from the reserves, a PTI report said quoting senior officials.

On Monday, India signed a similar pact for Padur. "ISPRL (Strategic Petroleum Reserve entity of India) and ADNOC of UAE signed MoU to explore possibilities of ADNOC investment in filling up of crude oil in Padur strategic reserve in Karnataka," Pradhan, who is in Abu Dhabi for the agreement signing, tweeted. The agreement allows ADNOC to sell or trade crude oil storage in the storages to local refiners but give Indian government the first right to the oil in case of an emergency.

The UEA firm tweeted the news development:

H.E. @dpradhanbjp: the MoU with #ADNOC will allow ISPRL to explore opportunities related to the possible storage of ADNOC crude at Padur, which would help to significantly strengthen the countrys strategic petroleum reserves  ADNOC Group (@AdnocGroup) November 12, 2018

Official sources said the pact followed the Cabinet's last week decision of approving filling up of the underground strategic oil storage at Padur by foreign oil companies.

While a third of the Visakhapatnam facility has been hired by Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), ADNOC and government of India filled the storage at Mangalore. The 2.5 MT Padur facility remained empty.

Allowing foreign companies to use the storage for storing crude oil helps the government save on the cost of filling the reserves. Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had after the Cabinet meeting on November 8 said that allowing foreign companies to store oil in Padur would help the government save Rs 10,000 crore.

UAE Oil Minister Sultan al-Jaber said:"India is an important oil market and the agreement with ISPRL underscores the strategic energy partnership between the UAE and India that leverages the UAE and ADNOC's expertise and oil resources."

ADNOC in another tweet quoted Pradhan as saying that "the MoU with ADNOC will allow ISPRL to explore opportunities related to the possible storage of ADNOC crude at Padur, which would help to significantly strengthen the country's strategic petroleum reserves."

The ISPRL has constructed and commissioned underground rock caverns for storage of total 5.33 MT(around 39 million barrels) of crude oil at three locationsVishakhapatnam (1.33 MT), Mangalore (1.5 MT) and Padur (2.5 MT).

Padur storage has four compartments of 0.625 MT each and ADNOC may use half of the storage capacity for stocking its oil.

The total 5.33 MT capacity under Phase-I of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) programme is estimated to supply about 9.5 days of India's crude requirement.

In Mangalore, it had agreed to stock 5.86 million barrels of 0.75 MT of oil.

In Phase-II, India plans to build an additional 6.5 MT facilities at Chandikhol in Odisha and Padur, which is expected to augment the emergency cover against any supply disruption by another 11.5 days.

Sources said oil firms like ADNOC could use the Padur storage to stock their oil and sell it to refineries in the region on commercial terms.

India, which meets 83 percent of its oil needs through imports, will have the right of first refusal to buy the crude oil stored in the facilities in case of an emergency, they said.

Indian refiners maintain 65 days of crude storage, and when added to the storage planned and achieved by ISPRL, the Indian crude storage tally goes up to about 87 days. This is very close to the storage of 90 days mandated by IEA for member countries.

ADNOC had last year given up its crude storage lease in South Korea and instead agreed to store oil at Mangalore in a bid to establish a ground presence in the world's third-largest oil consuming nation.

Out of the crude stored, a part would be used for commercial purposes by ADNOC, while a major part would be purely for strategic purposes.

The Visakhapatnam facility can meet two-and-half days need while Mangalore can meet 2.8 days requirement. Padur can meet 4.7 days requirement.

The SPR at Mangalore consists of two compartments with a total storage capacity of 1.5 MT (11 million barrels). While one compartment has been filled with crude oil through funds made available by the government, the other compartment will be filled with crude supplied by ADNOC.

ADNOC hired the Mangalore storage just as it ended a contract to store 6 million barrels of crude oil at Korea National Oil Corp's Yeosu facility in the country's southwest coast.

--With PTI inputsVinod K Dasari, who had been associated with the commercial heavy vehicle maker for the past 13 years, said he had been thinking about quitting for some time.

Chennai: Shares of Ashok Leyland on Wednesday tumbled 10.5 percent after the company announced the resignation of its CEO and MD Vinod K Dasari with effect from 31 March, 2019.

The stock tumbled 10.46 percent to end at Rs 106.60 on BSE. Intra-day, it dropped 11.12 percent to Rs 105.80. On NSE, shares of the company plummeted 10.42 percent to close at Rs 106.60.

Hinduja group flagship firm Ashok Leyland's Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Vinod K Dasari has quit citing personal reasons and the company board has accepted his resignation, a top official said on Tuesday.

However, the board at its meeting here on Tuesday asked him to continue till the end of March 2019 to facilitate a smooth transition, Ashok Leyland Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja, who was elevated as Executive Chairman in view of the resignation of Dasari, said.

The board had reappointed Dasari as Managing Director and CEO for a term of five years from 1 April,2016 to 31 March, 2021.

"This (resignation of Dasari) was something unexpected. The board needs time to discuss this (and find a replacement). Vinod has done an excellent job and the team in Ashok Leyland is very strong," Hinduja told reporters.

Dasari, who had been associated with the commercial heavy vehicle maker for the past 13 years, said he had been thinking about quitting for some time.

"When we came to India 17-18 years ago, it was a family decision. To come to Ashok Leyland and not go back to United States was my family decision. So, now my family is set by God's grace and I'd been thinking about it for quite some time (about quitting)", he said.

Noting that he was not keen on putting his papers when the company did not perform well about six years ago, Dasari said, "we turned around and our team did a fantastic job. The team is strong now".

Asked would the resignation of Dasari pose a challenge to the company, Hinduja said, "there are a lot of mentorship, guidance from the Board whenever needed. Of course, there are challenges, but I think, we are well within meeting the timelines".

He said the company was having a very good board of Directors and of the ten, eight were independent directors and four of them with very rich credentials in the automotive industry.

He also said Ashok Leyland had aggressive plans on light commercial vehicles, Defense and electric vehicle segments.

Talking about Dasari, Hinduja said he was a people's person. "If he fixes a target, his team will do everything and achieve that. Last five years, he changed the culture in Ashok Leyland".

Noting that the focus was on making a smooth transition to find a successor to him, Dasari said the company had been his family.

"I am not running away from something. I just want to learn something else. Right now the focus is on a smooth transition, internally," he said.

Replying to a question, Hinduja said the resignation of Dasari would not lead to a vacuum and it would be business as usual.

"Till we find a right person, based on the request of the Board, I will be the Executive Chairman. Vinod and I have been working closely whether it is a strategy, recruitment of senior people. I think it will continue. It will be business as usual," he added.

(With PTI inputs)Avenue Therapeutics is focused on the development and commercialisation of intravenous (IV) Tramadol, a painkiller.

New Delhi: Drug major Cipla on Tuesday said its subsidiary InvaGen Pharmaceuticals Inc has entered into definitive agreements to acquire US-based speciality business firm Avenue Therapeutics for up to $215 million (around Rs 1,560 crore).

Cipal said it intends to acquire Avenue Therapeutics, Inc, a Fortress Biotech company, in two stages.

Avenue Therapeutics is focused on the development and commercialisation of intravenous (IV) Tramadol, a painkiller.

"At the first stage closing, InvaGen or its affiliates will acquire, through the issuance by Avenue of new shares, shares representing a 33.3 percent stake in Avenue's capital stock on a fully diluted basis $35 million," Cipla said in a regulatory filing.

Simultaneously, with the closing of the stock issuance, InvaGen or its affiliates will appoint three members (including one independent) on Avenue's seven-member board of directors, the company added.

At the second stage, InvaGen or its affiliates will acquire the remaining shares of Avenue's common stock, for up to $180 million in the aggregate.

Cipla said the second stage closing is subject to the certain conditions, including those related to US FDA approval and the absence of any Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) or similar restrictions with respect to IV Tramadol.

"Our investment in and proposed acquisition of Avenue establishes our presence in the speciality institutional business in the US... This investment is in keeping with our stated intention to build a speciality pipeline in the US market," Cipla Managing Director & Global Chief Executive Officer Umang Vohra said.

The transaction will be subject to Avenue stockholders' and regulatory approvals, and other closing conditions, Cipla added.

Shares of Cipla were trading 0.69 percent lower at Rs 528.25 apiece on BSE.Jet, Indias biggest full-service carrier posted its third straight quarterly loss on Monday, hurt by higher fuel expenses and a weaker rupee.

Bengaluru/New Delhi: Debt-laden Indian carrier Jet Airways Ltd will cut flights on less profitable routes and add capacity to more lucrative markets, as part of its effort to lower costs and boost revenues as it struggles to stay aloft.

Jet, Indias biggest full-service carrier posted its third straight quarterly loss on Monday, hurt by higher fuel expenses and a weaker rupee.

The airline has embarked on a comprehensive review ... The measures will include rationalisation of operations on select, uneconomic routes, Jet said in a statement, adding that it will redeploy planes to more productive domestic and international sectors.

The review is expected to help deliver a more efficient and economically viable network, with a focus on profitability rather than market share. Jet is part-owned by Etihad Airways, said the statement.

With our clearly defined focus on profitability, we are in the midst of turning the ship around, Jets Chief Executive Officer, Vinay Dube, said in the statement.

A combination of rising oil prices, high fuel taxes, a weak rupee, low fares and intense competition have slashed profits in the worlds fastest-growing aviation market, which is clocking 20 percent annual passenger growth.

Competitor IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, last month pushed back plans to take ownership of some Airbus A320neo planes to preserve cash after the company posted its first quarterly loss since 2015.

Jet posted a loss of 12.97 billion rupees ($178 million) for the quarter ended 30 September, compared with a 496.3 million rupee profit a year earlier.

Fuel costs rose 58.6 percent to 24.2 billion rupees and the airline recorded a foreign exchange loss of 4.17 billion rupees, up from 730 million rupees a year ago. Revenue from operations climbed 9.5 percent.

Jet had a negative net worth as on 30 September, with current liabilities exceeding current assets, the airline said.

The company said it is on track to meet its target of more than 20 billion rupees of cost cuts over two years, having already made savings of 5 billion rupees in the first half of the current fiscal year.

During the quarter it expanded a codeshare agreement with Delta Airlines, Etihad Airways, Korean Air, Malaysian Airlines and Bangkok Airways to boost revenues.

It said it continued to talk to financial stakeholders regarding its funding requirements and was working on selling assets and raising capital.

Earlier this month, a media report said Tata Group was in talks to buy a majority stake in the airline and its frequent flyer programme, JetPrivilege. Jet said the report was speculative.

We are confident that we will overcome our current challenges, honour our commitments to our stakeholders, and deliver a more strategic, efficient and financially viable airline, Jets Dube said.Demonetisation has provided a necessary nudge to affect a behavioural change in society in the way cash is being used

On 8 November 2016, the worlds two largest democracies sat on the edge. At one end of the globe, 58th quadrennial American presidential elections were gaining momentum. On the other end, Indian economy received an unprecedented exogenous shock, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation of currency notes of denomination 500 and 1,000. The move demonetised 86 percent of currency in circulation, well aware of the impending positive and negative political, economic and social consequences.

True to the nature of a tectonic shift, demonetisation made its effects felt in various dimensions of the economy  higher tax compliance, behavioural nudge towards financial propriety, and cleaning the accumulated stock of cash accumulated through unscrupulous means. However, if there is one sector where the impact of demonetisation is most palpable and visible in our immediate surroundings; it is electronic transactions, digital payments, and increased use of plastic money.

For all the critics expressing angst against digitisation being used as an achievement of demonetisation, it would be fitting to set the record straight; digital economy is one of the many means and not the ends to clean economy.

The move provided a necessary nudge to affect the behavioural change in society and as people realised the ease of using mobile payments, more and more people began to prefer them over cash. Day-to-day transactions of all kind, ranging from purchase of milk to grocery to fuel have become much more easier and efficient with digital payments and affordable, user-friendly, safe and accessible payment mechanisms came to the forefront, and thus began the penetration and adoption of digital payment infrastructure within the masses.

In this light, opportunities for citizens to engage in cashless transactions, which were limited to those holding debit or credit cards emerged. Payment applications, in the form of wallets, pre-paid cards and interactive enterprise applications where transactions could be conducted by a mobile phone, just by loading money surfaced. Trends reflect positive adoption and penetration of digital habits post demonetisation.

While critics are quick to say that the prime objective of demonetisation was not enhancement of digital payments, it takes a bit of conversant intelligence to accept that digital transactions leave an audit trail and thus contribute to curbing black cash in the economy.

A digital transaction would imply there is a well-defined point of origin (example: bank account) and a destination (point of sale). This leaves no room for underhand dealings, and thus works towards meeting the objective of controlling black money and perfidious transactions.

Economists who have been writing-off demonetisation have based their arguments primarily on two premises; One, cash payments are back to pre-November 2016 levels and two, no way to control recurrent transaction has been devised by the Government to ensure the flow of black cash becomes sluggish.

A quick look at payment systems indicators is sufficient to refute the first argument.

There has been a visible upward movement in RTGS volumes post demonetization. Similarly, volume of transactions for all, credit cards, Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), m-wallet, PPI cards and mobile banking saw an upward trend.

Clearly, cashless transactions became much more widely accepted immediately after demonetisation. At the same time, movements post demonetisation, as reflected in the upward or sustained consumption reflect the nudge effect of demonetisation. As more and more vendors provided POS infrastructure for consumers, it was easy for consumers to swipe their card or scan the QR code and complete their purchase. This not only saved the consumers from the trouble of tendering exact change, it also saved consumer resources spent on repeated trips to ATMs and banks.

As per a Credit Suisse report, digital payment market in India is expected to grow to $1 trillion by FY23E led by the growth in mobile payments. Considering digital payments in China touched $5 trillion on the back of increasing mobile data penetration, affordable access to data by telecommunication players will allow similar leap in mobile payments in India.

It must be noted that Indias digital infrastructure has a concerted push from public representatives, along with support from public infrastructure, including the JAM (Jan Dhan  Aadhaar - Mobile) trinity, since digital governance is being considered as an alternative to other social welfare systems, prone to heavy leakages. This will only further amplify the digital transaction ecosystem and take India towards clean and green economy. The role of digital governance in setting up single-window systems, digitising land records, implementation of social security schemes will prove to be a catalyst towards clipping conscienceless citizenry and controlling the flow of black cash within the economy.

If one was to take liberty on this occasion to ask, should the nation try to stop cleaning the cesspool of black economy for the fear of failure? Also, like every project, the benefits accrued over a period of time or generations will definitely outweigh the resources the government has invested. Last, but not the least, Swachh Bharat cannot be achieved if there are heaps of black cash stashed in the backyard or parallel economy, contributing to dark activities, thriving inconspicuously.

(The writer is a New Delhi-based policy analyst. She tweets at @gunjakapoor)'The share purchase agreement (SPA) stands terminated as all the conditions precedent were not satisfied within the stipulated time period,' IndusInd Bank said

New Delhi: Private sector lender IndusInd Bank on Tuesday said its agreement to fully acquire IL&FS Securities Services Ltd (ISSL) has been terminated due to non-fulfillment of conditions.

In June this year, IndusInd Bank had signed a share purchase agreement with Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS) to acquire its securities services subsidiary.

"The share purchase agreement (SPA) stands terminated as all the conditions precedent were not satisfied within the stipulated time period," IndusInd Bank said in a regulatory filing.

ISSL, incorporated in 2007, is a capital market intermediary for professional clearing, depository and custodial services and caters to both retail and institutional clients including over 1,000 brokers, FPIs and FIIs.

"We understand that the newly constructed board of directors of IL&FS has decided to initiate a new process for the sale of its equity interests in ISSL," IndusInd Bank added.

Meanwhile, in a bid to monetise its assets, crisis-ridden IL&FS on Monday initiated the process for divesting its stake in IL&FS Securities Services and ISSL Settlement & Transaction Services.

"As stated in the said Report, it is the objective of the board to achieve, by one or more plan(s), the resolution of the IL&FS group through certain measures, including asset divestments," the debt-ridden company said in a statement on Monday.

The release further said that in order to ascertain market interest, and to examine the feasibility of maximisation of value in an orderly and transparent manner, the board, while continuing to evaluate all options, on Monday initiated the process of exploring the sale of an asset engaged in the securities services business.

Shares of IndusInd Bank were trading 1.36 percent lower at Rs 1,471.35 apiece on BSE.The second edition of the Make In Odisha conclave would conclude on 15 November.

Bhubaneswar: Odisha on Monday received investment commitments totalling over Rs 1,38,000 crore as RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and other industry captains pledged to pump in additional funds into existing projects in the state.

At the first day of the 'Make in Odisha Conclave' here, Ambani said he would make a fresh investment of Rs 3,000 crore.

"I announce an additional investment of Rs 3,000 crore in Odisha from Reliance Jio. We are on a mission to transform Odisha and we have created employment opportunities for 30,000 people in the last two years in Odisha," Ambani said.

Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekharan announced Rs 25,000 crore investment on capacity expansion of Tata Steel's Kalinga Nagar plant from 3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 8 mtpa.

JSPL chairman Naveen Jindal said his company would invest Rs 55,000 crore to augment capacity of Angul steel plant from 6 mtpa to 20 mtpa by 2030. Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal said his company will spend Rs 15,000 crore for its alumina refinery expansion to 6 mtpa from 3 mtpa.

The second edition of the conclave would conclude on 15 November.

Joining the investment bandwagon, Birla said his company would invest about Rs 14,500 crore in the state, while SAIL chairman Anil Kumar said the CPSU would pump in Rs 41,000 crore to ramp up its Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) from 4.5 mtpa to 10 mtpa in the next three years.

The ITC Group has pledged an additional investment of Rs 550 crore for its food processing unit in Kurda in the next three-five years.

"Odisha has already become a vibrant state and a preferred investment destination... ITC is committed to working together with Odisha in the socioeconomic development of the state," ITC MD Sanjiv Puri said.

Britannia Industries announced an investment of Rs 60 crore over the next two-three years for its bakery plant in the state.

Adani Group's Dhamra Port Company Ltd signed an MoU with the Odisha government for construction of an air strip at Dhamra in Bhadrak district at an investment of Rs 500 crore in one-and-a-half years.

A pact was also signed between ITEES Singapore and the Odisha Skills Development Authority to build upon the existing partnerships between both entities for skills development.

In his speech, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged the industry bigwigs to plan a long-term strategy for investment in Odisha to help it develop as a manufacturing hub of South Asia.

"I propose that each of the industry captains present here today, plan a long-term strategy for investment in the state over the next 10 years. Dedicated teams will be appointed by my government to handhold the implementation of your long-term plans. I assure you of unmatched facilitation support from my government," Patnaik said.

He also said Odisha has formulated a new Biotechnology Policy to build an optimal biotech ecosystem.

The CM added that the first edition of Make in Odisha conclave held in 2016 was a "huge success" with 124 investment intents worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore, and employment opportunities for over one lakh people.Amid the increasing rift between the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), governor of the central bank Urjit Patel is believed to have met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Friday. The RBI governor will not be resigning, sources privy to the matter have told CNBC-TV18.

Amid the increasing rift between the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), governor of the central bank Urjit Patel is believed to have met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Friday. The RBI governor will not be resigning, sources privy to the matter have told CNBC-TV18.

Patel's meeting with the Prime Minister came days before the RBI's crucial board meeting on 19 November during which contentious issues are likely to come up for discussion, CNBC-TV18 said.

1st signs of a thaw after the heated battle between the Government & RBI. Sources say that Urjit Patel met PM Narendra Modi last Friday. @latha_venkatesh gets us more pic.twitter.com/J5jTCEkXmK  CNBC-TV18 News (@CNBCTV18News) November 12, 2018

The meeting was held to work out a solution on the contentious issues that have been a flash point between the RBI and the government during the last few weeks. Modi and Patel had discussed the issues related to the capital framework, management of surplus and non-performing assets (NPA) norms for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), sources privy to the matter told CNBC-TV18.

Tensions between the RBI and the government have recently escalated, with the finance ministry initiating discussion under the never-used-before Section 7 of the RBI Act which empowers the government to issue directions to the RBI governor.

The RBI has a massive Rs 9.59 lakh crore reserves and the government, if reports are to be believed, wants the central bank to part with a third of that fund  an issue which along with easing of norms for weak banks and raising liquidity has brought the two at loggerheads in recent weeks.

The government may soften its stance on seeking RBIs capital, said the sources, adding that it wont ask for a special window for non-banking finance companies (NBFC) to ease liquidity situation.

RBI deputy governor Viral Acharya had in a speech last month talked about the independence of the central bank, arguing that any compromise could be potentially catastrophic for the economy.

Last week, economic affairs secretary Subhash Chandra Garg had said the government was not in any dire need of funds and that there was no proposal to ask the RBI to transfer Rs 3.6 trillion. He further said the only proposal under discussion is to fix appropriate economic capital framework of RBI.

@CNBCTV18News Exclusive: RBI Gov Patel met PM on Friday, sources tell us. Disagreements betn RBI & govt may have been discussed. Stand off thawing. RBI may pull out of Prompt Corrective Action straitjacket some banks whose NPAs have been falling; Also some sops for SMEs  Latha Venkatesh (@latha_venkatesh) November 12, 2018

Patel's meeting with the Prime Minister came days before the RBI's board meeting on 19 November during which contentious issues are likely to come up for discussion.

There are indications that RBI may create a special dispensation for lending to small and medium enterprises, but it was not immediately clear if an agreement has been worked out to ease liquidity situation for non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) and the RBI parting with its substantial part of its surplus.



--With PTI inputsThe proposal for snapping up stake in Jet Airways also comes at a time when Vistara in which Tatas has 51% stake is looking to fly overseas.

Mumbai: Tata Sons is conducting due diligence on Jet Airways as it explores the purchase of a controlling stake in the cash-strapped airline, the Mint newspaper reported citing two people directly aware of developments. Naresh Goyal-led Jet Airways, in which Gulf carrier Etihad holds 24 percent stake, is grappling with financial woes for some time now.

Saurabh Agarwal, chief financial officer of Tata Sons, is leading the discussions while Jet Airways is represented by its chairman Naresh Goyal, the newspaper said, citing the sources who it said asked not to be identified as the talks are private.

An in-house team of Tata Sons is currently conducting due diligence on Jet Airways, which is expected to continue for the next few weeks, the newspaper quoted one of the two people as saying.

A combination of rising oil prices, high fuel taxes, a weak rupee, low fares and intense competition have slashed profits in the worlds fastest-growing aviation market, which is clocking 20 percent annual passenger growth.

Jet Airways on Monday reported a whopping Rs 1,261 crore in consolidated net losses for the three months to September against a profit of Rs 71 crore in the same period year ago, impacted by higher fuel cost and the ongoing plunge in the rupee.

Already its larger rival IndiGo had reported a net loss of Rs 652.13 crore in the September quarter compared to a profit of Rs 551.56 crore a year ago, making it the first loss since becoming a publicly traded company.

On a standalone basis, the Naresh Goyal-promoted airline, which has been facing cash crunch for some time leading to delayed payments, reported a net loss of Rs 1,297.46 crore against a profit of Rs 49.63 crore a year ago.

Rating agency Crisil had recently projected that domestic airlines would report a combined loss of over Rs 7,348 crore (at pre-tax level) due to higher fuel cost and steep fall in the rupee this fiscal.

The numbers reflect the growing headwinds in the world's fastest-growing aviation market in terms of net passenger additions, where the most profitable airline till last year--Indigo--too had reported a whopping Rs 652.13 crore of net losses in the September quarter compared to a profit of Rs 551.56 crore a year ago.

Tata Sons is the promoter of the major operating Tata companies.

In October, when asked about reports that Tata Sons was in discussions with Jet Airways for purchasing stake in the airline, a Jet Airways spokesperson then said the information was "totally speculative", a PTI report said.

Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal and his wife currently own 51 percent of the stake in the airline, while Etihad owns 24 percent stake in the company.

The airline, which is struggling to raise capital for its various payment obligations, received a breather from its loyalty programme Jet Privilege Private Ltd (JPPL). JPPL, a joint venture with Etihad, offered about Rs 258 crore for the advance purchase of discounted tickets. JPPL is 50.1 percent owned by Etihad Airways, while the rest 49.9 percent is with Jet Airways.

Jet, which has about 16,000 employees, including 2,000 pilots, has been facing a cash crunch due to which it has been delaying salaries of its employees. The airline has been delaying salary disbursement to its senior management, pilots and engineers since August. While it has paid 25 percent amount of the September salaries to these categories of staff on 25 October, the remaining 75 percent of the amount is yet to be paid. Besides, there are salaries for the month of October.

Mint reported on 10 October that private equity (PE) giants Blackstone Group LP and TPG Capital, which were eyeing a stake in Jet Privilege Pvt. Ltd (the loyalty programme of Jet Airways), are having second thoughts due to worries over the airlines financial health.

With the airline in a financial crisis, Jet Airlines had approached among various others, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and Tata Group for a stake, three people familiar with the matter had said to Mint.

Tatas has 51 percent stake each in full-service airline Vistara -- a joint venture with Singapore Airlines -- and budget carrier AirAsia India -- where 49 percent is with Malaysia's AirAsia Berhad.

The proposal for snapping up stake in Jet Airways also comes at a time when Vistara is looking to fly overseas.

Sources said that Vistara could be looking at having a stake in Jet Airways, which operates on a significant number of foreign routes.

The Tata Group wants to buy the entire company or its aircraft and infrastructure, the Economic Times had reported earlier. "The Tatas are interested in buying out the entire airline and significantly scaling up the existing business," a top official was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

According to some news reports, Goyal has agreed to give up control in the airline depending on the premium Tatas will pay the founder and chairman of the beleaguered airline.QTerminals, the operator of the first phase of Hamad Port in Qatar, recently held an event to celebrate reaching the major milestones of handling two million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) and five million tonnes of general cargo up to the end of October, up three times versus June 2017.



The celebration was held under the patronage and in the presence of Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport and Communications and chairman of QTerminals, said a statement from the company.



This remarkable feat was achieved in record time with operations at Hamad Port only starting as recently as October 2016. A number of stakeholders and representatives from shipping lines, freight forwarders, and the wider maritime industry attended the event, it said.



Addressing the gathering, Al Sulaiti said: This achievement would not have been possible without the vision of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the unwavering support of HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. Thanks to their efforts, Hamad Port is being transformed from a feeder port to a hub port, a testament to Qatar's world-class infrastructure.



This important achievement is a clear indication of the status which Hamad Port has gained in such a short time. The great success lies in having diversified and expanded its business base, he said.



The port is playing a significant role in meeting the needs of local markets as well as servicing the countrys major projects, he added.



We will continue to work towards further achievements and support the country's economic growth with full commitment to providing fast and efficient services to our valued customers, Al Sulaiti noted.



Also at the event, Neville Bisset, chief executive officer of QTerminals, said: Our mission wasnt an easy one, but thanks to the guidance of the esteemed leadership, our experienced and talented team was able to deliver the highest standards of service quality in port operations through both innovation and partnership, which enabled us to handle more than two million TEU to the end of October 2018.



For many observers 2018 has been a transformative year for the port management and operations industry. Changing economic trends, shifting trade patterns, and worldwide demographic movements are influencing the supply chain, and our company is ensuring that Hamad Port is fully prepared to handle any supply chain changes, he said.



Our objective is to optimize capacity and maintain the highest service levels, thereby driving the expansion and diversification of trading partners for the benefit of Qatars economy and trade, he added.



Hamad Port has significant scope for growth and innovation, and QTerminals, as the operator of Phase 1 of Hamad Port, is in a unique position to enable stronger maritime trade and to stimulate economic growth locally, regionally, and internationally.



As part of its strategic vision, port management company Mwani Qatar is working to achieve a set of goals that are in line with Qatar's Vision 2030. The main objective is to transform Qatar into a vibrant regional hub by making Qatari ports the preferred choice for port users with an emphasis on innovation, ensuring global operating efficiencies and developing high quality customer service. Mwani strives to apply best practices and international standards adopted in major international ports to stimulate trade and support investment and economic diversification. This in turn enhances the position of Hamad Port, and ensures the local markets stability and eliminates the use of intermediate ports.



QTerminals is a terminal operating company jointly established by Mwani Qatar (51 per cent shareholding) and Qatar Navigation (Milaha  49 per cent shareholding) and is responsible for enabling Qatars imports and exports, its maritime trade flows and stimulating economic growth locally and regionally.



QTerminals provides container, general cargo, roll-on-roll-off (RoRo), livestock and offshore supply services in Phase 1 of Hamad Port, Qatars gateway to world trade.



QTerminals was established to provide consistent, quality services to its clients and enable smoother trade flows internationally. With a focus on employing and retaining the brightest talents, QTerminals aims to be, within three years, the best terminal operator in the region in terms of overall quality of service and client satisfaction.



Its long-term vision is to be recognized internationally as the most reliable terminal operator and an enabler for the economic growth of Qatar, it stated.  TradeArabia News ServiceIn 2007, Binny Bansal co-founded Flipkart with his IIT-Delhi batchmate Sachin Bansal. Prior to this, Binny worked for an IT firm Sarnoff, and later, joined Amazon  where Sachin was also an employee.

Indias biggest e-commerce company Flipkart's co-founder Binny Bansal stepped down on Tuesday as the chief executive officer of the company. Announcing the development, the firm's owner Walmart Inc said in a statement that Binny took the decision following an independent probe into allegations of "serious personal misconduct".

Though the probe could not established any conclusive evidence against the 37-year-old, Walmart said the events surrounding the allegations had "risked becoming a distraction", prompting Binny to resign.

Who is Binny Bansal?

Binny was raised by a banker father and a mother who served as a public servant.

In 2007, he co-founded Flipkart with his IIT-Delhi batchmate Sachin Bansal. Prior to this, Binny worked for an IT firm Sarnoff, and later, joined Amazon  where Sachin was also an employee.

The Chandigarh duo envisaged making shopping easier. Sachin began operations of Flipkart in August 2007 and was joined by Binny about a month later.

With Rs 4 lakh as funds, Flipkart was launched as a platform to buy books online. The duo enabled the 'cash-on-delivery' facility to win the confidence of Indian consumers in online shopping.

In January 2016, Binny was appointed as the group CEO, in place of Sachin, who became the executive chairman of the company.

The two entrepreneurs were jointly named "Asian of the Year 2016" by Singapore-based newspaper The Straits Times.

In May 2018, Walmart bought a 77 percent equity stake in Flipkart for a whopping $16 billion. Sachin left the company soon after the deal was sealed, and sold his entire 5.5 percent stake to Walmart as part of the deal.

Binny had then expressed that Walmart is the ideal partner for the next phase of Flipkart journey.

Binny to remain shareholder

Despite his exit, Binny said he will continue to remain a large shareholder and board member of the firm.

In an email to employees, Binny said that he had been mulling over the right time to step away from an operating role at Flipkart "for some time".

"My plan was to continue in my current role for a few more quarters to continue the transition after closing the deal with Walmart. However, my decision to step down has been accelerated by certain personal events that have taken place in the recent past," he wrote.

Binny added that these events relate to a claim of serious personal misconduct made against him, "which was uncorroborated after a thorough investigation completed by an independent law firm".

"The allegations left me stunned and I strongly deny them. The investigation, however, did bring to light lapses in judgment, particularly a lack of transparency, related to how I responded to the situation," he said.

Binny said these have been "challenging times" for him and his family, and in light of these circumstances, he felt it was best to step away as chairman and group CEO.

With inputs from agenciesArmy Chief General Bipin Rawat Monday sought to counsel Kashmiri youths having the propensity to veer off to radical paths to see through the designs of terror outfits, which use them up as 'cannon fodder' even before training them to fight.

Pathankot: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat Monday sought to counsel Kashmiri youths having the propensity to veer off to radical paths to see through the designs of terror outfits, which use them up as "cannon fodder" even before training them to fight.

Terming those hindering the security forces' anti-terror operations as "supporters of terrorists", and warning them of "stern actions", the Chief of Army Staff said the security forces are also acting against those involved in terror funding and aiding and abetting terrorism.

Talking of situation on borders, General Rawat said the infiltration was under control and the ceasefire violations by Pakistan army are being replied to befittingly. Terming the situation along the border and hinterland as "totally under control", the Army chief, however, noted that attempts are being made to revive terrorism in Jammu region.

Holding "misinformation and disinformation" campaigns responsible for the radicalisation of the youths in the Valley, the COAS called upon them to understand the terror outfits' designs. "The radicalisation is happening more because of the misinformation and disinformation campaigns. Youths are being fed up with wrong and incorrect information," General Rawat said in a reply to a question by PTI on the sidelines of a function to facilitate disabled soldiers here. "The youths are being recruited by militant outfits through disinformation. And then, they don't even have any training and get eliminated in a few days," he added.

Counselling the misguided youths to see through the designs of the militant outfits, the CAOS said, "If they (radicalised youth and militants) understand properly that they are being used as a cannon fodder, they will better shun violence and join mainstream." "And then there will be peace in valley. There will be jobs. Everything that we are looking for, will come that way," General Rawat added.

Urging media to discard misinformation campaigns, he said the media has a major role to play in it and they need to come out with factual information. "Let people know the truth. Every time, when an action takes place, they are looking for media support and if you (media) give them that support and mileage, it will embolden them and do more actions," he added.

Talking of those hindering anti-terror operations by security forces, General Rawat warned, "Whoever disrupts the security forces' operations, needs to be dealt with sternly." "Security forces conduct operations to neutralise those who are out to cause violence. But if some people out there prevent the security operations, stop them from eliminating militants and allow them to escape, they are simply the supporters of terrorists," said General Rawat.

He added that the action is being taken also against those, who are aiding and abetting terrorism in the Valley. "Some of them finance militants and some provide them with information. Where ever such information is given, we take action," he added. On infiltration, the Army chief said the security forces' resolve to stop infiltration from across the border was intact.

"We have been successful in stopping infiltration. Most of the terrorists operating are locals," he said, but added that the launch pads across the border are still active and they keep changing. "Their full efforts are focused on staging infiltration of militants into the state. As the winter is approaching, these infiltration attempts would increase. They would try to infiltrate but our troops are alert. They would foil the militants' infiltration bids and force them to return," General Rawat said.

Maintaining that the situation along the border and in the hinterland is "totally under control", General Rawat said the Army is replying befittingly to cease fire violations by the Pakistan army and "nothing that we have seen in the past, is been done now." Talking of bids of infiltration via International Border in Jammu, General Rawat said, "They are trying to stage infiltration via IB in Jammu. We are alert. Recently a security review meeting took place in Jammu. We will take action. We neutralised militants and did not allow them inside where they can cause damage."

Replying to a question on disruption of the ongoing poll process in Chhattishgarh by Naxals, he said that these people are trying to disrupt democratic processes by triggering violence. "But let us wait for the result to come. People will come out in large numbers. We are a proud democracy and believe in governance through democracy," he said. He said, "We want to ensure that the governance is carried through democratic process via grassroots level. "Panchayati institutions and others are being favoured by the government (in Jammu and Kashmir). But these people are forcefully preventing the people to come out and vote. Otherwise, they will vote in large numbers," he added.According to Avni's autopsy report, the dart allegedly fired to tranquilise the trigress appeared to have been planted on her thigh after she was shot dead in Maharashtra.

"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact," said the great Sherlock Holmes.

All the claims of the father-son hunter duo of Shafat Ali Khan and Asghar Ali have been debunked as more and more scientific, medical and forensic evidence expose them in the case of the shooting of tigress Avni in the Borati forest of Maharashtra's Yavatmal district. Both sharp-shooters were evidently aided and abetted by a pliable Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Maharashtra's Chief Wildlife Warden AK Misra, with seemingly abundant pressure from state Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar.

At the outset, let us clear the air about the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court's not-so-specific orders: The top court had decided not to interfere with Misra's 4 September shoot-at-sight order, which was earlier upheld by the Nagpur bench of the high court. The Supreme Court had reiterated that Avni's cubs should be tranquilised, rescued and shifted to a rescue centre, and their mother  officially known as T1  should to be tranquilised and captured. She was to be eliminated only if all attempts to capture her failed.

Here, a redundant clause of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) needs to be addressed, wherein it empowers a single official, the Chief Wildlife Warden, as the sole authority who can declare an animal a threat to humans, declare it a "man-eater", and thereby order its elimination. The colonial hangover is evident in the persistence to enforce this archaic clause absurdly, as it further entrusts this one official with the power to bring absolutely anyone on board to hunt and eliminate supposed "man-eater".

It was under this clause of the Wildlife Protection Act that Misra summoned a private hunter to shoot Avni dead without making any attempts to tranquilise her, or her cubs, with the help of trained and skilled wildlife veterinarians.

After fumbling and muddling through various attempts to tranquilise the tigress and her cubs, the Maharashtra Forest Department did not even try to tranquilise Avni, but shot her in the dead of the night in an evidently "fake encounter". This state-sponsored, legalised hunting has the nation on the boil, as it was not the authorised hunter, Shafat Ali Khan, but his son Asghar Ali, who pulled the trigger.

Khan was not present in the Borati forest in Yavatmal on the night of 2 November when Avni was killed, having left Pandharkhawda to attend a meeting in Bihar. He had claimed that a forest official had fired the dart at the tigress  this is illegal as a forest official is not authorised to carry out this task, and only a registered veterinarian can dart and perform the medical procedure of tranquilising an animal.

The Maharashtra Forest Department has also claimed that the tranquiliser dart had been ineffective, and that Avni had charged at the team, at which point Ali had managed to kill the tigress in one shot in self-defence. The Chief Wildlife Warden, who should not have authorised any such darting or hunting expedition at night, later alleged that Ali had pulled the trigger in panic.

This raises a number of questions: How did Misra authorise someone like Ali, who has no experience with wild tigers, to enter the forest with a firearm? How was the hunting party allowed to go looking for the tigress at night without any forest official of the rank of an Assistant Conservator of Forests or above? How was there no veterinarian with the hunting party?

Furthermore, a plethora of discrepancies have emerged in the versions of the incident, as well as in Avni's autopsy report and the report of the field biologists.

According to the an autopsy report submitted to Misra on Sunday, the dart was evidently planted on Avni's thigh after she was shot dead, not before the shooting. During her postmortem examination, the dart was found in her thigh subcutaneously, without having pierced the fascia (the sheath of skin covering the muscles). The protective sleeve of the needle was missing, there was also no haematoma, a blood clot in the tissue around the dart, which occurs when a dart is fired under pressure from a tranquiliser gun on a live animal.

Also, the "attacking-and-charging tigress" theory falls flat on its face as the entry point of the bullet, according to the autopsy report, was found to be from the left scapula (shoulder blade). It would have been on Avni's head, face, neck, shoulder or underside had she been facing the open vehicle of the hunting team. In fact, the wildlife biologists' report clearly says that the tigress was looking away from the attacker, completely throwing the Maharashtra Forest Department's claim out the window.

Moreover, the trajectory of the bullet that hit her left scapula and her third rib and then perforated her lung and cranial aorta led to massive haemorrhaging and finally, Avni's death. The bullet hit two bones, reducing its velocity, and got lodged in the acromion process of opposite scapula. The lack of an exit wound on her right side as well as lack of charring or tattooing near the entry wound indicated that there was considerable distance between the shooter and the tigress.

Any tourist on a jungle safari knows that if an animal charges at their vehicle, the driver reverses and guns the engine, blows the horn or flashes the headlights to scare it away. So why didn't the trained driver of the Maharashtra Forest Department not do likewise if Avni had, indeed, come charging at their vehicle?

The "panic killing" theory won't hold either, as Misra grossly erred in permitting a greenhorn with zero experience of dealing with a protective tigress mother in her domain at night. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests was also irresponsible as he had endangered human lives by permitting a single team, without adequate backup, to venture into the tigress' territory four nights before a new moon.

The truth is that Asghar Ali wasn't authorised to shoot Avni, and this case violates all wildlife laws in the country. "It's elementary, Watson," would have been Sherlock Holmes' observation, that the killing of tigress Avni appeared to be a planned operation. It's a textbook example from a "manual on total mismanagement of wildlife rescues".

Meanwhile, forest officials have yet to find Avni's two orphaned cubs, and time is running out as the imminent threat of death by starvation hangs over them.

The author was one of the Supreme Court petitioners in the Avni case and is the director of Earth Brigade FoundationUpendra Rai was arrested on 8 June by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at the Tihar Jail here, moments after he secured bail in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case related to alleged extortion and dubious financial transactions.

New Delhi: A Delhi court Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of journalist Upendra Rai, arrested in a money laundering case related to alleged extortion and dubious financial transactions.

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Syal denied the relief to Rai, saying the allegations against him were serious. The court took note of the submissions made by ED's special public prosecutors NK Matta and Nitesh Rana that the accused may influence the witnesses and hamper the probe if released on bail.

The journalist was arrested on 8 June by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at the Tihar Jail here, moments after he secured bail in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case related to alleged extortion and dubious financial transactions.The court denied the relief to Manoj Prasad, saying the allegations against him were serious in nature and noted the CBI submission that the investigation is at a crucial stage.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of middleman Manoj Prasad in a bribery case allegedly involving CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

Justice Najmi Waziri denied the relief to Prasad, saying the allegations against him were serious in nature and noted the CBI submission that the investigation is at a crucial stage.

Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee and Advocate Rajdipa Behura, appearing for the CBI opposed the bail plea on the grounds that investigation was at a crucial stage and Prasad's case was different from that of other accused.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Prasad, said he has been in custody for nearly a month and he has not been interrogated even once by the CBI during this period.

Prasad had approached the Delhi High Court on Monday seeking bail in the case, following dismissal of his similar application by a trial court in New Delhi on 3 November.

The trial court had denied bail to Prasad, saying it was not a fit stage to grant him the relief.

Prasad, who was arrested by the CBI on 17 October, is currently in judicial custody.

Prasad, Asthana and CBI's Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar have also filed separate petitions in the high court seeking quashing of the FIR against them which are listed for hearing on Wednesday.

In his bail plea before the trial court, Prasad had claimed that he was not required for custodial interrogation and no purpose will be served by keeping him in further custody.

The probe agency had opposed his plea, saying the accused was an influential person and if released on bail, he may tamper with the ongoing probe and flee from justice.

Kumar, who was arrested on 23 October was granted bail by the trial court on 31 October.

While hearing Prasad's plea challenging the FIR, the high court had earlier observed that his case was on a different footing from that of Asthana and Kumar.

It had said Prasad was a private person while Asthana and Kumar were public servants and nothing stops the CBI from probing a private individual.

Prasad, a resident of Burj Khalifa in Dubai, has also sought a stay on the investigation by the agency till the disposal of the petition.

The CBI had registered the case against Asthana on the basis of a complaint from Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Sana, facing probe in the 2017 case allegedly involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

Sana alleged that the officer had helped him get a clean chit.

The agency had arrested Prasad in the case, when he returned from Dubai. It was alleged by Sana that Prasad and his brother Somesh had taken Rs 2 crore to arrange a clean chit to him.Handing over the Rafale pricing details to the Supreme Court is a good strategy because it gets the Centre the court's approval and paints Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his campaign in poor light.

The Narendra Modi government's decision to submit in a sealed cover all the pricing details of the Rafale fighter jets to the Supreme Court on Monday is a preemptive move to checkmate the Congress' strategy of making it a poll issue this election season. The Centre had previously argued before the top court that pricing was too sensitive an information to be shared with even the judges, prompting the Supreme Court to retort that it should file an affidavit giving reasons behind the secrecy.

It took the government 13 days to reverse its stand. This reversal was prompted by the realisation that reluctance to share the Rafale pricing details would be making room for the Congress to exploit the subject. By providing the details only to the Supreme Court bench hearing the case, the government is sending a signal that while the information is a matter of national security and utmost secrecy is in national interest, it simultaneously has nothing to hide because all due processes were followed and there is no scam. It has no qualms, therefore, in subjecting its decision to Supreme Court scrutiny.

"The government has nothing to hide. But the price details are too sensitive and secret as anyone getting wind of it could seriously jeopardise the country's security concerns. That is why the price details are being given only to the judges dealing with the PILs on this issue," a report in The Times of India quoted a government source as saying.

Prima facie, therefore, this tactical move appears aimed at blunting the Congress' attack and denying it the chance to weaponise the secrecy around a defence purchase into a political tool. The decision also indicates that it has finally dawned on the government and the BJP that the Rafale deal is not just a matter of national security, but is a political issue and requires a political solution.

In a way, the Centre's change in stand is also a tacit acknowledgement that it had erred in its previous strategy of not treating the Rafale deal as a political issue, hoping that the "controversy" would die down on its own, given that there are no irregularities involved. The BJP and the government may have underestimated the power of political narratives built around the stigma of scams in defence purchases. It was far too slow in getting the wind of the Congress' game and even slower in coming out with a counter.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi's loud campaign on "corruption in Rafale" is built less on facts and more on obfuscations, misleading statements and falsehoods. He has been caught changing the purported price of the Rafale jets several times in the past.

Dassault Aviation  the Frnech manufacturer of the Rafale jet  has repeatedly refuted Rahul's allegations, most recently on Tuesday, when its CEO, Eric Trappier told news agency ANI: "I don't lie. The truth I declared earlier and the statements I made are true. I don't have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO, you don't lie."

Trappier's statement was in response to Rahul previously accusing him of lying.

Even the French government had to rebut the Congress president's claim on the "secrecy clause" in the Rafale contract between India and France. Rahul had told Parliament, ostensibly quoting President of France Emmanuel Macron, that there was no "secrecy clause" involved in the deal.

Analysts, too, have punched large holes into his arguments.

Dear @RahulGandhi do you realise that this report also punctures your own figures of Cong having negotiating the Rafale for 520 Cr each. 155mn in 2014 translates to 1200 Cr each https://t.co/Az45Ws5kmJ  Yusuf Unjhawala  (@YusufDFI) November 10, 2018

Rahul's brazenness on the Rafale deal stems from the fact that he had all along been treating it as a political issue. The liberty he has shown on facts comes from a strategy built around the stigma in India attached with defence deals. Here, the Congress president has been served well by the deals inked by his own party while in power  several of which, starting from Bofors, have been mired in controversies. Public memory of scams runs so deep that it is easier for Rahul  or so the Congress may have calculated  to convince the public that there is a "scam" in Rafale, than it is for the BJP to persuade the public that there isn't.

The Congress' Rafale strategy is also an effort to carpet-bomb allegations hoping that some of it sticks. At the very least, it would persuade the media to prefix each mention of the Rafale deal with "controversial", from which "scam" is a short distance away. The Congress doesn't really need the BJP or Modi government to get involved in a scam. All it needs is for the public to believe so.

The allegations also rely on Rahul's status as the beneficiary of 'low expectations'. Since nobody expects Rahul to strictly adhere to facts, he can get away by saying almost anything. Through his allegations alone, and not a shred of facts, he might have actually succeeded in building a narrative around the Rafale deal.

For a while, the government tried to rebut Rahul with facts and figures. Before long, it realised that there is no point as it was losing the perception war. The move to hand over the price details to the Supreme Court is a good strategy because it gets the government the top court's seal of approval and paints the Congress president and his campaign in even poorer light.

Whether this will discourage Rahul from ploughing on is an entirely different question.Chhath Puja, the festival dedicated to the Sun God and his wife Goddess Usha, is celebrated on the sixth day Kartik month of Hindu calendar. This year, Chhath Puja will be celebrated from the evening of 13 November till the morning of 14 November.

The Mumbai unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party requested the Maharashtra government on Saturday to make arrangements so that Chhath Puja, a festival celebrated by people of Bihar and parts of Uttar Pradesh, can be conducted smoothly.

A delegation led by Mumbai BJP general secretary Amarjeet Mishra met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday and apprised him about the demands and requirements of devotees for the festival, to be celebrated on Tuesday and Wednesday.

After the meeting, Mishra said Fadnavis directed the officials concerned to facilitate the smooth conduct of the celebration. Chhath Utsav Mahasangh leader Mohan Mishra said they requested the chief minister to facilitate arrangements for tents, drinking water, mobile toilets, lifeguards and medical camp at the festival venues in the city.

A large number of people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have settled in Mumbai and they celebrate the two-day Hindu festival by observing fast and making offerings to the sun God near a pond or sea.

What is Chhath Puja?

Chhath Puja, the festival dedicated to the Sun God and his wife Goddess Usha, is celebrated on the sixth day of the Kartik month of the Hindu calendar. This year, Chhath Puja will be celebrated from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning.

Every year, the festival commences with paying oblation to the setting sun and concludes with paying obeisance to the rising sun. It is believed that the celebration of Chhath Puja may predate to the ancient Vedas, as the rituals performed during the puja are similar to the ones mentioned in Rig Veda, in which the Sun God is worshipped.

It is an important Hindu festival that is mainly celebrated in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and certain regions of Nepal. During this period, devotees perform a puja to thank the divine couple for blessing the earth with their light and for supporting life on earth.

People celebrate the festival by following a rigorous routine that lasts for four days, including fasting for 36 hours. It also requires abstention from drinking water. Devotees take a holy bath in a water body and offer prayers to the rising and setting sun.

Politics over Chhath Puja in Maharashtra

For years, Chhath Puja has been the source of a political flashpoint in Maharashtra. Every year, thousands of people gather at the various beaches in Mumbai to celebrate Chhath Puja, which usually comes six days after Diwali. Reports suggest that since 2008, no major incident was reported during Chhath.

However, since the 2008 anti-Bihari clashes, when emotions against migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar ran high in Maharashtra, every year around Chhath Puja, officials are usually on alert. In the past, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and several leaders of the Congress and BJP have scored brownie points while attempting to keep their respective vote banks happy. However, in the last couple of years, politicians have been quite civil about the festival.

In 2015, the Bombay High Court had told authorities to ensure that the Chhath Puja does not become a rock concert. The court's order was in response to a petition filed by former MP Sanjay Nirupam then demanding cancellation of two conditions imposed by authorities while granting permission for Chhath. The two conditions were  no celebrity should be invited on the stage to perform, while the other was that there should be no barricades erected to create a dry zone on the beach.

In 2016, when Hindu nationalist parties like the BJP were attempting to wash away the communal polity of other Hindu outfits like the Shiv Sena and the MNS, and trying to atrract the North Indian migrant vote bank, a Shiv Sena functionary had told The Times of India that the party can't think of simply winning elections based on the Marathi voters. "We can't think of winning the BMC elections on the strength of Marathi voters alone for two reasons. The Marathi voters percentage in Mumbai is fast dwindling and the Marathi population gets fragmented between the Sena, the Congress, NCP, MNS and the BJP."

However, in the years leading up to this, the anti-Bihari sentiments were not as mellow. In an interview in 2008, Raj Thackeray ridiculed north Indians settled in Maharashtra and derided Chhath puja as drama. Raj had said, "It is the cultural hegemony which some north Indians want to impose on Maharashtrians that I oppose." Asked to comment on migrants' contribution towards developing Mumbai, Thackeray said, "Mumbai's development is more due to Parsis, Gujaratis, Marwaris and to some extent Punjabis."

"But look at the people who come from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar: They enter the city with nothing and then after gaining a foothold they never mix with the local people. In fact, after some time, they start organising Chhath Puja and Uttar Pradesh Day and I object to this cultural hegemony."

The comments made by the MNS chief was not taken well by leaders from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Soon after the comment, RJD chief and then chief minister of Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav said that he would come and perform Chhath in front of the MNS chief's home. "Let Lalu come and does Chhath Puja outside my house. He will not go back," Raj had responded.

MNS had also launched a scathing attack on actor Amitabh Bachchan, whom the party supremo had accused of being more loyal to his home state of Uttar Pradesh than Maharashtra. "What did I say wrong about Amitabh Bachchan? He fought the first election in Uttar Pradesh. Didn't he act only in Bhojpuri outside? He became the brand ambassador of that state. All the goons from Uttar Pradesh are in Mumbai. The first school in Aishwarya's name is in Uttar Pradesh. What wrong did I say?" he asked. "I only said that if Amitabh can have love for his state, why cant I?" he continued.

With inputs from agenciesThe state government has put its machinery on alert and kept on standby around 30,500 rescue personnel. Also, teams of the National and State Disaster Response Forces are ready for deployment.

Meteorological officials have warned of cyclonic storm Gaja crossing the Tamil Nadu coast between Cuddalore and Pamban on 15 November and in turn, bringing heavy rainfall coupled with gale force winds. The state government has put its machinery on alert and kept on standby around 30,500 rescue personnel. Also, teams of the National and State Disaster Response Forces are ready for deployment.

Warning for fishermen

As the cyclone will cause winds of 35 kmph to 50 kmph, the India Meteorological Department has advised fishermen not to venture into the Andaman Sea for the next 12 hours. The IMD has also advised fishermen in the deep sea to return to the coast by Tuesday. The warning also said fisherman should not venture out to central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal from 11 to 13 November and over southwest and adjoining the west-central Bay of Bengal from 12 November onwards, The Times of India reported.

High alert in Puducherry

Meanwhile, the neighbouring union territory of Puducherry, which is also covered by the cyclone alert, said it is on high alert as well and the that the govt is taking precautionary steps to meet the situation. The Puducherry government has set up a control room (toll-free 1070 or 1077) (0413 2253407 ) to enable the people to seek assistance in case of eventualities. People seeking assistance can reach the police department (100), fire and rescue services personnel (101), emergency services (108), electricity department (1912), transport department (1073) and coast guard (1554), the report says.

IMD advisory

The IMD, however, has said that the system was likely to weaken gradually and cross Tamil Nadu coast between Cuddalore and Pamban as a cyclonic storm on 15 November forenoon. It forecast rainfall at most places in Tamil Nadu on 14 November and extremely heavy (over 20 cm) in isolated places in northern parts of the state the next day. In its advisory, the IMD mentions that a storm surge of the height of about 1.0 meter is very likely to inundate low lying areas of Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal district of Puducherry at the time of landfall. There is also a warning for major damage to thatched huts and houses. "Rooftops may blow off... damage to power and communication lines," it said adding standing crops could also be hit and cautioned seawater intrusion in low lying areas.

Citing the IMD forecast of heavy rains, the Central Water Commission issued an advisory to Tamil Nadu and Kerala authorities to maintain strict vigil at various dams which come under the "cyclone field" and are already 80 to 91 percent full.

Emergency helpline numbers

Appropriate arrangements have been made by authorities in the various risk-prone districts like Cuddalore, Villupuram and Ramanathapuram. For Cuddalore, 1077 is the emergency number whereas 04146-223265 and 04567-23065 emergency numbers are designated for citizens of Villupuram and Ramanathapuram respectively. Two teams have been deployed to man the phones round the clock during the cyclone, The News Minute reported.

Meanwhile, listing out measures taken to face the cyclone, Revenue Administration Commissioner K Satyagopal told reporters in Tirunelveli that medical teams were on standby in all districts.

With inputs from PTI'Cyclone Gaja is expected to move in south-southwest direction and cross between Pamban and Cuddalore by the afternoon of 15 November,' says Chennai's Met department director.

Delhi: Head of national weather forecasting centre at Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) K Sathi Devi on Tuesday said that there is a possibility of Gaja becoming a marginally severe cyclonic storm.

"At present, Gaja Cyclone is maintaining the intensity of a cyclonic storm. However, there is a slight possibility of it becoming a marginal severe cyclonic storm. We are expecting it to happen within the next 24 hours".

She also added that extremely heavy rainfall is expected in coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, "From tomorrow evening, there may be an increase in isolated heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu and south coastal Andhra Pradesh. On 15 November, extremely heavy rainfall is expected in coastal districts of Tamil Nadu".

Chennai's meteorological department Director S Balachandran warned fishermen not to venture into the sea till 15 November.

Balachandran said, "Cyclone Gaja is lying about 790 kilometres northeast of Nagapattinam. It is expected to move in south-southwest direction and cross between Pamban and Cuddalore by the afternoon of 15 November. As the system crosses from some districts, wind speed of 80 to 90 km/hr is expected to blow over this region. In few places, heavy to very heavy rainfall is also expected. The fishermen are advised not to enter sea till 15 November".

"Heavy rainfall is expected to hit north coastal Tamil Nadu from the evening of 14 November and is likely to continue till 16 November. South Tamil Nadu will also experience heavy rainfall on 15 November, and isolated areas to experience rainfall on 16 November. Heavy rainfall is also expected in the south coastal region of Andhra Pradesh during the course of three days, from 14 November evening to 16 November. Kerala will also receive rainfall on 15-16 November," the Indian Meteorological Department has said.

In the wake of the cyclonic situation, a red alert has been issued for the administration in parts of Tamil Nadu to keep the government authorities ready to mobilise resources to meet any eventuality.Dassault Aviation  the manufacturer of the Rafale jet  has, for the third time in three months, issued a clarification about the deal to sell 36 of its combat aircraft to India.

Dassault Aviation  the manufacturer of the Rafale jet  has, for the fourth time in three months, issued a clarification about the deal to sell 36 of its combat aircraft to India.

On Tuesday, Dassault CEO Eric Trappier reiterated his firm's stand that it wasn't forced or coerced to take on Reliance Defence as a partner in the joint venture signed last year. "We chose (Anil) Ambani by ourselves. We already have 30 partners other than Reliance Defence. The Indian Air Force is supporting the deal because they need the fighter jets for their own defence to be at the top."

Here's a look back at all the times Dassault issued clarifications about the deal and in one instance, even overruled the word of former president Francoise Hollande.

22 September: The Rafale deal controversy, which was already on the Opposition's radar owing to an apparent price difference in the freshly-negotiated deal, took a fresh turn on this day when Hollande claimed that France was given no choice on the Indian partner for manufacturer Dassault. "We did not have a choice, we took the interlocutor who was given to us," added Hollande, who was president of France from 2012 to 2017 (including at the time when the new deal was signed by the NDA government).

He insisted that France "did not choose Reliance in any way". When asked whether India had put pressure on Reliance and Dassault to work together, Hollande said he was unaware and "only Dassault can comment on this". It was Hollande's statement that gave Congress the ammunition to attack the Narendra Modi-led government of favouring Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group and alleged exchange of kick-backs.

French firm Dassault had spent years negotiating a deal for 126 fighter jets to be manufactured in India with HAL, but talks had stalled. On taking office, the Modi government cancelled the negotiations and decided to directly purchase 36 jets made in France.

Meanwhile, as the Indian government scurried for damage control with a standard we-had-no-role-we-are-probing-it response, a clarification was issued surprisingly by the French company itself. In a rare move, Dassault came out with a hurried response on the same day and claimed that it was free to choose its offset partners.

"In accordance with the policy of Make in India, Dassault Aviation has decided to make a partnership with Indias Reliance Group. This is Dassault Aviations choice..." the company said in its statement.

At the time, the company only cited the already available land, near an airprot, with Reliance, as the reason behind Dassault's choice of Reliance as an offset partner which had no experience in manufacturing fighter jets

"This partnership has led to the creation of the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) joint-venture in February 2017. Dassault Aviation and Reliance have built a plant in Nagpur for manufacturing parts for Falcon and Rafale aircraft. The Nagpur site was chosen because of the availability of land with direct access to an airport runway, an essential condition of aeronautic activities."

10 October: Merely days after the initial controversy broke out, the Congress party lapped up the prized opportunity it got to make Rafale Modi's Bofors. The Rafale deal was now 'Rafale Scam' in Opposition lingo. However, the government faced another set back when a French media company revealed as part of its investigative report that Dassault accepted to work with Reliance as "imperative and obligatory" condition for securing the fighter contract. French investigative media portal Mediapart claimed to have obtained a Dassault document which proved its claims.

As the issue gained traction in Indian media, Dassault again came out with another clarification. In the statement titled 'Rafale contract for India: clarifications by Dassault Aviation', the company said that, it has committed to offsets in India worth 50 percent of the value of the purchase of 36 Rafale jets "within the framework of the September 2016 Inter-Government Agreement between France and India" and in "compliance with the Indian regulations". Dassault re-iterated its stance that it was free to choose Relaince as an offset partner and highlighted that the company was only one of about 100 such firms with which it is currently negotiating terms of business.

"Dassault Aviation has freely chosen to make a partnership with Indias Reliance Group. This joint-venture, Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL), was created 10 February 2017. Other partnerships have been signed with other companies such as BTSL, DEFSYS, Kinetic, Mahindra, Maini, SAMTEL, Other negotiations are ongoing with a hundred-odd other potential partners," the statement read.

25 October: In an exclusive interview to CNBC-TV18, Trappier once again reiterated 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.

13 November: Tuesday's rather detailed clarification by Dassault group CEO Trappier himself is apparently tethered to Congress president Rahul Gandhi's dramatic claims that the French company 'lied' to 'protect' Modi. Rahul, on 2 November, claimed that Dassault invested Rs 284 crore in Anil Ambani's company and the latter bought land with the same money. "Why did they invest Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company?" asked Rahul.

The Dassault CEO made a come back by saying he was 'rather sad' at Rahul's comments. He cited the company's long history of dealings with successive Indian governments, including those headed by Jawaharlal Nehru and Manmohan Singh.

However, this time around Trappier's response was much more detailed as he went on to say that the fact that even though Anil Ambani's company was relatively new, he was still part of the 'large family'.

Trappier even went on to say that Reliance Defence's lack of experience was something he was looking for and purposely wanted. "I wanted to start from scratch," he said while adding that he consciously chose the Anil Ambani-led company for that reason.

When pressed further specifically on Rahul's charge about the Rs 284 crore, Trappier clarified that the money being invested was not going to Reliance directly but in a Joint Venture (JV) that included Dassault.

"We are not putting the money in Reliance. The money is going into the JV. I put my know-how free of charge on how to produce people. I have engineers and workers from Dassault who are taking the lead as far as the industrial part of this deal is concerned. At the same time, I have an Indian company like who is putting money into this JV as they want to develop their country. So the company is going to know how to produce aircraft," added Trappier.

With inputs from ANIOtokar, a leading supplier of the Turkish Military and Security Forces for wheeled tactical vehicles, said it will promote its armoured military vehicles as well as turret systems at the Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) tomorrow (November 14) in Bahrain.



The three-day event will run until November 16.



Highlighting Otokars success in export markets, general manager Serdar Gorguc, said: Our company continues to strengthen its position in the international defence industry with its extensive capabilities and wide product range.



Apart from being the leading supplier of the Turkish Military and Security Forces for wheeled tactical vehicles, our vehicles serve almost 55 different end users in 32 countries, he said.



Today over 30,000 of our military vehicles are in service around the world with an outstanding performance. Among those countries, Bahrain is particularly important for us where many different vehicle types of wide wheeled military range are already serving successfully to the requirements of Bahrain in different forces since 2002. We therefore are honoured to be in BIAS again, he added.



Gorguc continued: We have been serving in GCC countries in an extensive manner since early 2000s. Due to our broad activities in the United Arab Emirates, our establishment of Otokar Land Systems in the country two years ago helps us a lot in our relations with all countries in the region.



Through this company we became much closer to our customers and even more strengthen our existing relations. Through our recent activities, we are no longer playing only a simple vehicle manufacturer and supplier role in GCC but also enjoys its local MRO activities and even transferring its engineering and manufacturing capabilities, he concluded.  TradeArabia News ServiceAs many as 60 former bureaucrats have written to the Comptroller Auditor General of India urging the public funds' watchdog to make its report on Rafale deal and demonetisation public.

As many as 60 former bureaucrats have written to the Comptroller Auditor General of India urging the public funds' watchdog to make its report on Rafale deal and demonetisation public.

In an open letter, which was also copied to the President of India, the retired officers expressed their concern on the delay by CAG in dispensing its constitutional duties. The bureaucrats claimed that the CAG had been accused of "nit-picking and focusing on trivial issues on the one hand, and for audit over-reach on the other", but never for having the need to be reminded of its constitutional duties, or of working under any pressure from the government of the day.

The letter released to the media by former director general, YASHADA, Government of Maharashtra, Ramani Venkatesan, also highlighted unconscionable and unwarranted delay in bringing out the audit reports on Demonetisation (November 2016) and the Rafale deal (April 2015).

Here is the full text of the letter.

We are a group of former civil servants of the All India and Central Services, who have worked for decades with the Central and State Governments during our careers. We wish to make it clear that, as a group, we have no affiliation with any political party but believe in impartiality, neutrality and commitment to the Constitution of India. We are committed to protecting, preserving and promoting the independence and integrity of the various Constitutional and statutory institutions in India.

During the debates in the Constituent Assembly, Dr BR Ambedkar had described the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) as the most important functionary in the Constitution, more important than even the Judiciary. Rightly so, because the CAG functions as a watchdog of the public purse, and it is his duty to ensure that every financial transaction is as per rule, sanction, provision and propriety, and guided by the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Articles 148  151 of the Constitution of India read with the CAGs (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971, ensure his complete independence from the Executive.

We wish to bring to the CAGs notice our concern about what seems to be unconscionable and unwarranted delay in bringing out the audit reports on Demonetisation (November 2016) and the Rafale deal (April 2015). A news item in The Hindu dated March 3, 2017, titled CAG to undertake audit of demonetisation fallout quoted the previous CAG as saying that the CAG was well within its rights to seek audit of the fiscal impact of demonetisation, especially its impact on tax revenues. He had pointed out that the audit would also cover the expenditure on printing of notes, RBIs dividend to the Consolidated Fund of India, the huge amount of data generated by banks, and the effectiveness of the follow-up action taken by the Income Tax Department in identifying potential tax evaders and pursuing action against them, and so on. It is more than 20 months since the previous CAG made the above statement but there is no sight of the promised audit report on Demonetisation.

Equally conspicuous is the delay in presenting the CAGs audit report on the Rafale deal, even though 42 months have elapsed since the deal was announced in April 2015. A news item in The Times of India dated July 24, 2018 titled Rs.59000 crore Rafale deal: CAGs audit report misses deadline stated that the report was still in the draft stage and may be finalised not before the Winter session in December. Another news item in The Indian Express dated September 19, 2018 titled Rafale deal: Congress delegation meets CAG, demands report on irregularities stated that the CAG had assured the delegation that he was already examining all aspects of the deal. But another news item published in Business Today dated 23.9.2018 titled No question of scrapping Rafale deal, will wait for CAG report, says Arun Jaitley quoted the Finance Minister as saying that it was for the CAG to examine whether the planes were bought at a higher price or not and that all these facts and figures will be placed before CAG for consideration. It would appear from his statement that as late as September 2018, the related files were yet to be scrutinised by the CAG. The precise stage of the audit is therefore unclear.

The CAGs audit reports on the 2G scam, Coal scam, Adarsh scam, Commonwealth Games scam, etc., which influenced public perception of the then governments actions, had invited appreciation from various quarters. But an impression is gaining ground that the CAG is deliberately delaying its audit reports on Demonetisation and the Rafale deal till after the May 2019 elections so as not to embarrass the present government. The CAGs failure to present the audit reports on Demonetisation and the Rafale deal in time may be seen as a partisan action and may create a crisis of credibility for this important institution. Due to the cacophony of claims and counterclaims, accusations and mudslinging in the media and elsewhere, the citizens do not know what the reality is. We believe that citizens have a right to insist upon the timely submission of audit reports by the CAG so that they can make an informed choice while voting.

In the past, the CAG has been criticised for nit-picking and focusing on trivial issues on the one hand, and for audit over-reach on the other. But there was never any occasion to accuse the CAG of being influenced by the Government of India or having to remind it about the timely performance of its Constitutional duties. While we are confident that the CAG will continue the tradition set by the past incumbents of this office, we urge it to complete the audit of both Demonetisation and the Rafale deal and submit the audit reports without any further delay so that they can be tabled by the Government of India in the Winter session of Parliament in December 2018.

(A copy of this letter is also being sent to the President of India)

Signatories

1. S.P. Ambrose, IAS (Retd.), Former Additional Secretary, Ministry of Shipping & Transport, GoI

2. N. Bala Baskar, IAS (Retd.), Former Principal Adviser (Finance), Ministry of External Affairs, GoI

3. G. Balachandhran, IAS (Retd.), Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal

4. Gopalan Balagopal, IAS (Retd.), Former Special Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal

5. C. Balakrishnan, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Coal, GoI

6. Meeran C Borwankar, IPS (Retd.), Former DGP, Bureau of Police Research and Development, GoI

7. Sundar Burra, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra

8. Kalyani Chaudhuri, IAS (Retd.), Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal

9. Surjit K. Das, IAS (Retd.), Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Uttarakhand

10. Vibha Puri Das, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GoI

11. Nareshwar Dayal, IFS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs and former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

12. Pradeep K. Deb, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Department of Sports, GoI

13. Keshav Desiraju, IAS (Retd.), Former Health Secretary, GoI

14. M.G. Devasahayam, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Govt. of Haryana

15. Sushil Dubey, IFS (Retd.), Former Ambassador to Sweden

16. K.P. Fabian, IFS (Retd.), Former Ambassador to Italy

17. Arif Ghauri, former Commissioner of Income Tax, GoI

18. Tuktuk Ghosh, IAS (Retd.), Former Special Secretary and Financial Adviser, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping & Tourism, GoI

19. Meena Gupta, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests, GoI

20. Ravi Vira Gupta, IAS (Retd.), Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India

21. Deepa Hari, IRS (Resigned)

22. Sajjad Hassan, IAS (Retd.), Former Commissioner (Planning), Govt. of Manipur

23. Dr. M.A. Ibrahimi, IAS (Retd.), Former Chief Secretary (rank), Govt. of Bihar

24. Kamal Jaswal, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI

25. Jagdish Joshi, IAS (Retd.), Former Additional Chief Secretary (Planning), Govt. of Maharashtra

26. K. John Koshy, IAS (Retd.), Former State Chief Information Commissioner, West Bengal

27. Brijesh Kumar, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI

28. P.M.S. Malik, IFS (Retd.), Former Ambassador to Myanmar & Special Secretary, MEA, GoI

29. Harsh Mander, IAS (Retd.), Govt. of Madhya Pradesh

30. Aditi Mehta, IAS (Retd.), Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan

31. Sonalini Mirchandani, IFS (Resigned)

32. Noor Mohammad, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority, GoI

33. Deb Mukharji, IFS (Retd.), Former High Commissioner to Bangladesh and former Ambassador to Nepal

34. Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, IFS (Retd.), Former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

35. Nagalswamy, IA&AS (Retd.), Former Principal Accountant General, Tamil Nadu & Kerala, GoI

36. Sobha Nambisan, IAS (Retd.), Former Principal Secretary (Planning), Govt. of Karnataka

37. Surendra Nath, IAS (Retd.), Former Member, Finance Commission, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh

38. Amitabha Pande, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Inter-State Council, GoI

39. T.R. Raghunandan, IAS (Retd.), Former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, GoI

40. N.K. Raghupathy, IAS (Retd.), Former Chairman, Staff Selection Commission, GoI

41. J.P. Rai, IAS (Retd.), Former Director General, National Skills Development Agency, GoI

42. V.P. Raja, IAS (Retd.), Former Chairman, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission

43. C. Babu Rajeev, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, GoI

44. M.Y. Rao, IAS (Retd.)

45. Prasadranjan Ray, IAS (Retd.), Former Chairperson, West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission

46. J.F. Ribeiro, IPS (Retd.), Former Adviser to Governor of Punjab & former Ambassador to Romania

47. Aruna Roy, IAS (Resigned)

48. Manabendra N. Roy, IAS (Retd.), Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal

49. Deepak Sanan, IAS (Retd.), Former Principal Adviser (AR) to Chief Minister, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh

50. N.C. Saxena, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Planning Commission, GoI

51. Ardhendu Sen, IAS (Retd.), Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal

52. Abhijit Sengupta, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI

53. Aftab Seth, IFS (Retd.), Former Ambassador to Japan

54. Ashok Kumar Sharma, IFS (Retd.), Former Ambassador to Finland and Estonia

55. Raju Sharma, IAS (Retd.), Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh

56. K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty, IAS (Retd.), Former Vice Chancellor, Indian Maritime University, GoI

57. Jawhar Sircar, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI, & former CEO, Prasar Bharati

58. P.S.S. Thomas, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission

59. Hindal Tyabji, IAS (Retd.), Former Chief Secretary rank, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir

60. Ramani Venkatesan, IAS (Retd.), Former Director General, YASHADA, Govt. of MaharashtraThe Madras High Court Friday held that insurance companies cannot be made liable to pay compensation to accident victims who travel in goods carriers.

The Madras High Court Friday held that insurance companies cannot be made liable to pay compensation to accident victims who travel in goods carriers. Justices KK Sasidharan and R Subramanian said that in the light of the categorical pronouncements of the Supreme Court in various accidents, Motor Accidents Claims Tribunals are not right in directing insurance companies to pay the compensation and recover the same from the vehicle owner.

The bench gave the ruling while passing orders on a batch of appeals from Bharati AXA General Insurance Company Limited in Bengaluru, challenging a 23 September, 2014 order of the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal in Dharmapuri, on 24 October.

On 1 September 2011, a 16-member marriage party from Kottapatty village had engaged a goods carrier to go to Soolakurichi to attend the event. On the way back, the van turned turtle, killing some people and injuring others.

They moved the tribunal, which in September 2014 awarded various amounts. The tribunal directed the insurance firm to pay the amount and recover it later from the vehicle owner. Aggrieved, the insurance company moved the court.

The court said it was no doubt true that in many cases, the claimants may not be able to realise the award amount from the owners of the vehicles involved in the accident. "But the said factual situation alone cannot impel us to do something against the provisions of the statute and the decisions of the larger benches of the Supreme Court," the bench added.Mainstream feminism in India aka upper-caste or savarna feminism, as it exists today, is problematic.

Lets put things clearly on the table, shall we? Mainstream feminism in India aka upper-caste or savarna feminism, as it exists today, is problematic. It has been so for a long time  in many ways, to a lot of us, in theory, and in practice. Those of us who come from marginalised contexts, such as Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi, are no longer buying it.

We need to talk.

1. Savarna Indian feminists display selective outrage for sexual crimes: The data is hard to miss; sexual crimes against Dalit women have been increasing, with close to no respite in sight. Several human rights organisations have published reports of varying depths over the past decade, a few opting to give gruesome details of individual cases. And yet, we have not had a single protest matching the scale of what we witnessed for Nirbhaya. Between 2012 and 2013 only, there were at least 101 reported cases of sexual violence against Dalit women but none of these heinous crimes evoked any form of media or public response.

The most recent phase of the #MeToo movement also illustrates how selective mainstream feminist outrage is towards violence against Dalit women, regardless of the crimes magnitude or scale. The silence surrounding the beheading of Rajalakshmi, a 13-year old Dalit girl in Thalaivaipatti, Tamilnadu, is a case in point.

Is it possible that at the core of this apathy lies the savarna unwillingness to relate to a Dalit womans humanity? That the empathy gap, characterised by caste, class, religion, and everything else, is just too wide to cross, even to register protest?

2. Savarna women are oppressors and accomplices in the oppression of Dalit women: The statement from #Dalitwomenfight during this phase of #MeToo stated that for Dalit women, preparators are not just savarna and Dalit men, but also savarna women. This fact cannot be erased in the name of feminist solidarity. Most of us Dalit women, in rural and urban contexts, have been oppressed by savarna women in many ways, both personally and professionally. Weve faced microaggressions that are aplenty when engaging with savarna women. Weve also been killed, sabotaged, harassed, and ill-treated by them. How and why will Dalit women stand in solidarity with their oppressors? What steps are our oppressors taking to convince us otherwise?

3. Most feminist movements and discourses in India are led only by savarna women: Angela Davis, in this awe-inspiring talk, asks, what it would be like to have the most marginalised of women stand in as signs for the category of women. In the Indian context, this would essentially translate to Dalit, Bahujan and Adivasi women that have historically been deprived of even the most basic of human rights. On account of our social location determined by caste, class, and gender, we have the lived experience of what it means to be oppressed.

Yet, the women that lead feminist organisations and popular discourses on gender are typically those that come with caste and class privilege. This also extends to the type of causes that they choose to champion or focus on. Any status quo change is only intended to include rather than have DBA women as leaders.

Corporate discourses on gender are also examples of how DBA women are excluded. The thought around power-dressing, breaking the glass ceiling, leadership styles and work-life balance have all been authored by privileged women in the west, and it is the case in India as well.

4. Savarna women practice feminism by riding on the backs of marginalised women: Ruth B Ginsburg, the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, in her career advice video, talks about her decision to continue pursuing law even after having a daughter. Although this talk is about work-life balance, a popular feminist subject, one must pay attention to her nonchalant mention of engaging a nanny  a practice that is not foreign to working Indian women. In fact, the latter also engages house helps (commonly known as maids) to help with tasks such as laundry, toilet-cleaning, dishwashing, mopping, sweeping, grocery shopping, etc. And in so doing, privileged women keep their work-life balance intact, and climbing career ladders become slightly easier.

But who are the women that get employed as nannies and house helps, if not DBA women? What about their careers? What about their work-life balance? What does work, labour, and growth mean to them? Do they have a provident fund process in place, or an HR department thatd look after them, or a leave schedule?

5. Hindu feminists are not willing to interrogate their religions oppressive ideologies: Hinduism is the bedrock of the caste system. Feminists that call themselves intersectional, must be willing to interrogate Hinduisms oppressive ideologies towards Dalits. This includes questioning festivals, rituals, and beliefs that are steeped in Hinduism.

The thought around how the Hindu religion is inherently feminist or liberal is extremely problematic, in that it completely ignores the fact that Dalits arent even considered human by the same religion. How can an ideology that ascribes value to women based on their caste contexts be feminist? How can upper caste Hindu feminists continue to believe in a religion that ostracises their fellow Dalit women, in both theory and practice? How is solidarity possible for Dalit women with such feminists?

6. Marginalised women are treated as study subjects in the name of collaboration: Dalit women frequently encounter savarna feminists that seek information on the Dalit experience. What does it mean to be a Dalit woman? How are the men in your life being oppressive towards you? What makes life more difficult  your caste or your gender? If an upper caste woman is assaulted by a Dalit man, whom will you support  the Dalit man or the upper-caste woman? Questions that never get asked the other way around.

Savarna feminists that do this are usually those that have research or writing careers. Yet it doesnt occur to them they could, in fact, focus on their lives instead of Dalit womens experiences.

Ideally, we Dalit women should write our stories, sans the fear of appropriation. The only reason thats not already happening is because savarna women are occupying media, publishing and academic spaces, thanks to their social and monetary capital.

7. Savarna feminists engage in performative ally-ship in anti-caste movements: At the heart of solidarity lies action. Anything else done for sake of proving ones ally-ship amounts to performative behaviour. Savarna feminists often call themselves anti-caste or casteless. Yet, the readiness with which they offer support to savarna women survivors, is practically zero when it comes to DBA women. Where are these lawyers when DBA women are being murdered and raped? Why are there no therapists supporting DBA women whove been through the worst?

Paraphrasing from my earlier publication, To view Dalit women as fascinating subjects for learning and using our extension of friendship as an opportunity to gain access into our narratives, only to other us later; to promise unfaltering ally-ship but buckle at the slightest calling-out; to place your fragility over and above our experiences of oppression; to say that you thoroughly understand our struggles and complexity but gaslight us into believing that we are reactive for almost everything; to have close-knit unions with savarnas who look and live and walk like you but only seek to have superficial interactions with us; to rub shoulders with us at rallies and protests, but celebrate festivals that are inherently oppressive to our communities; to not question your family's privileged position and continue to reap the benefits it gives you  is not solidarity. Importantly, to not stand up for us when we really need you to and fail us when we need help is ally-theatre at its best.

Mainstream feminism in India has always been and continues to be savarna-centric. And this is so because savarna women have the highest of power and privilege among women. But if feminism, as an ideology, believes in the breaking of power structures, then savarna women that identify as feminists must come to terms with their own privilege proactively. They must seek to break the very structures that ascribe them with caste and class power. Failing to do so confirms our suspicion that savarna feminists use feminism only as a tool for self-preservation.

All of this is to say that the feminist world that we, as women, dream of must be truly equal for all. It is not feminist to work towards a reality that works well only for certain types of women. It has to be a reality that provides all women, but especially DBA women, access to capital, resources, land, education, livelihood, safety, healthcare, and justice. It has to ensure that DBA women stand a chance to live a full life. This includes but is not limited to sex workers, domestic helps, construction labourers, housekeeping staff, vegetable and meat vendors, sanitation workers, and the rest of us.

Gestures that seek to include Dalit womens voices, by savarna woman, are a start. But savarna women dont own feminism and inclusion is a weak way forward. During Firstposts recent conversation on #MeToo and Inclusion, I mentioned that DBA women have to be at the center of our movements. DBA womens issues have to determine the feminist future of India. Thats what it means to be intersectional. Thats what it means to be equal.

Revolutions cannot start with the privileged and then spread to those that are not. It has not worked in the past and it wont in the future either.

Christina Thomas Dhanaraj is a Dalit woman from Chennai, India. She is a volunteer consultant for women and minority-led initiatives focusing on social justice, self-determination, and collaborative models of scholarship. She is currently working in Beijing, China. She tweets @caselchris1India Today's executive editor and news anchor Gaurav Sawant has been accused of sexual harassment by Vidya Krishnan, a former health editor at The Hindu in New Delhi.

India Today's executive editor and news anchor Gaurav Sawant has been accused of sexual harassment by Vidya Krishnan, a former health editor at The Hindu in New Delhi. The allegations against Sawant were reported in a story by The Caravan magazine in its November issue.

The alleged incident took place in 2003 when Krishnan, then 21 and a trainee journalist, was working for The Pioneer on an assignment covering a peacetime drill in a military station at Beas, Punjab, along with other journalists, including Sawant.

Sawant had previously been a guest lecturer at Krishnan's college, and she looked up to him as a mentor.

The allegations against Sawant include touching Vidya inappropriately while they were on the field visit, and making unwelcome advances. The only thing I do remember about those few hours is constantly readjusting and trying to sit in a way that no one else makes out that this is happening, Krishnan told Caravan reporter Nikita Saxena. I remember checking constantly, When are we going to reach  are we there yet, are we there yet', she added.

Later, Sawant sent her inappropriate messages and having visited her room, attempted to force himself on her. Krishnan says she rebuffed him . "I started screaming ... I think there was some sense of decency where he was like, 'Okay, I can't rape her', so he went away at that point," she recalls.

Krishnan says she called her boyfriend from the landline in her room and confided in him. While he was enraged and concerned for Krishnan, he also advised her to 'stay out of trouble'. When Krishnan returned to Delhi, she felt there was no point in pursuing the matter further: Sawant, as she points out, was a star reporter in a different organisation. Krishnan herself was a rookie.

Krishnan also told Caravan that she had stepped forward not only to share her own story, but to highlight a larger isue as well. "This is not about outright sexual assault, this is about how we treat women in these workplaces, its the everyday sexism Krishnan said. It makes me furious that we have very smart, young female reporters  with good talent  whom we dont groom because we look at them as objects. And no amount of seniority fixes it, because no matter how up you go in the food chain, there are more men higher up on that very food chain at that very level.

Sawant, responding to the claims in a tweet said, "The article published by Caravan is irresponsible, baseless, and completely false. I am talking to my lawyers and will take full legal action. So grateful to my family, friends, and viewers for their support."

The article published by Caravan is irresponsible, baseless, and completely false. I am talking to my lawyers and will take full legal action. So grateful to my family, friends, and viewers for their support.  GAURAV C SAWANT (@gauravcsawant) November 12, 2018

Nidhi Razdan, the executive editor at NDTV, shared India Today's comments on the matter on Twitter  "The article is distressing to read. Unfortunately, we are in no position to comment on it or investigate the matter since Gaurav Sawant was not employed with us in 2003. Nevertheless, Mr Sawant has been asked to provide an explanation. Besides dismissing the allegations entirely, he has informed us that he is consulting lawyers to seek legal remedy."

As Vidyas horrific account makes headlines, NDTV asked India Today for a comment, theyve said: The article is distressing to read. Unfortunately, we are in no position to comment on it or investigate the matter since Gaurav Sawant was not employed with us in 2003 1/n https://t.co/q6ZeiTCudf  Nidhi Razdan (@Nidhi) November 12, 2018

India Today statement : Nevertheless, Mr. Sawant has been asked to provide an explanation. Besides dismissing the allegations entirely, he has informed us that he is consulting lawyers to seek legal remedy 2/n  Nidhi Razdan (@Nidhi) November 12, 2018

Meanwhile, Kanika Gahlaut, the former Weekend Editor at Hindustan Times, also tweeted about an incident in which Sawant  on finding her smoking in a discreet corner during a conclave  "lunged" at her. When she told him off, he justified his action by alluding to Gahlaut's single status.

If it helps I can testify Gaurav Sawant is a pest.I look for discreet places to smoke.Found him behind some hedges at group conclave.He lunged.I gave it off to him.He: "cmon when was last time you got any".His justification for lunging-i'm single. That's how sick his mind is.  Kanika Gahlaut (@kanikagahlaut) November 13, 2018

Kanika said she never considered Sawant to have any power over her, and so lost no sleep over having to upbraid him for his misconduct. She tweeted that her memory of the incident dwelt more on the audacity of Sawan't behaviour and his comeback, which Gahlaut called a "further confirmation of his sickness".

The allegations against Sawant come in the midst a resurgence of the #MeToo movement on social media timelines in India. Here's a complete list of the allegations that Firstpost has followed up on. We will be updating this report over the following days.Modi said he was confident that his visit to Singapore would impart fresh momentum to New Delhi's growing partnership with ASEAN and East Asia Summit nations.

New Delhi: On the eve of his Singapore visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said his participation in the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits symbolised India's "continued commitment" to strengthen its engagement with ASEAN members and with the wider Indo-Pacific region.

The prime minister would visit Singapore on Wednesday and Thursday to participate in the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits.

In addition, he would also participate in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Leaders' Meeting.

"My participation in these meetings symbolises our continued commitment to strengthening our engagement with ASEAN member states and with the wider Indo-Pacific region. I am looking forward to my interactions with other ASEAN and East Asia Summit leaders," Modi said in his departure statement issued Tuesday.

"On Wednesday, I will be the first head of government to deliver the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival," the prime minister said.

He said as the world's largest event on financial technology, the festival was the right forum not only to showcase India's strengths in this fast-growing sector, but also to forge global partnerships for fostering innovation and growth.

Modi said during the visit, he would also have the opportunity to interact with the participants and winners of the joint India-Singapore Hackathon.

"It is my firm belief that if we provide the right encouragement and a nurturing ecosystem, our youth has the ability to become global leaders in providing solutions to the challenges facing humanity," he said.

Modi said he was confident that his visit to Singapore would impart fresh momentum to New Delhi's growing partnership with ASEAN and East Asia Summit nations.

"As I depart for Singapore, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Singapore for their able chairmanship of ASEAN this year, and convey my best wishes for all success in hosting ASEAN and related summits," he said.

On the margins of these summits, the prime minister would hold bilateral meetings with other leaders. He would hold a bilateral meeting with US vice president Mike Pence on 14 November, the External Affairs Ministry had said here earlier.

The White House said last week that Pence and Modi would discuss the India-US defence cooperation and the bilateral relationship during their meeting in Singapore.Former Nepali law minister Nilambar Acharya is now the hill State's envoy to India. The Nepal government nominated him to take over the post, which was lying vacant for about a year now after Deep Kumar Upadhyay resigned October last year to join politics.

Former Nepali law minister Nilambar Acharya is now the hill State's envoy to India. The Nepal government nominated him to take over the post, which was lying vacant for about a year now after Deep Kumar Upadhyay resigned October last year to join politics.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli proposed Acharya's name for the diplomatic post, officials said. However, Acharya's appointment by the leading Nepali Communist Party came as a surprise for many owing to his well-known affiliation to the Nepali Congress Party.

His appointment could be seen as a positive development towards betterment of India-Nepal ties. A senior politician, Acharya has seen the nascent democracy in Nepal grow and evolve. He was also centrally involved in furthering India-Nepal ties at a time when relations between two nations hit a rock-bottom.

Achayra currently coordinates the Nepal side of the Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations (EPG-NIR), is a joint mechanism consisting experts and intellectuals from Nepal and India that was set up to provide necessary suggestions to update all existing bilateral treaties and agreements. The group is also currently working on reviewing several bilateral agreements including the crucial Peace and Friendship Treaty signed in 1950.

India-Nepal ties hit the bedrock in the early phase of Narendra Modi-led government just when the mountain nation was formulating its Constitution. India decided to pressurise Nepal into including demands of the Madhesi tribe of the Terai region, which in turn earned it the ire of the Nepali political elite, and the indigenous Nepalese living in the hill region.

India tried to take a tough stance, as it allegedly tacitly supported Madhesi protests leading to a four-month-long blockade along the Nepali border hindering supplies of even essential goods for which Nepal is dependent on India. The resultant backlash from its 'special friend' that India earned meant that it lost out on an ally in the neighbourhood, failed to protect the rights of Madhesis and gave the political class in the state an opportunity to cannibalise on a strong anti-India sentiment. Thus, 'pro-china' KP Sharma Oli came to power riding on a 'nationalistic' wave.

Another low point in the two countries' ties was when Nepal recalled its then ambassador to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyay in May 2016 and unilaterally cancelled Nepali president's scheduled visit to India. The Nepali government had reportedly not informed the ambassador of the visit, and also accused him of being active in Kathmandu and New Delhi in trying to topple the Oli-led government.

The Nepal mission in New Delhi has been without an ambassador since October 2017, when Upadhyay left to run for office. The vacancy at Nepali mission in India fuelled speculations about Oli's continued hostility towards India.

However, New Delhi may expect a change in winds with the appointment of Acharya as he is aware of the sensitivity of ties between the two nations.

A Moscow University graduate, Acharya was initially Left-leaning but later joined the Nepali Congress party, which is considered relatively warmer towards New Delhi. Acharya was minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Labour and Social Welfare in the interim government of 1990.

A former envoy to Sri Lanka, Acharya also comes with hands-on experience in managing and furthering diplomatic relations in the capacity of an envoy.

Acharya's name will now be sent to a parliamentary committee for approval, which then will forward it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The Nepal's MFA will then send it to its Indian counterpart Ministry of External Affairs for an agreemo. Once approved and agreemo signed, the MFA will send Acharya's name to the Nepal president for the presidential order.

The government had previously nominated former Chief Election Commissioner Neelkantha Uprety as ambassador to India. But following criticism within Nepal, it withdrew the decision. According to The Indian Express, Upreti, after his retirement as CEC, was associated with the Niti Pratisthan, a political foundation backed by the Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh in Nepal, which, on occasion, has closely worked with the Delhi-based India Foundation.

With inputs from PTIAttorney General KK Venugopal on Monday lodged protest in the Supreme Court against dismissal of cases without hearing the lawyers. Venugopal's protest came before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

New Delhi: Attorney General KK Venugopal on Monday lodged protest in the Supreme Court against dismissal of cases without hearing the lawyers. Venugopal's protest came before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

He said citizens from far-flung areas of the country come to the apex court and the bench headed by the CJI was dismissing their petitions without hearing them at the admission stage. "People come to this court after traveling thousands of miles and Your Lordships do not even hear their arguments and dismiss cases saying you have read it. This is not the way, at least at admission stage they should be heard," the top law officer said.

The CJI, who was presiding the bench along with Justice SK Kaul, said that he was taking note of his concerns. "Alright, Mr Venugopal. We take your statement in the right spirit. You may now argue," the CJI said. Venugopal was appearing on behalf of the Rajashtan government in a tax-related matter before the bench and when he sensed that the court was not inclined to entertain the plea, he made the protest.

The bench led by the CJI has been taking tough stand on urgent mentioning of cases and disposes them off quickly. The law officer said that the bench should have issued the notice as it related to the revenue of the state. "It is related to revenue of a state...Why the CJI bench is hesitating to issue notice. It is about state government's revenue," Venugopal said. "Do not presume we didn't see the file...we might have misread it but we read it," the CJI said.In Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district, 80-year-old Baghela Yadav cast his vote in Kutheri village on 12 November, which was the first phase of elections for the state's Assembly. He has voted in every election that has taken place in the past, however, when asked, 'Aapne kin muddo ke adhaar par vote kiya hai (On the basis of which issues have you voted)?', he responds with a blank look.

In Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district, 80-year-old Baghela Yadav cast his vote in Kutheri village on 12 November, which was the first phase of elections for the state's Assembly. He has voted in every election that has taken place in the past, however, when asked, "Aapne kin muddo ke adhaar par vote kiya hai (On the basis of which issues have you voted)?", he responds with a blank look.

Surrounded by his neighbours, all of whom have gathered for a cup of tea in the village square after voting in Chief Minister Raman Singhs constituency, Yadav sheepishly admits that he had intended to select the first 'button' on the electronic voting machine (EVM), but got flustered and accidentally voted for the last name in the list of candidates. The group erupts with laughter.

Ramakanth Banjare, a social worker and one of the conveners of the Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, puts this situation into perspective. "Most people of the older generation in rural areas dont really think about whom they want to vote for. There is a lack of awareness about the broader implications of this process; many people vote for whomever they feel like at the time, or get swayed by pre-poll promises, or vote just for the sake of voting."

Sixty-one-year-old Udayram Sahu's opinion supports Banjare's explanation. "All the parties make various promises before the elections, based on which, people change their choice all the time. For instance, right until I select a candidate's logo on the EVM, my decision about whom to vote for isn't fixed," he says.

Ruhela Sahu, 72, says that he has voted based on "what other people told him" about the parties' manifestos and campaigns, whereas Dhaneram Khare of Pendri village, voted for the Congress because it is a family tradition to vote for the panja (the Congress partys symbol).

"My father has always voted for the party, so our entire family does too. I dont know why," he says.

The situation is further complicated by illiteracy and a general apathy of political parties towards small villages like Kutheri and Pendri. Only three voters among the people this reporter spoke to in three villages had read the manifestos of both major parties  the Congress and BJP, with just about half of the people having voted based on their campaigns. The Congress released its manifesto for the Chhattisgarh elections on 9 November, whereas the ruling BJP released its manifesto on 10 November, barely a day before the elections.

"The BJPs delay in releasing the manifesto could be because people are angry about unfulfilled promises from the 2013 election. Maybe the party didn't want to be cornered with questions about the promise of the Rs 2,100 minimum support price (MSP) on rice that has so far reached only Rs 1,750 per quintal," Banjare explains.

However, this has not deterred people from voting for either parties  regardless whether it was an informed choice or not. The first group of voters for the first phase, who met in Kutheri, comprised of women farmers who burst into a cacophony of complaints when asked about the election and the polling process. Pratima Meshram is the loudest voice among them.

"I have voted for a change in government. One of the most important issues the women are talking about is the delay in implementing the prohibition on alcohol. Alcohol urgently needs to stop being sold, to curb the increasing cases of domestic violence," says Meshram, adding, "It's time to give someone else a chance. I have also voted based on the promise of a complete loan waiver for farmers." Additionally, the women express concern about the condition of healthcare and education in their village.

Satrupani Nishad says the block's government hospital turns people away with the excuse that there are no medicines, or delays treatment by forcing people to make appointments repeatedly. "Whoever wins the election ultimately doesnt matter to us. We just want our issues addressed," Nishad adds. The BJP government's trump card, evident from conversations with people supporting the BJP, has been one of the 2013 pre-poll promises that has been fulfilled  providing a kilogram of rice for just Re one.

An agricultural labourer in Pendri, Chunni Sahu says, "Under the Ajit Jogi government, we got rice at around Rs seven per kilogram, and now we get it for a rupee. My family doesnt own land, so we are happy with getting food to eat."

Along with this, the ruling government's development-driven policies that have pushed for the construction of roads, public health centres, and government schools at the village-level have drawn support for the party which has been in power in the state for the past three terms or 15 years. "Apart from taking action for the long-term development of the state, the government also distributed mobile phones and cycles in most parts of the state as a part of their campaign," says Namdev Nirmalkar, in Kutheri village.

However, the farmer community's contention with the state administration has steadily been becoming louder, especially in the run-up to the election. Across Bastar, Kanker, and Rajnandgaon districts, farmers are struggling with inadequate MSP on paddy, non-payment of the promised bonus of Rs 300 per quintal and of the amount assured as crop insurance.

This disillusionment is evident when even big farmers who benefit from 'development' of an urban nature, say that they are unhappy with the government.

Shahdev Ram, 55, who owns 10 acres in Somni village says, "Its not just me who is unhappy with this government, it's the whole community. There has been development, our village has good roads and facilities; but when it has come to agricultural concerns, farmers have been let down by inadequate MSP and incomplete payment of bonus."

The farmers suspect that the latest payment of the bonus has also only been due to the onset of the election season. The younger generation, especially those from farming families, have double the worry. With most of the districts youth population unemployed, even with a minimum of Class 12-level education, they feel that even if Dr Raman wins the Rajnandgaon Assembly seat, the party is likely to lose the state.

Dhaneshwar Jangde, 24, who has acquired a degree in civil engineering from a local college, says that he has hope from the Ajit Jogi-Mamata Banerjee-CPI alliance. In my opinion, the chief minister might win the seat, but the sentiment of anti-incumbency has taken concrete shape, he explains.

In their home in Somni, Danik Banjare and her daughters Namrata and Vandana who are both first-time voters, discuss the other parties as alternatives. They remain non-committal towards any particular one, but emphasise that they have voted for a party other than the ruling party with the hope that any change in government would be beneficial.

I had voted for the BJP based on their manifesto in 2013, but I am disappointed by their governance. We had to protest and fight for the bonus of 2015. The administration didnt release it themselves, although it was their promise, Danik says.

She adds, We are only asking the government to fulfill their promises, not for anything extra.

18 constituencies went to polls on 12 November, of which six are a part of the Rajnandgaon district. The Rajnandgaon constituency seat is currently held by Raman Singh, against whom the Congress fielded Karuna Shukla, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees niece. Shukla has also been a member of the BJP.

The remaining 72 constituencies are scheduled to vote on 20 November. The results will be declared on 11 December.The Quad continues to remain a bureaucratic-level dialogue that meets occasionally  twice a year. It is not a defence dialogue yet, much less an alliance

The third meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad, which comprises India, the United States, Japan and Australia, is in Singapore on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit (EAS). The four countries will share their respective perspectives on regional geopolitics, while chalking out a strategy to balance China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. This is the second Quad meet this year, and will be held at the joint secretary-level on Wednesday. The last meeting, that also took place in Singapore in June this year, witnessed the four countries reaffirming their support for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. Should the Quad strategy be suitably implemented, it can definitely prove revolutionary in strengthening the current balance of power across much of the globe.

It has been a year since the revival of the Quad. However, it is yet to take a concrete shape as there has not been substantial dialogue on how to make it a reality. The Quad continues to remain a bureaucratic-level dialogue that meets occasionally  twice a year. It is not a defence dialogue yet, much less an alliance. This has understandably given rise to scepticism about the usefulness and efficiency of the formation.

The Donald Trump administration's Indo-Pacific framework recognises strong connections between the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, putting India at the centre of this new geopolitical construct. Washington strongly believes that the Quad must eventually evolve into a ministerial-level dialogue laden with a military component. But the Trump administration is not oblivious to the fact that India is on the fence about going too far with the Quad. There is deep ambivalence in New Delhi on the issue of militarisation of the Quad. India has clarified that there is no need to "conflate" the Indo-Pacific with the Quad, stressing the centrality of ASEAN in the former.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at the Shangri-La dialogue in June, in which he clarified that "India doesnt see the Indo-Pacific Region as a strategy or as a club of limited members" underlines New Delhis attempt to distinguish the Quad from the Indo-Pacific.

In line with this argument, India had rejected Australia's request to participate in the MALABAR naval exercise held by India, the US and Japan near Guam in June. Australia's participation in the exercise would have been an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the military dimension of the Quad, but India's refusal stemmed from its preference to avoid any confrontation with China. New Delhi has not forgotten that China had lodged a strong protest when the MALABAR exercise in 2007 had been expanded to include Australia.

Even since the 'informal summit' between Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping in April this year at Wuhan, India has been unwilling to risk the constructive elements of its delicate ties with China. The evolving dynamics of the Russia-India-China (RIC) mechanism, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS can be seen as components of India's balancing act between the US and China.

Another factor responsible for India's unclear standpoint on the Quad has been New Delhi's traditional policy of 'strategic autonomy', which accords primacy to maintain relations with all major powers without getting involved in a strategic commitment towards one country or a group of countries. India continues to resist raising the level of the Quad from the joint secretary-level to that of foreign minister-level, as demanded by the US and Japan. Although these factors have inevitably raised questions about Indias reliability in the Quad, it needs to be understood that India's stance on the Quad is not an explicit move against China, but rather a calculated move to protect its interests, and to reinforce its diplomatic outreach against Chinas growing assertiveness that poses numerous challenges to Indias strategic ambitions.

Another sticking point is infrastructure development in the Indo-Pacific. The Quad seeks to compete with the Beijing-driven Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in both infrastructure development and assistance. The BRI  Xi's pet geopolitical project  is gradually increasing China's economic influence in the Indo-Pacific by redrawing the political map of the Asian landmass. In order to counter this, it is imperative for the Quad members to draw up a viable regional infrastructure plan. This idea has started to gain ground at other fora as well: Negotiations on infrastructure development are being conducted in the India-Japan-US and India-Japan-Australia trilateral formats. New Delhi and Tokyo are also working on a series of joint projects along the 'Asia-Africa growth corridor' in the Indo-Pacific.

The growing bilateral trust between New Delhi and Tokyo is reflected in the fact that Japan is the only foreign country that has been allowed to invest in Indias strategically-important North East region. Japan is also planning to establish high-standard infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific under its official development assistance. And only last week, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison unveiled the $2-billion infrastructure financing facility for the Pacific as part of his governments new measures aimed at projecting Australia as the regions principal security and development partner.

But the success rate of the BRI, as well as the lack of an overarching alternate vision to the BRI seem to have led to an incoherent approach to deal with Chinese manoeuvres. The Quad-centric infrastructure plans are still at a nascent stage and it seems doubtful if the member states will commit sufficient financial resources to provide a credible alternative to the BRI. Clearly, there is so much more to be done on the infrastructure front, both to challenge the BRI and to bring prosperity to underdeveloped regions in the Indo-Pacific.

Another challenge relates to the second layer of regional partners associated with the Quad. There can be no successful China-containment strategy unless regional States  Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore  wholeheartedly subscribe to its mandate. But there have been genuine apprehensions in the Southeast Asian region that the emergence of the Quad in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region would be interpreted as a testimony to the failure of ASEAN-centric institutions to maintain a balance of power in the region. The Quad members have spent considerable diplomatic energy to assure the ASEAN bloc: the centrality of ASEAN has been emphasised just to allay these apprehensions.

Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore have been willing to be a part of a robust strategy to counter Chinas assertiveness. However, in the absence of a concrete shape of the Quad coupled with the lack of clarity on the mechanism of their engagement through dialogue partnerships may have made them a bit too cautious. They are also wary of Chinas antagonistic response.

Doubts have also been expressed on the issue of bilateral relations of the Quad members with China. Although all the four countries are deeply apprehensive of Chinas strategic intentions and its increasing geopolitical influence, each of them enjoy strong trade and economic ties with China. It has been argued that following the revival of the Quad in late 2017, the enthusiasm of the members has gradually dissipated against the prevailing geopolitical realities. But it needs to be understood that the formation of this kind of unique grouping is a long process. At present, it serves the limited purpose of political signalling while improving coordination among maritime powers in the Indo-Pacific.

Notwithstanding numerous contradictions and challenges, the Quad is capable of operating efficiently regarding regular exchange among its members regarding their perspectives on Chinas military capabilities and intentions with each other, while expanding multilateral cooperation in the fields of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, energy security and cyber security.

One of the biggest positive aspects has been on the military engagement front: India, the US, Japan and Australia enjoy remarkable levels of intelligence exchanges, military interoperability and personnel interactions. Leaving the quadrilateral aside for a moment, there is already much happening strategically on the bilateral and trilateral fronts. If we talk trilaterally, the US-Japan-Australia engagement is very robust, particularly due to the legacy of America-led defence alliances. The India-US- Japan trilateral dialogue is also taking shape. Now, Japan has become a permanent part of the India-US naval exercises. However, no military technology transfer or sale of defence equipment has taken place thus far between India and Japan.

The Indian Air Force participated in Australias Pitch Black exercise in August this year, marking a growing degree of comfort with regional defence cooperation. Most importantly, Indias bilateral ties with the US are on the upswing. This year has witnessed the inauguration of the 2+2 dialogue between the two countries, with military exercises becoming more frequent. After lengthy negotiations spanning several years, New Delhi and Washington have signed a logistics supply agreement and communications agreement.

While Indias resources remain limited, it can increase its influence in the Indo-Pacific through collaborative ventures with like-minded countries. Promoting pragmatic cooperation with these countries will be far more useful than endless theoretical discussions regarding the Quad and the Indo-Pacific. Although Beijing is likely to oppose all those activities that are perceived to be even remotely aimed against it, Chinas rising military capabilities give ample reason for India, the US, Japan and Australia to step up their cooperation and place the Quad where it should be  front and centre of their strategic outlook and foreign policy.The Centre's strategy in response to repeated attacks over its re-negotiation of the Rafale aircraft deal is getting curiouser and curiouser

The Centre's strategy in response to repeated attacks over its re-negotiation of the Rafale aircraft deal is getting curiouser and curiouser, especially as more details about the deal enter the public domain in a thin, stuttering trickle.

First up is its 'disclosure' to the Supreme Court of the details of pricing in the re-negotiated deal. Just about a fortnight ago  on 31 October  the Centre had told the top court that these details could not be divulged, after a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had said not only that all details that had by then been delivered to the court in a 'sealed cover' should be made available to petitioners who had filed public-interest petitions, but also expressed its desire to be apprised of details about pricing.

On Monday, the Centre rushed the information to the court disregarding Supreme Court procedure and in a notably cloak-and-dagger style. The Ministry of Defence sent the 'sealed cover', not even allowing Attorney-General KK Venugopal access to the information. Speculation swirls around this change of heart. It has been suggested that the Centre hopes it can dispel the bad odour clinging to the deal  and consequently to the Centre  even though it is unlikely that sceptics both among the Opposition and the citizenry will take anything this government does on trust, especially given the government's unwillingness to come clean over the deal.

There is a legitimate suspicion that the government is trying to cover its tracks. Two factors, among many, promoting this view are persuasive.

First, if all was indeed above board, the government should have had no objection in agreeing to a thorough inquiry by a joint parliamentary committee, which would have rehabilitated the deal in public perception. Second, there are the circumstances surrounding the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) examination of the Rafale deal.

It has been reported that around 60 retired bureaucrats have written an open letter to the CAG criticising its 'unconscionable and unwarranted' delay in making public its report on the deal. The bureaucrats have noted that an impression is gaining ground that the CAG is deliberately delaying its report till after the Lok Sabha election next year to save the government the kind of embarrassment that could affect the electoral outcome. This delay, they have written, is in stark contrast to the prompt release of its reports on the allotment of the 2G spectrum, coal blocks and other issues, which had been widely appreciated.

There is no particular reason to be surprised, however, in view of the serial subversion of institutions, including those with constitutionally-mandated autonomous status.

Let us briefly look at some of the details of the re-negotiated Rafale deal and the government's conduct in this connection. The government has been insisting since the controversy intensified that the agreement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then France president Francoise Hollande had specified that pricing issues could not be made public. Subsequently, Congress president Rahul Gandhi claimed that Emmanuel Macron, the incumbent French president, had told him that there was no confidentiality clause. This was never unambiguously denied by the French government, though it issued a carefully worded statement saying it did not know why, or whether, Macron had said what he did to Rahul. Since this is hardly much of a denial, the governments repeated statements about confidentiality might well seem to be covering for something more sinister.

But quite apart from the specifics  and there are a raft of them, including pricing, the contours of the deal, or why a deal involving 126 planes suddenly became one for 36 and why a company that had zero experience in making any kind of aircraft, leave alone sophisticated fighters, and, in fact, had been freshly incorporated, was chosen offset partner by Dassault, the makers of the Rafale craft  there is the important question of procedure.

It has now come to light convincingly that the re-negotiated deal was first approved by Modi with Hollande in April 2015. The government later claimed that 74 meetings were held before the deal was signed. That should actually read finalised because, in effect, the deal had been done before the meetings  48 internal and 26 with the French side  had been held. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the deal only in August 2016, over a year later. It seems, thus, that the key players played no role in agreeing to the deal  the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet. The defence ministry conducted post-facto negotiations, the CCS approved the deal post-facto, and the agency for which the procurement of the fighter aircraft was meant in the first place, the IAF, remained out of the loop.

So, what is the standard operating procedure? Surely, it is not one in which the Prime Minister's Office has a monopoly on dealing with the larger principles of defence procurement?

This point has to be cleared, especially in view of the facts: First, the reduction in the number of imports from 126 to 36; second, that the offset contract was awarded to a company that was a greenhorn in the area; and, third, that there are immensely credible suspicions that there was an exponential hike in the acquisition price.

The failure of the government to come clean, its reliance on clarifications from the beneficiary of the deal  Dassault  which has issued statements on its own unrestricted role in picking a partner, which are far from convincing given its stake in the deal and its vulnerability to pressure from the Indian government, the hesitant and reluctant release of any credible facts to the public, witness the refusal to agree to a credible inquiry, whether through a JPC or one conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation, and the inexplicable failure of the CAG to make public the facts it has been able to unearth, point to precisely the kind of opacity that makes the Modi government untrustworthy as an interlocutor.

The Modi government came to power promising an unprecedented development push, minimum government allied to maximum governance and a war on corruption. The first two have been proved to be, as things stand, not-so-clever slogans after all. The third, the anti-corruption rhetoric enjoyed some kind of credibility among the people for some time is now in tatters.

Whether Rafale will ultimately spell B-O-F-O-R-S come next year's elections to the Lok Sabha remains to be seen, but the decision to rush a sealed cover to the Supreme Court shows that the Central government is scrambling to find its footing.Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Steel, the only integrated steel plant in the UAE and a subsidiary of the General Holding Corporation (Senaat), is showcasing its steel product range, which is uniquely suited to meet the requirements of the oil and gas industry at the ongoing the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (Adipec) 2018.



The event, being held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, kicked off on November 12 and will run until November 15, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.



Emirates Steels participation in the event for the fourth consecutive year is a reflection of Adipecs status as the largest oil and gas event in the Middle East.



Engineer Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, chief executive officer of Emirates Steel, said: Our consistent participation at Adipec is a result of our commitment to becoming a leader in the manufacturing of high-quality steel products with the highest standards of safety and sustainability.



Adipec provides us with the opportunity to showcase our wide range of high quality steel products developed specifically for the oil and gas industry and to expand our existing strategic partnerships, as well as create new ones through knowledge exchange and sharing best practices, he added.



During the last three years, Emirates Steel sold 215,000 tonnes of heavy and medium sections for use in the oil and gas industry across the GCC, US, Russia, Europe and South Korea.



At the end of 2017, Emirates Steels production capacity increased to more than 3.2 million tonnes, including rebar, wire rod and heavy sections.



Al Remeithi said: In addition to showcasing our existing product range at Adipec, we are keen to understand the upcoming needs of participants in order to develop new products.



We are dedicated to increasing value for our customers and shareholders. We are continuously working towards realising our vision of becoming a world class steel manufacturer providing the highest quality products, services and solutions to our customers, he added.



Emirates Steels pavilion at Adipec, located in hall five, will provide a chance for Adipec participants to view its expansive range of high quality products, many of which have been developed specifically for the oil and gas industry and meet the highest international standards of quality.



Adipec is hosted annually by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and is one of the worlds largest and most influential oil and gas events that brings together industry stakeholders and experts to share knowledge and exchange ideas on a brighter future for the energy sector, it stated.  TradeArabia News ServiceRamleela at Ramnagar, Varanasi, which goes on for about a month, even today takes help of neither the tube lights and bulbs nor audio systems.

Ram, Lakshman and Shatrughan are not well. They have suffered from diarrhoea and are admitted to a hospital  the newspaper reported. The lines referred to the actors playing the trio in Ramleela and were part of a daily column being run for the entire duration of the event. Yes, we are talking about the Ramleela at Ramnagar, Varanasi which goes on for about a month and one which even today takes help of neither the tube lights and bulbs nor audio systems. This was only the fourth occasion in its 183-year history that the event took a break. Ram falling sick on account of polluted water might as well be a statement on our times and place, but for now, let us have a look at the past.

Legend has it that the Kashi Naresh (the ruler) used to regularly attend a Ramleela organised at Baraipur in Mirzapur. One evening he got delayed as his son was unwell. The Ramleela went on without him. Missing out on the event, especially the parts he enjoyed, left him sad. The queen then reminded him that he was a ruler and could very well have a Ramleela of his own! This conversation, sometime during 1835, led to the birth of what is today one the better known Ramleelas.

The only reason this is the fifth oldest Ramleela in the town, is because the town is Kashi! Even the Ramcharitmanas used at the Ramleela is about 200 years old. More than 12 inches in length and approximately six inches in breadth, the rice paper book is also approximately 12 inches thick.

Like Kashi the town, and its people, this Ramleela too prides in tradition. Some rules have been adhered to since it began. The principal actors, for example, stay at a dharamshala for the entire duration of the event with at least one of their family members. The arrangements are taken care of by the royal family. Crafting effigies, preparing the grounds and maintenance of the petromax lamps (which light up the stage) constitute some of the preparatory actions. The number of effigies itself goes up to about 150.

The Ramleela has about 28 to 30 major characters in action each day. People from different walks of life take a break from what they do to play the roles. For some, it is a way of serving Ram, bhakti, and they have been associated for long. Pandey, for example, has played Hanumans character from 1970 to 2010; 41 times. Another Pandey has been associated with the Ramleela since the past 30 years. His role has been to ask people to be silent. His savdhan, shant raho has made him well-known.

Coming back to this year, the Ramleela went on for 32 days. The usual length is 31 days. To give an idea of the timeline:

7th day: Balakanda ends,

10th day: Vanvas begins,

18th day: Hanuman announces that he will go to Lanka,

24th day: Kumbhkaran and Meghnad are killed,

30th day: Ram is coronated at Ayodhya.

Ramleela is a mela  which is also how it is also referred to at Ramnagar. In other words, it's food and fun along with Ramcharitmanas. How lively our events were before we began aping the West! Food is too good to resist. Alongside the favourite jabeli, some stalls also had heaps of chow  bachhon ka khana [food for children], I was told. I caught up with Chaurasiya while having paan at his stall. His family has been putting up a stall at the mela for four generations. During the Ramleela month, he is at his regular shop during the first half of the day and post 3 pm at the stall. The entire month he, and other stalls, move with the Ramleela performance to different locations within Ramnagar, wherever they are held. One of the grounds has been named Lanka, another Kishkindha and so on. While having gulab-jamuns on another day I asked Rajubhai, the stall-owner, of the numbers. People, he responded, have surely not been decreasing, if anything, their numbers have increased. It was about 8.30 pm then and he was beginning to wind his stall for the aarati which is usually held around 9.00 pm - 9.15 pm.

The Kashi Naresh is present during the entire Ramleela. He views it from an elephant's back. Each of the days that I attended the event, I saw three different elephants. The one with a covered howdah carried him. During the break each day, he rested. The performers (and the audience) wait for his car to return to the venue and then for him to get back on to the elephant. The sagging elephants, the old clothes covering their backs along with the body language of the people  those atop the elephants and also those guarding them  conveyed that Ramnagar family has seen better days.

The break allows the audience to enjoy the stalls. People playing the characters also get to rest, especially rest their vocal cords. The person playing Ram, of course, has no break. I saw few people fanning him and many more lining up to touch his feet during the break. During the performance, people responded with Ramchandra ki jai, to his lines.

The three elephants stood not far from the group that sang. After each scene, a man on stage raised his hand signalling to the group. They then sang accompanied by manjiras. Since there was no electricity, two lanterns burnt to give light to the eight singers sitting in a circle. These lanterns, emitting a beautiful orange light, were supplied with oil at short intervals. Many in the audience joined them. Some recited from the books they were carrying. The lights, from small torches and phones, appeared like white dots amidst a river of darkness and humanity. That change is inevitable, even in Kashi, I realised when  a day later  I saw people reading from apps in their phones. Some people also carried wooden stools to help them sit comfortably. A friend, familiar with Kashi, had quipped that never elsewhere in town has she seen such a large crowd so quiet and disciplined!

On one of the days I went to the mela, Kumbhkaran was killed. The 60-foot tall effigy was slowly brought down. People had climbed it from inside to ensure that the process was safe. First, the nose bled and then the ears. Arms followed. It was the head after that and finally the chest. All this while, in excess of 20 minutes, Ram paced the stage shooting arrows. That day Narad muni too had appeared on the stage. He was carried in a palki by eight people. Two actors whom I had noticed stationary most time, even during previous days, all of sudden became active and showered flowers. They were the devtas I was told. They reminded me of On Doing Nothing, where JB Priestly writes We were gods, solidly occupied in doing nothing.

Clicking images is not allowed. I was told in a decidedly rude tone by one of the people guarding the elephants and those on them. With the fragrance of ganja all around the ground, I wondered if that was allowed! Somewhere I heard a person selling Gangajal, as well as plastic toys. The mela, like melas do, had something for everyone.

One evening as we slowly walked back from the mela, a friend, after we shared happy silences soaking in the experience, had remarked  it was like going to a different time-zone.CJI Rajan Gogoi on Tuesday refused to hear the review petitions on the Sabarimala entry row in an open court. The apex court also deferred hearing fresh writ petitions in the case and said that they will be heard only after a decision is taken on the review petitions.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Rajan Gogoi on Tuesday refused to hear the review petitions on the Sabarimala entry row in an open court. The apex court also deferred hearing fresh writ petitions in the case and said that they will be heard only after a decision is taken on the review petitions.

"We don't think you are being fair to the Bench; beyond that, I don't want to say anything. The matter will be coming up at 3 pm", CJI Gogoi said while turning down the mentioning request of the advocate presenting the case in the top court.

Three fresh writ petitions and forty-nine review petitions have been listed in Supreme Court for hearing on Tuesday. The four writ petitions filed by G Vijayakumar, S Jaya Raj Kumar, Shylaja Vijayan and Akhil Bharathiya Malayalee Sangh will be heard as item 18 in the Court of CJI. Along with CJI Gogoi, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph will also be on the Bench hearing the writ petitions.

Besides the fresh writ petitions, forty-nine review petitions assailing the judgment of the Supreme Court will also be decided. These review petitions are listed for in-chamber hearing at 3 pm before the Bench of CJI Gogoi and Justices Rohinton Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra. The rest of the Bench is the same barring CJI Gogoi who has replaced Dipak Misra after he retired as the CJI in October.

On 28 September, a five-judge constitution bench headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had paved the way for the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple saying that the ban amounted to gender discrimination. However, the apex court's judgement had led to protests and counter-protests at the hill-top shrine in Kerala.

The court had on 9 October declined an urgent hearing on the review plea filed by an association which had contended that the five-judge Constitution bench's verdict lifting the ban was "absolutely untenable and irrational". Later, the court had said that it would consider the review pleas on 13 November.

One of the pleas filed by the National Ayyappa Devotees Association (NADA), had sought a review of the top court's verdict, saying that "the notion that the judgment under review is revolutionary, one which removes the stigma or the concept of dirt or pollution associated with menstruation, is unfounded. It is a judgment welcomed by hypocrites who were aspiring for media headlines. On the merits of the case, as well, the said judgment is absolutely untenable and irrational, if not perverse". Besides the Association, several other petitions including one by Nair Service Society (NSS), have also been filed against the apex court verdict.

The NSS had said in the plea that as the Ayyappa deity is a 'Naistika Brahmachari', females below the age of 10 and after the age of 50 years are eligible to worship him and there is no practice of excluding worship by females. "Hence, the delay or wait for 40 years to worship cannot be considered as exclusionary and it is an error of law on the face of the judgement," the NSS plea had said.

With inputs from PTISambhaji brigade, a Maratha organisation, has sought to rename Pune to 'Jijapur' in a letter issued to the Maharashtra Government. The Maratha outfit claimed that since the construction of Pune city was done by Jijabai, the mother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, it is appropriate to name Pune city in her name.

After the Centre approved the renaming of 25 places and towns in the past one year, the Sambhaji Brigade, a Maratha organisation, has sought to rename Pune to "Jijapur" in a letter issued to the Maharashtra government. The Maratha outfit claimed that since the construction of Pune city was done by Jijabai, the mother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, it is appropriate to name the city after her.

The demand comes a few days after Shiv Sena sought to know when the Maharashtra government rename the state's Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities.

We support Shiv Senas demand of changing Aurangabad and Osmanabad's name to Sambhaji Nagar and Dharashiv. We want to make a similar demand for Pune and want it to be called Jijapur, Santosh Shinde, Pune district president of Sambhaji Brigade, told Pune Mirror. We hope there will be no protest over this proposal as the government and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis themselves claim that the government has been established with the blessings of Chhatrapati Shivaji.

The brigade was slated to meet Naval Kishore Ram, District Collector and submit an official letter for its demand on Monday, reported Times Now.

Last month, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh had renamed Allahabad as "Prayagraj", and on Tuesday announced that Faizabad district will henceforth be known as Ayodhya.

It has also come to light that the Centre has given consent to the renaming of at least 25 towns and villages across India in the past one year and among the pending proposals is one for the state of West Bengal.

Some of the approved name change proposals are Rajahmundry as Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh; Outer Wheeler as APJ Abdul Kalam Island, situated in Bhadrak district of Odisha; Arikkod as Areekode in Malappura district of Kerala; Pindari as Pandu-Pindara in Jind district of Haryana; and Samphur as Sanphure in Kiphire district of Nagaland.

The renaming of a state requires amendment of the Constitution with a simple majority in Parliament. For changing the name of a village or town, an executive order is needed.

With inputs from PTIDySP B Harikumar was wanted for the murder of 32-year-old electrician Sanal Kumar over an altercation over parking space. He had been absconding since 5 November.

Former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) of Neyyattinkara in Kerala and murder accused B Harikumar was found dead at his house in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. Harikumar  wanted for the murder of a 32-year-old man  reportedly hanged himself.

The incident took place in Neyattinkara on 5 November when Harikumar, in plain clothes, was visiting a friend. Sanal Kumar, an electrician, was trying to take out his parked vehicle when he got into an altercation with Harikumar over the parking space, after which the police officer pushed Sanal in front of an oncoming car. Harikumar and his aide escaped from the spot and had been on the run since then.

#BREAKING  Prime accused in Sanal Kumar death case, DySP B Harikumar, found dead. Harkumars body was found hanging in a house in Trivandrum. | @Neethureghu with more details pic.twitter.com/TDy9dvHtYH  News18 (@CNNnews18) November 13, 2018

The DySP was suspended after the incident, and a case was registered against him under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

The murder led to outrage and protests in Neyyattinkara since 5 November, with agitators demanding Harikumar's immediate arrest. The protesters also accused the police of delaying his arrest. According to The Hindu, the police had to use water cannons to disperse a protest march by the Vaikunta Swamy Dharma Paripalana Yogam that turned violent on Sunday.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had condemned Sanal's killing, saying due seriousness will be given to this case, and that an Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) will investigate the incident, reported The News Minute.

"What should not have happened has happened. There is a serious complaint against the DySP, which involves someone's life being lost. That is why an ASP will investigate this case as it involves a DySP. This is a serious issue according to the government, and necessary seriousness will be adopted while investigating the case," Vijayan said.

With inputs from agenciesSanal's wife Viji holds DGP Loknath Behra primarily responsible for the death of her husband as he failed to take action on several complaints lodged against Harikumar.

The alleged suicide by a deputy superintendent (DySP) of Kerala police who allegedly pushed to death a 32-year-old youth has been termed by the deceaseds widow as a divine justice but wants action against the state's police chief under the law of the land for full justice to the departed soul.

B Harikumar, the police officer who allegedly murdered Sanal Kumar, a native of Neyyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram district, allegedly by pushing him before a moving car at a busy junction in the town on 5 November, was found hanging in his ancestral house at Kallambalam, 45 kilometres from the state capital on Tuesday morning.

Viji, wife of Sanal, heard the news of the death of the police officer shortly after she began a fast at the spot where her husband was knocked down by the car demanding a CBI inquiry into the murder.

She called off the fast after confirming the death of Harikumar but has vowed to continue her fight till all those directly and indirectly responsible for the death of her husband are brought to the book.

She holds the Kerala director general of police, Loknath Behra, primarily responsible for the death of her husband as he failed to take any action on several complaints lodged against the police officer for his alleged criminal deeds and for delaying his arrest.

She also wants action against the police officers and the DySPs friends who helped him escape after committing the crime and shielded him subsequently.

Viji believes that the deceased police officer could live safely in hiding for nine days because of the alleged support that he got from the state police force. The action council formed to pursue the case has extended her its full support.

Action council president Vishnupurm Chandrashekharan alleged that the it was a cold-blooded murder by Harikumar, who had a track record of committing many atrocities against innocent people during his tenure as DySP in Neyyattinkara.

It was a minor altercation over a parking place that led to the tragic death of the youth. Harikumar, who was in civil dress, had come to a house in the locality in his private vehicle. He was provoked when the police officer saw Sanals car parked behind his vehicle.

Being unable to move his vehicle, the DySP reportedly abused Sanal and demanded the vehicle be cleared from the spot. While Sanal moved the vehicle ahead, he reportedly entered into an argument with the official, who allegedly assaulted the victim, according to the eye witnesses.

Without making any attempt to take the seriously injured youth to the hospital, Harikumar fled from the area with the help of a friend. His colleagues also did not make any sincere efforts to provide him treatment. Sanals family believe that his life could have been saved if he was rushed to a super specialty hospital, which is just 5 minutes from the spot.

Instead, the policemen at the Neyyattinkara station wasted precious time by taking him to the Neyyttinkara general hospital, where there is no trauma care facility. Even after the doctors there advised the cops to rush him to the Thiruvananthapuram medical college, they allegedly took the ambulance carrying Sanal to the police station first to drop a police official who had completed his duty and take another in his place, according to a report in Manorama News.

Quoting the driver of the ambulance, the report said that the official ordered him to proceed to the police station when he was about to switch on the siren and proceed to the medical college. Aneesh, the ambulance driver, said that 10 precious minutes were lost due to the diversion of the vehicle to the police station.

I was wondering why, when the police official ordered me to proceed to the police station. Sanal, who was fighting for his life, was then taken through the alleys to the police station, which was half-a-kilometre away. At the station, the policeman got off the vehicle and another official got in. The siren and lights where switched on only after the ambulance passed the bylane and reached the main road, Aneesh told Manorama News.

Aneesh said that the local people who had gathered at the spot of the crime had asked the driver to take Sanal to the medical college hospital, but the cop ordered the vehicle to be taken to the Neyyattinkara general hospital.

The murder led to outrage and protests in Neyyattinkara since 5 November, with agitators demanding Harikumar's immediate arrest. The protesters also accused the police of delaying his arrest. Sanals family and the action council alleged that the police were trying to make it an accident death.

The investigation into the death was first handed over to an additional superintendent of police. The case was handed over to an inspector general (IG) rank officer only after the family and the local residents intensified their agitation.

The incident is seen by human rights activists as a reflection of rising criminalisation of men in uniform in the Kerala police. There have been more than half a dozen cases where the cops allegedly abuse, harass and even beat up innocent citizens.

In July this year, an NRI businessman, who came from Qatar for the marriage of his daughter, was reportedly arrested, assaulted and disrobed in a police station and pushed into jail accusing him of stealing a gold chain of a housewife.

Earlier in March, a retired railway station master was punched in the face by an assistant sub-inspector for allegedly obstructing the convoy of the governor. The bleeding face of the senior citizen with a ruptured nose took the social media by storm forcing the DGP to issue a circular asking all cops on traffic duty to attend a one-day training session on civility.

However, the present incident shows that the training had no effect on the cops, who continue their high-handed actions. Former DGP Jacob Punnose said that this was the arrogant nature of the police that was responsible for the excesses being committed by the police. He demanded stern action against the guilty to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future.

Information rights activist advocate D Binu said that the number of policemen involved in criminal cases in Kerala is increasing by every passing year. Close to 1,000 personnel of the states 54,000-strong police force are accused of involving in criminal cases, as per documents he secured through the Right To Information (RTI) Act.

A panel headed by the DGP (crime) had recently submitted a report to state police chief, recommending immediate disciplinary action against 59 police personnel involved in serious criminal offences, ranging from attempt to murder to sexual harassment.

The panel was formed on the DGPs directions to suggest action against tainted officers in the force. At least 10 of the 59 officers named by the panel could be dismissed from service. However, no action has been taken against any of these officials so far.

Human rights activists feel that the high-handed acts of police have been going on in the absence of stringent action. The innocent youth at Neyyattinaka would not have lost his life if action was taken against Harikumar for his criminal acts.Deb said that May Day is meant for workers and labourers and none else. He claimed his government has done justice by granting holiday on May Day only for workers in industrial sector. Why do government employees need holiday on May Day? ...I have noticed that it is a holiday on that day in very few states.

Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has justified the reason behind dropping May Day from the list of holidays in the state and said the decision was taken because government employees didnt need one on International Labour Rights Day.

Deb said that May Day is meant for workers and labourers and none else. He claimed his government has done justice by granting holiday on May Day only for workers in industrial sector. Why do government employees need holiday on May Day? ...I have noticed that it is a holiday on that day in very few states.

"What are the provisions for a holiday? They (previous Left govt) used to grant holiday to the entire state on this day here," Deb told a conference of the Tripura Gazetted Officers Sangh here on Sunday.

The Tripura government in a notification on 3 November had said that government employees would be allowed to avail any four holidays chosen by them out of a list of restricted holidays during 2019. The list of restricted holidays had 12 festivals or occasions in it.

These are New Years Day, Pous Parban  a Bengali harvest festival, Basanti Puja, Mahavir Jayanti, May Day, Ratha Yatra, Jhulanjatra Samapan, Biswakarma Puja, Akheri-Chahar-Sumba, Bhratridwitiya, Guru Nanaks birthday and the World Disabled Day.

"There is holiday on May Day in the industrial sector. That holiday is still valid. But are you workers and labourers in the secretariat?" the chief minister asked. "You (gazetted officers) are not labourers. No. Am I labourer? No. I am Chief Minister. So what for do you need holiday (on May Day)? What will you mourn for (Kya matam manayenge aap)?" he asked.

The state government took the right decision by dropping May day from the list of the holidays, he said adding holiday was granted to labourers on that day but not for government employees.The sudden spate in changing the names of key Uttar Pradesh districts, towns and railway stations drew criticism from not only the Opposition but the ruling NDA constituent Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party too.

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government Tuesday approved renaming of Faizabad and Allahabad divisions as Ayodhya and Prayagraj respectively.

"The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna told reporters.

"Prayagraj division will comprise Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Fatehpur and Pratapgarh districts, while Ayodhya division will include Ayodhya, Ambedkarnagar, Sultanpur, Amethi and Barabanki districts," Khanna said.

The decision came a day after the Allahabad High Court asked the Centre and the state government to file counter affidavits within a week on a petition challenging the decision to rename Allahabad as Prayagraj.

Justices Vikram Nath and Rajesh Singh Chauhan of the Lucknow bench fixed the next hearing on Monday.

The sudden spate in changing the names of key Uttar Pradesh districts, towns and railway stations drew criticism from not only the Opposition but the ruling NDA constituent Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) too.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav blamed the chief minister for taking credit by just renaming cities.

"Raja Harshvardhan made Prayag Kumbh great by offering donations, but today's rulers are trying to take credit for the work just by renaming the city to Prayagraj," the former chief minister tweeted earlier.

"They (BJP) have even re-named 'Ardh Kumbh' as 'Kumbh'. This mocks our tradition and belief," he said.

The Congress, too, had hit out at the ruling dispensation, with a party leader saying that changing the name of the historic city to 'Prayagraj' is an attempt to toy with the history of the nation.

Uttar Pradesh minister and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar mocked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the move and said the party should change names of its Muslim leaders before changing the names of different towns and places.

"The BJP changed the names of Mughalsarai and Faizabad. They say they were named after the Mughals. They have a national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Uttar Pradesh Minister Mohsin Raza - three Muslim faces of the BJP. They should change their names first."

He said that the names of places were changed just to divert attention of the backward and oppressed people from the issues, which concern them.

"This is all a drama to distract the backward and oppressed people whenever they raise their voices for their rights. No one else has given the things that Muslims have given. Should we throw away the GT Road? Who built the Red Fort? Who built the Taj Mahal," he asked.

Earlier, the government renamed the Mughalsarai Railway station, another historic spot, as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya junction.

In August, 2018, the Uttar Pradesh government had sent a request to the Centre to rename the airports in Agra, Bareilly and Kanpur. According to reports, the proposal is to rename the Agra airport after Jan Sangh founder Deen Dayal Upadhyay.

The ruling BJP has, however, justified the name changes across Uttar Pradesh, saying they are merely restoring older names and correcting historical distortions.

Allahabad's ancient name was 'Prayag', but was changed after 16th-century Mughal emperor Akbar built a fort near 'Sangam', the holy confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.

Akbar named the fort and its neighbourhood 'Ilahabad'. Later, Akbar's grandson Shah Jahan renamed the entire city as 'Allahabad'. But the area near the 'Sangam', the site of the Kumbh Mela, continues to be known as 'Prayag'.The World Diabetes Day campaign is represented by a blue circle logo  also the global symbol for diabetes awareness  after the passage of the UN Resolution on diabetes.

In view of the escalating health threat posed by diabetes, World Diabetes Day is observed every year on 14 November. It was first observed in 1991 by International Diabetes Federation (IDF)  an umbrella organisation of over 230 national diabetes associations in 170 countries and territories  and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

According to worlddiabetesday.org, World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006. For 2018 and 2019, the theme is 'Family and Diabetes'.

The reason why 14 November was picked to observe the day was because it is the birthday of Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.

The World Diabetes Day campaign is represented by a blue circle logo  also the global symbol for diabetes awareness  after the passage of the UN Resolution on diabetes.

On the eve of World Diabetes Day, WHO's Regional Director for South-East Asia Poonam Khetrapal Singh said that families which are aware about diabetes are best positioned to prevent it, and asserted that authorities should harness the capacity as about 91 million people in South East Asia live with the disease.

"Families that know the signs, symptoms, risks and complications of diabetes are best positioned to prevent the disease and seek medical care to manage it... Health authorities region-wide should harness this capacity given an estimated 91 million people in the WHO South-East Asia Region live with diabetes, with around 49 million unaware of their condition," she said.

Singh noted that undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes type 1 and type 2 can cause heart, kidney, nerve and eye damage, as well as premature death.

Singh said families provide a ready-made means to instill healthy habits that last a lifetime, dramatically reducing the risk of diabetes type 2, which accounts for the majority of such cases. "They can also help ensure that the disease is detected and managed effectively. Doing so will avoid complications and the costs it results in for individuals, families, communities and countries," Singh said.

WHO's South-East Asia Region comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

The WHO regional director said health authorities should ensure all families have access to educational resources that help them better understand diabetes. "To enable this, health authorities can work across sectors to increase the access individuals and families have to healthy environments," she said.

Creation of green spaces and outdoor gyms in urban areas can facilitate exercise, she said. "So too can policies to decrease the amount of sugar and fat in foods and enhance people's ability to make healthier choices," she said.

All families should have access to affordable diabetes medicines, medical products and care, she said, noting this starts with ensuring services at the primary level are equipped to detect the disease and that a reliable supply of medicines and medical products used to manage it are on hand.

With inputs from PTIThe view has been communicated to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the final call on the issue would be taken by the AICC leadership, WBPCC president Somen Mitra said.

Kolkata: The Congress unit in West Bengal is in favour of fighting the coming Lok Sabha election "alone" in the state despite the party forging alliances with different regional outfits in other parts of the country in its bid to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The view has been communicated to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the final call on the issue would be taken by the AICC leadership, West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president Somen Mitra told PTI.

The Congress has already been hit with the exodus of its elected representatives to the Trinamool Congress. The Bengal unit of the Congress feels that an alliance with either the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) or the Trinamool Congress will not serve the "long-term" interests of the party.

Such an eventuality will only further erode the party's base in the state though it had tasted success in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh by forging alliances with regional parties, the JD(S) and the Samajwadi Party, the Congress leaders said.

"During my meeting with our party president Rahul Gandhi, I had clearly said that it would be good if we fight the Lok Sabha election alone. We may not win many seats but our party will continue to exist in Bengal in the future," Mitra said.

"Forging an alliance with the Trinamool Congress might give us more seats, but it will also ensure that the Congress will cease to exist in Bengal as the TMC is more keen on poaching our MLAs and elected representatives," Mitra said.

Senior Congress leaders like P Chidambaram have advocated state-wise alliances to defeat the BJP at the Centre.

According to state Congress leaders, aligning with the CPM-led Left Front will not serve any purpose as it will not ensure winning seats as the Left itself is facing a rout in the state.

"So we have told the Congress president that it is better for the future of the party in Bengal that we fight the Lok Sabha election alone. Doing so may not ensure too many seats, but it will at least guarantee revival of our organisation in the long run," AICC member Subhankar Sarkar said.

Congress sources, who did not wish to be named, said one of main reasons behind the decision against aligning with the TMC is that the party is not very sure if it would be offered more than four LS seats, it presently has in the state, by the ruling party.

"Everyone aspires to contest the election on a ticket of the party he has been working with. But due to alliances with the TMC in 2001, 2009 and 2011 and the CPM in 2016, our organisation has suffered badly. We could neither offer seats to our party leaders, nor could we put up our symbols in various seats. That has badly damaged our organisation," a senior state Congress leader said.

The argument against going for an alliance with the CPM is lack of consistency on the part of the Left Front to remain in an alliance as it had unilaterally walked out of the alliance in 2016 after its defeat in the state assembly polls.

There are some leaders within the state unit like Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury, the Congress MP from Malda South and the brother of late party stalwart ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury, his niece Mausam Benazir Noor, also an MP from the same district, who are strongly advocating the Congress-TMC alliance to stop the march of the BJP in West Bengal.

Former PCC president and MP Pradip Bhattacharya, who is also chairman of the party co-ordination committee, agreed that the mood of the state leadership is to go alone in the polls.

He said, the Assembly election results in five states and the outcome of the all party meeting on 22 November in New Delhi will be crucial and play a deciding factor while chalking out Congress' strategy.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the TMC's martyrs day rally on 21 July had set the target of winning all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

"We don't need anybody in Bengal. We can fight and win on our own," a senior TMC leader said.

CPM central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said all secular and democratic forces should come together in order to defeat the BJP and the TMC.

Out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, the TMC had won 34 seats, Congress four and the CPM and the BJP two each in 2014.

The four seats which elected Congress Members of Parliament are in Malda and Murshidabad districts, which were traditional strongholds of Congress but have been penetrated by the TMC.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Congress had contested 14 seats in the state and the TMC in 27 seats while the SUCI in one seat. The Congress had then won six seats, the TMC had 19 seats and the SUCI (C) one.

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh has mocked Congress, saying that the Congress will not be able to win a single seat in the state this time whether it forges an alliance or not.According to an analysis, the Congress with 18 such candidates lead the list of those with criminal charges followed by the AAP with 17 and the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh with 15.

New Delhi: As many as 130 candidates facing declared criminal cases, 90 of them involving serious charges like attempt to murder, are among the 1,079 candidates in the fray for the second phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly polls in 72 constituencies.

A total of 239 multi-millionaire candidates are contesting the second phase of polls to be held on 20 November in 19 districts.

According to an analysis by election watchdog the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the Congress with 18 such candidates lead the list of those with criminal antecedents followed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with 17 and the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) with 15. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 6 such candidates.

Of the 90 candidates facing serious criminal charges, 11 are from the Congress, 13 from the AAP and 14 from the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J).

Congress' Jaisingh Agrawal, vying for Korba seat, is among the candidates with the most number of criminal charges that include forgery, criminal conspiracy and obscene act. Another Congress nominee, Ashish Kumar Chhabra for the Bemetara seat is among those facing charges of attempt to murder.

Among the multimillionaires, 53 are from the Congress, 61 from the BJP and 35 from Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J).

Congress veteran TS Singh Deo, contesting from Ambikapur, is the richest nominee with assets in excess of Rs 500 crore. While 19 candidates have declared nil assets, independent nominee Rubeena Anjum from the Raipur City South possesses "assets" of just Rs 104.

599 candidates are school dropouts while 9 are illiterate. Only 111 female candidates are contesting in the second phase.

The first phase of polling in 18 constituencies spread across eight Maoist-affected district was held on Monday.

The results of the election to the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly will be declared on 11 December.Microsoft has demonstrated the power of digital transformation to the regions oil and gas industry, as the company participated in the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) 2018.



Hosted by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), under the patronage of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Adipec 2018 expects to welcome 110,000 patrons at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, ADNEC, from November 12 to 15.



Microsofts theme at this years event is 'Empowering Oil and Gas with AI'. The companys booth is dedicated to showcasing solutions around artificial intelligence, AI, and Internet of Things, IoT, and highlight how they can enable digital transformation within the industry  the means to engage customers, empower employees, optimise operations and reinvent business processes and services.



Microsoft experts demonstrated Azure IoT Edge capabilities in action allowing energy companies to extend cloud intelligence and analytics, and bring these innovations to edge devices in the field. The platform allows the containerisation of cloud workloads such as Azure Cognitive Services, Machine Learning and Stream Analytics to run locally, on devices ranging from a Raspberry Pi to an industrial gateway.



"Microsofts mission is to empower every individual and organisation on the planet to achieve more," said Omar Saleh, director Manufacturing and Resources, Middle East and Africa. "Artificial intelligence comes together with cloud and edge computing to allow real-time, agile, decision-making support regardless of location. Devices, software and communications technology act as participants in a single, intelligent, harmonious ecosystem that allows organisations to plan, react and optimize in smarter ways. We are proud to bring these capabilities exhibited in solutions and showcases to Adipec 2018."



"AI, leveraging of the intelligent cloud and edge computing, empowers efficiencies that provide distinctive competitive advantage for operators; these manifest in better reservoir characterisation, optimised drilling, reduced downtime, and safer operations to mention a few, added Saleh.  TradeArabia News ServiceAcross Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Raman Singh faces anti-incumbency, mainly due to farm crisis and unemployment, which is why Jogi's promises have struck a chord

The manifesto of the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) promises to increase the Minimum Support Price of paddy to Rs 2,500 per quintal. So does the manifesto of the Congress. The JCC has promised to end "outsourcing" of work in government jobs, in turn enabling local employment. So has the Congress.

Former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Ajit Jogi, who once used to be the face of the Congress in the state, broke away to form the JCC in 2016. He has forged a pre-poll alliance with the BSP and CPI, hoping to be the kingmaker on 11 December. The difference between the promises of Congress and JCC, said Jogi, is that he has sworn to deliver on a 100-rupee stamp paper. "If I go back on my assurances, anyone can file a complaint, and I could be jailed for two years," he told Firstpost in his constituency of Marwahi in Bilaspur district. "Has the Congress done it [provided such assurances]?"

Jogi, however, went on to say his main target in the elections is the BJP. "Narendra Modi has done nothing for the farmers," he said, "For the first time, Chhattisgarh farmers are committing suicide. They never took this step earlier, not even under British rule. It means the farmers do not have faith in the government."

Sitting in a wheelchair, two people ready to escort him into his private ambulance in which he travels, Jogi ended the conversation by saying a post-poll alliance would not be needed with any party. "We will form the government on our own," he said.

He knows it is not true. So do his party workers. "The state government will not be formed without Ajit Jogi," one of his confidants later said anonymously, "We would prefer a post-poll alliance with the Congress if Jogi gets the chief ministership."

Jogi's entry in the race has thrown the elections wide open. It has dismantled the conventional equations. Observers believe had it not been a three-way contest, the Congress would have been sitting comfortably. Jogi has a pan-Chhattisgarh appeal with a following among Dalits, Christians and Muslims. He claims to be a tribal leader as well  even though it is contested  but has made the Marwahi constituency reserved for the Schedule Tribe his den. He swept the seat in 2003 and 2008 on a Congress ticket, without ever visiting it once. In 2013, his son Amit won by a margin of over 40,000 votes. For 2018, Jogi is back contesting from Marwahi.

Adjacent to Marwahi is the constituency of Kota, from where Renu Jogi has won thrice  including a by-election  on a Congress ticket. Renu, Jogi's wife, is now contesting for her husband's party.

In the 2013 elections, even though the BJP won 49 seats and Congress was down to 39, the gap in vote share was less than one percent. In an election that appears to be closely fought where every seat matters, here are two seats the Congress used to take for granted, and will now find hard to retain.

Ramchand Kashyap, a farmer from Kudhkai village in Marwahi, said Jogi is accessible and has his heart in the right place. "My son was thrown off the train a month ago for travelling with the wrong ticket," he said, confirming his vote would go to 'Jogi Congress', as the JCC is commonly referred on the ground. "He leg was severely injured. I had to sell my land to treat him. I am a BJP worker, but my party did not help me. I went to Jogi sahib, and he immediately listened to me and promised to help. He knows the people of his constituency and cares for them."

Both the husband and wife are riding a wave of sympathy in their own way. Jogi, 72, who became paraplegic after a terrible accident in 2004, moves around in a wheelchair, yet is following a hectic schedule conducting two to three rallies a day between doctor's appointments. "If it had been someone else instead of him, he would have been bedridden," said Kashyap, as he watched Jogi being lifted from his wheelchair by four men and put in his helicopter before embarking on another rally.

Renu, on the other hand, is perceived to have been victimised by the Congress. She did not quit the party immediately after Jogi broke away and formed the JCC. In fact, she stayed on in the Congress for well over a year after the inception of the JCC. But when the Congress state leadership marginalised her, and eventually denied her a ticket from Kota, she quit the party and joined the JCC. "My family has been associated with the Congress for years," she said, "The people of Kota, whom I consider my family, elected me when I contested for the Congress. I did not want to betray them. But when the party rejected me, I consulted the people of Kota and joined the JCC."

Shantibai Singh and her husband Jeetandra, both farmers in Renu's constituency, believe the Congress shortchanged her. "She remained loyal to the party even after her husband left," they said, adding that the BJP government has been a disaster for farmers. "We have been asking for permanent electricity connection for so long. It would give us free electricity for five horse power irrigation pumps. Because we have not got one, we have taken a temporary connection that costs Rs 2,500 for three months," they added.

Across Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Raman Singh faces anti-incumbency, mainly due to farm crisis and unemployment, which is why Jogi's promises of stipends to unemployed graduates and a fixed deposit of Rs one lakh in the name of every girl child that is born in his tenure, have struck a chord.

Jogi enjoys a certain popularity among the Dalits, and his tie-up with Mayawati has consolidated the Dalit votes, which had cost Congress in 2013 as well. Even though the BSP has shrunk in Chhattisgarh, the party's vote share in 11 constituencies in 2013 was more than the margin by which the Congress had fallen short of the BJP tally. And only four of those 11 seats were reserved for members of Schedule Castes. The alliance is an opportunity for BSP to revive its dwindling presence in the state, and for Jogi to establish himself as a strong regional satrap.

In the bastions of the Jogi family, Renu, though, might not find the going as smooth as her husband. Contesting against her on a Congress ticket is Vibhor Singh, a former DSP officer, who was once injured in Bastar fighting Naxals. His mother belongs to the Gond tribe, which constitutes a significant population of Kota. Some even feel the split vote could help the BJP sneak through. But Renu is confident "her family" will not let her down when she needs it the most. "I have represented this constituency for a while," she said. "Yeh mera sasural bhi raha hai aur mayka bhi."Addressing a rally ahead of the second phase of polling in the state on 20 November, Rahul said as per Modi, development of the country began only after 2014, when he became the prime minister.

Baloda Bazar: Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday launched a diatribe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "misleading" people on India's development.

Addressing a rally ahead of the second phase of polling in the state on 20 November, Rahul said as per Modi, development of the country began only after 2014, when he became the prime minister.

"He (Modi) doesn't even know that the country is run by the people and not by a single man. He insults you by making such comments," the Congress president said.

Demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was aimed to break the back of small and medium businesses, Rahul said. Congress will encourage youth to do business and get loan facility from banks, he added.

The Congress is not against big industrialists, but if government gives them benefit, small and medium businesses should not be neglected, he said.

"Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya fled the country with thousands of crores of rupees belonging to the people of India. Modi does nothing to bring them back to the country and doesn't utter a word on the issue," he said.

He claimed the CBI director was removed from his post at 1 am to stop a probe into the Rafale deal.

"If there is an investigation, only two names will come up: Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani. Modi is scared of a probe," he said.

Rahul claimed Anil Ambani was chosen over HAL for the Rafale deal despite HAL having 70 years experience in manufacturing fighter aircraft.

"Anil Ambani didn't have the experience. He may not have made even a paper aeroplane," he said.

Rahul said there is an undercurrent in favour of the Congress in the 18 constituencies of Chhattisgarh which went to polls on Monday.

Results from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other poll-bound states will go in favour of the Congress, he said.

Chhattisgarh is rich in resources, the Congress president said, adding the "dream of the state was broken due to the misrule" of the BJP government.

Promising a "people's government" in Chhattisgarh if voted to power, he said people want a government which listens to their "Mann ki Baat".

"Instead of working for a few industrialists, Congress will work for development of agriculture, education and health in the state," Rahul said.In 2013, NOTA was at the third position in 35 of the 90 Assembly seats of Chhattisgarh.

Raipur: In Chhattisgarh, the electorate enthusiastically voted for None of the Above candidates, so much so that NOTA has become some kind of a threat to political parties in the fray.

Chew on this: Chhattisgarh was in the news for polling the maximum number of NOTA votes in the 2013 Assembly election, with NOTA even playing spoilsport for candidates on many seats. It was the year when the option was first introduced on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) by the Election Commission.

In 2013, NOTA was at the third position in 35 of the 90 Assembly seats. Considering that the difference in vote percentage between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress was only 0.75%, and that NOTA got 3.16% of votes which means, NOTA got four times more votes than the difference of defeat.

Looking at the data of the previous Lok Sabha election, NOTA got a thumping response in the tribal-dominated areas of Chhattisgarh, with the option securing third place in five of 11 such seats. In he Maoist-affected Bastar, for instance, 38,772 voters preferred NOTA over Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Soni Sori, who got only 16,903 votes.

Similarly in Kanker, 31,917 voters opted to press NOTA button, and in chief minister Raman Singh's home district Rajnandgaon, 32,384 people chose NOTA.

NOTA, a prime concern for political parties

The second phase of polling for the 2018 Chhattisgarh Assembly election is only a few days away. The BJP and the Congress are not the prominent parties in the poll arena this time. There is a formidable third front of former chief minister Ajit Jogi's Janata Congress Chhattisgarh, the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) is also in the fray.

Then there are the smaller or new parties in the battle, such as the AAP, the Marxist Communist Party and the Gondwana Republican Party. Yet, the concern of political parties in many areas is more closely related to NOTA.

This is because there were seven seats in the previous Assembly election where NOTA got more votes than the difference of defeat between candidates. Apart from this, there were 10 seats where NOTA got over 5,000 votes.

Yogendra Yadav, an election analyst and president of Swaraj India party, explains this by saying that people are looking for an alternative which is not available, so they are heading towards NOTA.

People stood in line and did not hesitate to vote for NOTA and this shows a deep disappointment towards our politicians, he adds.

Three years ago, during the byelection for the Assembly seat of Antagarh in Chhattisgarh, voters picked NOTA as their second choice. According to the result of the bypoll, BJP candidate Bhojraj Nag got 63,616 votes, while the number of voters who pressed NOTA was 13,506. Rupadar Poudo, the only rival of Nag, from Ambedkarite Party of India, got 12,086 votes and was at number three position.

Some statistics

The impact of NOTA in Chhattisgarh can be ascertained by the result on some seats.

Rampukar Singh, minister in the previous Ajit Jogi government, won the Pathalgaon seat in 2003 with a thin margin of votes against BJP's Vishnudev Sai. In the next election in 2008, Singh won again, getting 64,543 votes against Sais 54,627. But in 2013, NOTA played spoiler.

Singh got 67,576 votes, while BJP's Shivshankar Painkra got 71,485 votes. Singh lost by 3,909 votes while NOTA got 5,533 votes!

In Dharasinva in 2008, BJP's Devji Bhai Patel won the seat and then again in 2013, but NOTA reduced his victory margin from 6,339 to 2,390. NOTA got 3,740 votes.

Similarly in 2008, BJP's Nandkumar Sahu won Raipur Rural by 2,979 votes. He was fielded again by the BJP in 2013 but NOTA got 3,524 votes. Sahu lost to Congress candidate Satyanarayan Sharma by 1,861 votes.

On Kawardha seat, the chief ministers home district, BJP's Siyaram Sahu won by 10,408 votes in 2008. In 2013, over fears of anti-incumbency wave, the party fielded Ashok Sahu. NOTA bagged 9,229 votes and Ashok won, but with a victory margin of just 2,558. Experts believe that if the BJP had not changed the candidate, they would have lost the seat.

In 2008, BJP's Komal Janghel won the Khairagarh seat by 19,544 votes. She was fielded again in 2013, against Girvar Janghel of the Congress. In a tough battle, NOTA got 4,643 votes and Janghel was defeated by 2,190 votes.

BJP's Kheduram Sahu won by 9,407 votes in the 2008 Assembly elections from Dongargaon seat. In 2013, Dinesh Gandhi contested on the BJP ticket and lost to Congress' Dalheshwar Sahoo by 1,698 votes. Here, NOTA had got 4,062 votes.

In Dantewada, Congress' Devati Karma had won by 5,987 votes, but there were 9,677 people who voted for NOTA. In the same way, Congress's Mohan Marakam in Kondagaon won by 5,135 votes, while 6,773 people preferred NOTA.

In Chitrakot constituency coming under the Maoist-hit Bastar, Congress's Deepak Baij got a total of 50,303 votes while the people had given 10,848 votes in the favour of NOTA.

Accident, ignorance or curiosity?

In the previous Assembly election, Congress candidate Mohammad Akbar, who lost Kawardha seat by 2,558 votes, blamed the electronic voting machine for his defeat. He believed that reversing the voting machine had confused voters, so much so that he has now requested the Election Commission to ensure that the machine is kept in an upside position this election.

According to Akbar, his name was at the top of the voting machine, but where the machine was kept in a downward position, his name came down, and on top was the NOTA button. The people were told that they could choose to vote for Akbar by pressing on the first top button on the machine, so they ended up pressing the NOTA option.

Yet another explanation for too many votes for NOTA was offered by CPI candidate Manish Kunjam from Konta Assembly seat.

In tribal-dominated areas, there is little awareness about the voting machine, and the number of people who press the first or last button on the machine is high. If ballot paper is used for voting, you will not see NOTA figuring anywhere, Kunjam says.

BJP spokesman Sanjay Srivastava says that since NOTA was added as an option for the first time in 2013, the effect was seen in the immediate election. Out of curiosity, people pressed the NOTA button. But this time it will not happen, he insists.

For Subrata Sahu, Chief Electoral Officer, Chhattisgarh, the matter of NOTA is of no concern. Whichever candidate the voter chooses, or whether he or she presses the button for NOTA, it is their discretion, he says.

The author is a freelance writer and a member of 101reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reportersAICC in-charge of party affairs in Telangana R C Khuntia said nominees for the remaining seats would be declared by 15 November.

Hyderabad: The first list of Congress candidates for the coming Telangana Assembly election has evoked criticism from aspirants who failed to get a berth.

The party announced the list of 65 nominees late on Monday for the 7 December election to the 119-member Assembly.

Even as AICC in-charge of party affairs in the state R C Khuntia on Tuesday said the nominees for the remaining segments would be declared by 15 November, some aspirants who failed to get the ticket aired their disappointment publicly.

Bikshapati Yadav, former MLA from Serilingampalli seat Hyderabad, was disappointed as his constituency had been allotted to the TDP, a partner in the Congress-led alliance.

Saying that he has already conducted a 'padayatra' in the constituency and wondered whether this was the recognition one gets for having worked for the party. "Is this the result the party gives for having served it?" he asked talking to reporters here.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had earlier talked about not giving tickets to those "who land in a parachute" at the time of elections but "what happened now", he said.

Former minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who had also served as the PCC president, rushed to Delhi as his name did not find a place in the first list. Prominent backward classes leader R Krishnaiah sharply criticised the Congress, accusing it of not giving adequate number of seats to those belonging to backward classes. He claimed that leadership from backward classes was not being allowed to grow.

TRS has also not done justice to the backward classes, he alleged. Khuntia, however, said Congress would give more seats to backward classes than the TRS.

"(On) the talk about backward communities, KCR (TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao) declared 105 and gave 19. We have given 13 (in 65). In the remaining seats, we will give more seats to backward communities than KCR," he said.

Talking to reporters in Delhi, he also said, the complete list, in his view, will come by day after tomorrow (November 15)".

Congress is leading the "grand alliance" in which the TDP, the CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) are the other partners. The party has decided to leave 25 seats - 14 to the TDP, eight to TJS and three to the CPI.CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday announced that his party will ally with DMK in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday announced that his party will ally with DMK in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

"We have decided today that in Tamil Nadu we will be with the DMK in the forthcoming elections. We are together on the issue of saving the unity, integrity and harmony of the people of India and the country's constitutional institutions," ANI quoted Yechury as saying.

Yechury made this announcement after meeting DMK president MK Stalin at the latter's residence in Chennai.

He said that more than the leaders' 'attitude', it was "people from the ground" who would 'push' them to save India, making them come together.

Responding to actor Rajinikanth's statement, virtually backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a 'strong' man electorally, Yechury referred to the earlier defeats of the late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2004 and his successor Manmohan Singh in 2014.

Asked about attempts being made by Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, N Chandrababu Naidu and Mamata Banerjee respectively, to cobble together anti-BJP fronts and if a 'mahagatbandhan' (mega alliance) would become a reality, he said "it will."

Political parties would be able to iron out their differences for this purpose, he said.

"More than the attitude of the leaders, it is the people from the ground who will push all the leaders to come together to save India. And it will happen," Yechury said.

He said it was important for all secular-minded parties who value Indian democracy, the Indian republic and unity of the people to come together in defense of the country, and on that basis, to create a better India.

"That is the objective that both Stalin and I share along with all other leaders... we have a common objective and this is going to be done along with all the other secular democratic forces in the country," he said.

"We are all together on this one issue of saving India today, saving Indian institutions, saving India's constitutional order, saving the unity, integrity and harmony of our people," Yechury added.

Asked if his party would be a part of an alliance whose constituents could be the Trinamool Congress or Congress, the veteran Communist leader said "alliances in India have and will always take place primarily at the state level first."

"Then on that basis, the national alliance will emerge," he said, adding "things happen only after elections" at the national level, indicating at the possibility of a post-poll arrangement.

The CPM leader had earlier also alleged that BJP was damaging and destroying the country's institutions.

"The role of top BJP leadership in damaging and destroying the country's institutions is unparalleled in India's history. This is needed to further the RSS's unconstitutional agenda. Their nefarious designs have to be, and will be defeated," Yechury had tweeted.

"That the CBI is particularly under the spotlight should not surprise us. After all, it was the agency investigating the BJP party president for a very serious charge. No prizes for guessing how and why his name was 'cleared' under a dark cloud," he had alleged.

Yechury had alleged that a number of "compromised officials" with dubious records were inducted into top agencies in the past four years.

He had claimed it was not just due to poor governance "but due to a malafide intention to target political opposition and save their own under investigation".

With inputs from PTIHiralal Alawa says Congress gave him a ticket because the party is 100% sure that he will be able to win the Dhar seat.

Dhar: Jay Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS), a revolution of ideologies, started gaining momentum a few months ago with the leadership of Hiralal Alawa, a former rheumatologist from AIIMS Delhi, who actively spoke for tribal welfare in the reserved constituency of Dhar. However, the momentum came to a standstill after Alawa joined the Congress and filed his nominations from Manawar Assembly constituency on 9 November.

Alawa was accompanied by Congress stalwart Digvijaya Singh, who flew in from New Delhi to show his support and calm down rebel candidates coming out strongly against an outside candidate.

A Congress ticket to Alawa, while sidelining local candidates who had worked for the party, shocked everyone. While organising rallies and gatherings across Madhya Pradesh, Alawa had claimed that he would fight for the rights of the tribals by contesting 40 reserved constituencies across the state, independently. He, however, joined Congress, leaving JAYS divided into two groups. Some JAYS seniors in the organisation claim that this is not a political outfit but a social organisation, and the ones who want to make it political, will be automatically terminated from the organisation based on the pre-decided guidelines. Those who support Alawa, however, think that change can only be brought by contesting elections and making an Adivasi Sarkar.

In a freewheeling chat with 101Reporters for Firstpost, Alawa opens up on JAYS and his political career.

What will happen to JAYS now? Have you joined Congress? Who will be the national convener now?

JAYS is a revolution and it will always go on. Accepting a ticket from Congress party doesnt mean that my thinking has changed. I was the one who made JAYS and its remote control is with me. Although I cannot participate in rallies and gatherings, I will always support the people. There are some differences of opinions and the JAYS members who were also trying to get a ticket from different constituencies of Dhar district are offended. It was very difficult to get a ticket while tackling nepotism, groupism etc. and being chosen by the party from a list of local leaders from the area. I was not even a member of Congress then. Now that I have bagged the ticket, next is winning the seat.

As the national convener of JAYS, you had promised thousands of tribals that you would fight for their welfare. After you were selected by Congress, not even a single JAYS-backed candidate filed their nominations independently. Why is that?

Joining Congress does not mean I have changed my decision and dont want to work for the welfare of the tribals. That is the reason why I wanted to enter into politics in the first place. That will be my agenda always. JAYS members have every right to do whatever they want. They would have received my support had they contested from these constituencies. They, however, chose to support me instead.

What will happen to Ab Ki Baar Adivasi Sarkar -- the tagline given by you?

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary, Digvijaya Singh, had come to Manawar, where he made a promise in front of everyone to work for the tribals of the state. Adivasiyo ka hit hi Congress ka hit hai, he had said.

In order to help you strike a chord with the local Congress workers and make the party rebellion stop, Digvijaya Singh had to fly in to show his support. Do you think this helped in bettering your relations with the Congress leaders from Manawar who were feeling betrayed?

The local Congress leaders who had worked in the area and expected a ticket felt bad after being denied a ticket from Manawar. Singhs visit helped us a lot in striking a balance with the other Congress workers in the area. Like Digvijaya Singh said, Many candidates had asked for a ticket from this seat but keeping in mind the favorable conditions for the party, the ticket was given to Alawa. This is not a fight of a candidate but that of ideology. I believe in what he said.

It is an assumption that by giving you a ticket, Congress not only strategically killed your career, they made sure that by your acceptance, JAYS was divided in two groups. What do you think?

I think all these are rumours spread by the people who are jealous of me. Nothing of that sort has happened. Congress gave me a ticket because they were 100% sure that I will be able to bag the seat. About JAYS, it is a social group and we have our differences, but we respect one another.

Vyapam whistleblower Anand Rai, who was instrumental in arranging meetings for you in New Delhi with Rahul Gandhi and the Congress biggies and acted as a mediator for an alliance, was sidelined and denied a ticket from Indore. Do you think that was the right decision?

This was not right. He was promised a ticket by party seniors and at the last moment was denied. I spoke to all the senior leaders and told them about my views on this. I was promised by them that they would consider giving him some position in the government.

How did JAYS members feel when you told them that you are joining Congress?

I have not quit being a part of JAYS. Like I said, JAYS is not a political party, it is an organisation of ideologies and I will always be a part of it. When I told them that I was joining Congress, they were happy because we all needed someone who could represent us at Vidhan Sabha.

What are your plans for future and how will you use your position if you win Manawar Assembly seat?

I am sure that with the help of tribals, I will be able to bag the seat. All the promises that I had made to the tribals while campaigning for JAYS will all be fulfilled once I win from this seat. My focus will be unemployment, migration of young talents from these districts, education, health facilities, forest rights and PESA. Because of the lack of proper educational institutions in these districts, the youngsters are forced to go to other cities, I will make sure that really good institutes set their base here. I will also work for the development of a medical institute here. We will work for the upliftment of tribals and towards resolving their displacement problems.

The author is a member of 101reporters.com.Anil Gote, who represents the Dhule Assembly seat in Maharashtra, said that he will tender his resignation next week.

Mumbai: Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Anil Gote has announced his resignation as member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly as well as from the BJP, alleging that "criminals" were being inducted into the party.

Gote, who represents the Dhule Assembly seat in Maharashtra, said on Monday that he will tender his resignation next week.

Last month, another BJP legislator had resigned as member of the state Assembly and from the party. Gote has been opposing induction of some leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) into the BJP.

"I am going to tender my resignation to the Assembly Speaker on 19 November, first day of the state legislature's winter session, and also quit the party," he said.

"Despite my opposition, senior party leaders have been inducting people with criminal background into the BJP ahead of Dhule Municipal Corporation election," Gote said.

If these people get elected, they will "ruin" Dhule city with their corrupt practices, he claimed.

He also said that he will contest the mayoral election in the Dhule civic body next month.

Gote had won the 2009 Assembly election as an Independent and joined the BJP ahead of the 2014 state polls.

He was arrested earlier in connection with the counterfeit stamp paper scam involving kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi, and is now out on bail.

Last month, BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh, a staunch proponent of separate Vidarbha state, had resigned as member of the Assembly and from the party's primary membership.

He was an MLA from Katol constituency in Nagpur district.It's not only the geographical and social features that sets the Bundelkhand region apart from the rest of Madhya Pradesh, leaders believe the electoral politics is also much different here

Datia: It's not only the geographical and social features that sets the Bundelkhand region apart from the rest of Madhya Pradesh, leaders believe the electoral politics is also much different here with the fight not being limited to the arch-rivals BJP and Congress.

Just like its treacherous hill roads, the region is expected to see an interesting poll battle. Some leaders claim that non-BJP parties have even resorted to 'friendly fights' on some seats to stop the saffron party from taking advantage of non-consolidation of votes for a joint opposition candidate due to complex caste equations in the area dominated by Dalits and other backward castes.

Given the geographical and cultural proximity of over two dozen Assembly seats in this area to the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, two key political parties with a strong presence in the state across the border  Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party  are leaving no stones unturned in challenging the ruling BJP.

The four bordering districts of Bundelkhand region  Sagar, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Panna  and two districts of Chambal Zone  Datia and Shivpuri  together send 30 MLAs to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly. Out of this, the BJP has got 22 and the Congress has 8 seats in the outgoing Assembly.

As the election campaign heats up for the 28 November elections across 230 Assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, where BJP has been in power for 15 years thwarting every challenge so far from the Congress, the observers feel it may not be a traditional direct fight between these two parties in the areas along the UP border.

The reasons cited by poll pundits range from caste equations to cultural and social influence of the neighbouring areas from Uttar Pradesh, as also a strong campaign being mounted by the SP and the BSP and what many political leaders call an 'undeclared understanding' these two parties have reached with the Congress to take on the saffron party unitedly without forging a "visible alliance".

The opposition leaders insist that the anti-incumbency factor against the 15-year BJP rule is much more prominent in the Bundelkhand region, as compared to the rest of Madhya Pradesh, being far off from the state capital Bhopal. Also, the region has larger dominance of the SC/ST and other backward classes.

Datia MLA Narottam Mishra, a prominent minister in the Shivraj Singh government, however rejected the anti-incumbency factor, citing the development work done by the BJP Government.

Mishra said the election is going to be rather easy this time, compared to the last three Assembly polls, as "historical development work" has been done by the state government in the Bundelkhand region.

He also dismissed any challenge from the 'joint' opposition challenge and said none of these parties would be visible after elections.

Mishra said these parties tried a similar strategy in last elections but voters rejected their "gimmicks" and voted for development schemes of the BJP government that helps all sections of the society.

He further said people in the neighboring Uttar Pradesh are also praising the developmental work done in Bundelkhand and it is the rejected leaders of the SP and the BSP from Uttar Pradesh who are looking for a political future in Madhya Pradesh through this region.

The SP is focussing on all six districts of Bundelkhand in Madhya Pradesh (which include Damoh and Datia also) and the BSP has fielded candidates in the Chambal and Vindhya regions also, along with the Bundelkhand region.

The BSP has four MLAs in the outgoing Assembly  two from Satna district in Vindhya area and two from Morena district of Chambal area.

The BSP has given ticket to all four sitting MLAs and two former MLAs too. The SP has has fielded a former MLA from Niwari constituency in the Tikamgarh district.

The BSP's Bundelkhand in-charge Mukesh Ahirwar said the party is contesting all 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh. He said the party is in a strong position in Bundelkhand therefore a key focus area.

The BSP president Mayawati will start poll campaign on 21 November from Morena and will address public rallies over two days in Bundelkhand, Chambal and Vindhya region, Ahirwar said.

A senior SP leader said the party's main focus is to defeat the BJP, for which it has an understanding with the Congress and BSP for some seats, asserting a formal alliance was not preferable due to complex caste equations of the area.

He said a joint candidate against the BJP on all seats would have actually benefited the saffron party and therefore they have opted for a "friendly fight".

Balakram Yadav, a senior leader of Congress party's Bundelkhand unit, said he is confident of a "strategic success" in these elections. He said the over-confidence of the ruling BJP would prove to be detrimental for the saffron party and the people's anger will reflect in their votes.

Rejecting the BJP's claims of development works in the region, Yadav said they were limited to a few cities and the farmers are facing a major crisis in the agriculture-dominated rural areas of Bundelkhand region due to drought and fuel price hike while youths are being compelled to migrate because of unemployment.Nagaur MLA Habibur Rahman said he has mailed his resignation to the party's state president Madan Lal Saini.

Jaipur: A BJP MLA whose name was dropped from the first list of candidates for the Rajasthan Assembly elections resigned from the party on Tuesday, a day after the resignation of state minister Surendra Goyal.

Nagaur MLA Habibur Rahman said he has mailed his resignation to the party's state president Madan Lal Saini.

"I resigned from the party's primary membership and forwarded the resignation to the party' state president today (Tuesday). There is discontent among my supporters against the party's decision to drop my name this time, therefore I took this decision," Rahman told PTI.

He said he was in Delhi, where he will meet his supporters to decide the future course of action.

A few other sitting BJP MLAs, who also did not make it to the list, expressed dissatisfaction over the party's decision.

Ramganj Mandi MLA Chandrakanta Meghwal said she will contest the election as an independent candidate. "My name was dropped and the party announced some other candidate from my constituency. I have no idea why the party did this to me. I will file nomination as independent candidate from my constituency," she said.

A two-time MLA Sanjana Agri also expressed surprise over being denied a ticket. "I brought Scheduled Castes' votes to the party's fold in the last 15 years and won the last election with a margin of over 20,000 votes. The decision to drop my name is surprising for me and for the Meghwal community. The community has significant influence in my constituency, but the party gave the ticket to a candidate who has a votebank of just a few hundreds," she said.

The Sojat MLA said she will make all efforts to get a ticket by 18 November and will continue to work for the party even she is denied one. "I would be serving my party, but the Meghwal community people are unhappy with the decision," she said.

Dungarpur MLA Devendra Katara said he will take a decision by evening, after discussing the matter with party workers.

The BJP released its first list of candidates for the 7 December assembly polls on Sunday night.

The party announced the names of 131 out of the total 200 candidates. It retained 85 sitting MLAs and dropped 26.

Goyal, a five-time BJP MLA, resigned as the state's public health engineering and ground water minister and from the party on Monday night as someone else was given the ticket from his constituency.Rajnikanth, who is looking to make his official political debut soon, had ruffled a lot of feathers in Tamil Nadu politics after he said on Monday that 'if all Opposition parties are coming together against the saffron party, it 'must be a dangerous party.'

Rajinikanth, who is looking to make his electoral debut soon, has ruffled many feathers in Tamil Nadu politics by his recent comment on the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The actor-turned-politician had said on Monday, "if all Opposition parties are coming together against the saffron party, it must be a dangerous party."

However, as the media picked up his comments, he soon clarified on his remarks on Tuesday in a press conference. Speaking to reporters in Chennai, the actor, who had announced his decision to enter politics at the beginning of 2018, said that it is for the voters to decide whether the BJP is a dangerous party or not. He further added that he had just said that the "united Opposition" thinks that BJP is a "dangerous party".

"I was asked if BJP was a dangerous party. I answered that the united front thinks it is a dangerous party. If it is a dangerous party or not the voters will decide," he said.

Earlier, the DMK had hinted at an understanding between BJP and Rajinikanth, calling the actor BJP's "puppet", a Hindustan Times report stated.

However, that wasn't the only time that talk of Rajinikanth's so-called inclination towards the BJP made headlines.

In 2017, Union minister Nitin Gadkari had said that the actor should "think about the BJP" as there is an "appropriate place for him in the party."

After Rajinikanth announced his entry into politics, Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan had told the media that the actor's proposed party would be a part of the NDA in 2019.

However, for now, Rajinikanth said that he will express his political opinion only when he makes a full-fledged entry into the political arena.French oil major Total is in talks with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) to develop the Abu Dhabi petrochemicals and downstream sector, said the president Total E&P UAE- Total country chair in the UAE.



"We are a company for whom Adnoc is very important. Adnoc has been going through huge changes over the past period and Total is very interested in working with Adnoc in terms of petrochemicals and downstream, Hatem Nuseibeh told the Emirates News Agency (Wam) on the sidelines of the 21st edition of Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec).



As our CEO said in the recent Downstream Forum, talks are ongoing between the two companies in this respect," he added.



Adipec, which opened yesterday (November 12) at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) .



"Adnoc is expanding its partnership with various international oil companies to benefit from their technical know-how and TOTAL is one of them. We are bringing in our technical expertise to help Adnoc reach its goal," Nuseibeh said.



Nuseibeh commended the concessions agreement signed this week with Adnoc as a "big step on the path to develop the gas resources in the country."



"Its rather a natural agreement. We have been here in this country since 1939, operating on offshore and onshore concessions. Total is continuing this longstanding partnership through this agreement, which is a significant step on the development of unconventional resources in this country, especially that unconventional resources is something new in the UAE. Total is the first international company to pioneer unconventional gas exploration in Abu Dhabi alongside Adnoc."



"We are going in line with Adnocs Vision to get the best technical expertise and develop its gas resources and fulfil its local demand for gas in preparation for the possibility of turning to a gas exporter in the future."



The agreement is a result of close cooperation between Adnoc and Total towards identifying ways of unlocking the unconventional gas potential in Abu Dhabi, Total bringing its expertise, personnel and technical know-how, he added.



On the current conditions of the global oil market, Nuseibeh declined to make any price forecasts.



"Our CEO has told us a message that we cannot control prices but can control our expenditure. TOTAL is not only controlling its OPEX but rather changing it expenditure culture. Even when prices were very down, we managed to be successful thanks to our cost control policy. We will continue to control our expenditure in a way that enables us to survive the industry challenges, he said.There is an unambiguous political ideology distinction emerging in Tamil Nadu. On one side you have superstar Rajinikanth, an actor who has openly shown fealty to the Bharatiya Janata Party  especially with his latest comment about how the Opposition should be scared of the BJP. Then there is Kamal Haasan.

There is an unambiguous political ideology distinction emerging in Tamil Nadu. On one side, you have "Superstar" Rajinikanth, an actor who has openly shown fealty to the Bharatiya Janata Party  especially with his latest comment about how the Opposition should be scared of the BJP. Then there is Kamal Haasan, another superstar, who launched his political outfit, Makkal Needhi Maiam, in February this year and has thrown his weight behind "secular forces".

The two Tamil actors, who are fundamentally different even in the kinds of films they pick and characters they portray onscreen, have maintained their radically different views in the political arena, as well. Rajinikanth and Kamal have made noticeable strides in Tamil politics, and as a few reports have claimed, the duo have taken the sheen off many established political parties in the state.

Rajinikanth, who has not yet officially announced allegiance to any party, was caught in a controversy after his comments on demonetisation and the BJP. "The demonetisation scheme was not implemented properly. We need to have a larger discussion on it."

He had also said, "If all Opposition parties are coming together against the saffron party, it must be a dangerous party."

However, as the media picked up his comments, he soon clarified his remarks. "I was asked whether the BJP was a dangerous party. I answered that the united front thinks it is a dangerous party. Whether it is a dangerous party or not, voters will decide," Rajinikanth said.

While everything thing said and done in politics these days seems to be inching towards the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it will be interesting to watch the two paths that the two film stalwarts take. Here are a few factors that will define their political allegiances in future.

That the two actors will never politically join hands was stowed away as an idea when Kamal said there was a hue of saffron in Rajinikanths politics, and until that changed, he wouldn't enter into an alliance with the south superstar.

"There is a hue of saffron in Rajinis politics. If that doesn't change, then I don't see an alliance with him. We are good friends, but politics is different," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Kamal Haasan and secular forces: 'I will find another country that is secular'

Way before he forayed into national politics, Kamal never shied away from speaking his mind, even if his comments were political in nature. In 2013, upset over the hurdles caused by the ban on the release of his film Vishwaroopam, Kamal had said Tamil Nadu does not want him to stay in the state.

"If MF Hussain can do it, Kamal Haasan will do it... I am fed up. I am an artiste. After that, I will have to seek a secular State for my stay... Secular state from Kashmir to Kerala, excluding Tamil Nadu... Tamil Nadu wants me out."

The drama is unmistakable, and one wonders why didn't Kamal join politics faster.

By 2017, there were a slew of legal cases piling up against Kamal. A petition was filed in the Madras High Court, asking the court to direct the Commissioner of Police in Chennai to file a case against the actor and investigate his views on "Hindu terrorism".

In November last year, answering Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who had asked the actor to reflect on efforts by right-wing groups to dilute Tamil/Dravidian culture in a column in Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan, the actor said, "Hindus cannot challenge others to show extremists among them since extremism has spread to that extent even among the Hindus. Hindus are losing faith in the principle of 'Satyameva Jayate', and instead, they are subscribing to 'Might is Right.'"

Political analyst RK Radhakrishnan said: "His anti-BJP position is consistent. He wants to channelise the anger among the people against the BJP. We have to note that even the DMK has not used the term 'Hindu terror' ever. Kamal can say it without fear because unlike many, he is not scared of income tax raids."

Another case, regarding the same statement, was filed against the actor in Varanasi, and Kamal even said he would visit Uttar Pradesh and meet people in Varanasi if the court summoned him. "There is nothing to be ashamed of here. I have started my journey towards people, and this is part of it."

A few months later, in February, Kamal launched his political party.

In May 2017, a PIL was filed against Kamal at the Thirunelveli district court by the Hindu Munnani Katchi for allegedly hurting the Hindu sentiments. In an interview to a regional channel, Kamal had said, "The country reads about the book in which a woman (Draupadi) was used as a pawn and gambled away." The direct dig at the Mahabharata was not taken lightly.

Rajinikanth and his 'soft' Hindutva pitch

The superstar has been a lot more restrained with his words and political views, which is why there have been speculations for the longest time about whether Rajinikanth will ally with the BJP, or the AIADMK, or the DMK, or like Kamal, or float his own party. But right now, the superstar's political stand is pretty clear.

In December 2017, Rajini confirmed his entry into Tamil Nadu's fractured politics. This was, for the first time, that the charismatic actor, who enjoys a cult status in the Tamil film industry, officially stated his stand on taking a political plunge. Addressing his fans in Chennai, Rajinikanth had said that his entry into politics is "definite".

He had said he would start his own political party before the Assembly elections, adding that his party will contest all the 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu. There has been no word on the independent political party since.

While spelling out his plans to enter the political arena, the veteran actor sought a structural change in the politics of Tamil Nadu. "Democracy is in bad shape right now. All other states have been making fun of us (Tamil Nadu). I will feel guilty if I don't make this decision now."

Quoting a shloka from the Bhagavad Gita that stresses the importance of doing one's duty and leaving the rest to the Lord, Rajinikanth had said his decision was a "compulsion of time".

"It's time for a truthful, transparent political party. That is my desire, and no one can stand in my way. To start and contest an election with a new party is going to be difficult, but the love and support of my Tamil people will prove my decision right," Rajinikanth had said.

His announcement came amid political uncertainty in Tamil Nadu after former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's death in December 2016. Rajinikanth's announcement was a big deal, but the happiest among all was the BJP.

The BJP unit chief in Tamil Nadu, Tamilisai Soundararajan, had tweeted, welcoming the actor.

Welcome actor Rajinikanths political entry with motto of corruption free good governance which is the sole aim of BJP  Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan (@DrTamilisaiBJP) December 31, 2017

The Indian Express also quoted her as saying that Rajinikanth will support the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It is to be noted that the BJP and Rajinikanth's connection goes a long way. Just before Tamil Nadu voted in the Lok Sabha election in 2014, Narendra Modi had met Rajinikanth at his residence, but the meeting was considered only a "courtesy call".

Two months after Jayalalithaa passed away, Soundararajan had said the list of those joining the BJP was "growing". Back then, calling the party the "last hope for the nation's growth and to provide a corruption-free administration", Soundarajan had claimed that "several anti-corruption crusaders, philanthropists and neutral public figures were joining the party."

That BJP interest in Rajinikanth's entry into Tamil politics can be gauged by Union minister Nitin Gadkari's statement. In an interview in May 2017, he had told News18, "He is welcome in politics, and it is my request to him to think about the BJP. There is an appropriate place for him in the party."

In June 2017, RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy, too, had hinted that Rajinikanth may join politics and back the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Speaking to The Times of India, Gurumurthy had said Rajinikanth can be the next MGR of Tamil Nadu politics.

There is a major reason why the BJP has been much more inclined towards Rajinikanth than any other actor. As noted by political analyst TS Sudhir: "For the BJP, Rajinikanth is the only winnable choice. Kamal Haasan could have been an option, but he is seen as too much of a 'straight shooter' in BJP circles. Kamal has a mind of his own and is an atheist, and both won't work for the BJP. Another star, Vijay, whose popularity is second only to Rajinikanth and Haasan and is known to have a political interest, was also considered."Security forces said it was more of a challenge to bring people out to vote in the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections as people were hesitant to step out due to the Naxal threat to boycott the polls.

Raipur: The 18 seats that went to polls in first phase of the elections to the Chhattisgarh Assembly saw a drop of more than 18 percent in voter turnout, despite all out efforts by the state and central governments to motivate tribals to exercise their franchise in the red corridor areas of Chhattisgarh.

The press note released by Chief Election Officer of Chhattisgarh Subrat Sahu on Monday evening tallied the voter turnout at the 10 "highly sensitive" constituencies where voting was held between 7 am and 3 pm at 52 percent, and the turnout at the remaining eight constituencies at 70.08 percent. The average voting percentage for the first phase of 2018 Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh stood at 60.49 percent, against the 78.8 percent voter turnout recorded in these 18 constituencies in the 2013 Assembly elections.

Several factors, including the Naxal threat to boycott the elections and the resentment for both Congress and BJP legislators, seem to have contributed to this fall in voter numbers. The prime concern for election authorities was to avoid any loss of life in the polling process, in the aftermath of several brazen Naxal attacks in the run-up to the first phase of the polls.

The Naxal resistance was such that two encounters broke out even on polling day  in the Padema area of Bijapur and in Sukma  resulting in the deaths of six insurgents and injuring five security personnel, who had to be airlifted to Jagdalpur. An IED blast was also triggered before polling began, targeting security forces near a booth in Tumakpal-Nayanar Road in Katekalyan area, but no injuries were reported. IED devices were found near polling booths at a couple of other locations in Bijapur and in Bhanupratappur in Kanker and were defused by bomb disposal squads.

Total boycott in some areas

Election Commission officials said the electorate boycotted the polls in some interior areas of Kanker and Sukma districts.

"The list is being prepared, and we are waiting for the polling parties to return. One such village where the villagers boycotted voting is Aamapani in Kanker. The villagers there were angry about their polling booth being shifted to Thema. As per initial information, our officers tried a lot to convince them, but no one from the village turned up to vote," said an election observer, who had come to Kanker from Lucknow on election duty and requested anonymity.

Karuna Shukla, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's niece and the Congress candidate from Rajnandgaon who is challenging incumbent Chief Minister Raman Singh in his home turf, said the low voter turnout reflects the failure of the state machinery.

"In the early hours (of Monday), there were reports that EVMs had malfunctioned at many places, and this was only where TV channels could reach. But what about the interior areas where the media could not reach? We got information that voting started after 10.00 am at many places. So all these factors could be responsible for the fall in voter turnout," Shukla explained.

However, BJP candidate from Jagdalpur, Santosh Kumar Bafna, refused to accept that the voter turnout has dropped, claiming that the "actual" turnout would be higher. "Let polling parties who are still inside the jungle return. Then the Election Commission will be able to compile the exact data. It is too early to comment on this," Bafna said.

The constituencies that recorded the largest decline in voter turnout compared to figures from the last Assembly elections were Antagarh (33.75 percent low voter turnout than 2013), Narayanpur (30.38 percent), Kondagaon (22.44 percent), Bhanupratappur (22.26 percent) and Keshkal (20.19 percent). Kanker (17.14 percent), Dongargaon (14.27 percent), Bastar (13.95 percent), Khairagarh (14.26 percent), Dantewada (13.03 percent), Khujji (13.01 percent) and Mohla-Manpur (13.52 percent) also saw a high fall in voter turnout.

Ironically, none of the 18 constituencies that went to polls in first phase registered a higher voter turnout than in the 2013 elections, rendering baseless the government's argument in favour of increasing paramilitary presence in the red corridor to include more tribals in the democratic set up.

However, security forces were successful in getting votes polled at booths set up at Bhejji, Kistaram and Banda in the Konta Assembly constituency in Sukma district, where zero votes were cast in the 2013 Assembly polls. In 2013, 53 polling booths across Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada in the Bastar division had registered zero votes.

The difference between the voter turnout compared to the last elections was the lowest, at 2.19 percent, in the Konta constituency, which saw 46.19 percent voter participation this year.

'More challenging to get people to vote'

A CRPF commandant from the CoBRA unit posted in Chitrakot, seeking anonymity, said the priority of the armed forces was to ensure that no life is lost during the election process.

"It was definitely a challenging task to ensure peaceful voting without the loss of any life, be it civilian or security personnel. We did our best, and few of our jawans sustained injuries. But the force is happy with the outcome as voting also happened in those places where it could not happen in the last term," he said.

It was more of a challenge to bring people out to vote, the CRPF official said. "We had to convince people that there is adequate number of forces on the ground to guard them, but they were still hesitant to step out. They only came out watching others," he added.

District collectors and returning officers in their respective constituencies declined to comment on the lower voting percentage recorded this year, saying the Election Commission would be able to answer these queries.

Mangal Kunjam, an actor who played the role of a journalist in Newton  a Hindi film that depicted the challenges in conducting free and fair voting at a booth located in a Naxal affected area in Chhattisgarh  did not cast his vote out of fear of the insurgents. A resident of Kiroli village in the Kirandul region of Naxal-hit Dantewada district, Kunjam said only a couple of people dared to vote in his village due to the boycott called by Naxals.

"The polling party took a couple of voters with them to the booth amid heavy security. This was done to avoid nil voting like in the last elections," the 27-year-old said.

Former Naxal Mainuram, who took up masonry after surrendering five years ago, voted in Narayanpur along with his wife, Rajbati. Voting is everyone's right, and one should practice it for a better government, the 40-year-old now believes. "There are a lot of security forces to guard us from Naxals and other anti-national forces. I am not scared of anyone because of the police and security forces, and others should also come out to exercise their franchise," Mainuram said while speaking to the media after casting his vote.

Ram Chandra Baghel, a 45-year-old voter from Chitrakot's Lohandiguda village did not vote because he wants "to live". He said only five out of 400 voters in his village exercised their franchise.

"Those five persons who went to vote are government employees, like school teachers and others, who were forced to vote. We know they were also scared," he said, adding that Naxals had dropped a parcha (pamphlet) in his village the night before polling, warning them to not participate in the election process.

"I did not vote because I want to live. Naxals had threatened us of dire consequences, and I want to live with my family. What is there in taking such a risk? Life is above everything," Baghel said.

Those who voted in Lohandiguda were not untouched by this fear. Kamal Madia, 28, one of the five voters from the village, said he was leaving the village for a few days because he could be punished by the Left-Wing Extremists.

"I do not want my finger to be chopped off. I regret voting. I don't know why I did it. I am going to Bastar for a few days, till this ink fades," said a frowning Madia, covering his inked finger.

Low turnout = fair polling?

The Election Commission said the total size of the electorate in the first phase of the polls to 18 constituencies was 31,80,014, of which 16,22,492 were women, 15,57,435 men and 87, the third gender. Polling took place at 4,341 booths.

Voting began at 7 am and closed by 3 pm in 10 "highly sensitive" constituencies  Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta  while it was held between 8 am and 5 pm in the other eight constituencies  Khairgarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot.

Dr Vikram Singh, an expert on political affairs in Chhattisgarh, said the higher voting percentage in the Bastar division in 2013 was due to the sympathy the Congress had gained among the people after the Darbha Valley attack, in which 12 party leaders were killed.

"The voting percentage in 2013 was high because at that time, the Jhiram (Ghati) incident had happened, where several people, including Congress leaders, were killed. That was a mobilising factor then, but there was nothing as such this time," Singh said, adding that another factor that could have kept voters away this year could be the intense anti-election campaign by Naxals, as they carried out at least 15 big and small attacks in the region in the run-up to the polls.

The Jhiram Ghati attack of 25 May, 2013, remains one of the deadliest Naxal attacks in the recent past. It claimed 27 lives, including those of Congress leaders Nand Kumar Patel, Vidya Charan Shukla and Mahendra Karma, who was brutally beaten, stabbed and sprayed by bullets by the Naxals. Political parties fielding the same candidates in these 18 seats was another reason behind the low excitement in the electorate, according to Dr Singh.

The low voter participation could also be a sign of fair polling, according to Raipur-based political commentator Ashok Tomar. "Chances of rigging increase when the voter turnout is higher, but this time, it is very much clear that there was fair voting," Tomar said, adding that the the threat of Naxals chopping off the fingers of those who voted may have also had an impact on the number of people venturing out to vote.

S No Constituency 2018 2013 Difference 1 Mohla Manpur 67% 80.52% 13.52% 2 Antagarh 43% 76.75% 33.75% 3 Bhanupratappur 57% 79.26% 22.26% 4 Kanker 62% 79.14% 17.14% 5 Keshkal 63.51% 83.70% 20.19% 6 Kondagaon 61.47% 83.91% 22.44% 7 Narayanpur 39.80% 70.18% 30.38% 8 Dantewada 49% 62.03% 13.03% 9 Bijapur 33% 44.68% 11.68% 10 Konta 46.19% 48.37% 2.19% 11 Khairagarh 70.14% 84.40% 14.26% 12 Dongargarh 71% 82.57% 11.57% 13 Rajnandgaon 70.50% 82.45% 11.95% 14 Dongargaon 71% 85.27% 14.27% 15 Khujji 72% 85.01% 13.01% 16 Bastar 70% 83.95% 13.95% 17 Jagdalpur 65% 73.21% 8.21% 18 Chitrakot 71% 78.90% 7.90%

Source: Chhattisgarh Chief Election Officer

The author is a freelance writer and member of 101reporters.comThe Maoist threat is quite categorical: postpone the Telangana Assembly elections to February or face violent disruption of the poll process if the Election Commission goes ahead with its decision to have a one-day state-wide voting on 7 December.

Hyderabad: The Maoist threat is quite categorical: postpone the Telangana Assembly elections to February or face violent disruption of the poll process if the Election Commission goes ahead with its decision to have a one-day state-wide voting on 7 December.

A four-page communique from the Maoists sent to the Bhupalpally Tahsildar Office has demanded that the elections be held in February to enable around 30 lakh young people to become eligible to vote. The Maoists have even laid out a detailed schedule for the Election Comission to follow: notification on 12 January, candidate nominations to close on 22 January, voting on 14 February and counting on 19 February.

The Maoist communique argues that this will enable lakhs of Intermediate, Degree, PG, B Tech, M Tech, B Ed, and TTC students to enroll themselves in the voters' list between 1 and 14 January, 2019, especially as the present electoral rolls do not include many unemployed youth. Maoists assure no violence if the elections are held as per their proposed schedules and plenty of it if their demand is ignored.

Surprisingly, Congress leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy, who filed a petition in Telangana High Court questioning the truncated revision of electoral rolls, agrees with the Maoist demand for poll postponement. I am not sure about 30 lakh new voters, he said, adding, But certainly, lakhs of youth will become voters if elections are held in February or March. Denying voting right to youths will distance them from democratic process.

The four-page poster/communique apart, Jayashankar Bhupalpally village and some others  particularly on the border with Chhattisgarh  are witnessing a rash of posters and banners urging villagers to boycott the December polls. Though this is not the first time Maoists have put up such posters before an election, fear is beginning to grip the villagers after a landmine was found near a culvert under one such banner. The police, while clarifying that the landmine was a dummy without explosives or detonators, are nevertheless on high alert, conducting combing operations in the region.

There are 80 high sensitive polling booths in two Assembly constituencies  Mulugu and Bhupalpally in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district. "We are taking all measures to create awareness among the voters. There was a similar situation during the last elections but the polling was 78.46 percent. I do not think these posters will have any impact on the voters, says Jayashankar Bhupalpally district collector V Venkateswarlu.

Local politicians and candidates of all parties in areas like Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Peddapalli, Bhadrachalam, Kothagudem, Chennur, Manthani and Machiryala, which have a history of Maoist presence and activity, are a worried lot unlike in the past when such posters were largely ignored by all and had little impact on the electoral process.

Especially after the recent killing of a Telugu Desam Party MLA K Sarveshwara Rao and former MLA S Soma in Tottangi village in Araku Assembly constituency in Visakhapatnam district of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Though some, like Putta Madhukar, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) candidate from Manthani, put up a brave face, saying, The call to boycott elections has no relevance in democracy."

This view was echoed by Professor G Haragopal, activist and educationist, who said, There are no instances of boycotting elections, even in tribal areas where Maoists have some influence. Voters in these areas might not come to the polling stations fearing violence but they never boycotted the elections. In fact, Professor Haragopal says that the Maoists boycott call makes it easy for political parties. These parties have created an impression that those who do not vote are considered to be dead, he said. Also, as a boycott will not stop the election process, the common man considers participating in elections as a responsibility."

Political analyst and writer Telakapalli Ravi, criticising the Maoist boycott call, said that many leaders with Maoist background are playing a key role in the Telangana government. He added that Maoists in Telangana are losing their cadre. For example, Gaddar is expected to contest.

No one compares the situation in Telangana to that in Bastar. But observers do point out that candidates are being prevented from entering villagers, not due to any Maoist boycott call, but because of their own failure to fulfill their promises to voters. Money does influence voting, with all parties distributing money before polling day. The general view is that voters take money from all and end up pushing the NOTA option.

It is true that Maoists have some influence in rural areas, especially in tribal villages. They have put up banners and posters asking the authorities to postpone the elections and appealing to voters to boycott the elections. However, there will not be much impact of these posters and banners on the voters, says Bonala Surendrachari from Bhupalpally village.

While the Maoists, despite putting up boycott posters, have rarely reacted violently against voters in the past, authorities are not taking any chances. Police has increased security for candidates and asked political leaders not to venture into these areas without prior intimation. We have noticed banners and posters near Venkatapuram mandal, said Kumar Bhandari, sub-inspector, Venkatapuram. Combing operations are on for the last three months. We have not taken any extra security measures because of the recent posters and banners put up by Maoists. There were no Maoist activities in these areas till recently.

Authors are members of 101Reporters.comCPI on Tuesday said that it would announce candidates for three Assembly segments in Telangana.

Hyderabad: Softening stance on its share of seats in the "grand alliance" for the 7 December Assembly elections in Telangana, the CPI on Tuesday said that it would announce candidates for three Assembly segments.

CPI state secretary Chada Venkat Reddy told reporters in Hyderabad that the names of candidates from Husnabad, Wyra and Bellampalli would be announced on Wednesday.

The "grand alliance" comprises the Congress, TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS).

Expressing dissatisfaction over Congress "unilaterally" announcing that CPI would get three seats, the Left party had earlier said it would field candidates from five Assembly segments. The party had also named the five seats.

Chada Venkat Reddy on Tuesday said his party is seeking a constituency in Nalgonda district, in addition to the three.

A CPI statement later alleged that Congress has delayed seat-sharing with protracted consultations.

The delay would only hurt the "grand alliance", it said.

It wanted the Congress to complete seat sharing soon.

The statement said Chada Venkat Reddy would contest the elections and that Palla Venkat Reddy would function as in charge secretary.

Chada Venkat Reddy is most likely to contest from Husnabad.The political affiliations of students in Telangana have recently left many stumped.

Hyderabad: The political affiliations of students in Telangana have recently left many stumped.

Always in the thick of things  be it the Telangana movement of the 1960s or the recent resurgence of the right-wing in the state  students are now re-evaluating their ideologies, which is affecting their politics. The slow churning was evident last month when the right-wing ABVP won  nay swept  the students union elections in University of Hyderabad (HCU), a surprising trend for the Left stronghold varsity.

Most of Telangana's universities have been pivotal in state politics. The politically aware Osmania University (OU) has had more than 20 student organisations linked to political parties and has been the ground for a face-off between right-wing and left-wing groups, with students actively raising their voice on socio-economic issues and initiating agitations. Gone are the days though when most student organisations would stand by K Chandrashekar Rao, the states caretaker chief minister, bound by the common desire for state formation. Now, KCR is said to have lost his grip on student outfits which were his strength during the 2009 Telangana agitation.

Not just that, there has been a massive drift in ideologies of student organisations since the formation of the state.

Upheaval at Osmania University

Manga Anji, a PhD scholar from OU and an ABVP (RSS student wing) activist, points out that the traditional ideological fight between the right and left-wing has come down in the university because of the scattering in left unions and caste-based unions. Anji insisted that left-wing unions had lost their credibility because of their caste-based and opportunistic politics.

ABVP is continuously fighting for the welfare of students and issues in the field of education, which made the outfit the single-largest organisation at the national level, he said. He also highlighted the fallout of the 1988 ban on student union elections in state varsities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, saying the "atmosphere of healthy competition is lacking among students unions because of the long ban."

According to Shanker, another PhD research scholar from OU, and an AISF (CPI-affiliated) activist, unions once used to dominate state politics but are now confined to the university because of lack of political awareness among the new crop of students.

At the time of elections, unions used to mobilise students through ideological debates and meetings. Though union elections were banned, the trend of choosing left or right-wing ideology remained, he said. He blamed poor academic atmosphere and politics based on Dalit, Bahujan or Ambedkarist movements as the reason behind dilution of student politics. He also stressed on the need for students to unite to achieve political power which could change the fate of the downtrodden.

The case of HCU and Rohith Vemula

Union elections are currently being held in only two central universities  HCU and Hyderabads English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU). Of these, HCU has been in the limelight ever since the suicide of scholar Rohith Vemula two years ago and the ensuing focus on student politics.

Events at HCU are since eagerly watched by political parties and analysts. The university has long been a stronghold of the Students Federation of India (SFI), a wing of the CPM. In 2017, the Ambedkar Students Association joined hands with SFI, cobbling up the Alliance for Social Justice, and won all key union posts. But last month, after eight long years, the ABVP and its alliance partners  OBCF (Other Backward Caste Federation) and SLVD (Sevalal Vidhyarthi Dal)  rode to power in the students union polls, marking a drastic shift in the ideological orientation of students.

The poll results, where ABVP won four out of the six posts with OBCF and SLVD winning one each, clearly highlight the shift in political dynamics, which may also be reflected in the upcoming state elections in 2018 and general elections in 2019. Talking about Vemula, Karan Palsaniya, PhD research scholar at HCU and ABVPs south India convener for central universities and institutes, alleged that a fake and sponsored movement was carried out in the name of Rohith Vemula to give the name of suicide to an institutional murder, by managing the media and funding from political parties."

At the end of the day, however, this fake movement was busted and their vote share has gone down drastically, he said, adding that the HCU election results reflected the rejection of divisive politics. According to Palsaniya, the "ABVP has risen above caste, creed and regional politics and imbibed the idea of India that Dr APJ Abdul Kalam dreamt of."

Another HCU student, Ravikiran, of mass communications, explained that the mindset of students has changed in the past few years and that they are fed up with caste politics. He mentioned the reason for swing in ideologies as the break in the greater alliance in which Dalits, leftists and left-conservative participated individually. He observed that the Left and Dalit unions had failed to convince the students, whereas the ABVP saw success with its attractive campaign, manifesto and sense of sympathy. HCUs politics, however, may not have a great impact on people, unlike Delhis JNU because of the university polls being sidelined by the mainstream media, Ravikiran pointed out.

EFLUs paper tigers

At EFLU, unlike the other state varsities, student politics has not grabbed the limelight. The unions here contest elections under different banners, such as Students Alliance for Justice and Democracy, Allied Students Union for Action and Democracy and Unity for Better EFLU, but all of these have some ideological differences. "The students who join the university come from elite family backgrounds and don't show much interest in politics," an EFLU researcher not wanting to be named said.

ABVP activist and university scholar Srinath pointed out that the unions view on matters is not considered by the university administration, and that the voting percentage has gone down drastically in the recently held elections.

He added that though the union president and members for other posts are elected by the students, they remain paper tigers. The universitys students union president Saiyed Dawud Rizvi blamed the administration for unnecessary restrictions and guidelines which were scaring off students from participating in union activities and resulting in political inactivity.

He also condemned the varsity for seeking a written agreement from students that said they couldnt participate in any kind of protests against the administration. Rizvi called it a cruel step to end student politics in the university."

(Sursingh Rajpurohit is a Hyderabad-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com.)As the second largest city of the state, Coimbatore is distinct from other big towns of Tamil Nadu. Partly because of the gateway to parts of adjoining Kerala

Editor's note: This column presents the travel notes of a student of Indian politics and serves as a journal marking the run-up to General Election 2019. Sandip Ghose's day job as a marketing executive takes him deep into the country's interiors, which affords him the chance to listen to, and make sense of, India's concerns. These pieces will run in tandem to the frequency of his travels. Views expressed here do not reflect those of Ghose's employer.

Read the series here

Outside the Coimbatore airport, a giant billboard of Adi Yogi greets visitors. The targets of this 'in your face' spiritual marketing is obviously not the regular temple-goer. They are affluent religious tourists arriving from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, heading to the fashionable spiritual retreat at some distance from the city. In holiday season, they often outnumber the vacationers going to the Nilgiris.

There is something neat and civilised about the ambience of the airport. In a way, it typifies the city and its people. Once known as the "Manchester of the East" for its textile industry, Coimbatore has a character of its own. The Coimbatore Club is still referred to as the "English Club" by the locals.

As the second largest city of the state, Coimbatore is distinct from other big towns of Tamil Nadu. Partly because of the gateway to parts of adjoining Kerala. Palakkad is 55 kilometres away. After Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, Coimbatore is a major medical tourism destination in the South. It is also developing as an education hub.

Along with the nearby areas of Tiruppur, Erode and Salem, Coimbatore remains a major industrial hub of the South. This bring a steady stream of business travellers to Coimbatore, or Kovai as some prefer to call it. It now hosts many of the national and international brands of hotels.

On my frequent trips through the city over the past few years, I have been intrigued to see a noticeable presence of BJP billboards on the arterial avenues. Then one has read about the presence of RSS in the area and occasional incidents of violence against the RSS against its local karyakartas.

This also explains the RSS holding a three-day conference in Coimbatore last year and Narendra Modi attending the inauguration of the Adi Yogi statue with huge fanfare.

Chilling over beer at the club to beat the summer heat, I have sought enlightenment on the local political milieu from fellow thirst-quenchers. From their perch at the bar counter, they educated me on the most fascinating history of this region known as Kongu Nadu. A brief flashback to the past may be instructive in understanding present polity of this north-western corner of Tamil Nadu.

Archaeologists have found evidence of an industrial colony from 2,500 years ago. It fell on an ancient Roman trade route with a Chola highway running through it. After being tossed between the Cholas, Cheras, Hoysalas it became a part of the Vijayanagar Empire and finally, the Kingdom of Mysore. After the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British annexed it to the Madras Residency.

For me this cultural cross-fertilisation is best reflected in types of biryani available in the city. In Coimbatore, one can find authentic outlets serving Ambur, Dindigul, Hyderabadi and Kerala biryanis. Stretching the point a bit, it might also explain Kongu Nadu's aspiration to be carved out as a separate state.

This assertion of a separate identity was channelised into a Brahminical push-back, contributed to partly by the Muslim dominance in neighbouring parts of Kerala and erstwhile Mysore. That gave RSS an entry into the area as far back as in the 1960s, I was told. However, the RSS ceded space to the AIADMK over the years and only now is it showing some signs of resurgence. But, very early days yet. Will AIADMK's hold in the area weaken after the demise of J Jayalalithaa? In the new fluid landscape of Tamil politics no one is sure. But, they rule out DMK gaining strength in Kongu Nadu post-Kalaignar.

The road to Ooty via Kotagiri is one of the finest hill highways of the country. That was thanks to it passing by Kodanad Estate, which served as the unofficial summer capital of Tamil Nadu during Ammas regime. One would then see cars with red beacons and SUVs of politicians lined up near the Kotagiri bus station.

Now the crowd and the buzz have evaporated. Kodanad Estate has reportedly fallen into disrepair. Some tourists still take the short detour to the Kodanadu view point for the sake of nostalgia. Who knows if it will be converted to a tourist destination someday in the memory of Jayalalithaa. But, for now, although the centre of gravity has shifted back to Chennai, Ammas influence still pervades in the Nilgiri air.

The Dussehra and Diwali breaks brings large contingents of the Chennai business gentry to Coonoor and Ooty. Conversations over cards, coffee and cognac inevitably veer towards politics. The common refrain is "Whos running the state?". But, they provide the answer too.

Tamil Nadu has one of the most efficient bureaucracies. It is still one of the most coveted IAS cadres. The state delivery system especially on healthcare, education and public infrastructure is arguably the finest in the country. MGR is given much of the credit for creating this strong administrative foundation. But, others who followed him also deserve acknowledgement for not tampering with it. So despite high level of political corruption, the government can pretty much run on auto-pilot.

The Chennai peerage accepts the swing in sentiment towards the DMK with the chaos that followed Jayalalithaa's demise with warring factions in the AIADMK. But, they are not sure about how far MK Stalin will be able to capitalise on it. Their reservations stem from two thoughts. First, it is not clear after the death of M Karunanidhi how much money power Stalin commands. No one can yet write off Sasikala totally. Some suspect she may be holding the purse strings even from prison. Votes in Tamil Nadu are not "got" but "bought", they say. In that, AIADMK may still have an edge.

The second area of concern is the major organisational changes that Stalin has initiated. He is systematically dismantling the decentralised structure of the party with by replacing the powerful district bosses with his own handpicked loyalists. Whether this would lead to any ground level dissonance cannot be predicted.

However, by openly declaring his support for Chandrababu Naidu in Telangana, Stalin has effectively jumped onto the Mahagathbandhan bandwagon. Whether the gamble pays off will depend on how the Congress-TDP alliance fares in the Assembly polls. If it does well, it might revive the prospects of a Coromandel Coalition to keep the BJP out from the South of Vindhyas.

As far as Modi and Rahul Gandhi go, the common voters in Tamil Nadu are likely to be agnostic  irrespective of what mood of the nation surveys may show. What will influence their choice is how the national alignment take shape. Kamal Haasan has already thrown his lot with the "secular" forces.

There are speculations of BJP trying to play the Hindu card in Tamil Nadu as well. The RSS and Yogi Adityanath may be marshalled for campaigning. Or will Rajinikanth be the wild card entry for the NDA?

At this point, only the Adi Guru may have the answer.Press Trust of India

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) told the Delhi High Court on 12 November that it was technically not possible to match the fingerprints of an unidentified body with the biometrics of 120 crore people stored in its database.

UIDAI submitted before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao that matching of biometrics, including fingerprints and iris, is done on 1:1 basis and Aadhaar number is required for it.

The court was hearing a petition filed by social activist Amit Sahni seeking a direction to the centre and UIDAI to utilise Aadhaar biometrics to identify the unidentified dead bodies.

The bench asked the UIDAI to bring on record the details and file its response to the plea, explaining the system as to why it was not possible to match the fingerprints in such cases with the Aadhaar database.

It also sought the reply of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on the plea and listed the matter for further hearing on February 5 next year.

The petition has sought a direction to the centre, UIDAI, NCRB and all the states to scan biometrics of unidentified bodies and process them with Aadhaar portal to trace any pre-existing biometric details.

Noting the submissions of UIDAI's counsel Zoheb Hussain, the bench said if it was technically not possible, how can it direct authorities to do it.

Mr Sahni, also an advocate, submitted before the bench that it was possible to use Aadhaar biometrics to identify the dead, and even missing persons were traced through Aadhaar.

The UIDAI counsel said that for matching biometrics, it required prints of all the fingers, iris scan and if they go by only one thumb print scanning, there are chances that it would match with multiple persons.

"It is not possible. There are 120 crore persons on Aadhaar. It is always done 1:1," he said.

He also referred to the 12 October order of an Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court where the investigating officer had moved the court seeking permission to compare fingerprints of a dead woman in Aadhaar database to establish her identity.

The UIDAI had told the high court that it was not at all possible to compare the fingerprints with the information stored.

Noting this, the high court had dismissed the investigating officer's plea.

Mr Sahni, in his plea, has sought directions to the centre and UIDAI to share pre-existing Aadhaar details, if already there, without any delay, with the NCRB and states for identification of dead bodies.

In case the biometrics of the "dead body pre-exist on Aadhaar portal then directions be issued to share" them with the respondents immediately for handing over the body to the family or relatives "so that respectable and dignified exit could be ensured by performing last rites by affected persons (family)", the plea said.

He has sought directions to constitute special courts for speedy disposal of cases pertaining to unidentified dead bodies under Aadhaar Act on the same day or the next day, irrespective of holiday.

A similar plea was earlier filed by the petitioner before the Supreme Court which asked him to approach the Delhi High Court where he has already filed a petition for using Aadhaar biometrics for the purpose of tracing and re-uniting missing and mentally challenged persons with their families. Thereafter, he withdrew the plea from the top court.

The plea said despite registering biometrics and scanning more than 1.22 billion citizens at the Aadhaar Portal, the database was not being utilised for the identifying bodies.

It added that thousands of unidentified bodies are recovered in the country every year.

The petition sought directions to the authorities, saying usage of Aadhaar information would not only reduce manpower, expenditure and burden on the state in disposing the unidentified bodies but could also be handed over to the families in a short span of time.

A five-judge Constitution bench of the top court had on September 26 declared the centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid but had struck down some of its provisions, including its linking with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admissions clause.

The bench had held that while Aadhaar would remain mandatory for filing of Income Tax returns and allotment of Permanent Account Number (PAN), it would not be compulsory to link Aadhaar to bank accounts and telecom service providers cannot seek its linking for mobile connections.tech2 News Staff

Audible, the worlds top audiobooks platform owned by Amazon, has made its debut in India on 13 November with a catalogue of 200,000 global titles and 400 Indian classic and contemporary titles. At launch, Audible will only have English language content for the Indian audience and is soon expected to release regional titles.

Audible will be offering Indian listeners a welcome pack of premium listening content. This pack will contain long-form as well as short-form audio content with chapters from Business Sutra by Devdutt Patnaik, An Era of Darkness by Shashi Tharoor, A Scandal in Bohemia by Arthur Conan Doyle and much more.

In terms of pricing, Indian customers who sign up for Audible for the first time will get a 30-day free trial which will allow them to access one free Audible book of their choice. If you are an Amazon Prime member, then you are eligible for a 90-day free trial which will give you access to three free Audible audiobooks.

The payment options start from Rs 199 per month, following the free trial, which would be a recurring cost. Else, you can opt for any of the three prepaid plans: 1 month at Rs 299, 6 months at Rs 1,345 (25 percent discount) and 12 months at Rs 2,332 (35 percent discount).

Unlike Prime Video or Netflix or Kindle Unlimited, Audible is not a read/listen-all-you-can membership. Every month, you will only get one credit which you can exchange to buy any one book from the Audible store for free. The audiobook that you download will be yours to own for life and you can continue listening to it, even after you have stopped the Audible membership, of course using the Audible app. As an Audible member, you will get a 30 percent discount for any audiobook you purchase as compared to a non-member, in addition to access to exclusive content.

According to Donald Katz, CEO and founder of Audible, the Audible experience relies a lot on the dramatic way in which stories are told by some of the top talents from the US and UK. For instance, British comedian Stephen Fry has narrated the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes in a dramatic manner, which makes for a 70 hour plus audiobook. Theres a dramatised version of Alice in Wonderland, narrated Hollywood actress Scarlett Johannson. And so on.

Honouring Indias distinctive literary and storytelling tradition and supporting the creation of vibrant local content, Audible.in is a dedicated, authentic and dynamic destination for Indian consumers that puts Indian talent and spoken-word content front and centre, said Katz.

As part of its launch, Audible featured a spoken word performance, of an excerpt from the Hussain Zaidi book Mafia Queens of Mumbai, by Bollywood actors Kalki Koechlin, Radhika Apte and Rajkumar Rao.

Among the titles and programs available at launch are:

The Last Boy to Fall in Love, an original audio-first title by Durjoy Datta

Exclusive audio performances of some of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagores greatest works, including Gitanjali and Kabuliwala

A multi-cast performance of the best-selling Mafia Queens of Mumbai by S Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges brought to life by Bollywood stars Rajkummar Rao, Radhika Apte and Kalki Koechlin

Contemporary non-fiction by Rashmi Bansal and Shashi Tharoor

Self-development titles by Radhakrishnan Pillai, Guru Om Swami and Ashwin Sanghi

Nutrition and wellness titles by Rujuta Diwekar and Pooja Makhija

Ruskin Bonds autobiography, as well as a variety of his mountain tales and tales for young people and many others.

At launch, Audible is expected to be present on the web, iOS and Android platform. There is no word out if the Audible support on supported Kindle readers will be available at launch.Reuters

Facebook will allow French regulators to embed inside the company to examine how it combats online hate speech, the first time the wary tech giant has opened its doors in such a way, President Emmanuel Macron said on 12 November.

From January, Macrons administration will send a small team of senior civil servants to the company for six months to verify Facebooks goodwill and determine whether its checks on racist, sexist or hate-fuelled speech could be improved.

Its a first, Macron told the annual Internet Governance Forum in Paris. Im delighted by this very innovative experimental approach, he said. Its an experiment, but a very important first step in my view.

The trial project is an example of what Macron has called smart regulation, something he wants to extend to other tech leaders such as Google, Apple and Amazon.

The move follows a meeting with Facebooks founder Mark Zuckerberg in May, when Macron invited the CEOs of some of the biggest tech firms to Paris, telling them they should work for the common good.

The officials may be seconded from the telecoms regulator and the interior and justice ministries, a government source said. Facebook said the selection was up to the French presidency.

It is unclear whether the group will have access to highly-sensitive material such as Facebooks algorithms or codes to remove hate speech. It could travel to Facebooks European headquarters in Dublin and global base in Menlo Park, California if necessary, the company said.

The best way to ensure that any regulation is smart and works for people is by governments, regulators and businesses working together to learn from each other and explore ideas, Nick Clegg, the former British deputy prime minister who is now head of Facebooks global affairs, said in a statement.

Frances approach to hate speech has contrasted sharply with Germany, Europes leading advocate of privacy.

Since January, Berlin has required sites to remove banned content within 24 hours or face fines of up to 50 million euros ($56 million). That has led to accusations of censorship.

Frances use of embedded regulators is modelled on what happens in its banking and nuclear industries.

(Tech companies) now have the choice between something that is smart but intrusive and regulation that is wicked and plain stupid, a French official said.The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has signed an agreement with the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) to explore storing Adnoc crude oil at ISPRLs underground oil storage facility in the Indian state of Karnataka.



The underground storage facility at Padur in Karnataka has a 2.5 million-ton (~17 million barrels) capacity. Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), Adnoc could store crude in two compartments at Padur.



The MoU with ISPRL, an Indian government-owned company mandated to store crude oil for emergency needs, follows the arrival, on November 4, of the final shipment of the initial delivery of Adnoc crude to be stored in another ISPRL underground facility in Mangalore, also in Karnataka, which will store 5.86 million barrels of Adnoc crude oil.



The MoU was signed by Abdulla Salem Al Dhaheri, director of Marketing, Sales and Trading at Adnoc, and HPS Ahuja, CEO and MD at ISPRL, on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec).



The signing was witnessed by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Adnoc Group CEO, and Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship for the Government of India.



D. Al Jaber said: India is an important oil market, and this agreement underscores the strategic energy partnership between the UAE and India, which leverages the UAEs and Adnocs expertise and oil resources. It is our firm hope that we will be able to convert this framework agreement into a new mutually beneficial partnership that will create opportunities for Adnoc to increase deliveries of high-quality crude oil to India's expanding energy market and help India meet its growing energy demand and safeguard its energy security.



Adnoc is the only foreign oil and gas company, so far, to invest, by way of crude oil, in Indias strategic petroleum reserves program. It is also a stakeholder, along with Saudi Aramco, and a consortium of Indian state-run companies, in one of Indias largest refinery and petrochemicals complexes, to be constructed at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.



Dharmendra Pradhan said: This memorandum of understanding will allow ISPRL to explore, with Adnoc, opportunities related to the possible storage of Adnoc crude at Padur, which would help to significantly strengthen the countrys strategic petroleum reserves. This agreement reflects the strong bonds of cooperation between India and the UAE and provides a foundation for strengthening and expanding our strategic energy relationship.



In addition to Adnocs stake in the Ratnagiri refinery, the hydrocarbon linkages between the UAE and India were bolstered in February 2018, when an Indian consortium of three companies, comprising ONGC Videsh, Indian Oil Company and Bharat Petro Resources Ltd., was awarded a 10 per cent participating interest in Abu Dhabis offshore Lower Zakum concession.



ISPRL has already built 5.33 million tons of underground storage capacity at three locations, Visakhapatnam (1.33 million tons), Mangalore (1.5 million tons) and Padur (2.5 million tons) that can meet around 10 days of the countrys oil needs. The government of India, in June 2018, announced the creation of two new reserves, a 4-million-tons storage facility at Chandikhol, in the eastern state of Odisha, and an additional 2.5-million-tons facility at Padur.



Combined, the existing and newly announced facilities will provide around 22 days of emergency coverage for Indias crude oil requirements.



Indian energy demand is forecast, by the International Energy Agency (IEA), to grow by more than any other country in the period to 2040, propelled by an economy that will grow to more than five-times its current size and by population growth that will make it the worlds most populous country. Indian energy consumption is expected to grow more than double by 2040, accounting for 25 per cent of the rise in global energy demand, and the largest absolute growth in oil consumption.



India is over 82 per cent dependent on imports to meet its crude oil needs, around eight percent of which is supplied by the UAE. In addition to helping to ensure energy security, participation in the oil storage facilities, in India, will enable Adnoc to efficiently and competitively meet Indian market demand.  TradeArabia News ServiceReuters

France and US technology giants including Microsoft on 12 November urged world governments and companies to sign up to a new initiative to regulate the internet and fight threats such as cyber attacks, online censorship and hate speech.

With the launch of a declaration entitled the Paris call for trust and security in cyberspace, French President Emmanuel Macron is hoping to revive efforts to regulate cyberspace after the last round of United Nations negotiations failed in 2017.

In the document, which is supported by many European countries but, crucially, not China or Russia, the signatories urge governments to beef up protections against cyber meddling in elections and prevent the theft of trade secrets.

The Paris call was initially pushed for by tech companies but was redrafted by French officials to include work done by UN experts in recent years.

The internet is a space currently managed by a technical community of private players. But its not governed. So now that half of humanity is online, we need to find new ways to organise the internet, an official from Macrons office said.

Otherwise, the internet as we know it today  free, open and secure  will be damaged by the new threats.

By launching the initiative a day after a weekend of commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of World War One, Macron hopes to promote his push for stronger global cooperation in the face of rising nationalism.

In another sign of the Trump administrations reluctance to join international initiatives it sees as a bid to encroach on U.S. sovereignty, French officials said Washington might not become a signatory, though talks are continuing.

However, they said large U.S. tech companies including Facebook and Alphabets Google would sign up.

The American ecosystem is very involved. It doesnt mean that in the end the U.S. federal government wont join us, talks are continuing, but the US will be involved under other forms, another French official said.tech2 News Staff

After a few months of testing the feature, Gboard has now finally rolled out the support for on-device Artificial Intelligence (AI) suggests on the app. This means, instead of looking through the catalogue of stickers, GIFs and emoticons to find the perfect one, Gboard will now show you suggestions for these based on what you are typing.

Until now, you did have a choice to search for the emojis, GIFs and stickers from a search bar within the Google keyboard, however, the new feature eliminates the need to even do that. With the support for on-device AI, based on what you are typing in a conversation itself, Gboard will suggest you GIFs, emoticons or stickers that you may want to use.

These suggestions will be prompted to you via the Google button on the upper left-hand side of the keyboard. The button will swap to reading GIF with the Google theme colour outline on the icon.

However, notably, the AI suggestion feature will currently be available only in English globally. Google notes that the suggestions will come to more languages and more types of content "over time."

Additionally, Google's keyboard app has also gained support for 37 new languages, including new variants of Russian and Arabic, as well as several indigenous North American languages.tech2 News Staff

Microsoft's Windows 10 October update was halted after several users complained that installing the update had been wiping off their data.

A new report now suggests that Microsoft could be planning an update which fixes the issues and it will be out soon.

The news has not been made official but a report by WinFuture reveals that a website named rg-adguard.net, who has a tool for downloading Windows 10 ISOs is certain that the update will start rolling today. The Russian website noticed activity on Microsofts servers which suggest Microsoft is preparing to release the software update.

The website also took to Twitter to share the news.

The report also reveals that the revised Windows 10 October Update will be referred to as version 1809, succeeding version 1803 which was the Fall Creators Update. Given Microsoft's issues with the release, the company is likely to offer the update to a handful of users only for now.

Since Microsoft pulled the update back in October, the company shipped several fixes to Windows Insiders enrolled in the Slow and Release Preview rings to ensure that the October update does not create too much of a menace. Microsoft is also expected to re-release the ISOs of Windows 10 October 2018 Update to help those who are planning a clean install.

While the re-launch of the October Update remains unconfirmed, the November 2018 patch is expected to start rolling out on Tuesday as it happens every month. Patches for Windows 10, Windows Phones and even Windows 7 will be released with security and other basic improvements.tech2 News Staff

Samsung unveiled its unnamed foldable smartphone at its developer conference last week, and the company will apparently manufacture as many as 1 million units of the device. It now appears that the device will be launched in March 2019 and will be priced as high as $1,700, which is about Rs 1,24,000.

The publication Yonhap News Agency was the first to report about the rumoured launch date and price.

Last week we saw a sneak peek into a tablet which could be folded horizontally. Samsung describes its folding phone technology as Infinity Flex Display and said that mass-production of the device should begin in a "matter of months."

The display on the tablet has a resolution of 1536 x 2152 pixels which gives it a 4.2:3 aspect ratio and a screen size of 7.3-inches. When folded the device is an 840 x 1960 display with a tall aspect ratio of 21:9 and screen size of 4.58-inches. We don't even have a name for the device, although it could be called the Galaxy F.

Samsung is also working on other kinds of displays which are rollable and stretchable. There is a possibility that we might see devices with such displays in a few years from now.

Optimistic about the phone, Samsung's chief DJ Koh, after confirming that the company plans to manufacture a minimum of a million units of the foldable phone in its initial phase, also said that if the device does well, there will be further production.

He not believe that the foldable phone will in any way harm the sales or replace the existing smartphones soon.Reuters

Two Pakistani rights activists said on Monday they had been warned by Twitter about objectionable content on the social media network, a move that signals an ongoing push by authorities in the South Asian country to rein in free speech online.

The warnings come a week after the social media company suspended the Twitter account of an ultra-right Pakistani cleric who issued threats to the government and judiciary over the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy.

But a civil rights advocate said the activists tweets were not the same as those of the cleric since they did not advocate violence, adding that the complaints appeared to be part of a campaign to suppress peaceful criticism within Pakistan.

Warnings sent out by Twitter are an example of how online spaces are being regulated and are shrinking for internet users voicing their opinions, said Nighat Dad, a Pakistani lawyer and internet activist.

Twitter later said it lets users know when it receives a government request to remove their content for violations of law or the companys terms of service.

In our continuing effort to make our services available to people everywhere, if we receive a valid requests from an authorised entity, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in a particular country from time to time, the company said in a statement.

But the company does not always take action.

Twitter denied all of Pakistans 156 requests to remove content from January 2012 through December 2017, according to the companys global Transparency Report. It has yet to publish any data on content removal for 2018.

In recent emails, Twitter told activist Taha Siddiqui it had received complaints his account was in violation of Pakistani law, he said, and it added that further action could be taken, but did not specify what.

Pakistani authorities ... are pressuring Twitter to take legal steps against me, Siddiqui, a correspondent for France 24 television, who fled Pakistan this year, told Reuters. Twitter should stop becoming a facilitator of repressive regimes.

Pakistans Information Minister Fawwad Chaudhry told Reuters his office was trying to establish close coordination with Twitter to curb hate speech and death threats, but did not directly respond to questions on the cases of Siddiqui or Gul Bukhari, another activist who received two warnings.

Bukhari, who was briefly abducted in July from a military cantonment in the eastern city of Lahore, said one of her email warnings from Twitter referred to a tweet that criticised the governments lack of action against a prominent cleric.

The cleric, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, had his account blocked last week after he threatened the Supreme Court judges who acquitted Asia Bibi and urged their cooks and servants to kill them.

In a reply to Twitter, Bukhari said Rizvis speeches violated the law because he was inciting violence against state officials.

In my tweet I am asking government to take action against him. In which world is that illegal? she wrote.

Siddiqui, who left Pakistan after a failed abduction attempt he blames on the powerful military over his frequent social media criticism, now lives in France and says he believes the complaint to Twitter came from his home country.Reuters

Volkswagen could build up to 50 million electric cars on its new electric vehicle platform and is looking at expanding its manufacturing footprint in the United States, Chief Executive Herbert Diess told Automotive News.

We set up the plant in Chattanooga always with the idea to be able to grow it, to mirror it, Diess was quoted as saying.

The plant is still too small, and we are considering different options, it might be electric cars, it might be a different derivative of the Atlas (SUV), its still open.

Volkswagen (VW) and Ford are looking at expanding cooperation, mainly in commercial vehicles, Diess added.

What were talking about is sharing a few platforms and manufacturing sites there, which makes sense. And within the dialogue, we are also touching other options, but this will be the main focus if we come to a conclusion.

Ford could help VW develop a global successor to the Amarok pickup, or a unibody pickup, Diess said.

VW is open to licensing its MEB electric car platform to third party manufacturers, he reiterated, explaining that was a way to ramp up economies of scale.

Today, we have hundreds of different drivetrains in our industry, and theres a lot of differentiation in the drivetrain. I think this will become less, because the battery cells will become very similar on the basis of the same chemistry inside, Diess said.

He said VW could build 50 million electric vehicles globally across its brands, beginning in 2020, and had battery sourcing agreements for them. He said licensing MEB to other automakers would lead to further efficiency gains.

It will be more about the economies of scale. Still, the battery pack, for the foreseeable future, will be more expensive than a combustion powertrain, so I think it makes a lot of sense to make more volume, Diess said.

A VW spokesman said the number mentioned by Diess was a theoretical long-term goal for the MEB electric car platform. The Volkswagen Groups current vehicle platform, MQB, has spawned around 50 million mainly combustion engine vehicles over several brands and many years, he said.

Volkswagen Group sold 10.7 million vehicles in 2017.

The German company is investing heavily in electric vehicles as it tries to rebuild its reputation following a scandal over rigged emissions tests of diesel engines in the United States that has cost it billions in fines and refits.Indo-Asian News Service

Facebook-owned WhatsApp on Tuesday announced that it has selected 20 research teams worldwide - including experts from India and those of Indian origin -- who will work towards how misinformation spreads and what additional steps the mobile messaging platform could take to curb fake news.

Shakuntala Banaji from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Anushi Agrawal and Nihal Passanha from Bengaluru-based media and arts collective "Maraa" and Ramnath Bhat from LSE have been selected for the paper titled "WhatsApp Vigilantes? WhatsApp messages and mob violence in India".

The research examines the ways in which WhatsApp users understand and find solutions to the spate of "WhatsApp lynchings" that has killed over 30 people so far.

The Indian government has also directed WhatsApp to take necessary remedial measures to prevent the proliferation of fake and, at times, motivated/sensational messages on its platform.

Among others selected were Vineet Kumar from Ranchi-headquartered Cyber Peace Foundation (principal investigator), Amrita Choudhary, President of the Delhi-based non-profit Cyber Cafe Association of India (CCAOI) and Anand Raje from Cyber Peace Foundation.

They will work as a team on the paper titled "Digital literacy and impact of misinformation on emerging digital societies".

P.N. Vasanti from Centre for Media Studies in New Delhi will work with S Shyam Sundar, The Pennsylvania State University (Principal Investigator), to examine the role of content modality in its vulnerability to misinformation, under the topic titled "Seeing is Believing: Is Video Modality More Powerful in Spreading Fake News?"

WhatsApp had issued a call for papers in July this year and received proposals from over 600 research teams around the world.

"Each of the 20 research teams will receive up to $50,000 for their project (for a total of $1 million)," WhatsApp said in a statement.

Lipika Kamra from O.P. Jindal Global University and Philippa Williams from the Queen Mary University of London (Principal Investigator) will examine the role of WhatsApp in everyday political conversations in India, in the context of India's social media ecosystem.

According to Mrinalini Rao, lead researcher at WhatsApp, the platform cares deeply about the safety of its over 1.5 billion monthly active users globally and over 200 million users in India.

"We appreciate the opportunity to learn from these international experts about how we can continue to help address the impact of misinformation," Rao said.

"These studies will help us build upon recent changes we have made within WhatsApp and support broad education campaigns to help keep people safe," she added.

The recipients are from countries including Brazil, India, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, the UK, and US.

WhatsApp said it is hosting them in California this week so they can hear from product leaders about how it builds its product.

"Given the nature of private messaging - where 90 percent of the messages sent are between two people and group sizes are strictly limited - our focus remains on educating and empowering users and proactively tackling abuse," said the company.

WhatsApp recently implemented a "forward label" to inform users when they received a message that was not originally written by their friend or loved one. To tackle abuse, WhatsApp has also set a limit on how many forwards can be sent.

In India, WhatsApp has partnered with the Digital Empowerment Foundation to train community leaders in several states on how to address misinformation.

"We are also running ads in several languages -- in print, online, and on over 100 radio stations -- amounting to the largest public education campaign on misinformation anywhere in the world," the company noted.

Sayan Banerjee from the University of Essex, Srinjoy Bose from the University of New South Wales and Robert A. Johns from the University of Essex will study "Misinformation in Diverse Societies, Political Behaviour & Good Governance".

Santosh Vijaykumar from Northumbria University, Arun Nair from Health Systems Research India Initiative and Venkat Chilukuri, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology are part of the team that will study "Misinformation Vulnerabilities among Elderly during Disease Outbreaks".tech2 News Staff

A strange phenomenon has gotten the attention of wildlife experts, conservationists, biologists (and hopefully, poachers) around the world.

Roughly one-third of the young female elephants in Africas Mozambique Gorongosa National Park were born without tusks and developed into adults without them.

In a National Geographic report, experts said that poaching was responsible for swaying the hand of evolution in the case of these elephants. "Under poaching pressure, the elephants in Mozambique are evolving tusklessness," the report reads.

Elephants without tusks is hardly a new concept  normally, two to four percent of the worlds elephants are tuskless by design. But, the tuskless herd in question are the first generation of elephants born after the state pulled through a 15-year civil war  a war financed largely by trading ivory, National Geographic reported.

Some estimates report that nearly 90 percent of the areas elephant population was slaughtered over the course of the war. The survivors were largely tuskless elephants, with little or no ivory to give.

Now, these tuskless elephants have mated and grown in number in the areas elephant population.

The prevalence of tusklessness in Addo is truly remarkable and underscores the fact that high levels of poaching pressure can do more than just remove individuals from a population, says Ryan Long, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Idaho and a National Geographic Explorer.

According to evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton at the University of California-Los Angeles, whose team studies tusklessness, it remains a mystery how the traits were passed on  genetically speaking. The newfound rise in tuskless elephants is exclusively in females since tusks are an important advantage in male mating practices.

If this trait was traditionally X-linkedpassed down along the X chromosome which helps determine sex and carries genes for various inherited traits we would think that because males always get their X chromosome from their mothers, and that youd have a really large population of males that are tuskless, Campbell-Staton added.

Irrespective of how the spontaneous change came about, the fact that more females in the area have no tusks is a huge advantage for their species survival  ivory trade is far from history, still dominant in the black market for exotic animal parts.

The phenomenon is a striking example of how pressure on an ecosystem can result in incredible evolutionary adaptations.tech2 News Staff

Researchers in Germany have engineered a tiny stretch of artificial heart muscle that can save 33 million people currently suffering from irregularities in heart rhythm.

So far, scientists have yet to find an effective treatment for heart arrhythmias, the most common of which is a disorder called atrial fibrillation. This is particularly because keeping human heart cells alive in a lab long enough to develop and test drugs for illnesses has not been possible so far.

Now, researchers from the University Medical Centre-Hamburg have grown strips of heart muscle in a lab.

These not only work the same way, express the same genes and resemble heart tissue in every way, they also beat like real heart tissue, as shown in a remarkable video recorded of the muscle.

The artificial heart muscle was grown using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), which can be modified to become any cell in the body. These stem cells were treated with a chemical known as retinoic acid, made from Vitamin A, which is important for healthy growth of cells.

Artificial cells made from stem cells normally grow flat like a sheet when grown in a lab, but researchers tweaked them to grow in 3D space. They found this 3D model considerably closer in the function and molecular structure to real human heart tissue from patients.

"These atrial muscle strips represent a great opportunity to model (heart arrhythmia) in a dish and test drugs," Dr Marta Lemme, first author of the study from University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, told the press. Nevertheless, improvements can still be made to reach even higher similarity with the human atrial tissue.

Their next steps, researchers said, were to artificially induce arrhythmias in these artificial cells and study how electrical impulses and potentially effective drugs can help cure the arrythmias.

The studys findings were published in Stem Cell Reports.By Eric Thayer MALIBU, Calif.

By Eric Thayer

MALIBU, Calif. (Reuters) - Authorities searched on Monday for more than 200 people unaccounted for in one of the wildfires rampaging through parts of California, voicing concern about a possible rising death toll, as gusty, dry winds spurred the spreading flames.

The raging blaze in northern California known as the Camp Fire, the state's most destructive on record, had left at least 228 people missing as of early Monday, according to Kory Honea, sheriff of Butte County, site of the fire. That fire and one in southern California called the Woolsey Fire have killed at least 31 people.

The blazes left behind scenes of utter ruin, with homes and businesses reduced to charred wreckage and the winds also spreading large amounts of ash.

Both fires have been whipped up by hot dry winds. Winds of up to 40 miles per hour (64 km per hour) were expected to continue in southern California through Tuesday, heightening the risk of fresh blazes ignited by scattered embers, while the winds were forecast to begin diminishing later on Monday at the site of the Camp Fire. The wildfires flared in two new locations on Monday morning in southern California, officials said.

The fires have displaced more than 224,000 people, officials said. About 8,000 firefighters using fire fighting equipment including helicopters and air tankers were battling the flames, with assistance coming from out of state.

The Camp Fire, 40 miles (60 km) north of Sacramento, burned down more than 6,700 homes and businesses in the town of Paradise, more structures than any other wildfire recorded in California.

The fire had scorched more than 113,000 acres (45,729 hectares) and was 25 percent contained, officials said on Monday. Its death toll of 29 equals that of the Griffith Park Fire in 1933, the deadliest wildfire on record in California.

The blaze has probably caused between $2 billion and $4 billion in insured property damage, Morgan Stanley estimated in a report on Monday.

Speaking on CNN, Honea said while he holds out hope that many people listed as missing will turn up safe, "given what we've dealt with so far with casualties as a result of this fire, I have concerns that it (the death toll) will rise."

In southern California, the Woolsey Fire had burned more than 91,000 acres (36,826 hectares) and was 20 percent contained, with 370 structures destroyed, officials said. The fire had forced authorities to issue evacuation orders for a quarter million people in Ventura and Los Angeles counties and beachside communities including the Malibu beach colony, home to many celebrities.

At least two people have died in the Woolsey Fire, which is 20 miles (32 km) long and 14 miles (22 km) wide, threatening 57,000 structures, officials said.

"These are extreme conditions. If there's a fire in your neighbourhood, don't wait for an evacuation order, leave," Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby told a news conference.

Many of those allowed to return were left without power or cellphone service, even if their homes were spared by the flames.

Malibu resident Tony Haynes described how strong winds brought the fire through his neighbourhood during the weekend, with the sky growing dark, saying there was so much smoke he put on his scuba-diving tank to breathe. Haynes said his home survived.

"It all came down to luck and a whole lot of buckets of water," he told KTLA 5.

A smaller blaze in Southern California, the Hill Fire, was 75 percent contained, officials said.

'IT'S ALL GONE'

Local residents were despondent over the fire damage.

"It's not the house, because you can rebuild. But it's what is inside the house. It's all gone," Malibu resident Marcella Shirk, 82, told KABC-TV. "And that's what hurts, those kinds of things hurt, because you can't replace that."

California utility stocks plummeted for a second trading day on Monday. Shares of PG&E Corp , which operates in northern California, dropped as much as 16 percent, bringing its decline over two sessions to 29 percent, equivalent to $8 billion. Edison International , owner of Southern California Edison Company, slumped 11 percent, leaving its stock market value $5 billion lower since Thursday, when the fires broke out.

Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, has asked U.S. President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster to bolster the emergency response and help residents recover. Trump, a Republican who has often criticized Democrat-led California on a variety of issues including immigration enforcement, blamed poor forest management by the state for the infernos.

Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters, called Trump's statement "ill-timed" given the loss of life and ongoing search for missing people.

"You can't just make a blanket statement," Rice told MSNBC on Monday, adding that fires and forest management were complicated and that weather also was a major factor.

"Right now, what is needed is, really, support," Rice said.

(Reporting by Eric Thayer; Additional reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Stephen Lam in Paradise; Dana Feldman in Los Angeles, Barbara Goldberg and Jonathan Allen in New York; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Lisa Shumaker)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.The Abu Dhabi government and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) have signed the first of a series of concession agreements with Italys multinational oil and gas company Eni, awarding it a 25 percent stake in its offshore ultra-sour gas mega project.

The Ghasha Concession consists of the Hail, Ghasha, Dalma and other offshore fields. Eni will contribute 25 per cent of the development cost of the multi-billion dollar project.

The announcement follows the Supreme Petroleum Councils approval of Adnocs new gas strategy, targeted to unlock and maximise value from Abu Dhabis substantial available gas reserves, as the UAE moves towards gas self-sufficiency and aims to transition from a net importer of gas to a net gas exporter.

The concession, which has a term of 40 years, was signed by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Adnoc Group CEO and Claudio Descalzi, CEO of ENI.

Over the projects life-time, substantial benefits will flow back into the UAE economy under Adnocs In-Country Value program, which is designed to stimulate commercial opportunities, for local businesses, catalyse socio-economic development, develop an ultra-sour gas hub for the region and create additional employment opportunities for UAE nationals.

Dr Al Jaber said: Adnoc is committed to ensuring a stable and economic gas supply to the UAE, which is a core component of our 2030 strategy. Development of our Hail, Ghasha and Dalma ultra-sour gas offshore resources, at commercial rates, will make a significant contribution towards delivering that strategic imperative and bringing forward the day when the UAE will not only be self-sufficient in gas but also transitions to net exporter of gas.

In combination with Adnocs leading experience in ultra-sour gas, Enis field development experience supports the accelerated delivery of gas from the Hail, Ghasha and Dalma fields. At the same time, it will enable the further optimization of costs and ensure we extract the maximum value from our gas resources, as we continue to partner with those who share our values and contribute to our growth strategy.

Adnoc is in discussion with further potential partners, for the remaining 15 percent of the available 40 per cent stake in Ghasha concession, earmarked for foreign oil and gas companies.

The Hail, Ghasha and Dalma ultra-sour gas project will tap into the Arab basin, which is estimated to hold multiple trillions of standard cubic feet of recoverable gas. The project is expected to produce more than 1.5 billion cu ft of gas per day when it comes on stream around the middle of the next decade. The Ghasha Concession is expected to produce enough gas to provide electricity to more than two million homes. Once complete, the project will also produce over 120,000 barrels of oil and high value condensate per day.

Descalzi said: We are pursuing a strategy of growing in the Middle East and today's signature is further confirmation of our willingness to root our presence in Abu Dhabi, following the agreements signed last March, with Adnoc. Today's agreement is further proof of the strong alliance with such an important partner as Adnoc and of the proof of confidence in our globally recognised upstream model, based on the integration of exploration and development. This has allowed us to achieve extraordinary results over the last years in exploration, as well as in developing our discoveries in a record time-to-market.

The Hail, Ghasha and Dalma project will apply state-of-the-art smart technologies. It will leverage the latest digital innovaions to ensure remote access to all key activities across the projects natural and artificial islands, platforms and well-head towers. All the projects remote facilities will be operated from a single control centre in Al Manayif that will be able to respond immediately whenever changes or interventions are needed. The utilisation of smart technologies will enable Adnoc to unlock more value from the gas reserves and reduce human exposure to the operations, as well protecting the environment and investment alike.

In addition to developing the Ghasha Concession area, Adnoc also plans to increase production from its Shah field to 1.5 billion cu ft per day and move forward to develop the sour gas fields at Bab and Bu Hasa. Adnoc will also unlock other sources of gas which include Abu Dhabis gas caps and unconventional gas reserves, as well as new natural gas accumulations which will continue to be appraised and developed as the company pursues its exploration activities.

In developing the Hail, Ghasha and Dalma Arab reservoirs, Adnoc will capitalise on its world-leading expertise and successes in ultra-sour gas development, gained from the development of the Shah Arab reservoir, creating an ultra-sour gas hub for the region.

In March, Eni was awarded a 10 percent interest in Adnocs Umm Shaif and Nasr concession and a five percent interest in the Lower Zakum concession. The awards marked the first time an Italian energy company had been given concession rights in Abu Dhabis oil and gas sector.

Eni is active in 73 countries, including Italy, North, West and East Africa, the Norwegian Continental Shelf, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caspian Sea, Indonesia and Australia, and Southern Europe, the Middle and Far East, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Russian Barents Sea and Alaska. - TradeArabia News ServiceThe death toll from the wildfire that incinerated Paradise and surrounding areas climbed to 29  matching the mark for the deadliest single blaze in California history  as crews continued searching for bodies in the smoldering ruins, with nearly 230 people unaccounted for.

Paradise: Authorities have reported 13 more fatalities from a blaze in Northern California that destroyed a town, bringing the total death toll so far to 42 and making it the deadliest wildfire in recorded state history. The dead have been found in burned-out cars, in the smoldering ruins of their homes, or next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could jump in behind the wheel and escape.

In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that coroner's investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them

Meanwhile, crews continued searching for bodies in the smoldering ruins, as nearly 230 people remain unaccounted for.

Statewide the number of dead stood at 31, including two victims in Southern California, from wildfires raging at both ends of the state.

Ten search teams were working in Paradise  a town of 27,000 that was engulfed by flames Thursday  and in surrounding communities in Northern California's Sierra Nevada foothills. Authorities called in a DNA lab and anthropologists to help identify what in some cases were only bones or bone fragments.

In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that coroner's investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them. The search for bodies was continuing.

All told, more 8,000 firefighters battled wildfires that scorched at least 400 square miles (1,040 square kilometers) of the state, with the flames feeding on dry brush and driven by winds that had a blowtorch effect.

"This is truly a tragedy that all Californians can understand and respond to," Gov Jerry Brown said Sunday. "It's a time to pull together and work through these tragedies."

California is requesting emergency aid from the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has blamed what he called poor forest management for the fires.

The governor said that the federal and state governments must do more forest management but that climate change is the greater source of the problem. "And those who deny that are definitely contributing to the tragedies that we're now witnessing and will continue to witness in the coming years," Brown said.

Drought and warmer weather attributed to climate change, and the building of homes deeper into forests have led to longer and more destructive wildfire seasons in California. While California officially emerged from a five-year drought last year, much of the northern two-thirds of the state is abnormally dry.

In Southern California , firefighters beat back a new round of winds Sunday and the fire's growth was believed to have been largely stopped, though extremely low humidity and gusty Santa Ana winds were in the forecast through at least Tuesday.China on Wednesday dispatched troops to its first overseas naval base in Djibouti. This is being seen as a major step forward for the country's expansion of its military presence abroad.

China on Wednesday dispatched troops to its first overseas naval base in Djibouti. This is being seen as a major step forward for the country's expansion of its military presence abroad. Ships carrying Chinese military personnel departed from Zhanjiang in southern China's Guangdong Province.

The base will ensure China's performance of missions, such as escorting, peace-keeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West Asia. It will also be conducive to overseas tasks, including military cooperation, joint exercises, evacuating and protecting overseas Chinese and emergency rescue, as well as jointly maintaining security of international strategic seaways, a report on the website of Chinas defence ministry states.

China signed an initial 10-year lease for the base and will pay $20 million per year in rent. It started building the base, which is the country's first naval base abroad, last year and it will be stationed just a few miles from Camp Lemonnier, the only permanent US base in Africa since 2002. Djibouti also hosts troops from France and Japan. The US pays $63 million a year to lease Camp Lemonnier.

The US Department of Defense had said in a report that the base, along with regular naval vessel visits to foreign ports, reflects and amplifies China's growing influence. The Chinese defence ministry however, rejected the assessment, saying "China is not doing any military expansion and does not seek a sphere of influence."

Beijing seeks to gain access to natural resources and open new markets and therefore, it has made extensive infrastructure investments throughout the African continent.

Djibouti might have been chosen because of its relative stability and its strategic location, 20 miles across from war-consumed Yemen and in destroyer range of the pirate-infested western edge of the Indian Ocean, according to this article in The Huffington Post.

Since 2014, Djibouti has been seen as a strategic location offering some of the most prime military real estate, according to PRI. Major militaries of the world seek a presence there to shore up regional stability and to counter piracy threatening the trade route. Its location, near the Mandeb Strait and the Suez-Aden canal, aids global commerce. These places see almost 10 percent of the world's oil exports.

However, Chinese officials have downplayed the importance of the Djibouti base. They say that it will largely support anti-piracy operations. Beijing also said that China was not budging from its "defensive" military policy and that the base did not indicate an "arms race or military expansion," The New York Times reported.

Threat to US Camp Lemonnier?

China's expanding presence and its base at Djibouti is a matter of concern for the US. The Huffington Post quoted political analyst Lai Yueqian as saying, "The base can be used to pin down the United States and any US-led organisations." If the US wants to intervene against China's interests, they will have to think carefully, because China will use their military to protect their citizens and their property, he added.

US' Camp Lemonnier is home to about 4,000 personnel and some of them are involved in secret missions, including targeted drone killings in West Asia and the Horn of Africa, according to Boston Globe. With the Chinese base coming up in Djibouti, the US harbours concerns that they can scope out some of the military strategies of Washington.

With Chinese banks being the major funders of at least 14 projects in the tiny nations, valued at about $14.4 billion, US officials wonder about the long-term durability of the US-Djibouti alliance. The US has also been using its base to provide technical and intelligence assistance to Saudi Arabia in its war against the Houthi militia in Yemen.

China has plans to grow its navy to 351 ships by 2020, according to a report published in Business Insider. The 2014 US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in the report, "Given Chinas growing navy and the US Navy's planned decline in the size of its fleet, the balance of power and presence in the region is shifting in Chinas favour."

Should India be wary of the Chinese base?

While countering the US may be an objective that can be fulfilled in the far off future, the immediate aim is to focus on the vicinity. The Chinese Navys growing presence should also rattle India.

The Hindustan Times reported that with Djibouti, China has stepped up activity in the Indian Ocean, which India considers within its sphere of influence. Beijing is also building ports and other infrastructure in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

China also plans to take over the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka as part of a debt swap to firm up its naval operations in the Indian Ocean, much to the disquiet of India.

Placed at the northwestern edge of the Indian Ocean, the naval base represents the "first pearl of a necklace". India feels it is part of China's strategy to encircle the Indian subcontinent with the help of military alliances in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, as The Times of India points out.

The report of China sending its troops to Djibouti comes soon after India, Japan and the United States completed their joint maritime exercise. Although the Indian officials have dismissed reports that the exercise is being targeted at Beijing, the Chinese media has said that the exercises may be a concern for them because the Indian Ocean Region is considered economically important for Asia's largest economy.

This growing partnership has forced China closer to Pakistan, according to Newsweek. Pakistan already hosts the China-built Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea. China also continues to assert vast territorial claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea. Chinas growing military is expected to help it in countering the disputes involving South China and East China Sea.

With inputs from agenciesKirstjen Nielsen, the top immigration official in the Trump administration, is likely being booted out. Its no longer if, its when, is the buzz at the White House which offered no comment on personnel issues. Trump has long understood to have had problems with Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen - a protege of Trumps chief of staff John Kelly who has been the DHS Secretarys champion from well before her appointment.

New York: US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the top immigration official in the Trump administration, is likely being booted out barely a year after serving the US President's restrictionist immigration agenda that remains top of the ticket for his political strategy. Its no longer if, its when, is the buzz at the White House which offered no comment on personnel issues. Trump has long understood to have had problems with Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen - a protege of Trumps chief of staff John Kelly who has been the DHS Secretarys champion from well before her appointment. Trump has blamed Nielsen for not doing more to address what he has calls an immigration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border - an issue that has become Trump's rallying cry in stump speeches to his most vocal supporters.

Trump is said to be considering tough talking Thomas Homan, former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to succeed Nielsen. Trump wants John Wayne on the border and Tom Homan is John Wayne, a former Homeland Security official told Politico.

DHS is the agency behind Trumps controversial immigration crackdown and Nielsen instantly became the face of one of the most unpopular policies in America when she took over one year ago. The US president is reportedly looking for an immigration hardliner to replace Nielsen.

The Washington Post is reporting that Kelly is fighting Nielsens pending dismissal and attempting to postpone it, but its a time when Kellys sway is no longer what it once was and pressures are intensifying on Trump to deflect blame for his frightening immigration rhetoric that have not come to fruition. This is likely going to end up as a contest between Kelly and Trump.

Nielsen has been DHS Secretary since December and her relationship with Trump has been testy. Thats also partly to do with the history of Nielsens appointment itself: Kelly succeeded in convincing Trump who wasnt very keen on the Nielsen appointment. Trump continues to see Nielsen as a George Bush acolyte and Kelly protege rather than as someone who owes her entire allegiance to Trump. Less than 100% loyalty is not something that works in the Trump White House.

Nielsen is a cybersecurity expert who previously worked in the George W. Bush administration and at the Transportation Security Administration. To those who know her well, Nielsen's stint so far as DHS Secretary has been a puzzle - those who speak on background say that they cannot understand how she is burning her professional reputation on behalf of Trump who is known to throw his own people under the bus at breakneck pace.By Stephen Kalin RIYADH (Reuters) - British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday said prospects for talks to end Yemen's 3-1/2-year-old war were 'more real' after Saudi Arabia confirmed to him its willingness to evacuate 50 wounded Houthi fighters as a confidence-building measure. Following meetings in Riyadh with the Saudi king and crown prince - the main proponent of Saudi military intervention in Yemen - Hunt also said he anticipated 'rapid progress' in bringing to justice those responsible for last month's murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 'I was led to believe that certainly the legal processes are going to be starting very soon indeed and we should hear something about that quite shortly,' Hunt told Reuters in an interview

By Stephen Kalin

RIYADH (Reuters) - British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday said prospects for talks to end Yemen's 3-1/2-year-old war were "more real" after Saudi Arabia confirmed to him its willingness to evacuate 50 wounded Houthi fighters as a confidence-building measure.

Following meetings in Riyadh with the Saudi king and crown prince - the main proponent of Saudi military intervention in Yemen - Hunt also said he anticipated "rapid progress" in bringing to justice those responsible for last month's murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"I was led to believe that certainly the legal processes are going to be starting very soon indeed and we should hear something about that quite shortly," Hunt told Reuters in an interview.

Hunt's trip, which included a meeting in the United Arab Emirates with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, comes as Riyadh, already under scrutiny for civilian deaths in Yemen air strikes, is facing global criticism and potential sanctions over Khashoggi's killing inside its Istanbul consulate on Oct. 2.

The Western-backed Saudi-led coalition in Yemen resumed air strikes on the main port city of Hodeidah after a lull on Monday as Western allies pressed Riyadh to end a war that has pushed the impoverished country to the verge of starvation.

"Even though theres been a temporary lull in the fighting, ... it is a desperate humanitarian situation and so I impressed on everyone the urgency of the situation were facing," Hunt said.

Britain is s major arms supplier to Saudi Arabia, and opposition politicians and human rights groups have called on the government to cease such sales due to the high civilian death toll in air raids by the coalition in Yemen.

The government has said the arms sales earn Britain billions of pounds and guarantee jobs in the industry, and its response to the Khashoggi killing must bear this in mind.

Britain has pushed for new action at the United Nations Security Council to try to end hostilities in Yemen and find a political solution to the war.

The evacuation of Houthi fighters, which Hunt said would have conditions about who travels with them, was a Houthi condition for peace talks that collapsed in September after the armed group's delegation failed to show up.

"If this unblocks that, then that makes the prospect of those peace talks happening more real and that will be very important," Hunt added. "Its about confidence-building measures on both sides, but certainly (from) the people Ive spoken to today, there is a real willingness to engage in those."

KHASHOGGI INVESTIGATION

The murder of Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of Prince Mohammed, has provoked little concrete action by world powers against Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and a supporter of Washington's plans to contain Iranian influence across the Middle East.

Britain has called for a "credible" investigation. Hunt, the first British minister to visit Saudi Arabia since the killing, said its results had to be reviewed before deciding on any consequences.

"I talked very frankly about our concerns about what happened and how important it is for Saudis strategic partners to know that this cannot and will not happen again," he said.

"Due process is in train at the moment in Saudi Arabia, and I was led to believe there will be rapid progress in making sure that people are brought to justice," he said.

Hunt said accountability was needed for both the people who committed the act and those who ordered it.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says Khashoggi's murder was ordered at the highest levels of the Saudi government, and some U.S. lawmakers have accused Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto leader, of doing so.

After initial denials, Saudi officials acknowledged the killing was planned in advance but said the crown prince had no knowledge of the specific operation.

Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey had given recordings related to the killing to countries including Britain.

Asked about the recordings, Hunt declined to comment on intelligence matters but said: "My understanding of what actually happened is not dissimilar to what Ive been reading about in the newspapers."

(Reporting by Stephen Kalin in Riyadh; Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper in London; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Leslie Adler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.By Aziz El Yaakoubi DUBAI (Reuters) - Western powers provided arms and intelligence to the Saudi-led coalition waging war against Houthi insurgents in Yemen for more than three years, despite criticism from rights groups and lawmakers. They are now pressing for an end to the conflict that has killed more than 10,000 and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.

By Aziz El Yaakoubi

DUBAI (Reuters) - Western powers provided arms and intelligence to the Saudi-led coalition waging war against Houthi insurgents in Yemen for more than three years, despite criticism from rights groups and lawmakers.

They are now pressing for an end to the conflict that has killed more than 10,000 and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.

British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt is visiting coalition leaders Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates this week to push for an end to hostilities.

Analysts say Riyadh and Abu Dhabi want to end the costly Yemen quagmire, but any peace efforts must overcome deep mistrust on all sides, while the Houthis may see an opportunity to profit from any pressure on the Saudis.

WHY NOW?

The West toughened its stance after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi policy, at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

Khashoggi's killing sparked a global outcry and exposed Saudi Arabia's crackdown on dissent and aggressive foreign policy.

It opened Riyadh to potential sanctions and tarnished the image of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who launched the Yemen war.

Facing domestic political concerns, the United States called for a ceasefire and halted refueling support for coalition warplanes. Germany and Norway suspended arms exports to Riyadh.

Britain said it would press for action at the Security Council as the United Nations tries to salvage peace talks.

WILL WESTERN PRESSURE WORK?

The coalition has intensified attacks against the Iranian-aligned Houthi insurgents, aiming to weaken them by focusing on the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, the group's main supply line.

But Western pressure on Riyadh may give the Houthis an incentive to hang on, analysts say. The group controls populous highlands and the capital Sanaa.

After seizing the southern port of Aden in 2015, the alliance has made little progress. While it has air supremacy, the Houthis have proved better at guerrilla warfare.

It abandoned a June offensive on Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions, amid U.N. warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Saudi Arabia is reluctant to exit without major concessions from the Houthis, who have launched missiles at its cities.

Riyadh and Abu Dhabi both want to contain Iran. But the UAE has forged its own Yemeni alliances to combat Islamists, some backed by Saudi, making it easier for Abu Dhabi to walk away while maintaining influence.

UAE-backed forces have made the only coalition gains and control a string of ports, including Aden, the temporary headquarters of the internationally recognized government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, largely seen as inept.

WHERE DO U.N. PEACE EFFORTS STAND?

U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths is trying to convene Yemeni parties for a new round of talks before the year-end to agree a framework for peace under a transitional governing body.

The Houthis failed to show up for consultations in Geneva in September, the first since 2016. Previous initiatives collapsed after they rejected preconditions for them to quit Sanaa and other cities seized after 2014.

Main terms now include transport of some wounded to Oman for treatment without inspection.

If negotiations go ahead, they will have to include the General People's Congress of slain former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, which has wide support in Yemen.

UAE-backed southern separatists, who are undermining Hadi and his Islamist allies in the south, also want a say.

WHY IS YEMEN DIVIDED?

Yemen's splits have festered for years. North and south Yemen united into a single state in 1990, but southern separatists tried to secede from the pro-union north in 1994.

After their defeat, resources flowed to Sanaa.

Saleh ruled north Yemen from 1978 and the unified state after 1990. His relatives controlled core parts of the army and economy, and corruption was rife.

Some of the Shi'ite Zaydi sect, who ruled the north until 1962, chafed as their heartland became impoverished. In the late 1990s, they formed the Houthi group, which fought the army and forged ties with Iran.

Though allied to Saleh, the Muslim Brotherhood and other Sunni Islamists gained strength. Jihadists set up an al Qaeda wing and began staging attacks.

WHY DID RIYADH ENTER THE WAR?

When mass protests broke out in 2011, some of Saleh's former allies turned on him. The army split. The Houthis gained ground.

After a year, Gulf states persuaded Saleh to step down.

His deputy Hadi was elected to a two-year term to oversee a democratic transition, which was undermined by perceived corruption and Saleh's allies.

In 2014, the Houthis seized Sanaa with help from Saleh loyalists, forcing Hadi to share power. But when a National Dialogue proposed a federal constitution, both Houthis and southern separatists rejected it.

The Houthis arrested Hadi in 2015, but he escaped and fled to Aden. Riyadh, backed by the coalition, entered the war on Hadi's side, taking him to Riyadh.

The Houthis and Saleh's forces were driven from Aden in 2015. Military stalemate followed. Saleh, hoping to cut a deal, abandoned the Houthis in 2017 but was killed.

His loyalists turned on the Houthis, setting their eyes on Hodeidah.

(Additional reporting by Angus McDowell in Beirut; Editing by Ghaida Ghantous and Giles Elgood)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.By Eric Thayer MALIBU, Calif. (Reuters) - Authorities searched on Monday for more than 200 people unaccounted for in one of the wildfires rampaging through parts of California, voicing concern about a possible rising death toll, as gusty, dry winds spurred the flames

By Eric Thayer

MALIBU, Calif. (Reuters) - Authorities searched on Monday for more than 200 people unaccounted for in one of the wildfires rampaging through parts of California, voicing concern about a possible rising death toll, as gusty, dry winds spurred the flames.

The so-called Camp Fire, California's most destructive on record, had left at least 228 people missing as of early Monday, according to Kory Honea, sheriff of northern California's Butte County, site of the fire. That fire and one in southern California have killed at least 31 people.

Both fires have been whipped up by hot dry winds expected to continue through Tuesday evening, according to officials. The winds were expected to heighten the risk of fresh blazes ignited by scattered embers. More than 224,000 people have been displaced by the fires, officials said.

The Camp Fire, 40 miles (60 km) north of Sacramento, burned down more than 6,700 homes and businesses in the town of Paradise, more structures than any other wildfire recorded in California. The blazes left behind scenes of utter ruin, with homes and businesses reduced to charred wreckage.

The fire had scorched more than 113,000 acres and was 25 percent contained, officials said on Monday. Its death toll of 29 equals that of the Griffith Park Fire in 1933, the deadliest wildfire on record in California.

The blaze has probably caused between $2 billion and $4 billion in insured property damage, Morgan Stanley estimated in a report on Monday.

Speaking on CNN, Honea said while he holds out hope that many people listed as missing will turn up safe, "given what we've dealt with so far with casualties as a result of this fire, I have concerns that it (the death toll) will rise."

In southern California, the Woolsey Fire had burned more than 91,000 acres and was 20 percent contained, officials said. The fire had forced authorities to issue evacuation orders for a quarter million people in Ventura and Los Angeles counties and beachside communities including the Malibu beach colony. By Sunday night parts of the two counties were reopened.

At least two people have died in the Woolsey Fire, according to officials from the statewide agency Cal Fire, which has more than 3,200 personnel fighting the blaze.

The number of people missing in the Woolsey Fire was not immediately available.

Many of those allowed to return were left without power or cellphone service, even if their homes were spared by the flames.

Malibu resident Tony Haynes described how strong winds brought the fire through his neighbourhood during the weekend, with the sky growing dark, saying there was so much smoke he put on his scuba-diving tank to breathe. Haynes said his home survived.

"It all came down to luck and a whole lot of buckets of water," he told KTLA 5.

A smaller blaze in Southern California, the Hill Fire, was 75 percent contained and had burned 4,531 acres, officials said.

'IT'S ALL GONE'

Wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour (100 km) were expected in the mountains, valleys and canyons of southern California, raising the possibility of downed power lines and trees. This, in combination with low humidity, was expected to create the perfect conditions for fires to spread.

Local residents were despondent over the fire damage.

"It's not the house, because you can rebuild. But it's what is inside the house. It's all gone," Malibu resident Marcella Shirk, 82, told KABC-TV. "And that's what hurts, those kinds of things hurt, because you can't replace that."

She and her husband lost their house of 41 years and its possessions. The house burned on his 92nd birthday.

California utility stocks plummeted for a second trading day on Monday. Shares of PG&E Corp , which operates in northern California, dropped 16 percent, bringing its decline over two sessions to 29 percent, equivalent to $8 billion. Edison International , owner of Southern California Edison Company, slumped 11 percent, leaving its stock market value $5 billion lower since Thursday, when the fires broke out.

Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, has asked U.S. President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster to bolster the emergency response and help residents recover. Trump, a Republican who has often criticized Democrat-led California on a variety of issues including immigration enforcement, faulted the state government in Twitter comments during the weekend, blaming poor forest management by the state for the infernos.

Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters, called Trump's statement "ill-timed" given the loss of life and ongoing search for missing people.

"You can't just make a blanket statement," Rice told MSNBC on Monday, adding that fires and forest management were complicated and that weather also was a major factor.

"Right now, what is needed is, really, support," Rice said.

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Additional reporting by Stephen Lam in Paradise; Alex Dobuzinskis, Dan Whitcomb and Dana Feldman in Los Angeles, Barbara Goldberg and Jonathan Allen in New York; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Steve Orlofsky)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.By Richard Lough STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Tuesday for an integrated European Union military, echoing language used by French President Emmanuel Macron last week that infuriated U.S.

By Richard Lough

STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Tuesday for an integrated European Union military, echoing language used by French President Emmanuel Macron last week that infuriated U.S. President Donald Trump.

Merkel told the European Parliament such an army would not undermine the U.S.-led military alliance NATO but would be complementary to it, remarks that were met with loud applause in the legislature though also with boos from nationalist members.

"The times when we could rely on others are over. This means we Europeans have to take our fate fully into our own hands," Merkel said.

"We should work on a vision of one day establishing a real European army."

Macron's call, which reflected a broad trend of EU thinking but is not universally accepted, was meant to show European willingness to meet U.S. demands that Europe do more for its own security and rely less on America's security umbrella.

However, on Twitter on Nov. 9, Trump accused Macron of seeking to develop the EU's own military to defend itself from the United States, which EU and French officials said was a misunderstanding.

On Tuesday Trump took aim at Macron again, blasting France over its near defeat to Germany in two world wars, its wine industry and Macron's approval ratings.

In his remarks on Nov. 6, Macron had been referring to computer hackers who could attack Europe from anywhere, including from inside the United States, officials said.

First proposed in the 1950s and taken up four years ago by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker as a response to fraying EU unity, an EU armed forces is seen as strengthening the global power of the bloc, which is an economic giant but a geopolitical minnow.

With Britain's pending departure from the EU, there may be more momentum for remaining member states to find common ground on defence, although there remain divisions.

Supporters of a European defence union say the EU has struggled in military and humanitarian missions in the Balkans, Libya and Africa, and that it was caught off guard by Russias annexation of Crimea.

"NO PLACE FOR NATIONALISM"

Merkel's address comes at a time when the EU is searching for answers to a U.S. president who views the EU with contempt, to the rise of illiberal democracies and nationalist parties within its borders, and to Britain's vote to leave the bloc.

She made appeals for tolerance and solidarity, saying "nationalism and egotism should no longer have a place in Europe" to a sustained applause.

As a deadline looms for Italy's eurosceptic government to re-submit budget plans to the European Union, Merkel said the euro zone would only work if all member states meet their treaty responsibilities .

"Our common currency can only function if every individual member fulfils their responsibility for sustainable finances," Merkel said, adding that otherwise the strength and the stability of the euro zone were at risk.

"We want to extend a hand to Italy," she later said. "But Italy also agreed to all sorts of rules and it can't just tear them up."

Merkel dominated European politics for over a decade, but she is now a diminished force, weakened by the fragility of her coalition and the rise of the far-right in Germany. She announced in late October that she would step down as leader of her party, though remain chancellor.

Her foot-dragging over far-reaching reforms to the euro zone has frustrated the energetic Macron. In the summer, they agreed to a budget for the single currency area but failed to deliver any big-bang reforms. Few concrete steps have been taken since.

On Tuesday, she kept her vision for deeper monetary cooperation vague: "We need to develop our monetary policy better. We're working on a banking union," she said. "We have to look at responsibility and control, a banking union and then later a European insurance system."

Merkel also trained her sights on Poland and Hungary, two countries whose leaders other member states worry are undercutting democratic institutions.

The European Parliament in September voted to sanction Hungary for flouting EU rules on democracy, civil rights and corruption, while concerns have grown in the EU over Warsaw's accelerated judicial overhaul.

"Solidarity is always linked to commitments of the community, and the principles based on rule of law," Merkel said.

(Reporting by Richard Lough in Strasbourg, writing by Robin Emmott and Richard Lough, editing by William Maclean)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.India voiced concern over the financial crunch at the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and appealed to nations to enhance contributions to it.

United Nations: India has voiced concern over the financial crunch at the United Nations (UN) agency for Palestinian refugees and appealed to nations to enhance contributions to it, saying this support will be a practical way of expressing continued solidarity with millions of Palestine refugees.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was established by the UN General Assembly seven decades ago, looks after the welfare of 5.4 million Palestine refugees.

"However, almost all of the UNRWA's resources come from voluntarily contributions, with a limited donor base. This arrangement is fraught with uncertainties," first secretary in India's permanent mission to the UN Mahesh Kumar said here on Monday.

Kumar, speaking at the UN General Assembly Fourth Committee meeting on the UNRWA, said even core services to the Palestinian refugees, notably in the fields of education, health, and assistance to the most vulnerable refugees are susceptible to interruption. He said provision of adequate, sustainable and predictable funding would have to be made and additional resource allocation from the regular budget could be considered.

He noted that the UN board of auditors in their latest report pointed out that as a result of suspended contributions amounting to 400 million dollars in respect of the years 2017 and 2018, the agency's projected overall deficit is around 450 million dollars.

"This is unsustainable and a cause of concern," he said.

"We appeal to other traditional donors of the UNRWA to consider enhancing their contributions and non donor member states to consider contributing to the UNRWA. This is perhaps the practical way of expressing continued solidarity with Palestine refugees," Kumar said.

The Trump administration had in August said that the US will not make additional contributions to the UNRWA.

Kumar said against the backdrop of the serious resource constraints faced by the UNRWA, India increased its annual financial contribution five-fold to the agency's core budget, from one million dollars in 2016 to five million dollars in 2018. India is also committed to contribute five million dollars in 2019.

As part of its ongoing assistance programmes in Palestine to strengthen capacity-building efforts focused on institutions, services and training personnel, India provides 150 places for Palestinian professionals every year in its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme.

During the last five years, under an India-Palestine development partnership, 17 agreements have been signed in the fields of agriculture, health care, information technology, youth affairs, consular affairs, women's empowerment and media.

Under those agreements, around 70 million dollars of financial support and project assistance have been offered for projects like post-2014 war reconstruction efforts in Gaza, the construction of five schools and the India-Palestine Centre of Excellence for Informational and Communication Technologies at the Al-Quds University, with a satellite centre in Ramallah.

The financial aid has also been offered to the India-Palestine Techno-park in Ramallah, a 100-bed super specialty hospital in Bethlehem, an India Studies Chair at the Al-Quds University, the construction of the Palestine Institute of Diplomacy in Ramallah, a National Printing Press and establishing a Heritage Centre for the Empowerment of Women and Young People.John Bolton, speaking to reporters in Singapore ahead of a regional summit, was asked whether it was right to say the audio contained nothing that implicated the crown prince.

Singapore: Audio linked to Jamal Khashoggi's murder inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate does not implicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, US National Security Advisor John Bolton said on Tuesday, citing others who have heard the tapes.

Turkey has previously said it shared recordings linked to the murder of Khashoggi  a Saudi dissident and fierce critic of the crown prince  with officials in Riyadh, Washington and other capitals.

Khashoggi was last seen entering the consulate on 2 October to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage.

After repeated denials, Saudi Arabia finally admitted the 59-year-old had been murdered at the mission in a "rogue" operation.

Bolton, speaking to reporters in Singapore ahead of a regional summit, was asked whether it was right to say the audio contained nothing that implicated the crown prince.

"I haven't listened to the tape myself but in the assessment of those who have listened to it that's right," he said.

Khashoggi's brazen murder has caused intense speculation over what, if anything, Crown Prince Salman might have known about the operation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government and pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Salman of responsibility.

The New York Times reported that a member of the team at the consulate had told a superior by phone to "tell your boss", suspected to be the crown prince, that the operation had been accomplished.

The Trump administration embraced the young prince as a reform-minded ally, but the murder of Khashoggi  a US resident  has soured that narrative.

Bolton emphasised that Trump has demanded a full investigation from the Saudis and for those responsible to be held accountable.

"The president has made it very clear that he expects we're going to get the truth from the Saudis  and the king and the crown prince, in the conversations they've had with the president, have committed to that," he said.

But Trump has also emphasised America's important commercial, strategic and national security relationships with the petro-state as well as lucrative arms contracts.Luggage carried by a Saudi team dispatched to Istanbul included scissors, defibrillators and syringes that may have been used against Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in Saudi consulate.

Istanbul: Luggage carried by a 15-member Saudi team dispatched to Istanbul included scissors, defibrillators and syringes that may have been used against journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi consulate, a pro-government Turkish daily said Tuesday.

X-ray images of the luggage were published in the Sabah newspaper as the New York Times reported that a member of the team at the consulate had told a superior by phone to "tell your boss", suspected to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that the operation was accomplished.

Turkish media has published gruesome details of the murder of 59-year-old Khashoggi who according to a Turkish prosecutor was strangled and dismembered soon after he entered the Istanbul consulate on October 2 to obtain paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

After repeated denials, Saudi Arabia finally admitted Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Riyadh critic, had been murdered at the mission in a "rogue" operation.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the 15-member Saudi team travelled from Riyadh to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi.

The luggage carried by the team was loaded into two planes that left for Riyadh at 1520 GMT and 1946 GMT on 2 October, Sabah newspaper said.

The luggage contained 10 phones, five walkie-talkies, intercoms, two syringes, two defibrillators, a jamming device, staplers, and scissors, the paper reported.

The team was being led by Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, the man named by Turkish media as the head of the operation against Khashoggi.

The New York Times, quoting sources familiar with a recording of Khashoggi's killing, reported on Monday that Mutreb  a security officer who frequently travelled with Prince Mohammed  picked up a phone at the consulate to say "tell your boss" that the operation was accomplished.

Turkish intelligence officers have told US officials they believe Mutreb was speaking to one of the prince's aides, it reported.

And American intelligence officials believe "your boss" was a reference to Prince Mohammed.

Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government and he pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Salman of responsibility.

Ankara has shared voice recordings linked to the murder with a number of countries including Saudi Arabia as well as the United States and its Western allies.

But Turkish officials say they played them the recordings but did not hand them over.

"We played the voice recording linked to the murder with anyone who wanted," Erdogan told Turkish journalists aboard a plane returning from Paris where he attended commemorations at the weekend marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

"The recording is really disastrous," he said in quotes published by Sabah.

"When the Saudi intelligence agent listened, he was shocked and said this could only be done by someone who got heroin." Khashoggi's body has never been found, but Sabah reported on Saturday that his killers poured his remains down the drain after dissolving them in acid.ABB has been awarded an integrated automation, electrification and telecom order valued at $79 million, for the upgrade of the Bab Onshore Field in Abu Dhabi, by China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Corporation (CPECC).



Spanning 1,200 sq km, Bab is the largest onshore oil field in Abu Dhabi. State-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has identified the potential to increase output from 420,000 to 450,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) at the field by 2020.



In 2015, Adnoc Onshore awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to CPECC to upgrade the field.



The upgrade will include a fully integrated ABB Electrical, Control and Telecommunication (ECT) solution with 45 power and capacitor bank skids, as well as centralized and localized automation systems. ABB Ability digital oilfield technology will further enhance the ECT solution to remotely monitor and analyze field performance where multiple oil wells will be co-located in one place. Once installed, it is expected to reduce the oilfields operating expenditures by 10 to 15 per cent.



Peter Terwiesch, president, ABBs Industrial Automation division said: We are very proud to have won the contract on the basis of our ability to provide a fully integrated solution that leverages our industry-leading ABB Ability process control system. In addition, we demonstrated the strongest local footprint, with our equipment being built or assembled in the UAE and our services delivered by locally-based staff.



The level of In Country Value (ICV) offered when tendering for industrial projects in the UAE has become increasingly important over recent years since the UAE Government announced its policy to enhance the role of private sector in appointing and training nationals.



Terwiesch added: Hiring and training Emiratis to become high-performing employees has been a focus for us in the United Arab Emirates in recent years. I am very pleased that our efforts were recognized by the UAE government in October 2018, when we received an UAE Emiratization Award.



The digital technology deployed at the facility will leverage ABB Ability, the companys unified, cross-industry, digital offering, connecting devices, systems, solutions and services to help Adnoc improve operational performance.



ABB provides integrated products, services and solutions to help customers in the oil, gas and chemicals industry optimize their safety, productivity and energy efficiency while minimizing cost, schedule and risk.



ABB is a pioneering technology leader in power grids, electrification products, industrial automation and robotics and motion, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally.  TradeArabia News ServiceBy Eleanor Biles and Ulf Laessing PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - The rulers of Libya's rival east and west were gathering at a summit for the first time in more than five months on Monday, a week after the United Nations buried plans to hold an election next month. Khalifa Haftar, the strongman ruling most of Libya's east, arrived in the evening in the Italian city of Palermo for a two-day summit to discuss a U.N. peace plan to stabilise the North African country, in turmoil since 2011

By Eleanor Biles and Ulf Laessing

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - The rulers of Libya's rival east and west were gathering at a summit for the first time in more than five months on Monday, a week after the United Nations buried plans to hold an election next month.

Khalifa Haftar, the strongman ruling most of Libya's east, arrived in the evening in the Italian city of Palermo for a two-day summit to discuss a U.N. peace plan to stabilise the North African country, in turmoil since 2011.

Libya's prime minister Fayez al-Serraj, who is based in the west and has limited authority, arrived earlier on Monday.

Italy hopes the conference will resurrect U.N. efforts to stage elections in Libya, after the United Nations announced last week that the OPEC member country could not hold a planned election on Dec. 10 because of violence and stalled talks.

The summit will assemble Libya's main rivals for the first time since a similar event in Paris in May, where they had agreed to the plan to hold the December election.

It was not clear whether the Libyan participants would actually meet directly. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will hold some bilateral meetings including with Haftar late on Monday, an official said.

Haftar did not join a dinner with the Libyan, Western and Arab officials attending the summit. He arrived well after the other Libyan participants and after a quick chat with Conte via a translator in front of TV cameramen left the luxury hotel venue.

Serraj's western-based government is internationally recognised but has struggled to assert its authority in a country still mostly controlled by armed groups, eight years after NATO-backed rebels toppled former dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

A rival government is based in the east, where most towns and cities are under the control of Haftar.

Apart from Haftar, the heads of the two parliaments based in the east and west, Aguila Saleh and Khalid al-Mishri, were also attending, officials said.

Italy, the former colonial power, has vast oil and gas interests in Libya and has been trying to shut down people-smuggling from the Libyan coast.

It has been eager to host a high-profile event, competing with France which staged the May conference.

Apart from Western, U.N. and Russian officials, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was also attending.

U.N. Libya envoy Ghassan Salame told Reuters he hoped another attempt to hold an election will take place by June but Libyans should first hold a national conference in early 2019 to decide on the poll's format.

"We want to ask at the national conference what type of election do you want: parliamentary or presidential, and what kind of (election) law," Salame said.

The envoy said the national conference should "preferably" take place on Libyan soil. Surveys had shown that 80 percent of Libyans want elections to end the stalemate between Libya's rival administrations.

He hoped the Palermo conference would put pressure on the internationally recognised parliament, the House of Representatives (HOR), which has failed to pass an election law.

"The HOR has been sterile, has produced no law ... I think we need wider representation of the Libyans," he said.

France has been courting Haftar, who is supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which see his forces as a bulwark against Islamists.

Italy is the main backer of Serraj and his weak Government of National Accord (GNA), and has worked with local groups in Libya to stop Europe-bound migrants from embarking by boat.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing, Ayat Basma, Eleanor Biles and Vlad PantaleoneWriting by Ulf Laessing, Editing by Daniel Wallis, Crispian Balmer and Peter Graff, William Maclean)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.By Ulf Laessing and Wladimir Pantaleone PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - The rulers of Libya's rival east and west were expected to meet for the first time in more than five months on Monday at a summit in Italy, a week after the United Nations abandoned plans to hold an election next month. An Italian diplomatic source said Khalifa Haftar, the strongman who rules most of eastern Libya, was on his way to attend the summit

By Ulf Laessing and Wladimir Pantaleone

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - The rulers of Libya's rival east and west were expected to meet for the first time in more than five months on Monday at a summit in Italy, a week after the United Nations abandoned plans to hold an election next month.

An Italian diplomatic source said Khalifa Haftar, the strongman who rules most of eastern Libya, was on his way to attend the summit. Haftar had kept the hosts guessing until the final hours whether he would attend.

Libya's prime minister, who is based in the west and has limited authority, had already arrived earlier on Monday.

Italy hopes the conference in the Sicilian city of Palermo will resurrect U.N. efforts to stage elections in Libya, after the United Nations announced last week that it could not hold a planned election on Dec. 10 because of violence.

The summit will assemble Libya's main rivals for the first time since a similar event in Paris in May, where they had agreed to the plan to hold the December election.

Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj's western-based government is internationally recognised but has struggled to assert its authority in a country still mostly controlled by armed groups, eight years after NATO-backed rebels toppled long-serving dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi.

A rival government is based in the east, where most towns and cities are under the control of Haftar.

Apart from Haftar, the heads of the two parliaments based in the east and west, Aguila Saleh and Khalid al-Mishri, were also attending, officials said.

Italy, the former colonial power, has vast oil and gas interests in Libya and has been trying to shut down people-smuggling from the Libyan coast.

It has been eager to host a high-profile event, competing with France which staged the May conference.

Apart from Western, U.N. and Russian officials, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was also attending.

U.N. Libya envoy Ghassan Salame told Reuters he hoped another attempt to hold an election will take place by June but Libyans should first hold a national conference in early 2019 to decide on the poll's format.

"We want to ask at the national conference what type of election do you want: parliamentary or presidential, and what kind of law," Salame said.

The envoy said the national conference should "preferably" take place on Libyan soil. Surveys had shown that 80 percent of Libyans want elections to end the stalemate between Libya's rival administrations.

He hoped the Palermo conference would put pressure on the internationally recognised parliament, the House of Representatives (HOR), which has failed to pass an election law.

"The HOR has been sterile, has produced no law ... I think we need wider representation of the Libyans," he said.

France has been courting Haftar, who is supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which see his forces as a bulwark against Islamists.

Italy is the main backer of Serraj and his weak Government of National Accord (GNA), and has worked with local groups in Libya to stop Europe-bound migrants from embarking by boat.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing, Ayat Basma, Eleanor Biles and Vlad Pantaleone; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Crispian Balmer and Peter Graff)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Rohingya Muslims were fleeing Bangladeshi refugee camps to avoid being repatriated to Myanmar later this week, community leaders said Monday. Authorities plan to begin returning Rohingya refugees, who have fled what the UN has called ethnic cleansing, to the Buddhist majority country from Thursday.

Teknaf: Rohingya Muslims were fleeing Bangladeshi refugee camps to avoid being repatriated to Myanmar later this week, community leaders said Monday. Authorities plan to begin returning Rohingya refugees, who have fled what the UN has called ethnic cleansing, to the Buddhist majority country from Thursday.

But the prospect has created panic in the camps, prompting some families who were due to be among the first to be repatriated to flee, according to community leaders. "The authorities repeatedly tried to motivate the ones on the returning refugee list to go back. But instead, they were intimidated and fled to other camps," said Nur Islam, from Jamtoli refugee camp.

More than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's western Rakhine state in a military crackdown from August last year, bringing with them stories of murders, rapes and torture. Some 2,260 Rohingya Muslims had been scheduled to leave the Bangladesh border post in the southeastern Cox's Bazar district in the first repatriations from Thursday under the voluntary scheme.

But Nur Islam said the plan has created "massive confusion and fear" among the Rohingya and many were unwilling to return to Rakhine unless they were guaranteed citizenship and other rights. An AFP correspondent was able to speak to three families who said they were due to leave this week. "We are truly disturbed by the entire issue. As the day is coming closer, our tension is rising," Mohammad Khaleque, a Rohingya refugee told AFP.

He said he his family were fleeing their camp for another makeshift Rohingya settlement in Cox's Bazar, in an effort to avoid being forcibly repatriated. "I don't see a future for my family if we're forcibly sent back home right now without confirming that we would get full Myanmar citizenship. That's why I took my family out of the camp and to another one to live with my relatives. We don't want to go back like this," he said.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, who received a list from the Bangladesh government on Monday to assess whether the refugees wanted to go back to Myanmar voluntarily, said the start date of 15 November was an "ambitious plan". UNHCR senior spokesman Chris Melzer said "logistical problems" needed to be solved first.

"This is the matter of the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Although we still think that the conditions are not conducive now for the refugees to return in Myanmar," he told AFP. The UN assessment may take at least two more days, according to both UN and Bangladesh officials, which may delay repatriation.

Bangladesh refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said the country was ready to start returning the refugees to two centres at the border. An AFP team visited both the centres. One appeared complete while the construction of the second was "over 80 percent" finished, according to builders. A Bangladeshi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted that the Rohingya refugees were not "mentally ready" for returning. "They often say to us they would rather die here in the (Bangladeshi) camps than to go back and embrace the harrowing pain they have already experienced," he said.The Obama voter who flipped to Trump in 2016 did not return to the Democratic party this midterm election season, the much hyped blue wave did not happen, white males who are an overwhelming majority of Republican Congress members are a stark minority in the Democratic House and Senate and partisan divisions are hardening amidst record turnout. Not yet good enough to stop Donald Trump in 2020.

New York: The Obama voter who flipped to Trump in 2016 stayed that way and did not return to the Democratic party this midterm election season, the much hyped blue wave is playing out in slow motion as votes continue to be counted, white males who are an overwhelming majority of Republican Congress members are a stark minority in the Democratic House and Senate, partisan divisions are hardening amidst record turnout and enthusiastic voters betting on Trumpism are tamping down the effect of Republicans who are turning away from Trumps rhetoric on race and immigration - these are some of the top takeaways from a clutch of exit polls after the 2018 US midterms on 6 November.

Small towns stick with Trump

According to AP VoteCast, urban voters went almost 2 to 1 in favor of Democrats, and small-town and rural voters bet on Republicans by a significant, but smaller margin. In suburban areas, voters skewed significantly toward Democrats by an 8-point margin; non-white voters sided with Democrats by a roughly 3-to-1 margin. Trump fared very well on border security among voters in rural areas  6 in 10 approved. This runs in parallel with white voter approval on Trump's border security - 57 percent approve. Quite typically in Trump country, white voters without a college degree were more likely to say they approved, 64 percent to 49 percent.

Not (yet) good enough to stop Trump in 2020

Overall, despite women being the driving force behind the Democratic House takeover - they voted 59 percent for Dems - the final result itself does not (yet) point to a Democratic wave that could potentially deny Donald Trump a second term. Democrats have to figure a way to stop losses among voters in Republican-leaning regions, which are increasingly turning away from the Democratic party. "In a lot of places right now, it's very foreign to vote for a Democrat. Weve got to find a way to broaden the appeal,agree Democrats.

Anti-Kavanaugh Senators lost

All the Democrats who lost Senate seats all voted against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. The lone Democratic senator who voted for Kavanaugh - Joe Manchin - kept his West Virginia seat. Tribalism is showing up in many ways. Even though critics balk at Trumps claims that the midterms were a tremendous success, theres data to support that theres not a single district Trump won by a huge margin (55 percent) that Democrats were able to flip. What went to Trump in 2016 stayed red.

Record turnout in the high 40s, deeper and starker divisions among voters in suburban and rural areas, ~99 Democratic women in the US House and Senate versus ~19 for the Republicans and a gender gap that's being reported in a range of 15-19 percent depending on the data set used - these are that both Trump and his Opposition will be poring over as they plot their 2020 strategy.

38 percent said it was a vote against Trump

Upside for Donald Trump: The optimistic view from midterm results is that he could win the electoral college in 2020 even if he lost the popular vote - exactly what happened in 2016. The downside: The largest class of freshman voters ever in Americas history leaned Democratic - that too in a midterm election which is usually low turnout. More people than in the 1990s are saying that the president was a factor in how they voted. Heres the break up this year: Twenty six per cent of those polled said they voted for Donald Trump, 38 percent said their vote was against Donald Trump and a third said Trump was not a factor.

Where Hillary Clinton won, Dems did well

The much hyped blue wave did not happen. To be more precise, Democrats won in suburban Whole Foods areas, they won in places where Hillary had won but if there was a distinct red colouring, the blue wave did not extend very far in those battlegrounds. While the Democrats are trying to claw back some sense of a unified blue identity, the red states are only hardening around Trumpism. If reluctant Republicans in name only (RINOs) are voting Democratic, then fired up Trump is Great (TIGRs) voters are helping shore up some of that lost territory for the US President.

Greater turnout among women without college degree

1982 was the last time before 2018 that the American voters delivered a combination of a Republican president and Senate and a Democratic House. Men and women voted differently, just as they have since the 1980s. 59 percent of women voted Democratic, men voted narrowly in favour of the Republicans. In every racial and ethnic group, women were more Democratic than men. White women split evenly for both parties while white men voted 60 percent for Republican House candidates and 39 percent for Democratic. White female college grads were 16 percent of all voters. They voted 59 -39 for Democratic candidates. Females without a college degree were a larger share of voters (21 percent), they voted 41 percent Democratic and 59 percent for Republican candidates.

Youth turnout, as defined by voters between 18 and 29, surged to a number not seen in a midterm election in a quarter century. Overall, 31 percent of eligible young people cast ballots, according to an analysis by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. Trump's frightful dystopias on immigration was top-of-mind for about 23 percent of voters, and they broke 78 percent to 20 percent for Republicans. Health care was named the most important issue facing the country by 26 percent of voters, and these voters broke for Democrats by similar margins (74 percent to 23 percent).

Democrats who are seeking the White House in 2020 are now using lessons from the midterms as a blueprint for how to run and win in the industrial Midwest - Trump's final frontier.The three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice Nalin Perera read out the landmark decision to a packed court that was guarded by hundreds of heavily armed police and commandos.

Colombo: The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on Tuesday overturned President Maithripala Sirisena's move to dissolve the parliament, and ordered a halt to preparations for snap elections.

The decision was the latest dramatic twist in the crisis that has gripped Sri Lanka since Sirisena sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on 26 October and replaced him with former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse.

The three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice Nalin Perera read out the landmark decision to a packed court that was guarded by hundreds of heavily armed police and commandos.Mike Pence and Shinzo Abe also agreed to deepen cooperation in promoting energy, infrastructure and providing loans to nations in the region.

Tokyo: US Vice President Mike Pence and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday reaffirmed the need to keep sanctions on North Korea to achieve its denuclearization as they showcased their bilateral alliance, while Pence also urged Japan to do more to reduce US trade deficit.

Pence and Abe also agreed to deepen cooperation in promoting energy, infrastructure and providing loans to nations in the region.

Pence said the US-Japan alliance is a "cornerstone" of the region's peace and prosperity and said Japan is not only an ally but a friend, but that Japan needs to do more to reduce the bilateral trade imbalance.

"Japan is an indispensable trade partner for the United States," he said. "The United States has had a trade imbalance with Japan for too long." Abe and President Donald Trump agreed in September to start bilateral free trade talks, which are expected to begin early next year. Pence also said he expected Japan's increased "investment" in stepping up the country's defense. Japan's

Deputy Chief Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters later that Japan limited defense purchases to necessities and no details were discussed on Tuesday.

Japan has faced demands that it reduce its trade surplus with the US and is also concerned about the impact of Trump's trade war with China.

Pence said in a recent opinion piece in The Washington Post that America will soon begin negotiations for "a historic trade agreement with Japan."

Trump's administration has made trade agreements with South Korea, Mexico and Canada. Pence wrote that the new trade deals "will put American jobs and American workers first." Pence and Abe gave reassurances of their cooperation on North Korea's denuclearization.

Pence also said the US will continue to put diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea and urged all Indo-Pacific nations to maintain pressure and sanctions until the complete denuclearization of North Korea is achieved. Abe said Japan and the US will continue to work together to get North Korea, which has hard-working people and rich resources, realize it has a bright future if it keeps its promise.

On China, Abe explained recent improvements in Japan-China relations as demonstrated in his visit to Beijing for formal bilateral summit with President Xi Jinping. Pence said the US wants a relationship with China based on fairness and reciprocity, and that Japan and the US will continue to cooperate closely to deal with China's increased influence in the region.

Pence was to leave later on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Singapore and an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Papua New Guinea on behalf of Trump.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.By Umair Azmi

On the anniversary of the murder of Gandhiji, it has become almost a ritual for the RSS to be reminded of what Sardar Patel had to say about the RSS role in the ghastly deed. With the inauguration of the Statue of Unity and the Sanghs continued efforts to project Patel as one of their own, the ritual was enacted again. The Wire reminded us of the time When Sardar Patel took on the forces of hate and banned the RSS. The Scroll let us learn through a 2013 speech of Shivshankar Menon how Patel worked tirelessly for communal harmony. An essay length excerpt from Rajmohan Gandhis biography of Patel was also reproduced, informing us of his fairness and him being a friend of Muslims. In general, one is drowned in words extolling Patels virtues  the great unifier, the great pragmatist. This is usually accompanied by a defence against the charge of being communally prejudiced.

This is in stark contrast to the sense that I get from Muslims born in the 1950s or earlier. Patel is always singled out as the communalist par excellence.

Support TwoCircles



Before considering the relevance of such opinions, a starting point might be to ask: What is it that makes Patels charges against the RSS credible? As the oft quoted communiques and letters contain very few specifics, the credibility is based on the individuals importance, being at the centre of happenings at the time. But by the same standard, Maulana Azads testimony regarding Patel ought to be considered as important. It is remarkable that in showering platitudes on Patel, the Maulanas India Wins Freedom is ignored not just by mainstream media, but even by those who project themselves as different.

What does Maulana Azad write about Patels role in the events around Gandhis murder?

Gandhijis decision to fast in response to the mass murder of Muslims in Delhi did not go down well with Patel and he complained that the fast was without any justification, and it would lead to charges against Sardar Patel as he was the Home Minister. Gandhijis response, as reported by Maulana Azad: I am not in China now but in Delhi.  If you ask me to disbelieve the testimony of my own eyes and ears, and tell me that Muslims have no cause for complaint, I surely cannot convince you nor can you convince me  This annoyed Patel, who responded harshly, refused to stay put in Delhi and went away in a huff to Bombay.

Prior to the successful murder of Gandhiji, a bomb had been thrown at his prayer gathering. Maulana Azad holds Patel responsible arguing that his indifference to Gandhi led to the local polices failure to take special security measures.

Maulana Azad also writes that people openly accused Sardar Patel of inefficiency or worse, demanding answers. Patels response? When the Congress Parliamentary Party met, he said that enemies of the Congress were trying to divide the organisation by bringing these charges against him. This sounds eerily similar to the (in?)famous Gujarati of our own time, responding to charges of inaction or active participation in mass murder and mayhem by invoking Gujarati asmita (pride).

Patels supposed fairness

In the excerpt reproduced by The Scroll, Rajmohan Gandhi cites multiple instance of Patel acting firmly to prevent bloodshed, all surely true events. In the authors estimate, though Patel was roused more by reports of atrocities on Hindus and Sikhs as compared to those on Muslims on account of his Hindu heart, his actions were guided by a sense of duty rather than his heart. In a swipe at his critics, Maulana Azad among them, he writes that many an observer failed to see Patels effort to enforce the law, or his anxiety to save Muslim lives.

What does Maulana Azad say about these testing times? Apart from other remarks, he records a telling event concerning Patel which deserves to be recalled in full. He [Patel] perhaps felt that some explanation was necessary for the attacks on Muslims which were taking place every day. He accordingly put out a theory that deadly weapons had been recovered from the Muslim quarters of the city. His insinuation was that the Muslims of Delhi had collected arms to attack the Hindus and the Sikhs, and if the Hindus and the Sikhs had not taken the first offensive, the Muslims would have destroyed them. The police recovered some arms from Karol Bagh and Sabzi Mandi.  On our arrival we found on the table dozens of kitchen knives that were rusted, pocket knives and pen knives with or without handles and iron spikes which had been recovered from the fences of old houses, and some cast iron water pipes. According to Sardar Patel, these were the weapons which the Muslims of Delhi had collected to exterminate the Hindus and the Sikhs. Lord Mountbatten took up one or two knives and said with a smile that those who had collected these materials seemed to have a wonderful idea of military tactics if they thought that the city of Delhi could be captured with them. Far from efforts to enforce the law, this presents a man so mad with bigotry that common sense seems to elude him.

If the above event took place when tempers were flared (though Indian historians would have us believe that the founding fathers stood by principles in these testing times and did not falter), Maulana Azad details another instance where even the fig leaf of an excuse would not hold. This pertains to the formation of governments after the first elections under the Government of India Act, 1935. According to the Maulana, Mr Nariman, a Parsi, being the acknowledged leader of the local Congress in Bombay was expected to be the Chief Minister while the majority of the members in the Congress Assembly Party were Hindus. Sardar Patel and his colleagues could not reconcile themselves to such a position and felt that it would be unfair to the Hindu supporters of the Congress.  Mr B.G. Kher was brought into the picture and elected leader of the Congress Assembly Party in Bombay. Is this the result of a Hindu heart that is fair?

Another instance of Patels intolerance of Maulana Azad is recounted by journalist Saeed Naqvi in his memoir cum political commentary Being the Other: The Muslim in India. The document in question is a letter from Gandhi to Nehru recorded by his biographer Pyarelal:

Dear Jawaharlal,

I did not say anything yesterday about the Maulana Saheb. But my objection stands. His retiring from the cabinet should not affect our connection with him. There are many positions which he can occupy in public life without any harm to any cause. Sardar is decidedly against his membership in the cabinet and so is Rajkumari. Your cabinet must be strong and effective at the present juncture. It should not be difficult to name another Muslim for the cabinet.

I have destroyed the two copies you sent me yesterday.

Blessings

From Bapu

More than Patel, this lays bare a lot about the Congress Party as a whole including Gandhi, and its attitude at the first whiff of power. All the more reason for our historians to ignore these sordid chapters.

Shooting the Messenger

Patels canonisation as a leader free of communal prejudice is impossible unless Maulana Azad is utterly discredited. Therefore, it was only natural that Patels advocate, Rajmohan Gandhi, should have attacked the unexpurgated version of Maulana Azads India Wins Freedom through a booklet titled India Wins Errors in which he accused the Maulana of lying and concocting stories; that the book does not deserve a place in libraries and reading rooms, not at any rate in shelves marked history or polities.

This attack was taken to task by the constitutional expert, H.M. Seervai, in the introduction to his study of the events leading to independence titled Partition of India: Legend and Reality. While many of his other responses to Rajmohan Gandhis attacks on Maulana Azad may be quite involved, there is one that is remarkable for the fact that the Maulana was defended by first person testimony. This pertains to Maulana Azads meeting with Lord Mountbatten on May 14, a total concoction without any basis in fact at all according to Rajmohan Gandhi. As Seervai records, a Brig. H.S. Yadav (Retd.) wrote a letter to the Indian Express in response which appeared on 17 September 1989 in which he stated:

Apropos Rajmohan Gandhis critique of India Wins Freedom (Indian Express, Aug. 20) Azad did see Mountbatten in Simla before the Viceroy went to England. I was the ADC who fixed the appointment after a man called Kabir telephoned. I cannot now recall the exact date but this can be ascertained from the old Viceroys House records. I am afraid Rajmohan Gandhi has not done his research well, and so is not in a position to accuse Azad of falsification.

Rajmohan Gandhi, in his response stuck to his view that no meeting took place and Maulana Azad had concocted the interview.

On other matters, one could be charitable and consider Rajmohan Gandhis views to be based on his understanding of the issues which are complicated, but here is a first person testimony from a person directly involved, yet he sticks to his view castigating Azad as a liar. How charitable can one be to consider this an opinion in good faith, when eye witnesses are ignored to force through ones interpretation?

It makes one wonder about the gap between the upholders of nationalist historiography seeking to uphold the integrity of the Congress leaders in 1947 and the RSS when it comes to the position of Muslims in India. If the treatment meted out to Maulana Azad and the insistence on Patels fairness are any indication, the fight is not over the subjugated position that Muslims are to have in India. It is merely a contest of subtlety and over-the-top theatrics, more a fight over style, not substance.

Umair Azmi holds a Masters in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and is currently pursuing a Masters in History and can be reached at [email protected]Owing to the growing frustration for the lack of an edit button on Twitter, the companys CEO Jack Dorsey has shed some light on the companys plans to build an edit button for Tweets. Speaking at an event at IIT Delhi, India, he said that the company has to carefully consider the use cases for the edit button before making it a reality.

Jack further added that Twitter will ideally prevent unlimited editing so that no one can abuse the feature to alter their statements later on. Dorsey noted that the company wants to implement a solution that solves a problem and removes what people see as friction in the service. The company clarified that it has been considering this edit functionality for a while and is aiming to do it right.

We cant make something which is distracting or takes anything away from the public record, said the Twitter CEO. In 2016, Dorsey said that the company has been thinking a lot about an edit button for tweets, but nothing came to fruition.

Jack Dorsey, Twitter CEO said:

You have to pay attention to what are the use cases for the edit button. A lot of people want the edit button because they want to quickly fix a mistake they made. Like a misspelling or tweeting the wrong URL. Thats a lot more achievable than allowing people to edit any tweet all the way back in time.

Source | ViaHarman has launched JBL PartyBox 200 and PartyBox 300, the companys latest High Power Audio System for an immersive audio experience at home or at a party. It is equipped with a microphone and instrument input. You can also stream your playlist via Bluetooth or from a USB stick

JBL PARTYBOX 200 & 300 FEATURES

JBL Signature Sound: Enjoy an immersive audio experience at home or at a party that only JBL sound can provide.

Wireless Bluetooth Streaming: Wirelessly stream high-quality sound from a smartphone or tablet.

Built-in Light Shows: Theres a light show for every mood; Meter, Pulse, and Party mode.

Portable with Rechargeable Battery: Plug in to a 12V DC source or use the built-in 10,000mAh battery for 18 hours of playtime (only for the PartyBox 300).

Mic and Guitar Inputs: Plug in a mic or guitar and take the stage.

USB Playback: Pre-program a party or event with a favorite playlist from a USB thumb drive.

True Wireless Stereo & RCA: Connect compatible speakers wirelessly via TWS (True Wireless Stereo) using Bluetooth connection up to two PartyBox speakers or wired via one RCA output to another.

The JBL PartyBox 200 and PartyBox 300 are priced at Rs. 32,499 and Rs. 35,999, repectively from JBL.com and other online and retail channels, including 350 Samsung brand stores across the country, but you can get them get an MOP of Rs. 27,499 and Rs. 31,999, respectively.Investing in a foreign market can be intimidating. Where do you even start? What do you need to know? In today's episode of MarketFoolery, special guests Andrew Leggett and Ed Vesely join us from Motley Fool Australia to guide listeners through the wilds of the Australian Stock Exchange.

Tune in to find out what a non-Aussie investor looking for some international diversity should know about the ASX. Learn about the role of dividends in Australia's market, and why dividends and growth are far from incompatible; how to make screens work for you; two ASX stock picks from Andrew and Ed that you might want to add to your radar; and much more.

A full transcript follows the video.

This video was recorded on Nov. 6, 2018.

Chris Hill: It's Wednesday, November 7th. Welcome to Market Foolery. I'm Chris Hill. Joining me in studio today, two special guests. As I mentioned on yesterday's show, it's Foolapalooza, so we're not talking about the election results, because we're actually taping this on Tuesday. With me in studio, from Motley Fool Australia, Andrew Leggett and Ed Vesely. Gentlemen!

Andrew Leggett: It's good to be here.

Hill: Thank you for making the trip.

Ed Vesely: Thanks for having us on.

Leggett: I'm glad to be here.

Hill: On a scale of one to ten, Andrew, how would you measure your sleep deprivation right now?

Leggett: I think I'm about an eight. It could get worse. I got here Sunday night, and have barely made it past 2:30 or 3:30 before waking up. It can be worse, and it probably will. I'll get over it just in time for me to go home.

Vesely: I think I do this a bit better. We were off on Friday, so we've had the weekend to get over the flight.

Hill: So, your sleep deprivation --

Vesely: It's much lower. I feel pretty good.

Hill: -- is a five or six. I want to get to some stocks in a minute. But let me just start with dividends. This is something, Ed, that we were talking about earlier. One of the services in Motley Fool Australia that you work on is our dividend service. I'm curious how you as an investor view dividend cuts. That's something that's come up on our show recently, certainly in the form of major bellwether companies like General Electric. When you see a company cutting their dividend, what goes through your mind as an investor?

Vesely: Well, you've got to look at the payout ratio. If it's high to begin with, it's OK to be cut. It has to be a sustainable dividend. Telstra, TLS on the ASX, is a good example, the largest main telco in Australia. It's had a bit of a rough trot. Competition's increasing. There's this National Broadband Network in Australia, which is affecting margins. I won't go into the thesis too much, but effectively, it's cut its dividend from around $0.31. It was over $0.30, I haven't got all the figures here. Now, it's down to $0.22. The stock price has been smashed. It hasn't been a great return for Motley Fool members. There's also the prospects for further dividend cuts. There's a lot of bad news. But I think that's actually built into the price. When I started on the service, I had to look at the Telstra announcements that came out, and I thought, I'll be brave. It was about $2.70. It's about $3.10. I thought, I'll maintain a buy on that, only because I think all the negative news is out there. If it's going to get any worse, it could, but the price is so low it's possibly toward the bottom end of its range. We'll see what happens. There's one less competitor in the Australian market now. There was a merger between Vodafone and TPG. That'll be a strong competitor, but it's one less competitor, so hopefully there's going to be some more rational pricing. The whole industry is suffering, it's pretty hard. Telstra does have its advantages, though. It's the biggest telco in the country. It has to scale. It has financial firepower behind it. It's definitely not going out of business. At this stage, it's still a buy on the scorecard.

Hill: Andrew, as a growth investor, someone who likes those smaller, Rule Breaker growth stocks, does it immediately turn you off when you see a company paying a dividend? Let me put it this way -- most of the growth investors that I've come to know, it's not that they hate dividends, it's that it's probably the last thing they'd like to see the company do with the money. They'd rather see them deploy in other ways.

Leggett: I'm not a hater of dividends. If you are, the ASX is actually a really difficult place to invest on. The market is dominated by what we call superannuation funds, probably similar to what you guys have in 401(k)s and things like that, or big pension funds might be another good comparison. They're largely investing for people that, when they retire, get an income stream. So, they're very focused on dividends. If you actually want to be a popular stock in Australia, paying a dividend is a very good way to get a lot of the big money in. There's very few that will decide, "We're not going to pay any." I would argue some pay dividends too quickly. That's probably the growth investor coming out. I would prefer to see them reinvest more. But it's just the nature of the market. You tend to get the investors that you want. If you want the big superannuation funds -- I don't know the size. Ed, you probably know the size of the superannuation industry.

Vesely: It's close to $3 trillion, some $2.3 trillion.

Leggett: In Australian terms, that's an extremely large amount. Then paying a dividend is a very good way to attract that.

Hill: We were talking this morning. We have dozens of listeners. I don't know if you know that.

Vesely: That's good!

Hill: And most of the dozens or here in the United States. But we always get email from people who are looking to diversify outside of the United States. Australia, English-speaking, stable economy, a lot of the large macro things that we like to see as an investor.

Vesely: Allegedly stable.

Hill: [laughs] Yes. You were saying you're turning over your prime minister with great frequency lately?

Vesely: Oh, there have been a few. I was just thinking about the statistics on this. We've had three prime ministers from 1983-2007. That was Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, and John Howard. From 2007, we've had five individuals. There was one prime minister, Kevin Rudd, who was there twice. We've had six different prime ministers in the last ... how many years is that now?

Leggett: About five in six years. And we've only had a couple elections. I'd argue we're just making the process more efficient.

Vesely: There's another election coming, there'll be another one. Possibly.

Hill: But in terms of the overall market, Andrew, you were saying that you have basically 2,000 stocks in the Australian stock market. And if you're a U.S. investor, who for the first time is thinking "I'm going to look at Australian stocks," it sounds like your advice right out of the gate is cut half of them.

Leggett: Yeah. Australia is obviously a very small country with a small population. The vast majority of our businesses are very focused on the domestic market. There's only a few that do international markets really well. Just out of curiosity, I ran a screen to see the numbers, and there were just over 2,000 stocks on the ASX. Then I put in what seems like a pretty generous thing of, "show me all the companies that have revenue above zero -- "

Vesely: That's a good start.

Hill: [laughs] Wait a minute, revenue above zero?

Leggett: Yep! And the number halved. There a lot of companies, for example, that are nothing more than holes in the ground in the Western Australian desert in the hope that one day, they dig something, or someone buys something to dig something, and get some type of mineral that's worth something out of there. And they have no real business, other than just owning a stake in the ground.

Vesely: Yeah, a resource that hasn't been dug up yet.

Leggett: It's a very simple tool, and a very good way to cut down on the amount of time, if you're interested in looking at the Australian market. Although there's 2,000, you can easily get rid of half. You could probably get rid of more than that.

Hill: Before I let you get out of here, and in the case of Andrew, probably go take a nap, Ed, I'll start with you. Having just established that at least half of the stocks on the Australian Stock Exchange are not worth a U.S. investor's time to look at, what is a stock that you would recommend people take a look at? It doesn't have to be like, "I think this is a screaming buy." Just something like, "Here's an idea to check out."

Vesely: The good thing is, despite the market being weighted the way that Andrew just described, there's actually a lot of good businesses on the ASX. You just have to find them. There's one company I've looked at for the dividend investor service, which is Collins Foods. Effectively 85% of its revenues are from KFC Restaurants. Everyone knows about KFC, previously known as Kentucky Fried Chicken. Look, at face value, it doesn't seem that great. Fast food is pretty competitive. What's the competitive advantage of something like KFC? Well, the company itself has expanded to 222 restaurants around the country. That's about 35%. They're not the only franchisee. They pay Yum! Brands the rights to expand their restaurants, using the KFC brand. But what they've done recently is expanded into Holland and Germany. Now, that's risky, in a way. They're exporting an American fast food brand to Western Europe. KFC, similar to McDonald's and Domino's Pizza, is it really going to take off? It sounds risky. But it's also an opportunity, because the recall of the brand and familiarity with the brand is just not that high there. They've established 35 restaurants there just in Western Europe, in Germany and Holland. That's a significant degree of scale. They bought these portfolios of restaurants from a number of vendors, and they're looking at integrating all that, effectively sharing the costs over a larger asset base and driving some scale. They'll probably look to expand that over time.

The other major part to Collins Foods in Australia is, it's a well-managed company. They've got the first right to sell Taco Bell in Australia. They've opened one restaurant in Brisbane. Now, it's only one. It's been operating for about 12 months, and it's done very well. I actually took Jason Moser's advice. He says on the ground research is the way to go, so I thought, "They're in Brisbane," that's where I'm from, "so I'll go down there and check it out."

Hill: How was it?

Vesely: It was very busy. I had to wait. I had to wait a long time to get in. The drive-in was six or seven cars constantly going in and people buying their food there. I've been there three times just to check it out. Look, the food is OK. A good value.

Hill: It's Taco Bell.

Vesely: It's Taco Bell. I've read some of the Google reviews, people are flying in from Melbourne, Sydney, and North Queensland just to try it out. But, they're expanding that to 50 restaurants between now and the next four years. We'll see, it's a bit of a wild card.

It's expensive. It's about 24X trailing earnings at the moment. They have to get the growth just to keep that price up. Unfortunately for buyers today, it has risen about 20% or so in the last few months. It has, fortunately, been a good pick in the last few months.

Hill: What's the ticker for Collins Foods?

Vesely: That's CKF on the ASX. I'm not saying it's necessarily the cheapest stock out there, but it does have some interesting prospects.

Hill: I just like that Taco Bell in Brisbane is driving airline traffic. [laughs] Basically, it's driving tourism. Andrew, what about you?

Leggett: A company that I actually own, that I think might be of interest particularly for an American audience, is a company called Afterpay Touch, or what we just call Afterpay. The ASX code is APT. The reason I think this is interesting is because they've just expanded into the U.S. So far, they've had a bit of momentum going. It might be a company that some of the dozens of listeners that we have might start seeing around, whether, mainly to start with, on online retail sites, but if it's anything like Australia, potentially in most retail stores.

What it actually allows you to do, the term is "buy now, pay later." Let's just say we walk into an Urban Outfitters, who's one of the people that first signed up to use Afterpay in the States, I buy a pair of jeans, I go up to the counter and/or their website, and I say, "I want to Afterpay this." I get to take those jeans home, but I pay for it over four equal installments over eight weeks after I purchase that. So, it allows customers to smooth their purchases over a large amount of time. In Australia, they've found it also increases retail traffic. At the end of August, it had about 150,000 U.S. subscribers. I've heard rumors that they may be on track to 500,000 by December. I've looked at Google Trends traffic, that's going up. Everything seems to show that momentum is on the up them.

It's a really interesting play. The share has been a very rocky one. A year and a half ago, they were around $2. Back in September, they hit a high of $20. That's a pretty substantial increase in the short-term. I think everyone who owned during that time, including myself, has been happy with that performance. It's fallen almost half, though, in the last couple of months, mainly on fees of Australian regulation.

But truth be told, I wouldn't even classify Afterpay as much of an Australian stock anymore. Its success is going to be driven by how successful it is in America. The more successful it is in America, the less important the Australian business becomes due to the size of the retail markets. There's potentially a large range of valuation, but it could either be very cheap at the moment, or very expensive. It'll all fall on how it does in the States. Also expanding into the U.K., but that's a much earlier process.

Hill: If you want to read more from Andrew Leggett and Ed Vesely, you can go to The Motley Fool's site in Australia, which is fool.com.au.

Vesely: You've got it. Don't forget the .au.

Hill: Fool.com.au. I don't want to get in trouble. [laughs] Long-term listeners know this -- historically, I struggle with the URL in Fool Australia. Thanks for being here. I know you guys are busy, and also battling sleep deprivation, all kidding aside. I appreciate you coming in.

Leggett: It's not a problem.

Vesely: It's been a pleasure.

Hill: As always, people on the program may have interest in the stocks they talk about, and The Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against, so don't buy or sell stocks based solely on what you hear. That's going to do it for this edition of Market Foolery. The show is mixed by Steve Broido. I'm Chris Hill. Thanks for listening! We'll see you tomorrow.By R L Francis

The Christians all over India observed November 11 as Dalit Liberation Sunday (DLS) with an avowed aim of bringing the Dalit Christians at par with the Dalit Hindus in matters of economic and social equality. The theme of the DLS was As for Me and My Household, We will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). It was taken on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Kandhamal violence that occurred in 2008 following the gruesome murder of Swami Lakshmananda- a firebrand Hindu saint working in that area of Odisha.

The objective of observing the DLS was to give a clarion call to whole Christian community in India to renew our faith and awaken our consciousness to be the voice of the voiceless and to stand with the vulnerable Dalits in the society, according to Fr D M Zackarias of Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI).

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His objection was that though the Constitution has given freedom to profess and practice ones religion, our Dalit sisters and brothers are denied the Scheduled Castes rights just because they convert to Christianity.

The Catholic and Protestant Churches observed the Dalit Liberation Sunday on November 11. The two prominent Church organizations in India  the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) are worried about the future of the converted Dalits. Both these church organizations are associated with Vatican and World Council of Churches based in Geneva and work on their directives from time to time.

In December 2016 the Catholic Church released a document called Policy of Dalit Empowerment in the Catholic Church in India. This report accepted the existence of untouchability and discrimination against Dalits in the Church and should be immediately addresed. On the other hand, the Dalit Christians were hopeful that after this report the Catholic and Protestant leadership will remove the discrimination and take steps to restore their honour and respect in the social milieu.

However, the Church reiterated its old demand of inclusion of Dalit Christians into the Scehduled Castes category using the opportunity of Dalit Liberation Sunday. There are around 60 percent Dalit Christians who had converted from Hindu religion to Christianity. The Constitution has inducted a provision of reservation for Scheduled Castes after independence. But the Constitution does not support the idea of religion-based reservations. The Church leadership talks of Dalit empowerment and equates the Dalit Christians with their Hindu counterparts. The Church also argues that the problems of Hindu and Christian Dalits are same and have common roots. However, this is a fact that these Dalits had revolted against the age old discriminatory system of Hindu religion and embraced Christianity. But now hardly they have any similarities with their Hindu counterparts.

So much so that they changed their way of worship, life style and symbols and their problems could not be seen as the problems of the Hindu Dalits. The Christian Dalits today do not need the Scheduled Caste tag. What they need most is social security and opportunities of economic development. They should be given equal rights on Church resources and positions in the Church-run and managed institutions which they were never given till date. The Dalit Christians are living a life of neglect and humiliation in Indias largest Catholic Church organization. Same is the story with the Protestant Church.

Can the CBCI or NCCI say with confidence about the partnership of Dalit Christians in this vast Church Empire in India? How many of them are principals and teachers in Church-run schools? How many of them are given appointments as college teachers? How many are doctors in Christian hospitals? How many Dalits are positioned as directors of various social organizations managed and run by the Church on the financial assistance in crores received from foreign agencies?

In the spiritual or religious matters the plight of these Dalit Christians is more miserable. There are six Cardinals in Catholic Church in India and none of them is a Dalit; same is the case with 30 archbishops  no Dalit Christian; out of the 175 bishops there are 9 Dalit Bishops. Among the 822 Major Superiors there are 12 Dalit Christians and out of the 25000 Catholic priests 1130 are Dalits and out of some 1 lakh nuns, only some thousands come from Dalit Christian community.

A decade ago the St Stephens College in East Delhi had announced with much fanfare that they will provide 40 percent reservation to the Dalit Christians. Similarly, the Delhi Catholic Arch-diocese too declared 30 percent reservation to the Dalits. But the St Stephens College stopped this provision after a couple of years and the Catholic Arch-diocese did nothing even after making an announcement.

A handful of clergy groups have now established their monopoly on the entire Church Empire in India. According to the Karnataka High Courts former judge Michael F Saldhana 1.3 percent clergy dominate the policy decisions of the church while 98.7 percent laity has no role to play. According to R L Francis, a Christian thinker and writer in the last six decades the church had sold properties worth millions of rupees and no one knows about the money that came from selling these properties! There are thousands of churches in India where the annual collection goes to RS 2.5 million per church. But there is no model of development of Dalit and poor Christians using this money.

In 2002 the Poor Christians Liberation Movement (PCLM) had submitted a 10-point development plan for Dalit Christians before the CBCI and NCCI. The plan envisaged participation of Dalit Christians in Church institutes, stop on religious conversion, transparency in foreign contributions/donations, electing Bishops from the community instead of clearing their appointments from Vatican or Pope, and setting up of a board to manage the church properties etc. The Church leadership has buried this plan and proposal with their diplomatic moves. However, the PCLM activists are still working in the community spreading the message of awareness resulting in compelling the Catholic Church to raise the demands for the rights of Dalit Christians.

The Church in India  Catholic or Protestant  does not want to release its grip on church resources nor is it interested in putting aside the dominance of Vatican or other western countries. Instead of taking the responsibility of its followers and using these resources for their growth, the church is trying to leave them at the mercy of the government. In 2004 a petition was submitted to the Supreme Court to grant the Scehduled Caste status to the Dalit Christians. Demonstrations were also held in Delhi. During the hearing on the petition the judges enquired whether the caste system existed in Christianity. Will the Church accept this reality so that they can be listed as per SCs, the court wanted to know.

The Supreme Court, thus diverted the matter to the government of India. The Congress party in connivance with the CBCI and NCCI exploited the Dalit Christians to the hilt. Although the Narasimha Rao government tried to show some lollypop to them the then President had summarily rejected the move. The Church leadership is obviously trying to please their masters in Congress party to win the coming elections so that they can carry on their agenda uninterrupted. The BJP is against the religion-based reservations so that it cannot help the church organizations in this matter.

The Dalit Christians are today caught in the vortex of Church leadership which is difficult to break free. The Dalit Christians are now realising the ground reality. Sometime ago, a south Indian group of Dalit Christians submitted a memorandum to the UN General Secretary Ban ki Moon alleging that the Catholic Church and Vatican are exploiting Dalit Christians. They should be given equal rights in the church and if they cannot do so, the UN should abolish the special status of permanent observer to the Vatican.

Christianity is an organised religion. After the government of India, the Church is the second such organization that has unlimited resources and can generate employment on the lines of the government. At present the church is running thousands of schools, colleges, hospitals, NGOs and other projects but the Dalit Christians have not benefited fron this. Many Dalit Christian organisations are appealing to the Church to not divide the Christians in the name of caste. But find ways for their growth and development of the economically weaker sections of the Christian community and facilitate implementation of the principle of diversity.

R. L Francis is President, Poor Christians Liberation Movement (PCLM)News

editor's pick

City ready to act on ditch and road work

STUART VILLANUEVA/ The Daily News A section of construction fencing, fallen branches and other debris rest against a drainage culvert along Benson Bayou in Dickinson on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018. The city council at a meeting Monday evening will consider hiring two firms to remove silt and debris from drainage ditches.

DICKINSON

Dickinson is poised to move forward with two projects to unclog overgrown ditches and repave rundown roads  a move many residents have been demanding for months and are eager to see finally hashed out at city hall.

City council members, who meet at 6 p.m. today, will consider contracts worth more than $435,000 with two different Houston-based engineering firms for clearing silt and debris from ditches.

The road repairs could cost as much as $8.4 million, depending on the pavement option council members choose. Officials are expected to debate the merits of overlaying streets with asphalt or repaving them with concrete, which is the most expensive option.

The state of the citys roads and drainage ditches has been much on the minds of Dickinson residents since Hurricane Harvey in August last year.

That storm dropped feet of rain on Dickinson, flooded hundreds of houses and businesses and left many roads in shambles. Since then, smaller floods have plagued people in areas of the city where drainage is inadequate, sometimes because its impeded in clogged ditches.

Ive lived here for 14 years and the deal is all of the ditches around here have needed to be cleaned out since even before Harvey and they never have been, Mark Downtain said. Im so irritated with how bad its been that Im actually going to show up at the meeting.

For the ditches, Dickinson officials have tapped J. Simons Group for the desilting and Huitt-Zollars for the debris removal. Both projects will cover about 9 miles of Dickinsons most badly clogged ditches and culverts at more than 23 sites.

The work, which until now has been largely tackled piecemeal by the citys public works crew and residents alike, is scheduled to be complete by March.

As for the road repair, council members will discuss a menu of options that city staff members have been working on for a few months. The plan involves using Federal Emergency Management Agency money to repave up to 13 miles of potholed streets, City Manager Chris Heard said.

Im unveiling a $14 million street improvement program and council members are going to choose what approach they want to take, he said. There are 51 street names  around 180 street segments  in this program. Its big.

Both road and ditch projects are eligible for reimbursement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, even though the city will end up having to pay at least $4 million. Each project has required a long planning phase and now its time to take the next steps, Heard said.

But some city residents arent going to celebrate until they have a chance to hear the plan for themselves at the meeting, they said.

There are still more questions than answers at this point, said Chris Tucker, who lives in Dickinson. I have to wait to see what they say. They may provide all the details, and Im not trying to be adversarial with the council, but also its just very frustrating because it shouldnt have to get to this point before we see action.One year after legalising same-sex marriage, Colombian justice validated the first three-person marriage in its history in summer 2017.

In early June, Victor Hugo Prada was able to officially unite with his two companions. We wanted to make our home, our family official, there was nothing legally solid that recognised us as a family, he says in a video produced by local media. We are a family, a polyamorous family, this is the first time in Colombia.

Since June 3rd, the 3 men have entered under the patrimonial regime known legally as trieja in the country. Although this type of union is becoming more common, German Rincon Perfetti, a lawyer for the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersexual) association explained to AFP that it is the very first time that it is legalised. It's an acknowledgment that other types of families exist, he concludes.What connects the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun and the first Europeans Mzia and Zezva? - GeorgianJournalT he dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 100 years ago left defenceless Central Europes smaller nations

Nationalist sentiments triumphed in 1918 but statehood for smaller entities does not necessarily bring them security or full sovereignty

To prosper in the European Union, Central European countries need to cooperate closely, such as in the Visegrad Group

November 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, a tragic and useless European civil war fought around the globe. Without real interest or ideological differences, major European nations sleepwalked into that war. All of them, except for Russia, were democracies. (Propaganda from the countries that emerged victorious from the war pretended otherwise, but in fact, also Germany and Austria-Hungary were democracies.)

The madness continued for four years in the battlefields, during which only two peace initiatives emerged. Both had no effect because all the sides involved felt the pressure to bring a full victory home. Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922) tried to mediate in 1917, but his plan was widely rejected  except for Emperor Charles I of Austria (1916-1918). In the same year, Emperor Charles entered discreet negotiations with France but was betrayed by his own foreign minister and the initiative failed. The acrimony that followed, unfortunately, limited the Emperors room for further actions. Despite his young age, he had broader political, economic and social views than all his counterparts, the leading personalities in Germany, Britain, France, Russia and Italy. He also had a much higher sense of personal responsibility.

Empires end

Given the prevailing mindset of the time, it required plenty of courage from the Emperor to promote peace instead of victory. He was able to foresee the catastrophic consequences of this useless bloodshed for all of Europe, but especially Central Europe. He knew full well what the dissolution of his Danubian Monarchy would mean to the smaller nations of this area: they all would be crushed between Russia and Germany.

During the war, one of the main objectives of the Entente Powers (an alliance between Britain, France and Russia, joined in 1915 by Italy), pursued by French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau (1917-1920), the Italian leadership and, later, also by the British cabinet, was the destruction of the Habsburgs supranational and federalized Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Britain and France felt victorious, not realizing that they, too, were to lose their empires

This war was the first of Europes bloodiest spasms during the 20th century and marked the rise of totalitarian movements, communism and fascism. After it ended on November 11, 1918, the arrangements for peace laid the foundations for World War II and the (continuing) conflicts in the Middle East and the Balkans. Britain and France felt victorious, not realizing that they, too, were to lose their empires as a result of the war. In Russia, the inhuman and aggressive Soviet imperial system was established, aiming to start a world revolution. The Ottoman Empire, in turn, was filleted by the victors most irresponsibly.

That junction also marked the start of Central Europes troubles.

A slew of new nation-states was created in the fall of 1918 in the region. Reconstituted Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria and Yugoslavia emerged as newly independent nations. Romania received a large chunk of territory from former Hungary. Now, a hundred years later, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are celebrating their independence, Austria commemorates the end of the 800 years of Habsburg rule, Hungary remembers the loss of two-thirds of its former territory and Yugoslavia does not exist anymore.

The victorious powers hailed the dissolution of the multilingual Austro-Hungarian monarchy under the pretext that it had been a dungeon for nations  a claim that ignored the monarchys federal character. But what happened in reality? Ethnic groups became mixed up in many areas. In Czechoslovakia, for example, Hungarian- and, especially, large German-speaking populations were discriminated against. Italy annexed the German-speaking South Tyrol and some Slovenian areas, mistreating the local populations very badly. And Yugoslavia was an artificial creation, a real political Frankenstein forcing Croatians and Slovenians, both Catholic nations, and Islamic Bosnians into a state dominated by Orthodox Serbs. That creation disintegrated violently, among great bloodshed, some 70 years later.

The so-called liberation from the Habsburg Empire meant serfdom for many minorities in the new nations, and most of the new states quickly turned into dictatorships.

In the second decade after the end of WWI, the Soviet Union recovered from the internal turmoil that followed the collapse of czarist rule and Germany had recovered from its defeat. Adolf Hitler (1934-1945) took full power as the leader (fuehrer) and chancellor of the Reich.

Central Europe was up for grabs.

More destruction

The first to lose out was Austria. The country was badly battered after WWI and restricted by the victors who did not allow it, among others, to have strong artillery or an air force. Germany imposed economic sanctions against it and Vienna constantly heard threats of military intervention by Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, backed by the Western powers if Austria would try to rearm. Small wonder that the country with a weak army and a population living in poverty was such an easy grab for Hitlers Third Reich in March 1938. Austrias pleas in London and Paris for protection, by then-Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg (1934-1938) and the young Archduke Otto (1912-2011), the former Habsburg crown prince in exile, were cynically turned down.

Czechoslovakias sorry fate was sealed by the betrayal by Britain and France

The only country protesting in the League of Nations was Mexico. Czechoslovakias President Edvard Benes (1935-1938 and 1945-1948) hailed Austrias annexation by the Reich with the comment, better Hitler than Habsburg. Chancellor Schuschnigg and Austrian President Wilhelm Miklas refused to flee and were both arrested by the Germans. Archduke Otto was a declared enemy of the Reich, and orders were given to kill him and his siblings if caught. Significantly, the Nazi invasion of Austria was called Operation Otto.

Otto von Habsburg (R) in discussion with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl at the European Parliament in the early 1990s (source: Eva Demmerle)

Nine months later, Hitlers troops entered Prague, Mr. Benes received what he wanted for Austria and fled into exile to London. Czechoslovakias sorry fate was a result of the shortsighted policy of its government, but it was sealed by the betrayal by Britain and France in the Munich Agreement, in which the German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia was conceded to Germany. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (1937-1940) returned in triumph to London, proclaiming peace for our time. Winston Churchill commented correctly: You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor, and you will have war. After the Munich Agreement, Bohemia and Moravia, the core of todays Czech Republic, became the Nazi Protectorat Boehmen und Maehren, Slovakia received a puppet government by the Nazis and Hungary and Poland annexed some other parts of Czechoslovakia.

Poland, divided between Russia, Prussia and Austria in the late 18th century, reemerged as an independent nation in 1918. The country proved its strength of determination by bravely resisting an invasion by the Soviet Red Army and routing it in the summer of 1920. Nearly two decades later, in September 1939, Germany and then the Soviet Union attacked Poland and divided it. Britain and France, both Polands nominal allies, declared war on Germany (and not on the Soviet Union, the other perpetrator), but did not act.

The two countries sent some soldiers near Germanys western border, yet no shot was fired. Poland fought bravely, but was too weak and thus became another casualty of France and Britains betrayal. Hitler and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin (1922-1952) divided its territory, subjecting the population to unspeakable cruelties. A few months later, Hitlers armies attacked and occupied France, the Benelux countries, Denmark and Norway.

History shows that statehood for smaller entities does not necessarily mean full sovereignty

The nightmare which Emperor Charles had foreseen and wanted to avoid had come true for Central Europe and much of the rest of Europe.

Another occupation

Central Europe, especially Poland, was exposed to terrible abuses under the Soviet and the Nazi rule during World War II. Its once-flourishing Jewish communities were cruelly annihilated. When the Third Reich collapsed, the whole area fell under the Soviet yoke. What officially was called liberation in fact it was a new occupation. The region had little support in the West. The Allies cynically delivered the area to Stalin at the summits of Tehran (1943), as well as Yalta and Potsdam (1945). Millions of Germans who had lived in Central Europe for centuries were forcefully expelled, many of them killed. The Soviet Union annexed the eastern parts of Poland and Czechoslovakia. Poles were expelled from the eastern parts of their prewar state and resettled in new areas in the western region, taken from Germany. The Germans either fled or were deported. Nazi cruelties were followed by Soviet oppression.

As Mr. Churchill said, the Iron Curtain had gone down across Europe.

Nationalist sentiments, which triumphed in 1918, did not bring freedom to Central Europe. Celebrating independence should also include the reflection that statehood for smaller entities does not necessarily mean full sovereignty. For smaller nations, it is necessary to seek multilateral arrangements to safeguard their interests. This was the mission of the Habsburg Empire. The Habsburgs saw all language groups as equal and members of the family were all required to speak a number of the languages of the empire.

For centuries, Europes east was protected by the kingdoms of Poland and Hungary. To strengthen the area, the kings of Poland, Hungary and Bohemia entered into a cooperation agreement in Visegrad in 1335. This tradition was continued by the Habsburgs, whose realm included Hungary and parts of Poland. Interestingly enough, Poland and Hungary played a paramount role in the collapse of communist dictatorships and the ending of the Soviet occupation in Central Europe.

New dawn

The Solidarity movement in Poland, driven by the working population, shattered the communist system. The election of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Krakow as Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) was a demoralizing blow to the regime. In the early 1980s, the communist government in Warsaw faced a nasty dilemma: it could either follow Moscows order to crush Solidarity with tanks or make political concessions. The communist system in Poland was dying.

Only as parts of a powerful supranational entity these countries could maintain their freedom and independence

Hungary revolted against Soviet rule in 1956. Russia sent in troops with tanks to crush the opposition, and massive repressions followed. By the 1980s, however, the Hungarian communists also began to realize that the system was no longer sustainable. Archduke Otto of Habsburg, at the time a member of the European Parliament, arranged  with the Hungarian Foreign Minister Gyula Horn (1989-1990)  a so-called Pan-European Picnic on the border between Austria and Hungary. For the event, the barbed wires of the Iron Curtain were opened in one spot and the minefields cleared.

Soon, thousands of citizens of East Germany could drive their Trabant cars through the opening in Hungary to Austria and further to the Federal Republic of Germany. This trek was globally reported and proved the final blow to the communist regime in East Berlin.

It is remarkable that activities in Poland and Hungary, aided by the last Habsburg crown prince, played such a role in defeating the Soviet challenge to a free and Christian Europe. The main item on Otto von Habsburgs agenda in the 1990s in the European Parliament was to support a quick accession of the Central European countries in the European Union. Only as parts of a powerful supranational entity, the Archduke reasoned, could these countries maintain their freedom and independence.

Looking forward

Central Europe is a cultural and economic area stretching from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Adriatic and the Black Sea in the southeast. Trade links these countries together. Their economic interests are mostly similar. To deepen these bonds, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland reached a modern-day version of a Visegrad agreement in 1991 on free trade and mutual support in accession to the EU (which took place in 2004). In the last decade and a half, the region received a lot of cohesion funds from the EU. These funds were used prudently, and investments in infrastructure resulted in impressive economic growth. Large capital infusions from Western businesses into the region have produced a vast benefit to the whole of Europe. Central European nations can be proud of their accomplishments.

In the last two hundred years, Europes economic development centered in the North Atlantic region, which made Central Europe seem somewhat remote. The recent global changes, though, make access to the East more and more vital for Europe. This opens important new opportunities for its central and eastern parts.

There is much to consider as we are commemorating the anniversary of November 1918. Among these matters, the importance of a functioning Visegrad Group and the membership of Central Europe in the European Union must not be overlooked. Ideally, strengthening the Visegrad Four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) by adding Austria into the group would be desirable, as Western European politicians tend to ignore the economic and geopolitical importance of Central Europe for the continent, and also the regions needs. An unfortunate tendency to give short shrift to Central European interests is visible again in some capitals in the western part of the EU  for protecting selfish interests or simply through ignorance. Central Europe can only defend its interests by working together. Otherwise, the region may be at risk again due to Western Europes shortsighted politics. It is also a necessary basis for maintaining a cohesive policy toward the east.Honor 10 Lite all set to launch on November 21 with AI cameras, SD 710 and more News oi-Karan Sharma Honor 10 Lite to launch on November 21, with dual camera setup, notch display and more. All you need to know about the budget smartphone.

Huawei and its sub-brand Honor is always among the top smartphone companies for its devices, their price and a wide range of varieties. The company has launched a series of smartphones this year along with Honor Magic 2 and Honor 10. But, these flagship phones are not in the budget for everyone. There are users who want to invest in a budget smartphone rather than expensive ones. Keeping this in mind the company has come up with a cheaper alternative a phone which is called Honor 10 Lite. The smartphone is all set to launch on November 21 at an event in Beijing, China.

The poster of the upcoming phone was posted on Chinese microblogging website Weibo. It seems that the new phone will come with a completely new design, not like just a rebranded Huawei handset. The rear panel of the Honor 10 Lite follows the pattern of Honor 8C, Honor 8X, and Honor Note 10. This one also houses a vertical Ai camera setup on the back. The dual camera setup is placed on the upper left corner of the rear panel along with an LED flash. The fingerprint scanner is also placed on the back.

There not much information about the specification of the Honor 10 Lite. Some reports expect that the phone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC, and some suggest that it will be sport a Kirin 710 chipset. The budget smartphone is expected to launch with 5.84-inch FHD+ display and carries a notch on the top of the display, along with an aspect ratio of 19:5:9.

The phone is said to be backed by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. On the software front, it will run on Android Oreo out-of-the-box.

On the optical front, the smartphone will feature a dual camera setup with the combination of 16-megapixel primary and 24-megapixel secondary camera sensor along with an LED flash. At the front, the smartphone houses a 24-megapixel camera sensor with an AI feature for selfies and video calling.

So far, there is no information on the pricing of the smartphone. For pricing we need to wait for the launch event, we will get back to you as soon as the device launch on November 21, 2018.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsNokia 8.1 might launch in India on the 28th of November: Expected to cost Rs 23,999 News oi-Vivek Nokia 8.1 was originally launched in China as the Nokia X7

Nokia/HMD Global is all set for the launch of the Nokia 8.1 in India on the 28th of November. The Nokia 8.1 will be a successor to the Nokia 8, which was launched in India in 2017. Do note that, the Nokia 8.1 is nothing but a rebranded version of the Nokia X7, which was recently launched in China with the Snapdragon 710 SoC.

According to a report from 91Mobiles, the Nokia 8.1 will launch in India on the 28th of November for a price of Rs 23,999, which is again similar to the price of the Nokia 7 Plus. However, the company is yet to share the press-invite for the launch of the Nokia 8.1 in India.

Nokia 8.1 specifications

The Nokia 8.1 comes with a 6.18-inch IPS LCD screen, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC, paired with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage with a micro SD card and dual SIM card slots (hybrid).

The Nokia 8.1 has a dual camera setup with a 12 MP primary wide angle lens and a 13 MP telephoto lens. On the front, the device has a 20 MP selfie camera with 1080p video recording capability.

The device has a 3500 mAh Li-ion battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 support via USB type C port with a dedicated 3.5 mm headphone jack. The smartphone was launched in China with Android 8 Oreo in China, and the company is expected to launch the phone in India with Android 9 Pie with stock Android OS.

Considering the specifications, the Nokia 8.1 seems like a successor to the Nokia 7 Plus, instead of the Nokia 8, as the Nokia 8 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, which is a much powerful chipset compared to the Snapdragon 660 or Snapdragon 710 SoC.

What do you think about Nokia 8.1? Especially at the price range of Rs 23,999? Do share your views about the Nokia 8.1 in the comment box.

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Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsRealme announces the revised price for Realme 2 (3+32) and Realme C1 News oi-Priyanka Dua Realme 2 phones will go on sale at 12 pm every Monday on Flipkart

As expected, Chinese smartphone maker Realme has announced a marginal price hike on selected products.

The 'Proud to be Young' brand has taken the decision to solve the issue of low margins and the dip in rupee rates, Realme said.

Madhav Sheth, Chief Executive Officer, Realme India, said, "As a young brand, Realme has created multiple milestones. Adding to our success, we have sold 2 million units during the Diwali sale on Flipkart. We are very grateful for the affection people have shown towards the brand and appreciate the kind support.

"At Realme, we tried to control the price, providing our devices in best price possible. But forced to increase the price marginally on some of the products which are affected the most due to the current market scenario. Even after elevating the price, all the products still remain the best in their price segments," he added.

"The smartphone brand for the youth has been committed to providing the best of everything in its offerings. Hence, the brand has been facing low margins through product sales. Furthermore, the rupee rates are falling in the market and instinctively elevating the manufacturing cost. Considering the current market scenario, the brand has decided to upgrade the pricing of some of the products marginally," Realme said in a statement.

As per the new prices, Realme 2's 3GB RAM+32GB ROM variant will be available at Rs. 9,499, whereas the 4GB RAM+64GB ROM price remains unchanged. People will be able to buy Realme C1 at Rs. 7,999 from now on. For all the other devices, the prices will remain the same.

Meanwhile, the company said that Realme 2 phones will go on sale at 12 pm every Monday on Flipkart and Realme 2 Pro will go on sale every Friday at 12:00 noon

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsSamsung Galaxy S10 to use horizontal camera setup to accommodate bigger battery News oi-Sandeep Sarkar The upcoming Galaxy S10 and S10+ are said to be backed by a bigger 3,500mAh and a 4,000mAh battery unit respectively.

The South Korean tech giant Samsung is expected to launch its next flagship smartphone the Galaxy S10 for the masses in the coming 2019. The company is also said to bring along the Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10 Lite variant of its upcoming flagship device. While the Samsung Galaxy S9 came with a vertically stacked rear camera setup in order to fit the fingerprint scanner within the reach of the fingers, the Galaxy Note 9 retained a horizontally stacked rear camera module in order to make space for a bigger battery. Now, it appears that Samsung will stick to the horizontal camera setup at the rear for the Galaxy S10 similar to the Galaxy Note 9.

Some earlier reports had suggested that the Galaxy S10 will follow the footsteps of the Galaxy S9 when it comes to the camera placement at the rear. And as per some recently leaked reports, the horizontal placement of the rear-camera module is a perfect fit for the upcoming Galaxy S10.

Samsung has apparently decided to go with this design in order to accommodate the bigger battery on the Galaxy S10 smartphone. While the Samsung Galaxy S9 packed a smaller 3,000mAh battery, the upcoming Galaxy S10 and S10+ are said to be backed by a bigger 3,500mAh and a 4,000mAh battery unit respectively. This implies that we will be able to use the upcoming flagship Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+ for a longer period of time. Further, the Galaxy S10+ will probably pack three sensors at the rear panel which automatically will take up a bit more space. Thus, Samsung's decision to stick with the horizontal rear camera setup on the Galaxy S10 is fit in the sensors and the bigger battery.

Besides, the Samsung Galaxy S10 lineup is expected to be available in three different sizes. The Galaxy S10 variants which are expected to be launched next year include Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, and the Galaxy S10 Lite. While the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10+ will sport a bigger display with a 93.4 percent screen-to-body ratio, the Galaxy S10 Lite will offer a slightly smaller display as compared to its siblings. Samsung is said to use new Infinity-O displays on the upcoming Galaxy S10 series with thin bezels and a small hole in the display for the camera placement. Powering the Galaxy S10 will be Snapdragon 8150 SoC and the device will ship with Android 9 Pie out-of-the-box based on OneUI.

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Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsXiaomi Mi 8 Lite with 4GB RAM announced officially for Rs. 14,500 News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu A toned down variant of the Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is now official.

Back in September this year, Xiaomi announced two new variants of its flagship smartphone called Mi 8 Pro and Mi 8 Lite. Now, the company has unveiled a toned down variant of the Mi 8 Lite with 4GB RAM. This device was launched for the Chinese market and will go on sale on November 16.

As of now, there is no word regarding its global release just like the high-end variant with 6GB RAM. Though the global release details aren't known, it is believed that this smartphone will enter the European market as Xiaomi recently entered the UK market. Also, it has planned to host an event in the US in December. However, an official confirmation from Xiaomi is awaited.

Price and availability

Notably, the Mi 8 Lite is also dubbed Mi 8 Youth in select markets. It is priced at 1399 yuan (approx. Rs. 14,500). Notably, the 6GB RAM variant of the smartphone was launched for 1699 yuan (approx. Rs. 17,800). It has been launched in deep space grey, dream blue and twilight gold colors. And, it carries the highlight of being the first Xiaomi phone to come in gradient color.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite specifications

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite was previously unveiled with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage space. Now, the toned down variant of the smartphone comes with lesser 4GB RAM and 128GB storage space. It bestows a 6.26-inch IPS LCD display with a FHD+ resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels. The screen has a notch on top resulting in an aspect ratio of 19:9. This renders an impressive screen space for users to enjoy multimedia content. The Xiaomi smartphone is equipped with an octa-core Snapdragon 660 SoC teamed up with Adreno 512 GPU.

On the imaging front, the Mi 8 Lite comes with a dual camera module at its rear with a 12MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor for depth sensing. At the front, there is a single 24MP selfie camera with support for FHD video recording. It comes packed with all the necessary connectivity features. There is a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor on this device and a 3350mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 3.0 from Qualcomm. On the software front, this one runs Android Oreo based on MIUI 9.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications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.Belgian Lawmaker Suspected of Spying for China - Reports

Sputnik News

16:33 12.11.2018

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) - Filip Dewinter, a member of the Belgian Federal Parliament from the right-wing Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) party, is suspected of advising a Belgium-based Chinese company, which allegedly attempted to influence the decision-making process in Belgium, the Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper reported on Monday.

The Belgian State Security Service suspects that Dewinter maintained close links to a Chinese non-profit association, which opened in the port city of Antwerp five years ago. Allegedly supported by the Chinese authorities, the firm seeks to create a certain "political and business network" in Belgium, according to the Het Laatste Nieuws.

The company organized cultural events, to which it tried to attract Belgian politicians and businessmen, and is suspected by the State Security Service of an attempt to interfere in Belgium's decision-making process, the newspaper reported.

GE9X engine soars

The founder of the Chinese association, Shao Changchun, with whom Dewinter allegedly maintained close ties, was extradited to China last year. According to the newspaper, at Shao's request, Dewinter met with the director of Belgium's federal police and the Uzbek ambassador and went to China several times. All expenses were allegedly covered by the Chinese association in Antwerp.

Dewinter has rejected the allegations, denying any ties with the association and the Chinese government, the newspaper said.

 Sputnik

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Russia: Taliban holds clandestine meetings with US

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Moscow, Nov 12, IRNA -- Taliban representatives told Russia that they had held scores of clandestine meetings with the US, Russian presidential envoy to Afghanistan said.

Taliban is ready for holding talks with Afghan government after reaching an agreement on US withdrawal from this country, Zamir Kabulov told reporters on Monday.

West has been defeated in Afghanistan war, he said, adding that Western forces were not able to establish peace during 17 years.

When the US and Western forces entered Afghanistan in 2001, Taliban did not control any area, but now they have taken control of 60% of the areas in Afghanistan, Kabulov said.

9376**2050

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Scores of Saudi aggressors killed in western Yemen

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Nov 12, IRNA -- In an attack on Saudi aggressors in western Yemen, Yemeni forces killed at least 40 Saudi troops including some commanders and injured 60 more.

Yemeni armed forces have foiled Saudi aggressors' advance in west of Al Hudaydah airport, Yemeni TV Channel 'Al-Masirah' quoted the Yemen Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree as saying Sunday night.

During the attack, 12 armored cars were also destroyed, he said.

Yemeni forces also confiscated some weapons and ammunition, he added.

He also rejected enemy's claims as regard taking control of western coast saying the enemy is aimed to cover up its defeats.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating military campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing back the government of Mansour Hadi back to power and crushing the country's Houthi Ansarullah movement.

Some 16,000 Yemenis have been killed and thousands more injured since the onset of the Saudi-led aggression.

The assaults of the Saudi-led coalition forces have failed to stop the Yemenis from resisting the aggression. Recently, the Yemeni army unveiled its home-made underground missile launching pads.

9376**1771

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Remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the ''NATO Talk around the Brandenburg Tor'' Conference

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

12 Nov. 2018

(As delivered)

So president Schmidt, congratulations with the strong election result and I was never able to obtain anything like that when I did election campaigns in Norway.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is really a great pleasure to see you all and to be here in Berlin today and to be able to participate in this very important forum. And I really feel that I'm among friends of NATO.

Twenty-nine years ago  almost to the day  a peaceful revolution brought down the Berlin Wall.

And the Brandenburger Tor ceased to be a Cold War symbol of division.

It returned to what it was intended to be:

An opening. A passage. Truly a gate, not a barrier.

Soon the Brandenburger Tor became a symbol of unity and freedom that helped to usher in the end of the Cold War.

And the spread of freedom across what was then a divided continent.

Yesterday, I was in Paris to mark another historic moment.

The day the guns of World War I fell silent.

One hundred years ago.

And the carnage and devastation of that terrible conflict came to an end.

Both these anniversaries remind us of what Europe had suffered in the twentieth century. War. Chaos. Destruction. And oppression.

The anniversaries also remind us of the importance of the transatlantic bond.

And how Europe, together with the United States overcame two world wars.

And the Cold War.

And how the US security guarantees underpinned the integration of Europe.

So that we entered the twenty first century with peace and freedom.

But today, some doubt the strength of the transatlantic partnership.

And we have to be honest and admit that we see differences and disagreements.

Over issues such as trade, the Iran nuclear deal and other issues.

But we should remember that we have had our differences before.

The Suez Crisis in 1956. The French withdrawal from the NATO command structure a decade later. And of course the Iraq war in 2003.

So difference of opinion is nothing new.

We are 29 democracies.

With different history, different geography and different culture. Disagreements are natural. But the lesson of history is that we have been able to overcome our differences.

We unite around our common goal. We stand together. We protect each other.

We must ensure that we continue to do so in the future. Because we have a shared strategic interest and shared values. And because we face a more uncertain security environment together.

That is the reason why we are now making the security ties between Europe and North America even stronger.

The US is increasing its military presence in Europe for the first time since the end of the Cold War, with more troops, more equipment, and more exercises. Including here in Germany.

In recent years, the US has increased the funding for its military presence in Europe by 40 percent.

And for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Canadian troops are back in Europe. Leading a battlegroup in Latvia,

Europeans are also stepping up. Raising the readiness of their forces. Improving equipment. And spending billions more on defence.

And just last week we saw the end of NATO's biggest exercise since the end of the Cold War. With more than 50,000 troops. Almost half came from North America. And 8,000 from Germany.

A demonstration of the real defence cooperation between our two continents.

This transatlantic partnership is about deterrence and defence. But also about dialogue and disarmament.

Over decades, arms control agreements built up trust and cut down nuclear weapons. One of these agreements was the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the INF Treaty. A Treaty born out of transatlantic efforts. And a cornerstone of arms control in Europe.

In the 1970s and 80s, and I see that some of you lived at that time, as did I, a whole generation of political leaders was shaped by the debate on intermediate nuclear forces in Europe. And I am part of that generation.

The deployment of Soviet SS20s missiles was of profound concern.

And Germany was at the center of that debate.

Thanks to courageous politicians, such as Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, NATO decided on a dual track, the double track decision. Combining firmness with dialogue.

Therefore, in 1979 NATO defense ministers decided to deploy new nuclear missiles in Europe in response to the Soviet Union.

While at the same time reaching out for dialogue with the Soviet Union. That was not an easy decision. But in doing so they laid the ground for the INF treaty. Signed by the US and the Soviet Union in 1987.

This didn't just reduce the overall number of nuclear weapons. It banned a whole category of weapons that were specifically designed to target Europe. So it was a real achievement in the work for nuclear disarmament.

The deployment of new Russian missiles is putting this historic treaty in jeopardy.

For years, Russia has developed, produced, tested and fielded a new missile system. The SSC-8. These missiles are mobile. They are hard to detect.They can be nuclear-armed. They reduce warning time to minutes. They lower the threshold for nuclear conflict. And they can reach European cities like Berlin.

For years, Allies, including Germany, have raised their concerns. Time and again.

The US has raised the matter formally at senior levels more than 30 times. Starting under the Obama administration.

Allies have repeatedly pressed Russia. To ensure full, verifiable and transparent compliance. And, after years of denials, Russia now acknowledges the existence of a new missile system.

The United States is in full compliance with its obligations under the INF Treaty. So while there are no new US missiles in Europe. There are new Russian missiles.

The new Russian missile system poses a serious risk to the strategic stability of the Euro-Atlantic area.

NATO has no intention to deploy new nuclear missiles in Europe. But as an Alliance we are committed to the safety and the security of all Allies. We must not allow arms control treaties to be violated with impunity. Because that undermines the trust in arms control in general.

So we call on Russia to ensure compliance, and to return to constructive dialogue with the United States.

The threats to the INF Treaty are serious but they are not the only ones we are facing. Our security environment is challenging. And requires us all to stand strong. Therefore, increased EU efforts on defence are important for the security of Europe. And it can make NATO stronger. So I welcome these efforts. But only if they are anchored within the transatlantic partnership. Which has been the foundation for European peace and security for the past 70 years.

As we move forward on defence in Europe, we should do so in order to strengthen the transatlantic relationship. Because non-EU Allies play a central role in European security.

It is impossible to envisage the defences of Europe without countries like Turkey in the South, being key in the fight against terrorism, and all the violence and instability we have seen in Iraq and in Syria.

Norway in the North. And without Canada, the United States  and the UK  in the west. Because after Brexit, 80 percent of NATO defence spending will come from non EU NATO allies. So European unity can never be a substitute for transatlantic unity.

Ladies and gentlemen.

A section of the Berlin Wall stands vigil at the entrance to NATO's new headquarters in Brussels. It is a solemn reminder of the cruel division and the real dangers of the Cold War. Today, I am proud to stand with you in Berlin.

To celebrate the Brandenburger Tor as a symbol of openness, freedom and peace. And to honor the foresight and fortitude of Allied nations. That built an enduring, transatlantic partnership after the devastation of the two World Wars. Let us continue to stand united. In support of our shared values. And our shared security. We owe that to ourselves. To future generations. And to those who fought and sacrificed to secure a more peaceful world.

Thank you.

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Yemeni forces intercept, shoot down Saudi-led bloc reconnaissance drone in Jizan

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 06:23PM

Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have intercepted and targeted an unmanned aerial vehicle, belonging to the Saudi-led military coalition, as it was flying in the skies over a mountainous region in the kingdom's southwestern border region of Jizan.

An unnamed Yemeni military source said Yemeni air defense forces and their allies shot down the drone as it was on a reconnaissance mission over the mountainous Jabal al-Doud district in Jizan, situated 966 kilometers south of the capital Riyadh, on Monday evening, Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported.

Earlier in the day, Yemeni army forces and allied fighters from Popular Committees fired a domestically-developed Zelzal-1 (Earthquake-1) ballistic missile at a position of Saudi-backed militiamen loyal to Yemen's former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in the country's northwestern province of Hajjah.

The missile slammed into an area in the Hayran district, leaving scores of Saudi mercenaries dead and injured.

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 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 US 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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Israeli fighter jets carry out fresh airstrikes 'throughout' Gaza Strip, kill three people

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 05:05PM

Israeli warplanes have conducted fresh airstrikes 'throughout' the besieged Gaza Strip, killing three people, shortly after the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement fired an intense barrage of retaliatory rockets against the Israeli-occupied territories, triggering air sirens across southern settlements.

Israeli military said in a statement that its fighter jets had carried out airstrikes "throughout the Gaza Strip" on Monday afternoon, claiming that the aerial aggression was aimed at "terror targets" in the impoverished enclave.

The Israeli military claimed in a statement that the aerial aggression was in response to some 80 rockets and mortar shells fired against the southern parts of the occupied territories minutes earlier, wounding at least 19 Israeli settlers, one in critical condition. Gaza's retaliatory rockets also hit a bus carrying Israeli forces, killing one of them and injuring several.

It added that Israel's so-called Iron Dome managed to intercept several of the inbound projectiles.

Rocket sirens sounded throughout southern Israeli settlements, including in Be'er Sheva, Ashkelon and Sderot. The sirens prompted thousands of settlers to rush for bomb shelters.

The Gaza Health Ministry, in a brief statement, said that at least three people lost their lives in the Israeli strikes, identifying two of them as Mohammed Zakaria Ismail al-Titri, 27, and Mohammad Zuhdi Hassan Ouda, 22. It also said that six other Gazans were wounded in the raids.

In a statement, Hamas claimed responsibility for the massive barrage of rockets and projectiles fired into southern parts of the occupied territories, near the so-called border fence separating them from the Gaza Strip.

"The joint command of Palestinian factions announces the beginning of bombardments of the enemy's settlements with scores of rockets," said the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.

The flare-up came just a day after Israeli special forces infiltrated the Gaza Strip, assassinating a top Hamas commander, while subsequent Israeli airstrikes killed six others, including another commander with the Palestinian resistance movement. Reports also said that an Israeli officer was also killed during the ensuing clashes.

A firefight erupted afterwards, with Israeli aircraft firing from above "to cover the retreat of this force, and in the process some of our people were killed," a Hamas statement said. Local witnesses said the aircraft fired over 20 missiles during the strikes.

Tensions have been running high near the Gaza fence since March 30, which marked the start of a series of protests dubbed "The Great March of Return." The Palestinian protesters have been demanding the right to return for those driven out of their homeland by Israeli wars and other acts of aggression since 1948.

The clashes in Gaza reached their peak on May 14, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day, or the Day of Catastrophe, which coincided this year with Washington's relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the occupied Jerusalem al-Quds.

Israeli fire has taken the lives of nearly 240 Palestinians since late March 30. More than 19,000 Palestinians have also been wounded.

On June 13, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, sponsored by Turkey and Algeria, condemning Israel for Palestinian civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.

The resolution, which had been put forward on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries, garnered a strong majority of 120 votes in the 193-member assembly, with eight votes against and 45 abstentions.

The resolution called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to make proposals within 60 days "on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection, and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation," including "recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism."

It also called for "immediate steps towards ending the closure and the restrictions imposed by Israel on movement and access into and out of the Gaza Strip."

The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli siege since June 2007. The blockade has caused a decline in the standards of living as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty.

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EU arms sales to Saudi, UAE since 2015 total more than $86 billion: Report

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:35AM

European countries have approved arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE worth more than $86.7 billion since 2015, according to figures compiled by leading online news outlet Middle East Eye.

Their contribution in aid to the impoverished nation which faces a devastating Saudi war and blockade amounts to just two percent of their revenues from the arms sales, it reported on Monday.

The value of the licenses which the countries issued in 2015 and 2016 - the only years for which arms exports reports are available - amount to over 55 times what they have donated to the UN's Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, which is underfunded.

Calls for a suspension of arms sales to Riyadh and its allies have increased, especially after the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey last month.

Many governments have promised to stop arms exports to Saudi Arabia, but only Germany has suspended its sales until clear explanations are made about the murder. The UK, France and Spain have all signaled that they will continue business as usual.

"The UK and many of its EU allies insist there is no military solution to the conflict, yet they themselves are supplying the weapons that are fueling and prolonging the hostilities," said Ben Donaldson, head of campaigns at the United Nations Association-UK, a grassroots policy group.

"There has just been one UN Security Council resolution in three years of conflict, which is very surprising given its severity compared to other conflicts, and the UK is taking sides in the conflict, which flies against its position of 'penholder' and its responsibility. The UK's position is to support Saudi Arabia," Donaldson added.

Almost all EU countries have exported arms to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2015 and 2016, the report said.

The report said 21 EU countries approved licenses for the export of arms, ranging from bullets and bombs to fighter jets and specialized military components in 2015.

They totaled $25.3 billion to Saudi Arabia and $11.4 billion to the UAE. Of this total, $14.4 billion was for aircraft, bombs and grenades, the primary causes of civilian deaths, the MEE reported.

"In 2016, 17 EU countries licensed the sale of even more weapons worth $18.3 billion to Saudi Arabia and $31.7 billion to the UAE, totaling $50 billion," the report added.

Arms sales have largely continued at the same rate in 2017, figures provided by individual countries showed.

Based on UN figures, the EU and some European countries have given $1.56 billion to the UN's response plan since 2015, which amounted to only 1.8 percent of approved European arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Saudi Arabia launched a devastating military campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing the government of former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power.

According to a new report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, the Saudi war has claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis so far.

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Afghanistan sends more forces to Hazara-populated areas amid Taliban violence

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:14AM

The Afghan government has sent additional forces to the Hazara-populated areas of southeastern Ghazni Province, which has been under attack by the Taliban militant group for several days.

The troops, including special forces, were deployed on Monday to the Jaghori and Malistan districts of Ghazni, where fighters with the local Shia Hazara community are helping government forces in their battle against the Taliban militants.

"We have sent more reinforcements to Jaghori and Malistan districts," including 40 intelligence officers and 35 members of the security forces, said Afghan Army chief of staff General Mohammad Sharif Yaftali.

"As part of a bigger plan, we are also sending more ground forces and will soon start a big operation in Ghazni," he added.

The deployment took place after the Taliban inflicted heavy casualties on Afghan forces during heavy clashes in Ghazni and the western regions of the country, according to officials.

About 25 Afghan commandos were reportedly killed by the Taliban in Ghazni late on Sunday, while 50 security forces lost their lives in similar clashes in Farah Province.

Yaftali confirmed to reporters that Afghan forces had suffered casualties, without giving more details.

Ghazni  which was briefly overrun by the Taliban in August  is strategically important as it is located on a highway connecting the capital Kabul to the major southern city of Kandahar. It is also a gateway into the mountainous central province of Hazarajat, also home mainly to Shia Hazara people.

Fatal blast targets anti-violence rally in Kabul

The stepped-up violence in Ghazni prompted protests in Kabul late Sunday and on Monday morning, when hundreds of Shia Hazaras took to the streets demanding better security in the troubled region.

"We have no news from our people living there," Asif Ashna, one of the protesters, said in a Facebook live broadcast. "If the government's duty is to protect the lives of the people then why have they not taken any measures in the past week?"

As the demonstration was underway on Monday, a bomb attack hit a security checkpoint near the site of the rally in central Kabul, an area that also hosts the finance and justice ministries and is close to the presidential palace.

Six people were killed in the explosion, said Najib Danish, an Interior Ministry spokesman. Ten policemen and civilians, including women, were also wounded.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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 and the country continues to be plagued by militancy and terrorism.

The Daesh terror group has also used the chaos to establish a foothold in Afghanistan.

The latest escalation comes as US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad returned to the region as part of efforts to convince the Taliban to end the 17-year militancy amid Washington's failures on the battleground.

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Yemeni fighters beat back Saudi push in eastern Hudaydah

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 10:33AM

Yemeni forces have pushed back a large-scale assault by militants and mercenaries on the port city of Hudaydah, a source in the so-called Saudi coalition has told Agence France-Presse.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have deployed about 10,000 new troops to Yemen's west coast after repeated campaigns to seize Hudaydah were thwarted by Houthis and their allies in the Yemeni army.

After 11 days of clashes, Saudi-backed militants say they have now reached residential neighborhoods in Hudaydah's east, sparking fears of street fights that would further endanger civilians trapped in the city.

Medics and military sources were quoted as saying Monday that nearly 150 people had been killed in 24 hours of clashes, including several civilians.

Based on a tally provided by AFP, 110 protectors of the city and 32 invaders were killed overnight. A military official in Hudaydah confirmed seven civilians deaths, without giving further details.

Houthi fighters and their allies, however, have pushed back the massive offensive to occupy Hudaydah, the news agency admitted, citing a source in the coalition as saying.

Residents told AFP that Yemeni snipers had taken positions on rooftops in eastern Hudaydah, a few miles from the port on the western edge of the city, in preparation for street battles.

Battle-hardened Houthi fighters and their allies are expected to fare better in street battles. To overwhelm them, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are most likely to resort to heavy bombing of the city in order to pave the way for ground advances.

On Monday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the destruction of the vital Yemeni port of Hudaydah could trigger a "catastrophic" situation.

"If the port at Hudaydah is destroyed, that could create an absolutely catastrophic situation," Guterres told France Info radio during a trip to Paris.

The massive invasion has put the safety of nearly 600,000 people living in Hudaydah at risk and imperiled the livelihoods of millions of others dependent on the port for shipment of scarce food and humanitarian aid into Yemen.

Yemen is under a Saudi blockade which has put the impoverished nation on the brink of the worst humanitarian crisis in 100 years, according to the United Nations.

In their offensive against Hudaydah, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are using heavy weapons and armaments, enlisting many mercenaries from Africa and elsewhere amid close aerial support by military helicopters and fighter jets.

Mariam Aldogani, Save the Children's field coordinator in Yemen, has said the people in Hudaydah are living in a "state of fear."

The intensified battle for Hudaydah comes despite Pentagon chief James Mattis calling last month for a ceasefire and negotiations between Yemen's warring parties within 30 days.

Both the United States and Britain are major suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt was due in Saudi Arabia on Monday, with the Foreign Office saying he would press King Salman and Prince Mohammed to support UN efforts to end the conflict.

Head of Yemen's Supreme Revolutionary Committee Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said in an op-ed published by The Washington Post on Friday that the escalating offensive in Hudaydah showed Mattis' ceasefire call was "nothing but empty talk."

Saudi Arabia launched its devastating military campaign against Yemen in March 2015. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), the war has claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis so far.

On Friday, a senior Houthi official said Yemen would turn into a "graveyard" for aggressors as Saudi-backed militants announced that they had begun a military operation to take over Hudaydah.

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Deadly Clashes, Suicide Bombing Kill Dozens In Afghanistan

By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan November 12, 2018

Dozens of people have been killed in violence across Afghanistan, including in a suicide bombing in Kabul targeting a protest by members of the mainly Shi'ite Hazara minority, officials say.

The Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the suicide blast on November 12 that killed at least six people and wounded 20 others in the center of the capital, where hundreds of people were protesting the government's failure to protect the Hazara community from Taliban attacks.

The explosion rocked the city as fighting raged in the central province of Ghazni, where Afghan forces and pro-government militias have been battling the Taliban for the past week.

Officials said on November 12 that 25 Afghan security personnel were killed in Ghazni's predominately Hazara districts of Malistan and Jaghori. The Taliban also attacked a third district, Khas Oruzgan, in neighboring Oruzgan Province two weeks ago.

The Taliban offensive in the three predominately Hazara districts has left dozens of government troops, pro-government Hazara militia men, and Taliban militants dead and forced hundreds of civilians to flee their homes.

In the western province of Farah, at least 37 local police were killed when Taliban fighters overran several security checkpoints, regional officials said on November 12.

In a statement, the IS militant group said it targeted a gathering of Shi'ites. The extremist Sunni group considers Shi'ites as heretics and has frequently targeted them in recent years.

Afghanistan's main intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said in a statement that the bomber was on foot and detonated his suicide vest before reaching the protesters.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh told RFE/RL that civilians and security personnel deployed to secure the city during the protest were among the dead.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, although the Taliban and the Islamic State (IS) militant groups have been blamed for similar attacks in the past.

The blast occurred near a security checkpoint near the Istiqlal high school in central Kabul, close to the area where ministry buildings and the Presidential Palace are located.

The Afghan president's office said protesters ended their demonstration after President Ashraf Ghani addressed the crowd and promised to send reinforcements to the besieged districts.

Hazara Demand Protection

Hundreds of people had rallied for a second day in front of the Presidential Palace to protest against the government's inaction in sending reinforcements to the three districts under siege in the provinces of Ghazni and Oruzgan.

"The situation in the districts of Jahjori, Malistan, and Khas Oruzgan is critical," an unnamed protester told RFE/RL. "These areas need urgent air support and reinforcements."

"We want the government and the world to know what's happening there," another protester told RFE/RL. "How long can this cruelty and death go on?"

Officials said that the Taliban killed 15 civilians and 10 members of the special forces in Ghazni on November 11, after the government said it had sent special forces backed by air strikes to the districts under attack.

There have been fears that the violence could be rooted in ethnic or sectarian differences, pitting the Hazara against the Taliban, a predominately Sunni, ethnic Pashtun group.

The Taliban was accused of committing human rights violations against Hazara during their 1996-2001 rule.

In the western province of Farah, at least 37 members of the Afghan security forces were killed in overnight attacks by Taliban fighters on checkpoints that triggered hours of fighting, local officials said on November 12.

The spike in violence comes as visiting U.S. special envoy Zakmay Khalilzad held talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on November 11 in his latest round of meetings aimed at convincing the Taliban to take part in peace talks with Kabul to end the decades-long war in Afghanistan.

Khalilzad, a former U.S. ambassador to Kabul, is also scheduled to visit Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, where the Taliban has a political office.

A recent U.S. government watchdog report said Kabul's control of Afghanistan had slipped in recent months as local forces made little or no progress against the Taliban.

The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, citing NATO's Resolute Support mission, said this summer's casualty toll for Afghan forces had been worse than ever.

However, Ghani denied on November 12 that the Taliban is winning. Speaking by video link from Kabul to an audience at the School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University in Washington, Ghani said the Afghan state is not at risk of collapse and reiterated his government's intent to seek a negotiated peace.

"The Taliban are not in a winning position," Ghani said.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-kabul -suicide-bomber/29595826.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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NATO Chief Says European Defense Drive Must Not Hurt Transatlantic Ties

November 12, 2018

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has cautioned the alliance's European members not to endanger the transatlantic defense bond, following an exchange between U.S. President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

Trump had tweeted on November 9 that Macron's call for a "real European army" was "insulting" after the French leader spoke about the need for a European army and listed the United States along with Russia and China as a threat to European security.

Without referring specifically to Macron's call for a European army, Stoltenberg said he welcomed stronger EU efforts on defense that could make NATO stronger.

But he warned European members against duplicating NATO's activity and undermining the alliance's relationship with the United States.

"More European efforts on defense is great but it should never undermine the strength of the transatlantic bond," Stoltenberg told a forum in Berlin.

With reporting by AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-chief -says-european-defense-drive-must-not-hurt- transatlantic-ties/29596685.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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Finland Probes Possible Russian GPS Jamming During NATO Exercises

By RFE/RL November 12, 2018

Finland says it is investigating whether Russia has recently interfered with global positioning system (GPS) signals in the northern Finish region of Lapland during NATO war games, endangering civilian air traffic.

Prime Minister Juha Sipila made the announcement on November 11, days after Finland's air-navigation services issued a warning for air traffic due to a large-scale GPS interruption in the north of the country.

Neighboring Norway issued a similar warning about loss of GPS signals for pilots in its own airspace at the end of the October, when NATO's massive Trident Juncture military exercise kicked off.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman on November 12 said the Kremlin knows "nothing" about the disruption of the GPS signal.

"There is a trend to blame all mortal sins on Russia," Dmitry Peskov said. "As a rule, these allegations are unfounded."

The U.S.-based GPS system works by sending signals from satellites above the Earth back down to receivers. Russia has developed its own global navigation satellite system, Glonass.

"It's possible Russia was behind the interference," Sipila said in an interview on YLE Radio Suomi. "We're now investigating it and will react accordingly."

The goal of the alleged Russian interference was "to demonstrate the capabilities for such actions," the prime minister also said.

"It's no small matter, since civilian flights have been put in danger," Sipila also said, adding that the incident should be taken as seriously as "airspace violations."

Trident Juncture -- NATO's largest since the end of the Cold War -- involved all 29 members of the Western alliance, plus partners Finland and Sweden.

The two-week war games took place close to Russia, in an area stretching from the North Atlantic Ocean to the Baltic Sea, amid persistent tension between the West and Moscow.

NATO said the drills mustered 50,000 troops, 250 aircraft, and around 65 ships in what Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called a "strong display" of its capability, unity, and resolve at a time of growing danger in Europe.

The exercise drew criticism from Moscow, which seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backs separatists in an ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine but accuses the alliance of provocative behavior near its borders.

Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer-long border with Russia, has recently developed closer ties with NATO but stopped short of full membership.

With reporting by Bloomberg, Reuters, DW, the BBC, TASS, and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/finland- probes-possible-russian-gps-jamming-during -nato-exercises/29595807.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Kosovo's President Says Agreed With Trump On Need For Comprehensive Agreement With Serbia

By RFE/RL's Balkan Service November 12, 2018

Kosovar President Hasim Thaci says he agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump on the need to reach a final and comprehensive peace agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.

Thaci, who met with Trump while in Paris on November 11 during commemorations of the end of World War I, said that Trump supported a legally binding agreement between Kosovo and Serbia after the two agreed "on the need to extend peace and reconciliation" in the Western Balkans.

"I am grateful for his and U.S. support," Thaci wrote in a tweet giving details of the meeting of the two presidents.

The Kosovar leader said he also discussed Pristina's normalization talks with Belgrade during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Paris.

"On this topic, President Putin was clear: 'If you (Kosovo & Serbia) achieve a peaceful agreement, Russia will support it," he wrote on Twitter.

The two Balkan countries are both pursuing normalization in hopes of furthering their bids to join the European Union.

EU diplomats have said they must reach a binding agreement on sensitive issues such as their common border and whether Serbia will recognize Kosovo's independence, which it declared 10 years ago.

This summer, Thaci and his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, both raised the possibility of redrawing their border in comments that alarmed some observers who feared it might revive the ethnic divisions that fed the 1990s Balkans war.

Thaci said in a November 9 interview with the AFP news agency that any revised border with Serbia that comes out of the two neighbors' normalization talks will not be drawn along ethnic lines.

The interview came a day after a short, tense meeting with Vucic in Brussels that was hosted by EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini.

Serbia has never recognized the independence of its former province although more than 110 other countries have done so. Serbian ally Russia has for years blocked Kosovo's recognition at the United Nations.

Kosovo's recent decision to create its own army has provoked anger from its own ethnic Serb minority as well as from Serbia.

NATO, which currently leads the KFOR military force that ensures Kosovo's security, has also expressed reservations over the idea.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo- president-says-agreed-with-trump-on-need-for-comprehensive- agreement-with-serbia/29595508.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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Macedonia Police Issue Arrest Warrant For Former PM Gruevski

By RFE/RL's Balkan Service November 12, 2018

Macedonian police have issued an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who has been convicted and sentenced to a two-year prison term on corruption-related charges.

Interior Ministry spokesman Toni Angelovski said the warrant for Gruevski's arrest was issued November 12 following court instructions.

Judges on November 9 rejected Gruevski's final appeal against his serving the sentence.

The former leader of the conservative main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE was sentenced in May to two years in prison for unlawfully influencing Interior Ministry officials over the purchase of a luxury vehicle at an estimated cost of 600,000 euros ($674,500).

Court clerks have tried in vain to locate Gruevski and personally serve him the order to present himself at the prison.

Gruevski, 48, was prime minister from 2006-2016. He is the former leader of the main opposition conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, which claims he is being politically persecuted.

He is still facing three other corruption trials, including over a major wiretapping scandal, and could be handed longer sentences than the one already given to him.

With reporting by AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/macedonia- police-issue-arrest-warrant-for-former -pm-gruevski/29596744.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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EU Draft Report Pushes For Increased Means To Fight Propaganda

By RFE/RL November 12, 2018

BRUSSELS -- A report drafted by a European lawmaker has called for the creation of a new portfolio in the European Commission dedicated to the fight against propaganda and for more resources to be dedicated to the EU unit set up to address Russia's disinformation campaigns.

The draft report seen by RFE/RL on November 12 says the bloc should provide its antipropaganda taskforce with "adequate financial and personnel resources" in order to "significantly increase its potential, effectiveness, and quality of work."

The report, authored by Polish lawmaker Anna Fotyga, is set to be discussed in the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee later this month.

Earlier this year, the parliament granted the East StratCom taskforce with 1.1 million euros ($1.3 million) a year from the EU budget, stepping up the bloc's campaign to counter disinformation and fake news from Russia.

The reports calls on EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini and the European Commission to "become more closely involved in this area."

It also urges EU member states that "continue to deny the existence of strategic propaganda to recognize it and take proactive measures in order to counteract and debunk it."

A larger part of the document is dedicated to social media, which it describes as "the most common tool for spreading disinformation and hostile propaganda."

The text proposes to "regulate," together with EU member states, "the actions of social media companies and ensure their full transparency and accountability."

But it also insists that such actions should be carried out "transparently, in cooperation with the competent authorities and civil society," saying that "the banning of suspicious accounts or deletion of inappropriate content may be seen as censorship."

The issue of disinformation from Russia is due to be on the agenda of the EU summit in Brussels on December 13-14.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-draft- report-pushes-for-increased-means-to-fight -propaganda/29596228.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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Romanian President Says Country Unprepared For EU Presidency

November 12, 2018

President Klaus Iohannis has said Romania isn't ready to take over the European Union's rotating presidency in January and called for the country's prime minister to step down.

"In my opinion, we are not prepared for that," Iohannis said in Bucharest on November 12.

Viorica Dancila, a little-known politician from the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), was appointed prime minister in January, and has since been criticized for being just a figurehead in a government that is actually run by PSD chief Liviu Dragnea, who can't become prime minister because of a conviction for vote-rigging.

"Now it is necessary to replace this accident, the government of Dragnea-Dancila," Iohannis said.

"There's no chance of a good government...or proper involvement in European affairs."

Iohannis, who won the presidency on an opposition ticket, made the comments after EU Affairs Minister Victor Negrescu resigned last week amid turmoil in the government over preparations for the six-month EU presidency.

Last month, EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova voiced concern about Romania potentially being incapable of managing the presidency.

The PSD took power in early 2017 and began decriminalizing several corruption offenses in what some say is a campaign to save Dragnea from going to jail after he was condemned in a separate abuse-of-office case.

Several large anticorruption protests have taken place in Romania, culminating with an August 10 demonstration in Bucharest, which resulted in some 450 protesters being injured by riot police.

The EU on November 13 will issue its latest report on the judicial systems of Romania and Bulgaria.

Romania joined the EU alongside Bulgaria in 2007. Both countries remain under Brussels' monitoring due to concerns over corruption and the rule of law.

With reporting by AP and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/romanian -president-says-country-unprepared- for-eu-presidency/29596673.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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Palestinian Militants Fired About 300 Rockets at Israel, Israeli Army Says

Sputnik News

23:07 12.11.2018(updated 02:44 13.11.2018)

Israeli army said that over 300 rockets have been launched by Palestinian militants at Southern Israel with tens of them intercepted by Israel.

Israeli military have registered about 300 missile launches from Gaza Strip and managed to intercept dozens of them, Israeli army press service reported.

"As of now, about 300 rocket launches from the Gaza Strip at Israel have been detected. Dozens of rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome air and missile defense system," the IDF said in a statement.

Air-raid warning sirens continue to sound throughout the south of the country, warning residents of the continuation of Palestinian shelling, according to a report by Sputnik correspondent from Israel.

Later, Israel's Ambulance Service said on Tuesday that at least 34 Israelis were hospitalized with injures and in stressful condition following the Palestinian militant shelling of the Israeli southern territories.

"From 16:30 to 23:30 [14:30  21:30 GMT] our brigades have provided assistance to 34 victims in Shaar Ha-Negev, Ashkelon and Sderot," the service said.

In response to the Palestinian shelling, the Israeli military attacked over 70 militant targets in the Gaza Strip from the ground and the air. According to local doctors, three Gaza Strip residents died in Israeli strikes. One of the Israeli airstrikes specifically targeted the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV station.

 Sputnik

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NATO Has No Intention to Deploy New Nuclear Missiles in Europe

Sputnik News

19:31 12.11.2018

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) - NATO has no plans to deploy new nuclear missiles in Europe and the alliance calls on Russia to maintain a constructive dialogue with the United States regarding the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday.

"NATO has no intention to deploy new nuclear missiles in Europe. But as an Alliance, we are committed to the safety and the security of all Allies. We must not allow arms control treaties to be violated with impunity. Because that undermines the trust in arms control in general. So we call on Russia to ensure compliance, and to return to constructive dialogue with the United States," Stoltenberg said at a conference in Germany.

The statement was made after in October, US President Donald Trump said that Washington intended to leave the INF Treaty, accusing Russia of violating it numerous times. The Kremlin, in its turn, rejected the accusations, noting that Russia would be forced to take measures to ensure its security if the treaty was terminated by the United States.

The INF Treaty was signed in December 1987 by the United States and the Soviet Union. It prohibited either country from possessing, producing or flight-testing ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (311 to 3,418 miles) and their launchers.

The United States and Russia have repeatedly accused each other of violating the INF Treaty. Moscow, in particular, stated that the United States was deploying launchers for Tomahawk missiles in Romania and Poland, which was prohibited by the agreement.

The Russian party has also pointed to the fact that Washington was developing combat drones and financing the research on the development of a ground-launched cruise missile. Meanwhile, the Russian authorities have stressed on numerous occasions that Moscow strictly complied with the obligations arising from the treaty.

 Sputnik

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IDF Planes Launch Strikes in Gaza After Israeli Bus Hit by Mortar Fire

Sputnik News

17:48 12.11.2018(updated 21:11 12.11.2018)

The attack follows an operation in the southern Gaza Strip which led to the deaths of at least seven Palestinians, including Hamas commander, and one Israeli officer, while another Israeli trooper was wounded. The Islamic Jihad vowed to avenge the operation by striking Israel.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated on Monday that Israel carried out air strikes against terrorists "throughout the Gaza Strip," attacking over 30 targets in response to mortar fire from the enclave. The IDF also announced it had brought reinforcements to the Gaza border, being ready to expand combat against Palestinian militants.

"The Israel Defense Forces also deployed a significant number of additional forces and military equipment [at the border with Gaza]. We are ready to expand our actions against terrorist organizations," IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus said.

The shelling from the Gaza Strip, which triggered the airstrikes, directly hit a bus in Kfar Aza earlier in the day, wounding at least one person, according to Israeli television channels. At the same time, The Jerusalem Post claimed that the vehicle was empty at the time of the strike, but confirmed that a 19-year-old Israeli man was in serious condition because of the attack.

Later, Hamas claimed responsibility for the mortar shelling. According to Israeli ambulance service, at least 7 people were injured during the attack. At the same time, Gaza officials claimed that 5 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli airstrikes, however, the IDF didn't confirm the statement.

Following the incident, Israel activated its Iron Dome aerial defence system, which intercepted 60 of over than 200 projectiles, launched against the country.

The Israel Defence Forces stated that warning sirens were sounding across the southern part of the country.

Tensions between the Israelis and the Palestinians near the Gaza border have been escalating since late March, which marked the beginning of the Great March of Return. Up to 220 Palestinians, including children and media workers, have been killed by Israeli troops during violent clashes between protesters and the IDF.

 Sputnik

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Italy Slows Down Purchases of US F-35 Jets to Cut Spending - Reports

Sputnik News

14:56 12.11.2018

The previous government ordered some 90 of the fifth-generation jets for its military, but the Five Star and Lega parties, which won the last election, have been trying to either scrap the deal or reduce spending on it.

The Italian government is planning to reduce the number of F-35 jets it will buy over the next five years from 10 to six or seven aircraft, Defence News reported citing an anonymous source. According to the media outlet, Rome will not reduce the total amount of ordered jets, but instead will leave the final decision on their fate to the next government.

The move will allow Italy to avoid or reduce contract penalties and free up some resources for the government's commitments, Defence Minister Elisabetta Trenta told the media earlier.

"What I would like to do is lighten the load, since we have other spending commitments in Europe. We will try to stretch out deliveries instead of cutting the order, which would reduce offsets and mean penalties," she said.

The outlet's source added that the money saved by postponing the delivery of three or four of the F-35 jets will help Rome fund its social programs and tax cuts.

Earlier, a member of the now-ruling Five Star party in the Italian parliament, Tatiana Basilio, vowed in 2017 that the country will scrap the contract for the delivery of F-35 warplanes. Italy intends to buy a total of 90 of the fifth-generation jets. Eight jets have already been delivered to Amendola air base, and three other are being used to train pilots in the US.

 Sputnik

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Taliban Will Only Talk to Kabul if Timeline Exists For US Troops' Exit - Moscow

Sputnik News

12:02 12.11.2018(updated 13:03 12.11.2018)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Taliban* movement stated it was ready to talk with Afghanistan's government only after agreeing with the United States on a schedule for the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country, Russian Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said.

"They said that they would be ready to talk with the Afghan government only after reaching an agreement with the Americans on the schedule for withdrawing all foreign troops from Afghanistan. As a confidence-building measure, the Taliban have preliminarily demanded the release of all political prisoners and the cancellation of anti-Taliban sanctions imposed on them back in 1997," Kabulov said at a press conference.

The Taliban are ready to take part in the next meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow, Kabulov noted.

"Yes. In principle, the Taliban are ready. They really liked it, they are ready to take part," Kabulov said at a press conference when asked about the prospects for the Taliban's participation in a new meeting of the Moscow format.

The November 9 meeting of the Moscow format on Afghanistan may be considered a breakthrough, because for the first time the Taliban attended it, which is the first step toward further full-format peace talks, according to Russian Foreign Ministry Second Asian Department Director Zamir Kabulov, who also serves as an envoy for Afghanistan.

The US presence does not solve problems in Afghanistan, and Moscow does not compete with Washington in esttablishing a settlement in Afghanistan: the national interests of Russia and its allies are at stake, Kabulov said Monday.

"The United States had enough time, 17 years, to do a lot of what it originally intended. But If you remember, in 2001 the presence of the Taliban in Afghanistan was zero, today the Taliban control more than 60 per cent of the country  this is the presence of America and NATO in Afghanistan. What kind of presence is this, which does not solve the problem, but contributes to its growth? We do not need such leadership," Kabulov stated.

He contended that the national security interests of Russia and its allies are at stake.

The launch of direct talks between Kabul and the Taliban may be discussed with US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad during his visit to Russia, Zamir Kabulov noted.

"We will see. If he is ready for this, then [we do not rule out]. I cannot suppose in advance," Kabulov said when asked whether the possibility of launching direct talks between the Afghan authorities and the Taliban movement would be discussed at a meeting in Moscow.

Postponement of Moscow Meeting on Afghanistan to November Was Due to Kabul's Position

"A few words about what we had to face in preparing the event. As you know, it was originally planned to hold the conference in early September, but then in a telephone conversation with [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov, the president of Afghanistan, citing various circumstances, asked to postpone the event for a month in order to work jointly on modality," Kabulov said at a press conference.

The Russian diplomat added that the Afghan authorities did not intend to send an official delegation to the Moscow-format meeting on the Afghan settlement from the early beginning and sent representatives of the Afghan High Peace Council instead.

"In late October, the Afghan authorities, always requesting direct talks, stated, and it was announced by [Afghan President] Ashraf Ghani in phone talks with Lavrov, that [they] were not ready to send an official delegation to [the Moscow] meeting, but suggested sending a delegation of the Afghan High Peace Council. The organisation is technically considered a non-governmental institution, but its leadership is appointed by the Afghan president," Kabulov stated.

On November 9, Moscow held the second round of negotiations on Afghanistan. The talks involved the Afghan High Peace Council, which, according to Afghanistan's foreign ministry, didn't officially represent the country's government; for the first time, the political representatives of the Taliban Islamist group in Doha were invited. Representatives from China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the United States were also invited to join the meeting.

The United States initially launched its military operations in Afghanistan in 2001 after the 9/11 terror attacks.

While most of the US troops had been reportedly withdrawn from the country by the end of 2014, NATO launched a new mission in 2015 to provide training and assistance to the Afghan security forces. Over 16,000 soldiers from 39 NATO countries are currently serving in Afghanistan as part of the mission.

The Afghan government has long been engaged in a conflict with the Taliban movement, along with other terrorist groups operating in the country.

*Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia

 Sputnik

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Up to 8 Killed, 6 Wounded After Explosion Rocks Afghan Capital

Sputnik News

12:23 12.11.2018(updated 15:26 12.11.2018)

Reports of the incident come amid ongoing clashes between government forces and the Taliban* in the provinces of Ghazni, Uruzgan and Baghlan, which have led to the death of at least 36 Afghan troops, killed by the militants.

A blast has occurred near Pashtunistan Square in Kabul's city centre, the TOLO news broadcaster reported on Monday, adding that it was allegedly carried out by a suicide bomber. According to the broadcaster 1TV, the Daesh* terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Following the explosion, an Interior Ministry spokesman told the 1TV that there are casualties, but the exact number of the casualties is currently unknown. The ministry later confirmed that at least 10 people had been killed and injured in the attack. At the same time, according to the Pajhwok news agency, 8 were killed and 6 more  wounded in the explosion.

"I took four bodies away but there were more on the ground," Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the area to protest against the Taliban threats in Ghazni and Uruzgan provinces.

In the meantime, at least 29 police officers and nine civilians were killed in an attack by the radical Taliban movement in the western Farah province, 1TV reported, citing local police chief.

The blast and clashes occurred as US special envoy Zakmay Khalilzad prepared to carry out a new round of meetings in order to commence a negotiation process with the Taliban and settle the situation in the war-torn country.

*Daesh, also known as IS/ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State, and Taliban are terrorist groups, banned in Russia

 Sputnik

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Moscow to Conduct Military Inspection of NATO Activity, Drills in Europe

Sputnik News

06:17 12.11.2018

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian experts will carry out military activity assessments in Norway, Poland and Germany under the Vienna Document on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures on November 12-16, the head of Russia's Nuclear Risk Reduction Center said.

According to the official, the Russian experts will visit training areas and ranges, will be briefed about the military activities, formations and units in the areas as well as about the NATO Anakonda 2018 drills that will be held in Poland in that period of time.

"On November 12-16, within the framework of Vienna Document 2011 on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, a Russian group of inspectors plans a visit to observe some types of military activities in Poland," Sergei Ryzhkov said.

Moreover, the Russian experts will be thoroughly briefed about the Edelweiss 2018 drills that will be held in Germany in that period of time.

"On November 12-15, within the framework of Vienna Document 2011 on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, a Russian group of inspectors plans to inspect an area of some 12,000 square kilometers [over 1,600 miles] in Germany," Ryzhkov noted.

In addition, the Russian experts will visit training areas and ranges in the area of the Trident Juncture drills that were held in Norway on October 25  November 7.

"On November 12-15, within the framework of Vienna Document 2011 on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, a Russian group of inspectors plans to inspect an area of some 16,000 square kilometers in Norway," Ryzhkov noted

The Vienna Document is aimed at confidence and security building in Europe and envisages Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) member states providing each other with information on their armed forces, defense planning and military budget details, as well as exchanging military observers and carrying out inspections.

 Sputnik

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Russia: Taliban, US Officials Held '10 Secret' Meetings in Doha

By Ayaz Gul November 12, 2018

Russia said Monday the Taliban has secretly held 10 rounds of talks with the United States, other than the officially announced recent contact between the two sides in Qatar on how to end the war in Afghanistan.

There have been only two publicly known meetings U.S. officials have held with representatives of the Islamist insurgency since July in their so-called "political office in Doha", the capital of the Gulf country. The latest contact occurred last month where the newly appointed special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, led the U.S. team.

"We have been told they (the Taliban) held around 10 secret consultations with Americans. This is a normal process when countries, and we want to believe in this, are trying to stimulate both parties, the Taliban and the Afghan government, to sit on the negotiating table without prerequisites," said Russian presidential envoy Zamir Kabulov.

The Trump administration has stepped up its efforts for a way to end the war in Afghanistan, the longest-ever U.S military intervention launched in 2001 after the September 11 terrorist attacks on American cities.

Last week, Khalilzad began his second visit in a month to Afghanistan, neighboring Pakistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to push his peace mission. He will be in the region until November 20.

'Modest first step'

Kabulov told a news conference in Moscow the American special envoy also plans to visit the Russian capital early next month to discuss Afghan peace efforts with him.

The Russian diplomat was briefing reporters on last Friday's conference of 12 nations Moscow hosted to discuss peace and security in Afghanistan, with a high-ranking Taliban delegation also in attendance.

The multilateral meeting in Moscow was a "unique" and broad international forum, Kabulov added, where Taliban delegates for the first time in 17 years publicly joined and sat next to an official Afghan delegation on the conference table for exchange of views.

He emphasized the goal of the conference was not to seek direct negotiations between Afghan warring sides, but was a "modest first step in that direction."

"They (Taliban) have outlined their plan of action in detail. [They] said they will be ready to speak with the Afghan government only after fixing a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan with the US," he added.

The Russian diplomat said the Taliban "as confidence-building measures under a preliminary plan, demand that all political prisoners be freed and anti-Taliban sanctions, which were imposed back in 1997, be lifted."

Diplomats, special representatives and officials from Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, the United States, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan participated in the event.

'Broad representation' sought

Kabulov disputed Kabul's assertions that Afghan delegates who attended the meeting were not representing the government, but the country's "non-governmental institution" the High Peace Council. The Russian diplomat said the Afghan ambassador to Moscow joined the Afghan delegation at the table, making it "an official representative" of Afghanistan.

He said Moscow had sought a "broad representation" of Afghans at the meeting and proposed to invite prominent political personalities, including ex-president Hamid Karzai, former National Security advisor Haneef Atmar, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and representatives of Hazara as well as Tajik communities.

But, Kabulov asserted, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani opposed the Russian invitations as an interference in internal affairs of his country.

"Almost all of them were ready to participate, but we were quite surprised that the president of Afghanistan, being quite nervous, began to oppose the invitation of these political figures [who] are of course legitimate political leaders of Afghanistan," he said.

Kabulov added Moscow was attempting only to ensure representation of all Afghan groups at the table to make it inclusive consultations.

There was no immediate reaction from Afghan officials to Kabulov's comments about Ghani's rejection of Russia's initiative.

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Europes Calculations Shift on Trump Second Term

By Jamie Dettmer November 12, 2018

Calculations are shifting in European capitals on whether Donald Trump is likely to serve a second term as U.S. president. The consensus in Europe ahead of last weeks midterm elections was that he would most likely serve only one term in the White House, but the expanded Republican majority in the Senate is prompting a re-consideration.

That, in turn, is leading some European officials to argue that they will not be able just to wait out Trump for two years for a return to business as usual with a more traditional and Atlanticist Washington, but need to rethink now about the best approach to adopt towards a U.S. leader who largely sees foreign policy as a zero-sum game and is unsentimental about traditional American allies.

But there is little consensus on what to do.

A broad division is emerging among European policymakers  between those who argue they must take into greater account U.S. interests in a bid to try to improve strained transatlantic relations and those officials and leaders who want to adopt a more aggressive "Europe First" strategy on the grounds European courtship of Trump has already tried and failed.

The current debate is an echo of the one that followed Trumps first few months in office, when European leaders were unnerved in their dealings with an American president very different from his White House predecessors and who eschews diplomatic norms.

In the run-up to last weeks midterm elections, many European policymakers made little disguise of their hopes that the Republicans would suffer a strong reversal in the polls, banking on the notion that a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives would be able to help them mold U.S. foreign policy more to their liking.

But the durability of Trumps brand of populism has been partly emphasized by what observers call a red wave pushing the Republicans to strengthen their hold on the Senate. Some European policymakers and analysts say Trump could become even more difficult to handle from their perspective in the next two years.

They say he will likely double down on policies that roiled transatlantic relations in his first two White House years, which saw the U.S. leader pull America out of the Iran nuclear deal as well as withdraw from the Paris climate accord, lambast allies like Germany for running trade surpluses, and upbraid NATO allies for not spending more on Western defense.

The formidable executive powers of the president, notably in foreign policy, remain untouched, Norbert Rottgen, head of the foreign affairs committee in the German Bundestag, told Deutschlandfunk radio, shortly after last weeks midterms. We need to prepare for the possibility that Trump's defeat [in the House] fires him up, he added.

With Trump now looking to begin his run for re-election in earnest, Rottgen and others say he will be keen to galvanize his base of fervent supporters, and that with the House controlled by the Democrats, he has more room for maneuver to do that with foreign policy than when it comes to domestic issues.

Transatlantic alliances are fraying, warns Peter Westmacott, a former British ambassador to the U.S. The change of majority in the House will do little to alter U.S. policy on issues where Americas allies have differed with Trump, like climate change, Middle East peace, trade policy, Iran, Russia and the importance of international institutions, he says.

Martin Kettle, a columnist with Britains Guardian newspaper says the midterms suggest that the Trump foreign policy revolution will become more entrenched. He is more likely than ever to win a second term, especially if the Democrats are divided. These midterms therefore tell the rest of the world something very important. They tell us that America First is not going away, that it is on course to be the new normal, that it is not some unfortunate aberration that can be reset to the status quo ante of 2016, he argues.

Here for the short-term or a longer term, Trumps America First policy remains an awkward challenge for European leaders and is propelling some to advocate for a counterbalancing Europe First policy. But European divisions  as well as fears  are hampering any agreement on that.

British and German officials fault French President Emmanuel Macron for impetuosity, arguing his Gaullist pitch last week for a Euro-army and talk of Europe needing to free itself from military dependence on America was reckless at a time of growing transatlantic rift. Both Britain and Germany are deeply skeptical of Macrons idea for a Euro-army. Skeptics say such a military could never make up for American military might and its importance for European defense.

As Macron was unveiling his Euro-army proposal on the eve of Donald Trumps arrival last week in France for the centenary commemoration of the end of World War I, Germanys foreign minister, Heiko Maas, was striking a different, more placatory note. While acknowledging the midterm elections are unlikely to ease transatlantic tensions, he tweeted: The United States remains our most important partner outside of Europe. We need to reassess and align our relations with the United States to maintain this partnership.

In the immediate wake of the midterm elections, some European leaders are likely to make a greater effort to identify the few policies on which they can agree with the Trump administration. They are also likely to redouble efforts to reach agreement with Washington to solve trade disputes, say analysts.

One outcome might be greater European support for Trumps China policy. Writing in Britains Daily Telegraph, former British foreign minister William Hague praised Trump for calling out Beijing for its deeply protectionist and nationalistic policy, unfair trading practices and theft of Western technological know-how, labeling it one of Trumps achievements. He is calling on other Western and Asian nations to wake up to the dangers of the critical threat China poses to the West.

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Hamas threatens to target 'millions' of Israelis as its TV station HQ in Gaza destroyed

Iran Press TV

Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:01AM

The headquarters of Al-Aqsa TV station run by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas was razed to the ground on Monday in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza amid a fresh round of violence in the besieged enclave, which the world blames on the Israeli forces.

The building of Al-Aqsa TV station located in an-Nasr district, west of Gaza, was totally destroyed by the Israeli raids, footage of the attack shows.

Many local residents had reportedly fled after calls to evacuate, witnesses said. The TV station said it would resume broadcasts soon.

The raid was part of the fresh airstrikes and rocket attacks by Israeli warplanes and artillery which are targeting areas "throughout" the Gaza Strip and have so far killed several people, including a Hamas commander.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health puts the number at 10, within around 24 hours, according to media reports.

In retaliation, the Palestinian resistance has so far fired over 400 rockets, mortar bombs, and at least one anti-tank missile from Gaza into the occupied territories, including military positions, Israeli and Palestinian media reported.

A spokesman of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said the Joint Operations room for Palestinian Resistance has vowed to expand the range of military strikes deeper into the occupied territories.

Ashkelon is just the beginning as a million Zionist colonists may enter the range of our rockets, Abu Obaydah said in his tweet.

In one of the rocket attacks, an Israeli bus in the northeast of Gaza was directly hit and exploded by a Kornet ATGM.

The Israeli military claimed in a statement that the aerial aggression was in response to the rockets and mortar shells fired against the southern parts of the occupied territories, wounding over 40 Israeli settlers, one in critical condition.

However, the international community blames the Israeli regime for the renewed violence in the impoverished enclave.

Israel epitome of state terror in region: Iran

In a statement on Monday night, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi condemned the Israeli attacks, saying such crimes prove that the Israeli regime is the embodiment of state terrorism in the Middle East.

The usurper regime of Israel is going ahead with its crimes and aggression against the Palestinian nation with the support and encouragement of the US government amid the silence of certain regional countries, he added.

Qassemi also called on international bodies to immediately intervene and stop the Israeli regime's war machine.

Russia, Jordan and an Egyptian delegation all declared Monday that Israel is responsible for the violence in Gaza.

The Russian condemnation came after an Egyptian delegation to Gaza, set up with the purpose of creating a ceasefire, placed the blame on Israel for starting the violence.

The European Union and the United Nations also urged the immediate end of rising tensions surrounding the Gaza Strip.

In a written statement, Maja Kocijancic, the spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, said that "the escalation of violence in and around Gaza during the last hours is very alarming".

"The EU urges both parties to step back from the brink and avoid any further actions that would contribute to the escalation, put civilians' lives at risk, and jeopardize recent efforts towards reducing tensions," she said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also spoke about Gaza in an interview with France24 in Paris.

Guterres called it "an extremely worrying situation," stating that "the suffering of the people of Gaza is unimaginable". The UN chief said that the tensions in Gaza should be defused as soon as possible, warning that otherwise it could turn into a "massive tragedy".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency security meeting with his minister of military forces and other senior Israeli military officials in Tel Aviv on Monday, a day after the Israeli raid on Gaza ignited new tensions in the region.

The flare-up came just a day after Israeli special forces infiltrated the Gaza Strip, assassinating a top Hamas commander, while subsequent Israeli airstrikes killed six others, including another commander with the Palestinian resistance movement. Reports also said that an Israeli officer was also killed during the ensuing clashes.

Tensions have been running high near the Gaza fence since March 30, which marked the start of a series of protests dubbed "The Great March of Return." The Palestinian protesters have been demanding the right to return for those driven out of their homeland by Israeli wars and other acts of aggression since 1948.

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UN forum to bring 'big space data' benefits to disaster response in Africa

12 November 2018 - Outer space and disaster response experts, on Monday, gathered at a United Nations forum in Bonn, Germany, to discuss how "big data" including social media, crowdsourcing and satellite imaging, can reduce the risk of natural disasters in Africa and support response efforts when they strike.

Big data are extremely large datasets, which, upon analysis can reveal complex patterns in real-world situations such as the movement of people or humanitarian needs in the aftermath of a disaster.

Synergies between such big data and space-based information, such as satellite imagery, can have profound benefits for both disaster risk reduction and sustainable development, according to the Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER), a specialized programme of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)

"Space and big data technologies are alreadyimportant elements in early warning systems, central to effective disaster preparedness, and feature prominently in the Sendai Framework and the Paris Agreement," said UNOOSA, referring to the globally agreed set of goals to reduce disaster risk, and combat climate change, respectively.

The importance of these technologies will only grow in the future, it added.

Applications of space technology vital for developing countries

In addition, the applications of space technology and newer domains, including big data, are vital for developing countries, explained the UN office.

"[These] countries are particularly susceptible to the impact of natural hazards as societies are more vulnerable and exposed, and less resilient to recover when disasters strike," it added.

The one-day expert meeting, entitled "Towards Big (Space) Data in Support of Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Response in Africa", took stock of new developments in the implementation of the Sendai Framework  as they pertain to big data and space technologies.

It also identified ways to strengthen African countries' capacity in the use of big data and satellite technologies, as well as the technical needs in the continent, to tailor UN-SPIDER support efforts on the continent, in line with its mandate and the Africa Space Policy, adopted by the African Union in 2016 on the development and use of space science and technology for socio-economic progress in the continent.

According to UNOOSA, the outcomes and recommendations from the forum will be incorporated into UN-SPIDER's plan of work for the coming years.

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Xi urges HK, Macao to embrace nation's reform, opening-up for greater development

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 07:14, November 13, 2018

BEIJING, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday voiced the hope that Hong Kong and Macao will further develop themselves by embracing the nation's cause of reform and opening-up.

Compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao are expected to continue participating in the country's reform and opening-up with sincere patriotism and pioneering spirit, attain the greater development of the two special administrative regions (SARs) by promoting the development of the country, and jointly work for the national rejuvenation, Xi said when meeting with a delegation from the two SARs.

Hong Kong and Macao still hold unique positions, have unique strength and will play an irreplaceable role in reform and opening-up in the new era, he stressed.

The delegation is visiting Beijing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up. Vice Premier Han Zheng also attended the meeting.

At the meeting, members of the delegation, including Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR, and Chui Sai On, chief executive of the Macao SAR, expressed a high degree of recognition of the country's cause of reform and opening-up and the "one country, two systems" principle. They also offered proposals on how to advance the cause and implement the principle.

Fully recognizing the contributions made by Hong Kong and Macao compatriots and extending sincere gratitude to them, Xi said the reform and opening-up over the past four decades was a cause that Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland complemented one another on and prospered together with, while the two regions integrated their own development into the overall development of the country.

"We should fully understand the roles that Hong Kong and Macao will play in the country's reform and opening-up in the new era, and support them in seizing opportunities and riding the momentum to foster new advantages, play new roles, achieve new development and make new contributions," he said.

Xi said he hopes Hong Kong and Macao can contribute to the country's comprehensive opening-up in a more proactive manner, take the lead in attracting capital, technology and talents, and take part in national high-quality economic development and the new round of high-level opening-up.

Xi said that Hong Kong and Macao should integrate themselves more proactively into the country's overall development while honing their abilities to foster new momentum for economic growth.

Xi said that Hong Kong and Macao should participate in national governance more proactively, stressing that compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao should improve their systems and mechanisms for enforcing China's Constitution and the basic laws of the two SARs in line with the "one country, two systems" principle.

Xi called on the two SARs, by taking advantage of their extensive connections with the outside world, to proactively push for more international people-to-people exchange, spread fine traditional Chinese culture and tell China's stories as well as stories related to the successful implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle.

He noted that efforts should be made to create more opportunities for young people in Hong Kong and Macao and help them overcome difficulties in their studies, employment and starting up of businesses.

While stressing that Hong Kong and Macao will have bright prospects, Xi expressed his hope that compatriots in the two SARs can work together with the mainland to open up new prospects in the "one country, two systems" cause, create a better life for themselves and strive to realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

At the beginning of the meeting, Xi shook hands with members of the delegation and had a group photo with them.

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India Confident US Will Grant Waivers on S-400 Deal with Russia  Reports

Sputnik News

05:26 13.11.2018

India will keep the Trump administration informed when the contract for the purchase of Russian S-400 air defence missile systems is concluded and paid.

Washington is yet to give notice about possible Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanction Act (CAATSA) waivers, which could cover New Dehli's purchase of five mobile S-400 systems worth $5.4 billion.

The Russian S-400 mobile air defence system platform is widely recognized to be the most advanced of its class, and several orders for the Russian product, particularly by China, have been filled with additional nations in negotiations currently.

Two countries concluded a contract for the supply of the missile system during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India in October, the Hindustan Times reported.

Indian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said that negotiations for the S-400 purchase predated CAATSA and any exemptions granted by the US will only be known when the Indian Defense Ministry makes its initial payment.

"With Russia already under US sanctions, it is for both Moscow and New Delhi to decide one mode of payment. Whether CAATSA has been waived or not will only be known once the Defense Ministry negotiates the mode of payment with its Russian counterpart," said a senior government official, cited by the Hindustan Times.

Indian officials believe that a presidential waiver under CAATSA will be granted both for the purchase of S-400s and the manufacturing of AK-47 rifles in a joint venture by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) of India and the Russian Kalashnikov Concern.

According to the unnamed official, the US has nothing similar to offer in the same category at the same price, so India may well be exempted from sanctions in both cases, on the condition that no further purchases or arms deals are signed with Moscow.

Indian military forces reportedly intend to use the AK-47 rifle or its derivative in the hinterlands, especially in counter-insurgency operations, according to the Hindustan Times.

India kept the US updated about its purchase of the S-400 purchase system as National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on September 14 reassured Washington that the Indian Air Force (IAF) has the precise technical knowhow to shield electronic signatures of its US aerial platforms from being shared with the S-400 system.

Doval's visit to Washington was preceded by an IAF technical team visit to the Pentagon to discuss the S-400 deal with Russia.

India signed a $5.43 billion deal to purchase five mobile units of the Russian S-400 Triumf during a bilateral annual summit in October. US government officials have previously warned India that it could face secondary sanctions if it goes ahead with its decision to purchase S-400.

 Sputnik

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Iran, Syria vow to keep anti-terror cooperation, counter US bids to spread chaos

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 07:07PM

Iran and Syria have pledged to keep counter-terrorism cooperation and to counter US bids to revive terrorists and create obstacles to prolong the war in the Arab country.

Tehran and Damascus discussed anti-terror cooperation during a meeting between Hossein Jaberi Ansari, senior assistant to the Iranian foreign minister on special political affairs, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syria's official news agency SANA reported on Monday.

The meeting was also attended by Assad's political and media adviser, Bouthaina Shaaban, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad and the Iranian ambassador to Damascus.

Stressing the importance of Syrian-Iranian relations as a factor of stability, the two sides reaffirmed both nations' determination to continue combating terrorist groups operating across the region.

They also underlined the need for a political settlement as the sole solution to the Syria crisis. They also vowed to resist any pressure by the United States, which is attempting after its failure to revive terrorists to topple the government in Damascus.

Iran has been offering military advisory support to Syria at the request of the Damascus government, enabling its army to speed up its gains on various fronts against terror outfits.

However, over the past few years, Israel, the closest ally of the US has frequently attacked military targets inside Syria in an attempt to prop up terrorist groups that have been suffering defeats in the battle against Syrian government forces.

In addition, the US-led coalition has 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 Syrian and Iranian sides also discussed a yet-to-be-formed constitutional committee, which is supposed to include representatives from various Syrian groups.

The committee is expected to include 150 members: 50 chosen by Damascus, 50 by the opposition and the final 50 by the UN outgoing envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura. It will also include civil society representatives, religious and tribal leaders, experts and women.

The UN-prepared list has already been rejected by Damascus, which is to draw up its own list, along with Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Even if the committee is finally established, analysts say the task of discussing a post-war constitution will be difficult.

The Syrian government has on numerous occasions said that it would only agree with some alteration to the current constitution, whereas the opposition is pushing for an entirely new constitution.

Separately, Jaberi Ansari also held a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem to discuss a range of issues on bilateral and regional developments.

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.

Iran says it will maintain its advisory role in Syria and continue support for resistance groups as long as Damascus demands it.

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Pompeo must own his words: Iran's Zarif

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 06:54PM

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has scolded his American counterpart, Mike Pompeo, for his sharp attack on a US magazine that published his threat to starve the Iranian people through sanctions, saying Pompeo must assume responsibility for what he says.

In a post on his official Twitter account on Monday, Zarif said Pompeo "should either own what he says, or disown what US does. Can't have it both ways."

He slammed Pompeo's audacity to threaten crimes against humanity targeting ordinary Iranian people and said his American counterpart "then attacks media for reporting his own words."

Zarif was responding to an earlier claim made by Pompeo on his Twitter account in which he accused "fake Newsweek" of helping spread lies.

In an interview with BBC Persian, the US secretary of state said that Iranian officials must listen to Washington "if they want their people to eat."

Pompeo's attack on the Newsweek came after Zarif said the US secretary of state's open threat to starve the Iranian nation was "a crime against humanity" and "a desperate attempt to impose US whims on Iran."

"Like his predecessors, he'll also learn thatin spite of US effortsIran will not just survive but advance w/out sacrificing its sovereignty," Zarif said in a Twitter post.

The administration of US President Donald Trump announced on November 5 the re-imposition of the "toughest" sanctions ever against Iran's banking and energy sectors with the aim of cutting off its oil sales and crucial exports. The bans had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

A first round of American sanctions took effect in August, targeting Iran's access to the US dollar, metals trading, coal, industrial software, and auto sector.

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Iran to sue US for sanctioning its maritime transport

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 05:11PM

Iran says it plans to sue the United States at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for sanctioning its maritime transport services.

Mohammad Rastad, the managing director of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran, was quoted by media as saying that a complaint to the same effect would be filed to the IMO in London next week against what he described as "cruel US sanctions and restrictions on maritime transport."

Rastad added that Iran's complaint would be based on international laws that govern the maritime industry, stressing that Tehran would accordingly publish an official document detailing the points in which Washington would be found guilty of violating those laws.

The administration of US President Donald Trump resumed sanctions on Iran's oil, shipping and banking industries last Monday, months after he pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.

Accordingly, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook said last week that Iranian vessels would lose access to international insurance markets under the US sanctions and so would be a risk to ports and canals which allowed them access.

"From the Suez Canal to the Strait of Malacca and all choke-points in between, Iranian tankers are a floating liability," Hook had said.

Hook also raised the possibility that countries and port operators could face US penalties for facilitating what he called Iran's "illicit activities" if they allowed Iranian ships access to international waterways and port facilities.

This drew an immediate response from Tehran with a top Navy official emphasizing that Iran's armed forces would be deployed "to protect the country's oil tankers against possible threat."

"Iran's armed forces ... are prepared today as in the past to protect our fleet of oil tankers against any threats so that it can continue to use marine waterways," Rear-Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, a deputy commander of Iran's Army, said Monday.

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.

Iran's First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri said in late October that the government of President Hassan Rouhani had already devised mechanisms to counter the impacts of returning US sanctions against the country's oil exports.

Jahangiri emphasized that Iran had serious plans to maintain oil exports above one million barrels per day.

"Iran exported as much as 2.5 million barrels per day of oil over the past months," he told a local insurance industry conference. "There had been a decline of a few thousand barrels per day. But we have always emphasized that Iran's exports should not decline below one million barrels per day."

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Iranian armed forces ready to protect oil tankers against threats: Army cmdr.

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:05AM

Iran's armed forces have pledged to protect the country's oil tankers against possible threats after the United States said the ships should not be allowed to dock anywhere because they were a "floating liability."

"Iran's armed forces ... are prepared today as in the past to protect our fleet of oil tankers against any threats so that it can continue to use marine waterways," Rear-Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, a deputy commander of Iran's Army, said Monday.

The remarks came days after Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran, warned Iran's business partners to "rethink your decision" to buy Iranian oil in the wake of Washington's "toughest" sanctions against Tehran.

The administration of US President Donald Trump resumed sanctions on Iran's oil, shipping and banking industries last Monday, months after he pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.

"From the Suez Canal to the Strait of Malacca and all choke-points in between, Iranian tankers are a floating liability," Hook said during a press conference on Wednesday. "Self-insured Iranian tankers are a risk to the ports that permit them to dock (and) the canals that allow them to transit."

Hook, who is also a special adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, threatened countries and port operators with possible US penalties for facilitating Iranian ships' access to international waterways and port facilities.

Mousavi warned that hindering Iran's transportation and trade through international waterways was "unacceptable" and the Islamic Republic's armed forces were prepared to "to protect our commercial fleet ... as they have in the past 40 years."

The military official also played down Washington's rhetoric and said the US has time and again hurled such threats against Iran only to find that "they have never had nor will they have" any effect in the future.

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SWIFT Cut Off Sanctioned Iranian Central Bank - US Treasury

Sputnik News

18:51 12.11.2018(updated 20:06 12.11.2018)

The US announced the re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran that were previously lifted under the JCPOA on 5 November. Prior to this date, Washington had warned the Belgium-based organization working with interbank transactions that it would also fall under sanctions if it continued to work with Iranian banks.

Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury Sigal Mandelker announced that SWIFT had cut-off Iranian financial institutions targeted by the US sanctions. The Iranian central bank is among the entities that lost their connection to SWIFT. The US Treasury official stressed that Washington would be strictly enforcing its sanctions regime against Tehran and announced that there would be "a lot more from the US on Iran."

Mandelker noted that Washington is not concerned by the idea of the creation of a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) in the EU to work with Iran, expressing confidence that the US and Europe could still work together. The official noted that despite the idea of an SPV, "companies already are leaving Iran."

"I am not concerned by the SPV actually at all. I think the bigger news in Europe is that companies are withdrawing from Iran in droves," she said.

SWIFT, a global messaging network designed for organizing financial communications between banks, earlier announced that it would sever its links to several Iranian banks and institutions for the sake of the overall stability of the network. The organization didn't say directly that it was cutting off Iranian banks subject to the new US sanctions.

The announcement by the financial messaging network came on the same day as US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the imposition of sanctions against the Iranian banking, energy and shipping spheres. Several days prior to the announcement, Mnuchin warned that SWIFT is no different than any other entity and could therefore also fall under secondary sanctions if it were to continue to work with Iranian banks.

 Sputnik

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Sanctions have no impact on Iran's military power: Commander

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Nov 13, IRNA -- Navy Commander Brigadier General Hossein Khanzadi stressed the ineffectiveness of enemies' threats, saying that though Iran has been subject to various sanctions since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, sanctions have not affected its military might.

Talking to IRNA in New Delhi on Monday, he added that Iran, armed forces in particular, have endured most sanctions, but they have had no impact on the forces; rather they helped promote science and technology in all of the armed forces, Navy in particular.

Today, the Navy has managed to build most advanced military and defense equipment, he said, hailing the achievements made in light of the Islamic Revolution.

Despite sanctions, the Navy has developed destroyers capable of carrying helicopters and launching missiles, he said.

Khanzadi pointed out that submarine 'Iran-Fatih' is among the first generation of new submarines which will soon be used.

Such achievements will help promote Iran's defense capabilities and make the country self-sufficient in the face of threats, he said.

Khanzadi arrived in New Delhi on Sunday at the head of a military delegation to attend the conference marking the Tenth Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS).

IONS are a series of biennial meetings among the littoral states of the Indian Ocean region. It provides a forum to increase maritime security cooperation, and promote friendly relationships among the member nations.

8072**1396

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Rohingya refugees flee Bangladesh camps over repatriation fears

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 03:24PM

Dozens of persecuted Rohingya Muslim families on a list of refugees set to be repatriated to Myanmar later this week have fled from camps in southeast Bangladesh for fear of facing more torment at home.

"Most of the people on the list have fled to avoid being repatriated," Reuters quoted Abdus Salam, a Rohingya leader at the Jamtoli camp, some 40 kilometers southeast of Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, as saying on Monday.

He added that most had fled to other neighboring camps to avoid being detected and forced to return against their will.

Dozens of individuals on the list of potential returnees submitted by Bangladesh have recently said that they would refuse to return to Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state, from where they fled, saying they were terrified.

One refugee, who has fled with his family from Jamtoli to the large Kutupalong camp to evade repatriation, said Rohingya fears were growing as refugees faced forcible return to Myanmar. "People are so afraid of being identified. They are avoiding Friday prayers at the mosque."

The developments come as the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar are to push ahead with the repatriation of thousands of Rohingya Muslims this week against the wishes of the refugees.

A Myanmar government statement has said an initial group of 2,251 would be sent back from mid-November at a rate of 150 per day.

Myanmar's Minister for Social Welfare and Resettlement Win Myat Aye said on Sunday they were ready to begin receiving refugees this week.

"It depends on the other country, whether this will actually happen or not," the minister said, adding, "But we must be ready from our side. We have done that."

Abul Kalam, the Bangladesh government's Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, said he was hopeful the process could begin on Thursday.

"The return will be voluntary. Nobody will be forced to go back," he said.

The UN refugee agency in a statement late on Sunday called on Myanmar to allow Rohingya refugees to visit their places of origin or resettlement sites to make their own "independent assessment of whether they feel they can return there in safety and dignity."

"Myanmar authorities should allow these refugees to undertake such go-and-see visits without prejudice to their right to return at a later date," the statement read.

Both governments have been pushing ahead with this first large-scale repatriation effort. This has prompted criticism from a group of 42 aid agencies who said in a statement that it would be "dangerous" for them.

The plan has been met with widespread opposition from the Rohingya, who say they will not return without guarantees of basic rights, including citizenship and freedom of movement.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been living for more than a year in cramped refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh after fleeing violence in Rakhine at the hands of the Myanmar military.

The campaign against the Rohingya, which the UN has described as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, has seen mass killings, torture, and gang-rape of the Muslims as well as arson attacks against their homes and farms in Rakhine.

UN-mandated investigators have recently accused the Myanmar army of "genocidal intent" and ethnic cleansing.

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Rohingya returns only 'at their freely expressed wish' - UN refugee chief

12 November 2018 - Returns of Rohingya refugees, forced to flee their homes due to widespread and systematic violence in northern Myanmar, "should only take place at their freely expressed wish" the United Nations top refugee official has stressed, amid concerns that conditions at places of origin are not yet conducive to safe, dignified and sustainable returns.

In a statement, on Sunday, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, said that repatriation of refugees "is premised upon the free and informed decision by refugees  to return."

Since late August 2017, widespread and systematic violence against Myanmar's mainly-Muslim minority Rohingya, has forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes in Rakhine state and seek refuge across the country's border, in Bangladesh. Prior to that, well over 200,000 Rohingya refugees were sheltering in Bangladesh due to earlier displacements.

According to estimates, there are currently some 925,000 Rohingya refugees sheltering in Bangladesh.

"Returns should only take place at their freely expressed wish based on relevant and reliable knowledge of the conditions within the country of origin and the area of return," said Mr. Grandi, noting that the "best way" to provide that knowledge to allow refugees "to go and see the conditions in Myanmar for themselves."

"Before making a choice of whether to return or not, the refugees reportedly verified by Myanmar as having the right to return should be allowed to visit their places of origin in Rakhine state, or other places to which they might choose to return."

According to media reports, some 4,355 people have been placed on a list approved for return by Myanmar. However, not everyone on the list has been informed and it is unclear how it was compiled. The first repatriations are said to start on Thursday.

Responsibility to improve conditions rests with Myanmar

High Commissioner Grandi also said that the responsibility rests with Myanmar, to ensure that conditions are conducive for voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable returns from Bangladesh.

At present, these conditions are not present, Mr. Grandi stated, adding that his Office, UNHCR, "remains committed" to supporting the Myanmar's efforts to create such conditions, under the terms of a tripartite agreement signed by UNHCR, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Myanmar in June.

An Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, established by the UN Human Rights Council, has concluded that violence against the Rohingya community by Myanmar's security forces amounted to "the gravest crimes under international law" and called for referring the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or to an ad hoc tribunal for investigations and prosecutions.



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Amnesty Int'l Strips Aung San Suu Kyi of Honor Over Rohingya Abuses

By Margaret Besheer November 12, 2018

Leading international human rights group Amnesty International said Monday it is stripping Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of its top honor over her failure to speak out or halt grave atrocities against her country's Rohingya Muslim population.

"As an Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience, our expectation was that you would continue to use your moral authority to speak out against injustice wherever you saw it, not least within Myanmar itself," Amnesty Secretary-General Kumi Naidoo wrote in a letter to Aung San Suu Kyi on Sunday notifying her of the decision. "We are profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage and the undying defense of human rights."

From 1989 to 2010, Myanmar's military-led government repeatedly confined Aung San Suu Kyi to house arrest for her role as a political opposition leader and pro-democracy activist. During that time, Western governments and human rights groups, including Amnesty, continuously advocated for her release.

During her detention, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. In 2009, Amnesty gave her its highest honor, naming her an Ambassador of Conscience.

But since becoming the country's de facto civilian leader in April 2016, Aung San Suu Kyi and her administration have failed to condemn or try to stop atrocities perpetrated by the military against minority Rohingya residents in Rakhine State.

In August 2017, the military unleashed a scorched-earth campaign on Rohingya villages in response to attacks by Rohingya militants that killed a dozen police officers. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled the violence to neighboring Bangladesh, where survivors have given accounts of horrific massacres, rape, murder and villages burned to the ground. The U.N. has called the atrocities "a textbook case" of ethnic cleansing.

Throughout, Aung San Suu Kyi has been internationally criticized for her silence. When she finally spoke out, she dismissed and downplayed the accusations and the military's role.

"As we have seen with her own civilian government, they have been creating hostility against the Rohingya, labeling them as terrorists, accusing them of burning their own houses and faking rape," Amnesty's Asia Pacific Advocacy Manager Francisco Bencosme told VOA. "The state media, the civilian government that she has direct authority [over], has been very much complicit in publishing inflammatory and dehumanizing articles against the Rohingya."

In his letter, Naidoo said the former human rights icon had not only abandoned the values she promoted for decades, but had "chosen to overlook the brutal oppression and crimes against humanity committed by the military against the Rohingya and minorities in Kachin and northern Shan States."

Amnesty has also criticized Aung San Suu Kyi's administration for failing to repeal repressive laws, including some which were used to detain her and other pro-democracy advocates. "Instead, she has actively defended the use of such laws, in particular the decision to prosecute and imprison two Reuters journalists for the work documenting a Myanmar military massacre."

Past winners of Amnesty's Ambassador of Conscience award include South Africa's Nelson Mandela, Pakistani education advocate Malala Yousafzai, and Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei.

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Top Saudi officials discussed assassinating Qassim Suleimani, Iranian officials: NYT report

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 12 November 2018 / 14:08

Tehran (ISNA)  Officials close to Saudi Arabia's crown prince discussed plans in 2017 with businessmen to potentially use private companies to assassinate Iranian officials including Qassim Suleimani, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

"Top Saudi intelligence officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked a small group of businessmen last year about using private companies to assassinate Iranian enemies of the kingdom," three people familiar with the discussions said.

According to the report, "The Saudis inquired at a time when Prince Mohammed, then the deputy crown prince and defense minister, was consolidating power and directing his advisers to escalate military and intelligence operations outside the kingdom. Their discussions, more than a year before the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, indicate that top Saudi officials have considered assassinations since the beginning of Prince Mohammed's ascent".

"Saudi officials have portrayed Mr. Khashoggi's death as a rogue killing ordered by an official who has since been fired. But that official, Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, was present for a meeting in March 2017 in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, where the businessmen pitched a $2 billion plan to use private intelligence operatives to try to sabotage the Iranian economy," it said.

During the discussion, General Assiri's top aides inquired about killing Qassim Suleimani, the leader of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps and a man considered a determined enemy of Saudi Arabia.

During the March 2017 meeting about the plan to sabotage Iran's economy, according to the three people familiar with the discussions, the Saudis asked the businessmen whether they also "conducted kinetics"  lethal operations  saying they were interested in killing senior Iranian officials. The businessmen hesitated, saying they would need to consult their lawyer.

The lawyer flatly rejected the plan, and the businessmen told the Saudis they would not take part in any assassinations.

End Item

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Tehran had 'credible information' about Saudi plot to assassinate top Iranian officials: Zarif

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 09:20PM

Iran knew about Saudi Arabia's plans to assassinate senior Iranian officials, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tells London-based al-Araby al-Jadeed.

"Tehran had credible information on this," Zarif said in an interview, which will be published in full on Tuesday.

His comments came after a Sunday report by The New York Times, revealing a March 2017 meeting in Riyadh to assassinate Iranian officials, namely Iran's Major General Qassem Soleimani.

The meeting brought together businessmen that also "pitched a $2 billion plan to use private intelligence operatives to sabotage the Iranian economy," read the Times report released.

As the meeting came at a time that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was consolidating his power in the kingdom, the report concluded that planning for assassinations, like that of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, started "since the beginning of Prince Mohammed's ascent."

Zarif further exemplified other atrocities by the Saudi government, including support for terrorism, attacking Yemen as well as blockading Qatar and kidnapping Lebanese Prime minister Saad Hariri.

"All the world has opened its eyes to what Riyadh is doing such as blockading Qatar, bombing Yemen, detaining the prime minister of Lebanon and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi," Zarif said.

This is while the US has emerged as a passionate supporter of the monarchy ever since President Donald Trump appeared in office.

Trump has also withdrawn Washington from the internationally backed nuclear deal with Tehran and re-imposed illegal sanctions on Tehran.

The Trump administration announced the sanctions on November 5 to target Iran's banking and energy sectors with the aim of cutting off its oil sales and crucial exports.

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Ankara rejects French accusation of Khashoggi game-playing as 'impudent'

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 06:30PM

The Turkish government has rejected as "very impudent" France's accusation that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is playing a "political game" over the brutal killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's diplomatic mission in Istanbul, raising speculations that France is trying to cover up the crime despite global resolve to hold perpetrators of the act to account.

Turkey's reaction came on Monday after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian questioned Erdogan's remarks at the weekend that Ankara had given tapes pertaining to Khashoggi's murder to Saudi Arabia as well as four Western countries  the United States, Germany, Britain and France.

Le Drian said France was not to his knowledge in possession of the recordings and accused Erdogan of lying and not cooperating in the investigation process.

"If the Turkish president has information to give to us, he must give it to us," Le Drian told France 2 television. "That means he has a political game to play in these circumstances."

Le Drian's comments were met with a furious response from Ankara which insisted that it had shared evidence related to Khashoggi's case with Paris and rejected the French foreign minister's remarks as unacceptable.

"Our intelligence shared information with them on October 24, including the voice recordings," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. "It is very impudent for them to accuse our president of playing political games."

"I wouldn't be surprised if soon France chooses to deny this murder, even though Saudi Arabia already confessed," Cavusoglu added. "What's behind the remarks of the French foreign minister? I wonder if they are trying to cover up the murder."

The dispute comes as British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt paid an official visit to Saudi Arabia and called for the kingdom's cooperation with a "credible" investigation into the killing of the dissident journalist.

Saudi Arabia is facing global criticism and potential sanctions over Khashoggi's killing inside the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul on October 2.

Khashoggi, a prominent commentator on Saudi affairs who wrote for the Washington Post's Global Opinions section, had lived in self-imposed exile in the US since September 2017, when he left Saudi Arabia over fears of the Riyadh regime's crackdown on critical voices.

The 60-year-old was seeking to secure documentation for his forthcoming marriage when he entered the Saudi consulate, but never came out despite Riyadh's initial claim that he exited the mission less than an hour after completing his paperwork.

The Saudi kingdom, after denying the murder for several days, finally admitted that Khashoggi had been killed in the consulate during an interrogation by rogue 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 Khashoggi's body, which is widely believed to have been dismembered.

The Turkish president says the assassination was ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.

Turkish media have pointed the finger at the powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with analysts saying the Turkish government is keen to have the ambitious heir sidelined from the nexus of power in the Arab kingdom.

However, the Turkish president has yet to directly accuse the young crown prince, who condemned the murder as "a repulsive incident" three weeks after the crime.

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Pompeo tells bin Salman Khashoggi killers will be held accountable

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 02:27PM

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Washington will hold accountable all those involved in the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"The Secretary emphasized that the United States will hold all of those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable, and that Saudi Arabia must do the same," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement on Sunday.

The top US diplomat has previously said Khashoggi's murder "violates the norms of international law," and that the US was reviewing possible sanctions on individuals identified as having been involved.

Khashoggi, who was a US resident since 2017 and a columnist for The Washington Post, was critical of Prince Mohammed and the country's devastating war in Yemen, a conflict which also came up during Pompeo's call, Nauert said.

Pompeo "reiterated the United States' calls for a cessation of hostilities and for all parties to come to the table to negotiate a peaceful solution to the conflict," she said.

The killing of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, and the Saudi war against Yemen, which has pushed the impoverished country to the brink of famine, are two of the main sources of strain in the decades-old alliance between Washington and Riyadh.

Bin Salman, also known as MBS, has played a direct role in overseeing the Saudi-led coalition fighting against Yemen and has also been accused of orchestrating the murder of Khashoggi on October 2.

But Pompeo and US President Donald Trump have both emphasized America's important commercial, strategic and national security relationships with the world's largest oil exporter and second largest arms importer.

Ankara increased pressure on Riyadh on Saturday after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country had shared recordings related to Khashoggi's killing with Riyadh, Washington and other capitals, adding that the operation had been ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.

Turkey has been demanding, to date without success, the extradition of those involved in the killing.

Trump and Erdogan discussed how to respond to the killing, a White House official said on Sunday. The conversation took place on the sidelines of ceremonies in Paris marking the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War l.

After initially denying the murder, Saudi Arabia finally admitted the 59-year-old journalist had been murdered at its diplomatic mission in what it termed a "rogue" operation.

Pompeo's latest remarks come just days after the announcement of the end of a controversial refueling arrangement between the US and the Saudi-led coalition carrying out strikes in Yemen.

The Pentagon had provided refueling capabilities for about 20 percent of coalition planes flying sorties over Yemen,

The end of the arrangement comes amid ongoing international outcry over Saudi actions in Yemen, particularly after a string of Saudi-led strikes that have killed scores of civilians, many of them children.

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 former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the country's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.

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Germany, EU funding militants in Idlib: Tagesspiegel

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 08:32AM

The German government and other EU members are funding militants still present in Idlib and involved in a conflict against the Syrian army, Germany's Tagesspiegel newspaper has revealed.

According to the report cited by British daily the Telegraph on Sunday, "no less than 37.5 million euros" has been transferred to militant groups in Idlib by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In total, Berlin has paid nearly 49 million euros to militants fighting to topple the Syrian government and facilitated the transfer of similar funds by other EU members, it added.

Those funds included "11.3 million other sources, or 17 million euros from the European Union, for which Germany would have played an intermediary role."

According to the report, the German government does not communicate the precise list of recipients of the funds for fear of angering Russia and other sides involved in the Syria war.

The information was revealed in an answer given by German Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Walter Lindner to a question asked by Member of European Parliament Evrim Sommer, to which Tagesspiegel was able to have access.

The report comes after German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Russian and Turkish leaders in Istanbul late last month to discuss a solution to the Syria conflict.

Ankara has long backed militants seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, while Moscow is a close ally of the Syrian government in its relentless fight against foreign-backed terrorists.

Merkel apparently rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's call to financially contribute to Syria's reconstruction after they met outside Berlin in August.

Germany is a member of a US-led coalition which has been bombarding Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Syrian government or a UN mandate.

Just recently, Berlin said it was in talks with Washington and other allies about a possible involvement in airstrikes on Syria if it used chemical weapons.

Syria and Russia have warned of a "false flag" chemical attack by militants in order to give the US and its allies an excuse to target Syrian troops which have sought to evict terrorists from their last stronghold in Idlib.

Germany has reportedly deployed special forces to northern Syria to aid US-backed Kurdish militants. In September, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Germany would not reject a possible longer-term deployment of troops to the Middle East.

She made the remarks during a visit to the Azraq air base in Jordan where some 300 German troops are operating as part of the US-led coalition.

The US and its allies characterize their military presence in the region as part of their war on Daesh, but fiercely oppose a final push by Syrian troops against terrorists in Idlib.

Extremists from across Europe joined Daesh in droves in 2014, when the Takfiri terror group launched its campaign of bloodshed and destruction in Iraq and Syria.

Back then, many European leaders ignored repeated warnings that militants could return home one day and that they would pose a security challenge for years to come across the continent.

Last month, Germany said more than a hundred militants, who had been fighting in Iraq and Syria, had returned to the country, but among them only dozens were being investigated for possible terror links.

German Interior Ministry said in a statement that they knew of 124 people, who were part of at least 249 people who had traveled from Germany to Iraq and Syria.

Meanwhile, some 40 percent of at least 900 Britons who traveled to Syria to join Daesh had returned to the United Kingdom, but UK counter-terrorism chief Neil Basu said they were no longer considered a main threat.

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Over 60 Civilians Killed or Injured by Coalition Airstrike in Syria - Reports

Sputnik News

23:34 12.11.2018(updated 00:07 13.11.2018)

Over 60 civilians have been killed or injured by a US-led coalition airstrike on Syria's eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, Syrian SANA news agency reported.

Syrian SANA news agency reported on Monday that over 60 civilians were killed or injured by an airstrike, made by the US-led coalition on al-Sha'afa town in eastern Deir ez-Zor.

"More than 60 dead and wounded civilians as a result of an attack by the international coalition on the village of al-Sha'afa in the east of Deir ez-Zor province," SANA said, citing local sources.

Previously, another coalition airstrike on the city of Hajin in Syria's Deir ez-Zor province reportedly killed at least 15 civilians. Ikhbariya TV channel reported then that the majority among those killed were women and children.

Previously, Damascus accused the US-led coalition of violating international law and killing civilians in a letter to the United Nations, saying that Washington wasn't fighting terrorism in the country.

 Sputnik

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US bounty on key PKK figures part of Washington's policy of double standards: Turkish min.

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 05:43PM

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has described the US State Department's decision to offer rewards in exchange for information on three high-profile leaders of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group as part of Washington's policy of double standards.

"Washington believes that this kind of decision may conciliate Ankara. But this is a profound misconception. Washington excludes two Turkish ministers from the sanctions list and blacklists three PKK leaders instead. It is nothing more than a mockery because it means that Washington does not see the difference between terrorists and Turkish ministers," Soylu said during a ceremony at Afyon Kocatepe University in the western city of Afyonkarahisar on Monday.

He added that Turkey is no longer a country that can be manipulated.

Soylu noted that the PKK terrorist group controls 80 percent of the drug trade in Europe, earning around $1.5 billion per year.

"The United States is working with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which is the Syrian wing of the PKK and steals 25 percent of the proceeds from oil sales (in northern Syria), at the same time it includes three leaders of the same terrorists in the sanctions lists. It's hypocrisy. Ankara is well aware of all the actions in the region," the Turkish interior minister pointed out.

On November 6, the US Department of State's Rewards for Justice program authorized up to $12 million of rewards for information leading to the identification or location of PKK's acting leader Murat Karayilan, founding member Cemil Bayik, and senior leader Duran Kalkan.

The US Embassy in Ankara announced in a statement that a bounty of up to $5 million had been approved for Karayilan, $4 million for Bayik and $3 million for Kalkan.

Karayilan has been the PKK's acting leader ever since the militant group's founder and leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was captured by Turkish security forces in 1999.

Bayik is a member of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an alliance of pro-Kurdish groups. He is also the mastermind of a car bomb attack at Ankara's central Kizilay Square in March 2016. At least 35 people lost their lives in the bombing.

Kalkan is responsible for an attack that killed seven Turkish soldiers in December 2009.

PKK militants regularly clash with Turkish forces in the Kurdish-dominated southeast of Turkey attached to northern Iraq.

Turkey, along with the European Union and the United States, has declared the PKK a terrorist group and banned it. The militant group has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region since 1984.

A shaky ceasefire between the PKK and the Turkish government collapsed in July 2015. Attacks on Turkish security forces have soared ever since.

Over the past few months, Turkish ground and air forces have been carrying out operations against PKK positions in the country as well as in northern Iraq and neighboring Syria.

More than 40,000 people have been killed during the three-decade conflict between Turkey and the autonomy-seeking militant group.

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US Applies Double Standard by Offering Reward for PKK Members - Turkish Minister

Sputnik News

17:34 12.11.2018

MOSCOW, (Sputnik)  Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has accused Washington of conducting a policy of double standards after the United States offered a reward for information on three high-ranking members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"Washington believes that this kind of decision may conciliate Ankara. But this is a profound misconception. Washington excludes two Turkish ministers from the sanctions list and blacklists three PKK leaders instead. It is nothing more than a mockery because it means that Washington does not see the difference between terrorists and Turkish ministers," Soylu was quoted as saying by the Anadolu news agency.

Turkey is no longer a country that can be manipulated, the minister stressed.

"Turkey's strategic partner [the United States], acting together with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which is the Syrian wing of the PKK, requires 25 percent of the proceeds from oil sales, and at the same time includes three leaders of the same terrorists in the sanctions lists. It's hypocrisy. Ankara is well aware of all the actions in the region," Soylu noted.

The comment was made after on November 6, Washington authorized rewards of up to $5 million for data "leading to the identification or location" of Murat Karayilan, up to $4 million for Cemil Bayik and up to $3 million for Duran Kalkan, the three senior members of the PKK (outlawed in Turkey).

US-Turkish relations have suffered a setback amid Ankara's concerns over US support for the YPG, which is viewed by the Turkish authorities as an affiliate of the PKK. Ankara has also repeatedly accused Washington of failing to fulfill its promises regarding the withdrawal of the YPG from Syria's Manbij.

Among other reasons, bilateral relations worsened over US pastor Andrew Brunson's detention in Turkey in 2016. The United States responded to this situation by imposing sanctions against Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Soylu, accusing them of human rights violations. The pastor was eventually released in October, and the sanctions against the two ministers were lifted earlier this month.

 Sputnik

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'Autonomous Warrior': UK Army Conducts its Largest Test of Battlefield Robots

Sputnik News

14:46 12.11.2018

The exercises are but the latest in a series of noticeable efforts by the British military establishment to increase know-how in the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotic weapons technologies.

The British Army has started an unprecedentedly large testing of battlefield robots, according to the Daily Mail.

The event, dubbed the 'Autonomous Warrior 2018,' will last for about four weeks and shall "push the boundaries of technology and military capability in the land environment," according to the British government.

At the event, a range of prototype 'robotic and autonomous systems' (RAS) will be tested in battlefield simulations. These will include unmanned tank vehicles, long-range robotic precision-guided targeting and autonomous ground resupply vehicles, which aim to reduce the danger to troops during combat.

About 200 soldiers are said to be taking part in the exercises and they will be tasked throughout with identifying which systems work most effectively.

UK Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, issued a statement saying that, "Our troops now have the chance to test out a huge range of robotic kit in what will be the biggest exercise of its kind in our history. This equipment could revolutionise our Armed Forces, keeping them safe and giving them the edge in an increasingly unstable world."

The new Cheif of General Staff for the British Army, General Mark Carleton-Smith, is quoted as saying that the testing of new weaponry is necessary considering the world's "darkening geo-political picture."

"We live in exceptionally unstable times and that the world has never been more unpredictable," he reportedly added.

In another speech that Mr Carleton-Smith is due to give at the end of the Autonomous Warrior event, he will say, "We need a more proactive, threat-based approach to our capability planning, including placing some big bets on those technologies that we judge may offer exponential advantage because given the pace of the race, to fall behind today is to cede an almost unquantifiable advantage from which it might be impossible to recover."

The land-based Autonomous Warrior exercises come on the heels of a similar large-scale testing by the Royal Navy in 2016. In that exercise, named 'Unmanned Warrior,' autonomous diving and submarine detection systems were allegedly tested.

Despite its withering military establishment, which is widely known to be beset by chronic personnel shortages, the UK armed forces have made AI a cornerstone of their future military doctrine. In September, the UK Ministry of Defence boasted that it had successfully carried out testing of what it described as "space age" technology.

Yet, while the country continues to try and keep up with the leaps and bounds being made by AI technology, a steady slew of reports indicate that London has major gaps in its military rank-and-file, including among vitally needed weapons technicians. A report in April 2018 called the military's personnel shortfall the "largest in a decade."

 Sputnik

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UK Forces return home after successful NATO exercise

NATO's biggest exercise in a decade comes to a close

12 November 2018

UK personnel from the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will return as victors from Trident Juncture, the largest NATO exercise since the cold war, having successfully defeated an acting enemy force of Norwegian, German and Swedish forces.

The UK-led multinational brigade made up of mechanised infantry from the Royal Irish Regiment and Royal Lancashire Regiment, Danish tank units and Polish armoured vehicles completed the week-long final exercise in freezing conditions in Norway. The multinational brigade successfully completed a river crossing on the final day of the live exercise, demonstrating the ability of NATO allies to live, work, and operate effectively together.

The brigade conducted defensive operations in a harsh and austere environment in order to disrupt a peer opposition force's advance, before going on the offensive to regain control of lost land. The live exercise phase enabled troops to learn lessons about how to operate when faced with a highly capable and well-equipped enemy.

With Royal Navy ships and RAF aircraft also contributing to the large-scale exercise from the skies and the seas, the exercise demonstrated both the UK's leading role in the alliance and the ability of its armed forces to deploy at scale and integrate with other nations at speed.

With around 50,000 participants from 31 nations, 250 aircraft, 65 ships and around 10,000 used during NATO Trident Juncture 2018, the alliance successfully demonstrated its ability to mount a collective defence response in an Article 5 scenario  when an attack on one is an attack on all.

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Millions awarded to defence firms leading fight for modern battlefield

Defence firms with cutting-edge ideas ranging from laser radars to Artificial Intelligence have been awarded over 10 million after being named winners of the MOD and Defence Growth Partnership (DGP) Innovation Challenge by Defence Minister Stuart Andrew.

12 November 2018

The winners provided innovative solutions to key strategic future demands for UK defence in autonomy and big data. The companies and their ground-breaking technologies will receive combined investment and support worth over 4 million from the MOD and 6 million from industry partners to see their full development.

The winning solutions announced at the Institute of Engineering and Technology today are:

- Close Air Solutions with Project Hyper Real Immersion

- QinetiQ's Software Defined Multifunction LIDAR

- Horiba Mira's UGV Localisation and Perception using Deep Learning Neural Networks

- Polaris' Ants on Deck

Defence Minister Stuart Andrew said:

"From shrewd navigation software, A.I. driven autonomous vehicles, laser radar to mixed reality training systems, today's winners are a clear demonstration of industry rising to meet the complex challenges of modern warfare. The MOD, working with commercial partners, will see these pioneering technologies go from the drawing board to the battlefield."

Training is at the core of military capabilities and Project Hyper Real Immersion is designed to provide cutting-edge realistic air combat training. This revolutionary technology from Close Air Solutions aims to enable fully networked live training exercises with NATO and Coalition partners. This will reduce costs and increase safety for service personnel.

QinetiQ's Software Defined Multifunction LIDAR (laser radar) system will provide a range of high-tech capabilities including 3D imaging, optical communication and covert targeting. Conventional 3D mapping can discover a vehicle under camouflage netting but LIDAR could also determine whether the engine is on and the type of vehicle using vibration sensors. The system could be adopted onto small satellites and unmanned and manned platforms

Horiba Mira is developing a super-intelligent navigation system which uses Artificial Intelligence algorithms to identify landmarks around a military vehicle to provide a greater situational awareness. This technology will be key in developing the effective operation of unmanned autonomous vehicles in dangerous areas which will remove soldiers from dangerous situations and task them to more valuable roles. This is a crucial aim of the Last Mile logistics that UK armed forces are developing.

Continuing with the autonomy theme, Polaris are developing a pioneering software system that autonomously generates the best routes for Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). AntsOnDeck increases fuel efficiency which allows extended operations, provides real-time awareness of conditions and environment and can be extended to platforms across the air, land and sea domains.

Co-chair of the Defence Growth Partnership, Allan Cook CBE, said:

"The innovative solutions developed by our own defence companies over the course of the Innovation Challenge is amazing. Using autonomy and big data these winning companies have found unique solutions to the ongoing challenges we face in the defence sector."

"The winners of the DGP's Innovation Challenge Final Phase have proven that their products are fundamentally important to the growth and prosperity of their companies. This final funding for the winners will enable them to complete their development and ultimately provide essential solutions in a dynamic, international and competitive market. Their success will benefit the defence sector in the UK and help us win more business in export markets."

The Defence and Security Accelerator, in tandem with the Defence Solutions Centre, established the competition in 2012 to explore and develop solutions to ensure the UK armed forces stay ahead of adversaries by finding more efficient methods of communication, logistics, protection, intelligence and training. The initial investment of 10 million for the competition has been matched pound for pound with industry partners and since then, the competition has received an additional 4 million. This is part of the wider 800 million Defence Innovation Fund.

Today's event brought together leading industry and military figures from the defence equipment community. This joint approach aims to create high quality UK jobs, boost defence exports and encourage collaboration between large industry, SMEs and academia.

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Ethnic Russians in Donbass region defy West criticism, re-elect acting leaders

Iran Press TV

Mon Nov 12, 2018 08:37AM

People in eastern Ukraine's ethnic Russian regions have re-elected their acting leaders in a vote viewed as illegal by the Kiev government and its Western allies.

Elections were held on Sunday to choose parliament members and new leaders in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, which are controlled by pro-Russia forces since breaking away from Ukraine in 2014.

Results released on Monday morning showed Donetsk region's acting-leader, Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, the acting Lugansk leader, emerging victorious with 61 and 68 percent of the votes, respectively, with almost all ballots counted.

"Today we have proved to the world that we can not only fight, not only win on the battlefield but also build a state based on real democratic principles," Pushilin told supporters at a concert gathering.

Election officials reported a high turnout despite calls by Kiev and its Western backers for the boycott of the elections.

More than 80 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in Donetsk, while turnout stood at 77 percent in the Lugansk region at the close of polls, they added.

Donetsk and Lugansk, which are collectively known as the Donbass, have been beset by conflict between the Western-backed Ukrainian military and pro-Russia forces.

International efforts to restore peace and stability to the region have largely failed, furthering the split between the two sides. So far, over 10,000 people have died in the armed conflict since 2014, according to the United Nations estimates.

The elections came after the killing of the Donetsk leader Alexander Zakharchenko in a bomb attack in August.

Although Kiev and its Western partners do not recognize the right of the Donbass region's 3.7 million residents to hold elections, the process was monitored by observers from 22 countries, according to the organizers.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the elections as "illegal and illegitimate."

"These so-called elections undermine the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine," the pair said in a joint statement on Sunday.

Kiev's Western backers believe that the elections would boost Russia's influence in the region.

Moscow and local Donbass authorities, however, reject the claim, with Russia saying the people in eastern Ukraine have the right to decide for themselves.

"People simply need to live, get on with their lives, and ensure order in the region under a blockade and permanent threats of the use of force by Ukrainian authorities," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, defending the elections.

She added that it was necessary to fill in the gap created by the assassination of Zakharchenko.

Kiev and its Western backers have accused Moscow of channeling troops and armaments across the border into eastern Ukraine.

Russia denies any military intervention, financial support or meddling in the region's affairs.

Ties between Russia and the West hit a record low in 2014, after the Black Sea Crimea Peninsula also voted in a popular referendum to separate from Ukraine and rejoin the Russian Federation.

Led by the US, Western governments have imposed rounds of security and economic sanctions on Russia over what they designate as the illegal annexation of Crimea. Moscow has also responded in kind with its own retaliatory measures against the West.

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Condemning Sham "Elections" in Russia-Controlled Eastern Ukraine

Press Statement

Heather Nauert

Department Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 12, 2018

The United States joins our European Allies and partners in condemning the November 11 sham "elections" in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine. Yesterday's illegitimate processes were an attempt by Moscow to institutionalize its Donbas proxies, the so-called "Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics." These entities have no place within the Minsk agreements or within Ukraine's constitutional government, and they should be dismantled along with the illegal armed formations.

If Russia calculated the November 11 illegal "elections" would lead to international respect for its proxies, the international reaction proves it was mistaken. The OSCE refused to monitor yesterday's farce. Russia's actions have been denounced in capitals on both sides of the Atlantic and on the floors of the UN Security Council and the OSCE. The United States and the European Union have spoken with one voice against yesterday's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will continue to impose Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia until Moscow fully implements the Minsk agreements and returns control of Crimea to Ukraine.

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MITSUBISHI Motors Corporation is expected to unveil its long-mooted flagship Triton ute soon, as the Japanese brand gauges interest in an accessorised version of the pick-up revealed alongside the facelifted model in Thailand last week.

Speaking to journalists in Bangkok at the reveal of the new Triton, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation senior vice-president of global sales and marketing Guillaume Cartier confirmed that the company was working on a halo variant of the new pick-up.

To be successful on pick-up, if you want to be successful, you need to have enough advancement on the lifecyle plan, and within that, you need to have some variant that is a bit iconic  so that is something we are working on, he said.

We will have some things, I cannot tell you now because that is all you will focus on now, but we will have something that will give us the pleasure to speak together again.

When pressed by GoAuto on rumours that the mooted flagship would be dubbed the Triton Ralliart  Mitsubishis motorsport division and a moniker used to denote sportier versions of the Lancer and Colt hatchback in the past  Mr Cartier simply answered: I will come to see you in Australia.

While some reports have suggested the top-spec Triton would take on the likes of the Ford Ranger Raptor and its 157kW/500Nm biturbo diesel engine, GoAuto now understands it will stray more towards a cosmetic upgrade rather than a performance one.

As such, the Triton Ralliart could be positioned around the circa-$60,000 price point as a Mitsubishi alternative to the likes of the Ford Ranger Wildtrak, Toyota HiLux Rugged X and HSV SportsCat.

Pricing for the facelifted Triton has yet to be revealed, but the outgoing version is topped by the $48,990 (before on-road costs) dual-cab Exceed, giving Mitsubishi clear air for a high-spec pick-up.

In revealing the facelifted Triton in Thailand, Mitsubishi also showed a modified version of the new pick-up, sporting added accessories such as a sportsbar, blacked-out wheels and eye-catching orange paintwork, as well as a rear quarter sticker proclaiming Triton Plus.

The company did not reveal engine outputs, accessories used or the moniker, but Mitsubishi said it was gauging interest in such a variant before confirming it for production.

The just-revealed facelifted Triton is powered by a carryover 133kW/430Nm 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine, which is available paired to a six-speed manual, five-speed automatic, or new six-speed self-shifter.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation corporate vice-president of product planning Vincent Cobee told GoAuto that the company was acutely aware of pick-up market developments, and hinted that Mitsubishis response to models like the Ranger Wildtrak was due soon.

Thats a very interesting trend (accessorised, lifestyle utes), he said. There is always that misconception that a pick-up is only a (work) vehicle, (but) its mostly mixed usage.

There is also, I would say, 90 per cent personal usage type of pick-ups, and we have seen in the past couple of years the appearance of that high performance, high styling, high toughness 

Somewhere in our long menu of Christmas wish list, we intend to address that question.

The Road to Recovery podcast seriesKlondike Silver's Royalty Free ZINC SILVER LEAD land package (100 km2) is located in the SLOCAN MINING CAMP (Southeast British Columbia - 138 km North of Teck's Zinc Silver Lead smelter (Trail B.C.)). Based on the British Columbia MINFILE mineral database, sixty eight (68) of the one hundred and seventy three (173) past producing Zinc Silver Lead mines in the Slocan Mining Camp are located in the Klondike Silver land package. Klondike Silver has created the first real opportunity to invest in and properly explore a sizeable portion of one of the most historic mining camps in British Columbia. Klondike likes to think of the Slocan as the last best under explored Zinc Silver Lead camp in Canada. For additional information please visit the company website www.klondikesilver.com.

Fur den Inhalt des Beitrages ist allein der Autor verantwortlich bzw. die aufgefuhrte Quelle. Bild- oder Filmrechte liegen beim Autor/Quelle bzw. bei der vom ihm benannten Quelle. Bei Ubersetzungen konnen Fehler nicht ausgeschlossen werden. Der vertretene Standpunkt eines Autors spiegelt generell nicht die Meinung des Webseiten-Betreibers wieder. Mittels der Veroffentlichung will dieser lediglich ein pluralistisches Meinungsbild darstellen. Direkte oder indirekte Aussagen in einem Beitrag stellen keinerlei Aufforderung zum Kauf-/Verkauf von Wertpapieren dar. Wir wehren uns gegen jede Form von Hass, Diskriminierung und Verletzung der Menschenwurde. Beachten Sie bitte auch unsere AGB/DisclaimerLatest Headlines

LVR loosening under review: Bascand

Reserve Bank deputy governor Geoff Bascand says the central bank is assessing whether current LVR restrictions are appropriate, following a stabilisation in house prices and bank credit tightening.

Wednesday, November 14th 2018, 10:45AM

Geoff Bascand, RBNZ

The Reserve Bank's long-awaited Financial Stability Report is due on 28 November. Bascand said loosening would be under review but echoed comments from Reserve Bank officials, who said last week LVR easing would be weighed up against other risks in the housing market.

Under current restrictions set by the Reserve Bank, investors need a minimum 35% deposit, and owner-occupiers require at least 20% to buy an existing property.

In a speech in Sydney, Bascand said the bank would address whether LVR levels were right for the current market: "Our risk tolerance for the recent housing and credit boom is implied by our calibration of the loan-to-value restrictions. We keep these settings under review and will publish our next assessment of them in the upcoming FSR."

He added RBNZ noted a stabilising market, in part driven by banks' credit tightening. Bascand hinted the central bank was reviewing whether or not to loosen LVR, as risks reduced in the banking system.

He said: "The question we are assessing is whether the same restrictions are needed in the current environment where debt levels remain high but are not deteriorating, now that bank lending standards have tightened significantly and rapid growth in credit and house prices have stabilised. If these conditions continue, we expect to gradually ease the policy in coming years."

In his speech, titled 'Financial Stability -- risky, safe, or just right?' Bascand described New Zealand's biggest financial risks. New Zealand has two main vulnerabilities: our high levels of indebtedness (in the household and dairy sectors) and our reliance on foreign sources of funding. We will publish our next assessment of those risks in the Financial Stability Report on 28 November.

He said RBNZ's financial stability measures had worked, with the financial sector "sound and well regulated". Ten years on from the pain and enormous costs of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), its clear that prevention is better than cure," he added.

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Sign In to add your commentSebastian Vettel struggled to the chequered flag and a sixth-place finish having started on the front row of the grid. Vettel slipped down the order in the early stages of the race but Ferrari has revealed that his issues were down to a sensor issue on the car.

Despite starting on what was arguably the favourable tyre strategy being on the soft tyres for the opening stint, Ferrari struggled to fire up the tyres and hadn't expected the red-walled supersofts on the Mercedes and Red Bull cars to last as long as they did, and was left unable to capitalise on their tyre gamble.

However, in reality, their issues had started long before lights out when the team discovered a sensor issue on Vettel's car that left him with an ill-handling car.

"Right from the formation lap, we became aware of a problem with a sensor on Seb's car,'' Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene told media afterwards.

"This meant that, for the whole race, he had to run different settings to those we would have normally used and that made the car difficult to drive.''

The German was but a bit-part player in the race, falling to the back of the field of front-runners. He was left to reflect on another disappointing race in his 2018 season.

"Well I tried everything but obviously in terms of the result, one, and one being bad,'' Vettel said.

"It's just a difficult afternoon. I don't think we were on top of the car today, the tyres. I don't think it was an advantage to be honest starting with the soft, the super-softs lasted a longer time, longer than I think we all expected. But that's how it is.''Rebels Raise Heads In Telangana!

As expected, the announcement of the first list of 65 candidates by the Congress for the Telangana assembly elections triggered unrest in the aspirants who were denied tickets.

While some unsuccessful aspirants staged protests, some others quit the party in protest and announced that they would contest as independents.

Senior Congress leader and former MLA Vijaya Rama Rao who was denied party ticket from Station Ghanpur constituency, announced that he would contest as an independent.

In Serilingampally constituency, former MLA Bhikshapathi Yadav alleged that the party leaders betrayed him by promising him ticket and denying it now.

Former MLA Narayana Rao from Vikarabad constituency resigned from the Congress party in protest against denial of ticket from neighbouring Tandur constituency, which was allotted to Rohith Reddy.

Similarly, another Congress leader Nayini Rajender Reddy, who expected the Congress ticket from Warangal (West) constituency, is also planning to quit the party after he was denied the ticket.

Former minister Suddala Devaiah, who was hopeful to get the Congress ticket from Choppadandi constituency, was denied the same and he said he would announce his future course of action soon.

Protests were sldo witnessed at NTR Trust Bhavan, the headquarters of the Telugu Desam Party office, by those who could not get the tickets. The TDP released its first list of 10 names in the early hours of Tuesday.

Click Here for Latest Direct-to-OTT Releases (List Updates Daily)Alliance Ventures, the strategic venture capital arm of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, has invested in the latest round of funding in Enevate Corporation, an advanced lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology company based in Irvine, California. (Earlier post.)

The investment reflects the capability of Enevate in advanced Li-ion batteries capable of extreme fast charging with high energy density and safety. Enevates technology could enable electric vehicles (EVs) to charge in the same time as refueling conventional cars.

Enevates HD-Energy Technology for EVs features five-minute fast charging with high energy density and long driving range, with the added capability of low-temperature operation in cold climates, low cost, and safety benefits. This short charging time is superior to any other Li-ion technology available today to meet automotive EV requirements for energy density, range, safety, and cost.

Enevate licenses its silicon-dominant HD-Energy Technology to battery and EV automotive manufacturers and suppliers worldwide to quickly achieve production volume and drive adoption of next-generation features that take EVs to the next level.

Investors in Enevate include Mission Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Tsing Capital, Infinite Potential Technologies, Presidio Ventures  a Sumitomo Corporation company, CEC Capital, Samsung, Lenovo, LG Chem (earlier post), and the Alliance (Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi).Mercedes-Benz has handed over the first GLC F-CELL (earlier post) vehicles to selected customers in the German market.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL (combined hydrogen consumption: 0.34 kg/100 km, combined CO 2 emissions: 0 g/km, combined electrical consumption: 13.7 kWh/100 km) features both fuel cells and a battery drive which can be charged externally using plug-in technology.

Alongside various national and regional ministries as well as the National Organization Hydrogen (NOW) and H 2 Mobility, the first customers in the German market also include Deutsche Bahn, the German railways. Further handovers will also be made this year, including to the companies Air Liquide, Shell, Linde AG and also the cities of Stuttgart and Hamburg.





Mark Brocker, Head of Procurement, Remarketing/Car Dealership, DB FuhrparkService GmbH, took over one of the first GLC F-CELL in Berlin on behalf of the German railways.

From the spring of 2019, other business as well as private customers will also be able to experience the new fuel cell technology and rent the vehicle via Mercedes-Benz Rent from one of the seven GLC F-CELL outlets throughout Germany. The GLC F-CELL will be available for both short and long-term rental via the Premium Car Rental service from Mercedes-Benz.

With a hydrogen consumption of around 1 kg/100 km, the GLC F-CELL achieves around 430 hydrogen-based kilometers (267 miles) in the NEDC cycle; in hybrid mode it additionally delivers up to 51 km (32 miles) on a fully charged battery. At the same time, an output of 155 kW helps to ensure high driving dynamics.

There are four operating modes:

HYBRID: the vehicle draws power from both energy sources. Power peaks are handled by the battery, while the fuel cell runs in the optimum efficiency range.

F-CELL: the state of charge of the high-voltage battery is kept constant by the energy from the fuel cell. Only hydrogen is consumed. This mode is ideal for steady cruising over long distances.

BATTERY: the GLC F-CELL runs all-electrically and is powered by the high-voltage battery. The fuel cell system is not in operation. This is the ideal mode for short distances.

CHARGE: charging the high-voltage battery has priority, for example in order to recharge the battery for the maximum overall range prior to refueling with hydrogen or to create power reserves.

In all operating modes, the system features an energy recovery function, which makes it possible to recover energy during braking or coasting and to store it in the battery.DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) and VERBIO North America Corporation (VNA), the US subsidiary of leading German bioenergy producer VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG (VERBIO), have reached terms for VNA to acquire DuPonts Nevada, Iowa-based cellulosic ethanol plant and a portion of its corn stover inventory.

Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to occur in November. VNA intends to install facilities to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) made from corn stover and other cellulosic crop residues at the site.

This will be VERBIOs third production facility devoted to this cellulosic technologyin 2014, the company commissioned its first facility in Schwedt, Germany, and its second facility in Pinnow, Germany is currently being commissioned.

VERBIO is a leading manufacturer in the German biomethane and biofuels market, running four production facilities producing around 27 million gallons of RNG, 140 million gallons of biodiesel and 87 million gallons of ethanol per year. The company focuses on developing and installing new technologies to produce first and second generation biofuels from biomass and crop residues.

The DuPont facility in Nevada, Iowa offers excellent infrastructure to construct our first RNG facility outside Germany. We can use part of the installed equipment for our production and there is a solid base of local farmers from whom to procure the raw materials. Once the plant is in operation, it offers the Nevada, IA community new agricultural revenue streams, new employment opportunities and new sources of tax revenues. Claus Sauter, CEO of VERBIO

Following its merger with Dow in 2017, DuPont announced a strategic shift within the cellulosic biofuels market and began to seek a buyer for the biorefinery. DuPont continues to participate in the overall biofuels market through specialty offerings, including both first- and second-generation biofuel enzymes and engineered yeast solutions that improve yield and productivity for biofuel producers.

VNA is working on plans to start construction of the RNG plant in spring 2019 and begin commercial production of renewable transportation fuel by summer 2020.A onetime womens clothing store on Greenwich Avenue is being converted into a taco joint called La Taqueria, with an opening date yet to be specified under head chef Dennis Lake.

The storefront at 10 Greenwich Ave. was previously home to 2nd Time Around, an apparel consignment chain that shut down abruptly in June 2017.Tom Wolfe for New Canaan News / Tom Wolfe for New Canaan News

While Connecticut was an exception, hate crimes reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation from across the country increased 17 percent from 2016 to 2017.

Some say the jump was predictable amid a torrent of angry, biased speech, and President Donald Trump has been accused of fanning the flames of hate through divisive oratory.

While the president has denied those accusations, officials on the local, state and federal level need to be aware of their rhetoric, said Andy Friedland, associate director of the Connecticut chapter of Anti-Defamation League.

Across the country, law enforcement agencies submitted 7,175 incident reports in 2017 regarding crimes motivated by bias toward race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender and gender identity. In 2016, data showed, there were 6,121 of such reported hate crimes.

The 2017 report showed the most common bias category was toward race/ethnicity/ancestry  which made up 59.6 percent of incidents  followed by religion-driven hate crimes, which made up 20.6 percent, and sexual orientation at 15.8 percent.

Out of the 4,229 hate crimes focused on race/ethnicity/ancestry in 2016, 2,122 incidents were classified in the anti-black or anti-African American category. Last year, 2,358 out of the 4,832 incidents fell into that category.

Messages seeking comment from the NAACP were not immediately returned on Wednesday.

Friedland said the ADLs own data show that anti-Semitic taunting, bullying, vandalism and other similar crimes increased nationwide by 57 percent in 2017 from 2016. Thats the largest single-year increase the organization has recorded, he said.

The last couple of years have been abnormal and significant in the increases weve seen, Friedland said. Hate crimes dont happen in a vacuum, they always start somewhere. Hateful rhetoric or speech leads to hate crimes.

In the state, there were 122 reported hate crimes in 2017  down from 124 the year before  according to FBI Investigation Uniform Crime Reporting released this week. The number of hate-crime assaults  simple and aggravated  reported in Connecticut also dropped from 30 in 2016 to 23 last year.

The FBI numbers for 2017 were gathered from 16,149 law enforcement agencies, and Connecticuts reported hate crimes included three aggravated assaults, 20 simple assaults, 41 instances of intimation and 39 incidents of damage or destruction.

In 2016, Connecticut reported 12 aggravated assaults, 18 simple assaults, 40 instances of intimidation and 39 incidents of damage or destruction. Data from 2016 came from 15,254 agencies.

Reporting hate crime data to the UCR Program allows the public, researchers, community leaders, and local government to raise awareness of the issue and gain a more accurate picture of hate crimes, the FBI said.

While 2018 numbers were not part of this FBI report, hate has made news in Connecticut and around the country in recent weeks  most notably on Oct. 27, when a man opened fire at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people and injuring six.

The ADL said that was likely the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the nations history.

Connecticut has also seen swastikas drawn at schools in Stratford, Danbury, Greenwich, Ridgefield and Wilton. On Nov. 8, Stamford police reported swastikas drawn on city sidewalks. And this week, students at Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge reported feeling unsafe because of hate talk and anti-Semitic symbols there.

In 2016, there were 1,538 religious-driven hate crimes nationwide reported to the FBI, with 834 related to anti-Jewish sentiments. In 2017, those number jumped up to 1,679 incidents with 976 of them being anti-Jewish.

In Bridgeport, Police Chief Armando Perez said the city doesnt see many hate crimes.

Fortunately, were on the lower end. We dont really have that kind of problem, he said. But we do pay particular attention when something like that happens.

In New York, there were 559 hate crime incidents reported in 2017, data showed. And in Massachusetts, there were 486 hate crime incidents.

Although the numbers increased last year, so did the number of law enforcement agencies reporting hate crime datawith approximately 1,000 additional agencies contributing information, the FBI said.

A breakdown of the 2017 hate crimes can be found at ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2017.GREENWICH  A family suing the town of Greenwich over an 80-year-old mans drowning death at the Cos Cob Marina says that a lack of concrete barriers or fencing at the waters edge was the cause of his death over three years ago.

But in court papers submitted earlier this month, the towns legal team maintains that the blame for the accident could be placed, in whole or in part, on the driver himself and on a family member.

The court filing by the town of Greenwich states that Patrick Conroy, 80, of Wall, N.J., was responsible for the accident that led to his death in September 2015. Conroy, who was behind the wheel of a van near the waters edge, failed to make reasonable and proper use of his senses and faculties, failed to be watchful of his surroundings, failed to exercise reasonable care for his safety ... which was the greater cause of the injuries and damages ... than any negligence attributable to the town of Greenwich, the court papers state.

While Conroy was maneuvering the van, as part of a family boating trip, the vehicle ended up sliding down the embankment into the water. His son, John, and other family members were present when the accident took place.

The court filing from the town also cites the actions of John Conroy during the incident. It says he allowed Patrick Conroy to operate a vehicle he was unfamiliar with and failed to prevent his father from driving the vehicle in the direction of water. John Conroy jumped into the water in an attempt to pull his father out of the van but was unsuccessful.

The Conroys lawsuit cites negligence and carelessness by the town of Greenwich for the fatal accident, saying that a wall or fence should have been placed at the marina to prevent accidents like the one that claimed the life of Patrick Conroy. The lawsuit cites negligence and carelessness by the town.

The six family members who were at the Cos Cob Marina at the time of the fatal accident are plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the town, claiming they suffered emotional distress and other maladies as a result of witnessing the accident. The towns legal team is asking the family members to provide documented evidence of emotional distress, such as payment for counseling services or medical reports. The towns lawyers are also requesting specific instances of showing diminution in your enjoyment of life.

The Conroy family, from northern Westchester County, N.Y., were planning a day of boating and were preparing to launch their boat at the town-owned marina when the accident occurred.

The law firm representing the Conroys has also put forward an offer to settle the case, as part of the legal process, but the town has not accepted any offers. The offer for a compromised settlement from the Conroys lawyer would require a payment of $2.5 million to John Conroy, the mans son; $1 million to his wife, and $500,000 to each of the four children.

According to the court calendar, the civil case could be on for a jury trial in April.Days after Hurricane Florence rammed into the North Carolina coast, President Donald Trump was on his way to comfort those who lost homes or loved ones. He met with the state's Democratic governor; he sat for a briefing; he paused to ask residents in New Bern, "Hi, everybody, how's your house?"

When Hurricane Harvey pummeled Texas last year, he traveled to Houston, and when Hurricane Michael hit Florida and Georgia last month, he and the first lady quickly went to the Gulf Coast.

But as California has convulsed in tragedy - a mass shooting and an outbreak of wildfires that included the deadliest in the state's history - the president has not only offered little comfort but heaped on criticism. He's blamed the forest fires on "gross mismanagement," threatened to withhold federal payments and instructed officials there, "Get Smart!"

The disparity in the responses to red states and blue states continues to exacerbate the nation's partisan complexion, injected now even into natural disasters.

A president who prizes and craves loyalty more than any other attribute, Trump has divided states into ones that voted for him and the ones that didn't, and found that last group wanting. In California, that has meant state officials are fighting not only killer fires but also the combustible rhetoric from Oval Office.

"There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor," Trump tweeted early Saturday, as fires consumed portions of the state in the north and the south. "Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!"

Not until 14 hours later did he express sympathy for the victims.

California officials responded that the latest fires started in not forests but suburban areas, fueled by scrub grasses and chaparral dried by the state's long-standing drought, and driven by blowtorch winds. Moreover, the vast majority of California's forest land is owned and controlled by not the state but the federal government, under Trump's control.

"Forestry management in this country is something we should debate; it's something we should talk about," said Michael Brown, who served as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the George W. Bush administration. "But in the middle of the fire? That's not the time to debate it; that's not the time to make the point.

"It detracted from what firefighters and California and other governors - red states and blue states - are doing to help protect California."

White House officials did not respond when asked why Trump often appears to be more publicly critical of Democratic areas that suffer natural disasters compared with more conservative states.

On Monday night, Trump announced he would sign the major federal disaster declaration that California officials had requested 24 hours earlier.

"Wanted to respond quickly in order to alleviate some of the incredible suffering going on," he tweeted. "I am with you all the way."

Since he took office, Trump has made 111 trips to 26 states that he carried in 2016, while traveling 47 times to 10 states that he lost, according to figures compiled by Mark Knoller of CBS News.

Six of those visits have been to areas hit by natural disasters. In 2017, Trump traveled to Texas twice after Hurricane Harvey, and once each to Puerto Rico, severely damaged by Hurricane Maria, and a post-Irma Florida. This year, Trump has made two hurricane-related trips: to the Carolinas after Hurricane Florence, and to Florida and Georgia post-Hurricane Michael.

The current California wildfires are the third to have occurred without a presidential visit. Trump has been to the state once since taking office, to survey prototypes of the wall he wants to build along the southern border.

In addition to his visits, Trump's remarks represent another way in which he's treated less-friendly areas differently than disaster zones more supportive of him.

Ahead of natural disasters, a review of his tweets indicate, he warns the public to evacuate and to listen to local officials ("I encourage everyone in the path of #HurricaneHarvey to heed the advice & orders of their local and state officials"). Afterward, he praises the cleanup work ("Right now, everybody is saying what a great job we are doing with Hurricane Florence - and they are 100% correct"). And he credits local Republican officials for advocating on behalf of their state ("Lake Okeechobee and all of the hurricane money were a passion for Rick Scott, who called endlessly on behalf of the People of Florida").

His treatment of California and Puerto Rico stands out for its post-disaster negativity.

In Puerto Rico, he got into a tit-for-tat argument with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz as recovery efforts were underway. Later, when visiting the U.S. territory, he was criticized for tossing paper towels into the crowd, as if making victims compete for the goods. He since has downplayed the number of deaths attributed to the hurricane and is now working to stop providing disaster relief funds for the island.

"The people of Puerto Rico are wonderful but the inept politicians are trying to use the massive and ridiculously high amounts of hurricane/disaster funding to pay off other obligations," he wrote last month on Twitter, an accusation for which there is no proof.

When it comes to California, at which Trump leveled blame even before praising firefighters, the disasters are striking at the epicenter of the anti-Trump resistance movement. Attorney General Xavier Becerra has sued the Trump administration dozens of times, attempting to block efforts to penalize sanctuary cities or to roll back environmental protections, among other things. In the midterm elections, Democrats won back numerous seats from Republicans, including in the longtime conservative bastion of Orange County.

The president repeatedly has blamed the state - falsely - for allowing millions of fraudulent ballots in 2016, which he says led to his loss of the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump's latest comments about fighting wildfires resurrect ones he made during a series of fires in August and during comments in a Cabinet meeting last month.

"I say to the governor, or whoever is going to be the governor, of California: You better get your act together," Trump said. "Because California, we're just not going to continue to pay the kind of money that we're paying because of fires that should never be to [that] extent."

Gov. Jerry Brown, D, said during a Sunday news conference that Trump's emphasis on forest mismanagement missed the larger cause of the devastation. Fire experts insist that the intensity of recent fires has been exacerbated by climate change, the existence of which Trump has denied.

"Managing all the forests everywhere we can does not stop climate change," Brown said. "And those who deny that are definitely contributing to the tragedies that we are now witnessing and will continue to witness in the coming years. The chickens are coming home to roost; this is real here."

The upside for California, which perennially delivers more in tax receipts to the U.S. government than it receives in federal money, is that Trump's treatment of it has yet to flow from word to action.

"Tweets are not outcomes," said W. Craig Fugate, who was FEMA director during the Obama administration. "My observation is that FEMA has not been doing anything different in this administration than what we did in the Obama administration when it comes to presidential declarations."

On Friday, within 24 hours of making the request, California secured federal assistance to support communities affected by the fires. Brown requested a presidential major disaster declaration on Sunday; Trump announced Monday night that he had approved it.

Congressional Democrats plan to demand $720 million for wildfire relief in California, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said Monday, adding that lawmakers also must appropriate more money for ongoing hurricane recovery in Texas, Florida and elsewhere, including Puerto Rico. Trump has signaled to lawmakers that he wants to stop sending disaster aid to Puerto Rico, a circumstance first reported by Axios and confirmed to The Washington Post by a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose confidential deliberations.

"The threat to cut off federal funding while the fires are very much burning is unconscionable for the president of the United States to say," said Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas. "It's adversarial at the very worst time. Every state in the nation and every territory of the United States should be able to count on a sympathetic president who is trying to do everything he or she can in times of natural disaster, and it should be true whether the president is a Republican or a Democrat, or the state is red or blue."These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.Xiaomi expanded its Mi 8 portfolio with the Mi 8 Pro and the Mi 8 Lite back in mid-September. The Lite was initially available with 6 GB RAM and 64/128 GB storage or 4/64 GB combo, but now a fourth 4GB/128GB option was introduced in China. The device will launch on November 16, and will make its way outside its domestic market later on.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite was introduced with 6.22 notched screen and a 24 MP front-facing camera. The chipset is Snapdragon 660 and offers fast-charging for the 3,350 mAh battery. There is also a neat dual camera on the back, fingerprint scanner to keep it company and a neat gradient back panel.

The device is expected to arrive in Europe, with Ukraine and France being the first markets to get it. Xiaomi also held a party in the UK and is planning an event in the United States, so hopefully, the Mi 8 Lite will make it even more markets.

Source (in Chinese) | ViaAs the trade war with the U.S. intensifies, China is looking to strengthen commercial ties with countries in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia by setting up a free-trade zone on the border between Thailand and Laos. In the planned zone, Beijing will waive tariffs and value-added tax on imports from countries that do not share a border with China. "This is the first time that China has offered special privileges via border trade to have closer ties with the Mekong countries and finally to the whole of ASEAN," said Danaitun Pongpatcharatorntep of Chiang Mai University's China Intelligence Center.

Nikkei Asian Review reports in its article China to create trade zone with Thailand and Laos as tariffs bite that President Xi Jinping vowed last week to import $40 trillion worth of goods and services over the next 15 years -- a figure that includes products from Mekong nations. While that speech was seen as a bid to counter criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump over Beijing's trade practices, China's move to boost commercial ties in the Mekong region appears to be a way to mitigate the fallout from the trade war.

China has poured $1.7 million this year into the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation -- an initiative proposed by Thailand to develop the region. The cooperation came up with the idea of extending the China-Laos border free-trade zone to the Thai-Laos border.

Thai Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong said Thailand will take the lead in setting up talks between China and Laos to finalize a framework for the trade zone, which is expected to be completed in the next few years.

Oramon Sapthaweetham, director-general of Thailand's Trade Negotiation Department, said the trade zone will cover an area stretching from the southern Chinese border district of Mohan to Chiang Khong in far north of Thailand.

China has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Laotian government to study a project to shorten travel times on the R3A highway that links the southern Chinese city of Kunming with Huay Sai in Laos and Thailand's Chiang Khong. Work has also started on the Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed rail line, which is planned to eventually link with Vientiane and Chinese rail routes.

The southern China region has a population of 47.4 million people, a total gross domestic product of 1.4 billion yuan ($201 million) and is growing around 8% a year, according to the Bank of Thailand.

Beijing also intends to use the project to capitalize on growing demand for cross-border e-commerce. The Chinese government has built up such facilities and logistics infrastructure with a one-stop customs services in Mohan and other locations along its southern borders.

"Thailand is also interested in developing its e-commerce in Mohan and is about to set up Chiang Mai as an e-commerce hub aiming to export more products to southern China," Oramon said.

She said the free trade zone will also be a way for Thailand and the Mekong countries to profit from China's flagship Belt and Road initiative by exporting into the European market via China's western border with Kazakhstan.



Haiti - FLASH : Dameus asks banks to block the accounts of 36 companies





While according to our information, the public action has not been put in motion against the companies alleged to have been involved in the manipulation of PetroCaribe funds, that no referral of an investigating judge with the indictment to inform the concerned was made, Clame-Ocman Dameus the Commissioner of the Government beyond the legal requirements and the criminal procedure, exercised the power to send a notice to banks in Haiti on November 12, 2018, asking them to suspend the accounts of 36 commercial companies as a precautionary measure, in the context of two judicial inquiries relating to the PetroCaribe case and the over-invoicing of school kits, to which these companies, according to him participated. A notice which with regard to the Haitian legal procedure, should not be followed of effect...



Text of the NOTICE of the Prosecutor :

"Port-au-Prince, November 12, 2018



To the Directors and Managers of the Public and Commercial Banks of Port-au-Prince



The Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince presents its compliments to the Public and Commercial Banks of Port-au-Prince and informs them of the request of the Government Commissioner, Mag. Clame-Ocman Dameus, their Directors and Managers, of immediately suspend all transactional activities with companies whose names follow, by blocking their accounts and those of their shareholders housed within these institutions, under penality of criminal prosecution. These companies and their shareholders are currently subject to conservatory threats from the public prosecutor's office. They are :



1.- National Trading Group

2.- AGP Papeterie

3.- Haiti Supply

4.- Kaymit Sales And Services

5.- M & S Creations

6.- Secosa (Suervision, Evaluation et Construction S.A.)

7.- Sada Construction

8.- Beca Engeneering

9.- Consortium Tropic Buil World Wide Holding He./JRD Construction S.A

10.- Constructora Handom

11.- Groupe IBI-DAA

12.- Milfort Augustin & Co

13.- Sada Construction

14.- Consortio MMC Renter

15.- GI Consultant

16.- GTC : Groupe Travaux et Construction

17.- Gilbert Chenet

18.- Grupo Sita (SRL)

19.- RHT Plaza S.A.

20.- Turbo Consulting

21.- Hadom S.A.

22.- Constructionnes Y Disenos R.M.N S.A

23.- Rofi S.A.

24.- Constructora Mar S.A

25.- Etudes Constructions S.A.

26.- J&J Construction

27.- Sotec

28.- Infratec

29.- Noelsaint Construction

30.- Repsa

31.- IBT

32.- Tropic Build

33.- General Distribution S.A

34.- General Construction S.A

35.- HL Construction

36.- Ingeniera Estrella S.A



The Public Prosecutor's Office draws the attention of these banking institutions to the fact that this conservatory measure is part of two judicial inquiries opened and monitored by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Port-au-Prince concerning the handling of funds related to the case PetroCaribe and the school kits in which companies and their shareholders participated. It counts on the urgency and the imperious collaboration of the banking community for the application of this provision.



The Public Prosecutor's Office at the Port-au-Prince Court of First Instance takes the opportunity to renew to the Port-au-Prince Public and Commercial Banks the assurance of its highest consideration.



The Government Commissioner."



TB/ HaitiLibre





















Haiti - Chile : Exasperated Haitians demonstrate in front of the Embassy of Haiti in Santiago





On Monday, a group of exasperated Haitians demonstrated outside the Haitian Embassy in Santiago, Chile. The demonstrators explain that they have been waiting for more than 8 months for their certificate of antecedent, demanded by the Chilean government to regularize their migratory status, underlining that they paid 25 dollars to the Embassy of Haiti for this document and 90 dollars to the Chilean Ministry of the Interior.



The Embassy told them that they had sent this information to the Ministry of the Interior, but the protesters say that the Chilean Government continues to ask them for this document, which they do not seem to have received...



More than 45,000 Haitians in Chile are banned from working in Chile, without this certificate they can not get to regularize.



During the demonstration, Senator Patrice Dumont currently on a mission in Chile https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26094-haiti-politic-3-senators-on-official-mission-in-chile.html abounds in the sense of the Embassy indicating that the issue is the responsibility of the Government of Chile, claiming that the Embassy of Haiti has handed over 15,000 certificates of antecedent to the Chilean Ministry of the Interior...



SL/ HaitiLibre





















Haiti - DR : A group of armed Haitians intercepts a group of tourists Dominicans





Saturday on the international road in the border area near the town of Palmita in the North West of the Dominican Republic, the renowned Dominican cardiologist Pedro Urena, Director of Cardiovascular Medicine, associate and President of "Heart Care Dominicana" who made local motorcycle tourism, along with three other doctors and businessmen, was intercepted and detained for nearly 3 hours, despite the presence of two Dominican soldiers who did not intervene, by several dozens of Haitians, armed with knives and machetes, who were protesting because one of their compatriot had had his motorcycle seized on Dominican territory.



"They jostled us, took our bikes off our cell phones and put us in one place and kept us there for almost three hours," the doctor explained.



Dominicans from the zone speaking Creole told the 7 motorcyclists to be quiet and not to speak Spanish, that he would try to convince the Haitians that they were Americans and not Dominicans. "After long negotiations, Haitians shouting American ! American ! finally released us safe and sound," said Dr. Pedro Urena, who with his friends feared for their lives.



Monday morning a complaint was filed by Dr. Urena.



For his part, Ruben Dario Paulino Sem the Minister of Defense ordered the intelligence service to open an investigation into this short hostage taking to determine the circumstances in which the incident occurred and on the lack of reaction from the military stationed there. He added that the 3rd commanders had also been called for investigation and that the 4th Brigade of the army, will have to make a detailed report of the situation.



SL/ HaitiLibre





















Haiti - Politic : Pitit Dessalin makes an affront to the Haitian flag





On Saturday, during a demonstration of supporters, partisans and activists of the radical opposition platform "Pitit Dessalin", the black and red flag was hoisted at the top of the mat, on the Vertieres historic site in the city of Cap-Haitien, provoking strong reactions.



Antonio Jules, the Departmental Delegate of the North, described the incident as "extremely serious" and "shameful for the population", indicating that he had gone to the site that same day to hoist the Haitian bicolor blue and red instead and announces that justice will act against those responsible for this act.



He also confirms that the provisions are made to ensure the safety of the population during the celebration of the 215th anniversary of the Battle of Vertieres on 18 November.



For his part Patrick Chrispin, one of the advisors of the President of the Republic on the air of a radio of the capital, pointed the former Senator Moise Jean-Charles as the head of this act, accusing him of to have "desecrated the Haitian flag" and violated the Constitution, affirming "Even with a crowd of partisans [...] a political leader has no right to desecrate the flag, symbol of the Nation."



He recalls that such actions are punishable by law and asks the judicial authorities to initiate proceedings against Moise Jean-Charles, the leader of "Pitit Dessalin".



PI/ HaitiLibre





















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Strong tension at national penitentiary

A strong tension reigned Monday in the national penitentiary where prisoners on the prison yard did not want to return to their cell, protesting against the maltreatment characterized by lack of food and health problems they face at interior of the largest prison center in the country. Officials from the national penitentiary supported by those from the specialized units of the PNH had to shoot a few shots in the air to control the situation and return the detainees to their cells.



PNH : Important security meeting

Monday was held a command meeting at the General Directorate of the National Police of Haiti (DGPNH). For several hours, the Commander-in-Chief, Michel-Ange Gedeon, discussed with the members of his staff matters relating to the day of November 18, the fragility of the context, the professionalism, the ethics, the proliferation of zones difficult and respect for human rights.



Lawyers vote to continue the strike

Following the work stoppage since last October 9, lawyers of the Court of First Instance (TPI) of Port-au-Prince https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25953-haiti-news-zapping.html Due to violence by members of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) against members of their profession, the lawyers decided at a meeting on Monday, the continuity of the strike until the Executive gives following to their resolution demanding, among other things, the dismissal of Government Commissioner Clame Ocnam Dameus. For his part, Senator Jean Renel Senatus, President of the Justice and Security Committee of the Senate, urged President Jovenel Moise, the guarantor of the proper functioning of institutions, to take action to resolve this crisis, which paralyzes the judiciary.



Se also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26079-haiti-justice-the-cspj-reminds-the-lawyers-strikers-that-justice-can-not-be-interrupted.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26075-haiti-justice-commissioner-berson-soljour-challenges-the-legality-of-the-precautionary-measure-of-the-igpnh.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26069-haiti-justice-the-protector-of-the-citizen-deeply-concerned.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26048-haiti-justice-the-west-director-of-the-pnh-temporarily-suspended.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25953-haiti-news-zapping.html



Lamothe convened, Dameus absent

On Friday, the absence of Me Ocnam Clame Dameus, the Government Commissioner was very noticed when he had convened the same day at 1:30 pm the former Prime Minister Laurent S. Lamothe https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26063-haiti-news-zapping.html in the context of the PetroCaribe fund management investigation.



Promise of the PM at the border

During his visit to the border, to the Malpasse customs https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26080-haiti-news-zapping.html Prime Minister Ceant reiterated the Government's willingness to fight smuggling that makes lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the Treasury and promised to reduce this shortfall by strengthening the surveillance structures of this Customs but also the regulations governing bilateral trade.



Canada Information : Reception Center for Visa Applications

For information on Canada's Visa Application Center (VAC) in Port-au-Prince, visit the Canadian Government website: www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/contact-ircc/offices/international-visa-offices/port-prince.html



HL/ HaitiLibre

















Havre Police Department

A caller reported a vehicle crash on Fifth Avenue at 7:58 a.m. Monday.

--

Officers were called to Lincoln-McKinley Primary School at 3:11 p.m. Monday.

--

Sarah J. Shields of Havre, 28, was arrested on a charge of criminal destruction of or tampering with a communication device after officers were called to a domestic disturbance on Third Street Monday at 7:32 p.m.

--

Celestine Rose Plante of Havre, 36, was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct after she called Monday at 8:05 p.m. to report her husband wouldn't give her her keys.

--

Chad Joseph Woundedface of Wolf Point, 32, was arrested on a charge of trespass to property after a caller at a First Street establishment reported at 9:08 p.m. Monday that the man officers were looking for - in relation to an 8:18 p.m. call from a First Street business about a very intoxicated, violent male - just left the building.

--

A 14th Avenue caller asked Monday at 10:56 p.m. for extra patrols because a suspicious man was knocking on doors.

--

Jessie Michael Prindiville of Havre, 21, was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct after a caller at the hospital requested at 1:30 a.m. today assistance with someone brought in.

Hill County Sheriff's Office

Friday at 8:06 a.m. a caller at a 34th Avenue West facility reported vandalism.

--

Kristina Lynn Ralston of Havre, 21, was arrested at Hill County Detention Center on a Justice or City court warrant Friday at 3:29 p.m.

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A caller at a U.S. Highway 87 business Friday at 4:23 p.m. reported a theft by a former employee.

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Tatonkaska Howard of Rocky Boy, 43, was arrested on four Justice or City court warrants during a vehicle stop on U.S. Highway 2 at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Havre Fire Department

Emergency medical personnel responded to four calls Monday and one early this morning.

Havre Animal Shelter

The Havre shelter this morning held one medium-hair cat, two short-hair cats and one short-hair kitten all of unknown gender, and one long-hair female cat; five 7-week-old kittens being fostered until adoption, and another 15 cats and two kittens, all of unknown gender, were listed separately in the 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 male Labrador retriever 21-week-old puppy, a male Labrador retriever dog, a male mixed-breed 11-week-old puppy, a female mixed-breed 9-month-old puppy, a female mixed-breed 11-month-old puppy and a female Australian shepherd-German shepherd dog.Havre High School was placed on a lockout this morning after more troubling graffiti was discovered within the school.

Havre Public Schools Superintendent Andy Carlson said it is a police matter at this point and therefore was limited on what he could reveal.

"Canceling school today is as much about us trying to put stuff in place so that we have a little better grasp," he said. "Obviously, we can't continue to operate the same way we've been operating. It's going to have an impact across the board, that's what's frustrating. I'll be real honest, this isn't how we want to run or operate any of our buildings."

Graffiti was discovered Monday in the upstairs boys' bathroom at 5:38 p.m. The district said in a post on its website that due to the specific nature of the threat, school would be canceled today.

Carlson declined to say what the graffiti said, saying the incident is under investigation by law enforcement.

Carlson added the high school is open all day and people are in there all the time. In previous instances, school has resumed, Carlson said, but this time is different.

"I've always said, 'If I was unsure or if I couldn't make sure that our students and our staff are safe, then we wouldn't bring them in,'" he said.

Carlson made the same declaration at the first School Safety meeting held at Havre High in October.

School is expected to resume Wednesday but with a closed campus.

The high school will be closed to the public for the remainder of the week, and students will only be allowed to be readmitted on school grounds with a parent or guardian physically present, Carlson said.

Students should also be prepared to have their backpacks and coats checked, he added.

"If you don't want your backpack searched," Carlson added. "Then leave it at home."

The only entrance that will be open the first part of the day will be the west entrance and at the end of the day, all students will exit via the main office entrance.

Carlson added that all activities not related to the high school have been canceled for the remainder of the week. The public will not be allowed on campus until further notice.

"Right now, we have a whole lot more questions than answers," he said.

Carlson said this incident is not related to the vandalism incident last week.

The district is having its board meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Havre Middle School. Carlson said he understands that people will have questions regarding the lockout, but he asked that everyone who attends wait until after the agenda is complete and then he will stick around to answer any questions the public may have.

The second School Safety meeting is scheduled for Dec. 4, but Carlson said he is willing to discuss those points tonight, as well.

The school was placed under increased security last week when graffiti was discovered in the upstairs boys' bathroom, as it was when graffiti was discovered Feb. 22.

A threat discovered in Havre Middle School March 21 led to that school being closed while authorities searched the building.Twenty-nine-year-olds are generally focusing on their careers or budding families or enjoying life after college, but, one local resident, instead, is fighting to remain cancer free and has a fundraiser to let people help her do so.

Sarah Gone, a member of the Fort Belknap Indian Community, was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer April 4.

Triple-negative breast cancer is diagnosed when a breast cancer screening comes back negative for both hormonal receptors - specifically for estrogen and progesterone - and HER2 receptors according to http://www.breastcancer.org.

Since there is a lack of hormones, standard hormonal therapy will not work, the site continues. Chemotherapy and radiation are the most effective ways at stopping this form of cancer.

"In addition, triple-negative breast cancer tends to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancer," the site states.

Gone received a phone call from the nurse that April day and the nurse asked her to come in.

"I told her, 'No, just tell me the results,'" Gone said. "The nurse told me she couldn't go over that information with me and I told her to have the doctor call me back because I wasn't going to drive up there to have them tell me what I already knew."

Gone said she felt like this wasn't happening to her.

"I had a little bit of a break down and then I went in to survival mode and got my appointments scheduled," she added.

Since triple-negative breast cancer is so aggressive, Gone said, she had to take action immediately. She said she adopted a "survivors mentality."

Gone worked with a doctor at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls who oversaw her chemotherapy treatments. She said the doctor was very stoic but she always tried to make him laugh.

"I got him a couple of times," she added.

Gone began with four treatments every two weeks and then she started weekly treatments with a milder form of chemotherapy. She said her doctor also found a new, more effective treatment - carboplatin - that he administered along with the milder form of chemo.

"My final treatment, my body started wearing down and my blood counts were really low and everything," she added. "He took the carboplatin away for my 12th infusion."

As Gone moved further and further along in her treatment cycle, it became harder for her to make it to work. She said she was in miserable pain and, some days, she couldn't get out of bed.

Gone added that her employet has been accommodating with her medical appointments and have let her work from home.

"I actually didn't have enough leave to take for this last surgery I just had," she added. "So, my co-workers donated some leave to make up the difference."

Gone is now cancer free and in remission.

The plastic surgeon in Great Falls, where Gone was receiving treatment, referred her to another specialist in Washington state.

She said she has to travel to the University of Washington in Seattle for reconstruction surgery.

"I'm going to get a tissue reconstruction," Gone added. "Which is not implants. They're going to take tissue from my body and place it in my chest. I'm kind of excited about that option because then I won't have to worry about rejection or anything like."

Once the initial surgery is complete, Gone said she has to still go back to the Great Falls plastic surgeon for two more follow-up surgeries.

Gone has set up a fundraiser through Pizza Hut Thursday and all funds will go toward paying for travel and for medical bills. When people making a purchase at the Havre restaurant Thursday for dine-in or carry-out say they are donating to Gone, 20 percent of the purchase price will go to her fundraiser.

She said her family and friends have been supportive throughout her treatments. Her mother has taken her to most of her treatments and her friends have alternated driving her in as well.

"I'm a fighter," Gone said. "I adopted a survivor mentality."The promotion of an IPO (initial public offering of shares) in Azerbaijan began in 2011 with the signing of a decree on the development of the securities market in 2011-2020 by President Ilham Aliyev, the deputy director of InvestAZ investment company Orhan Bagirov told Trend. Subsequently, these points were reflected in the 2016 Strategic Financial Services Roadmap in order to give an additional impetus.

As Menafn.com writes in an article "Large investment company about IPO in Azerbaijan", the director went on to say that, to date, measures have been taken on legal regulation and the creation of technical infrastructure. "As a result of this, today we already see a desire in the private sector to hold an IPO, and the government also plans to privatize five large state organizations in coming years by listing," he added.

Those who wish to list the companies should have the correct corporate governance structure, transparent reporting and profitable activities. Listing of companies on the stock exchange is prestigious and reliable, but this can be done when professionalism and transparency are available, he said.

Deputy Director of InvestAZ noted that not only readiness, but also desire is important for holding the IPO. "Conducting the IPO in Azerbaijan can be incorrectly assessed. The IPO is not the only way to raise funds. Moreover, this is a way to keep assets constantly liquid and reflect the results of the company's activities in the market, for shareholders who are afraid to fully sell their part of the shares," he said.

In addition, Bagirov stressed that the tax and customs reforms initiated in Azerbaijan in 2016-2017 and continuing to this day have greatly helped to ensure transparency in the private sector. "As a result of these reforms, we hope to see successful IPOs in the coming years," the director added.

To date, the IPO in Azerbaijan has not yet been carried out.However, local banks and companies spoke about such plans at various times.For example, the chief executive officer of Azersun Holding, Savash Uzan, previously reported Trend on negotiating with foreign consultants for an initial public offering of shares of the Azerbaijan Production Sugar Association, which is part of the holding.

Also one of the country's largest banks, Unibank, is showing interest inIPO.The chairman of the board of the structure, Faig Huseynov, earlier toldTrend that in the long term, the bank plans to hold an IPO. Public placement of shares in Azerbaijan at different times was discussed by companies such as Embawood and GoldenPay.Recently, Azersun Holding reported about such plans.

An IPO is the first time that the stock of aprivate companyis offered to the public. IPOs are often issued by smaller, younger companies seeking capital to expand, but they can also be done by largeprivately ownedcompanies looking to become publicly traded.

Today shares of almost 950 companies are traded at the Baku Stock Exchange (BSE). Turnover at the Baku Stock Exchange (BSE) exceeded 303.9 million manats last week (Oct. 29-Nov. 4), according to the statistics published on the exchange's website.

The biggest volume accounted for the placement of bonds of Azerbaijan's Finance Ministry worth a total of 298.2 million manats. Transactions on these bonds were concluded at a price of 99.4004 manats each.

In the secondary market of the BSE, transactions were concluded on the bonds of Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR, Finance Ministry and Azerbaijan Mortgage and Credit Guarantee Fund totaling 5.7 million manats.

Some 542,700 manats ($318,776) of this amount accounted for SOCAR US dollar bonds, slightly more than 3 million manats accounted for the mortgage bonds of the Azerbaijan Mortgage and Credit Guarantee Fund, and the remaining part accounted for the Finance Ministry's bonds. Last week, 4,886 transactions on shares worth 8,561.5 manats were concluded in the BSE secondary market.Despite heading into the holiday season, the number of visitors to the H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum has decreased, museum Director Emily Mayer said during the Clack Museum board meeting Monday night at Havre Inn and Suites.

Our numbers are not as well as Id like them to be, Mayer said.

She said she is grateful to all who have stopped by the museum, though.

There will be opportunities for increased visitation as the holiday season goes on, Mayer added.

Several small events are scheduled to take place at Holiday Village Mall and the museum is putting on its annual Dino Christmas Dec. 8, Mayer said.

Mayer added that local resident Charlotte Faust is donating two items to the museum: a slide projector and vinyl records.

The board decided to accept her donations.

Vicki Clouse, professor in the College of Arts & Sciences at Montana State University-Northern, is also donating some display cases to the museum Mayer added.

Mayer said they look useful and are in good shape.

The board decided to accept this donation, as well, and will decide what to put in the display cases in the future.

During the committee reports portion of the meeting, Mayer said she had looked at a photo from a past Veterans Day celebration and compared it to photos she took when she was at Town Square over the weekend.

She said in the past, people were everywhere in the downtown area, but the crowd was much smaller Sunday.

The contrast is interesting, she added.State Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester, talks Sunday in PJ's Restaurant and Casino with his general election opponent in the race for the seat in Senate District 14 Havre Democrat Paul Tuss.

Two long-time acquaintances and collaboraters, even friends, faced off in this month's general election and had some comments about modern campaigning, the negative turn it has taken and what - if anything - can be done about it.

Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester, and Havre Democrat Paul Tuss were talking about the campaign even before the interview in Havre started Sunday, commiserating about how to track down all of their campaign signs and how to get them removed.

With a few provisional ballots yet to be counted, the uncanvassed total in absentee and poll ballots gave Tempel the win by 139 votes in a very close race, 4,493-4,354.

Tuss congratulated Tempel Sunday on his victory.

But despite the close race, contrary to a flux of negative campaigning in the state - nearly $40 million was spent by political action committees, mostly in attack ads, in the U.S. Senate race in which incumbent Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., defeated Republican state Auditor Matt Rosendale and Libertarian Rick Breckenridge - neither Tempel nor Tuss attacked the other during their campaigns.

"Why would I do that?" Tempel asked. "He was a good candidate."

Tempel said his focus during his campaign was on his voting record and what he would do if re-elected.

Tuss said he focused on the issues he wanted to focus on if elected, not on his opponent.

"In everything I did and everything I said, and I think Russ was the same way, I attempted to make sure this was an above-board race rather than a below-the-belt race."

But both said the negative campaigning impacted them.

"When I went door to door, people were getting tired of the rhetoric from the fence, to the point where they almost were hostile to me because of that. It wasn't because of Paul or myself," Tempel said. " ... People saying, 'What were you thinking?' Well, it's not me thinking like that."

"As we got closer and closer and closer to the general election," Tuss said, "I had people, when I walked up to the door - and I had never been there before - they just said, 'Nope, were done. We don't want to see another politician we don't want to hear about another politician.'"

Tuss said he hasn't seen mudslinging in local races, but there are two answers - organizations are sending out mailers without being coordinated with the candidates.

"You don't look like Nancy Pelosi," Tempel said.

PACS sent out mailers in the SD 14 race attacking the candidates, for example, comparing Tuss to Democratic U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, or talking about Tempel siding with big business instead of working for his constituents.

"They did it on both sides," Tuss said. "I think what happens is you have organizations out there statewide trying to sling mud when local candidates are just trying to get their message out. And I don't think people really appreciate it.

"I was as surprised as anybody when I saw it in the mailbox," he added.

"Well, if you go into the post office, the trash cans are just piled with it," Tempel said. "Are they worth sending out?"

Tuss said a problem is the people receiving the mailers don't know who sent them.

He said he was trying to get his message out, but people received mailers attacking Tempel's voting record - which surprised him as much as Tempel - but the people don't know that and think he is now slinging mud.

The conservative PACs apparently thought it would help Tempel, Tuss said, to equate him with Nancy Pelosi - "Yeah, that was bizarre," Tempel said - but he thinks it doesn't help.

"They must think that it works, but I don't think people at the local level appreciate it, I really don't," he said. "I haven't heard one person say, 'Oh, I wish there would be more negative campaigning.'"

But the two agreed that not much can be done.

"It's not going to go away," Tempel said. "I'd like it to."

Tuss said that, with the U.S. Supreme Court Citizens United decision equating campaigning to free speech, including for corporations, and an increasing conservative U.S. Supreme Court in place, not much can be done.

"It's the law of the land," he said.

Tempel said even if people tried to change things, it probably would continue.

"They'd find ways around it," he said.

He did say one thing that might help would be to limit outside expenditures to the amount raised in the district of the race.

Tuss said he would like to see public campaign financing as it is done in some other countries, which would limit the amount of money used.

Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester talks Sunday in PJ's Restaurant and Casino in Havre Sunday about campaigning.

He said he thinks the mudslinging will continue, but Montanans want it to stop. He saw that during his campaign, he added.

"An overarching concern that became apparent to me when I went door-to-door ... was people are sick and tired of politics as usual and people are sick and tired of how hyper-partisan the national politics has become," Tuss said.

"You know, Russ and I can disagree, but we can do it agreeably," he added. " ... I'm not sure Russ and I see eye-to-eye on everything, but the truth of the matter is, is that you can have legitimate differences of opinion without being enemies of one another. And I think that people legitimately want that to be the politics of, at least, Montana. Because they don't see that on a national level. It's a mudslinging contest back there."This is also the case when employees feel they have unreasonable physical or psychological demands imposed on them or have little control over how they perform their jobs.

It should come as no surprise that unhappy, emotionally distressed workers are more likely to get sick and less likely to recover from injury.

In fact, Australian workplaces are among the worst in the world for fostering collaboration and respect, fueling the countrys mental health epidemic.

Only 14% of employees in Australia and New Zealand are engaged in their jobs, according to a recent Gallup report.

In fact, an overwhelming 71% are not engaged and as many as 15% are actively disengaged.Sierra Nevada sets up fund for Camp Fire, which threatens its headquarters

Potentially threatened by the devastating Camp Fire in northern California, Chico-based Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has set up a fund to help with recovery and rebuilding in the aftermath of the fire.

CNN reported that more than 52,000 people have been evacuated and 1,385 are in shelters due to the Camp Fire, which has burned more than 117,000 acres in and around Paradise, Calif., and destroyed more than 7,000 structures, including 6,453 single-family residences. As of Monday night, it was about 30 percent contained, CNN reported. The death toll had risen to 42 on Monday, with dozens more reported missing.

On Monday the Camp Fire was approaching the eastern edge of Chico, home of Sierra Nevada's original brewery and headquarters. The nation's second largest craft beer maker, Sierra Nevada chose Mills River as the location for its only East Coast brewery in 2012 and has been operating here since 2014.

Here's the letter the company put out on Monday night:

As many of you are aware, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and our surrounding communities are in the midst of dealing with the still-active Camp Fire. Even though we are all living moment to moment trying to figure out who is safe and if our homes have been spared, the beauty of the human spirit still shines through.



We have been flooded by offers of support, from a simple "I am here" to generous offerings of financial and physical support. There are many opportunitiesboth immediate and long-termto help those affected.



For immediate support, there are many nonprofit and government agencies whose sole purpose is to help those experiencing disaster. Rather than duplicate those efforts, we will instead focus on connecting those groups with people who need help.



For long-term support, we have set up a Sierra Nevada Camp Fire Relief Fund, supported through the Golden Valley Bank Community Foundation. The brewery is seeding this fund with an initial $100,000 to get started. Once the fire is out, we will distribute all donated money to partner organizations that are dedicated to rebuilding and supporting the communities that have been affected.



If you would like to support this long-term effort, click here and select "Sierra Nevada Brewery," and follow the instructions thereafter. Checks can be made payable to "GVBCF - Sierra Nevada" and either dropped off at Golden Valley Bank or mailed to 190 Cohasset Road, Chico, CA 95926.



We appreciate the tremendous amount of support and compassion shown from folks around the world. With the brave men and women risking their lives fighting this fire and the outpouring of support from communities near and far, we know we are on a path to healing and rebuilding.



Thank you,

The Grossman Family

Ken, Sierra and BrianBruce Simpson performs a traditional ritual with Laura Swift from Palmerston North, New Zealand, living in Drumcondra, Dublin, and Janay Rotorua, from Tauri, New Zealand, living in Cabra, Dublin, and NZ Ambassador Brad Burgess

The haunting wail of a shell trumpet filled the corridors of New Zealand's first Irish embassy as it officially opened in Dublin last night.

Members of the London-based Maori culture group, Ngati Ranana, took part in a traditional blessing ceremony before staff move into the new premises on Merrion Row.

After walking through the building and touching the walls as part of the blessing, the sacred pounamu, or God Stone of the indigenous Maori people, was unveiled.

There were traditional prayers and singing of the hymn How Great Thou Art in the Maori tongue.

New Zealand's Ambassador to Ireland, Brad Burgess, said he was honoured to open the country's first-ever embassy here.

"It's been a long time coming that New Zealand finally has an embassy here," he said.

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Pointing to the pounamu, or jade stone, he said: "This creates a real sense of home here in Dublin. We really look forward to moving in here."

Defiance

Meanwhile, Winston Peters, deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister, said Ireland and New Zealand have so much in common, including a similar population and shared cultural ties as well as the Irish diaspora in New Zealand who represent one out of every six New Zealanders.

"We've been big fans of the Irish for a long time and we have a similar sense of humour and a similar sense of justified defiance, so we should get along just fine," he said.

"The closing song they finished with is a blend of cultures but it's also in regard to the ancient nature of the Irish society itself," he added.

But the main catalyst for opening the embassy in Ireland was Brexit, he said.

"The moment the Brexit decision happened on June 23, 2016, it became very clear that, with respect to Ireland, we would have to set up an embassy here.

"It was one of the first decisions we made, that we could no longer think of servicing out of London which was what happened in the past," he said.

"As you know Brexit is a slow process, so in a way we're getting ready early," he said.

He also envisioned a strengthening of economic and other ties between the two countries in the future.

Stretching

"We need to have a close relationship with Ireland and vice-versa," he said.

"Ireland is stretching its reach offshore.

"It has always been a country that's seriously understood the importance of domestic plus diplomatic relations.

"We can be of assistance to the Irish in the Pacific and elsewhere and we know the Irish can be a big help to us where the European Union is concerned," he said.

"So if we both put our best foot forward, we can deepen our relationship and get more out of it for both of our populations," he added.A woman who stole over 10,000 in rental deposits from eight prospective lodgers, has been given a fully suspended sentence.

Olga Leschen (50), of Ballentree Drive, Tyrrelstown, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to stealing the money over a six-week period between September and October 2015.

Judge Terence O'Sullivan sentenced Leschen to six months imprisonment but suspended it in full for a year provided she keep the peace and be of good behaviour.

Garda Tom McCarrick told Grainne O'Neill BL, prosecuting, that Leschen advertised her house for rent on Daft.ie and took deposits - ranging from 200 to 2,600 - from eight different parties.

Leschen emailed each of the eight parties informing them of impending surgeries or other health issues and pushed back the date they were to move into her house.

None of the parties were ever allowed to take up residence and no deposits were returned.

Arrested

She was arrested on October 25, 2015, and initially denied the allegations.

Cathal McGreal BL, defending, said Leschen's husband had been physically abusive and had left her and their children without any money. She also has medical problems which prevent her from working.

Leschen has no previous convictions. The case had been adjourned for sentencing for a year so that she could pay back all of the money, which she has done by taking loans from her family and friends.

This money has since been returned to all but one of the injured parties. This person cannot be found and Judge O'Sullivan ordered that the 1,100 be held by Leschen's solicitor.

The judge said "there was no sophistication" to the theft, and added that while this was "clearly a nasty fraud", it was also "doomed to only last a certain time".

He said the mitigating factors in the case were her guilty plea, her co-operation with the investigation, her full repayment of the money she stole and her personal circumstances.Two Dublin flat complexes built by a renowned local architect are "not fit for purpose", according to one city councillor.

Residents of Pearse House and Markievicz House, in the south-east inner city, have been calling for the flats to be redeveloped, citing concerns over damp, mould and rodent infestations.

Both complexes were developed by former city architect Herbert Simms, who was behind the building of flat complexes throughout the city in the first half of the 20th century.

Demolish

The council's housing committee has decided to request they be removed from the register in order to demolish and rebuild the flats.

"I hear people talking about the dampness and the mould," said Independent councillor Christy Burke.

"You're talking about families trying to survive in units that are not fit for purpose. They don't have adequate heating and you can barely fit a table and chairs in the units.

"It would be the view of most of the residents too, because most of these flat complexes were designed in the 1930s and 40s and they don't work anymore.

"I grew up in a building just like that and we had just one power point in the place."

However, a statement from Dublin City Council's architects division has said there are currently no plans to remove the buildings from the register.

"Dublin City Council has not planned the demolition of any of the blocks designed by Herbert Simms nor planned delisting of these blocks and there is no current suggestion of changing this position," it said.

The council said it has an ongoing project for renovating flat complexes, including Pearse House and Markievicz House.

Desirable

"Studies will be needed to determine how these can best be brought to a desirable standard and retained in use for a further 60 years," it said.

Mr Burke said he had previously tried to have properties delisted to improve living standards but was shot down.

"It's a very difficult process. I've tried and tried with Ballybough House and we're a long time trying," he said.

"You've all of the culture section and the architects but to delist it, it's a really serious experience."Imre Arakas is expected to be deported to Lithuania, where he is facing murder charges, once his sentence in Ireland is completed.

The Lithuanian authorities allege that he was part of a three-man gang that conspired to murder a man who had an affair with top Lithuanian pop star Vita Jakutiene.

Police allege that he travelled to Lithuania to carry out surveillance on his target on a number of occasions over a two-month period.

It is alleged that Arakas sourced optic sights for a handgun in Spain and Estonia, as well as chemical substances to eliminate traces of firearms, and clothing to be used in the murder.

Lithuanian police suspect he was behind the wheel of the Renault Megane, sourced in France, when the victim was brutally shot a dozen times by one of the car's occupants.

Arakas was arrested by garda detectives in a holding cell at the Criminal Courts of Justice building on foot of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW), which was issued by Lithuanian authorities on February 19.

He is facing three related charges, including murder, in relation to the fatal shooting of Deimantas Bugavicius (26), which happened at 11.55pm on November 6, 2015.

The victim was shot 12 times with a handgun in a well-planned murder as he drove from his Kaunas home in a Mercedes car.

Nicknamed 'The Diamond', the victim was murdered in front of his lover, pop star Jakutiene, while she was estranged from her drug-dealing husband.

Lithuanian authorities allege that Arakas was "part of an organised group that for mercenary reasons acted in a manner in order to endanger the life of Deimantas Bugavicius".

If extradited to Lithuania, Arakas is due to face three charges including murder, firearms and conspiracy-related charges in relation to the savage fatal shooting.

When arrested and charged by officers from the Garda Extradition Unit, the Estonian national said: "I was in Spain at my friend's birthday."

The High Court endorsed an EAW from Lithuania in February this year in relation to the charges.

The Lithuanian authorities allege that between a date in September 2015 and November 7, 2015, Arakas had visited Lithuania on a number of occasions, where surveillance was carried out on the murder target.

Sinister

They alleged that two Dutch nationals were also involved in the sinister murder plot.

Lithuanian police claim that a Renault Megane car used in the murder was sourced in France and driven to the Baltic nation for the killing.

This vehicle was found burnt out after the gruesome gun murder.

Lithuanian police also say that they have established the routes - using both plane and car - by which Arakas entered the country on a number of dates in the two-month period.

They alleged that Arakas was in possession of a handgun and 9mm calibre Luger ammunition in connection with the murder, which has been classified as a contract killing.

Murder victim Bugavicius was in the company of Lithuanian pop star Jakutiene when he was shot dead.

It was previously reported that Jakutiene had been secretly recorded by her husband during her romantic affair with the murder victim.

Jail conditions in Lithuania are considered to be far tougher than in Ireland.

It seems unlikely that Arakas would get the same excellent medical treatment in a jail in the Baltic country which he did here when he suffered a suspected case of TB in May last year, from which he has now recovered.

Arakas, like a number of other Kinahan cartel associates such as 'Fat' Freddie Thompson and Jonathan Keogh, is currently housed in high-security Portlaoise Prison.Keen windsurfer Lorenzo Cubeddu found his survival skills came in useful when he drifted out to sea

A windsurfer who spent a treacherous seven hours lost at sea "put his life in God's hands" as he drifted 25 miles around the west coast of Ireland.

Lorenzo Cubeddu (59), from Inch East, Co Kerry, was reported missing off Ballybunion on Sunday after he was last seen at 3.30pm by a local fisherman.

The alarm was raised when he failed to return to shore, which triggered a major multi-agency search and rescue operation.

But it was not until 11pm that his wife Amanda received the incredible news that her husband was alive and well in Kilkee, Co Clare.

Mr Cubeddu's survival skills saved his life after he leapt from his surfboard on to the jagged cliffs in Kilkee.

He then wandered in the dark until he came across a mobile home, whose occupier alerted the authorities of his whereabouts.

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The watersport enthusiast, who works in SuperValu, Ballybunion, was then taken to University Hospital Limerick, where he is being treated for dehydration.

Perilous

In an emotional interview, Ms Cubeddu described her husband's perilous ordeal during what she described as "the worst seven hours of my life".

"I'm still shaking with relief and joy," she said.

"Lorenzo has been windsurfing for over 30 years and nothing like this has ever happened before.

"He's always so careful, but his nightmare began once the wind around Ballybunion suddenly dropped - leaving him unable to return to the shore.

"It was pitch black and there was nothing around him but water, so he ditched his sail as it was no use to him any more.

"He then lay down and hoped the current would take him back to shore, but instead he drifted further away.

"At one stage, the rescue helicopter passed by, but failed to see him. It was at this stage that Lorenzo knew his life was in God's hands.

"He then said to himself, 'God, please use your power to save me'. He then felt his presence and was perfectly at peace.

"Hours then passed, and he felt himself being pushed close to a cliff.

"He knew that leaping from his board on to the jagged rocks was the only way to shore, so he took a chance that could have cost him his life."

Using all the strength he had left, the Italian national climbed to the top of the cliff in Kilkee and believed he was in the middle of nowhere.

"He began to wander the fields and felt hypothermia kicking in," Ms Cubeddu said.

"At one stage, he got an electric shock trying to climb a fence and wondered if he was better off back in the sea.

"But in the distance, he spotted the light of a mobile home and made his way to it in his weakened state.

"An old man answered and was in shock by the sight of him, but soon realised that he needed immediate help.

"He then alerted the authorities, who arrived at the scene in no time at all."

A local fisherman, who talked to Mr Cubeddu before he took off, grew concerned once he lost sight of him and rang his boss at SuperValu, who alerted the Coast Guard.

The Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter, Rescue 115, was tasked to the scene along with the Ballybunion unit of the Irish Coast Guard and Kilrush RNLI.

The Fenit RNLI lifeboat was also sent to the area, while the Naval Service vessel LE Niamh, which was in the area at the time, was also requested to assist in the search.

"Once I received the news, it was like the entire world closed in on me," added Ms Cubeddu. "The only thing I could do was pray that he would be found."

Ms Cubeddu said she never gave up hope, but when two gardai arrived at her friend's home, she braced herself for the worst news imaginable.

"When they told me that Lorenzo was found safe and well, I just couldn't believe it and cried with joy," she said. "There was a huge celebration among all those that participated in the rescue. Even one of the guards was crying.

"I immediately made my way to hospital and when I saw him lying there, I embraced him and realised that we received a miracle."

She said he was in a good condition and was undergoing a series of tests and treatments for dehydration.

"This experience has changed our lives forever," she said. "I don't know if I'll ever like to see him windsurf again, but I'll worry about that another day.

"I have so many people to thank, including those that participated in the rescue and the fisherman who alerted Lorenzo's boss of his disappearance."

Frightening

Charlie Glynn, of Kilrush RNLI, said the man "had to have been an experienced windsurfer who was wearing the correct clothing and gear and who knew what to do when he got into difficulty".

He said the RNLI "wish him well for a full and speedy recovery following what must have been a frightening experience" and that everyone taking to the sea should "always respect the water".

"Always carry a means for calling for help, such as a personal locator beacon, especially if you are on your own. It could be a lifesaver," he said.

"Always tell someone you are going out and when you will be back.

"Make sure they know where you are sailing and who to call if you are not back in time."Tents re-emerged on Rustaveli Avenue, in the center of the Georgian capital - for the first time after 2009, when opposition street protests demanding the resignation of then-President Mikhail Saakashvili took place in Tbilisi. But the head of state did not resign back them, and hundreds of tents and cells, symbolizing the "dictatorial regime of Saakashvili" were soon dismantled. However, the opposition defeated Mikhail Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM) party and came to power after the October 1, 2012 parliamentary elections only thanks to the comprehensive assistance of one of the richest people in the world - billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who managed to consolidate opposition forces in his Georgian Dream coalition (GD).

There aren't that many opposition tents now. Not hundreds (as nine years ago), but about twenty. They are pitched on the very spot, where the Rose Revolution started in November 2003 under the leadership of Saakashvili, and where in 2009 the opposition launched a wide popular movement that led to a change of power in 3.5 years. That is why the leaders of the ruling party are noticeably nervous. Ivanishvili even said that the organizers of the rally with tents in the city center "are preparing a springboard" for returning Saakashvili, living in the Netherlands, to the Georgian policy.

The billionaire was referring to the official sponsors of the action Zaza Saralidze, Malkhaz Machalikashvili, whose sons were killed last December under various circumstances: 16-year-old David Saralidze - during a fight with high school students, and his peer Tamerlan Machalikashvili was shot dead by a special forces soldier of the Interior Ministry during a large-scale operation in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, near the border with Dagestan and Chechnya.

Zaza and Malkhaz, who for almost a year demanded that the authorities restore justice and punish those involved in the killings, asked the opposition forces for help. Saakashvili and his team actively supported the demands of the protesters, accusing the ruling party of not wanting to investigate the killings of young people. The society sympathizes with fathers who have lost their sons, and this sympathy may become the opposition's argument in favor of starting mass protests immediately after the second round of presidential election.

Its date has not yet been determined, but the two main candidates, both former Georgian foreign ministers Salome Zurabishvili (the GD) and Grigol Vashadze (the UNM), gained approximately equal votes in the first round (38.64% and 37.74% respectively). If the ratio stays the same in the second round, then the results of the re-voting can be easily challenged, citing violations. Then the tent camp near the parliament building, Georgian policy's 'crisis spot' of the past 30 years, can reach the scale of the Ukrainian 'Maidan' of 2013-2014. The authorities are aware of the danger: the police tried to prevent the camp's construction, but on Sunday night, when dozens of tents were taken to Rustaveli by the leaders of the most influential NGOs, the Interior Ministry had resigned itself to the inevitable, and after a series of clashes, patrol police officers were taken out from the site in front of the Parliament. By morning tents were pitched there, symbolizing not just the civil protest, but also the possibility of the 'Kiev scenario' or the 'Tbilisi mode - 2003'.A new water charging scheme will start in 2020

Around 80,000 households will be subjected to excessive usage water charges when the new charging scheme is implemented in 2020.

In a report sent to Government last week, the State's water agency estimated it would collect 7m in charges in the first year under the new system.

This will increase to 9m annually within five years, according to the Irish Water strategic funding plan.

In total, the water utility expects to raise 39m over the next five years from excessive usage charges.

The figures are based on between 75,000 and 80,000 households paying the average capped domestic water rate of 260-a-year.

The strategic funding also estimates the cost of running Irish Water up to 2024 will be 11bn.

The new charging system was agreed by Fine Gael and Fianna Fail as part of the confidence and supply agreement which underpins the Government.

Under the agreement, water charges were abolished but - to ensure the country does not incur EU-imposed financial penalties - fines for excessive water use were introduced.

Families using 1.7 times the average - 213,000 litres for a four-person household and 79,900 litres for a single-occupant home - will be forced to pay water charges.

It was previously estimated around 7pc of customers - or 95,000 households - will be hit with excessive usage charges.

An Irish Water spokesperson said the figures were "adjusted for average rates of payment and minus the expected level of customer engagement to rectify the excess use".

Leaks

"Irish Water recently made a submission to our economic regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), on the potential rates for those average households who are using in excess of 213,000 litres of water per year," they said.

"The details of any charges and their application will be determined by the CRU.

Irish Water have estimated the revenue that could potentially be raised if those customers we engage with fail to fix leaks or fail to curb their excess usage."

Estimates were based on the original charging regime.It fires missiles that travel at 2km per second and can hit targets flying twice as fast. It can target 80 different enemy aircraft, drones and cruise missiles at the same time from 400km away, and spot stealth warplanes that previously evaded detection. But, as Financial Times writes in an article "Russian sanctions: why isolation is impossible" arguably the most dangerous aspect of Russias S-400 Triumph missile defence system is the damage it has inflicted on the clout of Washingtons anti-Moscow sanctions programme, and concerted efforts by the US to isolate Russia from the rest of the world.

Despite sweeping sanctions against Russias defence industry to shut down its lucrative exports and a ban on other countries buying the S-400 specifically, Russia is doing a roaring trade in what most experts consider the worlds most advanced air defence system.

Over the past year, Turkey and India have signed deals to buy S-400s, China has received its first deliveries, and Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iraq have begun negotiations over deals to acquire the sanctioned systems.

If the wests sanctions regime, first introduced in March 2014, was designed to cut off Moscow from the rest of the world and isolate its critical industries, the truck-mounted missile launchers are a $400m-a-piece example of how that effort has failed.

There is no question about the isolation of Russia. Nobody is even talking about it, says Andrei Frolov, editor-in-chief of Russias Arms Export journal. There are major breakthroughs thanks to China and India . . . the message is that Russia is still open for business.

If the measures were designed to make Moscow an international pariah, friendless and toxic, they are falling short of achieving their goal.

An ever-closer friendship with China has provided Moscow with international finance, new trade opportunities and diplomatic heft. Moscow has also deepened its ties with a host of countries in the Middle East, from Turkey to Israel, Saudi Arabia to Iran, expanding its influence in the region at a time of American hesitation.

At the same time, a steady stream of EU leaders visiting the Kremlin, foreign direct investment from European corporates and continued demand for Russias oil and gas exports belie the rhetoric of belligerence from Brussels.

Isolation is impossible, that is clear, says Andrei Bystritsky, chairman of the Valdai Discussion Club, a Russian think-tank. It was possible, 30 years ago, in the Soviet times. Then there were just two blocs. But now there are so many options.

When it comes to Russian isolation, reality has not matched rhetoric. While major defence deals like the S-400 agreements have drawn the ire of Washington, all of the EUs biggest economies have quietly continued to do business with their eastern neighbour.

Berlin, a key supporter of sanctions, steadfastly supports Nord Stream 2, a Russian gas pipeline being laid under the Baltic Sea that opponents say will only increase Moscows influence over Europes energy supplies.

French president Emmanuel Macron was Mr Putins special guest at the annual St Petersburg Economic Forum earlier this year, telling his host: Dear Vladimir . . . let us play a co-operative game. Total, the French energy group, bought a 10 per cent stake in Russias $25.5bn Arctic LNG 2 project soon after, and last month opened a new oil blending plant close to Moscow.

The UK is one of the most hawkish towards Moscow, but British energy group BP is one of Russias biggest foreign investors through its 19.75 per cent stake in Rosneft, the Kremlin-controlled oil company subject to sanctions.

Look at Total, piling in as much as it can. Look at BP, says a senior executive at a major international energy company. You cannot isolate a country as big and as important as Russia. It was never going to work.

At a conference in Verona last month, Italys deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini told Russian delegates they were peacemakers and urged Italian companies to find ways around EU sanctions. In 2018 we do not need sanctions, we do not need troops. We need dialogue, we need friendship, he said. I want to thank Italian businessmen . . . for resisting, for taking up the initiative with this.

Western diplomats in Moscow privately admit that the sanctions have failed to achieve the impact many of their governments had desired.

Some blame the staggered implementation that has largely allowed Russias $1.6tn economy to slowly adjust. Others argue that the recovery in oil and commodity prices since 2016 has provided the Kremlin with enough cash to offset the impact. But others claim that many countries have lacked the resolve to follow through with the measures, fearing damage to their own companies.

Germanys Daimler is building a factory close to Moscow that will start producing Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedans early next year. US aerospace giant Boeing opened a production plant in central Russia this summer to manufacture titanium components. Europe is buying more gas from Russia than at any time in history.

All the activity suggests that for company executives, Russia is too large and lucrative to let politics get in the way.

There is something vitally important in the role of businessmen and policymakers continuing a dialogue, Bob Dudley, BPs chief executive, said at the Verona conference. More and more there is a great importance that business plays in bringing the world closer. There are a lot of forces trying to push us apart.

Since sanctions were first imposed on Rosneft in 2014, BPs stake in the company has earned Rbs90.7bn ($1.3bn) in dividends, according to information on the Russian companys website. It is very difficult to remain in business for a long time by taking sides . . . we try to build bridges, Mr Dudley added.

Compared with 2014, Rosneft has doubled the amount of oil it produces from joint projects with foreign companies to 1.4m barrels a day, thanks to partnerships with Norwegian, Vietnamese and Indian groups.

Washingtons use of international sanctions against Moscow only forces third countries to distance themselves from the US.

It is pretty clear from where we sit that by trying to isolate Russia, America is doing a good job of isolating itself, says one Asian diplomat in Moscow who declined to be named. Even the Europeans are developing their own independent Russia policy.

Boosted by new oil supply deals, agriculture and defence shipments, trade with China accounted for 15.5 per cent of Russias total turnover last year, up from 10.6 per cent in 2013. At the same time, the EUs share fell from 49.6 per cent to 43.8 per cent.

With Saudi Arabia, too, the S-400 deal has come as part of a wider diplomatic and trade push. Moscow and Riyadh joined forces in 2016 to regulate oil production and drive up crude prices.

Saudi Aramco, the kingdoms state oil producer, is keen to follow Totals lead and buy a 30 per cent stake in the same gas project, and is also in talks to set up a petrochemicals plant with Russian company Sibur.

Regardless of their impact, western sanctions will probably continue for the medium term at least. The Democratic partys victory in the House of Representatives last week has increased the chance of passing draft legislation imposing more restrictions on Russian banks and sovereign debt.

Washington in September imposed sanctions on Chinas military for the S-400 purchases, prompting a fierce rebuke from Beijing. It also warned India, Saudi Arabia and Turkey that they too could face consequences for buying the systems.

Undeterred, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi welcomed Mr Putin in New Delhi last month with a hug, and the $5bn deal was signed.

We will continue to closely follow the trends of the global arms market, and to offer our partners new flexible, convenient forms of co-operation, Mr Putin told a meeting of his commission on foreign arms sales.

He added: This is all the more important in the current conditions, when our competitors often resort to unscrupulous methods of struggle: they try to crush and blackmail our customers, including through the use of political sanctions.While the implications of the second round of U.S. sanctions against Iran on the regional economy are being discussed, experts said that Turkish goods could dominate the Iraqi market with the decline in imports of Iranian goods due to the sanctions. Daily Sabah reports in its article Sanctions on Iran likely to boost Turkey-Iraq commercial ties that Turkey-Iraq Business Council Chairman of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) Emin Taha noted that Iraq has so far preferred Iranian daily consumer goods because of their affordable prices.

Stressing that many food items, including meat, eggs and dry legumes, as well as oil-based products and construction materials made of plastic, can no longer be imported from Iran, Taha said that the products that have so far been purchased from Iran will be supplied by Turkey now, which will be an opportunity for Turkish businesses. "Iraq, which has difficulty importing goods from Iran, will fill this gap with Turkish products," Turkey-Iraq Business Council Chairman Taha added.

The U.S. re-imposed oil and financial sanctions against Iran on Nov. 5 along with its shipping industry, significantly turning up the pressure on Tehran to curb its missile and nuclear programs and counter its growing military and political influence in the Middle East. More than 700 individuals, entities, aircraft, and vessels were blacklisted, including 50 Iranian banks and their domestic and foreign subsidiaries.

"In this context, we have introduced Turkish firms to Iraqi importers," Taha said, continuing that economic relations between Turkey and Iraq are currently below their potential. Taha pointed out that strong economic relations should be established and exports should be increased between the two countries, saying that cooperation between the newly established governments in Iraq and Turkey is of great importance in achieving this goal. Underlining that the two customs gates in Iraq have a negative impact on relations, Taha said: "This increases the cost of products. The second customs gate should be removed, a new border gate should be opened, and the Ovakoy Border Gate should be put into operation. Iraq has a positive opinion of this."

Serif Dilek, an economy researcher at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), said that Iraq's trade cooperation with Iran is not limited to energy alone. Indicating that Iranian companies are one of Turkey's biggest rivals in consumer goods in the Iraqi domestic market, Dilek said: "Tehran's growing political influence on Baghdad after the U.S. invasion in 2003 has been largely influential in riveting economic relations. Now, it will be harder for Iran, which is struggling with sanctions, to be able to act and have a presence in the Iraqi market in an easy way. In this process, Turkey should bring its economic relations with both Baghdad and Erbil to a higher level."

Underlining that Turkey should seize the opportunity to be more influential in the Iraqi domestic market that will have a gap as a result of sanctions imposed on Iran, Dilek indicated that even though Iraq has a temporary exemption, Turkish companies need to make attempts soon to meet the electricity needs of the country.

According to Dilek, cities controlled by the Iraqi central government, as well as important cities controlled by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), such as Sulaymaniyah and Erbil, stand out as potential export markets.

He continued: "While Iranian companies have great influence here, there are problems in the supply of food imports from Iran. Turkey could export food and agricultural products, construction materials and contracting services, textile, automotive and machinery and electronic products. Of course, to develop bilateral relations, it is important to reinstate the environment of trust that was lost after the referendum unilaterally held by the KRG."

Trade with Iraq up 11 times in 15 years

According to information derived from Trade Ministry and Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data, Turkey's deep trade and economic relations with Iraq, as well as strong social, political and cultural ties, are remarkable. Turkey's exports to Iraq, which ranked second among the country's export markets after Germany in 2011, hit a record-high at nearly $12 billion in 2013.

Turkey's trade volume with Iraq soared to $10.6 billion last year from nearly $870.7 million in 2003 when the Iraqi war broke out. Last year, Iraq ranked fourth among Turkey's export markets with a 5.8 percent share. While Turkey's exports to Iraq stood at $9 billion last year, its imports from the country reached $1.5 billion.

Last year, jewelry, gold, wheat flour, chicken meat, eggs, biscuits, furniture, sunflower oil, hygienic towels and diapers, iron and steel construction and components, ready-to-wear clothing products, chocolate products and detergent took the lead among products exported to Iraq. Gold, petroleum oil residues, scrap plastic, paper and cowhide were among the most imported items from Iraq.The President of the European Council Donald Tusk severely criticised American President Donald Trump on Saturday. During a speech in Lodz in Poland, Mr Tusk said Mr Trump had shown himself to be against a strong and unified Europe. The Brussels Times reports in its article Tusk criticises Trump and warns against "brown" nationalism in Europe that Mr Tusk said: For the first time in history, we have an American administration that is not enthusiastic, to put it gently, about a strong and unified Europe.



I am talking facts here and not spouting propaganda, says the former Polish Prime minister. He was speaking to a crowd the day before the 100-year anniversary of Polish independence. Mr Trump was in Paris at the same time.



Mr Tusk said that six months ago at the G7 summit in Canada, Mr Trump undermined, through his own actions, the phrase that had always been included in all the declarations of the seven Western powers: to respect order based on principles and values.



In an interview published by Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza on Saturday, Mr Tusk elaborated on his thoughts saying that Mr. Trump wants a world where there would be "us, the United States, on one side and on the other side, all other different countries dispersed.



When speaking about the next European Parliament elections in Spring 2019, he warned that a hostile nationalist movement was emerging within the EU.



In this Parliament, it is possible to have two movements represented: one becoming more and more brown shirt nationalist and anti-European, the second wanting to push integrating with the EU as much as possible.



Mr Tusk spoke of an increase in anti-European emotions in some capital cities. This doesnt apply to MPs just yet, but these forces are gaining strength right in front of our eyes. Forces that create conflict rather than cooperation and work for disintegration rather that integration.



Mr Tusk also recently mentioned the serious fatal risk of a Polexit. He criticised some Polish MPs position on Europe, without mentioning them by name. Those who oppose a strong Polish presence in Europe are opposing our independence, he said.



Mr Tusk concluded with this appeal to the Polish population: its up to us whether we let politicians dismantle the EU and take Poland out.The price of international benchmark Brent crude oil futures fell below the $69-a-barrel mark today for the first time since April 10 to $68.9, TASS reported.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Monday the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed there was a need to cut oil supply next year by around 1 million bpd from October levels to prevent oversupply. Saudi Arabia also said it will curb exports by 500,000 barrels a day.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said he doesnt rule out that the OPEC+ deal could be extended into 2019 in its current format.

A new deal between the OPEC and non-OPEC nations is expected to be signed at a regular meeting in Vienna on December 5-7.Seven days of horror end with two ex-cops and two little girls deadFrench criticisms of the Turkish presidents handling of the case of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi crossed the line, Turkeys foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

"The French foreign minister went too far, and he has to know how to talk to a president," Cavusoglu said, accusing Jean-Yves Le Drian of not telling the truth.

"I know our intelligence service gave all the information, including wiretaps and transcripts, to French intelligence at their request on October24," the Turkish minister noted.

He stressed that Turkey gave evidence about the Khashoggi killing to several countries, calling Le Drian accusing Erdogan "rude."

Cavusoglu added that French officials could soon "deny Khashoggi was killed, which even Saudi Arabia has accepted."

"We will pursue the Khashoggi case to the end. Were cooperating with everyone internationally," Anadolu Agency cited Cavusoglu as saying.

"As the whole world is praising Turkeys stance, the French foreign ministers accusations and rudeness are extremely puzzling. Whats behind this? Are they trying to cover up this killing?" he asked.

Yesterday, Le Drian claimed that - contrary to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans statements - France doesn't have recordings related to the Khashoggi killing, saying Erdogan was playing "a political game" over the case.Three members of a migrant trafficking ring were handed prison sentences ranging from 36 to 290 years in Greece.

According to the case file, the three suspects were involved in 9 trafficking operations in which they illegally transferred migrants from Turkey to Thessaloniki and Athens from October 2016 to June 2017.

Their activity was revealed after a car accident last April in the town of Iasmos, in which an Iranian migrant was killed.

The ringleader, a Georgian national, was sentenced to 290 years in prison and a Greek national received a 69-year sentence. A third member of the gang, a Moldavian, was handed a 36-year sentence which was added to an 85-year sentence he received from a separate court in Thrace as the driver in the fatal car accident in Iasmos, Ekathimerini reported.Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Singapore today for the 33rd Asean Summit and Related Summits. His visit caps a year of sustained high-level engagement with the region, which started in January when all 10 Asean leaders came to New Delhi for the Asean-India Commemorative Summit to mark the 25th anniversary of relations. The leaders also attended Indias Republic Day celebrations as chief guests, an unprecedented honour.

In June, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue. Laying out a vision for the Indo-Pacific, he presented a confident and resolute India ready to take on a greater role in the region.

This week, we look forward to further realising this vision. Modi will attend Aseans year-end summits and the East Asia Summit (EAS) for the fifth consecutive year, a testament to his personal commitment to Indias Act East policy.

Singapore has long advocated for India to take up its role as an integral part of the region. It is gratifying to see how Asean-India relations have grown over the past 25 years. In 1991, when the Cold War ended and India began its economic liberalisation, we saw an opportunity to deepen ties and build on its historical and cultural links with our region. We pushed for India to become a full Asean dialogue partner in 1995 and join the EAS in 2005.

Since then, Asean-India ties have strengthened. We established the Asean-India Free Trade Area (AIFTA) in 2009, and elevated relations to a Strategic Partnership in 2012. Today, India contributes actively to Asean-led fora such as the EAS, the Asean Defence Ministers Meeting Plus, and Asean Regional Forum. All in all, around 30 platforms for cooperation exist, including seven ministerial dialogues and the annual Leaders Summit.

However, we can, and must, do more. For instance, there are tremendous opportunities in enhancing physical and digital connectivity between India and Asean.

Asean is committed to strengthening land, air, and sea linkages with India. These linkages will enhance people-to-people flows, as well as boost business, investment, and tourism. The India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway will connect Indias Northeast to mainland southeast Asia. While one can fly directly between India and several Asean countries, there is still much room to expand air links to support growing business and tourism. There is potential in burgeoning cruise tourism as well.

Beyond physical linkages, digital connectivity is the new frontier in the 4th Industrial Revolution. India has made great progress in innovation, start-ups, and digital inclusion. There are opportunities to apply initiatives such as Aadhaar in our region. E-commerce and FinTech are two other areas of potential collaboration. As an economic hub, Singapore can serve as a springboard to launch these ideas to southeast Asia and beyond.

Indias role in Asean should be anchored by growing economic ties, a goal that both sides have steadily advanced over the years. Since 2005, the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) has been the nucleus and nexus of our partnership. This was Indias first comprehensive economic pact with another country and Singapores first with a south Asian country. CECA paved the way for the AIFTA in 2009; following which, Asean-India trade expanded 25-fold from US$2.9 billion in 1993 to over US$73 billion in 2017.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is the next step in economic integration. Covering 16 countries and over a third of global GDP and trade, RCEP will create an integrated Asian market, including half the worlds population. Over the past few decades, Asia Pacific economies have grown robustly under an open and integrated regional economic architecture.

During Diwali recently, I saw many rangoli decorating homes and offices. Our region is similar  multiple countries, each diverse and bright, interconnected within a pattern that constitutes our regional architecture. As Asean Chair and in the years ahead, Singapore will do its best to invigorate this evolving mosaic of regional cooperation.

Lim Thuan Kuan is Singapores High Commissioner to India

The views expressed are personalInternet shutdowns have many names. An online curfew, network bans, information blackouts, and our favourite for its augury, the digital kill switch. It captures the growing centrality of electronic communications in modern society. Going beyond the mere disruption to a flow of information, to a halt to life itself. Access to the Internet is not only a recognised human right but practised tangibly in Digital India by the second highest number of Internet users in the world. A growing number, which according to the telecom regulator, includes about 4 in 10 Indians. But worryingly the Internet continues to be shut down, in more states and with higher frequency. Take the case of a recent state services exam in Rajasthan for which mobile Internet services were shut down in the cities of Ajmer, Bharatpur and Jodhpur in early August. This was the third such instance in recent months.

Such disruptions are clearly disproportionate and even counterproductive. Extensive arguments have been made by many organisations and researchers, who have clearly established that Internet shutdowns set a domino in motion that damages fundamental rights, the digital economy and, in instances, even public safety and order. Despite these, there seems to be a hardening of positions both in the legal rules which authorise shutdowns, and their increasing execution which is becoming a standard measure in the administrative toolkit. What explains this?

Two key levers leading to a policy gridlock are a lack of transparency and irrationality. Both are playing dutiful twins, supporting each other in the state apparatus which is approaching this issue under the blanket of national security but is ultimately being used in instances to prevent cheating in entrance exams. Since the practice of state governments to shut down the Internet was first noticed in India in 2013, people started keeping count. By maintaining a number with the date, the reasons and the place of occurrence. With the when, where and why, we could be educated and form a national policy that weighed the competing interests at play. While some organisations maintained trackers built primarily off press reports (given that most RTIs were refused), there were constant demands, even questions by members of parliament, across party lines, to gain knowledge of such data.

The answer has been evasion as the central government till date has refused to provide any count or centralise a reporting and disclosure system. We should not fear such data, and that such calculation may put us to shame, for even existing news reports , India enjoys the top rank as the global leader in the number of Internet shutdowns. These trends were apparent even in 2016 before the central government made legal rules to regulate Internet shutdowns. These rules were made without any public consultation or even a ministerial or high-level bureaucratic statement despite the prominence of the issue.

What was further worrying was several of its clauses seemed to be broadly drafted, giving extensive grounds to shut down the Internet without safeguards or oversight mechanisms as has been recently pointed out in an analysis by Nakul Nayak, legal fellow at the Internet Freedom Foundation. To get to know more about these rules, the Internet Freedom Foundation filed a series of representations, that culminated in RTIs and Appeals. The result was another dead end, in which the response refused information on who was consulted for the drafting of the rules, what were their comments on them, and vague references were made to national security. This secrecy prevents an objective examination of not only the rules but permeates their implementation which fails on any definition of reason.

For many of these concerns, a standard response is that Internet shutdowns are used in states with problems of militancy and as precautionary measures for security. Let us be clear. There cannot be any higher value than human life. But we certainly cannot punish entire populations of a region, deprive them of Internet access to secure their safety. This by itself, even if a measure limited in time to a few hours, is a precipitous path. Restrictions on rights, when left to unaccountable systems, ultimately increase in severity as they become a normalised implement of administrative control. This is precisely what has happened over time on the issue of Internet shutdowns. Coming back to Rajasthan, there is little to no evidence on how and what cheating was curbed with cutting off access to the Internet. There is a complete absence to engage meaningfully in other policy alternatives which are less restrictive, or even the consideration of more traditional, natural options such as more invigilators in exam halls, better measure for depositing mobile phones at entry gates or in case of paper leaks, launching a criminal investigation. In an age and time, in which data-driven policymaking is de rigueur, there is almost a fatalist humour which often characterises the excess of state power. Two days before the Internet was shut down, a tweet from the Twitter handle of the Ajmer Police was hastily deleted after being ridiculed on July 12. It translated to, From midnight 13 July Internet will be shut down in all of Rajasthan due to the Entrance Exam. Candidates are requested to download their admit cards in advance by the e-mitra service.

While we hope this makes the reader smile, our sincere hope is that this subject is addressed with greater seriousness by the government.

Apar Gupta is a lawyer and the executive director of the Internet Freedom Foundation. Raman Jit Singh Chima is the Policy Director at Access Now.

The views expressed are personalThe Ganga Action Plan was launched in 1986 by former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. In 2016, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, launched the Rs 20,000-crore National Mission for Clean Ganga. A Ganga Act, which will provide a sound legal footing to the river rejuvenation plans, is in the works. And yet a recent report by the Central Pollution Control Board has found the river to be in a bad shape.

What are the reasons for this state of affairs? River activists believe that the problem lies in the misplaced priorities of State run programmes, which have consistently failed to address the main source of both solid and liquid wastes: homes, cities, farms, and industries. Instead of just trying to clean the river, the State should tackle the causes and sources of such wastes: urbanisation, industrialisation and chemical farming. The State must ensure zero discharge to keep rivers as well as other water bodies healthy. This must be a regulatory and a cultural imperative, and not a just a river rejuvenation strategy.

Despite state agencies claiming to work towards Ganga rejuvenation, we use the agency of National Mission for Clean Ganga as if a clean and rejuvenated Ganga is one and the same thing. The fact is that wholesome water (not sparkling clean) is a natural corollary of a rejuvenated river.

On October 10, the central government released a notification setting limits for a minimum flow of water in River Ganga no matter how many projects consume its water. This was done to ostensibly augment the flow in the river. Claiming to ensure the release of environmental flows at a few critical points on the Ganga, the notification has been found wanting in many respects. It was rejected by Swami Sanand (GD Agarwal) a few hours before he breathed his last on the 112th day of his fast-unto-death for the rejuvenation of the Ganga. In his letter to Modi on June 13, 2018, he had demanded that all hydroelectric projects along the Alaknanda, Dhauli Ganga, Mandakini and Pindar rivers be scrapped to ensure the natural flow of the river. He had also demanded that mining be stopped here, especially in the Haridwar-Kumbh region. But the notification did not ban any project.

Flow is the lifeblood of a river. Any obstruction in it amounts to fundamental changes in its natural processes. So for a human agency to decide and declare the release of flow is a condescending act. To add salt to its wounds, often minimum flows are talked about as if a man can decide on what is the actual bare minimum that a river shall survive on and still continue to provide various services to humans and non-humans. This the height of human arrogance where a receiver (man) is deciding how much a giver (river) can do with.

Manoj Misra is convener, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan

The views expressed by personalFor any father, his daughter is always the prettiest girl in the world and even superstar Shah Rukh Khan believes it. The actor was at the recent Kolkata Film Festival when he spoke about his love for his daughter Suhana. Shah Rukh was asked by The Time of India in an interview about how a few of his endorsements for products like fairness creams have raked in controversies over the years. He said that he has never tried to be dishonest to his followers and doesnt judge people based on their looks.

Well, if I still smell a little honest beneath all thats public about me, then trust me, Ive never tried to be dishonest with anyone. I mean, who am to do so? I was never the best looking guy, the tallest person, the most able-bodied person, the best dancer, the guy with the nicest hair, not from a fine lineage and I did not come from an acting school that taught me to be a Hindi film hero. So how can I belittle someone on any of these seven-eight aspects?, he said.

Shah Rukh added that because his wife and his kids are also normal people, he would be abusing them too if he they judged a person on these superficial qualities. Im a lower middle-class guy with none of these trappings. The only thing that must have worked for me is honesty. But look at me now; because of my stardom, Im good looking also; Ive become a poster boy! What joke is that? I used to have posters of Cheryl Ladd and Clint Eastwood in my room. I never thought main Cheryl Ladd ban jaunga ya toh main Clint Eastwood ban jaunga. That aspect was never a part of my life, he added.

He then talked about his daughter Suhana: Ill be honest; my daughter is sanwli (dusky), but shes the most beautiful girl in the world. And nobody can tell me otherwise, he said.

Suhana turned 18 this year and made her magazine cover debut with Vogue. In her interview to the magazine, she said she wishes to be an actor in the future.

Suhana is pursuing her education in London in a private boarding school. She also spoke about moving away from home at 16 and said, Moving away at age 16 was the best decision of my life. Living in a different environment and meeting so many new people helped me gain a lot of confidence. Its about being able to do the little things, like walk on the street or take the trainstuff that was so hard to do in Mumbai. But living away also made me appreciate home so much more.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreThe Russian government tries to avoid any simultaneous foreign trips by the Russian president and the prime minister, but there are no hard and fast rules excluding this type of situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman stressed that todays IT technologies allow the countrys leadership to fulfill their duties from any spot on the world map so there is no need for their substitution during their simultaneous absence.

"We live in a century of communications. Modern satellite and other means of communications, including closed ones, enable the prime minister and the head of state to fulfill their duties regardless of where they are," TASS cited Peskov as saying.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is paying a visit to Italys Palermo on November 12-13 where he is representing Russias delegation at an international conference on Libya. Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently on a three-day state visit to Singapore, where he plans to take part in the Russia-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the East Asia Summit.Two people were killed in a fire that broke out on the 10th floor at a high-rise in Andheri (West) on Tuesday. The fire broke out at 8.21pm and brought under control nearly three hours later, at 11.10 pm. The cause of the blaze was not clear.

Ganesh Shinde, the dean of Cooper Hospital, where the victims were taken, confirmed that two men aged 20 and 22 were killed, while a third person, aged 50, was admitted for treatment. The charred bodies of the two victims were found lying in the hall of a flat on the 10th floor. The fire was reported on the 10th and 11th floors of a 22-storey Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) Building at Veera Desai Road. By 8.56 pm, fire officials said it was a level-2 blaze.

The BMCs disaster control department said the entire building was evacuated after the fire broke out, and five people trapped inside were rescued by the fire brigade.

The fire brigade said the blaze was confined to the electric wiring, electric installations, household articles and furniture in an area spanning 270 sqft in two flats  flat 1001 on the 10th floor and a portion of flat 1101 on the floor above. Three people trapped in the bedroom of 1001 were rescued.

Two high pressure lines and one small hose line were used for cooling operations. Five fire engines, four jumbo tankers, one quick response vehicle, one turn table ladders and one ambulance were pressed into service.The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested a 40-year-old man for allegedly killing a barn owl as part of a black magic ritual in outer Delhis Sultanpuri.

Police officials said they suspect the man could have either killed the owl to attain wealth and prosperity or to woo a paramour.

According to police officers, they received a tip-off that a man in Sultanpuri has killed an owl while performing black magic. In a joint effort, a team of the animal welfare board and the police conducted a raid at the mans house and the dead owl was recovered. The man, identified as Kanahaya (40), a resident of C Block in Sultanpuri, was arrested.

An FIR was registered under adequate sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and under sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act at Sultanpuri police station. The matter was reported to the local police by officials from the Animal Welfare Board of India, deputy commissioner of police (outer) Seju P Kuruvilla said.

The DCP said the man is being questioned to know why he killed the bird. However, the police said prima facie, the killing appears to be part of the ritual of sacrificing an owl to attain wealth and prosperity on the occasion of Diwali, a festival to worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The post-mortem report will ascertain how was it killed, Kuruvilla said.

On November 2, wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC had issued an advisory to enforcement agencies, asking them to increase efforts to curb trafficking and sacrificing of owls on Diwali for tantric rituals.A critical round of state elections kicks off today with the first phase of polls in Chhattisgarh. One of Indias (relatively) newer states, Chhattisgarh only saw a Congress government for the first three years since its formation in 2000. Ever since, under Chief Minister Raman Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party has consistently managed to win elections in tight bipolar contests. This has given the state a period of political stability, but this election will determine whether citizens in Chhattisgarh want to continue with status quo or prefer disruption.

Three features make the Chhattisgarh election distinct. The first is the fact that in its south, the Bastar region, the Indian state confronts left wing extremists of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). Insurgency and counter insurgency has taken a heavy toll on the regions population, particularly the adivasis often caught in the crossfire. The government has managed to push the Maoists on the defensive but they retain the ability to unleash violent attacks (as they have in recent weeks). The Maoist ideological project is the real challenge however -- it seeks to portray Indian democracy as a farce. And that is why having free and fair elections, giving citizens a voice in electing their representatives, having political activity mediated through those who believe in the Indian constitution, is essential. This is the larger significance of Mondays vote irrespective of who wins.

But the political battle itself is striking for this time, the usually bipolar contest has turned triangular. The former CM, and former Congress-man Ajit Jogi, has tied up with Mayawati, and the two together hope to win just about enough seats to be the swing force post-polls. This is in some ways the Karnataka model where the Congress ended up backing a third force to keep out the BJP. But Chhattisgarh script could be different. Mr Jogi is a Congress rebel and ground evidence suggests that the third force, at least pre-polls, is ending up helping the BJP by fragmenting the opposition vote.

And finally, Chhattisgarh will determine the future of Raman Singh, who has been a low-key but remarkably successful CM going by the sheer number of years he has been in power. He has consolidated his grip over the administration, and focused on welfare schemes. The Congress weakness has been its inability to project a single leader who could be an alternative to Mr Singh. But longevity has its pitfalls; there is a degree of voter fatigue and resentment accumulates. Singhs ability to overcome that is on test as Indian polity embarks on yet another of its periodic trysts with electorate.Soon the wedding season will be in full swing. If you find yourself with more than a few ceremonies to attend and very little time left to shop for an outfit, weve got you covered. Celebrities, such as, Alia Bhatt, Karisma Kapoor and many more were spotted wearing gorgeous Indian ethnic wear with unique details over the weekend; these can work for a variety of weddings functions, from an engagement party to a wedding reception. With a wide range of silhouettes and luxe fabrics (think silk, velvet), these celeb looks show there are so many options to help you be the best-dressed wedding guest.

Scroll on to see the best outfits to wear to a wedding, straight from your favourite celebs. No matter the setting, youll arrive in style with these picks. The sarees, lehengas and kurta sets seen on actors Alia Bhatt, Karisma Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Preity Zinta and Ileana DCruz fit the fancy dress code but are understated enough not to take away from the bride on her big day. These wedding dressing ideas consist of fresh prints, pretty shades, and, most importantly, loads of style:

Actor Alia Bhatts ruby silk mashru kurta embroidered with tilla work and paired with a velvet gharara and a hand-embroidered organza dupatta by fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee will be perfect for any wedding function. Youll feel like royalty in this. Style it with statement earrings, a la Alia, to give your outfit an edge. Pull your hair back in a sleek ponytail to take your look to the next level.

If you want an outfit that can work for a wide variety of weddings, think of investing in a saree like actor Karisma Kapoors. Her embroidered georgette saree by Sabyasachi is black but still feels special. The striped pattern gives it a bit more personality. It can work for pretty much every kind of special event, including weddings.

Parineeti Chopras handwoven silk brocade lehenga and satin pleated backless poncho by fashion designer Payal Khandwala looks comfortable and versatile. Its time to give the lehenga a refresh, and this style hits the spot. Jewel-toned hues are the perfect pop of colour for a winter wedding. Like Parineeti, wear a single striking accessory to let the outfit shine on its own.

If youre dressing up for a day-time wedding ceremony, Preity Zintas jacket kurta set from designer Anita Dongre looks flattering and fun. The ruby silk ensemble is intricately embroidered with the designers signature gota patti craft, along with pearls, zardosi, zari and sequins. Wed describe this outfit as an unexpected but stunning choice for wedding festivities.

How pretty is this? If youre looking to stand out at a pre-wedding event, Ileana DCruzs Anita Dongre saree (priced at Rs 18,990) is the right choice. It is simple and elegant. The best part, youll find so many occasions to wear it. A lightweight hand-block printed saree is something you can wear during the summer, as well as the winter. Like Ileana, style it with a pair of statement silver earrings and a choker for a saree look thatll always look good.

Follow more stories on Facebook and TwitterThe king of the ocean is set to arrive on Indian shores before the rest of the world. Jason Momoas solo superhero movie, Aquaman, will release a week before United States.

Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh revealed the release date on Twitter. Mark the date... #Aquaman will release in #India on 14 Dec 2018, one week *before* its US release... Will release in #English, #Hindi, #Tamil and #Telugu, he wrote in a tweet.

Aquaman is directed by James Wan of Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring and Furious 7. The film also features Oscar-winning star Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna, Amber Heard as Mera and Patrick Wilson as Orm. Jason Momoa, who rose to fame as Khal Drogo in HBOs Game of Thrones, will play half-human-half-Atlantean, Arthur Curry. He has also previously appeared as Aquaman in 2017s Justice League with Gal Gadots Wonder Woman, Ben Afflecks Batman, Henry Cavills Superman and Ezra Millers Flash.

The film tells the story of Aquaman as he is born of a Atlantean queen and a human father. When peril befalls Atlanta, he is required to return to the waters in search of his home and identity.

Aquaman was test screened recently and several online portals collated reactions from viewers. While attendees werent allowed to discuss what theyve seen, some reporters have said that the film didnt blow anyone away, but was mostly enjoyable. Colliders Steve Weintraub in a tweet wrote that an upcoming superhero movie test screened last night in the San Fernando Valley and that hed heard good things. Another fan site reporter wrote, I hear its good (not great) and thats all we can hope for in the end. Ill take it. He also said that the film was being compared to Thor: The Dark World - one of the least respected films out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, he continued, I havent heard anything negative.

However, the version screened for audiences is still a very early cut of the film and the final product could differ drastically from the one screened.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreSenior Air India pilot Captain Arvind Kathpalia, who failed the alcohol test just before the flight, has been sacked from the position of Director of Operations, a day after he was barred from flying for at least three years. Captain Amitabh Singh has been given additional charge as Director Operations.

On Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had suspended the flying licence of the 56-year-old Air India pilot for three years, a day after he was found to have an unacceptably high blood alcohol count just before he was scheduled to pilot a flight to London from New Delhi.

The Indian Commercial Pilots Association, earlier today, had demanded Kathpalias termination because he was a repeat offender .

Kathpalia was grounded by the airline on Sunday after he tested alcohol positive twice during as many breath analyser tests performed on him. In August, he had failed a similar alcohol test.

In exercise of the power delegated under clause (a) of sub-rule (3) of rule 19 of the Aircraft Rules 1937... the undersigned hereby suspends in public interest the privileges of the pilots licence held by Capt A Kathpalia for a period of three years from Nov 11, 2018, DGCA joint director general JS Rawat had said in an order.

As per the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the level of blood alcohol compatible (BAC) with safe flying is zero. Kathpalia had 007% BAC.

As per the DGCA rules, in case of first breach the flying licence is suspended for three months. For violating the norms for a second time, the licence is suspended for three years and for a third time, the licence is permanently cancelled.

The civil aviation ministry, in a tweet said: HMCA @sureshpprabhu has viewed this incident... and already directed earlier that there will be zero tolerance on safety thus now has asked #DGCA to take action as per rules immediately, they are awaiting report from Air India, action will be taken ASAP.

On January 19 last year, Kathpalia flew a Delhi-Bengaluru flight AI 174 without going through the mandatory breathalyser test. He did not even take the test after landing in Bengaluru.With heavy to very heavy rain predicted in some Tamil Nadu districts when Cyclone Gaja makes landfall on November 15, the India Meterologocal Department (IMD) has issued a red warning recommending that local authorities should take action and move coastal dwellers to safe places.

According to the warning, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Tuticorin and Ramanathapuram districts are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall (in excess of 20 cm) on Thursday.

A statement by the ministry of earth sciences, under which the IMD works, has clarified that a red warning has been issued, not a red alert.

A red warning, which recommends to state governments that all possible action should be taken to keep people safe, is different from a red alert that is issued by a state government to warn the local people about impending weather conditions.

The red warning for some districts means that local authorities should take action for extremely heavy rain. The severe cyclonic storm will weaken before landfall. But when the storm is severe, ships and fishermen in the deep sea are likely to be impacted, said M Mohapatra, IMDs meteorology director.

The IMD had issued a red warning for several Kerala districts on August 9 this year, following which the state witnessed flooding unprecedented in at least 80 years.

In the case of Tamil Nadu, the action suggested by the MoES statement is total suspension of fishing operations along and off the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh till November 15.

The fishermen are advised not to venture into central parts of south and central Bay of Bengal on November 13 and into southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal till November 15, the statement said.

Fishermen who are in the deep sea have been advised to return to the coast while coastal hutment dwellers will be moved to safer places by the local authorities. Other people in affected areas have been asked to stay indoors.

On Tuesday, the cyclonic storm lay centred about 690 km east-northeast of Chennai and 790 km east-northeast of Nagapattinam, having moved west-northwestwards at a speed of 12 kmph from its earlier position over west-central and adjoining east-central and south Bay of Bengal.

It is likely to move west-southwestwards and intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours. While moving west-southwestwards further, it is likely to weaken gradually on November 15 and cross Tamil Nadu coast between Pamban and Cuddalore as a cyclonic storm, the MoES statement said.

On November 14, when Gaja develops into a severe cyclonic storm, wind speeds are likely to touch 90-100 kmph and gust to 115 kmph. A storm surge with a height of about one metre above the astronomical tide is likely to inundate low-lying areas of Nagappattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal district of Puducherry at the time of landfall, the statement added.

The MoES has also issued a yellow warning, recommending that people be updated on the weather situation over north and south coastal Tamil Nadu and south coastal Andhra Pradesh from November 14 evening.

On November 15, there is a yellow warning for Kerala too. Parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala are likely to receive very heavy rainfall on November 16.

Tamil Nadu revenue minister R B Udhayakumar told the media in Chennai that eight National Disaster Response Force teams and seven squads of the state disaster response force had been sent to vulnerable districts. A 24-hour control room had been set up in Chennai and mobile medical teams were in place, he said.Maharashtras longest-serving assembly member, Ganpatrao Deshmukh, 92, has decided to bring his enviable record to a close by not contesting the next elections. Deshmukh, an MLA for 59 years was first elected as a lawmaker in 1962.

An 11-term Marxist Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) legislator from Solapur districts Sangola, said he would not contest the Maharashtra elections due next year because of his age. It is time I take the break as I cannot (even) read or write due to low vision, said Deshmukh, who is one of the three PWP members in the Maharashtra assembly. Deshmukh is the second longest-serving lawmaker in the country after late Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi, whose electoral career spanned 61 years. Karunanidhi served as a MLA 13 times without a break. Deshmukh has contested 13 elections and lost twice in 1995 and 1972.

In 1995, he lost by a margin of just 192 votes. In the last elections in 2014, he defeated Congress Shahaji Bapu Patil by over 25,000 votes. Deshmukh has mostly been in the opposition. He first became a minister in Sharad Pawars Progressive Democratic Front government in 1978. Deshmukh joined the Maharashtra government for the second time in 1999, when the PWP supported the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance.

As I was mostly in the opposition, I had to struggle to get various government projects in my constituency, where water scarcity is a major issue, said Deshmukh, who is credited with the Tembhu irrigation project, which has helped irrigate over 50,000 acres of land in Sangola. Deshmukhs electoral success has been attributed to the support he enjoys among farmers in his constituency.

Such was the firm support that Deshmukh did not need to campaign much during the elections, said Kishore Kulkarni, a local political observer.

He had declared assets worth Rs 2.2 crore during the last elections.

Since I could not bear the expense of campaigning... my supporters collected donations , said Deshmukh, an arts and law graduate.Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday said he and his father Parkash Singh Badal will appear before the special investigation team that is probing the 2015 police firing on the anti-sacrilege protesters at Behbal Kalan village in Faridkot district.

The SIT had issued separate summons to Sukhbir, former chief minister Badal and actor Akshay Kumar on Sunday.

The three have to report to SIT at the Amritsar circuit house.

We are ready to cooperate with the SIT, Sukhbir told reporters in Amritsar.

The Akali Dal, particularly the Badals, are feeling the pressure after being indicted by the Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) Commission as the ruling Congress is using the sacrilege issue to put Akalis on the mat.

The detractors within the party are also using the issue to voice dissent against the top leadership blaming them for taking decisions in haste that led to the current crisis in the party.

The SAD had debunked the Ranjit panel report, terming it as the Congress-sponsored and biased. Both Badal and Sukhbir had refused to appear before the Ranjit panel.

We have high hopes from the SIT. The Ranjit panel report has also been questioned by the court. How can we recognise this commission which has been constituted to tarnish the image of the SAD, Sukhbir said.

The Badals decided to join the investigation amid their partys consistent demand for probe into the sacrilege incidents by a sitting Supreme Court judge.

The decision on appearance of the two Badals before the SIT was taken by the partys core committee, said SAD leader Parminder Singh Dhindsa.

We have faith in the SIT that it will bring the truth to light by conducting unbiased and fair investigations, he added.

In August, when Ranjit panel report was discussed in the assembly, the SAD had decided to stay away from the proceedings.

The SIT is probing the 2015 police firing incidents at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in Faridkot after a series of sacrilege incidents which had taken place in the state in 2015.

In police firing at Behbal Kalan, two persons had been killed.Even five years after a court declared Faridkots erstwhile Maharaja Sir Harinder Singh Brars will  which had entrusted Maharwal Khewaji Trust to take care of the property  as forged, the fight continues for inheritance of the riches estimated to be worth Rs 20,000 crore.

On July 25, 2013, Chandigarh chief judicial magistrate (CJM) Rajnish Kumar Sharma had nullified the will, paving the way for maharajas daughters Amrit Kaur and Deepinder Kaur to inherit his Rs 20,000-crore property by virtue of the Hindu Succession Act.

The 23-year-long fight for inheriting the royal riches of the Maharaja is considered as one of the longest battles in the legal history of this region.

Now, the matter is pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in which the trust through its chairperson Deepinder Kaur (she died on Sunday), had challenged the order to declare the will null and void. While her elder sister Amrit Kaur has moved high court saying that as per the law of primogeniture  applicable to princely families, the eldest surviving male in the family inherits the property  she should be inheriting the entire property. Another appeal has been filed by Amarinder Singh Brar, grandson of Kanwar Manjitinder Singh, younger brother of the Maharaja.

All the appeals are listed for hearing of arguments on November 21.

Amarinder Singh said, " As per the law of primogeniture, my grandfather was the eldest surviving member. He was represented by my father Bharatinder Singh Brar. Thus, we are entitled to inherit the assets and the property.

"Deepinder Kaur was the chairperson of the trust and she maintained that the will is genuine. Nothing much changes as, now, her son, Jaichand, who is currently the vice-chairperson of the trust, should become the chairperson and contest the case," said advocate Vivek Bhandari, counsel for Amarinder Singh.

Manjit Singh Khaira, counsel for Amrit Kaur, said, "The case will go on as it is against the trust. Whosoever becomes the chairperson of the trust will contest. In individual capacity, Deepinders daughter and son are legal heir and can stake claim. But we will have to wait till November 21 when the case comes up for hearing."

Players in legal tangle

Sir Harinder Singh Brar, crowned at the age of three in 1918, was the last ruler of the Faridkot estate and was married to Narinder Kaur. They had three daughters, Amrit Kaur, Deepinder Kaur and Maheep Inder Kaur and a son, Harmohinder Singh.

When his son died in a road accident in 1981, the Maharaja went into depression and the will (as being claimed) was executed 7-8 months later, entrusting the trust to take care of properties. While Maharajas wife and mother (alive then) were in the dark, Deepinder Kaur and Mahip Inder Kaur were appointed trusts chairperson and vice-chairperson, respectively.

Maheep Inder, a spinster, died in Shimla in 2001 under mysterious circumstances. Eldest daughter, Amrit Kaur, had married against Maharajas wishes and he disinherited her. The will came to light after the Maharajas death in 1989.

Amrit Kaur, married to a retired police officer is settled in Chandigarh and had filed a civil suit, challenging the will. Her contention was that her father could not have legally bequeathed his entire estate to the trust because it was ancestral property governed by the law applying to the Hindu joint family.

She also questioned the authenticity of the will arguing, "Maharaja was not in a fit state of mind and the will was created under influence and pressure. It was exclusion of his (Maharajas) wife Narinder Kaur and mother Mohinder Kaur that raised suspicion."

Through the suit she said, "Appointment of all the employees, irrespective of their class and designation, as trustees strengthened the suspicion. Will is invalid, as one of the attesting witness, namely, Brijinder Singh Brar, is a beneficiary himself."

What is at stake

The property includes heritage buildings and prime land in four states (Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana), besides Chandigarh

Rajmahal, Faridkot: Spread over 14 acres, it was constructed in 1885 as the royal residence. Now, a 150-bed charitable hospital stands on a portion of the palace grounds.

Qila Mubarak: Built by Raja Mokulsi and reconstructed by Raja Hamir Singh in around 1775, it is spread over 10 acres. The present main building was built around 1890.

Faridkot House, New Delhi: Located on a huge piece of prime land on Copernicus Marg, it is currently leased out to Central government at a monthly rent of Rs 17.50 lakh. Valued at Rs 1,200 crore nine years ago. Also, there is one more property in posh Diplomatic Enclave.

Manimajra Fort, Chandigarh: Spread over four acres, it is at least 350-year-old. The city administration had planned to develop the fort as a tourist destination. Decision deferred due to the legal battle.

Faridkot House, Mashobra (Shimla): A 260 bigha estate, it had five residences, three of which, including the Sherwood House, were destroyed in a fire.

18 vintage cars: A 1929 model Royal Royce, 1929 model Graham, 1940 model Bentley, Jaguar, Daimler, Packard among others and all of them in working condition.

Aerodrome, Faridkot: Used by the civil administration and army, it is spread over 200 acres.

Gold and jewels: Valued at 1,000 crore, these are in Standard Chartered Bank custody in Mumbai.Georgia intends to build a military aerodrome at the Vaziani military base near Tbilisi, Georgian Defence Minister Levan Izoria said following the talks with a commander of the United States Transportation Command, General Steve Lyons.

Izoria and Lyons discussed Georgia-U.S. strategic cooperation and implementation of the joint ambitious project- the Georgian Defence Readiness Program.

Izoria noted that the new aerodrome will support the initiative of the NATO-Georgia Commission-the creation of the new readiness centre.

The Ministry of Defence said that funds for the new aerodrome will be allocated both from the US and Georgia budgets, Agenda.ge reported. No further details have been announced yet.

Georgia Defense Readiness Program is designed and executed by the U.S. and the Georgian Armed Forces. The programme intends to support Georgian Armed Forces training and evaluation of infantry and to increase the defense capabilities of the Georgian military units for territorial defense.There is no such thing as bad publicity. Im proof of that. This September 25 Facebook post by the Punjab-origin Canadian national Jyoti Matharoo, aka Taranjot Matharoo, 34, has a ring of truth. For Jyoti and her sister Kiranjot, aka Kiran, 32  who were featured in the Sunday magazine of The New York Times this week  notoriety has proven to be as lucrative as fame.

Their Instagram following jumped by over 20,000 after their 2016 arrest by the Nigerian authorities. Jyoti Matharoo says they were charged with cyberstalking. They assumed we operated a Nigerian gossip blog, which we denied.

But their ordeal is over and the Matharoo sisters, also called the Canadian Kardashians are busy with their blog Matropolitan. Recently it was full of pictures of Jyotis vacation at a private seaside villa in Dubai with gold taps in the bath, a Rolls Royce, and Louis Vuitton luggage.

Luxury redefined

NYT says a bedroom in their Toronto home looks like a luxury boutique with over 70 pairs of designer shoes and dozens of handbags from brands like Hermes, Celine, Gucci and Saint Laurent. There are drawers full of expensive gold and diamond jewellery, and Rolex and Piaget watches. Parked outside is their third Mercedes Benz, paid for by a wealthy paramour.

Their social media posts provide a peek into their lavish lifestyle rivalling Paris Hilton, the wealthy American heiress who is their role model. From yachting in the Bahamas, shopping in Paris and Dubai, flying on private jets and sunbathing in Saint- Tropez and Spain, the photos flaunt it all.

From Punjab to Toronto

Taranjot and Kiranjot were born to Indian parents who migrated from Punjab to North York in Toronto. The sisters attended Emery Collegiate Institute where they were known for their provocative costumes often tailored by Kiran. Friends say while Jyoti was fond of literature and history, Kiran was good at chess, math and science.

Once out of high school, they enrolled in a two-year fashion arts and business program at Humber College, while working part-time. They enjoyed clubbing and their striking looks and statuesque frame-- the two sisters are 57-- made them quite an eyeful, but the two sisters mostly liked each others company.

Kiran, an avid cook, wanted to work in the hotel industry, while Jyoti aspired to be a bartender. With their travels taking them mainly to India, where they loved both Ludhiana and Agra with equal passion, they thought they would eventually marry an Indian and settle in Toronto.

High on Nigeria

The Star says things changed when Kiran, then 21, met a Nigerian businessman while working at Marciano, a fashion brand owned by Guess. They began dating, and soon he introduced Jyoti to a Nigerian executive. In 2008, the two invited the sisters to trip to Europe and Nigeria. The sisters told Toronto Star they were stunned when they were ushered into a private jet. Later, they found that Jyotis boyfriend, who eventually bought her a condominium in Toronto and paid her a stipend of 10,000 pounds a month, was one of the richest oil magnates of Nigeria.

By the time this relationship ended in 2012, the sisters had become a rage in Lagos, where Kiran began working as a consultant for Bazaar, a fancy restaurant. Alongside, the sisters used their writing and photography skills to ramp up their social media presence with titillating pictures of themselves and their uber-rich lifestyle. While it got them lots of followers, they were loathed by Nigerians, especially women, who called them prostitutes.

Their good times came to an abrupt end when they were picked up by the Nigerian police on December 14, 2016, for allegedly cyberstalking and owning a gossip website called NaijaGistLive, which they vehemently deny. What followed was an 18-day-long nightmare. The sisters claim were it not for a Nigerian lawyer, who helped them approach the Canadian embassy that issued them travel papers, they would have remained in Nigeria forever.

Back in Canada, the sisters disappeared for a while, but they are back now. Jyoti says, The reason I had to do the New York Times and Toronto Life is to correct the mistakes of the Nigerian publications and the one-sided, derogatory posts and media circus they created.

Now Kiran is working on a YouTube channel with food and fashion videos, while Jyoti is planning a book called How to meet a Billionaire. The sisters are also setting up their fashion line, SPCTRMstudio. Life is good. On November 2, Jyoti posted, When everything you touch turns to gold.A heavily armed Pakistani intruder was killed in an encounter along the international border in Akhnoor sector of Jammu district on Monday.

The unidentified intruder was killed by an ambush team of the Army at around 1.50 pm, defence spokesman Lt Col Devender Anand said.

A warlike stores that included five pistols, ten pistol magazines, 60 bullets of pistol, one AK assault rifle, two AK rifle magazines with 234 rounds of ammunition, fifteen hand grenades and twelve fuses for IEDs was recovered, colonel Anand said.

The entire area has been cordoned off and search and destroy operation is still in progress, he added.

Since Friday, India lost three soldiers and an army porter to Pakistani sniper attacks on the Line of Control, south of Pir Panjal range in Jammu region.

The killing comes days ahead of the panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir, scheduled on November 17.Dassault Aviation chief executive officer (CEO) Eric Trappier, in an interview to news agency ANI, rubbished allegations made by Congress president Rahul Gandhi that he lied about details of the French military planemakers offsets joint venture with Anil Ambanis Reliance Group in the Rafale jet deal.

He also claimed the price of each jet, in flyaway condition, under the deal signed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is 9% lower than the price offered by the company to the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in a deal that wasnt closed.

Trappiers revelation is unlikely to resolve a highly controversial issue, one which has become central to the Congress attacks on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Supreme Court is also hearing petitions related to the case.

The government has submitted details of the price at which it bought the aircraft to the court in a sealed envelope and also shared with it details of the process involved. Trappiers interview came a day ahead of the courts next hearing. I dont lie. The truth I declared before and the statements I made are true. I dont have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO, you dont lie, said Trappier when asked to respond to Gandhis charge that Dassault was covering up possible cronyism in awarding the offset deal to Reliance Group.

The Congress party dismissed Trappiers remarks, alleging a fixed match between the Narendra Modi government and Dassault even as it reiterated its demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal.

Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference on November 2, alleged that Dassault invested Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company promoted by Anil Ambani which was used to procure land in Nagpur for the offsets joint venture. It is clear the Dassault CEO is lying. If an inquiry starts on this, Modi is not going to survive it. Guaranteed, added Gandhi.

The NDA governments decision to enter an $8.7 billion government-to-government deal with France to buy 36 Rafale warplanes made by Dassault was announced in April 2015, with an agreement signed a little over a year later. This replaced the previous UPA regimes decision to buy 126 Rafale aircraft, 108 of which were to be made in India by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

The deal has become controversial with the Opposition, led by the Congress, claiming that the price at which India is buying Rafale aircraft now is Rs 1,670 crore for each, three times the Rs 526 crore, the initial bid by the company when the UPA was trying to buy the aircraft. It has also claimed the previous deal included a technology transfer agreement with HAL.

The NDA has not disclosed details of the price, but the UPA deal, struck in 2012, was not a viable one, former defence minister Manohar Parrikar previously said.

The deal has also become controversial on account of the fact that one of the offset deals signed by Dassault is with a joint venture it has with Reliance Group. The Congress claims the earlier deal was scrapped and a new one signed just to provide Ambani this opportunity for an offset deal. Both the government and Reliance Group have repeatedly denied this. In the interview in the Dassault hangar housed in Istres-Le Tube Air base, located north of the French city of Marseille, CEO Trappier said the company had prior experience dealing with Congress party administrations and the comments by Gandhi made him sad.

We have a long experience with the Congress party. Our first deal was with India in 1953 with Nehru, and other prime ministers. We have been working with India. We are not working for any party. We are supplying strategic products like fighters to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian government. That is what is most important, said Trappier.

When pressed for the reason behind Dassaults choice of Reliance Group as an offset partner, Trappier clarified that the money being invested by the French company was not going to Reliance directly but to a joint venture that included Dassault.

We are not putting the money in Reliance. The money is going into the JV. I put my know-how free of charge on how to produce people. I have engineers and workers from Dassault who are taking the lead as far as the industrial part of this deal is concerned. At the same time, I have an Indian company like Reliance who is putting money into this JV as they want to develop their country. So the company is going to know how to produce aircraft, added Trappier.

Trappier added that Reliance Group would match the investment by Dassault, given that Dassault had a 49% stake and the Indian partner 51% in the joint venture, as per prescribed government norms. We are supposed to put in this company together about ~800 crore as 50:50. For the time being, to start work in the hangar and to pay workers and employees, we have already put ~40 crore. But it will be increased to ~800 crore, which implies ~400 crore by Dassault in the coming five years, said Trappier. He added that Dassault has seven years to meet its offset commitments. During first three years, we are not obliged to say with who we are working. We have already settled work and agreement with 30 companies, which represents 40% of total offset obligation as per contract. Reliance is 10% out of the 40, while rest 30% is a direct agreement between these companies and Dassault, Trappier said.

On the pricing issue, the CEO said that the present aircraft were cheaper by 9% than those offered in the initial deal with the UPA that wasnt signed. Price of 36 was exactly the same when you compare with 18 flyaway; 36 is the double of 18, so as far as I was concerned, it should have been double the price. But because it was government to government, there was some negotiation, I had to decrease price by 9%. The price of Rafale in flyaway condition is less expensive in the 36 contract than the 126 contract, he said.

When asked about the initial agreement with HAL and the subsequent breakdown of talks with the Indian state owned firm for production of Rafale jets, the Dassault CEO said that if the initial deal of 126 jets went through they would not have hesitated to work with HAL and Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd. Its because the 126 didnt go smooth that the Government of India had to reconfigure to urgently acquire 36 from France. And then I took the decision to continue with Reliance, and HAL even said in the last few days that they were not interested to be part of the offset. So, it has been done by my decision and the decision of Reliance to invest in a new private company, added Trappier.

He added that Dassault had earlier been in discussions with several other companies for offset tie-ups. Obviously, we could have gone to Tata or other family groups. At that time, the decision to go ahead was not given to Dassault. We were in 2011, Tata was also discussing with other flying companies. We finally decided to go ahead with Reliance as they have experience in big engineering facilities, Trappier said.

Talking about the aircraft, the Dassault CEO explained that the present planes will have all necessary equipment, but not weapons and missiles. The weapons will be sent in different contract. But the aircraft with everything other than weapons will be dispatched by Dassault, he said.

In New Delhi, Congresss chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said: The nation does not need doctored explanations but fair investigation. A fixed match between the BJP government and Dassault and public relations stunts of Modi and Eric Trappier cant hide the blatant corruption.

Mutual beneficiaries and co-accuseds statements hold no value. Beneficiaries and accused cant be judge in their own case, he tweeted. Surjewalas colleague Manish Tewari referred to an earlier statement by former French president Francois Hollande to counter Trappiers remarks. Hollande had twice stated that they were told that the deal will be concluded only if the Reliance Defence is taken as the offset partner. So, who is telling the truth? he asked.

There are lies, damned lies and to top it all there is a #RaGaJhoothKiMachine, a non-stop 24/7 source of fake news, fake narratives, fake issues just to salvage a falling political career. Mr. Rahul Gandhi, truly a weak attempt to influence the Honble SC, the BJP said on its official Twitter handle.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Twitter: UPA delayed the Rafale purchase, much required for improving the combat ability of Indian Air force. Is Rahul Gandhis failed politics compelling him to render Indias sensitive defence requirements controversial?Actor-politician Rajinikanth has spoken again, this time to clarify his remark about the BJP that was widely seen as an attempt to distance himself from the party. The superstar suggested he had been misunderstood and insisted that he only meant that if the opposition was working on a front against the BJP, they clearly perceived the ruling party at the centre as a danger.

Rajinikanth, who has been vocal in his support of the BJP in the past, was on Monday seen as taking a pot-shot at the BJP when reporters asked him about the opposition effort to unite and its campaign that pitched the BJP as a dangerous party.

He had responded if everybody thinks that way, definitely it could be.

The brief response had even surprised BJP leaders in the state.

For the opposition, yes, it is (dangerous). But, whether it is so or not is for the people to decide and the elections will provide the answer, he said at an unusual and hurriedly convened press conference at his residence on Tuesday.

When reminded about his comment at the Chennai airport, the superstar said, Yes, for them if they think so, was what I had meant.

But he did not give a clear-cut response to a pointed question on what he thought about the BJP.

I cant say now. Its not for me but for the people. Moreover, I havent launched my party, he said.

He also said the opposition effort to form a grand alliance to challenge the BJP was like 10 people ganging up against one.

Who is stronger? Is it the 10 against the lonely person or the latter? he asked.

He laughed off a question whether this could be taken as his view that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the strongest. He said the Lok Sabha elections next year would provide the answer.

The actor, who announced his political plunge last year, has often been accused by his rivals of leaning towards the BJP.

Tamilisai Soundararajan, who leads the BJP in Tamil Nadu, said Rajinikanth had not fully grasped the loaded question. She added that it was not what the actor had wanted to convey.

Release all convicts in Rajiv Gandhi case

Rajinikanth also said he supported the early release of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case on humanitarian grounds.

They have served 27 years in prison. I am for the release of all the seven, serving a life sentence, he said.

The Tamil Nadu government had in September this year recommended the release of all the seven prisoners to Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who had stated that the matter was under his consideration.

The governor, however, is yet to decide on the matter. A petition under the right to information act shows that the Union home ministry had rejected the recommendation. Only the Congress and the BJP are not in favour of releasing them.

The actor said the question on the issue fielded at the airport interaction was not clear and proper.

I was just asked about the release of seven I had just landed and was not aware of the latest development. But it is not as if I am a fool and unaware of the seven (convicts) in the Rajiv Gandhi case, he said.

Had I been asked clearly, I would have answered yesterday then and there. Some are creating a misconception as if I do not know what the issue is.

He said he had spoken to one of the convicts, AG Perarivalan, who was on bail a few months back. I spoke to him over the phone for about 10 minutes and consoled him, the film star said.

When asked about the raging debate over free government welfare measures amid the controversy over Vijay starrer Sarkar, Rajinikanth said such steps were required 100%.

But, we have to be very clear about whom it is being provided and for what. If it is for their upliftment, it is certainly necessary, but not for vote banks, he said.The Uttar Pradesh government has today formally cleared the renaming of names of Allahabad and Faizabad divisions to Prayagraj and Ayodhya divisions.

Allahabad district was renamed as Prayagraj last month and the renaming of Faizabad district as Ayodhya was announced on the eve of Diwali.

Yes, Allahabad is non-existent. We will seek the state cabinets approval to rename Allahabad division as Prayagraj division, a senior UP government official had said on Monday.

We are completing the necessary formalities. The issue is likely to come up at the state cabinet meeting likely to be held on Tuesday, he said.

Meanwhile, there are reports that the state government is contemplating moves to change names of many other districts as well.

Sangeet Som, the BJP MLA from Sardhana in Meerut, has also demanded that Muzaffarnagar be renamed as Laxminagar. We have come across the demands for renaming many other districts. As of now, the proposals about renaming Faizabad district and division as Ayodhya and Allahabad division as Prayagraj are being sent to the state cabinet, said another UP official.As a long, bitter winter and sub-zero temperatures clamp down on Beijing and northern China, the battle against pollution  spurred by an action plan launched in 2013  is set to get intense again.

For this winter, the governments plan is to reduce the average intensity of PM2.5, a major air pollutant, by around 3% in Beijing and surrounding areas, according to an official plan released by Chinas ministry of ecology and environment.

After years of battling crippling air pollution, the 2013 plan started yielding results with average PM2.5 levels in the cities falling by 30% from 2013 to 2016, according to Greenpeace, a Netherlands-based non-governmental environmental organisation. In the five years since, Beijings PM2.5 had fallen by about 54%  figures that a heavily polluted city like Delhi desperately needs to replicate.

The governments policies are broadly focussed on controlling pollution from vehicular emission, construction dust and coal-burning for winter heating.

Two targets: Vehicles and Construction

A research project led by the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Centre had revealed earlier this year that emission from vehicles and construction dust accounted for most of Beijings pollution.

Currently, mobile sources, including automobiles, boats and planes are the largest contributor for locally generated PM2.5 particulate matter that poses health dangers, state media had quoted the survey as saying.

The research also found dust kicked up from roads and construction sites to be on the rise. The proportion of its PM2.5 contribution increased from 14.3% in 2013 to 16% last year, it added.

The second such survey on air pollution in Beijing revealed that in 2017, around 45% of PM2.5 came from vehicles. Diesel trucks were the worst offenders, it said.

The government is specifically targeting diesel vehicles.Since last year, the government has restricted the movement of diesel trucks within the city, said an official report released last week. Judging from the effect of policy implementation, as of the third quarter of this year, the emission structure of the trucks entering Beijing was significantly optimised, said the report.

Pollutant emissions from major cargo corridors in and out of Beijing have been reduced by 34%, playing an important role in regional air quality management, it added.

Last year, the government also banned construction of road and water projects as well as demolition of houses between November and 15 to March 15 within Beijings six major districts to curb construction dust.

An official statement published in state media added that the government would step up dust control supervision at construction sites and restrict use of machinery with high emissions.

The period of ban  other than for major livelihood projects  spans the four months when central heating is on for Beijings houses and other buildings.

From October 1, emission restrictions have also been put in place on heavily-polluting sectors including thermal power, steel, petrochemical and cement.

In addition, the 2013 plan requires reasonable targets to be set in local programmes regarding converting winter heating sources from coal to cleaner natural gas and electricity, in order to ensure environment-friendly heating for residents.

The results

In a report last January  when pollution is usually high across northern China including Beijing  Greenpeace said PM2.5 had fallen by about 54% in the capital city since 2013.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has, in fact, recognised Chinas efforts to tackle pollution. WHOs data captures impressive progress in China, where investment in clean energy, a national air pollution action plan and strict emission standards have driven dramatic progress, with average PM2.5 levels in the cities falling by 30% from 2013 to 2016, Greenpeace said in a report this May.

One catalyst behind the drastic reduction was the policy to switch millions of homes and offices from coal-powered heating to heating by cleaner energy. The consumption of coarse coal in rural areas of Beijing fell by about 3 million metric tons in 2017, as authorities helped switch homes to clean energy alternatives, state-controlled China Daily newspaper reported this year.

There-in is a tricky path for the government as it realised last year. The large scale push to eliminate small-scale coal burning in provinces surrounding Beijing failed to install homes with gas heaters or pipes in time, leaving them without heating in sub-zero temperatures, Greenpeace had said last year.

Even state-controlled media admitted the problem. Amid efforts to switch homes from coal to cleaner alternatives, families across northern China were left without heat during last winter due to a shortage of natural gas, the China Daily report added.

Lessons for Delhi

A comparison of satellite-retrieved pollution levels in China and India, both for their respective national capital regions and for the whole country, shows how China turned a leaf on dealing with air pollution.

The data by Greenpeace shows how China reversed the turn of air pollution around 2014, soon after the National Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Action Plan was issued in September 2013.

The reduction in pollution levels since then is around 30%, representing more than a 100,000 premature deaths avoided each year, according to Greenpeace. Our earlier analysis shows that by far the most impactful measures over this period are the strengthened emissions standards and enforcement for coal-fired power plants and industry, combined with levelling off of coal consumption growth. Other measures targeting coal use in industry and households directly have been very important in the Beijing region, says Lauri Myllyvirta, senior global campaigner, coal and air pollution, Greenpeace, Beijing.

By far the most important thing was setting comprehensive and ambitious targets, and holding provinces and cities accountable for meeting them, Myllyvirta added.The Supreme Courts decision on Tuesday to revisit its September 28 order allowing women of all ages into Keralas Sabarimala shrine was welcomed with celebrations in the state.

The top court said that all 48 review petitions would be heard in open court from January 22.

Devotees took out victory processions at several places in the state and distributed sweets.

Welcoming the decision, Tantri Rajeevaru Kandarau said, It is a great decision. Lord Ayyappa helped us. Really grateful to all devotees.

Temple affairs minister of the LDF government Kadakampally Surendran said, government is committed to go by the Supreme Court decision.

The CPM-led state government has time and again said that the administration was committed to implementing the courts order but blamed the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress for politicising the issue, indicated it could hold discussions on the issue.

The top court, however made it clear, that there was no stay on its earlier verdict, which would mean that women devotees of all ages could enter the temple.

Activist Rahul Eshwar said peaceful protests would continue and the temple would be guarded. We will guard the temple till Jan 22. Hope at least now the government will respect devotees sentiments, he said.

Welcoming the decision, Congress working president K Sudhakaran said, We hope the court will understand devotees sentiments and take a favourable decision on Jan 22.

The September 28 verdict by a five-judge constitution bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had lifted the bar on entry of women aged between 10 and 50 into the temple, saying that it amounted to gender discrimination.

However, it had been opposed strongly in the state, with devotees claiming it flouted centuries-old traditions of the temple, whose presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is considered celibate.During elections, journalists, activists, and even ordinary people sometimes use the right to information (RTI) route to unearth information about the candidates. Sometimes, the candidates themselves use it to dig out things about their opponents. This year, though, in the run-up to the elections in Madhya Pradesh, candidates are using it to find information about themselves.

Candidates from several political parties have filed RTI applications at the district superintendent of polices office, seeking details of their own criminal records to save themselves from any action in future.

A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court ordered on September 25 that all contesting candidates should publicise their criminal records in widely circulated newspaper and electronic media at least thrice to inform voters on just who they are voting for. Inadequate or incorrect disclosure may attract a challenge in a court of law, if the candidate wins the election.

The state elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh are the first after the Supreme Court ruling and because candidates dont want to provide incomplete or wrong information, they have approached the superintendent of police of their districts for details of all criminal cases against them. The police departments response in most cases: file an RTI.

Candidates were trying to get the information about the pending cases against them informally. It is hard for every superintendent of police to know about the cases and if we give wrong information then the candidate can put the onus on the police. Hence, we have asked them to get the information through RTI, said Rewa zones inspector general of police, Umesh Joga, adding that his department has received at least 100 RTI applications so far.

Inspector general of police, Bhopal zone, Jaydeep Prasad added: Many candidates filed RTIs asking for their criminal records and we have replied accordingly.

The candidates themselves admitted that they wanted to take no chances.

BJP sitting MLA and candidate from Bhopal central, Surendra Nath Singh, said: I filed an RTI to know the status of the case as the matter is pending before the court. In his election affidavit, he referred to the details of his criminal record provided by the DIGs office through the RTI.

The Congress candidate from Semaria constituency, Rewa district, Abhay Kumar Mishra, added: I am aware of the criminal cases registered against me, but wanted to check the exact sections of Indian Penal Code in the FIR. That is why I filed an RTI.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) wont be cross checking the declaration of the candidates, an electoral officer said.

Chief electoral officer, (CEO), Madhya Pradesh, VL Kantharao said: The candidates will publish the records on their own. We will not monitor it. Action is possible only if someone complains that a particular candidate is defying the apex courts order.Asghar Ali Khan, 38, the man who shot dead tigress T1 (Avni) under controversial circumstances in Maharashtras Yavatmal forest on November 2, says he is preparing to accompany his father, Shafath Ali Khan (hunter and nawab of an erstwhile aristocratic family from Hyderabad), shortly to retrieve Avnis cubs.

I feel on top of the world when I tranquillise or eliminate a problem animal, but in all future operations, tranquillising will be my priority, he says.

Avni was his first kill although he says he has participated in 10 tranquillising operations. Its hard to ignore that Ali Khan has in some ways been blooded like his great-grandfather Sultan Ali Khan Bahadur and father Shafath Ali. Like his father, he prefers to dress in military camouflage. And he sees a distinct role for people like him in wildlife operations, especially where they involve tranquillising or putting down a wild animal.

You have to be absolutely crazy to pursue this adventure. It involves a risk to life. Regular people cannot do it, he says. Ali Khan is a marksman who never practised in the wild until eight years ago, when he began accompanying his father on operations. Precision shooting is an art. Even for tranquillising you have to use a weapon, a gun. Its like using a rifle. Veterinary doctors dont have shooting experience. Thats where people like us are needed, he says.

The soft-spoken Ashgar has a contained energy about him. He studied at Hyderabad Public School and Nizams College in Hyderabad before doing an MBA from Leeds University in the UK. He learned shooting from his father at the age of nine in their Hyderabad haveli and in Masinagudi, where his father owns a wildlife resort called Safari Land. Its where father and son have now retired to after Yavatmal, even as a storm blows around that killing.

Autopsy report of Avni suggests that the bullet hit her left side when she was facing away from the shooter, and not when she was charging at Ali Khans team, contradicting his version of events.

Hunting ground

Masinagudi used to be a preferred hunting ground for Ali Khans father and grandfather before the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 came into force. Their resort is an hours drive from Ooty via Kalahatty road, which is known for a high number of wild animal sightings, including elephants, leopards and tigers.

Ali Khans wife and mother are at home but the doors of their home at the resort remained shut during his (and his fathers) roughly two-and-half hour meeting with this reporter; there were no guests at the resort.

Shafath Ali, the father, learnt hunting from his grandfather Sultan Ali, whom he describes as a passionate conservationist and one of the few Indians whom the British took as consultant to handle man-animal conflicts.

Shafath Ali says the tales of shikaar (hunting) and human-animal conflicts were routine around the dining table at home. Till 1976-77, hunting was allowed. We used to get hunting licences, and it was a family ritual to go hunting. Hunting licences were also issued in Masinagudi. I used to practice here very often.

He says his first encounter, when he was 19, was with a rogue elephant which killed 12 people on the outskirts of Mysore. He put the elephant down.

Shafath Alis conversation displays that he draws a thin line between hunting and conservation. When the Wildlife Protection Act came into effect, the royalty, the gentlemen shikaaris, were all hanging up their weapons, and an around 200-year era of wildlife conservation was rapidly coming to an end. National parks are a gift from the nobility; they were passionately protected private forests thanks to the vested interest in hunting, he says.

He has kept in touch with both conservation and hunting through his involvement in around 40 operations, for various state governments  all done for free. Shafath Ali says he has been invited and continues to be a consultant for eight state governments . He says that Ali Khan has also been part of 10 tranquillising operations on rogue elephants, tigers, bears and leopards.

Trigger-happy gunmen

Wildlife activists say Ali Khans use of a tranquillising gun is in violation of various laws because the drugs and quantity of these psychotropic substances can only be signed off on by a registered, qualified wildlife veterinarian.

Ali Khans defence is that the gun was loaded by one such.Avni was aggressive by nature and had lost the fear of humans. Had I succeeded in saving her, it would have been a great moment. You must understand that though the area was projected to be a forest, Yavatmal is not a forest and Avni was stressed because she was not in her natural habitat. She was not getting prey so she had to depend on humans in the village for prey, says Ali Khan.

Ali Khan, who has an All India Arms licence, has left the gun used to kill Avni in Hyderabad and says he is open to submit it if there is need for further investigation. Their critics call them trigger-happy gunmen who are too cheap to pay for expensive gaming safaris overseas, and instead participate in rescue operations for the thrill and a sense of machismo.In most states, private hunters are invited because of their strong political connections. Left to themselves, state governments would call commandos or police personnel to carry out the killing. Are you telling me there are no commandos or police personnel in Mahrashtra to do the job... ? asked Vidya Athreya, a Pune based-wildlife biologist. The cubs are priority now, says Ali Khan.

They will be tranquillised and moved to a fairly large place, and trained to hunt for a few months by chasing prey within the area. They are nine months old and as big as a leopard. They can hunt rabbits. Goats have also been tied on the trail they use , he adds.

Wildlife experts say their chance of survival is bleak. If you look at tiger sociology, cubs trail the mother until they are a little over two years old. They pick up predation techniques from the mother, who has been killed, says Rajesh Gopal, the former head of Project Tiger. If the forest department succeeds in tracking them, they may be bred in captivity. Why should one wait for 13 people to die? The problem should have been resolved long ago. You need peoples support to maintain the tiger population, says Gopal.I am shocked that the nawab is being called to rescue cubs. This is absolute lack of professionalism. I dont understand why we need a shikaari to do all this? Human-tiger interface is part of forest management, frontline staff has to be well-versed with such circumstances, he adds.Shafath Ali says forest departments are incapable of handling aggressive, rogue animals and call him when all other ammunition is exhausted.

Wildlife experts and veterinarians disagree. He (Shafath Ali) has called me and so many other veterinarians pleading to be included in conflict operations. The reason he is allowed (elsewhere) is his political clout and contacts. Why couldnt the Maharashtra government call scientists, doctors to do the operation?, said a former veterinary doctor of Mysore zoo, HS Prayag who used to be posted in Bandipur tiger reserve.The 2013 killing of Marathi rationalist Narendra Dabholkar is linked to the murders of communist leader Govind Pansare and Kannda writer MM Kalburgi in 2015, the Central Bureau of Investigation told a Pune court.

In a short submission before judicial magistrate (first class) SMA Sayyad on Monday, the agency also termed the Dabholkar shooting an act of terror and invoked provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which carries the maximum punishment of death.

Dabholkar, 67, was gunned down in August 2013 when he was out on a morning walk.

In its submission, the CBI said section 15 of the UAPA defined a terrorist act, while section 16 stated that if the act results in death, the punishment is either the death sentence or life term.

CBI counsel Vijaykumar Dhakane said the UAPA had been invoked taking into account the gravity of the offence linked to terror and terrorist organisations. The killing of Dabholkar is connected to Kalburgi and Pansare and investigations are on in the case. The intention behind killing all these people is to create terror in society, said Dhakane.

In August, the agency had told the court that it had unearthed links between the murders of Dabholkar and Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was gunned down outside her Bengaluru home in September 2017.

At that time, the CBI had pointed out that at least three suspects  Amol Kale, Rajesh Bangera and Sharad Kalaskar  were common between the Dabholkar and Lankesh cases.

Pansare was shot at on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur and succumbed to his injuries on February 20, 2015. The same year, Kalburgi was shot dead inside his house in Karnatakas Dharwad district on August 30. The CBI is probing the Dabholkar case, the Maharashtra special investigation team is investigating Pansares death while a Karnataka SIT is looking into the Lankesh murder. The Karnataka Police is probing Kalburgis killing. There are seven suspects in the Dabholkar case  Virendra Tawade, Sachin Andure, Sharad Kalaskar, Vaibhav Raut, Amol Kale, Rajesh Bangera and Amit Digvekar. The first link between the murders of Dabholkar and Lankesh emerged in August when the CBI recovered a gun during raids in Aurangabad and arrested two suspects. The prime suspect in the Dabholkar case, Andure, allegedly told investigators that the gun and three bullets had been given to him by a man who has been arrested in the Lankesh murder case.Russia's State Duma are studying a proposal to nationalize the deposits unrequested in due time, head of the financial market committee Anatoly Aksakov said, adding that this proposal is likely to be declined.

"The deputies are considering proposals to transfer unrequested deposits to the budget. This fate can also befall the money of nominal securities holders and those participants of joint-stock companies who are inactive and therefore do not receive dividends. The goal is to figure out things with these resources," Aksakov said, adding that the amount of such funds is estimated at billions of rubles.

The head of the financial market committee said that a few questions still remained here  whether to create a special fund to accumulate such money or not. "It is quite possible that we will have to accumulate all this at accounts and only then decide what is to be done with it," the official noted.

"There are the proposals, which are ready and calculated. We will deal with them seriously next year," PRIME cited Aksakov as saying.

The professor at the department of the stock market and investments at the Higher School of Economics, Alexander Abramov, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the initiative does not flow directly from the interests of banks, since maintaining overdue deposits is not a burden for financial organizations. "Indeed, when people die, it often happens that money in their accounts are not claimed by their heirs. But I doubt that there is a consolidated opinion of bankers on this issue, rather, it is a project of some interested parties who need such a fund. Maintaining these deposits is not a big problem for banks. Banks can talk through terms of deposit prolongation and use even unclaimed money," he said.

The head of the department of stock markets and financial engineering of the Faculty of Finance and the Banking Business of RANEPA, former deputy chairman of the Central Bank of Russia Konstantin Korischenko, in turn, stressed that banks still have to bear a number of expenses due to unclaimed deposits. "Although small, but operational costs in connection with such deposits still exist. It is possible that the banks have accumulated a significant amount of deposits in recent years that are not serviced, but which cannot be forcibly closed according to the law. I think such an initiative does not make much sense," he noted.Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday his participation in the Asean-India and East Asia Summits in Singapore reflects Indias continued commitment to strengthen its engagement with Asean members and the wider Indo-Pacific region.

Besides participating in these two summits during November 14-15, Modi will also join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) leaders meeting and hold a bilateral meeting with US vice president Mike Pence.

My participation in these meetings symbolises our continued commitment to strengthening our engagement with Asean member states and with the wider Indo-Pacific region. I am looking forward to my interactions with other Asean and East Asia Summit leaders, Modi said in his departure statement.

On Wednesday, Modi will be the first head of government to deliver the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival. As the worlds largest financial technology event, he said, the festival is the right forum to showcase Indias strengths in this fast-growing sector and to forge global partnerships for fostering innovation. Modi said he would also have the opportunity to interact with participants and winners of the India-Singapore Hackathon. It is my firm belief that if we provide the right encouragement and a nurturing ecosystem, our youth has the ability to become global leaders in providing solutions to the challenges facing humanity, he added.

Besides Pence, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with Singapore PM Lee Hsein Loong, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.The Supreme Court is open to revisiting its verdict to allow women of all ages into Keralas Sabarimala temple that had triggered large-scale protests and violence when the hilltop shrine opened last month for a few days. Five judges led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Tuesday said they would hold hear the review petitions in open court from January 22 but made it clear that its earlier judgment is holds.

(Follow live updates here)

We make it clear that there is no stay of the judgment and order of this court, the judges said.

The top court had, on September 28, ended a centuries-old ban on women between 10 years and 50 years to enter Sabarimala. In a 4:1 majority verdict, the judges ruled that exclusion on the basis of biological and physiological features was unconstitutional and discriminatory because it denied women the right to be treated as equals.

The ruling, however, had triggered a barrage of protests outside the temple nestled in the Western Ghats. In nearly 46 days, almost 50 petitions also landed before the Supreme Court.

Traditionalists, who believe the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is celibate, had opposed the court verdict and last month stopped dozen-odd women who tried to enter the temple. At one point, the priests even boycotted rituals to force two women attempting to enter the temple to back down.

Petitioners who have challenged the court order say faith cannot be judged by scientific or rational reasons or logic. They say the ban is not on physiological grounds but it is based on the deitys celibate character.

It is unusual for the Supreme Court to hold open court hearing on review petitions.

The brief ruling was immediately greeted with cheers from the temples chief priest and many others.

It is a great decision. Lord Ayyappa helped us, the chief priest Rajeevaru Kandarau said.

Keralas temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran said the government was committed to going by the court verdict, irrespective of the top courts ruling.

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has intensified its Sabarimala campaign, and the Congress have criticised the Kerala governments handling of the situation and supported the protesters.

The Left government, led by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has reiterated that the administration is committed to implementing the courts September 28 order and has blamed political rivals for politicising the issue.

BJP state president, PS Sreedharan Pillai, who is on a rath yatra supporting temples customs, had earlier hoped the court would take note of the mounting protests by devotees and take an appropriate decision.CM Pinarayi Vijayan calls all-party meeting on Sabarimala

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan called an all-party meeting on November 15 to discuss the upcoming Sabarimala pilgrimage season.

On Supreme Court order, he said the state government would take legal advice on the matter.

As per my understanding, the top court has clearly stated that there is no stay on its September 28 verdict.

We will consult legal experts on the matter, Vijayan said.

Activist Rahul Eswar says peaceful protest will continue

Activist Rahul Eswar says peaceful protest will continue. We will guard the temple till Jan 22. Hope, at least now the government will respect devotees sentiments, he says.

Will trek to Sabarimala in first week of pilgrimage season, says female activist

Activist Trupti Desai says she will trek to the temple in the first week of pilgrimage season. The season starts on Nov 17.

Congress hails SC order

We hope the court will understand devotees sentiments and take a favourable decision on Jan 22, said Congress working president K Sudhakaran.

Devotees carry out victory processions, distribute sweets

After Supreme Court agrees to revisit its verdict to allow women of all ages into Sabarimala temple, devotees take out victory processions at many places in Kerala and distribute sweets.

Open court hearing on all petitions on Jan 22

Supreme Court orders open court hearing on all the 49 review petitions in Sabarimala case.

Sabarimala a proud Hindu temple: Rahul Easwar

Sabarimala is not a secular temple, it is a proud Hindu temple, tweets activist Rahul Easwar.

As Sri @davidfrawleyved ji correctly points out -- #Sabarimala is Not a "Secular Temple"



Sabarimala is a proud #Hindu Temple with Naishtik Brahmacharya as Pratishta & Pluralism as 1 of core Philosophy



Sabarimala is Not Secular but Proud Hindu Temple https://t.co/zWwWVmcUVE  Rahul Easwar (@RahulEaswar) November 13, 2018

CMO denies media reports on Sabarimala

Pinarayi Vijayans office denies reports that appeared in a section of media today that said the Kerala CM admitted strict posture on Sabarimala alienated a section of faithful. The CMO said the report was baseless and uncalled for. The CM did not talk to anyone from the media, said a statement from his office.

Five-judge bench led by CJI Gogoi to take up review petitions at 3 pm

CJI Ranjan Gogoi says if review petitions are dismissed, the court will hear writ petitions. If review petitions are allowed, then the writ petitions will be tagged together. A five-judge bench led by CJI Gogoi is to take up the review petitions at 3 pm.

Hearing on review petitions first

Supreme Court to hear fresh writ petitions in Sabrimala case after orders on review petitions are passed during the course of the day.

The petitioners

National Association of Aayappa Devotees, Nair Service Society and 17 other organisation have moved the review petition.

No plan to withdraw case against Kerala BJP president

No plan to withdraw case against Kerala BJP president PS Sreedharan Pillai, state government tells high court. Pillai was booked for an alleged controversial speech in which he said the BJP planned and executed the agitation on Sabarimala.

TDB calls meeting

Travancore Devaswom Board, which runs Sabarimala temple, calls meeting in the evening.

CM Vijayan calls meeting in evening

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan calls meeting in the evening to review Sabarimala arrangements. The row has affected preparation for the three-month-long pilgrimage season.

Cong to continue agitation

Even if review pleas go against devotees, Congress will continue its peaceful agitation on Sabarimala, says Congress leader K Sudhakaran, who is leading a protest rally in north Kerala.

Total 51 petitions filed

A batch of 48 petitions seeking review of the earlier judgement are expected to be taken up by a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, reported PTI. Three other similar petitions are also slated to come up for hearing before a bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph.

SC hearing to begin soon

The Supreme Court is likely to soon take up 51 pleas seeking review of its verdict allowing women of all ages into Keralas Sabarimala temple. The hearing comes days before the hilltop shrine, which has seen large-scale protests and violence over the judgment, opens for its three-month pilgrimage season.The Supreme Court will hear on Monday Zakia Jafris plea challenging the clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then chief minister of Gujarat, and others on allegations of a larger conspiracy in the 2002 riots, reports ANI.

Zakia is the widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the riots.

In October 2017, the Gujarat high court had upheld the clean chit given to Modi and 58 others by the Special Investigation Team.

The petition filed by Zakia Jafri and Teesta Setalvads Citizens for Justice and Peace had challenged the findings of the Supreme Court-appointed SIT and the ruling of a magistrate court that upheld its closure report of 2012.

Ehsan Jafri and 68 others were killed when a rioting mob attacked their Muslim-dominated Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002 in the aftermath of the Godhra train carnage. As investigations in cases progressed, Zakia in 2006 demanded that the police register a police case against Modi, some ministers and bureaucrats as well.

Two years later, the Supreme Court ordered the state government to re-investigate nine major riots cases, including the Gulberg massacre.

On April 27, 2009, the top court asked SIT to look into Zakias complaint. The SIT examined Modi in March 2012 and a year later, submitted a closure report that underlined there was no proof to substantiate allegations against Modi was found.The Supreme Court will to take up on Tuesday 51 pleas seeking review of its verdict allowing women of all ages into Keralas Sabarimala temple.

The ruling on review petitions will come days before the hilltop shrine, which has seen large-scale protests and violence over the judgment, opens for its three-month pilgrimage season.

The top court, which would be handling 48 review petitions and 3 writ petitions, said on Tuesday that fresh pleas will be heard only after it decides the earlier petitions seeking review of the judgement .

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said a five-judge bench -- comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotrais -- is scheduled to hear in-chamber the review petitions at 3 pm.

The September 28 verdict by a five-judge constitution bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had lifted the bar on entry of women aged between 10 and 50 into the temple, saying that it amounted to gender discrimination. However, it had been opposed strongly in the state, with devotees claiming it flouted centuries-old traditions of the temple, whose presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is considered celibate.

Besides these, three separate petitions seeking review of the verdict are also slated to come up for hearing in the open court before a bench of CJI Gogoi and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph.

The top court had on October 9 declined an urgent hearing on the review plea contending that the five-judge Constitution benchs verdict lifting the ban was absolutely untenable and irrational. It later said that it would consider the review pleas on November 13.

In Kerala, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front government, which has reiterated that the administration is committed to implementing the courts order but blamed the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress for politicising the issue, indicated it could hold discussions on the issue.

The government has an open mind. We will call an all-party meet to discuss the Sabarimala issue. We will decide the date and other details after the Supreme Court decision on review pleas, state temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran said on Monday.

Both the BJP and the Congress have criticised the governments handling of the situation.

BJP state president PS Sreedharan Pillai, who is on a rath yatra to protect temple customs, said, We hope the highest court will take note of the mounting protest of devotees and take appropriate decision.The Supreme Court seized control of a hospital and an office building owned by real estate developer Amrapali, and took the first steps on Tuesday to potentially initiate contempt proceedings against its directors.

Promoters of the group have been in police custody since October 9 in connection with the missing funds that they took from nearly 40,000 homebuyers whose flats are yet to be constructed.

This is a serious kind of fraud, judge Arun Misra said on Tuesday, after court-appointed auditors said the company continued to be uncooperative in efforts to trace the money given by investors.

The properties attached by the court include a hospital in Greater Noida, Amrapalis office building in Sector 62, Noida and a villa in Goa that is believed to have been purchased using Amrapali funds though its ownership is still unclear.

The court has given directors time till November 20, the next date of hearing, before it takes more steps. The judges asked the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) to explore the possibility of auctioning the hospital.

Justice UU Lalit, who is also on the bench, told the lawyers for Amrapali that the funds the company has spent to acquire property or create new companies will need to be refunded. It should come back since the money belongs to the buyer. Therefore, all this (properties) have to be sold, he said.

The judges came down hard on the statutory auditor for the company and Amrapali chief financial officer (CFO) when advocate ML Lahoty, appearing for flat buyers, said the two also flouted court orders. You two are simply passing the buck, Justice Misra said.

Lahoty informed the court that the company had not disclosed the land Greater Noida had leased them for its residential projects and how much had been sub-leased to third parties to raise money.

At this, the court gave three weeks to CFO Chander Wadhwa to refund Rs 11 crore he and his company had received from Amrapali. The money has to be deposited with the top court registry. Similar direction was given to the statutory auditor, Anil Mittal, who was asked to deposit Rs 47 lakh.A five-judge Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI), Ranjan Gogoi, on Tuesday agreed to reconsider its September judgment that allowed women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, but refused to stay the operation of the verdict that would have the effect of disallowing the entry of women into the hilltop shrine. The apex court bench, also comprising justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, fixed January 22 to take up the 49 review petitions calling for a reversal of its September 28 verdict and other applications in the matter.

In Kerala, the courts decision to revisit the verdict was greeted with relief. Glued to their television sets the whole day, devotees of Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity in Sabarimala, celebrated the ruling by staging victory rallies and distributing sweets. Keralas ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI (M), which has vowed to enforce the court order, said the decision to review the verdict was not a setback to it, but both the Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, to see the writing on the wall and drop his adamant posture.

This order was issued after the petitions were circulated among the judges in their chambers at 3pm, in accordance with rules of the top court. No lawyers are present during these proceedings. As per the rules, the bench that delivers the original verdict considers the review petition. In the Sabarimala case, a new bench was convened and CJI Gogoi stepped in to head it because former chief justice Dipak Misra, who was part of the bench that delivered the original ruling in September, has since retired.

The lone woman judge on the bench, justice Malhotra, dissented with the original ruling, which review petitioners have cited in support of their demand.

Several applicants had asked for an open court hearing of the petitions, which the court appears to have accepted.

All the petitions along with all pending applications will be heard in Open Court on 22nd January, 2019, before the appropriate Bench. We make it clear that there is no stay of the judgment and order of this Court dated 28th September, 2018, passed in Writ Petition (Civil) No.373 of 2006 (Indian Young Lawyers Association & Ors. vs. The State of Kerala & Ors, read the order.

On September 28,the apex court ruled by a 4-1 majority that no woman can be stopped from entering Sabarimala temple, ending a traditional ban on the entry of women between 10 and 50 years of age in to the shrine. Women of reproductive age were restricted from entering the over 800-year-old shrine in south Keralas Pathanamthitta district because its presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is considered to be a celibate.

Several groups have opposed the verdict and staged violent protests against it. No woman of reproductive age has entered the shrine since the court order was delivered.

A specific direction saying there shall be no stay on the operation of its earlier verdict means the temple governing board, in compliance with the ruling, will have to allow women in the age group to enter the temple when it reopens on November 17.

Forty-nine review petitions have been filed before apex court against the verdict. Three fresh petitions also came up for hearing before a bench led by CJI Gogoi on Tuesday morning. The court made it clear that the new cases would be heard once a decision is given during the day on the review petitions. The three will now be heard with the original review petitions.

The Supreme Court, in its original verdict, held the ban on womens entry into the Sabarimala temple to be unconstitutional and a form of untouchability. Those who support the ban argued that the temple board constituted a separate religious denomination and, hence, entitled to protection under the Constitution that allows citizens to practise ones religion and manage institutions under it, a contention rejected by the court.

Kerala chief minister, Vijayan, said the fact that the Supreme Court did not stay its earlier verdict meant that government was duty-bound to enforce it and it will seek legal opinion. Legal experts also said that since no stay has been clamped on the operation of the earlier verdict, it was up to the government to decide whether to allow women entry into the shrine pending a final order .

Hailing the decision, the Tantri (supreme priest) of the temple, Rajeevaru Kandarau, said, It is a welcome move. Lord Ayyappa helped us. We are really grateful to all devotees who stood to protect the temple customs.

Last month, when two women came in the vicinity of the entrance to the temple, the tantri threatened to close the shrine. He is one of the petitioners who has filed review pleas. We need peace at the temple. Hope SC decision will help maintain it, he said.

Both the Congress and the BJP said they will continue their protests and oppose any move to flout temple customs. Now it is the duty of the government to maintain peace at the temple, said opposition leader, Ramesh Chennithala, of the Congress. BJP state president, PS Sreedharan Pillai, who took out a rath yatra, said it was a clear setback to the state government. It is an unusual step from the apex court. Hope the government will realise its seriousness, Pillai said.

Activist Rahul Eshwar said peaceful protests would continue and the temple would be guarded. We will guard the temple till January 22. Hope at least now the government will respect devotees sentiments, he said.Congresss first list naming 65 candidates for the Telangana Assembly elections has triggered protests from unhappy aspirants, who have either quit the party or plan to contest as independents. Some have even rushed to Delhi to pressure the high command to ensure their re-nomination.

The dissatisfaction comes as Congress has tried to accommodate leaders from alliance partners, especially TDP and Telangana Jana Samithi, among others.The party high command is set to release a second list in a day or two.

Former Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah was shocked to find his name missing as his constituency Jangaon was allotted to Telangana Jana Samithi president M Kodandaram.

He took the first flight to New Delhi on Tuesday morning to pressure party high command to make changes in the seat sharing with the alliance partner and ensure his re-nomination from Jangaon.

I have been in politics for the last 35 years and a strong loyalist of the Congress. Denial of ticket to an OBC candidate like me to accommodate a Reddy candidate would cause immense damage to the party, he said.

Unconfirmed reports from the Congress said Kodandaram agreed to drop out from the contest from Jangaon in favour of Lakshmaiah and was contemplating contesting from another suitable constituency.

According to a senior party leader, the second list would have 15 names and in the final list, which would be released shortly, the remaining 14 names, mostly from Other Backward Classes would be included.

Another senior Congress leader and former minister Vijaya Rama Rao who was denied party ticket from Station Ghanpur constituency, announced that he would contest as an independent.

In Serilingampally constituency in Hyderabad, former MLA Bhikshapathi Yadav expressed anguish over the allotment of the seat to the TDP.

I was promised ticket from the constituency and have been nurturing it for the last four years. Now, they say it has been allotted to the TDP. This is gross injustice. I am contemplating contesting as an independent, he said.

Another ex-MLA Narayana Rao from Vikarabad constituency resigned from Congress after being denied ticket from neighbouring Tandur constituency, which was allotted to Rohith Reddy.

Similarly, another Congress leader Nayini Rajender Reddy, who expected the Congress ticket from Warangal (West) constituency, is also planning to quit the party after he was denied ticket.

Former minister Suddala Devaiah, who was denied ticket from Choppadandi constituency, said he would announce his future course of action soon.

Several Osmania University students like Krishank, who took part in the Telangana movement in the past, were promised tickets by the Congress this time but did not get them. They are now up in arms against the party.

Similar protests were witnessed in front of the NTR Trust Bhavan, the headquarters of the Telugu Desam Party office, when those who could not get tickets staged demonstrations. The TDP released its first list of 10 names in early on Tuesday.An agreement to create the worlds largest free trade area, the Quadrilateral alliance, security in the Indo-Pacific and a meeting with US vice president Mike Pence are all on the agenda for Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Singapore during November 14-15.

PM Modi will also participate in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit, East Asia Summit and India-Asean Summit. There will also be a meeting of officials of the Quad comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia that will focus on peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.

Modis meeting with Pence on November 14 is expected to allow the two sides to discuss a range of issues, including US sanctions affecting Indias oil imports from Iran and defence purchases from Russia, people familiar with planning for the meeting said. The two sides will also look at security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, they said.

Asean members are keen on a commitment from New Delhi on RCEP, a proposed free trade area comprising the 10 Asean members and Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand but the people cited above said an early breakthrough was unlikely.

India has taken a constructive position in the negotiations and the leaders will review the progress made so far, said Vijay Thakur Singh, secretary (East) in the external affairs ministry, told a media briefing on Monday.

Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsein Loong and other leaders.

The East Asia Summit on November 15, which includes the 10 Asean states and Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the US and Russia, is expected to focus on ICT, maritime security and trans-border terrorism, Singh said. On November 14, Modi will deliver the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Summit, a gathering of financial technology companies, and launch APIX, a banking solution that could benefit two billion people without bank accounts.

APIX, designed by software experts in Hyderabad, Colombo and London, will help banks to reach out to those without accounts in 23 countries, including the 10 ASEAN members and India.A man murdered his three daughters by hitting them on their heads with a hammer and setting them afire in Veer village of Lalitpur district on Tuesday morning, police said.

Police said the man, identified as Chedamilal alias Chiddu Kushwaha, committed the crime because he was upset over his wifes stay at her parents place.

The victims were identified as Anjali, 11, Radhika, 7, and Vishakha, 3.

Police said Kushwaha had confessed to his crime. Superintendent of police, Lalitpur, OP Singh said, He kept telling us that as he has killed the girls...A case of murder has been registered against him on the complaint of village guard Ram Ratan and Kushwaha has been sent to jail, Singh said.

The SP said Kushwahas wife, along with her two other daughters, had left for her parents house in Balari village of Datia district in Madhya Pradesh a day before Diwali after he assaulted her under the influence of liquor.

He tried to bring his wife back but his efforts further complicated the situation as he picked up a fight with her cousins, who forcibly sent him back to his village two days ago. Feeling insulted, the man killed his daughters to make sure his wife returns, said Singh.

Kushwahas mother told the police that he kept drinking throughout the night and woke her up around 4 am asking her to go outside the room. She went out fearing that he would create a scene.

Kushwaha locked the door from inside and killed the girls. He was later nabbed by residents when he tried to set neighbouring houses afire. He torched the hay and dried wood lying on rooftops of three houses which alerted the locals, said Singh.

The villagers informed the police that Kushwaha was a drunkard and a bully who would pick up random fights in the village and even outside it.

Munnu Lal Kushwaha, a neighbour, said the entire village was in shock after the incident.

Police said Kushwaha accompanied the bodies of his daughters to the hospital but did not show any sign of remorse.SWIFT cut-off Iranian financial institutions, including the Iranian central bank, targeted by the U.S. sanctions, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Sigal Mandelker said.

The U.S. Treasury official stressed that Washington would be strictly enforcing its sanctions regime against Tehran and announced that there would be "a lot more from the US on Iran," Sputnik reported.

Mandelker noted that Washington is not concerned by the idea of the creation of a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) in the EU to work with Iran, expressing confidence that the US and Europe could still work together. The official noted that despite the idea of an SPV, "companies already are leaving Iran."

"I am not concerned by the SPV actually at all. I think the bigger news in Europe is that companies are withdrawing from Iran in droves," Mandelker said.More than 350 farmers in Sikkim have started an agitation, demanding compensation for the land they claim was damaged during construction of the states first airport.

The airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 26.

With the states main opposition party, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), lending support to the movement, the agitation is likely to gain steam in the coming days. The agitators have plans to display black flags outside the airport.

Located at an altitude of 4,500 ft, the airport has a strategic importance since Sikkim shares borders with China, Nepal and Bhutan.

Read: Engineering marvel at 4,500 feet: PM Modi inaugurates Sikkims Pakyong airport

The affected people, almost all of whom were farmers, have alleged that their land, aggregating to around 300 acres, has been rendered unfit for cultivation. This 300 acres of land was not officially acquired for the project but was damaged during construction, the farmers have alleged. They have also moved the Sikkim high court.

The government officially acquired 201 acres for the terminal building, runway, staff quarters etc. and compensated land losers.

We were compensated for the damage done to our home. But the damage to our land, which was not acquired yet damaged, has deprived us of livelihood, alleged Hari Prasad Adhikari who owns the land along with his elder brother Nirmal Adhikari.

The land owned by the Adhikaris is located adjacent to the boundary of the airport. The brothers claim that it was their only source of income. We used to grow organic vegetables and cash crops in the open and in green houses. We reared goats and cows as well, Hari Prasad Adikari said.

We were given Rs 5.5 lakh for the damage done to our home and asked to move. In 2014, we shifted to a spot around 2 km away. Now I work as wage labourer at construction sites, he added.

Read: Sikkims upcoming airport raises hopes among people of breaking barriers

On Sunday, SKM president Prem Singh Golay visited Pakyong and promised to fight for the land losers. The stir will intensify unless compensation is paid following guidelines of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, Golay said.

SKM is the principal opposition party in Sikkim and is set to pose a challenge to Pawan Chamling, leader of Sikkim Democratic Front and Indias longest serving chief minister. He came to power in 1994.

The farmers have moved Sikkim high court, praying for compensation. They have also forced the authorities to suspend some minor constructions.

There are certain issues that need to be looked into. The high court has asked the government to furnish some details, said Kapil Meena, district magistrate, East Sikkim.

The case is scheduled to be heard on November 23, said O P Bhandari, a lawyer representing the farmers.Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who turns 72 in February, is engaged in another big election of his political career spanning nearly half a century. He was chief minister of Madhya Pradesh from 1993 to 2003 and led the Congresss state unit for seven years. By his own admission, he played a distant role in the last two assembly polls in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained power.

He is now a part of the partys formidable senior leadership along with state Congress chief Kamal Nath and campaign committee chairman Jyotiraditya Scindia. In the role of coordinator, Singhs task is to quell dissidence and mobilise cadres. He spoke to Vinod Sharma about what is working for the Congress going into the elections, anti-incumbency against the BJP, and the unity within his own party. Edited excerpts:

The elections are a couple of weeks away. Whats your prediction  as a psephologist, not as a politician?

I dont believe in psephology. The sample size of such surveys is so small that its impossible to forecast the outcome. More important to me is the feel I have of the ground realities. The feedback I receive from my workers and contacts gives me the real sense of whats on the ground.

So whats your prognosis?

In the 2008 and 2013 assembly elections, I wasnt really involved in the campaign and didnt really know what was happening. But this time, after my (six-month-long) Narmada Parikrama and my outreach as the chairman of the partys coordination committee, in the course of which I covered 194 assembly constituencies, I can tell you that we are forming the government. My assessment is as much based on a comparative analysis of our final list of candidates and that of the BJP.

Will your party form the government by a comfortable majority?

By a majority.

What factors are working for you and against the BJP?

Anti-incumbency against BJP MLAs, ministers, and to some extent the chief minister (Shivraj Singh Chauhan) besides the overall anti-incumbency against the government, which is rooted in corruption. It is the most corrupt government, in which politicians and bureaucrats are looting the state and sharing the booty.

Your party is better off in rural areas but isnt perceived to be on a good wicket in urban centers. How do you explain the contrast if anti-incumbency is as strong as youre claiming?

The Congress was always weak in urban areas and strong in rural areas, with the exception of the 2009 Parliament elections. At that time, we did well in urban centres due to successful implementation of the economic policies of Dr Manmohan Singh. His image and that of Mrs Sonia Gandhi made a great combination. It helped us win most of the urban seats.

Whats your tally for the urban seats this time?

I cant give you numbers. I can only say that Madhya Pradesh is basically a rural state where the ratio of rural-urban seats is almost seven to three.

Theres a perception that Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath will come and turn the tide in the BJPs favour the way the PM did in the Gujarat polls. Some analysts think the Congresss best case scenario in MP is to replicate Gujarat: so near yet so far.

The BJPs sole agenda is to communalise the election. I am told they are going to have an agrah (exhortation) rally in Ayodhya for the construction of Ram mandir. Theyll have a national broadcast (of the rally) on all channels three days before the polling in MP. And you know whats going to happen thereafter

How do you intend to counter that?

The Congress party should take it up with the Election Commission so that at least this rally is not broadcast in election-bound states.

But even the Congress manifesto talks about a host of issues that would appeal to the majority Hindu community. On first reading, some people have found it to be a photocopy of sorts of the BJPs election promises.

I dont agree. You are looking at less than 5% of the issues the manifesto has touched. Most of our promises are for the farmers, the youth, the poor, the working class and other weaker sections on a plethora of issues such as health, malnutrition, education, employment. It is unfair to highlight a mere five percent of what weve pledged.

The other day you said Jyotiraditya Scindia was like your son. Thats something that goes without saying because youve been a contemporary of his late father, Madhavrao Scindia. Why did you emphasise the point?

Because the media was playing up that we had a spat; that we are working against each other, which is not correct.

Is there good coordination between you, Scindia and Kamal Nath?

Yes. Not only between the three of us but everyone in the top position  (legislature party leader) Ajay Singh and former PCC chiefs Arun Yadav, Kantilal Bhuria and Suresh Pachauri  we all are together.

A united leadership is good news. What else makes you optimistic?

Our advantage is that people are fed up with 15 years of BJP rule; every section of society is unhappy. The ruling partys campaign is Shivraj-centric but the CM is isolated within his own party. The BJP is not working like a team.

Youre trying to show the CM as a general without foot soldiers.

To a certain extent, yes, but hes short of comrades in arm. A General needs.

Good advisors in higher echelons?

Not just advisors but fighters in the second and the third tier.

How is that possible? Its unusual if what youre saying is true.

Its because his campaign is self-centric. If you saw his Jan Ashirwad Yatra, youd have noticed that most of the party leaders kept away from it. I cannot say why that happened. Its an internal matter of the BJP. I can only say that he stands isolated.

Which are the regions in which the Congress hopes to do better than the BJP?

We will certainly improve our position in all regions. Even supporters of the Bahujan Samaj Party (which doesnt have an alliance with the Congress in the state) are coming to us in Gwalior, Morena, Sagar and Reva divisions. They feel the BSP doesnt stand a chance to form the government, so why waste the vote?

Other factors may work for the Congress, but youre abysmally short of resources. How do you make do on that front against a cash-rich BJP?

If people are with you, money doesnt matter.

You mean people will be led by issues, not by leaders with money power?

Yes. Jan bal (peoples power) will win against dhan bal (money power).

Are you sure? If your prediction goes wrong, one may have to rethink about your expertise on Madhya Pradesh.

(Laughs)... Yes, you have that option!A day after Shiv Sena took a dig at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for giving the masses a lollipop of renaming cities in Uttar Pradesh, the party refused to step off the gas.

In his weekly column on Sunday, Sena MP and executive editor of party mouthpiece, Saamana, Sanjay Raut, criticised the Centre for diverting corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to build the Statue of Unity in Gujarat. He, however, showered praise on Vallabhbhai Patel and said he walked the talk.

Large public companies have to keep aside 2% of their profits for social causes. This money is used for the benefit of the differently abled, women and upliftment of backward classes. But in the past two years, these companies did not fund social causes and the entire amount was spent on the statue. The result: various schools and centres for the differently abled were forced to shut down, said Raut.

He said various organisations in Thane, which are working for the differently abled, had requested the companies for 2 lakh to 5 lakh. But the companies turned down their requests saying all the funds were exhausted.

Keeping BJP on tenterhooks

Although the BJP is keen to form an alliance with the Sena before the 2019 elections, the latter has continued to criticise the BJP governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who at present is covering all 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, has accused the BJP of betraying the peoples mandate it received in 2014. Thackeray will also visit Ayodhya on November 25.

Sources said the move is aimed at embarrassing the BJP for its failure to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Senior leaders in the Shiv Sena said the party will harden its stance against the BJP and take a final call on the alliance after the results of the upcoming assembly polls in five states.As is known, Twitters big boss Jack Dorsey is touring India on his maiden visit. And, the new-age CEO and co-founder of the worlds second most popular social networking platform, who comes across as something of a reconstructed hippy, is said to be having the time of his life. The trip began with a quick visit to meet the Dalai Lama, who Jack finds inspirational. After a stop in Jaipur, he reached Delhi, where he was given a traditional aarti welcome at the Twitter India office and was thrilled to eat dinner at Bukhara with his colleagues, where he loved the famous table-sized naan, informs our source. Post the meal and a town hall with members of Delhis IIT, the Apple Watch-wearing entrepreneur, who is said to walk five miles a day to work, is said to have called upon Rahul Gandhi, and they managed to discuss Jacks tattoos amongst other more serious issues like, well, the imminent general elections, where the micro-blogging site will play a huge role. But the visit wouldnt have been complete without meeting Indias own Twitter hero Shashi Tharoor, who has over two million followers over Dorsey and has seen his ups and downs as a consequence of his use of the social media platform. [He was] Charming. Very soft-spoken. Looks at you intently. He said Dalai Lama pulled his nose ring and tugged his beard. He is off to Vipasana in Burma. Of course, I also discussed Twitter with him and my experience with it, said Tharoor, when we enquired about the meeting.

Kasbekar Holds Fort

Atul Kasbekar

Just thought, theres already an enduring legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji in place thats decaying, makes sense to enhance the incredible engineering marvel hill forts that he built and nurtured, than to create something new altogether. Besides, we have the main rail head and the International airport already honouring him in the city. And for a fraction of the cost instead of effectively a vanity project? said celebrated photographer Atul Kasbekar, about his recent long rant, on what he calls the statue spree that appears to have overtaken the powers that be. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of Maratha Empire in western India in 1664, was well known for his forts. He was in possession of around 370 at the time of his death, hed posted, about his opposition to spending a stratospheric amount of money to honour the memory of the great warrior, by building a massive statue in his memory. Many, like Panhala Fort and Rajgad existed before him, but others like Sindhudurg and Pratapgad were built by him from scratch. These forts are rotting in states of assorted disrepair. The access to them is tough and when you get there, its not what it could have been. What is the need to build a statue for some 4,000 crore, when according to a close architect friend it would only take approximately 30-40 crore a piece to greatly enhance the existing heritage sites! hed said in his impassioned argument. Lets do the math: If you restore even 30 of the key forts, thats 900 to 1200 crore. In total! Does this make sense to anyone else besides me?

And we were happy to note that restoring these world class heritage sites rather than expending so much time and energy, and tax payer money on another gargantuan statue, was met with much positive response. Any one up there listening?

WTSWTM

WTS

If 10 people gang up against one, who is the strongest or mightiest.

- Mega star Rajinikanth, in reference to the Opposition ganging up against the ruling party

WTM

The answer to that is of course, if 10 people gang up against one, the strongest and mightiest is Rajinikanth.

Challis Saal Baad

Then and Now: Zeenat Aman and Shobhaa De

Yes, I got them to pose for it at Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) Adelaide, said author co-founder of JLF and historian William Dalrymple, in response to us enquiring if he had been responsible for getting Zeenat Aman and Shobhaa De to recreate the iconic image they had posed for 40 years ago, for celebrity photographer Jitendra Arya, recently in Australia. Forty years on...Zeenat Aman and Shobhaa De, Bombay, 1978, vs Adelaide JLF, 2018, Dalrymple had posted on social media, about the portrait. Ive never had such a response to anything Ive posted on Instagram, ever, said the celebrated author, known for his occasional fondness for sharing photos of his pet goat and roosters on the site. The click had been iconic. Though residents of Mumbai and erstwhile modelling colleagues and on different sides of the Bollywood news cycle later, life had taken Aman and De on different journeys and their paths had rarely crossed in Mumbai. It had taken a visit to the festival to bring them together, in the memorable pose. It was taken at the JLF closing party. We then launched into a rendition of Dum Maro Dum and Hare Krishna Hare Rama, said a delighted Dalrymple.

Nice!A 62-year-old retired auditor who worked for central government was found brutally murdered at his Kopar Khairane residence on Monday.

His 31-year-old son, who is suffering from schizophrenia, was also found injured in the house. The police said they are probing the role of the son in the murder. Sudhakara Pathare, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 1, said, We are probing the possibility of the sons involvement in the murder. But no evidence has been found so far against him.

The victim was identified as Vijaykumar Dhahotre. Vijaykumars wife Mala, 58, who is a banker, was at work in Wadala when the incident took place. His daughter Neha, 28, stays in Ghansoli.

The murder took place at New Krishna tower in Kopar Khairane, Sector 14. Around 1.45pm, the manager of the society informed the police that a person was lying injured at the door of a flat there.

On reaching the spot, the police found the son, Nikhil Dhahotre, lying injured at the door. Nikhil, who had sustained minor injuries on his fingers, was sent to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) hospital in Vashi for treatment.

After entering the flat, we found one more person lying in a pool of blood. It was obvious that the man had tried to protect himself during the attack and that he was killed by being hit with some hard objects. We spotted severe injury marks on his head. He was identified as Nikhils father. He too was rushed to a hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival, Pathare said.

We called fingerprint experts, dog squads and a crime investigation van to the spot for investigation. We have recovered a pressure cooker and a hammer from the spot and we believe that those were used to hit the victim. We have also collected Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footage of the premises and are examining them to get clues, Pathare said.

Asked if Nikhil had attacked his father, Pathare said, We have not found any evidence of that so far and hence cannot say anything about it. But we have learnt that he is suffering from schizophrenia and suddenly turns violent. He had become violent quite a few times earlier. He is undergoing treatment at different places.

The police have, however, ruled out the possibility of theft or robbery. All valuables in the house, including some gold jewellery, are in place. So we dont think it was an act of thieves or robbers, said Shivajirao Awate, senior inspector of Kopar Khairane police station.

The police have registered a case under sections 302 (murder) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against unidentified people.

After technical analysis the evidences we will identify the real culprit and take legal action against him, Awate said.The last words Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Ajmal Amir Kasab said to senior police inspector Ramesh Mahale were, Aap jeet gaye, main har gaya [you won, I lost]. The admission came in November 2012, a day before Kasab would be hanged to death for being guilty of 80 offences, including waging war against India. It marked the end of an association that began at Mumbais Nair Hospital, where Mahale had first questioned Kasab after the latter was captured by the Mumbai Police on November 26, 2008.

Mahale, now retired, was the chief investigator of the 26/11 attacks and headed Mumbais crime branch Unit 1 in 2008. Kasab was in the crime branchs custody for about 81 days before being shifted to a specially-made, bulletproof, high security cell in Arthur Road Jail. Till the time he was handed a death warrant by the court, Kasab believed he would get a leeway from Indian laws, said Mahale, who retired in 2013.

Kasab fascinated Mahale, who quickly realised that the 21-year-olds defences couldnt be cracked using tough interrogation methods. We made Kasab feel comfortable and easy and waited for him to break on his own, he said. Mahales small acts of kindness included giving Kasab two new outfits.

One day, after having spent about a month and half in custody, Mahale got an unexpected insight into Kasabs thought process. I was having a conversation with Kasab when he said though he could be hanged for his crime, it wouldnt happen because the Indian justice system abhorred the death penalty, recalled Mahale. Kasab gave him the example of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and said, He hasnt been hanged even eight years after the Indian courts pronounced his death sentence. Mahale kept quiet that day.

Kasab would surprise the investigators on numerous occasions, like when he was asked to record his statement in court, near the end of the trial. Kasab told the court that he was a Pakistani national who came to Mumbai on a valid visa to catch a glimpse of Amitabh Bachchan. He said he was standing outside the stars Juhu bungalow when sleuths from Research and Analysis Wing picked him up and handed him over to the Mumbai police. The cops  shot him in the arm before putting him in lock up. Four days later, they [police] fixed him in the 26/11 case, recounted Mahale. By this time, Mahale, having interrogated Kasab, was used to the terrorist spinning stories. He never gave straight answers to our questions, said Mahale.

On November 11, 2012, a special court issued Kasabs death warrant. The then police commissioner Dr. Satyapal Singh handpicked Mahale as one of the special team that would shift Kasab to Yerwada Jail in Pune where he would be hanged to death on November 21. At midnight on November 19, Mahale went to fetch Kasab from his cell. He chose that moment to remind Kasab how the Pakistani had been certain hed evade the death penalty. Yaad hai? Char saal bhi nahin hua. Ab aur saat din baki hai [Remember what you said? It hasnt even been four years. Theres still a week left], Mahale told Kasab.

Kasab replied with, Aap jit gaye, main har gaya [you won, I lost]. He didnt speak a word during the three and a half hour journey to Pune. The exuberance and confidence in him had been replaced by the fear of death, said Mahale. Recalling the morning of November 21, when Kasab was hanged, Mahale said, It was one of happiest moments in my life when I learnt his death. Justice had been done, the evil was dead.Over one lakh ninety six thousand students from India were on the rolls of American colleges and universities during 2017-18, making it the fifth consecutive academic year which saw the figure increase.

Significantly, the increase in the number of Indian students comes at a time when the overall number of new international students in the US has dipped from 3,00,743 in 2015-16 to 2,90, 836 in 2016-17 to 2,71, 738 in 2017-18.

According to the 2018 Open Doors report released on Tuesday, the number of Indians studying in the United States rose by 5.4% over the last year to 196,271.

As many as 73% of the students from India in the US are enrolled in maths, computer science or engineering colleges. Ten per cent were enrolled in business and management fields, while eight per cent were admitted in physical science and health, the report said.

Indians, now, make up nearly 18% of all international students in the United States, and, as a group, are surpassed only by the Chinese. India also provided the second highest number of graduate students and fourth most undergraduates, the report has found.

China sent 3,63,341 students to the US in 2017-18 and they constituted 33.2% of the international students there.

According to the report, the top five states receiving Indian students were New York, Texas, California, Illinois and Massachusetts.

The number of American students studying in India has also increased to 4,704, which is 12.5% more than the year before, the report says.

Looking at the past 10 years of data, the number of Indians going to the United States has doubled. The reasons are clear: Indian students are looking for a great education and the United States continues to offer this, said US-Indian Educational Foundation (USIEF) Minister Counsellor for Consular Affairs, Joseph Pomper.

He said the American Embassy continues to see well qualified Indians applying to study in the US as well as record attendance at US university fairs held across the country.

According to the report, in 2017-18, US colleges and universities hosted over a million international students for the third consecutive year. Apart from India and China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil were the countries which sent most students.

When asked, an official said that the Indian students brought approximately six billion dollars to the US economy.

The Open Doors is published by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The survey was carried out in October 2018 by the institute, a statement said.The Pune municipal corporation (PMC) issued a public notice and have asked the people to hand over only segregated garbage to the civic body.

Sourabh Rao, PMC commissioner issued the public notice and said, solid waste management rules 2016 have come into effect as per ministry of environment, forest and climate change and government of India. In accordance with the provisions under these rules, it is the responsibility of every waste generator to segregate waste into degradable (wet) and non degradable (dry) and household hazardous waste and hand over this segregated waste to the civic body or the agencies appointed by PMC. All citizens are informed to comply with solid waste management rules 2016. Anybody found violating the provisions of the rules, will be liable for penal action in accordance with the provisions under the said rules."

Dnyaneshwar Molak, solid waste management department head said that the PMC achieved a better milestone in garbage segregation and almost 50 to 60 per cent garbage is segregated. it is true that we did not reached 100 per cent to collect segregated garbage but will create more awareness among the citizens for doing the segregation at source. The garbage segregation is happening in housing societies but there are some issues in slum areas. The Swacch volunteers who are collecting the garbage from the citizens are asking them to give only segregated garbage otherwise they would not accept the garbage from the citizens, said Molak.

Notice on plastic waste management

Sourabh Rao, PMC commissioner also issued a public notice for plastic waste management and warned citizens not to use thermocol and plastic products. PMC warned citizens that they will take action against thermocol and plastic use in the city.Families and supporters of the BJP candidates celebrated on Monday, as the party retained six sitting MLAs from Jaipur in the first official list of candidates announced for the assembly elections late on Sunday night.

Arun Chaturvedi, MLA from Civil Lines; Ashok Parnami, MLA from Adarsh Nagar; Narpart Singh Rajvi, MLA from Vidyadhar Nagar; Mohan Lal Gupta, MLA from Kishanpole; Surendra Pareek, MLA from Hawa Mahal and Satish Poonia MLA from Amer made it to the list.

After announcement of the names at 11 pm on Sunday, supporters stared gathering at the residences of the MLAs around the midnight. The family members and supporters burst firecrackers and distributed sweets. The celebrations continued on Monday morning. Later, some of the official candidates visited the BJP office, while some others visited temples and geared up for filing nomination papers.

Arun Chaturvedi, MLA from Civil Lines, arrived at the party office around 12 am. He thanked the party and supporters for the ticket and said that he would be filing the nomination papers on November 16.

We have been working towards development for last five years. Working for Civil Lines area, water, roads, education and electricity has been a priority for me and will keep working for the same, he said.

Undecided on the date for filing his nomination papers, Surendra Pareek, MLA from Hawa Mahal, said he has initiated the paperwork for filing the nomination. The roads and sewer construction at various colonies were left incomplete. We can work on the constructions, along with construction of an emergency ward in Pandit Deen Dayal Hospital, he said.

As the supporters kept gathering at the residence of Narpat Singh Rajivi, MLA from Vidyadhar Nagar, he decided to visit Ganesh Temple. Hospitals should be constructed as per the population density in the city. I will concentrate on health and infrastructure. We will also work for improvement in higher education, he said.

Supporters of the candidates who could not make it to the list gathered at the BJP party office on Sardar Patel Marg in Jaipur. Several supporters of Bhagirath Chaudhary, MLA from Kishangarh, whose name was not in the list, gathered at the office to meet the partys election in-charge, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.With the BJP axing tickets of 85 sitting MLAs in the first list for the assembly elections, several rebels entered the poll fray on Monday and could play spoilsport for the BJPs poll plans. Cabinet minister Surendra Goyal and MLA Habib ur Rehman resigned from the party.

There were protests at the BJP headquarters here by supporters of Bhagirath Choudhary angry with his ticket being cut from Kishangarh. Supporters of minister Rajkumar Rinwa also protested at the BJP office fearing that his ticket could be cut from Ratangarh from where the party has not yet declared its candidate.

Former Congress leader Abhinesh Maharishi joined the BJP in Delhi on Monday. Maharishi is an influential leader from Churu. He contested on a Congress ticket in 2008 assembly elections and lost. He contested and on a BSP ticket in the 2014 general elections polls and lost. Maharishi could be fielded from Ratangarh or from Sardarshahar seats.

Welcoming him into the party, Raje said he was a hard working leader and would strengthen the party.

On joining the party, he said he had been influenced by the leadership and development oriented policies of prime minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah and chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

PHED minister Surendra Goyal whose ticket was cut from Jaitaran came out in open revolt against the party. He said he would contest as an independent and would file his nomination on November 17. Several of his supporters also resigned from the party.

The BJP cut the ticket of sitting MLA Habib ur Rehman from Nagaur. Upset with this, Rehman was in the mood to return to his parent party, Congress. Rehman went to Delhi and was sending feelers to the Congress party. Rehman had had joined the BJP in 2009 after being denied a ticket by the Congress.

The BJP was putting in place its damage control strategy. Senior leaders such as were asked to get in touch with MLAs and ministers who were being dropped, Though the first list did not have too many surprises, the second list could see more sitting MLAs being dropped and the party, already facing strong anti-incumbency, is trying to avert further damage.

Party national vice president Om Mathur said the party leaders would talk to them and try to convince them.

Banwari Singhal whose ticket was cut from Alwar City was unhappy with being dropped. Though he did not openly come out in revolt, he told supporters that he would support the Congress candidate.

BJP state secretary Saroj Prajapat and BJP OBC Morcha Nagaur district president Rajaram Prajapat resigned from the party claiming that the Prajapat community had been overlooked in the list.

In Udaiur supporters of Nanalal Ahari protested at the party office over his ticket being cut while in Sagwada supporters of Anita Katara who was dropped also held a protest. Katara said she would decide her future course after meeting workers on November 14.Thirteen undeclared North Korean missile operating bases were identified in a new report, undermining the Trump administrations claims that its outreach to Pyongyang is making progress in getting Kim Jong Uns regime to give up its nuclear weapons program.

The 13 sites are among an estimated 20 bases, small and dispersed across the country, that are believed to have underground facilities containing mobile launchers that can be quickly dispersed to other locations, according to the report from Beyond Parallel, a group at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Although not designed as launch sites, the bases could be used to launch short-range as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The dispersed nature, small size of operating bases, and tactics and doctrine employed by ballistic missile units provide the best chances for their survival given the KPAs technology and capabilities, according to the report, using an acronym for the Korean Peoples Army.

The existence of the bases -- which presumably would have to be declared and then dismantled under the U.S. goal of North Korean denuclearization -- suggests that Pyongyangs previous efforts to dismantle known missile launch sites or nuclear facilities had little impact on its nuclear program.

The report comes as talks between the US and North Korea hit another snag last week, with a New York meeting between Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and the top negotiator from Pyongyang canceled at the last minute. President Donald Trump -- whos cited North Koreas yearlong freeze on nuclear weapons tests and ballistic missile launches as signs of progress -- chalked up the change to a scheduling conflict, adding, We think its going fine, were in no rush.

Senator Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement that Trump was getting played by Kim Jong Un.

We cannot have another summit with North Korea -- not with President Trump, not with the secretary of state -- unless and until the Kim regime takes concrete, tangible actions to halt and roll back its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, Markey said in a statement Monday.

The CSIS report was nothing new to American and South Korean intelligence officials, a spokesman for South Korean President Moon Jae-in told reporters Tuesday, adding that describing North Koreas missile activities as deceptive risked hindering diplomacy. The spokesman, Kim Eui-keum, said that Pyongyang had never agreed to shut down its short-range missile bases.

While the administration seeks to continue its maximum pressure campaign against Kims regime, momentum is building to ease international sanctions put in place last year, a move the US is struggling to resist. On Thursday, Russia called a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to take up its request for humanitarian exemptions to international sanctions on Pyongyang. The U.S. said it would vet Russias list, but administration officials have previously said Moscow is already violating the restrictions.

The facilities identified in the new report are located in strategic locations that would put missiles in range of South Korea and Japan, according to the report. Some are likely to house missiles that could reach the continental US when they become deployed. For decades, the bases have been camouflaged to prevent destruction from preemptive strikes and during military operations.

The report singled out a base known as Sakkanmol, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of the demilitarized zone and one of the closest to South Korea. The base, located in mountainous terrain, contains a unit equipped with short-range ballistic missiles, the report said, and could house medium-range ones. As of this month, the base is active and being reasonably well-maintained by North Korean standards with minor infrastructure changes.The UN rights chief on Tuesday urged Bangladesh to halt plans to repatriate more than 2,200 Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, amid reports of continued violations against the minority.

Bangladeshi authorities plan to begin returning Rohingya refugees, who have fled what the UN has called ethnic cleansing, to the Buddhist majority country from Thursday.

But the prospect has created panic in the camps, prompting some families who were due to be among the first to be repatriated to flee, according to community leaders.

We are witnessing terror and panic among those Rohingya refugees in Coxs Bazar who are at imminent risk of being returned to Myanmar against their will, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.

Forcibly expelling or returning refugees and asylum seekers to their home country would be a clear violation of the core legal principle of non-refoulement, which forbids repatriation where there are threats of persecution or serious risks to the life and physical integrity or liberty of the individuals, she said.

More than 725,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmars western Rakhine state following a military crackdown from August last year, bringing with them stories of murders, rapes and torture.

They have joined some 300,000 Rohingya already living in squalid camps in Bangladeshs southeast for years.

Many of them witnessed the killing of members of their families and the burning of their homes and villages, the UN rights office said, adding that it continued to receive reports of ongoing violations against Rohingya still in Rakhine.

Despite the fact that the refugees have repeatedly said they do not wish to return under the current conditions, some 2,260 of them are scheduled to enter Myanmar from Bangladeshs southeastern Coxs Bazar district in the first repatriations starting Thursday.

The UN pointed out several of the refugee families apparently listed for return are headed by women or children.

Some of the refugees have threatened suicide if they are forced to repatriate, and two elderly men in Coxs Bazar have already attempted suicide, the rights office said.

Bachelet stressed that the human rights violations committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar amount to the worst atrocities, including crimes against humanity and possibly even genocide.

With an almost complete lack of accountability - indeed with ongoing violations - returning Rohingya refugees to Myanmar at this point effectively means throwing them back into the cycle of human rights violations that this community has been suffering for decades.US President Donald Trump has complained of Presidential harassment in anticipation of a slew of hearings and investigations Democrats plan to launch against him and his administration when they take charge of the House of Representatives, which they won in the midterm elections.

Democrats in line for major leadership positions in the new House have indicated plans for hearings on at least 12 issues, The Washington Post reported. The list is more than 85 according to Axios that said Democrats are loading up a subpoena cannon.

Issues at stake include his alleged attempts to influence the ongoing Russia probe, sacking of attorney general Jeff Sessions and FBI director James Comey, immigration actions such as family separations, the FBI probe of allegations against Supreme Court judge Brett Kavanaugh, and Trump family businesses.

Democrats have been re-energised not by just their victory in the House but also the margin  on their way to winning 40 seats as counting continues. They lost some senate seats, but picked up one in Arizona on Monday, for a seat vacated by a Republican, taking the partys tally to 47. They are now ready for a fight.

The prospect of Presidential Harassment by the Dems is causing the Stock Market big headaches! the president tweeted on Monday.

Trump hits out at French president

The US president launched a series of attacks on his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in a Twitter-storm on Tuesday and hinted at a tariff war with France over wines.

Trump said in one tweet that Macron had very low approval rating in France, was strapped with high jobless numbers and was trying to distract attention from them when he spoke of the difference between patriotism and nationalism.

Macron had drawn the distinction at a public event in France to commemorate 100 years of the end of World War 1. With Trump looking on, Macron had said nationalism was a betrayal of patriotism. It was widely seen as a public rebuke of Trump.

Back home, Trump attacked Macron for suggesting a separate European army to defend the continent. In another tweet. he complained about big tariffs imposed by France on wines imported from America, compared to the very small tariffs levied by the United States on French wines.The bromance between President Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron is truly dead.

First thing in the US morning, the US president took another -- even more pointed -- crack at the French leader. He picked up again on the theme of a European army to defend the continents interests and took renewed offence. But in a particularly sharp jab, Trump implied that the French needed the US to rescue them from the Germans in both world wars.

Former Belgium prime minister Guy Verhofstadt was quick to respond to Trump on his own Twitter account. Trumps latest attack was ill-timed, falling on the third anniversary of Paris terror attacks that killed more than 130 people and left hundreds more injured.

The tweet comes after Trump spent a weekend in Paris with other world leaders commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1. In an earlier tweet, the American president had called Macrons suggestion very insulting.

The two men had seemed to make up with the usual forceful handshake in Paris and exchange of platitudes. The French side was keen to stress that Macrons comments were taken out of context and misappropriated.

Trump seems to have merged two separate comments from Macron in a Nov. 6 interview with Europe1. Speaking about the economy in general and cyber in specific, he said a sovereign Europe needed to defend itself from Russian, China, and even the U.S.

Later, in response to a different question, he said Europe needed a real army to defend itself from threats in the east because it shouldnt always rely on the U.S. This appeal has been a cornerstone of Macrons foreign policy for over a year.

Even though Macrons side has been at pains to clarify this, the truce between the two was short-lived. What became clear though is that whatever personal chemistry existed between the two, their policy differences have given way to open animosity.

Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism, Macron said in an address to world leaders gathered for Armistice commemorations, with Trump sitting nearby.

His office later tweeted this part of the speech, which went on to say by putting our own interests first, with no regard for others, we erase the very thing that a nation holds dearest, and the thing that keeps it alive: its moral values.

It was seen as a direct rebuke of Trumps America First policies.

In a follow-up tweet an hour later, Trump still took aim at France. This time at its wine.Amid a financial crunch at the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, India has appealed to nations to enhance contributions to the agency, saying this support will be a practical way of expressing continued solidarity with Palestine refugees.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was established by the UN General Assembly seven decades ago, looks after the welfare of 5.4 million Palestine refugees. However, almost all of the UNRWAs resources come from voluntarily contributions, with a limited donor base. This arrangement is fraught with uncertainties, First Secretary in Indias Permanent Mission to the UN Mahesh Kumar said here Monday.

Kumar, speaking at the UN General Assembly Fourth Committee meeting on the UNRWA, said even core services to the Palestinian refugees, notably in the fields of education, health, and assistance to the most vulnerable refugees are susceptible to interruption. He said provision of adequate, sustainable and predictable funding would have to be made and additional resource allocation from the regular budget could be considered.

He noted that the UN Board of Auditors in their latest report pointed out that as a result of suspended contributions amounting to 400 million dollars in respect of the years 2017 and 2018, the agencys projected overall deficit is around 450 million dollars. This is unsustainable and a cause of concern, he said.

We appeal to other traditional donors of the UNRWA to consider enhancing their contributions and non donor member states to consider contributing to the UNRWA. This is perhaps the practical way of expressing continued solidarity with Palestine refugees, Kumar said.

The Trump administration had in August said that the US will not make additional contributions to the UNRWA. Kumar said against the backdrop of the serious resource constraints faced by the UNRWA, India increased its annual financial contribution five-fold to the agencys core budget, from one million dollars in 2016 to five million dollars in 2018. India is also committed to contribute five million dollars in 2019.

As part of its ongoing assistance programmes in Palestine to strengthen capacity-building efforts focused on institutions, services and training personnel, India provides 150 places for Palestinian professionals every year in its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme.

During the last five years, under an India-Palestine development partnership, 17 agreements have been signed in the fields of agriculture, health care, information technology, youth affairs, consular affairs, womens empowerment and media.

Under those agreements, around 70 million dollars of financial support and project assistance has been offered for projects like post-2014 war reconstruction efforts in Gaza; the construction of five schools; the India-Palestine Centre of Excellence for Informational and Communication Technologies at the Al-Quds University, with a satellite centre in Ramallah.

The India-Palestine Techno-park in Ramallah; a 100-bed super specialty hospital in Bethlehem; an India Studies Chair at the Al-Quds University; the construction of the Palestine Institute of Diplomacy in Ramallah; a National Printing Press; and establishing a Heritage Centre for the Empowerment of Women and Young People.Sri Lankas Supreme Court on Tuesday overruled President Maithripala Sirisenas dissolution of parliament and ordered a halt to preparations for snap elections next year.

The Indian Ocean island has been gripped by a constitutional crisis since Sirisena sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replaced him with former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse.

Wickremesinghes party led the petitions against the dissolution and the three-judge bench, headed by the Chief Justice Nalin Perera, read out the decision to a packed court guarded by hundreds of heavily armed police and commandos.

The court suspended a proclamation issued by Sirisena on Friday sacking the legislature and calling for elections on January 5.

The ruling means parliament could go ahead with a vote to test if Sirisenas controversial nominee is able to summon a majority in the 225-member assembly and force Wickremesinghe from office.

The court also ordered the independent Elections Commission to halt preparations for the January 5 vote.Shortly after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated last month, a member of the kill team instructed a superior over the phone to tell your boss, believed to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, that the operatives had carried out their mission, according to three people familiar with a recording of Khashoggis killing collected by Turkish intelligence.

The recording, shared last month with CIA Director Gina Haspel, is seen by intelligence officials as some of the strongest evidence linking Crown Prince Mohammed to the killing of Khashoggi, a Virginia resident and Washington Post columnist whose death prompted an international outcry.

While he was not mentioned by name, US intelligence officials believe your boss was a reference to Crown Prince Mohammed. Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, one of 15 Saudis dispatched to Istanbul to confront Khashoggi at the Saudi Consolate there, made the phone call and spoke in Arabic, the people said.

Turkish intelligence officers have told US officials they believe that Mutreb, a security officer who frequently traveled with Crown Prince Mohammed, was speaking to one of the crown princes aides. While translations of the Arabic may differ, the people briefed on the call said Mutreb also said to the aide words to the effect of the deed was done.

A phone call like that is about as close to a smoking gun as you are going to get, said Bruce O Riedel, a former CIA officer now at the Brookings Institution. It is pretty incriminating evidence.

Turkish officials have said that the audio does not conclusively implicate Crown Prince Mohammed, and US intelligence and other government officials have cautioned that however compelling the recording may be, it is still not irrefutable evidence of his involvement in the death of Khashoggi.

Even if Mutreb believed the killing was ordered by the crown prince, for example, he may have had an inaccurate understanding of the origins of the order. Crown Prince Mohammed is not specifically named on the recording, and intelligence officials do not have ironclad certainty that Mutreb was referring to him.

In a statement on Monday, Saudi officials denied that the crown prince had any knowledge whatsoever of Khashoggis killing. Referring to Mutrebs instructions to tell your boss, the Saudi statement said that Turkey had allowed our intelligence services to hear recordings, and at no moment was there any reference to the mentioned phrase in the such recordings.

The Turks may possess multiple recordings, including surveillance of telephone calls, and Turkish authorities may have shared the audio only selectively.

A CIA spokesman declined to comment.

The call was part of a recording that Turkish officials played for Haspel during her visit in October to Ankara, Turkeys capital, but they did not allow her to bring it back to the United States. On Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey announced that his government had shared the audio with Saudi Arabia, the United States and other Western allies.

But while Turkish officials have played the recording for U.S. and other intelligence agencies and provided transcripts, the Turks have not handed over the recording for independent analysis, according to Turkish officials.

Turkey shared evidence from the case with a large number of friendly nations, a spokesman for Erdogan, Fahrettin Altun, said Monday. Reacting to French criticism of Turkeys handling of the case, Altun said that the Turkish government had played an audio recording for French intelligence officials and given them transcripts.

Let us not forget that this case would have been already covered up had it not been for Turkeys determined efforts, Altun said.

The growing evidence that Crown Prince Mohammed was involved in the killing of Khashoggi is certain to intensify pressure on the White House, which appeared intent on relying on a lack of concrete proof of his involvement to preserve its relationship with him. The crown prince has fostered a close relationship with the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, and the Trump administration has turned Saudi Arabia into Washingtons most crucial Arab partner.

Some Trump advisers have argued that they would need indisputable evidence of Crown Prince Mohammeds involvement in Khashoggis killing before they would punish him or the kingdom more harshly. Turkish officials have said the recording contains evidence of a premeditated killing, in which Saudi agents quickly strangled Khashoggi and methodically dismembered his body with a bone saw.

The administration, according to current and former officials, is hoping that making some modest moves on sanctions and curtailing support for the Saudi war effort in Yemen will satisfy critics, including those on Capitol Hill.

But the shift in power in Congress, where Democrats take control of the House in January, is also increasing pressure on the administration to take more punitive action. The CIA and other intelligence officials were set to brief Congress this week, and congressional leaders will press Haspel for her assessment of Crown Prince Mohammeds culpability.

Trump himself has suggested more information would be coming out. Ill have a much stronger opinion on that subject over the next week, he told reporters Wednesday at the White House. I am forming a very strong opinion.

Signs of a hardening stance within the administration are emerging. The State Department issued a tough statement Sunday saying that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told Crown Prince Mohammed in a phone call that the United States will hold all of those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable.

Saudi officials planned to release their own inquiry in the coming days, but Turkeys revelation that they and Western officials also have the transcripts of the recordings could force the Saudis to scramble before any presentation they planned to make.

Even without definitive proof, intelligence agencies had already concluded that only Crown Prince Mohammed could have ordered the operation to kill Khashoggi, given the personal character of his governance and the depth of his control over the kingdom. Evidence from the tape also showed that Khashoggi was killed soon after he entered the room of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul where the security team was waiting for him, further proof that the killing was planned, according to people briefed on the intelligence.

Current and former intelligence officials insisted that it is rare that all of the pieces of a complex puzzle like Khashoggis killing would ever be available. Intelligence, according to a former official, simply does not work like a spy thriller or television cop show where a case turns on a crystal-clear recording.

Investigators were unlikely to collect a piece of evidence that incontrovertibly links the crown prince to the killing, said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who is set to lead the House Intelligence Committee next year.

You are not going to have any of the people who carried out the murder speak openly about who they got their orders from or who is in the loop on it, Schiff said in an interview. That is not realistic to expect.

The absence of direct evidence does not prevent the intelligence community from laying responsibility at Crown Prince Mohammeds feet. An intelligence assessment includes an agencys best judgment on what happened based on the available facts and experience of officials.

Schiff promised that when he takes charge of the Intelligence Committee, he will investigate Khashoggis killing and examine Saudi Arabias actions more broadly in the Middle East, including its military campaign in Yemen, which has prompted a humanitarian crisis.

We need to do our own due diligence, we need to make sure we are getting good intelligence, and we need to make sure the administration doesnt misrepresent to the country what foreign actors are doing, Schiff said.

Nonetheless, current and former officials said they do not expect Trump to drop his support for Crown Prince Mohammed.

The Trump family and the president have built up such an overwhelming reliance on the crown prince that the relationship is now, in their view, too big to fail, Schiff said.

Policymakers  not Haspel or Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence  will decide what sort of relationship to have with Crown Prince Mohammed and what punishment Saudi Arabia should face for Khashoggis killing, current and former officials said.Rancher Labs, a provider of container management software, today announced support for all leading Kubernetes services in China. The only enterprise Kubernetes platform that manages both self-hosted and cloud-hosted Kubernetes clusters, Rancher has now added support for Huawei Cloud Container Engine (CCE), Alibaba Cloud Container Service for Kubernetes (ACK) and Tencent Kubernetes Engine (TKE).

"Rancher continues to be the unequivocal choice for enterprises running containers and Kubernetes in production," said Sheng Liang, CEO and co-founder of Rancher Labs. "As enterprises continue to adopt Kubernetes at a global level, it is vital that we continue to expand our support. We're pleased to be the only Kubernetes management platform to support cloud-hosted Kubernetes clusters from all of the leading cloud providers."

Expanded support for Huawei Cloud, Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud

Rancher is an open source Kubernetes management platform that allows organizations to deliver Kubernetes-as-a-Service to their employees and centrally manage all Kubernetes clusters, regardless of how the cluster was deployed, or where it is running. With Rancher 2.0, the company introduced the first platform to manage hosted Kubernetes services from Google (GKE), Amazon (EKS) and Azure (AKS), enforcing consistent security policies, and providing an intuitive user experience across any cluster. Now with expanded support, organizations can accelerate the adoption of Kubernetes in China and deploy applications consistently anywhere in the world.

This latest product update includes:

Self-service provision of Kubernetes clusters in Huawei CCE, Alibaba ACK, and Tencent TKE. Users can create and upgrade CCE, ACK, and TKE clusters from Rancher UI and API.

Integrated cloud infrastructure management and cluster scaling. Users can configure CCE, ACK, and TKE clusters, including the number of nodes in the clusters, from Rancher UI and API.

Centralized user authentication across on-premise and CCE, ACK, and TKE clusters. Enterprise users can sign in to their CCE, ACK, and TKE clusters using their Active Directory and LDAP credentials.

Unified access control policy across all your Kubernetes clusters. Enterprise IT administrators can configure and enforce consistent access control policies across CCE, ACK, and TKE clusters.

"Huawei CCE is the first cloud managed Kubernetes service in China," said Mr. Liao ZhenQin, Huawei Cloud BU PaaS product department general manager. "We welcome Rancher users to take advantage of the world-class Kubernetes support offered by Huawei cloud."

"As the largest public cloud service provider in China, and one of the world's top three IaaS providers, Alibaba Cloud is dedicated to empowering enterprises to accelerate their digital transformation with cloud native approach and open container technologies," said Mr. YiLi, director of engineering for Alibaba Cloud Container Technologies. "We are delighted to support Rancher through Alibaba Cloud Kubernetes Service (ACK). Available in sixteen regions around the world, we strongly believe ACK will boost the cloud migration and multi-cloud management with Kubernetes."

"Born out of the open source Kubernetes system, Tencent Kubernetes Engine (TKE) provides container-centric, highly scalable and high-performance container management services," said Mr. Liang WenJie, Tencent Cloud PaaS product manager. "Rancher support for Tencent Kubernetes Engines is very helpful. Rancher users will now be able to leverage the richest set of features offered by TKE."

The integration will be available in Rancher 2.2, scheduled to ship in early 2019. Rancher Labs will demonstrate the integration with Huawei, Alibaba and Tencent at KubeCon Shanghai in booth P9.Rebranding

13 November 2018

StayWell Holdings and Prince Hotels Inc. announced the creation of international hotel brand, The hotel will be Prince Akatoki brand. The Prince Akatoki StayWell Holdings, offering a luxury 5 successful portfolio. StayWell Holdings, a and leisure companies, acquisition of The Arch London, which will undergo a refurbishment in 2019.

In the beating heart of London, winning hotel is buzzing tourist destination has to offer End and shopping in London's most acclaimed fashion districts. Marylebone acts as an oasis of streets lined with Victorian homes, Marylebone is filled with small, independent shops while also being one of London's most acclaimed fashion districts. Quaint cafes spill onto the Marylebone with various markets taking place on a regular occurrence making the area a true urban village. heritage and global connectivity with the unique sophistication and hospitality of Masahiko Koyama, President of Prince Hotels, Inc. announce that our first overseas luxury brand, The Prince A StayWell Holdings announce acquisition of StayWell Holdings and Prince Hotels Inc.

Located in Great Cumberland Place near Marble Arch & Marylebone. StayWell Holdings and Prince Hotels Inc. announced the creation of international hotel brand, The hotel will be rebranded in 2019 and will be Prince Akatoki brand. Akatoki brand complements the wider portfolio of brands managed by StayWell Holdings, offering a luxury 5 successful portfolio. , a subsidiary and leisure companies, have announced its first property under The Prince Akatoki brand, acquisition of The Arch London, which will undergo a refurbishment

The Prince A synonymous with Japan, and signature experiences that are unique to Japanese hospitality. In the beating heart of London, hotel is positioned in a buzzing tourist destination has to offer London's most acclaimed fashion districts.Pipeline

13 November 2018

Conrad Washington, DC today announced it is now accepting reservations for guests, meetings and events in anticipation of its opening in February 2019. The 360-room hotel, situated at the corner of New York Avenue and 10th Street NW, is the first for Conrad Hotels & Resorts in the nation's capital. The property is designed to bring Washington hospitality into a new era of modern luxury with its unique architecture, sleek interior design, inspired art collection and culinary offerings led by world-renowned chefs.

The hotel anchors the second phase of CityCenterDC, a high-end, mixed-use development in downtown Washington, DC known for its collection of upscale retail stores and eateries, and developed by the international real estate firm Hines and investor Qatari Diar.

World-Class Design by Architecture Firm of London's Tate Modern

Conrad Washington, DC features a sleek all-glass exterior that wraps around its 10 floors, 360 rooms and 30,000 square feet of high-end retail space below the hotel on the ground floor. The hotel's concept was envisioned by renowned Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, best known for landmark projects like the Olympic Stadium in Beijing and The Tate Modern in London. Architect of Record, HKS Inc., served as the Production Architect on the project. Consultant Rottet Studio designed the interiors as a restrained, minimalist expression of purity of thought and design, to complement the carefully conceived building. The hotel also features a contemporary art collection inspired by the Washington Color School movement, curated by consulting firm Tatar Art Projects.

Bold New Voltaggio Restaurant and Event Space

The hotel will offer 32,000 square feet of elevated meeting space bathed in natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as three outdoor terraces, a rooftop bar and dedicated event terrace featuring panoramic views of the U.S. Capitol. The property's signature restaurant, Estuary, is a creation by James Beard nominees and "Top Chef" alumni, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio.

Exclusive Club to Offer Elevated Personalized Service

Rounding out the hotel's distinct offerings is a new program called the Sakura Club - an exclusive amenity located on the 10th floor of the hotel that is accessible with the purchase of club level guestrooms and suites. Deriving its name from the Japanese word for cherry blossom, the Sakura Club features an aesthetic influenced by the signature trees given to Washington, DC by Japan in 1912. The exceptional experience features elevated personalized service that begins before guests arrive and extends throughout their stay and beyond. As part of this service, the Sakura Club offers a serene environment featuring meals made to order by a private chef, a dedicated club concierge, use of private meeting rooms, priority reservations at Estuary and special access to rooftop bar events.

Conrad Hotels & Resortsis a portfolio of 34 luxury properties spanning 21 countries, all of which offer guests a seamless connection between design, innovation and culture. The luxury hotel brand was established in 1982 and has properties in the world's most desirable locations, including metropolitan cities such as New York, Hong Kong and London and leisure destinations such as the Maldives, Bora Bora and Koh Samui.

As part of Hilton, Conrad Washington, DC will participate in Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton's 15 distinct hotel brands. Members who book directly have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay at an exclusive member discount.Appointment

13 November 2018

Atrium Hospitality today announced Swietlana Cahill is the new general manager of the company's Hilton Long Beach in California. Cahill joins Atrium with more than 25 years of hospitality experience, including 12 years in the Los Angeles area. The 399-room/suite Hilton Long Beach is owned and operated by Alpharetta, Georgia-based Atrium Hospitality, which is ranked one of the nation's largest hotel owners and operators. Cahill's extensive hospitality career includes properties in five states, spanning well-known brands and boutique hotels, including The Peabody Memphis in Tennessee. Prior to her role with Atrium, Cahill served as general manager of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Irvine Orange County Airport. Under Cahill's direction, guest satisfaction and associate satisfaction scores at the hotel significantly improved. She was recognized for her outstanding performance with numerous accolades from the brand and hotel ownership, including the "General Manager of the Year" and the "Excellence in Profit Award," among others. Her career in the Los Angeles area also encompasses the role of general manager at the 683-room/suite, historic Millennium Biltmore Downtown, including overseeing 70,000 square feet of meeting space. Cahill's additional experience with the Hilton brand includes serving as general manager at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Memphis Downtown and at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles - Commerce. Cahill has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from PMP College in Russia. She also attended Moscow University in Russia to study math and philosophy. She is a member of the American Hotel and Lodging Association and the Hotel Association of Los Angeles. She serves as a committee vice president and in board positions on the Irvine Concourse Association, a 48-acre, pedestrian-friendly, master-planned business campus. In addition, she has participated as an executive board member on the Central City Association of Los Angeles and with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. Working with her team members to serve in the community is a part of her management style, including collaborating with area nonprofits to feed the hungry.Theo to Handelblatt, cac yeu cau nay oi hoi cac trang mang xa hoi Facebook va Twitter phai go bo cac phat ngon mang tinh thu ich tren cac trang nay.

Hinh minh hoa. Nguon: usnews.com

Cac bo truong Tu phap cua cac bang se trinh ban e xuat sua oi ao luat NetzDG tai cuoc hop voi Bo truong Tu phap Katarina Barley se dien ra ngay thu Nam 15/11 toi, to bao cho biet them.

ao luat cuong che hanh vi sai pham tren mang (NetzDG) co hieu luc tu ngay 1/1/2018 the hien no luc cao o mong muon kiem soat nhung gi xuat hien tren truyen thong xa hoi. a co hang loat chi trich ua ra danh cho ao luat nay.

Trong khi cac bang cua uc tap trung vao van e tien trinh giai quyet khieu nai, mot so quan chuc khac lai keu goi su thay oi sau khi co mot loat loi chi trich cho rang a co qua nhieu noi dung va bai ang tren mang xa hoi bi chan. Su thay oi nay se giup nhung nguoi muon phan nan ve viec tai sao bai ang bi chan co uoc mot hinh mau ve noi dung uoc cho phep ua len mang xa hoi.

Cac quan chuc con muon cac cong ty truyen thong xa hoi ong mot khoan phat 500.000 euro ve viec cung cap cac cau tra loi vo nghia cho cac cau hoi tu co quan thuc thi phap luat, to bao cho biet them.

Thang 7 vua roi, Facebook a phai xoa hang tram bai ang co noi dung chong oi, ke tu khi ao luat nay co hieu luc. Neu Facebook khong tuan thu luat, so tien phat du oan len toi 50 trieu euro.Event

The INSPIRE Summit is ultimate event for owners and operators in the fastest growing market in hospitality: luxury. Get a year's worth of insights, ideas and innovation in a few days. Connect with and learn from the industry's biggest experts, educators and leaders as they predict trends, discuss best practices and share strategies for the changing landscape of luxury hospitality.

ILHA Inspire Summit '18 is organized byPress Release

13 November 2018

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchisor with more than 9,000 hotels and 20 iconic brands, bolstered its leading network of midscale offerings in the third quarter of 2018 and strengthened the presence of its La Quinta by Wyndham brand with the opening of seven hotels across the U.S.



The latest La Quinta additions in South Jordan and Kanab, Utah; Opelika and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Aberdeen, Md.; Duncanville, Texas; and Columbus, Miss., bring the brand's growing U.S. footprint to nearly 900 hotels. Six of the seven are newly built destinations, signifying Wyndham's strategic efforts to drive hotel consistency and quality through new-construction growth, as well as indicating continued keen interest among hotel owners to add new La Quinta locations to their portfolios.



La Quinta's roster of openings in its first full quarter since being acquired by Wyndham earlier this year demonstrates the Company's steadfast commitment to expanding its newest flag in key markets, largely through new construction. Further propelling the brand's growth, Wyndham executed 10 La Quinta franchise agreements between July 1 and September 30, 2018, nine of which were new construction deals. As of September 30, 2018, 90 percent of the 260 hotels in the brand's pipeline were new construction.



"Hotel developers choose La Quinta time and time again because of the brand's long-standing reputation for delivering quality, dependability, and great guest experiences," said Rajiv Trivedi, president, La Quinta at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. "These recent additions represent the best of what La Quinta has to offer, and our robust new-construction pipeline is testament to the brand's tenacious growth potential. With Wyndham's scale and distribution we'll continue partnering with passionate owners to raise more brand flags in high-demand areas."



Opening Doors in the U.S.

The six newly built hotels that joined La Quinta in the third quarter are:

La Quinta Inn & Suites Opelika-Auburn in Opelika, Ala.;

La Quinta Inn & Suites Tuscaloosa-McFarland in Tuscaloosa, Ala.;

La Quinta Inn & Suites Aberdeen APG in Aberdeen, Md.;

La Quinta Inn & Suites Dallas-Duncanville in Duncanville, Texas;

La Quinta Inn & Suites South Jordan in South Jordan, Utah; and

La Quinta Inn & Suites Kanab in Kanab, Utah.

The seventh addition, La Quinta Inn & Suites Columbus in Columbus, Miss., underwent a complete renovation to transform all guest rooms and public spaces, infusing a fresh, modern look while incorporating the enhanced amenities guests have come to expect from the brand.

Each of the new hotels reflects La Quinta's guest-inspired, owner-friendly Del Sol prototype. The design combines clean geometric lines, bold colors, and varying textures with iconic brand elements and guest-centric offerings to enhance the experience while maximizing revenue-generating space for hotel developers. Thirty-five Del Sol hotels are currently under construction in the U.S., with 40 already open and operating.

Like each of its more than 910 upper-midscale and midscale hotels in North and Latin America, La Quinta's newest additions offer the brand's signature pillow-top Bright Morning Bed, free Bright Side Breakfast, and spacious in-room work areas. Additional features include the Great Room, a comfortable and spacious social gathering space; a state-of-the-art fitness center; free high-speed Wi-Fi; and meeting space.

Driving Development

La Quinta's third-quarter openings pace continues a year of solid development momentum. So far in 2018, the brand has surpassed the 900-hotel mark and celebrated 19 openings - nearly 70 percent of which were new construction - including global debuts in Santiago, Chile, and Leon, Mexico. These brand new hotels in Latin America are conveniently located near Santiago's international airport and in the heart of Leon, catering to travelers looking for comfortable, dependable lodging, and top-rated service while visiting these bustling cities.

"The growing global middle class, which is expected to grow by 160 million people each year for the next five years, is traveling more and seeking out value-driven experiences, steering the need for quality accommodations at affordable price points around the world," said Bob Loewen, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. "Such demand puts a trusted, fast-growing select-service brand like La Quinta in an opportune position to branch out in sought-after markets like South America and debut in new ones like Europe, where we're aiming to introduce the brand by the end of the year."

Wyndham's May 2018 acquisition of La Quinta strengthened the Company's position as a midscale lodging leader with approximately 37 percent of branded rooms in the segment in the U.S.Supplier News

13 November 2018

New York and London, November 13, 2018 - OTA Insight , the cloud-based data intelligence platform for the hospitality industry, today announced an expanded partnership with Best Western Hotels & Resorts to maximize revenue and drive better distribution across each of its 2,200 U.S. and Canadian hotel properties. The partnership represents a monumental milestone for the company as now, 40,000 hotels in 168 countries are benefiting from OTA Insight's solutions.

"Over the last year, OTA Insight has provided us invaluable support at the head-office level with their suite of dynamic data analytics tools," said Monte Gardiner, Managing Director, Revenue Management at Best Western Hotels & Resorts. "Through our expanded partnership, each and every one of our properties will be able to leverage the Rate Insight platform to rate shop and help make better pricing decisions. With vastly improved speed and quality of decision-making, our properties will be able to manage rates, inventory and restrictions more effectively. Complex processes within revenue management will be simplified down to a click of a button."

OTA Insight's 40,000 customer milestone showcases strong growth globally, but in particular for its North American business division. Since entering the North American market in August 2016, OTA Insight's ability to expand rapidly in this region is a testament to the hospitality industry's need for innovative revenue management solutions.

"Best Western is a valued partner, and we're excited to roll out our state-of-the-art rate shopping tools across its hotel portfolio. Through our technology, we'll be able to onboard new users quickly, with little to no turnaround time," said OTA Insight Co-Founder and CCO, Gino Engels. "We're looking forward to collaborating with Best Western so that its hotels benefit from our suite of revenue management tools."

For more information on OTA Insight, please visit www.otainsight.com .

About OTA Insight

OTA Insight empowers hoteliers to make smarter revenue and distribution decisions through its market-leading suite of cloud-based business intelligence solutions including Rate Insight, Parity Insight and Revenue Insight. With live updates, 24/7 support from our customer success team, and a highly-intuitive and customizable dashboard, the OTA Insight platform integrates with other industry tools including hotel property management systems, leading RMS solutions and data benchmarking providers. OTA Insight's team of international experts are based all over the world, including the UK, US, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, Australia and India, and supports more than 40,000 properties in 168 countries. Ranked one of 10 "Ones to Watch" in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100, OTA Insight is widely recognized as a leader in hospitality business intelligence.

For more information, visit www.otainsight.com and follow us on Twitter @otainsight .

About Best Western Hotels & Resorts:

Best Western Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of 4,200 hotels in more than 100 countries and territories worldwide. Best Western offers 13 hotel brands to suit the needs of developers and guests in every market: Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier, Vib, GLo, Executive Residency by Best Western, Sadie HotelSM, Aiden HotelSM, BW Premier Collection by Best Western, and BW Signature Collection by Best Western, as well as its recently launched franchise offerings: SureStayHotel by Best Western, SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western and SureStay Collection by Best Western. Now celebrating more than 70 years of hospitality, Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales and marketing support, and award-winning online and mobile booking capabilities. Best Western continues to set industry records regarding awards and accolades, including 66 percent of the brand's North American hotels earning a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award in 2018, Business Travel News ranking Best Western Plus and Best Western number one in upper-mid-price and mid-price hotel brands, and Fast Company honoring Best Western Hotels & Resorts with a spot in the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in the Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality category. Best Western has also won nine consecutive AAA/CAALodging Partner of the Year awards, recognizing the brand's commitment to providing exceptional service and great value to AAA/CAA's nearly 58 million members in the U.S. and Canada. Best Western-branded hotels were top ranked in J.D. Power's 2017 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study - ranking first in breakfast (food and beverage category) for midscale; and second in overall guest satisfaction. Over 35 million travelers are members of the brand's award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western-branded hotel worldwide. Best Western's partnerships with AAA/CAA and Google Street View provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Through its partnership with Google Street View, Best Western is the first major company of its size and scale to launch a virtual reality experience for customers, setting a new industry standard and reinventing how guests view hotels.

* All Best Western and SureStay-branded hotels are independently owned and operated.

 Numbers are approximate, may fluctuate, and include hotels currently in the development pipeline.Supplier News

13 November 2018

Cloud5 Communications, hospitality's leading communications technology and services platform, today announced a partnership with Roxy, the speech-enabled device that provides fully customizable in-room hotel concierge services. This partnership is one of the first to combine a virtual assistant and a hospitality cloud-based PBX system, enabling hotels to reduce the number of necessary devices in their rooms and enhance guest experience.

In addition to consolidating guest room devices, Roxy frees up concierge and front-desk staff to perform more value-added work in person with guests. Speech-enabled Roxy handles a full range of services including on-demand assistance, transportation and navigation, curated recommendations customized for your hotel, wake up calls and valet requests, housekeeping requests, weather, music streaming, room service, and more  with a single user-friendly device.

"Cloud5's hospitality cloud-based PBX platform is a perfect fit for Roxy speech-enabled devices," explains Cam Urban, CEO of Roxy. "Deployment is easy and properties can scale their deployments to any size, with any number of Roxy devices on property. Cloud5's platform streamlines implementation and enables changes to be made quickly across all phones in the network. We're excited to be working with Cloud5, a proven leader in bringing innovative communications technology to hoteliers."

According to a recent study by NPR and Edison Research, one in six Americans has a smart speaker or virtual assistant device in their home today. comScore projects 50% of all searches will be done by voice by 2020. As this number continues to grow, guests will come to expect these devices as amenities in their rooms. Properties that adopt solutions like Roxy in lieu of traditional in-room devices will save money and be positioned to serve guests better today and in the future.

Set up is simple and fast. Hotel users have full control over their hotel voice persona, services, and information that guests receive with the ability to customize messages and the information database based on season, events, hotel activities, and more.

"'Hands-free' is the trend for homes, cars, and now hotel rooms. Hospitality is seeing greater demand for speech-enabled devices that give guests the 'at home' experience they crave when traveling," said Daniel Langrill, VP of Product Management and Development at Cloud5. "The Roxy device is a creative solution that reduces costs by reducing/replacing in-room devices while improving guest satisfaction. It's an excellent addition to Cloud5's end-to-end solutions portfolio and provides us with a way to offer both a speech-enabled guest engagement device and a speech-enabled telephone in one solution."



About Roxy

Roxy is a speech enabled device that provides fully customizable in-room concierge services. The device is built from the ground-up for the hotel industry. Guests use the device by asking a question or making a request. Roxy intuitively understands the request or question and responds immediately. In addition to improving the guest experience, Roxy helps hotels eliminate in-room devices, increase efficiencies in guest services delivery and generate revenue. Learn more at the Roxy website. See a video of Roxy in action here.JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.



You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browserToday, a consortium led by Jin Jiang International Holdings Co., Ltd (Jin Jiang International) announced that it has completed the acquisition of Radisson Hospitality, Inc.

On 9 August 2018, Jin Jiang International Holdings Co., Ltd. led international consortium, including SINO-CEE Fund , announced that the Consortium had entered into agreements with Radisson Hospitality Inc. and HNA Sweden Hospitality Management AB, an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary of HNA Tourism Group Co., Ltd., respectively, to acquire shares in Radisson Hospitality AB (publ). The purchase price under the agreements is SEK 35.00 per share.

The completion of the acquisition was subject to receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, these conditions have now been fulfilled. Consequently, the Consortium's joint acquisition vehicle, Aplite Holdings AB (the "Purchaser"), today completed the acquisition of 87,552,187 shares in Radisson AB from Radisson Hospitality Inc., corresponding to 50.21 percent of the shares and votes in Radisson AB[1].

The Purchaser is now, in accordance with Chapter 3, Section 1 of the Swedish Public Takeover Act (Sw. lagen (2006:451) om offentliga uppkopserbjudanden pa aktiemarknaden), under an obligation to either launch a mandatory tender offer for the remaining outstanding shares in Radisson AB or sell down its ownership in Radisson AB below 30 percent within four weeks from the completion of the acquisition, i.e. no later than 11th December 2018.

The Purchaser and the Consortium have retained Baker & McKenzie Advokatbyra KB as legal advisor.



In response to the announcement, John M. Kidd, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Radisson Hospitality, Inc., issued the following statement:

This marks yet another incredible milestone in our companys storied history and one that Im confident will elevate Radisson Hotel Group to a new level of strength as a global leader in the hospitality industry. When we announced our re-branding earlier this year to Radisson Hotel Group, we shared our vision for the company, which was to be the company of choice for guests, owners and talent.

We are now owned by one of the leading travel and hospitality companies - the fifth largest hotel company in the world. Additionally, Jin Jiangs loyalty program encompasses more than 100 million members. This type of size, coupled with the record number of Chinese consumers traveling abroad, provides a number of new opportunities for Radisson Hotel Group.

The consortium led by Jin Jiang will work with us to improve and execute our five-year plan, while continuing to deliver outstanding customer and guest service.

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 2021 Hotel News ResourceConrad Washington, DC today announced it is now accepting reservations for guests, meetings and events in anticipation of its opening in February 2019.

Conrad Washington, DC today announced it is now accepting reservations for guests, meetings and events in anticipation of its opening in February 2019. The 360-room hotel, situated at the corner of New York Avenue and 10th Street NW, is the first for Conrad Hotels & Resorts in the nation's capital. The property is designed to bring Washington hospitality into a new era of modern luxury with its unique architecture, sleek interior design, inspired art collection and culinary offerings led by world-renowned chefs.

The hotel anchors the second phase of CityCenterDC, a high-end, mixed-use development in downtown Washington, DC known for its collection of upscale retail stores and eateries, and developed by the international real estate firm Hines and investor Qatari Diar.

"Conrad Washington, DC will usher in a new era of hospitality for our domestic and international travelers seeking modern luxury in the nation's capital," said Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton. "With Hilton's global headquarters in nearby McLean, Virginia, we are excited to introduce the Conrad brand to our hometown."

Design by Architecture Firm of London's Tate Modern

Conrad Washington, DC features a sleek all-glass exterior that wraps around its 10 floors, 360 rooms and 30,000 square feet of high-end retail space below the hotel on the ground floor. The hotel's concept was envisioned by renowned Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, best known for landmark projects like the Olympic Stadium in Beijing and The Tate Modern in London. Architect of Record, HKS Inc., served as the Production Architect on the project. Consultant Rottet Studio designed the interiors as a restrained, minimalist expression of purity of thought and design, to complement the carefully conceived building. The hotel also features a contemporary art collection inspired by the Washington Color School movement, curated by consulting firm Tatar Art Projects.

"We are incredibly excited that Conrad Washington, DC will showcase what makes the Conrad brand so unique: contemporary design, curated art and leading innovation that inspires the entrepreneurial spirit of the globally connected traveler," said Martin Rinck, executive vice president and global head, Luxury & Lifestyle Group, Hilton. "It will not only be a hallmark property for the brand, but a standout hotel for the Washington, DC area."

The hotel will offer 32,000 square feet of elevated meeting space bathed in natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as three outdoor terraces, a rooftop bar and dedicated event terrace featuring panoramic views of the U.S. Capitol. The property's signature restaurant, Estuary, is a creation by James Beard nominees and "Top Chef" alumni, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio.

Rounding out the hotel's distinct offerings is a new program called the Sakura Club  an exclusive amenity located on the 10th floor of the hotel that is accessible with the purchase of club level guestrooms and suites. Deriving its name from the Japanese word for cherry blossom, the Sakura Club features an aesthetic influenced by the signature trees given to Washington, DC by Japan in 1912. The exceptional experience features elevated personalized service that begins before guests arrive and extends throughout their stay and beyond. As part of this service, the Sakura Club offers a serene environment featuring meals made to order by a private chef, a dedicated club concierge, use of private meeting rooms, priority reservations at Estuary and special access to rooftop bar events.

"In every piece of its immaculate design, Conrad Washington, DC is breaking the mold of traditional DC luxury," said Laura Schofield, General Manager, Conrad Washington, DC. "From its preeminent architecture to its spectacular art and elevated cuisine, the hotel's debut is undeniably the most anticipated hotel opening of the year."

The hotel is adjacent to CityCenterDC's high-end retail stores and upscale eateries. "As the capstone to CityCenterDC, Conrad Washington, DC will play an integral part in the development's continued growth by drawing additional visitors to downtown DC," said Howard Riker, Hines Managing Director. "At each turn, guests will encounter innovative features and state-of-the-art technology to provide intuitive service to the ever-changing needs of today's modern traveler."

Conrad Hotels & Resorts is a portfolio of 34 luxury properties spanning 21 countries, all of which offer guests a seamless connection between design, innovation and culture. The luxury hotel brand was established in 1982 and has properties in the world's most desirable locations, including metropolitan cities such as New York, Hong Kong and London and leisure destinations such as the Maldives, Bora Bora and Koh Samui.

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 2021 Hotel News ResourceToday YOTEL announced plans to operate a new hotel in Porto, due to open in 2019. The hotel will be located on Rua de Goncalo Cristovao, in the heart of the traditional centre of Porto, adjacent to the city's business district - Rua de Santa Catarina.

Today YOTEL announced plans to operate a new hotel in Porto, due to open in 2019. The hotel will be located on Rua de Goncalo Cristovao, in the heart of the traditional centre of Porto, adjacent to the city's business district - Rua de Santa Catarina.

The property will showcase the design excellence that YOTEL is known for worldwide. Integrating the fundamentals of luxury hotels into smaller smartly designed spaces, and will offer approximately 147 rooms, or 'cabins' as they are known. As per typical YOTEL style, each cabin will have a signature space-saving adjustable SmartBed with Serta gel mattress, ensuite bathrooms with rain showers, mood lighting and HD TVs that can easily be connected to guests' own devices.

"We are thrilled to launch our first hotel in Portugal in Porto, home to many of the largest Portuguese corporations and the gateway to the Douro Valley and the northern Portuguese regions. Having grown in double digits for three successive years, Porto's hotel market has demonstrated its strength and aptitude to attract an increasingly-wide variety of demand. Strong economic growth, new airline routes and numerous international events are expected to continue delivering demand to Porto, driving higher rates and occupancy levels", says Hubert Viriot, CEO of YOTEL.

"As a tech-driven brand, YOTEL Porto will deliver extraordinary value and innovative design in a market dominated by traditional hotels, far off from modern travellers' needs and expectation", Viriot adds.

The project came to fruition following investment from owner United Investments Portugal, a luxury real estate developer renowned for the creation of world-class hotels and resorts across Portugal.

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Carlos Leal, General Director United Investments Portugal says: "As a long-term strategic partner of YOTEL, we are delighted to bring such a pioneering hotel group to Porto. YOTEL's innovative yet affordable luxury ethos perfectly matches demand in a city that seeks to continuously regenerate. YOTEL's development here in the city will only contribute to the vibrancy and increasing popularity of Porto".

The property will incorporate the quintessentially YOTEL technological and design features, which includes free super-fast WiFi, ample access to charging and power points in cabins and public spaces, keyless entry and the ability to self-check in under a minute with the hotel's airline-style self-service kiosks.

Driven by a sense of community, YOTEL Porto's cleverly designed multi-functional public spaces are ideal for work and play. Not only will guests have access to a 24/7 gym, smart vending and 'food on the go', but also the shared eating, drinking and co-working spaces will be ideal to relax and socialise with likeminded travellers. The Porto property will also be home to a sky bar and terrace on the 9th floor, ensuring outstanding views are not solely reserved for guests, but for local patrons too.

The property stands minutes away from theatres, restaurants, bars and tourist attractions such as the Ribeira quarter (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Port Wine Cellars, and the docks where the Douro Rio cruises begin. Its proximity to both the business district and tourist attractions cater to business travellers and tourists alike. Just 350 metres from the Trindade metro station, YOTEL Porto will be 30 minutes by rail and 20 minutes by car to Porto's Airport.

YOTEL Porto will be the first of many in the Iberian Peninsula as the group is actively looking for opportunities in this region, focussing on major cities like Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona.

As with other YOTEL adaptive reuse and regeneration projects in San Francisco and Edinburgh, YOTEL Porto will introduce modernity and vibrancy by injecting new life into a vacant office space, thereby contributing to the overall transformation of the area. The project is currently in development stages and designed by Nuno Leonidas Architects (NLA).

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 2021 Hotel News Resource40 percent report that after events of 2018, they need a trip to relax; Wedding-related travel ranks as top PTO regret

With less than two months remaining in 2018, one in four working Americans have nine or more days of paid time off still available to use. And twenty percent of the full-time American workforce expects to reach the end of the year without using their allotted vacation time. These were among the findings of the Priceline Work-Life Balance Report, a survey of 1,003 employed Americans executed in October by Morar HPI.

The Priceline Work-Life Balance Report asked Americans to analyze how they used (or misused) their time off from work in 2018, and what travel priorities they planned to emphasize in 2019 with their vacation time. On the whole, it revealed that working Americans put their vacation time to good use  traveling extensively throughout the country, with ambitious travel plans in store for 2019  while regularly failing to use all of the vacation days available to them.

Too often, people begin the year expecting to take full advantage of the vacation time theyre given, but find themselves scrambling to use those days as December approaches, said Brett Keller, Pricelines CEO. Our advice is to treat your paid time off like any other work project. Plan ahead, keep track of the days available, and dont let the year end with that time unused. Vacations dont have to be complex or expensive. Even a night relaxing at a nearby hotel is time well spent.

American Workers Desire More Relaxation, Less Regret

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the need for relaxation ranks highly for working Americans. A full 85 percent of Americans surveyed cited a desire to disconnect and relax as their vacation priority. When asked specifically what kind of trip they need after the events of 2018, relaxation rose to the top of the list.

Nearly a third of American workers (29 percent) report having regrets about how they spent their paid time off in 2018, but the study suggested that they are optimistic about making better use of vacation days in 2019. In particular, nearly six in ten (59 percent) plan to take more time off next year.

Half of American workers plan to take more solo trips, while just under a third (31 percent) intend to travel internationally. A full 35 percent of study respondents intend to take event-related trips, such as to music or food festivals.

Wedding Regrets

One particular frustration voiced by American workers was the time spent traveling to wedding-related activities, including bachelor/bachelorette parties and the weddings themselves. Almost one in five employed Americans (19 percent) used their work vacation time for such activities in 2018. Of those who did, more than four in ten (41 percent) cited it as their top regret. And more than a quarter of Americans (28 percent) intend to use fewer vacation days for such events in 2019.

Saving Money a Travel Priority, Brand Loyalty Less So

Nearly half of American workers (47 percent) surveyed state that saving money during the travel booking process is particularly important, and nearly one in four (24 percent) report not having used their available vacation time because they felt they could not afford it.

American workers also report that brand loyalty  regularly flying a particular airline or staying at a certain hotel  is not an overriding priority when they travel. Overall, only 27 percent report loyalty to a single hotel brand, and only 23 percent do the same for airlines.

Female travelers show markedly less brand affinity than male travelers  only 15% of American women in the study prefer a certain airline, versus 37 percent of men. Approximately the same split is true of hotel loyalty, with brand preference about half as important to women (18 percent) as men (37 percent).

Will Fly for Food

American workers cited food and drink was their top travel expense in 2018, and four in ten (41 percent) claim that food will be their top influence when considering travel in 2019  the largest consideration in the field. Hotels and other accommodations, such as home or apartment rentals, was the second most-expensive travel outlay in 2018. Transport  including flights, rental cars and trains  ranked third, at 18 percent.

Domestic Bliss

Among American workers in 2018, the most commonly visited leisure destination was within easy driving distance of home. Staycations topped the field as the most-taken trip (37 percent), followed by beach vacations (31 percent).

Travel within the United States was the most popular way to use paid time off. When presented with the hypothetical option of using vacation time to visit anywhere in the world before the end of the year, Americans first choice (37 percent) was to travel domestically. Europe was the second-most desired destination (25 percent) followed by Australia (13 percent) and South America (10 percent).

Within America, Florida was the most popular vacation destination, visited by 23 percent of travelers. California and New York round out the top three (16 and 13 percent, respectively). The same three states top the list of desired domestic destinations in 2019, in the same order.

Among the most surprising findings of the Priceline Work-Life Balance Report was the relatively small number of American workers who reported faking illness to get an extra day off. Only 27 percent admitted to this practice when asked by Morar HPI pollsters. Eighteen percent invented excuses related to their children or partner. A majority of respondents did not admit to any such activity.

Survey Methodology

Research findings are based on a survey conducted by Morar HPI across the U.S. between October 13-18, 2018. For this survey, 1,003 respondents were asked general questions about their vacation and PTO use habits. The study targeted full-time employees who are 18+ years old.

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 2021 Hotel News ResourceIncreasingly , warbird projects have started with less and less of the original airplane. As collectors scour the earth for the remaining viable projects, this can only be expected. Let  s face it : intact fighter aircraft waiting to be restored are few and far between. Most of those that we have featured in our pages recently have been the subject of an incredible amount of work to return them to the air.

This has invariably led to the question of h ow we should refer to these aircraft . Some have argued that they should be considered replicas , since significant structure has been replaced. However, we feel it is unfair to characterize ever y warbird that contains such work as a replica. If we want to s ee t he s e aircraft continue to operate , we are going to have to accept the idea that structure will need to be replaced. At the same time , we are not interested in creating a system that requires us to measure the percentage of original material. We are interested in seeing these airplanes fly. Period.

While we hesitate to categorize any warbird project , the question is posed to us often enough that we felt like we needed to develop some internal classifications for how we deal with them. Moving forward , we will consistently refer to the various types of warbird projects using the three classifications below.

Restoration: Warbird Digest considers an aircraft classed as a restoration if the aircraft is substantially complete when the project is undertaken. An example would be an ex  RCAF Mustang that has been consistently flying since being surplussed that is taken down for restoration. While much of the sheet metal may need to be replace d , the internal components and much of the structure are original.

Rebuild: Warbird Digest considers an aircraft classed as a rebuild one that has an original identity and contains some original parts. Most modern crash recoveries would fall into this category. In this category, significant amounts of the internal structure have been recreated. The original plans and construction techniques are accurately adhered to , and as many original components are used as possible. Re  engining the aircraft does not preclude it from being a member of this class if it is a necessity for safety of flight .

Replica: Warbird Digest considers an aircraft a replica if it does not have an original identity or does not adhere to the original plans in either material or construction technique. Examples would be aircraft such as the newly constructed Yak  9s that were built in Romania in the late 1990s.

It should be understood that Warbird Digest is not making a judgment call on the value basis for the different categories, nor are we diminishing the work any the project teams have put into their aircraft. We also want to make it clear that these classifications are designed to help us accurately describe warbirds within t he pages of our magazine. We are not insinuating that the industry has embraced these terms, nor do we expect them to do so .

We just feel we have an obligation to our readers to provide some clarity. Thank you for your continued support of Warbird Digest.

Tim Savage

Publisher

Contents

Flight Log  UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. Progress reports from the warbird industry, including news of a recently recovered well- preserved Bf 109G-2 in Russia.

WHOA NELLIE  Warbird Digest brings you the history of this much-travelled Jug, again flying in the skies over England with a new owner and wearing a spectacular paint scheme.

SPITFIRE SALUTE  The Roseland Spitfire, honoring a young Canadian flyer who made the ultimate sacrifice, has taken flight.

5000 MILES IN A SPITFIRE  A triumphant return to AFB Comox, British Columbia, for the Roseland Spitfire is detailed in a report by the pilot who made that journey.

TSILI TSILI WARHAWK  A true combat veteran, this P-40 is now available for flight training and flight experience rides in Florida.

GRACE LAND  Richard Grace grew up around warbirds and continues his families legacy. PHABULOUS PHANTOM  Ever wonder what it takes to maintain a civilian-operated F-4 Phantom II? Warbird Digest sat down with Rick Harris of the Collings Foundation to find out.

Tailspin  Historic Flight Foundation founder John Sessions waxes lyrical about a very special visitor who would go on to become a fixture at the museum, located at Paine Field in Mukilteo, Washington.This is the Mallorca-based chain's third establishment on the island of Boa Vista, and its fifth on the Cape Verde archipelago in Africa

The hotel is located by the Praia das Dunas beach, and it offers the exclusive all-inclusive 24-hour service and sophistication of the Riu Palace range

RIU Hotels has just opened the Riu Palace Boavista, which is its fifth hotel in Cape Verde and its third on the island of Boa Vista, following a total investment of 70 million euros. The five-star hotel is located by Praia das Dunas and it offers the exclusive all-inclusive 24-hour service of RIU together with the sophistication of the elegant Riu Palace range. The hotel, which has 505 rooms, three pools and a broad range of cuisine on offer, opens ten years after the launch of Riu Karamboa, the chain's first hotel on the island.

RIU arrived in Cape Verde in 2005, when what is now the Riu Palace Cabo Verde opened on Sal island and just a year later, what is now Riu Funana opened its doors. The CEO of RIU Hotels, Luis Riu, saw the enormous potential of the destination from his first visit, due to its beauty and its beaches, but above all, its peacefulness, exoticism and the charisma and happiness that the people exude in every corner of the islands. RIU's great commitment to the destination has resulted in a total of five hotels, which together have 3,480 rooms and 2,500 directly-employed members of staff. Every year, RIU's Cape Verde hotels receive more than 235,000 guests and the total investment in the islands comes to more than 340 million euros.

"Cape Verde has been a unique experience. We faced all kinds of logistical and infrastructure challenges there, which we tackled using our accumulated experience and Cape Verde's own determination to develop its tourist industry. We have also been inspired by all of our employees there. We can now say that we have an excellent professional team, who more than make up for their lack of experience with their enthusiasm and appetite for learning. In fact, the new hotel will be managed by local staff who have grown professionally in our Sal and Boa Vista hotels, and who are now at the stage where they can open and manage the various departments of this category of hotel, which is something I am particularly proud of. From the first day, the Cape Verdean people have won the hearts of our guests. When we built the first hotel in 2005, no one expected the destination to have this level of success. This fills us with satisfaction and renews our desire to carry on committing to Boa Vista and Cape Verde," explains Luis Riu.

The Riu Palace Boavista's 505 rooms are fully-equipped with facilities including free WiFi, a complete minibar and drinks dispenser. They are all decorated in a style that combines the classic sophistication of the Riu Palace line with the tranquility and simplicity of furniture with clean lines and blue and earth tones. The hotel also offers more than one hundred swim-up double rooms, an exclusive category of rooms with private pools.

As with all hotels in the Riu Palace range, the range of cuisine available at the Riu Palace Boavista is designed to satisfy the most demanding tastes and needs. The main restaurant, 'Africa', offers a wide and varied live-cooking buffet, and it is joined by the fusion cuisine restaurant, 'Krystal', the Japanese specialities available at 'Mitsuki' and 'Sai Rei' restaurant, which serves up classic steakhouse dishes in the evenings.

As for bars, the Riu Palace Boavista has a great variety to offer: from two swim-up bars, 'Grogue' and 'Pontchi', to the 24-hour 'Sports Bar', as well as the elegant lounge bar and lobby bar, 'Kizomba' and 'Muscat'. This new RIU hotel also has a classic feature of the new and renovated Riu Palace hotels: the coffee shop and patisserie, 'Capuchino'.

The new hotel has a space for art in Riu Art, a club for kids to enjoy in RiuLand, as well as a complete gym and the extensive range of beauty and wellbeing treatments of the new Renova Spa. Guests can also enjoy Pacha nightclub, located in the neighbouring Riu Karamboa.

The RIU Group has an ambitious expansion plan for the next five years, with a strong commitment to new destinations, especially in Asia and Africa, and large global cities where it plans to open Riu Plaza urban hotels. The hotel chain, which goes back more than 65 years, is characterised by its strong commitment to the destinations where it settles, investing in long-term projects that involve the local community through its purchasing, employment and sustainability policies. RIU is also making a big investment in the development and improvement of an increasingly sustainable operation, and all of its projects are guided by respect for the environments and the local culture and environment.

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 2021 Hotel News ResourceThe latest La Quinta additions in South Jordan and Kanab, Utah; Opelika and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Aberdeen, Md.; Duncanville, Texas; and Columbus, Miss., bring the brands U.S. footprint to nearly 900 hotels.

La Quinta by Wyndham announced the opening of seven hotels across the U.S. during the third quarter.



The latest La Quinta additions in South Jordan and Kanab, Utah; Opelika and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Aberdeen, Md.; Duncanville, Texas; and Columbus, Miss., bring the brands U.S. footprint to nearly 900 hotels. Six of the seven are newly built destinations, signifying Wyndhams strategic efforts to drive hotel consistency and quality through new-construction growth, as well as indicating continued keen interest among hotel owners to add new La Quinta locations to their portfolios.



La Quintas roster of openings in its first full quarter since being acquired by Wyndham earlier this year demonstrates the Companys steadfast commitment to expanding its newest flag in key markets, largely through new construction. Further propelling the brands growth, Wyndham executed 10 La Quinta franchise agreements between July 1 and September 30, 2018, nine of which were new construction deals. As of September 30, 2018, 90 percent of the 260 hotels in the brands pipeline were new construction.



Hotel developers choose La Quinta time and time again because of the brands long-standing reputation for delivering quality, dependability, and great guest experiences, said Rajiv Trivedi, president, La Quinta at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. These recent additions represent the best of what La Quinta has to offer, and our robust new-construction pipeline is testament to the brands tenacious growth potential. With Wyndhams scale and distribution well continue partnering with passionate owners to raise more brand flags in high-demand areas.



Opening Doors in the U.S.

The six newly built hotels that joined La Quinta in the third quarter are:

La Quinta Inn & Suites Opelika-Auburn in Opelika, Ala.;

La Quinta Inn & Suites Tuscaloosa-McFarland in Tuscaloosa, Ala.;

La Quinta Inn & Suites Aberdeen APG in Aberdeen, Md.;

La Quinta Inn & Suites Dallas-Duncanville in Duncanville, Texas;

La Quinta Inn & Suites South Jordan in South Jordan, Utah; and

La Quinta Inn & Suites Kanab in Kanab, Utah.

The seventh addition, La Quinta Inn & Suites Columbus in Columbus, Miss., underwent a complete renovation to transform all guest rooms and public spaces, infusing a fresh, modern look while incorporating the enhanced amenities guests have come to expect from the brand.



Each of the new hotels reflects La Quintas Del Sol prototype. The design combines clean geometric lines, bold colors, and varying textures with iconic brand elements and guest-centric offerings to enhance the experience while maximizing revenue-generating space for hotel developers. Thirty-five Del Sol hotels are currently under construction in the U.S., with 40 already open and operating.



Like each of its more than 910 upper-midscale and midscale hotels in North and Latin America, La Quintas newest additions offer the brands signature pillow-top Bright Morning Bed, free Bright Side Breakfast, and spacious in-room work areas. Additional features include the Great Room, a comfortable and spacious social gathering space; a state-of-the-art fitness center; free high-speed Wi-Fi; and meeting space.

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 2021 Hotel News ResourceWe may not have noticed it until Deadpool came around, but Ryan Reynolds has one of the most animated voices in Hollywood. You didn't even have to see his mouth moving or his facial expressions behind that thick red and black mask, but every ounce of emotion in his words was felt. From sarcasm to sadness, anger to motivation, Reynolds was magnificent at selling the emotions behind the mask. Now, he is set to voice Pikachu in the upcoming Pokemon: Detective Pikachu.

The first trailer for Pokemon: Detective Pikachu has touched down, and it's just as weird yet mesmerizing as you would imagine. Justice Smith, from The Get Down and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, plays Tim. Tim has lost all hope of becoming a Pokemon trainer, and when his father goes missing, his life really takes a turn for the worse. That's when Reynolds' Detective Pikachu appears, ready to assist Tim. Much like in Dr. Dolittle, Tim is the only one that can understand his furry friend. While everyone else just hears Pikachu saying "Pika", Tim hears Reynolds' voice clearly. After watching Deadpool a number of times, it's hard to watch Reynolds as Pikachu without expecting him to drop an F-bomb at some point (he doesn't).

Check out the Pokemon: Detective Pikachu trailer below.Emergency room physicians did not take kindly to being scolded last week by the National Rifle Association to stay in their lane and not get involved in the nations gun debate.

As of Monday morning, 26,000 doctors, nurses, paramedics, social workers and other health professionals, including some in Houston, signed an open letter to the NRA, penned Friday night and headlined Gun Violence Is Our Lane. In addition, the hashtag #ThisISOurLane is spreading around the globe.

READ LETTER: This is Our Lane: An Open Letter to the NRA from American Healthcare Professionals

As an emergency physician, I see the injuries and death toll from guns as part of my daily routine, said Dr. Cedric Dark, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Houstons Baylor College of Medicine who also treats patients at Ben Taub Hospital, one of the nations busiest Level I trauma centers.

The damage a gun can do to a body haunts him. He remembers one little boy, about the same age as his own son, who was in a car sprayed with gunfire in a drive-by shooting a few years back. The child survived, but a bullet shattered one of his bones.

Hes just a kid riding in a car. Whenever you see kids shot, especially your own kids age, it really makes you angry. Theres absolutely nothing you can do as a toddler to deserve that, he said.

Dark is a gun owner and believes he is uniquely qualified to see all sides of the debate. And he certainly will not be silenced.

To be clear: We are not anti-gun. We are anti-bullet hole, the doctors open letter to the NRA said.

The NRA did not respond to an emailed request for comment Monday.

The dust-up began Oct. 30 after a position paper by doctors was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, an academic medical journal published by the American College of Physicians. The physician authors called for gun violence to be treated as a public health crisis and urged what they called reasonable restrictions on gun purchases as well as more governmental study. They also asked for the freedom to speak to patients about gun safety.

READ THE PAPER: Reducing Firearm Injuries and Deaths in the United States: A Position Paper From the American College of Physicians

Three days later, the NRAs Institute for Legislative Action responded with its own position paper that began: Everyone has hobbies. Some doctors collective hobby is opining on firearms policy.

Things really heated up last Wednesday when the NRA, in promoting its paper, tweeted: Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane.

And with that, it was on.

Doctors around the country quickly slammed the NRA, carrying #ThisISOurLane into battle in the newly declared Twitter war.

Do you have any idea how many bullets I pull out of corpses weekly? This isnt just my lane. Its my (expletive) highway, a San Francisco pathologist tweeted. Other doctors began posting their blood-splattered faces after treating gunshot victims.

Then hours after the NRA sent its tweet, a gunman opened fire at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Thirteen people were dead, including a police officer and the shooter. Many others were wounded. One of the dead had survived the mass shooting in Las Vegas just a year before.

It didnt even make 12 hours until the next shooting, Dark said.

RELATED: Measures outlined to help reduce gun violence in Houston

The notion that doctors who spend careers trying to save shooting victims should keep quiet infuriates Rhonda Hart, a Texas mother whose 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, died May 18 in the Santa Fe High School massacre.

The short answer is the NRA needs to shut up, Hart said Monday when asked about the battle between the doctors and the gun lobby. The longer answer is I think the doctors are right. They have probably the best perspective on this, except for maybe family members.

So far this year there have been 12,626 deaths and 24,533 injuries involving guns, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group that produces an online tracking of incidents collected from thousands of news media, law enforcement records and government sources each day. Advocacy groups say gun death and injury numbers are difficult to tally.

The gun lobby has argued that the data is one-sided and does not include evidence that guns can help thwart violence.

NRAS RESPONSE: Surprise: Physician Group Rehashes Same Tired Gun Control Policies

Still, research has been in short supply for more than two decades, ever since in 1996 it mostly ground to a stop after Congress threatened to strip Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding unless it halted studies on firearm injury and death.

Earlier this year, though, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said he favored restarting the research.

Dr. Megan Ranney, a Rhode Island physician and chief research officer for AFFIRM, a national nonprofit organization that studies gun violence, wrote the doctors letter to the NRA in response to the rapidly escalating events and, in part, out of frustration.

With each time, we say this is the tipping point, she said Monday about mass shootings.

The letter describes how even if a victim survives a shooting, there is a lifelong toll, both physical and psychological.

Stitching up a wound in an operating room is not the end, but the beginning, it said.

On Monday she admitted she was surprised by the number of doctors who have signed on for the fight and the attention it is stirring. She said she was scheduled to be interviewed by the BBC later in the day.

I think the time is here, she said.

jenny.deam@chron.com

twitter.com/jenny_deamChairman Eddie Lampert wants to keep Sears Holdings Corp. alive, but a group of the company's creditors say they'd be better off if Sears were dead.

The plan envisioned by Lampert amounts to "an unjustified and foolhardy gamble with other people's money," the unsecured creditors committee said in court papers on Friday. Staying in operation long enough to allow a sale would burn through as much as half a billion dollars, which should instead go to creditors, the group said.

Sears filed for bankruptcy protection Oct. 15 after years of decline, and on Nov. 2 proposed to auction off its highest-performing stores. That could open the way for Lampert, Sears's largest shareholder and creditor, to hold on to the best parts of the retail empire without spending a dime by making a so-called credit bid -- trading the debt he holds for ownership.

But Sears can't be saved, the unsecured creditors group said. The company's plan "appears to be nothing more than wishful thinking," it said, leaving the group "no choice" but to request the bankruptcy court deny the request to pursue the store sale.

A spokesman for Lampert's ESL Investments Inc. declined to comment, and representatives for Sears, based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, did not respond to requests for comment.

Sears is next expected in court Nov. 15, when it will formally present its plan to keep the lights on through the holiday season and announce its deal with new lenders to help finance the next couple months of bankruptcy. The company is also looking to raise new cash through an auction of about $900 million of notes that are essentially loans from one Sears unit to another.

Securing new financing is crucial given the rate at which the company is spending, Sears lawyer Ray Schrock said Oct. 15.

"When you look at the cash burn associated with the overhead of the enterprise, it's really something where things have to move very quickly," Schrock said. "It really has to happen on an expedited time frame."

Unsecured creditors include suppliers such as Whirlpool and Coca-Cola., vendors such as Waste Management and landlords such as Simon Property Group. Unsecured creditors are often among the last in line to get paid in a bankruptcy, assuming anything is left over for them after bank lenders and bondholders collect, and relations with Sears have turned contentious since the committee was organized on Oct. 24.

Creditors complained earlier last week that various transactions in the years leading up to the bankruptcy raise the possibility that Lampert's ESL and other insiders may have used "undue influence to siphon value away from the company on favorable terms," according to court documents. The creditors also complained they'd received "limited to no information."

ESL rejected the contentions in a court filing, calling them "divorced from the facts." The transactions were "fair and reasonable," according to ESL, which cited the lifelines Lampert and ESL have extended to keep Sears in business, as well as talks with the UCC since its formation. "The only reason the UCC has limited information is that it was appointed only two weeks ago," ESL said.

- - -

With assistance from Bloomberg's Josh Saul.It was a vehicle ... just not the type boat retailer MarineMax Houston typically shrink wraps for transportation.

NASA's Orion spacecraft could one day carry astronauts to the moon and Mars. But first, an Orion test module needed to be transported from Texas to Ohio for an acoustic test. And it'd be a shame if roadside debris had nicked it  or worse, water got inside  before April when it's slated to launch at more than 1,000 miles an hour to an altitude of 31,000 feet.

So NASA called MarineMax Houston, located just four miles down the street from Johnson Space Center on NASA Parkway, for some shrink wrap assistance.

Orion Series: NASA's Johnson Space Center preps Orion module  for failure

"It was cool and unexpected," said Billy Foulkes, MarineMax Houston service adviser.

He wouldn't go as far as calling shrink wrap an art, but it does take some skill. And practice.

Before tackling the space craft, Jose Vasquez, the company's experienced technician, had his team try out their wrapping techniques on boxes and miscellaneous boat parts around the MarineMax Houston office. When the time came for the real thing, it required about eight hours and three rolls of shrink wrap, each measuring 25 feet wide by 75 feet long.

The shrink wrappers first created a bonnet-like cap to cover the top of the Orion module to protect it from exposure. Then, a cherry-picker was used to lift pre-cut shrink wrap up and over the Orion, down the other side and back around the bottom. MarineMax employees repeated the proceduer, going in the opposite direction to make an "X" shape.

They wrapped both sides of the "X" again to create two layers of shrink wrap, securing it with tape and taking extra precautions to ensure adhesive did not get on the spacecraft. Finally, a heat gun caused the material to shrink and fit the spacecraft's form.

NASA engineers watched the entire process, particulalry concerned about the amount of heat applied, but dealing with such worries is not uncommon for Foulkes.

"They were very meticulous," he said, "which I could say not all my boat customers are. But a lot of them are very meticulous."

NASA: Humans will touch the moon again by the late 2020s

For Sheila Pogue, who procured materials for the job and helped coordinate the scheduling, it was an especially notable experience because her grandfather was an astronaut. William Pogue piloted Skylab 4, the third and final time humans visited America's Skylab space station, and spent 84 days in space.

She had visited the Space Center Houston museum countless times as a child and entered the Johnson Space Center offices with her mom, who worked there in information technology, on bring your kid to work days. But this time was different.

"Being onsite as a contractor, it felt different than paying for your ticket and riding the tram and listening to your tour guide," she said.

Before heading to the Johnson Space Center to help wrap the Orion module, she took a picture of herself wearing her grandfather's flight jacket to show the NASA employees she would meet. And they loved her photo.

"While I was fangirling over them," Pogue said, "they were like, 'That's so cool.'"

After being wrapped in August (MarineMax disclosed its shrink wrapping adventure this week), the Orion test crew module was sent via truck to the Plum Brook Station testing facility with NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio.

At HoustonChronicle.com: NASA preps to put structural integrity of Orion module to the test in Ohio before return to Houston

Here it underwent testing in a specialized acoustic chamber, with noises louder than gunshots, fireworks or a jet plane taking off, to test its structural soundness. It passed these tests and returned to Johnson Space Center on Sept. 10, Jon Olansen, NASA project manager for Orion's Ascent Abort-2 test, said in an email.

The April 2019 Ascent Abort-2 flight test in Cape Canaveral, Fla., is the final destination for this simplified module. It will be used to test Orion spacecraft's abort system, which is designed to propel crew members away from the rocket should an incident occur during launch.

And ultimately, after the test, it will lay to rest in the ocean  a more familiar terrain for the MarineMax Houston team.Oil's unprecedented decline deepened as investors fled a market hammered by swelling excess supplies, a darkening demand outlook and U.S. President Donald Trump's Twitter critique of the world's biggest crude exporter.

Futures plunged 7.1 percent in New York on Tuesday for the biggest one-day drop in three years. OPEC's dire forecast for 2019 demand came at a time of steadily rising American production and stockpiles. Trump admonished Saudi Arabia for planning to curb output and lamented prices that settled below $56 a barrel for the first time in a year.

"This tweet certainly did not help prices," said Warren Patterson, a senior commodities strategist at ING Bank NV. "Given the growing global surplus over the first half of 2019, OPEC will likely try to ignore President Trump's call as much as possible."

CAPACITY: In OPEC heartland, billions are spent to boost oil capacity

West Texas Intermediate futures have fallen for a record 12 sessions on fears that a supply glut similar to the price-killing surplus of 2014 is redeveloping. In London, Brent futures have declined in 11 of the past 12 sessions. Money managers' combined bullish positions in WTI and Brent sank to the lowest in 14 months as of Nov. 6, Commodity Futures Trading Commission data show, as long positions shrank and shorts increased.

"Today's move is just capitulation," said Nick Gentile, managing partner of commodity trading advisor NickJen Capital Management & Consulting LLC in New York. Traders who analyze chart trends to divine future price moves are "adding to the shorts" while so-called macro traders are "liquidating longs."

WTI for December delivery dropped $4.24 to end the session at $55.69 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Total volume traded Tuesday was about 90 percent above the 100-day average.

Brent for January settlement closed down $4.65 at $65.47 on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The global benchmark crude traded at a $9.63 premium to WTI for the same month.

PREVIOUSLY: Oil halts record losing streak as Saudis advocate supply cuts

Producer Meeting

A closely watched meeting between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies including Russia on Sunday yielded no formal change in output policy, but delegates warned they may need "new strategies." Saudi Arabia also unveiled a plan over the weekend to reduce its own shipments by about 500,000 barrels a day next month.

Oil chiefs from Venezuela and Oman indicated they may side with the kingdom on the issue of output cuts. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak was less supportive, saying Monday in a Bloomberg television interview that "we have to wait and see how the market is unfolding."

"That reluctance yesterday and over the weekend by Russia to participate in coming together to cut 1 million barrels sent a negative signal to the market," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC. "On top of it all, there's tremendous dollar strength happening right now and over the past few days."

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index touched the highest since May 2017 early Tuesday, before slipping back.

The meeting in Abu Dhabi raised the odds of a production cut next month to "fairly high," and the reduction may be in the 1 million-barrels-a-day range, according to RBC Capital Markets.

In the U.S., crude inventories stowed at the key pipeline nexus in Cushing, Oklahoma, rose by an estimated 2.5 million barrels last week, according to a forecast compiled by Bloomberg.

Other oil-market news: Gasoline futures fell 5.7 percent to $1.5427 a gallon. There's a risk the world is becoming too reliant on the rapid growth of U.S. shale oil, according to the International Energy Agency's latest World Energy Outlook. General Electric Co. is speeding plans to pare its stake in Baker Hughes with a deal that would raise almost $4 billion at current prices. The shares of both companies climbed.

2018 Bloomberg L.P.Two Houston restaurants that speak to the city's unique culinary diversity  Himalaya and Xochi  are named in Eater's list of America's 38 Essential Restaurants, announced today.

For Himalaya's owners Kaiser and Azra Lashkari the inclusion is a particular triumph of the restaurant's Pakistani and Indian cuisine that is often laced with a Texas twang and even Cajun influences: Smoked brisket masala; Indian-spiced chicken fried steak; crawfish etouffee with masala gravy and shrimp and grits loaded with curry spices.

Eater's national restaurant critic Bill Addison, who spent 34 weeks traveling to 36 American cities, consuming about 600 meals to compile the list, called out Himalaya for defining what he considers essential dining: "It's crazy how these Pakistani-Texan dishes utterly summarize the heart of Houston dining."

James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega makes it onto the list with his Oaxacan restaurant Xochi, which Houston Chronicle restaurant critic Alison Cook has named the city's best restaurant two years running in her Top 100 list. Ortega's beloved Hugo's was the only Houston restaurant on last year's Eater Essential list. Xochi also was the only Houston restaurant on Eater's 2017 list of Best New Restaurants.

On HoustonChronicle.com: The best restaurants in Houston according the Alison Cook

This is what Addison wrote about Himalaya on the 2018 list: "Numerous curries, including Hyderabadi chicken hara masala coursing with green chiles, evince several regional Indian cuisines, but it's key to order the gems inspired by Kaiser Lashkari's native Pakistan."

Addison had this to say about Xochi, owned by Ortega and his wife Tracy Vaught: "Ortega and his chefs delve into Oaxaca's earthy, exhilarating, spicy-sweet cuisine, with its color wheel of moles and its masa-based specialties shaped into irresistible geometries. Look for memelas (a thicker tortilla cradling roasted pork rib), tetelas (blue-masa triangles stuffed with house-made cheese), and molotes (crisp oval cakes painted with creamy and spicy sauces)."

Himalaya and Xochi are in excellent company on the list that also includes Zahav in Philadelphia, Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, Compere Lapin in New Orleans, JuneBaby in Seattle, and Brennan's in New Orleans. The only other Texas restaurants on the list are 2M Smokehouse in San Antoni and Franklin Barbecue in Austin.

Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Send him news tips at greg.morago@chron.com. Hear him on our BBQ State of Mind podcast to learn about Houston and Texas barbecue culture.Willamette University Life Trustee William Bill Swindells passed away on Nov. 7 at the age of 88.

Bill served as a Willamette University trustee from 1971 until 2001 when he became a life trustee. As chair of the board from 1987 to 1995, he oversaw the successful sesquicentennial campaign, which exceeded its $50-million goal by $12 million. He had also served as co-chair of the task force for Willamettes capital campaign during the early 1980s.

He was a generous supporter of the university, bestowing major gifts to the Mary Stuart Rogers Music Center, the Swindells Crew Program and the Sparks Center remodel, said President Steve Thorsett. In 1977, Bill and his family established the Irene Gerlinger Swindells Fund which supported scholarships to undergraduates with interests in music. The fund also supports an endowed chair, the Irene Gerlinger Swindells Eminent Scholar in Music.

Bill majored in engineering at Stanford University, earning his BS in 1953. He joined Willamette Valley Lumber Company, which was established by his grandfather in 1905 and later developed into the lumber giant Willamette Industries. At its peak in the 1990s, Willamette Industries owned or managed 1.7 million acres of timberland and operated more than 100 wood products manufacturing facilities in 23 states and in Ireland, France and Mexico. Bill served the company in many capacities including: senior vice president of marketing and building, executive vice president, president of the forest products division, president, CEO, and chairman of the board (19842002).

Active in the community, Bill served on the boards of OHSU, Oregon Public Affairs Network, Stand Insurance Company, Oregon Steel Mills, Airborne Freight Corp., Oregon Public Broadcasting, Oregon Historical Society, Oregon Symphony Association, Medical Research Association, and the Oregon Community Foundation, a foundation established by his father. He was one of Oregons most influential business and community leaders and supported cultural, environmental, and educational organizations throughout Oregon, primarily through the Ann and Bill Swindells Charitable Trust.

Although he was not an alumnus, Willamette embraced him as one of its own, bestowing the honorary doctor of humane letters for his leadership and contributions to civic life in Oregon. His nearly 50-year involvement with Willamette helped shape its beautiful campus, attract and support outstanding faculty, enrich student life, and open the doors to higher education to students who could not otherwise afford to attend.

As we reflect with gratitude on his life and contributions, Thorsett said, our thoughts today are with his family and many friends,The Chronicle newsroom was quiet when I walked out about 12:30 Wednesday morning, my head buzzing with words and images from the 2018 midterm elections.

A few races were still too close to call, with a handful of precincts unreported, but the final print deadline had passed, and most of the reporters and editors still around were updating online stories. Others were planning follow-up pieces they would start working on when they returned to the office after a few hours' sleep.

I glanced back at my colleagues as I waited for the elevator, my laptop bag slung over my shoulder. Our workspace, on the fourth floor of what had once been the Houston Post building at U.S. 59 and Loop 610, still lacked the familiarity of the downtown newsroom where I had worked for 37 years before the Chronicle moved across town in early 2016.

But the ritual that had played out in this room over the past 12 hours or so hadn't changed much, technology notwithstanding.

Election night at a major metropolitan newspaper involves long stretches of tedium interrupted, every few hours, by a few minutes of frantic activity. Whenever a fresh batch of returns rolls in, the assembled journalists stir from their torpor and spring into action like soldiers roused by the strains of Reveille.

Editors shout instructions and curse balky computers. Reporters abandon the final slices of pizza and sprint back to their desks, coffee sloshing from the cups in their hands.

I've been through this process dozens of times  primaries and general elections in even-numbered years, city elections in odd-numbered years, the odd special election or referendum. Early Wednesday morning, as the elevator doors opened and I stepped in, it struck me that the election I had just helped cover would probably be my last.

After more than 40 years working at the Chronicle as a reporter, editor and columnist, I plan to retire when I turn 65 next September. Barring a last-minute change of mind, I'll be watching the returns at home when Houston voters choose a mayor, controller and city council two months later.

It's human nature, or at least this human's nature, to turn reflective at moments like this. As I drove home, I considered my election night experiences over the years and what those late nights had taught me about the mission of a journalist.

In many ways, covering the campaigns  the policy debates, the mud-slinging, the misleading or creepy ads, the strategies and tactics  is more interesting than reporting their outcomes. And while the web has enabled us to provide real-time results, almost half my career occurred in the pre-internet era  and a printed daily newspaper is an inefficient tool for delivering election results.

Few stories are less useful than those reporting that "Candidate X was leading Candidate Y in early returns." I've written many of these. By the time the reader picks up the paper to read them, the winner will have finished celebrating and gone to bed.

Houston Chronicle

And, due to deadline pressure and other factors, few election night stories are examples of great writing. They tend to be formulaic.

Typically, the bottom section of the story is written in advance  biographical information on the candidates, background on the themes of the campaign, endorsements, strategy and the like. This is known as the "shirttail" or "A matter." As deadlines approach, reporters quickly write a top reporting who won, if enough returns are in hand to make that call, or resort to the aforementioned "was leading" formulation.

From time to time, a writer breaks out of this mold through careful planning or a burst of inspiration. In 1985, I picked up the Houston Post the morning after the mayoral election and felt a stab of envy when I read the first paragraph  the "lede," in newspaper-speak  of the story written by a competitor, Jim Simmon: "Houston voters Tuesday swept Kathy Whitmire to her third term as mayor and scripted a bitter epitaph to Louie Welch's long and storied career in city politics." (Simmon, a fine journalist who would later become a friend and colleague at the Chronicle, died last year.)

More typical was the first paragraph of the story I wrote Tuesday night: "State Rep. Sarah Davis, a moderate Republican who won a tough primary battle despite the opposition of Gov. Greg Abbott, held off a general election challenge from a Houston businesswoman to win a fifth term on Tuesday."

Serviceable, but hardly memorable.

One of the trickiest aspects of election night coverage is deciding when to call a race. This was a challenge in the pre-digital era, when reporters hung out at the county clerk's office and phoned in returns to the newsroom, and it remains difficult even with results delivered instantly online. Polls in Texas close at 7 p.m.  unless a judge orders some precincts to remain open later, as happened on Tuesday  and the website where returns are posted is updated periodically as results roll in from more precincts. Complete results often are not available until after midnight.

TV networks and other national news organizations have tools like exit polls to help make these decisions, but regional papers like the Chronicle must rely on official numbers and the experience and judgment of its reporters and editors. Competitive pressure must be balanced against the need to avoid a "Dewey Defeats Truman"-style embarrassment.

AP Photo/Byron Rollins, File

When in doubt, caution is advisable. I was reminded of this on an election night years ago, when I was a young reporter covering a particularly tight and closely watched race. As deadline approached, I informed a senior editor that one of the candidates had claimed victory. The editor was unimpressed.

"(Blank) him," he said. "We'll wait for the numbers."

There is, of course, a certain inherent drama in an election night, particularly in a year like this one with a big turnout and the excitement generated by Beto O'Rourke's Senate candidacy and the words and deeds of a mercurial president. On nights like these, journalists are reminded that we are fortunate to witness and document important events  to write the "first rough draft of history," to use a phrase often attributed to the late Washington Post publisher Philip L. Graham.

As a journalist whose career has focused on local news, I've reported on the election of Houston's first woman and first openly gay mayors. In the 1980s, I reported the resounding defeat of a ballot measure protecting gay and lesbian municipal employees from discrimination  a big setback for the city's LGBT community. My colleagues have seen and reported the rise and fall of presidents from Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump.

These historic moments are rare, of course, but every election is consequential. Political campaigns  people choosing their leaders in free and fair elections  are a foundational element of a democracy. So is the work of journalists.

Perhaps this helps explain why I've always looked forward to working on election night, despite the brutal hours and the long stretches of boredom. The opportunity to spend those hours side by side with hard-working colleagues, driven by a keen sense of the importance of their mission, has been a privilege. I'll miss it.

Get the Gray Matters newsletter. It waits for the numbers.Prosecutor told jurors Monday that Preston Landon Marshall, the grandson of the famed business tycoon J. Howard Marshall, headbutted and bit his estranged wife on the face during a domestic fight last year.

Marshall, 45, a former director of the libertarian Cato Institute, is on trial for assault of a family member, and is accused of beating 43-year-old Anastasia Marshall on May 12, 2017.

An executive with Rusk Capital Management, Marshall is the grandson of J. Howard Marshall who died here in 1994, at the age of 89. He gained nationwide notoriety after a 14-month marriage to 26-year-old model Anna Nicole Smith. The younger Marshall was involved in the well-publicized and extended lawsuits surrounding his grandfathers estate.

The defendant pushed Anastasia down on the bed, climbed on top of her and pinned her down by holding her wrists, prosecutor Julianna Shaw told jurors in opening statements. He head butted Anastasia Marshall in the face, not once, not twice but at least three times.

The prosecutor said he then bit his wife on the lower jaw.

Defense lawyers for Marshall said the couple had a long history of pushing and shoving during the ten years of their marriage. That night, Marshals lawyers said, his wife started the fight as part of a plan to initiate divorce proceedings.

This is all about money, attorney Robert Scardino said. Mr. Preston Marshall has a lot of it and she wants it.

Scardino said the couple started scuffling after Marshall came home after midnight and tried to say good night to their two sleeping daughters. It was a school night, he said, so Anastasia got upset, the lawyer acknowledged.

They started pushing and shoving each other, Scardino said, and she bit him on the hand and he bit her on the face.

They ended up falling against the bed, hitting both of their heads, Scardino said. Then, after Marshall accidentally headbutted her, they stopped fighting, agreed things had gone too far and resolved to go to counseling.

That was on a Thursday night, he said. On Monday morning, she filed for divorce, which is pending.

The misdemeanor trial, in visiting judge Jim Andersons court, is expected to last three days. Three women and three men were selected for the jury. If convicted of a Class A misdemeanor, Marshall faces a maximum of a year in jail.

Preston Marshall was appointed in 2012 to the board of the Cato Institute, which is heavily supported by the Koch brothers. He was apparently removed from the board after his arrest last year. His name no longer appears on the institutes list of boardmembers.Mayor Sylvester Turners administration is moving forward with plans for hundreds of layoffs following last weeks voter approval of Prop B despite questions about whether jobs could be saved through renewed negotiations with the citys firefighters union.

The pay parity referendum, which passed decisively after a bitter campaign that pitted Turner and the citys police union against Houston firefighters, adds an estimated $100 million a year to the $500 million annual budget of the Houston Fire Department to bring firefighter salaries in line with those paid to police of corresponding rank and seniority.

In the wake of the amendments passage, Turner announced HFD would hire no new firefighters and ordered Fire Chief Sam Pena to draft a plan to move the department from four shifts to three, perhaps eliminating more than 850 positions. The new staffing chart could be submitted to the citys civil service commission later this month, Turner said, with an expected city council vote in early January.

There are questions, however, about whether state collective bargaining laws would let the city and the firefighters union reach an agreement that would supersede the city charter  including the provisions voters approved last week  lessening the immediate fiscal impact of the vote. Councilmember Dwight Boykins, for instance, said fire union leaders have told him they would be willing to phase in the more-than-25 percent pay raise.

If we can work together and solidify a collective bargaining contract, it will address the needs we have been asking the city to address for the firefighters and their families for a very long time, said Marty Lancton, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association. Were prepared to discuss anything, but the mayor has refused to negotiate.

Lancton pointed to seven times since 2005 that the unions collective bargaining agreements have superseded language in the city charters appendix, and some attorneys practicing in labor law backed the unions view.

Collective bargaining agreements under (Texas Local Government Code Chapter) 174 do supersede any contrary provisions of local legislation, San Antonio labor attorney David Van Os said. The Legislature made itself very, very clear on that.

Craig Deats, who works with police and fire labor groups and has worked for the Houston fire union in the past, said unions routinely use collective bargaining to supersede local rules, most commonly in the areas of hiring and promotional provisions.

We do that all the time, Deats said. The hiring provisions under the civil service act  when cities are bound by that, as Houston is  are something the parties typically bargain to change so as to make them more modern.

Turner said he agrees a collective bargaining agreement can supersede the city charter, but has said he cannot sit down with fire union leaders without first challenging Prop. B in court, saying you cannot negotiate the peoples vote.

You cannot use the public as a negotiating tool, which is what theyre attempting to do now, Turner said. Now, if they want to follow me to the courthouse and agree collective bargaining preempted Prop. B and throw it out, thats a different thing. But short of that, I have been given a $100 million bill.

Asked whether the mayors comments reflected a view that negotiating would be improper in light of the voters decision or illegal, the administration provided a statement that read in part, Neither the charter amendment nor state law allow the city and the firefighters to simply ignore the law and implement some agreement that is inconsistent with the prevailing law.

Some legal experts supported the mayors view, arguing that by passing the proposition, voters had tied the citys hands.

Regardless of fiscal realities, the meaning of the charter amendment is clear. Collective bargaining up to that is technically a violation of the charter amendment, even if the city and firefighters agree on it, said Matthew J. Festa, a professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston. It doesnt make it OK to violate the charter just because everybody agrees to violate the charter.

James M. Douglas, a professor at Texas Southern Universitys Thurgood Marshall School of Law, said he believes it would be difficult for the mayor and firefighters to implement the propositions mandate through a collective bargaining contract because of the intent of the proposition.

The ordinance was clear. It didnt say over a period of time, Douglas said. And that was not the purpose of the ordinance to start with. The purpose of the ordinance was to have it done immediately.

Some city leaders said they were frustrated by conflicting legal advice they had received from the city attorneys office, and a lack of clarity over what the law allows or what Turner and firefighters would entertain if they returned to the negotiating table.

Councilmember Greg Travis said that before last weeks vote, council members were told collective bargaining would supersede the charter, and now are being told it cannot or that it will take a lawsuit.

Everybody is talking in generalities, Travis said. Ive asked them specifically what they want and they cant tell me. Folks, lets get down to the brass tacks of this.

Other council members expressed hope they could use state collective bargaining laws to provide wiggle room to negotiate.

We need to do everything we can to get everybody back to the table and get a sustainable pay increase for firefighters and honor the peoples will, said Councilmember Brenda Stardig, who chairs the citys public safety committee.

Turner had proposed that the council approve a $1.3 million contract with a law firm to represent the city in widely expected litigation over the parity vote  the city must explore all options in an effort to reduce cuts to services, he said  but he asked council members last week to delay consideration of the item until late November.

st.john.smith@chron.com

mike.morris@chron.comAlma E. Hernandez, For the San Antonio Express News / Alma E. Hernandez / For the San Antonio Express News

Decriminalization of marijuana in Texas is back on the table as nearly a half dozen bills related to the drugs use were filed on Monday for the 86th legislative session.

Recreational and most medical uses of marijuana are still prohibited in the state, the exception being low-THC cannabis for qualifying intractable epilepsy patients under the Texas Compassionate Use Program.

Marijuana advocates, who have been pushing for decriminalization and an expansion to the medical program, have gained greater bipartisan support in recent years, said Heather Fazio, director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy.

Lawmakers filed hundreds of bills Monday in advance of the deadline.

Cannabis advocates championed two bills in particular: House Bill 63, which proposes a civil penalty for less than an ounce of marijuana possession instead of arrests, convictions or a criminal record; and Senate Bill 90, which aims to allow more medical conditions to qualify for the states medical program, as well as offer greater protections to registered medical professionals prescribing the drug.

Rep. Joe Moody (D-78) who authored House Bill 63 noted the swell of bipartisan support for decriminalization of marijuana in the state.

Im optimistic that this will be the session we finally see smarter, fairer marijuana laws in Texas, Moody said in a statement.

Earlier this year the Republican Party of Texas updated its official platform to support making it a civil rather than criminal offense to possess less than an ounce of marijuana. They called for a fine of up to $100, without jail time. And during a debate with Democratic challenger Lupe Valdez this year, Gov. Greg Abbott said he was open to dropping the punishment of 180 days of jail and a $2,000 fine to just a $500 fine for possession of less than 2 ounces.

The public Republican shift towards more lenient marijuana laws has some advocates feeling confident in efforts to protect recreational use of the drug as well as those who rely on it for medicinal purposes.

State Sen. Jose Menendez (D-26), who authored Senate Bill 90, said doctors, not politicians, should determine what is best for Texas patients.

In his bill, Menendez calls for a major expansion of the state medical cannabis program to include diagnoses such as PTSD, cancer, multiple sclerosis and more.

Patients should not be arrested for using a medicine that is legal in every state that borders Texas, including conservative states like Oklahoma and Arkansas, Menendez said in a statement.

Yet Abbott has been less supportive of expanding the existing medical cannabis program, expressing concern over abuses of an expanded program.

Jackson County Sheriff, A. J. Louderback, who serves as the legislative director for the Sheriffs Association of Texas, echoed Abbotts concerns arguing that medical programs in other states, and marijuana legalization in general, has led to spikes in crime and devastating social losses.

Since 2014, around the time Colorado legalized recreational marijuana use, crime in the state has increased. In Denver in particular, the 2016 crime rate increased 4 percent, with violent crime up 9 percent.

Yet Colorado and Denver law enforcement officials cant say whether the crime hike is tied to marijuana legalization.

[Property crime is] the biggest driver of our [overall] crime, and of our increases. So, can you attribute that to marijuana? I dont think you can, Denver Police Commander James Henning, told CNN.

For her part, Fazio of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, remains undeterred in her optimism for significant marijuana reform in Texas next year.

The time has come for prohibition to be repealed, Fazio said.

The 86th Legislative session begins Tuesday, Jan. 8.

ileana.najarro@chron.com

twitter.com/IleanaNajarroA west Texas couple has been accused of illegally buying four expensive rifles in Mineral Wells for someone in Mexico, according to federal court documents filed earlier this month.

Francisco Javier Sevilla-Alvarez and Perla Melissa Franco-Hernandez, of Presidio, have been charged with making false statement to a gun dealer after they admitted to the scheme, charging documents say.

RELATED: Measures outlined to help reduce gun violence in Houston

Sevilla-Alvarez is a permanent U.S. resident, while Franco-Hernandez is a naturalized citizen, documents say. During an interview, they said they frequently traveled to Mexico, where Sevilla-Alvarez owned a home.

"I know, based on my training and experience, that the state of Texas' firearms laws are not very onerous, and as such, Texas is a source for illegal firearm traffickers," a veteran investigator with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote in the charging document. "I know that Mexico has very strict firearm laws and as such, illegal firearms trafficking into Mexico is a large problem for law enforcement."

The investigator spoke to the gun dealer in Mineral Wells in October. The dealer said couple had purchased three rifles from him in September 2018, including two M249S rifles and an M240SLR.

Those rifles cost between $9,000 and $14,000. The dealer said in federal charging documents that the couple purchased the rifles in cash and were both present during every transfer.

The dealer said Franco-Hernandez filled out all the required forms during the transfers, as well as background check documents. Sevilla-Alvarez told the dealer that he wouldn't be able to pass the background check, documents say.

RELATED: Democratic state gains may mean tighter gun, looser pot laws

After Sevilla-Alvarez bought a fourth gun from the dealer, the ATF agent detained the couple in Mineral Wells. Sevilla-Alvarez told the agent that he worked in the oil fields and frequently went to Mexico.

He said he was buying the guns for someone in Mexico who would leave him large sums of cash in his unlocked vehicle. Sevilla-Alvarez said his wife would help him pay for the rifles, fill out the appropriate documents and drive them back to Presidio, where he placed the weapons at predetermined locations to be picked up.

The ATF agent referred to the couple as "straw purchasers" in his affidavit, which refers to people who purchase firearms on another person's behalf.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text messageIts not often that US Government officials are honest when they talk about our foreign policy. The unprovoked 2003 attack on Iraq was called a liberation. The 2011 US-led destruction of Libya was a humanitarian intervention. And so on.So, in a way, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was refreshingly honest last week when, speaking about newly-imposed US sanctions, he told the BBC that the Iranian leadership has to make a decision that they want their people to eat. It was an honest admission that new US sanctions are designed to starve Iranians unless the Iranian leadership accepts US demands.His statement also reveals the lengths to which the neocons are willing to go to get their regime change in Iran. Just like then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said it was worth it that half a million Iraqi children died because of our sanctions on that country, Pompeo is letting us know that a few million dead Iranians is also worth it if the government in Tehran can be overthrown.Hundreds of Texas firefighters  including crews from Houston-area departments  are headed to California to fight raging wildfires that have claimed dozens of lives, destroyed thousands of buildings and displaced approximately a quarter-million residents.

Officials with the Texas A&M Forest Service, which coordinates the states Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System, known as TIFMAS, said roughly 200 firefighters from more than 40 departments across 23 counties were driving to California to help fight fires across the state.

This is what mutual aid is all about, said Tom Boggus, director of the Texas A&M Forest Service. And here in Texas, we do it well so California asked the Texans to come back and help out again.

Among the firefighters headed to California were first responders from Baytown, Galveston, New Waverly, Montgomery County and other area departments.

Galveston Fire Chief Mike Wisko said he sent six firefighters in two brush trucks. Their mission would be to relieve California firefighters who have been battling the blazes for several days.

That will give (California departments) a chance to get their guys back to local cities and get refreshed, he said. Honestly, theyre in the middle of their fire season now. So  what were giving them is an opportunity to get those guys back and get them ready for the next one.

Baytown Fire Department Operations Chief Victor Medrano said his department had dispatched four firefighters in a TIFMAS truck.

They need the assistance, and were able to afford the manpower right now, Medrano said. Thats pretty much what we do. We help each other out.

Nacogdoches Fire Chief Keith Kiplinger, who is also the TIFMAS state coordinator, said that these out-of-state assignments allow local firefighters to train and gain experience they might not otherwise get during their regular duties.

The training and experience that our firefighters receive will better enable us to serve Texans at home, Kiplinger said in a news release. We are rotating these assignments among various departments around the state to give as many firefighters additional experience.

In Montgomery County, the Porter, Needham and North Montgomery County fire departments have also sent firefighters. In a news release, Montgomery County Fire Marshal Jimmy Williams called the deployment unprecedented.

Montgomery County firefighters will initially deploy for 14 days to the Woolsey Fire near Los Angeles, Williams said. He said firefighters will be reassigned as needed.

There were at least eight different wildfires blazing in California on Monday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, which coordinates the national mobilization of resources for wildland fires and other incidents throughout the United States.

The two most-infamous blazes  the Woolsey Fire in Southern California and the Camp Fire in Northern California  have so far left at least 31 people dead. More than 200 more are missing. Aided by dry vegetation and strong Santa Ana winds, the fires had burned at least 325 square miles by Monday.

Stephen Paulsen contributed to this report.

st.john.smith@chron.comIt might be an impressive haul, but it's not worth the fine.

On Saturday, Jefferson County Game Wardens seized 109 flounder from two men near Port Arthur.

"Generally, all year you can have five, during the month November the limit goes down to two, so these guys were way over the bag limit," Game Warden Clinton Caywood told Chron.com.

Clinton said game wardens initially spotted the truck transporting shrimp without a proper permit. After pulling the vehicle over, they discovered two oversized redfish, 19 lightning welk and the large haul of flounder.

"Of the 109 flounder, 59 of them were under 14 inches in length," Clinton said.

He said the anglers could be facing between $25 to $500 in fines per each charge, depending on the judge.

Luckily, the founder won't go to waste.

"A third of them were not edible, but the rest were in good condition and were donated out to various people," Clinton said.

LATEST: 'I was losing meat off my leg': Man details close call with flesh-eating bacteria

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.Like a scene from a wintry Bob Ross painting, photos coming out from the Texas panhandle Monday show a small blanket of snow coating bison and much of the landscape as cold weather pushes through the state.

The photos were taken deep inside Caprock Canyons State Park, just shy of a two-hour drive south of Amarillo.

A cold front blowing wintry weather through the state left the photographer, Annie Hepp, in awe.

"I've always wanted to see the canyons in the snow and today I got my wish," she posted to Facebook. "Photos cannot even begin to do justice to the incredible beauty of a fresh blanket of white snow on the red rock."

HOUSTON FORECAST: Cold front bringing wind tonight, chilly temperatures

Now Playing: Snow blankets bison and scenery in the Caprock Canyons State Park on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Video: Annie Hepp / Texas Parks and Wildlife

Hepp, who's from Waco, works with Texas Parks and Wildlife and was attended a conference near Caprock Canyons State Park when the storm blew through.

"Watching the bison grazing comfortably while a biting wind froze my fingers was so amazing," Hepp said. "Even the little calves didn't seem to mind the cold. So grateful for this opportunity."

While the Houston area will likely be spared by frozen precipitation this week, the area can expect frigid temperatures down to at least 32 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, temperatures will drop further, into the low 30s.

It will feel even colder, with wind chill values in the 20s on Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston office.

Meteorologists anticipate putting a freeze warning in place across southeast It will feel even colder, with wind chill values in the 20s on Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston office.

Meteorologists anticipate putting a freeze warning in place across southeast Texas Wednesday morning.

The cold front is also causing coastal counties to be under wind advisories from 2 p.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday, the weather office reported. Sustained winds could reach 25 mph on the coast, and gusts could reach 40 mph.

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AUSTIN  Strict penalties for possessing marijuana in Texas could soon go up in smoke.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott recently announced he's open to dropping the maximum punishment for possession of less than 2 ounces of the drug from 180 days in jail to a fine. The shift drew excitement from advocates and state lawmakers who have lobbied for years to decriminalize marijuana, which records show leads to more than 60,000 possession arrests in Texas each year.

"You have a certain idea of what members want to achieve going into the next session, I think that's at the top of the list of many members," said Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth.

But, it's far from certain. Past efforts by Texas House members to reduce penalties have failed. None has made it before the more conservative state Senate.

Any proposal would likely meet resistance from law enforcement groups.

"There needs to be some reasonable penalties, because we still view marijuana as an absolute gateway into the drug scene," said AJ Louderback, sheriff of Jackson County and member of the Sheriffs' Association of Texas. "We just have to look at each of these proposals as they come about."

Texas lawmakers have resisted past efforts to loosen marijuana laws. The state is one of roughly 28 that have not decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, though recent polls show more than half of Texas residents would support such a move. Some counties have implemented their own policies to divert certain low-level marijuana users away from jail and into other programs, including in Harris, Bexar and Travis counties.

Texas medicinal marijuana program, signed by Abbott in 2015, is one of the most restrictive in the nation. It allows only cannabidiol with low levels of THC  the component that gives pot users a high  to treat serious forms of intractable epilepsy.

Theres a push to expand its availability to more patients in the 2019 legislative session. But Abbott has said he is less open to that idea, even after talking with veterans, parents of autistic children and others who made a very strong compelling case about legalization of medical marijuana.

I have seen, however, in other states that authorize that, abuses take place that raise concerns, Abbott said in last weeks debate with Democratic challenger Lupe Valdez. I am still not convinced yet.

Valdez  the former sheriff of Dallas County  said she is open to more sweeping changes in marijuana policy. During the debate, she voiced support for reducing the penalties for marijuana possession and expanding medical marijuana. She called for a referendum to allow recreational use of the drug in Texas.

"The people need to decide whether that's going to be in Texas or not, she said.

Abbotts stance on decriminalizing the drug may be shifting with popular opinion. More than half of Texans support reducing penalties for possessing the drug, according to a recent poll from the University of Texas at Austin and the Texas Tribune.

Right now, people caught with less than 2 ounces can face up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine. Abbott said hes open to talking with the Legislature about reducing the penalty to a class C misdemeanor, punishable with a $500 fine and no jail time.

One thing I dont want to see is jails stockpiled with people who have possession of small amounts of marijuana, he said.

Abbott has opposed the loosening of state marijuana laws in the past. In 2015, when signing the therapeutic cannabis bill, Abbott emphasized opposition to any broader medical marijuana legalization or allowing it for recreational use.

Heather Fazio, with the Texas Marijuana Policy Project, said shes thrilled the governor is talking about reducing penalties. But she and some lawmakers want to reduce it further  making the offense for low-level possession a civil infraction instead of a criminal charge. The Texas Republican Party adopted that stance in its platform over the summer.

Theres no threat of arrest, jail time or a criminal record, Fazio said. Those are the three things were trying to eliminate to save valuable public resources.

More than 60,000 Texans were arrested for possessing marijuana in 2016, according to most the recent Texas Department of Public Safety crime report. Nearly 4,500 were juveniles and 45,000 more were between the ages 17 and 24, records show.

Criminal convictions for low-level pot possession can restrict peoples ability to get a job, serve in the military or finance their college education, Fazio said.

Enforcement for possessing small amounts of marijuana varies widely across the state.

Small rural counties accounted for the highest drug possession arrest rates in Texas, according to a 2016 report from Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union. In Kenedy County, population 407, police made 329 arrests for drug possession from 2010 to 2015, the report said.

Allie Morris is a staff writer in Austin. | amorris@express-news.net | Twitter: @MorrisReportsRemember President Trump's border wall? The one that he first said would be paid for by Mexico, and that he later asked U.S. taxpayers to fund? Well, it may be one of the first casualties of the new Congress that resulted from the Nov. 6 midterm elections.

The newly elected Democrat-controlled House most likely will not approve funding for Trump's border wall, which most experts agree would be a monumental waste of money.

Also, the new House will try to roll back many of Trump's most draconian immigration measures and seek to restore foreign aid to Central America and South America, which the administration has been seeking to drastically cut.

Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., who is expected to be the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told me in an interview that he will propose legislation asking for Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for Venezuelan, Honduran, Salvadoran and Haitian refugees who have been denied U.S. residency by the Trump administration.

Democrats in the House will also seek permanent residency for the nearly 800,000 DREAMers - young adults brought to this country as children by their undocumented parents - Engel told me.

While the new Democratic House will not be able to singlehandedly pass any of these measures without the Republican-controlled Senate, its funding powers will give it significant negotiating power in domestic and foreign policies.

It's Congress, not the president, who has the power of the purse. And we are going to use it, Engel told me.

Asked specifically about the wall, Engel said, We will try to stop it. He added that, The wall is a ridiculous proposal. It causes a lot of ill will, and it doesn't do anything.

Most experts agree that Trump's proposed border wall would be almost useless. It would be costly and difficult to build along the entire 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. Furthermore, more than 40 percent of undocumented migrants don't come into the United States by crossing the Mexican border; they arrive by plane and overstay their visas.

In addition, Trump's obsession with illegal immigration - and most recently with the caravan of Central American migrants trying to get to the U.S. border - is largely based on lies. While Trump recently claimed that there are 25 million illegal immigrants in the country, the real number is 11.3 million, and it has been going down since 2009, according to Pew Research Center data.

The idea of building a wall is insulting, and it diminishes our relationship with our partners in the hemisphere, Engel said. China and Russia - and even Cuba - are licking their lips.

The House will try to forge a positive agenda with Latin America, whether it's on immigration, trade or the environment, Democrats say. Trump keeps up his insults about illegal immigration and building walls with Mexico. What we want to do is to build bridges, not walls, Engel told me.

With Democrats in the majority, House leadership plans to hold hearings to restore foreign aid to Central America as a way to address the root causes that drive families to seek refuge in the United States.

In addition, there will be a push to step up individual sanctions against top Venezuelan officials and to get TPS status for more Venezuelans in the United States, Engel said. It's absurd for the Trump administration to ask other countries to take in Venezuelan migrants while not admitting more of them into the United States, Engel said.

My opinion: It's entirely possible that, as the new House uses its subpoena powers to obtain Trump's tax returns and investigate his ties with Russia, there will be total gridlock in Congress and nothing will get done.

But the Democrats know that Trump will try to portray them as the obstructionist party. If they are smart, they will push for a constructive agenda, making deals immigration and foreign aid, among other issues.

After two years of Trump's demagogic xenophobia, the Democrats' build-bridges-not-walls agenda may be supported by some moderate Republicans. That would be a much-needed breath of fresh air in hemispheric relations and put Trump and his isolationist ideologues on the defensive.

Oppenheimer is a Latin America correspondent for the Miami Herald.Our riders are at the heart of our business and are seen by communities up and down the country as they travel our streets to deliver food, said Deliveroo CEO Will Shu.

Its amazing that our network of riders have volunteered to use our recognisable backpacks to create mobile billboards in support of such an important cause, Shu said.

We hope that over the holidays, our Ride to Find campaign will help bring missing people home to their friends and family as well as raise awareness and funds for the Missing People charity.

The campaign will also allow customers to donate to Missing People through the Deliveroo app.

The money raised by Deliveroo and their customers will help us to continue to search across the UK for missing people and support the estimated one million people who are affected by a loved ones disappearance, said Jo Youle, CEO of Missing People.Mr and Mrs Balajadia immigrated in 2001 and now hold New Zealand citizenship. Mrs Balajadia is the sole shareholder and director of 3 Kings Restaurant and was described as extremely abusive and controlling in victim impact statements.

She was convicted of two charges of exploitation of a temporary worker and five charges of providing false or misleading information to INZ in employment agreements.

The District Court described the victims as working and living in conditions not far removed from a modern-day form of slavery.

Moreover, the District Court found a starting point of 30 months imprisonment was appropriate and Mrs Balajadia was settled on an end sentence of two years and two months imprisonment.

The Court of Appeal described that starting point as lenient and stated it could easily have been as high as 40 months imprisonment.The Business Of Indie: Daptone Resurrected  New Ole CEO, Acquisitions  Sup Pop Singles Club  More

Today Hypebot launches The Business Of Indie, an initial step in our effort to give independent labels, publishers and artists the attention they deserve. Much like Hypebot's More News section, The Business Of Indie will be nestled under the Indie tab at the top of the page and feature a constantly updated compendium of indie news from hundreds of global sources.

Look for more news and features aimed at serving and honoring the independent music sector to roll out in the coming weeks.

Read The Business Of Indie here.

Share on:Madrid  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for a spirit of change from governments to capture the social and economic benefits of air connectivity, by enabling a more competitive air transport sector.



Today 8.5 million flights touch Europe each year. That activity supports 12.2 million jobs and $823 billion of European GDP. Those benefits have the potential to increase with the expected 50% growth in demand for air connectivity over the next two decades. To fully realize this potential Europe must address deep-rooted issues which hamper the competitiveness of Europes aviation sector. Chief among the concerns are the onerous regulation, high taxes, inefficient air traffic management, and a lack of sufficient infrastructure capacity.

In 2037, 1.9 billion passengers should be traveling to, from and within this continent. That growth will create jobs and drive a modern economy. But these economic and societal benefits will only materialize if Europe provides a playing field on which its airline industry can be competitive. Governments must embrace a spirit of change in their policies and ambitions for aviation. If governments make the right decisions for aviationeffective regulations, fair taxes and efficient infrastructurethe competitiveness of the entire European economy will improve, said Alexandre de Juniac, IATAs Director General and CEO, in a keynote address to the inaugural IATA Wings of Change Europe conference in Madrid, Spain.

IATA also announced that it is developing a Competitiveness Toolkit, which will provide governments with an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of their air connectivity. The analysis will be updated regularly, to enable stakeholders to measure progress. The first country report, for Spain, was published at Wings of Change, with key European states to follow in the coming weeks.

IATA identified three key areas of action to enhance European competitiveness: improving air traffic management, enhancing aviation infrastructure, and reducing the cost and regulatory burden.

Air Traffic Management



A four-point plan for improvements should be adopted without delay by the European Commission, States, Air Navigation Service Providers and their staff, comprising:

Reforms to outdated work practices

Modernization of the ATM infrastructure

Empowering the European Network Manager, and

Strengthening the Performance and Charging Scheme regulation.

This years ATM performance has seen delays at record levels. Passengers deserve better, and airlines cannot wait for the benefits of the Single European Sky program to materialize. Urgent action is needed today to ensure improvements are in place for next summer, said de Juniac.

IATA and PANSA (the ANSP for Poland) jointly announced the publication of the Airspace Strategy for Poland, the first of the National Airspace Strategies that Poland, France, Spain, Bulgaria and Italy have undertaken to develop.

Airport Capacity

There is an urgent need to build more airport capacity, but IATA urged caution with the involvement of the private sector in running airports. And existing capacity must be handled with care. The European Slot Regulation, which is aligned with the Worldwide Slots Guidelines, has worked well to manage constrained airports in a way which ensures stable schedules while creating openings for new competition.

Smarter Regulations



IATA encouraged European regulators to focus on two key regulatory reforms:

The EU261 compensation scheme is complicated for airlines and passengers, and wholesale reform is urgently needed.

The Airport Charges Directive has failed to keep airport charges competitive. Over the last decade, passenger charges have doubled as a proportion of the ticket price. Those airports which have strong market power must be effectively regulated. The key is to agree the principles for establishing which airports need regulating, and a way to make that regulation effective, quickly, said de Juniac.



For more information, please contact:

Corporate Communications

Tel: +41 22 770 2967

Email: corpcomms@iata.org



Notes for Editors:

S. Korea, China reach 2019 fisheries agreement

November 09,2018 | Source: Yonhap

South Korea and China reached an agreement on their annual fisheries quota in each other's exclusive waters for next year, the Seoul government said Friday.



The agreement was reached at the 18th round of bilateral talks held in the southeastern port city of Busan from Tuesday to Friday, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.



The pact allows each country to send up to 1,450 boats in the other's exclusive economic zone next year, cutting the total by 50 boats from 2018.



The quota on the number of fishing boats has decreased for the third consecutive year to maintain a relevant level of fish stock in waters between the two nations, the ministry said.



The Asian neighbors also agreed to beef up joint efforts to crack down on Chinese boats' illegal fishing along South Korea's western maritime border, it noted.



Korean authorities on average have taken action against some 400-500 Chinese vessels illegally fishing in Korean waters annually, mostly near the western maritime border with North Korea. This number fell to 278 last year, according to the ministry. In the first half of this year, 86 Chinese boats were caught for carrying out illegal fishing activities.

 Yonhap News Agency

Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture.Chinese embassy in Sierra Leone holds meeting to brief on laws and regulations governing fisheries to Chinese fishing companies

November 12,2018 | Source: AllAfrica

In August this year, a Chinese fishing vessel, Hua'ang 17 was caught and fined for fishing without fishing observers on-board, according to the report from Sierra Leonean Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. To show his apology, the owner of Hua'ang fishing company expressed willingness to donate USD$ 2000 worth of fishing gears to the local fishermen through the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources .



His Excellency Ambassador WU Peng reiterated at the meeting that the position of Chinese Government on opposing illegal fishing activities is very clear, and any violation of the rules and laws will face punishment. Ambassador WU called on Chinese fishing companies to respect related fishery laws and regulations in Sierra Leone while reinforcing management and self-regulation. Ambassador WU said that he had taken actions to freeze the total number of Chinese fishing vessels in Sierra Leone during his tenure because he deemed that maintaining balance between the contribution of the fishery industry to economic development and the sustainable development of the fishery industry itself very important.



The Deputy Director of Fisheries of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Josephus Mamie, said that the meeting demonstrated that Chinese government is determined to regulate Chinese fishing companies in Sierra Leone. He commended Ambassador WU for his line of action in bringing Chinese fishing companies and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to talk on the matter of illegal fishing. Meanwhile, he assured the Embassy and the Fishing companies that the donation would be used for its intended purposes and highlighted the importance of translating relevant laws and regulations into Chinese so that the Chinese fishermen can have a better understanding of them.

 2018 AllAfrica

Theme(s): Others.Strengthening role of women in fisheries

by Shailaja A. Lakshmi

November 09,2018 | Source: MarineLink

Fishing is one of the world's most dangerous professions. But many people rely on the fishing industry for their livelihoods, especially women who often face difficult conditions.



According to a press note from International Maritime Organization (IMO), women are present in all the activities of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.



During the first International Conference of Women in Fisheries, held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain (5 - 7 November), IMO delivered a presentation on its Women in Maritime gender programme.



IMO highlighted how, over the last 30 years, the organization has facilitated access to high-level technical training for women in the maritime sector. This is a model which other participants such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have agreed to emulate.



Both FAO and ILO plan to work with IMO to develop project proposals to help increase women's recruitment and access to training in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.



Participants also discussed various topics such as working conditions, the role of women in aquacultures and women's associations and leadership - and heard how IMO has successfully facilitated the establishment of women in maritime networks across the globe.



Following a series of workshops, the participants concluded the conference by adopting the Santiago de Compostela Declaration for Equal Opportunities in the Fisheries and Aquaculture sectors. The declaration pledges participants readiness to work together to develop a global strategy to promote equal opportunities and lists a number of necessary steps to achieve this.



These include collecting data to identify gender gaps, improving working conditions, increasing women's access to training and fostering empowerment and leadership through the formation of women's associations within the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

 1996-2018 Maritime Activity Reports, Inc.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.Scottish fisheries leader: Brexit presents opportunities and threats

by Nicki Holmyard

November 12,2018 | Source: SeafoodSource

As the reality of Brexit draws closer, fisheries representatives in the United Kingdom are still analyzing its impacts and seeking to exert their influence to maximize the potential positives they see coming as a result.



Mike Park, the CEO of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association (SWFPA), the largest fishermens organization in Europe, spoke to SeafoodSource about the opportunities and threats to the U.K. catching sector following the countrys divorce from the European Union at the end of March 2019.



He explained that a considerable amount of his time has been spent over the past year-and-a-half  since the British public voted to leave the E.U.  in talks to ensure that his members have a fair deal following Brexit. This involves devising strategy and lobbying various departments of the U.K. government to ensure that the views and needs of the fishing sector are taken into account during the exit settlement. The aim is for the U.K. to become a coastal state under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and to manage its own waters and fish stocks.



Despite all the rhetoric about things being immediately better after Brexit, I believe that the large benefits, in terms of new, improved fixed quotas shares, will take some years to negotiate, and anyone who thinks there are big gains to be had immediately is kidding themselves, he said. That said, we should be able to improve our situation from day one via coastal state negotiations.



Park pointed out one obvious opportunity in taking back control of U.K. waters is the ability to have a greater share of permitted catches, Not to increase the size of the pie, but to get a bigger share of the pie.



This, in turn, will help to revitalize coastal and remote communities, leading to investment and job creation, Park said.



We have the opportunity to completely revitalize the way we manage fisheries after Brexit and I would push for an inclusive, bottom-up, co-management approach that delivers policy with a regional approach, he said. In time, we would aim to become world leaders in the delivery of sustainably harvested, quality seafood.



The threats of Brexit are all too real, especially a situation in which the U.K. leaves without finalizing a trade deal, according to Park. He explained that non-tariff barriers such as additional port and customs inspections are feared by the sector more than tariffs, as these could cause unnecessary delays and damage trade.



Park is also fearful that fish stocks and access rights may be traded by the U.K. government as part of an overall deal, which would leave the country little leverage in later coastal state negotiations. Agreeing to a longer transition period before leaving would also affect the U.K.s ability to take part in negotiations for long-term management plans of jointly managed stocks such as mackerel.



Park is keen for the U.K. to leave the E.U.s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) as soon as possible, arguing that it has led to significant confusion. The CFPs Landing Obligation, which has been rolled out to all quota species over the past few years, means that everything caught at sea must be landed, and this has led to many issues with choke species.



For some fishermen, it is the unwanted element of the catch that poses a problem, but for others involved in mixed fisheries, it means stopping fishing because they dont have enough quota to cover catches of large mature fish, Park said. The ability to negotiate larger shares of quotas should provide a pathway to solving these choke issues. I believe that a more sensible adaptive management approach is needed to overcome these issues.



In 2017, the U.K. fleet landed approximately 581,000 metric tons (MT) of fish from U.K. waters, with a gross value of GBP 811 million (USD 1.05 billion, EUR 926.1 million). British vessels also caught around 94,000 MT worth GBP 88 million (USD 114 million, EUR 100.5 million) in the waters of other E.U. member states, as permitted by the CFP.



Recent research undertaken by the University of Aberdeen for the Scottish Fishermens Federation, the umbrella body for a number of Scottish fishing associations, looked at the spatial distribution of 17 stocks of interest to Scotland, such as cod, haddock, monkfish, hake, whiting, and plaice.



It compared the percentage of fish stocks assessed to be within the U.K.s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the percentage of the total allowable catch (TAC) allocated to the U.K. by Europe, and used this data to create a zonal attachment model. Analysis using the model showed that the U.K. only catches 36 percent of the fish and shellfish caught in its waters.



If U.K. fishing boats could catch half of the principal species landed from the U.K. EEZ, then the total value of their landings would increase to around GBP 1 billion (USD 1.3 billion, EUR 1.14 billion), which is a 23-percent increase on the 2016 figures used in the study, Park said.



The future for the U.K. fishing industry remains unclear until a deal is finally struck between the government and the E.U., but in the meantime planning for all contingencies must continue, Park said.



I foresee that, following Brexit, we will be negotiating with different countries over access rights for many years, to ensure we eventually get a plan that looks more like zonal attachment, he said. This means that my work is cut out for some time to come.

 2018 Diversified Communications

Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade.Three Kenyan fishermen detained in Tanzania

November 12,2018 | Source: The Star

Three Kenyan fishermen from Kiwa Island in Suba South have been arrested and taken to Tanzania for constant border row in Lake Victoria.



The fishermen are detained at Musoma police station in Tanzania after they were arrested by Tanzania security officials on Saturday night.



Dan Kireti, Victor Okello and Calvins Ouma also had their engine boat confiscated.



According to Homa Bay Beach Management Units chairman Edward Oremo, the Tanzanian officials also took away gears from the fishermen.



The Tanzania security officers claimed our colleagues crossed the boundary when they were fishing. These are ways of gagging Kenyans fishermen from operating in the lake freely, Oremo said.



Oremo yesterday said the harassment Kenyans fishermen have been continually subjected to by security officers from Tanzania and Uganda is improvising them.



The BMU official said most of Kenyan fishermen live in fear.



The security officers from Tanzania and Uganda normally attack, take fishing gears and catch from our fishermen. Were losing a lot of property in the hands of foreigners, he added.



The fishermen appealed to national government to find a lasting solution for the constant conflict between them and security officials from the two neighbouring countries.



Oremo said Kenyan Fishermen want harmonious work with their colleagues from the two countries in the lake but the security personnel are not ready.



Kenyan fishermen are undergoing a lot of tribulations in the lake hence work environment is unwelcoming at all, he said.



The incident comes barely one week seven Kenyan fishermen were arrested at detained at Sota beach in Tanzania.



Let the three countries bordering the Lake Victoria to fast-track signing harmonious law to enable fishermen operate peacefully, Oremo said.



The border row in Lake Victoria has been at the centre of conflict for long among Kenyan fishermen and security officers from Uganda and Tanzania.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.Imperial Valley News Center

Defendant in $1.1 Million Nationwide Fraud Scheme Targeting Casinos and Credit Card Companies Is Sentenced

Sacramento, California - Vivian Wang, 55, of Alpharetta, Georgia, was sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to two years in prison for wire fraud related to a nationwide casino and credit card fraud scheme and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, between August 2008 and August 2014, Wang participated in a scheme to defraud casinos and credit card companies across the country. The scheme involved using false identities in the names and Social Security numbers of migrant workers to apply for casino credit called markers and to open credit card accounts. A marker is a cash advance provided by a casino to a patron, and it is often secured by a check from the patrons bank account.

Wang, working in concert with her co-defendant, Frank Luo, initially timely repaid several markers at different casinos and several credit cards in order to give the impression of creditworthiness to future casinos and credit card companies. Wang and Luo recruited clients to the scheme to induce the casinos and credit card companies to part with even more money under fraudulent pretenses.

Wang and her co-schemers coordinated their gambling activity in order to give the appearance of losing money (and thereby encouraging the casinos to issue future markers) when in fact one schemer would lose money while another would gain the same. In other instances, one schemer would surreptitiously deliver the issued gambling chips to another in order to give the appearance of having spent them. At the end of the scheme, Wang and her co-schemers did not repay the casino markers or the significant outstanding credit card balances accrued in a short amount of time once creditworthiness had been established. The combined fraud led to over $1.1 million in losses to casinos and credit card companies.

Wang used an Illinois state identity card in the name of a particular migrant worker to achieve various parts of the scheme, including presentation of that identification at a Placerville-area casino in August 2013 to obtain a $30,000 marker.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justices Bureau of Gambling Control. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew M. Yelovich prosecuted the case.

Luo was sentenced to three years in prison.Imperial Valley News Center

Playful Pachyderm Pair at San Diego Zoo Safari Park Are Thriving

Escondido, California - Two young elephant calves at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park enjoyed a high-spirited play session this morning (Nov. 12, 2018). While their mothers and the rest of their herd ate fresh browse and hay, the 3-month-old male calf Umzula-zuli (Zuli, for short) and the almost 2-month-old female calf Mkhaya (called Kaia) engaged in some friendly sparring, pushing, head-butting, climbing and tugging behavior.

These young calves are so much fun to watch, said Curtis Lehman, animal care supervisor, San Diego Zoo Safari Park. They are almost the same size, so they naturally gravitate to each other. The calves moms know they are in a safe environment, so theyre allowing them to roam the exhibitknowing that if the calves stray too far or get too rough with each other, an auntie will intercede and make sure they are OK. The calves have plenty of aunties, who help the moms out by alloparentinga system of group parenting in which individuals other than the parents act in a parental role.

Zuli was born Aug. 12 to mother Ndulamitsi and Kaia was born Sept. 26 to mother Umngani. According to keepers, both calves are very active and curious. While both are still nursing, the calves like to mimic the older elephants in the herd, pushing around puzzle feeders and mouthing fresh browse. Keepers report Zuli especially loves to manipulate his trunk, grabbing branches and trying to lift them over his head or put them in his mouth. While Kaia is younger, she is starting to do everything Zuli does.

The Safari Park is now home to 14 elephantsfour adults and 10 youngsters. The adults were rescued in 2003 from the Kingdom of Swaziland (now known as eSwatini), where they had faced being culled. A lack of space and long periods of drought had created unsuitable habitat for a large elephant population in the small southern African country. At the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, elephant studies are underway on nutrition, daily walking distance, growth and development, and bioacoustic communication. Since 2004, San Diego Zoo Global has contributed $30,000 yearly to eSwatinis Big Game Parks to fund programs like anti-poaching patrols, improve infrastructure and purchase additional acreage for the Big Game Parks.

San Diego Zoo Global also collaborates with the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Africa, which operates a community-based elephant orphanage that cares for injured and orphaned elephants in the Namunyuk region of Kenya.

The recent births of these two elephants at the Safari Park provide an opportunity for animal care experts in San Diego and in Africa to share information about growth rates, nutrition and maternal care, to help improve animal care and conservation efforts in both countries.

The Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is a community-based wildlife conservation program in Kenya. Created as part of a community effort to care for and protect the elephants and other wildlife in the region, the sanctuary was established by the Northern Rangelands Trust and works with the Kenya Wildlife Service to manage the animals in its care.

The new calves and their herd may be seen at the Safari Parks elephant habitat and on the Safari Parks Elephant Cam, at sdzsafaripark.org/elephant-cam.

Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is made accessible to children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the internet and in childrens hospitals nationwide. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.Former Employee of Dunbar Armored Named in Federal Indictment Alleging $300,000 Theft from Company

Los Angeles, California - A former Dunbar Armored employee has pleaded not guilty to federal conspiracy and bank theft charges contained in a grand jury indictment that alleges a scheme to smuggle $300,000 in cash out of Dunbars storage facility in Vernon.

Eric Miranda, 37, of East Los Angeles, was arraigned on November 2 and, while bond was set, he remains in federal custody at this time.

Miranda was arrested on October 21 as he entered the United States from Mexico, and he subsequently made his first court appearance in federal court in San Diego. He was arraigned after being transported to Los Angeles by the United States Marshals Service.

Miranda is named in a four-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit bank theft from the Dunbar cash storage facility. He also is charged with three counts of bank theft.

The indictment alleges that Miranda stole cash from the Dunbar vault by using dummy stacks of $100 bills that he switched out for real stacks of $100,000. First, Miranda created dummy stacks of $100,000 by taking hundreds of $1 bills and sandwiching them between $100 bills  in order to make them appear to be stacks of $100 bills totaling $100,000. Miranda allegedly then smuggled the dummy stacks into the Dunbar vault, where he and his co-conspirator switched them for real stacks of $100,000. Miranda and his co-conspirator then marked the dummy stacks to ensure they were not placed into circulation. Finally, Miranda smuggled the real stacks of money out of the vault room by hiding it in a postal box. On more than three occasions in late 2017 and early 2018, Miranda smuggled a total of approximately $300,000 out of the Dunbar facility.

At his arraignment on Friday, Miranda was ordered to stand trial on December 18.

If convicted of the charges in the indictment, Miranda would face a statutory maximum sentence of 35 years in federal prison.

Mirandas alleged co-conspirator  Monique Castruita, 35, of Maywood  has also been charged in relation to this case and is scheduled to be arraigned later this month.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

The case was investigated by special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who received substantial assistance from the City of Vernon Police Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey M. Chemerinsky and Joseph D. Axelrad of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.Condemning Sham "Elections" in Russia-Controlled Eastern Ukraine

Washington, DC - The United States joins our European Allies and partners in condemning the November 11 sham elections in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine. Yesterdays illegitimate processes were an attempt by Moscow to institutionalize its Donbas proxies, the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics. These entities have no place within the Minsk agreements or within Ukraines constitutional government, and they should be dismantled along with the illegal armed formations.

If Russia calculated the November 11 illegal elections would lead to international respect for its proxies, the international reaction proves it was mistaken. The OSCE refused to monitor yesterdays farce. Russias actions have been denounced in capitals on both sides of the Atlantic and on the floors of the UN Security Council and the OSCE. The United States and the European Union have spoken with one voice against yesterdays violation of Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will continue to impose Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia until Moscow fully implements the Minsk agreements and returns control of Crimea to Ukraine.Secretary Pompeo's Call With Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Secretary emphasized that the United States will hold all of those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable, and that Saudi Arabia must do the same.

On Yemen, the Secretary reiterated the United States calls for a cessation of hostilities and for all parties to come to the table to negotiate a peaceful solution to the conflict under the UN Special Envoy.The wall behind Sid Sijbrandij emanates a warm orange glow. Then, waves rush toward the shore at his back. The change in scenery isn't distracting, however. It's deliberate. The GitLab co-founder has a green screen in his office, which is also his home.

Every employee of the San Francisco-based startup, which offers tools for software developers, works from home. Three years ago, that was nine people. Today, GitLab's 350 employees across 45 countries use video calls and Slack chats to stay constantly connected. The dramatic expansion has been enabled by outsize investment--a $100 million fund raise in September landed it a $1 billion valuation. It has also been propelled by revenue growth that skyrocketed to nearly $10.5 million last year, up 6,213 percent from just over $165,000 in 2014--helping it notch No. 44 on this year's Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America.

That growth is also deliberate, Sijbrandij attests. For each step of creating computer code, from planning and writing to releasing it to the world, a plethora of apps exist to help streamline that process. GitLab aims to integrate all of those systems into one platform. The company offers free limited access for individual developers and paid full access for enterprise companies, promising a 200 percent increase in development processing speed.

The message for people who don't speak tech: Doubling your team's efficiency is almost like hiring a bunch of extra software developers, without having to make room in the payroll budget. In a world where everything happens online, the faster you can push code, the better.

Catnip for coders.

The platform's first version was created in 2011 by Dmitriy Zaporozhets, Gitlab's other co-founder and current CTO. He was a programmer at a Ukrainian consulting firm who wanted a better code-sharing platform for his company's 200 employees. The best options were deemed too expensive by management, so he built one himself.

Word of the free open-source tool spread quickly, thanks to a post on Hacker News, the website owned by startup incubator Y-Combinator. Other developers started adding to its code, including Sijbrandij, a Dutch entrepreneur living in the Netherlands.

In 2012, Sijbrandij sent Zaporozhets an email. "Hey, I'm going to start a company around GitLab," he recalls writing. "Thanks for making it. You're not going to get anything. Hope that's OK with you."

A year later, Zaporozhets quit his job and joined Sijbrandij full-time. They toiled away in their respective countries, officially launching the company in 2014, until the company was accepted to Y-Combinator in 2015. The San Francisco stint gave them a much-needed crash course in sales, marketing, finance, and recruiting. They internalized the incubator's famous insistence on launching products right away, no matter what state they're in, and using customer feedback to polish them. GitLab publishes a new feature the 22nd of every month, whether it's ready or not.

This past June, GitHub--one of the world's largest code-sharing platforms--sold to Microsoft for $7.5 billion. Some users bristled at the prospect of corporate control and fled to GitLab, which gained 200,000 code projects and a seven-fold increase in orders.

Sijbrandij hopes the awareness bump is ending a common assumption that the similarly named companies do the same thing. While they may have started out with near-identical offerings, Sijbrandij says his company has expanded its services widely since 2011. "[Our] scope is ten times bigger than GitHub," he says.

Remote but not Isolated.

While Zaporozhets was open with his code, he was initially cagey about his personal life--refusing even to turn on his webcam for meetings. Sijbrandij asked for a photo, and received one of Zaporozhets wearing gigantic, face-obscuring sunglasses.

That's changed, thanks to the company's insistence on transparency. GitLab meetings and presentations are uploaded to YouTube. Its employee handbook--over 1,000 pages long when printed--is publicly available online as a resource, so employees can get questions answered without waking up co-workers in a different time zone.

The biggest advantage to an all-remote team is obvious: Your hiring pool is gigantic, and you don't need to convince top talent to move for you. GitLab's percentage of quality job applications is similar to other companies--its dramatic number of recent hires is due to how many applications it receives, 13,000 in the second quarter of 2018 alone.

On the other hand, maintaining a culture is really difficult. "To be honest, I was definitely a bit concerned," says Dave Munichiello, a general partner at Alphabet's venture capital arm, GV, which invested in GitLab in 2017. "What happens when the all-hands meeting isn't a bunch of folks hanging around the water cooler listening to the CEO articulate the vision and the mission?"

GitLab's leaders constantly think about it. Sijbrandij even hired away Netflix's vice president of talent, Barbie Brewer, to serve as chief people officer. Virtual coffee breaks, where employees talk about their lives outside GitLab, are built into everyone's schedules. Senior leaders hold office hours in video chat rooms that anyone can join. When GitLab meets its monthly goals, everyone gets a free dinner.

"What we've learned from GitLab," Munichiello says, "is that when you have a leadership team that's as committed to remote-only as they are, and as communicative and transparent as they are, and as insistent on documentation as they are, it can work."

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the size of GitLab's September fund raise, which was $100 million.

EXPLORE MORE Inc. 5000 COMPANIESAbsurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

Amazon must have enjoyed this.

I'm not sure how many others did, after the initial amusement.

The company has garnered so much data about every municipality in America. Those municipalities have learned that taking part in vast reality shows may not be the wisest thing to do.

And now The Washington Post has declared it: Amazon is splitting HQ2 between Crystal City, Virginia, and Long Island City, New York.

Of course, ever since the Post revealed Crystal City's advanced negotiations, the rumors began to trickle out that the Virginia city wouldn't be alone in getting the big prize.

I wonder where those rumors might have come from.

Ultimately then, a split decision, one that will now have locals in the two cities trembling at the thought of an influx of the hip and self-regarding.

Those cities that lost--if lost is truly the right term in this slightly absurd affair--will now be wondering whether they were really in the race at all.

After all, there were experts who were so very sure where Amazon would end up.

Marketing personality Scott Galloway, for example, insisted that after all the nonsense, the only sense was to put HQ2 in New York. He wasn't wrong.

Location expert Bert Sperling insisted too--experts tend to be insistent--that Virginia would be Amazon-loved. Yes, he wasn't quite right about the part of Virginia, but he wasn't totally wrong either.

Now that the reality show is over, the reality begins.

In the end, Amazon simply chose to put its headquarters where it thought it could hire employees--and where they might be prepared to live.

It was as simple as that, it seems.

Which means that all the consultants hired by various cities all over America (and, who knows, even Canada) made some money, but no real contribution.

One can look forward to Amazon's fascinating explanations about as much as the people of Long Island City and Crystal City can look forward to their lives being radically altered.

Somewhere, though, there are smiling politicians raising a glass to their own ingenuity.Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

Traveling is, according to United Airlines, a way of bringing people closer together.

In many countries, you'll find people only too willing to offer warmth, kindness and a spirit you may not find in your own country.

(You are, in my view, guaranteed all three in Portugal, especially if you're lucky enough to visit Raizes restaurant in Lisbon.)

I fear, though, that three countries are about to fall into a pit of disfavor, after a recently-taken decision.

You see, Hungary, Latvia and Greece are testing something that's delightfully called iBorderCtrl.

This, at heart -- well, it doesn't actually have one -- is an Artificial Intelligence-based lie detector that visitors to these countries will face this month.

Please imagine that you might land in, say, Budapest and be met by a body-less border guard.

Yes, an avatar that will ask you piercing questions about your travel.

Sample from Hungary: Do you agree with our great leader Viktor Orban that migrants are 'poison'?

No, I have no actual information that this will be one of the questions.

Indeed, Keeley Crockett, a computational intelligence academic who's involved in this fine scheme, told CNN:

It will ask the person to confirm their name, age and date of birth, (and) it will ask them things like what the purpose of their trip is and who is funding the trip.

But of course.

The idea, though, is to ask questions that might elicit shifty body language or, who knows, unwelcome grunts.

If the see-through border guard thinks you're lying, it'll pass you on to a human who will, no doubt, handcuff you, headbutt you or, perhaps, deport you.

Naturally, the official reason for this wheeze is to speed up the border process.

Equally naturally, critics' minds work very quickly to find the negatives.

Frederike Kaltheuner, data program lead at Privacy International, told CNN:

This is part of a broader trend towards using opaque, and often deficient, automated systems to judge, assess and classify people.

Of course, it's all too late.

Governments -- just like corporations -- see wonderful money-saving and espionage opportunities in such technologies.

I myself have already incurred a blood-curdling encounter with a British Airways bag-drop machine.

Unlike a human, it wouldn't accept that my suitcase was a tiny amount over the limit, despite the fact that my baggage limit was two bags with a total of almost twice the amount of poundage I was checking.

A human would have let it pass. The machine, however, has no humanity.

Many question the accuracy of the lie-detector technology anyway. In the case of this current trial in Hungary, Greece and Latvia, it's only been tested on 32 people.

The European Union people behind it insist that it will only be tested in the three countries on volunteers.

Who'd volunteer for a lie-detector machine? Other than Stormy Daniels.

But she, at least, hopes to win a legal case.

Booked your European holiday for next year yet?

No?Google "daily routine" and you get something in the neighborhood of 300 million results, a great many of which are various gurus and writers suggesting some sort of daily habit or schedule that will make you happier, healthier, or more productive. But humans don't just live in 24-hour cycles. We organize our lives into weeks, months, seasons, and years, too.

Some of the smartest and most successful entrepreneurs harness that truth to get more done with less effort--like Sara Blakely.

Why Sara Blakely (and other super achievers) love batching their days

Every quirk of the self-made billionaire and Spanx founder's daily routine has been reported and commented on by the media (particularly her weird love of aimlessly driving around in her car), but when she spoke to New York Magazine's The Cut blog about how she gets stuff done, she emphasized how she divides up her weeks, not just her days.

"There are certain days that I have segmented. Wednesday is always meeting day. I have meetings with my direct reports and key people I'm involved with in the business all day Wednesday. Monday is my think day. I usually clear my entire calendar for Monday, unless something urgent comes up. I use that day to create and think. Thursdays, I spend a lot of time with the product and creative team. Tuesday and Friday, as things come up, each can be a little different," she reports.

Rather than follow any uniform daily schedule, Blakeley follows a weekly cadence. And while this might sound strange at first to some, it's actually the secret to the success of a lot of super achievers.

Several entrepreneurs who have successfully switched their companies to four-day workweeks reveal they managed the switch by batching tasks to save time. And Modular Robotics CEO Eric Schweikardt has explained on his company's blog how he batches all his collaborative work into one day a week. It's an idea he stole from VC Brad Feld.

While nine meetings in a row might sound like a nightmare, Schweikardt reports feeling "fulfilled and not exhausted" at the end of the day, as his unusual schedule allows him to focus on the people he's interacting with and spot trends, as opposed to wasting time and mental energy switching between different sorts of tasks.

The science of why task batching makes sense

Not having to switch mental gears is at the heart of Blakely and other achievers' insight. Not only does science show that constantly switching between tasks literally makes you dumber (the effect is about the same as having gotten a lousy night's sleep), but it takes our brains a surprising amount of time to move from one type of work to another.

Other research suggests we lose something like 23 minutes of work every time we toggle between different tasks, and that's true even if the other task was just a 30 second Twitter or email check.

The bottom line is that most of us lose a tremendous amount of time and mental energy switching between contexts. One smart way to avoid that cost is to follow Blakely's lead and think not just in terms of a daily rhythm, but a weekly one as well. That way you can batch tasks that demand a similar headspace together, cutting down on the cost of context switching and getting a lot more done in the same amount of time.Gwyneth Paltrow has been criticised for her tribute to Stan Lee, which has been widely deemed tone-deaf.

The actor attempted to honour the late Marvel co-creator in an Instagram post in which she originally advertised a dress sold by her lifestyle company Goop.

Lee died on Monday at the age of 95. He co-created many of Marvel's best-known superheroes, including Iron Man and his love interest Pepper Potts, who is played by Paltrow on the big screen.

The actor's Instagram post, which now appears to have been deleted from her account, consisted of a photo of herself with Chris Pratt, also known as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in the Marvel Universe.

In her caption, she explained the dress was now on sale and directed her followers to Goop's website to purchase it.

Paltrow apparently heard about Lee's passing after sharing the ad.

While many celebrities, especially those who have starred in Marvel movies, created new posts to honour Lee, Paltrow added an update onto her publication dedicated to the dress.

Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Show all 30 1 /30 Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Spider-Man: Homecoming Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Thor: Ragnarok Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Ant-Man and the Wasp Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Avengers: Infinity War Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Black Panther Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Doctor Strange Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos X-Men: Apocalypse Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Ant-Man Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Captain America: Civil War Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Deadpool Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Agent Carter Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos SHIELD Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Iron Man 3 Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos The Amazing Spider-Man Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Avengers Assemble Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Thor Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Captain America: The First Avenger Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Iron Man Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Spider-Man 3 Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos X-Men Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Iron Man 2 Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos X-Men: The Last Stand Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Fantastic Four Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Daredevil Marvel Stan Lee's 30 best Marvel cameos Spider-Man Marvel

"UPDATE: I just heard about Stan Lee, he will be so missed," she wrote.

"What a genius, and always so lovely. True gentleman."

The post has disappeared from Paltrow's Instagram grid, and she has so far not shared a new tribute to Lee.

Social media users, however, have grabbed screenshots of the publication and shared them along with comments making fun of Paltrow's homage.

"Such an emotional and heartfelt tribute to Stan Lee by Gwyneth Paltrow," one person wrote ironically.

 Flowers placed on Stan Lee's Hollywood walk of fame star

Someone else shared a humorous poem that reads: "Do not mourn me when I'm gone / Be happy and sing a joyous song / For I am happy and at rest /As an update on Gwyneths dress."If you haven't yet heard about Netflix film Roma, you soon will.

The latest film from Children of Men director Alfonso Cuaron, his first since 2013's Gravity, is a personal tale billed as a love letter to the women who raised him.

Set in the early 1970s, Roma follows the life of a middle-class family and their live-in housekeeper, played by Yalitza Aparicio, in Mexico City.

The film has been scoring rave reviews since its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in August where it won its top prize, the Golden Lion. Last year's recipient was Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water which went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars earlier this year.

All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Show all 8 1 /8 All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Tiempo compartido - 30 November Two haunted family men join forces in a destructive crusade to rescue their families from a tropical paradise, after becoming convinced that an American timeshare conglomerate has a sinister plan to take their loved ones away. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding - 30 November A year after Amber helped Richard secure the crown, the two are set to tie the knot in a royal Christmas wedding - but their plans are jeopardized when Amber finds herself second-guessing whether or not she's cut out to be queen, and Richard is faced with a political crisis that threatens to tarnish not only the holiday season, but the future of the kingdom. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle - 7 December Acclaimed actor and director Andy Serkis reinvents Rudyard Kiplings beloved masterpiece, in which a boy torn between two worlds accepts his destiny and becomes a legend. Mowgli (Rohan Chand) has never truly belonged in either the wilds of the jungle or the civilized world of man. Now he must navigate the inherent dangers of each on a journey to discover where he truly belongs. Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, Rohan Chand, Matthew Rhys and Naomie Harris lead an all-star cast in this visually spectacular and emotionally moving adventure. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Natale a 5 Stelle - 7 December Christmas is coming. An Italian political delegation, led by our Premier, is on an official visit to Hungary. In addition to his political commitments, the Premier intends to spend, secretly, a few happy hours in the company of a young member of parliament traveling with the delegation. Everything seems to proceed for the better until the two clumsy lovers find themselves with a mysterious corpse in the suite of the luxurious hotel where they stay. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Dumplin' - 7 December Dumplin (Danielle Macdonald) is the plus-size, teenage daughter of a former beauty queen (Jennifer Aniston), who signs up for her moms pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 ROMA The most personal project to date from Academy Award-winning director and writer Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity, Children of Men, Y Tu Mama Tambien), ROMA follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a young domestic worker for a family in the middle-class neighborhood of Roma in Mexico City. Delivering an artful love letter to the women who raised him, Cuaron draws on his own childhood to create a vivid and emotional portrait of domestic strife and social hierarchy amidst political turmoil of the 1970s. Cuarons first project since the groundbreaking Gravity in 2013, ROMA will be available in theaters and on Netflix later this year. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Bird Box - 21 December When a mysterious force decimates the worlds population, only one thing is certain: if you see it, you take your life. Facing the unknown, Malorie finds love, hope and a new beginning only for it to unravel. Now she must flee with her two children down a treacherous river to the one place left that may offer sanctuary. But to survive, they'll have to undertake the perilous two-day journey blindfolded. Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock leads an all-star cast that includes Trevante Rhodes, with Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich in Bird Box, a compelling new thriller from Academy Award winner Susanne Bier. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Girl With the support of her father, a 15-year-old transgender girl pursues her dream of becoming a professional ballerina. Winner of the Camera dOr for best first film at this years Cannes Film Festival as well as the Best Actor Prize for Un Certain Regard. Netflix

Roma will be released on Netflix on 14 December but is set to receive a limited run in cinemas from 29 November in order for it to compete against films such as A Star Is Born, First Man and Widows in the forthcoming awards race.

Regardless of whether it'll earn a Best Picture nomination, Roma will be competing as Mexico's official entry in the Foreign Language category.

Cuaron's previous credits also include A Little Princess (1995), Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004).Celebrities are paying tribute to Stan Lee after the Marvel co-creator passed away on Monday at the age of 95.

Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Kat Dennings, who all played Marvel characters on the big screen, all shared messages honouring Lee shortly after the news of his death broke.

Reynolds, who plays the superhero Deadpool, shared a photo of the comic book writer on Instagram.

Thanks for everything, Stan, the actor wrote next to the image.

Jackman, who has played Wolverine in the X-Men movies as well as in solo films, posted a photo of himself with Lee on social media.

Weve lost a creative genius, Jackman wrote. Stan Lee was a pioneering force in the superhero universe.

Im proud to have been a small part of his legacy and... to have helped bring one of his characters to life.

Kat Dennings, who took on the role of Darcy Lewis in the Thor franchise, also shared an homage to Lee.

She posted a photo of herself with the Marvel boss and called him the legend of legends.

Thank you, Stan Lee. It was an honour to be a small part of your universe, she added.

Chris Evans, also known as Captain America, posted his tribute on Twitter.

There will never be another Stan Lee, he wrote.

For decades he provided both young and old with adventure, escape, comfort, confidence, inspiration, strength, friendship and joy.

He exuded love and kindness and will leave an indelible mark on so, so, so many lives.

All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Show all 8 1 /8 All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Tiempo compartido - 30 November Two haunted family men join forces in a destructive crusade to rescue their families from a tropical paradise, after becoming convinced that an American timeshare conglomerate has a sinister plan to take their loved ones away. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding - 30 November A year after Amber helped Richard secure the crown, the two are set to tie the knot in a royal Christmas wedding - but their plans are jeopardized when Amber finds herself second-guessing whether or not she's cut out to be queen, and Richard is faced with a political crisis that threatens to tarnish not only the holiday season, but the future of the kingdom. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle - 7 December Acclaimed actor and director Andy Serkis reinvents Rudyard Kiplings beloved masterpiece, in which a boy torn between two worlds accepts his destiny and becomes a legend. Mowgli (Rohan Chand) has never truly belonged in either the wilds of the jungle or the civilized world of man. Now he must navigate the inherent dangers of each on a journey to discover where he truly belongs. Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, Rohan Chand, Matthew Rhys and Naomie Harris lead an all-star cast in this visually spectacular and emotionally moving adventure. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Natale a 5 Stelle - 7 December Christmas is coming. An Italian political delegation, led by our Premier, is on an official visit to Hungary. In addition to his political commitments, the Premier intends to spend, secretly, a few happy hours in the company of a young member of parliament traveling with the delegation. Everything seems to proceed for the better until the two clumsy lovers find themselves with a mysterious corpse in the suite of the luxurious hotel where they stay. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Dumplin' - 7 December Dumplin (Danielle Macdonald) is the plus-size, teenage daughter of a former beauty queen (Jennifer Aniston), who signs up for her moms pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 ROMA The most personal project to date from Academy Award-winning director and writer Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity, Children of Men, Y Tu Mama Tambien), ROMA follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a young domestic worker for a family in the middle-class neighborhood of Roma in Mexico City. Delivering an artful love letter to the women who raised him, Cuaron draws on his own childhood to create a vivid and emotional portrait of domestic strife and social hierarchy amidst political turmoil of the 1970s. Cuarons first project since the groundbreaking Gravity in 2013, ROMA will be available in theaters and on Netflix later this year. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Bird Box - 21 December When a mysterious force decimates the worlds population, only one thing is certain: if you see it, you take your life. Facing the unknown, Malorie finds love, hope and a new beginning only for it to unravel. Now she must flee with her two children down a treacherous river to the one place left that may offer sanctuary. But to survive, they'll have to undertake the perilous two-day journey blindfolded. Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock leads an all-star cast that includes Trevante Rhodes, with Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich in Bird Box, a compelling new thriller from Academy Award winner Susanne Bier. Netflix All the Netflix Original films coming out in 2018 Girl With the support of her father, a 15-year-old transgender girl pursues her dream of becoming a professional ballerina. Winner of the Camera dOr for best first film at this years Cannes Film Festival as well as the Best Actor Prize for Un Certain Regard. Netflix

Evans ended his tribute with Excelsior! in reference to the catchphrase famously used by Lee.

Guardians of the Galaxy actor Chris Pratt posted a photo of himself will Lee on Twitter, thanking the comic book writer for his work.

I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have gotten to meet you and to have played in the world you created, he wrote.

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Kevin Feige, producer on every Marvel Cinematic Universe film, said no one has had more of an impact on my career and everything we do at Marvel Studios than Stan Lee.

Stan leaves an extraordinary legacy that will outlive us all, he continued. Our thoughts are with his daughter, his family, and his millions of fans.

Evangeline Lilly  who played Wasp in Ant Man  called Lee more than a master of stories adding that he always seemed like a master of living.

I will look to you for inspiration for the rest of my life, she wrote on Twitter. You live on.

Patton Oswalt, who played several Koenig brothers in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series, said Lee deserved a permanent cameo in heaven.

He was referencing the many appearances Lee made in Marvel movies, regularly popping up to the delight of fans.

Kingpin actor Vincent DOnofrio, who has appeared in the Netflix series Marvels Daredevil, said Lee would be missed and praised his imagination.

J August Richards, who appears as Michael Peterson and Deathlok in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., posted a photo of himself with Lee.

Youre going to see a lot of these today because he touched so many of our lives and was incredibly gracious in person, he wrote in reference to the Marvel co-creator.

Thank you Stan Lee for allowing me to dream as a child then realise my dream as an adult...

While Seth Rogen has never been involved in a Marvel film, he sill shared a message to honour Lees memory, writing: Thank you Stan Lee for making people who feel different realise they are special.German Playboy is standing by its interview with legendary composer Ennio Morricone, in which he is quoted as being heavily critical of collaborator Quentin Tarantino.

In the interview, Morricone  who won an Oscar for Best Original Score with his work on Tarantino's 2015 film The Hateful Eight  allegedly called the director a "cretin" and his films "trash", and also expressed despair at his working methods.

The piece also quoted him as saying he had "no more desire to travel to this dreadful America with these pompous pomposities, these embarrassments like the Oscars and the whole frippery."

However, after the comments were picked up by other publications, Morricone issued a statement denying having made the comments, and saying he would take legal action against the magazine.

"It has come to my attention that Playboy Germany has come out with an article in which I have stated extremely negative comments about Tarantino and his films, and the Academy," Morricone said.

"I consider Tarantino a great director. I am very fond of my collaboration with him and the relationship we have developed during the time we have spend together. He is courageous and has an enormous personality. I credit our collaboration as being responsible for me getting an Oscar, which is for sure one of the greatest acknowledgements of my career, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to compose music for his film.

"In London, during a press conference in front of Tarantino, I clearly stated that I consider Quentin as one of the greatest directors of this time, and I would never speak poorly of the Academy  an important institution that has given me two of the most important acknowledgements of my career."

Italian composer Ennio Morricone with Quentin Tarantino (AFP/Getty Images)

Herbert Burda Media, the publishing group that owns Playboy in Germany, has since released their own statement to the Hollywood Reporter defending the interview and insisting the quotes are real.

"We are surprised that composer Ennio Morricone denies giving an interview to German Playboy," the company said. "In fact, the conversation took place on 30 June, 2018, at his estate in Rome. The interview, about the concert organiser Semmel Concerts, which was also present at the interview, had been agreed to with German Playboy.

"We also cannot understand that parts of the published statements were apparently not found to have been accurate."

Quentin Tarantino's best cameos Show all 7 1 /7 Quentin Tarantino's best cameos Quentin Tarantino's best cameos Jimmie Dimmick in Pulp Fiction (1994) Here he plays Jimmie Dimmick, who gets caught up in Vincent and Jules body disposing and panics over how on earth hes going to get rid of the bloody evidence before his wife gets home. Quentin Tarantino's best cameos Mr Brown in Reservoir Dogs (1992) Tarantino opens Reservoir Dogs as Mr Brown, talking about Madonna hit Like a Virgin, before later being shot in the head, crashing his car and dying. Brief, but dramatic. Quentin Tarantino's best cameos Miner in Django Unchained (2013) Tarantino's Django cameo is much maligned. His Aussie miner appeared somewhat randomly in his first Western movie, before blowing himself up with his own dynamite. Quentin Tarantino's best cameos Warren in Death Proof (2007) Warrens owns the Texas Chili Parlour bar in this thriller about the murders of four women at the hands of a crazed stuntman. His own jukebox can be seen in the scene. Quentin Tarantino's best cameos Pick-up guy in Desperado (1995) Not one of his own films, but Tarantino did a favour for director Robert Rodriguez and agreed to a cameo. He wrote the three-minute long wee joke that he tells before being being killed. Quentin Tarantino's best cameos Elvis impersonator in The Golden Girls (1988) Not technically a cameo, but too funny not to include. Before his career kicked off, Tarantino played an Elvis impersonator on a 1988 episode of Golden Girls. Quentin Tarantino's best cameos Dead Nazi in Inglourious Basterds (2009) In this one he is a dead Nazi being scalped. Lovely.

The interview, by music journalist Marcel Anders, quotes Morricone branding Tarantino an untalented and unoriginal director "who just steals from others and puts it together again... he's not a director. Not comparable to the real Hollywood greats like John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock or Billy Wilder".Kanye West has been promising a new album for months.

The rapper previously announced that his ninth studio album, which looks set to be titled Yandhi, would be released on 29 September following an appearance on Saturday Night Live. However, soon after the performance, West announced the album would be heavily delayed as he travelled to Africa to record.

Kim Kardashian West revealed that the album could be expected on the 23 November (Black Friday 2018), with the reality star adding: "Trust me it's worth the wait."

Following a performance a performance at Tyler, the Creator's music festival Camp Flog Gnaw with Kid Cudi under the name Kids See Ghosts, West revealed the album would be delayed once more.

"After performing again, I realise the new album Ive been working on isnt ready yet," he wrote on Twitter. "Ill announce the release date once its done. Thank you for understanding."

These delays are not the only times West has decided to release the album later than expected. Below, we go into the artist's history of delaying (and scrapping) albums and what to expect on Yandhi.

A history of delays

West has a history of sporadic and temperamental behaviour, both with regards politics and album releases.

Delaying Yandhi inevitably would not be an unprecedented move for West. Take, for instance, Turbo Grafx 16, a record he promised to release in the summer of 2016. The album never materialised, with fans having to wait until summer 2018 for Wests follow-up to The Life of Pablo  the seven-track album ye.

'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes Show all 10 1 /10 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I was the best new artist this year" Kanye asserted this after losing the New Artist of the Year award at the 2004 American Music Awards Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes I am the number one human being in music. That means any person that's living or breathing is number two. Kanye made this claim while appearing on the Wendy Williams show in 2007. He had recently released the album 'Graduation' to critical acclaim Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'mma let you finish, but Beyonce has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time! In arguably the most famous incident of his career, Kanye bravely stole the microphone from then 19 year old Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for the Female Music Video of the Year at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards REUTERS 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I walk through the hotel and I walk down the street and people look at me... like I'm Hitler" Kanye said this during a mid-set rant while on stage at the Big Chill festival in 2011. Despite releasing the acclaimed 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' in 2010, he was still widely disliked following the Taylor Swift incident PA Archive/PA Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I am Picasso. I am Michelangelo. I am Basquiat. I am Walt Disney. I am Steve Jobs" Kanye compared himself to these visionaries in a mid-set rant on stage in Paris, 2013 AFP/Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes My greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live. In 2013, Kanye opened up to reveal more Kanye. His pain is understandable, considering such performances as his at the BRITs in 2015, where he came on stage with an entourage of flamethrower wielding grime artists (pictured) Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes I have to dress Kim everyday so she doesnt embarrass me. Kanye tweeted this in 2014, around the time that he was designing the first Yeezy range AFP/Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes By 50 percent [I am more influential than] Stanley Kubrick, Apostle Paul, Picasso f***ing Picasso and Escobar. By 50 per cent more influential than any other human being. Kanye made this claim backstage after appearing on Saturday Night Live in 2016, he did not show his working out Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "My wife just called me and she wanted me to make this clear to everyone. I don't agree with everything Trump does. I don't agree 100% with anyone but myself." This quote followed Kanye's recent expression of love for Donald Trump on Twitter, in which he claimed that he and Trump were "dragon energy" Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "When you hear about slavery for 400 years... for 400 years? That sounds like a choice." Kanye made this comment in a May 2018 interview with TMZ. He later clarified that, in saying slavery was a choice, he meant "we can make our own reality" PA Wire/PA Images

The wait was worth it, as ye came accompanied by four other West-produced records, including Cudi collaboration Kids See Ghosts, Pusha T's Daytona, Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E., and Nas's Nasir.

"Those five albums that I dropped earlier were like superhero rehabilitation, West said of the records, while also promising the upcoming release will be a "full" album.

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An album cover

Yandhi already has an album cover  a clear MiniDisk with purple tape on it.

Considering how the album has been delayed multiple times, chances are the album cover could also be changed, especially as the MiniDisk cover is reminiscent of the 2013's Yeezus cover. If West has changed the record sonically, perhaps the visuals will also change?

What have we heard of Yandhi so far?

Whether any previously released tracks will actually appear on the album remains to be seen. However, West has released a couple of loose tracks this year, including the Lil Pump collaboration I Love It and the track XTCY.

During his Saturday Night Live appearance, West performed We Got Love with Teyana Taylor, a track initially meant for her album K.T.S.E, which he produced.

West also released a snippet of a track on Instagram, uploaded during the build-up to the album's initial release on the 29 September. Again, with so many changes to the record, chances are the full song may never see the light of day.

Who will feature on Yandhi?

A variety of other artists are rumoured to appear on the record, including regular collaborators Kid Cudi, 070 Shake, Ty Dolla Sign and Young Thug.

Perhaps the most controversial collaborators expected to appear on the record include 6ix9ine and XXXTenacion, the latter of whom West says recorded vocals before his untimely death earlier this year.Kanye West has pushed back the release date of his forthcoming album Yandhi for the second time.

Hours after performing at Camp Flog Gnaw with Kid Cudi, with renditions of tracks from their collaborative album Kids See Ghosts, the rapper sent out a post on Twitter to let fans know his ninth album would arrive later than expected.

"After performing again, I realise the new album I've been working on isn't ready yet," he said. "I'll announce the release date once it's done. Thank you for understanding."

Yandhi was previously supposed to be released on 29 September, but was then postponed to 23 November, with West's wife Kim Kardashian telling her followers it was "worth the wait".

After the album was pushed back the first time, West told TMZ that he wanted to record new sounds in Africa.

"I didn't finish [the album]," he said. "A person from my management staff had suggested because the album is so good, it's my... I started incorporating sounds that you never heard before and pushing it, and having like, concepts that people don't, you know, talk about."

He continued: "So we're going to Africa in two weeks to record... I felt this energy when I was in Chicago, I felt the roots. But we have to go to what is known as Africa. I need to go, I need to find out what it's really called. Just grab the soil and be and cook food, five meals a day so the metabolism stays up, have my kids in the studio, have the mic out in the open so you can hear nature while we're recording."

'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes Show all 10 1 /10 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I was the best new artist this year" Kanye asserted this after losing the New Artist of the Year award at the 2004 American Music Awards Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes I am the number one human being in music. That means any person that's living or breathing is number two. Kanye made this claim while appearing on the Wendy Williams show in 2007. He had recently released the album 'Graduation' to critical acclaim Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'mma let you finish, but Beyonce has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time! In arguably the most famous incident of his career, Kanye bravely stole the microphone from then 19 year old Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for the Female Music Video of the Year at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards REUTERS 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I walk through the hotel and I walk down the street and people look at me... like I'm Hitler" Kanye said this during a mid-set rant while on stage at the Big Chill festival in 2011. Despite releasing the acclaimed 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' in 2010, he was still widely disliked following the Taylor Swift incident PA Archive/PA Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "I am Picasso. I am Michelangelo. I am Basquiat. I am Walt Disney. I am Steve Jobs" Kanye compared himself to these visionaries in a mid-set rant on stage in Paris, 2013 AFP/Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes My greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live. In 2013, Kanye opened up to reveal more Kanye. His pain is understandable, considering such performances as his at the BRITs in 2015, where he came on stage with an entourage of flamethrower wielding grime artists (pictured) Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes I have to dress Kim everyday so she doesnt embarrass me. Kanye tweeted this in 2014, around the time that he was designing the first Yeezy range AFP/Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes By 50 percent [I am more influential than] Stanley Kubrick, Apostle Paul, Picasso f***ing Picasso and Escobar. By 50 per cent more influential than any other human being. Kanye made this claim backstage after appearing on Saturday Night Live in 2016, he did not show his working out Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "My wife just called me and she wanted me to make this clear to everyone. I don't agree with everything Trump does. I don't agree 100% with anyone but myself." This quote followed Kanye's recent expression of love for Donald Trump on Twitter, in which he claimed that he and Trump were "dragon energy" Getty Images 'Imma let you finish' - Kanye West's most controversial quotes "When you hear about slavery for 400 years... for 400 years? That sounds like a choice." Kanye made this comment in a May 2018 interview with TMZ. He later clarified that, in saying slavery was a choice, he meant "we can make our own reality" PA Wire/PA Images

Yandhi was slated to be West's third album this year, after his solo record ye, which received mixed reviews, and his collaborative LP with Kid Cudi, Kids See Ghosts. A number of artists are rumoured to feature on Yandhi, including Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi, 070 Shake, TY Dolla Sign, Young Thug and, more controversially, rappers 6ix9ine and the late XXXTentacion.

West's latest singles to be released are "XTCY" and "I Love It" with Lil Pump.The Spice Girls have set yet another additional date for their reunion tour after selling out almost all of their upcoming shows.

They are now set to play at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on 27 May, 2019.

Tickets will go on sale this Friday at 9.30am. Sales remain open for the rest of the tour  buy tickets here.

Recommended Spice Girls tour sets Ticketmaster sales record as millions try to buy

The iconic group has so far sold out three Wembley Stadium shows, three shows at Manchester's Etihad Stadium, and three dates in Edinburgh, Bristol, and Coventry.

Millions of people attempted to purchase tickets for the Spice Girls' long-awaited reunion tour when sales opened on Saturday, 10 November.

Demand was "off the charts", according to Andrew Parsons, Ticketmasters managing director.

"They have smashed through Ticketmaster UKs records becoming the busiest ever sale," Parsons said.

"There were millions of people on our site searching for tickets, with a queue at one point of well over 700,000... from what we saw, they could have played nearly every night for a year.

The Spice Girls already added five extra dates to their reunion tour over the weekend amid strong demand.

Spice Girls  in pictures Show all 23 1 /23 Spice Girls  in pictures Spice Girls  in pictures 1997 Spice Girls performing at the Brit Awards ceremony PA Spice Girls  in pictures 1996 PA Spice Girls  in pictures 1997 Spice Girls outside the Martinez Hotel in Cannes, during the 50th Cannes Film Festival PA Spice Girls  in pictures 1996 PA Spice Girls  in pictures 1997 Prince of Wales with the Spice Girls at the Royal Gala celebrating the Princes Trust 21st Anniversary in Manchester PA Spice Girls  in pictures 1997 Spice Girls arriving at the Empire, Leicester Square, for the gala premiere of the film Spice - The Movie PA Spice Girls  in pictures 1997 Prince Harry with Mel B, Emma Bunton and Victoria Beckham PA Spice Girls  in pictures 1997 The Prince of Wales and Nelson Mandela with the Spice Girls at the presidential residence Mahlamba Nalopfu in Pretoria, South Africa PA Spice Girls  in pictures 1998 PA Spice Girls  in pictures 1998 Modena, Italy PA Spice Girls  in pictures 1999 Unveiling of their wax doubles at Madame Tussaud's Rock Circus in Piccadilly PA Spice Girls  in pictures 1999 Mel B, Victoria Beckham, Mel C and Emma Bunton launching their book 'Forever Spice' PA Spice Girls  in pictures 2000 Posh, Scary, Sporty and Baby arriving at the launch party of their new album 'Forever PA Spice Girls  in pictures 2000 Emma Bunton, Mel C, Victoria Beckham and Mel B celebrate after their finale performance at the Brit Awards where they received the Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award PA Spice Girls  in pictures 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards in Stockholm PA Spice Girls  in pictures The Spice Girls kicking off their reunion tour in Vancouver in 2007 Reuters Spice Girls  in pictures 2007 PA Spice Girls  in pictures The Spice Girls perform at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2007 Reuters Spice Girls  in pictures PA Spice Girls  in pictures 2012 Spice Girls performing during the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 London Olympics PA Spice Girls  in pictures 2012 The Spice Girls perform during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games Reuters Spice Girls  in pictures 2012 The launch of Viva Forever, a musical featuring songs from the Spice Girls PA Spice Girls  in pictures Geri Horner, Melanie Chisholm, Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown announced they will kick off a six-date UK stadium tour in June 2019 in Manchester as a four-piece without Victoria Beckham Dawbell/PA

Geri Horner, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, and Emma Bunton will all return to the stage.

Victoria Beckham will not be joining them, though she did reference the lyrics to the Spice Girls' 1996 hit Wannabe on Sunday night during the People's Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California.

The Spice Girls announced on 5 November that they would be reuniting on stage for the first time since 2012.

Fans are clearly eager to get a taste of 1990s girl power and nine of the upcoming shows are now sold out.

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The Spice Girls are set to play on the following dates:

NEW: Monday 27 May  Cardiff  Principality Stadium

NEW, SOLD OUT: Wednesday 29 May  Manchester  Etihad Stadium

NEW, SOLD OUT: Friday 31 May  Manchester  Etihad Stadium

SOLD OUT: Saturday 1 June  Manchester  Etihad Stadium

SOLD OUT: Monday 3 June  Coventry  Ricoh Stadium

NEW: Tuesday 4 June  Coventry  Ricoh Stadium

Thursday 6 June  Sunderland  Stadium Of Light

SOLD OUT: Saturday 8 June  Edinburgh  BT Murrayfield Stadium

SOLD OUT: Monday 10 June  Bristol  Ashton Gate Stadium

NEW, SOLD OUT: Thursday 13 June  London  Wembley Stadium

NEW, SOLD OUT: Friday 14 June  London  Wembley Stadium

SOLD OUT: Saturday 15 June  London  Wembley Stadium

Got sweaty palms already? Check out our handy tips for dealing with the demand:

1) Make sure you are ready and waiting with the web page up at least five minutes before sales open on Friday at 9.30am.

2) Do not let your computer, phone or whatever device holds the key to your happiness run out of battery.

3) Register your details with the website you are booking from in advance, if you can, but dont panic if you havent left enough time as your tickets will be held while you fill out your information

4) Check how many tickets you are allowed to buy in one purchase. If you try to buy more than the limited number, your booking may be cancelled without notice, meaning no-one gets to go.

5) Get your friends to try too, but stay in contact in case you all succeed and end up with a bunch of tickets you didnt want. If you do need to sell any on, do so at face value. No-one likes a tout.

6) Be patient and avoid refreshing or switching between browsers. Stick with one tab and have some faith! Be prepared to wait for an hour to get tickets.The governments bovine tuberculosis (bTB) strategy has allowed the culling of tens of thousands of badgers but neglected basic infection prevention on farms which is severely hampering efforts to control the disease, a major report has found.

Campaigners maintain that culling is ineffective as well as being costly and cruel, however an independent review of the scheme found the badger cull has had a modest but real benefit in reducing the disease.

However, the authors said that preventing the disease spreading between cattle on farms and in livestock trading was a more important way to control infection.

If I had to say more one than the other its definitely more on the cattle to cattle side [than badger to cattle infection], the reviews chair Sir Charles Godfray, professor of zoology at Oxford University, said.

We realise that wildlife does have a role in this disease, but its wrong to put all the blame on wildlife and to use this as an excuse to not make hard decisions in industry, which is going to cost the industry money.

Sir Charles said there was also an urgent need for more evidence on the efficacy of vaccinations to inoculate badgers. This approach is being used in cross-border efforts in Ireland, and the review panel called for government to adopt its own trials to develop the evidence.

While recognising the burden that bTB places on farmers and their families, the Bovine TB Strategy Review said there is disappointingly low uptake of basic biosecurity measures to limit its impact.

The report blames this on the backlash around badger culling which has had the unfortunate consequence of  deflecting focus from what can be done by the individual farmer and livestock community.

In particular, the poor take up of on-farm biosecurity measures and the extent of trading in often high-risk cattle is, we believe, severely hampering disease control, it said.

Other measures include keeping neighbouring herds separated to prevent the tuberculosis bacteria passing from nose to nose contact, and preventing badgers from getting on to farms, particularly around feed bins.

Recent evidence also raises the case for using a battery of tests on herds where bTB is suspected after research found a commonly used skin test is ineffective. It also highlights the spreading of manure slurry on fields which can increase the spread of bTB, and can be addressed with different treating methods or with more modern equipment to inject the slurry under the soil.

 Hidden video shows badger 'alive for a minute after culling'

These efforts could have a greater impact on the spread of disease than culling, which the Badger Trust charity estimates could have killed as many as 75,000 badgers at a cost of over 50m of public money.

The review said the best evidence on the effect of culling remains the Randomised Badger Cull Trial (RBCT) that ran between 1998 and 2005 and suggests it can lower bTB incidence by around 15 per cent.

However Sir Charles said the group was explicitly told not to consider evidence from current culls that have been underway since 2013, although figures from Gloucestershire and Somerset were consistent with the RBCT.

The latest culls have incurred significant costs. The review says 32 culls have been authorised since 2013, at an average cost of 600,000 per site over a four year period  more than a third of this cost on policing.

The reviews publication comes a day after leading vets accused the government of barefaced lies in claiming these cull areas had already reduced bTB in cattle.

Badger flash mob targets Defra in protest against cull soundtracked by Brian May Show all 3 1 /3 Badger flash mob targets Defra in protest against cull soundtracked by Brian May Badger flash mob targets Defra in protest against cull soundtracked by Brian May badger-1.jpg AP Photo/Matt Dunham Badger flash mob targets Defra in protest against cull soundtracked by Brian May badger2.jpg AP Photo/Matt Dunham Badger flash mob targets Defra in protest against cull soundtracked by Brian May badger-3.jpg BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

A letter published in the Vet Record journal argues data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is unclear and deliberately opaque and that bTB rates were falling before culling began.

The letters lead author, veterinary surgeon Dr Iain McGill of the Prion Interest Group, told the BBC there is now evidence bTB was rising in these areas, saying: Badger culling has not worked. They are issuing barefaced lies in this matter.

These concerns have been echoed by other campaigners.

To date the government have spent over 50m of public money undertaking the largest destruction of a protected species in living memory, said Dominic Dyer, CEO of the Badger Trust.

Despite this huge slaughter the government have no reliable evidence that badger culling is lowering bovine bTB in cattle.

He added: Although Sir Charles does not call for an end to the cruel, hugely costly and ineffective badger cull, he does recognise that badger vaccination could be a viable alternative to culling.

Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the RSPCA, said: Our concern is that the focus on blaming badgers has stalled vital research and investment to find more effective solutions that would save the lives of cattle and move away from the current futile killing of badgers.

National Farmers Union vice president Stuart Roberts said: The industry has stepped up to work with government in tackling bovine bTB.

Farmers are already taking a range of steps to protect themselves against this disease. The Godfray review suggests more can be done but the question many cattle keepers have is which measures bring the greatest disease control benefits.

Defra has stood by its use of the figures and said it would respond to the Godfray report after it had reviewed its recommendations.

Farming minister George Eustice said: As a government we are committed to eradicating bTB and have always been clear that there is no single measure for tackling it.

Thats why we have pursued a range of interventions, including cattle movement controls, vaccinations and controlled culling in certain areas.The maker of Cadbury chocolate bars, Oreo biscuits and Ritz crackers is accused of destroying tens of thousands of hectares of orangutan habitat in just two years for palm oil.

Suppliers to food giant Mondelez have destroyed 70,000 hectares since 2016, analysis by Greenpeace International claims, pushing the primate further towards extinction.

The areas razed to the ground include 25,000 hectares of habitations in Indonesia that are home to the critically endangered orangutan.

Mondelez, which is one of the worlds biggest buyers of palm oil, uses it in many of its most popular products, including Cadbury and Roses chocolates, Oreos and Ritz crackers.

The new investigation, carried out through mapping Indonesia, discovered that between 2015 and 2017, 22 of the companys palm oil suppliers cleared at least 70,000 hectares of rainforest  an area bigger than the City of Chicago, where Mondelez is based.

In a 31-page report detailing the supply chains of the main brands the charity says are responsible for destruction, Greenpeace points the finger largely at the producer of some of Britains favourite chocolates and snacks.

The report says that although Mondelez claims to have been purchasing entirely responsible palm oil since 2013, in practice almost 95 per cent of the palm oil it buys is covered by book-and-claim certificates  by far the weakest of the certification models offered by the main palm oil industry body, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

Orangutans are literally dying for a biscuit Greenpeaces Kiki Taufik

This means that the plantations and producer groups from which the overwhelming majority of the palm oil that Mondelez purchases is sourced are not governed by any sustainability initiatives, the study claims.

Greenpeaces campaign against destructive palm oil hit the headlines over the weekend when a video that Iceland repurposed for a Christmas advert was banned from television for being political.

Campaigners have warned its now or never for Indonesias critically endangered orangutans, which are being killed at a rate of 25 a day as natural vegetation is bulldozed to make way for palm plantations.

 Rang-tan: Icelands banned TV Christmas advert protests palm oil industry

In September this year Greenpeace International published Final Countdown, a report that showed Mondelez was sourcing palm oil from 22 of 25 destructive producer groups. Alarmingly, these are just the cases that Greenpeace was able to identify  Mondelez sources from hundreds of palm oil companies and this destruction is likely just the tip of the iceberg, it said.

Orangutans are critically endangered (istock)

Kiki Taufik, head of Greenpeace Southeast Asias Indonesia forests campaign, said: Its outrageous that despite promising to clean up its palm oil almost 10 years ago, Mondelez is still trading with forest destroyers.

Palm oil can be made without destroying forests, yet our investigation discovered that Mondelez suppliers are still trashing forests and wrecking orangutan habitat, pushing these beautiful and intelligent creatures to the brink of extinction.

Theyre literally dying for a biscuit.

Bornean orangutan numbers have halved in 16 years, studies show, and both the Sumatran and newly discovered Tapanuli orangutan lost more than half their habitat between 1985 and 2007.

All three species are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as critically endangered, along with the Sumatran tiger and Sumatran rhino.

A spokeswoman for Mondelez International told The Independent the company was committed to eradicating deforestation in the palm oil supply and it was actively working with suppliers to ensure palm oil was fully traceable.

Were calling on our suppliers to further map and monitor the plantations where oil is grown so we can drive further traceability. Were excluding 12 upstream suppliers from our supply chain who have not met our standards.

For many years we have been calling for 100 per cent sustainable and were making good progress on our palm oil action plan.

The guilty secrets of palm oil: Are you unwittingly contributing to the devastation of the rain forests? Show all 3 1 /3 The guilty secrets of palm oil: Are you unwittingly contributing to the devastation of the rain forests? The guilty secrets of palm oil: Are you unwittingly contributing to the devastation of the rain forests? Greenpeace The guilty secrets of palm oil: Are you unwittingly contributing to the devastation of the rain forests? Greenpeace The guilty secrets of palm oil: Are you unwittingly contributing to the devastation of the rain forests? Getty Images

This includes actionable steps to ensure the palm oil we buy is produced on legally held land, does not lead to deforestation or loss of peat land, respects human rights and does not use forced or child labour.

At the end of 2017, 96 per cent of our palm oil was traceable back to mill and 99 per cent was from suppliers with policies aligned to ours.

She added that Mondelez was calling on suppliers to improve practices and to engage third-party suppliers to ensure production was fully sustainable and traceable.

We will continue to prioritise suppliers that meet our principles, and exclude those that dont, she said.Spain has set out plans to switch entirely to renewable electricity by 2050, with goals that go further than current European Union plans.

Under the new strategy, greenhouse gas emissions from Spain would be cut by 90 per cent compared to 1990 levels by the middle of the century.

The nation intends to invest massively in wind and solar power over the next decade, while banning new licences for fossil fuel drilling and fracking wells.

It is also planning to source 70 per cent of electricity from renewables by 2030, and 100 per cent by 2050. In 2017 Spain got roughly a third of its power from renewable sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.

Experts have welcomed the move as evidence Spain is deadly serious about fighting climate change, and an example to other nations in setting ambitious targets.

The country's socialist government set out this strategy ahead of other European nations in a draft law.

It is exciting to see Spain setting the pace in its commitment to a 100 per cent renewable powered future, said James Watson, CEO of SolarPower Europe. Spains energy ambition is a wake-up call to all the other states across the world, as it demonstrates what we know  it is possible to power large economies by renewables in the very near future.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

The country intend to go beyond the current EU target of 32 per cent and install 35 per cent overall renewable energy by 2030, with at least 70 per cent renewable electricity.

It is also aiming to improve energy efficiency by 35 per cent, once again going beyond the EU target of 32.5 per cent.

In their announcement, the Spanish authorities have emphasised a just transition, shutting down coal mines but ensuring that there are sufficient retirement packages and retraining to ensure no one is left behind in the transition.

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The draft Spanish climate law is an excellent example of the implementation of the Paris agreement: it sets a long-term goal, provides incentives on scaling up zero emission technologies and cares about a good transition for the workforce, said Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. As an early mover Spain will gain economically and create new jobs in the renewables sector.

Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation, described the Spanish governments action as groundbreaking.

She said: By planning on going carbon neutral Spain shows that the battle against climate change is deadly serious, that they are ready to step up, and plan to reap the rewards of decarbonisation.

She added that Spain was showing the European Commission the way before it presented its long-term climate strategy at the end of November.

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The UK is currently aiming to reduce emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, but experts have warned that stricter targets will be required to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

The government has asked its advisers to look into the measures required to implement stricter targets, but it has also faced criticism for its failure to support renewable sources like onshore wind, and its continued support for fracking.

In December nations will meet in Poland to discuss the best ways to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement and set out an urgent strategy for the coming years.Bitcoins most sustained period of price stability in its history is about to come to an abrupt end, cryptocurrency experts have warned.

Since early September, bitcoin has not experienced any major market movements, trading between $6,000 (4,670) and $7,000.

This unusually narrow range comes after months of steady losses, falling from a high close to $20,000 in late 2017  market analysts predict it could be the calm before the storm.

Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Satoshi Nakamoto creates the first bitcoin block in 2009 On 3 January, 2009, the genesis block of bitcoin appeared. It came less than a year after the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto detailed the cryptocurrency in a paper titled 'Bitcoin: A peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System' Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin is used as a currency for the first time On 22 May, 2010, the first ever real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Lazlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins  the equivalent of $90 million at today's prices Lazlo Hanyecz Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Silk Road opens for business Bitcoin soon gained notoriety for its use on the dark web. The Silk Road marketplace, established in 2011, was the first of hundreds of sites to offer illegal drugs and services in exchange for bitcoin Screenshot Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The first bitcoin ATM appears On 29 October, 2013, the first ever bitcoin ATM was installed in a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. The machine allowed people to exchange bitcoins for cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The fall of MtGox The world's biggest bitcoin exchange, MtGox, filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after losing almost 750,000 of its customers bitcoins. At the time, this was around 7 per cent of all bitcoins and the market inevitably crashed Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Would the real Satoshi Nakamoto please stand up In 2015, Australian police raided the home of Craig Wright after the entrepreneur claimed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. He later rescinded the claim Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's big split On 1 August, 2017, an unresolvable dispute within the bitcoin community saw the network split. The fork of bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology spawned a new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's price sky rockets Towards the end of 2017, the price of bitcoin surged to almost $20,000. This represented a 1,300 per cent increase from its price at the start of the year Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures What goes up... Bitcoin price crashes spectacularly, losing half of its value in a matter of days Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin plunges The cryptocurrency eventually bottoms out below $4,000 in 2019 before slowly rebuilding momentum to outperform more traditional assets Getty Images

Pointing to previous periods of stability, Albright Investment Group founder Victor Dergunov wrote in a blog post that he expects to see prices increase substantially over the coming months.

This is not the first time bitcoin has seen calm waters. Weve seen similar periods of modest volatility, and humble price swings, he wrote.

Primarily, similar low volatility phenomenon have occurred in the very late stages of bitcoin bear markets [whereby prices fall as investors sell]. Everyone seemingly loses interest, volume dries up, news flow quiets down, and then, when you least expect it, the next bitcoin bull market begins [whereby prices rise as investors buy].

The price of bitcoin has flat-lined in recent months (CoinMarketCap)

His comments follow similar predictions by blockchain technology expert Ian McLeod, who told The Independent last week that the cryptocurrency market will explode in 2019.

According to Mr McLeod, however, the big price gains will come from one of bitcoins rivals, such as ethereum or stellar.

We can expect bitcoin to lose 50 per cent of its cryptocurrency market share to ethereum, its nearest rival, within five years, he said.

Ethereum is already light years ahead of bitcoin in everything but price and this gap will become increasingly apparent as more and more investors jump into crypto.

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Before 2017, bitcoins last major price spike came in 2013, when its value rose from below $100 to above $1,000 in the space of just a few months. There followed a brief price crash before a sustained period of steady losses and market stagnation that saw bitcoin trade between $200 and $600 for more than two years.

If bitcoin mirrors this trend, investors may have to wait until some time in 2020 for the next significant price falls or gains.

This lack of market movement would be welcomed by some within the cryptocurrency industry, however, with price volatility often cited as one of the main stumbling blocks preventing bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from being used as a mainstream form of payment.Plans to launch a national cryptocurrency for the Republic of the Marshall Islands are still in motion after President Hilda Heine survived a vote of no confidence.

The Pacific Island nation intends to issue a local cryptocurrency called the sovereign (SOV) as a second legal tender, alongside the US dollar, despite concerns being raised about the economic risks involved with such an endeavour.

President Heine faced a vote of no confidence after eight senators accused her of damaging the reputation of the country by backing of the proposed currency.

However, she survived by a single vote.

Finance Minister Brenson Wase said the Marshallese government would now move forward with plans for the sovereign cryptocurrency, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.

The government hopes to raise funds by selling half of the cryptocurrency's initial allocation to foreign investors. The remainder will either be kept in a governmental trust fund or distributed to citizens of the Marshall Islands.

A date for the initial coin offering (ICO) is yet to be announced but minister-in-assistance to the president David Paul said in February that its legal tender status has already been approved by the country's parliament.

"This creates legal certainty for its use, because all jurisdictions have laws in place for dealing with legal tender, whereas private cryptocurrencies are dealt with differently in different jurisdictions," a government statement said at the time.

Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Satoshi Nakamoto creates the first bitcoin block in 2009 On 3 January, 2009, the genesis block of bitcoin appeared. It came less than a year after the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto detailed the cryptocurrency in a paper titled 'Bitcoin: A peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System' Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin is used as a currency for the first time On 22 May, 2010, the first ever real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Lazlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins  the equivalent of $90 million at today's prices Lazlo Hanyecz Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Silk Road opens for business Bitcoin soon gained notoriety for its use on the dark web. The Silk Road marketplace, established in 2011, was the first of hundreds of sites to offer illegal drugs and services in exchange for bitcoin Screenshot Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The first bitcoin ATM appears On 29 October, 2013, the first ever bitcoin ATM was installed in a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. The machine allowed people to exchange bitcoins for cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The fall of MtGox The world's biggest bitcoin exchange, MtGox, filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after losing almost 750,000 of its customers bitcoins. At the time, this was around 7 per cent of all bitcoins and the market inevitably crashed Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Would the real Satoshi Nakamoto please stand up In 2015, Australian police raided the home of Craig Wright after the entrepreneur claimed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. He later rescinded the claim Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's big split On 1 August, 2017, an unresolvable dispute within the bitcoin community saw the network split. The fork of bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology spawned a new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's price sky rockets Towards the end of 2017, the price of bitcoin surged to almost $20,000. This represented a 1,300 per cent increase from its price at the start of the year Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures What goes up... Bitcoin price crashes spectacularly, losing half of its value in a matter of days Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin plunges The cryptocurrency eventually bottoms out below $4,000 in 2019 before slowly rebuilding momentum to outperform more traditional assets Getty Images

A September report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the new cryptocurrency still faced several challenges.

"The Marshallese authorities are well aware that issuing a legal tender cryptocurrency puts RMI into uncharted waters, and that there are many risks involved in issuing the SOV," the report stated. "However, they believe they can work through these issues. They have created a high-ranking committee to examine all the risks, including those raised by the IMF and the US Treasury, and those discussed during the public hearings on the legislation."

The issues laid out by the IMF include reputational risks and a danger of losing its correspondent banking relationship (CBR) with the US dollar.

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"Given these sorts of issues, the authorities expect it will take a few years to issue the cryptocurrency," the IMF report concluded.

"Moreover, they will only issue the SOV once its use complies with the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) standard and US regulation, and once its use in transactions in the US financial system has been approved by the US government."Amazon has picked New York City and Arlington, Virginia as the locations for its new headquarters, ending a much-hyped selection process that saw cities across the US offer an array of incentives in attempts to woo the technology firm.

Amazon said on Tuesday it would invest $5bn (3.8bn) across the two sites and create 25,000 new jobs in each. It also announced a new centre of excellence for its logistics and supply chain business in Nashville where it will take on 5,000 additional staff.

The New York base will be in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, while its Virginia offices will be in a part of Arlington that Amazon is calling National Landing, close to Reagan International Airport and the Pentagon.

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Jeff Bezos, Amazons founder and chief executive, owns a home and a newspaper  The Washington Post - just over the Potomac river from the new Arlington base.

Amazon said it will receive incentives of about $1.5bn based on job creation targets in Long Island City, and $573m in Arlington.

It came after a long beauty pageant process that saw Amazon receive 238 proposals from locations across North America seeking to secure the tech giants investment.

These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come, Mr Bezos said in a statement.

The company, which now employs more than 600,000 people worldwide, said salaries at its two new bases would average more than $150,000 with hiring set to start next year.

Amazons investments are also likely to spur the creation of tens of thousands of additional jobs in the surrounding areas.

Seattle will remain the company's main base. It was founded there as an online bookstore in 1995 and opened a $4bn building complete with indoor tropical forest there in January this year.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo hailed Long Island City's victory in the tender process for one of the largest, most competitive economic development investments in US history.

With an average salary of $150,000 per year for the tens of thousands of new jobs Amazon is creating in Queens, economic opportunity and investment will flourish for the entire region, he said.

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Mayor Bill de Blasio added: This is a giant step on our path to building an economy in New York City that leaves no one behind.

New Yorkers will get tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs, and Amazon will get the best talent anywhere in the world.

Were going to use this opportunity to open up good careers in tech to thousands of people looking for their foothold in the new economy, including those in City colleges and public housing.The number of European migrant workers in Britain has shown the sharpest fall since records began in 1997, according to the latest labour market data.

Numbers fell by 4.5 per cent (107,000 workers) from July to September in 2018, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The sharp fall in EU migrant workers over the last year shows that Britains labour market is already changing ahead of its exit from the EU, and long before its post-Brexit migration plan is in place, said Stephen Clarke, senior economic analyst at think tank Resolution Foundation.

There are now 2.3 million EU-born workers in the UK, down from a peak of 2.4 million in the third quarter of 2017.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) reported earlier this week that employers are finding vacancies harder to fill due to the decline in migrants coming to the UK since the Brexit vote.

The data implies that the pendulum has swung away from the UK as an attractive place to live and work for non-UK born citizens, said Gerwyn Davies of the CIPD.

The governments Migration Advisory Committee controversially recommended earlier this year that ministers should seek to keep out low-skilled EU migrants, earning under 30,000 a year, after Brexit, despite the heavy reliance of many industrial sectors on them.

Its estimated that three quarters of European Union workers currently in the UK would have been ineligible to come and work in Britain under such a policy.

Record fall

The ONS also reported on Tuesday that regular wage growth picked up in September to its fastest rate in almost a decade.

Its data suggests that average wages are now around 3 per cent below their pre-recession peak.

However, the Resolution Foundation has previously estimated that average real pay will not return to its 2008 level until 2024.

And wages in many parts of the country are well below the peak, with the gap biggest in London (-6.8 per cent), the East Midlands (-5.6 per cent) and Northern Ireland (-4.7 per cent).

The think tank says that under the Office for Budget Responsibilitys central pay projection, earnings would not return to peak until 2028 in the East Midlands and 2030 on London.Key antibiotics which are meant to be used sparingly to ensure they dont speed up the spread of drug resistant bacterial infections account for more than 50 per cent of prescriptions in some countries, a report has warned.

A major review of antibiotic prescribing in 65 countries, published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to coincide with World Antibiotic Awareness Week, warns of significant overuse of antibiotics in some countries.

This comes after health experts in England warned that medicine could return to the dark ages if countries fail to curb overuse of antibiotics.

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics are the leading causes of antimicrobial resistance, said Dr Suzanne Hill, director of the Department of Essential Medicines and Health Products at WHO.

Without effective antibiotics and other antimicrobials, we will lose our ability to treat common infections like pneumonia.

Antibiotics are often wrongly prescribed for viral infections like colds and flu where they have no benefit, and half of all doses are given to livestock as an industrial farming method of encouraging animals to grow.

Mongolia has the highest levels of prescribing of any nation, with 64.4 daily doses issues for every 1,000 people, followed by Iran with 38.8 and Turkey on 38.2.

Overuse is particularly concerning in the types of broad spectrum drugs which are meant to be held back for when first and second choice drugs fail.

These drugs, categorised as watch antibiotics, include carbapenem and cephalosporin medicines which can have serious side effects and are more likely to lead to bacteria rapidly evolving to resist them if theyre over used.

However in these watch drugs accounted for more than half of antibiotic prescriptions in 49 of the countries studied. In Georgia thee drugs accounted for 52 per cent of prescribing, compared to around 20 per cent in the UK.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

In the Nordic nations (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland) these controlled antibiotics all accounted for less than 20 per cent of prescriptions.

Antibiotics which are held back as a last line of defence for the most serious or drug resistant infections account for about 2 per cent of prescribing in developed countries, the report shows.

However many low and middle income nations which have less stringent prescribing do not routinely record information on these drugs of last resort. The report also failed to include data from China and India which have some of the biggest issues with antibiotic resistance and over prescribing.

The report also shows how inequalities in access to health care leave many people without access to medicines when they do need them.

In Burundi there are just 4.4 prescriptions issued for every 1,000 people, followed by Brunei (5.9) and Azerbaijan (7.7), this compares to 20.5 in the UK.

Findings from this report confirm the need to take urgent action, such as enforcing prescription-only policies, to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics. Dr Hill added.A no-deal Brexit could lead to the NHS forking out 2.3bn by 2020, new analysis suggests.

The additional cost could come as a result of increased purchasing of supplies and may have an impact on patient care, according to the Nuffield Trust.

A new blog published on the thinktanks website states that such extra costs could divert the funding available to improve patient care.

The estimate was formed after analysis of academic studies on trade, NHS finances, and the Governments Brexit impact assessment.

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It examined estimated increases in prices for medical devices, such as X-ray machines, medicines and other supplies such as food and bedding.

While the exact figure is difficult to predict with certainty, the article concludes that the English health services share of 2.3bn in higher bills would take up nearly all the money our calculations suggest will be free for improvements in patient care next year and the year after.

Author of the blog, Mark Dayan, the Nuffield Trusts Brexit expert and policy analyst, said: Even with quite cautious assumptions about how much prices would rise, this calculation suggests a no-deal Brexit would have a noticeable impact on NHS finances.

That money will have to be taken from somewhere, and 2.3bn is equivalent to the entire annual budget of around six NHS trusts.

Unfortunately, a no-deal scenario would also mean less money in the Treasury to bail out the service.

The days of indefinite austerity for the health service would be back.

NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Show all 18 1 /18 NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, addresses demonstrators following the march AFP/Getty NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary EPA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Reuters NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary EPA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary PA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary PA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: The Government is confident of reaching a deal with the EU that benefits patients and the NHS. However, as a responsible Government we are also preparing for a range of potential outcomes in the unlikely event of a no deal.

As part of our contingency planning, we are taking all necessary steps with NHS England, suppliers and pharmaceutical companies to ensure patients continue to receive the high standards of care they expect.

PAThe skeleton of a vulture-sized bird from 75 million years ago has reignited a long-standing mystery about extinctions and the bird family tree.

Dubbed Mirarce eatoni, the unusual creature would have lived alongside dinosaurs in what is now Utah.

Analysis of the perfectly intact fossil specimen has revealed it was fully feathered and appears to have been just as well adapted to flight as modern birds.

It belongs to an extinct group called the enantiornithines  opposite birds  which, despite being very common for millions of years, were completely wiped out by the devastating asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.

Only one group of birds survived this cataclysm, ultimately giving rise to all the species we see today.

We know that birds in the early Cretaceous, about 115 to 130 million years ago, were capable of flight but probably not as well adapted for it as modern birds, said Professor Jessie Atterholt from Western University of Health Sciences.

What this new fossil shows is that enantiornithines, though totally separate from modern birds, evolved some of the same adaptations for highly refined, advanced flight styles.

The specimen was originally unearthed in Utah back in 1992, and has since resided in a collection at the University of California Museum of Palaeontology.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

After examining the remains, Professor Atterholt and her colleagues found that Mirarce had a larger breastbone than any other enantiornithines that had been discovered.

This would have allowed sizeable flight muscles to attach, and suggests this group evolved the power of advanced flight separately from modern birds ancestors.

Rough patches on the bones known as quill knobs, which anchor wing feathers to the skeleton, are further evidence of Mirarces capacity for advanced flight.

The question of why only modern bird ancestors survived mass extinction has been a hot topic of debate, and the discovery that this long-extinct species of enantiornithine was an expert flyer has further puzzled the palaeontologists analysing it.

We find their fossils on every continent, all over the world, and their fossils are very, very common, in a lot of areas more common than the group that led to modern birds, said Professor Atterholt.

And yet modern birds survived the extinction while enantiornithines go extinct.

One explanation for this is that enantiornithines lived primarily in forests, and when the trees were set ablaze following the asteroid strike they vanished with them.

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I think it is a really interesting hypothesis and the best explanation I have heard so far, said Professor Atterholt.

But we need to do really rigorous studies of enantiornithines ecology, because right now that part of the puzzle is a little hand-wavey.

All bird groups originally evolved from a group of predatory dinosaurs called theropods that included well-known species like Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor.

While Mirarce would have looked fairly similar to modern birds, it probably had teeth in its beak and claws on its wings that betrayed its dinosaur ancestry.

This study was published in the journal PeerJ.

Results of Renounceable Rights Issue

Perth, Nov 13, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - White Cliff Minerals Limited ( ASX:WCN ) ("White Cliff" or "the Company") is pleased to advise that the Renounceable Entitlements Offer announced on 16th October ("the Offer") has closed.The Company has been advised by the rights issue underwriter, CPS Capital Group Pty Ltd, that it has received commitments from its clients to place all the shortfall shares. The allocation of the shortfall shares is expected to occur at the same time as the rights issue acceptances are allocated in accordance with the rights issue timetable.The net proceeds from the Offer will be used to further advance the Company's Aucu Gold project in the Kyrgyz Republic, the Coronation cobalt-nickel project in Australia, repay debt and for general working capital.The new securities are expected to be issued on Thursday, 15 November 2018, in accordance with the timetable in the prospectus.White Cliff's Managing Director, Todd Hibberd said, "The Company is very pleased with the strong response to the rights offer and is now debt free and is working to advance both the Aucu gold project where the focus is on adding further gold resources and the Coronation Dam cobalt and nickel project where the Company will calculate a maiden cobalt and nickel resource".To view the outcome, please visit:About White Cliff Minerals Ltd

White Cliff Minerals Ltd is a Gold, Copper, Cobalt, Nickel resources and mining company listed in Australia (ASX:WCN). The Company is focused on developing low cost high value mineral deposits that have near term cash flow potential.

Major projects include the Aucu gold deposit that contains 484,000 ounces of gold (3mt at 5.1 g/t) starting at surface and Chanach copper deposit that contains 64,000 tonnes of copper (17.2Mt at 0.37% copper). Both projects have substantial blue sky potential with drilling covering only 5% of the known structures. In Australia the company is developing the Coronation Dam cobaltnickel deposit where a maiden resource will be announced in the late 2018.A British Army soldier who vowed that he would die committed to the white race has been jailed for being a member of a neo-Nazi terrorist group.

Lance Corporal Mikko Vehvilainen had been trying to recruit fellow soldiers for National Action in preparation for a race war to cleanse our lands.

The 34-year-old was one of eight members of the terrorist group to be convicted in a series of trials that dismantled its Midlands cell.

But terror police warned that the threat would not go away and predicted that peripheral figures would start chapters under new names.

When police raided Vehvilainens accommodation in Sennybridge Camp, Powys, in September 2017 they found swastika flags, Nazi memorabilia, CDs of Third Reich music and stockpiles of knives, guns and other weaponry.

He had constructed a crudely made device" which resembled a homemade electromagnetic pulse (EMP) - intended to disrupt electronic equipment.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that he had also written notes on terror attacks, sparking civil disorder and the destruction of national infrastructure and drafted a magazine called Extinction, which urged readers to be ready to fight and die for your race.

Through his work as an army trainer, he tried to bring what he called committed Nazis over to National Action, introducing at least three soldiers to encrypted chat groups including one called Triple K Mafia, the jury was told.

A stockpile of weapons discovered at Mikko Vehvilainen's home at Sennybridge Camp, Brecon, Powys, in September 2017 (West Midlands Police)

As well as racist, antisemitic and genocidal comments in chats with his fellow National Action members, he used a pseudonym to post vile rants online.

One called black people n*****s and pack animals and vowed to fight the Jew forever.

Another said white people shouldnt be on the same planet as black people, adding: The sooner they're eliminated the better.

The court heard that Vehvilainen was considered an outstanding soldier while serving in Afghanistan, but he claimed that when I was involved in killing [Muslims] it didnt bother me one bit.

In the same message, from February 2017, he wrote: How anybody can somehow regard n*****s and w**s as human beings and worthy of life is beyond me. I could shoot their children and feel nothing.

Messages showed Vehvilainen express his desire for bloodshed time and again, with one reading: Every part of me wants war. There is no other way.

He told a co-defendant that his Army camp contained a good group of fully committed men with our beliefs.

The soldier added: We also have other contacts on other bases and a lot of people are slightly sympathetic to our ideas. We also have good opportunities to get more equipment, uniforms etc.

Vehvilainen and his fellow extremists were hatching a plan to turn depopulated rural villages into a national socialist community.

He planned to recruit enough soldiers to ensure well be in the right place when things start to collapse, while stealing Army equipment and rations.

Among his targets was Private Mark Barrett, who was acquitted of terror charges earlier this year but has been discharged from the Army.

 National Action spokesman says he's a Nazi whose role model is Hitler

Colonel Graham Taylor, of the Army Personnel Services Group, said: Far-right ideology is completely at odds with the values and standards of the Army and whilst we are only talking about a very small number of cases we take this issue very seriously. We have robust measures in place, including during the recruitment process, to ensure those exhibiting extremist views are neither tolerated nor permitted to serve. Any soldier receiving a custodial sentence will be discharged from the Army.

Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Ward, head of the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, said the group had spent years planning for a race war.

Vehvilainens role typified the progress that National Action wanted; he was a non-commissioned officer in the British Army with access to young men who could be radicalised and recruited into the group, he added. He was an incredibly dangerous individual and a key part of the National Action strategy.

He was jailed for eight years in April alongside Alex Deakin, who received the same term for his role as regional coordinator for National Action.

The mens convictions for membership of a proscribed group could be reported for the first time on Monday after the trial of their fellow extremists ended.

Fanatical neo-Nazi couple Adam Thomas, 22, and Claudia Patatas, 38, were convicted of National Action membership alongside Daniel Bogunovic, 27.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court was told the couple had given their child the middle name Adolf, which Thomas said was in admiration of Hitler, and had Swastika scatter cushions in their home.

Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas posed for pictures with their son alongside Nazi paraphernalia (PA)

Photographs recovered from their home also showed Thomas, who failed to get into the Army twice, cradling his new-born son while wearing the hooded white robes of a Ku Klux Klansman.

Three other men who had been due to stand trial alongside the trio - Thomas' close friend and goods vehicle driver Darren Fletcher, 28, IT worker Joel Wilmore, 24, and van driver Nathan Pryke, 26 - all admitted being National Action members before proceedings began.

The group became the first far-right group ever banned in the UK in December 2016, when the government condemned its racist, antisemitic and homophobic ideology.

National Action split into a series of regional factions that operated under new names in an effort to dodge the prohibition, but its followers have been rounded up in waves of arrests and two aliases  NS131 and Scottish Dawn  have been banned in their own right.

Det Ch Supt Ward said the eight extremists convicted were not simply racist fantasists.

He added: We now know they were a dangerous, well-structured organisation, he added. Their aim was to spread neo-Nazi ideology by provoking a race war in the UK and they had spent years acquiring the skills to carry this out. They had researched how to make explosives. They had gathered weapons. They had a clear structure to radicalise others. Unchecked they would have inspired violence and spread hatred and fear across the West Midlands.

He also warned that although the convictions had dealt a significant blow to National Action and dismantled its Midlands chapter, the threat they pose will not go away.

Others on the periphery will take on leadership roles and so I ask for the publics vigilance, Det Ch Supt Ward said. We have seen many convictions over the past few years in connection with Syria-related terrorism and this work continues apace. But extreme groups such as National Action also have the potential to threaten public safety and security.With the number of killings in London on course to hit a 10-year high, debate is raging on what is behind the escalating bloodshed.

This years 121 victims have spanned generations, nationalities and genders. They have died as a result of knife attacks, shootings, beatings, arson and domestic abuse.

But it is a bloody spate of street stabbings that has provoked a wave of grief and anger, after claiming the lives of teenagers as young as 15.A former Calais Jungle child refugee who was unlawfully refused safe passage to join his aunt in Britain is still languishing in France two years on from the closure of the shantytown.

The Home Office has been accused of failing unaccompanied minors as it continues to block the young Eritrean national, whose physical and mental health is deteriorating, from reuniting with his relative in the UK.

Lawyers representing the boy said that the UK government was playing games with his life by failing to act swiftly and grant him the right to join his aunt in Britain.

The teenager, an orphan who recently turned 18 and cannot be named for legal reasons, applied under the expedited process to join his British aunt in the UK in October 2016 following the Jungle demolition.

But his application was rejected by the Home Office  a decision which along with many others has since been ruled unlawful by the Court of Appeal.

Following the negative decision, the child left the French shelter he was taken to and returned to Calais, where he became street homeless and subsequently contracted tuberculosis and pneumonia. He has since been diagnosed with PTSD.

The boy, who is referred to as JMB in court, spent several weeks being treated in hospital and is now staying at an accommodation centre in the north of France. Staff at the centre said he was both physically ill and depressed and was losing weight as a result of being unable to come to Britain.

When his aunt travelled from the UK to visit him in April, he seemed to come alive for the first time, according to a social worker, who also expressed concern that he would deteriorate again if he were not allowed to join her in the UK.

Speaking from the centre, JMB said: It feels endless being in this place, there is no time limit to this situation, they always come up with something else to delay the case. I cannot see any future, I do not see any hope.

One of the things I want to do in my life is to spend a lot of time with my aunt, try to make up for the time that we were separated. I also want to carry out my education, study English. At the moment, I am focused on getting there and then I will dream more.

Diane Abbott, Labours shadow home secretary, said the case demonstrated the truly shocking and sad reality of the governments hostile environment, adding: Their failure to meet our obligations under the Dubs scheme has left child refugees in an increasingly vulnerable situation.

In June, after lawyers from Bhatt Murphy Solicitors lodged legal proceedings on the childs behalf, the Home Office said he would be swiftly transferred to the UK to join his aunt, but that he must first claim asylum in France.

But a month after the French authorities registered his asylum claim and made a request for the UK to accept him for transfer so he could join his aunt, the young man is still waiting, prolonging the two years of uncertainty and causing him serious distress, according to his solicitor.

JMB is said to have left Eritrea aged 15 to avoid persecution, and experienced being kidnapped, beaten and starved during his journey to Europe. He witnessed people drown when the boat he crossed the Mediterranean in almost sank.

A mental health assessment for the boy states: Mentally and physically, his health appears to have deteriorated since at least his arrival in France, culminating in his contracting tuberculosis and pneumonia last summer and being hospitalised for several weeks.

It adds that he is very underweight and this is worsening and that current symptoms of mental illness have a severe impact on his mood, his ability to eat and to interact socially.

The report continues: There are high immediate risks of him resuming attempts to join his aunt via clandestine means, despite the inherent dangers and risks of further police assaults involved, and the fact that his aunt has urged him not to do so.

Hamish Arnott, JMB and his aunts solicitor at Bhatt Murphy, said: It feels as though the Home Office is playing games with JMB who has now been waiting for over two years to join his aunt in the UK.

JMB complied with the Home Offices expedited process after the demolition of the Calais Jungle yet, as the courts have found, was subject to an unfair process and was unfairly refused transfer to reunite with his aunt.

He was then told, after we lodged legal proceedings on his behalf, that all he had to do was claim asylum in France, that the UK had already secured Frances agreement to make a request for him to be transferred to the UK to join his aunt, and that the Home Office would process that request swiftly.

It has now been over four weeks since France made that request while he waits on tenterhooks. The Home Office is treating him unfairly once again in failing to stick to their promise to decide his request quickly. This is causing my extremely vulnerable young client serious distress.

Beth Gardiner-Smith, chief executive of Safe Passage, which has been supporting JMB, said: After refusing JMB under a process later found to be unlawful, the Home Office should be acting quickly to reunite him with his aunt. Instead, he was left homeless in Calais, suffering from severe trauma.

Having promised to act expeditiously the Home Office is now stalling. JMB has suffered over two years of limbo and distress trying to reunite with his aunt. Were urging the ministers to now keep their promise, expedite his case and finally reunite this family.

Ed Davey, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson, said the case was yet another tragic consequence of the Home Offices toxic culture.

Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Show all 7 1 /7 Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The Solidarity With Refugees group said Saturdays protest aimed to show our Government and the world that Britain is ready to welcome more refugees. Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis People march through central London as they take part in a protest rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees in a bid to urge the Government to take more action on the migrant crisis Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The protest comes days before world leaders meet to discuss crisis at UN General Assembly Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Demonstrators made their way from Park Lane to Parliament Square in London on Saturday afternoon Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis Marchers chanted refugees are welcome here and waved banners reading no-one is illegal and lets help people Press Association Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis The march was supported by charities and groups including the Red Cross, Asylum Aid, Save the Children, Hope Not Hate, Oxfam and the UN Refugee Agency Rex Features Refugees welcome here: Protesters demand UK resettle more migrants in response to refugee crisis In the wake of Alans death, David Cameron pledged to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK over the coming five years but there have been additional calls to re-home those who have already reached Europe, as well as asylum seekers coming from other conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan Rex Features

The Tories are failing to uphold Britains commitment to child refugees, leaving vulnerable young people homeless and unprotected, he added.

Sarah Jones, MP for Croydon Central, said: Children who have fled war and persecution remain trapped for years in a living nightmare in countries they thought would be safe.

Ive seen with my own eyes the hostile environment these young unaccompanied children are facing. Children need to be with their family  nobody would deny that basic right  so why is the government not acting?

A Home Office spokesperson said: All asylum claims are considered on their individual merits and in accordance with the immigration rules.

It said they does not routinely comment on individual cases or ongoing legal proceedings.Tommy Robinson will not be able to visit Washington to speak to US Congress members this week because his visa was not granted in time.

The anti-Islam activist was invited to deliver a speech on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, but cannot legally travel to the US.

Organisers said the 35-year-old, who was jailed in 2013 for travelling to the US on a false passport, would instead address the event via two-way video.

Several Republican members of the US House of Representatives had organised the panel talk, which will include Robinsons former employer Ezra Levant.

The Middle East Forum (MEF), an American think tank that has been funding pro-Robinson protests in Britain, said it originally invited Robinson for a two-day trip to Washington alongside the right-wing David Horowitz Freedom Centre.

MEF president Daniel Pipes told Reuters that Robinson had applied for a visa at the US Embassy in London but now realises it will take a while for him to be allowed into the country.

He said his group was still optimistic that Robinson could be granted a US visa at a later date.

 Tommy Robinson addresses supporters outside court after case referred to Attorney General

Dozens of MPs from across the political spectrum had written to the US government calling on it to block Robinsons visit.

The letter, addressed to Donald Trumps secretary of state Mike Pompeo, raised concern that the trip could result in media appearances to promote his violent and extremist agenda and raise money from donors that could organise further disruptive demonstrations in communities across the UK.

Greg Roman, director of the MEF, previously told The Independent the English Defence League founder was invited to demonstrate the resolve an American organisation has to allow there to be a free and open and public discussion about Islamism in the UK.

Were very well aware of his controversy, Mr Roman added, but claimed Robinson did not call for violence.

Prosecutors said Robinsons social media posts were a key inspiration for Darren Osborne to ram a van into Muslims leaving prayers in Finsbury Park  the UKs fourth terror attack of 2017.

He denied involvement and threatened to sue media outlets that reported evidence from the trial.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has several criminal convictions including for violence, drug possession, public order offences and fraud.

Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Show all 16 1 /16 Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey A Tommy Robinson supporter in London after former English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson left the Old Bailey where his contempt of court case was adjourned PA Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey A Tommy Robinson supporter outside the Old Bailey in London where the former English Defence League (EDL) leader is accused of contempt of court PA Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Tommy Robinson supporters outside the Old Bailey in London before former English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson arrives accused of contempt of court PA Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Supporters of far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson demonstrate outside the Old Bailey Getty Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Supporters of far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson demonstrate outside the Old Bailey Getty Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Supporters of former English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson protest at the Old Bailey Courthouse EPA Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Supporters of former English Defence League leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, or 'Tommy Robinson', who was jailed for contempt of court in May and later released, wait for him to arrive at the Old Bailey to attend a court hearing Reuters Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Supporters of far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson demonstrate outside the Old Bailey Getty Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Tommy Robinson arrives for his hearing at the Old Bailey Reuters Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Supporters of far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson demonstrate outside the Old Bailey Getty Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Supporters of far-right spokeseman Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, AKA Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the right-wing EDL (English Defence League) wave flags as they demonstrate outsise The Old Bailey AFP/Getty Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Supporters of far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson demonstrate outside the Old Bailey EPA Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey EPA Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey Robinson gestures to supporters from inside the Old Bailey AFP/Getty Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey AFP/Getty Tommy Robinson supporters protest outside the Old Bailey EPA

Robinson was imprisoned again in May for allegedly violating reporting restrictions on a series of linked grooming trials, but was freed on appeal in August.

He is waiting to see whether the attorney general will order another rehearing over contempt of court that could see him go back to prison.

Robinsons imprisonment sparked a wave of support and publicity in the US, and the MEF said it had supported Robinson since May, providing legal funds and organising demonstrations.

Recommended Why Tommy Robinson could find himself in jail again

Among the high-profile figures publicly supporting Robinson was the presidents son, Donald Trump Jr, while the US ambassador for international religious freedom raised his case with the British government.

Crowdfunding pages run by Robinson and his former employers Rebel Media have enjoyed a surge in donations since his imprisonment and last month he said there was still a pot in excess of a few hundred thousand pounds left after legal costs.

He vowed to launch a series of new legal claims against newspapers, police, the Home Office and prosecutors and said he was also planning to visit Australia.

But Robinson was set back by PayPals decision to ban him from using its payment system for donations.

In a video posted to Facebook, he said the platform had accounted for 70 per cent of his financial support and appealed to followers to use bitcoin instead.

PayPal said it does not comment on individual accounts, but said in a statement: We do not allow PayPal services to be used to promote hate, violence, or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory.Homes and businesses could be flooded as heavy rain lashes parts of the UK overnight, forecasters have warned.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Dumfries and Galloway, Lothian and the Borders in Scotland between 1am and 1pm on Wednesday. Flood alerts are also in force for several locations in Surrey, Cumbria and Wales.

However drier conditions are expected to spread northeast in the afternoon as the country continues to enjoy higher than average temperatures.

Forecaster Martin Bowles said the weather front was was acting like a conveyor belt which keeps bringing rain.

He added: One particular area, Dumfries and Galloway, is going to get this rain pretty much continuously for a few hours. That can cause some low-level surface water flooding.

Between 20mm and 30mm of rain is expected in some places, with as much as 50mm on higher ground.

The Met Office is warning that spray and flooding on roads is likely to cause delays to motorists in these areas.

Flooding of a few homes and businesses is possible, particularly if properties are susceptible to the problem.

Four amber flood alerts are in place in western, central and south-western parts of Scotland.

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One flood warning and four flood alerts have been issued for parts of Wales.

The Environment Agency has also issued a flood warning for Keswick in the Lake District and flood alerts for the River Derwent in Cumbria and the River Wey near Guildford in Surrey.

Additional reporting by Press AssociationTheresa May is preparing for a showdown cabinet meeting at which she will demand ministers back a draft Brexit deal finally reached by British and EU negotiators.

The prime minister called in her most senior frontbenchers for one-on-one meetings as the breakthrough emerged, in a bid to secure their backing ahead of the crunch cabinet on Wednesday.

But a furious backlash hit Ms May within minutes of the draft deal being announced, with Conservative Brexiteers threatening her leadership and her DUP partners vowing to block it in the Commons.

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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn branded the governments handling of negotiations as shambolic and also signalled that his party was likely to vote against the draft deal.

The proposed settlement means negotiators finally came to an agreement on how to handle the vexed issue of the Irish border after months of painstaking discussions, with officials working into the early hours in recent days.

If the cabinet agrees on the deal, it would clear the way for Brussels to announce a special summit to sign off the agreement before the end of November.

Downing Street confirmed a draft deal had been reached at 5pm on Tuesday, with ministers immediately invited in for individual talks and to read documents relating to the agreement before a special cabinet meeting scheduled for 2pm Wednesday.

Leave-backing ministers Liam Fox and Andrea Leadsom were among those who left No 10 without comment, but speculation continued that they or other Brexiteer cabinet members Penny Mordaunt, Esther McVey and even Brexit secretary Dominic Raab may quit.

 Theresa May: 'Brexit negotiations are now in the endgame'

One insider indicated that if a flashpoint was to come, it would be in the full cabinet on Wednesday when ministers had considered the text and marshalled their arguments. The position of environment secretary Michael Gove appeared central to the proposals success.

But the response from critics outside the cabinet was less muted, with backbench Tory Brexiteers launching a sustained attack on the proposals despite details remaining vague.

For the first time in a thousand years, this place, this parliament, will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is a quite incredible state of affairs Ex-foreign secretary Boris Johnson

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson urged his ex-cabinet colleagues to chuck it out or resign, warning the proposals made a nonsense of Brexit.

He said: For the first time in a thousand years, this place, this parliament, will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is a quite incredible state of affairs.

Jacob Rees-Mogg emerged from a meeting of the Brexit-backing European Research Group to say that: White flags have gone up all over Whitehall. It is a betrayal of the union.

The critical stumbling block has been over what happens to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic if no trade deal is secured by the end of the Brexit transition period in December 2020, with Brussels having wanted the north to stay in a customs union with the EU to keep the border open.

A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Show all 65 1 /65 A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit An estimated 700,000 people marched through London to demand a final say on the withdrawal agreement Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Red smoke from a canister hangs in the air as around 100,000 demonstrators march through London during a People's Vote anti-brexit demonstration savings banners and placards Anti-Brexit People's Vote March for the Future in London Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Mayor of London Sadiq Khan takes part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Protesters wearing final Say shirts and holding placards Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A Peoples Vote march attendee calls for a Final Say Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators with banners 'We're with EU' during the People's Vote March for the Future in London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Protesters at Londons march for the future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Editor of The Independent Christian Broughton speaks to demonstrators in Parliament Sqaure after they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A poster at the March for the Future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 campaigner wrapped in EU flag Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators pass Trafalgar Square as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators wave Union and European flags and hold up placards as they pass Trafalgar Square, taking part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A demonstrator holds a message during a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators take part in the 'People's Vote March for the Future,' in central London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A protester brandishes an Independent t-shirt during the Brexit March Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Tens of thousands of people take part in People's Vote March for the Future in central London. The march organised by the People's Vote campaign is led by young people calling for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA

Under the backstop arrangement said to be in the draft text, the whole UK would remain in a customs arrangement with the EU instead  a condition sought by Ms May  until a future deal is secured, though there would be deeper provisions for Northern Ireland on customs and regulations.

A review mechanism is also understood to be part of the text, which would determine when the UK would leave the backstop arrangement, but it is unclear whether it meets the demands of Brexiteers  including some in the cabinet  who want Britain to be able to unilaterally walk away.

Ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith warned that if reports of the deals contents were true then Ms Mays administration could collapse amid the backlash.

Asked if the governments days were numbered, he said: If this is the case almost certainly, yes.

Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the DUP whose MPs prop up Ms Mays minority administration, said the deal as reported would leave Northern Ireland subject to the rules and laws set in Brussels with no democratic input or any say.

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He said: We object to that on constitutional grounds that our laws would be made in Brussels, not in Westminster or Belfast. That is the fundamental red line.

Despite the vitriol, government chief whip Julian Smith told reporters: I am confident that we will get this through parliament and that we can deliver on what the prime minister committed to on delivering Brexit.

Another Conservative MP, Jonathan Djanogly, mocked Leave-backing colleagues on Twitter, saying: How come all these Brexiteers are throwing their toys out of the pram .... before we know the deal terms.

Could it be that they always intended us to jump naked off the cliff whatever the terms!

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the party would vote against the deal if it failed to meet its six tests, highly unlikely given one is to deliver the exact same benefits as the single market.

He said: We will look at the details of what has been agreed when they are available. But from what we know of the shambolic handling of these negotiations, this is unlikely to be a good deal for the country.

Neither Brussels nor Dublin confirmed a deal had been reached, despite the No 10 announcement.

A spokesman for chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier accepted that talks were making progress, but indicated we are not there yet.

A representative of Irelands deputy premier, Simon Coveney, said negotiations were at a sensitive juncture, adding: We are not commenting on media speculation around the withdrawal agreement.Theresa May is holding intense one-on-one talks with her most senior ministers after EU and UK negotiators finally reached a settlement in Brussels.

Downing Street confirmed that a breakthrough had been made as they called in cabinet members to discuss the draft withdrawal agreement text produced by the British and European negotiating teams.

The text settled upon after months of painstaking discussions in Brussels will then be discussed at a crunch full meeting of the cabinet on Wednesday, at which Ms May will attempt to lock in the support of even her most eurosceptic ministers.

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If they approve the draft it will mean a special European Council summit may be arranged to sign it off before the end of November, giving the UKs parliament a chance to vote on it before Christmas.

A Number 10 spokesman said: Cabinet will meet at 2pm [on Wednesday] to consider the draft agreement the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels and to decide on next steps.

Cabinet ministers have been invited to read documentation ahead of that meeting.

Ministers have been seen entering and leaving Downing Street on Tuesday, with health secretary Matt Hancock first to arrive following confirmation that a deal had been reached, followed by chief whip Julian Smith and transport secretary Chris Grayling.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said the potential agreement was encouraging but suggested the details could yet stymie agreement.

People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Show all 30 1 /30 People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Rex People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young protestor shouts as she takes part in the People's Vote demonstration against Brexit Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A protester's pro-EU t-shirt EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Gina Miller and Caroline Lucas EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Tens of thousands of people march through London EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Demonstrators at the People's Vote March Getty People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal 'Two months too young to decide on my future' REUTERS People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young girl joins in the march PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal An EU flag is draped across the statue of Winston Chruchill in Parliament Square REUTERS People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Vince Cable MP, Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller, Tony Robinson and Caroline Lucas MP join with crowds PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Crowds gather on Pall Mall PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A man resembling Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, joins EU supporters Reuters People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal People gather in Trafalgar Square REUTERS People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller and Tony Robinson PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, participate in the 'People's Vote' march REUTERS

Obviously members of the cabinet are going to have the opportunity to to look at that in detail this evening and there will be a special cabinet meeting tomorrow to reflect on whats in that documentation, he said.

Im encouraged but we need to reflect on that detail and see whats there and hopefully be in a position to take forward a deal.

Thats what the government has been working for all this time, to get a deal, and negotiators have worked incredibly hard to get us to this point but we have to reflect on the detail and consider at cabinet tomorrow.

Irish broadcaster RTE reported that a stable text had been agreed on the thorny issue of the Northern Irish border, which has blocked a deal for months.

The broadcaster said the agreement involved one overall backstop in the form of a UK-wide customs arrangement  as sought by Ms May  but with deeper provisions for Northern Ireland on customs and regulations.

A review mechanism is understood to be part of the text, but it is unclear whether that would meet the demands of Tory Brexiteers  including some in the Cabinet  who want the UK to be able to unilaterally walk away from the deal to prevent it becoming a permanent settlement.Only 16 per cent of some of the countrys leading Brexit experts believe that Theresa May will be able to secure a future trade deal with the European Union (EU) before the December 2020 deadline.

The Brexit policy panel, a cross-disciplinary group of some of the 100 most prominent academics on the issue, asked a range of questions in order to forecast where Britain is heading once it leaves the bloc.

Surveyed by the UK in a Changing Europe initiative, the panel puts the chance of no-deal at 42 per cent.

The group was questioned on if and when the UK will leave the EU; how Brexit will affect British politics; and what the UK's relationship with the EU is likely to look like in the future.

They were also polled on the likelihood of a withdrawal agreement being secured, before Downing Street confirmed EU and UK negotiators had finally reached a settlement in Brussels.

Cabinet members were called in to discuss the draft withdrawal agreement text produced by the British and European negotiating teams.

Prior to the announcement about the settlement, only 11 per cent of the experts believed a deal would be made this month.

Once negotiations on the withdrawal agreement come to an end, the focus of the negotiations will then turn to Britains future relationship with the EU.

A deadline of December 2020 has been set for a trade deal to be completed, but the majority of those polled did not believe this is was achievable.

Professor Anand Menon, the director of the UK in a Changing Europe Initiative, said future trade deals take significantly longer to negotiate than the amount of time the government has currently set aside.

The time we have is extremely limited because the EU is not going to start negotiating properly until they have a new European Commission in place, which wont happen until November, he told The Independent.

We currently have less than 21 months, which regardless of other factors, would still likely not be long enough."

The survey also found that 70 per cent of experts believed that foreign direct investment (FDI) to the UK from outside of the EU would fall in the next five years.

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FDI to the UK has been in decline since reaching a peak in 2015 and has already fallen by 19 per cent since the Brexit vote, according to the UK Trade Policy Observatory.

The British market is less attractive when it is a market of 65 million and not a market of 500 million, Prof Menon said.

You only have to look at what the Japanese ambassador has been saying, about how investment from Japan was predicated on the assumption that the UK was a gateway to Europe.

Alan Wager, research associate at the UK in a Changing Europe, added that falls in FDI would mean "there will probably be fewer jobs in the economy".

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that Brexit means Brexit and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UKs economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Partys coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a specific solution would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty

The results were however more positive about Ms Mays chances of getting a withdrawal agreement passed through parliament, assuming she manages to get a deal.

A total of 57 per cent of respondents said they believed the deal would get through the House of Commons.

The governments success could be pinned on how effectively they portray the issue as the deal versus no deal. It is also important to consider that MPs may want to move on from this issue, Prof Menon said.

The EU and Theresa May will be on the same side for this, Sterling is likely to rally and businesses will support the agreement. It is difficult to predict how MPs will react in a post-deal world.Theresa Mays deputy has refused to say that Britain will be better off under her planned Brexit deal, as he admitted there were still big hurdles to an agreement.

David Lidington said the people had taken a democratic decision which had to be implemented  regardless of whether it would make the country richer or poorer.

People took a decision having heard the arguments both about the economics, but also about sovereignty, the cabinet office minister said.

The comments are a far cry from the prime ministers promises  repeated at the Tory conference last month  to make a success of Brexit and that Britains best days lie ahead.

They came as Mr Lidington claimed the UK and EU were almost within touching distance of a deal, but acknowledged the remaining differences were the most difficult ones to resolve.

He also said the controversy over the Irish border backstop, and the UK giving up the power to end it unilaterally, was only one of the outstanding issues.

Ms Mays hopes of getting cabinet approval for a deal today have been dashed. Thursday morning is now seen as the last chance, if a special EU summit is to be held this month to sign it off.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Mr Lidington refused  twice  to say that hand on heart he believed Britain would better off under the prime ministers terms for Brexit.

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Show all 14 1 /14 Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Internal divisions in the Conservative Party have exploded into a bitter public row over Boris Johnsons disgusting criticism of Theresa May. Some senior Tories furiously denounced the former foreign secretary after he accused the prime minister of having wrapped a suicide vest around Britain Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Sajid Javid, Home secretary Sajid Javid, the home secretary, rebuked his former cabinet colleague and said: I think there are much better ways to articulate your differences. He told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show that the public wanted politicians to use measured language BBC/PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide But other MPs leapt to Mr Johnsons defence, as dividing lines ahead of a possible leadership contest begin to take shape. The Uxbridge MP has repeatedly criticised Ms Mays Chequers plan and used a newspaper article on Sunday to suggest it amounted to wrapping a suicide vest around the British constitution. His latest salvo at the prime minister prompted immediate condemnation, with one minister publicly vowing to end Mr Johnsons career over the matter PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Alan Duncan, Foreign minister Alan Duncan, a foreign minister who worked in Mr Johnsons team for two years, wrote on Twitter: For Boris to say the PMs view is like that of a suicide bomber is too much. This marks one of the most disgusting moments in modern British politics. Im sorry, but this is the political end of Boris Johnson. If it isnt now, I will make sure it is later. Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide James Brokenshire, Housing secretary Housing secretary James Brokenshire added his voice to the criticism, calling Mr Johnsons comments wrong He said: I think he is wrong on this...I think the tone that he has used isnt right and I think that we just need to be very focused on actually moving forward with the Chequers plan. AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Zac Goldsmith But as Tory hostilities spilled over into open public warfare, Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith, an ally of Mr Johnson, hit back at Mr Duncan. He wrote: There are a number of possible motives behind this tweet, but given its author, we can be certain principles arent one of them. Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Jacob Rees-Mogg Senior Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg told The Independent he thought Mr Johnsons suicide belt accusation was little more than a characteristically colourful catchphrase. He added: I agree with the sentiment. The criticism of Boriss wording merely serves to highlight his point. It means more people hear of Boriss criticism of Chequers and many will agree with him. Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Nadine Dorries Nadine Dorries, another Brexit supporter, said Mr Johnsons opponents were terrified of his popular appeal, adding: Dont underestimate the vitriol thatll be directed towards Boris today. He delivered the Leave vote, Remainers and wannabe future PMs hate him. If Mr Johnson became leader and prime minister he would deliver a clean and prosperous Brexit, she said Rex Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Andrew Bridgen Andrew Bridgen said Ms May was to blame for her leadership problems. Asked if Mr Johnson had put a bomb under her leadership, Mr Bridgen said: I think that Theresa May did that herself when she put forward the Chequers proposals without consulting widely prior to that. Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Steve Baker, former Brexit minister Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, warned Ms May the Conservatives faced a "catastrophic split" if she did not jettison her Chequers plan. Mr Baker, who quit the government in July over the scheme, said: When negotiating, the prime minister needs to demonstrate her intent and also her power to deliver. "If we come out of conference with her hoping to get Chequers through on the back of Labour votes, I think the EU negotiators would probably understand that if that were done, the Tory party would suffer the catastrophic split which thus far we have managed to avoid. But he insisted he did not want a change in the Conservative leadership, saying Brexiteers did not want to be in a position of conflict with our own prime minister Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Tom Tugendhat The deep divisions on the Tory benches were laid bare as Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee and is a possible leadership rival to Mr Johnson, also hit out at the former foreign secretary. Recalling how he encountered a suicide bomber in Afghanistan during his time in the army, Mr Tugendhat told Mr Johnson to grow up. He said: A suicide bomber murdered many in the courtyard of my office in Helmand. The carnage was disgusting, limbs and flesh hanging from trees and bushes. Brave men who stopped him killing me and others died in horrific pain. Some need to grow up. Comparing the PM to that isnt happy. PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Alistair Burt Alistair Burt, another Foreign Office minister who worked in Mr Johnsons team, said: Im stunned at the nature of this attack. There is no justification for such an outrageous, inappropriate and hurtful analogy. If we dont stop his extraordinary use of language over Brexit, our country might never heal. Again, I say, enough. AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide It comes amid that Ms Mays former aides drew up a dossier on Mr Johnsons sexual encounters with the aim of undermining his leadership prospects. The document was compiled in 2016, when the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP was seen as the main rival to Ms May in her bid to enter No 10. Downing Street and Conservative Campaign Headquaters (CCHQ) both denied having leaked the 4,000 word memo after it was circulated around Westminster AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Mr Johnson confirmed that his 25-year marriage to wife Marina had ended AP

Noting he campaigned on the Remain side, he said: The people took a democratic decision and I accepted before and subsequent to the referendum that, while the vote was close, it was decisive on a massive turnout

What we were always going to come up with with a deal  if we get a deal - is something that will involve compromise.

The prime minister could not have been clearer about this in all her major speeches - that there will have to be give and take on both sides.

Asked, again, if Britain would be better off, Mr Lidington said the task ahead was a deal that best protected jobs and investment and prosperity.

Ms May claimed on Monday night that "the negotiations for our departure are now in the endgame, but the negotiators are struggling to bridge the gap over the backstop.

Cabinet members have been told the issue will be hardly discussed at todays meeting, despite the Brussels teams working almost around-the-clock to make progress.

The EU  as well as insisting the European Court of Justice must rule on ending the backstop  argues the UK must sign up to future rules on state aid, competition, the environment and workers.

Tory Brexiteers fear being effectively tied to the EU single market, as well as being locked into the customs union if the UK cannot end the backstop alone.

Mr Lidington said: We are not quite there yet. This was always going to be an extremely difficult, extremely complex negotiation, but we are almost within touching distance now.

But, as the prime minister has said, it can't be a deal at any price. It has got to be one that works in terms of feeling we can deliver on the referendum result and that is why there is a measure of caution.

Successful Infill Drilling Program

Perth, Nov 13, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Australian Potash Limited ( ASX:APC ) (Australian Potash) is pleased to advise the completion of an infill drilling campaign across the Lake Wells SOP project resource area (Figure 4 in link below).Highlights:- 8 hole/1,086m Air-Core program completed at Lake Wells SOP Project- Continuous basal sand layer intersected with indications of high permeability, further validating the proposed bore field brine abstraction method for the commercial project development- Drilling outside of the current JORC resource envelope is likely to expand the Resource base- Samples being assayed for grade, and aquifer parameter testing- Program represents major milestone in the Resource/abstraction workstream for the DFSAustralian Potash Managing Director Matt Shackleton said: "We are in the geologically favourable position at our Lake Wells SOP project where we don't have to rely on trenching to abstract the potassium rich brine. A long, deep and broad palaeochannel affords us the low risk, all-weather bore field abstraction method utilised at hundreds of mining operations across the country to abstract brines (whether for mineral processing or dewatering)."The key to brine abstraction, regardless of if bores are available or trenching has to be used, is a permeable aquifer from which to abstract. This is often a function of the presence and amount of sand in the aquifer. Sand is usually permeable and clay is not."This infill program continued to intersect aquifers and at times, brine-flow inhibited the speed with which the hole could be completed. And most pleasingly we saw thick layers of coarse sand through the aquifers, commencing 30 to 40 metres above the basement."The volume of brine at APC's Lake Wells SOP project is enormous. More than 2 billion tonnes exists in our Mineral Resource Estimatei, underpinning a proposed long-lived asset development" Mr Shackleton said.Infill Drilling ProgramTo increase the confidence in the Lake Wells Sulphate of Potash Brine resource additional information needed to be collected and accounted for in the hydrogeological model. For hydrogeological consultants AQ2 to upgrade known resources into a measured category, and ultimately into reserves, additional information is required to increase the knowledge of, and confidence in, the current resource. Specific requirements include:- Better definition of shape and volume of the palaeo-valley through analysis of a combination of passive seismic and drilling data;- Better definition of aquifer dimensions, again using passive seismic and drilling data;- Increased understanding of aquifer properties. Several lines of evidence feed into defining aquifer properties such as particle size distribution (PSD) gained from drill samples, down hole logging with BMR, and various pump tests;- Brine grade/quality as determined from sampling and laboratory assay; and- Abstraction rates and production potential.Over a two-week period eight exploration bores were completed for a total of 1086m, all planned to answer questions on resource quality and quantity. All bores encountered the surficial aquifer, with six of the eight holes also penetrating the basal aquifer. Of the two bores that failed to penetrate the basal aquifer, one was prevented from drilling to depth by drilling conditions, and the other terminated in basement granite without intersecting the basal aquifer.Where the basal sand was intercepted, it was often coarse and permeable (Figure 3 in link below) with brine-flow volumes slowing progress of the drilling. Many important observations have been made regarding the nature of the basal aquifer including the coarse sand and the presence of lignite. Lignite samples have been submitted for age-dating which will add substantially to the interpretation of the Lake Wells palaeo-river system and subsequent infill. All bores had PVC monitoring pipe installed and these will perform an important role moving forward in the ongoing testing of the aquifers.Resource Upgrade PotentialAs demonstrated in Figure 4, there is potential for an increase in the Mineral Resource at the Lake Wells SOP Project with the additional data from this infill drilling program. Two areas are likely to add to the current Resource: the central area that was acquired from AngloGold Ashanti in 2017, and the southern area where no previous drilling has been conducted.Any increase in the mineral Resource Estimate for the project could add longevity to the current plan, and/or increase the output from the staged development scenario that has been proposed.Lake Wells Sulphate of Potash ProjectThe Lake Wells SOP Project is targeting the production of 150,000 tonnes per annum through an initial Stage-1 development, rising to 300,000 tonnes per annum on development of Stage- 2. Costs of production place the project in the lowest quartile on the global operating costs' curve.Auspiciously located 280kms from bulk rail terminals at Leonora (Figure 5 in link below), APC has in place Memorandums of Understanding with two of China's largest agricultural companies for a combined 200,000 tonnes per annum of off-take. Australian Potash is committed to supplying SOP to Australian farmers and is actively engaged with large fertiliser distributors in Western Australia. It is anticipated that over time, the demand for SOP within the domestic Australian market will increase materially through the presence of a local supplier.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Australian Potash Ltd

Australian Potash Limited (ASX:APC) is an ASX-listed Sulphate of Potash (SOP) developer. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Lake Wells Potash Project located approximately 500kms northeast of Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields.

Following the release of a Scoping Study in 2017, APC has been conducting a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) into the development of the Lake Wells Potash Project. The Company is aiming to release the findings of the DFS in H2 2019.

The Lake Wells Potash Project is a palaeochannel brine hosted sulphate of potash project. Palaeochannel bore fields supply large volumes of brine to many existing mining operations throughout Western Australia, and this technique is a well understood and proven method for extracting brine. APC will use this technically low-risk and commonly used brine extraction model to further develop a bore-field into the palaeochannel hosting the Lake Wells SOP resource.

A Scoping Study on the Lake Wells Potash Project was completed and released on 23 March 2017. The Scoping Study exceeded expectations and confirmed that the Project's economic and technical aspects are all exceptionally strong, and highlights APC's potential to become a significant long-life, low capital and high margin sulphate of potash (SOP) producer.Theresa May is braced for defeat in her bid to keep secret the legal advice behind her Irish border backstop plan, with Tory rebels refusing to back her.

A Labour humble address  a tactic used in the past to force publication of crucial Brexit documents  is set to pass in the Commons later today, after the Speaker ruled out a compromise option.

The government had hoped to escape with making public only a summary of the opinion from its lawyers, which is key to claims that the EU will be able to lock the UK into the backstop.

But the middle-way amendment will not be called  prompting Tory Brexiteers to signal they will abstain, making success for Labours motion almost inevitable.

There were even suggestions that the government might cave in and allow the motion to pass, to avoid the embarrassment of a defeat in the Commons lobbies.

Unlike normal motions, a humble address is binding and the government will be forced to publish  although it could argue the advice does not exist yet, with the negotiations still ongoing.

Cabinet ministers were the first to demand to see the full advice, fearing they will be bounced into giving their consent to the Brexit deal without knowing its full implications.

At stake is the fear of pro-Brexit Tories that the UK risks being shut indefinitely into the EU customs union  unable to sign its own trade deals  unless it can end the backstop unilaterally.

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Show all 14 1 /14 Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Internal divisions in the Conservative Party have exploded into a bitter public row over Boris Johnsons disgusting criticism of Theresa May. Some senior Tories furiously denounced the former foreign secretary after he accused the prime minister of having wrapped a suicide vest around Britain Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Sajid Javid, Home secretary Sajid Javid, the home secretary, rebuked his former cabinet colleague and said: I think there are much better ways to articulate your differences. He told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show that the public wanted politicians to use measured language BBC/PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide But other MPs leapt to Mr Johnsons defence, as dividing lines ahead of a possible leadership contest begin to take shape. The Uxbridge MP has repeatedly criticised Ms Mays Chequers plan and used a newspaper article on Sunday to suggest it amounted to wrapping a suicide vest around the British constitution. His latest salvo at the prime minister prompted immediate condemnation, with one minister publicly vowing to end Mr Johnsons career over the matter PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Alan Duncan, Foreign minister Alan Duncan, a foreign minister who worked in Mr Johnsons team for two years, wrote on Twitter: For Boris to say the PMs view is like that of a suicide bomber is too much. This marks one of the most disgusting moments in modern British politics. Im sorry, but this is the political end of Boris Johnson. If it isnt now, I will make sure it is later. Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide James Brokenshire, Housing secretary Housing secretary James Brokenshire added his voice to the criticism, calling Mr Johnsons comments wrong He said: I think he is wrong on this...I think the tone that he has used isnt right and I think that we just need to be very focused on actually moving forward with the Chequers plan. AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Zac Goldsmith But as Tory hostilities spilled over into open public warfare, Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith, an ally of Mr Johnson, hit back at Mr Duncan. He wrote: There are a number of possible motives behind this tweet, but given its author, we can be certain principles arent one of them. Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Jacob Rees-Mogg Senior Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg told The Independent he thought Mr Johnsons suicide belt accusation was little more than a characteristically colourful catchphrase. He added: I agree with the sentiment. The criticism of Boriss wording merely serves to highlight his point. It means more people hear of Boriss criticism of Chequers and many will agree with him. Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Nadine Dorries Nadine Dorries, another Brexit supporter, said Mr Johnsons opponents were terrified of his popular appeal, adding: Dont underestimate the vitriol thatll be directed towards Boris today. He delivered the Leave vote, Remainers and wannabe future PMs hate him. If Mr Johnson became leader and prime minister he would deliver a clean and prosperous Brexit, she said Rex Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Andrew Bridgen Andrew Bridgen said Ms May was to blame for her leadership problems. Asked if Mr Johnson had put a bomb under her leadership, Mr Bridgen said: I think that Theresa May did that herself when she put forward the Chequers proposals without consulting widely prior to that. Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Steve Baker, former Brexit minister Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, warned Ms May the Conservatives faced a "catastrophic split" if she did not jettison her Chequers plan. Mr Baker, who quit the government in July over the scheme, said: When negotiating, the prime minister needs to demonstrate her intent and also her power to deliver. "If we come out of conference with her hoping to get Chequers through on the back of Labour votes, I think the EU negotiators would probably understand that if that were done, the Tory party would suffer the catastrophic split which thus far we have managed to avoid. But he insisted he did not want a change in the Conservative leadership, saying Brexiteers did not want to be in a position of conflict with our own prime minister Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Tom Tugendhat The deep divisions on the Tory benches were laid bare as Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee and is a possible leadership rival to Mr Johnson, also hit out at the former foreign secretary. Recalling how he encountered a suicide bomber in Afghanistan during his time in the army, Mr Tugendhat told Mr Johnson to grow up. He said: A suicide bomber murdered many in the courtyard of my office in Helmand. The carnage was disgusting, limbs and flesh hanging from trees and bushes. Brave men who stopped him killing me and others died in horrific pain. Some need to grow up. Comparing the PM to that isnt happy. PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Alistair Burt Alistair Burt, another Foreign Office minister who worked in Mr Johnsons team, said: Im stunned at the nature of this attack. There is no justification for such an outrageous, inappropriate and hurtful analogy. If we dont stop his extraordinary use of language over Brexit, our country might never heal. Again, I say, enough. AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide It comes amid that Ms Mays former aides drew up a dossier on Mr Johnsons sexual encounters with the aim of undermining his leadership prospects. The document was compiled in 2016, when the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP was seen as the main rival to Ms May in her bid to enter No 10. Downing Street and Conservative Campaign Headquaters (CCHQ) both denied having leaked the 4,000 word memo after it was circulated around Westminster AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Mr Johnson confirmed that his 25-year marriage to wife Marina had ended AP

But Ms May has warned her cabinet that the demand must be dropped if the UK is to secure an agreement with the EU within the next few weeks.

Labour then said it would be untenable to keep MPs in the dark on the legal advice if they are to have a meaningful vote on whether to endorse the prime ministers departure terms.

Keir Starmer, the partys Brexit spokesman, said: At this critical stage, MPs cant be kept in the dark nor can we risk parliament being bounced into a decision without having all of the facts available.

Ministers should accept this motion and allow MPs to have an informed debate about the UKs future relationship with the EU after Brexit.

Sir Keir has said the UKs departure from the EU could still be halted, openly contradicting his partys leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who angered Labour MPs by saying it cannot be stopped.

The 60-strong European Research Group (ERG) of Brexit-backing Tory MPs, as well as the Democratic Unionist Party and the Liberal Democrats, have called for parliament to be handed the full advice.

Geoffrey Cox, the attorney general, has advised the cabinet on the legal reasoning behind the backstop, but is unlikely to finalise his advice unless and until a deal has been reached in Brussels.

Labour has argued its humble address has been constructed in such a way that the government would have to comply with the demand, even if at a later date.Angela Merkel has called for the creation of a real, true European army, echoing a similar call by her French counterpart.

The German chancellors backing for the force comes amid a spat with US president Donald Trump, who took offence to a suggestion by Emmanuel Macron that such an army could ensure Europes security in the shadow of the United States.

Ms Merkel endorsed the creation of the army while addressing MEPs at the European parliament in Strasbourg.

We should work on a vision of one day establishing a real, true European army, Ms Merkel said.

The French president made his call during a radio interview last week: We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America.

We will not protect the Europeans unless we decide to have a true European army.

He added: When I see President Trump announcing that hes quitting a major disarmament treaty which was formed after the 1980s Euro-missile crisis that hit Europe, who is the main victim? Europe and its security.

The suggestion angered Mr Trump, who sent a series of hostile tweets about the comments.

On Tuesday the US president tweeted: Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two  How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!

The election of Mr Trump to the White House appears to have given more urgency to the cause of boosting the EUs defence capabilities, with leaders warning they cannot simply rely on the United States.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said last year that deference to Nato can no longer be used as a convenient alibi to argue against greater European efforts.

 Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel join hands at First World War armistice site

Ms Merkels intervention is significant because France has historically been the strongest and most vocal proponent of an EU army, with its neighbour tentatively endorsing proposals for a joint command structure for military interventions.

Eurosceptics reacted angrily to the speech. Conservative MEP David Campbell Bannerman said: This is one of the scariest speeches I have heard as an MEP in my nine years. Merkel is an out-and-out European federalist and we should not be pandering to her as if she is on our side. She is on the side of the superstate.

In 2016 then defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon said the UK would use its veto to stop the creation of any EU army. However, the UK is leaving the EU, and will therefore no longer have any say in its governance.

A number of proposals have been put on the table for how EU nations could cooperate more closely on defence. The European Commission says closer defence cooperation is not about creating an EU army.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Thirty-four joint missions by member states have been launched under the EU flag since 2003 under the blocs common security and defence policy.

Under the permanent structured cooperation initiative legislated for in 2009 and activated in 2017, 25 of the 28 armed forces are in the process of stepping up cooperation between their militaries. Denmark, Malta and the United Kingdom have decided to opt out of the voluntary system.

Ms Merkel made her comments about the EU army in a wider speech to MEPs about the future of Europe. Mentioning Brexit only once, she described Britains looming departure from the union as a deep wound to the continent.British travellers will not need visas to visit the European Union for short stays even if there is a no-deal Brexit, the European Commission has said.

Commissioners made the recommendation to put the UK on the visa-exempt list at a meeting in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The policy is dependent on the UK continuing to offer reciprocal visa-free access for EU citizens.

Travel advice issued by the commission says: The European Commission has proposed to the EU legislator to exempt UK nationals from visa requirements for short-term stays.

The decision is still technically subject to confirmation by member states but is very unlikely to be overturned.

The EU puts all countries on either a visa exempt list or a visa required list. Visa policy is coordinated for the whole Schengen passportless area.

British travellers could still be inconvenienced by Brexit because the EU is planning to bring in a system where countries outside the bloc will need to apply for an electronic travel authorisation in advance, even if they are visa-exempt.

Etias  the EU Travel Information and Authorisation System  is modelled on the US Esta system and is being introduced on security grounds.

To what extent British citizens will have the right to work in the EU or move there long-term are separate to the question of travel visas; these questions will be settled as part of the future relationship negotiations between the EU and UK, expected to commence next year.

The move on visas is part of the EUs intensified planning for a possible no-deal Brexit. In a statement, the European Commission said: The European Commission has today proposed to grant UK citizens visa-free travel to the EU after the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union.

It would mean that UK citizens would not need a visa when travelling to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. In the scenario where the UK leaves the EU without a deal, this would apply as of 30 March 2019. If a deal is reached, however, it would apply as of the end of the transition period, as outlined in the withdrawal agreement. This follows the commissions continued commitment that citizens rights must come first in the negotiations on the UKs withdrawal from the EU.

This proposal is entirely conditional upon the UK also granting reciprocal and non-discriminatory visa-free travel for all EU member states, in line with the principle of visa reciprocity. The UK government has declared its intention not to require a visa from citizens of the EU27 member states for shorts stays for the purposes of tourism and business. EU rules on non-EU nationals travelling to the EU, such as those on border control, would of course apply to UK citizens once they are no longer EU citizens.

The visa-free policy covers the 22 EU member countries that are members of the Schengen area and the four Schengen-associated states  Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. It will also apply to Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus, which are outside Schengen but coordinate their policies with it.

Brexit so far: in pictures Show all 53 1 /53 Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson led the VoteLeave campaign PA Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson MP, Labour MP Gisela Stuart and UKIP MP Douglas Carswell address the people of Stafford in Market Square during the Vote Leave Brexit Battle Bus tour on 17 May 2016. Their lead line on the tour was: We send the EU 350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead. Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Voting day A man shelters from the rain as he arrives at a polling station in London on 23 June 2016. Millions of Britons voted in the referendum on whether to stay in or leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Referendum results Leader of Ukip, Nigel Farage, reacts at the Leave EU referendum party at Millbank Tower in central London as results indicated that it was likely the UK would leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Protesting the result A young couple painted as EU flags and a man with a sign reading Im not leaving protest outside Downing Street against the voters decision to leave the EU on 24 June 2016 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures David Cameron resigns British Prime Minister David Cameron resigns on the steps of 10 Downing Street on 24 June 2016 after the results of the EU referendum were declared and the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Theresa May Becomes the new Conservative Party leader Theresa May receives a kiss from her husband Philip, after becoming the new Conservative Party leader on 11 July 2016. May became Prime Minister two days later and although she voted to remain in the referendum was keen to lead Britains Brexit talks after her only rival in the race to succeed David Cameron pulled out unexpectedly. May was left as the only contender standing after the withdrawal from the leadership race of Andrea Leadsom, who faced criticism for suggesting she was more qualified to be prime minister because she had children AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Lancaster House keynote speech on Brexit British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers her keynote speech on Brexit at Lancaster House in London on 17 January 2017. Where she spoke about her offer to introduce a transition period after the UK formally leaves the European Union in March 2019. Despite repeating the pro-Brexit mantra of no deal is better than a bad deal, the Prime Minister claimed she wanted a tone of trust between the negotiators and said Britain was leaving the EU but not Europe. She said there should be a clear double lock needed for the transitional period to make sure businesses had time to prepare for changes to their trading relationships with the EU Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Triggering of Article 50 British Prime Minister Theresa May in the cabinet, sitting below a painting of Britain's first Prime Minister Robert Walpole, signs the official letter to European Council President Donald Tusk invoking Article 50 and the United Kingdom's intention to leave the EU on 29 March 2017 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Gibraltar nonsense Tensions have risen over Brexit negotiations for the Rock of Gibraltar. The European Council has said Gibraltar would be included in a trade deal between London and Brussels only with the agreement of Spain. While former Conservative leader Michael Howard claimed that Theresa May would be prepared to go to war to protect the territory. Spain's foreign minister stepped in only to assert that there was no need for the dispute Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Shock snap election Soon after triggering Article 50, Theresa May called on 18 April 2017 for a snap general election. The election would be on 8 June and it came as a shock move to many, with her reasoning to try to bolster her position before tough talks on leaving the EU AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Dissolution of Parliament for General Election Campaign Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing Street after returning from Buckingham Palace on 3 May 2017. The Prime Minister visited the Queen to ask for the dissolution of Parliament signalling the official start to the general election campaign Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Conservatives lose parliamentary majority An arrangement of British daily newspapers showing front page stories about the exit poll results of the snap general election. British Prime Minister Theresa May faced pressure to resign on 9 June 2017 after losing her parliamentary majority, plunging the country into uncertainty as Brexit talks loomed. The pound fell sharply amid fears the Conservative leader would be unable to form a government AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Labour gains Britains opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gives a tumbs up as he arrives at Labour headquarters in central London on 9 June 2017 after the snap general election results showed a hung parliament with Labour gains and the Conservatives losing their majority AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit negotiations begin Brexit Minister David Davis and European Commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations Michel Barnier address a press conference at the end of the first day of Brexit negotiations in Brussels on 19 June 2017 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May speaks in Florence British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks on 22 September 2017, in Florence. May sought to unlock Brexit talks after Brussels demanded more clarity on the crunch issues of budget payments and EU citizens' rights AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit  insufficient progress German Chancellor Angela Merkel joins other EU leaders for a breakfast meeting during an EU summit in Brussels on 20 October 2017. The EU spoke about Brexit and announced that insufficient progress had been made AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures DUP derails settlement on the withdrawal part of Brexit DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds walks off after speaking to members of the media as a protester holding flags shouts after him outside the Houses of Parliament on 5 December 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to pull out of a deal with Brussels after the DUP said it would not accept terms which see Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May suffers defeat over EU (Withdrawal) Bill Theresa May suffers defeat in parliament over EU (Withdrawal) Bill on 13 December 2017. The Government was defeated by Conservative rebels and Labour MPs in a vote on its key piece of Brexit legislation. MPs amended the EU (Withdrawal) Bill against Theresa May's will, guaranteeing Parliament a meaningful vote on any Brexit deal she agrees with Brussels. Ms May's whips applied pressure on Conservative rebels who remained defiant in the Commons throughout the day and in the end the Government was defeated by 309 votes to 305 Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit  sufficient progress Britain's Prime minister Theresa May arrives to attend the first day of a European union summit in Brussels on 14 December 2017. European leaders discussed Brexit and announced there was finally sufficient progress at the end of the two days AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures The game moves to transition Brexit Secretary David Davis gives evidence on developments in European Union divorce talks to the Commons Exiting the EU Committee in Portcullis House, London, on 24 January 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures Trade deal is what May wants French President Emmanuel Macron gestures to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May after they hold a press conference at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, on 18 January 2018. May and Macron agreed a new border security deal, through which the UK will pay more to France to stop migrants trying to reach British shores on 18 January 2018 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Transition period agreed The UK and EU agree terms for Brexit transition period on 19 March, 2018 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures No agreement on Irish border The EU and UK however failed to reach an agreement on the Irish border during the successful talks on other Brexit issues AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU attacks Mays fantasy strategy For months after the March deal is struck there is little significant progress in talks. One senior EU official tears into Britains fantasy negotiating strategy and accuses Theresa May of not even having a position on a variety of important issue Getty Brexit so far: in pictures UK releases Ireland plan Britain releases a new customs plan to solve the Northern Ireland border but Michel Barnier says it leaves unanswered questions and would not prevent a hard border EbS Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan agreed The cabinet agrees on a plan known as the "Chequers deal" on July 6 2018. The plan seeks regulatory alignment on goods and food, divergence on services, freedom from the European Courts of Justice and an end to free movement. Many were surprised that the hard Brexiteers of the cabinet would agree to this plan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan sparks resignations Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and numerous ministers resign in the days following the Chequers agreement Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Davis out, Raab in On 9 July, Dominic Raab replaces David Davis as Brexit Secretary. Raab is a keen Brexiteer and was a housing minister before taking over from Davis Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Barnier's "deal like no other" EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier claims on August 29 2018 that they are prepared to offer Britain a trade deal like no other, though he stressed that they will not divide or change the single market to accommodate Britain AP Brexit so far: in pictures "My deal or no deal" In an interview on Panorama on September 17, the Prime Minister insists that any Brexit deal will be offered to the EU on her terms. She asserts this amongst continued attacks on her approach to Brexit by Boris Johnson and the European Research Group, headed by Jacob Rees Mogg BBC/Jeff Overs Brexit so far: in pictures EU leaders reject Chequers Quite the blow was dealt to the Prime Minister at a EU leaders summit in Salzburg on September 20. European Council President Donald Tusk stated that the Chequers deal "will not work" Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures May demands respect Following the rejection of her Chequers plan the day before, the Prime Minister voiced her anger that the EU had dismissed it without offering an alternative. She stated that throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect. The UK expects the same. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it." Getty Brexit so far: in pictures People's Vote march As the People's Vote campaign and The Independent's Final Say campaign gain traction, 700,000 people turn out in London to demand a final say on the UK's Brexit deal on October 20 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures More resignations As the Prime Minister settles on a Brexit deal, Brexit secretary Dominic Raab resigns along with Work and Pensions secretary Esther McVey and many other ministers Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Final Say petitions delivered to Downing Street People's Vote supporting MPs Chukka Umunna, Justine Greening and Caroline Lucas and The Independent editor Christian Broughton deliver over a million signatures in favour of a People's Vote to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street on December 3 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures May delays vote On December 10, the Prime Minister delayed the vote on her Brexit deal as it was near certain not to pass through the Commons due to Tory rebels and lack of DUP support AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures No confidence motion Tory MPs triggered a confidence vote in the Prime Minister on December 12. She won by 200 votes to 117 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Commons rejects the deal Following the delay, the Prime Minister's deal was rejected in the Commons by a historic 230 votes AFP Brexit so far: in pictures Corbyn tables a no confidence motion Following the rejection of the Prime Minister's deal, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a motion of no confidence in the government, which the government won by a margin of 19 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Plan B The Prime Minister won the support of the commons to return to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop on January 29. In the same sitting, MPs also voted against a no-deal Brexit in a non-legally binding motion PA Brexit so far: in pictures EU council president savages Brexit campaigners who failed to plan for departure: Special place in hell There is a special place in hell for pro-Brexit campaigners who demanded Britain leave the EU without explaining how it should happen, Donald Tusk has said. The European Council president launched the scathing attack as he accused anti-EU campaigners of pushing for Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Mr Tusk also dismissed suggestions that the EU could reopen negotiations over the controversial Northern Ireland backstop, dealing a blow to Theresa Mays hopes of securing fresh concessions as she tries to get her exit deal through parliament. Speaking in Brussels alongside Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr Tusk said: Ive been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. He also tweeted the accusation moments later Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU and UK announce talks to restart after Theresa May visits Brussels Both have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find a way through the deadlock in Westminster, following a visit by Theresa May to Brussels. In a joint statement the British government and European Commission said Ms May had had a robust but constructive meeting with president Jean-Claude Juncker, and that the pair would meet again before the end of the month. But the EU again refused to reopen the withdrawal agreement and its controversial backstop  with any negotiations expected to focus on the future relationship between the UK and EU instead Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit strategy lost MPs voted down May's Brext plans, with a majority of 45. The prime minister did not appear in parliament to see another defeat PA Brexit so far: in pictures Labour and Conservative MPs resign and create the Independent Group Back row of Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna and Mike Gapes, middle row of Angela Smith, Luciana Berger and Ann Coffey and front row of Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Joan Ryan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Non-biding votes on amendments to Brexit motion On February 27 he house held a series of votes, unanimously calling for the UK and EU to guarantee citizens rights in a no-deal scenario AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Attorney General publishes legal advice A hammer blow for May as Geoffrey Cox said her renegotiated deal can still leave UK in backstop against its will. Mr Cox did say the prime ministers efforts had reduced the risk of the UK being trapped in the backstop indefinitely. MPs went on to vote against her deal by 391 to 242 UK Parliament/PA Brexit so far: in pictures No-deal off the table MPs rejected a no-deal Brexit by 43 votes on March 13, with cabinet ministers rebelling in another humiliating defeat for Theresa May. A day later they voted in favour of the prime minister seeking an extension to Article 50 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures House speaker bans May from third Commons vote on same Brexit deal John Bercow sensationally told Theresa May he would stop her making another attempt to pass her Brexit deal unless she has secured changes. The Speaker said a further meaningful vote would be ruled out of order if the motion was the same or substantially the same  under an ancient convention to stop the government bullying parliament on issues MPs have rejected Parliament Live Brexit so far: in pictures May writes to Tusk The prime minister wrote to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, to ask for a three-month extension to give her more time to try to get her deal through parliament. However the European Commission advises the EU27 should offer a short extension to May 23 or a longer one meaning the UK would participate in European elections 10 Downing Street/AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures European Council summit Theresa Mays request to extend triggering Article 50 until the end of June was rejected by the EU, and instead offered a shorter time frame. She accepted the offer of a delay until May 22 if her withdrawal deal is approved by Parliament. If MPs rejected it for a third time, the EU said Britain must propose a new plan by April 12. Ms May said she will not support a long delay because it would mean Britain participating in elections for the European Parliament Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brussels confirms preparations for a no-deal Brexit are completed They warned that it is increasingly likely the UK will crash out. In a statement the European Commission (EC) said preparedness and contingency work, which the EC has been conducting since December 2017, was now finished. The announcement came days after EU leaders agreed to a request by Theresa May to extend the UKs Brexit date AFP Brexit so far: in pictures May resigns Reuters

The advice issued by the commission says holders of British driving licences may need a green card to drive in EU countries, and that they should check with the country they are visiting to see whether an international permit is required.

EU passenger rights to information, reimbursement, or compensation will also no longer apply to UK flights and carriers, as well as much sea, bus and rail travel.

The commission also says the European Health Insurance Card will no longer give UK citizens rights to reciprocal healthcare when abroad and that travellers should make arrangements to get private insurance.The Independents petition for a Final Say referendum has been revealed as the most popular UK petition all year, as new polling shows the majority of voters feel they have been cut out of the Brexit process.

More than a million people backed the call for a public vote on Theresa Mays Brexit deal in just three months, after deadlock in talks with Brussels and growing concerns over the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.

Change.org, the worlds largest petition platform, said Brexit was dominating public opinion and The Independents Final Say petition was the biggest UK campaign it had hosted in 2018.

It comes as a new poll by the influential site found that more than 85 per cent of voters felt they had been ignored over the Brexit strategy, compared to just 7.4 per cent who said they had been adequately consulted.

Change.org surveyed more than 89,000 users in the UK between October 31 and November 5, of which 63 per cent backed Remain, a quarter voted Leave and the remainder either did not vote or chose not to say.

Half of respondents believe their MP had failed to represent them properly over Brexit, compared to 16 per cent who said their MP had represented them fairly. A third of those who replied were undecided.

The majority (63.3 per cent) backed a second referendum when asked how the government could give people a say on the terms of Britains exit from the bloc, while 10.9 per cent suggested a public consultation.

About 10 per cent said they trust the government to do a good job, and 7.4 per cent said the UK should just leave the EU.

Kajal Odedra, executive director of change.org UK, said people feel bombarded but gagged by Brexit, regardless of whether they voted to leave or remain in the European Union.

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Ms Odedra said: The choices the government makes in negotiations are critical.

But they are being made far away from the public with no consultation whatsoever.

When we asked change.org users, only 7 per cent of those polled felt they have been given a chance for their voices to be heard since the referendum.

And 85 per cent felt they didnt have any say in shaping the governments Brexit strategy.

She added: Its no surprise to me that the biggest UK campaign on change.org this year was the [Independents] petition for the public to get a vote on the final deal.

Leave voters were more likely to feel heard by ministers at about 23 per cent, while only 1.4 per cent of Remain voters said they had been listened to, according to the poll.

Young people were also more likely to feel ignored than older voters, the findings show, with just 8.3 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds reporting that they believe their voices are being heard.

Around a quarter of over-65s said they felt listened to, compared to 20 per cent of those aged 55 to 64, and 10.5 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds.

It comes after a special parliamentary event heard that more people back a fresh referendum than oppose one in all of the 67 most marginal Tory seats.

The YouGov survey of 25,000 people also found that a majority of voters in the Labour constituencies that voted Leave in 2016 now back a fresh referendum, by an average of 59 per cent in favour compared to 41 per cent against.

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It also comes as more than 3,000 people were expected to attend a major rally in London to urge MPs to reject a bad Brexit deal.

Cross-party MPs have backed the call, including Tory Jo Johnson, who resigned from government last week over Theresa Mays Brexit strategy, Labours David Lammy and SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who backs the Best for Britain campaign, said: No one voted for this pathetic little deal which actually hands over our sovereignty, making the UK a rule taker rather than a rule maker. It is the opposite of taking back control.

Caroline Lucas, former Green party co-leader, added: The only solution is to take the final decision out of the hands of deadlocked politicians, away from the backroom deals, and give it back to the public with a Peoples Vote.

On Brexit, its clear we have a parliament in stalemate that cant deliver a clear choice for the future. So its time to let the British public do it instead.An official count of Windrush migrants who were removed, detained or stopped at the border could be revised up.

The Home Office has tweaked its methodology after identifying possible cases where individuals who committed minor offences, but who were never prosecuted or were acquitted, were excluded from the figure.

An analysis of nearly 12,000 historical records identified 164 members of the Windrush generation who may have been removed, detained or stopped at the border.

When the figure was first published in August, the Home Office made clear it was provisional and subject to change.

So far, the department has excluded any cases which have a "criminal case type" marker.

Recommended Citizens from 64 countries have been referred to Windrush taskforce

In an update published on Monday, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said this approach has been reviewed "to ensure we have not adopted too broad a definition".

He said: "Following work to review the population of previously excluded cases, we have identified that some individuals with a criminal case type marker may have committed only a minor offence/s or have been acquitted or not prosecuted. We have therefore revised our methodology.

"We will continue to exclude individuals who have been deported following a criminal conviction in the UK.

"These individuals will have committed crimes that were considered serious enough to have met the deportation threshold at the time and, as part of the deportation process, would have been offered the opportunity to make representations as to why their deportation should not proceed and to legally challenge the decision.

"For individuals that have not been deported (for example, individuals who have been detained but not removed) we will exclude them if they have been convicted of a single sentence of imprisonment of 12 months or longer."

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

Work is under way to review previously excluded cases and any who do not meet the criteria for exclusion will have their records checked to identify whether they came to the UK prior to 1973, and their details will be passed to the Home Office's Windrush taskforce.

Ministers faced a furious backlash over the treatment of the Windrush generation - named after a ship that brought migrants to Britain from the Caribbean in 1948.

Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973 were automatically granted indefinite leave to remain.

But some were later challenged over their immigration status despite living in the UK legally for decades.

Mr Javid has already apologised over 18 cases where it is deemed the department was most likely to have acted wrongfully.

 Sajid Javid accused by Yvette Cooper of breaking promise by 'gagging' Windrush victims in return for fast-track compensation

In a letter to the Commons Home Affairs committee, the Home Secretary said officials have traced 117 of the 164.

Eleven are dead, while others either already have the status they need or are in contact with the Windrush taskforce.

Mr Javid previously revealed that the taskforce was poised to start rejecting some applications for citizenship or documentation.

In his latest update, he disclosed that the department issued 41 refusals in September.

Mr Javid also reported that nearly 2,500 people have been provided with documentation confirming their right to be in the UK, while a similar number have been granted citizenship under the Government's Windrush scheme.The mother-in-law of an American missionary killed in a terror attack on a hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso has described him as extremely well loved and respected.

Michael Riddering was one of 28 people from 18 different nationalities who were killed in the attack in the capital Ouagadougou which turned into a 12-hour siege starting on Friday evening.

Four assailants stormed the four-star Splendid Hotel and nearby Cappuccino Cafe late on Friday night, detonating bombs that set surrounding cars on fire in an attack which was said to be targeting white people.

Simon Compaore, the interior minister, said the siege was lifted at around 8am local time on Saturday, with 126 people rescued and all three attackers dead.

Mr Ridderings mother-in-law Carol Boyle said he had gone to the cafe to see a group which was planning to volunteer at the orphanage and womens crisis centre he ran with his wife, Amy Boyle-Riddering.

 Burkina Faso: Hostage situation ongoing as gunmen storm Ouagadougou hotel

The couple - originally from Cooper City in Florida - first moved to the town of Yako in the north west of the country in 2011 to run Les Ailes de Refuge (Sheltered Wings) orphanage .

She said: "He was extremely well loved and respected. He wasn't a hypocrite, he wasn't a two-face. He had his guiding light, and he followed it."

The soldiers patrol outside the Cappuccino Cafe in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in the aftermath of a terror assault on it and a nearby hotel (Getty Images)

John Anderson, a Sheltered Wings board member, said Mr Riddering was "a wonderful godly man" who would also help other voluntary organisations dig wells for local residents.

He described how during the Ebola crisis Mr Riddering volunteered to dug graves when others were too afraid.

Mr Anderson said: "During the Ebola crisis, when it was hard to find people to do the digging, Mike would go out and join them so they could continue doing the work.

Two unidentified armed men approach a vehicle, near to a hotel, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (AP Television)

"And that's backbreaking work. He never stopped moving and never stopped helping."

Mr Riddering had four children - two of whom were adopted from Burkina Faso.

Survivors described how the militants were targeting foreign "white people during the siege with one woman saying: "They kept coming back and forth into Cappuccino. You'd think it was over, then they'd come back and shoot more people.

Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack Vehicles burn outside the Splendid Hotel Reuters Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack The scene of an attack on a hotel, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso AP Television Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack Burkina Faso soldiers evacuate an injured man (3rd L) from the Splendid hotel during an attack on both the hotel and a restaurant by Al-Qaeda linked gunmen late on January 15, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack French troops gather by the Labour Ministry building in the surroundings of the Splendid hotel during an attack on both the hotel and a restaurant by Al-Qaeda linked gunmen on January 15, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack French soldiers take position in the surroundings of the Splendid hotel and a restaurant during an attack on both the hotel and restaurant by Al-Qaeda linked gunmen early on January 16, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack Paramedics tend to a wounded man in the surrounding of the hotel Splendide and the cafe Cappuccino during the attack on January 15, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack French first responders tend to wounded people in the surrounding of the hotel Splendide and the cafE Cappuccino during the attack on January 15, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack A Burkinabe soldier looks out from behind a wall before A counter-assault on Islamist gunmen at the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, January 16, 2016. Reuters Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack Army forces drive near Hotel Splendid where the attackers remain with sporadic gunfire continuing in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou on Jnauary 15, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Burkina Faso hotel attack - in pictures Burkina Faso attack French and US soldiers gather before launching a counter-assault on Islamist gunmen at the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, January 16, 2016. Reuters

"They would come back and see if the white people were moving and then they would shoot them again."

Six Canadians, two French, two Swiss, two Italians, four Ukrainians, five Burkinabes, a 67-year-old Dutch man and American Mr Riddering have been confirmed to be among the dead.

The nine-year-old son of the cafe owner is confirmed to be among the dead.

Burkina Faso's soldiers evacuate an injured man (3rd L) from the Splendid hotel during an attack on both the hotel and a restaurant by Al-Qaeda linked gunmen late on January 15, 2016. (AFP/Getty Images)

Terror group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for attack saying it was "revenge against France and the disbelieving West".

The attack was the deadliest assault in the region since the attack on a hotel in Bamako in neighbouring Mali in November which killed 20 people.

France first began operations in northern Mali in January 2013 to defeat Islamist militants at the Malian governments request.

Additional reporting by agenciesAn Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has killed almost 200 people since August will last at least another six months, the World Health Organisation has warned.

Emergencies chief Dr Peter Salama said the central African nation's makeshift tradi-modern health centres, which offer both traditional and modern treatment were major drivers in transmitting the disease.

He added that the informal clinics were thought to be linked to more than half of cases in Beni, a city of 800,000 people in the North Kivu region where infections have been concentrated.

It was very likely some cases of Ebola had been misdiagnosed as malaria, because early symptoms are similar, he said.

It would be at least another six months before we could declare this outbreak over, he added.

In some cases, people appeared to have contracted Ebola while visiting the centres for other health concerns, he said.

The health centres treating Ebola patients varied from stand-alone structures to just a room in someones house, according to the doctor, who last week returned from a trip to the central African nation last.

Dr Salama said residents were suspicious of foreigners, officials and formal health structures organisations.

Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Show all 27 1 /27 Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 During Ebola, they quarantined areas. My husband was at Kailahun and couldnt cross the boundary, so we were separated. They taught us how to wash our hands and we were all washing our hands every day; even my children were washing their hands. Haja is the mother of three surviving children, two of her children died from diarrhoea WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Aruna Bockarie, 24 This is the finished toilet that we have built in our compound, I am very happy to have my own toilet and I will be proud to use it WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Aruna Bockarie, 24 All the parents came together and built a school in the village, we have just opened the school. The children are at assembly with no uniforms. I am the teacher at the school so I took this photo to show how we have been working hard for our children to be educated WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 Here is my son, Sessay (left), with his friends. I was happy to snap them. I have given birth to six children, but only three are still alive. The first one I lost was three years ago, and the second was two years ago. Four months ago I lost Senior Lahai. He was six months old and was affected by a runny stomach and a rising body temperature WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 Four months ago I lost Senior Lahai. He was six months old and was affected by a runny stomach and a rising body temperature. He was really, really sick, he wasn't even taking breast milk, and he died. My heart was broken. My baby used to be strong. He was able to sit by himself and was just starting to practise to crawl and reach for things. He laughed a lot when I played with him, Id clap and dance. I have a happy moment when he started sitting by himself and learning to crawl. Those are the happy moments that makes a mother most happy. The moment I remember most about Lahai was when he was breastfeeding and was playing with my neck and chin with his hand. I look to the future and hope that such things won't happen again, and that God will give me children that stay with me WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Aruna Bockarie, 24 My step brother Ibrahim is building our toilet with loamy soil because we dont have cement. WaterAid taught us about good sanitation and I want to show that we are now building our own toilets so that we will not go to the bush or use the stream as a toilet that is why I took this photo WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Aruna, 33 Washing in the stream: When we came here the water system was very bad. I know that when I drink dirty water I get sick. We are getting diarrhoea because we are drinking that type of water. If I am sick I am not able to earn money because I am not able to go to work, and I have to stay at home, which is very difficult for me WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Tailu Yajah These are the contractors that came to build the water well, and they are mixing the stones and the cement to build the cover of the well WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Tailu Yajah I started tree climbing when I was living with my grandmother and she was trying to get some palm kernels and process them to make the oil that we use. I didnt like doing the processing part so I decided to climb the trees to do the harvest instead. Tree climbing is very difficult. At times you can be confronted by a snake, as you are going up you just see one and it will hiss at you. If you are not strong you are going to fall out of the tree, and could die! I am just doing it for necessity sake. I dont want to do this job really, but at the moment I have no other means of making money, so I have no choice but to do this to manage my family WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 They killed my uncle during the war. I was not in this village during the war; I was in Guinea. Just after the war, my mother asked me to come back home. There were no houses when I returned; it had all been destroyed WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Tailu Yajah This is my son Bockarie. He reminds me of his mother, who is not presently here with me, and he resembles me. Recently my son was very sick and we had to take him to the clinic to get treatment. Even getting to the clinic costs money. I didn't have any money, so I had to borrow money from the community people so I could take him to the hospital. Having very good drinking water would ease the issues with having to take people to the hospital because of illness, and the problem of finding the money to manage that WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Tailu Yujah Sidique is 21 years old, he is my daughters husband and is drinking from the stream we use to fetch water. Our forefathers created this village, and the water was good. They covered it with a concrete box to keep it safe, but all of that fell down during the war, and afterwards no one could repair it. The water is not good here now and I have worms as a result. It will be very good to have clean water; it would give us a long life. If you have good drinking water, then your life is safe, but if you dont then your life is not secure. Having good drinking water would ease the issues with having to take people to the hospital because of illness, and the problem of finding the money to manage that WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Matu, 40 We the women of this village are experiencing the problems with lack of water and we pray that things will change. The rain washes everything, including faeces into the water. The children get diarrhoea from the water. With clean water, I would be clean and would not suffer from sickness WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Matu, 40 This is my brothers wife, she is holding both her daughter and my granddaughter WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Matu, 40 Matu is the life and soul of the village of Tombohuaun. She is a traditional birth attendant and plays an important role within the womens society. Matu suffers from poor health; she has stomach problems caused by the dirty water WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 My name is Amadou Kokoyeh, but I am more familiar with Kokoyeh [Bush Chicken]. The name Kokoyeh was given to me by fathers older brother. Its meant to be a bird that is in the bush and mostly eats other peoples groundnuts when they plant them. WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 This is my father helping to dig the water well, so that we will have clean water to drink. I am happy because we are going to have a well in my village. I dont think the water we currently collect from the muddy spring is good for drinking because it is exposed, and leaves and other things fall in it. I also get water down there with my mum, and sometimes I go with the other kids. Sometimes when I drink it, I have a stomach pain, and it also brings me headache. I have got sick from that, and I was taken to the health centre WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 This is my family  my mother, father and younger brother. When Im not with them this picture will make me feel closer to them WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 Moserie Yajah was lying down in the grass, and asked me to get a shot of him. At the moment, every day people ask me to get a photo of them. I feel very happy when people ask for a picture. What I love most to get a shot of is people that are well dressed, sitting in a chair or in a very comfortable area that I can snap WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 We were going down to Matus place, and my friends and brother decided to cover themselves with that fishing net, and asked me to take a shot of them. The fishing net was taken from Ginnahs mother (Massah) and I think the picture is really good. I like the photo mainly because they are standing close to the wash yard, where people go to heat their water and wash. I love it because they are all my brothers, and we look out for each other WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 I love this picture. I took this photo of Bockarie when he was drinking water. The water was collected from the muddy spring where everyone collects water. I dont think it is good for drinking because it is exposed, and leaves and other things fall in it. I also get water down there with my mum, and sometimes I go with the other kids. Sometimes when I drink it, I have a stomach pain, and it also brings me headache. I have got sick from that, and I was taken to the health centre. If it rains, we harvest rainwater WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 This is my cousin Papay; we are very close  he lives nearby and we spend lots of time together. In this picture he is messing around. On his head is what our fathers make to catch fish in small streams. We then eat some fish and they sell the rest. It is important for our survival WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Kempah Ginnah, 42 The community people helping to build the water well, I was glad about this, that is why I took this photo. Kempah is a youth leader and mechanic from Tombohuaun WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Kempah Ginnah, 42 These children are our next of kin, my children and their friends. They are wonderful children WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Jeneba, 13 Here, my father, brothers and aunt are separating cocoa fruit from pods. By selling cocoa, my family earns enough to pay my school fees WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 We have now built a small school in our village. This is inside the class for my childrens first day in school. I took this picture to show them in the future so they will know that I want them to be educated and also free from diseases WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 This is my Aunt Mamie Ansumana. She is 40 and is a farmer. She loves going to the farm and likes to smile. She looked after me when my children died. The dirty water caused the death of two of my children; I dont want anything to happen to the others. She took me from the room where Senior Lahai died to her own room. I slept in her room for some time. I want to thank to her because she is still taking care of us WaterAid

Probably more than 50 percent of cases in Beni have been driven from these tradi-modern health care facilities, and the fact that hygiene and injection practices in these areas are relatively unsafe, he said.

An armed conflict between two opposition groups in the region made it arguably the most difficult context that weve ever encountered," he added.

Ebola is spread via bodily fluid and infection is often fatal. Symptoms can appear similar to the flu, before the onset of vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash and internal and external bleeding.

The current outbreak is the tenth the DRC has suffered and the worst since the countrys first epidemic in 1976.

Additional reporting by Associated Press Close California wildfires: Paradise resident films escape from blaze

At least 42 people have died in a fierce wildfire which largely incinerated the town of Paradise in northern California, the largest loss of life from such a blaze in state history.

The latest death toll, was announced by Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea at an evening news conference in the city of Chico after authorities found the bodies of 13 more victims of the devastating blaze dubbed the Camp Fire.

The fire already ranked as the most destructive on record in California in terms of property loss, having consumed more than 7,100 homes and other structures since it ignited on Thursday.

Southern California's huge Woolsey wildfire - which has killed at least two people - roared to life again Tuesday in a mountain wilderness area even as many neighbourhoods were reopened to thousands of residents who fled its advance last week.

Follow the latest updates

Please allow a moment for the live blog to loadFirefighters are battling the blazes that are ravaging California on several new fronts, while rescuers search for remains in the wreckage left by the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history

At least 44 people have died in the fires, with 42 of those deaths caused by the Camp Fire that has virtually destroyed the town of Paradise that 27,000 people had called home.

The first victims have been identified  among them Carl Wiley, 77, musician Ernest Foss, 63 and Jesus Fernandez, 48, who died alongside his beloved dog King. However, hundreds of people are still missing, with many relatives having been unable to reach their loved ones since the fire began on Thursday.

Mr Foss moved to Paradise eight years ago because the high cost of living pushed him out of the San Francisco Bay Area, according to his daughter, Angela Loo. He had swollen limbs and couldn't walk, and had also been on oxygen.

Ms Loo told KTVU-TV in Oakland that her father taught music out of their home in San Francisco and had turned the living room into a studio.

I love that he shared his gift of music with me and so many others during his lifetime, she said. He would want to be remembered for being a San Franciscan through and through.

Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Show all 32 1 /32 Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Firefighters battle a blaze at the Salvation Army Camp in Malibu Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Flames from the Camp fire burn near a home atop a ridge near Big Bend AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Cathy Fallon (centre) who stayed behind to tend to her horses during the Camp Fire, embraces Shawna De Long (left) and April Smith who brought supplies for the horses Reuters Wildfires spread across California  in pictures A helicopter drops flame retardant on a wildfire in Malibu Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures An air tanker drops water on the fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley AP Wildfires spread across California  in pictures An abandoned car from fleeing residents of Paradise in the Pentz road area EPA Wildfires spread across California  in pictures A firefighter tackles the fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley AP Wildfires spread across California  in pictures A Jack In The Box fast food restaurant burns as the Camp fire moves through Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers label a body bag AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Firefighters hose down trees on Bell Canyon Road, near Malibu AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures A fire burns at the Salvation Army Camp Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures A firefighting DC-10 makes a fire retardant drop over a wildfire in the mountains near Malibu Canyon Road AP Wildfires spread across California  in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Bins have melted and ballooned in the heat in Magalia, Butte County EPA Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Satellite image taken on 8 November shows plumes of smoke from the Camp Fire stretching across portions of Northern California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Firefighters battle the Camp Fire AP Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire Reuters Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Deputy Coroner Justin Sponhaltz, of the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, recovers human remains found at a home destroyed by the Camp Fire AP Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Buildings burn in Paradise, California EPA Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Local residents bring their horses to Zuma Beach and away from the Woolsey Fire in Malibu Reuters Wildfires spread across California  in pictures A used car dealership burns in Paradise, California Reuters Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers inspect a burned vehicle after discovering remains nearby in Concow AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Firefighters battle the flames in Thousand Oaks Reuters Wildfires spread across California  in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AP Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Search and rescue teams work to evacuate patients from the burning Feather River Hospital in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Embers blow in the wind in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures In Butte County, the sky is filled with the smoke of the Camp Fire EPA Wildfires spread across California  in pictures Firefighters at work in Thousand Oaks Reuters Wildfires spread across California  in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AP Wildfires spread across California  in pictures The burned remains of a house and car are left after the Camp Fire in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California  in pictures A shop burns in Paradise, California AFP/Getty

As search teams continue looking for people who are missing, efforts were under way on Tuesday to bring in mobile morgues, cadaver dogs, a rapid DNA analysis system for identifying victims, and an extra 150 search-and-rescue personnel on top of 13 teams already looking for remains  a grim indication that the death toll will most likely rise.

Firefighters continue to work on holding containment lines to delay the wildfire's path towards the town of Oroville. The fire is about 30 per cent contained.

Meanwhile, in southern California, firefighters are working to extend their containment of the Woolsey Fire, which has killed at least two people. The wind, however, places the Southern California region from the metropolitan area of Los Angeles to San Diego County at high risk for more wildfire threats.

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The wildfire has burned more that 146 square miles, destroying at least 435 buildings and displacing more than 57,000 people. The wildfire is expected to be fully contained by Thursday, but winds estimated to reach up to 75mph could worsen the wildfire and leave thousands more residents in treacherous conditions.

Authorities have begun to allow a few residents to return to their homes, but many communities such as Malibu are still under mandatory evacuation orders.

In Ventura County, the Hill Fire has burnt nearly seven square miles and is about 90 per cent contained.

The wildfires have prompted US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to cancel his White House-sanctioned trip to Asia. Instead, he will be heading to California to offer support and condolences to residents. Mr Zinke will travel to regions devastated by the Camp and Woolsey fires, and he is scheduled to meet California governor Jerry Brown.

During a press conference on Tuesday, president Donald Trump thanked firefighters and first responders for their efforts in combating the wildfires.

The president also said he signed a disaster declaration, and that the White House would do everything in [its] power to support and protect citizens in harms way.Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, better known as El Chapo (Shorty), has been sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison by a US federal judge.

The Mexican drug baron founded the notorious Sinaloa cartel in 1989 and picked up where Colombias Pablo Escobar left off in dominating international narcotics trafficking, building up a vast fortune and leaving behind a bloody trail of vanquished enemies on both sides of the law.

He was arrested on 8 January 2016  on the run following the second spectacular prison break of his career  and extradited to the US before he had a chance to make fools of the Mexican authorities for a third time.

What Al Capone was to beer and whiskey during Prohibition, Guzman is to narcotics, said Art Bilek, executive vice president of the Chicago Crime Commission. Of the two, Guzman is by far the greater threat And he has more power and financial capability than Capone ever dreamed of.

El Chapo was born in La Tuna near Badiraguato, Sinaloa, in 1957, the son of a peasant cattle rancher and minor drug dealer growing poppies for opium to be sold in Culiacan and Guamuchil.

Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout Show all 4 1 /4 Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout Inside El Chapo's hideout Pictures reveal how the Mexican drug lord had been living since his escape Getty Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout Inside El Chapo's hideout The inside of a house searched by marine special forces where Guzman was hiding Getty Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout Inside El Chapo's hideout Inside a house searched by marine special forces during the military operation to recapture Guzman Getty Inside Mexicos top drug lord El Chapos hideout El Chapo's attempted escape A marine stands guard next to a manhole of the sewer system through which drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman tried to escape Getty

Routinely beaten by his father, a violent alcoholic, the young Joaquin played with homemade peso bills he had drawn himself and took to growing and selling marijuana to support the family.

By his late teens, he was working for local kingpin Hector Luis Palma Salazar, playing a logistics role in streamlining the movement of cocaine from his western home state northwards up the Pacific coast to the US.

Moving on to work for the feared Guadalajara cartel under Felix Gallardo in the early 1980s, El Chapo (the nickname a reference to his 5' 6'' stature) was fiercely ambitious about expanding the business into something much larger than merely serving as a middleman for the Colombians.

When Gallardo ordered the torture and murder of Enrique Kiki Camarena Salazar  an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent who had infiltrated the syndicate and leaked information  in February 1985, the authorities pursued the cartel aggressively, their operations enabling El Chapo to capitalise on the chaos.

After Gallardo was arrested in 1989, the territories formerly dominated by Guadalajara were divided up among the remaining godfathers and the Tijuana, Juarez and Sinaloa cartels were formed, the latter under Guzman, Salazar and Ismael El Mayo Zambada Garcia, who would serve as El Chapos most trusted lieutenant.

As the net finally closed on Escobar, by now rich enough to be running his own rogue state within Colombia, the Mexican cartels gradually moved in to fill the void left by the latter's Medellin cartel and its Cali rival.

Recommended Drug kingpin El Chapo sentenced to life in prison

El Chapo and his men assumed control of the South America-US cocaine trade, employing ruthless and feared gangs like Los Chachos, Los Texas, Los Lobos and Los Negros to enforce for them, carrying out acts of intimidation, bribery, torture or execution as a matter of course.

The Sinaloa cartel met demand north of the Texas border by finding ever more innovative ways to move their product, from building air-conditioned tunnels burrowing under fences to concealing cocaine inside fire extinguishers or cans of chili peppers shipped overseas.

Over time, the syndicate would grow ever more powerful, taking out rival gangs and law enforcement to spread their influence, eventually branching out over five continents and moving into heroin, marijuana and methamphetamines.

Very little changed when El Chapo was arrested in Guatemala in 1993, extradited to Mexico and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He simply bribed his guards to ensure favourable conditions and was allowed to dispatch orders to his brother Arturo as usual.

He even held lavish Christmas parties with his entire family in his cell and enjoyed conjugal visits with his mistress, Zulema Hernandez, a former cop serving time herself for armed robbery who would later be murdered by rival Los Zetas sicarios.

Joaquin Guzman AKA El Chapo

On 19 January 2001, El Chapo escaped from the maximum-security Puente Grande prison in Jalisco. According to myth, he did so hidden in a laundry basket. The truth, as Anabel Hernandez tells it in her book Narcoland (2010), is that he did so in a police uniform, with a police escort, after guard Francisco Camberos Rivera opened the door for him.

Seventy-eight members of prison staff, including governor Valentin Cardenas, were subsequently arrested for their part in the escape following an investigation.

El Chapo evaded capture for 13 years despite a manhunt instigated by US and Mexican authorities bringing together the FBI, CIA, DEA and the Mexican army. Their failure to find him - even with a $5m reward offered for information leading to his capture - spoke volumes about the endemic corruption taken root as a result of Guzman and his pernicious influence.

Meanwhile, the drug war intensified, making cities like Tijuana and Juarez among the most violent places on Earth, where scenes of men hanged from freeway overpasses and horror stories about dead gangsters being dismembered in the desert became entirely commonplace.

El Chapo's family  including at least 13 children from three marriages - saw their American assets seized in 2012 but business again continued as usual and he even managed to cultivate a reputation in Sinaloa as a Robin Hood figure, paying for food and medical supplies for local people, who came to see him as a savour when the state was failing them.

That same year, Forbes magazine valued his net worth at around $1bn.

When he was finally arrested again, in the Pacific beach resort of Mazatlan in February 2014, President Enrique Pena Nieto refused to transfer him to US custody, saying: It would be unforgivable for the government not to take the precautions to ensure that what happened last time would not be repeated.

And yet thats exactly what happened.

Mexico's attorney general examines the opening of the tunnel through which Guzman escaped (AFP) (AFP PHOTO/Attorney General of Mexico/Ho)

On 11 July 2015, El Chapo escaped again, this time through a tunnel running 30ft beneath the Toluca prison showers to a house under construction a mile away.

In hiding again, it was at this juncture that one of the most surreal episodes in his story took place: an interview conducted in secret by Hollywood actor Sean Penn for Rolling Stone.

Sean Penn and El Chapo (Rolling Stone)

El Chapo Speaks was published on 10 January 2016 and sees Penn recount in detail his encounter with Guzman, organised on his behalf by Mexican TV actress Kate del Castillo, who had exchanged friendly letters with the master criminal after praising his peculiar brand of philanthropy on social media.

While the interview was curtailed by a military raid on Guzmans jungle compound in which the latter suffered a leg injury, he did later send the actors a video message in which he answered their questions about his career.

Its a reality that drugs destroy, he told Penn. Unfortunately, as I said, where I grew up there was no other way and there still isnt a way to survive, no way to work in our economy to be able to make a living.

The gangster reportedly hoped to turn the meeting into an opportunity to discuss a potential biopic recounting his exploits: while that never came to pass, he is now the subject of a major Netflix series.

Drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman arrives at Long Island MacArthur airport in New York

Finally re-arrested on 8 January 2016 after a shoot-out in the city of Los Mochis, President Pena Nieto proclaimed: Mission Accomplished. We have him.

After judge Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacarias, set to preside over his case, was murdered while out jogging near his home on 17 October 2016, El Chapo was extradited to the US last January where he plead not guilty to a 17-count indictment.

El Chapo's trial, guilty verdict and sentencing in New York this spring has made for a sensational event but, sadly, its outcome is unlikely to have much of an effect on the brutal drugs trade, even if it is disingenuously cheered as a step in the right direction by the Mexican government.

In 2017, a year in which Guzman was for once safely behind bars, a record 29,168 murders took place, according to local estimates, the total surpassing the previous high of 27,213 in 2011.

The brutal truth is that a successor will simply step in to take El Chapo's place at the head of the Sinaloa cartel and the killing will continue.

Murdoch University Research Agreement For Tissue Engineering

Perth, Nov 13, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Nanollose Limited ( ASX:NC6 ) ( FRA:N0L )("Nanollose" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a research agreement ("Agreement") with Murdoch University to progress the Company's research into the use of its microbial cellulose (MC) as a scaffold in tissue engineering.Highlights;- Agreement provides resources to progress research using Nanollose's microbial cellulose in human and animal tissue engineering applications- Nanollose to retain all Intellectual Property resulting from the researchEvery day thousands of surgical procedures are performed to replace or repair tissue that has been damaged through disease or trauma. The developing field of tissue engineering aims to regenerate damaged tissues by combining cells from the body with scaffold biomaterials, which act as templates for tissue regeneration, to guide the growth of new tissue.The Agreement will encompass two discrete projects over the course of approximately six months to determine if Nanollose's microbial cellulose can be used as scaffolds for human tissue growth, a market expected to reach USD 11.5 billion by 2022. The second project will assess the viability of Nanollose's microbial cellulose as a scaffold for animal tissue growth for potential applications in the rapidly emerging field of artificial meat products.While Nanollose is currently focussed on commercialising its revolutionary Tree-Free Nullarbor(TM) fibre, its microbial cellulose technologies also have potential applications in a wide range of other markets including paper and packaging, medical and agricultural. The Company is seeking to progress a number of these opportunities through partnerships with organisations with specific skills and interests in the relevant fields.The Agreement allows Nanollose to access specialised expertise and equipment in the field of tissue engineering in a timely and cost-effective manner. Under the terms of the Agreement Nanollose will retain all intellectual property resulting from the projects.Nanollose Executive Chairman Dr Wayne Best said, "Partnering with Murdoch University in this way allows Nanollose to develop its intellectual property and opportunities in tissue engineering without having to divert internal resources from its main focus of developing the Company's revolutionary Tree-Free Nullarbor fibre."About Nanollose Ltd

Nanollose Limited (ASX:NC6) is an innovative Australian company that uses a low cost and eco-friendly fermentation process to grow fibres that could become a sustainable alternative to conventional plant-derived cellulose fibres. The Companys process, which uses streams from various large-scale industries like sugar, wine and food, has the ability to produce Plant-Free Cellulose. Cellulose is the hidden building block polymer most consumers know nothing about, but forms a huge part of items used in their everyday life such as clothing, paper and hygiene products.CNN is suing Donald Trump and several of his aides after the networks chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta was banned from accessing the building.

Last week, the White House suspended Mr Acostas press pass, after the reporter asked the president about his language surrounding the migrant caravan heading to the US border, resulting in a heated exchange. The White House accused Mr Acosta of placing his hands on an intern who was trying to take a microphone away from him during the press conference.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders later shared an apparently distorted video clip of the press conference as evidence.

The suit alleges that both Mr Acostas and CNNs constitutional rights are being impinged upon by the removal of the Secret Service hard pass and calls for the immediate reinstatement of Mr Acostas press credentials. The lawsuit claims that CNNs first amendment right to free speech is being violated, as is the fifth amendment right to due process.

CNN says it was given no right to respond to the pass being removed, or any notice that it would be.

There are six defendants named in the lawsuit, including Mr Trump, White House chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine and Secret Service director Joseph Clancy.

The Secret Service officer who took the pass away last Wednesday is also listed, although he is identified as John Doe in the suit, pending him being named.

Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference Show all 10 1 /10 Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference Donald Trump launched an extraordinary tirade against CNN reporter Jim Acosta during a press conference following the midterm elections Reuters Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference The US president ordered the journalist to put down his microphone and just sit down AFP Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference The row began following a question about the migrant caravan approaching the US, when Mr Trump was asked by CNNs Jim Acosta if he thought he had demonised migrants by calling the group an invasion EPA Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference I think you should let me run the country, you run CNN, and if you did it well, your ratings would be much better, said the President AFP/Getty Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference After Mr Acosta attempted to follow up his question with a second on Robert Muellers Russia probe, Mr Trump added, pointing angrily: Thats enough. Thats enough. Thats enough. Excuse me, thats enough. Mr Trump said he was not concerned about anything because the investigation was a hoax. Continuing to berate Mr Acosta, he added: Thats enough. Put down the mic. As the reporter continued to quiz him, Mr Trump became more agitated and stepped away from the podium. EPA Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference Returning to the podium, Mr Trump said: Ill tell you what, CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldnt be working for CNN REUTERS Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference Trump continued: 'The way you treat Sarah Huckabee is horrible and the way you treat other people are horrible. You shouldnt treat people that way. She was sitting in the room listening on REUTERS Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference A second reporter, Peter Alexander, was called on by the president and said: In Jims defence Ive travelled with him a lot, hes a diligent reporter. EPA Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference Mr Trump cut him off, telling the NBC News journalist that Im not a big fan of yours either, prompting laughter in the room AP Trump attacks CNN's Jim Acosta in angry White House press conference Mr Acosta continued to try to ask questions without his microphone, causing Mr Trump to tell him: Just sit down, please. When you report fake news  no  when you report fake news, which CNN does, a lot, you are the enemy of the people. REUTERS

In a statement on Tuesday morning, CNN said it is seeking a preliminary injunction as soon as possible so that Mr Acosta can return to the White House right away, and a ruling from the court preventing the White House from revoking Mr Acostas pass in the future.

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CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration this morning in DC district court, the statement read. It demands the return of the White House credentials of CNNs chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acostas first amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their fifth amendment rights to due process.

We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process.

CNN said that they believe that other news organisations could be targeted by the White House in this way in future.

In its lawsuit, CNN brought attention to Mr Trumps threats against the press and reporters he believes will write negative coverage of his administration.

While CNN and Acosta have been favourite targets of abuse by the administration, the presidents criticism has been directed at other news organisations too, the lawsuit read. The president has actively criticised and discredited any journalist or media outlet he believes might report something he considers negative. As the president explained to Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes: You know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so when you write negative stories about me no one will believe you. And the revocation of Acostas credentials is only the beginning; as the president explained, there could be others also who get their credentials revoked.

The network received the public support of the White House Correspondents Association. The organisation released a statement on Tuesday morning expressing strong support for CNNs goal of seeing their correspondent regain a US Secret Service security credential that the White House should not have taken away in the first place.

In response to the lawsuit, Ms Sanders issued a statement from the White House. We have been advised that CNN has filed a complaint challenging the suspension of Jim Acostas hard pass. This is just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against this lawsuit.

CNN, who has nearly 50 additional hard pass holders, and Mr Acosta is no more or less special than any other media outlet or reporter with respect to the first amendment.

After Mr Acosta asked the president two questions  each of which the president answered  he physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern This was not the first time this reporter has inappropriately refused to yield to other reporters.Michelle Obama has dropped quite a few bombshells in the days leading up to the release of her memoir, Becoming,which is released today.

The former first lady has not been afraid to hold anything back. In her recent press interviews, Ms Obama took a job at President Donald Trump, revealed marital struggles with her husband Barack, and some of the obstacles she faced in her private life while she was invariably in the public eye.

Here are six takeaways from her memoir:

She did not think Mr Obama could win the presidency.

Although the Chicago native gave Mr Obama her blessing, she was still worried about the racial tension in the country. In Becoming, she revealed that she was harbouring a painful thought: Barack was a black man in America, after all. I didnt really think he could win.

In an interview with Good Morning America, Ms Obama explained that she was simply doing what a lot of black folks were doing: We were afraid to hope, because its hard to think that the country oppressed you could one day be led by you.

In the book, the former first lady wrote about the criticismsometimes racially motivatedshe faced throughout Mr Obamas campaign. She was accused of not loving her own country, and headlines like Her Looks: Regal or Intimidating became the norm. I am telling you, this stuff hurt, Ms Obama wrote. I sometimes blamed Baracks campaign for the position I was in.

She had a miscarriage, and then conceived Sasha and Malia through in vitro fertilization.

About 20 years ago, after the Obamas were attempting to have a baby for quite some time, they were able to get a positive pregnancy result. That, however, ended up as a miscarriage that left Ms Obama feeling devastated.

A miscarriage is lonely, painful, and demoralising almost on a cellular level, she wrote. When you have one, you will likely mistake it for a personal failure, which it is not. Or a tragedy, which, regardless of how utterly devastating it feels in the moment, it also is not. What nobody tells you is that miscarriage happens all the time, to more women than youd ever guess, given the relative silence around it.

She later reveals that she was able to conceive their two daughters, Sasha and Malia, through in vitro fertilisation.

The Obamas went through couples counselling.

A few moments after the birth of their two daughters, the Obamas sought out couples therapy. The reasons are similar to most married couples: They did not get to see each other enough. Mr Obama had a rising political career, and that required a lot of hard work and time.

At first, the Hawaiian-born politician was reluctant to speak about their issues in front of a stranger. But Ms Obama explained to him couples therapy was born out of necessity, to aid her in exploring her own sense of happiness.

The couples therapy sessions helped the former first lady explain to her husband that, whenever he was traveling or away, she felt vulnerable all the time.

I feel vulnerable all the time, Ms Obama wrote. And I had to learn how to express that to my husband, to tap into those parts of me that missed him  and the sadness that came from that  so that he could understand. He didnt understand distance in the same way. You know, he grew up without his mother in his life for most of his years, and he knew his mother loved him dearly, right? I always thought love was up close. Love is the dinner table, love is consistency, it is presence. So I had to share my vulnerability and also learn to love differently. It was an important part of my journey of becoming. Understanding how to become us.

Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Show all 11 1 /11 Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Barack Obama's best moments in the White House May 19, 2009 The President was leaving the State Floor after an event and found Sasha in the elevator ready to head upstairs to the private residence. He decided to ride upstairs with her before returning to the Oval Office, Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Oct. 26, 2012 President Barack Obama pretends to be caught in Spider-Man's web as he greets the son of a White House staffer in the Outer Oval Office Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House A National Security staffer, Carlton Philadelphia, brought his family to the Oval Office for a farewell photo with President Obama. Carltons son, Jacob, softly told the President he had just gotten a haircut like President Obama, and asked if he could feel the Presidents head to see if it felt the same as his. Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House March 21, 2010 The President, Vice President and senior staff applaud after watching on television the House vote on H.R. 4872 for health care reform, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Dec. 3, 2009 President Barack Obama fist-bumps custodian Lawrence Lipscomb in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building following the opening session of the White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Sept. 22, 2015 "The Obama family and Biden family greet Pope Francis as he arrives in the United States for the first time at Joint Base Andrews," Sept. 22, 2015. Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Feb. 21, 2014 President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden participate in a "Let's Move!" video taping on the Colonnade of the White House, Feb. 21, 2014 Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Feb. 18, 2016 President Barack Obama watches First Lady Michelle Obama dance with 106-Year-Old Virginia McLaurin in the Blue Room of the White House prior to a reception celebrating African American History Month, Feb. 18, 2016 Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Jan. 21, 2013 "The President and First Lady wave to supporters as they ride in the inaugural parade. I had asked the President if I could ride in the presidential limousine and the President joked, 'But Michelle and I were planning to make out," Jan. 21, 2013. Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama share a private moment in a freight elevator at an Inaugural Ball, January 2009 all pics: Pete Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Barack Obama rests his hand on the bible that President Lincoln used for his swear-in, being held by his wife Michelle Obama as he is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America Rex

The Sandy Hook shooting was one of Mr Obamas difficult times as president.

Although Ms Obama rarely ever got to see her husband while he was working, she wrote about the only time he requested her presence during the work day within his two presidential terms. It was in December 2012, after news broke out that a gunman walked into an Connecticut elementary school, and killed 20 students and 6 teachers.

My husband needed me, the former first lady wrote. This would be the only time in eight years that hed request my presence in the middle of a workday, the two of us rearranging our schedules to be alone together for a moment of comfort.

Mr Obama was just briefed on the brutal catastrophe involving school children.

Those images were seared permanently into his psyche, she added. I could see in his eyes how broken theyd left him, what this had done already to his faith.

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The former first lady and the Queen both commiserate over uncomfortable shoes.

In September 2009, Ms Obama made headlines for an awkward faux paus: She hugged the British Queen during the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh.

I laid a hand affectionately across her shoulder, Ms Obama wrote. I couldnt have known it in the moment, but I was committing what would be deemed an epic faux pas.

But the encounter between these two powerful ladies were anything but awkward.

In her book, Ms Obama revealed that she hugged the Queen after they both confessed how painful their shoes were at the moment.

Youre so tall, Her Majesty reportedly told the 5-foot-11 Princeton graduate, before pointing down on her Jimmy Choo shoes and asking if it hurt her feet. When the Queen admitted her own shoes were painful, the women bursted out laughing.

When the Queen and Ms Obama met again, Her Majesty invited her to sit with her in the backseat of a Range Rover. Did they give you some rules about this? the Queen reportedly told her. Thats rubbish. Sit wherever you want.

Ms Obama wont be running for public office.

The Harvard Law graduate has sparked a lot of inquiries of whether or not a career in politics is in her future. She electrified Americans with her powerful, eloquent speeches about going high when others go low, referring to Mr Trumps notably racist presidential campaign.

But in the epilogue of her memoir, Ms Obama made it clear: She has no intention of running for office, ever.

She believes she has found another method in resisting, or fighting for democracy.

We all play a role in this democracy, Ms Obama wrote. We need to remember the power of every vote. I continue, too, to keep myself connected to a force thats larger and more potent than any one election, or leader, or news story  and thats optimism. For me, this is a form of faith, an antidote to fear.Democrat Kyrsten Sinema has won Arizona's US Senate seat to become the states first female senator after Republican Martha McSally conceded.

The three-term congresswoman won after a slow vote count that dragged on for nearly a week after voters went to the polls on 6 November.

Donald Trump had publicly cast doubt over the legitimacy of the voting process, suggesting that fraudulent activities may have taken place.

Recommended Trump endorses Martha McSally as she faces Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona

"Just out  in Arizona, signatures don't match. Electoral corruption  Call for a new Election? We must protect our Democracy!" Mr Trump tweeted.

These fact-free claims were not endorsed by Ms McSall, who has not engaged with Mr Trumps voter fraud theory.

Ms Sinemas victory achieves a long-time Democratic goal of making Arizona a competitive state, becoming the first Democratic US senator in the state since 1994.

She spoke to reporters at a Scottsdale hotel after declaring victory in the wake of the concession by her opponent.

Ms Sinema said she would follow the example of the late Senator John McCain, who died in August, and would try to follow his example and put country before party.

Ms Sinema tailored her campaign for conservative-leaning Arizona rather than the national environment, but it may be a guide for Democrats who hope to expand the electoral map in 2020.

She chose not to criticise Mr Trump's hardline immigration stance and painted herself as a non-partisan problem solver.

During her six years in Congress, Ms Sinema built one of most centrist records in the Democratic caucus, and she voted for bills backed by Mr Trump more than 60 per cent of the time. She backed legislation increasing penalties against people in the country illegally who commit crimes.

Ms McSally, a former Air Force pilot who embraced Mr Trump after opposing him during the 2016 elections, had claimed that Ms Sinemas anti-war protests 15 years ago disqualified her and said one protest amounted to what she called treason.

I just called Kyrsten Sinema and congratulated her on being Arizonas first female senator after a hard fight battle, Ms McSally said in her concession video. I wish her all success as she represents Arizona in the Senate.

Ms McSally backed Mr Trumps tax cut, border security and the Affordable Care Act repeal agenda as she survived a three-way GOP primary in August, defeating two conservative challengers who claimed her support for Mr Trump was fake. Ms McSally also campaigned on her military record and support for the Armed Forces.

US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Show all 20 1 /20 US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Democratic candidate Ilhan Omar is celebrates with her husband's mother after she won a congress place, becoming the first Muslim woman to be elected into congress alongside Rashida Tlaib Reuters US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Democratic House candidate, from Kansas, Sharice Davids (left) and her mom Crystal celebrate after she won. Davids is the first lesbian Native American Congresswoman by beating Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder. Davids is one of several first-time female candidates that helped the Democratic Party takeover in the House of Representatives EPA US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Republican Marsha Blackburn celebrates after winning the race for senate in Tennessee. In doing so she became that states first female senator AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Supporters of Democratic House candidate Sharice Davids cheer and cry after learning she won EPA US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Ayanna Pressley beaome Massachusetts first black congresswoman by defeating 10-term Republican Michael Capuano AFP/Getty US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Republican candidate Young Kim has become the first Korean-American woman elected to Congress AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Democrat Jared Polis won his seat and became the USs first ever openly gay governor AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Jean Kasselman (left) and Teresa Booker, supporters of Democratic candidate for Kansas' 3rd Congressional District Sharice Davids, react to election results Getty US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Republican Kristi Noem hugs a supporter after being announced as the new governor of South Dakota. Noem made history by being the first female governor of the state AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Gabierla Martinez and Cesar Delgado cheer on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jared Polis REUTERS US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest women ever elected to Congress, representing New Yorks 14th congressional district AFP/Getty US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Democratic congressional candidate Rashida Tlaib celebrates with family and friends at her midterm election night party in Detroit after won and also became the nations first Muslim woman to congress alongside Ilhan Omar who was also elected Reuters US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Supporters of Democratic candidate for Kansas' 3rd Congressional District Sharice Davids react to election results Getty US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Already having become the first Native American woman to chair a state political party, Deb Haaland has now become the joint-first Native American woman to be elected to congress, alongside Sharice Davids Reuters US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Supporters of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cheer during her election night party in the Queens Borough AFP/Getty US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Young Kim hugs her son Alvin after she won a seat in congress AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Supporters of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cheer AFP/Getty Images US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Asma Mohammed and Ashley Fairbanks celebrate as results come in at Democratic congressional candidate Ilhan Omar's election night headquarters AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Democrat Deb Haaland hugs a voter REUTERS US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Supporters of Democratic House candidate from Kansas Sharice Davids cheer and cry after learning she won her race EPA

The contest drew more than $90 million (70m) in spending, including more than $58 million (45m) by outside groups, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Attack ads by both sides clogged the airwaves for months.

Ms Sinema, 42, has a law degree, worked as a social worker and was a political activist in her 20s, running as an independent Green Party candidate for the Arizona House. She then became a Democrat and served several terms in the state legislature. Ms Sinema started as an overt liberal but developed a reputation for compromise among her Republican peers, laying the groundwork to tack to the centre.

Ms McSally, 52, was the first female Air Force pilot to fly in combat, flying A-10 attack jets. She was also the first woman to command a fighter squadron, again in A-10s.

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Ms McSally lost her first race in Arizonas 2nd congressional district in 2012, when she was narrowly defeated by Democratic Representative Ron Barber, who replaced Representative Gabby Giffords after she was wounded in a 2011 assassination attempt. But Ms McSally came back to win the 2014 election, beating Mr Barber by a narrow margin. She was re-elected in 2016.

Agencies contributed to this reportThe consensus on election night seemed clear: although Democrats regained the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years, no blue wave had materialised.

A week later, the steady trickle of further gains in late results appear to reveal a far more positive picture for the party,

The Democrats have now picked up at least 32 seats in the House and are on course for four more, in addition to flipping seven governorships and eight state legislative chambers.

Though the Republicans are on track to increase their Senate by two seats, they had expected more.

On Monday night, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema won Arizonas Senate race, beating Martha McSally in a landmark victory to take the seat held by retiring Republican senator Jeff Flake.

It means the overall results in the first nationwide election of Donald Trumps presidency represent the Democrats best midterm performance since 1974, a vote which came in the wake of Watergate and Richard Nixons resignation.

Mr Trump, who last week declared election night to have been a tremendous success, has since been reduced to making baseless allegations of voter fraud to explain knife-edge contests in key seats such as Florida.

After securing a significant majority in the House, the Democrats have broken the Republican monopoly in Washington and secured the power to block the presidents legislative agenda.

Over the last week weve moved from relief at winning the House to rejoicing at a genuine wave of diverse, progressive and inspiring Democrats winning office, said Ben Wikler, Washington director of the liberal group MoveOn.

US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Show all 20 1 /20 US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Democratic candidate Ilhan Omar is celebrates with her husband's mother after she won a congress place, becoming the first Muslim woman to be elected into congress alongside Rashida Tlaib Reuters US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Democratic House candidate, from Kansas, Sharice Davids (left) and her mom Crystal celebrate after she won. Davids is the first lesbian Native American Congresswoman by beating Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder. Davids is one of several first-time female candidates that helped the Democratic Party takeover in the House of Representatives EPA US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Republican Marsha Blackburn celebrates after winning the race for senate in Tennessee. In doing so she became that states first female senator AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Supporters of Democratic House candidate Sharice Davids cheer and cry after learning she won EPA US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Ayanna Pressley beaome Massachusetts first black congresswoman by defeating 10-term Republican Michael Capuano AFP/Getty US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Republican candidate Young Kim has become the first Korean-American woman elected to Congress AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Democrat Jared Polis won his seat and became the USs first ever openly gay governor AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Jean Kasselman (left) and Teresa Booker, supporters of Democratic candidate for Kansas' 3rd Congressional District Sharice Davids, react to election results Getty US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Republican Kristi Noem hugs a supporter after being announced as the new governor of South Dakota. Noem made history by being the first female governor of the state AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Gabierla Martinez and Cesar Delgado cheer on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jared Polis REUTERS US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest women ever elected to Congress, representing New Yorks 14th congressional district AFP/Getty US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Democratic congressional candidate Rashida Tlaib celebrates with family and friends at her midterm election night party in Detroit after won and also became the nations first Muslim woman to congress alongside Ilhan Omar who was also elected Reuters US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Supporters of Democratic candidate for Kansas' 3rd Congressional District Sharice Davids react to election results Getty US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Already having become the first Native American woman to chair a state political party, Deb Haaland has now become the joint-first Native American woman to be elected to congress, alongside Sharice Davids Reuters US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Supporters of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cheer during her election night party in the Queens Borough AFP/Getty US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Young Kim hugs her son Alvin after she won a seat in congress AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Supporters of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cheer AFP/Getty Images US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Asma Mohammed and Ashley Fairbanks celebrate as results come in at Democratic congressional candidate Ilhan Omar's election night headquarters AP US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Democrat Deb Haaland hugs a voter REUTERS US midterm results: more diverse, more female and more progressive Supporters of Democratic House candidate from Kansas Sharice Davids cheer and cry after learning she won her race EPA

Conservative pollster Josh Jordan said there was a striking difference in the Democrat position on election night compared to a week later.

They continue to pick up many of the close State, House, and even Senate seats in the days after, he tweeted. What looked like a good night will definitely be thought of as a wave.

Matthew Dowd, chief political analyst for ABC News, agreed. He pointed out the Democrats were on course to pick up more seats than in 2006 when Barack Obama was grappling with a much worse economy.

That seems like a bit of a wave election to me, he said.

Mr Trump and his allies have dismissed Democratic gains, pointing to GOP wins in Republican-leaning Senate states. Only once in the past three decades had a sitting president added Senate seats in his first midterm election.

However, the Democrats had been were defending 10 seats in states that Mr Trump carried just two years ago.

The fact of the matter is, the Democratic Party had a historic night at the ballot box  and we are not resting, said Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez. Our goal was to compete everywhere, to expand and reshape the electorate everywhere  and thats exactly what weve done.

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The Democrats found success by attracting support from women, minorities and university-educated voters. Overall, 50 per cent of white graduate voters and 56 per cent of women backed Democrats nationwide, according to Associated Presss VoteCast poll.

Democrats featured historic diversity on their ballot. Their winning candidates included Massachusetts first African-American female member of congress, Ayanna Presley, as well as Michigans Rashida Talib and Minnesotas Ilhan Omar, the first two Muslim women to serve in congress. Sharice Davids, elected in Kansas, became the first Native American woman and first lesbian Native American in congress.

We have elected a new generation of inspiring leaders and we know that a new era of democratic dominance is on the horizon, said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committees executive director Jessica Post.

The Democrats needed to gain 23 seats to seize the House majority. Once all the votes are counted, which could take weeks in some cases as absentees and provisional ballots are tallied, they could win close to 40.

They have not lost a single House incumbent so far, and defeated Republican targets such as Mike Coffman of Colorado, Barbara Comstock of Virginia, Carlos Curbelo of Florida, and Dana Rohrabacher of California.

They could win as many as 19 House races in districts carried by Mr Trump two years ago, according to House Democrats campaign team.First lady Melania Trump has publicly called for the ouster of deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel in a remarkable rebuke of a senior official serving in her husband's administration.

The call was made through Ms Trump's communications director, Stephanie Grisham, and comes after Ms Ricardel reportedly quarrelled with the first lady's staff over a recent trip to Africa.

"It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that (Ricardel) no longer deserves the honour of serving in this White House," Ms Grisham said in a statement.

The potential departure would be a blow for White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, for whom Ms Ricardel is considered to be a close ally in the administration.

But it is their shared appetite for bureaucratic infight that may have landed Ms Ricardel in hot water with the first lady. She reportedly had disagrements with Ms Trump's staff over seating on the plane that the first lady flew to Africa in, and over the use of National Security Counsel resources, a source told CNN.

Reuters reports that Ms Trump had complained to President Donald Trump that she as not happy with how she was being treated by Ms Ricardel, a former Boeing Co executive who worked on the president's campaign before being picked by Mr Bolton to be his deputy earlier this year.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

When asked about those complaints, Ms Grisham then issued the statement, which has shocked political circles for its frank and direct nature.

Sources have said that Ms Trump asked her husband directly to oust Ms Ricardel after the Africa trip, where the first lady reportedly felt that she was not being given enough government resources for the tour. It was not clear what resources were in dispute.

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Requests for comment sent to the White House and National Security Council were not immediately returned.Donald Trump has taunted France over Emmanuel Macron's call for a European army, referencing both world wars in an extraordinary early-morning tweet which claimed they were starting to learn German in Paris before the US came along.

In a 6.50am post likely to provoke dismay in Europe days after he visited the French capital to commemorate the First World War centenary, the US president wrote: Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the US, China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two.

He added: How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!

Over the next hour, Mr Trump fired off a flurry of Twitter posts complaining about French wine tariffs and mocking Mr Macrons approval ratings. He also challenged the French leaders attack on nationalism before tweeting MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN! in reference to his own presidential campaign slogan.

The outburst was a theatrical escalation of Mr Trumps indignant response to his French counterparts suggestion of a true European army to help the EU defend against threats.

We have to have a Europe that can defend itself alone  and without only relying on the United States  in a more sovereign manner, Mr Macron said last week in an interview with Frances Europe 1 radio station.

The French president suggested Mr Trumps proposed withdrawal from an international nuclear treaty put the continent in danger.

He said: When I see President Trump announcing that hes quitting a major disarmament treaty which was formed after the 1980s Euro-missile crisis that hit Europe, who is the main victim? Europe and its security.

Mr Trump last week described Mr Macrons remarks as very insulting, adding: Perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of Nato, which the US subsidizes greatly!

Donald Trump taunted France over the world wars days after appearing with Emmanuel Macron at First World War centenary events (EPA)

The US leader has regularly vented his frustration over the international military alliance, repeatedly calling for all member nations  most of which are European  to contribute a minimum of two per cent of their GDP towards its cost.Amnesty International has announced it is stripping Aung San Suu Kyi of a prestigious human rights award over her shameful betrayal of the values she once stood for.

The Ambassador of Conscience Award is the latest in a series of accolades to be withdrawn from Myanmars de facto leader, who has been criticised for failing to intervene to stop a campaign of violence against the countrys Rohingya Muslims.

Amnesty said it was withdrawing the award with great sadness because of Ms Suu Kyis apparent indifference to atrocities committed by the Myanmar military and increasing intolerance of freedom of expression.

While living under house arrest in 2009, Ms Suu Kyi was named as Amnestys Ambassador of Conscience in recognition of her peaceful and non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.

 Interview with Keya, who is working in Cox's Bazar refugee camp where Rohingya people are living in temporary shelter

But now, half way through her term in office and eight years after being released from custody, Amnesty said it was disappointed she had not safeguarded human rights, justice or equality in Myanmar.

The secretary general of the human rights group Kumi Naidoo said in a letter to Ms Suu Kyi: Our expectation was that you would continue to use your moral authority to speak out against injustice wherever you saw it, not least within Myanmar itself.

Today, we are profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defence of human rights.

He continued: Amnesty International cannot justify your continued status as a recipient of the Ambassador of Conscience award and so with great sadness we are hereby withdrawing it from you.

Amnesty has been a vocal critic of Ms Suu Kyi, and has previously accused her of failing to speak out about military atrocities committed against the Rohingya population in the countrys Rakhine state.

The Rohingya have been persecuted in the former British colony for decades, with the government denying them citizenship and excluding them from the 2014 census.

Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Show all 30 1 /30 Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya women and children wait in line for a food distribution of super cereal at Action Against Hunger Getty Images Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugees gather near the fence in the "no man's land" zone between Myanmar and Bangladesh border AFP/Getty Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya women cry as they shout slogans during a protest rally to commemorate the first anniversary of Myanmar army's crackdown AP Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures A Rohingya Muslim child holding an umbrella while under the rain AFP/Getty Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugees cry as they pray during a gathering to commemorate the first anniversary of Myanmar army's crackdown which lead to a mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims to Bangladesh AP Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Police stand near the checkpoint at the Shwe Zar village in Maungdaw township, Rakhine State, western Myanmar EPA Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures A group of Rohingya refugee children stand at a makeshift camp EPA Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugee Juhara, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, poses for a portrait at the Kutapalong refugee camp near Cox's Bazar in southern Bangladesh. Juhara passes her days carting water with difficulty to thirsty bricklayers working in a bustling corner of Cox's Bazar. She has just one hand - the other was cleaved off in a raid on her village after the August 25 clampdown started last year. Her husband and parents were killed. The 40-year-old said she ran for her life but was hunted down and savagely attacked AFP/Getty Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugees walk on a road along a makeshift camp in Kutubpalang EPA Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugees are seen outside of their makeshift tent in the Kutupalong camp in Cox's Bazar Reuters Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Thousands of Rohingya refugees staged protests for "justice" on August 25 on the first anniversary of a Myanmar military crackdown that forced them to flee to camps in Bangladesh AFP/Getty Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures A Rohingya refugee child looks through a window at a makeshift camp in Teknuf EPA Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugee women hold placards as they take part in a protest at the Kutupalong refugee camp Reuters Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures A young Rohingya boy waits in line for a food Getty Images Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugees shout slogans during a protest march AFP/Getty Images Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugee girl with other children at a makeshift camp in Teknuf in Cox's Bazar EPA Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya women protest on the first anniversary of the Rohingya crisis Getty Images Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya women and children receive super cereal at Action Against Hunger Getty Images Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya girls share a laugh in Kutupalong, the largest refugee camp housing the Rohingya Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugees gather near the fence in the "no man's land" zone between Myanmar and Bangladesh border AFP/Getty Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugees attend a ceremony organised to remember the first anniversary of a military crackdown that prompted a massive exodus of people from Myanmar to Bangladesh AFP/Getty Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rashida Begum, a Rohingya refugee woman walks on the Kutupalong camp in Cox's Bazar Reuters Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures A Rohingya refugee bursts into tears as she shouts slogans during a protest march AFP/Getty Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugee baby Nur Sadek two years old undergoing treatment at a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in Teknuf in Cox's Bazar EPA Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugees protest Getty Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugees perform prayers AFP/Getty Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rashida Begum, a Rohingya refugee woman bathes her son in the Kutupalong camp Reuters Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugees protest Getty Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya refugees walk on a muddy road EPA Rohingya crisis one year on  Myanmar camps in pictures Rohingya women and children wait in line for a food distribution of super cereal at Action Against Hunger Getty

Since a fresh wave of violence began last year, the security forces are accused of having killed thousands, raping women and girls, detaining and torturing men and boys, and razing hundreds of homes to the ground in what a UN fact-finding mission has called it a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

More than 720,000 Rohingya have fled over the border to Bangladesh, but the government there have since struck a deal with Myanmar to send them back.

Mr Naidoo wrote: Aung San Suu Kyis failure to speak out for the Rohingya is one reason why we can no longer justify her status as an Ambassador of Conscience.

Her denial of the gravity and scale of the atrocities means there is little prospect of the situation improving for the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya living in limbo in Bangladesh or for the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who remain in Rakhine State.

Without acknowledgement of the horrific crimes against the community, it is hard to see how the government can take steps to protect them from future atrocities.

Ms Suu Kyi has also been stripped of the US Holocaust Museums Elie Weisel award and Freedom of the City awards, which were withdrawn by Dublin, Edinburgh, Oxford, Glasgow and Newcastle.Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sharply criticised Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi for her handling of an ethnic crisis that led to mass killings and the exodus of more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims from her country.

Mr Mohamad said Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ms Suu Kyi was "trying to defend the indefensible" in justifying violence by Myanmar security forces against Rohingya in Rakhine state.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since August 2017.

"They are actually oppressing these people to the point of, well, killing them, mass killing, and burial in graves dug by the victims and that kind of thing. That may be relevant in ancient times, but in modern days, we don't do that kind of thing," said Mr Mohamad, a 93-year-old political veteran whose own past treatment of dissidents at times drew opprobrium.

Asked about the issue at a news conference on the sidelines of a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Singapore, Mr Mohamad said that as a former political prisoner, Ms Suu Kyi should understand suffering.

It is highly unusual for leaders in the 10-nation group to publicly criticise each other.

Ms Suu Kyi became an icon for democracy after spending about 15 years under house arrest for opposing Myanmar's military dictatorship. She and her government have been widely criticised for the way they have treated the Rohingya.

APA group of American analysts say they have identified at least 13 of an estimated 20 undeclared missile bases inside North Korea.

The report locates the bases and describes them in detail, and says that satellite images suggest some maintenance and infrastructure improvements have been carried out at the sites despite ongoing international negotiations over North Koreas denuclearisation.

South Korean officials sought to play down the report, by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), saying its own intelligence agencies were already aware of all the bases named.

Recommended North Korea says military drills are a violation of agreement on peace

And a spokesman for South Koreas president Moon Jae-in said it would be wrong to characterise the missile bases as a deception on North Koreas part, saying that neither declaring them nor shutting them down was a part of an agreement reached between the two countries in September.

The sites identified in the CSIS report are scattered in remote, mountainous areas across North Korea and could be used to house ballistic missiles of various ranges, the largest of which is believed to be capable of striking anywhere in the United States.

"Missile operating bases are not launch facilities," the report said. "While missiles could be launched from within them in an emergency, Korean People's Army operational procedures call for missile launchers to disperse from the bases to pre-surveyed or semi-prepared launch sites for operations."

None of the missile bases has been acknowledged by North Korea and analysts say an accurate disclosure of nuclear weapons and missile capabilities would be an important part of any denuclearisation deal.

Sakkanmol, the site closest to the border with South Korea and its capital, Seoul, appears to be "active and being reasonably well maintained", the report found.

North Koreas Kim Jong-un and the USs president Donald Trump declared they would work towards denuclearisation at a landmark summit in Singapore in June. Since that summit, Pyongyang says it has closed its Punggye-ri nuclear testing site and the Sohae missile engine test facility.

But the CSIS report warned: North Korea's decommissioning of the Sohae satellite launch facility, while gaining much media attention, obscures the military threat to US forces and South Korea from this [Sakkanmol] and other undeclared ballistic missile bases.

Since the June summit, which was light on specific commitments from either side, talks on denuclearisation have stalled and meetings between senior US and North Korean officials have been characterised by frustration and last-minute cancellations.

There has been more success in inter-Korean talks, following a key meeting between Mr Moon and Mr Kim on 19 September, with both sides scaling back some border defences and exchanging shipments of prized regional products.

Mr Trump and North Korean state media continue to talk up the prospects of a breakthrough in denuclearisation talks.

A State Department official - asked if the hidden sites identified by CSIS went against the spirit of the Trump-Kim summit - told the Reuters news agency Mr Trump had made clear that "should Chairman Kim follow through on his commitments - including complete denuclearisation and the elimination of ballistic missile programmes - a much brighter future lies ahead for North Korea and its people.

Meanwhile, during a stop in Japan on his way to two summits in Singapore and Papua New Guinea on behalf of Mr Trump, US vice president Mike Pence agreed with Japans prime minister Shinzo Abe to keep sanctions on North Korea in place.

The pair reaffirmed the need for sanctions to achieve the goal of denuclearisation, as they showcased their bilateral alliance.

Last week the US took part in the largest naval war exercises ever conducted off the coast of Japan, drawing the ire of North Korean state media.

Mr Pence said the US will continue to put diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea and urged all Indo-Pacific nations to do likewise until the complete denuclearisation of North Korea is achieved. Mr Abe said Japan and the US would continue to work together to get North Korea, which has hard-working people and rich resources, to realise it has a bright future if it keeps its promises.

Additional reporting by agenciesUFOs have been spotted over the coast of Ireland.

Two pilots separately spotted bizarre and unexplained flashing lights travelling unnaturally quickly near Shannon airport, they told local air traffic control. But authorities had no explanation for the strange phenomenon, making clear there were no military tests or other expected flights that would explain the behaviour.

On one morning last week, a British Airways pilot spotted bright lights moving past her plane as it flew over the west coast.

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region

It was moving so fast, she said, according to recordings of the conversation. It came up on our left-hand side and then rapidly veered to the north. It was a very bright light that disappeared at very high speed.

Then, shortly after, the pilot of a Virgin plane flying from the US to the UK saw something similarly mysterious as it flew over the same area. The pilot described a similar sight, saying that it looked like a meteor  but was made up of multiple flashes and were incredibly bright.

The lights were flying at "astronomical" speed, said one of the pilots, who said it appeared to be flying at around twice the speed of sound.

The Irish Aviation Authority said that it was investigating the strange phenomenon, but that it was doing so confidentially.

Following reports from a small number of aircraft on Friday 9 November of unusual air activity the IAA has filed a report," the IAA said in a statement.

"This report will be investigated under the normal confidential occurrence investigation process."

A spokesperson did suggest to the Irish Times that the lights were unlikely to be from alien beings.

Shannon Airport said it would not comment on the phenomenon while the investigation was ongoing.

The sightings come as experts around the world, who have held some of the highest offices of state, suggest that governments need to do more to track down explanations for UFO sightings.

Earlier this year, for instance, a former Pentagon insider who served as deputy assistant secretary of defence for intelligence in the Bill Clinton and George W Bush administrations said that the US government was choosing ignore UFO sightings. Prior to that, the head of a secretive US government programme said that the existence of advanced UFOs was "beyond reasonable doubt" and that countries needed to be more conscious of the potential threat.Speedcast awarded long-term multi-million dollar contracts for technology and network enhancements to its fully-managed services around the world



Speedcast Expands Service Around the Globe for Schlumberger

London, Nov 13, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Speedcast International Limited ( ASX:SDA ) ( FRA:7SC ) ( OTCMKTS:SPPDF ), the world's most trusted provider of remote communication and IT solutions, today announced that the company has been awarded multi-year contracts in multiple countries to enhance existing global services for Schlumberger, the world's leading oilfield services provider.The newest improvements include equipment and network upgrades leveraging the latest in modem and terminal technologies in countries such as Pakistan, China, Australia and New Zealand, adding to an extensive list of global network enhancements awarded earlier in 2018 by this customer. Technology upgrades for sites in Latin America as well as secure network upgrades and new services commissioned in the Gulf of Mexico, Southeast Asia, Europe, Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa further demonstrate the strength of the global partnership between the two companies, which have been working together for over 10 years in the most challenging remote and harsh environments."We take great pride in consistently offering enhancements and expansions to the services we provide for Schlumberger," says Keith Johnson, Speedcast's EVP of Energy. "We strive to keep all of our customers at the cutting-edge of available technologies and services that improve and simplify their critical operations in remote environments anywhere in the world. We are delighted that Schlumberger leverages our scale to maximize their operational efficiencies across the globe for a wide variety of connectivity solutions, from equipment rentals to secure, fully-managed networks."Speedcast holds a leadership position as the largest, most trusted communications and IT solutions provider for the Energy market with more than 30 years' experience serving customers both onshore and offshore. Speedcast leverages the most robust global network in the mobile satellite industry to develop solutions for critical applications anywhere in the world. The company's extensive infrastructure promotes flexibility and operational efficiency, allowing customers to scale their networks to current requirements and business needs while receiving world-class 24/7 support.About Speedcast International Ltd

Speedcast International Ltd (ASX:SDA) is the world's most trusted communications and IT services provider, delivering critical communications solutions to the Maritime, Energy, Mining, Media, Telecom, Cruise, NGO, Government, and Enterprise sectors. With more satellite capacity than any other provider, Speedcast enables faster, seamless pole-to-pole coverage from a global hybrid satellite, fiber, cellular, microwave, MPLS, and IP transport network with direct access to public cloud platforms. The company also integrates differentiated technology offerings that provide smarter ways to communicate and distribute content, manage network and remote operations, protect and secure investments, and improve the crew and guest experience. With a passionate customer focus and a strong safety culture, Speedcast serves more than 3,200 customers in over 140 countries. Learn more at www.speedcast.com.Hamas has said it will expand its rocket fire to directly hit the Israeli towns of Beersheba and Ashdod, some 30 kilometres north and west of Gaza, if air strikes on the enclave continue, as the Israeli army warned that overnight attacks on Israel were "the most intense" since the last conflict in 2014.

At least seven people have been killed since heavy cross-border fire erupted Monday afternoon, sparking fears of a new war.

Local medical officials recorded six fatalities in Gaza, five of them militants. In Israel, one civilian was killed in the southern Israeli town of Ashkelon. Local media reported he was a West Bank Palestinian from Hebron although his identity has yet to be confirmed.

Recommended Fierce fighting erupts between Israel and Gaza

In total, Gaza militants have fired at least 400 rockets and mortars into Israel whose officials said Tuesday they had struck more than 100 targets in Gaza, including Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV headquarters and several Hamas security buildings.

The spokesman for the Hamas military wing said in a Monday statement that Ashkelon, just over 10 km north of Gaza, "has entered the range of fire as a response to the bombing of buildings in Gaza."

He added that Ashdod and Beersheba, 30km away, "are the next targets if the enemy continues bombing civilian buildings."

Jonathan Conricus,an Israeli army spokesman, said it was "too early" to say whether war would break out but warned that Gaza militants had in excess of 20,000 rockets and mortars within their arsenal and so the army was prepared for the long haul.

Hamas is forcing this violence and really bringing destruction upon the Gaza Strip because of its actions. We hold Hamas responsible," he said.

He added that the Israeli army had "enhanced troops in the south of the country but not yet mobilised reserves.

The sudden flare up in fighting was triggered by a botched Israeli special forces raid on southern Gaza on Sunday night.

Seven Palestinians, including a local Hamas commander, and a high ranking Israeli officer, were killed when the Israeli covert patrol encountered Palestinian fighters at a checkpoint three kilometres into Gaza in the eastern areas of Khan Younis.

Hamas officials told The Independent they believed the raid to be a top-level intelligence-gathering operation that had gone wrong. The Israeli army declined to comment.

Israeli identified its slain officer as Lieutenant-Colonel M, a 41-year-old father-of-two from north Israel. He was the most senior ranking officer to be killed in the enclave since the 2014 war.

Shortly after funerals, Gaza militants launched a barrage of rocket fire which continued into Tuesday morning.

Israel has responded with dozens of air, tank and naval strikes on Gaza targeting what they have identified as military infrastructure and a television building.

A ball of fire above the building housing the Hamas-run television station al-Aqsa TV in the Gaza Strip during an Israeli air strike on 12 November (AFP)

The wave of violence has threatened to derail a long-term ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt that had seen significant progress over the last few weeks.

Just hours before Sunday's disastrous raid, the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given a lengthy speech in Paris defending Israelis decision to allow Qatar to deliver $15 million to Hamas to pay salaries. In exchange, Hamas scaled back its weekly demonstrations along the Israeli border.

The UN and Egypt have scrambled to pull back both sides from the brink of war this summer following eight months of clashes along the border fence with Israel.

Since March, tens of thousands of Gaza residents have marched towards Israel every Friday demanding the right to return to their ancestral lands, which they were forced from or fled during the 1948 conflict which surrounded the creation of Israel. They have also protested against an 11-year-old crippling Israeli siege on the Strip.

More than 218 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since then.

Facing mounting criticism, Israel defended its actions saying that protesters have launched burning kites and balloons tied with explosives at Israel and attempted to break the border fences.

However, the last two weeks of Friday protests had been fairly quiet, as Hamas had apparently kept its promise to rein in the violence.Syringes, electro-shock devices and a blade similar to a scalpel were among the tools carried by Jamal Khashoggis alleged killers as they departed Istanbul after murdering the Washington Post journalist inside a Saudi consulate last month.

But there was not yet any evidence of a bone saw that would have been required to dismember his body, according to a new report published on Tuesday.

The Turkish pro-government daily newspaper Sabah published photos purportedly showing tools carried by the 15-man Saudi hit squad as they left Istanbul aboard a private jet after allegedly murdering the Washington Post columnist.

The leaked photos, along with a flurry of other leaks from recordings taken of the moments before, during, and after Khashoggis murder, suggest a continued pressure on Saudi Arabia and its western allies over the 2 October killing of the 59-year-old US resident inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The New York Times on Tuesday cited unnamed officials describing one member of the Saudi kill team being recorded phoning Riyadh after murdering Khashoggi and saying tell your boss, in a possible reference to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who is widely suspected of ordering the hit.

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday became the first ranking UK. official to meet with the crown prince since the Khashoggi murder in what was described as an attempt to encourage Riyadh to wrap up the three-and-a-half-year war it is leading in Yemen and to push for real accountability against those responsible for the brutal murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a statement issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

A statement issued by the Saudi press agency did not mention Yemen or Khashoggi, but noted that the prince and Mr Hunt reviewed Saudi-British partnership in all fields, the latest developments in the region and the exerted efforts towards them.

Saudi officials and their western partners are bracing for the release of recordings that could further damage relations between Riyadh and its backers in world capitals. Turkey has been leaking details of the investigation in an attempt to keep the matter prominent in the world press and keep pressure on Riyadh, a regional rival it hopes to weaken.

On Monday, Canadas prime minister Justin Trudeau disclosed that Ottawa intelligence officials had heard the recordings, while Germanys government spokesman acknowledged intelligence sharing between Ankara and Berlin on the Khashoggi matter, and a Turkish spokesman revealed the date that France was presented the recording and a transcript.

Jeremy Hunt meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Riyadh on 13 November (SPA)

Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on his plane returning from Paris on Tuesday that Ankara had played the recordings for a Saudi intelligence official, who was shocked by its contents.

The recording is really terrible, he said, according to Sabah. When the Saudi intelligence officer listened to it, he was so shocked that he said [the perpetrator] must have done heroin. Only someone who did heroin could have done this.

He said US president Donald Trump, German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron had discussed the case over dinner in Paris. I feel that they are considerably disturbed by the murder, he said.

Ankara demands that members of a 15-man hit team and a three-person reconnaissance group allegedly involved in the killing be tried in Turkey. Khashoggis body has yet to be located, but Turks have alleged it was dismembered and dissolved in a chemical. Al Jazeera has cited Turkish officials claiming to have found traces of hydrofluoric acid in the wastewater of the Saudi consulate.

 Jamal Khashoggis sons demand return of murdered journalists body for burial in Saudi Arabia

Despite holding diplomatic passports, the alleged murderers had to place their bags through an X-ray machine as they left Ataturk airport. Under Turkish rules, police at the airport are not allowed to search bags of diplomatic passport holders unless there is evidence of a serious offence, according to Hatice Han Er, an Istanbul criminologist and researcher. She added: Everything has to go through an X-ray but nothing is opened unless police see a body part or something that creates suspicion of a major crime.

Annotated airport X-ray photos published by the Turkish daily Sabah purportedly show tools used by the killers (Sabah) (SABAH)

Stills from the X-ray footage and published by Sabah showed the men boarding the flight were carrying 10 telephones and a wireless communications system, as well as two syringes, two electro-shock devices, a signal jammer, staplers and cutting tools.

The toolkit suggests a well-planned operation to potentially track Khashoggi, subdue him, possibly torture and interrogate him using the electro-shock devices, then dispose of his body, said Ms Han Er.

What I think was they drugged him and tied him up. When he came to, he may have been questioned. He might have been tortured and taunted Hatice Han Er, criminologist

Everything was planned beforehand; they werent going to walk up to the consulate unprepared, she told The Independent. What I think was they drugged him and tied him up. When he came to, he may have been questioned. He might have been tortured and taunted.

Though staplers have been used to seal plastic bags containing Khashoggis body parts, Ms Han Er said the assassins would have needed a bone saw to cut him to pieces.Palestinian militants in Gaza have announced an Egypt-brokered ceasefire with Israel, potentially pulling the two sides back from the brink of war, after the heaviest round of fighting since the last conflict in 2014.

The armed wing of Hamas, which runs Gaza, announced the truce in a joint statement with other military factions, declaring it to be a victory.

"Egypt's efforts have been able to achieve a ceasefire between the resistance and [Israel], the statement read.

"The resistance will respect this declaration as long as [Israel] respects it."

Recommended Fears grow of Gaza conflict as Hamas threatens to expand rocket fire

There was no immediate response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the military or the government, which had indicated earlier that it would continue strikes on Gaza.

Israel's hardline defence minister, Avigdor Lieberman, issued a statement saying he did not support stopping the air raids.



However, senior Israeli diplomatic officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, hinted that an agreement may have been accepted, somewhat begrudgingly.

Israel maintains its right to act, one official told local newspaper The Times of Israel. Requests from Hamas for a ceasefire came through four different mediators. Israel responded that the events on the ground will decide [if a ceasefire will go into effect].

Another Israeli official told left-leaning daily Haaretz that only developments on the ground will determine Israeli reaction.

The announcement came just moments after a six-hour Israeli Security Cabinet meeting ended.

The cabinet had ordered the Israeli military to continue strikes in Gaza "as is necessary", but stopped short of ordering a renewed offensive.



Gazas health ministry said on Tuesday that seven Palestinians in Gaza had been killed and 25 wounded in Israeli airstrikes since the fighting erupted on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, a barrage of rockets on Israel killed one person, a 48-year-old West Bank Palestinian man, and injured 27 Israelis, including three severely. Earlier, militants had fired an anti-tank missile at a bus near the border, severely injuring a 19-year-old soldier.

The news of a truce was met by boisterous celebrations in Gaza as thousands took to the street waving the Green Hamas flags and declaring it a victory for the resistance.

Across the border in Sderot, which has been pummelled by rockets, dozens of Israeli protesters burnt tyres, blocked traffic and chanted "disgrace", saying the government had caved into the militant violence.

Rockets fired by Palestinian militants towards Israel are seen in Gaza (REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot)

The last 24 hours had seen the most intense flare-up of fighting since the last war, sparking fears the region was tumbling back into a protracted conflict.

It had apparently been triggered by a botched Israeli intelligence raid in southern Gaza on Sunday that resulted in a firefight between Israeli forces and Gaza militants that left seven Palestinians and one Israeli Lieutenant Colonel dead.

Shortly after funerals were held on Monday afternoon, Gaza militants began firing an intense barrage of rockets into Israel.

The Israeli army said on Tuesday evening that more than 460 rockets and mortar shells had been fired at southern Israel over the course of the past 25 hours  the "most intense" bombardment since the last conflict in 2014. Israels powerful Iron Dome missile defence system intercepted more than 100 of them, but dozens managed to hit Israeli towns as militants forged new tactics, pounding specific areas with intense fire overwhelming the interceptors.

The Israeli army said it had targeted approximately 160 sites in Gaza in retaliation, destroying four key sites including Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV station and several military headquarters.

Despite the destruction, Hamas's supporters celebrated in front of the bombed out al-Aqsa building on Tuesday night, singing songs and praising Gaza's leadership.

Families at home, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief knowing they avoided what could have been the fourth war in just 10 years.



Nedal, 29, who is not a Hamas supporter, said: "Palestinians have nothing to lose, we could all die anyway. So for a lot of the youth here firing hundreds of rockets at Israel testing the capabilities of the Iron Dome and ending with a ceasefire on our terms is a victory."

Residents of southern Israel protest against their government's decision to hold fire in Gaza in response to a similar decision by Palestinian militants, in Sderot, Israel ( REUTERS/ Amir Cohen) (REUTERS/ Amir Cohen)

In southern Israel near the border with Gaza, pressure mounted on Netanyahu as angry crowds gathered saying they felt betrayed by the government and chanting "Bibi go home", using a nickname for the prime minister.



Maxine Dorot, 65, a former college lecturer in Ashkelon, told The Independent that residents had gone through the worst night of rocket fire in years and felt that backing down now, without any significant gains, would mean another round of violence was sure to come.



"Here the tail is wagging the dog, everyone I know is disappointed in [Netanyahu] and his cabinet. We are now perceived as weak. I dont know any country that would allow this to go on for so far," she said.

Michael Herzog, a retired brigadier general in the Israeli army, said that many feared Israel's deterrence had been eroded if a ceasefire that meant nothing was reached. He warned that without concrete terms, it was only a matter of time before there was another round of violence.

"There is no desire to be dragged into a war every three years. People in the south are fed up. Hamas can now fire or provoke us at will whenever they feel the necessity to do so," he told The Independent.

"The ceasefire has to be complete no rockets, no balloons [tied with explosives], no attempts to breach the border fence, no tunnels. Hamas should know they stand to lose the benefits of a ceasefire if they do this."

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008, and protests and clashes along the Gaza border since 30 March have repeatedly raised fears of a fourth.

At least 234 Palestinians in Gaza have since been killed by Israeli fire, the majority during protests and clashes. Two Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period.The gravediggers lift the shrouded body delicately from the trench, just as they have done hundreds of times before. The routine is familiar by now, and yet a sombre mood falls over them as they pull back the cloth.

You can tell the fighters by their clothes, says forensic assistant Abd Arawf Al Ahmed, breaking the silence. This is not a fighter.

The examination doesnt last long. In under two minutes, Ahmed is able to determine that the deceased was a woman, in her late 20s, and that she was likely brought here from the hospital. The cause of death is unknown.The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has agreed to allow Houthi rebels to evacuate wounded fighters from the country, a move that has raised hopes ahead of peace talks planned for later this month.

The issue had been a key stumbling block in previous negotiations, but a renewed sense of urgency from the international community amid fierce fighting in the port city of Hodeidah appears to be yielding results.

The US-backed coalition launched what it said was a vast offensive last week to capture the Houthi-controlled city. Around 80 per cent of Yemens food imports arrive through Hodeidah, and the United Nations had warned that clashes in the city could trigger a famine.

The deal was announced following intensive shuttle diplomacy by foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, which saw him visit the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the internationally recognised Yemeni government in quick succession. The UK is the second-biggest exporter of arms to Saudi Arabia, behind the US.

While the agreement doesnt appear to have had a marked effect on fighting in Hodeidah, analysts said it was a step in the right direction.

Its a pretty significant success, Adam Baron, a Yemen expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations, told The Independent. The coalition was reluctant to agree to it before because they saw it as transferring fighters out of Yemen.

He added it was notable that were seeing a more muscular diplomatic policy supporting these negotiations.

Mr Hunt said he had made the trip because there was a window of opportunity to tackle what he described as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

In my meetings we have made progress in removing the largest stumbling block to previous proposed rounds of peace talks, and set out a credible path to a de-escalation of military activity, he added.

A statement from the Foreign Office said that subject to final reassurances, coalition forces will now permit the UN to oversee a Houthi medical evacuation including up to 50 wounded fighters to Oman ahead of another proposed round of peace talks in Sweden later this month.

Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives Show all 10 1 /10 Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives Emad, 14, lost both his legs in a mortar attack near Aden, Yemen Bel Trew/The Independent Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives Young trainees are schooled in how to identify mines and Improvised Explosive Devices in Mukalla, Yemen Bel Trew/The Independent Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives Information leaflets warn civilians of the dangers of landmines in Yemen Bel Trew/The Independent Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives A young boy looks out the window of a prosthetic limb and rehabilitation centre in Aden, Yemen Bel Trew/The Independent Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives Land mines IEDS, and suicide belts found by the mine clearance teams are laid out during training sessions Bel Trew/The Independent Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives This suicide belt packed with nails was made by al-Qaeda militants in south Yemen Bel Trew/The Independent Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives The de-mining teams have compiled booklets educating local populations about looking out for mines and IEDS Bel Trew/The Independent Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives Posters line the walls of a training centre alerting civilians to the dangers of mines Bel Trew/The Independent Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives These anti-tank and anti-vehicle mines are among thousands pulled out of the ground by mine clearances crews every year Bel Trew/The Independent Yemen's battle to clear the country of landmines and explosives Mine clearance crews say Al-Qaeda militants make their own suicide vests as well as victim-activated explosive devices Bel Trew/The Independent

The fighting in Yemen has killed more than 10,000 people and devastated the already impoverished country. Last week, 35 Yemeni and international NGOs called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and warned that 14 million people were now on the brink of famine.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen three years ago after Houthi rebels took over much of the country and forced out the internationally recognised government of President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

During that time at least 6,660 civilians have been killed, according to the United Nations, most of whom were victims of coalition airstrikes. The Houthis have also targeted civilians throughout the conflict, the UN says.

Coalition jets, backed by US logistical support and using weapons made in the US and the UK, have repeatedly hit targets where no militants were present.

The coalition has admitted to causing civilian casualties in the past, but attributes the deaths to unintentional mistakes, and says it is committed to upholding international law.

 Malnutrition centre in Mukalla, Yemen provides care for children suffering hunger and famine

Western backers of the Saudi-led campaign have come under increasing pressure to end arms sales to the country in recent weeks amid a growing scandal over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

During his trip, Mr Hunt met with both the Saudi king and the countrys de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman  the key architect of the Saudi intervention in Yemen.

The prince has been under intense pressure over the murder of Khashoggi, after a number of his close aides were implicated in the killing. After initially claiming that Khashoggi had left the consulate, Riyadh eventually admitted that it was planned in advance. Saudi officials deny the prince had any knowledge of the killing.Tourists have been warned to beware taxi scammers in Paris after a couple were charged nearly 250 for a journey from Charles de Gaulle airport to the French capital.

The two Thai tourists filmed the incident and uploaded it to YouTube earlier this month; the video, which shows the driver demanding 247 for the 45km ride, has since gone viral, with more than 190,000 views.

The pair were charged nearly five times the actual fare  official Paris cabs have a flat fee of 50 or 55 from the airport to anywhere on the right bank or left bank respectively.

The video shows the couple questioning the fare and refusing to pay, while the cab driver claims, Taxi in Paris is not fixed price  its by meter. He shows them an app on his phone that reads 247.

They continue to query whether he is a legal taxi driver and ask to see his licence, before suggesting they all go to the police station to sort the matter out.

The male driver becomes increasingly angry, insisting that the meter is real and saying, Its not my car, its the company, you understand?

Im not going to police. You pay me, you go to police. What is your problem? he says.

The driver claims his company is called Chauffeur Prive, a legitimate company. However, the website quotes a flat fee of 45 to get to Paris from Charles de Gaulle airport, and even its metered rate is quoted as being around 67 for that journey (a base price of 1.10 + distance, 1.10/km, + time, 0.28/min).

The Thai tourists refuse to budge, aware from friends that the journey should cost less than 70.

They offer to give him 100  still twice the normal amount  and he refuses, calling them, crazy.

He keeps repeating, You no pay me, no problem, before speeding up and ignoring the passengers questions about where he is taking them.

The fearful couple called the emergency services to report the incident while they were still in the car, attempting to describe where they were while the driver accelerated, making it challenging to describe their location.

They eventually paid 200 so he would let them out. One of the victims, Charkrid Thanhachartyothin, told Le Parisien: The doors were locked, and we had all our luggage in the trunk. He did not want to let us out, and kept driving while [supposedly] phoning his company to find a compromise.

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So, we decided to pay 200 to get out.

Charkrid wrote below the video that they want it to be a case study for other Thai people or travellers to be conscious while they are travelling.

The couple left Paris before being able to follow-up with the police, but the specialist taxi police brigade, known as Boers, is currently investigating the incident.

The fixed rate taxi fare from Pariss airport came into effect at the end of February 2016, meaning cab drivers could no longer charge by meter for these journeys. The fixed tariffs are in place even on public holidays, weekends or late at night. Illegal taxi drivers risk being fined up to 15,000 and can be jailed for up to a year.

The Paris Airport website gives tips on how to spot an official licensed taxi:Criminalising the purchase of sex is the most effective way to end demand and effectively tackle human trafficking, a report has found.

The research, which examined legislative approaches to prostitution and trafficking in six EU member states including Ireland, also recommended the decriminalisation of those in prostitution.

The Immigrant Council of Ireland partnered with agencies in Cyprus, Finland, France, Lithuania and Sweden for the two-year EU-funded project, Disrupt Demand. The report unites the findings of each country.

In Sweden, and now in France and Ireland, the laws flow from the understanding of prostitution as a form of violence against womenMonica OConnor

It found laws targeting demand will not be effective unless they are supported by clear, policy-led efforts to properly support women and girls exiting the world of sexual exploitation.

Monica OConnor, co-founder of University College Dublins Sexual Exploitation Research Project (SERP) and author of the report, said: In Sweden, and now in France and Ireland, the laws flow from the understanding of prostitution as a form of violence against women.

This means the demand to buy girls or women to supply sexual acts is not regarded as legitimate or acceptable within society.

The purchase of sex is a criminal offence, while those being exploited are decriminalised.

Ms OConnor said the Swedish approach, which was introduced in Ireland last year, has proved to be effective against trafficking and demand.

Positive outcomes for women in prostitution and for society require the state to provide adequate resources ensuring the law is fully embedded and that there is a robust statutory or policy basis for service provision and exit routes, she added.

Immigrant Council of Ireland chief executive Brian Killoran said: What is clear and has emerged from the two-year project is the crucial importance of using the law to develop a collective societal acceptance that we will not stand for the sexual exploitation of women and girls.

Mr Killoran said the report also showed that in countries with different legal frameworks, like Cyprus and Lithuania, migrant women, who constitute the majority of those being exploited in the sex trade, have fewer protections and support and are in a more vulnerable position.

A law aimed at buyers works because it puts them at risk of bringing what they do in the dark into who they are in the day, and that is a risk many will not takeMia de Faoite

The report recommended an independent national rapporteur on human trafficking should be installed in each country, like in Finland.

Activist and survivor Mia de Faoite said: This comparative report is most welcome, once again highlighting that targeting the demand through criminalising those who purchase human beings is the most effective way to reduce trafficking of women and girls into prostitution.

A law aimed at buyers works because it puts them at risk of bringing what they do in the dark into who they are in the day, and that is a risk many will not take.

We are dealing with criminal gangs who will try to find a way around the law. European nations must continue to collaborate together and learn from each other because if we do not put our minds together then the criminal minds will always have the upper hand.

Ms de Faoite said she fully supported the call for Ireland to appoint a national rapporteur.

In fact, I believe it is vital that we do so, she said.Mary Lou McDonald said said not one red cent of state money should be spent defending Martin Callinan (Niall Carson/PA)

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has called on the Government to ensure that taxpayers do not end up footing the legal costs of a former Garda commissioner implicated in a damning report on corruption in the force.

Ms McDonald said not one red cent of state money should be spent defending Martin Callinan in a case being taken by Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe.

Mr McCabe, a former Garda sergeant who retired from the force last month after being vindicated in an investigation, has initiated a civil case against the state and his former boss.

It has emerged in recent days that it is in fact the state who will pay Mr Callinans legal fees, the state, with taxpayers money, Ms McDonald told the Dail.

This is outrageous, she said.

Expand Close Martin Callinan (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook

Twitter

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Whatsapp Martin Callinan (Niall Carson/PA)

Martin Callinan is a man who went around telling people falsely and without any foundation that Maurice McCabe was a child sex abuser who should not be trusted.

As a former state employee, Mr Callinan is being represented by the state.

The Disclosures Tribunal, which was published last month, found Mr Callinan was part of a campaign of calumny against Mr McCabe, aided by his former press officer, Superintendent David Taylor.

Mr McCabe, who faced unfounded and false allegations of a sexual assault, was praised in the report by Mr Justice Peter Charleton.

In an interview, which aired on RTE on Monday night, Mr McCabe said if he had known at the outset the abuse he would suffer for lifting the lid on corruption in the Garda he would never have done it.

He said it had changed his family life completely.

Expand Close Maurice McCabe (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook

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Ms McDonald said on Tuesday: For daring to speak out and for putting his head above the parapet, Maurice was smeared and he was bullied by fellow members of An Garda Siochana.

He was the subject of the most despicable type of character assassination imaginable.

Ms McDonald said it was simply not acceptable that the state represent Mr Callinan.

Setting out to destroy Maurice McCabe was his (Mr Callinans) doing and he should face the consequences of his action, she said.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the decision to offer state representation to Mr Callinan had been made in July, prior to the publication of the Charleton report.

He said that position was now being reviewed.

Mr Varadkar said the fact that the state was providing legal representation to the former commissioner did not mean the state would pay for the defence or that there would be a defence.

I would like to see this case settled and I hope it can be settled to the satisfaction of Maurice McCabe and Lorraine sooner rather than later, he said.

Mr Varadkar added that he had asked the Attorney General to examine whether Mr Callinan or Mr Taylor could be pursued for a contribution to any damages that may be paid.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan also told the Dail that the next step was to move towards the case being settled.

Mr Flanagan said he met Mr McCabe and his wife Lorraine recently to apologise again on behalf of the state.

I also said to him that I fully accepted the findings of the tribunal so the next step now is to proceed in conjunction with the legal advisers and the attorney general towards a settlement of the actions, he said.

Labour party leader Brendan Howlin said people were frustrated at the idea that taxpayers money would be used in such a way.Jussi Nunes appointed as new Group Chief Financial Officer of Goldfields Money Limited following the recent merger with Finsure



New Group Chief Financial Officer Appointment

Perth, Nov 13, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Goldfields Money Limited ( ASX:GMY ) is pleased to announce that it has appointed Jussi Nunes as the new Group Chief Financial Officer (Group CFO). He will assume the position on 10 December 2018 and become a member of the Bank's Executive Management team. The Group CFO position is a new appointment to the Bank, with Jussi assuming overall responsibility for both the banking and aggregation activities of the group. Malcolm Cowell will continue as the CFO of the banking activities of the Bank and will report to Jussi in his new role. The former CFO of the Finsure business has left the business.Jussi Nunes is a proven financial professional with more than 18 years of experience within the banking and financial services sector. In the last 10 years he has focused on running finance functions within treasury, corporate and institutional finance divisions. Most recently Jussi has been the General Manager - Business Product Finance for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Prior to that appointment he was the Global Head of Finance - Group Treasury and Balance Sheet Trading for the ANZ Banking Group.Jussi completed a Bachelor of Science at the Royal Holloway University in the UK, before qualifying as an accountant after completing his studies with the CGMA. He is also a Member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT). He is a certified Greenbelt in Six Sigma Quality and also completed the Financial Management Program with General Electric (GE) Capital Europe."We are absolutely delighted that an experienced professional such as Jussi has decided to join our Bank in the Group CFO position, at such an important stage of our development in our digital banking journey", said Simon Lyons, Managing Director of Goldfields Money Limited. "With his impressive track record and excellent leadership skills, Jussi will be a valuable addition to the executive team of our business. He will lead a strong finance team, but will also be a great contributor to group strategy and will help us grow. "About Goldfields Money Ltd

Goldfields Money (ASX:GMY) is Australia's new revolutionary digital bank, distributing first class products through a largely branchless distribution network. A bank without the bank. This digital banking platform is built on the recently implemented mobile first, world class core banking system provided by Temenos and our proprietary mortgage distribution software "Loankit".

Goldfields is ASX listed (ASX:GMY) with two key divisions:

Banking (operates under "Goldfields Money" and "Better Choice" brands) - an APRA regulated bank that offers deposit and loan products that are funded either on-balance sheet or off-balance sheet through a range of third party lenders. Our deposits are all guaranteed by the Australian Government Deposit Guarantee for up to $250,000 per customer. We are the new approach to banking in Australia, we're honest, with transparent bank practices and a straightforward approach to you and your money. It's all yours, honestly.

Mortgage Aggregation (operates under "Finsure" and "Loankit" brands) - an ASIC regulated mortgage aggregation and software technology platform with over 1,475 loan writers as of 31 August 2018. Finsure puts brokers first and is a leader in the market in offering a diverse lending panel, flexible commission models, training, lead generation, proprietary SaaS and mortgage broker support services. Finsure was also recently named Aggregator of the Year for 2017 at the Australian Mortgage Awards.

You can read more about us at www.goldfieldsmoney.com.au and www.finsure.com.au.Leo Varadkar and Prime Minister Theresa May during a bilateral meeting in Brussels

A MAJOR breakthrough on how to manage the Irish border after Brexit has been achieved.

The EU Taskforce and British government representatives agreed to the backstop late last night, it has emerged.

While government sources in Dublin were this evening urging calm, it is understood the text is now under active consideration by UK Prime Minister Theresa May.

She decided not to present any details of a deal to her Cabinet this morning.

And in the Dail, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar attempted to play down reports that an agreement on the Irish question has been reached.

He repeatedly refused to answer questions on the reports of a deal from Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald and Labours Brendan Howlin.

Irish ministers have been notified to be on standby for a special Cabinet meeting tomorrow.

A meeting of the Irish Cabinet has been called for 9.30am to consider developments.

Mr Varadkars spokesman said: The Irish government want to allow the British government to have time and space to consider the draft agreements.

Meanwhile, in a strong indication that the DUP will vote against the deal, party leader Arlene Foster said that without an exit clause the UK would be handcuffed to the European Union with Brussels holding the keys.

She said the DUP would oppose a deal which weakens the Union.

These are momentous days and the decisions being taken will have long-lasting ramifications.

Ms Foster said it would be democratically unacceptable for Northern Ireland trade rules to be set by Brussels.

Northern Ireland would have no representation in Brussels and would be dependent on a Dublin government speaking up for our core industries, she said.

The latest version of the backstop is expected to involve a temporary UK-wide customs arrangement with the EU.

However, it will include specific provisions for Northern Ireland. The region will be more tightly aligned to EU rules. This element will face opposition from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) which props up Mrs Mays minority government.

RTE reported this evening that while the text is regarded as stable, it is still being scrutinised in London.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's spokesman has insisting "nothing has been confirmed".

"We have not been informed that an agreement has been reached."

However he added this it is "a fast moving situation" and "we know discussions have been developing".

He adds that the Irish position relating to a backstop needing to be in place "unless and until" something better is established remains.

There is now a growing expectation that Mrs May will schedule a special meeting for tomorrow.

However, a spokesperson for Tanaiste Simon Coveney told Independent.ie: Negotiations between the EU and UK on a Withdrawal Agreement are ongoing and have not concluded.

"Negotiators are still engaged and a number of issues are outstanding. We are not commenting further on leaks in the media.

More to followFailte Ireland is forecasting tourism growth of as much as 5pc in 2019, despite concerns around Brexit.

The tourism development authority unveiled its plans for 2019 - including a greater focus on business tourism, the promotion of short breaks in the off-peak season, extending festivals, and improving Ireland's international reputation as a food island.

Speaking at the unveiling of the aims, Tourism Minister Shane Ross said the "significant" additional funding secured for tourism in the Budget would play a key role in developing Ireland's tourism offering, both in improving visitor experience and diversifying into new markets.

On the subject of Brexit, the authority estimates that a worst case scenario would cost the sector between 380m and 390m.

Paul Kelly, CEO of Failte Ireland, added that the tourism industry did a slightly more limited projection, which estimated that a worst-case Brexit would have a 260m impact on the sector.

"We think one of the important impacts will be if sterling goes down, there will be a loss of visitors from overseas markets to Ireland that end up going to our nearest and closes competitor, the UK. But they are just scenarios and it really depends on the shape of the final deal."

So far this year, the island of Ireland has welcomed over 9.6 million overseas tourists and hosted 9.8 million domestic trips, generating 7.8bn in revenue. The sector now employs approximately 260,000 people, an increase of 20,000 since 2017.

Responding to questions about a potential third terminal at Dublin Airport, Mr Ross said that consultations with stakeholders on the subject were taking place "as we speak".

He added that he hoped they would conclude in January, after which a decision would be taken by the Government.

"You have to take very early decisions in terms of airport infrastructure and that decision would be taken - if we have a third terminal, it is not decided at all - but if it happens we would hope to have it in place by the early 2030s."There continues to be strong interest in Dublin office space from US and Canadian companies, according to Arlene van Bosch, the newly-appointed development director for the capital at UK property group U+I.

She said she's "quite surprised and encouraged" at the level of interest she's seen from American and Canadian companies interested in establishing satellite offices in Dublin.

"Some of the companies are projecting two or three years ahead," said Ms Van Bosch, who has relocated from U+I's London office to Dublin as the group expands its presence here.

"It's interesting to see the scale of spaces that some of the tech companies are taking," she added, pointing to confirmation from Facebook last week that it's going to lease AIB's headquarters in Dublin to transform it into a campus for as many as 9,000 employees eventually.

The social media giant employs about 4,000 people in Ireland, mostly in Dublin.

"It's a staggering amount of accommodation space, but clearly they believe that there's a great opportunity here," added Ms Van Bosch.

She said that office space brought to market by companies such as U+I has to be "world class".

U+I focuses its development on three cities: London, Manchester and Dublin.

In Dublin it has developed offices including Donnybrook House, which is currently available for lease, and is delivering a Grade A, 73,000 sq ft office called The Hive in Sandyford. That's due to be completed by the end of next summer.

It's also redeveloping Carrisbrook House in Dublin in conjunction with US investment fund Colony NorthStar.

Ms Van Bosch said that U+I is keen to expand its presence in Dublin and is "not wedded" to office developments.

"We will look at all opportunities that come up," she said.

She declined to say how much capital U+I has earmarked for Dublin. U+I is a stock market-listed company, with a 286m (328m) market capitalisation.

She said the company is keen to work on public-private partnership projects with local authorities or publicly-owned land holdesr.

"Maybe on risky sites, or contaminated sites, we could help unlock potential that maybe local authorities wouldn't have the appetite to do," she said.

Ms Van Bosch said she believes public-private partnerships can also play a role in alleviating the housing crisis.

"It's clear that there's so much undeveloped land in public ownership in Dublin and in other parts of Ireland, so there's a real opportunity for the public and private sectors to work together," she said.

"It's not just about building a mass of housing. It's about creating sustainable communities."The next great battleground is not in product differentiation, but in customer experience.

Businesses around the world and across industry are trying to cope in a new marketplace. More and more service providers are coming to terms with the reality that they cannot differentiate on product alone. As technology improves, the barriers to entry for new competitors reduce and new competitors find it easy to copy established brands, quite quickly.

So how then can organisations differentiate in this new world? The next great battleground is not in product differentiation, but in customer experience. And it's not just ordinary customer experience - Premium is the New Black. That, of course, means different things to different people in varying industries. In structured detail, this interactive course will help you to do what's right and put customer experience at the heart of your business.

Here I draw tried and tested concepts from iconic global brands across many industries who, in turn, are number one in their respective industries. I will show how you can adapt the best of what they do so that you too can achieve great customer experience strategies in your business, regardless of what industry you're in or what size you are.

The feature focuses on what is great customer experience and how to build a customer-centric culture as a default for your organisation. This applies whether you're B2C, B2B or public sector. A fundamental principle at the heart of this feature is that when a customer has a great experience they are more likely to buy from you, today and in the future and be strong advocates for your brand.

To get the most from this interactive course, I encourage you to set time aside with your team and work through each exercise in sequence, to agree what actions are right for your business.

If you'd like a PDF copy of this, email alan.oneill@kara.ie. The concepts set out here are excerpts from Premium is the New Black, my debut book available on kara.ie

Alan O'Neill is Managing Director of Kara Change Management, specialists in strategy, culture and people development. Go to kara.ie if you'd like help with your business.

Module 1

The business case for premium service

Does great customer experience really deliver sales? Lets explore weekly grocery shopping as an example. (These numbers are fictitious and are designed to illustrate a point).

Based on this example, the lifetime value of the average Eurospar customer is 240,000, and they have choices on where to spend it. Imagine if you were working in that store and a customer approached you, asking you to help them spend 240,000 all in one go? You would treat them like royalty.

But why should they be treated any differently just because theyre taking 40 years to spend it? As a Eurospar shopper browses the aisles, they make several decisions about what to buy and what not to buy. But as they walk out the door they also decide if they will return or not.

Lets use this model and apply it in a B2B world such as a beverage wholesaler of bottled beers, and minerals, whose customers are publicans and hotels. Here is what the example might look like in this industry:

Doesnt it change how you might look at each customer from now on? Far too often customers are treated as a today customer only, with no consideration for their future potential. If everyone on your team thought of every customer as a lifetime customer, it would change behaviours instantly.

Do this exercise now for your own business

1 What is your customers average age? (If relevant) A1

2 What is your customers average transaction value? A2

3 How frequently in a year do they spend this amount? A3

4 What is their value per year (A2 x A3)? A4

5 For how many more years are they likely to be a customer? A5

6 Multiply A4 x A5 to get the lifetime value of your customer A6

What if customers have a poor experience?

The above scenarios illustrate the commercial value of giving great customer experience. On the other hand, what are the implications for your business if your customers have poor experiences with you? Does it really matter?

Here is an interesting challenge that should make you take this seriously. The percentages differ across industry, but this example tells a story nevertheless.

If the numbers for your business are anything like this, then you have to admit that you have a problem. These defectors were also asked why they defected. A massive 71pc of them said it was due to the quality of their interaction, ie the service level they did or didnt get.

So in a nutshell  if you do not prioritise service and if you get it wrong, youll lose customers. That makes it harder for you to grow. Undoubtedly, you already have a strategy for getting new business  but what is your separate strategy thereforefor retaining your existing customers? There is, of course, the added emotional benefit of giving great customer experience. Its a really nice and proud feeling when you know that customers are happy with you.

Key Questions for You

1 Is customer service on your radar?

2What is the lifetime value of your average customer?

3What is your actual or estimated customer- defection rate?

4What are you doing about it?

5How much of this have you communicated to your own people?

MODULE 2

What is customer experience?

For a customer experience to be great, we have to think of the whole experience at every customer touchpoint. Using the analogy of a three-legged stool, the legs are represented by Product, People and Place (place referring to the physical environment for B2Cs  and route to market for B2Bs). In a nutshell, your customers have expectations of a certain standard for each leg. But if one leg of the stool is missing, the customers experience is less than expected. This is a superb tool to help you communicate your standards to your own people.

Product n What level of quality and pricing?

What range of sizes, packs, colours and style?

PEOPLE

How many people are needed?

What behaviours do we expect?

PLACE

What standard of housekeeping?

What is the most appropriate delivery schedule?

The stool on its own, however, is not enough. You also need to consider your positioning in the competitive marketplace. For example, the three-legged stool will work for a motor dealer regardless of whether they are selling high-end vehicles or low-end ones. Clearly both are poles apart in terms of price and quality however. Therefore, the brand positioning matrix should be used in conjunction.

Brand Positioning Matrix  linked to level of service

Your brand DNA should set the context and inform the standards for your product, people and place.

The answers are determined by what your desired brand DNA is. Your brand DNA is the core reference point and umbrella for every business. It informs what good looks like for product, people and place. To further help you define your brand DNA and as a quick visual way to communicate it internally, plot your business in the price/service quality matrix on the right.

Example for illustration purposes

Generally speaking  in the airline industry, Airline A would be in the top- right-hand corner and, by comparison, Airline B would be in the middle bottom. Generally speaking again, a Michelin starred restaurant would be in the top-right-hand quadrant and a fast food restaurant would be in the bottom-left one.

How to use this for your business

Start by listing all of the main competitors in your sector. Take the most prominent competitor and rate it on both scales ie product and quality and put their initials in the appropriate quadrant. For example, if competitor A scores 8 on price and 4 on quality, then insert A in bottom-right-hand quadrant. Now using that first competitor as a baseline, complete the exercise and measure all other competitors against that baseline. Leave your own organisation to last. By plotting everyone in the matrix, youll get a visual picture of your competitive set.

What does it tell you? Are you happy with where you sit? Are your competitors better differentiated and positioned than you? Does it prompt you to rethink your offer for differentiation purposes? The stool provides a possible set of questions and your desired positioning in the matrix will provide the answers.

Now consider where your optimum new position should be in the matrix. Do you need to make more changes? Know that there is a global movement in customer experience and organisations the world over are trying to improve their proposition. Excellence in customer experience is on the agenda of every organisation I work with. If you dont focus on it, youll be exposed for not matching your customers expectations. You simply have no choice but to improve your proposition.

As you read this, your competitors are having similar thoughts about this topic and they too recognise the need to improve their proposition. Doing nothing as they improve, therefore, means that you risk going backwards.

Key Questions for You

1 Where do you sit in the competitive positioning matrix and where do you aspire to be in the future?

2 How can you make the 3Ps relevant for your business?

3 What is your USP under each of the 3Ps?

MODULE 3

Deliver premium service through product

Although differentiating on product alone is difficult, product is of course very important. It is the backbone to what drives business and profitability for most organisations. What are the things that you need to consider, to make you relevant for your market segment? What does good look like for you?

1 Price architecture

Customers need choice while organisations need sales. Retailers marry these two by focusing on price architecture, ie good, better and best. For example, a cookshop wont just stock one model of frying-pan. They might stock Prestige (good entry price level); Stellar (better or mid-price); and Fissler (best or premium range). By having this wide range of prices, theyll appeal to a wider audience and fulfil their expectations. It also gives the salesperson more opportunity to up-sell. We introduced this concept to a professional services provider and its driving more sales.

2 Category killers

A category killer is where an organisation has developed the best edit for a category of product/service. The opportunity here is one of ownership in a chosen category, which is about being the destination and having real authority for that category.

Selfridges in London has the largest collection of ladies shoes in Europe. Recognising the potential in shoes from a sales perspective and as a footfall driver, it invested heavily in space, shopfit, merchandise edit and marketing. You might say that Selfridges owns shoes and is the destination for shoes in London.

3 Exclusivity and newness

We live in an age where customers expect and are inspired by the next best thing. And for some sectors of the market, customers want something that is different. Exclusivity and newness might refer to a product or service, a way of working, new promotion, new advertisement or catchphrase  or whatever other concept might make products stand out.

4 Samples, tastings and testers

Customers expect and like to imagine what it will be like to own your product. Thats why shops have fitting rooms and motor dealers encourage test drives. The masters of this practice are the beauty product houses. They have lots of testers on display at their counters for consumers to interact with. This practice is not just limited to retail, it will work for B2Bs also.

5 Sizes, pack sizes and out-of-stocks

Pack sizes are influenced by a number of factors  packaging cost savings, delivery cost efficiencies, shelf size, product safety and picking efficiencies. But whats optimum for your customer? When did you last check? Rather than just doing the maths from your own perspective, consider the implications for your customer. Likewise, if your customer orders something from you that is temporarily unavailable, tell them.

6 Best and worst Sellers

Your customers will take comfort and reassurance from your honesty when you tell them that something is a bestseller. But be careful as it doesnt mean that its okay to lie and pretend that a dog is a bestseller. As a short-term response, customers might believe you and buy. But if their purchase does not suit their needs they will be upset with you afterwards.

Key Questions for You

What categories can you dominate?

Does your product range match your aspired position in the competitive marketplace?

Do you have a sensible range of products or services at varying price levels?

Do you know what your competitors are doing that is giving them an advantage?

MODULE 4

Deliver premium service through place

Place can mean different things depending on your business model.

n Your place  this is when a customer comes to your premises, such as a restaurant, hotel, retailer, motor dealer, bank, government department, hospital, clinic, solicitors office, etc. In these cases, place is everything to do with the physical environment. (B2Cs)

n Customers place  this is where you are delivering your physical or digital goods to your customers premises, such as if you are a manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, tradesman, consultant, developer, etc. Then place is more about your route to market. (Usually B2Bs).

1 Access, housekeeping, hygiene standards, and health and safety

Your car park, entrance doorway and reception of your premises should be clear, uncluttered, welcoming and easy to access. How would you feel if you arrived in to a store and the aisles were cluttered or too narrow for you and your childs buggy, or if the floors, ceiling or walls were dirty? The customer is intent on spending money with you, so treat them with the respect that they deserve. Whatever business you are in and wherever you aspire to be in your competitive matrix, when is it ever OK to have poor standards? Why not step outside and walk back in to your own premises with the mind of a customer. What do you see? What would you change?

2 Merchandising standards

Visual merchandising is the manipulation of attractive displays, merchandising to engage customers and to boost sales. Merchandising is about presenting your product in its best possible way to appeal to the customer. This might be a physical product on a shop floor, a set of brochures on an exhibition stand, or the credentials presenter in the hand of an estate agent. In all cases, you need to think about visual appeal.

3 Signage

There are three tiers of hierarchy for signage,

1 Navigational  to help you move around a large space such as an exhibition, department store or hotel

2 Category  to clearly identify product categories, eg to separate laptop computers, smart phones

3 Product signage, to explain the product specifications

4 Adjacencies in retail

When you go to do your weekly grocery shopping, you are unlikely to find the detergents on the same shelf as the bread. Apart from the health and safety issue, it just doesnt make sense. To address this, you have to get inside the mind of your customer and their buying journey. Non-retailers can learn from this too. Find cross-selling opportunities in whatever way you can, such as your website, brochures, correspondence and other collateral.

5 Ambience and senses

Today we know so much more about how customers buy. We know, for example, that customers are often influenced more by emotional (heart) issues than practical (head) issues. The use of senses can impact that, which are sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.

6 Effort

In this time-poor world we live in, customers will punish you if they have to apply more effort than is reasonable to buy from you. That might apply to the waiting time on a call, the queuing time in a bank, the difficulty in getting to your premises, parking challenges, public transport constraints, online purchases, return policy, and so on.

7 Wifi

One of the first things that people do when they arrive to a new place, destination or venue, is to check for wifi. Always-connected is a new reality in their lives and businesses might ignore this at their peril.

8 Order process

If you are a B2B such as a distributor, manufacturer, tradesman, consultant, estate agent, then place is more about your route to market and how well that represents your brand. Do you offer choice that suits your customer such as online ordering, telephone or face-to-face?

9 Deliveries

In some businesses, the only person that a customer meets on a regular basis is the delivery person. If that person is employed or contracted by the company, they should be trained on their role in delivering great experiences. Grooming, tone, language, behaviour all have an impact. If you outsource the service, then you should agree an SLA (service level agreement) with the outsource provider to ensure that your customers get an experience that reflects your brand.

Key Questions for You

Is place sufficiently on your radar?

Does your place reflect your brand DNA?

Do you know what elements of your place are important to your customer?

What is best practice in your sector?

Module 5

Deliver premium service through people

Often when the 3Ps are weighted, People comes out as the most important. While Product and Place are of course important, on their own they will not make a customer feel special. Only a person can do that. What are the key touchpoints for when your people interact with your customers? What does good look like?

Every person needs to know how you expect then to behave with customers. They need a sufficient level of knowledge to their job. They need to have a positive attitude and of course they need an appropriate set of skills to do the job that is expected of them.

Knowledge

In this age where customers have access to so much information, what knowledge do your customer-facing people need in order to really help and sell to customers? They should at least have more product knowledge than the customer can find on the internet. They should know your best and worst sellers, supply chain, out-of-stocks and your customers. They should know your processes, rules and regulations and they should know your competition.

What are the risks if your people dont have this knowledge? How will it affect their confidence? How will it affect customer service and sales? Every organisation has its own set of unique answers to these questions, so the responsibility of ensuring your people have this knowledge lies with you.

Attitude

When morale is good and your people have a positive attitude, that usually translates to customers getting a good experience. Customers will notice a bad or negative attitude instantly by the way they are treated. Now you can teach your people everything that they need to know and you may even train them on relevant skills. But if they dont have the right attitude, then all the training in the world wont make a difference. A poor attitude permeates and infects the team. So hire the right people for their attitude and then train them on the required skills.

Skill  The 3Cs

Every single customer-facing person in your organisation should be trained on the 3Cs of great customer service.

Connect  Smile and greet each customer in a friendly way

Consult  Engage with the customer to establish and satisfy their needs

Conclude  Show appreciation for the business and thank the customer

This is a simple mantra for all your people and it applies to all forms of customer interactions; on the telephone, in-person, webchat, emails. Ive studied customer complaints over the years and I can vouch that most complaints are to do with rudeness and unfriendliness. Even though in our society we have become less formal and more relaxed, it doesnt mean that basic manners shouldnt prevail.

What behaviours are appropriate?

Intermingled with the 3Cs, we should be conscious of behaviours too. You need to think through what the appropriate behaviours are for your organisation, based on your brand DNA and the expectations in your industry. But youre unlikely to go wrong with these generic behaviours.

Courtesy  This is about the please and thank you that your parents taught you as a child. Be nice and ensure a pleasant tone of voice.

Efficiency  Most customers are under pressure for time and they dont appreciate unnecessary delays. Make sure you show respect with a sense of urgency.

Finesse  It is never okay to be gruff or sloppy with your customer. Even if you position yourself low on price, its never okay to be rude, or dismissive with your customer.

Key Questions for You

1 Have you thought about how you want your customers to be treated by your own people?

2 Have you defined the competencies for each role using knowledge, attitude and skills?

3 Have you communicated your standards to all of your people, both new and existing?

4 Have you trained them on how to interact or sell to your customers, in line with your desired brand positioning?

Module 6

Seek and measure customer feedback

Some organisations measure their service by the number of complaints that they get. If the number is reducing, that of course is a good measure. But that assumes that every customer that has a bad experience will actually tell you. Here are some other means to measure your customers experience.

Mystery shopping  This is a service that is provided by an external service provider. Questions are agreed in advance that reflect a great customer experience. The agency usually has a panel of contractors or professional shoppers who are then requested to carry out an agreed number of interactions with your business. The scores are then collated and presented back to the client.

Observation  Once the service has been defined, agreed, and communicated to all, managers should take time out every now and then to simply observe how customers are being spoken to and treated by front-line personnel. After observing, managers should then follow up with the colleague and give them feedback, regardless of whether it is good or bad.

One-to-ones and focus groups  Making proactive contact with a customer and asking them how do you feel about our service today? or how could we improve our service for you? is very effective. Direct and immediate feedback is valuable if done with authenticity. Customers will immediately recognise you genuinely want to know how they feel and will give you essential feedback.

Focus groups will do the same thing. But be careful as if they are not facilitated, they can become very negative. Pick candidates that are individual in thought that dont just go along with others because they dont want to be disagreeable.

Suggestion box  A suggestion box is good for getting quick and short comments. They typically ask a short few questions about the experience. The mix of questions vary and there is no universal pattern to them. But there is one question that will have the most value to you! And it is this Mr/Ms customer, thank you for shopping/dining/staying with us today. We try hard to give you the best experience we can. What is the one thing we could improve on in the future?. That will focus the customer and they will more than likely give you a valuable comment.

Surveys  Surveys are a structured way of getting the customers written views on their experience, using a structured set of questions that mirrors their experience at key touch points. For B2C organisations that will include the whole shopping/dining experience. For B2Bs, that should include all touch-points form the time of ordering all the way through to deliveries.

Surveys are a powerful way of identifying strengths and weaknesses in your proposition and will help you to improve.

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Net promoter score (NPS) is a new way of measuring customer loyalty and is widely adopted by large and small corporations around the globe. NPS is calculated based on responses to a single question How likely is it that you would recommend xxxx product/service to a friend or colleague?. This question is considered to be the most important question, as after all, customers are unlikely to recommend their bad experiences to their friends. The NPS score gives you a sense of how the customer is feeling after their interaction. It doesnt give you the reason why, so other questions are of course critical to establish their reasons.

Post-Feedback Corrective Actions

Having a way of measuring what your customers think of you enables you to take corrective action accordingly. If you dont take action, then whats the point in measuring?

Key Questions for You

If customer feedback is being discussed at your board meetings, that of course is a good thing. But are you also exploring the causes?

Are corrective actions being taken to prevent recurrence?

Module 7

The last word for leaders

How do organisations such as Disney, Harley-Davidson and Amazon continually score highest in the world for excellent customer experiences and sales? How do Irish companies such as the Credit Union, Primark and Specsavers achieve similar accolades? It starts at the top. The common denominator is that their leaders know customer experience is the new battleground, and its a top priority for them. I have no doubt that this applies to B2B companies too. Here are my last words as a message to business leaders.

1 Set a vision for your business that puts customer experience at the heart of all decision-making. Work with your teams to agree what good looks like at every touchpoint in your customers journey.

2 Recognise that your people have the biggest part to play in delivering this. Hire people that share this as a value. Take time to communicate your expectations to everyone. Train and retrain on the skills.

3 Be a role-model for great customer service yourself.

4 Look to overcome whatever obstacles are preventing great customer experiences.

5 To ensure consistency 24/7, monitor and take corrective actions.

Im firmly convinced that when customers get a great experience, theyre more likely to buy from you today, come back in the future and recommend you to a friend. The numbers shown in Module 1 also illustrate the impact on your sales.

The ideas here do not have to cost much money. Dont fall into the trap of thinking that excellent customer experience is just for the top hotels or companies with deep pockets. Its a proven enabler of success for businesses across all industries and all sizes. Excellence is a relative term, so if your profile is to be 2-,3-,4- or 5-star, be the best you can be in your space.Britain has "it will be alright on the night attitude to Brexit", chair of the agri-food committee of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce Maree Gallagher has said.

Ms Gallagher told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture that she doesnt think the British are as prepared for Brexit as Irish agri-food exporters are.

I do not think their level of preparedness is anywhere near where it should be, they seem to have an 'it will be alright on the night attitude,' she said.

Our sense is that the British government has not done as much work as the Irish government in terms of planning for a no deal Brexit. In terms of a business scenario, we have been discussing supply chain issues and how can we support trade for a long time now.

CEO of the Irish Exporters Association Simon McKeever said that there is still danger of a crash out , despite talks of a Brexit deal being signed off on.

"Theres very little positive outcomes to Brexit. Weve done a lot of work creating awareness on it. Weve done a lot of work on a promoting a deal and not a crashing out, but there is,still a grave danger of a crash out," he said.

Mr McKeever pointed out that trade deals have become the holy grail for the British government since they have decided to jeopardise their trading relationship with the EU but that they may not find it that easy to make deals because of this/

I think be more difficult for them to get trade deals than they believe, but there is very little awareness there, he added.

Both Ms Gallagher and Mr McKeever called for the introduction of state aid across the EU to help all economies and particularly economies like Ireland that will be the most exposed to Brexit consequences.

Irish companies have not had to consider customs for the last forty years, customs regulation is timely and paper filling and an administrative burden. Companies will need support, Ms Gallagher explained.Ornua's board meeting which was due to take place tomorrow has been postponed due to 'governance issues' at board level.

A spokesperson for Ornua told FarmIreland: "The directors are currently considering certain governance matters at board level and this months board meeting has been postponed."

A new date for the board meeting has not yet been confirmed.

The ongoing dispute between Ornua and Glanbia was expected to click up a gear at the meeting that was scheduled to take place tomorrow.

The differences between the dairy companies were prompted by the recent launch of Glanbia's Truly Grass Fed dairy range in the US.

Matters have deteriorated further following the move to Glanbia of a former senior staff member at Ornua's US office. Glanbia Co-op is a shareholder in Ornua, like most other dairy co-ops, and is represented on the dairy marketing body's board.

In launching its Truly Grass Fed cheese, Glanbia has been accused of targeting Ornua's Kerrygold brand, and its lucrative market share in the US. Glanbia rejects this assertion.

Ornua chief executive John Jordan reiterated at last week's ICOS conference that Kerrygold's market position in the US would be defended, but conceded that this battle could inevitably erode value for the Irish dairy industry.

Glanbia's launch of the Truly Grass Fed brand has been strongly criticised by the farm organisations.Agriculture currently accounts for over 33pc of overall emissions in Ireland

In a new climate change submission to the Government, the Irish Farmers Association has sought a re-examination of the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

IFA Environment Chairman Thomas Cooney said, the submission restates IFAs opposition to further carbon taxes on the sector, which are directly impacting on farmings competitiveness without reducing climate emissions.

He said the submission also highlights what he describes as the multiple and sometimes competing roles that farmers have as food, fuel and energy producers, while he says at the same time they are being required to enhance the environment.

Farmers in Ireland have a proud record as carbon efficient food producers. We can and will do more, particularly in the resource efficiency and renewables areas.

However, this depends on strong Government support and a fully funded CAP to meet the increased environmental and climate requirements.

IFA has called on Government to re-examine the climate metrics applied when calculating methane, given the short-lived behaviour of methane in the atmosphere.

It also wants C02 emission reductions through natural carbon sinks, such as forests and permanent pastures, should be included in the overall measurement of the contribution of emissions from the sector.

Agriculture currently accounts for over 33pc of overall emissions in Ireland. Earlier this year, Ireland committed to reducing its emissions by 30pc by 2030. In 2017 the Citizens Assembly recommended for a carbon tax to be introduced in agriculture to incentivise emissions reduction.

The move is likely to draw ire of environmental campaigners. Just last week, Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan told representatives of the Department of Agriculture at an Oireachtas meeting that it cant keep calling Irish agriculture efficient when emissions are rising.

The truth is agriculture emissions are rising and there are no plans to cut them. We are not ambitious enough on what we are doing. Lets not go with this story that we are the most efficient. Farmers are not served well in current systems, its the PLCs and not the people who are benefitting, he said.

Environmental groups have also been heavily critical of the expansion of the Irish dairy sector which they claim is sabotaging Irelands ability to meet our targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

An Taisce has called for an immediate impact assessment of climate change and sustainability targets be undertaken of the Goverment's agri-food sector strategy FoodWise 2025. This it says must focus on reducing total sector emissions, which it claims is almost certainly impossible without reducing cattle numbers.

Meanwhile, dairy farmer and Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association President, Pat McCormack, said that Minister Bruton was correct in facing the CO2 reductions problem head-on.

However, he cautioned against theories which had farming and commercial food production as a problem that could not be part of the solution and moved Ireland into what Mr McCormack said was a completely false either/or choice where we either have a commercial farming and food production sector and excessive carbon production, or we dismantle our farming and food production sectors, meet our carbon reduction targets, but wipe out the economic basis of most of the state outside the cities and larger towns.To date the company has raised in excess of 10m (Stock image)

MagGrow, a Dublin-based agricultural technology company, has raised 3m in funding.

The capital will be used to accelerate growth in target markets.

Funds will also be allocated to research and development initiatives both internally, and with third party research partners, to further explore the science behind the companys technology.

The company, which works on solving the issues of spray drift and poor coverage in the spraying of pesticides on crops for customers, said that the funds had come from both new and existing investors.

"We are delighted with the support our existing investors have shown for the MagGrow business and we welcome our most recent new investors," Gary Wickham, CEO of MagGrow, said.

"To date the company has raised in excess of 10m to fund the development of its current product portfolio and successfully launch in a number of key markets."

"This latest investment will allow us to support our customers increasing requirements, accelerate our sales growth and ensure we continue to invest in the development of the underlying technology which has been a core strength of this business since the start," he added.

Since its establishment in 2013 the business has worked with a number of academic institutions including Wageningen University in the Netherlands, Harper Adams University in the UK, and most recently Trinity College.

Additionally, it has launched its own crop science centre at Farm 491 where the companys latest product innovations are tested and released.

The group employs over 25 people and currently operates in the USA, Canada, Europe and South Africa.The Fair Deal scheme could still end up being ruled out as an option for nursing home care by many elderly farmers, despite the Government's bid to make it more attractive.

Agricultural solicitor and tax consultant Aisling Meehan warned proposed changes may not make much difference. She warned farmers will always be resistant to participating in any scheme where there is a risk land may have to be sold.

The comments came following revelations proposals to cap the contribution farmers and small business owners have to make under the scheme have been delayed to iron out legal issues.

Ms Meehan said while the proposals were welcome, typically a farmer doesn't want to risk 1pc of their farm, never mind the proportion that may have to be sold off under the Fair Deal scheme.

The scheme provides financial help for people who need long-term nursing care, with those taking part making a contribution, while the State pays the balance.

An assessment of a person's income and assets is done to decide what someone should pay. There are two elements to the contribution - 80pc of a person's income, typically a pension, and 7.5pc of the value of their assets per annum.

A person's principle residence is counted as an asset, but only for three years.

But there is no three-year cap at present for farms or family businesses and, in theory, someone who stays in nursing home care for a decade could end up owing 75pc of their farm or business to the State.

The Government is now planning to apply the three-year, or 22.5pc, cap to farms and family businesses if they continue to be operated by a close relative.

But Ms Meehan said she was unsure if the changes would make much difference as many farmers are transferring land while they are alive, rather than leaving it in a will.

"They want to have it transferred over before the child or nephew or niece is 35 to save on stamp duty. The biggest driver of farm transfers is the fear of a risk of a farm being taken into account in the Fair Deal scheme," she said.

Meanwhile, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association president Pat McCormack welcomed a commitment that the proposed cap will apply retrospectively. He said this was important for farm families affected by the current rules of the scheme.

The scheme change should be retrospective to all current participants in the interest of fairness, he said.

"In addition, we would think it is important that the legislation is passed as soon as possible to remove any uncertainty for people impacted by this change and to ensure that family farms can pass from one generation to the next in a financial stable and viable manner," he said.Tony Martin was subject to international media attention after he killed a burglar on his farm in 1999 ( PA )

A farmer who shot a dead a teenage burglar has revealed that he has no regrets over the incident and would do it again.

Tony Martin sparked a national debate in 1999 after he killed 16-year-old Fred Barras on his remote Norfolk farm. While many argued that he had the right to defend his home, others branded him a dangerous vigilante.

The farmer, who slept with a shotgun under his bed after his home was targeted in a string of burglaries, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison after the jury rejected his claim of self-defence.

However, Mr Martin was released from prison in 2003 after his murder conviction was downgraded to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.

The story, which made headlines across the globe, is the inspiration for Channel 4 dramatisation, The Interrogation, which will air this weekend.

Directed by Dave Nath, it uses the transcripts from Mr Martins police interviews following his arrest to give viewers an insight into the man as well as the crime.

After years of avoiding the press attention, Mr Martin, now 74, has given his first broadcast interview about the case.

At the end of the drama he is seen visiting to the boarded-up farmhouse, which he still owns, but has not lived in since the night of the shooting.

He admits he chooses to live with friends because he fears he will react violently should he be burgled again.

I don't want to get locked up. If I'm in the house and somebody comes in the house, I'm going to look after myself, he told the programme.

If you think I'm going to stand there and ask them what they're doing, I'm not that stupid.

Asked if he was troubled by Freds death, he admitted that he didnt give his victim a second thought because what goes around, comes around.

When I was his age I lived with my grandparents  didn't go breaking into bloody houses 16 miles down the road.It is goodbye Daisy, Buttercup, Marigold and Henrietta.

Well, not quite, as most modern dairy cows answer to a three-figure number stamped on their backsides, but 60 years of milk production at Venn Farm will come to an end on Tuesday and the headline Dairy farmer wins Gold Cup will not be applicable should Colin Tizzards Native River win the big race again in March.

Avid readers of Farmers Weekly will be all over this but, from 3am tomorrow, the wagons will have been rolling into Venn Farm, Milborne Port, to ship 250  mainly Friesian  dairy cows to Sedgemoor market near Bridgwater where they will come under the hammer at 11am.

The last pint has been coaxed from the last milker and, from now on, should Colin need some for his porridge, he will have to get it from the shops. So, it is with mixed emotions that he will see the cows, the parlour, their cubicles and the bulk tank sold off.

The dairy was started by his father in the 1950s and Colin has run it for nearly 30 years. Ive been a dairy farmer all my life, he said, and it has got us to where we are now, but it is a business decision. Weve invested in the racing yard at Spurles Farm but havent done so much at Venn. To attract decent staff wed need a new parlour, drains and youd be looking at a 750,000 investment.

After Tizzard sent out just the five winners on Sunday, fellow trainers should be worried that now he can give his full attention to his horses. However, he did admit it was five years since he grappled with an udder, with son Joe in charge.

He is not, however, getting out of cows altogether. He is switching to beef production. Dairy is a bit like the horses, he said, its 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Beef is a part-time job.

Hear's a winner in Ryalex

One-eyed horses are relatively common  one-eared less so. But Lucinda Russells Ryalex, a winner at Carlisle on Monday, stands out from a crowd of bay geldings because he is missing his left lug.

Apart from hearing, ears on horses are useful to help the bridle stay in place but Ryalex, who lost one when he got his head stuck in the cattle pen in which he was stabled in Ireland prior to his purchase, has perfect hearing and his bridle never looked like falling over his head on Monday.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]The survey of 1,000 adults found that one in five Irish people will do the majority of their Christmas shopping on the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, while a further 37pc are considering it. Stock image

Irish shoppers have embraced 'Black Friday' and 'Cyber Monday', eagerly participating in the traditional American shopping bonanza, according to research from global consulting group PwC.

Black Friday is the informal name given for the day following Thanksgiving in the United States, which this year falls on November 22.

The survey of 1,000 adults found that one in five Irish people will do the majority of their Christmas shopping on the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, while a further 37pc are considering it.

Unlike most shopping, the majority of retail activity over the two days will be done online, with one in three consumers using a desktop computer as their main shopping channel, and a similar number using a smartphone to purchase goods.

"With retailers and brands going through so much transformation, the survey highlights that Black Friday/Cyber Monday and run-up to Christmas offers great shopping and business opportunities," said PwC retail & consumer practice director Owen McFeely. "Retailers need to ensure they get their fair share of the action," he added.

While increasing numbers of people are shopping online it is not all bad news for shop owners. It appears that Christmas shopping at least, is still mainly done in-store, with 58pc of consumers doing the bulk of their Christmas shopping on the main street.

In contrast, the UK in particular is facing very difficult trading conditions on its main streets, with a report last week confirming that approximately 14 shops a day are closing.

Speaking about the number of store closures in the UK Graeme McQueen, head of public affairs at the Dublin Chamber, said that it was "definitely" of concern, however he stressed that it was important to differentiate between Ireland and the UK.

"There is still a big role to play for the bricks and mortar stores in Ireland," Mr McQueen said.

He added that shop owners are having to rethink how they do things.

"Better customer care, creating a better customer experience, making sure that everything is top notch, to get customers to spend and come back is key," he said.

Promoted: See the latest offers and deals on Independent Discounts

In terms of what could be done to assist shop owners, Mr McQueen said that rates were one of the biggest costs for businesses, adding that local authorities have to make sure that rates and other utility costs were not rising too fast.

Overall, he said that there were a lot of positives in the sector, with businesses putting a lot of money into their shops.

In general, the report found that Irish consumers are also broadly positive about the economy with a quarter of respondents believing that Ireland's economy will perform better in the year ahead and a further 50pc believe it will perform the same as this year.

Additional reporting PAEarnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortisation at Eir have increased 11pc year-on-year to 138m in the three months to 30 September.

This is despite the group reporting a 1pc fall in revenue to 312m.

Operating costs were down 12pc to 108m for the three month period, according to a trading update from the business.

Meanwhile the group had cash on its balance sheet of 170m at 30 September, up 44m year-on-year.

"We have begun a new financial year with another set of strong financial and operational results," Carolan Lennon, Eir chief executive, said.

"Our first quarter performance was underpinned by solid growth momentum coupled with a continued increase in operational efficiency."

"These results clearly demonstrate how Eir is continuing on its transformational journey to become a leaner, more agile operation, with a focus on investment in infrastructure and people."

The group now has 78,000 Eir Vision customers, up 4,000 or 5pc year-on-year.

However its mobile customers fell by 11,000 to 1,046,000 people.

The group's broadband base totalled 925,000 customers at 30 September 2018, growing by 22,000 or 2pc year-on-year, driven by growth in both retail and wholesale divisions.

Earlier this week Eir announced plans to invest 150m in rolling out 4G mobile broadband that will cover 99pc of Ireland's geographical territory within two years.

This is the first time that a mobile operator has offered universal land coverage. Where the signal is strong enough, 4G can be used for home broadband.

Eir's move comes as the Government wrestles with possible alternatives to the stalled National Broadband Plan (NBP), which is awaiting a report from auditor Peter Smyth this week to determine whether it can proceed.IRISH Stock Exchange owner Euronext aims to make cost savings of 8m at its new Irish arm, but has no plans to cut the staff numbers further.

The savings planned are up from 6m in anticipated synergies when the Irish Stock Exchange agreed a sale to Euronext for 137m a year ago.

Half the expected savings will come through the agreed early termination of a trading services contract provided by Deutsche Borse to the Irish Stock Exchange and a move over to Euronext's own Optiq service, Euronext said.

Speaking as the company unveiled its third-quarter results yesterday, Giorgio Modica, chief financial officer at Euronext, said a very small fraction of the 8m of savings had been achieved so far.

"You should expect the bulk of it coming in the next two to three quarters," Mr Modica said.

"Conversely, when it comes to restructuring cost, around two-thirds of the restructuring costs have been already provisioned in the profit and loss account through exceptional items in the last quarters," he added.

Earlier this year Euronext confirmed that the Paris-based company will cut around 20 jobs in Dublin, something that had been flagged at the time of the takeover.

However Mr Modica said yesterday that the drive for cost savings would not lead to any further job losses in Ireland.

The company added that the integration of the Irish Stock Exchange was proceeding "according to plan".

Commenting on reports that it is moving the settlement of Irish shares to Brussels post-Brexit, Stephane Boujnah, CEO of Euronext, said that the group has had "very productive" discussions with the market participants involved, as well as the Central Bank, and the Department of Finance to build the most appropriate solution.

The objective of the dialogue is to maximise continuity and to minimise operational difficulties for the various users of settlement custody services, Mr Boujnah said. "We are confident that within a very short time frame we will be able to go public with a solution that makes everyone comfortable," he added.

Euronext reported a 26pc increase in earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortisation to 88m in the three months to 30 September. Group revenue rose 17pc year-on-year to 150.9m during the three-month period. Dublin contributed 8.1m to revenue during the quarter.

The group reported listing revenue of 27.8m, up 37.6pc, driven by the consolidation of Euronext Dublin and incremental contribution from corporate services.Jameson are calling for graduates "with serious character" to become international brand ambassadors for the firm over a three year period.

The programme, which is split into two placements abroad, involves the graduate acting as an advocate for the Irish brand within local markets.

Since it was established in 1991, over 400 graduates have completed the Jameson International Graduate Programme, gaining experience in areas including marketing, sales, digital and event management.

A marketing or business background is not essential for graduates applying to the programme and four weeks induction training is given prior to the international rotatation.

Head of the programme Sinead DArcy said that it has evolved over the past number of years "to meet the changing needs and expectations of graduates in an increasingly competitive jobs market".

"Every year we look for driven, charismatic and creative graduates, from a range of diverse backgrounds, to serve as brand ambassadors in cities across the world," she said.

"The programme provides graduates with the resources to establish the brand in a seed market or accelerate the brands growth in an established one, while building professional confidence and competence."

Ms D'Arcy said that the group is looking for graduates with "serious character" to apply.

Applications for the 2019/20 Jameson International Graduate Programme close on Wednesday January 16 at 1pm.

Those wishing to apply for the Jameson International Graduate Programme can do so at: https://www.jamesongraduateprogramme.com/how-to-apply/Ladbrokes operates 141 of its own outlets in Ireland, having closed more than 50 in 2015 following an examinership process. Photo: PA

UK betting group Ladbrokes is likely to terminate all its on-course bookmaking activity in Ireland after the betting tax was doubled to 2pc in the latest Budget.

The betting firm also sponsors some races at certain fixtures at those racecourses. However, Ladbrokes Ireland director Jackie Murphy said that the race sponsorship at locations where it exits the on-course betting shops will also cease.

It will also slow investment in its Main Street estate. Ms Murphy told the Irish Independent that the costs of operating the on-course betting shops as a result of the increase will make them unviable. She claimed it's unlikely that any other operator will take them over once Ladbrokes' contracts expire, unless they want to operate them on a loss-making basis.

"I would be surprised if anyone else goes into them," she said. "No one would be doing it to make money."

Ladbrokes operates betting shops at eight racecourses: Galway, Limerick, Killarney, Punchestown, Listowel, Navan, Gowran Park and Clonmel. Ms Murphy said that existing contracts on some of those on-course betting shops expire later this year or early next year, while Punchestown runs until 2020. She said that Ladbrokes pays either a fixed rent or profit share to operate the outlets. The contracts are held with the individual racecourses.

She acknowledged that smaller racecourses may come under pressure as a result of the decision to cease race sponsorship at courses where it has betting shops.

Ladbrokes does not sponsor any races at Galway, but has operated the betting shop there since about 1995. It's operated the Limerick outlet for about 10 years, and Punchestown for seven years. Turnover at each of the outlets varies widely.

Ms Murphy said that a race day at Killarney might see a its on-site betting shop take 6,000 in bets, but the figure could be as high as 60,000 at Punchestown, depending on the event.

She said it's possible that Ladbrokes may seek to retain the contract at Punchestown given that its profile is higher and it receives TV coverage, but that even its presence there will have to be reviewed.

She insisted the only way to make the on-course betting shops it operates in viable for Ladbrokes or any other operator would be to make them available rent-free, which she accepted is not a feasible scenario for the racecourses.

Ladbrokes operates 141 of its own outlets in Ireland, having closed more than 50 in 2015 following an examinership process.Bling is back - at least for some - as profits at the Irish business of luxury brand firm Louis Vuitton soared by 40pc to 4.2m last year.

New accounts filed by Louis Vuitton Ireland Ltd show that the company enjoyed the jump in profits after revenues increased by 23pc from 10.8m to 13.94m.

The Irish arm of the luxury retailer - which operates its only Irish store at Dublin's Brown Thomas - last year recorded revenues of 268,076 a week. Louis Vuitton is the world's most valuable luxury brand and, since the start of 2014 to the end of last year, sales of Louis Vuitton goods here have more than tripled, going from 5.3m to 13.94m as the economy has rebounded.

The brand is a favourite of celebrities. Recently pop stars, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Jennifer Lopez have all been spotted sporting Louis Vuitton-branded items.

Earlier this year, Oscar winner Emma Stone became the new face of Louis Vuitton in a multimillion-dollar deal for the 'La La Land' actor.

The surge in sales has allowed it this year to pay a dividend of 3.68m. This followed a dividend payout of 2.6m in 2017. Numbers employed at Louis Vuitton's Brown Thomas store increased from 11 to 15 with staff costs hitting 504,000.A report for the Government has found that vulture funds are engaging with borrowers in arrears.

Its publication prompted Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to dismiss fears of an avalanche of repossession cases hitting the courts.

Some commentators have claimed that up to 20,000 repossession cases are before the courts.

But Mr Donohoe said: That level of repossessions has not happened in our past and its not happening at the moment.

He was commenting after launching a Central Bank report that found there is no material difference in the level of repossessions by vulture funds compared with banks.

The report found that vulture funds are considering more arrangements to help people in mortgage arrears than banks and other credit firms.

The Central Bank report found no evidence that firms acting on behalf of vulture funds were not engaging with borrowers in arrears.

The report was ordered by Mr Donohoe after large number of sales of mortgages to vulture funds announced during the summer.

But campaigner on behalf of those in arrears David Hall said dismissed the findings as spin. The report states that vulture funds were abiding by the Central Bank code of conduct on mortgage arrears.

Mr Hall said: The code of conduct on mortgage arrears does not have to be adhered to, as the High and Supreme Courts have confirmed. The code does not require a solution to be provided to someone in arrears, so why wouldnt vultures engage with it? This is just spin.

He also claimed the Central Bank study was carried out before some of the recent large vulture fund sales.

Vulture funds are not regulated in this country, but the credit servicing firms that they must use are regulated by the Central Bank.

Existing loan terms are being honoured when handled by vulture funds or credit-servicing firms acting on their behalf, and people whose circumstances have not changed are not being moved from their existing loan arrangements.

One of the most active personal insolvency practitioners (PIP) in the State, Mitchell OBrien of IRS Ireland said vultures are not necessarily more difficult to deal with. He has to get any official personal insolvency deals he does approved by the courts.

This is because they are usually under less pressure to make an investment return because they have bought the loan at a discount.

Mr Donohoe asked the Central Bank to review its code of conduct for how financial institutions deal with those in mortgage arrears earlier this year. It was in response to concern over the sale of loan books to so-called vulture funds.

The new report comes as the European Central Bank president Mario Draghi warned that regulating vulture funds that buy Irish loans may limit the ability of banks to lend and potentially lead to higher costs for borrowers.

Fianna Fail has produced a bill that would see funds that buy loans regulated.

Mr Draghi said in Dublin the draft law would give the Central Bank powers over so-called vulture funds that it does not even have over mainstream lenders.

Concerns over the attitude of buyers of Irish loan portfolios prompted Fianna Fail to introduce its Bill to the Dail in February, even though the Central Bank has argued that mortgage holders enjoy the same protections whether they are indebted to banks or funds. Laws enacted in 2015 in Ireland stipulated that firms managing loans on a day-to-day basis, even on an outsourced contract, must be regulated in Ireland and adhere to the regulators code of conduct on mortgage arrears and consumer protection code.The project will explore whether the sidecar savings model can improve workers financial resilience today and in retirement by creating an optimal level of savings. According to research by the Money Advice Service (MAS), many UK workers are currently in a vulnerable position. Only 44 per cent of the UK working population have 500 or more in liquid savings to hand for emergencies, and 26 per cent have nothing.[1]



How the sidecar savings model works:



In a sidecar structure, contributions over and above the auto enrolment minimum would be managed through a mechanism designed to create an optimal level of liquid savings, while also maximising long-term savings. This would be administered as follows:

1. Contributions paid into the combined account structure would at first be distributed between the emergency savings account and the pension pot.

2. When the balance in the emergency account reaches a predetermined threshold level, known as the savings cap, all contributions would start rolling into the pension pot.

3. If at any point the saver withdraws funds from the emergency account, and so reduces the balance to a level below the savings cap, future contributions would once again start being divided between the emergency account and illiquid pension pot.



The trial is due to go live within workplaces over the coming months, with workers beginning to make contributions at the start of 2019. Timpson will be the first employer to roll the trial out within their organisation of over 5,600 workers.



Workers participating in the trial will be monitored for two years to assess sign-up rates, how much they save, and the impact on their financial wellbeing.



The JPMorgan Chase Foundation and the Money Advice Service (MAS) will be providing support for the trial. MAS will also be working with NEST Insight directly on the research, along with Professor Brigitte Madrian and the Harvard Kennedy School. The sidecar account will be provided by Salary Finance, working alongside a NEST pension pot.



Hang Ho, head of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation for EMEA and LatAm, said: Reducing the impact of unexpected expenses on low income households through the development of innovative solutions designed around peoples lives is vital. Our new partnership with NEST Insight will facilitate testing of a unique emergency savings product provided through the workplace to help low-income workers build resilience. We believe this has the potential to improve hundreds of lives.



Michael Royce, strategic lead on budgeting and saving at the Money Advice Service, said: Many millions of adults who are financially squeezed or financially struggling lack a savings buffer to help them cope if they were to face an unexpected bill. All too often, these costs can lead to financial difficulty. This is why the Money Advice Service is delighted to be partnering with NEST Insight to test the innovative concept of Sidecar Savings. We hope that it builds on emerging evidence that workplace savings initiatives can be an effective means of helping people enhance their financial resilience throughout their working lives both for the short-to-medium term and for when they move into retirement.



Asesh Sarkar, CEO and co-founder at Salary Finance, said: Our latest research report, The Employer's Guide to Financial Wellbeing, found that 18.6 million working people in the UK (53%) lack financial resilience and 13.5 million regularly run out of money. Our mission at Salary Finance is to help millions of employees around the world become financially healthier and happier. We are delighted to use our award-winning salary save product to enable the NEST Insight sidecar savings research trial. The product has the potential to address a significant problem in society - the lack of emergency savings employees have - and we are excited to see the impact it has, working with progressive and caring employers like Timpson."



James Timpson, chief executive at Timpson, said: Our colleagues are the heart and soul of our company, and when theyre happy they provide the very best service to our customers. Financial wellbeing is an important part of this. We know that money worries can have a really negative impact on colleagues health, happiness, and productivity at work. Were delighted to be taking part in NEST Insights sidecar savings trial to help our employees become more financially resilient, both today and into their retirement.



[1] UK Financial Capability Strategy for working-age people, Money Advice Service (2016)

The head of the consortium bidding to land the National Broadband Plan tender has strongly rejected accusations he is seeking to make a quick profit from Ireland's broadband crisis.

David McCourt, who runs Granahan McCourt, insisted he is committed to rural Ireland and added: "I wouldn't have started four businesses here if I didn't think it was right."

He told Science Foundation Ireland's Science Summit conference that he is a dual citizen in Ireland and the US who has had a house here for 25 years. He also said he is committed to rural Ireland "for the long term".

"I pay tax here," he told the Dublin audience. "I'm not some private equity guy, I'm a telecoms builder.

"I've owned a house in Ireland for over 20 years, not recently as it says in the paper.

"I sold two businesses in Ireland and used that money to invest in starting two other businesses in Ireland.

"I've never taken a penny out of the country and used the money to invest in other countries."

Mr McCourt was speaking as the Government awaits an audit report on whether the National Broadband Plan's tender process was unduly influenced by contact between Mr McCourt and the former communications minister Denis Naughten.

The report from consultant Peter Smyth is expected this week.

The Government will consider alternative options, if the audit report concludes the tendering process was "contaminated" by inappropriate contact between the lead bidder and the minister.

Opposition parties have suggested state utility firms such as the ESB, Bord na Mona or Ervia might be used as an alternative means of delivery for the rural broadband rollout, which is planned to reach 540,000 homes and businesses and affecting more than one million people.

Mr McCourt also told the conference his daughter had been dragged into the recent controversy between him and Mr Naughten for the "sin" of having come to Ireland to help 100 people at Mr McCourt's various businesses.

"She also made the paper recently, for her sin of coming over here to start a company and hiring 100 Irish people for that company," he said.

"And she did get a tour of Leinster House for hiring 100 people, which has been mentioned over and over."

One of the meetings being assessed by Mr Smyth revolves around contact between Mr McCourt and Mr Naughten during the businessman's Dail visit.

Mr McCourt declined to comment further on the National Broadband Plan or about meetings between him and Government figures.Every year, six brand-new voices join the literary canon, as marked out by their inclusion in the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year award category at the An Post Irish Book Awards.

Past winners, including Belinda McKeon (Solace, 2011), Donal Ryan ( The Spinning Heart, 2012), Louise O'Neill (Only Ever Yours, 2014) and Sara Baume (Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither, 2015) have gone on to publish further work and win other awards, including the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for Sara Baume and the Guardian First Book Award for Donal Ryan, proving that the Newcomer category is an acutely accurate barometer of Irish contemporary writing. The above mentioned works all happened to be novels, arguably reflecting readers' tastes at the time.

That all changed last year when Ruth Fitzmaurice's powerful memoir, I Found My Tribe, about life after her husband Simon's motor neurone disease diagnosis, won the coveted Newcomer prize, the first time a non-fiction book had won.

In the interim, the past year has seen an explosion in the popularity of essay collections and personal memoirs, which is reflected in this year's shortlist, an eclectic mix of essays, novels and auto-fiction.

Interestingly, this year sees two out of six short-listed titles representing the non-fiction side of publishing. These include Notes to Self, by Emilie Pine, which is Tramp Press's first foray into publishing non-fiction. Pine's collection of personal essays candidly tackle subjects such as parental alcoholism, infertility, drug use and sexual violence.

Mind on Fire, by Arnold Thomas Fanning (Penguin Ireland) visits similar territory, confronting the author's battle with mental illness, which at one stage saw him sometimes in trouble with the law and homeless in London, ultimately culminating in his recovery.

Though This Hostel Life, by Melatu Uche Okorie, isn't strictly a memoir, it could be described as auto-fiction, as the three short stories within shine a light on Ireland's direct provision system, of which the author has eight years' personal experience.

This is the first title from new independent Irish publisher Skein Press. The book also features an essay by Dr Liam Thornton, from the UCD Sutherland School of Law, explaining the Irish legal position in relation to asylum seekers and direct provision.

The three novels on the list are fresh, lively representations of what's happening in the form, reflecting the vibrancy of Irish debut fiction.

The Earlie King and the Kid in Yellow (Granta Books) by Danny Denton is an inventive evocation of a dystopian Ireland under siege from the elements. Fellow Cork-born author Caroline O'Donoghue has made a splash with Promising Young Women (Virago), a timely tale of gender relations, about an adrift twenty-something young woman.

Video of the Day

And last, but certainly not least, The Lost Letter of William Woolf, by Helen Cullen, is a quirky love story, about William Woolf, a 'letter detective' at the Dead Letters Depot in East London.

This has already been optioned for TV, and reflects the current demand for 'up-lit' titles - uplifting, feel-good fiction that provides good, old-fashioned escapism.

You can vote for your favourite title by visiting https://www.irishbookawards.irish/A wreath and other memorabilia adorn the star of Stan Lee on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, in Los Angeles. Lee, the creative dynamo who revolutionized the comic book and helped make billions for Hollywood by introducing human frailties in superheroes such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk, died Monday. He was 95. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Artists around the world have paid tribute to the memory and influence of Spider-man creator Stan Lee with comic strips and artworks commemorating the comic book pioneer.

Comic and storyboard artist Charlotte Norris, a 23-year-old from California, echoed the cover of Death of Spider-man with her piece.

The original features a maskless Spider-man walking into the afterlife with the ghost of his Uncle Ben.

You did good, kid, says Ben as the characters walk away. Charlotte reversed the roles for her tribute.

It was a big moment where a beloved hero who I looked up to passed away. I guess hearing that Stan Lee had passed away filled me with that same feeling. I started making comics because of the groundwork Stan Lee laid out. I owe a lot to him, she said.

Rafael Vadelate, a 38-year-old illustrator from Mexico, pictured Superman comforting a crying Spider-man.

I chose Superman because I think not only the people of Marvel and the followers are sad about it, but everyone, including those who prefer DC comics, he told the Press Association.

British artist James Hence drew Stan Lee with The Hulk, another of his most famous characters.

Video of the Day

The 43-year-old, who lives in Orlando, said: Its impossible to overstate the impact that Stan Lee had on pop culture. He quite simply made generations of lost and lonely children feel like giants.

Spanish artist Daniel Romero, from Seville, drew Mr Lee saying goodbye to Spiderman.

I decided to recreate a scene in which Spider-Man was saying goodbye to his co-creator, as if he were his father, who gives him one last hug, he said.

Tenia que hacer un pequeno homenaje a Stan Lee, y aqui esta. pic.twitter.com/nJeOprD6Wh  Dani Parker (@Nasirgan) November 13, 2018

Erin Lefler, an artist and character designer at Lucasfilm, posted a portrait of Lee with his catchphrase Excelsior.

She said: If it wasnt for Stan Lee coming up with these various worlds we like to escape into, and creating these heroes that we all know and love, I wouldve never pursued my dream career of being an artist.

I wanted to create this piece as my way of saying thank you for everything he did for me, and to more importantly celebrate his legacy he leaves behind, she added.

Kat Hudson, a character designer at Warner Brothers animation, shared a picture she initially drew in 2017, featuring Lee relaxing and talking with some of his most famous female superheroes.

Hes had a hand in creating so many iconic female characters, I wanted to surround him by some of his girls, she said.

Taipei artist Jun Chius piece referenced the climactic ending of Avengers: Infinity War  one of the most recent Marvel films about Lees characters.

The piece sees Lee drawing at his desk before his hand starts to dissolve away.

Maybe we will forget many heroes, but we will always remember the man who created the heroes. Posted by JUN CHIU Illustration on Monday, November 12, 2018

The caption on the artwork reads: Maybe we will forget many heroes, but we will always remember the man who created the heroes.

Chiu said the piece is inspired by the human nature of heroes, and added: I thank him for creating so many memories in my childhood.Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl took food to firefighters who are continuing to tackle deadly blazes in California.

The former Nirvana drummer was thanked by Fire Station 68 in Calabasas for serving up his Backbeat Barbecue to firefighters who have been battling the Woolsey fire.

An Instagram post from fire crew read: It was awesome to get a visit tonight from Dave Grohl of the @foofighters . He also treated us to some of his own @backbeatbbq . Thanks Dave! It was excellent!

Grohls good deed follows on from a similar gesture from Guy Fieri on Sunday.

The celebrity chef took homecooked food to firefighters in Butte County.

Guy Fieri made a surprise visit to serve dinner to everyone at the law enforcement staging area at Butte College. Thank you so much Guy for filling our bellies and lifting our spirits. #ButteSheriff #CampFire Posted by Butte County Sheriff on Sunday, November 11, 2018

A Facebook post from Butte County Sheriffs Office read: Thank you so much Guy for filling our bellies and lifting our spirits.

More than 5,000 firefighters have been working round the clock to tackle the fires up and down the state.

Video of the Day

At least 42 people have died, with many more missing.Coleman and Priscilla Sherlock at home in Lisdoonvarna with their children, Coleman, Martin, Priscilla, Kathleen, Miko, Corina, Nicola and Evan. Photo: Eamon Ward

A young family of 10 narrowly escaped tragedy after a number fell ill with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.

A neighbour found Coleman Sherlock and his unconscious son Evan (13) slumped outside the front door of their home in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare.

The children's mother, Priscilla, was leaning against the front door.

"Only for young Evan waking up feeling sick in the middle of the night, all of this young family would be dead," said neighbour Sean Noonan, who raised the alarm.

The Sherlocks moved into the Clare County Council long-term lease house last summer and it was not equipped with a carbon monoxide alarm. Council staff arrived at the home on Saturday to install alarms.

Mr Sherlock said he heard Evan getting up in the middle of night: "Evan told me 'I feel sick. I can't breathe.' Evan tried to open up a window, but he then collapsed.

"I grabbed him and brought him outside.

"When I saw Priscilla coming to the door and puking, I knew there was something wrong in the house and all the kids had to get out of there."

The Sherlock girls, Carina (14), Nicole (11), Priscilla (10) and Kathleen (9) were all sleeping upstairs.

The girls and the remaining boys, Martin (8), Coleman (4) and Miko (1) were brought next door to Mr Noonan's home after the alarm was raised.

They were taken to University Hospital Limerick (UHL) by ambulance, but released on Saturday afternoon after getting the all-clear.

According to Clare County Council, after ventilating the house and an inspection with a gas monitor, it was deemed safe to enter temporarily so belongings could be collected.

The house was then secured by gardai for an investigation be carried out.

Mr Sherlock said: "We were blessed and very lucky. We could all have died. Evan could barely talk. He was pure pale. Martin had gone snow white and Coleman was very pale as well."

A spokesman for Clare County Council said carbon monoxide alarms are installed in all council properties undergoing refurbishment workings.

He said the requirement was introduced in 2017. However, the spokesman added: "The onus is on occupants themselves to have carbon monoxide alarms installed where refurbishment works have not yet taken place."Imre Arakas is expected to be deported to Lithuania, where he is facing murder charges, once his sentence in Ireland is completed.

The Lithuanian authorities allege that he was part of a three-man gang that conspired to murder a man who had an affair with top Lithuanian pop star Vita Jakutiene.

Police allege that he travelled to Lithuania to carry out surveillance on his target on a number of occasions over a two-month period.

It is alleged that Arakas sourced optic sights for a handgun in Spain and Estonia, as well as chemical substances to eliminate traces of firearms, and clothing to be used in the murder.

Lithuanian police suspect he was behind the wheel of the Renault Megane, sourced in France, when the victim was brutally shot a dozen times by one of the car's occupants.

Arakas was arrested by garda detectives in a holding cell at the Criminal Courts of Justice building on foot of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW), which was issued by Lithuanian authorities on February 19.

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He is facing three related charges, including murder, in relation to the fatal shooting of Deimantas Bugavicius (26), which happened at 11.55pm on November 6, 2015.

The victim was shot 12 times with a handgun in a well-planned murder as he drove from his Kaunas home in a Mercedes car.

Nicknamed 'The Diamond', the victim was murdered in front of his lover, pop star Jakutiene, while she was estranged from her drug-dealing husband.

Lithuanian authorities allege that Arakas was "part of an organised group that for mercenary reasons acted in a manner in order to endanger the life of Deimantas Bugavicius".

If extradited to Lithuania, Arakas is due to face three charges including murder, firearms and conspiracy-related charges in relation to the savage fatal shooting.

When arrested and charged by officers from the Garda Extradition Unit, the Estonian national said: "I was in Spain at my friend's birthday."

The High Court endorsed an EAW from Lithuania in February this year in relation to the charges.

The Lithuanian authorities allege that between a date in September 2015 and November 7, 2015, Arakas had visited Lithuania on a number of occasions, where surveillance was carried out on the murder target.

Sinister

They alleged that two Dutch nationals were also involved in the sinister murder plot.

Lithuanian police claim that a Renault Megane car used in the murder was sourced in France and driven to the Baltic nation for the killing.

This vehicle was found burnt out after the gruesome gun murder.

Lithuanian police also say that they have established the routes - using both plane and car - by which Arakas entered the country on a number of dates in the two-month period.

They alleged that Arakas was in possession of a handgun and 9mm calibre Luger ammunition in connection with the murder, which has been classified as a contract killing.

Murder victim Bugavicius was in the company of Lithuanian pop star Jakutiene when he was shot dead.

It was previously reported that Jakutiene had been secretly recorded by her husband during her romantic affair with the murder victim.

Jail conditions in Lithuania are considered to be far tougher than in Ireland.

It seems unlikely that Arakas would get the same excellent medical treatment in a jail in the Baltic country which he did here when he suffered a suspected case of TB in May last year, from which he has now recovered.

Arakas, like a number of other Kinahan cartel associates such as 'Fat' Freddie Thompson and Jonathan Keogh, is currently housed in high-security Portlaoise Prison.A notorious Estonian criminal, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder a key member of the Hutch gang for the Kinahan cartel, was busted after a massive garda surveillance operation.

We can reveal:

Imre Arakas (59) was spotted the day before his arrest on a reconnaissance mission in the north inner city close to the home of Patsy Hutch, Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch's brother.

Gardai had to quickly photograph screen grabs from the criminal's "self-wiping" encrypted Blackberry phone which gave details of the murder plot against James 'Mago' Gately before all information was remotely wiped by another gang member.

Arakas had visited Dublin a number of months before the foiled murder plot but quickly left the country after being stopped and searched at Dublin Airport.

Gardai are building a case against a ruthless Clondalkin criminal who was in contact with the hitman when he was in Ireland and who was passing him information about the target from a key Kinahan cartel figure then based in Spain.

Arakas was one of three criminals detained by officers from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau at a property in Blakestown, west Dublin, on April 3, 2017.

He has been in custody ever since and yesterday, at the non-jury Special Criminal Court, he admitted to conspiring with others not before the court to murder James Gately in the North between April 3 and April 4 last year, contrary to Section 71 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.

Arakas had been in Ireland for less than 48 hours before he was arrested and was under constant surveillance by specialist gardai as soon as he landed here after officers received key information about his role in a plot to kill James 'Mago' Gately.

It can be disclosed that Arakas (59), nicknamed 'The Butcher', was spotted by watching detectives walking on foot close to the home of major Kinahan cartel target Patsy Hutch, the brother of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch.

Gardai believe that Arakas was also prepared to target Patsy as well as 'Mago' Gately while in Ireland in April, 2017.

"He was observed on a reconnaissance mission in the north inner city and he was seen very close to the home of Patsy Hutch who has been targeted unsuccessfully by the Kinahan cartel on a number of occasions - it is clear that Arakas was not in that area for a stroll.

"However, all the information is that his primary target was James 'Mago' Gately," a source explained.

It's understood he could have banked up to 100,000 from the Kinahan cartel for taking out 'Mago' and was hired after the cartel grew tired of botched murder attempts carried out by lower-level criminals.

After his arrest, officers from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) discovered that he was using an encrypted Blackberry device which a senior source yesterday described as a "self-wiping phone".

"The phone had been programmed so that all the information in it could be wiped remotely by someone else if he got arrested," the senior source explained.

"However, officers from the DOCB were able to quickly take screen grabs of the phone messages before the device wiped itself, which were later used to build a detailed case against Mr Arakas.

"The encrypted messages that he was receiving contained key information about the movements of 'Mago' Gately in Northern Ireland, his location and when and where to actually carry out the murder.

"The information was coming to Arakas from a man who is at the highest levels of the Kinahan cartel and who was then based in Spain.

"However, the messages were not being sent directly to Arakas by this cartel figure - he was using a Clondalkin criminal now aged 37 to deal with the Estonian on his behalf."

The Clondalkin criminal - who is heavily involved in a separate gangland feud in his own locality - was arrested in August of last year in relation to the murder plot after gardai linked him to Arakas.

He was later released without charge after being questioned for a number of days at Irishtown Garda Station and a file on his role in the alleged involvement in the murder plot has been sent to the DPP.

It can also be revealed that Arakas had previously travelled to Ireland on behalf of the Kinahan cartel a number of months before he was busted for conspiring to murder 'Mago' Gately.

"He did not stay too long on the first occasion. He was stopped by gardai in Dublin Airport after getting off a flight with suspicious items in his possession including wigs, disguise and a telescope and left the country within hours," a senior source said.

"The next time he arrived back in the country a decision was made not to stop him in the airport but to keep him under complete surveillance and he was arrested around 48 hours later," the source added.

The criminal, whose address was given in the Special Criminal Court yesterday as Sopruse, Tallinn, Estonia, finally pleaded guilty after a number of adjournments in the case and will be sentenced on November 30.

Yesterday's court hearing was delayed for around half an hour after the prison van transporting him to court broke down on its way from Portlaoise Prison to the courts complex in Dublin.Ms Carol Hayes, of Corabally, Ardfield, Clonakilty, Co Cork, a daughter of the late Ms Olive Sheeran pictured leaving the Four Courts after a Circuit Civil Court action. Photo:Collins Courts

The family of a 90-year-old woman who, they claim, died as a result of scald injuries from a hot water bottle have been awarded just over 54,000 damages.

They received the damages for their own pain and suffering, loss, funeral and travel expenses arising from the tragic death of their mother and granny, the court heard.

She suffered the injuries in a Co Dublin nursing home.

Barrister Frank Crean told Circuit Court President, Mr Justice Raymond Groarke, today Tuesday that the deceased, Ms Olive Sheeran, suffered severe scalding of her buttocks, left thigh and calf, heels and ankles when a water bottle burst in her bed.

Mr Crean, who appeared with John McCarthy of McCarthy Solicitors Clonakilty, Co Cork, said SRCW Limited, the operators of Ferndene Nursing Home, Deansgrange Road, Blackrock, Co Dublin, had agreed to pay the family 54,406 damages as assessed by The Injuries Board.

He said Ms Carol Hayes, of Corabally, Ardfield, Clonakilty, Co Cork, a daughter of the late Ms Sheeran, had sued SRCW Limited on her own behalf and on behalf of her brothers Mark (57) and Conor Sheeran (55) and Ms Sheerans grandchildren Adam (18), Jennifer (17), Alexandra (26), and Thomas Sheeran (20) and Peter (28), Matthias (26) and Oisin (23) Hayes.

Ms Hayes, an office manager, told the court in an affidavit that she was asking the court to approve the Injuries Board assessment in respect of the fatal injuries her mother, then 89, had sustained in an accident at Ferndene on 6th January, 2017. She said her mother had been a resident in the home.

Mr Crean, outlining Ms Hayess affidavit, said Ms Sheeran had required expert nursing care and the accident happened at 6 p.m in the evening. About five minutes before the accident a nurse at the home had visited Ms Sheerans room and had taken two water bottles away to refill them.

A water bottle had then been placed next to Ms Sheerans feet and burst shortly afterwards, severely scalding her.

Mr Crean told Judge Groarke that following an investigation all water bottles had been removed from use in the home and the investigator had recommended they should be replaced with coded stock which should be inspected on a monthly basis and replaced annually.

Ms Hayes stated in her affidavit that her mother had been rushed by ambulance to the emergency department of St Vincents Hospital where she had been assessed before being transferred to the burns unit of St Jamess Hospital where her burns had been treated with antiseptic dressings, antibiotics and analgesia.

The court heard Ms Sheeran had developed pneumonia and a urinary tract infection and had required intravenous antibiotics to treat these symptoms. She had remained in hospital for about three months by which time her wounds had almost completely healed.

I have been advised by my mothers plastic surgeon that she suffered a life-threatening injury with a 31 per cent predicted mortality, Ms Hayes said. My mother died on 21st August 2017.

Ms Hayes said that in her view her mother did not fully recover from the injuries she had sustained as a result of the accident and the complications she suffered while receiving treatment in hospital and had remained bedridden from the date of her injuries until her death.

Mr Crean, in an overall opinion presented to the court, said the water bottle had been covered by a cloth bottle cosy so the defect in it may not have been obvious to the nurse. He felt a court at a full trial would be unlikely to criticise the nurse who had refilled the water bottle and placed it in Ms Sheerans bed.

He said he was recommending that the court accept the 54,406 assessment. Disbursement of the monies had already been agreed by Ms Sheerans dependants.

Judge Groarke, approving the settlement, complimented Ms Hayes for having pursued the matter as she had done.Gareth Reid was punched in the face by Barry Doherty, pictured

Gareth Reid, pictured, was punched in the face by Barry Doherty. Picture: North West Newspix

A former Fine Gael councillor suffered a fractured jaw and a broken wrist in a vicious brawl with the new partner of his ex-fiancee, a court heard.

Gareth Reid (35), Knockfair, Stranorlar, Co Donegal, was punched a number of times in the face by Barry Doherty (33), Mourne Place, Strabane, Co Tyrone, on October 9, 2016.

The incident took place on the forecourt of Kee's Garage in Laghey, in front of Mr Reid's three children and his former partner, the court was told.

The court heard Mr Reid, who has a number of convictions for breach of Protection Orders, did not cope well with the break-up of his relationship with the mother of his three children.

Mr Reid, who has 22 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to the production of an article - a wheel brace or a stick - during the course of a dispute.

Mr Doherty pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm to Mr Reid on the same date and location. Mr Doherty admitted punching Mr Reid during the incident.

In a statement, Mr Reid told gardai that Mr Doherty told him to "come on now, the street is big enough", the court heard. Mr Reid said he threw a bottle of Red Bull at Mr Doherty and Mr Reid's young son got in between the two defendants.

His ex-partner, who was in a vehicle with Mr Doherty, came and took away two of their daughters who had been travelling with Mr Reid.

He said the last thing he remembered was getting hit on the left side of his head.

Mr Reid was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital where he was diagnosed with a broken wrist and a fractured jaw.

Sergeant Stuart Doyle showed and gave a commentary on CCTV evidence that showed both men falling to the ground and Mr Doherty is seen punching Mr Reid.

Both parties had reconciled since the incident for the sake of the children, the court was told.

Mr Doherty had no previous convictions, and is a supervisor for a scaffolding company in London. The court heard he was a father of three who came home every second week.

The Probation Service had assessed him as suitable for a CSO which he was prepared to undertake, the court was told.

Damien Crawford, for Mr Reid, said his client defendant did "not deal well" with the end of the relationship with his former partner, and used "poor judgment".

Mr Reid had a positive report from a psychotherapist, and completed a parenting course.

Judge John Aylmer said he would sentence both defendants at Letterkenny Circuit Court on December 4.Fight: A still from the video of a brawl between two men outside a Galway Garda station earlier this month

Two men have appeared before Galway District Court in connection with a fist fight recorded outside the new Garda headquarters in Galway, which has become a viral hit on YouTube.

John Maughan (26), with an address at Renville Park, Oranmore, and Patrick Maughan (35), with an address at Laurel Park, Newcastle, Co Galway were arrested last Friday morning, November 9, at their homes.

Both men were taken to Galway garda station where they were charged with breaching the peace by engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting words or behaviour at Dublin Road, Renmore, Co Galway, on November 2.

Both men were released on bail to appear before Galway District Court today.

Gda Pat Casey gave evidence to the court of arresting father-of-five Patrick Maughan and later charging him with the public order offence.

He said when the charge was put to him, Patrick Maughan replied: "I'm embarrassed by the whole situation. If I could turn back time, I would. I regret it, I'm sorry."

Gda Shane Travers gave evidence of arresting John Maughan at his home in Oranmore.

He gave no reply when the charge was put to him.

Gda Travers said gardai were awaiting the directions of the DPP.

Gardai did not object to both men being remanded on continuing bail provided strict conditions were attached.

Judge Mary Fahy remanded both men on continuing bail.Melissa Barry, daughter of the late Susan McGee, at the Four Courts. Photo: Collins Courts

The family of a woman who died from sepsis remain convinced she would be alive if there had been a proper handover of care.

The Hermitage Medical Clinic apologised in the High Court for the failures in the care provided to Susan McGee, who developed a rare infection following a hernia operation.

The apology was read out as part of a 300,000 settlement to the family of the 52-year old who died 11 days after the hernia operation.

Solicitor Dermot McNamara, on behalf of the family said: "The McGee family remain convinced Susan would be alive and with them today if there had been a proper handover of her care... The family feel strongly there should be clear failsafe handover protocols in place in every hospital to ensure proper continuity of patient care."

Ms McGee, a mother of two, died on July 24, 2013, having developed clostridium difficile affecting almost her entire bowel. It followed the hernia operation at The Hermitage 11 days earlier.

A verdict of medical misadventure had been returned at the inquest into the death of Ms McGee, from Skerries Road in Rush, Co Dublin.

Her daughter, Melissa Barry, said the death had a catastrophic effect on the family.

"Our mother is missed every day by her entire family and a large circle of friends," she said. "We owed it to our amazing mam to seek answers and justice. We hope she can now rest in peace while we can rebuild the rest of our lives."

She said the apology and admission are welcome - but were five years too late.

She added: "The Hermitage Medical Clinic has reassured us new procedures are in place for the handover of patients and we hope lessons have been learned.

"Patients need to be assured that details of their medical condition and care plan are properly communicated if they are being put in to the hands of a different medical professional."

Ms Barry of Grange Rise, Stamullen, Co Meath and her brother John McGee of Bretton Woods, Skerries Road, Rush, had sued the Hermitage and consultant surgeons Arnold Hill and Colm Power over the circumstances of Ms McGee's care when she attended the clinic in 2013.

It was claimed there was a failure to respond adequately to the deterioration in the condition of Ms McGee when she was readmitted to the Hermitage over the weekend of 19 to 21 July 2013.

It was also claimed her care was delegated to two surgeons without clearly delineating appropriate reporting structures and ensuring one doctor would be in receipt of all relevant information. Liability was admitted in the case.

The apology said the Hermitage, together with Professor Hill and Mr Power, extend their sincerest condolences and apologies and "for the failures in [Ms McGee's} care". It added: "We have put in place additional measures to address the lessons learned from our review of her care."

The court heard Prof Hill went on a planned vacation on July 19 for which there was no criticism. Ms McGee was left in the care of Mr Power and another doctor. However, the third doctor was not available as he was rostered to work in another hospital.

Ms McGee's condition deteriorated and it was claimed she was not seen by a doctor of consultant status at any time between July 19 and the morning of Monday July 22, 2013.

Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Robert Eagar sympathised with the family.A protest rally is planned over controversial comments about the underwear of a woman in a rape trial.

Concern has been expressed by sexual violence and rape victim support networks over the closing argument comments in a Cork Circuit Criminal Court case. The senior counsel for the defence made remarks about the fact the 17-year-old complainant was wearing a thong.

"Does the evidence out-rule the possibility that she was attracted to the defendant and was open to meeting someone and being with someone," asked Elizabeth O'Connell SC.

"You have to look at the way she was dressed. She was wearing a thong with a lace front."

The jury of eight men and four women then took just 90 minutes of deliberation to reach their unanimous not-guilty verdict last week.

The Rosa Socialist Feminist Movement in Cork will hold a lunchtime protest to express their anger at the closing argument.

Solidarity's Councillor Fiona Ryan said clear action needed to be taken in relation to the language used in courts.YOUNG mother of three Nicola Collins (38) was beaten to death by her boyfriend after a row erupted following a three-day drinking session, a murder trial has heard.

The State claimed that Cathal O'Sullivan (44), who denies the murder of Ms Collins, inflicted multiple blunt force trauma injuries on the Kerry-born woman before her naked body was discovered in a Cork flat by emergency services.

Tom Creed SC, for the State, told Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and the Central Criminal Court jury of nine men and three women that the prosecution case is the defendant beat the young mother to death during a drunken row.

"The prosecution case is that Mr O'Sullivan killed Nicola Collins and that at the time he killed Nicola Collins, at the very least, he intended to cause her serious injury," he said.

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"The prosecution case is that the accused beat Nicola Collins to death."

Mr Creed said the trial will hear evidence that, when Ms Collins was discovered shortly after 3am in a flat at 6A Popham's Road, Farranree, Cork in the early hours of March 27 2017, she had multiple injuries visible to attending members of the emergency services.

The young mother was found lying naked on her back on the floor of the flat with her legs resting on a bed.

Blood spatters were found in both the bedroom and the bathroom of the flat.

Blood stained clothing was also found in the flat.

Ms Collins was later found to have a broken jaw, two missing front teeth, a serious head injury as well as injuries to her face, lips, neck, chest, arms and breast.

Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster conducted a post mortem examination at Cork University Hospital (CUH) and ruled that Ms Collins died from a serious head injury with subdural haematoma consistent with blunt force trauma to the head.

Dr Bolster also found signs of asphyxia on Ms Collins' neck.

Mr Creed said that the trial will hear evidence from a taxi driver who brought Ms Collins from her home at Clashduv on Cork's southside to Popham's Road on March 23 2017 that she had no visible sign of injury and looked "well kept."

The only people seen arriving and leaving on CCTV footage from the Popham's Road flat were the deceased and the defendant.

They had left the flat to go to a nearby off license to purchase alcohol.

"It will be apparent that that an amount of drink was consumed over these days by both parties," he said.

Ms Collins was last seen alive outside the flat at 11.24am on March 24, three days before she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Creed said the defendant rang emergency services to alert them to Ms Collins condition at 3.05am on March 27.

However, Mr Creed said the jury will hear evidence that the defendant made two phone calls to a friend in the early hours of March 27 before he rang emergency services.

Those calls were made at 1.33am and 2.15am and one call lasted for 32 minutes.

Mr Creed said the defendant had conversations at the scene with various members of the emergency services.

"The effect of these conversations was that she (Ms Collins) arrived on the Thursday (March 23), there was a lot of drink and there was an altercation where Mr O'Sullivan said she got stuck into him and he dodged a blow."

Mr O'Sullivan, who is originally from Charleville in north Cork, was first charged with Ms Collins murder before Cork District Court in August 2017.

In response to the murder charge, he replied: "not guilty".

The defendant appeared in court wearing a dark grey pin-stripe suit, white shirt and grey tie.

Ms Justice Creedon has warned the jury not to read any media reports about the case and not to check any matters in relation to it on either the Internet or via social media.

Ms Collins, a native of St Brendans Park in Tralee, Co Kerry had been living at Clashduv Road in the Togher area of Cork over recent years.

Ms Collins was found unresponsive in the Popham's Road flat at 3am on March 27 2017 which was located directly over a local GALA grocery store.

Paramedics were unable to revive her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Garda investigation was upgraded to a murder probe following a post mortem examination at Cork University Hospital (CUH) by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster.

The trial has already heard that a significant number of witnesses are scheduled to be called in evidence.

Ms Collins is survived by her parents, Kay and Michael, her sister, Carly, and her children, Nick, Adam and Michael.

The trial continues.The Maurice McCabe whistleblower scandal almost toppled the government, cost a Garda Commissioner his job and left the reputation of the force in tatters.

But rather than simply rehash these facts, Katie Hannons two-part chronicling of the affair wisely focused on the human story behind the often hard-to-believe headlines.

McCabe and his wife Lorraine were presented as ordinary people who, simply by trying to do what was right, had brought the full fury of the State down on their heads.

Left unsaid was the disquieting implication that, there but for the grace of angels, the rest of us might one day find ourselves.

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The Garda Siochana, as expected, did not come out well. After the then-sergeant had protested over what he regarded as low policing standards in Bailieborough, Co Cavan, McCabe was taunted as a rat on social media and smeared as a child abuser.

Later, senior figures in the organisation brought the whispering campaign to the Dail. It was incredible to see the conspiracy against McCabe laid out so forensically and chilling to be reminded that, had he not recorded key conversations, or sought out sympathetic politicians, he would have been in all probability dismissed as a crank or worse.

The emphasis on McCabe as father and husband was important. His name has become one of the most recognisable in Ireland but to see the toll of what he and his family was gone through etched on his face, and on Lorraines, was shocking.

They had been to hell and back and Lorraine in episode one admitted that, in her husbands position, she would have walked away. McCabe, too, expressed regret at having ever taken on the Garda, portrayed here as a vipers pit sustained by a toxic cocktail of omerta, machismo and vindictiveness.

Its faint praise but the political establishment came out better than the police. John McGuinness, then chair of the Public Accounts Committee, seemed genuinely stunned as he recalled being physically pulled aside by gardai and fed innuendo about McCabe.

And whatever may be said about their wider policies on law and order, then Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Fianna Fail leader Michael Martin were prepared to hear McCabe out and, simply by doing so, give credence to his story.

Video of the Day

Whistleblower ultimately made for the worst sort of essentially viewing. It was riveting but only because it laid bare the secret history of a country that, by the end of the two hours, you barely recognised any more.A man and a dog have died following a fire at a house in south Dublin.

Gardai and crews from Dublin Fire Brigade attended the scene on Merrion Road, near Booterstown at around 3pm this afternoon.

The body of a man, who gardai believe was in his late 60s or early 70s, was discovered, along with the remains of a dog.

A garda spokesman said the fire is not being treated as suspicious at this time.

"Unfortunately, following the earlier domestic fire on Merrion Road and search of the building, the remains of a male has been found, along with a dog," Dublin Fire Brigade confirmed.

"Three crews from Donnybrook and HQ fought the fire. The first call was at approximately 3.10pm."GPs who deliver medical abortions are expected to be paid a fee in the region of 400 per patient.

The fee is expected to be finalised in talks between the Department of Health and the Irish Medical Organisation tomorrow.

Under the proposed legislation GPs will be allowed deliver a medical abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

This will involve two visits and possibly a third follow up visit. The service will be free of charge to patients, with the HSE paying the expected fee of 400.

In practice GPs are expected to provide a medical abortion up to nine weeks of pregnancy.

Women who are between nine and 12 weeks pregnant will have a medical abortion in a maternity unit.

It is understood the 400 fee would be all-in and include the cost of all GP visits, including the medication.

Talks took place between the Department of Health officials and the Irish Medical Organisation yesterday on resourcing the abortion service in the community.

The fee for GPs has not been disclosed, but it is expected to be in the region of 400.

The agreement is an important step in the drive to have the law in place by early January.

The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018 passed committee stage last week and now returns to the Dail for the report stage.

A woman will visit the GP for an initial consultation and can request an abortion without specifying grounds.

If the GP certifies the abortion she will return for a second visit three days later.

At that stage the GP can administer the two medications to terminate the pregnancy.

A medical abortion involves taking medication to end the pregnancy.

A woman first takes a medicine called mifepristone - this stops the hormone that allows the pregnancy to continue.

Usually 24 to 48 hours later the woman takes the a second medicine called misoprostol.

Within four to six hours, the lining of the womb breaks down, causing bleeding and loss of the pregnancy.

The medication will be given to the woman in the doctor's surgery and she will not have to go to a pharmacy.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Simon Harris said talks will take place to finalise the issue of resources tomorrow.

A 24/7 phoneline is to be set up, manned by nurses and counsellors, which will provide the names and addresses of local GPs who are participating in the scheme.

Only those doctors who agree to the release of their names will be identified.

There remains the potential problems to be faced if a significant minority of GPs object to referring a woman to another doctor for a termination on the grounds of conscientious objection.

Around three-quarters of GPs said during a consultation with the Irish College of General Practitioners that they would not be providing the service.

Some of the GPs may do so later, depending on workload. One-third said they would definitely be providing it.

Clarification

The minister is to meet with members of the health committee and other TDs this week to discuss areas of clarification in advance of it proceeding to the report stage. One of the issues includes when the start of the three-day pause a woman seeking a medical abortion must observe begins.

Pro-choice TDs conceded the public voted for the three-day pause but want a compromise that effectively means it will begin from the point a woman seeks abortion rather than from the time it is certified by the GP.

The report stage is expected to begin in the last week of this month.

Meanwhile, medical bodies will have to have clinical guidelines complete in a number of weeks.Irish research has revealed people who are obese are more prone to cancer due to their weakened ability to destroy tumour cells.

The link between obesity and increased risk of cancer is well established, but Irish scientists have now thrown fresh light on the major health threat.

More than 300 cancer deaths a year are caused by being overweight or obese in this country.

The scientists in Trinity College Dublin examined the body's immune surveillance systems. This is where a person's immune system patrols the body to recognise and destroy host cells that become cancerous.

Potential cancer cells arise frequently throughout life, but the immune system usually destroys them as fast as they appear.

But they can operate differently in people who suffer from obesity and leave them with fewer defences to fight off cancer.

This is because fat-clogged cells do not have the energy to function at their optimum levels and this affects their ability to stop infected cells or tumours from growing.

The research has found possible ways the killer cells can be reprogrammed and jolted back in to action to ways they behave in a person of normal weight.

Nearly one-quarter of Irish people are now obese, increasing their chances of developing cancer.

Half of certain cancers are attributed to obesity. But until now, little had been known about the impact obesity has on immune surveillance.

The research was led by associate professor in immunology at Trinity College Lydia Lynch, who also conducts research at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US.

"Despite increased public awareness, the prevalence of obesity and related diseases continue," she said.

"Therefore, there is increased urgency to understand the pathways whereby obesity causes cancer and leads to other diseases, and to develop new strategies to prevent their progression.

"These cells are like marines in the army. They go in first, they're rapid and they are professional killers.

"They can be overcome and outnumbered but they're the first thing to detect a tumour and infected cells.

"So basically, obesity then causes more diseases and more severe diseases because these aren't working."

The new research, which has just been published in leading international journal 'Nature Immunology', shows overweight people are at a greater risk of developing cancerous cells, but experts now hope new treatments can be developed to inject energy into the cells in a process of "reprogramming" them.

"They say by 2030, nine out of 10 adults will be obese in Ireland.

"And there is such an increase in cases of cancer with obesity.

"That is why its such a scary problem," she added.

"And there are other things which we have no idea about the consequences yet - things like Alzheimer's and auto-immune diseases."

More than 1.9 billion people globally are classified as overweight and obese.WHISTLEBLOWER Maurice McCabe said he knew his career was over when former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan described his actions as disgusting.

The former garda sergeant, who retired from the force last month, recalled how he became ostracised and isolated within An Garda Siochana for simply doing what he saw as the right thing.

In a two-part RTE documentary entitled Whistleblower: The Maurice McCabe Story, the father of five said the controversial remarks made by Mr Callinan at the Public Accounts Committee in January 2013 had caused irreversible damage.

Disgusting? Wow, I knew I was finished in the guards after that, Mr McCabe told journalist Katie Hannon.

Every guard in the country and every single officer heard this and that was the way they go. This man [Callinan]  what he did  was disgusting.

The documentary  the second part of which will be broadcast tonight  marks the first time Mr McCabe and his wife Lorraine have spoken to the media, recalling various events and scandals which had a devastating impact on their lives.

During his appearance before the Public Accounts Committee, Mr Callinan said there was not a whisper anywhere else about corruption or malpractice in the force and other charges levelled against their fellow officers.

Frankly, on a personal level I think it is quite disgusting. Mr McCabes wife Lorraine said she was astonished by his comments.

It was like a heat going through you. I was just astonished.

The venom in what he was saying and his whole demeanour and the entourage around him all in their uniforms, she said.

To think, they were talking about my husband.

The Garda whistleblower also spoke of the social media abuse he was subjected to from some gardai after he lifted the lid on corruption within the force.

He said photographs of a plastic rat which had been pierced with darts were posted online with his name written underneath.

Mr McCabe also recalled how he felt when Miss D  the daughter of a former colleague  made a devastating allegation against him which was found to be untrue.

This allegation was investigated by gardai and a file sent to the DPP, which ruled that even if the allegation were true it was unlikely to constitute a criminal offence.

I went into my superintendent and she told me that Miss Ds father had made a complaint of sexual assault in relation to his daughter, said Mr McCabe.

I sat down at that stage and she said I felt I had to tell you.

I stayed in silence in her office for a few minutes and I left.

Later on in the day, he told his wife Lorraine.

We went home from Dublin and put all the kids in bed and I told her in the sitting room what went down. She hugged me and cried. Thats how I told her, he added.

It completely changed our family life. I wouldnt even bathe or wash the kids.

I was interviewed in January 2007, and heard the details.

In the Disclosures Tribunal report, Mr Justice Peter Charleton ruled there had been a campaign of calumny against Mr McCabe conducted by Martin Callinan and former Garda press officer Superintendent David Taylor.

Mr Justice Charleton added that Mr McCabe had done the State considerable service.

The father of five, who joined An Garda Siochana in 1985, took up the role of sergeant-in-charge at Bailieborough in Co Cavan in 2004.

That was where he raised complaints about policing standards within the force.

Ultimately, it led to his resignation as sergeant-in-charge and it marked the beginning of a series of allegations being made against him.Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with Higher Education Minister Mary Mitchell OConnor and the statue of the Fearless Girl at the gender action plan launch. PHOTO: DAMIEN EAGERS

The first 15 of 45 women-only professorships to be created in Irish higher education are expected to be in place by September, as part of the radical initiative to tackle gender discrimination in academia.

The Government has set aside 800,000 in funding for 2019 to support the appointments, detailed arrangements for which are now being finalised between the Department of Education and the higher education sector.

There are also ongoing consultations with the Office of the Attorney General to ensure that the appointments are legally robust and immune to a successful challenge from a disgruntled male.

By 2021, it is intended that all 45 posts will have been created, at an annual cost of 4.7m. Starting salaries for professors range from about 80,000 to 115,000.

Under new performance compacts, higher education institutions face the risk of a cut of up to 10pc of annual State funding if they do not meet certain performance objectives, and gender equality has been included as one of those.

Higher Education Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor insisted she was not concerned at potential legal challenges and said there had been "rigorous assessment" of the Gender Action Plan 2018-2020 to ensure it complies with national and European Union laws.

Ms Mitchell O'Connor said that "excellent women in our higher education sector are not filling sufficient senior academic roles, not because they are not talented, able and expert or committed enough".

The foundations for the action plan were laid in a report from a gender equality taskforce set up last year to make recommendations after an expert group, under former EU Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, exposed the extent of gender discrimination problems in higher education.

The taskforce found that women faced a number of serious barriers to progression that were not experienced to the same degree by their male colleagues.

Speaking at the plan's launch yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that women had historically been "Ireland's greatest untapped resources" and the Government wanted "girls to aim high" in politics, academia and other sectors.

The female-only professorships will apply to a limited number of new and additional posts in disciplines where there is clear evidence of significant gender under-representation. It will be restricted to situations where other initiatives failed to make progress and where it would be seen as an appropriate and effective means to achieve accelerated change.

The number of female professors in a third-level college is regarded as a key measure of equality and the target is for 40pc of professors in Ireland to be female by 2024. That is up from 23pc in 2017, while at the more junior level, 51pc of lecturers were female.

The suite of professorships, labelled the Government of Ireland Senior Academic Talent Initiative, is one of a number of measures in the action plan, which has been welcomed across the sector.

Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) general secretary Joan Donegan said the announcement was a "pioneering and brave move" and "a necessary step to address the persistent lack of promotion of women to senior posts in our universities".

She said there was increasing evidence, internationally, that measures such as this were required to break the logjam of discrimination against women.

Another key measure in the plan requires colleges to set targets for the recruitment and promotion of women to senior positions and failure to meet such targets would be a factor in the level of State funding they receive.A TD has held a thong up in the Dail while arguing that the Government needs to take action to stop rape myths being used in court cases.

Ruth Coppinger showed the Taoiseach the piece of black underwear in a bid to convince him to introduce massive legal changes.

The Solidarity TD was referencing a case in Cork Circuit Criminal Court last week where the senior counsel for the defence made remarks about the fact the 17-year-old complainant was wearing a thong.

The jury was told to consider that way the teenager was dressed, wearing a thong with a lace front.

The jury of eight men and four women went on to reach a unanimous not-guilty verdict.

Ms Coppinger claimed the Dail  hasnt taken sexual assault and harassment any way serious enough.

She acknowledged that she could not comment on the verdict in the case  but the lessons of the trial must be learned.

The Dublin West TD said "eight months ago thousands of people demonstrated in the streets after the so-called Belfast rugby rape trial... we protested the treatment of the young woman involved at her clothing being passed around."

She said proceedings like the Cork rape trial had a chilling effect which prevented victims coming forward.

The 17-year-old was put in the dock for her choice of underwear, she said. The TD added that the barrister was inferring she was asking for it.

The women of this country are getting a little weary at the routine victim-blaming that is going in Irish courts, and the failure of law-makers in this House to do anything about it, Ms Coppinger added.

The Solidarity TD then held up the item of underwear. She said it may seem incongruous to do that in the Dail  but she wanted to highlight the incongruity of it being in a court room.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar accepted that some tactics used in court should not happen. But he noted that the current Dail has taken a number of steps to improve the supports in place for victims of gender violence which included new legislation against domestic violence.

Its never the victims fault, the Taoiseach insisted  irrespective of the setting or other factors such as alcohol intake, or clothing being worn.

Mr Varadkar said a study under the guidance of legal expert Tom OMalley was now being carried out.An Irish woman who killed her fiance in Sydney has told a judge she did not leave the "controlling and fairly unpleasant" man as she loved him dearly.

"I honestly thought he was going to change," Cathrina "Tina" Cahill said on Tuesday at her sentence hearing in the NSW Supreme Court.

Expand Close Tina Cahill outside court in Sydney / Facebook

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"He was someone I did love and adore."

The 27-year-old has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of David Walsh, 29, who she stabbed once in the neck in the early hours of February 18, 2017, at the Padstow home they shared with two other Irish nationals.

Her plea was based on substantial impairment due to an abnormality of the mind.

At the time, she was on a good behaviour bond and the subject of an Apprehended Violence Order issued to protect Mr Walsh, after she was convicted of recklessly wounding him with a glass candle holder in 2015.

Cahill previously gave evidence about his repeated violence, including punching strangers and biting her all over her body, his accusations of her sleeping with other men and his deleting texts from her phone.

Prosecutor Nanette Williams on Tuesday noted Cahill told police, after an AVO was issued against Mr Walsh to protect her, that she held no fears against him.

"I was in fear of getting in more trouble from David if I told the truth," she said, saying she also wanted to protect him.

She had packed her bags many times to leave him, but Mr Walsh would tell her everything was going to be different.

"He would be making me dinner, buying me flowers, buying me a teddy bear but after two to three weeks it would go back to the way it was."

She agreed with Justice Peter Johnson that her evidence revealed a "pretty stormy relationship" and that Mr Walsh might be seen to be a "controlling and fairly unpleasant person".

But she said she stayed with him as "I loved him very dearly".

The fatal attack occurred when an intoxicated Mr Walsh launched an unprovoked attack on a man invited into the home by Cahill and the two other female housemates.

Cahill, who also had been drinking, was punched by her fiance when trying to stop the attack, before she took out a "large, very sharp, bladed knife" from the cutlery drawer and stabbed him.

Ms Williams submitted it was "an attack of extreme violence" upon a relatively young man who was being activity restrained by a third person at the time.

The cases of violence from Mr Walsh to Cahill, on the agreed facts, were limited while her attacks on him had involved a candle and a knife in an incident prior to the fatal attack.

Cahill's barrister James Trevallion said there was no evidence his client had ever struck Mr Walsh without any provocation and noted she was smaller than him.

He submitted she had no intention to kill, the stabbing had involved a single jab and Mr Walsh was the one who initiated the violence.

Justice Johnson, who said the case involved "unusual features" such as a "type of two-way domestic violence", will sentence Cahill on December 12.A holiday subscription service that organises its customers three trips a year for 12 monthly payments of 50/57 says it will take the hassle out of travel.

The catch? You wont know where you are going.

BRB (text speak for be right back) promises those who sign up they will always have a getaway to look forward to, without having to book flights and hotels or even choose a destination.

After committing to the payments, guests select the date of travel and the type of trip they want - categories include beach, culture and #4theGram - opt out of any unwanted destinations and state whether travelling alone or as a couple.

Customers then find out the details of their trip to one of 50 European destinations, including Vienna, Venice and Valencia, a month before travel.

As soon as one trip is over, planning begins for the next.

BRB only launched in March, its founders Greg and Alex inspired by a desire to make travel as easy as having a gym membership.

The payment scheme works out at 199.99/228.60 per person per trip, with BRB promising a three-star minimum for accommodation, and claims there will be no hostels, even for solo travellers.

All trips are protected by ATOL (the UK Civil Aviation Authority), although flights are currently only available from London airports.

BRB says it has a relationship with EasyJet, which operates predominantly out of Stansted, Gatwick and Luton.

Customers travelling as a pair save 5/5.70 a month with the per person cost 45 rather than 50, while travellers are able to add a friend with one-off fees. There are also options to store up trips to, say, take six in a year, or cancel after a trip as long as all travel has been paid for.

To this day, we dont know who said it, but I want to get off the plane and immediately book my next trip sparked the idea for a new year to experience travel in Europe, founders Greg and Alex said.

The concept of spreading the cost of a trip across a series of payments is not new - there are companies that allow travellers to pay for flights in instalments - but the idea of a travel subscription service is certainly novel.

While 200 per person for one trip might seem reasonable, there is no doubt that a savvy traveller could find flights and a hotel for cheaper, and retain control over where they go.

The idea of sending guests to mystery destinations is also one that has been tested in recent years. Srprs.me is perhaps the best-known operator, sending travellers to a destination only revealed to them less than a week before departure.

It turns out that leaving things to chance can yield greater rewards than a holiday planned to the hilt, wrote travel writer Emma Thomson, after a surprise trip in March of this year.

Relinquishing control removes the pressure of making a wrong choice regarding hotel or destination and that, in turn, hands out a refreshing dose of freedom," she added.

"Id been worried that by throwing convention out of the window and arriving without a list of things to see and do I would wander aimlessly, but the enforced spontaneity opened up experiences I might not otherwise have tried. Planning things on the hoof had been invigorating.

"Would I do it again? Without a doubt.

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Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]Ryanair has launched a 'Winter Wonderland' sale offering flights from 7.99 each way, for travel between November 20 and March 31.

If you fly from Kerry Airport to Frankfurt Hahn on November 19, however, you can jet away for even less - 5.86 one-way.

The sale is available to book until midnight tonight.

Inevitably, routes at the 7.99 rate are limited. As we publish, they include Dublin to Santander, Brussels Charleroi and several UK airports, as well as Ireland West (Knock) to Bristol and East Midlands, and Kerry to London Stansted.

However, a host of fares are available from 9.78 each-way, including Dublin to Vienna, Hamburg, Cologne and Luxemburg, and flights to Faro are available from 12.73 each-way, according to the airline website (ryanair.com).

The sales come as airlines move into their winter schedules.

Passengers flying with Ryanair have been advised that, since November 1, the airline has been operating a new baggage policy which no longer permits 'Non-Priority' customers to carry a free larger bag into the cabin.

However, a grace period of one month (November) is now being afforded before the new hand luggage policy is fully enforced.

Ryanair recently launched its summer 2019 schedule, which sees 15 new services announced from Dublin, Cork and Shannon.

Promoted: See the latest Ryanair offers and deals on Independent Discounts

It has since added new routes between Dublin and Bodrum and Ireland West (Knock) and Cologne, both of which will launch next year.

In other airline sales, Aer Lingus is offering midweek city break flights from 25.99 (for travel to April 10), while WOW air has basic fares to Iceland from 49.99 each-way.

Read more:'Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he hopes to see 20 women members of his party in the next Dail. His record has been less than impressive in bringing women into Cabinet.' Stock picture

There is an impulse to stand up to the generational narcissism that decrees we must always change the social script to suit all current politically correct mores - all the time.

But when it comes to the issue of inequality, or sexism, there is no contest. It is wrong - it was always wrong - but for it to be a hot topic in 21st century Ireland is not just wrong, but shamefully so.

This year marks the centenary Irish women were given the right to vote. But for all the back-slapping and smug satisfaction about the great strides we have made, women are still being left behind; as today's CPL research shows, women's earnings drop once they have children.

Not much equality there. That it should still be necessary to launch a "day of action" on the gender pay gap, as Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee is doing today, is proof enough the only pay we are prepared to share liberally with women is that of lip-service.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he hopes to see 20 women members of his party in the next Dail. His record has been less than impressive in bringing women into Cabinet.

The Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012 ordains political parties will have their State funding slashed by 50pc unless 30pc of their election candidates are of each gender.

The Women's Council of Ireland argued: "When women are on the ballot paper, they get elected."

They were right. In the 2016 General Election, 35 women were returned to the Dail.

When parties recognised they would be hit in the pocket, more women miraculously materialised.

Quotas ought not be necessary, but they clearly are.

Nor has academia covered itself in glory. While 51pc of staff in our institutions of higher education are women, at the level of professorship, 77pc are men.

Adding to the injustice, the majority of women are on short-term contracts. Thus a plan for the introduction of 45 women-only professorships has been put forward by Government.

It is hardly monumentally impertinent in 21st-century Ireland to suggest women be given a fair deal morally and legally.

We pride ourselves on our tolerance, but to be tolerant of the intolerable is nothing to be proud of.

Finding offence is easy, taking it easier still, but society as a whole ought to be offended by what amounts to the mistreatment and disregard for women reflected in discriminatory practices.

We have ignored the glass ceiling for long enough; the knowledge there are still areas where women are continually confronting a barrier demands a societal response.Model Gigi Hadid walks the runway for the Savage X Fenty Fall/Winter 2018 fashion show during NYFW at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on September 12, 2018 in Brooklyn, NY. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty)

Model Gigi Hadid poses backstage for the Savage X Fenty Fall/Winter 2018 fashion show during NYFW at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on September 12, 2018 in Brooklyn, NY. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty )

Model Bella Hadid poses backstage for the Savage X Fenty Fall/Winter 2018 fashion show during NYFW at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on September 12, 2018 in Brooklyn, NY. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty )

Model Bella Hadid walks the runway for the Savage X Fenty Fall/Winter 2018 fashion show during NYFW at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on September 12, 2018 in Brooklyn, NY. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty)

Model Bella Hadid walks the runway for the Savage X Fenty Fall/Winter 2018 fashion show during NYFW at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on September 12, 2018 in Brooklyn, NY. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty)

Model Candice Swanepoel and President and Chief Marketing Officer of Victoria's Secret Ed Razek attend the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion after party at TAO Downtown on November 13, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

US model Josie Canseco prepares for the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in hair and make-up backstage on November 8, 2018 at Pier 94 in New York City

Taylor Hill, Jasmine Tookes, Elsa Hosk, Adriana Lima, Behati Prinsloo, and Candice Swanepoel walk the runway during the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at Pier 94 on November 8, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

Behati Prinsloo walks the runway during the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at Pier 94 on November 8, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

(L-R) Maggie Laine, Zuri Tibby, Josie Canseco, Subah Koj, Georgia Fowler, and Mayowa Nicholas walk the runway during the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at Pier 94 on November 8, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

Romee Strijd prepares backstage during the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York at Pier 94 on November 8, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

Model Kendall Jenner walks the runway during the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at Pier 94 on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

(L-R) Maggie Laine, Alexina Graham, Myrthe Bolt, Barbara Palvin, and Leomie Anderson prepare backstage during 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York at Pier 94 on November 8, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

Model Adriana Lima reacts beside other models while presenting a creation during the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York City, New York, U.S., November 8, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Segar

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has come and gone another year, but the backlash around marketing boss Ed Razek's comments wages on.

In a lengthy interview with Vogue, Razek said that Victoria's Secret would not be casting any plus-size or transgender models because they are "selling a fantasy", with the implication being that only one type of woman fits that fantasy and she is thin and young. When asked whether they had considered following a more inclusive route this year, especially after the success of Rihanna's Fenty line, which featured women of all shapes, sizes and ages, including Slick Woods, who was in labour at the time she walked the show.

"My remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show came across as insensitive," Razek said in an apology on Monday after the ensuing backlash.

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"I apologise. To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show. We've had transgender models come to castings... And like many others, they didn't make it... But it was never about gender."

As the debate wages on, one name has been consistently reported around the world - Irish model and blogger Louise O'Reilly (Style Me Curvy), whose tweet comparing the brand to Fenty attracted Rihanna's attention and has allowed the conversation to continue even past the 24-hour news cycle.

"I literally have no ideal how that tweet went so viral," she tells Independent.ie Style. "Somebody screengrabbed my tweet, put it on Instagram and tagged Rihanna, so she was aware of the tweet via an Instagram photo and Buzzfeed and the Mail Online screengrabbed that.

"I had a lot more private messages so it all makes sense!"

Expand Close Model Candice Swanepoel and President and Chief Marketing Officer of Victoria's Secret Ed Razek attend the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion after party at TAO Downtown on November 13, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) / Facebook

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With 84,000 followers on Instagram alone, Louise's presence on social media has been an impactful one for years: she began working as one of Ireland's first plus-size models nine years ago and spotted a gap in the market for a blog for curvy readers; a decision which has sent her around the world representing both herself and Ireland around the world.

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She is devoted to encouraging brand diversity with her platform and a passionate advocate for industry-wide change.

"I'm quite sensitive to everybody and under the Style Me Curvy umbrella, I have a lot of transgender people come to me and ask questions. The bottom line is that everyone should be represented and it needs to be authentic," she explained.

"I went to the Victoria's Secret website and it shows they go up to a 40DD and E cup and in their briefs, a size 16. It's an example of another retailer who, while they're open to taking money in size, but not in representation.

"You cant shame any body type. Some girls are naturally thin and their ribcages do show and thats part of them and theyre quite conscious of that, but then there are girls who know there not meant to be that type with a healthy BMI and there's no argument of their fitness and they're still being called overweight based on Victoria's Secret standards."UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the destruction of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah - a vital lifeline for millions of starving civilians - could trigger a "catastrophic" situation.

Medics and military sources say at least 149 people have been killed in 24 hours of heavy clashes as government loyalists, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, fight to oust Houthi rebels from the Red Sea city.

"If the port at Hodeidah is destroyed, that could create an absolutely catastrophic situation," Mr Guterres said during a trip to Paris.

Yemen is already facing a "disastrous" humanitarian situation, Mr Guterres said, adding: "The hostilities must stop."

The Saudi-led coalition currently "appears determined to take Hodeidah, which in my opinion will still not allow the real start of a political solution", Mr Guterres said.

"The fighting must stop, a political debate must begin, and we must prepare a massive humanitarian response to avoid the worst next year."

Mr Guterres said there was "an opportunity to make the direct parties in the conflict - the Houthis, the government, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia - understand this is ultimately a war that no one is winning."

He added there was "a consensus, between the United States, Russia, Europe and many states in the region, that it is time to end this conflict".

"The early reaction has been relatively positive but in my opinion things are frozen due to the Hodeidah situation".

The UN is already providing food aid to eight million Yemenis but that number could reach 14 million next year, Mr Guterres warned.

Street battles raged in residential areas of Hodeidah, forcing medical staff to flee the largest hospital, as Houthi insurgents tried to repel forces backed by the Saudi coalition.

Residents said they saw bodies of seven civilians killed in clashes in southern suburbs, with both sides using mortar shells, anti-aircraft guns and assault rifles in the fight for the Houthi-held city, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis.

The coalition has renewed its offensive on Hodeidah as Western allies, including the US, called for a ceasefire to support UN-led efforts to end the nearly four-year war that has killed more than 10,000 and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.

Medical sources at al-Thawra hospital said several staff members and patients able to move had fled. It was not immediately clear how many patients remained inside.

"The Houthis are reinforcing their positions near the hospital and that is what scared people," said one staff member.

Hospital spokesman Khaled Attiyah said doctors and nurses continued their work in departments such as intensive care, the burns ward and the emergency room "despite the panic".

Last week, rights groups said the Houthis had raided the hospital in the city's eastern suburbs and posted gunmen on the roof, endangering doctors and patients.

The UN and aid groups have warned a full-scale assault on Hodeidah, an entry point for 80pc of the country's food imports and relief supplies, could trigger a famine.

In a telephone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated Washington's call for "a cessation of hostilities and for all parties to come to the table to negotiate a peaceful solution".Blaze: A firefighter is silhouetted by a burning home along Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) during the Woolsey Fire in Malibu. Photo: Robyn Beck/Getty images

The death toll from wildfires raging in California rose to 31 after six more people were found killed in what is poised to become the deadliest wildfire in state history.

Officials said the bodies of five people were found in burned-out homes and the sixth was found in a vehicle in northern California's camp fire, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told reporters.

Some 228 people are still unaccounted for, Mr Honea said, while another 137 people have been found after friends or relatives reported being unable to contact them.

The so-called 'camp fire' in the northern part of the state has claimed at least 29 lives since it broke out on Thursday. Hundreds of kilometres to the south, at least two people have died in the Woolsey fire threatening the wealthy beach community of Malibu, near Los Angeles.

Looting was reported in the southern fire area and arrests were made, police reported.

Hot dry winds expected to blow until today whipped up the flames and heightened the urgency of evacuation orders, officials said. It has been more than 210 days since the area received half an inch or more of rain, making it easy for spot fires to spread to fresh patches of tinder-dry vegetation, fire officials said.

"We are entering a new normal," said Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen, noting that California's fires in 2018 grow far more quickly than they did even 10 years ago.

"The rate of spread is exponentially more than it used to be," he said.

Several officials urged residents to heed evacuation orders.

Chief Daryl Osby of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. "Your house can be rebuilt but you can't bring your life back."

Crews pushed forward to achieve 25pc containment of the camp fire in northern California, which had burned 111,000 acres at the edge of the Plumas National Forest.

In southern California, where the Woolsey fire scorched at least 83,275 acres, the blaze was only 10pc contained.

The camp fire burned down more than 6,700 homes and businesses in Paradise, more structures than any other California wildfire on record.

Its death toll now equals that of the Griffith Park fire in 1933, the deadliest wildfire on record in California.

Several of the bodies found late last week were found in or near burned-out cars, police have said. The flames descended on Paradise so fast that many people were forced to abandon their vehicles and run for their lives down the only road through the mountain town.

Winds of up to 64kmh were forecast to blow in the north and gusts of up to 113kmh, the so-called Santa Ana "devil wind", were expected in southern California.

The Woolsey fire doubled in size from Friday night into Sunday, threatening thousands of homes after triggering mandatory evacuation orders for a quarter of a million people in the upscale Malibu beach colony, as well as other communities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Many celebrities live in the area and US pop star Miley Cyrus (25) said she had been left "devastated" after her home was burned down.

Cyrus, who is engaged to Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, said her animals and "love of my life" made it out safely.

She tweeted: "Completely devastated by the fires affecting my community. I am one of the lucky ones. My animals and love of my life made it out safely and that's all that matters right now.

"My house no longer stands but the memories shared with family and friends stand strong. I am grateful for all I have left."

Dozens of celebrities, including Kim Kardashian West and Lady Gaga, were forced to flee their Malibu area homes to escape the fires. Actor Gerard Butler said on Instagram his Malibu home was "half-gone".

Despite earlier news reports that the fire had destroyed the home of Caitlyn Jenner, the transgender advocate, her publicist said it had survived.

Governor of California Jerry Brown asked US President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster to bolster the emergency response and help residents recover.

Mr Trump said in a Twitter post: "With proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get Smart!"

The Republican president has previously blamed California officials for fires and threatened to withhold funding, saying the state should do more to remove rotten trees and other debris that fuel blazes.

State officials have blamed climate change and said many of the burn areas have been in federally managed lands.Female activists in Ireland have been posting photos of their underwear online after a barrister in a rape trial drew attention to a female complainants thong.

In the case in Cork, the jury was encouraged to consider the 17-year-olds choice of underwear in the defence lawyers closing speech.

The accused was subsequently found not guilty.

Following the trial, a viral campaign saw women posting images of their own underwear on social media, with the hashtag #ThisIsNotConsent.

Counsel for man acquitted of rape suggested jurors should reflect on underwear worn by the 17yo complainant. Following this wholly unacceptable comment, we are calling on our followers to post a picture of their thongs/knickers to support her with the hashtag #ThisIsNotConsent pic.twitter.com/ZkVU0GVAIN  I Believe Her - Ireland (@ibelieveher_ire) November 10, 2018

The hashtag was created by a closed Facebook group called Mna na hEireann (Women of Ireland).

Susan Dillon, a member of the group who also runs the Twitter account I Believe Her  Ireland, spread the word further.

Dillon said: One of the women in the group was angry at the comments made, as we all were.

Dillon said the woman suggested a protest to highlight that what women wear does not constitute consent, and another woman came up with the hashtag wording.

Irrespective of the other evidence no item of the complainants clothing implied consent.

If a jury is a representative sample of the population, then its clear we have some work to do to dispel this archaic myth that clothing invites rape.

wearing gross pants, nice pants or no pants: #ThisIsNotConsent pic.twitter.com/FqSt0TEJI6  Dr. Shubhangi Karmakar  (@Repealist_) November 12, 2018

Shubhangi Karmakar drew sketches of different kinds of underwear to go with the hashtag, claiming that consent is not given while wearing gross pants, nice pants or no pants.

Karmakar said: There are many hidden survivors and stories here. Its nice to create small shareable symbols of solidarity for us, and those who believe and support us.

Another Twitter user said: Just because my panties are cute doesnt mean Im saying yes.

Protests have also been organised in Galway, Limerick, Dublin and Cork by feminist organisation Rosa.

More than 900 people have expressed interest on Facebook in the primary Cork protest.

Fiona Ryan, a spokesman for Rosa, said: This case, and the particular awfulness of what was said, is absolutely endemic in our judiciary system.

We decided to call this rally not just specifically about this case, but calling for an end to victim blaming in courts.

The international solidarity thats been extended to these awful cases when theyre exposed will go a long way towards pushing for genuine legal change, and unfortunately that comes from above, but were going to push from below to ensure it happens.

I hear cameras cut away from me when I displayed this underwear in #Dail. In courts victims can have their underwear passed around as evidence and it's within the rules, hence need to display in Dail. Join protests tomorrow. In Dublin it's at Spire, 1pm.#dubw #ThisIsNotConsent pic.twitter.com/DvtaJL61qR  Ruth Coppinger (@RuthCoppingerSP) November 13, 2018

Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger also brought attention to the protests led by Rosa, holding a lace thong up in the chamber during Leaders Questions.

She used Twitter to explain: I hear cameras cut away from me when I displayed this underwear in Dail. In courts victims can have their underwear passed around as evidence and its within the rules.

Join protests tomorrow. In Dublin its at Spire, 1pm.

The row follows the trial in Belfast earlier this year of Ireland and Ulster Rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding.

After the case prompted fierce debate on both sides of the border, retired appeal court judge Sir John Gillen was tasked with carrying out a review of how the criminal system in Northern Ireland deals with serious sexual offence cases.

Among the issues to be examined by the review will be support for victims and witnesses, measures to ensure the anonymity of the complainant, the arguments for defendant anonymity and the impact of social media on trials.'Farmers were forced to dump tonnes of strawberries and prices plunged as foreign and local demand plummeted and health authorities issued warnings.' Stock image

The Australian woman accused of inserting sewing needles into strawberries - sparking a nationwide fruit contamination scare - allegedly acted out of "spite or revenge".

My Ut Trinh (50) was arrested in Brisbane on Sunday, two months after the discovery of needles prompted copycat cases and led to supermarkets removing strawberries - and needles - from shelves.

Farmers were forced to dump tonnes of strawberries and prices plunged as foreign and local demand plummeted and health authorities issued warnings.

Brisbane magistrates court heard Ms Trinh worked as a supervisor at the Berry Licious farm, but did not pick strawberries or work in packing.

"The case that is put is that it is motivated by some spite or revenge," Magistrate Christine Roney said. "She has embarked on a course over several months of putting a metal object into fruit."

DNA

Police told the court Ms Trinh's DNA was found in a punnet of strawberries in the state of Victoria.

Superintendent Jon Wacker said there were 186 reports of sewing needles found in strawberries. Fifteen were found to be hoaxes and 68 brands were affected.

Following the initial discovery of contaminated strawberry punnets, which were believed to have originated in Queensland, needles were also found in bananas, apples and mangoes. Some were hoaxes, including people inserting needles after buying the fruit and then posting images on social media.

Prosecutors opposed bail for Ms Trinh, saying there was a risk of "witnesses being interfered with" and she faced retribution if released.A Briton who died after being bitten by a cat with rabies while abroad in Morocco "did not receive the vaccine until it was too late", it has emerged.

Public Health England issued a warning to travellers after the UK resident contracted the disease after being bitten by a rabid cat.

It is understood that the person was bitten a few weeks ago and was not given immediate, potentially life-saving, treatment.

Prompt care can save an infected person's life.

It is believed that the Briton sought care both in Morocco and at home.

Professor Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "My understanding is that this is somebody who had contact with a cat that was behaving abnormally and sought care.

"I believe that the cat bit this person a few weeks ago."Mr Trump points at CNNs Jim Acosta, as a White House aide takes the microphone from him (AP)

American broadcaster CNN is suing the Trump administration, demanding the return of correspondent Jim Acostas press credentials to cover the White House.

The US administration revoked Mr Acostas access last week following President Donald Trumps controversial post-election news conference, where Mr Acosta refused to give up a microphone when the president said he did not want to hear anything more from him.

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in Washington DC district court.

CNN claims the revocation of Mr Acostas press pass violates the constitutional rights to freedom on the press and due process. The network is asking for an immediate restraining order to return Mr Acosta to the White House.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said: This is just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against his lawsuit.

Mr Trump has made CNN and its reporters a particular target of his denunciation of fake news and characterisation of the media as an enemy of the people.

CNN CEO Jeff Zucker, in a letter to White House chief of staff John Kelly, called it a pattern of targeted harassment.

Expand Close Jim Acosta (AP) / Facebook

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The White House initially contended it was Mr Acostas refusal to give up the microphone that led to his banishment. CNN said it is apparent the president did not like his questions.

Theodore Olson, former US solicitor general and one of CNNs lawyers on the case, said: Mr Acostas press credentials must be restored so that all members of the press know they will remain free to ask tough questions, challenge government officials and report the business of the nation to the American people.

The White House Correspondents Association backed the lawsuit, with the groups president, Olivier Knox, saying: The president of the United States should not be in the business of arbitrarily picking the men and women who cover him.

CNN said Mr Acosta was given no warning of the action, and no recourse to appeal it.

The reporter travelled to Paris to cover Mr Trumps visit there this weekend and, although given permission by the French government to cover a news event, the Secret Service denied him entrance, the company said.

Expand Close CNN journalist Abby Phillip asks President Donald Trump a question before he left for France (AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp CNN journalist Abby Phillip asks President Donald Trump a question before he left for France (AP)

Without this credential, a daily White House correspondent like Acosta effectively cannot do his job, legal papers said.

CNN asked for an injunction to immediately reinstate Mr Acosta, as well as a hearing on the larger issue of barring a reporter.

In an effort to prove the administrations case last week, Ms Sanders distributed via Twitter a doctored video sped up to make Mr Acostas physical actions towards the intern who tried to take the microphone seem more threatening.

That was not mentioned by Ms Sanders in her statement on Tuesday. She cited his refusal to yield to other reporters after he asked Mr Trump two questions.

Expand Close Mr Trump lambasted Mr Acosta and the CNN network (AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Mr Trump lambasted Mr Acosta and the CNN network (AP)

She said: The White House cannot run an orderly and fair press conference when a reporter acts this way, which is neither appropriate nor professional.

The First Amendment is not served when a single reporter, of more than 150 present, attempts to monopolise the floor.

Mr Trump told Mr Acosta at the news conference that CNN should be ashamed of itself, having you work for them. You are a rude, terrible person.

Mr Acosta has been a polarising figure even beyond the distaste that Mr Trump and his supporters have for him. The Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank, editorialised last week that Mr Acostas encounter with Mr Trump at the news conference was less about asking questions and more about making statements.

In doing so, the CNN White House reporter gave President Donald Trump room to critique Acostas professionalism, it added.The Democratic Party has claimed one of its biggest scalps of the US midterm elections by taking a Senate seat in a previously Republican stronghold.

Kyrsten Sinema won the Arizona Senate seat vacated by Republican Jeff Flake.

The race against Republican Martha McSally was so tight that a winner was not decided until Monday, after a slow count of postal ballots gave her an insurmountable lead.

Ms Sinemas win achieves a long-time Democratic goal of making Arizona, with its growing Latino population, a competitive state.

And she did it by pointedly not running against President Donald Trump, or even criticising his hardline immigration stance.

Ms Sinema targeted moderate Republican and independent women by painting herself as a non-partisan problem solver who voted to support Mr Trumps agenda 60% of the time.

Her nearly single-issue campaign talked about the importance of healthcare and protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Expand Close Ms Sinema beat Republican Martha McSally to flip the Senate seat (AP Photo/Matt York) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Ms Sinema beat Republican Martha McSally to flip the Senate seat (AP Photo/Matt York)

She knew Ms McSally was vulnerable there because she backed the Republicans failed attempt to repeal president Barack Obamas health care law.

Ms Sinema tailored her campaign for conservative-leaning Arizona rather than the national environment, but it may be a guide for Democrats who hope to expand the electoral map in 2020.

While some liberals won important races in California, Colorado and Kansas, the lefts highest-profile champions disappointed on election day.

Beto ORourke fell short in his challenge to Ted Cruz in Texas, Stacey Abrams trails her Republican opponent in the still undecided bitter race to be governor of Georgia, and Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum, who once led in the polls in the race for Florida governor, is now awaiting the results of a recount.

Ms Sinema first came to prominence as an openly bisexual Green Party activist in Phoenix, and Ms McSally criticised the Democrat over her protests against the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

She was elected as a Democrat to the state legislature in 2004 and carved out a reputation as a liberal who could work with her conservative colleagues.

She was elected to Congress representing a suburban Phoenix district in 2012.

She voted against Nancy Pelosi as the Democratic leader, supported relaxed regulations on banks and a law to increase penalties on people illegally re-entering the country.

She supported a bill making it easier to deport immigrants identified by police as gang members.Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of Adam Thomas, 22, who has been convicted at Birmingham Crown Court of membership of neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action, which was banned in 2016. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of Adam Thomas posing with his new-born baby, whilst wearing the hooded white robes of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Thomas, 22, and his partner Claudia Patatas, 38, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016.West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of Darren Fletcher (left) who admitted being a member of National Action, posing with Adam Thomas and his partner Claudia Patatas, at their home in Waltham Gardens, Banbury, Oxfordshire. Thomas, 22, and Patatas, 38, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of Darren Fletcher (right) who admitted being a member of banned far-right terrorist group National Action, posing with Adam Thomas, as both give a Nazi-style salute. Thomas, 22, and his partner Claudia Patatas, 38, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016.West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of Adam Thomas posing with his new-born baby, whilst wearing the hooded white robes of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of crossbow found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home in Oxfordshire. Thomas, 22, and Patatas, 38, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of of a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) mask found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home in Oxfordshire. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a beaker bearing a Swastika found on the side board during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a Hitler Youth-type dagger found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a crossbow found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home in Oxfordshire. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a jacket bearing a Swastika armband found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home.West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of machetes found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home.West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a Hitler Youth-type dagger found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. Thomas, 22, and Patatas, 38, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a mug displaying the emblem of the Nazi-era SS organisation found on the living room side board during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of of a Swastika pastry cutter found in a kitchen drawer during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of an axe and sheath found under the bed during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a Ku Klux Klan flag hanging in the lounge of the home in Oxfordshire of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas'.West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a Ku Klux Klan-styled Christmas card found on the side board during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a tattoo of the black sun on the back of Claudia Patatas. Patatas, 38, and her partner Adam Thomas, 22, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of of tww Swastika cushions (slightly hidden) and a Ku Klux Klan flag hanging in the lounge of the home in Oxfordshire of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas'. Thomas, 22, and Patatas, 38, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016.West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a picture allegedly showing Adam Thomas wearing the hooded white robes of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) whilst brandishing a machete in front of a KKK flag at his home in Oxfordshire. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of Adam Thomas and his partner Claudia Patatas with their new born baby. Mr Thomas, 22, and Ms Patatas, 38, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

A fanatical neo-Nazi couple who named their baby son after Hitler have been convicted of membership of a terrorist group.

Adam Thomas, 22, and Claudia Patatas, 38, were found guilty on Monday of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court was told the couple had given their child the middle name "Adolf", which Thomas said was in "admiration" of Hitler, and had Swastika scatter cushions in their home.

Photographs recovered from their home also showed Thomas cradling his new-born son while wearing the hooded white robes of a Ku Klux Klansman.

Expand Close Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a picture allegedly showing Adam Thomas wearing the hooded white robes of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) whilst brandishing a machete in front of a KKK flag at his home in Oxfordshire. West Midlands Police/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a picture allegedly showing Adam Thomas wearing the hooded white robes of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) whilst brandishing a machete in front of a KKK flag at his home in Oxfordshire. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

In conversation with another National Action member, Patatas said "all Jews must be put to death," while Thomas had once told his partner he "found that all non-whites are intolerable".

Former Amazon security guard Thomas and Patatas, a wedding photographer originally from Portugal who also wanted to "bring back concentration camps", were found guilty after a seven-week trial.

Expand Close Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of of tww Swastika cushions (slightly hidden) and a Ku Klux Klan flag hanging in the lounge of the home in Oxfordshire of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas'. Thomas, 22, and Patatas, 38, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016.West Midlands Police/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of of tww Swastika cushions (slightly hidden) and a Ku Klux Klan flag hanging in the lounge of the home in Oxfordshire of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas'. Thomas, 22, and Patatas, 38, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016.West Midlands Police/PA Wire

A third defendant - a leading member in National Action's Midlands chapter, Daniel Bogunovic, 27, of Crown Hills Rise, Leicester, was also convicted of membership.

Jurors heard he already had a conviction from earlier this year for stirring up racial hatred after being part of a group who plastered a Birmingham university with offensive National Action stickers.

Expand Close Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a Ku Klux Klan-styled Christmas card found on the side board during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a Ku Klux Klan-styled Christmas card found on the side board during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Thomas, a twice-failed Army applicant, was also convicted on a majority verdict of having a terrorist manual, namely the Anarchist's Cookbook, which jurors heard contained instructions on making "viable" bombs.

Three other men who had been due to stand trial alongside the trio - Thomas' close friend and goods vehicle driver Darren Fletcher, 28, IT worker Joel Wilmore, 24, and van driver Nathan Pryke, 26 - all admitted being National Action members before proceedings began.

Expand Close Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of of a Swastika pastry cutter found in a kitchen drawer during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of of a Swastika pastry cutter found in a kitchen drawer during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

All six were part of a Midlands cell of the terrorist group, which also counted a serving British soldier Mikko Vehvilainen, and a university student, Alexander Deakin, among its leading members.

Following the lifting of legal restrictions, details can only now be reported of how Vehvilainen, 34, and National Action's Midlands organiser Deakin, 24, were both convicted of membership back in March.

Expand Close Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a jacket bearing a Swastika armband found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home.West Midlands Police/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a jacket bearing a Swastika armband found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home.West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Both were later jailed at Birmingham Crown Court for eight years and were the first members of the banned organisation to be convicted under terrorism legislation.

Deakin and Vehvilainen, who was thrown out of the Army on conviction, had been members of private chat groups alongside with Patatas, Thomas and Bogunovic, discussing the group's operations.

Expand Close Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a beaker bearing a Swastika found on the side board during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a beaker bearing a Swastika found on the side board during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

In a chat involving Thomas, Fletcher, Pryke, Patatas, Vehvilainen and Wilmore, in February 2017 - two months after the ban - Deakin was telling his fellow members: "All Jews need burning - it's symbolic."

In another chat, on March 30, Vehvilainen told his comrades: "These things will be decided when we have won the war against the Jews, deported the muds (Muslims), and cleansed our lands."

Expand Close Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of of a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) mask found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home in Oxfordshire. West Midlands Police/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of of a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) mask found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home in Oxfordshire. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

During the Thomas-Patatas trial, a photograph was shown of Fletcher performing a Nazi-style salute in the couple's lounge, as Patatas smiled and cradled her baby.

More images from what prosecutors called the "the Thomas-Patatas family album" showed Thomas brandishing a machete in front of a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) flag in the lounge.

Another photo showed him with a powerful crossbow - one of two found inside the house - while police found a makeshift firing range in their yard.

Expand Close Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a crossbow found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home in Oxfordshire. West Midlands Police/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of a crossbow found during police searches of Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas' home in Oxfordshire. West Midlands Police/PA Wire

One of the crossbows was found under the couple's bed, a few feet from the baby's crib, along with an axe in a sheath.

During two police searches at their home, officers also recovered further weapons from an "extensive" arsenal, including two machetes, one with a serrated 18in (46cm) blade, in their first-floor bedroom.

The couple also had a National Action poster stuck to their fridge reading "Britain is ours - the rest must go", and a pastry-cutter shaped like a Swastika, kept in a kitchen cupboard.

Expand Close Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of Darren Fletcher (right) who admitted being a member of banned far-right terrorist group National Action, posing with Adam Thomas, as both give a Nazi-style salute. Thomas, 22, and his partner Claudia Patatas, 38, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016.West Midlands Police/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated handout file photo issued by West Midlands Police of Darren Fletcher (right) who admitted being a member of banned far-right terrorist group National Action, posing with Adam Thomas, as both give a Nazi-style salute. Thomas, 22, and his partner Claudia Patatas, 38, have been found guilty of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016.West Midlands Police/PA Wire

There was also a Christmas card on the sideboard showing three robed KKK figures and the message "may all your Christmases be white".

In a message to "vehement Nazi" Fletcher, Patatas said "all Jews must be put to death", while Thomas, originally from Kingshurst Road, Birmingham, told his partner, "all non-whites are intolerable".

Fletcher, of Kitchen Lane, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, was jailed for a year in 2014 for stirring up racial hatred after posting a video in which he dressed as a Klansman, and hanged a golliwog from a stage at a white supremacy event in Wales.

He was later jailed again for eight months for posting racist remarks online in 2015.

Thomas, a Holocaust-denier, told police he had held white supremacist views from the age of 11, and his stepfather was a member of white power band Skrewdriver.

However, it emerged during the trial that Thomas had travelled to Israel aged 18, where he lived for nearly two years.

He had considered converting to Judaism, he told jurors, despite also telling his trial that he believed the issue of whether the Holocaust happened or not was "complicated".

National Action was banned by the Government in December 2016, as "a racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic organisation", in part because of its members' support for the killer of MP Jo Cox, Thomas Mair.

In one message, Fletcher had said: "Mair had the right idea."

During a conversation on Telegram messenger in February 2017, Thomas and Fletcher talked of "bumping off" MPs.

In the same conversation, Wilmore called Muslims an "infection on western civilisation", adding "they deserve the fire and brand just as much as the Jews".

Jurors heard evidence of more social media chats involving Thomas, Patatas and Bogunovic, discussing what prosecutors have alleged was National Action's continuing operation, under a different name.

Pryke, who railed against "Jews" in the chats - and cleared his incriminating message logs every night, spoke with Thomas of a forthcoming "race war".

Thomas, in a Skype message just days after the ban, said: "F***ing traitors. Midlands will continue the fight alone."

Jurors also heard how Thomas and Patatas plastered National Action stickers in public locations after the ban, while Bogunovic was calling for a "leadership" meeting in a chat group for senior members in April 2017.

Barnaby Jameson QC, prosecuting, said National Action had simply "shed one skin for another" by "re-branding" in order to evade the law.

In his trial opening, Mr Jameson said: "They were fanatical, highly motivated, energetic, closely-linked and mobile.

"And they all had, we say, a similar interest in ethnic cleansing, with violence if necessary, and the evidence in this case, we say, speaks for itself."

Trial judge the Recorder of Birmingham Melbourne Inman QC told Bogunovic, Patatas and Thomas they and the three men who admitted membership prior to trial would be sentenced together in a two-day hearing beginning on Friday December 14, and concluding on the Monday.

Turning to the jury, who deliberated for more than 12 hours, the judge added: "Thank you very much for your hard work."

The three will be sentenced alongside Wilmore, 24, an IT technician and former Army reservist, of Bramhall Road, Stockport, Greater Manchester, and goods drivers Pryke, of Dartford Road, March, Cambridge and Fletcher.

Wilmore will also be sentenced for possession of a terrorist document, called Homemade Molotov Cocktails.

Patatas, who was bailed pending sentencing, left court without comment.

Following the convictions, West Midlands Police chief superintendent Matt Ward said that "National Action, the Midlands chapter... is no more".

He added: "We've been able to dismantle one terrorist cell operating in the Midlands, it doesn't mean there won't be others, and it doesn't mean they won't adopt different names and identities going forward."Transport giant FirstGroup has appointed a new chief executive as it revealed widening half-year losses and warned over earnings in its rail division.

The group, behind strike-hit line South Western Railway, said interim chief operating officer Matthew Gregory had taken on the top job with immediate effect.

His appointment comes after former boss Tim OToole resigned abruptly in May following results showing the group swung to a mammoth full-year loss.

Executive chairman Wolfhart Hauser had taken over at the helm after Mr OTooles departure, but will now revert back to his non-executive chairman role.

Industry conditions remain very challenging with macroeconomic uncertainty, infrastructure upgrade works across our networks and the industrial action in SWR all affecting our franchise performance levelsFirstGroup

Details of the change at the top came as FirstGroup reported interim pre-tax losses widening to 4.6 million in the six months to September 30 from 1.9 million a year earlier due to restructuring and reorganisation costs from the withdrawal of Greyhound services in Western Canada.

But revenues rose 19.2% to 3.3 billion and on an underlying and constant currency basis, FirstGroup saw pre-tax profits jump 63.4% to 42 million, while earnings lifted 9.2% to 92.4 million.

FirstGroup shares rose 6% in morning trading.

But FirstGroup cautioned its rail arm, which includes the South Western Railway (SWR) and Great Western Railway franchises, would see annual underlying operating profits fall year-on-year.

Half-year underlying rail earnings dropped 5.8% to 29.3 million.

On the rail performance, FirstGroup said: Industry conditions remain very challenging with macroeconomic uncertainty, infrastructure upgrade works across our networks and the industrial action in SWR all affecting our franchise performance levels.

Due to a postponed winter timetable upgrade, the firm said it was in talks with the Department for Transport to work through potential commercial and contractual amendments.

The groups overall performance has been weighed down by woes at its Greyhound bus service in the US, which has been struggling amid the rising popularity of low-cost airline competition.

Greyhounds interim underlying operating profits more than halved to 10.2 million from 23.5 million a year ago.

But the firm said its group-wide performance was encouraging in the first half and maintained its overall outlook for the full-year.

New boss Mr Gregory said: Our First Rail operations continued to focus on improving services for our passengers while maintaining overall profitability in a more challenging industry environment during the period.

We completed our review of Greyhound and have launched a plan to optimise our smallest business for the challenges it is facing.

Having recently addressed our loss-making activities in Western Canada, these further actions will assist in improving Greyhounds performance going forward.

Gerald Khoo, a transport analyst at Liberum, said there was some evidence of progress in the figures.

But he added: Greyhound continued to deteriorate and the outcome of the strategic review may disappoint, with a continued focus on organic turnaround rather than anything more radical.In mourning: Relatives of Khaled Qwaider, one of the seven Palestinians killed on Sunday, mourn during his funeral. Photo: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Chanting "revenge" and flanked by masked gunmen in camouflage, thousands of mourners in the Gaza Strip yesterday buried seven Palestinian militants killed in an Israeli incursion as the ruling Hamas group launched a feverish security sweep across the territory.

Hamas claimed Israeli undercover forces entered the territory in a civilian vehicle on Sunday night and exchanged fire with Hamas gunmen. The clashes killed an Israeli lieutenant colonel, prompting Israeli airstrikes and a salvo of rocket fire from Gaza toward Israel.

The cross-border fighting came just days after Israel and Hamas reached indirect understandings, backed by Qatar and Egypt, to allow cash and fuel into Gaza. The understandings are meant to be part of a broader effort to alleviate deteriorating conditions in the impoverished territory after 11 years of an Israeli-Egyptian blockade.

It was not clear if the burst of violence, which appeared to have subsided yesterday, would derail those arrangements.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to Paris, returning to Israel yesterday for consultations with top security officials.

In Gaza, Hamas authorities beefed up security, deploying checkpoints all over the territory. The group also cancelled a weekly beach protest in north-western Gaza along the border with Israel.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh led a funeral for four militants as masked gunmen in uniforms carried the coffins, wrapped in the flag of Hamas's armed wing, and mourners chanted "revenge".

The Hamas military wing, Izzedine al-Qassam, said Israeli undercover forces drove three kilometres into south-eastern Gaza and shot and killed Nour el-Deen Baraka, a mid-level commander.

Qassam members found the car and chased it, prompting Israeli airstrikes that killed several people, the group said. The empty vehicle was reduced to a charred chassis after aircraft fired several missiles.

The Israeli military said there had been an exchange of fire during an operation in Gaza, with troops withdrawing from the territory with the help of aircraft. Militants then launched 17 rockets toward Israeli communities.The burnt out remains of a vehicle is seen at a home in the beachside community of Point Dume in Malibu, California on November 11, 2018, as the battle to control the Woolsey Fire continues. - Near Los Angeles, where the "Woolsey Fire" is threatening mansions and mobile homes alike in the coastal celebrity redoubt of Malibu, the death toll has been limited to two victims found in a vehicle on a private driveway. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers write on a body bag after loading a body into a hearse in Concow, California, on November 11, 2018 after the Camp Fire ripped through the area. - The death toll from the devastating California wildfire has matched that of the deadliest to hit the state, with 29 people killed, a local sheriff said on November 11. (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP)JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images

A wildfire burns at the Salvation Army Camp on November 10, 2018 in Malibu, California. The Woolsey fire has burned over 70,000 acres and has reached the Pacific Coast at Malibu as it continues grow. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

Water from a firetruck douses flames and smoke near homes in West Hills, California, on November 11, 2018, as firefighters continue their battle to control the Woolsey Fire. - Near Los Angeles, where the fire is threatening mansions and mobile homes alike in the coastal celebrity redoubt of Malibu, the death toll has so far been limited to two victims found in a vehicle on a private driveway. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers inspect remains near a burned out vehicle off a dirt road in Concow, California on November 11, 2018 after the Camp fire ripped through the area. - The death toll from the devastating California wildfire has matched that of the deadliest to hit the state, with 29 people killed, a local sheriff said on November 11. (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP)JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images

Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers discover bone fragments inside a burned vehicle in Concow, California on November 11, 2018 after the Camp fire ripped through the area. - The death toll from the devastating California wildfire has matched that of the deadliest to hit the state, with 29 people killed, a local sheriff said on November 11. (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP)JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images

Tim Billow, 62, tries to save his plantings in his backyard as the Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A Southern California wildfire continues to burn homes as it runs toward the sea. Winds are blamed for pushing the fire through scenic canyon communities and ridgetop homes. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire as it continues to burn in Malibu, California, U.S., November 11, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Thayer

At least 42 people have died in a wildfire in Northern California, making it the deadliest blaze in state history.

Authorities reported 13 more fatalities as the search for bodies continued.

Victims were found in burned-out cars, in the smouldering ruins of their homes, or next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could escape.

In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Tim Billow, 62, tries to save his plantings in his backyard as the Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A Southern California wildfire continues to burn homes as it runs toward the sea. Winds are blamed for pushing the fire through scenic canyon communities and ridgetop homes. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers discover bone fragments inside a burned vehicle in Concow, California on November 11, 2018 after the Camp fire ripped through the area. - The death toll from the devastating California wildfire has matched that of the deadliest to hit the state, with 29 people killed, a local sheriff said on November 11. (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP)JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers inspect remains near a burned out vehicle off a dirt road in Concow, California on November 11, 2018 after the Camp fire ripped through the area. - The death toll from the devastating California wildfire has matched that of the deadliest to hit the state, with 29 people killed, a local sheriff said on November 11. (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP)JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images Water from a firetruck douses flames and smoke near homes in West Hills, California, on November 11, 2018, as firefighters continue their battle to control the Woolsey Fire. - Near Los Angeles, where the fire is threatening mansions and mobile homes alike in the coastal celebrity redoubt of Malibu, the death toll has so far been limited to two victims found in a vehicle on a private driveway. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers write on a body bag after loading a body into a hearse in Concow, California, on November 11, 2018 after the Camp Fire ripped through the area. - The death toll from the devastating California wildfire has matched that of the deadliest to hit the state, with 29 people killed, a local sheriff said on November 11. (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP)JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images The burnt out remains of a vehicle is seen at a home in the beachside community of Point Dume in Malibu, California on November 11, 2018, as the battle to control the Woolsey Fire continues. - Near Los Angeles, where the "Woolsey Fire" is threatening mansions and mobile homes alike in the coastal celebrity redoubt of Malibu, the death toll has been limited to two victims found in a vehicle on a private driveway. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images Firefighters douse burning embers off Kanan Dume Road, a canyon road which cuts across the mountains to Malibu, California on November 11, 2018, as the battle to control the Woolsey Fire continues. - Near Los Angeles, where the "Woolsey Fire" is threatening mansions and mobile homes alike in the coastal celebrity redoubt of Malibu, the death toll has been limited to two victims found in a vehicle on a private driveway. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images This photo shows the remains of a beachside luxury home along the Pacific Coast Highway community of Point Dume in Malibu, California, on November 11, 2018, as the battle to control the Woolsey Fire continues. - Near Los Angeles, where the "Woolsey Fire" is threatening mansions and mobile homes alike in the coastal celebrity redoubt of Malibu, the death toll has been limited to two victims found in a vehicle on a private driveway. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images Burning embers remain amidst the destruction of a beachside luxury home along the Pacific Coast Highway community of Point Dume in Malibu, California, on November 11, 2018, as the battle to control the Woolsey Fire continues. - Near Los Angeles, where the "Woolsey Fire" is threatening mansions and mobile homes alike in the coastal celebrity redoubt of Malibu, the death toll has been limited to two victims found in a vehicle on a private driveway. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images MALIBU, CA - NOV 11: Firefighters battle a blaze at the Salvation Army Camp on November 10, 2018 in Malibu, California. The Woolsey fire has burned over 70,000 acres and has reached the Pacific Coast at Malibu as it continues grow. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images) MALIBU, CA - NOV 11: A fire burns at the Salvation Army Camp on November 10, 2018 in Malibu, California. The Woolsey fire has burned over 70,000 acres and has reached the Pacific Coast at Malibu as it continues grow. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images) A wildfire burns at the Salvation Army Camp on November 10, 2018 in Malibu, California. The Woolsey fire has burned over 70,000 acres and has reached the Pacific Coast at Malibu as it continues grow. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images) A burnt car and a gas station remain visible after the "Camp" fire tore through the region near Pulga, east of Paradise, California on November 11, 2018. - Search teams scoured the carnage of California's most destructive ever wildfire for victims on Sunday, as the state-wide death toll rose to 26 with high winds hampering the effort to rescue property and save lives. At least 23 people have lost their lives in and around the Paradise community of 27,000, according to an official count by authorities. (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP)JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images TOPSHOT - Flames from the Camp fire burn near a home atop a ridge near Big Bend, California, on November 10, 2018. - The death toll from the most destructive fire to hit California rose to 23 on November 10 as rescue workers recovered more bodies of people killed by the devastating blaze. Ten of the bodies were found in the town of Paradise while four were discovered in the Concow area, both in Butte County. (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP)JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images TOPSHOT - Yuba County Sheriff officers carry a body away from a burned residence in Paradise, California, on November 10, 2018. - Firefighters in California on November 10 battled raging blazes at both ends of the state that have left at least nine people dead and thousands of homes destroyed, but there was little hope of containing the flames anytime soon. So far, all nine fatalities were reported in the town of Paradise, in Butte County, where more than 6,700 buildings, most of them residences, have been consumed by the late-season inferno, which is now California's most destructive fire on record. (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP)JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Tim Billow, 62, tries to save his plantings in his backyard as the Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A Southern California wildfire continues to burn homes as it runs toward the sea. Winds are blamed for pushing the fire through scenic canyon communities and ridgetop homes. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Hundreds of people were unaccounted for by the sheriff's reckoning, four days after the fire swept over the town of Paradise and practically wiped it off the map.

As the search for victims dragged on, friends and relatives of the missing called hospitals, police, shelters and the coroner's office in the hope of learning what became of their loved ones.

Expand Close A wildfire burns at the Salvation Army Camp on November 10, 2018 in Malibu, California. The Woolsey fire has burned over 70,000 acres and has reached the Pacific Coast at Malibu as it continues grow. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A wildfire burns at the Salvation Army Camp on November 10, 2018 in Malibu, California. The Woolsey fire has burned over 70,000 acres and has reached the Pacific Coast at Malibu as it continues grow. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

Paradise was a popular retirement community, and about a quarter of the population was over 65.

Tad Teays awaited word on his 90-year-old dementia-stricken mother. Darlina Duarte was desperate for information about her half-brother, a diabetic who was largely housebound because he had lost his legs.

And Barbara Hall tried in vain to find out whether her aunt and the woman's husband, who are in their 80s and 90s, made it out alive from their retirement community.

"Did they make it in their car? Did they get away? Did their car go over the edge of a mountain somewhere? I just don't know," said Ms Hall, adding that the couple had only a landline and calls were not going through to it.

Expand Close Firefighters battle flames overnight during a wildfire that burned dozens of homes in Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Thayer / Facebook

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Whatsapp Firefighters battle flames overnight during a wildfire that burned dozens of homes in Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Thayer

Megan James, of Newfoundland, Canada, searched via Twitter from the other side of the continent for information about her aunt and uncle, whose house in Paradise burned down and whose vehicles were still there. On Monday, she asked on Twitter for someone to take over the posts, saying she was "so emotionally and mentally exhausted".

The blaze was part of an outbreak of wildfires on both ends of the state.

Together, they were blamed for 44 deaths, including two in celebrity-studded Malibu in Southern California, where firefighters appeared to be gaining ground against a roughly 143-square-mile blaze that destroyed at least 370 structures, with hundreds more feared lost.

Some of the thousands of people forced from their homes by the blaze were allowed to return, and authorities reopened US 101, a major highway through the fire zone in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Malibu celebrities and mobile-home dwellers in nearby mountains were slowly learning whether their homes had been spared or reduced to ash.

In Northern California, fire crews still fighting the blaze that obliterated Paradise contended with wind gusts of up to 40 mph overnight. The fire had grown to 177 square miles and was 25% contained, authorities said. Winds were expected to weaken on Monday night.

The 29 dead in Northern California matched the deadliest single fire on record, a 1933 blaze in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. A series of wildfires in Northern California's wine country last autumn killed 44 people and destroyed more than 5,000 homes.Fair City actor Victor Burke has told of the devastating effects of a wildfire in Malibu, California where he has lived for three years with his wife and two children.

The actor flies over and back from the States every month to film for the RTE soap, as well as keeping up with other commitments he has in Ireland.

He said the affected area looks like a nuclear bomb exploded.

Speaking to Ray DArcy on RTE Radio One, Victor explained the terrifying ordeal of fleeing his home with his family and their dog in a truck hired for a planned family-trip to Utah last weekend.

He said he just managed to grab photos and a few bits and bobs from the house before hitting the road, and was now staying in a hotel with the family.

Victor explained the flames were burning on one side of the Pacific Coast Highway near his home, while the coast was on the other side of him as he drove his family to safety.

There were burning embers going passed, it got really bad, he said.

Initially, Victor tried to remain calm when friends banged on his door at 5.30am on Friday morning to tell them a compulsory evacuation was taking place.

I thought they were all exaggerating till I saw the flames coming over the mountain  and then we ran. It was pretty extreme. The flames were huge, the mountains are pretty high and the flames were way above the mountain so we ran and we got onto the PCH, the road that runs along the coast, he said.

"Everyone was heading south to the Santa Monica area but there was a traffic jam so we headed north.

Returning to the area with a friend two days ago, Victor was horrified by the sight of scorched community he now calls home. He said it was lucky more people didnt lose their lives.

The fire is now the deadliest in the history of California with the death toll now at 44.

Its like a nuclear bomb went off  it's incredible, he told Ray.

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I dont know how there is anything left, there is a few houses still left.

I got back in with a friend of mine going in to rescue animals, he added.

There was half a dozen roads blocks with the police. I have so many friends that everything is gone. My daughter said for sure half her class had lost their homes."

Victor also drove passed the burnt frame of his own house, unable to stop due to the heavy police presence.

My friend showed me a photo of it. A helicopter was dropping water on it, it was pretty extreme.

There is a structure there - part of a structure - the back is all burnt."

"Im amazed there werent more fatalities. I drove past the high school and there is nothing up there, there are no houses.

Victor said he and his wife will need to figure out a plan of action as to where they will live before he arrives back in Ireland in a few weeks time.The bishops of America's 196 Catholic dioceses and archdioceses - planning to tackle the child sex abuse crisis and stop further crimes - have been ordered by Pope Francis not to vote on any of their proposals.

He does not want their gathering in Baltimore to address bishops' accountability on sexual abuse until he leads a worldwide meeting in February of church leaders.

His request was delivered by the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, yesterday in the opening minutes of the meeting.

"At the insistence of the Holy See, we will not be voting on the two action items," DiNardo said. He said he was "disappointed" by the pope's directive.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, called the last-minute order from the Vatican "truly incredible".

"What we see here is the Vatican again trying to suppress even modest progress by the US bishops," said Ms Doyle, whose group compiles data on clergy abuse in the Church.

"We're seeing where the problem lies, which is with the Vatican. The outcome of this meeting, at best, was going to be tepid and ineffectual, but it's actually going to be completely without substance."

Archbishop Christophe Pierre - the Vatican's ambassador to the US - defended what bishops have already done to reduce instances of clergy abusing children and expressed hesitancy about anyone other than clergy - such as lay leaders or civil authorities - punishing abuse.Donald Trump is set to be investigated by Congress over whether he used "the instruments of state power" to punish media outlets, a senior Democrat has said.

Adam Schiff, who is expected to chair the House intelligence committee next year, said Democrats plan to probe the Trump administration on two fronts following his party's gains in the midterm elections.

First, they intend to find out if the president attempted to punish Amazon by pressuring the US Post Office to hike shipping prices for the world's biggest online retailer.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon's chief executive, owns the 'Washington Post' - a newspaper Mr Trump considers a foe and has regularly branded the "Amazon Washington Post".

"It is very squarely within our responsibility to find out," Mr Schiff told 'Axios' in an interview that aired on Sunday on HBO. He said Mr Trump "was secretly meeting with the postmaster [general] in an effort to browbeat the postmaster into raising postal rates on Amazon... This appears to be an effort by the president to use the instruments of state power to punish Jeff Bezos and the 'Washington Post'," Mr Schiff said. Mr Trump has repeatedly complained Amazon does not pay the US postal service a fair rate for package delivery. He has said, without providing evidence, this costs US taxpayers billions of dollars, and has threatened to raise the company's postal rates.

The House is also set to investigate the Trump administration's attempt to block AT&T Inc from acquiring Time Warner, which owns CNN, Mr Schiff said.

Mr Trump has reserved his most strident criticism for the US cable news network, and last week revoked the press pass of its chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta.

The Justice Department is appealing a federal judge's approval of the $85.4bn (76bn) AT&T acquisition of Time Warner. Mr Trump opposed the AT&T-Time Warner merger as a candidate.

It is not clear which committees may probe the corporate issues, since Mr Schiff's intelligence committee would not have oversight. ( Independent News Service)US President Donald Trump continued to weigh in on Florida's mandatory recount in races for governor and US Senate, claiming without evidence that ballots "are missing or forged".

Mr Trump said on Twitter that the elections should be called in favour of the Republican candidates who were leading on election night - because "an honest vote count is no longer possible - ballots massively infected".

Florida's Senate and governor's races have gone to a recount that will decide two key offices in the largest US swing state because the Republicans' advantage in both races has fallen below the 0.5pc threshold required to trigger mandatory machine recounts, Secretary of State Ken Detzner said.

The move quickly drew an unfounded rebuke from Mr Trump, who alleged opponents were trying to "steal" the elections.

Rick Scott, the state's governor now vying to be a US senator, echoed that allegation on Fox News and said that there had been "no transparency" in a recount that has seen 93,000 ballots materialise after election day that weren't counted previously.

In the Senate race, the unofficial count had Republican Scott leading incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson by about 12,600 votes among roughly 8.2 million votes cast in the November 6 election. The race for governor between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum was separated by about 33,700 votes, with the Republican also leading there.

Election workers started a mad dash to recount by machine the millions of votes, in a task that some thought would be impossible to finish by the mandated deadline of 3pm on November 15.

Mr Scott echoed Mr Trump on the 'Fox & Friends' morning programme. "We need to go forward and start thinking about our agendas. Bill Nelson is clearly a sore loser. He can't stand the fact that he's not going to be elected for the first time in decades and he's just here to steal this election," Mr Scott said.

Mr Nelson's campaign sent a video statement on Friday in which the senator said: "Scott is trying to stop all the votes from being counted and he's impeding the democratic process."

The lawyer that Mr Scott referenced was not authorised to object, and non-citizens don't vote, Mr Nelson's attorney Marc Elias said.

The Florida governor on Sunday sued to have voting machines, tallying devices and ballots seized in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

State elections officials said they had observers in Broward County and they hadn't found evidence of criminal wrongdoing. What's more, Mr Detzner, whose office ultimately had to order the recount, is a Scott appointee.

Mr Scott's "own Republican officials in Florida said there is no fraud," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Sunday. The recounts will decide the fate of a crucial Senate seat and a governorship in a state that will also be important in the 2020 presidential contest.

Mr Scott declared victory on election night, but slow vote-counting in Democrat-leaning Broward and Palm Beach counties narrowed the race to within the margin that dictates a recount. Mr DeSantis also declared victory - and his opponent conceded - when the outcome appeared set on election night.

Mr Trump, Mr Scott and other Republicans have attempted to sow doubt about the process and raise suspicions about electoral officials, especially Broward County's election supervisor Brenda Snipes, who oversaw the vote in the state's second-most populous county, which includes Fort Lauderdale and Coral Springs.

Republicans said Ms Snipes failed to provide necessary transparency as votes dribbled in and Democrats closed the margin. Pressed on ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway cited "boxes of votes just appearing out of nowhere" and past criticism of Ms Snipes.An Israeli soldier stands near a burning bus after it was hit by a mortar shell fired from Gaza near the Israel Gaza border, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Israeli media say six people were wounded by Palestinian fire, including a 19-year-old who was critically hurt when a mortar shell hit the bus. (APEPhoto/Tsafrir Abayov)

Flames rise after a rocket attack in Sderot, near the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, November 12, 2018. REUTERS/ Amir Cohen

Security personnel check a damaged house in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, following a rocket attack from Gaza November 12, 2018. REUTERS/ Amir Cohen

A general view of the Israeli city of Ashkelon, as an Iron Dome anti-missile fires near the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, November 12, 2018. REUTERS/ Amir Cohen

Israel launched more air strikes on Gaza on Tuesday as Palestinians kept up rocket fire on Israeli territory, in the worst surge of violence since a 2014 war.

The fighting - that has killed six Palestinians, five of them militants, and a civilian in Israel since Monday -threatened to derail efforts by the United Nations, Egypt and Qatar to broker a long-term truce and head off another major conflict in the impoverished enclave.

Expand Close Security personnel check a damaged house in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, following a rocket attack from Gaza November 12, 2018. REUTERS/ Amir Cohen / Facebook

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Whatsapp Security personnel check a damaged house in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, following a rocket attack from Gaza November 12, 2018. REUTERS/ Amir Cohen

Hamas, Gaza's dominant Islamist movement, and other armed factions launched more than 400 rockets or mortar bombs across the border after carrying out a surprise guided-missile attack on Monday on a bus that wounded an Israeli soldier, the military said.

The salvoes were the fiercest since the 2014 Gaza war between Israel and Gaza militants. Hamas said it was retaliating for a botched Israeli commando raid in Gaza that killed one of its commanders and six other gunmen on Sunday. An Israeli colonel was also killed in that incident.

Sirens rang out in the Israeli port of Ashkelon overnight and in other southern towns into Tuesday morning, sending residents rushing to bomb shelters. Several homes were hit and the military said Israel's Iron Dome anti-rocket system intercepted more than 100 rockets and mortar bombs.

Israel responded with dozens of air strikes against Gaza, hitting buildings overnight that included a Hamas intelligence compound and the studios of Hamas's Al-Aqsa Television, whose employees had received advance warnings from the military to evacuate.

Expand Close Flames rise after a rocket attack in Sderot, near the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, November 12, 2018. REUTERS/ Amir Cohen / Facebook

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Whatsapp Flames rise after a rocket attack in Sderot, near the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, November 12, 2018. REUTERS/ Amir Cohen

In aerial attacks on Tuesday, Israel's military said it struck a rocket-launching squad and fired at several Palestinians infiltrating through Israel's border fence.

In Gaza, schools, government office and banks were closed on Tuesday. Classes were also cancelled in Israeli towns near the border.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet to discuss Israel's next moves and the military said it had sent infantry and armoured reinforcements to the Gaza frontier.

A Palestinian official said Egypt and the United Nations had stepped up efforts with Palestinian factions and Israel to end the current round of fighting "and prevent further escalation".

Expand Close An Israeli soldier stands near a burning bus after it was hit by a mortar shell fired from Gaza near the Israel Gaza border, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Israeli media say six people were wounded by Palestinian fire, including a 19-year-old who was critically hurt when a mortar shell hit the bus. (APEPhoto/Tsafrir Abayov) / Facebook

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Whatsapp An Israeli soldier stands near a burning bus after it was hit by a mortar shell fired from Gaza near the Israel Gaza border, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Israeli media say six people were wounded by Palestinian fire, including a 19-year-old who was critically hurt when a mortar shell hit the bus. (APEPhoto/Tsafrir Abayov)

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A statement issued by militant groups in Gaza said Ashdod, a major Israeli port, and Beersheba, the biggest city in southern Israel, would be hit next if Israel didn't cease fire.

Egypt urged Israel to back down. The United States, whose peace mediation has been stalled since the seven-week war in 2014, condemned Hamas.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said Hamas and the Islamic Jihad group have more than 20,000 rockets and mortars, some capable of reaching Israel's main cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

In Gaza, Israeli missiles completely flattened four multi-floor buildings, including the TV station, and three other homes. Witnesses said warning missiles, which carry small warheads, were fired first, hitting but not destroying the outer walls of the seven structures.

Abdallah Abu Habboush, 22, said he was awakened by shouts from neighbours to get out of his residential building after what Israel terms the "tap on the roof" warning.

"(An Israeli) missile destroyed the whole structure," Abu Habboush said, adding that he had no idea why it was hit. Conricus said all of the buildings hit by the Israeli military were "owned, operated and used by Hamas".

In Ashkelon, where a rocket gutted an apartment building, killing a resident and critically wounding another, a neighbour told Israel's Channel 10 news: "The ringing in my ears - they told me it would take a long time until my hearing returns."

Violence has simmered since Palestinians launched weekly border protests on March 30 to demand the easing of a blockade on Gaza and rights to lands lost in the 1948 war of Israel's founding. Israeli troops have killed more that 220 Palestinians during the confrontations, which have included border breaches.

A Qatari cash infusion of $15 million last week appeared to dampen Gazan anger. On Sunday, Netanyahu said he hoped to reach an "arrangement" to avoid another Gaza war and ease Palestinian economic hardship.

Hamas, which is branded a terrorist group in the West, and Israel have fought three wars in the last decade.Send to Email Address

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Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.Sinema wins Senate seat, will become first woman U.S. senator from Arizona

By Taniyah WilliamsonCronkite News

PHOENIX  Democrat Kyrsten Sinema has defeated Republican Martha McSally in the highly contested  and closely watched  race for Arizonas U.S. Senate seat. The Associated Press called the race Monday evening after six days of post-Election Day ballot counting.

Sinema, who will become the first woman U.S. senator from the state, tweeted her thanks to voters.

McSally congratulated Sinema, who led Monday evening by nearly 39,000 votes.

Arizona counties continue to verify ballots, but AP made the determination to call the race after Mondays results were released. A Democrat hasnt held a U.S. Senate seat from Arizona since Sen. Dennis DeConcini retired in the mid 1990s.

State and county officials, and Republican Party officials who sued over discrepancies in the way Arizona counties check voter signatures on early ballots, agreed Friday to a settlement that allows the verification process to continue until 5 p.m. Nov. 14.

After initial results were released on Election Day, McSally held a slight advantage in the race to replacing outgoing Republican Sen. Jeff Flake. Sinema regained the lead earlier this week, and that lead has continued to grow.

As long as Ive served Arizona, Ive worked to help others see our common humanity & find common ground. Thats the same approach Ill take to representing our great state in the Senate, where Ill be an independent voice for all Arizonans.



Thank you, Arizona. Lets get to work. pic.twitter.com/iX6u6VQ9bQ  Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) November 13, 2018

On Friday, the Maricopa County Recorders Office had more than 300,000 uncounted ballots. County Recorder Adrian Fontes told the Associated Press that the count is expect to wrap up Nov. 15. That process is independent of the settlement, which deals with the verification, or curing, of ballot signatures.

The Republican parties in Apache, Maricopa, Navajo and Yuma counties filed the suit against all 15 Arizona county recorders as well as Secretary of State Michele Reagan late Wednesday. The agreement announced in Maricopa County Superior Court, allows all 15 counties in Arizona to cure the remaining early ballots until next Wednesday.

The process works like this: Voters are required to sign the back of his or her early ballot envelope. That signature is compared to the one used to register to vote. If the signatures dont look similar, the voter will be contacted to confirm their ballot. The four counties named in the suit allow for longer times for verification; Republican officials claimed that disenfranchised voters in the other 11, mostly rural, counties.

Its not clear how many votes across the state remain to be cured. A Maricopa County official told the AP the number in her county is about 5,600.

Cronkite News Video by Taniyah Williamson Did you feel bombarded by political ads?

This story originally appeared on Cronkite News and is published via a Creative Commons license . Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University

Join the Conversation

Related StoriesArrest made in beating of Sheena Between Lodges, 32

By Kevin Abourezk

32-year-old Lakota woman who was severely beaten a week ago in South Dakota came out of her coma Monday morning, according to her family.

Sheena Between Lodges condition, however, remains critical.

She has come out of her coma as of this morning and has made neurological improvements, the family said in a statement Monday. The doctors are guardedly optimistic because of her severe traumatic brain injury. Her responses are limited to opening her eyes and moving her fingers.

The family thanked those who had prayed for Between Lodges and those who have offered words of support.

Sheena's condition can still change at any time, and as a family we still continue to be in prayer and support as she takes her road down the healing process, the family said.

Meanwhile, Between Lodges boyfriend, Gilbert Lakota, has been arrested for outstanding warrants, according to the Oglala Sioux Tribe Public Safety Department . As of Monday, he remained incarcerated in the tribes jail near Pine Ridge, South Dakota, according to the jail.

The tribes police chief, Robert Ecoffey, was not available for comment Monday. He said last week that his department, along with the Office of Justice Services and the FBI, are investigating Between Lodges injuries.

Between Lodges is being treated at Regional Health Rapid City Hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota. Her family has set up a GoFundMe account to help cover expenses.

The Oglala Sioux Tribes newly elected president, Julian Bear Runner, posted a statement about Between Lodges on Thursday night.

I am deeply hurt by the recent horrific beating and hiding of an Oglala woman, Sheena Between Lodges, he wrote. I am calling for her assailant(s) to be brought to swift justice, their apprehension and arrest is required immediately to ensure public safety.

Krystal Two Bulls, Between Lodges niece, said her family was told that Between Lodges  the mother of two young daughters  was injured the night of November 4 and was allowed to lay unconscious somewhere in Pine Ridge for nearly three days until someone finally called for help.

Two Bulls said her aunt had suffered abuse in the past and had often called her friends and family seeking help. However, Between Lodges refused to report her abuser to authorities, she said.

She said she hoped her aunts story might generate a discussion about the abuse of Native women.

It is a conversation taking place across the country.

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs scheduled a business meeting on Wednesday to advance Savannas Act, named for Savanna Marie Greywind , a young citizen of the Spirit Lake Nation who was brutally murdered last year. The bill, S.1942 , would require the Department of Justice to report, every year, on the "known statistics on missing and murdered Indian women in the United States."

The business meeting is the next step in the legislative process before it can be considered by the full Senate

And the election of the countrys first two Native women to Congress last week is promising to shed more light on missing and murdered indigenous women. In New Mexico, Deb Haaland won in the 1st Congressional District, and in Kansas, Sharice Davids won the 3rd Congressional District seat.

On Thursday, Haaland told Democracy Now! that she plans to bring the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women to the forefront on Capitol Hill. "You know, that is an epidemic," she said on the program.

"Thats something that we need to work on," Haaland said . "Ill go to Congress to make sure that we are paying attention to the issues that folks care about."

H.R.6545 ,, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018, also includes provisions to address the crisis. The bill has not seen any movement in the House . No Republicans have signed onto it either.

Democrats gained enough seats to take control of the chamber but they won't be in charge until the 116th Congress convenes in January 2019.

And leaders from two states, Nebraska and Washington ,, have taken steps to begin tracking cases of missing Native women.

Join the Conversation

Related StoriesAhead of the release of the fourth season of Narcos titled Narcos: Mexico, Diego Luna is in India to attend the screening of the Netflix show. But did you know Diego Luna has a personal connection with India.

He believes that there are a lot of cultural similarities between India and Mexico. Wondering how does he know so much about India? Well, his grandmother was Indian. Diego Luna has also read parts of Bhagavad Gita, it was revealed recently.

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I find so many similarities between the Indian culture and the Mexican culture... There is so much in common. The contrast you live when you go out and the richness in terms of cultural diversity is amazing. It feels like you are from here. I think this is why you would love 'Narcos: Mexico, he said in Mumbai where he and his co-star Michael Pena and showrunner Eric Newman joined Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt and director Shakun Batra to talk on the show.

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He was hesitant to talk about his spiritual connection with India. I told you this because I had four vodkas inside me... the spiritual connection is different... It is personal. I don't see how it connects with 'Narcos', he said, after which, Shakun Batra shared that Luna's grandmother was born in India and he had read parts of Bhagavad Gita as well.

Diego Luna says it is a blessing to be a part of the show. The team of Narcos: Mexico including Michael Pena also met with the star cast of Sacred Games during their tour to Mumbai. They posed with Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane.

Talking about the show, showrunner Eric Newman said that the cast of Narcos: Mexico is cocaine.While there has been an increase in the number of women-oriented movies and films that portray women characters in powerful characters, the issue of pay disparity in Bollywood is only getting bigger.

Speaking on the wage gap, the dirty little secret of the industry, a lot of celebrities have spoken earlier. The debate has always been a heated one. While some say that things are changing with times, others have complained its taking too long.

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At a recent event, Abhishek Bachchan who came back with a thunder in Manmarziyaan after a brief sabbatical shared his views on pay parity.

Theres a huge debate on gender parity in the film business and in other industries. Ive worked in nine films with my wife [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan] and in eight of those, shes got paid more than I have. The highest-paid actor in Piku was Deepika [Padukone], he was quoted as saying by News18.

Twitter

Its a business and if you are a saleable actor, you get paid accordingly. You cant be a new actress and demand to be paid the same as Shah Rukh Khan, he added.

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai will next be seen together in Sarvesh Mewara's Gulab Jamun, which will be produced by Anurag Kashyap.From Ryan Reynolds and Chris Evans to Robert Downey Jr, celebs paid their tribute to the rich legacy of Marvel Comic legend. Marvel Studios' President, Kevin Feige said that Stan Lee has left an extraordinary legacy that will be outlived all.

2. The Countdown Has Begun! Deepika Padukone & Ranveer Singhs Wedding Venue Is No Less Than A Beautiful Dream

The ever-gorgeous couple has chosen an equally stunning location for their wedding. They will tie the knot at Lake Como in Italy  the location which is referred to as mirror of paradise, is also home to Hollywood stars including George Clooney, Madonna and Donatella Versace among others, and is the same place where the lavish engagement bash of Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal took place.

3. 'Narcos' Star Diego Luna Has A Personal Connect With India, Says His Grandmother Was Born Here

He was hesitant to talk about his spiritual connection with India. I told you this because I had four vodkas inside me... the spiritual connection is different... It is personal. I don't see how it connects with 'Narcos', he said, after which, Shakun Batra shared that Luna's grandmother was born in India and he had read parts of Bhagavad Gita as well.

4. Karanvir's Wife Teejay Writes An Open Letter To Bigg Boss Makers, Says He's Ridiculed Every Weekend

Many outside the house have come out in support of Karanvir realising that during the Weekend Ka Vaar, the celebrity contestant is ridiculed by the host Salman Khan, not once but multiple times.

5. Speaking On Pay Parity, Abhishek Reveals His Wife Aishwarya Got Paid More In 8 Out Of 9 Films They Did Together

Theres a huge debate on gender parity in the film business and in other industries. Ive worked in nine films with my wife [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan] and in eight of those, shes got paid more than I have. The highest-paid actor in Piku was Deepika [Padukone], he was quoted as saying by News18.In a rather bizarre incident, the Delhi Police have arrested a 40-year-old man for killing an owl, in what appears to be a black magic ritual.

The accused, Kanhaya, a truck driver from Delhi's Sultanpuri was arrested on Sunday after receiving a tip-off from the Animal Welfare Board of India.

According to the cops the 40-year-old accused who is married and has three children, killed the owl in voodoo exercise, to attract a woman he liked. He believed that sacrificing an owl would help him achieve that.

Reuters/ Representational Image

Kanhaya who was initially evasive during the interrogation, however, admitted his acts. He even showed the police a YouTube video which detailed the process of sacrificing an owl.

"He said he liked a girl and he wanted that she should be attracted to him. He said he got an owl to perform the rituals he saw in the video," the senior police officer said, adding that his entire family was aware of his plan.

Kanhaya said he used the 'tantric' rituals that had to be followed while performing the voodoo ritual, which he believed that could give him the power to "hypnotise" the woman and make her attracted to him.

Post-mortem of the owl said the accused had allegedly cut its claws with a knife and inserted several needles into its liver and lungs, suggesting that he sued the owl as a voodoo.

BCCL/ Representational Image

Initially, it was thought that Kanhaya did the sacrifice to appease the gods or pray to gods for his father who died on Diwali, but that angle has been ruled out.

It is also unclear how the truck driver managed to get the owl. Police have dismissed his initial claim that he found it lying injured near his house.

"We are probing as to how he procured the owl, what price he paid for it, whether he has previously sacrificed animals and whether he was making a living out of it," an official said.

Owls and sand boas are among the most smuggled creatures for black magic purpose as they are believed to have magical powers. Killing them are a punishable offence under the Wildlife Protection Act.Even as the public anger and outrage over the killing of tigress Avni, refuse to die down, the government of Maharashtra, it seems could turn its gun on another big cat.

Yashomati Thakur the Congress MLA from Teosa has demanded that a tiger which has allegedly made two kills in her constituency should be shot dead.

BCCL/FILE

According to her, the tiger was responsible for killing two people in the past one week in Amravati district. Locals said that the tiger has been roaming in Wardha and Amravati districts for the last 20-25 days.

For nearly ten days schools in the locality were shut and an alert was issued after people reported the sighting of the big cat.

AFP/REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

In a video that is making round on social media the MLA can be seen talking to a forest official about shooting the tiger.

Despite the MLA's demand it is highly unlikely that the Maharashtra government which has come under heavy criticism for the killing of T1 aka Avni.

Even if the government goes ahead, it is most likely to order the tranquilization and capture of the big cat to relocate it far from human settlements or to a zoo.

Incidentally, the latest demand for hooting the tiger came from an area, which is just 100 km away from Yavatmal where Avni was roaming.Kerala's Deputy Superintendent of Police, Hari Kumar, who was on the run for ten days after he allegedly pushed a man to death following an altercation was found dead in his home. Kumar, who was posted at Neyyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram was on the run for more than a week after a 32-year-old man, identified as Sanal, was killed after he was run over by a car.

The accused cop pushed Sanal in front of the car following an argument over car parking.

According to an eyewitness, Kumar and Sanal got into a fight and the cop pushed Sanal Kumar onto the road, seeing an approaching car which mowed him down. Sanal died following a heavy blood loss after the cops allegedly caused a delay in taking him to the Medical College Hospital.

Amid allegations that the police was trying to shield the officer, the Crime Branch took over the probe and concluded that the act was intentional and not an accident.

Kumar and a private financier who was with him at the time of incident reportedly fled the state and was hiding in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, frequently changing their location to avoid detection.

It is still unclear how Kumar managed to reach home on Monday night, evading police, where he was found dead by his mother-in-law Tuesday morning.

The case had triggered outrage in the state after locals and the victim's family accused the Kerala Police of trying to save Kumar. The news of his death came hours after Sanal's wife Viji began her hunger strike demanding the arrest of the officer.In a sickening crime that sends a shiver down the spine, a three-year-old girl was brutally raped and killed in the Millennium City.

The crime was reported from Sector 66, Gurugram on Monday morning when her naked body was found dumped in a room constructed for labourers. What is even more shocking the girl was brutalised. During the medical examination, the doctors found a 10cm-long stick inserted in the childs privates.

Her death was caused by the head injury and excessive internal bleeding. She was hit with a heavy object on her head due to which the skull sustained a deep depressed fracture. Multiple bruises were found on the victims shoulders, waist, chest and back, suggesting she was tortured, Dr Deepak Mathur, forensic expert with the Civil Hospital who conducted the post-mortem told Hindustan Times.

According to the family, the girl had been missing since Sunday morning, but they approached the cops only by night.

ASLO READ: NCRB Data Shows How Women Are Getting More Unsafe

Police suspect the involvement of a migrant labourer identified as Sunil Kumar in the crime. The 20-year-old, from Mathura, UP who had come to Gurugram last week to visit his mother and two sisters had been missing since the crime surfaced.

Police believe Kumar had approached the girl while she was playing outside and lured her offering chocolate.

Two other girls who were playing with victim saw her leaving with accused and informed her parent, but by then they had become untraceable.

The girl's body was found next day morning, lying in a pool of blood, with injury marks all over her body.Amidst Myanmar leader's "indifference" to the atrocities committed by the military against Rohingya Muslims, Amnesty International has stripped Aung San Suu Kyi of its highest honour.

BREAKING: We have withdrawn our highest honour, the Ambassador of Conscience Award, from Aung San Suu Kyi, in light of the Myanmar leaders shameful betrayal of the values she once stood for. https://t.co/Ag4ndGmVKo pic.twitter.com/9Po3olDmlA  Amnesty International (@amnestyusa) November 12, 2018

It is the latest in the string of awards the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner lost since Myanmar's military drove 720,000 Rohingya out of the Buddhist majority country in what the United Nations has called an act of genocide.

Suu Kyi's sad collapse from human rights icon to genocide apologist is a reminder that human rights must be protected not only individuals, but above all by institutions, norms and laws. https://t.co/GEdT1dsU12  Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) November 12, 2018

AFP

Amnesty International, the London-based human rights organisation, said it was revoking the Ambassador of Conscience Award it gave Suu Kyi in 2009 while she was still under house arrest.

Aung San Suu Kyi once stood as a symbol of hope, courage and the undying defence of human rights in #Myanmar.@amnesty recognised her with our highest honour, the Ambassador of Conscience award.

Sadly, we can no longer justify this honour and today we are withdrawing the award pic.twitter.com/gYenr0HAYg  Kumi Naidoo (@kuminaidoo) November 12, 2018

"Today, we are profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defence of human rights," Amnesty International chief Kumi Naidoo said in a letter to Suu Kyi released by the group.

2009: Amnesty International awards #Myanmars Aung San Suu Kyi its highest honour. This courageous woman - the Ambassador of Conscience of each one of us.

2018: @amnesty withdraws award. You no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage & the undying defence of human rights. pic.twitter.com/4ASRdBfo8I  Nick Beake (@Beaking_News) November 12, 2018

BCCL

"Amnesty International cannot justify your continued status as a recipient of the Ambassador of Conscience award and so with great sadness, we are hereby withdrawing it from you."

Suu Kyi has not issued any public response.The French and German camaraderie is so strong that it led to a 101-year-old woman believing that Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel was the wife of French President, Emmanuel Macron.

The old woman who was dressed in pristine white woollen wear was delighted at the sight of meeting President Macron. The Independent quoted the old lady as saying, Mr Macron, its not possible, a little woman like me shaking hands with the President of the Republic, its fantastic.

Merkel, who was here during a ceremony that honoured the French-German reconciliation and the 1918 armistice of World War I was mistaken to be French First Lady Brigitte Macron. Once the woman greeted Macron, she looked considerable mesmerised and then asked Merkel, Youre Madame Macron.

Merkel then leaned closer to the woman and introduced herself as the Chancellor of Germany twice in French. However, even after saying it twice, the woman looked puzzled. Merkel then gave a smirk as they got a photograph clicked and proceeded with the ceremony.

French President, Emmanuel Macron who is 40-years-old is married to Brigitte Macron who was his high school teacher and is 25 years older than him. Angela Merkel, on the other hand, is 64 years old and is married to a German quantum chemist and professor, Joachim Sauer who is 69 years old.

Photo: AFP

Earlier in the day, Ms Merkel and Mr Macron unveiled a plaque to Franco-German reconciliation, laid a wreath and signed a book of remembrance in a replica railway carriage. Mr Macron and Mrs Merkel put on a united front as they held hands during the centenary commemoration of World War 1 that saw the presence of around 70 leaders from around the world including American and Russian presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.Planning to take a vacation this New Years? But where to go? Visit the skyscrapers of USA or have a ride of the Yukon Striker in Canadas wonderland? Or should we visit the historical monuments of Italy? Perhaps, having tickets to Flamenco in Spain sounds like a good idea!

However, what does a tourist want the most while a trip abroad? Best food? Cheap flight tickets? Touristy spots or utmost safety? If you are a group of young, working women or a family with kids, Iceland might be your next go-to destination.

Photo: AFP/Northern lights seen in Iceland

As per statistics produced by the World Economic Fund for crime rates, World Risk report for natural disasters, the NHS Fit for Travel website for health risk and the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices (FCO) assessment of terrorism risk levels, Iceland emerged as the safest destination with the lowest number of crime rates as well as natural disasters.

Which? Travel ranked the 20 of the most popular destinations from around the world for its safety. Reportedly, only 36 had been murdered in Iceland since the year 2000. It is being alleged as one of the most peaceful nations of the world.

Though, the report said that a terrorist attack cannot be ruled out in this Nordic nation. UAE with Dubai as one of its most popular tourist destinations came second with an average crime risk rate of 6.6 equivalent to that of Iceland. UAE was followed by Singapore, Spain, Australia and Canada.

Photo: istock

India ranked 17th in the list of risk of violent crimes and natural disasters. India was beaten by countries like Japan, Morocco, Jordan, Greece and Mexico. Dengue fever was an issue even in countries such as Singapore and Australia, while malaria affects certain areas of India, South Africa, Thailand and India.

The NHS also warns of diphtheria, hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid and a moderate risk of Zika in India. Japan however, was ranked last by the world risk report when it came to natural disasters. On the other hand, South Africa came last owing to a high risk of crime, health and terrorism.Russia`s Ilyushin Company (a subsidiary of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC)) and Kazakhstan`s Kazakh Aviation Plant (KAZ) are planning to establish in Kazakhstan a manufacturing facility to build upgraded Ilyushin Il-103M light utility aircraft under license, according to the press department of the UAC.

Ilyushin Il-103 light utility aircraft

(Credit: Ilyushin)

"At the 15th Interregional Cooperation Forum held in Petropavlovsk [the Republic of Kazakhstan], Russia and Kazakhstan signed a memorandum of understanding [MoU] on the manufacturing and market promotion of the Il-103M light utility aircraft. The sides are planning to establish a joint venture [JV] that will provide manufacturing, sales and after-sales support," the corporation said in a statement.

"The establishing of the JV is scheduled for 2019, and the first serial aircraft will be delivered to the customer in 2022," said Ilyushin`s Director General Alexey Rogozin.

The Il-103M is an upgraded variant of the Il-103 plane that was certified in Russia in February 1996. According to Ilyushin, the baseline aircraft is 8 m long and 3.135 m high and has a wingspan of 10.56 m. It is powered by a single IO-360ES prop engine with a power output of 210 hp, producing a cruise speed of 180-225 km/h and a range of up to 750 km. The Il-103 has a maximum take-off weight of 1,310 kg and a maximum payload of 350 kg.

The Republic of Korea (ROK) is the biggest operator of the Il-103, with 23 aircraft being in service.GPS is a crucial part of many modern devices, from your smartphone, to your car navigation, to airlines. However, the technology isn't perfect, as is most evident when you're in a situation where your signal is blocked. Scientists now have a way around that.

Images courtesy: Imperial College London

Researchers at the Imperial College London have built what they're calling a quantum compass. It's a device that allows for navigation without relying on satellites the way GPS does. Basically, that means it doesn't require a signal to function.

To hear it described the device, shown off recently at the National Quantum Technologies Showcase, is actually closer to the accelerometer in your smartphone. This sensor measures how fast your phone is moving over time, to help out with driving instructions, traffic indicators on Google Maps, and much more. Unfortunately, they tend to have their accuracy lowered over time with no external reference to recalibrate, which is why they're not nearly as accurate as GPS.

The "standalone quantum accelerometer" on the other hand is incredibly accurate, thanks to its use of supercooled atoms. These atoms are chilled to the point where they display quantum behaviour, acting as both particle and wave. The wave properties of an atom as affected by acceleration, so scientists can use this to infer how it's moving through space to an incredible degree.

Though it's technically portable, the device is still too large to actually fit into a gadget like a smartphone. But we don't have to wait for technology to progress enough for that to happen. In the meantime, it'll still be incredibly useful for astronauts.

GPS can't be used in space, because the signals those satellites beam down can only be received on Earth or in low-Earth orbit. Anywhere beyond and the GPS installed onboard a rocket becomes useless. So far, NASA has bypassed this problem by installing ground transmitters looking upward, so unmanned missions to our solar system can be steered.

But when we eventually begin sending manned missions to the outer reaches of our solar system and beyond, the astronauts on board need to know where in space they are. A radio signal from Earth would take hours or even days to make the two-way trip, even travelling at the speed of light. Instead, this quantum compass could accurately judge the location of a spacecraft, which would be incredibly important when we beginning mapping the reaches of deep space.Dogs are said to be one of the most loyal animals and just in case you didn't really believe that, take a look at this. In a video that has left thousands of people in tears, a dog has been waiting on a road in Hohhot, Mongolia, for his owner for almost 80 days on the same spot where he owner died.

The dog has been seen on the same spot since his owner died in a car accident on August 21.

The video of the dog waiting was shared by China's popular social media website, Weibo. Look at the video here:





Many passersby have tried to help the dog but it runs away from them and returns to its spot. Ever since the video of the dog was shared online, it has made people well-up and praise it for being so loving and loyal. People are also concerned about its welfare.

Read More: Family Makes A Bucket List For Their Dog Dying Of Cancer To Make His Last Days Unforgettable

The incident reminds us of the movie Hachiko. Dogs can be really affectionate and loving, and to see them like this can break the strongest heart.There's a Chinese saying: 'if you seek happiness, help those in need.' That's all it takes to be satisfied for a lifetime - to aide those in dire need.

fueladream.com

And these school kids from Mumbai are showing the world how it's done.

A group of students from Bombay Scottish School in Mumbais Mahim have collectively raised Rs 43 lakh through crowdfunding to help disabled people in Vidarbha.

This money will be used to provide artificial limbs to those from remote villages in the Vidharbha region.

Also Read: Disabled UP Man Carried By His Wife Finally Gets Disability Certificate And A Tricycle

Dr Sunder Subramanium of Freedom Trust, the NGO, who will help procure the artificial limbs, told TOI, "Its heart-warming that these young children have taken this initiative to such a height.

Picture for representation/Reuters

The cost of each limb is about Rs 10,000 and each student had a target of raising Rs 20,000. Saachi, a class 11 student told the publication, About 80% of the funds I recovered came from people I didnt know.

The campaign ends on November 19, by which time the students hope to collect Rs 50 lakh.

Also Read: A Disabled Couple Wants Compensation From Their Son Who Renounced The World And Became A Sadhu

There's a lot of power in compassion, and it's no secret that we need more of it in the world.A first-grade teacher, Anna Trupiano, from the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School in Washington DC tried to explain something to the hearing impaired students.

The school caters students from birth to the eighth standard and while teaching them the usual subjects, Trupiano makes them learn to survive in the society who doesnt cater the needs of these people.

Read More: Kindergarten Kids Wishing Their Custodian Happy Birthday In Sign Language Will Tear You Up

A six-year-old boy farted so loud in class that all of the students started looking at him and laughing which made the boy surprised and to explain the whole conversation that they had between themselves was explained by Anna when she posted the picture of their conversation on Facebook:

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The gesture by the teacher to make her students learn was really adorable.For the uninitiated, the Donald Trump administrations 'zero tolerance' approach makes anyone entering the US illegally a criminal.

This policy has spelt doom for thousands of families including a large number of Indians.

Reuters

According to this report, Indians are also the fastest-growing illegal immigrant group in the country, nearing half-a-million in 2014. As of now, there are close to 2,400 Indians languishing in various American jails.

A PTI report states that the detainees, are mostly from Punjab, seeking asylum, claiming that they "experienced violence or persecution" in India.

As many as 2,382 Indians are lodged in 86 jails in the US, according to the information obtained by the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) through Freedom of Information Act, states the report.

According to figures as of October 10, a total of 377 Indian nationals are detained at California's Adelanto Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Center, 269 at Imperial Regional Adult Detention Facility, 245 at the Federal Correctional Institution Victorville, and 115 at Washington State's Tacoma ICE Processing Center.

"Most of the detainees at the federal facilities are asking for asylum claiming that they 'experienced violence or persecution' in their home country," NAPA president Satnam S Chahal told PTI.

Reuters

"This is a matter of serious concern that thousands of Indians, with an overwhelming majority of them being from Punjab, are languishing in jails in the US," he said.

Chahal who has been working in the field for past several years alleged that there is a nexus of human traffickers and officials in Punjab, who encourage a young Punjabis to leave their homes to illegally enter the US and charge Rs 35-50 lakhs from each individual.

Human trafficking is a criminal act which affects the global community and consequently Punjabis are too victims of this episode, he said.

Breaking: At least 70 South Asians reportedly separated from their families & detained in Sheridan, Oregon (52 from India, many who speak Punjabi, 13 from Nepal, 2 from Bangladesh). Need translators. Contact @APANONews. Please RT to spread the word. #FamiliesBelongTogether  Valarie Kaur (@valariekaur) 18 June 2018

"The Punjabi enthusiasm to migrate to affluent countries in search of greener pastures has given the traffickers to exploit them. Failure to reach their promised destination leads to deportation, exploitation, indebtedness, imprisonment and even death," Satnam S Chahal said.

The NAPA urged the Punjab government to strictly enforce human trafficking laws that have been passed by the State Assembly in recent years.

The Trump administration has introduced a number of controversial policies in line with its hardline stance on immigration. Last week, the administration decided to restrict the entry of illegal migrants who cross the southern border with Mexico to seek asylum in the US.

Agency input: PTIDarren Wilson, from Merseyside, UK was in agony after his e-cigarette blew up in his pocket. It injured him so badly that he had to get skin grafts on his crotch. The e-cigarette blew up despite it not being plugged-in or used at the time of the explosion.

Darren is in inexplicable pain and even going to the toilet hurts. He said he wanted to warn the people about the dangers of e-cigarettes.

Darren explained the incident saying, "I have been refurbishing my house. I was stood by the kitchen door and the next thing I thought someone had thrown a firework into the doorway. I looked down and my pocket was going off like a banger; it was fizzing and sparking and smoke was coming from it. I was wearing my work pants and tried to get it out, but it burnt through and burnt all my bollocks and my left leg."

Liverpool Echo

"I can't walk, I need morphine every time I go to have a shower or wash and clean. They need to re-dress it every eight hours."

Darren said that he had been smoking e-cigarettes after he quit smoking 6 months ago.

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service issued an advisory to e-cigarette users. A spokesman said: "Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service has attended a number of fires involving e-cigarettes while they were charging."

Liverpool Echo

"Each fire has been thoroughly investigated in order to understand the reasons which led to the fire in the first instance and in order to limit the chance of fires involving electrical items happening again."

Looks like smoking is injurious to health in more than one way.By now we know that the world of fashion is slightly cuckoo. Almost every year we are slapped with insane trends that no one would ever try IRL.

Yet, here we are again.

Image Source

This time we present to you *drum rolls*- PENIS SHAPED EARRINGS! Yes, go ahead and add that to your 'what not to buy list.'

According to the New York Post, Yves Saint Laurent, a luxury fashion brand, has come up with a set of penis-shaped earrings.

It's made up of pure golden brass and has Sain Laurent Paris engraved on the back and costs a maddening Rs 20,000.

We don't know why.

Also Read: The Men In Thailand Have Bizarre New Obsession- Penis Whitening!

That's not all, the brand has also introduced a penis-shaped necklace which is also ridiculously expensive at Rs 50,000!

While you may diss it, the world is crazier than you think - the item is almost sold out!

Also Read: This Guy Had To Get 15 Stitches After A Python Bit His Penis While He Was Taking A Dumphttps://www.aish.com/ci/a/Stan-Lee-Creator-of-Flawed-Superheroes-Has-Died.html

Flawed and complex, Lees superheroes looked a lot like us.

Stan Lee, the Jewish writer whose creations revolutionized comic books, died on November 12, 2018, at the age of 95. Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Ant Man, The Mighty Iron Man, Daredevil and other comic book heroes were born from Lees fervid imagination.

Lees career spanned decades in the comic book industry as it transformed from a smaller scale business that employed many first-generation Jews to todays sprawling multi-billion dollar superhero industry dominated by global blockbuster movies featuring many of the heroes invented by Lee.

Stanley Lee was born Stanley Lieber in 1922 in New York. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Romania; he later described his mother as a nice, rather old-fashioned Jewish lady. Lee was a voracious reader as a child, reading Shakespeare by the time he was ten and devouring both serious and pulp literature. He initially wanted to be a serious writer but when he graduated high school he was hired by Martin Goodman, a relative whod worked in the magazine industry and was starting to publish comic books at Timely Publications.

Lee worked with Jack Kirby, the young writer who had created the hit character Captain America. When Kirby and some of the magazines other writers left to join a rival, Lee became Timelys chief editor at the age of 19.

After serving in the military during World War II as a writer  working alongside famous figures such as William Saroyan, Frank Capra, and Theodore Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss)  Lee returned to the comic business. He was amazingly prolific and worked under several pseudonyms in order to create the impression that Timely had many authors. Lee was one of these early pseudonyms and it stuck. Like many Jews trying to make it in the United States, Lee changed his name from the more Jewish sounding Lieber. And alas, like so many American Jews, Lee married a non-Jewish woman, Joan Bocock, with whom he adopted two daughters, one of whom died in infancy.

While his Jewishness seems to have had little space to play in his family life, many fans credit Lees Jewish roots with altering the course of comic book history. Previous comic book heroes were two-dimensional creations whose defining characteristics were their outlandish physical strength. Superman and Batman were the most popular superheroes of the time. Lee introduced a new type of comic book hero: tormented outsiders who harbor self-doubt and are often tormented by the very gifts that make them special.

Until Lee came along, comic book heroes were all cardboard figures Lee later explained. He sought to change all that, writing stories about flawed, introspective, complex heroes. Lee wanted to make them real flesh-and-blood characters with personality, he explained in a 1992 interview.

The first outsider comics Lee created were the Fantastic Four, which debuted in 1961. By then Timely Publications had become Marvel Comics and many of the writers theyd lost to rivals years before had returned, including Jack Kirby (another Jewish writer whod changed his name from Jacob Kurtzberg). Lee and Kirby teamed up and created four new heroes. According to author Arie Kaplan, these new heroes werent sunny or optimistic like rival compan(ies) heroes. One member of the Fantastic Four, Ben Grimm (aka The Thing) felt like a freak because cosmic rays had transformed him into an orange, granite-skinned monster. With Ben Grimm, Lee and Kirby were using a superhero as a metaphor for Jews, African-Americans, and other minorities. The characters also grappled with relatable problems -- they worried about romance and how to pay their bills, as well as fighting superhuman monsters.

Spider Man was another Lee-created character who was full of self-doubt. First written in 1962, Spider Man was the grotesque alter ego of Peter Parker, a mild mannered high school student whod been bitten by a radioactive spider and given superpowers. According to Avi Arad, the Israeli born founder of Marvel Studios who directed the movie Superman and worked with Lee, Spider Man is clearly Jewish. Peter Parker is a deep thinker, immersed in a loving family that seems Jewish (and is supposed to live in a real life Jewish neighborhood in New York). His primary defense is wit, explains Arad, even more than his superhero powers.

The Incredible Hulk was Bruce Banner, a former American military man whod been turned into a monster and was now pursued by the very people who once employed him. Running for his life, the Hulk could never rest, wandering the earth just to survive. Some saw parallels with Jewish history. Lee himself saw Jewish roots in the story: the Golem monster that legend credits the great Jewish sage Rabbi Yehudah Loew with creating in order to protect the Jews of Medieval Prague from anti-Semites. (According to the legend, Rabbi Loew was unable to control his creation and had to put him to sleep.)

When you think about it, Lee once observed, the Incredible Hulk is a Golem. Perhaps the Hulk, like Jews, finally found safety and security in the Jewish State: a 1981 comic book sees him travelling to Israel aboard a freighter called The Star of David.

In 1963, Lee created the character Sgt. Fury. He later recalled: I gave him his first platoon  and it was the first fully ethnic platoon in comics. He had a Jewish soldier named Izzy Cohen. He had a black soldier named Gabriel Jones. He had an Italian, an Englishman, an American Indian  everything I could think of! A full international platoon of all religions and people said, Oh, you cant do that, Stan, the book wont sell down south, or up north, or here or there. And it was one of the bestselling books, which shows theres something good about the public.

Lee pioneered what he termed the Marvel method of creating stories: he would make up plots and describe them to writers, who then wrote and illustrated them as they chose. Some of these characters featured clearly Jewish references. For instance the psychiatrist named Dr. Samson who tried to cure the Hulk talked about his time in yeshiva, the militant Holocaust survivor Magneto whose experiences in a concentration camp filled him with fury until he becomes an arch-enemy in the X Men, or Kitty Pryde, the X Men character who wore a Star of David necklace. Starting in 1972, when he became the publisher of Marvel Comics, Lee used his column, Stans Soapbox, to call for inclusivity and to criticize racism and anti-Semitism.

Some of his collaborators accused Lee of not adequately acknowledging their contributions. After his death in 1994, Jack Kirbys estate sued Lee for not granting Kirby the royalties he deserved; the long-running case was only settled in 2014, and both Lees and Kirbys names now appear on screen versions of the creations they wrote together.

In an interview two years before his death, Stan Lee explained that he consciously set out to subvert existing stereotypes of what a hero looked like. Creating Black Panther in 1966 (months before the Black Panther political party was formed), Lee explained that he wanted to create a Black hero. A good many of our people here in America are not white. Youve got to recognize that and youve got to include them in whatever you do.

Speaking of his creation Spider Man, Lee said One of the greatest things about Spider Man is that his body is totally covered by his costume...so a Black kid or a Latino or an Asian, it doesnt matter what color your skin is, you could be Spider Man.

The fact that reading and watching stories about Black or Jewish heroes seems commonplace to us today is due in large part to Lee who reimagined the very American concept of a superhero  and used his Jewish, outsider identity to create a completely new way to think about superheroes. Flawed and complex, Lees superheroes looked a lot like us.Gaege Bethune, who was found guilty by a jury in June of murdering Indian American student Pravin Varughese, looked over his shoulder as he entered court. Judge Mark Clarke threw out the jurys verdict in September and ordered a fresh trial. (Rachel Kruse photo via Facebook)Many elected officials across the country celebrated Diwali across the U.S. Among those taking part in the Festival of Lights celebration was New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (center), who held a gathering at his Princeton residence. Among those in attendance were Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty, state Attorney General Gurbir Singh Grewal, and Hoboken, N.J., Mayor Ravinder Bhalla. (Mohammed Jaffer/SnapsIndia photo)Protest in Oakland Despite Red Alert Weather by Text: RR Photos: Cornelia Grimes

Tuesday Nov 13th, 2018 12:09 AM

Smoke became a big concern across the Bay Area shortly after a fire in Butte County started in the early hours of Thursday, November 8th. Many decided to play it safe and stay indoors to avoid the bad air, but in Oakland demonstrators donned masks and hit the streets to send a message to Trump. Photos by Cornelia Grimes, please credit the photographer.

Bay Area residents gathered at peaceful demonstrations Thursday evening to express their anger at President Donald Trumps replacement of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Demonstrators demanded that acting attorney general Matt Whitaker recuse himself from overseeing the probe, just as Sessions did.



Smoke was becoming a big concern across the Bay Area shortly after a fire in Butte County started in the early hours of Thursday. Many decided to play it safe and stay indoors to avoid the bad air, but in Oakland demonstrators donned masks and hit the streets to send a message to Trump.



There were an estimated 100,000 Americans protesting Thursday night. Demonstrators said that Mueller's investigation is legitimately in keeping with the rule of law and is pursuing matters that are important to the public interest. They want Trump to face questioning over these matters and don't like his constant attacks on the investigation. In Oakland, many are calling for impeachment.Genebanks store samples of cultivars, landraces and wild relatives of crop plants from all over the world to safeguard our agricultural heritage and exploit it for future crop improvement.

The German federal ex situ gene bank at IPK in Gatersleben hosts one of the worlds most comprehensive collections of cultivated plants, including 22,000 barley seed samples.

Under the leadership of the IPK Gatersleben, researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), the Julius Kuhn Institute (JKI, German Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants) in Quedlinburg and the University of Gottingen collaborated with colleagues from Japan, China, and Switzerland. This international cooperation revealed how well the IPK collection represents global barley diversity.

A single plant was genotyped for each of more than 22,000 seed samples, enabling the scientists to identify duplicate samples within the collection. Opening up new ways for genetically informed quality management, this comprehensive dataset also guides the effective use of the collection in research and breeding by pinpointing lines for further in-depth characterization.

Prof Dr Nils Stein (IPK Gatersleben and University of Gottingen) says: This publication enables us to fully describe the wide range of morphological diversity of a worldwide genebank in terms of molecular genetics. To do this, Stein and his team used a method called genotyping by sequencing (GBS).

The complete DNA sequence of the barley variety Morex, which was released in 2017, forms the basis of the present work. It serves as a high-quality sequence anchor for the GBS information. To characterise genetic diversity between cultivated and wild barley forms throughout the whole genome, the researchers searched for so-called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms).

In total, they found more than 171,000 of these small DNA variants in the huge barley genome consisting of 5 billion base pairs. Stein adds: This density is sufficient to find even very small differences between samples, but also to confidently flag pairs of duplicated samples in our collection.

We can now draw conclusions about the origin, distribution area and relationship between the barley populations hosted in our collection. All digital genetic data are publicly accessible and targeted queries can be submitted online.

A state-of-the art database combines traditional passport records with the new molecular data to inform research and breeding applications, explains Dr Martin Mascher of the IPK and iDiv, who co-led the study. The combination of historical field data of the genebank with modern molecular analyses is an impressive showcase for the opportunities that still lie dormant within gene banks around the world.

New research methods and international collaborations have paved new ways for the preservation and use of this valuable genetic diversity. Prof Dr Frank Ordon from the Julius Kuhn Institute (JKI) points out: Detailed knowledge about genetic variability and its use are prerequisite for breeding new varieties adapted to a changing environment.

In the future, plant breeders will have to cope with heat, drought stress and new pathogens and also must adapt to changes regarding the use of fertilisers and pesticides. Genes that code for key properties can thus be detected in native species or related wild species more quickly and be used in breeding.

In the past, the lack of genetic data at the level of whole collections limited practical applications of genetic diversity in breeding and research. Thanks to the new analysis and open research data, it will now be possible to search across 22,626 barley seed samples. To host this unique resource, the researchers developed the BRIDGE Data Warehouse as a first steps towards a bio-digital resource centre.

The BRIDGE project:

BRIDGE stands for Biodiversity informatics to bridge the gap from genome information to educated utilisation of genetic diversity hosted in Genebanks. Funded in frame of the Leibniz Competition, the project was launched on 1 May 2015 and has been financially supported for the past three years with nearly 1.2 million euros. The aim of BRIDGE is to develop appropriate procedures to connect genetic, genomic and phenotypic information about plant genetic resources preserved in gene banks, enabling fast and easy access to the collection by researchers and breeders. More information is available at: http://bridge.ipk-gatersleben.de/bridge/ .

Prof Dr Nils Stein

(IPK Gatersleben and Georg August University Gottingen)

Tel.: +49 39482 5522

E-mail: stein@ipk-gatersleben.de

Dr Martin Mascher

(IPK Gatersleben and iDiv Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Tel.: +49 39482 5243

E-Mail: mascher@ipk-gatersleben.de

Prof Dr Frank Ordon

(JKI)

Tel.: +49 3946 47602

E-Mail: frank.ordon@julius-kuehn.de

Sara G. Milner et al (2018): Genebank genomics highlights the diversity of a global barley collection, Nature Genetics. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0266-x, DOI: 10.1038/s41588-018-0266-x .

http://www.ipk-gatersleben.de/genbank/genomik-genetischer-ressourcen/

http://www.ipk-gatersleben.de/unabhaengige-arbeitsgruppen/domestikationsgenomik/

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I think brokers are on the fence a little bit, in that theyre dealing with compromised organisations, he continued. Some organisations are multi-distribution and multi-brand but brokers, at the same point in time, are trying to protect their client bases and their IP so they really need to think about who can help them scale.

When it comes to better preparing themselves for an insurtech-driven future, Fagen says brokers need to carefully consider which organisations theyre partnering with.

Brokers need to think about who is going to provide the support for them in the future, which I think is a totally different group of organisations that have worked with them in the past, he said.

Brokers of different sizes cant afford the research, cant afford some of the costs of innovation and equally the risks associated with innovation so its important that they think about which organisations can genuinely work with them and have mutual growth aspirations.

Naby Mariyam, CEO and founder of Coverhero, also has doubts about just how prepared the Australian market is for insurtech.

The Australian market is very interesting compared to the other markets that are a little bit further ahead when it comes to insurtech, she told Insurance Business. I dont think we are prepared but I do think the industry is curious about what could potentially happen and how it could affect their businesses.

Mariyam suggests there are just a handful of insurtechs  around 10 to 15  currently working across different parts of the Australian value chain but she also says significant change is certain to come.

I think what we will see in the short-term future is start-ups being in a position to cut into untapped markets, such as an underserved millennial market, she said.

Theyll be able to directly compete with the existing insurance companies and broker networks by connecting with the audience and developing products that dont currently exist in the market and by totally reinventing the whole model across the value chain.Now, less than a month into the role, Stephenson has spoken to Insurance Business about what the appointment means to her and what the not-for-profit has planned for the future.

Ive tracked and steered the financial viability of the organisation over the last few years and now its my opportunity to drive my own ideas, along with the voice of the young insurance network that we have, says Stephenson.

For me, that means continuing on the success that we have had  having grown from a couple of hundred members in Melbourne to now being the largest not-for-profit young insurance network throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Looking ahead, Stephenson said YIPs would be focusing heavily on the attraction of new graduates into the insurance industry but she also stressed that the organisation would never lose sight of its members.

Over the next couple of years, it will really be about engaging new talent into the industry but one thing we always focus on is that we are for our members, she told Insurance Business. Im really passionate about the fact that we leave the ladder down  we advocate for young insurance professionals to continue education and to continue networking to ensure their success in the industry so they also can pass that on.

Well also be ensuring that we continue to reach out and spread throughout Australia and New Zealand because were now represented in every state and territory in Australia and weve got three branches throughout New Zealand too.

Stephenson also noted that her appointment sends a clear message to young women in the insurance industry that they will be welcomed into senior roles.

I think culturally, in Australia, we are starting to turn the page on unconscious bias towards women and thats really refreshing, she added.Carriers dont have to hire teams of underwriters and mine business, he said. If they grant underwriting authority to the right program administrator, they effectively get plug and play with a specialist.

However, nothings ever quite as simple as plug and play. Getting a program up and running takes anywhere from six months to a year, but there are often hold-ups. Carriers who seed out their underwriting authority to a program administrator tend to be quite cautious and do a lot of diligence on the administrator, their book and their results. This process can slow down the time to market in an environment where speed is essential.

A key challenge in the program administration space is the ability to get data. Everything is anecdotal until you have data. So, a program administrator has to have data, that data has to demonstrate profitability to the carrier, and the carrier has to buy into that. Their actuary has to agree with your actuary, and the program has to be niche, and ideally, beyond commodity, Filardo told Insurance Business at the TMPAA Annual Summit in Scottsdale, AZ.

Getting the right talent to help a program thrive is also a key challenge for program administrators  and its not helped by an industry-wide insurance talent shortage. As Stephen Kelley, president of the Blue River Underwriters program administration division, stated: I think youre seeing the attrition of insurance professionals over time. The retirees far outnumber the new entries, which confirms that a career in insurance is not the peoples first choice. This means finding the right underwriting talent to run a niche program can be difficult.

The Blue River Underwriters program administration division is part of Breckenridge Insurance Group - a nationally known wholesale insurance broker, program manager, MGA, and outsourced insurance service provider. The Blue River team partners with select retail and wholesale agents nationwide to deliver industry and risk insights in niche areas.

Its target market ranges across multiple sectors. It has the more traditional play in terms of workers compensation insurance programs, contractors programs, and property programs, while also getting into more niche commercial areas like its program out of Denver for guides and outdoor activities.

We have a wide appetite when it comes to the program administration business, Kelley commented. There are lots of ideas out there, but the one thing were always looking for when it comes to a new program is data. We get through a lot of conversations with potential partners, and theyre over in five minutes if they dont have adequate data.

Filardo added: For insurance brokers looking to advance their program business, my two key pieces of advice would be to find a niche and capture data. If brokers can capture data and see a pattern of homogeneity, theyre on the right track.The general assembly also saw the appointment of Tim Grafton, chief executive of the Insurance Council of New Zealand, as membership executive of GFIA. He takes over from Rob Whelan, executive director and CEO of the Insurance Council of Australia.

Meanwhile the mandates of executive committee members Toyonari Sasaki and Bachir Baddou were renewed for another two years. Sasaki, who is vice chairman of the Life Insurance Association of Japan, serves as GFIA treasurer while Moroccan Insurance Association general manager Baddou is regional representative.

Insurance Europe director general Michaela Koller, whose mandate was not up for re-appointment, remains in her capacity as the federations secretary general.

I am honoured to take over the role of president and serve the institution of insurance, at such a crucial time for the global insurance industry, commented Arias. I wish to give my heartfelt thanks to Dirk for his brilliant contribution as an advocate for our industry.

I look forward to playing a pivotal role in ensuring that the voice of insurers continues to be heard at the highest levels of international debate.She joined Employers in January 2006, first serving as vice-president, deputy general counsel. Brown was later promoted in March 2015 to senior vice-president. At present, her roles include director of Employers Group, the assistant corporate secretary to Employer Holdings, and the corporate secretary to all of Employer Holdings subsidiaries.

Her appointment comes as the previous EVP, chief legal officer and general counsel  Lenard Ormsby  announces his retirement.

Brown has more than 25 years of experience as an attorney, primarily in the areas of labor and employment, corporate governance and SEC compliance. Prior to joining Employers Holdings, she was senior legal counsel to DHL Worldwide, from 1996 to April 2005.

She has a Bachelors degree from UC Riverside and a J.D. degree from the University of San Francisco.Lloyds, the insurance and reinsurance market, officially opened Lloyds Brussels, its post-Brexit headquarters in the European Union.

Lloyds Brussels is Lloyds first Europe-wide operation and will bring Lloyds expertise closer to its customers and partners in Europe, Lloyds said in a statement. The company has an executive committee and board with 50 staff in Brussels as well as 45 other employees across Europe.

Lloyds is ready for Brexit with Lloyds Brussels now officially open for business, commented Lloyds Chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown.

Our decision to set up an insurance company in Brussels has provided certainty to our partners and customers throughout Europe, reassuring them that they can continue to benefit from Lloyds specialist expertise and financial security post-Brexit, he said, noting that Lloyds Brussels is now placing and processing European risks.

Now that Lloyds Brussels is operational, we are looking forward to the new opportunities that we will have to grow our business with European customers through a locally staffed, locally regulated and locally capitalized insurer, he added.

By using electronic placement and digital data capture, Lloyds Brussels offers its partners in Europe the very best that Lloyds has to offer in an easily accessible and cost-effective way, he affirmed.

About Lloyds Brussels

Lloyds Brussels (Lloyds Insurance Co. S.A.) is a subsidiary of Lloyds with 19 European branches, working with over 400 coverholders and 40 Lloyds brokers across Europe. It was set up to ensure that customers and partners in the European Economic Area (EEA) continue to have access to Lloyds world class services and expertise, while also facilitating continued growth and further digital transformation.

Lloyds Brussels writes all non-life risks, as well as facultative and non-proportional excess of loss treaty reinsurance, and since the beginning of November has started accepting and processing EEA risks with inception from Jan. 1, 2019.

Source: Lloyds

Topics Excess Surplus Europe Lloyd's UkJLT Re, the global reinsurance broker and consultant, announced the launch of JLT Re Iberia, which follows the acquisition of JLT March Re, the fourth largest Spanish insurance broker, from financial group Banca March.

Previously, the two companies operated JLT March Re as a partnership, which was owned 75 percent by Banca March and 25 percent by JLT Re. JLT Re purchased the remaining stake it did not already own for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition was first announced in July in Spain and finalized this week.

Located in Madrid, JLT Re Iberia will provide local expertise to JLT Re clients as well as creating an important link with our colleagues and clients in Latin America in an increasingly global reinsurance marketplace, said JLT Re, noting that the acquisition builds on strong relationship between JLT and Banca March.

JLT Re Iberia is an insurance broker specializing in risk management, insurance and social welfare for companies. It works with more than 20 percent of Ibex 35 companies (the benchmark index of Spains stock exchange). Its main areas of expertise are industrial, marine, tourism and concessions sectors.

We are delighted to launch JLT Re Iberia, as we continue to invest in our European platform and deliver results for our clients across JLT Re, commented Keith Harrison, CEO, UK & Europe, JLT Re.

Maria Diaz-Llado, CEO of JLT Re Iberia, said: I am thrilled to lead our team in Spain, and know that JLT Re Iberia will bring the best in local and global reinsurance expertise to our clients.

The acquisition was approved by the Directorate General for Insurance and Pension Funds (DGSFP) on Oct. 3, 2018.

Source: JLT Re

Topics MergersChicago-based ISMIE Mutual Insurance Co., has partnered with the Indiana Osteopathic Association (IOA) and the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association (POMA) on a medical professional liability insurance program.

Through the program, IOA and POMA members will receive access to ISMIEs risk management program, discount credits and other benefits that come with ISMIE coverage. New physicians coming out of residency will also be eligible for special discounted coverage.

ISMIE provides medical professional liability insurance, offering products that maximize protection and minimize worry. Founded by physicians in 1976, ISMIE remains physician-led with a unique understanding of evolving patient care needs. ISMIE Mutual is an admitted carrier in 11 states and the District of Columbia, and protects professionals and facilities in all 50 states through its subsidiary ISMIE Indemnity.

Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association members can access the new ISMIE affinity program through all ISMIE-appointed brokers  including program administrator The Glatfelter Agencyin York, Pennsylvania.

Indiana Osteopathic Association members can access the ISMIE affinity program through ISMIE-appointed brokers, including program administrator Arlington/Roe, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Source: ISMIE Mutual

Topics Mergers Pennsylvania Medical Professional Liability IndianaU.S. soybean farmer Mike Schlosser does not expect President Donald Trumps trade war with China, the single biggest headwind to his business, to end any time soon. But he is among many in farm country who expect at least some good news this year  in the form of a new Farm Bill.

Congress comes back on Tuesday for the lame-duck session after Democrats in last weeks mid-term elections gained control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Lawmakers have said passing the critical piece of agricultural legislation is their highest priority.

That would provide some comfort to farmers who for the past several months have been crushed by the loss of export markets due to the trade wars and are keen for a legislative backstop if the trade disputes linger.

Its our safety net, Schlosser, of North Dakota, said. We could use all the help we can to eliminate any uncertainty in times like this, he said.

The Farm Bill provides funding for an array of programs important to farmers, including crop subsidies, insurance, rural development programs and support accessing export markets. The latest bill, passed in 2014, expired on Sept. 30 after talks over its replacement broke down.

At issue was a bitter partisan debate over a provision in the draft of the new bill that would have imposed stricter work requirements for recipients of food stamps. The Republican-led House of Representatives passed an $867 billion bill in June with the tougher requirements, over the objections of Democrats. The Senate, meanwhile, passed its own bipartisan version that excluded them.

With Democrats in control of the House, the deadlock could be resolved, several senior lawmakers said last week, even as Trump reiterated his desire for stricter work requirements in the bill.

Curt Mether, a corn and soybean farmer from Iowa, said he hoped Trump would back down. I think President Trump will be willing to step down on the work requirements issue in the end as he understands the House will be Democrat-controlled, he said.

He noted a new farm bill could help farmers survive the ongoing trade dispute, which has driven China, traditionally the biggest buyer of U.S. agriculture exports, mostly out of the market.

Some of our export programs are funded through the Farm Bill. While we are negotiating with China, it is really important that we get all the trade we can with other countries, he said.

Bill Hemesath, an Iowa corn and hog farmer, agreed. Im hopeful Amid the trade tariffs, without a farm bill, we would not have access to market development programs, and these are crucial, he said.

Dairy farmers, whose trade with Mexico and Canada was hit by tariffs over the summer and have yet to recover despite a new North American trade deal, have also called on lawmakers to settle the deal on the Farm Bill.

Given the sustained low prices dairy farmers have faced, coupled with uncertainty in agricultural trade policy, it is more important than ever that Congress quickly enact the 2018 Farm Bill before adjourning for the year, said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Topics Legislation USA Agribusiness ChinaTexas Associates Insurors, based in Austin, has hired two new account managers in its expanding Employee Benefits Division.

Esther Loaeza joins the agency with 30 years of experience in the industry. She has overseen the successful implementation and administration of more than 200 group health and specialty benefit plans. She has previous experience as an account executive, stop-loss underwriter, reinsurance claims specialist and medical claims examiner.

Lydia Rodriguez brings over 15 years of experience in the insurance industry to Texas Associates Insurors. She has been successful in servicing clients needs by building long term relationships and providing excellent customer support.

Texas Associates Insurors was founded in 1954, and offers insurance, employee benefits and risk management services. Texas Associates Insurors has offices in Austin and Smithville, and its affiliate NewFirst Insurors operates in El Campo and Victoria.

Texas Associates Insurors is one of the founding members of the Insurors Group, a prestigious group of 13 agencies located throughout the state ranked by The Insurance Journal as 10th in the Top 20 privately-held brokerage firms in the United States.

Topics Carriers TexasCalifornia utilities are facing the very real possibility that billion-dollar blazes could become an annual occurrence, and they dont know how to pay for them.

Shares of the states two largest utilities plummeted Monday after both PG&E Corp. and Edison International released reports suggesting their equipment may have started the deadly fires now burning at both ends of the state. PG&E was the worst-performing stock in the S&P 500 Index and trading in its shares halted briefly early in the session before closing down 17 percent. Edison slumped 12 percent.

Three of the worst fires in California history have occurred in the last 13 months. Theyve come as scientists blame global warming for altering the states water cycle, parching vegetation and causing hot and dry weather patterns to stall over the region, even during the states annual rainy season. Both PG&E and Edison are still adding up the billions of dollars in costs from deadly wildfires sparked last year by their equipment.

What if this happens every year? said Kit Konolige, a utilities analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. If you end up having to pay $15 billion a year, every year, for damages, clearly the utilities are not going to be able to deal with that.

PG&E already faced up to $17.3 billion in potential liabilities for 2017s Northern California wildfires, according to a JPMorgan Chase & Co. estimate. Those blazes killed 44 people. Susquehanna Financial Group estimated Monday that the Camp Fire, which wiped out the town of Paradise last week and has killed at least 29 people, could add as much as $5 billion.

A California law passed this year, known as SB901, allowed PG&E to use state-authorized bonds to pay off lawsuits from the 2017 fires and gave utilities a mechanism for recovering some wildfire costs starting next year, so long as the fires werent caused by company negligence. But it didnt specifically address how to handle the costs of any fires their equipment might trigger in 2018.

The legislation also didnt change how California applies inverse condemnation, a legal doctrine under which the states utilities can be held liable for any economic damages tied to their equipment, even if they follow all of the states safety rules.

This months fires, which chased more than a quarter-million people from their homes, may force the legislature to address that issue head on, several analysts said. The utilities pushed hard for a solution to the inverse condemnation problem during Californias last legislative session but didnt get one.

There is a lot of work we need to do to rebuild the regulatory compact to make sure we have financially healthy utilities, Edison International Chief Executive Officer Pedro Pizarro, said Monday at an Edison Electric Institute financial event in San Francisco.

Should investigators determine that PG&Es equipment triggered the Camp Fire, the utilitys actions in the days before the blaze may complicate any effort to deal with its costs.

Strong Windstorm

Last week, with a strong windstorm looming in the forecast, PG&E warned customers in the Sierra Nevada foothills that the company might need to shut off electrical lines to prevent fires. The company chose not to cut power after all, saying weather conditions didnt warrant such a drastic step.

The Camp Fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. local time Thursday, about 15 minutes after one of PG&Es transmission lines near the suspected ignition point experienced an outage, according to a report the utility filed with state regulators.

That could be significant, since this years legislation calls for letting California utilities share wildfire costs with their customers, provided the companies acted prudently in managing their systems.

For now, utility investors face the possibility of annual multibillion-dollar payouts for wildfires in a state that has spent most of this decade in a drought, with dry grasses and dead trees feeding the flames.

These fires pose the biggest risk California utilities have ever faced  even bigger than Enron, said Jaimin Patel, a utility analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.

Even if regulators allow recovery for damages, they will face an increasing backlash from consumers. Damages from just one fire of $15 billion could cause a rate increase of up to 10 percent, Patel said. With fires like this for a few more years, bankruptcy becomes a real possibility.

Related:

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Legislation WildfireA wrongful death lawsuit filed against a Montana whitewater rafting company has been settled out of court.

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported that the suit was settled mid-trial last week for an undisclosed amount.

In 2015, Brian Niedermeyer died on a whitewater rafting trip on the Gallatin River, prompting his wife, Angela Niedermeyer, to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the guiding company, Geyser Whitewater Expeditions.

Brian Niedermeyer was a passenger on a raft operated by Geyser that flipped over on the river.

The suit alleged that the companys careless and negligent operation of the rafting trip was the cause of his death. The company denied it was careless and negligent.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits MontanaOnline hospitality company Airbnb says its hosts generated about $1.1 million in tax revenue during the first year of its agreement with the state of Wyoming.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that Airbnb started collecting and remitting taxes on behalf of hosts Aug. 1, 2017.

Guests are charged the tax on their bill, and the company sends all eligible state sales tax, municipal sales tax and local lodging taxes to the state. Wyoming is one of more than 400 jurisdictions in the world to share tax agreements with the company.

Airbnbs 1,600 Wyoming hosts welcomed 56,000 guests to the state in 2017-18. That is a 132 percent increase over the previous year. The hosts earned nearly $8.9 million, or an average of $5,500 each, during that time.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Sharing EconomyNovember 12, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) A Raymond James report discussed what to expect, operationally and financially, from this energy company next year.

John Freeman, a Raymond James analyst, reported that Oasis Petroleum Inc. (OAS:NYSE) "delivered an in line Q3/18 despite temporary issues hampering gas production" and the company's "2019 game plan remains on track."

Freeman reviewed production, capex and differentials, looking forward. Despite an anticipated Q4/18 production miss, the longer-term outlook for Oasis remains unchanged, he indicated. The company still expects its exit rate production to increase by about 25% in 2018 and 15% in 2019.

Due to rescheduled well completions, Oasis now expects Q4/18 production of 87.5-90 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (87.5-90 Mboe/d) versus its prior guidance of 91-94 Mboe/d, which the company maintains. The revised rate is below Raymond James' forecast of 91.7-92.2 Mboe/d.

Also noteworthy, Freeman wrote, is it looks like Oasis will exceed expected completions in 2018 and 2019. With a fifth rig added at year-end 2018 in the Bakken and a third rig added in mid-2019 in the Delaware, the company should achieve 15-20 completions in 2018 versus the expected eight and surpass the 110 planned for 2019.

To achieve all of these, the required capital spend would be more than roughly $1 billion ($1B), Freeman pointed out. Additionally, pipeline infrastructure in the Delaware should need about $150-200 million ($150-200M). Offsetting these costs would be capex on the Williston midstream, which is expected to be about 40% lower year over year, at roughly $180M. "All in, we estimate 2019 capex at about $1.4B, which includes projected midstream spending and anticipated Delaware buildout," Freeman noted.

As for differentials, guidance on them remains the same despite some expected changes at Williston. As a result of higher refinery maintenance costs, differentials will likely rise in December from October's $3 per barrel rate. As for 2019 though, Freeman indicated, "rail expansion and normalized refinery demand should help keep differentials in check."

About the company's overall efforts, Freeman concluded, "Oasis continues to make good progress proving out its acreage, and we look forward to future tests that could help to further expand the core Bakken position and help delineate the Delaware acreage further in 2019."

He reiterated Raymond James' Strong Buy rating and $22 per share target price on Oasis, whose stock is currently trading at around $9.36 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.

2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees.

3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article.

Disclosures from Raymond James, Oasis Petroleum Inc., Nov. 7, 2018

ANALYST INFORMATION

Analyst Compensation: Equity research analysts and associates at Raymond James are compensated on a salary and bonus system. Several factors enter into the compensation determination for an analyst, including i) research quality and overall productivity, including success in rating stocks on an absolute basis and relative to the local exchange composite Index and/or a sector index, ii) recognition from institutional investors, iii) support effectiveness to the institutional and retail sales forces and traders, iv) commissions generated in stocks under coverage that are attributable to the analyst's efforts, v) net revenues of the overall Equity Capital Markets Group, and vi) compensation levels for analysts at competing investment dealers.

The views expressed in this report accurately reflect the personal views of the analyst(s) covering the subject securities. No part of said person's compensation was, is, or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific recommendations or views contained in this research report. In addition, said analyst has not received compensation from any subject company in the last 12 months.

RAYMOND JAMES RELATIONSHIP DISCLOSURES

Raymond James Ltd. or its affiliates expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from all companies under research coverage within the next three months.

Raymond James & Associates makes a market in shares of OAS.

More Info:

This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspBOZEMAN, Mont. - November 13, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) ZAF Energy Systems Inc. (ZAF), a developer of next-generation battery technologies, announced the opening of its new state-of-the-art research and development facility in Bozeman, Montana. ZAF's team of scientists and engineers at the 8,000-square-foot facility are developing advancements in the company's proprietary nickel-zinc (NiZn) battery technologies with an emphasis on continued performance improvements and cost reduction. The facility is located near Montana State University and will have a working public-private partnership with the university for advanced research.

"Our proximity to and partnership with the top talent at Montana State University's Energy Research Institute will enable ZAF to stay at the forefront of battery technologies," said Randy Moore, ZAF president and CEO. "The research to be done at our new facility is critical not only to making further performance and cost improvements to our current products but will also keep us ahead of the market for zinc battery technologies."

The new R&D facility complements ZAF's 35,000-square-foot low rate initial production (LRIP) facility that opened in October 2017 in Joplin, Missouri, where the company's nickel-zinc (NiZn) cells and batteries are being produced. Recent investments from public and private sources have helped ZAF hire employees, expand production, forge strategic supply chain partnerships, and begin commercializing its NiZn batteries on a global scale.

On November 16, ZAF CEO Randy Moore will provide an overview of the company's nickel zinc battery technology at the Workshop on Zinc Battery Technology hosted by NAATBatt International at the Advanced Science Research Center at the City University of New York (CUNY).

ZAF's NiZn batteries have potential uses in a wide range of applications including: automotive, heavy trucking, remote telecom, renewable energy, and marine. NiZn batteries are poised to disrupt the $50 billion conventional lead-acid battery market with their ability to provide twice the storage capacity and three times the power of legacy lead-acid batteries in a smaller, lighter package. They provide a powerful and affordable alternative to their lead-acid counterparts while generating a lower environmental impact.

About ZAF Energy Systems, Inc.

Incorporated in 2011 and with locations in northwestern Montana and southwest Missouri, ZAF Energy Systems develops and commercializes next-generation battery technologies that use sustainable, non toxic materials and can be safely and easily recycled. Its breakthrough battery technologies include a nickel zinc (NiZn) chemistry and a zinc air chemistry, both of which deliver the highest power and energy density of any battery system in their class. ZAF's rechargeable batteries provide long-life and economical solutions in a safe package for a variety of applications, including: electric vehicles, commercial trucking, renewables integration, back-up power, consumer electronics, mobility, and recreation vehicles. For more information, visit: www.zafsys.com

Press Contact:

Mercom Communications, a division of Mercom Capital Group

1-512-215-4452

zaf@mercomcapital.com

More Info:

This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspHere are all the latest headlines this lunchtime...

Get informed

IRELAND: Stolen cars, an air rifle, cash, jewellery, and electronic devices have all been seized in a series of raids in Meath and Dublin.

IRELAND: Two men in their 20s have died following a crash in Co Mayo.

IRELAND: Fianna Fails Justice spokesperson Jim OCallaghan is calling on the State to seek a contribution from former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan for legal fees to fight a case taken by whistle-blower Maurice McCabe.

IRELAND: A new empowered agency needs to lead development and regeneration in Dublin's inner city and corporations should contribute towards progress there too, Fianna Fail has demanded.

WORLD: Britain and the EU are almost within touching distance of striking a Brexit deal, Theresa Mays de facto deputy has said.

BUSINESS: Emirates is returning to Dublin and Cork to look for Irish candidates to join its multinational cabin crew team.

SPORT: Martin ONeill will send Ireland into friendly battle with Northern Ireland on Thursday evening looking for a morale-boosting end to a difficult year.

...Some distraction

SHOWBIZ: Broadcaster Gareth O'Callaghan who retired from radio after he was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) will return to the airwaves this Christmas to raise funds for charity.

FEATURES: Cork author and former lawyer Danielle McLaughlin has edited a collection of stories by people from the legal profession.

VIRAL: A Mr Price bargain store in Mayo had an unexpected customer recently who caused a great deal of 'botter' for staff.By Michelle Martin and Eamon Quinn

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has said he favours getting a binding deal on a EU digital tax at a meeting of EU finance ministers next month, further undermining Irish opposition to the plan.

If the negotiations continue the way they have been going, well still be in talks in 100 years. That is why I support the French model and want to offer the proceeds to the EU, Scholz said yesterday.

There has been discord among EU member states over a proposed EU plan to tax big internet firms such as Google and Facebook on their turnover.

Germany called this month for a revision of the plan that would exclude from the proposed tax activities linked to carmakers. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, a strong proponent of the new tax, said yesterday that an agreement was close to being struck.

Under a proposal from the European Commission in March, EU states would charge a 3% levy on the digital revenues of large firms that are accused of averting tax by routing their profits to the EUs low-tax states, like Irelands.

The plan is aimed at changing tax rules that have let some of the worlds biggest companies pay unusually low rates of corporate tax on their earnings.

But it requires the support of all 28 EU states and is opposed by a number of them, including small countries like Ireland that have benefited by allowing multinationals to book profits there on digital sales to customers elsewhere.

The Government has vehemently resisted targeting tech giants such as Amazon, Google, and Apple because it could be the start of the end of one of the central pillars of the countrys low tax regime.

But the timing of the decision by the UK made late last month to bring in a similar tax undermined efforts by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to rally opposition from across the EU to the commissions tax.

The British plan for its tax would bring in a relatively small amount from April 2020 on giant online firms making over 500m (562m) a year in global revenues.

The EU plan which also targets online giants is designed to bring in 5bn a year, a relatively small amount of tax in the context of the EUs budget of over 160bn.

Mr Scholz also said the EU should push ahead with minimum corporate tax rates and effective taxation of digital companies from January 2021 if states fail to reach an international agreement on tax avoidance.

We are in principle in agreement with our French friends on such a two-step strategy, he said.

Reuters and Irish ExaminerBy Geoff Percival

Specialist building products company Kingspan expects profits for this year to jump by around 15%, despite global uncertainties.

The upbeat forecast boosted the Co Cavan-headquartered groups shares by up to 1.2% before gains pared back.

In a trading update, covering the first nine months of the year, Kingspan said it is targeting a trading profit in the region of 440m for 2018, as a whole. The group also said it is likely to end the year with a net debt of around 750m.

As of the end of September, Kingspans debt levels were close to 880m.

Kingspan said sales for the first nine months of the year amounted to 3.18bn, 18% up on a year-on-year basis; with third-quarter sales alone ahead 24%, on the same period last year.

Sales in the groups core insulated panel division increased 20%, year-on-year, for the nine months. Its newer light and air division, a breakaway from the insulated panels arm, focusing on efficient daylighting and smoke management of buildings, increased sales 50%.

Kingspan established the light and day arm last year and is targeting annual revenues of 500m from it within four years.

Kingspan has continued to broaden its geographic presence moving into Brazil and India in the past year.

Its reliance on the British market has dwindled in the last decade. The UK now accounting for 25% of annual sales, rather than 75% 10 years ago but management is cautious about external factors, including Brexit.

Overall, our end markets are reasonably stable and, while our orders-on-hand are strong, we remain cognisant of the general sense of nervousness prevailing globally, it said in its trading update.By Thomas Mulier and William Mathis

Shares in British American Tobacco (BAT), which makes Camel, Dunhill, and Lucky Strike and other cigarettes, plunged to their lowest level in more than four years on news of a possible ban on menthol cigarettes in the US, which would eliminate products such as Newport that generate up to a quarter of the companys profit.

A senior US Food and Drug Administration official said last week that the agency is looking at restricting menthol in traditional cigarettes.

Doing so would be a step toward eliminating or tightly limiting use of the popular cigarette flavour, something the administration has been considering for some time. It would come in a separate action from its planned restriction on e-cigarette flavours, according to the official.

More aggressive regulation of nicotine has been a major priority for commissioner Scott Gottlieb. British American Tobacco shares fell up to 11% at one stage in London, destroying 8.4bn (9.6bn) of market value.

Shares of Altria, which makes Marlboro cigarettes including menthol flavours, also fell, but by only 1% at one stage in New York.

British American Tobacco is the most exposed name to the potential risk, wrote Richard Taylor, an analyst at Morgan Stanley who estimates that US menthol cigarettes account for 25% of total earnings.

The potential ban steps up the administrations campaign against youth smoking. Clove cigarettes were previously taken off the market, and now the agency is taking a tougher approach to alternatives, too.

The administration has been targeting flavoured tobacco products as studies indicate that teens who smoke menthol cigarettes consumed close to twice as many weekly compared with non-menthol users.

Not all analysts think a ban is likely. Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett said such a move is improbable and would take years to implement.

Tobacco companies would probably mount a legal challenge that would delay the process, Gerry Gallagher, an analyst at Deutsche Bank, also said.

The fall in British American Tobacco shares illustrates that while the Lucky Strike maker is expanding into vapour and heated- tobacco products, its main business is still cigarettes.

The company didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Imperial Brands fell 2% in London.

The Winston maker gets about 15% of earnings from menthol brands such as Kool and Salem in the US, according to broker Jefferies.

The proportion is about 20% for Altria, according to the firm.

Imperial will continue to engage with the administration about menthol cigarettes, but will not comment further until theres a formal update from the agency, spokesman Simon Evans said.

Tobacco companies in the US won an exception for menthol when a federal law banned other flavours in 2009.

British American Tobacco shares have dropped 40% this year.

BloombergBy Gordon Deegan

Plans are to be lodged for a 400m one million sq ft data centre on the outskirts of Ennis early next year.

The planned data centre will be the largest in the west of Ireland since the ill-fated 200,000 sq ft data centre planned by Apple for Athenry.

Clare County Council has been advancing the project over the past year to facilitate the planning application to be lodged by Dublin-based firm, Art Data Centres Ltd.

In a presentation to members of Clare Co Council, the Councils Director of Economic Development, Liam Conneally has described the project as a game changer.

Cllr Tom McNamara (FF) joined with Mr Conneally in visiting a Facebook data centre location at Lulea, Sweden as part of the Councils preparatory work.

Cllr McNamara said that if the data centre project can be delivered for Ennis and Clare it will be the same as having a goldmine. The spin-off from this for Ennis and Clare will be unbelievable.

Cllr McNamara said that Lulea is now a booming town as a result of the data centre there and it has contributed to the population increasing there.

Mr Conneally told the council that the planned data centre for a 51 hectare (126 acre) site on the Tulla Rd leading out of Ennis off the M18 will provide 1,000 construction jobs over five years and lead to 200 permanent data centre jobs.

Mr Conneally said that the project will also lead to an additional 150 indirect jobs.

Mr Conneally said that a Government Minister recently told him that data is new oil, the new gold.

In order to advance the plan, the Council is seeking to rezone the 51 hectares as an enterprise zone that will be data centre specific.

The Council has identified the site after the Council received 14 expressions of interest in response to its Data Centre invitation earlier this year.

Mr Conneally said that the site is ideal for a data centre and that 90MW of power will be available at the site.

The next step in the process is for councillors to vary their development plan to rezone the lands to allow the application be lodged with An Bord Pleanala in the first half of next year.

Fine Gael TD, Joe Carey said: We are all very much aware of the lengthy planning difficulties which ultimately led to the demise of the 850 million Apple data centre in Athenry.

Deputy Carey said that a new streamlined approach for such applications will lead to speedier planning decisions.

He said: Data centres are central to the digital economy.By Padraig Hoare

A third of Irish shoppers will spend more on Black Friday on November 23 and Cyber Monday on November 26 shopping events this year than last, with more than half of those willing to part with up to 500.

Those were some of the findings of a retail study by PwC, which said a fifth of shoppers will spend on the two days with the vast majority being spent online, a further indication of the difficulties facing bricks and mortar retailers.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have their origins in the US, where the Thanksgiving tradition on the fourth Thursday of November is now followed by a Friday where retailers offer promotional sales, often with apparently major discounts.

It became a trend in the US in the 2000s, and has now become an event for Irish stores and shoppers alike in recent years. The PwC study, carried out by Amarach Research, said 19% will shop on the occasion, with 51% of those spending between 100 and 500 on both days.

Two-thirds of those shoppers said that they will spend online.

There was a boost for street retailers when it comes to Christmas shopping, with almost three- in-five saying they preferred spending in-store than online.

About 60% of consumers will not do their Christmas shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, preferring to do it in the run-up to the festive period.

Over a quarter of Christmas shoppers will spend more this year than in 2017, the report found. Senior manager of PwCs retail and consumer practice, Grace McCullen said Black Friday and Cyber Monday should be viewed as a huge retail opportunity for stores.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday drives footfall to stores and conversions online. Proactive retailers should leverage that appetite and seek to maximise the extended Christmas trading period, capitalising on targeted promotions and margin management opportunities, she said.

The shift towards online shopping has led to major difficulties for retailers in Ireland and the UK, with names like House of Fraser and Debenhams restructuring with store closures and thousands of job losses.

Famed outlets such as Toys R Us have gone to the wall in the UK and Ireland, while Sears in the US filed for bankruptcy protection last month.

The PwC report found 23% of Irish shoppers buy online weekly with a further 27% purchasing at least a few times a month.

Just under half of 18-to 34-year-olds plan to make their Black Friday/Cyber Monday purchases via their mobile phones, while a third of over 55s plan to purchase online via laptop or desktop.

Ms McCullen said: The survey gives a clear message that retailers must digitise their businesses to offer an integrated seamless online and mobile experience alongside that in-store.

Retailer-owned media channels, including websites, apps and social media, are powerful methods to directly entice and engage with shopper segments.

"They can also help retailers reach the ultimate goal of long-term customer value.

Clothing and electronics are by far the biggest markets for shoppers on the two days, the report said.

Electronics is most popular with men while clothes and footwear are most popular with women, it found.

PwC director of retail and consumer practice, Owen McFeely said Irish retailers should embrace the data provided by the mobile phone shopping experience to boost business.

With mobile purchasing becoming more popular, technology provides a gateway for shoppers seeking value with faster and smarter choices.

Data is king and it also offers brands and retailers the prospect of using and growing their database to deliver personalised offers and better customer experience.

And while there is a paradox of privacy and trust, in our experience, consumers are prepared to share their information with retailers as long as trust is in place and they receive something valuable in return, he said.European Parliament lead negotiator on the Free Trade Agreement with Singapore, Sean Kelly MEP, has welcomed the recent signature of the EU-Singapore trade deal.

He said that the EU-Singapore agreements which were signed in recent weeks will bring great opportunities to Ireland, particularly the agri-food sector.

He said it will "allow us to strengthen our political, trade, and investment relations with Singapore."

Singapore is the EUs largest trading partner in the Southeast Asia bloc and this agreement will be very important in solidifying the business relationship between Ireland and Singapore, where total merchandise trade in 2016 was valued at 987 billion.

Our countries share many similarities from small, open economies focused on exports to comparable economic strategies.

Singapore is home to about 2,050 to 3,000 Irish emigrants with over 10,400 EU companies operating on its territory, serving as a hub in the Pacific Rim.

Hopefully, the trade agreement will enter into force in early 2019. There have been a number of unfortunate delays with this agreement, due mainly to a request from the Commission to the European Court of Justice for a legal clarification.

Having visited Singapore earlier this year on a fact-finding mission, and having seen the frustration on the Singapore side at these delays through my meetings with them, I am calling today for the swift ratification of this important and positive agreement as soon as possible, Mr Kelly added.

- Digital DeskUnidentified flying objects (UFOs) spotted by pilots in the skies over the South-West coast at the weekend are the likely product of natural phenomena, according to an astronomer.

Michael Garrett, professor of Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, said while the pilots reports should be taken seriously and investigated, there were many other natural phenomena that could explain the sightings, other than a UFO.

On Friday last, at about 6.47am, the female pilot of a British Airways flight passing over Co Kerry reported seeing an object close to the left-hand side of her Boeing 787 which was travelling from Montreal to Heathrow. She described a very bright light travelling at very high speed.

A second pilot, flying a Virgin Airlines Boeing 747 close to the south-west coast, also reported seeing something bright close to his aircraft, before it climbed away at speed.

Both pilots were in conversation with Shannon Air Traffic Control as they travelled eastbound through Irish airspace at levels above 7,450m. There were no known military exercises in the area at the time and Shannon air traffic control confirmed that there was nothing showing on either primary or secondary radar.

Shannon air traffic control told the British Airways pilot that other aircraft in the air have also reported the same thing so we are going to have a look and see. The Irish Aviation Authority has since confirmed it is investigating the pilots reports.

The Virgin Airlines pilot mentioned a possible meteor and described multiple objects following the same sort of trajectory.

The object was described as travelling at astronomical speed, Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound.

Prof Garrett told WLRfm in Waterford that a meteorite breaking up, high in the earths atmosphere would also be travelling at speed and it would break into multiple components.

Prof Garrett said a meteorite was a more reasonable explanation of what the pilots had seen.

But, at the same time, I think a report like this one, with witnesses that I would generally think would be very strong witnesses, giving good evidence, those are the things you should be investigating, he said.

Prof Garrett said usually air flight crews are experienced and they typically are very good observers of what is out there, so I think one has to take this kind of thing seriously.

When you have good quality reports like this one, you have to follow up and you have to try and understand. But my gut explanation is that theres probably a natural explanation rather than UFOs, he said.

On Friday, Astronomy Ireland posted it had reports of a massive fireball that morning, heading northwest to southeast at a small angle towards earth, greenish in colour with a long tail, travelling quite slow and broke into several pieces.Construction work is poised to start on a new headquarters for one of Irelands largest credit unions after a breakthrough in a legal dispute which stalled the project for years.

The chief executive of Bishopstown Credit Union in Cork, which has almost 21,000 members and assets of 150m, confirmed that the dispute with Dunnes Stores over a small section of land next to the earmarked site on Curraheen Road, has been settled to everyones satisfaction.

The settlement, which did not involve any financial payments, has cleared the way for the signing of contracts for the construction of the credit unions new headquarters on the site of the former Viscount Bar - plans for which were first unveiled in 2013 - two years after the credit union bought the bar and demolished it.

A planning appeal to An Bord Pleanala delayed the project by 2.5 years before the dispute with Dunnes further delayed building. The site has lain vacant and surrounded by hoarding for several years.

But Mr Kenny confirmed last night that builders will be on site within days after a 5.835m contract was awarded to Cumnor Construction following a competitive tender process.

Construction is expected to take a year to complete.

He also defended the cost and scale of the project and said it will ensure that the branch will be able to cater for growth and future development of credit union sector which has seen many mergers in recent years.

Chairman of Bishopstown Credit Union, David P Barry, welcomed the signing of the contract: We are now re-establishing our presence in the heart of Bishopstown.

"Work will commence this month and it is intended that the building will be completed and fitted out in 12-months.

As one of the largest community-based credit unions in Ireland, with assets of 150m and a staff of 30 people, we have outgrown our current premises on the Wilton Road and our new headquarters will enable us to make further progress as a key local financial service provider.

We are a strong and secure financial institution which has made significant investment in IT as a feature of the credit unions success, and we now have one of the most advanced service delivery channels in the country," he added.

Founded in 1967, Bishopstown Credit Union originally operated from the crypt of Dennehys Cross church.

At one time, it had four branches - the headquarters it opened on Wilton Rd in 1997, the branch in Wilton Shopping Centre, as well as offices on the Curraheen Road and in Ballinhassig.

It closed the Curraheen Road and Ballinhassig branches as part of an overall cost-saving drive which achieved some 500,000 in savings.

Once the new building is ready, the credit union headquarters will relocate to Curraheen Road.

The Wilton Road premises, and the adjoining property which it also owns, will be sold - the proceeds of which will help offset the construction costs - and the Wilton Shopping Centre branch will be retained.Latest: The Government has insisted it got what it needed in the draft Brexit text agreed in Brussels to avoid the return of a hard border, writes Daniel McConnell, Political Editor .

Speaking to the Irish Examiner as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tanaiste Simon Coveney and EU Minister Helen McEntee met to discuss the draft deal in Government Buildings, senior sources said they were content that the agreed text of the backstop respected the Irish position that no border on the island of Ireland would exist post Brexit.

Officially the Government was making no comment but sources close to the deal have said the Irish concerns are protected.

It's what we need, there are still some moving parts and we need to see how this lands in London, one source said.

But we have seen things unravel before, the source stressed in caution.

Given the false dawn earlier this month, Mr Varadkar and his Brexit team are cautious not to speak prematurely as they realise British Prime Minister Theresa May still needs to get it passed her Cabinet tomorrow at 2pm.

As news broke this afternoon that an agreement had been reached, it was made clear in London and in Dublin that a number of issues remained outstanding.

A spokesman for Mr Coveney insisted the Brexit negotiations were "ongoing".

"Negotiations between the EU and UK on a Withdrawal Agreement are ongoing and have not concluded," he said.

Negotiators are still engaged and a number of issues are outstanding. We are not commenting further on leaks in the media.

A spokesman for the Government has said "nothing has been confirmed".

"We're at a stage where there is still no agreement at this point in time," the spokesman said this afternoon.

"There is actually no agreement."

The comments were made following reports suggesting a deal had been agreed between EU and Irish negotiators.

The spokesman said a "number of issues were outstanding".

He also said the Irish Government's position on the backstop had not changed.

He added that at the moment the reports of a deal were "only speculation".

The Cabinet is to meet at 9.30am on Wednesday morning to consider developments.

In London, Mrs May was meeting with her minsterial colleagues, one by one, to discuss the agreed text ahead of a crunch full Cabinet meeting on Wednesday at 2pm.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Tory MPs, said the reported deal represented a betrayal of Theresa May's promise to maintain the integrity of the United Kingdom.

'She hasn't so much struck a deal as surrendered to Brussels... the UK will be a slave state' - Jacob Rees-Mogg reacts to the Brexit agreement.



Follow reactions to the Brexit agreement live here: https://t.co/veJwzSQr3S pic.twitter.com/ecF4qNmqLT  Sky News (@SkyNews) November 13, 2018

"White flags have gone up all over Whitehall. It is a betrayal of the Union," he told the BBC.

"If what we have heard is true, this fails to meet the Conservative Party manifesto and it fails to meet many of the commitments that the Prime Minister makes.

"It would keep us in the customs union and de facto the single market. This is the vassal state.

"It is a failure of the Government's negotiating position, it is a failure to deliver on Brexit and it is potentially dividing up the United Kingdom.

It is very hard to see any reason why the Cabinet should support Northern Ireland being ruled from Dublin.

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson said he would vote against the deal, claiming it was "vassal state stuff" and urged the Cabinet to "chuck it out".

He told the BBC: "For the first time in a thousand years, this place, this Parliament, will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is a quite incredible state of affairs."

"It's vassal state stuff"- former foreign secretary Boris Johnson says he will vote against draft #Brexit agreement



More: https://t.co/O6t67ucsXP pic.twitter.com/7LiGMVbww6  BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) November 13, 2018

Earlier: Government calls reports of Brexit breakthrough speculation

The Government has dismissed reports of a breakthrough in the Brexit negotiations as speculation.

A spokesperson for the Government said no agreement has been reached on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and that nothing had been confirmed.

He said officials in Dublin had not been formally notified of a deal being reached in Brussels.

Were at a stage where there is still no agreement at this point in time, the spokesman said on Tuesday evening.

There is actually no agreement. At the moment this is only speculation

The comments were made following reports this afternoon of a breakthrough in the talks between EU and UK negotiators.

The deal will be the focus of a crunch Cabinet meeting at Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon.

British Cabinet ministers were invited to read the papers relating to the draft deal on Tuesday night ahead of the special meeting of Theresa Mays senior team to decide on next steps.

The Government spokesperson described the situation as fast-moving.

He confirmed the Irish position on the backstop had not changed, adding that a number of issues were outstanding.

In another sign that Dublin may not be happy, a spokesman for Tanaiste Simon Coveney said: Negotiations between the EU and UK on a withdrawal agreement are ongoing and have not concluded.

He also said a number of issues are outstanding, adding that negotiations were at an extremely sensitive juncture.

Members of Irelands opposition gave a cautious welcome to the reported deal.

Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin said any agreement needed to ensure there was a permanent backstop to protect a borderless Ireland.

Fianna Fails Brexit spokeswoman Lisa Chambers said the detail was important.

We need to see the text, we need to see exactly what has been agreed, what are the implications for the border issue, for trade, she said.

We need to see the text of what has been agreed but hopeful of a positive solution that is workable for everyone. #brexit @fiannafailparty https://t.co/4Cyldv8a07  Lisa Chambers (@lichamber) November 13, 2018

Ms Chambers added that a deal that included the UK staying within the customs union would be the best outcome for Ireland because east-west trade was so important.

Independent TD Thomas Pringle said he needed to see the details before commenting because it could have potentially very negative effects for the border if its wrong.

Sinn Feins David Cullinane said: Weve always said that the backstop and the insurance policy which has to be put in place for Ireland has to be long term, has to be durable, has to be permanent.

It has to give protection to the people of Ireland that we need, which is to avoid a hardening of the border to protect the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts and to protect the rights of citizens.

Earlier in the Dail, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar would not comment on reports that a text had been agreed taking into account the Irish border question.

Minutes after reports of a deal emerged, Mr Varadkar would not answer questions from Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein or the Labour Party on the matter.

Meanwhile, political leaders in Northern Ireland have given a cautious welcome to a deal being agreed in the Brexit negotiations.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood welcomed reports that the UK and EU had agreed a text on the border in Ireland, but he said any agreement must include a backstop.

Mr Eastwood said: The SDLP are glad to hear that an agreement might have been reached and we look forward to reading the text of that agreement in detail.

If the agreement involves a backstop that protects Ireland from a hard border then we would hope it will gain support in Westminster.

Glad to see that there might be a Brexit deal. We will judge it when we read it but if it protects Ireland from a hard border I hope it will be supported.  Colum Eastwood (@columeastwood) November 13, 2018

Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann said there must not be any ambiguity about Northern Irelands place in a post-Brexit UK.

Mr Swann said the next 24 to 48 hours in the negotiations would set the direction of travel for Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom for decades to come.

The bottom line for the Prime Minister, the Conservative Government and their partners in the DUP must be the achievement of a sensible deal which respects the result of the referendum and maintains the integrity of the United Kingdom, he said.

There must be no ambiguity, constructive or otherwise, in any deal about Northern Irelands place within the Union in a post-Brexit UK.

To do otherwise would be a serious blow against the Belfast Agreement and the principle of consent and will set a dangerous precedent for the future.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said that the deal as reported would leave Northern Ireland subject to the rules and laws set in Brussels with no democratic input or any say.

He added: We object to that on constitutional grounds that our laws would be made in Brussels, not in Westminster or Belfast.

That is the fundamental red line.

Mr Dodds added that any regulatory checks between the UK and Northern Ireland would certainly be a breach of the PMs pledges to the people of Northern Ireland (and) the pledges that she made to the people of the United Kingdom.

Alliance Deputy Leader Stephen Farry described reports of an agreement as encouraging but he expressed caution on a number of grounds ahead of any publication of an agreed text.

An open-ended backstop in place until or unless it is superseded is critical to protect the Good Friday Agreement and to avoid a hard border in Ireland, Mr Farry said.

He added that it was important people were measured in their reaction to the backstop and do not contribute further to unnecessary dramatising of something that should be seen in pragmatic terms.

Ultimately, the backstop is only an insurance approach to Brexit, he said.

There is no such thing as a good or sensible Brexit.

- Press Association

Earlier: Emergency cabinet meetings to be held tomorrow to discuss border deal

The Irish and British governments will hold emergency cabinet meetings on Wednesday to discuss the Brexit border deal amid growing hopes a crucial breakthrough has been reached, writes Fiachra O Cionnaith, Political Correspondent.

Government sources told the Irish Examiner this evening Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will hold the special cabinet meeting tomorrow morning.

His British counterpart, prime minister Theresa May, will hold a similar special cabinet meeting in London at 2pm tomorrow.

And at the same time, EU ambassadors will meet in Brussels.

It is understood all three groups are meeting to discuss the exact legal text of the EU-UK deal negotiated in Brussels in recent days.

However, while Dublin and Brussels are likely to back the deal, it is far from clear if Ms May will be able to ensure the backing of her cabinet and the British parliament.

Boris to BBC: This is a chronicle of a death foretold...First time in 1,000 years that this parliament will not have a say over the laws of this country. It is utterly unacceptablehttps://t.co/M0lJ5SPUii  lisa o'carroll (@lisaocarroll) November 13, 2018

It is hoped that the make-up of the deal - which is expected to see one UK-wide customs union which will contain "deeper" details relating to Northern Ireland - could be backed by the DUP as it will not treat Northern Ireland differently.

However, it is unclear if a "review mechanism" for the UK-wide customs union deal will be enough to convince hardline Brexiteers in the Conservative party and its cabinet.

This is because of ongoing fears such a customs union could effectively trap Britain in a form of the EU without a specific timeframe for when it may be able to leave.

Important to note re this evening's #Brexit developments: this is, at this stage, a legal text Irish border deal agreed by negotiators/back room officials, not politicians. Throughout this process, the negotiators have put forward solutions, while politicians... not so much.  Fiachra O Cionnaith  (@Ocionnaith) November 13, 2018

Earlier: Varadkar 'not aware' of Brexit developments; Coveney insists negotiations ongoing

The UK and the EU have reached an agreement on Brexit that avoids a hard border with the North.

It is reported the deal has been done on a "technical level" and negotiations are ongoing on the finer points of the text.

The British Prime Minister will put the draft agreement to her cabinet at a meeting tomorrow afternoon.

UK government ministers have been called to individual meetings at Number 10 Downing Street for briefings with Theresa May.

News of the draft deal is a significant breakthrough and could pave the way for a November summit of EU leaders to endorse the text.

Here government sources are insisting they have not seen a proposed deal yet.

In the Dail this evening Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he's not aware of the latest developments.

He said that despite reports in the media he had not heard anything but made the point that he had been in the Dail for several hours and so had not had the opportunity to speak with his officials.

A spokesperson for Tanaiste Simon Coveney said: "Negotiations between the EU and UK on a withdrawal agreement are ongoing and have not concluded."

The spokesperson added that negotiations were at a "sensitive" juncture.

Ahead of tomorrow's cabinet, a spokesperson for Downing street said: "Cabinet will meet at 2pm tomorrow to consider the draft agreement the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels and to decide on next steps.

"Cabinet ministers have been invited to read documentation ahead of that meeting."

It is understood Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is likely to hold a special cabinet meeting in Dublin on Wednesday #iestaff #brexit  Fiachra O Cionnaith  (@Ocionnaith) November 13, 2018

Earlier: Brexit deal to prevent hard border has been reached

EU and UK negotiators have finally agreed on a Brexit deal to prevent a hard border in Northern Ireland in a major move that is set to clear the way for an all-out agreement, writes Fiachra O Cionnaith, Political Correspondent.

Reports on Tuesday afternoon said officials in Brussels and London signed off on the legal text on Monday night after months of torturous negotiations over Britain's divorce from the continental bloc.

While talks are continuing, it is understood negotiations on the Irish border have concluded with agreement on how a hard border can be prevented.

This, sources said, will be achieved by:

a UK-wide customs union agreement

a "deeper" deal within this agreement for Northern Ireland, with more specific deals on the province's customs and regulatory "aspects"

and a "review mechanism" for the Northern Ireland aspect of the deal

The shock announcement comes after months of increasing bickering and growing concerns a deal could not be reached due to the major stand-off over the issue.

However, while a legal text has now been agreed, it still must be passed by British prime minister Theresa May's split cabinet, the Democratic Unionist Party, the British parliament and the European parliament.

Ms May is expected to call a special cabinet meeting later this week, at which point she will have to convince pro-Brexiteers the deal will not trap Britain in a customs union - and in effect the EU - indefinitely.

She will also have to convince pro-Remain cabinet members the deal is coherent and workable.

Similarly, Ms May will have to convince the DUP the deal will treat Northern Ireland in the same way as any other part of Britain, a move key to ensuring any deal can pass parliament where Ms May has a 13 seat space - on condition the 10 DUP MPs and other government members back her.

While the deal will also have to pass through the European parliament, it is likely this will prove less cumbersome - although it remains possible the British parliament vote could force a public vote.

Earlier: EU and UK agree on text for Irish border, reports

EU and UK negotiators have reportedly agreed on a text that would deal with the issue of the Irish border.

According to RTE News, the text was agreed last night and according to their sources it would involve one backstop in the form of a temporary UK-wide customs arrangement.

.@tconnellyRTE reports that two well-placed sources have confirmed that the text was as stable as it can be pic.twitter.com/tpQrFXgFBL  RTE News (@rtenews) November 13, 2018

Digital DeskBy Ann O'Loughlin

A doctor has been struck off the medical register here by the High Court over failing to comply with conditions attached to his registration, including to complete an alcohol awareness programme.

Dr James Peter Cassidy, formerly with an address at Dublin Road, Dundalk, Co Louth, now believed to be residing in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, had had his registration suspended since March 2017 for reasons including patient safety concerns.

The president of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, said extraordinary leniency was previously shown to Dr Cassidy by the Medical Council and its Fitness to Practice Committee (FTPC) but the doctor had not availed of opportunities provided to him.

Dr Cassidy graduated in medicine from Queens University, Belfast, in 1976.

In 2016, a FTPC found professional misconduct by him based on its findings he had in 2009, when filling in the form for registration to practice here, untruthfully answered 'No' to questions concerning whether he had any convictions in a court of law or there was any reason why he should not be registered.

Dr Cassidy had admitted to the Committee he was convicted at Newry Crown Court in relation to two forgery offences that, if committed here, would be triable on indictment.

The offences were that he conspired with others on a date unknown between December 1, 1994, and April 1, 2007, to use an instrument dated December 1994 purporting to be the will of Catherine Haughey which they knew or believed was false and with the intent to get others to accept that document as genuine.

He was also convicted of conspiring with others to use a purported agreement between Ms Haughey and Francis Tiernan for sale of a property, which was false, with the intention of inducing another to accept it as genuine.

The Committee heard unchallenged evidence from Dr Cassidy he was under duress when he committed the forgery offences and of a history of alcohol abuse and it accepted he had remedied his behaviour in that regard.

Because of the mitigating factors, the FTPC recommended he be censured with conditions on his registration.

These required him to complete an alcohol awareness programme and a medical ethics programme, bring his CPD obligations up to date and regularly meet with a nominated person to discuss his progress and compliance with the conditions.

In his May 2016 decision on the Council's application to attach those conditions, Mr Justice Kelly expressed concern about the serious findings against the doctor but, noting the court's limited powers under the Medical Practitioners Act, agreed to impose the conditions sought.

In March 2017, the Council asked the judge to suspend the doctor's registration pending an inquiry into his alleged non-compliance with the conditions. That inquiry, held in July 2018, upheld the allegations of non-compliance.

In court this week, J.P. McDowell, solicitor for the Council, said there had been little contact from Dr Cassidy since the March 2017 order, his conduct showed a significant lack of insight and the FTPC and Council wanted his registration cancelled.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Kelly said, because of the 2016 dishonesty findings against the doctor, he believed the conditions were at the most lenient end of the scale. Whatever pressure the doctor was under at the time of the forgery offences, he also gave dishonest answers on the registration form in 2009, he said.

His misgivings had been borne out because Dr Cassidy has hardly complied at all with the conditions, the judge said.

This case concerned a doctor with a serious alcohol problem who had been ignoring his regulator and had been found not to have complied adequately or at all with the conditions, he said.

The FTPC was satisfied there has been "singular failure" by him to remediate his conduct and the court noted with "grave disquiet" he had not provided a truthful account of interactions with his mentor.

The FTPC considered there were no mitigating factors including he had not shown any insight or respect for the monitoring committee and the court and, in the circumstances, the "proportionate and appropriate" sanction was to cancel his registration, he said.Update 7.50pm: Thomas Shinnick has been located safe and well this evening.

5.50pm: Gardai in Mallow are appealing to the public for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 22-year-old Thomas Shinnick, from Buttevant, Co. Cork.

Thomas was last seen on Monday when he left home with his dog.

He is described as being 6'1" with dark hair.

When last seen he was wearing a bright blue jacket, dark jeans and blue/brown shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Mallow Garda Station or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.

Digital DeskA 30-plus minute conversation between failed presidential candidate Peter Casey and Transport Minister Shane Ross at the weekend has fuelled speculation he is about to join the Independent Alliance.

The pair were spotted locked in an in-depth conversation on the fringes of the inauguration of President Michael D Higgins on Sunday night at Dublin Castle, amid repeated talk of Mr Caseys desire to enter mainstream politics.

The conversation in the State apartments in Dublin Castle led to speculation yesterday that Mr Casey could tie up with the Alliance, of which Mr Ross is the de facto head.

They were speaking for a long, long time and one wondered were they doing it deliberately to get people talking, said one senior source.

Ross and Casey were certainly engaged in each others conversation. It was more than just idle chit-chat.

Since finishing second in the presidential election, Mr Casey has not only said that he wants to stand for Fianna Fail in Donegal, he went on to say he wanted to lead the party. However, a raft of senior party personnel, including leader Micheal Martin and frontbench spokesman Niall Collins, strongly rebuffed the approaches.

It is not the first time the pair have discussed the possibility of working together. In 2016, Mr Casey pursued a Seanad seat and held talks with Mr Ross with a view to securing a nomination for the industrial panel, but he was unsuccessful.

Mr Caseys rise in the wake of comments about the Travelling community and social welfare recipients has served as a wake-up call to the mainstream parties but a tie-in with the Independent Alliance would certainly be controversial.

When contacted, Mr Caseys camp confirmed the two men spoke at Dublin Castle but attempted to play down the suggestions of a potential union.

A spokeswoman said Mr Casey used the chat to highlight his unhappiness about the decision in the budget to increase the 9% Vat rate and new drink-driving legislation which, he said, would have a negative impact on rural Ireland.By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent

A bottom-up approach is needed in addition to senior academic posts open only to female applicants to redress gender imbalance in the third-level sector, various stakeholders have said.

While there was mostly a welcome for the landmark Government decision to fund 45 women-only professorial posts over three years, much of the response to the Action Plan for Gender Equality in higher education focused on the struggles facing women at the lower end of the academic scale.

Minister of state for higher education Mary Mitchell OConnors proposals include the creation of the gender-specific posts, under criteria to be agreed with representatives of third-level colleges and the Higher Education Authority.

Siptu gave a cautious welcome, but said that far more must be done about the tenuous position for women starting their careers.

The use of gender quotas has proven to be an effective structural tool in other sectors of society in addressing the very real and structural issues that lead to gender inequality, said Siptu divisional organiser Adrian Kane. The union will continue to support women, whatever their role, in their struggle for equality across the third-level sector.

Women also suffer disproportionately from less secure employment and precarious employment is endemic across the sector. Unfortunately, this report will have little impact on this phenomenon.

Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, whose successful case against NUI Galway for gender discrimination brought the issue to wider attention in 2014, expressed reservation about women-only posts being permanent instead of temporary.

Because if theyre permanent posts, it kind of looks like women are being put in a glass case, that theyre unable to make it on their own, she said. Theres always that thinking about it.

Ms Sheehy Skeffington said role models and equality are needed at the top, but she would like to see focus on temporary contracts which, she said, are dominated by women in academic and administrative roles.

And often they dont get an airing, it makes great headlines to have professors equal and I think we need that, but we must really look at that as well because they dont have so much of a voice, Ms Sheehy Skeffington told RTEs News at One radio show.

Many of the measures announced by Ms Mitchell OConnor are aimed at changing culture on the ground, including requirements that proper efforts are made to ensure a close gender mix when identifying candidates for posts and promotion.

The organisation representing the 14 institutes of technology said it welcomes the gender-specific roles envisaged under the plan, but wants more clarity about how the move will be implemented.

Technological Higher Education Association chief executive Joseph Ryan said there is particular under-representation in some disciplines in the sector, particularly engineering, but there will be challenges deciding which disciplines are to be targeted across all third-level colleges.

It has to be a process that is fair to everybody, said Mr Ryan. Theres no role of professor in our sector, for example, but we do have a senior lecturer 3 grade held by people who are heads of faculty and whose role is not unlike that of a professor.Windsurfer Lorenzo Cubeddu may have been on the water along the west coast for up to eight hours before he managed to come ashore in Co Clare.

Lorenzo, who lives near Ballybunion, set off at about 2pm on Sunday and was last seen at 4pm , but it was only reported at 11pm that he had come ashore 25 nautical miles away in Kilkee.

He was still recovering in University Hospital Limerick last night but may be discharged today, with some of those involved in the search for him admitting they expected to find him in the water, if at all.

Lorenzo works in SuperValu in Ballybunion, Co Kerry, and is an experienced windsurfer. It is believed his depth of experience is what managed to help him navigate his way along the coast once he got into difficulty and then wend his way across the Shannon Estuary to safety.

Windsurfer Lorenzo Cubeddu: Crossed the Shannon Estuary.

The exact details of where he came ashore were still uncertain yesterday but it is understood he identified himself to someone near Corless Point in Querrin near Kilkee. In the preceding hours, lifeboats from Fenit and Kilrush RNLI, as well as the Irish naval vessel the LE Niamh and Rescue Helicopter 115, were involved in a search for him, co-ordinated by Valentia Coast Guard.

Charlie Glynn, the helmsman with Kilrush Lifeboat, said yesterday that the swells off Ballybunion on Sunday were up to 3m-4m. The RNLI said winds were blowing Force 6 to 7, while darkness also complicated the search effort.

Describing the pretty difficult conditions he added: We were really looking for an individual who was in the water. Its absolutely amazing that he made it into Kilkee relatively unharmed.

Liam Mulvihill of Ballybunion Surf School, who knows Lorenzo, said: We are all delighted. He is one of those really nice guys, genuine and happy.

We were all shocked when we heard it [that he had gone missing]. We expected the worst.

Lorenzo is described as an avid windsurfer and a spokesperson for Fenit Lifeboat said it is utterly amazing the had managed to navigate the Atlantic waters for so long, possibly standing on the board for much of the time.

Mr Glynn told RTE the fact friends and family raised the alarm highlighted the importance of those going out on the water telling others when they were due back. Mr Cubeddu also appears to have had sufficient protective gear to endure the many hours on the water and Mr Glynn also said another vital piece of gear for those taking to the seas is a personal location beacon.

He stayed with his board and managed somehow to travel the long distance to shore.A Dail deputy held up a thong in the chamber to highlight the maltreatment of rape victims during adversarial trials.

Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger brought the dark blue thong into the Dail and held it aloft during Leaders' Questions, as she raised concerns over "rape myths" women face after taking an alleged rapist to court.

WATCH: TD @RuthCoppingerTD held up a thong in the Dail earlier protesting the use of the same tactics in a courtroom during a rape case in Cork pic.twitter.com/bfGAegWpkO  Sean Defoe (@SeanDefoe) November 13, 2018

During her contribution, she displayed the thong which was hidden in her sleeve.

It might seem incongruous or embarrassing to show a thong in the Dail but I do so to highlight how a rape victim feels at her underwear being shown in the incongruous setting of a courtroom. When will the Dail take serious action on the issue of sexual violence? she said.

There was a sharp rebuke from Leas Ceann Comhairle, Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher, as the displaying of matters during debates is normally not permitted.

Women in this country are getting a little weary of routine victim-blaming in Irish courts and the failure of lawmakers in this House to do anything about it, Ms Coppinger said.

Either the Judiciary believes these rape myths, in which case they should be forced to undergo education, or lawyers are using them to introduce sexist stereotypes which they know resonate with some in society and on juries. I suspect the latter is the case.

"Clothes, fake tan and even contraception have recently been used to discredit women who had the bravery to go to court."

Ms Coppinger attacked the Government's cuts to funding to rape crisis services and called on any cuts to be reversed.

She said she was raising the issue in the wake of the Belfast rape trial earlier this year and a similar case in Cork where outrage was sparked after a teenage girl's underwear was used as evidence against her in a rape case.

The 17-year-old's "thong with a lace front" was presented as part of the defence's closing address in Cork Central Criminal Court this month.

I hear cameras cut away from me when I displayed this underwear in #Dail. In courts victims can have their underwear passed around as evidence and it's within the rules, hence need to display in Dail. Join protests tomorrow. In Dublin it's at Spire, 1pm.#dubw #ThisIsNotConsent pic.twitter.com/DvtaJL61qR  Ruth Coppinger (@RuthCoppingerSP) November 13, 2018

This week, another young woman suffered humiliation during a rape trial in Cork. We cannot comment on the verdict in the case but we need to focus on the lessons from it. Why has nothing been done to stop the routine use of rape myths in trials? she said.

How concerned is the Government about the chilling effect this is having on victims coming forward?

"A barrister told the jury to look at the way the complainant was dressed and implied that she was open to meeting someone because she was wearing a thong with a lace front. A 17-year-old was 'put in the dock' over her choice of underwear. The implication was that she was 'asking for it', Ms Coppinger said before raising the thong as she concluded her remarks.

As cameras were not focused on her, Ms Coppinger tweeted a short time later: I hear cameras cut away from me when I displayed this underwear in #Dail. In courts victims can have their underwear passed around as evidence and it's within the rules, hence need to display in Dail. Join protests tomorrow. In Dublin it's at Spire, 1pm.

Responding, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: Let there be no doubt that nobody asks to be raped and it is never the fault of the victim".

The Government has committed significant energies to progress the equality agenda, he said.

Mr Varadkar concurred that some agencies have seen a cut in their funding but many others have seen increases in their backing from the State.The decision to legally support former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan in his defence against whistleblower Maurice McCabe is being reviewed, the Taoiseach has said.

Speaking during Leaders' Questions, Leo Varadkar said he wished to see all cases involving state agencies and former Sgt McCabe be settled.

Responding to questions in the Dail following the broadcast of an RTE documentary on the ill-treatment suffered by Mr McCabe at the hands of his superior officer, Mr Varadkar said advice is also being sought from the Attorney General Seamus Woulfe on pursuing Mr Callinan and his former press officer Dave Taylor for contribution to damages that may be paid to Maurice McCabe as part of those likely settlements.

Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald said given the damning conclusions of the Disclosures Tribunal, Mr Callinan should not recieve one red cent to fund his defence.

Mr Varadkar in response said the decision to offer support Mr Callinan was taken in July ahead of the publication of the third interim report of the Disclosures Tribunal.

He said he wanted again to acknowledge the contribution of Maurice McCabe and his service to the country.

He said the time has come for the State to do right by Maurice McCabe and his family and said this is happening, even if it is coming late in the day.

He reiterated his belief that Mr McCabe, who recently retired after 30 years' service, was a distinguished member of An Garda Siochana.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan informed the Dail he had met with Mr McCabe and his family to offer a State apology to him face to face.

He said he was willing to debate the issue of the review on the Callinan case in the Dail if desired by the Opposition.

Mr Varadkar said he shares public anger at the repeated sight of senior public servants who get involved in wrongdoing sailing off into the sunset with generous retirement packages.

I get extremely annoyed when people who get involved in wrong doing 'sailing off into the sunset' with golden handshakes but we have to be conscious of people having paid into their pension funds, Mr Varadkar said in response to a question from Social Democrat Roisin Shortall.Vulture funds will escape tougher regulations after a Central Bank report for the government and finance minister recommended no changes be made to the current code on mortgage arrears.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe will tell the Cabinet today that no alterations should be made to the code  despite low level breaches found by the Central Bank during inspections of lenders. Instead, the minister will reiterate that he cannot interfere with banking regulation, that pending opposition legislation will enhance protections and that only minor breaches have been uncovered.

The Central Bank review was commissioned by the minister in February after public uproar over the sale of 18,000 mortgages by Permanent TSB.

The review of the code of conduct on mortgage arrears (CCMA) included a discussion with consumer groups, state agencies as well as Central Bank inspections of credit firms as well as one bank. The Central Bank also looked at data relating to unregulated loan owners (ULOs) and whether they were active in repossessions.

Lenders must treat borrowers in a fair and transparent way under the current code. But advocates for borrowers complain protections do not go far enough.

The Central Bank check also looked at borrower complaints and interactions between unregulated lenders and credit firms.

The review found there were no big or material breaches of the code but that there were some non-material breaches, government sources confirmed. These included a failure to write to borrowers within prescribed timelines and alerting them to specific supports. In one credit firm, borrower appeals were not escalated properly.

Overall, the review for the minister found that for borrowers who engage with mortgage arrears process, the code is working effectively. Moreover, there is no evidence borrowers whose situations have not changed are being moved off their current loan arrangements by unregulated entities.

The Central Bank has committed to the minister to continue to monitor the use of the code, unregulated lenders such as vulture funds and they will track how borrowers are being treated.

Mr Donohoe will reiterate to colleagues that he cannot stop loan sales, even by State-owned banks, and that mortgage holders keep their full contractual rights, indifferent of who controls the loan.

Furthermore, he is expected to note to Cabinet colleagues that consumer protection legislation from 2015 already protects borrowers whose loans are offloaded to unregulated entities.

Lastly, Mr Donohoe will reassure ministers that more protections are coming when the government support a motion by Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath to regulate loan owners. The Consumer Protection (Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) Bill 2018 will return to the Houses of the Oireachtas later this year.

Cabinet today will also consider putting a national review panel of serious situations involving children on a statutory basis.By Laura Harding

Zoe Kazan is inspecting the headboard of the bed in the hotel room. I think that has blood spattered on it! she exclaims with alarm.

Its something anyway. Coffee?

The 35-year-old stars in The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs, the latest movie from directing brothers Joel and Ethan Coen.

The movie is an anthology western, which also stars James Franco, Liam Neeson and Tom Waits, and Kazan plays a woman crossing the Old West to get to Oregon.

I have never started a job not terrified but with the Coens I was shitting myself the entire time.

Its just that when you really love someones work so much and you get the opportunity to work with them, it doesnt happen that often.

I felt like I was contending, at least at first, with my own nerves and not wanting to f**k it up. But it was just me, I was the source of all nerves on set.

The Coens were very relaxed on set and they are not micro-managers in the least, which is nice.

Kazan points out that the celebrated brothers have been working with the same crew for decades so there is a lot of trust on set.

Kazan said she still throws her scripts in the bin as she leaves an audition and for Buster Scruggs she even wore a special outfit.

I wore a prairie dress, one that I already own. I didnt even rent one. This is something I wear in real life. No bonnet, I do own one though.

RUBY SPARKS

For fans of Kazans work, this might not come as a surprise. She has the vibe of someone who might own a prairie dress and a bonnet.

She is best known for her role in Ruby Sparks, which she also penned, starring opposite her real-life partner Paul Dano in the story about a struggling novelist who finds romance by writing a female character he thinks will love him, and then willing her into existence.

Kazan has recently penned her second film, this time with Dano, an adaptation of Richard Fords novel Wildlife, with Dano making his directorial debut.

She said: I dont have the fear with writing that I do with acting.

Its a totally different kind of thing because with acting youre waiting for permission all the time to be able to do the thing you love and with writing, if someone doesnt like my writing I can still write.

Wildlife follows a six-year gap since 2012s Ruby Sparks, but for Kazan the time has flown by.

In that time, she has starred in What If with Daniel Radcliffe, Olive Kitteridge with Frances McDormand, Our Brand Is Crisis with Sandra Bullock and of course last years hit The Big Sick, which was nominated for a string of awards.

I also wrote two plays during that period of time, so I think I was just writing in a different medium but movies take a long time to make.

With Wildlife, we wrote for three or four years and then it took a couple of years to get it made so it just works out that way.

I remember when we were on our Ruby Sparks press tour, people would say to John and Val (the directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris), Its been five years since Little Miss Sunshine, why such a big break? and I thought, Yeah, why such a big break? but now Im like its not long at all, it goes really fast when youre a grown-up.

The thing that makes me feel older than anything is when people write to me online and say, When I was in middle school I loved Ruby Sparks and I know it feels like no time to me.

It was 2012, six years ago, but to me its nothing. I feel I have different hair and that is it. I sleep a little less, that is all.

Wildlife is out now. The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs is on Netflix from Friday.Cork author and former lawyer Danielle McLaughlin has edited a collection of stories by people from the legal profession, writes Colette Sheridan.

When Cork solicitor turned fiction writer, Danielle McLaughlin, kept coming across lawyers who had become writers , she thought it would be interesting to put together an anthology of prose and poetry, inspired by law reports and legal judgements.

The result is a collection of writing entitled Counterparts by 22 writers, published by the Stinging Fly. All proceeds from the book will go to the Peter McVerry Trust which supports housing for people in need.

This dovetails nicely with McLaughlins interest in housing. She completed a Masters degree in an area of research related to social housing and has worked in local authorities, dealing with housing.

She has been watching the housing crisis of the last few years. I wanted to do something, she says.

The contributors to the book include the late Supreme Court judge, Adrian Hardiman, with an extract from his book, Joyce in Court, that concerns the law cases featured in Ulysses.

The extract from the book is paired with the 1892 Maybrick case (in which a woman is accused of poisoning her husband with arsenic). Its a case that illustrates what Hardiman identified as one of Joyces philosophical concerns which is how can one ever really know the precise detailed truths of past events.

Among the other contributors are Madeleine DArcy, who worked as a criminal lawyer in London before taking up writing. McLaughlin and DArcy run the popular monthly event in Cork, Fiction at the Friary, which features well known writers reading from their work and encourages emerging talent.

Also included in Counterparts is Catherine Kirwan, a practising solicitor whose debut crime novel is due out in January; Olivia Smith, a former law academic who edits the literary journal, the Winter Papers with her writer husband, Kevin Barry; brothers, John Mee who lectures in law at UCC and is an award-winning poet, and Michael Mee, a former lecturer in law who is a comedian and prose writer and Andrea Carter, who was both a solicitor and a barrister and has recently published her third crime book in the Inishowen Mysteries which is being made into a TV series.

In her introduction to Counterparts, McLaughlin writes about how she is often struck by the similarities between the practice of law and the practice of creative writing: the stories, the focus on language.

Practitioners of law and writing understand the relevance of nuance, of tone and are attuned to the things that are not said but may nonetheless be suggested or implied.

As GC Thornton, author of Legislative Drafting, pointed out, a superfluous word is...a potential source of contention. If one word will communicate the intended sense exactly, two or more should never be used.

Lord Denning, the English judge and author, was an amazing writer, says McLaughlin. He knew exactly how to capture the points of a story and communicate them.

He uttered the second sentence at the beginning of a judgement: It was bluebell time in Kent which conjures up a whole vista in such a pithy and accessible way.

McLaughlin believes that practising law has helped her writing. It cuts both ways. If I were to go back to practise law  which I might do as I miss it sometimes  I think Id be a better lawyer, for having written. Law made me think very closely about the meaning of words. In law, when sending out a final document, you could be in trouble if you got a word wrong.

Because McLaughlin found law so interesting in the way narratives are presented, it satisfied her creatively.

I didnt need to pursue writing back then. I loved reading fiction but I found so much creativity in my legal career. I know some people try it and dont like it but I saw so many parallels with fiction. There were discussions around words, peoples stories, the dramas, who said what.

A severe dose of auto-immune arthritis in 2009 meant that McLaughlin had to stop working as a solicitor.

I was quite unwell for six months to a year but Im fantastic now, thank goodness. While I was out sick, I started writing.

"I had always loved books and used to write stories at school. I would have attempted to write a short story (in later life) but I think I never understood anything about writing. I didnt realise that it could be learned and that you had to do a lot of editing and redrafting. That was a complete revelation to me. I think I thought that when I wrote something, if it didnt work, then that was it.

"I should have realised thats just the start of it. Its a whole process of re-writing.

In 2010, McLaughlin attended the Cork International Short Story Festival for the first time. She was aged 41.

I was blown away by the festival. I did workshops at the Munster Literature Centre that autumn and I signed up for the spring workshops. When they came to an end, a few of us asked the tutor if she would put on a summer workshop.

At the end of that, I just knew I didnt want to stop doing this. I was completely hooked on writing. Four of us, who had been to the workshops, started our own writing group which is still going today.

McLaughlins debut short story collection, the critically acclaimed Dinosaurs on Other Planets, was published in 2015. Prior to this, she had stories published in journals including the New Yorker, and the Stinging Fly Magazine. She had been shortlisted for the Davy Byrne Award.

Working as a writer was one of those things Id flit in and out of but it didnt take root for a while. It seemed like such an unreal thing to actually make a career, a life, out of writing.

Now, McLaughlin is firmly established. After the publication of her collection, former laureate for Irish fiction, Anne Enright, said McLaughlin had arrived and there could be no worries about her next book.

As part of her two book deal with John Murray in the UK and Ireland, and Random House in the US, McLaughlins first novel is not expected to hit the shelves until 2020.

Im way over deadline, she admits, having just finished tweaking the novel. Its main character is a woman in her forties whose husband has cheated on her with the mother of one of her daughters friends.

McLaughlin is writer-in-residence at UCC and will be starting workshops for staff and students there.

Theres a lot of interest in writing now. I think people are more inclined to see it as something thats possible. In Cork, theres a community of writers. If you know someone whos a writer, youre much more inclined to give it a try.

As part of the Dublin Book Festival, Danielle McLaughlin, will discuss literature and law with contributors on Sunday November 18 at 3.45pm in Smock Alley.Two forthcoming books argue that we should revisit our economistic worldview and put the health of our local communities ahead of our consumer and market-centric model, writes Dani Rodrik.

Economics teaches that the measure of an individuals wellbeing is the quantity and variety of goods he or she can consume.

Consumption possibilities are in turn maximised by providing firms with the freedom they need to take advantage of new technologies, the division of labour, economies of scale, and mobility.

Consumption is the goal; production is the means to it. Markets, rather than communities, are the unit and object of analysis.

No one can deny that this consumer- and market-centric vision of the economy has produced plenty of fruit.

The dazzling array of consumer goods available in the megastores or Apple outlets of any major city in the world would have been unimaginable as recently as a generation ago.

But clearly, something has gone wrong in the meantime. The economic and social divisions within our societies have provoked a broad backlash in a wide range of settings  from the US, Italy, and Germany in the developed world to developing countries such as the Philippines and Brazil. This political turmoil suggests that economists priorities may not have been entirely appropriate.

Two books, one forthcoming from Raghuram Rajan and The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America, published this month by Oren Cass, revisit our economistic worldview and argue that we should instead put the health of our local communities front and centre.

Stable families, good jobs, strong schools, abundant and safe public spaces, and pride in local cultures and history  these are the essential elements of prosperous societies.

Neither global markets nor the nation-state can adequately supply them, and sometimes markets and states undermine them.

The authors come from different vantage points. Rajan is an economist at the University of Chicago and a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Cass is at the right-of-centre Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and was domestic policy director for Republican Mitt Romneys presidential campaign.

You would not necessarily expect either a Chicago economist or a moderate Republican to treat markets and hyper-globalisation with scepticism. But both are disturbed by what they see as the effects on communities.

Rajan calls community the third pillar of prosperity, as important as the other two pillars  the state and the market.

No less than excessive centralised state power, he writes, unmanaged globalisation can tear apart the fabric of local communities.

Cass is explicit that US trade and immigration policy should focus on American workers first and foremost.

This means ensuring that local labour markets are healthy and that there are plenty of goods jobs at decent wages.

Both authors emphasise the gains from trade and reject US president Donald Trumps protectionism. However, they agree we may have gone too far into hyper-globalisation and paid insufficient attention to the costs for communities.

When a local factory closes because a firm has decided to outsource to a supplier across the border, more is lost than the hundreds (or thousands) of jobs that move abroad.

The impact is multiplied through reduced spending on local goods and services, which means workers and employers across the entire local economy feel the hit.

The local governments tax revenues fall as well, so there is less money to spend on education and other public amenities. Anomie, family breakdown, opioid addiction, and other social ills often follow.

Economists usual answer is to call for greater labour market flexibility: Workers should simply leave depressed areas and seek jobs elsewhere.

But, as Cass reminds us, geographical mobility has to be coupled with the opportunity to stay. Even during times of significant migration, the bulk of local populations stayed put and needed good jobs and solid communities.

Alternatively, economists might recommend compensating the losers from economic change, through social transfers and other benefits.

Leaving aside the feasibility of such transfers, it is doubtful that they are the solution. Joblessness will undermine individual and community wellbeing even if consumption levels are propped up through cash grants.

Ultimately, it is only through the creation and expansion of well-paying jobs that local communities can be made vital.

Casss proposal is to encourage employment through wage subsidies.

Rajan emphasises the role of local leaders who can mobilise community assets, generate social engagement on the part of local residents, and create a new image  all in the context of more supportive state policies and managed globalisation.

Other economists have advocated regionally targeted manufacturing extension programmes, fostering partnerships between local employers and universities. Yet others recommend local public spending, such as on job training programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises.

We do not have a good fix on what works best, and a fair amount of policy experimentation will be needed to make progress. But the urgency of action is heightened by the fact that ongoing technological trends threaten to exacerbate communities existing problems.

New digital technologies tend to exhibit scale economies and network effects, which produce concentration rather than localisation of production. Instead of diffusing gains, they create winner-take-all markets. The globalisation of production networks magnifies such effects further.

How we balance these forces with the needs of communities will shape not only our economic fortunes, but also our social and political environment. As Cass and Rajan show, it is a problem economists should no longer ignore.

Dani Rodrik is Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard Universitys John F Kennedy School of Government.

He is the author of The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy, Economics Rules: The Rights and Wrongs of the Dismal Science, and, most recently, Straight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy.Ireland needs to create the attractions, events and value offering that will entice tourists to come here all year long  and to venture outside the big cities, writes Paul Kelly.

Tourism is soaring but there are big challenges ahead  how do we sustain the success of 2018?

Following what has been a record-breaking season for tourism, with overseas tourist numbers likely to hit 9.6m by the end of 2018, most people would be forgiven for thinking that the sector is motoring along fine.

And why not assume that?

After all, weve had record tourist numbers for the last three years or so.

Indeed, overseas tourist numbers have grown 53% since 2012. In the same period, tourism spending has risen by an impressive 84%.

This means around 1.8bn in Exchequer revenue  roughly the equivalent of 1,000 per household in Ireland.

So Irish tourism is in a good place. However, I would argue that it could  and should  be in a greater place. When you look under the hood, there are many obstacles and challenges holding tourism performance back which may surprise many outside the industry.

Our own Failte Ireland research indicates that more than 70% of overseas nights are spent in just five counties.

This points to a regional disparity which needs to be addressed. If we dont, we face the prospect of congestion at popular tourism hotspots diminishing the attractiveness of Ireland as a destination.

More importantly, if we cannot ensure a greater regional spread of tourism activity, the sectors potential for generating revenue and jobs will remain untapped in many parts of Ireland which are very much in need of regeneration.

Working with the trade, we are already seeing the start of increased regional dispersion with overseas holiday bed-nights outside Dublin growing by 7% last year compared to 1% in the city. But there is a lot more

we need to do.

What does this look like in practice? Well, for example, it would mean that along the Wild Atlantic Way growth rates could become more significant north of Galway into the north-west, where hidden gems such as Sliabh Liag can rival any top destination.

We have placed greater emphasis on promoting and developing the northern stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way to tap into the potential there.

Equally, more regional activity will result in tourists spending a greater portion of their stay within the east and Midlands rather than simply transiting through from Dublin to the west.

Our Irelands Ancient East brand has already reaped results in driving greater tourism activity into that part of the country and we have similar hopes for Irelands Hidden Heartlands, our newest regional brand, which was unveiled for the Midlands earlier this year.

However, there is much more to be done and we are nowhere near where we need to be in terms of a healthy spatial spread of tourism.

Another fact that may surprise people outside the industry, is that many tourism businesses are only open for a few months of the year  with some only trading for 10-12 weeks. For many in the sector, the tourism season is a very short one and this does not necessarily need to be so.

Our seasonality strategy is now delivering higher growth  in 2017, overseas trips to Ireland between September and December grew by 6% compared to 3% growth between May and August.

However, we need to continue to support businesses to stay open longer so they can extend their season, and thereby increase their revenue and job creation.

To do this, we need to create the attractions, events, and value offering that will entice tourists to come here beyond the summer.

This must include smart programming of our festivals calendar, price-led offers from tourism businesses in spring and autumn, and the development of new tourist experiences and attractions.

On the latter, investment in the right type of large-scale tourism attractions and new all-weather/family friendly attractions can broaden and enhance Irelands overall appeal and help target tourists who like to travel off season.

The incremental benefit of a longer season is important when you consider that every extra 1,000 overseas tourists supports 20 jobs in tourism  and this is particularly crucial in the regions.

If more businesses stay open for longer, and if many stay open all year round, this can ensure that tourism realises the potential it has for jobs and revenue in remoter parts of rural Ireland which few other industries have.

These job opportunities need to be matched with appropriately skilled people to deliver the level of service tourists expect.

It goes without saying that the greatest cloud on our outlook for the year ahead is Brexit. For tourism, the most certain uncertainty in this respect is that we will lose tourists from our biggest and nearest overseas market, Great Britain.

But a less obvious consequence is that we are at risk of missing out on tourists from other markets, as Britain is our greatest competitor and the weakening value of sterling could make it more attractive to long-haul tourists, as well as those from Northern Europe.

It is these challenges, along with the need to strengthen our value-for-money offering, that were the key focuses as we unveiled our 2019 plans to hundreds of tourism businesses and operators from across the country.

Our central message to them is that, although there are big challenges ahead  not least the increased Vat rate they will all need to contend with next year  there are numerous opportunities which can offset this turbulence and help us to sustain the success weve worked so hard to achieve in recent years.

We have increased air access from regions such as the US, Canada, Europe, and Britain and increased sea access from Britain and Europe, as well as increased state investment in product development, industry development and sales and marketing support.

At Failte Ireland, we will continue to play our part in supporting the industry to overcome these challenges and leverage the opportunities that lie ahead in 2019.

Promoting the many and varied career opportunities there are in tourism, developing new festivals to lengthen the tourism season, and working on long-term tourism development plans for specific geographical locations are just some of the initiatives we will focus on in the coming year to ensure that Ireland remains a top player in the international marketplace.

Our latest estimates now show that we will have welcomed more than 9.6m overseas tourists and 9.8m domestic trips this year, generating 7.8bn in revenue.

There is now an impressive 260,000 people estimated to be employed in the sector, an increase of 20,000 since 2017. In fact, it employs more than Agriculture, Financial Services or Construction.

This growth in revenue, and its ability to spur employment, underscores the vital importance of tourism for Ireland.

Its importance is even greater when you consider the fact that this growth in revenue and jobs is generated in many parts of the country where there are not many other major industries and where tourism is absolutely vital to local communities.

Its clear that Irish tourism has made a tremendous impact in recent years, but as an industry we cannot rest on our laurels if we are to sustain this success.

Looking to the future, we know there are challenges but, more importantly, there is significantly more opportunity for further growth in tourism to increase economic contribution, employment and Exchequer revenue.

With the right coordination between public sector agencies, private businesses, the wider tourism industry and local communities to grow tourism more evenly across the regions and throughout the year, we can move from todays strong contributions to even greater days ahead.

Paul Kelly is the chief executive of Failte Ireland, the national tourism development authority.Taxpayers will probably foot the bill for campaign of calumny against Maurice McCabe, writes Michael Clifford.

THERE was most likely shock in some quarters after last nights viewing on RTE television of Whistleblower: The Maurice McCabe Story. The Cavan-based sergeant was subjected to vilification and isolation, a witch hunt and false allegations. And all because he made a decision to call out malpractice in the force.

McCabe, who retired from the force two weeks ago, was also subjected to a campaign of calumny as ruled by Judge Peter Charleton in the Disclosures Tribunal Report.

The person deemed to have been responsible for the calumny  effectively an attempt to destroy McCabes character  was former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan.

At the weekend it was revealed that in a civil action McCabe is taking against the State, Callinan is being represented by the States lawyers.

This will undoubtedly generate anger among many who are now familiar with that to which McCabe was subjected. If Callinan was smearing the character of a man acting in the best interest of the force, why should the citizens pick up his tab?

The question is valid, but unfortunately for anybody who bristles at the thought of Callinan suffering no financial penalty, the alternatives are very limited.

McCabe issued proceedings against the State in early 2017. He claimed for damages for the actions against him in An Garda Siochana, including utterances Callinan was reported to have made. Callinan had told TD John McGuinness that McCabe was under investigation for child abuse. Not only was the statement utterly false, Callinan was aware that it was false.

At the tribunal, Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy revealed that Callinan had said something similar to him. McCabes legal action also included the allegation that former Garda press officer David Taylor was instructed by Callinan to spread the lies about McCabe.

Maurice McCabe with his wife Lorraine. Picture: Barry Cronin

Yet, it has now emerged that last July the acting Garda commissioner Donall O Cualain agreed to provide legal representation for Callinan in the action being taken by McCabe. The Department of Justice confirmed the representation on O Cualains recommendation.

Then it was reported that the new commissioner Drew Harris is reviewing this arrangement. Some might wilfully interpret the story as one of the powers-that-be looking after Callinan before the new man  Harris  rides in on his horse to break up the cosy consensus.

What if the decision was reversed? In the first instance, the State would have to come off record, tell the court that it was no longer acting for Callinan.

The former commissioner has reportedly a written agreement with Donall O Cualain to the effect that he would be represented. How would the State get around that one?

Callinan could then retain his own team and the first thing he would do is seek to be indemnified. Could the State refuse that? If so would a challenge against the decision be successful?

Take a simple example. If a man is assaulted by a garda while being arrested, and the man brings a civil action, can the State wash its hands of its agent  the garda  acting in the manner he did?

By the same token, Callinan was Garda commissioner when he smeared McCabes character. While his scurrilous actions were beyond the scope of his duty, he could claim that anything he did was done in his capacity as commissioner.

Martin Callinan has been under the spotlight following the Charleton Tribunal report.

Then there is the probability that McCabes case will be settled before ever reaching a court. What then? The State would presumably have to reach an agreement with its co-defendant, Callinan, on any settlement. Is he likely to cough up in that instance? Does a turkey vote for Christmas?

Challenging the original decision to represent Callinan on a matter of principle would be laudable but would most likely be far more expensive than the current arrangement. There is also the issue over the perceptions such actions might have on state attitudes to McCabe. The minister for justice has apologised to him on behalf of the state and Harris apologised on behalf of An Garda Siochana. How then would it appear if government agencies were to engage in a protracted dispute with the former commissioner instead of moving to bring McCabes actions to an expedited conclusion?

One other possibility if the State were to cut Callinan loose would be for McCabe to sue him in a personal capacity. Financially, this would be unlikely to make sense.

The thought of the citizens picking up the tab for Callinans campaign of calumny does stick in the craw. Unfortunately, as in many other walks, proper accountability does not appear to apply in this instance. And if form is anything to go by, well be waiting a long time before the legislature gets around to rectifying that matter.YOU might not think that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, US president Donald Trump and Peter Casey, a former candidate for the Irish presidency, have that much in common, but they frequently attract the same compliment: They tell it like it is, says Terry Prone.

Now, theres imprecision in this heartfelt encomium. Without sounding too much like former US president Bill Clinton, and in the interests of clarity, we need to ask who decides what it is. Or, in novelist Martin Amiss words, telling what like what is? Because when the Taoiseach tells it like it is, it sure isnt the same thing as when Peter Casey tells it. So who is it that sees the great commonality between these three guys? And what is wrong with that person?

Anyone  like I do  who chairs a lot of seminars and conferences, looks forward, with a night-before-Christmas excitement, to the supporter of the tell-it-like-it-is person identifying themselves during the question-and-answer section. When they do, its like a small-scale Mexican wave goes through the rest of the audience.

The supporter is 90% likely to be male, although this may not reflect the number of females who agree with him. The supporter is also likely to be north of 50, although exceptions surface. The supporter will rarely pick on one of the speakers directly, but will mush all of them together in a generalised complaint, dressed up as a question, that nobody tells it like it is anymore, and isnt this because weve all become too politically correct?

Most of the time, if theyre asked to be specific and to provide an example of a speaker on the platform not telling it like it is, they fail. Same thing happens if theyre asked to provide an example of a speaker who was too politically correct. Or to specify where the line is between politically correct and too politically correct. Instead, they tend to repeat what they said, often sticking onto it the caveat maybe its just me, but... They leave the gathering convinced they have struck a blow for freedom. And, sometimes, an inchoate point is lurking inside their quietly boiling incoherence.

That point goes like this: I didnt understand a bleedin word of what the speakers said up there, but I know I was being lectured. All liberals are for abortion and equal marriage and women working outside the home and getting so touchy you cant even compliment them or youll find yourself up in front of the WRC. The liberals are all for Travellers, too, because none of them are from rural Ireland. They also like welfare cheats, the fourth or fifth generations who refuse to work and who get away with it because nobody ever makes them. The liberals dont have to live around the corner from them.

Thats what the guy attacking political correctness believes. He wants to tell Mary Poppins where to stick her umbrella. Not that the poor guy ever had a governess. Nor has he ever been heard, except on late-night radio programmes, not even when he makes a perfectly valid point, like the first in the diatribe above.

On current affairs TV or radio, he doesnt understand politicians, because theyre talking in conceptual language, a public administration patois not spoken in his home or pub, nor by his tribe on the internet. He knows hes being excluded, when he hears stuff like this: The conceptual framework within which this policy will be implemented must be characterised by high levels of stakeholder engagement, transparency, and accountability. It must be preceded by an externally-monitored consultation process and succeeded by an implementation plan that achieves buy-in among all affected groups.

Of course he feels excluded. He might as well be in a foreign country, for all the sense those words make to him. Whether its a minister communicating in conceptual terms and statistics, or an expert  a sociologist, actuary, or economist  using the same terms, they lose him and humiliate him.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, doesnt come out with concepts or statistics or posh language. He says things like: You are rude. A terrible person. To which the response from the man beaten down, as he sees it, by political correctness, is: Gotcha. The emerging truth being this: Its easy to agree with what you understand, easy to agree with pictures, stories, and examples that lend themselves to repetition. And some of the most successful (albeit tragic) politicians in history grasped that reality and exemplified it in every public statement they made, including Abraham Lincoln.

They say I tell a great many stories, Lincoln told a friend. I reckon I do, but I have learned from long experience that plain people, take them as they run, are more easily influenced through the medium of a broad and humorous illustration than any other way.

It may not be popular to point it out, but Donald Trump does this all the time. You could hardly look for a broader and more humorous (in his terms) illustration than his attack on the journalist who tried to support CNNs Jim Acosta in the notorious, recent White House press conference. Trump also talks in simple words.

You never have to stop and figure out the meaning of a Trump word. Theyre the ones that live right beside the cash register, where you cant miss them. The ones his chosen audience use every day.

WHATS amazing, given the constant, nay, invariable success of politicians who talk in non-conceptual English, is why the others dont learn how to do it. The widespread assumption is that your pattern of public communication is set in stone by your thirties, so theres no point in trying to fix it.

Except that it was when he was well-advanced in age  just before the Second World War  that Churchill decided to shuck the Victorian rhetoric he had always used and make a conscious move to modernise, using small words and vivid pictures.

The result was that, even though John Reith, head of the BBC, hated Churchill and kept him off the airwaves for a decade, Churchill still arrived, post-Reith, into studios that were strange to him, yet managed to talk directly to listeners as if he had spent years getting used to broadcasting.

Nor did he decide that any of his listeners could safely be disregarded. It isnt only the good boys who win the wars; it is the sneaks and the stinkers, as well, he said.

The sneaks, the stinkers, and the haters of political correctness are part of every politicians audience and are ignored or mocked at the politicians peril.

He doesnt understand politicians, because theyre using conceptual languageA commitment to a religion is always described, and generally accepted, as an expression of faith.

People believe, in an utterly secure and confident way, in something that cannot be proven. Temporal matters, like politics, were once held to different, nuts-and-bolts standards.

Evidence was a required precursor of acceptance. However, that distinction is no longer sacrosanct or even reliable.

In this post-truth age, more and more of us seem to believe whatever proposition supports our worldview and warms our emotions, even if it is palpable nonsense.

We seem to have surrendered to the reassurances, no matter how unhinged, of the echo chamber, rather than do what humans do best  ask questions before coming to a conclusion.

This makes us vulnerable to the most fantastic, deliberately misleading claims. The latest of these, the most recent in an endless litany of corrupting guff from Donald Trumps White House, is that he didnt attend a weekend event honouring First World War dead, because he didnt want to disrupt Paris traffic.

Earlier reports said he avoided the ceremony because it was raining. The traffic excuse was advanced, with a straight face, by his press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, making her an active collaborator in Trumps dangerous campaign to silence criticism.

It is distressing that she would say this, but it is far more distressing that millions of the Make America Great Again voters will believe her, or simply regard her porkies as irrelevant.

Unfortunately, it is not necessary to cross the Atlantic to see this highly-motivated silencing at work.

In recent days, an advertisement for supermarket chain Iceland was banned from television because it was political.

It told the story of a girl determined to help a young orangutan that has lost its home, because its forest habitat had been razed to produce palm oil. Clearcast  the agency that clears ads for Britains major broadcasters  concluded it breached rules on political advertising.

This seems a catchall that could be used to block a huge number of ads, because if you dig deeply enough every commercial decision has political connotations.

Nevertheless, and from a purely Irish perspective, it would be interesting to see how that agency might regard Bord Bias Origin Green advertising.

That campaign is a shameless exercise in greenwashing, using taxpayers funds to sell the unsustainable. It serves one valuable purpose, though: It highlights the mindset and culture behind our failure to meet our obligations on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Maybe our new environment minister will insist on new standards.

That, however, is not the take-home message from the Iceland veto. That ruling has been shown to be absolutely counterproductive, at least from the perspective of the television regulator.

Once it was banned, it became a cause celebre on social media and, at this stage, has probably been seen by multiples of the number of people who might have seen it on television.

This is the regulatory lacuna exploited by Trump and his copycat despots.

It underlines again how urgent, how vital it is to find a way to regulate social media, so that truth can be winnowed from fiction, fantasy, or base propaganda.In 1939 the Irish Government declared that Ireland would be a neutral state, and in 1949 Ireland became a republic and left the British Commonwealth.

These decisions have been supported by the majority of the Irish people.

In 1973 we joined what is now the European Union as an organisation of states with supposedly equal status but the EU has been evolving into a super-state with its own army and a two-tier system dominated by Germany and France.

However, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have been trying to get Ireland ever closer to Nato and an EU army by joining Partnership for Peace, EU Pesco, and questionable Nato and EU military missions.

Now our Government is taking us into La Francophonie even though French is spoken by very few Irish people. Brexit is cited as one of the reasons for this bizarre move.

La Francophonie is not all it seems to be.

In Africa especially, La Francophonie has become a form of cultural colonialism used to enhance French neo-colonial interests, often enforced by French military interventions.

During the Rwandan genocide in 1994 the French government provided active military and political support to the genocidal Rwandan government, before, during, and after the genocide, in an attempt to prevent Rwanda from abandoning La Francophonie and becoming an Anglophone state.

Books by credible authors such as Adam Lebor, Linda Melvern, A People Betrayed: The Role of the West in Rwandas Genocide, Andrew Wallis, Silent Accomplice: The Untold Story of Frances Role in the Rwandan Genocide, and General Romeo Dallaire, Shake Hands with the Devil document the role of France in the Rwandan genocide.

Irelands decision to join La Francophonie is a vain attempt to gain French support within a post-Brexit EU and is a serious mistake and should be reversed, or at least approved by Dail Eireann.

- Edward Horgan

Castletroy

LimerickThe photographer who took a picture of Wisconsin high school boys giving what appears to be a Nazi salute has said he simply asked the students to wave goodbye to their parents.

Pete Gust told community journalism website Madison 365 that the pre-prom photo at Baraboo High School, which has been shared widely on social media, was innocent.

He said he asked the boys to give him a "high-five" for the photo, taken in May on the steps of the Sauk County Courthouse in Baraboo, about 115 miles north-west of Milwaukee.

Mr Gust has removed the photo from his website, Wheel Memories, where it had been posted since May, and wrote: "To anyone that was hurt I sincerely apologise."

The Baraboo School District and police are investigating the photo.

The Baraboo Police Department is aware of a controversial photo of a group of high school students that has been posted to social media. Officers are assisting the Baraboo School District with their investigation into this matter.  Baraboo PD (@BarabooPD) November 12, 2018

Mr Gust, who has a son in the photo, said he understood why his photo offended some people.

About two thirds of the boys have their right arms raised in the gesture.

"The optics aren't good," Mr Gust told The Associated Press.

There was never any inkling of that whatsoever ... There was nothing intended in any way, shape or form to simulate anything that was offensive to anyone.

However, one of the students in the photo who did not raise his arm, Jordan Blue, said he believes some of the students did intend to make the Nazi salute as a joke.

Mr Blue told the Baraboo News Republic: "It was very disrespectful to what my beliefs are, and it was a very bad representation of the senior class and the Baraboo School District, because by all means, the Baraboo School District does not support that kind of actions and it is a district that provides many opportunities for the students.

"This is something that I will never forget."

Yes, I am #JordanBlue.. Thank you all for all the love support and all of the positive messages.  jordan blue  (@jtbluee) November 12, 2018

Mr Gust took the photo down on Monday and posted an apology after it surfaced in social media posts and was shared widely, prompting strong criticism from individuals and from Jewish organisations.

District Superintendent Lori Mueller said in a letter to parents: "If the gesture is what it appears to be, the district will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address the issue."

At the Baraboo School Board meeting on Monday night about half a dozen speakers addressed the matter.

Baraboo School Board president Kevin Vodak, stressing that he was speaking as a private citizen, said the photo "deeply disappointed me, shamed, appalled and angered me".

The Baraboo School District sent the following letter to parents this afternoon in response to a photo circulating on social media. pic.twitter.com/0IXNUdLeRD  School District of Baraboo (@OnwardBSD) November 12, 2018

He added: "The photo has shaken to the core my personal belief of the process that we as a community and as a school district have made to be tolerant, inclusive, accepting and admitting of all of those who are different from ourselves."

Earlier, about 100 people gathered near the courthouse for a rally which organisers said was aimed at sending a positive message about Baraboo, a community of 12,000 people.

Organiser Sherri Schaaf said: "The point is to show Baraboo is about love."

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland was among those criticising the photo on social media.

The museum tweeted: "This is why every single day we work hard to educate. We need to explain what is the danger of hateful ideology rising."

PAThat's the start of a poem written by Patrick Bolger. Hes one of the most talented photographers and visual artists in Ireland.

Im proud he is my friend. When he was a child, he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest.

Tom Naughton, Fr Thomas Naughton, to give him his full title, occupies 15 pages, and a full chapter, in the Murphy Report.

The Murphy Report, as youll remember, deals with the cover-up of abuse by the Dublin diocese of the Catholic Church.

Naughton pleaded guilty to sex abuse of a child, and served six months in jail. He had been an abuser of children for nearly a quarter of a century, transferred from parish to parish by bishops and auxiliary bishops, who knew he was dangerous, or who were too pathetic to know.

Bishop Donal Murray told the Murphy Commission that, despite numerous complaints being made to him, It is a matter of the greatest regret to me that I did not manage, at that time, to get to the root of the problem.

When it was suggested to Naughton that the bishop had confronted him about an allegation of abuse, Naughtons reply was that the bishop had told him it was nothing to worry about and that cranks often make allegations.

In Patrick Bolgers words, Naughton was the first secret of Valleymount. Valleymount is a small town in Wicklow, part of the Blessington lakes, and one of the first places in Ireland where Naughton preyed on children.

He was assigned there in the early 1980s. When the authorities couldnt withstand the complaints, they sent him to Donneycarney.

When the abuse continued, they moved him to Ringsend. Nobody could make this stuff up. (By the way, Garret Fitzgerald was taoiseach then, and I worked for his government.

Im telling you that so youll remember this wasnt in the dim and distant past.) Why was it possible to move abusers around in modern Ireland? In his poem, Bolger gives the answer  the second secret of Valleymount.

The second secret of Valleymount.

It was never a secret.

Fathers knew.

Mothers knew.

The waters rippled to the secret truth.



It was not meant to be known.

It was not meant to be known.

But it became known eventually.

The parish priest was asked to move him by the local Garda.

The Bishop was informed.

(Thank you Murray, Donal for doing fuck all)

And then he was gone.

But you cant unplough a field.

Ive dwelt a lot on Patricks poem. I think its because I know him, and because Im ashamed that, over all the years I worked with him, I never suspected the abuse, nor talked to Patrick about it.

But the poem is only one powerful testament in a collection of chapters by men and women who were abused as children.

These men and women dont like to be described as either victims or survivors. Theyre people, people who are still dealing, daily, with what happened to them years ago.

Their testaments are gathered together in an unforgettable book that has just been published with the support of One In Four, the organisation that supports men and women who have been abused during childhood.

You will be able to access their stories on the One in Four website soon.

The book is called, simply, I Am One In Four, and it tells eight indelible human stories, by gathering the experiences of four women and four men and assembling those experiences through words and pictures. They may have shared their stories to help each other. But, certainly, they did it to help us to understand more than we do the impact of childhood sexual violence.

As the book makes clear, there is an individual impact, a family impact, a community impact. These are adults  people in their forties  and for most of their lives they have dealt entirely on their own with the consequences of abuse.

George says:

I dont think Ive stopped running in my life.

Mary O says: He knew he had that control, and that Id be frozen in fear.

Mary B says: I felt very alone  I was consumed with guilt and shame.

And she adds: I would question who I really was  like some worthless piece of crap.

Des still feels like a shadow within his family. Frank says even my kids, when they were young, I wasnt able to hug them, because of things that had happened to me 

At the opening of the exhibition that accompanies the book (and which I hope will travel all over Ireland), Keith spoke. He was one of the participants in the group, and he spoke simply.

I am a brother, he said.

I am a father, I am a husband, I am like you, I am One in Four.

In the book, Keith tells the story of his abuse by his uncle. Its hard to read. But theres also a picture of Keith with a little boy, his son.

And he talks about time, time to take a little boy by the hand, reassure him he is, and always will be, safe, that it wasnt his fault he is never to blame, that he is loved and was always cherished. The curly-headed boy with the glasses is free to be the child again.

In our past, children were abused with impunity because of silence, and because of respect. If it happened within the family, it had to stay within the family. If it happened at the hand of an authority figure, we bowed down in front of authority. All thats gone now, we tell ourselves.

So why do organisations like One In Four have waiting lists?

In her foreword to the I Am One In Four book, Maeve Lewis, who runs the organisation, explains very simply why the work of the organisation is so important.

Secrecy, silence, shame. Disempowerment, humiliation, self-blame. These are the defining experiences of people who endure child sexual abuse.

Its what makes child sexual abuse unique. You cant injure someone in a hit-and-run, or attack someone in a brawl, and make them feel they are to blame. But the burdens carried by anyone who has been sexually abused are doubled, because they carry shame, too  it can represent half the legacy their perpetrators leave behind.

Patrick Bolger says it better than I can.

I am 45 years old.

I am you

You are me.

I am standing in your battlefield, Knee deep in the shit

And the mud

And the shame

And the guilt

And the silence.

I look into your eyes

Little boy

I look into my eyes,

We are alone.

But we are together.

Take my hand.

We will never walk apart

Again.News Bangladesh Pushes Ahead With Rohingya Repatriation Plans Despite Int'l Resistance

An aerial view of the Hla Phoe Khaung transit camp, for Rohingya who decide to return from Bangladesh, is seen in Maungdaw, Rakhine State, Myanmar, on Sept. 20. / Reuters

DHAKA  Bangladeshi authorities say they are making final preparations to start repatriating the first group of mostly Rohingya refugees to Myanmar this week despite persistent warnings from rights groups and aid agencies that conditions are not yet right for their return.

After nearly a year of planning, the two countries agreed last month to start repatriating the first group of 2,260 refugees  all verified as former residents of Myanmar  on Thursday.

Officials in Bangladesh said they have built two checkpoints along the border  one each for refugees returning by land or by water  where they will be handed over to Myanmar authorities.

Bangladesh Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam told local media on Monday that his government has expedited preparations in order to begin the repatriations on Thursday.

The commissioner declined to speak with The Irrawaddy on Monday. But another Bangladeshi official working on the issue said the date was not yet set in stone and would be confirmed on Tuesday.

The official said authorities expect the refugees at first to feel upset about returning to Myanmar, where UN-mandated investigators accuse the military of unleashing a campaign of genocidal intent that has driven some 700,000 Rohingya across the border for shelter.

We do understand their concerns  But soon everything will be normal, he said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media.

According to a report on Monday by the Dhaka-based daily New Age, Myanmars ambassador to Bangladesh, U Lwin Oo, said it might take 15 days to repatriate all 2,260 refugees.

Rohingya sheltering in the sprawling refugee camp of Coxz Bazar, however, show little interest in returning to Myanmar unless they are guaranteed equal rights and say their lives back home would be unsustainable without them. Myanmar does not recognize Rohingya among the native ethnic groups eligible for citizenship, and most Rohingya say the National Verification Cards the government wants to issue them would only entrench their status as second-class residents.

We want our citizenship rights and security, said Shafi Ullah, a refugee and member of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights.

He said Rohingya should be guaranteed freedom of movement in Myanmar and that returnees should have all their property returned.

Bangladeshi rights activist Nur Khan Liton said the government was rushing into the repatriations and that Rohingya refugees were still not confident that they would be safe if they returned to Myanmar.

I am concerned about whether the repatriation will be sustainable, he said, warning that any missteps could leave not just Myanmar but also Bangladesh internationally isolated.

The United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, has been advocating for the voluntary and sustainable repatriation of the refugees to their places of origin or choice. It recently said that conditions in Myanmar were not yet conducive for returns.

After visiting the Coxs Bazar camps on Sunday, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration in Africa and Asia, Richard Albright, told reporters that repatriation should be voluntary, safe and dignified.

We agree with the UNHCR. Right now the conditions on the ground in the areas of potential return are not adequate to support sustainable returns of the population, he said.

The International Crisis Group says Bangladesh has effectively failed to consult with the refugees themselves on the repatriation plans and advised it to do so. It also claims that the government was being pressured by China to start sending the refugees back.

In a report released Monday, rights group Fortify Rights said Bangladesh should postpone repatriation until Rohingyas rights in Myanmar are restored. It alleged that Bangladeshi authorities in Coxs Bazar were trying to pressure refugees into submitting their biometric data for ID cards by threating and assaulting camp leaders, raising concerns of possible forced returns.

Refugee returns should always be safe, voluntary and dignified. Any mass return process at this point would be premature, effectively forced, and put Rohingya lives at risk, said the groups CEO, Matthew Smith.

On Nov. 1, between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., Bangladesh security forces gathered 18 Rohingya community leaders from a single refugee camp for a meeting at a nearby security post, according to Fortify Rights. It said some of the leaders told the rights group that Bangladeshi officers hit them and told them to instruct the refugees to accept the smart cards with their biometric data.

Bangladesh and the UNHCR began issuing the cards in June in a joint effort aimed at providing the refugees with secure IDs and better access to services and assistance.

Refugees told The Irrawaddy that the pending repatriations were fueling fear and rumors in the camps.

On the contrary, Abul Khair, officer-in-charge at the Ukhia police station in Coxs Bazar, said the refugees were not afraid but excited about returning to Myanmar, where they expect their lives to improve.

Joseph Surja Tripura, a spokesman for the UNHCR in Bangladesh, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the agency would be assessing the list of 2,260 refugees to determine whether they actually volunteered to return to Myanmar. Only two day out from the scheduled start of the repatriations, however, he said the agency had yet to begin.Burma Amnesty International Strips Myanmar's Suu Kyi of 'Conscience' Award

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi makes a speech after being awarded an Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, June 18, 2012. / Reuters

YANGON  Amnesty International has withdrawn its most prestigious human rights prize from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, accusing the Myanmar leader of perpetuating human rights abuses by not speaking out about violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Once hailed as a champion in the fight for democracy, Suu Kyi has been stripped of a series of international honors over a Rohingya exodus that began in August 2017.

More than 700,000 members of the mostly stateless group fled across Myanmars western border into Bangladesh after the Myanmar military launched a crackdown in response to Rohingya insurgent attacks on the security forces.

UN-mandated investigators have accused the military of unleashing a campaign of killings, rape and arson with genocidal intent.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyis administration rejected the findings as one-sided, and said the military action was engaged in a legitimate counterinsurgency operation.

The international human rights group named Suu Kyi as its 2009 Ambassador of Conscience Award recipient when she was still under house arrest for her opposition to Myanmars oppressive military junta.

In the eight years since she was released, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led her party to election victory in 2015 and set up a government the following year, but she has to share power with generals and has no oversight over the security forces.

Amnesty International said in a statement on Tuesday she had failed to speak out and had shielded the security forces from accountability for the violence against the Rohingya, calling it a shameful betrayal of the values she once stood for.

The global advocacy organizations secretary general, Kumi Naidoo, wrote to Suu Kyi on Sunday saying the group was withdrawing the award because it was profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defense of human rights.

Zaw Htay, the Myanmar governments main spokesman, did not pick up Reuters calls seeking comment on Monday.

In March, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum rescinded its top award from Suu Kyi and she has had other honors withdrawn, including the freedom of the cities of Dublin and Oxford, England, over the Rohingya crisis.

In September, Canadas Parliament voted to strip Suu Kyi of her honorary citizenship.

Critics have called for her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize to be withdrawn but the foundation that oversees the award said it would not do so.

Amnesty International also said Suu Kyi had not condemned military abuses in conflicts between the army and ethnic minority guerrillas in northern Myanmar and her government had imposed restrictions on access by humanitarian groups.

Her government had also failed to stop attacks on freedom of speech, it said.Burma Five Arrested for Violent Abduction, Robbery in Yangons Ahlone Township

Two of the five suspects arrested for violent robbery in Ahlone Township, Yangon on Monday. / Ministry of Home Affairs Myanmar / Facebook

YANGONPolice have arrested five of eight men involved in forcefully claiming back money from a family-owned company in Yangons Ahlone Township on Monday evening.

Ko Soe Kyaw Kyaw Lwin, one of the five detainees, said that he was paid by a middleman identified as Ko Hla Win to claim back debt from a currency dealer. He was asked to bring along five men who Ko Hla Win said would each be given 500,000 kyats ($314). Ko Hla Win reportedly worked on behalf of a man named Ko Myo Myint Aung to hire Ko Soe Kyaw Kyaw Lin.

Ko Soe Kyaw Kyaw Lwin and another suspect named Ko Thura, both the residents of East Dagon Township, were arrested in the compound of the company. Two othersKo Zaw Htoo and Saw Than Oowere arrested in East Dagon Township, and the fifth suspect, Ko Tun Tun, was arrested in Taikkyi Township on the outskirts of Yangon.

The company involved, KGL Family Co., exports beans, pulses and other food items and imports and distributes automobile parts and engine oil. However, according to the press release issued by Yangon Region Police Force, the company is also reportedly involved in currency dealings.

U Kyaw Myint, the owner of the company, was on his way back to home when his brother U Myint Sein, also the companys manager, phoned and told him that a group of men wielding sticks and swords had entered the company compound.

When U Kyaw Myint came back and cried for help, three of the men abducted U Myint Sein using his car for their escape. Some of the men also got away in the light truck which they had arrived in. They also reportedly tied up three of the companys staff members and took their cell phones. The two men who remained in the companys compound were arrested there.

As U Kyaw Myint followed them, the men told him over the phone not to follow and not to file a complaint with the police but he proceeded with reporting the incident to the police regardless.

The men abandoned U Sein Myints car on Pyay Road, leaving him in the car after taking his two cell phones.

A police officer of Yangons Western Police Force said that police have opened a robbery case as it involved more than five people. Police declined to reveal more about those involved in the crime.

Police are currently searching for Ko Hla Win and two other suspects named Ko Swan Saung Oo and Ko Myo Myint Aung.Burma Shan State Coffee Producer Wins ASEAN Business Award

U Ngwe Tun, founder of Genius Shan Highlands Coffee, appears at the award ceremony of the ASEAN Business Awards 2018 in Singapore on Nov. 12, 2018.

YANGONLocal social enterprise Aung Nay Lin Htun, which manufactures and distributes Myanmars first international-standard specialty coffee brand, Genius Shan Highlands, won an ASEAN Business Award on Monday in the Sustainable Social Enterprise category.

The ASEAN Business Awards 2018 were presented in Singapore in the categories of Priority Integration Sectors; SME Excellence (Corporate Social Responsibility, Employment, Growth, and Innovation); Young Entrepreneur; Women Entrepreneur; Sustainable Social Enterprise; Friends of ASEAN; and Family Business.

Genius Shan Highlands Coffee was among four winners from the region in the Sustainable Social Enterprise category. The awards recognize outstanding social enterprises that are innovative and have made significant, sustained contributions to the disadvantaged in their community.

Founded in 2012, Genius Shan Highlands Coffee started processing and roasting coffee beans in Ywar Ngan Township in southern Shan State. Later it expanded into growing and producing raw coffee beans, working with over 6,000 farmers in southern Shan. In 2016, it received USDA and EU organic certification.

As our enterprise has been recognized for an ASEAN business award, it gives me strength to expand our business and export to international markets, U Ngwe Tun, the founder of Genius Coffee, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

The company currently exports its products to the U.S., Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Canada, Germany, Norway, China, Cambodia and Singapore.

Meanwhile, Myint Myint Khin, Myanmars most famous brand of the dessert snack Htoe Moat, won the ASEAN-level Young Entrepreneur Award. Htoe Moat, a specialty of Mandalay, is a glutinous rice cake topped with cashew nuts, raisins and cream butter.

Myanmars Fame Pharmaceuticals Industry, Aung Naing Thitsar group of companies and Frontiir won national-level SME Excellence awards in the Employment, Growth and Innovation categories, respectively. Jewelry retail business Jewel Collection Manufacturing Co., Ltd, won the country-level Women Entrepreneur award.

Launched by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) in 2007, the awards aim to recognize outstanding businesses in the region.Burma Transparency in Delayed $2B Development Project Requested in Lower House

An architectural rendition of Eco Green City Project. / Phyo Min Thein / Facebook

YANGONA $2 billion development project to be undertaken by the Ministry of Construction and a private company in Yangon was questioned in the Parliaments Lower House on Tuesday over its lack of transparency. Despite the project agreement being signed two years ago, no start appears to have been made on it and the revenue-sharing deal between the government and the private company remains unclear.

Daw Khin San Hlaing, a National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmaker, raised questions about the Eco Green City project to be located on the Yangon-Mandalay Highway. The 1,453-acre development, which is to include housing, a logistics hub, mixed-use zones and other elements, is projected to be built near the proposed Hanthawaddy International Airport and was officially launched in December 2017 in the presence of the then-construction minister U Win Khaing and Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein as well as local partners from the private company, Alliance Group of Companies.

The 10-year project is a Union level development project and is one of the Myanmar governments four mega development projects with facilities ranging from information technology manufacturing to logistics to commercial and residential zones on more than 13,000 acres of land in the countrys commercial capital Yangon and near Mandalay, the countrys second-largest city.

The project was granted to the private company by the previous government in February 2016, and an initial agreement was inked less than one week before their handover to the NLD government in March 2016. The agreement stated that the project had to be started within six months.

In the Lower House today, Daw Khin San Hlaing questioned the revenue-sharing deal between the government and the private company and urged the Ministry of Construction to be transparent on the project. She urged them to let it be known whether the project has started and if there is any legal agreement with the government for revenue sharing.

In response to the questions, the construction ministrys deputy minister U Kyaw Lin said no work has been started yet on the ground as they have been working on preparing a masterplan for the project and site clearing since 2016.

Now we have fenced the whole project area, he said.

He said a draft outline of the revenue-sharing agreement would be finalized by the end of this month for submission to the Attorney Generals Office. Upon the Attorney Generals approval, it would then be submitted to Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) for their approval, he added.

If the MIC passes it, we will be able to sign the agreement in February next year before the project is started, he told the parliament.

Daw Khin San Hlaing said she was not pleased with the reply from the ministry.

They should not be in a rush to develop state-owned land without a proper plan. It should be reserved for future city expansion.

The Irrawaddys reporter Htet Naing Zaw contributed to this report from Naypyitaw.Tuesday, November 13th, 2018 (3:15 pm) - Score 2,805

The UK Governments revised Electronic Communications Code, which is designed to make it easier and cheaper for broadband ISPs and mobile operators to build their networks, has passed an important hurdle after a court ruled that CTIL (O2 and Vodafone) could force access to land in order to conduct a survey.

Historically theres always been tension around this subject, not least due issues of disruption, access and cost (rental). As a result disputes over wayleave agreements have in the past sometimes made it far too difficult or expensive for providers to expand their network coverage, which must be overcome in order to support the Governments ambition for universal full fibre (FTTP) coverage and 5G mobile (here).

The reformed Electronic Communications Code (ECC), which is part of the 2017 Digital Economy Act and supported by Ofcoms Code of Practice (here), was designed to overcome as many of the problem areas as possible by making it easier and cheaper for telecoms operators to access public or private land in order to build new networks.

Since then a related agreement has seen landowners and telecoms providers come together in order to express their support for the changes (here). Similarly the Country Land & Business Association, National Farmers Union, Openreach, Virgin Media and Gigaclear have also agreed to a new general wayleave arrangement (here). But some grey areas remain.

For example, a recent court case between the University of London and Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Ltd (CTIL), which is responsible for managing O2 and Vodafones UK network, has sought to test the code. In this case CTIL had requested a limited right to access some roof space in order to conduct a survey, with a view to possibly installing new mobile network equipment, but their request was refused.

The University of London strongly felt as if no such right existed under the Code for one of their private buildings (in the Paddington area), while the Upper Tribunal disagreed and ruled that they could gain access as part of the codes right to install. The court also strongly supported CTILs public interest point (i.e. the goal of improving mobile connectivity for all) and the need for flexibility in related agreements.

Simon Tarr, Pegasus Group Director, told ISPreview.co.uk: This judgement is the first to be decided by the Lands Tribunal since the new Electronic Communications Code came into force at the end of December 2017. The case was rather complex and the decision detailed but the basic premise is that under the New Code, an operator does not need the agreement of the land or building owner to be able to install telecommunications equipment. There are a couple of conditions to satisfy: 1. That the harm to the landowner can be adequately compensated by money and 2. That the public benefit outweighs any harm to the landowner. However, the judgement reinforces the fact that the New Code has teeth and enables the Lands Tribunal to force an unwilling landowner to enter into a new lease for a telecoms site. Clearly there needs to be wider debate about site suitability and alternative site options in each instance and as such, agreements are only likely to be forced in a small number of cases. Nevertheless, this is a significant development for the world of telecoms and demonstrates the Governments intention to fully support the rights it outlined in the New Code and the further development of modern, wireless infrastructure.

One rather big problem with all this is that the scales have switched around over the past few months. As a result some telecoms operators are no longer playing fair, which is a topic that the UK Digital Minister, Margot James MP, is keen to resolve (here). I have heard about some really derisory payments being offered to farmers. They were probably earning more than was reasonable before, but that does not mean to say we need to go to the other extreme, said Margot.

For example, some rents on greenfield sites that would have previously attracted 5,000/year or more have been cut to 3/year and other farmers have seen deals fall from 12,000/year to 50/year. Likewise one report that recently passed through ISPreviews inbox alleges that CTIL offered just 50 for a roof site where they were previously paying 6,000 (on the same roof EE are said to be paying 12,000!).

The old charges are clearly extortionate, but replacing those with a figure of 50 is going to the opposite extreme. As usual this highlights the difficulty with finding a good balance and expecting both sides to play fair. Margot James MP is currently busy trying to find a solution and hopefully the operators will agree to revise their approach, otherwise well be back to another legislated change and that could be counter-productive.November 12, 2018

Lee Ann Hancock, DHS Marketing Director

POCATELLO  A recent trip organized by the Idaho State University Department of Counseling gave a group of students, faculty and alumni the chance to study abroad in Chengdu and Beijing, China for a little over two weeks.

In a collaborative partnership with three universities and two countries, the trip provided a unique opportunity for counseling professionals to share and engage in a culturally rich joint learning experience.

Students and graduates of ISU and Penn State were immersed in the cultural, historical and spiritual learnings of the country, while expanding their knowledge of their influence on community and mental health service delivery. Students at Chinas Sichuan University were immersed in specialized training, taught in English, by ISU faculty.

The group was made up of individuals of all ages, professional and travel experience levels. Two Penn State University students and one alumni joined two ISU professors, one current masters student, one doctoral student and two ISU alumni, along with one counseling professional from Northern Idaho, to form the cohort.

Their study abroad, a cultural immersion workshop, included specific curriculum, designed for students to learn hands on about the political, social and environmental diversity of the country as well as experience their customs, history, and culture.

In counseling, it is important to know the culture of your clients, so the immersion experience of traveling to another county is very effective, said Steven Moody, associate professor of counseling at ISU.

He said the objective of this course is to provide students with international experience and an adventure filled with personal growth, engage them in the culture and customs of the Chinese, as well as explore ethics.

It gives them an opportunity to truly learn hands on and stimulates their desire to learn about mental health practices in a multicultural context, Moody said. The students were asked to keep a journal where they recorded details about the places they visit, the cultural experiences unique to the Chinese that they learned, and reflect on what they experienced and learned.

In addition to the cultural immersion for ISU and Penn State students, another intent of the trip was to mentor and teach counselors and students in China. Moody and David Kleist, Department of Counseling chair and professor, taught classes on leadership and wellness as part of an English immersion experience for students at Sichuan University. They also taught clinical supervision workshops to counselors, working alongside the staff at Chengdu Dejue Social Work Service Center to collaborate and share their ideas.

Our work was similar to mentorship, helping newer professionals develop, Moody said. The counseling profession here in the United States is slightly more advanced. Counseling has been slower to develop in China based upon cultural norms of talking to a wise elder in the family before seeking outside help; its a part of their culture. The U.S. has a lot of professional identity whereas they are still at the earlier stages in China. They are influenced by Western society, but there are certain elements of their Eastern philosophy that they are wanting to maintain.

The connection between the two universities and the two cultures came about from the vision of Ying Mei Wang, a visiting scholar from China who worked with Moody to plan the trip over the last year. Wang is known for having co-founded a counseling theory that is Eastern oriented. Lynn Bridges, lead counselor of West Bonner County School District #83, who made the trip, shared her appreciation for Wang.

What a tremendous vision Ying Mei had, Bridges said. Her connections and collaborations with others, both in the U.S. and China, were a remarkable testament to what can be accomplished when a person is determined. I will be forever grateful to Ying Mei for this opportunity and the experiences we had.

The trip proved to be an enlightening and learning experience for all involved. Penn State alumni Robert Jenkins, stated the China trip taught me a new way of engaging with the mental health profession while also affirming that there is a desire from individuals to improve local communities no matter where in the world you are currently located.

Moody was pleased to be involved in arranging the trip, where his students were able to explore and experience many aspects of Chinas colorful, rich culture on this excursion.

Seeing all the people doing exactly the same things people in the U.S. would be doing, moms pushing strollers, kids playing games, theyre just people, Moody said. That would be the one thing I wish people could see, that behind all the politics, people are just trying to have a happy and healthier life for their families, its not that much different.

The group walked the Great Wall of China, indulged in many authentic Chinese meals, visited temples, Tiananmen Square and explored Beijing. They also put together a service project working with elementary aged kids where they played games and told stories as a way to learn a little bit of the language.

Camille Frank, a doctoral student at ISU, expressed her experiences while there.

The ISU study abroad to China was an absolutely amazing experience, Frank said. I've never felt so welcomed and cared for on any other travel experience. I am incredibly grateful for the relationships forged in my travel group, interpreters, travel guides, mental health professionals and with strangers I met along the way.

Moody says he hopes to make this trip or a similar trip again with a new group of students and professionals, and feels as though the strong connections established with contacts in other countries and culture will provide additional opportunities for ISU students in the future.It has taken nearly a year since first being announced at CES 2018, but Hisense's first OLED TV has emerged down under at last, promising the Art of Darkness rather than the Dark Arts in making TV picture magic.

Ok, so we won't need Harry Potter to battle the Dark Arts, because Harry Potter and Dark Arts aren't real, but the Art of Darkness from Hisense has finally materialised into reality.

Promising "stunning, deep blacks" that an OLED can deliver, with a "super slim, bezel-less" design that "boasts a sleek metal frame", Hisense has "combined style with smarts", complete with the company's "VIDAA U 2.5 Smart TV OS that is compatible with Hisenses RemoteNOW smart app, giving Australians a fast and intuitive user experience".

All of this is within Hisense Australia's first ever OLED TV, which has arrived at major retailers around Australia well before Christmas.

As you'd expect, this new TV bolsters the companys "existing range of premium televisions", with Hisense proclaiming its new OLED TV is a "welcome addition to the fleet, providing Australians that are searching for an incredible at-home viewing experience with more choice than ever before".

That choice includes the Hisense OLED being available "in both 55-inch and 65-inch models, with RRPs of $3,499 and $4,999 respectively".

Andre Iannuzzi, head of Marketing at Hisense Australia, said: "Australian consumers crave high-quality technology in their homes but are also incredibly design-conscious, especially when it comes to their TVs. The increasing demand for our premium ULED TVs reflects this, with our entire range experiencing strong growth year on year.

The launch of the Hisense OLED TV further demonstrates our unwavering commitment to brilliant design, technology and innovation, which are at the heart of everything we do. Were very excited to be bringing this product to market.

Billed as "bold and brilliant", with die-hard American soapie loving fans no doubt wanting the word "beautiful" added into that description, Hisense proudly boasts its OLED TV is "packed with the technologies designed to optimise image quality, including 4K Ultra-HD, Wide Colour Gamut, High Dynamic Range and a 200 Smooth Motion Rate. The result is a vibrant, vivid and strikingly precise display of colour surrounded by deep blacks, creating enhanced contrast".

We're told the Hisense OLED "boasts a super slim, bezel-less design that makes the screen appear limitless. This sleek and slim aesthetic, paired with the TVs wide viewing angle, ensures that the brightness and image remains consistent no matter where the viewer sits".

Chris Mayer, product specialist at Hisense Australia, said: The type of TV you should purchase really depends on your space and viewing habits.

The Hisense OLED display offers striking contrast and deep blacks, making it a great choice for Australians that enjoy regularly watching movies at home. Viewing films on an OLED TV in a dark environment is recommended, as it heightens the contrast and allows the colour to really pop off the screen, he explained.

ULED, on the other hand, provides a brighter viewing experience that is effective at offsetting natural light  such as that in open plan living rooms.

The Hisense Series 9 ULED TV is "particularly good in this scenario because it offers 2500-nit Peak Brightness, ensuring contrast and image quality is maintained even if the space is flooded with light".

Were thrilled to introduce the Hisense OLED as it means we can now offer Australians both Hisenses ULED and OLED solutions, enabling them to see the incredible no matter the nature of their living space, Mayer concluded.

The Hisense OLED TV is only available at major Australian retailers, with those locations here.One of the curious aspects surrounding the Federal Government's encryption bill is why it took Australian firm Senetas  which has technology exports of at least a billion  so long to voice its objections to the draft legislation.

Senetas would be among the Australian companies that stands to lose the most if the law is implemented in its current form and yet the company has kept its views on the bill to itself until recently.

The company did not make a submission to the Department of Home Affairs when public comment was open between 14 August and 10 September. And until the last day (25 October) when the list of submissions was up  it has now disappeared  Senetas had no presence on it.

The company has now surfaced in the list of submissions to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security  and its contribution sits at No 85 on a list that has 87 submissions as of today (13 November).

Curiously, Senetas chose to voice its objections much earlier to what is officially known as the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018  that link is dead now as well . Not that many people from among the masses would have noticed that.

In the submission which it has made to PJCIS, Senetas quotes a great deal from the submissions of others to justify its conclusions. Once again, exactly why is unknown.

Companies that stand to lose the most due to any particular regulation should, arguably, be the first out of the gates with criticism. Cisco is a case in point; the global networking vendor, which knows what can result from backdoors in hardware, made a forceful attack against the draft in an early submission to the PJCIS and then its personnel appeared in numbers during the first hearing of the PJCIS on 19 October to continue in the same vein.

Senetas' reluctance to take on the government may be due to the fact that Australian companies generally avoid open confrontation with the government. Those who do  like the cloud provider Secure Collaboration  often back away after an initial foray, after finding that it does not serve their ends.

There are three more hearings organised by the PJCIS on 16, 27 and 30 November, and it remains to be seen whether Senetas will show up and argue its case. There are good reasons why it should  it represents one of the better reasons why this senseless bill should be used as kindling for a bonfire.Google has been hit by network issues, apparently due to hijacking of the Border Gateway Protocol by attackers, and diverting traffic away from its intended route.

The ongoing problem is causing issues for Google Cloud customers, according to British security researcher Kevin Beaumont.

This is a good visual replay of the incident, in this case for the prefix 104.196.64.0/19. Clearly visiable is the leak via AS 4809 and 37282 https://t.co/qkoEf80jMV pic.twitter.com/nr5o6EbTQA  BGPmon.net (@bgpmon) November 12, 2018

Beaumont said the problem appeared to have been caused by a small African ISP that announced itself as a few hundred Google networks.

tl;dr of this one appears to be a tiny African ISP announced itself as a few hundred Google networks and somehow NTT accepted it, woops.  Kevin Beaumont ? (@GossiTheDog) November 12, 2018

About 9.30am AEDT (2.26pm Pacific time), Google said on its cloud status page, "Connectivity issues connecting to Google services including Google APIs, Load balancers, instances and other external IP addresses.

BREAKING: Potential hijack underway. ThousandEyes detected intermittent availability issues to Google services from some locations. Traffic to certain Google destinations appears to be routed through an ISP in Russia & black-holed at a China Telecom gateway router. pic.twitter.com/Tz7shf7cOy  ThousandEyes (@thousandeyes) November 12, 2018

This is what we know: Starting at 2018-11-12 21:12 UTC Nigerian ISP AS37282 'MainOne Cable Company' leaked 212 @google prefixes to China telecom. Causing traffic to be redirected and dropped.

Leaked BGP Paths via Tier1 ISP NTT disappeared at 22:32 UTC.  BGPmon.net (@bgpmon) November 12, 2018

The networking intelligence platform Thousand Eyes tweeted: "Potential hijack underway. ThousandEyes detected intermittent availability issues to Google services from some locations.

"Traffic to certain Google destinations appears to be routed through an ISP in Russia & black-holed at a China Telecom gateway router."

Heres the track for Google outage, they have a big ongoing problem caused by BGP hijacking, impacts Google Cloud customers too https://t.co/rLBzBkC6M5 pic.twitter.com/bocLfGFlLa  Kevin Beaumont ? (@GossiTheDog) November 12, 2018

BGP hijacking occurs when groups of IP addresses are taken over by entities that corrupt Internet routing tables maintained using the BGP.

Customer behind Cogent and NTT experienced the @google outages likely in 5 waves between these times (UTC) 74 minutes total:

21:13 - 21:17 4min

21:18 - 21:21 3min

21:22 - 21:28 6min

21:30 - 21:50 20min

21:51 - 22:32 41min

example ASpath: 174 2914 20485 4809 37282 15169  BGPmon.net (@bgpmon) November 12, 2018

A week ago, Oracle's Internet Intelligence division issued a research paper that accused China Telecom, one of the country's bigger state-owned ISPs, of hijacking and re-routing Internet traffic.After a 38-day delay, Microsoft today re-released its fall operating system feature upgrade, the Windows 10 October 2018 Update.

The more-than-a-month delay had no precedent in Windows 10, something Microsoft acknowledged. And it lasted significantly longer than instances in earlier editions when updates, security fixes for the most part, had to be pulled and then later re-released.

[ Further reading: How to handle Windows 10 updates ]

"Based on (telemetry) data, today we are beginning the re-release of the October Update by making it available via media and to advanced users who seek to manually check for updates," John Cable, director of program management in the Windows servicing and delivery team, wrote in a post to a company blog.

For the moment, Microsoft has not begun serving the upgrade to PCs accessing Windows Update, the consumer and small business update service. Commercial customers running Windows 10 Enterprise can deploy the renewed 1809 immediately - most likely for limited testing - using a host of corporate tools, including WSUS (Windows Server Update Services), SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager) and Windows Update for Business (WUfB).

Microsoft also reset the release date for Windows 10 1809 - Microsoft names feature upgrades using a yymm format - and shifted end-of-support deadlines to accommodate. On the definitive source of Microsoft's support timelines, the original Oct. 2 launch date was changed to Nov. 13, while the support expiration dates in April 2020 and 2021 moved to May 12, 2020, for Windows 10 Home, Pro and Pro Workstation, and May 11, 2021, for Windows 10 Enterprise and Education.

The Redmond, Wash. company did not apologize for the problem that forced it to yank the upgrade off servers five and a half weeks ago - the initial 1809 harbored several bugs, two involving errant file deletions, one of which erased all files in a set of user-content folders - mention why it took so long to correct the problem, explain how the flaw made it through testing or spell out how it overlooked the bug when testers reported it starting months ago.

Microsoft did spend considerable effort talking up its testing processes, promising more transparency about how it approaches Q&A and defending Windows' quality.

"Over the last three years, one of our key indicators of product quality - customer service call and chat volumes - has steadily dropped even as the number of machines running Windows 10 increased," said Michael Fortin, corporate vice president for Windows, in a separate Nov. 13 post._He cited other metrics, including one based on customer ratings, that claimed Windows' quality was improving and users ranked Windows 10 higher than any earlier edition.

Fortin also admitted that Microsoft had gotten an earful, then swore things would improve. "While we do see positive trends, we also hear clearly the voices of our users who are facing frustrating issues, and we pledge to do more," Fortin said.

Microsoft had previously hinted of 1809's re-release when it rescheduled dates for two online events: a company-hosted webcast and a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" conversation. The original dates for the pair of events had been Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, respectively; Microsoft shoved them to Nov. 28 and Dec. 13. Those latter two dates implied that 1809 would be in customers' hands no later than Nov. 28.Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 79F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Mostly cloudy. High 81F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.International Education Week Celebrates Global Diversity

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.  In celebration of International Education Week Nov. 12-17, Illinois Wesleyan Universitys International Office will hold various engaging, informative events to raise awareness about the value of studying abroad and experiencing new cultures.

Several current international students at IWU will share their own experiences at the 3D International Student Panel, which is open to the public, on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. in the Turfler Room in the Memorial Center. The panel, held as part of IWUs Diversity, Dialogue, and Dignity (3D) Series, will provide domestic students with an opportunity to have an informal Q&A with international students about what brought them to IWU and what living and studying in a foreign country has been like.

For students in search of ways to study abroad themselves, the International Office will host a Study Abroad 101 workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 12 p.m. in CLA 205, where students will learn how to navigate IWUs new online application system and how to apply for the many study abroad opportunities that IWU offers.

One such opportunity, IWUs Freeman Asia Internship program, will be featured at 4 p.m. the same day at the Myers Welcome Center. Students will have the chance to talk with past participants about their internship experience and receive information on the various diverse locations in Asia that are available to IWU students for Summer 2019.

In addition, the International Office invites students to expand their knowledge of other cultures through an international jeopardy game in Dugout, as well as by attending presentations from cultural RSOs throughout the week.

In celebrating diverse ways of life around the world, Illinois Wesleyan University is also joining the national #YouAreWelcomeHere campaign, designed to affirm that participating institutions are diverse, friendly, safe and committed to student development. Sending this welcome message from U.S. higher education to international students around the world demonstrates support for internationalization across campus communities and across the country.

By Rachel McCarthy 2112 November 2018 - Franklin, Tenn. - As part of a long-term strategic plan, Emily Chapman Richards is being named Executive Director of Show Hope , effective Dec. 1. Show Hope is a nationally recognized voice for adoption advocacy and orphan care support work, co-founded by Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman.

We are delighted and overwhelmed with gratitude as we watch Emily step into this role that she so clearly has been prepared for, said Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman. It has been a joy and pleasure to watch her grow into the leader she has become within the Show Hope family and the larger adoption and orphan care community.

Richards began her career with Show Hope more than 10 years ago, and in 2017 she was named vice president and assistant executive director. Although she has been a part of the Show Hope team in an official capacity since 2008, Richards passion for adoption and drive to care for orphans began years before when she was 11 years old.

Following a mission trip to Haiti, God planted a seed in young Emilys heart that would lead her to champion the idea of adoption in her familyan idea that would ultimately result not only in the adoption of three daughters from China, but the creation of Show Hope, an organization with the mission to care for orphans by engaging the Church and reducing barriers to adoption.

What began in the heart of an 11-year-old girl not only shaped her own family, but has impacted countless other families as well.

The mission and impact of Show Hope drew me here four years ago, and to see how that impact continues to grow today most certainly humbles me, said Mike Hamilton, current Executive Director of Show Hope. It has been an honor to serve alongside Emily and a great privilege to mentor her over the past few years as she has prepared for this role.

While I am moving forward with another opportunity, I am certainly eager to watch Show Hope continue to flourish under the leadership and vision of Emily, a woman who clearly has been called to this work, continued Hamilton.

Over the past four years, Show Hope has grown programmatically, financially, and operationally, and in 2017 the leadership team began laying out a strategic plan for the future with Richards spearheading the process. That plan included both leadership and organizational succession plans as well as the expansion of the nonprofits four pillars of work: Adoption Aid, Care Centers in China, Pre+Post Adoption Support, and Student Initiatives.

I am eternally grateful for Mikes leadership, mentorship, and friendship, and I look forward to seeing where God takes him and his family in this newest chapter of their story, said Richards. While we will certainly miss Mike, I am deeply committed to the vision God established for Show Hope, and it is a great honor to accept this position as executive director.

Richards and her husband, Tanner, have three daughters and reside in Franklin, Tenn. She holds a bachelors degree in International Studies and Religion from Baylor University and a masters degree in Theology from Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Since its founding, Show Hope has provided more than $24 million in Adoption Aid grants, impacting more than 6,200 children from more than 60 countries, including the United States. The nonprofit has also provided care to more than 2,600 children with acute medical and special needs through its Care Centers in China, and through its Pre+Post Adoption Support efforts, Show Hope has provided tools and resources for more than 65,000 families, individuals, and professionals to care for children with complex needs. And as of 2018, more than 20,500 students have been engaged through Show Hopes Student Initiatives.

To learn more about Richards and the work of Show Hope, visit ShowHope.org

###VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FIREWEED ZINC LTD. (Fireweed or the Company) (TSXV: FWZ) is pleased to announce further drill results from its 2018 drill program on the Macmillan Pass Project in Yukon, Canada.

Highlights

Hole TS18-012 intersected 8.43% Zinc, 3.23% Lead and 35 g/t Silver over 28.22 metres (true width) in a hole drilled on the southern end of the Tom West Zone

Hole TS18-014 intersected 7.99% Zinc, 13.26% Lead and 166 g/t Silver over 12.41 metres (true width) in a hole drilled on the southern end of the Tom West Zone

Additional drilling has been completed and assays are pending from the End Zone

New drill results are as follows:

TOM WEST DRILL RESULTS Hole No. From

(metres) To

(metres) Interval

(metres) Estimated True

Width (metres) Zinc

(%) Lead

(%) Silver

(g/t) TS18-012 228.80 278.00 49.20 28.22 8.43 3.23 35 Including 264.00 277.00 13.00 7.46 13.51 6.26 110 TS18-013 Exploration hole on geophysical target. No zone intersected. TS18-014 142.30 158.50 16.20 12.41 7.99 13.26 166 Including 146.50 157.60 11.10 8.50 9.75 17.41 222 Including 146.50 149.50 3.00 2.30 23.76 8.38 150 Including 151.50 155.50 4.00 3.06 2.78 27.59 311

CEO Statement

Brandon Macdonald, CEO, stated We are encouraged that drilling in the Tom West Zone continues to report much higher grades than historic holes due to better recoveries using modern drilling techniques which are expected to lead to higher grade tonnage blocks in this part of the deposit in the next mineral resource calculation. Next, we look forward to our first drill results from the End Zone which is a third zinc system located northwest of the Jason Deposit. End Zone was not included in the current mineral resource published earlier this year and these will be the first holes Fireweed has drilled to test End Zone.

Drill hole TS18-012 was drilled in the Tom West Zone and intersected both laminated sphalerite-galena-barite mineralization and high grade feeder proximal mineralization with massive galena, sphalerite, pyrite, and pyrrhotite.

Drill hole TS18-013 was an exploration hole drilled between Tom East and Tom Southeast targeting a geophysical anomaly on a possible extension to the Tom East horizon. This hole did not intersect the mineralized horizon.

Drill hole TS18-014 was drilled in the Tom West Zone approximately 30m south of hole TS18-012 and intersected both massive and laminated sulphide similar to hole TS18-012.

Drill holes TS18-012 and 014 were drilled in an area that was previously drilled in 1970 from underground exploration drifts using small diameter core (30.1 mm AX) with significant intervals of core loss and poor recovery resulting in unrepresentative low grade results. Modern triple-split tube drilling in 2018 ensured that recoveries were excellent within the reported intersections: 86.8% and 98.5% average recovery in holes TS18-012 and TS18-014, respectively.

Assay results from additional drill holes at the End Zone are still pending (see table at end of this news release).

Notes on sampling and assaying:

The drill core logging and sampling program is carried out under a rigorous quality assurance / quality control program using industry best practices. Drill intersections are all HQ3 (split tube) size core (61.1mm / 2.4-inch diameter) with recoveries typically above 85%. After drilling, the core is logged for geology, structure and geotechnical characteristics, marked for sampling, and photographed on site. The cores for analyses are marked for sampling based on geological intervals with individual samples 1.5 metres or less in length. The core is cut in half lengthwise with a rock saw at the core facility on site, with half-core samples bagged and sent by reliable transport to the laboratory, and the other half-cores are stored on site for future reference. Intersections selected for metallurgical testing are cut in half with a rock saw and then quartered; one quartered core is archived on site, one quartered core is sent for assay, and the half-core is sent for metallurgical testing. A total of 5% assay standards and 5% blanks are inserted into every sample shipment as a quality control measure and, after analyses were received, were found to be acceptable. Samples are sent to the Bureau Veritas (formerly Acme Labs) preparation laboratory in Whitehorse, Yukon where the samples are crushed and pulverized to 85% passing 200 mesh size pulps. A 250-gram split of each pulp is then sent to the Bureau Veritas laboratory in Vancouver, B.C. and analyzed by 1:1:1 Aqua Regia digestion followed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-ESI/ICP-MS) multi-element analyses (BV Code AQ270). All samples are also analyzed by lithium borate fusion and X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) finish (BV Code LF725). Over-limit Pb (>25.0%) and Zn (>24.0%) were analyzed by lithium borate fusion with XRF finish (BV Code LF726). Silver is reported in this news release by method AQ270, and zinc and lead are reported by LF725 or LF726. Bureau Veritas (Vancouver) is an independent, international ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited laboratory.

Technical information in this news release has been approved by Gilles Dessureau, P.Geo, Vice President Exploration and a Qualified Person as defined under Canadian National Instrument 43101.

About Fireweed Zinc Ltd. (TSXV:FWZ): Fireweed Zinc is a public mineral exploration company focused on zinc and managed by a veteran team of mining industry professionals. The Company is advancing its large 544 km2 Macmillan Pass Project in Yukon, Canada, which is host to the 100% owned Tom and Jason zinc-lead-silver deposits with recently announced Mineral Resources and a PEA economic study (see Fireweed news releases dated January 10, 2018 and May 23, 2018 respectively and reports filed on www.sedar.com for details) as well as the Boundary Zone and End Zone which have significant zinc-lead-silver mineralization drilled but not yet classified as mineral resources. The project also includes option agreements on large blocks of adjacent claims (MAC, MC, MP, Jerry, BR and NS) which cover exploration targets in the district where previous work identified zinc, lead and silver geochemical anomalies in critical host geology.

Additional information about Fireweed Zinc and its Macmillan Pass Project, can be found on the Companys website at www.FireweedZinc.com and at www.sedar.com .

ON BEHALF OF FIREWEED ZINC LTD.

Brandon Macdonald

CEO & Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information relating to the Company and the Macmillan Pass Project that are based on the beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Company management. Such statements reflect the current risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to certain factors including but not limited to, without limitations, exploration and development risks, expenditure and financing requirements, general economic conditions, changes in financial markets, the ability to properly and efficiently staff the Companys operations, the sufficiency of working capital and funding for continued operations, title matters, First Nations relations, operating hazards, political and economic factors, competitive factors, metal prices, relationships with vendors and strategic partners, governmental regulations and oversight, permitting, seasonality and weather, technological change, industry practices, and one-time events. Additional risks are set out in the Companys prospectus dated May 9, 2017 and filed under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Should any one or more risks or uncertainties materialize or change, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and forward-looking statements may vary materially from those described herein. The Company does not undertake to update forwardlooking statements or forwardlooking information, except as required by law.

Appendix to Fireweed Zinc news release dated November 2018 ImageMONTREAL, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Mining Group Ltd. ("Imperial" or the Corporation) (TSX VENTURE: IPG) is pleased to provide an update on its numerous strategic scandium marketing initiatives for the Crater Lake Project, in Quebec. This month Imperial will be participating in two major European conferences where it will be presenting the Crater Lake scandium opportunity to industrial users concerned about security of supply in the face of rapidly growing demand.

Imperial has been active in attracting strategic partnerships in order to advance the development of the Crater Lake scandium project since the beginning of the year. With the support of Nick Parry, Imperials Strategic Advisor on scandium market development, the Corporation has secured several important introductions to consumers and manufacturers of products and alloy materials that utilize scandium. Scandium has been variously referred to as the Miracle Metal and a Spice Metal because, when alloyed with aluminium in small quantities (0.2% to 0.4%), it produces strong, flexible and weldable lightweight materials critical for next-generation airplanes and automobiles, in particular Electric Vehicles (EVs).

Even at this early stage in the development of the Crater Lake Project, it is important to begin identifying scandium market opportunities and establishing partnerships with customers interested in securing future supplies and supporting project development, said Peter Cashin, Imperial President & CEO. With the drive towards lightweighting in these important manufacturing sectors, scandium demand is expected to grow rapidly because of its ability to greatly strengthen aluminium alloys, rendering them corrosion resistant and significantly improving the alloys mechanical properties. Imperial fully intends to be a critical supply-chain contributor to the expanding scandium market.

To introduce the Crater Lake scandium opportunity to new European audiences, Imperial will participate in the European Unions Raw Materials Symposium in Brussels, Belgium, November 12-16. Organized by the European Commission, the event provides an opportunity for market participants to discuss and exchange views on all relevant critical materials supply chain issues. Subjects from mineral policy, technology and international cooperation on policy framework matters will be reviewed. The event will conclude with Imperials participation as a Canadian representative at an invitation-only Stakeholders Raw Materials Dialogue meeting in the context of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union. Topics on policy, material sourcing, technology development and mutual R&D initiatives in the Canada-EU context will be discussed. With concerns being expressed by the EU on the reliability of scandium supply from China and Russia, involvement in these discussions will provide Imperial with an opportunity to highlight the Crater Lake development as a long-term, sustainable scandium supply solution for European industry.

The EU Raw Materials event will be followed on November 26-27 by the Scandium Aluminium Europe (SCALE) symposium in Berlin, Germany where Imperials President & CEO, Peter Cashin, will present on the Crater Lake scandium project. SCALE, an EU Horizon 2020 initiative, has a mandate to identify and secure a long-term, sustainable supply of scandium for the EU aerospace, automotive and high-tech industries. SCALEs focus is on scandium sources related to reprocessing bauxite residues and titanium waste streams and the development of efficient extraction, separation, refining and alloying techniques. It is managements view that Imperials Crater Lake Project represents a far more sustainable long-term scandium supply source than reprocessing of titanium waste streams or bauxite red muds, currently the EUs only available source of this critical aluminium alloy agent. In parallel with this event, Imperial management will be meeting with UK and EU industry and academic leaders to provide awareness of the Crater Lake project and to develop sector-focused materials R&D initiatives.

In addition to its strategic marketing initiatives, Imperial plans to drill the area of the recently discovered high grade scandium mineralization in early 2019 to establish an initial resource estimate, while continuing to define an efficient process flowsheet for recovering the scandium into a form suitable for aluminium alloy manufacturers. For more news and information on the Scandium markets access Imperials Tech Metal Markets portal at Click Here or visit our Twitter portal for scandium updates at: @imperial_mining .

ABOUT IMPERIAL MINING GROUP LTD.

Imperial is a new Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused on advancing its copper-zinc, gold and technology metals properties in Quebec. Imperial is publicly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange as IPG and is led by an experienced team of mineral exploration and development professionals with a strong track record of mineral deposit discovery in numerous metal commodities.

For further information please contact:

Peter J. Cashin

President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +1 (514) 360-0571

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

URL: www.imperialmgp.com

This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to the Companys operations or to its business environment. Such statements are based on the Companys operations, estimates, forecasts, and projections, but are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict or control. Several factors could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed. These factors include those set forth in the corporate filings. Although any such forward-looking statements are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot guarantee that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. In addition, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, for any reason. We also do not commit in any way to guarantee that we will continue reporting on items or issues that arise. Investors are cautioned that this press release contains quoted historical exploration results. These are derived from filed assessment reports and compiled from governmental databases. The Company and a QP have not independently verified and make no representations as to the accuracy of historical exploration results: these results should not be relied upon. Selected highlight results may not be indicative of average grades.

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.OTTAWA, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cornerstone Capital Resources Inc. (Cornerstone or the Company) (TSXV:CGP) (Frankfurt:GWN) (Berlin:GWN) (OTC:CTNXF) is pleased to announce the following update on the exploration program at its Cascabel copper-gold porphyry joint venture exploration project in northern Ecuador, in which the Company has a 15% interest financed through to completion of a feasibility study and repayable out of Cornerstones share of project cash flow, plus 9.25% of the shares of joint venture partner and project operator SolGold Plc, for a total direct and indirect interest in Cascabel of approximately 23%.

Figures referred to in this news release can be seen in PDF format by accessing the version of this release on the Companys website (www.cornerstoneresources.com) or by clicking on the link below:

Click Here.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Recent drilling highlights expected to add significantly to an updated Alpala Maiden Resource (MRE) 1 projected for release in December 2018 include: Hole 69 (Alpala Western Limb): 852m (true width 2 340m) @ 1.14% copper equivalent (CuEq 3 , 0.77% Cu and 0.57 g/t Au) from 740m depth, including: 502m @ 1.55% CuEq (true width 200m, 1.01% Cu and 0.85 g/t Au) from 1068m, and 152m @ 2.49% CuEq (true width 61m, 1.53% Cu and 1.52 g/t Au) from 1296m.

Hole 68 (Alpala Central): 664m @ 1.53% CuEq (true width 265m, 0.88% Cu and 1.03 g/t Au) from 1004m and open at depth, including 348m @ 2.25% CuEq (true width 139m, 1.26% Cu and 1.57g/t Au) from 1200m.

Hole 67 (Alpala Central): 1028m @ 1.29% CuEq (true width 411m, 0.71% Cu and 0.91 g/t Au) from 886m, including: 544m @ 2.17% CuEq (true width 217m, 1.14% Cu and 1.59 g/t Au), and 146m @ 4.07% CuEq (true width 58m, 1.96%Cu and 3.36g/t Au) of intense porphyry mineralization containing visible gold from 1510m.

Hole 66 (Alpala NW): 634m @ 1.25% CuEq (true width 253m, 0.74% Cu and 0.81 g/t Au) from 870m, including: 174m @ 2.46% CuEq (true width 69m, 1.36% Cu and 1.73 g/t Au) of mineralization containing visible gold from 1330m.

Hole 64 (Alpala NW-Trivinio): 402m @ 0.65% CuEq (true width 160m, 0.48% Cu and 0.26 g/t Au) from 1690m, including: 162m @ 0.95% CuEq (true width 65m, 0.70% Cu and 0.41 g/t Au)  this is considered the discovery of a new zone, north of the Alpala Breccia unit, containing primary bornite 4 mineralization that merits follow up drill testing that could lead to the discovery of a second porphyry system adjacent to the Alpala Deposit, or that the new zone and Alpala are both offshoots of a single, larger, source porphyry system at depth.



An additional 82,400m metres of additional drilling (Holes 33-67) to be included in second MRE in December 2018 (Dec 2017 MRE estimated from only 53,616m of drilling).



Total metres drilled at Cascabel to date 160,000 (153,000 at Alpala + 7,259 at the Aguinaga target).



Assays returned to date at Alpala - 137,000m. Assays outstanding at Alpala - 16,000m.



Approximately 20,000m of further drilling to be completed at Alpala in 2018. 2019 drilling campaign to continue to expand the deposit at Alpala SE, Alpala NW, Trivinio and Alpala Western Limb.



Preliminary Economic Assessment projected for release in January 2019.

President and CEO Brooke Macdonald said: These new drill results are a further indication of the size and grade potential of the large mineralized system at Cascabel. With the in-fill drilling it is expected that a sizable portion of the inferred resources will be re-classified into the indicated category. It is also encouraging that the new intersections in Alpala Central exceeded the high grade cut-off used in the MRE. Mineralized intercepts adjacent to the current resources should also add to the overall resource inventory. Significantly, the limits of the deposit are yet to be established.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Cascabel is located in northwestern Ecuador in an under-explored northern section of the Andean Copper Belt, 60 km northeast of the undeveloped inferred resource of 982 million tons at 0.89% Cu Llurimaga (formerly Junin) copper project5 (Figure 1).

A data cut-off date for the (in progress) Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) projected for release in December 2018, was effected in late October 2018 and includes drill holes 1 to 67. Highlights of selected drilling intercepts from Holes 1 to 67, expected to add significantly to the Dec 2018 Mineral Resource at Alpala are summarized in Table 1 .

The Alpala deposit continues to grow beyond this, as exemplified by strong results achieved in Holes 68 (Alpala Central) and 69 (Alpala Western Limb) (Table 2).

Table 2:

High priority drill targets for 2019 include planned resource extensions at Alpala SE, Alpala NW, Trivinio and Alpala Western Limb (Figure 2).

Joint venture partner and project operator SolGold envisages further MRE updates in 2019 as they move beyond the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) projected for release in January 2019) and towards a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) as the project continues to mature.

About the Cascabel Joint Venture with SolGold:

Exploraciones Novomining S.A. (ENSA), an Ecuadorean company owned by SolGold Plc and Cornerstone, holds 100% of the Cascabel concession. Subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including SolGolds fully funding the project through to feasibility, SolGold Plc will own 85% of the equity of ENSA and Cornerstone will own the remaining 15% of ENSA. SolGold is funding 100% of the exploration at Cascabel and is the operator of the project. SolGold shall receive 90% of Cornerstones distribution of earnings or dividends from ENSA to which Cornerstone would otherwise be entitled until such time as the amounts so received equal the aggregate amount of expenditures incurred by SolGold that would have otherwise been payable by Cornerstone, plus interest thereon from the dates such expenditures were incurred at a rate per annum equal to LIBOR plus 2 per cent until such time as SolGold is fully reimbursed.

Alpala Mineral Resource Estimate

A maiden Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the Alpala deposit, estimated from the initial 53,616m of drilling, was completed December 18, 2017 and announced on January 3, 2018 (see Cornerstone news release 18-01 dated January 3, 2018) and the corresponding Technical Report prepared by SRK Exploration Services Ltd. and qualified persons James Gilbertson, Martin Pittuck, and John Willis in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 was filed at www.sedar.com on February 16, 2018 (Click Here).

The MRE announced resources shown in the table below:

Alpala Mineral Resource statement as of December 18, 2017

Resource

Category Tonnage

(Mt) Grade Contained Metal Cu

(%) Au

(g/t) CuEq

(%) Cu

(Mt) Au

(Moz) CuEq

(Mt) >1.1% CuEq Indicated 70 1.1 1.3 1.8 0.7 2.8 1.2 Inferred 50 1.1 1.3 1.8 0.5 1.9 0.8 0.9 - 1.1%

CuEq Indicated 50 0.7 0.5 1.0 0.3 0.9 0.5 Inferred 50 0.7 0.5 1.0 0.4 0.9 0.5 0.3 - 0.9%

CuEq Indicated 310 0.4 0.2 0.5 1.2 2.3 1.6 Inferred 550 0.4 0.2 0.5 2.0 3.5 2.6 Total > 0.3%

CuEq Indicated 430 0.5 0.4 0.8 2.3 6.0 3.4 Inferred 650 0.4 0.3 0.6 2.9 6.3 4.0

Notes:

Mr. Martin Pittuck, MSc, CEng, MIMMM, is responsible for this Mineral Resource estimate and is an "independent qualified person" as such term is defined in NI 43-101

The Mineral Resource is reported using a cut-off grade of 0.3% copper equivalent calculated using [copper grade (%)] + [gold grade (g/t) x 0.6] based on a copper price of US$2.8/lb and gold price of US$1,160/oz

The Mineral Resource is considered to have reasonable potential for eventual economic extraction by underground mass mining such as block caving

Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability

The statement uses the terminology, definitions and guidelines given in the CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (May 2014)

The MRE is reported on 100 percent basis

Values given in the table have been rounded, apparent calculation errors resulting from this are not considered to be material

The effective date for the Mineral Resource statement is December 18, 2017

Logging, sampling, assaying and reporting

Holes referred to in this release were or are being drilled using HTW, NTW, NQ and BQ core sizes (respectively 7.1, 5.6, 4.8 and 3.7 cm diameter). Geotechnical measurements such as core recovery, fracturing, rock quality designations (RQDs), specific gravity and photographic logging are performed systematically prior to assaying. The core is logged, magnetic susceptibility measured and key alteration minerals identified by experienced loggers and sometimes using an on-site portable spectrometer. Core is then sawed in half at the ENSA core logging facility, and half of the core is delivered by ENSA employees for preparation at ALS Minerals Laboratories (ALS) sample preparation facility in Quito. Core samples are prepared crushing to 70% passing 2 mm (10 mesh), splitting 250 g and pulverizing to 85% passing 75 microns (200 mesh) (ALS code CRU-31, SPL21 and PUL-32). Prepared samples are then shipped to ALS in Lima, Peru where samples are assayed for a multi-element suite (ALS code ME-MSP61, 1g split, 4-acid digestion, ICP-MS finish). Over limit results for Ag (> 100 g/t) and Cu, (> 1%) are systematically re-assayed (ALS code Ag-AA62, 4-acid digestion, AAS finish). Gold is assayed using a 30 g split, Fire Assay (FA) and AA finish (ALS code Au-AA23).

Quality assurance / Quality control (QA/QC)

The ALS Laboratory is a qualified assayer that performs and makes available internal assaying controls. Duplicates, certified blanks and standards are systematically used (1 control sample every 15-20 samples). Rejects, a 100 g pulp for each core sample and the remaining half-core are stored for future use and controls.

Qualified Person:

Yvan Crepeau, MBA, P.Geo., Cornerstones Vice President, Exploration and a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for supervising the exploration program at the Cascabel project for Cornerstone and has reviewed and approved the information contained in this news release.

About Cornerstone:

Cornerstone Capital Resources Inc. is a mineral exploration company with a diversified portfolio of projects in Ecuador and Chile, including in the Cascabel gold-enriched copper porphyry joint venture in north west Ecuador.

Further information is available on Cornerstones website: www.cornerstoneresources.com and on Twitter. For investor, corporate or media inquiries, please contact:

Investor Relations:

Mario Drolet (Montreal); Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ;

Tel. (514) 346-3813

Corporate Matters: Sabino Di Paola, CFO (Ottawa); Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ;

Tel. (343) 689-0714

Due to anti-spam laws, many shareholders and others who were previously signed up to receive email updates and who are no longer receiving them may need to re-subscribe at Click Here

Cautionary Notice:

This news release may contain Forward-Looking Statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of Cornerstones plans, objectives, strategies, intentions and expectations. The words potential, anticipate, forecast, believe, estimate, expect, may, project, plan, and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify Forward-Looking Statements. Although Cornerstone believes that its expectations reflected in these Forward-Looking Statements are reasonable, such statements may involve unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors disclosed in our regulatory filings, viewed on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets, predicting natural geological phenomena and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of an environmental, climatic, natural, political, economic, business, competitive, or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our Forward-Looking Statements. Although Cornerstone believes the facts and information contained in this news release to be as correct and current as possible, Cornerstone does not warrant or make any representation as to the accuracy, validity or completeness of any facts or information contained herein and these statements should not be relied upon as representing its views after the date of this news release. While Cornerstone anticipates that subsequent events may cause its views to change, it expressly disclaims any obligation to update the Forward-Looking Statements contained herein except where outcomes have varied materially from the original statements.

On Behalf of the Board,

Brooke Macdonald

President and CEO

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.

1 See heading below titled Alpala Mineral Resource Estimate.

2 True widths of down hole intersections are estimated by project operator SolGold to be approximately 25-50%.

3 All references in this news release to copper equivalent (CuEq) grades are composed of copper and gold values, calculated using a gold conversion factor of 0.63, determined using an updated copper price of USD3.00/pound and an updated gold price of USD1300/ounce.

4 Bornite is a mineral containing 52-62% Cu.

5 0.4% Cu cut-off grade; Micon International Co. Ltd. Technical Report for Ascendant Exploration SA, August 20, 2004, pages 28 & 29. Mineralization identified at the Llurimaga copper project is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on the Cascabel Property.TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018 /CNW/ - Roxgold Inc. ("Roxgold" or the "Company") (TSX: ROXG) (OTC: ROGFF) today reported its third quarter financial results for the period ended September 30, 2018.

For complete details of the unaudited Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements and associated Interim Management's Discussion and Analysis please refer to the Company's filings on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or the Company's website (www.roxgold.com). All amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.

1. HIGHLIGHTS

For the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018, the Company:

Operations

Achieved production of 30,532 ounces of gold in Q3 2018 (28,410 ounces in Q3 2017) and YTD 2018 production of 106,812 ounces (91,970 ounces in YTD 2017);

Realized a record quarterly processing throughput of 78,357 tonnes - 15% above nameplate capacity;

Reduced operating costs per tonne processed by 7% in Q3 2018 and a 6% reduction in operating cost 1 per tonne processed for YTD 2018;

per tonne processed for YTD 2018; Achieved a cash operating cost1 of $454 per ounce produced and all-in sustaining costs1 of $788 per ounce sold and $409 per ounce produced and $716 per ounce sold for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 , respectively;

Financial

Higher EBITDA 1 of $16.9 million in Q3 2018 ( $14.3 million in Q3 2017) and $68.9 million for YTD 2018 ( $44.6 million for 2017 YTD);

of in Q3 2018 ( in Q3 2017) and for YTD 2018 ( for 2017 YTD); Achieved strong EBITDA margin 1 of 45% in Q3 2018 (40% in Q3 2017) and 50% for YTD 2018 (39% for 2017 YTD);

of 45% in Q3 2018 (40% in Q3 2017) and 50% for YTD 2018 (39% for 2017 YTD); Generated cash flow from mining operations 1 totalling $18.6 million in Q3 2018 ( $0.05 per share) and $75.1 million ( $0.20 per share) for YTD 2018;

totalling in Q3 2018 ( per share) and ( per share) for YTD 2018; Maintained a strong balance sheet with cash on hand of $71.2 million ;

; Generated a strong return on equity1 of 22%;

Growth

Delivered first development ore from Bagassi South in October 2018 on schedule;

on schedule; Received all permits and decrees required for Bagassi South mining and the process plant expansion;

Operating seven drill rigs currently at Yaramoko targeting extensions to the 55 Zone and regional exploration targets  six from surface and one from underground.

"With the solid operating results achieved at Yaramoko this quarter, we are confident of achieving the upper-end of our 2018 full year guidance range and expect to be at the lower-end of our cost guidance. We generated strong cash flow this quarter and have maintained our robust cash balance while advancing our growth project," said John Dorward, President and Chief Executive Officer of Roxgold. "At Bagassi South, the project has been progressing well during the quarter and first development ore has been delivered to the ROM pad in late October on schedule. The process plant expansion, which will increase mill capacity nearly 50%, is also continuing to progress well. With all materials now on site, the expansion is on track to be completed by the end of the year."

2. 2018 PRODUCTION GUIDANCE AND COSTS

Based on the strong operational results to date, the Company is confident it will achieve at or above the upper end of its production guidance and expect to be at the lower end of its cost forecasts for the twelve-month period ending December 31, 2018. Updated guidance for 2018 include as follows:

Gold production between 120,000 and 130,000 ounces;

Cash operating cost 1 between $450 and $475 /ounce;

between and /ounce; All-in sustaining cost 1 between $740 and $790 /ounce;

between and /ounce; Underground capital expenditure between $22 million and $26 million ;

and ; Bagassi South pre-production capital expenditure of $30 million and remains on schedule;

and remains on schedule; Increase in exploration spend from $9 million to $12 million .

3. MINE OPERATING ACTIVITIES

Three

months

ended

September

30 2018 Three

months

ended

September

30 2017 Nine

months

ended

September

30 2018 Nine

months

ended

September 30 2017 Operating Data Ore mined (tonnes) 87,975 76,480 263,413 211,761 Ore processed (tonnes) 78,357 66,670 225,350 195,784 Head grade (g/t) 12.3 13.6 14.4 14.5 Recovery (%) 98.5 98.6 98.8 98.9 Gold ounces produced 30,532 28,410 106,812 91,970 Gold ounces sold2 31,400 27,912 106,770 91,679 Financial Data (in thousands of dollars) Gold Sales2 37,890 35,907 136,903 115,050 Mining operating expenses (15,072) (12,649) (45,449) (40,480) Government royalties (1,516) (1,514) (6,236) (4,620) Depreciation (7,622) (6,909) (25,829) (21,794) Statistics (in dollars) Average realized selling price (per ounce) 1,207 1,286 1,282 1,255 Cash operating cost (per ounce produced)1 454 445 409 445 Cash operating cost (per tonne processed)1 177 190 194 209 Total cash cost (per ounce sold)1 499 522 468 496 Sustaining capital cost (per ounce sold)1 205 258 185 253 Site all-in sustaining cost (per ounce sold)1 734 779 669 749 All-in sustaining cost (per ounce sold)1 788 833 716 794

A. Health and safety performance

Safety is a core value of Roxgold. The Company regrets to report that a Lost Time Injury ("LTI") incident occurred in Q3 2018. The LTI was suffered by a drilling contractor's employee and marked the first LTI incident at Yaramoko since the commencement of gold production in April 2016.

B. Operational performance

The Company's gold production in Q3 2018 increased by 7% to 30,532 ounces compared to 28,410 ounces in Q3 2017. For YTD 2018, production increased by 16% to 106,812 ounces compared to 91,970 ounces in YTD 2017. The increased gold production was driven by continued improved operating performance in both the mine and processing plant.

During the quarter ended September 30, 2018, 87,975 tonnes of ore at 10.74 g/t were extracted from the underground mine along with completing 1,221 metres of development compared to 76,480 tonnes at 12.3 g/t of ore and 1,730 metres of development in the comparable period of the prior year. The mining tonnage increase of 15% was due to more areas available to extract ore and additional equipment increasing productivity. During the third quarter, approximately 80% of ore produced came from stoping activities which is a result of the extensive development that is in place at Yaramoko, with four open stopes available at the end of the quarter.

During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018, 263,413 tonnes of ore at 14.04 g/t were extracted from the underground mine compared to 211,761 tonnes of ore at 14.5 g/t in the comparable period of the prior year. The increase of 24% in tonnes mined was also due to more areas available to extract ore and additional equipment increasing productivity.

In the third quarter of 2018, decline development at the mine reached the 4947 level, approximately 350 metres below surface. Ore development was completed on the 4998, 4981 and 4964 levels. The mine continues to be well positioned to meet future production requirements with developed reserves for stoping in line with the Company's 18 months planned stoping objectives.

Reconciliation of mined material against the Company's Reserve model and Grade Control model for the year to date is trending within the expected range. The year to date trend for the Grade Control model to actual mined shows slightly more ounces produced, driven by marginally more tonnes produced. A review and reconciliation of the April 2017 Mineral Resource estimate ahead of the preparation of the Q1 2019 Mineral Resource and Reserve Estimate has commenced.

The plant processed a record 78,357 tonnes at an average head grade of 12.25 g/t Au in Q3 2018 compared to 66,670 tonnes of ore at 13.6 g/t in Q3 2017. This 18% increase is a result of ongoing optimisation at the plant and translates into a unit throughput rate which is 15% above nameplate capacity. Plant availability was 94.9% during the quarter and overall recovery was 98.5% during the quarter compared to 95.8% and 98.6% respectively for the comparative period in the prior year.

During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018, the plant processed 225,350 tonnes at an average head grade of 14.4 g/t compared to 195,784 tonnes of ore at 14.5 g/t during the comparable nine-month period in 2017. This increase is a result of increased throughput during the period. Plant availability was 94.9% during the nine-month period and overall recovery was 98.5% compared to 95.8% and 98.6% respectively for the comparative period in prior year.

C. Financial Performance

i) For the three-month periods ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017

During the quarter ended September 30, 2018, a total of 31,400 ounces of gold were sold with revenue from gold sales totalling $37,890,000 compared to 27,912 gold ounces sold2 and gold sales2 of $35,907,000. Revenues increased by 6% when compared to Q3 2017 as the volume sold increased by 12%. The Company realized an average gold sale price of $1,207, a 6% decrease compared to the average sale price in Q3 2017. The average market gold price in the third quarter of 2018 was $1,213 per ounce, a 5% decrease from the Q3 2017 average.

Mine operating expenses represent mining, processing, and mine site-related general and administrative expenses. During the quarter ended September 30, 2018, the cash operating cost1 per tonne processed totalled $177 per tonne, which is below the $190 per tonne processed achieved during Q3 2017. The variation is mainly due to increased efficiency and throughput during the period. The cash operating cost1 per ounce produced totalled $454 per ounce for the period compared to $445 per ounce in the prior period.

The total cash cost1 per ounce sold of $499 has decreased by 5% when compared to Q3 2017 due to lower cash operating costs per tonne produced and higher gold production. The Company generated a mine operating margin1 of $708 a reduction of 7% from $764 per ounce for Q3 2017.

During the quarter ended September 30, 2018, Roxgold invested $6,451,000 in underground mine development, representing a sustaining capital cost1 per ounce sold of $205 while the Company invested $7,196,000 at a sustaining capital cost1 per ounce sold of $258 in Q3 2017.

The Company continued to generate strong cash flow from mining operations1 for Q3 2018 totalling $18,593,000 (Q3 2017 - $18,028,000) with a site all-in sustaining cost1 of $734 per ounce sold (Q3 2017 - $779 per ounce sold) and all-in sustaining costs1 including corporate costs of $788 per ounce sold (Q3 2017 - $833 per ounce).

ii) For the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017

Gold sales for the nine-month period totalled $136,903,000 from 106,770 ounces of gold ounces sold compared to $115,050,000 in gold sales2 from 91,679 gold ounces sold2. During this period, the Company's average realized gold price for the period was $1,282 per ounce sold compared to the average sale price of $1,255 in YTD 2017. The average market gold price in the nine-month period of 2018 was $1,282 per ounce, compared to $1,251 in YTD 2017.

During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018, the cash operating cost1 per tonne processed totalled $194 per tonne, which is 6% below the $209 per tonne processed achieved during YTD 2017. The difference is mainly due to increased efficiency and throughput during the period.

The cash operating cost1 per ounce produced totalled $409 per ounce for the period compared to $445 per ounce in the prior period. The total cash cost1 per ounce sold of $468 compared to $496 in YTD 2017 is due to a reduction of cash operating costs offset by an increase in the blended 9-month royalty rate when compared to YTD 2017. Consequently, the Company generated a mine operating margin1 of $814 up 7% from $759 per ounce for YTD 2017.

The Company invested $19,721,000 in underground mine development for the nine-month period compared to $23,175,000 for the comparable period in 2017. The investments made during the nine-month period are in line with the 2018 mine plan.

The Company generated $75,134,000 cash flow from mining operations1 during the nine-month period compared to $61,573,000 during YTD 2017.

4. BAGASSI SOUTH EXPANSION UPDATE

During the third quarter of 2018, the Company received all permits and decrees required for Bagassi South mining and the process plant expansion. Development and construction are progressing well with overall project completion at approximately 75%. The Company has started mine development with approximately 491 metres completed to date, all structural steelwork and fabrication of the CIL tanks are complete. The Company has delivered first development ore from Bagassi South in early Q4 2018 and processing plant tie-ins are expected to occur during Q4 2018 planned maintenance stoppages.

5. REVIEW OF FINANCIAL RESULTS

A. Mine operating profit

During the third quarter of 2018, revenues totalled $37,890,000 (Q3 2017  $36,279,000) while mine operating expenses and royalties totalled $15,072,000 (Q3 2017 - $12,649,000) and $1,516,000 (Q3 2017  $1,514,000), respectively. The increase in sales is primarily due to increased production driven by higher throughput, offset by a lower average realized gold price which decreased from $1,286 per ounce in Q3 2017 to $1,207 per ounce in Q3 2018. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company achieved a total cash cost1 per ounce sold of $454 representing a mine operating margin1 of $708 compared to $522 and $764, respectively for the comparable period in 2017.

During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018, revenues totalled $136,903,000 compared to $113,959,000 for the comparable period in 2017. Mine operating expenses were $45,449,000 compared to $40,480,000 while royalties paid were $6,236,000 compared to $4,620,000. The increase in sales is primarily due to increased production driven by higher throughput and a higher average realized gold price which increased from $1,255 per ounce in YTD 2017 to $1,282 per ounce in YTD 2018. During the period, the Company achieved a total cash cost1 per ounce sold of $468 representing a mine operating margin1 of $814 compared to $496 and $759, respectively for the same period in 2017.

For more information on the cash operating costs1 see the financial performance of the Mine Operating Activities section in the Company's Q3 2018 MD&A.

Depreciation totalled $7,424,000 and $25,200,000 for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018, respectively compared to $6,670,000 and $21,037,000 in the corresponding period in prior year. The increase in depreciation is a result of the Company's further investments in the underground development combined with a higher throughput in our processing facility, offset by a reduction of $588,000 in depreciation related to derecognition of finance lease liability following a contract extension with the Company's mining contractor. Refer to finance lease note 14 in the September 30, 2018 condensed interim consolidated financial statements for more information.

B. General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses remained consistent over prior year totalling $1,115,000 and $3,708,000 for the three and nine-months ended September 30, 2018, respectively and $1,112,000 and $3,246,000 for the corresponding period in prior year.

C. Sustainability and other in-country costs

Sustainability and in-country costs increased to $589,000 and $1,352,000 for the three and nine-months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to $352,000 and $1,125,000 in the corresponding period in prior year and reflect the increased operating tempo associated with Bagassi South. These expenditures are incurred as part of Roxgold's commitment to responsible operations in Burkina Faso including a number of sustainability and community projects.

D. Exploration and evaluation expenses ("E&E"):

Exploration and evaluation expenses totalling $3,376,000 and $10,737,000 for the three and nine-months ended September 30, 2018, respectively compared to $3,004,000 and $9,865,000 for the corresponding periods in prior year. Current year expenditures reflect the regional exploration program ongoing at Houko and Kaho areas and infill drilling program at 55 Zone and Bagassi South. The 2017 program includes expenditures associated with the Bagassi South infill and extensional drilling program completed as part of the Feasibility Study on Bagassi South released on November 6, 2017.

E. Share-based payment

Share-based payments totalling $127,000 and $1,381,000 for the three and nine-months ended September 30, 2018, respectively compared to $1,185,000 and $2,250,000 for the corresponding periods in the prior year. The reduction is attributed to timing of the annual DSU grants which were issued in Q2 2018 and the year to date variation is impacted by the cancellation of unvested share awards related to employee turnover within the Company.

F. Financial income (expenses)

The Company's net financial income (expenses) for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 totalled $209,000 and ($1,639,000) respectively, compared to ($3,279,000) and ($12,058,000) in the comparable period of the prior year.

The decrease is mainly attributable to the change in the fair value of the Company's gold forward sales contracts, reduction of interest expense related to the long-term debt and the changes in the Company's foreign exchange gain (loss).

G. Current and deferred income tax expense

The current income tax expense is due to the Company's past cumulative losses being fully utilized in 2018. The deferred income tax expense is due to the recognition of the deferred income tax liability as the Company is making a profit from its operations in Burkina Faso.

H. Net income & EBITDA

The Company's net income for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 totalled $6,599,000 and $31,360,000 respectively, compared to $6,936,000 and $16,485,000 in the comparable period in the prior year.

During the third quarter of 2018 the Company generated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA")1 of $16,932,000 representing an improvement of 18% over the EBITDA1 achieved during Q3 2017 of $14,308,000. The nine-months ended September 30, 2018 period had EBITDA1 of $68,913,000 an increase of 54% over YTD 2017 of $44,595,000.

I. Income Attributable to Non-Controlling Interest

For the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018, the income attributable to the non-controlling interest ("NCI") was $706,000 and $3,552,000 respectively, (2017: $1,342,000 and $3,706,000). The Government of Burkina Faso holds a 10% carried interest in Roxgold SANU SA the Company's operating entity. Income attributable to the NCI excludes all items within Other expenses and Financial expenses on the Company's consolidated statement of income, except for sustainability and other in-country costs, interest expense, and financing fees.

6. CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST INFORMATION

A webcast and conference call to discuss these results will be held on Wednesday, November 14, 2018, at 11:00AM Eastern time. Listeners may access a live webcast of the conference call from the events section of the Company's website at www.roxgold.com or by dialing toll free 1-888-231-8191 within North America or +1-647-427-7450 from international locations.

An online archive of the webcast will be available by accessing the Company's website at www.roxgold.com. A telephone replay will be available for two weeks after the call by dialing toll free 1-855-859-2056 and entering passcode 3562589.

Notes:

1 The Company provides some non-IFRS measures as supplementary information that management believes may be useful to investors to explain the Company's financial results. Please refer to note 16 "Non-IFRS financial performance measures" of the Company's MD&A dated November 13, 2018, available on the Company's website at www.roxgold.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for reconciliation of these measures. 2 Gold ounces sold and Gold Sales include revenues of $36,279,000 and Q3 deferred revenues of $1,091,000 related to 850 ounces sold, but not shipped, as of September 30, 2017, due to the timing of the shipment in Burkina Faso, offset by Q2 deferred revenues of $1,463,000.

Qualified Persons

Iain Cox, FAUSIMM, Interim Chief Operating Officer for Roxgold Inc., a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, has verified and approved the technical disclosure contained in this MD&A.

Paul Weedon, MAIG, Vice-President, Exploration for Roxgold Inc., a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, has verified and approved the technical disclosure contained in this MD&A. This includes the QA/QC, sampling, analytical and test data underlying this information. For more information on the Company's QA/QC and sampling procedures, please refer to the Company's AIF dated March 28, 2018.

For further information regarding the Yaramoko Gold Mine, please refer to the technical report dated December 20, 2017, and entitled "Technical Report for the Yaramoko Gold Mine, Burkina Faso" (the "Technical Report"), available on the Company's website at www.roxgold.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About Roxgold

Roxgold is a gold mining company with its key asset, the high grade Yaramoko Gold Mine, located on the Hounde greenstone belt in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Roxgold trades on the TSX under the symbol ROXG and as ROGFF on OTC.

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation: statements with respect to Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resource estimates (including proposals for the potential growth and/or upgrade thereof), anticipated receipt and maintenance of permits and licenses, future production and life of mine estimates, production and cost guidance, anticipated recovery grades, and potential increases in throughput, the anticipated increased proportion of mill feed coming from stoping ore, future capital and operating costs and expansion and development plans including with respect to the 55 Zone and Bagassi South, and the expected timing thereof (including with respect to the delivery of ore), proposed exploration plans and the timing and costs thereof, the anticipated operations, costs, proposed funding, timing and other factors set forth in the Feasibility Study, and sufficiency of future funding. These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. In certain cases, forward-looking information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates", "believes", "could", "estimates", "expects", "may", "shall", "will", or "would". Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, the realization of resource estimates and reserve estimates, gold metal prices, the timing and amount of future exploration and development expenditures, the estimation of initial and sustaining capital requirements, the estimation of labour and operating costs, the availability of necessary financing and materials to continue to explore and develop the Yaramoko Gold Project in the short and long-term, the progress of exploration and development activities as currently proposed and anticipated, the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals and permits, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters, as well as assumptions set forth in the Company's technical report dated December 20, 2017, and entitled "Technical Report for the Yaramoko Gold Mine, Burkina Faso" available on the Company's website at www.roxgold.com and SEDAR at www.sedar.com. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.

Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include: changes in market conditions, unsuccessful exploration results, possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, changes in the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, inaccurate reserve and resource estimates, changes in the price of gold, unanticipated changes in key management personnel, failure to obtain permits as anticipated or at all, failure of exploration and/or development activities to progress as currently anticipated or at all, and general economic conditions. Mining exploration and development is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.Assays up to 4.1% Li2O received from the Silverleaf Pegmatite

Additional high-grade samples return 3.04%, 3.37% and 3.90% Li2O

High purity spodumene blade sample from Silverleaf assays 8.76% Li2O

Samples also return up to 6.1% Rb2O (Rubidium Oxide)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AZINCOURT ENERGY CORP. (Azincourt or the Company) (TSX.V: AAZ, OTC: AZURF), in conjunction with its JV partner, New Age Metals (TSX.V: NAM), is pleased to announce exploration results from the Lithium One Project, located 125 kilometers northeast of Winnipeg, Manitoba, as part of the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field.

Crews have been active at Lithium One throughout late summer and into the fall executing a comprehensive ground reconnaissance program (detailed mapping and sampling) designed to help prioritize targets for upcoming drill programs. Sampling at Lithium One has generated significant results, with several returning high-grade lithium oxide (Li2O). Nine samples exceeded 2% Li2O, five samples exceeded 3% Li2O and two samples exceeded 4% Li2O. See table below:

Silverleaf Pegmatite  Lithium One Project  2018 Assay Results

Sample # UTM E UTM N Type Li2O % Cs2O Rb2O Ta2O5 172176 332224 5580074 Assay 2.56 0.14 5.07 0.01 172177 332224 5580074 Assay 0.06 0.05 1.13 0.00 172178 332224 5580074 Assay 2.63 0.17 5.26 0.01 172179 332173 5580096 Assay 2.71 0.02 0.13 0.01 172181 332172 5580093 Assay 1.81 0.05 0.63 0.00 172182 332169 5580091 Assay 4.09 0.00 0.03 0.00 172183 332169 5580091 Assay 3.90 0.00 0.03 0.00 172184 332169 5580091 Fractionation 0.04 0.00 0.01 0.00 172185 332187 5580090 Fractionation 8.76 0.01 0.05 0.01 172186 332183 5580090 Assay 3.04 0.18 5.56 0.02 172187 332214 5580082 Assay 2.54 0.15 5.54 0.01 172188 332228 5580090 Assay 3.37 0.14 6.11 0.01

Table 1: Silverleaf Pegmatite  2018 Sample Assay Results (see Figure 3 for sample locations)

Samples were obtained from the surface exposure of the Silverleaf Pegmatite. Samples include grab and channel samples with the dominant geological unit exposed on surface being the Spodumene-Lepidolite Zone. Sample locations are referenced in accompanying Figure 3. The Annie and other pegmatites from the Lithium One Project have also been sampled and assay results are currently pending.

These are excellent results at Lithium One, the numbers are significant, said president & CEO, Alex Klenman. These high-grade samples, combined with our earlier results at the Lithium Two Project, have provided important data that is not only extremely beneficial in the identification of priority drill targets, but they also greatly enhance our understanding of the project potential. With each round of results the viability of the projects become more compelling. We are excited to progress to drill stage and begin to unlock that potential, continued Mr. Klenman.

Drill permits have been applied for on the Lithium Two and Lithium One Projects and the company is awaiting approval from the province. Drilling will commence once the permits are approved.

High Purity Spodumene

In an effort to determine the purity of the spodumene, a sample of spodumene blade (sample # 172815) was extracted from the Silverleaf Pegmatite and sent for analysis. This sample yielded an assay value of 8.76% Li2O. A review of spodumene mineral data indicates that spodumene crystal can contain Li2O content from 3.73% to 8.03% Li2O. This would suggest that the spodumene crystals present in the Silverleaf Pegmatite are of a very high lithium content.

Rubidium Oxide

In addition to the high-grade lithium oxide (Li2O) results, several samples also returned significant amounts of rubidium oxide (Rb2O). Rubidium oxide is a highly insoluble thermally stable rubidium source suitable for glass, optic and ceramic applications. It is recovered commercially from lepidolite as a by-product of lithium extraction. Rubidiums principle application is in specialty glasses used in fiber optic telecommunications systems, in addition to night-vision devices, photoelectric cells and photomultiplier tubes.

Figure 1: Map showing the eight project locations in the AAZ-NAM JV portfolio, SE Manitoba





This Pegmatite Field is host to the world-class Tanco Pegmatite, which has been mined since 1969 for tantalum, cesium, and spodumene. Historically the Lithium One Project area is known for the presence of numerous surface pegmatites of various dimensions and compositions.

The Silverleaf Pegmatite (Figure 3) is a zoned complex lithium-bearing pegmatite with a surface exposure of approximately 80 meters x 45 meters. The pegmatite is exposed in the northeast and strikes under cover to the southwest. Samples taken from the Lepidolite-Spodumene Zone yielded assays from 1.81% to 4.09% Li2O and 0.63% to 6.11% Rb2O.

Figure 2 Historical pegmatite location map northern portion Lithium One Project

The Lepidolite-Spodumene Zone is approximately 50 meters x 20 meters in size and extends into an historic excavated open pit. The historic open pit area originates from the late 1920s, when a bulk sample of spodumene was mined from the southwest side of the Silverleaf Pegmatite. Large scale mining operations were not undertaken at that time. The area has seen sporadic exploration activity over the years with focus on base metals and tantalum with minor exploration for lithium.

Figure 3 Geological mapping sample locations Silverleaf Pegmatite Lithium One Project

In geological terms, the Silverleaf Pegmatite and others encountered on the Lithium One Project are LCT Type (Lithium-Cesium-Tantalum) Pegmatites. The spodumene blades at the surface of the Silverleaf Pegmatite can reach a length of up to 40 centimeters and a width of 10 centimeters (see Figures 4 and 5). The spodumene blades are surrounded by lithium bearing purple micas (lepidolite).

Figure 4 Spodumene Lepidolite Zone Silverleaf Pegmatite Lithium One Project

Figure 5 Spodumene blades Lithium One Project Silverleaf Pegmatite

QA/QC Protocol

All samples were analyzed at the Activation Laboratories facility, in Ancaster, Ontario. Samples were prepared, using the labs Code RX1 procedure. Samples are crushed, up to 95% passing through a 10 mesh, riffle split, and then pulverized, with mild steel, to 95%, passing 105 m. Analyses were completed, using the labs Ultratrace 7 Package; a Sodium Peroxide Fusion which allows for total metal recovery and is effective for analysis of Sulphides and refractory minerals. Assay analyses are carried out, using ICPOES and ICPMS instrumentation. New Age Metals implemented a QA/QC field program with insertion of blanks at regular intervals. Activation Laboratories has their own internal QA/QC procedures that it carries out for all sample batches.

Azincourt Energy  New Age Metals Lithium Joint Venture

The pegmatites in this region of southeast Manitoba are described as being a part of the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field. Several large lithium-bearing pegmatites exist in this region and exploration activity in the region is increasing. This pegmatite field is host to the world-class Tanco Pegmatite, which is a highly fractionated Lithium-Cesium-Tantalum (LCT Type) pegmatite and has been mined in varying capacities since 1969. The LCT-type pegmatites can contain large amounts of spodumene (one of the primary ores used in hard rock lithium extraction) and are a primary geological target in hard rock lithium exploration. They also can contain economic qualities of tantalum and cesium as well as other lithium bearing minerals such as mica. With eight projects totalling over 14,000 hectares the Azincourt-New Age JV is the largest claim holder for Lithium Projects in the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field.

Qualified Person

The contents contained herein that relate to Exploration Results or Mineral Resources is based on information compiled, reviewed or prepared by Carey Galeschuk, a consulting geoscientist for New Age Metals. Mr. Galeschuk is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release.

About Azincourt Energy Corp.

Azincourt Energy is a Canadian-based resource company specializing in the strategic acquisition, exploration and development of alternative energy/fuel projects, including uranium, lithium, and other elements critical to the future.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF AZINCOURT ENERGY CORP.

Alex Klenman

Alex Klenman, President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release includes forward-looking statements, including forecasts, estimates, expectations and objectives for future operations that are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Azincourt. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information represents managements best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially.

For further information please contact:

Alex Klenman, President & CEO

Tel: 604-638-8063

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Azincourt Energy Corp.

1430  800 West Pender Street

Vancouver, BC

V6C 2V6

www.azincourtenergy.comUS National Security Advisor John Bolton vowed Tuesday to squeeze Iran until the pips squeak, a week after a tough new round of sanctions came into force.

President Donald Trump has dramatically increased pressure on Tehran, withdrawing from an international agreement aimed at ending its nuclear programme and introducing several rounds of unilateral US sanctions.

The latest tranche of measures have been touted as the toughest yet, and aim to significantly reduce Irans vital oil exports and cut off its banks from international finance.

Speaking in Singapore, Bolton said: We think the government is under real pressure and its our intention to squeeze them very hard.

As the British say, squeeze them until the pips squeak.

We are also going to significantly increase the enforcement of sanctions.

The United States has repeatedly said that humanitarian needs, food and medicine are exempt from the sanctions and the Iranian people are not the targets.

But Iran says the sanctions are inhumane and go against international law.

The sanctions on banks have meant that few if any international lenders are ready to facilitate transactions for fear of upsetting the United States, even for humanitarian purposes such as medical supplies.

Coupled with a plunge in Irans national currency, this has lead to severe shortages and soaring black market prices for drugs from abroad needed to treat illnesses like cancer and even simple anaesthetics required for surgery.

 Crime against humanity 

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a tweet on Monday that the intention to starve civilian population is crime against humanity.

ICJ already refuted (US) claim on humanitarian exemptions, he wrote, referring to the International Court of Justice.

Attached to the tweet were letters Zarif said were from international pharmaceutical firms to their Iranian partners informing them that they are ceasing all shipments to Iran due to US sanctions.

The US measures have been opposed by other parties to the deal aimed at ending Irans nuclear drive  Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia  who have vowed to keep the accord alive.

Theres no doubt Iran has already started to try and find ways to evade the sanctions both on oil in particular and financial markets, Bolton added.

UN inspectors say Iran is abiding by the agreement.

But Bolton said most of the countries of Europe have passed through denial and anger and many of them are already at acceptance that were out of the deal.

Others are getting to that point.

In the face of widespread opposition to the sanctions, Washington issued exemptions to eight countries to its ban on buying oil from major producer Iran.

Washington is demanding that Tehran end policies rooted in the 1979 Islamist revolution, including its support for regional proxies such as the Lebanese militia Hezbollah and its development of missiles.

The only support for the US position has come from Irans regional rivals, notably Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The International Monetary Fund has forecast that the sanctions will cause Irans economy to contract 1.5 percent this year and 3.6 percent next year.In the past week, two African heads of State have granted amnesties to their opponents.

In Cote dIvoire, the decision was announced on August 6 by President Alassane Ouattara during a speech to mark the 58th independence anniversary of this former French colony.

Among the 800 people granted amnesty is former First Lady Simone Gbagbo, whose husband Laurent is currently on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. Simone Gbagbo was jailed after the bloody post-election crisis that left some 3,000 people dead in 2010-2011 and the military defeat of her side by the current president. She was sentenced in 2015 to 20 years in prison for endangering State security. Two days after the amnesty was announced, she left prison all smiles, although visibly marked by the years of detention. This reputedly devout evangelical Christian was greeted at her home in a wealthy part of Abidjan by a crowd of joyous supporters.

Ouattaras move was hailed by a broad spectrum of the political class as a gesture for reconciliation, but victims of the 2010-2011 crisis see it as endorsing impunity. Simone Gbagbo is nevertheless still under an ICC arrest warrant, which the Ivorian government refuses to implement.

Amnesty too in South Sudan, which has for five years been plunged into a civil war triggered by political and ethnic rivalry between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar. In a decree dated August 8, Salva Kiir granted amnesty to his main rival and other rebels, a decision that comes less than a week after the signature in Sudan of a power-sharing accord between the government and the rebels. This agreement should notably allow Riek Machar to return to the post of vice-president. The war in South Sudan broke out at the end of 2013, when Salva Kiir accused Riek Machar of fomenting a coup detat. The conflict has already left tens of thousands of people dead and millions displaced.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country that has never since its independence from Belgium in 1960 had a peaceful handover of power, 23 candidates have filed their candidacies to succeed President Joseph Kabila. They include Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, chosen on August 8 as the candidate of the presidential majority. Kabila has thus designated his heir after being long suspected nationally and internationally of wanting to run for a third term in violation of the constitution. Among the main opponents of the presidential camp is former vice-president and ex-warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba, who was acquitted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on June 8. Bemba is still awaiting the ICCs verdict in a related case.

The Central African Republic is another African country in search of peace, justice and reconciliation. In connection with this, French jurist and former diplomat Didier Niewiadowski analysed for JusticeInfo the possible implications of Russian soldiers and Russian companies presence in this country as well as the military mission of the European Union and the United Nations force. Whilst the official Russian line is that they want to re-establish the authority of the State and strengthen the capacities of FACA (Central African armed forces), on the ground the employees of private Russian companies often make deals with the rebel leaders, says this former diplomat to Bangui (2008-2012). Russias eruption onto the Central African scene complicates the task of the African Union and the UN and hampers coordination of the different efforts, notably within the G5 (UN, African Union, European Union, United States, France), he adds.The recent discovery of anonymous graves at former Canadian residential schools has reopened the debate on the response to redress for crimes against indigenous peoples. The various transitional justice mechanisms that have been put in place have not sufficiently responded to the cultural harms suffered, says researcher Chandni Dhingra.

By Chandni Dhingra, for JusticeInfo.netAnne-Sophie Gindroz, an aid worker who was expelled by the Communist government of Laos in late 2012, has just written a book on her experience in that country. Laos, the silent repression (see attachment download above) comes five years after the disappearance of Laotian activist Sombath Somphone. The Laotian government has still not provided any []

By Arnaud Dubus, southeast Asia correspondentDressed in a black suit over a light green shirt, Thomas Kwoyelo appeared composed throughout the hearing as he denied 32 counts out of the 93 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity he is alleged to have committed during a conflict that has plagued Northern Uganda since the mid-1980s.

I dont know anything about that and I plead not guilty, the former rebel of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) calmly said through his local language interpreter as each of the 32 counts was read to him on the first day of his trial. Security in and around the courthouse was tight. Kwoyelos wife, Grace Auma, and another man who refused to be identified were the only relatives present in the courtroom. Other relatives and local residents followed the proceedings from a tent outside the court facility. The public gallery was largely occupied by officials from non-governmental organizations, media and state.

Rapes, murders, torture and kidnappings

Kwoyelo appeared before a panel of three justices headed by Persis Jane Kiggundu. The registrar of the International Crimes Division of the High Court read out the preliminary information of the charges before reading each count individually. The prosecution alleges that Kwoyelo willfully commanded systematic inhumane attacks on civilians who were raped, kidnapped, murdered, enslaved, tortured and imprisoned. Many were also enlisted into the LRA ranks as fighters. He is accused of commanding attacks on civilians in Abera and Pagak villages, and Pabbo in Amuru district, where a large camp for internally displaced persons was attacked by LRA rebels who destroyed lives and properties between 1992 and 2005. Kwoyelo keenly followed through his Luo interpreter as his lawyers followed from the indictment. The accused entered a plea for each count, after one of the judges had asked him to confirm that he had understood the charges.

I am happy that the trial has started today. I cannot comment any further. The government knows very well what they are doing with my husband, Kwoyelos wife said after the hearing and as her other relatives gathered around her. What we want is justice, she added.

Some are long dead and are not witnessing this trial

Josephat Okello was a resident of Pagak, where Kwoyelo allegedly committed crimes. He was in Pagak when the war broke out, after he had retired from a Ugandan public service job. But when the conflict intensified Okello moved to the safety of Gulu town where he has been living since, doing petty trade.

He was present at Mondays hearing and quickly recalled that it took ten years between the arrest of the accused and the opening of the trial. This case had taken long and we were losing interest. We are happy it is taking off and people who were affected can finally look justice in the face, Okello said. We ask those handling this case not to delay it again, both sides need justice and it should be soon, otherwise it does not serve the purpose for the people who suffered during the Lords Resistance Army war. The case comes to conclusion when some are long dead, as indeed some have died, and are not witnessing this trial.

The proceedings began late morning and were briefly adjourned after the defense objected that Kwoyelo could not enter a plea on one count due to incomplete disclosure by the prosecution. The elements of the charge related to abductions and holding hostages. Witnesses identities were protected and the lead prosecutor pleaded that restrictions of disclosure of evidence and particulars of witnesses and victims were dictated by the rules. The defense said it would be unfair for Kwoyelo to plead to something he does not understand. When the hearing resumed, their client pleaded not guilty. The reading of the charges will continue in the following days.Asia Bibi: Boris Johnson seizes the opportunity to do the right thing

Is there room in the country for the right sort of asylum seeker? The Daily Mail, a paper whose existence gave rise to thousands of Twitter accounts that use it to define everything they are not, leads with its support for Asia Bibi, the Pakistani woman persecuted for her Christian beliefs and put on death row for eight years. Now released from that ordeal she faces the very real prospect of murder by Islamic extremists. Bibis crime was to be accused of being rude about the Muslim Prophet Muhammad as she argued with some Muslim women over a cup of water during a fruit harvest in 2010. She was soon beaten up, arrested, charged with blasphemy and sentenced to death by the hangmans rope.

The case eventually came before Pakistans supreme court  yep, this one went to the very top. The judges said the accusations were concoction incarnate. In other words, the other women were liars. Bibis enemies had used her religion  shes a Roman Catholic  against her to appeal to the countys bigotry. It worked. For eight longs years and more it worked. Its still working. Islamists want her dead. So is there room in the UK for Asia Bibi?

Wilson Chowdhry, of the British Pakistani Christian Association, says Britain is allegedly not offering Ms Bibi asylum because of fears of potential unrest in the country, as well as attacks on embassies. Pakistans prime minister Imran Khan refuses Bibis right to leave the country. Chowdhry says Khan is effectively signing her death warrant. Bibis lawyer has fled Pakistan.

Into the vacuum of Western indifference to the plight of a Catholic woman steps Boris Johnson. In a letter to the Home Secretary, the former foreign secretary who would be Prime Minister writes:

I am well aware, as a former foreign secretary, of the constant threat to our overseas missions but we cannot allow the threat of violence to deter us from doing the right thing. I do not think it is a dignified position for the UK, given our historic links with Pakistan and the extent of our influence there, to look to others to do what we are allegedly nervous to do ourselves.

Easy from the sidelines, no? Where was Boris when Asia Bibi was in prison? When a politico speaks its loaded with political ambition and vested interest. But the grandstanding and opportunism do not dismiss the point. Asia Bibi needs our help. Its our duty to provide it. At a time when Donald Trump belches America first, promoting censorship and illiberalism with a policy that says the US will be fair to any country that is fair with it no matter how heinous their suppression of positive freedom, we need more than ever to amplify our belief in free speech, free expression and democracy. The Leader of the Free World has abdicated. Lets fill the void.

Asia Bibi should be given safe haven in this country. If we want to go it alone post Brexit, this is how you show your worth. Boris Johnson, the Mail and everyone who values freedom, equality and liberty should demand Asia Bibi is granted asylum in the UK.

Anorak

Posted: 13th, November 2018 | In: Key Posts, News Comment | TrackBack | PermalinkUFOs spotted over Ireland: little green men sought

Irelands reputation as a haven for little green men has reached far into the cosmos. UFOS have been spotted over the Emerald Isle. The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is investigating the strange flying objects.

The BBC takes up the story:

(A British Airways) pilot, flying from the Canadian city of Montreal to Heathrow, said there was a very bright light and the object had come up along the left side of the aircraft before it rapidly veered to the north(Another Virgin pilot said) there were multiple objects following the same sort of trajectory and that they were very bright.

A shooting star, perhaps?

The pilot said he saw two bright lights over to the right which climbed away at speed. One pilot said the speed was astronomical, it was like Mach 2  which is twice the speed of sound.

The IAA says things will be investigated under the normal confidential occurrence investigation process. In the meanwhile, round up the usual suspects and tell RyanAir some new competition has arrived

Anorak

Posted: 13th, November 2018 | In: Key Posts, News, Strange But True, Technology Comment | TrackBack | PermalinkA group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression.(ANSA) - Palermo, November 13 - Italy and the international community are to back the creation of a regular army in Libya as part of stabilisation efforts, Premier Giuseppe Conte told a conference on the north African country on Tuesday.

Stressing the need to overcome the current situation of warring armed groups, he said "the international community will be able to express concrete support for the creation and deployment of regular security forces". Conte added that Italy will do its part, also as regards "technical assistance, also on the level of training".

He said "we will have to make sure that...the spirit of Palermo, as I like to call it, will not be exhausted here and now, but turn into a concrete commitment to bring forward the agenda with constancy and determination".

(ANSA) - Palermo, November 13 - There is a "good possibility" that a National Conference on Libya, the first step of a UN-backed roadmap for a renewed international effort to break a political stalemate in the country, will be held in January, diplomatic sources said Tuesday after a meeting in Palermo between Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, Libyan Premier Fayez al Sarraj and Marshal Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan National Army controls much of the east of the country.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the conference for Libya in Sicily, which was also attended by Russian Premier Dmitri Medvedev, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, EU Council President Donald Tusk, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Algerian Premier Ahmed Ouyahia and UN envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame.

A photo taken after the meeting showed Conte, Sarraj and Haftar shaking hands at Palermo's Villa Igiea.

Security and human rights were at the center of the meeting Tuesday morning, diplomatic sources explained.

Libya's stability, the same sources stressed, is key for Libya as well as for Italy, due to the risk of terrorists infiltrating the country through migrant routes.

Speaking to a Libyan network in Palermo, Haftar said that "we are still at war and the country needs to control its borders".

"We have borders with Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan and Egypt and illegal migration comes from all sides", Haftar added in the interview to 'Libya Hadath', stressing that the phenomenon makes it easier for militants and Islamic terrorists to cross into the country.

Meanwhile, according to diplomatic sources who attended the meeting between Haftar and the head of the internationally recognized Libyan government Sarraj, the strongman of Cyrenaica reportedly said that "you don't change a horse while crossing a river".

He was reportedly referring to the fact that Sarraj can lead the government until elections are held in the country, the same sources said.

Libyan television Al Hadath later tweeted that Haftar left Palermo at the end of the meeting of leaders in Palermo, which took place on the sidelines of the conference on Libya, and "lasted over two hours", Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted as saying by Tass news agency.

KLAMATH FALL, Ore. -- A few hundred people lined Main Street n Klamath Falls for Mondays Veterans Day Parade and many stuck around for a short ceremony to celebrate and thank all the veterans in Klamath Falls and across the country.

It's been 64 years since President Eisenhower officially made November 11th Veterans Day and 73 years since WWII ended, that's when Helen Johnsons father-in-law served. She was one of the many people who came to the parade and ceremony this morning.

"I support everybody. I also have a brick here for my father-in-law. I always leave something here for him just to let them know that I was here and I love him and I missing him," Johnson said.

Monday, she placed a small American flag on the brick with his name on it.

According to Klamath County Commissioner Derrick DeGroot, 12 percent of the county's population is veterans. That's compared to other counties across the nation at one to two percent. Retired Colonel Karen Johnson is honored to be one of them.

I'm so proud that I was able to do the duty, to make the sacrifices. Without my family and friends supporting me it would've been much more difficult but I loved every minute of it," she said.

Many of the veterans at Mondays celebrations feel the same way

"As a daughter-in-law I respect all the service people and without them we wouldn't have our freedom," Johnson said.MEDFORD, Ore.  Southern Oregon contains some of the strongest job markets in the United States, according to a new report from USA Today. The rankings are largely based on jobs added over a five-year period  plus a few other factors, including growth industries, unemployment rates, and median househould income.

Grants Pass came in at #18 on the list of strongest job markets in the country with a 17.6 percent increase in employment over the past five years. USA Today reports that most of those jobs came from the education and health services industries.

"Not all industries in Grants Pass contributed to growth as the metro area's government sector shed some 500 positions. Still, the metro area's job market is much improved from five years ago," the publication found.

The city's unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in August of this year  a marked improvement over the 10.7 percent reported in August of 2013.

Meanwhile, Medford ranked #28 on USA Today's list, with a 15.4 percent increase in employment over the past five years. Like Grants Pass, most of those jobs came from education and health services.

"Medford is one of several rapidly growing cities in Oregon adding jobs at a faster pace than almost anywhere else in the country. Due in large part to the metro area's education and health services industry, there are over 13,000 more jobs in Medford today than there were in 2013," USA Today said.

Most of the cities among USA Today's Top 31 hailed from the southern or western U.S.  with a particularly strong showing from Oregon. Albany and the greater Portland area both placed, and the greater Bend area reached #2 on the list.

Despite the Rogue Valley's strong showing on the list, Medford and Grants Pass stand out  and not necessarily in a good way. Among the cities listed, both had among the highest reported unemployment rates.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate stood at 3.9 percent in August, while Oregon's unemployment rate reached 3.8 percent. With unemployment rates in August of 5.3 and 4.7 percent respectively, Grants Pass and Medford still have a long way to go before they catch up with the rest of the nation  let alone the state.(ANSA) - Palermo, November 13 - Premier Giuseppe Conte said after a Palermo conference on Libya that "we leave Palermo taking with us a feeling of confidence" for giving "a prospect of stabilisation" to Libya.

He said "we mustn't delude ourselves, but important premises have been laid in this path".

Conte shrugged off the fact that Turkey had abandoned the conference, saying this "does not change the positive climate".

United Nations Libya envoy Ghassam Salame thanked Italy and Conte for organising the Libya conference, "which has been a success".

He said "Palermo remains a milestone" in the Libyan political process.

Salame said there had been "a serious commitment" towards stabilisation by all the Libyan parties.

He said "the national conference to beheld in Libya in January will be facilitated by this conference in Palermo.

"I received the clear commitment on the part of all the Libyan actors that will take part in it.

"And that reassures me on the possible success" of the national conference envisaged by the UN's new road map, he said.

Conte that Italy sought to take an inclusive approach with its conference on Libya in Palermo, with no attempt to impose solutions from outside. "We were keen to guarantee the full inclusiveness of all the parties who have the stabilization and future of Libya in their hearts. "Furthermore, we stressed from the start how crucial it was to have the main Libyan parties with us. We wanted to promote this initiative in full respect of the Libyan ownership of the process. The solutions cannot be imposed from abroad".

Italy and the international community are to back the creation of a regular army in Libya as part of stabilisation efforts, Conte told the conference on the north African country.

Stressing the need to overcome the current situation of warring armed groups, he said "the international community will be able to express concrete support for the creation and deployment of regular security forces". Conte added that Italy will do its part, also as regards "technical assistance, also on the level of training".

He said "we will have to make sure that...the spirit of Palermo, as I like to call it, will not be exhausted here and now, but turn into a concrete commitment to bring forward the agenda with constancy and determination".

There is a "good possibility" that a National Conference on Libya, the first step of a UN-backed roadmap for a renewed international effort to break a political stalemate in the country, will be held in January, diplomatic sources said Tuesday after a meeting in Palermo between Conte, Libyan Premier Fayez al Sarraj and Marshal Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan National Army controls much of the east of the country.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the conference for Libya in Sicily, which was also attended by Russian Premier Dmitri Medvedev, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, EU Council President Donald Tusk, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Algerian Premier Ahmed Ouyahia and UN envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame.

A photo taken after the meeting showed Conte, Sarraj and Haftar shaking hands at Palermo's Villa Igiea.

Security and human rights were at the center of the meeting Tuesday morning, diplomatic sources explained.

Libya's stability, the same sources stressed, is key for Libya as well as for Italy, due to the risk of terrorists infiltrating the country through migrant routes.

Speaking to a Libyan network in Palermo, Haftar said that "we are still at war and the country needs to control its borders".

"We have borders with Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan and Egypt and illegal migration comes from all sides", Haftar added in the interview to 'Libya Hadath', stressing that the phenomenon makes it easier for militants and Islamic terrorists to cross into the country.

Meanwhile, according to diplomatic sources who attended the meeting between Haftar and the head of the internationally recognized Libyan government Sarraj, the strongman of Cyrenaica reportedly said that "you don't change a horse while crossing a river".

He was reportedly referring to the fact that Sarraj can lead the government until elections are held in the country, the same sources said.

Libyan television Al Hadath later tweeted that Haftar left Palermo at the end of the meeting of leaders in Palermo, which took place on the sidelines of the conference on Libya, and "lasted over two hours", Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted as saying by Tass news agency.

TEL AVIV - Another ceasefire has reportedly been reached between Hamas and Israel thanks to mediation by Egypt and the UN. Reports were from Arab media, including Al Jazeera, which were in turn quoted by Israeli ones.

No confirmation has been received from Israel yet. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has called for civilian lives to be spared, noting that it is the most serious clashes since the 2014 armed conflict. Saleh Higazi, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International said that the ''alarming escalation in violence overnight in Gaza raises fears we could witness another spike in civilian bloodshed. Under international humanitarian law, all sides in a conflict have a clear obligation to protect the lives of civilians caught up in the hostilities.

Higazi urged both Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups to stop indiscriminate rocket attacks and those targeting civilians.Talk to Brussels on Italy budget - Merkel

(ANSAmed) - ROME, NOVEMBER 13 - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday Rome should talk to Brussels on its 2019 budget, stressing that a solution was needed".



"It's important to reach a solution and it's important that it is done in dialogue with the European Commission. That's what Premier Conte said," she said. "Italy is a founder country of the EU and decided the rules with the others," Merkel stressed, replying to MEPs in Strasbourg.



The EC has said Italy's 2019 breaks Stability Pact rules and has demanded a revised package by the end of today.



The Italian government has said it will send it an unchanged budget. (ANSAmed).



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The New York University School of Medicine stunned the nation by announcing tuition for all current and future medical students will be free, irrespective of merit or financial need. Dr. Robert Grossman, dean at NYU, commented: This decision recognizes a moral imperative that must be addressed, as institutions place an increasing debt burden on young people who aspire to become physicians. NYU says their scholarship  which begins in the 2018-19 school year  is worth $55,000 annually.

Financing a medical education has, indeed, become a moral quandary. Over the past three decades, medical school tuition has quadrupled. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) estimates the cost to attend a public medical school is more than $240,000 and as much as $322,000 for four years at a private medical school  an amount which is more or less equivalent to the cost of a family home.

Demanding such a high degree of economic sacrifice brings with it a few complications. Physicians raised in more affluent households can afford it  enrollment statistics back up the higher rate of wealthier students  but they do not necessarily become better doctors than medical students originating from middle or lower-class families. And minority students, which are crucial to establishing diverse representation in health care, more often view cost as an insurmountable obstacle.

Burdensome debt works against creation of a diverse physician workforce. Heavy financial liability stifles growth of an atmosphere where all doctors are likely to provide culturally competent care and make underrepresented minority groups more comfortable seeing a doctor, and furthermore reduces the number of physicians available to work in underserved rural areas, exacerbating a nationwide physician shortage.

Unfortunately, high tuition is deterring medical students from entering the primary care fields. Nearly half of third- and fourth-year medical students say that their choice in medical specialty is directly influenced by projected income  or by debt burden. In the U.S., only 3 in 10 students choose the primary care specialties of internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics, which generally have lower salaries than more lucrative disciplines like cardiology, orthopedics, or anesthesiology. Ideally, 6 or 7 in 10 would choose a primary care specialty, however, surveys show orthopedists make $489,000 a year, compared with family practice physicians and pediatricians, who earn less than $200,000 annually.

As a member of the University of Washington School of Medicine Admissions Committee for more than 20 years, I have seen the number of applicants from underrepresented minority groups decline significantly. In my opinion, medical students should come from all walks of life, and have diverse educational, cultural, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds  and unfortunately, as the NYU experiment underscores, academic institutions are not addressing the overwhelming expense of medical school education and the issues that creates.

However, free tuition isnt necessary a silver bullet. To really solve the problem of representation as well as improve quality of care, financial incentives should be tied to outcomes. Fortunately, a model for that philosophy exists right here in our region of the country.

The State of Alaska has a physician shortage, but they are addressing it through cooperation between northwest states and a program at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Through the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) program, tuition for UW-Alaska students is partially subsidized by the State of Alaska via payments to the University of Washington School of Medicine. Alaska views these subsidies as loans which are repayable upon graduation. Repayment can take two paths: the loan can be repaid in a standard plan with interest or can be forgiven by practicing medicine in Alaska. Complete loan forgiveness requires three years of working in a rural setting in Alaska or five years in an urban location in Alaska.

Students who are accepted to out-of-state private medical schools sometimes choose to go elsewhere in order to avoid the Alaskan commitment. However, for those who find the idea of medical school tuition far too onerous, this is a chance to fulfill their dream without tying themselves to such overwhelming debt in the long run.

As NYUs bold philanthropic move is reverberating throughout academic institutions across the nation, I, for one, commend them on realizing the value young medical students hold for the future of healthcare in this country and backing that notion up with innovation and generosity.

Niran S. Al-Agba is a pediatrician who blogs at MommyDoc.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com411 Shares Share

College students work hard, and many are looking for ways to improve their studying and learn more effectively. Getting more sleep and more exercise would probably help, but up to a third are trying ADHD medications to see if pills can give them that extra boost. A small, recent study shows that theyre not getting the effect theyre looking for.

Were not talking, here, about teens who have ADHD. Theres robust evidence that medical and non-medical therapy helps people with ADHD stay focused, and medication can help them succeed. But what about the far-larger number of college students who dont have ADHD. Can they benefit from the same medications?

Researchers at two universities in Rhode Island  a tiny state, but theyve got 12 colleges overall  picked 13 healthy student volunteers to take tests of their cognitive ability, memory, and other academic measures. They took these tests in a random order on 2 different days. But on one day, they also took the commonly-used ADHD medication Adderall at a nice hefty dose of 30 mg. On the other day, they received placebo. The researchers were then able to compare the differences in their performance.

Some things did change. On Adderall, blood pressure and pulse were higher, as were self-reported positive emotions and energy. However, there were very small effects on actual cognitive or thinking ability, with some small positive and some small negative effects. Working memory  the ability to recall information  was much worse with the medication. Overall, Adderall did not help these college students study better or learn more.

This was a small study, with only 13 subjects. But the results are striking. On college campuses, medications like Adderall are being used both as study aids and as a way to stay up longer and party harder. But theyre not without risks, including depression, psychosis, weight loss, and addiction. These are serious medications, and while they can have a role in helping some people, they ought to be only used when necessary, under medical supervision. Theyre not for everyone, and especially not for most college students looking for a way to improve their grades.

Roy Benaroch is a pediatrician who blogs at the Pediatric Insider. He is also the author of A Guide to Getting the Best Health Care for Your Child and the creator of The Great Courses Medical School for Everyone: Grand Rounds Cases.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com1K Shares Share

We all know that theres a remarkable shortage of physicians in America and that its growing worse. This is especially true in primary care but its present across all specialties. This shortage alone is a significant stress on practicing physicians. But when it is coupled with corporatization, the increasing complexity of medical care, unrelenting electronic charting requirements and the explosion of administrative tasks, physicians barely keep up each day.

This is one of the reasons that physician assistants and nurse practitioners are increasingly used in hospitals, clinics, and emergency departments. Among the other reasons we see increased employment of these professionals is that they can be trained in a shorter time than physicians and (as such) they cost their employers less money.

All across the land, physicians work side-by-side with PAs and NPs, in busy practice settings. The original idea was that this would free physicians to use their time more effectively. On first pass, this seems like a great compromise. See more patients for less. The mid-levels (although many resent this term) often spend more time with patients and connect with them more effectively as a result. However, there are always costs. One of those costs is that physicians typically have to co-sign the medical charts of their NP and PA co-workers. Which means they are also accountable for the clinical care they provide.

Unfortunately, it sets up a situation both perilous and unfair, especially when the PAs and NPs are hired by a health care organization to work with physicians rather than hired directly by physicians. The problem is that theres a gulf between ideal and real. You see, every lawyer and consultant in health care says physicians should read every chart generated by a non-physician provider under their license. Its a great idea in theory. But in practical application, it simply cant happen. Theres not enough time.

As an emergency physician in a busy community department, I can say quite honestly that the PAs and I are both working as fast as we can. And unless he or she asks me to directly see a complex patient, I dont have time to review their work. Sure, I try to be constantly aware of whats going on all around me and give guidance as much as I can. But to sit down and do a thorough evaluation of a chart? Next to impossible. Equally so in large, high acuity referral centers.

What could we do? Well, hospitals could pay us to stay over or come in extra days and do detailed reviews of charts. But that would be costly. Sometimes we do chart audits. Pull a designated percentage of charts and see how things are going each month. Not a bad idea, but very incomplete. Mistakes can easily be missed.

Theres another option which is growing in popularity. Some states allow independent practice, particularly of nurse practitioners. That is, they are not supervised by a physician. They practice on their own. So, no physician needs to sign that chart. Reasonable? Maybe, maybe not.

I know some NPs and PAs I trust absolutely. They are not only formally well educated, they work hard at increasing their skills and knowledge. They have spent years in the trenches and know their limitations. However, education is big business and colleges are churning out lots of mid-level practitioners. In fact, PA schools are popping up everywhere and online NP programs are the rage. (For a thought exercise, just imagine touting the wonders of your online MD!) With this lucrative market for degree mills, with this increasing need for these health care workers in the marketplace, we are seeing a decrease in quality. And an increase in danger.

The result? Physicians are being asked to sign charts in support of care they cannot review and which may be provided by inexperienced, under-educated and over-confident providers.

This isnt to say that there arent incompetent, dangerous physicians. Of course, there are. And we should always be diligent to discover them and protect the public from them. But the educational process, the amount of didactic and clinical hours spent in medical school and residency, the vetting of physicians both before, during and after training is much more rigorous. Furthermore, physicians outside of training arent co-signing for other physicians. Full accountability rests on the practitioner.

Ultimately, this seems to come down to money. Administrators can pay the NPs and PAs significantly less. From a budget standpoint, it makes sense. However, to do so and still expect physicians to be party to and accountable for care they really dont have time to supervise? Thats grossly unfair and frankly unsafe. Especially when theyre expected to be just as fast and satisfaction friendly as ever before.

This may seem like Im bashing on NPs and PAs. Thats not my intent. In fact, closer supervision would be much more educational for those clinicians. It would help them to become better at their jobs. It would protect them and the physicians involved from the agony of litigation. And more important, from the deep, aching remorse of causing harm to a patient who trusted them for help.

Still, if the consensus remains the same, if physicians keep hearing you have to sign the charts, everybody does it, so dont worry about it, then were really hurting several groups. Were neglecting to educate and mentor our co-workers. Were abusing the authority and accountability of physicians (and neglecting their insights and experience). And worst of all, were putting patients in peril for financial expediency.

Im frightened that I may one day sign off on a dangerous mistake just because I didnt have time to provide proper supervision. And that possibility should make physicians, PAs, NPs and especially administrators very nervous indeed.

Edwin Leap is an emergency physician who blogs at edwinleap.com and is the author of the Practice Test and Life in Emergistan.

Image credit: Shutterstock.comCOBURG, Ore. -- As hundreds of Oregon firefighters battle blazes in California, their loved ones say theyre getting a lot of support.

As of Monday morning, Oregon had sent 85 fire engines and 318 firefighters to assist. Some of those are fighting the Camp Fire, which is now the most destructive fire in the state's history.

CAMP FIRE: Latest Numbers

Lane County Fire Defense Chief Chad Minter said crews are on 24-hour shifts and doing everything from battling the blazes to searching for and recovering victims. Minter said its likely crews will be spending Thanksgiving on the fire lines, and depending on the severity of the fires, their stay could go as long as 21 days.

"Twenty-one is the max. It could change to 21. We're hoping in this case it doesn't," Minter said. "Historically we've never went 21 in California, but you never know. It's whatever the need is."

MORE: Oregon firefighters helping at California wildfires

Lisa Armsteads and Andrea Enrights husbands are down in California fighting the Camp Fire. Both men are volunteers with the Coburg Fire District.

Both women said their husbands have been called up to fight fires out of state before. They hope their husbands make it back in time for Thanksgiving but know there is work to be done.

"Twenty-one days is hard. Sixteen days is hard," Enright said. "But you look at the news and you see all the stuff that is going on down there and you think, I can be without my husband for 21 days. They definitely need some help down there."

RELATED: First responders who lost homes in Camp Fire still report for duty

Lisa Armstead is also a firefighter. She said families who have loved ones fighting the fires in California are all getting support from the community. She said family and friends, including other local firefighters, are ready to help them with whatever they need.

"Everybody helps everybody else out," Armstead said. "This is family."

Both Enright and Armstead said they have spoken to their husbands since they left. According to the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office, no Oregon firefighters have been hurt as of Monday.Migrants: 102,000 arrivals and 2,043 dead in 2018 in Med Over 100,000 for 5th year in a row, IOM

(ANSAmed) - GENEVA, NOVEMBER 13 - At least 102,611 migrants and refugees arrived in Europe via sea since the beginning of 2018 until November 11, the UN migration agency IOM reported Tuesday in Geneva. Some 2,043 people have lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea trying to reach Europe since the beginning of the year. The IOM underscores that it is the fifth consecutive year in which over 100,000 undocumented migrants and refugees arrived in Europe via the sea, though in the preceding years the figure had been reached earlier in the year.



As of mid-November 2017, some 156,372 undocumented migrants and refugees had arrived in Europe via sea, while for 2016 the figure was 341,215. The over 2,000 deaths since the beginning of 2018 are less than the 3,001 reported in the same period in 2017 and the 4,329 in the first 315 days of 2016. (ANSAmed).



A man who told gardai his partner died after falling down the stairs was charged with murder when a post mortem showed she had injuries inconsistent with a fall, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Vincent Heneghan SC opened the trial of 32-year-old Renars Veigulis of Old Bridge Street in Freshford, Co Kilkenny who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Rita Apine (29) at their home on or about May 14, 2017.Mr Heneghan told the jury of seven men and five women that both the accused and deceased are from Latvia. Mr Veigulus came to Ireland about five years ago, followed six months later by Ms Apine, and in 2016 they moved to Freshford, from Kilkenny City.

At 12.18pm on May 14 last year Mr Veigulus phoned an ambulance and said his partner had fallen down the stairs. When paramedics arrived they noted a lot of blood on the deceased and severe head injuries. They resuscitated Ms Apine at the scene and took her to hospital but she died later that day. A garda at the scene noticed blood spatter that he did not think was consistent with a simple fall down the stairs and an investigation began. A forensic team found further blood spatter which they say is inconsistent with a fall and evidence that blood had been wiped from a wall prior to the arrival of paramedics and gardai.

Mr Heneghan said forensic scientists examined Mr Veigulis's clothing and found, on his top, evidence of blood spatter which was not consistent with the version of events he put forward. A post mortem by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan showed that the deceased had suffered severe blunt force trauma that is not consistent with a fall down the stairs, Mr Heneghan said.

During garda interviews the accused maintained that Ms Apine died as a result of the fall. "That is the matter that you will have to resolve," Mr Heneghan told the jury. The trial continues in front of Justice Tara Burns.ROCKWELL, Iowa - It's a tradition in schools big and small across our area, welcoming in veterans for special Veteran's Day programs. That includes West Fork Schools morning in Rockwell.

The event is centered on veterans like Mike Echelberger who served two tours in Vietnam. Echelberger tells KIMT he likes to see schools put on these events because it educates the kids about the impact veterans have on the world we live in today.

Freedom, patriotism and enjoying America and all the things we enjoy here in the United States. Obviously we just had an election, you know we choose things. We come and go as we please and a lot of people gave a lot for that freedom, says Echelberger.

Echelberger says all major wars were represented by veterans at Mondays program except for World War II.MASON CITY, Iowa - A traffic stop resulted in felony drug charges against a Northwood man after he was allegedly found with what authorities called a "large amount" of methamphetamine.

Michael Anderson, 31, is facing charges for controlled substance violations, possession of drug paraphernalia and failure to affix a tax stamp after being stopped at 4th St. and S. Indianhead Dr. on Sunday at 12:21 a.m.

Anderson possessed well over five grams of meth, according to court documents, and had a scale and numerous plastic bags, according to court documents.MASON CITY, Iowa - While the holidays can be a time of joy and cheer, they can also be a source of financial stress.

There are families across the world that can't afford gifts for their kids, but an annual effort is helping provide some presents for those in need.

Throughout this week until the 19th, many churches across the country are taking part in 'Operation Christmas Child', collecting shoeboxes full of small gifts, toys and school supplies to send to children in need. Volunteers at Mason City's First Covenant Church say it's something so simple, yet it brings so much joy.

Myrna Long is volunteering with the project, and recalls a recent experience with a child from Ethiopia that has a connection to the program.

"He had been adopted from Ethiopia, and was in Mason City at the time, and he came in with his mom, bringing in a shoebox, and that was really exciting because he had received a shoebox when he was in Ethiopia."

In the 10 years the project has been hosted in Mason City, Long says there has been great response from the community.

"It's been growing and grows every year...we have somebody coming in now and they're bringing 210 boxes from one church. So they may do this all year. It may be a production for them to do all year long."

First Covenant Church isn't the only church within the KIMT coverage area collecting shoeboxes: Pilot Knob Lutheran near Forest City, Calvary Evangelical Free Church in Rochester, Crane Community Chapel in Austin, First Baptist Church in Albert Lea, and Seventh Day Baptist Church in Dodge Center are also participating in this year's program.

For a list of what you can and can't pack in a shoebox, click here. There are 5,000 drop off locations that are participating in this year's project.ROCHESTER, Minn.  KIMT first told you how Olmsted County prepared for Election Day, and now were telling you how theyre work is continuing after the big day.

Anissa Hollingshead is the City Clerk for the City of Rochester. She said after election day, all the ballots are sent to the county, kept in a secure storage area for 22 months, then destroyed. But as for now, theyre still being looked at to make sure all the results are correct.

Everything about elections is about redundancy, Hollingshead said. Checking and double checking, and verifying and cross verifying to make sure everything matches up and that it is fully accurate.

According to Hollingshead, the county is doing most of the heavy-lifting making sure all the numbers add up. But she is crunching some numbers of her own, like how many people registered for voting on November 6 and figuring out the citys voter turnout.

Due to data accessibility, the city calculates voter turnout a little differently than the state of Minnesota. Hollingsheads latest numbers show this about the citys voter turnout:

2018: 51,806 voters, 73.85% turnout

2016: 58,002 voters, 80.88% turnout

2014: 35,844 voters, 56.21% turnout

City officials are also already planning for the next election.

Nothing's scheduled for 2019 but in the event that we had a special election, we'd want to make sure we have all our locations lined up, Hollingshead said.

The city has to lock down polling locations by the end of this year for a possible 2019 election.

And while the 2020 election may seem far off in the distance, planning for the historic election will take a lot of planning. It is the first time Minnesota will have 3 elections, since it switched from a caucus to a primary for the presidential election. In 2020, the state will have a presidential primary earlier in the year, then the primary election, ending with the general election.

The 2018 election results will be canvassed, or in other words, made official, by the end of the week.

All federal, state, and county election results will be canvassed at 1pm on Thursday, November 15, in the conference room near the Council Chambers.

All city election results will be canvassed at 1pm on Friday, November 16, in Room 320 on the third floor of City Hall.As Central American migrants travel to the U.S. border, residents in Rochester got together to discuss the gruesome journeys migrants endure by watching, "Dying to Live: A Migrant's Journey," at Assisi Heights Spirituality Center. They engaged in a dialogue afterwards.

Sister Ruth Snyder was one of the facilitators for the event. She knows the topic of immigration well: Snyder served 21 years as a missionary in Peru. She also volunteers at St. Francis Parish with the immigrant population. Her vast experience with immigrants from Central America makes her sympathetic to the flight migrants face.

"Seeing wonderful people, hearing their struggles of coming across the desert, of waiting the river...yes, I've heard very sad stories and stories of just heroic behavior on the part of immigrants who made that struggle to get here," Snyder said.

Other participants at the event shared her sentiments. Janet Rois, a retired resident in Rochester, once hosted four Vietnamese refugee children during the eighties.

"It was a very tough journey," Rois said. "It's not something taken lightly. These people that are coming are not just like, "Oh, I'll go to America." There's a lot of heartache in that decision."

Immigrants make up a sizeable portion of Minnesota's residents -- According to the Minnesota State Demographic Center, 1 in 12 residents are foreign-born and the biggest group of Minnesota residents born outside the U.S. were born in Mexico.Tunisia: Chahed cabinet wins parliamentary confidence vote To bring country to elections in 2019

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, NOVEMBER 13 - The Tunisian Parliament, at the end of a long round of voting for each minister, has given a green light to the new cabinet team of Premier Youssef Chahed by a large majority.



It is the second reshuffle for Chahed, and the tenth government since the 2011 uprising, which was created to give more strength to the executive, according to the intention of the prime minister.



Chahed replaced 13 ministers and five secretaries of State, among others.



Key positions that were replaced include the ministers of justice, health, tourism, transport and public function.



Chahed, who first became prime minister in August 2016, has the objective of boosting the economy, fighting corruption and taking the country to presidential and legislative elections in 2019. (ANSAmed).



NORTHWOOD, Iowa- In honor of Veterans Day a high ranking colonel spoke to Northwood-Kensett students on Monday.

Lieutenant Colonel Brian Crozier spent 25 years in the Air Force and has been retired for the last two years. He explained to the students that being away from his family for so long made it one of the most difficult jobs, but one that he wouldnt go back and change.

Now he wants to educate students about what Veterans Day means and how he uses his knowledge from serving in his everyday life.

In the military they stressed service, excellence and integrity, Colonel Crozier said. Those values served me will in the Air Force and now my civilian life. Its important that we learn those values in small town Iowa. Its a good thing to keep going with.

Colonel Crozier then made a stop at the local VFW to meet with veterans.BARRON, Wis. (AP)  A Wisconsin teenager who has been missing since her parents were found dead in their home isn't a runaway and investigators believe she's in danger, a sheriff said Tuesday.

Authorities have been searching for 13-year-old Jayme Closs since deputies responding to a 911 call early Monday found her parents , James and Denise Closs, dead in their home in Barron, a rural western Wisconsin community about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Minneapolis.

The call came from a cellphone inside the home, but the caller didn't communicate with the dispatcher, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said during a Tuesday news conference. He said gunshots had been fired at the home, but he declined to say whether the couple had been shot and said his office won't disclose how they died until after the autopsies are completed.

Fitzgerald said investigators don't consider Jayme a suspect in her parents' deaths, and he dismissed a tip placing Jayme's whereabouts in Miami as "not credible." He declined to elaborate as to why investigators believe she didn't run away from home, saying that disclosing more information would compromise their investigation.

"I'm telling you, Jayme is missing and endangered," Fitzgerald said.

Jayme was last seen at a family gathering Sunday afternoon, Fitzgerald said.

Her grandfather, Robert Naiberg, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that nothing seemed amiss at the gathering, which was to celebrate the birthday of a grandson who is cousins with Jayme.

"She was quiet as always. She was a quiet girl," he said.

Naiberg, 72, said his daughter, Denise Closs, and Jayme attended the party, and that his son-in-law, James Closs, was working and couldn't make it. He described his daughter as "thoughtful person" who brought "a little gift for everybody" at the party.

A girl resembling Jayme was spotted at a gas station in south Florida on Monday afternoon, according to a tip Miami police say they received. Fitzgerald said authorities looked into the tip, but by Tuesday afternoon, they concluded the information was not credible. He said Miami police did not check with Wisconsin authorities before tweeting information about the tip and reminded the public that updates would come from the sheriff's department.

"If we think it's key to the case where we need the public's help, we will disseminate that information," he said.

Jayme is described as 5-feet (1.5 meters) tall and 100 pounds (45 kilograms), with strawberry-blond hair and green eyes.

The FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are helping in the search. An Amber Alert was issued without a description of a suspect or vehicle. Meanwhile, deputies searched the area around the family's home with drones and infrared equipment and talked to Jayme's friends and middle school classmates, hoping to develop some leads.

Fitzgerald urged the public to come forward with tips.

"Often, someone in the community will have knowledge of a crime and may not realize it," he said. "Individuals who commit acts of violence may display changes in their behavior and individuals around that person may observe those changes."Every vote counted - Williamsburg County Voter Registration & Election Commission IT Carl Jones (foreground) checks precinct totals on a tape as a representative from Printelect runs paper ballots through a Scanner/Counter M850 machine. The counter was delivered late Tuesday night after voting machines failed during the course of the day. Visit https://bit.ly/2DDxReq to view local results.

Photo by Michaele DukeShortly after a womans death, her daughter learns that 25 years earlier her mom hid from her a priceless, potentially life-altering educational opportunity. Can anything be done now? Could a claim be made against her moms estate, or is it too late? Well tell you the answer in a moment, but, first, lets travel back to 1992 and meet Celeste. She was a bright high school student who had a dedicated French teacher named Vicki. Speaking perfect French with a flawless accent, Vicki brought this language to life, becoming characters from history, showing up one day dressed as Napoleon, the next as Marie Antoinette, taking her students to a French restaurant and inspiring them to compete in a local educational foundations contest for a summer scholarship. The prize: one month studying in Lyon, France, all expenses paid. As you guessed, Celeste entered the competition and won! Having the uncanny ability of mimicking Vickis native accent, upon her return from France and meeting the foundations judges at a reception, all were blown away by this California kid who sounded like a native speaker. I cant stand the thought The foundations president sent a letter, addressed to mother and daughter, saying that Celeste is gifted, and by accomplishing a major or minor in French, her incredible ability could lead to a job with the State Department, or in the business world, education, anywhere fluency in French is needed. We will pay for all expenses at any university she chooses to attend in France.

We feel it our duty to do everything possible so that she can put this amazing ability to great use. And her mom, how did she react to this offer, which could have changed the course of Celestes life in so many ways? How should any parent who wants a good education for their child reply? Oh, no! I cant stand the thought of her moving away. She likes working with hair, and I am going to pay for her to attend cosmetology school, her mother wrote back, with these words in bold italics: Leave Us Alone! Mom never told me! I found it all by going through her diary, Celeste told me recently. If you wonder whatever became of Celeste, well, Mom got her wish. She became a hairstylist, never left her hometown, got married at a young age, and has three adult daughters. She gave them all French names. But Celeste never lost her interest in the language, studying on her own and even subscribing to French magazines. She reads my law blog and dropped by my office recently. Mom never told me about the offer to pay for my French studies, which was dated Aug. 1, my birthday, when I turned 18. I discovered all of this while reading her journal after she died two weeks ago. Mom wrote, Must hide this from Celeste. I know it is not right, but she would move away and leave me alone. Must do everything to keep her in town.

Mr. Beaver. I loved my mother. She just couldnt cope with the thought of being alone. Her will left almost all of her estate  $500,000  to an animal shelter and grandchildren. Am I out of place in asking that some of that money be used so that I can study in France, even if it is just for a year or so? She denied me that choice, and I want to return! Perhaps I still would have cut hair, but I was cheated out of a chance to have a far different life. File a claim against estate We ran Celestes story by attorney Kurt Van Sciver. His practice focuses on trusts and estates litigation. I spoke with him, as he practices law here in Bakersfield, Calif. What a sad story, Dennis, Van Sciver said. I mean, just think of all the possibilities which she was denied. This is a compelling case. Here are his recommendations: As probate allows creditors to be paid before assets of the decedent are distributed to beneficiaries, it is critical that Celeste file a creditors claim in the estate. Celestes legal position would be that her mother violated a duty toward her by wrongfully withholding the offer. Once filed, the personal representative of the estate will then have an opportunity to review the basis of the claim and decide whether it should be granted or denied. If the claim is denied, Celeste will then need to bring a separate lawsuit against the estate. We gave that information to her with two additional recommendations: First, she must follow through on this as an example to her daughters of standing up to unfairness. Second, to send us post cards from France.As a financial planner, its my job to make sure my clients have a solid plan to get them from where they are to where they want to be. Often, where they want to be is something like wealthy or financially independent or at my beach house that Im going to move to after I retire early. These are all great goals  but for the most part, they take place at a distant point in the future. Part of my financial planning philosophy, though, is that we should be able to enjoy our lives fully along the way. We should be able to use our money (by spending reasonably) as we move from where we are to our ultimate goal. That takes balance and some self-awareness. So, how do you use the money you can safely spend to actually get what you want, rather than just a pile of regrets and buyers remorse? People arent naturally good at extracting maximum value from every dollar spent. We tend to spend our money on things that we think will make us happy, but fail to do so. A Major Key to Financial Success: Knowing How to Spend for Happiness Thats why I was fascinated by a talk given by psychology professor Dr. Elizabeth Dunn at a financial planning conference I attended recently. Dr. Dunn is the author of Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending, and she gave a keynote talk about the fact that, scientifically speaking, you can use money to buy happiness.

I wanted to share four of my favorite takeaways from Dr. Dunns talk, in hopes that it will help you see some new ways to leverage your available spending money to increase your happiness: 1. Experiences > Stuff Dr. Dunn explained that when it comes to spending regrets, we often feel buyers remorse when we buy stuff. Think things like new TVs, computers, clothes and shoes, home decor, cars and so on. Why? Because of two main reasons: Stuff is easy to compare and quantify. Its very easy to look around at all your stuff, then survey your neighbors stuff  and determine who has the most or the best. If you decide your neighbor has better, newer or more stuff, it tends to decrease your own happiness. Beware of comparison traps. Humans are highly adaptable. Evolutionarily speaking, this can be a very positive thing. But when it comes to consumerism, its a recipe for disaster. We adapt easily, so what was once new and novel quickly becomes normal and routine. We need more and more stuff to get the same rush or sense of happiness that we used to get from less stuff, simply because we got used to our existing stuff. When it comes to spending money, people tend to regret buying things because things do not make us happy. On the other hand, something interesting happens with experiences: People report more regret when they had the chance to take part in an experience and chose to skip it instead of spending the money.

The takeaway here? If you have some cash available to spend, spring for the long weekend trip with a friend or your family  not a new TV. And while youre on that vacation and need to choose between spending money at the shops or spending money to go on an excursion or tour, pick the tour. If you choose to shop, youre more likely to eventually regret the stuff you bought and the fact that you missed out on an additional experience. Experiences even come with better ROI because theres a potential for growth. The emotional return on investment with experiences may grow over time, Dr. Dunn explained. Thats because our brains tend to enhance those memories over time, which in turn give us increasing pleasure and satisfaction from a single experience. 2. Research Shows Homeowners Are No Happier Than Renters This was an interesting tidbit from the talk that struck me, because whether Im working with a 30-something client or a couple in their mid-50s preparing for retirement, the subject of buying a home comes up all the time. People are often convinced buying a home is a must-do, but its not always the smart choice from a financial or lifestyle perspective. For younger clients, they may be looking at buying their first homes  and feeling like they have to buy. They feel a lot of pressure from family, friends and society; they assume a home is just a foregone conclusion because its what everyone else does. For couples getting ready to retire, they might be considering downsizing to a different home or moving back into the city from the suburbs because their kids are off to college. Their first assumption tends to be, I should buy the condo. They dont often think, maybe I could rent the condo.

In both cases, I usually encourage my clients near retirement to consider renting for many reasons. The idea that buying is always better is a complete myth. Ive chosen to rent, because I live in downtown Boston and renting works out to be a better financial proposition in the current market  and, even without taking the numbers into account, its simply a better lifestyle decision for me. All this being said, it was interesting to hear Dr. Dunn share research that showed buying a house doesnt automatically make you happier. Homeowners and renters tend to be on a par with each other in terms of happiness. Yet so many people argue for homeownership based on the idea that it will provide a better, happier life. Its simply not true! That doesnt mean you should feel bad if youre already a homeowner. Nor does it mean you shouldnt buy, ever. The point is that thinking you will be happier just because you own a home is bad reasoning. If you think you want to buy a home because it will somehow improve your life in a way that renting cant, know that it probably wont. You need more reasons than just it will make me happier if you want to part with large sums of cash in exchange for a mortgage and a property to maintain. 3. When You Do Buy Stuff, Stick with Base Models Lets say you act on the takeaways above: You spend less on stuff and you rent instead of buy  which frees up a lot of cash flow since you dont have to spend on home maintenance or repairs each year. If you get into the habit of spending less on stuff while also creating more available money to spend, that might make you apt to spend more on the nicest possible things when you do make a purchase.

But that could be a mistake. When it comes to what you use every day, like your car, luxury items dont bring any more happiness or satisfaction than standard options. Thats because we stop noticing them over time since they become just another part of our routine. If you do want to splurge on a material item, consider doing it on something that you wont use every single day. That will help the item retain its sense of novelty and excitement, because it wont fade into the background of your normal life as just another utility. 4. Pause and Express Gratitude At this point, we know humans suffer from hedonistic adaptation, which means what was once new and novel for us quickly becomes normal  and we need more and more new and novel things to get the same thrill. Thats not just bad news for trying to buy material things to create happiness. Abundance is the enemy of appreciation. The more you have, the less likely you are to express gratitude, warns Dr. Dunn. Not only do we get used to new things, then, but we also set ourselves up for a weird kind of failure: The more successful we are (if measured by our wealth and possessions), the less apparent that success becomes. Practicing gratitude is a simple way to feel happier about the abundance you have in your life, rather than letting the good stuff slip out of focus and into the realm of being taken for granted. With these takeaways from Dr. Dunns talk in mind, youre well positioned to understand a fundamental financial truth that some of the happiest people among us already understand: Money is a tool, and we can use it to build some amazing things in our lives. We just need to learn how to apply it well and leverage it strategically.LONDON (Reuters) - Britain and the European Union are on the cusp of a Brexit deal which could be clinched in the next 24 to 48 hours, Prime Minister Theresa Mays de facto deputy said on Tuesday.

While officials choreograph the biggest divorce deal in EU history, it remains unclear whether May can get a deal through parliament, where opponents have said she is betraying Brexit by signing up the United Kingdom to EU subjugation.

Were not quite there yet, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington told BBC radio. We are almost within touching distance now.

Asked if he was saying it was possible there could be a deal in the next 24 or 48 hours, he said: Still possible but not at all definite, I think pretty much sums it up. Cautiously optimistic.

Sterling jumped half a percent to as high as $1.2917 GBP=D3 on Lidington's comments.

The EU wants to get agreement on a draft deal by the end of Wednesday at the latest if there is to be a summit this month to approve it, although few in Brussels seemed to hold out much hope that a breakthrough could come this week. [L8N1XO3HK]

Brussels diplomatic sources said the bloc was trying to cajole May into sealing a deal this week and rubber-stamping it later this month, fearing that any delay would increase the chances of rejection by her ministers or parliament.

Leaving approval until the next scheduled EU summit on Dec. 13-14 would mean British lawmakers would not vote on a deal until after Jan. 7 when they return from holiday.

Thats giving the opponents of the deal a lot of time to pull together a campaign to vote it down. Thats why everyone on our side is pushing so hard for November, one source said.

The EU and the United Kingdom need an agreement to keep trade flowing between the worlds biggest trading bloc and the fifth largest national economy.

But May has struggled to untangle nearly 46 years of membership without damaging trade or upsetting the lawmakers who will ultimately decide the fate of any deal she can secure.

TEMPORARY AND NOT INDEFINITE

With under five months until Britain leaves the EU, the so-called Northern Irish backstop is the main outstanding issue.

It is an insurance policy to avoid a return to controls on the border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland if a future trading relationship is not agreed in time.

Asked if the UK could be trapped in a backstop against its will, Lidington said: The prime minister has said again and again, if the backstop were ever to be used - we dont want it to be used - ... its clearly got to be something that would be temporary and not indefinite.

But the intricacies of any deal, hammered out in late-night sessions at the European Commissions modernist Berlaymont building in Brussels, are unlikely to change the growing opposition to May.

By seeking to leave the EU while preserving the closest possible ties, Mays compromise plan has upset Brexiteers, pro-Europeans, Scottish nationalists, the Northern Irish party that props up her government, and some of her own ministers.

No one is fooled by this theatre. Delay after staged-managed delay, former foreign secretary Boris Johnson said. A deal will be reached and it will mean surrender by the UK.

Johnson, a prominent Brexit campaigner who resigned from Mays government in July over her strategy, said the deal would turn Britain into a colony of the EU.

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said he was confident of progress in talks, though he gave no further details.

Lidington, who voted to stay in the EU in the 2016 referendum, declined to say whether the proposed deal would make the United Kingdom wealthier or poorer, saying that the people had decided to leave the EU.

Asked whether Britain would have to start preparing in earnest for a no-deal Brexit if an agreement were not clinched by the end of Wednesday, as newspapers have reported, he said: Im not going to ascribe days to particular actions.WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump attacked his French counterpart on Tuesday in a series of tweets that underscored how much the once-friendly ties between the two leaders have soured, just two days after returning from Paris.

In five posts sent on the same day that French officials marked the anniversary of the 2015 terrorist attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, Trump blasted the key U.S. ally over its near defeat to Germany in two world wars, its wine industry and Macrons approval ratings.

Trump returned to Washington from a weekend in Paris to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War One where strained relations between the American president and European allies were on full display.

On Tuesday, Trump rejected Macrons warnings against the threat of nationalism, delivered during an emotional ceremony in Paris on Sunday attended by scores of world leaders.

A stony-faced Trump, who listened a few feet away, has described himself as a nationalist and has promoted an America First policy.

Trump, a real estate developer and former reality television star who owns a Virginia winery, said Macron has a low approval rating, accused France of unfair trade practices over wine and attacked the news coverage of his trip.

Trump pointed to Macrons recent comments about Europes need to protect itself, tweeting it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!

By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people - and rightfully so! Trump wrote in other tweets, ending with MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!

He defended his much-criticized absence from a commemoration event on Saturday, saying the U.S. Secret Service had vetoed driving to the venue because of logistics. The White House earlier had said it canceled Trumps appearance, citing poor weather that grounded a planned helicopter flight to the site.

White House Director of Strategic Communications Mercedes Schlapp, meanwhile, cast Trumps Paris trip in a positive light.

It was clearly a successful trip, Schlapp told Fox News on Tuesday, saying Trump and Macron had a productive meeting on trade and NATO.

He has sent a strong message to our European allies. And we have seen some changes and some positive shifts coming from our allies to pay more to NATO. We need their support, she said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Monday that Trump had isolated himself at one of the weekend events by deciding not to attend the Paris Peace Forum, which Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended.

Trump also traveled in a motorcade to the Armistice commemoration while most other world leaders walked the last 100 meters (328 ft) or so to the ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe.

Asked on television if the United States was still a French ally, Le Drain answered yes.

The weekend started uncomfortably. Before his arrival, Trump had blasted comments that Macron made in a radio interview in which he appeared to cast the United States as a threat.

Discussing the dangers of cyber-hacking, political meddling and the U.S. decision to withdraw from a missile treaty, Macron said Europe needed to protect itself against China, Russia and even the United States.

He went on the interview to talk about the need for a European army, citing the threat from Russia and saying that Europe needed to better defend itself by itself, without depending solely on the United States.

Both French officials and the White House said any misunderstandings had been cleared up after Macron and Trump held talks on Saturday.

But on Sunday, Macron delivered his hard-hitting remarks.

Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism, he said. When we say our interests come first, those of others dont matter, we erase the very thing that a nation holds most precious, that which gives it life and makes it great: its moral values.(Kitco News) - Gold prices are modestly down and hit another four-week low below $1,200.00 in early U.S. trading Tuesday. The silver market fell to a two-month low overnight. Chart-based selling pressure has kicked in this week as the technical postures for both gold and silver have deteriorated recently. Precious metals are also pressured by a very strong U.S. dollar on the foreign exchange market that saw the U.S. dollar index hit a 1.5-year high on Monday. December gold futures were last down $2.00 an ounce at $1,201.40. December Comex silver was last up $0.004 at $14.025 an ounce.

Global stock markets were mixed overnight. Asian shares were down and European stock indexes were mostly up. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward higher openings when the New York day session begins, following steep losses suffered on Monday. Volatility in the U.S. stock market has heated up again early this week. Many traders and investors are spooked by the recent sharp drop in crude oil prices.

Nymex crude oil futures prices are lower again today, hit an eight-month low overnight and are trading around $58.50 a barrel. The steep slide in oil prices is a bearish element for most of the raw commodity sector, as oil is arguably the leader of that sector.

Meantime, the U.S. dollar index is trading weaker today on a mild corrective pullback after soaring to a 1.5-year high on Monday.

European investors are unsettled as Tuesday is the day Italys budget is supposed to fall into line with the constricts of the European Union budget process. Meantime, reports said U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May has rejected the latest European Union Brexit proposal. The Euro currency fell to a 16-month low against the U.S. dollar on Monday.

U.S. economic data due for release Tuesday includes the weekly Goldman Sachs and Johnson Redbook retail sales reports, the NFIB small business index and the monthly Treasury budget statement.

Technically, gold bears have the firm overall near-term technical advantage, to suggest a challenge of the recent lows. Bulls next upside price objective is to produce a close in December futures above solid resistance at $1,225.00. Bears' next near-term downside price breakout objective is pushing prices below solid technical support at the September low of $1,184.30. First resistance is seen at the overnight high of $1,205.50 and then at Mondays high of $1,212.00. First support is seen at the overnight low of $1,196.60 and then at $1,190.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 2.5

December silver futures bears have the solid overall near-term technical advantage. Silver bulls' next upside price breakout objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $15.00 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $13.50. First resistance is seen at Mondays high of $14.18 and then at last Fridays high of $14.425. Next support is seen at the overnight low of $13.92 and then at $13.75. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 1.0.BERLIN (Reuters) - NATO is developing new hi-tech tools, such as the ability to 3D-print parts for weapons and deliver them by drone, as it scrambles to retain a competitive edge over Russia, China and other would-be battlefield adversaries.

General Andre Lanata, who took over as head of the NATO transformation command in September, told a conference in Berlin that his command demonstrated over 21 disruptive projects during military exercises in Norway this month.

He urged startups as well as traditional arms manufacturers to work with the Atlantic alliance to boost innovation, as rapid and easy access to emerging technologies was helping adversaries narrow NATOs longstanding advantage.

Lanatas command hosted its third innovation challenge in tandem with the conference this week, where 10 startups and smaller firms presented ideas for defeating swarms of drones on the ground and in the air.

Belgian firm ALX Systems, which builds civilian surveillance drones, won this years challenge.

Its CEO, Geoffrey Mormal, said small companies like his often struggled with cumbersome weapons procurement processes. Its a very hot topic, so perhaps it will help to enable quicker decisions, he told Reuters.

Lanata said NATO was focused on areas such as artificial intelligence, connectivity, quantum computing, big data and hypervelocity, but also wants to learn from DHL and others how to improve the logistics of moving weapons and troops.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said increasing military spending by NATO members would help tackle some of the challenges, but efforts were also needed to reduce widespread duplication and fragmentation in the European defense sector.

Participants also met behind closed doors with chief executives from 12 of the 15 biggest arms makers in Europe.SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nigerias Main One Cable Co took responsibility on Tuesday for a glitch that temporarily caused some Google global traffic to be misrouted through China, saying it accidentally caused the problem during a network upgrade.

The issue surfaced on Monday afternoon as internet monitoring firms ThousandEyes and BGPmon said some traffic to Alphabet Incs Google had been routed through China and Russia, raising concerns that the communications had been intentionally hijacked.

Main One said in an email that it had caused a 74-minute glitch by misconfiguring a border gateway protocol filter used to route traffic across the internet. That resulted in some Google traffic being sent through Main One partner China Telecom, the West African firm said.

Google has said little about the matter. It acknowledged the problem on Monday in a post on its website that said it was investigating the glitch and said it believed the problem originated outside the company. The company did not say how many users were affected or identify specific customers.

Google representatives could not be reached on Tuesday to comment on Main Ones statement.

Even though Main One said it was to blame, some security experts said the incident highlighted concerns about the potential for hackers to conduct espionage or disrupt communications by exploiting known vulnerabilities in the way traffic is routed over the internet.

The U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission, a Washington-based group that advises the U.S. Congress on security issues, plans to look into the issue, said Commissioner Michael Wessel.

We will work to gain more facts about what has happened recently and look at what legal tools or legislation or law enforcement activities can help address this problem, Wessel said.

Glitches in border gateway protocol filters have caused multiple outages to date, including cases where traffic from U.S. internet and financial services firms was routed through Russia, China and Belarus.

Yuval Shavitt, a network security researcher at Tel Aviv University, said it was possible that Mondays issue was not an accident.

You can always claim that this is some kind of configuration error, said Shavitt, who last month co-authored a paper alleging that the Chinese government had conducted a series of internet hijacks.

Main One, which describes itself as a leading provider of telecom and network services for businesses in West Africa, said that it had investigated the matter and implemented new processes to prevent it from happening again.JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africas Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba has resigned, the presidents office said on Tuesday, following calls from opposition parties for him to stand down over a High Court ruling which said he had lied under oath.

Gigaba, who was finance minister between March 2017 and February 2018, has denied any wrongdoing. Gigaba, who in February was reappointed home affairs minister, apologized last month over a private sex video that was leaked on social media after his phone was hacked when he was finance minister.

The president has accepted the ministers resignation, Cyril Ramaphosass office said in a statement.

Gigaba was thrust into the role of finance minister after South Africas then-president Jacob Zuma sacked Pravin Gordhan, a move that unnerved investors and roiled markets at the time.

Pressure on Gigaba mounted when South Africas official anti-graft watchdog said last week that he should be disciplined for lying under oath about the wealthy Oppenheimer familys attempt to open a private airport immigration facility.

A South African court ruled last December that Gigaba had violated the constitution when he denied having ever approved an application by the Oppenheimers to operate an immigration service for wealthy VIPs at Johannesburgs main airport.

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane last Wednesday directed President Ramaphosa to discipline Gigaba and to inform her of the action he had taken within 20 days.SEDALIA, Missouri (Reuters) - Nucor Corp, Americas largest steelmaker, planned a new plant in Sedalia, Missouri, long before U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs to protect the industry  and it does not need them to make money.

Although the firm helped lead the lobbying push for tariffs on imports, executives say they invested in Sedalia and two other sites to capitalize on an already profitable strategy that doesnt depend on government help.

While Trump has played up the narrative of downtrodden steel workers losing jobs to unscrupulous foreign competitors, most of the benefit from his 25 percent tariffs are flowing to the already strong bottom lines of Nucor and other modernized and globally competitive U.S. steel firms, according to interviews with industry executives, experts and a Reuters review of company earnings.

Even if tariffs prompt such firms to expand, they are not likely to add large numbers of factory jobs because they have stayed competitive by slashing the amount of labor required to make steel.

(For a graphic on steel industry efficiency and job loss, see: tmsnrt.rs/2PLloLb )

The Commerce Department said in a statement to Reuters that tariffs will help the Sedalia plant and 12 other steel projects create about 3,405 jobs. Thats a 2.4 percent gain industrywide, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

About 1,400 of those jobs at six projects, including the three Nucor sites, were planned before tariffs or do not rely on them, according to some of the firms and a Reuters review of company documents. In addition, two other projects by Republic Steel, which would create 690 jobs by restarting previously idled operations, are not certain to go forward, the company said.

A Commerce Department spokesman did not comment on whether all the projects on the administrations list depended on tariffs but pointed out that steel imports have declined recently and domestic production has increased. The department said broad tariffs on imports were needed because of rampant chicanery by foreign producers who evaded existing countervailing and anti-dumping duties, which are applied narrowly to specific products.

Nucor has led the sectors transformation to labor-saving plants since the 1970s, replacing older blast furnaces with more efficient modern electric arc furnaces.

Trumps tariffs may prove pivotal in extending the life of older, less efficient plants such as U.S. Steels Granite City plant near St. Louis, where the president held an event in July to tout tariffs. The company credits tariffs for its decision to add 800 jobs by restarting two blast furnaces it had idled in 2015. A total of 1,500 workers will now work in a factory where sparks fly and molten steel is still poured from giant ladles in a labor-intensive, multi-step process.

At Nucors plant in Sedalia, by contrast, 225 people will make steel with a high-tech furnace that shoots electricity through scrap metal to melt it into new products. That technology is now used to produce nearly 70 percent of U.S. steel - with a third less labor and energy, according to Charles Bradford, president of Bradford Research Inc.

Nucor CEO John Ferriola testified in Washington last year that tariffs would encourage steel-sector investment, but he emphasized in a statement to Reuters that the companys own capital projects are designed to be competitive even without tariffs.

Although Nucors expansions dont depend on protectionist policy, a company spokesperson said, tariffs make such investments easier by limiting the dumping of artificially low-priced steel on the U.S. market.

Nucor announced last month that it had nearly tripled its third-quarter profits, to $676.66 million, compared to a year ago. Earnings for steel companies in the S&Ps steel index soared more than 75 percent in the first half of 2018 and are expected to jump 166 percent in the second half, according to I/B/E/S data from Refinitiv.

TRANSFORMATIVE JOBS

Nucor has led the way in slashing labor costs with modern factories, a trend driving industry job loss as the hours of labor needed to produce a ton of steel has been cut from nearly 10 to two since 1980, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Nucor selected Sedalia because of its location on a main rail line, near ample scrap metal sources and major construction markets needing the plants steel rebar.

Although the plant will create few jobs compared to steel factories of the past, the positions  with salaries averaging $65,000 - are highly coveted in Sedalia, where home values average $86,000 and 15 percent of adults have a college degree, according to U.S. census data.

The desirability of the jobs underscores a political dynamic often lost in the debate over Trumps trade policy. In places like Sedalia, where 70 percent of residents of the surrounding county voted for Trump, steel jobs are prized over other blue-collar work.

Sedalia assigned a team of 10 people to court Nucor for a year, and the state provided tax incentives that could total nearly $27.3 million over 15 years. Local economic development director Jessica Craig called the jobs transformative.

DEATH BY CHINA

Nucor gets a warm reception in Washington, too, where its the biggest spender on lobbying among steel firms, laying out $1.25 million so far this year, down from a peak of $2.71 million in 2015, according to Nucor disclosures compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Nucors political spending, which also includes millions of dollars in donations to political candidates, started under former CEO Dan DiMicco, who started in 2000 and stepped down in 2012. DiMicco went on to advise Trump on manufacturing during the presidential transition and is now a member of his Advisory Committee for Trade Policy Negotiations, a key venue for business leaders to influence U.S. trade negotiators.

Nucor also gave $1 million to a San Diego nonprofit in 2011, which was used by Peter Navarro - now a top Trump trade adviser - to make a film called Death by China. At one point, the film depicts a knife emblazoned with made in China plunging into an American flag as a voice-over intones: China is the only major nation in the world that is preparing to kill Americans.

DiMicco said his experience running Nucor shaped his views.

My customers came to me and said, China is killing us, he said in an interview, so this turned into something much larger than the steel industry  You may have to put tariffs on every product from China to change their behavior.

As they raise alarms about unfair competition, however, Nucor executives take pride in the companys performance despite such headwinds. Nucor has been profitable since 1968 in every year but one  2009, amid a global financial crisis.

Nucor has also sought to block other companies efforts to win exemptions from the tariffs through a Commerce Department process that awards them in cases where, for instance, a company cant find the type of steel it needs domestically. Nucor said it filed objections to about 10 percent of the more than 42,000 steel exemption requests received as of October 22.

They included those from companies such as NLMK Pennsylvania LLC, which sought exemptions for imported slabs it uses to make steel coils.

They dont even make the kind of slabs we use, CEO Bob Miller said of Nucor, who he believes wants to compete with him in selling coils. Its totally anti-competitive.

The tariffs are boosting capacity of the slabs NLMK needs, Nucor said in a statement, so there should be plenty of slabs available domestically.

LOST PROFITS, JOBS

Tariff critics argue that rising profits for the steel industry come at the expense of its customers and their workers. Higher prices mean steel users - companies making everything from tractors to skyscrapers - could cut 16 jobs for every one added in steel manufacturing, according to the Trade Partnership Worldwide LLC, a pro-trade economic forecasting and consulting firm in Washington.

Tariff advocates call such worries overblown.

What you see six months into the steel tariffs is that the manufacturing economy is strong, says Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing.

Steel consumers say their cutbacks will come over time, as higher steel prices erode their competitiveness.

Major automakers including Ford, Honda, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors have said the steel tariffs will mean billions of dollars in new costs for the industry, and GM recently announced cuts to North American white collar staff.

The impact reaches far beyond auto factories to anyone who uses steel. Joe Pecoraro, a project executive at Skender Construction, a Chicago builder, said the tariffs caused him to delay two projects that would have produced at least 130 construction jobs.

The cost of everything made of steel, he said, has gone through the roof this year.(Updates closing price, adds quotes and details)

SHANGHAI, Nov 13 (Reuters) - China's yuan closed slightly firmer on Tuesday as early support from major state-owned Chinese banks lifted the currency from near-decade lows, and sentiment improved after media reports fueled hopes for a de-escalation in the Sino-U.S. trade war.

The onshore yuan ended domestic trade at 6.9531

per dollar at 4:30 pm (0830 GMT), 113 pips, or 0.16 percent, firmer than the previous late night close.

State-run Chinese banks were seen selling dollars at around 6.97 yuan per dollar in the onshore spot foreign exchange market in early trade, three traders said, in an apparent attempt to halt a sharp slide in the yuan. The move effectively offset broad strength in the greenback, which hovered near a 16-month high versus a basket of major world currencies. Prior to the market opening on Tuesday, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) lowered the midpoint rate for a fourth straight day to 6.9629 per dollar, 153 pips or 0.22 percent weaker than the previous fix of 6.9476.

Tuesday's fixing was the weakest since Nov. 1. "The 6.97 per dollar level offers strong support currently. It's a level that the central bank would firmly protect for now," said a chief trader at a Chinese bank.

Heavy dollar demand from both corporate clients and traders' proprietary accounts eased in the afternoon following a South China Morning Post report saying Vice Premier Liu He was expected to visit the United States shortly for talks ahead of a meeting between the two countries' leaders.

Market participants suspect authorities want to prevent the yuan from weakening too sharply before a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a G20 gathering in Argentina in late November through early December.

While markets do not expect the meeting to produce a breakthrough agreement to end the tariff war, there are signs that diplomatic tensions may be easing.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has resumed discussions with Vice Premier Liu, with the two speaking by telephone on Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported citing sources. Still, as the yuan approached the psychologically critical 7 per dollar again, the intervention by state banks on Wednesday has revived the debate over how strongly the central bank will defend that level if China's economy continues to cool and the U.S. trade battle worsens.

Ken Cheung, senior Asian FX strategist at Mizuho Bank in Hong Kong said he was maintaining his call that Beijing will stop the yuan from weakening beyond 7 per dollar for the rest of this year.

"The PBOC clarified its stance to defend the RMB exchange rate to anchor RMB expectations. Following PBOC deputy governor Pan's warning on RMB short-sellers, the PBOC said it would reinforce macro-prudential management to keep RMB exchange rate at reasonable and equilibrium level if necessary," Cheung said in a note.

In the offshore market, signs of liquidity tightness also lent support for the Chinese unit.

Hong Kong's offshore yuan overnight borrowing rate, or HIBOR, was fixed at 2.68800 percent on Tuesday, about 1.3 percentage points higher than the previous day's fix of 1.41367 percent. And Tuesday's fix was the highest since Oct.11.

At 0830 GMT, the offshore yuan was trading at 6.9507 per dollar.

Separately, former U.S. Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen told a forum in Beijing that she expects further tightening in the United States and sees additional downward pressure on the Chinese currency.

"Over the next year, I anticipate that the Fed will boost rates three or four additional times to stabilize the unemployment rate," Yellen said in a live video representation broadcasting at the forum.

"Now PBOC is on a path of easing monetary policy somewhat, (and it is) the homegrown Chinese factor that's placing downward pressure on the currency and triggering some capital outflows," she said, adding her understanding was that the PBOC was "trying to resist" a depreciation of the yuan.



(Reporting by Winni Zhou and John Ruwitch, Stella Qiu in BEIJING; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

Messaging: winni.zhou.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))by NAT da Polis

The area, in European Turkey, is part of the Diocese of Selymbria. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, it was emptied of its Christian population. The Mass was celebrated outdoors because there are no churches. An Orthodox ecumenical and interfaith diocesan centre will open soon.

Istanbul (AsiaNews)  After more than a century, an ecumenical patriarch celebrated Mass in Eastern Thrace (European Turkey), a first in the so-called Archdiocese of Selymbria (Silivri).

Until 1922, the area was home to a large Christian community, which disappeared after the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the large-scale exchange between Greece and Turkey of their respective Muslim and Christian populations.

The occasion was the feast of Saint Nectarios, with the Mass celebrated on 11 November in the Orthodox calendar. The saint, who is revered among Orthodox, was born in Selymbria and died there in 1920, after considerable missionary work as a bishop in Cyrenaica.

Nothing but ruins remain of the ancient Christian presence. For this reason, the celebration took place not in a church, but in the open in the place where the Acropolis of Selymbria once stood.

Many believers from neighbouring Greece came for the Mass. The mayor of Silivri, Ozcan Isklar, was also present. Thanks to the behind-the-scene work of the metropolitan bishop with local authorities, the mayor succeeded in obtaining all the Turkish permits needed to set up a diocesan office, which will operate as an ecumenical and interfaith centre.

In his homily, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew stressed in fact the interreligious dimension, telling those present that above religious ideologies there is a common God, for whom all sincere believers in him must contribute to the common good of the human race, without focusing on oneself or speculating.

The prelate noted that true faith is not a harbinger of destruction but helps people to understand themselves so that they can live in peace.

Bartholomew emphasised "the humility of the great son of the ecumenical patriarchate and of this land", describing Saint Nectarios as a trailblazer of ecumenism in the late 19th century. For example, he would rebuke Orthodox bishops who did not want to have relations with fellow bishops of other Christian confessions.

Quoting the saint, the patriarch said: "The bishop who refuses to embrace his brothers from a different confession or refuses to work with them for the common good of the Church of Christ acts only for his own interests, expresses a false zeal, with no feeling of charity, the true essence of our faith in Christ.

"According to Saint Nectarios where charity prevails, light and truth dominate. Hence, the masters of hatred are disciples of the devil, since sweet and bitter cannot flow from the same source. Only humility in accordance with Christ is the true source of life and virtue."

At present, these words take on a certain importance following the decision of the Moscow Patriarchate not to participate any longer in the ecumenical dialogue between Rome and the Orthodox world under Constantinoples leadership.

Silivri Mayor, Ozcan Isklar, called Saint Nectarios a true saint of peace. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his neo-Ottoman Turkey views itself as the heir to the tradition of ecumenical tolerance, and is no stranger to concessions to the minorities that still survive in Turkey.

For his part, Bartholomew has often reminded Erdogan that all of the countrys minorities have been part of its history for hundreds of centuries.Amir Salyamov



Institute for strategic and regional studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan



At the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved the "Action Strategy for five priority areas of the Republic of Uzbekistan 2017  2021" which provides inter alia for development and liberalization of the economy aimed at further strengthening of macroeconomic stability, maintaining high economic growth rates and increasing competitive advantage of the country.



Today the world is on the threshold of development of economy of new technological generation  digital economy.



In the modern world, in the age of globalization and information technology relevance of digitalization of socio-economic relations.



According to the experts, 22 percent of global GDP created by the digital economy. About 27 percent of companies around the world use artificial intelligence in their activities. According to the data, by 2020 the world market of technologies for digital production will be more than 700 billion, and by 2025 will expand by $3 trillion due to new products and services.



Under these conditions, traditional trade and economic processes are smoothly moving to online platforms. According to the calculations of economists, the volume of sales on online trading platforms in 2017 reached more than $22 trillion, and by 2020 it is expected to grow to $27 trillion. For instance, there are more than 800 thousand online stores in Europe. Only Germany has more than 175 thousand of the mend according to this indicator, Germany is the leader among other European countries.



In the U.S. "Amazon" company occupies 37 percent of the American market of electronic commerce and according to the forecasts, within three years this figure will rise to 50 percent.



From this point, it's necessary to note that the Republic of Korea is one of the most developed countries in the world for innovative development and digitalization of society and the state:

By some estimates: the share of the ICT sector in the Republic of Korea's GDP is about 10 percent; the number of online trading transactions shows a rapid growth  an average of 22 percent over the past 15 years; in the ranking of countries on innovation, the Republic of Korea occupies the 1st place for several years; in the index of e-government development occupies the third place, while ranking first in the participation index; in 2017, took 7th place in the pace of development of digitalization, including 2nd in the Asia-Pacific region; increased emphasis is placed on the development of cryptocurrency;



These tendencies are being developed in Uzbekistan. In particular, 5 important documents were adopted only in the last 9 months of 2018 year: "On measures to further improve the sphere of information technologies and communications" (February, 2018), "On Measures for Development of the Digital Economy in the Republic of Uzbekistan" (July, 2018), "On measures to organize the activity of crypto-exchanges in the Republic of Uzbekistan" (September, 2018), "On formation of Fund for Support of Digital Economy Development "Digital Trust" (September, 2018).



At the same time, the Main Department for the Development of the Digital Economy was created in The Ministry for Development of Information Technologies and Communications.



These documents laid the legal foundation for the implementation and development of the digital economy, crypto-assets, smart contracts and blockchain.



In order to develop the cryptosystem in Uzbekistan, a license to operate crypto-exchanges is issued exclusively to foreign legal entities through the opening of subsidiaries or other enterprises in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan.



From Jan. 1, 2021, it is planned to introduce blockchain technologies in the activities of state bodies, including the implementation of public procurement, provision of public services and verification of personal information, maintenance of state registers and classifiers.



Also work is underway to launch digital banks in Uzbekistan, which will provide banking services remotely without cash services.



Special attention is paid to the development of e-government. Almost all government agencies provide e-services, such as the Single Portal for Interactive Public Services (my.gov.uz) provides more than 300 electronic services, including the portal which gives an opportunity to send an appeal to law enforcement agencies and open a business in 30 minutes, while tax reporting and customs clearance are 100% transferred to electronic form.



The virtual reception of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, launched in September 2016, is part of the E-government system. Virtual reception of the President, as of September 2018, examined more than 2 million applications;



Measures are being implemented to create the first "smart city" in Uzbekistan. Thanks to cooperation and effective coordination with experts from the Republic of Korea, in 2025 the first "smart city" will be Nurafshon city;



Along with this, in September, the decree Of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on "The Strategy for Innovative Development of the Country for 2019-2021." was adopted.



The main goal of the Strategy is development of human capital as the main factor determining the level of the country's competitiveness in the world arena and its innovative progress.



The document notes that one of the main goals is the entry of Uzbekistan by 2030 into the 50 leading countries of the world according to the Global Innovation Index rating.



Among the main objectives of the strategy is Uzbekistan's joining the 50 leading countries by 2030 according to the rating of the Global innovation index.



In the prism of innovative development and digitalization of the economy, it should be emphasized that the quality of education and research are drivers of digitalization of the state economy. The country'seducation system should not lag behind the requirements imposed on it by the realities of the digital economy.



In this regard, since 2017, "Mirzo Ulugbek Innovation Center"  the Innovation center to support the development and implementation of information technologies has been operating in Tashkent. Today, more than 200 enterprises are residents of the center.



In this regard, cooperation between Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea acquires a special character, taking into account the existing effective experience of cooperation between the two countries. In particular, INHA University in Tashkent, as well as the Uzbek-Korean faculty in the areas of "Convergence of ICT" and "E-business" in Tashkent professional College of information technology are a vivid example of educational cooperation between Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea in the field of ICT.



Cooperation in the field of ICT and digital economy is actively developing between our countries. One of the latest measures was an agreement to create a National e-Commerce platform in Uzbekistan based on Republic of Korea's experience, which is necessary for the introduction of advanced forms of interaction in foreign trade, facilitation of procedures related to foreign trade operations and export promotion.



In general, nowadays digitalization processes are one of the main drivers of the development of life's key spheres. In this context, Republic of Korea's experience on digitalization, which over the past few years shows a positive trend that directly affects the economic growth of the country, is relevant for Uzbekistan. This is due to the fact that the modern economic policy of Uzbekistan considers innovative economy and creative ideas as one of the most important engines of economic growth.

Police say five people have been arrested on drug charges while authorities investigate if they are connected to a Sioux Falls burglary.

Public Information Officer Sam Clemens said the owner of Panama Transfer, a freight company, in the 3400 block of West Hovland Drive noticed around 10:45 a.m. Monday that the business had been broken into and some customers' items were missing.

The owner received help from a neighboring business to figure out a possible lead on the suspect's vehicle. The two tracked down the white Chevy Tahoe with "distinct markings" to a Motel 6 and called police.

Officers found 5.5 grams of meth, 35 grams of marijuana and stolen property in the hotel room and vehicle.

Police arrested the following:

Donald James Hoff, 26, Sioux Falls

- Concealed weapon without a permit

- Possession of a controlled substance

- Possession of paraphernalia

- Possession of marijuana

David Dean Pfannes, 48, Sioux Falls

- Possession of a controlled substance

- Possession of paraphernalia

- Warrant

Kyle Michael Pfannes, 23, Sioux Falls

- Possession of a controlled substance

- Possession of paraphernalia

- Possession of marijuana

Tiffany Nicole Deidel, 27, Sioux Falls

- Obstruction

- Possession of paraphernalia

- Possession of marijuana

Michelle Ellen Stenseth, 25, Sioux Falls

- Warrant (controlled substance, aggravated assault, forgery)

Emily Mae Whitsell, 26, Sioux Falls

- Obstruction

- Fleeing police

- Parole hold

The suspects could face burglary charges once police track down the victims.by Sumon Corraya

The last two cases of sexual violence in Mymensingh and Rajshahi. Women of the religious minority often do not have the courage to report. Activist: "Christians appear weak and easy targets for persecution".

Sirajganj (AsiaNews) - A Catholic woman of the Guo ethnic group residing in the diocese of Mymensingh was raped by two Muslims; a teenage Santhal from Rajshahi was harassed by her high school principal. These are the last two cases of violence against women in Bangladesh, where the perpetrators who attack the Catholic minority often going unpunished.

The raped woman is the mother of three children and attends the Catholic church of St. Andrew in Diglakuna. She was attacked in her house on the night of 7 November. Two men of Muslim religion came to her house dressed as policemen, then gagged, bound, and raped her in turn. The Catholic found the courage to report the case two days later. One of the two rapists, named Efran, was tracked down by members of the Christian community and handed over to the police.

The adolescent of the Santhal ethnic group was harassed by Addur Satar, principal of her school, on November 9. The 15 year old girl belongs to the Catholic church of Gulta, in the area of Sirajganj, and attends the ninth grade in the Gulta Adibashi Girls School, a local public institution. Her father tells AsiaNews that his daughter "went to the principal's house to get help with homework. At that moment Abdur Satar's wife was not at home and the man remained alone with my daughter. He touched her private parts and wanted to rape her, but luckily my daughter managed to escape. " The father complains that the principal "is an influential person in the community, so the police did not even want to register the complaint. Then some journalists and local leaders put pressure on the agents, until they decided to register the case. "

Nikhil Khaka, of orao ethnicity and president of the Bangladesh Christian Association (BCA) in the district of Sirajganj, declares: "We want an exemplary punishment for Abdur Satar. We know that he has abused many girls in the past, but none have dared to report. Christians appear weak and can be easily persecuted".Mumbai, November 13: Air India pilot Arvind Kathpalia, who was grounded earlier this week, has been sacked as Director of Operations for failing an alcohol test before his flight. Captain Kathpalia was to operate Air Indias London-bound AI-111 flight from New Delhi on Sunday afternoon. The flight was scheduled to take off at 2:45 PM on Sunday afternoon but after much delay, it finally departed at 4 PM.

After Kathpalia failed the mandatory pre-flight alcohol test, DGCA official today said Kathpalia has tested 'BA positive' on November 11 and the privileges of his licence have been suspended for a period of three years. Aviation regulator DGCA had also suspended the Kathpalia's flying licence after he failed the breath analyser (BA) test.

The privileges of his licence have been suspended for a period of three years from 11.11.2018 as per the provisions of applicable regulations, a spokesperson at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement. Air India Pilot Arvind Kathpalia Fails Breath Analyser Test Before Flight, Grounded For Three Years.

Capt Kathpalia, who is also part of the Board of Directors of the national carrier went to the medical room for the test around 1.30pm on Sunday. This is the second time that Kathpalia has been in trouble over the BA tests. In 2007, he was suspended for three months for allegedly refusing to take the BA test. It must be noted that it is mandatory for them to undergo a breath analyser test both before and after operating a flight. Air India 332 Delhi-Bangkok Flight Returns After Co-Pilot Fails Breath Analyser Test, Senior Pilot Arvind Kathpalia to Fly DEL-LON AI-111 Declared Not Fit to Fly.

Any crew member who tests positive in the pre-flight medical check or refuses to take a breath-analyser test is required to be taken off flying duty for at least four weeks. If this happens, the airline is required to initiate disciplinary proceedings. Reports inform that under Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules, crew members are prohibited from consuming any alcoholic drink 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight.

The prescribed punishment for such offences under the DGCA rules is a suspension of flying licence for three months in case of the first breach. Reports inform that for violating the norms for the second time, the licence is suspended for three years and for a third time, the licence is permanently cancelled.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 13, 2018 04:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).Srinagar, November 13: Security forces on Tuesday foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) and gunned down a Pakistani intruder in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor.

A heavily-armed Pakistani terrorist was eliminated in Akhnoor sector on the Indian side of the boundary, Defence Ministry spokesman Lt Col Devender Anand told news agency IANS.

"An ambush party killed a terrorist and recovered warlike stores including five pistols, 10 pistol magazines, 60 bullets of pistol, an AK assault rifle, two AK rifle magazines with 234 rounds of ammunition, 15 grenades and 12 fuses for IEDs," the official said.

"This huge cache has scuttled the nefarious plans of the terrorist outfits to derail peace and harmony and disrupt the coming panchayat elections in the state," he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 13, 2018 07:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).Pune, November 13: Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday sought to summon Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and government officials before the Koregaon-Bhima violence inquiry commission here.

Appearing before the commission in his capacity as a lawyer, Ambedkar represented M N Kamble, one of the witnesses to the violence. Kamble has demanded that Fadnavis and some government officials should be examined before the judicial commission.

The commission, headed by Justice (retired) Jai Narayan Patel and with former state chief secretary Sumit Mullick as its member, was formed by the Fadnavis government in February. Bhima Koregaon Violence: No Fact-Finding Committeee Was Formed, Says Pune Police After a Report Blamed Milind Ekbote And Sambhaji Bhide For Riots.

"Our demand is the commission should summon and examine government officials, right from the investigating officer who is probing the violence case to Fadnavis," said Ambedkar. "If the responsibility (for the violence) is to be fixed, all these decision-makers needs to be examined," he said.

Ambedkar also demanded that certain documents such as police station diaries, wireless and written communication between the government officials and police on December 31 and January 1 and documents pertaining to deployment of police force on these two days should be produced.

Justice Patel said the documents which are in public domain can be brought before the commission. Ambedkar contended that the violence on January 1 was a clear case of failure of the government machinery, and the commission needs to establish at what level this failure took place and whether it was a case of lack of intelligence inputs or a failure to act on them.

Advocate Ashish Satpute, who is assisting the commission on legal points, said the commission's inquiry is at the initial stage, and the chief minister and government officials can be summoned at a later stage.

Justice Patel said the commission may summon Fadnavis and officials if it deems it necessary. Special public prosecutor Shishir Hirey will be arguing on behalf of the state government.

Dalits visiting a memorial of an 1818 battle at Koregaon Bhima in Pune district -- in which the forces of the Peshwa, ruler of Pune, were defeated by the British East India Company -- came under attack on January 1 this year.

While Dalits see the victory as an assertion of Dalit identity as the British forces included Mahar (a formerly untouchable caste) soldiers, some Hindu right-wing organisations were opposed to the celebration.Bhopal, November 13: A whopping amount of Rs 500 crore were recovered by the Income Tax Department during IT raids in Madhya Pradesh. According to a tweet by ANI, the Hawala racket was busted in Jabalpur during raids conducted at multiple locations in the last two days. This is one of the major hauls before the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections 2018 which is scheduled for November 28.

Tax officials are investigating the matter and trying to nab the culprits. The money was recovered from Madhya Pradesh and it is reported that it was intended for bribing the voters. Telangana Assembly Elections: Rs 7.51 Crore Hawala Cash Seized Before Polls.

#MadhyaPradesh: Income Tax Department busted a Hawala racket and recovered documents with transaction details of more than Rs. 500 crore in Jabalpur during IT raids conducted at multiple locations in last two days.  ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2018

Earlier this month, Hawala cash of Rs 7.51 crore, was seized and four people were arrested in Hyderabad on Wednesday, in a major haul ahead of the December 7 assembly elections in Telangana, police said. The money was seized from the different area in a joint operation carried out by various wings of the city police and the Static Surveillance Team.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 13, 2018 11:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).New Delhi, November 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday left on a two-day visit to Singapore to attend the ASEAN-India and East Asia Summits. "I will be visiting Singapore on 14-15 November, to participate in the ASEAN-India and East Asia Summits", Modi said. The Prime Minister added saying that in addition to the East Asia Summit, he would also participate in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Leaders' Meeting. This is Modi's 5th East Asia Summit and his second visit to Singapore. PM Narendra Modi Leaves for 5-Day Visit to Indonesia, Malaysia & Singapore.

It must be noted that the Prime Minister will be the first head of government to deliver an address at the Singapore Fintech Festival, which is one of the largest events on financial technology. The Fintech Festival will see companies and delegates ranging from the industry leaders to smaller start-ups. In the event, India will be the largest contingent with 400 exhibitors. The organisers informed that Modi will address 30,000 people at the festival, the biggest event of its kind in the world. PM Narendra Modi Leaves for Home After Summit With Shinzo Abe in Japan.

I will be in Singapore tomorrow and the day after to take part in the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summits as well as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Leaders' Meeting. India strongly values the close ties with ASEAN nations. This augurs well for our citizens.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 13, 2018

Reports inform that during his two-day stay, the Prime Minister will also attend the second Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership meeting where the leaders will review the progress made in the negotiations. He will launch APIX, a banking technology designed to reach two billion people worldwide who are still without bank accounts. APIX is a sophisticated technology by Boston-headquartered Virtusa, especially for smaller banks, Tier 3 and 4, to reach out to people in the remote regions. It has been designed by software experts based in Hyderabad, Colombo and London.

In May, the Prime Minister had been on a five-day three-nation tour of Southeast Asia. During his visit, he had visited Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and held bilateral talks with the leaders of these nations.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 13, 2018 09:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).Kabul, November 12: At least six people were killed and 20 others were wounded in a suicide blast here on Monday near a protest site where hundreds of people, mostly members of the persecuted Shia minority Hazara, were demanding more security in the Hazara-dominated central and eastern districts of Afghanistan.

A suicide bomber detonated explosives he had strapped to himself around 2 p.m., just a few hundred metres from where demonstrators had gathered for a protest near Gulbahar commercial centre, Kabul police spokesperson Basir Mujahid told Efe news.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi said the bomber detonated his explosives after being spotted by the police, TOLO News reported.

"Six people, including three women, two men and a military (soldier) were killed in today's suicide attack," the spokesperson said, adding that 20 people, including three soldiers had been wounded. Kabul Suicide Attack: Militants Strike Again, Days After Afghan, Taliban Representatives Held 'Peace Talks' in Moscow.

Hundreds of people had gathered since Sunday night to urge the government to bomb Taliban positions in Malistan and Jaghori districts in eastern Ghazni province, and Khasurozgan in central Uruzgan province -- mainly inhabited by Hazaras.

Over the last fortnight, these administrative divisions had been the scene of an escalated conflict and a large number of civilians had been forced to abandon their homes, said one of the protest organizers, Barakatullha Rawnaq.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani met the protesters and informed them of security measures being carried out in the three districts after which the protest was called off and the participants "returned to their houses", the President's adviser Fazel Fazly tweeted.

Shias, especially those from the Hazara community, are often the target of insurgent attacks, many of them perpetrated by the Islamic State terror organization. The last such attack occurred in September when a double attack in a Shia-majority district of Kabul left some 20 people dead and around 70 wounded.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 12, 2018 06:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).Dhaka, November 12: The Bangladesh Election Commission on Monday postponed the polling date for the country's general election from December 23 to December 30 amid calls for a deferral from the new opposition alliance Jatiya Oikya Front and other parties.

Chief Election Commissioner K.M. Nurul Huda made the announcement in capital Dhaka, a day after the opposition alliance, including former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), decided to contest the polls, bdnews24.com reported.

The alliance also called for the election to be deferred by a month. Huda said the poll body welcomed the opposition alliance's decision to contest the polls. BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had earlier urged the government to ensure a level playing field for holding a free, fair and neutral election. Elections in Bangladesh 2018: Experts Fear Rise of Islamic Fundamentalist Groups by Voting Out Sheikh Hasina.

The Election Commission will now accept nominations till November 28, said Huda. "They (BNP and Oikya Front) said they are interested in participating in the polls... The election commissioners discussed the matter and came to this decision."

The ruling Awami League (AL) of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the parliamentary opposition Jatiya Party said they had no objection to the revised schedule.

The AL was founded by the late Sheikh Mujibur Rehman who led the country's struggle for liberation from Pakistan in 1971. It has been in and out of power sunce 1973, when it first formed the government. It stormed back to power with a landslide election victory in early 2009 and won a second second term in 2014. It is now facing challenges from Khaleda's BNP and its allies, which boycotted the 2014 elections.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 12, 2018 04:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).- Police said it has extended a hand of partnership to a Bayelsa community in its bid to flush out crime

- This development came following the killing of a 100 level student of Niger Delta University

- The victim was reported to have been killed by armed robbers threatening the community peace

The police command in Bayelsa said it has commenced engagements with community, youth leaders as well as vigilance groups to flush out criminals including cultists from the state, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Asinim Butswat, spokesman of the command, said this on Sunday, November 11, while reacting to the killing of a 100 level female student of the Niger Delta University, Seiyefa Fred, by suspected cultists.

Legit.ng gathers that Seiyefa was killed by suspected cultists in a robbery mission on Thursday, November 8, in Yenagoa, the state capital.

READ ALSO: Imo APC governorship candidate Uzodinma arrested

Residents, who witnessed the incident, said that the deceased had resisted attempts by the gang which tried to dispossess her of her mobile phone.

Butswat identified cultism and armed robbery as the most prevalent crimes in the state and assured the people of the commands readiness to partner with communities in fighting crimes.

The spokesman said that there were several reported cases of cultism and armed robbery in Yenagoa metropolis with the attendant consequences on public safety.

He said the frequency of the incidents had compelled the police commissioner in the state, Joseph Mukan, to embark on community engagement meeting with stakeholders to contain the menace.

Meanwhile, the state commissioner for information, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, has said that the government would ensure the prosecution of anyone involved in the killing, describing it as shocking, reprehensible and unacceptable.

Iworiso-Markson gave the assurance that government would do everything to ensure that those who perpetrated the dastardly act were fished out and brought to justice.

The commissioner noted that the government was elected primarily to ensure peace, security development and stability in the state.

He said: The government of Bayelsa received with shock the gruesome murder of a 100 level student of the Niger Delta University by people suspected to be cultists on a robbery mission.

Government condemns with all vehemence this collective assault on our humanity as a people and would do all within its power to address this provocative act.

Government calls for the cooperation of all our citizens in the days ahead as deliberate efforts would be made to go after those who have declared war on our peace and security.

Government commiserates with the family of the late Seiyefa and assures that the killers would not go unpunished."

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that in what was said to be separate incidents of cult clash, two students of Benue State University lost their lives.

According to an eyewitness, the first incident happened on Tuesday, November 6, when a 300L student of the institution was gunned down around High Level area in Makurdi.

The second killing took place opposite the second gate of the university where the victim, a 400 level student of theatre art of the university, was shot dead.

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Police Parade Over 50 Suspected Cultists in Lagos | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng- Governor Samuel Ortom expresses the confidence that the PDP will win majority of the elective positions during the 2019 general elections

- Ortom says the Benue state government will ensure that nobody will be allowed to rig election in the state during the elections

- The Benue governor promises to integrate Iorhemba's campaign team into the state PDP main campaign organisation for the overall victory of the party in 2019

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would win the 2019 presidential election overwhelmingly.

Ortom stated this on Monday, November 11, in Makurdi when a former governorship aspirant on the platform of PDP, Dave Iorhemba, visited him, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

PDP will not only win in Benue but will win majority of the elective positions during the 2019 general elections. The party will also win the presidential election.

READ ALSO: President Buhari has made Atikus 2019 victory easier - Nduese Essien

We will support both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Federal Government in order to have credible elections.

We will also guard against electoral manipulations. Nobody will be allowed to rig election in Benue. We will vote and guard our votes, he said.

He thanked Iorhemba, for agreeing to step down for him without much pressure from the party leadership, promising to integrate his campaign team into the state PDP main campaign organisation for the overall victory of the party.

Earlier, Iorhemba, said that his campaign team comprised mainly of grassroots mobilisers who were chiefly, former local government area (LGA) chairmen, councilors and House of Assembly members.

He said they would work to ensure that PDP win at the ward, district and LGA levels, stating that they had been doing it over time.

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Also, the director-general (DG), Iorhemba governorship campaign organisation, Iorhen Shirsha, said they had all agreed to work tirelessly for the re-election of Ortom during the 2019 general elections.

Meanwhile, presidential aide, Lauretta Onochie, has dismissed the insinuation that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aide, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has 100,000 workers in his workforce.

Some supporters of Atiku have been boasting on social media that the former vice president is the largest employer of labour in the country with 100,000 workers.

But Onochie, the personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, dismissed the statistics of Atiku's work force, saying the Adamawa-born politician is the largest employer of ghost workers.

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Nigeria Latest News: Buhari vs Atiku - 2019 Elections | Legit TV

Source: Legit- President Muhammadu Buhari blames elites for allegedly looking away while Nigerias money which could have been invested in the education sector were stolen

- Buhari says the country's current education budget which stands at 5% is inadequate and far off the 26% recommended by the United Nations

- The president states that the looted funds stashed in foreign lands could have made a difference if it was spent on Nigerias education sector

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that money stolen from Nigeria is stashed in major European cities, the US and other havens around the world.

He made the disclosure on Monday, November 12, during an interactive session with the Nigerian community in France, The Punch reports.

A statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, made available to journalists in Abuja, read that Buhari blamed the elites for allegedly looking away while the money which could have been invested in the education sector was stolen.

READ ALSO: PDP gubernatorial aspirant dumps party in Kaduna

The president stated that Nigerias current education budget which stands at 5% was inadequate and far off the 26% recommended by the United Nations.

He however assured Nigerians that his administration was committed to improving the education sector just as it had improved roads and rail lines.

We are currently reviewing investments in the entire infrastructure of the country like road, rail and power, including investing more in education. We will certainly need to do more in education, Buhari said.

The president said the stolen money could have made a difference if it was spent on education.

My frustration is that some people still have plenty of stolen money stashed in Europe, US and other countries, he said.

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The president appealed to elites both at home and abroad to help develop the education sector by contributing to support the government.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has given condition for the restructuring of the country saying it must be well defined before it can be done for the interest of all Nigerians.

The Nation reports that the president made this comment during an interactive session with Nigerians living in France on Monday, November 12.

He said the issue of restructuring has to be properly explained and in what form it should be.

The president also said the diaspora community cannot participate in elections for now but said this will happen in the future.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better .

Is President Buhari Really Doing Badly As Nigeria's Leader? - Nigeria Street Gist | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ngSenator Hope Uzodinma was recently arrested by operatives of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel For Recovery of Public Property

- The APC governorship candidate in Imo was arrested for an alleged failure of his company to execute a contract of $12million

- He was, however, released on Monday, November 12, and an explanation has been given for his release

The Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property (SPIPRPP) on Monday, November 12, announced that it granted administrative bail to the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo state, Senator Hope Uzodinma, after he developed high blood pressure in detention.

Chairman of the SPIPRPP, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, who confirmed Senator Uzodinmas temporary release on bail, said the lawmaker pleaded to be allowed to return back for questioning on Tuesday, November 13.

Obono-Obla told Vanguard that the embattled APC gubernatorial flag-bearer, who was accused of complicity in $12 million contract fraud, was released from detention on Sunday, November 11.

We dont want him to die so we have granted him an extension till tomorrow (Tuesday) to report to us, Obono-Obla said, adding that the initial agreement was for the accused lawmaker to report back around 10am on Monday, November 12, for further grilling.

READ ALSO: N650m fraud: Court refuses to transfer former ministers case

He continued: We granted him bail to report back today and this morning he was supposed to return by 10am but he requested for us to adjourn the matter till tomorrow that his blood pressure went up.

We dont want him to die so we have granted him an extension till tomorrow (Tuesday) to report to us. We will wait for him, if he doesnt come as we agreed before we granted him bail, then we will know what to do.

Responding to Senator Uzodinmas claim that he was never arrested by SPIPRPP operatives upon his arrival in Abuja from Lagos, Obono-Obla said: Well you know that no one will say that his mothers soup is not sweet. The man was arrested. If not why is he begging for extension till tomorrow (Tuesday)?

He was arrested yesterday at the airport about 8:30pm by our operatives and he was kept there till about 12midnight before he pleaded that he should be allowed to go and we conceded because we dont have detention facility.

We dont detain people as a matter of policy in our panel. But we asked him to report back by 10am today. When we did not see him by that time, we went to his house and laid siege there. It was then he started pleaded that he was not feeling well and that he will report to us tomorrow.

So we granted him that respect. If he fails to report tomorrow then we will take it up. We have already filed charges against him for refusing to declare his assets.this matter has been lingering for the past two years.

He has tried to play some politics but we are not politicians and we have nothing to do with the politics of Imo state. But this matter has been lingering since 2017 that we started looking for him. He refused to answer our invitation.

We sent about two invitations to the Clerk of the National Assembly but he did not come. So we went to his house and pasted our assets declaration form. That is the first step in our investigation. He refused to fill that form within 30 days as prescribed by the law establishing our panel.

We now charged him before the Federal High Court. That one is pending. So if he said he didnt arrest him, then it is up to him. But nobody will say that his mothers soup is not sweet.

Obono-Obla equally confirmed that Senator Uzodinma is facing investigating for allegedly engaging in economic sabotage owing to failure of his company to execute a contract of $12 million the Nigerian Ports Authority awarded to him for the dredging of Calabar channel.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday, November 9, pasted Senator Uzodimmas name as the Imo state governorship candidate of the APC.

Uzodimma's name was pasted at the INEC, office along Port Harcourt road in Owerri, with Akaolisa Cyprain Okechukwu as his running mate.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have updated to serve you better.

Is President Buhari Really Doing Badly As Nigeria's Leader? - Nigeria Street Gist | Legit TV

Source: Legit- The BBC has indicted some media houses in Nigeria over publishing fake news without fasting-checking it

- The indictment is in its report titled "A year in fake news in Africa", published on Monday, November 12

- The fake story published by the indicted media houses was a report of Atiku Abubakar's endorsement by a gay organisation

The BBC in its report on Monday, November 12, titled "A year in fake news in Africa" has highlighted the impact of fake news and how some Nigerian media house published fake news without fact-checking.

Legit.ng gathers that the BBC, which launched research into fake news in Africa, broke down five false stories that made a big impact on the continent in the past 12 months. One of the stories was published by some Nigerian media houses and blogs.

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

The Nation and Vanguard are part of the media houses indicted by the BBC. The newspapers published a report they got from a fake Twitter account with the handle @TheAtiku.

The tweet from the fake Twitter handle read: "I want to thank the Association of Nigerian Gay Men (ANGAM) for their endorsement of my Presidential ambition. This means a lot to me, and to other men of queer affiliation. I assure them that on getting to office one of the first things I would do is to abolish the anti-gay law."

See tweet below:

Below is the fake story as published by The Nation:

The fake news as reported by the Nation. Photo credit: BBC

Source: Depositphotos

Recall that homosexual acts are punishable in Nigeria by up to 14 years imprisonment. Nigerian law does not accommodate homosexual organisations, therefore the organisation mentioned in the tweet does not exist.

The genuine Twitter account of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 general elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is @atiku.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that with the gradual decline in print media subscription, Nigeria's mainstream media houses are now using misleading headlines, also known as click baits, in a bid to direct traffic to their websites. It is a strange development that portends danger for professionalism and ethical reporting.

For a typical Nigerian, the definition is clear and simple. The organisation with printed version is called 'a media' / 'a newspaper' / 'press', often with the word 'legacy'. An internet-only company is called a 'blog', often with a negative tone.

On Friday, Februaury 16, the media was agog with a news headline carried by the major legacy media like Vanguard, Punch and Tribune.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

NAIJ.com Upgrades to Legit.ng: Message from Goke Olaegbe  Managing Director

Source: Legit Nigeria- Lawal Rufai, a defendant in the corruption case against Ibrahim Shema, accuses the EFCC of obtaining a statement from him under duress

- Rufai, through his counsel, urges the court to rule in favour of a trial within trial in the case involving alleged corruption

- Justice Ibrahim Bako adjourns the sitting to November 28, for the trial within trial as prayed by Rufai

A drama ensued at the Katsina high court venue of the trial of former governor Ibrahim Shema as Lawal Rufai, a defendant in the case, said the statement tendered as evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was obtained from him under duress.

The statement was tendered against the former governor, but Rafiu, a former permanent secretary in the ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs, who spoke through his counsel, Aliyu Ahmed, said he was forced.

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

When the case came up on Monday, November 12, Vanguard reports that an operative of the EFCC, Abubakar Buba, stated that Rufai willingly volunteered and signed the various statements obtained from him in 2016.

But Rufais counsel, Ahmed, countered the EFCC operative saying: My client, who is the fourth witness, has told me that the statements tendered by EFCC before this court were made involuntarily. In short, my client said he made the statements under duress.

I will, therefore, seek the indulgence of this court to opt for trial within trial.

The report said the presiding judge, Ibrahim Bako, adjourned the sitting to November 28, for the trial within trial.

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Shema, a former governor of Katsina, is facing a 24-count charge of alleged misappropriation of about N11 billion of local government funds with three others.

They include the commissioner for local government affairs, Sani Makana; ex-ALGON chairman, Lawal Dankaba and Rufai.

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Katsina state high court, on Monday, October 15, resumed the trial of Ibrahim Shema of Katsina state, over alleged financial misappropriation of N11 billion during his tenure.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better.

Ezekwesili to Become Nigerias First Female President. Yay or Nay? - Nigeria Street Gist | Legit TV

Source: Legit NewspaperWhen it comes to mentioning one of the most popular monarchs in Nigeria, the Olubadan of Ibadan will never be forgotten. According to history, the position was founded in the 16 century and has many rulers till date.

Just recently, the present Olubadan of Ibadan Adetunji Aje Ogungunniso was spotted in Canada with his two wives. The picture has gone viral most especially because of their dressing.

Due to the cold weather in Canada, the Olubadan of Ibadan and his wives were seen rocking winter outfits but the king made his royal beads visible to all.

Olubadan Of Ibadan spotted with his 2 wives in Canada

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Anambra-based pastor reveals the charm God showed him while praying in a bush (photos)

Their picture was seen on the Instagram handle of the Oluwo of Iwo land with the caption: Olubadan got swags for the cold! This is Olubadan of Ibadan land during winter, it seems Nigerians that lacks exposure don't even have an idea what winter is? Baba Olubadan Adetunji Aje Ogungunniso you will live long on the throne in good health and wealth #ouneriew.

See post below:

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Legit.ng earlier reported that Ooni of Ife and his new wife, Queen Naomi Oluwaseyi Ogunwusi, were recently spotted at an event together in Lagos. The couple made their first appearance at the West Africas 1st International Art Fair which took place at Civic Center, Victoria Island.

Nice one!

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

Nigeria News: Abuja Hospital, Parents Speak on Historic Separation of Co-joined Twins | Legit TV.

Source: Legit- Former Niger Delta militants have berated presidency over search of vice president Atiku's jet

- They also condemned the security operatives who carried out the search on the former Nigeria's number two citizen

- Speaking on behalf of the ex-militants, Eshanekpe Israel, stated that the treatment meted out to the former vice president portrays the country in a very bad light

Days after the security operatives searched the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, at Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, on his arrival from Dubai, some former militants have berated presidency over the incident.

The Independent reports that a coalition of ex-militants under the banner of national coalition of Niger Delta ex-militants and youth for Atiku/Obi 2019, condemned the security operatives over the alleged treatment meted out to the former vice president.

Legit.ng gathered that while reacting to the incident, the national coordinator of the coalition, Eshanekpe Israel, known as Akpodoro, stated that such treatment of former vice president portrays the country in a very bad light.

READ ALSO: APC, PDP engage in blame game ahead of Kwara bye-election

He said: We used to be under the impression that being a former president, vice president, governor, deputy governor and so on amounted to something in Nigeria.

It is now clear those under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the rules of decent politicking, time-tested virtues of honour and integrity are things of the past.

The ex-militants also chided the presidency over what appears to them as defending the indefensible.

The presidency had through the media and publicity unit in Aso Villa claimed that there was new rule that subjects all comers into the country to vigorous searches.

The coalition asked why it had to take a special squad of security operatives to search the former vice president rather than the routine airport security men.

The group, however, expressed its backing of the former vice president welcoming him back into the country.

We in the Delta region of the Nigerian state heartily welcome our leader after his trip to Dubai where he went to plan a new future for us in an effort towards building a new Nigeria where the masses will cry no more", he said.

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As against the rumour that the former vice president was on medical trip in the UAE, the ex-militant leader said the PDP presidential candidate was super fit and may not need medical attention in the next one decade, describing him as a productive man body, soul and spirit.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that no fewer than 30,000 members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa state on Monday, November 12, joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of 2019 general elections.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better.

Theres No Big Deal About Searching Atiku - Rtd Customs Officer - Nigeria Street Gist | - on Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng- The Action Alliance denies giving membership of the party to Governor Rochas Okorocha and his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu

- The AA says it is true that Okorocha played a role in the formation of the party but that was about 10 years ago

- It says it has commenced enlightenment across the entire Imo state to inform people that Okorocha and Nsowu are not pursuing any 2019 ambition through it

The Action Alliance (AA), Imo chapter, has reportedly declared that Governor Rochas Okorocha and his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, who is the chief of staff of the state, are not members of the political party.

Vanguard reports that the publicity secretary of the party, Comrade Ifeanyi Okponwa-Eze, made the disclosure when he spoke with journalists after a meeting with members at Urualla, Ideato North local council area of the state.

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He said it was mere rumour that the Okorocha and Nwosu had joined the AA to actualise the governorship dream of the latter in 2019.

We want to be unequivocal on this issue. Governor Okorocha ceased being a member of AA, over 10 years ago, he said, however, noting that Okorocha played a major role at the conception and birth of the AA.

People must understand that party business is not a one man affair and can never be, no matter the power such a man arrogates to himself, Okponwa-Eze said, while maintaining that the party is not a dump site or waste yard.

AA is neither a dump site nor a waste yard. It is a party where power truly belongs to the masses. We are not ready to make AA a platform for the breeding of future emperors or render it vulnerable for contamination by emperor-like spirit.

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The national chairman of AA, Kenneth Udeze, had directed the state executive to commence a tour of the 27 local council areas, to properly inform members of the true position of the governor and his son in-law.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state said Senator Hope Uzodinma, whose name was released by the Independence and National Electoral Commission as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), cannot win election in the state, Legit.ng reported earlier.

Okorocha, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Sam Onwuemeodo, said the governorship candidate does not have what it takes to win election in Imo state.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better.

Theres No Big Deal About Searching Atiku - Rtd Customs Officer - Nigeria Street Gist | Legit TV

Source: Legit Newspaper- A Malawi-based Nigerian man has shared details of how church sticker given to him by pastor changed his life

- The man who attends Mount Moriah Global Ministries reportedly received a prophecy from Prophet Stephen Mwila along with stickers and miracle towel

- Few weeks later, he returned to church to testify that he had gotten visa to three countries as well as financial blessings

A certain form of miracle as testified by a Malawi-based Nigerian man has got tongues wagging on social media. According to the church member of Mount Moriah Global Ministries, he received a prophecy from his pastor, Bishop Stephen Mwila that he will gain financial blessing as well as travel abroad in the nearest future. He was also given stickers and miracle towel as a token of faith.

Few weeks after the prophecy, the young man shared his good news at a church service, where he revealed that he believed what the pastor told him and activated his faith by placing the sticker on his international passport. To his surprise, the visa was returned to him with visas to three countries and he also gained more money.

His testimony was shared on social media by the bishop, who affirmed that God is using him to change people's lives by granting them visas abroad as well as financial blessings with the aid of his 'miracle' stickers.

READ ALSO: 8 most handsome bachelors in Nigeria at the moment

Getting visa abroad is not always smooth breeze except of course, as in this case, Bishop Stephen blesses it. Just recently, BBNaija's Khloe lamented on social media over getting six visa denials to three different countries.

Meanwhile, just recently, an Anambra-based pastor was in-tune with the 'spirit' when the hiding place of a charm was revealed to him.

He stated that the item was shown to him by the spirit of God.

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Source: Legit.ng- Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has activated TraderMoni scheme in Obalende, Makoko and Oyingbo areas of Lagos state

- TraderMoni scheme is designed by the federal government to help petty traders expand their trade through the provision of collateral-free loans of N10,000

- Beneficiaries of the scheme applauded the federal government for embarking on the project which they described as people oriented

The federal government of Nigeria has on Tuesday, November 13, brought smiles to the faces of market women, traders and artisans in Obalende, Makoko and Oyingbo areas of Lagos state through the TraderMoni initiative.

The federal government initiative which is aimed at providing two million petty traders across the country with collateral-free loans before the end of the year was activated by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who inspected Obalende market and had a one-on-one interactions with the traders.

The vice president also activated the scheme in Makoko and Obalende areas of Lagos.

Recall that he had on Monday, November 12, activated the scheme in Igando, Ikotun and Ile Epo markets.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has activated TraderMoni initiative in Obalende, Makoko and Oyingbo areas of Lagos state. Photo credit: Aanu Adegun

Source: Original

In the TraderMoni initiative,beneficiaries can get access to a higher facility ranging from N15, 000 to N50, 000 when they repaid N10, 000 within the stipulated time period.

Mrs Toyin Adeniji, (middle) executive director, Bank of Industry with some market leaders. Photo credit: Aanu Adegun.

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Saving tips for the holiday season (Infographics)

Speaking on the success of the initiative, Mrs Toyin Adeniji, executive director, Bank of Industry (BOI), while fielding questions from Legit.ng said the initiative has been a tremendous success as over 1 million Nigerians have been registered for the scheme.

The Bank of Industry is in partnership with the federal government to provide the collateral free loans.

Papson Sharon, one of the enumerator said traders were happy with the initiative as many of them immediately after receiving the money went to restock their goods. Photo credit: Aanu Adegun.

Source: Original

The BOI boss also said that the process in which traders are being enrolled into the scheme was transparent.

Papson Sharon, one of the enumerator (registering agent) who also interacted with Legit.ng said traders were happy with the initiative as many of them immediately after receiving the money went to restock their trading goods.

Beneficiaries of the scheme applauded the federal government for embarking on the project which they described as people oriented. Credit: Aanu Adegun

Source: Original

She however said there was reluctance on the part of the traders initially but things changed immediately traders who embraced the initiative from the outset started receiving credit alerts from their banks.

Another beneficiary who praised the federal government for the TraderMoni initiative.

Source: Original

Meanwhile, one of the beneficiaries, Mrs Wosila Popoola, who sells 'ponmo' at Obalende market, praised the federal government for having the poor in mind. The trader who confirmed that she has received the money urged the FG to keep the scheme.

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Another beneficiary, Sakirudeen Olaniyi, who also confirmed that he has been credited with N10,000 said it never crossed his mind that a government could embark on such people centered scheme. He said the money might be small to some people but it is a boost to his business.

Olaniyi who is a meat seller also said he will be paying back the loan in other to scale up his chances of obtaining higher loans for his business.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Mr Laolu Akande, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, office of the vice president, said any attack on the TraderMoni scheme is an attack on hardworking petty traders and Nigerians in general.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have updated to serve you better.

Buhari Or Atiku , Who Would You Vote For President In 2019 ? Nigerian's Respond on Legit.ng TV

Source: LegitThe longtime director of an Allentown drum-and-bugle corps was formally charged with sexual assault on Tuesday, seven months after a newspaper report documented allegations by as many as 11 women.

George Hopkins

The charges against 62-year-old George Hopkins, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, stem from two accusers who say the Allentown Cadets director drugged and raped them eight to 10 years ago, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said in a news release.

Hopkins surrendered to authorities and was arraigned Tuesday on two second-degree charges of sexual assault. Hopkins stepped down as the Allentown Cadets' director in April after a report by The Philadelphia Inquirer detailing the allegations against him.

"He has long denied these (allegations) and continues to deny them," said Thomas Bergstrom, Hopkins' attorney. "We're going to go to trial."

The accusers, identified only by initials in the DA's news release, reported the alleged assaults in May.

The first charge dates back to 2008, when the first accuser was asked to come to Hopkins' home, the DA said. The woman worked for Allentown-based Youth Education in the Arts (YEA), which sponsors and oversees the Cadets, and the invitation was allegedly work-related.

The woman allegedly told investigators that Hopkins gave her a glass of wine and she "began to feel peculiar, as if she was 'floating on the ceiling,'" the DA said in the news release. Hopkins allegedly kissed her on the couch and started removing her clothes before taking her to the bedroom and sexually assaulting her.

The second charge is from 2010. That woman, who at the time was employed by a rival drum-and-bugle corps, set up a work-related meeting at an Allentown bar with Hopkins, the DA said. She also allegedly told investigators that she felt strange after accepting drinks provided by the band director.

They went back to Hopkins' Allentown apartment, where he carried her to the bedroom and assaulted her, the DA alleged.

Both victims repeatedly told Hopkins to stop, authorities say.

Following the Inquirer's report and Hopkins' resignation in April, the YEA board of directors also stepped down. Later that month, the man chosen to replace Hopkins, Sean King, also suspended himself from duty after claims he was told of the previous director's harassment and failed to act.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.A 26-year-old Nancy Run Fire Company firefighter died Monday morning in a crash in Bushkill Township, authorities report.

Jared Rampulla, of Wind Gap, was pronounced dead at the scene of the two-vehicle wreck on Route 512 near Heyer Mill Road, Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek confirmed. Rampulla died from multiple blunt force trauma and his death was ruled an accident, Lysek said.

The wreck happened just after 4:30 a.m. Rampulla drove off the side of the road then crossed into oncoming traffic before the side of the vehicle collided with the front of another vehicle, police said. The driver of the other vehicle was flown to an area hospital.

Rampulla was a Liberty High School graduate and a 10-year member of Nancy Run, one of two volunteer fire companies in Bethlehem Township.

He will be posthumously honored with his 10-year pin, the company said on Facebook, adding that services will be announced later.

It is with the utmost regret and deepest sadness that the Nancy Run Fire Company announces the sudden passing of one of... Posted by Nancy Run Fire Company on Monday, November 12, 2018

"Jared demonstrated true passion and dedication as a firefighter, brother, friend, uncle, son and father," the fire company said. "We ask that you keep the Rampulla family, NRFC and our extended families in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

Rampulla's brother Nolan is an assistant chief with the fire company.

The Bethlehem Township fire company also mourned the young firefighter.

"The BTVFC family would like to extend our sincere condolences to our NRFC family while they deal with the tragic loss of one of their own, Firefighter Jared Rampulla," the company also said on Facebook. "Jared wholeheartedly dedicated 10 years of service to our community here in Bethlehem Township.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Nancy Run Fire Co. and the entire Rampulla family as they mourn his loss. May you Rest In Peace Jared and watch over us, as we've got it from here brother."

Rampulla came from a family of firefighters, Nancy Run Chief Michael Lenner said.

In addition to Nolan, their brother Mason is a firefighter with Cetronia in Lehigh County and their dad Michael was a hazardous materials lieutenant with the Bethlehem Fire Department before retiring.

"I've watched him come up and grow in the fire company," Lenner said Monday afternoon.

Rampulla started as a junior firefighter, which meant he didn't get to go inside burning buildings, among other limitations.

But he worked hard to learn through classes and extended training and get certified a senior firefighter, Lenner said.

"He excelled at that," Lenner said. A person joins the fire service "to fight fires" and Rampulla was driven, Lenner said. "... He was what you would want from your firemen."

And Rampulla, the father of a young son named Levi, didn't forget his early days, Lenner said.

"He seemed to have a passion to help the younger firefighters," at the station, Lenner said. "Every time he was down there, he helped those guys."

While he grew up among firefighters, Rampulla learned quickly that your company becomes your bond.

"You become a family of everybody there," Lenner said.

Rampulla had a great future with Nancy Run, Lenner said.

"Jared was a hell of a guy," Lenner said. "He would do anything for everybody. He was somebody that always wanted to help others."

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.A week after Election Day, there is no clear winner in the special election to complete former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent's unexpired term through year's end in the 15th Congressional District.

That uncertainty could be nearing an end, with Tuesday's deadline for all military and overseas civilian ballots to be received by county elections offices.

Then there is the matter of counting any outstanding provisional ballots, which voters can complete if they believe they are registered to vote in a precinct but their names don't appear in the log book.

All told, it may be as long as a month from Nov. 6 before the Pennsylvania Department of State certifies the results of the election and the winner of the special election is sworn-in, department spokeswoman Wanda Murren said.

Lehigh Valley voters in all of Lehigh County and parts of Northampton County voted in two congressional races last week: The 15th District special election and the new 7th Congressional District that goes into effect with the swearing-in Jan. 3 of Democratic winner Susan Wild as a member of the 116th U.S. Congress.

In the 15th District, Dent resigned, effective May 12, from his seventh two-year term. Gov. Tom Wolf scheduled the special election to complete his term for Nov. 6, the same day as the general election.

Republican candidate Marty Nothstein went up against Wild in both the PA-15 and PA-07 races, and remained ahead of Wild by 58 votes as of Tuesday in the special election, according to unofficial results. That's two-hundredths of 1 percentage point out of 262,483 votes cast across the 15th District, which extends west to parts of Berks, Dauphin and Lebanon counties.

Under the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's redistricting of congressional districts earlier this year, in response to unfairly gerrymandered boundaries, the 7th District covers all of Lehigh and Northampton counties and southern Monroe County.

"It was like an experiment in demonstrating the effects of districts," Muhlenberg College political science professor Christopher Borick said of the dueling Election Day races: "Same candidates, different mix of voters. It tells you what might have been different without the court order."

The PA-15 race isn't on politico.com's list of midterm races still undecided a week after Election Day, with its focus on races affecting the longer-term American political landscape.

The midterms aren't over yet. Here's our list of the races that are still too close to call: https://t.co/EAXGPePuMq  POLITICO (@politico) November 13, 2018

Dennis Roddy, spokesman for Nothstein's campaign, said Tuesday the candidate is confident his lead will go unchanged in PA-15. He lamented what the outcome of PA-07 might have been had the Supreme Court not redrawn the districts.

Sally Tucker, with Wild's campaign, maintained this week that Wild has not conceded the special election.

"We spoke with the county elections offices last week and there are still 5,000 outstanding provisional ballots that will be counted this week," she said by email. "We are waiting to see the final results before moving forward."

Northampton County Voter Registration said Tuesday it expects all military, overseas and provisional ballots to be counted Wednesday or Thursday at the latest.

In Lehigh County: "I'm thinking Friday," Chief Clerk of Elections Tim Benyo said Tuesday.

"Once they're satisfied that all of the votes are in and have been counted ... then the counties will do the first signing," said Murren, from the Department of State.

Then there's a five-day waiting period to allow for any challenges to provisional ballots, followed by a second signing by the county officials that leads up to the state certification.

"You figure it's going to be at least two weeks because of the military ballots and because of the five-day waiting period," she said, noting the estimated wait in reality is more like a month.

That means the PA-15 winner would serve in Congress for less than a month, much of which is the holiday season.

The shortest-serving member of Congress ever was Louisiana U.S. Rep. Effigham Lawrence, who was in office for one day on March 3, 1875, the last day of the 43rd Congress, according to The Washington Post. With more than 59 years of service, former U.S. Rep. John Dingell Jr., Democrat Michigan, holds the record for longest consecutive service, according to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.Wal-Mart has announced it will be giving hiring preference to military spouses, becoming one of the largest companies nationally to make the commitment.

The hiring is based on the chain's newly-launched "Military Spouse Career Connection" initiative, which goes hand-in-hand with its "Veterans Welcome Home" program, enhanced in 2015 with a goal to hire 250,000 military veterans by 2020.

Locally, there are Wal-Mart stores in Bethlehem Township; Lower Nazareth Township; Whitehall Township; and Pohatcong Township.

Phillip Keene, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said Tuesday the company is on track to surpass the initial 250,000 goal by next year. To date, more than 212,000 U.S. military veterans nationally have been hired to work at Wal-Mart stores, he said.

Out of the 212,000, more than 7,350 veterans have been hired in Pennsylvania and more than 2,216 veterans in New Jersey, Keene said.

"We have a duty to honor veterans and military families," said Retired Brig. Gen. Gary Profit, senior director of military programs for Wal-Mart, in a statement.

"But, more importantly, they are tremendous assets to our business. Military spouses bring many of the same leadership qualities we see in veterans, yet they are disproportionately unemployed. We welcome them to Wal-Mart and hope they will consider us for the next step on their career journey," he added.

Keene said another 32,000 veteran associates also have received promotions since joining the Wal-Mart and Sam's Club teams.

'I help people'

Michael del Rosario, general transportation manager at Wal-Mart's Woodland distribution center for more than 14 years and a U.S. Army veteran, said he is bringing his experiences in the military to his job at Wal-Mart.

Del Rosario utilizes logistics acquired in the Army to support more than 100 Wal-Mart Supercenter stores across Pennsylvania, he said.

"My career at Wal-Mart has given me an opportunity to work side-by-side with a team of amazing professionals and fellow veterans who share my passion to make a difference in the lives of customers," del Rosario said. "When my kids' friends and classmates ask them what I do at work, my kids tell them that 'I help people.' Wal-Mart has been a perfect fit for me and my family as I've transitioned back to civilian life."

Wal-Mart President and CEO Doug McMillon described military spouses in a statement as "unsung heroes" and said they "have a home" at Wal-Mart.

"They serve in partnership with their uniformed spouses, and we want to honor them and help them find a job or build an amazing career," he said.

Finding work

Currently, there are more than 500,000 active duty military spouses nationally.

While the U.S. jobless rate hovers at four percent, military spouses face a 26 percent unemployment rate and a 25 percent wage gap compared to their civilian counterparts, according to the Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership.

An estimated 77 percent of these spouses want or need work, yet frequent relocation is often a barrier in finding and maintaining a rewarding career, the department says.

Additionally, nearly 85 percent of military spouses have some college education or higher. A quarter have a bachelor's degree and 10 percent have an advanced degree, according to Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

The "Military Family Promise" has long offered military spouses and veterans the ability to transfer from one Wal-Mart or Sam's Club location to another when a spouse is transferred due to military obligations.

What you can do:

Veterans and spouses can visit here for a list of Wal-Mart positions. All candidates must meet the standard hiring criteria. For more information on Wal-Mart's "Veterans Welcome Home" program, visit here.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.Encouraging positive relationships between Travellers, prison staff and others is one of the aims of new support services prison management wants Traveller organisations to provide at the Midlands Prison Portlaoise.

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has invited organisations to operate so-called peer support programmes in prisons in support of the Travellers in Prison Initiative which has been in operation since 2015.

The first peer support project for Travellers was set up in Wheatfield Prison in 2014. Such projects have since been established in Limerick, the Midlands Prison, Portlaoise and the Dochas unit.

The aim of peer support includes the promotion and respect for the Traveller identity and culture. It also aims to encourage positive relationships between Travellers and others including prison officers.

Other aims include the development of pathways for life after prison and examining ways to improve the situation of Travellers in prison and opportunities after prison.

The Irish Prison Service has now sought expressions of interest from Traveller organisations who wish to get funding to operate peer support programmes in prisons.

Inviting groups to apply, the service said organisations have the 'know how' to design programmes culturally appropriate to Travellers because of their knowledge and experience of the issues faced in society. The service said organisations also provide Traveller role models for prisoners which encourage them to build pathways for success.

The organisations will be required to target sentenced and remand male and female prisoners. It will run three years at Wheatfield, Midlands and Limerick prisons for men and the Dochas Centre for women.

Organisations will report to steering groups in the relevant prisons as part of an agreement with the IPS.

The annual budget is 80,000 or 20,000 for each prison with a detailed review after the 12 months.

The project is co-funded by the Department of Justice.

The deadline for experssions of interest closed on November 12.Civil servants will interpret the outcome of a HSE undertaken consultation process on Portlaoise hospital and recommend to the Minister for Health on whether it will impact on a plan to downgrade the hospital.

The Minister for Health Simon Harris revealed the mechanics of the long-promised consultation in a letter in which he outlined who will be given a chance to provide some input.

Minister Harris confirmed in a letter to Laois TD Brian Stanley, that consultation meetings should take place with key stakeholder groups.

These include: Service providers - Laois Faculty of the Irish College of General Practitioners,Laois MIDOC (out of hours service), Portlaoise hospital management, CEO of HSE Community Health Office area 8, Mental Health Local Health Office.

Also listed are public /community / public representatives. These include: Portlaoise Hospital Action Committee / other local community group / parents group, Irish Prison Service, Laois County Council and KIldare County Council representatives, TDs and Senators.

The Minister said he committed to ensuring that local clinicans and the community would be consulted before reaching a decision on a draft action plan for Portlaoise hospital.

His letter repeated his committment to a comprhensive consultation excercise undertaken by the HSE with an external facilitator.

The outcome of the consultation process will be a submission from my Department to me as Minister setting out the key findings from the consultationprocess and recommend response to inform me in making a final decision on the draft action plan, he wrote.

The draft plan proposes downgrade of the Midland Regional Hospital including closure of the A&E and ICU. Maternity and paediatrics would move and most surgery would end.

Deputy Stanley said: This consultation process must be expedited in a timely manner and should not be used as an exercise to drag the process to get the Government out to the far side of a general election.There is sadness in Durrow and beyond today at the death of a well-known businessman in the area Joseph (Joe) Murphy.

The death took place on Monday, November 12 of Joseph Murphy in his 95th year, formerly the Castle Arms Hotel, Durrow. He was surrounded by his loving wife and family.

Martin Lawlor of Lawlor's Florist in Durrow has paid a glowing tribute to the late Mr Murphy.

"Joe Murphy is to Durrow what Saint Patrick is to Ireland. He put Durrow on the map in the 60s when every other town was passed by.

"He brought thousands of people young and old to the Castle Arms Hotel, he had a farm and stud farm too which all gave great employment. Every school leaver in Durrow and surrounding areas worked for him at some stage.

"On All-Ireland semi-final and final days, bus loads of people travelling from Cork or Kerry were pulling into Durrow for their breakfast and pulling in again for dinner on their way home.

"No matter what you wanted if you asked Joe had he got it, once you asked, he would give you the sun moon and stars.

"He was involved in every organisation in Durrow, he was and is Mr Durrow.

"If you went anywhere in Ireland he was a household name, a fantastic personality that rubbed off on everybody. He had a great affinity for children and always made sure they were looked after at any weddings or events.

"What he has done for Durrow is unbelievable, he is the voice of Durrow all over Ireland, he brought people here and a good percentage of people in Durrow have worked in the Castle Arms Hotel and their children work there now. I shed a tear for Joe, he was a gentleman and he reared an exceptional family all with the great Murphy ability.

"I would like to personally thank Joe Murphy for meeting my wife in the Castle Arms Hotel in 1973, she was working on reception and I worked part-time in the bar. We are 43 years married and many a romance started in the Castle Arms Hotel and ended up getting married in the Castle Arms Hotel," Mr Lawlor said.

Deeply regretted by his sorrowing wife Carmel, sons Tomas, Seosamh, Sean, Oisin (Durrow, Pascal New York, USA), daughters Catriona Kelly (California USA), Carmel Tameifuna (Hong Kong, China), Orla Staines (Dunmore East Co Waterford), sister Agnes (Baby) Conroy, sisters-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, grandnieces, grandnephews and a large circle of friends.

Reposing at his residence on Wednesday, 14th November, from 2pm with Rosary at 9pm. Removal Thursday, 15th November, at 7pm arriving at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Durrow for 7.30pm. Requiem Mass on Friday at 11am with burial immediately afterwards in adjoining cemetery.A Laois woman has just returned from London where she was working behind the scenes of Simon Cowell's huge TV music contest The X Factor.

Karen Conroy has been a nail technician in Portlaoise for 16 years. She has carved a career for herself in the nail industry and also works as an educator for the biggest nail academy in Dublin, Creative Academy Ireland, teaching others her trade. She has taught students all over the country.

Karen has spent time with some of the popular X Factor contestants and done their nails for their live television performances.

She is no stranger to television as she has also been featured numerous times on TV3s Xpose. Karen is originally from Dublin and she met her husband from Rosenallis while on a girly holiday in 1995.

They bought a house in Laois in 1998 and she commuted every day which she said was hard work.

"I decided I needed to get a job closer to home, but was shocked to discover there werent any jobs for me here, so I realised I needed to find something and saw a niche in the market - no one was doing nails. I was the first person to offer a full nail service back then in the town - things are so different now.

"I always loved nails, but just assumed it was something that beauty therapists did and I didnt realise it was something I could specialise in.

"I saw an advert in the Leinster Express - yep you are the reason for my success - for a nail tech course in Marie Threses Burkes beauty college and I booked myself in for a 6-month nail technology course back in 2002. I think I was top of the class - that made a nice change because I certainly wasnt like that in school.

"Ive gone from renting a space in a beauty salon, owned a salon and rented a space in a hair salon and now I work from my home salon in Rossvale and have a nail studio called KC Nail Studio & Academy.

"Ive also won two highly commended awards for best nail salon and best nail technician from the IBPA which is a very prestigious award as its the Irish Beauty Professionals Association.

"I have a regular clientele and some of my clients are coming to me for 16 years. I have great clients who are mainly professional women.

"I teach nails two days a week and take appointments for nails three days a week. I have such a passion for my job and love nothing more than teaching and helping others. My students range from girls who are mobile nail techs starting out, to salon owners who have been in the Industry for years and I teach classes from the beginner to the more advanced using all Hand & Nail Harmony Products who are the people who made Gelish.

"Im a Hand & Nail Harmony Master Educator and I have to re-train every two years to keep that title.

"I love nothing more than seeing a really bad set of nails and I love to transform them and make them look beautiful. I have a lady who bit her nails for years and felt mortified coming into me, but I transformed her nails and now theyre all natural," she said.

Karen has done TV presenter Glenda Gilsons nails for Xpose and have worked at Pippa O Connors fashion factory for a charity event.

"I got to meet all of the contestants backstage at the Xfactor and got to see them all in rehearsals and I did Scarlet Lees nails with my fellow educator Cliona Sweeney from Beautique Cork, as well as Giovanni Spano and Anthony Russell," she said.Irish Water, working in partnership with Leitrim County Council, is set to commence works from Kinlough to Tullaghan on the week commencing 26 November 2018 to improve water quality and security of supply, and reduce high levels of leakage to benefit local residents and businesses.

These renewal works involve the decommissioning of approximately 3.6 kilometres of old and damaged pipes and will involve laying new water service connections from a recently laid public water main in the public road to customers property boundaries.

The works are part of Irish Waters National Leakage Reduction Programme which will reduce the high level of leakage across the country by fixing or replacing ageing water mains over the next four years. This contract is being carried out by Farrans Construction Limited and is expected to be completed in February 2019.

Once complete customers will experience improved water quality in this area. These works will also ensure a more secure supply and improved pressure.

Explaining further whats involved, Irish Waters Water Network Regional Lead Declan Cawley said, The section of works will take place between Kinlough and Tullaghan, Co Leitrim. The works will also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers property boundaries and, where required, connecting it to the customers water supply pipes within private property. Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead these will be replaced as part of this improvement work.

Areas of work will be limited to short sections to minimise impact on customers. The works may involve some short-term water shut offs and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours notice prior to any planned water shut offs.

Traffic management may be in place during this time and there may be local diversions in place for the duration of the works. Local and emergency traffic will be maintained at all times. We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and works crews will make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works cause.

Residents and businesses in the areas to benefit from the planned improvements have been notified and customers can phone Irish Water on Callsave 1850 278 278 if they have any questions about the project.

Irish Water would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience these essential works cause. Details of work in the area will be updated regularly on the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website at https://www.water.ie/water- supply/supply-and-service- update/

This project forms part of Irish Waters investment plan. Works have been prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in Irish Waters Business Plan. Delivery of the business plan will involve a 5.5 billion investment in capital spending on drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure up to 2021. This plan includes an investment in leakage reduction and water quality initiatives, called the Leakage Reduction Programme, which will see an investment of 512 million during the period to 2021. These works are vital to ensuring a clean, safe and reliable public water supply to support our growing population and economy.A MAN who groped a total stranger during a charity event at a pub has been placed on probation for a year.

Michael Tully, aged 37, of Chapel Hill, Birdhill pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the woman at Morrisons Bar, Ballysimon at around midnight on September 17, 2017.

Limerick District Court was the woman was with a group of friends on the night and that the assault happened as she was at the bar ordering drinks.

Garda Alan Behan said the defendant reached in and grabbed her by the vaginal area while also attempting to bite her ear.

While nobody witnessed the incident, several people told gardai the womans mood had changed when she returned from the bar.

Garda Behan said the woman made a formal complaint later in the day and that the offence could clearly be seen on CCTV footage.

Barrister Kenny Kerins said his client, who has no previous convictions, was quite intoxicated on the night and that he is genuinely remorseful.

He said Mr Tully wrote a letter of apology to the victim following the incident and that he had also offered her compensation as a token of remorse.

It was accepted the defendant was not on the garda radar prior to the incident and that he has not come to their attention since.

He accepts it is a criminal act, he is absolutely horrified by his behavior, he said adding there was no excuse for his clients behaviour.

Mr Kerins said his client has not gone to a pub since the incident and seeking leniency he said a criminal conviction could have ramifications for the rest of his life.

Having considered the contents of a victim impact statement which was not read out in public, Judge Marian OLeary said she hoped the defendant had learned his lesson.

She placed him on probation for 12 months on condition that he not commit any offence during that time. Mr Tully was also ordered not to have any contact with the woman who, at the request of the judge, has not been identified.THE RE-INTRODUCTION of the Park and Stride initiative providing up to 400 free parking spaces for the Christmas season in Limerick has been welcomed by a local councillor.

Limerick City and County Council are to reintroduce the parking initiative from December 7.

This is good news for City Businesses and Christmas Shoppers, councillor Elenora Hogan said.

There will be three locations in the City providing up to 400 free parking spaces, she added.

I hope that people will avail of these 400 plus free parking spaces, and come in and enjoy the Christmas Festivities being provided by Limerick City and County Council on the streets of the city.

The Cleeves Car Park will open from 9am to 9pm every day from Friday December 7 up to and including New Years Eve, and will provide spaces for 220 cars.

The Staff Car Park behind City Hall will also be available for parking for up to 80 cars on three weekends in December - December, 8 and 9, 15 and 16 and 22 and 23.

Opening hours will be from 9am to 9pm and this Car Park will also be available on Christmas Eve.

A new addition this year is the provision of space for 120 cars by Irish Rail at its site on the Roxboro Road. It will be open from 9am to 9pm on both December 8 and 9, and from December 15 to 24. In addition Park and Ride will be available at the South Court Hotel - lower Car Park, on December 8,9, 16, 22 and 23.

Public transport is available at the Raheen Roundabout to bring shoppers into the City Centre. UL are also making their car park adjacent to the Stables available to the public on 8th and 9th December 8,9,15 16, 22 and 23.

Public transport is also available to the city centre.I AM concerned about previous convictions, none of which have made any difference, Judge Mary Cashin said at Newcastle West court when Thomas Kiely, Banrnakyle, Patrickswell appeared before her, pleading to three counts of driving without insurance.

The defendant, the court was told, had 101 previous convictions in all, with a number for driving without insurance.

Last December 21, the court was told, Kiely was stopped by gardai at Caherass, Croom initially gave a false name and address.

On February 20 last, at Barnakyle, Kiely drove off at speed when he saw gardai and last April, he was observed driving by a garda who was not in a position to stop but was aware he had been disqualified from driving.

Kiely had no insurance to cover his driving on any of the dates and at the time was disqualified from driving.

Pleading for his client, solicitor Michael ODonnell said he was 24 but his development was well behind those of similar age.

His development is frozen at 14, Mr ODonnell said, adding that his client had a fascination with cars and driving cars.

He explained to the judge that on one of the occasions he was caught driving without insurance and while disqualified, he was driving a friends car.

On another occasion, he had driven his mothers car which she had left outside his house with the keys in it.

Pointing out that is was her duty to protect the public from Kiely, Judge Cashin adjourned the case to November 15, asking for full details of previous convictions and an up to date report on Kielys intellectual status.LIMERICK Comhairle na nOg, Limericks youth council, has been invited to make a presentation to Limerick City and County Council on the key messages it feels the council needs to hear.

Cyber Health and Wellbeing was the central theme of Limerick Comhairle na nOgs AGM at the University of Limerick.

The AGM, which was opened by Mayor of Limerick City and County Cllr James Collins, was attended by more than 100 second level students.

Next year city and county councils are 120 years old, Mayor Collins said.

As mayor I would like to invite you to a make a presentation to us on key messages that you feel we need to hear from you, he added.

At the AGM, Comhairle member Tyrone Guillen spoke about the role of Comhairle na nOg.

It is a youth council that gives us (young people) an opportunity to voice our opinions and speak about issues that affect us. Each year we chose a topic, research it and present our findings to local and national government, he explained.

For the past year Limerick Comhairle na nOg have been working on cyber health and wellbeing. The group has also recorded three short films that address cyberbullying.

These films will be delivered to schools and youth groups across Limerick to encourage greater awareness and understanding of the use of social media, said John Real, of Limerick Youth Service (LYS).

The feedback has been very positive with many students expressing an interest in joining Comhairle. The outcomes of the workshop were very positive with students actively engaging in debate and putting forward some excellent suggestions, he added.AN elderly woman was duped out of a large amount of money by two bogus tradesmen who called to her home in the city centre at the weekend.

According to gardai, the men  who were wearing hi-viz jackets  told the woman a Velux window in her roof was leaking and needed to be fixed. The offered her a 20% discount if she paid up front on the day.

Despite having some concerns, the woman handed over the cash to the men who have not returned to carry out the repair work as promised.

We know it was a scam and this lady is out of pocket for a large amount of money. This is very unfortunate for this lady, its not just the loss of her cash but the also the loss of some confidence too, said Sgt Ber Leetch.

The divisional crime prevention officer says people should always be concerned if an offer seems to good to be true or if comes out of the blue.

She says many scams also involve the handing over of personal details or money.

"In this case there was also the matter of urgency whereby the lady had to take advantage of the offer immediately which didnt give her any chance to contact anybody else or ask for advice," she said.

Gardai at Henry Street are investigating.MAYOR of Limerick, Cllr James Collins says it is clear the only place Marks and Spencer could possibly open is in the city centre.

The British retailer is reportedly in talks to open a new store in Limerick, with its country manager for Ireland Ken Scully saying it will feature food and clothing.

What is unclear is where it would be located with the chain seeing previous proposals to open at the Dublin Road Horizon Mall site and the Crescent Shopping Centre come to naught.

Now, Mayor Collins said the only place the store could possibly open is in the urban area, due to planning guidelines which protect city centre trade.

Its clear this would only be permissable in the city centre as per the retail planning and development guidelines, he said.

He has welcomed news the retailer could be on its way to Limerick, adding: There has been no formal application at this stage, but we look forward to engaging with either a developer or Marks and Spencer at the first available opportunity.

Planning documents previously submitted by the developers behind the Castletroy Town Centre expansion plan had namechecked Marks and Spencer in its planning application. This development is located at the site formerly known as the Castletroy Shopping Centre.

This proposal was rejected locally, however, and it is now before An Bord Pleanala for decision.

Meanwhile, early stage plans for the Limerick Twenty Thirty plan, unveiled back in 2013, showed a city square around Arthurs Quay, with Marks and Spencer at its heart.

Chairman of the economic committee, Cllr Vivienne Crowley believes it is only practical Marks and Spencer should locate in the city centre.

You can see from its other stores that they have a city centre location in Dublin, they have a city centre location in Cork, so it would make sense for them to have a city centre location in Limerick. There are a lot of areas they could set up business in. I would hope they could work with the council and see if they could be fitted into the plans for the city centre.

Its a key amenity and it would definitely be a draw to shop in the city centre which is obviously what we are aiming for, Cllr Crowley added.

The re-emergence of talks that Marks and Spencer could come to Limerick city centre mark the latest episode in a saga which dates back to 1979 when city auctioneer Pat Kearney showed representatives of the firm the former Spaights building, now Dunnes Stores.

An Bord Pleanala are set to decide on the Castletroy Town Centre expansion plan by February 21 next.

Marks and Spencer was founded in 1884 in the British city of Leeds by Thomas Spencer and Michael Marks.

A major British multi-national retailer, it is headquartered in the City of Westminster, London.

The firm operates 18 shops in Ireland, while there is one franchise-owned Marks and Spencer, selling food only at Dublins Heuston Station.

Limerick and Waterford are the only cities which do not as of yet have a Marks and Spencer.

Across in Britain, it has 979 stores, including 615 that only sell food products.

Speaking to the Sunday Independent newspaper, Mr Scully said Marks and Spencer is also seeking a new store in Waterford adding several more openings are also being planned.

A spokesperson for Marks and Spencer in Ireland did not comment when contacted by the Limerick Leader.GARDAI in Limerick have launched a probe after a number of vehicles were set alight on the citys southside over the weekend.

Officers at Roxboro Road have established an investigation into the incidents, which were described as terrifying by staff members of Brothers of Charity in Bawnmore.

A large group of people were involved in two separate incidents at Bawnmore Road and Keyes Park on Saturday evening.

The first incident occurred shortly after 8pm, and saw a large group congregate around three vehicles on fire at the Bawnmore Road.

Two hours later, a crowd again surrounded three more vehicles which had been set on fire at Keyes Park.

Limerick Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins said he had been told of severe anti-social behaviour from a staff member at Bawnmore.

I was told there were boy racers racing up and down the street, crashing and burning cars, he said.

A worker told me it was really scary and terrifying for them. They are very upset and fear for their lives coming to and going from work. They are coming off 12 hour night shifts, he added.

Mr Collins urged the council and the gardai to get to grips with the intolerable situation.

No arrests have been made in relation to either incident and Gardai in Roxboro Road are appealing for witnesses to contact them on 061-214340.Nov 13, 2018, 3 AM

A Belgian stamp was selected the best Europa stamp of the year by a jury of seven philatelic experts. The stamp depicts a 13th-century bridge that served as a watergate.

By Denise McCarty

Stamps of Turkey and Belgium were selected as the most beautiful Europa stamps of 2018 in two separate competitions arranged by PostEurop, the Association of European Public Postal Operators.

Both stamps depict bridges, the theme for the 2018 multi-nation Europa stamp series. A total of 57 postal administrations participated in the competitions, each entering one stamp.

Turkeys 4-lira stamp issued May 9 shows the Edirne Uzunkopru Bridge, a stone bridge built by Ottoman architect Muslihiddin between 1426 and 1443.

With a length of more than 4,500 feet, it is the longest stone bridge in the world today, according to UNESCO. (The bridge has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list).

This is Turkeys second win in a row in the popularity contest open to the public through the PostEurop website. In 2017, Turkeys Europa stamp picturing Kars Castle (Scott 3549) was voted most popular.

A Belgian stamp showing one of Europes oldest bridges, Pont des Trous in Tournai, won the juried competition. Built in the 13th century as part of the citys walls, the bridge served as a watergate on the Scheldt River.

The stamp is se-tenant (side-by-side) with another Europa stamp in a souvenir sheet issued June 6. Each stamp design depicts half of the bridge.

The two Belgian Europa stamps are nondenominated, paying a rate for nonstandard mail to European countries. They were engraved by Guillaume Broux and designed by Myriam Voz.

Stamps issued by Poland, Georgia, Hungary, Finland and Croatia also were winners in the Europa competitions.

Polands 5-zloty stamp showing the Tczew Bridge over the Vistula River came in second place in the popularity poll. The bridge was built in the mid-19th century as part of the Prussian Eastern Railway. The stamp was issued May 2.

Third place in the popularity poll went to Georgias Europa stamp released May 31. The stamp pictures an arched stone bridge in Sukhumi that dates back to the late 12th century. It is known both as Besleti Bridge and Queen Tamar Bridge.

The popularity contest opened May 9 and closed Sept. 9. Agnieszka Trzaskowska, chair of the PostEurop Stamps and Philately working group, reports that a record 23,000 votes were received.

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In the juried competition, Hungary and Finland tied for second place.

Hungarys 345-forint stamp shows Megyeri Bridge, which opened to traffic in 2008. The stamp was issued May 2 in a souvenir sheet of four, with two of this design and two stamps picturing Koroshegy Valley Bridge.

Finlands Europa stamp, issued May 9, shows a wilderness bridge in Suomussalmi. The design is based on Juha Harkonens photograph of sunset at Lake Seitenahveninen.

Placing third was Croatias May 2 stamp featuring the Franjo Tudman Bridge in Dubrovnik. The bridge opened in 2002.

The co-chairman of the jury for the Europa stamp competition were Botond Szebeny, secretary-general of PostEurop, and philatelist Guy Coutant. Also serving on the jury were Trzaskowska; Arie Piet, former CEO of security printer Joh. Enschede and director of stamp printing of the National Bank Belgium; Andree Trommer, secretary-general of the International Federation of Philately; and stamp designers Olaf Neumann and Stefan Klein.

The awards for the juried competition were presented Sept. 15 at the Belgian Philatelic Grand Prix in Brussels, while those for the online popularity competition were announced during PostEurops plenary assembly held Oct. 3-4 in Tbilisi, Georgia.Apr 30, 2021, 3 AM

The United Nations Postal Administration overprinted a 2016 International Dance Day souvenir sheet to commemorate the Thailand 2018 world stamp exhibition.

The United Nations Postal Administrations souvenir sheet for the Veronafil stamp exhibition in Verona, Italy, features the citys Roman amphitheater, the Verona Arena that hosts an open-air opera festival each summer. The sheet contains stamps in three different denominations.

By Denise McCarty

The United Nations Postal Administration is issuing two souvenir sheets in late November to commemorate stamp shows in Italy and Thailand.

Christopher Thornock of the United States designed the opera-themed souvenir sheet for the 131st Veronafil stamp show, Nov. 23-25 in Verona, Italy.

The UNPA is issuing the sheet on the first day of the event.

The sheet includes three se-tenant stamps in three denominations: $1.15 for use from the U.N. post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City; 2fr for the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; and 1.80 for the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria.

The stamps feature a continuous design of Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater built in the first century. Originally hosting gladiator games, the arena is now famous for its annual summer open-air opera festival.

Scenes shown in the selvage of the souvenir sheet are from Giuseppe Verdis Aida, a four-act opera set in ancient Egypt.

A performance of Aida launched the first opera festival at the arena in 1913. Since then, it has been performed there more than 670 times, according to the Fondazione Arena di Verona.

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The selvage also includes U.N. and Veronafil logos, as well as inscriptions giving the date of the stamp show and the names of the opera and the designer of the souvenir sheet.

The UNPA reports that Frances La Poste printed the souvenir sheet in a quantity of 18,000.

To honor the Thailand 2018 world stamp exhibition, Nov. 28-Dec. 3 in Bangkok, the UNPA overprinted its 2016 International Dance Day souvenir sheet of six $1.15 stamps depicting Thai dancers (U.N./New York Scott 1133). Marcos Chin of Canada designed this sheet.

The overprint, which is in the selvage on the right side of the sheet, includes the name and dates of the exhibition.

The overprinted souvenir sheet will be issued Nov. 28, the first day of Thailand 2018.

For ordering information, visit online; email; telephone 800-234-8672; fax 212-963-9854; or write to UNPA, Box 5900, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-5900.Mr Akhilesh Yadav compared fake news to a virus while speaking at the Beyond Fake News conference here on Monday,

Lucknow: Former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has expressed serious concerns over the issue of fake news and said that he had also been a victim of this trend.

Mr Akhilesh Yadav compared fake news to a virus while speaking at the Beyond Fake News conference here on Monday,

Today, some people are spreading fake news in the name of nationalism. Such people are anti-national in the real sense of the term. This fake news is like a virus, and today the entire society is being affected by this virus. Fake news has also taken lives and continues to create a social divide. Some political parties are trying to reap benefits out of it. With fake news coming into play, one more word that has been viral is Feku, he said.

Mr Yadav further said, A president of a national party was boasting of how fake news about me hitting my father went viral on their WhatsApp groups. And one female reporter went ahead and published fake news about me hitting my mother. Some political parties are boasting about lakhs of WhatsApp groups and all they want to do is to divert peoples attention from other issues.On demonetisation, Rajinikanth said: 'the implementation was flawed. It is a matter that should be discussed in detail.'

On the rising incidence of rape and murder of girls in Tamil Nadu, Rajinikanth said tougher laws and stricter implementation was the way out. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Chennai: Top actor Rajinikanth, who is expected to foray into politics, said on Monday that the implementation of the demonetisation exercise by the Centre was flawed.

The Tamil superstar, when asked about his view on the impact of demonetisation vis-a-vis its second anniversary, told reporters that "the implementation was flawed. It is a matter that should be discussed in detail."

Asked if the BJP was such a 'dangerous' (electorally) party that warranted formation of a mega national alliance against it, he said "they (opposition parties) feel that way, then it should be definitely like that."

Rajinikanth announced his entry to politics last year after the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa left a political vacuum in the Tamil Nadu.

On the rising incidence of rape and murder of girls in Tamil Nadu, Rajinikanth said tougher laws and stricter implementation was the way out.

Asked about his stand on the release of seven Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts, he asked "which seven convicts... I am hearing about it only now."

The Tamil Nadu government had recommended the release of all the seven prisoners to Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who had stated that the matter was under his consideration.

On October 22, a 13-year old Dalit girl Rajalakshmi was beheaded by a 25-year-old man near Salem, which led to public outrage and an outcry, demanding tough action.

Days ago, a tribal girl was allegedly raped by two men in Dharmapuri district. The victim died on Saturday.About 10 million years ago, a family of monkeys left the South American mainland on a cruise to Jamaica and, as is still the case for so many tourists today, swiftly fell for the lazy pace of island life. Over many generations, the primates' legs evolved for slow climbs up tropical trees, their mouths grew a few giant molars at the expense of other, tinier teeth and  apparently unburdened by natural predators  the chilled-out tree dwellers spent their days living more like sloths than monkeys.

These strange Jamaican sloth-monkeys, better known as Xenothrix mcgregori, are real (at least, they were; they've been extinct for at least 900 years). And while there is no scientific dispute that these primates were among the oddest ever to grace the Western Hemisphere, there is little consensus on how they got there in the first place, and who their ancestors were. [Wipe Out: History's Most Mysterious Extinctions]

Now, a new study published Nov. 12 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers the first major evidence that the ancestors of Jamaica's X. mcgregori monkeys may have been accidental colonists from South America.

In the new study, an international team of zoologists from the U.K. and the U.S. analyzed DNA samples taken from two X. mcgregori leg bones dated to about 1,500 years ago. With help from the Natural History Museum in London's Ancient DNA Laboratory, the researchers mapped the X. mcgregori's genome and compared it with a selection of other extinct Caribbean primates as well as monkeys still living on the South American mainland.

The analysis revealed that X. mcgregori's closest relatives belong to a subfamily of South American primates called titi monkeys (Callicebinae)  a small breed of active, territorial tree-dwellers that still inhabit a large swath of South American forests.

"Ancient DNA indicates that the Jamaican monkey is really just a titi monkey with some unusual morphological features, not a wholly distinct branch of New World monkey," study co-author Ross MacPhee of the American Museum of Natural History's Department of Mammalogy, said in a statement. "Evolution can act in unexpected ways in island environments, producing miniature elephants, gigantic birds and sloth-like primates."

The titi and X. mcgregori monkeys likely diverged around 11 million years ago, the researchers wrote, which provides some further clues as to how the X. mcgregori ended up chilling on Jamaica while their cousins toughed it out in the rainforest. Because there was no overland path between South America and Jamaica at the time, groups of titi-like monkeys probably floated there accidentally on rafts of vegetation washed out of South America's large rivers, the authors wrote. Once those seafaring monkeys arrived in Jamaica, they colonized it, adapting to their new habitat over a few million years before, ultimately, going extinct due to human encroachment.

"The extinction of X. mcgregori, which evolved on an island without any native mammal predators, highlights the great vulnerability of unique island biodiversity in the face of human impacts," study co-author Samuel Turvey, of the Zoological Society of London, said in the statement.

In this regard, X. mcgregori might not have been alone. Fossilized remains of various other unique Caribbean monkey species have been dated to as far back as 18.5 million years ago, suggesting there were multiple groups of primate "colonists" that landed on various Caribbean islands over the centuries, the authors wrote. When will these bold Primates of the Caribbean get the media franchise they deserve?

Originally published on Live Science.Dressed in moccasins and a rabbit-skin shroud, a man was laid to rest in a cave in Nevada about 10,600 years ago. Now, his mummy is helping scientists fill in the fuzzy picture of how humans first migrated into the Americas.

Scientists have sequenced the genome of the Spirit Cave Mummy  the oldest human mummy found in North America  along with 14 other ancient individuals from the Americas. The genome revealed the mummy's Native American ancestry, which has allowed his living descendants to properly bury him.

The similarities in the DNA from people who lived as far north as Alaska and as far south as Patagonia suggest the continents'first settlers spread out quickly, according to the study published Nov. 8 in the journal Science. [In Photos: Human Skeleton Sheds Light on First Americans]

"These findings imply that the first peoples were highly skilled at moving rapidly across an utterly unfamiliar and empty landscape," study co-author David Meltzer, of Southern Methodist University, said in a statement. "They had a whole continent to themselves, and they were traveling great distances at breathtaking speed."

The Americas were the world's last big land masses to be colonized by humans. For much of the 20th century, scientists thought they had a solid explanation for how this migration happened: Hunter-gatherers living in Siberia chased large game like mammoths across the Bering land bridge. After the end of the last ice age, melting glaciers opened an ice-free corridor, allowing these pioneers to spread south.

But the story of the peopling of the Americas has gotten more complex in the last few decades. Archaeologists have discovered campsites, such as Monte Verde in Chile, that pre-date the ice-free corridor, which is thought to have opened around 13,000 years ago. Some scholars have proposed that the first Americans could have arrived along the Pacific coast by boat. New DNA evidence has also offered clues about the origins of the early populations, but until now the sample sizes of ancient genetic material from North America had been quite small.

Besides the new genomes presented in Science, a separate study, published in the journal Cell last week, looked at the DNA of 49 people who lived in North and South America between about 11,000 and 3,000 years ago.

The genetic analysis in Science also showed that the ancestral Native Americans split up into distinct populations, some of which had never been detected before. For example, there were some South American Native Americans that had Australasian ancestry.

"Groups carrying this genetic signal were either already present in South America when Native Americans reached the region, or Australasian groups arrived later," the first author of the study, Victor Moreno-Mayar, of the University of Copenhagen, said in a statement. "That this signal has not been previously documented in North America implies that an earlier group possessing it had disappeared or a later arriving group passed through North America without leaving any genetic trace."

The study also shows that the man from Spirit Cave was genetically closer to contemporary Native Americans than other contemporary populations. Proving this relationship was crucial for the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, who live near Spirit Cave, to claim the man's remains as an ancestor and to finally rebury him under the U.S. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

The mummy had been found in 1940 and kept in a museum for years. The tribe's request for repatriation was denied, with government officials disputing the man's ancestry.

"The tribe has had a lot of experience with members of the scientific community, mostly negative," the tribe said in a statement, adding that the new study "confirms what we have always known from our oral tradition and other evidence  that the man taken from his final resting place in Spirit Cave is our Native American ancestor."

The Spirit Cave remains were repatriated in 2016, after a preliminary report from the scientists proved the link, and he was reburied in a ceremony earlier this year.

Similarly, in 2016, DNA evidence proved that the 8,500-year-old skeleton of the Kennewick Man or "Ancient One" was indeed related to contemporary Native Americans. Afterwards, those remains were repatriated to tribes claiming his ancestry.

Original article on Live Science.North Korea's missile program is still very much alive, according to a report published this weekend.

Experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington, D.C., defense and national security think tank, published commercial satellite images showing that a missile base called Sakkanmol remains capable and active. They reported that not only has the base not been dismantled, but that they have identified 13 more just like it, and that the total number could be as high as 20.

This seems to contradict President Donald Trump's Nov. 7 claim that North Korean nuclear talks were proceeding well and producing results.

"We're very happy with how it's going with North Korea," Trump said at a news conference. "We think it's going fine. We're in no rush. We're in no hurry. The sanctions are on. The missiles have stopped. The rockets have stopped. The hostages are home. The great heroes are home." [North Korea: A Hermit Country from Above (Photos)]

(Reports on the ongoing negotiations also dispute this.)

Trump has repeatedly said that his administration's diplomatic efforts have eliminated the danger from North Korea, tweeting after meeting with Kim Jong-un in June that "there is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea."

See more

North Korea has pushed a similar narrative with the partial (but never completed) public dismantling of its Sohae Satellite Launching Station.

The CSIS report tells a very different story.

North Korean missile bases, according to the authors of the report, are very different from what Americans might imagine. There are no hidden silos with doors swinging open in the middle of a cornfield. There's no central underground bunker where young military officers hunch over computer screens to direct an attack.

Instead, a North Korean missile base is essentially a site for the servicing and maintenance of a hidden fleet of missile and trucks.

North Korean war plans assume, the authors wrote, that enemy warplanes would rapidly overwhelm the small country's airspace and begin hunting its missile fleet. So, the missiles ride around on the backs of trucks through underground tunnels. Those trucks are ready to scatter at a moment's notice onto open roads in the event of a war.

At that point, each truck would drive to a predesignated launch site  usually no more than a suitable flat clearing along the side of the road  fire a missile, and then move on to a second site to fire again.

Sakkanmol, the researchers showed in their satellite photos, is equipped for just this sort of operation. It has buildings for servicing missiles, housing facilities, agricultural buildings and a hidden, protected tunnel complex with seven entrances. Right now, it appears to be equipped with short-range ballistic missiles for targeting South Korea, but it "could easily accommodate more capable medium-range ballistic missiles" to threaten a wider area. The missiles at the site are not necessarily nuclear, but they could be so equipped.

This report follows earlier reporting that North Korea has moved to hide its nuclear weapon development program, rather than to end it.

Originally published on Live Science.A midnight sun can evoke many images, including those of an endless night and a beautiful, soft light  but a really awful sunburn probably isn't one of them.

A man, a 29-year-old tourist from Australia, learned just that while hiking in Greenland for several weeks. He didn't think much of it when he squeezed two limes into his water bottle during the trip, according to a report of the man's case. But, two days later, he was surprised to find "small, purple marks on the top side of my fingers and hands," he wrote in the report, published online Nov. 8 in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

The purple marks turned into pus-filled blisters that burned and itched. Soon, the wounds "were looking pretty bad, almost like rotten 'zombie' skin," the man wrote. After rushing to the hospital, he learned that his blisters were the result of a bizarre chemical reaction between the light-sensitive compounds found in limes, and ultraviolet (UV) rays from the midnight sun. [Here's a Giant List of the Strangest Medical Cases We've Covered]

The condition, known as phytophotodermatitis, means "plant" (phyto), "light" (photo) and "skin inflammation" (dermatitis) in Greek. It happens when a light-sensitive compound called psoralen, found in lime juice, gets on a person's skin, and is activated by the sun's UV light, said case report co-author Dr. Luit Penninga, a surgeon and the medical director of the Ilulissat Hospital and the Avannaa Health Region in North Greenland. And that's precisely what happened to the man.

The inflamed, purple-colored blisters on the man's right hand, just before the doctors lanced them. (Image credit: BMJ Case Reports)

"When you get lime juice on your hands or on other parts of the skin and afterwards [go] into the sun, a chemical reaction occurs which results in very severe skin damage and blister formation," Penninga told Live Science in an email.

Limes aren't the only plant products known to cause phytophotodermatitis. Other citrus plants, as well as celery, figs, meadow grass, wild parsnip, certain weeds  including giant hogweed  and oil of bergamot contain photosensitizing compounds, the researchers wrote in the case report. "We know of reports of bartenders in exotic places who worked in the sun all day preparing drinks with lime juice, and they developed severe blisters and skin damage," Penninga said.

Even Arctic Greenland has a variety of wild flowers and shrubbery, including a wild celery known as kvan (Angelica archangelica), that can lead to UV-activated burns, the researchers wrote in the report. At first, the man's doctors wondered if one of these plants had caused the blisters, but the man said he hadn't touched any of them.

Rather, the man divulged the missing puzzle piece in a follow-up discussion with the doctors: In an attempt to get enough vitamin C during his camping trip, he had squeezed fresh limes into his drinking water. There hadn't been enough water around to wash his hands, so he went on his merry way, spending at least 10 hours of day hiking in the intense Greenland summer sun.

"Even though we are in Northern Greenland, the sun can be strong in the summer," Penninga said. "The sun is shining 24 hours a day here in the summer, north of the Arctic Circle, while in the wintertime it is dark all day round for a couple of months."

The doctors lanced and bandaged the man's blisters, gave him antibiotics to prevent bacterial infections and recommended that he wear gloves to protect his hands from the sunlight. The man later reported that his hands were sore and itchy for another four weeks, but within two months he had largely recovered.

After two months, the man's hands had mostly healed. The residual color on his hands will fade in the coming months, the doctors said, especially if he avoids exposure to sunlight. (Image credit: BMJ Case Reports)

Originally published on Live Science.Editor's note (Nov. 15, 2018): An update to this story, including an interview with Jeff Hill, can be found here.

A horse was found in the backyard pool of a Paradise, Calif. resident, after the animal apparently tried to find a safe space as the Camp Fire moved through town.

Paradise resident Jeff Hill shared photos of the horse Sunday on Facebook. The photos showed the horse in a pool, but entangled in the pool cover.

"There's no telling how long she was there but she was shivering uncontrollably," Hill wrote. "She was all caught up in the pool cover but her being suspended by it prevented her from drowning."

Hill said he and a friend undid the pool cover, then helped the horse out of the shallow end of the pool.

The horse got out and "loved on us for a few minutes as a thank you," Hill wrote, before walking off. The men waited until resources could help escort the horse out of the fire zone, CNN reported.

Law enforcement and firefighters have all been helping to round up many of the animals found wandering through the area. One such animal rescue showed California Highway Patrol officers attempting to round up a potbelly pig that was roaming Paradise, while Sacramento firefighters found two donkeys, pausing to feed the animals apples while they awaited animal control to take them in.

MORE ON CAMP FIRE Do you recognize any of these lost pets displaced by Camp Fire?

North Valley Animal Disaster Group is one local group organizing efforts to rescue lost animals and connect them with owners.

A temporary animal shelter is set up at the Chico Municipal Airport, while small animals are being taken to a location at 2279 Del Oro Ave. in Oroville. Larger animals, such as horses, are at Rolling Hills Casino Equestrian Center off Highway 5 in Corning. People should go to these places in person to look for lost pets.

Writer Amy Graff contributed to this report.

Read Dianne de Guzman's latest stories and send her news tips at ddeguzman@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.A Ladder to the Sky

By John Boyne

Hogarth. 362 pp. $27

---

I'm embarrassed by how much I enjoyed John Boyne's wicked new novel, "A Ladder to the Sky." It's an addictive Rubik's Cube of vice that keeps turning up new patterns of depravity. By the time every facet clicks into place, the story feels utterly surprising yet completely inevitable.

Millions know Boyne from his young-adult book about the Holocaust, "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," and the film adaptation directed by Mark Herman. But this new novel for adults - his 11th - is written in an entirely different register. "A Ladder to the Sky" is a satire of writerly ambition wrapped in a psychological thriller. Beware reading this in public: Boyne's prose inspires such a collision of laughing and wincing that you're likely to seem a little unbalanced.

The villain here is an absurdly handsome young man named Maurice Swift who wants to be a famous novelist. "I'll do whatever it takes to succeed,"he says before we realize just how much he means that. He's been writing since he was a teenager, forsaking everything else - work, family, romance - in his single-minded pursuit of literary fame.

But Boyne has condemned this ambitious fiction writer to a special level of hell: Although Maurice possesses an elegant style, he can't think of any stories. He has no plots, no characters. Trapped in that predicament, he becomes a slick expert at procuring incidents and details by other means: He steals them. And don't try accusing him of plagiarism or upbraiding him with your naive ideal of originality. Didn't Shakespeare "borrow" almost every plot he brought to life? (BEGIN ITAL)This is what great artists do(END ITAL).

Maurice is like the most insidious guy in your writing workshop: magnetic, ingratiating, vampiric - the talented Mr. Ripley with an MFA. He knows just how to attract and manipulate the people who can further his career: older, gay novelists thirsty for the attention of a gorgeous disciple. No one's being exploited, Maurice argues; each side is getting something he desires.

"A Ladder to the Sky" is an homage to Patricia Highsmith, Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe, but its execution is entirely Boyne's own. The chapters rotate through different locales, perspectives and structures, showing off the author's remarkable literary range even as he writes about a man with none.

The opening section - a perfectly constructed novella that would have made Henry James envious - is a cringe-inducing confession of desire and foolishness. It's narrated by a lonely German novelist who has finally found a measure of success late in life. One night against his better judgment, he strikes up a conversation with a good-looking waiter and discovers that this young man - Maurice - is a fan of his work. Desperate to stay in touch, he hires Maurice "in the slightly nebulous role of personal assistant," and so the trap is set. What happens next is gruesome yet oddly fascinating, like a toad describing what it was like to be hypnotized and eaten by a snake. What's so remarkable - and so deliciously evil - is the subtlety of Maurice's method: He always lets his victim take the lead. By the time the famous German novelist realizes what Maurice has done to him, he must admit, "I had, quite literally, been the author of my own misfortune."

One other section is also narrated by one of Maurice's victims, but you won't figure that out for a while, and even when you think you've figured it out, you'll still be running three steps behind. It's a macabre magic trick in print - the kind of story you want to read again as soon as you've gasped at its final page.

But the piece de resistance is "The Swallow's Nest," a chapter set in Gore Vidal's cliffside villa on the Italian coast. This sublime section is written in the third person, from Vidal's vantage point - an act of near-ventriloquism that captures the writer's astringent humor and haughty graciousness. Seamlessly knitted into the real details of Vidal's life, the story opens when the famous writer is 64 years old. He's awaiting the arrival of an old friend, an American novelist whom he regards as "a hack with a modicum of talent who'd managed to sustain a career by taking care never to offend the middle-aged ladies and closeted homosexuals who made up the bulk of his readership. His books were efficiently written but so painfully innocuous that even President Reagan had taken one on holiday to California with him toward the end of his bewildering reign and declared it to be a masterful depiction of American steelworkers" - missing entirely its erotic shenanigans.

When Vidal's friend arrives, he's accompanied by a stunning young man named Maurice, who is clearly a parasite looking for a more famous host. "Exactly what game was the boy playing?" Vidal wonders with mingled curiosity and alarm. "There was something about his character that made Gore immediately suspicious. He'd been beautiful himself once." What follows is a mordant contest of wills played out between one of the sharpest wits of the 20th century and a sociopath with great abs.

"A Ladder to the Sky" reminds us that fine literature is often the only opportunity we have to spend quality time with truly ghastly people. We would recoil from such fiends in real life, but in the illicit safety of a novel, the murderer, the thief and the fraud can seem irresistible. They stroke our ego and our id, confirming our moral superiority while letting us lick the chambers of their poison hearts. Maurice may be an absurd case, but he's an expert guide to the envy-riddled world of high-brow publishing, a realm of "covetous hostility" where success is publicly admired and privately mocked. Clearly, decades in the business have rendered Boyne fluent in the language of literary combat. He knows just how certain writers pierce their colleagues with barbed compliments and hobble them with belittling praise.

Believe me, you don't want to stand in Maurice's way, but you definitely want to see where he ends up.by Vladimir Rozanskij

The Collective Security Treaty Organization includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Ukraine left last May. No agreement on the new secretary: vote postponed to December, in St. Petersburg. The Kazakhstani space projects.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Last November 8, the Kazakh capital Astana hosted a high level summit of the member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (abbreviated by the English CSTO), the so-called "counter-NATO" established in 1992 by six former Soviet nations, among those that had formed the so-called "Commonwealth of Independent States" (CIS): Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, excluding Ukraine, which formally separated itself from CIS last May.

The presidents of the six countries participated in the meeting that was to choose the new Secretary-General after the new Armenian President Nicol Pashinyan revoked the mandate of Jurij Kachaturov, ex-head of the Armenian armed forces, who had been in office since 2017. Pashinian believes that General Kachaturov is one of the chief protagonists of 2008 repressions, when the army killed 8 protesters demonstrating against the election of President Ter-Petrosyan.

The surprising news is that the leaders of the CSTO have failed to elect the Secretary, postponing the decision to the next meeting on December 6, in St. Petersburg. Pashinyan himself wanted to replace Kachaturov with another Armenian candidate, without naming names, but he clashed with Vladimir Putin's sharp opposition, highlighting a strong tension between the two. And this despite the good relations apparently preserved after the Armenian "velvet revolution" that has marginalized the old ruling class linked to ex-president Serz Sargsyan, very close to Putin's Russia.

President Lukashenko's Belarus attempted to propose the mediation of its own candidacy, advancing the name of General Stanislav Zas', secretary of the Belarussian Security Council, welcome to many former Soviet colleagues. Russia instead stumbled on the candidacy of Valerij Semerikov, until now deputy to Kachaturov, and historical commander of the Russian ground forces in Asia.

At a certain point in the summit a sensational news broke: Kazakhstan invited none other than Elon Musk, the South African-Canadian multi-billionaire entrepreneur founder of PayPal and Tesla, and collaborator of the government of Donald Trump to take part in the summit. Musk actually collaborates with the Kazakh government on its space projects, being also the founder of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, the so-called SpaceX, which wants to change the destinies of the world and humanity by reducing global warming with the use of renewable energy , and reducing the risk of "human extinction" by establishing a colony on Mars.

Kazakhstan is the historical site of former and post-Soviet space projects, with the Baikonur space base, which remains administered by the Russians with an agreement valid until 2050. The cosmic ambitions of the country led by Nursultan Nazarbaev remained in reality in the background : when Musk's presence seemed to materialize, Putin himself arrived at the summit, apparently leaving his foreign minister Lavrov to deal with the issues. And the result was stalemate.

The CSTO is a Soviet legacy which seems of no interest to anyone. It could regain importance in the future geopolitical strategies, for the different relations of force within it, for the future scenarios of Asia and Eastern Europe, and perhaps even of the astral routes to which the terrestrial conflicts will move.Gandhi said as per Modi, development of the country began only after 2014, when he became the prime minister.

Demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was aimed to break the back of small and medium businesses, Gandhi said. (Photo: File)

Baloda Bazar: Congress President Rahul Gandhi Tuesday launched a diatribe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "misleading" people on India's development.

Addressing a rally here ahead of the second phase of polling in the state on November 20, Gandhi said as per Modi, development of the country began only after 2014, when he became the prime minister. "He (Modi) doesn't even know that the country is run by the people and not by a single man. He insults you by making such comments," the Congress president said.

Demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was aimed to break the back of small and medium businesses, Gandhi said. Congress will encourage youth to do business and get loan facility from banks, he added.

The Congress is not against big industrialists, but if government gives them benefit, small and medium business should not be neglected, he said.

"Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya fled the country with thousands of crores of rupees belonging to the people of India. PM Modi does nothing to bring them back to the country and doesn't utter a word on the issue," he said.

He claimed the CBI director was removed from his post at 1 am to stop a probe into the Rafale deal.

"If there is an investigation, only two names will come up: Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani. Modi is scared of a probe," he said. Gandhi claimed Anil Ambani was chosen over HAL for the Rafale deal despite HAL having 70 years experience in manufacturing fighter aircraft. "Anil Ambani didn't have the experience. He may not have made even a paper aeroplane," he said.

Gandhi said there is an undercurrent in favour of the Congress in the 18 constituencies of Chhattisgarh which went to polls Monday. Results from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other poll-bound states will go in favour of the Congress, he said.

Chhattisgarh is rich in resources, the Congress president said, adding the "dream of the state was broken due to the misrule" of the BJP government.

Promising a "people's government" in Chhattisgarh if voted to power, he said people want a government which listens to their "Mann ki Baat". "Instead of working for a few industrialists, Congress will work for development of agriculture, education and health in the state," Gandhi said.Houston interior designer Ginger Barber is one of 15 designers across the country to join the Made in the Shade campaign of Vaughan, a lighting design/manufacturing company, and Watts of Love, a solar lighting nonprofit.

In the campaign, the designers create unique lampshades for their favorite Vaughan lamp. Barber's shade -- inspired by horses and nature -- can be seen here in the George Cameron Nash showroom at the Decorative Center of Houston.

Barber chose Vaughan's Truro bronze Twig floor lamp as her base, then created a shade with tree limbs winding through, along with animals and flowers in soft natural colors.

"My love for animals, particularly horses, inspires so many of my projects and it was the driving force for this project as well," Barber said in a press release. "I wanted this piece to reflect my work with Habitat for Horses and my love of the great Texas outdoors."

Use the #vaughanXwattsoflove and #madeintheshade hashtags in social media, and Vaughan will donate $1 to Watts of Love for each time they are used. Also, the designers' lampshades will be available through a silent auction in their showrooms through Nov. 30.

Barber's Ginger Barber Interior Design firm focuses on calm, effortless looks with natural colors, and textures. She owns the Sitting Room antiques store at 2025 West Alabama St. and is vice president on the board of directors of the Habitat for Horses animal rescue group.

Other designers participating in the project hail from Dallas, Minneapolis, Denver, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Toronto, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Scottsdale, Ariz., and Dania Beach, Fla.

Watts of Love was founded by Nancy Economou to bring solar lights to the 1 billion people in the world who live in poverty and without electricity.

Vaughan founder Lucy Vaughan and her daughter Emma Vaughan will also create limited edition commemorative Made in the Shade lampshades that will be available for sale in all Vaughan showrooms. Vaughan designs and manufactures lighting, furniture and accessories.David McNew/Getty Images

With the cold weather coming in, the City of Laredo Animal Care Services Department is asking for the community's help in serving as a temporary foster for a shelter pup for the week. It is expected to hit the 30s Tuesday through Thursday.

If you are interested in assisting us with fostering a shelter pup for a few days, please come by the Laredo Animal Care Services (LACS) located at 5202 Maher Ave. starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday. In order to foster, you must be at least 18 years of age with a valid ID.Troops were spotted laying down Jersey barriers over the weekend near the former import lot of the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed the presence of the military and said that CBP is preparing for the possible arrival of thousands of people who are currently trekking through Mexico. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said last week the caravan is headed for California, not Texas.

"(CBP) has been and will continue to prepare for the potential arrival of thousands of people migrating in a caravan heading toward the United States through the southwest border. These preparations include training exercises, deploying additional CBP personnel and partnering with the U.S. military to harden our (ports of entry) and the border area between the ports of entry," CBP said in a statement.

READ ALSO: Laredo City Council, authorities discuss 'migrant caravan' plan of action

CBP said the Jersey barriers, barricades and fencing offloaded by Department of Defense personnel near the former import lot at Juarez-Lincoln are part of the materials requested by them under Operation Secure Line.

Operation Secure Line is an initiative to harden ports of entry to ensure border security and the safety of the American people, the traveling public, CBP personnel and the communities CBP serves, federal authorities said.

City of Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz and acting City Manager Cynthia Collazo released a statement regarding the presence of the military in Laredo.

"As one of the most important ports for international commerce and travel, the City of Laredo wants to encourage both residents and visitors alike to continue with business as usual in our community," the said. "The City continues to be in contact with our federal representatives and agencies, and their counterparts in Mexico, to obtain a status on the migrant caravan.

"They have assured us that the majority of this caravan of asylum-seekers are headed to the California border and not Texas."

City officials added that they have the utmost confidence and trust in the federal government to handle any scenario that might be presented.

RELATED: In Mexico caravan, LGBTQ migrants stick together for safety

"In the event that our Laredo port of entry does receive a massive amount of asylum-seekers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection have indicated that they are prepared accordingly to process those claims, as they do every day, without any interruption to daily commuters between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo," city officials said.

"Our city leaders want to remind the community that despite the presence of the military on our border, there is no change to how we normally operate our bridges, traffic, safety or any other area in the city. What you may see at our own border is the same federal response being carried out across the entire southern U.S. border as a precaution. The city continues with normal work operations as we request updates from the federal government."Laredo police have released more details on an incident where a woman allegedly hit her 5-year-old daughter in the face with a belt.

On March 23, police responded to the Webb County Head Start on 125 Atlanta Dr. for an injury to a child report. A teacher stated she noticed one of her students with a bruised eye, states the arrest affidavit recently obtained by Laredo Morning Times.

READ ALSO: Best spots for menudo in Laredo to keep you warm as freeze hits

When asked what happened, the 5-year-old stated that her mother had struck her with a belt to the left side of the eye, according to the criminal complaint. But the mother, Petra Leticia Hernandez, 25, denied the allegations.

Laredo police launched an investigation.

A detective spoke to Hernandez, who agreed to be interviewed at LPD headquarters. She arrived at LPD on April 17. Hernandez stated that she never saw her daughter with an injury to an eye, the affidavit states.

"Hernandez denied having knowledge of (the girl's) injury and states that it would be stupid for her to send (the girl) to school with an injured eye," states the criminal complaint.

RELATED: LPD: Mother burned son's hand on stove after she accused him of stealing $100

She claimed she did not remember hitting her daughter, records state.

"Hernandez said, 'Al chile, yo te fuera dicho, pero no me acuerdo pegandole,'" states the arrest affidavit.

Hernandez was arrested Nov. 3 and served with an arrest warrant that charged her with injury to a child.The RLSP, which had fought three seats in 2014 and won all, is unlikely to be spared more than two seats.

New Delhi: The RLSP (Rashtriya Lok Samata Party) president and Union minister, Upendra Kushwaha, met Opposition leader Sharad Yadav on Monday, fuelling speculation that he may switch camps over his differences with chief minister Nitish Kumar and the proposed seat-sharing arrangement among the saffron partys Bihar allies for the Lok Sabha polls.

He has been meeting opposition leaders in Bihar including Tejashwi Yadav, the political heir of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad.

Mr Kushwaha met Mr Yadav at the latters residence where both leaders are believed to have discussed the current political situation, especially in Bihar, sources in Mr Kushwahas party said. In a tweet, Mr Kushwaha described the meeting as a courtesy call.

Meanwhile, Ram Vilas Paswan met JD(U) vice-president and Nitish Kumars confidante, Prashant Kishor, in Patna.

Mr Kushwaha has sought more seats in 2019 Lok Sabha election than what it contested for in 2014. He has argued that RLSP has gathered more strength in Bihar since 2014, when it contested and won three Lok Sabha seats.

The demand assumes significance in the view of equal seat-sharing deal between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and JD(U). Speculation has been rife that BJP and JD(U) may contest on 17 seats, each leaving six to be shared between LJP and RLSP.

The RLSP, which had fought three seats in 2014 and won all, is unlikely to be spared more than two seats.

Mr Kushwaha has accused Mr Kumar of trying to poach RLSP MLAs. He said that he would apprise BJP chief Amit Shah of the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Mr Kumar and also request him to clear the confusion over seat-sharing among the BJP-led NDA constituents in the state at the earliest.

He also made a jibe at Mr Kumar, saying the JD(U) president had expertise in breaking parties. He, however, would continue with his fight, he said.Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has asked ministers from his party to raise the issue in the Cabinet.

Mumbai: Claims and counterclaims were made on Tuesday over the mention of tigress Avni, which was controversially killed two weeks ago in Yavatmal, in the Maharashtra Cabinet.

Shiv Sena ministers claimed that they had raised the topic and cornered forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar in the meeting whereas Mr Mungantiwar claimed the topic didnt come up before Cabinet. An investigation is on into the killing of the big cat.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has asked ministers from his party to raise the issue in the Cabinet. As per his instructions, they raised it during Tuesday meeting. The killing of Avni is not only illegal but it was also not required. Now probe is on, but the state governments actions have shown us in bad light. It should be seen to that punishment is meted out for this mistake, environment minister Ramdas Kadam reportedly said in the meeting.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers, however, denied these claims. There was no discussion on the Avni issue in the meeting. Nobody raised it, said Mr Mungantiwar after the meeting.

Avni was killed as complaints of her becoming a man-eater had reached the state government and forest department. But her killing has irked wildlife activists across the country as well as the globe. Union minister and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi slammed the Maharashtra government for the orders to kill the animal and alleged that this was done to help industrialist.

The Maharashtra government denied this and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis downplayed the harsh criticism, saying he would speak to Ms Gandhi about the matter in detail.

Shiv Sena has been consistent slamming government and Mr Mungantiwar over the issue and through its mouthpiece Saamana.

The Sena chief has termed the killing unnecessary and placed the blame squarely on the forest department.Want govt to revoke all FIRs against them in August stir.

Mumbai: The effects of the indefinite fast by Maratha protesters at Azad Maidan have started impacting state politics. On Tuesday, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders and state ministers came face to face while visiting the protesters. Maratha youth from Marathwada are on a fast to revoke all FIRs registered against them during their recent agitation. Despite chief minister Devendra Fadnaviss assurance, charges are still pending against the protesters.

During the last agitation in August 2018, there were several incidents of stone pelting, burning of cars, and ransacking of offices in the industrial areas of Waduj, Aurangabad and Pune. The police had registered cases against many protesters. But Maratha organisations are claiming that many of their innocent workers have also been falsely charged in the incidents. Mr Fadnavis had assured the protesters that the charges would be revoked in case of peaceful protesters.

But according to some of the Maratha youth from Marathwada region, none of the charges against them have been revoked. For the last six days, they are have been on an indefinite fast at Azad Maidan demanding that FIRs against them be quashed.

On Tuesday, Nationalist Congress Party leaders Ajit Pawar and Dhananjay Munde reached Azad Maidan to extend their support. Almost at the same time, marketing minister and BJP leader Subhash Deshmukh also reached the location and both leaders came face to face.

We briefed the leaders of both parties. Leaders like Congress state chief Ashok Chavan and others have also given us support. Our agitation is not for Maratha reservation. That will happen in due time. But these false charges need to be revoked immediately. This is not being done despite CMs assurance, said a protester.

Chavan visits protesters

Congress state chief Ashok Chavan addressed a press conference on the issue on Tuesday. He said that by retaining false charges against the Maratha youth, the state government has gone back on its promises and cheated them. He visited the protesters on Monday evening. CM Fadnavis had appealed for peace and the Maratha protesters stopped their agitation as they believed his assurances. In this case, the CM should have kept his word. He had promised that no case would be filed against peaceful protesters. But just like his other promises, he forgot to keep this one too, he said.The private centre screened 5,888 people between the ages of 20 to 60 and above from January 2018 to October 2018 for diabetes.

Mumbai: A study conducted by privately-run Gadge Diabetes Centre has found that people belonging to the Maharashtrian, Gujarati, Marwari and Muslim community are more prone to diabetes and among them, 14 per cent youngsters are at higher risk of the disease.

The private centre screened 5,888 people between the ages of 20 to 60 and above from January 2018 to October 2018 for diabetes.

Of the 5,888 people tested, 1,814 people were diagnosed with high sugar. Of these 1,814, 806 were males while 1,008 were females.

The study revealed that Marathis, Gujaratis and Marwaris are more prone to diabetes in comparison to other communities.

Similarly, Muslims are equally prone to the disease. Of the total 1,814 diabetic persons, 418 were Gujaratis, 398 Marathis, 392 Marwaris, 78 south Indians, 98 Punjabis, 69 Bengalis, 278 Muslims and 83 others.A University of Texas at San Antonio professor will remain out of the classroom for the remainder of the semester as investigations are conducted after a viral video posted Monday showed her asking police to escort a black student out of her biology lecture hall, school officials said Tuesday.

The statement came a day after UTSA President Taylor Eighmy sent an email to the university community saying the school's Office of Equal Opportunity Services was investigating the incident as a possible case of discrimination. He also said the case was an example of the work the university needed to do to support students of color.

"We are concerned by what the video shows and have initiated multiple investigations into the matter," the university said Tuesday in the prepared statement shared on Twitter. "We recognize the importance of promptly gathering the facts and being transparent in the outcomes."

The student, who identified herself as @FavoritePaigeee on Twitter, said the video, shared by classmate Apurva Rawal shows police leading her out of class under the instruction of biology lecturer Anita Moss. The student, who could not be reached for comment and whose full name has not been made public, said she did not disobey any student code of conduct. Rawal said in his account that his professor called the class "uncivil" before becoming upset that the woman had her feet up during class.

The videos quickly gained steam online, with Rawal's post gaining more than 17,000 retweets and almost 40,000 by Tuesday at 5 p.m. The tweet from the woman escorted out got more than 20,000 retweets and 55,000 likes. Many in the comments were quick to excoriate the professor and UTSA, comparing the video to a number of other situations across the U.S. where police were called to respond to black people barbecuing, napping in a student lounge or selling water.

Of the more than 30,000 students enrolled at UTSA last fall, 2,674 of them were black, according to the university's website.

RELATED: UTSA issues statement about controversial video of cops escorting student out of class

UTSA said both the professor and student met with officials separately. In addition to the professor remaining out of class during the investigation, the student has been offered "multiple" options for continuing her studies.

"Once they (investigations) are completed next week, appropriate final action will be determined," the school's statement reads.

Eighmy said in his email the matter "concerns him greatly."

"While the facts aren't fully known regarding today's incident, our Office of Equal Opportunity Services is already conducting an investigation into possible discrimination," he said in the letter. "In addition, an inquiry regarding the academic management of the classroom is being conducted by Interim Dean of the College of Sciences Howard Grimes."

"Beyond this particular incident, I am very much aware that the circumstance represents another example of the work we need to do as an institution around issues of inclusivity and supporting our students of color," he wrote in the letter.

Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com |@MaddySkyeCongressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones asked a state district judge to compel Bexar County to release its list of provisional voters and extend the deadline to cure those ballots for 48 hours.

District Judge Stephani Walsh denied the request at a 1:30 p.m. hearing.

The deadline is 5 p.m. today for voters to cure their ballots.

Jones has clashed with county and state elections officials who say it would be illegal to release the list before the countys early voting ballot board completes its review.

Jones, a Democrat, trails incumbent Rep. Will Hurd by more than 1,000 votes, out of more than 200,000 cast, in her bid to win the seat. Hurd has held the sprawling congressional seat, which extends from San Antonio and includes some 800 miles of the border to the outskirts of El Paso, since 2015.

Learn more about the judge's denial on the Express-News.

Dylan McGuinness covers local politics and the Bexar County government for the Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dylan.mcguinness@express-news.net | Twitter: @DylMcGuinnessGeneral Tzo, an 8-year-old cat, is popular with guests of his owner's San Antonio Airbnb. Many play with him during their stays. Others have complimented him in positive Airbnb reviews. Last month, one of them took him.

At first, the cat's owner, Max Woodward, simply thought the cat, which splits time between his apartment and outside, had gotten lost. He took to social media and posted missing pet posters around the neighborhood in the hopes of finding the feline. It wasn't until last week, while watching surveillance videos, that Woodward realized one of his former guests had walked the squirming cat out of the apartment complex.

"I really didn't expect to find what I found on the footage," Woodward said. "It's a crazy thing to expect."

But the next day  after being bombarded by phone calls and messages from Woodward and friends  the Airbnb guest texted Woodward. He explained he'd mistaken the cat for a stray and said he'd be happy to arrange for General Tzo's return. Both men drove several hours to meet in Lubbock, where General Tzo was returned to his owner in a happily-ever-after ending.

General Tzo will likely be getting collared and microchipped soon, Woodward said.

RELATED: San Antonio neighbors mistake stray goat for each other's pet

Woodward has been hosting guests at his four-room apartment complex near Beacon Hill through short-term housing rental company Airbnb for several years.

He warns guests that his cat and his two dogs run the property, and said he's never received a complaint about any of them. General Tzo in particular is popular among guests, beloved for his outgoing and friendly personality, according to Woodward.

The guest who took the cat also had good reviews on Airbnb as a quiet, courteous visitor. He caused no problems during his short stay in San Antonio, Woodward said, and he left his reservation a few weeks early.

To respect the guest's privacy, Woodward waited until the reservation was over to enter the room for cleaning. That's when he noticed cat treats sprinkled on the floor, which he assumed had been used to lure General Tzo into the room. The discovery prompted him to dig through surveillance footage, where he saw the guest walking down the stairs and out the door with the cat on Oct. 11.

RELATED: San Antonio-area man looking for person who shot and killed his missing dog

He called the guest, who initially did not respond. He filed a report with the police, who told him there was little they could do about a small case of stolen property that had likely crossed state lines. He also informed Airbnb, who said they would attempt to reach the guest. The company told him they'd seen their fair share of odd incidents, but this was the first catnapping, Woodward said. In a statement to mySA.com, Airbnb did not comment on whether this type of incident had occurred before.

"Keeping our community  and their loved ones  safe is the most important thing we do," the company said. "We're thrilled that General Tzo is back home and can continue welcoming San Antonio guests for years to come. We take what happened here very seriously and we are investigating this incident."

The next day, the guest woke up to multiple phone calls from Woodward and others about General Tzo. He responded to Woodward via text that afternoon.

"Hey I'm sorry about the situation," the guest texted. "I honestly thought I was doing the right thing I thought that cat was a stray. I only saw it outside...I feed it, tried to give it food, I'll find a way to get it back to you."

He thought it was one of the nicer stray cats and said he honestly believed he'd done the cat a favor by rescuing it.

"It never was in the house," the guest, who requested anonymity, told mySA.com. "The only time was when it rained and I fed it. That's the only time I saw it inside."

He recommended some sort of identification so the cat wouldn't get confused again in the future.

He was out of state at the time and offered to drive back to San Antonio to return General Tzo. Eager to expedite the process, Woodward offered to fly to the nearest airport or to meet halfway. They settled on an animal shelter in Lubbock.

RELATED: 176 cats and dogs seized from Hays County home were cruelly treated, judge rules

Woodward said the long drive didn't taint his excitement about seeing his missing cat again.

"I was just so happy to get (General Tzo back), so I didn't really think about it," he said.

General Tzo has been living with Woodward for six years. Woodward's father had rescued him in Abilene as a kitten and cared for him until his death in 2012, when Woodward took possession of the cat.

"He's gorgeous," Woodward said. "He was always a healthy cat. We never went to the vet because we didn't have to, so he wasn't chipped ... He knows how to get around. He's run my alley for the past six years."

General Tzo was rattled and shaky at first, Woodward said, but he's now happy to be back at his stomping grounds.

S. M. Chavey is a breaking news and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | sarah.chavey@express-news.com | @smchaveyThe trial project is an example of what Macron has called smart regulation.

The officials may be seconded from the telecoms regulator and the interior and justice ministries. (Photo: AP)

Facebook will allow French regulators to embed inside the company to examine how it combats online hate speech, the first time the wary tech giant has opened its doors in such a way, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

From January, Macrons administration will send a small team of senior civil servants to the company for six months to verify Facebooks goodwill and determine whether its checks on racist, sexist or hate-fuelled speech could be improved.

Its a first, Macron told the annual Internet Governance Forum in Paris. Im delighted by this very innovative experimental approach, he said. Its an experiment, but a very important first step in my view.

The trial project is an example of what Macron has called smart regulation, something he wants to extend to other tech leaders such as Google, Apple and Amazon.

The move follows a meeting with Facebooks founder Mark Zuckerberg in May, when Macron invited the CEOs of some of the biggest tech firms to Paris, telling them they should work for the common good.

The officials may be seconded from the telecoms regulator and the interior and justice ministries, a government source said. Facebook said the selection was up to the French presidency.

It is unclear whether the group will have access to highly-sensitive material such as Facebooks algorithms or codes to remove hate speech. It could travel to Facebooks European headquarters in Dublin and global base in Menlo Park, California if necessary, the company said.

The best way to ensure that any regulation is smart and works for people is by governments, regulators and businesses working together to learn from each other and explore ideas, Nick Clegg, the former British deputy prime minister who is now head of Facebooks global affairs, said in a statement.

Frances approach to hate speech has contrasted sharply with Germany, Europes leading advocate of privacy.

Since January, Berlin has required sites to remove banned content within 24 hours or face fines of up to 50 million euros ($56 million). That has led to accusations of censorship.

Frances use of embedded regulators is modelled on what happens in its banking and nuclear industries.

(Tech companies) now have the choice between something that is smart but intrusive and regulation that is wicked and plain stupid, a French official said.Turkey President Erdogan said it was clear the murder was planned and that the order came from the top level of Saudi authorities.

Khashoggi, a critic of de facto Saudi ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate last month in a hit which Erdogan says was ordered at the 'highest levels' of the Saudi government. (Photo: File)

Istanbul: President Tayyip Erdogan said recordings related to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which Turkey has shared with Western allies, are "appalling" and shocked a Saudi intelligence officer who listened to them, Turkish media reported on Tuesday.

Khashoggi, a critic of de facto Saudi ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate last month in a hit which Erdogan says was ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.

Erdogan told reporters on his plane returning from a weekend visit to France that he discussed the Saudi journalist's killing with the US, French and German leaders at dinner in Paris.

"We played the recordings regarding this murder to everyone who wanted them from us. Our intelligence organisation did not hide anything. We played them to all who wanted them including the Saudis, the USA, France, Canada, Germany, Britain," he said.

"The recordings are really appalling. Indeed when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recordings he was so shocked he said: 'This one must have taken heroin, only someone who takes who heroin would do this," he added.

Khashoggi's killing has provoked global outrage but little concrete action by world powers against Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and a supporter of Washington's plans to contain Iranian influence across the Middle East.

Erdogan said it was clear the murder was planned and that the order came from the top level of Saudi authorities but that he could not think such a thing of King Salman, for whom he has 'limitless respect'.

"The crown prince says 'I will clarify the matter, I will do what is necessary'. We are waiting patiently," Erdogan said, adding that the perpetrators of the killing were among 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia.

"It must be revealed who gave them the order to murder."

Erdogan has not given details of the contents of the tapes but two sources with knowledge of the issue have told Reuters that Turkey has several audio recordings.

They include the killing itself and conversations before the operation which Turkey subsequently uncovered, the sources said. These had led Ankara to conclude from an early stage that the killing was premeditated, despite Saudi Arabia's initial denials of any knowledge or involvement.

Saudi Arabia's prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb has since said Khashoggi's killing was planned in advance, although another Saudi official said Prince Mohammed had no knowledge of the specific operation.The Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy still cannot leave the country. Canada has officially offered asylum, whilst the United Kingdom has refused fearing attacks against its embassies. Amid all this there is some joy as Asia Bibis husband finally embraced her again.

Islamabad (AsiaNews) - In Pakistan, negotiations have stalled over Asia Bibi's asylum. The Christian woman acquitted on blasphemy charges was freed but not allowed to leave the country after Islamic radicals who forced the government the review her sentence.

"We have no news, Joseph Nadeem, executive director of the Renaissance Education Foundation, told AsiaNews. We are unaware of any contacts between the government and foreign countries. Newspapers report many stories, but not all of them are true."

For now, the Christian woman is "hiding in a secret location but "the good news is that she was able to meet her husband after ten years, the activist said.

Asia Bibi was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to death in 2010 on the false charges of insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Her case has attracted the attention of several countries around the world.

Some, like Canada, have officially announced that they are involved in confidential negotiations with the Pakistani government.

Yesterday Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in France for the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, said that his government was in discussions with the Pakistani government about offering asylum to Asia Bibi.

"There is a delicate domestic context that we respect which is why I don't want to say any more about that, but I will remind people Canada is a welcoming country," he told AFP.

Other countries, such as the United Kingdom, have categorically excluded providing protection and asylum.

Fear of unrest on British territory and the risk of attacks by Islamic radicals against its embassies around the world are given as reasons.

Recently, Asias husband Ashiq Masih appealed to the United Kingdom, later to the US, Canada and Italy.

According to Abraham Mathai, president of Indian Christian Voice, the position of British Prime Minister Theresa May is "deplorable and shocking".

It is an embarrassment that shows the country "Succumbing to extremist pressure. For him, denying asylum to Asia Bibi is a sign that the extreme radicalisation of the UK is now complete".

Meanwhile, Asia Bibis family continues to "pray for the good resolution of the situation, and is grateful to the Lord for her release, said Joseph Nadeem.

"The Christian mother is under a special security regime, he explained. We are waiting for better times. All of them hope to finally lead a free life, safe and far from Pakistan."Teagasc Longford are hosting a Winter Beef Seminar for all beef farmers in the Teagasc Office, Town Centre, Longford on Monday, November 12 at 7.30pm.

This free event is run to prepare beef farmers for the start of the coming winter period and will cover the areas of Animal Nutrition, Beef Breeding and Farmer Mental Health.

The speakers on the night will be from Kiernan Milling, ICBF and Mental Health Ireland. Rebecca Tierney, the Longford Technical Sales Representative from Kiernan Milling, Granard will be covering nutrition of the Suckler cow and the beef animal over the coming winter. Finola Colgan is an Area Development Officer for Mental Health Ireland covering the Midlands, Louth & Meath.

Finola will be speaking on supporting good mental health of people in rural Ireland. Sometimes stress and strain can lead to greater pressure, resulting in feelings of being unable to cope.

On such occasions being able to reach out to someone to talk to and to get advice can make all the difference to sorting out the problem. And finally a representative from ICBF will be covering Beef breeding and outlining the targets farmers need to meet under the BDGP such as the Stock Bull targets and cow and heifer targets. We look forward to seeing you all at the event. For more information on the Seminar you can contact the Longford Town office on 043 3341021 and you can find information on Facebook @Teagascroscommonlongford.Three people charged in connection to the alleged robbery of a woman and assault of a man who attempted to come to her aid following an incident in Longford town last week, have been remanded in custody.

John Kelly (30) and Frances OBrien (23), both of 4 Cluain Ard, Ardnacassa made their second appearance at Longford District Court this morning (Tuesday) alongside Tony Wilson (36), 4 Avonmore Green, Tallaght, Dublin 24.

Both Mr Kelly and Mr Wilson were charged with robbing a woman of her bag and assault causing harm at Mollaghans Car Park, Longford on November 7 2018.

The pair were remanded in custody by Judge Seamus Hughes to appear back before a sitting of Harristown District Court on November 23.

Their female co-accused, Ms OBrien was also charged with robbery, including a bag containing 100 worth of contents.

She has likewise been remanded in custody and is due to appear back at a sitting of Longford District Court next Tuesday (November 20).

The trio were arrested after a woman was approached by a number of individuals last Wednesday evening as she made her way from Longford Train Station.

A male bystander who witnessed the incident unfold and attempted to intervene was allegedly assaulted as a consequence.

Gardai investigating the incident have praised the support of the public for their assistance in the ensuing investigation.

They have also confirmed that a canvass of the Dublin-Sligo evening train the alleged female victim undertook last Wednesday will take place tomorrow (Wednesday).Former Longford-Westmeath TD Mary ORourke is one of the 19 women who have been appointed senior ministers in Ireland and she is among the interviewees in Madam Politician, a collection of interviews by RTE Political Correspondent Martina Fitzgerald. An engaging read, Madam Politician not only features interviews with the 19 former and current women ministers but also includes insightful interviews with the two former female presidents of Ireland - Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese.

The book has been receiving rave reviews across all the spectrum since its recent launch and has provoked much debate on the issues of women in public life and the political structure in Ireland.

On Monday November 19, Martina Fitzgerald will appear in Longford County Library for the Longford launch of the book at 7.30pm. All are welcome to the local launch of this absorbing book that was described by Miriam OCallaghan as Madam Politician a fascinating and compelling read that couldnt be more timely.

Through her revealing interviews, Martina Fitzgerald conveys the often-shared difficulties and troubles of getting onto the political ladder in the first place; how, during the 70s and 80s, many had to contend with voters who believed they should be at home minding their children instead. Many of these women also speak about the unofficial rules of politics that they, unlike their male peers, were required to follow  dont show emotion in public, for fear of being portrayed as hysterical; and the importance of monitoring your tone of voice because, as one minister puts it, no one likes a screeching woman. Some also speak about inappropriate physical incidents and crude comments made by male colleagues in the corridors of power  the majority of which went unreported.

The event is being organised by Longford Womens Link and Longford County Library and all are welcome.The Midlands Housing Action and Support group will be hosting their first open meeting at the Annebrook Hotel, Mullingar on Tuesday, November 13 at 7.30pm.

According to Alejandro Criado, of the Irish Housing Network, the organisation of groups such as these and others across the country is in direct response to the homeless and housing crisis that Ireland is facing.

Also read: Social Democrats candidate announced for Longford/Westmeath



Between 2013 -2018 rent increases have been recorded of 66.1% in Laois, 51.6% in Longford, 52.8% in Offaly and 56.9% in Westmeath.

Mr Criado said, "The Midlands has not been immune from the crisis. According to a recent report, the Midlands has seen an increase of over 50% in its counted homeless population. Since August 2017 the number of homeless has increased by 1,257 to 9,527. Over 3,500 children are homeless in Ireland in 2018."

Also read: 70% believe the Irish Government is not doing a sufficient job in easing the housing crisis

He continued, "These figures our not reflective of the distressed and the invisible in the Midlands. Those who have lost their homes due to the unwillingness of elected officials to tackle the shortage of public housing, exponential cost for rental accommodation and the sale of mortgages to vulture funds. Now living with friends, parents, siblings, children. Sleeping in cars, vans, caravans in fields or quiet roads, in tents, often away from places where they will be included in rough sleeper counts and out of view of their peers.

"So often is the case that those who are in these situations of immense anxiety feel deserted, especially from those of authority."



The purpose of Midlands Housing Action and Support is to show solidarity with those who feel abandoned and to empower all those who call these counties home.

Also read: Longford Motoring Alert: Temporary road closures set to cause disruption on two busy arteries, the N55 and N63

Members of both the Take Back The City and the Irish Housing Network will be in attendance of the event.



Mr Criado explained that The Midlands Housing Action and Support group is one of the many groups receiving assistance and training from the Take Back The City and the Irish Housing Network. "This will be provided through workshops in the community, housing support (how to assist tenants in rental disputes at the Residential Tenancies Board of Ireland), direct actions, media and campaigns."

Similar meetings to the one in Mullingar, have already taken place in Kildare, Louth, Waterford, Limerick, Belfast, Cork and Galway.The annual Bin It! Campaign has kicked off with gusto this week with visits by officials to local schools.

A total of 51,101 students have taken part since the campaign first began in 2006 and the aim of the campaign is to educate and raise awareness of issues surrounding litter and correct litter disposal among students.

Students from Lanesboro Community College, Lanesboro and Moyne Community School, Moyne participated in the Bin It! workshop that visited their schools.

Bin It! features an actor-led workshop which visits secondary schools across participating local authority areas, Chairman of the GLT, Paul Kelly said.

The workshop, which is aimed at first and second year students, incorporates a theatre-in-education session which encourages students to dispose of gum litter, and litter more generally, in a responsible manner.

Meanwhile, Bin It! forms an integral part of the Gum Litter Taskforces (GLT) gum litter education campaign which seeks to encourage correct gum disposal.

Established in 2006, the Taskforce includes members of the chewing gum industry, represented by Mars/Wrigley Ireland, the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Food Drink Ireland, local authority representatives and civic society.

This is the 12th year the Bin it! campaign has toured across the country, with 463 schools visited and a total of 51,101 students having taken part since the campaign first began in 2006, Mr Kelly continued.

The latest report of the National Litter Monitoring Pollution System has shown that the percentage of chewing gum as a proportion of litter has dropped to 8% in 2017 from 15% in 2016.

Such a drop makes us all the more confident that our awareness raising of issues surrounding gum litter is really resonating with the public.

Enthusiastic and active participation amongst our young people in initiatives such as Bin It! is a key driving force behind these positive results and I am delighted to see the campaign take to the road once again this year.

The workshop tour is supported by a website www.biniteducation.com which includes games and quizzes for students, lesson plans, teachers notes, posters and activity cards to help integrate the theme of responsible litter disposal into the curriculum. The GLT education campaign also includes outdoor poster, TV and online advertising which ran from May until August this year and an accompanying website www.gumlittertaskforce.ie.

Read Also: Residents annoyed as litter dumped at popular Longford beauty spot Barley HarbourSPECSAVERS Longford is proud to announce that store director Keith McCallion is traveling to Kolkata this Saturday on a week-long charity mission with charity partner the Hope Foundation.

Keith McCallion will spend the week in the Indian city of Kolkata volunteering at the Hope Foundation Eye Clinic, for which Specsavers has committed to funding for three years.

Keith along with his Specsavers colleagues, will carry out hundreds of eye tests in a bid to provide eye health care to those in need.

In addition to this Keith will visit local slums, orphanages and assist in the mobile health bus visiting those living on the streets of Kolkata. To fund the eye care clinic with The Hope Foundation Specsavers has fundraised over 70,000.

In Ireland, we have access to excellent eye care but many children in Kolkata are not as lucky, making it vital that we do all we can to improve their eye health services while there, said Keith.

The eye tests carried out in India will enable the team to provide glasses, where necessary, giving children better vision.

These children would otherwise have been deprived of this basic need. The gift of sight could change many of these childrens lives enabling them to live their life to the full.

For further information on the services available at Specsavers Longford, simply drop in to chat with the team at The White House, 17 Ballymahon Street, Longford or call (043) 333 6276 or visit www.specsavers.ie/stores/longford.Local News, Business & Finance, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: November 13 2018

New Campus Represents the Largest Economic Development Project In New York State History.

Long Island City, NY - November 13, 2018 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that Amazon will establish a new corporate headquarters in Long Island City, Queens. The decision followed a comprehensive, year-long selection process during which 238 cities across North America competed for the multibillion-dollar project.

In 2019, Amazon will occupy up to 500,000 square feet at One Court Square while working to construct four million square feet of commercial space on Long Island City's waterfront over the next 10 years, with expansion opportunities for up to 8 million square feet over the next 15 years. Through a $3.6 billion total investment, Amazon will draw from the diverse and talented workforce in New York State to fill at least 25,000 new jobs by 2029 and up to 40,000 jobs by 2034 with an average salary of more than $150,000. The construction is expected to create an average of 1300 direct construction jobs annually through 2033. Overall, the project is estimated to create more than 107,000 total direct and indirect jobs, over $14 billion in new tax revenue for the State and a net of $13.5 billion in City tax revenue over the next 25 years. The project provides a 9:1 return on investment.

"When I took office, I said we would build a new New York State - one that is fiscally responsible and fosters a business climate that is attractive to growing companies and the industries of tomorrow. We've delivered on those promises and more, and today, with Amazon committing to expand its headquarters in Long Island City, New York can proudly say that we have attracted one of the largest, most competitive economic development investments in U.S. history," Governor Cuomo said. "With an average salary of $150,000 per year for the tens of thousands of new jobs Amazon is creating in Queens, economic opportunity and investment will flourish for the entire region. Amazon understands that New York has everything the company needs to continue its growth. The State's more than $100 billion infrastructure program - the most ambitious in our history - combined with our education initiatives like K-12 tech education and the first-in-the-nation Excelsior Scholarship program, will help ensure long-term success and an unrivaled talent pool for Amazon."

"This is a giant step on our path to building an economy in New York City that leaves no one behind. We are thrilled that Amazon has selected New York City for its second headquarters. New Yorkers will get tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs, and Amazon will get the best talent anywhere in the world. We're going to use this opportunity to open up good careers in tech to thousands of people looking for their foothold in the new economy, including those in City colleges and public housing. The City and State are working closely together to make sure Amazon's expansion is planned smartly, and to ensure this fast-growing neighborhood has the transportation, schools and infrastructure it needs," said Mayor de Blasio.

Read the Memorandum of Understanding between the State, City and Amazon here

Last year, Amazon released a Request for Proposals to select one or more locations for additional headquarters operations in North America, leading to an unprecedented competition among more than 230 metropolitan areas. The joint New York City-New York State proposal focused on New York's unparalleled talent and the capacity of its academic institutions, public schools and workforce training programs to fill the jobs Amazon will create at the pace the company's rapid growth demands. New York State and New York City economic development officials collaborated to submit a robust response and have worked closely with Amazon over the past year on the winning proposal.

According to an economic impact study by REMI, Inc., a world leader in dynamic forecasting and policy analysis, the Amazon project will generate over $186 billion in Gross State Product for the New York State economy over the initial 25 years. REMI also projects over $14 billion in total new tax revenue for the State (in 2019 dollars), with annual revenues growing from $10.8 million in 2019 to nearly $1 billion in 2043. The City forecasts $13.5 billion in total new tax revenue.

The City-State agreement with Amazon includes commitments to build a jointly-funded 10,000 square-foot onsite employment center to connect local residents with jobs and training. A $15 million investment will expand the JobsPlus program to Queensbridge Houses and expand tuition-free tech training to its residentsserving nearly 1,800 residents over the next 10 years.

The agreement also secures a new approximately 600-seat intermediate public school, a 3.5-acre waterfront esplanade and park, and the establishment of a Long Island City Infrastructure Fund to invest 50 percent of the project's PILOT proceeds to deliver on transportation and other neighborhood priorities that will be identified in collaboration with the local community.

"This is a huge win for New York," said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. "Amazon locating here demonstrates that New York City is now a global center for innovation and technology, drawn here by the amazing diversity of our workforce, our neighborhoods and our economy. Amazon's $3.6 billion investment, as well as the investments it will make in job training, open space, education and infrastructure, will establish Long Island City as one of the region's most vibrant commercial districts."

Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, "This is an enormous win for New York. Having supported all the cities in the state that submitted proposals, we are extremely proud to have brought the largest deal in ESD history to New York State. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is a tribute to our world-class colleges and universities across the state, and most importantly it's a testament to our extraordinarily talented and diverse workforce. New York is a leader in so many disciplines and industries that align with Amazon's business - including digital media, film production, merchandising, fashion, advertising, ag and food processing, fintech and many more. With a shared history of innovation, New York and Amazon will grow faster and smarter, together.

"New York City is proud to be the new home of Amazon's second headquarters. We feel the same today as we did on day one of the company's national search: there is no city in North America better equipped for HQ2 than New York," said NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett. "We have the best, brightest, and most diverse workforce, and are home to virtually every industry. From our leading academic intuitions to our celebrated diversity, which defines our rich history as a cultural melting pot, New York is unmatched in all we have to offer. We look forward to continuing working with our State partners, local elected officials and members of the community on ensuring Amazon's arrival in New York City will benefit everyone."

To bring this transformational, multibillion-dollar project to New York, the State offered a package of performance-based incentives totaling $1.705 billion. The package includes a $1.2 billion in tax credits through the Excelsior Jobs Program, which is directly tied to Amazon's commitment to create 25,000 new jobs and no less than $2.3 billion investment over ten years as well as a $505 million capital grant that is directly tied to Amazon's commitment to invest $3.6 billion and create up to 40,000 new jobs over 15 years.

Additionally, the company, State and City are committing $15 million - $5 million each - to create new workforce development programs focused on technology training and recruitment specific to New York City and targeted toward underrepresented segments of the workforce. Programs supported by this initiative may include community-based accelerated technology training programs, internships, and work-based learning opportunities for high school students. Under pre-existing as-of-right programs authorized by law, Amazon is eligible for a partial property tax abatement through ICAP and an annual credit of $3,000 for twelve years per eligible employee under REAP, a program available to all companies to encourage job growth outside of Manhattan. REAP benefits for Amazon's 10-year expansion are projected at $897 million through 2038, and ICAP will abate approximately $386 million.

Long Island City is one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in the five boroughs. To meet the needs that come with new residents and new jobs, the City has steadily increased its investment in the area's infrastructure. All told, there is more than $2.4 billion of planned infrastructure investments across the neighborhood, including a $180 million investment that was recently announced by the City for new schools, open space and transportation.

The State and City will collaborate with the company and local community to conduct an environmental review and develop a General Project Plan, as is typically done for large City-State development projects, including nearby Queens West. A Community Advisory Committee will be established, which will include representatives of the State, City and local elected officials. In addition, longtime community developer Plaxall will advance development on adjoining waterfront sites that will include planning that complements Amazon's new headquarters. The project is subject to the State's minority and women-owned business enterprise laws and utilization goals. New York State has set the nation's highest goal - 30 percent - for utilization of MWBEs.Local News, Crime, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: November 13 2018

Kenneth Moultrie, 62, crossed over into oncoming traffic and struck a tree, cops say.

East Meadow, NY - November 13, 2018 - The Third Squad is investigating a Serious Vehicular Auto Accident that occurred in The Third Squad is investigating a Serious Vehicular Auto Accident that occurred in East Meadow on Monday, November 12, 2018 at 6:47 am.

According to detectives, Kenneth Moultrie, 62, of Astoria was operating a 2011 Ford north in the vicinity of 100 Carman Avenue when his vehicle crossed over into the southbound lanes and struck a tree head.

The Nassau County Emergency Services unit responded and assisted Third Precinct police and extricated him out from the vehicle. The victim suffered severe body trauma and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. He was pronounced deceased a short time later by hospital staff.In seven hours at least 400 missiles launched from the Strip. Israel calls up reservists. The headquarters of Al Aqsa television bombed but resumed broadcasting 10 minutes later. The cause of the resumption of violence: an Israeli commando wanted to kidnap Marwan Issa, the number two of Al Qassam. The international community is divided. Fragile mediation of Qatar.

Khan Yunes (AsiaNews)  Tension is rising in Gaza. After the death of seven Palestinians and an Israeli soldier two days ago, yesterday there was an incessant rain of missiles from the Gaza on Israel and a series of Israeli air strikes to hit members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

According to Israeli sources, about 400 missiles were launched from Gaza in just seven hours. Israel has called up reservists and the Council of Ministers has given the army a green light to respond to the violence.

Besides the real war, there is also the media and psychological war, which is also being pursued by Hamas. In the late afternoon yesterday, Hamas announced that it had carried out an operation that "made the Israeli intelligence service ridiculous" by destroying, a bus carrying Israeli soldiers east of Jabalia with a Corvette missile.

Israel immediately stated that the bus had been evacuated, while the Hamas satellite TV Al Aqsa promised to broadcast a video of the attack along the lines of the psychological warfare adopted by the Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Immediately afterwards, the Israeli air force twice bombed the Al Aqsa TV station, razing the five-story building in the north-west of Gaza, in a densely populated neighborhood. Ten minutes later the Al Aqsa TV resumed broadcasting from an unknown place and the director Ibrahim Daher announced that the entire TV crew was safe without any victims and that the headquarters had been evacuated five minutes before of the raid.

Shortly afterwards, the Israeli air force bombed the Amal Hotel, home to the "Ministry of the Interior" and the civilian security forces. At 23.10 last night, the Al Aqsa TV broadcast the video of the operation on the bus, in which we see a soldier standing and five other vehicles fleeing full of soldiers who remained unharmed.

The clashes between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza resumed on 11 November, after a commando of Israeli special forces entered the Strip, towards Khan Younes, in what Hamas considered a violation of the ceasefire by Tel Aviv.

According to Palestinian sources, the military operation was aimed at kidnapping Marwan Issa, the number two of Al Qassam, a man, considered the black box of secrets on the introduction of missiles inside the Gaza despite the encirclement.

The attempted kidnapping was also confirmed by Israeli TV channel 10. The Israeli car was sighted by Al Qassam and a gun battle broke out in which the military commander of Al Qassam Nur Barke and Mohammed Majed Al Kara lost his life.

Israel admitted the death of Lieutenant Colonel M. who led the military operation and wounding of another soldier of Israeli elite forces. The Israeli air force immediately intervened to protect the retreat of the commandos causing the death of seven other members of Al Qassam according to Hamas sources.

The international community, led by Moscow accuses Israel of escalating tensions; Washington emphasizes Israel's right to self-defense. Egypt and the UN invite the parties to calm. According to Egyptian sources, Israel "does not want to stop before reaching certain goals". For its part, Hamas threatens to hit areas with at least one million Israelis with its missiles.

Experts rule out the possibility of war, which is not convenient for Israel or Hamas. But the latter has proved to have obtained even more sophisticated weapons than in the past and seems to have reached worrisome levels of being able to intercept Israeli communications.

Meanwhile, attempts at mediation by Qatar are emerging, given its secret relations with Israel. A few days ago Qatari emissaries brought suitcases of money into the Strip, passed by Israel, to pay the salaries of the employees, who had been in arrears for months.

The Qatar envoy of, welcomed by stone- throwing Palestinian demonstrators, declared that he wanted "calm", and called for an end to the demonstrations taking place at the Gaza border every Friday, since Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (PB)by J.B. An Dang

The Dung Lac School was located at number 29 Nha Chung Street. The archdiocese never produced any document indicating its intention to donate, transfer or cede the right to use. The administration has started the construction site without notice and the project does not have the necessary building permits.

Hanoi (AsiaNews) - Without providing any explanation or the necessary documents, the Hanoi authorities have started a construction site on land belonging to the archdiocese. The Catholic community in the capital protests against the misappropriation of the lot, where once a school was built.

On November 5th, the ecclesiastical authorities issued a statement. The document, signed in the name of the clergy and faithful of the capital by the Archbishop, Card. Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon (photo), and by auxiliary bishop Msgr. Laurent Chu Van Minh, was sent to the secretary of the Municipal Committee of the Party, to the president of the People's Committee and to the administration of Hanoi.

The note states that the authorities of the capital have started a building site at number 29 of Nha Chung Street, land owned by the archdiocese as certified by the title of property no. 1794, volume 9, page 191. This is where the Dung Lac School was located, run by the local Church. Up to now, the archdiocese of Hanoi has never produced any document indicating the intention to donate, transfer or cede the right to use this lot.

The administration has started the construction site without notice and the project does not have the necessary building permits. The officials purposely blocked all access to the land lot and brought heavy machinery to it, as if it were an uninhabited place.The conflict between the Italian government and the Troika (the European Commission, European Central Bank, and International Monetary Fund) is making news headlines around the world. To understand fully the meaning of this clash and its consequences, we need to go back to the political earthquake of the 4 March elections.

The Italian masses decided to punish the political parties that had ruled Italy since 2011 (and carried out vicious austerity policies), the Democratic Party and Forza Italia, by voting for the only feasible alternatives: the 5 Stars Movement and the League.

The result was the worst-possible scenario for the Italian bourgeoisie, who face a situation where the parties through which they have controlled the government for the last 25 years have been relegated into opposition. The bourgeoisie has lost direct control of the government: an unprecedented situation that serves as a testament to the depth of the crisis facing society.

The petty bourgeoisie, shocked by the effects of the crisis, has lost confidence in the established powers. It is challenging (albeit in a confused way) the role of big capital, especially finance capital. There is a general hatred of the banks and the bankers, who escaped the crisis at the expense of the great majority of the population. There has therefore been a radicalisation, (partially in a reactionary direction), of these sectors in Italy. This is one of the reasons for the rise of Salvinis popularity.

The yellow-green government

Di Maio is losing popularity, and Salvini is gaining / Image: Socialist AppealAt the same time, the new government was formed with big expectations from the workers and their families. The M5S is a typical petty-bourgeois party, which swings continuously to the right and the left. It won the election with a programme that included quite radical demands by modern standards, including a citizenship income (the equivalent of unemployment benefit, which does not exist in Italy) of 780 EUR a month; an end to the casualisation of labour; and the end of the Fornero law: a vicious counter-reform of the pension system, implemented during the Monti government (2011-2013). The M5S was seen as the anti-establishment party, and this is why it won the elections.

The (former northern) League, a petty-bourgeois reactionary party, had not been involved in any national government in the previous seven years and so Salvini could stand before the electorate with a clean record (or, at least, cleaner than that of the others). The League was the party in parliament seen by workers as most consistently against the Fornero law.

The attitude of the majority of the workers was (and still is) one of wait and see, as they think that this government can deliver. Many workers think that this can be a "friendly government" that solves the problems that the unions were unable to: pension cuts, casualisation of labour, unemployment, etc.

Di Maio, the leader of M5S, is the new Minister of Labour and Economic development. He is perceived as being different from the previous ministers in this role and as being open to the demands of the working class. This has brought forward expectations and demands that have been frustrated for years. However, there is a vast distance between these expectations and what this government can actually deliver.

Already with the first act, the so-called Decreto dignita (dignity decree), which Di Maio declared would end the casualisation of labour, we saw how big the distance between intentions and reality is. The Decreto dignita does not eliminate casualisation, but merely introduces some cosmetic changes. For the bourgeoisie, however, even this was too much, and they raised a hue and cry that was then taken up by Salvini, who called for changes to be made to the decree.

We have witnessed this kind of tension between the two coalition partners several times in the last few months. The collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa on 14 August provoked a wave of emotion throughout Italy, and, most importantly, an even bigger wave of anger and indignation. The M5S raised the idea of nationalisation of the Autostrade company (the private owner of most motorways in Italy). Within a few days, a slogan that was initially confined to a small vanguard became very popular amongst the masses. According to a Sky Tg24 survey (carried out in the days after the tragedy), 81 percent of Italians agreed on the revocation of the concession to Autostrade and were for the nationalisation of the motorway network.

This mood of radicalisation has been thwarted by the government's hesitations. The stumbling block of legal actions that the multinational company would have taken before the revocation of its contract, and the cost of compensation for the expropriation (a right guaranteed by the constitution) forced the government to desist.

This petty-bourgeois obsession with legality led to impotence. The bridge is going to be rebuilt by the same people responsible for its collapse, Autostrade, given the urgency of the matter! The Special Commissioners for the reconstruction will be the president of the Liguria region and the mayor of Genoa: both close to the League and to the right-wing.

It goes without saying that the League was opposed to any idea of nationalisation from the very beginning.

The scenario keeps repeating itself: whenever the ministers of the M5S try to implement any kind of progressive measures, the capitalists exercise huge pressure through their men in the government (Tria, the finance minister, and Moavero Milanesi, the foreign minister) and through the League, to hold them back. And they always succeed, because the M5S has no consistent ideology and programme, given its petty-bourgeois character.

The collapse of the Ponte Morandi bridge led to calls for nationalisation, which were thwarted by the government's hesitations / Image: Michele Ferraris

The Budget

The 2019 Budget was meant to be the final showdown for the government. Di Maio has described the budget as a peoples budget (la manovra del popolo), but there is very little in it to improve the living conditions of working-class families.

The conflict between the government and the Troika hinges on some decimal percentage points on the budget deficit. The so-called challenge to austerity and the confrontation with the EU have produced a molehill rather than a mountain. They will add a further 0.8 percentage points to the deficit next year, resulting in about 13.7 billion EUR more to spend. With this amount, it will be impossible to provide a wage for the seven million Italians who live below the poverty line and for the three million unemployed, and also cover the extra cost of the retirement of millions of pensioners who meet the new quota 100 (which means one can retire if the sum of ones age in years and the number of years one has paid social security contributions adds up to 100).

The tax amnesty that the government has introduced, on the other hand, is a huge gift to big business and the rich, as we all know that there are not many pensioners or metalworkers who are in a position to need a half-a-million-euro amnesty (the limit proposed by the yellow-green coalition).

However, the EU Commission cannot allow even this extra 0.8 percent addition to the deficit. Moscovici (the European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs) is blatantly applying a double standard here. In the past, the EU allowed Germany to break the rules more than once. But Germany, of course, is the master of the EU and the German ruling class are allowed to break any rule they wish, while at the same time imposing stringent conditions on all other EU member states.

The initial belligerent tone of Di Maio lasted only a few days. The government very quickly announced that the citizenship income and Quota 100 would not be included in the 2019 budget, and that they will be delayed to future budgets. But for the EU, even this is not enough: they want the Italian government to surrender completely.

This approach on the part of the EU commission will further increase the resentment of the Italian masses. According to a poll conducted by the European Commission, only 44 percent of Italians now support membership of the EU. With the European elections due next May, this spells danger for the European ruling class. Italy is not Greece. It is the second manufacturer on the continent, and a crisis in Italy could shatter the fragile structure of the EU. In this conflict, the working class has nothing to gain and no-one to support.

Di Maio wants to increase the budget deficit and reduce the debt at the same time, while remaining within the eurozone: a complete fantasy! / Image: Flickr, Camera dei deputatiThe solution presented by the M5S is a typical Keynesian one. Di Maio in a recent interview with the Financial Times, said: We believe in the fact that we can greatly reduce public debt with an expansive budget. I am convinced that we can change the rules on austerity and investment (...) We will tattoo ourselves to explain to the investment community that we do not want to leave the eurozone.

How someone could think of increasing the budget deficit and reducing the debt at the same time, while remaining within the eurozone, is a mystery to anyone, especially on the eve of a recession. Italys GDP in the third quarter of 2018 grew by a mere 0.8 percent. The forecast for 2018 is growth of 1.1 percent.

Here we have the old dream of the reformists of the possibility of reconciling the interests of the bosses with those of the workers. Now, more than a dream, it is a utopia.

Fascism at the gates?

And what about the opposition? The main opposition party in parliament is the Democratic Party, which is jokingly referred to as the the party of the spread [a reference to the fact that it is constantly reminding everyone that if austerity does not continue then the spread between interest on Italian and German treasury bonds will increase]. Every day, the main PD leaders warn the government that if it does not stick to the rules drawn up by the EU, the Seven Plagues of Egypt will hit the country. They are the main supporters of the EU and of austerity. It is the party of big business. The only little problem now is that it has been rendered useless as a representative of big business.

The common view of so-called left-wing progressive intellectuals (who are desperately attempting to bolster the PD and the ruling class) is that the people are stupid, illiterate, believe in fake news, etc., and that is why they vote for the M5S or the League. This highlights how out of touch these people are and why it is impossible it is for the so-called left to find an echo amongst the masses.

Anyone who reads the articles of these intellectuals (including those who are widely known outside of Italy), would think that Italy is on the brink of fascism. Salvini may well dream of going back to the good old days of Mussolini. But here we are not in the realm of dreams. In the real world of today we have to see that the social base of fascism does not exist in Italy. This does not mean that this government is not a threat to the labour movement. On the contrary, it is a serious threat, but we should not confuse this with a totalitarian regime capable of destroying all the workers organisations and setting up a dictatorship.

The new Minister of the Interior (Salvini) expresses all the most reactionary sentiments in society, similar to the typical features of fascism: demagogically railing against big capital in defence of the petty bourgeoisie, an exasperated nationalism imbued with the worst kind of xenophobia, ultra-traditional values on the question of family, a fundamentalist Catholicism and so forth.

Is all this propaganda, however, pushing the mass of Italians onto the streets to beat up immigrants? Not at all. There have been attacks, but they have been staged by tiny groups of fascists, with no involvement by the majority of ordinary people. There are widespread racial prejudices among backward layers of society, but they are expressed in a passive manner. What we have is a thin, superficial layer of reactionary propaganda, spread by the media, that finds an echo because there is no wave of class struggle and of militant united action to sweep it away. However, once such a wave rises again, everything will change into its opposite. These reactionary ideas are not acted on by an active, mass force of frenzied petty bourgeois and lumpenproletariat, smashing the heads of immigrants and communists, as in the 1920s. Salvini is aware of the fact that he cannot pursue those methods, so he is trying to impose reaction through the apparatus of the state. The League therefore presents itself as the party of law and order; as a modern reactionary, conservative party.

The decree on security just approved by the lower house of parliament, drafted by the League, is a declaration of war against immigrants, but it is also designed as a measure against anyone who protests against the government. The decree removes humanitarian protection for refugees, which will be accessible only to unaccompanied minors and those who are already holders of international protection: thus, 90 percent of asylum seekers will be excluded. The crimes of immigrants will be doubly punished, up to the revocation of Italian citizenship. The previous PD government had already limited the legal rights of refugees and increased the number of repatriation centres. They had already created the conditions for immigrants to become second-class citizens, but today Salvini has made this a reality.

Salvini expresses all the most reactionary sentiments in society, but he does not head a fascist movement / Image: Fabio ViscontiCouched in nice and responsible language, i.e. to improve urban security, Salvini has also moved against protests and strikes. In cities of more than 100,000 people, police will be able to use Tasers to combat local crime. A roadblock or any occupation of private property will become criminal offences, and no longer punished with an administrative fine. From now on, any worker who occupies a factory or blocks a road could go to jail.

At the present time, there would seem to be no need for such measures. If you look at the surface, in Italy there are no strikes, no protests, and very few demonstrations. These are in fact measures for the future, as they are fully aware of the fact that a storm of class struggle is being prepared.

All the present xenophobic propaganda is useful to strengthen Salvinis leading role within the government. The ruling class has always created scapegoats to divert the attention of the masses away from its real problems.

Racism can be a powerful weapon to divide the working class, but it can also turn against the bourgeoisie if it is not combined with concrete concessions. This government, by failing to seriously challenge the EUs rules and regulations, and  above all  capitalism, has nothing to deliver. More than that, the blatantly racist propaganda of the League is beginning to alienate layers of society, primarily the youth.

The freedoms granted by the state for neo-fascists to organise are already provoking a backlash, as we witnessed in Trieste on 3rd November, where 5,000 people (in a town of 250,000) demonstrated against a march by Casapound: the largest of these neo-fascist groups.

The freedoms granted by the state for neo-fascists are already provoking a backlash / Image: PD Utente

A future of class struggle

While the trade union leadership is at a low ebb of popularity, the reformist left continues to fragment. The two main electoral lists created for 4 March elections, Liberi e Uguali (Free and Equal) and Potere al Popolo (Power to the People) have already split. Potere al Popolo did so in the worst possible way, with an avalanche of insults exchanged between the two main wings of the coalition. This project is therefore already dead.

The vast majority of the longstanding activists on the left are in a state of deep depression, as they only see black reaction and no immediate response from the masses. The Marxists, on the other hand, are confident about the future perspectives, as there are clearly a number of factors that are preparing the ground for a new wave of struggle and mobilisation after years of deafening silence.

The working class has now absorbed the shock of the great crisis and is beginning to come to terms with the "new normality" of precarity, blackmail and poverty wages. There was, in the last year, an economic recovery, albeit a small one, that allowed for the posing of economic demands, while at the same time placing very strong pressure on working conditions and safety at work, forcing many Italians to work longer and harder in impossible shifts.

The point we have to understand is that workers now feel they can influence this government. The working class in fact voted massively for the M5S, expecting it to act on its electoral promises. In these conditions, the trade union bureaucracy will not be able to stop the coming mobilisations. Among the youth, a layer is already gearing up to mobilise against racism and repression.

In general, following on from the elections, there has been a mood of widespread political debate that we have not seen for a long time. The measures of the government and the political positions of the different parties are subjects of discussion, not only among activists and militants, but among a much wider layer of the population. This is an important point that has to be understood. The normally inert, inactive layers are being politicised. It should not come as a surprise that these layers will initially be confused, but the confusion will be clarified by the big events that are coming.

In these conditions anything can spark a movement, from important corporate crises, to a conflict over government measures, to episodes of repression, environmental crises, and so on.

In the beginning, any mass movement will be politically heterogeneous and even contradictory. The process of political clarification will have to go through many different phases, as well as many trials and errors. But we can be sure that, sooner rather than later, the same opposition against the establishment and the status quo that was revealed in the polls will begin to manifest itself in the form of militant actions.

Sinistra Classe Rivoluzione, the Italian section of the IMT, is ready to intervene in this new epoch of class struggle and provide the necessary class analysis and understanding which no one else is providing. We have every reason to be confident that the Italian working class will rediscover its old traditions of 1920, of the Resistance against fascism and the mighty struggles that began with the Hot Autumn of 1969.SPRINGFIELD -- The Connecticut Department of Transportation now offers a rider rewards program where consumers can get discounts at businesses and attractions by showing their tickets or passes or a downloadable coupon.

That includes tickets for Hartford Line passenger trains from New Haven to Springfield.

The program, called CTrides, is also open to riders on Shore Line East trains and on CTfasttrack buses in Connecticut.

In Springfield, discounts are offered by:

Felix's Breakfast & Sandwich Shop, 67 Liberty St., with 10 percent off purchases. Felix's is within steps of Springfield Union Station.

Springfield Museums, 21 Edwards St., with 10 percent off admission.

Springfield Thunderbirds, MassMutual Center, with $5 off Attack Zone tickets for all games. Excludes Fan Appreciation Night (April 13) and the 2019 AHL All-Star Game.

In Connecticut, discounts are offered by places including the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Costco of Enfield and the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven.

The Hartford Line in June began offering train service from Springfield Union Station through Hartford to New Haven. With recent additions, the service now offers 24 daily weekday trips between Springfield and Hartford.

This month, CTrail added one additional Hartford Line train -- on weekends and on weekdays -- serving Springfield Union Station, according to timetables released by ConnDOT.

On weekdays the new train arrives in Springfield at 9:47 a.m., having left New Haven at 8:15 a.m. It departs Springfield at 10:40 a.m. and arrives in New Haven at 12:12 p.m.

On weekends, it arrives in Springfield at 10:58 a.m., having left New Haven at 9:25 a.m. It leaves Springfield at 11:30 a.m. and arrives in New Haven at 1:10 p.m.The annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show recently debuted in New York City, sparking controversy. The lingerie models have been strutting the runway for the Victoria's Secret brand since 1995 and some are arguing the look of the models haven't changed since. While many admire Victoria Secret's models, others feel the runway lacked diversity and should include curvier models. Does the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show lack diversity?

PERSPECTIVES

One Victoria's Secret Angel feels the runway was more diverse this year than it has been in years past. Fans were elated when they heard 23-year-old newcomer Duckie Thot was going to strut the runway. The Australian model with South Sudanese roots is adored for her dark skin and beautiful figure.

Thot says the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is moving in the right direction. During an interview with Vogue Australia the model said:

Happy Victoria secret show is more diverse now  monique momo (@madjamaicangal) December 10, 2014

Plus-size model Robyn Lawley boycotted the show this year and created a petition because she was tired of the brand refusing to represent women with larger figures. On Change.org, a website that allows anyone to create a petition for change, the model wrote:

Seriously, when will there be more of a range in women for the Victoria Secret Fashion Show? They all have the same body. Real women, everyday women, are more diverse than that. (This doesn't mean I don't respect a lot of the models that walk the show because I do!)  Veronica Lavil (@kikalavil) November 9, 2018

The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski said he, too, was "greatly surprised" by the Vatican's request Monday for a delayed vote by U.S. bishops on reforms to their charter on how clergy sexual misconduct - specifically involving bishops - are addressed.

He said he remains hopeful as the bishops continue to discuss the proposals that "U.S. bishops will be leaders in setting the tone" for how the Catholic Church deals "with any form of sexual abuse or harassment."

"With my brother bishops, I was greatly surprised by the news that was conveyed to us yesterday from Cardinal Daniel DiNardo that the Congregation of Bishops had asked the bishops of the United States to refrain from voting on the proposed standards of conduct and consequences for bishops who either violate the Charter for the Protection of Young People or who do not report any allegations of abuse promptly," said Rozanski prior to the start today of the second meeting day of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops in Baltimore.

"I agree fully with Cardinal Blase Cupich's call for us to discuss the proposals over the next two days and then send the recommendations of the United States bishops to the meeting in February between the presidents of the Bishops Conferences from around the world and the Holy Father, Pope Francis."

He added, "It is my hope that we - the U.S. bishops - will be leaders in setting the tone in dealing with any form of sexual abuse or harassment for the Catholic Church throughout the world. I thank our faithful people for their prayers for the bishops as we discuss these weighty matters over these coming days."

The conference of 350 bishops was to vote on proposals recommended by its administrative committee to address how sexual abuse allegations against a bishop should be handled and reviewed, initiate a code of conduct for bishops as relates to their pastoral responsibilities and ensure a bishop who has resigned or been removed from office because of sexual misconduct is restricted from public ministry.

The proposals were in response to recent developments - in particular the release in August of the 18-month Pennsylvania grand jury report - that showed how much bishops in past decades had covered up the actions of pedophile clergy.

USCCB President DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, informed the bishops at the opening of their fall general assembly that the Vatican had informed him Sunday night they the vote was to be delayed until after a February meeting with the pope and presidents of the bishops' conferences around the world that will focus on addressing clergy abuse.

The announcement brought disappointment among bishops and survivors alike as well as indications that Francis may be consolidating his approach to the issue as the February gathering will be the first time the Vatican has held such a summit on the Church's sexual abuse crisis.

Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio or papal representative to the United States who met with Francis this weekend in Rome, addressed the meeting.

While praising the work of the bishops - including their 2002 pioneering charter - as well as the laity in addressing the Church's sexual abuse crisis, Pierre's address seemed to indicate Francis wants the bishops to take greater responsibility in implementing change.

Bishops are fairly autonomous units in running their dioceses, but they are appointed and disciplined within the Church by the pope as well as overseen by such administrative bodies in the Vatican as the Congregation of Bishops and the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith.

In what is regarded as a significant move, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, who led the Vatican investigation into the cover-up of clergy sex abuse by Chilean bishops and has been involved with the removal of some 3,000 clerics worldwide, has been named in the wake of the delayed vote by Francis as adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It is in this congregation where the Pope tried but failed to implement a more streamlined process in 2016 to review allegations of sexual misconduct against bishops.

Bishops attending the meeting were not in agreement on the proposals that also left much room for debate. Yet, they signaled a recognition by at least some of the bishops that their Church is at a crossroads in terms of involvement of laity and accountability to laity with regards to sexual misconduct.

A number of states attorney generals have opened investigations into other dioceses in the wake of the Pennsylvania report.

The U.S. Catholic bishops are scheduled to gather for a seven-day spiritual retreat at Mundelein Seminary in suburban Chicago in January at the request of Francis.When Joe Faro kicked off the 2010 opening of his very first Tuscan Kitchen restaurant in Salem, New Hampshire, he did it with a thank-you to veterans.

Faro closed the entire restaurant to the public and served free meals to veterans and their loved ones. For eight years in a row, the "scratch-artisan" Italian cuisine brand built by Faro has continued its tradition of serving free meals to veterans at what are now four Tuscan Kitchen restaurants, located in the Boston Seaport, Burlington, Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Salem, New Hampshire.

"I've always been just kind of honored and humbled by the work that they do," Faro said. "The amazing stories of sacrifice, triumph and tragedy, all of it. Freedom is absolutely not free."

By midday, the Burlington location had about 600 visits from veterans and their loved ones.

The Boston Seaport location, the newest Tuscan Kitchen which opened nearly a year ago, had few visitors by 1 p.m. Faro said he hopes to further promote the restaurant's Veterans Day tradition in Boston next year.

But based on past years, Faro estimated the turnout at all four restaurants could total up to 3,000 people by the end of the holiday event, which ran from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at each Tuscan Kitchen. Over the past eight years, Faro estimates his restaurants have fed up to 15,000 families on Veterans Day.

"I interact with the veterans, and by the end of the day, I'll be hoarse," Faro said. "I enjoy their stories, just the history of everything that has led them to where they are today."

Over the last eight years, Faro said he has met veterans who served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf Wars and the more recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Prior to the Monday holiday, Tuscan Kitchen also hosted a luncheon at the New England Center and Home for Veterans, feeding 150 homeless veterans fresh bread, pasta, vegetables, pork and gelato.

The Veterans Day tradition is supported by hundreds of restaurant workers who volunteer their time each holiday and do not get paid.

Christina Bajgrowicz, who lives in Atkins, New Hampshire, and has worked under Faro in various roles for 6.5 years, said she is happy to donate her time. She reflected on her own father, Carl Steffen, who served in the Navy during World War II and rescued fellow servicemen during a ship battle.

"It wasn't easy growing up. He did have a little PTSD there, but it was an experience and I appreciate it more now of course," Bajgrowicz said while volunteering as a waitress at the Tuscan Kitchen Boston Seaport location.

Steffen died three years ago, but his service lived on through some of his sons who have served in the Navy also. Bajgrowicz, who grew up in Lawrence, said she was one of 14 children. While serving at the Seaport on Monday, she announced her gratitude for Tuscan Kitchen and its Veterans Day tradition.

"I feel like we're privileged to be here every day, so I kind of give back and offer my services as an appreciation," Bajgrowicz said. "Everything is a privilege, to come here and eat and be around each other."The 27-year-old man shot to death in Brockton on Monday has been identified as Patrick Sequeira-Ferreira, officials said.

Sequeira-Ferreira was shot in the head around 6:25 p.m. on Keith Avenue, according to the office of Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz.

He was taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center before being flown to Boston Medical Center by helicopter, Cruz's office said in a statement.

Sequeira-Ferreira was pronounced dead shortly before midnight.

The statement from Cruz did not mention any possible suspects in the shooting.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call State Police at 508-894-2600.SPRINGFIELD -- A Hampden Superior Court judge has ruled statements a woman made to firefighters on the day of a fatal blaze were not voluntary because she was high on PCP.

Judge Karen L. Goodwin ruled Nov. 8 that statements made by 20-year-old Iris Larregui, of Hartford, cannot be used in her arson trial.

The fire at 99-101 Quincy St. shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2017 left 32-year-old Waleska Torres dead and displaced as many as eight residents.

In her ruling, Goodwin writes that police and firefighters responded to the house fire and saw a woman, completely naked, running out of the burning house. The woman, later identified as Larregui, appeared to have burns on various areas of her body.

"While being treated by emergency medical technicians, the woman, who was later identified as Iris Larregui, confessed to starting the blaze," according to Goodwin's ruling.

At a hearing Oct. 19 Goodwin heard testimony from Sean Walker of the Fire Department and Dr. Andrew Bourke, a forensic pathologist with the state Department of Mental Health.

Goodwin's decision said Larregui was running down the street saying, "I'm burning down the world. I'm God."

When an ambulance arrived Larregui climbed in the back and sat on the stretcher, telling the EMT she had used PCP.

As EMT's were evaluating Larregui, Walker asked her what happened.

"Larregui said she had set the fire following an argument with her sister. When asked how the fire started, Larregui referenced a toaster and a lighter. Other than those references, Walker could not understand what she was trying to explain," Goodwin wrote. Walker testified the toaster wasn't the cause of the fire.

Walker said Larregui was calm, made eye contact, listened to his questions, answered appropriately and didn't seem to be intoxicated.

But Goodwin wrote she didn't credit Walker's testimony Larregui gave appropriate answers.

Larregui was admitted to Baystate Medical Center where clinicians said she exhibited confusion in the emergency department and her pupils were sluggishly reactive to light.

"Her behavior was labile; at times she was singing while other times she was yelling or crying," Goodwin said. "She seemed to be having delusions of delivering a baby. During the night, she intermittently ripped off her dressings and remained in a clinically altered state."

She tested positive for cocaine, marijuana and PCP.

In the morning she was alert and oriented. She remembered being in a fire but did not know what happened, Goodwin said.

Bourke testified at the hearing Larregui's behavior was consistent with PCP intoxication. He said people under the influence of PCP display a wide range of behaviors and symptoms including hallucinations, confusion, and an altered experience of reality.

Goodwin suppressed the statements because PCP intoxication "interfered with her ability to make a rational choice to talk."

At the hearing on the motion to suppress the statements, Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth said there was no measure or number to show the level of PCP intoxication.

He questioned Bourke on whether or not Larregui's answers to Walker's questions could be truthful.

Bourke said it is hard to be certain if Larregui could give reliable answers.Signed by more than 400 students and scholars, the letter calls for a unified solution to solve the crises the country faces. It also calls for stronger multiculturalism and social reforms based on solidarity. Actors and celebrities also start an online campaign against US sanctions, which, contrary to Trumps lies, affect the weak.

Tehran (AsiaNews)  More than 400 intellectuals and activists, including university professors and students, have published an open letter calling for a new path of development for Iran, which is currently threatened by Western sanctions and a theocracy unable to cope with open debate.

In their letter addressed to "academicians, lecturers, intellectuals and social activists", the signatories demand a thorough review of the political and intellectual attitudes that prevail in the country. The goal is to create a unified discourse to find a way out of the country's critical situation, pro-Green Movement website Kalemeh reported.

For the signatories, one of the strategies to exit the current national crisis is a total review of the dominant intellectual schools of thought, aimed at reforming Iran's political, social and economic infrastructure.

For them, Irans problem today is the danger of annihilation that threatens the existence of all Iranians. This calls for stronger ties in the country to engage in collective action on social issues. It also means changing the national dialogue into a reform programme based on a specific agenda.

We need a revision of the dominant political thought, a sort of paradigmatic turn that requires a change from the bottom up, the letter says. Such a movement can open up the dark and narrow confines of universities to civil society and citizens.

Lastly, the letter expresses hope that Iran will be "based on multiculturalism" as well as solidarity rather the repressive and disruptive mechanisms of the state.

Along with the above action by intellectuals, scholars and students, other initiatives are being undertaken to counter US sanctions, which are taking their toll on ordinary Iranians.

One of the them is #SanctionsTargetMe, which brings together various celebrities concerned, among other things, about the countrys alarming drug shortages.

Promoted by actors Reza Kianian and Parviz Parastui, the campaign points the finger at US President Donald Trump. For the two, the US leader lies when he says that sanctions do not affect humanitarian aid and medicine.

They go further, warning that sanctions prevent international financial transactions, which is putting a heavy burden on most Iranians.

In May, the US pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Trumps predecessor, Barack Obama, had signed. In its stead, the US leader imposed the toughest sanctions in history against Iran.

The decision has had a major impact on the Iranian economy, confirmed by reports published by the International Monetary Fund, leading to a drastic decline in oil sales, which was the goal of the second batch of sanctions that came into force on 5 November.by Pierre Balanian

Through Al Sisis mediation, Italy gets Marshal Khalifa Haftar to come to Palermo. Rome takes the Libya file from France. The UNs economic plan is accepted with a single bank collecting all oil revenues. Peace in Libya needs action on three fronts: economy, disarmament of the militias, and national reconciliation. Libyan assets frozen abroad amount to 500 billion US dollars.

Tripoli (AsiaNews) - The International Conference on Libya ended today in Palermo with an extraordinary diplomatic victory for Italy, after the two main antagonists, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sirraj, shook hands, and all the participants agreed to back the UN, which was represented by Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, Ghassan Salame, and his deputy Stephanie Williams.

Italy was able to successfully mediate behind the scene, especially via Egyptian president Abdel Al Sisi, the only head of state present at the event, along with Libyas. Egypt is the fourth country of influence in Cyrenaica, after France, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Marshal Haftar depends on all three and could not say no to Egypt. Although he came, he snubbed much of the conference whilst smiling for photo-ops.

The Palermo Conference could not solve Libyas problems. Some of the major players were not represented by their top leaders, i.e. Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron, and Angela Merkel. At the same time, local and other influential stakeholders who exert their influence in Libya discretely were also missing. Yet, Italy played an important and innovative role in setting the direction towards a long-term solution.

The UNs Ghassan Salame and Stephanie Williams were winners because they succeeded in getting Libyas oil revenue into a single central bank controlled by Al Sirraj rather than in two. This should prevent money from getting into the pockets of the militias. This is also a first step towards elections, which require a constitution backed by everyone.

Italy is also a winner, taking over the Libya file from France, an important player in southern Libya with great influence on the militias. Thus, Rome gets back its unique position in Libya, a status that is now internationally recognised.

Haftar is another winner because he gets international recognition as does Prime Minister Al Sirraj whose power is confirmed by the international community, despite lack of domestic support. However, little came out of the conference for the Libyan people, at least on the short run.

A solution to the Libyan crisis can be spelled in three words: economy, disarmament of the militias, and national reconciliation. Without them, the crisis will overwhelm the country. Implementing all three cannot be done the Libyans alone; the UN is a necessary player.

According to data from the French Central Bank, frozen Libyan assets abroad amount to about 500 billion US dollars. This alone would be enough to rebuild the country and compensate Libyans for their loss of family members, a condition needed for national reconciliation.

Libya is still subject to Article 7 of the UN Charter, which authorises the use of force to restore peace. Even if Libyans have always been hostile to foreign occupation, a legacy of Gaddafis 40-year rule and anti-colonialism, disarming the militias under the supervision of UN troops might prove necessary.

National reconciliation remains the hardest goal. It cannot be done by other countries, but only by neutral and respected NGOs, capable of building relationships with and among Libyas social, ethnic, linguistic and tribal groups. Special care should be given to the economy of the Fezzan, in southern Libya, a region that has always been marginalised and a hub for all sorts of trafficking, including humans.The race for Amazon's second headquarters is over.

The Seattle tech giant announced it will plant new roots across the country, in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, New York, and in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia, just a short drive away from Washington D.C.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Amazon confirmed plans to invest $5 billion in its "HQ2" projects and create more than 50,000 jobs across the two locations in New York and Virginia. Hiring for the thousands of new positions will begin in 2019, the company said.

"These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come," Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement. "The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities."

Each HQ2 location will span 4 million square feet of "energy-efficient office space" with the potential to expand to 8 million square feet. Those locations dwarf the company's Seattle home-base, which will expand up to nearly 14 million square feet.

Amazon is slated to receive a combined $2.73 billion in performance-based incentives from both HQ2 locations over the next 10-15 years. The incentives are tied to the thousands of high-paying jobs the tech company promises to create, as well as an expected rise in hotel room stays. In both Long Island City and Crystal City, Amazon has pledged to invest in infrastructure improvements.

In Virginia, Amazon will receive $573 million in performance-based direct incentives, according to the company. Part of that includes a workforce cash grant of up to $550 million from the state of Virginia, and a $23 million cash grant from Arlington.

In New York, Amazon will receive $1.5 billion in performance-based direct incentives, including a refundable tax credit up to $1.2 billion from the state, and a $325 million cash grant from Empire State Development.

More than two dozen Massachusetts communities from Boston to the Berkshires pitched to Amazon last fall. Boston alone pitched four different locations, including the former race track area Suffolk Downs, as ideal locations for a new headquarters.

Boston and Somerville made it to a second round of talks with Amazon, and even landed on the company's top 20 list of potential HQ2 locations. Last spring, one research study named Boston and D.C. as top contenders.

But ultimately, Boston and other cities across the commonwealth were not selected. Instead, the e-commerce behemoth split its HQ2 into two, developing its existing presence in the country's political and financial hubs.

The entire proposal process became a media sensation, prompting a bidding tournament among U.S. cities and states whose leaders felt confident that the presence of an enormous international company would spur their local economies.

More than 200 cities in the U.S. and Canada offered proposals, delivering valuable data to a company for any and all future plans.

Incoming Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman in Congress recently elected to represent New York City's 14th congressional district consisting of the Bronx and Queens boroughs, announced on Twitter Tuesday that her constituents oppose HQ2 operations in Long Island City.

On Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez said, "We've been getting calls and outreach from Queens residents all day about this. The community's response? Outrage."

In a thread of messages, the new representative said the Queens community is concerned with shifting rent prices and possible residential displacement to pave the way for gentrification as Amazon steps in.

Other local leaders, including New York Sen. Michael Gianaris and New York City Councilor Jimmy Van Bramer, echoed similar reservations about the Amazon news.

Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 13, 2018

The concerns stem from predictions that real estate property values and traffic will dramatically increase due to the influx of new residents. Amazon has stated the implementation of its new headquarters would create roughly 50,000 new jobs with average salaries around $100,000.

In a statement shared by Amazon, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he is "thrilled" to have the company move its second headquarters to Queens.

"We're going to use this opportunity to open up good careers in tech to thousands of people looking for their foothold in the new economy, including those in City colleges and public housing," Cuomo said, adding that the city and state are cooperating to make sure the company's expansion "is planned smartly."

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, also a Democrat, echoed Cuomo's excitement, emphasizing the deals struck between Virginia officials and Amazon that benefit the local community.

"The majority of Virginia's partnership proposal consists of investments in our education and transportation infrastructure that will bolster the features that make Virginia so attractive: a strong and talented workforce, a stable and competitive business climate, and a world-class higher education system," Northam said in a statement.

Amazon picked the two locations to attract top talent in the areas of software development and related fields, according to the company. Both areas in New York and Virginia are described as diverse, mixed-use communities with proximity to multiple transit lines.AMHERST - Town officials got an earful from many Station Road area homeowners during a recent public forum the town convened to explain why the 14-foot bridge over Hop Brook was closed.

Residents asked dozens of questions and made numerous comments.

"I don't understand why a tiny bridge takes so long" to be replaced, resident Amy Vickers said.

Officials said it is possible a temporary bridge could be installed by springtime at the earliest, and a permanent replacement could be in place within two years.

Many in attendance said that was not good enough, with one man twice asserting that responses to the problem are "a joke."

But Kent W. Faerber, of 481 Station Road, disagreed. He said Amherst officials would do the right thing and urged patience.

"I have confidence in the town efforts," he said during the meeting. "For us to be put out of commission six months (until a replacement bridge is installed) is a small price to pay -- otherwise you look like children of white privilege."

The tiny span was closed in September after the Massachusetts Department of Transportation advised the Amherst Department of Public Works it was no longer safe for vehicular traffic and recommended its closure. It remains open for pedestrians.

Hop Brook carries water between Fort River and Lawrence Swamp.

Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek and public works superintendent Guilford Mooring told the 70 attending the public forum that while they would like a quick fix, state and local wetlands rules and laws must be followed.

They said the permitting process cannot be short-circuited and told residents they will continue to expedite the project.

The officials said they hope the state and federal governments would pay the costs to replace Station Road bridge, but the town paying for it is also on the table.

"We want it open as soon as possible," Bockelman said during the Oct. 30 meeting at Fort River Elementary School's cafeteria. "The issue is about the permitting process."

He said it is the administration's position that an appropriation to fund replacement for the bridge would not be an obstacle, saying if state and federal funds do not come through, "we would go to the" town council seeking permission to borrow money.

"We hope for and anticipate working with the state to secure state funding" for the bridge replacement, Bockelman said in an interview following the meeting.

During the meeting, he estimated that the cost for "unmet needs on our roadways" currently stands at $12 million.

Station Road Bridge FAQ FINAL by The Republican/MassLive.com on ScribdASHFIELD -- After a decade of work by volunteers, high-speed internet could be available to residents of this Franklin County town by the end of 2019.

The Ashfield Select Board this month approved a $1.1 million contract with Infinigy Solutions, LLC to build a town-owned fiber-optic network. A six-month construction window could begin in April, according to the local Ashfield News.

The town passed over a more expensive construction bid from Westfield Gas & Electric, whose Whip City Fiber division is building networks in many rural hilltowns. The municipal utility, however, did complete network design work for Ashfield, and will install the final "drops" to homes.

Everything is contingent upon the completion of "make ready" work by Verizon and Eversource. Make-ready involves mapping utility poles, identifying problems, moving wires to accommodate the fiber installation, and in some cases replacing old poles.

Make-ready has proven to be a time-intensive and costly element of rural broadband builds, local officials told Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito at a rural broadband summit in August.

Ashfield in 2017 won a $1.4 million infrastructure grant from the Baker administration to help subsidize its "last mile" broadband construction costs. Local taxpayers will also bear project costs.

The construction contract does not include "drop costs" to individual homes. Those costs will be free for most residents, thanks to a $989,000 federal grant procured by Westfield Gas & Electric. However, some homeowners with long driveways and buried utilities could see costs as high as $9,000, the Ashfield newspaper reports.

Residents are being asked to subscribe to a year of broadband by June of 2019. Ashfield has not yet chosen an internet service provider, or ISP.

Ashfield is one of a dozen-and-a-half rural Massachusetts towns that chose to build a municipal fiber optic network to connect homes and businesses to the internet. Ashfield plans to build its network "hub" at its public library.EASTHAM, Mass. (AP) -- Volunteers have rescued a massive leatherback turtle off a Massachusetts beach.

The Cape Cod Times reports that the turtle was spotted on First Encounter Beach in Eastham at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary Director Robert Prescott says the juvenile turtle weighed between 400 and 500 pounds (181 and 227 kilograms). It took six volunteers to take it off the beach.

Prescott says leatherbacks are the largest of all sea turtles, and can weigh up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms).

He says the turtle looked to be in great shape.

Prescott says the turtle has been transported to the New England Aquarium where it will be examined.BOSTON - An employee of a Cambridge biopharmaceutical company will spend six months in jail, one year on supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution after being convicted in an insider trading scheme.

Songjiang Wang, 54, of Westford, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Along with his prison term, he was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine by Judge Indira Talwani.

Wang and co-defendant Schultz Chan, 54, of Newton, were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and two counts of securities fraud in a two-year scheme to share information about successful clinical drug charges at the biopharmaceutical companies where they worked and use that information to purchase shares of stock, said Christina DiLorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for Attorney General Andrew Lelling.

Chan, who was also convicted of a third count of securities fraud, was sentenced on Nov. 5 to three years in prison and one year of supervised release. He too will pay a fine and restitution, she said.

Chan, the director of Biostatistics in Cambridge, was convicted of providing inside information about a clinical study conducted by the company to Wang, the director of statistical programming at Akebia Therapeutics.

Wang then traded on the information that came from a phase 3 clinical trial, she said.

In turn, Wang gave Chan cash, which he used to purchase stock shares of Akebia Therapeutics. Chen later sold the shares and paid Wang back. The two were friends at the time of the scam, DiLorio-Sterling said.

Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, made the announcement. The United States Attorney's Office was assisted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordi de Llano, Deputy Chief of Lelling's Securities and Financial Fraud Unit, and Assistant United States Attorney Kriss Basil, also of the Securities and Financial Fraud Unit, prosecuted the case.CHICOPEE - Police are asking for help to identify a suspect in a theft and fraud case.

A victim dropped a credit card in the city and a man has since used it to purchase gift cards at several stores, said Michael Wilk, police public information officer.

The man was caught on store camera in at least one location and police are asking for help to identify him, he said.

"Just because you find someone's... property, it does not give you the right to take it, use it, keep it," Wilk said. "It is a crime."

Anyone who can identify the man or has information about the theft is asked to call the detective bureau at 413-519-1740 and reference case 4912, he saidSPRINGFIELD -- A Hampden Superior Court grand jury has indicted a 75-year-old man for murder in connection with the death of his wife.

Jonathan Kastberg, 75, a resident of the town of Holland, previously pleaded not guilty in July in Palmer District Court to murder and violation of an abuse prevention order. The indictments for both those charges move the case to Hampden Superior Court.

Kastberg was arrested July 20 after police found the body of his wife, Janet Kastberg, 60, in a home on Brimfield Road in Holland.

No arraignment date has been set yet in Hampden Superior Court. Kastberg, who was indicted Nov. 6, is held without right to bail. The murder indictment gives no details on cause of death.

No details of the case were discussed during the Palmer District Court arraignment, which was attended by about 20 members of the victim's family.

Holland police responded to 253 Holland Road after a caller told police she believed someone had just been killed at the house.

When police arrived, they found Janet Kastberg, who was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel.SPRINGFIELD -- A hearing scheduled for Thursday in the murder case of Gary Schara, accused in the 1992 slaying of Lisa Ziegert in Agawam, has been postponed.

According to files in Hampden Superior Court, the hearing was postponed at the request of prosecution and defense. Instead there will be a status conference that day.

Defendants usually are not brought to the courthouse for status conferences.

The hearing date of Thursday was set on Sept. 18, at the pretrial conference on the case.

According to a preliminary pretrial conference report filed then by both sides, the hearing originally scheduled for Thursday was for two purposes. It was to argue motions by the prosecution to compel Schara to give a DNA sample and to get a handwriting sample from Schara.

It appears from the court file those motions have yet to be filed. No alternative date is set for a hearing on those two matters.

A date of April 17, 2019, was set in September for another pretrial hearing. At that time, dates for any other motions and the trial are to be set.

Schara, 48, of West Springfield, has pleaded not guilty to murder, kidnapping and aggravated rape in Ziegert's death.

Ziegert, 24, was a teacher's assistant in Agawam Middle School when she was abducted from her second job at Brittany's Card & Gift Shoppe on Walnut Street Extension in Agawam on April 15, 1992. Her body was found four days later in a wooded area off Route 75.

The Westfield State University graduate had been raped and stabbed, police said.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said last year that his office built on investigators' past efforts with new advances in DNA technology and more detective work that led local and state police to Schara's door on Sept. 14, 2017.

Police told his roommate they were interested in speaking with Schara, who was on a short list of suspects from whom police were seeking DNA samples, investigators have said.

Schara agreed to talk with police the following day, but instead attempted suicide, leaving a handwritten confession, according to Gulluni.

Police took Schara into custody at a Connecticut hospital.

Gulluni is prosecuting the case and Paul Rudof represents Schara.Lord & Taylor will pay $100,000 to resolve an investigation into racial discrimination over concerns the company conducted a disproportionate about a surveillance of black and Hispanic customers inside four Massachusetts stores.

The state Attorney General's Office announced the settlement agreement with the company on Tuesday. Lord & Taylor has stores in Boston, Braintree, Burlington and Natick.

The company agreed to pay the $100,000, hire an expert consultant to review and improve its shoplifting prevention policies and procedures and train its staff.

The money will fund programs and activities for Massachusetts intended to combat racial discrimination and to promote racial equity and inclusion.

The investigation arose out of "concerns that the company's efforts to prevent shoplifting perpetuated a climate of racial and ethnic bias resulting in, among other things, the disproportionate targeting of black and Hispanic customers for surveillance and apprehension," the Attorney General's Office said.

Lord & Taylor cooperated with the Attorney General's Office during the investigation.

"Following our investigation, Lord & Taylor has agreed to take meaningful steps to improve its policies and procedures to prevent racial profiling of customers--we hope others will do the same," said Attorney General Maura Healey. "Far too often, shoppers are unfairly viewed as suspicious or not belonging, simply because of their race or ethnicity. This takes a toll on individuals and broader communities, even when it is the result of unconscious bias, and it is our collective responsibility to address it."

As part of the settlement, an outside consultant hired by the company will specialize in addressing unconscious or implicit bias in the retail industry and review Lord & Taylor's existing shoplifting prevention policies.

The consultant will work with the company to make improvements including specific policies to prevent racial bias in the stores' shoplifting prevention activities.

Lord & Taylor will provide annual unconscious or implicit bias training to all of its customer-facing employees in its Massachusetts stores and to enhance the training it provides to its Asset Protection employees.

Lord & Taylor is working with the Attorney General's Office to develop and implement a Customer Bill of Rights that will provide resources and information for customers, including a phone number and email address for filing complaints.

The company will post the Customer Bill of Rights in the stores and online.MassBay Community College has suspended admissions for its Associate Degree in Nursing program, citing cost concerns.

"The number of graduates is small, and the program itself is extremely costly to run," MassBay Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Elizabeth Cooper told MassLive. "We're just pausing to review it and make sure its sustainable."

The change will not impact the 29 current students in the program, which prepares graduates to pass the licensing exam for registered nurses.

The admission suspension means that current MassBay students can no longer apply to join the selective program. The college is still offering admission to its Practical Nursing Certificate program, which prepares students for careers as practical nurses but not as RNs.

"At this time, MassBay has suspended admission for Fall 2019 only. During the coming weeks the college will be working to determine how to best serve ADN nursing candidates in our service area," MassBay wrote in a notice to students. "At this point in time we cannot predict when we will have more information about the future. In the meantime, we will continue to admit students to our Practical Nursing program and will focus on the progress of the current ADN students."

Other associate degree nursing programs are offered at nearby colleges like Quinsigamond Community College, Roxbury Community College, Middlesex Community College and Bunker Hill Community College, the notice said, in addition to UMass Boston's bachelor-level program.

One hundred percent of graduates from MassBay's associate-level nursing program passed their registered nurse licensing exam on their first try in 2017, according to the Board of Registration in Nursing. That figure was matched only by graduates from Boston College and Northeastern University's masters-level nursing programs.

The decision comes following a September program evaluation visit from the Board of Registration in Nursing, Cooper said. MassBay expects to receive a written report on their findings in December of January.

Cooper said the school had received no indication that the board had found any problems with the program, saying the admission suspension was a financial decision.

MassBay will hold information sessions about the admission suspension for students this week at its Wellesley and Framingham campuses.

Massbay's associate-level nursing program is one of 49 such programs approved by the state Board of Registration in Nursing.At the historic meeting in Casablanca, the Polish Pope spoke of the common faith in the one God and also of human rights, which "have their foundation in God": first of all, freedom of conscience and religion, "protected from external constraints" because freedom characterizes "the dignity of man". A religious freedom, he specified, that needs "reciprocity". And he also emphasized the respect due to every human person, "man or woman"

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis will visit Morocco from March 30 to 31, 2019, visiting the cities of Rabat and Casablanca. The announcement released today by the Holy See Press Office states that Francis was invited by King Mohammed VI and by the bishops.

The visit of Francis will take place almost 34 years after that of John Paul II who on 19 August 1985 was the first Pope in history to give a speech to young Muslims. The meeting took place in the Casablanca stadium, packed with young people, all in white clothes. Like King Hassan II who wanted the Pope's presence and welcomed him warmly (in the picture).

To the young people, who listened with respect and attention, the Polish Pope spoke of the common faith in the one God and also of human rights. "Christians and Muslims - he said - in general we have badly understood each other, and sometimes, in the past, we have opposed and even exhausted each other in polemics and in wars. I believe that, today, God invites us to change our old practices. We must respect each other, and also we must stimulate each other in good works on the path of God. ".

He also spoke of human rights, which "have their foundation in God": first of all, freedom of conscience and religion, "away from external constraints" because freedom characterizes "the dignity of man". A religious freedom, he specified, that needs "reciprocity".

And he also stressed the respect due to every human person, "man or woman": "each must be recognized for what he is" and must be "respected as such".SPRINGFIELD -- A proposal that would ban retail stores from providing customers with single-use, non-degradable plastic bags has been resurrected for discussion and debate before a City Council committee this week.

The council's Health and Humans Services Committee will bring the issue up for discussion at a public meeting on Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. at City Hall, and welcomes public comment, said committee Chairman Jesse Lederman. The meeting is in Room 200.

The ban was also discussed in 2016, but never came out for a vote by the City Council.

The new draft ordinance states that if any retail establishment provides a checkout bag to customers, the bag must be "either a recyclable paper bag, a compostable and marine-degradable plastic bag, or a reusable checkout bag."

"We will be moving forward with hopefully robust input from the public and the business community," Lederman said. "It's the first committee meeting to begin discussing the ordinance and is certainly open to the public."

The ban on plastic bags was discussed by councilors and the public in 2016, but then apparently died in committee, Lederman said. It was suggested again in April, but did not proceed at that time.

Lederman brought the ordinance proposal to the council in October, and it was sent to committee for further review.

It was forwarded to the council by the council's ad-hoc Green Committee, chaired by Lederman.

Supporters of the ban on single-use bags say its benefits include a reduction in the amount of waste that goes to landfills and incinerators and a reduction in litter and pollution.

Opponents, including representatives of the plastic bag industry, have argued that the majority of so-called single-use bags are used more than once and are not a major source of littler, as alleged by proponents. The American Progressive Bag Alliance has opposed such bans.

Groups that have pushed for the ban have included the Sierra Club of Massachusetts, the Mass Green Network, the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition and Arise for Social Justice.

The "Plastic Bag Reduction" ordinance, drafted for council consideration, proposes that any store providing a permitted checkout bag should sell them for no less than 10 cents, with that money kept by the store.

In addition, the ordinance establishes proposed penalties for violations starting with a "warning notice" for the initial violation, followed by a $50 fine for the subsequent offense within one year after the warning. Any subsequent offense within a year would result in a $100 fine, under the proposal.

Lederman said the ordinance is just in draft form and is open for amendments before any vote by the full council.

On Oct. 16, voters at a special Town Meeting in Longmeadow approved a bylaw that will ban single-used plastic bags in that town's stores. The bylaw was approved by majority vote and will take effect in six months from that date.

The Longmeadow ban allows exceptions for dry cleaning, newspapers, meat, produce and other project bags selected by the consumer to deliver items to the point of sale, according to the bylaw.

As of October, 87 communities in Massachusetts regulate single-use plastic shopping bags including Boston, according to the Massachusetts chapter of the Sierra Club.

The Sierra Club listed the following communities as having regulations pertaining to plastic bags: Adams, Amherst, Andover, Aquinnah, Arlington, Ashland, Athol, Barnstable, Bedford, Belmont, Beverly, Boston, Bourne, Bridgewater, Brookline, Cambridge, Chatham, Chilmark, Cohasset, Concord, Dalton, Danvers, Dartmouth, Dennis, Duxbury, Edgartown, Falmouth, Framingham, Gloucester, Grafton, Great Barrington, Hamilton, Harwich, Haverhill, Hopkinton, Ipswich, Lee, Lenox, Lexington, Lincoln, Longmeadow, Lowell, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mansfield, Marblehead, Marshfield, Mashpee, Melrose, Milton, Nantucket, Natick, Newburyport, Newton, Northampton, Oak Bluffs, Pembroke, Plymouth, Provincetown, Reading, Rockport, Salem, Sandwich, Shrewsbury, Somerville, South Hadley, Stockbridge, Sudbury, Swampscott, Tewksbury, Tisbury, Topsfield, Truro, Tyngsborough, Wakefield, Watertown, Wayland, Wellesley, Wellfleet, West Tisbury, Westborough, Westford, Weston, Williamstown, Wilmington, Winchester, Yarmouth.SPRINGFIELD - A house fire displaced five residents Monday night.

The fire was reported at 5:12 p.m. at 317 Peekskill Ave. When firefighters arrived, they found flames on the first floor of the home, said Dennis Leger, assistant to Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi.

The fire was quickly extinguished and caused about $10,000 in damage. No one was injured in the blaze, he said.

The Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting residents.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the department's Arson and Bomb Squad, Leger said.LEOMINSTER - State Police confiscated an unlawful gun and arrested a 32-year-old Fitchburg resident during a routine traffic stop Monday morning.

Trooper Joseph Hall initially pulled over a 2001 Toyota Yaris shortly before 9 a.m. as it entered Route 2 because it had a canceled vehicle registration. After speaking to the driver, he realized he was operating with a suspended license, police said.

The trooper then spoke to the passenger, Shavar A. Bellamy, and realized he was carrying a gun and did not have a firearms license, police said.

Bellamy, 32, was then arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition without a permit, and possession of a firearm without a license, police said.

The driver, Michael L. Magee, 65, of Maynard, was also arrested and charged with driving with a suspended license and driving an unregistered and unregistered motor vehicle, police said.NBC may have to buy Megyn Kelly out of her $20 million-per-year contract, but the network can take some solace in a ratings spike for the "Today" show since her departure on Oct. 26.

Since Kelly's exit from the third hour of "Today," viewership in the key demographic (ages 25 to 54) favored by advertisers in that time period is up around 10 percent, according to Nielsen ratings obtained by Variety. In each of the last three weeks, overall audience for the first two hours of the NBC morning show has been larger than that rival ABC's "Good Morning America."

For the five days ending Nov. 9, "Today" captured an average of about 4.25 million viewers, compared with nearly 4.22 million viewers at "Good Morning America."

The third hour is now hosted by a rotating group of "Today" anchors, and saw its overall viewership rise 5 percent in the first week after Kelly's departure.

NBC canceled "Megyn Kelly Today" after she made on-air comments about blackface. Kelly said during the show, "when I was a kid, that was OK as long as you were dressing up as like a character." She later apologized for the comments.

Kelly and NBC News are in the midst of negotiation on her future with the network.

Lachlan Murdoch, executive co-chairman of News Corp and 21st Century Fox, put an end to speculation two weeks ago that Kelly might return to Fox News, where she had worked for 12 years.

"I'm a big fan of Megyn's. We didn't want her to leave Fox," Murdoch said during the New York Times DealBook conference. "I'm very happy with our current lineup on Fox News and we won't be making any changes there."AMHERST -- A 57-year-old woman who was critically injured in a fire last week at Ann Whalen Apartments on Kellogg Street has died of her injuries at a Boston hospital, according to the office of Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan.

Mary Hebert was pronounced dead on Monday, according to Mary Carey, Sullivan's communications director.

Hebert was taken to the hospital in Boston for treatment

The fire was reported Nov. 8 at around 3:40 a.m.

Ann Whalen Apartments is a four-story apartment building operated by the Amherst Housing Authority. One apartment unit sustained heavy fire damage; others received smoke and water damage.

The cause of the fire was determined by investigators to be improper disposal of smoking materials.

Ann Whalen Apartments is located in downtown Amherst, near the Bangs Community Center.By Nic Rawlence, Lecturer in Ancient DNA, University of Otago

from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-ND

Museums are cathedrals of science, but they are under threat worldwide as part of a malaise of undervaluing museum collections and the field of taxonomy, the science of naming biodiversity.

The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the latest example. Te Papa confirmed a restructure in July, following leaked reports. Facing sustained backlash and disquiet in the science community, the museum announced an international review of its collections and has since scaled back its restructure plans.

But jobs remain on the line even though the review panel found the museum didnt have enough staff to look after all of its collections.





Read more:

From Joseph Banks to big data, herbaria bring centuries-old science into the digital age





Taxonomy a keystone of natural history

Taxonomy underpins everything from health to conservation, and biosecurity to the economy.

The international review shows Te Papa is doing a good job in most areas, but needs to improve on several aspects, including access to collections, cataloguing a backlog of specimens and digitisation.









from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-ND





These areas of concern were seriously exacerbated by the panels finding that Te Papa is understaffed.

The review panel was not asked to comment on the restructure. At that stage, the proposal was to cut 25 positions, 10 of which were in the collections team. This has now been scaled back to at least five jobs in the collections team.

Staff whose positions may be affected were told only a day before the review recommendations were made public.





Read more:

Museum or not? The changing face of curated science, tech, art and culture





Museum collections more than sum of parts

Te Papas latest leaked restructure document remains a cause for concern. Curators are no longer in the firing line. However, the five natural history collections managers are gone, to be replaced by three assistant curators and two general technical positions. All of this would appear to fall at a lower pay scale.

I congratulate Te Papa on listening to internal and external feedback and increasing their curatorial expertise in neglected strengths, such as marine mammals and seaweeds. Ironically, in the case of marine mammals, this seems to rectify a mistake in making the previous marine mammal expert redundant in 2013.

A member of the international review panel, Tim White at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, told the public broadcaster RNZ:

Te Papa could use more professional collections staff. If they are going to promote the use of their collections  then they need

to think creatively about how they could get more staff.

Taking into account the recently published Decadal Plan for Taxonomy and Biosystematics and the 2015 Royal Society Te Aparangi report on National Taxonomic Collections in New Zealand, this is a good opportunity to increase collections staff rather than, at best, approximate the status quo.

It is my hope that the filling of positions in the proposed structure will not result in a loss of areas of taxonomic expertise. Many of Te Papas scientists are leaders in their fields, including in areas where Te Papa leads the way internationally. One should not boost the curatorial team at the expense of collections management.

The bigger picture

As an isolated archipelago with unique flora and fauna, New Zealand needs diverse taxonomic expertise to appropriately handle biosecurity and conservation crises. If Te Papa, or museums in general, shed their taxonomic expertise like an unwanted sloughed-off snake skin, it will be up to other institutions to pick up the slack. If not, our biodiversity will suffer.









from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-ND





There has already been a 10% decline in the taxonomic workforce in Australia in the past 25 years, with declines of around 22% in New Zealand over a similar time period. In both countries, a steadily increasing proportion (currently around a quarter) of taxonomists are unpaid or retired. Lets not make it any worse.

Undervaluing museum collections and taxonomic expertise is not just limited to New Zealand. The scientific world does not want to see another museum disaster, like the preventable fire that destroyed Brazils National Museum.

Whether it is collections under threat or museum libraries being lost in the digital age, or even false assumptions resulting in the closure of a museum, if chief executives and museum boards listen to their scientists and the scientific community, hope remains.

Nic Rawlence receives funding from the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund and the University of Otago.

Originally published in The Conversation.Heavy bleeding during menstruation, known as menorrhagia, is often treated by endometrial ablation. Theres a number of methods of doing so, including delivery of heat, cold, and microwaves, but each has a number of downsides and limitations.

AEGEA Medical is a Silicon Valley company that has developed a unique technology, called adaptive vapor ablation, that allows physicians to treat menorrhagia in a five minute procedure that doesnt require cervical dilation, nor any direct contact with the uterine fundus.

We were curious and wanted to find out more and had an opportunity to pose a few questions to Maria Sainz, the President and CEO of AEGEA Medical.

Medgadget: Endometrial ablation is currently performed using microwave energy, radiofrequency energy, or direct heat or cold. What are the downsides of these methods in practice?

Maria Sainz, President & CEO of AEGEA Medical: Physicians have performed endometrial ablation for over 15 years to treat menorrhagia, or heavy menstrual bleeding. Endometrial ablation is intended only for premenopausal women who no longer want to have children in the future. Historically, procedures have typically been performed in the operating room with the majority of patients being put under general anesthesia. Consequently, the procedure itself has traditionally been involved and the recovery has been prolonged for a patient. There has been an increasing desire to move procedures to an office setting, which can be easier and more comfortable for patients, and more convenient for physicians.

Medgadget: Can you describe how the AEGEA system differs and how it works?

Sainz: The AEGEA Vapor System is the first FDA-approved endometrial ablation system specifically designed for use in the doctors office. Rapid and easy to perform without use of general anesthesia, AEGEA provides a new treatment option for menorrhagia. Patient recovery times are short, with the majority of patients returning to work within two days or less.

The AEGEA system is the only endometrial ablation product that uses water vapor for treatment. Harnessing the ability of natural water vapor to efficiently conform to each womans unique anatomy, the system enables the ablation medium to be delivered through a very small and flexible probe that does not require dilation or uncomfortable high pressure within the uterine cavity. Low pressure water vapor (water in a gas state) has been demonstrated in clinical trials to safely and uniformly expand inside the uterine cavity and transfer thermal energy to the uterine wall. The efficiency of water vapor to carry and distribute energy enables the rapid two-minute treatment time. The conformability of vapor also enables efficient treatment of a broader range of patients compared to prior endometrial ablation therapies.

The AEGEA Vapor System has two parts: the re-usable Vapor Generator and the disposable Vapor Probe. The Vapor Generator has an intuitive touch screen with instructions; the Vapor Probe has a small flexible tip through which vapor is delivered to the uterus, and the system uses first-in-class safety features.

Medgadget: What are the procedural benefits from the point of view of the physician?

Sainz: The AEGEA Vapor System is an in-office treatment option for endometrial ablation that is safe, simple and effective, as demonstrated in the companys pivotal trial data that was the basis for FDA approval. Seventy-three percent of the U.S. procedures from the pivotal trial were performed in the office setting. No serious device or procedure-related adverse events were reported through the studys 12-month clinical follow-up. The majority of patients had a reduction of their menstrual bleeding to normal levels or had no period at all. Treatment time is two minutes, and the system is fully automated.

The AEGEA Vapor System enables a broader spectrum of patients to have access to endometrial ablation. Vapor ablation treats larger cavities (up to 12 cm in uterine cavity length) as well as cavities with certain fibroid types. Competitive devices can only treat uterine cavity lengths up to 10 cm and did not include women with fibroids in their FDA trials.

In addition, a new research study is underway to evaluate uterine cavity access following endometrial ablation. AEGEA believes this is a very important success metric for the therapy, as it speaks to the possibility of future uterine-related interventions. Pilot data on 11 patients treated with Adaptive Vapor Ablation technology has demonstrated that Vapor Ablation has the potential address this unmet need, potentially preserving physician and patient options in the future.

Medgadget: What about the outcomes? What should patients expect?

Sainz: One year after the treatment in the pivotal study, the following results were seen:

6X reduction in menstrual bleeding per pivotal study criteria

90 percent had bleeding reduced by 50 percent

85 percent had bleeding that was reduced to a normal level or less per scientific literature

99 percent experienced an improvement in quality of life 12 months post-treatment

93 percent would recommend the procedure to a friend

91 percent were satisfied or very satisfied 12 months after the procedure

Additionally, 85 percent of patients whose periods affected their sex lives reported an improvement in their sex life after treatment.

The pivotal trial data showed that the AEGEA Vapor System was safe, with no serious device or procedure-related adverse events reported. The reported adverse events were consistent with the anticipated types and frequency of adverse events reported from previous studies of endometrial ablation devices that have FDA approval.

As stated above, patient recovery times are short, with the majority of patients returning to work within two days or less.

Medgadget: What is your current regulatory status in the U.S. and otherwise?

Sainz: The AEGEA Vapor System is FDA approved to ablate the endometrial lining of the uterus in premenopausal women with menorrhagia due to benign causes for whom childbearing is complete. Regulatory approvals outside of the U.S. are under evaluation.

Medgadget: How has your system been adopted where you have been marketing it so far?

Sainz: AEGEA is currently developing a next generation ablation system with the business objective of developing a scalable manufacturing platform. Commercialization is expected to occur in 2019.

Medgadget: What are you hearing from patients and physicians?

Sainz: A number of physicians and patients in the companys pivotal trial provided testimonials about their experience with vapor ablation. Representative statements are provided below:

Heres an animation describing the AEGEA Vapor Ablation procedure:

Disclaimer: As with all surgical procedures, there are risks and considerations associated with use of the AEGEA Vapor System. Please refer to the device labeling for a detailed discussion of the devices intended use, relevant warnings, precautions, side effects, and contraindications. Patient and Physician labeling are provided on the AEGEA website, www.aegeamedical.com.

Info page: AEGEA Vapor Systemwas valued atin 2017 and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 9.6over the forecast period (2018  2026),

Calciphylaxis is a rare condition characterized by calcification or the aggregation of calcium in a patients blood vessels and the development of thrombosis. This can lead to the death of cells in a patients skin and fatty tissues, thereby causing death. Diagnosis of calciphylaxis is symptoms-based and various tests such as skin biopsy, blood tests, and imaging studies confirm the condition.

There is no specific treatment available for calciphylaxis. Healthcare professionals often focus on balancing the minerals in the body such as calcium and phosphate that may aid in treatment of the disease. This can be achieved by changing dialysis regimes, medications, or considering surgery for parathyroid glands. Major surgical treatments such as parathyroidectomy are mostly recommended for patients with known primary hyperparathyroidism. However, surgical debridement to remove necrotic tissue and healing of healthy tissue is more widely used, however, its efficacy is debated.

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Doctors also focus on pain control, good nutrition, and excellent ulcer care in case the skin has broken down. Wound management therapies for calciphylaxis include, nonsurgical wound cleansing and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). HBOT can be considered as a second line of treatment incase wounds do not improve.

Researchers and key players in the market are focused on finding efficient treatment for calciphylaxis. According to the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 2017 study, Vitamin K deficiency can have a role in development of calciphylaxis. Moreover, according a study published in 2017 by BioMed Central Nephology Journal, four week supplementation of Vitamin K2 can significantly improve vascular calcification.

Browse 24 Market Data Tables and 21 Figures spread through 165 Pages and in-depth TOC on Calciphylaxis Treatment Market, by Treatment (Drug Therapy, and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy), by End User (Hospital and Clinics, Homecare, and Ambulatory Centers), and by Region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa)  Global Forecast to 2026

To know the latest trends and insights related to calciphylaxis treatment market, click the link below:

https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/market-insight/calciphylaxis-treatment-market-2251

Key Takeaways of the Global Calciphylaxis Treatment Market:

The global calciphylaxis treatment market is expected to witness a CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period, owing to increasing cases of calciphylaxis associated with dialysis. According to the Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation Journal 2017 study, the German Calciphylaxis Registry recorded calciphylaxis reporting rate of approximately 30 new cases per year among the dialysis patients between 2006 to 2015

Among region, North America calciphylaxis treatment market is expected to generate maximum revenue during the forecast period, owing to increasing demand for kidney transplantation procedures and rising number of dialysis patients. According to the National Kidney Foundation, in 2016, around 3,000 patients every month underwent kidney transplant in the U.S.

Major players operating in the global calciphylaxis treatment market include, 3M, Amgen Inc., BSN Medical, ConvaTec Inc., Medtronic Plc., Smith & Nephew Plc., and Laboratoris Sanifit S.L.

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Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com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.

Thanks to the extraordinary internet penetration, patients have been rendered more conscientious. Consequently, the demand for sophisticated, transparent, and personalized healthcare services has skyrocketed. This, however, has also spawned stringent regulations, which create bottlenecks in materializing growth targets.

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.

Browse Complete 108 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with 121 Respective Tables and Figures at: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/healthcare-cloud-computing-market-6519

To stay ahead of the curve, healthcare organizations are constantly trying to evolve in tandem with the changed contours of latest science and technologies, regulations, and patients requirements. To enable speedy accomplishment of the same, we come into the picture. Our services go beyond identifying and understanding concerns plaguing the healthcare industry. We offer solutions to make this transformation a smooth-sail for companies, irrespective of their size. Our research zeroes in on patient expectations and offers ground-breaking solutions to address the same.

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.

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Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comby Chuck Martin , November 13, 2018

Annual shipments of smart meters in Europe will reach 31 million units this year, according to a new report from IoT analyst firm Berg Insight.

Smart meters accounted for 87% of the total electricity meter shipments this year as France overtook Spain as the largest market by volume, with annual shipments of 8 million units.

The past year was another positive one for the adoption of smart meters in Europe, stated Tobias Ryberg, principal analyst, Berg Insight. Deployments of smart electricity and gas meters ramped up to volume in France, Italy continued with the installation of smart gas meters in parallel to the rollout of second-generation smart electricity meters, Spain and Norway completed their nationwide rollouts and Lithuania became the latest country to announce one.

Annual shipments of smart electricity meters are projected to reach a peak of 25 million units per year in the early 2020s.

Italy and Sweden were the first European countries to embark on national deployments of smart meters in the last 10 years, according to Berg.by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, November 13, 2018

Googles brief outage on Monday saw some of its internet traffic mistakenly rerouted through networks in Russia, China and Nigeria, according to one report.

The outage put valuable Google traffic in the hands of ISPs in countries with a long history of Internet surveillance, wrote Ameet Naik, a technical marketing manager at ThousandEyes, in a blog post.

For starters, internet traffic to Google got dropped at China Telecom. Why would traffic from a San Francisco office traversing to Google go all the way to China? he wrote. We also noticed a Russian ISP in the traffic path, which definitely sparked some concerns.

Unfortunately, incorrect routing instructions sent some traffic to the Russian network operator TransTelekom, as well as China Telecom and Nigerian provider MainOne, Naik wrote.

"This incident at a minimum caused a massive denial of service to G Suite and Google Search," he wrote.

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It also underscores a weakness of the Internet.

Google resolved the issue on Tuesday. The company wrote in the Google Cloud Platform performance report that it believes the root cause of the issue was external, and the company plans to conduct an internal investigation to make the appropriate improvements to the system.

Google told The Wall Street Journal that the incident did not compromise any data. Evidently, network-based attacks can send data off course. The attacks are possible because exchange traffic through a system is mostly based on mutual trust through protocols that are nearly as old as the internet itself.by Sara Guaglione , November 13, 2018

The Hollywood Reporter has rebranded its 5-year-old style vertical, Pret-a-Reporter, to Hollywood Reporter Style, in a relaunch sponsored by high-end jewelry company Tiffany & Co.

The new style vertical will expand to include more lifestyle coverage, including real estate, travel, events, fine dining, home design and automobiles.

The coverage online will now look more like theStyle section in THR's weekly print magazine.

Style and fashion news director Booth Moore will oversee a weekly THR Style newsletter, with a podcast expected to launch early next year.

Our readers obsess over cars and restaurants as much as they do their next films, so I couldnt be more excited to deliver these stories with Booths definitive voice at the helm, stated Matthew Belloni, editorial director, The Hollywood Reporter.

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With the tagline How Hollywood Lives, Hollywood Reporter Style will build on the publishers access to talent, fashion influencers, wardrobe designers and studio executives.

Just a few weeks ago, New York Post Digital Network dedicated a new vertical to celebrity fashion and beauty coverage, called Page Six Style, to focus on Hollywood trends.

In September, THR Style debuted Hollywood Style Clinic With Andrew Weitz, a video series that takes viewers behind the scenes as Weitz dresses executives and stars for major events.

Rambling Reporter, a column with news, gossip, event coverage and interviews, will also live on THR Style.

Tiffany & Co. is promoting its Atlas 24mm collection on The Hollywood Reporter site.

Parent company The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group claims its brands reach more than 40 million monthly users.by Ray Schultz , November 13, 2018

Performance marketing agency Digital Media Solutions (DMS) has acquired Fosina Marketing Group Inc., a subscription marketing firm. Terms were not disclosed.

The purchase is a strategic move that will increase the services available to clients of both firms, according to DMS CEO Joe Marinucci.

We never had a team specifically focused on business-to-consumer subscription marketing, Marinucci says. This is an expansion of our business into that segment of the market.

Fosina will be rebranded as the DTC subscription marketing team and will be led by the DMS division head Rachel Schulties. Fosina founder Jim Fosina will stay on for the foreseeable future in a largely advisory capacity.

With this purchase, DMS has 360 employees, with nine coming from Fosina.

Among other things, the DMS agency division helps clients with email retargeting and nurturing coupled with SMS, Schulties says. The new arrangement will provide Fosina clients with paid search, SEO and social media opportunities.

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In the past, Fosina outsourced its email marketing capability, but DMS also is an ESP and can provide those services internally.

In an interview earlier this year, Jim Fosina said there is a huge demand for replenishment services, especially among millennials -- point, click receive. And its for necessary products  needs as opposed to desires. We call it brown bag services.

Marinucci notes that the DTC subscription market now totals $100 billion a year, and points to major brands in this area such as Dollar Shave Club and services like Switch an Blue Apron.

Fosina services such clients as Harper Collins, Meredith, Highlights for Children and Save the Children.

DMS is headquartered in Clearwater, Florida and has an office in Paramus, New Jersey that will help integrate Fosina into the company. Fosinas headquarters in Danbury, Connecticut will remain in place.

DMS, which was founded seven years ago, is privately owned but has a minority investment from Toronto-based Clairvest, a private equity firm.by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, November 13, 2018

The Department of Justice has informed five ad holding companies that it is no longer investigating any of their subsidiaries as part of a probe into commercial production practices and possible bid-rigging that began in 2016.

Interpublic Group, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, WPP and MDC Partners all confirmed the DOJ has notified them that the investigation has concluded with regard to any and all of their respective entities. No action has been taken against the firms or their employees.

All the firms indicated they were cooperating with the investigation when it began two years ago.

DOJ did not immediately respond to a query seeking confirmation that the probe was now entirely closed.

Omnicom and MDC submitted brief SEC filings today confirming the developments. Representatives at IPG, WPP and Publicis confirmed the news in response to queries.

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Word of the DOJ commercial practices probe followed a widely reported investigation commissioned by the ANA (and carried out by K2 Intelligence) that focused primarily on media-buying practices. It also explored commercial production practices, but that portion of the investigation did not make it into the final report.

The ANA believed at the time that commercial production issues would detract from the main focus of the report, which was media agency conduct and activities, such as undisclosed media rebates.

However, the ANA did create a committee that was tasked with taking a separate look at commercial production practices, beyond the K2 material cut from the transparency report. It was not clear at deadline what became of that initiative.

As one government probe into agency activity appears to be winding down, another is ramping up. The FBI and the U.S. Attorney Generals Office in Manhattan have launched a probe into media-buying practices, apparently picking up where K2 and the ANA left off.

This story has been updated.by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, November 13, 2018

CNN has sued President Trump over his decision to revoke the press credentials of reporter Jim Acosta immediately following a contentious press conference last week.

The revocation marks an unabashed attempt to censor the press and exclude reporters from the White House who challenge and dispute the Presidents point of view, CNN and Acosta allege in a complaint filed Tuesday morning in D.C. District Court. The legal team representing CNN includes Ted Olson, who served as U.S. Solicitor General under President George W. Bush.

CNN and Acosta claim Trump violated the First Amendment by engaging in viewpoint-discrimination, and the Fifth Amendment by revoking Acosta's credentials without affording him due process rights -- including the right to prior notice, an explanation of the decision, or the opportunity to defend himself.

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CNN is asking a federal judge to order the White House to immediately restore Acosta's press credentials.

There can be no question that the revocation of Acostas credentials is a content- and viewpoint-based punishment imposed on him because the President and his administration do not like CNN or Acostas reporting, CNN argues in a motion for a temporary restraining order.

The dispute centers on the Trump administration's decision to revoke Acosta's hard pass -- which allowed him to enter the White House and press offices. Trump's move came after a November 7 press conference in which Acosta questioned the president about his prior statements characterizing a caravan of migrants traveling north from Central America as an invasion.

In the course of responding, Trump said: You know what? I think you should . . . I think you should let me run the country. You run CNN. And if you did it well, your ratings would be much better.

Acosta attempted to follow up, at which point a female staffer tried to take the microphone from his hand. Acosta held on to the microphone and started to pose another question.

Trump then called Acosta a rude, terrible person who shouldn't be working for CNN.

After the press conference, press secretary Sarah Sanders posted a video that, in her words, appeared to show Acosta placing his hands on the staffer who had tried to take away the microphone. She later justified the White House's decision to revoke Acosta's press pass based on the inappropriate behavior supposedly shown in the video clip.

But that clip had been distorted to make Acosta's actions seem violent when they were not: The un-doctored clip -- accessible on C-SPAN -- shows Acosta trying to hold onto the microphone as the staffer tried to physically grab it away.

CNN and Acosta allege the real reason for the revocation was the substance of their reporting -- which Trump has frequently criticized.

The manipulated video undergirding the administrations revocation of Acostas credentials shows that its justification was pretextual and not in good faith, they argue.

CNN isn't the only one to accuse the current White House of violating critics' free speech rights.

Trump also faces a suit filed last month by PEN America, which alleges he has retaliated against Amazon, CNN, NBC and individual journalists, due to their coverage of him. PEN America notes in its complaint that the administration banned CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins from a press conference this summer, because she had asked questions the White House thought inappropriate.

Earlier this year, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled that Trump violated the First Amendment rights of online critics by blocking them on Twitter. The White House is appealing that decision to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, November 13, 2018

Six television broadcasters have agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit brought by the Justice Department, which alleged that the stations shared information about advertising.

The proposed settlement requires the television companies -- Sinclair Broadcast Group, Raycom Media, Tribune Media Company, Meredith Corporation, Griffin Communications; and Dreamcatcher Broadcasting -- to refrain from sharing sensitive information in the future. It also requires the companies to cooperate with an ongoing investigation and adopt antitrust compliance measures.

The unlawful exchange of competitively sensitive information allowed these television broadcast companies to disrupt the normal competitive process of spot advertising in markets across the United States, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim stated Tuesday. Advertisers rely on competition among owners of broadcast television stations to obtain reasonable advertising rates, but this unlawful sharing of information lessened that competition and thereby harmed the local businesses and the consumers they serve.

advertisement advertisement

The companies allegedly shared pacing information, including data comparing year-over-year ad revenues. That data indicates how each station is performing versus the rest of the market and provides insight into each stations remaining spot advertising inventory, the DOJ alleged in its complaint, unveiled Tuesday.

These exchanges of pacing information allowed stations to better understand, in real time, the availability of inventory on competitors stations, which is often a key factor affecting negotiations with buyers over spot advertising prices, the DOJ alleged.

The government added that the information distorted the normal price-setting mechanism in the spot advertising market and harmed the competitive process.

The antitrust case apparently grows out of the Justice Department's investigation of Sinclair's proposed $3.9 billion merger with Tribune. That merger did not go through. During the investigation, the government uncovered evidence that ad sales representatives at the companies engaged in discussions that may have resulted in higher ad prices, The Wall Street Journalreported this summer.Obesity is a risk factor for cancer, but researchers are only now unfurling the exact mechanisms behind this connection. A new study looks at how obesity might scupper the immune systems ability to attack tumor cells.

Share on Pinterest Obesity may reduce the immune systems ability to attack tumor cells.

Obesity is at an all-time high in the United States.

According to the National Institutes of Health, two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are either obese or overweight.

Obesity increases the risk of developing a number of health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease.

Similarly, obesity increases the risk of developing certain cancers , including endometrial cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer.

In fact, an estimated 40 percent of new cancer diagnoses are associated with obesity.

Though the relationship between obesity and cancer risk is now well-documented, we do not have a full understanding of why this relationship exists. It is probable that there are a number of ways in which they are linked.

For instance, fat cells release hormones and growth factors that tell our bodys cells to divide more often; this increases the chance that cancer cells will be produced. However, this is not the full picture.New research finds a worrying trend in the incidence of heart attacks in recent decades. The results indicate that young women are more likely than young men to need hospitalization for heart attacks, as well as to develop other cardiometabolic conditions.

Share on Pinterest More and more young women develop heart disease, and doctors should pay more attention to women, say the authors of a new study.

Cardiovascular disease  an umbrella term that covers different types of conditions that affect the heart or blood vessels, including coronary heart disease, stroke, congenital heart defects, and peripheral artery disease causes about 1 in 3 deaths in the United States.

Also, cardiovascular disease accounts for almost 836,546 deaths each year, making it the  leading killer of both women and men in the U.S.

However, there are sex differences in the prevalence of some cardiovascular events, such as coronary heart disease  a cardiovascular condition that can ultimately lead to heart attacks.

An established body of research has shown that coronary heart disease is more prevalent among men at any age, which may have led to the common perception that heart disease is a mans disease.

However, more recent studies have started to point out an alarming trend, which is a steady increase in the number of young women who die of coronary heart disease.

Now, new research, presented at the American Heart Associations Scientific Sessions meeting in Chicago and subsequently published in the journal Circulation, adds to the mounting evidence that heart attacks are increasingly common among young women.

Dr. Sameer Arora, a cardiology fellow at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, is the lead author of the study.As Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone get ready to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, here is looking at their romantic journey so far.

It took them six years of dodging public scrutiny before they could finally let their fans celebrate in peace with their wedding announcement. Ask any romantic around you how they feel about DeepVeer, and we're sure 9 out of 10 would declare the pair as the ruling Bollywood couple at the moment.

Women are infatuated with Ranveer's overtly loving gestures, while most men find a blushing Deepika as a welcome sight to behold. The couple found a very subtle way of expressing their love publicly (remember those sweet comments on Deepika's Instagram posts?), while their not-so-subtle ways with PDA also never ceased to grab eyeballs.

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But whether you love or hate how they choose to show the affection for each other, there can be no denying that their love story kind of makes us believe that there might indeed be the one for us too.

Not many know how Deepika and Ranveer's love story unravelled, but if you're reading this that means you're surely interested. So here's all there's to know.

The Pehli Mulakaat

Ranveer and Deepika opened up about their first impression of each other at the recently concluded HT Leadership Summit, wherein Deepika shared that initially, she thought Ranveer just wasn't her type. Ranveer on the other hand, was smitten by her beauty after a starstruck Ranveer spotted her at a restaurant.

Pyaar Ki Pehli Dastak

It is believed that Deepika and Ranveer started dating on the sets of their first movie together, 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram Leela'. On the film's fourth anniversary Ranveer used the hashtag leela jaisi koi nahi in the caption, for the photo he posted.

Ranveer Ko Loveria Hua

2013 brought with itself some meaty muscle to add to their love story. The same year when Ranveer was admitted to a hospital with a case of dengue, he said it was a case of loveria instead.

Ranveer went all out gushing over his lady love in an interview with TOI and said, I have felt like this in the past also, but it's a strong feeling this time. When you feel so strongly then you can say I guess I am in love. I don't know what is love, but what I am feeling is quite strong and cannot explain it. [I like] everything [about this girl]. Her kindness and her being genuine and caring.

Deepika, on the other hand, had to say this about Ranveer's loveria comment, no, it's amazing, the way he is. He is so unique. And I think what I admire about him is that he is so unapologetic about the way he is, she told HT.

Pyaar Ki Mulakaatein

2013 also saw Ranveer subtly hinting at more, when it came to Deepika and him. He was reportedly visiting Deepika on film sets. From 'Happy New Year', 'Chennai Express' to 'Piku' and even 'xXx: The Return of Xander Cage', Ranveer literally went saat samundar paar for his lady.

Deepika was also spotted in Barcelona when Ranveer was shooting there for 'Dil Dhadakne Do'.

The 'IIFA' Declaration Of Love

In 2015, apart from celebrating the new year in the Maldives together, and attending more industry parties together, Ranveer went all out with his declaration of love on a public platform like IIFA awards. He went down on his knees on the stage and presented a red, heart-shaped balloon to Deepika!

The Unofficial Confirmation

While the public appearances and casual PDA kept getting more frequent, it was during a bash thrown by the Ambanis when the unofficial confirmation to their budding relationship surfaced all over social media. The duo was seen leaving the party together, hand in hand.

Thereafter, the couple went all out and never bothered about keeping their mutual admiration or affection in check while in public.

The Official Confirmation

Soon enough, rumours about their wedding started doing the rounds at the beginning of this year. After months of speculations, the official announcement of their wedding was made on October 21st.

Both Ranveer and Deepika made the announcement on their personal Instagram accounts, declaring to the world that they were ready to take their relationship to the next level.

A lot of hearts broke in the process, but the couple was clearly ecstatic!Remember Savji Dholakia? The generous diamond-merchant from Surat for whom almost half the country wants to work for. Why? Because he showers his employees with gifts and rewards, while most of us sit in our office cribbing about our jobs.

But why are we talking about him now? Because Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone's wedding details are out and their hotel rooms cost much lesser than what Dholakia spent on his employees this Diwali. He distributed 600 cars to his employees, at an event that was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Facebook

While we don't know how Ranveer and Deepika's sangeet functions are coming around, we've got our hands on something equally interesting - the cost of their hotel rooms in Italy. Ranveer and Deepika are getting married at the Villa del Balbianello at Lake Como on November 14 and 15.

According to a report in India Today, the couple and their families are staying at a luxury resort on the east side of Lake Como, instead of a villa. The resort has been booked for the wedding and is being decorated by the florists. According to reports 12 florists were flown in from Florence to decorate the wedding venue.

Reportedly, the estimated cost of a room is 400 euros (around 33,000). Given the resort has 75 rooms, then the price is around 25 lakh per day and for a week it cost around 1.73 crores for a week.

Coming back to Savji Dholakia, he gifted 600 cars (Renault KWID and Maruti Suzuki Celerio cars) as gifts this Diwali and if we calculate it, the cost comes around 2.7 crores. Did Ranveer and Deepika make the booking from MakeMyTrip or Goibibo?

Instagram

Fans of Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone can't keep calm as the couple is about to get married in a couple of hours at Lake Como, Italy.

Unfortunately, there's nothing else their fans can do apart from looking at their previous pictures, because the couple has asked the wedding guests not to carry mobile phones to the wedding venue in order to respect their privacy.Stan Lee, the father of Marvel comics, is better known to the world as the creator (read god) of a galaxy of superheroes, that every millennial has grown up with vivid memories of.

We have had our share of Iron Man's grit, Hulk's bulk that's representative of his emotions, Captain America's towering presence, besides discovering the many facets of all the other memorable characters that Lee created, over the years.

He breathed his last on 12th November, at the age of 95.

Social media is abuzz with a gazillion people sharing their personal encounters with the jovial star, while others have simply joined in to bid him a sad goodbye.

While the entire world mourns the loss of a legend, actors who brought Lee's creations to life on the big screen came together to pay their tributes in their own special ways.

From Chris Evans to Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo, here's how the 'Avengers' stars said their final goodbye to the Marvel universe creator, the legendary Stan Lee.

Sad, sad day. Rest In Power, Uncle Stan. You have made the world a better place through the power of modern mythology and your love of this messy business of being human... pic.twitter.com/x6yZ6ClNSX  Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) November 12, 2018

There will never be another Stan Lee. For decades he provided both young and old with adventure, escape, comfort, confidence, inspiration, strength, friendship and joy. He exuded love and kindness and will leave an indelible mark on so, so, so many lives. Excelsior!!  Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) November 12, 2018

Jackson reminded us of all the goodness Lee blessed us with, in very simple words.

Thank you @TheRealStanLee for the escape from this world & great joy inhabiting the ones you created!! You made so many believe in the good, the heroic, the villainous, the exciting, most of all, you were giving & gracious to us all. RIP  Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) November 12, 2018

Other superheroes from the Marvel universe also shared their sadness over the loss, by the means of sentimental posts. Hugh Jackman led the way and many others followed soon.

We've lost a creative genius. Stan Lee was a pioneering force in the superhero universe. I'm proud to have been a small part of his legacy and .... to have helped bring one of his characters to life. #StanLee #Wolverine pic.twitter.com/iOdefi7iYz  Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) November 12, 2018

Damn... RIP Stan. Thanks for everything. pic.twitter.com/TMAaDJSOhh  Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) November 12, 2018

Tom Holland rightly voiced our shared sentiment that we shall all be indebted to Lee for everything he gifted us with.

Thanks for everything Stan Lee! What a life, so well lived. I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have gotten to meet you and to have played in the world you created.

 pic.twitter.com/ryUjG7PL8D  chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) 12  2018 .

You will be missed Stan, thank you for everything.Gali Janardhan Reddy (GJR) a.k.a. 'Bellary King' has made headlines all over again. The mining baron who is based out of Karnataka and an erstwhile politician, seems to be controversy's favourite child, and this time too he has managed to live up to this title.

The man's net worth is hundreds of crores and the last time he was trending all over social media was in 2016, when it was reported that GJR had spent a whopping amount of Rupees 500 crores on his daughter Brahmini's wedding.

With star celebrity performers, international dancers and just the wedding attire worth 70 crores, GJR caught a lot of people's attention that year.

 Twitter

Now with the mining czar's arrest by the Central Crime Branch police on Sunday, in connection to a 600 crore Ambidant Marketing Ponzi scam, he has come under the spotlight yet again. While the details related to the scam are not what we are interested in right now, we sure can tell you about how GJR, who was once a police constable's son, went on to become India's richest mining mogul.

The Beginning

When GJR started out in 1989, he set up a finance company at the age of 21 and named it Ennoble India Savings & Investment Company Limited. It had 125 branches and had a turnover of 350 crores. However, it collapsed with unpaid debts of Rs 200 crore.

In 2001, he took over the mining company OMPC. With significant rise in iron-ore demands in 2003, GJR's business skyrocketed and there was no looking back.

 BCCL

The 'Gold' Rush

When the CBI raided the three-storey Reddy mansion in 2011, it was reported that the mansion featured an office, an indoor swimming pool facing a 70 mm screen, a massage parlour, a bar, and even a bomb shelter. Additionally, it came with a three-tier security cover and CCTV surveillance up to half a km on all sides.

Gold plated bowls, plates, spoons, cups, pots and much more worth, 20.87 lacs were also recovered. Bags with cash worth 3 crores were also found on the premises. But wait till you hear about the material gold that was found at his place in the form of jewellery.

The house came close to being a gold mine with the recovery of 45 necklaces, 610 gold bangles (35 of which were diamond encrusted), 300 pairs of earrings (75 with diamonds), 1,200 gold rings (100 with diamonds), several bracelets, antique and platinum jewellery, from GJR's home.

 AP

The 'King Of Thrones'

Besides all the gold rush we just mentioned, it was also reported that a 15 kg, golden throne with his initials monogrammed in diamonds was also found in his home. Worth over Rs 2.2 crore, it was believed that Reddy got himself 'crowned' on the throne, in a secret ceremony in Hampi.

Need For Speed - Royal Edition

GJR's fleet of cars included a Rolls Royce, Range Rover, Land Rover, Mercedes Benz, an Audi, BMW and over a dozen Scorpios and Boleros, as well as a custom-made bus. He also owned a Bell helicopter named Rukmini.

Gold-Laden Outfits

It is also said that each of Reddy's shirts was worth at least a lakh, since they were interwoven with gold threads. A jewel encrusted belt that he wore was priced at 13 lakhs and carried a gold-plated cell phone.

 Wikipedia

Golden Lord, Literally

GJR's mansion housed a one foot long idol of Lord Venkateshwara made out of solid gold besides six others, and the combined worth of them all was equal to 2.3 crores. What's more, their in-house temple also had a gold bell that weighs 1 kg!

It's also a known fact that Reddy donated a throne similar to his personal one to Tirupathi temple which was worth a whopping 43 crores.

Tryst With Politics

Reddy is a known face in Karnataka politics and even worked as Bellary's BJP President. Later on, he was elected as a Member of Legislative Council in 2006 and also became a Cabinet Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure in B. S. Yeddyurappa Cabinet.

"We went into his shackles even before the BJP government was formed in Karnataka. He had clout with our national leadership, with Sushma and Nitin Gadkari openly endorsing him. Our then Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa was helpless in his hands," a senior Karnataka minister was quoted by India Today.

 AP

Imprisonment

The mogul has been in and out of prison over the years. In 2011 he was arrested by CBI for his involvement in illegal mining of iron ore in Bellary. The arrest came after Lokayukta Santosh Hegde's report. After scrutiny and investigations, Reddy and his brother-in-law, B.V. Srinivas Reddy were taken into judicial custody and sent to Chanchalguda Jail.

GJR was granted bail by the Supreme Court in January 2015, but the man was arrested again by the Central Crime Branch police in relation to a 600 crore Ambidant Marketing Ponzi scam.

Life seems to have come full circle for the mining mogul, but his personal assets continue to knock the breath out of us.Up until the PlayStation 4, the controller layout remained unchanged for years. Having said that, the Touchpad on the PlayStation 4 is more or less used as a quick action button in various games and wasn't really explored further. However, according to a new update to Sony's DualShock controller, the touchpad could be replaced with a proper touchscreen.

 YouTube

The patent was spotted by DualShockers, and suggested that the touchscreen can be used for interactive feedback such as showing stats, displaying a mini-map or other functions you need to see on the fly. Sony has already implemented an LED light bar which changes colour according to your gameplay.

It's not the first time we've seen a touchscreen on console controllers. Nintendo's Wii U had a similar concept that did not impress gamers as a whole. The Sega Dreamcast also implemented something similar back in the day which was also a failure when we look at sales figures. However, Sony has been killing it when it comes to console sales all over the world and it may just be a successful implementation for the company if the company implement the latest patent.

 Pexels

Even though this is a patent, for now, it is possible to see a new Dualshock controller with the next generation of Sony PlayStation. Sony is reportedly working on the PlayStation 4 successor and it may be possible that we will see the new controller bundled with PlayStation 5. We can only know for sure once Sony unveils the new console which could release sometime in late 2019/early 2020.

Source: DualShockersCARO  The state of Michigan reneged on giving Tuscola County the land around the Caro Center for development.

It was at the states suggestion the county develop a land bank to help with the development of land around the Caro Center and foreclosed property.

Commissioners spent the last few months researching how a land bank works and spent money on legal fees as well before moving ahead last month to do the first step in developing a county land bank.

At about the same time, commissioners approved moving forward developing a county land bank, the state decided to renege on offering the land to Tuscola.

On Oct. 23, the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority posted on their website they were seeking proposals for 226 acres of land which includes the former prison camp and some of the psychiatric hospital property.

The former Camp Tuscola Correctional Facility, which was later developed as a reentry center for the newly paroled to enter back into society, closed in 2012 making it surplus property.

And, now that ground has been broken for a $115 million, 225,000-square psychiatric hospital outside of Caro, the surplus portions of the Caro Center is also available along with the prison grounds.

At first, the state said if we had a land bank they would consider giving the land to us. They didnt guarantee it, but they suggested we strongly consider doing one, said Commissioner Kim Vaughan. Their changing their mind surprised me a little. They were really interested in us having the property and develop a land bank, and then they started to kind of waver. Then, they took the line on their keeping it for development.

The state is offering the land in three parcels. Area one has about 113 acres that is part of the Caro Center. It is bordered by M-81, Chambers Road to the West and the Cass River to east and south.

Area two has about 40 acres and is part of the former Camp Tuscola. It is bordered by the Cass River on the west and Chambers Road on the east, north and south.

Area three has about 73 acres that is part of the former prison. It is bordered by the Cass River on the north and west, and privately-owned land on the south and Chambers Road on the east.

All of the land is in Indianfields Township.

The deadline for submissions is noon Jan. 3.

Priority will be given to projects that create taxable value and create jobs for Tuscola County, said Michigan Land Bank Director Josh Burgett. We are excited to work with local officials to return these three large parcels of land back to productive use.

The mission of the Michigan Land Bank is to promote economic growth through the acquisition, assembly and disposal of public property, including tax reverted property, in a coordinated manner to foster the development of that property, and to promote and support land bank operations at the county and local levels, explained their website.

According to Commissioner Tom Young, the county put a lot of time, energy, and effort, as well as legal fees, toward the development of a county land bank.

I dont know if the commissioners will continue with the development of the land bank or not without the state land being part of it, said Young, noting the land bank could still be used for developing foreclosed property.On this Veterans Day, we look back at rare color photos from World War II, that great struggle our forebearers endured to ensure the future of ours and other nations.

The following photos are provided through Getty Images, as well as the Time & Life collection.by Pierre Balanian

Haftars presence at the Palermo Conference is crucial to a lasting political solution. Both France and Russia are pursuing their respective interests. Jumpstarting the economy is crucial. Libya is still split between east and west at the mercy of 1,500 militias and 200,000 fighters.

Benghazi (AsiaNews) - The International Conference on Libya opened today in Palermo. Various officials from Libya and other governments will take part in discussions over two days to support efforts by the United Nations to achieve pacification and political reunification.

At present, Libya remains divided between east and west at the mercy of some 1,500 militias and 200,000 fighters paid by the official government but under militia control.

The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Fayez Al-Sirraj, was set up in February 2016 on the basis of the Skhirat agreement in Morocco, signed under the auspices of the United Nations on 17 December 2015.

GNA officials were the first to arrive in Palermo. Libyan sources told AsiaNews that Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who was set to come, decided to boycott the meeting after receiving guarantees from the Russians and the British.

The Italian government still hopes he may still come. A Libyan writer in Cairo, close to Haftar, contacted by AsiaNews, said that the marshal might arrive late in Palermo, but he is likely to refuse any talk with Al Sirraj, which was a remote chance to start with.

With Italy as its main sponsor with US backing, the Palermo Conference comes in the wake of the mistakes of an international conference in Paris and the likely failure of scheduled Libyan elections in December.

According to many Libyan analysts, Italy, seeing the weaknesses of the Paris conference, invited to the conference all interested parties, despite their divisions, including Algeria (which backs Libyan unity), Tunisia and Egypt, as well as Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

France, one of the countries that most contributed to the "Libyan Spring" has sought to reap political and economic benefits. But the Libyan crisis ended up pitting it against Italy.

For the French, who recognise the Al Sirraj government in Tripoli, the winning card is the 75-year-old Field Marshal Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army (LNA) who controls Cyrenaica and is now backed by Russia.

No agreement on Libya can work without the agreement of all the main figures on the ground, and Marshal Haftar is one of them, given his many local and international ties.

Italy, unlike France, has preferred the role of mediator. The Conference is in fact "For and With Libya" and could be a once-in-lifetime opportunity for direct dialogue between the parties.

The presence of French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is a clear sign that France backs the Italian initiative. But it is too early to know whether this means the end of Italian-French rivalry, which is something the Americans would like to see. Meanwhile, Russia, the new player in the area, has plans for two military bases in eastern Libya.

The head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Ghassan Salame, from Lebanon, will also be present. Like General Haftar, he is very close to Paris, but this time he will have his deputy with him, Stephanie Williams, of the United states.

People close to the UN envoy told AsiaNews that Salame, under pressure from Washington, plans to invite all the Libyan parties to a national conference early next year, focused on economic reform rather than elections, which was the main focus of the meetings in France and Morocco.

Rebooting the economy would weaken the militias, the source said, whilst presidential elections in a divided and unstable country like Libya could only worsen the crisis.

If Marshal Haftar is a no show, the Palermo Conference is not likely to provide any solution to the Libyan crisis but it would still leave its mark. Paris and Rome are now forced to seek a deal as a result of Russia coming into picture and the threat of a returning Islamic State group in Libyas central coastal region.WASHINGTON, DC  Rainforest Trust recently kicked off a public auction of newly discovered species naming rights, according to a press release. Holiday shoppers will be able to buy the ultimate gift of naming one of 12 species recently discovered in protected areas created by Rainforest Trust and its partners across the tropics. Pre-bidding starts today with the final auction taking place at an invitation only event in Washington, DC, on Dec. 8. All other pre-registered bidders can participate by phone and online.

We have discovered new, amazing plants and creatures, and need to protect them and their habitats. Our auction will enable the public to help us do that. Imagine having a spectacular new species named after a loved one or an organization and knowing that their legacy is tied to saving a species, said Dr. Paul Salaman, CEO, Rainforest Trust in a statement.

The auction showcases 12 new-to-science species. Among the finds are an Ecuadorean blue-eyed yellow frog; a Colombian frog with leopard-like coloring; speckled red and bright green frogs; an orchid from a Colombian cloud forest that has flame-like orange and rose-colored petals; an orchid with a center resembling peach slices; a deadly trap jaw ant with a mandible that opens to 180 degrees; a grey forest mouse with soft fur and rounded ears; a legless amphibian that looks like a worm; and a giant-eyed red salamander. All proceeds will be matched and directly protects the habitat of the specific plant or animal, helping save them from extinction.

The auction takes place primarily online and by phone. Pre-bidding starts November 8 online. The live auction takes place during a private event at Clydes Restaurant at Gallery Place in Washington, DC on December 8. In person, online and phone bidding starts at 8pm ET that evening for pre-registered bidders. The Freemans Auction House will be conducting the auction with support from Invaluable, an auction aggregator. Both are donating their services.

Dr. Salaman has discovered a number of species and was the first person to organize a species naming auction in 1994 to raise funds for conservation work. Today, Rainforest Trust has brought together a record number of spectacular species to be named all at once through an auction. Rainforest Trust hopes to raise in excess of $150,000 to save these 12 unique species.

Naming a species is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for people, companies and nonprofits that are: interested in conservation and abating climate change; in search of a truly unique gift with direct impact; or wanting to leave a legacy. Interested shoppers should visit https://auctions.freemansauction.com/auction-catalog/1618B to learn more and to pre-register for the auction.

For more information, visit www.RainforestTrust.org.

Carpino named To Women In Government board

Washington, DC - Women In Government, a national non-profit, nonpartisan membership organization representing women state legislators since 1988, approved the 2019 Board of Directors at its October board meeting in Washington, DC. State Rep. Christie Carpino was named to the board at the conclusion of the meeting, according to a press release.

Carpino became involved with Women In Government during her first term at the General Assembly in order to exchange ideas and best practices with other legislators nation-wide.

Women In Government Foundation, Inc., headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of women state legislators. Led by a national Board of Directors consisting of 13 state legislators, WIG provides leadership opportunities, networking, expert forums, and educational resources to address and resolve complex public policy issues to all women state legislators. The organization leads the nation with a bold, courageous and passionate vision that empowers and mobilizes all women legislators to effect sound policy in areas such as healthcare, education, energy, the environment, transportation, criminal justice and the arts.

DRS collecting coats for Button Up Connecticut

PORTLAND  Join Disaster Restoration Services in keeping Connecticut warm through Button Up Connecticut.

As the cold season is approaching, many adults and children lack warm clothing for the winter. DRS has teamed up with Siracusa Moving & Storage & Sals Clothing Restoration to collect coats for this cause, continuing through Dec. 5. Coats for all ages can be brought to Disaster Restoration Services, 338 Airline Ave., Portland; Adams Hometown Market, Portland; Portland Public Library; Portland Police Department; Stop & Shop, East Hampton; East Hampton Senior Center; Citizens Bank, East Hampton; Portland Town Hall. For the organization that collects the most coats, prizes will be awarded: First prize- $300 donation for CT Burn Care Foundation; second prize, $200 donation made to the CT Food Bank; third prize, a $100 donation to Ronald McDonald House.

For information or to arrange a pick-up, call Christine with DRS at 860-788-6822 or at christine@drscleanup.com

Entries sought for Tassy Walden Award

Shoreline Arts Alliance is presenting the nineteenth annual Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in Childrens Literature competition. This contest affords unpublished Connecticut authors and illustrators of childrens books the opportunity to have manuscripts and portfolios reviewed by literary agents and possibly by editors and art directors at some of the major publishing houses for childrens literature.

The Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in Childrens Literature is a Connecticut statewide, juried competition opened to Childrens Literature writers and illustrators who are not published or under contract for publication. Categories are: Picture Book (text only), Illustrated Picture Book (author and illustrator must be same person), Childrens Book Illustrator Portfolio, Middle Grade Novel and Young Adult/Teen Novel. All submitted works that meet the contest guidelines will be sent to literary agents for the first tier of judging. Works deemed outstanding will then be sent on to publishers and editors at major publishing houses for childrens literature. All submissions for this years contest must be postmarked by Feb. 1, 2019. Call for Entry may be downloaded at www.shorelinearts.org.

Visit www.ShorelineArts.org or contact the office at 203-453-3890 for 2019 Entry Form and guidelines or for additional information or questions on preparing manuscripts and portfolios for submission.

Learn more at www.shorelinearts.orgFood donations needed for Thanksgiving

CHESTER  The Outreach Committee needs help in providing turkeys, turkey breasts and gift cards (for perishable items) for Thanksgiving baskets which will be delivered to local families this holiday season.

Gift cards for $10 and above from Adams in Deep River are requested.

The gift cards can be dropped off at the UCC office Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Perishable items of turkeys and turkey breasts can be donated on Saturday, Nov. 17, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the United Church of Chester 29 West Main St. For information, call 860-526-2697.

Sweet Potato Drive set in Middletown

MIDDLETOWN  Waters Edge Center for Health & Rehabilitation, 111 Church St., Middletown, is supporting the Middletown Community Thanksgiving Projects Sweet Potato Drive.

They are collecting 40 oz. cans of sweet potatoes for the 900+ Thanksgiving meals to be distributed locally to those in need. Feel free to donate can(s) of sweet potatoes or yams by Monday, Nov. 12 on Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., or Saturday and Sunday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. A collection box is located in the lobby of Waters Edge.

Durham collecting Thanksgiving donations

DURHAM  During the holiday season, Durham Neighbors in Need prepares a Thanksgiving Holiday Basket for families and individuals in need.

Stresses from financial difficulties, unemployment, medical problems and other personal or family issues often create unanticipated hardships.

Donations of turkeys will be accepted on Thursday, Nov.15. Call Melissa at 860-349-3153 if you are interested in donating a turkey.

Gift cards in any amount are also needed and can be sent to Durham Social Services, P.O. Box 428 Durham, CT 06422 or drop off at Town Hall; due by Nov. 9.

More for you 145 Connecticut stores to remain closed on Thanksgiving

Families or individuals having difficulties are encouraged to call Durham Social Services at 860-349-3153 to apply for a Thanksgiving Basket.

Volunteers are needed to help coordinate distribution from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Nov. 15.

Thanksgiving turkeys, gift cards sought

CHESTER  The Outreach Committee needs help in providing turkeys, turkey breasts and gift cards (for perishable items) for Thanksgiving baskets which will be delivered to local families this holiday season.

Gift cards for $10 and above from Adams in Deep River are requested.

The gift cards can be dropped off at the UCC office Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Perishable items of turkeys and turkey breasts can be donated on Saturday, Nov. 17, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the United Church of Chester 29 West Main St. For information, call 860-526-2697.

Red Cross welcomes blood donors

The American Red Cross urges people to share their good health this holiday season by donating blood or platelets for patients in need. A decline in donations occurs from Thanksgiving to New Years Day when donors are busy with holiday activities and travel. However, medical treatments and emergencies that require blood dont stop for the holidays. The Red Cross is thanking those who carve out time to give Nov. 21-24 with a long-sleeved T-shirt, while supplies last.

Make an appointment to donate blood or platelets by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Another way to help keep the blood supply strong this winter is to host a Red Cross blood drive in December, January or February. To learn more about hosting a blood drive and to sign up, visit RedCrossBlood.org/HostADrive.

Durham: Nov. 16, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Notre Dame Church, 272 Main St.

Essex: Nov. 30, 12:45 p.m. - 6 p.m., Essex Town Hall, 29 West Avenue

Haddam: Nov. 21, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Valley Bible Evangelical Free Church, 220 Turkey Hill Road

Middletown: Nov. 19, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Middletown City Hall, 245 Dekoven Drive; Nov. 28, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Middlesex College Chapman Hall, 100 Training Hill Road; Nov. 28, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Fellowship Church, 1002 Saybrook Road; Nov. 29, 7:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., Vinal Regional Technical School, 60 Daniels St.

Moodus: Nov. 16, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., Nathan Hale Ray High School, 15 School Drive

Portland: Nov. 16, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., First Congregational Church, 554 Main St.; Nov. 30, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., Portland High School, 95 High St.

Westbrook: Nov. 19, 12:45 p.m. - 6 p.m., Westbrook Elks Lodge, 142 Seaside Avenue

To donate, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nations blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit Twitter at @RedCross.PORTLAND  One of the jewels of local retailing has gone on display in a new setting.

The Wedding Dress, a fixture on Main Street for nearly two decades, has reopened in a new location with a new owner  but with the previous owner staying involved in the shop.

The Wedding Dress has taken over the two-story building on the west side of the roadway at 162 Main St., most recently home to the Victorian Inspirations, a gift and accessories boutique. A grand opening ceremony last week attracted dozens of friends of the new owner and officials, including First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield and Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce President Larry McHugh.

The timeless ritual of a successful wedding was also respected.

There was something old  the building; something new  the Wedding Dress installed in the location; something borrowed  the presence and expertise of previous owner Shelley Bailey; and something blue  an off-the-shoulder dress worn by new owner Abbie Paklos.

I always wanted to own my own store, said Paklos, who is trained in fashion merchandising and business. Through a series of coincidences, she wound up in 162 Main St., Paklos said, while taking a break ahead of the opening gala.

The lease was running out at 222 Main St., and it was not going to be renewed. In fact, the building was put up for sale and has been sold to John Sullivan. At the same time, Bailey was looking to step back from the day-to-day operation of the store to spend more time with her family.

And Bailey wanted to maintain a creative role in the store.

When 162 became available, Paklos said she inspected it. I fell in love with it, she said, thanks to the improvements made in the interior by Victorian Inspirations owner Ellen Foster.

The Wedding Dress is a full-service store, with an array of items that run the gamut from shoes, tiaras, jewelry, to dresses for everyone from the flower girl to the mother of bride, Paklos explained.

Bailey said Wedding Dress draws women from New York and Boston brought to the store both by its reputation and dresses from particular designers such as Lea-Ann Belter. By design, the boutique is very welcoming, she said.

A lot of bridal stores are stuffy. But getting married is supposed to be a fun time, she added.

This is a perfect place for a dress shop, former selectwoman Kitch Breen Czernicki said as the party swirled around her. The dresses are sparkling, the whole place is sparkling! How can you be in here and not be excited?

Mary D. Dickerson, the towns economic development coordinator, said, We were sad to lose Victorian Inspirations. But were very happy that Abbie has stepped in and taken over the property, and, in so doing, has allowed us to retain one of the jewels of Main Street.

And it also unites the twin talents of Paklos and Bailey, who Dickerson described as a creative whiz.

Elwin Guild, chairman of the Economic Development Commission, said the reopening shows the potential for a true town center. When so many brick-and-mortar stores are going down, this tells me Portland can have a successful town center business district  if we can straighten the traffic situation out.

In addition to being pleased with the new store, Paklos said she is also excited by the stores proximity to St. Clements Castle, which has emerged as a premiere wedding venue.

She is equally excited by the impending renovation of the former Elmcrest property as the Brainerd Place mixed-use development.

Reporter Jeff Mill covers East Hampton, Cromwell and Portland for the Middletown Press. Contact him at jeff.mill@hearstmediact.com.China's Sub Force Is Growing More Powerful. This Is What the US Navy Needs to Do to Stay AheadAt the far end of Arlington National Cemetery, where many of the "doughboys" of World War I rest forever in Section 18, a small ceremony on Veterans Day marked the placement of a new, corrected headstone for a Marine private who fell on the last day of battle.

For nearly a century, the headstone for Pvt. Joseph Otto Turley recorded his date of death as Nov. 2, 1918. But it was a tragic mixup at the end of the war; Nov. 2 was actually the date that Turley's brother, Tom, also a Marine private, was wounded.

"He never had a funeral where any of the family attended," former Marine Lance Cpl. Garrett Anderson, who fought in the second battle of Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004, said of his great uncle, who was known as "Otto" and died at age 24.

"We just knew this had to be done," Anderson said of the new headstone that includes Turley's correct day of death.

He died Nov. 12, 1918, a day after the armistice ending World War I took effect.

"I don't doubt his end must have been horrific," Anderson said of Otto Turley, who was mortally wounded by machine gun fire on Nov. 11, 1918, and died in a field hospital the next day.

"Knowing it was wrong just kinda' stuck in our craw," Dennis Anderson, Garrett's father, said of the incorrect date on the tombstone. The headstone had stood uncorrected since 1921, when Otto Turley's remains were disinterred from a cemetery in France and reburied at Arlington.

The family was from Auburn, Washington, and none came to the reburial or ever visited to notice that the date was wrong.

Garrett and Dennis Anderson never found out about their relative in Arlington until a great aunt, Averill Raymond, died in 2006 and they found letters she kept in an old trunk. They revealed the story of three Turley brothers -- Otto, Tom and Jess -- who all joined the Marines on Dec. 11, 1917.

Dennis Anderson said he later received a phone call from Garrett.

"I think we'd better find out about Uncle Otto," Garrett Anderson had said.

They began checking records and started a search that took them to the World War I battlefields of France and then to Arlington, where they were stunned to find the date was wrong. Officials at Arlington quickly agreed to a new headstone once they were presented with documentation.

At the graveside ceremony Sunday, Staff Sgt. Danny Venora, 27, of West Hartford, Connecticut, a member of "Pershing's Own" U.S. Army Band, played Taps.

Marine Maj. Matthew Bronson, who as a lieutenant was Garrett Anderson's commanding officer in Fallujah with 1st Battalion, Third Marines, joined in the tribute to another Marine of the "Great War."

"I'm just pretty impressed," Bronson said, with the persistence of the Andersons in getting the record corrected.

In his remarks, Dennis Anderson noted the horrific rate at which Americans fell in battle in World War I from the time they first entered the trenches in June 2018 until the end of the war on Nov. 11.

The official statistics show that more than 116,000 Americans were killed, but only about 55,000 fell in combat. The rest died of the Spanish flu epidemic, Dennis Anderson said.

"Their rate of death was the same, ultimately, as the British, the French and the Germans -- 2,500 a week, 10,000 a month," he said.

After arriving on the Western Front in June 1918, "[The three Turley brothers] would have experienced every month, for five months, their own personal Gettysburg. Because that was the scale of those fights, that's how people were cut down," Dennis Anderson said.

Just before Ventura played "Taps," Garrett Anderson read from one of the poems of British 2nd Lt. Wilfred Owen, who was killed on Nov. 4, 1918.

"I have perceived much beauty

In the hoarse oaths that kept our courage straight;

Heard music in the silentness of duty;

Found peace where shell-storms spouted reddest spate."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com.The Air Force WC-130H aircraft veered to the left on the runway, almost rolling into the grass before the crew was able to get it airborne.

The pilot quickly made the decision to return to the Georgia airfield they had just departed. The pilot directed the shutdown of engine one, operating on the remaining three.

"Coming back," the pilot repeated five times over the next 30 seconds.

Investigators said that within those few seconds the pilot improperly applied nine more degrees with the left rudder, "which resulted in a subsequent skid below three-engine minimum controllable airspeed, a left-wing stall, and the [mishap aircraft's] departure from controlled flight."

No other "meaningful direction" was given to the crew other than an order to "brace" just before impact.

The plane was airborne for two minutes overall before it crashed down into Georgia State Highway 21 roughly 1.5 miles northeast of the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, killing all aboard.

A newly released mishap report determined that the WC-130 crash that claimed the lives of nine members of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard earlier this year was largely due to pilot error. But troubling engine and maintenance issues documented in the aging aircraft raise more questions about the cause of the catastrophic May 2 mishap.

Related content:

The WC-130, which belonged to the 156th Airlift Wing, Muniz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico, had recurring issues with its first engine, according to the Aircraft Accident Investigation

Board Report released Nov. 9. The issues were documented a month before the aircraft's final flight, as well as the day of the deadly crash.

The report, authored by Brig. Gen. John C. Millard, ultimately concluded that the aircraft crashed due to pilot error.

The crew should have more closely followed emergency procedure and called for immediate action after discovering one of the aircraft's engines was malfunctioning, Millard said. Instead, the malfunction led to loss of control of the plane, causing it to crash, the report found.

Experts who spoke with Military.com, however, pointed out that lapses in maintenance deeply disadvantaged the crew even before the aircraft left the runway. The plane, which had been in service more than 50 years, was on its final journey to the "boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona when it went down.

"The engine malfunction is most definitely large factor and I would say the catalyst for the events that unfolded," said an Air Force instructor pilot who flies a mobility aircraft and agreed to speak to Military.com on background about the report's findings. "It appears the [report] narrowed in on a particular piece of the engine (the valve housing assembly) which had intermittent issues with [revolutions per minute] over its lifetime with multiple different engines."

Nine died in the crash: Maj. Jose R. Roman Rosado, the pilot; Maj. Carlos Perez Serra, the navigator; 1st Lt. David Albandoz, a co-pilot; Senior Master Sgt. Jan Paravisini, a mechanic; Master Sgt. Mario Brana, a flight engineer; Master Sgt. Eric Circuns, loadmaster; Master Sgt. Jean Audriffred, crew member; Master Sgt. Victor Colon, crew member; and Senior Airman Roberto Espada, crew member.

The Air Force ordered an immediate investigation into the accident. Days later, after Military Times published an in-depth report showing that military aviation accidents have increased over the last five years, the service directed its wing commanders to hold a one-day pause in order to conduct a safety review with airmen, assessing trends and criteria that may have led to the recent rash of crashes.

Unsolved Maintenance Problems

The newly released investigation shows that the plane was cleared for flight even though the recorded oscillation data of the plane's outermost left engine did not match its intended performance.

The WC-130 made its ferry flight from Puerto Rico to Savannah, Georgia, on April 9. And the flight crew operating the [mishap aircraft] "experienced an RPM issue with engine one, and reported the incident for troubleshooting and repair," the report said.

While the crew found a fix, maintainers struggled to replicate both the in-flight operations and the solution the pilots used to better understand the what went wrong. They found they couldn't recreate the crew's original solution, which was to switch "on the propeller governor control to mechanical governing," to see if that rectified the issue, it said.

According to post-mishap interviews, during a second maintenance engine run, the "mishap maintainers observed engine one produced 99% revolutions per minute," the report said.

But the digital flight data recorder (DFDR) said otherwise.

The DFDR indicated "engine one never reached sustained RPM above 96.8% and had significant oscillations between 95% and 98%," it said.

The Air Force investigators said that when performing an engine run, the [technical order] requires a range "of 99.8% to 100.02% RPM, as displayed on a precision tachometer, to verify an engine is operating properly at 100%.2."

The maintainers, who failed to use a precision instrument, missed a chance to diagnose a fluctuating, weaker engine.

"Good enough" mentality

The maintainers should have noted these red flags, the instructor pilot who spoke with Military.com said.

"The maintainers... failed to properly conduct the inspection of the engine," the instructor pilot said. "The crew likely would have never stepped to the aircraft that day, at least not without the engine being verified to have reached the required power threshold, versus over 2 percent lower than the minimum."

In the report, maintainers are faulted for having a "good enough" mentality about the aircraft's condition.

Twitter user @MikeBlack114, a self-identified Air Force aircraft maintenance officer, also faulted the "good enough" mentality as a reason mistakes were made in a tweet thread. Furthermore, leadership should have paid better attention, he said.

"I'll let someone with wings address the aircrew piece, but the mx [maintenance] portion is almost unfathomable," Black said in a Twitter thread. "If you're in a leadership position of an organization involved with flying and you aren't uncovering the skeletons (believe me, they're there, just a question of how severe they are) you aren't looking hard enough."

Another problem, according to the report, was the maintainers observing the aircraft did not use a tachometer to justify the data.

The report noted that they had conducted the engine test runs without the instrument because the compatible adapter plug to connect the precision tachometer to the aircraft was not available.

"During the engine runs and without the use of a precision tachometer, [mishap maintainer one] and [mishap maintainer two] knew that 100% RPM was the speed the engine should operate at, but believed 99% was sufficient to conclude their maintenance because of the wider gauge range provided in the [technical order]," the report said. "Thus, the mishap maintainers never corrected the engine one discrepancy and did not resolve the RPM issue."

On May 2, engine one's RPMs once again revealed an anomaly.

During takeoff, engine one's RPMs fluctuated and couldn't be stabilized when the first mishap pilot "advanced the throttle lever into the flight range," according to the report.

"Engine one RPM and torque significantly decayed, which substantially lowered thrust," investigators added.

While the banked turn the pilots made into the failed engine "was well below the minimum air speed needed for proper control of the aircraft, the [mishap aircraft] did still have enough airspeed to maintain flight," the report said.

"The crew put the aircraft in a disadvantageous energy state by rotating (lifting off) 5 knots early and failing to accelerate as required by the procedures," the instructor pilot said. "Unfortunately, this was not an unrecoverable situation by any means, and one crews in all airframes train to regularly."

The reason for the initial flight in April was to conduct routine in-tank fuel cell maintenance in Georgia. The 165th Airlift Wing at Savannah Air National Guard Base had the means to do this, unlike the Puerto Rico Guard's 156th Wing.

Puerto Rico's facilities sustained substantial damage during Hurricane Maria and could not offer the maintenance at home station, the report said.

Transparency needed

Although Adjutant Gen. Isabelo Rivera, the commanding officer of the Puerto Rico National Guard, said at the time of the crash the aircraft was more than 60 years old and one of the oldest C-130s in the fleet, its history and maintenance record say otherwise.

The aircraft, tail number 65-0968, rolled off the assembly line in 1965 as a standard C-130E, its records show.

"Sometime in the early 1970's, it was converted to a WC-130H for use in weather reconnaissance (the "W" designation indicates the weather modifications)," the report said.

The engines were also "upgraded from T56-A-7 to the T56-A-15 at that time (which changed the "E" designation to "H")," it said.

The aging aircraft life was extended because the wing had been expected to change missions. But that transition never came.

The fiscal 2016 budget "initially divested the six WC-130H aircraft from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard "and provided direction to move the 156th Airlift Wing to the RC-26, a manned Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform," the report said. "However, this direction did not prove viable, as there was no requirement for a manned ISR mission in the United States Northern Command Theater."

Millard, the investigator, said in the report there were no outstanding time compliance technical orders that would have restricted the plane from from flying.

Still, there should have been more transparency, the instructor pilot said.

"As an aircraft commander, there's a 'trust but verify' mentality with the maintenance crews, but our knowledge is limited. So when a crew chief hands me the signed forms," he said, "I have to trust those procedures and previous discrepancies have been fixed in accordance with the maintenance technical orders."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214.Defense Secretary Jim Mattis plans to visit U.S. troops stationed on the southwest border on Wednesday as troops there await the arrival of the migrant caravan President Donald Trump has said poses an imminent threat to U.S. national security.

Mattis will travel to Texas and meet with troops there before heading off to Wyoming, where he will mark the repatriation of the Bells of Balangiga to the Philippines, the Defense Department said in an announcement.

Roughly 2,800 service members are stationed in Texas.

Mattis, however, could not elaborate on the costs of the operation, which has seen more than 5,600 troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Related content:

"We'll update you on costs as they become known," Mattis told reporters during an event welcoming Qatar Minister of State for Defense Dr. Khalid Al-Attiyah on Tuesday.

"Obviously the units executing the border mission have got to report them right up here," Mattis said at the Pentagon. "We are capturing the costs."

Troops are expected to stay at least until Dec. 15, working in a mission-support role for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. CNBC recently reported the deployments could cost roughly $220 million by the end of the year.

Last week, the Pentagon quietly stopped calling the mission "Operation Faithful Patriot," the name originally given to the mission for those deploying to Texas, Arizona and California.

Mattis directed the department to stop using the name, but a reason for the change was not given, the Associated Press reported.

The Pentagon announced earlier this month troops would not receive additional compensation for working in a dangerous environment, known as "danger pay."

Army Col. Robert Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said troops do not qualify for the special pay unless they are on duty "in foreign areas, designated as such because of wartime conditions, civil war, civil insurrection, or terrorism."

"Members who are deployed in support of the Department of Homeland Security's border mission are not eligible for imminent-danger pay," he said in a statement Nov. 6.

Nor will troops receive hostile-fire pay, which is given to service members in close proximity to a firefight or exposed to a barrage of fire from an enemy combatant. The border mission is considered non-combative, Manning said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @oriana0214.President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the Secret Service convinced him to skip a planned Nov. 10 visit to a cemetery about an hour's drive from Paris to honor the U.S. fallen of World War I.

In a series of tweets on his much-criticized WWI centennial visit to France, Trump defended himself against critics who said he showed a lack of respect to the fallen by failing to make the trip to the cemetery.

"By the way, when the helicopter couldn't fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility I suggested driving," Trump tweeted. "Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown" for centennial events attended by world leaders.

However, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders appeared to have no problems visiting sites outside Paris on Saturday.

Trump also noted that he went on Sunday to the Suresnes American Cemetery, about five miles west of Paris, in a driving rain for a visit that he said was mostly ignored by the media.

"Speech next day at American Cemetary [sic] in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!" Trump tweeted.

In a posting on its website, the American Battle Monuments Commission, which oversees the Suresnes cemetery, said that Trump came Sunday "to participate in a ceremony marking the end of the Great War."

"Here on the revered grounds of Suresnes American Cemetery lie more than 1,500 U.S. service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in the first world war," Trump said, in his remarks at the cemetery, according to the American Battle Monuments Commission. "We are gathered together at this hallowed resting place to pay tribute to the brave Americans who gave their last breath in that mighty struggle."

In Trump's place Saturday, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford and his close Marine friend, White House Chief of Staff and retired four-star general John Kelly, went to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery about 50 miles north of Paris.

The cemetery is the final resting place for 2,289 "doughboys," many of whom fell in the battle of Belleau Wood. As is traditional for Marines visiting the site, Dunford drank from what is known as the "Devil Dog" fountain near the cemetery.

The Germans who fought the Marines in Belleau Wood called them "Teufel Hunden," or "Devil Dogs," for their tenacity.

In a possible dig at Trump for canceling the Saturday visit to the cemetery, the French Army posted a tweet on its official site noting its own troops' presence at the event.

"There is rain, but it does not matter. We remain motivated," the French Army's tweet said.

In his tweets Tuesday, Trump lambasted France's defense against Germany in two world wars, and suggested the French remained ungrateful for help received from the U.S. He also resumed his criticism of NATO allies for failing to pay their fair share for the alliance.

Trump said that Macron has called for a European army "to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!"

"The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%," Trump continued in the thread. "He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so."

The last reference was to Macron's forceful speech at the Arc de Triomphe Sunday to mark the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I.

Macron called nationalism, which Trump has extolled, a "betrayal of patriotism" and warned against nationalist sentiments worldwide that posed the danger of "old demons coming back to wreak chaos and death."

In comments on the centennial on his aircraft returning to the U.S., Dunford said the presence of about 80 heads of state at the centennial events in Paris was inspirational and underlined the value of alliances as outlined in the 2018 U.S. National Defense Strategy (NDS) promoted by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

"It was very powerful to see them all there," Dunford said, "and frankly, I think in many ways making a commitment never to repeat the mistakes that led us into World War I."

In a news release posted on the Defense Department's website, Dunford noted that World War I was the first time the U.S. fought alongside allies overseas.

"If you look back at the 20th century -- every conflict we were involved in -- we participated as part of a coalition, participated with allies and partners on our side: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the main skirmishes that we had in between," Dunford said. "The NDS recognizes that we certainly don't anticipate being on any future battlefield without allies and partners."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com.Airpower Operations Update

The U.S. Air Forces Central Command recently published its September Airpower Summary, highlighting airpower operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. In Afghanistan, AFCENT Airmen operated as part of Operation Freedoms Sentinel and the NATO Resolute Support Mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan Air Force, most recently in 'Speedball' training; a rapid relief supply airdrop capability. Simultaneously, in Iraq and Syria, Coalition Airmen enabled Islamic State of Iraq and Syria clearance operations within the Middle Euphrates River Valley as a part of Operation Inherent Resolve. The AFCENT Airpower Summary is available here.

For more Air Force news and information, visit Military.com.Ten days after Hurricane Michael ravaged U.S. Air Force Maj. Jeremy Boudreaux's home and Tyndall Air Force Base, he got a call that his father was killed in a plane crash approximately 30 miles northwest of Eglin Air Force Base.

"A close family friend owned the plane my dad was flying. He called and said there was a report of a plane down in the area and my dad had not returned to the airport," said Boudreaux, 83rd Fighter Weapon Squadron, F-22 program manager. "He soon called back and put the local sheriff on the line to notify me that my dad had been killed in a plane crash near the airport he took off from."

Boudreaux and his wife, Jessie, had evacuated to Auburn, Alabama but when they got the call that his father passed away they drove to the crash site.

"Initially I was in shock but was able to quickly compartmentalize my emotions and focus on the task at hand," said Boudreaux. "The many outstanding instructors in the Raptor community have consistently helped others achieve their goals, shared their knowledge and experience and continue to strengthen the fighter community and the military as a whole. They taught me how to set priorities and tackle the correct ones in critical situations. This situation was no exception. The next thing I had to do was to notify my mom."

Earlier this year Boudreaux was named Air Combat Command's Instructor Pilot of the Year and credits his father for helping him discover his passion for flying.

"In my eyes my father was always a larger than life fighter pilot," he said. "I joined ROTC but didn't have a career path in mind. It didn't take long for me to realize I wanted to be a pilot. The fact that I could connect even more with my dad and share that special pilot brotherhood is something for which I will be eternally grateful."

Boudreaux and Jessie met in high school and married in 2015. During countless temporary duty assignments and deployments Jessie found a support network within the military community that has carried her family through some of life's greatest challenges.

"I have been dealing with some heart issues caused by thyroid dysfunction. Fortunately things have leveled back out, but it has been a long road. The biggest lesson I took from this journey is to not be afraid to reach out to people when you are dealing with adversity," said Jessie. "Our friends and family have been our rock. The love we have felt from the Raptor community and beyond has been invaluable. It's surrounding us and lifting us up and we will never be able to adequately thank everyone for their kindness and support."

The Boudreaux's have a positive outlook on the future and will remember the legacy left by a fellow Air Force aviator.

"My dad was a great example of an airman, a patriot, a husband, a father, a son, a brother and a friend. His legacy is one of love, hope, thankfulness and happiness. We would all do well to try to live our lives the way he did. And through this difficult experience, the incredible friendship and relationships with the people with whom we work has been invaluable and will never be forgotten."ANN ARBOR, MI - Two youth advocacy groups focused on ending gun violence will become the youngest recipients of the 2018 Wallenberg Medal from the University of Michigan.

The winners of this year's medal are B.R.A.V.E. (Bold Resistance Against Violence Everywhere) Youth Leaders from Chicago and March For Our Lives from Parkland, Fla.

After the medal presentation, students from both groups will deliver UM's Wallenberg Lecture at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, at Rackham Auditorium, 915 E. Washington St.

"The students of March For Our Lives and B.R.A.V.E. have, with outraged insistence, demanded action to end gun violence in schools and communities across the country," John Godfrey, Wallenberg Committee chairman, said in a statement.

"They have disturbed the conscience of Americans in pushing to find a solution to this national crisis. This personal and tireless commitment embodies that of Raoul Wallenberg and represents everything this medal stands for."

Ke'Shon Newman and Rie'Onna Holmon will accept the Wallenberg Medal on behalf of B.R.A.V.E., while Alex Wind and Sofie Whitney will accept the Medal on behalf of March For Our Lives.



The Wallenberg Medal and Lecture program honors a humanitarian who reflects the legacy of Raoul Wallenberg, a native of Sweden who graduated from the UM College of Architecture in 1935.

In the nine months since 17 classmates and teachers were gunned down at their Florida school, students from Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have organized marches, school walkouts and voter-registration events, including the national March For Our Lives event, to call for an end to mass shootings and other types of gun violence.

B.R.A.V.E., on the other hand, is an organization of youth activists sponsored by the ARK of Saint Sabina Church on Chicago's South Side. The group's mission is to prevent violence and cultivate leadership for social justice. Holmon is B.R.A.V.E.'s current president and Newman, whose brother was shot and killed while walking his girlfriend home from a bus stop, is a leading activist.

The event is free and open to the public. It will be livestreamed online.This post has been updated to say the library will open as usual on Wednesday.

ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor District Library's downtown branch closed Tuesday, Nov. 13, due to a sewage backup.

The library will re-open for its regular hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, said Richard Retyi, AADL communications and marketing manager.

The sewage issue was discovered around 8 p.m. Monday after the library Board of Directors meeting, Retyi said. Cleaning began Monday night and continued Tuesday, which forced the library at 343 S. Fifth Ave. to close.

A "Bright Nights" community forum on mood disorders scheduled for 7 p.m. at the downtown library will now take place at the Mallets Creek branch, 3090 E. Eisenhower Parkway.

A viewing of the film, "The Warriors: Native Americans and the Military," set for 7 p.m. has been relocated to the Pittsfield branch, 2359 Oak Valley Dr.

The downtown library has closed due to three other sewage spills in the past decade, library director Josie Parker previously told The Ann Arbor News.

Aging infrastructure and the sewage system are among the reasons the library board is exploring options for updating the downtown branch.ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor voters have approved a proposal for a downtown central park, but what happens now?

It may be the topic of continued debate and legal wrangling for the foreseeable future, while the site in question -- the city-owned Library Lot, the surface of the city's underground parking garage along Fifth Avenue -- remains a parking lot for a while longer.

There still are two competing visions for the site, and which one holds up may be for a court to decide.

The central park vision is now written into the city charter, stipulating that the Library Lot can't be sold.

But before voters weighed in on the central park question on last week's ballot, the city already agreed to a deal to sell the property to Chicago developer Core Spaces for $10 million.

The City Council approved the sale of the Library Lot to Core Spaces in April 2017 and city officials followed through on signing a sale agreement this spring, though closing has yet to occur.

The deal is still being challenged in two pending lawsuits, including one brought by the Ann Arbor Central Park Ballot Committee and another brought by two City Council members who have argued the final sale agreement should have come back to council for approval after more than a year of legal negotiations.

Core Spaces is proposing a 17-story high-rise and 12,000-square-foot plaza where a majority of voters -- 53 percent -- said last week they want to see a city-owned park and civic center commons.

"I think it does show that there is a higher aspiration in Ann Arbor than high-rises and it is for us to make that aspiration a reality," said Alan Haber, one of the leaders of the central park campaign.

Following the election, Core Spaces isn't walking away, though. The company is taking the position that a deal's a deal, saying it has a legally enforceable contract with the city that it intends to honor.

"While we are disappointed with the outcome of the election, Core Spaces will continue as planned in our project development process per the terms of our contract with the city," Andrew Wiedner, Core's chief acquisitions officer, said in a statement. "We will have an updated timetable soon on specific next steps."

Mayor Christopher Taylor, who has supported the Core Spaces development and campaigned against the central park proposal, said the city charter now calls for an urban park and civic center commons, so the city is going to operate on that basis.

But if at some point it's challenged in court and invalidated, he said, "then we'll deal with it on that basis."

"It is only the charter for so long as it's unopposed," he said. "If Core Spaces were to bring an action and have it invalidated ... then it would no longer be charter, but that's not something we'll do."

Taylor has questioned the legal effect of Proposal A's passage, saying he's not sure whether it negates the Core Spaces deal. He also said the city charter is subordinate to state law, so it's not clear to him whether the ballot language has force under Michigan law.

"I don't know that the charter can obligate elected officials to vote in a certain way," he said, adding he thinks the ballot language was "fairly ambiguous" and "we'll see whether it holds up."

The city attorney's office plans to advise the City Council on issues related to Proposal A's passage during a closed-session meeting on Nov. 19 when four new council members are seated.

City Attorney Stephen Postema has declined to comment publicly on the matter.

Taylor and his allies are losing their 7-4 majority on council, and new council members who've been critics of the Core Spaces deal are taking office. The four newcomers all celebrated their wins together last week during a joint party with the central park campaign.

Council Member Jack Eaton, who tried to unseat Taylor earlier this year, is looking forward to having some new allies on council. He believes the city should fully honor Proposal A's passage.

"I would be very disappointed if staff or any member of council suggested that we ignore Proposal A. Before the election, there was some suggestion that Proposal A might not be legal, and I would be disappointed if we tried to head in that direction," he said.

Eaton added, "It would take considerable nerve on the part of an elected politician to see the outcome of that vote and find an excuse not to follow the will of the people."

Eaton, D-4th Ward, said city officials are going to need to have a robust discussion about what exactly to do next.

He doesn't believe the city has any binding obligation to follow through on selling the Library Lot to Core Spaces. He notes the sale isn't complete until closing, and closing doesn't happen until there's a site plan approved by council, which hasn't happened yet. Core Spaces has yet to submit a site plan to the city for approval.

Eaton also points out it was known when the sale agreement was being signed -- the one now being challenged -- that the central park proposal was going on the ballot, so Prop A wasn't a surprise.

He said the sale agreement contemplates the possibility of failure and allows the parties to go their separate ways.

The central park proponents who collected thousands of petition signatures to put the question on the ballot are hoping the community can stop fighting over the idea now and come together to share ideas for how to create a beautiful place in the center of the city.

They're hoping the vision can be realized in time for Ann Arbor's 200th anniversary in 2024, and they've suggested forming a nonprofit conservancy to help raise funds for it, similar to how the city is cooperating with a nonprofit conservancy to try to raise funds for a $55 million urban trail project known as the Treeline.

"It will be a destination for all around," said Haber, addressing the City Council two days after the election last week.

"It will be something that we and the children of the next generation can be proud of," he said, suggesting the design process will be "the beginning of un-paving a parking lot and putting up paradise."

Haber acknowledged the vote showed the community divided over the central park proposal, but he hopes even those opposed to the idea can now come to the table and bring their best visions.

Will Hathaway, another leader of the central park group, notes the City Council already approved a resolution in April 2014 to reserve 12,000 square feet of the Library Lot for an "urban public park" and to "encourage the creative use of this space to commence on an occasional basis during the transition from parking to public park even before the urban park design and installation work is complete."

The resolution asked the city's staff, including the parks department, to work together with the Downtown Development Authority and the Ann Arbor District Library "to encourage groups to reserve the space for public activities including, but not limited to, craft fairs, book fairs, food carts, fine arts performances, and other activities and consider modification of permit requirements in order to eliminate fees for those seeking to put on public programs on the Library Lane site."

Hathaway suggests the city should look to that existing resolution as guidance for how to move forward and start experimenting with ways to activate the space and see what works, such as putting on craft fairs or outdoor library programs for children.

Another idea that's been suggested over the years but never got support from the city or the DDA is putting up a temporary ice-skating rink on the Library Lot in the winter.

Now that Proposal A has been approved, Hathaway said he's hoping the city will be more open to trying different ideas.

Hathaway said he also thinks the city should explore an idea floated by incoming Council Member Ali Ramlawi, who has suggested striking a deal with the library to allow a new downtown library to be built on the Library Lot, assuming it meets the definition of a "civic center commons," and then creating a park on solid ground on the current library site where tall trees could grow.

"Proposal A opens up possibilities for a much better plan for the library block than the one that was sort of being rammed down our throats," Hathaway said, referring to the Core Spaces development.

Ann Arbor developer First Martin Corp. also has hinted at redeveloping a commercial property it owns between the Library Lot and Liberty Plaza and doing so in a way that integrates with a reimagining of the block. There's now a walkway through First Martin's parking lot to get between the Library Lot and Liberty Plaza. Haber has suggested there could be a Nickels Arcade-type corridor on First Martin's property as a link between Liberty Plaza and the Library Lot.

Tom Wieder, the local attorney representing Sumi Kailasapathy and Anne Bannister, as well as the Central Park Ballot Committee, in their pending lawsuits against the city over the Core Spaces deal, said he thinks the Core Spaces development isn't going to happen now that there's a new council and Proposal A has passed.

"I think Core Spaces is dead, for a variety of reasons, but I think the main reason is there's going to be a new council that doesn't want it, and it now has two very good reasons to stop it," he said.

In addition to Prop A's passage, Wieder suspects the new council may agree with Bannister and Kailasapathy that the Core Spaces deal was never properly approved by council. He said the new council could vote to instruct the city attorney's office to stop defending it.

If that happens, Wieder said, he doubts Core Spaces would want to fight the city in court over it, as that would create a hostile relationship between the city and the developer, and Core Spaces might want to do other projects in Ann Arbor down the line.

"Will they really try to get a project through a city that doesn't actually want it?" he asked.

Kailasapathy served her last meeting on council last week, while Bannister will continue serving on the new council.

The two legal cases were scheduled for a settlement conference at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 13 before Judge David Swartz, with Nov. 29 reserved as a potential date for a bench trail.BAY CITY, MI - Duncan's Outdoor Shop in Bay City is extra busy this week as hunters sight in their guns and gear up for the opening day of the 2018 firearm deer season on Thursday, Nov. 15.

Duncan's offers indoor firing ranges of 50, 100 and 200 yards to practice shooting. Employees and volunteers are assisting hunters with properly sighting in their weapons.

A successful deer hunting season is predicted in 2018 by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Due to the mild weather last spring, there was an increase in the overall number of fawns and deer seen, creating a favorable hunting season this year, the agency said.

The 2017 season, while seeing a significant drop in hunter numbers, ended up with a significant increase in harvest from 2016. Overall hunting success increased across most of the state in 2017 with nearly 50 percent of hunters harvesting a deer, the DNR said.FLINT, MI - A federal jury has convicted a man of all charges against him in the stabbing of a Bishop Airport police officer in 2017.

Amor Ftouhi was convicted on charges of committing an act of violence at an international airport, interference with airport security and committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries.

It took the jury about an hour to reach its verdict on Tuesday, Nov. 13 following a five-day trial.

"If Ftouhi's only intention was to be killed by a cop, he could've found one in Canada," said Assistant U.S. Prosecutor Cathleen Corken. "This isn't a whodunit. This isn't a mystery. He was caught right there. He has the knife in his hand."

Defense Attorney Joan Morgan did not present a defense and rested her case on Tuesday.

She called Ftouhi unstable during her closing arguments.

Morgan said Ftouhi came to U.S. to commit suicide by cop because it would be easier in the U.S. than in Canada.

"He was a person who was absolutely looking for a way out. He was attempting to be killed," Morgan said in her closing arguments. "Our position is that this was a man -- as opposed to plotting things -- as someone who, in his own way, was planning to be killed."

Neville sat in the courtroom on Tuesday during closing arguments.

He sat in the courtroom when a verdict was read.

Ftouhi was motionless when the verdict was read by the judge.

Ftouhi told the court before closing arguments on Tuesday that he wanted to take the witness stand, testify and if there were questions he didn't want to answer - he wouldn't.

Flint U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Leitman wouldn't allow it.

Ftouhi and his lawyers left the courtroom to discuss the matter further.

"I agree with my lawyers. I'm not going to testify today," Ftouhi told the judge. "I would have the opportunity at sentencing to explain my reason and my feeling and everything else."

Ftouhi stabbed Neville the morning of June 21, 2017 while Neville was on duty in the airport terminal.

Witnesses testified Ftouhi shouted "Allahu akbar," during the attacking and made comments about attacks by the U.S. in other countries.

Investigators said Ftouhi initially tried to buy a gun in Michigan, but was not allowed because he was a Canadian citizen.

Federal agents testified Ftouhi said he was on a mission to kill Neville, take his gun and continue killing other U.S. government employees until Ftouhi was killed.

The day of June 21 was picked specifically because Ftouhi thought the day's significance during Ramdan would give him a better chance of getting into Heaven.

The stabbing forced the evacuation and temporary closure of the airport. It left two jets full of passengers on the airport's tarmac and delayed flights.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 7.OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - Once a biology teacher at Grand Haven High, he assisted in the Apollo space program, counted Republic Party leaders as friends - a daughter once worked for then-Gov. John Engler - and was a business owner and civic leader.

Ronald Redick, 81, is also a convicted killer.

Now serving life without parole in the Feb. 4, 1991, killing of his business partner, Kenneth Kunkel, 55, of Holland, Redick has asked Gov. Rick Snyder to commute his sentence before Snyder leaves office at the end of the year.

Redick, who is reportedly ill, has a hearing Thursday morning before the state Parole Board which will offer a non-binding recommendation to the governor. His request is opposed by the victim's family.

"I thought we were done with Ron Redick, really," Kunkel's widow, Rosemary Ankerman of Holland, told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.

No one thought he would ever get out. Until recently, she had not given Redick much thought. She thinks about her husband often.

"I miss Ken, and that will happen until I die."

David Kunkel of Grand Haven said his dad's killer should never get out.

"If you get life without parole, I think that's what life without parole means: life without parole."

Redick was convicted in a 10-week trial in Ottawa County Circuit Court. The jury found that Redick killed Kunkel at their failing sheet-metal fabrication business, KR Corp., then drove his body 20 miles to the east where he staged a crash.

Sheriff's deputies were suspicious early on. The crash, off of Leonard Road near Eastmanville, was minor. Kunkel had suffered fatal head injuries. Redick complained of injury but was not seriously hurt.

As it turned out, it wouldn't be his only failed fake crime.

In prison, he knocked himself unconscious with a self-inflicted blow to his forehead, fracturing his skull. He wanted to be hospitalized, thinking he could escape, authorities said.

Because of the serious injuries, prison officials initially believed that Redick had been attacked before determining he hurt himself.

"His inability to properly stage a crime is the reason he's behind bars the rest of his life," then-Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague said in 1997.

Redick told investigators he suffered multiple blows while near the door of the prison's drafting room, about 30 feet from where he was found unconscious. But no one reported seeing the incident or a struggle in the busy work area, where Redick ran drafting and design operations.

Investigators think he knelt by a table pedestal and rammed his forehead down on an attached metal plate.

Redick's trial attorney, James Brady, said co-counsel Matt Vicari has been in contact with one of Redick's daughters. They have heard that Redick has health problems.

Kunkel's family has been told Redick is in good health.

Redick has also apparently "taken some responsibility" for the crime but Brady said he was unsure of the particulars.

Redick's son, Ronald Redick, an attorney, declined to comment other than to say he had "no involvement" in the commutation process.

Ottawa County Prosecutor Ronald Frantz, who tried the case, said he intends to speak at the hearing. He wants to support the victim's family. Others are expected to share their thoughts, too.

The Parole Board will delve deeply into the killing, with Redick expected to answer questions.

"While taking responsibility for one's crimes is important, there is no requirement to answer a certain way other than honestly," said Holly Kramer, a state Department of Corrections spokeswoman.

Redick filed the request for commutation on his own behalf, Kramer said.

Snyder allowed the request to go to the Parole Board for further review, Snyder's spokesman Ari Adler said.

Snyder will make the decision.

"Commutation requests are being reviewed but Gov. Snyder has not announced any of his intentions yet," Adler said.

For years, Redick sought a new trial.

"Oh, God, what went wrong?" Redick wrote in a letter to reporters. "I'll tell you what went wrong. A new judge and new prosecutor, friend and previous partners wanted a conviction. ... All I want is a fair retrial, and at the end of that trial, I will return to my family having proved that I am an innocent man."

After Thursday's hearing, the 10-member Parole Board will make a recommendation to the governor.

David Kunkel said some of his family expect to attend the hearing.

He won't. He knows what happened. He has no interest in what Redick has to say.

He recalled worrying that Redick would get out earlier. Redick's daughter once worked for former Gov. John Engler.

"We were kind of concerned with Engler letting him out."

He said his family shouldn't even be in this position. He expected Redick to stay locked up upon he dies.

He said Redick had financial means to hire Brady, a high-profile attorney who once served as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan. He also had services of investigators who bolstered Redick's contention that Kunkel died in the crash.

Kunkel said that two daughters wrote to the Parole Board. He missed out on having his dad around. His dad missed out on grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he said.

His girls were 5 and 3 when his dad was killed.

He doesn't care if Redick finally confesses. He thinks Redick will stay locked up. Redick is held in Carson City Correctional Facility.

"There were no mistakes made. His appeals all got turned down. I don't see Snyder signing off on this."GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- David Rahinsky doesn't argue that the historic role law enforcement has played in marginalizing communities of color remains a hurdle in promoting public trust and improving community-police relations.

The police chief said there isn't a member of the Grand Rapids Police Department who doesn't recognize that history.

Even so, he doesn't have any intention of setting aside time to publicly acknowledge that history, as was recommended by the 21st Century Policing firm that Grand Rapids contracted to help review its policies and procedures over the last year.

The firm's recommendation calls for Grand Rapids police to "publicly acknowledge the role of policing in past and present injustice and discrimination." The plan would be similar to a 2016 public address issued by the president of international police chiefs group.

"While it's important to recognize the history, I think it's important to recognize we're in a different chapter and we're rewriting history," Rahinsky said. "The idea we need to set aside a particular time and place to have that, I think would be disingenuous. The fact that it's recognized in an ongoing basis and we're sensitive to it, I think is more important."

But the leaders of the Urban League of West Michigan and NAACP Grand Rapids said a public acknowledgement -- not only from the chief but from the leaders of the police department's unions as well -- would be helpful in mending relations and building trust.

"I think it would speak volumes and actually bring us farther and would really provide some groundwork for more beneficial relationships between police and the community," said Joe Jones, Second Ward city commissioner and president of the local Urban League.

"The need for a deeper dive is significant."

Late last month, 21st Century Policing Solutions President Ron Davis presented on a slew of recommendations for the police department at the conclusion of an almost year-long analysis. The firm helped guide Grand Rapids' Police Policy and Procedure Review Task Force in its review of the department, which yielded 38 recommendations.

Additionally, the firm provided eight recommendations of its own -- one of which was for the department to "publicly acknowledge the role of policing in past and present injustice and discrimination and how it is a hurdle to the promotion of community trust."

"That's a tough one," Davis said. "It will be interesting to see if they do the acknowledgement."

The inspiration behind the recommendation was a 2016 speech in Washington D.C. by Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Speaking to thousands of law enforcement leaders from around the country, Cunningham acknowledged the profession's "darker period" when law enforcement agencies have been "the face of oppression to far too many of our fellow citizens."

"Laws have required police officers to perform many unpalatable tasks, such as ensuring legalized discrimination or even denying the basic rights of citizenship to many of our fellow Americans," Cunningham said. "While this is no longer the case, this dark side of our shared history has created a generational, almost inherited, mistrust between many communities of color and the law enforcement agencies that serve them.

"Many officers, who do not share this common heritage, often struggle to comprehend the reasons behind this historic mistrust. As a result, they are often unable to bridge this gap and connect with some segments of their communities. While we obviously cant change the past, its also clear that we must change the future."

Rahinsky said the history of law enforcement and its role in marginalizing minority communities has been part of ongoing conversations at community meetings and gatherings of the Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust (ALPACT) group.

The police department also requires its new hires to visit Ferris State University's Jim Crow Museum as a training initiative to better understand the historical context.

"A lot of the conversations we've had, we haven't shied away from historic and systemic issues regarding policing and populations of color," Rahinsky said. "We recognize the role law enforcement and the government played in marginalizing and keeping minorities marginalized."

But community leaders like Jones and NAACP Grand Rapids President Cle Jackson said they especially wanted to hear the acknowledgement from the presidents of the officers and command officers unions, Capt. Mike Maycroft and Officer Andrew Bingel.

"The chief can make acknowledgements all he wants but until we get acknowledgement from the police unions, I don't see anything changing," Jackson said.

Jones said he hasn't heard adequate public acknowledgement from the police department, but would be in favor of a joint message from the chief and union leaders, who he said have in the past given "inconsistent" messages.

"I don't think it would in any way negatively impact the work that we're trying to accomplish," Jones said. "If anything, it would help. because not enough time and effort is put into recognizing the importance of history and how it's gotten us to where we are today.

"I just don't see how we can effectively move forward without giving proper credence to the past."

Maycroft didn't return a call seeking comment. In an email, he said the recommendation of an apology from the department "is an error" and was never discussed by the task force.

Speaking for himself and Bingel, he said, "We will have no further comment."In the 3,400-person town of Essexville just north of Bay City on the Saginaw River, you are never more than 1,000 feet away from a school.

Inconvenient if you're trying to capitalize on the legal recreational marijuana market.

The new Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act prevents any recreational marijuana business from opening up within 1,000 feet of schools.

That means legally, recreational marijuana businesses are prevented from opening up shop in Essexville at all, said City Manager Dan Hansford. Nevertheless, the city council voted to ban marijuana businesses entirely, Hansford said.

The new recreational marijuana law won't take effect until December. But with less than a week since the election, Michigan community leaders are already taking action and have the opportunity to shape the industry's future. Municipalities could reverse their decisions in the future after the state issues regulations.

Medical industry could foreshadow response

Michigan's response to the medical marijuana industry could be a harbinger for recreational marijuana businesses.

To date, 108 communities in Michigan have opted in to the medical marijuana program, according to state figures.

In all, about three-quarters of Michigan governments have chosen to not participate in the medical marijuana program, according to a survey from the University of Michigan.

That's far different than the will of the people: 56 percent of Michigan voters said "yes" to recreational marijuana at the polls Tuesday, Nov. 6.

The new law allows residents to challenge their city council or township board decision by placing a referendum on a general election ballot.

Swift response

As voters went to the polls last week, ordinances were already being drafted in some communities to limit the commercial spread of marijuana stores.

Like in Solon Township near Traverse City, where trustees had passed a ceremonial resolution before the election opposing recreational marijuana and now plan to pass an official opposition ordinance.

Cities and townships can ban or place limits on retail stores, commercial grow operations and processing facilities -- but cannot prevent individuals from growing in their homes or consuming on their own property.

On Election Night, the Portage City Council had its first reading of an ordinance to opt out. The council will take its official vote Nov. 20.

The day before the election, Monroe City Council passed a resolution opting out. Monroe is home to one of the marijuana opposition campaign spokesmen: former Michigan Senate Majority leader Randy Richardville.

Many community leaders feel the need to opt out now to allow themselves time to determine where they want to allow marijuana businesses in the future.

"Given the potential this legislation has to fundamentally alter the community, city administration cannot stress enough the importance of careful analysis, as to potential impacts on land use considerations and the need for thoughtful deliberation, as the community moves forward," Monroe City Manager Vince Pastue wrote to the Monroe City Council. "Determining what marihuana establishments will be considered; how many and where; how close to a school, a park, a church or a residential area?"

The opposition group to Proposal 1 -- Healthy and Productive Michigan -- vowed the day after the election to continue to fight recreational marijuana at the local level.

Controlling zoning

Two days after the election, the Cedar Springs City Council passed an ordinance to opt out.

Cedar Springs City Manager Mike Womack said it's difficult for a city structure its own recreational marijuana program without knowing what the state will require businesses to do.

"Until the state issues regulations we wouldn't allow it," Womack said.

Womack is a former criminal defense attorney, and studied the impact of recreational marijuana taxes in Washington and Colorado for his master's thesis.

"We don't want marijuana shops opening up in residential districts," Womack said, explaining the council isn't necessarily anti-marijuana. "They just want to control the zoning aspect. We want industrial grows in the industrial sector, and we want commercial businesses in commercial districts."

Sense of urgency

State regulators with the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs have a year after the law takes effect to develop rules. After that time, they're required by law to start issuing business licenses.

For Michigan communities who want to opt out of the new recreational marijuana program -- there's a sense of urgency to pass local bans before the state starts taking license applications.

Plainfield Township voted to ban recreational marijuana businesses at its Monday, Nov. 12 meeting.

"Unfortunately, it is unclear from the text of the MRTMA when precisely the state will begin accepting applications for licenses (it must do so within 12 months)," Plainfield Township's lawyer, Jeff Sluggett, wrote in a memo to the Board of Trustees. "This is an important 'unknown' because our ability to enforce and rely on an ordinance prohibiting marihuana establishments must be 'in effect' when the application is filed with the state of Michigan."

The small town of Pinckney also voted to opt out of recreational marijuana businesses at its village council meeting Monday, Nov. 12.

Opting out of recreational marijuana is either completed or well underway in at least six Michigan communities.

Tuesday night, Jackson's City Council and the Northfield Township Board of Trustees will consider taking similar steps.

-- Amy Biolchini is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact her with questions, tips or comments at abiolch1@mlive.com.

Read more from MLive about recreational marijuana.PONTIAC, MI -- A retired firefighter who shot at a black teen who rang his doorbell to ask for directions was sentenced to at least four years in prison, according to the Associated Press.

Jeffrey Zeigler, 53, apologized for his actions before he was sentenced in Oakland County court. He was convicted of assault and a gun crime last month.

The incident occurred on April 12 when 14-year-old Brennan Walker rang the doorbell at Zeigler's Rochester Hills home. Walker said he was standing at the doorstep when he saw a man inside the home holding a gun.

Walker ran away and said he heard a gunshot as he fled, but was not hurt by the shot.

Zeigler originally told police that he never aimed the shotgun at Walker and that the weapon fired accidentally. However, security camera footage from Zeigler's house shows him aim the gun at Walker twice before firing it in Walker's direction.

Walker was asking for directions after he missed the bus and was hoping to figure out how to get to school.

Zeigler will be eligible for parole in four years.CADILLAC, MI - The Michigan State Police is honoring one of its own for his efforts in saving a man overdosing on drugs.

This is the second time Tpr. Rick Pearson of the Cadillac Post has been recognized with a "Lifesaving Award." His most-recent honor comes after he found an unconscious male in the passenger seat during a traffic stop on M-115 in Wexford County on June 16, 2017.

Shortly after approaching the vehicle, Pearson noticed that the man had signs of a potential opioid overdose.

Tpr. Pearson provided the subject with immediate medical assistance including the administration of NARCAN. He continued to monitor the subject until EMS arrived to transport him to the hospital.

The subject survived, due to Pearson's actions, according to a news release. The "Lifesaving Award" is presented by the Michigan State Police Board of Awards.

Pearson's previous award was given in 2003 when he provided lifesaving first aid to a motorcyclist who had been involved in a serious crash.

A 20-year veteran of the Michigan State Police, Pearson has served the Cadillac area his entire career.Michigan voters weren't the only ones who endorsed a plan to change how lines for state and federal political districts were drawn in 2018.

On Nov. 6, Michigan's Proposal 2 - a plan to create a 13-member commission to oversee the political redistricting process - passed with more than 60 percent of the vote.

Most states still leave the drawing of political district maps to their respective state legislatures, although some states - including Arizona and California - use a commission to make those determinations. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, prior to 2018 commissions had primary responsibility for drawing legislative districts in 13 states and congressional districts in six states.

In 2018, voters in a handful of other states also saw ballot questions that either created an independent redistricting commission or modified the redistricting process in some way, and for the most part those efforts were successful.

Michigan

Proposal 2 will shift the responsibility of drawing Michigan's state and federal political districts every 10 years to a 13-member independent redistricting commission consisting of five independent members, four self-declared Democrats and four self-declared Republicans.

Up to this point, that process had been in the hands of the Michigan legislature, which Proposal 2 supporters equated to politicians picking their own district lines.

Elected officials, candidates, lobbyists and political consultants or staffers -- as well as family members of politicians or other insiders -- will be barred from participating within six years of their politically-affiliated position.

The commissioners will be selected randomly from a pool of registered voters who submitted applications to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State will be required to circulate commissioner applications to 10,000 registered Michigan voters at random from various regions of the state.

Colorado

Colorado voters chose to create two separate independent commissions for deciding congressional and legislative political districts, replacing the current system where 11 commissioners are appointed by various legislative leaders to determine all district maps.

The Colorado plan calls for the creation of two 12-member commissions made up of four Democrats, four Republicans and four unaffiliated voters. According to backing group Fair Maps Colorado, six of the slots would be filled with a lottery system, and a panel of retired judges would select the other six commissioners.

The dual measures creating separate commissions for congressional and legislative districts both passed overwhelmingly, with more than 71 percent of voters supporting both amendments, Colorado Public Radio reported.

Missouri

Missouri voters passed a wide-ranging measure that will create a nonpartisan state demographer position to propose legislative district maps for the state's existing House and Senate redistricting commissions to vote on using statistical analysis.

The commissioners could amend the map if 70 percent of commissioners support an amendment, otherwise the demographer's proposal would be adopted.

According to KMOV, 62 percent of Missouri voters approved Amendment 1. Amendment 1 also included changes to the state's campaign finance rules and tighter restrictions on lobbying and when a former legislator can become a lobbyist.

Utah

It's still unclear whether Utah voters passed Proposition 4, a ballot initiative to implement a seven-member independent redistricting commission appointed by elected officials. The Deseret News reported as of Friday, those in support were ahead by a very slim margin, but votes are still coming in.

Commission members could not be elected officials, lobbyists, or candidates under Utah's proposal, according to Better Boundaries, the group supporting Proposition 4.

Utah's state legislature would still have the final say and could accept or reject the commission's proposed maps, but would have to follow updated standards outlined in Proposition 4 when drawing its own maps.

Ohio

Ohio officials passing a plan through the state legislature to change the state's existing process for congressional districts before voters weighed in during the May 2018 election.

The measure gives the legislature first dibs on approving Ohio's congressional district maps, which would require buy-in from 50 percent of members from both major political parties.

According to cleveland.com, a separate seven-member commission of elected officials and legislative representatives would take over if the legislature couldn't come to an agreement and could approve a map with at least two votes from each party.

If that fails, the issue would go back to the legislature - and if a majority passes a map without the 50 percent threshold from both parties, the map would only last four years and be subject to additional requirements.

Cleveland.com reports that measure passed among Ohio voters by a roughly 75 to 45 percent margin.GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Robert Delaney was profoundly shaken upon his 2010 discovery that PFAS contamination at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda was widespread and that, in all likelihood, the chemicals were infecting the wider Michigan ecosystem in ways that the state is only now starting to quantify.

Delaney, a veteran geologist with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, testified before a U.S. Senate field hearing that he felt as if he were standing at the "edge of the abyss looking into hell with the weight of the world on my shoulders."

Delaney's testimony was the highlight of a two-hour hearing Tuesday, Nov. 13 in Grand Rapids convened by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who, sitting alone at a table onstage, sought answers about PFAS contamination in Michigan from two panels of witnesses, including Delaney, the director of Michigan's PFAS response, and the head of the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Peters, the ranking Democrat on the federal spending and emergency management subcommittee, convened the field hearing at the Grand Valley State University Pew Campus as a follow-up to a similar hearing held Sept. 26 in Washington, DC.

Witnesses included Sandy Wynn-Stelt, a Belmont widow living next to the Wolverine World Wide House Street dump, Rick Rediske, a GVSU Water Resources Institute professor who helped expose Wolverine's use of PFAS chemicals, Adam London, administrative health officer with the Kent County Health Department, and Drew Youngedyke with the National Wildlife Federation.

Also testifying were Pat Breysse, head of the ATSDR, and Carol Isaacs, director of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team, or MPART, a task force created last November that's coordinating contamination response at numerous locations around Michigan.

Cathy Stepp, administrator of the regional Environmental Protection Agency office in Chicago which oversees Michigan and the Great Lakes, was a no-show.

After the hearing, Peters said the EPA told him Stepp had a scheduling conflict, but "we were willing take anybody from the EPA qualified to talk about this," he said. "I'm sure they had folks qualified to be here, so I'm very disappointed they were not."

"Perhaps this is something the Trump Administration does not want to focus on at this time," Peters said. "But we're going to make them focus on this."

Onstage, Peters lauded Delaney as a "legendary figure among the community of Michiganders working to protect our water," and someone whose name surfaced repeatedly as his staff sought information and experts on the contamination in Michigan.

Delaney, who previously was accessible to media and the general public, has been difficult to reach through official channels at the DEQ following a radio appearance a year ago during which he revealed that he'd written a 2012 report warning former DEQ director Dan Wyant that PFAS was going to become public health crisis.

That report has become problematic for outgoing Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder because Wyant essentially buried it rather than acting on numerous recommendations. As PFAS contamination discoveries in Michigan have increased over the past two years, many wonder whether the state might have saved many from exposure had it acted decisively years earlier.

Delaney testified he felt like "Chicken Little" sending his "brainstorming" report up the chain, but he felt compelled to highlight actions the state government could take, such as sampling and mapping PFAS levels in blood serum, checking food supplies, drinking water and surface waters for contamination and developing an in-home carbon filtration program.

"I wanted to give home real ideas on what you could do," Delaney said. "One of the things I though we ought to focus on -- and what MPART is doing a terrific job on -- is focusing on exposure. It takes years and years to clean up sites ... but to get out there and prevent people from drinking and eating these, that was something we could tackle right off the bat."

Of the many recommend actions, only Delaney's call for surface water testing was acted upon before last fall, when Snyder created the MPART following the revelation of severe PFAS contamination in Kent County caused by Wolverine tannery waste dumping.

The DEQ has repeatedly denied it ignored Delaney's report.

Delaney said he didn't get "any feedback" from DEQ leadership about the report until this year.

In his testimony, Delaney stressed that he was speaking as a private citizen, not as a spokesperson for the DEQ. After the hearing, Delaney said the toxicology science was available at the time to justify taking the actions he recommended.

"There was plenty of evidence these things were dangerous," he said, citing an early 2000s manufacturing phase-out of PFOS and PFOA, two types of individual PFAS compounds. Unfortunately, he said countries like China picked up production after domestic manufacturers stopped making the compounds. And laws like the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) don't require that chemicals coming to market in the U.S. be proven safe beforehand.

"We've kind of been on a downward spiral on protecting the people of America from chemicals," Delaney said. "The industry is producing so many new chemicals all the time. They're fantastic chemicals. We use them for everything, but they're not tested. We call it 'whack-a-mole' -- where you get a couple of chemicals you're concerned about, you start to regulate them, then five more pop-up because you need some chemical to replace them."

"The problem with this set of chemicals is that they're so unique -- they do things no other chemicals can do," Delaney said. "Usually you say, OK, we're getting a replacement, but the replacement is just another type of these types of chemicals. It's not like you really know that you're making things better. You could be making thing worse."

Breysse, in his testimony, said that ATSDR -- the toxicological arm of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- can't state whether such replacement compounds are less harmful than PFOS and PFOA, the only two PFAS compounds for which the EPA has a health advisory level and the state of Michigan has regulations for in groundwater and surface waters.

The vast majority of all PFAS testing done in Michigan has detected other compounds either besides or in addition to PFOS and PFOA, a measure that DEQ quantifies as Total PFAS.

"I don't think we know enough to say those short-chain compounds are safe," Breysse said.JACKSON, MI - A man accused of being a large-scale drug dealer, selling high volumes of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine in Jackson, is going to prison.

Jermaine Sanders was convicted, Nov. 9, after four days on trial on seven drug and firearm charges, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office.

Sanders, 39, was convicted of one felony count each of delivery of 50 to 224 grams of a controlled substance heroin, delivery of less than 50 grams of a controlled substance cocaine, possession with intent to deliver meth, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of ammunition by a felon and two counts of felony firearms.

The drugs sold by Sander likely contributed to countless overdoses and overdose deaths in Jackson in 2017, though investigators were unable to prove his link to the deaths, Jackson Narcotics Enforcement Team Commander First Lt. Derrick White said.

"I have no doubt in my mind that the drugs he was selling were responsible for several of the heroin deaths in Jackson last year," White said. "His arrest, and subsequent conviction, took a lot of heroin and meth out of Jackson."

The case stemmed from a JNET investigation that began in 2017 after police received numerous tips that Sanders was a large-scale drug dealer in Jackson, White said.

JNET officers tracked Sanders' movements for a lengthy period of time and eventually obtained a search warrant for his home on Elm Avenue and raided the residence Feb. 16, 2018, White said.

Police recovered two handguns along with various large amounts of heroin, cocaine and meth packaged for sale, White said.

White noted that meth sales in Jackson have been increasing recently and there has been a sharp decline in reports of people cooking their own meth, he said.

"I want to thank the jury for doing their civic duty. They did a very conscientious job in deciding this case," Jackson County Prosecutor Jerry Jarzynka said

This was not the first time Sanders was in court facing drug charges.

In 1996, Sanders was found guilty of possession of more than 25 grams but less than 50 grams of a controlled substance. Two months later, in a separate criminal case, he pleaded guilty to less then 25 grams of a controlled substance, records show.

He was sentenced to a year in jail in those cases.

In early 1999, Sanders was convicted of delivery of less than 50 grams of a controlled substance and was sentenced to serve a minimum of five years in prison, records show.

He was paroled in 2013 and discharged a year later, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Sanders is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 13 before Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson. He is currently lodged in the Jackson County Jail awaiting sentencing.

Possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.BATTLE CREEK, MI -- Kellogg Company has announced redesign of its North American organizational structure and that it is "exploring" the sale of some cookies and fruit snacks businesses.

Sales of cookie brands Keebler, Famous Amos, Mother's and Murray are being explored, the company said in a news release, as well as fruit snacks business Stretch Island.

The redesign is meant to ensure Kellogg has the right operating model and portfolio to deliver profitable growth in the future, the company said in a prepared statement.

Battle Creek City Manager Rebecca Fleury said she understands "from the Kellogg Company that the expected impact locally would be minimal."

"With the Kellogg's North American structural changes, we may see a loss of 30 jobs in Battle Creek. If the company determines the sale of its cookies and fruit snacks lines are warranted, an additional 30 jobs may be lost from the Battle Creek headquarters," she said in a prepared statement.

Beginning in January 2019, Kellogg's North American (KNA) organizational structure will be redesigned to better enable the company to win in the marketplace and deliver top-line growth, the company said.

The company said it is exploring the sale of the cookie and fruit snacks businesses to enable the company to bring a sharper focus to its core businesses.

"Kellogg Company's Deploy for Growth Strategy, announced earlier this year, calls for the company to sharpen our focus and align our resources around our biggest opportunities to grow our top line and return to long-term sustainable growth," said Kellogg Company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steve Cahillane. "Ultimately, we believe these changes will make Kellogg more agile and better focused on growing demand for our foods."

Cahillane said the company needs to make strategic choices about the business and these brands have had difficulty competing for resources and investments within their portfolio.

"Yet, we wholeheartedly believe these iconic and beloved brands can thrive in the portfolio of another organization that can focus on driving growth in these particular categories," he said.

Kellogg said it is making four primary changes to its KNA organizational structure:

Consolidating U.S. Morning Foods, Snacks and Frozen Foods business units into a single, categories-focused organization comprising 80 percent of KNA revenue;

Combining Morning Foods, Snacks and Frozen and Retail Channels sales teams within a single Kellogg U.S. sales organization to improve customer focus;

Building a consolidated, end-to-end KNA Supply Chain including procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and customer service to increase scale, enhance capability and ensure delivery of the company's growth goals;

Investing in new eCommerce and Integrated Business Planning capabilities.

"Successfully achieving our Deploy for Growth Strategy in KNA requires that we grow our business through strong commercial ideas and innovation, prioritized investment choices, excellence in execution and increased speed-to-market," said Chris Hood, President, Kellogg North America. "We are confident the changes we are putting in place will help us achieve these objectives."

Fleury said the city will continue working with the Kellogg's team as they considers ways to grow as a business, and reach their long-term goals.

"These decisions do not come easily, but they are important decisions both for their business and the community as a whole. The Kellogg Company is an important community member and we appreciate their open communication and ongoing dialogue regarding these announcements," she said.

"The city is working diligently to improve, advance, and innovate economic development in our community, and will continue to hold conversations and support the growth of businesses of all sizes, like Kellogg's, to the best of our ability."MUSKEGON, MI - The city of Muskegon and the West Michigan Dock & Market Corporation are considering a land swap that would give the city control of lakefront property near the Mart Dock while the company moves its downtown commercial port operations to the east of Muskegon Lake.

The goal is to give residents and visitors greater downtown access to the Muskegon Lake shoreline, said Muskegon City Manager Frank Peterson. The city would swap the Fisherman's Landing campground and boat launch that the corporation known as the Mart Dock would use as its new shipping hub.

The city has eyed the Fisherman's Landing property as an area designated for future commercial port development for close to a decade.

The downtown site, known as the Third Street perimeter property, is located between Mart Dock shipping operations and the Shoreline Inn, just off Shoreline Drive where Third Street turns into Terrace Point Road.

Peterson said the city is only interested in taking control of an L-shaped, lakefront portion of the property. The remaining parcel, which is zoned for potential mixed-use development, would be left to Mart Dock.

If both parties can strike a deal, the plan is to redevelop the downtown parcel into a mixture of public space, residential and potential commercial uses, Peterson wrote in a memo sent to the Muskegon City Commission.

City commissioners are expected to give Peterson permission to move forward with negotiations at their regular meeting Tuesday. The Mart Dock sent a letter of intent to Peterson on Sept. 20, saying it has embraced the idea and wants to explore it further.

The letter of intent does not bind the city or the Mart Dock to a land swap agreement, but it does allow both parties to move forward with negotiations.

While the deal is still in its earliest phases, the letter of intent is seen as another key step for redevelopment on Muskegon Lake, Peterson added. It also gives the city a chance to explore whether the Fisherman's Landing property would be appropriate for heavy port operations, he said.

"This came from having an open dialogue over the course of multiple years with the folks from Mart Dock about our ultimate desire to see redevelopment of the waterfront," Peterson said. "The timing is a little bit better now than it has been in the past. There's more of an economy for that kind of redevelopment. But we only have one place to send them, and that's Fisherman's Landing.

"I think the first step is asking, 'Can Fisherman's Landing be used for port activity, and is it built in a way that can be used for that?'"

If that letter of intent is approved on Nov. 13, Peterson and city staff can begin appraising the value of the Third Street property while Mart Dock appraises the value of Fisherman's Landing.

Mart Dock President Max McKee was not available to comment on the deal, but the company and the city have had sporadic conversations over the last decade about moving Mart Dock's shipping operation away from the downtown landscape.

In 2012, the city and Mart Dock officials considered a similar land swap deal that proposed moving Fisherman's Landing to an undeveloped portion of what was once Pigeon Hill adjacent to the Harbour Towne Condominiums.

Mart Dock officials wanted to exchange acreage at the former Pigeon Hill for Fisherman's Landing where they wanted to establish port operations. Seventy new camping sites and a recreational facility were proposed for the former Pigeon Hill property.

That deal never came to fruition, and now, the Mart Dock's parent company, Sand Products Corp., is drafting plans for a 200-plus home development called The Docks at the old Pigeon Hill property.

As part of the recent conversation, the parties plan to begin environmental studies on both properties. The city wants to see if the shipping port is suitable for redevelopment into public space. Conversely, WMD wants to see if Fisherman's Landing is suitable for shipping operations and aggregate storage.

Peterson said he hopes to have his portion of the feasibility study done by the first of the year in 2019. The Mart Dock's study might take longer to complete, seeing as the dock company would have to uproot its commercial port operation to another location.

Both parties have six months to do their due diligence, according to the terms spelled out in the letter of intent.

There's also the question of what do with campground located at Fisherman's Landing. Peterson said there are several locations around the city that could be suitable for replacement campgrounds - one being the Kruse Park on Lake Michigan.

The 18.6-acre Fisherman's Landing , located at 501 E. Western Avenue near Ottawa Avenue and Giddings Street, has five launch ramps, 105 camp sites, picnic shelter, playground, shower facility and fish cleaning station.MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - A new probation system is being developed in Muskegon County to help rehabilitate felony offenders whose drug addictions have trapped them in the court system.

In some cases, probationers with drug addictions and repeat violations have died while working through the system because Muskegon County does not offer specialized help for addicts, said Sandra Vanderhyde, administrator of the 14th Circuit Court.

The system focused on recovery is expected to begin in late December. It will be funded by two state and federal grants received this year, the largest of which is a nearly $500,000 federal grant to be disbursed over the next four years.

The federal "Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant" will be use to help treat opioid addiction among felony probationers. A $61,409 Office of Highway Safety and Planning grant from the state will fund the rest of the program.

The court will provide expanded drug testing, counseling and sobriety programming, Vanderhyde said. It also plans to help probationers find employment, housing and transportation with individualized case management.

The county's EXIT jail transition program will be a focus of the new effort, with an aim of stabilizing offenders' lives before they are released on probation.

As Muskegon County continues to struggle with an ongoing opioid drug crisis, the courts are in desperate need of a system focused squarely on addiction, Vanderhyde said.

"We want to make sure it's holistic, which is one of the reasons we believe our program will be different," Vanderhyde said. "I recently heard the statistic that in Michigan, (Muskegon County) is the only county that doesn't have alcohol as its No. 1 substance abused. We have opioids. So we've known we needed a drug court for a long time."

Muskegon County currently uses a felony court probation system that transitions into Michigan's Swift & Sure Sanctions model if offenders are unsuccessful in the first tier, Vanderhyde said.

The Swift & Sure Sanctions model is an intensive supervision program for high-risk felony offenders with a history of probation violations or failures.

The system was based on Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) program, which has been successful in improving the rate of completion for high-risk probationers.

Vanderhyde said the judge behind the HOPE program recently visited Muskegon because the county has one of the most robust Swift & Sure Sanctions programs in the state. The judge advised Vanderhyde to expand the probation system if drugs are the cause for repeat violations.

"If they're not successful (in regular probation or Swift & Sure), it's likely because they have a drug addiction," Vanderhyde said. "And sure enough, that's what we found."

Since the 14th Circuit Court adopted the Swift & Sure Sanctions model in 2015, Vanderhyde said at least seven probationers died from drug overdoses while working through the system.OCEANA COUNTY, MI - A man who was arrested after a five-hour standoff with police later tried to commit suicide in the Oceana County Jail, according to the sheriff.

The suspect, who sheriff's officials said had used a tractor to flip over his ex-wife's car before the standoff, was found unresponsive in his cell on Nov. 5, according to a Nov. 13 news release from the office of Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast.

He remains hospitalized at Mercy Health Partners Hackley Campus in Muskegon where he was taken after he attempted to commit suicide by hanging, the release states.

The suicide attempt came two days after the 60-year-old was arrested following the five-hour standoff on Saturday, Nov. 3. The man had gone to his ex-wife's home and allegedly threatened her several times with a large knife, Mast said earlier.

He then allegedly used a front-end loader on a farm tractor to flip his ex-wife's car onto its roof and fled the scene on the tractor, Mast said.

Upon returning to his home, the man brandished a cross-bow and kept police at bay for several hours, Mast said. He eventually gave himself up and was arrested on several felony charges, according to the sheriff's office.

Because the suspect has not yet been arraigned, his name has not been released.

Around 9:38 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, the man was found in his cell with a phone cord around his neck, according to the news release. Personnel with the sheriff's office, Life EMS and the Hart Area Fire Department treated him at the scene and "were able to regain a pulse in the inmate," the release states.

The incident will be reviewed by independent investigators with the Michigan Sheriffs Association's MISSION team, according to the press release.SAGINAW, MI - Icy roads led to several slide-offs and crashes across the region on Tuesday, Nov. 13.

Slick roads were spread across Bay, Genesee and Saginaw counties.

"It's slick and the farther south you go, it's even worse," said Daniel Medina, director of maintenance with the Saginaw County Road Commission. "Bridge decks, stops are the main concerns, but even the main roads are slick. We're out there salting."

There are 45 trucks throughout Saginaw County spreading salt, Medina said.

"If everyone would just slow down, they'll get to where they're going," he said.

Saginaw County 911 Director Randy Pfau said the slick roads are spread across the county.

He said while there have been a number of crashes reported across the county, he doesn't think anyone was seriously injured.

In Bay County, a Michigan State Police trooper was briefly hospitalized after his patrol vehicle was rear-ended by a pickup truck.

About 6:25 a.m. on Tuesday, the trooper pulled over onto the side of southbound Interstate 75 just south of M-84 in Frankenlust Township to assist a motorist whose vehicle had slid off into the median.

The trooper was still in the vehicle with his lights activated when a pickup truck in the farthest left lane crashed into the rear of the patrol car, said Michigan State Police Special 1st Lt. David Kaiser.

The trooper was released from the hospital by 10 a.m., Kaiser said.

In Bay City, Veterans Bridge was closed for a crash and reopened about 7:30 a.m.

There were 10 crashes across Genesee County just before 8 a.m., according to Genesee County 911.

Highway M-13 at Cheboyganing Creek bridge was closed about 7:45 a.m. in both directions for an accident, Bay County Central Dispatch reported.

One person was killed and one injured in St. Clair County's Riley Township when they were hit by a car after crashing on westbound Interstate 69 Tuesday morning in St. Clair County.

A truck hauling a trailer lost control on the slick road and slid into a ditch on the north side of the interstate, causing the truck and trailer to roll over, police said.

The driver and a passenger got out of the vehicle and were waiting for a tow truck along the road when a car lost control and slid toward the same ditch, hitting both people.

One of the people became pinned between the trailer and the car. The person, whose name has not been released, was later pronounced dead. The second person suffered non-life-threatening injuries.WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump and a handful of aides are being sued by cable television news network CNN over the ban of reporter Jim Acosta.

The lawsuit is being filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. according to a CNN spokesperson and demands that Acosta's press credential -- known as a "hard pass" -- be restored.

Trump and five aides are named as defendants in the suit including chief of staff John Kelly and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. CNN is suing all six of those people for their role in denying Acosta his press pass.

The lawsuit alleges that denying Acosta his pass is a violation of his First and Fifth amendment rights.

"CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration this morning in DC District Court. It demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN's Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta's First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process," read a statement released by CNN Tuesday. "We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process."

Acosta's credential was taken away from him after a testy exchange with Trump during a press conference last week. At one point, an aide tried to take away the microphone from Acosta who was asking Trump a pair of questions.

Trump yelled at Acosta and told him to sit down, but Acosta continued to attempt to ask his questions. Later that evening, Sanders shared a video on social media claiming Acosta put his hands on the aide that tried to grab the microphone.

The video however shows Acosta pushed away her hand and wasn't forceful in preventing her from grabbing the microphone.

Acosta has continued to cover Trump and The White House since being banned, but he has been unable to attend events in the building or ask questions.The California fires are big enough, and the upper-air flow just right for Michigan to smell the smoke.

If our skies would ever clear of clouds, we would possibly even see the haze of the smoke.

The image above is a computer model that shows the movement of the smoke. The image is from Sunday night, November 11, 2018. The southwesterly flow at that point had blown smoke all the way from California to southern Michigan.

You may have thought neighbors were burning leaves. It was the smoke you were smelling. An MLive co-worker, Matt Durr, told me in an email, "For what it's worth I've noticed it down here in Lenawee County all night. I thought it was people burning leaves at first but it was like a three mile stretch."

The wildfire smoke will occasionally blow over Michigan from various westerly directions. It looks like another batch of smoke may be on the way in a few days. The computer model today shows the smoke now going north into Canada and then moving southeast toward Michigan.

Here's the smoke forecast for 1 p.m. Wednesday, November 14, 2018.

High Resolution Rapid Refresh forecast of smoke particles at 1 p.m. Wednesday, November 14, 2018

The smoke may be into the Dakotas and Minnesota by tomorrow afternoon. This high resolution model only forecasts out 36 hours in advance. If we just extrapolate the motion of the smoke, it would be over Michigan Wednesday night.

The point is we will occasionally get patches of smoke drifting across Michigan's skies. The smoke could be noticed by us in two ways. Of course we can possibly smell the smoke. Additionally, if the skies clear and we have smoke haze, beautiful sunsets could happen.

We will need warmer temperatures to be able to have clear skies and great smoky sunsets. Thursday evening has a chance of clear skies and a smoky sunset.In the audience to the members of the Pontifical Council for International Eucharistic Congresses, Pope Francis urges the next Eucharistic Congress in Budapest (in 2020) to be a witness in modern and secularized society, where faith has become marginal. "Spreading a "Eucharistic culture", of "communion", "service", "mercy" in a Europe sick with indifference".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Eucharist " paschal mystery that can enhance the baptized as individuals, but also the earthly city in which they live and work ": said Pope Francis this morning meeting the participants in the plenary session of the Pontifical council for international Eucharistic Congresses, about to prepare for 2020 the Eucharistic Congress in Budapest (Hungary).

In this "great European city" the Eucharistic event will meet the challenges of secularized modernity and a globalization that risks eliminating the unique features of a rich and variegated history", of the Church and of the congresses, which have been taking place for over 100 years.

"What does it mean - asks Francis - to celebrate a Eucharistic Congress in the modern and multicultural city, where the Gospel and the forms of religious affiliation have become marginal?". The answer: "in a Europe sick with indifference and crossed by divisions and closures", it means spreading a "Eucharistic culture", of three attitudes.

The first is "communion": " Communion with Christ is the real challenge facing Eucharistic pastoral activity, since it entails helping the faithful to communicate with Jesus present in the Sacrament in order to live in him and with him in charity and mission. A powerful contribution to this is also made by Eucharistic worship outside of Mass, which has always been an important moment in these ecclesial gatherings. Prayer of adoration teaches us not to separate Christ the Head from his Body, our sacramental communion with him from our communion with his members and from the missionary commitment that follows from this".

The second attitude is "service": "The Eucharistic community, communicating to the fate of Jesus Servant, becomes itself" servant ". The Pope explains that "Christians serve the cause of the Gospel by entering the places of weakness and the cross to share and heal" and lists some of these places: " We think of families in difficulty, young people and adults without work, the sick and the elderly who are abandoned, migrants experiencing hardship and acts of violence, and so many other forms of poverty". In all, "the baptized spread the seeds of a Eucharistic culture by becoming servants of the poor, not in the name of an ideology but of the Gospel itself, which becomes a rule of life for individuals and communities. We see this in the constant witness borne by so many saints of charity, men and women alike ".

The third attitude is "mercy": " Everyone laments the corrosive river of misery flowing through our society. It is made up of different kinds of fear, oppression, arrogance, cruelty, hatred, forms of rejection and lack of concern for the environment, not to mention others. And yet, Christians realize every Sunday that this swollen river is powerless against the ocean of mercy that inundates our world. Mercy thus enters the veins of this world and helps to form the image and structure of the People of God suited to our modern age".The Indian unit of China's largest bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has set up USD 200 million fund for investing in the promising Indian micro, small and medium enterprises and ventures, its official said here.

Zheng Bin, CEO of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) India on Monday gave an overview of Indian start-up ecosystem and how to invest in them at the 2nd 'Start-up India' Investment Seminar organised by the Indian Embassy here.

"He also informed that the ICBC India has established a USD 200 million fund for investing in the promising Indian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and ventures," the Indian Embassy said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ICBC, a top state-run Chinese bank which is the country's largest lender by market value, has opened its branch in Mumbai in 2011.

More than 350 Chinese mostly representing Chinese Venture Capital (VC) funds, angel investors participated in a day long pitching session and seminar organised by the Indian Embassy in partnership with the Start-up India Association (SIA) and Venture Gurukool.

Forty-two Indian entrepreneurs representing 20 Indian start-ups took part in the event which was expected to fetch good investments for the Indian firms, Prashant Lokhande, Counsellor Economic and Commerce of the Indian Embassy who addressed the event said.

Four out of the 12 Indian firms which took part in the first start-up India investment seminar held here last year got funding from the Chinese VCs to the tune of USD 15 million, the press release said.

In the current round, 7-8 start-ups out of 20 participants may get commitment to the tune of USD 30 million, it said.

The event was planned to expose the Chinese VCs and investors to the promising Indian start-ups on one hand and help Indian start-ups to reach out to the huge Chinese investors community for receiving investment for growth of their companies, it said.

Addressing the event Acqino Vimal, Deputy Chief of Mission said Chinese investors should take part in the development process of India growth story through investing in Indian start-ups.

He said India's young demography, rapid economic growth and fast pace urbanisation and its challenges work as hotbed for growth of Indian entrepreneurs and start-up ecosystem, as well as provide them opportunity for offering unique, innovative, and affordable solutions for these challenges.

During the seminar, a report "India  China: Start-ups & Beyond" by KPMG giving detailed account of Indian start-up ecosystem and why it is right place for making venture investments, was unveiled.Alphabet's YouTube is going to double the rate of its high-impact fixed homepage advertisement to Rs 1.4 crore from Rs 70 lakh a day at present, The Economic Times reported.

The move comes as the social media platform's monthly active users (MAUs) reported a significant jump. "YouTube is now reaching 120 million users a day with over 1 billion impressions. Few media vehicles can deliver such reach in a day," Amardeep Singh, CEO at Interactive Avenues, the digital agency owned by IPG Mediabrands told the paper.

As per the industry consensus, YouTube reaches 250 million MAUs, Facebook has 220 million, Instagram touches around 68 million, while Twitters MAUs have gone up to 30.4 million.

Facebook and Twitter have also been hiking advertising rates, the report said.

Read: Digital to snap up 24 % of ad pie by 2020

"If you take FB, the news feed ads now costs over 100 percent compared over last year," Vivek Bhargava, Chief Executive Officer at DAN Performance Group told the paper, adding that these platforms have de-cluttered the news feed and timelines so it made sense for them to push up rates.

Facebook, however, has denied any rise in advertising cost on the platform and stated that the social network's pricing is 'transparent' to every ad buyer.

"Our ad demand continues to go up because we are getting more and more advertisers on board as we expand the business. At the same time inventory is also going up as we see more and more users on the platform," a Facebook spokesperson told the paper.

Experts told the paper that the trend of digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, raising rates between 20-30 percent annually will continue in 2019, too, as time spent by users and engagement levels increase.

Read: Digital advertising to cross Rs 255 billion mark in 2020

In 2018, around 28 percent of the total digital advertising expenditure in India was on social media, according to another Dentsu Aegis report on digital advertising in India.

Source: Statista.

As of now, a basic digital media campaign reaching 1 billion impressions --the total number of views -- costs around Rs 3 crore according to a rough industry estimate.

The advertising industry is currently estimated to be Rs 55,960 crore and expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32 percent to reach Rs 18,986 crore by 2020, according to the Dentsu Aegis Network-e4m Digital Report.

The digital advertising industry across the country has been growing rapidly. It had a market size of around Rs 11,630 crore in FY18, up from about Rs 4700 crores in FY15, according to a KPMG report.

Source: Statista.

Industry leaders told the paper that the players are bound to jack up prices since digital is becoming an important part of the media, given the rate of digital penetration and adoption.

According to the Dentsu Aegis report, digital is expected to be the fastest growing medium of the advertising industry and may account for 24 percent of the overall industry pie by 2020.

"Digital media spends currently contribute to 15 percent of the total advertising industry and are expected to reach 24 percent of the entire market by 2020," the report said.Tata Steel

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Tata Steel, which announces September quarter results on November 13, is expected to report a steady show in India business. But realisations could be under pressure on the back of weakness in long steel product segment, multiple brokerages wrote in their reports.

Meanwhile, European operations are likely to see lower EBITDA per tonne due to seasonal weakness in European market.

Here is a gist of what brokerages are expecting from the results.

Brokerage: Axis Securities | PAT: Rs 2,190 crore

Axis Securities expects consolidated volume to increase by 12% YoY at 7.2 million tonnes mainly due to inclusion of Bhushan Steel volumes. Domestic average realization to reduce marginally QoQ to Rs 55,000/t on correction in long steel product.

The brokerage also expects European profitability to be lower at EBITDA/tonne of USD 30 vs. USD 58 in Q1FY19 due to seasonal weakness in European market, lower volumes on outages and maintenance shutdown and spread compression.

Brokerage: Emkay | PAT: Rs 2,620.9 crore

Q2FY19 will be a better quarter for Tata Steel, Emkay said, adding that India sales volumes are expected to be at 3.1 million tonnes.

Realizations are likely to be up marginally on a sequential basis. Better sales volume and higher realizations should aid better performance, analysts at the firm wrote I their report.

Brokerage: ICICI Securities | PAT: 2,021.7 crore

ICICI Securities expects domestic operations to report healthy EBITDA per tonne at Rs 16,500 per tonne.

The EBITDA/tonne is likely to moderate QoQ due to increased raw material prices (iron ore and coking coal). Indian operations are expected to report steel sale of 3.2 million tonne (MT) while European operations steel sales are likely to come in at 2.6 MT, analysts at the firm wrote in their report.

On a consolidated basis, the topline is expected to increase 20.9% YoY, 3.7% QoQ. EBITDA is expected to increase 44.2% YoY, they added.

Brokerage: Motilal Oswal | PAT: Rs 2,680 crore

Motilal Oswal expects Tata Steels standalone EBITDA to increase 8% QoQ to Rs 5,180 crore on higher steel spreads.

EBITDA per tonne is estimated to increase 7% QoQ to Rs 16,947/tonne on higher realization.

It expects EU sales volumes to increase 1% QoQ to 2.5 million tonnes. Margins are estimated to expand to USD14/t on healthy steel spreads.

Consolidated EBITDA is expected to increase 5% QoQ to Rs 6,810 crore.

Key issues to watch for

Imports from China and global iron ore prices

Brokerage: Kotak Institutional Equities | PAT: Rs 2,462.7 crore

The brokerage expects marginal decline in India steel realizations due to weak prices in the long product segment.

We expect marginal decline in India steel realizations due to weak prices in the long product segment. We estimate India EBITDA/ton at Rs16,950 (+55% yoy,-1% qoq) and model India volumes of 3.14 mn tons (flat yoy, +6% qoq), the report further added.

Brokerage: Prabhudas Lilladher | PAT: Rs 2,657.7 crore

Standalone volume is expected to grow 3.4% QoQ to 3.07 million tonnes. Realisations are expected to fall 1% or Rs 534/tonne QoQ to Rs 54,704/tonne. EBITDA/t is expected to grow 1.5%/Rs 248 QoQ to Rs 17,325.US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has resumed discussions with China Vice Premier Liu He, with the two speaking by telephone on Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing sources.

The conversation did not lead to any breakthrough to resolve the tariff dispute between the world's two largest economies, the WSJ reported.

A US Treasury spokesman did not immediately respond to a query about the report.

The development comes as China President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump plan to meet on the sidelines of a G20 summit that is being held in Argentina at the end of November and early December.

Earlier this month, after a phone conversation with Xi, Trump said he thought the United States would make a deal with China on trade but stood ready to levy more tariffs on Chinese goods if no progress is made.

Trump has imposed tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods to pressure Beijing to stop intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers, improve market access for US firms and cut China's high-tech industrial subsidy program - major shifts away from Chinas state-led economic model.

The tariff rate on $200 billion in Chinese goods is set to increase to 25 percent from 10 percent on January 1. Trump has also threatened to impose tariffs on all remaining Chinese imports, about $267 billion worth, if China fails to address US demands.

Mnuchin in October said that China needed to identify concrete "action items" to rebalance the two countries' trade relationship before talks to resolve their disputes could resume.In April, the banking regulator had given six months to global payment companies to store transaction data of Indian customers within India.

At present, these companies are out of the tax net as they do not have a 'permanent establishment' in the country as they operate through offices in jurisdictions such as Singapore and store data on servers located in countries like the US and Ireland.

These companies may come under the tax net in India as they have set-up servers locally to comply with a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) directive on data storage. According to the tax laws, a permanent establishment, or place of business, determines whether an organisation is required to pay tax.

International payment companies such as Visa, Mastercard and American Express may attract 15 percent tax on their India income, The Economic Times reported .

Experts told the paper that now that the companies have moved their servers to India, they will be treated as having a permanent establishment.

"As per tax treaties India has with various countries, the server on which a website or data or software is stored and through which it is accessible is a piece of equipment having physical location. Such a location can be considered as a fixed place of business of the enterprise that owns or leases and operates the server," Dilip Lakhani, a tax expert told the paper.

Read: RBI may not immediately penalise payment cos breaching data localisation norms: Report

International companies may attract a 15 percent tax as they have invested in India through their arms in countries like Singapore with which India has tax treaties. Indian companies pay a 30 percent tax on their corporate profit.

According to the report, most major payment companies have already started looking at ways to deal with the likely tax implication.

"While the tax outgo for payment system providers would go up if they set up their own servers in India, most companies may either set-up a separate special purpose vehicle or just use the servers of an unrelated Indian company," Jeenendra Bhandari, a partner at advisory firm MGB, told the paper.

Read  Explained: RBI vs payments companies on data localisation

These payment companies would use the servers by paying rent so that there will be no permanent establishment, Bhandari added.

Mastercard, Visa and American Express have reportedly started storing all its new payments transaction data in India at technology centres across India.

"On data localisation, Visa has completed the key requirement of storing its Indian data locally and is equipped to facilitate regulatory access to payment transaction data of Indian cardholders. We are currently implementing our solution in line with our plan submitted to RBI," a Visa spokesperson said.

Read  Opinion | Data localisation offers Indian firms a chance to evolve their mindset

Government sources previously told Reuters that stringent data localisation measures were essential for gaining easier access to data during criminal and other investigations.

Apart from tax implication, the RBI circular may impact companies such as Google and Apple in different ways, the report said.

In October, two US senators had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to soften India's stance on data localisation, warning that measures requiring it represent 'key trade barriers' between the two nations.

Other than the RBI proposal, India is working on an overarching data protection law that calls for the storing of all critical personal data in India. The central bank is also developing e-commerce and cloud computing policies.manufacturer of Titanium alloys in India.

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Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) Tuesday opposed inclusion of stainless steel flat products in the proposed RCEP agreement among 16 countries, including China.

ASEAN countries and their six trade partners such as India, China and Australia are negotiating a mega trade deal named as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

In a statement, JSL Managing Director Abhyuday Jindal said, "This has reference to the Inter-Ministerial Meet to be held in Singapore...reportedly for drawing substantial conclusions to the RCEP agreement between 16 countries, including China.

"This is a grave concern for domestic stainless steel industry. As largest stainless steel maker and the leading voice in industry, we strongly oppose inclusion of stainless steel flat products in the RCEP agreement."

The statement has come a day ahead of the second RCEP Leaders Summit in Singapore on Wednesday.

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu is leading a delegation for the meeting of trade ministers of RCEP member countries.

The move will open flood gates of Chinese imports into India through zero duty access, Jindal warned.

"This will make operations for domestic producers non-viable, thereby resulting in long-term losses. This may result in immediate shut down of small scale units and will simultaneously cascade into the organised sector," he pointed.

Jindal further said that investments made by domestic industry in capacity building worth Rs 35,000 crore would stand in jeopardy.

"Once operational, RCEP will turn India into a nation of traders alone. It will become a dumping ground for all goods through this 'Open Door Policy' approach by the government, thereby destroying the manufacturing sector in India, resulting in losses of jobs and investor confidence," Jindal warned.

India already has a free trade agreement with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan and South Korea and it is negotiating similar pacts with Australia and New Zealand.

India is pushing for liberalising norms to promote services trade as the sector accounts for about 55 per cent of India's GDP. India is looking for a balance trade agreement as it would cover 40 per cent of the global GDP and over 42 per cent of world's population.

"Though the FTAs were envisaged to promote trade between the two countries, much of the trade post FTA has been one sided and India has substantial trade deficit with both Korea and Japan. There is enough data to suggest that all these countries are riddled with excess capacity and have excess production. They have also been held guilty of repetitive dumping behaviour," Jindal said.

The government must review its stand on including stainless steel products in RCEP, he added.In a fresh crackdown on unauthorised money pooling schemes, the SEBI has barred Pragya Dairies & Agro and Vayaa Builder and Developers as well as their directors from raising funds from public and from launching any new investment plans. The directions come after the regulator received complaints against these companies.

The SEBI, prima facie, found that Pragya Dairies mobilised about Rs 13 crore from public through its schemes pertaining to cattle/ghee and Vayaa Builder (formerly known as Veenayaka H&H Property Makers) collected a little over Rs 4 crore from investors through different land/plot allotment scheme under the garb of a real estate business.

The companies were carrying on these collective investment schemes (CIS) without obtaining registration from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator said in separate orders dated November 9.

Consequently, SEBI has directed Pragya Dairies and its directors or promoters -- Punam Chand Patidar, Nana Lal Patidar, Pooja Patidar, Durga Patidar, Rajesh Jain, Ansar Ahmed, Alok Sahai Vidyarthi and Pramila Jain -- as well as Vayaa Builder and its directors -- Yogendra Bisay and Jitendra Bisay -- not to collect any fresh money from investors under their existing schemes and not to launch any new schemes or plans or float any new companies to raise funds.

The entities have also been ordered to immediately submit the full inventory of the assets owned by these companies out of the amounts collected from the investors.

Besides, the firms and their directors have been asked not to dispose of any of the properties or alienate the assets of the existing scheme as well as not to divert any funds mobilised from the public.

The companies and their directors will have to furnish all the information sought by the SEBI with regard to scheme-wise list of investors along with the details of amount mobilised.

The directions will take effect immediately and be in force until further orders, as per the regulator.Tata Mutual Fund has appointed Sailesh Jain as fund manager for four equity schemes with immediate effect, an addendum from the fund house said.

Jain will handle Tata Digital India Fund, Tata Equity Savings Fund, Tata India Pharma and Healthcare Fund and Tata Resources and Energy Fund.

The fund house notified that Meeta Shetty has been appointed as Assistant Fund Manager of Tata Digital India Fund and Tata India Pharma and Healthcare Fund. Satish Chandra Mishra will be Assistant Fund Manager of Tata Resources and Energy Fund.

All other features of the schemes remain unchanged.Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar and Congress Maharashtra unit chief Ashok Chavan on November 12 reached out the to the Left front and other parties in a bid to form a united opposition alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the elections in 2019.

According to a report by The Indian Express, speaking at a farmers convention organised by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-backed All India Kisan Sabha, Pawar said the meeting should be immediately followed up with another one so that anti-BJP parties could plan their course of action. Former Maharashtra chief minister Chavan was also present.

This should not end here with resolutions on farmers distress. We should sit together again, in the next five to eight days for discussions, to formulate a plan on what needs to be done in the next two to four years, Pawar added, according to the newspaper.

Chavan said the Congress-NCP combine can hold discussions with the CPI(M) because people want us to come together.

The Congress state unit chief said a common minimum programme in Maharashtra could be formulated under the leadership of Pawar. He also sought further discussions with the Left front parties.

Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have also directed that this discussion, for a united opposition against the BJP-Sena government in Maharashtra, should begin, the report quotes Chavan as saying.

Forging alliances

Reports suggest that Congress has also been trying to get Prakash Ambedkars Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) to join the alliance, but with riders. BBM has in turn announced an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

In the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly polls, AIMIM and BBM had won two seats and one seat, respectively. However, they had garnered 13.16 percent and 3.64 percent vote share, respectively, in the seats they contested.

Congress and NCP were in an alliance in Maharashtra from 1999 to 2014, when they snapped ties ahead of the assembly polls.

The two parties are believed to be holding talks to finalise their seat sharing. However, according to a report by The Hindustan Times, Congress has refused to accept a 50:50 seat sharing formula with the NCP. The Rahul Gandhi-led party has reiterated its stand of not conceding equal number of seats to its alliance partner.

While the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are expected to happen in April-May, Maharashtra is expected to head for assembly polls in October-November next year.

With 48 parliamentary constituencies, Maharashtra has the second largest pool of Lok Sabha seats.Seldom do prospective home buyers purchase a flat by paying the entire amount upfront. Many lack the funds required to make a purchase even as property prices remain stable or fall.

The dearth of capital prompts home buyers to opt for home loans for which lenders seek a 20 percent down payment. Arranging this money can be a tough ask for many. Some even consider withdrawing money from their employee provident fund (EPF) accounts.

But is it a wise idea? After all it is the money kept aside for the golden years. Lets see how it works.

Before we get into the implications of EPF withdrawal, let us look at the broad norms associated with it.

For beginners, an employee who has been associated with EPF for at least three years and have at least Rs 20,000 account balance is eligible for this. One can withdraw up to 90% of the balance to buy home subject to other conditions laid out by authorities. More can be read here.

Since the EPFO is going to pay the society or the developer of the property, such withdrawal of money can be used to pay for the entire house  down payment or home loan EMI. You can also avail the interest payment subsidy on Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) on the payments made through EPF for home buying. Looking at the benefits, this becomes a go to option for many salaried individuals when they want to buy their dream home. But the personal finance experts think otherwise.

EPF helps salaried individuals to accumulate funds while they are working. The corpus is meant for the period when one retires and there is no regular income. Hence, it is not supposed to be withdrawn before its maturity as this could jeopardise one's retirement, says Balwant Jain, a tax and investment expert based in Mumbai. By spending your money meant for your golden years on your home you are exposing yourself to the risk of leaving no funds for your retired life. Remember, there are many banks who are willing to lend you money to buy a house. But nobody lends you money to live retired life, points out Pankaj Mathpal, founder of Mumbai based Optima Money Managers, a wealth management and financial planning firm.

EPF is an opportunity to accumulate money for the post retirement period. You keep contributing a small fraction of your salary to the EPF and your employer matches your contribution. As the salary increases, the contributions do go up. That makes a large corpus in your hand when you retire, provided you do not withdraw it for any other purpose. When you keep contributing to this corpus and do not withdraw money in the interim period, the magic of compounding works in your favour over your working years. That leaves you with a large corpus which is difficult to accumulate for many salaried individuals otherwise, explains Balwant Jain.

House is a necessity and in the Indian context owned house is a social and psychological need for many of us. But short term thinking focussed on immediate gratification must be avoided at any cost. There are cases in which individuals use their EPF money for home buying, childs education and marriage. Such individuals find it difficult to pay for their day to day expenses after they retire, says Mathpal.

"It is better to make a plan for home buying. Start saving money to accumulate the down payment amount over three to five years. If the home prices go up or your investments yield less than expected, you may want to delay the home buying by a year or two. Avail of the home loan after you make the down payment but do not touch your EPF money," he adds.

It is better to compare the cost of funds (rate of home loan) and the rate of return offered on the EPF before taking the funding decision, says Joydeep Sen, founder of wiseinvestor.in, a financial advisory firm based in Mumbai. The repayment of home loan principal and interest both attract the tax benefits. Depending on the tax slab of the individual the cost of home loan stands reduced to the extent of the tax exemption availed. In most cases, the cost of home loan is lower than the rate of return receivable on the EPF, which makes the home loan better means to pay for your home.

Do not withdraw money from your EPF account. Let your EPF balance compound and help you retire rich.Most policyholders get confused by considering insurance as investment and end up making investments in market-linked insurance plans. One needs to understand that non-linked insurance plans are equally important. Also, insurance should be bought as per the need and not on what market returns they are offering.

On one side where market linked insurance product provides you decent protection cover with non-guaranteed high return on an investment, the other side, non-linked insurance product promises coverage upto the policyholder's death (till the age of hundred).

Let us understand what are linked and non-linked plan and on what basis one should consider them.

Linked plans: The products are basically market linked and commonly known as ULIPs (Unit Liked Insurance Plans). These are the insurance products which provides protection benefit plus other market linked benefits which are partially or wholly dependent on the performance of the underlying assets.

Who should consider choosing a Market linked plan ULIPs?

--When you are looking for protection as well as equity and debt investment option both in one product

--When you are looking for higher returns market beating on your premiums

--When you are looking for dual tax advantage by investing in long term equity and saving Rs 1.5 lakh under section 80C to get the tax benefit.

--When you are looking for flexibility in switching between the funds

A Unit-linked also offers you the following death benefits:

--The sum assured as agreed in the policy plus the balance in the unit fund or higher of the sum assured as agreed in the policy or the balance in the unit fund.

Santosh Agarwal, Associate Director and Cluster head- Life Insurance, Policybazaar.com told Moneycontrol that the new age online ULIPs or 4G ULIPs are low cost and zero commission where charges like premium allocation, policy administration are typically zero. The fund management charges are capped at 1.35% by IRDAI and range between 1-1.35%. There is an inbuilt life cover in ULIPs for which a customer pays mortality charges but companies like Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance and Canara HSBC OBC- Invest 4G have introduced the return of mortality charge (ROMC) feature and have disrupted the market, she told.

A few examples of new age ULIPs are Bajaj Allianz- Goal Assure, HDFC Life- Click2 Invest, Edelweiss Tokio Life- Wealth Plus, ICICI Prudential- LifeTime Classic, Max Life Insurance- Online Savings Plan, Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance- Invest 4G.

Non-linked plans: Traditional or conventional life insurance plans are low-risk investment products. They offer guaranteed maturity proceeds along with declared bonuses (only in case of participating plans). Endowment and Money back plans are typical examples of traditional life insurance policies. Traditional plans are low-risk plans so investors who want to play safe and are looking for guaranteed returns should go for traditional plans. At the time of maturity, a policyholder gets tax-free fund value including bonuses.

Who should consider choosing a Traditional Insurance Plan?

One should opt for traditional policies under the following circumstances:

--When you want long term financial stability with no risk--When you are looking form complete protection and guaranteed returns on your premiums--When you want continuous cash flow in future life events/goals like child's education & wedding planning or your own retirement.

--When you are looking for an instrument which can give you higher tax saving benefit

A few examples of traditional plans are HDFC Life Insurance- Sampoorn Samridhi Plus, Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance- GCAP, HDFC Life Insurance- Sanchay, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance- Savings Suraksha

Heres a comparative analysis between linked and non-linked insurance plans

Source: Policybazaar.comThe Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry is planning to hold a workshop in Ranchi next month for homebuyers, agents and real estate developers from eastern and north-eastern states, ministry sources said.

The conference will be held on December 15, sources told Moneycontrol.

In the northeast, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim have not notified the legislation due to land-related issues.

West Bengal has notified its own version of the Real Estate Act  the Housing and Industrial Regulation Act, 2017 (HIRA). The ministry has asked the state government to repeal it as there cannot be two legislations on the same subject.

The ministry is holding a conference in Delhi on November 14 for North Indian states. States expected to be represented at the November 15 workshop include Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Punjab, Haryana, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT) and Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Titled 'A New Era of Transparency and Accountability in Real Estate -- 2 Years of Implementation and Way Ahead', the workshop will be held in Vigyan Bhawan.

The ministry had held similar workshops in Pune and Chennai in September and October, respectively.

Both builders and home buyers from North India hope that teething problems will get sorted after the conference.

The workshop will provide a common platform for developers to sort out problems and challenges concerning RERA implementation. All stakeholders can discuss if some amendments need to be brought about. In some states, registration of properties has become a challenge for developers. Instead of issuing registration numbers, RERA has become a licensing authority.

"In Haryana, multiple permissions are required before a registration number can be issued and the biggest challenge we face is that of time taken by authorities and the issue of permissions getting lapsed in the process, says Pravin Jain, Vice-President, National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) and CMD, Tulip Infratech Pvt.

It has been two years since RERA was implemented. Homebuyers are yet to fully benefit from it due to which a sense of frustration has set in. At the conference, both the Housing Ministry and RERA authorities will get a chance to hear home buyers side of the story on a common platform. It is also important that participants are informed much in advance so that they come prepared and share their experience. After the workshop, key takeaways should be looked into and shortcomings bridged so as to reinfuse confidence about RERA among buyers, says Abhay Upadhyay, President, Forum For People's Collective Efforts.

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 was enacted two years ago. As many as 13 states and Union territories have appointed a permanent regulator, while 14 have interim regulators. Kerala is in the process of setting up a regulator. As many as 22 states and Union territories have functional web portals under the law.

As many as 32,923 real estate projects have been registered under this legislation across the country. Also, 25,247 real estate agents have been registered under it. Barring West Bengal, six northeastern states and Jammu & Kashmir, all states and Union territories have implemented its provisions.Flipkar's Binny Bansal with Satya Nadella

Denying the claims made by a complainant against him, Binny Bansal on November 13 said that while he is stepping down from his position of chairman and the group chief executive, he will continue to be a board member holding stake in the company.

"I will continue to be a large shareholder in the company and will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Directors," he told employees in an email.

He also stressed upon the fact that he was "stunned" by the allegations.

"These events relate to a claim of serious personal misconduct made against me, which was uncorroborated after a thorough investigation completed by an independent law firm. The allegations left me stunned and I strongly deny them," he said.

He has also mentioned that the earlier plan was to stick around with the company for a few more quarters after closing the Walmart deal.

However, his decision to step down was accelerated by "certain personal events that have taken in the recent past".

On May 13 earlier this year, global retail giant Walmart bought 77 per cent in Flipkart for $16 billion, as it made an elephant-footed entry into India's exploding e-commerce market.

Bansal also lauded Walmart as a great partner saying that "he was optimistic about the future together".

Following his exit, Kalyan Krishnamurthy will continue to be the CEO of Flipkart, which will now include Myntra and Jabong, continuing to operate as separate platforms within the Flipkart business. Ananth Narayanan will remain the CEO of Myntra and Jabong and will report into Krishnamurthy while Samir Nigam will continue to lead PhonePe as the CEO.

"I am convinced that the company is in great hands with our experienced leaders - Kalyan, Ananth and Sameer. They have done an exceptional job running the businesses for many years now and with the support of Walmart that I have experienced, will continue to lead the company to even greater successes in the future," Bansal said.

Bansal resigned after an independent probe found him guilty of serious personal misconduct.

While Walmart did not specify the exact nature of the charges against Bansal, a top source told Moneycontrol that the development is related to a complaint from a female colleague a few months ago.

Here's the text of the letter:

Dear Flipkart Family,

Since co-founding Flipkart with modest resources in 2007, the journey we have embarked on together has been arduous and rewarding, culminating with the fantastic news of our partnership with Walmart earlier this year. They have been great partners and I am optimistic about our future together.

For some time, I have been mulling over the right time to step away from an operating role at Flipkart Group.

My plan was to continue in my current role for a few more quarters to continue the transition after closing the deal with Walmart. However, my decision to step down has been accelerated by certain personal events that have taken place in the recent past.

These events relate to a claim of serious personal misconduct made against me, which was uncorroborated after a thorough investigation completed by an independent law firm. The allegations left me stunned and I strongly deny them. The investigation, however, did bring to light lapses in judgment, particularly a lack of transparency, related to how I responded to the situation. These have been challenging times for my family and me. I am concerned that this may become a distraction for the company and the team. In light of these circumstances, I feel it is best to step away as Chairman and Group CEO.

I will continue to be a large shareholder in the company and will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Directors.

I am convinced that the company is in great hands with our experienced leaders - Kalyan, Ananth and Sameer. They have done an exceptional job running the businesses for many years now and with the support of Walmart that I have experienced, will continue to lead the company to even greater successes in the future.The government may give more time to e-commerce companies to file returns on tax collected at source (TCS), a move that will likely ease nerves of online market places that have been grappling with technical glitches since the new levy kicked in from October 1.

The idea is not to penalize companies who did not file return or filed it late. The first step is to get them registered on the portal, a senior official, who did not wish to be identified, told Moneycontrol.

Under goods and services tax (GST) rules, e-commerce companies are required to collect 1 % of the value of the merchandise transacted through their marketplaces. It came into effect from October 1 after being deferred at least three times in the last one year.

Under rules, companies are required to file returns by the following months 10th day. In this case, since TCS will be applicable from October 1, e-tailers would had to file their first set of returns by November 10.

However, citing technical and procedural hurdles, many e-commerce companies have not been able to file returns. This consideration from the government may be a breather for them who otherwise may be required to cough up penalty for delay in filing returns.

"There were a lot of back and forth that happened between us and the GST team (government). The GST authorities in various states were not familiar with what were expected of them," senior executive of an e-commerce company told Moneycontrol requesting anonymity.

"The response from the end of the government was slow. The biggest hurdles have been around the registration bid. A lot of these issues have not been addressed by the government still," said executive of another e-tailer.

On a Facebook seller page, leading e-commerce firm Amazon has also informed its sellers that it was not able to report TCS in multiple states due to technical issues and was working with the government to get it sorted.

In a statement, All India Online Vendors Association called these issues teething troubles asking government to set up a panel where sellers problems can be addressed.

"Such issues are anticipated in roll out of any system in GST. We request government to set up a panel where sellers can raise issues in the interim period to weed out teething problems," it said.

Softbank-backed Snapdeal, however, said that it managed to successfully register in all the states.

"Snapdeal has ensured full compliance with the recently implemented tax collection at source (TCS) provisions. Snapdeal has successfully registered in all 36 states and union territories and has deposited tax in each within the stipulated timeline," said Snapdeal spokesperson.

TCS mandates sellers of e-commerce companies to register themselves even if they are doing businesses below Rs 20 lakh annually.

Businesses necessarily have to register under the new indirect tax regime, if their annual turnover is more than Rs 20 lakh.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

Donald Trump launched another attack against Emmanuel Macron over the French president's call for a European army, a proposal the US leader earlier had dubbed "insulting."

"Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the US, China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France?" Trump tweeted.

"They were starting to learn German in Paris before the US came along," Trump said. "Pay for NATO or not!" The Republican president has repeatedly lambasted European allies for not spending enough on their militaries, particularly Germany.

Macron had angered Trump by saying Europe needed its own army and listing the US along with Russia and China as a threat to European security.

One of dozens of world leaders attending World War I commemorations in France this weekend, Trump tweeted after landing in Paris that Macron's call for a "real European army" was "insulting."

In an interview recorded on Saturday with CNN after talks with Trump, Macron said the two leaders had spoken about what his office has portrayed as a misunderstanding.

Both leaders agree there should be "better burden-sharing within NATO," meaning Europe should be less reliant on US spending for its defence, Macron said.

But Macron told CNN: "To be very direct with you, what I don't want to see is European countries increasing the budget in defence in order to buy American and other arms or materials coming from your industry."

US officials have stressed that Washington is fully committed to the NATO alliance despite Trump's comments.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg meanwhile has welcomed stronger EU efforts on defense that could strengthen the alliance -- but warned against duplicating its work while potentially undermining transatlantic ties.Representational image

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has invoked UAPA sections pertaining to acts of terror against the accused arrested in connection with the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar. The CBI made a submission to this effect before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) S M A Sayyad here in Maharashtra on November 12.

"The central probing agency told the court that it has invoked sections 15 and 16 (acts of terror) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused persons," public prosecutor Vijaykumar Dhakane said.

So far, six people, including Hindu Janajagruti Samiti member and ENT surgeon Virendrasinh Tawde, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, have been arrested by the CBI in connection with the killing of Dabholkar.

The CBI had earlier filed a charge sheet against Tawde in 2016 under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder), among other charges.

The 90-day period for filing the supplementary charge sheet against the other five accused arrested a few months back is getting over on November 18, Dhakane said.

"Now, since the UAPA sections have been invoked, the CBI will get an extension of another 90 days to file the charge sheet against the accused in the case," he said.

According to the CBI, Andure and Kalaskar had allegedly shot Dabholkar on August 20, 2013 when he was on his morning walk on the Omkareshwar bridge in Pune.

The CBI had earlier claimed that Tawde was the "mastermind" of the conspiracy to kill Dabholkar and veteran CPI leader and rationalist Govind Pansare.

Pansare was shot at by unidentified assailants at Kolhapur in Maharashtra on February 16, 2015. He died of his injuries four days later.

Besides Andure, Kalaskar and Tawde, the CBI had arrested Rajesh Bangera and Amol Kale and Amit Digvekar in connection with the Dabholkar killing case.

Bangera and Kale are also accused in the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017.Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Midnapore, West Bengal  July 16

On the eve of his Singapore visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his participation in the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits symbolised India's "continued commitment" to strengthen its engagement with ASEAN members and with the wider Indo-Pacific region.

The PM would visit Singapore on November 14 and 15 to participate in the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits.

In addition, he would also participate in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Leaders' Meeting.

"My participation in these meetings symbolises our continued commitment to strengthening our engagement with ASEAN member states and with the wider Indo-Pacific region. I am looking forward to my interactions with other ASEAN and East Asia Summit leaders," Modi said in his departure statement issued November 13.

"On Wednesday, I will be the first head of government to deliver the Keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival," the prime minister said.

He said as the world's largest event on financial technology, the festival was the right forum not only to showcase India's strengths in this fast-growing sector, but also to forge global partnerships for fostering innovation and growth.

Modi said during the visit, he would also have the opportunity to interact with the participants and winners of the joint India-Singapore Hackathon.

"It is my firm belief that if we provide the right encouragement and a nurturing ecosystem, our youth has the ability to become global leaders in providing solutions to the challenges facing humanity," he said.

Modi said he was confident that his visit to Singapore would impart fresh momentum to New Delhi's growing partnership with ASEAN and East Asia Summit nations.

"As I depart for Singapore, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Singapore for their able chairmanship of ASEAN this year, and convey my best wishes for all success in hosting ASEAN and related summits," he said.

On the margins of these summits, the prime minister would hold bilateral meetings with other leaders. He would hold a bilateral meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence on November 14, the External Affairs Ministry had said earlier.Telangana is going to vote for the first time on December 7. India's youngest state was originally scheduled to go to polls in 2019. But on September 6, 2018, the ruling TRS dissolved the assembly, paving way for early elections. (Reuters)

TRS, founded in 2001 with a one-point agenda of creating a separate Telangana state, is a major contender. TRS emerged as the largest political party in 2014 assembly elections after winning 63 out of 119 seats and formed the first government in the state | In picture: KCR gestures to his supporters during a victory procession after formation of Telangana (Reuters)

Congress, with its allies, is another major player in the battle for Telangana. The party has formed an electoral grand alliance, named as Praja Kutami, with N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) | In picture: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President Uttam Kumar Reddy addresses the media (PTI)

The BJP, which had five MLAs in the dissolved assembly, is looking to include one more state into its kitty | In picture: Telangana BJP President K Laxman in a rally after submitting his nomination at Musheerabad (PTI)

AIMIM also exerts considerable influence in areas in and around Hyderabad | In picture: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeens chief Asaduddin Owaisilive bse live

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After 14 years at Indias third largest commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland Managing Director Vinod Dasari called it quits in a move that surprised the deal street.

Dasari tendered his resignation to the companys board that met today to approve the second quarter results ended September. Dasari later clarified the decision was not a knee-jerk reaction but a planned move.

This was not a flippant decision made as a knee jerk reaction to some issue. There was absolutely no issue. In fact, people often find times in their career where they are looking to pursue a newer interest and newer learnings. But there is never a good time (for me), Dasari said.

The 52-year-old chief executive also admitted having contemplated resigning from his post back in 2011-12. At that time he was just promoted to the MDs position from the position of a chief operating officer. Dasari took over the mantle from R Seshasayee who was then promoted to the position of vice chairman.

I had considered (resigning) 6-7 years ago but at that time company was not doing that well. I wanted to make sure the company was transformed well and that we made Ashok Leyland one of the best companies in the world. And so I thought that this was the right time to do this. To do it when the company is in a very strong position and leaving it with a team which is very capable helped me take this step, added Dasari.

Dasaris resignation comes as a surprise as his second term as managing director was awarded to him only two years ago for a period of five years ending in 2021.

Known for his outspoken views on industry affairs including the alleged step-motherly treatment meted out by the government to the automotive industry Dasari never refrained from a debate.

From criticising the government on policy flip-flops to challenging other global automakers to design vehicles in India to accusing the Chinese government of financing their state-run bus companies to effectively compete in bus supply contracts in India, Dasari's comments have been among the strongest from the automotive industry.

Under him, Ashok Leyland progressed from a bus manufacturer to a total solutions provider including its foray into digitisation of consumer services as well as a top technology services provider.

Uncharted waters of electric vehicles, light commercial vehicles, passenger vans, small engines development, digital solutions and power solutions were tapped in to by Ashok Leyland under Dasari. The Chennai-based company bagged several orders from the Indian armed forces outbidding arch-rival Tata Motors in some cases.

Until the board of Ashok Leyland finds a new CEO over the course of next few months company Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja will play a more active role in managing its affairs.

I will be, on the request of the board, be playing an active role on key issues along with Vinod (Dasari) during the transition. The nomination and remuneration committee will meet shortly to decide for the new CEO, said Hinduja.

When asked if this would mean assuming greater responsibility even after the appointment of a new CEO Hinduja replied, As a family policy (Hinduja family) the family does not take an active or day-to-day executive role in the companies. In this instance, the board requested that to ensure a smooth transition during this phase I take up the executive role. So my new role will be limited till the time a new person is appointed."live bse live

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Neeraj Kanwar, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Apollo Tyres will take a 30 percent cut in salary following strong objections from institutional and private investors over a 42 percent increase in his pay package last year.

The board of Indias second largest tyre producer met on November 13 to approve the second quarter results of the company. It also said to have sought authorisation of the shareholders for re-appointing Kanwar as MD for a five-year period starting May next year.

The Apollo Tyres board had last met on October 1 where it commissioned an independent report from Ernst & Young (EY) to benchmark managing directors compensation structures and amounts.

This twin process of consultation and external benchmarking has resulted in a significantly revised proposal from the Nominations & Remuneration Committee (NRC) for the compensation package to renew Neeraj Kanwar's contract from May 2019. The revised proposal would result in a reduction of approximately 30 percent in overall compensation for both the promoters, Neeraj Kanwar and Onkar S Kanwar, Apollo Tyres said in a statement.

The father-son duo has voluntarily agreed to reduce their compensation for FY19 with immediate effect to fall in line with the new recommendations.

The board will also seek approval of the shareholders for a cap on total promoter compensation which is to be 7.5 percent of the profit before tax. Performance-based remuneration will be targeted at approximately 70 percent of the total compensation and annual increments for the fixed portion of promoter compensation to be in line with that of the senior professionals of the company.

The NRC has further recommended, and the board has taken on record, that the 7.5 percent cap be further reduced over a period of time.

These adjustments take into account the feedback received from institutional shareholders and are in line with the independent external bench-marking study. In light of this, the board of Apollo Tyres strongly recommends that the contract is renewed under the revised terms, added the company.

From Rs 30.03 crore in 2016-17, Neeraj Kanwars pay package surged to Rs 42.75 crore in 2017-18. Kanwars father Onkar Kanwar, Chairman of Apollo Tyres, did not see such a massive hike rise in his remuneration last year.

The chairman took home Rs 44.98 crore last year as against Rs 44.91 crore in 2016-17. Apollo Tyres reported its worst net profit in five years last year. At Rs 724 crore, the companys consolidated net profit dipped 34 percent last year compared to Rs 1,099 crore recorded in 2016-17.Kota: Congress President Rahul Gandhi waves at crowd during a public meeting in Kota, Rajasthan, Wednesday, Oct 24, 2018. (PTI Photo) (PTI10_24_2018_000225B)

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi asked Tuesday why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was silent on charges of corruption against Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and his family. Addressing a rally in Kharsia Assembly constituency in Raigarh district in the poll-bound state, Gandhi claimed the prime minister did not speak about corruption anymore.

"In civil supply scam of Rs 36,000 crore, names of Raman Singh and his wife surfaced. Rs 5,000 chit fund scam took place under the protection of the Raman Singh government," he alleged.

"His (Singh's) son Abhishek Singh was named in Panama papers scandal, but no action was taken in any of these cases," the Congress chief alleged.

"Prime minister Modi used to speak about corruption in his speeches earlier, but why he does not speak about the corruption of Raman Singh and his family? Why Raman Singh too is silent over corruption," he asked.

The ruling BJP has denied the allegations of corruption against the chief minister and his family.

Gandhi campaigned for Congress candidate and incumbent MLA from Kharsia, Umesh Patel, Tuesday.

Patel's father Nandkumar Patel, then state Congress chief, was killed in a Naxal attack in Jhiram valley in Bastar's Darbha area on May 25, 2013.

Remembering Nandkumar Patel, Gandhi accused Modi of insulting the martyrdom of Congress leaders who died in the Naxal attack.

He was apparently referring to the prime minister's recent speech in Bastar where he had accused Congress leaders of supporting urban Naxals.

The Congress chief reiterated his allegation that the Modi government took away the Rafale fighter jets contract from the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and gave it to industrialist Anil Ambani.

"Modi ji handed over Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani which was your money," Gandhi claimed.

Both the government as well as Ambani have denied the allegations of grant of undue favour to Ambani's firm in the Rafale deal.

The Congress president promised loan waiver to farmers in the state.

"After the Congress government is formed in the state, we will waive the loans of farmers within ten days," he said.

Gandhi said farmers would get a bonus on paddy procurement, and the bonus pending for two years, which the BJP government had promised but not paid, would be disbursed.Cyclonic storm 'Gaja' has moved westwards and was now located at about 740 km east-northeast of the city and expected to cross coastal Tamil Nadu in the afternoon of November 15, the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.

A bulletin from the department said 'Gaja' was likely to move west-southwestwards and intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours.

"While moving west-southwestwards, it is likely to weaken gradually and cross Tamil Nadu coast between Pamban and Cuddalore as a cyclonic storm in the afternoon of November 15," the bulletin said.

Owing to this, heavy rainfall may occur in north coastal Tamil Nadu and adjoining districts of south coastal Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh from the evening of November 14, it said.

Winds may reach a speed of 70-80 kmph and touch 90 kmph over west-central and adjoining east-central and south Bay of Bengal, the bulletin said.

The gale would gradually sweep at 90-100 kmph and then reach 110 kmph over southwest and adjoining west-central and southeast Bay of Bengal from November 14, it said.

Sea was expected to be rough to very rough along the coast of Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry from the morning of November 14, the bulletin said.

The waves were likely to rise to about one metre and inundate low-lying areas of Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal at the time of landfall.

Damage was expected in districts of Cuddalore, Nagappattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into central and south Bay of Bengal from November 13 to 15.

The Tamil Nadu government has put its machinery on alert and kept around 31,000 rescue personnel on stand-by.

Neighbouring Puducherry was also alerted and precautionary steps were being taken to meet the situation.

The National and State Disaster Response Force personnel have been deployed while vigil has been proposed in coastal districts.

In Pamban, Ramanathapuram district authorities are on an alert and the Collector advised people living in low-lying areas to move to safer places.

Fishermen in Pamban were asked to shift their boats to the 'Chinna Palam' area.

The fisherfolk did not put out to the sea for a third day today owing to the warning issued by the Met department on the likely rough weather due to cyclone 'Gaja'.A Brexit divorce deal is still possible in the next 24 or 48 hours, British Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said on Tuesday.

"We're not quite there yet," Lidington, Prime Minister Theresa May's de facto deputy, told BBC radio. "We are almost within touching distance now. The PM has said it can't be a deal at any price."

Asked if he was saying it was possible there could be a deal in the next 24 or 48 hours, he said: "Still, possible but not at all definite, I think pretty much sums it up. Cautiously optimistic."The European Union and Britain have agreed a draft text of a Brexit withdrawal agreement and Prime Minister Theresa May will present it to her senior ministers on November 14.

While officials choreograph the first withdrawal of a sovereign state from the EU, it remains unclear whether May can get any deal approved by the British parliament.

"Cabinet will meet at 2 p.m. tomorrow to consider the draft agreement the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels, and to decide on next steps," a spokesman at May's Downing Street office said.

"Cabinet ministers have been invited to read documentation ahead of that meeting," the spokesman said, after British media were leaked details of the breakthrough.

Sterling, which has see-sawed since reaching $1.50 just before results of the 2016 referendum vote for Britain to leave the EU, surged to $1.3036.

Brexit will pitch the world's fifth largest economy into the unknown and many fear it will help to divide the West as it grapples with both the unconventional presidency of Donald Trump and growing assertiveness from Russia and China. Others says it will offer opportunities for Britain to develop new trading relationships beyond Europe.

The EU and the United Kingdom need an agreement to keep trade flowing between the world's biggest trading bloc and the United Kingdom, home to the biggest international financial centre.

But May has struggled to untangle nearly 46 years of EU membership without damaging trade or upsetting the lawmakers who will ultimately decide the fate of the divorce deal.

BREXIT DEAL

With less than five months until Britain leaves the EU, the so-called Northern Irish backstop was the main outstanding issue that held up the deal.

The backstop is an insurance policy to avoid a return to controls on the border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland if a future trading relationship is not agreed in time.

It was unclear what had been agreed on Ireland. The British government supplied no immediate details on the Brexit deal which runs to hundreds of pages.

According to Irish broadcaster RTE, the backstop will come in the form of a temporary UK-wide customs arrangement, with specific provisions for Northern Ireland which go deeper on the issue of customs and alignment with the rules of the single market than for the rest of the United Kingdom.

It will also include an agreed review mechanism, RTE said, adding that it understood there was still "further shuttling" to be done between London and Brussels.

But the intricacies are unlikely to stem the growing opposition to May at home: Brexit-supporting opponents fear she is signing up the United Kingdom to EU subjugation.

By seeking to leave the EU while preserving the closest possible ties, May's compromise plan has upset Brexiteers, pro-Europeans, Scottish nationalists, the Northern Irish party that props up her government, and some of her own ministers.Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris, the first Indian-origin US Senator also known as the "female Obama", is considering to run for the White House in 2020, media reports said, days after a strong showing by the Democratic Party in the recent mid-term elections.

Harris, 54, the first time Senator from California, made her first trip to Iowa about a month ago, which media analysts here said was in preparation for her potential presidential run.

Born in Oakland, California, she is the daughter of an Indian mother who migrated to the US from Chennai in 1960 and a Jamaican-American father.

Her mother Shyamala Gopalan studied science, specifically endocrinology and complex mechanisms of cancer. Her father Donald Harris grew up in Jamaica, where he became a national scholar and earned the opportunity to study economics in the US.

The 2020 presidential cycle would kick off on February 3, 2020 in Iowa, where the first primary is scheduled to be held.

Media reports indicated that Harris' multiple stops in Iowa indicated an Obama-like energy in her meetings.

"I haven't seen that kind of energy since Barack Obama," Sean Bagniewski, the chair of the Polk County Democrats, told lake County Record-Bee after Harris addressed several hundred people at a downtown Des Moines ballroom in Iowa last month.

Harris has not announced her presidential bid yet.

In multiple media interviews, she has neither denied nor confirmed reports of her running for the White House in 2020.

During the Obama era, she was popularly called as the "female Obama". A decade ago, journalist Gwen Ifill called Harris "the female Barack Obama" on the "Late Show With David Letterman". Later, a small businessman from Willoughby Tony Pinto called her "a young, female version of the president".

She is considered to be close to Obama, the first black American President, who endorsed her in her various elections including that of the US Senate in 2016.

Harris said her visit to Iowa was to campaign for party during mid-term elections. After a gap of eight years, the Democratic party wrested from the Republicans the majority in the House of Representatives.

In the past two years, she has emerged as the star performer of the party in the Senate and a leading Democratic voice against US President Donald Trump.

According to an online poll carried out by Axios, Harris would beat Trump most handily  by a 10-point margin  if the election were held now.

She polls well with African-American and white suburban women, but not with "Never Hillary" independent registered voters, Axios said in its report last week.

Harris is among the two-dozen potential Democratic leaders who are eyeing the US presidency in 2020. However, none of them have made a formal announcement yet.

Prominent among them include 2016 presidential candidates Senator Bernie Sanders and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton; and former US vice president Joe Biden.

Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker from Hawaii in the US Congress, is also considering to run for the presidency, according to sources close to her.

Several Democratic Senators in the potential race include Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jeff Merkley, Sherrod Brown, Amy Klobuchar and Richard Blumenthal.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee are said to be in the race to take on President Trump in his re-election bid.

Former first lady Michelle Obama has ruled out entering the electoral fray.Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has apparently stopped discussing surveillance action during its board meetings since two years. In addition, SEBI also stopped providing names of companies or entities mentioned in the surveillance action report since November 2015. This information came out as a follow-up to a reply received under right to information (RTI).

SEBI undertakes its market surveillance functions through IMSS (integrated market surveillance system), which went live in 2007. IMSS collects data for suspicious market activities through multiple sources, including its network systems at stock exchanges and depositories. Based on the data, SEBI prepares surveillance action report that is discussed during its board meeting. We have regularly highlighted that market manipulation is rampant in India despite the deployment of expensive and sophisticated IMSS.

To understand the nature and quality of surveillance, Moneylife had filed an RTI query a few months back, requesting information on SEBIs surveillance statistics and had asked the market regulator about the number of cases its IMSS and Data Warehousing Business Intelligence System (DWBIS) had detected up to 28 February 2018.

We had asked for the dates, agenda and discussions of meetings in which the SEBI board was apprised of functioning of its Surveillance Department (ISD). We also asked for the format of the periodic reports submitted by the surveillance department to the key personnel in charge.

To this, SEBI provided us a link to their website where it stated the details are available. However, for other queries, SEBI said information we sought was strategic in nature and of high commercial confidence and, hence, cannot be provided.

Using the link provided by SEBI, we searched for more details of the board meetings where matters of surveillance were discussed, and the companies detected by the sophisticated surveillance systems. Our observations were:

1. Discussion on the matters of surveillance relating to the companies detected happened last on 23 September 2016, more than two years ago!

(SEBI Board Meeting agenda for 23 September 2016)

(SEBI Board Meeting agenda for 23 November 2016 has no mention about surveillance action)

2. The SEBI board met around four to six times each year, and matters related to surveillance were discussed at nearly every meeting prior to the meeting on 23 November 2016.

3. The content of these discussions, and the actions taken, were published under the subject head Surveillance Action and contained useful data such as name of companies whose shares saw abnormal trading activity and actions taken by SEBI against the promoters.

4. Name of entities found through IMSS, against whom SEBI has taken action used to be publicly shared under item no. 3 significant surveillance measures prior to its board meeting on 30 November 2015.

(Extracts from Surveillance Action as per agenda on SEBI board meeting on 30 November 2015)

5. After this meeting, SEBI started using "This portion has been excised for reasons of confidentiality" to conceal names of the entities on its website.

(Extracts from Surveillance Action as per agenda on SEBI board meeting on 11 January 2016. Item no3 was about Significant Surveillance Measures)

6. In 2016, the board met five times and the subject of surveillance was discussed in four of those meeting. However, all the details, including action taken and names of companies were now hidden under the garb of confidentiality.

7. In 2017 and 2018, the board met for a total eight times but the subject of Surveillance Action was no more part of discussion in any of the meetings.

) Earlier in April 2013, Moneylife had filed an RTI requesting similar information from SEBI on its surveillance statistics and cases reported by its sophisticated systems. Their RTI response was It is informed that the information sought by you is not available with the concerned department of SEBI. ( Read: SEBI says, dont have info on surveillance system and prosecution!

This was a shocking disclosure by the regulator who had touted that its surveillance systems will exploit the power of modern technology in terms of computation and speed of data analysis and host pattern recognition algorithms to crack insider trading.Debt-ridden Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS) has decided to sell its stake in IL&FS Securities Services (ISSL) and in ISSL Settlement & Transaction Services (ISTSL). IL&FS said its new board of directors has decided to solicit expressions of interest (EOIs) to assess the interest for the sale.

Separately, IndusInd Bank, which has earlier agreed to buy ISSL decided to terminate the agreement citing non-fulfilment of conditions.

The previous board of IL&FS had decided to sell ISSL to IndusInd Bank which had acquired all necessary clearances as well. However, citing non-fulfilment of certain conditions, IndusInd Bank on Tuesday decided to terminate its agreement signed in June 2018. In a regulatory filing, the lender says, "The share purchase agreement (SPA) stands terminated as all the conditions precedent were not satisfied within the stipulated time period. We understand that the newly constituted board of directors of IL&FS has decided to initiate a new process for the sale of its equity interests in ISSL."

IL&FS Securities Services is a clearing member in equity and other derivatives along with ISSL Settlement & Transaction Services which provides clearing services in commodities derivatives segment.

In a statement, IL&FS says, "The Board is cognizant that these steps are required to advance the process for putting together resolution plans for the IL&FS group, based on market interest and price discovery for various assets. Any binding transaction for the sale of assets, as well as the resulting resolution plans, will be subject to requisite approvals, including the national company law tribunal (NCLT) before the transactions are implemented."

Set up in July 2006, IL&FS Securities Services, is a capital markets intermediary for professional clearing, depository and custodial services. It services, retail and institutional clients, include over 1,000 brokers, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) and foreign institutional investors (FIIs).yesterday, shares of Auscann Group Holdings Ltd [ASX:AC8] slipped in value by 4.24%, to 79 cents, but edged slightly higher to 82 cents at todays open. While this may seem surprising considering the recent legalisation of recreational cannabis in Canada, yet the value of Auscanns share price has been steadily declining over the last six months.

Cannabis stocks like Auscann have generally moved in tandem, but this could change as the impact of legalisation becomes more apparent.

Yet the reason for this slide in share price cant be put down to any specific thing. It could come down to drops because of earlier highs seen by US midterm election wins, as well as lost enthusiasm after anti-marijuana Attorney General Jeff Sessions resignation.

Regardless, investors should be sure not to get caught up in the post-legalisation hype. Which is why Sam Volkering shares his three golden rules for investing in pot stocks, which you can access in his free report here.

What could be influencing Auscanns share price

According to Bruce Campbell, chief investment officer at Cannabis Growth Opportunity Corp, key factors that are influencing Auscanns falling share price is all the things you would expect: average selling price, cost of production and run-rate production levels, as well as how this interacts with Canadas new legalisation laws.

Looking at things other than share price, Auscann has been traveling steadily into 2018. Focusing on growth strategy as it moved closer to the commercialisation of its cannabinoid medicines.

As reported in their recent market release, Auscann is driven by its goal to supply high quality cannabinoid medicines to Latin America, in its Chilean Joint Venture with DayaCann.

But Auscann has also highlighted the short comings of its oral formulas, administered through oral liquids, sprays, soft shell gelatine capsules containing cannabinoids dissolved in oils, or inhaling of dried extracts.

This method means that stable and reliable dosages werent given, due to poor stability of active cannabinoids and the efficacy of the formulations.

However, Auscann addressed these issues and has now provided consistent and stable dosages of active ingredients.

Auscann share price forecast

But dont be caught up in Canadas recreational legalisation of cannabis, because any commentary on post-legalisation is based entirely on initial results, which are subject to change.

As international markets open and other countries take steps to legalise marijuana, according to stifle analyst Christopher Growe, results following Canadas legalisation are only a small proportion of the story and any decisions based on these results would be short sighted.

Martin Landry SG&A Analyst had this to say when it came to the performance of cannabis stocks after Canadas legalisation:

I think the real picture for us will be the March quarterSome of the kinks will have been worked out and were going to get a better sense of results when theres less growing pains and smoother operations.

Meanwhile, Auscann is moving into commercial manufacturing, with its first capsule-based pharmaceuticals for clinical trial and patients set for the first half of next year.

Regards,

Ryan Clarkson-Ledward,

For Money Morning

PS: When it comes to picking pot stocks, theres three things you MUST do before investing in pot stocks. Find out here (for free).Since graphene burst onto the scene in 2010, its development as a commercially marketed material has stalled.

But new applications could send graphene stocks upwards with rising demand for graphite.

Graphene is a potentially revolutionary material that is composed of a single sheet of carbon atoms. It has broken records in regards to its strength and ability to conduct heat and electricity.

New research suggests that it could be used in lithium-ion batteries  the same batteries found in smartphones, laptops and Tesla vehicles.

With the graphene revolution set to take off, learn more about how to profit from its rise in our free report available for download here.

Batteries of the future: graphenes amazing properties find new applications

The research published in ACS Nano, based on the work of researchers in South Korea, suggests that graphene could dramatically improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

The researchers discovered that by using an anode of folded graphene, the energy storage capacity of a lithium-ion battery could be significantly increased, and able to withstand at least 500 cycles of battery charging/discharging without any performance loss.

An anode is an electrode through which a current enters into an electrical device.

Below you can see the model electrode designed by the researchers:

Source: ACS Nano

Compared with traditional thick film electrodes, the folded electrode contains many layered films. This design allows for new pathways through which free electrons can flow, and the small gaps between the folds form multiple channels through which the lithium ions can diffuse.

The result is improved battery performance. As one of the researchers, Bin Wang notes, our approach greatly lowers the weight of the final battery and increases its energy density.

Graphite demand to increase, could benefit ASX-listed graphene stocks

It is estimated by Canaccord Genuity that annual demand for natural graphite could increase by 660% by 2025.

Below you can see that lithium-ion batteries will play an increasing role in this increased demand:

Source: Canaccord Genuity

There are a couple graphene/graphite stocks that could stand to benefit from this increasing demand.

Syrah Resources Limited [ASX:SYR] for example is Australias largest graphite producer.

There is also Talga Resources Limited [ASX:TLG] which produces graphite and has research and development facilities. Its mines are located in Sweden and it has R&D operations in Germany and the UK.

Another stock which is a pure graphene play is First Graphene Limited [ASX:FGR] which collaborates with the University of Adelaide, Flinders University and Swinburne University of Technology to develop new applications for graphene.

We have also covered Eden Innovations Limited [ASX:EDE] which has experienced success marketing a graphene enhanced concrete admixture.

So while some graphene stocks have the appearance of being speculative plays, there is growing potential for solid underlying demand in the future.

Definitely a field to keep an eye on for the future.

Regards,

Lachlann Tierney,

For Money Morning

PS: If you are looking to make a graphene play, you have to check out our free report available here.November 13, 2018 The Short War With Gaza Exposed Israel's Weakness - Updated Updated below

--- Last week a ceasefire was agreed upon between Palestinian factions in Gaza and Israel: The aim of the change, in a plan mediated by Egypt and with money supplied by Qatar, is to provide much-needed relief for Gaza, restore calm on the Israeli side of the border and avert another war. On Sunday night Israeli special forces broke the ceasefire by invading Gaza under disguise. Such incursions happen quite often but are usually left unreported. The invaders wore civilian clothing and some were cloaked as women. Their cars arrived at the house of a local Qassam commander but suspicious guards held them up. A firefight ensued in which 7 Palestinians and 1 Israeli officer were killed. It is not clear what the intent of the Israeli raid was. A car left behind held what appeared to be surveillance equipment. The intruders fled back to Israel. It is likely that rivalry within the Israeli government was behind this provocation: [T]he perception that Israel, by allowing the fuel and cash shipments into Gaza, was paying off Hamas set off acrimonious wrangling between two rival right-wing members of Israels security cabinet. Earlier Sunday, Education Minister Naftali Bennett called the cash infusion protection money. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman accused Mr. Bennett of having supported such payments and of having opposed in recent weeks the more aggressive military reprisals against Hamas that Mr. Lieberman favored.

...

By nights end Mr. Netanyahu had cut short his trip [to Paris] and was flying back to Israel in response to the Gaza hostilities. Did Lieberman order the incursion to undercut Netanyahoo ceasefire and his rival Bennet?

Map via SouthFront.org - bigger The breach of the ceasefire by Israel set off another round of tit for tat strikes. A commando unit of Hamas' Qassam brigade launched an attack against a bus that had carried Israeli soldiers to the border. To avoid further escalation the shooter waited until the soldiers were out of the way before hitting it. Only the driver was injured. Then the Israeli air force destroyed the al-Aqsa TV station in Gaza city after notifying the Palestinians of its intent. It also damaged a university building. Rocket volleys from Gaza followed and the Israeli air-force hit several buildings. After 48 hours the ceasefire was renewed. During the conflict the Palestinian side demonstrated a series of new capabilities: The Palestinian command published a video of the strike against the bus by a Kornet anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). Since it lost dozens of tanks to ATGM attacks in the 2006 war against Hezbullah in Lebanon, the Israeli army is extremely afraid of such missiles. The arrival of these weapons in the besieged Gaza will be a serious concern.

The Palestinians also launched over 460 artillery missiles and mortars within 25 hours. This by far exceeds the firing rate during Israel's 2014 war on the Gaza strip. Some of these missiles had a larger range then previous models. Israel's Iron Dome missile defense systems fired some 100 missiles but their accuracy is questionable and teh price high. Each Iron Dome missile costs some $65,000 while a mortar round or rocket costs a few hundred dollar. Many of the Palestinian rockets reached their targets in the Zionist settlements Ashkelon, Netivot, and Sderot.

Israel announced only two hits on missile launching cells. It seems that the Palestinians have perfected their camouflage and remote firing capabilities.

The rival Palestinian groups in Gaza -Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others- operated under a central command. No group claimed missile strikes for itself. In the past each volley of missiles was followed by a news statement in which this or that group claimed responsibility. This time all groups worked from a common operations room. None released responsibility claims or other information that would help Israel's intelligence. It was Israel that practically begged to return to the ceasefire. Egypt led the negotiations: Earlier Tuesday, the Political-Security Cabinet meeting that convened following the escalation in the south came to a halt after seven hours. After hearing the army's and the security establishment's assessments, the cabinet instructed the IDF to continue to operate in Gaza as necessary. All the officials from the defense establishment who participated in the cabinet meeting  IDF chief of staff, the head of Military Intelligence, the head of the Shin Bet, the head of the Mossad, and the head of the NSC supported the Egyptian request for a cease-fire.

...

"If we had intensified the attacks, rockets would have been fired at Tel Aviv," senior cabinet officials said. Since 15:30 local time today the situation is again quiet and calm. But the squabbling within the Israeli cabinet immediately resumed: All the ministers including Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Minister Naftali Bennettdid not object to a cease fire. Following this report, the Defense Ministry said that Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's support of a cease-fire deal were "fake news." The statement said that the Defense Minister's position was consistent and had not changed. Ministers Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Ze'ev Elkin also said they did not support a cease-fire deal with Hamas. In total 13 people were killed in Gaza and at least 2 on the Israeli side. A Hamas spokesperson accused Lieberman of being responsible for the breach of the ceasefire and demanded that Netanyahoo fires him. The short conflict demonstrated that: Israel is deterred. It does not want to launch another war on Gaza.

The siege of Gaza, by Israel, Egypt and by the Palestinian authority under Mahmoud Abbas, failed. The reputational cost of the siege became too high after Israel killed some 160 Palestinians during weekly protests along the demarcation fence. It had to allow diesel fuel and money from Qatar to reach Gaza.

The siege failed to prevent that Islamic Jihad, Hamas and other groups acquired a larger number of missiles and other new capabilities.

The Palestinians in Gaza are united. The resistance against the occupation is alive and well. For decades the Zionist entity was able to attack its neighbors as it pleased. That changed. It no longer dares to step into Lebanon for fear of Hezbullah's reprisal. Syria's western airspace is closed for Israel thanks to the new S-300PMU2 air defense Russia delivered to the Syrian army. Israeli special forces botched their incursion into Gaza and the Iron Dome missile defense proved to be to faulty to protect Zionist settlements. The resistance in Gaza has new capabilities and surprises for Israel should it again attack. Israel's newly won "friends" in the leadership of Saudi Arabia and the UAE proved to be unstable and of little value. The Boycott, divest and sanctions movement against the self declared apartheid state has undermined its image. Its lobby has been exposed. Its budget deficit is too high. The short conflict in Gaza only demonstrated that Israel is weak and that its downward trend continues. ---

Update Nov 14, 10:00 UTC Israel's Defense Minister Avigor Lieberman just resigned and called for new elections. He gives the Qatari money which Netanyahoo allowed to go to Gaza and yesterday's ceasefire as reason for his disagreement with Netanyahoo. Netanyahoo had planned the earlier ceasefire with Gaza to split Gaza under Hamas from the Palestinian Authority under Abbas in the West Bank. Yesterday the Saudis handed another chunk of money to Abbas to counter the money Qatar gave to Hamas in Gaza. This splitting of the Palestinians is an intended part of the Kushner plan. Lieberman disagrees with it. He is the super hawkish John Bolton in this game, overtaking Netanyahoo on the far far right. Netanyahoo wants to avoid an early election. His Likud party just lost seats in local elections and he is afraid of a campaign that would play out over Gaza and his newly dovish stand over the latest conflict. But with only a two seat majority in an unstable coalition Netanyahoo will have trouble to hold on. Just as I wrote the above update, Naftali Bennett, the leader of the rightwing religious Jewish Home party, demanded to be made Defense Minister. Netanyahoo will dislike this. He does not want to give Bennet such a high profile job. But Bennett will resign and bring the coalition down if he does not get his will. Posted by b on November 13, 2018 at 19:52 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has announced his candidacy to be the ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, also declaring his approach on potential moves by Democrats on the committee.

I am fully prepared to fight back against any efforts by Democrats to use this committee to roll back our successes from the last two years or use the committee as the launch pad for endless, partisan investigations, said McHenry, who also serves as chief deputy whip. The American people sent us here to get our work done. I intend to do that and I hope our Democrat colleagues share that commitment.

With Democrats taking control, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), currently the ranking Democrat on the committee, will likely become committee chair when the 116th Congress is seated in January.The thing is, puffery usually applies to outsized advertising claims. Wells Fargo is now claiming that the puffery defense should be applied to statements CEO Tim Sloan made to investors, and that a lawsuit filed by shareholders should be dismissed on those grounds.

The lawsuit stems from one of the banks many scandals  in particular the July 2017 revelation that Wells Fargo had for years been charging auto loan customers for unnecessary insurance. The lawsuit is seeking class certification for all investors who bought the companys stock after Nov. 3, 2016, through Aug. 3, 2018, the Times reported.

It was on Nov. 3, 2016, that Sloan announced at an investors conference that he was not aware of any undisclosed scandals. In fact, Wells Fargo already knew that its improper auto insurance charges had pushed as many as 275,000 customers into delinquency and resulted in 25,000 improper repossessions. In fact, top bank executives allegedly knew of the problem as early as 2012, but took no action until 2016, according to the Times. Regulators have already slammed the bank for its inaction; earlier this year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency fined Wells Fargo $1 billion for the auto-insurance scandal and a rash of improper mortgage fees.

The shareholder lawsuit focuses on efforts by Sloan and other Wells Fargo executives to conceal the auto-loan scandal, the Times reported. Wells Fargo execs were, at the time, already dealing with the banks massive fake-accounts scandal. They insisted that Wells Fargo would be more transparent about its scandals even while failing to disclose the auto-insurance issue.

During an investor call in January 2017, Sloan said that the bank wanted to leave no stone unturned. If we find something thats important, well communicate that.Alina Greenway has always had an affinity for the health care industry. However, it wasnt until she was in nursing school that she realized a successful career in health care doesnt necessarily mean direct patient care.

Today, Greenway is health information management director for Lea Regional Medical Center in Hobbs, New Mexico. As such, she manages all aspects of medical records, supervises 12 people, trains physicians on the use of electronic medical records and ensures that medical coding is accurate for insurance and billing purposes. She also just recently completed leading the hospital in a conversion from paper to electronic medical records.

I took a Certified Nurse Aide course at New Mexico Junior College soon after high school, Greenway said. As a CNA, I worked for a hospice organization for approximately eight years. Then I decided I wanted to take my career further, so I enrolled in nursing classes at New Mexico Junior College.

Greenway said that about this same time, she began to work part time for Healthport, now CIOX, a third-party organization contracted by Lea Regional Medical Center to handle health information management and exchange of health information. Greenway worked for the organization while she was completing her prerequisites for nursing school and during her first year of nursing school.

I had good grades and enjoyed nursing, but I found that I absolutely loved my job at Healthport working with health records, and I was good at it, said Greenway. I started wondering how I could direct my career toward health information management.

Greenway said she researched educational training programs in health records and found Midland Colleges online program in health information management. She also accepted a full-time job working with revenue cycle audits for the medical center.

It was a perfect fit for me, she said. I could continue to work in the health information management field and take classes online. As a single mother with four daughters, the online aspect also appealed to me because it allowed me to schedule the classwork, homework and exams around family obligations. The program was very accommodating. I could have a full-time job, raise four children and still be able to work toward completing an associate degree. The other students and I communicated via social media and chat groups. The instructors were available via email and telephone with a response time of two to 24 hours.

Greenway received her associate of applied science degree in health information management from MC in 2016. During her last semester, she also took and passed the two-hour certification exam to become a registered health information technologist.

While I was still taking classes in health information management, I was promoted to interim manager of health information management at Lea Regional Medical Center, Greenway said. After I passed the RHIT exam, I became the director.

Its a great job. Im always learning something new. We used to work totally with paper records. Then, we had a hybrid system combining paper and electronic records. About six weeks ago, we transitioned to a fully electronic system. I coordinated the transition from start to finish.

Greenway oversees patient information for the hospital and clinic, is the HIPPA compliance officer and supervises all medical records staff.

Health information management is a 24-hour-a-day job, she said. Im constantly training physicians on the use of the electronic system. Sometimes, Im called at night and on weekends to find records in the system or to answer questions about medical coding. Im involved in all aspects of the medical record until it reaches the insurance company.

Greenway wants to continue her education and earn a bachelor of applied science degree in health services management  a relatively new degree offered at Midland College.

Im so glad I discovered the medical records career path, Greenway said. Thus far, my medical records training and background have enabled me to modernize workflows, facilitate access to clinical data and improve the accuracy and flow of health information. The field of health information management is all-encompassing. It means managing, protecting and leveraging health information to achieve operational improvements, optimize revenue and generate better patient outcomes.

Rebecca C. Bell is executive director, Institutional Advancement, at Midland College.NEW YORK  The innovation myth used to involve the back of a suburban garage or an office park in Silicon Valley. The tech industry was incubated not on the mean streets of the big city, but in sleepy hamlets like Murray Hill, New Jersey, and Mountain View, California.

So with Amazon splitting HQ2, its second headquarters, between Crystal City, a part of Arlington, Virginia, and Long Island City, in Queens, what are we to make of techs steady migration to marquee cities?

Amazon is hardly alone, after all. Google and Facebook already have headquarters here (established, not incidentally, without state subsidies). Google intends to double its workforce in the city to nearly 20,000. Twitters second-largest office is in Manhattan. Its largest is in downtown San Francisco.

On one level, this all seems inevitable. A handful of the wealthiest U.S. cities today have a magnetic attraction. Todays biggest tech platforms seek them out to recruit top talent and gain access, at scale, to housing, schools and transit. The process means the rich get richer, the biggest companies, bigger. And the gulf widens between the countrys haves and have-nots.

On another level, the tech industry isnt culturally urban. Its insularity, secrecy, its bedrock libertarianism and algorithmic notions about progress, land use and corporate independence have never easily meshed with the slow, open-society, regulatory-heavy, greater-good mission that defines city living. Disruption is a virtue and instrument of efficiency in tech circles. But it isnt necessarily welcome where protections and a focus on collective welfare remain abiding democratic ideals.

You may not have noticed, but New York now lags behind only San Francisco and San Jose, California, in tech patents. Last fall, the campus of Cornell Tech, modeled after Stanford University as an innovation incubator, opened on Roosevelt Island. Negotiating that deal may very well end up being one of the most transformative moves made by Michael Bloomberg, the citys former mayor.

That said, New York City is not Seattle or San Francisco. Here, tech is one sector in a megalopolis, sharing the limelight with finance, media, fashion, advertising and art. Its absorbed into the immensity.

In contrast, San Franciscans famously rebelled against the private buses and corporate fortresses tech set up. Public officials there have proposed a ban on employee cafeterias in new office buildings because engineers and coders apparently never leave work to patronize local restaurants. Last week, San Franciscans voted in favor of a proposition to help the citys homeless that Marc Benioff, the Salesforce chief executive and now Time magazine owner, had backed, but that Twitters CEO, Jack Dorsey, vehemently opposed.

And Dorsey wasnt alone. In Seattle, Amazon raised a ruckus when officials proposed a tax on large employers to help pay for services to the homeless. The company threatened to halt construction on a new high-rise.

So the city dropped the plan.

Amazon also insisted on nondisclosure agreements from the 238 cities bidding for HQ2. Scandalously, U.S. cities and states now spend some $90 billion a year in cash and tax incentives to attract companies, money that could go for infrastructure, schools and police, and that usually doesnt pay off, as Derek Thompson pointed out this week in The Atlantic. Amazons nondisclosure clause set up a process that allowed it, in effect, to crowdsource vast swaths of information about cities while preventing their citizens from knowing what their elected officials were doing to entice the $860 billion company.

This is certainly not how New Yorkers like to operate. To his credit, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city would decline to offer Amazon any giveaways.

But Crains reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo, having joked about changing his name to Amazon Cuomo, if thats what it takes, went over the mayors head (yet again) and is preparing a boutique land-use approval process so Amazon can circumvent the standard environmental reviews and oversight by the New York City Council and residents.

If New York had not landed Amazon, it would not have been a surprise if Dallas had. Jeff Bezos, Amazons chief executive, apparently has a home in Texas, too. Scott Galloway, the business analyst and Amazon expert, tweeted a funny-but-true image showing the proximity between Bezos homes and the companys current and prospective headquarters.

Silly as it sounds, where bosses live turns out to be as good a predictor as any of where tech companies will settle.

For years, suburbia has offered these companies acres of disposable, cheap, anonymous office parks: mostly one- or two-story concrete structures surrounded by loads of surface parking. These sites minimized costs, maximized security and allowed companies to scale up, contract or split into different units quickly  at the same time they promoted sprawl and traffic jams and transformed once-quaint bedroom communities south of San Francisco into phenomenally expensive places to live.

Not that young tech workers, more and more of them immigrants, wanted to live in suburbia, anyway. Increasingly they demanded the diversity and benefits of city life. And so did successful innovation companies, following the lead of workers.

Another way to put it is that companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon became attracted to cities like New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington because these cities had already made transformative public investments in assets like culture, parks, universities and transit.

The question for city residents is what these companies give back. Im not saying companies move, or should be expected to move, for any reason other than to make money. Amazon promises tens of thousands of new jobs in New York, with all sorts of ripple effects beyond employing more coders, sales executives, baristas, nannies and yoga instructors. In one fell swoop, it bids to make good on 20 years of the whole post-Manhattan, cool-outer-borough narrative.

But that isnt the only balance sheet. Urban life is built around a social compact, said Vishaan Chakrabarti, a Columbia professor and founder of the architecture firm PAU. Economic value creation in superstar cities like New York fuels a feedback loop that companies and cities both want to lean into.

What does this mean? For starters, it means that the city and state now have even more reason to funnel money into subways, buses and a new tunnel under the Hudson River and to pony up for the stalled BQX streetcar project linking Brooklyn and Queens, all of which would serve Amazon.

In turn, Amazon, which dominates the book market, could, up front, make self-interested commitments in local school programs and, as Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at New York University, advocates, in public libraries, our most vibrant, multipurpose community hubs.

As for housing, the citys regulatory and zoning policies are more responsible for driving up costs than tech companies. But, in an ideal world, Amazon would reverse what it did in Seattle and commit resources to affordable housing in areas where its workers are moving; and it would pitch in for homeless services, which, by extension, would improve the daily lives of Amazon employees.

Chakrabarti has a modest proposal, as well: The company could extend a hand toward Long Island City neighbors like LaGuardia Community College and Queensbridge, the largest public housing development in North America.

Theres no reason to presume Amazon will do any of this, of course.

New Yorks abundance of resources, talent and ideas derives from its exceptional diversity and social infrastructure  urban virtues. Amazon could profit from its enhancement of New York as much as New York could profit from Amazons presence. Its not how tech tends to work.

But its how this city works.

This article originally appeared in The New York TimesA New Mexico mom spoke Monday to the Illinois College community about her son, Daniel Tallouzi, who died of injuries suffered in Afghanistan in 2006 while he was serving in the Army.

Mary Tallouzi, a spokeswoman for Wounded Warrior Project, shared the story of her son, Daniel, who suffered severe brain trauma in 2006, and the journey they shared until he died in February 2009.

Tallouzi was at home when she got the call that her son had been injured on his right side, with most of the injury to his head, she said.

A piece of shrapnel about the size of a quarter had entered his brain behind his ear and ricocheted, causing severe brain damage.

I could hear the words, but I couldnt understand them. It was like he was speaking in a different language, Tallouzi said.

Tallouzi traveled to Germany, Virginia, New Jersey and eventually back home to New Mexico, remaining by her sons side as he received treatment, she said. He was in a coma and didnt not respond to stimulus.

Despite not having their medical knowledge, Tallouzi said she pushed the doctors to do more, especially when they were not optimistic about his recovery.

I was on conference call with them, and they kept going back and forth and I just said, Can I say something? This woman has a nice, vibrant, healthy plant on her desk. Why dont we stop watering it? she said. There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Tallouzi said she fought for her son and, while she couldnt heal him, she made sure he got the best care possible.

It was my role to make sure he was taken care of, Tallouzi said.

After Daniel, 24, died in February 2009, it took Tallouzi seven months before she was active again, she said. She started by helping with local Wounded Warrior Project fundraisers before becoming a coordinator and, eventually, a speaker.

In addition to Tallouzis speech, Illinois College also showed a slideshow of current and former military members associated with the school, either as faculty-staff, family or students.

Veterans in the audience also were recognized during a performance of the U.S. Armed Forces Medley.

History professor Alonzo Ward also spoke during the ceremony.

Ward, an Air Force veteran, said Veterans Day is a day to remember.

We need to honor these men and women, Ward said. They are the heroes to our country.

Tallouzi said she wants people to understand that Veterans Day is about honoring those who are both still here and those who are gone.

Those that havent served or had a family member serve, dont really understand what these vets or their families have gone through or have sacrificed, Tallouzi said. I want them to be grateful to those that have served. Theres that saying, You may not know them, but you owe them.

For Tallouzi, the best way to honor her son is to remember who he was and the sacrifice he made.

My son was an amazing young man, Tallouzi said. If he could, I know hed be telling his friends, Go, have a beer for me, I cant be there to do it. He would say Keep living.

Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha.CARBONDALE (AP)  Long before she knew she wanted to go to medical school, Bailey Flamm knew that Southern Illinois didnt have enough doctors.

She heard it constantly from her mother, Cynthia, the CEO of a community health center in Anna, called Rural Health.

I always heard her talk about it, Flamm said. She gets so worried that people in the community wont have a place to go to see a doctor.

Now a second-year student at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Flamm is mostly focused on keeping up with a flood of homework and exams. But she is also preparing to make decisions that will shape her career: choosing a specialty, a residency site and eventually a place to call home.

And our region has a lot riding on her decision.

Like rural areas around the country, Southern Illinois is working to recruit and retain doctors. The shortage here does not affect every county, local experts say, but it leaves some local residents struggling to access care.

In Jackson and Williamson counties, where health care giant Southern Illinois Healthcare operates three hospitals, there are approximately 2,000 residents per primary care physician, comparable to counties in the Chicagoland area, according to the Robert Graham Center, which analyzes public health-care policy.

But in Union and Johnson counties, that number triples to about 6,000 patients per primary care doctor.

In Alexander County, three women stabbed in a 2014 Cairo bank robbery would still be alive today if the town would have had a hospital or emergency room, Community Health and Emergency Services CEO Fred Bernstein told the Southern in July.

From a young age, Kyle Whittington, a second year SIU School of Medicine student from Elkville, has been aware of Southern Illinois health care challenges and disparities.

My grandmother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers disease when I was a small child, Whittington said. When my parents found out she had it, they took her straight to St. Louis. Thats where her neurologist was.

Whittington chose SIU to stay close to his support system of family and friends. He also appreciated the universitys mission: to recruit Illinois students to support central and Southern Illinois healthcare.

Our class is passionate about taking care of underserved communities, whether thats inner city or rural populations, Whittington said. Its never explicitly said, Hey we expect you to come back to practice. But we all know in an ideal world wed give back to the communities were from.

But is Southern Illinois ideal for the next generation of doctors?

Its hard to say, Whittington said. Some of my classmates definitely fell in love with Southern Illinois and rural medicine.

But among his peers, Whittington said he also hears common concerns.

A lot of doctors come through with a mentality that we do work extremely hard, so were going to enjoy the fruits of our labor. And if spending your money makes you happy, it may not be so easy around here, without fancy restaurants and big-city attractions, Whittington said. If you marry a spouse who works, where are you going to find a job for your spouse? The right school district for your kids?

In Southern Illinois, SIH has a team of recruiters dedicated to selling doctors on the area.

We travel all over the U.S. meeting with residency programs and with physicians, promoting Southern Illinois and SIH, said Darrell E. Bryant and Cathy Blythe, who oversee physician recruitment and retention at the hospital network.

Like hospitals around the country, SIH brings doctors in with benefits like five-figure sign-on bonuses and funds to help young doctors pay off student loans. They also have a dedicated physician relations team that focuses on making sure doctors and their families are happy and engaged in Southern Illinois, Blythe said, organizing monthly activities, like movie nights and SIU tailgating meetups.

We dont see a reluctance to live in rural areas, among young physicians, Bryant said. But the hospital is always looking for homegrown doctors like Flamm and Whittington, who understand Southern Illinois, its patients and its lifestyle.

Theres some risk of moving physicians to an area theyre not familiar with, Blythe said. Homegrown doctors, theyre from here, and theres no surprises for them moving back.

Before Flamm and Whittington begin to think about life after med school, they must choose a specialty, something that could define where theyre able to live and practice.

In Years 3 and 4 of medical school they will do clinical rotations, working alongside doctors in family medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, and many other fields to get a feel for what fits them best.

So far, neither has any idea what specialty theyll choose.

Every time I try something I really like it, Flamm said. Ive had people ask me quite a bit whether Ill stick around. Its really hard to know so early on. It depends on what I decide to do.

About 40 years ago, Larry R. Jones was weighing the same decisions. In 1973, he was part of the first class of SIU School of Medicine graduates, with his sights set on practicing in a big city.

I said I left never to return, Jones said.

But the sudden death of an established local doctor and Jones deep Southern Illinois roots brought him back to Harrisburg, where he practiced for 37 years as a family physician.

Over time, Jones combined his practice with other doctors and built the largest primary care group in southern Illinois, which was acquired by SIH about four years ago, Jones said.Call it the Oprah Election: You get a win! And you get a win! And you 

Democrats win control of the House, along with all the chairmanships  and subpoena power  that come with it.

Republicans add to their Senate majority, an unusual feat in a Republican presidents first-term midterm. As a result, it will be easier for President Trump to fill the first post-Kavanaugh Supreme Court vacancy.

In the heartland, red Kansas will have a Democratic governor, Laura Kelly. Blue Massachusetts re-elected both Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and 2020 progressive POTUS candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren in landslides. Democrats made gains in legislatures across the South and Midwest, but couldnt beat Republicans governors in Vermont or New Hampshire.

In Texas, Ted beat Beto. In Florida, Ron DeSantis stopped Andrew Gillum. And the Democrats lost two potential rock stars  for the moment. In Michigan, a GOP star may have been born as West Point grad John James ran a close race against longtime incumbent Debbie Stabenow.

Florida, an alleged swing state, wont have a single statewide-elected Democrat as of January. Senator Bill Nelson was the last, and had been the only one since 2005.

In New Hampshire, a purported purple state, Democrats maintained control of the entire congressional delegation and flipped both houses of the state legislature  a disaster for the Granite State GOP. But that same night, Gov. Chris Sununu became the first Republican re-elected to the governorship since 1994.

Its a true al a carte menu of election results. Yes, the Democrats won control of the House for the first time in eight years, which is big news by any measure. But, Trump supporters remind them, Bill Clinton lost 53 seats in his first midterm and Barack Obama lost 63 seats in his. So President Trump has outperformed two of the most successful Democrats in the modern era, Republicans can claim.

But in another sense, this was really a dog-bites-man moment. We woke up Wednesday morning in a divided America, watching Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi engage in bitter partisan battle with little hope of cooperation. Thats different from a week ago  how?

So what did we learn from the mixed-up mess of the midterms?

That Donald Trump is the greatest GOTV motivator in a generation. And its the one area in which hes completely bipartisan.

That Republicans hoping the Trump Effect would fade, or that the president would even get an electoral rebuke, must now reconcile themselves to the fact their party is really his party.

That the idea of a serious GOP challenge to Trump in 2020 is, for the moment, DOA.

That everyone who said Why is Trump talking about immigration instead of the economy? was wrong.

That, as Democratic strategist Joel Payne said, Democrats are going to have to eventually run the Trump Gauntlet: Florida, Ohio and Missouri. They have got to find a way to win in those states.

And that there are still plenty of voters willing to split their votes if they are given the right candidates or right message.

And now what?

Trump will declare victory. He can make a legitimate argument that he spared the GOP the sort of devastation history would suggest and that recent polling had predicted.

Speaking of polling, everyone who wants to believe polling is a hot mess of pseudo-science and liberal bias now has another data point to back their case.

Democrats will tout their well-earned victory in the House and say theyre on their way to taking the White House in 2020.

Republicans will embrace the fact that, as The Federalists Ben Domenech put it on CBS News on Tuesday night, Democrats got the candidates they wanted and still lost. Republicans got stuck with candidates they didnt want  and still won.

And those much-celebrated moderate voters the media say are so vital to our democracy? They are even more marginalized than before.

Americas politics are divided. They were divided before Trump and before Barack Obama, for that matter. The American people have some fundamental disagreements on big issues, like the role of government in our lives and the value (or lack thereof) of identity politics. Its going to take an awfully big wave to wash all that away.

We certainly didnt get it on Election Day.

Michael Graham is political editor of NH Journal. Hes also a CBS News contributor. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.The East Room of the White House  with its vaulted ceilings, ornate chandeliers and gold curtains  is the closest thing to a throne room the United States has.

When set up for a presidential news conference, as it was on Wednesday morning, it is magisterial. The president is announced, and the doors to a long hallway swing open. He steps onto the podium, towering over reporters squeezed tightly into the wooden chairs before him.

It feels a bit like an audience with a king. And on Wednesday, the king was angry.

Donald Trump held this formal news conference, only the second of his presidency, to respond to the results of the midterm elections. It was, he said, very close to a complete victory for Republicans, despite the fact that his party lost control of the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years.

After spending weeks of battering and belittling his political opponents, the president opened by changing his tone and speaking of bipartisanship. When it came time to interact with the gathered journalists, however, the olive branch was replaced by a mailed fist  as it always seems to be.

The president accused one reporter, who is African-American, of asking a racist question. He said hes not a big fan of another. And he repeatedly barked at persistent questioners to sit down.

The real fireworks came when CNNs Jim Acosta tried to ask a series of questions, culminating with the president accusing him of being a terrible person, mocking his networks ratings and reiterating his own contention that outlets that promote what he considers fake news are enemies of the people.

As a reporter for BBC News, I was seated a few rows behind and to the left of Acosta as he questioned the president, who at one point huffily stepped away from the lectern while the reporter continued to talk. The White House would later accuse Acosta of placing his hands on an intern trying to take his microphone away  and suspend his press credentials.

From my vantage point, I thought there may have been non-hostile contact between the two  in stark contrast to the obvious verbal hostility between reporter and president. A review of video from the incident corroborates this.

Acosta has a reputation as a dogged reporter, but his time at the White House during the Trump administration illustrates the perils of covering a president who uses dust-ups with journalists as a political tactic.

When the news cycle turns against him, one of the presidents first instincts is to criticize those who report the news. And journalists often take the bait. Theyve spent their whole professional careers dedicated to their craft, after all, and its human nature to take such slights and derogations personally  and to talk about them in private and then in print and then on-air for days.

Thats exactly what the president wants. An us-vs.-them debate between Trump and media personalities is friendly terrain for the White House. It feeds into the perception held by conservatives across the country that journalists, who are predisposed to questioning authority, are out to get this president. It diminishes the impact of the stories reporters spend so much time covering.

And as a further complication  and temptation  it also can benefit outlets such as CNN and reporters such as Acosta, who see followings grow, ratings soar and advertising dollars pour in with every new Trump-related controversy.

Theres a mirror to this perception on the left, casting the media as some sort of cohesive whole that can stand up to the president  as opposed to a chaotic mass of individuals and outlets, each vying for a small slice of the story.

When people ask me why reporters dont just walk out when a news conference turns ugly as it did Wednesday, I chuckle. Telling journalists to walk away from a story is like asking them to stop breathing.

Sitting next to me in the East Room was a Korean reporter, perched on the edge of her seat. Her hand shot up every time the president appeared poised for a new question.

Mr. President, sir! North Korea! North Korea! she said pleadingly.

Try asking her to give up a chance to get a choice line from the leader of the United States about an issue that is of the utmost importance to her audience.

I like to tell friends and colleagues that covering Donald Trump can feel like falling into quicksand. The more you struggle, the more you fight, the quicker you sink.

Instead, the best strategy  the only way to survive  is to take a deep breath. Find solid footing. And move deliberately.

Thats what the story and the audience deserve.

Anthony Zurcher is senior North America reporter for BBC News based in Washington, D.C.The operation is completed in the Panmunjom Joint Security Area. North and South start to dismantle 20 guard posts in the Demilitarised Zone. After six months, South Korea and the United States resumed the Marine Exercise Programme, which North Korea calls anachronistic" and a threat to dialogue and peace.

Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies)  North Korea has removed 636 land mines from Panmunjom, on the border with South Korea, South Korean Defence Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said Monday.

Mr Jeong also announced that the South Korea would continue the joint marine drill under way with the United States, a violation of the inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) signed in September according to North Korea.

The CMA calls for the two sides to take confidence-building measures, including the pull-out of front-line troops and firearms.

The two sides disarmed land mines from Panmunjom's Joint Security Area (JSA) on 20 October. After removing their troops, the two Koreas also started to dismantle 20 guard posts in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ).

After a six-month break, South Korea and the United States resumed the Korea Marine Exercise Program (KMEP) last week.

The Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of North Koreas ruling Workers' Party of Korea, slammed the exercise this morning.

In an editorial, it said that South Korea and the United States should "behave reasonably" and abstain from "anachronistic" military acts that could undermine dialogue and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

South Koreas Defence Ministry responded stressing that such defensive manoeuvres take place every year.Ways To Help Those Impacted By Camp Fire

Paradise, CA  Numerous groups and organizations are helping residents impacted by the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County.

To view the latest information about the fire, which is the most destructive in the states history, click here.

A later story also highlights a fundraiser being put on by Sonora Elementary School, click here.

Below is a list of ways to donate:

From the Students at Gold Rush Charter School:

This Friday, November 16, from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm there will be a truck set up at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds to collect pet products for the victims. They will accept grass hay, hog feed, goat feed, canned dog food with pop top lid, cat food, chicken feed, 5 gallon buckets with lids and feed pans.

Gift cards, gas cards and donations are also accepted.

For more information you can call 209-588-3848. Delivery will be this Saturday

American Red Cross:

People interested in volunteering or donating as-needed may sign up with the Red Cross. The Red Cross has a volunteer page here.

* Or you can text 90999 to Help Donate $10.00 to The American Red Cross

Angels Camp Veterinary Hospital and Mother Lode Veterinary Hospital are coordinating a drive for those who have lost their homes or are displaced due to the Camp Fire. You can drop off any non-perishable food items (no glass please), animal food for any species, hygiene supplies, water, blankets, pillows, clothing, toilet paper, batteries, flash lights, pet bowls, pet crates, first aid supplies, kitty litter, paper plates and bowls, gift cards, scrub tops and bottoms or an other product you see fit to either location for a delivery they will be making on November 17. It is recommended that the items be dropped off during regular business hours of 8am-5pm, either at the office in Angels Camp or Murphys.

The United Way has a Camp Fire page where you can donate to the response. You can also text BUTTEFIRE to 91999 to make a pledge.

In addition, the Salvation Army has a Camp Fire donations page.The San Antonio Symphony has named Corey Cowart, currently the executive director of the Amarillo Symphony, as its new executive director.

Cowart, 40, steps into his new role Jan. 2.

Hes quite a winner for us, said Kathleen Weir Vale, chairwoman of the symphonys board and a member of the search committee. He will take us up to the next level for sure, at least.

Cowart, a Houston native with a bachelors degree in music from the University of Houston and a masters in music from Yale University, began his career in arts administration with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. From there, he served as vice president of development with the Minnesota Opera before moving to Amarillo in 2015.

Cowart was one of five finalists for the San Antonio position, culled from a larger group of applicants by Arts Consulting Group, a national company specializing in executive searches for arts and culture organizations.

The things that put Cowart over the top, Vale said, were his consummate professionalism and successful experience in arts management, particularly in symphonic arts.

Hes got the chops.

On ExpressNews.com: Heres what the symphonys season holds

Cowart follows two interim directors. Karina Bharne oversaw the symphony for about six months beginning in January. Bharne was brought in following the collapse of a plan for the Symphony Society to hand over management of the organization to Symphonic Music for San Antonio, a nonprofit formed by major funders specifically to resolve the symphony's stubborn funding problems.

Bharne left in July to accept a job as executive director for Symphony Tacoma. She was replaced by Michael Kaiser, a noted arts consultant who specializes in working with troubled arts organizations.

Kaiser had advised a city-county task force formed earlier this year to come up with solutions to the symphony's financial issues. One of the goals drawn up by the task force was to name a permanent executive director by the end of the year.

Thats a very, very important step, Vale said.

On ExpressNews.com: Look back at symphonys recent turmoil

Cowart said he had followed the news of the symphonys recent turmoil: It was very well-known in the industry, he said.

He asked questions about it during his interviews for the executive director position.

From hearing the steps put in place by the board, it seems like a new day for the orchestra, he said.

Cowart first heard the San Antonio Symphony play when he took part in a master class here during his undergraduate days, and he said he has long admired the skill of the musicians.

The quality of the orchestra is something thats always been impressive to me, he said. I think the orchestra is in a place where I can really be able to come down and add strength and resiliency.

Cowart, who studied and played the trombone, originally planned to pursue a career as a musician.

My goal was to be a member of a major orchestra, he said. And what really made me switch to go to the administrative side was I just love this art form. To me, it is mankinds highest artistic achievement, and its still the only thing that regularly gives me goosebumps, whether Im listening to a live concert or a recording. And I believed that I could do more for the art form and make it stronger by working behind the stage.

dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN

Deborah Martin is an arts writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinENArchitectural Digest has ranked the 50 Most Beautiful Colleges in America, including three Texas universities.

The magazine searched from coast to coast to find the most beautiful college campuses in the United States, taking into consideration architectural legacy and setting.

Scroll through the photo gallery above to see some of the schools that made the list.

RELATED: Texas schools rank among Forbes' top colleges in 2018

Marcy de Luna is a digital reporter specializing in social media, the famous, and food. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna. Read her stories on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | Marcy.deLuna@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text messageWASHINGTON - President Donald Trump unleashed verbal attacks Tuesday on French President Emmanuel Macron, taking aim at his approval rating, his country's employment rate, its trade policies on wine and his vision for the military.

The broadside on Twitter escalated a spat that began Friday when Trump took umbrage at Macron's call in a radio interview for a "true European army" so that the continent can defend itself without relying on the United States.

Tensions between the two leaders continued over the weekend at events in Paris commemorating the end of World War I, with Macron delivering a speech that many saw as a rebuke of Trump's self-imposed "nationalist" label.

In the first of several barbs Tuesday on Twitter, Trump again misrepresented what Macron had said during last week's radio interview and reminded him of the U.S. military's role in aiding France in World War I and II.

"Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia," Trump wrote. "But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along."

In the interview with French radio station Europe 1, Macron called for a "true European army" in part so that the continent would not have to rely on the United States for defense. He noted that Russia "is at our borders" and said he would like to "start a security dialogue" with the nation.

In another part of the interview, Macron said that Europe has to protect itself "with respect to China, Russia and even the United States." But in that portion of the radio interview, Macron was actually referring to cybersecurity matters and fading multilateralism, rather than the military.

Trump also inaccurately summarized Macron's comments when he initially tweeted about them Friday while on Air Force One arriving in Paris. Trump said he found Macron's comments "very insulting" and said that France should "first pay its fair share of NATO."

In his tweet on Tuesday, Trump again referenced France's spending, writing: "Pay for NATO or not!"

Trump has long been irritated at countries in the NATO alliance that do not spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on their militaries, claiming that the United States has had to subsidize the defense spending of other nations.

In a speech at the World War I commemoration, Macron delivered a forceful rebuke against rising nationalism, calling it a "betrayal of patriotism" and warning against "old demons coming back to wreak chaos and death."

While his words were intended for a global audience, they also were widely seen, in part, as a rebuke of Trump, who recently described himself as a "nationalist."

Trump referenced Macron's remarks during Tuesday's tweetstorm.

"The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!"

"MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!" Trump added, in a play on his campaign slogan.

The poll Trump referenced was from last month. Another recent poll put Macron's approval rating a little higher. France's unemployment rate is about 9 percent.

In another tweet Tuesday, Trump complained of a trade disparity suggesting that it makes it harder for U.S. winemakers to sell their products in France.

"On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S.," the president wrote. "The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!"

Trump made no mention of the winery he owns in Charlottesville, which he bought at a foreclosure auction in 2011 and is now run by his son Eric.

Trump's burst of tweets came on the anniversary of coordinated terrorist attacks on Nov. 13, 2015, in France - a very solemn occasion in the country.

The French government declined to comment on Trump's tweets.

Following Trump's Tuesday attack, German Chancellor Angela Merkel came to Macron's defense, echoing his initial call for a "real European army."

"We want to work on the vision of eventually creating a real European army," Merkel said in a speech to the European Parliament. Her remarks implied that such a project would not be pursued imminently. But a European army, Merkel said, would "show the world that there will never again be war between the European countries."

In a stab at Trump, Merkel said that the times when Europe could rely on others were "simply over."

"Old allies cast doubts over tried and tested ties," she said, likely referring to the United States.

Trump also sought to explain Tuesday why he had skipped a scheduled tour over the weekend of a military cemetery for Americans, while other world leaders publicly paid homage to those who died on the battlefield. The White House's stated reason - the rainy weather - has prompted some mocking of Trump in both the United States and France.

"By the way, when the helicopter couldn't fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving," Trump wrote on Twitter. "Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetery in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!"

Francois Heisbourg, a former French presidential adviser on national security and terrorism, said Trump's use of the word "insulting" in an initial tweet Friday was "the greatest possible accusation" in international discourse.

"I can't imagine that Trump was escalating to that level," said Heisbourg, now chairman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies Council.

Heisbourg also criticized Trump for misquoting Macron with regard to needing protection from United States.

"The deliberate misquote by Trump - that's serious, that's real," Heisbourg said. "He chooses to tweet that the alliance is a cash machine. That is apparently for Trump the only meaning of the word 'alliance.' "

---

The Washington Post's James McAuley reported from Paris. David Nakamura in Paris contributed to this report.Vehicle inspection employees near Katy are accused of "clean scanning" cars during inspections, police said.

The employees worked at Katy Sticker Inspection in the 2900 block of Katy Hockley Cut Off, according to the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office.

Deputies with the constable's office's Emissions Task Force Unit said the three employees  Eric Hassan Khorshidpanah, 22, John Leonard Atkins, 35, and Juan Israel Diaz, 41  all allegedly passed their customers' vehicle inspections without actually testing them.

Authorities said the "clean scanning" process allegedly brought in about $115,000 in illicit revenue for the shop.

"This type of criminal activity contributes to health threatening pollution," Constable Mark Herman said. "In addition, it affords the opportunity for unsafe vehicles to be driven on a public roadway due to not meeting the minimum safety standards."

All three suspects are on the run and wanted by deputies, authorities said. They are each charged with two felony counts of tampering with a governmental record.

Anyone with information about their whereabouts is urged to call Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message

xxA man was fatally wounded during a shootout in the northwest side of Houston Monday night, Houston police said.

The shooting happened in the 4300 block of Citadel Lane around 6:20 p.m., according to the Houston Police Department.

A man had been shot several times in the chest, police said. He was rushed to an area hospital where he died.

NORTH HOUSTON: Girl shot by stray bullet as security guard opens fire in north Houston robbery

Police said the man was involved in a shootout with one other person. The suspect in the shooting fled the scene before officers arrived, police said.

Several minutes later, a man drove up to a random house in the 3600 block of Milwee and said he'd been shot, said Lt. Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.

It's unclear whether the second shooting victim is related to the first in any way, however.

HPD's homicide detectives are investigating.

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San Antonio police arrested a man who allegedly robbed his ex-girlfriend and her friend in a parking lot.

Gary Hawkins, 26, was taken into custody Monday on suspicion of aggravated robbery, according to jail records.

The alleged robbery was reported on July 28, when the woman and her friend approached a police officer working a traffic accident and told him they had been robbed at gunpoint.

RELATED: SAPD: Man used Instagram in attempt to solicit sex from 11-year-old girl

The woman said her friend agreed to give her a ride home from work, according to the affidavit. When they got to the parking lot, they were approached by Hawkins, the woman told police.

The woman knew Hawkins because they had previously dated, according to the affidavit.

Hawkins pulled a gun on the friend, forced him to the ground, and took his money, cell phone and watch, police said.

The woman told police Hawkins then assaulted her, striking her head multiple times before taking her money and cell phone too.

Hawkins was arrested $75,000 bond, according to jail records.

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | fsabawi@mysa.com|@FaresInSAAs I winced my way through an uncomfortable confrontation at a televised White House news conference between President Trump and Jim Acosta, which resulted in CNNs chief White House correspondent having his press credentials yanked, all I could think about was a 3x5 slip of scratch paper.

About 15 years ago, while I was an editorial writer and columnist for the Dallas Morning News, I was on the phone with the county district attorney when the conversation got heated. Id been pounding on the D.A. for months over scandals involving his office. It had even gotten back to me  through sources  that the top prosecutor considered me his nemesis.

On the call, the D.A. tried to rattle me by taking a personal shot. I was all set to fire back with a snarky comment of my own that was loaded and in the chamber. My boss  the editorial page editor  must have sensed what was coming. So, she hurried over to my desk and slid me a short note.

It read: Be professional.

I was. I took a deep breath, ignored the insult, and pressed ahead with the interview. It made for a good column.

My boss didnt want me to get in the mud with an elected official who was at home there. Even if he considered me his nemesis, I wasnt supposed to view him the same way. My boss also wanted to remind me that I was on the job, and I had a duty not to hurt the newspapers reputation.

It wasnt the first time someone tried to get my goat, nor the last. Once, the campaign manager for a Democratic candidate for Texas governor got angry that I had special access to another Democrat  and fellow Mexican-American  vying for the same job. The campaign manager thought I was showing favoritism to the Latino  which, by the way, as an opinion writer, was my prerogative. Yet, clearly intoxicated by white privilege, he threatened to drive to Dallas to have a talk with my publisher in the hopes of getting me fired.

What could I do? I offered to pay for his gas.

Ive never forgiven my old boss for slipping me that note. But now, I understand why she did it.

Since then, Ive had a few run-ins with public officials  a George W. Bush Cabinet member, a Democratic congresswoman, etc.  where, during questioning about immigration, folks complained that I was being overly combative or argumentative.

Upon reflection, maybe I was. Thats the job. Yet, in each case, I have to ask myself: Was I trying to get information, or just showing off? If the interaction was more about me than it was about them, then thats a problem.

Invariably, Acosta makes his interactions with Trump all about himself.

The fact that the CNN reporter had his press credentials pulled  even if only temporarily  will surely feed the legend and perhaps add a couple of zeros to his speaking fee or a future book deal.

Still, Acosta deserved the rebuke. He was arrogant, rude and sanctimonious. He was sent to cover the story, and he made himself the story. He was supposed to ask questions, but instead he tried to challenge the president about the refugee caravan. He asked several questions, instead of one. And when he got answers, he rejected them. He used up time that could have gone to his colleagues. He hogged the microphone, and  at his worst moment  wrestled for control of it with a White House intern, as if it were his own private property.

Someone at CNN needs to slip this guy a note. He stopped being a journalist a while back, and his recent performance  and thats the right word  at the White House demonstrates it.

In the end, I dont care much about how Acosta treated Trump. He has a job to do, and it involves questioning the powerful. I care more about how he treated his media colleagues, which is to say like he was the only reporter in the room  or, for that matter, on Planet Earth. Their deadlines and live shots were just as important as his.

And I care most of all about how he treated that poor intern who learned the hard way that the most dangerous place to be in Washington is between Jim Acosta and a microphone.

ruben@rubennavarrette.comI am an American educator. My job is hard, and I sometimes feel like Im fighting a losing battle.

I manage a writing center at Palo Alto College, one of five campuses that make up the Alamo College system. Our campus is located on the South Side, a part of the city that is said to be poor relative to other parts of San Antonio.

In a former life, I was in the classroom full time. I taught a variety of writing, research, literature and critical thinking classes to university students in America and abroad. Many of the places I taught were considered selective, meaning only the very brightest or most well-connected were admitted. Often, their primary purpose in studying at such a university was to get a degree that would help them maintain their privileged position in society. These prestigious institutions of higher learning have historically played a conservative role by educating the next generation of elites, thus ensuring that prevailing class structures remain intact.

Meanwhile, the children of the poor and uneducated dont often enroll in universities  elite or otherwise. Instead, they immediately go to work rather than attend college, getting trapped in dead-end jobs that pay little more than subsistence wages.

Those of us whove left the university and are now working in places like Palo Alto College are part of the revolution. I dont mean that we are attempting to overthrow the government or anything like that. We are playing important roles in turning things upside down. In a nation where the postsecondary system of education is rigged in favor of the haves, community colleges are set up to serve the have-nots. This makes what we do a bit subversive.

Many of those who come to our writing center for help are first-generation college students, meaning theyve grown up in families where neither of their parents went to college or have degrees. This puts them at a great disadvantage when compared to continuing generation students who are reared expecting to attend college because their parents did so. At least one study has argued that first-generation students lack the sort of cultural capital needed to understand how higher education works and what one needs to do to survive and thrive in a competitive educational setting. It is my job to help them begin to acquire this capital so they can complete associate degrees, acquire job certification and put down the sort of foundation that will prepare some of them to transfer to universities.

When I begin to feel tired or hopeless at work, I remind myself that I am playing a role, albeit a small one, in helping to affect dramatic change. Many of us know that things are going terribly wrong in this country at this time. A lot of whats amiss is rooted in the extreme economic inequality that separates the haves from the have-nots. Many of us understand that such a situation, where the income gap continues to widen, is utterly unsustainable and a threat to democracy.

Those who call themselves patriots and believe in democracy need to be supporters of Palo Alto College and institutions like it. Our current system of governance is only possible when we find ways to democratize economics. Educating the masses, and providing them with the tools they need to wrest away some economic power from the few whove long had more than their fair share, is a way of ensuring that some modicum of social justice prevails in this country.

Troy Headrick is a writer, traveler, political activist and educator who manages a writing center at Palo Alto College.Parents in San Antonio are increasingly exercising their right to choose the best-fit school for their children.

In fact, charter schools alone have experienced double-digit growth in enrollment in the last five years, and more than 141,000 Texas students are currently on charter school waitlists.

These numbers are no accident.

Whether it is in the form of in-district magnet schools, home-schooling, religious, private, early college high schools or charter schools, parents seek out schools that match their hopes and dreams for their children.

In a recent article, the superintendents of the Northside and North East independent school districts suggested city and county governments should take action to slow or control charter school expansion.

But San Antonio plainly benefits from educational competition. Not only do parents get to choose the school that best fits their students interests, but students across the city experience an education that awakens their passion for learning.

As Brooke Lucero, special education teacher at Great Hearts Northern Oaks, says, I love that every Great Hearts teacher is committed to cultivating the hearts and minds of students through truth, goodness and beauty, which helps children become well-rounded and gives them confidence to change the world.

At Choose to Succeed, a nonprofit working to attract the nations best public charter schools to San Antonio, we have seen how great charter schools change lives. Schools of choice offer space for future doctors, lawyers, astrophysicists, Broadway stars, authors and web developers to pursue an education that gives them the confidence and skills they need to become world-changers.

Competition exists across all industries. In San Antonio, hundreds of Starbucks locations offer the same flavor coffee and a similar experience. Thousands of San Antonians start their day with a Starbucks coffee and are happy with the experience: It is satisfying in a familiar way.

But our market also supports hundreds of smaller, artisan shops that serve a variety of coffee. Each shop must define and develop its own identity and must execute at the top of its game to attract and retain customers, especially with Starbucks so visible and familiar in the market. But when these smaller shops create a culture of excellence, they fill a clear market need. Their popularity proves this.

Like mom-and-pop coffee shops, charter schools offer an alternative.

IDEA Public Schools commits to putting every one of its students on the pathway to college, achieving 100 percent college acceptance.

KIPP offers students college-preparatory academics and character development in equal measure.

Great Hearts provides students with a classical education rooted in the great works of human history.

BASIS schools offer a college-preparatory, AP-for-all-students model, where students take the most rigorous courses available, taught by subject experts.

At Compass Rose Academy, students build entrepreneurial businesses while taking college-preparatory, liberal arts classes.

The School of Science and Technology expose its students to the vast depth of study they can explore across scientific disciplines.

And Promesa Academy focuses on world studies as early as kindergarten to build worldly learners and leaders.

These school models add much-needed flavor to our school system, and the increasing enrollment numbers prove parents are hungry for the alternatives they provide.

We believe school choice is good for San Antonio, and we welcome a productive conversation on how to work together. But the conversation must be had in good faith. Parents seek out charter schools because they are unhappy with their local district.

When superintendents and other executives point to charters as the biggest problem these school systems face, they expose the real problem at ISDs  a refusal to look inward to fix what is driving families away.

At Choose to Succeed, we believe families should make decisions for themselves. Charter school oversight is the responsibility of the state of Texas, not the City Council.

Pitting one school concept against another will only undermine our collective efforts to educate our children.

Chip Haass is CEO of Choose to Succeed.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has sent the Texas Legislature an expensive message as lawmakers make plans to head back to Austin to tackle the budget for the next biennium.

Shortchanging the education of Texas schoolchildren has its price, and it wont be tolerated. Unlike other federal court rulings against the state of Texas on education funding, this one comes with an actual price tag.

The New Orleans-based federal appellate court last week ruled the U.S. Department of Education was within its right to penalize the state $33 million for reducing its special education funding by $33 million in 2012. This is in keeping with federal law that mandates states must maintain the same amount of special education funding to continue to be eligible for the federal grants; the federal dollars are not meant to be substituted for state funds.

The penalty amounts to roughly 3 percent of the $1 billion the state annually allocates for special education. The federal government can demand payment all at one time or spread out the penalty over several years. This fine should be paid from the states rainy day fund, which is holding close to $13 billion, to ensure that the allocation does not have a negative impact on any education-related budgets.

In addition, the court ordered the state to pay the federal governments appeal costs. The feds should waive that part of the penalty in the best interest of Texas students, but at the same time, the state should agree to take this appeal no further. What the state did to children who needed special education services was indefensible.

The state illegally set a cap on the number of students receiving special education and then used the declining participation in the program as the reasoning for decreasing spending in that area. The practice was exposed by a 2016 Houston Chronicle investigation into how special education was being dispensed. This prompted a federal inquiry.

The newspaper found that while 13 percent of students across the country were participating in special education classes, Texas was limiting access to just 8.5 percent of children in public schools. That prompted many parents to seek education alternatives for their children, with many of them having to home-school their children after finding the options were limited.

The Department of Education found the cap to be illegal and ordered the Texas Education Agency to locate and provide services for students who had been denied them. Special education services for the next three years have a projected cost of $3 billion. The bigger problem is going to be finding teachers for the estimated 150,000 additional special education students who are expected to be on the rolls by 2021. There are not enough such teachers in the pipeline to meet the demand.

In a letter sent to TEA in late October, U.S. Department of Education officials said the state was not working fast enough to fix the systemic problems with special education. It set a Dec. 1 deadline for the state to show it has a plan to ensure proper access to special education.

Regrettably, this is not the only education front on which the state has failed Texas children. School districts are still grappling with a less equitable public school finance system more than two years after the Texas Supreme found the system constitutional but in need of serious fixing.

Its time to get down to the business of resolving the serious education finance issues facing the state. Meanwhile, pay this penalty from the rainy day fund and forgo any appeal.Pontus Aberg and Rickard Rakell scored in the shootout, John Gibson made 34 saves and the Anaheim dealt the Predators their first road loss of the year with a 2-1 victory Monday night.

Rakell scored in the fourth round of the shootout to give the Ducks the 2-1 lead. Gibson then stopped Kevin Fiala for the win.MDC vice-chairperson Tendai Biti and State prosecutor Michael Reza nearly exchanged blows in court yesterday after Reza accused the former of playing a role in the post-election violence that saw seven civilians killed by members of the army on August 1 this year, while the presiding magistrate clashed with the opposition leaders lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa over the use of mobile phones in court.

Biti, who appeared before magistrate Gloria Takundwa, is facing charges of violating the Electoral Act for allegedly announcing that MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa had won the presidential elections during the harmonised elections held in July this year. He is also facing another charge of border jumping.

I am going to sue you for that! Did I shoot anyone? Why dont you accuse the army? Biti fumed.

Mtetwa asked the court for Reza to recuse himself from the matter, saying he was now conflicted after writing an affidavit accusing Biti of playing a hand in the killing of the people by the army.

Your Worship, Reza, who in terms of the law, is supposed to be impartial, filed an affidavit and made averments that are a cause for concern and such averments cannot be made by an impartial prosecutor. Reza said Bitis assassination attempt claim was only political grandstanding. He proceeded by saying the violence committed in the CBD [central business district], which claimed the lives of people, were carried out by MDC supporters. What independent prosecutor says that?

But Reza told the court that Biti had raised political statements, which required a political response.

He further said Biti referred to a legitimate government as a military junta government, which is a derogatory expression.

Mtetwa urged Reza to recuse himself, accusing him of furthering the interests of his political masters and not of justice.

However, Takundwa postponed the matter to November 15 for ruling.

Takundwa then ordered everyone in the court gallery to stop using mobile phones during the proceedings, but Mtetwa objected, saying there was no law stopping people from using their phones in court.

Surely, you cannot stop people from tweeting and sending messages unless you avail an Act that stops them from using their phones, she said.

Takundwa then backed down and said the people in the gallery must not take pictures, to which Mtetwa concurred.

Biti, who is represented by Mtetwa, has filed an application at the High Court for a review challenging magistrate Francis Mapfumos jurisdiction and ruling after he alleged that he was abducted from Zambia, where (Biti) he had been seeking asylum after an attempt on his life.

But the State insisted on going to trial despite the pending High Court review.

Biti was denied asylum by the Zambian government after he tried to seek refuge in that country.

He claimed that he was abducted in Zambia by unidentified Zimbabwean men.

He said the abductors forced him to cross the border and arrested him. He told court that he was not running away from the police, but that his life was in danger.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsZRP commissioner general Godwin Matanga has warned that police are ready to arrest opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa for allegedly inciting the August 1 post-election violence which left six peopled dead and several others injured.

Matanga said the only reason the police have not picked Chamisa up is because of President Emmerson Mnangagwas mooted plan to constitutionally formalise the position of Leader of the Opposition.

The ZRP chief was testifying before the Commission of Inquiry into the deadly August violence at a heading in Harare this Monday.

I still feel that it would be very improper to arrest the leader of the opposition party in the name of Nelson Chamisa because this is a position that was formed by the President, said Matanga.

Mnangagwa has since confirmed plans to establish the office of Leader of the Opposition in line, he said, with other Commonwealth countries.

Zimbabwe has applied to re-join the grouping which largely comprises former British colonies.

Mnangagwas spokesman George Charamba clarified that the position was not necessarily intended for Chamisa after the opposition leader said he was not interested.

According to Matanga however, Mnangagwa intends to create the position for Chamisa.

I still feel today that the Presidents doors are open and (so) I cannot arrest Chamisa, but all the same I can say crime does not rot like meat and anytime he can be arrested, said the ZRP chief.

Soldiers were deployed to help overwhelmed police quell violence during protests in central Harare against the results of the July 30 elections.

The opposition has blamed the military for the death of six people during the clashes.

Matanga however, told commissioners Monday that Chamisa had incited violence with the support of a Kenyan activist the ZRP boss identified as Silas Jakakimba.

It is written in the Constitution that the Electoral Act does not allow people to incite violence, said Matanga.

It is on record that a lawyer of the main (Kenyan) opposition leader Raila Odinga by the name Silas Jakakimba was in the country to advise the leader of the opposition party on how to proceed with events which took place on 1 August.

When I got that information, he (the Kenyan lawyer) had already left the country.

Matanga denied opposition charges that police, and military units deployed to quell the violence shot dead the six protestors and also injured more than a dozen others.

He was backed by Zimbabwe Defence Forces chief General Philip Valerio Sibanda who was adamant that soldiers only fired warning shots into the air and never at what he described as rioters.

The commission is headed by former South Africa president Kgalema Motlanthe.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsPOLICE have arrested MDC Alliance national executive member Joel Gabhuza who is also Member of Parliament for Binga South.

The legislator was charged with undermining the authority of President Emmerson Mnangagwa after allegedly calling him a dog incapable of leading the country.

The remarks were reportedly made at a funeral in Manzyasiya village in Chief Pashus area on October 23 attended by Gabhuza as provincial chair for the MDC.

He assumed the position after the split with MDC-T party led by Thokozani Khupe.

Gabhuza allegedly criticised Binga people for voting for Zanu PF and President Mnangagwa.

He said the Zanu PF leader had no solution for the shortages of fuel and medicines which are forcing locals to cross the border into Zambia for supplies.

Court heard that an 89-year-old villager from Binga offended by the utterances reportedly walked for about 100km to Binga Police Station to report six days later.

The MP was not formally charged Monday when he appeared before Hwange magistrate Livard Philimon.

He was remanded out of custody to December 13 on $200 bail.

The incident occurred on October 23, said prosecutor Jamesina Makanza.

On October 23 at 11am the accused was at the burial of John Bwansula Mumpande where the informant and other members of the community were in Manzyasiya village.

While at the grave site, the accused was invited to speak in his speech he undermined the authority of the President.

Gabhuza  speaking in Tonga said; You people are disabled; you have chosen a dog who cannot manage to rule the country.

There is no fuel, medication and I had to go to Zambia to buy fuel which we have used at this funeral. I have said so and if there is anyone who is angered about this I dont care.

This did not go down well with 89-year-old Tholani Driver Ndlovu who, on October 29, reportedly walked 100km to make a report to the police, accusing Gabhuza of insulting Mnangagwa.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsZanu PFs notorious succession demons have resurfaced, with the partys senior officials locking horns over who should take over from President Emmerson Mnangagwa  a few months after the 76-year-old strongman won a hotly-disputed five-year mandate to lead the country.

The fresh fissures in the former liberation movement come as Mnangagwa has recently called his restless lieutenants to order, insisting that they focus on unity and rebuilding the countrys wobbly economy  rather than be fixated on politics, as they tend to be.

The new party cracks also come as Zanu PF has experienced a number of ugly factional, tribal and succession wars over the past few years  including a mini-split following its acrimonious 2014 congress, as well as the chilling poisoning of Mnangagwa by his internal rivals during a youth interface rally in Gwanda last year.

During this difficult period, ousted former president Robert Mugabe had, until last Novembers military intervention ended his ruinous rule, studiously refused to name his successor  amid claims that he was preparing his erratic wife Grace to succeed him.

Mugabe eventually fell from power when the countrys increasingly disaffected military launched Operation Restore Legacy, which saw him being put under house arrest  before the nonagenarian resigned dramatically moments before Parliament started damaging impeachment proceedings against him.

Party insiders told the Daily News yesterday that things were again looking ominous in Zanu PF, with a group that included some of Mnangagwas long-time loyalists already heavily involved in the search for EDs successor  to the chagrin of other party leaders.

This group at one time put forward the name of this well-loved general  (name given but withheld  because the top military officer could not be reached yesterday), but has since changed its mind after he fell sick.

It now wants one of its own instead, among those who have been with Mnangagwa from his time as a minister until he became president.

This group is also using some of the war veterans to push out Obert Mpofu in particular, because it also wants one of its own to replace him as the partys secretary for administration.

Once their preferred choice steps into Mpofus shoes, they think it will be easier for them to revamp the partys structures and to align them with their wishes, one of the well-placed sources said.

Mpofu has now even indicated to those close to him that he is prepared to step down, rather than continue being embarrassed and being accused of things that he has not done.

Among their reasons, this group is worried that Mnangagwa might not finish his current term due to the poisoning that he suffered last year and they are thus looking at having a successor in case that happens.

This partly explains the current determined attacks on Mpofu and other senior party officials at the Zanu PF headquarters in Harare, the source added.

The old Zanu PF guard  which includes other former Cabinet ministers who were shunted to the partys HQ after the July 30 elections are under severe pressure to leave their positions.

Mnangagwa re-assigned these chefs to the partys headquarters  commonly referred to as Shake Shake Building in Harare street lingo  in a desperate bid to breathe new life in government and to strengthen the former liberation movements administration.

The Zanu PF leaders idea was apparently to emulate the Chinese Communist Partys model, which has also been adopted by South Africas African National Congress in South Africa.

Yesterday, war veterans and senior Zanu PF officials told the Daily News that they were aware of the plot to limit Mnangagwa to one term in office only.

We are saying let the president serve his two terms. There are some people who are moving in their own direction, who are not supporting our president within the party.

We also know that there are some people within the party who are causing price hikes in order to sabotage our president and we are not happy with this.

Some of them rush to be party members, trying to cover up their ill-gotten wealth  and all these issues are going to be dealt with soon, Mashonaland West provincial chairperson Ziyambi Ziyambi said.

War veterans secretary-general Victor Matemadanda also confirmed to the Daily News that some people within the party were aiming to dislodge Mnangagwa before the end of his current term.

The country is not led by opinions of certain individuals but by the Constitution. We have a Constitution which says the president must serve two terms and  there is no need to talk about succession now because the president is still serving his first term.

It is not about the opinion of certain drunken individuals, but the Constitution, Matemadanda said without naming these supposed drunkards.

In September, Mnangagwa told foreign media that he would only serve the two terms permitted by the countrys Constitution, if Zimbabweans re-elect him into power in five years time.

Speaking to the American cable television network CNN, when he was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting, Mnangagwa said he would not cling on to power like Mugabe had done, but would still want to serve his permitted two terms if re-elected in 2023.

We have now limited the terms of the president just to two terms  I will abide by that without any iota of resistance at all. Even if the people love me to be there, I will go because I believe in constitutionalism.

You must give your people a chance to have other leaders. In my view, 10 years is not a short period, he asserted.

Zimbabwe replaced its old Lancaster House constitution in 2013  which had been in use since the country gained its independence from Britain in 1980, and which did not prescribe presidential terms.

The countrys Constitution limits the presidents tenure in office to two five-year terms  with the old constitution partly blamed for having helped to entrench Mugabes ruinous rule which saw him lead Zimbabwe for nearly four decades.

The 94-year-old did not only rule with an iron fist, he also resolutely refused to facilitate his succession, with ruling Zanu PF insiders saying he wanted to die in office as a life president.

All this ultimately led to his dramatic exit from power late last year, when he was replaced by Mnangagwa on the back of a military intervention.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsThe MDC yesterday said it feared for the life of its leader Nelson Chamisa, whom it claimed had narrowly escaped kidnapping by suspected State security agents over the weekend.

But the government has robustly dismissed the Saturday incident as nothing more than a mere road rage matter.

Addressing journalists at the partys headquarters in Harare yesterday, MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume accused President Emmerson Mnangagwas government of harbouring intentions to eliminate Chamisa via an orchestrated accident  and then go on to blame this on his drivers recklessness.

Mafume also alleged that Chamisa had been placed on a sinister 24-hour surveillance by State agents, thereby putting the 40 year-old opposition leaders life in danger.

It is sinister in that the surveillance is being done in a manner that endangers the life of the president (Chamisa).

They follow his motorcade at extraordinarily high speeds. They interfere with the vehicles in his motorcade and at times they almost run him off the road in blatant violation of road rules.

We are certain the intention is to cause an accident and then accuse his drivers of negligence, Mafume said.

This comes amid MDC claims that there were attempts to abduct Chamisa as he was coming from Marondera at the weekend, where he had gone to address a rally at Rudhaka Stadium.

It is alleged that suspected security agents tried to block Chamisas motorcade and to seize him in Harares Mabvuku suburb.

However, the government has wholly dismissed the allegations of an attempted abduction as baseless.

Reports filed by the police indicate that some people were coming from Marondera driving behind what they later realised was  Chamisas convoy.

Suddenly, the convoy stopped and blocked them from overtaking. They were aggressively confronted and manhandled by members of  Chamisas entourage including 

Chamisa who lobbed himself at the back seat of their vehicle, punching and scratching, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said in a statement.

However, the MDC insisted yesterday that there was a continuous threat to  Chamisas life.

The concerns about Chamisas security extend not only to him, but also to his family and other senior leaders in the party, Mafume said further.

He also claimed that in Saturdays incident, the suspected State agents had allegedly been armed with sophisticated high-tech communication gadgets.

They followed his motorcade from Marondera and when the security realised that they were being followed, as per their protocol, they deliberately drove into Ruwa to stave off the followers, who doggedly kept on their tail.

The presidents motorcade then returned to the highway, turned into Mabvuku and drove to the police station where a report was made, he said.

Chamisa narrowly lost to President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the hotly-disputed July 30 election, and went on to accuse the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) of manipulating the results in favour of the Zanu PF leader.

However, Mnangagwas victory was upheld by the Constitutional Court which ruled that Chamisa had failed to provide evidence that he had won the election.

Meanwhile, many people  including MDC supporters  have regularly bemoaned the overzealousness and unnecessary heavy-handed approach of Chamisas private security details to their work.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsA Peruvian man who was caught with a kilogramme of cocaine at the Robert Mugabe International Airport in September has been slapped with a 10 year jail term.

Wilmer Tarazona Aro was convicted on his own plea of guilty for unlawfully dealing in dangerous drugs by Harare magistrate Rumbidai Mugwagwa.

Mugwagwa sentenced Aro to an effective 5-10 years jail term and ordered the cocaine to be destroyed.

Circumstances are that on September 18, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics, stationed at the airport received intelligence that Aro who was coming from Brazil aboard an Emirates Airline was suspected to be in possession of dangerous drugs.

When the plane landed later that evening, Aro disembarked and proceeded to the immigration counter to get his passport stamped.

Aro picked his two bags from the carousel within the airport arrival hall and went through the ZIMRA green route exit point where he was intercepted by the detectives.

The detectives conducted a search of Aros bags leading to the recovery of whitish powder concealed in the holes the suitcase handle rails which was suspected to be cocaine.

A field test was conducted and the substances tested positive for cocaine.

A Venezualan woman is currently on remand after she was allegedly caught at the same airport last month with cocaine worth $469 000.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsMount Pleasant MDC Member of Parliament Samuel Banda was yesterday arraigned in court over allegations of presenting a false residential address to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).

Banda allegedly provided the false address during the National Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise in December last year.

Using the alleged false address, Banda contested for the Mt Pleasant House of Assembly seat and won.

He is being charged with making a false statement or fact in any claim or application for registration to vote knowing the statement to be false as defined in the Electoral Act.

Banda was not asked to plead when he appeared before Harare Magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa who remanded him out of custody to December 3 on condition that he pays $50 bail.

Mugwagwa ordered Banda not to interfere with State witnesses and continue residing at his given address.

It is the States case that on December 28 last year and during the BVR exercise, Banda allegedly misrepresented to Zec that he was residing in Mt Pleasant in order for him to register as a voter in that constituency whilst he did not reside there.

It is alleged that Banda went on depose an affidavit of residence for voter registration to Zecs Commissioner of Oaths purporting to be residing at in Mt Pleasant.

It is the states case that through the misrepresentation, Banda registered as a voter in the constituency where he contested as an MP and eventually won.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsZimbabwe National Army (ZNA) has outrightly denied that soldiers are responsible for the killing of six civilians on August 1, implying that there could be a second hand responsible for the shootings.

Testifying before the Kgalema Montlanthe-led commission, both Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Valerio Sibanda and Brigadier General Anselem Sanyatwe denied that soldiers shot at the civilians.

Both appeared to be pointing at MDC Vanguard Brigade which they suspect is armed.

Sibanda and Sanyatwe said gun shots were heard in the CBD way before soldiers joined the police thereby absolving the military of any part in the shootings.

Sibanda said the soldiers deployed into the CBD had clear instructions and there was no basis that soldiers were responsible for shooting people.

Orders were clear; dont fire at rioters. That is what I want to believe. Had the intervention not occurred many more lives could have been lost.

Sibanda said there is no way the army troops could have been instructed to open fire in the eyes of foreign observer missions who were in the country.

He said the troops used whips and batons on the restive crowds, after giving verbal warnings.

He told the commission that he believes that the force that was used by the army was appropriate, so was the weaponry.

Asked if President Emmerson Mnangagwa as Commander-In-Chief of ZDF okayed the deployment, Sibanda said there are four letters communicating the deployment that moved from the police, Home Affairs ministry, minister of Defence that the situation had got out of hand, adding that Chiwenga wrote another letter to Mnangagwa and he was unaware of the exchange thereof.

Whether it was responded verbally, I dont know.

When asked over the video which went viral in the aftermath of the disturbances in which an army officer was captured kneeling while appearing to be aiming fire at protesters, Sibanda said that soldier was out of order as he was actually slowing the process and his superior who seemed to hit him on the back was reminding him that he should move forward.

If there is anyone who saw a soldier shoot at a rioter, that person should come forward, in the absence of that it is mere speculation.

Ironically, speaking earlier before Sibanda, Sanyatwe said the kneeling soldier was posturing as he evaded missiles that were being thrown at the military by the rioters.

However, Sibanda said the army and the police had conducted investigations in the aftermath of the violence but that inquiry is yet to yield any positive results.

In his testimony, Sanyatwe said he was the commander of the National Reaction Force (NRF) on the day in question and was in charge of three battalions deployed to cover three spaces in the CBD.

He said the NRF was set up prior to the elections, following reports from an intelligence that Nelson Chamisas MDC was planning to revolt if they lost in the July polls.

Intelligence reports revealed that the MDC was planning to unleash terror in the CBD if they lost the elections, he told the hearing.

We were told they were planning to besiege the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) offices, Harare Central Police Station, Munhumutapa offices, the Supreme Court, the High Courtwe agreed to deploy 10 armed policemen at these government installations.

Sanyatwe said on the fateful day at around 14:30 hours on August 1, he received an urgent request from Senior Assistant Commissioner Elliot Mvere who told him that the ZRP needed assistance in the CBD as they had been overwhelmed by the protesters.

In his testimony, Sanyatwe, said it was not to his knowledge that the six people who died on August 1 died from gunshots.

Lovemore Madhuku took Sanyatwe to task when he enquired how the military were able to quell a situation which the police had failed without using any firearms.

Testifying earlier during the hearings, the Commissioner General of Police, Godwin Matanga said the police force was short-staffed on the day in question due to election deployments, hence it was overpowered by the protesters who were scattered around the CBD and he had no choice but to seek help from the army.

It was clear that at the end of the day these demonstrators wanted to end up at State House, he said.

When the situation had gone out of hand, I alerted my then minister Obert Mpofu that there was no time to meet and discuss the situation but it was time for action.

My minister then invited assistance from his counterpart from the ministry of Defence, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and within a short space of time consultations were made.

My minister phoned back and said permission to invite members of the ZDF had been granted. He then asked me to get in touch with the commander of ZDF, Sibanda, who in turn advised me to directly discuss the nitty gritties of the operation with the Commander Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Lieutenant-General Edzayi Chakanyuka Chimonyo.

Matanga said some of the demonstrators attempted to retaliate against the army; which had been instructed to ensure that these protesters did not run over the barricade at the Rainbow towers, the Zanu PF Provincial Headquarters and the Zec offices.

The commissioner-general said he instructed the members of the army to tread with care.

He said minimal force was used on the day which could have seen the death of thousands.

Without provoking the families of the bereaved, I still believe minimum force was used. If those AK 47 guns were carelessly used, we could have counted a thousand

dead bodies, Matanga told the commission.

The commission of inquiry was set up by Mnangagwa to look into the violence that engulfed Harare in the aftermath of the July 30, harmonised election and is expected to complete its task within 90 days.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsThe late liberation war hero Cde Lovemore Zhakata has been buried at the Manicaland Provincial Heroes Acre where multitudes gathered to give him a befitting send off.

Speaking at the burial, Provincial Affairs Director Mr Kennedy Mugarisanwa, who represented the Manicaland Minister of State Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba, said Cde Zhakata, who passed on last Thursday, was a selfless cadre and a hard worker whose contribution during the liberation struggle and after independence should inspire Zimbabweans to value national interests ahead of personal benefits.

Mr Mugarisanwa described Cde Zhakata as a rare breed of people who used his own money and resources to finance the war of liberation and spearheaded a number of developmental projects after independence, adding that the country requires such courageous and result-oriented individuals like the late cadre.

The late Cde sacrificed even his few resources to help advance the liberation cause. There are very few people who have a genuine desire to advance the interests of the country ahead of personal benefits, said Cde Mugarisanwa.

Family spokesperson Deneck Kurira thanked government for recognising Cde Zhakatas hard work towards the liberation and development of the country.

We thank President Mnangagwa and his government for bestowing honour on Cde Zhakata, who is among the people who worked tirelessly for the liberation and development of the country, Kurira said.

Cde Zhakata was born on the 11th of June 1947 and did his primary education at Headlands Primary School before enrolling for secondary education at Mutambara Mission.

He worked for the then Rhodesian Railways in 1976 where he started supporting freedom fighters operations with his money and at the end of war he started transporting comrades from the war front to various assembly points like Dzapasi.

He rose through the ranks in the Zanu PF party, holding positions that include the partys youth league chair in Sakubva and assumed the councillor position for two terms and upon retirement from active politics he was a DCC member.

He is survived by his wife Gertrude Zhakata and five children.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsThe Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) will soon introduce electronic Provisional Drivers Licence aptitude examinations as part of a raft of new measures to reduce rampant corruption in the acquisition of drivers licences.

Corruption at the VID is cited as one of the key contributors to the increase in accidents on the countrys roads.

The organisation has since roped in the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) to spearhead awareness campaigns for the new method of acquiring a learners licence.

VID director Mr Joseph Pedzapasi confirmed that his organisation was planning to introduce new system.

We are adopting the vision of our political leadership in fighting corruption in the country, said Mr Pedzapasi.

VID officials have been accused of deep-rooted corruption, which involved soliciting for bribes from clients, hence the adoption of e-PDL (electronic provisional drivers licence) examination of prospective learner drivers would obviously go a long way in curbing such cases.

So far we are upgrading our computer systems for the programme which the VID has pencilled to start just before Christmas.

The new system will avoid human interface between clients and our officers.

No passport photos will be needed from our clients since the computer system will produce the photos itself. It is both fast and convenient.

Mr Pedzapasi said monitoring of practical lessons will also be done electronically.

As VID, we will be glad to present this new system as a Christmas gift to clients for 2018, he said.

Mr Pedzapasi said the proposed e-PDL testing programme would be rolled out in four distinctive phases.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsNormally, Id relegate news about Australias agricultural output to Links, but I thought this sighting was worth elevating to a post in light of Lamberts discussion of the Jackpot and Californias fires yesterday. As youll see, the fall in Australias new grain deliveries is dramatic.

Even when I lived in Australia from 2002 to 2004, policymakers were discussing that Australia was not getting enough for the water it was selling via agricultural exports, although nothing was done to address that issue. And after I left, Australia liberalized immigration to increase its population, which then was around 20 million. It is now over 24 million. The argument for continuing to restrict immigration was scarcity of water, that it was already a resource under strain and more people would only make things worse.

The West Australian gave a similar grim picture last month with Australia to deliver smallest crop in a decade:

Rabobank is forecasting 3.7 million tonnes of WA grain will head from west to east by truck, train and ship this harvest, because of the Eastern States drought. The call, part of RabobanksAustralian 2018/19 Winter Crop Production Outlook, comes as Australia gets set to deliver its smallest winter grain crop in more than a decade, severely curtailing export volumes and weakening the nations position against competitors. Rabobank is forecasting national harvest of just 29.3 million tonnes, down 23 per cent on last year. With WA forecast to deliver 15 million tonnes (the only state with increases, being 3 per cent up on last year), the state will for the first time in 20 years contribute more than half of the national winter crop. Rabobank said were it not for the better harvest prospects in WA, the country would be facing its lowest winter crop in the past 20 years. The reduced harvest  combined with strong local demand and prices  also has significant implications for Australias export markets, with grains exports to be severely curtailed.

From MacroBusiness:10 great English proverbs that are obviously bollocks Daily Mash. From last month, still worthy.

Massive global health study reveals disturbing trends New Atlas (David L)

How plants evolved to make ants their servants EurekAlert (Kevin W)

Israel Aims To Ban Gasoline, Diesel Vehicles By 2030 ars technica

Declassified military documents reveal the terrifying power of solar storms Metro (Kevin W)

UFO spotted by multiple pilots prompts investigation CNET (David L)

The plastic backlash: whats behind our sudden rage  and will it make a difference? Guardian. PlutoniumKun: What I find interesting  and hopeful  is that this is a bandwagon right wing politicians (at least outside the US) are climbing onto. Which might mean something will get done.

Inside the hype and reality of the voice technology revolution Recode

How NTP Controlled Coverage of Cell Phone Cancer Story MicrowaveNews (furzy)

China?

Myanmars Aung San Suu Kyi stripped of Amnesty Internationals top human rights award abc.net.au (Kevin W)

Angela Merkel and the future of the EU DW

Nationalists and Patriots Illargi

Portugal Dared to Cast Aside Austerity. Its Having a Major Revival. New York Times (furzy)

Brexit

 RT @JenniferMerode #Brexit fatigue setting in in Brussels. One source says they have stopped reading British papers(!), because tired of 'cabinet deal imminent'/'cabinet deadlocked' story loop.  Yannis Koutsomitis (@YanniKouts) November 12, 2018 Brexit shows that idiots and incompetents are in charge in UK Irish Times. PlutoniumKun: Not quite as good as the heading, but Chris Johns is a mainstream business journalist (British, not Irish), its not usual that writers like this use this type of language.

New Cold War

Syraqistan

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Trump Transition

1 Citing "multiple sources", @ABC reports that Mueller team is "not getting what they want" from Paul Manafort's cooperation deal. If true, this will be no surprise to the small # of us who have actually relied on the available facts, not our imagination: https://t.co/mduGIvo3ug  Aaron Mate (@aaronjmate) November 9, 2018 Trump and Big Media: Clash or Collusion? Consortiumnews

Sinema defeats McSally in Arizona Senate race The Hill

Over-reach is a risk for the Democrats after the midterms Financial Times

Democrats Say Their First Bill Will Focus On Strengthening Democracy At Home NPR. UserFriendly:

Its 3 things that democrats would run away from if they could actually pass it. If they actually cared about voter turnout they would push election day registration which, unlike automatic registration, has been shone to increase turnout by around 5%.

Environmental damage prompts a rethink among US coastal voters Financial Times (David L)

California Burning

Black Injustice Tipping Point

Black security guard who stops shooter is then shot and killed by police The Hill (UserFriendly)

Fake News

The real reason Palmer Luckey was fired from Facebook ZDNet

Kill Me Now

Comcast should be investigated for antitrust violations, say small cable companies The Verge

Students in Brooklyn protest their schools use of a Zuckerberg-backed online curriculum designed by Facebook engineers Business Insider (David L). We may need a new category, Neoliberal Infestations.

U.S. Chip Cards Are Being Compromised in the Millions ThreatPoat

Boeing Withheld Information on 737 Model, According to Safety Experts Wall Street Journal. Jerri-Lynn: Send in the lawyers.

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. Tracie H:

Sorry I mucked up the water bowl. Maybe you could empty it and make it fresh? Orrr, maybe make it bigger? And bring raccoon treats? Please? Thank you.

And a bonus video. A bit slick, but still fun. I liked the cat door bit:

Not a normal bonus but worth your tome. Hat tip UserFriendly:

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the importance of working with industry partners at the NATO-Industry Forum in Berlin on Tuesday (13 November 2018). You are helping NATO translate standards and capability targets into practice, he said. The Secretary General set out three ways in which NATO is shaping the future of defence industry: advancing Allied spending; identifying capability priorities; and ensuring coordination and efficiency.

Read the full speech here(Natural News) Many lethal cures have been tested through the centuries, but several stand out as the most absurd and barbaric ones ever witnessed. Just because somethings been around for hundreds or even thousands of years, or because everybody does it, doesnt mean it works. To the contrary, some of the most popular medicines today are epic fail forms of medical treatment, but somehow the mass media and Big Pharma have still sold folks on them as mainstream or your best chance at survival, when its all just one huge lie perpetuated by falsified research and twisted statistics. Also realize that the term barbaric doesnt have to mean something that dates back to the Dark Ages or caveman days, because there are plenty of barbaric cavemen practicing medicine today. Lets take a look at the 10 most barbaric modern treatments.

#1. Lysol douche for birth control

Most consumers know Lysol as that horrific concoction of chemicals people used to spray around their bathrooms to kill germs. Most educated people know not to get that stuff on your skin or breathe it in, though. Yet, play it back to before 1965, when contraceptives were illegal in the U.S. thanks to the Comstock Law, and women were encouraged by Lysols advertising campaign and respected doctors (including obstetricians) to douche with Lysol as a cheap and convenient method of birth control. Believe it or not, it was popular. The sad news was two-fold, in that it didnt work and was highly toxic.

#2. Drinking or injecting mercury

Yes, not too long ago, doctors recommended drinking the most toxic non-radioactive heavy metal on Earth as a medical treatment for syphilis and typhoid fever, until they finally realized the mercury was killing people. Ever heard of Mad Hatter Syndrome? Yes, it was real. The makers of felt hats were breathing in mercury fumes and losing their minds. Today, barbaric dentists are still putting mercury fillings (silver or amalgam) in patients mouths, medical doctors and nurses are still injecting mercury into pregnant women, six-month-young infants, children, adults, and the elderly (listed as thimerosal on multi-dose flu shot vial inserts), thinking somehow this will protect people from a rather benign virus that any healthy immune system can beat down in a few days, or prevent entirely. This is a fact: The CDC did NOT remove mercury from all vaccines, just check their own website for yourself if youre in disbelief.

#3. Lobotomy

Lancing the brain to attempt to cure psychiatric disorders was popular in the Dark and Middle Ages. This is similar to operating on the brain today for brain cancer, instead of analyzing the chemicals the person has consumed (and had injected by vaccine) that caused the cells to mutate and attack the brain.

#4. Electric shock therapy

Unfortunately, there are still many sadistic doctors out there, who love using electric shock therapy on patients, especially the mentally challenged and for those who are depressed (anyone qualifies for this). Today, its got a new fancy name  electro-convulsive therapy,  as if that changes anything. Doctors claim it stimulates the brain, while also claiming that inducing seizures is safe and effective for treating mania or suicidal thoughts. Psychiatrists enjoy using this on mentally challenged children and teenagers still to this day. Who wouldnt want to commit suicide after that barbaric torture?

#5. Late-term abortion

Liberals call it reproductive rights, but then again, they dont mind killing the baby one hour before delivery under that extreme agenda. There are plenty of balanced, loving couples out there who would love to adopt a baby, but globalists who push for population control through programs like the ultra-insidious Planned Parenthood (PP) dont care, especially if those children are black. Thats why PP centers are strategically positioned in inner-cities. Think about that for a minute. Its barbaric to kill these living children who have hearts, brains, consciousness, souls, souls, and who, most of the time, would be healthy, totally functional human beings, even if delivered during the third term of pregnancy.

#6. Pulling teeth and removing organs for mental illness

They still call this quack the Champion of Conventional Medicine because Allopathic Medicine is still mostly barbaric, using chemical medicines, invasive surgery, and radiation treatments. But turn the clock back to the early 1900s, when a psychiatrist named Henry Cotton functioned as the medical director at the New Jersey State Hospital at Trenton. This freak was removing cleansing organs and teeth in order to battle bacterial infections, all while claiming he healed his sick patients. He even counted the people he killed as people he healed (because they were no longer suffering) in his false claim of an 85 percent success rate. Dr. Cotton removed teeth first, then sinuses, then gall bladders, stomachs, ovaries, testicles, and colons in order to fight bacterial infections. Many patients were dragged involuntarily to the surgery tables and strapped down for his torturous treatment.

#7. Operating on babies without anesthesia

Surgeons in the U.S. used to believe it was ethically fine to operate on babies without anesthesia, subjecting them to intense pain and trauma. From scalpel cuts to inserting staples and stitches, human babies suffered excruciating pain because modern medicine was still barbaric, and arrogant Western world surgeons simply dosed the infants with muscle relaxers to shut them up and paralyze them while they worked their magic. This was common and considered standard operating procedure in the U.S. until the 1980s (including at Boston Childrens Hospital and Oxford University).

#8. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) surgery

Many people who work on assembly lines or on their computer all day know it all too well. You might think invasive surgery is the only cure, but you would be way off. Millions of people go under the knife for CPS, only to end up with severed nerves, limited range of motion, loss of use of their thumb, and little-to-no improvement whatsoever. A second round of surgery has even less chance of success than the first barbaric round. But is it really CPS, or is it just thoracic outlet syndrome, referred pain that stems from the neck and shoulder? The irony of it all is that CPS is actually caused by inflammation and entrapment of median nerves in the carpal tunnel of the inside of the wrist. Youd be better off visiting a massage therapist and a chiropractor for non-invasive solutions with much higher rates of positive results.

#9. Sex change operations (especially for children)

Its barbaric to maim the body for life, especially when involving children and teens, who are still immature and should not be allowed to make the decision themselves. Having the penis cut off or clitoris cut out can end all sexual function and feeling, and cause other lifelong problems. Many people who undergo these types of operations end up committing suicide later (the rates are fairly high). The medical and sociological repercussions are living nightmares.

Many people wish afterwards they could reverse whats been done, but they cant. Those people suffer crippling degrees of depression mixed with suicidal thoughts. More than 40 percent of transgender people attempt suicide and are 20 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. Plus, taking hormonal treatments is dangerous (especially during puberty) and can easily generate cancerous tumors.

#10. Chemotherapy

Who in their right mind would use continuous doses of carcinogenic substances to try to treat a disease of the cells thats caused from consuming continuous doses of carcinogenic substances? Less than three percent of chemotherapy treatments even work at all. Would you board a plane and risk your life if it only had a three percent chance of landing without crashing? Chemo is barbaric. Just because its used today doesnt qualify it as modern medicine. Shouldnt you get a refund when chemo fails?

There are several more barbaric medical treatments that didnt make the top ten list, including liposuction, tonsil removal, wisdom teeth removal, digestive tract removal for weight loss, psychiatric drugs (SSRIs), and skull muscle removal for migraine headaches. Folks, there are natural remedies for every ailment under the sun. Dont go under the knife or get dosed up with cancer-causing chemicals just because some quack who went to college for eight years to learn to juggle chemicals said to do so. Consult a Naturopathic Physician first, because clean, organic food really is thy medicine.

Sources for this article include:

SmithsonianMag.com

PainScience.com

NaturalNews.com

TruthWiki.org

Medicine.news

NaturalNews.com

CDC.gov/vaccines

AllThatsInteresting.com

VeryWellHealth.com

DailySignal.com

IncorporateMassage.com

IrishTimes.com(Natural News) When those on the far-Left bash POTUS Donald Trump as a racist for his calls to build a border wall and end so-called sanctuary cities, they are doing so in part as a means of distracting us from the myriad of criminal acts committed by illegals who have been released into society by Democratic policies.

Just like their claims that there is no such thing as voter fraud are lies, so too are their claims that illegal immigrants dont commit heinous criminal acts and those sanctuary city policies always benefit us.

Take the case of Luis Rodrigo Perez, an illegal alien who was arrested in Middlesex County, New Jersey in December 2017 on charges of domestic assault and battery. He was summarily released by authorities under a sanctuary policy by local authorities despite the fact that Immigration and Customs Enforcement requested a detainer on him.

From there, Perez somehow made his way to Missouri, where he then proceeded to murder three people over a two-day time span.

Had ICEs detainer request in December 2017 been honored by Middlesex County Jail, Luis Rodrigo Perez would have been placed in deportation proceedings and likely sent home to his country  and three innocent people might be alive today, said Corey Price, acting ICE executive associate director, according to the Washington Times which was cited by PJ Media.

John Tsoukaris, the ICE deportation operations field director in Newark, N.J., called the countys policy reckless. He noted further that Perez had a violent history and clearly was a candidate for cooperation with the immigration enforcement agency  back in the day when local departments werent being managed by Left-wing ideologues.

Incredibly, officials in Middlesex County actually blamed ICE and rejected any notion that they were responsible for the Missouri deaths. (Related: Are Sanctuary City officials complicit in the murder of citizens by illegals who commit violence?)

The Times noted:

Officials said they have repeatedly told ICE they will only cooperate in some instances, such as someone convicted of a first or second degree offense. They said Perezs case didnt reach that level.

Still, they said, ICE had 51 days while Perez sat in jail during which the agency could have tried to get a deportation order for Perez. The county said it would have honored that order.

Instead ICE officials chose to do nothing, which places all responsibility of Mr. Perezs actions squarely upon ICE, said county government officials in a statement.

Sanctuary apologists should have to explain themselves to victims

But is it true that Middlesex County authorities would have kept Perez? Thats doubtful. According to NJ.com, he had active warrants in the state  and authorities let him go anyway. So how is that ICEs fault? If a suspect has active warrants, doesnt that generally mean he/she is wanted for a crime? Why didnt Middlesex County authorities release him to other New Jersey police agencies that had issued warrants against him?

As PJ Medias Rick Moran writes:

The bottom line is that sanctuary policy advocates are willing to accept a certain number of murders, rapes, assaults, and other violent crimes committed by illegal aliens. Their argument is that most illegals are law abiding and that most felonies committed by illegals shouldnt disqualify them from being here.

Those arguments dont hold water, considering that everyone who illegally invades the U.S. is a criminal, period.

But heres an idea Moran offers that has merit: Make these officials who act as apologists for illegal alien murderers, rapists, and violent criminals explain to the families of their victims why they dont believe they should be deported or jailed.

Let them look victims families in the eyes and tell them that the familys interpretation of illegal alien criminal activity is wrong and those sanctuary policies are the way to go because theyre compassionate.

Our guess is that victims families wont be too accommodating to that perspective.

Read how the Left wants to keep our borders open at OpenBorders.news.

Sources include:

PJMedia.com

NJ.com

TheNationalSentinel.com(Natural News) As Californias forests are going up in flames, you might wonder whether the bureaucrats of California actually care about children at all. If they did, they wouldnt be forcing dangerous, deadly vaccinations onto the children of the state, in total violation of the Nuremberg Code that was created to halt the Nazi practice of using human beings for cruel medical experiments.

Roger Landry from TheLibertyBeacon.com explains the real story. See the full article here.

Californias Forced Vaccinations A Violation Of Nuremberg Code

by Roger Landry

Concerns are mounting among scientists that the recent implementation of SB277 making vaccinations mandatory law in California for men, women and children is a chilling step towards universal compulsory vaccination.

Coupled with the fact governments and multi-national pharmaceutical companies are being prosecuted and convicted over poorly-tested and administered vaccines, suggests a crisis is coming.

Vaccine activists are citing the notorious post Second World War Nuremberg Trials in which Nazi doctors were convicted of forced experiments on humans. Fears are that seemingly once benign governments are now resorting to forcing medication into the bodies of the unwilling masses and their children without their consent.

A little recent history 

Here is a short video discussing the ethical questions raised by many concerned parents during the debates leading up to the implementation of SB277 in California. The focus here is the concerns of these educated parents who were very aware of the possibilities of vaccine damage, wanting to know who gets to decide if the (possible) gains outweigh the (known) risks 

Vaccines are scientifically proven to have side-effects ranging from mild to catastrophic. These may include anything from a mild rash, a compromised immune system, sterility, cognitive dysfunction (brain damage), paralysis, cancer, to  death and many more proven issues not mentioned here.

We are constantly being told by the healthcare personnel we trust that the chance of vaccine damage is Less than one in a million, yet statistics prove over and over again that this is a totally erroneous and massively understated number, with the actual occurrences of harm caused by vaccines being massively higher, and in fact  very common.

Even with the cases reported being well in excess of the laughable quote stated above, we must also consider that the CDC itself states that as few as 1  10% of vaccine damage incidents are ever reported as such, making the possible total Magnitudes Higher than what we are made aware of via the CDC or the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is stating Proposed Changes Restrict Vaccine Reaction Reporting, making these incidences of vaccine damage even more difficult to track or tally (intentionally).



Now lets consider that the vaccine court (VICP) in this country has already paid out well over $3 BILLION in damages, and this is to only a very small percentage of possible claimants who actually get their cases heard, and can prove damage to a (known) biased system of supposed justice.

So How Rare Can Vaccine Damage Actually Be  ???

Approximately thirty thousand (30,000) VAERS reports are filed annually, and again the CDC states that only 10% (on the high side) of actual cases are ever reported  Yea do the math (300,000)! Now not all of these are life threatening, but how many are life wrecking? If even 10-20% are life threatening, wrecking, or stealing (30,000  60,000 a year), that is still a huge number, and magnitudes above one in a million. That would actually equate to less than 320 adverse reactions nation wide if EVERYONE in the country (about 320 million people) is vaccinated in a calendar year  But the fact is only about 25% of the public is vaccinated each year (all vaccinations combined) making the actual number about 80 cases of vaccine damage  if these doctors are correct (BULL SH#T)!

Now take the above numbers and plot probable vaccine damage with 10% reported over just the last decade  300,000 x 10 = 3,000,000, and if we use 1% reported  30,000,000! Now try to imagine the damage to the American society, or the entire vaccinated global community over the last century of ever increasing vaccine proliferation, and you will come to understand that vaccines may very well be responsible for more death and human suffering than ANY or maybe ALL wars in human history.

We can easily see, with even the most rudimentary research, the possible incidence of vaccine damage is mind bending and so far above the lies and platitudes fed to us by those we are conditioned to trust, that it is almost inconceivable. Please understand that if the above statement (less than one in a million) were true  Vaccines would be among the safest mechanisms on this planet, but all data points Blatantly to Exactly the Opposite.

When all is said and done We The People (more every day) are becoming painfully aware of the frequency and magnitude of Vaccine damage and we are horrified and angry!

How Is This Medical Experimentation?

With the many proven side-effects, and NO long term Proven Efficacy or Harm Study on vaccines (or multiple dose vaccinations) ever accomplished or even commissioned by the CDC, that we are made aware of in a century of use in the USA (try to find one), they can have no scientific or factual claim to being an effective or safe mechanism. Thus by default, HOW can this be considered or categorized as anything more than Medical Experimentation?

Please watch as Dr. Russell Blaylock connects the vaccine industry today to violations of the Nuremberg Code 

The Nuremberg trials where 23 defendants, all medical doctors, were accused of having been involved in the horrors of Nazi human experimentation, procedures and exposures without the consent of those experimented on. The trial lasted eight months, from December 9, 1946, to August 20, 1947. Of the 23 defendants, five were acquitted, seven received death sentences, and the remaining received prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment. Those sentenced to death were hanged on June 2, 1948, in Landsberg Prison, Bavaria.

What resulted from this was the ten points of the Nuremberg Code. Of these ten points the following are most germane to this discussion, those being:

Nuremberg Code: Point #1

The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential. This means that the person involved should have legal capacity to give consent; should be so situated as to be able to exercise free power of choice, without the intervention of any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, over-reaching, or other ulterior form of constraint or coercion; and should have sufficient knowledge and comprehension of the elements of the subject matter involved as to enable him/her to make an understanding and enlightened decision. This latter element requires that before the acceptance of an affirmative decision by the experimental subject there should be made known to him the nature, duration, and purpose of the experiment; the method and means by which it is to be conducted; all inconveniences and hazards reasonable to be expected; and the effects upon his health or person which may possibly come from his participation in the experiment. The duty and responsibility for ascertaining the quality of the consent rests upon each individual who initiates, directs or engages in the experiment. It is a personal duty and responsibility which may not be delegated to another with impunity.

Nuremberg Code: Point #5

No experiment should be conducted where there is a prior reason to believe that death or disabling injury will occur; except, perhaps, in those experiments where the experimental physicians also serve as subjects.

Nuremberg Code: Point #7

Proper preparations should be made and adequate facilities provided to protect the experimental subject against even remote possibilities of injury, disability, or death.

Nuremberg Code: Point #9

During the course of the experiment the human subject should be at liberty to bring the experiment to an end if he has reached the physical or mental state where continuation of the experiment seems to him to be impossible.

Nuremberg Code: Point #10

During the course of the experiment the scientist in charge must be prepared to terminate the experiment at any stage, if he has probable cause to believe, in the exercise of the good faith, superior skill and careful judgment required of him that a continuation of the experiment is likely to result in injury, disability, or death to the experimental subject.

Read more at The Liberty Beacon.(Natural News) From the day a child is born, to every well baby doctor visit thereafter, Americans are trained to believe that vaccination is immunization. If you dont receive every recommended dose of vaccine on time, as scheduled, you are putting your child and the community at risk so were told.

What if healthy immune function was much simpler and didnt require perpetual submission to doctors and toxic scientific experiments? What if the diseases we are taught to fear can be prevented and/or addressed holistically  starting with proper vitamin D levels circulating in the blood.

Low vitamin D levels promote disease

When protecting children, the elderly, and pregnant mothers from infectious disease, one of the questions we should be asking is: Are we getting enough vitamin D in our blood? Studies show that low levels of vitamin D cause compromised immune system function. A person who is deficient in vitamin D has a weak T-cell response during any infection. If protecting children and the community is so important, why arent vitamin D levels as important to individual and herd immunity as vaccination requirements are?

When a person has high vitamin D levels, they heal more quickly from infections and are more likely to avoid an infection. Vitamin D, breast milk, Vitamin C, colloidal silver, probiotics, zinc, apple cider vinegar, elderberry syrup, adaptogens, raw honey, oregano and many other medicinal herbs are great tools that strengthen the human immune system response to prevent and/or overcome infection.

Not only does vitamin D strengthen T-cell and macrophages response, it supports heart and bone health and protects against cancer. Vitamin D also benefits mental health, boosting mood and cognitive function. Low vitamin D levels are also linked to chronic inflammation, which is a precursor to many disease processes. Vitamin D reduces inflammation at the DNA level, affecting the receptors within the DNA. For long term pain management and mental health, consider vitamin D.

Have you taken your vitamin D today?

The best immunization practices should include maintenance of high vitamin D levels. Because the human immune system is activated by sunlight exposure, sun block chemicals are counterproductive to your health. Sun block chemicals not only interfere with hormonal health, but they restrict the amount of vitamin D that can be processed within the skin; therefore, sun block chemicals promote disease. Vitamin D is much harder to come by for people who live north of the 30 degree latitude line, for people who work indoors, or for people who have to endure long winters. In these instances, vitamin D supplementation is often required.

Most people benefit from several 20 minute intervals of sun exposure throughout the week. If you cannot soak up the sun every day, choose a clean vitamin D supplement. Depending on your current vitamin D level, you may need anywhere from 1000 to 5000 IU per day to stay healthy. People who are chronically deficient in vitamin D may need to supplement with 10,000 IU per day. For proper synthesis of vitamin D, choose foods rich in omega 3s. The best way to know for sure if you are protected is to take a vitamin D blood test.

Even though vaccine science elicits an immune response in serum (mainly because the aluminum adjuvant aggregates a response) that does not guarantee that each persons immune system will respond effectively to the antigen and achieve immunity for life. For much stronger immunity against all pathogens, make sure your vitamin D levels are up, your T-cell response is effective, and your microbiome is equipped for proper assimilation of nutrients so that you can achieve natural, lifelong immunity to the unseen world of pathogens you face on a daily basis.

You dont have to fear disease if you know how to activate your immune system at the DNA level. You dont have to turn to toxic vaccinations, if you know how to utilize and engage your own immune defenses. For more studies, visit VitaminD.News.

Sources include:

NaturalHealth365.com

VitaminD.News

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.comMayor London Breed says San Francisco is cleaner under her administration and, thus, believes she fulfilled a campaign promise to usher in significant and noticeable improvements within 90 days of taking office.

There is a huge difference in certain parts of the city, Breed told the Investigative Unit. I'm not seeing as much of what I used to before I took office.

Breeds claims of success come amid increasing complaints over filth and a new NBC Bay Area Investigation that details a spike in feces along the citys dirtiest streets. The Investigative Unit obtained and analyzed San Francisco 311 complaint records and surveyed portions of downtown in an effort to examine the level of cleanliness across the city.

Mayor London Breed says San Francisco is cleaner under her administration and, thus, believes she fulfilled a campaign promise to usher in significant and noticeable improvements within 90 days of taking office. In comparing Breeds first three months as mayor to the three months prior, 311 data reflects a rise in complaints concerning trash, human feces, and used syringes on...

Feces, Needles, and Trash in Downtown San Francisco

The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit revisited 20 of San Franciscos dirtiest blocks and documented the amount of feces, needles, and trash littering streets and sidewalks. The survey, conducted in early November, follows the original Investigative Unit survey conducted in January. The interactive maps below detail what was found and use a color scale to denote whether streets appeared cleaner or dirtier in the most recent survey. Trash was spotted on all 20 blocks during both surveys. In the most recent survey, the number of needles decreased by 39 percent (57 to 35). However, the amount of feces increased by 67 percent (95 to 159).

In comparing Breeds first three months as mayor to the three months prior, 311 data reflects a rise in complaints concerning trash, human feces, and used syringes on streets and sidewalks throughout San Francisco.

I don't think it's because the city is actually dirtier, Breed told the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit. I think it's because more people are reporting the challenges that exist.

As a candidate, Breed promised a cleaner San Francisco within 90 days, if elected.

I want people to see change within the first three months of my administration, she said during an interview with the Investigative Unit in March. There will be a significant difference, where it's noticeable, she added.

During Mayor Breeds first three months in office, San Francisco 311 data reflects an 8 percent increase in complaints over used needles, 3 percent increase concerning trash, and 30 percent increase regarding human feces.

Revisiting San Franciscos Dirtiest Blocks

Earlier this year, the Investigative Unit surveyed 153 blocks in downtown San Francisco and exposed a dangerous mix of drug needles, garbage, and human waste. This month, NBC Bay Area revisited 20 of the dirtiest blocks and found a 39 percent decrease in the number of needles on streets and sidewalks and a 67 percent increase in the amount of feces. The Investigative Unit walked down both sides of each block, noting and photographing each sighting of trash, needles, and feces. Feces was found on each of the 20 blocks. Along one block directly in front of the federal courthouse on Turk Street near Polk Street, feces were spotted at least 18 times.

Those results spell danger for San Francisco, according to microbiologist Wendy Kaler. Over the past 26 years, Kaler has worked as a consultant for hospitals and cities across the country and specializes in assessing risk of an infectious disease outbreak and reducing the likelihood.

Where theres feces, theres risk, said Kaler. Where theres lots of feces, theres more risk.

A walk through downtown San Francisco with Kaler is a sobering experience. While others simply see feces, she sees a reservoir that can harbor millions of bacteria. Pointing to the sidewalk, she said, That is probably human feces, and probably looks like it's been stepped in or rolled over or something, so potentially it's been spread beyond that spot. Her concern is whoever stepped on it might then accidentally infect themselves.

Maybe you come home and then youre hungry and you go grab a potato chip or something to eat, and you put your hand in your mouth without cleaning it first, she said.

Even when feces isnt visible on a sidewalk, infectious bacteria can still be present and alive. Unless a disinfectant is used, the ground can still contain enough bacteria to make someone sick.

You don't need much, said Kaler. The fact that you don't see it doesn't mean there's not a dose there that would be infectious to a human being.

Diseases such as Hepatitis A, Shigella, and Salmonella, which can all be spread through feces, are of most concern to Kaler.

In the wrong situation with somebody who cant fight it, Hepatitis A  can certainly be deadly, she said.

According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, infection rates for all three diseases have increased in the city over 10 years.

I just always feel like wow it's amazing that we don't have more outbreaks, said Kaler. I just see so much risk.

Reported Cases in San Francisco (2008)

Hepatitis A: 11

11 Salmonella: 118

118 Shigella : 72

Reported Cases in San Francisco (2017)

Hepatitis A: 20

20 Salmonella: 165

165 Shigella: 186

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When NBC Bay Area spoke with Breed at City Hall last week, the mayor was optimistic about winning the war against dirty streets.

There is still work to be done, but it is changing, and it is gradually changing, Breed said. We've invested more resources, we're spending more time trying to get people housed, and we're focusing on those areas we know are the most problematic.

The mayor recently assembled a new crew dubbed the Poop Patrol to clean feces across San Francisco seven days a week.

The city has spent more than $308 million cleaning up its streets in the past five years, but has struggled to develop trusted metrics to measure its job performance.

In 2003, voters approved a measure that requires San Francisco to annually inspect and rate street cleanliness across the city. Over the past five years, San Francisco paid a public relations firm, JBR Partners, more than $400,000 to conduct those inspections. A recent NBC Bay Area investigation revealed the firm awarded San Francisco a nearly perfect cleanliness score for fiscal year 2016-17. As a result, the city concluded the data could be flawed and pledged to overhaul its process for measuring job performance within the citys street cleaning program. That reform effort is still ongoing.

We're talking about the past and what I'm talking about is the future -- how are we going to fix it? Breed said. I am doing everything I can to invest the right resources into making San Francisco a lot cleaner. It takes time to get to a better place.

When asked at what point walking over feces would not be part of the norm in San Francisco, Breed declined to offer any sort of specific time frame.

Instead, she responded, I hope sooner rather than later.

______________________________________

[[502105542, BL]]The search for the dozens of missing people in the Camp Fire burn area ramped up Monday, and while 13 more bodies were found, there was at least one story of hope that emerged from the smoke and flames.

In Chico, one family received the news theyd been praying for. After four agonizing days, Amanda Melvins search for her father James Kirk Jacobson was over. He was alive and well, leading to a tearful reunion.

After getting stranded with a dead car battery, Jacobson finally made his way to the Chico Walmart parking lot, where hed been camping in his VW bug with his cat Buddy and getting help from strangers.

"Thank God the people I met have been treating me real good," he said.

In the community of Magalia, Jacobsons home was still standing, bringing his family new hope.

Melvin had posted on Facebook about her missing dad and her desperate search to find him.

"Ive been sharing his pictures. I went to 11 different shelters looking for him trying to find him," she said.

Dozens of families have been doing the same. A Facebook page dedicated to those missing in the Camp Fire shows the faces of people who havent yet been found.

Search and rescue teams are working hard to help families get answers. Forensic anthropologists have been brought in to help locate and identify remains.

On Monday, they found 13 more victims, bringing the fire's death toll to 42.

Later Monday, Jacobson was on his way to his daughters house in Sacramento. His family urged others not to lose hope.

"Dont give up, dont give up," Melvin said. "Post and share. Be vigilant. Come look for yourself. Dont give up."Two Bay Area nonprofit groups have jointly sued the city of San Jose over its nondisclosure agreement with Google about the company's planned development in downtown near the Diridon Station.

The First Amendment Coalition and Working Partnerships claimed in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the San Jose City Council failed to comply with the state's Opening Meeting Laws, Bloomberg first reported.

By signing nondisclosure agreements with the Mountain View-based tech giant, the lawsuit claimed that the city is keeping the public in the dark about the project.

"This Petition seeks to bring sunlight into the process to enable the public to better evaluate the projects impacts on traffic, affordable housing, displacement and gentrification by obtaining public records shedding light upon what the City and Google did," the petition read.

The suit also claimed that the city of San Jose has had several unlawful closed sessions discussing the potential acquisition by Google of City-owned property in the Diridon Station Area. The petition said the city council has scheduled a vote for Dec. 4 on whether to let the project proceed.

In July, the city had approved a 1 million-square-foot Google office development at 440 West Julian St.

Working Partnerships, San Jose-based community organization, has been vocal about Google's potential impact on traffic, housing and the economy in the city.

"The people of San Jose deserve better than a backroom deal," Working Partnerships' Director of Public Policy Jeffrey Buchanan said.

The City of San Jose and Google did not immediately respond to NBC Bay Area's request for comment.

First Amendment Coalition said it filed a California Public Records Act request on May 14 for details on 14 City Council meetings. But after months of back-and-forth emails, FAC said the city didn't provide "the required justification, including citation to relevant law, for any withholding of documents based on CPRA exemptions."

FAC said the city had not responded to its last supplemental request on Aug. 23 and it has not produced any records since its Aug. 10 letter.

What little records the city provided FAC showed "that the City and Google went to extraordinary lengths to keep the public in the dark and violated the law in so doing," the petition said.

Records showed Google sent City officials nondisclosure agreements with a five-year length, according to the petition.

Working Partnerships is expected to hold a press conference about the suit at 11 a.m. in front of City Hall.What to Know CHECK OUT CHARITIES

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LEARN IF YOU GET A TAX BREAK

A lot of fire victims will need help to get back on their feet. Heres a list of organizations that are taking donations to support people.

North Valley Community Foundation: A spokesperson for the foundation said it had established a special fund for Camp Fire victims and already collected $700,000 in the first few days after the fires. The fund intended to distribute 99 percent of donations to help people with immediate needs, he said.

Ventura County Community Foundation: The foundations website said it had set up a fund for victims of the Woolsey Fire. It said donations will be used across our county, and will be directed to the areas of greatest need.

Center For Disaster Philanthropy: This Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit has partnered with Google, which is directing users to CDP to donate. The groups president said Monday that its mission is to support other nonprofits with peoples long-term needs.

Salvation Army: The Salvation Army says 100 percent of donations will be used for wildfire recovery. Its website said the Salvation Army had already provided more than 150,000 meals.

GoFundMe: Dozens of families are asking for money on this GoFundMe. One Paradise family, for example raised more than $26,000 from 261 donors in just three days.

Note: Please be aware that GoFundMe does not vet all the requests on its site. We recommend that you make a personal connection before you donate.

Also note that donations to individuals are not tax deductible. The IRS only gives you a tax break for contributions to registered nonprofit organizations.Its often called the forgotten war, and Monday at San Franciscos Presidio, it certainly looked that way.

A handful of veterans gathered for a Veterans Day observance service at the Korean War memorial. The crowd was sparse likely because the Korean War vets were encouraged to cancel their event due to the unhealthy air.

The Presidio Trust told event organizers the air was too smoky to put out folding chairs or flags. So Gunnery Sgt. Denny Weisgerber stood on his artificial leg, the one he got along with a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross after leading a four-man team to take out a machine gun.

"I came back down to get the platoon, and one of my guys was missing, so I went back up to get him," said Weisgerber, a Milpitas resident. "Hed been badly wounded; put him on my back and carried him down the hill."

Weisgerber said mortar fire chased him as he ran.

"One went off between my feet, blew me down the hill a ways," he said. "It killed my partner, and long story short, they sent me home with one leg and retired me out of the Marine Corps in 1953."

Weisgerber came home to Milpitas and served three terms as mayor in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, he volunteers at the VA to counsel amputees and Marines suffering from post-traumatic stress.

"Counseling those guys on how to settle down, face whats happening and get back into life," he explained.

For Weisgerber, the Korean War was the beginning of a life of service. That includes showing up on days like Monday.

"Maybe they short-changed us a little bit, but were here," he said. "Were here to commemorate Veterans Day and to celebrate, and by god, thats what were going to do."

Weisgerber said the men and women coming home with post-traumatic stress need to be around service members whove lived though the trauma of war because those who havent experienced it just dont understand what it's like.A student representative at UC Berkeley is facing a wave of criticism for not supporting an LGBT proposal.

Isabella Chow says her Christian beliefs guided her decision, and now some students are demanding her resignation.

The proposal approved by the UC student government condemns the Trump administration for its plan to define gender as the sex a person is born with. Chow abstained and is now under verbal attack.

Protesters gathered outside a recent UC Berkeley student senate meeting over or Chow's abstention.

"It asked me to support organizations whose primary purpose is to promote the LGBT community and lifestyle, which conflicted with my Christian values," Chow said.

At the campus known for free speech, Chows freedom of thought is under attack.

"Tonight is not about free speech but about the separation of prejudice and personal beliefs with institutional policy," said Regan Putnam of the Queer Alliance and Resource Center at Cal.

The pushback has been strong and at times vulgar.

"I cant tell you how many times Ive been called the F-word online and in person, and it hurts," one student said.

Student Poorvi Acharyal said, "If you think the LGBT people are against nature, your opinion is invalid."

Chow says people can get along even if they do not agree practically and theologically 100 percent of the time, and shes calling for more LGBT inclusiveness on the part of Christians.As heavy smoke from the Camp Fire in Butte County continues to choke Bay Area skies, a Winter Spare the Air Alert has been extended through Friday.

Burning wood, including manufactured logs or any other solid fuel, indoors or outdoors is banned through Friday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced today.

While weather conditions will vary throughout the week, air quality is expected to remain unhealthy because smoke is trapped at the surface and surrounding the region, air district officials said.

"Any additional smoke from Bay Area chimneys could push the region into an even higher unhealthy air quality level, which puts us all in jeopardy," Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the air district, said in a statement.

Bay Area residents should limit outdoor activity as much as possible on days when the alert is in effect, and should continue to listen to health information from local authorities.

Sonoma County Office of Education officials said 36 school districts and 12 independent charter schools and other educational programs in the county are closed Tuesday because of poor air quality.

When air quality is unhealthy, it's best to stay indoors with doors and windows closed. Masks should not be used instead of remaining indoors, but if worn, they should be a new, clean N95 mask or greater that's securely strapped for a tight seal.

Masks aren't suitable for people with beards or young children, according to the air district.

Like cigarette smoke, wood smoke contains fine particles and carcinogenic substances that make the air harmful to breathe inside and outside. Wood smoke is the major source of air pollution in the Bay Area during the winter and is especially harmful to children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions.

St. Anthony's, a nonprofit social services organization in San Francisco, converted its dining room (121 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102) into an emergency shelter over the weekend to welcome the homeless population who are in higher risk of exposure.

The Emergency Shelter will be opened through Tuesday night.Jerome Corsi, an associate of Roger Stone, says he expects to be indicted for perjury as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian election meddling, NBC News reported.

Corsi, who has been questioned over his knowledge of WikiLeaks obtaining hacked emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, said Mueller's team delivered the news at a meeting about a week ago.

"They told me they were going to indict me," he told NBC News in a phone interview Monday.

Mueller's spokesman, Peter Carr, declined to comment.

Nearly a dozen associates of Stone's have been summoned to appear before Mueller's grand jury in Washington, according to people familiar with the investigation.A woman was killed Monday and a man was arrested for driving under the influence after the car they were in veered off the road and crashed in Canterbury, New Hampshire.

State police responded to a call of a single-vehicle crash at 4:35 p.m. on Interstate 93. There, they located a 1999 Dodge Durango at the bottom of an embankment and learned it was carrying three occupants. According to a preliminary investigation, the vehicle was traveling southbound when it went off-road and hit a large tree.

Nichole Dempsey, 43, of Plymouth, New Hampshire was in the front passenger seat during the crash and died at the scene, state police said. The vehicles driver, 50-year-old James Deveau of Epping, New Hampshire and the other occupant, 37-year-old Robert Ayer of Concord, New Hampshire, were taken to Concord Hospital with serious injuries.

Deveau was arrested at the hospital and charged with aggravated driving under the influence of drugs and operating after suspension.

As a result of the crash, I-93 was closed for approximately four hours while officials conducted an investigation. State police and the Collision Analysis Reconstruction Unit are continuing their investigation on the incident.

Officials did not announce an arraignment date for Deveau. It is unclear if he has an attorney.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is encouraged to contact Trooper Daniel Quartulli at 603-223-8993.Activists will gather Tuesday for a rally after a police officer fatally shot a security guard at a suburban Chicago bar over the weekend.

The event will be held in the afternoon at the Midlothian police station, with participants calling accountability for the officer who shot 26-year-old Jemel Roberson early Sunday.

Authorities said Roberson was working security at Manny's Blue Room in Robbins when police responded around 4 a.m. to a call of shots fired.

Midlothian Police said they arrived to find multiple gunshot victims at the bar and an officer at the scene opened fire on "a subject with a gun." That man was Roberson, an armed security guard at the venue.

Four other people, including a man believed to have fired a gun during the initial shooting, were shot and wounded before police arrived, but their injuries weren't considered life-threatening, authorities said.

Roberson's family filed a lawsuit Monday, alleging that he had "apprehended one of the perpetrators and was holding him" when the Midlothian officer came on the scene and fatally shot the guard. Police have not confirmed that account.

The federal civil rights lawsuit names a Midlothian police officer, identified only as John Doe, and the village of Midlothian, calling the killing "unprovoked" and "unjustified."

Roberson - the only person killed in the shooting - was licensed to carry a firearm, Cook County sheriff's spokeswoman Sophia Ansari said. No details have been released about the officer.

Family members said Roberson was a family man who had been working in security for several years. He also played the organ in multiple churches in the Chicago area.

Robbins police Chief Roy Wells told reporters Sunday the initial shooting stemmed from an argument.

The Village of Robbins Mayor Tyrone Ward, issued a statement saying, "the Village of Robbins Department of Inspectional Services, along with the Office of the Mayor has ordered the nightclub temporarily closed pending the outcome of a review and full examination of the facility."

Family members gathered for a prayer vigil Monday night at the bar.

"I'm not here to get no sympathy," his girlfriend's mother Tequiee Cross said. "I'm here to get justice."

A GoFundMe for Roberson's funeral expenses had raised more than $49,000 as of Tuesday morning.Authorities say one person was injured and a home in suburban Naperville was destroyed in a fire Monday night.

The Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District received a call around 10:30 p.m. for a fire at 25W351 Plank Road, according to Deputy Chief Steve Dumas.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, Dumas said the two-story, single-family home was completely engulfed in flames.

One resident was able to escape the 5000-square foot house, telling first responders he got out through the second floor.

He was taken to nearby Edward Hospital with burns, fire officials said, and his condition was unknown.

No other injuries were reported in the blaze, which Dumas said resulted in the entire house being a loss, though he was unable to estimate monetary damages.

Fire officials remained on the scene Tuesday morning, putting the blaze out after about seven hours at around 5:30 a.m.

Part of the difficulty firefighters faced was that the closest hydrants were not near the home, but a few blocks away.

An investigation into the cause of the fire remained ongoing.Hartford Police are investigating two separate shootings that happened within about an hour of each other on Monday night.

Officers said the first shooting happened at 6:59 p.m. on Pliny Street.

According to police, a 17-year-old was transported by a private vehicle to Connecticut Children's Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The teenager is currently in stable condition.

Detectives are currently investigating that shooting.

Approximately an hour later, around 8 p.m., officers responded to St. Francis Hospital after getting a report of a gunshot victim being transported there by a private vehicle.

Investigators determined the shooting happened on Wethersfield Avenue.

Officials said a 23-year-old man suffered a non life-threatening gunshot wound to the upper arm and was in stable condition. He was expected to be discharged on Monday night.

Police said the 23-year-old man had two outstanding warrants and was taken into custody after treatment.

Officers have determined the two shootings are not related.Monday was a proud day for the LGBT community in Connecticut.

The Pride Flag was flying high in West Hartford center as people celebrated the 10th anniversary of the day same-sex couples were able to start marrying in the state.

Absolutely, it is very much a day of celebration, said Robin Levine-Ritterman.

Robin and Barb Levine-Ritterman chatted with us at their home in New Haven about the dramatic events from a decade ago.

It was a long journey, said Barb.

They were one of eight same-sex couples who fought for the right to marry in the state.

I think one thing that really drove me was having kids and having a family, said Robin.

In 2008, the couples were victorious when the Connecticut Supreme Court struck down the law that created civil unions.

The court ruled gay couples could legally marry starting Nov. 12, 2008. For Robin and Barb, it was a life-changing moment.

Knowing that the world sees us as in a lifelong commitment with each other, said Barb.

The New York Times front page featured a picture of the couple picking up their marriage certificate on that first day, though they waited six months to be officially wed.

Now all of these years later, Barb and Robin believe theres still work to be done to secure more rights for the LGBT community.

We still very much need work place equality and equality in housing, said Robin.

I see the struggle for trans rights being similar to where the lesbian and gay struggle was 10 or 20 years ago, said Barb.

Because of the Supreme Court ruling, Connecticut became one of the first states to legalize same-sex marriage.

It would take another seven years for the U.S. Supreme Court to do the same for the nation.New London County is known for its military involvement from the Coast Guard Academy to the Naval Submarine Base New London. Many veterans who have served and protected our country are now doing that in a different way.

Long before Glenn Penkofflidbeck joined the ranks as a fifth and sixth-grade science teacher at East Lyme Middle School, the former Air Force Major was already giving back to his community and country.

An eye injury halted his career as a pilot. So he turned to defense intelligence.

"About a year before the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein, I got a call to go to the White House and to meet with President Bush," Penkofflidbeck said.

From which he gained some notoriety and responsibility.

"Shortly thereafter I was working for the J2, which is the officer on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I was briefing General Colin Powell, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. And once things got going, the Vice President," he said.

Penkofflidbeck put in 14 years of service between active duty and the reserves. Hes received praise for his work during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, including a Joint Service Commendation Medal for meritorious service for the armed forces of the United States from Sept. 1987 to Oct. 1991.

"I felt like I was Jack Ryan in a Tom Clancy novel for a bit," he said, adding that the stress and amount of moving was a reason for leaving.

Penkofflidbeck credited education helped open the doors to these opportunities.

"I wanted to teach. I wanted to give back to my community," he said.

He started his teaching career in Essex, took a hiatus to start Three Sisters Farms, a business that sells raw and natural products, and is now back teaching in East Lyme, paying it forward.

So is First Class Petty Officer Larry Watson, who joined the Navy and is now serving the East Lyme community as a police officer.

"Whether we really realize it or not, everybody has that certain want to do something thats bigger than yourself," Watson said.

He served on the USS Springfield and the USS Connecticut both stationed at the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton.

His father, uncle and grandfather were all in the military. Hes the only one in his generation of his family who decided to join.

Hes still in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

"It certainly is a privilege, I think. I look back fondly and Ill always have that with me," Watson said.What to Know Rev. Jerome Coyle revealed to the diocese bishop in 1986 that he has a "history of sexual attraction to and contact with boys"

He was stripped of his ability to lead Mass and other responsibilities and never got another parish assignment

Coyle never faced further punishment, and a review board later found the bishop had a history of abusing students as well

A Roman Catholic diocese acknowledged Wednesday that it concealed for decades a priest's admission that he sexually abused dozens of Iowa boys  a silence that may have put other children in danger.

The Rev. Jerome Coyle, now 85, was stripped of his parish assignments in the 1980s but never defrocked. And it was not until this week, after The Associated Press inquired about him, that he was publicly identified by the church as an admitted pedophile, even though the Diocese of Sioux City had been aware of his conduct for 32 years.

The diocese recently helped Coyle move into a retirement home in Fort Dodge, Iowa, without informing administrators at the Catholic school across the street.

In 1986, Coyle reported his "history of sexual attraction to and contact with boys" to Sioux City's bishop, revealing that he had victimized approximately 50 youngsters over a 20-year period while serving in several Iowa parishes , according to a private letter written in February by the diocese vicar general and obtained by the AP.

The diocese told the AP on Wednesday that it never contacted police or informed the public after Coyle's admission.

"The diocese admits it could have been handled better," diocese spokeswoman Susan O'Brien said. But she said the policies in place at the time did not call for notifying police or the public.

Instead, the diocese at the time announced without explanation that Coyle was taking a six-month medical leave of absence. Church officials transferred him to a treatment center in New Mexico, the Servants of the Paraclete, where other accused priests nationwide were once commonly sent.

Coyle was stripped of his ability to lead Mass and otherwise function as a priest. But he never faced further punishment and lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, until recently, retaining the title "father" and collecting financial assistance from the diocese.

In 1986, the diocese was aware of one complaint against Coyle from a college student but did not have that man's name, O'Brien said. That individual and another now-adult victim have come forward in recent weeks, and their allegations against Coyle will be reported to police, she said.

His total number of victims could be higher than 50 because the diocese remains "uncertain of an accurate number," O'Brien said.

Coyle is unlikely to be prosecuted for any of his long-ago offenses because the statute of limitation has run out. He has not been named in any civil suits, and O'Brien said the diocese has never paid a settlement related to him.

He has not been publicly accused of molesting any minors in the past three decades, but lawyers and detectives are looking into what he has been up to since 1986. Fort Dodge police interviewed Coyle and searched his apartment last month after being tipped off that he was living near a school.

Coyle declined to comment Friday after answering the door at his apartment.

The bishop to whom Coyle reported his abuse, Lawrence Soens, retired in 1998. A review board later found that Soens himself had abused students when he was a priest and parochial school principal.

As a member of the clergy, Soens was not a mandatory reporter  someone obligated to tell police about child abuse allegations  under Iowa law. But critics said he still should have called authorities, sought to have Coyle defrocked, alerted the public and asked victims to come forward. Soen's whereabouts are unknown.

Unlike other dioceses, Sioux City has never released a list of priests who have been credibly accused, despite calls from victims to do so.

"The Sioux City diocese covers everything up," said attorney Scott Rhinehart, who has represented dozens of victims and calls the diocese a "haven for pedophile priests."

The case has come to light amid a push by prosecutors around the country to hold the church accountable, not just for the sexual abuse of youngsters but for efforts to shield accused priests. In recent months, authorities in at least a dozen states have opened investigations, and federal prosecutors have launched an unprecedented statewide probe in Pennsylvania.

The diocese privately revealed Coyle's past in a letter to a Catholic couple who had been allowing Coyle to live at their Albuquerque home after he was injured in a 2017 car accident. The letter warned the couple, Reuben and Tania Ortiz, that the diocese "cannot condone the risk you take" in allowing Coyle to live with their three teenage children.

"The letter was very scary for us as parents," said Reuben Ortiz, who had been friends with Coyle for years and was unaware of the extent of his abuse. He said that he confronted Coyle and that the priest could not guarantee that he would be able to refrain from fondling his son. But Coyle had nowhere to go and continued living there until June, when deacons from Sioux City moved him back to Iowa.

"I was up day and night for days sometimes, patrolling my own house," Reuben Ortiz said.

In the letter to Ortiz, and a similar one to Coyle, Vicar General Bradley Pelzel tried to discourage the priest from moving back to Iowa. He said the boys Coyle molested would now be men between the ages of 45 and 70, and they "could potentially encounter him and be retraumatized by the memories that would surface."

The diocese offered to increase Coyle's monthly retirement assistance by $575 so that he could afford an assisted living home in New Mexico. But that idea didn't work out, and the church instead helped him move to Fort Dodge, into a care facility adjacent to Saint Edmonds Catholic School, whose students routinely visit.

Lawyers for the Ortiz family said the case illustrates how the church's secrecy poses a continuing risk to children. They urged Coyle's victims to share their stories, saying they have been "suffering in silence."

"This is the time for Father Coyle's victims to seek justice, and the time for the church to account for its cover-up," said attorney Levi Monagle.

Experts called the Sioux City letter extraordinary for its written acknowledgment of abuse and continuing concealment.

"The letter shows in black and white that the system of covering up continues to this day, even after everything that's occurred," said attorney Craig Levien, who has represented dozens of abuse victims.The audio recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is so horrific that a Saudi intelligence official who heard it speculated that the killer may have been on heroin, Turkey's president was quoted as saying Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists on board his plane while returning from World War I commemorations in Paris, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said that Turkey had shared audio recordings relating to the killing with Saudi Arabia and other nations, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Canada.

"The recording is truly atrocious. In fact, when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recording he was so shocked that he said 'this one probably took heroin. Only someone who took heroin would do it,'" Erdogan was reported as saying in comments published in pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak.

Erdogan did not elaborate on how and when the Saudi official heard the recording of the killing of the Saudi citizen.

Turkey says Khashoggi, who wrote for The Washington Post columnist and often criticized the crown prince, was killed by a 15-member assassination squad sent from Riyadh. Ankara insists the orders for the killing came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, but not King Salman.

Turkey has said a 15-member Saudi "hit squad" strangled and dismembered Khashoggi at the consulate. Media reports have suggested that his body could have been chemically dissolved as it has not yet been found.

Erdogan also said Turkey was "patiently" waiting for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to shed light on the killing at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last month.

The crown prince has come under scrutiny for having knowledge of the killing, which involved some members of his security entourage.

Pressing ahead with moves to maintain pressure on Saudi Arabia, Erdogan said the crown prince had told Turkish envoys that he would shed light on the Oct. 2 killing at the kingdom's consulate and do what was "necessary."

"He said this to my special envoys," Erdogan was quoted as saying. "We are waiting patiently."

Under mounting pressure, Saudi Arabia has changed its narrative about Khashoggi's killing. It first said he walked out of the embassy the day he disappeared before eventually acknowledging Khashoggi died inside the consulate. Now, it acknowledges that the journalist's death was premeditated.

Saudi officials characterize the killing as a rogue operation carried out by Saudi agents who exceeded their authority.Mishaps, protests and litigation are overshadowing the vote recount in Florida's pivotal races for governor and Senate, reviving memories of the 2000 presidential fiasco in the premier political battleground state.

All 67 counties are facing a state-ordered deadline of Thursday to complete their recounts and half already have begun. Many other counties were expected to begin the work Monday after a weekend of recount drama in Broward and Palm Beach counties, home to large concentrations of Democratic voters.

But on Monday, recounting had yet to begin in Broward as ballots were still being sorted and ballot pages separated, elections officials said. There was no word as of Monday night when the recount would begin.

The developments added up to a tumultuous political day in Florida. More than half of Florida's 67 counties began a recount process that's unprecedented even in a state notorious for settling elections by razor-thin margins. State officials said they weren't aware of any other time a race for governor or U.S. Senate required a recount, let alone both in the same election.

In Broward County, the recount was delayed for hours Sunday because of a problem with one of the tabulation machines. The recount continued to be delayed on Monday.

The delays prompted the Republican Party to slam Broward's supervisor of elections, Brenda Snipes, for "incompetence and gross mismanagement."

Snipes said the recount was expected to begin Monday night, and said they would still make Thursday's recount deadline.

"I think the lawsuits as they are written certainly cast aspersions on my character and usually we build character over a period of time and character is always on display and I've worked here for about 15 years and I have to say this is the first time that this office or I have been under such attacks," Snipes told reporters Monday. "If we make mistakes, we own mistakes. If there's something that the public needs to know then we provide that information."

Broward officials faced further headaches after acknowledging the county mistakenly counted 22 absentee ballots that had been rejected. The problem seemed impossible to fix because dismissed ballots were mixed in with 205 legal ballots and Snipes said it would be unfair to throw out all the votes.

Gov. Rick Scott, the Republican candidate for Senate, filed suit against Snipes. He was seeking a court order for law enforcement agents to impound all voting machines, tallying devices and ballots "when not in use until such time as any recounts." The suit accused Snipes of repeatedly failing to account for the number of ballots left to be counted and failing to report results regularly as required by law.

An emergency hearing was being held Monday morning over Scott's suit before Circuit Chief Judge Jack Tuter. Tuter said he wouldn't issue an injunction as he's seen no evidence of wrongdoing in the vote-counting in Broward and urged all sides to "ramp down the rhetoric," adding that there is a need to reassure citizens that the integrity of the Florida recount is being protected.

To that point, he urged lawyers for Scott and others representing the Republican and Democratic parties and their candidates as well as the Broward County elections office to agree on some minor additions in security, including the addition of three more law enforcement officers to keep an eye on things.

And the judge says that if anyone any evidence of voter fraud or irregularities, they should report it to law enforcement.

Also on Monday, Sen. Bill Nelson, the Democratic incumbent, sued the Florida Department of State in an effort to count vote-by-mail ballots that were postmarked before Election Day but not delivered before polls closed.

Scott campaign spokesman Chris Hartline called the lawsuit "nothing short of a legal white flag of surrender."

The outcry from Democrats over's Scott's suit was immediate.

Juan Penalosa, executive director of the Florida Democratic Party, accused Scott of "using his position to consolidate power by cutting at the very core of our democracy."

"An honest vote count is no longer possible" in Florida, President Donald Trump declared Monday, without elaborating. He demanded that the election night results  which showed the Republicans leading based upon incomplete ballot counts  be used to determine the winner.

Trump went on to allege that "new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged" and that "ballots (are) massively infected." It was unclear what he was referring to.

Meanwhile, in Palm Beach County, the supervisor of elections said she didn't think her department could meet Thursday's deadline to complete that recount, throwing into question what would happen to votes there.

The recount in other major population centers, including Miami-Dade and Pinellas and Hillsborough counties in the Tampa Bay area, has been continuing without incident. Smaller counties were expected to begin reviews between Monday and Wednesday.

State officials said they weren't aware of any other time a race for governor or U.S. Senate required a recount, let alone both in the same election. The recount process in the two nationally watched midterm races is unprecedented even in a state notorious for settling elections by razor-thin margins.

Unofficial results showed Republican former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis led Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by 0.41 percentage points in the governor's contest. In the Senate race, Scott's lead over Nelson was 0.14 percentage points.

State law requires a machine recount in races where the margin is less than 0.5 percentage points. Once completed, if the differences in any of the races are 0.25 percentage points or below, a hand recount will be ordered.

As the recount unfolded, Republicans urged their Democratic opponents to give up and let the state to move on.

Scott said Sunday that Nelson wants fraudulent ballots and those cast by noncitizens to count, pointing to a Nelson lawyer objecting to Palm Beach County's rejection of one provisional ballot because it was cast by a noncitizen.

"He is trying to commit fraud to win this election," Scott told Fox News. "Bill Nelson's a sore loser. He's been in politics way too long."

Nelson's campaign issued a statement later saying their lawyer wasn't authorized to object to the ballot's rejection as "Non-citizens cannot vote in US elections."

In Fort Lauderdale, Gillum appeared at a predominantly African-American church Sunday evening, warning against vote suppression and declaring voter disenfranchisement isn't just about being blocked from the polling booth. He said it also includes absentee ballots not being counted and ballots with mismatched signatures that "a volunteer may have the option of ... deciding that vote is null and void."

Gillum and Nelson have argued each vote should be counted and the process should take its course.

Both the state elections division, which Scott runs, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have said they have found no evidence of voter fraud.

That didn't stop protests outside Snipes' office, where a crowd of mostly Republicans gathered, holding signs, listening to country music and occasionally chanting "lock her up," referring to Snipes. A massive Trump 2020 flag flew over the parking lot and many members of a Bikers For Trump group wore matching shirts, mingling among a crowd that included a protester wearing a Hillary Clinton mask.

Registered independent Russell Liddick, a 38-year-old Pompano Beach retail worker, carried a sign reading, "I'm not here for Trump! I'm here for fair elections! Fire Snipes!" He said the office's problems "don't make me feel very much like my vote counted."

Florida is also conducting a recount in a third statewide race. Democrat Nikki Fried had a 0.07 percentage point lead over Republican state Rep. Matt Caldwell for agriculture commissioner, one of Florida's three Cabinet seats.

For some, the recounts bring back memories of the 2000 presidential recount, when it took more than five weeks for Florida to declare George W. Bush the victor over Vice President Al Gore by 537 votes, thus giving Bush the presidency.

Much has changed since then.

In 2000, each county had its own voting system. Many used punch cards  voters poked out chads, leaving tiny holes in their ballots representing their candidates. Some voters, however, didn't fully punch out the presidential chad or gave it just a little push. Those hanging and dimpled chads had to be examined by the canvassing boards, a lengthy, tiresome and often subjective process that became fodder for late-night comedians.

Now the state requires all Florida counties to use ballots where voters use a pen to mark their candidate's name, much like a student taking a multiple-choice test. And how counts proceed is now clearly spelled out.

AP writers Tamara Lush and Brendan Farrington contributed to this report.A video of a white U.S. senator from Mississippi making a flip reference to a "public hanging" is incensing voters in a special election runoff, drawing attention to the state's history of lynching and boosting Democrats' hope of pulling off a stunner in the Deep South.

Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith is facing former congressman and former U.S. agriculture secretary Mike Espy, a black Democrat, in a runoff Nov. 27. She was captured on video praising a supporter by declaring, "If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row."

After the video was made public Sunday, Hyde-Smith said her remark Nov. 2 at a campaign event in Tupelo was "an exaggerated expression of regard" for a friend who invited her to speak. "Any attempt to turn this into a negative connotation is ridiculous," she said.

Espy on Monday called the remark "disappointing and harmful."

"It reinforces stereotypes that we've been trying to get away from for decades, stereotypes that continue to harm our economy and cost us jobs," he told MSNBC's Chris Matthews.

At a news conference Monday with Republican Gov. Phil Bryant by her side, a stone-faced Hyde-Smith refused to answer questions about the hanging remark.

"I put out a statement yesterday, and that's all I'm going to say about it," she said.

Republicans have been counting on a Hyde-Smith victory over Espy as they try to expand their Senate majority. Her remark may not slow her down in the deeply conservative state, but it has highlighted a battle between Mississippi's past and future and put a painful coda to an election season marked by a resurgence of racism in Southern politics.

"It really rocked folks," said Democrat Rukia Lumumba, co-director of The Electoral Justice Project and a native Mississippian whose family has deep roots in the state's politics and civil rights activism. "The fact that she has yet to apologize, to recognize the impact of her comments or that people have suffered ... I hope it makes us feel the urgency."

The words undoubtedly raised the profile of a race that has largely flown under the national radar. Hyde-Smith was appointed to fill the seat vacated by longtime Republican Sen. Thad Cochran when he retired in April, and she ran this fall to hold the seat for the remaining two years of Cochran's term.

She and Espy each received about 41 percent of the vote in a four-person race to advance to the runoff. Another Republican won 16 percent.

The results suggest Espy has an uphill battle, but some in the state see him as a rare Mississippi Democrat who could pull off an upset. Buoyed by Democrat Doug Jones' victory in the U.S. Senate race in Alabama last year, Democrats have been organizing in Mississippi for months. Black voters in particular have powered the effort, seeing it as a moment for generational change.

"This race matters because voters are deciding: Are we going to move forward or are we going to move backward?" said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, a voter turnout group that was a key organizer behind Jones' victory.

According to the NAACP, 4,743 lynchings occurred in the United States between 1882 and 1968, and nearly 73 percent of the victims were black. Mississippi had 581 during that time  more than any other state.

Bryant, who appointed Hyde-Smith, defended her Monday, saying, "There was nothing in her heart of ill will."

"All of us in public life have said things on occasion that could have been phrased better," he said. "She meant no offense by that statement."

Mississippi has long struggled with race and racism in its politics.

The state still uses a state flag adopted in 1894 that includes the Confederate battle emblem, though all the state's public universities and several cities and counties have stopped flying it.

Another Republican from Mississippi, Trent Lott, lost his position as Senate majority leader in 2002 after saying at the 100th birthday party of South Carolina U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond that Mississippi had proudly voted for Thurmond when he ran a segregationist campaign for president in 1948.

A Republican member of the Mississippi House, Rep. Karl Oliver, was criticized in May 2017 after he posted on Facebook that people should be lynched for removing Confederate monuments.

Espy in 1986 became the first African-American since Reconstruction to win a U.S. House seat in Mississippi. If he defeats Hyde-Smith, he would be the first African-American since Reconstruction to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.

Hyde-Smith, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, is the first woman to represent Mississippi in either chamber of Congress and is trying to become the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from the state.

AP VoteCast, a survey of the electorate, showed significant differences in voting behavior by age and race in Mississippi's special election. Hyde-Smith leaned heavily on the support of white voters, older ones in particular.

Overall, 57 percent of white voters supported Hyde-Smith, 21 percent voted for Espy and 18 percent supported Republican Chris McDaniel, who placed third last week. Black voters overwhelming broke for Espy: 83 percent supported the Democrat, according to AP VoteCast.

On Monday, local groups held a conference call to discuss their turnout strategy and response to Hyde-Smith's remarks. A protest is scheduled for Friday in front of Hyde-Smith's office.

Brown said Black Voters Matter, which has an office in the state, will hunker down there in the two weeks leading up to the runoff.

"This race is going to be won by folks from Mississippi," Brown said.

Associated Press reporter Hannah Fingerhut contributed.Connecticut may be known for its steady habits, but on Election Day, some voters expressed their electoral independence. In many General Assembly House and Senate districts, voters picked different parties up and down their ballot depending on the candidate.

In the 53rd House District, GOP gubernatorial nominee Bob Stefanowski received more votes that Democrat Ned Lamont. But voters ultimately decided that they wanted a change in their representation in Hartford. Representative Sam Belsito (R  Tolland) was unseated by Democrat Pat Wilson Pheanious, a major shift in the political leanings of that area.

He is very conservative and theres a lot of young families, a lot of progressives, said Mary Anne Delaney-Tuttle, whos lived in the district for years, and served on the Tolland Town Council for 17 years.

We have a strong influence from the university and you know, university areas tend to be socially liberal which is why they went with Pat, she said.

Rural parts of Connecticut were not the only places to see this trend.

Republicans in Fairfield fared very well, despite Lamont winning their town. GOP representatives Laura Devlin and Brenda Kupchick each won re-election, and Sen. Tony Hwang also won reelection by 1,941 votes. Lamont edged out his win in Fairfield by 1,069 votes.

On Connecticuts shoreline, Bob Stefanowski was successful in his hometown of Madison, and he won more votes overall in the State Senate district which includes Guilford, Branford, North Branford, Durham, and Killingworth in addition to Madison.

However, the incumbent State Representative Noreen Kokoruda, (R  Madison), currently facing a recount in her bid for re-election, is currently trailing her Democratic opponent, John-Michael Parker, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of the State.

Elsewhere in the district, Christine Cohen, the Democrat running for the open state Senate, defeated Republican Adam Greenberg.

Stefanowski won four of the six towns in the 12th Senate District, but Ned Lamont lost by a narrow margin.

Cohen says even with those results, she has to show voters she represents the entire district and not simply the areas where she performed well.

Im representing the district and I have worked together across the aisle with all types of people for many years. Some may agree with your standpoint, some may not, but ultimately I want to bring everybodys voice to Hartford and represent them as best I can, Cohen said.

I think we all recognize that there has been hyperpolarization going on across the country and certainly its no different in the state of Connecticut and in the 12th district, and so I recognize that.

Even though much was made of the impact that President Donald Trump or Gov. Dannel Malloy may have had in Connecticuts elections, in numerous instances, voters appeared to be looking to make far different statements than simply responding to a sitting president or an outgoing governor.Imagine hosting Thanksgiving at your house, but suddenly your guests have nowhere to park. It's a reality for some people in an Allen neighborhood who say they're being punished because of Black Friday shoppers.

The holiday mall madness has been maddening to StarCreek residents over the years.

"People were just parking all up and down the streets, they'll hop the fences," Antoine Byrd said.

First, because of unwanted traffic from the nearby Allen Premium Outlets.

"There's other people that just disrespect the property and leave their trash," Kelly Pearson said.

Now, because of disrupted plans.

"We obviously own these homes, we pay taxes. Why should we not be able to park on our street on a holiday?" asked John Johnson.

Johnson is one of many residents told that there will be no parking in front of his Allen home this Thanksgiving, even though he's hosting dinner.

"Ten to 15 (people) depending on who shows up. Our daughters, their boyfriends, grandsons, great grandma," he said.

Johnson was just informed by his homeowner's association about the new five-day street ban. About 130 signs will go up in the StarCreek neighborhood, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 21. Many residents wanted to know why they can't just put a tag or permit in their car, but Allen police said because the neighborhood has public roadways, they can't legally pick and choose who parks here. For this ordinance, it's all or nothing. Three officers plan to enforce the ban and call a tow truck for those in violation.

"I can't even imagine. I would be really mad, but we don't know what to do so I guess if we have to we'll go park somewhere and use other cars to shuttle people here," Johnson said.

It sounds like a logistical nightmare when you're trying not to burn the turkey, but not everyone's against the plan.

"I kind of like this, I like it. Prevents all the riff raff from entering your neighborhood," Byrd said.

Those who aren't expecting company said they may not be inconvenienced, but they understand many of their neighbors might have a problem on their hands -- especially ones with guests who are elderly or disabled.

While many support the effort to curb congestion, some said this goes too far.

There's an HOA site, resident site and everyone's in an uproar about it. No one's happy, Johnson said.

I think it's in the beginning stages and maybe this is a guinea pig year, Pearson said.

Neighbors are being encouraged to share their driveway space. Once the parking ban is lifted, the HOA wants to hear feedback to adjust the plan for next year.

Allen police said they worked with the city to pass the ordinance at the request of the neighborhood.A photo has gone viral showing about 50 students, most of them white, from a Wisconsin high school appearing to give a Nazi salute, prompting their school district to investigate, NBC News reported.

The photo is from last spring and was not taken on Baraboo High School property or at an event sponsored by the school, according to the superintendent of the Baraboo School District. It originally appeared on a photographer's website along with photos from the school's junior prom.

"If the gesture is what it appears to be, the District will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address the issue," superintendent Lori Mueller told parents in a letter Monday.

The apparent Sieg Heil gesture brought condemnation from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, which said on Twitter that the concentration camp "with its gas chambers was at the very end of the long process of normalizing and accommodating hatred."U.S. analysts said Monday they have located 13 secret North Korean missile development sites, underscoring the challenge that the Trump administration faces in trying to reach its promised broad arms control agreement with Pyongyang.

The administration has said it is hopeful about eventually reaching an agreement with North Korea. President Donald Trump declared after his historic summit in June that with President Kim Jong Un there was "no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea." But a report based on satellite imagery shows the complexity posed by an extensive network of weapons facilities that the U.S. wants to neutralize.

A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies has identified 13 secret facilities used to produce missiles and related technology. Although the sites are not launch facilities and in some cases are rudimentary, the authors of the report say they are hidden and illustrate the scope of the North's weapons program and the country's determination to conceal its military might.

"The dispersed deployment of these bases and distinctive tactics employed by ballistic missile units are combined with decades of extensive camouflage, concealment and deception practices to maximize the survival of its missile units from pre-emptive strikes and during wartime operations," they said.

The authors say the sites, which can be used for all classes of ballistic missiles, should be declared by North Korea and inspected in any credible, verifiable deal that addresses Pyongyang's most significant threats to the United States and its allies.

South Korea's presidential office said the report didn't include any information it didn't already know. Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said continued activity at North Korean missile sites only underlines the need for nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang to proceed at a faster pace.

Kim took exception to a New York Times article on the report that said North Korea was engaging in "great deception," saying that the North has never promised to dismantle a short-range ballistic missile base 135 kilometers (84 miles) northwest of Seoul that was highlighted by CSIS.

Kim said such suggestions can "trigger misunderstanding and potentially block dialogue ... at a time when we need dialogue between North Korea and the United States."

Seoul has worked hard to revive nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea that have reduced fears of war in South Korea following a series of North Korean weapons tests and threats of military action by Trump last year.

North Korea analysts not involved in the report said the findings were not surprising given Pyongyang's past activities but were still cause for concern. They noted that Kim had not agreed to halt either nuclear weapons or missile development in negotiations with Trump or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"The fact that North Korea has continued to build nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in the midst of high-level diplomacy with China, South Korea and the U.S. should not come as a surprise," said Abraham Denmark, the Asia program director at The Wilson Center. "Despite all the summitry, North Korea is just as dangerous today as it was a year ago."

"Improving relations with Pyongyang may be a laudable goal, but any claim that the North Korean nuclear and missile threats have been solved is either wishful thinking or purposefully deceptive," he said.

"Interesting but unsurprising report," said Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association. "Kim Jong Un only committed voluntarily to halt long-range missile tests."

The report was released less than a week after North Korea abruptly called off a new round of negotiations with Pompeo that had been set for Thursday in New York. The cancellation, which the U.S. ascribed to scheduling issues, followed threats from North Korean officials to resume nuclear and missile testing unless U.S. sanctions are lifted.

The administration has said repeatedly that sanctions will not be lifted until a denuclearization agreement is fully implemented.

Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.What to Know Across the state, Florida's election recount is chugging along as more irregularities are uncovered.

In Broward, officials continue the recount process that started Tuesday.

In the race to finish recounting hundreds of thousands of votes before Thursdays 3 p.m. deadline, election officials in Broward County continue their process in hopes of not missing that deadline.

Workers continued through Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning after starting to separate and process thousands of ballots an hour through tabulation machines for a second time. Director of Planning and Development Joe D'Alessandro told NBC 6 "we will finish on time," insisting the recount should take around 15 hours to complete.

Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes also told reporters Tuesday that they would meet the deadline.

"We will complete the recount. There's never been a deadline that we have missed," Snipes said.

Snipes also addressed the rash of criticism against her, including from Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, who appointed her in 2003 and on Monday tweeted that she should be removed from office. Snipes said "it is time to move on" but said she hasn't finalized a decision and needs to speak with her family.

"I think I have served the purpose that I came here for, which was to provide a credible election product for our voters," Snipes said.

Officials initially said they might not start the recount until Wednesday, but then said they would begin counting early votes Tuesday. Mail-in votes will be sorted later.

Across the state, Florida's election recount is chugging along as more irregularities have been uncovered and a judge asked the warring sides to "ramp down the rhetoric," saying it erodes public confidence in the election for Senate and governor.

One county revealed Monday that it had allowed some hurricane-displaced voters to cast their ballots by email  a violation of state law. Another had to restart its recount after getting about a quarter finished because someone forgot to push a button.

Miami-Dade County elections officials said late Tuesday night that while they finished the initial counting of their ballots, they still need to conduct a second process of quality assurance.

Meanwhile, in Palm Beach County, Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher said the county's 11-year-old tallying machines aren't fast enough to complete the recount by Thursday. WPTV reported machines were malfunctioning Tuesday night at the tabulation center in Riviera Beach and that mechanics were on site.

Bucher told WPTV they ultimately have to recount hundreds of thousands of early voting tallies.

"Were trying to move forward to reorganize the ballots so that we can rerun them again," Bucher said. "We dont have a lot of assurances, as you know, the machines are old and they started overheating, so as a result, the tally types are not reconciling properly."

The county is doing the Senate race first and will then do the governor's race. If the deadline is not met in a race, the results it reported Saturday will stand.

In Broward County, additional sheriff's deputies were sent to guard ballots and voting machines, even though a judge said no Republican who has publicly alleged fraud in the county's process  a list that includes President Donald Trump and Gov. Rick Scott  has presented any evidence to law enforcement.

White House spokeswoman Mercedes Schlapp said Tuesday the president "obviously has his opinion" on the recount. Trump on Monday tweeted that "An honest vote count is no longer possible" in Florida, without elaborating, and said "new ballots showed up out of nowhere." It was unclear what he was referring to. He demanded that the election night results  which showed the Republicans leading based upon incomplete ballot counts  be used to determine the winner.

"It's been incredibly frustrating to watch. You have a 12,000-vote gap and the other candidate refuses to concede," Schlapp said, referring to Scott's opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. "So I think at this point that it's going to go through the process of the manual recount and the machine recount and we'll see what happens, but we're confident that Rick Scott will be the next senator of Florida."

Nelson and a Democratic campaign committee continued to file lawsuits Tuesday, with one asking a federal judge to set aside looming deadlines for machine and hand recounts of ballots to give all counties time to complete recounts.

State law requires a machine recount in races where the margin is less than 0.5 percentage points. In the Senate race, Scott's lead over incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson was 0.14 percentage points. In the governor's contest, unofficial results showed Republican former Rep. Ron DeSantis ahead of Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by 0.41 percentage points.

Once the recount is complete, if the differences in any of the races are 0.25 percentage points or less, a hand recount will be ordered. All 67 counties face a state-ordered deadline of Thursday to finish their recounts.

Trump's comments came just hours before Broward Chief Circuit Judge Jack Tuter held an emergency hearing on a request by Scott's lawyers that deputies be put in charge of ballots and voting machines that aren't being used until the recount is over.

An attorney for Snipes described layers of security including keycard and password access to rooms where ballots are kept, secured by deputies and monitored by security cameras and representatives of both campaigns and parties.

Scott's lawyers had alleged in court documents that Snipes was engaging in "suspect and unlawful vote counting practices" that violate state law and that she might "destroy evidence of any errors, accidents or unlawful conduct."

The judge said he could see no evidence of any violations, and said "I am urging because of the highly public nature of this case to ramp down the rhetoric."

"If someone in this lawsuit or someone in this county has evidence of voter fraud or irregularities at the supervisor's office, they should report it to their local law enforcement officer," Tuter said. "If the lawyers are aware of it, they should swear out an affidavit, but everything the lawyers are saying out there in front of the elections office is being beamed all over the country. We need to be careful of what we say. Words mean things these days."

Scott's motion was supported by lawyers representing the state Republican Party and opposed by Snipes' office, Nelson's campaign and the state Democratic Party. After Tuter told all sides to meet to discuss a compromise, they agreed to add three deputies to the elections office.

Meanwhile, Elections Supervisor Mark Andersen in heavily Republican Bay County told the Miami Herald on Monday that he allowed about 150 people to cast ballots by email, which is illegal under state law. The county was devastated by a Category 4 hurricane in October, and Scott ordered some special provisions for early voting there.

Manatee County, south of Tampa Bay, had to restart its recount Monday because a needed button on the machine wasn't pushed. The error was caught after about a quarter of the county's nearly 165,000 votes had been recounted, said Michael Bennett, the county's Republican elections supervisor. It shouldn't affect the county's ability to meet Thursday's deadline.Monica Lewinsky would apologize to Hillary Clinton again if the pair were to meet in person, NBC News reported.

"My first public words after the scandal  uttered in an interview with Barbara Walters on March 3, 1999 were an apology directly to Chelsea and Mrs. Clinton," Lewinsky wrote wrote in an essay for Vanity Fair published Tuesday, referring to the Clintons' daughter. "And if I were to see Hillary Clinton in person today, I know that I would summon up whatever force I needed to again acknowledge to her  sincerely  how very sorry I am."

Lewinsky said she wrote the article to explain her participation in a new documentary series, "The Clinton Affair," that examines the scandal that surrounded her affair with former President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s, when she was a White House intern. The series premieres Sunday on A&E.

She wrote she provided more than 20 hours of interviews for the three-night series.

In her essay, she wrote that within the past year, she noticed that the former president began getting tougher questions "about what transpired." She noted that in June, when NBC News' Craig Melvin asked Bill Clinton if he thought he owed Lewinsky a personal apology, he said he did not.by Bernardo Cervellera

The silence of so many commentators dictated by knockback: The belief that the Sino-Vatican agreement would have ensured smooth waters. Persecution takes place in many regions of the country and with the endorsement of central power. Underground Catholics bitterly suspect that the Vatican has abandoned them. The "papolatry" complex: instead of attending to the truth, things are measured on the basis of whether they are "for or against Francis". The "marketolatry" complex: trade with China is worth all the silences. But, as the Pope says, religious freedom is "a fundamental human right, a bulwark against totalitarian demands".

Rome (AsiaNews) - We had expected it. The news of the umpteenth arrest - the fifth in two years - of Msgr. Peter Shao Zhumin, bishop of Wenzhou, has passed in silence. With the exception of some Spanish and English media, and some rare Italian websites besides AsiaNews, it seems that dragging a bishop, well known in China as a courageous and honorable man, to submit him to dozens of days of indoctrination as in the times of the Cultural Revolution, it is not a news worthy of note, or rather is a nuisance, which is worth silencing.

I wonder what would happen if a good Italian bishop, for example the kindly Msgr. Matteo Zuppi from Bologna, were kidnapped by a group of Islamic fundamentalists to indoctrinate him and make him Muslim, of course: without a hair on his head being touched, as is the case for Msgr. Shao. I imagine that it would make global headlines. In the case of the bishop of Wenzhou it is not a question of Islamic fundamentalists, but of "independence" fundamentalists: they want to convince the bishop that membership of the Patriotic Association, which wants to build a Church that is "independent" from the Holy See, is good for him, for the Church and for the world.

From the point of view of dogma, what Benedict XVI said in the Letter to Chinese Catholics is still true: the status of the PA is "incompatible with Catholic doctrine". And several times in the past, Pope Francis has stated that Benedict XVIs Letter "is still valid".

Thus membership of the PA limits the life of a bishop: Surveillance 24 hours a day; checks and requests for permits for pastoral visits and for meeting guests; requisition for weeks and months to participate in indoctrination conventions on the goodness of Beijing's religious policy.

The shame of the media

I believe that the media silence - especially the Catholic media - is above all born from shame. A few months ago, on September 22nd, their acclaim of the agreement between China and the Holy See had been such it gave the impression that from now on everything would be downhill. Instead, the fact that the problem of persecution persists in the Church in China is such a heavy knockback that - and it is understandable - it is difficult to confess. If we then add the closed and sealed churches, the destroyed crosses, the domes razed to the ground, the demolished sanctuaries, the police enforced ban on minors under 18 years attending church or catechism, we then realize that the agreement on the appointment of bishops - as we have said in the past - is good because it avoids the rise of schismatic bishops, but leaves intact a situation in which the PA and the United Front believe themselves to be the true leaders of the Catholic Church in China (and not the Pope). This is confirmed by the lessons that the two bodies are carrying out in many regions of China, in which priests and bishops reiterate that "despite the Sino-Vatican agreement", the Church must continue to be "independent" (from the Pope and the Holy See).

Unfortunately, the unpublished and secret "provisional" agreement gives China free reign to interpretation. The United Front and the PA force priests and bishops to join the "independent" Church, saying that "the Pope agrees with us", so much so that several underground Catholics bitterly suspect that the Vatican has abandoned them in the blizzard.

Some of the so-called "experts" on China, minimalize the facts of persecution, saying that it only happens in "a few places". In reality there are persecutions in many regions: Hebei, Henan, Zhejiang, Shanxi, Guizhou, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Hubei, ... And certainly there will be other places where the news has failed to come to light.

Another "reduction" is to say that these things happen in the peripheries, but in the center, in Beijing, we really want the agreement to work. The fact remains that since last October, after the Communist Party Congress, the United Front and the PA are under the direct control of the Party: it is virtually impossible that the center (Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Party) does not know what is happening in the peripheries, with such striking cases that even shake the international community.

The papolatry complex

In addition to shame, I believe that there are two other reasons push to silence.

The first is a kind of "papolatry complex": since Pope Francis is a supporter of the agreement with China and a courageous advocate of dialogue with Chinese culture, it seems that highlighting the persecutions is an offense to the Pontiff. Apart from the fact that Pope Francis has always emphasized that he loves sincerity and not adulation, he has always said that dialogue is between two identities, not silencing your own identity and if your identity is made of martyrs, this cannot be hidden.

It is true of late that within the Church, whatever the subject of discussion maybe, the unspoken question has become "are you for or against Francis?". This derives from the fact that at present, groups of conservatives and progressives all over the world are engaged in a tug of war to overthrow or elevate the person of Francis to safeguard their own particular ecclesial vision. And once, thanks to this ideological vision, even AsiaNews was suspected of being "against Pope Francis". To seek the truth and the good for the Church in China does not, in my opinion, equate to a conspiracy against the pontiff, to whom we are bound as our head of the Church and the visible sign of our unity. Those who proclaim themselves defenders of the Pope yet remain silent in the face of the persecution of Christians in China, risk no love for either Francis, or the Church, but only their ideological project for the future Church, while allowing today's one to be suffocated.

The marketolatry

The second reason could mainly concern the so-called "secular" media, for a "marketolatry" complex, the divinization of the Chinese market. It is silent on persecution and arrests because they are deemed "insignificant" compared to trade war between China and the US and the future of the superpower of the Middle Empire. The media and bookstores are full of articles and books that hail Beijing, or demean it, depending on whether you are destined for China or the United States. In this case, the religious freedom of a country is not understood as a sign of its "goodness". Last November 5, meeting the World Congress of Mountain Jews, Pope Francis said that "religious freedom is a supreme good to protect, a fundamental human right, a bulwark against the totalitarian demands". Therefore, those who really want freedom of trade in China should primarily defend religious freedom. Large Chinese entrepreneurs who, even if they want to trade and invest abroad, must obey the central government restrictions, know something of this. Bishop Shao Zhumin is therefore not "insignificant", but the sign of how China is evolving.

One last point is worth mentioning: Msgr. Shao Zhumin is the bishop of a now unified Church, where there is no longer the division between official and underground Catholics, exactly what Pope Francis hoped for in his Message to Chinese Catholics and the world, published a few days after the agreement. Still, the PA, in addition to kidnapping the bishop, has in these days banned "official" priests from going to pay homage to the tombs of "underground" priests and bishops. And this is the sign that the division in the Chinese Church is not intended primarily by Catholics, but by the Party. This policy - which has lasted for 60 years - does not seem in favor of the evangelization of China, but - as mentioned so many times in the past by the same PA - is a step towards the suppression of all Christians.Texas lawmakers filed more than 400 bills Monday, the first day legislators could submit ideas for laws they want to enact next year.



The 181 members of the Texas House and Senate have until March 8 to file bills. The Legislature, which meets once every two years for 140 days, will kick off its next session on Jan. 8.



In 2017, lawmakers filed more than 13,000 bills and resolutions. Just around 10 percent became law. That year, the most heated debates took place over immigration policy and LGBTQ rights. In 2019, top GOP leaders have pledged to focus on property taxes, while both parties have expressed an interest in tackling the state's long-maligned method of funding public schools.

Click here to read more on this report from our partners at The Dallas Morning News.Northbound Texas 161 is open again at Belt Line Road after a crash and spill involving a tractor-trailer Tuesday afternoon.

Irving police tweeted about the crash at about 4:30 p.m. and said diesel fuel had been spilled on the highway.

A Texas Department of Transportation camera positioned at Highway 161 and Belt Line Road showed traffic flowing smoothly again after 7 p.m.

The cause of the crash is not known; no injuries have been reported.The most destructive wildfire in state history continued to burn Sunday night in Northern California, while other blazes burned in other parts of the state.

There are now 31 confirmed deaths and more than 200 people unaccounted for in the Camp and Woolsey fires.

More than 4,000 firefighters are currently on the ground and more are on the way, including teams from across the state of Texas.

RIGHT NOW: Dozens of firefighters from here in North Texas  including this team from @FortWorthFire  are getting ready to roll out and head to California, where theyll help crews battle the wildfires that are raging there. #NBCDFWNow #CaliforniaWildfires pic.twitter.com/dpU7a8WIuR  Tim Ciesco (@TimCiesco) November 12, 2018

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said more than 200 firefighters will be deployed to aid in the firefighting efforts.

In Southern California, where the Woolsey Fire burned, firefighters continued to work around the clock in an effort to protect homes and lives.

"We're tired, but this is what we do," said one firefighter on the front lines.

Help is on the way from the Lone Star State.

A nice stretch of weather is in store this week with some much needed time to dry out. With a good amount of sun, we will be back up to seasonal levels in the lower 80s this afternoon.The warming trend continues for the rest of the week ahead. Highs will climb through the 80s the rest of the week. There...

"Guys are eager," said Dallas Fire-Rescue special operations deputy chief Charlie Salazar. "We try to send our most experienced people on the team."

DFR is sending 17 firefighters to battle the flames in Ventura County.

The Wildland Strike Team also includes three firefighters from the Lewisville Fire Department and a fleet of fire engines built for rough terrain.

The mission for the Dallas team will be to protect structures and wildlife as well as to provide relief for colleagues on the front lines, according to Salazar.

"By the time we get there [firefighters there] are really tired," Salazar said. "They've seen all the devastation, all the loss, all the fatalities so we come in and support them."

Fire departments in Frisco and Fort Worth announced Sunday that they will also answer the call for resources in California. Each department will send five firefighters and a brush truck, leaving Monday for California.

Salazar said he expected his team would see much devastation, much like he remembered seeing in past wildfires.

But he also knows crews will encounter immense gratitude on the part of fellow firefighters and residents.

"When they see us and see that we're from out of state, they're always really thankful and it just makes me feel good that we're able to provide that service for them in their time of need," Salazar said.

The Dallas Wildland Strike Team is expected to depart from Dallas at about 12 p.m. Monday.

Other North Texas firefighting teams are heading out on Monday as well.What to Know The Woolsey fire began Thursday and burned from eastern Ventura County south into Malibu

Full containment is not expected until Nov. 17

Some residents were allowed to return home, but new evacuation orders were in effect for Calabasas

Southern California Edison is being investigated by state regulators for its possible role in the massive Woolsey Fire burning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

According to CPUC, electrical infrastructure may have suffered malfunctions near ground zero of the blazes.

On Thursday, SCE issued an alert to the CPUC that a substation circuit near the Woolsey Fire origin "relayed," or sensed a disturbance on the circuit, just two minutes before Cal Fire said that the devastating fire began.

The utility said personnel have not being able to access the area where the fire reportedly began.

"The CPUC is monitoring the fire conditions throughout the state, in coordination with our partners from Cal Fire and Cal OES. CPUC staff will incorporate Edison's incident report into its investigation to assess the compliance of electric facilities with applicable rules and regulations in fire impacted areas," CPUC spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said on Monday. "The CPUC staff investigation may include an inspection of the fire sites once Cal Fire allows access, as well as maintenance of facilities, vegetation management, and emergency preparedness and response. Cal Fire is the first responder and determines the sources of ignition of the fires and the way that the fires spread."

The agency is also investigating PG&E for its possible role in the Camp Fire in Butte County, which has burned 113,000 acres and resulted in at least 29 deaths, the report said.

The Woolsey Fire has burned more than 91,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties with an estimated 370 structures destroyed and at least two people killed. As of Monday afternoon, the fire was 20 percent contained.Experts say California has the strictest gun laws in the country, so should any of those laws have prevented Thousand Oaks gunman Ian Long from legally obtaining a weapon and killing 12 people at the Borderline Bar and Grill on Nov. 7?

Only a month ago, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law greater restrictions on who can obtain a firearm in the most populous state in the United States. Those new restrictions came in the wake of a deadly high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and faculty members lost their lives.

Law enforcement says Long was known to them and that neighbors had expressed concern about possible mental health issues, but authorities say that the gun Long used to kill 12 people was obtained legally.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Department, though, says it had multiple run-ins with the 28-year-old suspect.

"We've had several contact with Mr. Long over the years," VCSD's Geoff Dean said. "Minor events such as a traffic collision, he was the victim of battery at a local bar in 2015."

In April, the VCSD was called to Long's home after a neighbor called and reported a disturbance.

Regarding the April incident, Dean said, "(Long) was somewhat irate, acting irrationally. They called out our crisis interaction team -- our mental health specialists -- who met with him, talked to him and cleared him. [The team] didn't feed he was qualified to be taken under 5150, and he was left at the scene."

The Marine Corps released a statement say that Long served from 2008 to 2013, including a 2010-11 deployment to Afghanistan. There is no documentation showing Long had any mental health issues, but his next door neighbor told NBC4 she had concerns and even mentioned the possibility of "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," which is commonly called "PTSD."

"(Long) was having a hard time," Danica, a neighbor, said. "He was being violent."

The I-Team found, however, that none of Long's actions would have necessarily prevented the suspect from acquiring a gun like the .45-caliber handgun law enforcement say was purchased legally and used in Wednesday's shooting.

According to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, in California, someone is generally banned for five years from getting or having a gun if they have been taken into custody, evaluated and admitted to a facility because they are a threat to themselves or others, or if they communicate to a licensed psychotherapist a serious threat of violence against someone.

If someone has been certified for intensive treatment or a judge determines they're a threat to others as a result of a mental disorder or illness, that person would face a lifetime ban from weapons.

In addition, families can also get involved. Following the 2014 shooting and stabbing rampage in Isla Vista, the law was changed to allow law enforcement officers or family members to ask a court for a restraining order against a person believed to be a threat and barring his or her possession of firearms for 21 days.In a stark contrast from the weekend, President Donald Trump on Monday changed his tone, approving a major disaster declaration for California after threatening to pull funding from the state where three mass wildfires are currently burning across multiple communities and cities.

"I just approved an expedited request for a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California. Wanted to respond quickly in order to alleviate some of the incredible suffering going on. I am with you all the way. God Bless all of the victims and families affected." Trump tweeted.

In a statement, the White House said the President's declaration paved the way for federal aid to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires beginning on Nov. 8.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.

FEMA tweeted that the president's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Butte, Los Angeles and Ventura. Assistance will include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.

The International Association of Fire Fighters called Trump's earlier comment about massive wildfires burning throughout California "irresponsible, reckless and insulting."

Trump said Saturday via Twitter that "there is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly fires in California." The president added that "billions of dollars were given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!"

On Sunday morning, Trump tweeted again about the fire, saying "with proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get Smart!"

The firefighters union responded to what were Trump's first words about the wildfires, including a blaze that incinerated most of the Northern California town of Paradise and killed at least 29 people, saying that his "crass" suggestion in cutting off federal payments to the state "shows a troubling lack of real comprehension about the disaster at hand."

"The early moments of fires such as these are a critical time, when lives are lost, entire communities are wiped off the map and our members are injured trying to stop these monstrous wildfires," Harold Schaitberger, General President of the IAFF said in a statement.

Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters Association, called President Trump's statements about forest management "dangerously wrong."

"The presidents assertion that Californias forest management policies are to blame for catastrophic wildfire is dangerously wrong," Rice, head of the 30,000-member organization, said. "Wildfires are sparked and spread not only in forested areas but in populated areas and open fields fueled by parched vegetation, high winds, low humidity and geography. Moreover, nearly 60 percent of California forests are under federal management, and another two-thirds under private control. It is the federal government that has chosen to divert resources away from forest management, not California."

California governor-elect Gavin Newsom responded to the president's tweet saying that right now is not a time for partisanship.

"Lives have been lost. Entire towns have been burned to the ground. Cars abandoned on the side of the road. People are being forced to flee their homes," Newsom tweeted. "This is a time for coordinating relief and response and lifting those in need up."

California Rep. Henry Stern (D-27th district) addressed Trump's tweet Friday afternoon during a press conference in Southern California, saying "Fires don't respect politics or jurisdiction."

Stern requested that the president "pursue a major disaster declaration and not make this a political incident. We have many parties, many views out here, and this is not about politics. It's about people."

Trump took a more empathetic tone later in the day, tweeting sympathies for firefighters, people who have fled their homes and the families of those killed by the flames.

Wildfires also raged in Southern California, including the town of Thousand Oaks, where a gunman days earlier killed a dozen people at a local bar.

Trump earlier issued an emergency declaration providing federal funds to help firefighters.

Thousands of IAFF members have assisted in rescuing and evacuating people in direct path of the flames, according to the organization.What to Know At least 57,000 homes were still considered threatened by the Woolsey Fire

Firefighters are trying to prevent hot spots in Malibu Canyon from crossing into Topanga Canyon

The fire started Thursday in eastern Ventura County before burning in Los Angeles County and Malibu

Fire crews appeared to make major progress Tuesday on the deadly Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with a series of evacuation orders lifted, but a large flare-up near Westlake Village served as a reminder that the battle was far from over.

The flare-up occurred around 9:15 a.m. near Lake Sherwood and Carlisle Canyon and was originally estimated at about 50 acres but grew rapidly, eventually reaching an estimated 1,000 acres.

Ventura County Fire Department Chief Mark Lorenzen said Tuesday morning the flames were moving through some unburned canyons, and winds pushed the flames toward Boney Mountain, "up and away from the populated area."

Fire authorities said the flare-up was an important warning of the continuing danger of the Woolsey Fire, even with slightly diminished winds. Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief called the flare-up "just an example of many canyons we're concerned about in L.A. County.

That's why the evacuation order is still in place." Osby later told the county Board of Supervisors there were pockets of fire burning that could easily be spread by shifting winds to areas that had not yet been touched by flames, necessitating continued evacuation orders.

"We're concerned about other communities. That's why we have not let citizens go back home," he said.

Osby noted there are flames burning deep in the Malibu Canyon area that fire crews cannot access.

"We're doing a lot of air drops but it's not safe for our firefighters to go in there," he said. "Our concern is that when the wind shifts (likely on Thursday) ... that fire does not blow out of there and then creep over to the south side of Malibu or into Topanga Canyon.

"When it's safe to let people come back home, we will," he said. As of midday Tuesday, the overall fire -- which began last Thursday -- was estimated at 97,114 acres.

Osby said the fire is larger than the city of Denver and is one of the largest fires on record for Los Angeles County, with records dating back more than 100 years.

The blaze was 40 percent contained, with full containment expected by Sunday. Ventura County fire officials said late Wednesday that other than the Lake Sherwood-area flare-up, the fire was primarily burning "pockets of fuels" within the overall fire perimeter.

Osby said 435 structures have been confirmed destroyed in the blaze, but "my estimation is that number is going to rise significantly" as crews continue to assess the damage.

There are still an estimated 57,000 structures in the burn area and potentially threatened. Two people who died in the fire were found Friday inside a burned vehicle in a long driveway in the 33000 block of Mulholland Highway.

"It's the feeling of homicide detectives that the driver became disoriented and the vehicle was overwhelmed by the fire," sheriff's Chief John Benedict said.

Three firefighters have been injured battling the Woolsey Fire.

Osby said there was reason to be hopeful about the firefighting effort, noting that evacuation orders were lifted early Tuesday in multiple areas:

Hidden Hills was fully reopened, including all residences within the city limits. The area includes the area west of Valley Circle Boulevard, east of Crummer Canyon Road, and north of the 101 Freeway to the northern city limits.

All Calabasas evacuation orders were lifted with the exception of homes south of Mulholland Highway.

In Westlake Village, the area was opened from the city limit on the west, from the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Sycamore Canyon Drive north to the boundaries of Ventura County and city of Agoura Hills.

Agoura Hills reopened its impacted areas from: Chesebro Road on the eastern border, and Agoura Road (north and south sides of the road) from Chesebro Road to the west.

By Tuesday afternoon, evacuations were also canceled in:

the northern section of the unincorporated Topanga area, including neighborhoods north of Viewridge Road, south of the Los Angeles city limit, east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and west of Double Ranch Road or Santa Maria Road;

Agoura Hills neighborhoods south of Agoura Road, east of Cornell Road, west of Las Virgenes Road and north of Mulholland Highway, though power may still be out; and

the eastern section of Malibu, including neighborhoods west of Coastline Drive; east of Carbon Mesa Road and from the ocean to the city limits.

Exceptions in Malibu include:

a full closure at Tuna Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway; and

neighborhoods north of PCH and Tuna Canyon Road.

A full closure remains in effect at Topanga Canyon Boulevard and evacuation orders remain in effect for neighborhoods north of PCH and Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

The public can determine if their property is in an area that has been repopulated by visiting here. Winds of 25 to 35 mph were forecast for Tuesday with gusts of 40 to 45 mph, National Weather Service Meteorologist Joe Sirard said. Those wind speeds are likely to drop to 25 to 30 mph Tuesday night into Wednesday with gusts to 40 mph.

The NWS extended its red flag warning through 5 p.m. Wednesday for the Woolsey Fire area in Los Angeles and Ventura counties -- except Malibu, where the warning is set to expire at 5 p.m Tuesday. High temperatures of 70s to low 80s are predicted through Wednesday with lows near freezing "in wind- sheltered areas," Sirard said.

Osby noted that winds are expected to subside slightly Tuesday, with the wind then expected to shift to an on-shore flow on Thursday and Friday, potentially pushing the flames backward. He also said rain is possible in the area next week, "which will be helpful for our firefighters ... but that could potentially raise some concerns for mud flows."

Some 3,592 firefighters were assigned to battle the blaze, while, 22 helicopters worked from above, officials said. A total of 619 engines, 48 water tenders, 23 bulldozers and 57 hand crews were sent into the battle, Cal Fire reported. Crews from other areas, including Orange County and Arizona, also sent firefighters and equipment to aid the battle.

According to Cal Fire, more than a half-million gallons of fire retardant has been dropped already on the Woolsey Fire, along with 1.5 million gallons of water. The continuing danger prompted Los Angeles County officials to reissue a warning to residents in evacuated areas to stay away until conditions are deemed safe. A community meeting for Malibu-area evacuees was scheduled for Tuesday night at Santa Monica High School's Barnum Hall.

Malibu City Councilman Skylar Peak has asked people to refrain from attempting to get back into Malibu by boat. The sheriff's department has repeatedly tried to reassure residents that their homes would be safe from looters, with more than 600 deputies on 12- hour rotational shifts. Northbound and southbound Ventura (101) Freeway from Valley Circle Boulevard remained open.

Pacific Coast Highway remained closed to all traffic from the Ventura/Los Angeles County line to Sunset Boulevard. The California Public Utilities Commission was investigating Southern California Edison for its possible role in the fire. According to the CPUC, electrical infrastructure may have suffered malfunctions near ground zero of the blazes two minutes before they began.

The Woolsey Fire has forced the evacuation of at least 75,000 homes and an estimated 265,000 people in L.A. and Ventura counties. In Malibu, Pepperdine University said the school's Malibu and Calabasas campuses would remain closed through Thanksgiving. All Malibu schools in the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District will remain closed until at least Thursday, the district announced.

City officials said there will likely be intermittent power outages due to weather and fire conditions. Los Angeles Unified School District officials said Topanga Elementary Charter School will be closed again Wednesday, and will likely remain closed "until roadways around the school are reopened and the school is no longer within an evacuation zone."

The campus is normally used as a drop-off/pick-up site for students from Paul Revere Charter Middle School, but that site has been temporarily moved to Hughes Adult Learning Center, 5607 Capistrano Ave., Woodland Hills. Fire information for Los Angeles County can be found here. Malibu also has established a website to update fire information here. The Federal Aviation Administration sent a tweet reminding drone operators that they could face severe civil penalties and potential criminal prosecution for flying drones over fire areas.

In an about face from a Twitter attack last week against what he called California's forest management, President Donald Trump tweeted Monday that he has approved an "expedited request" for a major disaster declaration for California. "Wanted to respond quickly in order to alleviate some of the incredible suffering going on. I am with you all the way. God bless all of the victims and families affected," Trump said.President Donald Trump escalated his verbal assaults against France on Tuesday, railing against Americas European ally for misreported comments by the country's president about the need for a European military and over tariffs France places on American wine.

Trump also defended the fact that he skipped a trip Saturday to honor WWI war dead at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery at Belleau Wood in Northern France after rainy weather grounded his helicopter. The president did go ahead with a trip and speech in the rain Sunday at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial just outside Paris.

"By the way, when the helicopter couldn't fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetery in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!" he tweeted, after correcting a misspelling for cemetery.

That tweet attributing the cancellation to the Secret Service appeared to contradict what press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had said on Sunday. A car ride would have required road closures on short notice and Trump "did not want to cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people," Sanders said then.

On Tuesday, Trump tweeted about a suggestion by French President Emmanuel Macron that Europe build up its militaries because the continent can no longer depend on the U.S. for defense. Macron had also said Europe needs to protect itself against cyberthreats from China, Russia and the U.S.

Macron's comments were inaccurately reported and Trump continues to misrepresent them, seemingly for political hay. The French leader's office said Trump had lumped together Macron's remarks on protecting against cyber-threats and "interference in our democracies" from "China, Russia and even the United States" with Macron's later statement on military defense.

"Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia," Trump tweeted. "But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!"

The president has long complained that NATO countries don't pay their fair share of the defense alliance's expenses, leaving the U.S. to carry much of the burden. He criticized Macron before and after attending a weekend ceremony in Paris to commemorate 100 years since the end of World War I.

Trump and Macron discussed defense, trade and other issues when they met Saturday at the Elysee Palace.

A top adviser to Macron said Tuesday that the French position has been "clarified." The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with French customs, said Macron explained the European army issue to Trump, stressing that France was not making a choice between a European defense mechanism and multilateral organizations such as NATO.

Gerard Araud, France's ambassador to the U.S., challenged Trump's assertions. "For the sake of truth, Pres.@EmmanuelMacron didn't say that EU needed an army "against the US". It was an erroneous press report," Araud tweeted.

Trump also complained Tuesday about tariffs on U.S. wines sold in France, saying it's "not fair, must change!" He also appeared to take a dig at Macron's low public approval rating. Trump's standing with the French is lower than Macron's.

"On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!"

Nearly all U.S. wine exports to major markets, including the European Union  of which France is a part  face tariffs, according to the Wine Institute, which represents California winemakers in Washington on matters of tax, trade and regulatory issues.

Trump, who built a career in business before he entered politics, opened a winery in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2011.

"The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so! ... MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!"

Macron is hovering at around 30 percent in popularity polls, while the unemployment rate is just above 9 percent.

Trump appeared to be referring to Macron's comment Sunday during a speech for the World War I centennial in which he decried the rise of nationalism across Europe and elsewhere, calling it a "betrayal of patriotism." The comments were widely viewed as a rebuke of Trump, who sat stone-faced with other world leaders as Macron spoke and who embraces the "nationalist" label despite the negative connotations associated with the term.

Trump's continued complaints about France and Macron struck a nerve with some in the European nation, especially since the latest broadsides came on the third anniversary of the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in 2015.

It prompted French journalist Hugo Clement to tweet in response: "We are already great, especially on november 13th. Go back to your room and give the phone to an adult."

The complaints were also another marker of the up-and-down relationship Trump has had with Macron since they first met last year.A South Florida man who tried to rob a man at an ATM in Doral then broke into a nearly home in a failed burglary a short time later has been arrested, police said.

Steven Kiddy, 31, was arrested Monday on charges including attempted strong arm robbery, burglary of an occupied dwelling and burglary of an occupied conveyance, according to arrest reports.

The reports said Kiddy first tried to rob a man at the ATM at the Bank of America in the 9700 block of Northwest 41st Street shortly after midnight. He walked up and asked the victim for help, then told the victim to give him $100, the reports said.

"I have a gun. I have a gun. Don't make me use it," Kiddy told the man, according to the reports. When the victim tried to drive away, Kiddy got into the driver's side window and tried to grab the man's wallet but the victim was able to push Kiddy out of the car and drive away, the reports said.

About an hour and a half later, around 1:30 a.m., Kiddy was able to get into a home in the 9700 block of Northwest 45th Lane by going through the rear sliding glass door, the reports said. Kiddy went upstairs where the homeowner's daughters were sleeping and was confronted by the homeowner, the reports said.

A struggle ensued and the homeowner was able to hold Kiddy until police arrived, the reports said.

Kiddy was booked into jail where he remained without bond Tuesday, records showed. Attorney information wasn't available.What to Know Tuesday is here, South Florida  and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know.

Tuesday is here, South Florida  and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know.

Weather wise, passing showers are in the forecast for the day with the humidity sticking around and high temps in the mid-80s.

No. 1  Recount chaos continues across Florida

Officials in Broward say they will start their process today, but not finish until Wednesday. Workers have been working since early this morning separating nearly 700,000 ballots so they can run through machines.

As of this morning, nearly 190,000 mail-in ballots have still not been separated. Despite this, officials say they will meet Thursdays deadline - at which point officials will then determine if a manual recount is necessary.

No. 2  Death toll rises in fires burning across California

Firefighters continuously work to contain the camp fire which is now the deadliest and more destructive fire in Californias history. Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's neighbors have them to thank for saving their homes.

The couple hired private firefighters to battle the flames threatening their home in the Hidden Hills community. It sits at the end of a cul-de-sac and borders a field, meaning if it went up in flames, it would have led to a domino effect in the whole neighborhood.

No. 3  GQ cover with Serena Williams causing controversy over punctuation

There are four new cover models for this month's issue honoring the men of the year. Movie superstar Michael B. Jordan graces one of them, but its not his page one that's causing an internet firestorm. Super mom, super athlete and super woman Serena Williams is also a "woman of the year".

Serena's not the first fierce female to grace the cover - Jennifer Aniston did it a few years back  but the cover has "woman" in quotes, which has sent twitter into a frenzy.

No. 4  Criminal doppelganger of Friends star caught

The Ross Geller doppelganger has been nabbed! Police in England made the arrest of the thief who looks like actor David Schwimmer, who got in on the fun posting a video of himself as if he were shoplifting!As some 3,000 Hondurans made their way through Guatemala, attention turned to Mexico, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to close the U.S.-Mexico border if authorities there fail to stop them  a nearly unthinkable move that would disrupt hundreds of thousands of legal freight, vehicle and pedestrian crossings each day.

With less than three weeks before the Nov. 6 midterm elections, Trump seized on the migrant caravan to make border security a political issue and energize his Republican base.

"I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught  and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!" Trump tweeted, adding that he blamed Democrats for what he called "weak laws!"

The threat followed another one earlier this week to cut off aid to Central American countries if the migrants weren't stopped. Trump made a similar vow over another large migrant caravan in April, but didn't follow through and it largely petered out in Mexico.

Trump at a rally on Thursday also suggested, without evidence, that Democrats or their allies are supporting a caravan of Central American migrants traveling north toward the U.S.

Addressing thousands of supporters in Montana he said immigration is now one of the leading issues in the 2018 midterms, and he accused Democrats of supporting the migrants because they "figure everybody coming in is going to vote Democrat."

On Thursday, Mexico's foreign ministry said the government was assisting members of the caravan who had already crossed into Mexican territory. It was explaining the options to migrants and helping those who chose to apply for refugee status to navigate the lengthy process.

Mexico had also dispatched additional police to its southern border after the Casa del Migrante shelter on the Guatemalan side of the border reported that hundreds of Hondurans had already arrived there.

Apparently pleased with that response, in the evening Trump retweeted a BuzzFeed journalist's tweet of a video clip showing the police deployment, adding his own comment: "Thank you Mexico, we look forward to working with you!"

Mexican federal police and immigration officials also detained immigration activist Irineo Mujica, who led a caravan of migrants through Mexico last spring.

His organization Pueblo Sin Fronteras, or People without Borders, said via Twitter that he was arrested Thursday in Ciudad Hidalgo on the Mexico-Guatemala border while participating in a peaceful march.

Mexican immigration officials said Mujica, who has dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship, was accused of property damage and resisting arrest. A statement from the officials said Mujica attacked immigration agents, as well as local and federal police, after he was asked for his identification as he gathered foreigners for a protest.

Mexican officials had said the Hondurans would not be allowed to enter as a group and would either have to show a passport and visa  something few have  or apply individually for refugee status, a process that can mean waiting for up to 90 days for approval. They also said migrants caught without papers would be deported.

Marcelo Ebrard, who is set to become foreign relations secretary when President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office Dec. 1, said Trump's tweets need to be understood in the context of the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.

"The electoral process is very near, so he is making a political calculation," Ebrard said in an interview with Radio Centro.

Trump's stance, he said, was "what he has always presented," adding he saw "nothing surprising in it."

Current Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray was also sanguine and viewed things through the lens of U.S. politics.

"Nobody likes them (Trump's comments). There's no reason to give them greater transcendence or importance," Videgaray said from the United Nations where he sought the world body's help processing asylum requests from the migrants. "What is important to us is the migrants, respect for human rights, their due protection, particularly the most vulnerable."

Still, the idea that Mexico could close its porous southern border  or that the United States would choke off the lucrative trade and other traffic between the two nations  strained the imagination.

"There would be huge economic impacts for both the United States and Mexico ... but limited effect on illegal immigration," said Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute.

"The president certainly can slow down crossing at legal border crossings where about a million people cross each day. That would really hurt legal transit between the two countries and manufacturing and trade, which would affect American workers," Selee said. "But it would have much less impact on illegal border crossings between ports of entry."

Stephanie Leutert, director of the Mexico Security Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin, said she interpreted the tweet to mean Trump could send troops not to ports of entry but elsewhere where the illegal crossings take place.

"If that's the case, I don't think Mexico should be too worried because in a sense ... it's the same kind of thing U.S. administrations have been doing for a long time," Leutert said.

Like Guatemala and Honduras, Mexico is a country of many migrants, raising the question of whether the political will exists for a confrontation.

Lopez Obrador wants to avoid repression against migrants and also to avoid angering the United States. He said this week that Mexico would offer jobs to Central Americans. "Anyone who wants to work in our country ... will have a work visa," he said.

Juan Escobar, 24, said he had heard about Trump's comments but said they would not dissuade the migrants from continuing their journey.

"Only God on high can stop us," Escobar said.

Carlos Lopez, 27, said he was concerned by Trump's threats, but "you have to keep fighting."

Trump also warned that he prioritizes border security over even the recently struck trade deal to replace NAFTA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA.

"The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA. Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border," Trump tweeted.

Analysts didn't see the pact as being in imminent danger, though trade attorney Daniel Ujczo of Dickinson Wright PLLC said there is "a significant concern" Trump could hold the agreement hostage over future issues.

"Leaders around the world are skeptical that any deal with this U.S. administration is actually final," Ujczo said.

U.S.-bound migrant caravans have been going on for years  with traveling in numbers seen as offering protection from assaults, robberies, even shakedowns by police. They're also a cheaper alternative to the $7,000 to $10,000 that smugglers, charge for passage to the border, Leutert noted.

Still, it wasn't until this year that the caravans received widespread attention.

"There have been these caravans through the years, but they become prominent because the president tweets about them," Selee said.

He predicted that, like the caravan in April, Mexico will respond with measures like granting asylum to some migrants who qualify while deporting others who don't, perhaps not eliminating the caravan entirely but significantly reducing its size before it reaches the U.S. border.

But the direct, public pressure from Trump puts Mexico, already an uneasy ally the last two years, in an uncomfortable spotlight.

"Ironically, the way President Trump responds to these caravans makes it harder for the Mexican government to cooperate with the U.S. on immigration enforcement," Selee said. "There is a lot of disposition in both the current and the incoming Mexican government to cooperate with the U.S. on some aspects of immigration control. But it becomes much harder when President Trump makes this a political issue in which he bashes Mexico."

Associated Press writer Paul Wiseman contributed to this report.Six artificial flavors are being ordered out of the food supply in a dispute over their safety, but good luck to anyone who wants to know which cookies, candies or drinks they're in.

The dispute highlights the complex rules that govern what goes in our food, how much the public knows about it, and a mysterious class of ingredients that has evolved over decades largely outside of public view.

On food packages, hundreds of ingredients are listed simply as natural flavor or artificial flavor. Even in minute amounts, they help make potato chips taste oniony or give fruit candy that twang.

"The food system we have is unimaginable without flavor additives," said Nadia Berenstein, a historian of flavor science based in New York.

The flavors are also at the center of a dispute over how ingredients should be regulated.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is giving companies two years to purge their products of six artificial flavors  even though the FDA made clear it believes the ingredients are safe in the trace amounts they are used.

The six artificial flavors in question, with names like methyl eugenol, benzophenone, ethyl acrylate and pyridine, are used to create cinnamon or spicy notes, fruity or minty flavors, or even hints of balsamic vinegar.

The FDA and the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association, an industry group, did not respond when asked for examples of products the six ingredients are used in. But they noted in statements that the compounds have natural counterparts in foods like basil, coffee, grapes and peppermint, and that the action does not affect the naturally derived versions.

The FDA said it had to order the artificial versions out of the food supply because of a lawsuit brought by consumer advocacy groups that cited a 60-year-old regulation known as the Delaney clause. The rule prohibits additives shown to have caused cancer in animals, even if tested at doses far higher than what a person would consume.

In a statement, the flavor industry group said the Delaney Clause doesn't allow regulators to assess an ingredient's risk based on modern scientific understanding, but that changing it would require an act of Congress. As far back as 1981, the Government Accountability Office issued a report saying the clause should be re-examined because of its inflexibility.

Christopher Kemp, a professor of cancer biology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, doesn't think the rule is necessarily too strict a threshold. He said animal studies provide the strongest evidence about cancer risk in humans, and that it is better to err on the side of caution.

Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the groups that sued over the six ingredients, said it's also unknown what effect they might have when used in combination with other ingredients. And since they're listed only as "artificial flavor," he said people don't know in what concentrations they're used in particular products.

"It's all secret. You can't pick up an ice cream or chewing gum or a baked good and have any idea what chemicals are in there," he said.

Berenstein, the flavor science historian, said the ingredients in flavors don't have to be specified in part because regulators decided long ago that listing the names of compounds on packages might just confuse people. And she stressed that flavors are used in infinitesimal amounts. In 2015, the flavor industry estimates just 40 pounds of one of the now banned artificial ingredients was produced.

But Bernstein said a more robust regulatory system might inspire greater public confidence about flavors.

In a separate but related lawsuit, the FDA is also facing a challenge over its oversight of the universe of ingredients companies can put into foods, including artificial flavors.

New flavors, sweeteners and other ingredients can go through an FDA petition process to be approved as food additives. But another option lets manufacturers deem their own ingredients to be "generally recognized as safe."

There's no clear rule for when ingredients should take one path or the other. The artificial sweetener Splenda is an approved food additive. Another sweetener, stevia, was declared GRAS by manufacturers.

The six artificial flavors in question were approved food additives, along with dozens of other synthetic flavors . The flavor industry group also regularly declares other ingredients like them to be GRAS, without formal review by the FDA.

Critics say GRAS determinations were meant for basic ingredients like salt and vinegar, not highly engineered ingredients. The advocacy groups suing the FDA say the GRAS option has turned into a loophole that lets companies approve all sorts of ingredients without public scrutiny, including artificial flavors.

In September, a judge allowed the legal challenge to move forward.What to Know Eaters national critic Bill Addison on Tuesday released his list of the 38 most essential restaurants in America

Four restaurants in New York City made the list, including Momofuku Ko, Superiority Burger, Via Carota and Xi'an Famous Foods

Addison ate nearly 600 different meals in 36 different cities to compile the list, he wrote

A restaurant critic who ate nearly 600 different meals in 36 different cities in an effort to find the countrys most essential restaurants has decided that four of them are in New York City.

Eaters national critic Bill Addison on Tuesday released his list of the 38 most essential restaurants in America.

As Addison compiled the list, he said he asked himself which places become indispensable to their neighborhoods, and eventually to their towns and whole regions?

Which ones spur trends, or set standards for hospitality and leadership, or stir conversations around representation and inclusivity he asked.

Which restaurants, ultimately, become vital to how we understand ourselves, and others, at the table? he added.

The four New York restaurants he landed on are below; his full list is available here.

Momofuku Ko (8 Extra Place, East Village)  Addison describes David Chang eatery Momofuku Ko as one of Manhattans worthiest splurges, praising its walk-ins-only bar and its quadruple-fried chicken legs, which are served cold.

(8 Extra Place, East Village)  Addison describes David Chang eatery Momofuku Ko as one of Manhattans worthiest splurges, praising its walk-ins-only bar and its quadruple-fried chicken legs, which are served cold. Superiority Burger (430 East 9th Street, East Village)  On Addisons list is Superiority Burger, a vegetarian burger joint where everything on the menu is under $10. The place is an ever-rarer reminder of individuality and tenacity in New York City, he writes.

Via Carota (51 Grove Street, West Village)  Italian eatery Via Carota is Addisons favorite place to eat in New York, he writes, praising the restaurants ambience, as well as dishes like tagliatelle with parmesan and prosciutto.What to Know Officials reported 13 more fatalities from a blaze in Northern California that destroyed a town, bringing the total death toll so far to 42

Move more, sit less and get kids active as young as 3, say new guidelines that stress any amount and any type of exercise helps health

Stan Lee, known to a legion of comic book fans and moviegoers, has died at age 95, Kirk Schenck, an attorney for Lee's daughter, said

Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Dead in Cars and Homes: Northern California Fire Toll at 42

Authorities reported 13 more fatalities from a blaze in Northern California that destroyed a town, bringing the total death toll so far to 42 and making it the deadliest wildfire in recorded state history. The dead have been found in burned-out cars, in the smoldering ruins of their homes, or next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could jump in behind the wheel and escape. In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that coroners investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them. The search for bodies was continuing. Hundreds of people were unaccounted for by the sheriffs reckoning, four days after the so-called Camp Fire swept over Paradise, a town of 27,000, with flames so fierce that authorities brought in a mobile DNA lab and forensic anthropologists to help identify the dead.

Amazon Chooses NYC, Northern Va. for HQ2, Report Says

Retail giant Amazon has selected New York City and Northern Virginia as its second and third headquarters, The Wall Street Journal reports. The announcement is expected as soon as Tuesday, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The report said Amazon is dividing the headquarters evenly between Long Island City in Queens, and the Crystal City section of Arlington County, across the Potomac from Washington. In addition to the two winning cities, other places may also receive "major sites," the newspaper reported. Amazon said it has no comment when CNBC contacted the company about the Journal report. The New York Times reported this month that Long Island City was going to receive $180 million in new spending to boost infrastructure in preparation for the Amazon headquarters.

New Exercise Guidelines: Move More, Sit Less, Start Younger

Move more, sit less and get kids active as young as age 3, say new federal guidelines that stress that any amount and any type of exercise helps health. The advice is the first update since the government's physical activity guidelines came out a decade ago. Since then, the list of benefits of exercise has grown, and there's more evidence to back things that were of unknown value before, such as short, high-intense workouts and taking the stairs instead of an elevator. "Doing something is better than doing nothing, and doing more is better than doing something," said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, a preventive medicine expert at Northwestern University in Chicago. Only 20 percent of Americans get enough exercise now, and the childhood obesity problem has prompted the push to aim younger to prevent poor health later in life.

Big Studies Give Mixed News on Fish Oil, Vitamin D

Taking fish oil or vitamin D? Big studies give long-awaited answers on who does and does not benefit from these popular nutrients. Fish oil taken by healthy people, at a dose found in many supplements, showed no clear ability to lower heart or cancer risks. Same for vitamin D. But higher amounts of a purified, prescription fish oil slashed heart problems and heart-related deaths among people with high triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood, and other risks for heart disease. Doctors cheered the results and said they could suggest a new treatment option for hundreds of thousands of patients like these. Up to 10 percent of U.S. adults take fish oil. Even more take vitamin D, despite no major studies to support the many health claims made for it.

Marvel of a Man: Stars React to Passing of Stan Lee

Stan Lee, the creative dynamo who revolutionized the comic book and helped make billions for Hollywood by introducing human frailties in Marvel superheroes such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk, has died. He was 95. Lee was declared dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Kirk Schenck, an attorney for Lee's daughter, J.C. Lee. As the top writer at Marvel Comics and later as its publisher, Lee was widely considered the architect of the contemporary comic book. He revived the industry in the 1960s by offering the costumes and action craved by younger readers while insisting on sophisticated plots, college-level dialogue, satire, science fiction, even philosophy. News of Lee's passing hit fans hard as many took to social media to express their condolences at the loss of a living legend. "Original and genius are two very overused words in the world today, but Stan was both. Add irrepressible and irreplaceable, and you begin to describe the man. We have all lost a true superhero. We will greatly miss our friendly neighborhood Stan Lee."  Sony Pictures' Motion Picture Group chairman Tom Rothman, in a statement.

Woody and the Gang Are Back: See the Teaser for 'Toy Story 4'

At long last, the first trailer for Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story 4" has arrived. For the fourth installment in the franchise, the studio says, "Woody has always been confident about his place in the world and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that's Andy or Bonnie. But when Bonnie adds a reluctant new toy called 'Forky' to her room, a road trip adventure alongside old and new friends will show Woody how big the world can be for a toy." The dreamy teaser trailer features everyone's favorite toys floating through the air, set to Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now." Midway through it, a frightened Forky screams, "I don't belong here!" The makeshift toy's panicked response sets off a chain reaction, sending the other toys spinning--literally. It also leads some of the older toys to utter their catchphrases from past films, like Woody's "There's a snake in my boot!" and Buzz Lightyear's "To infinity and beyond!"What to Know Thomas Kolding, 15, has been located safe after apparently running away the day before Halloween

Kolding took a train to New York's Penn Station, and was spotted at a train station in New Jersey on Nov. 3, prosecutors say

He may also have been sighted in Ohio before he was found, prosecutors say

The missing New Jersey teen who was spotted at New York's Penn Station and possibly in Ohio in the last two weeks has been found safe, authorities say.

Thomas Kolding, 15, of Mountain Lakes, was located safe Tuesday after he left his home on Oct. 30, according to Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

Police in Miami Township in Ohio said over the weekend it received several reports from people who believe they may have spotted the teen in the area, the department said on Facebook.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office wouldn't confirm Tuesday whether Kolding was picked up in Ohio, but it thanked the Miami, Ohio police department for their help in the investigation, along with the Camden, Philadelphia and Delaware police departments, as well as New Jersey Transit Police, Amtrak Police and New Jersey State Police.

Prosecutors also acknowledged the transportation agencies that assisted in the coordination of a multi-state search for Kolding.

Kolding, an honors student, left home with around $1,000 after "an argument with his father about his grades," according to NorthJersey.com. He left behind his cellphone and other electronics, as well as notes for his family and a friend, but his parents haven't shared the contents of the notes.

Prosecutors say he traveled to Newark before heading to Penn Station. He was last spotted at the Walter Rand Train Station in Camden, New Jersey on Nov. 3.

Kolding's father, Nicolai Kolding, posted a video to Facebook last Friday showing himself retracing the steps his son took on Nov. 3.

"Thomas: please forgive me if this video embarrasses. It does me. Just please come home," Nicolai Kolding wrote.What to Know A caller asked WFAN radio host Mike Francesca if he'd ever met Stan Lee after Lee passed away on Monday

Francesca responded that he didn't know who Lee was, then went on to ask, 'Who cares?' after learning Lee was a Marvel Comics co-creator

"Sorry. I never was a comic book reader as a kid, I apologize. Never," Francesca went on to say

A New York City radio host shocked a caller by saying he didnt know who Stan Lee was  then shrugged off the moment, explaining he wasnt a comic book guy.

Lee, the co-creator of Marvel Comics who created characters including Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk, passed away on Monday at age 95.

After Lees passing, WFAN host Mike Francesca took a call from a man named Eddie from Hoboken, who informed Francesca that Lee had died.

Hey Mike, Stan Lee died today, the caller said. Did you ever meet the guy? What do you think of him?

A video shows Francesca looking perplexed for a moment before he responds.

WATCH  ... Mike Francesa learned about Stan Lee's death while he was on the air today, and he delivered a very emotional tribute. pic.twitter.com/quXh7c4TJY  unhouse (@BackAftaThis) November 13, 2018

Stan Lee? I dont know who he is, dont know who he is, no, Francesca says. Who is he?

Jesus, the caller says.

Someone off-camera then explains that Lee was one of the creators of Marvel Comics.

Oh who cares? Im sorry, Im not a comic book guy, Francesca responds. "Sorry. I never was a comic book reader as a kid, I apologize. Never.

After the moment began to garner some outrage on social media, Francesca took to Twitter to explain himself.

For the record, all I said when a caller brought up passing of Stan Lee was: who is he?

Not familiar with his work.Never bought a comic, never have like sci fi or super heroes. Didn't disrespect his passing .  Mike Francesa (@MikeFrancesa) November 13, 2018

For the record, all I said when a caller brought up passing of Stan Lee was: who is he? Not familiar with his work. Never bought a comic, never have like sci fi or super heroes, he tweeted. Didnt disrespect his passing.What to Know Rockland County measles outbreak continues to rise as officials announced Tuesday the latest numbers: 68 confirmed and 11 suspected cases

Rockland County has been grappling with a measles outbreak in recent weeks  even asking students who are unvaccinated to not attend school

Rockland County isn't only local area dealing with a measles outbreak, as Brooklyn has faced confirmed measles cases in recent weeks also

The Rockland County measles outbreak continues to rise as officials announced Tuesday the latest numbers of 68 confirmed and 11 suspected cases.

Rockland County has been grappling with a measles outbreak in recent weeks  even asking students who are unvaccinated to not attend school.

Health officials announced Friday that they are expanding school exclusions from the current 70 percent to an 80 percent vaccination rate. This means, all schools within the Village of New Square and any school with less than an 80 percent MMR vaccination rate within the area affected by the measles outbreak will be required to keep un- or under-vaccinated students home until 21 days have passes since the last confirmed measles case in Rockland County.

Some of the afflicted picking it up during travel to Israel, and others being infected after being exposed to a person with measles.

"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.

To prevent the spread of illness, the Rockland County Health Department advises anyone who may have measles to contact their health care provider, local clinic, or local emergency department before going for care. This will help to prevent others at these facilities from being exposed to the illness.

Measles is a highly contagious 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.

Rockland officials encourage everyone to be up-to-date with the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine to help protect them in case of any future exposure to measles in Rockland.

The Health Department held vaccine clinics in response to the growing number of cases.

Rockland County is not the only local area dealing with a measles outbreak, as Brooklyn has faced confirmed measles cases in recent weeks as well.

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.What to Know A woman was punched and stabbed in a Brooklyn subway station in a possible hate crime

The man, who was white, was yelling "black b----" during the attack, police and advocates say

Police said they would have their Hate Crimes Taskforce investigate as new information came forward

Police have released a sketch of the man who allegedly punched and stabbed a black mother of two when she got off the subway in Brooklyn last week -- an attack her family has said was racially motivated.



The suspect is described as being a white man in his 30s; the sketch released Tuesday is based on a witness description, police say, though it's not clear if that witness was the victim, 57-year-old Ann Marie Washington.

Washington was hospitalized Sunday, two days after the attack, after having surgery for a collapsed lung due to the stabbing, her family told NBC 4 New York. She was on her way home from work Friday evening and had just stepped off the subway at the Church Avenue stop in Brooklyn when she was attacked, advocates said.

The man, who was white, punched her in the mouth and stabbed her in the chest while calling her a "black b----," advocates said. Washington, who is black, is a native of Trinidad.

The attacker fled on a Q train, police said.

Police didn't initially call the attack a hate crime, leading to outrage from neighborhood advocates who held a news conference Sunday.

"If this was a white resident, a new gentrifier to this neighborhood, there would be swarms of cops here," said Imani Henry of Equality for Flatbush. "But when it is a black person who is attacked by a white racist, there isn't anything."

Afterward, the NYPD said its Hate Crimes Taskforce would look into it. Police said they didn't have all the details at the time the crime was reported.

Washington didn't realize she had been stabbed until she got home, advocates said. Even then, she thought she had been scratched in the chest until she woke up the next morning, said Kenzia Bernard Nau, a witness and a neighborhood advocate.

Advocates said witnesses shot video and there should be surveillance video of the suspect, but police haven't released it.

"The fact that the video isn't out right now, this is completely insane," Bernard Nau said. "This is going to keep happening."



Anyone who recognizes the man in the sketch is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.What to Know Amazon confirmed it plans to split its new headquarters, dubbed HQ2, between New York City and Northern Virginia

The announcement ends a year-long courtship by cities and metropolitan areas across North America

Also Tuesday, Amazon announced a smaller, third investment in Nashville  another finalist city

Amazon is moving into New York City and Northern Virginia.

The company announced Tuesday it plans to locate its new "HQ2" headquarters in both areas, ending a year-long courtship by metropolitan areas across North America. Each location will receive $2.5 billion in economic investment and see 25,000 new jobs, Amazon said.

The company selected the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New York and the National Landing neighborhood of Washington suburb Arlington., Virginia. Both sit just outside massive urban centers and both emerged as late favorites in the search.

"These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities," CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement.

Also Tuesday, Amazon announced a smaller, third investment another finalist city  in Nashville, Tennessee. It will become home to Amazon's East Coast operations hub and create 5,000 jobs, Amazon said.

"Our Retail Operations division handles customer fulfillment, customer service, transportation, and supply chain, amongst others," Amazon said. "The Operations Center of Excellence will be the Eastern U.S. regional hub for the tech and management functions of this division. It will be located in downtown Nashville just north of The Gulch."

Amazon launched its search for a second headquarters in September 2017. Four months later, the pool of 238 bids was narrowed to 20 finalists. Amazon originally said it would spend $5 billion and employ 50,000 workers in one winning area, but opted to split those investments between Long Island City and Arlington.

Earlier reports identified the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington, just west of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as a potential HQ2 pick. National Landing is a branded neighborhood encompassing Crystal City and adjacent areas.

Amazon confirms New York City, North Virginia for HQ2 sites from CNBC.

Amazon said it chose two locations rather than one to better attract top talent. It said the average salary for new jobs created in New York, Arlington and Nashville will exceed $150,000 per year.

The company said it will receive up to $2.2 billion in performance-based incentives from the three areas: $1.5 billion associated with its investment in Long Island City, $573 million in Arlington and up to $102 million in Nashville. The incentives take the form of cash grants and tax credits, and some take effect over time.

Many lawmakers and local residents criticized New York's committed incentives, in particular, arguing city and state officials should be allocating money for subway repairs and public services instead.

Recently elected U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who will represent the Bronx and parts of Queens, tweeted late Monday saying the tax breaks have concerned local residents.

"Amazon is a billion-dollar company," Ocasio-Cortez said in the tweet. "The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here."

"We don't have this kind of money. We're going to make this kind of money from this transaction," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference following the announcement. "For every dollar we invest we're going to get back about $9, give or take, so to find the money that we need to invest in the subways, invest in the schools, etc., this is a big money maker for us."

Divided response

Speculation around hefty investments and planned developments in each area have polarized lawmakers and residents, with some championing Amazon's interest and commitment, and others cautioning against rising housing costs and uncertainty for families.

Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter Monday that Amazon moving in could displace existing residents.

"Displacement is not community development. Investing in luxury condos is not the same thing as investing in people and families," Ocasio-Cortez said in another tweet. "Shuffling working class people out of a community does not improve their quality of life."

Some of the earliest investments from Amazon will be put toward infrastructure development in the larger neighborhood, rather than Amazon's specific campus, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at the press conference.

"We don't  in the public sector, in the city of New York  we don't measure success in corporate profits. We measure success in how many everyday people benefit," de Blasio said. "This plan, that we all put together, we're convinced is going to benefit everyday New Yorkers in huge numbers, tens of thousands, and it's going to be something that really transforms people's lives."

Amazon said economic incentives were "one factor in our decision," but not the main driver, and offered links to download the company's agreements with each local government.

State Senator Michael Gianaris and City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, representatives for Long Island City, said Tuesday they have "serious reservations" about the deal.

"Offering massive corporate welfare from scarce public resources to one of the wealthiest corporations in the world at a time of great need in our state is just wrong," the officials said in a joint statement. "The burden should not be on the 99 percent to prove we are worthy of the 1 percent's presence in our communities, but rather on Amazon to prove it would be a responsible corporate neighbor ... We were not elected to serve as Amazon drones. It is incumbent upon us to stand up on behalf of the people we represent and that is what we intend to do."

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., praised the choice, saying in a statement the Arlington headquarters would have a positive impact on the D.C. region and state as a whole.

"We've seen that major investments like these can bring not only thousands of direct jobs but also lead to job growth in other industries," Warner said. "As we welcome Amazon's new investment in Virginia, we must commit to implementing this announcement in a way that will benefit the whole region and all of the Commonwealth."

Here's Amazon's full announcement:

Amazon today announced that we have selected New York City and Arlington, Virginia, as the locations for our new headquarters. Amazon will invest $5 billion and create more than 50,000 jobs across the two new headquarters locations, with more than 25,000 employees each in New York City and Arlington. The new locations will join Seattle as the company's three headquarters in North America. In addition, Amazon announced that it has selected Nashville for a new Center of Excellence for its Operations business, which is responsible for the company's customer fulfillment, transportation, supply chain, and other similar activities. The Operations Center of Excellence in Nashville will create more than 5,000 jobs.

The new Washington, D.C. metro headquarters in Arlington will be located in National Landing, and the New York City headquarters will be located in the Long Island City neighborhood in Queens. Amazon's investments in each new headquarters will spur the creation of tens of thousands of additional jobs in the surrounding communities. Hiring at both the new headquarters will begin in 2019. The Operations Center of Excellence will be located in downtown Nashville as part of a new development site just north of the Gulch, and hiring will also begin in 2019.

"We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon. "These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities."

Amazon in Long Island City in New York City

Located just across the East River from Midtown Manhattan and the Upper East Side, Long Island City is a mixed-use community where arts and industry intersect. It is a diverse community with a unique blend of cultural institutions, arts organizations, new and converted housing, restaurants, bars, breweries, waterfront parks, hotels, academic institutions, and small and large tech sector and industrial businesses. Long Island City has some of the best transit access in New York City, with 8 subway lines, 13 bus lines, commuter rail, a bike-sharing service, and ferries serving the area, and LaGuardia and JFK airports are in close proximity. As part of Amazon's new headquarters, New York and Long Island City will benefit from more than 25,000 full-time high-paying jobs; approximately $2.5 billion in Amazon investment; 4 million square feet of energy-efficient office space with an opportunity to expand to 8 million square feet; and an estimated incremental tax revenue of more than $10 billion over the next 20 years as a result of Amazon's investment and job creation. Amazon will receive performance-based direct incentives of $1.525 billion based on the company creating 25,000 jobs in Long Island City. This includes a refundable tax credit through New York State's Excelsior Program of up to $1.2 billion calculated as a percentage of the salaries Amazon expects to pay employees over the next 10 years, which equates to $48,000 per job for 25,000 jobs with an average wage of over $150,000; and a cash grant from Empire State Development of $325 million based on the square footage of buildings occupied in the next 10 years. Amazon will receive these incentives over the next decade based on the incremental jobs it creates each year and as it reaches building occupancy targets. The company will separately apply for as-of-right incentives including New York City's Industrial & Commercial Abatement Program (ICAP) and New York City's Relocation and Employment Assistance Program (REAP). The community will benefit from New York City providing funding through a Payment In Lieu Of Tax (PILOT) program based on Amazon's property taxes on a portion of the development site to fund community infrastructure improvements developed through input from residents during the planning process. Amazon has agreed to donate space on its campus for a tech startup incubator and for use by artists and industrial businesses, and Amazon will donate a site for a new primary or intermediary public school. The company will also invest in infrastructure improvements and new green spaces. "When I took office, I said we would build a new New York State  one that is fiscally responsible and fosters a business climate that is attractive to growing companies and the industries of tomorrow. We've delivered on those promises and more, and today, with Amazon committing to expand its headquarters in Long Island City, New York can proudly say that we have attracted one of the largest, most competitive economic development investments in U.S. history," said Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of New York. "With an average salary of $150,000 per year for the tens of thousands of new jobs Amazon is creating in Queens, economic opportunity and investment will flourish for the entire region. Amazon understands that New York has everything the company needs to continue its growth. The State's more than $100 billion transportation infrastructure program  the most ambitious in our history  combined with our education initiatives like K-12 tech education and the first-in-the-nation Excelsior Scholarship program, will help ensure long-term success and an unrivaled talent pool for Amazon."

"This is a giant step on our path to building an economy in New York City that leaves no one behind. We are thrilled that Amazon has selected New York City for its new headquarters," said Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City. "New Yorkers will get tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs, and Amazon will get the best talent anywhere in the world. We're going to use this opportunity to open up good careers in tech to thousands of people looking for their foothold in the new economy, including those in City colleges and public housing. The City and State are working closely together to make sure Amazon's expansion is planned smartly, and to ensure this fast growing neighborhood has the transportation, schools, and infrastructure it needs."

Amazon in National Landing in Arlington, Virginia

National Landing is an urban community in Northern Virginia located less than 3 miles from downtown Washington, D.C. The area is served by 3 Metro stations, commuter rail access, and Reagan National Airport  all within walking distance. The community has a variety of hotels, restaurants, high-rise apartment buildings, retail, and commercial offices. National Landing has abundant parks and open space with sports and cultural events for residents of all ages throughout the year. As part of Amazon's new headquarters, Virginia and Arlington will benefit from more than 25,000 full-time high-paying jobs; approximately $2.5 billion in Amazon investment; 4 million square feet of energy-efficient office space with the opportunity to expand to 8 million square feet; and an estimated incremental tax revenue of $3.2 billion over the next 20 years as a result of Amazon's investment and job creation. Amazon will receive performance-based direct incentives of $573 million based on the company creating 25,000 jobs with an average wage of over $150,000 in Arlington. This includes a workforce cash grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia of up to $550 million based on $22,000 for each job created over the next 12 years. Amazon will only receive this incentive if it creates the forecasted high-paying jobs. The company will also receive a cash grant from Arlington of $23 million over 15 years based on the incremental growth of the existing local Transient Occupancy Tax, a tax on hotel rooms. The community and Amazon employees will benefit from the Commonwealth investing $195 million in infrastructure in the neighborhood, including improvements to the Crystal City and the Potomac Yards Metro stations; a pedestrian bridge connecting National Landing and Reagan National Airport; and work to improve safety, accessibility, and the pedestrian experience crossing Route 1 over the next 10 years. Arlington will also dedicate an estimated $28 million based on 12% of future property tax revenues earned from an existing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district for on-site infrastructure and open space in National Landing. "This is a big win for Virginia  I'm proud Amazon recognizes the tremendous assets the Commonwealth has to offer and plans to deepen its roots here," said Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia. "Virginia put together a proposal for Amazon that we believe represents a new model of economic development for the 21st century, and I'm excited to say that our innovative approach was successful. The majority of Virginia's partnership proposal consists of investments in our education and transportation infrastructure that will bolster the features that make Virginia so attractive: a strong and talented workforce, a stable and competitive business climate, and a world-class higher education system."

"We are proud that Amazon has selected National Landing for a major new headquarters. This is, above all, a validation of our community's commitment to sustainability, transit-oriented development, affordable housing, and diversity," said Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol. "The strength of our workforce coupled with our proximity to the nation's capital makes us an attractive business location. But Arlington's real strength is the decades of planning that have produced one of the most vibrant, civically engaged communities in the world. Those plans have paved the way for this investment, and we look forward to engaging the Arlington community about Amazon's plans and how we can grow together."

Amazon's new Operations Center of Excellence in Nashville

Downtown Nashville, along the Cumberland River, is the heart of the city just north of the Gulch and is home to urban living, retail, restaurants, entertainment venues, hospitality, open green spaces, and offices. The area is served by commuter rail, more than a dozen bus routes, and is a 15-minute drive to Nashville International Airport. As part of Amazon's investment, Tennessee, Davidson County and the city of Nashville will benefit from 5,000 full-time, high-paying jobs; over $230 million in investment; 1 million square feet of energy-efficient office space; and an estimated incremental tax revenue of more than $1 billion over the next 10 years as a result of Amazon's investment and job creation. Amazon will receive performance-based direct incentives of up to $102 million based on the company creating 5,000 jobs with an average wage of over $150,000 in Nashville. This includes a cash grant for capital expenditures from the state of Tennessee of $65 million based on the company creating 5,000 jobs over the next 7 years, which is equivalent to $13,000 per job; a cash grant from the city of Nashville of up to $15 million based on $500 for each job created over the next 7 years; and a job tax credit to offset franchise and excise taxes from the state of Tennessee of $21.7 million based on $4,500 per new job over the next 7 years. "We want to thank Amazon for its continued investment in the state of Tennessee and are excited about the additional 5,000 corporate jobs they will be creating in Nashville," said Governor Bill Haslam of Tennessee. "It has never been clearer that Tennessee is a great place to do business, and we continue to attract a wide variety of global companies that provide high-paying, quality jobs for our residents."

"Amazon's decision to expand its presence in Nashville is a direct result of the talented workforce and strong community we've built here," said Mayor David Briley of Nashville. "These are quality, high-paying jobs that will boost our economy, provide our workers with new opportunities, and show the rest of the world that Nashville is a premiere location for business investment. We thank Amazon for investing in Nashville, and we look forward to welcoming them to this community."

With more than 610,000 employees worldwide, including over 250,000 in North America, Amazon ranks #1 on American Customer Satisfaction Index, #2 on Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies, #1 on The Harris Poll's Corporate Reputation survey, and #1 on LinkedIn's U.S. Top Companies, a ranking recognizing the most desirable workplaces in the country. Amazon was also recently included in the Military Times' Best for Vets list of companies committed to providing opportunities for military veterans.

All economic impact and incentive figures are best estimates calculated by relevant entities in each of the selected communities based on current information.

This story first appeared on CNBC.com. More from CNBC:What to Know Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput announced a reparations fund for those sexually assaulted by Catholic clergy in Philadelphia.

The archdiocese is planning to sell off properties to fund the compensation. The total amount dedicated to payments wasn't made public.

"Money cant buy back a wounded persons wholeness. But what compensation can do is acknowledge the evil done," Chaput said.

A week after the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said that it would pay financial reparations to victims of clergy sex abuse, even from years ago, the church revealed how it will carry out the compensation program.

Victims of child sexual abuse by clergy in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia can begin filing claims as part of a victim compensation fund.

Claims administrators said Tuesday they sent 342 packets to survivors who had previously reported credible allegations. There is no appeal process and there is no cap on the fund or the amount individual victims can receive.

Victims will waive their rights to sue the archdiocese in the future to accept offers. They must register claims by July 31 and file them by Sept. 30.

The Independent Reconciliation and Reparations effort will be funded by the archdiocese, which said it was not sure how much money would be required but that the financial commitment was "significant."

The archdiocese also announced last week the creation of an independent commission to review church policies, led by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell.

Archbishop Charles Chaput made the fund announcement in his weekly column Thursday. The dioceses of Harrisburg, Scranton and Allentown also announced similar programs Thursday; the Erie Diocese said it would set up a fund, but it didn't disclose any details.

"The damage done to innocent young people and their families by sexual abuse in the past is profound," Chaput wrote. "It cant be erased by apologies, no matter how sincere. And money cant buy back a wounded persons wholeness. But what compensation can do is acknowledge the evil done and meaningfully assist survivors as they work to find greater peace in their lives."

Chaput stressed that money for the reparations would not come from donations to Catholic Charities, seminaries or donations made to parishes, ministries, and schools.

The money may come from selling off church properties, Chaput said.

The abuse survivor's group SNAP said that other dioceses, including New York City, "feeling the heat" have started similar compensation programs.

But a spokesman questioned whether the program would be transparent.

Instead, the goal of some reparation programs is "to keep the secrets, secrets and to "help stall legislative reform," said David G. Clohessy, director of the St. Louis chapter of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priest.

Victims deserve the opportunity for relatively faster settlements, if they want it, but victims also deserve the right to go to court, Clohessy said.

The Independent Reconciliation and Reparations program is also independent from survivor assistance efforts of the archdioceses Office of Child and Youth Protection, which has already paid out $18 million to victims. And it's separate from any legal settlements that the church may be ordered to make.

The confidential compensation will be determined by independent claim administrators, Chaput said. Lynn Shiner, who has served as director of the Pennsylvania Office of Victims Services, will represent victims as the program's victim support facilitator.

"The program is designed to help survivors come forward in an atmosphere where they are secure and respected, without the uncertainty, conflict and stress of litigation, Chaput said.

The archdiocese consulted with violent crime survivors and advocates to form the program, Chaput said.

The announcement comes months after a scathing Pennsylvania grand jury report exposed hundreds of instances of clergy abuse across the rest of Pennsylvania.

Philadelphias church had already been the focus of a 2005 grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse, which found former cardinals John Krol and Anthony Bevilacqua were involved in the cover-up of a sex scandal against accused priests throughout the archdiocese.

Another grand jury report in 2011 made new charges against priests still serving in the archdiocese.

In 2012, Philadelphia Monsignor William Lynn became the first Catholic church official to be convicted in the country of covering up sex abuse among priests in his charge.

Back in September, Chaput pledged to compensate sexual abuse survivors, he noted in his latest column.

I deeply regret the pain that so many victims carry from the experience of sex abuse, he said. I hope this program will bring them a measure of peace.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.What to Know Police are seeking help in finding vehicles and drivers involved in several fatal hit-run accidents in Philadelphia.

Three of the hit-and-run crashes were fatal while a fourth left a man in critical condition.

The father of a teen killed in one of the four crashes says his son likely would've survived if the driver had remained at the scene.

A heartbroken father says his teenage son likely would have survived if the vehicle that struck him in Philly's Rhawnhurst neighborhood over the weekend had stopped instead of fleeing the scene.

It was one of three deadly hit-and-run crashes in the city over the past three days. A fourth hit-and-run in Philly left a victim in critical condition.

"JJ is my son," John Gbaa Sr., said. "I love him. I love him very much."

Gbaa Sr.'s son, 17-year-old John Gbaa Jr., also known as "JJ," was struck by a vehicle, described by police as a 2007 or 2008 Chevy Impala, on the 7600 block of Roosevelt Boulevard shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday. The vehicle fled south on the boulevard and the teen died shortly after 3:30 a.m. at a hospital.

"You could have a child," Gbaa Sr., said. "You could have a sister or brother. You could have anybody. He's not a dog. He's a human being. He is created in the image of God."

Loved ones say JJ went to Target Saturday night and didn't come home. His aunt, Eva Gbaa, said she woke up in the middle of the night and called him.

"In the morning something just woke me up," she said. "I called his phone and Facetime. But the phone rang, he didn't answer."

Police recovered car parts, including a driver side mirror and pieces of a headlight. Gbaa Sr. said his son likely would've survived the crash if the driver hadn't fled.

"I heard that he hit him and he flew and dropped somewhere," Gbaa Sr. said. "So if he had taken him to the hospital, probably, he would still be alive."

It was one of four hit-and-run crashes in Philadelphia in the past three days, and one of three that were fatal.

Police say 50-year-old Brian Jones was crossing Torresdale Avenue near Cottman Avenue in Tacony just before 8:30 p.m. Friday when he was struck by an eastbound car that failed to stop, and about 15 seconds later by a westbound car that also failed to stop. Jones was pronounced dead minutes later.

"We are looking for a gray Toyota, possible a Camry or Corolla, and a Mitsubishi Gallant, dark in color, for the Cottman Avenue (crash)," police Capt. Mark Overwise said.

Family members say Jones was a marine who served in Desert Storm and had worked for PennDot for several years. He was struck while making his way to a co-worker's retirement party that night.

"I will never get to see my baby brother again," Trulease Stewart, Jones' sister, said. "I have to bury my baby brother."

Family members told NBC10 Jones had just reconnected with his daughter after 30 years and was seeing her every week prior to his death.

Saturday morning, a white sedan struck a 59-year-old man in front of a Dunkin' Donuts at 21st and Market streets. That victim is currently in critical condition.

Shortly after midnight Sunday, another 50-year-old man was found unresponsive on North Randolph Street in North Philadelphia and pronounced dead with injuries officials said were consistent with having been struck by a vehicle.

Police hoped that surveillance video and witness accounts could help them track down the drivers.

If you have information on any of the four hit-and-run incidents, please call Philadelphia police.What to Know A car slammed into the Social Security field office in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey Tuesday morning.

The crash left 21 people hurt, police said.

Police say the crash appeared to be an accident but that they need to investigate further.

A car slammed into a Social Security office near the Jersey shore Tuesday morning leaving multiple people hurt.

The Nissan sedan crashed into the lobby where many people were waiting at the Social Security field office off Fire Road (County Route 651) in Egg Harbor Township around 9:50 a.m.

Egg Harbor police said 21 people suffered injuries, most of which were minor. Two were seriously hurt. Eighteen people were treated and released from the hospital.

A 56-year-old Atlantic City woman was driving the Nissan along with an adult passenger and two young children, authorities said.

You could see the car through a large hole left in the side of the building.

NBC10

Police said the crash appeared to be an accident.

The Egg Harbor Township field office, and ones like it, allows people to have face-to-face meetings to address any Social Security concerns, the administration says on its website. It has about 26 full-time employees who help up to 48,000 people yearly.

The office will be closed until further notice for repairs. While it's closed, people who need services can visit these other local Social Security offices:

149 West Broad Street, Bridgeton, NJ 08302

1046 Route 47 South, Rio Grande, NJ 08242

190 Saint Catherine Boulevard, Toms River, NJ 08755

Those offices are open to the public Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Or visit www.socialsecurity.gov or call (800) 772-1213 or (800) 325-0778 for TTY.Four family members were arrested Wednesday in the execution-style killings of eight people, members of another family, on an Ohio pot farm in April 2016, NBC News reported.

The Pike County Sheriff's Office, which has been investigating the massacre, announced the arrests of George "Billy" Wagner III, Angela Wagner, George Wagner IV and Edward "Jake" Wagner.

The Rhodens were found dead from gunshot wounds in four separate homes on the farm. They ranged from 16 years old to 44; two infants and a toddler survived.

Authorities have yet to explain what they suspect was the motive for the killings. It wasn't immediately clear if the suspects had attorneys.

[NATL] PHOTOS: 8 Relatives Shot Dead in OhioAs Democrats ratcheted up their attacks on Georgia Republican Brian Kemp, he claimed Wednesday that results certified by county election officials confirm he has an "insurmountable lead" in the governor's race.

At a news conference, Georgia Democrats cast doubt on the legitimacy of any election count that ends with the former secretary of state being certified as the winner of a fiercely fought election against Stacey Abrams, who's seeking to become the first black woman elected governor in the U.S.

"We believe that Brian Kemp mismanaged this election to sway it in his favor," said Abrams' campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo, surrounded by Democratic lawmakers at the Georgia Capitol.

Democrats beyond Georgia have started to echo the notion that a Kemp victory would be illegitimate. Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown said Wednesday that if Abrams loses it's because Republicans stole the election.

"If Stacey Abrams doesn't win in Georgia, they stole it. I say that publicly, it's clear," Brown, speaking at a briefing for the National Action Network.

Kemp's campaign, which has repeatedly called on Abrams to concede, repeated that call Wednesday, saying Abrams and her supporters have used "fake vote totals," ''desperate press conferences" and "dangerous lawsuits" to try to steal the election.

"After all of the theatrics, the math remains the same," Kemp campaign spokesman Cody Hall said in an email. "Abrams lost and Brian Kemp won. This election is over."

Since he declared himself governor last week and resigned as secretary of state, Kemp's lead has narrowed as counties have tabulated more ballots. And the numbers could change again as federal courts issue new guidance on counting certain provisional and absentee ballots.

Groh-Wargo said Tuesday that the Abrams campaign believes she needs a net gain of 17,759 votes to pull Kemp below a majority threshold and force a Dec. 4 runoff. Kemp's campaign said even if every vote that Abrams campaign is arguing for is granted by the courts and counted for her, she cannot overcome his lead or force a runoff.

The Associated Press has not called the race.

Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones on Wednesday ruled that the secretary of state must not certify the state election results without confirming that each county's vote tally includes absentee ballots on which the voter's date of birth is missing or incorrect.

The order stems from a request in a lawsuit filed Sunday by the Abrams campaign. But Jones also rejected the campaign's other requests.

He declined to extend the period during which evidence could be submitted to prove the eligibility of voters who cast provisional ballots. He also declined to order that provisional ballots cast by voters who went to a precinct in the wrong county be counted.

The lawsuit was one of several election-related complaints filed before multiple federal judges.

U.S. District Judge Leigh May ordered Gwinnett County election officials Tuesday not to reject absentee ballots just because the voter's birth year is missing or wrong. She also ordered the county to delay certification of its election results until those ballots have been counted.

Jones' ruling effectively extended May's order to the other 158 counties in Georgia.

U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg late Monday ordered state officials not to do their final certification of election results before 5 p.m. Friday.

State law sets a Nov. 20 deadline, but secretary of state's office elections director Chris Harvey testified last week that the state had planned to certify the election results Wednesday, a day after the deadline for counties to certify their results. He said that would allow preparations to begin for any runoff contests, including those already projected in the races for secretary of state and a Public Service Commission seat.

Totenberg's order left untouched the county certification deadline. Candice Broce, a spokeswoman for secretary of state's office, said Wednesday that all counties but Gwinnett have certified their totals.

Totenberg ordered the secretary of state's office to establish and publicize a hotline or website enabling voters to check whether their provisional ballots were counted and, if not, why not. And she ordered the secretary of state's office to review or have county election authorities review the eligibility of voters who had to cast provisional ballots because of registration issues.

With state lawmakers gathered at the Georgia Capitol Tuesday for the start of a special legislative session, dozens of protesters gathered in statehouse rotunda, loudly chanting "Count every vote!" and waving signs with the same slogan. Police arrested 15 people, including state Sen. Nikema Williams, an Atlanta Democrat.

Police zip-tied Williams' hands behind her back and led her to one of two vans holding other arrested protesters.

She gave a tearful speech on the Senate floor Wednesday, saying she was booked and strip-searched at the Fulton County jail and held for five hours. She said her 3-year-old son heard news of her arrest on the radio and told a baby sitter: "That's mommy."

"I didn't do anything to obstruct anyone from doing their job or their business on the floor," Williams said. "What I did was I stood with my constituents as they wanted their voices to be heard."

The Georgia Constitution says legislators "shall be free from arrest during sessions of the General Assembly ... except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace."

Four Democratic lawmakers delivered remarks in the Senate condemning Williams' arrest. No Republican senators stood to address Williams' arrest.

GOP Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle asked the Republican chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee to meet with authorities "to look at the facts surrounding this issue and see if we can bring some kind of resolve to the matter at hand."

___

Associated Press writer Russ Bynum in Atlanta and Juana Summers in Washington contributed to this report.For President Donald Trump in Paris, America First meant largely America alone.

At a weekend commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, the president who proudly declares himself a "nationalist" stood apart, even on a continent where his brand of populism is on the rise.

He began his visit with a tweet slamming the French president's call for a European defense force, arrived at events alone and spent much of his trip out of sight in the American ambassadors' residence in central Paris. On Sunday, he listened as he was lectured on the dangers of nationalist isolation, and then he headed home just as the inaugural Paris Peace Summit was getting under way.

The visit made clear that, nearly two years after taking office, Trump has dramatically upended decades of American foreign policy posture, shaking allies. That includes French President Emmanuel Macron, who on Sunday warned that the "ancient demons" that caused World War I and millions of deaths were once again making headway.

Macron, who has been urging a re-embrace of multinational organizations and cooperation that have been shunned by Trump, delivered a barely-veiled rebuke of Trumpism at the weekend's centerpiece event: A gathering of dozens of leaders at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the base of the Arc de Triomphe to mark the passage of a century since the guns fell silent in a global war that killed millions. Bells tolled across Europe's Western Front and fighter jets passed overhead to mark the exact moment the devastating war came to a close.

With Trump and other leaders looking on, Macron took on the rising tide of populism in the United States and Europe and urged leaders not to turn their backs by turning inward.

"Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism: Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism," Macron said, adding that, when nations put their interests first and decide "who cares about the others" they "erase the most precious thing a nation can have... Its moral values."

After Trump was gone, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who recently announced that she will not be seeking re-election, made an impassioned plea for global cooperation at the peace forum, saying World War I had "made clear what disastrous consequences a lack of compromise in politics and diplomacy can have."

Trump, who has made clear that he has limited patience for broad, multilateral agreements, sat mostly stone-faced as he listened to Macron, who sees himself as Europe's foil to the rising nationalist sentiment, which has taken hold in Hungary and Poland among other countries.

Trump did engage with his fellow leaders, attending a group welcome dinner hosted by Macron at the Musee d'Orsay on Saturday night and a lunch on Sunday. He also spent time with Macron on Saturday, when the two stressed their shared desire for more burden-sharing during a quick availability with reporters.

But Trump was terse during some of his private conversations with world leaders, according to people with direct knowledge of his visit. One of the people described the president as "grumpy." They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private conversations.

The symbolism during Trump's visit couldn't have been more stark.

Trump was missing from one of the weekend's most powerful images: A line of world leaders, walking shoulder to-shoulder in a somber, rain-soaked procession as the bells marking the exact moment that fighting ended  11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918  finished tolling.

The president and first lady Melania Trump had traveled to the commemoration separately  White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders cited security protocols  from the other dignitaries, who had traveled together by bus from the Elysee Palace.

As Trump's motorcade was making its solo trip down the grand Champs-Elysees, which was closed to traffic, at least one topless woman breached tight security, running into the street and shouting "fake peace maker" as the cars passed. She had slogans, including the words "Fake" and "Peace," written on her chest.

Police tackled the woman and the motorcade continued uninterrupted. The feminist activist group Femen later claimed responsibility.

Also traveling on his own was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who shook Trump's hand, flashed him a thumbs-up sign and patted Trump's arm as he arrived. Trump responded with a wide smile.

National Security Adviser John Bolton had said at one point that Putin and Trump would meet in Paris, but they will instead hold a formal sit-down later this month at a world leaders' summit in Buenos Aires. A Kremlin official said later that U.S. and Russian officials decided to drop plans for the Paris meeting after French officials objected.

Trump, who ran on an "America First" platform, has jarred European allies with his actions. He has slapped tariffs on the European Union, pulled the U.S. out of the landmark Paris Climate Accord and the Iran nuclear deal and suggested he might be willing to pull the U.S. out of NATO if member counties don't significantly boost their defense spending. Trump's eagerness to get along with the Russian leader  in spite of Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and numerous other aggressive moves in recent years  has alarmed those who view Russia as a growing threat.

Trump has also repeatedly branded himself a "nationalist," despite criticism from some that the term has negative connotations. At a news conference last week, Trump defended his use of the phrase. "You know what the word is? I love our country," he said, adding: "You have nationalists. You have globalists. I also love the world and I don't mind helping the world, but we have to straighten out our country first. We have a lot of problems."

But Trump did not broach the divide as he paid tribute Sunday to U.S. and allied soldiers killed in World War I during "a horrible, horrible war" that marked America's emergence as a world power.

"We are gathered together at this hallowed resting place to pay tribute to the brave Americans who gave their last breath in that mighty struggle," Trump said at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial in the suburbs of Paris, where more than 1,500 Americans who died in the war are buried.

"It is our duty to preserve the civilization they defended and to protect the peace they so nobly gave their lives to secure one century ago," he said after spending a moment, standing alone amid the cemetery's white crosses, holding a black umbrella.

The Veterans Day speech came a day after Trump was criticized for failing to visit a different American cemetery about 60 miles (100 kilometers) outside of Paris on Saturday because rain grounded the helicopter he had planned to take. A handful of senior administration officials, including White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, went in the president's place, while Trump remained behind at the ambassador's residence with no alternate schedule for hours.

Trump delivered the speech as other leaders were gathered for the inaugural Paris Peace Forum, which aims to revive collective governance and international cooperation to tackle global challenges. Afterward he headed back to Washington.

France was the epicenter of World War I, the first global conflict. Its role as host of the main international commemoration highlighted the point that the world mustn't stumble into war again, as it did so quickly and catastrophically with World War II.

___

Associated Press writers Robert Burns and Julie Pace in Washington and Lori Hinnant and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.Federal and airport authorities said Friday they are investigating why an air traffic controller became incapacitated and went silent while working a night shift alone in the tower at busy McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

"No safety events occurred during this incident," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement about what officials said amounted to a 40-minute span during which the female controller slurred words and then apparently lost consciousness shortly before midnight Wednesday.

"An air traffic controller at the Las Vegas tower became incapacitated while on duty," the agency said. It did not identify the controller or the cause of her incapacitation.

Airport director Rosemary Vassiliadis issued a statement saying that initial findings echoed the FAA assessment.

Five inbound aircraft remained airborne during the incident, and aircraft on the ground held positions or communicated between themselves to maintain safety while moving, the FAA said.

The controller involved in the Las Vegas incident is no longer employed by the FAA, the agency told NBC News Sunday.

Air traffic recordings available on the internet show commercial airline pilots having trouble understanding the controller during radio communications about approaches to land, clearances to take off and directions for taxiing. Some begin talking between themselves about something being amiss.

At one point, the controller sounds sleepy and apologizes over the radio, saying she is "choking a little bit." Minutes later, she misstates an aircraft's call numbers. Finally, her microphone opens to the sound of coughing and grunting.

She does not respond to a pilot's inquiry before the sound of a male voice is heard in the room asking if the woman is all right.

Officials said a male controller who had been on break was summoned to return to the tower. Paramedics responded.

The FAA said the woman was at first put on administrative leave, and the agency ordered two controllers to be in the tower during busy hours.

"The FAA is deeply concerned by the incident, is thoroughly investigating what occurred, and is taking immediate steps to modify its overnight shift staffing policies," the agency statement said.

McCarran is among the 10 busiest airports in the U.S. in passenger volume. The unidentified controller worked for a little more than an hour before trouble began and communicated with pilots of 29 aircraft before she was replaced, the FAA said.

National Air Traffic Controllers Association chief Paul Rinaldi issued a statement praising the work of thousands of union members around the country and promising cooperation in the FAA investigation "so that all of the facts are known."What to Know How much snow are we in for? How cold will it be during the winter?

NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz has his 22nd annual Long-Range Winter Forecast.

There are many factors that go into the winter forecast.

Lets cut to the chase. Were in for a cold and snowy winter. But how much snow? And how low will the temperatures go? I measure several important factors to reach that conclusion.

It started in 1997 with a look at something Id only seen a couple of times before. A huge area in the Tropical Pacific, bigger than the size of the United States, was getting MUCH warmer than normal. They called it an El Nino. I had just read research showing the potential connection between strong El Ninos and warm, wet, and un-snowy winters in the eastern U.S.

So, I went on the air and predicted an unseasonably warm winter with very little snow. We had a record warm winter and our TOTAL snow was less than an inch. That got some attention. Now, a winter forecast is expected every year in November.

Few winter forecasts are as straightforward as the one in 1997. Major El Ninos can still be counted on to give us warm winters with little snow. But most years arent like that.

ITS JUST LIKE..."

Weve learned there are a lot more factors in the ocean and atmosphere that can help us with seasonal forecasting. We also know that no two winters are alike. There is always one part of the ocean that is different. So theres no such thing as a perfect analog year. But some do have a lot of similarities.

Whether we have an El Nino or the opposite, La Nina, often makes a big difference. But its not as clear-cut when it is on the weak or moderate side (as in most years).

FACTORS

1. EL NINO

Its not just about El Nino vs. La Nina anymore. WHERE the El Nino is most concentrated is important, too. Most El Ninos cover much of the Tropical Pacific. Less frequently, the Central Tropical Pacific has the most concentrated warmth. Its called a Modoki.

TropicalTidbits.com

While many El Ninos lead to warmer winters, Modoki Ninos tend to be colder and snowier, especially if it is in the weak or moderate category.

This winter: Weak to moderate MODOKI El Nino...

FAVORS COLDER AND SNOWIER THAN NORMAL

2. NORTH PACIFIC BLOB

Weve seen it several times this decade. A large area of way-above-normal ocean temperatures in the North Pacific Ocean. This leads to more HIGH pressure developing around Alaska and Northwest Canada, which forces the Arctic air down into the Eastern U.S.

Those red colors at the top, just off Alaska and western Canada, show the current Blob. Thats an important factor in what our winter will look like.

This winter FAVORS MORE ARCTIC INVASIONS

3. EURASIAN SNOW IN OCTOBER

Its more of an indirect effect, but a quick advance of snow in October halfway around the world is connected with winter cold and snow in the Eastern U.S.

This year, the Eurasia snow cover started very slowly but advanced rapidly toward the end of the month. My research shows that combination as the most favorable one for winter snow for us.

So, this winter FAVORS MORE SNOW

4. THE QBO

The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation occurs way up in the stratosphere, and it tends to shift direction every few years. During the transition periods, blocking patterns in the upper atmosphere occur more often. Blocking patterns, especially in El Nino years, favor more (and stronger) Noreasters. If it happens to be cold enough, that means snow.

The QBO index tends to have a steady trend, and it is trending toward the transition period.

This winter FAVORS MORE SNOW

5. SOLAR ACTIVITY

This is a bit controversial among meteorologists, but there seems to be a correlation between especially low sunspot activity on the sun and colder and snowier winters in the U.S.

The graphic below shows the clear sunspot cycle in recent decades. Some of our cruelest winters have occurred near the bottom of the cycle, when there are hardly any sunspots. We happen to be right near the bottom this year.

This winter FAVORS MORE COLD AND SNOW

6. THE AO, & NAO

What is going on in the Arctic and North Atlantic can be just as important as the Pacific. But things like the Arctic Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation have been just about impossible to predict months in advance (unlike El Nino, QBO, and The Blob). So, they are always considered a wild card.

A negative AO means unusually HIGH pressure at high levels over the Arctic. This forces the coldest air south into Canada and the U.S. And it forces the Polar Jet Stream farther south than normal. The record winter of 2013-14 featured several giant snowstorms with a strongly negative AO.

When the NAO is negative, HIGH pressure is centered near Greenland. This pattern favors slower-moving coastal storms in the Eastern U.S. A negative NAO is often one of the ingredients in our biggest Noreaster snowstorms.

The Eurasia snow connection mentioned earlier may be connected to AO. So maybe it can be predicted.

7. MELTING ARCTIC ICE & CLIMATE CHANGE

It has become more and more obvious to many forecasters and climate scientists that the massive Arctic ice melt is influencing weather patterns. One of the impacts is in more blocking patterns, including the AO and NAO.

It is probably not a coincidence that 3 of the 4 biggest snowstorms in Philadelphia occurred in the past decade or so (2009, 2010, and 2016). The combination of more blocking and more water vapor due to the warming climate is a recipe for big snowstorms  IF its cold enough. And a AO can help with that. These recent changes need to be considered when making seasonal forecasts.

8. SEASONAL COMPUTER MODEL FORECASTS

Until recently, specific computer model forecasts were not considered useful by most forecasters. But as our knowledge of the atmosphere and models improve, so have the forecasts. Now, I actually care what they show (of course, the U.S. model, the GFS is the least trusted in this area). The European and UKMET models have just recently predicted patterns that favor cold and snow for us. And so have the Canadian and Japanese models. Thats a lot of agreement.

This winter FAVORS MORE COLD & SNOW

THE FORECAST (FINALLY!)

So, you see, virtually EVERY important factor that I look at tilts toward more cold and snow this winter. The only questions in my mind are: Just how cold & snowy do I go?

The answer lies in looking at past years with somewhat similar conditions-called analogs. The analogs for this year show a dramatic pattern, especially for February.

The first map is average February about 20,000 feet up in the atmosphere  a key level for forecasters. The lower pressures in the Northeast U.S. are extreme for a map like this. And the very high pressures over Greenland suggest a strong NAO. That combination SCREAMS East Coast Snowstorms!

And the above map showing February temperatures follows the upper-air pattern: unseasonably cold in the Eastern U.S.

Based on the above reasoning and looking at analog years...

First, some highlights

*colder than normal winter

*snowier than normal winter

*coldest relative to normal: February

*snowiest: February (by far)

*2 major snowstorms in February

*a cold December with above normal snow





THE SPECIFICS-for Philadelphia

SNOW TEMPS

DEC. 7 -2.0 degrees

JAN 8 +1.0

FEB 16 -3.0

MAR 4 -1.0

TOTAL 30-40 (Normal is 22.4)





As for other cities in our area, here are my estimated seasonal snow forecasts:

Allentown 50

Downingtown 45

Wilmington 32

Atlantic City 28

Millville 26

Poconos 85

Believe it or not, its possible I could be too conservative with this forecast-not enough snow or cold. But the patterns that look clear-cut now could change in the coming months. In any event, this should be a winter worth watching, which some will love and some will hate.A Washington, D.C., man suspected of being a white nationalist and befriending the Tree of Life synagogue gunman on a social media platform before the tragedy is under arrest for firearms charges in the District.

Jeffrey Clark Jr. is charged with illegal possession of high-capacity firearms magazines and unlawful guns and is scheduled to appear in court Friday for a detention hearing.

An FBI affidavit says Clark admitted that he was a member of white nationalist groups and told investigators he had contact with the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue shooter on social media, praising him as a hero. The affidavit says Clark connected with Robert Bowers on Gab, a social networking site. According to the affidavit, Clark openly discussed killing people of the Jewish faith, as well as African Americans. The affidavit said Clark spoke about Bowers, claiming the synagogue shootings were justified, because a same-sex Jewish couple was having an adopted baby circumcised that week.

According to the FBI affidavit, witnesses said Clark attended the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville and was photographed standing next to James Alex Fields, a white nationalist who prosecutors say drove a car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one.

The affidavit also cites social media posts by Clark, including one with vulgar language, calling Bowers a hero and saying victims at the synagogue deserved exactly what happened to them and so much worse.

Clark's family took his guns and reported him to the authorities, according to the FBI.

I'm so very grateful that they took the courageous step to turn him in but I cannot imagine just the inner turmoil of giving up your own child, a neighbor of the Clarks said.

In their court filings, federal agents said they obtained four boxes of gun parts from Clark.

Agents recognized several items in the boxes as parts used to modify AR-15 assault rifles, the affidavit said.

Agents said they also recovered AR-15 rifle conversion kits and four high-capacity AR-15 magazines capable of holding up to 30 rounds of ammunition, according to the affidavit.

Clarks attorney did not immediately return requests for comment.

Jeffrey Clark Sr. had no comment about his sons arrest.

A neighbor said shes lived in the Bloomingdale neighborhood for 15 years and knows the Clark family well but didnt have any idea about alleged ties to white nationalists.

Its demoralizing; its depressing, she said. The existential angst is tremendous. Its very hard to deal with.

Bowers and the Tree of Life shooting are being investigated by federal officials in Pittsburgh. In a statement to the I-Team, a spokeswoman for the US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania said: As previously stated by both the US Attorneys Office of Western District of Pennsylvania and Special Agent in Charge of the Pittsburgh Office of the FBI, there is currently no evidence that any other individuals were involved or hard prior knowledge of the Tree of Life synagogue attack. That statement remains true.A Virginia hospital is using genetic testing to customize patients medication and minimize the side effects of surgery.

Its difficult to know how someone will respond to prescription medications or anesthesia, but doctors are able to use a patients DNA to determine which drugs will be the most effective.

In August, Catherine Hanson, an English teacher at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I believe every emotion possible goes through your mind in about 30 seconds, she said. You go from disbelief to denial, anger. Then you develop some courage and think, OK, I can do this. And then it starts all over again.

Her surgeon, Dr. Kirsten Edmiston, recommended she undergo genetic testing.

Different patients need a lot of different levels of pain medicines, she said. So some people would need very little pain medicine and some people would need a lot of pain medicine.

Finding the right combination is like putting together the pieces of a puzzle, so Inova Fair Oaks Hospital launched a pilot program called MediMap, which uses a patients unique DNA to navigate their course of treatment.

The test analyzes 25 genes to see how theyll respond to 145 different medications, predicting which drugs will work best for you, which ones to avoid and exactly what the dosage should be.

We're making sure that we are able to control their pain while minimizing the side effects, Edmiston said.

The results of a 20-second cheek swab are available within seven-to-10 days.

It gave Hanson comfort during one of the most difficult moments of her life.

It went very smoothly, especially with the recovery from anesthesia, she said. I had no nauseousness. If all continues well, then Im already on my path to a full recovery.

She said shes doing great and will continue to see her doctors once a year for checkups.

The MediMap pilot program ends in December. The hospital hopes to expand the program next year.What to Know The retailer's headquarters in the D.C. metro area will be located in an area called National Landing.

National Landing includes Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard.

The new headquarters will bring 25,000 jobs to Northern Virginia, with an average wage of over $150,000.

It's official: Amazon has announced that its new headquarters will be split between Northern Virginia and New York City.

The company announced Tuesday that Arlington, Virginia, and New York City were its picks, after more than a year of unprecedented competition among governments across North America trying to woo the tech giant.

"We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia," Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, said in a statement.

The retailer's headquarters in the D.C. metro area will be located in an area that Amazon and Virginia officials are calling National Landing. This is a newly branded neighborhood that includes Crystal City and Pentagon City in Arlington and Potomac Yard in Alexandria, Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement.

Amazon's initial growth is expected to focus on the Crystal City and Pentagon City portions of National Landing, Northam said.

The company will start hiring for the National Landing location next year, said Brian Huseman, Amazon's vice president of public policy, during a press conference Monday afternoon.

The retailer's New York City location will be in Long Island City, on the west end of Queens.

Both locations are riverfront stretches of major metropolitan areas with ample transportation and space for workers.

"These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities," Bezos said.

That excitement isn't universal. Some see the billions in tax breaks as corporate welfare while others are worried about home values and school overcrowding in areas where it's already a problem for many residents.

Virginia state representative Lee Carter warned that thousands will be priced out of their homes with the influx of high-paid tech workers. He also raised the issue of overcrowded schools and traffic.

One woman asked News4, "Where will we park?"

The two East Coast locations will split the 50,000 jobs Amazon had promised HQ2 would initially bring to just one city. The average wage for these jobs will be over $150,000, Amazon says.

Virginia taxpayers will subsidize each of those high-salary jobs with a $22,000 incentive, up to $550 million. It could be higher if the workforce expands.

In addition to the 25,000 jobs Amazon will create in the commonwealth, Northam's office estimates the new headquarters will also create more than 22,000 permanent, direct and indirect jobs in Virginia.

Amazon says that as a part of the new headquarters, Arlington will also benefit from $2.5 billion in Amazon investment, 4 million square feet of energy-efficient office space with the opportunity to expand to 8 million square feet and an estimated incremental tax revenue of $3.2 billion over the next 20 years.

The retailer says it will also help improve its new neighborhood, promising an investment of $195 million in infrastructure for National Landing.

Amazon says the infrastructure plan includes improving the Crystal City Metro station and the yet-to-be-built Potomac Yard station. Also, a pedestrian bridge will connect National Landing and Reagan National Airport, and work will be done to improve the pedestrian experience along Route 1 over the next 10 years.

The retailer selected property management and development company JBG Smith as its partner for the National Landing project.

JBG Smith has been working since early 2017 to revitalize the area with a plan that includes new retail space, apartments and office space totaling more than seven million square feet, JBG Smith CEO Matt Kelly said.

"Amazon's selection of National Landing will enable us to accelerate these plans, and to deliver on the promise of a more walkable, amenity-rich, mixed-use environment with abundant green space and local retail," Kelly said.

JBG Smith will also work to address the need for affordable workforce housing in the region, he said.

In May, the company launched the Washington Housing Initiative, which will work to preserve or create 3,000 affordable housing units across the most rapidly developing neighborhoods in D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Families earning about $60,000 to $70,000  roughly 60 percent of the D.C. area's median income  are the targeted beneficiaries.

"This is a big win for Virginia  I'm proud Amazon recognizes the tremendous assets the Commonwealth has to offer and plans to deepen its roots here," Northam said.

During Monday afternoon's press conference, Northam said Virginia's proposal to Amazon includes investments to double Virginia's tech talent pipeline, with a goal of 25,000 to 35,000 new graduates in computer science and related fields within two decades.

Virginia is expected to funnel $375 million into developing master's degrees programs to bolster the state's technical workforce, and a new Virginia Tech campus for graduate students in Arlington is expected to attract more tech talent right to the doorstep of the corporate campus.

But Northam said the effort would start with a STEM and computer science curriculum for every student in the K-12 public school system, and will provide investments in professional development for teachers, support for summer and after-school programs, the expansion of internship opportunities for students studying computer science and related fields, and more.

Both Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed happiness for Virginia despite losing their own bids for the new headquarters.

"Amazon's decision to locate one of its new headquarters facilities in Northern Virginia is a tremendous win for the entire Capital region. Collectively, we will not only gain 25,000 corporate-level jobs, but also many businesses that are part of Amazons supply chain," Hogan said.

Bowser added, "We have always said that we would put our region and its people up against any other in the world. And as the federal government slows its growth, today's announcement demonstrates that the technology sector will continue to flourish in our region as our economy diversifies."

In addition to the headquarters in Northern Virginia and New York City, Amazon will also open an Operations Center of Excellence in Nashville, Tennessee.

News organizations reported last week that Amazon planned to build offices in two cities instead of one, in a surprise move. At the time, Amazon declined to comment on the anonymous comments of people familiar with the discussions between the company and officials in New York and Virginia.

When kicking off its hunt for a second home base in September 2017, the company promised 50,000 new jobs and construction spending of more than $5 billion. The retail behemoth made clear that tax breaks and grants would be a big factor in its decision.

In addition to looking for financial incentives, Amazon stipulated that it wanted to be near a metropolitan area with more than a million people; be able to attract top technical talent; be within 45 minutes of an international airport; have direct access to mass transit and be able to expand that headquarters to as much as 8 million square feet in the next decade.

The online retailer received 238 proposals from cities and regions in the U.S, Canada and Mexico.

HQ2 Contenders Pitched Financial Incentives

In January 2018, Amazon whittled down the list to 20 contenders. Washington, D.C.; Montgomery County, Maryland; and Northern Virginia made the cut. Other cities still in the running included Atlanta, Boston, Miami, New York City and Toronto.

Many cities were tight-lipped about the proposals they made to woo the online retailer.

Washington, D.C. offered Amazon a number of incentives, according to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by WAMU and obtained by the Washington Business Journal.

The incentives included relocation reimbursements for workers who move to the District, a five-year corporate franchise tax exemption and a five-year corporate franchise tax exemption.

Economic development officials in Virginia refused requests from several media organizations to see the proposal the state pitched. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership's general counsel argued that releasing the proposal could jeopardize future attempts to attract companies to Virginia.

The incentive package for creating new jobs alone could cost as much as $550 million, on top of other commitments. But Gov. Northam says the taxpayer money will benefit the community.

"Over 70 percent of those commitments go to education, workforce development, infrastructure, transportation or affordable housing," Northam said.

Montgomery County's proposal highlighted the area's highly educated workforce, diverse population and transportation system. Hogan offered a $5 billion package of tax incentives and transportation upgrades.

As governments wooed Amazon, some leaders and residents told Amazon to stay out. They said governments should not have offered billions in incentives without telling the public the details. Also, they said an HQ2 in the D.C. area would turn housing costs and availability, as well as traffic, upside down.

"This entire process has been conducted in remarkable opacity, which creates a race to the bottom between municipalities to offer the biggest package of tax and subsidy deals to Amazon that they can cobble together," Colin Downes, a spokesman for the Metro DC Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America previously told News4.

Amazon will remain in its sprawling Seattle headquarters, and the second center would be "a full equal" to it, Bezos previously said.A man found shot to death along with his son in their Virginia home Friday is described by friends as an immigrant success story who loved the country so much he named his son America.

I couldn't see anybody ever having ill will toward Duong or America, said his friend, Phil Shremshock.

Relatives traveling abroad asked the Fauquier County Sheriffs Office to check on 61-year-old Duong Nguyen and 22-year-old America Nguyen at their Bealeton home. America Nguyen was last heard from when he communicated with someone through social media Wednesday evening.

It's disturbing; it's alarming, Sgt. James Hartman said. The neighbors are concerned, rightfully so. This type of thing doesn't normally happen here.

There was no sign of forced entry at the home.

That's scary, a neighbor said. That's definitely scary, because then you wonder were they targeted or was this something like a robbery. Do we have anything in this neighborhood to worry about?

Shremshock said hes still in shock. The men worked together as cabinetmakers for years. He's been in touch with Nguyen's wife and daughter, who returned from a trip to Vietnam when they got the tragic news.

Duong Nguyen became a U.S. citizen after fleeing North Vietnam, Shremshock said.

He was a hardworking man, Shremshock said. He wanted to provide for his family, provide for his children, make them have a good future here in the United States.Amazon's future looks bright, as the company announced Tuesday that the tech giant will open two new global headquarters in Northern Virginia and New York City. And CEO Jeff Bezos topped the latest Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans, with an estimated net worth of $160 billion.

But Bezos wasn't born a billionaire.

He was the son of a 17-year-old mom who was a high school senior in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His mother, Jacklyn Gise Jorgensen, was briefly married to her high school boyfriend, and and then they divorced.

When Bezos, born Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen, was 4, his mother married Miguel "Mike" Bezos. The Cuban immigrant moved to Florida as a teen, taught himself English and earned a degree from the University of New Mexico.

When he recently spoke at The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., Bezos called his adoptive father his "real dad, not my biological dad."

Several of the states where Bezos, now 54, has lived showed up on the list of cities for Amazon's new global headquarters.

New Mexico holds important memories for Bezos, but didn't make the short list of Amazon HQ2 cities.

The Bezos family next lived in Texas. Austin and Dallas made the short list of cities, but not Houston, where the family settled for Bezos's father's job with Exxon. In elementary school in the state, Bezos said he was first interested in computers.

The family then moved to Miami, where Bezos went to high school and graduated as valedictorian. Miami would later make the Amazon HQ2 short list.

Next, Bezos attended Princeton University and graduated with honors and degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. Newark, New Jersey, would make the list.

As a recent college graduate, Bezos worked on Wall Street for several engineering-related firms. At one firm, he met the woman who would become his wife.

New York held fond memories, but Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos chose to settle in Seattle. There, Bezos tested out his idea for an online bookstore. That company, of course, would grow to become Amazon.

Washington state became the site of Amazon's first headquarters.

Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013, cementing his link to Washington, D.C.

The billionaire in 2016 purchased a mansion in the upscale Kalorama neighborhood of D.C. for $23 million. With the announcement of HQ2 coming to Arlington, Washingtonians may soon be seeing more of Bezos.A Maryland high school was briefly placed on lockdown Monday after authorities say a school resource officer fatally shot himself inside his office.

Baltimore County police spokeswoman Officer Jen Peach said at a news conference Monday that police and medics were called to Eastern Technical High School around 12:23 p.m. Peach said surveillance video showed the officer walking alone into his office in the school's basement. Faculty members heard a gunshot and responded.

Peach identified the officer as J. Comegna, a 21-year veteran of the department who died at a hospital after suffering an upper-body wound.

County school officials tweeted that students and staff were safe and sheltering in place. All afternoon and evening activities were canceled. Students were dismissed at their usual time and classes were expected to be held as scheduled on Tuesday.What to Know "This is starting very fast," said Sue Dvorsky, former chairwoman of the Democratic Party in the key primary state of Iowa

Unlike in 2016, when Hillary Clinton's shadow loomed large over the party, Democrats enter the 2020 campaign without a clear favorite

High-profile Democrats have started to lift the veil on their White House hopes, like Sens. Sherrod Brown and Kirsten Gillibrand

In the days after the midterm election, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker worked the phones with Democratic luminaries in Iowa. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock courted high-dollar donors in New York. Other Democrats openly mused about their White House ambitions on live television.

Motivated by an urgency to unseat President Donald Trump and the prospect of a historically large primary field, Democrats see little incentive to delay or downplay their 2020 presidential hopes. Their more transparent approach is upending one of Washington's favorite "will they or won't they" parlor games and pushed the campaign calendar up earlier than ever before.

"No one is waiting for anyone in the race to run for president," said Jim Messina, who managed President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign. "Those days are long, long over."

Running for president used to involve a familiar routine, with potential candidates spending months publicly demurring about their ambitions and professing to be content in their current roles. Advisers labored to keep meetings with donors and potential staff under wraps ahead of formal, carefully choreographed campaign announcements.

This time around, many Democrats believe it would be too risky to wait much longer before making their intentions known, particularly those with lower national profiles who could quickly be overshadowed by a field that could have more than two dozen candidates.

There are practicalities to consider, given the limited supply of money and top-flight staff available to run a campaign. But another driving factor is more visceral: Democrats are simply eager to take on the president.

"This is starting very fast," said former Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky. She said that given the imperative to beat Trump, "it kind of needs to."

Two long-shot Democrats have already declared their candidacy.

West Virginia state Sen. Richard Ojeda, a retired Army paratrooper who lost a race for Congress last week, announced his plans to run for president on Monday. Ojeda joins Maryland Rep. John Delaney, who has been running for the Democratic nomination since July 2017, and has already traveled to Iowa 19 times and made 12 trips to New Hampshire.

Delaney said he believes that his early start will help put him at an advantage ahead of would-be rivals.

"We not only know what the talent is, but they know us and they know about our message," said Delaney, whose campaign currently has about 10 staffers in Iowa. He expects that number to grow to at least 20 by January and 100 by June.

Higher-profile Democrats have also started to lift the veil on their White House hopes.

On Monday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, said he was "seriously looking at" a presidential campaign, saying in an interview that his election to a third term shows "a strong progressive can win." He called his Senate campaign "a blueprint for our nation in 2020."

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was also up front about her White House ambitions, telling ABC's "The View" Monday that she was indeed considering a campaign.

"I believe right now every one of us should figure out how we can do whatever we can with our time, with our talents, to restore that moral decency, that moral compass and that truth of who we are as Americans," Gillibrand said.

Unlike in 2016, when Hillary Clinton's shadow loomed large over the party, Democrats enter the 2020 campaign without a clear favorite. Former Vice President Joe Biden occupies the most similar role, with broad name recognition and a deep political network.

But Biden associates say he is still conflicted about whether to run, and he has pointedly said other would-be 2020 candidates should not defer to his plans. Biden is expected to make a decision by January.

Booker has been among the most aggressive in courting supporters in early-voting states. After the midterms, he called each member of the Iowa Democratic statewide ticket, for whom the New Jersey senator campaigned ahead of the midterm, the day after the election.

Booker was in touch with former Gov. Tom Vilsack, a veteran Democrat in the early-voting state, as well as candidates and operatives in other early-voting states he visited this fall.

California Sen. Kamala Harris, who would be considered an early favorite in the White House race, also called candidates she campaigned for in early-voting presidential states, including Deidre DeJear, who was Iowa's first African-American woman nominated for statewide office but lost in her bid for secretary of state.

Montana's Bullock, who has made several stops in Iowa this year, traveled to New York after Election Day to meet with potential donors. Though Bullock has a lower profile than many possible Democratic contenders, he has an experienced team of political advisers, including chief of staff Tom Lopach  the former executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee  and Nick Baldick, a veteran Democratic strategist.

Bullock also sent a staffer to Iowa to work for Tim Gannon, who lost his race for state agriculture secretary last week, a move aimed at giving Bullock an early foothold in the crucial caucus state.

And while the midterms showed that Trump remains a powerful force in the GOP, at least two Republicans are considering taking Trump on: retiring Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and outgoing Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Kasich will be in New Hampshire on Thursday for a speech at a First Amendment event. Ahead of his remarks, Kasich will have private meetings with several prominent New Hampshire Republicans, including state and county GOP chairs.

Associated Press writer Dan Sewell in Cincinnati contributed to this report.A tweet from the National Rifle Association that suggested doctors should not share their opinions on gun violence in the country prompted swift criticism from Boston's medical community.

"We see gunshot wounds pretty much daily. This just crossed that line," said Dr. Tracey Dechert, a trauma surgeon at Boston Medical Center.

The remarks from the NRA were made in response to a recent paper from the American College of Physicians and were posted on Twitter just hours before a gunman shot and killed 12 people in a bar in Thousand Oaks, California, last week. The organization wrote, "Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane."

The statement prompted tweets from surgeons all over the country, each including #ThisIsMyLane in their responses.

"Literally, they die in your hands and right in front of you," said Dechert. "That's why I think it was so hurtful, just not appropriate, to act as if this isn't what we do."

For many doctors, the issue has never been political. Given that the federal government does not fund gun violence research, their focus has primarily been on finding ways to study the issue and prevent it.

"We see these deaths, we see these injuries, we see this trauma as preventable. And we have to step up and do something about it," said Dr. Chana Sacks, a general internist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Nearly six years ago, Sacks' 7-year-old cousin was murdered in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The death prompted her to look more seriously at the gunshot injuries she and her colleagues see in patients every week. In 2015, she cofounded the MGH Gun Violence Prevention Coalition to examine the frequency of the violence and ways to reduce it.

"If any other issue were affecting people that way, we would be demanding action on a systemic level," Sacks said. "There is something so dramatically wrong with the way that we think about this problem."

NBC10 Boston contacted the NRA for comment on this story, but the organization did not respond.

Dechert hopes the response the group received from other doctors across the country sent a strong message.

"It's not really about them, it's about people who are being killed," she explained. "I'm not trying to fight with them. I am trying to save our patients."The University of Massachusetts Boston is promising to fix a litany of problems at the longtime commuter school's first on-campus dormitory.

The college's interim chancellor informed students via email Sunday that their complaints recounted in the newspaper would be addressed. Interim chancellor Katherine Newman is expected to meet with the builder of the new dorms on Tuesday to discuss the students' concerns.

Students spoke of poor security, unauthorized guests in common areas, broken elevators, lack of hot water, and undercooked hamburgers in the dining hall.

Newman called the problems "unacceptable" and promised to hold responsible the company that built the dorm.

She says security has already been upgraded with uniformed guards.

The $140 million dorm that opened this fall houses more than 1,000 students.

Capstone Development, which built the dorm, says it has addressed many problems and is waiting for parts to fix others.Victim has been left scarred for life following attack

A THATCHAM man has been jailed for an attack that scarred his ex-girlfriend for life.

Edward Lewis Rawlings, who has a history of domestic violence, was sent to prison for 18 months.

His latest victim, Lee Ann Brown, suffered nerve damage and permanent scarring after a glass was smashed into her face.

As a result, she may need plastic surgery in future, a judge heard.

Rawlings, who was living at Hartley Way, denied causing grievous bodily harm to Ms Brown at an address in Mount Road, Thatcham, on January 18.

During the trial, it became apparent that she could not be sure he had deliberately thrust the glass into her face.

Rawlings was therefore allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of causing actual bodily harm, on the basis he had recklessly flung it at her.

The court heard he had been jealous of her new relationship and that her children, who had been upstairs, had been traumatised by the savage attack on their mother and the gaping facial wound which resulted.

At a sentencing hearing at Reading Crown Court on Friday, she read from a victim impact statement she had prepared.

She told the court she was living in terror of Rawlings and constantly changed the route she walked her children to school.

Ms Brown said: Im fearful taking them to the park in case hes there... I dont answer the door... Ive been sleeping downstairs because if someone comes through the front door Im there and they wont be able to get my kids.

She told how she had needed stitches and had suffered nerve damage and scarring.

Ms Brown added: My confidence is broken; Im frightened of what he will do in the future. Ill always have to live with the scar on my face.

Rawlings has several previous convictions for domestic violence and in July a court heard how he tried to bite off another former partners 2,000 engagement ring in front of her screaming children.

Gavin Holme, defending, blamed Rawlings violence towards women on his upbringing and said: He has a fear that he is turning into his father.

He wants to do as much as he can to avoid that happening.

He has seen first-hand from looking at his father where he will end up if he continues in this way.

He pleaded with the court to allow his client to remain free by imposing a community punishment.

Judge Emma Nott told Rawlings: You were jealous she had a new relationship and seemed happy. You behaved appallingly and threw a glass at her.

You cut her face very badly... she may have to have plastic surgery to minimise the scarring.

In addition, added Judge Nott, he had utterly undermined her confidence in her ability to protect her children.

She said the children had been traumatised and went on: There is an established pattern of abusive and aggressive behaviour... you violated your last three intimate partners.

Despite all that, said Judge Nott, she would have considered a community punishment, but for one thing.

After reading pre-sentence reports prepared on Rawlings, she told him: You tried to belittle your victims and present them as unfaithful or promiscuous.

You tried to besmirch their characters. You tried to do that with Ms Brown and I reject utterly what you say about her.

Its a means of continuing to abuse your victims. Unfortunately that attitude leads me to conclude that it wouldnt be right in those circumstances to sentence you in the community. You may go down.

Rawlings will serve half his 18-month sentence in prison before being released on licence.Scientists at the University of Liverpool have discovered a new and important function of a toxin produced by disease-causing bacteria that could have significant implications for future vaccine design.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a major cause of life-threatening invasive diseases such as pneumonia, septicaemia and meningitis, and is responsible for more than one million deaths every year. Key to its disease-causing success is the action of a potent toxin called pneumolysin, which works by creating 'holes' in the membranes of human cells, and either killing them directly or causing significant tissue damage.

Until now, scientists believed that the effects of pneumolysin resulted purely from the binding of the toxin to cholesterol in host cell membranes. A new study published in Nature Microbiology, however, shows that pneumolysin can also bind directly to a host cell receptor on specialized immune cells to suppress the immune response.

The study was a collaboration between the Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunity Group at the University's Institute of Infection and Global Health and the Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

Using specialised in vitro experiments in human cells and in vivo studies in mice, the team has shown that pneumolysin can bind directly to a host cell receptor called Mannose Receptor C type-1 (MRC-1) on immune cells, including macrophages and dendritic cells, causing them to reduce their production of molecules that promote inflammation and protective immunity. The bacteria can then survive more easily in the airways, as inflammation and immune cell activity is suppressed.

Professor Aras Kadioglu, who led the study in Liverpool said: "This is really a key moment in our understanding of how the pneumococcus causes disease. First of all, because it breaks a long-standing dogma that pneumolysin can only bind to cholesterol, indeed the identification of a host receptor for pneumolysin has been the holy grail in the field for many decades, and secondly, because it changes our understanding of how the pneumococcus uses its toxin to manipulate and alter our immune response to its advantage. I am very excited by the potential of these new findings."

Dr Daniel Neill who is a joint first author, added: "Understanding how bacteria are able to promote infection via toxin production will help scientists to develop new ways of combatting serious infectious diseases. Several vaccines in development contain detoxified pneumolysin and it is important that we further explore how the newly-described receptor-binding activity might influence the immune responses induced by such vaccination."The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a notification regarding antibiotic usage and resistance this week. The organization has warned that some countries have a very high consumption of antibiotics and there is a shortage in several regions worldwide. This disparity has led to misuse that had spread antibiotic resistance, the WHO says.

Status of countries with regard to WHO activities on monitoring antimicrobial consumption

The WHO for the first time has collated data on antibiotic usage from across the world and has shown these disparities. The report comes from data gathered in 2015 from 65 countries and regions. The measure of antibiotic usage by WHO for comparison is the DDD or the defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day. They noted that it was as low as 4 in Burundi and as high as 64 in Mongolia. The WHO statement reads, The large difference in antibiotic use worldwide indicates that some countries are probably overusing antibiotics while other countries may not have sufficient access to these life-saving medicines.

The WHO says that since the discovery of antibiotics in 1920s they have saved millions of lives from deadly infections. With emergence of antibiotic resistance, more and more bacterial organisms are now resistant to the regularly used antibiotics at hand.

The WHO warns that the world would soon run out of effective antibiotics if this trend continues. Suzanne Hill, head of WHOs essential medicines unit, said in a statement, Overuse and misuse of antibiotics are the leading causes of antimicrobial resistance. Without effective antibiotics and other antimicrobials, we will lose our ability to treat common infections like pneumonia. The WHO has urged the pharmaceutical companies to focus on creating new antibiotics that could fight against the resistant organisms. According to Dr. Hill, bacteria can quickly acquire resistance to antibiotics when they are prescribed to people who do not need them or when people do not complete the course of antibiotics. The bacteria that has been incompletely treated with an antibiotic soon develops methods to combat the antibiotic when it next encounters the drug. This causes emergence of the resistance, say the experts. Hill said that these results have confirmed the need to take urgent action, such as enforcing prescription-only policies, to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics.

The WHO on the other hand is also worried about lack of adequate antibiotic availability in certain regions. The statement reads, Resistance can occur when people cannot afford a full course of treatment or only have access to substandard or falsified medicines. They noted that across Europe the average antibiotic consumption was nearly 18 DDD per 1,000 inhabitants per day. However rampant antibiotic usage was seen in turkey (over 38 DDD) and low coverage was seen in Azerbaijan (less than 8 DDD).

The WHO agrees that this report is far from comprehensive and complete. Major countries that are large consumers of antibiotics have been missed out. These include the United States, India and China. The countries included were mostly from Europe, four from Africa, three from Middle East and six from the Asia-Pacific region. The team needs funds and trained personnel to gather comprehensive data from the regions that have been missed out in this survey. The WHO statement says, Reliable data on antibiotic consumption is essential to help countries to raise awareness of appropriate antimicrobial use.

Source: http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/rational_use/oms-amr-amc-report-2016-2018/en/'Kukur Tihar' - A Celebration of Dogs in Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Nepal's tradition of honoring dogs at Kukur Tihar has been taken to the other side of the world by a collective of Mexican animal rights groups that has started celebrating the festival too.

Last week, after Nepal worshipped its dogs, Mexicans brought out their pets in Mexico City's Revolution Square and in Puerto Vallarta, garlanding and smearing vermilion on them - just like in Nepal.





Kukur Tihar celebrations were started in Mexico in 2016, and was inspired by the Nepali festival to spread awareness there about the respect humans owe to all animals. Since then, the festival has gained popularity, and dogs have been singled out for special honor.

"It is important to raise awareness among the population about the respect we owe dogs," the organizer of the annual festival Martha Dau told the El Universal newspaper, "we are convinced that a human being who does not hurt an animal will hardly hurt a human being."

Dogs garlanded with marigold, and smeared with red powder could be seen with their owners in Puerto Vallarta at two events this week. One of the organizers, Proteccion del Perro Callejero also shared a YouTube tutorial on how to make marigold garlands for dogs.

Anemio Maya of the Organizacion Properro said the festival was inspired by Kukur Tihar in Nepal in which dogs are worshipped because they are messengers of Yamaraj, the God of Death. "We hope that this celebration will spread throughout Mexico to raise awareness about the abandonment and the mistreatment suffered by dogs and to create a feeling of gratitude that is so necessary," Maya added.

Owners fed dogs their favorite treats, and played with pets during the Kukur Tihar celebrations which included colorful drapes, banners and even rangoli adorning the celebration grounds at Hotel Puerto de Luna in Puerto Vallarta, creating a vivacious ambience that defines Tihar.

Last year's event in Puerto Vallarta paid tribute to Frida, a rescue dog involved in the earthquake in Mexico in 2017, and observed a minute's silence to all other pets which died in the quake.Xem them

...

Tin bai cuoi cung

Khong con du lieu e loadInside the best The Flash story of all time with Mark Waid, Greg Larocque, and Brian Augustyn

Looking back at the greatest Flash story of all timeSorry!

This content is not available in your regionHyderabad:

A woman leader of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has again threatened to commit suicide if she was not allotted ticket to contest from Huzurnagar assembly constituency for the next months elections. For the past few months Kasoju Shankaramma, TRS in-charge of Huzurnagar constituency in Suryapet district has been requesting the party leadership to consider her name for the Huzurnagar seat and had been threatening to commit suicide if she was denied ticket.

Shankaramma, mother of Telangana Martyr Srikantha Chary, Tuesday told reporters here that she will commit suicide if she was not nominated from Huzurnagar.

According to her she has strengthened the party in the constituency and enrolled thousands of members into the party.

Also Read | CNN sues Trump administration for revoking its journalist Jim Acosta's White House press credentials

I want ticket for Huzurnagar constituency. I put in efforts and developed the party in Huzurnagar. Last time I won more than 46,000 votes, she said.

TRS has earlier announced candidates for 107 seats (out of the total 119) after the assembly was dissolved prematurely in September.

Huzurnagar is among the constituencies for which the ruling the party has not announced its candidates.

There have been reports that TRS may field Saidi Reddy, an NRI who joined the party recently, from Huzurnagar.New Delhi:

Debt-laden carrier Jet Airways on Tuesday said that the airline is on discussion with various potential investors for capital infusion and partial stake sale in its loyalty programme, Jet Privilege.

The Naresh Goyal-led airline on Monday reported its third consecutive quarterly loss in a row, roiled by higher fuel cost that soared 59 percent, a steep rupee fall that led to a seven-fold spike in forex loss as well as airlines inability to increase fares in the face of excess capacity and stiff competition.

We are working towards various liquidity initiates to bridge the gap. We have engaged the services of experts to help in the turnaround plan and enhance liquidity, deputy chief executive and chief financial officer Amit Agarwal said.

Also Read | Nehruvian legacy being 'undermined' by those presently in power: Sonia Gandhi

Agarwal said the company has hired investment bankers and consulting firms to carry out these tasks, adding, six wide-body Boeing 777s have already been put on sale.

According to reports, the airline is struggling to make payments to creditors, including aircraft lessors and salaries to a section of its over 16,000 employees.

The rupee fell by about 10 per cent during the quarter over the same period last year while Brent jumped almost 50 percent. However, instead of witnessing an increase in fares to recover cost, the industry fares and yields are in fact down, chief executive officer Vinay Dube said.

Such a low fare regime is not sustainable for either the industry or the consumer in the medium-term, he said adding, it is imperative that fares rise in the short-term.

Read More | Karan Johar trolled for insulting ethnic headgears from Northeast India

Acknowledging that the employees are not happy with salary delays, Dube said, almost 15 percent employees have not been receiving their salaries on time and I am sure they are less than happy. But let me add that our employees are extremely committed and dedicated.

Meanwhile, according to reports, conglomerate Tata Sons has already started its due diligence in order to pick up a controlling stake in the airline.

An in-house team of Tata Sons is currently conducting due diligence on Jet Airways, which is expected to continue for the next few weeks," Mint quoting a source reported, adding that the conglomerate is also keen to acquire Jet's stake in its loyalty programme, Jet Privilege.

(With inputs from agencies)

For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

A 12-day-old baby was killed by a monkey in Agra on Monday evening. The infant was found lying bruised and bitten on the terrace of a neighbour's house in the Mohalla Kachhera area after a monkey snatched him from his mother.

Read More | Mizoram Assembly Polls: 76% licensed gun owners deposit arms

According to the family, Sunny's mother was feeding him when the monkey snatched the infant and ran away with him. The family members chased the monkey and later found the baby lying blood-soaked on a neighbour's terrace. The baby was rushed to a hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead, the family members said. The family also took him to another hospital, but to no avail.

Residents said the monkeys loot, snatch and attack people, particularly women and children. However, according to eco-activist Shravan Kumar, the monkeys are turning aggressive as their natural habitats have been destroyed and the green cover is steadily shrinking.

Also Read | BJP MLA Anil Gote announces resignation from Assembly, party

"People do not dare to go to their terraces. Those who do have sealed their homes with iron mesh cages. You cannot leave your door open or sit in the sun," a resident of Vijay Nagar colony Seema Gupta said.New Delhi:

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Anil Gote has announced his resignation as member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly as well as from the BJP, alleging that criminals were being inducted into the party. Gote, who represents the Dhule Assembly seat in Maharashtra, said on Monday that he will tender his resignation on November 19.

Gote has been opposing induction of some leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) into the BJP. I am going to tender my resignation to the Assembly Speaker on November 19, first day of the state legislatures winter session, and also quit the party, he said as quoted by news agency PTI.

Also Read | California fire deadliest in US history, 42 killed: Authorities

Despite my opposition, senior party leaders have been inducting people with criminal background into the BJP ahead of Dhule Municipal Corporation election, Gote said.

If these people get elected, they will ruin Dhule city with their corrupt practices, he claimed. He also said that he will contest the mayoral election in the Dhule civic body next month.

Speaking to DNA, Gote said that the all criminals from other parties have joined the BJP. With the rampant induction of criminals in the party, no other party except BJP has criminals. BJP has given them shelter. Theres no point working with a party that promotes criminalisation of politics, said Gote.

Read More | Sonali Bendre's anniversary post for husband is every bit emotional

Gote had won the 2009 Assembly election as an Independent and joined the BJP ahead of the 2014 state polls. He was arrested earlier in connection with the counterfeit stamp paper scam involving kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi, and is now out on bail. Last month, BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh, a staunch proponent of separate Vidarbha state, had resigned as member of the Assembly and from the partys primary membership. He was an MLA from Katol constituency in Nagpur district.New Delhi:

In Mizoram, at least 76 per cent of the licensed gun owners have deposited their arms to the police ahead of the Assembly elections to be held on November 28, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) LH Shanliana said that 10,337 licensed gun owners had deposited their firearms in various police stations across Mizoram.

Read More | Rafale Deal: 'We chose Ambani by ourselves, decreased price by 9 per cent,' says Dassault CEO

According to a directive issued by the Election Commission of India, all registered gun owners were asked to deposit their firearms before the Assembly elections. The deputy commissioners of all the districts in the state thus issued an order for the same. Superintendents of police and officers-in-charge of border districts have been put on high alert.

The IGP said that DGPs of neighbouring Assam, Tripura and Manipur have been asked to ensure that no persons or materials that could disrupt the poll process in Mizoram should be allowed to enter the state.

Shanliana hoped that all licensed gun owners, including farmers, would deposit their firearms before the polls though the farmers need guns to protect their jhums (cultivation) from animals at this time of the year.

We have received excellent cooperation from the village councils in the rural areas and the local councils in the capital Aizawl, Shanliana said.

Also Read | Ranveer Singh to go through Vidaayi ceremony after marrying Deepika

Keeping in mind the gun owners sentiments about their guns, he said they would be able to check and clean their firearms whenever they want to do so by visiting the respective police stations and outposts.

Close circuit television cameras were in place in the border outposts at Assam border Vairengte, Saiphai and Bairabi and Tripura border Zawlnuam Police outposts, the IGP said.New Delhi:

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone wedding announcement has already created a whirlpool of buzz on the internet. The Padmaavat actors wedding bells are nearer than ever and while the couple is busy in the preparations of their impending marriage, we have another report thatll blow your mind!

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. While everyone is speculating about Deepikas outfit choice for her D-day, we have our hands on a report that reveals the details of gorgeous Indian bridal attires for her Konkani and Sindhi wedding.

If reports are to be believed, the outfit for her Konkani wedding will be a Saree.The 7-yard saree will have hues of golden, orange and marigold. The 'Kanche' or in common man's language, the dhoti style drape for her saree will have a shorter pallu thats tucked in mostly.

According to a report in Pinkvilla, Deepikas outfit choice for the Sindhi wedding will be a lehenga. Her lehenga will be that in hues of pink and purples and paired with the magnificently royal and regal jadau neckalce. The detail that got us excited is her jadau jewellery! Deepika will be again donning the necklace from the iconic 'Jauhar scene' in Padmaavat along with a maang teeka and nath.

The actors will tie the knot on November 14 and 15, and while their fans and family are eagerly waiting for the dates to come, their pre-wedding ceremonies have begun.

Ranveers Haldi ceremony has taken place already in Bollywoods livewire Ranveer Singhs style. In the photos shared on Instagram, Ranveer is in the balcony of his house. He can be seen clicking a selfie with a close friend all covered in Haldi.

ALSO READ| Ranveer Singh to go through Vidaayi ceremony after tying the knot with Deepika Padukone

A few days back, Sabyasachi Mukherjee also took to Instagram to share pictures of Deepika in traditional attire in her hometown, Bengaluru. So it appears, that the pre-wedding ceremonies have begun with great fervour from both the ends and the wedding bells can be heard already.

Speculations are ripe that Deepikas side of family will dress up in ace designer Sabyasachi Mukherjees outfits.

ALSO READ| Inside pictures from Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh wedding venue in Italy

Ranveer and Deepikas destination wedding will take place in Italys Villa del Balbianello in Lake Como, which will be attended by the familys close friends. Deepika and Ranveer will reportedly host two lavish receptions in India  one in Bengaluru and the other in Mumbai.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

We have a bad news for all DeepVeer fans. Recent reports suggest that the pictures and videos from Ranveer and Deepika's wedding might not make it to social media.

According to a report in a leading daily, Ranveer and Deepika have asked their wedding guests to not bring mobile phones to the wedding.A The couple has asked their guests to respect their privacy and is in no mood to make their wedding an event of frenetic media coverage.

"They have asked guests to not bring their cell phones to the ceremony. Considering the fact that it will be a destination wedding, there will be fewer people and all the arrangements will be in place. While the two, in all likelihood, will share pictures with their fans eventually, they hope this step will help them guard their privacy," a source told the daily.

Nitasha Gaurav, the lady behind Ranveer's fashion A-game, tweeted this out that further validates the reports!

No pictures but it was love personified to see them together today. Couldnat stop my tears, but these were tears of happiness and so I hope they never do. #DeepVeerKiShaadi #ranveerkishaadi #foreverlove

Singer Harshdeep Kaur who was in attendance at Ranveer and Deepika's sangeet, shared a photo fromA theA wedding location inA ItalyA which she deleted later.

The pictures and videos from the wedding might remain masked because the wedding itself is a really closed affair with only 30 people on the guest list.

With wedding season in its full swing, it seems like the wedding bug has caught the entire Bollywood. Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra-Nick Jonas are the names you would literally see everywhere these days.

While Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra are set to tie the knot in India and the wedding venue is in Jodhpur, Deepika and Ranveer chose to take their wedding overseas.A

The Padmaavat actors' destination wedding will take place at a picturesque location in Italyas Villa del Balbianello in Lake Como. Deepika and Ranveer will reportedly host two lavish receptions in India a one in Bengaluru and the other in Mumbai.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Los Angeles:

Filmmaker Brady Corbet says actor Natalie Portman's character in his upcoming directorial Vox Lux identifies closely to rapper Kanye West.

Portman plays Celeste, a pop star, in the film, which also features Jude Law. The actor has been applauded by the critics for her powerhouse performance in the feature.



"If anything, I feel like the character's closest to Kanye West," Brady Corbet told Vulture at the film's AFI FEST screening.



Agreeing to Corbet's assertion, Portman said, "Oh! That's a good example! That's funny that he said that! I wasn't thinking Kanye but now that he said it I totally could see it."

Also Readc | Many cultural similarities between India, Mexico: Narcos star Luna



The filmmaker said he is "sort of fascinated" by West and his persona.

"I don't know what to take seriously or not, to be honest, so I don't ever find anything he says to be particularly offensive... Hopefully he likes it," he said.



"The idea was that the character would be sort of an amalgamation of many different real-life personages. There are certain character traits or parts of the story that evoke real-life people. You never want people to take the comparison the wrong way. The character is a fictional character so I wouldn't end up insulting anyone," he added.



Portman said the character has different sides and shades to her.

Also Read | Marvel co-creator Stan Lee passes away at 95



"I don't really see it as one (person)... I really see different sides because, you know, the relationship with her sister is different, having a kid and having this period where she's having troubles with substances, and, like, the desire to shock," she said.



The film releases on December 7.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Binny Bansal, chief executive officer and co-founder of Flipkart, has resigned the group following an independent probe into allegations of "serious personal misconduct", the company's owner Walmart Inc said on Tuesday. Binny, 37, has strongly denied the charges and said he was "stunned" by the allegations. Binny added that he will continue to remain a large shareholder and board member of the company that he had co-founded 11 years ago.

Walmart, in its statement, said Binny's decision to step down followed an independent investigation done on behalf of Flipkart and Walmart, even though the probe "did not find evidence to corroborate the complainant's assertions" against him. The company, however, did not provide details of the nature of misconduct or the findings of the probe for which it had engaged a global law firm.

According to sources, the probe -- that began in July -- did not involve an employee of Flipkart. They indicated that the complainant was associated with Flipkart a few years ago and is now running her own venture. The matter is in "personal realm," they added. This, however, could not be independently ascertained.

Also Read | Air India pilot Arvind Kathpalia sacked as Director of Operations for failing alcohol test before flight

"While the investigation did not find evidence to corroborate the complainant's assertions against Binny, it did reveal other lapses in judgement, particularly a lack of transparency, related to how Binny responded to the situation. Because of this, we have accepted his decision to resign," Walmart said in its statement.

It added that the events surrounding the allegations had "risked becoming a distraction", prompting Bansal's decision to step down. He had been appointed group CEO in January last year.

In an email to employees, Binny said he had been mulling over the right time to step away from an operating role at Flipkart Group for some some time. "My plan was to continue in my current role for a few more quarters to continue the transition after closing the deal with Walmart. However, my decision to step down has been accelerated by certain personal events that have taken place in the recent past," he wrote in his email.

Bansal added that these events relate to a claim of serious personal misconduct made against him, "which was uncorroborated after a thorough investigation completed by an independent law firm".

Also Read | Nehruvian legacy being 'undermined' by those currently in power: Sonia Gandhi

"The allegations left me stunned and I strongly deny them. The investigation, however, did bring to light lapses in judgment, particularly a lack of transparency, related to how I responded to the situation," he said.

Bansal said these have been "challenging times" for him and his family, and in light of these circumstances, he felt it was best to step away as chairman and Group CEO.

He, however, added that he will continue to remain a large shareholder and board member of the now Walmart-owned firm. Binny had co-founded Flipkart with his IIT-Delhi batchmate Sachin Bansal in 2007. Sachin Bansal (not related) left the company, selling his entire 5.5 per cent stake to Walmart, as part of the mega USD 16-billion deal with the US retail behemoth in May.

In a separate statement, Flipkart said: "This has been an unfortunate and challenging situation for Binny, his family, and Flipkart." Kalyan Krishnamurthy, currently chief executive of the Flipkart division, will report directly to the board, Walmart said adding that Flipkart will now include fashion portals, Myntra and Jabong even though they would continue to operate as separate platforms.

Ananth Narayanan will continue as CEO of Myntra and Jabong and will report to Krishnamurthy. Sameer Nigam will continue to head PhonePe -- Flipkart's payments unit -- as CEO. Both Krishnamurthy and Nigam will report directly to the board, Walmart said.

"We remain committed to investing for the long-term and are supportive of the leadership team's desire to evolve into a publicly-traded company in the future," it added.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

The Opposition Congress on Monday denounced Dassault CEO Eric Trappiers clarification on Rafale deal saying that as per the rule of law co-accuseds statements hold now value.

In a detailed interview with ANI, the CEO of the Dassault Aviation  the French company responsible for manufacturing the Rafale aircraft  had said that the decision to choose Anil Ambanis Reliance as one of its offset partners for the deal was taken them.

We chose Ambani by ourselves. We already have 30 partners other than Reliance. The IAF is supporting the deal because they need the fighter jets for their own defence to be at the top, Trappier said.

Terming Trappiers interview dictated and manufactured, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the beneficiaries and accused cant play the judge in their own case.

Also Read | Rafale Deal: We chose Ambani by ourselves, decreased price by 9 per cent, says Dassault CEO

First rule of Law- Mutual Beneficiaries & co-accused's statements hold no value. Second Rule:-Beneficiaries & Accused cant be Judge in their own case. Truth has a way of coming out. Surjewala wrote on Twitter.

#Rafale Scam!



Nation doesnt need doctored explanations but fair investigation!



Fixed match between BJP Govt & Dassault and PR Stunts of PM Modi & Eric Trappier cant hide the blatant corruption.



Our Statement-: pic.twitter.com/P4xAGiUj7z  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) November 13, 2018

The Opposition Congress and its chief Rahul Gandhi have been accusing the Modi government of helping Anil Ambanis Reliance in getting the deal. The Congress chief has also been using the issue of Rafale deal to score political points and attack the BJP during his election rallies in poll-bound states.

On April 10, 2015, Modi had announced the deal of purchasing 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from France. The deal, however, became a headache for the Modi government after the Gandhi raised the issue of irregularities in the deal.

Also Read | Rafale Deal: CCS approval was taken, due process followed, government tells petitioners

The Modi government, however, rejected the Congress chiefs allegations and claimed that it followed the standard procedure to procure the Rafel jets and had no role to play in choosing Reliance as Dassaults offset partner.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Without naming anyone, senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said those currently in power are undermining the legacy of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and called upon people to fight to safeguard countrys democracy.

Speaking at an event to relaunch Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's book 'Nehru: The Invention of India', the former Congress president said Jawaharlal Nehru, as India's first prime minister, "consolidated democracy and entrenched the basic values of India's polity -- values to which we are still proud to lay claim."

Precious legacy of Nehru is being undermined daily by those who rule us today.They express disdain for Nehru for all that he did to build India that they are bent upon changing for worse. Today we must honour him by fighting with determination to safeguard democracy: Sonia Gandhi pic.twitter.com/QCtX4JEfVl  ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2018

"What are these values. Shashi Tharoor summarises them as the core pillars of Nehruvianism -- democratic institutional building, staunch pan-Indian secularism, socialist economics and foreign policy of non-alignment. These values were integral to a vision of Indianness that is fundamentally being challenged today," she said on the eve of Nehru's birth anniversary. But, that vision remains at the core of "our time-tested beliefs", Gandhi said.

Also Read | Flipkart CEO Binny Bansal quits over allegations of personal misconduct

"We all know, as Shashi Tharoor has just said, that this precious legacy is being undermined daily by those who rule us today. They express disdain and contempt for Nehru for all that he did to build the India they are bent upon changing for the worse," Gandhi said.

She added: "Today, we must honour him by fighting with determination to safeguard our democracy against those who are undermining it."

Talking in detail about the four Nehruvian pillars, Gandhi said it was Nehru who instilled a democratic culture in our country by his regard for democracy.

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Nehru's regard for Parliament, his regard for the independence of the judiciary, his curtesy to those of different political convictions, his commitment to free elections, his faith in a free press and his deference to institutions over individuals -- have all left a precious legacy of freedom, Gandhi said.

On Nehru's commitment to secularism, Gandhi said he strived to prevent partition, but when it occurred, he never accepted that since Pakistan had been ostensibly created for Indian Muslims, what remained was a state for Hindus.

Shashi Tharoor on Nehru

At the event, Tharoor lauded Nehru for strengthening democratic institutions and always encouraging "constructive criticism".

# Tharoor said Nehru was asked by an American editor as to what he wanted his legacy to be, to which the first Indian prime minister said: "330 million people capable of governing themselves."

# "A number of post-colonial heroes in other ex-colonies had gone the opposite way. They started off as democratically popular heroes and headed in an authoritarian direction...Nehru ji never fell into that trap.

# "So if today, we have a chaiwala as prime minister, it is because Nehru ji made it possible to create the institutional structures through which any Indian can aspire to and rise to the highest office in the land," the MP from Thiruvanathapuram said.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review its September 28 verdict allowing entry of women of all ages into Kerala's famous Sabarimala Temple. The Supreme Court will hear all the 49 petitions challenging the judgment in an open court on January 22.

Hearing the review petitions, a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, however, refused to stay the verdict that allowed women to enter into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

"All the Review Petitions along with all pending applications will be heard in Open Court on January 22, 2019, before the appropriate Bench. We make it clear that there is no stay of the judgment and order of this Court dated September 28, 2018...," the top court order said.

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On September 28, a five-judge constitution bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra had removed the ban on the entry of women of menstruating age into the Lord Ayyappa Shrine in Sabarimala. In its 4:1 verdict, the apex court had said that the ban amounted to gender discrimination.

Several organisations, including the National Ayyappa Devotees Association (NADA), had sought the review of the order and described the verdict untenable and irrational.

The notion that the judgment under review is revolutionary, one which removes the stigma or the concept of dirt or pollution associated with menstruation is unfounded. It is a judgment welcomed by hypocrites who were aspiring for media headlines. On the merits of the case, as well, the said judgment is absolutely untenable and irrational, if not perverse, the NADA had said.

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However, despite the Supreme Court order, no woman between the age group of 11-50 could enter the temple due to violent protests by the so-called devotees. Over a dozen women, including activists and journalists, tried to enter the shrine but were not allowed to go near the temple despite heavy police security.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.by Nirmala Carvalho

A meeting at Singapores Cathedral Good Shepherd brought together some 60 Christian and Taoist religious leaders, who reiterated the need to work together in the future and promote individual responsibility so as to end the crisis in human values.

Mumbai (AsiaNews)  Christian and Taoist leaders from Asia and Europe met in Singapore to talk about the "ethical dimension" in their respective religious beliefs.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Mgr Felix Machado, chairman of the Office for Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (OEIA-FABC), stressed the need for religions to respond to the current crisis of ethics".

For the Archbishop of Vasai, the meeting also provided an opportunity "to learn a lot about the rich tradition of Taoism and also the religious situation in China".

Titled Christian and Taoist Ethics in Dialogue, the conference was sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the Archdiocese of Singapore and the Taoist Federation of Singapore.

Held from 5 to 7 November at the Cathedral Good Shepherd, the event brought together 60 people, 30 Christians and 30 Taoists, from mainland China, France, Switzerland, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea.

Archbishop Machado said that the meeting "focused on various topics, including among others: todays crisis of ethics and hope for tomorrow, Taoist and Christian responses to the crisis of ethics, social institutions and the transformation of human persons, global ethics and the interdependency of all human beings.

According to the archbishop, the work was characterised by "a cordial and friendly atmosphere that allowed participants to learn about the essence of both religious traditions."

At the end, everyone agreed upon the need to work together in the future.

We recognise that todays crisis of ethics requires a rediscovery of universal values based on social justice, integral ecology, as well as the dignity of human life at every stage and circumstance, the prelate said.

For this reason, no one can escape the moral responsibility of transforming unjust socioeconomic, political, cultural, religious and legal structures.New Delhi:

Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda has been assigned the charge of Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, while Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has been given the charge of Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in addition to their existing portfolio following the demise of Union Minister and Karnataka BJP leader Ananth Kumar.

The additional portfolios were earlier held by Ananth Kumar.

While Gowda is in charge of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Tomar holds the portfolio of the Ministry of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Mines.

Kumar died at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday after battling lung cancer for several months. The 59-year-old Bangalore South MP breathed his last around 2 am at the Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre where he was under care after returning home in October following treatment in the US and Britain.

His wife Tejaswini and two daughters -- Aishwarya and Vijetha -- were by his side.

Joining politics in 1987, Kumar became a Union minister in the Vajpayee cabinet in 1998 when he was only 38. He remained in the inner circle of the central leadership of the BJP -- be it during the heyday of Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Narendra Modi now.

He served as an important link between the central and state units of the party.

President Ram Nath Kovind, the prime minister, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and leaders across the political spectrum condoled the death the six-time parliamentarian.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

A pink diamond called the Pink Legacy is all set to break the diamond records. Found in 1920 at a South African mine, this exceptionally rare 19-carat pink diamond is the first diamond of its kind that has been found to have the highest possible grade of colour intensity. A fortune of wealth once owned by the Oppenheimer family, which for decades ran the De Beers diamond mining company the pink stone is to go under the hammer in Geneva Tuesday, which could fetch $50 million (44 million euros), setting a new record for a stone of its kind.

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Christie's international head of jewellery, Rahul Kadakia, described the Pink Legacy as "one of the world's greatest diamonds". Pink diamonds are one of the worlds rarest diamond and you dont easily come by one with 10 carats in the salesroom, fancy vivid pink diamonds diamond experts went on to say.

The Pink Legacy has the highest possible grade of colour intensity

They are "virtually unheard of" is what experts say about the colour intensity. Plus, the classic rectangular cut is traditionally used for white stones and is very rare for pink diamonds making the Pink Legacy even more valuable.

Only four vivid pink diamonds or over 10 carats have ever been offered at auction. And one of them was the Pink promise, a nearly 15-carat Pink Promise, which was sold last November at a Christie's auction in Hong Kong for $32.5 million, which remains the world auction record price per carat for any pink diamond.

The Pink Legacy to aution at Four Seasons des Bergues hotel, Geneva

However, with the arrival of the Pink Legacy, there has been speculations that the battle of the pink would be intense. Eddie LeVian, CEO of jewellers Le Vian, said that record of the Pink Promise could fall at Tuesdays Pink Legacy auction. The Pink Legacys auction will take place at the superfluous, Four Seasons des Bergues hotel on the banks of Lake Geneva.

"We've recently witnessed a meteoric rise in the number of the world's ultra-high net worth individuals who view rare, natural fancy colour diamonds as investments," Le Vian said in a statement.

"I therefore believe the Pink Legacy will beat the current world auction record," he added.

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"Imagine a domino that you have cut the corners off of," Jean-Marc Lunel, an international jewellery specialist at Christie's, recently told AFP, pointing out that the cut is a "classical so-called emerald cut", which stands out from the typical, more rounded, multi-facetted cuts used today.

Christie's said the Pink Legacy is "the largest and finest Fancy Vivid Pink diamond ever offered at auction by the company," calling the stone "incomparable."

"It is probably the most beautiful (specimen) ever presented at public auction," Lunel said.New Delhi:

Families which know the symptoms and complications of diabetes are best positioned to prevent it, WHO said , asserting that health authorities should harness the capacity as about 91 million people in the South-East Asia Region live with the disease.



On the eve of World Diabetes Day, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Poonam Khetrapal Singh said the global health body will continue to support all member states to empower families to tackle diabetes head-on and ensure they can do so effectively everywhere.



"Families that know the signs, symptoms, risks and complications of diabetes are best positioned to prevent the disease and seek medical care to manage it," she said.

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"Health authorities regionwide should harness this capacity given an estimated 91 million people in the WHO South-East Asia Region live with diabetes, with around 49 million unaware of their condition," she said.



Singh noted that undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes type 1 and type 2 can cause heart, kidney, nerve and eye damage, as well as premature death.



Singh said families provide a ready-made means to instill healthy habits that last a lifetime, dramatically reducing the risk of diabetes type 2, which accounts for the majority of such cases.

"They can also help ensure that the disease is detected and managed effectively. Doing so will avoid complications and the costs it results in for individuals, families, communities and countries," Singh said.

WHO's South-East Asia Region comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.



As part of the region's flagship priority to tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), to which diabetes is a major contributor, member states can empower families to address the disease and enhance health outcomes, Singh said.

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"That should occur at the same time as increasing access to services for diabetes and other NCDs at the primary healthcare level, as outlined in the Colombo Declaration adopted region-wide in 2016. There are several ways to do this," Singh said.



The WHO regional director said health authorities should ensure all families have access to educational resources that help them better understand diabetes.



"To enable this, health authorities can work across sectors to increase the access individuals and families have to healthy environments," she said.



Creation of green spaces and outdoor gyms in urban areas can facilitate exercise, she said.

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"So too can policies to decrease the amount of sugar and fat in foods and enhance people's ability to make healthier choices," she said.



All families should have access to affordable diabetes medicines, medical products and care, she said, noting this starts with ensuring services at the primary level are equipped to detect the disease and that a reliable supply of medicines and medical products used to manage it are on hand.



"Each of the region's member states are dedicated to implementing National Multisectoral Action Plans to tackle NCDs and to prevent, treat and beat diabetes, including by applying the WHO Package of essential noncommunicable disease interventions (WHO PEN) at the primary level.

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"This is commendable. WHO will continue to support all member states empower families to tackle diabetes head-on, and to ensure all families everywhere can do so effectively," she said.Denpasar (Indonesia):

The only female member of the Bali Nine heroin-trafficking gang will be freed from an Indonesian prison next week, a corrections official said on Monday, after serving 13 years in a case that caused a diplomatic furore.

Australian Renae Lawrence, 41, was arrested in 2005 after she was caught with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin strapped to her body as she tried to fly out of the international airport on the holiday island of Bali.

Lawrence was sentenced to life imprisonment, but her sentence was later reduced to 20 years and then further reduced due to good behaviour.

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She will be released on November 21, Made Suwendra, head of the Bangli prison on Bali where Lawrence is incarcerated, told AFP.

(Lawrence) is a nice person. Accommodating, easy to work with and be friends with. There have been no problems since shes been here. It is likely that Lawrence will be deported shortly after her prison release. She will be the only member of the Bali Nine to win their freedom so far.

Gang ringleaders Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were executed by firing squad in 2015, sparking a diplomatic row between Australia and Indonesia, which has some of the worlds strictest drug laws including the death penalty.

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In June, another Bali Nine member Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died in prison from stomach cancer, while the remaining five are currently serving life sentences.

Some critics have lashed out at the Australian police for tipping off their Indonesian counterparts about the gang and putting its members at risk of execution in Indonesia.

High-profile cases like that of Australian Schapelle Corby, who spent more than nine years behind bars for smuggling marijuana into Bali, have stoked concern that Indonesia is becoming a destination for trafficked drugs.

Corby was deported in 2017 after several years of parole.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Nairobi:

Tanzanian President John Magufuli has ordered the army to buy up the entire countrys crop of cashew nuts after private companies refused to pay the price fixed by his government.

The move comes just days after Magufuli fired Agriculture Minister Charles Tizeba and Trade Minister Charles Mwijage for failing in their obligations to the cashew industry.

Magufuli ordered soldiers to buy up the nuts at $1.44 (1.28 euros) per kilogramme, higher than the price companies were willing to pay, according to a government statement issued Monday.

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Magufuli ordered in October that the price of cashews be almost doubled from $0.65 per kilogramme, a price farmers said barely covered their production costs.

The president blamed the procrastination of private operators, who were offering very low prices for cashewsamong the countrys biggest cash cropsfor the decision to send in the army.

The state-owned Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank was ordered to release the necessary funds for the purchase of these cashews, and the army is to deploy to buy the entire production, the statement said.

Since his election three years ago Magufuli has picked numerous fights with private businesses that he accuses of giving Tanzanians a raw deal.

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The state-owned cashew processing plantwhere raw nuts are shelledis also to be taken over by the army.

Magufulis government is hoping for a crop of 220,000 tonnes this year.

We will buy the entire crop, then we will look for buyers and we will eat anything that is not sold, Magufuli said, according to the statement.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Asian nations gave up hopes of completing a 16-nation trade bloc this year, with Chinese and Australian officials now looking to finalize the deal in 2019.

Singapore, which is chairing the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year, had pushed for a substantial conclusion to the agreement this year. Known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, the trade deal would cover almost half the world's population.

"It will take a little bit longer to ensure that we get the type of substantial, meaningful, commercially meaningful market access decisions that Australia expects in a trade agreement," Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham told reporters Tuesday in Singapore. That's despite ministers from RCEP nations meeting until late on Monday night and making substantial progress, he said.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang echoed those sentiments in a speech in Singapore on Tuesday, saying he hoped the RCEP talks would be completed next year. China has pushed to diversify its export markets amid a trade war with President Donald Trump, adding fresh urgency to the negotiations.

"With the headwind of trade protectionism, free trade is facing some difficulties," Li said.

RCEP is often seen as a rival to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a vast regional pact once led by the U.S. that Trump withdrew from early in his presidency. Together with the Belt and Road Initiative to build investment and trade links with countries along the old Silk Road to Europe, the pact is a key element in China's efforts to seize the geopolitical advantage following what many in the region see as a U.S. retreat.

Beijing's struggles to finalize the trade bloc may illustrate worries in the region about becoming too economically dependent on China.

And in a speech to an ASEAN business and investment conference on Tuesday, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad said the bloc must not accept trade and investment measures that may be unfair to member countries.

"RCEP must facilitate not only the interest of big firms but also the SMEs in the region," Mahathir said. "RCEP must see an enhanced role for SMEs to leverage and move towards becoming middle-sized and large-sized companies."

While negotiations to reach an agreement on RCEP have stalled, a negotiator for the pact is confident it will get across the line. "It cannot be signed this year," Iman Pambagyo, RCEP's trade negotiating committee chairman, said Nov. 6. "We are aiming for some time next year, perhaps the second part of 2019."

India has dragged its feet as RCEP doesn't provide for free movement of skilled labor, a key concern for New Delhi given its large pool of tech workers, even as it opens its market to a clutch of nations known for their manufacturing prowess. It is facing pressure from member nations -- including Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea -- to conclude talks.

The stalemate appears unlikely to be unwound any time soon as RCEP member countries like Australia, India and Indonesia go into elections next year. That raises questions about the longer-term prospects for RCEP, which began life as an effort by the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations to bring its individual trade deals with China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand under one umbrella.

Unlike the TPP -- initially conceived in part as a way for Asia-Pacific nations to lessen economic dependence on China -- which goes beyond traditional trade issues to address intellectual property, labor rights and state-owned enterprises, RCEP is more limited with a focus on goods and services. It faces the added challenge of bridging the interests of developed economies such as Australia and Japan with emerging markets like Cambodia and Laos.

"We of course have to resolve the different goods and services offers, investment offers, between each nation at a bilateral level, as well as the coordinated text in key areas," Birmingham said.

--Bloomberg's Alfred Cang and Karlis Salna contributed.European Union countries want to defy U.S. President Donald Trump and keep funds flowing to Iran to save the nuclear agreement - just as long as it doesn't happen in their backyard.

EU nations have identified Austria as the best candidate to host a special purpose vehicle that could handle payments to Iran, according to three people familiar with the negotiations. Austria itself is not so keen. Belgium, Luxembourg and France have also been identified as potential venues but Belgium and Luxembourg have declined while France is looking to Austria.

After discussing the idea with the rest of the government in Vienna, the foreign ministry decided that it "wouldn't be feasible" for Austria to host the venture, a ministry spokeswoman said.

European governments are searching for ways to make good on their commitments to keep trading with Iran after Trump backed out of the nuclear deal in May. Fresh U.S. sanctions on oil and banking activities kicked in last week, posing a threat to companies that engage with Tehran. The Iranian government though is still observing the limits set on its nuclear activity under the deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday.

The SPV is a vital part of European attempts to salvage the accord, aiming to circumvent the U.S. sanctions regime and allow companies to continue doing business with Iran. Negotiations are proceeding slowly and no country is keen to host the SPV, which risks drawing ire from the U.S. administration. Where to set up the mechanism is just one of the sticking points.

"This looks nice on paper but it's hard to do," EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Wednesday. Two days earlier, Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the EU, dismissed the idea as "a paper tiger."

Euro-area central bankers are wary of the project and the potential consequences of falling foul of American sanctions.

The SPV would theoretically receive payments from countries that want to continue doing business with Iran, either by receiving waivers for oil imports or permissible trade in goods like food and medicine. With no direct transfer of funds between Iran and European actors, it would, theoretically at least, insulate firms from the U.S. punishment regime.

Germany, France and Britain are among the countries pushing Austria to host the entity, according to one of the people. Of the other potential venues, Belgium is home to the international financial messaging service Swift, which has reluctantly cut Iran off in response to the American sanctions, while Luxembourg's low-tax regime has made it a key offshore banking center.

An unresolved issue, according to one of the people, is how to reassure banks interacting with the SPV that they will be shielded from the risk of exclusion from the U.S. financial market. The idea is to start with very small volumes and eventually scale up operations, the person added.

Austria came to the conclusion that there are "many open questions for which there are no final answers at the moment," foreign ministry spokesman Peter Guschelbauer was quoted as saying by the Austria Press Agency. Austria is still supporting the SPV in principle, "but it has to be designed so that it fulfills its purpose," he said.

The push to domicile the vehicle in Austria comes at a delicate moment for Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's foreign policy efforts. Kurz is governing in a coalition with the nationalist Freedom Party and is wooing Israel to stop ostracizing Freedom Party ministers. That effort wouldn't be helped by a measure explicitly designed to facilitate trade with Iran, the sworn enemy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting Vienna next week.Hackers that seize control of computers for ransom have intensified their attacks on Apple machines in the past year, according to a global survey, with more than half of businesses experiencing a ransomware incident.

In a new Datto survey of companies that manage information technology for other businesses, ransomware was cited as the leading cyber attack those companies are experiencing, ahead of viruses and spyware. Datto polled 2,400 managed-services providers that use its systems to back up and secure data on behalf of a half-million businesses, with the Norwalk company having been among the fastest-growing in Connecticut over the past decade.

Hackers use ransomware to seize control of a computer, blocking access to files and threatening to destroy them unless paid a ransom, with hackers overcoming standard security software like antivirus software, email filters and pop-up blockers.

Many employees fall prey to phishing attacks  emails embedded with links to websites containing the ransomware that takes over their machines  as well as websites that lure them with click bait like surveys and photo montages.

Once inside a network, hackers can seize other computers. On average, the businesses surveyed by Datto incurred costs of $47,000 to deal with the incursion, with ransom requests averaging about $4,300. In October, the city of West Haven paid $2,000 after ransomware hackers hijacked more than 20 machines.

Some attacks come at a higher price: in multiple instances in the past year, organizations have chosen to replace entire systems at a cost of millions of dollars, including the city of Atlanta after it was hit with a ransomware bug dubbed SamSam. The state of Connecticut has come under at least two ransomware attacks this year, according to a cybersecurity bulletin issued last month by the state Office of Consumer Counsel.

There are immediate steps that companies can and should take to increase IT resilience and prevent against future attacks, stated Ryan Weeks, chief information security officer at Datto, in written comments accompanying the report. Those steps include end-user training, endpoint protection and ... backup.

About 55 percent of those businesses experienced a ransom attack in the first half of this year, Datto determined, with more than a third of them attacked multiple times in the same day. About nine in 10 of managed services providers predict the rate of ransomware attacks will hold steady of increase.

About nine in 10 of managed services providers predict the rate of ransomware attacks will hold steady of increase.

Includes prior reporting by Mark Zaretsky.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulmanSubmitted photo / Danbury Public Schools

DANBURY  Local inventor Hannah Pucci is one of 12 students across Connecticut and New York City to receive a scholarship from the Milton Fisher Fund for Innovation and Creativity this fall.

The scholarship is designed to award innovative problem solving, and Pucci was honored for her work on Egghead Ice Cream, an award-winning project that began when she was a Danbury middle school student and that she has since patented.BETHEL  The publics part in a year-and-a-half long process to consider major changes to town government begins Wednesday evening.

A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday on proposals to extend the selectmens terms to four years, adjust rules for approving money and other potential revisions to the charter.

The Board of Selectmen have asked the Charter Revision Committee to explore almost 15 proposals, which largely surround finances and elected and appointed positions. These ideas could eventually go before voters in a referendum.

The Charter Revision Committee has met twice to discuss the recommendations, but is required to hold a public hearing early in the process.

Now, its just weighing the minds of the community on the proposals, said Nick Hoffman, chairman of the committee. From there, well start to devise our individual opinion and eventually our collective opinion to decide the best way to move forward for Bethel.

Residents will also be permitted to suggest their own ideas for the committee to examine.

Hoffman said one of the more controversial proposals calls for extending the selectmens term from two years to four years. He said the town has previously rejected the idea when it had also included a plan to add two more members to the Board of Selectmen.

Members of the boards of education, finance and other boards have four-year terms. First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said two years is not enough time for the first selectman to learn the job and get tasks, like labor union contracts, done.

The realities of municipal management are such that is just makes no sense to work for a year and then go into another election cycle, he said. Its inefficient, its costly.

Still, most other Connecticut towns have two-year terms for their first selectmen or mayors, Hoffman said. He added residents would have to wait longer to vote out a poor town leader.

That is always a concern if we get a bad apple in the first selectman's chair, Hoffman said. Youre literally doubling the time they can unwind the town. That anxiety is always there.

The committee is also exploring permitting the Board of Finance to adjust both the town and school budgets if one side passes and the other fails. Under existing rules, the board is only permitted to change the budget that failed.

Brookfield operates under the system Bethel is considering, but New Milford voted last week to switch to the method Bethel uses now.

Also under consideration is requiring full construction plans for projects costing more than $1 million before going to referendum. This would ideally help the town avoid going over budget for projects.

Another proposal would only require the town to go to referendum for projects costing more than $2 million, rather than $1 million under the existing rule. The committee is also weighing whether to eliminate the advisory questions on budget referendums.

Other proposals deal with the eligibility for office for town employees, adding members to the Public Utilities Commission and removing the requirement that meetings be held in town hall.

The committee will meet with town leaders and seek input from the public throughout the process. Another public hearing will also be held before the committee passes its recommendations to the selectmen.

The selectmen would then vote on whether to send the proposals to a referendum.People who've heard a recording of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi's murder don't believe it implicates Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said, weighing in on a controversy that has sharply raised international pressure on the top oil exporter.

Speaking in Singapore, where he's attending a regional summit, Bolton said he hadn't heard the recording himself. Asked if the audio links Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the killing, Bolton said: "That's not the conclusion I think that the people who heard it have come to, and that's certainly not the position of the Saudi government."

"The president has made it clear he wants to get to the bottom of this," Bolton told reporters Tuesday.

His comments came as The New York Times reported that a member of the kill team instructed a superior over the phone to "tell your boss" - believed to be Prince Mohammed - that the mission had been accomplished. The recording is seen by intelligence officers as some of the strongest evidence linking the power behind the Saudi throne to the murder, the report said, citing three unidentified people familiar with the recording.

Khashoggi, a former palace insider who turned critic, was strangled to death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and his body dismembered, the city's chief prosecutor has said. Turkey has stopped just short of blaming Prince Mohammed, the 33-year-old who runs the affairs of the kingdom day to day. Saudi Arabia has vehemently denied he had any knowledge of the operation, which authorities initially denied then said was an interrogation gone wrong.

The high profile of Khashoggi, a U.S.-based Washington Post contributing columnist, and the drip-drip of sensational leaks about his demise have provoked a global outcry and tarnished the reputation of the brash young prince, whose efforts to cast himself as a bolder reformer and trusted U.S. ally have often chafed against his policies abroad.

Prince Mohamed loosened restrictions on women and sought to prepare the economy for a time after oil but also embroiled his country in a war in Yemen, led a boycott of Qatar and engaged in diplomatic spats with Germany and Canada. Last year, Saudi Arabia arrested dozens of billionaires and princes in a crackdown on corruption that the business community read as a shake-down.

The controversy, and Turkey's success in keeping it on the global news agenda for weeks, has embarrassed foreign investors and hardened stances even among key Saudi allies.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country's intelligence service had hidden "nothing" from foreign counterparts and that officials from many countries, including Saudi Arabia, had listened to voice recordings of the killing.

According to comments published in Hurriyet newspaper, Erdogan said a Saudi intelligence office who listened to the audio was "shocked" and commented that those involved must have been on drugs.

"It's obvious that this murder was premeditated and that the order came from above," it cited Erdogan as saying on his way back from Paris where he met President Donald Trump. "Eighteen people are under arrest in Saudi Arabia. The murderers are certainly among them. It should be uncovered who gave the order to kill."

Initially reluctant to take measures against a Gulf ally it needs to keep oil prices under control as it tightens sanctions against Iran, the U.S. has demanded that Riyadh begin talks by the end of this month to end the war in Yemen.

Trump now says Saudi Arabia misused U.S.-supplied weapons in the Saudi-led coalition's bombing campaign in Yemen, which has helped trigger the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The two countries announced on Saturday the U.S. will also stop refueling Saudi jets participating in the conflict. With Democrats winning control of the U.S. House of Representatives in mid-term elections this month, pressure is unlikely to ease.

Saudi Arabia has yet to respond to the latest revelations. Turkish police haven't been able to locate the columnist's remains despite extensive searches, and an aide to Erdogan said his body may have been dissolved.Sri Lanka's top court suspended an order by President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve the island nation's parliament and call a snap general election after prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe mounted a legal challenge against his ousting.

The Supreme Court granted interim relief until Dec. 7, staying the Presidential notice suspending parliament and halting preparations for the poll. The court's order on Tuesday means that Sri Lanka's parliament will reconvene on Wednesday as earlier decided by the president. He was acting in response to mounting pressure to resolve the political crisis gripping the nation since his surprise dismissal of Wickremesinghe on Oct. 26 and suspension of parliament the next day.

"We will be in parliament tomorrow and we will show the majority, that we are the legitimate government in Sri Lanka," Wickremesinghe told reporters in Colombo following the court's decision.

Sirisena on Friday dissolved the 225-seat parliament and called for elections on Jan. 5 and a new legislature to reconvene on Jan. 17. He fired Wickremesinghe, who served since 2015 as prime minister in a unity government with the president, and attempted to install Sri Lanka's former strongman president Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new prime minister.

The call for a fresh election came after it seemed unlikely Sirisena could prove a majority of lawmakers to support his newly appointed prime minister. The move drew strong international condemnation and stalled about $2 billion worth of projects and grants.

Sirisena said in a statement on Sunday that he dissolved parliament because he feared the eruption of "widespread violence" when the house was due to reconvene Wednesday. He also referred to allegations of bribery by saying members of the legislature now had "price tags" on them.

On Sunday, Rajapaksa, who was previously a member of Sirisena's party, announced he was joining the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, or People's Front, the party he created to defeat the Sirisena and Wickremesinghe coalition in local elections earlier this year. State-run media said the two leaders were planning to fight the election as an alliance.

Regional powers China and India have been watching the events closely while the U.S said Sirisena's moves jeopardized Sri Lanka's economic progress and international reputation.TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018 /CNW/ - Frontera Energy Corporation (TSX: FEC) ("Frontera" or the "Company"), today announced that it commenced a consent solicitation with respect to proposed amendments to the indenture governing its outstanding U.S.$350 million 9.700% Senior Notes due 2023 (CUSIP/ISIN 35905BAA5/US35905BAA5 and C35898AA00/USC35898AA00) (the "Notes"), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in a Consent Solicitation Statement, dated November 13, 2018 (the "Statement").

The Company is soliciting consents from holders of record of Notes as of 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on November 12, 2018 (the "Record Date") to certain proposed amendments (the "Proposed Amendments") to the indenture governing the Notes (the "Indenture"). Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Statement, the Company will pay holders who validly deliver (and do not validly revoke) their consents prior to 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on November 20, 2018, unless extended or earlier terminated by the Company in accordance with the Statement (the "Expiration Date"), an aggregate consent fee of U.S.$3,500,000 (the "Consent Fee"). The Consent Fee will only be payable upon, among other things, the receipt of the Requisite Consents (as defined below).

The Company is proposing to amend certain restrictions relating to "Limitations on Restricted Payments" in the Indenture to, among other changes, (i) replace an existing U.S.$40 million basket permitting Restricted Payments (as such term is defined in the Indenture), with a new basket permitting Restricted Payments of up to U.S.$100 million per year, on a cumulative basis, subject to meeting certain financial ratio tests and other conditions and (ii) add a new basket permitting Restricted Payments in respect of certain proceeds from the sale of Unrestricted Subsidiaries (as such term is defined in the Indenture), subject to meeting certain financial ratio tests and other conditions.

The Company is seeking the Proposed Amendments to give the Company flexibility to use existing cash resources and expected future cash resources to implement measures expected to enhance shareholder value. These measures may include accelerating or increasing share buyback programs, dividend payments and Investments (as such term is defined in the Indenture). No decision has been made by the Company to make any such payments at this time, other than its existing share buy-back program.

The consent solicitation is subject to customary conditions, including, among other things, the receipt of valid and unrevoked consents with respect to not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes (the "Requisite Consents") prior to the Expiration Date. Delivered consents may be validly revoked prior to the earlier of: (i) the Expiration Date; and (ii) the time the Requisite Consents are obtained for the Notes. The Proposed Amendments will be effected by a supplement to the Indenture, which will be executed upon receiving the Requisite Consents and become operative promptly after the Expiration Date and payment of the Consent Fee, as described in more detail in the Statement. Assuming satisfaction or waiver of all conditions to the Consent Solicitation, including receipt and acceptance by the Company of the Requisite Consents, the Consent Fee will be paid as promptly as practicable following the Expiration Date. Holders of the Notes as of the Record Date that do not provide valid and unrevoked consents on or prior to the Expiration Date will not receive the Consent Fee.

The consent solicitation is being made solely on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Statement. The Company may, in its sole discretion, terminate, extend or amend the consent solicitations at any time as described in the Statement.

Consents delivered may be validly withdrawn or revoked at any time prior to the Withdrawal Date (as defined in the Statement), and Notes tendered after the Withdrawal Date and prior to the Expiration Date may not be withdrawn except as required by law.

The Company has engaged Citigroup Global Markets Inc., HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., and Itau BBA USA Securities, Inc., to act as solicitation agents in connection with the consent solicitation. Questions regarding the consent should be directed to Citigroup Global Markets (+1-800-558-3745), HSBC Securities (+1-888-472-2456), and Itau BBA (+1-888-770-4828).

The Depositary and the Information Agent is Global Bondholder Services Corporation. Requests for documentation should be directed to Global Bondholder Services Corporation at (+1-866-807-2200).

This press release does not constitute a solicitation of consents. The consent solicitation is being made solely on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Statement.

This announcement is for information purposes only and is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and they may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. This announcement is not a solicitation of consents with respect to the Proposed Amendments or any Notes. The consent solicitations are not being made in any jurisdiction in which the making of the consent solicitations or the acceptance of the consents would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction.

About Frontera:

Frontera Energy Corporation is a Canadian public company and a leading explorer and producer of crude oil and natural gas, with operations focused in Latin America. The Company has a diversified portfolio of assets with interests in more than 30 exploration and production blocks in Colombia and Peru. The Company's strategy is focused on sustainable growth in production and reserves. Frontera is committed to conducting business safely, in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Frontera's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "FEC".

If you would like to receive News Releases via e-mail as soon as they are published, please subscribe here: http://fronteraenergy.mediaroom.com/subscribe.

Advisories:

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, the timing and terms of the consent, the terms and proposed amendments, and expected uses of cash resources and expected future cash resources) are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: failure to successfully complete the consent solicitation; changes in equity and debt markets; perceptions of the Company's prospects and the prospects of the oil and gas industry in Colombia and the other countries where the Company operates or has investments; and the other risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's annual information form dated March 27, 2018 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

SOURCE Frontera Energy Corporation

For further information: Grayson Andersen, Corporate Vice President, Capital Markets, +57-314-250-1467, [email protected], www.fronteraenergy.ca

Related Links

http://www.fronteraenergy.ca

The share of TOP500 installations in China continues to rise, with the country now claiming 227 systems (45 percent of the total). The number of supercomputers that call the US home continues to decline, reaching an all-time low of 109 (22 percent of the total). However, systems in the US are, on average, more powerful, resulting in an aggregate system performance of 38 percent, compared to 31 percent for China.

Japan is third in system share, with 31 systems, followed by the UK, with 21, France with 18, Germany with 17, and Ireland with 12. All other countries have fewer than ten systems on the list.

There are now 429 supercomputers on the TOP500 list that deliver over one petaflop on the Linpack benchmark, up from 272 systems six months ago. The entry point to the list is now 874.8 teraflops, with the entry point for the top 100 systems at 1.97 petaflops.

The top ten systems manufacturers (by number of systems) are Lenovo (140), Inspur (84), Sugon (57), Cray (49), HPE (46), Bull (22), Fujitsu (15), Huawei (14), Dell EMC (13), and IBM (12).

Intel continues to provide the processors for the largest number of TOP500 systems, with a dominating 95.2 percent share. There are just three systems on the latest list powered by AMD CPUs.

For the first time, an ARM-powered supercomputer has made it into the TOP500 rankings. The new system, known as Astra, is an HPE-built supercomputer deployed at Sandia National Laboratories. Its powered by 125,328 Cavium ThunderX2 cores and has achieved an HPL Linpack score of 1.5 petaflops. It enters the list at number 205.

Top Ten Changes

The US Summit supercomputer widened its lead as the number one system, improving its High Performance Linpack (HPL) score from 122.3 to 143.5 petaflops since its debut on the previous list in June 2018. Sierra also added to its HPL result from six months ago, going from 71.6 to 94.6 petaflops, enough to bump it from the number three position to number two. Both are IBM-built supercomputers, powered by Power9 CPUs and NVIDIA V100 GPUs.

Sierras ascendance pushed Chinas Sunway TaihuLight supercomputer, installed at the National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi, into third place. Prior to last June, it had held the top position on the TOP500 list for two years with its HPL performance of 93.0 petaflops. TaihuLight was developed by Chinas National Research Center of Parallel Computer Engineering & Technology (NRCPC).

Tianhe-2A (Milky Way-2A), deployed at the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzho, China, is now in the number four position with a Linpack score of 61.4 petaflops. It was upgraded earlier this year by Chinas National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), replacing the older Intel Xeon Phi accelerators with the proprietary Matrix-2000 chips.

At number five is Piz Daint, a Cray XC50 system installed at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano, Switzerland. At 21.2 petaflops, it maintains its standing as the most powerful system in Europe. It is powered by a combination of Intel Xeon processors and NVIDIA Tesla P100 GPUs.China, India and ASEAN all will have in the range of 5-8% per year GDP growth from now to 2030. This means they will nearly double or more than double their economies.

India should surpass Japans GDP in terms of exchange rate GDP.

ASEAN (Indonesia, Thailand, Phillipines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar) may also surpass Japans GDP in terms of exchange rate GDP.

India, ASEAN, Japan and Korea will surpass the European Union in terms of GDP.

China should link with ASEAN with high speed rail around 2030

Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) seeks to support the construction of more than 3000 kilometers of rail lines between China and Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Many of the projects have started to take shape. In August 2017, the Thai government approved $5.5 billion for the construction of a 252-kilometer line connecting Bangkok to its northeast border.

China and Indonesia agreed to the terms on the building of a high-speed rail link between Jakarta and Indonesias fourth largest city, Bandung. Major progress has been made at 22 key construction sites. Issues related to the projects licensing and financing have been gradually resolved and land acquisition work has made breakthroughs. China Railway Corp (CRC), the worlds largest railway operator is building the railway based on Chinas railway technological standards.

Singapore and Malaysia were expected to announce a Kuala Lumpur (KL)-Singapore high-speed railway (HSR). Construction of the high-speed rail link between Malaysia and Singapore will be postponed for two years rather than cancelled, the two governments said in September. The start of construction work on the project to May 31, 2020. Previously the project had been slated to open to the public in 2026. It will now begin operating in 2031. The 350 km-long HSR line will cut off the travel time from Malaysia to Singapore from 4 hours drive to just 90 minutes in a train travel.

China State Grid connecting electricity across Asia

State Grid has signed a deal with Korea Electric Power, Japans Softbank, and Russian power company Rosseti to collaborate on the development of a Northeast Asian supergrid connecting those nations and Mongolia.

Feasibility studies show that grid connections between Mongolia, China, Korea, and Japan, as well as a route between Russia and Japan, are both technically and economically feasible.

China could place coal or nuclear power generation in the Gobi desert and then transmit the power to Korea, Japan and the coastal areas of China. Natural gas power could be generated by Russia in Siberia and transmitted to other countries in Asia. Massive solar and wind farms could also be built in Mongolia and Siberia.

Less than half of the ultra-high-voltage lines built or planned to date in China are intended to transmit electricity from renewable sources, according to a late-2017.

State Grids main target markets are in poor countries where fossil-fuel plants dominate and Chinese companies are busy building hundreds of new coal plants. So theres little reason to expect that any ultra-high-voltage lines built there would primarily carry energy from renewable sources anytime soon.

ASEAN

With a projected annual growth rate of over 5% a year, ASEAN is forecasted to overtake the EU and Japan to become the 4th largest economy in the world by 2050, behind China, India, and the US.

This growth is supported by favorable demographics. Approximately 60% of ASEANs population is under the age of 35, and 43% under age 24. ASEAN also has the worlds 3rd largest labor force, trailing only China and India. ASEANs middle class is expected to more than double in size from 135 million (24% of ASEANs population) in 2015 to 334 million (51% of the population) in 2030. In 2012 ASEAN crossed the threshold of having over 50% of its population living in urban areas.





Chinas top trading partners in 2017

Trade with ASEAN, Japan, Korea and India

ASEAN is already Chinas third largest trading partner. Bilateral trade between China and ASEAN economies reached $232.64 billion in the first five months this year, up by 18.9% year-on-year. In 2017, trade hit a record high of $514.8 billion.

China business remains the key lifeline to the Japanese economy, where net exports contributed exactly one-third of Japans economic growth since the beginning of 2017. China is Japans second-largest trade partner, while Japan is among Chinas top five largest partners. Statistics from Chinas Ministry of Commerce showed that in 2017, bilateral goods trade rose 9.9 percent to 297.28 billion U.S. dollars, reversing a downward trend since 2012. Chinese exports to Japan increased 5 percent to 164.42 billion dollars in 2017, while imports from Japan grew at a faster rate of 16.7 percent to 132.86 billion dollars, resulting in a smaller surplus of 31.57 billion dollars, down 26.1 percent from the 2016 level.

South Korea exported $177 billion to China in 2017. Korea imported $98 billion from China. China is South Koreas largest trading partner.

India and China had $84 billion in trade in 2017 and have set a goal of $100 billion by 2020.Collective opinions from the Team at DUO Marketing + Communications

Executive profiling

Rapid response

Digital storytelling

Google Advertising

Finding the local in the global

Looking forward to 2019

In 2018, we noticed a shift in the way technology companies are communicating within the industry, with many being open to connecting more, opening links to webinars and allowing external stakeholders to listen in. This has allowed us to give tech innovators a voice by better understanding the trends, successes and challenges of the industry.With the year quickly coming to a close, we thought it would be interesting to look back at the PR and digital marketing tactics that helped propel our clients in the technology sector into the spotlight.Profiling allows for company executives to be positioned as experts within niche and targeted communities to enhance presence and visibility. On top of an increase to our clients various assets, profiling amplifies corporate reputation, strengthens loyalty and builds credibility and trust.An executives reputation is vital to the success of the business, and studies have shown that customers are more likely to invest in a business if their views align with that of the company's senior leadership .By keeping our fingers on the pulse, we have uncovered various opportunities for our clients to be featured in some of South Africas biggest news publications. Creating a bank of pre-approved comments means clients can be assured share-of-voice when it comes to the biggest breaking news stories.Effective rapid response involves quick commentary on specific topics, which helps build valuable relationships with the countrys key media and industry analysts.Using integrated digital marketing campaigns to tell our clients stories has proved successful in positioning them as thought leaders in their respective industries and resulted in elevated brands. Social media is beneficial when it comes to digital campaigns as the audience becomes apart of the story through testimonials and customer success stories, which leads to an engaged and educated audience.In addition, digital campaigns bring valuable traffic to the our clients websites, feed SEO and grow new business leads.Google Adwords and Remarketing has increasingly become a way for businesses to reach a broader audience who are specifically looking for the services the client offers. This is especially true when looking to target groups such as java developers looking for new jobs - recruitment companies can, in some cases, charge up to R100,000 for the placement of a developer, whereas Google Adwords can provide results at a fraction of the cost.This medium has helped to further refine our clients messaging through a deeper understanding of what its audience is searching for and improve searchabilityFor larger corporations, finding angles that appeal to the local media landscape can sometimes prove tricky. Looking at the true benefits of their products and seeing what local challenges can be solved by our clients solution is a method we use to pique journalists interest and often lead to great media results.This shows that this internationally developed technology is able to handle the unique challenges that are found on the African continent.In 2019 we anticipate that the biggest impact will come from exploring and capitalising on non traditional ways of communicating and executing strategic communications.There will be a rise in the amount of paid-for content as a result of the changing media landscape - where advertising revenues have declined and news organisations have had to find new ways of staying afloat. The change in algorithms on search engines will also see a decrease in organic reach, in favour for paid-for options.The upcoming year promises to be one filled with change not only for the PR industry, but also the technology landscape in South Africa and across the continent which will require tactics and mindsets to be more flexible and results driven. We need to be able prove that we are moving the needle for our clientsShould you wish to meet with our team to discuss any of the points above, feel free to contact us now to help you begin planning your PR for 2019.MILFORD-A New Haven man, already wanted for violating his probation, now faces charges of shoplifting nearly $1,600 worth of merchandise from the Target department store in the Connecticut Post Mall

Desmond Wilson, 27, of Goffee Street, New Haven, is being detained on $75,000 bond pending his appearance in Milford Superior Court, Police charged him with second-degree criminal mischief, fourth-degree larceny, possession of a shoplifting device and violation of probation.ANSONIA  Jorge Cabrera, Democratic candidate for the 17th state Senate district, held a rally Monday to call for transparency and integrity as votes in the undecided race are recounted.

There is something bigger at stake. Its not about the candidates; its not about the political party. There is a more important principle at stake, said Cabrera. The principle of making sure that every single vote counts ... the principle of making sure that our democracy is transparent, and we hold public officials accountable. Nothing less than the integrity of our election system is what were looking for. Were here to stand for the truth.

State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said the Democratic state senatorial delegation stood with Cabrera  he believes he should be the next state senator  and for fair elections. He reiterated that it matters if people understand and believe in our electoral process, he said.

We want to make sure with this recount that its done right, its done fairly, and that the people of this district feel like every vote is counted  and every vote is counted correctly. And that we dont have an 11th-hour change, where all of a sudden, something is found, said Duff. The voters have sent a clear message, and we believe you should be (in Hartford) in January.

Ansonia residents Leslie Navarrete and Liza Estevez spoke about the importance of voting and their thoughts on the current state of the election.

I have faith in our registrars  that they are going to do a great job. This is something that happened, and its unfortunate that it happened in our small town, but its not something that happens all the time, said Navarrete . I believe that they are going to do the job. We, the people, are going to hold them accountable to that. This, right here, what were doing right here, will let them know that they are being watched, and it is serious, their job.

Estevez said she was concerned on Election Day  after she submitted her vote, the count of ballots registered by the machine did not change.

I left there feeling uneasy  that my vote didnt count, said Estevez. I dont think theres anything nefarious going on  sometimes theres just glitches that happen.

She said reached out to the Cabrera campaign to share her experience and ensure her vote was tabulated. Cabrera asked for anyone concerned that their vote wasnt counted to reach out to his campaign.

Incumbent state Sen. George Logan, R-Ansonia, currently leads the 17th District race by 64 votes, according to the secretary of the states office and the city of Derby. Cabrera was ahead in the race the day after Election Day, but, after Ansonia resubmitted its count, Logan pushed ahead.

City/Town Clerk Janet Vitarius Waugh said in a letter that absentee ballots were counted improperly, resulting in Senator Logans opponent Jorge Cabrera receiving in excess of 200 double-counted votes.

The margin is tight to require a recount  under state law, one is required if the leading and second-place candidates are separated by less than 0.5 percent of the total votes cast. Derby announced Monday that it had found one extra vote for Cabrera.

Ansonia is scheduled to hold its recount Tuesday, Cabrera said.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.comDeezer users can now stream two of South Africa's most popular local radio stations - Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio. Deezer to launch additional stations with a new Live Radio channel in the coming weeks.

Lovers of Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio can now stream their favourite radio stations on the worlds most personal music streaming service Deezer. An exclusive partnership, these two stations are the very first local stations that South African users can enjoy on Deezer.The partnership comes at a time when radio stations across the world are diversifying to attract new audiences, and what better way to pique this interest than to offer radio content on the mobile devices that we all carry around in our pockets every day.To stream Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio, users can simply log on to their Deezer profile and click through to either radio station in the Deezer Recommends section of their homepage.The Live radio feature however, will soon have its own channel, which will display popular radio stations by category, such as music, talk and international. Users will be able to access a selection of radio stations through the Deezer homepage (on mobile or desktop), select Browse and then find their preferred Live radio channel.Station General Manager Boni Mchunu says East Coast Radio is widely recognized as KZNs number one hit music station and through this partnership we will reach an even wider audience, beyond the borders of our home province. We know that there are lots of fans who will be delighted to get closer to home by tuning into ECR through Deezer.Deezer is continuously improving its user experience by introducing relevant new features, which allows users to have a more rich and varied experience. Music lovers in South Africa now have the option to listen to their Flow, stream their favourite artists and listen to the hottest playlists, as well as access their favourite local radio shows. We are very excited to launch with Jacaranda and ECR, two of South Africas most loved stations says Gillian Ezra, Head of Operations for Africa at Deezer.Currently, only Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio is available to all Deezer users in South Africa, with more expected in the coming future.South Africa is a particularly attractive proposition for cybercriminals. The global Cyber Exposure Index ranks South Africa third on the list of most-targeted countries for cyber attacks.

Heino Gevers is customer success director at Mimecast

Window of opportunity

A cyber resilience strategy for SMEs

Small businesses are not immune to this - far from it: one global study suggests that 58% of all breach victims were categorised as small businesses. And without access to the same skills and technologies as larger enterprises, small businesses remain vulnerable to attacks and often lack appropriate response and resilience capabilities that can restore normal operations in the aftermath of a successful cyber attack.Thanks to supportive legislation regarding enterprise development in South Africa, many SMEs are access points into far larger (and potentially more lucrative) supply chains. This means an SME may not be a cybercriminal's ultimate choice of target, but a successful breach could expose larger organisations to attacks and leave the SME as collateral damage. The effects could be catastrophic in a country where 70% of SMEs fail within the first two years. Although no accurate data exists locally, government data in the US found that 60% of SMEs never recover from a successful cyber attack and close doors within six months.Further compounding the risk for SMEs is legislation such as Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which threatens fines of as much as R300m should a European Union citizen's personal data be compromised due to ineffective data protection.The South African Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) will also put the responsibility for the protection of personal data squarely on the shoulders of businesses - and SMEs are not exempt.In the event of a data breach, SMEs face a dual risk as the cost of recovery is possibly matched by the hefty fines imposed by the South African and EU governments, not to mention the reputational damage that may result.Consider that 91% of all hacking attempts are initiated via email: all it takes is one employee clicking on a malicious link, opening a compromised attachment or sending sensitive information to an imposter, and the business is left exposed to significant cyber risk. Small businesses are not left entirely defenceless in this regard.Cyber resilience for email has emerged as a go-to strategy for businesses large and small in the fight against cyber attacks. Modern solutions that secure email are available to businesses of all sizes.The right solution should offer comprehensive protection against malware, spam, phishing and targeted threats like impersonation attacks and spear-phishing, while also simplifying and streamlining email management. Cloud-based security solutions allow SMEs to boost their cyber security by accessing security services they would not normally be able to afford.Effective cybersecurity awareness training adds another layer of prevention to SMEs who may lack the funds to invest in top in-house cybersecurity skills. By empowering employees with the right training to identify and act upon potential cyber threats, SMEs create a human firewall around their critical business data.The PwC 2018 Global Economic Crime Survey ranks cybercrime as the second most frequently reported type of fraud and identifies it as the most disruptive and serious economic crime expected to impact organisations in the next two years.How to run a social performance ad agency in SA

Global social performance agency Adglow celebrated a decade in business last month, with two years of that here in SA. Country manager Catherine Jenkins explains the tools and techniques needed to successfully work with the rest of their collaborative global network, and more.

Catherine Jenkins, SA country manager for Adglow.

Say social performance and, like me, most people probably envision a number-heavy, human-light way of measuring a campaign's success on social media. That's where we're wrong. Jenkins confirms that a social performance ad agency offers something more tangible than that: Its the combination of the right technology and human service, to facilitate great social advertising results.



In fact, theyve run more than 15,000 campaigns for clients like H&M, Pfizer, Armani and McDonalds through marketing partnerships with Facebook, Instagram Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat and Amazon. This provides them with access to valuable data, audience insights, advanced purchase systems, optimisation and in-depth reporting of advertising campaign performance and results. Thats a scary ask, so how do they get it right? We work very closely with our clients  in many cases our team members are placed within our client's social media teams as an on-site resource, assisting their existing teams with the implementation, management, optimisation and reporting of their social media campaigns.



We also work closely with the teams in assisting with their strategies, insights, and training. Our strength lies in that high level of human service, combined with our proprietary ad platform that we've built to drive efficiency, reduce reliance on manual processes, and leverage technology to deliver innovative advertising opportunities. Innovative advertising opportunities are essential with so much clutter out there, so its little wonder that Adglow celebrated 10 years in business last month. Here, Jenkins explains the benefit of their healthy relationship with major media-buying groups like Dentsu Aegis, Omnicom, Publicis, Universal and WPP as part of that success



Congrats on your decade milestone! Explain how your throwback microsite highlights of the Adglow journey. Congrats on your decade milestone! Explain how your throwback microsite highlights of the Adglow journey. Say social performance and, like me, most people probably envision a number-heavy, human-light way of measuring a campaign's success on social media. That's where we're wrong. Jenkins confirms that a social performance ad agency offers something more tangible than that: Its the combination of the right technology and human service, to facilitate great social advertising results.In fact, theyve run more than 15,000 campaigns for clients like H&M, Pfizer, Armani and McDonalds through marketing partnerships with Facebook, Instagram Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat and Amazon. This provides them with access to valuable data, audience insights, advanced purchase systems, optimisation and in-depth reporting of advertising campaign performance and results. Thats a scary ask, so how do they get it right?Innovative advertising opportunities are essential with so much clutter out there, so its little wonder that Adglow celebrated 10 years in business last month. Here, Jenkins explains the benefit of their healthy relationship with major media-buying groups like Dentsu Aegis, Omnicom, Publicis, Universal and WPP as part of that success

Just the thing for a splash of nostalgia in the digital age. Explain the benefit of your investment in proprietary technology, as well as penetration with major media buying groups like Dentsu Aegis, Omnicom, Publicis, Universal and WPP. Just the thing for a splash of nostalgia in the digital age. Explain the benefit of your investment in proprietary technology, as well as penetration with major media buying groups like Dentsu Aegis, Omnicom, Publicis, Universal and WPP.

Sounds like symbiosis to me. What tools and techniques does it take to work with the rest of your large global network? Sounds like symbiosis to me. What tools and techniques does it take to work with the rest of your large global network?

Through tools like Facebooks Workplace, daily video chats with colleagues and different teams, and a fantastic global training operation, we work in a very collaborative fashion.

Next step, Adglow aims to broaden its African footprint. Explain what this will entail. Next step, Adglow aims to broaden its African footprint. Explain what this will entail.

Leigh Andrews' articles About Leigh Andrews Leigh Andrews AKA the



Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen , is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews

The Adglow core agency was founded by just five members in Spain in 2008, and has since evolved into a one of the largest digital advertising multinationals in the world, with a presence in Austin, Barcelona, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Tokyo, London, Madrid, Manila, Miami, Milan, Santiago de Chile, Sao Paulo, Toronto and Jakarta.We knew when we were planning for our 10th birthday celebrations that we would be focusing our efforts around two things  throwback photos from Adglow through the years, and videos that bring our birthday to life.The microsite gave us a focal point for all of that content  somewhere to store, share, and drive traffic to help tell the story. We wanted it to function as a kind of interactive scrapbook that helped our audience to connect more with the human side of our business  as a technology company, we don't always get the chance to do that.The key advantage of our technology is that it enables us to develop tools and features that enhance campaign success, and create new efficiencies. Those are direct benefits that we pass on to our clients.Were official marketing partners for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest and Instagram, so our technology has been built to enable efficient campaign management across all social media networks.Our relationship with media-buying groups is one of mutual support and benefit  we bring our expertise in proprietary social and digital advertising products, and they bring their understanding of the wider advertising context for the client.With our mothership based in Madrid, and our global operations spanning across 15 markets, its quite exceptional that we are such a tight-knit global team.Whether someone needs assistance on a pitch, looking for a new sales angle, customised developments in our tech, insights into trends, or sharing of strategies, we all work together really well and ensure that knowledge sharing is a key priority.Lets tighten the focus: Talk us through your success in SA over the past two years, having launched in September 2016 with Hippo as your first client and the Dentsu Aegis Network as agency partner  an impressive start.Weve seen our team grow from just two of us at the end of 2017, to now having three of us in Johannesburg, with another two in Cape Town.Our focus has been on growing our existing business and ensuring that our processes are slick and efficient, that the work we deliver is of exceptional quality, and that we really do become part of the furniture within the teams we serve.As we start focussing on new business, we now know what that winning formula looks like, and we want to replicate that in the new relationships that we forge.Yes! Through our working relationship with Dentsu Aegis Network, we have started working with their teams in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Nigeria.At this point, we have an agent representative on the ground in Lagos, who has also started to build up a solid network of clients. All of this points to a bright future and growing team for Adglow in Africa, which is very exciting!They didn't pick us.

It's official, Amazon will split its second headquarters between New York City and Northern Virginia, Amazon announced today, capping off a yearlong search that set off a public contest among 20 finalist cities -- including Newark.

Amazon is also planning a new operations center in Nashville, Tennessee, that will create more than 5,000 jobs.

Losing out on Amazon's second and third headquarters, however, won't be the end for Newark reimagining itself as a tech hub.

"The attention that Amazon brought to Newark by keeping us under consideration down to the wire greatly helped us showcase our city's unprecedented progress and attractiveness to technology and other businesses," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement.

He said other corporations were looking at Newark and several "are strongly considering relocating to the city" since the city made the shortlist. He did not specify any companies.

Gov. Phil Murphy said Newark was stronger and benefitted from the national spotlight.

"Because of our collaborative, all-in effort, now everyone knows that not only is Newark a city on the rise, but that New Jersey's cities have the tools to be homes for leaders in the global innovation-driven economy," he said in a statement.

"Newark and New Jersey may not be getting HQ2, but our proximity to Queens means we're certainly going to benefit."

As Amazon neared its decision this month, state and local officials here pitched a partnership with New York to help alleviate any concerns of locating to a dense urban area. Officials doubled down on that strategy after reports that the online commerce giant was leaning toward Virginia's Crystal City neighborhood and Long Island City in New York.

City and state leaders were hoping to draw the retail behemoth's promised $5 billion and the 50,000 jobs projected for HQ2 -- or at least get a portion of it.

"No other city on the list can be transformed like the city of Newark can," one source involved in the negotiations previously told NJ Advance Media.

Reports of Amazon investing in at least one other city buoyed hopes for New Jersey's largest city but those were dashed after the company made its announcement in a blog post shortly before 10 a.m.

"These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come," Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon said in a statement. "The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities."

More than 25,000 employees will be hired in each of two sites, officials said.

Newark was one of 20 finalist cities named by Amazon in January but was only a handful of locations that received a second, unannounced visit from company representatives.

Local leaders pointed to the list as proof that Newark was finally seeing its long-promised renaissance, amplifying their message of a city on the rise. Business and education heads, too, buzzed about the prospect of having Amazon as a key institutional anchor in the city.

When Amazon representatives visited Newark in April, they met a parade of local and state influencers and dined at Mompou, a popular tapas bar in the city's Ironbound neighborhood.

Among those part of the pitch to Amazon: businessman and philanthropist Ray Chambers, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Murphy and Baraka.

Company representatives visited Newark again in late summer but did not involve local officials.

Newark, together with the state, offered Amazon a $7 billion incentive package that dwarfed deals offered by other states. Of that, $2 billion was offered by the city in payroll tax waivers and other tax abatements.

New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President Tom Bracken said the state should redistribute those tax breaks to small- and medium-sized businesses who "are the backbone of New Jersey's economy and they create many of the new jobs here."

James Barrood, CEO of New Jersey Tech Council, a nonprofit trade association, previously told NJ Advance Media that tech companies will still be drawn to Newark's other anchor institutions like Audible (owned by Amazon).

"The future is very bright for Newark," he said.

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.Stacey Goods didn't think anything of the Facebook posts she read about lead being in Newark's drinking water. Nor did she think the three-family house - where she is a tenant - was affected in the West Ward.

"People play too much," Goods said.

The social media threads compared Newark to Flint, a narrative Mayor Ras Baraka continues to lash out against.

"What they did was purposeful and deliberate to save money," Baraka said during a press conference last week.

Goods heard him say the same thing hours later that night at a meeting at Berean Baptist Church in her ward. She went to the meeting to learn about lead and because she heard the city had been giving filters to residents in homes with lead service lines and elevated levels of lead.

Newark officials, including Baraka, told residents what the city had been doing when it thought initial elevated lead levels were coming from old pipes. But when a consultant's study showed that Newark's water treatment system was not working, the city began to distribute filters last month.

Kareem Adeem, the city's deputy director of water and sewer, said Newark's corrosion control treatment - sodium silicate - was not providing a protective coat inside the pipe to prevent lead from entering the water.

"The silicate was losing its effectiveness," Adeem said.

Newark residents attend meeting at Berean Baptist Church to listen to city officials explain what they have done about elevated levels of lead in drinking water.

After the meeting, Goods was shocked to see her home on the list of some 15,000 to 18,000 homes Newark has identified with lead.

"I said OMG."

Since October, Newark has handed out 13,129 filters -- a figure activists say should be higher by now.

Kim Gaddy, the environmental justice organizer for Clean Water Action, said her organization will be going door to door with the consultant that the city hired to do the water study.

"We're getting calls from folks that don't know how to install it," Gaddy said. "It's too serious of an issue to think you're protected, but your filter is not working," Gaddy said.

If the light is green, it's working. Yellow means the filter is losing effectiveness; red is time to replace it.

Adeem said the city will canvass neighborhoods, too, to get the word out and he demonstrated how it should be used.

Jacqueline Bussey was at same meeting, waiting patiently to see if she needed one of the 40,000 filters that Newark has made available.

"All we can do is hope and pray that everything works out," she said after learning her house was affected.

She was nervous at first about the filter but felt better after the meeting.

"I'm not sure how this is going to play out," Bussey said. "They're doing what they can to rectify the situation."

Sample of lead service lines that need to be replace in Newark homes, which have elevated levels of lead in the drinking water.

Baraka said Newark sent its pipes to the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection Agency and it rolled out a lead service replacement pipe program. It will be funded with a $75 million bond to replace lead service lines connected to affected homes. The cost to homeowners is a maximum of $1,000 each.

In the meantime, the filters are for a year, or at least until the new corrosion treatment takes hold in the city's Peqaunnock water system, which serves parts of every ward except for the East.

Adeem said the new corrosion inhibitor - an orthophosphate - takes about three to eight months to form a wall inside the pipes. That treatment is already used in the city's Wanaque plant, its second water system that serves the East Ward, and parts of the North, Central and South.

Gwendolyn Lynn, a resident, isn't nervous that she has had to attach a filter to her kitchen faucet. She uses bottled water and has had a water cooler.

"I'm going to do what they say, even though I don't like it," said Lynn, who's satisfied with how Newark has informed the public.

"It's almost too much information," she said.

Goods is not panicking, either, even though she had some initial worry. In the past month, Goods said she used tap water to cook a few times when she ran out of bottled water that she's been using for years.

"How much of this have I consumed?" she thought.

Goods will attach the filter, but doubts she'll be using it much. Her reliance on bottled water is a way of life after her son, now a college student, tested positive for lead when he was in elementary school in Orange. At the time, the home where she lived had to be abated.

This situation, she said, is "spooky," but she's she's okay.

"When he (mayor) broke it down, I was put at ease when he said this is not Flint."

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Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.A woman was found stabbed to death in a Montclair apartment complex Monday morning, officials said.

The woman, whose name was not released, was found at 11:45 a.m. in the complex near the corner of Greenwood and Glenridge avenues, Essex County Prosecutor's Office Spokeswoman Katherine Carter said.

Carter said no arrests were made as of 9 p.m. and that no further information could be released at this time.

The death comes just a few weeks after a woman was killed in her Montclair home. James Ray, 55, was arrested in Cuba last week and charged with the crime.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.A Mountain Lakes teen who was missing for two weeks, prompting a multi-state search was found safe Tuesday, officials said.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office did not say where 15-year-old Thomas Kolding was found and said no new information would be released Tuesday.

However, his father, Nicholai Kolding, said the Philadelphia police called him and told him that Thomas was found there.

"He's been found," Kolding told NJ Advance Media. "The Philadelphia Police just called and we're rounding up the family to drive down."

An email from Mountain Lakes Superintendent Anne Mucci also said that Kolding was found in Philadelphia and that his family was "en route to get him."

"Mr. Kolding wanted to express, on behalf of his family, their sincere gratitude for all of the support and care that our faculty has shown," Mucci said in here email.

Kolding was believed to have left home on Oct. 30 with $1,000, while leaving his cellphone, other electronics, and a letter behind.

"I'm off to see the world," he wrote, according to his father. "I'll be back someday."

Kolding was spotted on a platform Nov. 3 at the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden and police in Miami Township, Ohio said last week that there were multiple sightings of the teen in that area, but those sightings were never confirmed.

Staff Writer Mark Di Ionno contributed to this story.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.A former police officer is suing the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, claiming they used him as a scapegoat after their own sneaky investigative tactics ruined their chances of prosecuting a drug defendant earlier this year.

Jason Del Turco alleges in a federal lawsuit that the office forced him to resign his job as a Randolph Township police officer in March.

This took place after the prosecutor's office had arranged for Del Turco to carry out a pre-textual traffic stop of a man they suspected of transporting bricks of heroin in 2017. Later, the office tried to hide that it was more than just a normal traffic stop, according to the lawsuit.

The prosecutor's office eventually had to drop the charges against the man, according to Del Turco's attorney, Peter C. LaGreca of West Caldwell.

Among other things, Del Turco accuses the prosecutor's office of ordering Randolph Township officers to strip search the defendant on the side of the road and to make sure the traffic stop was not video recorded. He also alleges that Chief Assistant Prosecutor Bradford Seabury deliberately misled a judge.

Del Turco originally filed suit in state court in July, but the case was moved to federal court in October. LaGreca filed an amended complaint Thursday.

"This case shows that there needs to be some public accountability," LaGreca said Monday. "This was essentially a cover up of an investigation that was just so underhanded."

Attempts to get comment from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office were unsuccessful Monday and Tuesday.

Methfessel & Werbel, the firm representing Randolph Township and its police department, declined to comment.

The suit claims that on March 24, 2017, a confidential informant provided information to Randolph police that a suspected drug dealer would be buying and traveling with bricks of heroin. The prosecutor's Special Enforcement Unit oversaw the operation, tailing the suspect before and after the buy, with a goal of pulling him over on any driving violation after he had purchased drugs, according to the suit.

Generally, this kind of pre-textual stop is not illegal as long as there is a legitimate violation that warranted the traffic stop.

Randolph Township officers, including Del Turco, did stop the man's car and arrested him on charges of driving while intoxicated, the suit said.

Officers believed he had two bricks of heroin but couldn't find them, so Seabury, of the prosecutor's office, ordered Randolph Lt. Christopher Giulliani to strip search the man on the side of the road, the suit said.

Giulliani refused, according to the suit.

Seabury then asked a judge for a warrant to draw blood from the suspect under the pretext of needing it for the DWI case, when actually he just wanted him taken to a hospital so he would be undressed and the heroin in his pants could be legally discovered, the lawsuit claims.

The suit does not say whether that warrant was granted, and LaGreca declined to say.

Del Turco and other Randolph police officers complied with instructions from the prosecutor's office to write up reports without mentioning the suspected drugs or the informant, so that it would look like just an ordinary traffic stop, the lawsuit claims.

However, the assistant prosecutor prosecuting the case was never informed that her office they had been involved or were trying to cover things up, the lawsuit said. This left Del Turco in a "position where he might perjure himself" when he was called to testify in a Jan. 10 evidence suppression hearing in the case.

LaGreca declined to say what Del Turco testified to at the hearing.

The lawsuit said Del Turco went into the hearing believing the prosecutor's office expected him to testify only to what was in his report about the DWI arrest, which did not include information about the narcotics operation.

The suit said the prosecutor's office later accused him of a Brady violation, which occurs when a prosecutor or law enforcement officer fails to disclose information that is exculpatory or favorable to the defense.

In March, Del Turco resigned as part of a "non-prosecution agreement" with the prosecutor's office, his suit said. He claims it was a fraudulent deal, because the office did not disclose that it would oppose him ever working in law enforcement again.

He was hired by an unnamed police department in June, the lawsuit says, but the offer was rescinded after the prosecutor's office sent them a letter.

The lawsuit seeks punitive damages, costs and fees, copies of two orders the prosecutor's office issued about Del Turco and the destruction of the orders.

Del Turco is also asking for the court to declare that his testimony was not a Brady violation and declare that "circumstances of Plaintiff's January 10, 2018 testimony need not be disclosed in any future proceedings."

LaGreca said his client "has a great reputation as an officer" and should not have had to take the fall in this case.

Del Turco worked for nine years for the Morris County Sheriff's Office, including as a K-9 officer, before becoming a Randolph Township officer in 2013, according to GoFundMe page started after his resignation.

The page, which raised $1,000, says that Del Turco had been elected president of the local Fraternal Order of Police chapter.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsA corrections officer accused of sexually assaulting an inmate at the state's only women's prison was acquitted Tuesday of several charges in Hunterdon County.

Brian Y. Ambroise, 35, of Union, is among the seven employees of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility to be charged with sexually assaulting inmates as a result of investigations into alleged abuses at the prison. He is the first to be "exonerated" of sexual assault charges, according to his attorney, James Wronko.

Brian Y. Ambroise

Wronko said Ambroise, who has been suspended without pay since he was first charged in 2016, was "ecstatic" after the jury's decision Tuesday and planned to celebrate with his kids.

Ambroise still faces charges that he helped facilitate a fellow corrections officer's abuse of two inmates in 2015 and 2016. He denies the allegations, Wronko said.

Under state law, any sexual contact between inmates and staff is a crime because prisoners cannot legally consent.

The jury acquitted Ambroise on charges of official misconduct and sexual assault Tuesday morning after deliberating for less than two full days, Wronko said. He said he felt confident after the two-week trial, in which both Ambroise and his accuser testified.

"The inmate's testimony was inconsistent versus her earlier statements, and inconsistent with what she said on cross examination versus direct," he said.

She testified that he kissed her once and performed a sexual act on another occasion, Wronko said, but the prosecution was unable to prove definitively how and when the DNA evidence was obtained.

Ambroise testified that the woman "tried to kiss him and took him by surprise," on one occasion, Wronko said.

He also testified that his statements to investigators that were deemed a confession were not true.

"He was questioned for an hour and 40 minutes before he made any admissions," Wronko said, and the detectives pressured him for the answer they wanted. "They made him admit something to end the interrogation."

After the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office filed these charges against him in 2016, a second indictment was handed down based on allegations by a second victim, the office said.

Wronko said those charges have since been dropped.

He said the only charges that remain against his client allege that on separate occasions in 2015 and 2016, he allowed two women into a restricted area so they could engage in sexual contact with a more senior officer, Ronald Coleman, 39, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Both men have yet to be tried on those charges. Wronko said in a previous interview that Ambroise "never knowingly did anything to allow Coleman to engage in any inappropriate activities, assuming [Coleman] did."

Of the six corrections officers and one employee charged with crimes in the prison abuse scandal, four have been convicted, two have yet to be tried, and one -- Ambroise -- was acquitted.

Left to right: Officers Brian Ambroise, Thomas Sequine, Anwhar Dixon, Jason Mays, Joel Mercado and Ronald Coleman. At right, civilian staff member Joel Herscap.

Corrections officials have attributed the spike in criminal accusations of sexual abuse to the department's vigilance.

However, after a 2017 NJ Advance Media investigation uncovered a pattern of sexual exploitation and assault in the prison, county prosecutors and the Attorney General's Office launched separate investigations, and state lawmakers have proposed a third probe by a special commission. A civil rights probe is also being conducted by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark.

Numerous lawsuits have been filed in the cases, including two class-action suits.

In a statement Tuesday, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III said his office is disappointed in the verdict but "it will not diminish our resolve."

"All inmates have a right to be safe within the institutions where we as a society demand they be detained," Kearns said. "It is our responsibility as a society to protect those that are unable to protect themselves."

Ambroise is still technically employed by the Department of Corrections, his attorney said, but it isn't clear if or when he'll go back to work.

Speaking generally, corrections spokesman Matthew Schuman said when an employee is cleared of criminal charges he or she may not automatically return to work if there are administrative charges for policy violations within the department.

"Those charges would have to be adjudicated before that employee can return to his or her position of employment," he said.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsA new name. Millions in investments. Major renovations. New services. Some 300 new employees.

Will it be enough to turn around an ailing, nearly 100-year-old hospital in rural South Jersey?

Community leaders, health care professionals and the company that plans to take over The Memorial Hospital of Salem County in Mannington Township say the answer is "yes."

In one of the final steps in the long process of turning over the facility to a new owner, state officials last week heard testimony -- which at times almost sounded like pleas -- supporting Bloomfield-based Community Heath Care Associates' plan to buy Memorial.

"We need to end the uncertainly among medical professionals who are considering whether or not this is a facility that they are comfortable practicing in," said Dr. Wamiq Sultan, vice chief of the hospital's medical staff. "We need to know that stability is coming."

He called completion of the sale from Tennessee's Community Health Systems "critical for the future of health care in Salem County."

"Our plans include the renovation of a substantial portion of the existing facility, the consolidation and growth of certain medical programs and the implementation of significant upgrades to the hospitals medical equipment and information technology systems," said Steven Rosefsky, one of

CHA'

s partners.

"By focusing on revenue growth rather than cost-cutting measures, we expect to more than triple the daily (number of patients), attract and retain best-in-class nurses, physicians and staff, and expand high-quality healthcare services to the residents of Salem County."

The complex on Woodstown-Salem Road will be known as Salem Medical Center.

Total investment will be between $30 and $60 million, CHA officials said. That includes money from

CHA

and the

, a non-profit created with funds from the $32 million sale of Memorial Hospital in September 2002 to the for-profit

CHS.

Brenda Goins, foundation executive director, said the foundation is ready to "support the purchase and subsequent operation of the hospital for years to come." Grants and loans for the deal would exceed 50 percent of the foundation's total assets which, according to the latest financial statements, total round $65 million.

While infrastructure improvements are planned, so are the expansion of services.

"There are ongoing conversations about a number of potential services that could include anything from urology to vascular and cardiology. The addition of services is all dependent on what the needs of the community are deemed to be as this project progresses," said CHA spokesman Steven Lenox.

In 2013 when Memorial closed its maternity ward, the number of births there was less than 200 a year. That number is "not enough to sustain an obstetrics unit that would be able to meet the high quality of care that

CHA

demands and patients deserve," Lenox said.

Rosefsky said

CHA

has already guaranteed all approximately

jobs and

CHA

is expected to create an additional 300 jobs at the hospital over the next three years.

CHA

wants the state to OK its plan to modify the hospital license for fewer medical/surgical beds, but add adult acute psychiatric beds and 30 long-term care beds.

Officials are hoping the deal can close by Dec. 31.

Patrice Sharkey, a 12-year nurse at Memorial Hospital, called on

CHA

to guarantee her union, the

would be recognized, and said the state should act as a watchdog to guarantee and Health and Wellness Foundation funds be used properly and "nothing is squandered."

Sharkey was also concerned that in the transfer of ownership agreement

CHA

is only required to operate the hospital as an acute care facility for five years.

"As part of the regulatory process the Department of Health asked

CHA

if it would maintain acute care for at least five years, their answer was 'yes,'" Lenox said. "The very significant financial investment

CHA

is making to transform Salem Medical Center offers what should be seen as a definitive indicator of their commitment to serving the community for many years to come."

The plan to add long-term care beds at hospital didn't sit well with a representative from the three area nursing and rehabilitation centers.

Salem Medical Center will be operated as a non-profit,

CHA

officials say, but will provide Mannington with a payment in lieu of taxes. It was operated as a for-profit under

CHS.

The long-empty Surgery Center on the hospital campus will be put back into use in some form and other out-patient facilities are planned, officials said.

A deal had been in place to sell the hospital to a California-based non-profit, in May 2017, but fell through the same day the New Jersey Department of Health approved it.

The sale price then was $15 million. According to documents obtained by NJ Advance Media through an open public records request, the sale prices this time is $3 million.

Testimony from the hearing will be forwarded to the state Health Planning Board which, in early December, which will vote whether the sale should be approved or rejected.

New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal will then have 120 days to make a final decision.Don Cresitello is not the kind of guy to say "I hate to say I told you so."

In fact he takes great pleasure in doing so. And the Democratic former mayor of Morristown told you long ago that we need better coordination between local and federal authorities when it comes to dealing with potentially violent undocumented immigrants.

That was proven against last week when an undocumented Mexican immigrant murdered three people in Missouri after being released from the Middlesex County jail in December to await trial on charges of domestic violence.

That incident brought memories of a 2007 incident in which an undocumented alien from Peru led a gang that killed three college students in a Newark schoolyard. Jose Carranza had been released from the Essex County jail a few months earlier.

At the time, then-Mayor Cresitello came to prominence by insisting that his town and the county needed to sign what is known as a 287(g) agreement with the feds. That status would permit the officers to be deputized as federal officials to enforce immigration laws.

But when Cresitello made his push, he found himself in a public fight with Chris Christie, then the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.

Christie was laying the groundwork for a run for governor and trying to court the Latino vote. Christie accused Cresitello of "grandstanding." When he spoke at a church in Dover with a largely Latino congregation, Christie told the crowd that "being in this country without proper documentation is not a crime."

That's technically correct, but it brought him under fire from conservative commentators such as Lou Dobbs, who called him "out of his mind" and noted the paucity of immigration prosecutions during Christie's term as U.S. Attorney. (See video below)

Cresitello, who favors comprehensive immigration reform, said the failure to prosecute the relatively few law-breaking aliens actually hurts that cause.

"If we would enforce the law against people accused of criminal activities that would help people who are in the country illegally," he said. "By keeping criminal elements in the country and releasing them, that's what sours the public on illegals who have not committed a crime."

Middlesex County officials have responded to the controversy by arguing that if they turned defendants over to ICE, the county could be liable if it later turned out a defendant was illegally detained.

But that's the reason counties should sign those agreements with ICE, Cresitello said. Any liability would be on the feds.

"If you're operating the jail under 287(g), you have protections," he said. "That's the reason I wanted Morris County to go along with the program."

Cresitello lost a re-election bid that year. But a certain Monmouth County Sheriff candidate by the name of Kim Guadagno had more luck. She was elected in 2007 on a campaign calling for Monmouth to have its officers deputized with immigration authority under 287(g).

"If you are an illegal alien and commit a crime in Monmouth County, you will be identified, turned over to federal authorities and deported if appropriate," Guadagno said at the time.

That was much remarked upon two years later when Christie chose her as his running mate in his successful bid for governor.

Perhaps it's time to talk about it again now that Christie is being touted as a potential nominee for attorney general in a Trump administration.

The Democrats now control the House, so they can pass a bill encompassing their version of comprehensive immigration reform with no Republican votes and send it to the Senate.

"I would expect the Democrats in the house should pass some kind of bill granting protections to people who are in the country illegally," he said. "Give them work papers. Give them the right to come and go so they can contribute to our economy. That bill should be sent to the Senate and let the president deal with it."

I expect we will see something like that. But before we go into another round of immigration reform, let's recall how the last one fell apart.

In 1986, the first comprehensive reform was passed under Ronald Reagan.

Reagan's director of immigration was a guy by the name of Alan Nelson. He coordinated with the Catholic Church to set up 100 new centers to process amnesty requests.

But he also called for "enforcement of all aspects against illegal immigration - border enforcement, the sanctions dealing with the job market ... and tougher provisions against aliens involved in crime."

After Nelson left office in 1990, his successors failed to follow through on enforcement. As for Christie, he didn't seem to discover the problem until he decided to make a run for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

Perhaps he's learned his lesson.

But if I were The Donald, I'd give the other Donald a call just to make sure.

ADD: For conservatives, this issue couldn't be simpler: If liberals are not willing to deport even violent offenders, how can we expect them to regulate immigration after the next amnesty?

Also, Kim Guadagno got back to me after my print deadline.

Her remarks show the way Republicans should have dealt with this from the beginning:

"First, as Monmouth County Sheriff, and last year during the gubernatorial campaign, I supported cooperation with authorities in their enforcement of lawful federal immigration detainers already in custody in our jails.

"With the three deaths in Missouri, we can now see the tragic consequences of the wrongheaded policy employed by Middlesex County to ignore lawful federal detainers.

"Rodrigo Perez should never have been released."

BELOW: The Lou Dobbs program on Christie:By Laurie Wilcox

My sister and I are nurses who are disabled by life-shortening diseases. As a result, we know from first-hand experience about both the limits of modern medicine at life's end and the challenges of living with disabling medical conditions.

I'm 61 and have suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for 30 years. It has invaded my lung tissue and requires me to wear an oxygen tank most of the day to breathe. I've had 18 surgeries. I plan to fight my illness for as long as I can. I enjoy life. But at the end stage of my disease, I do not want to suffer through air hunger in the very last days of my life.

Laurie Wilcox: I plan to fight my illness for as long as I can. I enjoy life. But at the end stage of my disease, I do not want to suffer through air hunger in the very last days of my life. (Family photo)

My younger sister, Melissa, suffers from small cell lung cancer, the most deadly of all lung cancers. She has two small, small grandchildren that she loves beyond measure.

Neither of us wants to die, but we know we are going to die long before the end of our natural lives. When that time is imminent, and if our suffering becomes unbearable, we both would like to have the opportunity to die in our own way, at home, with our family and friends around us.

That's why we recently recorded a video for Compassion & Choices urging the New Jersey Assembly and Senate to pass the Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Act (A1504/S1072) before the end of year.

It would provide terminally ill New Jerseyans with six months or less to live the option of medical aid in dying to peacefully end intolerable suffering. Medical aid-in-dying laws promote and supplement, rather than compete against, hospice, improving end-of-life care for many people who may never need or ask for this option.

Oregon's 1994 Death with Dignity Act has helped spur the state to lead the nation in hospice enrollment, according to the report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. More than 90 percent of those who have used the law since it took effect 20 years ago were enrolled in hospice, according the Oregon Health Authority.

The harsh reality is even the best hospice and palliative care cannot relief suffering for every patient. Recent peer-reviewed studies show pain and suffering at the end of life is at an all-time high, despite a doubling of the use of hospice and palliative care over the last decade.

According to a 2015 Annals of Internal Medicine report about symptom trends in the last year of life:

"Pain is one of the most prevalent and troubling symptoms, and patients and families fear it and wish to avoid it near the end of life ... Despite national efforts to improve end-of-life care, proxy reports of pain and other alarming symptoms in the last year of life increased" from 53 to 61 percent.

Contrary to claims by some disability rights groups outside New Jersey, polling shows most New Jerseyans with disabilities (63 percent) support medical aid in dying by nearly the identical percentage of all New Jerseyans (62 percent).

It's worth noting that Disability Rights Oregon says it "has not received a complaint of exploitation or coercion of an individual with disabilities in the use of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act" that is the model for New Jersey's Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act.

In fact, the New Jersey legislation has more than a dozen safeguards to prevent abuse and coercion. For example, two doctors must confirm the terminal prognosis, that the requesting person is mentally capable of making their own medical decisions and is physically able to self-ingest the medication, the person must make two oral requests for the medication, as well as a written request witnessed by two people who can confirm the person is voluntarily making the request.

The reality is there will never be enough safeguards for some people who oppose medical aid in dying. All my sister and I ask is that our lawmakers not allow a minority of New Jerseyans to deny this option to a majority of their constituents like us who want it.

Laurie Wilcox is a retired nurse living with a disability in Clark.

RELATED COVERAGE:

Should your doctor help you die? How N.J. lawmakers voted after emotional hearing

N.J.'s 'Aid in Dying' bill: What you need to know

My newlywed wife ended her life on her terms. Brittany Maynard advocated for aid-in-dying laws

My husband died in agony, and he didn't have to. State must pass Aid-in-Dying bill

Tom Moran: I saw my sister's terrible decline close up. We should allow death with dignity.

I depend on life-support to stay alive. Why I oppose assisted suicide laws

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.As if having your team lose to the lowly Buffalo Bills isn't enough, one New York Jets fan's day got even worse on Sunday after he rear-ended a car, failed a sobriety test and had an open bottle of whiskey and suspected marijuana in his car, police said.

His reason for his brush with the law was simple.

Christopher Greyshock, 57, of West Milford (Photo: Wayne Police)

"I drank too much because the Jets suck," Christopher Greyshock, 57, of West Milford, told police during his sobriety test, according to a release from the Wayne Police.

Officers there were called to the corner of Alps Road and Route 23 at 5:15 p.m., which was about an hour and a half after the Jets game ended, for a report of a car accident with injuries and found first aid squad members helping an injured woman and a man lying on the grass.

Greyshock then "staggered" and "swayed" over to the officers and told them that he had rear-ended a car that was stopped in traffic, the release said.

Police said they could smell alcohol on his breath and that there were "stains of liquid" on his blue jeans. It was then that police performed the sobriety test an then found that his blood alcohol level was over the legal limit at .13 percent.

Officers then searched his car and found a three-quarters full bottle of Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey on his passenger seat, the burnt remnants of a joint on the center console, rolling papers on the passenger side floor and a bag which contained marijuana, authorities said.

Greyshock's car was impounded and he was charged with assault by auto because the driver he hit was injured, DWI, reckless driving and drug possession, police said.

After he was processes and issued his traffic summonses and charges, he was turned over to a "responsible adult," the release stated.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.More than 20,000 people accused of drunken driving in New Jersey could have their cases tossed based on a Tuesday ruling of the state's Supreme Court.

In a unanimous decision, the high court found criminal charges against a State Police sergeant who was in charge of calibrating breath-testing devices made the test results from five counties inadmissible as evidence.

The court vacated the conviction of a woman who pleaded guilty to drunken driving based on a result from one of those machines - and then died while waiting for the legal fight to finish.

It also ordered state authorities to notify anyone whose case involved results from machines Sgt. Marc Dennis handled that those results weren't scientifically sound.

The decision opens the floodgates for thousands of people to challenge DWI convictions that occurred over nearly a decade.

In 2016, Dennis was accused of lying on official documents about performing a legally required temperature check while calibrating just three machines, known as Alcotest devices, which gauge the blood-alcohol level of accused drunken drivers.

The criminal case against Dennis is still pending. Reached Tuesday, his attorney said the sergeant maintains his innocence.

The accusations called into question any test result involving a machine Dennis handled, including devices used by local police in Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, and Union counties between 2008 and 2016.

The disclosure prompted a New Jersey woman, Eileen Cassidy, to seek to withdraw a guilty plea she entered in Spring Lake Municipal Court based on the results of a breath test. Cassidy died of a terminal illness in March, but the justices still ruled on the case because of the "significant public importance" of the issue.

State authorities maintained that the temperature check Dennis was accused of skipping was one of several "redundancies and fail-safes" to ensure the readings are accurate and that omitting that one step did not invalidate the results. New Jersey is the only state that requires the step, they argued.

But the Supreme Court, siding with Judge Joseph Lisa, who was appointed as a "special master" to handle the issue, found the omission of the step raised "substantial doubts" about the reliability of the machines.

County prosecutors began notifying defendants in 2016 that their cases could be thrown out, but those cases had been on hold pending the Supreme Court's ruling. On Tuesday, the court ordered state authorities to "notify all affected defendants of our decision ... so that they may take appropriate action."

Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said at an unrelated event Tuesday that his office was reviewing the decision.

"We're still coming up with guidance for our county prosecutors and municipal prosecutors who handle many of these cases," he said.

It's unclear how many cases will ultimately be tossed. Breath tests are an important part of DWI cases, but a person can still be convicted of drunken driving without one.

Michael Hobbie, the Eatontown attorney who represented Cassidy, said the pool of 20,667 includes an unknown number of people who may have been found not guilty at trial, or were convicted on the observation of the officers at the scene rather than a breathalyzer result.

What's more, Hobbie said, defendants have to come forward to challenge their conviction, and because the pool of cases goes back years, many of them may have already served their license suspensions and other punishments in the time that has passed.

"Are you going to want to go out and hire a lawyer and go prosecute this case again?" he said.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.The brochure looked like any pamphlet you'd leaf through at a doctor's office.

"Myth: Opioid medications are always addictive," it said. "Fact: Many studies show that opioids are rarely addictive when used properly for the management of chronic pain."

But authorities say the materials hardly came from an independent source. They came from the people selling powerful painkillers to patients.

New Jersey officials on Tuesday accused a subsidiary of Garden State-based pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson of using "deceptive marketing" to boost profits by playing down the risks of highly-addictive painkillers.

In a lengthy lawsuit filed in state Superior Court, New Jersey's attorney general contended Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. violated the state's Consumer Fraud Act and fueled the opioid addiction crisis. Several other state and local governments around the country have already filed similar suits.

The move marks the third time New Jersey authorities have accused a drugmaker of breaking the law in order to sell opioid painkillers as authorities grapple with spiraling rates taking the lives of an average of eight New Jerseyans every day.

"It is particularly disturbing that so much of this misconduct took place in our own backyard," said Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, who announced the suit during a Newark press conference.

A spokesman for the New Brunswick-based Johnson & Johnson denied any wrongdoing and said Janssen's marketing materials were "appropriate and responsible."

"New Jersey's pharmaceutical industry is the envy of the world, with a long history of developing vital, life-saving drugs," the attorney general said. "But we cannot turn a blind eye when a New Jersey company violates the law and threatens the lives of our residents."

Authorities say the 97-page lawsuit is based on internal documents the Attorney General's Office took from the company during an investigation into its business practices going back to the early 1990s.

The allegations concern Janssen's marketing campaign two products, Nucynta and Nucynta ER. Authorities claim the company deceived patients by presenting the medicines as "safer, milder, and less addictive" than competitor painkillers.

The company sold off the two medicines for more than $1 billion in 2015.

Janssen, which is based in Belgium but has offices in New Jersey, is also accused of using an "unbranded marketing campaign" to create websites and documents designed to look independent that claimed to "debunk" myths about painkillers. The company is accused of targeting elderly and "opioid-naive" patients.

Those efforts included a website, PrescribeResponsibly.com, which argued that "true addiction occurs only in a small percentage of patients with chronic pain." That website currently has a disclaimer stating that Janssen "is solely responsible for its content," but authorities claim that the company originally hid their connection to the material.

In a statement following Grewal's press conference, Janssen Pharmaceuticals denied any wrongdoing.

"The labels for our prescription opioid pain medicines provide information about their risks and benefits, and the allegations made against our company are baseless and unsubstantiated," the statement said. "In fact, our medications have some of the lowest rates of abuse among this class of medications."

But Paul Rodriguez, the director of New Jersey's Division of Consumer Affairs, said the company used "speaker's fee" payments to doctors and aggressive sales tactics to push Nucynta prescriptions, falsely claiming that their drugs were safe.

"They are narcotic drugs that have a high potential for abuse," he told reporters.

Rodriguez said the tactics were "right out of the playbook" used by drugmakers Insys Therapeutics and Purdue Pharma, the targets of earlier, ongoing lawsuits filed by the state.

New Jersey is hardly the first to take on Janssen, and notably Johnson & Johnson officials are not named as defendants in the suit. States including Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Dakota have all directly named the New Jersey company as a defendant in their own lawsuits.

Portions of the New Jersey were redacted because the company claimed they described confidential information. State authorities said they would ask a judge to make the entire document public, calling on company officials to cooperate.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.Allegiant Air is adding a new nonstop flight from New Orleans to Louisville, Kentucky. The route will launch in February 2019.

Allegiant, a low-cost airline that offers flights from regional airports to vacation destinations, will operate seasonal, twice-weekly flights between Louis Armstrong International Airport and Louisville International Airport, according to a news release. The airline currently offers flights to seven cities from New Orleans. Louisville will be its eighth destination.

More recently, Allegiant has been paring back its offerings from the city, cutting two nonstops to St. Petersburg, Florida, and Sanford, Florida, in May. The airline also canceled its nonstop from New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2017.

Regular route changes and cancellations are fairly common, especially among low-cost airlines, which rely on quick adjustments in response to flight demand in order to make money. Allegiant isnt the only airline making changes in New Orleans. Frontier Airlines ended its nonstop service to Islip, New York, and to Providence, Rhode Island, earlier this year after a short run. Southwest Airlines canceled its nonstop flights from New Orleans to Pittsburgh. A similar Allegiant flight to Pittsburgh is on hiatus, though the airline said it plans to return it next spring.

The new flight to Louisville launches Feb. 28, 2019, just in time for Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras Day falls on March 5 next year.

See the latest photos from inside New Orleans new airport terminal



Jennifer Larino covers residential real estate, retail and consumer news, travel and cruises, weather and other aspects of life in New Orleans for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Reach her at jlarino@nola.com or 504-239-1424. Follow her on Twitter @jenlarino.A driver fleeing a New Orleans police unit crashed their car into several vehicles in the Central Business District during a hit-and-run incident late Tuesday morning (Nov. 13), police announced in a news release.

Police received a call from a man complaining he was being followed by a maroon Chevrolet. A responding NOPD unit approached the Chevrolet from behind and activated its lights. The Chevrolet then sped away from the officer, who did not give chase, according to police.

The fleeing car later crashed into several other vehicles before coming to a stop near the busy intersection of Poydras and Tchoupitoulas streets, at which hotels and Mothers restaurant are located. None of the businesses were damaged. Two men exited the car and fled the scene, police said. Responding officers located a handgun believed to have been discarded by the duo, announced NOPD.

There were no reported injuries or damage to businesses.

Investigation into this incident is ongoing, and additional charges are possible. Anyone with additional information is asked to call NOPD 8th District detectives at 504-658-6080.A man charged with being an accessory in a May homicide in New Orleans East pleaded guilty Tuesday (Nov. 13) and was sentenced to probation.

Dwayne Daggs, 24, and Kevin T. Green, 23, were indicted in October, five months after police said 17-year-old Leonard Warren Jr. was found shot to death in a grassy area in the 6600 block of Warfield Street in the Plum Orchard area.

Police said Green and Daggs were seen on surveillance video arriving at the scene of the homicide on May 16, then fleeing the scene less than a minute after the shooting.

Both men were booked with second-degree murder when they were arrested, but Daggs was indicted on a lesser charge. Green, who was indicted on a second-degree murder charge, is awaiting trial.

Coroner IDs 17-year-old killed in empty New Orleans East lot

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Daggs pleaded guilty as charged Tuesday. Criminal District Court Judge Keva Landrum-Johnson sentenced him to five years in prison, but suspended that sentence and placed Daggs on three years of active probation.

Prosecutors agreed they would not file a multiple bill against Daggs, who has previous convictions for weapons and domestic abuse charges in Orleans Parish, according to court records.

Defense attorney Michael Kennedy said he is pleased with the outcome of Daggs case.

Despite the initial arrest for second degree murder, for which my client would have faced mandatory life in prison if found guilty, we were able to achieve a resolution that is actually reflective of Mr. Daggs tangential involvement, and have given this young father a second chance at getting life right, Kennedy said. The opportunity to help provide that chance, it makes me proud that I could help.

Green is scheduled to be in court for a motions hearing Nov. 20.Here are picks from NOLA.com | The Times-Picayunes food team for eating and drinking in New Orleans this week and beyond.

THURSDAY (Nov. 15)

Julia Turshen lecture  The author of the new cookbook Now & Again will give a talk titled Visibility, Connection + Equity in Cookbooks at Dillard University in the Georges Auditorium (2601 Gentilly Blvd.). The event is presented by the Ray Charles Program in African-American Material Culture. Free. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Nouveau & Glou Glou dinner  Coquette (2800 Magazine St.) hosts a family-style dinner to celebrate the release of Beaujolais Nouveau wine. The special guests will be Dana Frank and Andrea Slonecker, authors of the cookbook Wine Food. The price includes a copy of the book. $85. 6:30 p.m. See www.coquettenola.com.

Propeller Pop  The Propeller Incubator (4035 Washington Ave.) hosts an event to celebrate social entrepreneurs with food from 10 pop-up restaurants and a tasting room from Roulaison Distilling Co. $35. 7-9 p.m. See propellerpop.eventbrite.com.

Beaujolais Nouveau tasting  The French American Chamber of Commerce offers a tasting of the annual release of Beaujolais Nouveau wine with food from area restaurants at the JW Marriott New Orleans (614 Canal St.). $100. 7-10 p.m. See www.facc-gc.com.

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Chappellet Wine Dinner  Restaurant REvolution (777 Bienville St.) will have a five-course dinner paired with Chappellet winery. A representative of the winery will attend. $175. 7 p.m. Call 504.553.2277.

SATURDAY (Nov. 17)

Fete des Fromages  The Gulf Coast chapter of the French American Chamber of Commerce is throwing a festival dedicated to cheese at the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the U.S. Mint (400 Esplanade Ave.). Taste more than 100 cheeses from around the world paired with wine and other drinks. The event will also have music, cooking demonstrations and seminars about cheese. $30 for adults; $12 for children. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. See www.fetedesfromages.com.

Wing Wars  Twenty New Orleans restaurants will compete at Central City BBQ (1201 S. Rampart St.) to see who makes the best wings. The mini-festival also includes live music. $15 in advance; $20 at the door. 3-10 p.m. See www.nolawingwars.com.

Know of a great food event? Let us know at foodevents@nola.com.Hammond High Magnet School has canceled classes Tuesday (Nov. 13), the school district posted on its website. Its the second day in a row the school has been closed.

All other schools are open, the district posted.

The school was closed Monday after someone posted a threat to Instagram. A school official told WDSU more social media threats were made overnight.

Hammond High canceled classes Monday morning after a parent of a student reported the social media threat, the school said on its Facebook page.

Monday afternoon, the school posted on its Facebook page that the school would reopen Tuesday after law enforcement did a thorough search and found no current threat to the campus.

The post said authorities were seeking to the person who posted the threat to Instagram. The school said it also would have an increased law enforcement presence on campus in coming days.

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The threats come the same week a Slidell High School student was arrested after making a threat in an attempt to get out of school Monday. The Slidell Police Department on Sunday said there was no danger to any students attending" Slidell High.

Slidell High student arrested after making threat toward school

Check back for more details on this developing story.

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune editor Manuel Torres contributed to this story.

Carlie Kollath Wells is a morning reporter at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Have an early-bird tip? Send it to her: cwells@nola.com or Twitter @carlie_kollath.Shanghai (Gasgoo)- China's vehicle outputs and sales in October reached 2.334 million units and 2.38 million units respectively, edging down 0.9% and 0.6% over the previous month, while evidently dropping 10.1% and 11.7% from a year ago, according to the data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

A number of automakers also suffered YoY decline or saw slower growth in Oct. sales, which inevitably perplexed dealers who are striving to sell as much as vehicles in the rest time of the year.

The inventory turnover ratio for Chinas car dealerships in October was 1.88, surging 41% over a year ago and edging up 3% over a month ago, which exceeded an official warning threshold, according to the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA). The inventory ratio growth should be attributed to the overall stagnant market climate, consumers wait-and-see mood and the less shopping frequency caused by the busy farming season.

The Oct. inventory turnover ratio for the premium & imported car brands, the joint-venture car brands and the China-owned car brands reached 1.57, 1.79 and 2.33 respectively, which climbed 10%, 1% and 3% over a month ago.

A total of ten brands saw their stock depth in October exceed 2 months. BYD, Changan Ford and Geely Auto all had stock depth up to 2.8 months.

The inventory turnover ratio exceeding the warning threshold of 1.5 or the stock depth surpassing 2 months suggest that dealers will face a higher inventory pressure. To boost sales and consume inventory before 2018 ends, dealers might cut vehicle prices, thus lead to lower profits and difficulty on capital turnover. However, it seems that the inventory stress for dealers cannot be significantly lightened by 2018.A plan to restore wetlands along Lake Pontchartrain from the Bonnabel Boat Launch to Bucktown in Jefferson Parish, designed to both add protection to the hurricane levee onshore and improve habitat for lake fish, will get a $400,000 planning grant from a new national coastal resilience program.

The grant includes $250,000 from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and $150,000 in matching funds from Jefferson Parish, which will oversee the project.

The project will extend westward the restoration of lakefront marshes already proposed as part of the Bucktown Harbor Vision Plan.

That plan is aimed at transforming the harbor and adjacent peninsula of land into a 30-acre public recreation site.

At Bucktown Harbor, a new vision for recreation

Restoring this marsh footprint would not only increase the ecological habitat and water quality near the shore, but would be an outdoor classroom for children and adults alike to learn about the marsh and connect them to coastal issues in the parish from the lake to the Gulf of Mexico, said a brief fact sheet that accompanied the parishs application for the grant.

The application points out the potential of the project to reduce the effects of hurricane storm surges on the lakefront levee, which protects the northern border of the parish along the lake.

Jefferson has been impacted by dozens of storms before Katrina, and will be by hundreds in the future, the fact sheet said, pointing out that since 2000, the parish has been hit by more than 10 hurricanes and tropical storms.

The wetland restoration also would be aimed at what the fact sheet says was a 49 percent decline in fish production in Lake Pontchartrain between 1900 and 1980, largely due to the loss of wetlands along its edges, the result of the development of lakeshore land for residential and commercial purposes.

Environmental news in your inbox Stay up-to-date on the latest on Louisiana's coast and the environment. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

The lakes fisheries also have been impacted by a decline in submerged aquatic vegetation along the southern lakefront caused by both residential development, pollution entering the lake from rainfall runoff from inside the levee sytem, and by turbid lake water resulting from the mining of the lake bottom for Rangia clam shells during much of the 20th century.

The state stopped shell dredging in the lake in 1989, and the lakes water quality along the south shore has been steadily improving since then.

But the fact sheet points out that increasing the shorelines natural diversity by adding wetlands along the mile-long stretch of lakefront also is crucial to the health of the brackish lake.

Most of the $400,000 grant will be used for design and engineering work. While the parish has not yet identified a source of money for construction, theres a good chance that both the parishs match for this first grant and the construction funds will come from offshore oil revenue.

Starting this year, the parish will begin receiving more than $1 million a year under the federal Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, which distributes 37 percent of severance taxes and fees from newly producing deepwater wells in federal waters off Louisianas coast to the state and 20 coastal parishes.

The project also is likely to be supported by the East Jefferson Levee District and its parent organization, the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, which now oversees the hurricane levee.

The levee district participated in a 2006 study of how best to improve the lakefront that was overseen by the Louisiana State University School of Landscape Architecture, with support from the Louisiana Sea Grant program.

That study provided several alternatives for building up protection along the levee, including a series of terraced breakwaters along the Bonnabel to Bucktown segment that would include marsh grasses, cypress trees, and picnic areas beneath live oaks at the immediate shoreline. Another alternative would include building small barrier islands planted with trees, surrounded by wetlands.

All of the proposals include boardwalks or other amenities designed to allow public access to the new wetland areas.A freshwater turtle found only in Louisiana and Mississippi isnt getting the protections it needs to avoid extinction, according to a lawsuit the Center for Biological Diversity plans to file against the Trump administration.

In a formal notice of intent to sue the federal government, the center on Tuesday (Nov. 13) said Pearl River and Pascagoula map turtles should be protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a landmark environmental law credited with saving the bald eagle and American alligator, among other species. The center and other environmental groups petitioned for the turtles ESA protection in 2010.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has not made a decision on their status. Theres some debate over whether the turtles are two separate species or whether theyre variations of another turtle species. According to the center, recent studies define the Pearl River and Pascagoula map turtles as distinct species.

We could lose these ancient species to extinction if the Fish and Wildlife Service doesnt act quickly to protect them, Jason Totoiu, a center attorney, said in a statement.

Rising seas could put an elusive, red-eyed marsh bird on the endangered species list

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Also known as sawbacks for the ridges topping their shells, Pearl River map turtles are found only in and around the Pearl River. Theyre considered one of the least-studied turtles in North America. Females are known to grow up to a foot long and live 30 years.

According to Kristina Alexander, a lawyer with the Mississippi-Alabama SeaGrant program, the turtle risks extinction due to habitat loss from channel filling, dredging and the clearing of sandbanks and fallen trees. The turtle is collected for the pet trade and hunted for Asian food and medicinal markets. Its habit of lining up on fallen trees make it an easy target for gun enthusiasts, Alexander said.

A controversial proposal to dam a section of the Pearl in central Mississippi would degrade a large area of the turtles habitat, the center says.

The Pearl River map turtle population appears to have fallen below other turtle species protected by the ESA. According to a 2016 report by the U.S. Geological Survey, the ESA-listed ringed map turtle was more abundant than the Pearl River map turtle.

Very little is known about the natural history and ecology of the species, which will make conservation efforts challenging, the USGS report said.Pedophile priests and other staffers accused of molesting children at the former Hope Haven and Madonna Manor orphanages are targets of a new lawsuit filed Tuesday (Nov. 13) against the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Salesian order to which the priests belonged. Two lawyers filed the suit in Orleans Parish Civil District Court on behalf of four unnamed adults who as children lived at the Marrero orphanages in the 1970s and 1980s.

The suit comes 11 days after the archdiocese disclosed the names of 55 priests and two deacons whom it said had been credibly accused of sexually abusing children in its jurisdiction since 1917. Eight of those priests, six of them now dead, worked at Hope Haven.

8 Catholic priests accused of sexually abusing children worked at Marrero orphanage

The archdiocese said Nov. 2 it was opening up about its history of clerical sex crimes in an act of repentance, amid swelling demands for transparency in an international scandal that has rocked the worlds largest Christian church. But the new suit illustrates the risk of coming clean: More plaintiffs come forward to sue the church for money.

Nine years ago, the archdiocese and its affiliated Catholic Charities paid almost $5.2 million to more than a dozen men who asserted they were beaten, berated and molested years earlier as children living at Hope Haven. Yet the new suit says the archdiocese has never disclosed the full list of brothers, staff or employees  accused of abusing children there.

The archdiocese would not comment on the latest suit. Our prayers and concern go out to all victims of abuse, a spokeswoman said. We cannot offer any comment on pending litigation.

New Catholic priest abuse reports test legacies of archbishops Joseph Rummel, Philip Hannan

The Nov. 2 announcement from the archdiocese identified eight Salesian of Don Bosco priests who were credibly accused of molesting children from the 1950s into the 1970s, during part of which time they were assigned to Hope Haven. The allegations did not surface until 2006 at the earliest, the archdiocese said.

After the archdioceses announcement, the Salesian order expressed remorse for the pain and sorrow a few of its members have caused through sexual misconduct or abuse of any kind and asked for forgiveness.

As to the new suits allegations, the orders vice provincial, the Rev. Steve Ryan, said Tuesday that the order was no longer running the Hope Haven and Madonna Manor by the late 1970s, having left to focus its West Bank work on Archbishop Shaw High School. Indeed, an April 23, 1966, Times-Picayune story reported that the Salesian were relinquishing supervision of Hope Haven to Associated Catholic Charities lay staffers effective July 5 of that year. Still, the story said, Salesians would continue serving as chaplains at the orphanages and living for a time on the Hope Haven-Madonna Manor campus.

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Hope Haven opened in 1925 and beginning in 1933 was run by the Salesians order. Across Barataria Boulevard, Madonna Manor was founded in 1933 and for a time was staffed by nuns from the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

Madonna Manor took in young children from desperate families unable to care for them and children placed there by courts as wards of the state. Hope Haven was home to older children.

57 clergy members credibly accused of abuse in New Orleans area, archdiocese says in releasing names

The new suit makes as defendants the archdiocese, Catholic Charities and the Salesians. It does not fully identify the adults it accuses of abusing children; it calls one of them Tony, another Brother Harold and third Mr. Sal.

Using pseudonyms, it describes the plaintiffs as:

John Roe I of Louisiana, who was 9 years old when he was placed at Madonna Manor. The suit says he was repeatedly forced into sex in the chapel sacristy, on a field trip to St. Joseph Abbey near Covington and in a private cottage between 1981 and 1983, when he was admitted to a mental institution for a severe emotional collapse.

The suit has been assigned to Division E, where the judge will be Omar Mason or Marie Williams, depending on which is elected in a Dec. 8 runoff election.

. . . . . . .

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.Having been caught red-handed double-dipping from taxpayers and shorting students at Southern University at New Orleans, state Sen. Wesley Bishop now says he and school administrators are committed to getting to the bottom of what some have called theft and payroll fraud.

I have been in discussion with campus and system administrators, and they are conducting an audit of my leave records to reconcile both my annual and sick leave hours with my legislative service, Bishop said in an emailed statement to Fox 8 News on Monday night (Nov. 12). We are prepared to take corrective measures as warranted.

The declaration is a long-delayed response to Fox 8 investigative reporter Lee Zuriks findings that Bishop, D-New Orleans, has taken 122 days of sick leave from SUNO over the past two years  79 days this year and 43 days in 2017  to work in his part-time job as a state senator in Baton Rouge.

That means Bishop was being paid with taxpayers dollars for the work he was missing at SUNO while also accepting a paycheck and per diem from Louisiana citizens for attending the session in Baton Rouge. Considering his $85,000 annual salary as vice chancellor of academic affairs at SUNO, Zurik estimated that Bishop may have improperly accepted as much as $50,000 in sick pay from the school over the past two years.

This is not an insignificant thing, Tulane law professor Joel Friedman told Zurik in an on-air interview. This is theft, misappropriation of funds, saying you need money because youre home sick."

And it gets worse.

Zuriks investigation found that Bishop is recorded as taking 56 days of leave without pay in 2016 to attend the legislative session. That would seem to be the right way to handle it  giving up the pay at SUNO while accepting the legislative check  except that Zurik found that Bishop ended up getting paid for 31 of those 56 days, a $10,000 difference. A bookkeeping error?

SmackDown: Trump, Acosta getting exactly what they want | Opinion

Its not clear what Bishop would have been doing at this full-time job at SUNO if he wasnt regularly calling in sick. The school website says the Office of Academic Affairs aims to support the Universitys mission to empower and promote the upward mobility of diverse populations of traditional and nontraditional students through quality academic programs and service to achieve excellence in higher education.

The staff, according to the website, are here to serve as a resource for students as well as faculty. We encourage students to work with us in creating a thriving academic environment at SUNO.

Except that records show that Bishop was absent for all of April and May this year  11 straight work weeks  taking sick leave. That seems like a lot of empowering and encouragement slack that has to be picked up by others.

Questions abound. Even if it were appropriate to take sick pay from your full-time employer to work at your part-time job, how does one accumulate 79 days of sick time  almost 16 work weeks  in one year? Who approved the arrangement? What sort of corrective measures will be taken? SUNO policy says abuse of sick leave "will result in disciplinary action."

After first trying to suggest that he had taken leave then annual leave  earned leave well, OK, "I've taken earned leave and I have taken sick leave, in an ambush interview with Zurik, Bishop tried to cite a 1981 attorney generals opinion (that would be William Guste for you history buffs) as legal justification for his actions.

Except it turns out that the opinion clearly supported the use of annual leave and not sick leave for this purpose, hence the audit Bishop says is now underway at SUNO.

Is there any reason to believe that an administration that has supported and condoned such a questionable arrangement, a scheme that harmed taxpayers, the school and its students, will do the right thing here in clawing back the thousands of dollars owed and hold the responsible parties accountable?

No. This is the time for an independent audit by the state inspector generals office and an investigation by the attorney general.

That would give Bishop reason to feel a little queasy.

Tim Morris 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 to Tim at tmorris@nola.com.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Hiring an agent and attorney, requesting seller disclosures, and other practices that are crucial and in some cases unique to buying a home in Massachusetts.

Thinking of buying residential real estate in Massachusetts? Customary practices there differ from those in many other states. Here's what to prepare for.

Choosing the Type of Home or Property That's Right for You

As you search online or attend open houses, you're likely to encounter many choices: namely single-family homes, multi-family homes, and condominiums. While a handful of cooperatives can be found in Massachusetts's cities, they're not common.

You can also find vacant land for sale, though professional developers often get there first.

With both a single family home and multi-family home, the homeowner owns the building and the land under it. Some single-family homes are located within developments managed by a homeowners' association ("HOA"). In that case, homeowners must abide by certain rules and regulations and pay monthly or yearly dues.

In a condominium, the homeowner owns the living space and any accessory space (such as a garage or deck), but the condo owners as a group form a condominium association, which owns, maintains, and manages the land and any other shared space.

Hiring a Real Estate Agent in Massachusetts

The role your real estate agent will play depends partly on whether you line up your own, "buyer's agent," or whether you will be using a particular home's seller's agent to wrap up the deal.

You have the right to be represented by your own, "buyer's" agent. It's worth taking advantage of this right, so as to have an agent who owes you and only you a fiduciary duty to act in your best interests and keep your personal wishes and information confidential.

You'll need to line up your buyer's agent before you start house-hunting, rather than looking at a house, meeting the agent who represents the seller, and authorizing that person (the "listing agent") to represent you in the same transaction. The latter, "dual agency" approach can result in divided, or at least balanced loyalties on the part of the agent, who might end up negotiating less firmly for your interests as a result.

All real estate agents in Massachusetts must present the Massachusetts Mandatory Licensee Disclosure Form to potential clients prior to meeting or discussing a particular property. This form discloses whether the agent is representing the seller, the buyer, or both.

Here's what a buyer's agent will do for you: show you properties for sale, provide a market analysis to help you determine a home's value, discuss negotiating strategy, present your offer to the seller's agent, assist in managing the home inspection, your application for a mortgage, and execution of the purchase and sale agreement, and attend the final walk-through and closing.

A buyer's agent can also provide referrals for home inspectors, contractors, or other professionals you might need in connection with your home purchase.

Making an Offer on a Massachusetts Property

In most other states, when you decide to buy a house, your real estate agent would write up an offer on a standard form that's used statewide. After a bit of negotiating, you and the seller would sign the offer form, thus turning it into your purchase contract.

In Massachusetts, however, this is a two-step process.

First, you (the buyer) write up an offer on a short standard form. The two most commonly used are put out by the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS and the Greater Boston Real Estate Board. Some real estate agencies have their own form. Or an attorney can prepare one for you, as discussed below.

Once the seller signs on to the offer, you're in contract to proceed with the deal, and the seller can't accept other offers.

The offer typically sets forth certain contingencies, which must be met before the deal can go forward, such as a home inspection. The inspection is usually scheduled within seven to ten days.

Once the inspection is done, assuming the report was satisfactory or you and the seller manage to negotiate over any needed repairs, you two would draft a longer, more detailed contract known as a Purchase and Sale Agreement (P&S for short).

If the deal stalls completely, however, you'll need to take steps to terminate the signed offer contract, perhaps based on one of the contingencies. See an attorney if this gets complicated.

Getting a Massachusetts Attorney Involved, as Required

Unlike in the majority of states, attorneys must, by law and custom, be involved in Massachusetts real estate transactions.

Although you can take the first step and submit an offer without an attorney's help, you might want to engage one at this point. The forms ordinarily used by real estate agents are not comprehensive and often favor the seller.

The Massachusetts P&S may be drafted on any variety of forms available to real estate agents, or may be prepared by an attorney. The signed P&S becomes the final contract between the parties.

Examining the Property for Defects

"Caveat emptor," or buyer beware, is the rule in Massachusetts real estate transactions. Sellers are not required to complete a disclosure form setting forth material defects with the property, as they must in many other states.

The only disclosures Massachusetts sellers are required to make include a lead paint disclosure on homes built prior to 1978 (under the Massachusetts Lead Paint Statute; it's also a federal law requirement) and the existence, if any, of a septic system (see Title 5 of the Massachusetts Environmental Code).

That puts the burden on buyers to gather information about the property before closing the purchase. If you don't find out about the property pre-closing (for example, that its basement is prone to flooding during rainstorms) you have no later recourse against the seller.

To find out more, buyers can:

request, as a condition of making the purchase, that the seller complete what's called a "Seller's Statement of Property Condition," covering everything from the condition of appliances and the heating, plumbing, electrical, and security systems; to structural issues such as with the foundation, chimney, and roof; to title problems or concerns and zoning and building items or violations hire a licensed home inspector to thoroughly examine the home and prepare a report (as discussed above), and negotiate with the seller to make further disclosures as to the condition of closing on the property.

None of these is definitive when it comes to assessing the property's condition. Owing to lack of knowledge or information by the current homeowner and inspector, you should regard each as just a piece of the information puzzle. The more information you can gather, the better your position when asking for price reductions or repairs, pulling out of the deal if the home is in poorer shape than you expected, or at least knowing what you're taking on in the coming years.

Closing the Sale

Attorneys, not title companies, handle real estate closings in Massachusetts. The closing attorney is responsible for performing a title search, preparing the settlement statement and closing documents, handling the financial aspects of the transaction, and ensuring that all transfer documents (such as the deed and mortgage) are properly recorded in the registry of deeds for the county in which the property is located.

The buyer pays the closing attorney's fee, as part of the buyer's closing costs associated with the mortgage.

On a side note, while the closing attorney represents the lender at the closing, he or she may be the same attorney who represented the buyer in the P&S negotiation, if the buyer consents to this. It is a commonly accepted practice in Massachusetts.North Augusta, SC (29841)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. High 64F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 34F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.Only launched in Midnight Black and Mirror Black, the OnePlus 6T flagship also received a Thunder Purple color option after a while. Sadly, it was supposed to be a China-exclusive choice, but now it seems that the US and Europe will receive it as well. The price remains the same and the sales should start on November 15, at 9 AM EST.

4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Human 2.0 , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker

When talking about the color options available for its handsets, OnePlus was never too generous, but the two black options provided for the OnePlus 6T were almost ridiculous. After all, choosing between Midnight Black and Mirror Black is not actually a choice. To make it worse for international buyers, the Thunder Purple flavor was only announced for the home market. Fortunately for those interested, the US and Europe will get this color option as well.

Described by OnePlus as "elegance infused with the brilliance of thunderstorms," the Thunder Purple color gradient looks quite attractive and vivid than the Midnight Black or Mirror Black. It would be nice for OnePlus to bring some blue and gold options to the table, but we might just be asking too much from the Chinese brand at this stage.So the city dropped the plan.

Amazon also insisted on nondisclosure agreements from the 238 cities bidding for HQ2. Scandalously, American cities and states now spend some $90 billion a year in cash and tax incentives to attract companies, money that could go for infrastructure, schools and police, and that usually doesnt pay off, as Derek Thompson pointed out this week in The Atlantic. Amazons nondisclosure clause set up a process that allowed it, in effect, to crowdsource vast swaths of information about cities while preventing their citizens from knowing what their elected officials were doing to entice the $860 billion company.

This is certainly not how New Yorkers like to operate.

If New York hadnt landed Amazon, it would not have been a surprise if Dallas had. Jeff Bezos, Amazons chief executive, apparently has a home in Texas, too. Scott Galloway, the business analyst and Amazon expert, tweeted a funny-but-true image showing the proximity between Mr. Bezos homes and the companys current and prospective headquarters.

Silly as it sounds, where bosses live turns out to be as good a predictor as any of where tech companies will settle.

For years, suburbia has offered these companies acres of disposable, cheap, anonymous office parks: mostly one- or two-story concrete structures surrounded by loads of surface parking. These sites minimized costs, maximized security and allowed companies to scale up, contract or split into different units quickly  at the same time they promoted sprawl and traffic jams and transformed once-quaint bedroom communities south of San Francisco into phenomenally expensive places to live.

Not that young tech workers, more and more of them immigrants, wanted to live in suburbia, anyway. Increasingly they demanded the diversity and benefits of city life. And so did successful innovation companies, following the lead of workers.

Another way to put it is that companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon became attracted to cities like New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington because these cities had already made transformative public investments in assets like culture, parks, universities and transit.1. Powerful wildfires raged in Northern and Southern California, pushed by strong winds.

The inferno that ravaged the wooded town of Paradise in northern California became the deadliest wildfire in the states modern history on Monday when officials said they had discovered the remains of 13 more people, bringing the death toll to 42.

The Butte County sheriff, Kory L. Honea, has said more than 200 people remain missing in and around the town, which sits in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and was popular with retirees.

The Woolsey Fire, west of Los Angeles, has killed two and charred 90,000 acres around Malibu and Thousand Oaks.But sometimes, the focus is different.

Dick Marquette, 91, recently sent photographs hed taken as a G.I. in the Philippines during World War II, including the one above. The fellow was my best friend Abbie Cohen, he wrote, to whom hed promised to send copies. But life got in the way.

I have no way to find if he is still alive, Mr. Marquette wrote, but I hope he is and perhaps the pictures could be put in the paper and boy, wouldnt his kids be surprised.

Grace Ashford, a researcher for investigations, wrote todays Back Story.

_____

Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online.

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What would you like to see here? Contact us at europebriefing@nytimes.com.SEATTLE  [Its official: Amazon said on Tuesday that it would open new offices in New York and Virginia. Read our updated coverage of the news here.]

After conducting a yearlong search for a second home, Amazon has finalized plans to have about 50,000 employees in two locations, according to a person familiar with the decision-making process.

The company has decided to move to the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, and to the Crystal City area of Arlington, Va., a Washington suburb, the person said. Amazon, which plans to officially announce the decision on Tuesday, already has more employees in those two areas than anywhere else outside of Seattle, its home base, and the Bay Area.

The need to hire tens of thousands of high-tech workers has been the driving force behind the search, leading many to expect it to land in a major East Coast metropolitan area. Many experts had pointed to Crystal City as a front-runner, because of its strong public transit, educated work force and proximity to Washington.BRUSSELS  The United States and Europe may one day put aside their differences on trade, eliminate tariffs on industrial goods and work together to rein in their common economic adversary, China.

But for Cecilia Malmstrom, the European trade commissioner, the most urgent task is to produce quick results, however humble, that will keep an impatient President Trump from imposing even more drastic penalties on European imports than the tariffs his administration has already levied.

So when Ms. Malmstrom meets in Washington on Wednesday with her American counterpart, Robert E. Lighthizer, she will count it as a substantial victory if she can lower the barriers hindering one bit of trans-Atlantic commerce: oysters.

The United States and Europe have long banned the importing of each others shellfish. But a deal to ease trade on that front has been in the works for several years and could be dressed up by both sides as a success that helps smooth relations with the White House.Sichuan peppercorns, the dried seed pods of the prickly ash, are actually not a kind of pepper, but a spice that delivers tongue-tingling heat with a citrus accent. They have become quite widely available. The ones sold by the Mala Market, a new company in Nashville, are high-quality. Taylor Holliday, the owner , imports the spices directly from the source, so they are fresher than most. She also sells fragrant green Sichuan peppercorns, which deliver a shade less heat but more all-around flavor. A dozen more essentials for Sichuan cooking  like preserved vegetables, chile pods, chile oil, soy sauce, fermented black beans, Chinese vinegar and handmade chile bean paste  are also sold. The website posts recipes, including a terrific one for dry-fried green beans.

The Mala Market, themalamarket.com.

Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.What turned out to be, in a sense, a career-making job came along in 1960, when Mr. Rain narrated a Canadian documentary about astronomy and space called Universe. It caught Mr. Kubricks attention; he is said to have watched it scores of times. And when he was having trouble finding a voice that he liked for HAL 9000  the onboard computer on a spaceship carrying astronauts on a mysterious mission  he thought of the documentarys narration.

2001 had already been shot, and various concepts for the voice of HAL had been tried. At one point the computer was envisioned as female. The actor Martin Balsam recorded HALs lines but was deemed not quite right. During filming, the British actor Nigel Davenport read the lines off-camera for a time for the benefit of Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, who played the astronauts, and then Mr. Kubrick had an assistant director, also British, do it.

Mr. Kubrick, not satisfied with any of those, sought out Mr. Rain. They met at a recording studio outside London. Mr. Rain recorded his lines in a day and a half, with Mr. Kubrick, who died in 1999, explaining the scenes to him and giving him only the sparsest of directorial notes.

Mr. Rains rendition of the lines (Im sorry, Dave, Im afraid I cant do that) was dispassionate in a way that was both soothing and unsettling. His readings were cool to the point of being chilling, especially as the story moved along and HAL became malevolent.The war blew away that gentility, those ideals and that faith in progress. Ernest Hemingway captured the rising irony and cynicism in A Farewell to Arms. His hero is embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious and sacrifice and the expression, in vain. He had seen nothing sacred in the war, nothing glorious, just meaningless slaughter.

European culture suffered a massive disillusion during the conflict  no God, no beauty, no coherence, no meaning, just the cruel ironic joke of life. Cynicism breeds a kind of nihilism, a disbelief in all values, an assumption that others motives are bad. It makes it hard to see the good that remains.

Fussell wrote that the war spread an adversarial mentality. The men in the trenches were obsessed with the enemy  those anonymous creatures across no mans land who rained down death. Prolonged trench warfare, whether enacted or remembered, fosters paranoid melodrama, he wrote.

The versus habit construes reality as us versus them  a mentality that spread through British society. It was the officers versus the men, and, when they got home, the students at university versus the dons. Simple antithesis everywhere is how Fussell captured the mentality. Along with it was what T.S. Eliot called a dissociation of sensibility, in which thoughts of tenderness and care are cut off from reason and calculation.

George Orwell wrote that he recognized the Great War mentality lingering even in the 1930s in his own left-wing circles  the same desire to sniff out those who departed from party orthodoxy, the same retelling of mostly false atrocity stories, the same war hysteria. As Christopher Isherwood put it, all the young people who were ashamed of never having fought in the war brought warlike simplicities to political life.

Some of the disillusioned drop out of public life, since its all meaningless. But others want to burn it all down because its all rotten. Moderation is taken for cowardice. Aggression is regarded as courage. No conciliatory word is permitted when a fighting word will do.

Today we face no horrors equal to the Great War, but there is the same loss of faith in progress, the reality of endless political trench warfare, the paranoid melodrama, the specter that we are all being dehumanized amid the fight.Kathryn Kleekamp

Sandwich, Mass.

To the Editor:

It comes as no surprise that during his trip to Europe, President Trump  so ignorant of the history of his country, so indifferent to the exertions and sacrifices of its soldiers, so oblivious to the costs of war and the blessings of peace, so padded, pomaded and pampered  could not be bothered to attend a memorial service at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery or the subsequent Paris Peace Forum.

And it was just as well: He would have had nothing thoughtful to offer at a conference on peace, and the presence of someone to whom self-sacrifice is so utterly alien would have mocked the patriotism, devotion and suffering of the men who died fighting for their country in France.

S.R. Sturm

Brussels

The writer is a retired Air Force colonel.

To the Editor:

This Veterans Day should remind us of the horror of war and rededicate ourselves to finding peace. My own great-uncle, Ira Pitzer, was killed just eight days before the armistice in 1918 .

World War I should have been the last one. Surely the soldiers who fought so valiantly deserved a lasting peace. But it never came, as so many wars have taken place since.

It is the Lost Peace. The best way to honor their sacrifice is to find that peace and freedom for all people.Similarly, expectations of a confrontation in Iraq after the Iranian consulate in Basra was torched in September proved unwarranted. Instead, Iran quietly helped Iraqis forge a political alliance that formed a government reliant on Iranian-backed militias that the United States wants disbanded.

Now, the leaders in Tehran may well expect that a weakened Saudi Arabia could be compelled to end both its military campaign in Yemen and its blockade of Qatar. All along, the Iranians have sought talks with the Saudis, who may be ready to talk to them  especially if the Saudis take American advice and decide to end the Yemen war. The government in Riyadh may also find it necessary to mend relations with Iran to rebalance its relations with Turkey, which has been aligned with a buoyant Qatar and was further angered by the Saudi assassination on Turkish soil.

Remaining calm, in turn, might give Irans leaders greater confidence in their own bargaining power, perhaps to the point of talking to the United States about its nuclear and missile programs. The ruling circles in Tehran already seem confident that the economy has absorbed much of the shock of American sanctions and that Iran can sell enough oil and have enough trade with Europe, China, Russia and India to keep its economy afloat. Conservatives and moderates have formed a united front to rally the population to the flag and to fend off any popular discontent that the United States might hope economic hardship would bring.

The Trump administration has derided the nuclear deal, asserting that it was failing to curb Irans regional influence and claiming to want a new deal strong enough to do just that. But Mr. Trump will now find it even more difficult to deliver on his promise of forcing Iran to come to the table on his terms. If Iran comes at all, it will not be in a position of abject weakness. All it needs to do is remain committed to the deal it signed with Barack Obama and let Mr. Trump recognize that his maximum pressure strategy falls short. Then Tehran might be ready to talk.

From the start, the Trump administration thought it could rein in Irans regional influence by forging a close partnership with Saudi Arabias young crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. But a series of heavy-handed Saudi missteps, culminating in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi, have backfired, leaving Iran with much more room for strategic initiatives.Which is not to say this new regulation is legally sound. As it stands , federal asylum law is unambiguous: Any person who is either physically present or arrives in the United States, no matter if said person arrived at a designated port of arrival or not, is entitled to apply for asylum. Desperate migrants, many of them fleeing violence or persecution with their families, cannot be expected to know the new rule Mr. Trump has imposed  only that asylum, as a matter of international law, may be within reach once they touch American soil. The president cant, with the stroke of a pen, disregard people with credible asylum claims who dont present themselves at a port of entry.

By issuing the ban and ensnaring those who dont comply with it, the administration is clearly aiming to deny people largely from the Northern Triangle  Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras  an opportunity to make their case for asylum and instead put them on a fast track to deportation. Many of them, in fact, have humanitarian reasons to flee their countries and seek shelter in the United States. Shutting off one avenue for them to do so and redirecting them to official border crossings will only lead to greater backlogs and discourage claims with real merit.

In anticipation of court challenges  the American Civil Liberties Union on Friday announced the first lawsuit over the proclamation  the Department of Homeland Security has published a tipsheet trying to soften the blow. There were told that Mr. Trumps proclamation is not just lawful but also constitutional, relying on the same misguided Supreme Court case that eventually blessed Mr. Trumps entry ban on Muslim travelers.

Like Mr. Trumps wasteful, needless deployment of thousands of active-duty troops to the border, the asylum ban works more or less like an imaginary wall: a substitute for the physical wall that even unified control of Congress could never give him. And that a Democratic-controlled House never will.

Mr. Trump may have left some with the impression that, once the midterms were over, he had no more use for the caravan of Central American migrants that he had fantasized about to frighten his supporters to the polls. But like the Muslim ban, which was also gestated in a political contest, the one that elected him president, Fridays asylum ban demonstrates that Mr. Trumps nativist impulses are guides not just to his campaigns but also to his governing.

He creates nonexistent threats, generates manufactured fears and prepares exaggerated responses, all leading to an erosion of the rule of law, to feed more fears.The attempt by Trump and his party to shut down the legally mandated Florida recount with claims, based on no evidence, of large-scale voting fraud fits right into this partisan epistemology. Do Republicans really believe that there were vast numbers of fraudulent or forged ballots? Even asking that question is a category error. They dont really believe anything, except that they should get what they want. Any vote count that might favor a Democrat is bad for them; therefore its fraudulent, no evidence needed.

The same worldview explains Republicans addiction to conspiracy theories. After all, if people keep insisting on the truth of something that hurts their party, it cant be out of respect for the facts  because in their world, there are no neutral facts.

So the people making inconvenient assertions must be in the pay of sinister forces. In Arizona, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema won a Senate seat on the strength of late-counted ballots. Did you know that the state G.O.P. has filed a freedom of information request for information on interactions between election officials and, you guessed it, George Soros?

Its worth pointing out, by the way, that this rejection of objective facts and insistence that anyone insisting on inconvenient truths must be part of a left-wing conspiracy dominated the Republican psyche long before Trump. Most notably, the claim that the overwhelming evidence for global warming is a giant hoax, the product of a vast plot involving thousands of scientists around the world, has been G.O.P. orthodoxy for years.

True, the partys presidential candidates used to be mealy-mouthed about rejecting facts and endorsing conspiracy theories, rather than being full-throated crazy. But Trump is only going where many of his partys senior figures have been for a long time.Facebook failed to closely monitor device makers after granting them access to the personal data of hundreds of millions of people, according to a previously unreported disclosure to Congress last month.

Facebooks loose oversight of the partnerships was detected by the companys government-approved privacy monitor in 2013. But it was never revealed to Facebook users, most of whom had not explicitly given the company permission to share their information. Details of those oversight practices were revealed in a letter Facebook sent last month to Senator Ron Wyden, the Oregon Democrat, a privacy advocate and frequent critic of the social media giant.

In the letter, a copy of which Mr. Wyden provided to The New York Times, Facebook wrote that by early 2013 it had entered into data-sharing agreements with seven device makers to provide what it called the Facebook experience  custom-built software, typically, that gave those manufacturers customers access to Facebook on their phones. Those partnerships, some of which date to at least 2010, fall under a consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission drafted in 2011 and intended to oversee the companys privacy practices.

[Read more about Facebooks data-sharing partnerships with device makers.]

Facebook ultimately entered into dozens of similar data-sharing partnerships, most of which the company began winding down this spring after revelations that it had allowed Cambridge Analytica, a political data firm, to acquire the personal information of tens of millions of people. The firm used some of that information in efforts to aid President Trumps 2016 campaign.All they give us is promises, but what can we do with promises? Twenty from my family are dead.

SAYID HUSSEIN, a member of the Hazara ethnic minority in a district that suffered a fierce assault by Taliban forces.ATLANTA  A federal judge on Monday ordered a delay in the certification of Georgias election results, citing concerns about the states voter registration system and the handling of provisional ballots. The decision effectively deepened the turmoil in Georgias campaign for governor, a still unsettled contest that has been among the most acrimonious campaigns in the nation this year.

Although the ruling by Judge Amy Totenberg of Federal District Court in Atlanta formally affected every election in Georgia for state and federal office, it reverberated most immediately and powerfully through the governors race, in which the Democratic candidate, Stacey Abrams, was within 21,000 votes of forcing a runoff election against Brian Kemp, the Republican nominee.

Georgias secretary of state, Robyn A. Crittenden, had been preparing to certify the outcome of the election as soon as Wednesday, one day after Georgias 159 counties were to complete their tabulations and six days before state law mandated certification. But in a 56-page ruling on Monday night, Judge Totenberg forbade Ms. Crittenden, who assumed office only last week, from certifying the results until at least Friday evening.

Judge Totenberg, who had already raised concerns about Georgias system of elections this year, wrote that the states announced timetable for a swift certification appears to suggest the secretarys foregoing of its responsibility to confirm the accuracy of the results prior to final certification, including the assessment of whether serious provisional balloting count issues have been consistently and properly handled.PHOENIX  Representative Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat and former social worker, scored a groundbreaking victory in the race for a Senate seat in Arizona, defeating her Republican opponent after waging a campaign in which she embraced solidly centrist positions.

Ms. Sinemas victory over Martha McSally, a Republican congresswoman and former Air Force pilot, marks the first Democratic triumph since 1976 in a battle for an open Senate seat in Arizona. Ms. Sinema takes the seat being vacated by Jeff Flake, a Republican who is leaving the Senate after repeated clashes with President Trump.

Ms. Sinemas victory guarantees the Democrats at least 47 Senate seats. Republicans control 51, with two still undecided: Florida, where there is a recount, and Mississippi, where there is a runoff.

The outcome in Arizona had been too close to call for nearly a week, as large numbers of early and mailed ballots were counted. Ms. Sinema had trailed slightly in initial tallies on Election Day, but later counting put her ahead by a growing margin. On Monday, The Associated Press called the race and Ms. McSally conceded.A black security guard at a bar in the Chicago suburbs was killed by the police as he apparently tried to detain a man he believed to be involved in a shooting, the authorities said Monday.

Officers from several police departments had responded to reports of a shooting early Sunday morning at Mannys Luxury Lounge in Robbins, Ill., said Sophia Ansari, a spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriffs Office.

Witnesses told the police that a fight had broken out and someone had started shooting. After the authorities responded, a police officer shot the guard, Jemel Roberson, 26, who had a gun, Ms. Ansari said. Mr. Roberson died at the hospital.

Witnesses said that people in the crowd had yelled to arriving police officers that Mr. Roberson, who was wearing gear that read Security, was a guard. Ms. Ansari confirmed that Mr. Roberson worked for the bar.What WAS Said

The Florida Election should be called in favor of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged. An honest vote count is no longer possible  ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night!

 President Trump, in a Twitter post on Monday morning

This lacks evidence.

For days, Mr. Trump has lobbed a series of misleading and baseless claims about the midterm election results in Florida. His latest missive about missing and forged ballots is no different.

And his suggestion that state election officials should declare Gov. Rick Scott the winner in the Senate race and former Representative Ron DeSantis victorious in the campaign for governor before a recount would violate Florida laws that outline a process for tallying ballots and certifying the results.

Mr. Scott and Mr. DeSantis are the Republican candidates in the two races. They each hold small leads in an ongoing recount.

Sarah Revell, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of State, which oversees elections, said on Monday that it was monitoring the certification of results and had seen no evidence of criminal activity. The Associated Press reported that a federal judge also said Monday that he had seen no evidence of wrongdoing in vote tallying.[Read the bill language here.]

We have the clearest path forward that we have had in years, said Holly Harris, the executive director of the Justice Action Network, a bipartisan coalition arguing for an overhaul. This would be the first time that these members have voted on a piece of legislation that turns away from the lock-em-up-and-throw-away-the-keys policies of the 1990s. That is groundbreaking.

Lawmakers and outside advocates involved in the push expect Mr. Trump to render his judgment on the package as soon as this week. Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and the leading voice within the White House for the changes, is likely to brief Mr. Trump on the bill during a broader discussion of legislative priorities with top policy officials on Tuesday, according to one senior administration official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the plans. And at least two influential Republican senators were lobbying the president in its favor.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, has told the senators he will bring the package up for a vote if they can show they had the support of at least 60 senators. Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, a vocal advocate of such changes, committed to putting the compromise on the House floor in a lame-duck session that begins on Tuesday if Mr. Trump endorses it and it can clear the Senate.

Speaker Ryan has long advocated for criminal justice reform, said AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Mr. Ryan. The House passed legislation earlier this year, and we are hopeful the Senate will act so we can get a bill to the presidents desk.

The support of the famously mercurial Mr. Trump is by no means guaranteed. But if they can secure an endorsement, senators say they can move quickly on the kind of bipartisan achievement that has eluded Mr. Trump  and bedeviled senators and outside advocates of the overhaul for years.The effort that Mr. Scott and Republican allies are waging today is strikingly similar to that multifront war in 2000 led by the George W. Bush campaign and an army of party consultants. Lawyers are filing complaints in Tallahassee; surrogates for the Republican candidate are holding news conference calls with journalists and sitting for interviews on cable, blaming the Democrats for tarnishing the integrity of the electoral process; and party officials are encouraging demonstrators to gather at sites where the recounts are taking place.

The tactics are the same, the issues are the same, the problems are the same, said Brad Blakeman, a Republican consultant who worked on the partys messaging in 2000. And quite frankly, he added, the solutions are going to be the same if no one concedes, because again youre going to have a court determining the outcome.

There is one new variable, however: Mr. Trump.

The president, who has long fanned unfounded claims of voter fraud, is especially concerned with the Florida outcome, according to people in touch with him about the recount. And he equates his political success with that of Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for governor whose campaign was taken over by Trump aides, as well as with that of Mr. Scott, whose victory he believes he ensured by campaigning across the state and pulling him over the finish line. Mr. Trump sees the recounts, one person close to him said, as akin to a personal attack.

Mr. Trump has been more combative and unrestrained in slinging claims of fraud and unfairness than Mr. Scott or Mr. DeSantis. The recount story hits many of the presidents sore spots, including his frequent insistence that his political opponents cheat against him and his unproved belief that American elections are tainted with illegal voting, especially by undocumented immigrants.

But with such aggressive, unyielding attacks on Democrats, Mr. Trump and his Republicans risk treading into territory that is a minefield of tension over race. Their repeated allegations of subterfuge and fraudulent ballots are a blunt appeal to a political base motivated by the notion that elections are often stolen by Democrats. And in this case, some of the central players are African-Americans, including Mr. Gillum and the Broward County supervisor of elections, Brenda C. Snipes, whom Republicans like Mr. Scott have called out by name for enabling rampant fraud, as the governor put it last week.

In the face of the Republican cries of ballot fraud and political mischief, Judge Tuter in Broward County refused a request by Mr. Scott to order the county police to impound voting machines and ballots when they are not in use. The judge was also critical of comments made by Mr. Scotts lawyers on television and social media perpetuating the unsubstantiated rumors of fraud.LOS ANGELES  As emergency workers picked through fire-ravaged communities in Northern California on Monday, they recovered 13 more bodies, turning the largest wildfire in the states history into its deadliest as well.

Forty-four people have died since three wildfires broke out late last week. And countless other residents narrowly escaped with their lives, their close calls never to be forgotten.

Allyn Pierce was trapped by a wall of fire as he tried to flee the flames coming closer and closer to his truck. Chris Gonzalez counted the ever-narrowing escape routes from his home as the highlands around him erupted into flames. Rebecca Hackett was engulfed by a red-orange hellscape as she sped toward safety in her car.

I was like, I think Im done, said Mr. Pierce, a registered nurse who was trapped in traffic in Paradise, Calif., where most of the community was burned. I just kept thinking, Im going to die in melting plastic.There is a different sensibility with regard to these issues, so we wanted to respond, said Ellen Sorrin, the Trusts director. We are not demanding that companies do this; were making them aware that these are concerns.

These adjustments are part of a broader effort to re-examine how people of color are portrayed in the performing arts and how classics with potentially troubling aspects can be made acceptable to modern audiences. In 2015, the Metropolitan Opera eliminated blackface from its Otello. The Bolshoi has toned down a segment of its La Bayadere featuring white children in blackface, but it has been criticized for not going far enough. And more recent fare has also been revised: The musical Cats dropped a song in which characters sang in Asian accents.

I see whats happening at the Balanchine Trust as part of a larger movement in the arts to address entrenched cultural narratives that undermine tolerance, fairness and inclusion, said Lane Harwell, a program officer at the Ford Foundation, who previously served as the founding executive director of Dance/NYC, a service organization. Any resistance is just because change is hard, but performing arts are not a static form, and continual interrogation and reinterpretation keeps historical work relevant.

There has been some pushback from purists who argue against altering a work of art in response to changing times  and there is particular sensitivity surrounding Balanchine, whose Nutcracker is a widely cherished tradition. But, for the most part, ballet companies around the world seem to be on board.An exhibition on the life and work of Leonard Cohen will be coming to New York next year.

Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything, first presented by the Musee dArt Contemporain de Montreal, will make its first stop on a worldwide tour at the Jewish Museum in April. It will be on view there until September before traveling to Copenhagen and San Francisco.

Organized by the curators John Zeppetelli and Victor Shiffman, the multimedia exhibition features commissioned works by international artists and pays tribute to Cohens music, poetry and lyrics.

As the exhibition was coming together, Cohen died at 82 in November 2016. What began as an incredible, dizzying celebration full of admiration for this great Montrealer and planetary star then necessarily also morphed into a much more solemn and commemorative experience, Zeppetelli said.

Were so happy to be able to premiere the show outside of Canada, and to do it in New York is just so gratifying, he added.Noah poked fun at Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate for governor, for first conceding the election and then changing his mind.

Because more votes are coming in, Andrew Gillum has done the right thing, but you have to admit  un-conceding is a pretty strange idea. Its almost like if someone taps out at an M.M.A. fight and then three weeks later just pops out of the parking lot, like, I un-concede! If anything, Gillum has inspired me. I would like to un-break up with my high school girlfriend. I still think about you, Sandra. Andrew Gillum says we can make it work.  TREVOR NOAH

Noah then pivoted to discussing Trumps recent trip to France, where world leaders on Sunday commemorated the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. The president canceled a visit to an American military cemetery there because of the rain, though the weather didnt stop other world leaders from making similar cemetery visits.

Surely the president could have found another way to get there. I mean, all the other world leaders did, even Merkel. Even Angela Merkel made it, and her side lost World War I. She had to be out in the rain like, We have come here to honor those fallen soldiers who beat the scheisse out of my country. And it was especially bad because when Trump didnt show up, Merkel used the opportunity to refight World War I: I un-concede! I un-concede!  TREVOR NOAH

Jimmy Fallon found a different way to make light of Trumps weather-induced cancellation.

It turns out, though, the whole thing was a big misunderstanding. When someone told Trump, Its Stormy outside, he said, I already paid her. What more does she want?  JIMMY FALLON

Colbert Pays Respects to Stan LeeCHURCHILL

Walking With Destiny

By Andrew Roberts

Illustrated. 1,105 pp. Viking. $40.

In April 1955, on the final weekend before he left office for the last time, Winston Churchill had the vast canvas of Peter Paul Rubenss The Lion and the Mouse taken down from the Great Hall at the prime ministerial retreat of Chequers. He had always found the depiction of the mouse too indistinct, so he retrieved his paint brushes and set about improving on the work of Rubens by making the hazy rodent clearer. If that is not courage, Lord Mountbatten, the First Sea Lord, said later, I do not know what is.

Lack of courage was never Churchills problem. As a young man he was mentioned in dispatches for his bravery fighting alongside the Malakand Field Force on the North-West Frontier, and subsequently he took part in the last significant cavalry charge in British history at the Battle of Omdurman in central Sudan. In middle age he served in the trenches of World War I, during which time a German high-explosive shell came in through the roof of his dugout and blew his mess orderlys head clean off. Later, as prime minister during World War II, and by now in his mid-60s, he thought nothing of visiting bomb sites during the Blitz or crossing the treacherous waters of the Atlantic to see President Roosevelt despite the very real chance of being torpedoed by German U-boats.

Churchill had political courage too, not least as one of the few to oppose the appeasement of Hitler. Many had thought him a warmonger and even a traitor. I have always felt, said that scion of the Establishment, Lord Ponsonby, at the time of the Munich debate in 1938, that in a crisis he is one of the first people who ought to be interned. Instead, when the moment of supreme crisis came in 1940, the British people turned to him for leadership. Here was his ultimate projection of courage: that Britain would never surrender. Mounting questions for Boeing over Indonesian crash.

Pilots said the aircraft maker didnt tell them about changes to the emergency system on its new 737 Max 8 jet, the model in the Lion Air 610 disaster that killed 189 people.

Investigators have been focused on whether the emergency system caused the accident. Its designed to automatically correct a planes angle if it appears to be stalling. But if it malfunctions, it could send a plane into a potentially fatal nose-dive.

Indonesian transportation officials have said the manual for the new Boeing model didnt contain information about the update. And pilots said the onboard check list, which contains information about overriding the emergency system, was incorrect.The Most Extensive and Reliable Source of Information Related to the Mexican Drugs Cartels.



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A Dutch cheese company tried to claim that it had a monopoly on the taste of a cheese spread. The Court of Justice of the European Union weighed arguments from two competing food producers, and decided on Tuesday that a taste cannot be copyrighted.

Taste is an idea, rather than an expression of an original intellectual creation, the court ruled. And something that cannot be defined precisely cannot be copyrighted, it ruled.

Why is Europes highest court ruling on taste?

The case was brought in the Netherlands, but it had been referred to the European court to make a ruling that would apply across the bloc. Levola Hengelo, a Dutch food producer, had sued Smilde Foods, another Dutch manufacturer, for infringing its copyright over the taste of a cheese spread.

The Levola product, known as Heksnkaas, or Witches Cheese, is made of cream cheese and herbs and vegetables including parsley, leek and garlic. Smildes herbed cheese dip, which contained many of the same ingredients, was called Witte Wievenkaas, a name that also makes reference to witches. It is now sold as Wilde Wietze Dip.Ill tell you what: CNN should be ashamed of itself, having you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldnt be working for CNN. Go ahead. And  Theyre hundreds of miles away though. Theyre hundreds and hundreds of miles away. You know what? I think you should  Thats not an invasion. Honestly, I think you should let me run the country. You run CNN. And if you did it well, your ratings would be much better. Let me ask you. If I may ask one question, Mr. President, if I may ask one other question. Are you worried  Thats enough. Thats enough. Mr. President, well, I was going to ask  Mr. President, I had one other question, if I may ask, on the Russia investigation. Are you concerned that you may have  Im not concerned about anything with the Russia investigation because its a hoax. Are you  Thats enough. Put down the mic. Go ahead, Peter. Go ahead. In Jims defense, Ive traveled with him and watched him. Hes a diligent reporter who busts  Well, Im not a big fan of yours either, so  I understand.  to be honest with you. Well, when you  when you report fake news  no, when you report fake news, which CNN does a lot, you are the enemy of the people. Go ahead. On the campaign trail, you called yourself a nationalist. Some people saw that as emboldening white nationalists. Now, people are also saying  I dont know why youd say that. Thats such a racist question. There are some people that say that now the Republican Party is seen as supporting white nationalists because of your rhetoric. Oh, I dont believe that. I dont believe that. What do you make of that? I dont believe it. Just  well, I dont know. Why do I have my highest poll numbers ever with African-Americans? You just have to  sit down, please. Sit down! I didnt call you. I didnt call you. I didnt call you. I didnt call you. Ill give you voter suppression. Take a look at the CNN polls, how inaccurate they were. Thats called voter suppression. Now that the  now that the House of Representatives  Very hostile. Its such a hostile media. Its so sad. You ask me about  no, you rudely interrupted him. You rudely interrupted him. Go ahead. Thank you, Mr. President.Meanwhile, the stock market has shown mounting disdain for the major players prospects and shares, even in recent years of great sales and profit, as shareholders bridle at the thought of legacy costs, inefficient dealer networks and an uncertain regulatory future. Added to the list of worries lately are risks from a trade war and tariffs.

More significant still from a carmakers perspective may be the unknown chaos that car-sharing, autonomous driving and the switch to electric cars are likely to inject into the market and their own futures.

From its current position of relative good health, PSA is better placed than it had been to consider these pressures, and take its shot on the future. Yet, to the greatest extent possible, a company entering a major market would like to control its own narrative for as long as possible. With its new strategy, PSA aims to stake itself not just weeks or months to fail or succeed, but years.

Because we dont want to rush, Mr. Tavares explained. We want to start by making sure that our teams understand the U.S. consumer. I worked a few years in the U.S. in my former life. (He was No. 2 at Nissan under the chief executive Carlos Ghosn, with whom he had a spectacular falling-out after admitting in an interview with Bloomberg that he wouldnt mind taking on the challenge of reviving G.M., which was soon to be leaderless.)

Mr. Tavares continued: I know that the customer expectations are very specific and the way you handle those expectations is very specific. So we decided that we would start by understanding the U.S. consumer through the mobility services activities that we are now implementing. It is a good way to understand the market.

Larry Dominique, head of PSAs start-up operation for North America, based in Atlanta, is charged with helping to develop and enact the strategy. He said he was certain that baby steps were the right way to go.Headliner

Intersect by Lexus

The aromas you might pick up in this building, owned by Lexus, the car company, may not be that new-car smell but rather curry, roasting meat, smoked vegetables, caramel and freshly ground coffee. Food is the main purpose of this installation, which features a ground-floor cafe, a full-service restaurant and bar upstairs, and not a car in sight. Its the third such venture for the brand, after others in Tokyo and Dubai. Union Square Hospitality Group is behind the cafe and restaurant, but the food is being devised by Gregory Marchand, a French celebrity chef who owns the Frenchie restaurants in Paris and London. He will be on hand from time to time for the next four to six months; after that, another chef-in-residence will be imported. We want chefs who are new to New York and up-and-coming, said Kirk Edmondson, the manager. The long-term executive chef is Nickolas Martinez, who worked with Joel Robuchon and at Foragers City Table. Kaz Fujimura is responsible for pastries, and Andrea Morris is in charge of drinks and wine. A circular bar and lounge is on one side of the second floor. The dining room, done mostly in black and white with a spacious open kitchen, seats 50. Mr. Marchands menu includes some of his signature dishes like baby leeks with Parmesan sabayon and smoked egg yolk, halibut grenobloise, and a toffee and banana dessert called banoffee . (Opens Thursday)

412 West 14th Street, intersect-nyc.com.

Image The French celebrity chef Gregory Marchand. Credit... Andrew Boyle

Opening

Momofuku Noodle Bar Columbus Circle

This uptown location for David Changs Noodle Bar has a menu of breads, noodles and rice that departs from whats on offer in the East Village site. Riffs on the restaurants signature buns include a beef dip, served with broth for dunking, and slider-style shrimp buns. Ramen bowls are made with proprietary barley noodles. Tony Kim, the executive chef who joined the Momofuku organization five years ago, eventually becoming executive chef of the original Noodle Bar in 2015, has also come up with small plates like fried Japanese potato with white sauce, and bigeye tuna crudo. Larger dishes like oxtail with rice cakes, and Dover sole with fermented chile sauce are also served. The restaurant has a bar along one side of the space, a dining counter at the open kitchen on the other, and a series of booths crammed in the middle. (Thursday)

10 Columbus Circle, Third Floor, 646-918-8752, noodlebar-ny.momofuku.com.

Windrose

On the menu at the chef Sung Parks new restaurant is ample evidence of his Korean background. Consider Asian pear in beef tartare, gnocchi made with rice in a bechamel sauce with fried pork-rind crumbs, and gochujang mayonnaise on a chicken-waffle sandwich. Kimchi in little tins is served with vegetable bibimbap. Mr. Park, who came to the United States when he was 25, describes his food as a blend of Korean flavors and French techniques. Southern influences are also in play at this 70-seat gastro-pub-style restaurant, which he is opening in the former Mas (farmhouse) space with a team of partners, including his chef de cuisine, Cesar Jimenez. Noel Shu, the managing partner, designed the space, with charcoal wood siding, gray leather banquettes and columns flecked with silver and gold. (Friday)

39 Downing Street (Bedford Street), 917-409-0689, windroseny.com.They already have been through so much when they get here  they shouldnt have to get used to another new thing right away, said Ulla Farmer, a member of the Rutgers congregation, who made the first dinner for the Anjari-Abdulhamid family even though she had never tasted Syrian food. (She immigrated from Finland in 1963.)

Working from online recipes and grocery lists, Ms. Farmer cooked a dinner of lamb stew and cracked wheat, and stocked the familys new kitchen with key ingredients like tahini, yogurt, cucumbers and rice.

The culturally appropriate hot meal is simply the best federal regulation of all time, said Chris George, executive director of Integrated Refugees & Immigrants Services, a New Haven agency that has resettled more than 6,000 refugees in Connecticut since 1982.

Mr. George is a passionate advocate for what he calls the CAHM (he even wrote a song about it), and his enthusiasm has percolated through the agency. For Congolese and Rwandan arrivals, volunteers have made chicken moambe, a braise with tomato, onion, peanut butter and rich red palm oil, a basic ingredient in those countries and for many, the taste of home. For an Eritrean mother and children, an Ethiopian family who had arrived earlier supplied a meal with injera, the soft, spongy flatbread that is a staple in both countries.

Fereshteh Ganjavi, who arrived from Afghanistan in 2013 and now works at Integrated Refugees, said the meal is particularly powerful for refugees who arrive after years of exile from their home country. Her welcome dinner included a traditional pulao of lamb and rice with raisins, and green tea spiced with saffron and cardamom, a brew specific to the mountainous Hindu Kush region that stretches across northern Afghanistan and Pakistan. We were living in a camp before entering the U.S., and I had almost forgotten the taste of our own food, she said.In recent months, the F.D.A. has mounted an increasingly aggressive campaign against the major manufacturers of vaping products that appeal to young people, focusing particularly on Juul. The companys sleek device (nicknamed the iPhone of e-cigarettes) resembles a flash drive and comes with flavor pods like creme and mango, leading public health officials to criticize the company and others for appearing to market directly to teenagers, who are especially vulnerable to nicotine addiction.

E-cigarettes were originally developed to help smokers quit by giving them a way to satisfy their nicotine cravings without the tar and deadly carcinogens that come with burning tobacco.

Our intent was never to have youth use Juul, said Kevin Burns, chief executive of Juul Labs in a statement emailed to reporters. But intent is not enough. The numbers are what matter and the numbers tell us underage use of e-cigarettes is a problem.

But critics and public health advocates said the company had no choice, especially after the F.D.A. seized documents related to marketing strategies from the companys headquarters last month, and while some states were investigating whether its tactics were directly aimed at minors.

Caroline Renzulli, a spokeswoman for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, called Juuls announcement too little too late. Juuls social media marketing fueled its popularity with kids, she said. Now that it has captured 75 percent of the e-cigarette market, Juul no longer needs to do social media marketing because its young customers are doing it for them.Its fine to take great pictures, but martyrs dont make great photographers, he said. Staying safe is one part of the equation. The other is understanding all that happens  There are many ways to tell stories. For me  and this might not apply to all of you  but I am from Bangladesh and my concern is Bangladesh itself. Im very happy when they publish my pictures. Im happier still when they pay me for publishing my pictures. But the point is, that is not my primary concern. My primary concern is what is happening to my country, my people. That is where my intervention needs to be.

More excerpts from that April conversation, edited for space and clarity, are below. As you read them, remember that Shahidul Alam still sits in a cell, the sun blocked by his very government, which recoiled at his shedding light on injustice. Those of us who take for granted the warmth of sunlight  and freedom of expression  should not forget a solitary man a world away.

On what motivated him as a photographer:

I was having a show in Belfast, and I was staying with Irish friends in a small town. They had a 5-year-old named Karina. I love kids and Karina and I were great pals. Id come back from the show. I emptied my pockets. I had some coins. I was putting them on the table. Usually, when Karina sees me, she runs up to me and jumps in my arms and we tell each other stories. That day shes at the door staring at me. I said, Whats the matter, Karina? She says, Youve got money? I say, Yes, Ive got money. She says, But youre from Bangladesh. She couldnt make it fit.

Shes a nuclear physicist [today] doing wonderful things, but I remember her as a 5-year-old daughter in a little veranda dancing in the moonlight. It was magical  It got me thinking about the sort of environment, that social, political, cultural environment that a 5-year-old grew up where she was incapable [of] seeing a Bangladeshi as anything other than an icon of poverty. So it got me thinking about what led to it.Claude Lanzmann, who died at 92 in July, returned to material shot for his landmark film Shoah (1985) several times, most recently in the riveting documentary The Last of the Unjust (2014).

Shoah: Four Sisters  screened at last years New York Film Festival, before Lanzmanns death  consists of four short features taken from interviews he shot for Shoah in the 1970s, each showcasing the testimony of a different female Holocaust survivor. Their stories are as harrowing, complicated and rife with imponderables as any Lanzmann filmed. And together, collected in a form that is much less labyrinthine than Shoah, they represent an ideal introduction (and capstone) to Lanzmanns project.

[Read our obituary of Claude Lanzmann.]

While the installments can be watched independently, they have a cumulative power. Their points of confluence  the deaths of family members, improbable escapes, the hardship of life in ghettos and camps  underscore the horror and, at times, the grim absurdity of surviving extermination.

The subject of the segment The Merry Flea, Ada Lichtman, from Poland, recalls how she was forced to clean dolls taken from Jewish children to prepare them for Germans to give to their own offspring. Its unbelievable, dressing dolls in a death camp, Lanzmann says to her. But everything is unbelievable, she replies. Its unbelievable being in a death camp.[What you need to know to start your day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

To attract Amazon, New Yorks leaders agreed to remake plans for the Queens waterfront, move a distribution center for school lunches and provide a sweeping package of $1.7 billion in incentives from the state and hundreds of millions more from the city.

They even agreed to allow a helipad for Jeff Bezos, Amazons chief executive.

Under the plan, within 15 years the company could occupy as much as eight million square feet of office space, the rough equivalent of three Empire State Buildings.

An image of what life will be like with the arrival of Amazon became clearer on Tuesday, even if many questions remain unanswered.

The company has agreed to follow city guidelines for the design of its outpost in Long Island City. But gone is the citys vision of a mixed-use community filled with apartments, some of them for residents of more modest means. In its place will rise office buildings that will house 25,000 or more workers. The kayakers bobbing on the East River will now be joined by helicopters overhead.Rafael Espinal, 34, a New York City councilman who announced his candidacy for public advocate on Nov. 13, starts his Sundays at midnight on the sweaty dance floors of Brooklyn. In addition to creating the Office of Nightlife, Mr. Espinal helped abolish the Cabaret Law, which banned social dancing in many of the citys clubs and bars.

Should Mr. Espinal become the next public advocate, he would be the youngest and first Latino ever elected by the public to citywide office. Mr. Espinal would focus his efforts, he said, on the citys livability issues, like congestion and escalating rents. One of the most important roles as a council member is to put legislation forward and to work to improve the city, Mr. Espinal said. The public advocacy is an extension of that, and it will allow me to do the work on a broader scale that will benefit all New Yorkers.

The Brooklyn councilman lives in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, where he grew up, with his girlfriend Ally, 30, and their cat Betty, 10.My feeling is the letter is completely consistent with my current position, he said. I welcome the jobs if it means Amazon investment in L.I.C. infrastructure, without us having to pay a ransom for them to be here.

Mr. Van Bramer also said he stood by his position, stated in the letter, and his current opposition to the likely Amazon deal.

At no time were any of us told that Amazon would receive a billion-dollar package of subsidies and tax breaks, Mr. Van Bramer said Monday. And I never would have signed on to a process that seeks to evade meaningful and binding review by community and elected officials. Everything has changed since we allowed our names on that letter.

Why it matters: Some of Amazons potential neighbors in Long Island City will be residents of Queensbridge, the countrys largest housing project.

The contrast would be a national symbol of the social and economic tensions coursing through American society  a widening income gap, a lack of access to high-paying jobs for many minorities and a technology sector struggling to diversify, writes The Timess Corey Kilgannon.

2. Life and fear in a crowded city

A subway platform, a hurried passenger, a push, then a tumble and ultimately a death.

My colleague Ashley Southall reported on the death of 89-year-old Kurt Salzinger, a behavioral psychologist who had fled Austria after the Nazi invasion. Mr. Salzinger died after he was pushed by a passer-by on a subway platform at Penn Station.

I asked Emma Fitzsimmons, The Timess transit reporter, what the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is doing to prevent these types of accidents. She notes:

1) The M.T.A. has deployed workers, known as platform controllers, at busy stations to help direct traffic.[What you need to know to start your day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

More than 20,000 drunken-driving convictions in New Jersey could be in jeopardy after the states highest court ruled on Tuesday that breathalyzer tests used to win those judgments were inadmissible.

The unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court stems from criminal charges brought more than two years ago against a State Police sergeant who was accused of falsifying calibration records on breath test devices that were used in five of New Jerseys 21 counties.

It is unclear how state courts and law enforcement officials will now proceed. The Supreme Court ruling does not automatically expunge all the drunken-driving convictions, but the justices did note that defendants tested by the affected breath machines could now seek to challenge their convictions. The decision also raises questions about cases that are still moving through the judicial system.

Well be issuing guidance shortly for our county prosecutors and municipal prosecutors over how to handle those cases, Gurbir Grewal, the New Jersey attorney general, said at a news conference on Tuesday.While there have been some positive trends in the opioid epidemics at the national level, including a drop in the number of overdose deaths in parts of New England, New Jerseys death rate has been rising steadily. Nearly 2,700 overdose deaths have been confirmed in the first 10 months of this year, according to data collected by the state attorney generals office. In 2017, preliminary data show that there were 2,750 overdose-related deaths.

The opioid crisis in New Jersey became the main focus of Gov. Chris Christies final year in office and he used his national platform as a presidential candidate to repeatedly call for reforms on treating opioid addiction and prosecuting drug abusers. President Trump also named Mr. Christie as chairman of his commission on the opioid crisis. Besides suing Purdue Pharma, the Christie administration also sued Insys Therapeutics, an Arizona-based opioid manufacturer.

But the lawsuit announced by Mr. Grewal represents a new front in New Jerseys battle against the scourge of opioids, targeting a company that plays a key role in the states economy.

New Jersey has a deep and lucrative connection with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Often referred to as The Medicine Chest of the World, New Jersey was once home to many major pharmaceutical manufacturers, such as Pfizer, Merck and Johnson and Johnson. And while some companies have left the state, the industry still accounts for roughly 120,000 jobs, totaling $16.5 billion in annual payroll in 2016, or 7.8 percent of the states total wages.

Mr. Grewal told reporters that his office was not investigating Janssens parent company, Johnson & Johnson, but said that additional charges could be filed. Though Janssen is one of the states largest employers, Mr. Grewal said that did not factor into his offices decision making.

Were not shying away from holding folks accountable, Mr. Grewal said. If theyre culpable, well hold them accountable.

The lawsuit is similar to other lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, tracing the evolution of opioids from short-dosage painkillers in the early 1990s to drugs whose effects are more long term.What is happening in Midtown Manhattan underscores the challenges in New York and many other American cities of creating public spaces that, by definition, are open to all and a cornerstone of urban life, especially in space-starved communities. From pocket-size parks to plazas on reclaimed roadways to sidewalks dressed up with sleek benches and kiosks, the spaces make concrete-and-asphalt grids more inviting.

But as these public spaces have proliferated, they have also become testing grounds for what is acceptable  and unacceptable  public behavior. Cities including Honolulu, San Francisco, Colorado Springs and Charleston, S.C., have passed laws or regulations against sitting or lying down on sidewalks. Some cities have banned people from camping or even sleeping in public spaces.

This is a big issue for the people who manage public spaces in virtually every city in the country, and depending on what the rules and laws are, its an almost intractable problem in most cases, said Adrian Benepe, a senior vice president for the Trust for Public Land, and a former New York City parks commissioner.

Many city and business leaders say setting basic rules of conduct helps ensure that public spaces can be enjoyed by everyone and addresses public health and safety concerns. Advocates for the homeless counter that such measures are unconstitutional, target the homeless and keep out people who have nowhere else to go.

Are you going to tell me I cant use a public space because I dont have a home? said Jason Flores, 30, who moved to New York from Philadelphia and sleeps in public areas because he has no money.Barry Rand, who in 1999 became one of the few African-American chief executives of a Fortune 500 company when he took control of Avis, the rental car company, after being passed over for the top job at Xerox, died on Nov. 7 in an assisted living facility in Norwalk, Conn. He was 74.

His wife, Donna Rand, said the cause was Alzheimers disease.

Running a major corporation was a critical goal for Mr. Rand. He had spent 30 years at Xerox, rising to executive vice president of operations while developing a reputation as a strong salesman and motivator who helped build a highly diverse workplace.

But despite Mr. Rands determination and loyalty, Paul A. Allaire, Xeroxs chief executive, found his heir apparent at I.B.M., hiring G. Richard Thoman as president and chief operating officer in June 1997.

I always knew that it wasnt going to be handed to me, but I chose to hang in there because, if I left, that meant that I wasnt going to win for sure, Mr. Rand recalled in an interview for the book Take a Lesson: Todays Black Achievers on How They Made It and What They Learned Along the Way, by Caroline V. Clarke (2001).John Marttila, a political consultant whose shrewd, often audacious and methodically executed campaign strategies helped ignite the careers of major liberal, black and antiwar Democratic candidates, died on Nov. 3 in Boston. He was 78.

The cause was prostate cancer, his son, Douglas, said.

Mr. Marttila (pronounced mar-TILL-uh) served successfully as a campaign manager or consultant for the Rev. Robert F. Drinan of Massachusetts, the first Roman Catholic priest elected as a voting member of Congress, in 1970; Mayor Kevin H. White of Boston, who fended off a challenge in 1971 from the school busing opponent Louise Day Hicks; and Joseph R. Biden Jr., who won an upset election to the United States Senate from Delaware in 1972.

His clients also included Senators John F. Kerry and Edward J. Markey and Representative Barney Frank, all Massachusetts Democrats; and Coleman A. Young and David N. Dinkins, the first black mayors of Detroit and New York, respectively, in 1974 and 1989.

He was a strategic genius who brought a deep level of humanity to every meeting that he was in and made you feel that you were part of a larger historical context within which the race was being run, Mr. Markey said in a telephone interview. He was always seeking to advance his higher goals as he was helping individual candidates to win their elections.Its official: Amazon has anointed New York and Northern Virginia as locations for a major expansion , involving at least 25,000 employees and an investment of $5 billion.

The announcement is the culmination of an intense bidding war among 238 cities for Amazons promise of $50 billion in investment and 50,000 high-paying technology jobs. To land that deal, cities offered billions in tax breaks and incentives. According to the announcement, the company could score more than $2 billion in tax incentives from the two new sites.

In the end, only Amazon and other corporations won that war. By pitting cities against one another, Amazon created a frenzy of ever more lavish and outlandish offers. Maryland bid $6.5 billion in tax incentives and another $2 billion in infrastructure upgrades, and its transportation secretary at one point offered the company a blank check. Newark dangled $7 billion in front of Amazon. Columbus, Ohio, said it would waive all property taxes for 15 years. Chicago offered to let the company pocket between 50 and 100 percent of the income taxes its employees would pay to the city. Fresno, Calif., proposed giving Amazon joint control over deciding where to spend its taxes.

The problem is that once one city offers a company a lucrative deal, other employers want to get in on the bonanza. JPMorgan Chases chief executive, Jamie Dimon, said he would watch to see which city won the beauty contest and immediately call up those lawmakers and demand the same perks. Other companies are lining up to do the same.It is good news that Pakistans Supreme Court has acquitted and freed a Pakistani Christian woman who had already spent eight years on death row for blasphemy. In a 56-page ruling, the three justices said Asia Bibi, a farmworker in her early 50s, was the victim of mob justice aroused by unsubstantiated claims of what she said about the Prophet Muhammad in an exchange with women angry that she had sipped water from a cup used by Muslims.

Though the trial was a farce, overturning it took courage. In 2011, the governor of Punjab Province, Salman Taseer, who had campaigned for Ms. Bibis release and for changes in the blasphemy laws, was shot and killed by his bodyguard. Two months later, the minister of minorities, the sole Christian in the Pakistani government, who had also called for the changes, was killed. The announcement of the Supreme Court ruling on Oct. 31 set off protests across Pakistan and a warning from Islamist firebrands that the justices were risking death. Ms. Bibi has been in hiding since her release and may have to flee Pakistan.

But this is not a story about the triumph of tolerance over antiquated law. Ms. Bibi was freed not because the court found that the blasphemy law violated her rights or was in any other way inherently wrong, but because the trial was flawed. Blasphemy, broadly defined as speaking insultingly about God or religion, remains a capital crime in Pakistan and illegal in many other lands, in the East and the West.

According to the Pew Research Center, about a quarter of all countries had anti-blasphemy laws or policies as of 2014, and more than a tenth have laws or policies against apostasy, or renouncing a religious belief. That does not mean people in the West risk being imprisoned for taking the Lords name in vain. In many countries, like Canada, old laws remain on the books simply because nobody has bothered to get them off  as the Irish did last month when they voted in a referendum to scrap their blasphemy laws. In the United States, six states still have old blasphemy laws, but no case would conceivably survive against the First Amendment.Several hundred Catholic bishops from around the country have gathered in Baltimore for a national meeting at a time when many of us faithful are grieving, angry and running out of patience. The horrifying scale of the clergy sexual abuse crisis, as chronicled by a Pennsylvania grand jury report in August that revealed widespread abuse and cover-up over several decades, underscores an obvious but essential point: Bishops cant be trusted to police themselves.

Moreover, a recent investigation by The Boston Globe and The Philadelphia Inquirer found that more than 130 bishops  nearly one-third of those still living  have been accused of failing to adequately respond to sexual abuse in their dioceses. New explosions are still coming. In August, a former assistant to Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo released hundreds of secret documents that showed how the bishop continued to send predator priests back into parishes. Bishop Michael Bransfield of West Virginia resigned in September after claims that he had sexually harassed younger priests.

Its not the first meeting of its kind: 16 years ago, after The Globes groundbreaking Spotlight investigation, bishops met in Dallas to adopt zero-tolerance policies. Any priest who had abused a minor would be removed. Civilian review boards would investigate claims of clergy misconduct. Those policies led to the removal of hundreds of priests, but the bishops didnt implement procedures that held themselves to the same standard of accountability.

The Vatican, including Pope Francis, has also not done enough. A proposal to create a Vatican tribunal to evaluate accusations against bishops  an idea floated by the popes own Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors  has gone nowhere.HONG KONG  Ive been in Tokyo and Hong Kong this week, and if I were to distill what echoed in all my conversations, it would sound something like this:

From Chinese business and government types, some real anxiety  Can you please tell me what is President Trumps bottom line in this trade war? Is this about rebalancing trade or containing Chinas rise?  combined with some real bravado  You realize that you Americans are too late? Were too big to be pushed around anymore. You should have done this a decade ago.

From the Japanese it was gratitude  Thank God for Donald Trump. Finally we have a U.S. president who understands what a threat China is!  combined with real anxiety  Please, please be careful. Dont go too far with Beijing and break the global trading system.

And from a smart European consultant it was bewilderment  Boy did the Chinese have a failure of intelligence. They had no clue just how much both Democrats and Republicans, and Europeans, all want to see Trump hammer China in these trade talks. But please, please dont start a cold war with China that will force us to choose sides.

And from me to both my Chinese and Japanese interlocutors: Im glad Trump is confronting China on its market access barriers. Those are the real issue  not the bilateral trade imbalance. This is long overdue. But trade is not a zero-sum game. China can thrive and rise, and we can, too, at the same time. Thats whats been happening for the past 40 years. But wed be even better off if China offered the kind of easy access to its market for U.S. manufacturers that it enjoys in America. Its time to recalibrate U.S.-China economic ties before it really is too late.Cultural Marxism is also a favorite topic on Gab, the social media network where Robert Bowers, the man accused of shooting 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh last month, spent time. Mr. Lind may have only fantasized about mass death as a comeuppance for cultural Marxists, but others have acted on it: In his 1,500-page manifesto, the Norwegian far-rightist Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011, invoked cultural Marxism repeatedly. It wants to change behavior, thought, even the words we use, he wrote. To a significant extent, it already has.

According to their delirious foes, cultural Marxists are an unholy alliance of abortionists, feminists, globalists, homosexuals, intellectuals and socialists who have translated the far lefts old campaign to take away peoples privileges from class struggle into identity politics and multiculturalism. Before he executes the professors, the protagonist of Mr. Linds novel expounds on his theory to their faces: Classical Marxists, where they obtained power, expropriated the bourgeoisie and gave their property to the state, he says. Where you obtained power, you expropriated the rights of white men and gave special privileges to feminists, blacks, gays, and the like. It is on the basis of this parallel that the novel justifies carnage against the enemies of Christendom as an act showing that Western culture is recovering its will.

Some Marxists, like the Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci and his intellectual heirs, tried to understand how the class rule they criticized worked through cultural domination. And today, its true that on campus and off, many people are directing their ire at the advantages that white males have historically enjoyed. But neither the defense of the workers nor of other disempowered groups was a conspiracy on its own, and never was there a malignant plot to convert the first into the second  which is what cultural Marxism implies. Deployed to avoid claims of injustice, the charge functions to whip up agitated frenzy or inspire visions of revenge.

And while increasingly popular worries about cosmopolitan elites and economic globalization can sometimes transcend the most noxious anti-Semitism, talk of cultural Marxism is inseparable from it. The legend of cultural Marxism recycles old anti-Semitic tropes to give those who feel threatened a scapegoat.

A number of the conspiracy theorists tracing the origins of cultural Marxism assign outsize significance to the Frankfurt School, an interwar German  and mostly Jewish  intellectual collective of left-wing social theorists and philosophers. Many members of the Frankfurt School fled Nazism and came to the United States, which is where they supposedly uploaded the virus of cultural Marxism to America. These zany stories of the Frankfurt Schools role in fomenting political correctness would be entertaining, except that they echo the baseless allegations of tiny cabals ruling the world that fed the rights paranoid imagination in prior eras.More recently, when anti-immigrant protesters  many of them baby boomers or older  began their wave of protest marches in 2015, most of the people in Germany and abroad were surprised. But the authoritarianism and the anger about foreigners had been there all along; as the protesters themselves said, the problem was no one listened. And no one provided hope.

Then, to compound the problem, the establishment, scared of this new political force, made accommodations to it  moving right on issues like immigration in an attempt to dampen the far rights appeal. But that only made the far right seem more acceptable to the mainstream, while alienating younger voters .

The good news is that Germany is moving forward despite itself. So long excluded from politics, younger Germans are taking to the streets. According to the organizers of one recent mass demonstration in Berlin, called #unteilbar (inseparable), 250,000 people marched in favor of a more open society  a number that swamps even the largest far-right marches. Yet the establishment has stayed silent.

In recent elections in Bavaria, the Green Party was led by Katharina Schulze, 33, and Ludwig Hartmann, 40. In the past their youth alone would have been considered disqualifying. Instead, they were able to draw in enough disaffected young Bavarians to win 17.5 percent of the vote, up from 8.6 percent in 2013  an astonishing total for a left-leaning party in such a conservative state.

Bavarian voters arent alone: Recent polls show that as many as 50 percent of Germans can at least imagine voting for the Green Party, particularly because of its progressive position on migration and diversity.

Put differently, the real challenge in Germany is not so much the left-right divide as it is a generational split. The older generations, reared on consensus, are not used to open public debate, let alone diversity. But the younger ones are opting for a new social order that includes people of other ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations. They do not fear immigrants as much as they fear the fact that they cant afford housing or taking care of their parents once they get old.

Younger generations have always had different needs from their elders, but in the past the establishment has found ways to meet those needs without ceding power. Thats no longer acceptable to young Germans. They dont just demand a more equitable, open society. They want to shape it. If Germanys establishment resists them, it will set the country on the path to years of social turmoil.

Jagoda Marinic (@jagodamarinic), an essayist and novelist, is the author, most recently, of Made in Germany.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.To the Editor:

Re Amid Accounts of Close Calls, Fires Toll Rises (front page, Nov. 13):

Alongside the poignant scenes of devastated California homeowners picking through the remains of their burned-out homes, we are reminded by Gov. Jerry Brown that, in many ways, our response to global warming is a deeply moral issue.

He contends that those who deny that it is climate change that makes wildfires more frequent and intense are contributing to the tragedies of lost lives and burned-out communities. Among those, of course, is our president, who has expressed doubts about global warming. Little wonder he ignorantly blames forest management for this tragedy.

Every day that we deny or ignore the fact that climate change is real and caused by burning coal, oil and gas, and continue to do nothing about it, condemns our children and future generations to the horrors of a climate out of control.

Bob Taylor

Newport Beach, Calif.To the Editor:

Re Judge Urges Parties to Ramp Down Rhetoric in Florida Recount (news article, Nov. 13):

Recent comments by President Trump about fraud in the Florida elections are deeply disturbing. Even the Florida judge who is adjudicating one of the lawsuits brought by Gov. Rick Scott, who is a candidate for the Senate, has called for all parties to ramp down the rhetoric.

If the leader of the United States can disparage free elections and call for an end to counting votes, what message does this send to other, less secure democracies?

I wish that our former presidents would issue a statement in support of counting every single vote. At this time of great peril, we need leaders with moral authority to step up and support democracy in our country. Former presidents, please let us hear your voices.

Barbara Barran

BrooklynAll of this is subtext as a group of girlfriends point at Mrs. Obamas portrait and say teasingly, There goes your queen! All of this is part of what fuels middle-aged sisters and mothers of young daughters to art-direct smartphone photos in front of the painting until each has their own perfect image.

Fourteen-year-old Camryn Redding of Baltimore told me she felt inspired that somebody like me can be in a museum like this, showing that its not just for people with a lighter skin color, its for me, too. I think shes empowering. I think that shes a really great example for black women everywhere. And I think she did amazing things in the White House while she was there.

Visitors described her to me in the familiar terms that pepper social media posts about her: regal, elegant, and just  perfection. As Debra Storm of Lehigh, Pa, said, no matter what Mrs. Obama had to endure, she was always elegant, perfect, intelligent.

She earned the astral interpretation we see on that wall over the course of a decade spent rising above the racist, sexist political fray. She  through her openness as well as her achievements  has earned the adoration of these women, too.

First, I love me some Michelle Obama. Shes such an inspiration to womanhood. Shes smart. Shes classy. Shes everything I want to emulate and aspire to be, said Margaret Garcia, who had traveled from the Bronx. A few beats later, the coda: Shes everything.

Everything  as the new book reminds us  has many parts. Yes, it includes role model behavior and a flawless image. But Mrs. Obama wouldnt be everything without a long history of the kind of transparency about the less-perfect parts of her life thats earned the memoir such high praise.

I love Ms. Sheralds Vogue-cover-worthy vision, as lofty and queenly and pensive. I also love the early-era first lady who was unguarded and a little gaffe-prone, once Freudian-slipping in a CBS News interview that she was a busy single mom before quickly adding, Sometimes, when youve got the husband whos president, it can feel a little single, but hes there! I love todays version: the woman who reveals  not in a slip-up but intentionally in writing  that becoming a mother isnt always easy.At the days next event, in Webster City, Mr. King opened by telling supporters about his recent pheasant hunting trip. He spoke of a pheasant noodle soup that he makes, and the jalapeno peppers he grows and puts in the soup to give it a kick. Then the conversation turned:

Mr. King: I guess Im going to have to go and get some dirt from Mexico to grow the next batch.

He and the audience laugh together.

Audience member: Trust me, its on its way.

Mr. King: Well, yeah, theres plenty of dirt, its coming from the West Coast, too. And a lot of other places, besides. This is the most dirt weve ever seen.

The congressman quickly pivoted to another subject, saying that the event wasnt supposed to start yet. But I wrote about the most interesting part of the event in a piece on Election Day: What began as a story about his pheasant hunting trip, turned into, what seems, a veiled jab at Mexicans  as understood and promoted by his audience  innuendo about Mexicans or Mexican Americans as dirt.

Jeff King called my editor in chief at The Weekly Standard, Stephen F. Hayes, and demanded the piece be pulled. He said his father was referring to the media as dirt  a pitiable defense. Representative King hadnt even mentioned the media yet. (Listen to the whole audio clip here and judge for yourself.)

My editor stood by my reporting, but the piece got me barred from Representative Kings election night watch party. I saw what you wrote today, Jeff King told me inside the venue as his father looked on, approving of my ejection. I disputed my dismissal from the event, saying that my story earlier in the day was accurate and that I was told I could be there. A King supporter shouted at me, Kick his ass out.The governors race in Georgia between Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp has turned into an ugly, drawn-out affair, and we wont know the final results for a while. Mr. Kemp, the Republican, declared victory and resigned as Georgias secretary of state so he wouldnt be responsible for overseeing the counting of votes in the race  though before he resigned he did make an unsubstantiated claim that Democrats were hacking the election.

There is a silver lining in this mess: The new secretary of state could finally fix Georgias astoundingly insecure voting system, one of the most poorly protected in the country.

This has been a rough election for Georgians. Accusations of racism and voter suppression have abounded. An outside investigation found that more than 340,000 voter registrations had been improperly canceled by Mr. Kemps office. A significant number were reinstated by court order, but there is no way of knowing if voter turnout would have been even higher if the Kemp purge hadnt happened.

On top of this, an indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers as part of Robert Mueller's inquiry into election interference suggests that the election system in counties in Georgia were targeted for hacking in 2016.Image

BULLETIN BOARD

Were Reimagining Our Travel Journalism. Tell Us What Youd Like to See.

Our new Travel editor, Amy Virshup, says she will be rebooting our travel journalism for the digital age. Send her your suggestions or ask a question here.

Nov. 13, 2018

I am thrilled to be The Timess new Travel editor, taking over a department that has offered great writing and photography to Times readers for decades. As I look to reboot our travel journalism for the digital age, there are a few big themes I am thinking about, all aimed at helping our readers travel the world better, more knowledgeably and with more understanding.

[[Leave your feedback and questions for Amy on her plans for our travel coverage in the comments.]]

One is how we tell stories. The classic storytelling mode in travel writing (not just at The Times, but pretty much everywhere) is the first-person travelogue, in which someone parachutes into a location and brings back the tale of the journey. That has resulted in some wonderful writing and terrific insights into far-flung places. But it made more sense when travel was harder, when most people were never going to take that trip to Patagonia or the Australian outback, so the writer really was the readers window into a different world.

Now, people can much more easily visit places themselves, and they dont necessarily want our take on a place; they want the tools to discover it for themselves and find their own take on it.Decorating a childs bedroom is hard enough when you have only one child. Add another to the mix and the challenges multiply.

Where will you store all their stuff? Should you go with bunk beds or twin? And how can any well-designed room possibly reflect the varying ages and styles of two or more children?

Before you buy those matching quilts, consider this advice from designers with children of their own.

Divide the Room Into Zones

Start by carving out zones for various activities  sleeping, playing, reading, changing, chilling out. That should help you map out a functional floor plan and address each childs needs.For years, insect populations have been dropping worldwide without a clear explanation. A new paper suggests male infertility is at least one factor behind that decline, as warmer-than-usual temperatures take a disproportionate toll on males of some insect species.

After a lab-simulated heat wave, researchers from Englands University of East Anglia found that male flour beetles produced vastly less sperm. But they also found that the damage wasnt confined to the males. Sperm inside a females reproductive tract became less viable and the sons of the males that endured the hotter temperature became less fertile, too.

Matt Gage, an evolutionary ecologist who led the work published Tuesday in Nature Communications, said he was surprised by the findings, and by how quickly male fertility plummeted.

[Like the Science Times page on Facebook. | Sign up for the Science Times newsletter.]

Its long been known that heat can affect sperm quality in mammals. Theres a good reason the testes are outside the body, noted Dr. Gage, adding that this keeps the sperm 6 to 10 degrees cooler than body temperature.Several cities explicitly framed their pitch around the appeal that Amazon could become the major local employer, and the catalyst for an urban revival. Baltimore promised the chance to permanently tie Amazon to the renaissance of one of Americas greatest working-class cities. Detroits proposal suggested that Amazon would further help the city shed the blue-collar stereotype. Camden, N.J., pitched itself as a city rising  a place Amazon could help lift up.

None of those cities were among the 20 finalists Amazon seriously considered.

A bunch of cities in their initial proposal proposed that Amazon would be the center of their development strategy, said Nathan Jensen, a professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin who tracked proposals for HQ2. But these are the losers.

Instead, in New York and Washington, Amazon will find not only all the assets a tech company requires, but also some reprieve from the attention its status as the behemoth tech employer within Seattle has given it. In its hometown, Amazon now occupies fully one-fifth of all prime office space.

In announcing the decision on Tuesday, Amazons C.E.O., Jeff Bezos, mentioned the companys desire to become an even bigger part of these communities. But that role in New York and Washington will be relatively smaller than if the company had chosen a different kind of home.

In Northern Virginia and environs, even as Amazon grows to 25,000 jobs, the primary industries will long remain government services and defense contracting. In New York, Amazon isnt even the only big tech company announcing a major expansion in the past week; Google plans to swell in size there, too  albeit in Manhattan rather than Queens.Democrats had a great showing in the 2018 midterm elections. But even in such a strong year, they sometimes struggled to match their traditional support in electorally significant areas  with serious implications for 2020.

Their triumph was a somewhat narrow one, concentrated in well-educated, affluent communities. Over all, the distribution of Democratic and Republican support was reminiscent of the 2016 election, when Democrats won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College.

Yes, Democrats can muscle their way through those disadvantages with a big enough win, like their seven-point advantage in the House popular vote. But white voters without a degree are overrepresented in the most important Midwestern battleground states. The most straightforward alternative for Democrats goes through Florida, which probably gave Republicans their most promising results last week.

Democratic weakness in Miami-Dade County

Florida was probably the biggest disappointment for Democrats last week, and Miami-Dade County the biggest single cause for it.Bryce Colvard, 21, Cal Lutheran University: I waited for a delay in the shots

Ive been going to Borderline as long as Ive been in college. My friend Justin Meek, who was killed there that night, worked as a bouncer. Wed go once or twice a month and there was always Justin. There was never a time where I felt unsafe in any way.

When we arrived around 10:30 p.m. I gave Justin a big hug at the door and we just kind of made our rounds. We were hanging out near the back wall looking at the stage when we heard the loud noise.

I thought someone had dropped something in the kitchen at first. But then I heard more and I went under a high table. I heard more rounds, grabbed my friends and yelled Get down. This is happening, this is happening right now.

I waited for a delay in the shots, and the second I heard that, I assumed he was reloading. I grabbed my friend who didnt want to get up. I told her, Weve got to go right now. We jumped out of the window out back and started running. We stopped at another restaurant and started banging at the door. They immediately barricaded the doors and took us into the kitchen. Thats where we saw my friend had a severe wound on her hand from the window.

My father is a registered gun owner, so thats how I knew what to listen for at the right second. When I was younger, he made sure we were very educated, to take away any chance of us getting curious without him. He took us to the gun range and was very adamant that we knew safety around guns. It was strictly for the purpose of home defense and at the shooting range.PARADISE, Calif.  Search teams were scouring the devastated town of Paradise on Tuesday with the grim expectation of finding more bodies in the aftermath of the deadliest wildfire in California history.

Finding remains is a painstaking process that is often guided by cadaver dogs after an intense fire like the one that struck Paradise and surrounding areas, where at least 48 people have been killed, about 200 are still missing and much is reduced to ashes. Coroners and dozens of other searchers have fanned out across the area, and two portable morgues are waiting to collect the dead.

Here are the latest developments:

 The Camp Fire, as the blaze that ripped through Paradise is known, is only about 35 percent contained, and has burned 130,000 acres. It continues to rage in the hills and ravines east of the city of Chico.

There are potentially over 100 people that were killed in Butte, Thom Porter, a Cal Fire chief, said late Tuesday at a meeting for evacuees, speaking about Butte County.Over 25 years in Bronx hospitals, Dr. Marianne Haughey has lost count of how many people she has seen die from gun violence. It doesnt stop  a child who found a gun at home, a teenager caught in the middle of a gang shooting, a store owner ambushed at work.

The toughest part comes afterward, Dr. Haughey said. She sheds her blood-soaked scrubs, makes a mental note of the victims name and goes to tell the family.

Its impossible not to bring it home, said Dr. Haughey, an emergency physician and the director of St. Barnabas Hospitals emergency medicine residency program. I never get used to it. Its tiresome.

Those experiences fueled angry responses from her and other doctors in recent days to a tweet from the National Rifle Association aimed at their profession: Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane.Representative Kyrsten Sinemas upset victory in Arizona on Monday night marked the first time a Democrat has been elected to the Senate from that state since 1988. Here are six takeaways about the race and the changing nature of Arizona politics.

[Catch up on Ms. Sinemas victory remarks and the reaction in Arizona.]

A political realignment is possible

With Republican politics in Arizona looking less like the brand practiced by senators like John McCain and Jeff Flake  independent-minded, relatively bipartisan at times  many centrist voters in the states G.O.P. are increasingly politically homeless.

That has had an impact in suburban areas like vote-rich Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix. Mr. McCain and President Trump both carried the county in 2016, but Ms. Sinema was ahead there by nearly four percentage points over the Republican candidate, Representative Martha McSally.

Ms. Sinemas win signals that a political realignment in Arizona is possible for federal offices. Hillary Clinton lost the state in 2016 by about 3.5 percentage points; Ms. Sinema was a different kind of candidate, with a different message, and she won statewide by about 1.7 points.Good Tuesday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

_____________________

 Republicans push to discredit the vote recount in Florida reflects a cold political calculation, aimed at securing the partys Senate majority and its agenda. Heres more on the strategy.

 A judge in Florida urged lawyers involved in the recount battle to ramp down the rhetoric and take accusations of electoral fraud where they belong: to the police. Read about the controversy.

 Representative Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat, was declared the winner in the Senate race in Arizona, a Republican bastion. Read about what her groundbreaking win means for the Senate.WASHINGTON  In the days since President Trump ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions and declared that he was installing Matthew G. Whitaker as the acting attorney general, many critics have challenged Mr. Whitakers fitness for the job. Some have gone further, calling his very appointment illegal.

Now, Mr. Whitakers appointment is facing a court challenge. The State of Maryland asked a federal judge on Tuesday for an injunction declaring that Mr. Whitaker is not the legitimate acting attorney general as a matter of law, and that the position  and all its powers  instead rightfully belongs to the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein.

Mr. Trump may not bypass the constitutional and statutory requirements for appointing someone to that office, the state said in a court filing.

[Read Marylands court filings.]

The legal action escalates the uproar surrounding Mr. Trumps installation of Mr. Whitaker as the nations top law-enforcement officer, from criticism of his basic credentials and his views on the Russia investigation to challenges to the legality of his appointment. Last week, Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senates top Democrat, sent a letter demanding to know why Mr. Trump chose an unconfirmed political appointee as acting attorney general, rather than follow the Justice Departments statutory line of succession.The Sun Belt is looking purple

The texture of the midterm results has changed most starkly over the last week in the West, as slow-counting states like Arizona and California have tallied their ballots. Democrats have captured Republican-held Senate seats in Nevada and Arizona, partially offsetting their losses in the heavily white, conservative states where Republicans unseated Democratic senators.

And in California, what looked like a night of incremental Democratic gains has turned into a slow-motion rout for the G.O.P. Republicans are on track to lose between four and seven seats there, chiefly in the suburbs of Southern California, where even Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a 30-year incumbent, went down in defeat.

Further down the ballot, there were signs of Democratic gains in historically Republican parts of the Southwest: In Arizona, where Republicans have dominated state politics, Democrats also captured the office of education superintendent, and a second important statewide election  for secretary of state  was still too close to call a week into the count. In Nevada, where Democrats had not won a governors race since 1994, they captured the governorship and the offices of lieutenant governor, attorney general, state treasurer and state controller.

In Texas, Democrats gained at least a dozen seats in the Statehouse and, despite partisan gerrymandering, picked up two congressional seats. Five Republican congressional candidates there who were strongly favored to win ultimately prevailed with less than 52 percent of the vote.

Texas and Arizona are unlikely to be blue states anytime soon, but after years of tilting at the Southwest with little to show for it, Democrats saw real signs that the region is becoming a battleground.

Grant Woods, a former Republican state attorney general in Arizona who recently registered as a Democrat, said Mr. Trump and the Republican Party had moved too far right for voters in the Southwest. Mr. Woods, who is considering a run for Senate in 2020, said the midterm results were encouraging.Several people working in the White House who are not among the Trump family members or their allies have expressed concern to the president about putting Mr. Ayers in that role, and have warned that some staff members might quit because of it.

Mr. Trump hates interpersonal confrontation, and he often lets aides he does not like remain in their positions for uncomfortably long times, meaning changes could still be weeks away, the people close to the president cautioned. And Mr. Ayerss name has been mentioned as a Kelly successor before, only to disappear as Mr. Kelly has remained in his post.

But Ms. Nielsen has been a target of Mr. Trumps ire for many months, primarily over his administrations zero tolerance immigration policy and his belief that she was not implementing it effectively.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Kelly arrived at a plan earlier this year for Mr. Kelly to remain in his job through the 2020 election, but the president has privately told allies that he would not bet on his chief of staff staying that long.

The Washington Post first reported that Ms. Nielsen may depart soon. A White House spokesman did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Mr. Kelly has often defended Ms. Nielsen to the president, and protected her from other cabinet members when she was under attack from them.

Among some of Mr. Trumps allies, his views and treatment of Ms. Nielsen have been characterized as unfair. The president has derided her previous service in the George W. Bush administration and questioned her loyalty. He also helped ensure that she was the face of the deeply controversial border separation policy involving taking children from their parents.He added, I actually think he did the president a great disservice.

The internal feuding comes at a pivotal moment, as Mr. Trump prepares to meet with President Xi Jinping of China at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Argentina this month and as the White House economic team considers whether to impose tariffs on cars from Europe, Japan and other nations.

Europes top trade negotiator, Cecilia Malmstrom, is expected to meet with the United States trade representative, Robert E. Lighthizer, on Wednesday to discuss a framework for beginning formal trade talks.

Mr. Trumps trade advisers are so far split over the presidents desire to impose tariffs on foreign cars and car parts. Mr. Kudlow and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have privately cautioned against such a move and Mr. Navarro has pushed for tariffs as a way to gain greater concessions from Europe and Japan, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Mr. Kudlow, Mr. Mnuchin and others in the administration have also been encouraging Mr. Trump to make a trade deal with China and to forgo the additional tariffs he has threatened to impose on all Chinese imports. Mr. Navarro said in his speech last week that China was not playing fair and was simply trying to get the United States to the table to improve its global image.

They want to get us to the bargaining table, sound reasonable, talk their way and have their way with us, Mr. Navarro said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington.MEXICO CITY  Time seems to have stopped inside cell number six of Barrientos state prison, where Daniel Garcia has been held for more than 16 years without a verdict.

His distorted perception of time became clear more than a decade ago, when he sent his two daughters a dollhouse as a gift, seemingly unaware that they had grown into adults since 2002, when he was accused of murder and locked up.

Mr. Garcia is caught in the legal trappings of Mexicos old judicial system, which allowed those accused of crimes ranging from murder to minor offenses to be held indefinitely as their cases dragged on for years.

The Mexican government does not keep track of the average time that suspects like Mr. Garcia are kept in pretrial detention. But the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which reviewed his case, has called his arrest arbitrary and described the use of preventive prison in his case as quite exceptional.BANGKOK  Boeing faced new scrutiny on Tuesday over the crash of one of its planes into the sea off Indonesia last month, as airlines, pilots and regulators sought to determine whether the company had underplayed the complexity of a new emergency system suspected of having malfunctioned on the doomed jetliner.

Investigators have been focused on whether the plane, Lion Air Flight 610, crashed because the system, which is designed to pull the plane out of a dangerous stall, activated based on inaccurate data transmitted or processed from sensors on the fuselage.

The plane plunged nose down into the sea, killing all 189 people on board. The precise cause or causes of the crash remain unclear.

Boeing has been selling the model that crashed, the new 737 Max 8, as requiring little additional pilot training for airlines that already use the previous version of the plane. The 737 Max 8 is in a ferocious competitive battle with an update of the Airbus A320, and minimizing the costs of upgrading to the new model is one of the keys to winning orders from airlines.PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea  Polio was vanquished by the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea 18 years ago. Now, as world leaders gather there for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting this week, polio has returned  on top of raging drug-resistant epidemics of tuberculosis, malaria and H.I.V., and deadly flash points of preventable diseases like whooping cough and measles.

All over the country, there are symptoms of a profound public health emergency; young and old are getting sick and dying unnecessarily, while facilities lack basic medicines and equipment.

Doctors and experts say the unfolding crisis is the realization of their worst fears after years of deterioration and neglect.

We were expecting something like this, Dr. Anup Gurung, a public health specialist with the World Health Organization, said of the polio outbreak at a news conference in the capital, Port Moresby, in September.COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  Sri Lankas Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked the president from dissolving Parliament, raising the possibility that the former prime minister could reclaim the post after weeks of unnerving political drama.

Sri Lanka has been in crisis since late last month, when President Maithripala Sirisena abruptly fired Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, accusing him of being inept and corrupt. He then swore in a new prime minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa, a popular former president who has been accused of human rights abuses. Many lawmakers and government ministers denounced the move. Protests erupted, and at least one person was killed.

Insisting his firing was unconstitutional, Mr. Wickremesinghe refused to leave his official residence and demanded that Parliament be summoned to prove he still had support.

Instead, Mr. Sirisena dissolved Parliament and called for new elections. Opponents said he had done so because Mr. Rajapaksa could not assemble a majority. The maneuverings were seen as a back door way to bring Mr. Rajapaksa and his allies back into power.GENEVA  United Nations human rights officials have sharply condemned regulations issued by China that seek to provide a legal basis for the mass internment of Muslims in the Xinjiang region.

Six United Nations officials and rights experts said in a letter sent on Monday to the Chinese government that the regulations were a violation of international law, and they urged that those responsible be held accountable.

The regulations were issued by the authorities in Xinjiang in western China, who said they were intended to contain and eradicate extremism.

The United Nations experts contended that the new rules to justify mass internments in re-education centers were based on overly broad definitions of extremist behavior and amounted to criminalizing the legitimate exercise of basic rights.SYDNEY, Australia  Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia was blindsided by reports that a state government had quietly sidestepped federal regulators and signed a deal with China to participate in that countrys contentious Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

Mr. Morrison said this week that the agreement, signed last month between the governments of China and the state of Victoria, undermined the federal governments ability to conduct foreign policy at a time when intelligence officials are concerned that China is trying to exert undue influence in Australia.

Mr. Morrison told reporters he was surprised that the Victorian government would involve itself in a matter of international relations without discussing it first.

They know full well our policy on those issues and I thought that was not a very cooperative or helpful way to do things on such issues, Mr. Morrison said.LONDON  British and European Union officials reached a long-awaited draft agreement on Tuesday on Britains troubled withdrawal from the bloc, opening the way for a high-stakes meeting of Prime Minister Theresa Mays most senior ministers to consider the plans, the prime ministers office said.

Cabinet ministers will have a chance to review the draft text before a critical meeting of the full cabinet at 2 p.m. Wednesday, the prime ministers office said.

After months of deadlock over the terms of Britains exit from the bloc, the presentation of the draft agreement is a moment of truth for Mrs. May, who is desperate to avoid a chaotic and disorderly no-deal Brexit. But she cannot be assured of support from hard-line Brexiteers in her cabinet, whom she may need to face down.

[What is Brexit? A simple guide to why it matters and what happens next.]

In the worst case, defections from the cabinet or an outright rejection of the pact could threaten her leadership.ISTANBUL  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has made his strongest personal challenge yet to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia over the killing of the dissident Jamal Khashoggi, saying he was still waiting for answers and expressing frustration with the Saudi response in comments published on Tuesday in pro-government newspapers.

Speaking to Turkish reporters while traveling back from Paris, where he met with leaders from France, Germany and the United States, Mr. Erdogan said the crown price was failing to follow through on his promise to expose the truth about the disappearance and death of Mr. Khashoggi.

The crown prince says, I am going to clarify the incident and do what is necessary, Mr. Erdogan said in the published remarks. The crown prince tells this to my special representatives, and we are waiting patiently.

Mr. Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2; Turkish officials have said that he was murdered by a Saudi hit squad and his body destroyed. After several early denials, the Saudi authorities eventually admitted that Mr. Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate but have not revealed what was done with his body.BERLIN  Fresh from another strained international gathering with President Trump intended to remember the devastation of World War I, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said Tuesday that Europes future should include a real European army.

Ms. Merkel, who announced last week that she would not seek another term, spoke more forcefully than ever about the European Unions need to pull together  and to depend more reliably on itself, without dependence on the United States, when defending its interests. She did so in a speech about Europes future before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, which was seen as an effort to leave a legacy as her own power slowly fades.

Her comments came hours after President Trump launched a blistering personal attack on President Emmanuel Macron of France, who also has proposed a European army.

The days where we can unconditionally rely on others are gone, Ms. Merkel said in a speech televised around the Continent. That means that we Europeans should take our fate more into our own hands if we want to survive as a European community.PARIS  Three years to the day after he lived through the worst terrorist attack in Frances modern history, Fred Dewilde and other survivors, neighbors and families of victims gathered on Tuesday for a subdued commemoration in the area of Paris hardest hit by the violence.

We dont really know each other, but we do understand each other and were here for one another, said Mr. Dewilde, 51, who was at the Bataclan concert hall on Nov. 13, 2015, and attended the memorial held in a square nearby, where the crowd released balloons into the sky. Were all citizens of the 13th.

That day, like Tuesday, dawned clear and warm for November, but after night fell, suicide bombers attacked Frances largest stadium, armed men shot randomly at busy sidewalk bars and cafes, and three gunmen attacked the crowded Bataclan with Kalashnikov rifles; all told, they killed 130 people and wounded nearly 500.

For France, especially for the Paris area, the initial sense of horror gave way to an outpouring of grief, then public defiance. But enough time has passed that many of those who lived through the attacks  like Mr. Dewilde, a medical illustrator turned graphic novelist  have moved on to processing the trauma through writing, film and the arts.LONDON  Their clue was that he looked like Ross from Friends.

A month after starting their search for a man accused of stealing a case of beer, the British police said on Tuesday that they had arrested in London a man on suspicion of theft.

It was a routine case save for one detail: The suspect bore an uncanny resemblance to the actor David Schwimmer, known for playing the socially awkward scientist Ross Geller in the hit TV series.

That was enough make a police appeal to the public to help find the suspect go viral.

The authorities in the seaside town of Blackpool, England, posted an image on Facebook of a man clutching the beers and staring into a security camera.

Image Ross? Is that you? The police photo of the suspect. Credit... Blackpool Police, via Associated Press

Fans of the series, which ran for 10 years, were quick to point out that the blurry image of a man with black hair, strong jawline and wearing black could easily be mistaken for one of Mr. Schwimmer.Yet, poverty is a complex and contested subject in Britain, where there are several contrasting measures of deprivation, and some observers were skeptical about the necessity of Mr. Alstons visit.

While child poverty has risen markedly in recent years, overall poverty levels have remained fairly steady or even dropped slightly  partly because of sharp falls in pensioner poverty since the 1980s. Though 1,550,000 were classed in 2017 as destitute, or experiencing extreme poverty, by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a poverty research group, that figure was a quarter less than in 2015.

If Mr. Alston ends up linking poverty to the governments benefit policies, he would just be adding more noise, said Edward Davies, director of policy at the Center for Social Justice, a think tank founded by Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative minister who spearheaded the reforms. My fear is that we have a debate about welfare reform in this country, and he could get embroiled in that.

Commenting on Mr. Alstons visit in a written statement, a government spokesman said that child and overall poverty rates had fallen since the Conservatives entered office  using a different measure from the one preferred by poverty researchers at the Rowntree Foundation and the Child Poverty Action Group.

Mr. Alston said he was keeping an open mind. In several meetings in Newcastle, he avoided asking leading questions and frequently played devils advocate to people seeking to blame the government.

As his train thundered north into Scotland that night, Mr. Alston said he would draw no conclusions until releasing his preliminary findings on Friday.

Its been said to me, Come on, you must have had a draft before you came here,  Mr. Alston said. But on every mission Ive always found myself asking after a few days, What the hell am I going to say? ASHKELON, Israel  The woman emerged dazed from the rubble, suffering from multiple injuries and barely able to speak. Her new husband, Mahmoud Abu Asaba, 48, had been pulled from beneath her amid the ruins of their fourth-story bedroom in an Ashkelon apartment building early Tuesday.

Improbably, Mr. Abu Asaba was the only person killed in Israel in more than 24 hours of rocket and mortar fire from the Gaza Strip, a staggering bombardment of at least 460 projectiles, many of which made it past Israels vaunted air defenses.

Just as improbably, he was not an Israeli but a Palestinian, from Halhoul, near the West Bank city of Hebron.

The randomness of his death put a fitting bookend on this latest paroxysm of violence in the bleak saga of Gaza-Israeli dysfunction, which began Monday afternoon and had run its course by Tuesday afternoon.An eruption of hostilities between Israel and Hamas militants, once again, raised the specter of war in the Gaza Strip in recent days.

But by sundown Tuesday, Israel and Hamas  the Islamic militant group that controls the impoverished enclave  signaled a willingness to end clashes in a deal brokered by international parties. The tensions threatened a tenuous detente in the slow-burning conflict.

While the deal allowed a fragile calm to take hold, the violence was the worst since the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. And it raised questions about how the two sides got here again and what the implications might be for any potential peace process.

Here are some key things to know about the conflict.

Why did tensions rise?

The latest clashes started after a botched intelligence mission by undercover Israeli commandos over the weekend. The covert operation ended in a firefight that left one Israeli soldier and seven Palestinian fighters dead.Pinheads Pizza, a popular pizza place in Dublin, Ireland, is offering fans of the Italian delicacy the chance to fill their bellies and their pockets at the same time. Anyone who can finish their 32-inch pizza and down two milkshakes in under 32 minutes is guaranteed a prize of 500 euros.

When Anthony Kelly, the owner of Pinheads Pizza, put the 32-inch pie on the menu of his restaurant in 2015, it didnt really have a name and was simply called Irelands largest pizza. Since then, he settled on a proper name for it  The Notorious Pizza  a fitting one considering that no one has been able to finish one, although many have tried. In the beginning, Kelly offered challengers a voucher for 50 euros plus the pizza for free if they managed to finish the whole thing and wash it down with two milkshakes in under 32 minutes. Since then, he has become so confident that his challenge is unbeatable that he is offering a 500 euros prize to anyone who beats it.

Photo: Pinheads Pizza/Facebook

Kelly says that over 100 people have tried The Notorious Pizza challenge, but they have all failed miserably, and while he invites more people to give it a go, the man is quite confident that no can beat it. Staff members of newspapers like the Irish Sun and Irish Mirror also gave it their best, but they could barely finish a quarter of the humongous pie and none of the milkshakes in the allotted time. Rob of Stag vs. Food, did a bit better, finishing one half of the pizza, but its hard to imagine anyone being able to finish the whole thing in just over half an hour.

Pinheads Pizza lets challengers choose their toppings, but while going for the classic Margherita probably makes the most sense if you actually want to beat the challenge, those who have tried the pie claim that its the dough itself that makes eating the pizza so hard.

The base was so thick, eating each slice felt like polishing off an entire batch loaf. I knew I couldnt do it after the first bite, Mark McConville told Herald.ie.

The length of a slice of pizza went from my elbow to end of my fingers, Rob wrote for Stag vs. Food. Anthony the owner suggested I fold a slice over on itself in a bid to down 2 slices in one. It was the toughest slice of pizza Ive ever ate. The pizza was very tasty lads but the shear amount of dough was having an effect on me.

The Dublin-based restaurant even put up a Wall of Fame to celebrate those who beat the Notorious Pizza Challenge, but so far it has remained empty.

No one has completed it yet, but we challenge the people of Dublin to take it on and be the first, Anthony Kelly told 98fm.



Delivery for The Notorious Pizza isnt available, as the box would never fit on a moped, but you can order it for take-away. Just know that youll probably need some help carrying it home. Pinheads Pizza also recommends calling in advance, as preparing the pie takes a bit more time than regular pizzas.A California mans unexpected recovery has left doctors baffled. A day before his scheduled surgery to have a presumed brain tumor removed, a final head CT exam showed that the mass in his brain had miraculously disappeared.

Paul Wood, a resident of Lodi, in California, started complaining of excruciating headaches and dizziness several months ago, and received several serious diagnoses from doctors. A neurosurgeon at UC San Francisco told him that he had a brain bleeding, while a radiologist told him that his CAT scans showed a brain tumor. Both required risky brain surgery, but a day before the scheduled intervention to have the suspected tumor removed, a fresh CT scan revealed no sign of anything unusual in his brain. Doctors couldnt, and still cannot explain what happened, but Wood is convinced that its nothing short of a miracle from God.

Photo: Paul Wood/Facebook

A member of Gravity Church, Paul says that he shared the devastating new of his suspected tumor soon after receiving the doctors diagnosis and got an overwhelming response in the form of prayers and well wished from all over California. He believes that it was his and his congregations trust in God that made this miracle possible.

My phone is blowing up, my Facebook is prayer after prayer, all over California, Wood told CBS Sacramento. Its a miracle and that is the way God planned it.



Doctors cant really dispute Woods theory, as they cannot logically explain what happened to the clear white spot visible on his initial brain scans. They have reportedly asked Paul to take part in further research so that they can learn more about what happened.

We do tests and we have medical technology and we try to come up with some conclusion sometimes things happen that we cant explain, said Dr. Richard Yee.

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

Ever since he received news of the miraculous disappearance of his presumed tumor, Paul Wood has been sharing his story on social media and professing his faith in God. According to one of the pastors at his Church, it was this unwavering faith that helped him overcome his health problems and also inspire other members of the church.

He just kept saying, no matter what happens to me, Im going to be okay. I trust God. And that was an inspiration for a lot of people around him, Jason McEachron, a Pastor at Gravity Church, said.

Joe Honick



I'm a customer of Amazon Prime and appreciate the level of service.

On the other hand, it is worth considering the implications with respect to the heavily promoted Amazon search for a second headquarters city and the virtual begging of communities wanting to be selected. The incessant urban scraping and winking is not much different from what happens at beauty contests.

But at least the "losing" Amazon venues can now get on with their own urban lives.

For better or worse, Crystal City and NYC are stuck with Jess Bezos and the gang. They will benefit and suffer for hosting Amazon.

Undoubtedly, new jobs, retail investments and other goodies will flow to Crystal City and LIC.

At the same time, many locals and others moving into those communities will find out what happened in Seattle as it struggled with the massive economic impact of both Amazon and Microsoft. Soaring real estate costs, exorbitant apartment rents and increased municipal rates drove many long-time residents and businesses from the city.

What will get less attention over time will be the ways in which the CC and NYC officials have tossed civic pride aside to shower more and more corporate breaks on Amazon in return for a promise of better times ahead.

And the challenge facing Amazon: living up to its end of the bargain. Many will watch how it demonstrates respect for the people, community and the economies of both its 2HQ partners.

***

Joe Honick is an international consultant to business and government and writes for many publications. He can be reached at joehonick@gmail.comOffaly TD Barry Cowen has said that Fine Gaels neglect of regional and rural Ireland has once again been highlighted by the fact that out of the 461 IDA site visits for the first nine months of 2018, only four took place in Offaly.

Responding to new IDA site visit data which shows that nearly 1 in 2 visits were concentrated in the Greater Dublin Area, Deputy Cowen said, The Governments claim that it is delivering good quality jobs to regional communities, in a balanced fashion, does not add up.

Fine Gael may point to reduced unemployment in the Midlands and the border region, but most of the new jobs created are either part-time or based in Dublin. We are seeing very few, new, well-paid permanent jobs located in Offaly," Cowen remarked.

Foreign Direct Investment generates commercial activity across the economy and helps to drive investment in research and innovation. It provides highly skilled jobs and indirect employment to local domestic businesses nationwide. Successive Fine Gael led governments have failed to spread FDI promotion to the regions where jobs growth is urgently needed."

Given the recent job losses at Bord na Mona it's crucial that the region is given priority for replacement industries. These figures show the superficial nature of the Fine Gael school of thought that economic growth is nationwide, but its clear that a two-tier recovery is still being felt across the country, concluded Deputy Cowen.

Speaking at a recent meeting of Offaly County Council, Denis Curran, Divisional Manager, Corporate Governance and Legal, EIT and Regional Business Development with the IDA, responded to similar criticism from councillors by saying the IDA were working on new promotional material with Offaly County Council.

He also indicated that the final two quarters of the year would see an improvement in terms of visits to Offaly.Explained: Who is Zakia Jafri and what are her complaints

Gujarat riots: SC to hear plea of Zakia Jafri against SIT's clean chit to PM Modi on Apr 13

2002 Gujarat riots: SC to hear Zakia Jafris plea challenging Modis acquittal on Nov 19

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Nov 13: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it would hear Zakia Jafri's petition challenging the clean chit given to Narendra Modi who was chief minister of Gujarat during the 2002 riots. Zakia is the wife of slain former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri. The top court will take up the case on November 19.

A Special Investigation Team, which investigated the riots, gave a clean chit to then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi.

Jafri and Citizen for Justice and Peace, an NGO run by activist Teesta Setalvad, had filed the criminal review petition against a magistrates courts order which upheld the closure report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The petition demanded to make Modi and 59 others accused for being party to "the larger criminal conspiracy" behind the post-Godhra riots of 2002.

SC defers pleas seeking sanctification of Sabarimala temple custom

Ehsan Jafri, a former MP, was one of the riot victims. He and 67 others were killed when a mob set his house in Gulberg Society here on fire on February 28, 2002, a day after the Godhra train burning incident.

The SIT, which probed Jafri's complaint alleging a deeper conspiracy, submitted before the high court that its investigation was monitored by the apex court, and its report was largely accepted by all.

The lower court looked into all aspects and held that there was no need to investigate the matter further from the angle of larger conspiracy involving the state functionaries, it said.

Rafale deal: The real reason why HAL was not picked as offset partner

Zakia Jafri's lawyer Mihir Desai, on the other hand, argued that the magistrates court did not even consider the option of rejecting the report and ordering a fresh probe.

The lower court ignored Supreme Courts guidelines and did not consider signed statements of witnesses which suggested that there was a conspiracy behind riots, he said.

The magistrate ignored submissions of key witnesses such as (former IPS officers) Sanjiv Bhatt, R B Shreekumar, and Rahul Sharma, and ignored findings of Tehelka magazine, advocate Desai argued.

The SIT filed its closure report giving a clean chit to Modi and others on February 8, 2012 before the metropolitan magistrates court here.All Air India employees to be retained for one year: Govt

This is daylight highway robbery of national assets, Sitaram Yechury on Air India returning to Tatas

Procurement of expensive aircraft parts to be done after approval of senior official: Air India

Air India sacks Arvind Kathpalia who failed to clear pre-flight alcohol test

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Nov 13: The Air India on Tuesday (November 13) sacked its Director of Operations, Arvind Kathpalia, who failed alcohol test on Sunday, said reports.

On Sunday, Air India grounded Kathpalia after he failed to clear pre-flight alcohol test.

On Monday, Aviation regulator DGCA suspended the flying licence of Arvind Kathpalia. Kathpalia was scheduled to fly flight AI-111 from Delhi to London but he had to be replaced because he tested positive for alcohol in the BA test. It was for the second time within a year that Kathpalia failed the Breath Analyser test.

'Drunk' Air India operations director suspended for 3 years

He had earlier failed another alcohol test on January 17. Even prior to that, his flying licence was suspended for three months in 2017 as he had reportedly missed a breath analyser test.

The prescribed punishment for such offences under the DGCA rules is suspension of flying licence for three months in case of first breach. For violating the norms for a second time, the licence is suspended for three years and for a third time, the licence is permanently cancelled.

Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from partaking any alcoholic drink 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him/her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 17:22 [IST]BJP finds it difficult to take call on nine contentious seats of Jaipur

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Nov 13: Churning on the names of some contentious nine seats of Jaipur is still continuing even three days after the first list of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was declared. These are some important seats which had not figured in the first list of the BJP but the party is finding it difficult to decide names on seats where two cabinet ministers, one rebel, a Congress MLA and five other seats have to be decided.

The BJP failed to put up its candidates at Malviya Nagar, Jhotwara, Bangru, Dudu, Sanganer, Chaksu, Bassi, Jamwa Ramgarh and Kotputli seats. Former BJP leader who had parted ways from the party to form his own party Ghanshyam Tiwari has already filed his nomination from Sanganer while over half a dozen BJP contenders are eying this seat. Uncertainty still prevailing over the name of health minister Kali Charan Sharaf from Malviya Nagar seat in the city. It is being said that even the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is not in favour of ticket being given to him.

'RSS is terror orgnisation', says Congress MLA from Rewa

Similarly the party high command is indecisive over the name of Rajpal Singh from Jhotwara constituency. Kailash Verma is facing resentment is the rural area of his constituency Bagru where three-four candidates are already lobbying for the seat. Sources said that it is certain that ticket to Prem Chandra Bairwa will be declined from Dudu as someone else is being considered. The Congress is considering name of Babulal Nagar from this seat so the BJP wants to field strong face against him.

Modi has lost some of his best men to untimely deaths

The BJP also wants to change candidate from Chaksu. Bassi is a reserve seat for schedule tribes but name of the Meena candidate has not yet been finalised while same is the situation at Jamwa Ramgarh where the sitting party MLA Jagdish Meena may be sent to organisations so the BJP is looking for a new candidate.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 16:58 [IST]SC tells political parties to upload on website, why tickets were given to criminal candidates

West Bengal elections: 35 constituencies to go to polls in final phase, fate of 283 candidates to be sealed

Chhattisgarh elections: In phase II, 90 with serious criminal charges would contest

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Raipur, Nov 13: Out of the 1,057 candidates analysed, 130 contesting the second phase of the Chhattisgarh assembly elections have declared criminal cases against themselves.

According to a report prepared by the Association for Democratic Reforms, 90 candidates have declared serious criminal cases against them, which include cases relating to bribery, causing death by negligence, criminal intimidation and attempt to murder.

Chhattisgarh polls: Raman Singh factor key for BJP victory

Party wise Candidates with Criminal Cases: Among the major parties, 18(25%) out of 72 candidates from Indian National Congress (INC), 6(8%) out of 72 candidates from BJP, 15 (33%) out of 46 candidates from Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) (JCC), 17(26%) out of 66 candidates from AAP, 4(13%) out of 30 candidates from Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) and 36 (8%) out of 483 Independent candidates analysed have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.

Red Alert Constituencies*: There are 17 constituencies in the second phase of Chhattisgarh assembly elections having 3 or more candidates with declared criminal cases.

Crorepati Candidates: Out of the 1057 candidates, 239(23%) are crorepatis.



Party wise Crorepati Candidates: Among the major parties 53(74%) out of 72 candidates from INC, 61(85%) out of 72 candidates from BJP, 35 (76%) out of 46 candidates from JCC(J), 13(20%) out of 66 candidates from AAP, 12(48%) out of 25 candidates from BSP, 3(8%) out of 40 candidates from Ambedkarite Party of India and 42(9%) out of 483 Independent candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs. 1 crore.

Average assets: The average of assets per candidate contesting in the second phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections is Rs 1.73 Crores.

Chhattisgarh assembly election 2018: 70 per cent voter turnout in first phase

Party wise average assets: Among major parties, the average assets per candidate for 72 INC candidates is Rs. 11.8 crores, 72 BJP candidates is Rs 5.11 crores, 25 BSP candidates have average assets of Rs 1.35 crores, 66 AAP candidates have average assets worth Rs. 1.11 crores, and 483 Independent candidates have average assets of Rs. 47.35 lakhs.

Zero assets candidates: There are 19 candidates who have declared zero assets.

Undeclared PAN: A total of 233 (22%) candidates have not declared their PAN details.

Age details of candidates: 445(42%) candidates have declared their age to be between 25 to 40 years while 510 (48%) candidates have declared their age to be between 41 to 60 years. There are 101(9%) candidates who have declared their age to be between 61 to 70 years. 1 candidate has declared his age to be above 80 years.



Gender details of candidates: 111 (11%) female candidates are contesting in second phase of the Chhattisgarh assembly election this year.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 15:38 [IST]Chhattisgarh polls: Raman Singh factor key for BJP victory

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Raipur, Nov 12: Veteran BJP leader Ananth Kumar passed away early on Monday, November 12, the same day the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh went to its first phase of Assembly election. On the death of Kumar, who has been elected for six consecutive times to the parliament from Bangalore South constituency, the question which was being asked is that the BJP will have to find a worthy successor to the late leader in the seat which he has retained for over two decades now. The political dynamism of a posh constituency like Bangalore South will be important to be taken into account for the saffron party before it goes to a by-poll and subsequently the Lok Sabha election next year.

Chhattisgarh assembly election 2018: 70 per cent voter turnout in first phase

Contrast that to the 18 seats in the Naxal-affected regions of Chhattisgarh that went to the polls on Monday. Despite the frequent calls of "Vikas" or development, these constituencies are located in a region that are still coping with difficulties and hence have become a breeding ground for extremism. Despite its focus on development as the main poll plank, the BJP has not been able to turn around the reality in these backward constituencies even after remaining in power for 15 consecutive years now. In seats that constitute a perfect anti-thesis to a constituency like Bangalore South, what the BJP hopes to gain on December 11 when the results will be declared?

Raman Singh could be the only differentiating factor

The BJP's biggest trump card is Chief Minister Raman Singh. The incumbent, whose seat Rajnandgaon went to the polls on Monday, still remains the saffron party's most recognised face and besides his own seat, Singh is also his party's hope to do well in the five other Assembly seats in Rajnandgaon and the six Assembly segments under the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat. While the BJP has 4-2 advantage over the Congress in terms of the six Assembly segments, the Congress has an identical lead in terms of the Assembly seats from Rajnandgaon district. The BJP heavily banks on Singh to not only win his own seat but also facilitates other candidates' chances in the region.

Since elections in Chhattisgarh are more about gauging the mood against the local candidates instead of those located in New Delhi, the BJP has a challenge of beating the anti-incumbency this time. In 2013, 29 of the 37 candidates of the Congress who won in 2008, had lost which makes the BJP even more cautious (it has replaced 16 sitting MLAs this time). However, its big hope remains Singh for he is a recognised face of the party over a decade and half now while the Opposition Congress has no such local face with which the voters can identify themselves. The Grand Old Party, however, has fielded Karuna Shukla, the niece of late prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee against Singh to ensure that the CM doesn't get an easy win this time.

Chhattisgarh: Two Maoists killed in encounter with security forces in Sukma; rifles recovered

Given the Naxal-affected areas' backwardness, Singh's popularity lies in the fact that he has succeeded in reaching the populist schemes (like rice at Re 1 a kilo) to the people and this is one aspect where the Congress has to match the BJP. If Singh fails to produce his magic this time in Rajnandgaon, then the BJP will be in trouble but then again, the alliance between Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party and former chief minister Ajit Jogi's Janta Congress Chhattisgarh and the Communist Party of India could put the Congress under some serious competition for votes.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 6:42 [IST]China may park weapons in Pakistan to keep them away from international glare and to help Pakistan

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Nov 13: Pakistan's threat to India that it has answer for every weaponry that India has despite the fact that the country is moving towards economic bankruptcy if International Monetary Fund (IMF) does not bail it out with $6 billion loan. But it keeps on boasting that it has answer for India's INS Arihant and even soon to be acquired S 400 missile system. Is Pakistan really that capable?

Former foreign secretary Shashank told Oneindia, "See Pakistan is not an independent country. So the need is to understand it in a historical perspective that Pakistani and the then people belonging to Muslim League were hand in glob with British during the freedom movement. Now they are ready to play second fiddle to anyone willing to pay them money and armament at cheaper prize. They have done this to UK, the US, Saudi Arabia, China and now they are trying do do it with Russia."

China selling drones to Pakistan vindicates India's stand of defying US sanction threats

Shashank said that Pakistan sent its former Army chief General (retd.) Raheel Sharif to head Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism's (IMCTC) first commander-in-chief. Its creation was announced by Saudi Arabian defence minister Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud on December 15, 2015. The alliance was to have a joint operations center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Most of its participants are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Islamic organisation and Pakistan is busy signing maximum agreement with Saudi Arabia to become a totally Salafi state. China is helping whatever way it is possible. China is actually producing a very good quality stuff and they will give them to Pakistan. Pakistan will allow China to use their people as virtual slaves and allow its territories to be used by China the way it was using North Korea. So they may keep their weapons in Pakistan because if it is in China, US may have an eye on them.

He said that there is also a need to understand the strategic location of Pakistan making it important to all rather it was created in such a way by British and the US that it remains important. Before the second world war got over, they have already negotiated partition of India in 1936 somewhere in Cairo, Egypt because the importance of steel and coal was getting over and oil was going to be the next big thing for all purposes including war and energy security. However, now Indian Ocean emerging in prominence India's strategic importance to increased with Indian Ocean becoming the most important piece of contention.

The former foreign secretary said that historically colonial powers and even the US decided to keep a close watch on wherever oil resources were and to have their own people and government there. But former Prime Minister J L Nehru was considered unreliable for them for being a leftist despite being close to them. M N Roy had set up a school for communists for Taskant under USSR umbrella. So they were afraid that Indians might join these fellows in Taskant therefore India had to be divided. It was agreed upon after the second world war was over.

China will help Pak but latter needs to use funds efficiently, says Chinese media

Another strategic expert Ashish Shukla said that so Pakistan will not only be bailed out but military supported for its strategic location and the Pakistan knows it well and relishes on the fact by dalliance with every important country in the world.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 12:20 [IST]Congress to make demolition of temple in Rajasthan an issue if Ram Temple matter raised

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Nov 13: The Congress is looking for an answer to the Ram Temple issue in Rajasthan by raking up issues of temples demolished during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state. It is preparing to take up the issue of Rojgareshwar Temple in the state on which even BJP workers are angry with the government.

Sources said that in the name of development the BJP government had planned to demolish several old temples in the state. Within the city, the temple of Rojgareshwar has been demolished for construction of metro rail and several more such temples had been demolished. Now, the Congress plans to take up this issue in a big way in the state during elections.

Denied ticket, Rajasthan Minister and BJP MLA Surendra Goyal resigns from BJP

It is assumed by the opposition political parties that the matter of Ram Temple will be taken up by the BJP in Rajasthan. The moment BJP raises the issue of Ram temple, the Congress will start raising the issue of temple demolished in the BJP-ruled states and it will not remain confined to Rajasthan only but will go up to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and some more states.

The Congress is ready with its question that when big temples were being demolished by the BJP government what were the leaders of the party doing? The Congress accused the BJP that it had demolished over 250 temples in Jaipur only by creating fear of guns and lathies. Some of them were even very old and in Pratap Nagar in the city a temple belonging to Nath Sect was demolished and people came out on streets in protest. It is said that Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath requested the state government to save this temple.

Actually the issue of demolishing the ancient temples is not failing to die down in the state and several temples including Rojgareshwar temples were demolished for construction of Metro rail which infuriated people against the BJP government and the BJP workers too got angry with the government. They are still protesting against it. The BJP workers wanted that such MLAs should not be given tickets who had given written consent for demolition of these temples.

BJP may take some more time to announce tickets for Jaipur, Alwar and Shekhawati regions

Rajasthan Congress spokesperson Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said that the BJP has left the issue of development, employment, inflation, corruption and black money behind. Its mentality is of demolishing temples not building So it will not build Ram Temple.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 10:56 [IST]OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- The suspect in a high-profile rape reported on the Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge in November 2014 has been taken into custody in Utah, Ocean Springs Police Capt. Chuck Jackson said Tuesday afternoon.

A DNA sample taken exactly four years ago Wednesday after the rape occurred matched a sample taken from Aaron Roy McMillian of American Fork, Utah. In addition, further investigation determined that McMillian had been living in Ocean Springs at the time of the rape on Nov. 14, 2014.

Ocean Springs investigators first learned of the match on Oct. 17. They flew to American Fork earlier this month and interviewed McMillian on Nov. 9, after which they obtained an arrest warrant.

McMillian, 32, remains incarcerated in the Utah County Jail awaiting an extradition hearing on a charge of rape.

Four years ago, police responded to a report of a sexual assault on the bay bridge walkway. The victim told police she was walking the bridge from the Ocean Springs side and, upon nearing the top of the incline, was approached by a black male who passed her, then came back, pushed her to the ground and sexually assaulted her.

After the assault, the suspect -- now identified as McMillian -- followed the victim down the bridge, but she was able to get away from him once they reached the bottom. She drove herself home and then had her husband transport her to Ocean Springs Hospital.Delhi-based journalist Upendra Rai

In September, the Delhi High Court had set aside a trial court order granting bail to Upendra Rai. Rai was granted bail by the trial court in the CBI case on June 8 and, moments after he got the relief, he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at the Tihar Jail.

Rai was arrested on May 3

He was arrested by the CBI on May 3 for allegedly indulging in dubious financial transactions. He is accused of getting an airport access pass made by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) by furnishing false information, alleged extortion and manipulation of an Income Tax Department case against a Mumbai-bound businessman.

Court allows custodial interrogation of journalist Upendra Rai

The ED had registered a money laundering case against him based on the CBI FIR. It had claimed to have recovered, after searches at Rai's premises and those linked to him, call data records of a senior ED official, an IAS officer earlier posted with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, besides confidential communication between a Singapore-based Indian High Commission official and a former ED chief. The recoveries also allegedly included income tax assessment orders of various companies and suspicious transaction reports of nearly 140 firms generated by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) after joint CBI-ED searches.

Rai was arrested over alleged dubious financial transactions

The agency alleged that the scribe frequently travelled abroad to park his ill-gotten money and that his custodial interrogation was needed to unearth the larger conspiracy. The ED's application was opposed by Rai advocate Vivek Sud on the ground that the agency had already been granted enough time to interrogate the accused.

Court takes cognisance of ED chargesheet against journalist, Upendra Rai

The CBI's counsel had claimed in the high court that the findings in the trial court's bail order were "utterly perverse" and the investigation was at a crucial stage. Therefore, the counsel had then said, the scribe should not be allowed bail. Rai's counsel had earlier claimed that the bail was rightly granted by the trial court and it should not have been stayed by the high court.

The SC had refused to interfere in Rai's arrest

The Supreme Court had on May 4 refused to interfere with his arrest by the CBI. In his application seeking protection from arrest, Rai had earlier claimed he was framed in the case because of his writings against an ED officer, who was part of the team probing the 2G spectrum allocation scam case.Congress questions Centre as to why people in power scared of naming China

Dictated Interviews and Manufactured Lies: Congress rejects Dassault's defence

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Nov 13: Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Tuesday dubbed Dassault CEO Eric Trappier interview as "dictated" and said, "Manufactured lies can not suppress the Rafale scam."

The nation needs a "fair investigation" and not "doctored explanations" on the fighter jet deal, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

He was responding to Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier's defence of the contract in a media interview. Trappier has claimed no wrong-doing in the Rs 58,000 crore deal asserting it was a "clean deal".

Minutes Dassault CEO's exclusive interview to ANI, Surjewala took to twitter and posted "First rule of Law - Mutual Beneficiaries and Co-accused's statements hold no value. Second Rule: Beneficiaries and Accused can't be Judge in their own case. Truth has a way of coming out."

Dictated Interviews & Manufactured Lies can not suppress the #Rafale Scam!



First rule of Law-

Mutual Beneficiaries & Co-accuseds statements hold no value.



Second Rule:-Beneficiaries & Accused cant be Judge in their own case.



Truth has a way of coming out. https://t.co/rRoGlKNl6q  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) November 13, 2018

Trappier rubbished allegations made by Congress Party president Rahul Gandhi that the former lied about the details of the Dassault- Reliance Joint Venture (JV) for offset contracts in the Rafale Jet deal.

"I don't lie. The truth I declared before and the statements I made are true. I don't have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO, you don't lie," said Trappier when asked to respond to Rahul Gandhi's charge that Dassault was covering up for possible cronyism in awarding the offset deal to Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group.

'I don't lie, I don't have a reputation of lying', says Dassault CEO

Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference on November 2, alleged that Dassault invested Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company promoted by Anil Ambani which was used to procure land in Nagpur. "It is clear the Dassault CEO is lying.If an inquiry starts on this Modi is not going to survive it. Guaranteed," added Gandhi.

Speaking to ANI in the Dassault hangar housed in Istres-Le Tube Air base located North of the French city of Marseille, Dassault's CEO Eric Trappier said that they had prior experience dealing with the Congress party and the comments made by the Congress president made him sad.

Rafale deal: The real reason why HAL was not picked as offset partner

The Rafale deal has run into controversy in India; the Congress has alleged that businessman Anil Ambani benefitted unduly from it, and that the Narendra Modi government was overpaying for the fighter jets.Google marks Children's Day 2018 with a special doodle all about space

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Nov 14: Google Doodle, the search giant on Wednesday has chosen a picture that depicts the galaxy and space exploration as its doodle in celebration of Children's Day 2018.

Children's Day also known as Bal Diwas in the Hindi language is celebrated on 14th November every year. The Day is celebrated in India as a tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru who was born on November 14, 1889, and known to be very fond of children. Children's Day is celebrated in schools with fondness involving functions. Google is celebrating the Day with a doodle.

Earlier on Tuesday, Google had opened public online voting for 20 children shortlisted for its annual 'Doodle 4 Google' competition.

The annual competition, announced early in August, encouraged creative, art-loving students across India to bring their imagination to life for the search engine giant's logo.

This year's theme was "what inspires you". The doodle, incorporating letters G-o-o-g-l-e, were to be created using crayons, clay, water colours and graphic design.

Of the 75,000 students, from Class 1 to 10, across the country who sent in their entries, more than 55 per cent were from non-metro cities, including Visakhapatnam, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Bareilly, Kottayam and Bhubaneswar.

Out of these, Google shortlisted 20 from five categories: Group 1 comprising students from Class 1 to 2; Group 2 with students from Class 3 to 4; Group 3 with students from Class 5 to 6; Group 4 with students from Class 7 to 8 and Group 5 with students from Class 9 to 10.

The national winner would win a Rs 5 lakh college scholarship, a Rs 2 lakh technology package for their school, as well as a trip to the Google office in India, among other prizes, the company said.AG says judges need education as MP HC asked molester to tie rakhi and protect victim

Hear them first before rejecting the case: AGs outburst against CJI

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Nov 13: Attorney general KK Venugopal lodged a protest in the Supreme Court against dismissal of cases without hearing the lawyers.

Venugopal's protest came before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

He said citizens from far flung areas of the country come to the apex court and the bench headed by the CJI was dismissing their petitions without hearing them at the admission stage.

SC to hear 42 review petitions on Sabarimala verdict today

"People come to this court after travelling thousands of miles and Your Lordships do not even hear their arguments and dismiss cases saying you have read it. This is not the way, at least at admission stage they should be heard," the top law officer said.

The CJI, who was presiding the bench along with Justice S K Kaul, said that he was taking note of his concerns.

"Alright, Mr Venugopal. We take your statement in the right spirit. You may now argue," the CJI said.

Venugopal was appearing on behalf of Rajasthan government in a tax-related matter before the bench and when he sensed that the court was not inclined to entertain the plea, he made the protest.

The Bench led by the CJI has been taking tough stand on urgent mentioning of cases and disposes them of quickly.

SC to hear pleas of Sonia, Rahul in Income Tax case today

The law officer said that the bench should have issued the notice as it related to the revenue of the state.

"It is related to revenue of a state ... Why the CJI bench is hesitating to issue notice. It is about state government's revenue," Venugopal said.

"Do not presume we didn't see the file ... we might have misread it but we read it," the CJI said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 5:58 [IST]PIL in SC challenges Centre's ordinances on powers to extend tenure of Directors of CBI, ED

In Dabholkar murder case, CBI invokes stringent UAPA law

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Pune, Nov 13: The Central Bureau of Investigation has invoked the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act or UAPA against those accused of killing rationalist, Narendra Dabholkar in 2013.

The CBI invoked the UAPA in its report that was submitted to a Pune court. The sections to be invoked are 15, which defines a terrorist act and 16, which states that if the act results in death, the punishment is either death sentence of imprisonment for life.

Also Read | Dabholkar murder case: CBI gets custody of Sharad Kalaskar

The agency has so far arrested six persons. The CBI told the court that the arrested persons either have links with the Sanathan Sanstha or the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. Among those arrested includes, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, who according to the CBI had opened fire at Dabholkar on August 20 2013.

The CBI also claims that the killing of Dabholkar is also linked to the murder of Kannada scholar, M M Kalaburgi and leftist thinker, Govind Pansare.

The application filed by the CBI states, " since they defied their ideology, customs and beliefs, they were eliminated. This is nothing but a terrorist act. They had struck terror in the society and ransacked protests organised by the victims. The accused had a criminal intention, the CBI also noted.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 10:19 [IST]With 2 more arrests NIA steps up heat on terrorists targeting civilians in J&K

Cleaning up the inside rot: The importance of gunning down Kashmirs white collared terrorists

Hyderpora encounter: Bodies of two civilians exhumed, to be handed over to families

J&K: 2 terrorists killed in infiltration bid in Keren sector of Kupwara

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Srinagar, Oct 13: Two terrorists were killed while attempting to infiltrate in Keren sector of Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier in the day, the Army killed a heavily-armed Pakistani intruder along the Line of Control (LoC) in Akhnoor sector of Jammu.

The infiltration bid came after a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistan which left three Army personnel and a porter dead and three BSF personnel injured since Friday.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 19:14 [IST]Hyderpora encounter: Bodies of two civilians exhumed, to be handed over to families

J&K: Governors rule set to end, President rule to be imposed

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Jammu, Nov 13: Jammu and Kashmir is unlikely to have a popular government anytime soon as the central government may recommend a spell of President's rule at the expiry of Governor's rule on December 19, official sources said. Under the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, there is no provision for extension of Governor's rule. The state is under central rule since June 19 after the BJP withdrew support from the then Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government.

The six-month term of Governor's rule comes to an end on December 19. Therefore, for the extension of the central rule in Jammu and Kashmir, a spell of President's rule would be necessary as there may not be an elected government, a source privy to the development said.

Councillor, several social activists join BJP in Jammu

A popular government is unlikely to be formed in Jammu and Kashmir anytime soon under the current assembly, the source said.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik had told PTI last month that he was in favour of holding early elections in the state as he did not think a popular government can be formed out of the present House.

No party enjoys a majority in the 87-member Assembly, in which the PDP has 28 MLAs, the BJP 25 and the National Conference 15.

President's rule can be imposed after the Union Cabinet, headed by the prime minister, makes a recommendation to the President to this effect following a report of the governor.

If President's rule is imposed, it will be effectively a "fresh spell" of central rule even though it would be like an extension of the current spell of Governor's rule, the source said.

Gunmen fire at police patrol in Handwara; one terrorist killed

Under such circumstances, there is no need for the central government to get parliamentary nod for extension of central rule beyond December 19.

Governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir is imposed under Section 92 of the state's Constitution, President's rule is imposed under 356 of the Constitution.

Therefore, practically, the central government would not be required to get the approval from both Houses of Parliament for extension of central rule in Jammu and Kashmir if its rule is extended beyond December 19, another source said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 5:52 [IST]Norovirus outbreak in Kerala: How contagious is it? Symptoms, treatment, all you need to know

Heavy rain likely to lash Kerala, 6 districts on orange alert

RSS worker stabbed to death in front of wife in Kerala

Kerala cop accused of murder found dead

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Trivandrum, Nov 13: An absconding Kerala police officer,who booked in a murder case, was found dead on Tuesday at his home in Kallambalam near Thiruvananthapuram.

Neyyattinkara Deputy Superintendent Police B. Harikumar is suspected to have hanged himself.

Harikumar was accused of pushing a 32-year-old man in front of a moving vehicle following an altercation over parking spots in Thiruvananthapuram.

SC to hear 42 review petitions on Sabarimala verdict today

Sanal, resident of Neyyattinkara, had succumbed to injuries later. According to reports, the police officer intentionally pushed Sanal in front of a moving vehicle.

Following the incident, the police officer went absconding. This week, a police team was formed to trace Harikumar. He was found on the day a district principal sessions court was set to hear an anticipatory bail petition he had filed a few days ago.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 17:18 [IST]MP polls 2018: BJP has fielded 1 Muslim candidate, Congress three

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Bhopal, Nov 13: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress have a major debate in their politics and it is about Hindutva. While the Congress accuses the former as a party which is anti-Muslim and is hell-bent in executing a sinister majoritarian design, the saffron party alleges that the Congress is a party which is anti-Hindu and works mainly for appeasing the minority community.

However, when it comes to the upcoming Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh, both the parties have displayed a similarity with the minority population. Despite the fact that six per cent of the population of the central Indian state is Muslim, neither of the two parties has spared much ticket for representatives from that community.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh elections: It is a do or die battle for the Congress

BJP has fielded only one Muslim candidate in MP

The ruling BJP has fielded candidates from all 230 seats in the Assembly but it has given ticket to just one Muslim candidate and it is Fatima Rasool Siddique who has been fielded from the Muslim-dominated Bhopal Uttar constituency.

Thirty-five-year-old Fatima is the daughter of former state minister, Congress' Rasool Ahmed Siddique, but joined the BJP very recently as she was impressed with the work of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. She will take on Congress's Arif Aqueel, who has been a five-time MLA and contested against Fatima's father in 1993 on a Janata Dal ticket.

Congress has fielded only 3 Muslim faces

The Congress has fielded more Muslim candidates than the BJP for the November 28 election in MP but that by too many. It has fielded only three of them and they are, besides Arif Aqueel, Arif Masood from Bhopal Madhya and Masharrat Shahid from Sironj. While Aqueel defeated the BJP's Arif Baig in 2013 by 6,664 votes in 2013, Masood had lost from Bhopal Madhya to his BJP opponent by less than 7,000 votes. Shahid, on the other hand, had lost the 2003 election to the BJP opponent by 11,245 votes. Sironj is currently under the Congress as its candidate Govardhan Lal defeated the nearest rival, from the BJP, by just 1,584 votes.

Also Read | Congress strategically offers tickets to non-SC turncoat candidates in MP Assembly polls

In the 2013 election, too, the BJP had fielded just one Muslim candidate from MP while the Congress had fielded five.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 17:50 [IST]Gopinath Munde

The BJP heavyweight from Maharashtra, Union Minister of Rural Development, Gopinath Munde died in a road accident in Delhi on the morning of June 3, 2014. He was 64 years old. The accident happened at 6:30 am when he was on his way to Indira Gandhi International airport to fly to Mumbai. His car was hit by another vehicle at Prithviraj road-Tughlak road.

Ananth Kumar's demise Updates: Preparations for last rites underway at Chamarajpet crematorium

Anil Madhav Dave

Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave died of a cardiac arrest in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on May 18, 2017. For many, the news was broken by a series of heartfelt tweets by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Dave, 60, was born at Barnagar village in Ujjain and went to school in Gujarat, before taking a Master's degree in Commerce and Rural Development in Indore. Dave was unmarried.

Ananth Kumar

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ananth Kumar passed away in Bengaluru. Besides Parliamentary Affairs, Ananth Kumar handled the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers.The union minister was suffering from cancer. He had returned last month after undergoing treatment at a cancer institute in US' New York city. He survived by wife and two daughters.

Ananth Kumar, a great friend is no more: A tribute from a friend

Alwar Mahant Chandnath

BJP MP from Alwar Mahant Chandnath, who was suffering from cancer, passed away in New Delhi on September 17 last year. He was 61. In February this year, BJP's hardline Hindutva face - its MP from Kairana Hukum Singh, died of respiratory problems.PM Modi to host President Putin: What to expect from the bilateral

Narendra Modi leaves for Singapore to attend East India summit

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Nov 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday left for Singapore. He is on a two-day visit to the country to participate in the ASEAN-India and East Asia Summits. He will also participate in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Leaders' Meeting.

[India-Singapore Hackathon 2018: PM Modi to give awards to the winner]

Modi will hold several bilateral meetings during his stay in Singapore, including one with the US Vice President Mike Pence.

The Prime Minister will be the first head of the government to deliver an address at the Singapore Fintech Festival which is one of the largest events on financial technology.

During his two-day visit, Modi along with leaders from US, Japan, and Australia will also meet for the third round of the Quadrilateral dialogue, the Quad on the sidelines of the East Asia summit. He will also meet the participants of India Singapore Hackathon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that his visit to Singapore will impart fresh momentum to the growing partnership with ASEAN and East Asia Summit nations.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 22:52 [IST]NIA arrests key conspirator in naxal funding case

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Nov 13: The National Investigation Agency has arrested one person in connection with a naxalite funding case. The arrested person has been identified as Chotu Singh.

NIA arrests one in terror funding case

The NIA described him as a transporter in the Magadh-Amrapali coal belt region. He got contracts for transporting coal in the region on the recommendation of TPC leader Akraman alias Netaji.

The contracts were taken at a higher rate than the prevailing ones and the excess amount was transferred in cash to the Tritiya Prastuti Committee leader Akraman by the accused.

NIA charges 4 persons in fake Indian currency case

Last week the NIA had arrested one Subhan Miya for his active role in the case relating to the TPC. An employee of the Central Coalfields Ltd, Miya was involved in extortion. He would also collect funds through his transport company M/s TD Enterprises and then supply it to the TPC.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 5:42 [IST]Rafale deal: The real reason why HAL was not picked as offset partner

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Nov 13: The Centre told the Supreme Court that the state owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) failed to become an offset partner in the Rafale deal as there were several unresolved issues it had with Dassault, the French company.

The government claimed that the issues pertained to lack of common understanding between HAL and Dassault Aviation.

Rafale: Nothing to hide says Centre, submits pricing details in SC

"The contract negotiations could not conclude mainly due to unresolved issues related to 108 aircraft to be manufactured in India. These issues pertained to lack of common understanding between HAL and Dassault Aviation on following," the documents said.

It said HAL required "2.7 times higher man-hours compared to the French side for the manufacture of Rafale aircraft in India".

Congress has claimed that Dassault has been pressurised by the government to do away with the HAL as strategic offset partner by saying the future of India's aerospace industry has been destroyed by snatching Rafale from HAL.

Referring to earlier aborted deal, the document said Dassault was required to undertake necessary contractual obligation for 126 aircraft (18 direct flyaway and 108 aircraft manufactured in India) as per request for proposal requirements and contractual issues with HAL on manufacturing of 108 jets in India could not be resolved.

The submissions were made in the document titled "Details of the steps in the decision making process leading to the award of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft order", which were made public by the Centre on Monday. The inter-government agreement (IGA) was signed by the defence ministers of both countries on Sept 23, 2016.

Also Read | Let them put their house in order first says SC to plea seeking CBI probe into Rafale

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of forcing the French company to select a Reliance group firm of Anil Ambani as an offset partner to help it "pocket" Rs 30,000 crore.

Congress has also alleged the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by UPA government when it was negotiating a deal for procurement of 126 Rafale jets.

However, the document, placed by the NDA government, said, "It is reiterated that the procurement process as laid down in the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP)-2013 was followed in procurement of 36 Rafale aircraft.

Nothing to hide:

The Centre said that in so far as discharging of the offset obligations by Dassault and its Tier I Vendors through Indian Offset partners is concerned, there is no mention of any private Indian Business House in intergovernmental agreement or Offset contract. The inter-governmental agreement between India and France were signed on Sept 23, 2016, the Centre also said.

Further it said that after the Indian negotiation team submitted its report on fully loaded 36 Rafale jets on August 4, 2016, it was vetted by the finance and law ministries within 20 days and the Cabinet Committee approved the deal on August 24 2016.

The pricing details were however given to the SC in a sealed cover. It may be recalled that on October 31, the Centre had claimed privilege on it. The court had however stated that the Centre should file an affidavit that it cannot submit these details.

Further the Centre said that Dassault the makers of Rafale or its weapon vendor is yet to submit a formal proposal in the prescribed manner indicating details of the Indian offset earners and products for offset discharge. Further the Centre said that until October 2019 no offset partner can get any money under agreement from India. The government also said it had nothing to hide and hence it was decided that Rafale prices would be revealed only to the Judges of the Supreme Court.

The court is hearing a PIL against the Rafale deal between India and France .

The petition sought information about the contract given to Reliance by Dassault.

Rafale: Tell us details of price, cost of jets in 10 days, SC says despite Centre's objection

Advocate M L Sharma's plea, filed earlier, alleging discrepancies in the fighter jet deal with France and seeking a stay on it will also come up for hearing on October 10.

Sharma claimed in his plea that the inter-government agreement to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets must be quashed as it was an "outcome of corruption" and not ratified by Parliament under Article 253 (Parliament has power to make any law for implementing any inter-government agreement) of the Constitution.

Rafale deal is a defence agreement signed between the governments of India and France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircrafts in a fly-away condition as a part of the upgrading process of Indian Air Force equipment. The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.

Indian Air Force had advanced a proposal to buy 126 fighter aircraft in August 2007 and floated a tender. Following this, an invitation was sent to various aviation companies to participate in the bidding process.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 6:59 [IST]Rajasthan elections: Raje prevails yet again, shows she is the boss

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Jaipur, Nov 13: The BJP decided to repeat as many as 85 MLAs in its first list of 131 candidates for the Rajasthan assembly elections 2018.

The list was announced amidst rumours of run-ins that Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje has had with the central leadership of the party. The fact that she managed to get 85 sitting MLAs into the list suggests that she may have managed to prevail over the central leadership.

Rajasthan Elections 2018: BSP releases third list of 61 candidates

Raje's blow hot blow cold relationship with both the central leadership and the RSS has often been spoken about. After her thumping victory in 2013, there have reports that have emerged several times suggesting that she may be replaced.

It began with the Lalit Modi controversy and also during the mining scam. It may be recalled that in 2015, posters and hoardings demanding that Raje be replaced with Om Mathur.

The calls to replace her got louder after the defeat in the Alwar and Ajmer Lok Sabha by-polls. The BJP lost 16 assembly segments in the two LS constituencies and Raje had gone on to term the defeat as a wake up call.

However despite all these issues, she has managed to have her way around. Following the by-poll results, the state party president, Ashok Parnami resigned. The central leadership wanted to appoint Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, but Raje and her followers strongly opposed it. They felt that appointing Shekhawat, a Rajput leader would drive away the Jat votes. The party finally ended up appointing Madan Lal Saini as the state party chief.

Raje having her way in the selection of candidates has come as a shot in the arm for her.

BJP may take some more time to announce tickets for Jaipur, Alwar and Shekhawati regions

She had promised to bat for her loyalists and managed to have her way around. These are the same leaders who have stuck with her despite calls for her replacement. In 2012, Ghulam Chand Kataria had announced a Yatra in the Mewar region.

The Yatra was being seen as an attempt to project himself as the chief ministerial candidate. Raje, it may recalled had threatened to quit the party and she had the backing of 50 MLAs who offered to join her. The Yatra had to be called off.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 12:58 [IST]UP BJP chief to workers: Have tea with Dalits, make them understand votes are cast on nationalism, not caste

RSS, VHP to hold mega rally in Delhi on Dec 9: Report

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

New Delhi, Nov 13: The RSS, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other right-wing bodies will hold a rally in Delhi's Ramleela Maidan on December 9 in a major push for the Ram Temple ahead of Parliament's Winter Session.

According to CNN News 18 reports, approximately 8 lakh people are expected to attend the rally. The members of VHP and Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samaj will also write letters to all MPs, seeking their support on the issue. They will hold rallies in all parliamentary constituencies across the country to mobilise people.

Also Read | Yogiji, Ram statue is not need of the hour

Last month, VHP members gathered in New Delhi held meeting with the Hindu saints over construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The members discussed ways of constructing Ram Temple in Ayodhya at the controversial site.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in his annual Vijayadashami speech in Nagpur, demanded a law to pave the way for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying an organised Hindu society is the bedrock of unity and the acceptance of eternal Hindutva ethos is the "panacea" for fundamentalism.

Also Read | BJP misleading people by seeking Opposition support on Ram temple: JDS

Clamour for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has been growing since the Supreme Court fixed the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute cases for the first week of January next year before an appropriate bench, which will decide the schedule of hearing.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 11:16 [IST]Norovirus outbreak in Kerala: How contagious is it? Symptoms, treatment, all you need to know

SC to review Sabarimala verdict: Kerala CM to discuss with legal experts

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Trivandrum, Nov 13: Soon after Supreme Court decided to hear in open court all the 49 review petitions, Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan responded by saying, there will be no stay on Supreme Court's order of September 28.

He told reporters, "SC has clearly said that its verdict allowing entry of women between age groups 10-50 yrs to Sabarimala Temple stands. Review petitions will be heard on Jan 22, after the 'Makaravilakku' season ends on Jan 21. Govt will discuss with legal experts and move forward."

Also Read | Sabarimala: SC to hear review pleas in open court on Jan 22, no stay on existing verdict

"Protests to continue if govt trying to break the rituals,"RSS leader Valsan Thillankery said after the SC agreed to hear review pleas in Sabarimala temple case on January 22, 2019.

A plea filed by the National Ayyappa Devotees Association (NADA), which has sought review of the verdict, had said: "The notion that the judgment under review is revolutionary, one which removes the stigma or the concept of dirt or pollution associated with menstruation, is unfounded.

The apex court had on October 9 declined an urgent hearing on the review plea filed by an association which had contended that the five-judge Constitution bench's verdict lifting the ban was "absolutely untenable and irrational".

On September 28, a five-judge constitution bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala Temple saying the ban amounted to gender discrimination.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 17:45 [IST]Tiger blocks elephant's path, what follows next will amuse you

Can you spot the Tiger in this picture? Image from Dampa Tiger Reserve goes viral

Happy high: Tiger population in Assam's Manas jumps to 46 from 30 last year

Can you guess who's the mom and who's the daughter?

Tiger chases tourist vehicle inside Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, Nov 13: A video of a tigress chasing a tourist vehicle in the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra has gone viral on social media.

In the video clip, at least two passengers are seen inside the Maruti Gypsy jeep as a tiger suddenly spots them and starts running after the vehicle.

Range Forest Officer Raghvendra Moon said the incident took place on Sunday in a buffer zone of the tiger reserve, located in the neighbouring Chandrapur district.

The three-and-a-half year old tigress, named 'Chhoti Madhu', may have got infuriated seeing visitors' vehicle near her, he said.

After outcry, China postpones lifting of ban on trade of tiger and rhino parts

After the incident, the road in the forest was closed for visitors for a week, he said.

Officials of the forest department later held meetings with tourist guides and drivers and asked them to maintain a minimum 50-metre distance from the felines in the forest, he said.

Tourists were also being asked to follow the forest department's guidelines before entering a wildlife habitat, the official said.

The incident came just three days after a committee of animal experts and government officials launched an investigation into the killing of the tigress Avni.

Why China's decision to lift ban on trade in Rhino, Tiger products is bad news for India

Local authorities were strongly criticised for killing the tigress, which is believed to have killed 13 people in the last two years.

Maharashtra has six tiger reserves which cover an area of around 9,116 sq km.

Pench, Melghat, Sahyadri and Tadoba-Andhari are some of the popular tiger reserves that attract a large number of wildlife enthusiasts every year.

There are nearly 165 tigers inhabiting the state's reserves where eco-tourism generated a collective revenue of around Rs. 11.76 crore in 2017-18, another forest official said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 14:46 [IST]Tipu Jayanti row: Journalist Santosh Thammaiah granted bail

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru, Oct 13: Ponnampet Civil Court on Tuesday granted bail to Santhosh Thammaiah, editor of magazine 'Aseema'. Thammaiah was arrested by the Bengaluru Police for allegedly making inflammatory comments against Prophet Mohammed and Tipu Sultan.

[Bigot or not: The debate over Tipu Jayanti celebrations in Karnataka]

The state had observed Tipu Jayanti on Saturday (November 10) amid a faceoff between the ruling coalition and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

Meanwhile, massive support has been pouring in for Santosh, who has authored several books on nationalism, and several groups have planned protests to demand his release.

[Why Tipu Sultan is a religious bigot best forgotten]

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has slammed the move, saying there is an Emergency-like situation in the state. The BJP has accused the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition of muzzling free speech in the state.

The party further called the development as an attempt to appease the minorities and said the state government of HD Kumaraswamy was against Hindus. The BJP said 'Hindus were under attack' and voices needed to be raised against the ruling coalition's 'political goondagiri'.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 20:09 [IST]Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey meets Dalai Lama; end of social media giants entry prospects in China?

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

New Delhi, Nov 13: Online giants do not find China to be a favourable destination for making inroads and after meeting Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey made it apparent that he doesn't fancy entering the most populous country on earth.

On Saturday, November 10, Dorsey shared an image in his Twitter account showing him talking with the Dalai Lama in New Delhi where he is currently on his maiden visit. On a lighter mood, he also thanked the spiritual leader in his tweet for not pulling out his nose ring.

Thank you @DalaiLama. Youre an amazing teacher.



Also: thank you for not actually pulling out my nose ring, despite a lot of painful effort. pic.twitter.com/fEYtui5EY0  jack (@jack) November 10, 2018

The picture of Dorsey-Dalai meet will certainly not impress the rulers in Beijing who have a deep resentment towards the latter. In the past, celebrities like Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez were barred from entering China for meeting the Dalai Lama while Mercedes Benz was forced to apologise for quoting the leader on their Instagram page. Even foreign governments have faced Beijing's wrath time and again for taking soft stance on the Dalai Lama.

Rahul, Twitter CEO discuss ways to tackle fake news

Twitter is official blocked in China since 2009 and the Asian powerhouse has its own equivalent called Weibo which is quite popular on its soil. While other giants like Facebook and Google have time and again tried to gain an entry into China through softer means, Twitter has shown no such intent yet.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 10:28 [IST]WATCH: Monkey steals specs, refuses to give in until it gets Frooti in exchange

When you see a monkey, 'avoid eye contact, don't tease them': Advice to MPs

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Nov 13: On Monday, the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued an advisory to visitors and its staff on ways to protect themselves from monkeys roaming in the premises.

The Lok Sabha secretariat's move came in the wake of Naidu's call for solutions in Rajya Sabha in July. Naidu made the comments after an MP was 'late to Parliament' as he was held up by monkeys.

The circular asks parliamentarians not to "make eye contact" with the simians and "not to run" while passing monkey groups. Moreover, if a vehicle (two-wheeler specifically) collides with a monkey, "do not stop there." Feeding the monkeys is obviously off-limits, as is "teasing" them.

"Ignore the monkey and walk away calmly," reads the circular.

Can a monkey be booked for murder? Cops in a fix

Loud noises also compel the monkeys to leave any premises, it further adds.

Leave them alone and they will leave you alone", among others. It also urged people to "not get scared if a monkey makes a 'kho-kho' noise as normally, it is a bluff."

In July, vice- president M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha said his official residence is not unaffected by the simian problem that the rest of the city complains about and that the government should find a solution for it.

The issue had caught international attention in 2014 after nearly 40 men, dressed in ape suits (like langurs), were hired to drive away the macaques from Parliament House. Had the ape-people failed, rubber bullets guns were to be deployed in the fight against the adversary, Naidu had said. He was the Union Minister for Urban Development at the time.

Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar had, after being appointed a minister in 2004, refused to move into his allotted bungalow on Kamaraj Marg as the long-unoccupied house had become a night shelter for monkeys.

In 2012, then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had complained that the monkeys were ravaging his home-grown pumpkins.

Monkey menace had become rampant at the Tis Hazari court too, due to people feeding the animals in the complex. The rampaging simians had damaged court documents and even chewed on the electricity cables. The court's administrative officials had to then direct litigants and other visitors to not feed the monkeys.Will the PM be able to sail BJP through Rajasthan assembly elections?

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Nov 13: Will the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi work to bail out the Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan to win election for the secound consecutive term where the party is facing the worst anti-incumbency of all the three states where it is in the government. Or it is too late for anything better? Ten days from now and ten rallies in Rajasthan that the BJP has in its plans for Rajasthan.

[Congress to make demolition of temple in Rajasthan an issue if Ram Temple matter raised]

Sources in the BJP told Oneindia that the PM will address his first rally in Rajasthan on November 23 way before the date of voting that is on December 7 as in Chhattisgarh the PM addressed his first rally on November 9 while voting for the first phase was on November 12. The PM is likely to address around 10 rallies in the state where the task for the party is real tough with people's anger against chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

Party president Amit Shah may also join the PM on November 23 rally in the state while he has around 12 rallies to address in the state that he would do separately. Sources said that the BJP has from long been trying to make the electoral battle in the state between Prime Minister Narendra Modi verses Congress president Rahul Gandhi if it still wants still to be counted in the state.

[Rajasthan elections: Raje prevails yet again, shows she is the boss]

Despite the party making some late survey for deciding tickets, the BJP has been able to announce its first list of more than half candidates which was done under the supervision of Union human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar and by the team of Amit Shah. If sources in the party are to be believed, by November 16 the entire list will be announced.

The PM will address maximum rallies in Rajasthan and he is the only hope if the party wants to improve its performance in the state. The party is also not ready to compromise on ticket if there is even iota of doubt any candidate his/her name is not being considered.State vs national issues: Key lessons for the BJP to learn in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Haryana

Yechury to meet Stalin to forge front against BJP

India

oi-Deepika S

Chennai, Nov 11: In an effort to bring together political parties opposed to the BJP and its allies on a common platform, CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury will meet DMK president M K Stalin today.

This comes within days of both the leaders meeting Naidu and giving their support to the alliance against the NDA for the 2019 polls.

MK Stalin had ''promised'' his support for the anti-BJP platform after meeting with Naidu on November 9 and urged parties in Opposition to do the same.

The meeting on November 13 between Stalin and Yechury and the one on November 22 being hosted by Naidu may throw more light on how these alliances are going to work out.

Opposition parties to meet on Nov 22, want to create 'anti-BJP' platform: Chandrababu Naidu

The November 22 meeting will focus on the form and structure of the proposed anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forum and a course of action to take forward the initiative further. Besides, a plan of action will be drafted to fight the Narendra Modi government over its alleged anti-people policies such as use of official agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Income Tax department to settle scores with political rivals, dismantling of institutions and the "ill-effects" of the note ban.

Naidu, who has met several opposition leader in the past few days, will be meeting West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on November 19.

In two trips to Delhi - on October 23 and November 1, Naidu met leaders from a wide spectrum of opposition parties including Gandhi, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his father and party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK) leader MK Stalin and leaders of the Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist).

He had visited Bengaluru on Thursday to meet Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) and his father and former prime minister HD Devegowda.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 11:30 [IST]Fake: This is not an image of a protest in Assam against Bangladesh violence

Bangladesh election postponed by a week; to be held on December 30

International

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Dhaka, Nov 13: General elections in Bangladesh have been delayed by a week over the Opposition's demand for more time for preparation. On Monday, November 12, the country's chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda said the date of the election was delayed till December 30 after the Opposition parties sought so. Now, the deadline for filing nominations is November 28.

While the ruling Awami League led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, its allies and some Opposition parties welcomed the move, the major Opposition alliance Jatiya Oikya Front (National Unity Front) consisting Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and other parties was not happy as it wanted the election to be postponed by a month.

Zia Orphanage graft case: Bangladesh HC enhances Khaleda Zia's punishment to 10 years

The initial date for the election was December 23, as was announced on November 8. The tenure of the current government ends on January 28.

The BNP, which had boycotted the controversial elections in 2014, was uncertain over joining the upcoming polls following the imprisonment of Zia on charges of corruption. However, it later agreed to contest after joining the alliance. Some top Opposition leaders joined Zia in jail and she asked them to participate in the elections.

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 10:44 [IST]Sri Lanka won't be allowed to be used for 'any activity' against India: President Rajapaksa

Sri Lankan human trafficking case: Victims were lured with promise of jobs in Canada

Sri Lanka Supreme Court overturns presidents order to sack parliament

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Colombo, Nov 3: Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to dissolve parliament until next month in a further twist in the country's political crisis.

[Maithripala Sirisena dissolves Sri Lankan Parliament]

Sri Lanka was thrown into chaos when President Maithripala Sirisena dissolved parliament on November 9. He called for a general election in January 2019 in an unprecedented move that will likely plunge the country deeper into a constitutional crisis.

Parliament's dissolution, anticipated and mocked by many, was announced in an official gazette notification signed by Sirisena.

[Prove Mahinda Rajapaksa's majority in floor test: Sri Lanka Speaker]

After dissolving the parliament, president Sirsena, on 9 November, announced snap elections in Sri Lanka and the new parliament to be convened on 17 January.

President Sirisena suspended parliament immediately after his October 26 decision to sack Wickremesinghe, a move that was being seen as to allow Mahinda Rajapaksa to muster the 113 seats required for majority. Rajapaksa has so far won 9 defections, still short of 113 to prove his majority in the 225-member House.Members of farmers' body detained in Lucknow for trying to burn effigies of PM Modi, Shah

UP: Missing farmer found dead in his field

Lucknow

oi-Vikas SV

Muzaffarnagar (UP), Nov 13: A farmer, who had gone missing from Baruki village near Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, was found dead in his field on Tuesday (November 13).

The police today said that the deceased farmer, Satbir, had gone to irrigate his field on Monday (November 12) but did not return home. After a search, his body was found in his field, Circle officer, Bhopa police station, Ram Mohan Sharma said, as per a PTI report.

[UP: Muzaffarnagar riots accused found dead]

The cause of his death is not known yet, he added. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination and the matter is being probed, Sharma said.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 19:23 [IST]AP EAPCET Round 1 seat allotment delayed again: New date to be announced soon

Delhi: Cop who intervened in a quarrel shot at in Patel Nagar

New Delhi

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Nov 13: A Delhi police personnel who tried to stop two groups from quarrelling was shot at after one group allegedly felt that he was supporting the other.

A Delhi Police constable, Amarjeet, was allegedly shot at after he intervened in a quarrel between two groups in central Delhi's Patel Nagar, police said on Monday (November 13).

Amarjeet, who is posted at the Patel Nagar police station, was in civilian clothes when he was going to investigate about a criminal on Sunday night, they said.

Delhi: Bawana govt teacher killed; three including husband arrested

He saw two groups of men fighting near Kunwar Singh Chowk in Patel Nagar and intervened to pacify them. The members of one of the group's felt he was supporting the other group and shot at him, police said.

Police said he was injured in the stomach and is currently undergoing treatment. Special teams have been formed to nab the accused and some suspects have been identified, they added.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 12:11 [IST]Married man guided by YouTube tutorial brutally kills an owl to attract woman by 'black magic'

New Delhi

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Nov 13: A 40-year-old truck driver from Delhi's Sultanpuri area has been arrested for brutally killing an owl with an intention to perform black magic that he believed would get a woman to be attracted to him.

The accused, Kanhaya, a married man with three children, claimed he liked a girl and wanted her to be attracted to him. He went on to tell the police that he believed that sacrificing an owl would help him achieve that.

He reportedly showed the cops a Youtube video tutorial that purportedly taught him the tantric rituals on how to sacrifice an owl so that one could hypnotise any person they want to.

As per the police, he liked a girl and wished that she would also return the same feeling towards him. The accused's family comprising of his wife and three children was allegedly aware of the ritual he was about to perform after Diwali.

Kanhaya was arrested by the police on November 11 for animal cruelty and murder.

The police raided Kanhaya's house on Sunday after receiving a tip-off from the Animal Welfare Board of India. They found the carcass of an owl in a cooler in his house.

This, Kanhaya said, would allow him to "hypnotise" the woman into being attracted to him.

Diwali is a dark time for owls in India: Here's Why

"He said he liked a girl and he wanted that she should be attracted to him. He said he got an owl to perform the rituals he saw in the video," the senior police officer said, adding that his entire family was aware of his plan.

The post-mortem report of the owl said that the bird "died due to multiple puncture wounds", the police said.

"The report said that the accused had first cut off the claws of the owl with a knife, following which he inserted several needles into its liver and lungs, suggesting that he sued the owl as a voodoo," the police officer added.

"The accused has also been evasive as to how he got the owl. He has been claiming that he found the owl lying injured and brought it home but it has been found that the owl only got injuries that were sustained during the attack by the accused," the officer said.

"We are investigating how the accused managed to get an owl, and at what price and from where he may have procured it," he added.

OneIndia News (with PTI inputs)

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Story first published: Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 9:32 [IST]NEWTOWN BOROUGH >> The public will get its first look inside the newly-renovated Newtown Theatre at a series of private and public events during the first week in December. The towns beloved entertainment venue, dating back to the late 1800s, has been closed since August for its first major renovation in more than 50 years. And the anticipation is running high as the reopening...Campus News

UB hosting week of events to reveal dangers of antibiotic overuse

Mind Your Microbiome and Be Antibiotics Aware Week is held during the CDS's U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week. Photo: Douglas Levere

By MARCENE ROBINSON

So many (microbes) are important for our well-being and are at risk when antibiotics are used inappropriately. 

The human body is home to five pounds of microorganisms; most are helpful and others can make us ill. UB aims to teach you about them all during Mind Your Microbiome and Be Antibiotics Aware Week.

Held during the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week Nov. 12-18, the program, now in its third year, promotes awareness of the microbiome and educates the public about the lasting effects of antibiotic overuse.

The events are held in partnership between the UB Community of Excellence in Genome, Environment and Microbiome (GEM), the CDC and the Erie County Department of Health.

The GEM community is committed to spreading awareness of the microbes that live in, on and around us. So many are important for our own well-being and are at risk when antibiotics are used inappropriately, says Jennifer Surtees, GEM co-director and associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB.

At the same time, there are some very harmful microbes that we need to be able to control with antibiotics. This delicate balance is important for everyone to understand.

Antibiotic overuse  both in our food and those prescribed to treat infection  has led to the increasing prevalence of resistant strains of bacteria that are difficult to treat. According to CDC research, nearly 80 percent of Americans are prescribed at least one antibiotic each year, but half of those prescriptions are either unnecessary or ineffective.

By educating the public on these issues, Mind Your Microbiome and Be Antibiotics Aware Week can empower people to make better choices for their health.

GEM will partner with the Buffalo Museum of Science and Erie County Department of Health to host Pushing Back: Antimicrobial Resistance, an evening focused on the harms of antibiotic overuse and the state of microbiome research.

The event is scheduled from 7-9 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humboldt Parkway, Buffalo. Guest speakers include Erie County Health Commissioner Gale R. Burstein and Robert J. Genco, SUNY Distinguished Professor and director of the UB Microbiome Center.

Attendance is free with museum admission. For more information visit the science museums website.

As part of our ever-expanding programming, the Buffalo Museum of Science is pleased to host this dialogue with health professionals and medical researchers on the current science of antibiotics use and public health, says Marisa Wigglesworth, president and CEO of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences.

GEM is also collaborating with the Erie County Department of Health, UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences student groups, and the UB Clinical and Translational Science Institutes Community Engagement Core to offer English- and Spanish-language outreach materials at local public libraries, pharmacies, medical clinics and Department of Motor Vehicles offices.

UB students will visit local middle and high schools to hold interactive activities that show how antibiotics target bacterial infections, are ineffective against viruses and can harm the microbiome by removing good bacteria.

To learn more about GEM or Mind Your Microbiome and Be Antibiotics Aware Week, visit the GEM website.A multi-million pound project to build a new logistics centre for ROCKWOOL will create 65 new jobs.

The stone wool insulation manufacturer has been granted permission to develop a 20 acre storage area at its site in Pencoed, South Wales. This will boost its output by 60%.

The works will increase on-site capacity to store and distribute ROCKWOOL products, as well as improving traffic management thanks to a new access road and loading area for hauliers.

This was down to investment from the Danish-owned ROCKWOOL Group, its second multi-million pound injection to the site within the last ten years.

ROCKWOOL says the expansion is in response to trends in urbanisation and high-density, mixed-use developments which have driven year on year growth in demand for sustainable insulation products.

Managing Director Darryl Matthews said: We are delighted to have already created 50 new permanent jobs this year.

This development will result in 65 more jobs at ROCKWOOL, as well as providing opportunities for other businesses through our commitment to working with local suppliers on these works.

The new facility comes at a great time when ROCKWOOL will be celebrating 40 years of business in Wales in 2019. Democrats on Capitol Hill are seeking to ban the practice of isolating students in special rooms or otherwise secluding them in schools that receive federal funds, and to limit when students can be physically restrained.

The Keeping All Students Safe Act would also require schools to notify parents within 24 hours when their child has been physically restrained, and to require states to collect and publish data on restraint and seclusion, including reports of injuries or death.

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., whos the top Democrat on the House education committee and is poised to become the panels chairman next year, and Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., are the authors of the bill. Democratic Sens. Patty Murray of Washington state and Chris Murphy of Connecticut are slated to introduce a companion bill in the Senate (Murray is the top Democrat on the Senate education committee.)

Restraint and seclusion is a particularly big issue in the special education community , although a House Democratic aide indicated the lawmakers ongoing concern about the issue extends beyond students with disabilities. Advocates say the official statistics about the restraint and seclusion of students almost certainly underestimate the true number of such incidents, and that many of the practices lead to long-term trauma as well as physical injuries. Educators say its a difficult issue for them, because they say they must sometimes balance the need for safe and secure classroms with the health and welfare of some of their most vulnerable students.

An Education Week analysis found that close to 70,000 special education students were restrained or secluded in public schools in the 2013-14 school year, or about one out of every 100 of those students.

The bill is set to be introduced Wednesday, so you cant call it the first education legislation Democrats are introducing after taking control of the House. And it doesnt have a great chance of passing by any stretch in this lame-duck period of Congress. But they plan to re-introduce the bill when the next Congress starts in January, and clearly its an issue where they think they can make at least some political headway.

One out of every 100 students in special education was restrained or secluded from his or her peers, according to the federal Civil Rights Data Collection from the 2013-14 school year thats based on information reported by districts. About 30 states now have policies designed to limit the use of restraint and seclusion, a number thats been growing in recent years.

Every school should be a safe and welcoming place where all students can get a quality education. Unfortunately, thousands of students are still subjected to dangerous seclusion and restraint practices, which research shows make schools less safe, Scott said in a statement. While it is encouraging that some states have begun to prohibit or limit the use of seclusion and restraint, it is important that Congress pass the Keeping All Students Safe Act, which would establish a nationwide minimum safety standard. Moreover, this legislation would provide states and teachers the support they need to improve their schools culture by using on evidence-based interventions.

The Every Student Succeeds Act also requires states to show how they plan to reduce aversive behavioral interventions.

A version of this proposal was first introduced by Democrats in 2009, and lawmakers have proposed it in subsequent years without successlegislation came close to passing in 2010. Democrats concerns also are rooted in racial disparities: A 2009 Government Accountability Office report that led to the original bill found that restraint and seclusion practices were used disproportionately on students of color. Congress has asked for an update to that GAO report.

In addition, the Keeping All Students Safe Act would:



prohibit the use of physical restraints, except to protect other students and staff;

prohibit the use of chemical and mechanical restraints, and physical restraints that affect breathing;

prohibit the use of physical restraint as a planned intervention; and

require staff members to be certified before they used physical restraint under minimum standards;

Photo: Brian Long, left, and Kim Long, right, with their son Brennan Long. Brennan was left with two shattered thigh bones after being restrained by a staff member in his Louisville school in 2014. (Sam Upshaw Jr./Louisville Courier-Journal-File)

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .Arnold Laver & Co has merged with The National Timber Group, creating the largest independent timber distribution company in the UK.

The National Timber Group is a collective of distribution companies, which include Thornbridge Sawmills, North Yorkshire Timber and Rembrand. It serves a varied customer base such as joiners, regional housebuilders, commercial companies and infrastructure projects.

Sheffield-based Arnold Laver is the timber division of Arnold Laver Holdings Limited, a family-run company first established in 1920. It imports, distributes and manufactures a range of timber, panels, decorative surfaces and joinery products, serving public and private sector construction, house-building and commercial companies. It is a favoured supplier for infrastructure projects that have included the 2012 Olympics and the HS2 railway. It has an annual turnover of more than 130 million and 13 distribution and processing depots across the UK.

The Group says the partnership is highly complementary and makes a key milestone in the growth strategy for both businesses, advancing their objective to consolidate the UK value added timber distribution sector and expand geographically. It will be led by Group Chief-Executive Rob Barclay, who joined the National Timber Group in June.

There will be three divisions: a Scottish division headquartered in Grangemouth and led by Group Managing Director for Scotland, Alex McLeod; one headquartered in Sheffield led by the Arnold Laver management team, and a third headquartered in Northallerton and led by Nick Kershaw. Each of the underlying companies will retain their trading names.

Rob Barclay, Group Chief Executive of The National Timber Group said: We are delighted to partner with Arnold Laver and welcome them to the Group.

The merger is highly complementary  together, we are able extend our presence nationwide, pursue further growth and are well positioned to capitalise on the market leading position we have established.

Additionally, our values, vision and commitment to customers are completely aligned, which creates exciting opportunities for us both.

Andrew Laver, owner of Arnold Laver & Co, added: Once we had taken the decision to consolidate our interests, our priority was to find a partner with shared goals and values who would help our timber business to fulfil its potential.

Both companies have much in common in terms of heritage, outstanding product quality and a commitment to the highest standards of customer service, which makes this merger a very good fit.

I am confident that the business is in very capable hands and that it will continue to thrive and prosper.| BY Ricki Green |

Keep Left has been awarded the creative and content account for Coles Local, an exciting new retail offering from Coles Supermarkets.

Coles Local is designed to inspire a love of quality food and provide a tailored, in-store culinary experience for the local community.

The first Coles Local store opened in Melbournes Surrey Hills on 13 November. The smaller format supermarket features 100% Australian grown fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fresh seafood. It also boasts an in-store chef and exclusive products from speciality and artisan suppliers such as Meatsmith, MoVida, Brunetti and Laurent, with a strong focus on the environment and local community.

Peta Allsopp, head of local and special projects marketing at Coles, said the support of a creative and content agency that understood storytelling was essential to help differentiate the Coles Local brand in Australia.

Says Allsopp: Coles Local is here to give local communities the convenience of a supermarket, with the character and experience of a speciality store and to make shopping, cooking and eating a joy.

We were looking for an agency with a strong strategic, creative and digital skillset to help us launch this new brand in Australia and were impressed with Keep Lefts integrated offering.

Keep Lefts scope of work includes creative and content production, including OOH and print advertising, bespoke magazine content and design, hero video production, always-on social creative and management of biddable media across Facebook and Instagram.

Keep Left acting CEO, Caroline Catterall, said working with Coles Local had provided a great opportunity to road test the agencys new in-house kitchen studio.

Says Catteral: The Coles Local magazine shoot gave us the chance to put the space to the test and Im pleased to say the feedback from the photographers and stylists was very positive. Its a real bonus to have a fully-functioning kitchen in our Melbourne head office that we can use for recipe shoots, flat lays and to generally produce high quality food creative at a competitive price.

Keep Lefts creative content team also currently work with Domaine Chandon, NEFF Australia and the University of Melbourne.| BY Lynchy |

MediaCom Thailand along with JWT and their media partners, will be teaming up with UN Women in a campaign to end violence against women and girls. The campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, will launch this November and will close 10 December on Human Rights Day.

This campaign will bring forward the best from the MediaCom team and specialist, with their capabilities and leverage in the market and as The Content & Connections Agency, MediaCom will be leading and managing the media coverage, across the entirety of the campaign period across all media to ensure the public awareness about the real value of women and girls and champion gender equality for all.

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. It aims to enable women and girls to exercise their human rights and live up to their full potential through the power of creativity as the key to uphold their standards of living.

As current Campaign Agency of the Year, Thailand holders, MediaCom & WPP are proud to have the privilege to implement such a powerful campaign and to work alongside UN Women to end gender based violence is an honor. We are so pleased and passionate about this campaign, as a woman in leadership myself I will make it my special duty to support and share my leadership experience to help encourage and empower women and remind each other, that together we have a voice and we can work towards for change. With our capability and specialist in media, I truly believe that we can send out our message loud and proud, said Suporn Aroonpakmongkol, Managing Director of MediaCom Thailand.Opalesque Industry Update - The Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index slumped 2.19% in the volatile month of October 2018, bringing year-to-date returns down to -2.08%. The MSCI AC World Index (Local) declined 7.33% in what turned out to be the worst month for both the hedge fund industry and the global equity market since 2011. North American hedge fund managers lost 2.25% over the month as underlying equity markets slumped despite robust economic fundamentals and the strong third quarter corporate earnings season in the US. Over in Asia, concerns over slowing economic growth and the Fed's tightening exacerbated the equity selloff and weighed on the region's currencies and equity markets, which have been under pressure of the US-China trade spat for the better part of the year. Asia ex-Japan hedge fund managers lost 4.70% in October, and are currently down 9.35% for the year. Long/short equities hedge fund managers bore the brunt of the equity market movement, which left them down 3.01% over the month. Preliminary numbers show that more than 80% of the fund managers utilising this strategy posted losses in October. Barely a quarter of the underlying constituents of the Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index avoided ending the month in the negative territory, and only 5.7% of the hedge fund managers were able to maintain double-digit year-to-date performance, the lowest proportion ever recorded by the Eurekahedge database. The asset-weighted Mizuho-Eurekahedge Index (USD) declined 1.75% during the month, narrowly outperforming the equal-weighted Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index, indicating that the losses were heavier among the small-to-mid sized hedge fund managers. Indeed, the equal-weighted Eurekahedge Small Hedge Fund Index which comprises fund managers overseeing no more than US$100 million in assets was down 2.32%, in contrast to the 2.00% and 1.75% losses posted by medium (US$100 million to US$500 million) and large (above US$500 million) hedge funds. Below are the key highlights for the month of October 2018:  Hedge funds were down 2.19% in October, ahead of the MSCI AC World Index (Local) which was down 7.33% over the month. Almost 90% of the hedge fund managers tracked by Eurekahedge outperformed the market index.  On an asset-weighted basis, hedge funds lost 1.75% in October, bringing their year-to-date losses to 2.95%, as captured by the Mizuho Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index (USD).  Following 13 consecutive month of losses, long volatility focused hedge fund managers got it right in October and posted gains of 4.02% - the highest among all strategic mandates. Despite these heroics, the CBOE Eurekahedge Long Volatility Hedge Fund Index was still down 3.30% for the year.  North American fund managers continued to outperform their peers focusing on Asia or Europe, as they gained 0.91% as of October 2018 year-to-date. The underlying long/short equities managers in the region were still up 1.42% for the year in spite of the 3.87% loss they suffered last month.  US-imposed tariffs continued to weigh on returns as Greater China fund managers posted their 5th consecutive month of losses, with the mandate down 6.25% in October. On a year-to-date basis, the Eurekahedge Greater China Hedge Fund Index was down 13.83%, marking its worst performance over the first ten months of a year since the 2008 financial crisis.  All of the major strategic mandates were down in October, with long/short equities suffering the worst blow from the equity market selloff. The Eurekahedge Long Short Equities Hedge Fund Index declined 3.01% over the month and dragged its year-to-date return into the red for the first time this year.  Preliminary numbers showed that Indian hedge fund managers are down 3.73% throughout the month as the weaknesses in Indian equities and rupee weighed on fund managers' performance. The Eurekahedge India Hedge Fund Index (USD) was down 19.69% for the year.  The bloodbath in October left AI/machine learning hedge funds at a loss, as the Eurekahedge AI Hedge Fund Index slumped 3.00% over the month - its worst monthly performance ever recorded since inception. In contrast to the 9.00% gains made in 2017, AI fund managers have lost 6.54% as of October 2018 year-to-date as they floundered through the year.  The Eurekahedge CTA/Managed Futures Hedge Fund Index was down 2.87% during the month as the plummeting oil and industrial metal prices dragged fund managers' returns into the red. On a year-to-date basis, the index was down 4.44%, and the total AUM managed by CTA/managed futures hedge funds globally has decreased by US$21.3 billion, the majority of which was contributed by investor redemptions.  The Eurekahedge Crypto-Currency Hedge Fund Index which tracks hedge funds investing in crypto assets was down 4.17% in October, narrowly outperforming the Bitcoin price, which declined 4.32% over the month. On a year-to-date basis, the index was down 56.90%. Press release Article source - Opalesque is not responsible for the content of external internet sitesDigital Logistics Market 2018 Set to Witness Growth by 2025 | Global Key Companies Analysis Report like (Advantech Corportion, Digilogistics, Hexaware, IBM, JDA Software, Oracle, Samsung etc.)

Digital Logistics market

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Global Digital Logistics Market Research Report 2018 analysis is provided for global market including development trends by regions, competitive analysis of market. This Digital Logistics market report offers detailed perceptions on the market dynamic forces to enable informed business decision making and development strategy formulation supported on the opportunities present in the market. The report provides the most up-to-date industry data on the actual and potential market situation, and future outlook.Get Sample Copy atMarket OverviewFirstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and market shares for each company. Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global market of Router industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and import/export. Revenue and gross margin by regions (North America, EU, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India) and other regions can be added.Inquire more or share questions if any before the purchase on this report @No. of Pages: 94The report focuses on Global Digital Logistics Market major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. What's more, the Digital Logistics industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered. In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Key Companies Analyzed in this Report are: Advantech Corportion Digilogistics Hexaware Technologies IBM Corporation JDA Software Oracle Samsung Electronics Co SAP AG Tech Mahindra UTI Worldwide Inc Market segment by Type, the product can be split into Consulting services System integration services Other servicesOrder a copy of Global Digital Logistics Market Report 2018 @Major Points Covered in Table of Contents:1 Report Overview2 Global Growth Trends3 Market Share by Key Players4 Breakdown Data by Type and Application5 Digital Logistics Consumption by Regions6 Europe Digital Logistics Market Size (2013-2018)7 China Digital Logistics Market Size (2013-2018)8 Japan Digital Logistics Market Size (2013-2018)9 Southeast Asia Digital Logistics Market Size (2013-201810 India Digital Logistics Market Size (2013-2018)11 Central & South America Digital Logistics Market Size (2013-2018)12 International Players Profiles13 Market Forecast 2018-202514 Analyst's Viewpoints/Conclusions15 AppendixAbout UsOrian Research is one of the most comprehensive collections of market intelligence reports on the World Wide Web. Our reports repository boasts of over 500000+ industry and country research reports from over 100 top publishers. We continuously update our repository so as to provide our clients easy access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, and products. We also specialize in custom research in situations where our syndicate research offerings do not meet the specific requirements of our esteemed clients.Contact Us:Ruwin MendezVice President  Global Sales & Partner RelationsOrian Research ConsultantsUS +1 (415) 830-3727 | UK +44 020 8144-71-27Email: info@orianresearch.comWebsite:Follow Us on LinkedIn:Ship Loaders 2018 Global Market Key Players  AUMUND Group, FLSmidth, Telestack, VIGAN, Agrico Sales, AMECO, EMS-Tech, ZPMC, SMB Group -Analysis And Forecast To 2025

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Ship Loaders Market 2018Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Ship Loaders  Global Market Growth, Opportunities, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2025 To Its Research Database.Description:This report studies the global Ship Loaders market status and forecast, categorizes the global Ship Loaders 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 reportAUMUND GroupFLSmidthTelestackVIGANAgrico SalesAMECOEMS-TechZPMCSMB GroupTenova TAKRAFthyssenkruppRequest for Sample Report @Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaWe can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeRest of Asia-PacificEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaTurkeyRest of Middle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoStationary Ship LoadersMobile Ship LoadersOn 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, includingIron OreCoalGrainOtherEnquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Content:Global Ship Loaders Market Research Report 20181 Ship Loaders Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Ship Loaders1.2 Ship Loaders Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Ship Loaders Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Ship Loaders Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Stationary Ship Loaders1.2.3 Mobile Ship Loaders1.3 Global Ship Loaders Segment by Application1.3.1 Ship Loaders Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Iron Ore1.3.3 Coal1.3.4 Grain1.3.5 Other1.4 Global Ship Loaders Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Ship Loaders 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 Ship Loaders (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Ship Loaders Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Ship Loaders Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)..7 Global Ship Loaders Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 AUMUND Group7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Ship Loaders Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 AUMUND Group Ship Loaders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 FLSmidth7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Ship Loaders Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 FLSmidth Ship Loaders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Telestack7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Ship Loaders Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Telestack Ship Loaders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 VIGAN7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Ship Loaders Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 VIGAN Ship Loaders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Agrico Sales7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Ship Loaders Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Agrico Sales Ship Loaders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2018)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 AMECO7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Ship Loaders Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 AMECO Ship Loaders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 EMS-Tech7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Ship Loaders Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 EMS-Tech Ship Loaders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 ZPMC7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Ship Loaders Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 ZPMC Ship Loaders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 SMB Group7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Ship Loaders Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 SMB Group Ship Loaders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Tenova TAKRAF7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Ship Loaders Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Tenova TAKRAF Ship Loaders Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.11 thyssenkruppContinued..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 CRM Analyticsnning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune  411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Market 2018 Global Analysis By Key Players  Cambridge Broadband, Airspan, CamBium Networks, Data Tech CABSPros, Marki Microwave

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Market 2018 Global Analysis By Key Players  Cambridge Broadband, Airspan, CamBium Networks, Data Tech CABSPros, Marki Microwave.Description:-Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System(P2MP, PTMP or PMP) is communication which is accomplished via a distinct type of one-to-many connection, providing multiple paths from a single location to multiple locations.Scope of the Report:This report studies the Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System market status and outlook of Global and major regions, from angles of players, countries, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global market, and splits the Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System market by product type and applications/end industries.The global Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System market is valued at xx million USD in 2017 and is expected to reach xx million USD by the end of 2023, growing at a CAGR of xx% between 2017 and 2023.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comNorth America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System.Europe also play important roles in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2017 and will be xx million USD in 2023, with a CAGR of xx%.Market Segment by Companies, this report coversCambridge BroadbandAirspanCamBium NetworksFastlinks Wirless Network solutionsData Tech CABSProsMarki MicrowaveExalt WirelessIntracom TelecomIp.accessIMECMaxLinear, IncPeraso TechnologiesAviat Networks IncFastback NetworksCeragon Networks LtdMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversSplit-mountAll outdoorSmall cellsMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoSecurity and surveillance systemsCampus buildingsControl systemsWireless Internet Service Provider(WISP)Integrating remote business sitesEnquiry About Report @Table Of Contents  Major Key Points1 Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System1.2 Classification of Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System by Types1.2.1 Global Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Revenue Comparison by Types (2017-2023)1.2.2 Global Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Revenue Market Share by Types in 20171.2.3 Split-mount1.2.4 All outdoor1.2.5 Small cells1.3 Global Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Market by Application1.3.1 Global Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Market Size and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2013-2023)1.3.2 Security and surveillance systems1.3.3 Campus buildings1.3.4 Control systems1.3.5 Wireless Internet Service Provider(WISP)1.3.6 Integrating remote business sites1.4 Global Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Market by Regions1.4.1 Global Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Market Size (Million USD) Comparison by Regions (2013-2023)1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.4 South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia) Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.4.5 Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa) Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Status and Prospect (2013-2023)1.5 Global Market Size of Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System (2013-2023)2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Cambridge Broadband2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Product A2.1.2.2 Product B2.1.3 Cambridge Broadband Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Airspan2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Product A2.2.2.2 Product B2.2.3 Airspan Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 CamBium Networks2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Product A2.3.2.2 Product B2.3.3 CamBium Networks Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Fastlinks Wirless Network solutions2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Product A2.4.2.2 Product B2.4.3 Fastlinks Wirless Network solutions Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 Data Tech CABSPros2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Product A2.5.2.2 Product B2.5.3 Data Tech CABSPros Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 Marki Microwave2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Product A2.6.2.2 Product B2.6.3 Marki Microwave Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 Exalt Wireless2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Product A2.7.2.2 Product B2.7.3 Exalt Wireless Point-to-multipoint Microwave Backhaul System Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)ContinuedBuy 1-user PDF @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.Only a third of the countrys public high schools have a counselor devoted to helping students get prepared for college, and the problem is even worse in high-poverty schools.

A recent survey of 2,251 high school counselors found that only 33 percent of the nations public high schools have a fulltime or part-time counselor focused exclusively on college advising, compared to 68 percent of private schools.

Schools that serve large populations of low-income students are less likely to have a counselor dedicated to college advising, according to the report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

More than half of the schools with the lowest poverty rates have a dedicated college counselor; those with higher poverty rates were less likely to report having such a staff member.

The disparities in college-counseling support arent new. But they continue to resonate as policymakers focus, with increasing urgency, on the need to help more minority and low-income students get into college and earn degrees.

Schools are chronically short on counselors. The most recent federal data, for the 2015-16 school year, show that K-12 counselors in public schools have an average caseload of 470 students.

Thats a better number than the year before: 482 to 1. But the takeaway is that its still incredibly high. Higher than wed want it to be, said Melissa E. Clinedinst, NACACs director of research.

Counselor-to-student ratios are better at the high school level: an average of 268-to-1, according to the NACAC survey. The American School Counselor Association recommends no more than 250 students per counselor.

But large caseloads arent the only thing making college advising tough for counselors. How theyre required to use their time is another part of the problem.

The new NACAC survey shows that high school counselors are able to devote less than 30 percent of their time to college advising. Big chunks focus on other important things, like helping students choose courses or supporting their emotional needs. Nearly 20 percent of counselors time, however, is spent on non-counseling duties, including helping with testing.

The problem is worse in public and high-poverty schools. Counselors in private schools spend 47 percent of their time on college advising, compared to 21 percent in public schools. And those in the highest-poverty schools spend less than 20 percent of their time helping students plan for college, while their colleagues in the lowest-poverty schools devoted nearly 39 percent of their hours to college planning.

NACAC has been sending up warnings for years about the potential harm of providing thin counseling resources to students, and it echoed that warning in its report on the survey.

Access to college information and counseling in school is a significant benefit to students in the college application process, the report said. For many students, particularly those in public schools, college counseling is limited at best. Counselors are few in number, often have large student caseloads, and have additional constraints on the amount of time they can dedicate to college counseling.

Get High School & Beyond posts delivered to your inbox as soon as theyre published. Sign up here . Also, for news and analysis of issues that shape adolescents preparation for work and higher education.Global Starchy Roots Market Projected to Augment at a Notable CAGR during the Forecast Period until 2028 | Key Players are General Mills Inc., McCain Foods Ltd., Lamb Weston Holding LLC, Simplot Company, etc.

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In order to study the various trends and patterns prevailing in the concerned market, Fact.MR has included a new report titled Global Starchy Roots Market Projected to Augment at a Notable CAGR during the Forecast Period until 2028 to its wide online database including upcoming trends and growth factors. This research assessment offers a clear insight about the influential factors that are expected to transform the global market in the near future. The report studies the Global Starchy Roots Market Trends worldwide, especially in North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, India and Other Regions with production, size, growth, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions. The intelligent report also anticipates that the market would grow at a constructive CAGR until 2028.Request 100 Page Sample Report Here -Starchy roots such as sweet potato, potato, and yam have witnessed remarkable adoption as staple foods in the sub-tropical and tropical regions worldwide. As contribution of starchy roots in energy supply to humans varies across nations based on different consumption trends, the starchy roots market will continue to witness a moderate growth, according to a recent Fact.MR study. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has stated Asia to be leading producer of starchy roots, followed by Africa, Europe and North America.The FAO estimates Asian and African countries to account for 43% and 33% of worldwide production of roots and tubers respectively. Apart from their consumption as energy food, emerging applications of starchy roots in non-food and food industries are likely to drive the starchy roots market. However, the starchy roots market will grow within the confines of limited market margin, and constrained scope of innovation.Over 1,088,690,000 tons of starchy roots are envisaged to be sold worldwide by 2028-end, according to Fact.MR study. Presence of bioactive constituents that include phytic acids, glycoalkaloids, bioactive proteins, saponins, and phenolic compounds, have been complementing consumption of starchy roots across the globe. Additionally, numerous health benefits of starchy roots including antimicrobial and antioxidative properties, combined with their traditional use as medicines in Asian countries have been significantly driving their popularity. Consumers are now inclining from processed & packaged foods to fresh foods, with growing anxiety about food quality and health risks. This has further led to establishment of more direct farm-to-consumer link in supply chain, which in turn has favored growth of the starchy roots market. Immense opportunities exist for local farmers in the starchy roots market, as fresh products delivery is sought-after among consumers.Learn More about Global Market Research Report Here -Growing popularity of clean labels has driven the adoption of starchy roots such as cassava, which has gained increased momentum over the recent past in light of its healthier, natural, and safer starch. As consumer seek clean label products, along with quality and taste, starchy roots are gaining traction as the best alternative to modified starches used in most processed food products. As starchy roots gain high popularity, food manufacturers have employed novel processing methods, and introduced innovative packaging solutions that fall in line with clean label trends.New recipes with distinct flavors that involve use of starchy roots have been introduced in the market. Key stakeholders in the starchy roots market are experimenting to deliver different forms of starchy roots-based snacks, in a bid to compete with established manufacturers of corn snack products.Roots and tuber crops, or starchy roots, have been historically ignored by national governments, which in turn has led to lower priority for R&D. This has also inhibited implementation of advanced agro-technological approaches for enhancing productivity of starchy roots. For example, cassava is still considered as a refuge crops among farmers against the backdrop of the prominence of other established commodity crops such as cocoa, coconut, oil palm, and coffee. Recognizing the potential of the starchy roots market, and challenges impeding its growth prospects, the field of root crop cultivation has recently been receiving adequate attention in terms of changes in government policies. Policies related to agricultural development, trade and research are among key areas while making the changes. The National Agriculture Research Institute, Highlands Regional Centre, Papua New Guinea has proposed adoption of a value chain approach, driven by market demands for fresh and processed root crops to resolve the issues of static productivity.Buy Online Global Market Research Report Here -About Fact.MRFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFact.MR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400, Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Blog:Fiber Optics Market | Growing Industry Crucial Key Players - Optical Cable Corporation, OFS Fitel, Finolex Cables, Furukawa Electric. etc.

Fiber Optics Market

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The report "Fiber Optics Market, [By Type (SingleMode, MultiMode, Plastic Optical Fiber); By Application (Telecommunications, Oil & Gas, Military & Aerospace, BFSI, Railway, Medical and Others); By Regions]: Market Size & Forecast, 2017  2026", The Global Fiber Optics Market is Expected to reach USD 7 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 7% from 2017 to 2026.The market for Fiber Optics is propelled by factors including, increasing penetration of internet, rising government funds for the development of broadband infrastructure, and intense research investments by the companies for development of innovative and new technology in the fiber optic to enable cost-savings.Request for a sample of this research report @Major Players Operating in The Fiber Optics Market:1. Corning Incorporated2. Prysmian S.p.A.3. Optical Cable Corporation4. OFS Fitel, LLC5. AFL6. Furukawa Electric7. Sterlite Technologies Limited8. Finolex Cables Ltd.9. YOFC10. General Cable CorporationThe plastic optic fiber market is expected to notice a high growth during the projected period. The core material (polymer) used for construction of plastic optic fiber is different from the material (glass) used in single mode and multimode. This provides a dynamic application and helps in saving cost.Further, the telecommunication application segment is dominating the market for fiber optics attributed to the escalating demand for internet in developing economies. This segment is expected to witness constant growth owing to growing telecommunication industry particularly in Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa region.The Asia Pacific Fiber Optics Market is anticipated to witness the highest growth followed by Middle East & Africa. Increased industrialization, increasing adoption of smart devices resulting in high demand for internet, and blooming telecommunication industry are the major factor for propelling market growth in Middle East & Africa.Browse Summary of this report @Further, rising fiber optics applications in medical sector is driving market growth in countries including, China, India, and Japan. Also, governments of developed nations such as US, Japan, Germany, UK, and China are significantly investing to improve their countrys security infrastructure. Thus, with the adoption of fiber optics by the government, due to the benefits delivered by it, has further resulted in increased the Fiber Optics Market growth.Corning, one of the leading company in fiber optics market stated that the market demand is surpassing supply. The company announced its plans to spend USD 176 million in the next two years for building a new manufacturing facility for optical fiber as well as to expand its existing facility. Also, Finisa, a transceiver vendor, is also planning to construct a new manufacturing plant in China and expand its existing facility in Texas. Such development reflects the increasing market growth.Snapshot Table of content- Overview and Scope1. Research goal & scope2. Research assumptions3. Research Methodology1. Primary data sources2. Secondary data sources4. Key take-aways5. Stakeholders Executive Summary1. Market Definition2. Market SegmentationMake Inquiry about this report @About Polaris Market ResearchPolaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Adept with a highly competent, experienced and extremely qualified team of experts comprising SMEs, analysts and consultants, we at Polaris endeavor to deliver value-added business solutions to our customers.Contact usMr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: neel@polarismarketresearch.comWeb:Label Protection Tapes Market Size by 2027: Global Analysis with Players, Regions, Types, Applications

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Increasing cross border trade, population migration and expansion of global e-Commerce services into rural and semi urban areas has led to the demand for increased protection for packages and attached labels. Packages have to pass through harsh weather and are also roughly handled through the delivery process. In such a scenario, there are high chances of labels getting torn, and wet due to moisture or abrasion. To protect labels from such damages during delivery process, label protection films are used.Obtain Report Details @Label protection films are made of plastic, fiber based paper or synthetic paper materials. These tapes are moisture, chemical and grease resistant, waterproof and tamperproof. Label protection tapes manufacturers are increasingly focusing on design and development of new label protection tapes for end use industries such as food & beverages, automotive & electronics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.Label protection tapes market in Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region is highly contributed by small, medium and unorganized manufacturers. According to World Trade Organization (WTO), global trade growth in 2018 is estimated to stand at approximately 3.2%. The main attributing factors are rise in inter regional trade in Asia Pacific and increasing imports in the U.S. Chinas industrial growth is expected to push the Asia Pacific export levels. The global label protection tapes market has direct correlation with the dynamics of global labels market. In the year 2017, the global labels market is estimated to be valued at nearly US$ 40.8 Bn.Increasing consumer preference towards clean and attractive labels is driving the global label protection tapes market. Label protection tapes protects the labels from tearing and abrasion through delivery process. Label protection tapes easily adhere on many packaging formats and material surfaces. Once bonded, these tapes provide secure adhesion for extended periods . Label protection tapes can be clear/ transparent, and feature a low-glare surface for easy reading of label contents. Label protection tape manufacturers are focusing on launching of low cost and highly durable label protection tapes. Food & beverages end use segment is expected to dominate the global label protection tapes market.Request a PDF Brochure with Future Analysis @Construction & building materials industry is increasingly adopting label protection tapes. Cosmetics & personal care and chemicals industries are growing at an attractive year on year growth rates. Developing world is adopting label protection tapes at a higher annual growth rates. Developing world label protection tapes market is highly contributed by emerging economies such as India, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Nigeria. The recent trends in label protection tapes market is rising end user preference for matte finish, acrylic adhesive and PP backing material.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Colposcopy Market 2018 Top Manufacturers  Philips, Olympus, Zeiss, Centrel, OPTOMIC, MedGyn, Ecleris, DYSIS Medical

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The worldwide market for Colposcopy is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 8.3% over the next five years, will reach 890 million US$ in 2023, from 600 million US$ in 2017, according to a new study.Colposcopy is a medical diagnostic procedure to examine an illuminated, magnified view of the cervix and the tissues of the vagina and vulva. Many premalignant lesions and malignant lesions in these areas have discernible characteristics which can be detected through the examination. It is done using a colposcopy, which provides an enlarged view of the areas, allowing the colposcopies to visually distinguish normal from abnormal appearing tissue and take directed biopsies for further pathological examination. The main goal of colposcopy is to prevent cervical cancer by detecting precancerous lesions early and treating them.Get FREE Sample Copy @The major players covered in this reportLeisegang, Welch Allyn, Philips, Olympus, Zeiss, Centrel, OPTOMIC, MedGyn, Ecleris, DYSIS Medical, Lutech, ATMOS, Wallach, Beijing SWSY, EDAN Instruments, Seiler, Xuzhou Zhonglian, STAR, KernelMarket 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)Click here to buy this report @Colposcopy is a medical diagnostic procedure to examine an illuminated, magnified view of the cervix and the tissues of the vagina and vulva. Many premalignant lesions and malignant lesions in these areas have discernible characteristics which can be detected through the examination. It is done using a colposcopy, which provides an enlarged view of the areas, allowing the colposcopies to visually distinguish normal from abnormal appearing tissue and take directed biopsies for further pathological examination. The main goal of colposcopy is to prevent cervical cancer by detecting precancerous lesions early and treating them.The study segments the complete Colposcopy market on the basis of different application, end-use, end-user, and production capability. From a business standpoint, the industry has been thoroughly examined across various countries located in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and others. The size of the industry for the forecast period 2018 - 2025 is evaluated on the basis of current sales figures and past financial report can be used to forecast the future sales.Market Segment by Type, covers Electronic Colposcopy Optical ColposcopyMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into Physical Examination Cervical Cancer Diagnostic OtherSubject matter experts conducting the study also take a closer look at the products at their development stage and in the pipeline to help business owners conclude on the business strategies that can lower their cost and promise great returns or profits. Strong emphasis on new launches, acquisition and mergers, collaboration, import and export status and supply chain management empowers the business evangelists, manufacturers and business owners build a robust strategy when it comes to making an investment.Complete report description available now @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Colposcopy market.Chapter 1, to describe Colposcopy Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Colposcopy, with sales, revenue, and price of Colposcopy, 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 Colposcopy, 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, Colposcopy market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Colposcopy sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.About Us:Planning to invest in market intelligence products or offerings on the web? Then marketexpertz has just the thing for you - reports from over 500 prominent publishers and updates on our collection daily to empower companies and individuals catch-up with the vital insights on industries operating across different geography, trends, share, size and growth rate. There's more to what we offer to our customers. With marketexpertz you have the choice to tap into the specialized services without any additional charges.Contact Us:John WatsonHead of Business DevelopmentMarket Expertz | Web:Direct Line: +1-800-819-3052E-mail: sales@marketexpertz.comNews:Global E Clinical Solution Software Market Is Likely to Experience a Tremendous Growth in Near Future, Focusing on Top Companies Like Oracle Corporation, Medidata Solutions, BioClinica Inc.

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E-Clinical Solution is software that helps researchers analyze, track and manage clinical data. The E-Clinical solution is used in the pharmaceutical sector, biotechnology, research organizations and to design medical devices in order to coagulate clinical research data with the help of modern state-of-the-art technology. The clinical trial is a practice of inspecting the efficacy and safety of medicines, therapeutic products and medical devices before their commercial launch on the market. It is expected that the proliferation of the Internet throughout the world, together with the availability of easily accessible modes, will influence the overall growth of the market.Report Consultants forecasts the global E clinical solution software market to grow US$ +6,515 million in 2023, at a CAGR of +13.8% during the forecast period.Get Sample Copy of Report @Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports.Top Key Players:Some of the major players are PAREXEL International Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Medidata Solutions, OmniComm Systems, BioClinica Inc., DATATRAK International, eResearch Technology and PHT CorporationMarket Segmentation:The electronic clinical solutions software market is globally segmented into its product, delivery mode, clinical trial phase and end user. Based on the product, the global market is segregated into clinical data management systems and electronic data capture, clinical analysis platform, clinical data integration platform, security solutions, regulatory information management solutions, management systems of clinical trials, randomization and trial supply management, electronics. Evaluation of clinical results, electronic trace master files, and others. Depending on the mode of delivery, the market is classified into cloud-based companies, hosted on the web and licensed. Depending on the clinical trial phase, the market is divided into Phase I, II, III and IV.Get Upto 60% Discount on Report @Global E-Clinical Solution Software Market: Mode of Delivery Licensed Enterprise Cloud-Based Web-BasedGlobal E-Clinical Solution Software Market: Product Electronic Clinical Outcome Assessment Clinical Data Management Trial Supply Management Clinical Trial Management Randomization Safety Software SolutionsGlobal E-Clinical Solution Software Market: End User Chemical Research Organizations Healthcare Providers PharmaceuticalIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Content:Global E Clinical Solution Software Market Research Report1. Market Overview of Global E Clinical Solution Software Market2. Competition Analysis by Players3. Company (Top Players) Profiles4. Software Market Size by Type and Application5. US Market Status and Outlook6. EU Development Market Status and Outlook7. Japan Market Development Status and Outlook8. China Market Status and Outlook9. India E Clinical Solution Software Market Status and Outlook10. Southeast Asia Market Status and Outlook11. Market Forecast by Region, Type and Application12. Market Dynamics13. Market Effect Factor Analysis14. Research Finding/ Conclusion15. AppendixAbout Us:Report Consultant - A global leader in analytics, research and advisory that can assist you to renovate your business and modify your approach. With us, you will learn to take decisions intrepidly. We make sense of drawbacks, opportunities, circumstances, estimations and information using our experienced skills and verified methodologies.Our research reports will give you an exceptional experience of innovative solutions and outcomes. We have effectively steered businesses all over the world with our market research reports and are outstandingly positioned to lead digital transformations. Thus, we craft greater value for clients by presenting advanced opportunities in the global market.Contact us:Rebecca Parker(Report Consultant)Akasaka biz tower,5-3-1 akasaka minato-ku,Tokyo, JapanContact No: +81-368444299sales@reportconsultant.comVariable Frequency Drive Market to Perceive Substantial Growth during 2018  2022 | Comprehensive Analysis by ABB, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Danfoss, Rockwell, Crompton Greaves, Eaton

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Global Variable Frequency Drive Market Report 2018 explores future trends for supply, demand and market growth rate, market size, prices, trading, competition and value chain as well as Key Players of the industrys information with forecast from 2018 to 2022.Global Variable Frequency Drive Market Overview:According to Market Analyst, Global Variable Frequency Drive Market is projected to grow at a healthy growth rate from 2018 to 2022.Request Report Sample@Major Factor of Growth of Variable Frequency Drive Market include the Increase in industrialization and urbanization and rising need of energy efficiency across various industries such as oil & gas and power generation. Additionally, growing penetration of connected devices in household, commercial, and industrial sectors, coupled with technological advancements, is projected to stir up the demand for variable frequency drives worldwide. Furthermore, increasing investments in energy efficiency are poised to augment the demand for energy efficiency, thereby bolstering the growth of the market.Variable Frequency Drive Market is segmented based on Voltage, Type, Application, End user and Region. On The Basis of Voltage, Global Variable Frequency Drive Market Sub segmented into Low Voltage, Medium Voltage. The low-voltage segment led the Variable Frequency Drive market and is projected to have the largest market share during the forecast period. Based on Type Market is sub segmented into AC Drives, DC Drives, Servo Drives. The AC drives segment is likely to emerge as the fastest growing segment in the variable frequency drive market over the forecast period.The report further segments the Variable Frequency Drive Market, by Application into Pumps, Fans, Compressors, Conveyors, Others. The pump segment led the VFD market in 2017. Pump is one of the most important equipment in most industries such as oil & gas, chemical & petrochemical. Furthermore, Market is segmented on the Basis of End user into Oil & Gas, Industrial, Infrastructure, Power Generation. The infrastructure segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2018 to 2022.Regionally, Asia Pacific held the leading share in the market. The growth of the region is backed by prominent emerging economies, wherein governments and other organizations are investing heavily in energy efficient devices.Purchase this premium research report with 125 Pages and No. of Table of contents, List of table atThe Market is segmented and projected on the basis of major key players:1 ABB2 Siemens3 Schneider Electric4 Danfoss5 Rockwell Automation6 Crompton Greaves7 Eaton8 Fuji Electric9 Hitachi10 Nidec11 TmeicThe Market is segmented and projected on the basis of major Region Segmentation1 North America Country (United States, Canada)2 South America3 Asia Country (China, Japan, India, Korea)4 Europe Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy)5 Other Country (Middle East, Africa, GCC)Grab Your Report at an Impressive Discount @Key Questions Answered in this Report:1 How has the Variable Frequency Drive market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?2 What will the market size be in 2022?3 What are the key factors driving the Variable Frequency Drive Market?4 What are the challenges to market growth?5 What is the structure of the Variable Frequency Drive industry and who are the key players?6 What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key players?7 What are the profit margins in the Variable Frequency Drive industry?TABLE OF CONTENTS1 Variable Frequency Drive Product Definition2 Global Variable Frequency Drive Market Manufacturer Share and Market Overview3 Manufacturer Variable Frequency Drive Business Introduction4 Global Variable Frequency Drive Market Segmentation (Region Level)5 Global Variable Frequency Drive Market Segmentation (Product Type Level)6 Global Variable Frequency Drive Market Segmentation (Industry Level)7 Global Variable Frequency Drive Market Segmentation (Channel Level)8 Variable Frequency Drive Market Forecast 2018-20229 Variable Frequency Drive Segmentation Product Type10 Variable Frequency Drive Segmentation Industry11 Variable Frequency Drive Cost of Production Analysis12 ConclusionAbout UsBusinessindustryReports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined  we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Media ContactBusiness Industry ReportsPune  Indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940Invoice4U Relaunches as .co.uk Domain with New Identity: InvoiceOcean.co.uk Warsaw, Poland - 9/11/18 - InvoiceOcean has been around for around five years in Poland where we became a leader serving more than 400,000 domestic companies. We started to expand internationally in a more meaningful way in 2014 when we launched in France as VosFactures.fr. That encouraged us to spread further into Europe as we launched our services in both Germany, as Invoiceocean.de, and Spain, as Bitfactura.com, in 2016.



The British market has been a tough nut to crack because it differs in ways from the mainland EU market in terms of invoicing and overall trade, particularly as Britains post-BREXIT future is still somewhat uncertain. However, with our diligent research and coming to terms with the market needs in the UK, we decided now is the right time to launch. We have researched the British tax system and included the various possible VAT rates you have at your disposal as well as various aspects of British commerce to take into consideration.



Digital invoicing, also known as eInvoicing, however, is the future and the EU is paving the way in this regard. In fact, the EU is mandating that companies in the public sector switch to eInvoicing entirely by 2020. It is also a much more efficient, quick and cost-effective way to function than relying on traditional paper invoicing, which can be lost, mismanaged or discarded while requiring more trees to be cut down. It may also save some smaller companies or freelancers from having to hire additional staff or accountants and having to make an extra trip to the tax office, or HMRC in the UK, in certain cases.



Our system, however is much more than just invoicing. We offer warehouse management from within our SaaS portal and a wide range of documents our users can create from within their dashboard. They can also add additional users, accountants and coworkers with various privileges and create more than just standard invoicing. We think that our offering is the most robust and feature-rich form of invoicing and now it comes with a UK focus as well.



Our vision is to provide a secure and safe invoicing solution for your needs no matter what type of entrepreneur you are or the size of your business. We are running as SaaS, thus you can log into our invoicing and warehouse management platform across any device. Take a look and sign up for a free trial today!



Features

Content Available across any device

Electronic invoicing, eInvoicing, thus no paper waste

Support of 29 languages

Ability to offer invoices in dual languages

All Currencies across the world supported

Invoices offered from income and expense sides

Warehouse management system

Country-specific features for region: UK invoicing offers PO number for instance

Online payment system support including bank transfer, Paypal and BitPay

Automatic payments for online services

Automatic exchange rate calculations

Support for various invoice and warehouse documents

Ability to add multiple users and accountants to a profile



InvoiceOcean is a subsidiary of Radgost, a Warsaw-based company focusing on innovative products running through web portals as SaaS. Radgosts software is being deployed by more than 400,000 businesses worldwide and its portfolio includes InvoiceOcean, Sugester and SiteOr. The Polish version of its invoicing software is called Fakturownia, which launched in 2011. InvoiceOcean is the international and English version, with other versions existing in Spain, France and Germany. Developers at InvoiceOcean focus on creating the best invoicing solution possible with quick implementation and evolution through product feedback.



info@invoiceocean.co.uk

+44 330 808 1108

Physical address:

6/8 Smulikowskiego Street,

00-389 Warsaw, Poland



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Permanent link to this press release: Copy Please set a link in the press area of your homepage to this press release on openPR. openPR disclaims liability for any content contained in this release.Global Fluorosurfactants Market 2017 - 2025| Merck KGaA, The 3M Company, The Chemours Company, and Advanced Polymer, DIC Corporation, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Fluorosurfactants Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.Surfactant or surface-active agent is a compound used for reducing the surface tension of one or more components. Surfactants are made from natural or synthetic substances, which act as wetting agents to disperse or suspend greasy soils in a solution. Surfactants weaken the surface tension force of solvents or interfacial tension between two non-miscible liquids. Fluorosurfactants, also known as fluorinated surfactants or per fluorinated alkylated substances, belong to the organ fluorine chemical group. They offer more effective chemical properties vis-a-vis hydrocarbon based surfactants. Fluorosurfactants are fluorocarbon based compounds that are synthetic. They consist of multiple fluorine atoms with a hydrophilic head and fluorinated tail in a chain. They function by breaking down the interface between water and oils or water and dirt through suspension of soiled particles. They possess a strong carbonfluorine bond that makes them more stable and appropriate for harsh conditions than hydrocarbon surfactants.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The global fluorosurfactants market is primarily driven by the increase in demand for short chain surfactants in various end-use industries such as building & construction and oil & gas. Fluorosurfactants possess enhanced characteristics of wettability, particle dispersion, permeability, and better levelling techniques. These superior properties are anticipated to boost the global fluorosurfactants market. Rise in demand for fluorosurfactants in enhanced oil recovery activities for foam generation, particle dispersion, and emulsion stabilization purposes is expected to propel the fluorosurfactants market. The market is estimated to be driven by the increase in demand for fluorosurfactants in the marine industry owing to the anti-corrosive properties applicable to protection of marine ships and vessels. Rise in awareness about hygiene and sanitation among consumers is also projected to augment the demand for laundry products and detergents, thereby fueling the fluorosurfactants market. However, toxicity of fluorosurfactants and implementation of stringent environmental regulations against emission of volatile organic compounds are likely to hamper the fluorosurfactants market. Furthermore, manufacturers of fluorosurfactants are compelled to replace the manufacturing of long chain fluorosurfactants with eco-friendly substitutes, i.e. short chain fluorosurfactants. This is projected to offer lucrative opportunities to the fluorosurfactants market.In terms of type, the fluorosurfactants market can be segmented into anionic fluorosurfactants, nonionic fluorosurfactants, amphoteric fluorosurfactants, and cationic fluorosurfactants. Anionic fluorosurfactants hold key share of the global fluorosurfactants market. . Anionic fluorosurfactants are widely used for laundering, dishwashing liquids, and shampoos owing to their characteristics of wettability and permeability.Based on end-use industry, the fluorosurfactants market can be divided into oil & gas, paints & coatings, healthcare & hygiene, firefighting, and others. The paints & coatings segment is estimated to account for significant share of the global fluorosurfactants market in the near future. Fluorosurfactants exhibit excellent surface contamination, anti-blocking, low foaming, and emulsifying properties. Thus, they can be used in the paints & coatings industry. Fluorosurfactants are also employed in specialty detergents for industrial and household purposes. Fluorosurfactants are used extensively in hair conditioners and fabric softeners, shampoos and shower gels, machine dishwashing powders & tablets, and laundry detergents in healthcare and hygiene industries.In terms of geography, the fluorosurfactants market can be segregated into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at a rapid pace due to the easy availability of raw materials in countries such as China and India. North America and Europe also constitute significant share of the market owing to the increase in demand for fluorosurfactants in the building & construction industry.Make An Enquiry @Key players operating in the global fluorosurfactants market include Asahi Glass Co. Ltd., DIC Corporation, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Merck KGaA, The 3M Company, The Chemours Company, and Advanced Polymer, Inc.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.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 Blogger at:Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market Comprehensive Study For 2019: Sanofi, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, Celgene, GSK, Roche, AstraZeneca, Array BioPharma Inc., Agennix, Eli Lilly and Company,

Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market

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Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market is having several developments, product launches, joint ventures, merges and accusations by its prominent market players and top brands which are driving the market in the terms of sales, import, export and revenue. This report gives an edge to not just compete but to outmatch the competition. The report provides with CAGR value fluctuation during the forecast period of 2018-2025 for the Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market. This report also contains all the drivers and restrains with the help of Service analysis for the Lung Cancer Therapeutics Industry.For In-Depth Review | Get Sample Copy@Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market is expected to growing at a CAGR of 12.5% during the forecast period of 2018 to 2025. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2014 & 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2018 to 2025.Key Developments in the Market:In April 2018:- AstraZeneca announced that US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tagrisso for the 1st-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumours have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, (exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R mutations), as detected by an FDA-approved test. The approval is based on results from the Phase III FLAURA trial, which were presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology 2017 Congress.Market key Players: Roche, AstraZeneca Plc, Agennix AG, Eli Lilly and Company, Merck, Sanofi-Aventis, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Hoffman-La Roche, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, Celgene Corporation, Sanofi, Merck & Co., Inc among others.COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS:The global lung cancer therapeutics 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. The report includes market shares of lung cancer therapeutics market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America.Table Of Contents: Introduction. Research Methodologies. Premium Insights Executive Summary Market Trends. Market Segmentation Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market -By Product Type Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market -By Application Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market -By Type Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market -By Region Market Key Company Analysis By:o Business overview Of 2018o Lung Cancer Therapeutics Sales & Forecasto Recent Developments / Strategy Market Driving Factors Market Upcoming Challenges 2019-2025 Market Upcoming Opportunist 2019-2025 Related ReportsGet Detail TOC For More Insight @DRIVERS AND RESTRAINTS: Increasing incidences of lung cancer due to rising smoking population. Players are adopting various strategies to expand their product portfolio Growing demand for targeted therapies, presence of highly efficient drugs, increase in geriatric population, and rise in the prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles. Poor cancer diagnostic facilities in many developing countries. Limited options for treatment, and the vast unmet requirement for diagnosisGlobal Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market Strategic Key Insights For 2019:- Facilitates decision making in view of noteworthy and gauging information also the drivers and limitations available of the market. Report understands the structure of Lung Cancer Therapeutics trade by distinctive its varied segments and Sub-segments. Research and analyze the Lung Cancer Therapeutics market standing and future forecast associated with production, Lung Cancer Therapeutics price structure, consumption, and market historical knowledge. Market split the breakdown knowledge by company, products, end-user, and prime countries, Lung Cancer Therapeutics market history knowledge from 2015 to 2018, and forecast to 2025. Analysis of Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market regarding individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the overall Lung Cancer Therapeutics Market. Global Lung Cancer Therapeutics market 2019 Report analyzes competitive expansions like past & future agreements, new product launches, and Industrial acquisition. Research report target the key international Lung Cancer Therapeutics players to characterize sales volume, Business revenue, growth potential, drivers, SWOT analysis, and development plans in coming years.Make an Inquiry for Discount On this Report@Market Segments:On the basis of Disease Type the global lung cancer therapeutics market is classified into: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC).On the basis of Type of Molecule the market is segmented into: small molecules, biologics.Based on geography: North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa.Note: If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Speak To Industry Experts, Request For Details Report@About Us:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-281Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comShigella Vaccines Market Growth Analysis by World's Top Key Players - MSD Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Novartis, and GlaxoSmithKline plc.

Global Shigella Vaccines Market

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Shigella is a gram-negative pathogenic enterobacteria that causes severe diarrhea and dysentery in humans. Symptoms associated with Shigella infection includes fever, stomach pain, tenesmus, watery diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and convulsions. Various strains of Shigella are encompassed, such as S. dysenteriae, S. flexneri, S. sonnei and S. boydii. Each species of Shigella has different serotypes classified on the basis of the structure of O-antigens repeats that are the polysaccharides moiety of the lipopolysaccharide, a virulence factor consist of toxic lipid. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2013, the average annual incidence of shigellosis in the U.S. was around 5 cases per 100,000 individuals. Bacillary dysentery with brutal epidemics are caused by S. dysenteriae by the production of shiga toxins whereas, the endemic form of disease is caused by the S. flexneri and S. sonnei. The bacillary dysentery is accompanied with fever, rectal inflammation, and abdominal cramps.Request Sample Copy of Research Report @According to World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one million people die from Shigella infection annually. Moreover, the high incidence rate is seen among children less than five years age, travelers, and military personnel from industrialized economies. Shigella species have been identified from centuries and it represents a major threat to public health, due to non-availability of licensed vaccine and thus affecting overall Shigella vaccines market.Developing vaccine against Shigella infections is difficult, due to the diversity of Shigella species and their serotypes. Shigella genome is continuously modified by deletion and acquisition of genes mediated by the mobile genetic elements, such as plasmids, insertion sequences, and integrons. These modifications are the major foundation for the generation of novel antibiotic resistant strains and it also leads to the formation of novel Shigella serotype variants. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in April 2017, warned the physicians and public health officials in the U.S. by stating that the recent strains of Shigella bacteria shows the reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, which is one of the main antibiotics recommended by WHO for the treatment of shigellosis.Geographically, S. flexneri is the most frequent species occurred worldwide accounting for most cases in emerging economies. Whereas, the S. sonnei is prevalent in Brazil, China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, due to rapid industrialization of these economies. The primary prevention of Shigella is based on the universal provision of portable sanitation and water methods along with personal and food hygiene. However, a low cost and effective vaccine would accelerate disease reduction across the globe.Joint ventures and collaborations of major players to develop and commercializes the vaccine are expected to propel the Shigella vaccines market in near futureJoint ventures and partnership of the players to develop and commercialize Shigella vaccine is expected to provide momentum to the Shigella vaccines market. For instance, in March 2017, Hilleman Laboratories, a non-profit organization established with joint venture partnership between Merck & Co., and Wellcome Trust has entered into an agreement with National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Disease (NICED) for the development and commercialization of vaccines against Shigella by 2024. Besides, in June 2016, Immuron- an Australian biopharmaceutical company entered into an agreement to produce Shigella vaccine with the U.S Armys biomedical research lab-Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR).Prokarium and Probiomed in January 2017, collaborated to manufacture orally-administrated vaccine to prevent diarrhea. The new vaccine is expected to be manufactured as a part of two-year collaboration having thermostable capabilities for a longer period. The new vaccine is expected to be delivered to the people living in the remote areas. Thermostable vaccine, which is manufactured approximately one third of the price of the conventional injectable vaccines helps to facilities the growth of Shigella vaccines market.Request For Customization of Research Report @The new research trial drives the Shigella vaccines marketThe University Of Maryland School Of Medicine (UM SOM) in August 2017 received US$ 2.47 Million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to develop vaccine against Shigella and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) for the treatment of diarrheal disease. The researchers in the UM SOMs Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) have developed Shigella-ETEC prototype vaccine, which has been tested in animals successfully. Moreover, the latest funding helps to translate prototype to a human vaccine for Phase 1 clinical trials.The key players present in the global shigella vaccines market include MSD Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Novartis (Novartis Vaccines Institute for Global Health), and GlaxoSmithKline plc.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comAir Compressor Market Size Estimated to Observe Significant Growth - Top Manufacturers Analyzed Elgi Equipments Limited, Ingersoll-Rand PLC, Kirloskar Pneumatic Company Limited, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.

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The global air compressor market was valued at $19,798.56 million in 2016 and is projected to reach $26,850.35 million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 4.47% from 2014 to 2023. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the leading contributor to the global air compressor market, followed by Europe and North America.Get Sample Report -The increase in the adoption of energy efficient and robust air compressors across different industry verticals is expected to drive the demand for the air compressor market during the forecast period. Also, the increase in demand from the end-user industries such as food & beverage, oil & gas, manufacturing, and power generation is also expected to drive the market growth in the coming years. However, the utilization of high technical expertise, R&D, and accessories for enhancing the efficiency of compression in the equipment results in high installation and maintenance cost, which is expected to hinder the growth of the market.In 2016, the rotary-based air compressors, accounted for the maximum revenue share in the overall air compressor market by technology owing to their lower cost of operations and large production capabilities. However, the centrifugal-based air compressors are expected to provide profitable opportunities to the manufacturers owing to their superior technology resulting in efficient continuous flow rate with variable compression capabilities.Oil-free Air Compressor Market -The oil-free segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 4.77% owing to an increase in demand for reducing the cost of operation by eliminating lubrication. Moreover, the medical and power generation end users in the air compressor market is also expected to generate attractive business opportunities during the forecast period (2017-2023).For Access Inquiry -Asia-Pacific accounted for the major share of the global air compressor market in 2016 owing to the increase in demand from food & beverage, manufacturing, and oil & gas industries. However, Asia-Pacific is estimated to grow at the highest rate followed by Europe due to rise in demand from end-user industries.Points Covered in Air Compressor Market are -- Air Compressor Market Overview.- Air Compressor Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis.- Specialized Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis.- Provincial Air Compressor Market Analysis.- Air Compressor Market Development Trend and Consumers Analysis.- The Years Considered To Estimate The Future Air Compressor Market Size.- Gives The Production, Revenue, Price, Air Compressor Market Share, and growth Rate.- The Air Compressor Market for partners by distinguishing the high development fragments.- Technological innovations and pinpoint analysis for ever-changing competitive dynamics.- Clear Understanding of the Air Compressor Market supported growth, constraints, opportunities, utility study.Air Compressor Market:About Us:Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free (USA/Canada):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1-855-550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb:Fallopian Tube Cancer Market Upcoming Opportunities, Growth, Scope Analysis By AMGEN, ASTRAZENECA, BAYER, BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM GMBH, BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB, CELGENE, ELI LILLY AND COMPANY, AND F. HOFFMANN-LA ROCHE AG

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The global fallopian tube cancer market is expected to register a CAGR of 5.2%, during the forecast period, (2018-2023). North America dominates the market, due to high healthcare expenditure in the region.Detailed Sample Copy of Updated Analysis @Note: If this link doesnt work in Internet Explorer, kindly try copy pasting it in other browsers.Increasing Health Care ExpenditureThere are several governments initiatives in developed nations all over the world to provide insurance to cancer patients, which allow them to opt for expensive surgeries and therapies involved in the treatment. This is owing to the fact that the number of cancer cases is increasing rapidly. According to a survey in 2017, about 609,640 Americans are expected to die of cancer thats more than 1,670 people a day. Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the US, exceeded only by heart disease. The increasing government intervention by increasing healthcare expenditure, for insuring cancer patients will boost the market growth heavily in the forecast period. Also, the rising awareness about this type of cancer may act as a major driver for this market.Key Developments in the MarketMarch 2017: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved niraparib (ZEJULA) of Tesaro, Inc., a poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapyMajor Players:AMGEN INC., ASTRAZENECA, BAYER, BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM GMBH, BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB, CELGENE, ELI LILLY AND COMPANY, AND F. HOFFMANN-LA ROCHE AG, amongst others.Get Quality Discount @Note: If this link doesnt work in Internet Explorer, kindly try copy pasting it in other browsers.Adverse Side Effects of Treatment and Toxicity of DrugsBecause many targeted drugs are still quite new, its hard to say how long you can expect side effects to last. We do know that some of the side effects from standard chemo drugs can last a lifetime, such as when the drug causes long-term damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys, or reproductive organs. These side effects along with the high costs of treatment may hinder many patients to seek proper treatment. This, in turn, will affect the overall growth of this market.North America to Dominate the MarketNorth America dominates the global fallopian tube cancer market, owing to high incidence of cancer and its early diagnosis due to availability of advanced technology, and growing popularity of non-invasive radiation therapies for cancer in the region. Asia Pacific is expected to grow during the forecast period, owing to factors, such as high incidence of cancer diseases, less stringent regulatory scenario, and presence of huge population base.Browse Report @Note: If this link doesnt work in Internet Explorer, kindly try copy pasting it in other browsers.About Market PrognosisWe at Market Prognosis believe in giving a crystal clear view of market dynamics for achieving success in todays complex and competitive marketplace through our quantitative & qualitative research methods.We help our clients identify the best market insights and analysis required for their business thus enabling them to take strategic and intelligent decision.We believe in delivering actionable insights for your business growth and success.Contact us:ProgMarkPvt Ltd,Thane - 421501India.Contact No: +1 973 241 5193Email: sales@marketprognosis.comFingerprint Sensors Market Dynamic Growth at 18% of CAGR by 2023 - APPLE, SYNAPTICS, FINGERPRINT CARDS AB, GOODIX, EGIS TECHNOLOGY, SILEAD, IDEX ASA, SAFRAN IDENTITY & SECURITY, SUPREMA

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The fingerprint sensors market was valued at USD 9.61 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach a value of USD 25.94 billion by 2023 at a CAGR of 18% over the forecast period of 2018-2023. The scope of the report is limited to solutions offered by major players including providers of swipe sensors and area and touch sensors. The regions considered in the scope of the report include North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the rest of the world.Detailed Sample Copy of Updated Analysis @Note: If this link doesnt work in Internet Explorer, kindly try copy pasting it in other browsers.The market for fingerprint sensors is dominated majorly by security and access control devices, and the rising demand from consumer electronics is growing owing to the adoption of biometric systems. While defense, law enforcement, and other government institutions are investing heavily in security upgrading, with focus on access control systems supporting the growth of the market, mobiles phones have been the major contributors with many companies providing these sensors in mobile devices. With increasing mobile shipments, these sensors have witnessed a subsequent rise in their adoption.Key Developments in the Market December 2017: Synaptics Incorporated had announced mass production with a top five OEM of its new Clear ID FS9500 family of optical in-display fingerprint sensors. The new Synaptics Clear ID optical fingerprint sensors deliver one-touch high-resolution scanning through full cover glass and enable sleek, button-free, bezel-free infinity displays. Synaptics high-performance Clear ID FS9500 optical solution excels with wet, dry and cold fingers, and since it is protected by glass, is durable, scratch proof, and waterproof. February 2017: Goodix debuted its innovative biometric solutions for display. This was the worlds first fingerprint sensor integrated into the AMOLED display of mobile devices. The sensors state-of-the-art technology had brought about a new generation of mobile device design. Its fingerprint authentication and touch solutions are already in use in many global device brands, including HUAWEI, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, ZTE, LG, Nokia, and ASUS.The major players include APPLE INC., SYNAPTICS INC., FINGERPRINT CARDS AB, GOODIX LTD, EGIS TECHNOLOGY, INC., SILEAD, INC., IDEX ASA, SAFRAN IDENTITY & SECURITY (MORPHO), SUPREMA, INC., DERMALOG IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS GMBH, CROSSMATCH, 3M COGENT INC., NEC CORPORATION, and THALES SA, amongst others.Request Discount on this repots @Note: If this link doesnt work in Internet Explorer, kindly try copy pasting it in other browsers.Moreover, with a drop in the technology cost, vendors are focusing on new applications with integration in locks, remotes, and other consumer electronics and goods to add smart security features. However, factors such as the lack of awareness about the importance of security and complexity of integration of smartphone-like devices with fingerprint sensors can detain the growth of fingerprint sensor market.Increasing Usage of Fingerprint Sensors for Smart Wearable Devices and SmartphonesThe increasing penetration of smartphones has caused an increased demand for advanced biometric locking systems, causing smartphones to be the fastest growing segment of this market during the forecast period. Additionally, smart devices are being used for almost every activity, such as bill payments, purchases, and even banking. Therefore, there is an increased need for secure biometric authentication systems. This has led to the growth in the demand for fingerprint sensors. In 2016, there was a high increase in penetration for smart devices in the United States whereas, in Canada, the penetration rate was relatively lower. Thus, the market for fingerprint sensors is expected to be driven by the growth and penetration of smart devices.Military and Defense Application to Register Significant GrowthOwing to the terrorist attacks and other suspicious activities, many security organizations across the world ramped up their security apparatus to thwart further terrorist attacks. The importance of security and control is guided by the degree of sensitivity, nature, and environment. Some of the applications of the fingerprint sensors systems in the military are military bases authorized perimeter access, personal security systems for military installations, and others. Moreover, there is an increased spending on defense worldwide, which will also offer opportunities for the market to propel. In June 2017, Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan unveiled a 20-year policy review that had been in the works for months. According to this policy, armed forces budget would jump by 73% to CAD 32.7 billion in 2027 from CAD 18.9 billion in 2017, with the biggest increases coming in later years.North America Accounted for the Major ShareThe fingerprint sensing technology is no longer in its infancy in North America, and the advancements in technology have led to its wider adoption in several application segments. Secure access control is the major driver for the growth of fingerprint sensors. Access control for entry is done using biometrics, in which smart touch sensors and smart fingerprint sensors are used. The sensors are further used for employee monitoring, security breaches and intruder alerts in the region. Moreover, in the United States, the penetration rate of smartphones is extremely high, and is expected to cross 85% by 2017. The high replacement rate of smart devices indicates a potential of about more than 80 million devices, in the next two years. All the above factors are expected to drive the market for fingerprint sensors.Enquiry Before Buying @Note: If this link doesnt work in Internet Explorer, kindly try copy pasting it in other browsers.About Market PrognosisWe at Market Prognosis believe in giving a crystal clear view of market dynamics for achieving success in todays complex and competitive marketplace through our quantitative & qualitative research methods.We help our clients identify the best market insights and analysis required for their business thus enabling them to take strategic and intelligent decision.We believe in delivering actionable insights for your business growth and success.Contact us:ProgMark Pvt Ltd,Thane - 421501India.Contact No: +1 973 241 5193Email: sales@marketprognosis.comMedical Device Manufacturing Outsourcing Market: Regional Study by Growth Rate, Sales, Revenue, Key Players (Creganna Tactx Medical, Flex, Greatbatch, Nortech Systems, Tecomet, Daiichi Jitsugyo, Mitutoyo Corp, Hamilton Company)

Medical Device Manufacturing Outsourcing Market

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Outsourcing of medical devices gains wide acceptance among original equipment manufacturers these days. Increase in pressure on the manufacturers to reduce the overhead expenses and operational costs while maintaining quality of healthcare services drives the market growth. In addition, benefits such as reduction of production time, which ensures early entry of product into the market coupled with the need to meet the regulatory standards, boost the market growth. However, this poses threat to the security of the confidential information of the company, which impedes the market growth.Download PDF Report Sample @Advantages enjoyed by original equipment manufacturers such as market share expansion & premium pricing along with cost reduction supplement the market growth. Furthermore, a surge in the global geriatric population is anticipated to increase the demand for medical devices and supplies, thereby boosting the market. However, a stringent regulatory environment towards medical devices impedes the market growth.The global medical device manufacturing outsourcing market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, service, and geography. By product type, this market is segmented into EMS, raw materials, and finished goods. By application, this market is classified into ortho & spine, cardiovascular, medical imaging, IVDs, general medical devices, and others. Furthermore, on the basis of service, this market is categorised into product design & development, product upgrade & maintenance, regulatory consulting, product testing & certification, supply chain management, and product implementation. By geography, it has been analysed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.Comprehensive competitive analysis and profiles of major market players such as Creganna Tactx Medical, Inc., Flex, Greatbatch, Nortech Systems, Tecomet, Daiichi Jitsugyo Co. Ltd., Mitutoyo Corp., Hamilton Company, Cirtec Medical Systems LLC and Kinetic Climax Inc.Get Customized Report @Rise in Geriatric PopulationThere is an increase in the number of aging population worldwide. According to a WHO report, around 524 million people were above 65 years in 2010, and the number is expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2050; which is estimated to constitute about 16% of the total world population. Moreover, there is a positive correlation between elderly individuals and increase in incidence of disorders such as cardiovascular, neurological, and orthopedics. Hence, increase in geriatric population is expected to have a positive impact on the market.Growth in Asia-Pacific RegionAsia-Pacific offers lucrative opportunities for the market growth, owing to presence of large pool of patients suffering from disorders, such as cardiac and neurological. In addition, most of the medical device companies opt to manufacture their devices in Asia, which is primarily attributed to the low labor costs, improvement in technical knowledge, and low overhead costs. Thus, all these factors cumulatively have increased the outsourcing market in Asia.Benefits of OutsourcingThe market for outsourcing witnesses a huge increase owing to the benefits, which include reduction in overall cost and decrease in the time required for the product to enter into the market. In addition, outsourcing also allows the companies to focus on their core activities such as marketing of the product or device.The global medical device outsourcing industry is segmented on the basis of product, regulation, application, service, and region. Based on product, the market is divided into electronics, finished goods, and raw materials. On the basis of device type, the market is classified into class I, II, and III devices. By application, it is categorized into orthopedics & spine, cardiovascular, radiology, general medical devices, and others. Based on services provided by the companies, it is segmented into prototype development, finished device manufacturing, assembly and packaging, and testing and regulatory support services. By geography, it is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.Access Full Summery @About Us:Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.ContactDavid Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free: +1-800-792-5285UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1855550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb:Opioid Market 2021 | ., Purdue Pharma, Pfizer Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.

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Prescription opioids are posing a huge threat for pharmaceutical giants in the world as subjects consuming opioid drugs are becoming highly addictive to them, which is incidentally causing deaths. Production of synthetic opioid drugs has been tainted by reports that regard it to be an ill-fated burden on consumers as well as manufacturing companies. Overdose of opioids has resulted in occurrence of malignant disorders in the users body, most of which have resulted into fatalities. The demand for opioids, on the contrary, is likely to be on an all-time high, owing to a significant rise in incidences of cancer and other fatal disorders. As most of us know, the legitimate use of opioids is its performance as a narcotic pain relief medication in treatments for cancer, surgical pain and post-surgery trauma.Request For Report Sample:Consumption of opioids is largely reliant on its extensive use as an end-stage medication for treating cancer. While the analgesic nature of such drugs relives the patient from cancer pain, it incidentally suppresses sensation for the subject and results into organ failures. Off lately, the consumption of opioid drugs was highly criticized and condemned after reports of a prominent opioid medication, called Fentanyl, became the reason causing death of the patient for administration. Ergo, emergence of such news impaired the business progression of its North American pharmaceutical company, Insys Therapeutics, Inc. A comparatively high growth in opioid addiction in the US has further pressurized the FDA for abolishing the production of opioid drugs, in spite of being highly-crucial for cancer treatment.Request Report Discount:The impact of such incidences on the global opioids market is likely to be a deterrent one. Prescribing opioids continues to be majorly profitable for pharmacies, but the aftermath of its dosage is curbing their use in hospitals and specialty healthcare facilities. Research Report Insights (RRI) has compiled a report, titled Opioids Market by 2021 that valued the global opioids market at an estimated US$ 33 billion in 2014. Key market insights and research findings assessed in the report project that the market will garner US$ 42,158 million in revenues by the end of 2021.Fragmenting this growth of global opioids market, the report includes classification on the basis of products (drug types) and applications. The use of opioids in production of morphine and codeine drugs is anticipated to dominate the global market by accounting for over 60% share. Analgesic applications of opioid drugs are expected to procure market value of US$ 28,436.8 million by 2021-end. Increasing presence of palliative care facilities and rising importance of Abuse-Deterrent Formulation (ADF) regulations for generic drug manufactures is driving the growth of global opioids market; particularly in North America and Europe. The report has profiled some of the leading companies contributing to the growth of global opioids market, which include pharmaceutical manufacturers such as Actavis Plc., Purdue Pharma, Pfizer Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., among others.Report Analysis: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Troy MacLarty is looking for a frying pan. It's a Tuesday morning, and The Bollywood Theater owner is making his usual masala omelette breakfast, a thin sheet of spiced egg cooked fast and hot with onion and tomato, forked into an impromptu breakfast sandwich on a pair of the cayenne-stained rolls called pav. Only today, he's not in his usual kitchen.

Instead, he's putting the final touches on Churchgate Station, a new supper club and pop-up venue tucked inside the D Street Village complex next to the big Bollywood Theater on Southeast Division Street. Starting at the end of November, MacLarty will use the brass-accented room to serve set-price meals most Fridays and Saturdays, host visiting chefs and, perhaps, roll out a weekend brunch.

MacLarty finds the pan, makes the eggs, then sits down at Churchgate Station's walnut-lined chef's counter to explain why he needed to expand.

"It's really hard to be creative at Bollywood," MacLarty says. "It's just a machine. It's hard to get away from what's happening. It's just a churning, grinder of a place. People ask me when I'm going to open another Bollywood Theater. I don't have any interest."

Staffing has become a constant headache, MacLarty says, especially for Bollywood's labor intensive food, with most dishes and ingredients made from scratch, including those pav. According to MacLarty, the restaurant makes 160,000 of the rolls each year. "We're as much a bakery as a restaurant," he says.

"I'm really into systems, and to a certain degree, I've worked myself out of Bollywood Theater," MacLarty says. "At this point, the staff kind of need me to be either more in or less in."

Before he ever visited India, MacLarty's love for Indian food started in Berkeley, where he cooked at the influential farm-to-table pioneer Chez Panisse and often ate lunches at Vik's Chaat, the beloved Indian street food restaurant. He moved to Portland in 2005, taking over the kitchen at Naomi Pomeroy and Michael Hebb's Family Supper, then jumping to Lovely Hula Hands when the Ripe restaurant group sunk. The first Bollywood Theater opened on Northeast Alberta Street in 2012.

The new venue is named for the southernmost train station in Mumbai. That Churchgate Station is a handy landmark for guiding taxi drivers back to the nearby Chateau Windsor Hotel, the place MacLarty stays when he visits the city, a friendly hotel with an uncluttered rooftop perfect for sipping chai and eating eggs as the city slowly wakes up.

MacLarty hopes Portland's Churchgate Station gives him a chance to get back to the personal connection with guests he felt at Family Supper. He expects to serve family-style Indian meals to groups of about 40 people, or as many as 60 during the summer, most Fridays and Saturdays, travel permitting.

"I've said many times through the years that Family Supper is where I was my happiest," MacLarty says. "There and Lovely's were where I was in a position to make really special food. There's an intimacy to it. We serve 1,000 people a day at Bollywood. It's not the same."

Though the D Street Village entrance is new, the back area, including a wall the supper club shares with Bollywood Theater, are older, serving as offices for a Nature's grocery store and, later, the Portland headquarters for Barack Obama's 2008 campaign. Some of the concrete walls have a "cottage cheese" look that MacLarty kept exposed. Others have been painted in a thin graham cracker color. The tiled floors were inspired by India's endangered Irani cafes.

MacLarty will be in the kitchen, cooking menus with themes including Bengali cuisine, Indian breakfast and perhaps a big batch biryani night. Prices will change based on the menu, but MacLarty hopes to keep the supper club's meals around $50 per person to start. A sneak peek at one of Churchgate Station's first menus reveals a lineup of papadum, pickled eggplant, duck braised with apricots and an almond and cardamom cake. MacLarty is particularly excited about incorporating more seasonal produce into his cooking, and about returning to sweets, things he hasn't found as easy to do at Bollywood Theater.

"A lot of modern Indian restaurants have had success with their experimentations," MacLarty said, pointing to the dosa waffles at the since-closed Oakland restaurant Juhu Beach Club. "I've always been really cognizant of Bollywood Theater being food that you could go to India and get, because I'm not from India. If I did that it would stand out in a way that wouldn't be really palatable for people. Here I have room to experiment with the kinds of things that you don't necessarily get in India."

Churchgate Station will open Friday, Nov. 30 at 3150 S.E. Division St., inside the D Street Village building alongside Bollywood Theater's Southeast Portland location. Visit churchgatestationpdx.com for more information and tickets.

-- Michael RussellBy CAROLYN HAX (Adapted from a recent online discussion.)

Dear Carolyn: My daughter is a freshman at an expensive private high school. She has become best friends with a wonderful girl who is at the school on a scholarship. My daughter's friend is passing her classes but not getting great grades and is losing her scholarship next year. Her family cannot afford the tuition and is planning to send her to the public school in their neighborhood next year.

My husband and I are lucky enough that we can afford it, so we offered to pay for her tuition, but her mom told us she wouldn't feel right accepting that.

I think we should fund a scholarship at the school, urge the friend to apply, then pull some strings to get her chosen for the scholarship. My husband thinks we need to take her mom's "no" for an answer.

This young lady is both the best friend my daughter has ever had and a bright young girl who could really benefit from this school, which has far more resources to help her get college scholarships than her public school would. Should I keep trying on this or is my husband right that I've done enough?

-- Trying

Hax: Short answer: Your husband is right that you've done enough. Any more risks interfering in this family's business.

Long answer: There might be a bigger problem here, beyond this one friend, that your compassion and cash could help address. How well does Bucks Academy support the scholarship kids? Obviously the correlation isn't 1 to 1, that a lower-income student automatically presents an achievement-gap problem. However, that correlation is quite common, disturbingly so in 2018 America, especially if the prior school is an underperformer.

If this friend is representative of such a gap at this school, and if the school uses its scholarship money in hopes of closing such gaps, then a parent of means might be able to do some lasting good by kick-starting (or expanding) a tutoring/mentoring program for kids who need extra support during their transition, particularly if said school has radically higher academic expectations of these kids than their prior schools did. (Now that's a sentence.)

This is kind of answering a different question from the one you asked ... but maybe going to the school, citing the example of your daughter's friend, and floating the idea of a program to support bright kids who have adjustment struggles -- a program for which you offer seed money -- could also become a non-meddlesome way to make the case for the school's giving this friend another chance. And boy do these schools listen to people who walk in with money, alas, unless they have so much they can afford not to.

You could also donate that spare tuition money to public schools, to boost their college counseling staffs.

Re: Trying:

Good answer! My two cents as someone who has worked in financial aid, about "pull some strings": It doesn't operate that way. A donor can offer some preferred selection criteria, but once funds are in hand, the school decides the use of its resources.

-- Anonymous

Re: Trying:

I hate to say it, but at my school it absolutely does work that way, at least if the donor is wealthy/generous enough.

-- Saying It

Hax: Sigh. Thanks.

Email Carolyn Hax at tellme@washpost.com, follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/carolyn.hax or chat with her online at 9 a.m. Pacific time each Friday at www.washingtonpost.com.

(c) 2018, Washington Post Writers GroupA drug deal gone bad led to the shooting of a man last month in the parking lot of the Rodeway Inn & Suites on Hayden Island, according to Portland police detectives.

Christopher Irvin, 34, is accused of robbing a couple of 5 grams of heroin in the parking lot of the Rodeway Inn as an alleged accomplice shot one of the sellers.

On Tuesday, Irvin pleaded not guilty to a three-count indictment charging him with first-degree robbery with a firearm, possession of a stolen vehicle and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

The shooting occurred in the parking lot of the Hayden Island motel about 9:15 a.m. on Oct. 11.

Michael Rose, 30, was wounded.

Christopher L. Irvin

In an interview at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, he told detectives that he and a woman named Donna Burton had met Irvin in the parking lot to sell him heroin. Irvins accomplice had a gun and tried to rob Rose and then shot him twice. Irvin also pointed a small black handgun at Burton and ordered her to turn over her heroin, which she did, according to police.

Burton said she planned to sell five grams of heroin to Irvin for $280. She and Rose sell heroin to support their drug habit, she told police, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Five days after the shooting, Irvin was caught on a recorded phone call telling a girlfriend, who was in custody at the Clackamas County jail, that the police were looking for him and asked her if he could stay with her father in St. Louis, Missouri. Irvin told her that he went to go buy some dope and the dude jumped out ofand started shooting, Portland police Det. Travis Law wrote in an arrest warrant affidavit.

Police recovered two fired .22-caliber casings and an unfired .22-caliber bullet at the scene. The casings will be compared to other casings seized from shooting scenes through a national database using an ATF imaging machine at the police bureaus North Precinct. Police have not identified the alleged accomplice who fired the shots.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonianToday I read Rebecca Mowe's letter to the editor disappointed in a flub that I made on election night. I wanted to reach out to her, and all Portlanders, who may have felt the same way.

The reality of the situation was that in the excitement of the moment -- and without having written down my comments -- I had a bit of a "senior moment." While on stage, I found myself about to say "Mayor Hales." Catching myself, I made a poor choice of words with my response.

After my flub, when I saw Mayor Wheeler two days later, I went up to him to apologize and tell him what happened. Rebecca, I am grateful I earned your vote and pledge to do my best to be a commissioner who Portland can be proud of. I am human, and I will make mistakes like the one on election night, but I will always admit them and apologize when I am wrong.

I hope you will accept my apology and that together as a community we can move forward to building the Portland community we all want and deserve.

On election night, I was so proud that we proved ourselves as a community to be compassionate and kind, and I am coming into this role ready to uphold those values.

-- Portland Commissioner-elect Jo Ann Hardesty, Southeast PortlandBy Ruth Marcus

The Washington Post

WASHINGTON -- The acting attorney general of the United States is a crackpot.

Matthew Whitaker, installed in the job by President Trump to replace Jeff Sessions, was asked in 2014, during an ill-fated run in the Republican senatorial primary in Iowa, about the worst decisions in the Supreme Court's history. Whitaker's answer, to an Iowa blog called Caffeinated Thoughts, was chilling.

"There are so many," he replied. "I would start with the idea of Marbury v. Madison. That's probably a good place to start and the way it's looked at the Supreme Court as the final arbiter of constitutional issues. We'll move forward from there. All New Deal cases that were expansive of the federal government. Those would be bad. Then all the way up to the Affordable Care Act and the individual mandate."

Reasonable people can differ over the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Maybe there's some space to debate the New Deal-era cases that cemented the authority of the regulatory state. But Marbury? This is lunacy. For any lawyer -- certainly for one now at the helm of the Justice Department -- to disagree with Marbury is like a physicist denouncing the laws of gravity.

Decided in 1803, at the dawn of the new republic, Marbury v. Madison is the foundational case of American constitutional law. It represents Chief Justice John Marshall's declaration that the Supreme Court possesses the ultimate power to interpret the Constitution and determine the legitimacy of acts of Congress.

In Marshall's famous words, "it is emphatically the duty of the judicial department to say what the law is." The untested new Constitution provided that the Supreme Court possessed the "judicial Power of the United States," but it did not define what that power entailed.

"With one judgment ... Marshall would chisel judicial review into the American system," Cliff Sloan and David McKean explain in their book, "The Great Decision." The ruling, "asserting clearly and unequivocally that the Supreme Court did indeed possess the power to strike down an Act of Congress as unconstitutional ... laid the foundation for the American rule of law."

This is not a controversial position, at least in mainstream legal thought. On occasion, Supreme Court nominees, including Antonin Scalia and Neil Gorsuch, declined to state their agreement with Marbury. But this coyness is not because they differ with the ruling; rather, it is because they fear stepping onto the slippery slope of assessing past cases.

More commonly, Marbury is the uncontested subject of lavish judicial praise. Chief Justice John Roberts endorsed it during his confirmation hearings, and he expanded on that view in a 2006 C-SPAN interview. Marshall's decision meant "we have the courts to tell what [the Constitution] means and what's binding on other branches," Roberts said, "and that important insight into how the Constitution works has been, I think, the secret to its success."

But if you think, as Whitaker seems to, that Roberts is too much of a squish ("he's not a good person to point to when it comes to actually just calling balls and strikes in practice," Whitaker said of Roberts in the 2014 interview), consider Roberts's predecessor as chief justice, William Rehnquist. In his book on the Constitution, Rehnquist described Marbury as "the linchpin of our constitutional law."

Or consider Justice Brett Kavanaugh's comments during his confirmation hearings, describing Marbury as among the "four greatest moments in Supreme Court history." Kavanaugh offered a more extended defense of Marbury in a 2014 Notre Dame Law Review article. "It's my submission," Kavanaugh wrote, "that Marbury v. Madison continues to mark the proper approach for constitutional interpretation."

Yet we seem to have, as the nation's chief law enforcement officer, a man who begs to differ. Is this still his position? If so, how does that view -- that the court in Marbury was too assertive in exercising its power -- square with Whitaker's simultaneous beef that the court was inadequately assertive in striking down laws during the later New Deal era and when dealing with the Affordable Care Act?

That's not the only troubling question about Whitaker. During a 2014 Senate debate sponsored by a conservative Christian organization, he said that in helping confirm judges, "I'd like to see things like their worldview, what informs them. Are they people of faith? Do they have a biblical view of justice? -- which I think is very important."

At that point, the moderator interjected: "Levitical or New Testament?"

"New Testament," Whitaker affirmed. "And what I know is as long as they have that worldview, that they'll be a good judge. And if they have a secular worldview, then I'm going to be very concerned about how they judge."

Marbury was wrong. Religious tests for judges. If you thought the big worry about Whitaker was how he would handle special counsel Robert Mueller, that might be just the beginning.

Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com.

(c) 2018, Washington Post Writers GroupDisability Rights Oregon wants the state to bar law enforcement officers from using police dogs in jails to intimidate, control or punish inmates.

Columbia County's jail is the only one in the state that continues to allow the use of police dogs against inmates, despite recently paying $251,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by an inmate bitten by a dog.

Last month, Columbia County's insurance provider agreed to settle a suit filed by Christopher Bartlett, a 48-year-old former inmate who claimed jail deputies on Aug. 1, 2017, unleashed a police dog on him in retaliation for calling one of them a disparaging name. The dog bit Bartlett's thigh and left arm, pulled him to the ground and continued to tear at his arm inside a locked cell.

The sheriff's office, though, didn't admit liability and said the dog was brought in to remove an inmate who was "threatening and throwing and swinging things'' at deputies.

While that case garnered headlines, another case involving a police dog at the Columbia County jail did not: the use of a dog to menacingly bark at a naked inmate who wouldn't get out of the jail shower in January 2017, according to Disability Rights Oregon. The dog was brought in to intimidate the inmate as jail guards moved in with plastic body shields to remove the man, the nonprofit group said.

Emily Cooper, the group's legal director, in September met with the commander of Columbia County's jail and the interim sheriff to urge the Sheriff's Office to stop using police dogs in jails, but she said she didn't sway them.

Disability Rights Oregon now plans to push for a bill in the next legislative season that would curb the use of police dogs in jails to control inmates, according to a report by the agency made public Tuesday. The report is titled, "You are Going to Get Bitten: Columbia County Jail's Use of Canines to Intimidate and Control Inmates.''

"This practice poses an unnecessary risk of harm to both deputies and inmates when safer de-escalation strategies are available,'' Cooper said.

After the Bartlett case and a grand jury review, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office adopted a written policy that allows deputies to use a dog if necessary to protect the inmate or jail staff from serious injury.

Disability Rights Oregon believes that policy should be eliminated, noting that the dogs are trained to detect drugs and bombs or track or search for victims or suspects but aren't trained to pull an inmate from a jail cell.

In the Bartlett case, for example, the dog had received about 330 hours of training in searching, tracking, agility obedience and aggression, compared with seven hours of training on apprehension. Training notes also indicated the dog had difficulty releasing its bite on command and frequently needed an electric collar to halt a bite, the agency's report said.

"This should not be an acceptable strategy in a civilized society,'' Cooper wrote in the report.

Jail deputies should be trained to use de-escalation techniques to deal with volatile situations or conduct mental health assessments of all inmates, Cooper said. In Bartlett's case, it was unclear if jail staff ever considered whether his refusal to follow their commands stemmed from a mental illness, the report says.

The advocacy group's report quotes Steve J. Martin, a career corrections professional and a former expert for the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the Department of Homeland Security's Civil Rights Division, who said using a police dog to extract an inmate from a cell presents "unacceptable risks of harm to both staff and inmates.''

A Columbia County grand jury that reviewed the Bartlett case in February urged the Sheriff's Office to adopt a written policy, requiring the prior approval from the sheriff or other high-ranking officer to use a dog to bite an inmate in the jail, except in cases of imminent risk of injury or death.

The grand jury found that using a dog could be the best way to quell a disturbance, prevent an escape or extract a combative inmate from a cell and that the dog used against Bartlett, a Belgian Malinois, was properly trained.

Read the report.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonianCeasefire Oregon has called on the state House of Representatives to investigate Rep. Bill Post, R-Keizer, for putting online the phone numbers and home addresses of the chief petitioners of a ballot measure to ban assault weapons.

Penny Okamoto, executive director of the gun control advocacy group, sent an email last week to House Speaker Tina Kotek and the Oregon Ethics Commission, calling for the state House to convene a committee to investigate Posts alleged unethical behavior. The email was sent just days after Post retained his legislative seat in a race against Democrat challenger Dave McCall.

Although the information is publicly available, Representative Posts action was clearly an attempt to harass and intimidate the chief petitioners and to undermine the ballot measure process, Okamoto wrote. Representative Posts behavior is beneath the dignity of Oregon elected officials and chills political discourse.

Post called Ceasefire Oregons allegations outrageous, and said its unfortunate that this letter is the first thing Ceasefire wishes to pursue after a brutal election cycle, Posts legislative director Abby Weekly wrote in an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive. She pointed out that Post was doxed by a national writer who posted part of Posts social security number, as well as his home address and phone numbers online.

Kotek could not be reached immediately for comment.

In a Facebook post in March, Post encouraged gun rights supporters to personally contact three Portland clergy leading the initiative campaign to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines in Oregon. He posted the message on the Facebook page of a group called The Heirs of Patrick Henry, Northwest.

Should anyone want to make a phone call or send a note. Post wrote above a photo of the three petitioners phone numbers and home addresses. Feel free to right click and save the picture then share everywhere.

The post led to harassing emails and phone calls to the petitioners, and its had a chilling effect on others challenging the powerful gun rights lobby, Okamoto said. The petitioners of Initiative 43 have since withdrawn the ballot measure but are pursuing a bill that would ban assault weapons in the next legislative session..

The next month, Kurt Eichenwald, a Dallas-based journalist for Vanity Fair and MSNBC, posted Posts personal information online in an extensive Twitter tirade against the former conservative radio host. After posting portions of Posts social security number and phone number to his Twitter followers, Eichenwald then deleted the information, saying hed made his point.

Okamoto also cited Posts use of Twitter on Oct. 6 to share a statement mocking victims of sexual assault, on the day U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in after a close confirmation vote in the Senate.

Read Ceasefire Oregons letter here.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonianTwo men were arrested Sunday after threatening security staffers at a Southeast Portland bar, police say.

Portland police said 34-year-old Elijah L. Warren and 33-year-old Marcus A. Bell were jailed in Portland and have since been released. The incident unfolded about 1:30 a.m. Sunday at Century bar on Sandy Boulevard.

Police said one of the men was told to leave the bar and that both of them reportedly yelled threats at its security staff after leaving the establishment. One of them threatened security with a gun, police said, and officers were called to the area.

They found a man matching one of the suspect descriptions, arrested him and found a revolver in his pocket, according to police. Another man tried to interfere with their investigation, police said, and he was also arrested.

Police said officers found another gun in the suspects' pickup truck, which was illegally parked nearby. The truck was towed from the scene.

Warren is facing a felony unlawful use of a weapon charge and a pair of misdemeanors, according to court records. Bell is accused of three misdemeanors, including interfering with a police officer, records show.

Both are set to be arraigned Tuesday.

 Jim RyanPARADISE, Calif. -- The blue of an unfurled body bag has become a gut-wrenching splash of color in this apocalyptic landscape as pressure mounts to account for the hundreds of missing people after a wildfire roared through the California town of Paradise.

Coroner search teams, many accompanied by a chaplain, have fanned out across Paradise, visiting dozens of addresses that belong to people reported missing since last week's explosive blaze leveled this town of 27,000. At least 42 people were confirmed dead, making it the deadliest in state history.

The searchers use a grim calculus at each scene: No cars in the driveway is good, one car a little more ominous and multiple burned-out vehicles equals a call for extra vigilance.

When a body is found, a call goes out, yellow police tape goes up -- and the blue body bag arrives. In many cases, there is almost nothing left. The long bag looks almost empty as it's carefully carried out of the ruins and placed in a black hearse.

Sometimes there are no answers.

Barbara Hall has been searching for a woman she considers her aunt, Arlene Bickel. Arlene Bickel and her husband, Paul Bickel, are in their 80s and 90s and have not been heard from since the fire. It appears they made it out of their home in a retirement community because the house is still standing and they are not home -- but Hall has had no luck finding them.

"Did they make it in their car? Did they get away? Did their car go over the edge of a mountain somewhere? I just don't know," said Hall, who is 66 and making calls with her daughter's mobile phone from nearby Redding, where her daughter lives.

A coroner's search team visited the address -- one of dozens they had -- on Monday and found the Bickels' unit still standing. No one answered the door, and it was dark inside.

"It doesn't help my worries because they're still missing," she said.

Hall planned to come to Chico, the nearest town not in the evacuation zone, on Tuesday to be closer.

Authorities were bringing more resources in to find the dead - two mobile morgue units and dozens of additional search and rescue personnel.

Some relatives have received answers, but not the ones they wanted.

Mike Carlson began looking for his mother, Barbara Carlson, her sister Shirley Haley and their dog named Strawberry after learning about the wildfire Thursday night.

He and his daughter Annika drove more than 100 miles from their home in the Central Valley to the fire zone to look for them. They made numerous calls, posted flyers and sought help on social media by creating a special hashtag.

"We checked with the Red Cross, hospitals, police, filed missing person reports, and we've got nothing," Carlson said in a telephone interview Sunday as he headed to Chico to visit makeshift shelters in the area.

He said he requested a welfare check with the sheriff's department, but was deflated when told he was 400th on the request list. He also felt discouraged when he saw his mother's address on a map of the burned area, but he held out hope.

His niece was the last person to talk to his mother by phone as flames bore down on the house.

She said she wasn't leaving, because God would save her, Carlson recalled.

But on Sunday night, two deputies came to Carlson's door with the news he didn't want to hear.

A fire engine crew doing a check of homes had found two bodies at his mother's address on Heavenly Place.

-- The Associated PressThe long-running "Project Runway" franchise has been experiencing disruptions, and now Lifetime is announcing that the spinoff, "Project Runway All Stars" will air its final season, beginning Jan. 2, 2019.

The hook for this last go-round is that the competitors will consist of 14 designers, all of them winners of both the U.S. and international versions of "Project Runway." Among the seven U.S. hopefuls are previous "Project Runway" winners Michelle Lesniak, the Portland-based designer who won Season 11, and Seth Aaron Henderson, the Vancouver-based designer who won "Project Runway" Season 7 and "Project Runway All Stars" Season 3.

The future of "Project Runway" became more complicated in the fallout after Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual misconduct and assault. As Deadline reported, the controversy contributed to A+E Television Networks, the parent company of Lifetime, ending its contract with the Weinstein Co., which had produced "Project Runway."

Then came the news that "Project Runway" would return to its former cable TV home, on the Bravo network. But that was followed by the announcement that host Heidi Klum and mentor Tim Gunn, who had been the heart and soul of "Project Runway," were leaving the franchise to launch a new fashion competition series for Amazon.

Bravo announced model Karlie Kloss would be the new host, and designer (and Season 4 winner) Christian Siriano would be the new mentor on the revamped "Project Runway," expected to debut in 2019 on Bravo.

Which brings us back to "Project Runway All Stars." Clearly, Bravo isn't going forward with the spinoff, which features Alyssa Milano as host, and Isaac Mizrahi and Georgina Chapman (the now former wife of Weinstein) back as judges. The final season premieres on Lifetime on Jan. 2.

In addition to Lesniak and Henderson, the competing designers are:

From the U.S.:

Irina Shabayeva from Brooklyn, New York: Winner, PR Season 6

Seth Aaron Henderson from Vancouver, Washington: Winner, PR Season 7 + All Stars Season 3

Anya Ayoung-Chee from West Indies: Winner, PR Season 9

Dmitry Sholokhov from New York: Winner, PR Season 10 + PR All Stars Season 4

Michelle Lesniak from Portland, OR: Winner, PR Season 11

Sean Kelly from Brooklyn, New York: Winner, PR Season 13

Anthony Auld from San Antonio, Texas:Winner, PR All Stars Season 2

International designers:



Juli Grbac from Australia: Winner, "Project Runway Australia," Season 1

Christina Exie from Australia: Winner, "Project Runway Australia," Season 4

Cynthia Hayashi from Brazil: Winner, "Project Runway Brazil," Season 1

Django Steenbakker from Netherlands: Winner, "Project Runway Netherlands," Season 1

Jasper Garvida from England: Winner, "Project Runway UK," Season 3

Evan Biddell from Canada: Winner, "Project Runway Canada," Season 1

Sunny Fong from Canada: Winner, "Project Runway Canada," Season 2

The winner of the final "Project Runway All Stars" season will collaborate with JC Penney on a capsule collection to be sold at select JC Penney stores and online at

. Additional prizes include a fashion spread in

Marie Claire

magazine and position as contributing editor for a year; a complete sewing studio from Brother Sewing and Embroidery; a trip for two to London, England; the opportunity to create a signature nail color from luxury make up brand, butterLONDON; and a $100,000 grand prize.

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com

503-221-8227

@KristiturnquistStudents at Midland High School had the opportunity to get a unique insight into the mind of a veteran Monday during the school's third annual Veteran's Day Celebration.

More than 75 service members were present during discussions throughout the school day, with combat experience ranging from the Pacific Theater in World War II to carrying out operations within the last decade in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Connie Beson-Steger, a history teacher at Midland High, debuted the event in 2015. She said she was moved by her family's own history with serving -- both her father and grandfather having served -- and wanted to give her students an opportunity to learn first hand from a veteran.

"Its been a great opportunity to bridge young and old. With Michigan not having an active military base, we don't have the exposure most other states have to veterans," Beson-Steger said. "This is a chance for students to ask questions and meet people they might otherwise not have come into contact with."

Students were grouped with seven to 12 kids per table, with one veteran at each table to lead a conversation. There, the service member could show off their medals, pictures of their time during active duty, videos or simply talk with the students. With each session lasting around 15 minutes, the groups had time to hear three veterans' stories for the duration of their hour at the celebration.

One of the visitors in attendance was Iraq War veteran Dustin Mansour. Joining the army out of high school, Mansour spent 10 and a half years in active service with four tours of duty: two in Iraq and two in Afghanistan. He ended his military career in June 2015, following a medical discharge for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

He joked that he spent more time being in a combat zone than he did in high school, which made being in Midland High a "surreal experience," Mansour said. He said he's more than happy to answer students' questions, as he'd rather have the opportunity to "be real with students who might be interested in joining the military," than let them get their questions answered from a second-hand source.

This was Mansour's second year attending the celebration.

"Being able to do this for the kids, it's eye-opening for them," he said. "My service has made me into who I am today. Its made me realize that there are things in life that happen whether you want them to or not, and for people to stress over them like they do, it doesn't make any sense. They're minutia."

Following coming home, Mansour said he's spending time in "a whole new war zone" -- the life of stay-at-home parenthood. He said being able to look after his 6-year-old daughter has helped him transition to civilian life.

Before serving, Mansour said he was torn between joining the Army or becoming a teacher. This allows him to combine the best of both situations, he joked, without having to go back to school to get a degree.

Between having the ability to speak with students about his service and helping his wife raise their daughter, Mansour said he's learned how to re-adjust back into civilian life and learn "not to stress the little things anymore."

"I've seen worse case scenario stuff. I've watched a buddy die who just came back from being on leave where he got to see his kid born," Mansour said. "He won't get to experience life anymore, so for someone to complain that the worst thing in their day is that McDonald's put tomato on their burger when they didn't want it -- I'm sorry, get over it. Things can be way worse."

For several students, this was their second, or even third time attending the event. Students were brought to the event based on a signup done by teachers, and was open to all grade levels.

Adia Haynes, 17, of Midland experienced the celebration for the first time Monday. She, along with fellow classmates Emma Browne, Caroline Jasin and Madi Greene said they believed it was important for they and their classmates to meet and learn from the "veterans who fought for their freedoms."

"It's a very informative event," Haynes said. "It's neat to get to learn about the backstories of each and every veteran, because they all have different stories. Even if they served in the same rank and file, they all have unique stories, and it's important for us to sit down, listen to them and appreciate these people went out there and served our country."

At the end of each celebration, Beson-Steger said she asks for each of the participating veterans to do an exit survey. She said nearly all of them have indicated they feel honored to have the ability to tell their story, especially those who served in the Vietnam War, who might not have otherwise had a welcome homecoming upon returning from active duty.

"To be able for service members to be able to speak freely about their service, especially to our students, it's vindicating for them," Beson-Steger said.

Veterans interested in participating in next year's Veteran's Day Celebration can do so by contacting Beson-Steger either by email, at stegercl@midlandps.org, or via phone at 989-923-3601.The year was 1978: The Lord of the Rings movie is released; Susan B. Anthony becomes the first woman to be on a circulating U.S. coin; and Ben and Jerry's opened its first ice cream parlor in Burlington, Vermont.

And in Midland, Patrick Pnacek decided that it was time to open an additional real estate agency in the Chemical City. Now 40 years later that agency, Mid-Land Realtors, is still going strong. Last week, the agency joined with the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce to commemorate the last four decades with a ribbon cutting at Cross Roads North, 2525 N. Eastman Road.

"Midland, what a wonderful place to work, live and play. You couldn't ask for a better community," Barb (Pnacek) Rice said.

Five years ago, Mid-Land Realtors moved into its present location at the corner of Monroe and Eastman roads and shortened its name from Mid-Land Executive 1 Realtors.

"You may say that is not a very creative name, but we think it is very descriptive. We are at a crossroads and we are north of Midland," Pnacek said to the roomful of attendees. "You look across Monroe Road to the south, it's the City of Midland. We are in Larkin Township. Our family has a history in Larkin Township of 120 years."

Part of the Pnacek legacy, Rice joined the firm in 1981.

"Barb has been involved with us for 37 years," Pnacek said. "Three times she has been a past president of the Midland Board of Realtors and also a member of countless boards."

We work very hard at that and we do it every day and will continue. Barb has been a member of the board for the last 37 years,

Before moving outside to take a group photo, Rice presented $400 to Renee Pettinger, executive director of Midland's Open Door.

"What's extremely important to us is that we are one of the smallest real estate firms in Midland, but we think we're pretty important as we work to solve the housing and real estate needs and dreams of our clients and tenants," Pnacek said.

To contact Mid-Land Realtors, phone: 989-839-9655 or visit its website at: https://www.mid-land.com/When Niki and Matt Homan adopted a 2-year-old boy from Liberia, then had four biological children, they didn't expect they would be adopting 10 more children and have a family now ranging in ages from 5 to 16.

"People say how we blessed their lives, but they have truly blessed ours," Niki said of her and her husband's 10 boys and five girls. "We went from a minivan to a minibus."

The couple were speakers at the Adoption Option Inc. fundraiser at The Great Hall last Thursday. More than 300 people attended the fifth annual event. Jacqueline Leapheart, of AOI Marketing and Fund Development, said the event grows steadily each year.

"I couldn't have imagined a more wonderful night," Leapheart said.

Proceeds from the fundraiser aids foster care children through AOI. The organization offers adoption services, foster care, foster care licensing, youth services, help with health care and family preservation services. Proceeds from the event help fill the gap between what the agency receives and what is needed to support the children's needs. The organization serves Arenac, Bay, Clare Genesee, Gladwin, Gratiot, Iosco, Isabella, Midland, Ogemaw, Saginaw and Shiawassee counties.

Last year, AOI assisted 446 parents and 712 children in 12 different programs. They also assisted 24 families in becoming licensed foster parents.

AOI Founder and CEO DeLois Leapheart profusely thanked those who volunteered, the staff and the sponsors.

"I am super excited by all the sponsors and all the support," said Jacqueline Leapheart.

A mother of four, Ashley Estrada spoke at the packed-room event. Estrada was also an AOI client. She lost her son and three daughters as a result of her opioid addiction. With the help of AOI, Estrada talked about how she fought for reunification with her children who were taken away in 2017. She said AOI held her toes to the fire to get through the program and she was successfully reunited with her children in June.

"It was their energy and my committed courage," Estrada said of AOI and getting her children back. "I knew I would do whatever I could to get my children back."

Yet, when it came time for services to close with AOI and be reunited with her children, Estrada said AOI made sure they had what they needed. Still, she knows if she faces trouble, she can contact her former AOI caseworkers for help.

The Homans, of Mount Pleasant, said AOI helped them every step of the way when adopting their 11 children.

"They stood by us through it all," said Matt Homan of AOI's help with the adoptions. "They went above and beyond. They were incredible."

Niki Homan said their worker is a part of their family. When she comes to the house, the children beg her to stay for dinner, go see their rooms and she is just a blessing.

Niki Homan said having all their children has been a blessing, even when they find themselves asking their children: "Who painted the cat green? Who hung their underwear from the tree?" And, "No you may not take a frog to school as a guest."

She washes 250 dishes a day, does about seven loads of laundry daily along with serving 53 meals. She said AOI is a tremendous organization.

Niki Homan homeschools the children and Matt Homan is pastor at The Potters House Family Worship Center in Mount Pleasant.

Many attending loved that helping children was mixed with great food.

There was a cookoff in three categories, comfort food, dessert and jambalaya. Cheeky Cheesecakes earned dessert honors; Timbers Bar & Grill took top honors in comfort food and Real Seafood Company earned top jambalaya honors.

Josh Taylor of Midland said the shrimp, chicken and sausage dish at Timbers Bar & Grill was amazing and spicy.

"I understand the line for water," Taylor said.

Ralph Cunningham, Mercury Network Account Manager, was a first-time attendee. He said the Mercury Network was an event sponsor and the owner is a strong supporter of children's' needs and adoption.

Pat and Kelly Liedlein of Freeland said they found out about the event and were in. Kelly said Pat loves jambalaya and they both love helping out, especially when it comes to children.

"There is a lot of need in this region to unite children with their families," said the Rev. Wally Mayton, an AOI Board member.

There is an estimated 13,000 children in foster care in Michigan.

Estrada admitted, sometimes adoption is the best option for children. While other times it is uniting them with their parents.

AOI's Stephanie Curtis said no parent wakes up saying they want to be a bad parent and abuse or neglect their children. She said AOI helps them become better parents and give them the skills to do so.Microsoft said Tuesday that its begun slowly releasing the postponed Windows 10 October 2018 Update once again to the general public, having put in place additional signals that will allow users to flag instances where data loss might occur.

Not everyone will receive the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, a minor release which was scheduled to begin shipping October 2. Since then, 5.9 million people have downloaded it, according to Microsoft. Microsoft will roll out the update, also known as version 1809, very slowly to its remaining customers. Users will first have to request the update and meet the hardware requirements and check for application compatibility. Even then, only about one percent of users will initially receive it, Microsoft said. The remaining PCs will be updated over the following weeks and months.

We will offer the October Update to users via Windows Update when data shows your device is ready and will have a great experience, John Cable, director of program management, Windows servicing and delivery, wrote in a blog post.

The rollout of the October 2018 Update was halted after reports surfaced that files were being accidentally overwritten as part of a feature called Known Folder Redirection, or KFR. Microsoft later re-released the update to members of its Insider program for testing. Microsoft suffered a separate, unrelated Windows 10 activation bug on November 8. On Tuesday, the company said all of the bugs have since been fixed.

What went wrong: More details

Microsoft acknowledged a series of mistakes that occurred during the testing process leading up to the October 2018 Update. Users had, in fact, discovered the bugs that contributed to data loss months earlier, and reported them via the Windows Feedback Hub application.

The problem was that the low volume of reports was accidentally conflated with a second, unrelated bug: When Windows let users log into a temporary profile that looked very similar to a normal Windows desktop, Windows didnt always make their existing files available until the user rebooted. The way in which this bug was described would occur a few times per week or maybe 10 times per month, Microsoft said, about the same frequency as the KFR bug.

When Microsoft began releasing the October 2018 Update, the company received 23 pieces of feedback and 20 pieces of support data describing the bug. That doesnt sound like much, especially out of 5.9 million downloads. However, when you consider that the entire installed base of Windows 10 users is about 700 million, even a small bug could make many thousands of users very unhappy.

As Microsoft said on October 9, the company has added a special slider within the Feedback Hub, the app by which users can report bugs and request features. That slider will be used to report the severity of bug. A category saying something like My files are missing will be added to prevent similar bugs from occurring in the future. Finally, Microsoft also plans to add a Windows status update and will provide regular updates on the Windows 10 update history page.

A more open approach to squashing bugs in Windows 10

Microsoft has also changed the way it tests for bugs. In 2013, Microsoft shifted the responsibility for functional testing from a separate test engineering team to the development teams themselves, as a part of an effort to maintain quality control. While Microsoft maintains that it performs more tests than ever before, the company plans a series of blog posts over time detailing that testing and explaining how it plans to evolve those testing procedures in the future.

The first of these posts was published in conjunction with the announcement of the re-release of the October 2018 Update. Michael Fortin, the corporate vice president of Windows, explained how Microsoft tests: through in-house, automated tests; aggressive self-hosting of Windows builds by Microsoft employees; work with external testing labs for application compatibility, hardware and peripherals; and both ISVs and hardware partners.

During development and stabilization of an update, we use all our engagement programs to identify and fix issues that often only emerge in real life settings, Fortin wrote. We also continue automated and manual testing, as do our partners across the ecosystem. We compare quality to previous flights and releases based on all the feedback tools available to us including Feedback Hub and social media. When we are confident in the user update experience, we begin to cautiously release a feature update to our customers.

During that rollout process, Fortin added, the company attempts to use both automated telemetry, social media, as well as the Feedback Hub to identify problems. In certain cases, Microsoft will identify a certain group of users with a bad experience, and block similar machines from the update until its resolved.

Microsoft claimed that the April 2018 Update was among the best Windows releases ever. Thats due to two metrics, Fortin wrote: the decreased volume of support calls and chats, indicative of fewer customer problems; and whats called a Net Promoter Score, where users are asked to rate their Windows experiences. The April Update received the highest Net Promoter Ranking of any version of Windows 10, he said.

Microsoft Critical bugs or not, Microsoft believes that Windows has become more stable over time.

What Microsoft hasnt done, Fortin admitted, was to be more open about how it tests, and what its doing to protect users. That will change, he promised. While we do see positive trends, we also hear clearly the voices of our users who are facing frustrating issues, and we pledge to do more, Fortin wrote. We will up our effort to improve our ability to prevent issues and our ability to respond quickly and openly when issues do arise.

What this means for you: Microsofts response is twofold: First, the company needs to do a better job of communicating with its customers; and second, the system workedwell, sort of. Insiders did their job in reporting the KFR bugs, but Microsoft failed to pick up on them. The company hopes the new Feedback Hub tools will alleviate the latter problem.

Ironically, The Windows 10 October 2018 Update was supposed to be a yawner, with unexciting improvements and minor new features. The bugs and delays mean it will forever have an asterisk attached.There was a wave of car-vs.-pedestrian carnage in the City of Brotherly love over the weekend, with three separate fatal hit-and-run incidents.

In one of those tragedies, a 17-year-old boy was left to die in the street, and now his heartbroken family is pleading for the run-away driver to come forward.

As 6ABC reports, the victim in this case was J.J. Gbaa.

The 17-year-old was run down just before 1 a.m. Sunday while attempting to cross the southbound lanes of Roosevelt Boulevard near Faunce Street in Philadelphia.

Police tell 6ABC they are looking for a 2007 or 2008 black Chevy Impala in the case. The suspect vehicle would be missing a left mirror and left headlight and should have left-side windshield damage. All this as the teens family is seeking justice in the case.

The teens death capped a deadly weekend for pedestrians left to die by drivers in the city.

As 6ABC reports, on Friday night a 50-year-old man was struck and killed after he was hit twice within seconds. Police say both drivers stopped and looked at the victim after he was hit at Cottman and Torresale in the city's Tacony section. Both drivers then took off, police say.

On Saturday morning, a 59-year-old man was struck and critically wounded at 21st and Market streets in Center City. That's still under investigation.

And there was another fatal hit-and-run in addition to the teen on Sunday, 6ABC added.

Police are asking for the publics help with tips and information in all of the cases.Amazon will open major new outposts in northern Virginia's Crystal City and in New York City, splitting its much-sought investment of up to 50,000 jobs between the two East Coast sites, according to people close to the decision-making process.

An announcement could come early as Tuesday, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they had signed nondisclosure agreements with the company.

An Amazon spokesman declined to comment. The company has said it would make a decision on the high-profile project, which it calls HQ2, this year.

Amazon picks Northern Virginia and New York for its additional headquarters after year-long, high-profile search https://t.co/QIYcEBnHXP  The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 13, 2018

The choice of Crystal City in Arlington County as one of the winners could cement northern Virginia's reputation as a magnet for business and potentially reshape the Washington, D.C., region into an East Coast outpost of Silicon Valley over the next decade.

The decision also would hand Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, D, and local leaders the largest economic development prize in a generation - one promising billions of dollars in capital investments alone - but could also put pressure on the region's already steep housing prices, congested roads and yawning divide between wealthy and low-income residents.

It also represents a victory for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, D, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, who had joked that he would change his name to "Amazon Cuomo" if necessary to land the prize.

Northam's spokeswoman, Ofirah Yheskel, did not respond to multiple texts, phone calls and emails Tuesday night. Neither did the office of Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.

The offices of Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., whose district includes Crystal City, declined to comment, as did Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg.

Arlington Director of Economic Development Victor Hoskins also did not respond to inquiries.

Other final suitors included the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, Maryland, and 16 other jurisdictions Amazon has considered since narrowing its list in January. News of the decision was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Amazon's decision to split the project rather than open a second headquarters on par with its Seattle campus has angered some who said the company had ginned up competition among cities only to change the rules midstream. Some said it was unfair that the company seemed to be considering only sites in more affluent communities.

Amazon launched the project in the fall of 2017, dubbing it HQ2 and issuing search criteria for "a second corporate headquarters" with as many as 50,000 jobs and an investment of $5 billion.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos personally described the scope of the project, saying in a news release: "We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters." (Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Others said a split makes sense for Amazon because of the difficulty of finding 50,000 qualified workers - many of them computer engineers - in a single region. Dividing the project also could ease concerns about the pressure that Amazon's growth could put on housing, transportation networks and schools.

In picking Crystal City, Amazon opted for a close-in suburban site, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., and a half-mile from Reagan National Airport. Outdated buildings and underused properties now fill the site, including yawning vacancies in some of the office buildings.

In New York, the company had been eyeing a neighborhood in Queens called Long Island City. Long Island City is across the East River from midtown Manhattan.

Arlington County offered Crystal City as part of a joint bid with an adjoining property at Potomac Yard, in the City of Alexandria. The state played a leading role in sponsoring the bid, including offering incentives that have not been disclosed publicly.

The selection represents a triumph for the growth strategy of Arlington and Alexandria to promote development along mass transit routes. The site is close to the Crystal City Metro station on the Blue and Yellow lines, and the planned Potomac Yard station scheduled to open in 2021.

But residents in the nearby Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria expressed worry earlier this year that Amazon's arrival would worsen daily rush-hour backups that already slow traffic to a crawl, and erode the quality of life in their neighborhood of mostly single-family homes.

The decision marks a dramatic upturn in fortune for Crystal City, which lost thousands of jobs when military agencies and defense contractors departed in the Pentagon's Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) process, beginning in 2005.

The initial building that Amazon would occupy is at 1851 South Bell Street or 1770 Crystal Drive in Arlington, Virginia, according to individuals familiar with the decision.

One advantage is the properties are all overseen by a single, well-capitalized company, JBG Smith. The $4.4 billion company is the region's biggest real estate owner, most active developer, and owns a majority of the property in the bid - enough to accommodate the entire project on its own.

Amazon's choice also burnishes northern Virginia's standing as an attractive site for corporate headquarters. In the last 15 years, it has lured Volkswagen Group of America to Herndon, Northrop Grumman to Falls Church, Hilton Worldwide to Tysons and Nestle's U.S. headquarters to Arlington.

Northam said in March that the state's pitch centered on workforce development, inclusivity and transportation, along with quality of life.

Although 238 locations initially submitted proposals to Amazon, the Washington, D.C., region was considered a favorite from the outset by many experts due to Bezos' personal connections in the region, particularly the $23 million mansion he purchased in the city's Kalorama neighborhood last year and his ownership of The Washington Post.

Others suggested that Amazon executives want to be near Washington to cozy up to the federal government, either because of increased concerns that regulators may pursue antitrust actions against the company or because the federal government has become a critical Amazon customer.

Virginia also offers the political advantage of being a purple state, making it easier for the company to seek support from both political parties.

Amazon previously announced that it would headquarters its cloud computing unit, Amazon Web Services, in Herndon, near some of its data centers.

The Washington area also naturally fit many of the criteria Amazon called for in its search, among them a deep workforce of talented workers, a robust public transit system and easy airport access.

In discussions with local officials earlier this year, Amazon executives were especially focused on the quality of the workforce and availability of affordable housing, according to Arlington Economic Development Director Victor Hoskins.

When Amazon narrowed the list of contenders to 20 in January, it included three in the Washington area - the District, northern Virginia and Montgomery County - more than any other part of the country.

Unlike other contenders such as Chicago or Dallas, northern Virginia largely lacked a single site able to accommodate the entire project.

Amazon launched its search in September of 2017, vowing to make a decision by the end of 2018 and occupy an initial building of 500,000 square feet in 2019.

The company claims that its Seattle headquarters injected $38 billion beyond what the company spent on its buildings into the area economy, generating an additional $1.40 for every dollar the company spent.

Seattle officials have not disputed the figures, but have also been racing to keep up with the company's staggering growth and the requirements it places on public transit, schools, road networks, parks and utilities. The company now has more 45,000 employees, occupying than 40 buildings and 10 million square feet of office space.

Compared with other large corporations, Amazon employees are less likely to commute by car, as about 55 percent either walk, bike or take public transit, according to a survey the company did of its Seattle workforce. The company purchases transit cards for employees and is building a dedicated cycle track to separate bikes from cars near its Seattle buildings.

Amazon's growth is also likely to put new strains on housing. Since Amazon's arrival, Seattle has become one of the most expensive places in the United States to live, forcing lower-income residents to move to far-off suburbs. The city and surrounding King County declared a state of emergency in 2015 over homelessness.

Even without Amazon, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments estimated that the region needs to add 235,000 housing units by 2025 to keep pace with expected job growth. Amazon's arrival could push the goal above 275,000, according to a recent analysis by the Urban Institute. Right now it is only on pace to add about 170,000 new units by 2026.

Since beginning the headquarters search, Bezos and the company made several announcements that could soften the company's image in the public eye as it moves to open its second hub.

Bezos announced in September that he would donate $2 billion of his own funds to support groups battling homelessness in America and create a network of preschools in underserved communities. In October - after bearing months of criticism from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over its treatment of workers - Amazon announced that it would raise its minimum wage for all employees to $15 per hour.

The minimum wage decision isn't likely to have much effect on the company's hiring in northern Virginia, where Amazon says its facility will employ mainly white collar positions with an average salary of more than $100,000 a year.

Before Amazon announced its search, Washington-area jurisdictions - forced in part by federal budget cuts - had already been diversifying their workforce away from a reliance on federal spending. The region gained more than 55,000 jobs annually from 2015 to 2017 despite budget cuts and stagnation in Congress. But its job growth has been slower than average among major metropolitan areas.

(c) 2018, The Washington Post. Written by Jonathan O'Connell, Robert McCartney, Patricia Sullivan. Gregory S. Schneider contributed to this report.A retired Scranton bishop who allegedly helped cover up decades of sex abuse cases defied the diocese and attended a national Catholic conference at which U.S. bishops were considering new steps to address the abuse crisis in the American church, The Times Leader has reported.

Bishop Emeritus James Timlin, permanently banned from representing the diocese, attended the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops general assembly in Baltimore against the wishes of current Bishop Joseph Bambera, a diocesan official confirmed Monday night.

While Bishop Timlin is forbidden from representing the Diocese of Scranton, membership in the USCCB and attendance at conferences is beyond the control of Bishop Bambera, spokesman Bill Genello wrote in a brief email to the Times Leader on Monday night.

As first reported by the Times Leader, Timlin appeared in an Associated Press photo riding an escalator with other clerics at the gathering.

Bishop Bambera asked Bishop Timlin not to attend, Genello concluded.

Timlin, 91, led the diocese from 1984 to 2003. He has not been made available for interviews since this summers release of statewide grand jury report on clerical abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses cited records showing that he had knowledge of more than two dozen cases before and during his nearly 20-year tenure.

Efforts to reach a USCCB spokesperson to inquire about Timlins role  and whether he has any voting rights  were not immediately successful.

The group has postponed plans to vote on proposed new steps to address the clergy sex abuse crisis  at the Vaticans insistence, the Associated Press reported.

Timlins history

Timlin was thrust into the spotlight when the grand jury report was released in August. It detailed decades of abuse and cover-up, alleging more than 1,000 children had been abused over the years by about 300 priests, with 59 Scranton Diocese priests on the list.

In numerous cases, the allegations of abuse  including rape, sexual assault, underage drinking and an abortion  were suppressed or dismissed by Timlin, the grand jury found.

Many of those cases were detailed in an August report by the Times Leader, including one in which Timlin wrote a letter to the Vatican on behalf of a Luzerne County priest, The Rev. Thomas D. Skotek, who impregnated a teenage girl and then helped her obtain an abortion.

The grand jury uncovered records indicating that Timlin frequently did not take formal action against accused priests, or simply moved them to other parishes.

Skotek was not formally removed from ministry for nearly 20 years after the incident, being allowed to continue in his vocation long after Timlin was first informed; he never faced prosecution and remains a priest.

In late August, Bambera announced that Timlin has been permanently restricted from representing the Diocese of Scranton at all public events, liturgical or otherwise.SHIPPENSBURG -- The block around the James Burd Elementary School in Shippensburg was jam packed today with lots of music and even more smiles.

About 1,500 students, veterans and family members gathered there for the schools second annual Veterans Day Parade.

It was a chance for students to meet and learn about veterans in the Shippensburg community, Principal Scott Shapiro said .

Being able to partake in an event like today allows them to learn more, to know more and to be so much more thankful for what we have in our country today, he said.

Many of the students brought their veteran parents and grandparents, giving them a chance to learn more about the other life  the one in uniform  they had lived.

I know theyre proud of me, U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran Terry Linn said, his three grandchildren standing near him, smiling big. They just couldnt wait. Pappy, youre coming. Youre coming to march in the parade, arent you, Pappy?

Im happy and Im thankful that he is, student Arianna Smith said about her father, Joel Smith, being a veteran. He was in the U.S. Army and served in Iraq. And she was eager to take part in the parade with the rest of her school, because it means all of us care about them.One firefighter was injured while fighting a fire in York County on Monday evening, according to media reports.

ABC27 reported one firefighter was taken to the hospital having suffered injuries that were not life threatening, citing emergency dispatchers.

The fire started around 5:00 p.m. Monday, ABC27 reported. No one was at the home on Miller Street near Furman Road in Franklin Township at the time, the Northern York County Regional Police said in a social media post.

Two firefighters were killed on March 21 in the former Weaver Piano and Organ Co. building, but after the flames had finished burning. The building collapsed as Ivan Flanscha and Zachary Anthony, who were continuing to work the day after the fire. The origin of the fire could not be determined.Amazon has confirmed that it will split its much-anticipated second headquarters between New York City and Arlington, Virginia.

READ MORE: Pittsburgh, Philly lost out on Amazon, but heres what they won

Its New York location will be in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, while its Arlington offices will be located in an area called National Landing. Each site will get 25,000 jobs.

In addition, the online retailer said it will open an operations hub in Nashville, creating 5,000 jobs.

This Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, photo shows a view of Washington from a revolving restaurant in Crystal City, Va. If any place in the U.S. is well positioned to absorb 25,000 Amazon jobs, it may well be Crystal City which has lost nearly that many jobs over the last 15 years. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP

The decision ends an intense competition between North American cities to win Amazon and its promise of 50,000 new jobs. Some locations tried to stand out with stunts, but Amazon made clear that it really wanted incentives, like tax breaks and grants. The company received 238 proposals before narrowing the list to 20 in January.

Amazon also had sought to be near a metropolitan area with more than a million people, among other criteria.

The company received 238 proposals before narrowing the list to 20 in January.

Pennsylvania was among the states putting in proposals, trying to lure the retailer to the Philadelphia or Pittsburgh areas. Even Harrisburg put in a bid.Three Lebanon county residents are facing charges after investigators said they tried to bring a controlled substance into the Lebanon County Correctional Facility.

Pennsylvania State Police said Robert Joseph Beaumont, 22, delivered clothing that contained an unspecified controlled substance to Cody Michael Schucker, 25, who was an inmate at the LCCF in South Lebanon Township. The attempt was made around 10:40 a.m. on March 5, police said.

Corrections officers found the substance in the clothing shortly after it was brought into the prison, police said.

During the investigation, police said Ellen Marie Patches, 55, helped facilitate the delivery of the substance to the prison. Patches is Schuckers mother. State police said all three were county residents.

Docket sheets for each person were not available online, but state police said charges were filed with Magisterial District Judge Anthony Verna.Looking Back: What remains on the old bank?

Albin Stover became another highly respected Charlevoix businessman, leaving his name on both a creek and a road.In some ways, the death of her father in August prepared Mary for the onslaught that would hit her in September. Watching her father battle cancer, watching him wither away to 81 pounds and then struggling with the heartbreak of his death strengthened the resolve that would carry this young mother of three through the []2.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

MSNBCs Ari Melber dropped a fact check on a GOP official in Florida on Monday, telling him there is no evidence that voter fraud is being committed by Democrats in the state. Any claim otherwise is irresponsible, the MSNBC host said.

When asked by Melber whether he thinks all the votes should be counted, Richard Denapoli, state committeeman for the Republican Party of Broward County, took a page out of the Donald Trump-Rick Scott playbook and cried fraud.

There are votes possibly being put in illegally, Denapoli said, without evidence (because there is none). Whether there is actual fraud, theres the appearance of fraud.

Video:

The exchange:

DENAPOLI: I believe in counting every legal vote. And thats the problem here is that there are votes possibly being put in illegally. Whether there is actual fraud, theres the appearance of fraud. I myself was present just last night at some ballot boxes that were found in a rental car at the airport. I can share the video with you. There were unmarked ballots in that box. So if there are unmarked ballots floating around in rental cars, that lends the appearance that something is wrong here. Somebody could mark those ballots. Somebody could get them in here. MITCHELL BERGER (FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY SPECIAL COUNSEL): I didnt eat any chads in 2000. And there are no illegal votes now, okay, and the judge found that today. MELBER: Right. And thats an important point on the facts, which is there have not been findings by the independent arbiters, by the judges or the state authorities of that voter fraud, which is what makes at least President Trumps comments about this so irresponsible and fact-free.

Republicans only want their supporters votes to count

For years, Republicans have been championing voter suppression measures all across the country as a way to combat an increasingly diverse American population. We saw this play out all across the country this year.

If youre young or African American in particular, the GOP has worked tirelessly to make it harder for you to vote.

In Florida, though, they have taken this effort to another level. Not only do they want Democratic-leaning voters kept away from the polls, but they dont even believe their votes should count.

Their outrageous claims that counting votes amounts to fraud arent just irresponsible and fact-free, as Ari Melber pointed out on Monday. They are also dangerous for our democracy.

If Donald Trump loses in 2020, look for him to adopt this dangerous strategy on a national scale.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook.475 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters)  An associate of Roger Stone, a longtime ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, expects to be indicted by the U.S. special counsel probing Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, he said on Monday.

Jerome Corsi, a right-wing commentator, said in a livestream posted to YouTube he expected to be criminally charged after two months of cooperation with federal authorities.

I fully anticipate that in the next few days I will be indicted by Mueller for some form or other of giving false information to the special counsel or  (however) they want to do the indictment. But Im going to be criminally charged, Corsi said in the video.

Corsis attorney declined to comment, and Corsi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Special Counsel Robert Muellers team of prosecutors is investigating whether Trumps campaign team colluded with Moscow in its alleged efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.

As part of that investigation, prosecutors questioned associates of Stone over his ties to WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange.

The connection between Stone and Wikileaks came under scrutiny after WikiLeaks published emails hacked from the Democratic Party and the account of the campaign chairman of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton before the 2016 election.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsels office, declined to comment.

Trump has denied his campaign colluded with Moscow and has called the Mueller probe a witch hunt. Russia denies any interference in the 2016 campaign, and Stone has also denied any wrongdoing.

(Reporting by Makini Brice in Washington and Nathan Layne in New York; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)11.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

A federal judge has ordered Georgia Republicans to protect all provisional ballots and allow voters to check and see if their vote was counted.

According to a press release from Common Cause Georgia and the Brennan Center For Justice:

A federal court in Atlanta on Monday issued an order requiring the state to take a number of steps to protect voters who had to cast provisional ballots because of registration problems. Among those steps: Georgia officials must establish a hotline and website for voters to check if their ballots were counted; conduct a thorough review of provisional ballots; and provide detailed information about every provisional ballot cast in Tuesdays election.

The order came at the request of Common Cause Georgia and its attorneys at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law and the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. In a lawsuit filed Monday night, Common Cause of Georgia alleged that Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp recklessly publicized vulnerabilities in the states voter registration database, which exacerbated voters risk of having their registration information manipulated.

This is a big win for the voters, Democrats, and Stacey Abrams

Brian Kemp and the Republican Party have been trying to begin the transition and take power in Georgia by attempting to shut down the election. The Abrams campaign has taken legal action to make sure that every vote is counted and with the Democratic candidate roughly 20,000 votes short of triggering an automatic runoff, any ruling that helps to gets all the votes counted is a big win for Democrats.

An important victory for voting rights in Georgia

The right to vote is fundamental, and no one should lose that right because of mistakes in the voter registration database. The Georgians who voted in this election deserve better than what the state wanted to give them, said Myrna Perez, deputy director of the Brennan Centers democracy program, who argued the case with Farrah Berse of Paul, Weiss on Thursday in Atlanta.

Republicans went as far as to not provide power cords for voting machines in Democratic areas. The GOP tried everything imaginable to deny the right to vote in Georgia and they still might lose.

While the nations eyes are on the Florida recounts, the fight for voting rights in Georgia rages on.By Alex Dobuzinskis

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (Reuters)  The fatal shooting of a dozen people at a Western-themed bar in Thousand Oaks, California, inspired hundreds of area residents to line up for hours on Thursday to donate blood for the wounded.

The blood drive drew at least 300 people to a trailer parked outside a Catholic high school. The line snaked down the driveway and along the street.

The blood drive has been scheduled before the massacre late on Wednesday at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, which had a reputation as one of the countrys safest cities.

The big turnout followed a call for donations after the shooting. On a normal day, fewer than 60 people might be expected to turn out, school officials said.

It just shows great community spirit, it shows people helping people, it doesnt matter the color of their skin, where theyre from, it doesnt matter, said Steven Peisner, 56.

Law enforcement officials said 10 to 15 people went to hospitals with injuries, including at least one with gunshot wounds. The suspected shooter was found inside the bar with a fatal gunshot wound.

Peisner, a regular blood donor from nearby Calabasas, wore a leather vest festooned with metal pins commemorating the dozens of gallons of blood platelets he has donated over the years.

A number of young people in line said they had some connection to the victims or survivors of the shooting.

Delaney Kenney, 17, who was in line, said her brother was a friend of a woman who died in the shooting.

Hes pretty devastated, said Kenney, who attends a local high school.

Aaron Lacombe, 23, of Thousand Oaks, said he thought he might have known one of the victims from his days at California Lutheran University. He also has been to the bar, which he described as an upbeat place.

I grew up in this community, went to school in this community, so I kind of felt the obligation to get out here and do what I could, Lacombe said.

(Editing by Frank McGurty and Dan Grebler)1.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

MSNBCs Katy Tur said what every media outlet should be saying there is no evidence of voter fraud and Republicans are trying to undermine the election in Florida.

Tur said:

There is no evidence of voter fraud in Florida; theres no investigation into possible fraud either. But the president is calling to shut down the states recounts and declare his side the victors. He says Florida ballots have been forged and corrupted to such an extent that an honest vote count is no longer possible. So just make Republican Rick Scott senator and Ron Desantis governor already. At least thats his argument. But to repeat what I said there is no evidence of voter fraud down in Florida, and there is no investigation into possible fraud either. Both Republicans have seen their small leads get smaller heading into the recount, which officially got underway yesterday. It is a razor-thin 0.2% lead for Rick Scott in the Senate contest. And a 0.4% lead for Ron Desantis in the governors race.

.

To repeat, there is no evidence of voter fraud down in Florida. There is no investigation into possible fraud either. The Florida Department of State, which is run by a Scott appointee, said Saturday that our staff has seen no evidence of criminal activity at this and they reiterated that finding yesterday. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said on Friday that we do not an active investigation and they reiterated that statement yesterday as well.

Lets be fair here, though, the states second biggest county Broward, which is a Democratic stronghold, is a testament to electoral dysfunction. And on Friday a judge found they violated transparency laws. Scott filed a lawsuit attempting to have the state impound all of Browards voting machines, tallying devices and ballots, but a judge denied that request today saying I dont think I have any evidence to enter a mandatory injunction right now

Video:

MSNBCs Katy Tur said what every media outlet should be saying there is no evidence of voter fraud and Republicans are trying to undermine the election in Florida. https://t.co/9xNcgblKqv pic.twitter.com/jOFtLMK0ss  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) November 12, 2018

Republicans are trying to steal an election in Florida

If all of the ballots are counted in Florida, Democrats will likely win the Senate seat and they may win the governors race too. Republicans are throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks because they are desperate not to have all of the votes counted. Every single journalist in the United States should begin their Florida stories by repeating the same factual point. There is no evidence of voter fraud and absolutely no reason for the vote counting to stop.

Republicans cannot be allowed to steal this election in Florida.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.1.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

By Letitia Stein and Susan Heavey

TAMPA, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters)  U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday urged Florida election officials to end a recount and declare his fellow Republicans the winners of disputed races in last weeks midterm elections

as a judge urged both parties to be careful with claims of fraud.

As Florida officials scrambled to review more than 8 million ballots by Thursday, Trump, without providing evidence, cast doubt on the recount process.

Leads by the Republican candidates in the races for a seat in the U.S. Senate and for the governors office shrank as more ballots were tallied following last Tuesdays election. State law mandates recounts in elections where margin of victory is within 0.5 percentage points.

Trump called for an end to the recount even though state rules allow election officials to wait 10 days for absentee ballots submitted by registered voters living outside the United States, including active-duty military personnel.

A machine recount began over the weekend in the race between outgoing Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott and Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, with another recount underway for the Florida gubernatorial race between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum.

Republicans are eager to cement victories in a key battleground state after maintaining their control of the U.S. Senate in last weeks midterm congressional elections, while Democrats are eyeing another possible state governorship win. Both parties accused the other of trying to subvert democracy.

Scott on Sunday had asked a Broward County judge to issue an emergency injunction calling for law enforcement to seize all voting machines, tallying devices and ballots when they are not being used until the end of the recount and any related litigation.

The judge rejected that request on Monday, according to Marc Elias, an attorney representing the Nelson campaign. The Scott campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Broward County Circuit Judge Jack Tuter urged both sides to be restrained in their public statements as the state faces a repeat of its dramatic role in the 2000 U.S. presidential vote recount.

I am urging (the lawyers) to tamp down the rhetoric, Tuter told a hearing, according to the Miami Herald. We have to be careful about what we say.

ZERO EVIDENCE

Trump repeated his complaints over the Florida races in a Twitter post on Monday.

The president instead called on state authorities to go with the initial vote count totals. Trump alleged voter fraud had taken place, but provided no evidence.

The Florida Election should be called in favor of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged. An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night! he wrote.

Studies have found no evidence of large-scale voter fraud in the United States, though through the nations history courts have found evidence of policies intended to suppress voting by minorities.

Theres zero evidence backing up claims by Republican extremists that Democrats are trying to steal the election, Nelson said on Twitter on Monday. What were trying to do is make sure every lawful vote is counted.

Nelson on Monday called on Scott to recuse himself from playing any role in overseeing the recount.

Florida law gives local election officials until the Saturday after an election to submit their first round of unofficial election results. It is common for elections supervisors to process results well after election night.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which has said it will review allegations of criminal fraud, stated that it had no active investigations as of late Friday.

Scott has said he won the Senate race even as the ballots are tallied again, telling Fox News on Monday: I want to make sure theres a free and fair election. But theres laws. Comply with the laws.

Neighboring Georgias gubernatorial race also remains undecided as does the U.S. Senate contest in Arizona. Several U.S House of Representative races are also still too close to call. Democrats seized control of the House in last weeks election.

The Democratic National Committee and veterans advocacy group VoteVets Action Fund filed a new lawsuit on Monday asking a federal judge to order state officials to accept all mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day, rather than only those received by 7 p.m. that day, the same time that polls closed.

The lawsuit noted that nearly 875,000 of the 3.5 million vote-by-mail ballots requested this year had not been counted as received by the Nov. 6 deadline.

The lawsuit noted that voters had no control over potential mail delays resulting from U.S. Postal Service delivery changes, or from an October bomb scare that evacuated a distribution center in a small and heavily minority community outside Miami.

(Reporting by Letitia Stein in Tampa, Florida, and Susan Heavey in Washington; additional reporting by Mark Hosenball and Lisa Lambert in Washington and Zachary Fagenson in Miami; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)4k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

In news that is likely to send Donald Trump into another fit of rage, acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker  a man chosen to be a presidential puppet in the Russia investigation  could now be on the verge of recusing himself from the probe.

According to a tweet from CBS reporter Paula Reid, the Department of Justice says Whitaker will consult with senior ethics officials at DOJ about possible recusal in Special Counsel investigation.

JUST IN: DOJ says Acting Attorney General Whitaker will consult with senior ethics officials at DOJ about possible recusal in Special Counsel investigation. DOJ Spox Kerri Kupec says, pic.twitter.com/19ej569Ne2  Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) November 13, 2018

The news that Whitaker could possibly recuse himself from the Russia investigation comes after the new acting AG has come under intense scrutiny because of his record as a Mueller-trashing conspiracy theorist.

In the past, not only did he call the special counsel probe a witch hunt, but he suggested that the infamous 2016 meeting between Russia and the Trump campaign was no big deal.

Democrats were quick to call for Whitakers recusal soon after Trump announced he would be taking Sessions position instead of naming Rod Rosenstein, the acting attorney general.

Another recusal could put Trump over the edge

Following last weeks blue wave that gave Democrats control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Donald Trump has been particularly unhinged.

We saw it in his press conference the day after the election when he completely lost control of himself during an exchange with CNN reporter Jim Acosta. It has only continued throughout the week in his dangerous claims of voter fraud, his attacks on California as they battle deadly wildfires and his disastrous trip to France over the weekend.

If the man Trump picked to be his personal shield from the special counsel investigation recuses himself, it could push Trump completely over the edge.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook.By Alex Dobuzinskis and Dana Feldman

(Reuters)  University freshman Cole Knapp was talking with friends inside the Borderline Bar and Grill in the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks when he saw a man dressed in black reach toward the counter by the door as if he was paying his cover charge.

I just kind of saw it in the corner of my eye and I heard a gunshot and I focused on him and I saw that he was holding a handgun and he continued to shoot at the girl at the front desk, Knapp, 19, told Reuters TV.

It was sometime after 11 p.m. PST on Wednesday night when Ian David Long, a 28-year-old former U.S. Marine, walked into the Western-themed bar on College Country Night and fired off round after round seemingly at random from his .45 caliber Glock handgun equipped with a high-capacity magazine.

Knapp, a student at nearby Moorpark College, ducked behind a pool table with a few other people, he said, even as some patrons kept line dancing, apparently unaware of the gunfire around them.

He bolted toward an exit onto a smoking patio, filled with more people who hadnt heard the gunshots over the loud music and I told them get over that fence and just run.

A SWAT team from the Ventura County Sherrifs Department, arrived within minutes, along with the FBI and other officers to find the bar strewn with bodies, survivors huddling in terror, and others desperately trying to get out.

They found people hiding in restrooms, people hiding in attics, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said. Other witnesses described people using bar stools to break windows and escape.

Alexis Tait, 23, said she heard what sounded like firecrackers going off until she saw her friend Kristina Kaylee Morisette fall to the floor  one of a dozen people the gunman killed.

Tait, who says shes a regular at the bar, then saw people huddled by a mirror and window and fled there.

We were all bodies on top of each other and as soon as we saw him (the shooter) walk  into the other part of the bar, everyone bolted as fast as they could to get out, Tait said.

Tait said she also saw people break windows with bar stools and jump out.

We all just trampled and tried to get out, Tait said. All we could think about was like we need to get out.

(This story fixes headline, no change to text)

(Additional reporting by Omar Younis; writing by Bill Tarrant; Editing by Michael Perry)By Nathan Layne

(Reuters)  An associate of Roger Stone, a longtime ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, said he was told by the U.S. special counsel probing Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election that he would be contacted this week about a possible plea deal.

Jerome Corsi, a right-wing commentator who has promoted political conspiracy theories, told Reuters on Tuesday that his lawyer was told by the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller last week that their next discussion, possibly on Tuesday, would be about pleas.

So by pleas I assumed their plan was to indict me, Corsi said in a telephone interview, adding he was not given any information about the likely basis for any charge against him.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsel, declined to comment. David Gray, Corsis attorney, also declined to comment.

Corsis remarks come a day after he grabbed headlines with a livestream posted to YouTube, in which he said he expected to be criminally charged after two months of cooperation with Muellers probe.

Muellers team of prosecutors is investigating whether Trumps election campaign team colluded with Moscow to influence the 2016 presidential vote. Both Trump and Russia have denied any collusion.

Muellers prosecutors have questioned several associates of Stone over his contacts with WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange. They are probing whether Stone had advance access to emails hacked from the Democratic Party and the account of John Podesta, campaign chairman of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and obtained by Wikileaks.

Stone denies having advance access to the emails, which were hacked by Russian intelligence, prior to their release by Wikileaks in the weeks before the 2016 election.

Corsi is of interest to Mueller because he provided research to Stone during the campaign. Stone has said that one of his most scrutinized comments  a tweet in August 2016 predicting that it would soon be the Podestas time in the barrel  was based on Corsis research about John Podesta and his brother.

Six weeks after that tweet, Wikileaks began to release the emails from John Podestas account online.

Corsi said Muellers prosecutors have pressed him repeatedly on any ties to Assange, whom he says he has never met.

I do not recall having any source that was connected to Assange, Corsi said.

Corsi said his views on what Assange had, in terms of hacked material, came mostly from public sources and that he put the pieces together and connected the dots on his own during a trip to Italy to celebrate his wedding anniversary in July-August 2016.

He said it was common sense to predict Assange would release the hacked material in October for maximum impact.

Because if I had those emails I would drop them in October, Corsi said.

(Reporting by Nathan Layne in New York and Mark Hosenball in Washington; Editing by Bernadette Baum)1.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

CBS News is reporting this morning that special counsel Robert Mueller is expected to soon issue new indictments in the ongoing probe of the Trump campaigns ties to Russia. They said that the new indictments may be issued as early as today.

The news agency said that a significant number of new indictments may be sent out in the ongoing investigation which has already resulted in numerous guilty pleas by top officials who worked to elect President Donald Trump. Muellers team has also previously issued 30 criminal indictments in the case.

CBS said that is has sources with inside knowledge of the investigation. They reportedly told Paula Reid, a CBS anchor, that they are expecting that the new indictments will come down this week sometime, and possibly right away.

Ive spoken with many sources with knowledge of the Special Counsel investigation, and we do expect new indictments to be coming as soon as today, Reid said.

@PaulaReidCBS reports: Ive spoken with many sources with knowledge of the Special Counsel investigation, and we do expect new indictments to be coming as soon as today.

.@PaulaReidCBS reports: Ive spoken with many sources with knowledge of the Special Counsel investigation, and we do expect new indictments to be coming as soon as today. pic.twitter.com/v7SJHR1r2g  Norah O'Donnell (@NorahODonnell) November 13, 2018

Since the midterm elections concluded there has been a great deal of speculation about Muellers next moves. It is widely believed that he has mostly concluded his investigation, having talked to almost all key witnesses. Therefore, many knowledgeable people have given their opinions that more indictments would soon be made public. These could be new indictments, or they could be the opening of sealed indictments which had been secretly issued by a grand jury over the past year.

The fact that Trumps former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, was in Washington, D.C., on Monday to meet with Muellers investigators led to more speculation about the special counsels next moves.

In addition, friends of Donald Trump Jr. have disclosed that the presidents son believes he will soon be indicted by Mueller also. Yesterday prominent birther and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi said he expects to be indicted. Longtime Trump associate Roger Stone has also said that he expects to be indicted soon.532 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

By Sarah N. Lynch and Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  The state of Maryland launched a court challenge on Tuesday to the legality of President Donald Trumps appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting U.S. attorney general, saying the president overstepped his constitutional authority and broke federal law.

Trump installed Whitaker as acting attorney general last week after ordering Jeff Sessions to resign from the post. Trump had repeatedly criticized Sessions for recusing himself in March 2017 from the federal investigation, now headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, into Russias role in the 2016 U.S. election, a probe Trump has called a witch hunt.

Democrats in Congress have voiced concern that Whitaker, a Trump loyalist, could undermine or even fire Mueller.

Maryland asked U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander to bar Whitaker from appearing in an official capacity as acting attorney general in existing litigation related to the Affordable Care Act healthcare law and to substitute Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in Whitakers place.

With Whitakers appointment, Rosenstein is no longer in charge of the investigation.

The city of San Francisco, also involved in litigation against the Trump administration, on Monday also told the Justice Department it may sue to challenge Whitakers appointment.

Whitakers appointment as the top U.S. law enforcement official gives him authority over Muellers investigation, which already has led to criminal charges against a series of former Trump aides and has cast a cloud over his presidency. Whitaker, who had served as chief of staff for Sessions, previously questioned the scope of Muellers investigation and spoke about the idea of reducing funding for the special counsel so the probe grinds to almost a halt.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, a Democrat, said in a statement the state plans to challenge Whitakers appointment on two legal grounds.

Maryland argues that Rosenstein, the departments No. 2 official, should have succeeded Sessions under an existing federal succession law that vests full authority in the deputy attorney general should the office of attorney general become vacant. The state also argues that Trump violated the so-called Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution because the job of attorney general is a principal officer who must be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

UNQUALIFIED AND UNCONFIRMED

The Attorney Generals succession statute and the Constitution protect the country against exactly what President Trump has attempted to do here  pluck an unqualified and unconfirmed partisan to be the nations chief law enforcement officer in order to protect himself rather than the rule of law, Frosh said in a statement.

Marylands challenge came as part of litigation it filed against the Justice Department in September after Sessions declined to defend the Affordable Care Acts protection of people with pre-existing conditions in response to a lawsuit led by Texas. The Affordable Care Act is often called Obamacare.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday called on the panels Republican chairman, Senator Chuck Grassley, to quickly hold hearings with Whitaker and Sessions, who was ousted by Trump a day after his fellow Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives in midterm congressional elections.

The circumstances surrounding the departure of Sessions raise serious questions, including whether the appointment is lawful and the possible impact on Special Counsel Muellers investigation, Feinstein wrote in a letter to Grassley.

Democrats and other critics have called on Whitaker to step aside from overseeing Muellers investigation. On Monday, the Justice Department said Whitaker would consult with ethics officials about any matters that could require him to recuse himself.

White House communications director Mercedes Schlapp told Fox News on Tuesday that Trump had full and legal authority to appoint Whitaker.

A Justice Department spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The department is expected in the near future to issue a legal opinion defending Whitakers appointment.

Any ruling by Hollander almost certainly would not be the final word on the matter, as the Trump administration would likely appeal any ruling against the appointment to a higher court. Other litigation over the matter also is possible.

Rosenstein appointed Mueller after Trump fired James Comey as FBI director in May 2017. The FBI had been in charge of the Russia probe. Muellers investigation has led to criminal charges against dozens of people, including Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Susan Heavey; Additional reporting by Brendan OBrien; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Bill Trott and James Dalgleish)1.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

In a highly unusual move, the state of Maryland will ask a judge on Tuesday to declare that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is the acting U.S. attorney general, according to a new report from NBC News.

If the judge does issue such an order Rosenstein would replace Matt Whitaker, who was appointed to that position last week by President Trump. The U.S. Attorney General position is open because Trump forced the resignation of Jeff Sessions who had been Attorney General since Trump was inaugurated in January of 2017.

A court ruling that Whitaker cant serve as acting attorney general would be a severe blow to President Donald Trump.

In appointing Whitaker Trump had bypassed the more qualified Rosenstein. Whitaker had endeared himself to the president because he has repeatedly criticized Robert Muellers Russia investigation.

If the federal judge does rule in favor of Rosenstein the case would probably be headed to the Supreme Court because Trumps Justice Department would immediately appeal the ruling.

Whitakers appointment has been widely criticized by Democrats and others because as acting attorney general he now has oversight responsibility for the special counsels investigation into Russian election meddling. And he has a very controversial past as a highly-partisan right-wing spokesman and activist.

He once questioned the scope of the Mueller probe and said he had concluded (without evidence) that there was no Trump campaign collusion with the Russians.

For this reason alone many Democrats have demanded that he recuse himself from overseeing Muellers investigation.

Marylands Democratic attorney general, Brian Frosh, is submitting court documents on Tuesday, according to NBC News. These documents say that if Trump had the kind of authority the White House claims, he could fire the attorney general then appoint a carefully selected senior employee who he was confident would terminate or otherwise severely limit the investigation.

Froshs argument is that by choosing Whitaker Trump has violated federal law and and also has exceeded the appointment authority given to him in the U.S. Constitution.

Trump used a law known as the Federal Vacancies Reform Act as his legal authority to appoint Whitaker. This act gives the president the authority to fill a vacant Cabinet position with a senior employee of the affected agency. Whitaker fits in that category, because he had been the chief of staff to Attorney General Sessions before he was fired.

But the Maryland attorney general is asking the judge to rule that a different federal law actually governs what happens when the office of attorney general is vacant. This law would say that when the Attorney General position is vacant, the deputy attorney general takes over. This of course would mean that Rosenstein would be the acting Attorney General until a permanent replacement for Sessions is confirmed by the Senate.

Frosh argues that the Vacancies Reform Act is a general law which does not come into play in this situation where there is a specific law governing how to fill a vacant cabinet position.

Maryland also is arguing that Whitakers appointment violates a provision of the Constitution that specifies top positions in the government can be filled only through presidential nomination and confirmation by the Senate. Because Whitakers nomination bypassed that process, the state says, he cannot serve as acting attorney general.

It is troubling, to say the least, that the president is attempting to fill a vacancy he created himself with a temporary appointment that might last for many months or years, wrote Frosh, especially when, as there, the temporary appointee has not been confirmed by the Senate.341 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

Sarah Palin sounded the alarm on Twitter when she wrote:

Here They Come: Dems Planning Aggressive Gun Control Push When They Take Over House

Here They Come: Dems Planning 'Aggressive' Gun Control Push When They Take Over House https://t.co/ezbWNP6KAN  Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) November 13, 2018

Of course, Palin thinks it is a bad thing for people to actually talk about putting any limitations on gun ownership. But the former Republican vice presidential candidate is increasingly in the minority in this country as the majority of voters now favor some types of gun control.

On election day dozens of candidates who campaigned on a platform of imposing new gun control laws were elected to public office. These candidates were from from all over the country, showing that it is no longer a regional issue, but is a true national issue.

The results of the midterm elections also show that more people are not afraid to take on the National Rifle Association (NRA) anymore. In fact last month we reported that:

U.S. gun-control advocates have outspent by more than 40 percent gun-rights groups on next months congressional elections, reversing the National Rifle Associations longstanding dominance in spending on gun politics.

Giffords PAC, the gun-violence prevention group founded by former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, was very active this election cycle. In fact 95 House candidates endorsed by Giffords PAC won their elections and will be strong advocates for gun control in the new Congress.

Another gun control group founded by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, Everytown for Gun Safety, had successful results also. It made 66 endorsements in federal races and 83 percent of them won.

Gun control advocates say that in elections where they took on incumbents supported by the NRA they were more successful than the powerful gun lobby which historically had been known for winning elections.

Republicans in Congress have been heavily criticized for offering their thoughts and prayers, but taking no action after horrendous incidents of gun violence. Democratic leaders say that the new Congress which convenes in January will be very different.

After the mass murder in Thousand Oaks, California, last week the likely new Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she expects action on common-sense background checks to prevent guns going into the wrong hands.

This will be a priority for us in the next Congress, she said.

Pelosi will be joined by a group of Democrats in the new House who will help her push for new legislation on gun restrictions. Of course bills passed in the House by Democrats are not likely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate, let alone be signed into law by President Trump.

Lanae Erickson, vice president for social policy at the Third Way think tank had this to say:

The House is now going to be the seat of power for Democrats at the federal level, so its really going to drive the agenda for what the Democratic party stands for going into the primary in 2020.

Erickson admitted that any gun-related legislation passed by Democrats would never make it into law. But she said that starting in 2019 House Democrats will be able to show voters what they will do if they are able to take more power in the future.

And for the Democratic Party, their agenda is clear. If they are are able to take power, then more gun control legislation is the way of the future.526 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

Insider reports from the White House say that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will be the next Trump appointee to leave his administration.

These reports say that President Donald Trump has told other advisers that he has made the decision to get rid of Nielsen as soon as it is feasible. This means that she will likely leave the administration in just a few weeks, if not sooner.

In its reporting, The Washington Post spoke to five current and former White House officials who agreed that the president would soon make his move to replace Nielsen.

Trump was planning to take a trip with Nielsen this week to visit U.S. troops in South Texas but cancelled the trip without announcing a reason. He told White House advisers over the weekend that he wants her out as soon as possible.

Trump has complained about Nielsen for several months because he believes she is not doing a good job on enforcement of immigration laws. Since tough immigration enforcement is the cornerstone of his domestic policies, he needs someone very tough in the DHS role, he believes.

The White House insiders say that he will be looking for a replacement who will be more willing to quickly implement his policy ideas. Nielsen did not always agree with Trumps policies, such as his zero tolerance policy and the policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the U.S./Mexican border.

Trump is expected to make his announcement about Nielsens departure sometime this week.

Other DHS officials would not talk about her potential departure but DHS spokesman Tyler Q. Houlton issued a statement saying:

The Secretary is honored to lead the men and women of DHS and is committed to implementing the Presidents security-focused agenda to protect Americans from all threats and will continue to do so.

Nielsen has reportedly been very unhappy in the DHS position since early this year, but did not want to leave the administration before reaching the one-year mark as secretary on December 6.

During her tenure at DHS Nielsen has tried to explain to Trump the laws and regulations that prevent the government from drastically curtailing immigration or closing the border with Mexico. But the president seemed unwilling to listen to her, and grew increasingly impatient and frustrated with her performance.

After Nielsen leaves there will be a leadership void at the federal governments third-largest agency. DHS has 240,000 employees and a $60 billion budget. The job of DHS Deputy Secretary has been vacant since April, and Trump has not submitted to Congress a nomination for that post.

Like other qualified people who have left the Trump administration, Secretary Nielsen was not willing to give in to every whim or crazy idea emanating from the Oval Office. By standing up to Trump, and attempting to bring a measured approach to her important job, Nielsen got on his bad side and her leaving was only a matter of time.On November 10, the Russian Foreign Ministry posted a news item about a telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl.

According to the post, the two ministers discussed the situation surrounding an Austrian military officer recently accused of spying for Russia starting as early as 1992. The statement said Lavrov considered this a case of putting forward unsubstantiated accusations that go against the norms of international dialogue.

In fact, the suspected Austrian army colonel in question confessed to spying, according to the Austrian newspaper Die Presse. And even the Russian state media outlet Sputnik reported on his confession, citing the Die Presse article.

Austrias Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, who danced with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding this past August, cancelled her upcoming visit to Moscow amid the spy scandal.

Some observers see this espionage scandal as an embarrassment for Austria, which refused to join other European nations in expelling Russian diplomats following the Skripal poisonings, in which Russias intelligence services have been implicated.UPDATE: On November 13, the European Platform for Democratic Elections published its report on the elections in the unrecognized territories within Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The report contains a full list of election "observers," along with their party affiliations if known. The report can be found here.

On November 11, authorities in the Russian-occupied, self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics held elections which were roundly condemned by the Ukrainian government. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv called the elections a sham, while the European Union issued a statement declaring them to be illegal and illegitimate, and stating that the E.U. would not recognize them. The German and French government also issued similar statements condemning the elections.

On November 12, however, Russian state media agencies reported the results of the elections, and RIA Novosti reported that the elections were democratic and open according to observers.



Russia has a history of using unqualified election observers both for elections within Russia and in the territories it controls by proxy. Polygraph.info has reported on this practice on several occasions. Typically the observers are a mixture of openly pro-Moscow individuals from various far-right and sometimes far-left European political parties.

This election appears to be no exception. For example, the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group noted that one of the requirements for being an election observer is that the individual monitors do not reside within the territory of the DNR or LNR.

However, some observers clearly do reside within those territories, and some of them have either actively engaged in pro-separatist activities or, in one case, have actually served in the military forces of the Russian-led republics.

For example, one of the observers was Janus Putkonen, a Finnish citizen who not only resides in occupied Donetsk, but also founded a media outlet there. A Vice reporter detailed an encounter with Putkonen in Donetsk, where he was also serving in the republics information ministry and vetting all foreign reporters working within the territory. He has reportedly lived in Donetsk since 2015, meaning that even by the pseudo-states own regulations, he would be disqualified.

One story from the Russian news agency TASS quotes one observer named Artur Leier, who is described as an assistant to a member of the Hamburg parliament. However, it turns out that Mr. Leier is a representative of the Eurasian Society of Germany. In a video from April 19, 2018, Leier is interviewed by a pro-Kremlin journalist Caleb Maupin in Yalta, in Russian-occupied Crimea.

The United Nations, in a report on election observation for its publication "Women Watch" pointed to the need for impartial observers, assembled from outside the election location:

International observation groups usually keep themselves separate from domestic groups in order to preserve their image of impartiality, since the credibility of their assessment and conclusions will depend to a large extent on whether they are perceived as neutral and impartial, the report stated, noting there can be advantages to having a domestic monitoring team working with international observers.

In Donetsk, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) did not carry out any observation of the elections.

Although I dont know who exactly might have observed over this weekend, there was no one involved from the OSCE, a spokesperson from the OSCEs Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights wrote in response to Polygraph.info.

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, which observes other activities in the territories, did mention the elections in a recent spot report, but could not comment on their authenticity.

On 11 November, in non-government-controlled Donetsk city, the SMM observed a slight increase in the presence of armed formations members in some areas of the city centre, the report states.

It saw buildings with signs that read polling stations, with two to four people in full combat gear and with assault rifles present outside most of them. In the vicinity, the SMM saw stalls similar to market ones.

Beyond this, the report states that Other civilians separately shared concerns that people felt compelled to vote, as otherwise they would face interruption of salaries or health care in non-government-controlled areas.

In regards to international election monitoring missions, the Carter Center, the U.N. Electoral Assistance Division and the National Democratic Institute developed a set of principles for election monitoring, which the organizations say serve as professional guidelines for election observations  guidelines endorsed by more than 50 organizations.

The principles noted by the Carter Center include a lengthy process.

Election observation missions start long before election day, with experts and long-term observers analyzing election laws, assessing voter education and registration, and evaluating fairness in campaigns, the Carter Center Democracy Program states on its Web site.

Election day tasks include polling place observation, that continues for days and weeks after the election as observers evaluation vote tabulation, any disputes over the election and final results.

TASS reported on the day of the Donetsk election that foreign observers arrived just the day before the election.The TASS article noted that the delegation from Russia included members of the Federation Council and Russia and that observers who arrived on Saturday came from Abkhazia, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, France, and South Ossetia. We have not seen a full list of the foreign observers.

'Election Context'

Novaya Gazeta reported November 12 that only Russian state media were allowed to be present at polling stations and that "Russian, Ukrainian and foreign media were allowed on the territory of the republics."

Interestingly, the newspaper reported that Kremlin officials had declined to recognize the legitimacy of the election, only that they "respect" the outcome.

Only days before the election, U.S. State Department Special Representative Kurt Volker in a conference call with reporters November 8 called the elections "a mockery" where people under occupation have "no freedom of choice."

He called for a UN peacekeeping mission to create security and conditions for free elections .

"With the UN forces there you would need a period of time to organize elections, to allow for registration, to allow for candidates, to allow for campaigning, and to have those elections go forward," said Volker answering the question of a TASS writer.

And so our judgment is that a statement the day after that the elections were democratic and open can only be judged as false, given the lack of professional standards and what we know of the make-up of those who arrived Saturday.Get the SC business stories that matter.

Our newsletter catches you up with all the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina every Monday and Thursday at noon. Get ahead with us - it's free.You are the owner of this article.Juul Labs says it will try to slow teenagers use of its wildly popular e-cigarette products by changing the way it markets and sells the device, its CEO said in a statement Tuesday.

The changes come after federal regulators criticized Juul and other manufacturers of vaping products for using backdoor strategies to market to young people or for not doing enough to prevent their appeal to minors whove never smoked conventional cigarettes. Juul Labs has said its product was designed for smoking cessation by adults who are trying to quit traditional cigarettes and that it didnt intend to market to teens.

Juuls are very small, easily confused with a USB flash drive, and very popular among students in some schools . Teens smuggle Juuls in their shirt sleeves, vape them in bathroom stalls, and even share online videos of their peers puffing away in classrooms.

Principals tell Education Week that the devices are popular across student groups, and that some of their students appear to have developed nicotine addiction by using them.

To paraphrase [Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott] Gottlieb, we want to be the off-ramp for adult smokers to switch from cigarettes, not an on-ramp for Americas youth to initiate on nicotine, Juul Labs CEO Kevin Burns said in a statement on the companys website. We wont be successful in our mission to serve adult smokers if we dont narrow the on-ramp. Our intent was never to have youth use JUUL products. But intent is not enough, the numbers are what matter, and the numbers tell us underage use of e-cigarette products is a problem. We must solve it.

The Food and Drug Administration had threatened increased enforcement activities if Juul didnt provide a satisfactory plan to stem its use by minors.

We cannot risk a whole generation of kids getting addicted to nicotine, Gottlieb said earlier this month as he announced a public hearing on teen vaping, which he has called an epidemic. We must put strategies in place now to help those who are already addicted quit.

Among the steps Juul announced Tuesday:



Juul will prohibit traditional retail stores, like convenience stores, from selling flavors that are popular among young peoplecucumber, mango, creme, and fruitselling those flavors online through a website that verifies each users age.

The company will limit online sales to prohibit bulk buying by users who may intend to resell the devices to minors.

Juul will shut down most of its social media accounts, limiting communications to non-promotional messages on Twitter and age-restricted content about smoking cessation on Youtube.

Additional secret shoppers will visit retail stores to ensure they are abiding by age restrictions.

Will the steps be enough to slow the popularity of teen vaping? Time will tell. But in the meantime, the products continue to create disciplinary challenges for schools, as Education Week correspondent Kavitha Cardoza explains in this video.

Photo: Marshfield High School Principal Robert Keuther displays vaping devices that were confiscated from students in Marshfield, Mass.--Steven Senne/AP

Learn more about Juul, teen vaping:

Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox.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.FILE - In this June 12 file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at the conclusion of their meetings in Singapore. U.S. analysts say they have located more than half of an estimated 20 secret North Korean missile development facilities. The findings come as the Trump administrations denuclearization talks appear to have stalled. And they highlight the challenge the U.S. faces in ensuring that North Korea complies with any eventual agreement that covers its nuclear and missile programs. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool, File)The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe its important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication.Political Reporter

Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work.MINNEAPOLIS  The University of Minnesota Extension is providing free help to farmers who may be struggling in an agricultural economic downturn.

The extensions Farm Information Line connects farmers with retired agricultural financial and business experts who will provide analysis and advice.

The Extension began the private and confidential program more than a year ago to help address farmers growing concerns about financial burdens, according to Kevin Klair, an agricultural economist with Extension.

"The biggest thing is to help them figure out where theyre at financially," Klair said. "Its mostly about exploring what options might be available."

The line so far has helped more than 100 farmers. Klair said more farmers are expected to utilize the counseling resource as the end of this years harvest approaches.

"The next several months  December, January, February, March  will be the months when (farmers) really have to analyze where theyre at, discuss with their lenders, see how theyre doing and what their options are," he said.

Brad Hovel, a farmer in Cannon Falls, said farmers may have difficulty asking for help, even when they need it.

"Farmers are pretty proud people and I dont know if theyd really tell their neighbors or friends if theyre having financial trouble or not," Hovel said.

Low crop prices and poor weather during the planting and growing season have hurt Minnesota farmers the last few years, said Extension Associate Dean Michael Schmitt.

Financial stress can have negative impacts on farmers families and their mental health, Schmitt said.

"We are concerned when people dont talk about their challenges with anybody, because they cant get the help they need, they cant get the advice they need," he said.NORRISTOWN  While continuing to profess his love for his adoptive parents, a Lansdale man saw his prison term reduced by several years on charges he terrorized and threatened the couple and police while armed with a stockpile of firearms and ammunition inside the familys home in 2015.

I love my parents greatly, Andrew L. Cooper, 31, said Tuesday in Montgomery County Court before he was resentenced to 6-to-14-years in state prison in connection with the July 23, 2015, incident at his parents home in the 400 block of West Mount Vernon Street.

The new sentence imposed by Judge Gary S. Silow replaces the 10-to-20-year prison term Cooper received in December 2016 after Silow, during a non-jury trial, convicted Cooper of charges of aggravated and simple assault, recklessly endangering other persons, possessing an instrument of crime, terroristic threats and unlawful restraint.

Were very pleased with that result given the fact that his sentence was almost cut in half under the circumstances, defense lawyer John I. McMahon Jr. said after the hearing concluded.

In an appeal to the Pennsylvania Superior Court, McMahon argued that there was insufficient evidence to conclude Cooper intended to inflict serious bodily injury to his mother and to convict him of aggravated assault. The state Superior Court agreed and as a result, two felony charges of aggravated assault were vacated against Cooper, setting the stage for Tuesdays re-sentencing hearing.

The state court upheld the aggravated assault convictions against Cooper as they pertained to his acts against his father.

Coopers parents were in the courtroom on Tuesday. Silow kept in place an order prohibiting Cooper from having any contact with his parents.

Cooper is being housed at the State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill.

Some days its rough, some days its not as bad, Cooper said when asked by the judge how he is handling his incarceration.

McMahon, who claimed Coopers conduct was fueled by his alcohol abuse, said Cooper wants to enter an alcohol treatment and counseling program in prison but has been advised he cant do so until he nears the expiration of his minimum sentence and is closer to being paroled.

Hes been working in the kitchen and hasnt had any misconducts, so hes doing very well, all things considered, McMahon said about Coopers prison experience.

Cooper didnt comment about his reduced prison term as he was escorted from the courtroom by sheriffs deputies for the return trip to prison.

No one was injured during the 2015 incident but at the time of trial Assistant District Attorney Richard Bradbury maintained it was frightening when Cooper threatened his father with a rifle and loaded a round into a handgun. Bradbury argued Cooper prepared an ambush.

Bradbury previously said the victims fear Cooper. Testimony revealed Cooper had threatened or intimidated his parents with guns on two other occasions between 2014 and 2015.

Testimony revealed the altercation began after Cooper decided he was not going to attend an early morning preliminary hearing he had on an alleged DUI charge.

Defense lawyer Ethan OShea, who represented Cooper at trial, offered Coopers alcohol problem as an explanation for Coopers behavior but added it was not an excuse. At trial, OShea argued Cooper was either impaired or suffering from some effect of alcohol.

Testimony revealed authorities seized two shotguns, three rifles and a semiautomatic handgun and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition from the home.

Cooper did not testify during his trial. While OShea claimed it was a scary situation, he argued at trial that there was not sufficient evidence that Cooper intended to shoot his parents and to support a conviction of aggravated assault.

At trial, Coopers father testified he told his son he needed to get ready for the preliminary hearing and a short time later observed his son with a rifle by his side. He said Cooper then raised the weapon and pointed it in his direction.

He said, This is the day. Im taking you all out,' the 73-year-old man testified at trial, adding Cooper threatened to kill police one at a time if they came to the house to get him.

Cooper also assaulted his father by pushing and shoving him and prevented his father from leaving the home, prosecutors alleged.

Coopers mother testified her son was extremely angry and kept telling his parents he was in charge and that he was ready for police if they arrived at the home. Cooper did allow his mother to leave when she told him she was going to take her daily walk. Thats when the woman called 911 and police responded shortly after 6 a.m.

When police arrived they and Coopers mother created a ruse, whereby she phoned her home and told her son that she had fallen during her walk and needed her husbands help. Cooper was lured out of the house with his father a short time later and police converged and took him into custody.

Bradbury said two things prevented the situation from turning into an enormous tragedy  Mrs. Coopers presence of mind to get out of the house and call police and the outstanding work of Lansdale and Towamencin police and responding agencies in diagnosing a very dangerous situation and then taking very strong and measured action to make sure it came to a safe conclusion.

A search of the home uncovered several weapons on the second floor, including a Rebel Arms AR-15 semi-automatic rifle loaded with a high-capacity magazine, with a stockpile of ammunition next to it, at the top of the stairs in what police described as a prime location to ambush persons ascending the stairs from the first floor to the second floor, according to court documents.NORRISTOWN -The December trial for a Philadelphia man accused of fatally stabbing the mother of his unborn child in her Cheltenham apartment has been postponed while lawyers battle over pretrial issues in the case.

The trial for Tristian Jones, originally slated to begin Dec. 3, will now begin on Feb. 19, 2019, which is the one year anniversary of the alleged murder, according to an order filed by Montgomery County Judge Wendy G. Rothstein. The trial is expected to last about a week.

Meanwhile, the judge has set aside Dec. 3 for a pretrial hearing in the case.

At that time, the judge is expected to consider a request by prosecutors who want the jury to hear the 911 call made by the victims 12-year-old daughter who retreated to a bathroom of the residence after allegedly observing Jones stabbing her mother.

Prosecutors Alexandria MacMaster and Kristen J. Kemp argued the 911 audio recording is admissible as a present-sense impression and an excited utterance under the law and should be heard by the jury.

Jones, 35, of the 900 block of East Johnson Street, faces murder charges in connection with the Feb. 19, 2018, fatal stabbing of Eboney N. White, 31, and her unborn child in her apartment in the 2000 block of Mather Way in the Elkins Park section of Cheltenham.

Seeing her mother being stabbed to death and covered in blood right after she heard her mother screaming was clearly a startling event for (the child). The 911 call contains statements she made while under the stress of excitement caused by the homicide, MacMaster and Kemp wrote in pretrial court papers.

Her statements were spontaneous and subject to an overpowering emotion caused by the shock of seeing the bloody crime scene and her mother Eboney White being stabbed to death, the prosecutors argued.

Jones, who is represented by defense lawyer Carrie L. Allman, faces charges of first- and third-degree murder, first- and third-degree murder of an unborn child, possession of an instrument of crime and unsworn falsification to authorities.

If hes convicted of first-degree murder, which is an intentional killing, Jones faces life imprisonment. A conviction of third-degree murder, a killing committed with malice, carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.

White was 71/2 months pregnant at the time of her death. The fetus did not survive the attack.

An investigation began when Cheltenham police responded to Whites apartment at 3:20 a.m. Feb. 19 after receiving a 911 call from her 12-year-old daughter, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective Todd Richard and Cheltenham Detective Ronald Cupo.

Police found White dead in the master bedroom with multiple stab wounds to her torso. Whites 12- and 7-year-old daughters were unharmed.

Whites daughter who made the 911 call told authorities she had seen her mothers boyfriend, Mr. Tristian, in the doorway of her mothers bedroom at approximately 2 a.m., according to the affidavit of probable cause. The girl reported she went to bed but was awakened by the sound of screaming approximately 45 minutes later. The girl told detectives she went to her mothers bedroom and saw a man, wearing a grey sweatshirt, hood and a black mask, stabbing her mother with a knife.

(The girl) stated she screamed at the male to stop hurting her mother and the male lunged at her with the knife in his hand, detectives wrote in the arrest affidavit, adding the girl retreated to a bathroom and placed the 911 call.

An autopsy determined White died of multiple stab wounds, while the unborn male child died due to maternal stab wounds, according to the criminal complaint.

When he was interviewed by detectives on Feb. 19, Jones stated that while he is married, he and White had been dating since spring 2017 and she was carrying his child, who was due in early April 2018, according to the arrest affidavit. Jones allegedly said the two had discussed introducing their children to each other on the day of Whites death and that she had been mad he was not ending his marriage.

Detectives alleged Jones gave inconsistent descriptions of the clothing he had been wearing Feb. 18 and 19 and about his whereabouts around the time of the killing.

Joness wife told authorities she had not seen him between 4:30 p.m. Feb. 18 and 5:30 a.m. Feb. 19 when he returned to the apartment after what she believed had been a shift at work, according to the arrest affidavit.

In the two days leading up to Whites death, a string of text messages revealed White and Jones discussing their unborn child  whom they called Travis  and his impact on their families. They discussed how to talk to their other children about their affair, with Jones writing he committed a sin and seeming to struggle with how he would teach his children fornication is a sin when that is what he had committed.

I dont want any of the kids including yours thinking sex before marriage is okay, Jones allegedly wrote in one text message.

Whites mother told police she had been concerned about Joness attitude toward the pregnancy, according to the arrest affidavit. She relayed White had told her Jones had once given her a white foamy liquid and asked her to drink it and later gave her what she believed was a soda can that had been tampered with, both of which she refused to drink.On Election Night, I wrote that the so-called Blue Wave many on the left were expecting had turned into a fizzle. This was a reasonable assessment when I wrote it. Republicans had won Senate seats in Indiana and Missouri, two toss-up races, along with the expected victory in North Dakota. In Florida, where the Democrat was slightly favored to win, the Republican was winning. (No votes had yet been counted out west.)

FiveThirtyEight had placed the probability of Democrats capturing the House at less than 50 percent. No one believed this assessment, not even Nate Silver. However, it did seem that Democratic gains would fall short of expectations. Instead of flipping 40 seats, they might flip 25 to 30.

However, as Yuval Levin points out, things turned out better for the Democrats than initially seemed to be the case. Of the three big Senate races in the West, the Dems won two (Nevada and Montana) and are winning in Arizona. Even the Republican Senate victory in Florida may be in jeopardy.

On the House side, Democratic gains will exceed 30 and may approach 40. According to Levin, they almost certainly will be the largest for Democrats in a midterm election since the Watergate era.

This wasnt a wave election, I got that much right. But the Democrats didnt fizzle.

As noted, this will likely be their best showing in a midterm election in decades. And considering all of the Red State seats the Dems had to defend, they fared okay even if Rick Scotts victory is upheld in Florida. They successfully defended Senate seats in Deep Red West Virginia and Montana and picked up seats in purplish Arizona and Nevada.

Its true that on the House side, Democratic gains were almost exclusively in the suburbs. But thats no small thing. As matters stand, cities are strongholds for Democrats and rural areas are strongholds for the GOP. This makes the suburbs crucial to overall electoral success.

Im not saying that the suburbs are lost to President Trump or to the GOP. I am saying that losing badly in the suburbs this time is a setback. And Im saying that the Democrats had a better night than the Republicans.

I agree with Levins conclusion:

The [election] results were hardly signs of a coming political revolution, and they dont even put this election on the level of the 2010 recoil from the Obama Administrations first two years. But within the important swing block of suburban voters, which both parties need to attract if they are to build and sustain durable coalitions, the Democrats did significantly better than they first appeared to on election night. That is a conclusion Republicans will need to internalize, but will probably manage to ignore in large part because you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

And in part because President Trump seems to lack both the desire and the capacity to internalize bad news.Election Day did not produce a Blue Wave, but it went well for Democrats. They picked up more House seats than in any midterm election since 1974; they held onto some Senate seats and Red States; and they picked up Senate seats in two purplish ones.

Democrats can also be encouraged by results in what recently has been the solidly Republican South. In Georgia, a leftist candidate, Stacey Abrams, appears to have lost by only 1.5 points  less than 60,000 votes. (Abrams continues to dispute the result, so stay tuned).

In Texas, Ted Cruz defeated Beto ORourke by only 2.5 points. Meanwhile, Democrats picked up two House seats.

Signs of Democratic progress in the South are particularly of note because that region will likely be the key battleground in the fight for control of the Senate in two years. The GOPs capture of the Senate in 2014 was driven by pick-ups in Arkansas (Tom Cotton), Louisiana (Bill Cassidy), and North Carolina (Thom Tillis).

In 2020, in addition to these races, Republicans will be looking to hold David Perdues seat in Georgia and to retake Jeff Sessions old seat in Alabama. John Cornyns Texas seat will also be contested. So will Lamar Alexanders Tennessee seat, but Republican Marsha Blackburn won comfortably in Tennessee last week.

Im not suggesting that things look ominous in the South for the GOP in 2020. Cotton and Cornyn seem strong. Alabama will likely be a pick-up. Perdue should probably be favored to win in Georgia. (Im not sure about Tillis in North Carolina).

And lets not make more than we should of this years results. In Georgia, the Republican candidate for governor in Georgia didnt seem particularly strong.

In Texas, ORourke benefited from a massive influx of cash, running what may have been the most expensive Senate campaign ever. Meanwhile, Republican governor Greg Abbott crushed his opponent and the GOP, though losing two seats, won 23 of 36 (however one apparent GOP win may still be in doubt).

Its discouraging to see Democrats come close to winning statewide races in Georgia and Texas, and it may portend Democratic wins in the future. However, the GOP should make it through 2020 with little or no damage to its Southern position in the Senate.I tried to bring the anti-Israel/anti-Semitic views of Minnesota Fifth District Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar to the attention of Power Line readers in several posts. And thats not all! I also tried to bring them to the attention of Weekly Standard readers in The anti-Israel seat, to the attention of City Journal readers in A question for Democrats and to the attention of the editor of the Star Tribune in my email correspondence with Rene Sanchez, the editor of the paper.

Interest in the issue among Fifth District voters was intense. A packed house filled with many Jewish voters turned out to hear Omar and her competitors for the nomination at the DFL candidates forum held at Temple Beth El in St. Louis Park on August 6, the week before the August 14 DFL primary. I covered it here (August 7) and followed up here (August 8).

In the August 7 post I noted Omars obfuscation of her vocal support of the anti-Israel BDS movement at the forum. In the August 8 post I included the video of her obfuscatory response at the forum.

Now David Harsanyi takes up the issue in the New York Post column Heres the anti-Semitism the media doesnt want to talk about. And here is the sequel that may come as a surprise to voters who get their news from the Star Tribune: With Election Now Over, Ilhan Omar Voices BDS Support.

Well, Omar voiced her support for the BDS movement before the election too. The Star Tribune just kept it a deep secret. It is good to have David Harsanyi on the case in the New York Post. We need help.People keep asking me how Arizona, which almost invariably sends center-right candidates to the Senate, could have elected Kyrsten Sinema. Ive been asking that question myself.

Sinema once called Arizona the meth lab of Democracy (maybe she was onto something). She said she didnt care if people join the Taliban.

She entered politics as a member of the Green Party. She received honors from the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, and the National Association of Social Workers. She engaged in an anti-war protest dressed in a tutu, causing me to label her the hippie-dippie candidate.

By contrast, her opponent, Martha McSally, flew combat missions against the Taliban. As a war hero and a center-right Republican, she seemed like an attractive candidate in the tradition of John McCain (without the insufferable ego and the drama) and a logical successor to Jeff Flake (without the self-righteousness).

What happened? At Ricochet, Jon Gabriel offers five reasons why Sinema won. The most important one, I think, is that Sinema ran as a moderate and could back up the claim by citing her record in the House of Representatives.

According to Gabriel:

[Sinemas] mailers and ads are nothing but waving flags and smiling veterans. She barely mentions her party but stresses her independence and willingness to work with literally anyone on conservative issues.

Her record in the House is reasonably consistent with this image. As I said in my first post about Sinema:

She did not vote for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House and reportedly voted with the Democrats only 73 percent of the time in recent years. According to one ranking, this makes her the Houses most bipartisan Democrat. But if Sinema were a Republican, it would just about make her a RINO in the true sense of that overused epithet.

I also said that Sinema is probably a faux moderate, intent on making it to the U.S. Senate by pulling the wool over the eyes of Arizona voters. And I provided evidence, including the facts noted above, to support this strong suspicion.

But, wool or no wool, Arizona voters seem to have believed their eyes.

How will Sinema behave now that she has secured that Senate seat? Will she be a moderate willing to buck the left?

I doubt it. Shell probably be more like Jon Tester than like Joe Manchin (not that Manchin is all that genuinely moderate). In fact, I wouldnt be surprised if Sinema votes to the left of Tester. Arizona isnt nearly as conservative as Montana. And Sinema may conclude that by 2024, the next time she confronts the meth lab, the state will have moved to the left thanks to demographics, including an electorate with more Latinos.

As President Trump likes to say, well see what happens. At this point, theres really no choice.

UPDATE: Another factor in Simenas victory might have been the debate. I watched a good portion of it on C-SPAN. To my surprise, given that McSally flew missions in Afghanistan, Sinema seemed like the calmer, more poised of the two candidates. She probably made a better impression on swing voters and the undecided.This is a theme that Steve and I have recurred to many times on this site. Today it is voiced by Freeman Dyson, one of the worlds most eminent scientists. Dyson, a theoretical physicist and professor emeritus of Mathematical Physics and Astrophysics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, is famous among other things for unifying the three versions of quantum electrodynamics. He has been a harsh critic of the slovenly science practiced by climate alarmists.

Dyson wrote a foreword to a report on the benefits of carbon dioxide by Indur Goklany which is quoted at length in the Science and Environmental Policy Projects The Week That Was. Here are some excerpts:

To any unprejudiced person reading [Goklanys] account, the facts should be obvious: that the non-climatic effects of carbon dioxide as a sustainer of wildlife and crop plants are enormously beneficial, that the possibly harmful climatic effects of carbon dioxide have been greatly exaggerated, and that the benefits clearly outweigh the possible damage.

I consider myself an unprejudiced person and to me these facts are obvious. But the same facts are not obvious to the majority of scientists and politicians who consider carbon dioxide to be evil and dangerous. The people who are supposed to be experts and who claim to understand the science are precisely the people who are blind to the evidence. Those of my scientific colleagues who believe the prevailing dogma about carbon dioxide will not find Goklanys evidence convincing. I hope that a few of them will make the effort to examine the evidence in detail and see how it contradicts the prevailing dogma, but I know that the majority will remain blind. That is to me the central mystery of climate science. It is not a scientific mystery but a human mystery. How does it happen that a whole generation of scientific experts is blind to obvious facts? In this foreword I offer a tentative solution of the mystery.

There are many examples in the history of science of irrational beliefs promoted by famous thinkers and adopted by loyal disciples. Sometimes, as in the use of bleeding as a treatment for various diseases, irrational belief did harm to a large number of human victims. George Washington was one of the victims. Other irrational beliefs, such as the phlogiston theory of burning or the Aristotelian cosmology of circular celestial motions, only did harm by delaying the careful examination of nature. In all these cases, we see a community of people happily united in a false belief that brought leaders and followers together. Anyone who questioned the prevailing belief would upset the peace of the community.

Real advances in science require a different cultural tradition, with individuals who invent new tools to explore nature and are not afraid to question authority. Science driven by rebels and heretics searching for truth has made great progress in the last three centuries. But the new culture of scientific scepticism is a recent growth and has not yet penetrated deeply into our thinking. The old culture of group loyalty and dogmatic belief is still alive under the surface, guiding the thoughts of scientists as well as the opinions of ordinary citizens.

To understand human behavior, I look at human evolution. About a hundred thousand years ago, our species invented a new kind of evolution. In addition to biological evolution based on genetic changes, we began a cultural evolution based on social and intellectual changes. Biological evolution did not stop, but cultural evolution was much faster and quickly became dominant. Social customs and beliefs change and spread much more rapidly than genes.

Cultural evolution was enabled by spoken languages and tribal loyalties. Tribe competed with tribe and culture with culture. The cultures that prevailed were those that promoted tribal cohesion. Humans were always social animals, and culture made us even more social. We evolved to feel at home in a group that thinks alike. It was more important for a group of humans to be united than to be right. It was always dangerous and usually undesirable to question authority. When authority was seriously threatened, heretics were burned at the stake.

I am suggesting that the thinking of politicians and scientists about controversial issues today is still tribal. Science and politics are not essentially different from other aspects of human culture. Science and politics are products of cultural evolution. Thinking about scientific questions is still presented to the public as a competitive sport with winners and losers. For players of the sport with public reputations to defend, it is more important to belong to a winning team than to examine the evidence.

Cultural evolution was centered for a hundred thousand years on tales told by elders to children sitting around the cave fire. That cave-fire evolution gave us brains that are wonderfully sensitive to fable and fantasy, but insensitive to facts and figures. To enable a tribe to prevail in the harsh world of predators and prey, it was helpful to have brains with strong emotional bonding to shared songs and stories. It was not helpful to have brains questioning whether the stories were true. Our scientists and politicians of the modern age evolved recently from the cave-children. They still, as Charles Darwin remarked about human beings in general, bear the indelible stamp of their lowly origin.

***

Indur Goklany has assembled a massive collection of evidence to demonstrate two facts. First, the non-climatic effects of carbon dioxide are dominant over the climatic effects and are overwhelmingly beneficial. Second, the climatic effects observed in the real world are much less damaging than the effects predicted by the climate models, and have also been frequently beneficial. I am hoping that the scientists and politicians who have been blindly demonizing carbon dioxide for 37 years will one day open their eyes and look at the evidence.PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-13 09:00:01

Expanded team will support new Amazon offering and Pinterest ads expansion to France



LONDON, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 4C Insights , a data science and marketing technology company, today announces the expansion of its EMEA team with several strategic new hires to support its newly broadened solutions and European operations.

Oliver Hansard joins the London office as VP Sales, EMEA, along with Adam Hawkins, who joins as Sales Director, EMEA. Simon Hetherington Rea joins as Account Manager.

As VP Sales EMEA, Oliver Hansard will lead 4Cs growing business and offerings across EMEA. This includes 4Cs recent announcement that marketers can now buy Amazons Sponsored Product ads alongside Apple News, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, and Snapchat within its platform, Scope by 4C . This also includes supporting the recent launch of Pinterest Promoted Pins and Video in France, the platforms first non-English speaking country.

Hansard joins 4C with nearly 20 years of experience in both digital and data-driven marketing. He was most recently at Liberty Global, where as Vice President, Data Services he was responsible for developing and launching a cross-platform video insights tool.

Adam Hawkins also joins as Sales Director, EMEA. Hawkins has worked in digital marketing across several industries for over ten years, specialising in social strategy and solutions. Account Manager Simon Hetherington Rea also brings digital marketing expertise with a range of agencies and brands, spending a notable nine years at Facebook.

4Cs growth is reflective of the companys continued investment in the robust digital marketing ecosystem in EMEA, said Kevin Kearns, CRO, 4C Insights. According to eMarketer , digital ad spending in Europe will continue to rise as digital channels make up an increasing amount of Europeans media time. 4C is prepared to help marketers make this shift to market the way that consumers are consuming content.

About 4C Insights

4C is global marketing technology company that delivers a unified platform for audience discovery, media execution, and performance analysis. Leading brands, global agencies, and media owners trust the Scope by 4C  platform to identify their most valuable audiences and reach them across channels and devices. With nearly $2 billion in annualized advertising spend running through Scope, 4C enables self-service activation on a4, Amazon, Apple News, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, NBCUniversal, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Twitter as well as TV synced ads via display, search, social, and video. The company also provides paid, earned, and owned media analytics leveraging its Teletrax  television monitoring network which detects over 400 million TV asset airings on an annual basis. Founded in 2011 and based in Chicago, 4C has staff in 16 worldwide locations across the United States, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, and the Philippines. Visit www.4Cinsights.com for more information.

Media Contact

Liam Rawson

4CUK@hotwireglobal.comPR-Inside.com: 2018-11-13 12:05:01

Cloud-based treasury tool supports alternative fund managers

Adds value through improving operational efficiency and enhances security

Citco Launches New SaaS xeo Treasury Solution on Amazon Web Services

Peregrine Communications

London:

Aryna Kastavetskaya

aryna.kastavetskaya@peregrinecommunications.com

+44 (0) 20 3040 0871

or

New York:

Kseniya Melnikova

Kseniya.Melnikova@PeregrineCommunications.com

+1 646 274 1423

The Citco Group of Companies (Citco), a leading global services provider for the financial services industry, today announced the launch of xeo Treasury, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering.

The new product, xeo Treasury is an inaugural born-on-the-cloud solution that gives alternative fund managers a state-of-art method of managing treasury functions through a SaaS tool running on Amazon Web Services (AWS). It adds value by improving operational efficiencies and workflows, and provides a secure, centralized module for treasury operations.

xeo Treasury is a stand-alone solution that enables firms to centralize their treasury functions, including funding investments, settling OTC trades and margin, making transfers between accounts or paying invoices, and other transactions through Citcos SWIFT Service Bureau functionality. Additionally, this new platform offers unprecedented flexibility and utility by:

Centralizing management and eliminating the need to log into individual bank portals

Providing security, scalability and accessibility

Providing global accessibility through all web enabled devices, including mobile

Allowing collaborative and segregated user management workflows

Supporting real-time SMS & Email notifications for specified users

Jay Peller, Head of Fund Services at Citco, commented We continually partner with our clients to bring them innovation in technology. xeo Treasury is our latest SaaS-based technology tool which provides flexibility to support efficient middle office processing and frees our clients to focus on what makes them great  generating alpha. Citcos commitment to technology excellence using our Fintech+ approach drives our leading-edge technology and continues to ensure that clients interaction and information assets are safe and secure. As our clients needs expand, so will our solutions. We remain dedicated to developing user-friendly and easy to implement products that create new levels of flexibility and customization. Citco is redefining best-in-class technology available in the Alternative Asset manager space.

The new xeo Treasury product is available immediately and is fully integrated with AWS cloud services. Built using multiple AWS Availability Zones, it offers an added layer of security through RDS storage encryption with full features for SWIFT compliance.

The move to the new Citco xeo Treasury product has improved both the workflow and security in our process simultaneously. This has increased the efficiency of our operations team and allowed them to better focus on more complex tasks. Commented Citcos client, Jonathan Isler, Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Deerfield Management.

xeo Treasury was developed by Citcos in-house team of technologists, who combine Citcos deep experience in developing award-winning technology products with the latest advancements in cloud-based technology to produce commercially available software. Citcos commitment to service excellence using this Fintech+ approach will continue to ensure that clients interaction and information assets are safe and secure.

For more information on the product and other Citco technology offerings, please visit https://citco.com/our-technology/saas/aexeo-treasu.

-ENDS-

About Citco Group of Companies

The Citco Group of Companies is a worldwide network of independent financial service companies serving the world's elite hedge funds, private equity and real estate firms, institutional banks, Global 1000 companies and high net worth individuals. Citco companies service these sectors in their respective geographic areas by offering hedge fund administration, custody and fund trading, financial products and corporate governance solutions. Citco has offices in over 40 countries with more than 6,000 staff.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-13 13:04:29

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / Grande West Transportation GroupInc. (TSX-V: BUS; OTC PINK: GWTNF) - November 13, 2018: ("Grande West" or the "Company"), a Canadianmanufacturer of mid-sized multi-purpose transit vehicles for sale in Canada andthe United States, is pleased to announce that Alliance Bus Group ("ABG") hasbeen awarded a state contract to purchase in Iowa Department of Transportation("Iowa DOT") bid number OPT2018HDB.Grande West's U.S.distributor, ABG was successful in winning the Iowa DOT bid for Vicinity 30' and35' heavy-duty diesel vehicles, with options for CNG. This bid is conducted onbehalf of Iowa's 35 designated public transit agencies, state of Iowagovernmental agencies, state board of regents, and other states' public transitagencies that are in the same metropolitan planning organization as adesignated public transit agency. The Bid is in place until October 2020. Thereis no minimum or maximum bus quantities, orders from the various agencies issubject to funding and agency needs.Robert Mowat, VP, Sales andMarketing of Grande West commented, "We are very pleased with the results ofthe Iowa State bid. We continue to see new opportunities to Right-Size fleetsin the U.S.. This is our third U.S. contract win in the past few months,expanding our potential 2019 order flow substantially." About Grande West Transportation GroupGrande Westis a Canadian company that designs, engineers and manufactures mid-size multi-purpose transit vehicles for public and commercialenterprises.Grande West's Best-in-Classheavy-duty Vicinity bus is available in 27.5, 30 and 35 foot models powered byclean diesel or CNG designed with affordability, accessibility and globalresponsibility in mind. It costs significantly less than a regular 40 foottransit bus, is more maneuverable, burns less fuel and emits less harmfulemissions. Grande West will soon be offering a new product which will be thefirst Crossover Vehicle in the transit space - a medium-duty,monocoque-designed rear engine vehicle.TheCompany has been successful in supplying Canadian municipal transportationagencies and private operators with new buses and is receiving follow-on ordersin many Canadian transit agencies. Grande West is compliant to Buy Americacertification, and along with Alliance Bus Group ("ABG"), its exclusive USdistributor, is actively pursuing opportunities in public and private transitfleet operations that would benefit from Grande West's vehicles.For further information please contact:Grande West TransportationJohn LaGourgueVP Corporate DevelopmentPh: 1-604-607-4000jlagourgue@ grandewest.com Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Service Provider (asthat term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility forthe adequacy or accuracy of this release.CautionaryNote Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis pressrelease includes certain "forward-looking information" and"forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-lookingstatements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation.All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein,including without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds from thePrivate Placement, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statementsare frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects","anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates","potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements thatevents, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or"should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve variousrisks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements willprove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differmaterially from those anticipated in such statements.Importantfactors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Grande West'sexpectations include uncertainties relating to the receipt of final approvalfrom the TSX-V; and other risk and uncertainties disclosed in Grande West'sreports and documents filed with applicable securities regulatory authoritiesfrom time to time. Grande West's forward-looking statements reflect thebeliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made. GrandeWest assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or beliefs,opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as requiredby law.SOURCE: Grande West Transportation Group Inc.PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-13 12:07:37

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KELOWNA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (OTCQX: LXRP) (CNSX: LXX) (the "Company" or "Lexaria"), a drug delivery platform innovator, announces the launch of ChrgD+, a water-soluble, ready-mix hemp supplement powder packet formulation designed to be added to any drink, in any location, creating many innovative-use applications.Consistent with other Lexaria formulations, ChrgD+ incorporates multi-spectrum hemp oil processed using the Company's patented DehydraTECHTM technology, allowing effective delivery of hemp oil into any existing beverage, hot or cold. At just 2 grams per pouch, ChrgD+ packets can be carried discreetly in a shirt pocket or purse, and consumed anywhere in your preferred soft drink, coffee or energy drink with individual servings. ChrgD+ is nearly flavorless and odorless, offering minimal impact to your already-favorite beverage other than a delightful food-grade pearlescent sparkle effect to remind you that you are getting ChrgD+."This new delivery format is truly unique in its performance," said Chris Bunka, CEO of Lexaria Bioscience. "It's a simple way to add a multi spectrum powdered hemp supplement to your favorite beverage at any time and enjoy its fast-acting, non-altered taste with no oily residue. Lexaria's ChrgD+ product format is being evaluated by others for use in their psychoactive cannabinoids products sector as per our proven track record as a technology provider to the industry." Lexaria engaged Cultivating Wellness Inc, a California-based brand development and distribution company, to create the ChrgD+ premium brand. Cultivating Wellness' distribution network reaches tens of thousands of retail buyers in c-stores, grocery chains, specialty retail, and national accounts."Building a brand is just the first step in our relationship," said Lisa Hannah, President of Cultivating Wellness. "Now that ChrgD+ has been launched, we're turning our attention to distributing the product through our growing nationwide distribution network. We are very excited to see how the marketplace responds to this hemp-based wellness product!"Lexaria's laboratory has incubated several innovative product concepts that leverage the proven performance of the DehydraTECHTM technology, which has received multiple patents for the delivery of both psychoactive and non-psychoactive cannabinoids; nicotine; vitamins, and certain pain relievers.For information about distributing ChrgD+, email: orders@ cultivatingwellness.co Come visit Lexaria at the Las Vegas MJBiz Conference November 14-16, booth 3227.About LexariaLexaria Bioscience Corp. has developed and out-licenses its disruptive delivery technology that promotes healthier ingestion methods, lower overall dosing and higher effectiveness of lipophilic active molecules. Lexaria has eight patents granted in the USA and in Australia and has filed over 50 patent applications worldwide across ten patent families. Lexaria's technology provides increases in intestinal absorption rates; more rapid delivery to the bloodstream; and important taste-masking benefits, for orally administered bioactive molecules including cannabinoids, vitamins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), nicotine and other molecules.For regular updates, connect with Lexaria on Twitter https://twitter.com/lexariacorp and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lexariabioscience/ FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:Lexaria Bioscience Corp.Alex Blanchard, Communications Manager(778) 796-1897OrNetworkNewsWire (NNW)FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSThis release includes forward-looking statements. Statements which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. The Company makes forward-looking public statements concerning its expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including statements that include words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: that any additional stock warrants or stock options will be exercised. Such forward-looking statements are estimates reflecting the Company's best judgment based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that other factors will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the Company include, but are not limited to, government regulation, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition, the patent application and approval process and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements and filings. There is no assurance that existing capital is sufficient for the Company's needs or that it will be able to raise additional capital. There is no assurance that Lexaria will successfully complete any other contemplated or existing technology license agreements; or that results from any studies will be favorable or in any way support future business activities of any kind. Scientific R&D is often unpredictable and unanticipated results could emerge from any study and have a material impact as can any results that cannot be reproduced in subsequent testing. There is no assurance that any planned corporate activity, scientific study, R&D, business venture, or initiative will be pursued, or if pursued, will be successful. There is no assurance that any of Lexaria's postulated uses, benefits, or advantages for the patented and patent-pending technology will in fact be realized in any manner or in any part. No statement herein has been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). TurboCBDTM, Chrgd+, DehydraTECHTM technology and ViPovaTM products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Lexaria Bioscience Corp.PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-13 20:23:49

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Statewide Advocacy Organization Florida's Children First and Youth Advocates from Florida Youth SHINE Ask Legislature for Bill of Rights for Kids in Foster CareCORAL SPRINGS, FL / ACCESSWIRE / November 13, 2018 / Today, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released Fostering Youth Transitions, a report with the most comprehensive data ever collected across all 50 states to help illustrate how young people ages 14 and older are faring as they transition from foster care to adulthood. This first-of-its-kind report examines how children from foster care in Florida are handling the transition out of care in comparison with the rest of the country."Florida is ahead of the curve, largely thanks to the state's legislature for its past work in crafting laws to assist foster youth transitioning to adulthood. However, when it comes to the care of our kids we want to strive for the best care, not the average," said Christina Spudeas, Executive Director of Florida's Children First (FCF), a statewide advocacy organization focused on protecting the legal rights of at-risk and foster care children. "In order to improve our standard of care, youth need to know about these laws and resources available to them. We are asking the legislature to consider a Bill of Rights for foster children." FCF and Florida Youth SHINE, a statewide organization founded by FCF that empowers current and former foster youth to become advocates for all youth in care, have continuously worked to inform the public and legislators about the needs of the youth who are aging out. Youth advocates from Florida Youth SHINE have appeared in Tallahassee and across the state to share their personal stories of the struggles they faced while in care and as they exited foster care - all of which has helped lawmakers understand the need for reform.Through these efforts, Florida has many great laws in place and has taken significant strides to support kids transitioning from foster care. However, the data on this report shows that Florida still has a long way to go to help these kids live better lives in this state, and to help them transition into a secure and responsible adulthood. According to the Fostering Youth Transitions report:Far too many teens have multiple placements, going from home to home and school to school.Too many youth are not living with families, but rather, are placed in group homes, which contributes to another bad outcome of leaving care without a supportive family.Perhaps most alarming, Florida data shows that almost half of the youth leaving foster care do not receive the support made available to them by the legislature."We recognize that some of these issues are complex and difficult to tackle. However, there is one clear thing that can be done immediately - we can help children in care become better self-advocates by making sure they understand their rights and how they should be treated in care," Spudeas said.A Bill of Rights for children in care in Florida would not only help these kids become more informed and better understand their rights, it would also give them the knowledge to become effective advocates for change. Throughout its history, Florida Youth SHINE has shown the power of youth advocacy. When they have an understanding, and learn to speak up for themselves, they are learning a skill that can carry them through their lives."Being able to advocate for myself makes me feel confident that I am improving the system for those that are coming behind me," said Anna Zhang, the Chair of Florida Youth SHINE. "It's important to teach other kids their rights so they don't become victims of the system and they can have better outcomes. Youth in care need to know that they are treated fairly and how to speak up when things are unjust." Recently, Florida has extended foster care to age 21, recognizing that youth at age 18 are not ready to be out in the world alone. Florida has the most extensive support for children who are attending post-secondary education, with financial help as well as free tuition. And, Florida has created groundbreaking laws that formed the basis for federal legislation, requiring kids in foster care to be allowed to participate in normal, childhood activities upon caregiver approval.All young people - regardless of race, ethnicity, or ZIP code - deserve the relationships, resources and opportunities needed to help ensure their well-being and success as they transition from foster care to adulthood. There is so much more to do to ensure that child welfare systems are doing all they can to place young people, no matter their age, with caring families, and to help them cultivate relationships with supportive adults. It is the hope of FCF and Florida Youth SHINE that advocates, policymakers and child welfare leaders will use this information to elevate the standard of care for the state's youth.About Florida's Children First: Florida's Children First is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the rights of at-risk children and youth, especially those in foster care. Uniquely positioned as Florida's premiere independent advocacy organization, our mission is to seek full representation of children and youth and obtain meaningful and sustainable improvement in Florida's child serving systems.Media Contact: Michelle Griffith, BoardroomPR, mgriffith@ boardroompr.com , (407) 973-8555SOURCE: Florida's Children FirstPR-Inside.com: 2018-11-13 07:48:59

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Future Market Insights 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com Website: www.futuremarketinsights.comAnalyst+1 03479183531

Oat drinks are defined as a food products that are formulated through processing oat with milk or other liquid ingredient. It is marketed as a supplementary food and positioned as a healthy, fast and convenient option for breakfast. Consumers are giving preferences to health drink products as well as the value added products which is expected to fuel the growth of oat drink market over the forecast period. In addition, growing number of single individuals along with rising number of working women across the globe is leading to changing lifestyle, improving living standards and increasing urbanization are some of the factors which are expected to drive the market of oat drinks over the forecast period.Oat drinks market is segmented on the basis of type which includes organic and conventional. Among both of these segments conventional oat drinks has been estimated to account for major share in terms of value and expected to be remain dominant over the forecast period. Organic oat drinks is expected to create relatively higher CAGR over the forecast period. Due to increasing awareness among the consumers towards healthy lifestyle they are continuously switching towards organic products which is expected to fuel the segment growth over the forecast period.Oat drinks market is further segmented on the basis of distribution channel which includes hypermarket/supermarket, convenience stores, specialty outlet, grocery stores and online retailing. Among all these segments hypermarket/supermarket is expected to account for major market share during the forecast period. Increasing penetration of retail industry especially in developing regions such as Asia Pacific, Middle East and others is expected to support the hypermarket/supermarket segment growth in oat drinks market during the forecast period. Online retailing segment in oat drinks market is expected represent favorable growth in the near future. Increasing internet penetration level and rising consumer influence towards online shopping is expected to support the segment growth over the forecast period.Request Report Sample@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3308 Oat drinks market is segmented on the basis of region which includes North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East & Africa and Japan. Geographically, Western Europe is expected to represent the major market in terms of value for oat drinks, owing to increasing consumer shifting preference towards health drink products. Among the countries, U.K. is expected to remain major markets in terms of consumptions for oat drinks followed by Germany. North America is expected to represent the favorable market for oat drinks in terms of consumption.In the region the U.S. is expected to represent major value share during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is expected to represent a rapid growth in oat drinks market. Continuous product launch and targeted towards specific segment is expected to support the market growth in the country. For instance in 2015, PepsiCo, Inc. in collaboration with launched its first oat based dairy drink in China. This launched was done in order to attract the consumers that are looking for high fiber food products in their daily intake. Moreover, among ASEAN countries Singapore is expected to represent potential market both in terms of value and volume consumption.Consumers across the globe are increasingly shifting their preference from towards healthy drink alternatives. They perceive oats as a good and healthy food products which is expected to drive the market growth in the near future. In addition rising awareness towards the product availability coupled with continuous launch of new products with different flavor is further expected to fuel the market growth during the forecast period.Some of the major key players operating in oat drink market includes Drinks Brokers Ltd, Alpro, Oatly AB, PepsiCo, Inc., Rude Health and Pureharvest among others.Request For Table Of Content @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-3308PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-13 13:57:02

Pharmaceutical industrys leading outsourcing marketplace continues rapid global expansion during WTC San Diegos trade mission to Tokyo

Scientist.com Expands to Asia-Pacific Region, Opens New Office in Tokyo

Scientist.com

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+1 858-455-1300, ext. 401

Scientist.com, the world's leading marketplace for outsourced scientific services, announced it will expand to Japan, opening an office in Tokyo. The announcement was made during World Trade Center San Diegos Trade Mission to Tokyo and Yokohoma, Japan, led by Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52).

Scientist.com has recently created enterprise marketplaces for several Japanese pharmaceutical companies, stated Dan Kagan, PhD, Scientist.coms Chief Operating Officer. WTC San Diegos trade mission will help Scientist.com continue its rapid expansion into the Asia-Pacific region.

The San Diego-based ecommerce marketplace will open an office at the Nihonbashi Life Sciences building, where UC San Diego and other major life sciences companies also house international offices. Scientist.com has recently seen growth in its Japanese clientele; it currently operates marketplaces for several large Japanese pharmaceutical companies.

Japan is the third largest economy in the world and a hub for scientific research and exploration. It is also a top-five export market for San Diego goods and services.

In todays economy, companies  even startups and small business  must look and think globally, which helps grow revenue and create jobs back home, said Nikia Clarke, executive director of WTC San Diego. Scientist.coms expansion is another example of a local business that is connecting San Diego to a market that matters to our global economy.

Scientist.com has more than 70 employees worldwide. In addition to its San Diego headquarters, it also has offices in the UK and Boston. The Japanese expansion announcement comes on the heels of several accolades recognizing Scientist.coms growth. In August 2018 Scientist.com was ranked #9 on the Inc. 5000 list of fasting-growing privately owned companies in the US.

Scientist.com is joining a San Diego delegation of local politicians, industry executives and academic leaders. The company is also one of twenty San Diego companies awarded a $10,000 grant as part of WTC San Diegos MetroConnect program, a comprehensive export assistance program designed to help local companies accelerate their global growth.

About Scientist.com

Scientist.com is the world's leading marketplace for outsourced research. The marketplace simplifies the entire research sourcing process, saving time and money and providing access to the latest innovative tools and technologies while maintaining full compliance with an organizations procurement policies. Scientist.com operates private enterprise marketplaces for most of the worlds major pharmaceutical companies, VWR, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). Since its founding in 2007, Scientist.com has raised more than $33 million from Leerink Transformation Partners, 5AM Ventures, Heritage Provider Network, Bootstrap Ventures and Hollywood producer Jack Giarraputo among others. Visit scientist.com to learn more.

Join Scientist.com on social media: YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About World Trade Center San Diego

World Trade Center San Diego operates as an affiliate of San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation. WTC San Diego works to further San Diegos global competitiveness by building an export pipeline, attracting and retaining foreign investment and increasing San Diegos global profile abroad. sandiegobusiness.org/wtcsd

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005

Scientist.com continues rapid global expansion into Asia-Pacific region with opening of new office TokyoPR-Inside.com: 2018-11-13 09:06:11

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Re-Positioning of Highly Successful Verve Energy, Which Had $230 Million (Over 7 Years) in Direct Sales Previously, Along with Champ Energy, Will Accelerate Launch of CBD Infused Beverages in the USVANCOUVER,BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 13th,2018 / Weekend UnlimitedInc. ("Weekend" or the "Company") (CSE: YOLO  FSE: 0OS1)is providing additional detail on its arms length letter of Intent to acquire VerveBeverage Company."Throughthis acquisition, Weekend Unlimited will add the strength of a very popularbrand in Verve Energy, that was undervalued due to its direct sales history,but has a tremendous following due to its quality and effectiveness," said CodyCorrubia, Weekend Unlimited President and CEO."We have the opportunity to re-position the Verve brand and build it outin North American with an existing base of support.Verve Beverage Company has a high-profileposition as an official partner of the NHL's San Jose Sharks," added Mr.Corrubia Verve Energy highlights:Verve has a unique positioning in the beverage marketRecognized brand with opportunity to position new brands into the marketPhysician formulated & clinically studied.Highest growth category in the beverage industrySuccess with $230+ million (over 7 years) in direct to consumer historical Verve sales, positioned for retail distribution roll-out"Securing the Champ Energy brand provides usan accelerated model to launch into CBD infused beverages, and grow strongdistribution relationships as a result of having both the Verve and Champproduct lines," noted Mr. Corrubia.Champ Energy Highlights:HEALTHY BEVERAGES NANO INFUSED WITH CBD ANDMTC OILCHAMP CBD Flavored Water is created with awater-soluble hemp oil, along with other minor phytocannabinoids such as CBG,CBN, CBC, and naturally present terpenesEach 12 oz bottle of CHAMP Contains 27 mg ofphytocannabinoids per dose and is designed to have optimum bioavailability27 mg Phytocannabinoid-Rich hemp oilUltra-pure nano water and 100% organic CBD oilCHAMP allows you to feel the beneficialeffects of CBD while getting all the health benefits of a nanowater that's beeninfused with over 78 electrolytes, minerals, and glyconutrientsPowered by a 7.3 PH Active water source, andhave MCT oil infused for additional health benefits, with no added sugarCHAMP also offers the same great flavors andtaste without the CBDCHAMP is the Official Energy Drink Of TheNHL's San Joe SharksSubject to the completion of due diligence,the Company has agreed to issue 50 million of its common shares in exchange for100% of the company holding these two brands. The brands are held subject to a20 year license agreement which provides for a 3% royalty on sales.The Company has entered into a secured US $ 2million loan facility pending closing, of which $750,000 USD has been advanced.Forfurther information, please contact:Telephone: 1(236) 317-2812E-mail: IR@ weekendunlimited.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor itsRegulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of theCanadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy oraccuracy of this release.Forward Looking StatementsCertain information set forth in this news release may containforward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks anduncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact areforward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regardingfuture financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporatevision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategicalliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of orinvolving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management'scurrent beliefs and is based on information currently available to management.Often , but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the useof words such as "plans", "expects", "isexpected", "budget", "scheduled","estimates", "forecasts", "predicts","intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates"or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of suchwords and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certainactions "may", "could", "should","would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or beachieved.A number of known and unknownrisks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results orperformance to materially differ from any future results or performanceexpressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-lookingstatements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of whichare beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impactof general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence uponregulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in thepreparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time ofpreparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should notbe placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume anyobligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as aresult of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required bysecurities laws.SOURCE: Weekend Unlimited Inc.Libyas two main rival leaders met for the first time in over five months at a reconciliation conference hosted by Italy and the prime minister endorsed a United Nations plan for an election in 2019.

The Tuesdays meeting in Palermo could be seen as a success in a fraught diplomatic environment in which factions on the ground in the widely lawless country and their foreign allies have rarely seen eye to eye.

In a sign of the tensed atmosphere, the Turkish delegation stormed out early, complaining of being excluded from a meeting.

Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, whose weak but internationally recognised government is based in the countrys West, met Khalifa Haftar who rules most of the East.

There were no announcements of diplomatic breakthroughs, but Serrajs spokesman said on Twitter that the prime minister was committed to a UN road map to hold an election in the spring after a constitutional framework had been put in place.

A previous UN plan for elections in December was shelved recently.

A draft communique, reviewed by Reuters, said Libyan delegations had agreed to prepare for the election by spring 2019 and abide by the results.

An Italian diplomat said Haftar had given his backing for Serraj to remain in office as prime minister until the election can be held.

You dont change the horse until you cross the river, the diplomat quoted Haftar as saying.

(Reuters/NAN)South African Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, has resigned amid a sexual scandal with his participation, the Countrys Presidential Office said on Tuesday.

Mr Gigaba has recently been in the centre of the scandal around a leaked video in which he was captured during a sexual act.

He was accused of giving false testimony during the proceedings in the Supreme Court.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has received a letter of resignation from the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Malusi Knowledge Nkanyezi Gigaba.

The president has accepted the Ministers resignation and expressed his appreciation for Gigabas longstanding service to the government and people of South Africa, the presidential office said in a statement.

Mr Ramaphosa also appointed Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande as acting home affairs minister.

Apart working at the head of the Home Affairs Ministry, Mr Gigaba also previously headed the Ministry of Public Enterprises and the Finance Ministry.

(Sputnik/NAN)The European Union (EU) on Tuesday adopted some contingency plans for no-deal Brexit, the European Commissions deputy head has said.

The Commissioner, Frans Timmermans said that a negotiated divorce with Britain was still by far the blocs preferred solution.

Mr Timmermans is a Dutch politician and diplomat serving as the First Vice-President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Better Regulation, Inter-institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights since 2014

According to him, very intense negotiations are underway but the two sides are still not there yet in spite of progresses that have been made.

We also discussed a number of issues related to our no-deal planning. You have to do that anyway, he stressed.

Mr Timmermans said there was need to prepare for all options.

He also confirmed that the commission was proposing to exempt Britons travelling to the EU from visas after Brexit.

(Xinhua/NAN)President Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law the bill establishing the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The agency, which has been in charge of disease surveillance, preparedness and control in Nigeria, was established in 2011 and has been in existence without any legislative backing.

The status quo however changed on Tuesday when the president appended his signature to the bill and empowered the agency to carry out its mandate in disease control.

The executive director of NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, in a press statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, said the new Act which will establish NCDC as a full-fledged parastatal and will also ensure that its valuable work is sustained and supported.

Mr Ihekweazu, who expressed his appreciation to the president for his support in the passage of the Executive Bill, said the Bill will provide Nigerians with an institute that has the capacity to ensure the countrys health security.

We are also grateful to the Minister and Minister of State for Health for their support and the Senate Committee on Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases led by Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, he said.

Mr Ihekweazu said with the passage of the Bill establishing Nigerias national public health institute, the Federal Government of Nigeria has shown its commitment in ensuring Nigerians are well protected from the public health threat of global emerging infectious diseases.

NCDC was established in 2011 prior to the Ebola outbreak to respond to the challenges of public health emergencies and to enhance Nigerias preparedness and response to epidemics through prevention, detection, and control of communicable diseases.

However, the Ebola outbreak in 2014 was the first experience in leading response to major outbreaks. Since then, the agency has been at the forefront of in leading responses to diseases outbreaks such as Lassa Fever, Monkey Pox, Cholera, Meningitis among others in the country.

NDCD has a core mandate to detect, investigate, prevent and control diseases of national and international public health importance.

The chairman, senate committee on Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases, Mao Ohuabuna, has been a great supporter of the agency having a legal backing and had promised at the public hearing of the Bill in January that the senate is keen on passing the bill to give the health agency a legislative backing.

Mr Ohuabuna disclosed that they senate has come to realise that giving the agency legislative backing is one way to achieving Universal Health Coverage in the country.

He said the goal of the bill is to provide control, prevention, coordination and also facilitate the detection of outbreaks and the effective management of communicable diseases in Nigeria.The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Kwara State, Razak Atunwa, has formally admitted that he has two university degrees, but failed to present himself for national service in a blatant violation of the Nigerian Constitution.

PREMIUM TIMES first reported last month that Mr Atunwa did not participate in the national youth scheme as required by law, but instead procured a forged certificate of the National Youth Service Corps.

Mr Atunwa, a serving federal lawmaker and chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Justice, tendered the document to the PDP in his nomination filings for the party in late September, and even went further to swear an affidavit notarized at the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, the state capital.

Mr Atunwa denied wrongdoing at the time, telling PREMIUM TIMES he had complied with the law in filing his election paperwork with his party.

But when the politician submitted his nomination form to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he confirmed he had two university degrees as reported by PREMIUM TIMES, but conspicuously removed the claim he made about taking part in the youth service.

Although our report has prompted Mr Atunwa to dubiously remove his forged NYSC certificate from the credentials he submitted to INEC, the lawmaker has implicated himself by confirming to INEC that he obtained both undergraduate and masters degrees from two universities.

The NYSC law requires every Nigerian who attended university or polytechnic to participate in the national youth scheme for one year after graduation, provided the person finished before age 30.

Failure to serve would prohibit such individual from gainful employment in Nigeria, and making false claims about serving could attract long jail term. Also, anyone who graduated before 30 but deliberately declined to serve has committed an offence that could attract 12-month imprisonment, even if the person did not forge NYSC documents.

Only a person who obtained a degree after 30 or served in the military or won national honours medal would qualify for exemption certificate under the NYSC law.

Mr Atunwa, born on October 17, 1969, studied law at the University of East London, graduating in 1992 at age 23. He proceeded to the University of London for his masters degree, graduating in November 1993, PREMIUM TIMES can confirm.

Having earned a bachelors degree at 23, Mr Atunwa, going by Section 2 of the NYSC Act, should have participated in the yearlong national service. He will not be qualified for exemption under the law.

Digging deeper

With his INEC filing, Mr Atunwa appears to have dug himself deeper into potential legal trouble, an act which the PDP appears to be complicit by continuing to keep him as its governorship candidate notwithstanding the demands from Nigerians or legal implications.

By submitting university degrees without his NYSC certificate, Mr Atunwa has admitted he failed to present himself for national service, an act considered criminal by and punishable under the National Youth Service Corps Act.

Section 13 (1)(b) of the NYSC Act prescribed a jail term of 12 months for Mr Atunwas failure to make himself available for national service.

Any university or higher national diploma (HND) holder who refuses to make himself available for service in the service corps continuously for the period specified in subsection (2) of this section, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N2,000 or to imprisonment for a term of twelve months or to both such fine and imprisonment, it said.

By being in possession of a forged NYSC certificate, Mr Atunwa has rendered himself susceptible to a jail term of up to three years.

Anyone who makes, or has in his possession any document so closely resembling any certificate so issued as to be calculated to deceive, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N5,000 or to imprisonment for a term of three years or to both such fine and imprisonment, the section said.

Section 12 of the NYSC Act said a graduate who failed to present self for national service shall not be eligible for employment in Nigeria.

For the purposes of employment anywhere in the federation and before employment, it shall be the duty of every prospective employer to demand and obtained from any person who claims to have obtained his first degree at the end of the academic year 1973-74 or, as the case may be, at the end of any subsequent academic year the following:-

a. a copy of the Certificate of National Service of such person issued pursuant to section 11 of this Decree

b. a copy of any exemption certificate issued to such person pursuant to section 17 of this Decree c. such other particulars relevant there to as may be prescribed by or under this Decree, it said.

A watertight legislation

Multiple sources close to Mr Atunwa said the candidate has insisted that the NYSC certificate was not amongst requirements set by INEC.

He also said the Constitution set minimum requirement for an aspirant to primary six certificate or anyone who could barely speak, read and write English language and the NYSC is a law and not equal to the Constitution, the source said on Monday evening.

But while federal laws are considered subject to the Constitution, the NYSC Act is incorporated in the Constitution itself.

It is one of the four laws under the Transitional Provisions and Savings component of the Constitution whose elements cannot be amended by the National Assembly, unlike most other laws.

Atunwas WAEC certificate Masters certificate from University of London First School leaving certificate Birth certificate

In fact, it takes exactly the same process required to amend the Constitution to amend the NYSC Act, the National Security Agencies Act, the Public Complaints Commission Act and the Land Use Act.

Section 315 (5) states as follows:

Nothing in this Constitution shall invalidate the following enactments, that is to say 

(a) the National Youth Service Corps Decree 1993;

(b) the Public Complaints Commission Act;

(c) the National Security Agencies Act;

(d) the Land Use Act,

and the provisions of those enactments shall continue to apply and have full effect in accordance with their tenor and to the like extent as any other provisions forming part of this Constitution and shall not be altered or repealed except in accordance with the provisions of section 9 (2) of this Constitution.

Subsection 6 clarified emphasised that: Without prejudice to subsection (5) of this section, the enactments mentioned in the said subsection shall hereafter continue to have effect as Federal enactments and as if they related to matters included in the Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to this Constitution.

What Razak Atunwa is trying to do in Kwara is to give the All Progressives Congress an easy ride to power, said political analyst Femi Adebakin. There is no way any court in Nigeria will not remove him and order his immediate prosecution, that is assuming he refuses to step down and manages to find himself office.

Mr Atunwa has the backing of Senate President Bukola Saraki, who is widely considered as the preeminent political heavyweight in Kwara.

Mr Adebakin said it is particularly unfortunate that law enforcement authorities could not arrest Mr Atunwa.

You wonder whether this country has any hope at all when a man who has no immunity has been caught red-handed forging national document like NYSC certificate, Mr Adebakin said. He has not been arrested, and he is not on the run, but agencies are too timid to immediately swing into action and do their own part of a job PREMIUM TIMES has virtually completed for them.

Instead, he is running for office in the same country whose laws he so brazenly violated, he added. Kemi Adeosun fled the country to avoid prosecution, but this PDP politician is grandstanding like he is above the law.

Mr Atunwa remained defiant of the same NYSC certificate forgery that already consumed a serving finance minister. Kemi Adeosun stepped down from office in September, about two months after PREMIUM TIMES found she graduated from the same University of London at 22 but failed to present herself for national service, forging an exemption certificate instead.

Similarly, the ruling APC disqualified Adebayo Shittu, Nigerias incumbent communications minister, from the governorship race in Oyo State for failing to present himself for national service. The disqualification followed a PREMIUM TIMES report which detailed how the minister had sidestepped NYSC after graduating from Obafemi Awolowo University in 1978.

Mr Shittu did not forge his NYSC certificate, but the APC found he had already committed an illegality by failing to present himself after obtaining a law degree at 25.A former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, on Tuesday wrote the court informing it of his resolve to avoid court hearing until the prosecution obeys the courts ruling on his bail.

Mr Dasuki is facing trial at an Abuja Division of the Federal High Court for alleged illegal possession of firearms among other charges.

The former NSA, who is facing separate trials for alleged abuse of office while he was NSA, has repeatedly been granted bail by various courts which were not obeyed by the Nigerian government despite him meeting the bail conditions.

In a letter dated November 12 and signed by Mr Dasuki, the former NSA asked the court to: absolve him of any obligation of appearing at his trial, since the office of the State Security Service, an agent of government detaining him has also refused to respect the various court order for his bail.

In a response, the prosecution counsel, Dipo Okpeseyi asked the court to order the continuation of Mr Dasukis trial in absentia.

Mr Okpeseyi argued that the cases for which Mr Dasuki has been denied bail are independent of the instant case and described the defendants action as an affront to the court.

Mr Okpeseyi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said the prosecution was ready to proceed with the trial, but by his action, Mr Dasuki has again forestalled the days hearing session.

This is not the first time. He did it in January and in April, Mr Okpeseyi said.

In a short ruling, Mr Mohammed said the court will not grant the request by the prosecution to proceed with Mr Dasukis trial in absentia, unless the prosecution depose to an affidavit accusing the defence of wilfully avoiding the court.

According to the judge, the court had in its previous decision on April 10 settled the issue of Mr Dasukis alleged refusal to attend court hearing.

Let me observe that this court has in its ruling of April, 10, 2018 noted that any day that the defendant is absence in court and the prosecution believes that the defendant is unwilling to attend trial, the prosecution should swear an affidavit to show that the defendant has wilfully refused to come to court, Mr Mohammed ruled.

The judge further said the decision requested by the prosecution can only follow the applicants compliance with the ruling of the court on April 10.

Mr Ahmed also refused to treat the request made by Mr Dasuki in his letter and ordered the defence to properly communicate the court, for the letter to be included in its record.

Mr Ahmed said the court is a court of record which does not accept direct communication from parties.

The court adjourned the matter to November 19 for the prosecution to comply with the orders of the court on April 10, for a proper application for Mr Dasukis trial in absentia.The Lagos State Government has approved use of hijab (head and body covering for females) in public schools in the state.

This was contained in a circular by the state government.

The content of the circular was shared by the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) which had championed the use of hijabs and celebrated the decision.

Since the case of the use of Hijab in Lagos State is still pending in the Supreme court of Nigeria, status quo be maintained, to avoid contempt of the court, that is students be allowed to wear Hijabs on school uniforms but same must be short, smart, neat and in the same colour of the uniform (skirt), the government was quoted as saying in the circular.

In its statement, the MSSN expressed satisfaction with the decision which comes a day after the international school of the University of Ibadan in neighbouring Oyo State was shut after some female students were stopped for wearing hijabs.

Read the full MSSN statement below.

The Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit, has commended the Lagos State Government for upholding the rule of law through its approval of the use of hijab in public schools.

This was contained in a press statement by the Amir (president) of the MSSN Lagos, Saheed Ashafa, to react to a circular recently issued by the Lagos State Government granting the use of hijab in schools.

The circular conveyed the governments approval of the outcome /recommendations of the panel on the use of Hijab and urged compliance.

According to Ashafa, the circular would help to stop harassment and victimisation of female Muslim students for wearing hijab.

He recalled that despite the Appeal Court judgement, female Muslim students were punished and denied entrance into classrooms for putting on the hijab.

By issuing the circular, Ashafa said the Lagos State Government has towed the path of honour and deserved to be praised for such.

He said: We extol this gesture and the resoluteness of the state government in ensuring that an avoidable strife do not find ways into the peaceful atmosphere being enjoyed in Lagos State.

We are pleased with this development because the embarrassing way and manner that our members are being victimised, harassed, punished and denied entrance into their classrooms for wearing hijab would stop.

We have constantly told the state government that while a case on the hijab is awaiting final verdict at the Supreme Court, no teacher has the right to punish female pupils for wearing hijab. The Appeal Court in the case clearly states that wearing hijab by students, whether within or outside the school premises was a fundamental Human Right entrenched in the constitution.

It is important to notify you that we will not allow further lawlessness and flagrant disregard for rule of law to stay after this circular. The circular would also help to stop the abuse of rights which could have degenerated into crisis or violence that may lead to the disruption of activities in schools in our dear state.

We commend this intervention aimed at calling teachers, principals and tutor general to order. This circular approving wearing of hijab by students on their school uniform within and outside school premises, will ensure peace and order in our schools and stability in the states education system.

Ashafa subsequently encouraged female Muslim students to be confident, smart and neat while putting on the hijab.

We hereby call on female muslim students to enjoy their rights without fear of molestation. While exhibiting their rights, they should remain law abiding and be good ambassadors of the religion of peace, he added.

He congratulated Muslims in the state and islamic organisations for ensuring that Muslims are not denied their rights.

The circular read in part: Since the case of the use of Hijab in Lagos State is still pending in the Supreme court of Nigeria, status quo be maintained, to avoid contempt of the court, that is students be allowed to wear Hijabs on school uniforms but same must be short, smart, neat and in the same colour of the uniform (skirt).

Furthermore, schools management are advised to downplay comments and disciplinary actions on the use of smart Hijabs until the final determination of the case by Supreme Court.

No student should be discriminated against in any form on the basis of religion.

All principals and teachers must be sensitized to comply accordingly. You are enjoined to adhere strictly to these recommendations.No fewer than 1,801 persons were killed in various crises between 2010 and 2018 in Plateau State, the state Internally Displaced Persons Resettlement Committee has reported.

The committee in the report also said about 50,212 persons were displaced by the crises.

The report was presented to Governor Simon Lalong on Monday at the Government House, Jos by the chairman of the committee, Bala Danbaba, a retired air vice marshal of the Nigerian Air Force.

It identified 115 communities affected by the crises in Jos North, Jos South, Bassa, Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Bokkos local government areas.

According to Mr Danbaba, the committee received 55 memoranda and visited 27 IDPs camps in the two months of its work.

At the end of the visits, the committee identified a total of 115 affected communities in the affected LGAs. It also ascertained a total of 59,008 persons in five LGAs of which out of this, a total of 1,801 persons were said to have lost their lives, he said.

The only IDPs camp we did not visit was the one at Lere, in the Dorowa area of Barkin Ladi Local Government. We could not go there because of security reasons.

The committee also visited all the affected communities for an on-the-spot assessment, he added.

The multiethnic and multi-religious state in Nigerias North-central geopolitical zone has been wracked by violent conflicts for over a decade.Paradigm Initiative, a digital rights advocacy organisation, has called on the Nigerian government to enact a data protection law for its citizens and residents in line with international best practices.

A statement by Sodiq Alabi, the organisations communications officer, said the call was necessitated by the recent incidence of alleged data leak in Arik Airs operation.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Justin Paine, an internet security expert and head of trust and safety at Cloudflare, said he had discovered a serious data breach that rendered some Arik Air passengers data stored on Amazon S3 Bucket vulnerable and unprotected.

The data included information such as their names, email addresses, phone numbers, travel schedule, and even card details.

Paradigm Initiative in its statement said it is important for the Nigerian legislature to secure its citizens online data buy enacting relevant laws.

Section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria expressly states that The privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic communications is hereby guaranteed and protected, the statement said. Data protection is, therefore, an inherent responsibility where privacy has been granted.

The statement added that proper care must be taken to protect every information submitted to data custodians and processors, but much more than that, the Nigerian government must clearly and expressly mandate every data holder or processor to secure data in their care.

This must be done by the enactment of a law in which all necessary legal and technical standards are laid out, it said.

As it stands, Nigerians are extremely vulnerable and exposed by the absence of the countrys firm stance against the poor protection of data. And as data breaches occur in the country, there is no legally stipulated process, redress or resort for the aggrieved, no laws detailing data protection responsibilities on the data holders, no real laws to guide the judiciary.

Although there are some data protection Bills at the National Assembly namely; Data Protection Bill (HB02), Protection of Personal Information Bill (SB 310), and the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill (HB 490) which is closest to becoming a law. The Bill which has been passed by both houses of the National Assembly, contains provisions for data protection. These provisions align with internationally recognised principles of data protection and are clear and unambiguous.

Paradigm Initiative

The Digital Rights and Freedom Bill (HB 490) has however not been transmitted to the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for his assent. It has been over 7 months since the National Assembly passed the Bill. We call on the national assembly to immediately transmit this Bill to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The organisation also called on the Nigerian government to ensure that the alleged data leak is not swept away but rather thoroughly investigated, saying Nigeria cannot afford to continue to miss important learning opportunities and wakeup calls such as the recent one.

Appropriate actions have to be taken, and they must be taken now, the statement said.The Nigerian Customs Federal Operations Unit, Zone C, on Tuesday announced the seizure of 4,375 rounds of ammunition, two Magnum pump action rifles and 200 military camouflage vests.

The zone also impounded 430 bags of rice valued at N9 million, 1,160 bottles of codeine and 300 blister packs of tramadol.

While displaying the seized items, the comptroller of the zone, Kayode Olusemire, said three suspects had been arrested and would be arraigned over the seizures.

Mr Olusemire said the drugs and camouflage were seized at Onitsha, Anambra, while the arms and ammunition were seized in Enugu.

He said that the bags of rice were seized along Port Harcourt- Aba Road.

The seizures are part of our effort to ensure that no act of smuggling happens in the zone, no effort will be spared to ensure the zone is cleared of nefarious individuals, the comptroller said.

He condemned the activities of the smugglers, saying: It is regrettable that despite all sensitisation efforts by the command, some people still engage in acts of smuggling, causing significant damage to the economy of the country.

The arms and ammunition would have been used to carry out dastardly acts if not for the timely intervention of the customs officials, Mr Olusemire said.

(NAN)A bill to prohibit the killing and exportation of donkeys or its carcasses out of Nigeria on Tuesday passed a second reading at the House of Representatives.

The bill sponsored by Garba Muhammed (APC-Kaduna), seeks to address the threat of donkeys going into extinction, and to preserve its aesthetic, ecological, historical, recreational and scientific values to the nation.

Mr Muhammed said it was necessary that donkeys were preserved for use particularly foe transportation, among other uses.

According to him, the donkey is a very useful means of transportation, particularly in the rural communities of the country.

Recently, the donkey population has severely reduced. The reason ascribed to this development, like in many countries of West African sub-region, is large scale exports to China.

In China, where the donkey population has also nosedived, the demand for donkeys is extremely high because gelatine made from donkey skin is highly priced as a nutritional tonic which nourishes the blood and boosts the immune system.

Donkey meat is also a delicacy in some Chinese regions, especially in the North of the country. The Chinese have, therefore, invaded West Africa, among other places, for its donkey population.

This bill is therefore, not a novelty in the world as it has become the trend.

Botswana, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Gambia are countries which have recently prohibited the exportation of donkeys in order to keep their donkey population at sustainable levels while Zimbabwe and Ethiopia have also imposed some restrictions on its export, he said.

Mr Muhammed explained that in Kano, for instance, where many utilise the donkey for transportation, the donkey sold for between N15,000 and N18,000 but today it goes for between N70,000 and N75,000.

According to him, these poor rural farmers cannot afford donkeys anymore. Meanwhile, Dong-E E-Jiao, which is Chinas donkey market leader, posted pre-tax profits of 295 million dollars in 2016.

Our silence means that our helpless people would be milked dry for the commercial interest of foreign states.

Besides, Nigeria talks of tourism at every turn while the specie is needed in our science laboratory for the purpose of conducting research.

Is it possible that we shall now begin to import donkeys for these purposes?

To stem the tide, the bill proposes under clauses 1 and 2 among others, to prohibit the exportation of live donkeys as well as intentional killing and exportation of donkey parts in Nigeria as well as for consumption.

The bill, therefore, recommends a penalty of 10 years imprisonment for offences committed.

In his contribution, Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno), who was in support of the bill, said the law against the exportation of donkeys used to be in place because of the scarcity of donkeys.

This, he said, was because there was no value for money as they are bough in naira instead of dollars.

The bill was unanimously adopted by members when it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker Yakubu Dogara, and referred the bill to the Committee on Agricultural Institutions and Services. (NAN)A Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting at the Ikeja division of the Lagos State High Court on Tuesday sentenced one Abraham Sunday to one-year imprisonment with an option of a fine of N100,000 for internet fraud.

Mr Sunday was arraigned on a two-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence and being in possession of fraudulent documents.

The trial judge, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, issued the sentence after the defendant pleaded guilty to the charges.

She said that since the accused had been in custody for two months after he was arrested, his sentence should start from the day he was first remanded in prison. She also provided an option of a fine of N100,000.

In his statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Sunday admitted that sometime in 2017, he defrauded one Marlene he met on a social media network, Interpal, using the alias Raymond Dondmond while claiming to be an American citizen who deals in the exportation of solid minerals. He explained how he duped his victim.

I communicated to (with) Marlene through Whatsapp with a white mans picture on my DP. Marlene has sent me $300 and $280 to support me when I told her I was stuck in Nigeria.

When I met her online, I told her that I like her and would love to have a relationship with her which she agreed to. I told her Im an American citizen and that I live in Texas which she believed because of the white mans picture on my DP.

I told Marlene that she will be helping me to send money through Western Union to Nigeria from my clients in the U.S. I told her the money is to get some samples of solid minerals in Nigeria which she believed.

After a while, I told her to send me money from her account on a matter of urgency and that I will return it when my clients in the U.S. pay me.

Earlier in the proceeding, Mr Sundays counsel, Z. S. Makinde, informed the court that the defendant had exploited the opportunity of plea bargain and the defendant was subsequently re-arraigned on two counts of obtaining money by false pretence and possession of fraudulent documents which he pleaded guilty to.

The prosecuting counsel, Bikisu Buhari, urged the court to give judgement accordingly.

Mr Makinde, however, urged the court to temper justice with mercy, adding that the defendant is now a repentant law-abiding citizen.

My Lord, the defendant is a first-time offender and we urged your lordship to show him mercy. Since his arrest in 2017, he has learnt how to do Plaster of Paris (POP) for buildings and is now a totally changed person who now understands that internet fraud is wrong and immoral. He has vowed never to do such again and he is sober. I will be asking that the court make his sentence run from the time of his arrest in 2017.

The judge denied the plea of the defendant to allow the sentence run from the date of his arrest and instead gave an option of fine.

I have carefully considered the defendants allocutus. However, the court is considering the rampancy of this crime among young men but judgement must be given in order to send a message to other young men out there. I order him to pay the sum of N100,000 or one-year imprisonment. He should be released immediately after the fine is paid.Only 43.8 percent of budgetary allocations to state Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs) were released between 2012 and 2016, a civil society organisation has disclosed.

ActionAid made the disclosure Tuesday at a forum it held in Abuja to present its findings on spending by governments at the different levels in Nigeria on agriculture.

The Dissemination of Assessment of Government Expenditure on Agricultural/Community Score Cards on Smallholder Farmers Access to Extension services followed works by Action AIDs in seven states across Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The states where the assessment was carried out apart from the FCT, are Ondo, Kwara, Delta, Gombe, Bauchi, Kogi and Ebonyi.

In his presentation, the Food and Agriculture Programme coordinator for ActionAid, Azubike Nwokoye, said many of the ADPs are incapacitated, having little or no resources to release to farmers. Also, tools and other enabling equipment are not being provided to them.

Mr Nkwoye said in writing the assessment the organisation found out some states allocated no fund for some years to some ADPs, and where there was allocation in the budget, it was not released.

He said some ADPs have no information on the amount available to them, denoting that they were not part of the budget processing.

Underscoring the neglect of the agriculture sector by government in Nigeria, Mr Nkwoye said the World Bank pulled out of extension services in the country because many states failed to pay counterpart fund.

This is in spite of the centrality of agriculture to the Nigerian economy.

According to the past administration, agriculture contributes about 23 percent to Nigerias GDP. Although smallholder farmers dominate the sector, contributing 90 percent of its output, they cannot access agriculture extension services.

Mr Nkwoye said for Nigeria to get agriculture right, extension services need to be properly funded, not only in terms of allocation of resources but through timely releases to ensure the services reach smallholder farmers, especially women in the sector.

He praised smallholder farmers for managing to flourish in the agricultural sector, even without adequate support especially from two years ago when government declared Nigeria was in recession.

Mr Nwokoye spoke on how his organisation is working to help improve public financing of agriculture in Nigeria.

Action Aid is implementing a project called public financing of agriculture which seem to support smallholder farmers, women farmers and their organisations to be able to engage government looking at budget plan items and to ensure that they also participate in agriculture budget making and policy making processes.

On how to revitalise extension services in Nigeria, the organisation made some recommendations which it said emanated from some of the ADPs.

One of these is providing mobility for extension workers, saying without mobility for field visits and monitoring there would be no extension services.Governor Nasir Erufai of Kaduna has explained how he chose his running mate for the 2019 election.

In his first public response to criticisms over the decision, Mr El Rufai said he benefitted from President Muhammad Buharis counsel in deciding the candidate.

Mr El-Rufai last week named Hadiza Balarabe, the current Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Development Agency, as his deputy governorship candidate.

While some have applauded the choice of a female candidate, critics have accused the governor of insensitivity in picking a fellow Muslim for a religiously delicate state as Kaduna.

But speaking Tuesday when he received a delegation from Sanga LGA who came to thank him for selecting their daughter as his running mate, Mr El Rufai gave an insight how the decision was made.

According to him, Mrs Balarabe defeated 32 other nominees to emerge as his running mate.

We started piling list of people for consideration, and I had up to 32 names, including names of some people seated with me here today, he said. Then, we started selection and dropping of names based on merit. From 32 manes to 17 to 12 and then five names, three males and two females.

At that point, and as usual of us, when we are taking serious decisions, we consult President Muhammadu Buhari, because he is the only person I know that has worked in the army, he has been governor, minister and president.

So, when I told him, he said anyone older than you should be dropped, then one name was dropped, remaining two men and two women, then he said, since you are interested in a woman pick the best woman. That was how I picked Hadiza because she was the best.

He responded to criticisms about the Muslim-Muslim ticket, the first in years for the north west state.

Meanwhile, from the beginning, I had told my team that, I will never choose or deny anyone appointment because of religion or ethnicity, the governor said.

But some people have started all manner of things, Muslim-Muslim ticket and so on. But government house is not a place of worship, we come here to work for the people.

The people that have criticized me most on this are people who never voted me in the first place. So, are they not supposed to be celebrating if in their own opinion I have made a wrong choice? Then, why are they mourning? Mr El-Rufai asked.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday re-arraigned a former Chief of Air Staff, Adesola Amosu, before a Federal High Court in Lagos, over alleged N21.4 billion fraud.

Mr Amosun, a retired air marshal, was re-arraigned alongside, Jacob Adigun, an air vice marshal and Olugbenga Gbadebo, an air commodore, on a 13-count charge.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the trio was first arraigned in June 2016, alongside some companies before Justice Mohammed Idris.

Their re-arraignment before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on Tuesday followed the elevation of Mr Idris to the Court of Appeal.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges while the court allowed them to continue with the bail granted by the previous judge.

NAN also reports that as a result of Justice Idris elevation, Mr Amosuns trial which has lasted over two years in court is beginning afresh before Mr Aneke.

In the amended charge, the EFCC dropped the names of the companies which were joined as accused in the earlier charge.

The companies are: Delfina Oil and Gas Ltd, Mcallan Oil and Gas Ltd, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Ltd, Trapezites BDC, Fonds and Pricey Ltd and Solomon healthcare Ltd.

Prior to their re-arraignment on Tuesday, Mr Aneke, had in a ruling rejected the prayer by the defence that the companies whose names were removed from the charge be first pronounced discharged and acquitted before any further action.

But Mr Aneke in his ruling faulted the argument of the defence and directed that the amended charges be read to the accused.

In the first count, the EFCC alleged that the accused conspired to covert a total sum of N21.4 billion property of the Nigerian Air Force which sum they reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of a criminal breach of trust.

The anti-graft agency alleged that the accused persons diverted the sums using several companies.

The prosecution said the accused committed the offences on March 5, 2014.

It said the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 15 and 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011

Mr Aneke adjourned the case until November 14 for continuation of trial.

(NAN)The Federal Government of Nigeria on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to ending the unending Boko Haram insurgency, saying it would ensure that the menace was completely eliminated.

President Muhammadu Buhari stated at the opening of the International Conference on insurgency in Kano.

Mr Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Interior, Abdurrahman Dambazau, said the government was determined to end the sufferings of victims of insurgency, especially in the North-east which is worst affected.

The conference was organised by the Centre for Islamic Civilisation and Interfaith Dialogue, Bayero University, Kano, in collaboration with Information Institute of Islamic Though, Nigeria Office and Kano State Government.

According to the lieutenant general (retd), the federal government will do everything possible to ensure that victims of the attacks return to their respective towns and villages to enable them continue with normal life.

He noted that the activities of Boko Haram insurgents had led to destruction of schools, worship places and other public structures, and stressed the need for concerted effort to rebuild the places.

We must continue to support our youth to make sure that lack of employment does not create problems to our country again.

We must also strengthen our various institutions so as to guide our youths to be self-reliant and be able to contribute their quota toward the development of the country, he said.

Mr Buhari commended Kano, Borno, Yobe and other states which had taken the pain in taking care of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in their respective states.

He also commended the effort of civil society organisations and other bodies that had been working to alleviate the sufferings of the IDPs in the affected states.

Government also wishes to appreciate the efforts and charge our schools to continue to support the youths to be useful members of the society.

He noted that the reintroduction of teaching of history in secondary schools would enable the youth to know the history of the country and promote unity and peaceful coexistence in the country.

The president expressed the hope that the conference would come up with useful suggestions that would guide policy makers to implement policies and programmes for the development of the country.

The conference which had Insurgency and the Phenomenon of Boko Haram as theme, was attended by persons within and outside the country, including representatives of security agencies and traditional rulers.

(NAN)As the 2019 General Elections draw closer, 21 candidates have been cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest for the Plateau governorship seat.

Their names are contained in a list released on Tuesday in Jos by Imahiyereobo Osaretin, the commissions Head of Voter Education and Publicly in Plateau.

According to Mr Osaretin, the 21 candidates from various political parties have met all the requirements for the governorship election.

The official also said that 279 candidates were cleared to contest election into the 24 Plateau constituencies.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that among candidates cleared for the governorship position are the incumbent governor, Simon Lalong, who is seeking second tenure under the APC; Jeremiah Useni of the PDP and Godfrey Miri of the SDP.

Also listed are Haruna Dabin, a former PDP Chairman in the state but now the candidate of PPC, Timothy Parlong, who is contesting on the platform of APGA, Bitrus Musa of the ADC and John Bigwan, contesting on the platform of GPN, among others.

The list also contains names of running mates of the various candidates.

(NAN)The Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has raised alarm over the influx of suspected political thugs into the state as by-election for member of House of Representatives to represent Ekiti, Irepodun and Isin Federal constituency approaches.

Mr Ahmed, who declared that the state is under siege, dropped the hint yesterday when he received Concerned Kwara South Youth at the Government House, Ilorin.

The governor expressed fear over the redeployment of Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in the Kwara South senatorial district by the Inspector General of Police, alleging that the IGPs actions at this critical period called for serious concern.

Mr Ahmed further explained that ordinarily government should have been excited with the police action of restrategising to ensure free, fair and credible election but past experiences have shown that the police was not sincere and faithful with the move.

According to him, Past experiences in both Ekiti and Osun states had proven that the police force is trying to support the opposition to manipulate the by election.

Credible information reaching us proves that the police are conniving with the opposition to cause mayhem and intimidate our people and get them defranchised in the by election.

The governor warned against threatening of the countrys democracy with the actions of the Inspector General of Police and appealed to the presidency to call the IGP to order.

Speaking earlier, leader of the protesting youth, Felix Alaba, had in his remarks thrown his weight behind the governor and praised him for the developmental projects across the state.

He also expressed concerns over the influx of strangers into Kwara South as by-election is fast approaching, explaining that the rate at which strangers arriving their communities called for concern.The Kaduna State Government has lifted the curfew it imposed on Kaduna metropolis and its environs on October 31.

A statement by Governor Nasir El-Rufais spokesperson, Samuel Aruwan, on Tuesday said residents were free to go about their legitimate businesses at anytime of the day.

However, a security review has determined that curfew hours be retained in Kujama, Kasuwan Magani and Kachia towns in the state, Mr Aruwan announced.

Nighttime curfew in Kachia is from 10p.m to 6a.m. For Kasuwan Magani and Kujama the curfew remains from 5p.m to 6a.m.

The Kaduna State Security Council commends residents for upholding the peace, and urges residents to continue to cooperate with the security agencies.

The state government announced the curfew following a crisis in which 77 people were reported killed in parts of the state.No fewer than 1,150 youths, including 700 women in Jigawa have commenced a three-month training on various vocational skills, organised by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

The NDE Coordinator in the state, Abubakar Muhammad, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that the exercise commenced on November 12.

Mr Muhammad said the training would be in cosmetology, hairdressing, tailoring, GSM repairs, auto-mechanic, auto-electric repair and satellite dish installation.

According to him, those in cosmetology will be trained for two weeks, while the others will undergo three months training.

The coordinator said the gesture was aimed at reducing unemployment and restiveness among youths and women in the state.

The training will also help to equip the trainees with the technical knowledge of setting up their own businesses, become self-reliant and also become employers of labour.

It will also empower women to contribute meaningfully to the economic growth of their families, communities, state and the nation in general.

The training is also to enable the beneficiaries to become self-reliant and not seek for wage employment, he said.

Mr Muhammad said the NDE would continue to evolve new skills in its training scheme to reduce unemployment across the country.

(NAN)The Jigawa State Pilgrim Welfare Board (JSPWB), says it has commenced registration of prospective pilgrims for the 2019 hajj.

The boards Public Relations Officer, Hashim Ibrahim, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Dutse, the state capital in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Mr Ibrahim said the prospective pilgrims are expected to deposit between N1 million and N1.5 million, pending the announcement of 2019 hajj fare by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

The prospective pilgrims are also expected to come along with e-passport and 16 copies of passport-size photographs with white background, Mr Ibrahim said.

He, however, cautioned intending pilgrims to strictly work with only its zonal officers, to avoid being duped by fraudsters.

The spokesman also stated that apart from the zonal officers, the board had not assigned anybody to serve as its agent for the collection and payment of deposit.

He said the board had provided the zonal officers with the necessary materials for smooth collection of the deposit.

I want to use this opportunity to warn the intending pilgrims that they should not give their money to anyone except the zonal officers.

We have not assigned any agent or middleman between the pilgrims and our zonal officers.

Any intending pilgrim that gives his money to anyone besides our zonal officers does that at his or her own risk.

So, if one is wishing to go for this years hajj, let the person go and get registered and also pay the N1million deposit, the spokesman said.

According to him, intending pilgrims wishing to pay the deposit could contact the boards zonal officers in its 13 centres across the state.

Ibrahim listed the centres as: Dutse, Birninkudu, Kirikasamma, Kafinhausa, Gwaram, Maigatari, Gumel, Ringim, Hadejia, Kaugama, Jahun, Kazaure and Roni.

(NAN)The chairman of Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara, Awwal-Bawa Moriki, has offered to give N5 million to anyone with useful information on female twin kidnapped in Dauran town in October.

The Chairman announced the bounty on Tuesday while speaking with journalists in Zurmi.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the twins, Hassana and Hussaina were kidnapped last month in Dauran town while distributing the invitation cards of their weddings.

The chairman said the step was taken by the council to express its concern over the situation and how to rescue the victims.

He described the situation as worrisome and disturbing.

At the local government level, we resolved to offer N5 million to any person, group people or community who can give information that can lead to the rescue of the victims, he said.

He urged residents to intensify prayers for Allahs interventions in the rescue of the missing ladies as well as the safety of the state from armed bandits and other criminals.

NAN further reports that the state government had last week directed the recruitment of 8,500 civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) operatives from 17 emirate councils across the state to assist security agencies in combating insecurity.

(NAN)The Court of Appeal has adjourned ruling on an appeal filed by a former security adviser to former Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State, Richard Kpodo, against a ruling of the state high court denying him bail.

Mr Kpodo is standing trial before the high court for alleged rape of his 26-year old former employee. Justice E. Eradiri on July 31 denied him bail, which he applied for on his health condition, ruling that the accused be remanded in prison custody and given access to medical care.

The prosecuting counsel, Andrew Arthur, said on Tuesday in Yenagoa Mr Kpodos appeal was heard by the Court of Appeal siting in Port Harcourt.

We were in court for the appeal on the denial of bail, the application was heard and the court adjourned ruling on the appeal to a later date that would be communicated to the parties, Mr Arthur said.

The trial at Bayelsa High Court 7 was on October 31 halted as the accused sought a transfer of the case to another judge. The defence team was slated to open defence on that date when the states prosecutor informed the court of a pending application by the accused to have the case tried by another judge.

The trial judge in reaction to the development adjourned the case indefinitely to await the decision of the Chief Judge of Bayelsa, Kate Abiri.

Before the adjournment, the alleged rape victim had in a previous hearing together with three witnesses testified before the judge, and was cross examined by the defense counsel, Julius Iyekoroghe, before the prosecution team closed its case.

Mr Kpodo was on July 31 arraigned before High Court 7 after being earlier arraigned before a magistrates court in Yenagoa. He was charged on two counts of unlawful detention and rape of the female cashier at the hotel he runs.

An uncle of the victim and a medical doctor who examined her on June 9, after the alleged rape the previous day, also testified in the case.

Mr Kpodo is in prison custody pending the reassignment of the case to another judge.Artisanal fishermen in the Niger Delta, affected by the December 2011 Bonga oil spill, have urged the federal government to compel Shell to pay the $3.6 billion fine for the spill.

Samuel Ayadi, Coordinator, Niger Delta zone, Artisana Fishermen Association of Nigeria, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Tuesday.

Judge Mojisola Olatoregun of a Lagos Federal High Court, on June 20, upheld the $3.6 billion fine imposed on Shell by the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency NOSDRA, dismissing Shells appeal.

Ms Ayadi lamented that Shell Nigeria Production and Exploration Company (SNEPCO), had yet to comply with the court order, saying that the judgment was a lifeline to the fishermen.

Following the December 20, 2011 spill, NOSDRA in March 2015, imposed a $3.6 billion fine on Shell for discharging 40,000 barrels of crude into the Atlantic Ocean.

The fine comprised $1.8 billion as compensation for the damage to the natural resources and consequential loss of income by the affected shoreline communities as well as a punitive damage of $1.8 billion.

NAN recalls that the Chairman of NOSDRA board, Ayo Akinyerule, had urged SNEPCO to pay the fine to enable the agency to compensate the impacted fishermen and communities.

Mr Ayadi said that the fishermen thrown out of business by the incident had patiently waited for the litigation processes to end.

The Bonga oil spill was a heavy blow to us artisanal fishermen. Ironically the spill from the oilfield named after the local fish specie, Bonga, was what led to the near extinction of the specie.

We can no longer see Bonga fish in our dishes because the spill wiped out generations of the specie.

The chemical dispersant spread to dissolve the leaked crude is very toxic to fish and other marine creatures.

We were directed by NOSDRA to pull out of fishing to avoid catching contaminated fish that would jeopardise public health.

The income loss is in addition to the damage done by the contamination of our fishing gear, outboard engines and nets.

Since the three months appeal window has lapsed, we call on President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on SNEPCO to comply with the court judgment and pay the fine so that NOSDRA can compensate the victims.

We are counting on the fatherly disposition of President Buhari to prevail on Shell to comply with the courts judgment so that we shall return to our traditional fishing occupation.

Our return to sea will also guarantee that we play our own part in ensuring food security and reducing our dependence on imported fish, Mr Ayadi said.

NAN recalls that on December 20, 2011, during loading of crude at Bonga fields within OML 118 situated 120 kilometres off the Atlantic coastline, the export line ruptured and discharged crude into the sea.

The export line, according to a joint investigation report by NOSDRA and SNEPCO spewed about 40,000 barrels (6.4 million litres) of crude oil into the sea.

(NAN)The speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Rita Maduagwu, who was purportedly impeached on Tuesday has regained access to the assembly premises.

Mr Maduagwu, backed by some officials of the state government, held a sitting at the assembly chambers with 11 of the 30 members of the house in attendance.

While labelling her purported impeachment as a bundle of illegality, Mrs Maduagwu described the masterminds of the said impeachment as rascals.

Nobody can impeach me because I have not committed any offence. They didnt have any power known to any law to impeach me, she said.

According to her, the estranged lawmakers did not get the constitutional two-thirds to impeach her.

Mrs Maduagwu, who was surrounded by some government officials, including the Secretary to the State Government, Solo Chukwulobe, regained access to the chamber after about two hours and then held a brief session.

She adjourned the house sitting till November 15.

Mrs Maduagwu was impeached earlier in the day by 20 of the 30 members of the house.

Her impeachment followed a motion moved by a member, Ikemba Uzoezie and seconded by Onyebuchi Offor.

The members accused her of financial impropriety and gross misconduct.

The house also elected and immediately swore in Mr Uzoezie who represents Aguata 2 state constituency under the ruling All Progressive Grand Alliance, (APGA), as the new speaker.The Ekiti State House of Assembly has concluded plans to investigate the finances of the 16 local governments in the state covering the period of the last administration of Ayodele Fayose.

The house however denied the move was a witch-hunt, noting that it was part of its oversight functions and efforts to curb corruption in the third tier of government.

Chairmen of the local governments were elected in December 2017 and their tenure will expire December 2019.

The councils had approached the Ekiti State High Court shortly after Governor Kayode Fayemi took over, seeking to restrain him from dissolving them.

But the court struck out the motion, saying it was presumptive and speculative, as there was no compelling reason to suggest that the then governor-elect had any intention to dissolve the local councils as constituted after the December 2017 election.

Barely a month of Mr Fayemis administration, the councils are still in place, and no pronouncement has been made to dissolve them.

The houses Leader of Business, Gboyega Aribisogan, told journalists on Tuesday in Ado Ekiti that the financial status of the local governments must be examined to prevent embezzlement of public funds.

He said the exercise would entail getting the council chairmen to account for the resources made available to them during the period and how they have been able to impact the lives of the people.

Mr Aribisogan, also said the investigation would ensure that the lean resources at the third tier of government was not misappropriated .

He however said those found to have corrupted themselves with the resources of the people would be handed over to the anti-corruption agencies.

Mr Aribisogan, a member of the All Progressives Congress, stated that it would be a great disservice to the people as their representatives, to allow council bosses to mismanage public funds without proper action taken to ensure probity and transparency in the system.

This probe is a routine work being carried out by the Assembly to ensure that our people, those who elected us get values for their money, he said.

You know the local governments are the closest to the grassroots and we must not shy away from taking those actions that will ensure that the governments developmental programmes get to the downtrodden masses.

This cant happen when the House is not alive to its responsibilities of playing oversight actions to serve as checks and balances on the council bosses.

This should not be misinterpreted to mean a witch-hunting of the past government but was done to make political office holders alive to their responsibilities to the people in terms of finances.

But we are going to make our findings public and whoever found to have mismanaged public funds will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for actions.

But the Peoples Democratic Party in the state described the move as another means of seeking the dissolution of the councils.

Publicity Secretary of the party, Jackson Adebayo, told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday that the new administration of Mr Fayemi is seeking an opportunity to dissolve the councils, even though they were democratically elected.

Dr Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti State [Pic: Pulse.ng]

According to him, due to legal obstacles standing on the way of the government to dissolve the councils outright, a probe is being instituted to justify any dissolution of the councils.

The decision of the House to carry out the probe did not come to us as a surprise, because they are trying to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it, said Mr Adebayo.

They are aware of a Supreme Court judgment that forbids the dissolution of a democratically elected local government, and would rather find another way, which is what they are trying to do, just to ensure the councils are dissolved.

That is the way of the APC which is using some disgruntled members of the PDP in the House to find fault with the last administration.

Mr Adebayo added that it would be difficult to separate the probe of the local government from the investigation of the Fayose administration, knowing that both governments operate in joint allocation account.

He however said time was not on the side of Mr Fayemi, whom, he said would be removed from office at the conclusion of the election petition against him.The University of Ibadan International School has been shut indefinitely for denying female Muslims in the school the right to wear Hijab (head scarf) by the principal of the school, Phebean Olowe.

The decision to stop academic activities was due to the appearance of some students who were adorned in Hijab against what the management described as the school dress code.

The Punch newspaper, Daily Trust as well as some other media houses, reported the incident.

According to the report by The Punch newspaper, some parents, under the aegis of the International School Muslim Parents Forum, sent a letter dated November 9, 2018, and signed by Abdurrhaman Balogun (chairman) and Bilikis Badiru (secretary), to the Principal of the school, Mrs Olowe, and the deputy vice-chancellor, Academics, UI, Abideen Aderinto.

They stated that they were putting the schools management on notice of this resolution on the rights of our female children to commence the use of hijab from this academic session of 2018/2019, according to the report.

The report further revealed that the forum argued that Hijab-wearing for young Muslim girls, apart from the fact that it is part of their religious belief, is part of their God-given fundamental human right as well as in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Consequently, both school assembly and classes were cancelled when Hijab wearing students were sighted by the school authorities, the report further highlighted.

Parents approach not acceptable

Reacting to the development, the report stated that the deputy vice chancellor, academic, Mr Aderinto, who doubles as the chairman, Court of Governors of the school, said the jungle approach being used by the parents will not be tolerated.

Mr Aderinto said the school was a private institution and not being run from any subvention from the government.

He said the school had its rules governing dress codes, which all parents agreed to.

The deputy vice-chancellor said he held a meeting with members of the forum on Saturday for over two hours after receiving a letter from the group on November 9.

Mr Aderinto, according to the report, said he was shocked and disappointed that the parents could be frustrating the efforts of the management to restore the glory of the school.

I am the Chairman of the Court of Governors and I am a proud Muslim. The ISI is a private school. The UI does not fund it. It is funded by the fees collected. It is unfortunate that this is coming up now. Even the Parent Teachers Association is not aware of the idea of this group.

I appeal to these people to stop their action and allow peace to reign in the school. It is even strange that this matter was not discussed at the meeting of the Parent Teachers Association headed by another Muslim and lawyer, Mr Kazeem Olaniyan, he said, according to the report.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr Balogun expressed surprise that the school was shut down because of the female students adorned in hijab.

According to the report, he maintained that the forum would continue to forge ahead with its agitation until our daughters are allowed to wear hijab.

Meanwhile, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned the act of the school.

In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday morning, the director of the group, Ishaq Akintola, said the ban is an invitation to chaos and a threat to girl-child education.

According to MURIC, Mrs Olowe is a failure in administration. She is out of touch with reality. This principal is retarding the progress of UIIS. She can only be an agent of destabilization to have behaved this way.

Britain and America are encouraging the wearing of hijab in their schools but here we find a school administrator constituting herself into a clog in the wheel of progress, particularly in the area of girl-child education, Mr Akintola said.

He said a good administrator will consult parents before taking such a sensitive decision and there are a lot of opportunities for her to do that.

Religion is a sensitive matter. She must have a hidden agenda otherwise she would not have made such an attempt in view of the proliferation of hijab stories in the news. No school administrator worth the salt will issue an anti-hijab instruction in view of recent events around the country unless such a principal is from Mars or Mercury, he said.

The Islamic group commended the parents who participated in the peaceful protest at the school gate, noting that peaceful protest is an extension of dialogue where there are grievances to address.

These parents have refused to abdicate their responsibilities. They have a duty to educate their children and to monitor their progress as prescribed in Quran 2:233. They have successfully done that. They also have a duty to protect their children from abuse, stigma and religious discrimination.

The Muslim group also urged the university authority to intervene in order to avoid it escalating to serious issues.

UI is a centre of academic excellence. The authorities should not allow administrative shenanigans and educational charlatans to turn its International School into a centre for religious apartheid. It is high time UIIS realised that Nigerian Muslims have come of age.

The group said the school principal, Mrs Olowe should resign if she cannot tolerate the sight of female Muslim children in hijab because she is going to be seeing quite a lot of them these days.Mutiu Agboke, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State, says 735, 705 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) remain uncollected in the state.

Mr Agboke disclosed this at a stakeholders forum held in Ibadan as part of efforts to ensure violence-free general elections in 2019.

Oyo INEC is still having 735, 705 uncollected PVCs left. This is alarming, hence, the need for collective efforts in ensuring that these PVCs are collected, he said.

He said INEC had adopted strategic measures to reduce the high number of uncollected PVCs, adding that these include establishment of call desks at the state offices.

The call desks are for calling of PVC owners on phone to pick up their respective cards and the same was established at the local government level, he said.

The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the forum was Towards Credible 2019 General Elections and Civil campaigns.

NAN also reports that the forum specifically focused on hate speeches, fake news and vote buying.

Mr Agboke, who noted that the commencement of campaign for the general elections was five days away, urged politicians and their supporters to shun hate speeches.

Today marks five days to the commencement of campaign activities. It is 94 days to the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

It is apt and timely, bearing in mind that political parties and their candidates are set to commence campaigns and other electoral activities, he said.

Mr Agboke, who said that he was doing a lot to ensure free and fair polls in the state, recalled that he had met with stakeholders in the electioneering process.

These include IPAC members, the academic community, Non-Governmental Organisations, traditional rulers, religious bodies as well as the media and security agencies.

Dolapo Dosunmu, the Director of the National Orientation Agency in the state, said the general elections would represent the sovereign will of the people in line with global best practices.

A gathering like this to ventilate opinions on how to put our democracy on the right footing is very crucial, she said.

According to her, politics becomes a dysfunctional game when it is stripped of the basic ingredients needed for democracy to flourish.

She called on all stakeholders to play according to the rules while warning them to eschew violence.

Tajudeen Akanji, the Director of the Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies at the University of Ibadan, said all Nigerians must partner to ensure free and fair polls.

Every Nigerian has a role to play in ensuring that Nigeria gets it right in 2019, he said.

He also warned politicians and their supporters as well as journalists and other stakeholders to be civil in their commentaries.

(NAN)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.



(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/784128/CTBTO_Logo.jpg )



(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/784127/CTBTO_nuclear_test_monitoring_stations.jpg )



During his visit to Australia from 19-21 November 2018, Zerbo will also meet Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and other high-level officials in Canberra. He will also brief heads of missions for South Pacific countries at a CTBTO workshop in Melbourne, hosted at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and its verification system and its civil and scientific applications.

During his visit to New Zealand from 22-23 November 2018, Zerbo will meet with high-level officials and scientific experts in Wellington and Christchurch, and visit the "Red Zone", an area of the city centre that had been cordoned off following the February 2011 earthquake that caused widespread damage across Christchurch.

Press opportunities include:

Availability of interviews with Executive Secretary Zerbo by phone or in person in Australia and New Zealand .

Zerbo can speak on issues related to nuclear testing and nuclear non-proliferation, North Korea's six announced nuclear tests that were detected by the CTBT International Monitoring System (IMS), completion of Australia's segment of the global monitoring system to detect nuclear tests, and the civil and scientific uses of IMS data for public safety and the advance of science.

John Gee Memorial Lecture at the Australian National University

In Canberra, Zerbo will also deliver the John Gee Memorial Lecture at the Australian National University (ANU), with opening remarks from ANU Chancellor and Former Foreign Minister Gareth Evans.

When: 20 November at 17:30

Where: Lecture Theatre 1, Hedley Bull Building (130), corner of Garran Road and Liversidge Street, ANU. Full details: https://bit.ly/2B17c8R

Public Address at New Zealand Institute of International Affairs on advancing nuclear disarmament

When: Thursday 22 November 2018, at 17:30.

Where: RHLT1 Rutherford House, Victoria University, 23 Lambton Quay, Wellington.

Full details: https://bit.ly/2zK8OSq

Background

The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions everywhere, by everyone, and for all times. The CTBTO has established an International Monitoring System to ensure that no nuclear explosion goes undetected. Currently, 296 certified facilities - of a total of 337 when complete - are operating around the world. The data registered by the IMS can also be used for disaster mitigation such as earthquake monitoring, tsunami warning, and the tracking of the levels and dispersal of radioactivity from nuclear accidents.

TV B-roll and still photos are available

Watch analyst describe working at CTBTO when North Korea detonated a nuclear bomb: https://bit.ly/2TbBBIq

Map of Australian monitoring facilities: https://bit.ly/2DqoVc7

Map of global monitoring network: https://bit.ly/2RKaR0h

http://www.ctbto.org

SOURCE the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, November 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

To operate 38 new Visa Application Centres in 10 countries, by December 2018

On 5th November 2018, VF Worldwide Holdings Ltd., operating as VFS Global, signed a contract with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic for providing visa services in 10 countries worldwide.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/624234/VFS_Global_Logo.jpg )



As per this new contract, VFS Global will now provide visa services for Slovakia in China, India, Kazakhstan, Palestine, Belarus, Russia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Egypt, through 38 Visa Application Centres.

The rollout of all these new operations is expected to be completed by December 2018. Under the new contract, VFS Global will accept both short and long-term visa applications on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.

Chris Dix, Head - Business Development, VFS Global, remarked, "We are excited about our new partnership with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic. The countries where we will be operating are markets where VFS Global has worked for several years, and whose travellers are familiar with our services and expertise. We are also pleased to have the opportunity to serve our new clients in new locations, and bring applicants in these locations the same benefits and high quality service that we have been offering our customers worldwide for the last 17 years."

Over the last three months, VFS Global also signed eight new contracts with other European governments, reaffiriming its position as a market leader in the visa facilitation space. In total, VFS Global is the trusted outsourcing services provider of 30 European governments out of 62 client governments served worldwide.

About VFS Global

VFS Global is the world's largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. VFS Global, headquartered in Dubai, UAE, has Swiss parentage and is a portfolio company of EQT, a leading global private equity firm headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.

With 2763 Application Centres, operations in 141 countries across five continents and over 182 million applications processed as on 30 September 2018, VFS Global is the trusted partner of 62 client governments.

Media Contact:

Sukanya Chakraborty

sukanyac@vfsglobal.com

communications@vfsglobal.com



SOURCE VFS GlobalIf a black student has just one or two black teachers in elementary school, that student is significantly more likely to enroll in college, a new Johns Hopkins University study has found .

Black students who had just one black teacher by 3rd grade were 13 percent more likely to enroll in college, while those who had two black teachers were 32 percent more likely, the study found. These findings are a continuation of the 2017 study that found that a low-income black students probability of dropping out of high school is reduced by 29 percent if he or she has one black teacher in grades 3-5.

The new study was released in conjunction with another study (from much of the same team of researchers) finding that teachers beliefs about a students college potential can become self-fulfilling prophecies. The study found that black teachers are more likely than white teachers to have higher expectations for black students. Both studies were published as working papers by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

There are these frustratingly persistent attainment gaps between the races, and we want to close these gaps, said co-author Nicholas Papageorge, an assistant professor of economics at Johns Hopkins. These gaps should be closed because of the inherent inequity, Papageorge said, but also because its costly for a society to have large swaths of its population not attend college. College enrollment among black young adults lags behind that of white, Asian, and Hispanic students, according to federal data .

Its one thing to say kids dont go to college because they dont have the ability to or the money to, but it seems really awful and inefficient if kids arent going to college because they dont think theyre supposed to or because they dont have role models, he said. Theyre making decisions based on bad information, and thats no good.

For the study on the effects of same-race teachers on college enrollment, researchers looked through longitudinal data from Tennessee and North Carolina, and found similar patterns in both states. For the study on teacher expectations, researchers looked at data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, a nationally representative longitudinal study that followed 8,400 10th grade students.

Black Teachers Impact

Why do black teachers matter so much for black students college enrollment? The researchers tested two theoriesthat black teachers are more skilled than their white counterparts at instructing black students, and that black teachers serve as role models for their black students.

Scholars say that black teachers often engage in culturally relevant teaching, which is beneficial to students of color. That might include using cultural references in instruction or showcasing pride in ones racial identity and a sense of affiliation with the larger black community.

Black teachers also serve as examples to these kids of what the black middle class looks like, Papageorge said.

Theoretically, he said, black students need just one black teacher to inspire them (the role model effect). And its true that having a single black teacher does make a difference in terms of college enrollment. But when black students have two black teachers in elementary school, they are even more likely to enroll in collegesignaling that instruction matters, too.

The dataset did not allow the researchers to see if the positive effect continues to grow if a black student has more than two black teachers, Papageorge said.

Teacher Expectations

The study on teachers expectations looked at math and reading teachers predictions about how far students would go in school. Researchers found that while teachers are generally overly optimistic about the college potential for all students, white teachers are systematically less optimistic about black students than white ones.

Black kids are missing out on optimism that everyone else gets, Papageorge said.

When a black teacher and a white teacher predict the outcomes of the same black student, the black teacher typically has higher expectations for the student.

And higher teacher expectations matter, the researchers found. When a 10th grade teacher is optimistic about a students future, that leads to a higher grade-point average in 12th grade and more time spent on homeworkthe student could be putting in greater effort in response to those expectations. Also, students tend to have higher expectations about their own educational attainment. (Its important to note that correlation does not equal causation; the student might have higher expectations of his own future because of his high GPA.)

Policy Implications

In a statement, Papageorge had said the studies both underscore the importance of gaps in information, expectations, and thus, aspirations.

Just 7 percent of U.S. teachers are black, compared to about 15 percent of students. Researchers have said that the teacher diversity gap is a tough problem to fix , mainly because teachers of color leave the profession at higher rates than their white peers.

Papageorge said that the number of black teachers would need to double to properly align the demographics of the workforce with the student body population. But recruiting more black college graduates into the teaching profession is a challenge, because it would require those professionals to take a pay cut: The median earnings for African Americans who are not teachers is roughly $49,000, while the median salary for black teachers is $45,000.

Were basically asking the black community of college graduates to give up $1 billion a year in earnings in order to solve this problem, Papageorge said. Were widening the wage gap in order to fix the education gaps.

He said one possible solution would be to reconsider black teachers roles in schools so they can reach more black students. Black teachers and other black professionals can serve as role models without teaching students for a full year, Papageorge said.

Another idea, he said, is to train white teachers to embrace a culturally relevant pedagogy and maintain high expectations for all students. Education Week has reported before about colleges of educations that are training their preservice teachers , who are predominately white women, in cultural sensitivity.

Image via GettySingleton firmly believes these core values are responsible for the 500% company growth over the last six years that just landed Able on the extremely competitive list, and their achievement has been acknowledged widely.

"Having just recognized Able with our 'Independent Mover of the Year' award, we are very aware of their growth and congratulate them on another milestone achievement," says Scott Michael, President & CEO of the American Moving and Storage Association.

WBJ Editor-in-Chief Doug Fruehling states, "We are pleased to welcome Able Moving & Storage to our Fastest Growing Companies List. Diversification amongst this list represents the region's broad spectrum of success extremely well."

Able is pairing their recent gains with strategic planning that is paving the way for future growth in a way that the whole leadership team is extremely pleased with. "We have always reinvested in our company's infrastructure," says company President Jim Singleton, "and the sheer amount of growth we are going through has made this an extremely welcome necessity."

Able recently kicked off its "You2 Movement," a complete overhaul of traditional mission, vision, and values rhetoric, recognizing outstanding behavior among its employees with a medallion that will soon crest everything the company utilizes, including its trucks. They just became part of a nationwide few that have invested in RFID tracking to better serve their corporate clients. They just finished a new building on their 12 acre Manassas Headquarters, purchased land for another build-to-suit in the works, and still had to lease an additional project nearby to accommodate growth in its commercial divisions. The company is about ready to announce a local acquisition, looking at more, and they are definitely hiring.

"Making the Journal's Fastest Growing Companies List is more meaningful to us than many of the other lists out there," says President Singleton, "because we know the Journal audits the financials to ensure the integrity of the list."

Able was especially pleased to celebrate its recognition from WBJ at the List's annual dinner since the company actually moved WBJ's Washington DC Headquarters last year.

Able Chief Operating Officer Steve Kuhn enjoyed the event and noted that "Not only was it great chance to meet more of the WBJ leadership, it was also an outstanding opportunity to meet and talk with executives at the other 74 companies we look forward to moving soon."

Check out our website at www.ablemoving.com

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SOURCE Able Moving & Storage

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ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- This year has been a year of important events and milestonesthe 10th anniversary of the 2008 financial crisis, a record for the longest running bull stock market, the first federal election since President Trump entered office, and the granting of a bank charter to the nation's first all-mobile bank. In the latest Bank Executive Business Outlook Survey, Promontory Interfinancial Network asked bankers about these important events and the possible impacts they may have on their institutions.

Findings from the survey demonstrate:

Seventy-three percent of respondents saw a Democratic takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives to be a serious concern for their bank. Asked to rate their level of concern on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest level of concern), 41% chose a rating of 5 and another 32% gave a rating of 4.

A majority of respondents (54%) believe that all-mobile banks will eventually hold more than a quarter of the banking business for Millennial and post-Millennial customers.

Despite growing market turbulence, almost eight in 10 respondents (78%) see Wall Street's bull market continuing until at least the second half of 2019.

A majority of respondents (65%) have some level of confidence in the U.S. regulatory system's ability to manage a future crisis on par with 2008's financial crisis. Larger community banks (banks with assets between $1 and $10 billion ) expressed a higher level of confidence than smaller community banks (banks with assets of less than $1 billion ).

The survey showed some interesting regional differences. On the question of how big of a concern the Democrats taking control of the House was to community banks, the strongest level of concern was found among respondents in the South and the West (with 84% and 75%, respectively, rating their level of concern as a 4 or a 5), closely followed by the Midwest (72%). Bankers in the Northeast were the least concerned with only 50% rating their level of concern as a 4 or a 5. Bank size also factored in responses; 75% of smaller community banks (less than $1 billion in assets) said they had serious concerns about a Democratic takeover of the House, compared to larger community banks (banks with between $1 and $10 billion in assets) of which 60% of respondents rated their level of concern as a 4 or a 5.

Turning to other questions, banker views on how overall economic conditions affected their business in the previous 12 months remained mostly positive from last quarter's report. But when looking ahead, bankers were less bullish on continued improvementsthose who expect conditions to improve dropped by seven percentage points, while those who expect conditions to stay the same increased by seven percentage points.

"Bankers continue to hold a cautious view of future overall economic conditions, despite continued positive economic news," said Mark Jacobsen, Cofounder & CEO of Promontory Interfinancial Network.

On the metrics that make up Promontory Interfinancial Network's proprietary Bank Experience IndexSM (access to capital, loan demand, funding costs, and deposit competition now compared to 12 months ago), the survey results showed a negligible half-point increase from the second quarter (to 46.2). According to the forward-looking Bank Confidence IndexSM (access to capital, loan demand, funding costs, and deposit competition expectations for 12 months from now), the survey results showed a significant 1.4-point drop from last quarter, bringing the Bank Confidence Index to its lowest level recorded (43.5) since its inception in 2015. (Charted on a scale of 0-100, a score of 50 represents the baseline expectation.)

Regional differences on several "look-back" measures (experience) were noteworthy. Community banks in the Northeast and South saw a significant increase (15 and 18 percentage points, respectively) from the second quarter on the question of improved access to capital. At the same time, 33% of banks in the Northeast reported a decrease in loan demandthe most of any region and an 11-point increase over last quarter.

There were some variations on expectations for the future as well, especially when it comes to bank size and region. Among community banks with $1 billion-$10 billion in assets, the survey results showed a 17-point drop since Q2 in expectation for increased loan demand over the next 12 months. The results also showed a 12-point drop (from Q2) in the percentage of Northeast banks foreseeing an increase in deposit competition 12 months down the road.

For details and other insights, please download the latest survey report.

About the Survey

The Q3 2018 Bank Executive Business Outlook Survey was completed online over the course of two weeks from October 2-October 12, 2018, and incorporated responses from 421 unique banks as provided by CEOs, presidents, and CFOs from across the country. Compared to the asset-size distribution of the banking industry, responses were slightly weighted toward banks with less than $1 billion in assets. The survey is the fifteenth quarterly survey published by Promontory Interfinancial Network.

About Promontory Interfinancial Network, LLC

Promontory Interfinancial Network was founded by leading figures in the banking industryEugene Ludwig, Alan Blinder, Mark Jacobsen, and Alfred Mosesto provide financial institutions with profit-enhancing solutions. The founders envisioned the largest bank network of its kind, whose "synthetic size" would help each member institution to compete more efficiently. More than 3,000 financial institutions have chosen to be a part of the company's Network. Network members use Promontory Interfinancial Network's balance sheet and liquidity management solutions to acquire and retain large-dollar customer relationships, purchase funding, reduce collateralization costs, and buy and sell bank assets.

SOURCE Promontory Interfinancial Network

Related Links

https://www.promnetwork.com

SUZHOU, China and HONG KONG and ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascentage Pharma Group Corporation, Ltd. ("Ascentage Pharma" or the "Company"), a globally-focused company in research and development of innovative drugs, announced today that the company presented the new clinical data of the dual Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitor APG-1252, a new oncology drug under development, at the Asia Conference on Lung Cancer 2018 (ACLC) on 9 November 2018.

ACLC was founded by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), which is the most authoritative institution on lung cancer studies. Since 2004, the ACLC is held in Asia by the IASLC and one of the Asian countries every two years to promote exchange and cooperation among lung cancer experts in Asia-Pacific and researchers globally. The 2018 ACLC cum Annual Meeting of the Lung Cancer Committee of the China Anti-Cancer Association was held between 8 and 10 November in Guangzhou by IASLC, CTONG and the Lung Cancer Committee of the China Anti-Cancer Association.

With over 1,000 leading lung cancer researchers in Asia, the USA and Europe attending the conference showcased the latest development in lung cancer studies.

APG-1252 is a novel, highly potent small molecule drug developed by Ascentage Pharma. It restores apoptosis through selective inhibition of the Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL proteins. Bcl-xL gene mutation and overexpression were reportedly found in various types of tumors, including SCLC. In the preclinical tumor model treated with APG-1252, antitumor activity was observed in a broad range of tumor types, which include SCLC, lymphoma, colorectal cancer (CRC) and metastatic breast cancer (mBC). Given its high potency and sub-nanomolar binding affinity to Bcl-2 family of proteins, APG-1252 can be specially designed to minimize platelet toxicity and has a favorable PK/PD profile. Compared to other Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitors under clinical development, it has a potentially wider therapeutic window.

Three Phase I clinical trials of APG-1252 in patients with solid tumor are in progress in China, the US and Australia. The research in China focuses on patients with small cell lung cancer. Professor Yi-Long Wu is PI of Phase I clinical research in China. An oral report on the latest clinical development of APG-1252 was given under the theme of "A Phase I Study of Novel Dual Bcl-2/Bcl-xL Inhibitor APG-1252 in Patients with Advanced Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) or Other Solid Tumor" as one of the "best abstracts selected from submission" in the "SCLC: developments and challenges" session in the afternoon of 9 November. The report is the first consolidation and analysis of research data from Chinese, US and Australian studies. Its highlights include:

Three Phase I trials of APG-1252 in patients with advanced SCLC or other solid tumors are ongoing in China , the US and Australia . The current dose level being explored is 240 mg

, the US and . The current dose level being explored is 240 mg A total of 35 patients including 17 SCLC patients were treated as of 31 August 2018

MTD APG-1252 was well-tolerated across all dose levels tested. The MTD has not yet been reached

Of 10 SCLC patients with at least one post-treatment tumor assessment, one US patient with metastatic SCLC has confirmed PR at 40mg, with target lesion continually decreased. The response is durable, and this patient is still receiving treatment for >17 cycles

Three patients from China at 80mg dose level achieved SD with 2 patients on treatment for 4 months, and 1 patient for 6 months (confirm SD)

at 80mg dose level achieved SD with 2 patients on treatment for 4 months, and 1 patient for 6 months (confirm SD) PK analyses indicate that AUC and Cmax increase dose proportionally, AUC and Cmax are comparable between US and Chinese subjects at same dose level

Phase II of APG-1252 for SCLC, and combination trials will be initiated soon

Professor Yi-Long Wu stated that, "SCLC is still a clinical problem, and most patients are already advanced or metastatic at the time of initial diagnosis. Existing clinical studies have already demonstrated the potential of APG-1252 and we will communicate and exchange on the topic with international peers. Meanwhile, we look forward to getting more data and having further development, and hope to promptly overcome the lack of specific drugs for small cell lung cancer as a major social issue with concerted efforts."

"Although SCLC accounts for only 15% of all lung cancer cases, it still lacks effective therapeutic drugs as well as is a very difficult type of tumor. It is a great recognition for us to be shortlisted for the ACLC. APG-1252 is now under dose-escalation trial as well as further assessment in patients with SCLC and other advanced solid tumors. We are enthusiastic to push forward the clinical progress so that people suffering from small cell lung cancer can enjoy safe and effective treatment soon," said by Dr. Dajun Yang, the Chairman & CEO of Ascentage Pharma.

About extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC)

SCLC accounts for approximately 15% of bronchogenic carcinomas. 70% of SCLC is extensive-stage. Regardless of stage, the current prognosis for patients with SCLC is unsatisfactory despite improvements in diagnosis and therapy made during the past 25 years. Without treatment, SCLC has the most aggressive clinical course of any type of pulmonary tumor, with median survival from diagnosis of only 2 to 4 months. Especially for ES-SCLC, the median overall survival is 6-12 months under current available treatments, rare patients can maintain long term survival. Standard treatment options for patients with recurrent small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) include chemotherapy, check point inhibitor and palliative therapy. Parts of patients can response to chemotherapy, but the duration of response is short, rare patients can survive longer than 12 months, most less than 6 months. Median survival is shorter for 3rd line patients, only 4.7 months (Simos, 2014). More information, please refer to https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK65909/

About Ascentage Pharma

Ascentage Pharma Group Corporation, Ltd. is"), a globally-focused company in the research and development of innovative drugs dedicated to developing therapies for cancers, hepatitis B and age-related diseases. The Company has self-developed protein-protein interactions targeting drugs discovery technologies and patents related to foreign invention. The established R&D pipeline of Ascentage includes the inhibitors to a number of key proteins, including Bcl-2/Bcl-XL and MDM2-p53, that regulate programmed cell death process; 2nd and 3rd generation of kinase inhibitors that overcome mutant resistance in cancer therapy. Ascentage Pharma currently has seven new drugs in Phase I-II trials in China, the US and Australia. For more information, please visit www.ascentagepharma.com.

For further enquiries, please contact:

Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Joanne Lam / Morning Zhu

Tel: (852) 2894 6211 / 2894 6227

Email: [email protected] / [email protected],com

SOURCE Ascentage Pharma

Related Links

http://www.ascentagepharma.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab (BHC&PR) announces 20 years of helping Alaskans get and stay healthy. Conditions regularly treated include back pain, neck pain, arthritis, disc conditions, headaches, migraines, injuries, and dozens more. People across the state continue to find pain relief and effective forms of prevention through personalized chiropractic care, physical rehab, and massage therapy with Dr. Brent Wells and his team of chiropractic physicians.

Recently, BHC&PR has grown to include two Anchorage chiropractic clinics. Juneau chiropractic and Wasilla chiropractic centers are now also available. Patients now have more locations from which they may receive the most advanced chiropractic care possible.

Anchorage chiropractor Dr. Brent Wells founded Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab in 1998, originally as Better Health Pain & Wellness Centers. The last 20 years have allowed him and his physicians an up-close view on pain relief, injury prevention, and effective healing.

In that time, Dr. Wells and his team of professionals have developed new and dynamic options for increased results. The DRS System uses advanced technologies for relieving pressure in the spine, offering a faster and more effective recovery from back pain.

The Alaska Back Pain Protocol (ABPP) is a comprehensive treatment approach utilizing chiropractic, physical rehab, massage therapy, and spinal decompression. As an all-in-one, highly unique treatment plan, the ABPP has offered back pain relief to nearly 8,000 Alaskans since 2001.

Advanced treatments are designed to fit each individual. Patients can receive chiropractic care, physical rehabilitation, physical therapy modalities, and massage therapy in tandem through customized treatment plans. The skill and history of BHC&PR physicians offer patients the greatest level of holistic care that can be attained without drugs or surgery.

"We are thrilled to be able to serve Alaskans through cutting-edge chiropractic care in multiple locations across the state," says Dr. Brent Wells, D.C. "We are grateful to be a part of this community in and out of our clinic spaces. As a practice of many firsts, we look forward to continuing to help patients fully enjoy their chosen Alaskan lifestyles."

Better Health gives 3 Promises to their patients: the First Visit Promise, the 10-Minute Promise, and the Same Day Promise.

Better Health welcomes Alaskans to join them for another 20 years of health across the state! Your spine and joints will love you for it!

Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab has been a leading source of healing and wellness since 1998  and now serves Alaska through chiropractic in Juneau, Wasilla, and Anchorage. This dynamic team of chiropractors, physical rehabilitation therapists, and massage therapists can combine treatments for increased results and longer-lasting health benefits. Effective, non-surgical, advanced chiropractic care and related treatments are available all in one place!

Contact Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab at 907.346.5255 or 1.877.346.5255.

Media Contact:

Dr. Brent Wells, D.C.

Phone: 907-346-5255

Email: [email protected]

Related Links

Chiropractor Anchorage

Chiropractor Wasilla

SOURCE Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab

Related Links

http://www.betterhealthalaska.com

FLOWER MOUND, Texas, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CBDOilUsers.com, a leading CBD oil education website for consumers, has published its list of the best Black Friday CBD sales from top brands, available at https://www.cbdoilusers.com/black-friday-cbd-oil-sales/.

Black Friday is on Friday, November 23rd and many of the best CBD oil brands will be offering their best deals of the year. It's expected that a record number of consumers will take advantage of the online Black Friday CBD sales that start as early as November 16th and last through Cyber Monday.

The popularity of cannabidiol (better known as CBD oil) products is at an all-time high and is projected to keep increasing. The increase is fueled by consumer buzz regarding its effectiveness and a growing number of companies selling CBD oil products online. Total sales of CBD products in the U.S. is expected to increase by 46% in 2018 to $534 million based on a recent study by New Frontier Data.

"We saw a huge spike in visitors to our website last year during Black Friday weekend," Brian Peterson, the managing editor of CBDOilUsers.com, said. "We expect another surge this year since even more consumers will be looking to take advantage of the best CBD sales of the year from the best brands in the industry. We're firmly committed to helping people save as much money as possible when they buy CBD oil products online."

The top 5 Black Friday CBD sales for 2018 are:

NuLeaf Naturals - 30% off all orders with coupon code BLACK30 starting on November 16th

Hemp Bombs - 25% off all orders with coupon code BLACK25 starting on November 16th

4 Corners Cannabis - 20% off all orders with coupon code BLACK20 starting on November 16th

cbdMD - 20% off all orders with coupon code BLACK20 and a free gift with all orders of at least $29.99 starting on Thanksgiving Day

CBDistillery - 20% off all orders starting on Black Friday

A full list of all Black Friday CBD sales, coupon codes and sale dates are available through the link at the beginning of this press release.

The CBDOilUsers.com website and its companion CBD Oil Users Group on Facebook is dedicated to providing education, reviews, recommendations and the sharing of experiences among users of CBD products.

Questions? Contact:

Brian Peterson, Managing Editor, CBDOilUsers.com

Web: https://www.cbdoilusers.com

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (817)567-1331

SOURCE CBDOilUsers.com

Related Links

https://www.cbdoilusers.com

Germany is currently China's biggest partner in technology exporting, with China as Germany's largest trading partner. The 2 countries have strong business connections over motors, automobiles, new energy, information networks, energy conservation and environmental protection, electric vehicles, etc. The Chinese and German governments have reached a strategic cooperation agreement between the German Industry 4.0 and China Manufacturing 2025.

The delegation is interested in companies working in manufacturing innovation, industrial digitalization and hidden champions. Their intention is to further business opportunities with German companies in the aforementioned areas. Most of the entrepreneur delegates are leading business people working in manufacturing, finance and environmental service.

The weeklong tour consisted of 9 business visits, starting with KUKA Robotics Corp on its innovative technologies and production systems, and followed by visits to observe FC Bayern Munich in its business operations, BYTON in its entrepreneurial innovation; the excellence of craftsmanship in Daimler AG and its digital, green and sustainable manufacturing, and startup cultivation in Factory Berlin; SAP's smart enterprise strategy; in-depth interpretation of hidden champions by Simon-Kucher & Partners, and the promotion of Sino-German business cooperation by Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI).

The delegation visited the Chinese Embassy in Germany, where participants heard a speech from Ambassador Shi Mingde on Sino-German economic and trade cooperation, German industry 4.0, and German manufacturing. The Ambassador explained that, in 2017, China became Germany's largest trading partner, with a trade volume of more than 180 billion Euros, which is more than the sum of Britain, France and Italy. With regards to investments in mergers and acquisitions, Germany accounts for more than half of the total in Europe. Germany's advanced enterprise management experience and keen pursuit of quality are worth understanding for Chinese companies, but after learning these lessons, Chinese companies must develop their innovation independently. Entrepreneurs are representatives for most developed business models and contribute greatly to economic development. The Chinese Embassy has promoted the cooperation between many Chinese projects in Germany, and will continue to do so. Some delegation members consulted Ambassador Shi Mingde and the Minister Counselor Wang Weidong with regards to the German M&A policy, China's investment trends in Germany, and strategies for medium-sized enterprises going abroad.

During the weeklong visit, members of the China Green Company Alliance delegation had several in-depth discussions with visiting companies. As the representatives of China's high-speed growth enterprises, the delegates analyzed the difficulties of their own industries in the global digital age. Additionally, it served as a practical method of observing the spirit of Chinese and German entrepreneurship, and has paved the way for closer cooperation with German companies in the future.

About China Green Company Alliance



The China Green Company Alliance is a value-sharing platform organized by the China Entrepreneurs Club (CEC) to promote alliances and establish sustainable business competitiveness. With the mission of "building a long-term foundation and promoting innovation and growth", it builds an enterprise-level interactive learning platform through annual forums, corporate interactive learning and overseas study, focusing on the innovation and growth of Chinese business, and promoting the deep interaction between business elites, helping the healthy development and the long-term success of the company. The China Green Company Alliance was founded in 2013 and currently has more than 150 member companies. The China Green Company Alliance overseas study has visited Israel, Sweden, Japan and Germany.

For more information: http://lm.daonong.com/

SOURCE China Entrepreneurs Club (CEC)

Related Links

http://lm.daonong.com/

CAMBRIDGE, England, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Cambridge Respiratory Innovations Limited (CRiL) today announced the signing of a collaboration agreement with Linde AG that covers clinical and commercial validation during development of its N-Tidal B personal respiratory monitor and potential rights to commercialise it for specific indications. As part of this agreement, CRiL is delighted to also announce the establishment of a Commercial Advisory Board (CAB). The primary objective of CRiL's CAB is to enlist the expertise of internationally-respected leaders in cardio-respiratory health to refine and optimise the commercial road map for CRiL's innovative N-Tidal technology. Representing Linde Healthcare, a global business unit of The Linde Group, will be Urmi Prasad Richardson, Global Head of Healthcare in the Centre of Excellence.

Jeremy Walsh, CRiL's CEO, commented, "The formation of the CAB, with senior representation from major partners like Linde, marks a significant milestone in the development of our company. We are delighted that Urmi will be advising our company. She has a wealth of international healthcare experience in diagnostics, therapeutics and services which will be extremely valuable to us, especially as Linde Healthcare is the established global leader in home therapy of COPD and other chronic respiratory conditions."

CRiL also announced that the CAB will include Dr Edward Philpott, Global Strategy Drug Development & Head, Respiratory Centre of Excellence for IQVIA, a leading global provider of information, innovative technology solutions and contract research services to the healthcare industry formed through the merger of IMS and Quintiles. The board will be chaired by Cliff Murphy, Managing Partner of ConAlliance UK, which has been providing strategic development consultancy to CRiL's management team since 2016.

Jeremy Walsh added, "Cliff has wide ranging C-level experience in the strategic development of medical device companies, with a focus on commercialisation. We are delighted that he will continue to advise us with our innovative N-Tidal technology."

CRiL will make additional announcements on further appointments to the CAB in the near future.

The N-Tidal devices are unique breath monitors capable of unprecedentedly precise measurement of the tidal breathing CO 2 waveform shape, which is an established but under-used respiratory biomarker. CRiL is currently developing two market-ready versions of the N-Tidal breath monitor (funded by a development contract from SBRI Healthcare) as well as a supporting digital health platform (supported by a grant from Innovate UK). The N-Tidal C is a dedicated data collection device for use in pharmaceutical drug trials whereas the N-Tidal B is an accurate predictive monitor for use by COPD and Asthma patients at home.

N-Tidal monitors have been tested in clinical studies currently underway at Cambridge - Addenbrookes (COPD), Cambridge - Royal Papworth (Motor Neurone Disease), Portsmouth (asthma, breathing pattern disorders, congestive heart failure, pneumonia and healthy) and Nottingham (paediatric bronchospasm, adolescent cystic fibrosis, asthma). CRiL has already collected over 30,000 respiratory records with N-Tidal (which users consistently rate highly for ease-of-use) which IQVIA's Predictive Analytics division will analyse using machine learning techniques to refine N-Tidal's predictive algorithms for COPD.

CRiL and IQVIA have also signed a letter of intent detailing a relationship in which IQVIA's clinical research organisation division will support CRiL's N-Tidal C data collector device in pharmaceutical drug trials and any clinical studies required for regulatory approval of the N-Tidal device.

CRiL will launch its market-ready N-Tidal C to collect real-world respiratory data during clinical research in 2019 and its N-Tidal B personal respiratory monitors for COPD and asthma in 2021. The company has secured funding for its first regulatory study for the N-Tidal B which it intends to start in mid-2019.

About CRiL

CRiL is a digital health company focused on becoming the #1 supplier of cardio-respiratory health and outcomes data to the patient, clinician, healthcare provider and data utiliser. Powered by its unique CO 2 sensor, CRiL will supply patients, healthcare professionals, healthcare providers and healthcare companies with data to improve patient self-care, refine medication, improve outcomes, increase clinical efficiency, reduce healthcare resources, optimise clinical trials, shorten development cycles and provide a unique insight into cardio-respiratory performance.

For more information, visit CRiL at http://criltd.co.uk/

About Linde Healthcare

Linde Healthcare is a global leader specialising along an integrated respiratory care path. It combines pharmaceutical gases, medical devices, services and clinical care into solutions with the patient in mind. Its products and services make a difference in the lives of its patients and to its healthcare partners in the care continuum from hospital to home. A global business unit of The Linde Group, it is present in over 60 countries and generated revenues of EUR 3.361bn in 2017.

For more information, visit Linde Healthcare online at http://www.linde-healthcare.com

About The Linde Group

In the 2017 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of EUR 17.113 bn, making it one of the leading gases and engineering companies in the world, with approximately 58,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business, with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, see The Linde Group online at http://www.linde.com

ConAlliance are exclusive commercial advisors to CRiL

SOURCE Cambridge Respiratory Innovations Limited (CRiL)DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DRB Capital, LLC ("DRB Capital") today announced that as part of its continuing efforts to root out and end structured settlement fraud, the company has filed a complaint with the California Attorney General regarding the behavior of Himmarshee LLC, Mosbat LLC, and Annuity Sold LLC.

The complaint details the respondents' use of unfair and deceptive practices in efforts to hijack customers of DRB Capital and is the first in a series of complaints that the company is filing with Attorney Generals around the country. "We expect to file several more complaints against other bad actors in the industry," said Allie Freshman, Associate Counsel at DRB Capital. She added that additional complaints are being prepared for filing with the Attorney Generals of Arkansas and Florida and that the company is considering filing similar complaints in other states.

DRB Capital recently established the "Stop Structured Settlement Fraud" bounty program and tip line to pay awards totaling up to $100,000 to reward individuals who come forward with information proving violations of various laws in connection with the business of purchasing structured settlement payment rights. Violations include violations of state structured settlement protection acts, improper forum shopping, violations of state and federal deceptive and unfair trade practices act, and federal excise tax evasion.

Since the bounty program's launch in August 2018, DRB Capital has awarded one payout and received numerous tips and credible information about these unfair, deceptive and abusive activities. Many of these violations are criminal in nature, including the routine falsification of information submitted to state courts as part of structured settlement transfer petitions.

Please visit www.StopStructuredFraud.com for more details on how to participate in this program and for the full list of eligibility requirements.

About DRB Capital, LLC: DRB Capital is a leading purchaser of annuity payments and payments from structured legal settlements. The company offers liquidity and optionality to prospective sellers in need of cash who receive guaranteed and/or life-contingent structured settlements or annuity payments.

SOURCE DRB Capital, LLCHONOLULU, Hawaii, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Research Corporation (DRC), a technology leader specializing in digital insurance solutions for the P&C insurance industry, is pleased to announce that Karen Yamamoto has agreed to serve as the company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Yamamoto will also continue her responsibilities as President. Yamamoto's appointment reflects a years-long planned succession in conjunction with the retirement of DRC's founder Dr. Walter Simmons. Her appointment as CEO reflects the company's continued commitment to develop innovative technology solutions for the insurance industry. Yamamoto brings to the role over 30 years of experience in maintaining DRC customer relationships and defining product strategy.

Karen's new title does not represent a shift in DRC strategy. It is an extension of Yamamoto's leadership that has brought DRC to its most successful performance in company history in serving US and global clients and a vote of confidence that her strategic vision will continue to deliver to both the company and customers. "I see enormous opportunity ahead for DRC," noted Yamamoto. "We enjoy a unique position in the industry, led by our flagship RS X Rating technology. Our continued investment in R&D will assure that we will bring even more innovation and value to our customers in the months and years to come."

With decades of insurance, technology, and software development expertise, Yamamoto brings to the CEO role an in-depth knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the development process and a proven methodology for delivering successful, enterprise insurance software solutions -- backed by DRC's commitment to deliver to customers' complete satisfaction. As President, Yamamoto leads with a "hands-on/open door" approach and looks to continue these successful practices as she adds the additional responsibilities of CEO. Yamamoto also remains actively involved in customer engagements and is an integral player in the product design and direction of new insurance technology solutions DRC creates for P&C insurers.

About DRC

For nearly half a century, DRC has provided powerful and trusted software solutions to the Property & Casualty (P&C) insurance industry. Large carriers, small start-ups and MGAs alike in the United States and globally deploy DRC's SaaS and onsite solutions to manage total written premium in excess of $7 billion. DRC's web-based administration system expedites implementation, lowers costs and simplifies maintenance across insurance products. Our leading RS X Rating allows business users who price risks and model products in Microsoft Excel workbooks to create a version-controlled, web service process throughout the entire insurance ecosystem with minimal need for any programming resource. All DRC clients receive market-leading solutions, expert implementation and our commitment to deliver to their complete satisfaction. For more information about DRC, visit www.decisionresearch.com. Connect with DRC on Twitter (@DRCNews) and Facebook (fb.com/DecisionResearch).

SOURCE Decision Research Corporation

Related Links

http://www.decisionresearch.com

CORALVILLE, Iowa, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Trade Commission is today holding a public hearing on ethical and consumer protection issues related to new artificial intelligence (AI) applications. IDx Founder and CEO, Michael D. Abramoff, MD, PhD, will share his expertise on the safe implementation of AI in healthcare.

The hearing comes at a time when rapid expansion of AI applications is raising challenging questions on the impact these new technologies will have on consumers. Healthcare is an industry that has seen tremendous growth in AI technologies and AI in healthcare spending is projected to surpass $34 billion by 2025. Healthcare is also an industry where ethical concerns weigh heavily on the minds of experts and policymakers.

"Not all AI is created equal, and we need to educate the public on how to assess different types of healthcare applications," said Abramoff. "It is critical that autonomous AI applications are thoroughly validated and developed in a clinically safe and explainable way that builds trust with patients and clinicians. Safety needs to be the number one concern for responsible AI companies."

Abramoff will lend his expertise as a practicing physician and the founder of the first company to receive FDA clearance for an autonomous AI diagnostic system during a section of the hearing entitled, "Understanding Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence, and Predictive Analytics Through Real-World Applications." He has previously provided his expertise on AI in healthcare to the U.S. Congress and the White House Office of Science and Technology.

To date, IDx is the only the company to develop and implement autonomous AI in real-world clinical care. The company received FDA clearance in April 2018 for IDx-DR, an AI system that detects diabetic retinopathy without requiring a clinician to interpret the image or results. This enables health care providers who are not normally involved in eye care to use the AI system to test for this leading cause of blindness during routine office visits.

About IDx

IDx is a leading AI diagnostics company on a mission to transform the quality, accessibility, and affordability of healthcare. Founded in 2010 by a team of world-renowned clinician scientists, the company is focused on developing clinically-aligned autonomous algorithms that detect disease in medical images. By enabling diagnostic assessment in primary care settings, IDx aims to increase patient access to high-quality, affordable disease detection.

The company's first product, IDx-DR, is an FDA-cleared AI-based diagnostic system designed for use at the front lines of care to detect diabetic retinopathy. IDx-DR is intended for use by health care providers to automatically detect more than mild diabetic retinopathy in adults (22 years of age or older) diagnosed with diabetes who have not been previously diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. IDx-DR is indicated for use with the Topcon NW400, an easy to use and highly accurate robotic fundus camera.

IDx is developing additional AI-based diagnostic systems for the detection of macular degeneration, glaucoma, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, and stroke risk.

IDx

2300 Oakdale Blvd

Coralville, IA 52241

Phone: 319-248-5620

www.eyediagnosis.net

IDx Contact:

Laura Shoemaker

Director of Marketing Communications

1-319-248-5620

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Linda Healan

Amendola Communications

1-404-725-7117

Lhe[email protected]

SOURCE IDx

Related Links

https://www.eyediagnosis.net

ATLANTA, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Gem Shopping Network is pleased to announce the expansion of its broadcast via Comcast to the Seattle area in Washington beginning November 12, 2018, on channel 79.

Gem Shopping Network CEO Colin Taylor announced today that the 24-hour fine jewelry and colored gemstone television broadcast will be available to households in six new markets across the United States. Seattle, Washington will now have access to Gem Shopping Network's programming on TV beginning November 12 on channel 79.

"Our company vision includes easy access to our broadcast for viewers in every city in the U.S.," Taylor said. "We are pleased to be entering the Seattle market as part of the recent expansion with Comcast." Since the expansion, Gem Shopping Network is now broadcasting to TVs in over 60 million homes across the U.S.

Gem Shopping's live show is also available online with a free 24/7 stream from the company's website www.gemshopping.com, plus a free stream on YouTube, Facebook, and the free app offering the exquisite jewelry live stream on Smart TVs, iOS and Android platforms.

For an interview time with Colin Taylor or additional information send an email to [email protected] with the subject line "Press Request."

About Gem Shopping Network:

This exceptional channel showcases rare gemstones and designer jewelry now reaching over 60-million households nationwide. Gem Shopping Network is an interactive experience where the customer's desires are met with an exclusive and unique array of colored gemstones and jewelry that are not typically available from your local jeweler.

Gem Shopping Network, Inc. is a 24-hour television network in its 21st year with over 150 employees and Colin Taylor as CEO. An affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., Gem Shopping Network Inc. was acquired in 2013. Sun Capital has a strong experience in the fashion and consumer retail sector through current affiliated portfolio companies.

The success of this flourishing business is a credit to our dedicated team. "The Gem Shopping Network family is a diverse group of people who have helped make the business what it is today and are actively engaged in writing our next chapter of success," Taylor said.

Gem Shopping Network's live show can be viewed on TV, via live stream on www.gemshopping.com, YouTube, and Facebook or using a free app on smart TVs, IOS and Android devices.

SOURCE Gem Shopping Network

Related Links

http://www.gemshopping.com

DENVER, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A common problem facing gig economy companies is being solved for one startup. IMA Select LLC, in partnership with Lawn Buddy, is launching a streamlined insurance application process for Lawn Buddy's technology lawncare and snow removal online platform. This new insurance option lets Lawn Buddy's team of professionals quickly protect their assets as independent contractors, according to an announcement made today by IMA Select, an insurance advisor for businesses and individuals.

The insurance solution addresses one of the main factors preventing people from growing a part-time hobby into a legitimate small business.

"Lawn Buddy is growing rapidly across the country, and insurance is one of the top questions we always get from participants," said Lawn Buddy Founder Steven Werner. "Now, lawn care professionals can more easily turn their side hustle into a potential six-figure salary by connecting with property owners who expect the work to meet essential business standards."

The proprietary technology significantly reduces the barriers to partner with Lawn Buddy. Within the company portal, professionals can select the coverage that is right for them from IMA Select's carrier partners. IMA Select will then identify a carrier and protection appropriate for their business needs, and the professional can receive confirmation of insurance within one business day of the request.

The need for immediate business services is the new normal. As more companies come online to connect independent contractors with customers who are accustomed to ordering from a mobile device, those services will more regularly be performed by a freelancer. A recent Intuit study estimates 43 percent of the U.S. economy will be made up of independent contractors by 2020  all of whom should have insurance.

"When Lawn Buddy and IMA Select started working together, it was clear from the beginning we had an opportunity to do something innovative," said IMA Select President Brian Sandy. "This is an example of how we provide clear protections in the form of insurance, and we know our work with Lawn Buddy will translate to other companies that require expedited insurance for their teams of third-party contractors."

About Lawn Buddy

Founded in 2016, Lawn Buddy is a technology startup that connects lawncare providers with property owners to offer year-round, on-demand lawn care and snow removal services. Lawn Buddy also provides a software management platform allowing lawn care providers to manage and grow their businesses. The service is available in 47 states is made possible by a network of nearly 1,700 providers. More information is available at www.lawnbuddy.com.

About IMA Select

IMA Select LLC provides clear protections in the form of insurance for businesses, individuals, and families. It has offices in Dallas, Denver, Emporia, Kansas City, and Wichita. IMA Select is led by President Brian Sandy and is a subsidiary of the IMA Financial Group, one of the country's largest independent and employee-owned insurance brokers in the country.

Media Contact:

Gil Rudawsky

[email protected]

303-507-6961

SOURCE IMA Select LLCDALLAS, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- LBJ Infrastructure Group (LBJIG) and NTE Mobility Partners (NTEMP) have created some of the most sophisticated traffic tollways in the United States, including nearly $7 billion in three North Texas projects: the 13 mile LBJ Express, 13 mile North Tarrant Express and the 10 mile I-35W. Now their parent company Cintra, a global leader in P3 infrastructure development, is taking another innovative step to power its North Texas headquarters by installing renewable solar energy, simultaneously reducing carbon emissions and slashing electricity costs.

The new 200kW DCp system, designed, engineered and installed by Dallas-based Sunfinity Renewable Energy, takes advantage of federal tax credits and rebates to greatly reduce the total overall cost of the system. Clean solar power will meet as much as 30% of the power needs of the corporate headquarters, resulting in significant carbon savings (equivalent to eliminating over 16 million automobile miles or more than seven million pounds of burned coal.) Cost savings on electricity are projected to be more than nine times the net cost of the project. The system is comprised of 588 premium panels spread across four buildings at their LBJ Freeway campus in Farmers Branch, where more than 100 people are employed.

"Cintra is always on the cutting edge of industry innovation, and that's why we started looking at solar energy," said Roberto Carrasco, COO of LBJIG. "Our campus is growing, and we will now be able to maximize our operational cost effectiveness while contributing to cleaner air in North Texas."

According to John B. Billingsley, Chairman and CEO of Sunfinity Renewable Energy, companies from Google to Walmart have made major commitments to deploy solar, and he praised LBJIG for their environmental leadership. "LBJIG and NTEMP can be considered an early adopter of commercial solar in North Texas, and they are an outstanding example of how businesses can do good for their bottom line and their community with sustainable, renewable energy sources."

Commercial solar projects, which include operations such as businesses, non-profits, government buildings and schools, will be eligible for the full 30% Solar Investment Tax Credit if the projects are under construction by December 2019. The credit falls to 26% for projects starting construction in 2020 and 22% for projects starting construction in 2021.

ABOUT CINTRA & LBJ/NTE/35W

With U.S. headquarters in Austin, Texas, Cintra is one of the leading private-sector transportation infrastructure companies in the world, with experience spanning over 50 years of innovative highway development on four continents. Today, Cintra manages over $10 billion of infrastructure projects in the United States and more than $4.7 billion of infrastructure projects in Canada. The LBJ Express, North Tarrant Express and I-35W corridors cover nearly 40 miles of highway across North Texas and provide congestion relief and mobility within a regional network.

For more information about LBJIG and the LBJ TEXpress Lanes, please visit www.lbjtexpress.com. For details on NTEMP and the NTE TEXpress Lanes, visit www.northtarrantexpress.com or www.ntetexpress.com and for Cintra US, please go to www.cintraus.com

ABOUT SUNFINITY RENEWABLE ENERGY - www.sunfinityre.com

Sunfinity Renewable Energy is headquartered in Dallas with full-service operations throughout California and Texas and active expansion into the Southwest, South Central and Northeast regions. Sunfinity Renewable Energy offers complete residential, C&I (commercial and industrial) and utility-scale solar systems.

SOURCE Sunfinity Renewable Energy, LLC

Related Links

http://www.sunfinityre.com

SHANGHAI, Nov. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Global law firm Ropes & Gray today announced that Eric Y. Wu will rejoin its Shanghai office as partner in the firm's industry-leading life sciences practice. He will be permanently based in the Shanghai office upon completion of his registration in the market, and will expand the firm's life sciences service offerings throughout the Asia Pacific region.

Mr. Wu returns to Ropes & Gray from Johnson & Johnson, where he served as Asia Pacific M&A Regional Counsel and head of legal for the company's Asia Pacific Innovation Center. He was a senior associate at Ropes & Gray prior to joining Johnson & Johnson.

Clients will benefit from his unique background, which includes experience at one of the world's leading health care companies, representing clients at a premier global law firm, and working on the ground in both China and the United States. Mr. Wu is bilingual in Mandarin and English.

In his role at Johnson & Johnson, Mr. Wu managed and collaborated with the company's global team on all deal-related legal activities in Asia for the company's pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer health care businesses. Mr. Wu also worked closely with senior leaders across the company's sectors to design and implement innovation strategies for the business. His experience encompasses early- and late-stage research and development, strategic collaborations, licensing, product development, M&A, and equity transactions with industry, government, and non-government organizations and universities.

Mr. Wu has advised on mid-market and large-cap transactions with regional and global biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer health care companies engaged in the medical optics, allergy, dermatology and surgical robotics sectors, among others.

He joins a China life sciences practice recognized for excellence in transactions, intellectual property, regulatory counsel, anti-corruption and government enforcement.

"One of the firm's strategic imperatives has been to deliver a best-in-class life sciences practice to our clients in Asia. Eric immediately enhances our offering, which is already providing outstanding counsel and client service to market-leading clients," said Geoffrey Lin, managing partner of Ropes & Gray's Shanghai office.

"Eric's broad corporate transactional skillset, deep insight into the Asia Pacific life sciences and health care industry, and multilingual skills will be valuable to clients across Asia," said Arthur Mok, Ropes & Gray's Asia regional managing partner.

"Eric joins a market-leading, cross-practice team that is equipped to handle a range of complex issues that span corporate M&A, intellectual property, regulatory and compliance disciplines," said Michael Beauvais, co-chair of Ropes & Gray's global life sciences practice.

"It's an honor to be able to offer Ropes & Gray's clients my perspective on an array of life sciences issues, having now served in-house at a leading company and been responsible for covering its business development and innovation activities across the Asia Pacific region," Mr. Wu said. "I'm very excited to rejoin the Ropes & Gray life sciences practice, given that clients hold the firm's life sciences practitioners around the globe in such high regard. It's a great opportunity."

Mr. Wu received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law, where he served as professional articles editor of the Annual Review of Banking and Financial Law, and his B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University.

He has been recognized for his excellence with the J&J Leadership Award and Encore Award (2015-2018) and the 2017 Global Counsel Awards for "Global Rising Star" and "Asia Pacific Rising Star."

About Ropes & Gray

Ropes & Gray's internationally recognized China life sciences practice offers integrated and comprehensive counsel to leading investment funds and global pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology companies on doing business in one of the world's fastest-growing and most challenging markets. The Financial Times ranked Ropes & Gray as a top firm for innovation in its "Asia Pacific Innovative Lawyers Awards 2018" and named China life sciences partner Katherine Wang one of "ten pioneers of new legal thinking."

Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm with approximately 1,300 lawyers and legal professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology and government. The firm has offices in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, and has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including private equity, M&A, finance, investment management, hedge funds, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring. www.ropesgray.com

Our privacy policy can be viewed here.

Eric S. Goldman

Senior Public Relations Specialist

ROPES & GRAY LLP

T +1 212 596 9089

1211 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10036-8704

[email protected]

www.ropesgray.com

SOURCE Ropes & Gray

Related Links

http://www.ropesgray.com

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA is hosting an event at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9 a.m. EST Friday, Nov. 16, to celebrate the arrival of the European Service Module for the agency's Orion spacecraft. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will preside over the event, which will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

Provided by ESA (European Space Agency) and built by ESA contractor Airbus Space, the service module will provide power, air and water to the Orion spacecraft on missions to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.

Engineers and technicians from ESA (European Space Agency) and ESA contractor Airbus use a crane to uncrate the European Service Module for NASAs Orion spacecraft at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 16, 2018. The service module will provide power and propulsion for the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1, a three-week mission around the Moon. The service module also will house air and water for astronauts on future missions.

Speaking at the event are:

Janet Petro , deputy director of Kennedy

, deputy director of Kennedy Bill Hill , deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development

, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development Sue Motil , Orion European Service Module integration manager at NASA's Glenn Research Center

, Orion European Service Module integration manager at NASA's Glenn Research Center Mark Kirasich , Orion Program manager at the agency's Johnson Space Center

, Orion Program manager at the agency's Johnson Space Center Phillippe Deloo, European Service Module program manager at ESA

Jan Worner, ESA director general

The service module departed Bremen, Germany, Monday, Nov. 5, and arrived at Kennedy the following day. A team at Kennedy will perform final outfitting, integration and testing of the service and crew modules, and other elements of Orion, in preparation for its first mission, an uncrewed test flight.

Find more information about Orion at:

https://www.nasa.gov/orion

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pediatric Specialty Care (PSC), one of the nation's leading providers of post-acute care for medically fragile children, today announced the appointment of Mary L. Hoffman as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Hoffman, a registered nurse and a licensed nursing home administrator who has more than 30 years of experience in leading care facilities for vulnerable populations, was promoted to COO following her appointment in May 2018 as the Regional Director of Operations for PSC's Point Pleasant, Quakertown, Doylestown, Lancaster and Hopewell facilities in Pennsylvania.

Hoffman came to PSC in 2018 from Elderwood Administrative Services (EAS) in upstate New York, where she was the Regional Director of Operations for skilled nursing facilities in Western and Southern Tier New York. Before that, she was the COO at Erie County Medical Center Corporation, where her executive oversight responsibilities included Patient Care Services, Rehabilitation and Ambulatory service lines, Case Management and Post-Acute Care including a 390-bed skilled nursing facility. Mary also formerly served as President and CEO of Kenmore Mercy Hospital and Chief Operating Officer of Lawley Benefits Group.

"Mary Hoffman is a health care professional of exceptional ability, and we are delighted to announce her appointment as Chief Operating Officer," said Dr. Jeffrey Rubin, President of PSC. "She brings a wealth of skill and experience to the job, and we believe she will be a great fit as our Chief Operating Officer."

PSC provides exceptional post-acute care at six Pennsylvania facilities that combine state-of-the-art technology with a home-like environment for medically fragile children, including in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia metropolitan areas.

A fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Hoffman is a registered nurse and a licensed nursing home administrator. She earned her BS in nursing from Niagara University and her MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Mary is a 2011 graduate of Leadership Buffalo. In 2015-2016 she completed an executive education course in Managing Health Care Delivery at the Harvard Business School.

Mary serves as a Trustee for D'Youville College and an Advisor for Girard Place. She is a past member of the Niagara University Board of Advisors and the SUNY Buffalo School of Management Dean's Advisory Council, the Western New York Healthcare Association Board and the Catholic Health System Long Term Care Board.

SOURCE Pediatric Specialty CareGolden Princess debuts a full season of 14-day Inside Passage voyages, sailing round-trip from Los Angeles with a visit to Hubbard Glacier.

of 14-day Inside Passage voyages, with a visit to Hubbard Glacier. Royal Princess returns as the largest ship sailing in the Gulf of Alaska on the seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers itinerary, along with Grand Princess, Coral Princess, and the return of the intimate Pacific Princess.

on the seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers itinerary, along with Grand Princess, Coral Princess, and the return of the intimate Pacific Princess. Sister ships Ruby Princess and Emerald Princess, sail on seven-day Inside Passage voyages out of Seattle , and Star Princess sails from San Francisco on 10-day Inside Passage voyages.

, and Star Princess sails from on 10-day Inside Passage voyages. Award-winning enrichment program, North to Alaska , immerses guests on board and ashore in all things Alaska , such as meeting real Alaskans who come on board to share their stories and feasting on fresh Alaska seafood.

, immerses guests on board and ashore in all things , such as meeting real Alaskans who come on board to share their stories and feasting on fresh seafood. Exclusive Discovery and Animal Planet shore excursions, giving guests opportunities to catch a glimpse of Alaska wildlife, including bears, whales, bald eagles and more.

wildlife, including bears, whales, bald eagles and more. Cruisetours:

With 25 cruisetour itineraries, guests can enjoy a seamless vacation experience by combining a seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise, plus three or more nights in the Alaska wilderness, including scenic rail travel and stays at Princess-owned lodges. New for 2020 , Princess offers a 17-night Ultimate Cruisetour, with 10 nights on land that includes two nights at each Princess Wilderness Lodge.

wilderness, including scenic rail travel and stays at Princess-owned lodges. , Princess offers a 17-night Ultimate Cruisetour, with 10 nights on land that includes two nights at each Princess Wilderness Lodge.

Only Princess Cruises offers exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service between the ship in Whittier and the Denali-area and custom-built wilderness lodges on the doorsteps of legendary national parks.

"I've been lucky enough to travel extensively to Alaska for work and for pleasure and the Great Land never ceases to amaze me with its beauty, authentic people and wildlife," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. "Alaska is a must-see destination and our 2020 cruises and cruisetours provide first-timers or repeat visitors so many options to see and discover Alaska. I guarantee they will come back with some of their best lifetime travel experiences and memories."

Captain's Circle Savings

Princess Past Guests are eligible for a special promotion when they book early. The special promotion consists of a discount up to $100 per person off the public fare, based on itinerary. This can be combined with launch and group promotions. These discounts do not apply to third or fourth berth guests. Additionally, a reduced deposit is available for Captain's Circle guests when they book early.

More information about Princess Cruises' 2020 Alaska season is available by contacting a professional travel advisor, calling 1-800-PRINCESS or by visiting the company's website at www.princess.com/alaska.

1Recognized as a destination leader, Princess Cruises has been awarded "Best Cruise Line in Alaska" for 11 consecutive years by Travel Weekly.

About Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises celebrates 50 years of sailing to Alaska in 2019. As the recognized leader and #1 cruise line in Alaska, Princess hosts more guests in Great Land than any other cruise line with a variety of cruise and cruisetour options highlighting the state's must-see attractions, including Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park. "North to Alaska," the award-winning onboard program, brings authentic Alaska experiences to life through local seafood and real Alaskans coming aboard to share their stories. Offering a seamless vacation experience, Princess also owns and operates five wilderness lodges nestled in scenic riverside locations throughout the state and offers its exclusive "Direct to the Wilderness" rail service  giving travelers the opportunity to combine cruise, train and lodge to see the best of Alaska. www.princess.com/alaska

One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a global premium cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 17 modern cruise ships, carrying two million guests each year to 380 destinations around the globe, including the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England and World Cruises. A team of professional destination experts has created more than 150 award-winning itineraries, ranging in length from three to 111 days and Princess Cruises has been continuously recognized as "Best Cruise Line for Itineraries." The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE:CUK).

SOURCE Princess Cruises

Related Links

http://www.princess.com

Red Cross volunteers are providing help and support at evacuation centers to offer safe refuge for people impacted by these devastating fires. Overnight, more than 2,100 people sought refuge from the wildfires in 18 Red Cross and community evacuation centers across the state. People are welcome to come to shelters for help even if they don't stay overnight.

The Red Cross has deployed enough supplies to shelter as many as 7,000 people, including special equipment to support people with access and functional needs. The Red Cross is also mobilizing relief supplies to serve as many as 15,000 households. Supplies include sifters, personal protective equipment, respiratory masks, rakes, shovels, work gloves, tarps, and other resources.

FINDING LOVED ONES People continue to search for missing loved ones and Red Cross reunification services are helping reconnect them as quickly as possible. These services include helping people communicate through the Red Cross Safe and Well website, as well as helping with urgent requests involving unaccompanied minors and separated children, reestablishing contact with family members who have been separated within the disaster area and working with partners to resolve reunification-related inquiries. As of Sunday, nearly 3,900 people have registered on Safe and Well, with more than 41,000 total searches and 539 actual matches.

If someone is looking for loved ones they can visit the Red Cross Safe and Well website at http://www.redcross.org/safeandwell . The site allows individuals and organizations to register and post messages to indicate that they are safe, or to search for loved ones. The site is always available, open to the public and available in Spanish. Registrations and searches can be done directly on the website.

People can also use the "I'm Safe" feature of the Red Cross Emergency App to let loved ones know their status. The Emergency App is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.

HOW YOU CAN HELP Entire communities and families have been left reeling from these deadly wildfires. Help people affected by the California wildfires by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters.

Actress Sandra Bullock, a long-time supporter of the Red Cross, has donated $400,000 to help with the California wildfires relief effort. "The untold destruction from these fires is heartbreaking, especially following the tragedy at Borderline in Thousand Oaks," Bullock said. "I'm glad to be able to help. We're all family in this, whether it be human, furry or feathered."

CORPORATIONS HELP The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process.

ADGP $1 Million members are: Adelson Family Foundation; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Brown & Brown Insurance; Caterpillar Foundation; The Clorox Company; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; Grainger; The Home Depot Foundation; LDS Charities; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; State Farm; Verizon; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and The Walt Disney Company.

ADGP $500,000 members are: 21st Century Fox; Altria Group; AmazonSmile; American Express; Aon; BMW of North America; Capital One; CBS Corporation; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company; General Motors; Humble Bundle; IBM Corporation; International Paper; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; LabCorp; Medtronic Foundation; Meijer; Merck Foundation; Mondelez International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Nissan; Procter & Gamble Company; PwC Charitable Foundation; Southwest Airlines; Target; Tata Consultancy Services; TD Ameritrade; The TJX Companies, Inc.; United Airlines; UPS; The USAA Foundation; The Wawa Foundation; and Wells Fargo.

Disaster Responder Program members are: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; AdvoCare International L.P.; Alliance Data; Assurant; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; AXA Equitable Life; The Ball Foundation; Barclays; Boise Paper; CarMax; Choice Hotels International; Cox Automotive; DICK'S Sporting Goods; Duke Energy; Entergy Corporation; Farmers Insurance; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; HSBC Bank; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Mastercard; Morgan Stanley; Neiman Marcus Group; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Prudential Financial; Raytheon Company; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation; Ryder; SC Johnson; Security Finance's Lending Hand Foundation; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; Standard Textile; The Starbucks Foundation; Stearns Bank; Toyota; U-Haul International; United Technologies Corporation; U.S. Bank; and Visa.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

SOURCE American Red Cross

Related Links

http://www.redcross.org

"As technology continues to advance, the line between soft and hard skills is disappearing. What matters is whether a skill is 'human' or can be performed by machines," says Michelle Weise, Ph.D., chief innovation officer at Strada Institute for the Future of Work, a new research and development lab within Strada Education Network . "Our analysis of liberal arts graduates offers all disciplines a case study on how to future-proof workers: obliterating the false choice between technical and liberal arts education, and providing graduates with the tools they need to more effectively translate their skills to the world of work."

The report, "Robot-Ready: Human+ Skills for the Future of Work," finds that amid rapid automation of technical skills, employers are hungry for employees with uniquely "human" skills like communication, critical thinking, ethics and problem-solving. "The most valuable workers, now and in the future, will be those who can combine technical knowledge with human skills: programming + ethics, artificial intelligence + emotional intelligence, logic + judgment," says Weise.

The report focuses on liberal arts degree programs because they are so clearly geared toward developing these human skills and remain a chief, though not exclusive, pathway through which millions of Americans learn these skills. And, just as these skills are needed more than ever, liberal arts programs are shrinking dramatically.

Key findings include:



Human skills, like leadership, communication, and problem solving, are among the most in-demand skills in the labor market.





Human skills are applied differently across career fields and must be effectively translated in terms of their relevance and application within a given field.





Liberal arts majors can break down barriers to entry through better identification and understanding of their human skills and the addition of targeted technical skills. There is a discernible labor market demand for agile and resilient thinkers who have a handle on basic technical skills like data analysis and digital fluency.





Liberal arts graduates' marketplace outcomes are positive but less predictable than their STEM peers.

"There is a mismatch between the high demand for human+ skills and the labor market value assigned to liberal arts backgrounds. Liberal arts graduates trail STEM majors in earnings, experience slow starts to their careers, and are most likely to regret their majors," said Rob Sentz, chief innovation officer at Emsi. "Our analysis reveals a language barrier between educators, graduates, and employers. Students don't understand how to translate their learning into job functions, and employers don't know how to articulate the skills they seek. We need to teach liberal arts  and all  graduates how to better translate their human skills into the language of employers."

To view the report, visit https://www.economicmodeling.com/human-skills/

About Strada Institute for the Future of Work

Strada Institute for the Future of Work is dedicated to advancing our understanding of the future of learning and work, so that we may begin to build the learning ecosystem of the future. The Strada Institute is a part of Strada Education Network, a national nonprofit dedicated to improving lives by catalyzing more direct and promising pathways between education and employment. Visit www.stradaeducation.org/institute for more details.

About Emsi

Emsi, an affiliate of Strada Education Network, provides high-quality labor market data and expert analysis to professionals in economic development, workforce development, commercial real estate, higher education, and talent acquisition. Emsi uses sound economic principles and good data to drive economic prosperity.

SOURCE Strada Education Network

Related Links

http://www.stradaeducation.org

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TAG Oil Ltd. (TSX: TAO andOTCQX: TAOIF) an international oil and gas explorer in New Zealand and Australia, announced today that Mr. Toby Pierce, Chief Executive Officer and Director, and Mr. Chris Beltgens, VP Corporate Development, will present at the Lytham Partners Virtual Investor Conference on Thursday, November 15, 2018 at 2:00pm ET (11:00am PT). The conference is a virtual event that is available over the internet, and interested parties may participate by following either of the below links at the time of the conference.

Event: Lytham Partners Virtual Investor Conference



Date: November 15, 2018



Time: 2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT



Webcast: http://www.lythampartners.com/vic.aspx or by accessing the link here

Interested parties around the world may view the live investor presentation and ask the speakers questions in real-time. A replay of the presentation will be available on demand following the conclusion of the live event at http://www.lythampartners.com/vic.aspx or by accessing the link here.

Toby Pierce, CEO of TAG Oil, said, "Last week TAG Oil announced a major transaction with the sale of its New Zealand assets and operations, which we believe will unlock shareholder value both in the near and long term. We are again pleased to be participating in the Lytham Partners Virtual Investor Conference to further discuss the terms of this transaction with investors and field any questions they may have about this deal. Investors are also welcome to ask any questions regarding TAG's most recently quarterly results which will be released on November 14, 2018."

About TAG Oil Ltd.

TAG Oil (http://www.tagoil.com/) is an international oil and gas explorer with established high netback production, development and exploration assets, including production infrastructure in New Zealand and Australia. TAG Oil is poised for significant reserve and production growth with several oil and gas fields under development and high-impact exploration in proven oil and gas fairways. TAG Oil currently has 85,282,252 shares outstanding.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Disclaimer

Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainty affecting the business of TAG Oil. Such statements can generally, but not always, be identified by words such as "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "forecasts", "schedules", "prepares", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. All estimates and statements that describe the Company's plans relating to oil and natural gas production estimates and targets; statements regarding boe/d production capabilities; anticipated revenue from oil and gas fields; capital expenditure programs and estimates; plans to drill additional wells; resource potential of unconventional plays; plans to grow baseline reserves, production, and cash flow in Taranaki; and other statements set out herein pertaining to operations are forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws and necessarily involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary materially from the information provided in this release, and there is no representation by TAG Oil that the actual results realized in the future will be the same in whole or in part as those presented herein.

Other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements are also set forth in filings that TAG Oil and its independent evaluator have made, including TAG Oil's most recently filed reports in Canada under National Instrument 51-101, which can be found under TAG Oil's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. TAG Oil undertakes no obligation, except as otherwise required by law, to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors change.

For further information:

Chris Beltgens, Vice President, Corporate Development

Phone: 1-604-682-6496

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.tagoil.com/

Blog: www.tagoil.com/media-center/tag-oil-blog/

SOURCE TAG Oil Ltd.

Related Links

http://tagoil.com

Photo: Contributed

Consider apologizing if you are the cause of a life altering injury.

Though you wont know about the life-altering injury if you dont bother to inquire.

My personal injury practice is restricted to those unlikely ever to fully recover. And Ive been at this for a long time.

I dont recall a case where the offending driver bothered to check up on their victim to see how badly they were hurt. Let alone apologize for the damage they caused.

Is it because injuries are rarely apparent at the scene of a crash and you dont realize the extent of the harm you might have caused?

That would be understandable. It is impossible to tell at the scene of most crashes whether or not vehicle occupants were even injured, because it takes time for the damaged tissues to become inflamed, stiff and painful.

And it takes months and years of struggles to get better before optimism for a full recovery is lost.

But it takes such little effort to reach out and ask. A simple phone call the next day to ask how things are going, and to offer your heart-felt apology, would go a long way.

ICBC seems to understand the importance of an apology. At the beginning of most mediations, ICBCs representatives apologize on behalf of the offending driver.

But its an empty apology. The offending driver is clueless.

At some point in the lawsuit, I often examine the offending driver under oath. I ask them about the standard denials made on their behalf by ICBC, that my client was not injured in the collision.

Of course, they have no clue about my clients injuries. I look them in the eyes and ask if they ever inquired. I never get an affirmative answer.

Is there a worry that, by apologizing, you might somehow become more legally accountable for the damage you caused?

The Apology Act did away with that concern when it was passed in 2006.

The piece of legislation removes all risk of legal accountability flowing from an apology.

I suspect that the governments motivation for passing it was to allow for their ability to publicly deliver apologies for various historical wrong doings without compromising their ability to fight against actual accountability.

But it extends to all of us.

Even if you acknowledge fault in an apology, it does not have any affect on your insurance coverage and must not be taken into account in any determination of fault or liability.

An apology cannot even be admitted in court as evidence of fault.

You can say I am really very sorry for causing that crash and hurting you, and ICBC can still mount a full defence on your behalf, denying liability as they regularly do in even the clearest of liability cases.

The act defines the word apology very broadly, as:

an expression of sympathy or regret, a statement that one is sorry or any other words or actions indicating contrition or commiseration, whether or not the words or actions admit or imply an admission of fault in connection with the matter to which the words or actions relate.

I have gotten to know a grieving father from Japan who lost his daughter in a crash on the Coquihalla last spring, 2017.

His daughter had been attending university in British Columbia. In an e-mail to me shortly after that crash, he asked:

Do you think it's possible to have a letter of apology from the Jeep driver? We haven't heard from anybody of his side since the accident. Is it normal in Canada?

I guess it is. Lets change that, shall we?

Please jack up your level of attentiveness behind the wheel to avoid causing a crash in the first place. But if you do cause a crash, please give your victim a call the next day, ask how theyre doing, and apologize.MODESTO, Calif., Nov. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether it be surfing the Web or dialing a toll-free phone number, California consumers will have plenty of help this holiday season in preparing the perfect Thanksgiving meal.

The California Poultry Federation (CPF) offers a convenient one-stop location on its website -- www.cpif.org -- for those consumers looking for timely tips on preparing the perfect holiday meal. CPF is the state's only trade association representing all segments of the poultry industry, including turkey production and marketing companies.

Consumers can find the perfect fresh turkey for roasting, meal preparation tips and tasty recipes on the websites of CPF members:

Foster Farms  https://dori.fosterfarms.com/turkey-recipes/#/

Pitman Farms - Mary's Free Range Turkeys www.marysturkeys.com

Willie Bird Turkeys - www.williebird.com

Mrs. Cubbison's - dressing and recipes www.mrscubbisons.com

Volk Enterprises - home of the Pop-Up Timer http://www.volkenterprises.com/consumer/

Also listed are the traditional toll-free hotlines for consumer questions and cooking tips:

Foster Farms Foster Farms Helpline is available Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. PST . Consumers can call 1-800-255-7227 with turkey questions.

Foster Farms Helpline is available Monday through Friday . Consumers can call 1-800-255-7227 with turkey questions. USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline For food safety tips and more, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854. The hotline is available year-round Monday through Friday.

"The CPF website offers us the ability to provide 24-hour-a-day turkey preparation information to consumers," noted CPF President Bill Mattos. "With time being such a short commodity these days, we hope this site helps consumers access the information they need quickly and efficiently."

California turkey producers expect to sell approximately 14 million birds this year, with an estimated 40-45% of those sales coming during the holiday season, points out Mattos. Consumers looking for a fresh bird need to keep an eye out for the "fresh" label, advises Mattos, to make sure they are getting a truly fresh bird. "The vast majority of our turkey sales are of fresh product," explained Mattos. "California consumers have shown a preference for fresh and our advice is that consumers look for the fresh label to make sure they are getting a bird that has been kept at 26 degrees Fahrenheit or above. If the label doesn't say fresh, it's probably frozen."

Mattos cautions consumers that demand will be high this Thanksgiving and they should place their orders early. "As always, we urge California consumers to let their supermarket and/or grocer know that they want a fresh California turkey. Our fresh local birds are the first to sell, and California's producers and processors appreciate consumers who always help us sell out over the holiday season," says Mattos.

Annual per-capita turkey consumption in California is 19 pounds, compared to 16.6 pounds per-capita in the United States. Nationwide, nearly 250 million turkeys are expected to be sold this year. California ranks among the top 7 turkey-producing states.

(Editors note: Further information about California turkey production and supply for the holiday season is available by contacting Mattos at (209) 576-6355).

SOURCE California Poultry Federation

Related Links

http://www.cpif.org

PLANO, Texas, Nov. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Financial Services (TFS) announced it is offering payment relief options to its customers affected by the recent series of wildfires throughout California. This broad outreach includes any Toyota Financial Services (TFS) or Lexus Financial Services (LFS) customer in the designated disaster areas.

We at Toyota Financial Services care about the safety and well-being of our customers and want to help those impacted by the wildfires. Impacted lease and finance customers residing in the devastated areas may be eligible to take advantage of several payment relief options, some of which include:

extensions and lease deferred payments

redirecting billing statements

arranging phone or online payments

Toyota Financial Services will proactively attempt to contact customers via email and telephone in the affected areas to assess their needs and inform customers of the options available to them.

Customers who would like to discuss their account options are encouraged to contact TFS or LFS:

Toyota Financial Services customers may call 800-874-8822 or contact TFS via email using the Mail Center function after logging into ToyotaFinancial.com.

Lexus Financial Services customers may call 800-874-7050 or contact LFS via email using the Mail Center function after logging into LexusFinancial.com.

We extend our heartfelt thoughts to those affected by these devastating fires.

About Toyota Financial Services

Toyota Financial Services (TFS) is the finance and insurance brand for Toyota in the United States, offering retail auto financing and leasing through Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Lease Trust. TFS also offers extended service contracts through Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS). The company services Lexus dealers and customers using the Lexus Financial Services brand. TFS currently employs approximately 3,300 associates nationwide, and has assets totaling over $120 billion. It is part of a worldwide network of comprehensive financial services offered by Toyota Financial Services Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation. We announce material financial information using the investor relations section of our website (www.toyotafinancial.com) and SEC filings. We use these channels, press releases, and social media to communicate about our company, our services and other issues. While not all information we post on social media is of a material nature, some information could be material. Therefore, we encourage those interested in our company to review our posts on Twitter at www.twitter.com/toyotafinancial.

Points of Light has named TFS one of its Civic 50, which recognizes the most community-minded companies in the nation. For more information about the company's support of financial literacy, youth development programs, and other community initiatives, please visit www.tfsinthecommunity.com.

SOURCE Toyota Financial Services

Related Links

http://www.toyotafinancial.com

SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the "Company"), a leading technology-driven personal finance company in China, today announced that it will release its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018, after the close of U.S. markets on Monday, November 19, 2018.

X Financials' management team will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time on Monday November 19, 2018 (9:00 AM Beijing Time on November 20, 2018).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States: 1-888-346-8982 Hong Kong: 852-301-84992 China: 4001-201203 International: 1-412-902-4272 Passcode: X Financial

Please dial in ten minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call.

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone one hour after the end of the conference call until November 26, 2018 at the following numbers:

United States: 1-877-344-7529 International: 1-412-317-0088 Passcode: 10126287

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at http://ir.xiaoyinggroup.com.

About X Financial

X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the "Company") is a leading technology-driven personal finance company in China focused on meeting the huge underserved demand for credit from individuals and small-to-medium-sized enterprise owners. The Company's proprietary big data-driven risk control system, WinSAFE, builds risk profiles of prospective borrowers using a variety data-driven credit assessment methodology to accurately evaluate a borrower's value, payment capability, payment attitude and overall creditworthiness. X Financial has established a strategic partnership with ZhongAn in multiple areas of its business operations to directly complement its cutting-edge risk management and credit assessment capabilities. ZhongAn provides credit insurance on X Financials' investment products which significantly enhances investor confidence and allows the Company to attract a diversified and low-cost funding base from individuals, enterprises and financial institutions to support its growth. X Financial leverages financial technology to provide convenient, efficient, and secure investment services to a wide range of high-quality borrowers and mass affluent investors which complements traditional financial institutions and helps to promote the development of inclusive finance in China.

For more information, please contact:

X Financial

Ms. Jennifer Zhang

E-mail: [email protected]

Christensen

In China

Mr. Christian Arnell

Phone: +86-10- 5900-1548

E-mail: [email protected]

In US

Ms. Linda Bergkamp

Phone: +1-480-614-3004

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE X FinancialFAIRFAX, Va., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council's (ACT-IAC) Institute for Innovation is now accepting nominations for its sixth annual Igniting Innovation Conference and Awards to be held in May 2019. Anyone can submit nominations through January 18, 2019. To nominate an innovation, visit https://www.actiac.org/igniting-innovation-2019-nomination-form.

An innovation must have been conceived, developed, deployed or upgraded in the last two years (after October 31, 2016) to be eligible. Nominations will be reviewed by government and industry executives to select the top finalists to exhibit at the event.

"Our goal is to identify, recognize, promote and connect innovations and innovators to improve services to citizens and government operations," said Judy Douglas (Perspecta) chair of ACT-IAC's Institute for Innovation. "We are seeking innovations from all sectors  that is why we have co-chairs from industry, government, and academia this year."

Jim Cook, (Mitre) this year's industry co-chair said, "Building on last year's highly successful program, we plan to engage people from more communities and recognize and create awareness of the innovation occurring across these communities."

Dr. Olivia Blackmon and Andy Kasinski (George Mason University - Virginia Serious Game Institute) are the first academic co-chairs. Dr. Blackmon said, "This is a tremendous opportunity for college students and faculty to showcase their innovative work which can benefit the government and commercial sectors. We will focus on engaging academia to accelerate ingenuity across different industries."

2018 Igniting Innovation winners include:

The Health Resources and Services Administration's Modern Data Analytics Platform providing self-service tools to support its $9 billion grants portfolio.

grants portfolio. NIC Federal LLC's Gov2Go digital personal assistant that delivers essential federal, state, and local government services to citizens quickly and easily.

MITRE's Acquisition in the Digital Age (AiDA) to help agencies leverage digital strategies and tools to navigate the complex acquisition enterprise with greater success.

IBM's Cognitive Object Detection Assistant (CODA) machine learning for baggage screening to improve threat object detection.

NASA's Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management to address a current gap in safely integrating large-scale small UAS operations in low-altitude airspace.

About ACT-IAC  Advancing Government Through Education, Leadership, and Collaboration

ACT-IAC is a non-profit educational organization established to create a more effective and innovative government. ACT-IAC provides a unique, objective, and trusted forum where government and industry executives work together to improve public services and agency operations through the use of technology. ACT-IAC contributes to better communications between government and industry, collaborative and innovative problem solving, and a more professional and qualified workforce.

ACT-IAC Institute for Innovation

The ACT-IAC Institute for Innovation was created in 2011 to advance government missions through innovative application and management of information technology.

Learn more about ACT-IAC and the Institute for Innovation and how to become a member at http://www.actiac.org or call (703) 208-4800. Connect with ACT-IAC Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE The American Council for Technology - Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC)

Related Links

http://www.actiac.org

MIAMI, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- Shot clandestinely in Cuba, "Irene in Havana" is the story of a Spanish young rebel who travels to the island in search of answers and gets disillusioned knowing the reality of the Castro dictatorship.

The 30-minute short film revolves around a moving love story framed in the tragic process that Cubans over 60 years, have been living since the painful experience of exile.

Directed by prestigious filmmaker Lilo Vilaplana, with screenplay by journalist Juan Manuel Cao, the short film is played by Irene Diaz, in her debut as an actress, and Ariel Texido, one of Cuba's and Latin America's favorite actors in both television and cinema. Both accompanied by a stellar cast that brings together legendary career figures such as Maria Teresa Rojas, Sandra Perez, Carlos Cruz and Luis Felipe Bagos.

Vilaplana said that directing this script highly excited him with the challenge of filming in Cuba, as well as by touching on the subject of a massacre, distorted for over half a century by Castro's propaganda. "Castrism should be denounced, due to its 60 years of impunity, and it is our responsibility to transgress, not keeping quiet and go on the offensive," added Vilaplana. "The politicians must know that the island belongs to us, the Cubans and that we will recover it."

For his part, Cao said that the conception of this script was a challenge. It was, nothing less than the first story about the shootings revealed in all the history of Cuban cinema. "And also," noted Cao, "it's a love story."

For Irene Diaz, filming in Havana and Miami was a transformative experience. "Participating in this project meant leaving the comfort zone, experimenting in an unknown area, breaking the routine," said the young protagonist, a journalist by profession. "I can say that, in some respects, the character could have been I before moving to live in Miami."

This production, marks a milestone in film and television industry of the United States, was conducted by Carlos Vasallo, Emilio Braun, Miguel Cossio and Marcell Felipe. The clandestine filming in Havana was a huge technical and logistical effort carried out by an experienced technical team who challenged the ferocious controls imposed by the Cuban authorities.

Vasallo, President of America CV Network, commented that this production reaffirms America TeVe's commitment with the history of the Cuban exile and the South Florida community.

"We are proud to produce this short film, which marks a milestone in the Cuban filmography," noted Mr. Vasallo. "We risk filming clandestinely in Cuba and where we are gathering the fruits of our efforts with unique work that excels both in direction and performance showing that when you strive you can obtain anything you work for."

America CV Network's VP, Emilio Braun, pointed out that this short film kicks off a new effort in the company. "We will start producing much more content with this type of format that are very attractive focusing on specific niches that viewers are looking for," added Braun.

The film will premiere on Tuesday, November 27th at 8 p.m. at the Manuel Artime Theater in Little Havana at 900 SW 1 Street, Miami, 33130. Free admission in order of arrival. 800 person capacity.

SOURCE America TeVe

Related Links

https://www.americateve.com

SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A motion for new trial filed by Amrock (formerly Title Source) in the Bexar County, Texas State Court today revealed shocking new evidence of an alleged fraudulent scheme perpetrated by HouseCanary and the extensive lengths to which HouseCanary went to mask evidence and mislead the jury in a seven-week trial.

Included in the 97-page filing are sworn affidavits from three former HouseCanary executives, who post-verdict divulged details of the scheme and collusion that resulted in an unprecedented, egregious verdict by a jury that was misled by the falsehoods. In addition, the filing reveals numerous and troublesome problems that occurred at the trial, any one of which, on their own would be grounds for a new trial.

"This is one of the most egregious frauds that I have ever seen in my 35-year career as a litigator and former federal prosecutor," said Randy Mastro, a Gibson Dunn attorney now representing Amrock. "This shocking verdict is now wholly undermined for many reasons by several former HouseCanary executives who have come forward for the first time, as a matter of conscience, to blow the whistle on this fraud. As these witnesses now confirm in their sworn accounts, the jury in this case was simply duped and misled. Had it known the truth, no reasonable jury would have rendered this unprecedented verdict. The deception, collusion and cover-up that occurred here require a new trial so the truth can be told and justice served."

The day after the trial, the first whistleblower sent an anonymous email to Amrock's CEO revealing, for the first time, that HouseCanary had colluded with a former executive. Together, they hid the fact that HouseCanary provided Amrock non-functional software and that HouseCanary lacked any proprietary products. Later identified as the former HouseCanary Director of Appraiser Experience, the individual came forward with a sworn statement detailing firsthand knowledge from the executive's time at HouseCanary, risking potential retaliation.

Shortly after the initial whistleblower came forward, two additional former HouseCanary executives also came forward providing sworn statements that corroborated and offered further insight into the fraudulent scheme that HouseCanary perpetrated on Amrock and the court.

All three whistleblowers revealed that HouseCanary CEO Jeremy Sicklick coaxed a former Amrock executive to collude with HouseCanary executives, concocting a duplicitous sham misrepresenting HouseCanary's offerings. This was the same former executive who was also serving as Amrock's lead point person charged with negotiating the contract with HouseCanary to implement its "software". Sicklick also cajoled the former Amrock executive to introduce the company to key data vendors, as well as conduct sales pitches and product demonstrations on HouseCanary's behalf (while still employed as a senior executive at Amrock).

Together, the Amrock executive, who testified at trial for the company, and Sicklick conspired to misrepresent the readiness and authenticity of HouseCanary products to Amrock in order to prompt the company to enter into a lucrative contract for what turned out to be non-existent HouseCanary products. The relationship went so deep that the two executives collaborated to solicit investments from high-profile individuals and firms, ultimately raising $64 million for HouseCanary through their combined efforts.

After becoming aware of Amrock's investigation, HouseCanary attempted to take desperate steps to prevent the truth from coming to light, including asking the court to put a stop to the investigation  a request that HouseCanary was ultimately forced to withdraw.

In a further attempt to keep the truth from coming out, HouseCanary conducted a disingenuous effort offering lucrative, post-trial "consulting agreements"  paying upwards of $250 an hour for work that was never defined or expected to be performed. This was a clear attempt to bribe the former HouseCanary employees for their silence. One whistleblower stated that a HouseCanary representative informed him that he "would be paid handsomely." The whistleblower understood this to be an offer to provide testimony favorable to HouseCanary or to stay quiet, at best.

Central to HouseCanary's arguments were claims that Amrock misappropriated the company's trade secrets. However, all three whistleblowers confirmed, under the penalty of perjury, HouseCanary never had any trade secrets to steal.

According to HouseCanary's former Managing Director of Analytics and Data:

"Together, the failures of the [sic] HouseCanary's two principal products  the AVM [automated valuation model] and the Appraisal App  led me to view HouseCanary as a "house of cards" and to conclude that there was a gap between their public-facing statements about these products, and the technical and market reality."

As shocking as it may seem, the blatant fraud perpetrated on the court is only one of several significant reasons that each separately warrant a new trial in this case.

To distract from the truth throughout the trial, HouseCanary's counsel engaged in passionate and deliberate attacks on the integrity of Amrock. In fact, in their closing arguments, HouseCanary's counsel informed the jury that this was "their opportunity to teach corporate America a lesson".

These kinds of inflammatory tactics, although commonplace on highly dramatized court television programs, have resulted in the granting of a new trial by itself.

Today's motion for a new trial also highlights several other problematic issues with the trial, including:

The jury was permitted to hear unreliable and unsubstantiated evidence from three HouseCanary "experts," one expert's testimony being so far-fetched that the Judge remarked that it was speculative.

There is not sufficient evidence to support liability in this case. HouseCanary's trade secrets never existed in the first place based on multiple whistleblowers' testimony. It would be quite difficult for Amrock to acquire trade secrets that never existed.

"When you look at the sheer number of problems with this case, paired with the fact that multiple former HouseCanary executives have come forward to blow the whistle on fraud, this is something that should get the court's attention," said David Prichard of San Antonio law firm Prichard Young, LLP. "Our legal system is designed to allow judges to act as a backstop when they see questionable activities taking place. This motion for a new trial is an opportunity for the court to step in and ensure that justice is served now that all the cards are on the table."

About Amrock

Amrock Inc. is the nation's largest independent provider of title insurance, valuations and settlement services. The company is a preferred provider to nine of the top 10 mortgage lenders and delivers innovative solutions to streamline the real estate and mortgage financing experience for lenders, property owners, and real estate professionals nationwide.

Contact: Ed Patru, 202-360-7063, [email protected]

SOURCE AmrockNEW YORK, Nov. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Atento S.A. (NYSE: ATTO) ("Atento" or the "Company"), the largest provider of customer-relationship management and business-process outsourcing services in Latin America, and among the top five providers globally, today announced its third-quarter 2018 operating and financial results. All comparisons in this announcement are year-over-year and in constant-currency (CCY), unless noted otherwise, and may differ from 6K due to certain intra-group eliminations.

Summary

($ in millions except EPS) Q3 2018 Q3 2017 CCY Growth YTD 2018 YTD 2017 CCY Growth Income Statement











Revenue 432.6 501.3 +0.9% 1,396.4 1,443.0 +4.2% EBITDA (1) 46.9 54.4 +2.4% 145.8 150.8 +5.2% EBITDA Margin 10.9% 10.9% 0.0 p.p. 10.4% 10.5% -0.1 p.p. Adjusted EBITDA (1) 46.9 59.7 -7.8% 145.8 165.8 -4.3% Adjusted EBITDA Margin 10.9% 11.9% -1.0 p.p. 10.4% 11.5% -1.1 p.p. Net Income (2) 3.1 (10.1) n.m. 5.4 (4.7) n.m. Recurring Net Income (2) 18.4 17.6 +17.3% 40.5 39.1 11.3% Earnings Per Share (2) $0.04 ($0.14) n.m. $0.07 ($0.06) n.m. Recurring Earnings Per Share (2) $0.25 $0.24 +17.3% $0.55 $0.53 +11.3% Cashflow, Debt and Leverage











Free Cash Flow (3) 36.7 47.5

43.7 40.7

Net Debt 360.2 342.9







Leverage (x) 1.8x 1.5x













(1) EBITDA is defined as profit/(loss) for the period from continuing operations before net finance costs, income taxes and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA adjusted to exclude restructuring costs, site relocation costs and other items not related to our core results of operations. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measures defined by IFRS. The most directly comparable IFRS measure to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA is profit/(loss) for the year/period from continuing operations. (2) Reported Net Income and Earnings Per Share and Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Adjusted Earnings Per Share refer only to continuing operations. Reported and Adjusted Earnings Per Share, for the period ended September 30, 2018, were calculated considering the weighted average number of ordinary shares of 73,885,474. For the period ended September 30, 2017, the number of ordinary shares was 73,909,056. Recurring Earnings and EPS attributable to Owners of the parent company (3) We define Free Cash Flow before interest and acquisitions as operating cashflow minus Capex payments and income tax expenses.

Message of the CEO and CFO

Alejandro Reynal, Atento's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We delivered a good quarterly result, driven by the performance of our Brazil and EMEA operations. Brazil, our flagship operation, remains at the forefront of Atento's profitable growth strategy and closed the quarter with a substantial margin improvement. During the period we also completed the carve out of Unimed Rio in Brazil, increasing our market share in the healthcare sector, one of the fastest growing verticals for CRM/BPO services in the country. We continue strengthening our market share in Latin America and diversifying our revenue mix, fueled by new client wins across our footprint."

Mauricio Montilha, Atentos Chief Financial Officer, said, "Atento's robust balance sheet and strong cash flow generation are allowing us to pursue accretive growth opportunities that further diversify our revenue base and to continue focusing on evolving the digital value offering to our clients. The recent strategic partnership with T-Systems in Brazil for managing datacenters will help accelerate the roll out of our digital and BPO solutions."

Mr. Reynal concluded, "As we expect to develop our business in a mixed political macro scenario, with volatility in some countries and potential improvement in others, our commercial pipeline remains strong and reflects the acceleration of our move into digital services, while new clients wins across all regions form a base for future profitable growth."

Third Quarter Consolidated Operating Results

All comparisons in this announcement, unless otherwise noted, are year-over-year and in constant-currency (CCY).

Consolidated revenues increased 0.9% to $432.6 million in the third quarter of 2018, driven by a 1.2% rise in Multisector sales, mainly in Brazil and EMEA. It is important to note the unfavorable year-on-year comparison base due to acquisitions in Brazil and Argentina that impacted results as of Q3 2017.

New client wins during the quarter helped offset overall volume and price pressures in the more massive CRM programs across the Company's geographic markets. On a nine-month basis, revenues grew 4.2% to $1,396.4 million.

At the end of the quarter, Multisector revenues accounted for 61.6% of consolidated revenue. On a nine-month basis, Multisector revenues increased 6.1% and represented 61.3% of revenues.

Higher value-added solutions increased 0.7% sequentially to 27.1% of total revenues. Client demand for solutions, including Digital, remains at above 1/3 of qualified pipeline.

Revenues from Telefonica increased 0.5% in the quarter, accounting for 38.4% of total revenue. Atento remains Telefonica's reference partner for CRM/BPO services.

EBITDA increased 0.5 p.p. sequentially, driven by a 3.3 p.p. margin expansion in the Brazilian operation. Compared to last year's comparable quarter, EBITDA increased 2.4% to $46.9 million, with the margin stable at 10.9%. On a nine-month basis, EBITDA increased 5.2% to $145.8 million, with the margin declining 0.1 p.p. to 10.4%.

Recurring net income attributable to owners of the parent company increased 17.3% to $18.4 million, or $0.25 per share. The higher Recurring EPS was positively impacted by a $7.6 million pre-tax gain resulting from a mark-to-market of the Real/US dollar hedge related to the interest of Atento's 2022 senior secured notes.

Adjusted earnings, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted earnings per share are non-GAAP financial measures and are reconciled to their most directly comparable GAAP measures in the accompanying financial tables.

Segment Reporting

($ in millions) Q3 2018 Q3 2017 CCY growth YTD 2018 YTD 2017 CCY growth Brazil Region











Revenue 204.4 248.5 +2.8% 664.5 720.3 4.2% Adjusted EBITDA 24.3 32.1 -5.7% 69.8 95.1 -17.2% Adjusted EBITDA Margin 11.9% 12.9% -1.0 p.p. 10.5% 13.2% -2.7 p.p. Operating Income/(loss) 1.4 3.0 -33.7% (2.7) 13.9 N.M Americas Region











Revenue 174.1 198.4 -1.2% 558.2 557.5 6.5% Adjusted EBITDA 19.7 23.7 -8.6% 66.8 62.9 11.2% Adjusted EBITDA Margin 11.3% 12.0% -0.6 p.p. 12.0% 11.3% 0.7 p.p. Operating Income/(loss) (2.8) (0.9) -30.9% 6.7 5.5 48.5% EMEA Region











Revenue 55.7 55.1 +2.1% 181.0 166.9 +0.7% Adjusted EBITDA 5.7 3.5 +38.5% 16.7 11.6 +27.2% Adjusted EBITDA Margin 10.3% 6.4% +3.9 p.p. 9.2% 7.0% +2.4 p.p. Operating Income/(loss) 0.7 (9.2) N.M 1.5 (12.4) N.M

Brazil

Following a challenging beginning in the year, Atento delivered a solid margin turnaround in its flagship Brazilian operations, a result of operational improvements made in 1H18. Brazil's operations remain at the forefront of Atento's growth strategy, with a focus on profitability and evolving the value offering. Atento Brazil's solutions factory is helping accelerate the Group's move into digital services and leading the standardization and roll out of digital solutions (Data Driven Digital Sales, Data Driven Customer Care, Digital Back Office, Digital Collections), as well as the Analytics and Business Process Consulting offerings.

Additionally, it is important to highlight two key achievements during the third quarter:

The Unimed Rio carve out, which accelerates Atento's penetration of the healthcare segment, one of the fastest growing verticals for CRM services in Brazil (click here for full details)

(click here for full details) The strategic partnership with T-Systems for managing data centers in Brazil , which speeds Atento's transformation into a digital BPO solutions provider enables faster and easier roll-outs of new services and solutions for clients (click here for full details).

Revenues in Brazil grew 2.8% during the third quarter to $204.4 million and 4.2% year-to-date, as multisector clients continued driving sales growth.

Financial Services clients drove a 3.4% YoY increase in Multisector sales, leading the way for the Group in revenue diversification. The share of total sales in Brazil was 0.4 p.p. higher to 70.3%. Year-to-date, Multisector revenue increased 4.9%.

On a quarterly and year-to-date basis, revenues from Telefonica increased 1.5% and 2.8%, respectively, representing 29.7% and 30.6% of total revenue in Brazil. During the quarter, Atento delivered the first digital solutions for Vivo within the TEF Group.

Adjusted EBITDA margin improved 3.3 p.p. on a sequential basis to 11.9%, reflecting the operational improvements made in the first half of 2018. Year-over-year, Adjusted EBITDA decreased 5.7% to $24.3 million.

Americas Region

In the Americas region, revenue decreased 1.2% YoY to $174.1 million, while increasing 6.5% year-to-date. The decrease was driven by lower volumes in the telco space, mainly in the more massive CRM and the impact of weaker economic activity in Argentina. Performance in the Financial Services sector was mixed, with new client wins in Chile offset by weaker volume and price pressures in Mexico.

Due to these factors, Multisector revenue declined 2.4%. At the end of the quarter, Multisector sales accounted for 58.3% of the revenue mix in the Americas, down 0.4 p.p. On a nine-month basis, Multisector sales increased 7.9%, 1.3 p.p. to 58.9% of Americas' revenue.

Telefonica revenue increased 0.2% and accounted for 41.7% of Americas sales during the quarter. Year-to-date, Telefonica revenues increased 2.9%, representing 41.1% of total Americas revenues in the period.

Adjusted EBITDA decreased 8.6% to $19.7 million, with the margin declining 0.6 p.p. to 11.3% in the third quarter, in line with the expected normalized level, and rising 0.7 p.p. to 12.0% on a nine-month basis. The third quarter margin decline was mostly due to lower volumes in the more massive CRM programs and to weaker economic activity in Argentina.

EMEA Region

Revenue in the EMEA region grew 2.1% over last year's quarter to $55.7 million. The growth was driven by a 6.8% rise in Multisector sales, which were supported by growth in non-Telefonica telco clients. Year-to-date, EMEA revenue increased 8.9%.

In the third quarter, Multisector revenue increased 1.8 p.p. to 40.5% of total EMEA sales. For the nine-month period, Multisector revenue rose 2.9 p.p. to 39.4% of the region's sales.

Due to lower volumes, Telefonica revenues decreased 0.9% in the quarter. Year-to-date, they declined 4.0%.

Adjusted EBITDA for the EMEA region grew 38.5% to $5.7 million with the margin expanding 3.9 p.p. to 10.3%, a good result considering the more mature stage of this market. On a year-to-date basis, the Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 2.4 p.p. to 9.2%. The margin expansion was primarily due to higher Multisector volumes, primarily non-Telefonica telco clients.

Cash Flow and Capital Structure

During the third quarter, Atento generated Free Cash Flow before interest and acquisitions of $36.7 million, with a positive Free Cash Flow of $18.3 million. Year-to-date, Free Cash Flow before interest and acquisitions amounted $43.7 million.

Cash capex accounted for 2.7% of revenues compared to 3.5% year-to-date. The decrease is mainly explained by the optimization of the utilization rate.

Year-to-date EBITDA-to-cash conversion improved 5.3 percentage points to 29.9%.

At the end of September 2018, Atento held cash and cash equivalents of $96.5 million and available revolving credit facilities of $100 million, implying total liquidity of $196.5 million.

Atento's net debt decreased 3.0% sequentially to $360.2 million, while gross debt decreased 4.4% sequentially to $458.0 million on lower use of revolvers and debt amortization. Net leverage increased to 1.8x from 1.7x in the second quarter, mainly due to the effect of currency translation on EBITDA.

Recent Developments

New Customer Relationship Center in Chile: On October 17th, Atento opened its fourth Customer Relationship Center in Chile, reinforcing its leadership position in the country. The center has over 350 operational workstations and the capacity to expand above 500 in the short term. Including state-of-the-art facilities, it already has more than 300 agents specialized in customer care and sales solutions for the banking and financial services sector. Solutions are provided through an omnichannel platform combining traditional and digital channels and automation solutions. The center is located in Santiago's Mall Plaza Norte and has common spaces and rooms for training and selection. Click here for full details.

CRC Gold Awards in Spain: On November 1st, Atento was recognized, for the 3rd consecutive year, as the best customer service outsourcer in Spain, on this occasion for its service to Endesa. The recognition is within the framework of the CRC Gold Awards, the benchmark awards Spain's CRM industry, for excellence in CRM/ BPO management in the country. Click here for full details.

Great Place To Work Argentina: Atento was ranked number 6 on the list of Argentina's best companies to work in the "More than 1,000 employees" category, according to Great Place to Work. Atento is the only company in the CRM/BPO sector to be included in this prestigious ranking for 12 consecutive years in the country, reflecting the strength of its corporate culture and its commitment to fostering an excellent work environment. Great Place to Work also gave a special recognition for Atento Argentina's inclusion policy. Sixty-five percent of employees are women 50% represent mid-level leadership teams and supervisor roles, and 3 of the 8 seats on the company's Management Committee are held by women. Click here for full details.

Atento strengthens leadership in LatAm: Frost & Sullivan, the global consulting company specialized in growth strategies, has identified Atento as the clear leader in contact center outsourcing services in Latin America, according to its annual study, "Analysis of the Contact Center Outsourcing Services Market in Latin America and the Caribbean, Forecast to 2023". In addition to being the leader at the regional level, Atento is also the market leader in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Mexico. In Brazil, the largest market in the region, which accounts for nearly 40% of the revenues in the continent, Atentos share reached 26.6% of the total market in 2017, an increase of 1.9p.p. vs the previous year and 12.3p.p. above its closest competitor. Atento also gained market share in Argentina, Colombia and Chile. When considering just aggregated domestic demand in Latin America (domestic market and the LATAM-Shore segment), Atento's market share reached 23.7%, an increase of 1.0 p.p. versus the previous year and 16.2 p.p. above its closest competitor. Click here for full details.

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 10:00 am ET to discuss its financial results. The conference call can be accessed by dialing: +1 (877) 407-0784 toll free domestic, UK: (+44) 0 800 756 3429 toll free, Brazil: (+55) 0 800 891 6221 toll free, or Spain: (+34) 900 834 236 toll free. All other international callers can access the conference call by dialing: +1 (201) 689-8560 toll free. No passcode is required. Individuals who dial in will be asked to identify themselves and their affiliations. The live webcast of the conference call will be available on Atento's Investor Relations website at investors.atento.com. A web-based archive of the conference call will also be available at the above website.

About Atento

Atento is the largest provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing (CRM BPO) solutions in Latin America, and among the top five providers globally, based on revenues. Atento is also a leading provider of nearshoring CRM/BPO services to companies that carry out their activities in the United States. Since 1999, the company has developed its business model in 13 countries where it employs 150,000 people. Atento has over 400 clients to whom it offers a wide range of CRM/BPO services through multiple channels. Atento's clients are mostly leading multinational corporations in sectors such as telecommunications, banking and financial services, health, retail and public administrations, among others. Atentos shares trade under the symbol ATTO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 2016, Atento was named one of the Worlds 25 Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work for a fourth consecutive year. For more information visit www.atento.com

Investor Relations

Shay Chor

+ 55 11 3293-5926

[email protected]

Fernando Schneider

+ 55 11 3779-0967

[email protected]

Media Relations

Maite Cordero

+ 34 91 740 74 47

[email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "intends," "continue" or similar terminology. These statements reflect only Atento's current expectations and are not guarantees of future performance or results. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, competition in Atento's highly competitive industries; increases in the cost of voice and data services or significant interruptions in these services; Atento's ability to keep pace with its clients' needs for rapid technological change and systems availability; the continued deployment and adoption of emerging technologies; the loss, financial difficulties or bankruptcy of any key clients; the effects of global economic trends on the businesses of Atento's clients; the non-exclusive nature of Atento's client contracts and the absence of revenue commitments; security and privacy breaches of the systems Atento uses to protect personal data; the cost of pending and future litigation; the cost of defending Atento against intellectual property infringement claims; extensive regulation affecting many of Atento's businesses; Atento's ability to protect its proprietary information or technology; service interruptions to Atento's data and operation centers; Atento's ability to retain key personnel and attract a sufficient number of qualified employees; increases in labor costs and turnover rates; the political, economic and other conditions in the countries where Atento operates; changes in foreign exchange rates; Atento's ability to complete future acquisitions and integrate or achieve the objectives of its recent and future acquisitions; future impairments of our substantial goodwill, intangible assets, or other long-lived assets; and Atento's ability to recover consumer receivables on behalf of its clients. In addition, Atento is subject to risks related to its level of indebtedness. Such risks include Atento's ability to generate sufficient cash to service its indebtedness and fund its other liquidity needs; Atento's ability to comply with covenants contained in its debt instruments; the ability to obtain additional financing; the incurrence of significant additional indebtedness by Atento and its subsidiaries; and the ability of Atento's lenders to fulfill their lending commitments. Atento is also subject to other risk factors described in documents filed by the company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made. Atento undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The following selected financial information should be read in conjunction with the interim consolidated financial statements and the section entitled "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" presented elsewhere in the Form 6-K.

Reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to profit/(loss):





















For the three months

ended September 30,

For the nine months

ended September 30, ($ in millions)

2017

2018

2017

2018



(unaudited)

















(Loss)/profit for the period

(10.1)

3.1

(4.7)

5.4 Net finance expense

37.7

18.3

68.8

59.8 Income tax expense

(2.8)

3.8

8.3

8.9 Depreciation and amortization

29.6

21.8

78.4

71.7 EBITDA (non-GAAP) (unaudited)

54.4

46.9

150.8

145.8 Restructuring costs (a)

1.3

-

10.2

- Other (b)

4.0

-

4.8

- Total non-recurring items (*)

5.3

-

15.0

- Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) (unaudited)

59.7

46.9

165.8

145.8







(*) We define non-recurring items as items that are limited in number, clearly identifiable, unusual, are unlikely to be repeated in the near future in the ordinary course of business and that have a material impact on the consolidated results of operations. Non-recurring items can be summarized as demonstrated below:





a) Restructuring costs primarily included restructuring activities and other personnel costs that were not related to our core results of operations. Restructuring costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, primarily relates to the costs to adapt the organization in Argentina and Brazil to the lower level of activities and the investments made in Brazil, Mexico and Spain to implement a lower-cost operating model.







b) Other non-recurring items for three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, mainly refer to consulting and other non-recurring costs.

Reconciliation of Adjusted Earnings to profit/(loss):

















For the three months

ended September 30,

For the nine months

ended September 30, ($ in millions) 2017

2018

2017

2018

(unaudited) (Loss)/profit for the period (10.1)

3.1

(4.7)

5.4 Amortization of acquisition related intangible assets (a) 5.7

5.1

16.8

16.1 Restructuring costs (b) (*) 1.3

-

10.2

- Other (c) (*) 4.0

-

4.8

- Change in fair value of financial instruments (d) 2.4

5.9

2.6

- Net foreign exchange gain/(loss) 3.2

9.3

4.2

31.1 Financial non-recurring (e) 17.7

-

17.7

- Depreciation non-recurring (f) 2.8

-

2.8

- Tax effect (g) (7.4)

(4.6)

(13.0)

(10.7) Total of add-backs 29.7

15.7

46.1

36.5 Adjusted Earnings (non-GAAP) (unaudited) 19.6

18.7

41.4

41.9 Adjusted Earnings per share (in U.S. dollars) (**) (unaudited) 0.27

0.25

0.56

0.57 Adjusted Earnings attributable to Owners of the parent (non-GAAP) (unaudited) 17.6

18.4

39.1

40.5 Adjusted Earnings per share attributable to Owners of the parent (in U.S. dollars) (**) (unaudited) 0.24

0.25

0.53

0.55





(*) We define non-recurring items as items that are limited in number, clearly identifiable, unusual, are unlikely to be repeated in the near future in the ordinary course of business and that have a material impact on the consolidated results of operations. Non-recurring items can be summarized as demonstrated below:





(a) Amortization of acquisition related intangible assets represents the amortization expense of customer base, recorded as intangible assets. This customer base represents the fair value (within the business combination involving the acquisition of control of Atento Group) of the intangible assets arising from service agreements (tacit or explicitly formulated in contracts) with Telefonica Group and with other customers.







(b) Restructuring costs primarily included restructuring activities and other personnel costs that were not related to our core results of operations. Restructuring costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, primarily relates to the costs to adapt the organization in Argentina and Brazil to the lower level of activities and the investments made in Brazil, Mexico and Spain to implement a lower-cost operating model.







(c) Other non-recurring items for three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, mainly refer to consulting and other non-recurring costs.







(d) Since April 1, 2015, the Company designated the foreign currency risk on certain of its subsidiaries as net investment hedges using financial instruments as the hedging items. As a consequence, any gain or loss on the hedging instrument, related to the effective portion of the hedge is recognized in other comprehensive income (equity) as from that date. The gains or losses related to the ineffective portion are recognized in the statements of operations and for comparability, and those adjustments are added back to calculate Adjusted Earnings.







(e) Financial non-recurring relates to the costs incurred in the debt refinance process occurred in August 2017, which includes: (i) 2020 Senior Secured Notes call premium of $11.1 million and amortization of issuance costs of $4.9 million; (ii) Brazilian debentures due 2019 penalty fee of $0.7 million and remaining balance of the issuance cost of $1.0 million.







(f) Non-recurring depreciation relates to the provision for accelerated depreciation of fixed assets in Puerto Rico and Mexico, due to the natural disasters.







(g) The tax effect represents the impact of the taxable adjustments based on tax nominal rate by country. For the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2018, the effective tax rate after moving non-recurring items was 19.0% and 31.0%, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2018, the effective tax rate after moving non-recurring items was 34.0% and 31.9%, respectively.





(**) Adjusted Earnings per share is calculated based on the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding of 73,909,056 as of September 30, 2017 and 73,885,474 as of September 30, 2018.

Financing Arrangements

Net debt with third parties as of September 30, 2017 and 2018 is as follow:



As of September 30, ($ in millions, except Net Debt/Adj. EBITDA LTM) 2017

2018

(unaudited) Cash and cash equivalents 162.8

97.7 Debt:





Senior Secured Notes 393.8

393.3 Brazilian Debentures 22.5

16.2 BNDES 56.3

27.9 Finance Lease Payables 9.8

6.2 Other Borrowings 23.4

14.3 Total Debt 505.7

458.0 Net Debt with third parties (1) (unaudited) 342.9

360.2 Adjusted EBITDA LTM (2) (non-GAAP) (unaudited) 224.4

200.9 Net Debt/Adjusted EBITDA LTM (non-GAAP) (unaudited) 1.5x

1.8x





1) In considering our financial condition, our management analyzes Net debt with third parties, which is defined as total debt less cash and cash equivalents. Net debt with third parties is not a measure defined by IFRS and it has limitations as an analytical tool. Net debt with third parties is neither a measure defined by or presented in accordance with IFRS nor a measure of financial performance, and should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative financial measure determined in accordance with IFRS. Net debt is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.



2) Adjusted EBITDA LTM (Last Twelve Months) is defined as EBITDA adjusted to exclude restructuring costs, site relocation costs and other items not related to our core results of operations.

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 and 2018































($ in millions, except percentage changes) For the three months

ended September 30,

Change

(%)

Change

excluding

FX (%)

For the nine months

ended September 30,

Change

(%)

Change

excluding

FX (%) 2017

2018





2017

2018





(unaudited)









(unaudited)







Revenue 501.3

432.6

(13.7)

0.9

1,443.0

1,396.4

(3.2)

4.2 Other operating income 4.8

7.2

50.6

139.2

13.9

15.1

8.9

33.1 Operating expenses:





























Supplies (20.8)

(19.5)

(6.0)

20.6

(55.1)

(54.2)

(1.6)

9.6 Employee benefit expenses (369.1)

(321.5)

(12.9)

1.6

(1,070.0)

(1,046.3)

(2.2)

5.1 Depreciation (14.4)

(12.3)

(14.3)

(3.1)

(37.3)

(31.8)

(14.7)

(8.8) Amortization (15.2)

(9.4)

(38.0)

(27.1)

(41.1)

(39.8)

(3.1)

3.5 Changes in trade provisions -

(0.3)

N.M.

N.M.

-

(0.4)

N.M.

N.M. Other operating expenses (61.8)

(51.5)

(16.6)

(3.1)

(181.0)

(164.8)

(8.9)

(1.8) Total operating expenses (481.3)

(414.7)

(13.8)

0.7

(1,384.5)

(1,337.4)

(3.4)

4.0 Operating profit 24.8

25.2

1.5

24.8

72.4

74.1

2.3

13.7 Finance income 2.4

0.8

(66.1)

(58.9)

6.0

2.2

(63.8)

(59.9) Finance costs (34.5)

(3.9)

(88.7)

(87.9)

(68.0)

(30.9)

(54.6)

(52.3) Change in fair value of financial instruments (2.4)

(5.9)

146.3

149.0

(2.6)

-

(100.0)

(100.0) Net foreign exchange loss (3.2)

(9.3)

N.M.

N.M.

(4.2)

(31.1)

N.M.

N.M. Net finance expense (37.7)

(18.3)

(51.4)

(47.9)

(68.8)

(59.8)

(13.1)

(7.2) Profit before income tax (12.9)

6.9

N.M.

145.9

3.6

14.3

N.M.

N.M. Income tax benefit/(expense) 2.8

(3.8)

N.M.

N.M.

(8.3)

(8.9)

6.7

7.6 (Loss)/profit for the period (10.1)

3.1

130.3

125.0

(4.7)

5.4

N.M.

N.M. (Loss)/profit attributable to:





























Owners of the parent (12.0)

2.7

122.4

119.4

(6.9)

4.0

N.M.

(142.4) Non-controlling interest 1.9

0.4

(80.1)

(76.1)

2.2

1.5

(33.9)

(20.3) (Loss)/profit for the period (10.1)

3.1

130.3

125.0

(4.7)

5.4

N.M.

N.M. Other financial data:





























EBITDA (1) (unaudited) 54.4

46.9

(13.7)

2.4

150.8

145.8

(3.3)

5.2 Adjusted EBITDA (1) (unaudited) 59.7

46.9

(21.4)

(7.8)

165.8

145.8

(12.1)

(4.3)































(1) For reconciliation with IFRS as issued by IASB, see section "Summary Consolidated Historical Financial Information - Reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to profit/(loss)".

N.M. means not meaningful

ATENTO S.A. AND SUBSIDIARIES INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION As of December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2018 (In thousands of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise indicated) ASSETS

Notes











December 31,

September 30,



2017

2018







(audited)

(unaudited)













NON-CURRENT ASSETS





764,127

675,299













Intangible assets





230,104

214,259 Goodwill





153,144

128,656 Property, plant and equipment





152,195

115,680 Non-current financial assets





90,076

85,740 Trade and other receivables





21,677

12,380 Other non-current financial assets





60,222

62,458 Derivative financial instruments





8,177

10,902 Other taxes receivable





7,282

5,956 Deferred tax assets





131,326

125,008













CURRENT ASSETS





566,178

534,823













Trade and other receivables





410,534

419,188 Trade and other receivables





388,565

391,358 Current income tax receivable





21,969

27,830 Other taxes receivable





12,072

16,903 Other current financial assets





1,810

1,008 Cash and cash equivalents





141,762

97,724













TOTAL ASSETS





1,330,305

1,210,122





ATENTO S.A. AND SUBSIDIARIES INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION As of December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2018 (In thousands of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise indicated)













EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

Notes

December 31,

September 30,



2017

2018







(audited)

(unaudited)













TOTAL EQUITY





377,839

316,810 EQUITY ATTRIBUTABLE TO:











NON-CONTROLLING INTEREST





9,476

9,250 OWNERS OF THE PARENT COMPANY





368,363

307,560













Share capital





48

48 Reserve for acquisition of non-controlling interest





(23,531)

(23,531) Share premium





639,435

615,288 Treasury shares





-

(5,337) Retained losses





(94,535)

(66,403) Translation differences





(170,063)

(227,179) Hedge accounting effects





9,594

3,203 Stock-based compensation





7,415

11,471 NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES





582,870

543,838













Deferred tax liabilities





43,942

33,348 Debt with third parties





439,731

414,268 Derivative financial instruments





5,140

2,241 Provisions and contingencies





61,186

52,478 Non-trade payables





8,094

18,597 Option for the acquisition of non-controlling interest





23,752

19,624 Other taxes payable





1,025

3,282













CURRENT LIABILITIES





369,596

349,474













Debt with third parties





46,560

43,711 Derivative financial instruments





1,212

596 Trade and other payables





302,756

291,109 Trade payables





94,078

73,907 Income tax payables





8,058

11,355 Other taxes payables





86,166

90,281 Other non-trade payables





114,454

115,566 Provisions and contingencies





19,068

14,058 TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES





1,330,305

1,210,122





Cash Flow:



For the three months

ended September 30,

For the nine months

ended September 30, ($ in millions) 2018

2017

2018

2017

(unaudited) (***)

(unaudited) (***) Operating Cash Flow (1) 48.5

65.4

94.7

105.5 Cash Capex (2) -9.6

-13.1

-38.3

-49.9 Income Tax Paid -2.2

-4.8

-12.7

-14.9 Free Cash Flow before interest and acquisitions 36.7

47.5

43.7

40.7 Acquisitions 0.0

0.0

0.0

-14.5 Net Financial Expenses (3) -18.4

9.1

-44.6

19.4 Free Cash Flow (FCF) 18.3

56.6

-1.0

-6.8





(1) We define Operating Cash flow as Net Cash flow from/(used in) operating activities (as per 6K) adding back net interest and income tax expenses. (2) Does not consider acquisitions (3) Interest payments related to the 2022 SSN are done every February and August, until Bond maturity in August 2022. Q1 2018 includes hedge adjustments of negative $3.1 million and withholding taxes of negative $1.6 million, versus hedge adjustments of positive $1.5 million and no withholding taxes in Q1 2017. (4) Interest payments related to the 2022 SSN are done every February and August, until Bond maturity in August 2022. Therefore, settlement of hedging instruments will impact Q1 and Q3 Net Financial Expenses cashflow of each year. Q3 2017 includes one-off gains of~$25million from unwinding existing hedge instruments related to the debt refinance process.



(***) These preliminary results are unaudited and are based on management's initial review of operations for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018 and remain subject to the completion of the Company's customary annual closing and review procedures. Final adjustments and other material developments may arise between the date hereof and the filing of the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F.

SOURCE Atento S.A.

Related Links

http://www.atento.com

LUND, Sweden, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

BioInvent International AB (OMXS: BINV) announced today the publication of data on the cellular and molecular mechanism-of-action of antibodies to the co-stimulatory immune checkpoint receptor 4-1BB.

The research  published in the next issue of the journal Immunity and ahead of print online today  demonstrates that anti-4-1BB antibodies with the ability to engage activating or inhibitory Fc gamma receptors can achieve therapeutic effects through depletion of intratumoral regulatory T cells (Treg), and/or boosting of CD8+ T cell effector function. It was conducted by researchers from the University of Southampton in collaboration with researchers from BioInvent.

Treg depletion and promotion of CD8 effector cell function occurred in a competitive manner, and was limited by the availability of immune cell Fc gamma receptors, which could be overcome by sequential antibody administration or antibody engineering.

Tregs are known to potently suppress anti-tumor immunity, while CD8+ T cells critically contribute to anti-tumor immunity.

"Together with our collaborator at the University of Southampton, we continue to advance the understanding of how antibody interactions with Fc gamma receptors determine the efficacy and mechanism-of-action of immune checkpoint antibodies in cancer immunotherapy", says Bjorn Frendeus, Chief Scientific Officer. "These data have important implications for how antibodies to co-stimulatory molecules, such as 4-1BB, can be tailored and used to achieve immune activation via complementary but competing pathways".

This research is the result of a long-standing collaborative effort between the Southampton Antibody and Vaccine Group, Centre for Cancer Immunology, BioInvent and Cancer Research UK, to promote translational research into effective cancer immunotherapies.

Reference

Sarah L Buchan, Lang Dou, Marcus Remer, Steven G Booth, Stuart N Dunn, Chester Lai, Monika Semmrich, Ingrid Teige, Linda Martensson, Christine A Penfold, HT Claude Chan, Jane E Willoughby, C. Ian Mockridge, Lekh N Dahal, Kirstie LS Cleary, Sonya James, Anne Rogel, Paivi Kannisto, Mats Jernetz, Emily L Williams, Eugene Healy, J Sjef Verbeek, Peter WM Johnson, Bjorn Frendeus, Mark S Cragg, Martin J Glennie, Juliet C Gray, Aymen Al-Shamkhani and Stephen A Beers. Antibodies to costimulatory receptor 4-1BB enhance anti-tumor immunity via T regulatory cell depletion and promotion of CD8 T cell effector function. Immunity DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2018.09.014

Information is also available in a press release from University of Southampton.

About Immunity

Immunity is a monthly journal which publishes research articles and reviews of general interest in the entire discipline of immunology. It is published by Cell Press and was established in 1994.

About BioInvent

BioInvent International AB (OMXS: BINV) is focused on the discovery and development of novel and first-in-class immuno-modulatory antibodies to treat cancer. The Company's lead program is BI-1206, currently in Phase l/ll for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and chronic lymphatic leukemia. BioInvent's pre-clinical portfolio is focused on targeting key immune suppressive cells and pathways of the tumor microenvironment, including regulatory T cells, tumor-associated myeloid cells and mechanisms of antibody drug-resistance. The Company has a strategic research collaboration with Pfizer Inc., and partnerships with Transgene, Bayer Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo, and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma. BioInvent generates near term revenues from its fully integrated manufacturing unit producing antibodies for third parties for research through to late-stage clinical trials. More information is available at www.bioinvent.se.

About University of Southampton

The University of Southampton drives original thinking, turns knowledge into action and impact, and creates solutions to the world's challenges. It is among the top 100 institutions globally (QS World University Rankings 2019). Its academics are leaders in their fields, forging links with high-profile international businesses and organisations, and inspiring a 24,000-strong community of exceptional students, from over 135 countries worldwide. Through its high-quality education, the University helps students on a journey of discovery to realise their potential and join its global network of over 200,000 alumni. www.southampton.ac.uk.

About Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK is the world's leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research. Cancer Research UK's pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives. Cancer Research UK receives no funding from the UK government for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on vital donations from the public.Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years. Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK's ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses. Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call +44 300 123 1022 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

For further information, please contact:

Martin Welschof, CEO Hans Herklots, LifeSci Advisors +46 (0)46 286 85 50 +41 79 598 71 49 [email protected] [email protected]

BioInvent International AB (publ)

Co. Reg. No. Org nr: 556537-7263

Visiting address: Solvegatan 41

Mailing address: 223 70 LUND

Phone: +46 (0)46 286 85 50

www.bioinvent.com

The press release contains statements about the future, consisting of subjective assumptions and forecasts for future scenarios. Predictions for the future only apply as the date they are made and are, by their very nature, in the same way as research and development work in the biotech segment, associated with risk and uncertainty. With this in mind, the actual outcome may deviate significantly from the scenarios described in this press release.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/583/2671237/944143.pdf Press release (PDF)

SOURCE BioInventDALLAS, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE: BHR) (the "Company") announced today that it has priced its underwritten public offering of 1,600,000 shares of 8.25% Series D Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the "Series D Preferred Stock") at $25.00 per share. Dividends on the Series D Preferred Stock will accrue at a rate of 8.25% per annum on the liquidation preference of $25.00 per share. Settlement of the offering is expected to occur on or about November 20, 2018. The underwriters have been granted a 30-day option to purchase an additional 240,000 shares as part of this offering.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering to finance the acquisition of the 170-room Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe in Truckee, California (the "Ritz-Carlton Acquisition"). In the event the Ritz-Carlton Acquisition does not close, the Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, which may include but are not limited to: repayment of debt or other maturing obligations, financing future hotel related investments, capital expenditures and working capital.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, UBS Securities LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. acted as joint book-running managers for the offering. B. Riley FBR, Inc., Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, D.A. Davidson & Co., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acted as co-managers for the offering.

The Series D Preferred Stock will be issued and sold pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement (including a prospectus) on Form S-3 previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a prospectus supplement. Copies of the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus for the offering may be obtained on the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov, or by contacting: Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, Second Floor, New York, New York 10014, toll-free at 1-866-718-1640 or email: [email protected]; UBS Securities LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10019, toll-free at 1-888-827-7275; or Citigroup Global Markets Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, toll-free at 1-800-831-9146 or email: [email protected].

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Series D Preferred Stock, nor shall there be any offer or sale of the Series D Preferred Stock in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Series D Preferred Stock may be offered only by means of the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus.

Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on investing in luxury hotels and resorts.

Certain statements and assumptions in this press release contain or are based upon "forward-looking" information and are being made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward looking statements in this press release include, among others, statements about the use of proceeds from the offering. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. When we use the words "will likely result," "may," "anticipate," "estimate," "should," "expect," "believe," "intend," or similar expressions, we intend to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to numerous assumptions and uncertainties, many of which are outside the Company's control.

These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, without limitation: timing of closing of the Ritz-Carlton Acquisition and satisfaction of conditions to closing, general volatility of the capital markets and the market price of our common stock; changes in our business or investment strategy; availability, terms and deployment of capital; availability of qualified personnel; changes in our industry and the market in which we operate, interest rates or the general economy; and the degree and nature of our competition. These and other risk factors are more fully discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The forward-looking statements included in this press release are only made as of the date of this press release. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances, changes in expectations or otherwise.

SOURCE Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc.Photo: Contributed

$10-a-day daycare has come to the Okanagan.

Families at Okanagan College's Little Scholars are now paying no more than $200 a month per child as part of the B.C. government's universal child care prototype project.

"Little Scholars is a welcoming, inclusive centre, which provides dedicated services for young parents, Indigenous families and children with extra support needs," said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. "This focus on inclusivity means that no one is left behind, and every child at the centre is able to learn and thrive under the care of these dedicated staff."

The Little Scholars program is just one of more than 50 sites chosen to offer low-cost child care to B.C. parents. The program is run by the YMCA of Okanagan, with children encouraged to learn and discover through play.

"We are committed to introducing affordable, accessible and quality child care for B.C. parents," said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development. "This project is a step toward fulfilling our goal to bring universal childcare to B.C., and we're excited to be working with organizations like the YMCA to make life better for families."

The project is funded through a $60-million investment as part of the Early Learning and Child Care Agreement with the Government of Canada. It complements the Province's $1-billion three-year investment through Childcare BC to move toward its long-term vision of affordable, accessible and quality childcare for any family that needs it.

Childcare BC Universal Prototype Sites will model what high-quality, affordable, universal child care may look like for B.C. families. The funding will allow Okanagan College's Little Scholars program to offer 51 low-cost licensed child care spaces to parents in Kelowna. In all, parents of around 2,500 children will benefit from the prototype project.

Parents who are not accessing these low-cost spaces may still be eligible for support through the Affordable Child Care Benefit, which provides up to $1,250 per child a month for families with an annual income of $111,000 or less. Families using licensed child care may also see savings through the Child Care Fee Reduction, which has so far helped to reduce the cost of almost 52,000 child care spaces around the province.NEW YORK, Nov. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The CFA Institute Research Foundation, a research arm of CFA Institute which sponsors independent, in-depth research on issues important to global investment professionals, announces today the publication of The Future of Investment Management . The book provides insights from Dr. Ronald N. Kahn, managing director and global head of systematic equity research at BlackRock, into how the investment management landscape is changing.

The new book explores key ideas and trends that have influenced the industry over the centuries, from its earliest recorded history in 1700s Netherlands to the present day and looks ahead to how the industry might progress in the next 5-10 years. Against the present-day backdrop of rapid change, Dr. Kahn analyzes how our understanding of risk and expected returns has evolved, and how seven recent trends will shape the future of investment management. These trends include the shift in assets from active to passive investing, the increase in competition among active managers, a changing market environment, the emergence of big data, the development of smart beta, increased interest in investing for non-return objectives, and fee compression.

At the heart of Dr. Kahn's research is an optimistic message: although the profession is in a state of flux, this disruption can present great opportunities, particularly for those just entering the profession. Technological advances and the shifting boundaries between active and passive investing will make way for new products and sources of information which can help managers outperform, and help clients to achieve their objectives.

According to Stephen Boyd, Samsung Professor of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, and head of BlackRock's Artificial Intelligence Lab: The Future of Investment Management "takes the long and wide view of the field, weaving prehistory, recent trends, and the future into one coherent story, with themes of diversification and risk, information, and technology."

Bud Haslett, CFA, executive director of the CFA Institute Research Foundation, says: "I found this to be a captivating read and am proud that it is published by the Research Foundation. It has global relevance and is useful for everyone, from an investment industry newbie all the way up to an old-timer like me."

Dr. Kahn is a managing director and global head of systematic equity research at BlackRock. An expert on portfolio management, risk modeling, and quantitative investing, Dr. Kahn has published numerous articles on investment management and serves on the editorial advisory boards of the Financial Analysts Journal, the Journal of Portfolio Management, and the Journal of Investment Consulting. Kahn also teaches "International Equity and Currency Markets" in the Master of Financial Engineering Program and the University of California, Berkeley, and is the recipient of the 2013 James R. Vertin award from the CFA Institute Research Foundation, which recognizes individuals who have produced a body of research notable for its relevance and enduring value to investment professionals.

Available in paperback from the CFA Institute Bookstore or on Amazon. Also available as an e-book from CFA Institute using the following link: https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/research/foundation/2018/future-of-investment-management

CFA Institute

CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organization is a champion of ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. Our aim is to create an environment where investors' interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. There are more than 162,000 CFA charterholders worldwide in 163 countries and regions. CFA Institute has eight offices worldwide, and there are 151 local member societies. For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org or follow us on Twitter at @CFAinstitute and on Facebook.com/CFAInstitute.

CFA Institute Research Foundation

The CFA Institute Research Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established to promote the development and dissemination of relevant research for investment practitioners worldwide. The foundation's mission is to fund, publish, and distribute comprehensive, high-quality, independent research relevant to the global investment community. For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org/research/foundation or follow us on Twitter at @CFAResearchFndn and on LinkedIn.com/Showcase/Research-Foundation.

Media Contact

Nicole Haroutunian

Director, Corporate Communications EMEA

+44-0-20-7330-9551

[email protected]

SOURCE CFA Institute Research Foundation

Related Links

https://www.cfabookstore.com

LAKE FOREST, Calif., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The formation of a new sales and distribution company in the United States for the Chinese auto brand Zotye Automobile was announced today by Duke Hale, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HAAH Automotive Holdings and Wangsheng Zhu, Chairman of Zotye Automobile International Co. The new company will be known as Zotye USA and headquartered in Lake Forest, California.

Zotye Automobile International Co. designs, engineers, manufactures and sells the Zotye brand vehicles in China and globally.

The company's first U.S. product with be an SUV but the specific model has not been announced. Engineering development and homologation work on the model is underway and is proceeding smoothly. Sales to retail customers in the U.S. are expected to begin in 2020, according to Zotye USA.

"I am beyond thrilled to make this announcement, the result of more than four years of discussions and negotiations with the Zotye in China. With the agreement, we have begun setting up a franchised dealer network to handle sales and service in America. We've had discussions with several major dealers already and will have more to say about that in the months to come," said Hale.

"HAAH has rich experience in automobile sales and a series of unique and feasible innovative sales concepts, which will successfully propel Zotye Automobile in the American market. This cooperation extends the solid foundation for Zotye Automobile in the international market," said Zhu.

The Zotye USA sales team is led by industry veteran Senior Vice President of Sales Bob Pradzinski. Other members of the senior executive team will be announced in the future.

"HAAH Automotive Holdings is a disruptor and we will be adding innovative features and processes to the customer and franchise dealer system. These new ideas will dramatically improve the current system, bringing in greater simplicity to the purchase process and more transparency for customers while also offering dealers unique advantages. The result will be a system that will function better for everyone," said Pradzinski.

About Zotye USA

Zotye USA will handle all sales, distribution, parts and service for Zotye vehicles in the United States. The vehicles will initially be imported from China where they are currently designed, engineered and produced by one of China's leading automakers, Zotye Automobile International Co.

About Zotye Automobile International Co.

Zotye was formed in 1998 and today is a holding company for about 30 different firms with more than 30,000 employees. It has major manufacturing and operations facilities in nine Chinese cities and research and design operations in four countries.

About HAAH Automotive Holdings

HAAH Automotive Holdings was formed by a group of leading auto industry executives and experts to create a new experience both for customers and its dealer partners. Designed to meet the needs of 21st century car buyers, the company is creating new methods, processes and procedures to increase transparency, clarify pricing, and simplify purchase and vehicle service for the customer. The company is based in Lake Forest, Calif.

SOURCE HAAH Automotive HoldingsWESTMINSTER, Colo., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Coalfire, a provider of cybersecurity advisory and assessment services, announced today that the company has been named to Consulting magazine's "Fastest Growing Firms" list for 2018. Coalfire has been recognized for its 106% growth rate between 2015 and 2017.

"It's an honor for Coalfire to be recognized in the Fastest Growing Firms list," said Coalfire CEO Tom McAndrew. "We attribute our quick growth to the overall trend in the market toward cloud solutions and Coalfire's recognized expertise in cloud security, along with our proven track record in helping clients develop scalable programs that help improve their cybersecurity postures."

Coalfire is dedicated to offering comprehensive, end-to-end compliance services for their customers so that organizations can efficiently go to market, having satisfied all their security compliance requirements. Coalfire's customers are in a variety of industries with rigorous compliance standards including cloud/technology, healthcare, finance and government. New compliance regulations have caused organizations to look for a partner like Coalfire, which has knowledge across frameworks and technology-enabled processes. The company also provides a full range of cybersecurity advisory, assessment and technical testing services.

The company was honored by Consulting magazine at an award dinner on October 26, 2018, at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Seattle, Washington.

About Coalfire

Coalfire is the trusted cybersecurity advisor that helps private and public-sector organizations avert threats, close gaps and effectively manage risk. By providing independent and tailored advice, assessments, technical testing and cyber engineering services, we help clients develop scalable programs that improve their security posture, achieve their business objectives and fuel their continued success. Coalfire has been a cybersecurity thought leader for more than 17 years and has offices throughout the United States and Europe.

For more information, visit Coalfire.com.

Press Contact:

Mike Gallo

For Coalfire

212-239-8594

[email protected]

SOURCE Coalfire

Related Links

http://Coalfire.com

WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Agriculture has the power to feed the growing population, creating stronger economies and communities around the world. At the heart of agriculture's success is the development of novel tools that farmers can use to produce higher yield potential in a more sustainable way. Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, received a three prestigious Agrow Awards at the annual awards ceremony in London on November 12. Agrow is a leading provider of news, analysis and data to the global agriculture industry.





"The innovations recognized at this year's Agrow Awards showcase Corteva Agriscience at its best  collaborating to find novel, effective and integrated solutions that solve problems for our customers and their customers," said Neal Gutterson, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Corteva Agriscience. "Importantly, many of these approaches also allow us to minimize our environmental footprint, which is a priority for us at Corteva Agriscience. We're honored to be recognized with these prestigious awards."

Corteva Agriscience took home wins in the following categories:

Best New Crop Protection Product or Trait:

Rinskor active is a new broad-spectrum herbicide with global utility in rice, controlling the most important grass, sedge, and broadleaf weeds that rob rice farmers of yield. Rinskor's differentiated mode of action controls resistant weeds at a fraction of the rate of other commonly-used herbicides. Based on toxicological, environmental, ecological and biological characteristics, the USEPA granted Rinskor a Reduced Risk Pesticide Designation with an expedited registration review. Rinskor was first launched in Chile in 2017 under the Loyant herbicide brand with subsequent launches occurring in the U.S., China, and South Korea in early 2018. The herbicide also was a 2018 winner of the United States' Green Chemistry Challenge Award.

Best Packaging Innovation:

The Lumigen Keg seed treatment package exemplifies how we actively identify opportunities for innovation beyond standard packaging systems for improved customer experience. The combined teams in Corteva Agriscience listened to customer needs and collaborated to develop an innovative solution that helps provide convenience, safety, and efficiency for the customer and the supply chain.

Best Industry Collaboration:

A new, open toxicogenomics platform holds the potential to revolutionize sustainable product innovation. Toxicogenomics is transforming the process of simply characterizing hazards to designing products with more favorable human health profiles. Individual companies develop these platforms behind their firewalls for competitive advantage, resulting in divergent approaches not embraced by the wider scientific and regulatory communities. A collaboration with the pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly, and the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute yielded a new public toxicogenomics platform.

Corteva Agriscience also received a Highly Commended honor in the Best Stewardship Initiative category for a collaboration between their Brazil and Paraguay teams with farmers. The collaboration efforts ensure farmers in the region have training on how to use agricultural products correctly and effectively, and to date has reached 4,000 farmers with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) training.

Corteva Agriscience was also recognized as finalists at the 2018 Agrow Awards in the following categories: Best R&D Pipeline, Best Outreach Program for their Plant Sciences Symposia Series in the Best Outreach Program category, Best Marketing Campaign for Instinct and N-Serve nitrogen stabilizers, and Best New Trait for their IPD072Aa which delivers a novel biotechnology trait to corn rootworm control.

The Agrow Awards were developed to recognize excellence in the crop protection and production industries. Entries are evaluated using a wide range of criteria by an independent judging panel consisting of a group of experts from around the world.

About Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont

Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), is intended to become an independent, publicly traded company when the previously announced spinoff is complete by June 2019. The division combines the strengths of DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences. Corteva Agriscience provides growers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry  including some of the most recognized brands in agriculture: Pioneer, Encirca, the newly launched Brevant Seeds, as well as award-winning Crop Protection products  while bringing new products to market through our solid pipeline of active chemistry and technologies. More information can be found at www.corteva.com.

Follow Corteva Agriscience on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

, , SM Trademarks and service marks of DuPont, Pioneer or their respective owners.

SOURCE DowDuPont

Related Links

http://www.dow-dupont.com

PLANO, Texas, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --CRITICALSTART, a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions, today announced that it has been selected by the Texas A&M Mays Business School's McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship for the 14th Annual Aggie 100 list. The honorees were announced on Friday, November 9th during a private, invitation-only awards ceremony at the Hall of Champions at Texas A&M University. Rob Davis '90, CEO, and Tera Davis '94, Managing Director, are both graduates of Texas A&M University and attended the ceremony to accept the award for CRITICALSTART.

The Aggie 100 program identifies, recognizes, and celebrates the 100 fastest-growing Aggie owned or operated businesses throughout the world. To be considered for the Aggie 100, companies (corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships) must meet specific criteria and operate in a manner consistent with the values and image of Texas A&M University.

"As an alum, being honored on the Aggie 100 list is especially rewarding and reflects a year of strong growth and achievement at CRITICALSTART, and I would like to thank our customers for their support and our employees for their commitment and effort," said Rob Davis. "The knowledge, skills and experience we acquired at Texas A&M laid the foundation for the success of CRITICALSTART since its inception in 2012. Tera and I are honored to be a part of the Aggie 100."

"The amazing companies on the Aggie 100 list demonstrate the strong technology, engineering and entrepreneurial programs and culture that Texas A&M fosters," added Tera Davis. "In fact, we regularly recruit and hire Texas A&M graduates based on their ability to immediately make an impact in helping to continue growing CRITICALSTART's business."

CRITICALSTART offers a powerful combination of professional services, strategic product fulfillment, and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services, making it well positioned to protect important data and customer brands. The company increased year-over-year (YoY) revenue 87 percent in the first seven months of 2018, and its MDR business has grown 300 percent YTD in 2018 when compared to all of 2017.

A complete Aggie 100 list can be viewed at www.aggie100.com.

About CRITICALSTART

CRITICALSTART is the fastest-growing cybersecurity integrator in North America. Our mission is simple: protect our customers' brands and reduce their business risk. We do this for organizations of all sizes through our award-winning portfolio of end-to-end security services  from security-readiness assessments using our proven framework, the Defendable Network, to the delivery of managed security services, professional services, and product fulfillment. CRITICALSTART has achieved the Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type II compliance certification and was recently named a CRNO 2018 Triple Crown Winner. Visit www.criticalstart.com for more information.

About the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship

The Texas A&M McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship provides support, education, experiential learning opportunities to entrepreneurially-minded students, faculty and Texas businesses. Founded in 1999, The McFerrin Center is part of Mays Business School's Department of Management. The McFerrin Center enhances student education through campus speakers, competitions, a student business incubator, work experiences and financial support. Texas A&M faculty and students benefit from the center's educational programs, extensive business community network and entrepreneurial support services.

SOURCE CRITICALSTART

Related Links

http://www.criticalstart.com/

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR) will host a live video webcast of its Investor and Analyst Meeting in New York City on December 13, 2018 beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET. A link to the webcast and accompanying slide presentation will be available on the "Investors" section of Danaher's website, www.danaher.com, under the subheading "Events & Presentations." A replay of the video webcast will be available following the presentation.

ABOUT DANAHER

Danaher is a global science and technology innovator committed to helping its customers solve complex challenges and improving quality of life around the world. Its family of world class brands has leadership positions in some of the most demanding and attractive industries, including health care, environmental and industrial. With more than 20 operating companies, Danaher's globally diverse team of approximately 67,000 associates is united by a common culture and operating system, the Danaher Business System. For more information, please visit www.danaher.com.

SOURCE Danaher Corporation

Related Links

http://www.danaher.com

"The compassion and care that Ronald McDonald House Charities provides its residents is second to none, and we are honored to give residing families a little added comfort this holiday season," said Dana Seguin, Chief Marketing Officer of RG Barry Brands. "Our customers are eager to shop for a cause and we are excited for them to lead this campaign to a successful outcome."

In honor of World Kindness Day today, Facebook users who share Dearfoams' "you buy one, we give one" campaign post through midnight tonight will have a pair of slippers donated in their name to RMHC of Central Ohio. Shoppers are encouraged to show-off their new slippers on social media with #DearfoamsGives. To see our donation dashboard and for more info on this campaign, visit Dearfoams.com/Gives.

"We could not be more appreciative of or excited by this partnership," said Dee Anders, CEO of RMHC of Central Ohio. "We have residents from all across the country and the world, staying from just a few nights to more than a year. Every little bit of comfort and support makes a difference."

About Dearfoams

Dearfoams, a brand of RG Barry Brands, was established in 1947 by visionary female entrepreneur Florence Melton who invented the world's first foam-soled, washable slipper. Dearfoams and its sister brands, baggallini handbags, totes and travel accessories, and Foot Petals premium insoles and comfort products, are headquartered in Pickerington, Ohio.

About RMHC of Central Ohio

Originally housed in an old apartment building near downtown Columbus, RMHC of Central Ohio has quadrupled in size since it first opened its doors in 1982. Every night, hundreds of people stay at RMHC while their young family members are cared for nearby at Nationwide Children's Hospital. RMHC provides comfortable accommodations, meals, and a sense of community for families in the midst of challenging times. Learn more.

SOURCE DearfoamsBOSTON, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcohol e-commerce leader Drizly today revealed findings from a first-ever user study that supports strong and lasting business building impact of its online marketplace on independent adult beverage retailers. Fifty percent of respondents who had transacted on the Drizly platform said that they had purchased from an order-fulfilling retailer for the first time. Moreover, 64 percent of those first-time customers said that they had subsequently shopped, or would strongly consider shopping, at the retailer's physical location after their initial purchase through Drizly, whose network encompasses nearly 1,000 retail locations across the US and Canada.

"Our business has grown by 30 percent in the past year since joining Drizly, and that growth has come not just from orders we receive through its platform, but also through our in-store business, expanding our reach from a few blocks to a five mile radius," said Kunal Desai Owner and President of Urban Pantry in Chicago. "Beyond our monetary growth and geographic expansion, Drizly's data has revealed insights into who our shoppers are and what they prefer, as well as the trends for what adult beverage shoppers are buying in our area. That intelligence has helped us make better decisions about what to stock, and how best to price it."

Summarizing the data and survey findings*:

50% : consumers reported shopping at a retailer for the first time through the Drizly platform

64% : first-time shoppers of a retailer through Drizly said they would consider shopping at the same retailer's physical location

98% : shoppers who said they would purchase again on Drizly from a retailer that they had already shopped on the platform

75% : shoppers that have repeat-purchased through Drizly have done so from the same retailer

"From day one, Drizly has provided retailers the ability to offer digital sales and delivery, helping to grow their businesses," said Justin Robinson, Drizly SVP of New Business & Co-founder. "What we've learned most recently is that Drizly also helps build instore business, bringing previous online consumers instore for the first time. We're proud of the meaningful impact our platform has for retailers and are committed to helping liquor store owners grow their businesses online and instore."

Adult beverage retailers can join Drizly's growing network of successful partners to benefit from an easy e-commerce platform and proprietary ID verification technology, as well as Drizly's expert data and insights. To learn more retailers can visit retailer.drizly.com .

Consumers of legal drinking age, can visit Drizly.com or download the Drizly app ( App Store and Google Play ), to access a wide selection of beer, wine and spirits from local retailers, with complete price transparency, and then purchase and schedule in-store pickup or delivery in under 60 minutes. Depending on the market, those inventories include a range of popular soft drinks, juices, ice and other mixers, so as to meet the consumer's beverage needs. Orders made using Drizly are delivered by local partnering retailers from their licensed premises. Drizly provides each retailer with a proprietary ID verification technology that allows delivery personnel to scan and verify IDs.

*Survey of 4,000 Drizly users conducted in October 2018.

About Drizly

Drizly is the world's largest alcohol marketplace and the best way to shop beer, wine, and spirits. With the speed and convenience of on-demand delivery, in-store pickup, or intrastate shipping, customers can easily browse and order their favorites through the Drizly website or mobile app. By partnering with the best retail stores in over 100 cities in North America, Drizly provides consumers a rich e-commerce experience that offers unrivaled selection, competitive pricing, and personalized content to users of legal drinking age. Drizly operates across the United States and Canada, from Austin to Boston, Calgary to Tampa, New York City to Denver (and beyond). Backed by world-class institutional investors, the company has raised $35 million to date.

SOURCE DrizlyThat's why, increasingly, travel managers are embracing Duty of Care solutions  the moral and legal responsibility to keep employees safe when on the road for business. "4 Things You Should be Doing to Keep Your Travelers Safe," which appears on ViewFrom36k, looks at the implications of Duty of Care and how to protect business travelers.

Assisting Travelers is Priority #1

Duty of Care strategies should answer business travelers' most pressing question in the event of an emergency: 'Who can I call for help?'

In a 2017 study by the GBTA Foundation, the research and education arm of the Global Business Travel Association, about three in 10 travel managers surveyed said they didn't know how long it would take to locate employees caught in a crisis, while 50 percent said they could do it in two hours or less. Meanwhile, another GBTA survey showed 54 percent of employees on international business trips have no contact number to use in case of an emergency.

"It's critical that travelers get global 24/7 assistance when they need it," says Gabe Rizzi, president of Travel Leaders Corporate, a division of Travel Leaders Group, the organization behind ViewFrom36k. "Whether it's a last-minute change to an itinerary, a medical emergency or a lost passport, business travelers should always know who to call." Rizzi adds that companies should offer travel services and related technology that provides help such as threat monitoring, emergency medical transportation, on-the-road travel re-booking, and up-to-the-minute reporting on employees' whereabouts to travel managers.

According to the GBTA survey, 65 percent of organizations employ the services of third-party safety and security companies to help their business travelers. Among them, four out of five travel managers said they can track travelers anywhere and at any time.

A Good Travel Policy is Good Protection

Rizzi also advises companies to explore the connection between a good travel policy and traveler safety. "Start by evaluating how and where your employees travel. Do they travel at home or abroad? Are they going to high-risk areas?" says Rizzi.

Then, he advises, companies should put in place policies that suit the needs of their travelers, while also factoring in risk management. For example, companies should consider their policy on executives traveling together on the same plane.

Reducing Risk is Good Prevention

ViewFrom36k also discusses how to mitigate risk and empower employees with pre-travel training. This includes providing travelers with destination briefs, educating them about safe travel practices, making sure they know how to access and use the 24/7 assistance technology provided to them, and keeping them updated with the latest information about security and health risks.

Read more advice on how to keep business travelers safe with Duty of Care practices on ViewFrom36k.

Travel Leaders Corporate is a wholly-owned division of Travel Leaders Group, specializing in business travel fulfillment, strategic meetings management and data analytics.

For more information or to take advantage of Travel Leaders Corporate's personalized service and cutting-edge corporate business travel solutions that provide a complete travel enrichment experience, email [email protected] or call 877-404-4173.

About ViewFrom36k



ViewFrom36k is a thought-leading digital content hub that gives a comprehensive big-picture view of business travel, along with the solutions needed to lower costs, increase traveler satisfaction and drive revenue growth.

About Travel Leaders Group



Travel Leaders Group ( www.TravelLeadersGroup.com ) is transforming travel with a commitment to our vacation and business travel clients through our progressive approach toward each unique travel experience. Having already assisted millions of travelers, Travel Leaders Group manages leisure, business and franchise travel operations under a variety of diversified divisions and brands. With over 7,000 agency locations, Travel Leaders Group ranks as one of the industry's largest travel agency companies. Travelers also have access to The Travel Collection by Travel Leaders Group, a portfolio of select travel offers including discounts on international and domestic flights, value-added benefits at lodging establishments, shipboard credits on cruises and savings on escorted and vacation packages. Membership to The Travel Collection is offered at no additional cost to U.S. American Express Gold Card, Business Gold Rewards Card, Platinum Card and Business Platinum Card Members. For more information visit www.TheTravelCollection.com.

Contact: Jennifer de la Cruz

703.740.4264

[email protected]

SOURCE Travel Leaders Group

Related Links

http://www.travelleaders.com

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The week before Thanksgiving, the celebration of this most American of holidays, means it's time for Beaujolais Nouveau, the fruity red French wine that pairs perfectly with the traditional turkey dinner.

Beginning Nov. 15  per French law, Beaujolais Nouveau is released no earlier than the third Thursday of November  Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau will be available for sale in select Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores for $11.99 for a 750mL bottle.

Across Pennsylvania, select Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores will hold tastings of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau starting on Nov. 15 for those 21 years of age and over.

Beaujolais Nouveau Day has become a worldwide celebration as wine lovers gather to sample the first taste of the year's wine and begin the holiday season. Fresh, soft Beaujolais Nouveau is a perfect complement not only to Thanksgiving dinner but also to other holiday fare.

The wine, made from Gamay grapes in France's Beaujolais region, is fermented for just a few weeks before being released for sale. Grapes are harvested by hand, and a lack of barrel aging allows the young wine to retain much of its light, fruity flavor.

According to Beverage Dynamics magazine, the 2018 harvest officially began on Aug. 27. Franck Duboeuf, son of Georges, saw good ripeness and good sugar content in this year's early harvest and predicted a "very fruity" Beaujolais Nouveau.

"There may be more red fruit this year, with more of a floral bouquet," Duboeuf said, adding he does not expect as much black fruit or spiciness for 2018.

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

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Photo: Twitter

A homeless man who rammed a shopping cart at a knife-wielding attacker who was threatening police is being hailed and rewarded for his actions, but he insists he isn't a hero.

Michael Rogers emerged from a crowd of onlookers during the attack Friday afternoon in downtown Melbourne, Australia, in which one person was fatally stabbed and two others wounded.

Social media users have dubbed Rogers "Trolleyman" and an online fundraiser for him by registered charity Melbourne Homeless Collective had raised more than 100,000 Australian dollars ($72,000) by Monday morning. Shopping carts are called "trolleys" in Australia.

"Our hero is humble as can be and had no idea about this fundraiser," the GoFundMe page reads. "He is amazing. We believe his efforts deserve a reward that can really help him out."

In interviews with Australian media, Rogers, 46, has insisted he's no hero. "I threw the trolley straight at him, and I got him. I didn't quite get him down, though. I'm no hero," he told Channel Seven.

He also told Melbourne's Age newspaper he had been on the wrong side of the law himself. The paper reported he had been "in and out of jail" for some 20 years, including a five-year sentence for aggravated burglary, and that he'd had a long history of drug use.

"I haven't had good experiences with police," Rogers told the paper, adding that his move to help on Friday was a "spur of the moment" decision.

Somali-born Australian Hassain Khalif Shire Ali, 30, stabbed three men on the street in Friday's attack, killing a well-known restaurateur and wounding two other men.

Well-known cafe owner Sisto Malaspina, 74, died a short distance from the popular Pellegrini's Espresso Bar he had run for more than 40 years. In a mark of his community renown, Malaspina will be given a state funeral next week. The other two men are recovering in a hospital from non-life-threatening injuries.

Victoria state Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said Shire Ali had also made an "unsophisticated" plan for his vehicle to explode to cause many more fatalities. He had placed several barbecue gas canisters in his pickup, but they failed to ignite.

Shire Ali was known to federal police and his Australian passport was cancelled in 2015 out of concern that he planned to travel to Syria to fight with the Islamic State group.SAN DIEGO, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cannabiniers, a beverage, technology & brand management company revolutionizing the cannabis industry with first to market, patented, safe, natural and fast acting infusion technology, today announces Michael Lorelli as the company's newest board member. Former President of PepsiCo-East, Lorelli brings his decades-long experience focused on building brands and managing public and private boards, to chairing key committees of the Board. This is the first step in a series of moves that will further build out the company's Board of Directors to enhance leadership and brand strength.

Cannabiniers forecasts marijuana-infused beverages could become a multi-billion dollar market in the U.S. in the next four years. Beverage makers are taking advantage of the opportunity as revenue from cannabis beverages could outpace the general demand for cannabis products twofold, capturing 20% of the market for marijuana edibles by 2022.

"Having led high performing businesses from all angles, including manufacturing, distribution, sales and agreements, I'm excited to roll up my sleeves and help Cannabiniers achieve rapid success in this emerging industry," said Michael Lorelli. "Cannabiniers has already positioned itself as a leader in the fast growing and ever-evolving cannabis industry, I'm thrilled to be supporting this groundbreaking company as it continues to disrupt the trillion dollar CPG industry."

Lorelli has held a variety of corporate director seats in both public and private companies. During his decade with PepsiCo, Inc., Michael served as President of Pizza Hut International, President of PepsiCola's Eastern U.S. bottling operations, and Chief Marketing Officer for PepsiCola North America. He has chaired committees of several Public companies, and currently serves on the boards of several businesses.

"Our business is growing in every way possible, from revenues, people, real estate, and complexity; as such it is a top priority for management to ensure that we develop and grow governance at a pace that matches or exceed the company's growth rate," commented Timothy Walters, President and Chief Operating Officer of Cannabiniers. "We are excited to have Mike join our company, as a former President of Pepsi Co (a Fortune 50 Company), responsible for over a billion dollars in annual revenues Mike brings priceless experience, structure and vision to our organization. We see this as an indicator of where public and corporate opinion is regarding cannabis (THC and CBD), as well as an indicator of how our brands are perceived by CPG Professionals, CPG corporations and the market."

Cannabiniers' vision is to create revolutionary products that are safe, natural, responsible, and lifestyle integrated; through which Cannabiniers' brands will normalize cannabis consumption for both medical and adult use as part of daily life.

For information about Cannabiniers' full suite of brands, please visit: www.cannabiniers.com .

About Cannabiniers

Cannabiniers, located in San Diego, CA, is a beverage, technology & brand management company revolutionizing the cannabis industry with first to market, patented, safe, natural and fast acting infusion technology focusing on products that are healthy for the consumer and that positively impact the environment with products that will continue the mission of normalizing cannabis use.

SOURCE CannabiniersCLEVELAND, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 6, Electrolux introduced a smart refrigerator along with its partner Karma, a startup dedicated to reducing food waste by making unsold restaurant food and groceries available to consumers. This refrigerator will be integrated with Karma's app and will serve as a storage and pickup point for Karma purchases. The refrigerator features a smart lock through which a customer can retrieve items purchased via the Karma app by using a QR code.

Currently only available at the grocery store ICA Kvantum Liljeholmen in Stockholm, Sweden until December 31, 2018, it provides a way for grocery stores to offer unsold food that they would otherwise have to throw away.

Hjalmar Stahlberg Nordegren, CEO and co-founder of Karma, called the refrigerator "the first step in our common effort to rescue more food from landfill and to protect the environment."

Tove Chevalley, Head of Digital Innovation at Electrolux, pointed out, "By combining ours and Karma's unique qualifications, we have been able to create an innovative solution that makes it easier for consumers and food suppliers to save food from ending up in landfill."

According to Freedonia Group analyst and manager of consumer and commercial research Jennifer Mapes-Christ, "Although online grocery shopping is still a niche industry, it is rapidly growing as sales more than tripled between 2013 and 2018 in the US. Grocery stores will be looking for a variety of ways to make online shopping accessible to customers while keeping costs low. Refrigerators such as this one will provide a self-serve avenue for retrieving online food orders beyond current curbside pickup and costly at-home delivery options."

Kyle Peters, Freedonia Group analyst and manager of capital good research, notes, "Electrolux has typically manufactured commercial refrigerators for the foodservice market, but this is a great opportunity for them to gain a foothold in food retail, especially in their home market"

Additional analysis of the commercial refrigeration and food delivery industries can be found in the following reports: Freedonia Group's Global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment and Commercial Refrigeration in the US reports and Packaged Facts' report Online Grocery Shopping in the US, 2nd Edition.

About The Freedonia Group  The Freedonia Group, a division of MarketResearch.com, is a leading international industrial research company publishing more than 100 studies annually. Since 1985 we have provided research to customers ranging in size from global conglomerates to one-person consulting firms. More than 90% of the industrial companies in the Fortune 500 use Freedonia Group research to help with their strategic planning. Each study includes product and market analyses and forecasts, in-depth discussions of important industry trends, and market share information. Studies can be purchased at www.freedoniagroup.com and are also available on www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com.

About Packaged Facts  Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer market topics, including consumer demographics and shopper insights, consumer financial products and services, consumer goods and retailing, and pet products and services. Packaged Facts also offers a full range of custom research services. Reports can be purchased at our company website and are also available through MarketResearch.com.

Press Contact:

Corinne Gangloff

+1 440.684.9600

[email protected]

SOURCE The Freedonia Group

Related Links

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NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Treat your loved ones to having the best skin this holiday season with the limited-edition collection of beauty experts' most-loved products, from the award-winning skin care brand, Eminence Organic Skin Care.

The Eminence Organic Skin Care Beauty Experts' Top Picks ($79) all-in-one travel-sized gift set features their must-haves for a complete beauty ritual that cleanses, treats, hydrates and replenishes, with exceptional results. This collection includes:

Stone Crop Gel Wash (30 ml / 1 fl oz)

Coconut Age Corrective Moisturizer (15 ml / 0.5 fl oz)

Bamboo Age Corrective Masque (15 ml / 0.5 fl oz)

Rosehip Triple C+E Firming Oil (15 ml / 0.5 fl oz)

Missing out on the mistletoe? Reveal supple, hydrated lips with the luxurious Perfect Lip Duo ($39) designed to revitalize and renew dry, chapped lips.

The Citrus Enzyme Lip Exfoliator is packed with antioxidant-rich ingredients, that naturally remove dead skin to leave lips smooth and plump.

Lock in the moisture after exfoliating with the luxurious Citrus Lip Balm for long-lasting softness through the new year, thanks to the blend of nourishing peptides and vitamins.

Each gift set is available at professional spas nationwide while supplies last. For more information on the new, limited edition Holiday Gift Sets and on Eminence Organic Skin Care, please visit www.eminenceorganics.com.

About Eminence Organic Skin Care

An award-winning provider of the most effective, professional skin care products in the natural and organic skin care industry, Eminence Organic Skin Care is sold in leading salons and spas in more than 50 countries around the world. Eminence Organics melds herbal craftsmanship and innovation, skin rejuvenation techniques unique to Hungary and hand-picked fresh ingredients to craft premium natural, organic and Biodynamic skin care that is good for the earth as well as good for the skin. Eminence Organics - a Certified B Corporation - displays its commitment to the environment by harnessing wind and solar power energy to produce products in the laboratory, using recyclable packaging printed with vegetable-based inks and committing to planting a tree for every product sold. Visit www.eminenceorganics.com and https://bcorporation.net/directory/eminence-organic-skin-care-inc for more information. Instagram: @EminenceOrganics; Twitter: @EminenceOrganic; Facebook: @EminenceOrganicSkinCare

SOURCE Eminence Organic Skin Care

Related Links

http://www.eminenceorganics.com

DUBLIN, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Amyloidosis Treatment Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Treatment (Stem Cell Transplant, Chemotherapy, Supportive Care, Surgery, Targeted Therapy), By Country, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global amyloidosis treatment market size is expected to reach USD 6.7 billion by 2025, registering a 7.2% CAGR during the forecast period.

Several factors such as increased adoption of novel targeted therapies and transplantations, emergence of biologics, and rising geriatric population are driving the market.

Amyloidosis is a group of rare diseases where misfolded aggregates of proteins (amyloids) buildup in tissues and organs. AL amyloidosis is the most common type of amyloidosis in U.S., with approximately 3,000 to 4,000 new cases diagnosed annually. Although in majority of cases, the disease is diagnosed in people over the age of 60, there are a few cases of people being diagnosed in their late 20s and about two-thirds of the patients are male.

Among treatments, chemotherapy held the largest share in 2017, followed by targeted therapy, and supportive care. However, targeted therapies are expected to dominate the market in 2025, supported by a strong pipeline and potential approval of drugs such as Alnylam's Onpattro, Ionis' Tegsedi, Johnson & Johnson's Darzalex, and Takeda's Ninlaro.

Stem cell transplants and targeted therapies are gaining traction in developed countries. However, amyloidosis cohorts in endemic regions do not have access to sufficient healthcare infrastructure to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment in underdeveloped countries. Chemotherapy and supportive care are anticipated to lose market share over the forecast period due to adverse side effects and lower efficacy.

Further key findings from the report suggest:

An estimated 16,000 people in U.S. suffer from amyloidosis, with approximately 3,000 to 4,000 new cases being reported annually

U.S. dominated the global amyloidosis treatment market, with a share of more than 27.0% in 2017 due to potential launch of pipeline drugs, increased adoption of novel therapeutics, and high cost of treatment in the country

Chemotherapy dominated the amyloidosis treatment market, with a share of about 35.0% in 2017. Targeted therapies are projected to witness double-digit growth during the forecast period due to multiple product approvals

Emerging markets for amyloidosis such as China , Sweden , Portugal , Turkey , South Africa , Brazil , Mexico , Saudi Arabia , and India are expected to show attractive growth over the forecast period due to improved healthcare infrastructure, favorable government policies, increased investment, and large amyloidosis cohort

, , , , , , , , and are expected to show attractive growth over the forecast period due to improved healthcare infrastructure, favorable government policies, increased investment, and large amyloidosis cohort Alnylam, Ionis, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Takeda are some of the key players operating in this market

Currently, 19 products are under evaluation for amyloidosis treatment in various stages of clinical development. Promising pipeline candidates such as Onpattro, Vyndaqel, Tegsedi, Darzalex, and Ninlaro are expected to generate significant revenue upon launch.

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Report Scope

1.1 Treatment Scope

1.2 Country Scope

1.3 Estimates and Forecast Timeline



Chapter 2 Methodology

2.1 Research Methodology

2.1.1 Information procurement

2.2 Information or Data Analysis

2.3 Market Formulation & Validation

2.4 List of Sources

2.5 List of Abbreviations



Chapter 3 Objectives

3.1 Objective - 1: Understanding the market dynamics

3.2 Objective - 2: Understanding the trends & variables in the individual countries

3.3 Objective - 3: Understanding the attributes such as strategy framework

3.4 Objective - 4: Understanding the key service and application scopes



Chapter 4 Executive Summary



Chapter 5 Disease Primer and Epidemiology

5.1 Disease Primer

5.1.1 Types

5.1.1.1 AL Amyloidosis

5.1.1.2 AA Amyloidosis

5.1.1.3 Transthyretin Amyloidosis (ATTR)

5.1.2 Diagnosis

5.2 Epidemiology

5.2.1 Current Prevalence and Incidence for Seven Major Markets (U.S., Japan, EU5)

5.2.2 Forecast Prevalence and Incidence for Seven Major Markets (U.S., Japan, EU5)

5.2.2.1 U.S.

5.2.2.2 Japan

5.2.2.3 U.K.

5.2.2.4 Germany

5.2.2.5 France

5.2.2.6 Spain

5.2.2.7 Italy



Chapter 6 Global Amyloidosis Market Overview

6.1 Market, by Treatment

6.1.1 Chemotherapy

6.1.2 Supportive Care

6.1.3 Surgery

6.1.4 Stem Cell Transplant (SCT)

6.1.5 Targeted Therapy

6.2 Market, by Country

6.2.1 U.S.

6.2.2 Japan

6.2.3 U.K.

6.2.4 Germany

6.2.5 France

6.2.6 Spain

6.2.7 Italy

6.2.8 RoW

6.3 Market Size & Forecast

6.3.1 Sales Performance

6.3.1.1 Sales Performance, by Treatment (2017 - 2025)

6.3.1.2 Sales Performance, by Country (2017 - 2025)

6.4 Amyloidosis Market: Drivers and Restraints

6.5 M&A, Deal Landscape (2014-2018 YTD)

6.6 SWOT



Chapter 7 Global Amyloidosis Market: Pipeline Intelligence

7.1 Pipeline Landscape

7.1.1 Leading Drugs in Development

7.1.2 Key R&D Trends

7.2 Promising Drug Candidates in Pipeline

7.2.1 Late Stage Pipeline Analysis

7.2.2 Profile of Disruptive Drugs

7.2.2.1 Vyndaqel (tafamidis)

7.2.2.2 Onpattro (patisiran)

7.2.2.3 Tegsedi (inotersen)

7.2.2.4 Darzalex (daratumumab)

7.2.2.6 Ninlaro (ixazomib)

7.2.2.7 GSK2398852 (dezamizumab)

7.2.2.8 Pomalyst (pomalidomide)

7.2.2.9 ALN-TTRsc02

7.2.2.10 CAEL101

7.3 Global Pipeline Forecast



Chapter 8 Company Profiles

8.1 Pfizer

8.2 Ionis Pharmaceuticals

8.3 Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

8.4 Johnson & Johnson

8.5 Takeda



Chapter 9 Market Outlook

9.1 Winners and Losers

9.2 Emerging Companies

9.2.1 Eidos Therapeutics

9.2.2 Corino Therapeutics

9.2.3 GlaxoSmithKline

9.2.4 Prothena

9.2.5 Caelum Biosciences

9.3 What the Future Holds



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/v3j87c/global_6_7?w=5





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DUBLIN, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Collimating Lens Market by Light Source (LED and Laser), Material (Glass and Plastic), End Use (Automobile, Medical, LiDAR, Light and Display Measurement, and spectrometer), Wavelength, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The overall collimating lens market is expected to grow from USD 289 million in 2018 to USD 380 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 5.7%

Advantages of collimating lenses in various applications and benefits of using aspheric lenses over traditional spherical lenses in optics systems are the key factors driving the growth of the collimating lens market.

LED to dominate collimating lens market, based on light source, during forecast period

Solid-state lighting fixtures/devices equipped with LEDs lamps are the most efficient source of white light of high-quality. A collimator is an optical component that collects rays from the LED source and deflects these rays to make them parallel. A typical collimator may be constructed with a parabolic mirror or lens, and the LED source is positioned at its focal point. The LED source used in collimators comprises an array of LEDs. Further, an array of collimating lenses is applied to collimate the LED array output. The simulation results show that the optical component system design has a compact structure, high optical efficiency, and good uniformity. This results in less energy consumption by the proposed LED lighting system than the conventional fluorescent lamp light source. This boosts the adoption of LEDs in light and display measurement, spectrometer, and automobile applications.



In material type, market for glass is expected to grow at fastest rate during forecast period



The glass segment holds a major share of the collimating lens market. Glass materials have high refractive index ranges with greater density than plastic materials. Glass collimating lenses operate over a much broader temperature and humidity range without performance degradation due to which these lenses are often used in applications such medical, spectrometer, and light and display measurement.



Automobile to account for largest market size during forecast period



Automobile manufacturers constantly strive to make their products unique by differentiating their vehicles from those offered by their competitors. Many manufacturers are currently focused on providing headlights with different designs. Advancements in lighting technologies, such as LED, need for unique designs, and available light colors are the major factors allowing the manufacturers to create lighting assemblies with new looks. The automobile segment holds a major share of the collimating lens market in 2017.



There is an increasing demand for collimating lenses in the automobile segment owing to the rising adoption of LED headlamps in different types of vehicles. The market for LED headlamps is expanding from high-end to mid-range vehicles. Saving on energy costs was initially the primary driver for the adoption of LED headlamps; however, better light quality, longer lifespan's, and improved controllability have accelerated the growth of the LED headlamp market for the automobile segment. Hence, increasing penetration of LED headlamps for automobile provides growth opportunities for the collimating lens market.



Collimating lens market in APAC is expected to grow at highest CAGR



APAC is expected to be the fastest-growing market for collimating lenses. APAC is likely to provide ample opportunities to the providers of collimating lenses during the forecast period as all major OEMs have established their manufacturing units in this region. The rise in the production of automobiles is driving the collimating lens market growth in APAC. The growing preference for the vehicles equipped with LED headlamps boosts the sales and production of collimating lenses in this region.



LightPath Technologies, Inc. (US), Ocean Optics, Inc. (US), INGENERIC GmbH (Germany), TRIOPTICS GmbH (Germany), Avantes BV (Netherlands), Auer Lighting GmbH (Germany), IPG Photonics Corporation (US), Optikos Corporation (US), Optoelectronics Co. Ltd(UK), and Thorlabs, Inc. (US) are among a few major players in the collimating lens market. These players are increasingly undertaking mergers and acquisitions, and product launches to develop and introduce new technologies and products in the market.



Recent Developments

In January 2018 , INGENERIC ( Germany ) launched a new collimation module called C-SMDB for single-mode diode bars. This helps exploit improved brightness and open up new fields of applications for laser manufacturers. The new arrays achieve high degrees of collimation as they are produced with the precision glass molding process. It is effectively double-sided as the entry side collimates the slow axis, and the exit side collimates the fast axis of the emitted light.

, INGENERIC ( ) launched a new collimation module called C-SMDB for single-mode diode bars. This helps exploit improved brightness and open up new fields of applications for laser manufacturers. The new arrays achieve high degrees of collimation as they are produced with the precision glass molding process. It is effectively double-sided as the entry side collimates the slow axis, and the exit side collimates the fast axis of the emitted light. In April 2017 , LightPath Technologies (US) signed a substantial contract from Renishaw Plc (UK). Engineers from LightPath and Renishaw collaborated to achieve the optimal balance of performance and cost for this unique application. LightPath's advanced precision glass molding expertise, along with proprietary coating design and technologies, enable a repeatable process that is scalable to high-volume production.

, LightPath Technologies (US) signed a substantial contract from Renishaw Plc (UK). Engineers from LightPath and Renishaw collaborated to achieve the optimal balance of performance and cost for this unique application. LightPath's advanced precision glass molding expertise, along with proprietary coating design and technologies, enable a repeatable process that is scalable to high-volume production. In March 2016 , TRIOPTICS ( Germany ) developed TriAngle autocollimators with USB 3.0. These autocollimators are user-friendly and are known for their accuracy levels. Their modular design makes them compatible with a wide selection of objective tubes, different sensors, reticles, and light sources. The objective tubes of different focal lengths and apertures help find the optimum measurement solution regarding angle resolution and measurement range with ease.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction

1.1 Study Objectives

1.2 Definition

1.3 Study Scope

1.4 Currency

1.5 Stakeholders



2 Research Methodology

2.1 Research Data

2.2 Market Size Estimation

2.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation

2.4 Research Assumptions



3 Executive Summary



4 Premium Insights

4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the Collimating Lens Market (2018-2023)

4.2 Collimating Lens Market, By End Use

4.3 Collimating Lens Market, By Light Source and Region

4.4 Collimating Lens Market, Geographic Analysis



5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.1.1 Advantages of Collimation of Light in Various Applications

5.2.1.2 Benefits of Using Aspheric Lenses Over Traditional Spherical Lenses in Optics Systems

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.2.1 High Manufacturing Cost of Aspheric Lenses

5.2.3 Opportunities

5.2.3.1 Growing Demand for Collimating Lenses in Various Applications

5.2.3.2 Increasing Importance of Fiber Optics Collimating Lenses

5.2.4 Challenges

5.2.4.1 Restriction of Hazardous Substances (ROHS) Compliance



6 Collimating Lens Market, By Light Source

6.1 Introduction

6.2 LED

6.2.1 Increase in Demand for LED Headlamp in Automobile to Drive the Growth of LED Collimating Lens Market

6.3 Laser

6.3.1 Benefits Such as High Intensity and Monochromaticity are Expected to Shoot Demand for Laser Light Sources

6.4 Others



7 Collimating Lens Market, By Material

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Glass

7.2.1 Greater Density of Glass Material to Drive Demand for Glass Collimating Lens Market

7.3 Plastic

7.3.1 Low-Quality Plastics are Limiting Growth of Plastic Collimating Lens Market

7.4 Other Materials



8 Collimating Lens Market, By Wavelength

8.1 Introduction

8.2 <_000 />8.2.1 Collimating Lens Market for Laser Light Source With <_000 nm="nm" range="range" to="to" grow="grow" at="at" high="high" />8.3 1000-1500 nm

8.3.1 LED to Hold Largest Size of Collimating Lens Market for 1000-1500 nm Range

8.4 1500-2000 nm

8.4.1 1500-2000nm Wavelength is Most Suitable for Medical and Industrial Application Which Drives the Collimating Lens Market

8.5 >2000 nm

8.5.1 Laser Light Source With >2000 nm Wavelengths is Expected to Have Growth in Spectrometer and Interferometer End Use Applications



9 Collimating Lens Market, By End Use

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Spectroscopy

9.2.1 Demand of Spectroscopy in Determining Refractive Index of A Material, Presence of Undesired Wavelengths, and Colour Properties of Light Source Help to Drive the Market

9.3 Medical

9.3.1 Increasing Use of Collimating Lens in Various Medical Equipment

9.4 Lidar

9.4.1 Increasing Penetration of Lidar Technology in Various Applications to Provide Growth Opportunities for Collimating Lens Market

9.5 Automobile

9.5.1 Advancements in Lighting Technologies Adopted in Automobiles Drive Demand for Collimating Lenses

9.6 Light and Display Measurement

9.6.1 Collimating Lens is an Inevitable Component in Light and Display Measurement

9.7 Interferometry

9.7.1 Need for Interferometry in Evaluation of Displacement and Irregularities in Flat and Spherical Surfaces Will Boost Market Growth

9.8 Others



10 Collimating Lens Market, Geographic Analysis

10.1 Introduction

10.2 North America

10.2.1 Us

10.2.1.1 US Accounted for Largest Size in Collimating Lens Market in North America

10.2.2 Canada

10.2.2.1 Collimating Lens Market in Canada is Expected to Witness Significant Growth in Coming Years

10.2.3 Mexico

10.2.3.1 Rapidly Expanding Automotive Manufacturing in Mexico is Expected to Provide Prospects to Collimating Lens Market

10.3 Europe

10.3.1 Germany

10.3.1.1 Growing Presence of Optics Component Manufacturers in Germany is Expected to Drive Market Growth

10.3.2 UK

10.3.2.1 Increasing Demand for Medical Equipment in UK is Propelling Demand for Collimating Lenses

10.3.3 France

10.3.3.1 High Use of Lidar Systems in Applications Such as Space Exploration, Meteorology, and Corridor Mapping Boost Demand for Collimating Lenses in France

10.3.4 Italy

10.3.4.1 Sophisticated Healthcare Infrastructure in Italy Raises Demand for Collimating Lenses

10.3.5 Rest of Europe

10.4 Asia Pacific

10.4.1 China

10.4.1.1 China Accounted for Largest Share of Collimating Lens Market in APAC

10.4.2 Japan

10.4.2.1 Increasing Adoption of LED Headlamps in Japan Due to Presence of Large Number of Car Manufacturers Drives Market Growth

10.4.3 India

10.4.3.1 Largest and Fastest-Growing Automobile Markets in India to Provide Growth Opportunities for Collimating Lens Providers

10.4.4 South Korea

10.4.4.1 Applications Such as Light and Display Measurement, Medical, and Automobile Drive Demand for Collimating Lenses in South Korea

10.4.5 Rest of APAC

10.5 Rest of the World

10.5.1 South and Central America

10.5.1.1 Brazil and Argentina is Expected to Witness the Highest Growth Rate in Collimating Lens Market in South America

10.5.2 Middle East and Africa

10.5.2.1 Countries Such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE, and Qatar are Major Contributor to Collimating Lens Market in Middle East



11 Competitive Landscape

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Market Player Ranking Analysis (2018)

11.2.1 Product Launches/Developments

11.2.2 Agreements and Contracts

11.2.3 Mergers/Acquisitions

11.2.4 Expansions



12 Company Profiles

12.1 Key Players

12.1.1 Lightpath Technologies, Inc.

12.1.2 Ocean Optics, Inc.

12.1.3 Ingeneric GmbH

12.1.4 Trioptics GmbH

12.1.5 Avantes Bv

12.1.6 Auer Lighting GmbH

12.1.7 IPG Photonics Corporation

12.1.8 Optikos Corporation

12.1.9 The Optoelectronics Co. Ltd.

12.1.10 Thorlabs Inc.

12.2 Other Key Companies

12.2.1 AMS Technologies AG

12.2.2 Axetris AG

12.2.3 Broadcom Limited

12.2.4 Bentham Instruments Limited

12.2.5 Casix, Inc.

12.2.6 Edmund Optics Inc.

12.2.7 Fisba AG

12.2.8 Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.

12.2.9 Opto-Line, Inc.

12.2.10 Ushio Inc.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/wrbw5f/global?w=5

Did you know that we also offer Custom Research? Visit our Custom Research page to learn more and schedule a meeting with our Custom Research Manager.

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DUBLIN, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Homeware Market 2019-2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global homeware market will register a CAGR of almost 7% by 2023

The growing demand for smart homes and the development of smart cities is identified as one of the key trends that will gain traction in the market during the estimated period. Many countries are undertaking smart city projects. The number of smart cities is expected to increase, and vendors are planning to develop new devices and software specifically for smart cities.

According to the report, one driver influencing this market is the innovation and portfolio extension leading to premiumization. One trend affecting this market is investments in AI startups. Further, the report states that one challenge affecting this market is the volatility of raw material prices.

Market Overview

Growing construction industry globally

The demand for luxury and superior quality homeware products is increasing among customers around the world due to the growth in the real estate industry and residential establishments.

High competition from unorganized players are low product replacement cycle

Well-established vendors face high competition from unorganized players that are not registered with the respective governments and have irregular terms of employment.

Competitive Landscape



The market appears to be fragmented and with the presence of several companies and the competitive environment is quite intense. Factors such as the growing demand for smart homes and the development of smart cities and demand for luxury and superior quality homeware products will provide considerable growth opportunities to homeware market manufactures. Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot Product Authority, Target Brands, and Walmart are some of the major companies covered in this report.

Key Topics Covered:



PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT



PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL

Market segmentation by distribution channel

Comparison by distribution channel

Offline - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Online - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by distribution channel

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE



PART 08: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY PRODUCT

Market segmentation by product

Comparison by product

Soft furnishing and textile - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Hardware - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Lighting - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Window dressing - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by product

PART 09: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

Americas - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

EMEA - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

APAC - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity

PART 10: DECISION FRAMEWORK



PART 11: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 12: MARKET TRENDS

Increase in the availability of private-label brands

Increase in the demand for eco-friendly homeware products

Distribution channel expansion strategy by vendors

PART 13: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

PART 14: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fxrl8v/global_homeware?w=5





Did you know that we also offer Custom Research? Visit our Custom Research page to learn more and schedule a meeting with our Custom Research Manager.

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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LONDON, Nov. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Report Synopsis

This report offers an 8-year forecast for the global predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry between 2018 and 2026.In terms of value, the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry is expected to register a double-digit CAGR during the forecast period.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5609141



This study on the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry demonstrates the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry dynamics and trends globally across seven regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, SEA & Pacific, China, Japan, and the Middle East & Africa, which are expected to influence the current nature and future status of the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry over the forecast period.



Report Description

This research report on the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry provides a detailed analysis of the predictive maintenance market and offers insights about the various factors driving the adoption of the software and services in manufacturing industry in the future.The report on predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry includes an extensive analysis of key industry drivers, challenges, market trends, and market structure.



The predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry study provides a comprehensive assessment of stakeholder strategies and imperatives for succeeding in the business. The report on predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry segregates the market based on component type, deployment model, technology (qualitative), and different regions globally.



The predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry is expected to witness significant value growth during the forecast period owing to the advent of IIoT and Industry 4.0, and the proliferating adoption of cloud technology. Moreover, the increasing demand for reduced downtime and low maintenance costs from manufacturers are also driving the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry in terms of value.



The report on the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry starts with an overview of the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry in terms of value. In addition, this section includes an analysis of key trends, drivers, and challenges from the supply, demand, and economy side, which are influencing the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing.



The predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry is classified based on component type, deployment model, technology (qualitative), and different regions globally.By component type, the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry is subsegmented into software and services.



The services segment of the global predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry is further segmented into consulting, training, implementation & integration, and support. Based on the deployment model, predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry is subsegmented into on-premise.



The predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry report also includes a qualitative analysis of the integration of machine learning, deep learning, and Big Data & analytics with predictive maintenance, and the opportunity associated in the future as the adoption of the resultant solution increases in the market. Initiatives undertaken by the government to enhance to efficiency of manufacturing pants/machines, transition from on-premise to cloud, increasing awareness among the end-users, and high growth opportunities in developing countries are likely to boost the global predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry.



A detailed analysis has been provided for every segment in terms of the market size analysis for the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry across different regions. This section provides a detailed analysis that covers the key trends of the global predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry.



The next section of the global report on the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry contains a detailed analysis of the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry across various countries in the region.It provides a market outlook for 20182026 and sets the forecast within the context of the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing, which includes the latest technological developments as well as offerings in the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing.



This study on the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry discusses key trends within countries contributing to growth of the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry, as well as analyses the degrees at which drivers are influencing this market in each region. Key regions and countries assessed in the global predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry include North America (U.S. & Canada), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, & the rest of Latin America), Europe (UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, & the rest of Europe), SEA (India, Australia & New Zealand, ASEAN, and the rest of SEA & Pacific), China, Japan, and MEA (GCC Countries, South Africa, Northern Africa, & the rest of MEA). This report on the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry evaluates the present scenario as well as the growth prospects of the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry across various regions globally for the period 2018 2026. We have considered 2017 as the base year and provided data for the remaining 12 months.



To offer an accurate forecast, we started by sizing the current market, which forms the basis of how the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry will grow in the future. Given the characteristics of the market, we have triangulated the outcome of different types of analysis based on the technology trends.



As previously highlighted, the global predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry is split into a number of segments.All segments in terms of component type, deployment model, technology (qualitative), and different regions are analyzed in terms of basis points to understand the relative contributions of individual segments to the market growth.



This detailed level of information is important for the identification of various key trends in the global predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry.



In addition, another key feature of predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry report is the analysis of all key segments in terms of absolute dollar opportunity.This is traditionally overlooked while forecasting the market.



However, the absolute dollar opportunity is critical in assessing the level of opportunity that a provider can look to achieve, as well as to identify potential resources from a sales and delivery perspective in the global predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry.



In the final section of the report, we have included a competitive landscape to provide clients a dashboard view based on the categories of providers in the value chain, their presence in the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry, and key differentiators.This section is primarily designed to provide clients an objective and detailed comparative assessment of key providers specific to a market segment in the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry supply chain and the potential players for the same.



Report audiences can gain segment-specific vendor insights to identify and evaluate the key competitors based on an in-depth assessment of their capabilities and success in the marketplace.Detailed profiles of providers are also included in the scope of the report to evaluate their long-term & short-term strategies, key offerings, and recent developments in the predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry.



Some of the key participants in the global predictive maintenance market for manufacturing industry report include IBM Corporation, Software AG, SAS Institute Inc., PTC Inc., Schneider Electric, Rockwell Automation, eMaint, Robert Bosch GmbH, SAP SE, and General Electric.



Key Segments



By Component Type -

Software

Services

Consulting

Integration and Implementation

Training

Support



By Deployment Model -

On-Premise

Cloud

By Technology (qualitative) -

Machine Learning

Deep Learning

Big Data & Analytics

Key Regions covered:

North America

U.S.

Canada

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Western Europe

Germany

U.K.

France

Spain

Italy

Western Europe

SEA & Others of APAC

India

Australia and New Zealand

ASEAN

Rest of SEA & APAC

China

Japan

MEA

GCC Countries

South Africa

Northern Africa

Rest of MEA

Key Companies



IBM Corporation

Software AG

SAS Institute Inc.

PTC Inc.

Schneider Electric

Rockwell Automation

eMaint

Robert Bosch GmbH

SAP SE

General Electric



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5609141



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Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



For more information:

Sarah Smith

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Email: [email protected]

Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904

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Workplace diversity is very important, especially in an increasingly interconnected world. People of all races, genders and ages contribute by offering different talents, skills and experiences which benefit their respective organizations, and that in turn leads to a more productive and efficient work environment.

For us, diversity is a key aspect when recruiting the best talent. HAYMAN-WOODWARD has developed policies and procedures to encourage workplace diversity, and our Human Resources professionals are aware of the importance of a diverse workforce, as well as placing an emphasis on inclusivity.

At HAYMAN-WOODWARD we promote diversity and guarantee that every employee is treated with the respect he or she deserves. We strongly believe that a more varied staff also enhances interpersonal working relationships, ultimately creating a stronger and more united company.

HAYMAN-WOODWARD CORP is a holding group of a variety of companies, including business advisory, compliance, business development intelligence consulting, banking and wealth management, family office, aviation, foodservice and others. The group has more than twenty years experience in supporting companies and individuals in their challenges to build value across borders. We have a team of experts in many industry segments in 6 offices around the world, to fully assist our clients.

HAYMAN-WOODWARD's team of professionals and management have a combined 50 years of experience in their fields, and are located in our offices in the United States of America, Asia, Europe and Latin America. The company offers a variety of services to help its customers achieve their maximum ROI and a clear path to profitability in several markets worldwide.

SOURCE HAYMAN-WOODWARDSAN DIEGO, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthLytix, a precision health company and developer of quantitative medical imaging solutions that leverage machine learning announces the signing of a new Platform Partner Agreement with Blackford. This agreement gives Blackford the right to promote, market, sell, distribute, and license CT CoPilot directly via integration with the Blackford Platform.

CT CoPilot seamlessly integrates into existing workflow to improve radiologist efficiency, measurement accuracy, and clinical confidence by automatically generating consistent views of head CT exams. It also provides automated quantitative measurements and subtraction series to increase conspicuity of change between exams.

"We are excited to partner with Blackford and be part of their platform offering and all the benefits it offers healthcare providers. It should significantly enhance our market access and visibility while enabling radiologists to more quickly realize the efficiency and clinical confidence benefits of CT CoPilot," says Ajit Shankaranarayanan, COO at HealthLytix.

Blackford CEO, Ben Panter said of the alliance: ""We look forward to working with HealthLytix to provide our customers and channel partners quick access to CT CoPilot through our single platform, to help provide additional clinical value for their patients."

CT CoPilot will be launched at the upcoming Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2018 annual meeting in Chicago. HealthLytix personnel will be available to discuss the benefits and capabilities of CT CoPilot in the CorTechs Labs Booth #7944  North Hall at RSNA.

To learn more about Blackford Platform applications including CT CoPilot, book a demo at RSNA or visit Blackford at Booth #7364.

About HealthLytix:

At HealthLytix, we create data analytics solutions to provide comprehensive insights into health status based on genetics, quantitative imaging, and other medical information. Our products provide consumers with the benefits of early detection and targeted care, while empowering physicians with more accurate clinical decision-making across medical imaging modalities. As a precision health company, we apply proprietary machine learning algorithms to create individualized wellness assessments. We enable physicians and health systems to understand patient data, personalize treatment solutions and leverage data-driven insights into care pathway management. Learn more at www.healthlytix.com and in our virtual press kit.

About Blackford

Blackford provide a single platform to quickly access and manage a curated marketplace of regulatory approved medical image analysis applications and AI algorithms that add clinical value. Easily integrated into existing workflows, the platform provides actionable information that allows healthcare providers to use imaging information smartly and reduce the cost of care, while improving diagnostic confidence and patient outcomes. Founded in 2010, and with operations in the United Kingdom and the United States, Blackford Analysis is backed by TRI Cap, Old College Capital, and Archangel Investors, one of the UK's leading business angel syndicates. For more information, visit www.blackfordanalysis.com

SOURCE HealthLytixJACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthy Schools LLC, the nation's largest provider of in-school flu vaccinations, today announced that it plans to hold walk-in flu vaccination clinics for area students, their parents and any non-school age siblings (at least 6 months of age) at multiple locations throughout Santa Rosa County in Florida. The clinics are being planned and held in conjunction with the Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County.

"We have received many inquiries from parents who are concerned about the availability of flu vaccinations," said April Pretz, RN and Healthy Schools Regional Hub Manager. "These parents have requested that more flu vaccinations be made available. In response, Healthy Schools and the Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County are planning to hold walk-in flu vaccination clinics at various times and locations this month."

The clinics will be run by clinical staff from both Healthy Schools and the Department of Health. Vaccines are available on a first come, first service basis. Parents and caregivers planning to attend with their students should bring ID and insurance information. The time and location for the walk-in flu clinics are as follows:

Midway Clinic: 5840 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Tuesday, Nov. 13 , 7 am  7 pm ET

5840 Gulf Breeze Parkway, ,  Milton Clinic : 5527 Stewart Street, Wednesday, Nov. 14 , 7 am  7 pm ET

: 5527 Stewart Street, ,  Jay Clinic: 14122 Alabama Street (behind Jay Hospital), Wednesday, Nov. 14 , 2  7 pm ET

Since 2014, Healthy Schools has administered tens of thousands of flu shots to children in Santa Rosa County under an agreement with the County Health Department. Offering flu vaccines free of charge has been a critical part of the county's overall goal of improving health and protecting children and the community from potentially lethal outbreaks of flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more children died from flu last season than ever before, and 80 percent of those who died had not received a flu shot.

According to a recent Harris Poll commissioned by the company , 54 percent of parents wish it was easier to get their children vaccinated for flu, and 66 percent of parents said it's much more likely that they'd get their child vaccinated for flu if they could get it at school.

"Healthy Schools administers flu vaccines to children with parental consent in conjunction with state and county health departments and school districts," continued Pretz. "Offering flu vaccines at no cost to the parent or school is a critical part of improving pediatric health and protecting children and the community from potentially lethal outbreaks of flu."

For more information, parents may contact Healthy Schools via its 24-hour call center at 1-800-566-0596 or the Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County at (850) 983-5200.

About Healthy Schools

Healthy Schools provides healthcare services to prevent widespread illnesses and keep children healthy and in school. The company does this through public/private partnerships with school districts and Departments of Public Health, and administers no-cost, in-school vaccinations (flu shots, tdap) and annual wellness visits directly to students during the school day.

Media Contacts:

Healthy Schools

[email protected]

SOURCE Healthy Schools LLCPhoto: The Canadian Press Alberta premier Rachel Notley and Chief Billy Joe Laboucan

Alberta's Lubicon Cree have been fighting for decades for a land they could call their own.

But as he's poised to finally sign the historic claim with Premier Rachel Notley, Lubicon Lake Chief Billy-Joe Laboucan said the real work is just beginning.

"It'll be a good start to what we need to do in this community," said Laboucan, who will make the deal official Tuesday. "There's so much work to be done  the real work happens now."

The successful claim was negotiated after years of failed talks, broken promises, standoffs, arrests and global condemnation that reach back more than a century.

"So many of us have been aware of this as a very significant issue and an issue that really needed the attentions of government," said Richard Feehan, Alberta's Indigenous relations minister. "For many years, it was not happening."

In the late 1800s, British officials missed the Lubicon as they negotiated Treaty 8 with other Indigenous groups. Canada agreed the Lubicon deserved title to their land in 1939, but a deal was never reached.

The issue stagnated until the 1970s when oil and gas companies began carving through local traplines. By then, the Lubicon were so poor that diseases such as tuberculosis were a problem.

In 1988, then-chief Bernard Ominayak staged a protest at the Calgary Olympics and blockaded roads into the disputed area. The dispute went global as a United Nations committee criticized Canada for its treatment of the Lubicon. Eventually, then-Alberta premier Don Getty set aside lands for the Lubicon under what became known as the Grimshaw Accord. Those lands are included in the current agreement.

Negotiations were rebooted in 2014 by former Alberta premier Jim Prentice, ultimately leading to last October's deal.

"The stars aligned," Feehan said. "Everybody was at the table with the absolute clear idea that we needed to come to a good place on this."

The claim offers $113 million from the provincial and federal governments as well as 246 square kilometres of land near the community of Little Buffalo. Some of that money is earmarked for roads, housing, utility services, internet and a school.

"The huge, major things are being able to get good homes in here, elders care and a future for the children here as in a good school," Laboucan said.

Laboucan said the land included in the deal has seen little industrial disturbance and is "in good shape."NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Press Ganey, a nationally recognized private company that measures patient experience, named Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) a 2018 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award Winner. The Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award was presented to HSS during their annual conference in Orlando, Florida.

"At HSS, we are committed to helping people move better so they can live better," said Louis A. Shapiro, president and CEO at HSS. "As a world leader in musculoskeletal health, we put patients first and are honored to have earned this distinguished recognition for the sixth consecutive year."

"We are proud to partner with HSS to support their mission to provide safe, high-quality, patient-centered care," said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO of Press Ganey. "They are truly dedicated to delivering exceptional care in the communities they serve, and their commitment to capturing and acting on patient experience feedback is a very powerful demonstration of this."

The Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award is a nationally recognized achievement for those who have sustained performance in the top 5 percent for patient experience during the course of a year of data. HSS has been awarded this recognition for six consecutive years for outstanding inpatient and HCAHPS performance.

"It is rewarding to be part of a medical staff that is devoted to researching the latest advancements in treatment for all musculoskeletal conditions," said Todd J. Albert, MD, surgeon-in-chief and medical director at HSS. "From motion analysis to virtual reality, HSS physicians implement the best practices in all initiatives to improve patient care and elevate patient satisfaction."

"Getting patients back to how they want to live their lives is our utmost priority," said Chao Wu, chief patient experience officer at HSS. "Guided by committed leadership, systematic feedback and a dedicated team of physicians and staff, we are able to continuously evolve our model of care to best treat each patient."

About Press Ganey

Press Ganey pioneered the health care performance improvement movement more than 30 years ago. Today, Press Ganey offers an integrated suite of solutions that enable enterprise transformation across the patient journey. Delivered through a cutting-edge digital platform built on a foundation of data security, Press Ganey solutions address safety, clinical excellence, patient experience and workforce engagement. The company works with more than 33,000 health care facilities in its mission to reduce patient suffering and enhance caregiver resilience to improve the overall safety, quality and experience of care.

About HSS | Hospital for Special Surgery

HSS is the world's leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the ninth consecutive year) and No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S.News & World Report (2018-2019). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has one of the lowest infection rates in the country and was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center four consecutive times. The global standard total knee replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State. In 2017 HSS provided care to 135,000 patients and performed more than 32,000 surgical procedures. People from all 50 U.S. states and 80 countries travelled to receive care at HSS. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Global Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The culture of innovation is accelerating at HSS as 130 new idea submissions were made to the Global Innovation Institute in 2017 (almost 3x the submissions in 2015). The HSS Education Institute is the world's leading provider of education on the topic of musculoskeletal health, with its online learning platform offering more than 600 courses to more than 21,000 medical professional members worldwide. Through HSS Global Ventures, the institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally.

SOURCE Hospital for Special Surgery

Related Links

https://www.hss.edu

RICHARDSON, Texas, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

New Hub to Drive Infosys' Expansion and Job Creation in Texas and Reinforce Commitment to Workforce Development in the United States

Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in consulting, technology and next-generation services, today announced that it will open its next Technology and Innovation Hub in the State of Texas and hire 500 American workers in the state by 2020. The Hub will be located in Richardson, Texas and have a special focus on the telecommunications, retail and banking sectors.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg )



Infosys' investment in Texas reinforces the company's commitment to driving digital transformation for American enterprises by leveraging local talent alongside the best global talent. These new Texas employees will include recent graduates from the state's prestigious network of colleges, universities and community colleges who will benefit from upskilling through Infosys' world-class training curriculum.

The Texas Technology and Innovation Hub represents a key milestone in Infosys' digital transformation campaign for the Americas and builds upon its May 2017 announcement to hire 10,000 American workers by 2019. Infosys has hired over 6,200 American workers since May 2017.

"We are excited to announce the expansion of our presence in Texas, which is another important step in our continued investment in driving digital transformation for American businesses," said Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Infosys. "Digital is rapidly changing every industry, and our Hubs will allow us to co-locate, co-innovate and co-create alongside our clients."

"Infosys' expanded investment in Texas is fantastic news for our state and will provide Texans with the training and skills they need to compete in today's technology-driven economy," said Texas Governor Greg Abbott. "Every Texan should have the opportunity to advance economically, and we thank Infosys for helping even more Texans become part of the workforce for the future."

"Texas' world-class educational institutions are key to Infosys' workforce development efforts," said Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys. "Our investment in Texas will further improve our ability to serve clients by broadening the STEM talent pipeline here and provide training for the specialist skills that our clients need."

"We are pleased to see Infosys establishing its new technology and innovation hub in Richardson," said Richardson Mayor Paul Voelker. "Infosys will benefit tremendously from the Telecom Corridor area's access to leading corporations across a variety of sectors, a deep pool of experienced tech talent and strong academic partners preparing the professionals of tomorrow. We are grateful to our community for helping us build a well-deserved global reputation as a leader in digital innovation, and we are also deeply appreciative of the State's support in bringing this project to fruition."

Earlier this week, the City of Richardson, Richardson Chamber of Commerce and Richardson Rotary Clubs selected Infosys to receive the International Business EDGE Award, given to a foreign-owned business in Richardson that has provided significant economic investments and support in the community.

Building on the strength of its existing Texas network of highly skilled professionals, the Texas Technology and Innovation Hub will facilitate greater collaboration with clients in the region. To date, Infosys has opened two Technology and Innovation Hubs, one in Indianapolis, Indiana and another in Raleigh, North Carolina. Infosys has also announced additional Technology and Innovation Hubs in Hartford, Connecticut and Phoenix, Arizona, as well as a unique Design and Innovation Hub in Providence, Rhode Island.

As part of Infosys' commitment to driving digital transformation for American enterprises and helping create the workforce of the future, Infosys Foundation USA has provided multiple grants for classroom technology and computer science training to teachers and schools. To date, more than 4.7 million students; 13,000 teachers and 21,000 schools across America, including over 11,164 students, 256 teachers and 252 schools in Texas, have benefited from computer science training and classroom equipment funded by Infosys Foundation USA. This includes grants for professional development for teachers, hands on workshops for students, and new technology and teaching aids for classrooms, with an emphasis placed on serving underrepresented groups such as women, African-American, Latino, urban, rural and autistic groups that will gain greater access to computer science and maker education.

For more information, please visit: https://www.infosys.com/american-innovation/Pages/tx.aspx



About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 45 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over three decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit http://www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this press release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. These filings are available at http://www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. In addition, please note that any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of the date of this press release. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the company unless it is required by law.

SOURCE InfosysPITTSBURGH, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- "I thought there could be an easy way to help prevent drivers from speeding," said an inventor, from Richmond, Va., "so I invented the CAR SAFETY SPEED."

The vehicle accessory provides an effective way to help regulate a driver's speed. In doing so, it could help to prevent speeding tickets or unintentional speeding. As a result, it could enhance safety and it provides added peace of mind. The invention features an innovative design that is convenient and easy to use so it is ideal for vehicle owners. Additionally, it is producible in design variations.

The inventor described the invention design. "My design could help to reduce speed-related accidents and problems."

The original design was submitted to the Richmond office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 17-RMO-122, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

http://www.inventhelp.com

LITTLETON, Colo. and SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CanPay , the largest legitimate debit payment solution for the cannabis industry, and Jane Technologies, the fastest growing online cannabis marketplace, have partnered together to launch the industry's first integrated online menu and ordering platform with payments for cannabis dispensaries around the country. With today's announcement, licensed dispensaries using Jane's online menu and ordering platform can accept payments through their website from customers paying with CanPay. This partnership marks the first time electronic payments have been legitimately available to cannabis patients and consumers for their online orders for express in-store pickup or delivery, in markets where such payments are allowed.

Due to existing federal laws and the extreme transparency required to enable online payments, the cannabis industry has lacked access to a familiar shopping experience where customers can pay online at the time of checkout  until now. As the US cannabis industry expands across the nation, consumers are increasingly looking for the same ease and convenience in their cannabis shopping experience that they enjoy with other retailers. While Jane continues to transform brick-and-mortar storefronts into competitive online 'click-and-mortar' retailers, in markets where access to compliant cannabis banking is available, CanPay is giving Jane customers the freedom to legitimately accept online payments for in-store and delivery orders made through Jane's platform.

"In an already fast-growing market, Jane has revolutionized the way American consumers shop for cannabis. But the way they pay for their cannabis products still largely hinges on the hassles of paying at the store and usually doing so in cash," said Dustin Eide, CEO of CanPay. "Our collective goal in integrating electronic payments with the Jane platform is to bring greater convenience to cannabis consumers and normalize their shopping experience by providing them with the opportunity to transparently and legitimately pay online for purchases made through their local dispensary's website."

In markets where online orders are legal, Jane's robust technology, quick deployment, and low cost makes it possible for any dispensary to turn their existing website into a fully automated digital storefront. This creates an online experience where customers can access a dispensary's website to view a live menu, choose what products they wish to purchase, and as a result of this partnership, now pay for that purchase when they checkout.

"In creating the cannabis industry's first complete online marketplace, our goal is to provide customers with a safe and simple way to shop for their cannabis," said Jane CEO Socrates Rosenfeld. "Through our partnership with CanPay, we are excited to expand our offerings to include online payments and provide dispensaries and consumers with a fully compliant, end-to-end shopping experience."

With an easy-to-deploy interface, any dispensary with compliant banking in any regulated market across the United States where online ordering and payments is allowed, can quickly begin offering this free-to-the-customer convenience. This includes the more than 450 dispensaries already on the Jane platform and the over 200 dispensaries around the country accepting CanPay in their retail locations.

Cansortium Holdings, through their brand Knox Medical, leads the way as the first cannabis retail group to adopt online ordering and payments powered by the Jane and CanPay partnership. An industry innovator that foresaw how e-commerce would offer its patients a safer, more secure and convenient customer experience, Knox Medical even co-funded the development of Jane Technologies' API to make this integration possible. All Knox Medical dispensaries, located in Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico currently accept CanPay as a payment method.

"An improved buying experience is essential to our mission of expanding access to safe, consistent, and effective medical cannabis," said Jose Hidalgo, CEO of Cansortium Holdings. "As partners, Jane Technologies and CanPay align with those values, and together they've built the kind of intuitive e-commerce experience that our patients have come to expect in their everyday lives. We're excited to be the first to roll out our online storefront with payments and make the buying process safer and more convenient for our patients across the country."

CanPay currently provides payment services to cannabis markets in 17 states and will continue to expand to every market where compliant cannabis banking exists. Users can download the CanPay app by visiting CanPayApp.com . Retailers and dispensary owners can find out more by visiting the CanPay website: www.CanPayDebit.com/retailers .

Jane Technologies will be exhibiting their platform and the seamless CanPay integration at the Marijuana Business Conference & Expo in Las Vegas on November 14 through November 16. For a live demo, visit the Jane booth #3677 to learn more.

About CanPay

CanPay is the first debit payment solution for the state regulated cannabis industry, currently serving consumers and businesses in Washington, California, Colorado, Maine, Florida, Oregon, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, New Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Through the Closed-Banking Feedback Loop, CanPay partners with select financial institutions that have developed stable, compliant banking programs specific to the cannabis industry. By delivering a traditional and legitimate electronic payment solution to this growing yet highly-regulated industry, CanPay allows retailers and customers the convenience of a debit payment while mitigating risks and costs associated with cash transactions. To learn more about CanPay, visit www.CanPayDebit.com .

About Jane Technologies, Inc.

Jane Technologies, Inc. is the cannabis industry's first complete online marketplace, providing consumers with a confident, safe and simple shopping experience. Users can browse local products in real-time, compare by price, proximity or popularity and place orders at local stores for free. Jane partners with dispensaries on a win-win basis; stores only pay for completed orders at a fraction of the price of other industry software. For more information, please visit us at www.iheartjane.com.

Media Contacts:

Jennifer Lyle

Barokas PR for CanPay

[email protected]

Jamie Sanyal

Just Drive Media for Jane Technologies

[email protected]

SOURCE CanPay

Related Links

http://www.CanPayDebit.com

"The new generation of the Koxka product line leverages innovative and ergonomic design aspects to attract customers and seamlessly fit in all-store environments, ranging from convenience and forecourt segments to large hypermarkets," said Gautham Gnanajothi, Global Research Director. "These units also give stores the flexibility to repeatedly adapt to the changing surroundings (store design) and requirements of the customer throughout the lifecycle of the product. For instance, it allows them to personalise the units using RGB-type edging LEDs so that store owners may choose from more than 200 colours to match the store decor and promotions, without having to modify the unit in any way."

Koxka has added advanced designs and nuances to its refrigeration solutions by anticipating a growing requirement for greater flexibility and customisation. The company's best-in-class strategy implementation is targeted at processes, tools, and activities that generate a consistent and repeatable level of success. This focus on innovation positions Koxka ahead of its competitors in terms of optimising utilisation concepts. For instance, the company recently rolled out an innovative modular design that allows it to reduce transit costs dramatically and offer other associated benefits.

Kgroup's Koxka portfolio comprises remote and plug-in products, with solutions for multi-decks, counters, and frozen units for both types of products. In addition to technology excellence, Koxka is committed to enhancing the energy efficiency of its products, with its latest generation of products being 28% more energy efficient than previous generations. Furthermore, the company's products deliver the best price-performance value in the market by providing an interactive shopping experience that is comfortable, functional, and aesthetically stimulating.

"The company's product line is constantly gaining new value-added features and functionalities, the latest being geolocation, systems monitoring, and blast freezers," noted Gautham. "Such proven technology and adaptability to future demands are propelling the company towards huge commercial success and establishing Koxka as an iconic brand in the industry."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year award to the organisation that demonstrates excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognises a high degree of innovation with products and technologies and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Koxka

Koxka is a business project that has managed to grow, evolve and stay at the top of its sector at the global level thanks to customer loyalty and its founding values. It is made up of a group of professionals and investors that have a clear industrial vocation and a long-term vision. On the other hand, it has always been quite clear to it that the customer should sit at the centre of all its decisions.

Koxka is headquartered in Pamplona, Spain. Its product range includes remote and plug-in cabinets, evaporators, condensers and customized coils. Additionally, it provides spares and retrofit solutions. Thanks to its vast experience, Koxka is capable of delivering both turnkey projects and separate, independent solutions.

Koxka's aim is to gain renown as a trusted collaborator, achieve sustainable growth and be customer-orientated, as well as to be known for its quality, reliability, efficiency and performance. In addition, it upholds the values of integrity and friendliness toward the value chain and the environment.

For more information on Koxka, please visit our website: https://krefrigeration.com

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, collaborates with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, Frost & Sullivan has been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector, and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion .

Contact:

Claudia Toscano

P: 210.477.8417

F: 210.348.1003

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Related Links

http://www.frost.com

Builds market leadership in premium Italian, cooked and dry cured meats

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSX: MFI) announced today that it has closed the acquisition of VIAU Foods ("VIAU"), a Canadian market leader in premium Italian cooked, dry-cured and charcuterie meats, for a purchase price of $215 million, including $30 million in Maple Leaf stock. With sales of $180 million as of fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the transaction is expected to be accretive to Maple Leaf's earnings per share in the first year and to the Company's margin expansion over time.

Established in 1977, VIAU produces a range of value-added prepared meat products including Italian cooked meats, sausages, pizza toppings, shaved steak and meatballs. It also produces a range of gourmet deli and premium charcuterie products including salametti, capicollo, pancetta and sliced chorizo. VIAU is a leading supplier of dried pepperoni and other pizza toppings to the North American foodservice industry and markets its products through retailers across Canada.

This acquisition expands Maple Leaf's position in the growing market for premium dry cured and pepperoni meat products and provides further production capacity in Quebec, an important strategic base to grow both Canadian and U.S. sales. It also enables VIAU to expand its portfolio to include raised without antibiotic products, leveraging Maple Leaf's leadership in this growing market.

VIAU employs 470 people at its two Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Safe Quality Food (SQF) accredited facilities in Laval and Montreal. It follows leading food safety practices, supported by an on-site ISO accredited laboratory. The business will continue to be led by the current highly experienced management team.

The transaction was financed through a combination of cash-on-hand and debt.

Forward Looking Information

This document may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law including statements regarding: accretion to Maple Leaf's earnings in the first year of operations, long-term improvement in Maple Leaf's margins, incremental business growth and penetration of the US market and expansion of VIAU's portfolio to include raised without antibiotics products. These statements are not guarantees of future events and involve assumptions and risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Some of these assumptions and risks and uncertainties are described in more detail in the Company's filings made with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking information and there is no assurance that any such future events will occur. Maple Leaf does not intend to, and Maple Leaf disclaims any obligation to, update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

About Maple Leaf Foods

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is a leading consumer protein company, making high quality, innovative products under national brands including Maple Leaf, Maple Leaf Prime, Maple Leaf Natural Selections, Schneiders, Schneiders Country Naturals, Mina, SWIFT, Lightlife and Field Roast Grain Meat Co.. Maple Leaf employs approximately 11,500 people and does business in Canada, the U.S. and Asia. The Company is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario and its shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (MFI).

SOURCE Maple Leaf Foods Inc.

Related Links

http://www.mapleleaffoods.com

VANCOUVER, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Mason Resources Corp. (TSX: MNR;OTCQB: MSSNF  "Mason" or the "Company") is pleased to report its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018. All figures are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.

Q3 2018 HIGHLIGHTS

Corporate

On October 31, 2018 , Mason announced an arrangement agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") with Hudbay Minerals Inc. ("Hudbay") pursuant to which Hudbay will acquire the remaining 86% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Mason that it does not already own (the "Hudbay Arrangement"). Under the Hudbay Arrangement, Mason shareholders will receive C$0.40 in cash for each Mason common share they own.

, Mason announced an arrangement agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") with Hudbay Minerals Inc. ("Hudbay") pursuant to which Hudbay will acquire the remaining 86% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Mason that it does not already own (the "Hudbay Arrangement"). Under the Hudbay Arrangement, Mason shareholders will receive in cash for each Mason common share they own. Net loss for Q3 2018 was $0.8 million which is a reduction of 38% compared to the same period of 2017 ( $1.3 million net loss). For the 2018 year to date, net loss was $1.5 million which is a reduction of 38% compared to the comparative period of 2017 ( $2.4 million net loss). The reduction in the year to date net loss was due to one-time costs associated with the spin-out of the Company from Entree Resources Ltd. in 2017 and foreign exchange variances between the Canadian dollar and United States dollar.

which is a reduction of 38% compared to the same period of 2017 ( net loss). For the 2018 year to date, net loss was which is a reduction of 38% compared to the comparative period of 2017 ( net loss). The reduction in the year to date net loss was due to one-time costs associated with the spin-out of the Company from Entree Resources Ltd. in 2017 and foreign exchange variances between the Canadian dollar and dollar. The Company's cash balance at September 30, 2018 was $6.3 million with no debt and the working capital balance was $6.3 million .

Ann Mason Project

On September 25, 2018 , Mason secured an option to acquire water rights further de-risking the Ann Mason copper project. Mason entered into a binding term sheet with Rightway Investments Smith Valley, LLC ("Rightway"), pursuant to which Rightway will grant to Mason an exclusive seven-year option to purchase approximately 8,168 acre-feet per year of primary groundwater rights and certain real property known as the "Artesia Ranch", located six kilometres south-west from the Ann Mason copper deposit in Douglas County, Nevada .

The Company's third quarter 2018 unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.MasonResources.com.

ABOUT MASON RESOURCES CORP.

Mason Resources Corp. is a well-funded Canadian company focused on copper exploration and development in the U.S.A. The Company's key asset is its 100% owned Ann Mason project  an extensive, prospective land package located in the Yerington District of Nevada. The Ann Mason project hosts two copper-molybdenum porphyry deposits, Ann Mason and Blue Hill, as well as numerous earlier-stage or untested priority targets. The Ann Mason deposit is currently at a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) level and is among the largest undeveloped copper porphyry resources in Canada/U.S.A. The excellent infrastructure, year-round access, strong community support and clear permitting process are all factors that contribute to making Yerington, Nevada one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world. Mason also holds a 100% interest in the Lordsburg property, an exciting earlier-stage copper-gold porphyry project, located within an historic mining district in New Mexico. More information on Mason can be found at www.MasonResources.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to corporate strategies and plans of Mason; the anticipated Hudbay Arrangement and the timing and anticipated benefits thereof; uses of funds; the ability of Mason to maximize returns to shareholders; the potential to optimize certain aspects of the 2017 PEA; completion of a Pre-Feasibility study on the Ann Mason Project; a potential strategic development partner for the Ann Mason Project; the potential impact of future exploration results on Ann Mason mine design and economics; the potential development of Ann Mason; plans for future exploration and development programs and budgets; anticipated business activities; proposed acquisitions and dispositions of assets; and future financial performance..

While the Company has based these forward-looking statements on its expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee of the Company's future performance and are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies, local and global economic conditions and the environment in which Mason will operate in the future, including the price of copper, gold, silver and molybdenum. Uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by forward-looking statements and information include, amongst others, the risk that the Hudbay Arrangement does not close on a timely basis or at all or that some or all of the anticipated benefits thereof are not achieved; unanticipated costs, expenses or liabilities; discrepancies between actual and anticipated production, mineral resources and metallurgical recoveries; the size, grade and continuity of deposits not being interpreted correctly from exploration results; the results of preliminary test work not being indicative of the results of future test work; fluctuations in commodity prices and demand; changing foreign exchange rates; actions by government authorities; the availability of funding on reasonable terms; the impact of changes in interpretation to or changes in enforcement of, laws, regulations and government practices, including laws, regulations and government practices with respect to mining, foreign investment, royalties and taxation; the terms and timing of obtaining necessary environmental and other government approvals, consents and permits; the availability and cost of necessary items such as power, water, skilled labour, transportation and appropriate smelting and refining arrangements; and misjudgements in the course of preparing forward-looking statements. In addition, there are also known and unknown risk factors which may cause the actual results, performances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others, risks related to international operations, including legal and political risk; risks associated with changes in the attitudes of governments to foreign investment; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; inability to upgrade Inferred mineral resources to Indicated or Measured mineral resources; inability to convert mineral resources to mineral reserves; conclusions of economic evaluations; future prices of copper, gold, silver and molybdenum; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining government approvals, permits or licences or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; environmental risks; title disputes; limitations on insurance coverage; as well as those factors discussed in the Company's most recently filed MD&A and in the Company's Annual Information Form for the financial year ended December 31, 2017, dated March 16, 2018 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Mason ResourcesIRVINE, Calif., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today announced the addition of Drew Cary to its marketing team as senior manager, brand communications.

Cary joins Mazda from Edelman, where he served as the lead on Volkswagen USA's experiential marketing team, responsible for developing integrated editorial and content strategies to build brand advocacy and raise awareness of volume vehicles through motorsport, brand partners and enthusiast events. In 2016, Cary spent twelve months in Brazil as a Daniel J. Edelman Global Fellow, expanding his experience with global campaigns and Olympic programming. Prior to Edelman, Cary was at Ketchum in Los Angeles, supporting corporate and product announcements with Hyundai Motor Company and McLaren Automotive.

In his new position, Cary is responsible for managing Mazda's internal and external communications, social media and CSR efforts. He will report directly to Emily Taylor, director, communications and experiential marketing, and will be based in MNAO's corporate headquarters in Irvine, California. For media inquiries, he can be reached at 949-727-6525 and [email protected].

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom.

Follow MNAO's social media channels through Twitter and Instagram at @MazdaUSA and Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaUSA.

SOURCE Mazda North American Operations

Related Links

http://www.mazdausa.com

The 25th edition of MIFF is scheduled from March 8-11 next year again in MITEC and the nearby Putra World Trade Centre, the first venue of MIFF in 1995.

Malaysia's new Minister of Primary Industries responsible for the overall development of plantation and commodity sectors Madam Teresa Kok was the guest-of-honour at the gala dinner.

"Tonight is not just about the achievement of MIFF. Tonight is also a celebration of the local furniture industry, together we have put Malaysia on the global furniture map. On this occasion, it is only fitting to express our sincere appreciation to the people who helped make it happened -- exhibitors and our partners from the government and private sectors," said Datuk Tan Chin Huat, MIFF founder and chairman.

"The direction of MIFF will be the same as it was started -- to help exhibitors find international buyers and increase exports. The key lesson from the last 25 years is that we must remain relevant by meeting the needs of exhibitors and buyers. Thank you once again for your trust and support, and continue the journey of success with us."

MIFF is the country's first international furniture trade show and its growth reflects the transformation of a once cottage industry in Malaysia into a global export giant in a span of three decades. In 2017, Malaysia was the world's ninth biggest exporter with shipments worth RM10.1 billion to over 160 countries led by the United States, Singapore, Japan, Australia and Britain as the top destinations.

The guest attendance was a power list of the local furniture companies which had participated in MIFF ranging from 10 to 25 years.

A third of the 118 companies feted had exhibited for at least two decades, including 14 from the first batch of 152 exhibitors. They are Euro Chairs, Boston Office Furniture, Eurospan Furniture, Green River Wood and Lumber Manufacturing, Latitude Tree Furniture, Merry Fair Chair System, Mieco Manufacturing, Seng Yip Furniture, Seni Daya Woods Industries, Southern Furniture, Tube Home, Fella Design, LB Furniture and Poh Huat Furniture Industries.

Also attending the dinner was Mr. Keh Wee Kiat, president of Muar Furniture Association, the country's largest industry group and a strategic partner of MIFF since 2013.

Muar's official recognition as the "Furniture City of Malaysia" will be highlighted at MIFF 2019. The southern city, which produces all types of furniture and 70% of Malaysian furniture exports, will have over 200 exhibitors.

MIFF 2019 will feature an estimated 650 suppliers from Malaysia and other top Asian furniture producing countries. The show is expected to draw 20,000 attendees from 140 countries.

More information, visit www.miff.com.my.

About MIFF

MIFF is Southeast Asia's most global and largest furniture trade show serving 20,000 furniture professionals from 140 countries across the world. Held annually from March 8-11, the show offers a comprehensive selection of all home and commercial furniture including Malaysia's renowned top quality wood furniture and the most extensive office solutions in the region.

SOURCE UBM MalaysiaFELTON, Calif., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A new travel and tourism website has launched to help locals and visitors learn more about the Santa Cruz Mountains region. SantaCruzMountains.com offers insight on adventures, guides, lodging, wineries, food, and more. The website provides a breakdown of the different towns in the region. The many historic downtowns, located in the foothills to deep in the woods, offer an array of adventures and things to do and see.

Santa Cruz Mountains Media

"This is an amazing part of the country to visit and explore so we wanted to provide a one-stop, go-to resource for visitors and locals alike," says Dan Thompson, Owner of Santa Cruz Mountains Media. "In addition to places to stay and where to eat, we also offer info on the many vineyards and wineries throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains."

First recognized as an American Viticultural Area in 1981, the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA was unique in being defined by its mountain topography. Some of the vineyards are at elevations of 3000+ feet. The appellation follows the fog line along the Pacific Coast, extending down to 800 feet in the east to the San Francisco Bay, and 400 feet to the west to Monterey Bay.

In addition, SantaCruzMountains.com helps connect visitors with guides to local attractions. On their guide to Goat Rock, the website highlights adventures from bouldering to rock climbing, day hiking to backpacking and visiting Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California's oldest state park. The website provides an overview of what to do and even when and where to go. Helpful tips for the trip are provided.

Santa Cruz Mountains Media also has a focus on conservation and responsible outdoor recreation. They note on the website that growth in the region was accelerated by the rise of Silicon Valley. This increased housing and commercial development has raised preservation concerns about natural resources. SantaCruzMountains.com provides some good information on everything from coastal Redwoods to the unique Sandhills and Sand Chaparral communities and more. Their promotion of ecotourism helps them be part of the broader focus on ensuring that these areas are available for future generations.

To take a look at the site as well as new blog posts highlighting unique areas and adventures, visit SantaCruzMountains.com.

About Santa Cruz Mountains Media

Santa Cruz Mountains Media operates a travel and tourism website at SantaCruzMountains.com that assists visitors and locals alike find adventure, places to stay, and things to do in the Santa Cruz Mountains region. The site also promotes conservation to ensure that future generations may enjoy this magnificent area.

SOURCE Santa Cruz Mountains Media

Related Links

http://www.SantaCruzMountains.com

Photo: Contributed

The Penticton RCMP is teaming up with the local Boston Pizza to participate in the Cops, Pops and Pizza campaign.

Officers and Special Olympics athletes will serve customers and collect donations for the Special Olympics at the Penticton Boston Pizza Nov. 14, 5 to 9 p.m.

More than 25 restaurants are participating in the event across B.C., organized by the BC Law Enforcement Torch Run.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run is a global movement dedicated to helping Special Olympics athletes experience acceptance, achievement, and admiration through sport, says Rick Lucy, BC LETR provincial director and retired Abbotsford Police Department Deputy Chief Constable.

Partnering with Boston Pizza to host Cops, Pops, and Pizza is a fun way for law enforcement members across the province to engage with their communities in order to support Special Olympics BCs empowering programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

This is the first year of Cops, Pops, and Pizza in B.C.LEXINGTON, Ky., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Chevy Chase Inn, Lexington, KY's oldest bar, just received its allocation of Pappy Van Winkle and has decided to sell it to their customers at cost for an event they are calling "Pappy Thanksgiving." For one day only, they will be selling the highly sought after and tough-to-get bourbon at a price for all to enjoy.

Chevy Chase Inn, Lexington, KY's oldest bar, is selling their all their Pappy Van Winkle at cost so everyone can afford to enjoy this elusive bourbon. Chevy Chase Inn, Lexington, KY's oldest bar, a great neighborhood dive bar with an impressive bourbon selection.

According to Kevin Heathcoat, an owner at Chevy Chase Inn, "We feel that bourbon this special should be enjoyed, not looked at. The prices being charged for Pappy Van Winkle has gotten out of control. So many people right here in the heart of Bourbon Country can't afford to try this delicious bourbon. Pappy is actually one of the most reasonably priced ultra-premium bourbons when it leaves the warehouse. Our industry and the secondary market is ruining it for working class bourbon lovers everywhere."

On Sunday, November 18th, Chevy Chase Inn will sell their allotment of Pappy Van Winkle products at cost. They will open their doors at 2:00pm and give everyone in line a wristband and a number. At 4:30pm they will sell one pour per person. Heathcoat said they can guarantee pours for the first 75 people in line. They will also have plenty of other bourbons on hand to enjoy as they have a very respectable bourbon selection for a tiny dive bar. Chevy Chase Inn will also raffle off some items donated by Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Heathcoat said, "The idea behind the event of course happened after a few bourbons had been consumed. My partners and I had been enjoying some great Kentucky Bourbon when our Pappy was delivered. One of us said, 'Wouldn't it be nice if everyone could afford to try these bourbons?' That is when we got the idea to host our First Annual Pappy Thanksgiving. We sobered up and still thought it was a great idea, so here we are."

For more information about Pappy Thanksgiving, you can go to their Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/ChevyChaseInn). Chevy Chase Inn is located at 833 Euclid Ave, Lexington, KY 40502.

For further information, contact:

Kevin Heathcoat

Chevy Chase Inn

833 Euclid Ave.

Lexington, KY 40502

Phone: 859-797-5087

email: [email protected]

SOURCE Chevy Chase InnWASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- This morning, the National Association of Realtors, joined by over 20 associations from across the real estate industry, sent a letter to Senate Leadership and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs urging confirmation of Kathleen Kraninger as the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Groups joining this NAR-led effort include the National Association of Home Builders, the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Housing Policy Council.

"In addition to her time leading the Office of Management and Budget, Kathy Kraninger has decades of experience on Capitol Hill and with previous presidential administrations. As Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, the National Association of Realtors is confident Ms. Kraninger will prioritize the protection of consumers' financial interests while eyeing necessary and critical reforms of the Bureau's examination, enforcement, and rulemaking processes," said NAR Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Shannon McGahn.

"NAR and this coalition of nearly two dozen other associations strongly urge the Senate to confirm Ms. Kraninger as BCFP Director, and we look forward to working alongside the Bureau to achieve our shared goal of protecting American homebuyers and the nation's real estate industry,"

The Senate is expected to consider Kraninger's nomination before the end of 2018. A copy of the coalition letter is attached to this release.

"Ms. Kraninger's previous positions in government demonstrate her approach to managing an agency that has significant impact on the daily lives of Americans and the entire U.S. economy," the letter reads. "Her background in government service with the Office of Management and Budget, Department of Homeland Security, and the Senate Appropriations Committee, gives her a strong understanding of the role of government and the need for increased transparency at the Bureau."

The National Association of Realtors 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

TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Roxgold Inc. ("Roxgold" or "the Company") (TSX: ROXG) (OTC: ROGFF) today reported results from its 2018 exploration drilling program at the 55 Zone and Bagassi South at the Yaramoko Gold Mine along with exploration plans for the balance of 2018 and the first half of 2019.

Highlights:

19.5 grams per tonne ("gpt") gold over 10.1 metres ("m") from 576.6m in diamond hole YRM-18-DD-475W intersected at the 55 zone

in diamond hole YRM-18-DD-475W intersected at the 55 zone 34.1 gpt gold over 2.1m from 664.2m in YRM-DD-485A at the 55 Zone

from in YRM-DD-485A at the 55 Zone 6.9 gpt gold over 16.5m including 1.1m at 33.9 g/t gold from 600.0m in YRM-18-DD-477W at the 55 Zone

including at 33.9 g/t gold from in YRM-18-DD-477W at the 55 Zone 9.2 gpt gold over 5.4m including 0.3m @ 80.3 g/t gold from 907.2m in YRM-18-DD-482 at the 55 Zone

including @ 80.3 g/t gold from in YRM-18-DD-482 at the 55 Zone 16.1 gpt gold over 0.5m in diamond drill hole YRM-18-DD-BGS-435 at QV1

in diamond drill hole YRM-18-DD-BGS-435 at QV1 Infill and Extensional drilling program in progress at Zone 55 and Bagassi South

Currently seven drill rigs active at Zone 55 and Bagassi South

Regional drilling program due to commence next week

John Dorward, President and Chief Executive Officer of Roxgold commented: "An extensive drilling program is currently underway at Yaramoko. Deeper drilling at the 55 Zone and new regional drilling, especially at the new Kaho target, located along the Yaramoko Shear Corridor to the south of Bagassi South are priorities for the current quarter and the first quarter of next year. With seven rigs active, we are positioned for an exciting six months."

55 Zone Drilling

The primary objectives of the 2018 drilling program are to drill test and delineate the 55 Zone extension along strike to the east and west beyond the current inferred resource boundary, and to upgrade the down plunge portion at 750  800 metres at depth of the high-grade orebody from Inferred to Indicated Resource. A total of 15,315 metres out of the 24,000 metre program was completed to date.

Strike extension drilling was successful in intersecting the shear structure in all drill holes, with better results beyond the existing resource limits including drill hole YRM-18-DD474W2 intersecting 7.0 gpt over 3.6m, and YRM-18-DD-482 intersecting 9.2 gpt over 5.4m (refer to Table 1 for the Zone 55 results). The drilling was also successful in confirming the geological interpretation of the mineralized limits to the main mineralized shoot.

Infill drilling has confirmed the orientation and continuity of high grade quartz veins within the 55 Zone ore shoot, with YRM-18-DD-456A intersecting 47.4 gpt over a 2.2m interval from 335.3m and YRM-18-DD-475W intersected 19.5 gpt over 10.1m from 576.6m, and combined with ongoing detailed mapping of the ore drives, is helping to improve the understanding of the key controls and distribution of these high grade quartz veins.

Highlights of the 55 Zone Results included in this release are outlined in Table 1 below. For a full listing of results from the recent program please refer to the following link (Table 1  55 Zone). All holes drilled into 55 Zone as part of the 2018 drilling program will be incorporated in the December 2018 updated resource model.

Table 1: Summary of Highlights from 55 Zone

Hole ID Azi Dip EOH Depth

From Depth

To Over

(m) True

Width

(m) Grade

(g/t) YRM-18-DD-459 356 -59 710.3 696.9 697.6 0.6 0.4 7.6 And





702.1 706.2 4.0 2.4 4.8 Including





702.1 703.0 0.9 0.5 8.7 Including





704.9 705.4 0.5 0.3 16.0 YRM-18-DD-467 359 -61 462.5 449.9 453.3 3.4 2.5 3.5 And





456.2 458.6 2.4 1.8 1.8 YRM-18-DD-472A 8 -57.0 596





0.0 NSR YRM-18-DD-473 3 -61 653.2 626.4 631.9 5.5 3.2 6.6 Including





627.6 628.2 0.6 0.3 49.7 YRM-18-DD-474W2 355 -51.4 789.7 775.4 779.0 3.6 2.7 7.0 Including





775.8 777.3 1.5 1.1 16.4 Including





776.6 777.3 0.7 0.5 28.8 YRM-18-DD-475W 2 -60 608.5 576.6 586.7 10.1 6.5 19.5 Including

-60

581.1 581.7 0.5 0.4 97.7 Including

-60

582.5 582.8 0.3 0.2 201.0 Including

-60

584.6 585.5 0.9 0.6 50.1 Including

-60

586.4 586.7 0.3 0.2 51.3 YRM-18-DD-476A 6 -55.0 770.5 754.6 760.2 5.6 4.0 1.2 Including

-55.0

755.3 756.5 1.2 0.8 3.3 Including

-55.0

758.3 759.3 1.0 0.7 2.0 YRM-18-DD-477W 1 -60.5 639 595.6 612.1 16.5 10.5 6.9 Including

-60.5

600.0 601.8 1.7 1.1 33.9 Including

-60.5

603.9 612.1 8.2 5.2 6.3 Including

-60.5

610.1 610.6 0.5 0.3 48.5 And

-60.5

632.5 634.4 1.9 1.2 5.8 Including

-60.5

633.3 633.9 0.6 0.4 15.5 YRM-18-DD-479D 6 -56.0 674.3 655.2 657.0 1.8 1.3 3.8 YRM-18-DD-480W 5 -56 580





0.0 NSR YRM-18-DD-482 8 -56 950.9 903.1 908.4 5.4 3.7 9.2 Including





904.3 906.2 1.9 1.3 12.4 Including





907.2 907.6 0.4 0.3 80.3 YRM-18-DD-485A 9 -56.5 703.4 664.2 666.3 2.1 1.6 34.1

Bagassi South Drilling

A follow up program of approximately 2,700 metres was also successfully completed on the high grade QV1 structure, testing the lithological contact near the surface beyond the resource boundaries, as well as potential for down plunge extensions across the mafic-granite contact. Up and down plunge extensions within the granite continued to demonstrate the favourability of the granite to host high grade mineralization with YRM-18-DD-BGS-393 intersecting 66.6 gpt over 0.4m from 83.1m, YRM-18-DD-BGS-437 intersecting 10.2 gpt over 2.3m from 134.7m and YRM-18-DD-BGS-430A intersecting 30.4 gpt over 0.5m from 250.9m.

Additionally YRM-18-DD-BGS-435 intersected 16.1 gpt over 0.5m from 293.5m within the Bagassi South granite highlighting the potential for further shoot development within this favourable host unit.

Near surface results highlighted the influence of the more ductile mafic units, resulting in similar widths but at reduced grades as demonstrated by YRM-18-DD-BGS-410 returning 7.3 gpt over 0.6m. In addition, down plunge intersections have highlighted the potential continuation of the Western pod with narrow but high grade widths intersected over a further 300 metres, located below the main Eastern pod and with a similar orientation. This will be investigated further in Q4.

Highlights of the QV1 Zone Results included in this release are outlined in Table 2 below. For a full listing of results from the recent program please refer to the following link (Table 2  Basgassi South QV1). All holes drilled into QV1 as part of the 2018 drilling program will be incorporated in the December 2018 updated resource model.

Table 2: Summary of Highlights from QV1

Hole ID Azi Dip EOH Depth

From Depth

To Over

(m) True

Width

(m) Grade

(g/t) YRM-18-DD-BGS-371 213 -61 216.2 54.2 54.7 0.4 0.3 42.3 And





196.1 198.4 2.3 1.8 20.9 Including





196.1 196.5 0.4 0.3 60.2 Including





197.5 197.8 0.3 0.3 61.9 And





207.6 208.8 1.2 0.9 2.1 YRM-18-DD-BGS-389B 211 -61 256.8 231.2 234.0 2.8 2.3 10.6 And





236.0 238.8 2.8 2.3 3.1 And





239.8 240.4 0.6 0.5 3.9 YRM-18-DD-BGS-393 206 -60 95.0 83.1 83.5 0.4 0.3 66.6 YRM-18-DD-BGS-406 212 -73 115.3 88.6 90.4 1.8 1.2 15.5 Including





88.6 89.5 0.8 0.5 31.7 And





96.6 98.0 1.4 0.9 13.2 YRM-18-DD-BGS-410 209 -60 42.5 25.4 26.0 0.6 0.5 7.3 YRM-18-DD-BGS-412 205 -60 287.5 266.8 267.6 0.8 0.7 6.0 YRM-18-DD-BGS-415 207 -61 220.0 190.4 191.0 0.6 0.5 3.3 And





209.7 210.2 0.5 0.4 38.6 And





211.0 215.5 4.5 3.6 1.6 Including





212.5 214.0 1.5 1.2 3.4 YRM-18-DD-BGS-418 211 -80 107.2 85.8 86.1 0.3 0.2 98.8 YRM-18-DD-BGS-422 219 -60 60.0 45.4 46.4 1.0 0.8 6.4 And





47.5 51.5 4.1 3.3 0.3 YRM-18-DD-BGS-428 205 -60 163.0 150.0 150.8 0.9 0.7 55.8 YRM-18-DD-BGS-430A 222 -61 274.2 250.9 251.4 0.5 0.4 30.4 YRM-18-DD-BGS-431B 206 -62 248.2 227.2 237.7 10.5 9.3 1.3 Including





227.2 229.8 2.6 2.3 3.9 Including





228.1 228.6 0.5 0.5 14.8 YRM-18-DD-BGS-435 205 -61 311.1 293.5 294.0 0.5 0.4 16.1 YRM-18-DD-BGS-437 208 -60 142.1 131.0 132.2 1.2 1.0 7.4 And





134.7 137.0 2.3 2.0 10.2 Including





134.7 135.9 1.3 1.1 17.8

Regional Drilling Program

Regionally, diamond drill testing of earlier auger anomalies at Haho returned encouraging anomalous results, including 12.8 gpt over 1.5m in YRM-18-DD-HAO-080 from 33.5m downhole and 0.3gpt over 13m from 129.5m downhole in YRM-18-DD-HAO-089. While the results were encouraging and defined a broad zone of weak mineralization, continuity of higher grades was difficult to define. Further structural interpretations of this area is planned.

Lease scale and local mapping has highlighted the good spatial correlation between geophysical structures, mineralization and elevated ratios of high Zirconium/high Rubidium values. This is supported by the close correlation with 55 Zone and Bagassi South with high Zr/high Rb values as well as gold anomalism. Similar signatures have been identified at Kaho where auger drilling was successful in identifying several areas of anomalism, including a 1.5 kilometre long well defined linear soil anomaly which is coincident to an underlying geophysical structure (Figure 3).

Regional drilling programs targeting geophysical and geochemical anomalies are due to commence in late November once the main crops have been harvested, with one RC drill rig testing the high priority 1.5 kilometre long, linear soil anomaly at Kaho before moving to other high ranking targets in early 2019.

During the 2018 rainy season and building from the 2017 geophysical surveys, significant progress was made on developing an integrated mineral systems framework for the license package. Key elements include:

Developing an understanding of the key lithogeochemical relationships

Integration of mine scale structural mapping into a detailed structural model

Further refinement of the geological model

Integration of the above with the geophysical datasets

The outcomes of this process will be used to underpin the regional exploration strategy and the basis of the 2018/19 programs.

Qualified Persons

Paul Weedon, MAIG, Vice President, Exploration for Roxgold Inc., is a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, having verified and approved the technical data disclosed in this press release. This includes the sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information.

For further information regarding the Project, please refer to the technical report dated December 20, 2017 and entitled "Technical Report for the Yaramoko Gold Project, Burkina Faso" (the "Technical Report"), available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

The holes were drilled with NQ2 sized diamond drill bits for drill holes reported in this press release. Company personnel are located at the drill site. Employees of Roxgold conducted all logging and sampling. The core was logged, marked up for sampling using standard lengths of two metres outside of the "zone" and adjusted to lithological contacts up to one metre within the "zone". Samples are then cut into equal halves using a diamond saw. One half of the core was left in the original core box and stored in a secure location at the Roxgold camp within the Yaramoko area. The other half was sampled, catalogued and placed into sealed bags and securely stored at the site until it was shipped to Activation Laboratories located in Ouagadougou (the "Lab"). The core was dried and crushed by the Lab and a 150 gram pulp was prepared from the coarse crushed material. The Lab then conducted routine gold analysis using a 50 gram charge and fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. Samples returning over 5.0 gpt were also analysed by gravimetric analysis. Quality control procedures included the systematic insertion of blanks, duplicates and sample standards into the sample stream. In addition, the Lab inserted its own quality control samples.

About Roxgold

Roxgold is a gold mining company with its key asset, the high grade Yaramoko Gold Mine, located on the Hounde greenstone belt in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Roxgold trades on the TSX under the symbol ROXG and as ROGFF on OTC.

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation: statements with respect to Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resource estimates, future production and life of mine estimates, future capital and operating costs and expansion and development plans. These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. In certain cases, forward-looking information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates", "believes", "could", "estimates", "expects", "may", "shall", "will", or "would". Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, the realization of resource estimates and reserve estimates, any potential upgrades of existing resource estimates, gold metal prices, the timing and amount of future exploration and development expenditures, the estimation of initial and sustaining capital requirements, the estimation of labour and operating costs, the availability of necessary financing and materials to continue to explore and develop the Company's properties in the short and long-term, the progress of exploration and development activities, the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.

Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include: changes in market conditions, unsuccessful exploration results, possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, changes in the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, inaccurate reserve and resource estimates, changes in the price of gold, unanticipated changes in key management personnel and general economic conditions. Mining exploration and development is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Roxgold Inc.

Related Links

www.roxgold.com

BOSTON, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, is hosting more than 1,200 customers, partners, suppliers and influencers at its latest Innovation Summit, November 13-14 in Atlanta, Georgia. The event brings together Schneider Electric experts and world-leading industry thought leaders to share insights and bold ideas on the challenges and opportunities of powering and digitizing the economy.

Schneider Electric Innovations Unveiled for North America

This year's Innovation Summit World Tour includes 20 events across the world, doubling the previous year's program. Innovation Summit North America explores the convergence of automation, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as discusses the value of digital transformation on critical applications and infrastructure across more than 45 expert learning sessions, strategy talks and panel discussions. Attendees will hear a keynote by Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Schneider Electric's chairman and CEO, and engage with Schneider Electric partners and users to discover real-world applications and experiences that impact businesses' digital economy.

Schneider Electric will showcase its latest developments to EcoStruxure, its IoT-enabled, plug and play, open, interoperable architecture and platform. EcoStruxure delivers enhanced value around safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability and connectivity. The platform leverages advancements in IoT, mobility, sensing, cloud and cybersecurity to deliver innovation at every level, from Connected Products and Edge Control to Apps, Analytics and Services. EcoStruxure has been deployed in more than 480,000 sites, with the support of more than 20,000 system integrators and developers, connecting more than 1.6 million assets under management through 40+ digital services.

With a 19,000 square-foot Innovation Hub, Schneider Electric will provide on-site demonstrations of its newest EcoStruxure products and solutions. Major EcoStruxure developments and innovations showcased at the Summit will include:

EcoStruxure Power : IoT-enabled enhancements to strengthen power management capabilities with advanced monitoring and analytics, as well as to improve operational safety, reliability and efficiency.

: IoT-enabled enhancements to strengthen power management capabilities with advanced monitoring and analytics, as well as to improve operational safety, reliability and efficiency. EcoStruxure Machine: Improvements to deliver advanced smart machine solutions, including product connectivity, edge control, tracking and monitoring.

Improvements to deliver advanced smart machine solutions, including product connectivity, edge control, tracking and monitoring. EcoStruxure IT: Cloud-based solutions for improved monitoring and visibility across the entire data center ecosystem.

Cloud-based solutions for improved monitoring and visibility across the entire data center ecosystem. EcoStruxure Grid: Enhanced microgrid solutions to maximize onsite renewable energy penetration and simplify power management.

Enhanced microgrid solutions to maximize onsite renewable energy penetration and simplify power management. EcoStruxure Buildings: New offerings to fortify occupant engagement, optimize space utilization better and empower personalized environments.

In addition, Schneider Electric will announce the winner of its eighth edition of Go Green in the City, the company's international student case study competition focusing on developing innovative energy solutions for smart cities. In August, Schneider Electric announced the competition finalists that will compete in the final round of the competition. Each finalist will present their case study to a jury composed of members of Schneider Electric's senior management, with the overall winner selected and announced during the Summit.

Bold ideas for the digital economy

"The booming digital economy is driving change at an unprecedented rate. At the same time, we're facing challenges to generate cost savings and become more efficient, sustainable and competitive," said Annette Clayton, CEO & President, Schneider Electric North America. "Technologies such as IoT, AI and big data analytics are helping companies in every industry innovate and welcome this disruption. In designing the Innovation Summit, we created an experience that will help unlock opportunities to overcome those challenges and make measurable improvements in your businesses."

During the two-day event, customers, partners and suppliers can attend Strategy Talks on the trends shaping the digital economy including "The New Energy Landscape," "Digital Grid," "Power Distribution Redefined," "Data Centers & Microgrids" and "The Energy Transition  Disruption & Opportunity." Schneider Electric will host Expert Learning Sessions with its stakeholders, delivering concrete customer successes, solutions and interactive discussions between participants. Topics include the effect of co-innovation, cybersecurity and edge computing across industries such as healthcare, industrial automation, consumer packaged goods and smart buildings.

Additionally, Schneider Electric invited global influencers from CNBC and the Wall Street Journal to host panels on key industry issues. CNBC's Contessa Brewer will moderate a panel on IoT with leaders from Energize Ventures, Deloitte, Darktrace, the Carlyle Group and the State University of New York to discuss the problems stopping the U.S. from achieving a sustainable energy system to meet society's new demands, and how innovation can help. The Wall Street Journal's Rob Sloan will lead a panel on industrial automation with executives from Carollo Engineers, Georgia Power, Delta Systems and ExxonMobil to explore how Industrial IoT impacts business productivity and efficiency today.

The Innovation Summit North America will feature the company's growing network of strategic digital alliances, technology partners and start-ups. More than 20 partners will be represented, including Microsoft, Accenture, IBM, Faith Technologies and Dynamic Energy Networks that complement Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure solutions.

For more information about Innovation Summit North America, please visit: https://www.schneider-electric.us/en/about-us/events/innovation-summit-north-america/.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is leading the Digital Transformation of Energy Management and Automation in Homes, Buildings, Data Centers, Infrastructure and Industries. With global presence in over 100 countries, Schneider is the undisputable leader in Power Management  Medium Voltage, Low Voltage and Secure Power, and in Automation Systems. We provide integrated efficiency solutions, combining energy, automation and software. In our global Ecosystem, we collaborate with the largest Partner, Integrator and Developer Community on our Open Platform to deliver real-time control and operational efficiency. We believe that great people and partners make Schneider a great company and that our commitment to Innovation, Diversity and Sustainability ensures that Life Is On everywhere, for everyone and at every moment.

www.schneider-electric.com

Discover Life Is On

Follow us on:

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Hashtags: #DigitalEconomy #EcoStruxure #InnovationSummit #LifeIsOn #SchneiderElectric

SOURCE Schneider Electric

Related Links

http://www.schneider-electric.com

TEWKSBURY, Mass., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The MFA Companies, a national business consulting and financial advisory firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of its newest partner, Michael Sullivan.

A member of MFA's Audit Practice since 2013, Michael brings diligence, passion and a customer-focused mentality to the Firm, working hand-in-hand with organizations to help them achieve their operational and financial goals.

"Michael is motivated by applying his intellect and tenacity to achieve a better future for all of us and all those we represent," said Carl Famiglietti, Managing Partner at The MFA Companies. "We are eager to witness his contributions flourish in this new capacity and for customers to continue to benefit from his modern approach to customer service and commitment to embracing and inspiring transformation."

Michael has more than 10 years of accounting and consulting experience, during which time he has managed audit engagements and acted as a trusted advisor to customers on their important operational and financial matters. With broad knowledge of a wide range of industries, including high technology, healthcare, manufacturing and nonprofit, Michael assists MFA's customers with everything from strategic audit planning and revenue recognition to employee benefit plan audits and GAAP financial reporting.

Michael's commitments also extend to the greater community where he's been an active Board Member for the nonprofit organization, We Are WCI  a Massachusetts organization providing residential, in-home and employment/day support to individuals with a wide range of intellectual disabilities, helping them to achieve a rich and meaningful life within the community.

About The MFA Companies

The MFA Companies is a national business consulting and financial advisory firm serving high-growth, entrepreneurial organizations and individuals. We offer distinct and impactful solutions that separate conventionally-run businesses from forward-looking, strategic enterprises. Our Firm has deep roots in the financial services industry and employs more than 180 business and financial professionals. Our primary focus is supporting and growing the financial vitality of our customers and their businesses. Visit www.themfacompanies.com to learn more.

Media contact: Julie Desrosiers, 978-557-5324

SOURCE The MFA Companies

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http://www.themfacompanies.com

FAIRFAX, Va., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Inova held their annual Honors Dinner in McLean, VA on November 9th. The Dinner is the premier event for the Capitol region to honor those physicians, nurses, and healthcare professionals who deliver extraordinary care, and who inspire patients to give back to Inova's non-profit missions. Being nominated by their peers, Fairfax Neonatal Associates (FNA) was recognized for their excellent patient care, and their dedication to philanthropic efforts that encourage the community to generously join them.

In 1973, FNA began one of the first neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in Northern Virginia with seven beds at the Inova Fairfax Hospital. Now more than four decades later, they provide care in the 108 bed Fairfax Neonatal Associates NICU at Inova Children's Hospital, as well as the NICUs at Inova Fair Oaks and Loudoun Hospitals. FNA is not only devoted to providing exceptional quality care to premature infants, they also offer specialty care to infants through adolescents at their outpatient offices, including pediatric pulmonology, allergy, surgery, and sleep medicine services.

FNAs philanthropic efforts are largely focused on the March of Dimes (MoD), a non-profit organization that advocates for the health of all moms and babiessupporting prematurity research and improvements in care. Other areas of generosity for FNA in 2018 include donations to the NICUs of Inova Children's, Fair Oaks, and Loudoun hospitals, and sponsorships of Food Allergy Research Education (FARE), the Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia, Inova Nursing for the Stars program, and the StarKid 5K.

Other 2018 honorees awarded as philanthropy champions are Sage Bolte, PhD, LCSW, CST, Martin Brown, MD, FACEP, and Shashank Desai, MD. For the complete Inova Honors Dinner program go to https://inovahonorsdinner.org/our-honorees/.

For more information about Fairfax Neonatal Associates, visit www.fnapc.com, or find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Fairfax Neonatal Associates

and Pediatric Subspecialty Groups

2730 Prosperity Ave, Fairfax, VA 22301

19465 Deerfield Avenue, Suite 410, Leesburg, VA 20176

SOURCE Fairfax Neonatal Associates, P.C.

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http://www.fnapc.com

NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine today announced the results of The Princeton Review's 13th annual survey naming the 25 undergraduate and 25 graduate schools best for entrepreneurship studies.

The University of Michigan captured the #1 spot on the undergraduate entrepreneurship programs ranking list for the first time. Babson College finished #1 on the graduate entrepreneurship programs list  a distinction it last earned in 2013. Both schools had been at the #4 spots on the respective 2018 lists. The full lists of the top 25 undergraduate and graduate schools for 2019 are below.

The Princeton Review posted the ranking lists today at www.princetonreview.com/best-business-schools At this area on the company's site, users can also access information on The Princeton Review's survey, criteria, and methodology for the rankings, plus its detailed profiles of the schools.

Entrepreneur posted the lists on https://www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges . The magazine will also publish the lists and a feature on the rankings in its December issue available on newsstands November 27. The feature offers details about the schools' programs and the number of entrepreneur-related courses they offer. It also reports on the number of startups the schools' graduates launched in the past ten years and levels of funding they raised.

The Princeton Review tallied its 2019 lists based on surveys it conducted from July through August 2018 of administrators at more than 300 schools offering entrepreneurship studies. The 60-question survey covered the school's commitment to entrepreneurship studies inside and outside the classroom. Topics included: the percentage of faculty, students, and alumni actively and successfully involved in entrepreneurial endeavors, the number and reach of mentorship programs, scholarships and grants for entrepreneurial studies, and the level of support for school-sponsored business plan competitions. In all, more than 40 data points were analyzed in the ranking list tallies.

"These colleges and business schools have truly superb entrepreneurship programs," said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief. "Their faculties are genuinely engaged in entrepreneurism. Their courses are rich with in-class and out-of-class experiential components, and the financial and networking support their students receive via donors and alumni is extraordinary."

"This annual ranking in partnership with The Princeton Review is an excellent resource for future founders with entrepreneurial goals," says Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur magazine. "Each of the entrepreneurship programs on the list offers valuable opportunities for business-minded students to become knowledgeable leaders and pursue their passions."

Many schools on the lists have extraordinary records of graduate accomplishments. At the University of Michigan, #1 on the undergraduate list, students graduating within the last ten years have started over 1,000 companies that have raised $61 million in funding. At Rice University, #3 on the graduate list, students graduating in the last ten years have started over 350 companies that have raised $4 billion in funding.

Columbia University, #5 on the graduate list, offers one of the largest and richest graduate student business plan competitions. Last year, it awarded $2,400,000 for student entrepreneurial projects.

The Princeton Review's Top Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies for 2019

Top 25 Undergraduate Schools

University of Michigan University of Houston (TX) Babson College (MA) Brigham Young University (UT) Northeastern University (MA) Baylor University (TX) Washington University in St. Louis (MO) University of Maryland University of Utah Tecnologico de Monterrey ( Mexico ) North Carolina State University Ball State University (IN) DePaul University (IL) Miami University (OH) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of Iowa Syracuse University (NY) University of Kansas University of Dayton (OH) The University of Oklahoma Michigan State University Texas A&M University The University of Texas at Dallas Belmont University (TN) Drexel University (PA)

Top 25 Graduate Schools

Babson College (MA) The University of Chicago (IL) Rice University (TX) Northwestern University (IL) Columbia University (NY) The University of Texas at Austin University of Virginia University of Michigan Northeastern University (MA) Brigham Young University (UT) The University of Texas at Dallas The University of South Florida University of Washington Syracuse University (NY) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of California San Diego University of Rochester (NY) Washington University in St. Louis (MO) University of Utah DePaul University (IL) Saint Louis University (MO) New York University (NY) Texas A&M University Oklahoma State University University of Maryland

Four schools are new to the undergraduate entrepreneurship programs list for 2019: Michigan State University (#21), Texas A&M University (#22), The University of Texas at Dallas (#23) and Belmont University (#24). Three schools are new on the graduate programs list: Columbia University (#5), University of Washington (#13) and Saint Louis University (#21).

Only schools that participated in The Princeton Review entrepreneurship program survey were eligible for consideration for these rankings.

The Princeton Review also reports annual business and law school rankings and several categories of college rankings at www.PrincetonReview.com as well as in its books, The Best 384 Colleges and Colleges That Pay You Back.

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school-bound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors, online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit www.PrincetonReview.com . Follow the company on Twitter @ThePrincetonRev .

About Entrepreneur Media Inc.

For more than 40 years, Entrepreneur Media Inc. has been serving the entrepreneurial community providing comprehensive coverage of business and personal success through original content and events. Entrepreneur magazine, Entrepreneur.com, and publishing imprint Entrepreneur Press provide solutions, information, inspiration and education read by millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners worldwide.

Websites:

www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges

www.princetonreview.com/best-business-schools

SOURCE The Princeton Review

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CALGARY, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - TransAlta Corporation ("TransAlta" or the "Company") (TSX: TA,NYSE: TAC) today announced the appointment of Christophe Dehout to Chief Financial Officer. Effective immediately, he will replace Brett Gellner, who will continue to serve as Chief Strategy and Investment Officer of TransAlta.

Mr. Dehout brings broad experience in power generation and extensive knowledge of capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and corporate transformations. Most recently Mr. Dehout was at Engie SA as Project Director and Deputy Head of Performance and Group Transformation where he contributed to the successful closing of the transfer of Engie's LNG division to Total SA. Prior to that, Mr. Dehout held increasingly senior roles at Engie where he saw first-hand the conversion of coal and gas power generation to renewables.

"We are excited that Christophe has joined the TransAlta team as our new Chief Financial Officer," said Dawn Farrell, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Christophe brings extensive financial and strategic experience. This, combined with his deep knowledge of the global power market will be pivotal as we transform the company and transition to clean power by 2025."

About TransAlta Corporation

TransAlta owns, operates and develops a diverse fleet of electrical power generation assets in Canada, the United States and Australia with a focus on long-term shareholder value. We provide municipalities, medium and large industries, businesses and utility customers clean, affordable, energy efficient, and reliable power. Today, we are one of Canada's largest producers of wind power and Alberta's largest producer of hydro-electric power. For over 100 years, TransAlta has been a responsible operator and a proud community-member where its employees work and live. TransAlta aligns its corporate goals with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and we have been recognized by CDP (formerly Climate Disclosure Project) as an industry leader on Climate Change Management. We are also proud to have achieved the Silver level PAR (Progressive Aboriginal Relations) designation by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business.

For more information about TransAlta, visit our web site at transalta.com.

SOURCE TransAlta Corporation

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LONDON, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

- UENI, a champion of small businesses, rolls out a campaign to build websites for free for small and micro businesses across the UK

- Bold offer allows independent service providers to compete with big chains and get discovered online

- After huge success in Manchester, UENI rolls out the initiative nationwide to support the small business economy

UENI, the digital platform that helps local businesses grow online, is rolling out a free service for small and micro businesses across the UK.

Businesses that lack a strong web presence can apply for one for free, as part of UENI's strategy to empower millions of small businesses.

The UENI service - which includes building a website, listing the business on Google My Business, and helping the business rank well on search engines - will help small businesses compete against local service giants by giving them a step up on the digital ladder.

UENI not only builds a professional website for the business, it also adds high-value functionalities such as online bookings and instant messaging, while managing the hosting, technical maintenance and security required on any modern website.

UENI is offering this service for free to service-based businesses across the UK. The Hammersmith-based company, which launched in 2014, stands out for offering businesses a fully-built solution, whereas competing low-cost solutions leave it to the business to build the website themselves. Beyond the free service, businesses can enhance their online visibility with UENI by getting listed on high-traffic, trusted platforms and online maps. UENI thus becomes the single place where businesses maintain their information, so that UENI ensures they are professionally represented across the web.

In August, UENI successfully launched a pilot of the campaign in Manchester, setting up websites for 1,774 small businesses that previously had no digital presence.

Christine Telyan, founder of UENI explains, "Small businesses tell us that a common frustration is not knowing how to get in front of customers. We also know that the vast majority of sole traders and independent service providers have at least half of their time not booked, indicating the great opportunity for them to grow. Having a professionally designed and fully functioning website and being present on high-traffic online platforms makes a huge difference to trade. It allows a business to be discovered online, to present itself as a credible choice to customers, to compete with other local providers, and with time, it can help make their business more profitable. Without a digital presence, these businesses are invisible to potential customers.

Telyan continues, "We know that small businesses usually do not have the time, funding or technical skills to get online, but they need to be online. By offering this vital service for free, businesses can take this important first step and consumers can benefit from the diversity and choice that small and independent businesses offer."

A recent survey by UENI found that the single biggest reason small and independent business owners avoid setting up a website is that they have not had the time. 27% also reported that they wouldn't know where to start when building a website.*

Data shows that the smallest firms are least well represented online.** UENI's focus is to engage with small, independent business owners in the services sector, who are particularly dependent on local footfall.

To apply for a free website and learn more about UENI's digital solutions, business owners should go to ueni.com and register their details.

About UENI

UENI is a London-based company with headquarters in 2-14 Shortlands, W6 8DJ Hammersmith. It was founded with the goal of creating low cost, easy solutions for small businesses to get online and get new customers through digital discovery without having to worry about the cost, skills and time usually associated with that.

Through the extensive use of technology and advanced algorithms, UENI allows self-starters, sole traders and small business owners to make their services discoverable to local customers. With a range of packages carefully crafted with local businesses in mind, UENI makes it easy and effortless to put your business where your customers are: online.

For press enquiries, please contact [email protected] or call +44-207-602-2737.

* According to a poll of 60 micro businesses by UENI, July 2018

** According to research by SQQ

SOURCE UENIHONG KONG, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Bridge Holdings Limited (OTCQB: UGHL) ("Union Bridge" or the "Company"), through its subsidiary First Channel Limited ("First Channel"), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with APrevent Medical Inc. ("APrevent") regarding a potential share swap between UGHL and APrevent.

APrevent Medical Inc., a medical device company designs, manufactures and distributes medical equipment and is currently developing two projects, Vocal Implant System (VOIS) and Intelligible Speak (AiSpeak).

VOIS is a laryngeal implant used for glottis insufficiency (vocal fold paralysis). Medialization thyroplasty Type I (MT) is the standard treatment for glottis insufficiency, by inserting artificial or transplanted materials into the paraglottic space to achieve glottis closure. In patients with a large glottis gap or high vagal lesions, a surgical procedure, arytenoid adduction (AA), can be performed to reduce the posterior glottis gap and correct the vertical height difference between the vocal folds. Unlike existing products, APrevent's VOIS implant combines the advantage of both MT and AA for optimized results.

The potential share swap is subject to the results of each party's due diligence, agreement on valuation (and therefore number of shares to be exchanged), negotiation of definitive agreements and approval of the of the board of directors of each party.

Subject to these conditions, when development of the VOIS and Aispeak technologies is complete, First Channel would have priority to assist in the promotion of, and be the exclusive distributor of, the VOIS and Aispeak products in China (including Hong Kong and Macao), India and Thailand; First Channel would be responsible for marketing, including providing volunteers to become VOIS testers and establishing Aispeak language identification system artificial language learning data. APrevent would be responsible for product development, branding, brand image, technology and support as requested by First Channel for its marketing efforts.

Mr. Joseph Ho, Chief Executive Officer of Union Bridge, said, "The proposed cooperation with APrevent would help us to further expand our operations in the heathcare business."

Forward Looking Statements

This Press Release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, expectations, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements which are other than statements of historical facts. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "would," "expect," "plan," "project," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," or "think." Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include:

Our due diligence review and valuation of Aprevent and Aprevent's two projects in VOIS and Aispeak may not be acceptable to us.

APrevent's due diligence review and valuation of us may not be acceptable to them.

may not be acceptable to them. We may not be able to successfully negotiate definitive agreements for the share exchange.

APrevent may not be able to successfully develop the VOIS and Aispeak products.

the VOIS and Aispeak products. APrevent may not be able to obtain all necessary government licenses and permits for distribution of VOIS and Aispeak in China (including Hong Kong , Macao ), India and Thailand .

Investors should carefully consider these risks and review the risk factor disclosure and other information, including the Company's financial statements and the notes thereto, set forth in the reports and other documents the Company files with the SEC available at www.sec.gov .

The Company assumes no duty to update or revise its forward-looking statements based on changes in plans or expectations or otherwise.

CONTACT: Jim Chim, +852-2468-3039, [email protected]

SOURCE Union Bridge Holdings LimitedPhoto: The Canadian Press Power transmission lines crest a hilltop above Camp Creek Road, the point of origin of the Camp Fire, in Pulga, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

The dead were found in burned-out cars, in the smouldering ruins of their homes, or next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could jump in behind the wheel and escape. In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that coroner's investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them.

At least 42 people were confirmed dead in the wildfire that turned the Northern California town of Paradise and outlying areas into hell on earth, making it the deadliest blaze in state history. The search for bodies continued Monday. Authorities said they were bringing in cadaver dogs, two portable morgue units from the military and an additional 160 search and rescue personnel to help find human remains.

"This is an unprecedented event," Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told an evening news conference. "If you've been up there, you also know the magnitude of the scene we're dealing with. I want to recover as many remains as we possibly can, as soon as we can. Because I know the toll it takes on loved ones."

Officials said they did not know how many people were missing four days after the fire swept over the town of 27,000 and practically wiped it off the map with flames so fierce that authorities brought in a mobile DNA lab and forensic anthropologists to help identify the dead.

Meanwhile, a landowner near where the blaze began, Betsy Ann Cowley, said she got an email from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. the day before the fire last week telling her that crews needed to come onto her property because the utility's power lines were causing sparks. PG&E had no comment on the email, and state officials said the cause of the inferno was under investigation.

As the search for victims dragged on, friends and relatives of the missing called hospitals, police, shelters and the coroner's office in hopes of learning what became of their loved ones. Paradise was a popular retirement community, and about a quarter of the population was over 65.

Tad Teays awaited word on his 90-year-old dementia-stricken mother. Darlina Duarte was desperate for information about her half brother, a diabetic who was largely housebound because he had lost his legs. And Barbara Hall tried in vain to find out whether her aunt and the woman's husband, who are in their 80s and 90s, made it out alive from their retirement community.

"Did they make it in their car? Did they get away? Did their car go over the edge of a mountain somewhere? I just don't know," said Hall, adding that the couple had only a landline and calls were not going through to it.

Megan James, of Newfoundland searched via Twitter from the other side of the continent for information about her aunt and uncle, whose house in Paradise burned down and whose vehicles were still there. On Monday, she asked on Twitter for someone to take over the posts, saying she is "so emotionally and mentally exhausted."

"I need to sleep and cry," James added. "Just PRAY. Please."

The blaze was part of an outbreak of wildfires on both ends of the state. Together, they were blamed for 44 deaths, including two in celebrity-studded Malibu in Southern California , where firefighters appeared to be gaining ground against a roughly 143-square-mile (370-square-kilometre) blaze that destroyed at least 370 structures, with hundreds more feared lost.

Some of the thousands of people forced from their homes by the blaze were allowed to return, and authorities reopened U.S. 101, a major freeway through the fire zone in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Malibu celebrities and mobile-home dwellers in nearby mountains were slowly learning whether their homes had been spared or reduced to ash.

All told, more than 8,000 firefighters statewide were battling wildfires that destroyed more than 7,000 structures and scorched more than 325 square miles (840 square kilometres), the flames feeding on dry brush and driven by blowtorch winds.

In Northern California, fire crews still fighting the blaze that obliterated Paradise contended with wind gusts up to 40 mph (64 kph) overnight, the flames jumping 300 feet across Lake Oroville. The fire had grown to 177 square miles (303 square kilometres) and was 25 per cent contained, authorities said. Winds were expected to weaken on Monday night.-- The agreement with Lincoln Clean Energy will produce enough wind energy to reduce the emissions associated with Vail Resorts' estimated FY19 North American electricity use by 100 percent, which includes 17 resorts and their associated retail, hospitality, and corporate offices

-- Eco-Products named 'Official Zero Waste Partner' of Vail Resorts to help divert nearly 300 tons of waste from landfills through sustainable sourcing, including a Smart Straw initiative

-- Today's announcements are a part of the Company's first EpicPromise Progress Report around its 'Commitment to Zero' initiative and corporate giving programs

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) today took major steps in its 'Commitment to Zero,' as the Company announced a long-term wind energy contract to purchase the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power 100 percent of its estimated FY 2019 North American operations by 2020. Additionally, Vail Resorts announced a partnership with Eco-Products to supply all of its North American restaurants with compostable and recycled-content items and eliminate conventional single-use plastics, a process which will begin during the 2018-19 winter season.

"As a growing company, deeply connected to the outdoors, we made a commitment last year to address our most pressing global and environmental challenges and protect our local communities and natural resources," said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. "Today we are thrilled to announce significant initiatives that will help us achieve our zero net emissions and zero waste to landfill goals, and provide a transparent look at our progress through our first EpicPromise Progress Report."

The Company's multimillion-dollar wind energy virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) enables the development of the Plum Creek Wind Project, which is expected to be completed in 2020. Under the 12-year agreement, Vail Resorts is purchasing 310,000 megawatt hours (MWh) annually  enough wind energy to reduce the emissions associated with the Company's estimated FY 2019 North American electricity use by 100 percent, which includes the recent acquisitions of Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Stevens Pass Resort, Okemo Mountain Resort, and Mount Sunapee Resort. That is also the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power 30,000 average U.S. homes each year.

The Company's agreement with Lincoln Clean Energy, a subsidiary of rsted and a leading developer of U.S. renewables, is the first of its kind to be executed by a Colorado-based company as a buyer and will make Vail Resorts the first major company in the leisure and hospitality industry to achieve 100 percent renewable electricity for its North American electricity load with a VPPA. Schneider Electric Energy & Sustainability Services served as a strategic advisor to Vail Resorts on the selection of the Plum Creek project.

"This agreement is just one of many ways Vail Resorts is working to be an industry leader in preserving the environment by bringing more renewable energy online," said Katz. "While we continually work with local, state and federal governments and utility partners to find ways to source renewable energy in the markets where our individual resorts are located, this wind power purchase agreement allows us to make a measurable impact on climate change  and its effect on the planet  within just a few years."

On a local level, Vail Resorts recently signed a contract with Xcel Energy in Colorado to support a new solar energy facility, and is sponsoring Rocky Mountain Power's request for proposal for 308,000 MWh of renewable energy, which could lead to a significant increase in the amount of solar, wind, and geothermal projects in Utah. Additionally, the Company has invested $2.4 million in energy efficiency projects across its resorts over the last year, including low-energy snowmaking and energy-efficient building upgrades.

Achieving zero net emissions by 2030 is one pillar within the Company's 'Commitment to Zero' sustainability goal, announced by Vail Resorts in 2017. Another pillar is to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2030.

In naming Boulder-based Eco-Products its 'Official Zero Waste Partner,' the Company is investing heavily in sourcing sustainable guest-facing dining products at all Vail Resorts restaurants across its 17 North American resorts, a process that will begin this winter season. Through this partnership, the Company is working to eliminate all single-use, guest-facing conventional plastic products, such as cups, straws, beverage lids, plates, bowls and cutlery, and replacing them with compostable or recycled-content products a move that's expected to divert nearly 300 tons of waste from landfills over the next two winter seasons.

To support and accommodate this change, and make measurable progress towards zero waste in 2030, Vail Resorts is working with community partners to identify increased opportunities to recycle and compost. The Company has set aside funding to build out resort-wide composting capabilities  with a full resort diversion project already underway at Park City Mountain in Utah, targeting food scraps and compostable packaging, due to be completed next season and expected to divert more than 400 tons of waste from landfills over the next two winter seasons.

Other zero waste initiatives from Vail Resorts include: expanding a Smart Straw initiative, where compostable straws will be available by request only across all the Company's North American restaurants; moving to durable products where possible, such as replacing single-use wax paper cups with reusable tumblers everywhere that dishwashing is available (expected to eliminate nearly 300,000 disposable cups this season); using waste-tracking sensors to help better measure current waste streams and identify inefficiencies; and working with graduate students from the University of Colorado Boulder, Masters of the Environment program to conduct waste audits and research to identify opportunities for improvement.

"We are on a journey to re-imagine what it means to be a leader in sustainability by focusing on what's right for our communities, our mountains and our future," said Katz. "To succeed, we must rely on our individual and collective participation to ignite a passion for the great outdoors and strong communities for generations to come."

Today's sustainability announcements are a part of the 2018 EpicPromise Progress Report from Vail Resorts, an effort to transparently report annually on progress around its "Commitment to Zero" goals as well as its employee and community giving initiatives. More information about the programs outlined in the report can be found at www.epicpromise.com.

About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)

Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts' subsidiaries operate 15 world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher in Australia; Stowe and Okemo in Vermont; Mt. Sunapee in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.

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RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Virginia Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Barry DuVal today released the below statement following the announcement that Amazon has selected Crystal City in Northern Virginia as one its two sites for its second headquarters:

"This is a historic day for Virginia's economy. Amazon's selection of Virginia is a testament to the caliber of our workforce in the Commonwealth and our commitment to keeping Virginia the most business-friendly state in America.

"A robust growing economy has the capability to benefit all Virginians. The Virginia Chamber recently released Blueprint Virginia 2025, laying out a long-term strategic plan for strengthening Virginia's economic competitiveness. Announcements like today's are exactly the type transformational project that will reposition Virginia once again as the number one state for business.

"The business community is pleased to stand with Governor Northam and the General Assembly on our common goal to ensure Virginia's business climate continues to attract additional investments, such as the one announced today. This includes a strong focus on improvements to Virginia's talent pipeline. As the voice of Virginia business, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce is delighted to welcome Amazon's major corporate headquarters to the Commonwealth of Virginia."

SOURCE Virginia Chamber of Commerce"Wendy embodies exactly who our Woman of the Year award was created fora female communicator who is both an example of excellence in the profession and deeply committed to improving her community and uplifting fellow women in the industry," said Danielle Veira, co-president of WWPR. "It is our pleasure to celebrate women like Wendy who are bringing to life WWPR's mission of cultivating and inspiring female communicators to reach their full potential."

Hagen, along with finalists Kate Perrin, founder and chief executive officer of PRofessional Solutions, LLC, and Gloria Rodriguez, founder and chief executive officer of Comunicad, LLC, was honored by more than 200 of her peers at the annual event. This year's theme was Communicate. Collaborate. Conquer.

"After many years working in agencies and nearly 10 years in business on my own, it's such an honor to receive this award from WWPR," said Hagen. "It was especially meaningful to be included among such accomplished fellow finalists, Gloria Rodriguez and Kate Perrin, who've given so much to the public relations community."

WWPR, a professional society advancing women communicators in metropolitan Washington, established the Woman of the Year Award in 1990 to foster camaraderie among women in public relations and honor the most talented women in the field.

Keynote remarks were provided by Kirsten Suto Seckler, chief brand and communications officer of Special Olympics International and 2009 PR Woman of the Year finalist. During her keynote and fireside chat with Chen, Suto Seckler challenged attendees to advocate for equality and justice, while trusting their own power and being authentic leaders.

The event also highlighted WWPR's commitment to serving the DC-area community with proceeds from the annual raffle going to the organization's pro bono client, Sitar Arts Center, whose core mission is to provide high-quality after-school education and experiences in visual, digital and performing arts to children and youth from low-income families who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

The 29th Annual PR Woman of the Year Award luncheon, co-chaired by Taylor Leaming of Ketchum and Christin Lewis of Hilton, was made possible by support from WWPR's annual and event sponsors, raffle contributors and strategic partners.

About Washington Women in Public Relations

Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) is a member-based professional society cultivating and inspiring female communicators to reach their full potential in the D.C. market and beyond. The organization is committed to providing leadership opportunities, professional development, mentorship, and industry networking. Find out more at www.wwpr.org.

SOURCE Washington Women in Public Relations

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Istanbul, Nov 13 : The Turkish government on Monday insisted it had shared with a French intelligence agency the audio recordings and transcripts related to the killing of a Saudi Arabian journalist in his country's consulate in Istanbul last month.

The assertion came after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in an interview Monday that he had no knowledge of Turkey sharing audio of Jamal Khashoggi's killing, and accused Turkey of playing a political game with the journalist's death, Efe reported.

A spokesperson for the Turkish presidency told EFE that "On October 24, a representative of the French intelligence listened to the audio record and received detailed information about it, including a transcript of this recording."

Also Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said France may be trying to cover up Khashoggi's murder to protect its economic interests in Saudi Arabia.

"No one should be surprised if soon they begin to deny the murder, which even Saudi Arabia accepted," Cavusoglu said.

"Damn money! Keep a close eye on who is closing what kind of deals lately," the foreign minister added.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that his country's intelligence services had listened to audio recordings of Khashoggi's death.

The diplomatic spat comes two days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government had previously shared the recordings with Saudi Arabia, the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

Although Saudi Arabia initially claimed Khashoggi left the consulate alive on October 2, the Arab kingdom reversed course on Oct. 19 and claimed he had been "accidently" killed in a fistfight inside the diplomatic mission, but said it was the work of a rogue Saudi intelligence team.

Since Khashoggi's disappearance, Turkish authorities have released a steady drip of information from anonymous official sources to keep the story in the media spotlight and to pressure its regional rival.Los Angeles, Nov 13 : Actor Michael C. Hall does not consider himself "all the way heterosexual".

Discussing his previous homosexual roles as David in "Six Feet Under", Hall told The Daily Beast: "I think there's a spectrum. I am on it. I'm heterosexual. But if there was a percentage, I would say I was not all the way heterosexual.

"I think playing the Emcee required me to fling a bunch of doors wide open because that character I imagined as pansexual. Yeah, like I made out with Michael Stuhlbarg every night doing that show. I think I have always leaned into any fluidity in terms of my sexuality."

But the "Dexter" star said he had never had a sexual relationship with another man, though the death of his father when he was just 11-years-old has made him "crave emotional intimacy" with a guy, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

He said: "I've never had an intimate relationship with a man. I think, maybe because of an absent father, there has definitely been a craving for an emotional intimacy with a man.

"I don't mean to suggest that an emotional relationship between a father and son is any way homoerotic. I mean an emotional intimacy or connection that at least in the milieu I grew up in was considered fey. I had an appetite to have emotional connections with men beyond beer, sports, and fist pumping that were considered 'gay.'"Madrid, Nov 13 : The world's most popular freeware instant messaging app confirmed its prior announcement that, as of Monday, any users who have not backed up their stored data and chats on Google Drive will lose their chat histories.

WhatsApp, which is owned by tech giant Facebook, had reached an agreement with Google last August to store user content on the Google Drive cloud storage service without said data affecting the user's maximum memory limit, Efe reported.

Furthermore, WhatsApp warned that any backups that hadn't been updated in over a year would also be automatically removed from the Google Drive storage.

This will also allow users to easily reload their data on different or new Android smartphones.

Android users can update their copy and configure its update frequency as long as they have a personal account on Google.

Earlier this year, WhatsApp's CEO and co-founder, Jan Koum, announced he was leaving FacebookWashington, Nov 13 : North Korea continues to secretly develop its nuclear weapons programme despite months of talks with the US, according to a report released by a Washington-based think tank.

The Centre for Strategic and International Strategic Studies (CSIS) report released on Monday argues that, despite talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang is reinforcing thirteen secret facilities that serve primarily to store nuclear weapons, reports Efe news.

These improvements include the expansion of some of these bases and the construction of access roads.

The report includes satellite photos that show that in recent months North Korea has carried out a number of improvements to a series of facilities that would "support a missile launch in an emergency".

This information is a setback for President Trump, who in recent months has boasted about the progress made after his summit with Kim in Singapore on June 12, which led, among other gestures, to the decommissioning of the Sohae missile base, in the northwest of the country in July.

"North Korea's decommissioning of the Sohae satellite launch facility, while gaining much media attention, obscures the military threat to US forces and South Korea from this and other undeclared ballistic missile bases," CSIS said.

Kim agreed to abandon his nuclear program and was willing to be inspected by international organisations in exchange for the US to also make concessions.

However, in recent weeks, negotiations have cooled down as Pyongyang considers that it has already taken several steps but has not had the expected response from Washington, which has neither relaxed the sanctions nor cancelled its joint military manoeuvers with South Korea, something North Korea considers a provocation.Mumbai, Nov 13 : As the news of comic creator Stan Lee's death broke out, a slew of celebrated names from the Indian film fraternity like Shekhar Kapur, Sonam Kapoor, Athiya Shetty and Arjun Kapoor took to social media to pay tributes to the 95-year-old Marvel Comics patriarch.

Lee, who created the "X-Men", the "Avengers" and "Black Panther", died on Monday.

Born as Stanley Lieber, Lee began his career at what was then Timely Comics in 1939. Over the years he was a writer, editor and occasional illustrator.

He first created the Fantastic Four which was followed by Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men and Daredevil.

Taking to mourn the comic visionary's death, this is what Bollywood celebrities had to say:

Shekhar Kapur: The man that started the idea of superheroes.. the originator of those mythic characters... Stan Lee RIP. Had the opportunity to spend time and work with him too. He loved Indian Mythology.

Sonam Kapoor: "Nuff said" Stan Lee.

Arjun Kapoor: The man who made me believe heroes exist around us and within us. Thank you Stan Lee for giving us the hope and belief we all love latching onto... RIP Stan you will always be the worlds first super hero!

Rana Daggubati: And today my Universe mourns! RIP Stan Lee one of the greatest influencers of my life and our times.

Sidharth Malhotra: Farewell Stan Lee. The superhero of dreams, imagination and creativity. You will live forever. RIP Stan Lee.

Taapsee Pannu: Today we lost the hero of my favourite films. Stan Lee. I almost believed he is a super hero who will never leave us... Along with him, my dream of meeting him, to discover a super power I always dreamt of having, will rest in peace forever and ever.

Siddharth: Exelsior. Stan Lee -- legend the super hero rests.

Randeep Hooda: Thank you for the Marvel universe... For making us see super heroes in all of us RIP Stan Lee.

Athiya Shetty: Forever superhero, Stan Lee.

Dia Mirza: What would the world be without Stan Lee. RIP.

Esha Gupta: Can't b'lieve an era is over... thankful we were all blessed to be in this era Stan Lee.

Kunal Kohli: Stan Lee. As little kids we did not know the hero who created our heroes. The heroes he made, made super heroes out of actors.He made our childhood and keeps the child in us living forever. Stan Lee far more than a superhero forever. RIP.

Vir Das: Rest in peace Stan Lee You are Marvel's greatest hero.

Armaan Malik: I am not feeling sad about Stan Lee because he is never going to be leaving us. In every character that he conceptualised there lives a part of him. Thank you for creating your own universe here on earth and making us believe in your Marvel Stan Lee RIP sir.New Delhi, Nov 13 : Jawaharlal Nehru, widely regarded as the architect of modern India, had deep affection and regard for literature and scholarship. The Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) here bears this out, but has been the subject of much controversy during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led dispensation. Critics say that the government is "diluting" Nehrus legacy by changing the character of his memorial whereas the government has maintained that it is only "upgrading" it.

The NMML is housed in Teen Murti Bhavan, located south of Rashtrapati Bhavan, and was designed by Robert Tor Russell. It was built in 1929-30 as part of Edwin Lutyens' imperial capital and was initially the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief in India. In August 1948, after the departure of the last British Commander-in-Chief, Teen Murti Bhavan became the official residence of independent India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

It remained Nehru's residence for 16 years until his death in May 1964; and barely six months after his demise, S. Radhakrishnan, the then President of India, formally inaugurated the Nehru Memorial Museum in November 1964. Despite several additions and changes on the official website of NMML in recent months, it still acknowledges that the Government of India decided that the Teen Murti House should be dedicated to him (Nehru) and house a museum and a library.

An exclusive library building was constructed a decade later to make it a place of pilgrimage for the Indian masses on the one hand and a premier research centre for intellectual activity on the other. It was inaugurated by V.V. Giri, then President of India, in January 1974. The steady increase in the volume of research material further necessitated the construction of an annexe, which was completed in 1989. The Centre for Contemporary Studies was set up as a new unit of NMML in this building in 1990.

Over the next two decades, the NMML fast emerged as a premier institution of research on Indian history but never before had it faced an unrest comparable to what emerged after the rise of Narendra Modi and the BJP at the Centre in 2014.

The turmoil began as early as September 2015 when Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said that the appointment of Mahesh Rangarajan as the director of NMML during the Manmohan Singh led-United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was "unethical and illegal"; this was followed by the latter's resignation.

Founded as an autonomous institution, the General Council, President and the Vice-President of the NMML are nominated by the central government.

The NMML remained headless for almost a year but saw another controversy when a new director was appointed. Shakti Sinha, who was a private secretary to Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he headed the first BJP-led government at the Centre, was appointed as the new director of NMML in August 2016. Within days, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a member of the executive committee (EC), resigned from his post citing that rules were tweaked to appoint Sinha as the director.

Ironically, the advertisement (in picture) for the post of the director said that the Executive Council of NMML is the "Appointing Authority", but Mehta alleged that, according to the rules, only a scholar or writer could occupy the top post of NMML whereas the government tweaked it to allow an administrator (Sinha) to apply for it. Mehta maintains that the advertisement was never approved by the Executive Council.

Nonetheless, Sinha's appointment was the opening of the pandora's box as controversies continue to surface at India's premier research institution. On a new section recently added on its website, NMML says that it "reflects the democratic system of India" and "has been tasked by the Government of India to set up a New Museum on Prime Ministers of India".

This faced intense criticism from Congress leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who, in a letter, urged his successor Narendra Modi to "leave the Teen Murti Complex undisturbed as it is" and reminding him that it is "a memorial to our first Prime Minister Pandit Nehru. This way we will be respecting both history and heritage". The Opposition suspected that a plan was underway to change NMML into a Museum of all Prime Ministers of India.

In this context, Sinha, speaking earlier to IANS, said that the motive was to upgrade the NMML. "Even though NMML is not only limited to Nehru in its current form, the upgrade will see a greater representation of all former PMs, including Manmohan Singh," Sinha had said.

The government said that it was not changing NMML but merely building another museum inside the premises of the Teen Murti estate. Critics hit back saying that the proposed museum could be built anywhere else in the capital, but building it inside the premises of Teen Murti Bhavan would be changing the existing character of NMML.

The government, it turned out, was bent on its purpose. But where is the space for a new museum in Teen Murti estate? Are you going to cut down the trees?

In a surprise move, the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, chaired by Sonia Gandhi and housed in the Teen Murti estate, was asked by Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in September to vacate the premises on grounds of "unauthorised occupation". The letter said that NMML is in "dire need of space" and alleged that the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund is occupying the premises "without any authority of law".

Responding to the notice, N. Balakrishnan, Administrative Secretary of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, refuted its premise and asked that it be withdrawn. The five-page response noted that the premises has been in its occupation since 1967, and has "remained unchallenged and never questioned and has been cemented".

Even as there was (and is) no clarity over where the proposed museum would be built, the foundation stone for the "Museum of Prime Ministers" was laid on Oct 15 by Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri.

(Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)Mumbai, Nov 13 : So now we know why the tsunami-like floods occurred in "Kedarnath" in 2013? You see, a young Hindu girl who looks a lot like Sara Ali Khan fell in love with a not-so-young Muslim boy who bears an uncanny resemblance to Sushant Singh Rajput. When her parents raised hell and vowed they wouldnt allow the match to happen, she vows, "Then I will do jaap (holy chants) to make sure pralay (catastrophe) happens".

That's how the 2013's fury of nature pelted down on Uttarakhand.

Don't wonder. That's what the trailer of Abhishek Kapoor's "Kedarnath" tells us. If I was the father, I would say what Saif Ali Khan is heard telling his daughter Sara on "Koffee With Karan".

"Does he have money? Then take her," Saif has said in reference to prospective grooms for his daughter.

This would spare us the hysterical melodrama of unlikely lovers combating the world.

The sheer tackiness of the simulated natural calamity heightens the sense of unnatural emotions in a trailer that promises a film bedecked in absurdity. Sushant is a Muslim pithu (carrier) and debutante Sara is a tourist whom he carried to the top of the mountain. And there they should remain.

This is no "Jab Jab Phool Khile". Sushant lacks the natural charm of Shashi Kapoor. He labours over his cuteness and strains for drama. Sara is fresh-faced and unspoilt, more her mom Amrita Singh than dad Saif. Whether that is good or bad is upto you to decide.

What are the chances of this alliance actually happening in real life? Director Abhishek Kapoor is not keen to tell a realistic story. He just wants to go with the flow. Never mind if the flow is a studio-created tidal wave.Photo: The Canadian Press In this Nov. 2, 2018 photo, Honduran transgender Alexa Amaya, who part of a group of 50 or so LGBTQ migrants traveling with the migrant caravan hoping to reach the U.S. border, uses a compact to apply makeup while riding in the back of a flatbed truck to Sayula, Mexico.

Dozens of transgender women and gay men in the caravan moving through Mexico with hopes of seeking asylum in the United States have banded together for protection  not from the uncertainty of a journey fraught with danger from the gangs who prey on migrants but from their fellow travellers.

Fleeing violence and discrimination back home because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, these LGBTQ migrants have found the journey north to be just as threatening amid catcalls and even physical abuse.

"Sweet little thing!" ''Baby, where you going?" ''How much do you charge?" These all-too-familiar jeers are spewed at them as they make their way with the caravan of several thousand.

Loly Mendez, a 28-year-old who began transitioning to a woman in her native El Salvador, knows all too well the dangers her fellow transgender migrants faced back home: Her best friend, also a transgender woman, was murdered for doing the same.

Then Loly herself began getting threats  "that if my breasts were going to grow, they would cut them off," she said. They were always anonymously delivered, which only made her more fearful and finally drove her to flee.

"In my country there is violence, a lack of work and opportunities," said Loly, who like many of the transgender women in the group preferred using only her first name. "In the caravan there is also violence  against the LGBTQ community."

Loly linked up with the caravan in Tapachula, in southern Mexico, and hopes to work in the United States and save up to start a beauty products company  perhaps in Los Angeles or New York. It's something she has planned for a long time, all the way down to the business' logo, but she's never had the money.

"I am going to a country where I know I will achieve my dreams," Loly said, hopefully.

Reports are common in much of Central America of LGBTQ people being murdered, assaulted and discriminated against, due to their gender identity or sexual orientation.

But getting U.S. asylum is difficult even with proof someone has been the victim of persecution for being transgender, said Lynly Egyes, director of litigation at the Transgender Law Center in Oakland, California.

It often takes days or weeks for transgender immigrants to get a hearing before an asylum officer. If they are allowed to move forward in the process, many are traumatized and struggle to tell their story, Egyes said. They are also much less likely to be granted asylum without a lawyer.

"It is a horrifying process, and not everybody makes it through," she said.

Many of the migrants have said they joined the caravan because it offered safety in numbers. The 50 or so LGBTQ migrants travelling together, most of them in their 20s but some as young as 17 or as old as 60, say they, too, banded together for safety  a sort of caravan within the caravan.

Sticking out in their bright-colored clothing and makeup, the group has suffered verbal harassment, especially from men, and has been the victim of robbery and other aggressions. One recent day as they walked in a row on the highway to Isla, in the Mexican Gulf coast state of Veracruz, a group of fellow migrants passed by on a flatbed truck and showered them with water, oranges, rinds and other refuse.

Fearful of being attacked more violently or sexually assaulted, they stick by each other's sides 24 hours a day, walking and sleeping in a group and even using the buddy system for going to the bathroom.Istanbul, Nov 13 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described the content of an audio recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the country shared with its Western allies, as a "calamity" and said it shocked a Saudi Arabian intelligence officer who listened to it, the media reported on Tuesday.

Calling on Riyadh to take concrete action against the perpetrators of the murder, Erdogan said: "All those who asked have listened to the audio recording of this murder. Our intelligence organization did not conceal anything. Besides Saudi Arabia, the US, France, Canada, Germany and the UK listened to this recording.

"The (content of the) tape is a real calamity. Even, the intelligence officer of the Saudis was shocked when he listened to the recording, as he said 'this guy (perpetrator) is perhaps using heroin, only a man on heroin can do such a thing'," Erdogan told the media on his return from Paris where he attended the centenary of the Armistice Day, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a supporter-turned-critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 after he went there to get documents for his forthcoming marriage.

Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor who visited Istanbul to discuss the killing with his Turkish counterpart seemed to be delaying his job even though there was sufficient evidence about the killing of Khashoggi, Erdogan said.

"The Crown Prince says 'I will shed light on this incident and will do whatever is necessary.' He told my special representative. We are waiting patiently."

The Turkish leader reiterated that the perpetrators of the killing were among 18 Saudi high-ranking officials who were specifically sent to Istanbul before Khashoggi's visit to the consulate.

Speaking about his meetings with world leaders in Paris, including US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Erdogan said they were making assessments on the audio recording.

Erdogan said he got the impression that Trump, Macron and Merkel were all very disturbed by the murder.

"I think they will place this incident in a different position as a result of information provided by their intelligence... The US Congress demanded a briefing from the CIA. I think the perspectives will change after this briefing."

Khashoggi's body is yet to be found. It has been reported that he was strangled, dismembered and his body dissolved in chemicals.

After a weeks-long denial, Saudi Arabia admitted on October 25 that the journalist fell victim to a premeditated killing in the consulate and arrested 18 people. However, it denies the ruling royal family's involvement in the killing.Bengaluru, Nov 13 : Hundreds of people, including BJP patriarch L.K. Advani and the party's National President Amit Shah, on Tuesday bid farewell to Ananth Kumar, as his mortal remains were cremated at a state funeral with military honours here.

Kumar, 59, died on Monday at a private hospital here due to multiple organ failure.

Even as the Army band sounded the bugle to mark the last rites, a 21-gun salute was given to the body while still in the glass casket draped in the Tricolour.

Kumar's younger brother Nand Kumar lit the funeral pyre amid chanting of Vedic hymns and loud cries of "Ananth Kumar amar rahe!" (long live Ananth Kumar).

Kumar's widow Tejeshwani, daughters Aishwariya and Vijeta and other family members were present at the Chamarajpet crematorium in the city's southwest suburb.

Advani, Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal, Harsh Vardhan and Mahesh Sharma laid wreathes and paid homage.

Karnataka Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar, state legislative council chairman Basavaraj Horatti and Bharatiya Janata Party's state leaders, including state unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa were present on the solemn occasion.

In view of space constraints at the old crematorium, several people, including party cadres and Kumar's supporters were restrained from entering the premises.

Vehicular traffic was diverted and security stepped up at the venue to prevent any untoward incident.

The cortege in a flower-bedecked military vehicle was brought in a procession for the last rites from the National College grounds at Basavngudi where it was kept for public viewing.

Thousands of people, including Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, former Prime Minister and JD-S supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and others paid tributes to Kumar at the venue.

Earlier in the day, Kumar's body was shifted from his residence at Basavangudi to the BJP state unit office in Malleshwaram by the military personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy.

Kumar was Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs since 2016 and Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers since 2014 when the BJP-led NDA government was formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi flew into the city on Monday night and paid last respects to Kumar at his residence.

A six-time parliamentarian from the high-profile Bengaluru South Lok Sabha constituency since 1996, Kumar was undergoing treatment for cancer in the UK and US since late August.

Karnataka is observing a three-day mourning since Monday.San Francisco, Nov 13 : Google is rolling out a new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based capability that would allow its first-party keyboard "Gboard" to suggest GIFs, emoji and stickers to conversations for Android users.

"Keep your eyes peeled for the 'GIF' icon to appear in the top left corner of Gboard. Tap it, and you'll see a selection of GIFs, emoji and stickers that Gboard thinks you might want to share," Angana Ghosh, Product Lead, Gboard, Google wrote in a blog post on Monday.

The feature would be processed entirely on the user's device to ensure that these suggestions are private and are incorporated in conversations as quickly as possible.

Earlier in September rumours surfaced that Google was working out ways to produce better, faster recommendations for GIFs and emoji within its keyboard, the media had reported.

The feature has first been released for Android users globally only in English language.

"Google plans to expand the feature to Gboard compatible with more languages and more types of content to help you do and say more right from your conversation," Ghosh added.

However, there has been no word from the search engine giant as yet about by when would the feature be made available for iOS users.Mumbai, Nov 13 : The 'Circular Design Challenge, launched earlier this year as part of R Elan's 'Fashion for Earth initiative, is open for entries. It will recognise the environmental champions of tomorrow in the Indian fashion and textiles industry.

The design challenge, launched in August at the Winter Festive 2018 edition of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) in partnership with the UN in India, puts the spotlight on circular fashion. It is open to all fashion/accessory designers and entrepreneurs in India, read a statement.

With the upcoming Summer Resort 2019 season, LFW will continue its focus on fashion and sustainability.

This initiative will unravel the country's first award for sustainability, and will inspire innovation through circular design and offer solutions to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion and textile industry in the country.

The registration for the challenge is open till December 5.

Applicants must incorporate circular components across the textile value chain in their design through the application of circular-design principles and demonstrate a positive impact on the environment and on society. The designers will need to submit a proof concept of their sustainable collection, which must encompass key principles of circularity, sustainability, aesthetics and scalability. They can use any material for their collection, as long as it is up-cycled from diverse waste sources, including plastics.

The shortlisted entries will be judged, and a final winner will be announced by the jury on January 31, 2019, the Sustainable Fashion Day at LFW Summer Resort 2019. The winning collection will be showcased on Sustainable Fashion Day at LFW in August 2019.

Vipul Shah, COO - Petrochemicals, Reliance Industries Ltd., said: "As an industry leader, we have embraced circularity and sustainability in our core values and operations, aiming to make the world a better place for the generations to come.

"We are confident that the Circular Design Challenge will provide enormous opportunities for budding concept creators, fashion designers and the entire textile value chain to exhibit their innovative ideas, designs with a focus on circularity and sustainability. The initiative will help the entire Indian textile value chain to become a global leader in ingraining circularity in their business strategy and operations."

Yuri Afanasiev, UN Resident Coordinator in India, said: "From cultivation to weaving, from design to execution and transportation, fashion touches every part of the economy, affecting the lives of thousands of people along the way. It is vital that this process be sustainable, fair, and inclusive."

The design challenged, Afanasiev said, is an opportunity for innovative young designers to combine sustainable design practices with new circular business models.

"I am confident that this platform will encourage more design-led research to reduce textile waste and environmental impacts, helping accelerate the shift to circular fashion."Seoul/Washington, Nov 13 : South Korea's presidential office on Tuesday played down a report on North Korea's "undisclosed" missile sites, saying the state intelligence communities of Seoul and Washington earlier acquired relevant information.

The presidential office said that it was going too far to call the North's continued activity a "great deception" given that it had no specific agreement to dismantle or disclose the facilities mentioned in the report issued on Monday by Beyond Parallel, a group at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) based in Washington.

South Korea's Presidential office spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said that the facilities had nothing to do with intercontinental ballistic missiles or intermediate-range ballistic missiles, Yonhap news agency reported.

The group said it located 13 out of an estimated 20 missile operating bases undeclared by the secretive communist regime.

"The dispersed deployment of these bases and distinctive tactics employed by ballistic missile units are combined with decades of extensive camouflage, concealment and deception practices to maximize the survival of its missile units from pre-emptive strikes and during wartime operations," the report had said.

The report was largely based on satellite imagery and a number of interviews with North Korean defectors as well as government, defence and intelligence officials worldwide, the group said.

It focused on the Sakkanmol missile base for short-range ballistic missiles, presenting a set of related commercial satellite photos taken in March.

"Sakkanmol currently houses a unit equipped with SRBMs but could easily accommodate more capable medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs)," it said.

Speaking about the report, the presidential office spokesman said that the source of the analysis of the Sakkanmol base was a commercial satellite.

"The intelligence authorities of South Korea and the US have far more detailed information from military satellites and are closely monitoring (it)," Kim said.

He took issue with a related New York Times report headlined, "In North Korea, missile bases suggest a great deception".

The North had not promised to shut down the base and there had been no accord or negotiations in connection with it, he said, adding that the existence of such a missile site showed the need for talks with North Korea to get rid of its military threats.

In June summit talks with US President Donald Trump in Singapore, North Korean leader Kim-Jong un reportedly agreed to dismantle the Sohae satellite launch facility near the border with China, also known as the Dongchang-ri missile base.

Kim formally reaffirmed the commitment to permanently shutting down an engine testing facility and launch pad during a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in September.

The CSIS report said the future of the long-range missile base, while gaining much media attention, obscured the military threat to US forces and South Korea from Sakkanmol and other undeclared ballistic missile bases.Bhubaneswar, Nov 13 : Hindalco Industries, the metals flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, plans to invest about Rs 6,000 crore to set up downstream facilities over the next four years, a top company official said here on Tuesday.

"We are going to put up a downstream facility between Hirakud and Lapanga (in Odisha), which will entail about Rs 5,000 crore of investment and we are probably going for about 300 kt (kilo tonnes) of downstream products," company's Managing Director Satish Pai told reporters here.

He said the investments will also be made at Mundra in Gujarat for its upcoming extrusion plant.

"We will be investing Rs 6,000 crore in the downstream sector in the next four years," he said on the sidelines of the 'Make in Odisha' conclave.

The expansion and setting up of units for downstream products takes time and will be done in a phased manner.

He said the aluminium major would make a capital expenditure of Rs 1,600 crore this fiscal year ending March, of which Rs 700-800 crore will go towards maintenance of its facilities.

The remainder will be spent on brownfield expansion of Utkal Alumina and downstrem expansion.

Pai said the company would also look at coal mine auctions that are scheduled at November-end, as coal availability remains a concern.

"There is no quick-fix for coal shortages. We are not importing (coal) yet. We have started putting some volumes, about 0.5 million tonnes, for import at this stage. The company is waiting for coal mine auctions that are going to happen by the end of November," he said, adding that the company operates three coal mines - two in Chhattisgarh and one in Jharkhand.

"We can ramp up our coal production to meet our energy needs. The Dumri mine would be available by the middle of next year," he said.

Pai said that the acquisition of US-based aluminium sheet-maker Aleris Corp is expected to be completed by April-May next year.Tokyo, Nov 13 : The trade agreement Washington and Tokyo plan to negotiate will be a model for the Indo-Pacific region, US Vice President Mike Pence said at the start of his Asia tour on Tuesday.

Pence, who referred to trade negotiations to be held between the US and Japan in January, met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the first stop of his Asia and Oceania tour, Efe news reported.

"The alliance between the US and Japan is historic. It is the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific," said Pence.

In a joint media briefing, the two leaders highlighted the strength of their bilateral trade and defence ties although they also expressed differences in addressing economic cooperation.

"We are grateful for Japan's renewed investment," said the US leader.

He thanked Abe for his commitment towards Japanese investments in the US which were a major economic contribution and source of job creation.

However, Pence pointed out that bilateral trade balance had been uneven for too long as Japan applied barriers on US goods and services imports.

But Japan, Pence said, "is an indispensible trading partner for the US" and the countries have a great opportunity ahead in the economic dialogue formally started in September.

"The time-honoured bond between the US and Japan is a model for nations across the Indo-Pacific region and the world," said Pence, adding that US leadership in the region was based on collaboration and not control.

Abe said both nations agreed to promote free and open trade in the Indo-Pacific region based on fair rules as well as expanding mutually beneficial bilateral trade and investment.

However, Abe used the same arguments to criticize the tariff measures and other protectionist policies applied by the administration of Donald Trump and expressed concern over the US' withdrawal from several multinational trade initiatives.

Both Abe and Pence will participate this week in the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit (Asean) in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Papua New Guinea to promote regional economic integration.

This marked Pence's third visit to Japan since assuming office. The two governments signed a series of agreements to promote mutual investments in infrastructure, telecommunications and nuclear power for civilian use.Lucknow, Nov 13 : In a heart wrenching incident, a man killed his three daughters by first smashing their heads with a hammer and then setting them on fire in Uttar Pradesh's Lalitpur district, police said on Tuesday.

Two girls died on the spot while one passed away during treatment at a medical facility. The incident happened in Veer village on Tuesday morning.

The girls were aged 10, 7 and four years.

Superintendent of Police O.P. Singh said the man, who has been arrested, confessed to his crime.

After smashing their heads with an iron hammer, the man used the gas of the LPG cylinder to set the girls on fire.

Singh told IANS that the man was a habitual alcoholic.

As his wife had left for her parents' place with two other daughters on Diwali, he killed the girls probably out of frustration, police suspected.New Delhi, Nov 13 : In an attempt to celebrate the Indo-French art connection, cultural centre Alliance FranAaise de Delhi on Tuesday announced a new art series "Inview" and a programme "Back to France" which will exhibit works of Indian artists with a French link.

The programme will exhibit the works of young artists who have recently returned to India after a sojourn or study in Paris and now continue their practice in the country, the statement read.

"India and France, two culturally-rich countries, have shared a long history of art with visible influence of French art styles on many works of Indian artists. A constant stream of young artists have flown into Paris in search of new ways of self-expression and commercial success," Alliance FranAaise director Jean-Francois Ramon said in a statement.

The series will exhibit works by two different artists every year.

It will kick off on Thursday with the solo exhibition of contemporary artist Aishwarya Sultania here, a statement from the centre said.

Sultania is a grant recipient from the Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux-Arts in Paris.Chennai, Nov 13 : After 14 years in the commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland Ltd, Vinod K. Dasari, CEO and Managing Director, has decided resign to pursue other interests, said Executive Chairman Dheeraj G. Hinduja on Tuesday.

Hinduja told the media: "Vinod has resigned to pursue his own interests. He will continue with the company till March 2019. Meanwhile, the company board has asked me to take over as Executive Chairman with immediate effect."

Hinduja, who was the company Chairman, said he would take the responsibility of Executive Chairman till a replacement for Dasari was found.

Asked whether the company would look inside or outside for a new Managing Director, Hinduja said: "The resignation was sudden. The Board needs some time to decide on the replacement."

He said it was the Hinduja family's policy to find the best talent. He expressed confidence that Ashok Leyland's growth momentum would continue.

According to Dasari, it was an amicable separation and there comes a time when one has to pursue own interest.

"It was a well thought out decision. I will work with Dheeraj till the end of this fiscal," Dasari said.Photo: The Canadian Press In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, photo, a rusting ferryboat is docked next to an aging industrial warehouse on Long Island City's Anable Basin in the Queens borough of New York.

UPDATE 7:30 a.m.

Amazon names New York City and Arlington, Virginia as the two sites for its second headquarters.

More info coming.

ORIGINAL 5:30 a.m.

The communities that are expected to become homes to a pair of big, new East Coast bases for Amazon are both riverfront stretches of major metropolitan areas with ample transportation and space for workers.

But there are plenty of differences between New York's Long Island City and Crystal City in northern Virginia.

Set within eyeshot of the nation's capital, Crystal City is a thicket of 1980s-era office towers trying to plug into new economic energy after thousands of federal jobs moved elsewhere.

Rapidly growing Long Island City is an old manufacturing area already being reinvented as a hub for 21st-century industry, creativity and urbane living.

Seattle-based Amazon, which set out last year to situate one additional headquarters but is now expected to open two, has declined to comment on its plans. But a person familiar with the talks said Tuesday that the company will split the second headquarters between Long Island City and Crystal City.

A look at the two communities:

LONG ISLAND CITY

It's already the fastest-developing neighbourhood in the nation's most populous city, and Amazon could pump up the volume in this buzzy part of Queens.

If chosen, the neighbourhood stands to burnish New York City's reputation as a tech capital. Landing Amazon would also cement Long Island City's transformation from a faded manufacturing zone to a vibrant, of-the-moment enclave of waterfront skyscrapers, modernized warehouses and artsy-tech ambience across the East River from midtown Manhattan.

CRYSTAL CITY

If any place in America can absorb 25,000 Amazon jobs without disruption, it may well be Crystal City, Virginia, where nearly that many jobs have vanished over the last 15 years.

The neighbourhood in Arlington County is bounded by the Potomac River and the nation's capital on one side, by the Pentagon on another and Reagan National Airport on a third.

Despite its prime location and abundant transportation options, the neighbourhood has been hit by a massive outflow of jobs. The Patent and Trademark Office began moving more than 7,000 jobs out of Crystal City in 2003. In 2005, the Defence Department announced plans to move roughly 17,000 jobs elsewhere as part of a base realignment.

Arlington County has worked hard to bring in new employers, and had some success. The Public Broadcasting Service moved its headquarters to Crystal City in 2006.

Still, large swaths of the neighbourhood remain vacant. Among other challenges, the area has fought to overcome a reputation for outdated architecture.

Crystal City is populated by '70s and '80s-era office buildings. The buildings are connected by a network of tunnels populated with food-court style dining options, hair salons and newsstands. The tunnels leave the ground-level outdoor streetscape sometimes looking empty.

Brookings Institution urban planner Jenny Schuetz suggested the buildings may require an upgrade, or even replacement. But she noted that while people often associate tech companies with converted lofts or state-of-the art workspaces, many big Silicon Valley tech companies actually work out of '80s-era office buildings.

For all the talk about antiquated architecture, people who've actually worked in Crystal City appreciate its convenience and its worker-friendly features, including the tunnels.

"I loved it here," said Christine Gentry of Greenbelt, Maryland, as she ate breakfast in a largely empty food court. She works for the Patent and Trademark Office and preferred the days when her office was in Crystal City.Kochi, November 11 : The CPI(M)-led LDF government on Tuesday told the Kerala high court that the case registered against BJP Kerala unit president P S Sreedharan Pillai under non-bailable sections in connection with a controversial speech made by him could not be quashed.

The state government sought to draw a link between the revelations made by the BJP leader in his speech and the untoward incidents and skirmishes that took place at Sabarimala following the supreme court verdict allowing unrestricted entry to women into the hill shrine.

The government tried to impress upon the high court that clashes broke out between protestors and the police at Sabarimala following the BJP presidents speech. Even women aged above 50 were heckled and obstructed entry into the hill shrine on November 5 when the temple reopened for the chithira atta vishesham.

Also, the BJP president called for violating the supreme court verdict on womens entry in his speech by telling the tantri of the temple to close the doors of the sanctum sanctorum of the hill shrine in the event women of child-bearing age attempted to enter the temple in the wake of the verdict, the government told the high court.

Mr. Pillai submitted in his plea that non-bailable charges were slapped on him by the police without verifying what he really said in his speech.

Praying for quashing the case registered against him, he argued that he made the speech behind closed doors at a private programme that was not open to the public.

The BJP president at a meeting of the yuva morcha, BJPs youth wing, said that the Sabarimala issue offered a golden opportunity for the party to expand its footprint in the state and that the agitation at the hill shrine was part of the BJPs agenda.

In the speech, a video of which has gone viral, Mr. Pillai can also be seen telling the yuva morcha workers that the tantri of the Sabarimala temple contacted him to seek legal counsel on whether closing the doors of the temple in the event women tried to enter the hill shrine would amount to contempt of court.

The tantri has since denied contacting Mr. Pillai over the Sabarimala issue. The BJP president also the other day walked back his claim, telling reporters that he received several phone calls that day and that he did not remember if it was the tantri himself or someone else from the tantri family who had called him.

The case against Mr. Pillai was registered by the Kasaba police on November 8 on the basis of a complaint filed by a social activist accusing Mr. Pillai of inciting violence through the controversial speech.Bengaluru, Nov 13 : Leading food ordering and delivery start-up Swiggy on Tuesday said it would engage about 2,000 women as delivery personnel by March 2019.

"About 2,000 women will join our delivery team by March next year. Over the last few months, we have been working on training women for opportunities in this growing food delivery sector," the city-based online food delivery platform said in a statement here.

By deploying more women as delivery personnel across the country, the company said it aimed to create an inclusive workforce.

The company engages around a lakh personnel daily to deliver food across 45 Indian cities it operates in.

Currently, about 60 women are tied up with Swiggy across 10 cities, including Ahmedabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune, to deliver food.

World over, the employment of women as delivery personnel has been meagre.

"We are creating a women-friendly work environment with a dedicated helpline for any concern, as well as appointing more women in managerial roles," the company said.

Swiggy is identifying 'safe zones' for women delivery personnel to operate in and will allow them to complete their deliveries by 6 p.m., it added.

"Since inception, we have seen the potential in investing in logistical prowess, which has helped us in having end-to-end control over the food delivery experience," Swiggy Vice President (Operations) Sachin Kotangale said in the statement.

Set up in 2014, the food delivery platform claims to receive about 20 million orders a month across 45,000 restaurants in 45 cities, including New Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Gurugram and Pune.

It raised $210 million (around Rs 1,500 crore) from multiple investment firms, and has so far raised over $460 million (around Rs 3,350 crore).

The company, which has over 4,000 employees, reported an operating revenue of Rs 442-crore for the fiscal 2017-18.Colombo, Nov 13 : Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the dissolution of Parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena, granting interim relief.

A three judge bench on Monday and Tuesday heard Fundamental Rights petitions filed by several parties challenging the President's dissolution of Parliament.

The political turmoil escalated in the island nation when Sirisena dissolved Parliament on Friday and called for a snap parliamentary election on January 5, over two weeks after sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replacing him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The parties which filed petitions on Monday included the United National Party led by the sacked Wickremesinghe, the main opposition Tamil National Alliance, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the Tamil Progressive Alliance and the All Ceylon Makkal Congress.Bhubaneswar, Nov 13 : Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd has said it will invest Rs 2,500 crore to set up new cement manufacturing plants in Odisha.

Dalmia Cement, which participated in the second edition of Make in Odisha Conclave, said in a statement on Tuesday its new cement plants will come up in Rajgangpur and Cuttack.

DCBL also shared its vision and plan enriching its association with Odisha since 1950.

Puneet Dalmia, Managing Director, Dalmia Bharat Group and Mahendra Singhi, MD and Group CEO, Dalmia Bharat Cement, attended the conclave and laid the long-term road map for business and infrastructure growth in Odisha.

"Good governance, stable political leadership, industry-friendly policies, continued economic growth and availability of skilled manpower are prime motivators behind Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd reaffirming its faith to grow and expand its business in Odisha," said Mahendra Singhi.

The state is among the top three investment destinations in India and ranks first in investment implementation rate. With the implementation of smart cities and simultaneous development of social infrastructure, there will be an incremental growth in demand in the cement industry over the next five years, he added.

"Our business and strategic partnership with the state has matured over the years. The State's zeal to grow further thus compels us to partner in its next leap of growth," said Mahendra Singhi.

DCBL had earlier proposed a new unit of 2.25 million tonne per annum (MTPA) cement manufacturing and 3 MTPA clinker manufacturing capacity at Rajgangpur.

Once the plant goes live, the company's total capacity in Rajgangpur will increase to 6.25 MTPA in cement and 5.9 MTPA in clinker manufacturing.

Dalmia Cement which is credited with peripheral development of Rajgangpur and multiple deeper pockets of Odisha and East at large, now promises to generate further direct and indirect employment opportunities through its new plants.

The new Dalmia DSP Unit will entail an investment of Rs 2000 crore and it is expected to be commissioned by late 2019.

Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd is also putting up another new plant with cement manufacturing with cement manufacturing capacity of 2.5 million tonne at Kapilas, near Cuttack.

The project is expected to be completed in 18 months with an investment of about Rs 500 crore, the statement said.

IANS

cd/prsNew Delhi, Nov 13 : The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against its own Deputy Legal Advisor (DLA) deputed in the agency's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) division on charges of forging the signature of the unit head for showing favourable assessment reports for her promotion.

The central probe agency on Monday registered an FIR against Beena Raizada, posted in the CBI AC-VI unit, which is probing the Vyapam scam, for forging the signatures of ACB's Head of Branch (HoB) V.K. Singh.

Raizada was posted in CBI's Patna Zone office in Bihar when the alleged assessment reports were forged. She forged signatures of Singh, who was then posted as CBI's Deputy Inspector General in Patna. He is currently posted as Inspector General in the Jaipur range, Rajasthan Police.

Raizada has been booked for forgery, use of bogus documents and fraudulently committing mischief of documents.

The agency's move came following an October 27 complaint of its Deputy Superintendent of Police (AC-V unit Bhopal) Ashish Prasad.

Raizada is accused of "interpolation in the assessment notes issued under the signatures of Singh for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016".

"During enquiry, it was revealed that Raizada joined as Senior Public Prosecutor in CBl's ACB division in Patna on May 5, 2014 and on promotion, she joined as DLA at the agency's Patna Zone on November 17, 2014. She was later relieved from there on January 5, 2017 upon her transfer to CBl, AC-VI unit, New Delhi.

"In the CBI headquarters in New Delhi, she personally submitted her three APARs (Authorized Program Analysis Report) together for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 along with the assessment notes for the same period bearing the signatures of V.K. Singh," the CBI FIR said.

As per the FIR, Singh accepted that the signatures on Raizada's assessment notes resembled his own but he denied making those signatures.

"He stated that Raizada was not on duty for a period of 90 days during 2014 and 2015 and therefore, there was no question of writing an assessment report in her favour. He stated that similarly there was no question of writing assessment report in her favour for the period 2016 since he was repatriated in 2015 to parent department," said the FIR.

As per procedure, the assessment notes for the law officers of the level of Assistant Public Prosecutor, Public Prosecutor and Senior Public Prosecutor posted in the branch are issued by DIG or HoB for annual appraisal.New Delhi, November 13 : A five-judge bench of the supreme court on Tuesday refused to issue a stay on a constitution benchs landmark verdict allowing women of all ages unrestricted entry into the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.

This means that women aged between 10 and 50 should be allowed under law to visit the hill shrine when the temple opens mid-November for the annual pilgrimage season.

The bench, however, agreed to hear all review petitions filed against the verdict on womens entry, posting those and other pending applications for hearing to January 22.

All the review petitions along with all pending applications will be heard in open court on 22nd January 2019 before the appropriate bench. We make it clear that there is no stay of the judgment and order of this Court dated 28th September 2018, the court said.

According to a report in livelaw.in, the review petitions took their cue from the observations made by Justice Indu Malhotra in her dissenting judgment in which she says that constitutional parameters of rationality cannot be blindly applied to matters of faith.

Responding to the supreme courts decision, BJP Kerala unit president P S Sreedharan Pillai told reporters that he welcomed the decision.

We welcome the decision to hear the review petitions in open court, he said, adding that the court took this decision taking into consideration the sentiments of Ayyappa devotees.

Sabarimala has been on the boil in the wake of the supreme court verdict paving the way for women of all ages to enter the temple with right-wing outfits staging protests and vowing not to allow women aged between 10 and 50 entry into the temple on the ground that age-old traditions of the temple allegedly forbid women of menstrual age from offering prayers at the hill shrine since the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is an eternal celibate.Lucknow, Nov 13 : Two persons were electrocuted in Ballia district when they were returning home after making preparations for the festival of Chatth, police said on Tuesday.

The deceased, Satish Kumar (22) and Amit Yadav (20), were on their way home in Mahawal village around midnight when they came in contact with wired fencing in an agricultural field that had been electrified to keep off stray cattle, police said.

Residents of Akhtiyarpur Chitbada village, both were rushed to the hospital where they were declared dead.

Incensed over the death of their dear ones, the families vandalized hospital property. The hospital staff was also attacked.

Police were rushed to the hospital where senior officials pacified the mob and sent the bodies for post-mortem, sources said.Tehran, Nov 13 : Iran will host a major Islamic conference to be attended by representatives from more than 80 countries later in November, the media reported on Tuesday.

The 32nd International Islamic Unity Conference, organized by the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, will be held from November 24-26 in Tehran, Tasnim news agency reported.

High-ranking political officials and religious figures, including 10 ministers and 40 Muftis, senior religious scholars, were expected to participate in the international event, according to Xinhua news agency.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani would deliver speeches at the conference.

The Islamic Unity Conference is held annually on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad in an effort to promote stronger solidarity among Muslims and provide appropriate solutions for their problems.Rome, Nov 13 : The Italian police on Tuesday started to dismantle a migrant camp in the capital's city centre leaving some 200 people homeless.

The police descended on the Baobab Experience migrant camp run by volunteers in the early hours of the morning, Efe news reported.

"The garrison is surrounded by armoured vehicles. They closed the gates and did not allow anyone to enter nor exit," a statement on the NGO's Twitter page said.

Migrants were taken out of the camp and transported in smaller groups to the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Rome, the NGO said on Twitter.

Italian activists took to Twitter to denounce the manner in which the dismantling of the camp was being carried out, using armoured vehicles and excavators to bring down the makeshift structures which have been a home for migrants since 2016.

Immigration is a major issue in Europe since 2015 when the migrant numbers escalated due to conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East, with Syrian refugees representing the largest group.

According to the UN Refugee Agency 68.5 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide this year which means the world bears witness to the largest displacement of people on record.

The UN described the global migrant crisis as the largest humanitarian crisis the world has ever faced.Bhubaneswar, Nov 13 : The Odisha government on Tuesday signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with industry lobby group FICCI as well as with companies to promote a robust ecosystem of training and recruitment in the state.

During the 'Make in Odisha' Conclave here, the Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) signed an MoU with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

FICCI will facilitate and develop a framework for creating awareness about apprenticeship training, especially National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), and engage the industry across Odisha, facilitate and organise training of trainers to strengthen institutional capacity and develop a pool of skilled master trainers in Odisha.

OSDA Chief Executive Officer Patil Rajesh Pravakar said it also signed MoUs with Tech Mahindra and Suzuki Motors for placement of students pursuing diploma education and ITI training.

The government also signed an MoU with Schneider Electric India Foundation of Bengaluru, which will collaborate and align the training infrastructure of government ITIs in Odisha for the electrical programme with industry requirement, said Patil.

The industry will set up modern electrical labs at Government ITI, Cuttack, which will benefit 441 electrician trade trainees of the institute. Government ITIs at Berhampur and Hirakud will be supported by the industry in a phased manner.

The government also signed an MoU with Yess Consultants for placement of students pursuing diploma education and ITI training in reputed organisations.- 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."Photo: The Canadian Press In this Oct. 26, 2018 photo, Jawad Mohammadi, a former member of the Afghan National Security Forces, sits with his children as he gives an interview to The Associated Press, at his home in Kabul, Afghanistan.

When U.S. forces and their Afghan allies rode into Kabul in November 2001 they were greeted as liberators. But after 17 years of war, the Taliban have retaken half the country, security is worse than it's ever been, and many Afghans place the blame squarely on the Americans.

The United States has lost more than 2,400 soldiers in its longest war, and has spent more than $900 billion on everything from military operations to the construction of roads, bridges and power plants. Three U.S. presidents have pledged to bring peace to Afghanistan, either by adding or withdrawing troops, by engaging the Taliban or shunning them. Last year, the U.S. dropped the "mother of all bombs" on a cave complex.

None of it has worked. After years of frustration, Afghanistan is rife with conspiracy theories, including the idea that Americans didn't stumble into a forever war, but planned one all along.

Mohammed Ismail Qasimyar, a member of Afghanistan's High Peace Council, wonders how U.S. and NATO forces  which at their peak numbered 150,000 and fought alongside hundreds of thousands of Afghan troops, were unable to vanquish tens of thousands of Taliban.

"Either they did not want to or they could not do it," he said. He now suspects the U.S. and its ally Pakistan deliberately sowed chaos in Afghanistan to justify the lingering presence of foreign forces  now numbering around 15,000  in order to use the country as a listening post to monitor Iran, Russia and China.

"They have made a hell, not a paradise for us," he said.

Afghanistan is rife with such conspiracy theories. After last month's assassination of Kandahar's powerful police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq, social media exploded with pictures and posts suggesting he was the victim of a U.S. conspiracy. Recent insider attacks, in which Afghan forces have killed their erstwhile U.S. and NATO allies, have attracted online praise.

"In 2001 the Afghan people supported the arrival of the United States and the international community wholeheartedly," said Hamid Karzai, who was installed as Afghanistan's first president and twice won re-election, serving until 2014.

"For a number of years things worked perfectly well," he said in a recent interview. "Then we saw the United States either changed course or simply neglected the views of the Afghan people and the conditions of the Afghans."

He blames the lingering war on the U.S. failure to eliminate militant sanctuaries in neighbouring Pakistan, the bombing of Afghan villages and homes, and the detention of Afghans in raids.

Others blame the notoriously corrupt government, which Karzai headed for more than a decade, and which is widely seen as yet another bitter fruit of the American invasion.New Delhi, Nov 13 : Ahead of his visit to Singapore on November 14-15 for the annual India-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and East Asia Summits, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that his engagements there will help boost ties with Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region.

"I will be visiting Singapore on 14-15 November to participate in the Asean-India and East Asia Summits (EAS)," Modi said in a pre-departure statement here.

"In addition, I would also participate in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) leaders' meeting."

"My participation in these meetings symbolizes our continued commitment to strengthening our engagement with Asean member states and with the wider Indo-Pacific region."

Modi will attend the 13th EAS and his fifth India-Asean Summit during his 36-hour visit to the Southeast Asian city state.

The EAS member states comprise the 10 Asean nations -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam -- along with Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the US and Russia.

The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the Asean member states and the six countries with which this regional bloc has existing Free Trade Agreements -- Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

The RCEP is expected to be concluded by the end of the year as New Delhi continues to increase its engagement with Southeast Asia under its Act East Policy.

On November 14, Modi will also deliver the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Summit. India will be the largest participant at the event with 400 exhibitors.

Modi said that he will also have the opportunity to interact with the participants and winners of the joint India-Singapore Hackathon.

"It is my firm belief that if we provide the right encouragement and a nurturing ecosystem, our youth has the ability to become global leaders in providing solutions to the challenges facing humanity."

"I am confident that my visit to Singapore will impart fresh momentum to our growing partnership with Asean and East Asia Summit nations," he said.

India-Asean ties have acquired renewed momentum under New Delhi's Act East Policy.

In January, India hosted the Asean-India Commemorative Summit to celebrate 25 years of dialogue partnership, 15 years of summit level interaction and five years of strategic partnership.

The Asean-India Summit in Singapore will provide an opportunity to review progress in the relationship, according to a statement issued by the External Affairs here.

It said that Modi will join other leaders to discuss international developmental issues such as smart cities, maritime cooperation, education, finance, food security, environment and energy.

"They will also deliberate on global and regional issues of mutual interest," it stated.

On the sidelines of the summits, Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with Singapore Prime Minister Li Hsien Loong and US Vice President Mike Pence among other leaders.Hyderabad, Nov 13 : The first list of candidates announced by the Congress in Telangana for next month's Assembly elections triggered discontent in the party, with those denied ticket threatening to enter the fray as rebels.

The main opposition party late on Monday announced 65 candidates for the December 7 elections to the 119-member Assembly. The Congress, which is heading a four-party opposition alliance, has agreed to leave 24 seats for its three allies.

Followers of some aspirants, whose names did not figure in the list, staged protests at the party office Gandhi Bhavan here while some others decided to quit the party and contest as independent candidates.

Party spokesman M. Krishank has opposed the party's decision to give ticket to his father-in-law and former central minister Sarve Satyanarayana from Secunderabad Cantonment constituency. Krishank's supporters staged a sit-in at Gandhi Bhavan.

Krishank announced that he would contest as an independent from the same constituency. He wondered how the party can field a man who was defeated thrice in the past.

Senior leader and former minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, whose name did not figure in the first list, said he was surprised as he had been with the same party and contesting from the same constituency for last 35 years.

He was confident that the party will give ticket to him from Jangaon. He said there was no truth in reports that the Congress was planning to leave the seat for TJS leader M. Kodandaram.

Another senior leader and former central minister Renuka Chowdary also expressed displeasure over the first list.

She said the balance among various castes was not maintained. She also found fault with Ponnala's name missing from the list. She said the selection of candidates could have an impact on the party's prospects.

The Congress is also facing protest from its leaders who were unhappy over leaving some seats for allies.

Former legislator Bhikshapathi Yadav, an aspirant from Serilingampally constituency in Hyderabad, announced he will contest as an independent after the party left this constituency for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

NSUI state president Balmuri Venkat, who was aspiring for ticket from Peddapalle constituency, resigned from the Congress after the party named Vijay Ramna Rao its candidate.

Narayana Rao, former MLA from Tandur in Vikarabad district, announced that he too was resigning from the party.

Supporters of Mala Mahanadu President and Congress leader Addanki Dayakar staged a protest in Mahabubabad district headquarter, demanding party ticket for him from Tungaturti constituency.

In Vemulawada, supporters of E. Manohar climbed on a water tank to protest against the ticket allocation to Aadi Srinivas.

In Warangal East, local Congress leader Poshala Padma resigned from the party to protest the decision to leave the seat for Telangana Janata Samithi (TJS).

The TDP, which announced nine candidates late on Monday, is also facing rebellion from disgruntled leaders.

Tension prevailed at TDP headquarters NTR Trust Bhavan on Tuesday as a supporter of M. Satyanarayana tried self-immolation over denial of party ticket to him from Serlingampally. The TDP has fielded B. Anand Prasad from this constituency.Mumbai, Nov 13 : Fresh from a 3-0 mauling of the West Indies in the T20 International rubber under his captaincy, star batsman Rohit Sharma's recent workload was taken into consideration as the BCCI on Tuesday decided to rest him from the India A squad for the first four-day match against New Zealand A.

"Rohit, who was originally named in India A's squad for the first four-day match against New Zealand A, has been advised rest by the BCCI medical team in consultation with the team management and the All-India Senior Selection Committee," a BCCI statement read.

"The decision was taken keeping in mind his recent workload," it added.

Rohit will now travel with India's T20 squad that will leave for Australia on Friday.

The three-match T20I rubber against the Kangaroos commences November 21, which will be followed by four Tests and three One-day Internationals.New Delhi, Nov 13 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday invited the people from Haryana to visit the national capital to inspect the condition of schools and clinics here and to see the work done by his government.

In a recorded voice message, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) head also promised the state that if they will vote for the party in the next assembly elections -- slated for the later part of next year, the condition of schools and hospital there will also be improved.

"We have improved the conditions of schools and hospitals in Delhi a lot and not only this, the private schools were also not allowed to increase the fees.

"Try to visit these schools and hospitals some day to check yourself," he said.

"The condition of schools and hospitals in Haryana is very bad... When we can work on these in just three years, why can't Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has done anything in four years."

He also said he invited the Haryana Chief Minister to visit the same but he did not come as "he was scared".

Kejriwal, earlier this month, wrote to Khattar for a surprise cross inspection of his 'Mohalla Clinics' and Khattar's dispensaries.

"Vote for AAP in the next election and we will work more than we did in Delhi," Kejriwal said.Kolkata, Nov 13 : Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday urged the party's West Bengal unit to work on strengthening its infrastructure to fight the 2019 General Elections on its own instead of looking for alliances with other political forces.

Terming the activities of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress as "undemocratic", Gogoi, who held a meeting on poll strategies with senior state Congress leaders here, said the party workers may oppose an alliance with Trinamool in the coming elections.

"Gogoi has asked us to make the party stand firmly on its own feet in the state," a state Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity.

"He said the way Trinamool is trying to undemocratically destroy Congress in Bengal, it is natural for the party workers to oppose any coalition with the Trinamool. He has also asked the party to conduct protest demonstrations wherever the Congress activists are attacked or heckled by the state ruling party," he added.

State Congress president Somen Mitra claimed that no other party has the guts to fight against the atrocities of the Trinamool government in Bengal or the BJP-led NDA at the Centre apart from Congress, and announced the party would hold a meeting against the policies of the state and centre on December 12.

"We have called a meeting on December 12 in Kolkata's Rani Rashmani Road against the atrocities and corruption of the state and central governments. We would be able to assess our party's strength by seeing the turnout in that meeting," Mitra told reporters after the first meeting of the state Congress office bearers following the recent reformation in party's state unit.

Accepting that the party has gone weak in the state for the last few years, he said the Congress support base in Bengal is currently inadequate to hold big rallies in Kolkata's iconic Brigade Parade Ground like the Trinamool Congress or CPI-M.

Other senior state party leaders including leader of opposition Abdul Mannan, party MP Mausam Benazir Noor and Deepa Dasmunsi also attended the meeting.New Delhi, Nov 13 : The Centre on Tuesday extended the ban by five years on seven Meitei extremist groups which have employed violence in a bid to secede the state from India.

The organisations, their factions, wings and front organisation were outlawed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, a Home Ministry notification said.

They include the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and its political wing the Revolutionary People's Front; the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its armed wing the Manipur People's Army; the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Prepak) and its armed wing the 'Red Army'; the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and its armed wing also called 'Red Army'; the Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL), the Coordination Committee and the Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak (ASUK).

A Gazette notification said the reason for extending the ban was that these organisations have the aim and objective to form an independent Manipur by seceding from India.

"The Meitei organisations have been employing and engaging in armed means to achieve their objectives. They have been attacking the security forces, police and government employees and law-abiding citizens in Manipur. They are indulging in acts of intimidation, extortion and looting of civilian population for collection of funds for their organisations.

"They are making contacts with sources abroad for influencing public opinion and for securing their assistance by way of arms and training for the purpose of achieving their secessionist objective. They have been maintaining camps in neighbouring countries for the purpose of sanctuaries, training and clandestine procurement of arms and ammunition," it said.

The organisations were blamed for 756 violent incidents and the killing of 86 persons, including 35 security personnel, from January 1, 2013 to July 31, 2018.

The Ministry took the action "in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967)" and declared the Meitei groups along with all their factions, wings and front organisations as unlawful associations with immediate effect.

The notification said: "If the unlawful activities of these organisations are not curbed immediately, they will take the opportunity of mobilizing their cadres for escalating their secessionist, subversive, terrorist and violent activities and other activities."New Delhi, Nov 13 : Chinese venture capital (VC) funds are likely to invest around $30 million in eight Indian start-ups, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said after the 2nd Startup India Investment Seminar held in Beijing on Tuesday.

"In the 1st Startup India Investment seminar, 12 Indian start-ups participated, of which 4 secured a funding of $15 million from Chinese VCs. In the current round, 8 start-ups out of 20 participants are set to get commitment of around $30 million," it said.

The Ministry said the seminar was organised by the Embassy of India in China in partnership with Startup India Association and Venture Gurukool to foster innovation and entrepreneurship among the Indian youth. The first seminar was held in November 2017.

"The event was planned to expose Chinese VCs and investors to the promising Indian start-ups and also help Indian start-ups to reach out to the large Chinese investors for receiving investment for their companies," the Ministry said in a statement.

42 Indian entrepreneurs representing 20 Indian start-ups participated in the event and pitched before Chinese investors. More than 350 Chinese VC funds and angel investors participated in the day-long seminar, it said.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) CEO Zheng Bin shared ICBC's experience in India and gave an overview of the Indian start-up ecosystem and explained the process of investment.

ICBC India has established a $200 million fund for investing in promising Indian MSMEs and ventures, he said.Chennai, Nov 13 : The countdown for the Wednesday evening launch of India's heaviest rocket GSLV-Mk III carrying communication satellite GSAT-29 is in progress at the rocketport in Sriharikota, the Indian space agency said.

According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-Mk III) standing 43.4 metre tall and weighing 640 ton is expected to blast off at 5.08 p.m. on Wednesday.

The countdown for the rocket launch began at 2.50 p.m. on Tuesday.

The rocket carrying the 3,423 kg GSAT-29 will sling it into Geo Transfer Orbit (GTO) just over 16 minutes into its flight.

Then the satellite will be lifted to the final Geo Stationary Orbit (GSO) at a height of 36,000 km from the earth.

With a design life of 10 years, the GSAT-29 satellite carries Ka/Ku-band high throughput communication transponders intended to meet the communication requirements of users including those in remote areas.

In addition, several new technologies such as Q/V-band payload, data transmission through optical communication link will be demonstrated. This will help in realising future advanced satellites, ISRO said.New Delhi, Nov 13 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear appeals by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi along with party leader Oscar Fernandes challenging a Delhi High Court order directing re-opening of their income tax assessment for 2011-12 related to the National Herald case.

A bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Abdul Nazeer fixed December 4 as the final date of hearing.

Justice Sikri said there were two options: issue notice and allow the assessing officer to proceed with the re-opening or fix the matter after some weeks and decide it.

The court did not formally issue notice to the income tax authorities as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said he was present in court.

Senior counsel P. Chidambaram, appearing for Sonia Gandhi, said during the pendency of matter, the re-assessment ordered by the Delhi High Court would not be given effect to.

To which, Justice Sikri said: "Now it will not."

The Solicitor General said: "There is a difficulty, it may be time barred."

Justice Sikri said in that case, the apex court stays the High Court judgement and that would take care of issue of the time bar. However, no stay order was passed by the court.

Though there is no formal stay of re-assessment by the tax authorities, Solicitor General Mehta said the assessing officer may or may not proceed in terms of the High Court order.

Chidambaram told the court that Young India acquired the shares of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) which was running into losses so there was no question of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others having shares in Young India (YI) making any profit.

AJL runs newspaper National Herald that was founded by first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during freedom struggle.

He said both AJL and YI are registered under Section 25 of the Companies Act and so what gets transferred is only the assets of AJL to YI and the same can't be monetised. Thus there was question of anyone making monitory gains, he said.

Questioning the issuance of re-assessment notice under Section 148 of the Income Tax Act, Chidambaram said in the instant case, Section 148 is not attracted as it does not apply at all.

Under Section 148 of the Income Tax Act, tax authorities can issue notice for the assessment of income that might have escaped assessment at the relevant time.

The Companies Act says that the companies registered under Section 25 have to ensure that their profits and other incomes are utilized for the sole purpose of promoting its objects -- commerce, art, science, religion, charity or any other useful object.

It further says that it has to ensure that its profits are not being distributed for the payment of the dividend to its members and it should apply its profits or other incomes only in promoting its objects.

The law says that companies registered under Section 25 of the Companies Act are non-profit organisations.

The three Congress leaders have moved the top court challenging the September 10 Delhi High Court order by which it had dismissed their plea challenging the Income Tax notice seeking tax reassessment for the financial year 2011-2012.

Rahul, Sonia Gandhi and Oscar Fernandes had moved the High Court against Income Tax notice for tax reassessment as they had allegedly not disclosed their income earned through Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) for the year 2011-2012.Kolkata, Nov 13 : West Bengal BJP Kisan Morcha (farmers wing) will stage a march to the state assembly on Novemnber 20 to press for the demands of the farmers, state morcha president Ramkrishna Pal said on Tuesday.

"The farmers in Bengal are struggling to meet their ends. We have already submitted memorandum regarding the demands of the farmers to the state government. We have also given copies of the memorandum to the BDO offices and to the governor. But no action has been taken yet. We have planned a march to state assembly to highlight the demands of the state farmers," Pal told reporters here.

According to BJP sources, party's state President Dilip Ghosh and national secretary Suresh Pujari will be present in the rally while the wing's all-India president Virendra Singh is also expected to attend the programme.Photo: The Canadian Press CNN journalist Jim Acosta does a standup before a news conference with President Donald Trump at the White House.

CNN sued the Trump administration Tuesday, demanding that correspondent Jim Acosta's credentials to cover the White House be returned because their revocation violates the constitutional right of freedom of the press.

The administration stripped Acosta of his pass to enter the White House following President Donald Trump's contentious news conference last week, where Acosta refused to give up a microphone when the president said he didn't want to hear anything more from him.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said "this is just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against his lawsuit."

Trump has made CNN and its reporters a particular target of his denunciation of "fake news" and characterization of the media as an enemy of the people. CNN CEO Jeff Zucker, in a letter to White House chief of staff John Kelly, called it a "pattern of targeted harassment."

The White House initially contended it was Acosta's refusal to give up the microphone that led to his banishment; CNN said it's apparent the president didn't like his questions.

"Mr. Acosta's press credentials must be restored so that all members of the press know they will remain free to ask tough questions, challenge government officials and report the business of the nation to the American people," said Theodore Olson, former U.S. solicitor general and one of CNN's lawyers on the case.

The White House Correspondents' Association backed the lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C., district court.

"The president of the United States should not be in the business of arbitrarily picking the men and women who cover him," said Olivier Knox, president of the correspondents' group.

CNN said Acosta was given no warning of the action, and no recourse to appeal it. Acosta travelled to Paris to cover Trump's visit there this weekend and, although given permission by the French government to cover a news event, the Secret Service denied him entrance, the company said.

"Without this credential, a daily White House correspondent like Acosta effectively cannot do his job," CNN's lawsuit said.

CNN asked for an injunction to immediately reinstate Acosta, as well as a hearing on the larger issue of barring a reporter.

In an effort to prove the administration's case last week, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders distributed via Twitter a doctored video sped up to make Acosta's physical actions toward the intern seem more threatening.

That wasn't mentioned by Sanders in a statement Tuesday. She cited his refusal to yield to other reporters after he asked Trump two questions.

"The White House cannot run an orderly and fair press conference when a reporter acts this way, which is neither appropriate nor professional," Sanders said. "The First Amendment is not served when a single reporter, of more than 150 present, attempts to monopolize the floor."

Trump told Acosta at the news conference that "CNN should be ashamed of itself, having you work for them. You are a rude, terrible person."

Acosta has been a polarizing figure even beyond the distaste that Trump and his supporters have for him. The Poynter Institute, a journalism think-tank , editorialized last week that Acosta's encounter with Trump at the news conference "was less about asking questions and more about making statements. In doing so, the CNN White House reporter gave President Donald Trump room to critique Acosta's professionalism."Gaza, Nov 14 : Palestinian militias in Gaza on Tuesday announced that they have agreed to a ceasefire after two days of escalating tension and firing more than 460 rockets fired into Israel, to which the Israelis responded with 160 airstrikes carried out on positions in the enclave.

The flare-up of violence was triggered by an Israeli military operation near the Gaza town of Khan Yunis on Sunday night in which seven militants and an Israeli soldier died and to which the Gaza militants responded by launching dozens of rockets into Israeli territory, Efe reported.

The joint operations centre of the Palestinian factions said that Egyptian efforts had led to strengthening the ceasefire between the "armed resistance factions" and Israel, with the armed resistance in Gaza committing itself to abiding by the ceasefire as long as Israel also adheres to it.

The factions include the Qassam Brigades - the armed wing of the Islamist movement Hamas that governs Gaza - and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, among others.

Shortly before the ceasefire announcement, high-ranking Hamas sources confirmed to EFE that the truce had come into force.

Cairo, with support from the United Nations, had pushed in the past few hours to ending the worst escalation of violence since 2014 between Palestinian militias and Israel.

During the violence over the past 48 hours, 14 militants, an Israeli soldier in Gaza and a Palestinian civilian in Israel were killed.Moscow, Nov 14 : The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday denounced a senior US official's claim about Russia's interference in negotiations over the Afghan issue as Washington's attempts to shift the blame for its own policy failures in the country.

On Thursday, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale accused Russia of supporting conflicts in Afghanistan, Xinhua reported.

"We regard Hale's statement as a clumsy attempt to shift responsibility to the Russian side for US own failures in Afghanistan and the lack of achievements in Washington's efforts to find a solution to the Afghan issue," a ministry statement said.

The ministry said the accusation could only cause "bewilderment" as Moscow is making consistent efforts to facilitate the intra-Afghan reconciliation process, citing the recently held second meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan.

The meeting was held on Friday in the Russian capital with the participation of deputy foreign ministers, special representatives and observers from 11 countries including the United States.

The meeting also marked the first time that representatives of both the Afghan government and the Taliban participated, the ministry noted.The decline is slowing down in the NT, but values are still on a downward spiral.

CoreLogics Total Returns Index for July 2018 showed that the total returns for Darwin fell from 2.5% in the 12 months to July 2018 to just -0.8%. However, the report indicates that, even with this drop, the decrease in values was less sharp over the previous two months.

Regional pockets of the NT recorded much more positive results, with total annual returns jumping from 1.4% to 12.3%. This ties in with rental yields being highlighted as one of the states best advantages.

However, while returns favour landlords, rental rates do not. CoreLogics Home Value Index showed that Darwin had one of the weakest rental markets among the capital cities, alongside Sydney. Over the 12 months to July 2018, rents fell by 2.2% in Darwin.

With rental conditions generally remaining subdued nationally, the recovery in rental yields is likely to be drawn out.

He also highlights Darwins poor performance over the past several years as one of the factors that has contributed to the nationwide slowdown in property prices. CoreLogics Property Pulse report for August 2018 indicated that Darwin has had one of the weakest decades among the capital cities. Since March 2013, real dwelling values have fallen by a total of 29%.

We cant see any factors that may halt or reverse the housing markets trajectory of subtle declines over the second half of 2018.

Click here to enlarge

Economic stagnation

That Darwins property market still doesnt seem to have hit the bottom spotlights a problem with the local economy.

Unless there are real job creators out there  major projects  that market will continue to slide, warns Real Estate Institute of Australia president Malcolm Gunning.

Its all underpinned by jobs  its not necessarily a destination for retirees. Its driven by any increase in population, which is driven by work opportunities.

Nonetheless, Darwin is still recording fairly steady sales of houses in the $1 million range. While lower than the peak figure of 5.9% of all house sales in 2015, the percentage of houses sold at a minimum of $1 million in 2018 was 3.8%  a number that has remained consistent over the 12 months to June 2018.

Click here to enlarge

Suburb to watch

Located in inner Darwin, the suburb of Parap is clearly mirroring the citys slump.

Click here to enlarge

Values of both houses and units fell over the 12 months to July 2018 by 1.9% and 8.3%, respectively, continuing the negative trend recorded since 2013. This decline is easing in comparison to previous years, which could be a positive sign.

It seems that units are presenting a better showing than houses  over the year to May 2018, the former recorded higher sales than the latter, at 23 units compared to 14 houses. Moreover, the rental rates for Paraps apartments increased by 2.3% in this period, for a high average yield of 6.9%  a favourable outcome for investors.

Yield: Units offer very high returns of almost 7%, compared to houses at 4.6%

Sales: A total of 14 houses and 23 units were sold in the year to May 2018

This article first appeared in Your Investment Property Magazine - 2018 November Market Report.

TIM LAWLESS heads up the CoreLogic RP Data research and analytics team and can be contacted here.Cushman Creative brilliantly transformed our message of knowing what it takes to give every patient the best chance to beat cancer into a thoughtful, engaging video that showcases our solution.

Cushman Creatives work showcases how the companys Trapelo solution helps oncologists, lab directors and payors manage the fastest growing, most exciting and most costly factor in the future of cancer care, the use of precision medicine.

Today, precision medicine offers hope for the future of cancer treatment, but the complexities of using it are slowing progress for everyone, says Karan Cushman, CEO, Cushman Creative. New clinical research is published every day, but oncologists, practice directors, labs and payers often dont have time to read and process all of it, let alone apply it to day to day decisions. Trapelo by Intervention Insights can help and thats what Trapelo Knows highlights.

The MarCom Awards  one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious creative competitions in the world  recognizes outstanding achievement by creative professionals involved in the concept, direction, design and production of marketing and communication materials and programs. Judges from the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals (AMCP) look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. Winners are selected from more than 300 categories in Print, Web, Video and Strategic Communications. Other top 2018 winners include Aflac, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, IBM, Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Weber Shandwick.

As the first, single technology platform used by oncologists, labs and payers that resolves the complexities of precision medicine in real-time, Trapelo helps everyone in cancer care work together to stay current, be more transparent and give patients the most appropriate treatment options more quickly, explains Clynt Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Intervention Insights. Cushman Creative brilliantly transformed our message of knowing what it takes to give every patient the best chance to beat cancer into a thoughtful, engaging video that showcases ours as a solution that works for everyone, resolving the complexities of precision medicine and speeding access to the most appropriate cancer treatment for patients when time matters most.

Learn more about Trapelo by Intervention Insights at http://www.interventioninsights.com.

About Cushman Creative

Founded in 2007, Cushman Creative is a branding and marketing communications firm that works exclusively with biomedical, life science and pharma brands that can improve the quality of life. To see more work, visit the case study section of the companys website at http://www.cushmancreative.com/case-studies.Gourmet marshmallow company XO Marshmallow will make their national retail debut at Paper Source with their ingenious Rose Gold Rose marshmallows. Available in all 128 starting November 10, 2018, the marshmallows will be available in sets of 12 for $15.95.

The Rose Gold Rose mallows are made with Graham Beck, which has notes of cherry and raspberry, and of course, edible rose gold glitter. Designed to be luxe, playful, and a little bit extra, this XO Marshmallow offering is perfect for stocking stuffers, co-worker gifts, bridal and baby showers, hosts, and more.

Whether its in the backyard with a campfire or BBQ, or in the house with a stove or microwave, making smores and getting all sticky is a fond childhood memory for many. Lindzi Shanks and Kat Connor, XO Marshmallow co-founders, took that ooey-gooey memory and turned it into a 21st century, gourmet, handmade treat with a modern twist. Using proprietary recipes, Shanks and Connor produce flavors such as Lavender Honey, Butterbeer, Matcha, Champagne, and Salted Caramel. Marshmallow of the month flavors have included Apple Turnover, FireWERK, Neapolitan, Watermelon and Orange Dreamsicle.

Paper Sources chic yet witty product collections made saying yes to this holiday 2018 partnership a no-brainer. This is our first national retail distribution and its only fitting they chose our most luxurious mallow to date, Rose Gold Rose. We hope consumers enjoy the experience of seeing our marshmallows in-store and how they pair with other items said Lindzi Shanks and Kat Connor, co-founders of XO Marshmallow. We love experimenting with new flavors and add-ons, such as edible glitter, and look forward to introducing similar products in the future.

XO Marshmallow is a natural fit for our stores. Not only are we both Chicago based, but they create a product that deviates from the mainstream and they transform something warm and familiar into something beautiful and unexpected: they have reinvented the marshmallow! said Patrick Priore, Chief Merchant at Paper Source. We are an experiential store, where customers can explore and find some new treasures in every visit. XO Marshmallows Rose Gold represents one of those treasures, from the beautiful packaging to the amazing flavor, we are confident our customers will love them as much as we do. We are proud to feature them as a Paper Source exclusive."

In July 2017, Shanks and Connor opened Chicagos first and only marshmallow cafe. The bright and cozy space features seating for 20 and signature menu items such as a DIY smores, Smacos (smore tacos), Marshmallow Dream Bars, Marshmallow Turtles, Toasted Marshmallow Lattes, and Frozen Smores. The cafe also has a retail section featuring XO Marshmallow marshmallows, marshalos and more.

Please visit http://www.xomarshmallow.com and http://www.papersource.com for more information.

About XO Marshmallow

Whether its in the backyard with a campfire or BBQ, or in the house with a stove or microwave, making smores and getting all sticky is a fond childhood memory for many. Lindzi Shanks and Kat Connor, XO Marshmallow co-founders, took that ooey-gooey memory and turned into a 21st century, gourmet, handmade treat with a modern twist. Innovative flavors include green tea, lavender honey, vanilla, bourbon, champagne, salted caramel and more.

XO Marshmallow opened Chicagos first and only marshmallow cafe in July 2017. The bright and cozy cafe features signature menu items such as a DIY smores bar, Smacos (smore tacos), Marshmallow Dream Bars, Whoopie Pies, Toasted Marshmallow Lattes, and Frozen Smores. The space also has retail items such as the brands signature gourmet marshmallow and marshalos.

About Paper Source

Founded in 1983, Paper Source is a premier paper and gift store offering a curated selection of fine and artisanal papers, invitations, gifts, gift wrap, greeting cards and an exclusive collection of envelopes and cards. With the goal to "Do Something Creative Every Day," Paper Source is committed to offering inspiration and innovation to their customers as they celebrate all of life's moments, both big and small. In support of this mission, Paper Source offers a creative aesthetic with a unique color palette and proprietary designs that are hand-illustrated by an in-house Art and Design team. As of August 2017, Paper Source operates stores in 29 states, the District of Columbia, plus an ecommerce store and wholesale division. For more information, please visit http://www.papersource.com.

Media Contact:

Lynette Nicole PR

Lynette Pettinicchi

Lynette(at)LynetteNicolePR(dot)comToday marks the official launch of Gina Hendrixs philanthropic partnership with Sharp Dressed Man. This unique charitable organization that empowers men by providing recycled suits for job interviews to those actively engaged in workforce development. With Ginas global clientele and nonprofit know-how, and the huge success of the organization in Baltimore, she hopes to help bring this initiative to many more cities throughout the US by starting in Los Angeles.

With Ginas traditionally exclusive clientele, she feels well positioned to find an abundance of suits to help get Sharp Dressed Man up and running right here in LA. Founded by Christopher Schafer, Sharp Dressed Man started in Baltimore serving 2,184 men this past year, with an ambitious goal of 3,000 for 2019. Gina, who has to be an exceptional judge of character when choosing women for her billionaire clients, understands that first impressions are everything. In fact, studies show that people have only seven seconds to make a first impression. Gina is uniquely situated to help align a mans inner character with his outer look.

Look. Its simple. If we can improve a prospective employees outward appearance, we can help remove the biases that hold them from having an equal shot at an employment opportunity. I am counting on my network of prominent and successful gentlemen to help! 

Gina Hendrix first learned about Sharp Dressed Man through, what else, one of her elite clients. And shes more than confident that she can get each and every one of these tech giants, avant-garde entrepreneurs, influential politicians, celebrities, and top CEOs to donate their suits. With their inherent trust in Gina, getting a few suits from these high-powered players, should be a piece of cake!

ABOUT GINA HENDRIX

Gina Hendrix is considered one of the top matchmakers in the industry. In radio and tv appearances, she is often referred to as the Billionaire or Celebrity Matchmaker, but in truth Gina is the gatekeeper and trusted confident to some of the most eligible and influential men in the world. Launching Exclusive Introductions in 2008, Gina is a recognized relationship expert, author, radio host and a dedicated philanthropist. In 2012 she launched Models n Mutts, which is an organization of models and other beautiful women who volunteer their time to help shelter pets. https://www.facebook.com/ModelsNMutts/

http://www.exclusiveinla.com

@theginahendrix

ABOUT SHARPED DRESSED MAN

Christopher Schafer started Sharp Dressed Man with a partnership between the Baltimore Fashion Alliance and the Living Classrooms Foundation in 2011 to support men re-entering the workforce. Sharp Dressed Man is dedicated to empowering men to improve their lives through professional presentation. We provide recycled suits for job interviews.

http://www.sharpdressedman.org

LinkedIn @christhetailorStudents from the Boston Area's top universities gather at Sonos HQ to participate in the challenge. "Today's university students are the future leaders of industry", says Jay LeBoeuf, founder and Executive Director of Real Industry. "By partnering with Sonos and Boston-area universities, we're able to give students unprecedented access to real-world challenges, technologies, and opportunities."

Sonos, the inventor of multi-room wireless Home Sound System with a mission to help the world listen better by giving people access to the content they love and allowing them to control it however they want, has partnered with Real Industry for its second annual Sonos Challenge. During the challenge, students worked together to answer the following question: How do we design or build an experience that delivers the right sound, at the right moment, into people's lives? Participating students used Sonos hardware and software to explore this prompt, build something, and communicate the engineering and business value behind their accomplishments.

"Today's university students are the future leaders of industry," says Jay LeBoeuf, Founder and Executive Director of Real Industry. "By partnering with Sonos and Boston-area universities, we were able to give students unprecedented access to real-world challenges, technologies, and career opportunities!"

On October 4th, the program kicked off at the Sonos Boston office, with over 180 students having registered from Harvard University, Boston University, Boston College, Tufts University, Wellesley College, Northeastern University, Berklee College of Music, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Clark University, and more.

"When Real Industry brought the Sonos Challenge to Tufts in 2017, we had over 100 students participate from a variety of disciplines from engineering to music to experience design. Having an opportunity to see how the skills they've developed in the classroom could connect to careers and products they love brought a new level of practicality to our research, projects and classroom discussions," said Bradford Swanson, Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University. "The students who made connections at those events with leaders at Sonos and mentors from other parts of the industry have had a serious leg up in finding internships and jobs in these fields, and will hopefully continue on to share in mentoring students as their careers get established. It's an initiative that will keep on giving back to the Tufts community in the years to come through these mentoring relationships."

A team of 3 Tufts University students won the Boston Sonos Challenge. Chris Markus, Electrical Engineering 20, Katie Elliott, EE 20, and Allie Lam, Applied Math/Music Technology 20, created OurSound, a group listening solution. Their project was an integrated, collaborative music recommendation solution, built upon the Spotify and Sonos APIs. The app allows groups of listeners to enjoy a music playlist creating based on their shared listening preferences, easily controlled by intuitive controls, on a Sonos system.

The University of Washington Sonos Challenge launched on October 9th. Hosted by University of Washingtons Department of Electrical Engineering, engineering and design students participated for the second year in a row.

An interdisciplinary team of students won this years challenge, including Xu Yan, Computer Science '19, Zoe Zou, Master in Science and Technology Innovation '19, Hal Zhang, Electrical Engineering, and Padraic Casserly, Technology Innovation and Bio-Chemistry.

With their project, Feel.io, users discover music by singing and humming tunes they would like to hear into an embedded microphone. Exact and similar sounding songs are played back through Sonos speakers. At the same time, Feel.io identifies songs with a similar vibe or in the same genre and play them back to you through your Sonos speaker. The Feel.io aims for their innovation to be the best way to celebrate your current mood, and discover and explore music.

"Last year, over 100 University of Washington students, with different and complementary levels of skill in digital signal processing, computer science, and machine learning, got together and shared a fine set of experiences. These students were able to apply the concepts that they learned in usual classroom and lab instruction. It was really nice to watch them experience the importance of their creativity in their work. Moreover, they were also able to bring some exciting new concepts back as future research and class projects," said Professor Les Atlas, Signal Processing and Machine Learning Researcher at the University of Washington.

"I enjoyed the Real Industry and Sonos events last year in Boston and Seattle. For me, the fact that the students were exposed to a broad cross section of the development process, including ideation, product management, and design, as well as the actual coding, was particularly appealing. Im excited to see what students do this year with our open developer platform," said Matt Welch, Product Manager at Sonos.

Smart speakers are transforming how we enjoy music, access information, and interact with our homes. The Sonos Challenge empowers university students to get experience with technology and innovation in an industry theyre passionate about, all while receiving mentorship from professionals in the field. This partnership between Real Industry and Sonos provides students with opportunities they would not have otherwise accessed.

ABOUT SONOS

Sonos is the leading multi-room wireless smart home sound system. As the inventor of multi-room wireless home audio, Sonos innovation helps the world listen better by giving people access to the content they love and allowing them to control it however they choose. Known for delivering an unparalleled music listening experience, thoughtful home design aesthetic, simplicity of use and an open platform, Sonos makes the breadth of sonic content available to anyone. Sonos is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California. Learn more at http://www.sonos.com.

http://www.sonos.com/ | @sonos | pr(at)sonos.com |

ABOUT REAL INDUSTRY

Real Industry is an educational non-profit with the mission to educate, inspire, and empower university students to thrive in the arts and technology industry. We create hands-on programs where students work with industry mentors to tackle real-world problems. Students are exposed to new career paths, develop new skills, and rapidly expand their professional networks.

http://www.realindustry.org | @Real_Industry | info(at)realindustry.orgThe brief was simple. Create a website that reflects our deep commitment to partnership in overcoming clinical challenges that are recognised worldwide

Bernard Ross, CEO of Sky Medical Technology, said, The brief was simple. Create a website that reflects our deep commitment to partnership in overcoming clinical challenges that are recognised worldwide. The result has been inspiring. The new site places our clinical partners centre stage, shines a light on their compelling geko research and their belief in the geko device  testament to a shared vision in the brilliance of partnership and their willingness to embrace innovation to introduce therapies that provide differentiated clinical performance and economic value.

With its fresh new look and easier navigation, the new site provides a breath of aesthetic and functional improvements. Alongside informative written content, there are videos of our clinical partners speaking to camera to share their findings. New user training videos with 3D animation to aid geko fitting, and new mechanism of action videos that visually demonstrate geko impact on blood flow increase and oedema reduction.

View the new site at: http://www.gekodevices.com

Sky develop multi-application wearable therapy devices. Their clinically proven OnPulse technology, embedded in the geko device, combines a deep understanding of neuromuscular electrostimulation (NMES) with user-friendly wearable design.

The size of a wrist watch and worn at the knee, the easy-to-use geko device gently stimulates the common peroneal nerve contracting the calf and foot muscle pumps, resulting in increased blood flow in the deep veins of the calf. The geko device is clinically proven to help prevent and treat a range of acute and chronic medical conditions in both the hospital and home care setting.

About Sky Medical Technology Ltd

Sky Medical technology Ltd is the parent company of Firstkind Ltd. Sky is a UK based science-led medical devices company. Through its innovative mechanism of non-invasive neuromuscular electrostimulation, Sky has developed a ground-breaking NMES technology platform, OnPulse, embedded in its industry-leading brand, the geko device.

Skys range of non-invasive geko products are wearable therapy devices tailored to different medical applications, selling both direct and through partnerships and distributors in each clinical area. Clinical areas of interest include the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE), the prevention and reduction of oedema and wound healing.

Sky is committed to partnering with healthcare professionals to solve challenging medical problems. Through local partnerships they work with clinicians to overcome challenges that are recognised worldwide. In collaboration they identify clinical needs and translate these into cutting-edge products and evidence-based therapies to simplify treatments for clinicians and improve patient outcomes.

Media contact

Sue Davenport

Sky Medical Technology Ltd

Hawk House

Peregrine Business Park

Gomm Road

High Wycombe

Buckinghamshire

HP13 7DL

+44 (0)1494 572044Little Rock plays host to the Expo Ark-La-Tex. We're thrilled to have this chance to demonstrate the importance of good custom labeling to Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas business people.

Working within the medical and recreational cannabis industries presents exciting possibilities and opportunities for entrepreneurs. The Imperious Expo Ark-La-Tex offers companies in these sectors a chance to connect, share information and build partnerships. Lightning Labels is among the companies exhibiting at this show, with representatives on hand to show the potential impact of custom cannabis labels.

Exploring the Cannabis Expo Ark-La-Tex

The business-to-business communication at industry shows is helpful for organizations in the medical marijuana industry, and the Ark-La-Tex Expo 2018 is designed to facilitate these meetings. From Dec. 12-13, dozens of companies, government agencies and other organizations will send representatives to Little Rock for the convention. Keynote speeches and presentations will provide valuable insider perspectives on the present and future of cannabis business.

"Industry gatherings provide an ideal chance for cannabis entrepreneurs to meet and learn best practices," said Lightning Labels Director of Sales and Client Services Gary Paulin. "We're thrilled to have this chance to demonstrate the importance of good custom labeling to Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas business people."

Learning the Value of Cannabis Labels

When the legal marijuana industry first commenced over a decade ago, labeling best practices simply meant complying with relevant laws. Now, to stand out among increasing competition, companies must also master design and branding. The Lightning Labels Booth at the Imperious Expo Ark-La-Tex is a great place to see custom labeling in action.

About Lightning Labels:

Lightning Labels uses state-of-the-art printing technology to provide affordable, full-color custom labels and custom stickers of all shapes and sizes. From small orders for individuals to the bulk needs of big businesses, Lightning Labels is equipped to handle and fulfill custom label and sticker projects of all types. Best of all, like the name implies, Lightning Labels provides a quick turnaround for every customer's labeling needs. Uses for Lightning Labels' custom product labels and custom stickers include food packaging and organic food labels, wine and beverage labels, bath and body labels, and nutraceutical products, such as vitamins, essentials oils, and herbal remedies, as well as event stickers, adhesive window stickers and more. Lightning Labels strongly supports the development of environmentally friendly printing materials and carries EarthFirst PLA, a new kind of green label material made from corn instead of petroleum. While operating as a high-tech printer, Lightning Labels prides itself on its personalized customer service. Lightning Labels provides one stop shopping for all of your custom label needs. For more information and to place orders online, visit LightningLabels.com. For the latest in packaging news and labeling promotional offers, find Lightning Labels on Twitter (@LightningLabels), Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn.

Photo: The Canadian Press

A strike appears to be looming at the Globe and Mail.

The union representing editorial, circulation and advertising sales workers at the Globe says they could be on strike by midnight Wednesday.

Unifor says the 320 members are seeking pension protection and an end to what it says is a pay gap between male and female employees.

They have been negotiating with the Globe for six months, but Unifor says talks have not moved forward for the past two months.

Members gave their bargaining committee a 94 per cent strike mandate two weeks ago.

The union says it wants the employer to move all unionized employees into a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan.

It says about 57 per cent of Globe employees are in a single-employer defined benefit pension plan, while 36 per cent are in a "much poorer" defined contribution plan.

A spokesman from the Globe and Mail did not immediately respond to request for comment.Enlytes platform is designed to deliver aid to individuals, families, and societies on the path to mental and physical wellness.

Enlyte, LLC took the Healthcare Revolution Conference by storm this past weekend in Orlando, Florida. Enlyte received 1 of 30 coveted spots available globally for the events Innovation Awards, which recognizes the most innovative leaders in Transforming the Business of Health. Enlyte is just rounding the corner from start-up to market competitor, yet they stood out as an innovator in the health and wellness industries.

True innovation is difficult and often rare to deliver. Today, innovation and disruption require dedication, risk taking, resilience, and speed to be first to market, said Renee-Marie Stephano, founder of the Healthcare Revolution Conference. Even if you achieve a miracle and create something truly disruptive, it is almost impossible to get noticed and break through the white noise and distractions that consumes the industry every day.

Enlyte is doing just this. Enlytes team of scientists, strategists and industry executives offer a unique perspective as to what is driving the increased loss of productivity and efficiency in the workplace, resulting ultimately in financial losses at astounding numbers. While many organizations offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), they can often be inconvenient, irrelevant to the employees specific situation or simply not used due to the stigma surrounding mental health, said Don Hernandez, CEO of Enlyte. Beyond helping to reduce costs and aid employee wellness at a corporate level, Enlytes platform is designed to deliver aid to individuals, families, and societies on the path to mental and physical wellness.

While originally created for the corporate marketplace, Enlyte offers a free app for personal use, as well as a comprehensive dashboard for treatment facilities with an unprecedented support system and view into the lives of those and their families who have completed a therapy program. The machine learning algorithms that form the basis of the Enlyte technology platform provide early warning to treatment facilities and therapists of patients with a high probability of relapse on a particular day, providing the means for a proactive intervention.

Working in conjunction with partners in the scientific and health care communities, Enlyte delivers an evidence-based solution utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy along with a robust user experience that helps individual users manage anxiety, stress, depression and addiction for a better work and life experience.

About Enlyte

Enlyte LLC is an innovator in conversational bot technology to promote health and wellness. Designed for organizations looking to help people manage stress and addictions, Enlyte offers a robust bot platform that can adapt to different types of users, conversations, and challenges.

Enlyte brings decades of experience in understanding how people learn and consume information, coupled with domain experience in the scientific healthcare community, to deliver a scalable health and wellness bot application to help improve the lives and productivity of individuals and the workforce. For more information, visit http://www.enlyte.bot and follow @enlyte_bot on Twitter.

About Global Healthcare Resource (GHR)

Global Healthcare Resources (GHR) is a solutions firm of international experts providing consulting to organizations and government bodies seeking strategy, development and market penetration services for healthcare, wellness, well-being, medical and wellness travel, employee benefits, insurance, precision medicine, and genomics. GHR touches over 2.5 million C-Suite, HR, insurance, healthcare and travel executives, and has a reach of over 1.25 million members in the leading LinkedIn Groups it manages.

GHR works with the CEOs of the most influential health insurance companies, corporations, hospitals, and brokerage firms and organizes the leading VIP events in the industry, including HEALTHCARE EVOLUTION."Working with Trinamic to provide reference design schematics and create their EDA models gives design engineers the highest quality EDA content possible, said Manny Marcano, president and CEO of EMA.

EMA Design Automation (http://www.ema-eda.com), a full-service provider and innovator of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) solutions, today announced the release of its Ultra Librarian Reference Design Cloud, giving engineers easy, web-based access to reference design schematics enabling faster design starts. The first set of reference designs are available for TRINAMIC Motion Control ICs. At the same time, schematic symbols, footprints, and 3D models for all Trinamic components have been released on EMAs industry leading, manufacturer verified, EDA Model Cloud (http://www.ultralibrarian.com). Working with Trinamic to provide reference design schematics and create their EDA models gives design engineers the highest quality EDA content possible, said Manny Marcano, president and CEO of EMA. In addition to our meticulous creation and rigorous testing techniques, every model is verified by the engineers at Trinamic to ensure that they work perfectly in more than 25 EDA output formats delivered by Ultra Librarian.

Trinamic provides ICs and microsystems for embedded motor and motion control. They are helping to enable the trend towards automating all aspects of the human environment that has resulted in an explosion in the deployment of controlled motion systems. TRINAMIC Motion Control components are used in desktop manufacturing, healthcare devices, laboratory automation, surveillance cameras, robotics, the physical cloud, and anywhere else reliable positioning is required.

Engineers developing products requiring motion control can now easily specify Trinamic ICs in their designs, with access to schematic symbols, PCB footprints, 3D models and reference design schematics from the cloud. With the Ultra Librarian Reference Design Cloud, engineers can search and review reference designs online. If desired, they can even make changes and download a modified schematic in OrCAD. Reference designs can be exported to any of the supported EDA tool formats, including Altium, OrCAD, Eagle, Mentor PADS Logic, and Mentor DxDesigner, providing the fastest method of getting verified circuitry into a design. The Ultra Librarian Model Cloud allows design engineers to download schematic symbols, PCB footprints, and 3D models for all Trinamic components. Ultra Librarian is the industrys most comprehensive, verified EDA model library providing free access to more than 15 million part numbers for download.

Our technology makes it easy for people to add world-class motion control to their products, said Jonas Proeger, marketing director at TRINAMIC Motion Control. With this new integration to Ultra Librarian, engineers have easy access to verified correct models and circuitry, making their job easier and reducing errors caused by manually creating part models and building support circuitry.

For more information about Ultra Librarian, go to http://www.ultralibrarian.com or call 585.334.6001.

About EMA Design Automation, Inc.

EMA Design Automation is a trailblazer in product development solutions offering a complete range of EDA tools, PLM integrations, services, training, and technical support. EMA is a Cadence Channel Partner serving all of North America. EMA develops Ultra Librarian, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, CIP, EDABuilder, and a host of custom solutions to enhance the OrCAD products, and all are distributed through a worldwide network of value added resellers. EMA is a privately held corporation headquartered in Rochester, New York. Visit EMA at http://www.ema-eda.com for more information.

About Trinamic

Privately-held TRINAMIC Motion Control GmbH & Co. KG is a recognized global leader in motor and motion control technologies. The company develops the world's most sophisticated technology for motion and motor control applications. Leveraging its extensive portfolio of internally developed IP, Trinamic motor control products emphasize efficiency, quality, and ease-of-use. Trinamics state-of-the-art ICs, modules, and mechatronic solutions enable today's software engineers to quickly and reliably develop highly precise drives that work efficiently, smoothly, and quietly. The companys products have been integrated into a wide range of applications in 3D printing, CNC mills, biotechnology, lab automation, home automation, medical equipment, materials handling, CCTV, and factory automation. The company is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany with a research center in Tallinn, Estonia, and Sales Engineers in both Chicago, IL, USA and Suzhou, China. More information about Trinamic can be found at http://www.trinamic.com.

EMA Design Automation, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, EDABuilder, Ultra Librarian and the EMA logo

are registered trademarks, and Component Information Portal is a trademark of EMA Design Automation, Inc.

Cadence, Allegro, and OrCAD are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

All other trademarks in this release are the property of their respective owners.Accel Rehabilitation Hospital of Plano, Texas Welcomes New CEO Marla Wilson, OTR, MBA As the new CEO of Accel Rehabilitation Hospital of Plano, Texas, Marla Wilson will bring post-acute healthcare and business leadership to the community.

Accel Rehabilitation Hospital of Plano, Texas Welcomes new CEO Marla Wilson, OTR, MBA, a leading provider of post-acute and rehabilitative care serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, announces the appointment of Marla Wilson, OTR, MBA, to the position of chief executive officer for the facility, effective September 10, 2018.

Ms. Wilson comes to Accel Rehabilitation Hospital of Plano with over 15 years of post-acute healthcare and business leadership experience in the Texas rehabilitative and patient care marketplace. Her commitment to helping individuals improve their health and lives led her to specialize in first helping patients with brain injury, then inpatient physical rehabilitation before proceeding to a career in executive management.

I have always had a passion for helping people and making others lives better, said Marla Wilson. My focus is in utilizing my extensive experience in rehabilitation care, business development, physician relations and market strategy to ensure our community receives the excellence in care it deserves.

We are delighted to bring aboard a healthcare executive with Marla Wilsons experience, passion for care and business skills to the Dallas Fort Worth community, said Angela Norris, executive vice president of StoneGate Senior Living, parent company of Accel Rehabilitation Hospital of Plano. Accel Rehabilitation Hospital of Plano delivers market-leading rehabilitative care, and Wilsons role as CEO will bring dynamic and visionary leadership to the marketplace.

Ms. Wilson, her husband and four children live in Lewisville, and are active in the community.

ABOUT ACCEL REHABILITATION HOSPITAL OF PLANO

Accel Rehabilitation Hospital of Plano is a 45,000 square-foot facility offering cutting-edge inpatient rehabilitation and post-acute care. The hospital serves the larger Dallas-Fort Worth community and is conveniently located close to eleven major medical facilities and hospitals, including Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Plano, Baylor Medical Center of Plano and Carrollton, and more. The facility offers outpatient wound care, home evaluation and specialized inpatient rehabilitation services.

Learn more at: https://accelrehab.com/.

ABOUT STONEGATE SENIOR LIVING

StoneGate Senior Living is an award-winning, full-spectrum senior care and housing company with 46 properties across Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado. Recently ranked as the nations 31st largest transitional and long-term care company by Provider magazine, StoneGate is a fully-integrated, post-acute health care company with service lines and business units that offer transitional care, long-term care, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation, wellness, pharmacy, and care navigation services.

Learn more at http://www.stonegatesl.com/.TRC is proud to be assisting the FAA with this important project to restore and protect the environment in and around the nations premier air transportation research facility.  Paul Arnold, TRCs vice president of engineering, construction and remediation.

TRC, a leading provider of end-to-end engineering, consulting and construction management solutions fueled by innovative technology, has been awarded a nine-year, $36 million contract from the Federal Aviation Administration to oversee remediation of an FAA-owned Superfund site in Atlantic County, N.J.

The contract involves the 5,000-acre William J. Hughes Technical Center, which is eight miles northwest of Atlantic City and includes Atlantic City International Airport.

TRC is proud to be assisting the FAA with this important project to restore and protect the environment in and around the nations premier air transportation research facility, said Paul Arnold, TRCs vice president of engineering, construction and remediation. Not only is this work critically important to the FAA, but also Atlantic City area residents, businesses and visitors.

Under the Superfund Architect/Engineer Environmental Services contract, TRC will lead remedial investigation, risk assessment and design work, including innovative in situ technologies and remediation of aviation fuels, pesticides, heavy metals, PCBs, mercury and emerging contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). More than 30 areas of concern with potential or actual environmental impacts have been identified at the site.

TRC will also perform:



Groundwater and surface water modeling

Wetlands and hydrology monitoring

Hydrogeological and engineering studies

Long-term groundwater and seep sampling

Ecological and human health risk assessments

Natural resources damage assessments

The William J. Hughes Technical Center serves as the nation's premier air transportation system laboratory, testing, evaluating and validating the FAA's full spectrum of aviation systems. It is also responsible for developing scientific solutions to current and future air transportation safety challenges by conducting applied research and development.

TRC has been serving as the FAAs engineering contractor at the site since 1986.

About TRC

A pioneer in groundbreaking scientific and engineering developments since the 1960s, TRC is a global consulting, engineering and construction management firm that provides technology-enabled solutions to the power, oil and gas, environmental and infrastructure markets. We serve a broad range of public and private clients, steering complex projects from concept to completion to help solve the toughest challenges. TRC is ranked #19 on ENRs list of the Top 500 Design Firms in the United States.

Learn more at trcsolutions.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Contact:

Doug Hanchett

Communications Manager

dhanchett(at)trcsolutions(dot)com

978-656-3640Military spouses are our nation's invisible heroes. ACP is a well-established resource for servicemembers, and Im delighted to see the program open up to active duty military spouses.

American Corporate Partners (ACP), founded in 2008, is a national nonprofit organization offering career counseling, mentoring and networking opportunities to post 9/11 transitioning service members. ACPs program has a proven track record, having assisted more than 13,000 veterans with their transition to private sector careers. More than 3,000 veterans are currently being mentored across the nation. Ninety-eight percent of veterans who have participated in ACPs mentoring program would recommend ACP to a fellow veteran. ACPs distinguished Advisory Council includes General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus, Jon Stewart, and Karl Rove.

Today, ACP is announcing the launch of an Active Duty Military Spouse Mentoring Program. ACPs new program will offer personalized, one-on-one yearlong mentorships for the spouses of active duty servicemembers to receive career guidance from top business professionals and entrepreneurs nationwide.

Were thrilled to be moving forward with this initiative with the generous support of Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo, said Colleen Deere, ACPs Executive Director and Army veteran spouse. Active duty spouses face a unique set of employment challenges, and we aim to help them find and advance in meaningful careers.

There are more than 600,000 spouses of active duty servicemembers. On average, military families move seven times more often than civilian families. Seventy percent of active duty spouses report that their education or work experience is not being fully utilized in their current job. ACPs new program is designed to assist active duty military spouses build long-term careers and find meaningful employment. Active duty military spouses will be paired with private sector Mentors to discuss topics ranging from building resumes, translating skills, networking, work-life balance, and building small businesses.

Georgeann McRaven, wife of retired Admiral William McRaven, is assisting ACP in building the program, which expects to mentor 1,500 spouses over the next two years. As a military spouse for 36 years, Georgeann is committed to supporting our nations military families. Military spouses are our nation's invisible heroes," Georgeann said. ACP is a well-established resource for servicemembers, and Im delighted to see the program open up to active duty military spouses.

ACP is also working with the U.S. Army and the U.S. Armys Soldier for Life program, as well as Blue Star Families and Ellevate Network.

About American Corporate Partners (ACP)

American Corporate Partners (acp-usa.org) is a New York City-based national nonprofit organization founded by Sidney E. Goodfriend to address veterans career transition needs through two free programs: a nationwide mentoring program and an online network, ACP AdvisorNet, offering career, employment and small business advice through a robust business community and Q&A platform. More than 30,000 post-9/11 veterans have participated in ACPs programs, and ACP is pleased to welcome active duty spouses."It's a big achievement when veterans can take the skills they learned in the military and leverage them to build their own successful business." -Josh Harris As a civilian, I have to admire and learn from our veterans in business. Handling conflict with confidence and pushing forward are great takeaways for overcoming risk.

Joshua Harris, founder of Agency Growth Secrets, acknowledged our nations soldiers for Veterans Day by exploring the ways theyre uniquely qualified for entrepreneurship. Harris has a history of recognizing the accomplishments of veteran business owners. He attributes much of their success to their military experience and dedication, saying Something about the things soldiers experience while in the military combined with unwavering determination makes them natural leaders. Harris continues, Im awestruck when I think about the sheer courage and self-sacrifice it takes to join the military. The middle-of-the-night training sessions, deployments away from family, and a life-threatening career choice takes a certain type of person.

Agency Growth Secrets' founder recently compiled a list of successful veteran entrepreneurs on his website. In learning about each of their unique business paths, Harris explored the common themes in their success. Harris reviews, As a civilian, I have to admire and learn from our veterans in business. Handling conflict with confidence and pushing forward are great takeaways for overcoming risk.

Josh Harris is honest about risk in business, saying, You know that the risk doesnt end. Its ever-changing and always present. To overcome the challenges in business, he notes that prioritizing growth is vital. Harris suggests blocking out time in your schedule to focus exclusively on growth. He adds The only way to scale your business is to make time for the important task of fostering growth. Reorganizing your schedule or delegating some of your tasks could make the difference between success and failure.

There are endless resources for veterans looking to become entrepreneurs. On his website, Harris offers a list of valuable resources for veterans. He also makes professional recommendations for civilian entrepreneurs. He gives real-world suggestions and adds, Pay attention to business owners you admire. What do they do differently? What challenges have they overcome? What characteristics do they have that you might be lacking? He continues, Carefully scrutinize the way they operate their business and borrow an idea or two. Youll be amazed at how dedicating your efforts to growth can pay off.

Harris honored all veterans and then concluded, Lets also applaud those who shifted from the military to business ownership that serves the community. Taking what they learned in the service and adapting it to successful entrepreneurship is a big achievement.

Joshua Harris is the founder of Agency Growth Secrets, a digital marketing agency. Harris is passionate about lending support to military veterans becoming entrepreneurs. Joshua is a member of The Oracles, an elite group of entrepreneurs. He has been featured in both Forbes and Entrepreneur.

About Agency Growth Secrets:

Agency Growth Secrets was founded by Joshua Harris, in 2008. The advanced high-tech marketing firm uses a highly enhanced, data-driven process to deliver qualified customers to its clients. Agency Growth Secrets uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to discover individuals who are wanting to make a purchase. Through this targeted method, the company is able to decrease customer costs and enhance marketing promotions.The supply chain for the manufacturing of Antibody-drug Conjugates (ADCs) is complex. Working with an integrated CDMO speed up the time to market while saving a considerable amount of money.

A survey by the publishers of ADC Review | Journal of Antibody-drug Conjugates showed that in 2017 the global market for antibody therapies reached U.S. $ 4 billion. Approximately forty-five percent of this market included Antibody-drug Conjugates (ADCs). However, in the next few years the market for novel antibody therapies (including ADCs) is expected to grow significantly, to U.S. $ 17 billion by 2023. [1][2][3]

In addition to this exponential growth, the survey also confirmed an ongoing trend of outsourcing manufacturing and/or co-development to integrated Contract Development Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs). As a result, the survey showed, many CDMOs are expanding their market share.

To optimize costs, major pharmaceutical companies continue to shed manufacturing assets, driving the need to access specialized capabilities designed to accelerate the commercialization of complex drug candidates such as Antibody-drug Conjugates. In turn, demand for CDMOs with biologics development, manufacturing and regulatory expertise is strong and growing, leading to substantial new investment by these specialized companies.

With approximately 70% to 80% of all ADC manufacturing conducted by CDMOs, major pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of ADCs, including Genentech/Roche, Pfizer, Sanofi, Daiichi Sankyo, Takeda and Seattle Genetics either outsource manufacturing of their ADCs, collaborate with a CDMO in a co-development model or are doing so in the near future. Other companies, including companies like ImmunoGen, have recently shifted their ADC manufacturing to an outsourcing model, saving both time and money.[3]

Manufacturing Challenge

The manufacturing of Antibody-drug Conjugates is complex and requires a cGMP facility designed with the proper engineering controls to provide product and personnel protection from highly potent compounds. This includes, for example, isolators being operated at containment Category 4 designated as Safebridge to cope with very low occupational exposure limit (OEL). For ADC fill-finish, a fill line with lyophilization capability enclosed in a separate isolator is an additional requirement.

Contract Development Manufacturing Organizations offer specific technical expertise, says Bethanne Deuel, MBA, Director of Marketing and Alliances at MabPlex International, a CDMO which specializes in the development and cGMP manufacturing of recombinant proteins, antibody therapeutics and Antibody-drug Conjugates for its global customers.

Working with an integrated CDMO like MabPlex reduces the time to market because were specialized to perform all key manufacturing steps, from initial R&D through commercial manufacturing and fill-finish. This saves our customers a considerable amount of time and money, Deuel added.

Whats so unique in working with a CDMO like MabPlex is that we have the necessary technological and regulatory expertise, often more than our clients, she concluded.

Currently approved ADCs

Today, there are 4 approved and commercially available ADCs, including Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris; Seattle Genetics); Ado-trastuzumab entansine (Kadcyla; Genetech/Roche); Inotuzumab ozogamicin (Besponsa, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Pfizer) and Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg; Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Pfizer).

The development these agents has allowed for a more targeted and tumor-specific therapy rather than a non-specific cytolytic chemotherapy or radiation therapy. [4]

Building on their experience, researchers experienced in protein engineering and medicinal chemistry continue to advance these drugs as important therapeutic modalities, both as single agents and as part of various combination regimens with immunotherapeutic agents such as checkpoint inhibitors. And with a large number of Antibody-drug Conjugates in late stage clinical development, the expectation is that, in the next 18 - 24 months, the number of approved and commercially available ADCs will grow exponentially. [5]

What are Antibody-drug Conjugates?

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) are a class of innovative and highly potent biopharmaceutical drugs composed of a monoclonal antibody linked, via a chemical linker, to a biologically active drug or cytotoxic (anti-cancer) compound. Often referred to as payload, these cytotoxic agents are designed to induce target cell death when internalized (into the target cell) and released.

By combining the unique and very sensitive targeting capabilities of monoclonal antibodies with the cell-killing ability of their payloads, ADCs are able to deliver highly cytotoxic drug directly to targeted cancer cells without causing 'collateral damage' to 'normal' or 'healthy' cells. As a result, ADCs are designed to overcome the disadvantages of conventional pharmacotherapy based on cytotoxic or immunomodulatory drug, which are not specific to tumor cells, affect normal cells, and may lead to life-threatening side effects.

Although the concept of Antibody-drug Conjugates seems relatively simple, designing a successful, clinically effective, ADCs is complex, requiring careful selection of the receptor antigen, monoclonal antibody, linker chemistry, and cytotoxic payload.

About ADC Review | Journal of Antibody-drug Conjugates

Launched in the summer of 2013 ADC Review | J. of Antibody-drug Conjugates (ISSN 2327-0152) is an international, hybrid open-access, peer reviewed journal designed to serve the needs of a diverse community of individuals involved with the (early) discovery, development, clinical research, manufacturing and legal and regulatory aspects of Antibody-drug Conjugates. The purpose of the Journal is to present relevant information in an understandable and useful format to all stakeholders.[5]

Guided by an Advisory and Editorial Board comprised of scientists, physicians and industry experts/Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and legal/regulatory experts from a broad range of backgrounds and expertise, the Journal includes news, resources, editorials, and peer reviewed articles.

Recently published peer reviewed articles include a review of progress made in the development of Antibody-drug Conjugates (ADCs  The Dawn of a New Era?), an overview of what we can expect from future developments (ADCs  Look Forward to a Potent Future) and a patent related discussion about Nonobviousness of ADC Inventions.

New Networking Tool: ADC Directory

In addition to the online Journal, the publishers of ADC Review | Journal of Antibody-drug Conjugates recently launched a new networking tool: ADC Directory. The ADC Directory provides a seamless exchange of information between businesses and professionals focused on the research, development and manufacture of antibody-drug conjugates. Members have the opportunity to share reviews, articles, videos, events, products, career opportunities and much more.

About MabPlex International

MabPlex provides global CDMO services in the development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, including mAbs, recombinant proteins, ADCs and bispecifics. The companies offer its partners contract services from DNA to finished drug product. MabPlex technical expertise allows the company to provide effective high quality solutions for its partner's biomanufacturing needs. At both its R&D site in the United States and the manufacturing site in Yantai, China, MabPlex is commitment to partners through the quality of manufacturing, meeting and exceeding their expectations.

Conference Coverage

During the upcoming 9th Annual World ADC Conference, held in the Marriott Marquis & Marina, San Diego, California, November 12 - 15, 2018, one of the best learning experiences in the industry and an ideal forum to stay up to date with the latest developments and progress made in the area of ADCs as well as the opportunity to meet experts, editors of ADC Review | Journal of Antibody-drug Conjugates will be on site for interviews and more. [6]

For more information, or content of which is not part of this press release, please visit ADC Review | Journal of Antibody-drug Conjugates ADC Directory. Contact our business development team for more information about sponsoring and underwriting.

Editorial Office | 4960 South Gilbert Rd, Suite 1-286, Chandler, AZ 85249 (USA)

Reference

[1] ADC Review | J. Antibody-drug Conjugates | Drug Map Online. Last Accessed November 12, 2018

[2] Contract Manufacturing of Antibody-drug Conjugates  A Growing Market. ADC Review | J. of Antibody-drug Conjugates. February 22, 2016. Last Accessed November 12, 2018

[3] CPhI Annual Industry Report 2018: Expert Contribution. Online. Last Accessed November 12, 2018

[4] The Expanding Field of Antibody-Drug Conjugates. Online ADC Review | J. of Antibody-drug Conjugates January 19, 2018. Last Accessed November 12, 2018.

[5] How do ADCs Work. J. of Antibody-drug Conjugates. Last Accessed November 12, 2018

[6] 9th World ADC San Diego: What to Expect. Last Accessed November 12, 2018The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule and identified seven high volume current procedural terminology (CPT) codes as potentially misvalued, amongst which were 27130 (total hip arthroplasty) and 27447 (total knee arthroplasty). CMS requested the RUC (Relative Value Update Committee) of the American Medical Association re-evaluate the work for these procedures.

CPT codes 27130 and 27447 were reviewed by the RUC and CMS in 2013. At their October 2018 meeting, a subcommittee of the RUC evaluated the request for review of these seven codes and did not find reason to reevaluate them. Our own review of relevant materials disclosed by CMS this month persuades us that there is no valid indication that the work, complexity and effort of care physicians provide patients undergoing these procedures have changed since then. In fact, recent physician-led quality initiatives have yielded substantial improvements in the value of these procedures. In many cases, the cost of a 90-day episode of care has been reduced by 50% without any reduction in quality. Therefore, The American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) does not believe that these codes should be reviewed by the RUC at this time.

Total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty have been at the forefront of the value-based care initiatives that CMS and others developed, such as Bundled Payment Care Initiative (BPCI) Classic, BPCI Advanced, and the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement programs. The societal value of these procedures is unquestionable, and demand already exceeds supply. Lowering the valuation of these codes will surely add to the supply-side crisis and threaten access for patients. As these programs evolve, there should not be re-evaluation of these codes in the absence of new data to support a change in work. Further, most stakeholders agree that participation in value-based programs actually generate more work than the classic fee-for-service model, and data supporting this claim are forthcoming.

AAHKS President Craig J. Della Valle, MD stated, Our members have worked very hard over the past decade to improve the quality of care they provide for patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty while simultaneously partnering with payors including the Federal government to lower costs. Given the high societal value that these procedures provide, penalizing the surgeon (whose compensation is a small fraction of the total cost of the episode of care in DRGs 469 and 470) for improvements in care seems unfair, misguided, and may threaten access to care.

Additional resources:

View the CMS final rule

AAHKS summary of final rule

AAHKS comments on proposed rule

AAOS comments on proposed rule

About the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons:

Established in 1991, the mission of AAHKS is to advance hip and knee patient care through education, advocacy and research. AAHKS has a membership of over 4,000 surgeons and other hip and knee health care professionals.AmeriStaff Nursing Services is a recipient of the 2018 Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces award. This is the 2nd year in a row they have won the award. "People love being treated like people." -Greg Jamian, President of AmeriStaff Nursing Services

AmeriStaff Nursing Services is proud to announce that they are back-to-back recipients of the Detroit Free Press Top 100 Workplaces in Michigan award. The award was based on survey responses administered to employees by an independent firm. Every year, the Detroit Free Press recognizes top businesses in not only Metro Detroit, but the entire state of Michigan.

AmeriStaff Nursing Services President, Greg Jamian said, Earning this award for two consecutive years is an incredible achievement and validation of our employee-centered programs. After the 2017 win, we looked at what we could do better. Since then, we have implemented a minimum wage that is higher than any of our industry competitors, and rolled out profit sharing plans for employees at all levels. Our on-going commitment to recognize all employees was a major contributor to winning the award again for 2018.

The annual award recipients are announced in the first Sunday Publication of November in the Detroit Free Press. Winners were honored at a ceremony held on November 8th at the Royal Oak Music Theater.

Jamian continued, In 2018 we made a lot of changes to our corporate atmosphere. It was great to see that they were well received by all of our employees. With the additional benefits that we rolled out this past year, along with our elaborate educational and training opportunities that promote career growth, I think that our employees have been extremely happy with how weve been evolving. People love being treated like people.

AmeriStaff Nursing Services, a part of the AmeriCare Medical Incorporated family of companies, provides a dignified approach to home health care and medical staffing. By providing the best care in the industry, AmeriStaff Nursing Services has become the most trusted home care company in Southeast Michigan

About AmeriCare Medical, Inc.

For more than three decades AmeriCare Medical, Inc. has provided integrated healthcare services to hospitals, assisted care facilities, and private homes throughout Michigan. AmeriCare Medical, Inc. is accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program for high standards of excellence in medical staffing, private duty nursing, durable medical equipment and specialized pharmacy services. AmeriCare Medical, Inc. is the parent company of AmeriStaff Nursing Services, Sun Medical Equipment Company and RxIV Specialty Pharmacy, making it a one-stop resource for patients and their home care needs. For more information visit AmeriStaffServices.com or call (248) 288-2270.The Squirrel Family Acorn: a heartwarming Christian story of thanks for young children. The Squirrel Family Acorn is the creation of published author Kristin Lehr, a former fifth-grade teacher in Carmel, Indiana, where she resides with her husband, Chip, and three sons. She currently serves as the director of childrens ministry at Zionsville Presbyterian Church.

Lehr shares, The Squirrel Family Acorn is a Christian picture book for children from birth through age seven. This book creates the perfect story to read to your unborn baby and begin the journey of bonding with your baby while sharing Gods Word and his love for everything that he has made. Snuggle with your infant as your read basic biblical truths during feeding time or other special moments shared throughout the day. Toddlers and preschoolers will enjoy finding out what comes next as they explore the pictures and follow along with the rich language and developing story. Older children will begin to use the repetitive language to memorize sight words and scripture. Imagine cozying up with your child and incorporating The Squirrel Family Acorn into your childs bedtime routine, looking at the beautiful illustrations, sweet story, and ending your reading time with a simple prayer thanking God for all good things. Its sure to be a family favorite to share with siblings, parents, grandparents, and all caregivers.

The Squirrel Family Acorn blends a unique combination of sight word development, repetitive language, and predictable patterns for children to enjoy. The Squirrel Family Acorn also places a primary focus on prayer and gratitude to God. Inspired from James 1:17, children will be able to learn a simple prayer and the importance of hiding Gods Word in your heart. Beginning with a simple acorn, a beautiful story unfolds into the wonder of all God has made.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Kristin Lehrs new book is a gently lyrical story celebrating the beauty of creation and a wonderful addition to any childrens library.

View a synopsis of The Squirrel Family Acorn on YouTube.

Readers can purchase The Squirrel Family Acorn at traditional brick and mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about The Squirrel Family Acorn, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.Photo: Contributed

The German edition of Playboy magazine says a freelance reporter may have misquoted Ennio Morricone in an interview published in its latest edition, in which the legendary Italian film composer appears to blast director Quentin Tarantino and the Oscars ceremony.

In a statement Tuesday, German Playboy said that "based on the information now at our disposal, we must unfortunately assume that the words spoken in the interview have, in part, been reproduced incorrectly." Editor-in-chief Florian Boitin said he regretted if Morricone was "portrayed in a false light."

The interview, published last week, quoted the 90-year-old composer referring to Tarantino  who he's regularly worked with  as a "cretin" who stole ideas from others.

Morricone has denied criticizing Tarantino, his films or the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Today, Axcient announces the implementation of Cloud Key Management (CKMS) data encryption enhancement for its Business Continuity solutions including Replibit and Business Recovery Cloud (BRC). CKMS provides the industrys most advanced BDR at-rest encryption, allowing partners to instantly revoke encryption keys in the event of physical theft or a network compromise, rendering data unusable at the push of a button. Encryption keys are never stored locally, and every cloud key access in the cloud is retained forever in a partner-visible audit log for compliance. The next version of CKMS will further strengthen security through Network Access Control Lists (ACLs) allowing a partner to specify the source networks that are authorized to decrypt data on an Axcient-protected device. Auto-learning for ACLs allows partners to benefit from this additional security without the overhead of explicitly managing ACL rules.

In addition, Axcient announces the implementation of Runbooks to its BRC product empowering IT admins to automate and orchestrate DR plans. Runbooks is a detailed deployment plan for a virtual office providing fail over of an environment during an outage, running a short server test, or exercising a disaster recovery test plan. Runbooks automate a historically labor-intensive disaster recovery test process, standing up a clients entire IT environment with the click of a button.

Security of client data is of paramount importance to Axcient and our partners, stated Kevin Hoffman, CTO and Co-Founder of Axcient. Adding CKMS and Runbooks to our Business Continuity solutions demonstrates our commitment to security-first offerings that make life easier for our partners, while solving critical business needs for their clients.

The Axcient Business Continuity solutions include Replibit, BRC, and Fusion, and are powered by the Axcient Cloud. These individual applications provide proven business continuity for Managed Service Provider clients. MSPs and their clients depend on Axcient to protect their data and ensure business continuity in the event of security breaches, equipment failures, and natural disasters.

Knowing that Axcient is focused on the security of my customers data enables me to focus on growing my company without second guessing the underlying technology and security. Commented Kevin Dunn, CEO and Founding Partner of DataTrends Technology. The addition of Runbooks to the BRC product makes it even easier for us to prove that we can recover from a disaster and provides the specific methodology and framework for deploying a virtual office.

About Axcient

The Axcient Business Availability suite is the proven business continuity and cloud migration solution for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). The Axcient Business Availability suite includes Replibit, BRC, CloudFinder, Anchor, Fusion, and the Axcient Cloud. MSPs and their clients depend on Axcient to protect their data and ensure business continuity in the event of security breaches, human error and natural disasters. The Axcient focus on partner experience has resulted in more than 3,000 MSP customers throughout the US, Europe and Australia. Axcient is based in Denver, CO.

For more information, visit Axcient.com

# # #

CONTACTS:

Media and Public Relations

Axcient

707 17th Street

Suite 3900

Denver, CO 80202

(720) 204-4500

PR@axcient.comWhether your higher education journey began at a community college, vocational school or another college or university, were happy to ensure it ends with a degree from Baker, said Bart Daig, Baker College system president.

Baker College, Michigans largest independent not-for-profit college, and the number one private transfer school in the state, has launched Transfer Tuesday, weekly events at all of its campus locations for students looking to complete a degree started at another institution.

At Transfer Tuesday, held weekly from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at every Baker College campus Enrollment Office, students will have an opportunity to apply for admission to Baker College, The Culinary Institute of Michigan or The Auto Diesel Institute of Michigan. Students can speak with an enrollment specialist about transfer credits, have unofficial transcripts evaluated and receive an immediate admissions decision, as well as discuss Financial Aid options and Transfer Scholarships, and schedule a campus tour.

The November Transfer Tuesday events will have a special focus on several of Baker Colleges limited-enrollment, no waitlist health sciences degree programs, including: Nursing Pre-Licensure (BSN), Physical Therapist Assistant (AAS), Radiation Therapy (BS) and Veterinary Technology (AAS).

Were working to make a degree from Baker College a reality for as many as possible, said Bart Daig, Baker College system president. Whether your higher education journey began at a community college, vocational school or another college or university, were happy to ensure it ends with a degree from Baker.

Interested students are encouraged to bring an unofficial copy of school transcripts for evaluation at Transfer Tuesday. Additionally, students can request to have official transcripts sent from prior institutions to Baker College in advance of the weekly events. For more information, interested transfer students can visit http://www.baker.edu, email GetEnrolled@baker.edu or call 855.487.7888.

No appointments are required for Transfer Tuesday. A complete list of Baker campus locations is available here.

About Baker College

Founded in 1911, Baker College is Michigans largest independent not-for-profit college, with campus and extension sites across the state, as well as 100 percent online program options, across 100 undergraduate and graduate degrees. Baker Colleges legion of BakerProud represents more than 3,300 faculty and staff, 17,000 students and hundreds of thousands of alumni. Learn more at http://www.baker.edu.Alistair Cockburn, trains Belatrixs experts in his latest thinking on the Agile methodology There are a lot of rules in Scrum, but individuals and teams need to instead focus on being effective.

Belatrix Software, a leading software development company, was delighted to welcome Alistair Cockburn, one of the founders of the Agile software development methodology, to its headquarters in Mendoza, Argentina.

Mr Cockburn visited Belatrix to share his latest thinking about Agile, in what he calls the Heart of Agile, where he simplifies Agile into four core elements: collaborate, deliver, reflect, and improve. As he mentioned during the talk, what is important for software teams today, is to determine if they are effective or not. There are a lot of rules in Scrum, but individuals and teams need to instead focus on being effective. Focusing on these four elements, rather than adhering rigidly to the rules of Scrum, helps teams produce the desired results.

At the beginning of the talk, Mr Cockburn shared how his journey with Agile began back in 1991 as he tried to decode what successful software development teams were doing and how this set them apart. These early ideas during the 1990s were what contributed to writing the Agile manifesto in Utah in 2001. This manifesto combined the ideas of Mr Cockburn along with those of his co-authors. It brought together methodologies ranging from extreme programming, Scrum, rapid application development, Crystal Clear, and others.

Mr Cockburn also spoke about the Shu Ha Ri concept that describes how individuals move from knowing little about a topic to obtaining mastery. As you become an expert, it enables you to learn from your own experiences and quickly adapt to circumstances as they present themselves.

Monica Colombo, Belatrixs Director of Knowledge & Growth Integration Area, welcomed Mr Cockburn to Belatrix, and commented Belatrix was one of the first organizations in Latin America to adopt Agile, and we were delighted to welcome Mr Cockburn to share how his thoughts about how the methodology has evolved. As he mentioned during his speech, Agile today is, as its core, about teams being effective. The focus on four words, collaborate, deliver, reflect,and improve, are an excellent way to distill what Agile is really about.

About Belatrix Software

Belatrix Software helps companies thrive in the digital world. Organizations partner with Belatrix to turn ideas into high quality, innovative software based on highly-tuned Agile development processes. Customers use Belatrixs digital transformation services to create best-in-class software products, lower time to market, and gain competitive edge. Belatrixs dedicated labs, focusing on UX, continuous delivery, mobile, DevOps, and QA automation, help organizations become digital leaders.

Belatrix's clients include both established Fortune level and emerging, venture backed firms. Some of the firm's clients include Disney, Adobe, AOL, PwC and Shutterfly. Belatrix is a South American company with offices in Florida, New York, San Francisco, Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Bogota and Lima. For more information, visit https://www.belatrixsf.com.This investment will be a huge economic driver for Louisiana and our respective communities. One of the biggest challenges our businesses face is simply getting off the ground. NorLEAP will give them the assistance and guidance they need to prosper in todays booming economy. - Rep. Mike Johnson

BRFs Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (EAP) has been awarded a U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant, resulting in the creation of the North Louisiana Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (NorLEAP), which will expand EAP services to 21 parishes in North Louisiana.

EAP, with U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D., and U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, announced the award on Nov. 2 at Bossier Parish School for Technology and Innovative Learning. Cassidy and Johnson, along with other North Louisiana elected officials and economic development organizations, provided letters of support to secure the grant.

The two-year, $600,000 grant will be matched by BRF, creating a $1.2 million expansion of EAP services. Over the next 15 months, the grant is expected to create or save more than 200 jobs and generate $15 million in revenue to the 21-parish regions economy.

This region has so many wonderful traits, but unless we have young and innovative people investing back into our region, it wont be able to grow, said Cassidy. Thats why leveraging these resources to create more opportunities for those who live here is so important.

EAP is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs grow ideas into businesses by providing them with expertise, mentorship and key connections needed to fuel their success. By assessing the need of the startup/business and reviewing any materials they may already have prepared, NorLEAP will be able to provide entrepreneurs with services that include but are not limited to: marketing and sales strategies, financial analysis and modeling, creation or refinement of business plans and products, pitch decks, and networking opportunities.

This investment will be a huge economic driver for Louisiana and our respective communities, said Johnson. One of the biggest challenges our businesses face is simply getting off the ground. NorLEAP will give them the assistance and guidance they need to prosper in todays booming economy.

EAP is a long-term project to create jobs and expand the local and regional tax base

through a system that analyzes the viability of ideas and products of entrepreneurs, matches them with informed investors, and nurtures them through the critical steps toward market. With EDA assistance, the NorLEAP Program will continue to foster even more sustainable economic growth throughout North Louisiana.

EAP is a proven model that assists entrepreneurs and high-growth startups in launching and growing their businesses. We are excited to give this same opportunity to entrepreneurs and small businesses across North Louisiana, said Dave Smith, Executive Director of EAP.

EAP is a result of an ongoing public private partnership between the Caddo Parish Commission, the City of Shreveport, and the BRF. Since inception, 691 startups and business ideas have been screened by EAP, the program has provided direct services to more than 222 companies looking to launch and grow locally, and 55 companies have been funded through angel investors, grants or banks.Hernandez will perform blessings and advisement meetings all day at the 5800 W Flagler St. location.

Celebrate San Lazaro's Day with Oriate Nelson Hernandez on December 17th at the Botanica Viejo Lazaro in Miami, FL. Hernandez will perform blessings and advisement meetings all day at the 5800 W Flagler St. location.

San Lazaro Day

Saint Lazaro, also known as El Viejo and Babalu Aye, represents a blending of the Christian saint of the same name and the Yoruba god. In Cuba and the Cuban religion of the Santeria religion, Saint Lazaro is the most venerated member of the pantheon.

The Miami ceremonies at Botanica Viejo Lazaro provide a local commemoration of the day which in Cuba devotees mark with a pilgrimage to Santiago de la Vegas Santuario del Rincon. This village, about 18 and a half miles outside of Havana, becomes the site of a religious meeting of the ill, injured and abjectly poor. Many journey by foot. Some crawl. They do a penance of sorts on the way, dragging chains or stones attached to their bodies. They travel from throughout Cuba and for some, the journey requires days or weeks. During the trip, they accept donations which they then submit to the Santuario del Rincon upon arriving. The donations fund the San Lazaro Leprosy hospital located on the grounds of the Santuario del Rincon.

In paintings, sculpture and religious object, Santeria, also referred to as the Religion of Ocha, depicts San Lazaro using crutches and in the company of two faithful canines. The religion believes the saint to be the source of numerous miracles including healing infectious diseases, skin ailments and epidemics.

A Community and Religious Connection

The Miami celebration at Botanica Viejo Lazaro wont involve a pilgrimage or self-flagellation. Hernandez will simply help mark the significant day for worshippers of Santeria in Miami with prayers. The local commemoration of the saint/Babalu Aye provides a continuation of culture and an opportunity to celebrate with others in the local community of the same faith and from the same country.

Botanica Viejo Lazaro offers for sale many objects of religious art, herbs and oils needed for worshipers of Santeria in Miami. The botanica helps the community carry on the worship of their religion, Santeria, a Spanish word meaning "worship of saints." Its Oba Oriates like Hernandez train in the sacred language, Lucumi, a dialect of Yoruba. These oriates are the highest-ranking priests of the religion. To learn more about Botanica Viejo Lazaro visit: https://www.viejolazaro.com/

Santeria developed when the Yoruban people were kidnapped, enslaved and brought to the New World (North Americas). Rather than convert to Christianity as slave traders and owners tried to force them to do, the people merged the two religions, attributing the Yoruban pantheon to Christian saints. The merger enabled them to openly carry religious objects of meaning to them while secretly continuing to practice their own religious customs which include divination, sacred drumming and trance states. The documentation of the merger of Roman Catholicism and Santeria goes back to 1515. The practice of Santeria in Miami today marks more than 500 years of cultural survival.

Miamis local celebration marks not only a religious ceremony, but a survival of a people, a way of life, a language and a culture. Celebrate life at the Botanica Viejo Lazaro with Oriate Hernandez this December. To learn about the products and services provided by Botanica Viejo Lazaro visit: https://www.viejolazaro.com/

Contact

Botanica Viejo Lazaro

Marketing

Phone: (305) 269-0045

Email: marketing(at)viejolazaro.com

Website: https://www.viejolazaro.comConcepts, Inc. is pleased to announce that its President and Founder, Karen Herson, is a 2018 Washington LeadersNest FedFem Award winner.

The FedFem awards salute high-impact, female business leaders in the government contracting industry who contribute to their local communities through not only entrepreneurism, but also volunteerism and philanthropy. LeadersNest honored Herson and other FedFem award recipients during a special ceremony on October 25 at ecofy in Washington, D.C.

Herson is a seasoned small business owner, skilled communications professional, dedicated volunteer and cancer survivor. She is a strong supporter of wounded warrior initiatives and an active volunteer with the American Red Cross at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where she sponsors its annual Thanksgiving feast for families and Mothers Day Brunch. Herson is also a member of the DC Metro Business Leadership Network (DC Metro BLN), the 100 Entrepreneurs Project and the Entrepreneurs Organization DC (EO DC), where she served as communications chair.

As the president of Concepts, Herson fosters a go above and beyond approach to client satisfaction, drawing upon more than 25 years of experience in the public relations field. In years past, she directly managed a number of projects for the U.S. Department of Labors Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and other federal agencies. Her intricate knowledge of each client and projects dynamics, as well as her dedication to unparalleled professionalism, is equally shared by her employees and consultants. Reflecting this, in 2018, Concepts ranked number seven on the Washington Business Journals Book of Lists for Public Relations Agencies.

Being a government contractor allows us to make a living while also making a difference, and my vision in leading Concepts is to always do both, said Herson, We get to communicate for good to promote positive change around important social issues.

Herson is particularly proud of Concepts work to promote positive change around disability and employment. It is the first communications firm to carve a specialty niche in the disability policy arena. Examples of Concepts current work include management of the State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) initiative and ePolicyWorks, both funded by ODEP. Concepts also conceived and manages ODEPs Campaign for Disability Employment, for which it has produced four PSAs that communicate the value and talent people with disabilities add to Americas workplaces and economy.

According to LeadersNest, the 2018 FedFem Winners collectively generated more than $1.2 billion in annual revenue and employ more than 12,000 individuals.

They are mission focused and ready, says Heather Louise Finch, LeadersNest President. They positively impact their local communities through philanthropic initiatives, all while, building wonderful businesses, serving their country, protecting U.S. citizens and driving innovation in healthcare, technology, cybersecurity, construction and communications. They are inspirational trailblazers that are driven to succeed. We are honored to recognize them for their achievements.

About Concepts, Inc.

Concepts, Inc., a small, woman-owned communications firm in Bethesda, Md., specializes in developing and executing targeted public outreach campaigns focused on areas that impact people with disabilities, veterans, families and caregivers. Among its core capabilities, Concepts provides substantial experience in the creation of impactful messaging and branding, website design and information architecture, as well as content management and database support services. Also included in the firms expertise is media relations, photo shoot coordination, partnership development and the design, writing and editing of print and online materials. This year, Concepts ranked number seven on the Washington Business Journals Book of Lists for Public Relations Firms. For more information, please visit http://www.conceptscommunications.com/services/.

About LeadersNest:

LeadersNests connects executives and businesses to a dynamic and influential professional network of thought leaders and influencers. They are a business community with a mission to connect, incubate and influence its connections through its integrated media platforms and exclusive C-suite and business led events. Their unique platform is the future of successful business development and networking engagements  providing deep- rooted valuable relationships and opportunities to soar.One of the flagship models of the current Honda lineup, the Civic is known for its versatility and practicality, which make it a great choice for Chicago drivers looking for an efficient and pragmatic vehicle for everyday commutes. Drivers in the Chicago area interested in getting behind the wheel of the latest version of the Honda Civic can now find it at Continental Honda.

Located in Countryside, Illinois, Continental Honda recently welcomed the new 2019 Honda Civic Sedan to its inventory and is now accepting appointments for test drives from interested shoppers. To help its customers get to know the new 2019 Civic, the dealership has published an informative model review to its website, giving shoppers a breakdown of the various specs, features and amenities available with the efficient compact car.

Those interested in learning more about the new 2019 Honda Civic can find this review and additional model information on the dealership website at http://www.continentalhonda.com. There theyll find an easily accessible, extensive library of model information as well as an informative blog.

Shoppers with questions or inquiries about the new 2019 Honda Civic, the models available at Continental Honda or who are interested in scheduling a test drive in one of the dealerships available vehicles are encouraged to reach out to staff members through the website, by calling 888-865-0378 or by visiting the dealerships location at 5901 S. La Grange Rd.

Continental Honda is a dealership located in Countryside, Illinois that provides drivers in the surrounding Cook County area with new and used Honda vehicles, as well as a wide range of pre-owned models from a variety of different automotive brands.Coptic Orphans sound fiscal management practices and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it an eighth top 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, Americas largest independent charity evaluator.

Charity Navigators decision to award Coptic Orphans these four stars, eight times in a row, shows that we deeply value our supporters contributions, and that we use them carefully and transparently, said Coptic Orphans founder and executive director, Nermien Riad.

Coptic Orphans is committed to being the organization where donors can have the most impact in Egypt for every dollar they donate, said Riad. Because of that, we hold ourselves to rigorous standards of financial management which has earned us all of our 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator.

Attaining a 4-star rating verifies that Coptic Orphans exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in your area of work, according to Michael Thatcher, Charity Navigators President and CEO. Only 3% of the charities we evaluate have received at least 8 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Coptic Orphans outperforms most other charities in America. This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets Coptic Orphans apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness.

Coptic Orphans strives to be a model of wise financial stewardship, added Riad. Among other measures, we make sure were audited by an independent auditor every year, and we work efficiently so that 87 cents of every dollar contributed goes directly to serving the children of Egypt.

Since 2002, using objective, data-driven analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics, focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, to its ratings methodology. These Accountability & Transparency metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charitys overall rating, reveal which charities have best practices that minimize the chance of unethical activities and whether they freely share basic information about their organization with their donors and other stakeholders.

Its important that our donors trust that were using our funding wisely to accomplish Coptic Orphans mission of empowering the children of Egypt to break the cycle of poverty, said Riad. Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our supporters that we take our fiduciary and governance responsibilities very seriously.

Coptic Orphans rating and other information about charitable giving are available on http://www.charitynavigator.org

ABOUT COPTIC ORPHANS

Coptic Orphans, http://www.copticorphans.org, is an award-winning international Christian development organization that unlocks the God-given potential of vulnerable children in Egypt, and so equips them to break the cycle of poverty and become change-makers in their communities. Coptic Orphans works through grassroots partners and volunteer networks to strengthen local communities for sustainable impact. Since 1988, Coptic Orphans has touched the lives of over 45,000 children throughout Egypt.

ABOUT CHARITY NAVIGATOR

Charity Navigator, http://www.charitynavigator.org, is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of more than 8,000 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a 501 (c) (3) public charity itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America's charitable givers. Charity Navigator, can be reached directly by telephone at (201) 818-1288, or by mail at 139 Harristown Road, Suite 101, Glen Rock, N.J., 07452.

MEDIA CONTACT

Mark Voss

Communications Manager

703-641-8910

mvoss@copticorphans.orgDental implants have changed the face of dentistry over the last few years.

Successful actor Laurence Fishburne is set to host a new Information Matrix episode about dental implants. The show will cover different options for dental implants and how patients can benefit from them, along with the technologies that have made them a viable options for patients.

Dental implants have changed the face of dentistry over the last few years. The implants are frames that are positioned into the jawbone with surgery, in order for a dentist to mount replacement teeth. The implants are commonly made of titanium or titanium alloys, to help make sure it is not rejected by the body and because its a strong and lightweight material. The implants are important because any bridges or dentures that are mounted wont shift or slip in the mouth, which is useful for speaking and eating and helps provide a more comfortable feel. Ordinary dentures and bridges may not be comfortable for patients or even made worse by possible sore spots or gagging that can take place. Ordinary bridges also need to be attached to teeth on either side of the missing tooth, which may not be possible. With implants, no adjacent teeth need to be prepared.

The American Dental Association recommends two different implants, depending on the person's needs. Endosteal implants are applied into the jawbone and then, once that has healed, an additional surgery is used to connect to the original implant. With a subperiosteal implant, a metal frame is fitted into the jawbone and then, once the jawbone has healed, the frame becomes fixed to the bone. These advances and others will be discussed with leading dentists and implant specialists.

Information Matrix is an educational show that covers a wide range of topics that interest the public. In addition to its host, it is anchored by an award-winning team.

Jim Elliott, center, founder of Diveheart, talks with scuba therapy participants in Malaysia. The Diveheart collaboration with Tourism Malaysia presents a significant move forward to promote Malaysia as an adaptive scuba training and diving destination for people of all abilities in Asia and beyond.

Jim Elliott, founder of the Downers Grove-based nonprofit Diveheart, sees no physical boundaries as his organization helps those with disabilities find confidence and inner and outer strength through educational scuba therapy.

While the nonprofit has been making an impact throughout the United States since its inception in 2001, it has recently made a difference in the lives of people with disabilities in Malaysia. In October,

Elliott traveled to Putrajaya, Malaysia to give a presentation to officials who oversee Tourism Malaysia, an agency under the countrys ministry of tourism. Elliott shared Divehearts history, his sincere passion and buoyant enthusiasm for helping children and adults and an outline on how the nonprofit can further contribute.

The Diveheart collaboration with Tourism Malaysia presents a significant move forward to promote Malaysia as an adaptive scuba training and diving destination for people of all abilities in Asia and beyond. said Elliott. I told the officials that creating a Diveheart program for Malaysia could be the template for the rest of the world. Im proud that Malaysia is taking the lead in adaptive scuba training, programing and scuba therapy research in Asia.

The groundwork for a collaboration began in 2012 when Syed Abd Rahman, the founder and director of Kids Scuba, an organization that supports Diveheart in Malaysia, contacted Elliott about training adaptive divers. In March 2016, Rahman invited the nonprofit to conduct a scuba experience in Kuala Lumpur in a nearby swimming pool with some of Rahmans staff.

With guidance and support from Elliott, Rahman has been overseeing the regular monthly pool scuba program and works closely with the University Malaya Medical Centers (UMMC) Rehabilitation unit for Spinal Cord Injury SCI Patients. In October 2016, the program had its first UMMC SCI patients become Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Scuba Divers. Many of Divehearts UMMC Divers have shared their experiences in difference exhibitions and events throughout the country.

Earlier this year, Rahman helped Diveheart launch a program in the Borneo region.

Syed has helped to usher in a new era in Malaysia and an appreciation of not defining people with disabilities not by their disability but by their abilities, Elliott said.

For more information about Diveheart, please visit: http://www.diveheart.org

About Diveheart:

Diveheart is a nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. The purpose of Diveheart is to provide and support educational scuba diving programs that are open to any child, adult or veteran with a disability, with the hope of providing both physical and psychological therapeutic value to that person. Weve discovered the forgiving, weightless wonder of the water column provides the perfect gravity-free environment for those who might otherwise struggle on land. Underwater, were all equal. Diveheart works with individuals who have a variety of disabilities, including physical and developmental disabilities, vision and hearing impairments, amputations, traumatic brain injuries, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and more. Diveheart seeks to help its participants Imagine the Possibilities in their lives. For information, visit http://www.diveheart.orgPhoto: The Canadian Press A police dog team walks past people waiting to enter Brooklyn federal court, Tuesday.

During the height of Mexican drug wars in 1993, an attempted hit on Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman went wrong.

A team of gunmen sent to rub out the notorious drug lord instead killed a Roman Catholic cardinal at an airport in Guadalajara, outraging the Mexican public enough to touch off a massive manhunt for Guzman. He was captured, but prosecutors say he was undeterred from a brutal pursuit of power that lasted decades, featured jail breakouts and left a trail of bodies.

The story of the botched assassination will be part of an epic tale told in a tightly secured New York City courtroom as Guzman's long-awaited trial opens Tuesday. Opening statements were delayed after a juror was excused; a replacement was being selected.

Guzman, who has been held in solitary confinement since his extradition to the United States early last year, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he amassed a multi-billion-dollar fortune smuggling tons of cocaine and other drugs in a vast supply chain that reached New York, New Jersey, Texas and elsewhere north of the border.

If convicted, he faces a possible life prison sentence.

Prosecutors have said they will use thousands of documents, videos and recordings as evidence, including material related to the Guadalajara airport shooting, drug smugglers' safe houses, Guzman's 2015 prison escape and the law enforcement operation to recapture him.

More than a dozen co-operating witnesses are scheduled to testify, including some who worked for Guzman's Sinaloa cartel. Prosecutors say they risk retribution by taking the stand and the court has taken steps to conceal their identities. U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan barred courtroom sketch artists from drawing them.

Guzman's lawyers are expected to attack the credibility of the witnesses by emphasizing their criminal records, saying some have an incentive to lie to win leniency in their own cases.

One of Guzman's attorneys, Eduardo Balarezo, has suggested that he hopes to convince jurors Guzman wasn't actually in charge of the cartel but was a lieutenant taking orders from someone else.

"Now that trial is upon us, it is time to put up or shut up," Balarezo said.

Despite his diminutive stature and nickname that means "Shorty," Guzman was once a larger-than-life figure in Mexico who has been compared to Al Capone and Robin Hood and been the subject of ballads called narcocorridos.

Among the highlights of his lore: He was known for carrying a gold-plated AK-47, for smuggling cocaine in cans marked as jalapenos and for making shipments using planes with secret landing strips as well as container ships, speedboats and even submarines.

But Guzman is perhaps best known for escaping custody in Mexico, the first time in 2011 by hiding in the bottom of a laundry bin. He escaped again in 2015 through a mile-long tunnel dug into a shower in his jail cell that he slipped into before fleeing on a motorcycle.

Guzman's second escape was a black eye for the Mexican government, an embarrassment amplified when the actor Sean Penn was able to find and interview him at one of his hideouts in Mexico while he was on the run from authorities.

Guzman's extradition to New York City shook up Mexico's drug underworld.

Mexican security analyst Alejandro Hope said it created "something of a civil war within the Sinaloa cartel" that has essentially ended with the arrest of internal rivals and allowed his sons to take control of what remains a "weakened" but far-from-finished smuggling operation.

Whether he is out for good will be decided by an anonymous jury of 12 men and women who will decide the case. The trial is expected to last into next year.OptiProERP discrete manufacturing Most of the other ERP systems did things I expected, OptiPro had some functionality I didnt expect.

Emco Wheaton Retail Corporation has selected OptiProERP as the manufacturing software to run their business more efficiently.

Emco Wheaton Retail Corporation, located in Wilson, NC, designs and manufactures equipment for the service station industry and ground water markets around the world.

Emco Wheaton, itself a division of Gardner Denver Inc. sold this division to Jim Lawrence almost 30 years ago.

Matt Granger started at Emco as a design engineer, then transitioned into the role of Manager of Corporate Development, looking for ways to improve the business to make it run more efficiently. In particular, that involved heading up the charge to select a new ERP system.

Emco Wheaton had been using a system called Caelus which had been implemented in 1990, just prior to the buyout. Matt described Caelus as ancient. It was text-based, hadnt been updated in at least a decade, required a lot of Access reports that did not give real-time information, and it lacked any kind of drill-down capability. Several screens had to be open at once to derive the required information, wasting valuable time and seriously impacting productivity. It took a lot of time just to find out where a particular part was used, for example.

In searching for a new system, the first and foremost requirement was to get to the data that they needed to do their jobs quickly, without the need to write custom reports. They wanted something that had robust forecasting out of the box. Emco Wheaton Retail also have many of what they call Purchase Jobs, essentially outsource manufacturing, for such things as powder-coating done by a third-party vendor.

The selection team sat through 10-15 online product demonstrations. From a final five that included Plex and IQMS, a final shortlist of three was chosen: E2 from ShopTech, M1 from ECi, and OptiProERP. Cost was a consideration, which also led them to leverage their existing hardware for an on-premise implementation.

Emco is not planning on doing much mobile shop floor computing at this stage, this will be down-the-road a way, so this also influenced the decision to remain with on-premise for now.

For cost-conscious companies like Emco Wheaton Retail, OptProERPs technology and pricing model is such that small to midsize manufacturers can adopt the type of comprehensive and future-ready solutions that larger companies typically get, but without the complexity and cost.

Most of the other ERP systems did things I expected, OptiPro had some functionality I didnt expect, Matt explained. Among these were drag & drop reporting, and the online drag & drop scheduling function for work centers. Matt felt the Sales App was great, and OptiProERP had two items he was particularly interested in implementing: the online ordering capability using Magento, and the Product Configurator, both of which will allow Emco Wheaton to deliver a vastly better customer experience on-line by assembling systems specific to each customers specifications.

Matt also stated, Having SAP attached to the OptiPro brand provided some peace of mind for us, knowing that there is like a bigger company involved, and theyre well known. Its a brand name.

Most staff are very bought-in to the new system, albeit it with some nervousness about how different it will be. Most of the staff have only ever worked with Caelus.

About Emco Wheaton Retail

Emco Wheaton Retail designs and manufactures equipment for the service station industry and ground water markets around the world. They make nozzles, hoses, fittings, and some of the equipment that goes inside the tanks underground for Gas stations. They also make monitoring well manhole covers, well protectors and vaults for subterranean water. http://www.emcoretail.com

About OptiProERP

OptiProERP is an end-to-end manufacturing ERP that combines financial management, supply chain, CRM, and industry-specific manufacturing and distribution solutions in one seamless system. Built on the world-class SAP Business One platform, OptiProERP gives small and midsized manufacturers the foundation to scale and compete, without the complexity and cost. http://www.optiproerp.com

For more information, contact:

John Houltham, jhoultham@optiproerp.comAjay Patel joins Ephesoft's Board of Directors Ajays experience leading some of the worlds most successful and renowned cloud providers will be invaluable as we seek to diversify our cloud solutions in the coming months and years," said Ike Kavas, founder and CEO of Ephesoft.

Ephesoft, Inc., an industry leader in enterprise content capture and data discovery solutions, today announced that it has appointed enterprise software leader, Ajay Patel, to its Board of Directors. Patel joins the five-member Board, which guides Ephesoft toward its goal of expanding reach in the enterprise capture market by offering its cutting-edge, patented supervised machine learning solutions to customers and partners seeking to incorporate cloud-based solutions into their business processes.

We are extremely pleased to welcome Ajay Patel to the Ephesoft Board of Directors, especially as we gear up for another year of product innovation, market expansion and financial growth, said Ike Kavas, founder and CEO of Ephesoft. Ajays experience leading some of the worlds most successful and renowned cloud providers will be invaluable as we seek to launch new cloud solutions in the coming months and years. Although Ephesoft has already built a robust network of strategic partners globally, Ajay is uniquely qualified to help us provide even greater value to our existing partners as well as expand and strengthen our ecosystem.

Named one of CRNs 100 People You Dont Know But Should 2018, Patel brings a wealth of enterprise software management experience to Ephesofts Board of Directors. Since 2013, Patel has served as Sr. Vice President and General Manager of VMwares Cloud Provider Software Business Unit, managing the VMware Cloud Provider Program  one of the largest and most active communities for cloud and managed services providers with more than 4,200 partners in over 120 countries. Patel also oversees VMwares cloud provider product development, go-to-market strategy, sales and strategic cloud partnerships. With Ephesoft, he will offer counsel on similar partner programs, especially as they pertain to cloud-centric products and managed services solutions.

It is an honor to join an organization like Ephesofts, which has already built a great reputation both in Southern California and across the globe, helping enterprises discover the valuable data hidden throughout their organization, said Patel. The Ephesoft team is passionate about building a business that solves pain points for a wide array of customers and partners. As Ephesoft continues to evolve its services for the cloud, I look forward to advising the product development teams in the US and abroad to enable them to market with forward-thinking software and services in the enterprise capture sector.

Prior to VMware, Patel served as vice president of Fusion Middleware at Oracle, where he led Oracles Cloud Application Foundation. He also spearheaded a number of core products, including Oracle Exalogic and their industry-leading Java EE Application Server, Oracle WebLogic. The business unit saw enormous growth under Patels purview, increasing by more than a $1 billion during his tenure. Patel also served as senior vice president of Sonoa Systems (now Apigee) before it was acquired by Google in 2016 in a $625 million deal. Additionally, he has worked in a consulting capacity with such multinational corporations as AT&T and Price Waterhouse Coopers. A graduate of the University of California, Irvine, Patel earned two bachelor of science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

About Ephesoft

Ephesoft, Inc. develops technology that makes meaning out of unstructured data for decision-makers worldwide. Using supervised machine learning and a focus on efficiency and reliability, Ephesoft has crafted the next generation of enterprise content capture and data discovery solutions. Organizations use this power to automate any document-based business processes, improving accuracy, increasing productivity and reducing costs. Ephesoft is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with regional offices throughout the US, EMEA and Asia Pacific. The company is undergoing rapid growth and has customers in over 50 countries. To learn more, visit http://www.ephesoft.com.eTargetMedia Our email database now includes more selectivity and diversity than ever before. With our unrivaled consumer and B2B data, we can help marketers find the perfect target audience at a level that other companies cant.

eTargetMedia, a leading provider of Email Lists, Postal Lists, Data Append and Creative Solutions announced that its email marketing list database has grown to over 200 million consumers and 15 million + business decision makers this year. The email database has increased by over 50 million consumers and now includes a multitude of additional selects and targeting capabilities, including more demographic, psychographic, and lifestyle selects than ever before.

eTargetMedias proprietary database includes virtually every U.S. household and U.S. Business, including extensive data that spans demographics, psychographics, geographics, lifestyle choices, shopping habits, spend behavior, and beyond. The database contains only opt-in subscribers and is fully CAN-SPAM compliant.

We are constantly working on adding responsive, opt-in consumers and business professionals to our email list database, stated Harris Kreichman, Managing Partner of eTargetMedia. Our email database now includes more selectivity and diversity than ever before. With our unrivaled consumer and B2B data, we can help marketers find the perfect target audience at a level that other companies cant.

eTargetMedias targeted email marketing campaigns help companies across a variety of industries reach and acquire new potential customers, increase sales and improve their email ROI. eTargetMedia has 20 years of experience in the industry and has managed successful email and direct mail campaigns for some of the worlds top brands including Mercedes Benz, Alcon, MetLife, Marriott, AARP, P&G, TGI Fridays, Anthem, Sony and more.

eTargetMedia, based in South Florida, provides Email Lists, Postal Lists, Data Append and Creative Solutions to a wide variety of direct marketing customers. eTargetMedia is a member of the Data and Marketing Association. Visit eTargetMedia online at http://www.eTargetMedia.com.Financial Supervisors gather in Miami for Vizor Conference The conference was very informative, the customer sharing sessions provided a great learning opportunity.

From October 23rd to 24th, 15 financial supervisors from 5 countries came together in Miami, Florida for Vizor Software's inaugural Financial Supervision Workshop. Held at the Atton Brickell Hotel, the event provided a unique opportunity for delegates to participate in interactive sessions that addressed the challenges, needs and requirements of todays financial regulator and hear how peer organisations are solving their toughest supervisory challenges.

On Tuesday, October 23rd, Joanne Horgan, Vizors Chief Innovation Officer, provided the opening presentation on the challenges supervisors face when implementing a risk-based supervision approach. She reviewed how existing prudential data collections can be leveraged to provide accurate and timely input, and how different financial supervisors are leveraging systems to deal with these needs.

Keynote speaker, Charles W. Littrell, Inspector of Banks and Trust Companies, Central Bank of The Bahamas, provided an address on the effectiveness of interventions supported by real world data.

The remainder of day one consisted of workshops on future regulatory developments and customer perspectives. The second day of the workshop was devoted to current Vizor customers and focused on training and support needs. Customer workshops were led by Ms. Horgan along with John Fallon, Head of Product Marketing, and Ben Kelly, Product Owner.

The conference was very informative, the customer sharing sessions provide a great learning opportunity, commented Ocarye Morris, Bank of Jamaica. All financial supervisors polled cited networking with other Vizor Software clients as their favourite element of the event, followed closely by reviewing the Vizor product roadmap and additional features. It was a great event, very well organised, commented a representative from a notable North American regulator.

Planned to be an annual event, the next Financial Supervision Workshop is scheduled for May 2019 in Dublin, Ireland. To be notified of future events, please send an email to events@vizosoftware.com

About Vizor

Vizor Software is the global leader in enterprise supervisory solutions for Financial Regulators. We help Financial Regulators protect and enhance the stability of the financial system. Vizor is trusted by Central Banks and Financial Regulators in more than 25 countries for the collection, validation and analysis of highly complex data from financial institutions. Vizor Software is an integrated data collection and supervisory system that is based on best-in-class supervisory models but flexible enough to deal with regulator specific needs. You can learn more at vizorsoftware.com or by following Vizor on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+.Exceptional service levels and resident experience as well as robust preventative maintenance programs are the top priorities of the board and owners of Bayside, said Hallie Kirkingburg, business development manager for FirstService Residential.

FirstService Residential, Californias leading high-rise management firm, was awarded the management contract for Bayside Owners Association in downtown San Diego. FirstService Residentials High-Rise Management Division is providing day-to-day operational support, oversight and development of on-site staff, an enhanced resident experience, engineering and preventative maintenance of building components, IT services as well as finance and accounting expertise.

Bayside is a 36-story high-rise located near Little Italy, consisting of 232 residential units. The building features numerous amenities, including a 24-hour concierge and security, fitness center with steam and sauna rooms, lap pool and cabanas, theater room, wine tasting room, community library, billiards lounge and barbecue area.

Exceptional service levels and resident experience as well as robust preventative maintenance programs are the top priorities of the board and owners of Bayside, said Hallie Kirkingburg, business development manager for FirstService Residential. The key to solving for these needs is firmly rooted in having an experienced, dedicated team of high-rise specialists and depth of supporting resources. We are honored to partner with the board to ensure that Bayside remains a marquee building in San Diego.

About FirstService Residential

FirstService Residential is recognized as Californias leading and most experienced full-service association management firm. For more than 35 years, FirstService Residential has continued to provide the best-in-class association management solutions and genuinely helpful service to its over 950 commercial and residential associations encompassing more than 235,000 homes and commercial units throughout California.

FirstService Residential is North America's largest manager of residential communities and the preferred partner of HOAs, community associations and strata corporations in the U.S. and Canada. FirstService Residential's managed communities include low-, mid- and high-rise condominiums and cooperatives, single-family homes, master-planned, lifestyle and active adult communities, and rental and commercial properties.

With an unmatched combination of deep industry experience, local market expertise and personalized attention, FirstService Residential delivers proven solutions and exceptional service that add value, enhance lifestyles and make a difference, every day, for every resident and community it manages. FirstService Residential is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, a North American leader in the property services sector. For more information, visit http://www.fsresidential.com.Our style of operation at Formetco has allowed us to look out for independent outdoor companies for nearly 50 years, says Jock Gibb.

Formetco of Duluth, GA, celebrates Estus Outdoor as its 300th independent digital billboard customer. Owner of Estus Outdoor, Dick Estus of Savannah, GA, selected Formetco to guide him through the process of owning and operating his first digital billboard. This milestone displays how crucial Formetcos service and relationship are to independent operators. Strength of service and customer focus attract both large national outdoor companies as well as independent operators like Estus Outdoor. Our style of operation at Formetco has allowed us to look out for independent outdoor companies for nearly 50 years, says Jock Gibb, Formetcos vice president of sales.

Ive always dealt with Formetco for whatever I needed. They always deliver and are ready to help solve any problem I have, suggests Dick Estus, President/CEO of Estus Outdoor. In fact, I wouldnt know who else to call!

Estus has been in the outdoor business since 1958, and the two biggest changes hes seen in the industry were the shifts to vinyl and now to digital displays. He admits being slow to make the transition to digital, but once decided, he knew Formetco would be his partner. I didnt know anything about how to operate or manage a digital board, but Formetco was right there with me all the way through it, he confirms. Formetco is wonderful in their whole procedure of treating customers with tremendous value, walking them through whatever needs to be done. I know I can trust them to get me up and running quickly and efficiently.

Family owned since 1968, Formetco zeroes in on its ability to connect and provide stellar service and attention to detail to customers. With a focus on their customers long-term success, Formetco has earned the trust of many independent operators as well as larger, corporate clients. Formetco is the type of company who is willing to guide you through the entire process, from start to finish, affirms Jock Gibb, VP of Sales. We find that while our customers care about cost, far more important are service and follow through. We are where we are today because these principles are a part of who we are and always have been.

In fact, relationship is a core value to Formetco. For an incredibly entertaining story on how Formetco launched its operations 50 years ago, visit Formetcos About Us page at http://www.formetco.com/about/. Then, and today, Formetco forges strong rapport for lasting business relationships, a key reason Dick Estus trusted them with his first digital board located by mile marker 155 on I-16 near Pooler, Georgia.

With just four locations, I wanted to make sure my first digital board is done right. I had no problems once I decided to go with Formetco, asserts Estus. And Britt [McConnell, salesperson] was fantastic  so knowledgeable. I like the idea that they are right there in Atlanta. I live in Savannah, so they are close by if I ever need them to run down here with any problem I might have.

To provide this exceptional service, McConnell scheduled weekend meetings to make the process easier on Estus and his company. Thats just who we are, says McConnell. We meet our customers where they are and help them reach their goals. I believe its our dedicated service that has earned our customers trust and loyalty.

About Formetco

Since 1968, Formetco has researched, designed and developed thousands of innovative OOH products including cutting edge digital displays, billboard hardware, and safety equipment. Owned by the same family since it began, Formetco is proud to be the only supplier and manufacturer to have served the outdoor advertising industry for the past 50 years.

About Estus Outdoor

Dick Estus, owner of Estus Outdoor, has an extensive background in the outdoor industry, spanning 60 years. Over the years, he has been involved in the purchase and management of many small, medium and major markets in the billboard industry. He was the first small plant owner to be chosen as Chairman of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America and held this position for 3 years. Full retirement has never been an option for Dick, and at 85 years old, he continues to run Estus Outdoor in Savannah, Georgia.Labj Top 100 Fastest Growing Private Conpanies I attribute our growth to our people; we hire competent, passionate people that really put their heart and soul into their work. Once clients experience that level of concierge service, they're addicted.

Fox Dealer, a leading Automotive Digital Marketing Company, has been honored with a Los Angeles Business Journal award, recognizing the Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2018. The Los Angeles Business Journal revealed the rankings of the top 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies on Wednesday, November 7th, 2018 at the Reserve Nightclub in Downtown Los Angeles. The printed publication hit newsstands Monday, November 12th, 2018 or viewed at http://labusinessjournal.com/

Fox Dealers CEO GianCarlo Asong commented, Receiving this accolade as a top growth company in my hometown is a huge recognition of our relentless pursuit to better the Automotive Advertising Industry. I attribute our growth to our people; we hire competent, passionate people that really put their heart and soul into their work. Once clients experience that level of concierge service, they're addicted.

Earlier this year Fox Dealer was also ranked on the Inc. 500 list as one of the fastest growing privately-held companies in the United States. The list, which compares overall growth for independent companies over a three-year period, Fox Dealer ranked No. 41 with Three-Year Revenue Growth of 6423.9 Percent.

This is just the start, Asong continues, this year we received our first Manufacture Website Contract with several more pending. We do not believe in resting on our laurels; we have several products in final beta that will be rolling out starting next week, one of which is our new advance new website platform.

About the Rankings

The Los Angeles Business Journal publishes annual rankings, by percentage revenue growth, of the top 100 fastest-growing private companies headquartered in the greater Los Angeles area.

ABOUT FOX DEALER - Pasadena, California

Fox Dealer is a personalized automotive marketing company where powerful digital technology meets white glove customer service. Fox specializes in custom responsive websites, stunning creative design, and cutting-edge digital marketing. As a Google Premier Partner and the go-to provider for many high-performance dealerships, the Fox name is quickly becoming synonymous with excellence. Combining impressive results with 24/7 personal customer support, Fox is there when you need us.

More information on Fox Dealer visit at https://foxdealer.com.

For more information contact:

April Rain

866.391.1718

Marketing@FoxDealer.com

About the Los Angeles Business Journal

The Los Angeles Business Journal, established in 1979, is a weekly newspaper in Los Angeles, California, which provides award-winning comprehensive coverage of local business news. According to the Journal's website, it has a weekly print circulation of 24,000 and over 40,000 unique monthly website visitors. It is published each Monday. The editorial department of the Los Angeles Business Journal publishes over 50 reference lists within the paper, identifying the top firms in Los Angeles, and including a list of the 50 wealthiest people (Wealthiest Angelenos). At the end of each year, the Business Journal publishes their flagship Book of Lists, a compilation of all the lists that have run during the year.

More information on LABJ visit a http://labusinessjournal.comThroughout the years, the work of Free Arts has touched us deeply, said businesswoman Renee Parsons. It is truly inspiring to see the transformation that comes about when children are able to express themselves, through art, in a safe and encouraging environment.

Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona kicked off its 25th Anniversary celebration with a Gala on Saturday, Oct. 20, at the JW Marriot Camelback Inn Resort & Spa. More than 300 supporters attended the event where Bob and Renee Parsons were honored for their many years of transformative gifts to Free Arts.

Children are the worlds most precious gift and deserve to be shown love, support and guidance to grow into thriving adults. Unfortunately, not every child gets to know what its like to be loved or cared for by a parent, said businessman Bob Parsons. Free Arts uses art to create moments in time that have a lasting impact, helping these children gain confidence and realize that they are valuable.

Presented by APS, Free Arts 25th Anniversary Gala raised a total of $1,358,066 to support programs that use art and mentorship to transform childrens trauma into resilience. During the evening, the Parsons surprised Free Arts with a $1.1 million donation, $1 million to go toward renovation of the new Free Arts building and $100,000 to support Free Arts programs.

"Bob and Renee continue to surprise and support us in the most generous ways, said Free Arts Executive Director Alicia Sutton Campbell. The number of children in out-of-home care in Arizona has tripled since 1993 and this incredible gift will help us expand services to serve more children and families through our current programs and through The Bob & Renee Parsons Center for Hope and Healing.

Proceeds from the event will support Free Arts goal to serve even more children in foster care group homes, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, residential treatment facilities, schools and unaccompanied minor shelters through art, a trauma-informed curriculum and mentoring.

Throughout the years, the work of Free Arts has touched us deeply, said businesswoman Renee Parsons. It is truly inspiring to see the transformation that comes about when children are able to express themselves, through art, in a safe and encouraging environment.

The Parsons have been longtime supporters of Free Arts and through The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation have granted more than $4 million to the organization over the past six years, including this most recent gift. In August 2017, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation awarded Free Arts a $2.5 million grant to double the organizations physical space on Camelback Road and establish The Bob & Renee Parsons Center for Hope and Healing, expanding programming and reaching children Free Arts had previously been unable to serve.

Free Arts Statistics & 25-Year Journey:



Free Arts was founded in 1993 and served 50 children; in 2018 it served more than 8,000 children.

Free Arts had five volunteers in 1993 and this year it has more than 800.

The number of partner agencies has grown tremendously in 25 years  starting in 1993 with only five, to todays 43 partners.

Throughout its history, Free Arts has impacted the lives of more than 125,000 Arizona children.

The children served by Free Arts have experienced combinations of family trauma, homelessness and violence. To help build resilience and begin the healing process, Free Arts provides mentoring, a caring community and an opportunity to express themselves and learn new skills. To learn more, visit FreeArtsAZ.org.

About Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona

Founded in 1993, Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that works to transform childrens trauma to resilience through the arts. Free Arts programs include creative elements that promote safety, self-expression and a sense of belonging. Free Arts programs are delivered by 900 volunteer mentors and artists who serve more than 8,000 children annually through partnerships with 43 social service child welfare agencies at 100+ sites across Maricopa County. For more information on Free Arts, visit: http://www.FreeArtsAZ.org.

About The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation

The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers support to nonprofit organizations successfully working to empower, educate, nurture and nourish people during what is often the darkest time of their lives. Founded in 2012 by philanthropists and business leaders Bob and Renee Parsons to provide hope and life-changing assistance to the countrys most vulnerable populations, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers critical funding at critical times to those in need. The Foundations giving is driven by the core belief that all people  regardless of race, religion, roots, economic status, sexual orientation or gender identity  deserve access to quality healthcare, education and a safe place to call home. Follow @WeDealInHope on social media or visit TBRPF.org, to learn more about partner organizations and the important work being done in the community.L to R: Dr. Talia Golan, Noa Enav, Jonathan Enav and Rama Enav The reception was a wonderful way to learn more about the groundbreaking work that Dr. Golan is doing at Shebas Pancreatic Cancer Center, and to celebrate the collaboration between Sheba Medical Center and MD Anderson.

Friends of Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer recently hosted a cocktail reception celebrating the partnership between Israels Sheba Medical Center, the largest and most comprehensive hospital in the Middle East, and Houstons MD Anderson Cancer Center. The two prestigious medical organizations are partnering to better understand pancreatic cancer biology with the goal of improving patient treatment and care.

Generously hosted by Jonathan and Noa Enav, the reception at Hilton Houston Plaza/Medical Center featured Shebas Dr. Talia Golan, founder and director of Sheba Medical Centers Pancreatic Cancer Center - the premier organization committed to early detection, treatment and increased quality of life for people suffering from this deadly disease.

The dozens of guests at the intimate, salon-style reception heard from Dr. Golan about the latest research and advancements in immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer and learned about the collaboration between Sheba and MD Anderson. Dr. Shubhra Ghosh, project manager of global programs at MD Anderson, represented the Texas institution.

The reception was a wonderful way to learn more about the groundbreaking work that Dr. Golan is doing at Shebas Pancreatic Cancer Center, and to celebrate the collaboration between Sheba Medical Center and MD Anderson, said Molly Soboroff, Friends of Sheba Medical Centers Executive Director. These doctors are dedicated to improving the quality of life for those who suffer from pancreatic cancer, and we are proud to support their efforts.

Dr. Golans presentation on early detection, current clinical trials and the treatment of pancreatic cancer was enlightening for all of us, said Nina Lieberman, Friends of Sheba Medical Center Interim Midwest Regional Director & North American Strategy Consultant, who was also present at the event. Dr. Golan is a world-renowned physician-scientist, but above all, a woman of compassion who treats her patients as she would her own family  with respect, honesty and integrity.

In addition to host and event chair Jonathan Enav, many representatives of the Friends of Sheba Houston Advisory Board were also in attendance, including Lori Hinze, Scott Kammerman and Deborah Kaplan.

About Friends of Sheba Medical Center

The Friends of Sheba Medical Center is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness and philanthropic support for Sheba Medical Center in Israel. Friends of Sheba Medical Center is dedicated to raising awareness and philanthropic support for Sheba Medical Centers compassionate clinical care, cutting edge research and comprehensive educational training. To learn more, visit: http://www.friendsofsheba.com.

About Sheba Medical Center

Born together with Israel in 1948, Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer is the largest and most comprehensive medical center in the Middle East. Sheba is the only medical center in Israel that combines an acute care hospital and a rehabilitation hospital on one campus, and it is at the forefront of medical treatments, patient care, research and education. As a university teaching hospital affiliated with the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University, it welcomes people from all over the world indiscriminately. For more information, visit: eng.sheba.co.il.From left: Inez Murray, CEO, GBA; H.E. Dr. Ziad Fariz, Governor, Central Bank of Jordan; H.E. Nadia Al Saeed, CEO, Bank al Etihad; Dr. Ann Cairns, Vice Chairman, Mastercard Despite efforts by a variety of players across the financial services ecosystem, the gender gap in financial inclusion has not moved since it was first measured by the Findex in 2011. Approaches that have proven effective for women integrate multiple players in the ecosystem."

Women are disproportionately excluded from financial systems around the world, with a stubborn 7 percent gender gap in global financial inclusion and a 9 percent gender gap in developing markets, according to 2018 World Bank Global Findex data. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has the largest gender gap of any region, with only 35 percent of women banked. The Global Banking Alliance for Women (GBA) is convening actors from across the financial services ecosystem at its Annual Summit to discuss the barriers that are inhibiting womens financial inclusion and economic empowerment in the region and globally, and how they can best be overcome with collaborative approaches that solve for womens lifecycle needs.

At a press event held alongside the 2018 Summit, GBA CEO Inez Murray emphasized the importance of these approaches that take into account womens distinct needs at each lifecycle stage, explaining the critical need for cross-sector collaboration.

Despite efforts by a variety of players across the financial services ecosystem, the gender gap in financial inclusion has not moved since it was first measured by the Findex in 2011, she said. Approaches that have proven effective for women integrate multiple players in the ecosystem  both public and private  and focus on creating solutions in the moments women need them most.

Dr. Ziad Fariz, Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan, discussed the countrys gender gaps in both access and usage of financial services. He shared the Central Banks goal of reducing these gaps and plans to achieve it.

There is a significant opportunity in Jordan to increase womens financial inclusion, and we have set a formal goal to reduce our gender gap by 20 percentage points by 2020,  Dr. Fariz said. Leveraging fintech and boosting womens financial know-how are key levers we are pulling, and we are working closely with banks in our country to help them become more effective at banking women.

Nadia Al Saeed, CEO of GBA Summit host Bank al Etihad, discussed the banks Shorouq program  the first initiative of its kind in Jordan to support women with a holistic suite of financial and non-financial services. Shorouq has a particular focus on providing meaningful offerings for women at each lifecycle stage, including specialized products and/or services for women in business, women with families, women looking to re-enter the workforce and retirement. The bank partners with a variety of organizations across the country to help them deliver on these offerings.

In support of an economy in which womens economic participation is crucial, Bank al Etihad is taking concrete steps to support women in Jordan, Mrs. Al Saeed said. We are extremely proud of the results we have helped our women clients to achieve and of our role as a champion of Jordanian women.

Vice Chairman of Mastercard, Ann Cairns, discussed the global payment technology firms important role within the financial services ecosystem, and its latest efforts to create solutions that meet womens needs, including partnerships like Jaza Duka in Africa with KCB Bank and Unilever.

Mastercard is committed to bolstering the female economy worldwide as women are a vital, yet underserved source of global growth, prosperity and innovation, Cairns said. As part of that work, we engage in partnerships at both a regional and global level across multiple sectors, to help digitize ecosystems and propel womens financial inclusion and economic empowerment. You cant have the internet of everything, without the inclusion of everyone.Photo: Twitter

Indigenous leaders from British Columbia, Manitoba and Nunavut told federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna that reconciliation involves recognizing and supporting the deep connections their people have to the land.

The leaders took part in the ceremony in Sidney, B.C., near Victoria, where the federal government announced $5.7 million in funding for the Indigenous Guardians pilot program in support of environmental conservation efforts.

McKenna says the program recognizes Indigenous Peoples' rights and responsibilities to the land and waters of their traditional territories.

She says the financial support allows First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities to work to protect sensitive areas and species and monitor ecological health and maintain cultural sites.

Chief David Walkem of the Cook's Ferry Indian Band in B.C.'s Interior says part of the project will involve his nation reconnecting with the land after decades of industrial influence dating back to the Cariboo and Fraser River gold rushes.

McKenna says Indigenous people understand the importance of acting now to protect Canada's environment and preserve biodiversity and this program ensures they have the support to be the best possible stewards of their lands, water and ice.Guardian Analytics, the market leader in real-time behavioral analytics and machine learning solutions for banking payment fraud detection and anti-money laundering, together with Fintel, the leader in Section 314(b) information sharing, announce The integration of section 314(b) with AML Evidence Lake Platform to efficiently Follow the Money Trail and Stop Illicit Funds Transfer.

Detecting sophisticated funds transfers funded by multiple monetary instruments drawn or issued by US financial institutions and made payable to money launderers account with amount below BSA reporting thresholds is key to combat money laundering said Matt Rosen, former founding Deputy Director of Mayor Bloombergs Financial Crime Task Force and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, and now Chief Executive Officer and Founder at Fintel.

Unless you have Guardian Analytics modern AML platform that leverages Machine Learning, Smart Rules and Graph Link Analysis, it will be very hard to stop these sophisticated illicit funds transfer. At ABA Financial Crimes Enforcement Conference, we will showcase on our booth # 918 how you can follow the money trail and share permissible information under section 314(b) to capture the right evidence to file thorough SARs to FinCEN said Eric Tran-Le, VP of Product Management at Guardian Analytics.

To schedule a meeting with the Guardian Analytics and Fintel team during the event, please click here.

About Guardian Analytics

Guardian Analytics is the pioneer and leading provider of behavioral analytics and machine learning solutions for banking fraud detection and AML. Hundreds of financial institutions have standardized on Guardian Analytics innovative solutions to mitigate fraud risk and rely on the company to stop the sophisticated criminal attacks targeting retail and commercial banking clients. With Guardian Analytics, financial institutions build trust, increase competitiveness, improve their customer experience and scale operations. Guardian Analytics is privately held and based in Mountain View, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.GuardianAnalytics.com.

Guardian Analytics is a registered trademark of Guardian Analytics, Inc.

About Fintel Technologies

Fintel is a SaaS application for financial institutions to communicate and share information about financial crimes including money laundering, terrorism, and cyber-fraud. Fintel is used alongside existing systems with minimal impact on IT and operational risk management processes. Fintel leverages USA PATRIOT Act 314(b), a government-sanctioned information sharing program and processes information sharing requests in a structured, secure and legally compliant manner. Fintel can be used by over 10,000 domestic financial institutions including banks, broker-dealers, money service businesses and insurance companies. The company is headquartered in New York City. To learn more about Fintel, visit http://www.fintel.com.Hanover Research (Hanover), a leading provider of market research and analytics, has announced the launch of Brand Tracker, a quarterly measurement tool of brand health and benchmarking.

Full-funnel, comprehensive brand tracking can be cost prohibitive, and while many superficial DIY survey templates exist, it can be very time consuming for companies to create and manage the surveys themselves, says Cam Wall, Vice President of Content Innovation, Hanover Research. We created Brand Tracker to hit the sweet spot in between, channeling more than 15 years of experience developing thousands of brand tracking surveys to create a tracking tool that provides all the measurements of brand health you need, quickly and cost-effectively.

Hanovers Brand Tracker tool is designed to measure brand health by quantitatively benchmarking customer feedback on a company's brand and their competitors. The tool includes survey design and audience identification, survey administration, analysis, and reporting. Hanovers Brand Tracker features include:



A full-service, quarterly brand tracking survey,

12 brand tracking metrics, detailed customer profiling and a proprietary intent to purchase model,

Customization options for customer needs and product/service quality attributes

And a dynamic dashboard that records brand tracking metrics over time and provides additional brand tracking details.

"Consumer preferences are changing at a much more rapid pace today than they were ten years ago, but organizations that are able to build and maintain a strong brand are outperforming the market by almost 75 percent. Building a strong brand requires more effort, skill and expense, making it difficult for organizations to do effectively. Hanover's Brand Tracker was built to address these challenges, offering organizations an easy to use, convenient and affordable tool," explains Vineeta Mooganur, Chief Growth Officer, Hanover Research. Our Brand Tracker tool enables companies to establish a baseline and measure brand strength over time, arming them with the information they need to spot underperformance early, identify and target groups that prefer their brand, understand attributes to enhance existing products or in developing new ones and benchmark against competitors. These metrics allow companies to build stronger brands that win in the market and realize improved ROI of marketing initiatives.

To learn more about Hanovers Brand Tracker, visit http://www.hanoverresearch.com/brandtracker.

To learn more about Hanover Research, visit https://www.HanoverResearch.com/ or email info@hanoverresearch.com

About Hanover Research:

Founded in 2003, Hanover Research is a global market research and analytics firm that delivers market intelligence through a unique, fixed-fee model to more than 1,000 clients. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Hanover employs high-caliber market researchers, analysts, and account executives to provide a service that is revolutionary in its combination of flexibility and affordability. Hanover was named a Top 50 Market Research Firm by the American Marketing Association in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, and has also been twice named a Washington Business Journal Fastest Growing Company. To learn more about Hanover Research, visit http://www.hanoverresearch.com.Hidden Lake offers a fresh perspective to a rapidly growing space. Our network of farmers, industry experience and product developers, the opportunity to bring beneficial business, formulation and a Good Manufacturing Practices mindset is exciting, said Frances Gilman, Senior VP of Blue Marble.

Hidden Lake LLC has selected Blue Marble Biomaterials, a long time industry leader in natural product innovation, to transform how industrial hemp products are developed. The team at Blue Marble has been developing revolutionary products for over 12 years ranging from vegan bacon flavor to our most recent success, a biodiesel fuel made from coffee grounds used to power a tiny home on the East Coast for Dunkin Donuts, stated James Stephens, Founder & CEO of Blue Marble. Now, the intrepid R&D team gets to bring their successes and development prowess to the industrial hemp industry with the launch of Hidden Lake. Hidden Lake is a company dedicated to providing unique, naturally derived industrial hemp products with a focus on positively impacting health, the environment and our society.

The brands mission is to educate, innovate and provide the best hemp products for consumers. Created in the spirit of original thinking and powered by Blue Marble extraction and formulation technologies, the Hidden Lake product line blends years of advanced, nature-based flavor, fragrance and skincare formulation with the rising popularity of hemp derived products. Hidden Lake offers a fresh perspective to a rapidly growing space. Through our network of farmers, industry experience and product developers, the opportunity to bring beneficial business, formulation and a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) mindset is exciting, said Frances Gilman, Senior VP of Blue Marble.

In an effort to legitimately advance the domestic hemp market, Hidden Lake and Blue Marble helped form a cooperative of Montana based farmers, product developers, testing laboratories and agricultural logistics specialists. The journey began with a flagship, pioneer farmer out of Choteau, Montana - Sam Armstrong, who planted 1600 acres of industrial hemp in 2018.

The partnerships have grown to include a variety of companies dedicated to making industrial hemp a successful industry for Montana and the United States. Two of our closest partners are Planet-3, a company dedicated to turning hemp waste fiber and hurd into high value components and and Greenhouse Farmacy, a regional leader in hemp-based lifestyle and wellness.

The Hidden Lake products are clean and simple, created from the whole plant and are designed for flexible use as an ingredient or directly as a topical solution. The initial product consists of only three ingredients - the whole plant extract, organic cold pressed hemp seed oil and vitamin E. Along with bringing transparency and scientific development to the hemp industry, helping people is at the forefront of the Hidden Lake mission. Their team is committed to the mindset of people over profit and aim to offer superior products at an affordable price. Not only are they passionate about improving peoples lives through their products, but they also hope to do so through the organizations they give back to. Hidden Lake donates 10 percent of every purchase to six different organizations that focus on our nation's youth, conservation, the terminally ill, veterans, mental health and the advancement of women in science.

Representatives from Hidden Lake, Blue Marble, and Planet-3 will be at the MJ Biz Con in Las Vegas, November 14th and 15th.

About Hidden Lake: Hidden Lake is a wholesome brand that is driven to provide a triple bottom line to the hemp utilization market for hemp consumers. Sustainability, economic opportunity and charitable giving are the pillars on which it is built. Created in the spirit of innovative thinking and powered by Blue Marble extraction and formulation technologies, Hidden Lake aspires to provide the best, cleanest products possible for a rapidly growing and changing industry. More information about Hidden Lake is available at http://www.hiddenlake.co

About Blue Marble: Blue Marble Biomaterials is an innovation power-house specializing in biomimetic techniques, microbial polyculture, and natural product development. Since 2007, their manufacturing pathways and product development expertise, has inspired Blue Marble to create natural ingredients for the flavor, fragrance, food and personal care industries. The resourceful and skill oriented team creates value for communities by generating solutions for partners and maintaining its ethics for consumer interests, clean labels and our environment. More information about Blue Marble is available at http://www.bluemarblebio.com

About Planet-3: Planet-3 is a cannabis technology company that produces cultivation products from cannabis waste streams. Planet-3 provides hemp based: organic nutrients, growing media and natural grade carbon dioxide, covering all stages of growth from seed to harvest. More information is about Planet-3 at http://www.planet-3.org

About Greenhouse Farmacy: Greenhouse Farmacy is a premier hemp lifestyle dispensary proudly serving the Missoula community. Dedicated to providing premium cannabis products, we strive to educate our community and patient members about the medical science of cannabis and to offer a comfortable, clean, and safe environment for them to access their chosen medicine and products. More information about Greenhouse Farmacy can be found at http://greenhousefarmacy.comThe results of the 2016 presidential election stunned America. Immediately, citizens who opposed the new administration began voicing their displeasure through marches, protests, and organizing the Resistance.

Award-winning thriller author Libby Fischer Hellmann was among those Americans shocked and depressed. She soon joined a Facebook group that discussed the potential collusion between Russia and Trump. The idea for her next thriller was eventually born: what happens if a resistance group is infiltrated by enemies hiding in plain sight? How do you solve a murder when there are 42,000 suspects?

In HIGH CRIMES (The Red Herrings Press; November 13, 2018), Chicago PI Georgia Davis is hired to hunt down those ultimately responsible for the assassination of Resistance leader Dena Baldwin at a demonstration fourteen months after the 2016 election. The gunman, on a hotel rooftop near Grant Park, dies within minutes of the shooting.

As Georgia sifts through Denas 42,000 Facebook followers, she discovers that unknown enemies hiding behind fake profiles have infiltrated the group. She finds others who will do whatever it takesincluding murderto shield right-wing, wealthy elites.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Libby Fischer Hellmann left a career in broadcast news in Washington, DC and moved to Chicago over 35 years ago, where she, naturally, began to write gritty crime fiction. Fifteen novels and twenty-five short stories later, she claims they'll take her out of the Windy City feet first.

She has been nominated for many awards in the mystery and crime writing community and has even won a few. She has been a finalist twice for the Anthony and three times for Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year. She has also been nominated for the Agatha, the Shamus, the Daphne, and has won the IPPY and the Readers Choice Award multiple times. Libby hosts both a TV interview show and conducts writing workshops at libraries and other venues. She was the national president of Sisters In Crime, a 3500-member organization dedicated to the advancement of female crime fiction authors. Her books have been translated into Spanish, German, Italian, and Chinese. All her books are available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats. More information can be found online at libbyhellmann.com.

PRAISE FOR HIGH CRIMES

"HIGH CRIMES is the P.I. novel for our moment, not just because of its backdrop of political tension, but because of the resilient strength of its characters. Georgia Davis is a terrific lead, and Libby Fischer Hellmann calls on her own journalism background to add layers of realism to this all-too plausible plot." -Michael Koryta, NYT bestselling author of HOW IT HAPPENED

"In this ripped from the headlines and rocket-paced thriller, Libby Fischer Hellmann is at the top of her game. You won't stop turning the pages, gripped by every twist and turn. And the tough, smart Georgia Davis is sure to take her place among the top female PIs in crime fiction." -Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of UNDER MY SKIN

"Entertaining...[Georgia is] a shrewd investigator... for readers who watch the nightly news with dismay, the novel offers a satisfying alternate reality." -Publishers Weekly

HIGH CRIMES

By Libby Fischer Hellmann

The Red Herrings Press

Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-938733-95-6; $16.99

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-938733-52-9 $5.99

Audio ISBN: 978-1-938733-53-6 (Various)

Available through Ingram, Createspace, and more

FICTION/Thriller 6 x 9

340 pages

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Wiley Saichek of Saichek Publicity at SaichekPublicity@gmail.com or 646-896-9960.Weve established a software development house, with all inhouse developers, engineers, designers and architects that are experts at conceptualizing, planning, designing and developing software to meet our clients specific needs.

IDScan.net, the leader in ID scanning and identity verification solutions, announced it has completed its 300th custom software development project to date. Partnering with some of the worlds most innovative and prominent names in hardware, like E-Seek, Gemalto (formerly 3M), Honeywell, Infinite Peripherals, KOAMTAC, IDTech, Unitech, Sankyo and Panasonic, IDScan.net has deployed its proprietary algorithm to create custom software solutions for clients ranging in industries from finance and security to gaming and real estate.

Given our proven track record in innovative code and the reputation of our existing ID scanning applications, more and more clients began asking us to develop custom software, said Denis Petrov, the co-founder and CEO of IDScan.net. It began when one of our largest clients, after sinking a ton of resources into an app that didnt work, asked us to step in and help. Our expert developers got the solution up-and-running in no time. From then on, weve established a software development house, with all in-house developers, engineers, designers and architects that are experts at conceptualizing, planning, designing and developing software to meet our clients' specific needs. And because were proven, our customers dont have to worry about costly trial-and-error delays.

The first to market with mobile ID scanning capabilities nearly a decade ago, IDScan.nets expert coders have developed hundreds of apps and invested thousands of hours in creating and refining software. Notably, they developed VeriScan Online, which allows users to scan and verify IDs from virtually anywhere in the world using a smartphone or external hardware. Utilizing the most robust parsing engine available, the software is completely customizable with an abundance of features, including IDScan.nets facial recognition technology. VeriScan Online is also available as a white label product, allowing both the front-facing app and the back-end portal to be branded and customized to meet the exact specifications of any business.

IDScan.net also offers enterprise solutions so that clients can integrate ID scanning software into existing applications and systems, such as ID and passport parsing SDKs, web services API, integration services, identity validation for KYC, as well as biometric and global solutions.

Applied across industries, IDScan.net has provided custom software for the New Jersey State Police, a Panasonic hardware customer, to automatically harvest data from the IDs of people pulled over for traffic stops. Custom software is also being used by a large hotel chain to automate the check in process, politicians for fundraising campaigns, apartment leasing companies, alcohol delivery services, marketing companies to quickly capture donor data and contributions, employment screening companies, and various other applications in a multitude of industries.

We recently helped a large healthcare provider create a solution in order to better scan patients IDs. The custom software has changed the way they operate and dramatically improved efficiency, accuracy, and ultimately, the level of care provided, said Petrov. The possibilities are endless, he said.

About IDScan.net

IDScan.net offers the highest quality ID scanning solutions to quickly and easily capture and verify an individuals information. With 100% accuracy, our technology can tell your front line staff what they need to know about the person standing in front of them. Trusted by top brands like IBM, Panasonic, and Shell our suite of customizable solutions is being deployed by leaders across industries from gaming and hospitality to retail and finance. As the first company to market with mobile ID scanning capabilities, IDScan.net continues to pioneer cutting-edge technologies that anticipate the rapidly evolving needs of tomorrow. For more information, visit IDScan.net.2018 was a big year for digital marketing. From advanced ad targeting abilities to new innovations in search results, theres a lot for marketers to prepare for in the new year.

Perhaps the most prevalent theme in the new wave of technology is the widespread adoption of AI. Most notably, AI is having a major effect on how users interact with brands via voice search, chatbot technology, and digital assistants.

Beyond that, Google hasnt been shy about their approach to AI. Were seeing everything from neural matching and dynamic search results to one of Google Ads most exciting innovations - Google AdLingo.

Another common trend is the continuing move towards mobile. With Google officially rolling out its mobile-first index, marketers will need to focus on implementing a mobile-friendly approach to their digital strategies across all channels.

Outside of AI, there have been major additions to PPC targeting abilities as well as an emphasis on storytelling and shopping-friendly ads in social media.

You can read all about these additions and more in Ignite Visibilitys full guide.

About Ignite Visibility:

Ignite Visibility is a premier Internet marketing company based in San Diego dedicated to providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. By establishing mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with our clients, we create custom solutions uniquely tailored to meet the specialized business objectives of each client. Because a company is only as good as the promises it keeps that were made during the sales process, Ignite Visibility holds itself accountable to clearly defined key performance indicators established at the outset of every campaign. We are committed to the Ignite Visibility motto pertaining to the three Rs of customer satisfaction: relationships, responsiveness and results. To learn more about Ignite Visibility, visit https://IgniteVisibility.com/.By acquiring Nidasu, well be providing our customers new and innovative technology to solve critical challenges in their businesses.

Infomedia Ltd (ASX:IFM), a leader in parts and service software to the global automotive industry, announced today it has entered into an agreement to acquire Australian based, automotive data analytics company Nidasu.

Nidasu is the leading provider of critical automotive insights to automakers and dealerships throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific.

Nidasus data analytics-as-a-service platform aggregates data from many sources within the dealership technology ecosystem. It is well established and supported by many of Infomedias existing customers and introduces new automakers to Infomedia. The aggregated data helps automakers and dealerships uncover actionable insights to improve fixed operations productivity and customer retention.

Infomedias CEO Jonathan Rubinsztein said: The industry is facing disruption on many fronts. By acquiring Nidasu, well be providing our customers new and innovative technology to solve critical challenges in their businesses. This collaboration will offer significantly more value to our customers as we support them to sell more original parts, deliver excellent customer service and retain loyalty to the automotive manufacturer brand.

The acquisition is a key step in building Infomedias data strategy and presents a significant opportunity to leverage Infomedias data business globally. Infomedias SaaS parts and service solutions are used by 170,000 dealership professionals globally and help generate millions of transactions every week.

The combination of Infomedias rich data assets and Nidasus leading-edge analytics-as-a-service platform provide automakers and dealerships access to deep insights that can measurably improve operational performance.

Nidasu Co-Founder and CEO Jonathan Scharrer said: We are excited about joining Infomedia whose global footprint, strong customer relationships and quality commercial infrastructure will support the expansion of our business.

Mr Rubinsztein added: Data analytics remains an underinvested opportunity for both automakers and dealerships in the current environment. The Nidasu technology provides real-time insights on transactions and behaviours critical to building effective customer retention strategies for both dealerships and automakers.

The acquisition is expected to be accretive to both revenue and earnings immediately. Contribution to the 2019 financial year result will be small. The transaction will be funded from Infomedias existing cash reserves and is expected to complete early in the new calendar year.Infosecurity Group, the global knowledge hub for the information security community, today announced the Innovative Start-Up Company of the Year competition at the second annual Infosecurity North America 2018 Expo and Conference, which takes place from November 14 - 15 at the Javits Convention Center in New York. The competition will occur from 11 a.m. to noon on Thursday at the Infosecurity Magazine Networking Lounge.

The competition will take place at the Infosecurity North America Start-Up Zone, a dedicated area featuring a concentration of companies new to the information security industry. Each participating company will have the opportunity to pitch their innovative product or service to a panel of venture capitalists. The winner will be announced following the presentations and promoted through press, social media and on the Infosecurity Magazine website, which boasts an audience of over 160,000 subscribers.

This years participants are as follows:



Exponam: A secure, portable, and tamper-proof way to share and explore data. Exponam .BIG files are ultra secure (AES-256; salted SHA-256; multi-factor enabled with dynamic central rights administration) enabling secure data access beyond an organization's security perimeter. The files make exploration of 100s of millions of rows simple and instantaneous in a spreadsheet view.

Kisi: Provides cloud-based door access control systems leveraging mobile and physical credentials. Integrating into the IT and security stack allows to use SSO, 2FA and directory integrations for your office doors.

Meta Networks: As enterprises migrate applications, storage, and workloads to the cloud, and employees are increasingly remote and mobile, the conventional LAN/WAN paradigm is breaking down. Meta Networks is the zero-trust alternative to VPN for secure remote access to any application, anywhere.

Sixgill: A cyber threat intelligence company that covertly & automatically analyzes Deep & Dark Web activity detecting & preventing cyber-attacks & sensitive data leaks before they occur. Utilizing advanced algorithms, Sixgills cyber intelligence platform provides organizations with continuous monitoring, prioritized real time alerts and actionable intelligence.

Were excited to learn about the latest cyber security innovations from these on-the-rise companies, said competition judge, Rick Grinnell, Founder and Managing Partner, Glasswing Ventures. The security industry is a constantly evolving field and companies within the industry must be agile and on the cutting edge of the growing threat landscape in order to address the needs of their customers. This competition is sure to bring out the most innovative new companies to the market.

Companies can exhibit in the Start-Up Zone if they were founded after November 14, 2013, and generate less than $500k annually. They also must be privately or venture capital-owned. Signing up as a Start-Up Zone exhibitor differentiates young companies on the floor plan and provides an opportunity to exhibit at Infosecurity North America at a lower cost.

Were fully-committed to innovation within the cyber security industry, said John Hyde, Exhibition Director. With this competition, we hope to give smaller cybersecurity organizations the opportunity to show off their latest offerings and give the winner the type of exposure that could help catapult them to the next level of growth.

For more information about both the competition and to sign up for the conference, please visit https://www.infosecuritynorthamerica.com/en/exhibit/start-up-competition/.

About Infosecurity Group

With 23 years of experience in providing year-round education and networking opportunities for visitors, solution-providers and thought-leaders alike, the Infosecurity Group looks to bring the global infosecurity community together in person, in print and online. Featuring the award-winning Infosecurity Magazine as well as 8 established events all around the globe, our purpose is to help you find everyone and everything you need to know about information security.People work hard to retire, and retirement has a whole different set of challenges for both clients and advisors, said Robert Powell. Retirement clients require advisors with advanced skills and knowledge, this podcast series aims to provide an additional resource for advisors.

DENVER (November 13, 2018)  Investments & Wealth Institute (formerly IMCA) launches a new five week Exceptional Advisor(TM) Podcast series featuring Robert Powell of TheStreet. The special edition podcast series provides investment and wealth management professionals the latest information on various retirement topics from industry experts.

With 10,000 baby boomers retiring daily, the demand for retirement planning has increased dramatically, said Sean Walters, Chief Executive Officer of the Investments & Wealth Institute. As a premier education provider, the Institute recognizes the growing need for retirement topics and education. Walters added, The Institute provides a number of resources for advisors whose clients are entering a decumulation phase of their lives. Were covering retirement management in our new podcast series and in the recently published Retirement Management Journal that is available to our members. We are seeing strong interest in our Retirement Management Advisor (SM) (RMA) designation and our upcoming Retirement Management Forum which will be held this December in Amelia Island, FL.

The five-week podcast series began yesterday, Monday, November 12, 2018 with an interview with Anna Rappaport, discussing insights from the Society of Actuaries research on retirees over 85. Anna Rappaport is an internationally recognized expert on the impact of change on retirement systems and workforce issues.

People work hard to retire, and retirement has a whole different set of challenges for both clients and advisors, said Robert Powell. Retirement clients require advisors with advanced skills and knowledge, this podcast series aims to provide an additional resource for advisors from top industry experts on these topics and challenges.

The Exceptional Advisor (TM) Podcast series aims to provide information to help advisors better serve their clients, differentiate themselves from the competition, and improve their ability to communicate the competencies that make them exceptional. The first eight episodes focus on wealth management topics including: Philanthropic Advising for the High-Net-Worth Client, Impact Investing, Serving the Unique Needs of LGBTQ Clients and Estate Planning and Trusts among others.

The Exceptional Advisor Podcast is part of a larger Exceptional Advisor Initiative launched by the Investments & Wealth Institute earlier this summer. The initiative builds on the attributes of an Exceptional Advisor as defined by recent Institute and AbsoluteEngagement.com investor research that shows clients value a strong understanding of what they want and need, meaningful guidance, advanced expertise, and high ethical standards.

Listen to the Exceptional Advisor series on iTunes, Spotify, and SoundCloud or at InvestmentsandWealth.org/podcasts.

Other Retirement Management Education from the Investments & Wealth Institute:

Retirement Management Forum, Dec. 3-4, 2018 at the Ritz-Carton Amelia Island, Florida, to learn how to better support their clients entering or nearing retirement. Registration is now open for Retirement Management Forum.

For Information:

For additional information, contact Devon Coquillard, communications manager, at dcoquillard@i-w.org or (303) 850-3202.

About the Investments & Wealth Institute

Established in 1985, the Investments & Wealth Institute, formerly known as IMCA, is a professional association, advanced education provider, and standards body for financial advisors, investment consultants, and wealth managers who embrace excellence and ethics. Through its publications, events, assessment-based certificate programs, and advanced certifications, the Institute delivers premier-quality, practical education to advanced practitioners in more than 38 countries.

The Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) certification is the peak international, technical portfolio construction program for investment consultants, analysts, financial advisors and wealth management professionals. The CIMA program is distinctive as one of only a few global certifications in financial services to meet international accreditation and quality standards (ANSI/ISO 17024) for personnel certification programs.

The Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA) certification is an advanced professional certification for advisors who serve high-net-worth clients. Its designed for seasoned professionals who seek the latest, most advanced knowledge and techniques to address the sophisticated needs of clients with a minimum net worth of $5 million. Unlike credentials that focus specifically on investing or financial planning, the CPWA program takes a holistic and multidisciplinary approach.

The Investments & Wealth Institute is a registered mark of Investment Management Consultants Association Inc. doing business as Investments & Wealth Institute. CIMA, Certified Investment Management Analyst, CIMC, CPWA, and Certified Private Wealth Advisor are registered certification marks of Investment Management Consultants Association Inc. doing business as Investments & Wealth Institute. RMA(SM) and Retirement Management Advisor(SM) are marks owned by Investment Management Consultants Association Inc. doing business as Investments & Wealth Institute. The Investments & Wealth Institute does not discriminate in educational opportunities or any other characteristic protected by law.Mary Kay Inc. is one of the leading companies specializing in the direct sale of makeup and skincare products. Lesley Cosmetics is the brands exclusive distribution partner in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The headquarters, located in Molndal, Sweden, has a product range consisting of more than 600 SKUs. Orders placed in the online shop are shipped from this location.

Mary Kay was launched in the Nordic market by Lesley Cosmetics in 1992. In addition to having a network of independent beauty consultants, the makeup and skincare products have been sold via the companys online shop since 2003. All orders for consultants and online customers in the Nordic market are processed from the Lesley Cosmetics facility in Molndal, Sweden.

The incoming orders received by the warehouse contain an average of 17 lines per order. Lesley Cosmetics needed an efficient solution for these complex orders, one which cut the delivery time and increased the order picking speed and precision. Further requirements included optimizing the flow of goods in the warehouse and introducing ergonomic workstations for the employees.

Lesley Cosmetics implemented one Megamat RS 350 Vertical Carousel from Kardex Remstar in combination with the Power Pick Global inventory management software. All items are stored on carriers within the Megamat RS, operating similar to a ferris wheel, a carrier is brought to an ergonomically positioned pick window via the shortest path and presented to the operator for picking.

Integrated with a Position Indicator LED light bar, each item to be picked is identified with a simple light on the position indicator which increases the picking accuracy and speed. Picking 3,000 order lines per day, Lesley Cosmetics has increased picking up to 300% in some instances. In addition, the system makes it possible to pick goods and replenish stock levels simultaneously, making the process even more efficient.

Lesley Cosmetics is dedicated to the Mary Kay brand and decided to do something special with the Megamat RS. Its Mary Kay pink; helping maintain the brand, even in the warehouse!

Kardex Remstar, LLC, a company of the Kardex Group is a leading provider of automated storage and retrieval systems for manufacturing, distribution, warehousing, offices and institutions. For information about our dynamic storage solutions, call 800-639-5805, visit http://www.kardexremstar.com.KGI Associate Professor Talia Puzantian, who led the study in collaboration with substance use disorder pharmacist and consultant James Gasper. KGI Associate Professor Talia Puzantian: Pharmacists are poised to identify individuals at risk for opioid overdose, to provide awareness and education around opioid safety, and most importantly to furnish this life saving drug.

A recent public health advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General called for increased awareness and use of naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug. Most states, including California, have legislation or protocols in place allowing trained pharmacists to provide naloxone to individuals without a prescription.

A new study by faculty at the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and collaborators with the UC San Franciscos Department of Family and Community Medicine investigated California pharmacists furnishing of naloxone without a prescription two years after legislation was implemented.

The study, released today in JAMA, collected data from 1,147 California pharmacies, a sample representing 20 percent of Californias community pharmacies. The investigators found that only 23.5 percent of pharmacies were furnishing naloxone.

Pharmacists are trusted, knowledgeable, and accessible medication experts, says KGI Associate Professor Talia Puzantian, who led the study in collaboration with substance use disorder pharmacist and consultant James Gasper. They are poised to identify individuals at risk for opioid overdose, to provide awareness and education around opioid safety, and most importantly to furnish this life saving drug.

Differences by urbanity were not statistically significant, although rural pharmacies were underrepresented. There was a significant difference by pharmacy type, with 31.6 percent of chain pharmacies compared with 7.5 percent of independent pharmacies furnishing naloxone.

Of pharmacies furnishing naloxone, only 50.6 percent had nasal naloxone in stock. The study revealed some gaps in knowledge by pharmacy staff including which forms of naloxone should be furnished and whether furnished naloxone could be billed to insurance.

The next steps will be to address the barriers likely contributing to this low level of furnishing: training of pharmacists, raising public awareness, stigma, time, and cost limitations, Puzantian says.

Californias Board of Pharmacy has provided live meetings with pharmacists throughout the state with the training required before they can furnish naloxone. In the past two years, they have trained nearly 1,000 pharmacists.

In an effort to reach the 40,000+ licensed pharmacists within the state of California, the boards website now features a free webinar developed by Puzantian and Gasper (linked here). The webinar meets the boards training requirement for pharmacists to furnish naloxone.

The JetToy Event is a friendly competition in which students build their best vehicles and engage in distance, accuracy and timed events.

Creating the most efficient and smooth-running balloon-powered vehicle will be the task for hundreds of fifth grade students on Thursday, Nov. 15 in Atlanta.

Sponsored by Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG), the event invites 500 students to the Georgia International Convention Center, Hall D, to participate in SAE Internationals A World In Motion (AWIM) JetToy Competition.

Working in design teams, students will culminate their classroom experience by building and testing model JetToy cars that they have analyzed for weeks. The JetToy Event is a friendly competition in which students build their best vehicles and engage in distance, accuracy and timed events.

What: SAE Internationals A World In Motion JetToy Competition Sponsored by KMMG

Where: Georgia International Convention Center - Hall D

2000 Convention Center Concourse

Atlanta, GA 30337

When: Thursday, November 15, 2018

9 a.m. EST  Competitions begin at 11 a.m.

Fifth grade students from the following areas will participate:



Carroll County, GA

Troup County, GA

Harris County, GA

Meriwether County, GA

Lanett, AL

Chambers County, AL

AWIM is a teacher-administered, industry volunteer-assisted program that brings science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to life in the classroom for students in Kindergarten through Grade 8. Benchmarked to the national standards, the AWIM program incorporates integrated STEM learning experiences through hands-on activities that reinforce classroom STEM learning.

SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting over 127,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion and the Collegiate Design Series.

http://www.sae.orgNow, Esker does a nightly check with SAP, and the staff gets an alert when its available. That type of insight has really been invaluable.

Esker, a worldwide leader in document process automation solutions and pioneer in cloud computing, today announced that LifeNet Health, a global leader in regenerative medicine, is automating its accounts payable (AP) invoicing process. Eskers cloud-based AP solution is integrated with the companys SAP software system.

Today, the majority of LifeNet Healths AP invoices and check requests go through Eskers automated solution, including partner invoices, which are managed through a separate queue and dashboard. Prior to Esker, LifeNet Healths approval process had manual bottlenecks, creating opportunities for enhanced efficiency and visibility.

Benefits of automated accounts payable

LifeNet Health has a significantly more efficient and sustainable process in place for managing AP invoices thanks to its implementation of Esker. Aside from the added visibility of knowing where invoices are and being able to manage them accordingly, another key benefit has been Eskers compatibility with SAP. Because all invoice-related data is linked to SAP for general accessibility and auditing purposes, LifeNet Health has seen some significant time savings.

We have a lot of invoices for materials that have to be qualified and meet certain specifications, said Ashley Walter, assistant corporate controller at LifeNet Health. Previously, the invoices would be set aside during the qualification process, and staff would then have to keep checking other reports to see the status. Now, Esker does a nightly check with SAP, and the staff gets an alert when its available. That type of insight has really been invaluable.

Automation beyond AP

Accounts payable is not the only process LifeNet Health is using Esker to automate. The company recently selected Eskers Order Processing solution to automate its order management operations in order to achieve its primary objective of creating a faster, smarter and more scalable order management operation. A key factor in LifeNet Healths decision was Eskers ability to seamlessly handle consignment orders, a capability no other solution provider the company considered could offer.

About Esker

Esker is a worldwide leader in cloud-based document process automation software, helping financial and customer service departments digitally transform their order-to-cash (O2C) and purchase-to-pay (P2P) cycles. Used by more than 6,000 companies worldwide, Eskers solutions incorporate technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to drive increased productivity, enhanced visibility, reduced fraud risk, and improved collaboration with customers, suppliers and internally. Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France, and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information on Esker and its solutions, visit http://www.esker.com. Follow Esker on Twitter @EskerInc and join the conversation on the Esker blog at blog.esker.com.

Today, physicians need to be culturally diverse, culturally sensitive and be able to talk to people and have in-depth discussions with their patients and their families

"Careers in Healthcare" explores a wide range of healthcare occupations, providing a thorough overview of jobs available and required in the industry. It also focuses on the resources that are assisting medical professionals in their everyday practices.

Our medical classrooms and offices are consistently transforming as a result of the changing model of patient care. "Today, physicians need to be culturally diverse, culturally sensitive and be able to talk to people and have in-depth discussions with their patients and their families, explains Justin Roberts, M.D., a graduate of St. Georges University School of Medicine.

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor, the field for nurse educators will grow by 24 percent by 2026. Therefore, Mediaplanets campaign emphasizes the need for more nurse educators in their exclusive feature story with the National League for Nursing.

Additionally, the Society for Hospital Medicine sheds light on the fastest-growing specialty in modern healthcare, which focuses on the care of hospital patients from admission to discharge.

Careers in Healthcare was published within USA Today, circulating approximately 250,000 copies and reaching an estimated readership of 750,000. The digital component is distributed nationally, through a vast social media strategy, and across a network of top news sites and partner outlets. To explore the digital version of the campaign, visit: http://www.educationandcareernews.com/topic/careers-in-healthcare

This campaign was made possible with the support of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Board of Medical Specialties, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, Center for Allied Health Education, Chamberlain College of Nursing, DeSales University, Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, Society for Hospital Medicine, St. George's University, Touro University Worldwide and many more.

About Mediaplanet

Mediaplanet is the leading independent publisher of content-marketing campaigns covering a variety of topics and industries. We turn consumer interest into action by providing readers with motivational editorial, pairing it with relevant advertisers, and distributing it within top newspapers and online platforms around the world.

Press Contact:

Lindsay Waldman

lindsay(at)waldman(at)mediaplanet(dot)com

646-979-2837

Melissa Boyd (Norristown, PA), a family law Partner at High Swartz, was a speaker at the 11th annual Montgomery Bar Association Family Law Section Toby L. Dickman Seminar on November, 9, 2018.

The seminar, entitled Family Law 2.0: A Child Centered and User Friendly Approach, focused on divorces and separations that may lead to child custody battles. The seminar focused on the legal steps to make it through the custody battle process as efficiently as possible, with the main goal being the relief of any unnecessary suffering for the child involved.

Melissa Boyd spoke with Judge Daniel J. Clifford and Gary Kline, the head of the Montgomery County Domestic Relations Section.

Boyd concentrates her practice on family law with a focus on, but not limited to, divorce, pre-nuptial and post-divorce agreements, child custody and child support, equitable distribution, alimony and adoptions. She has dedicated much of her professional career to preserving the rights of children and their families.

Boyd has been certified as a Family Law Arbitrator by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and was named among the 10 Leaders of Matrimonial Law in Philadelphia.

The Toby L. Dickman Seminar is held each year in honor of the late Toby L. Dickman, a former family law attorney and family court judge who passed away in 2007.

About High Swartz LLP: High Swartz LLP is a full-service law firm serving clients in the Delaware Valley and throughout Pennsylvania from offices in Norristown and Doylestown. Established in 1914, High Swartz serves the needs of businesses, municipalities, government entities, nonprofits and individuals. With offices in Bucks County and Montgomery County, the full-service law firm provides comprehensive counsel and legal support to individuals and business entities of all sizes across a broad spectrum of industries throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For more information, visit HighSwartz.com.Drs. Marianne Urbanski and Gregory Toback, Dental Implant Specialists, Restore Healthy Smiles in Waterford, CT

Shoreline Periodontics Drs. Gregory Toback and Marianne Urbanski are encouraging those with missing teeth in Waterford, CT and surrounding areas to consider dental implants as a permanent solution to this common problem. Tooth loss affects millions of Americans, but dental implants prove time and time again to restore function and aesthetics, reduce the likelihood of bone loss and offer decades of reliability.

Although dental bridges are one solution to give the cosmetic appearance of a missing tooth, bridges do not stimulate healthy bone growth beneath the gum line. After a tooth is lost and left untreated, the bone is reabsorbed into the body, leading to uneven gums and a sunken-in look. The site of the missing tooth may also create an environment ideal for bacteria which can lead to gum recession and gum disease.

Surgically implanted into existing bone to act as a natural tooth root, dental implants are lasting, healthier alternatives to dental bridges. In support of maximum dental wellness, this ensures that the site does not just appear normal, but functions normally, too. Drs. Toback and Urbanski are experienced periodontists with a passion for helping patients achieve the highest levels of oral health possible. They also implement the most advanced equipment and protocols whenever applicable to ensure that all procedures have the greatest chance for success.

In addition to dental implants, Drs. Toback and Urbanski regularly treat patients in need of tooth extractions and bone grafting before their procedure as well as provide full-arch dental implant options for those with extensive tooth loss. Those with high dental anxiety who come to Shoreline Periodontics for treatment can request sedation dentistry options to make the treatment process less worrisome and more comfortable.

Both periodontists have founded numerous study clubs for their fellow professionals in an effort to share the latest in periodontics and dental implants. Individuals and families interested in learning more about the many ways they can treat their missing teeth in Waterford, CT, are welcome to contact Drs. Toback and Urbanski at 860-443-2428 for appointments at either the New London, CT, or Westerly, RI, location.

About the Periodontists

Shoreline Periodontics is a periodontal practice offering personalized dental care for patients since 1998 and is located in New London, CT and Westerly, RI. Leading board-certified periodontist, Dr. Gregory A. Toback, received his B.A. from St. Johns University and his Doctorate of Dental Medicine from the University of Connecticut. He also received advanced training in periodontics and dental implants at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Dr. Toback focuses on minimally invasive surgeries, offering LANAP and belongs to a small group of dental professionals currently providing the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique for treatment of gum recession. Dr. Marianne Urbanski has been voted one of Connecticuts top dentists for more than seven years by Connecticut Magazine. Dr. Urbanski graduated cum laude from the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts where she earned a Bachelors degree in Biology. She also received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree and her Masters of Dental Science degree from the University of Connecticut Dental School. Dr. Urbanski prides herself on offering caring, professional treatment to each patient. To learn more about Shoreline Periodontics and their dental services visit their website at http://www.shorelineperio.com or call 860-443-2428 for the New London, CT location, or 401-596-0000 for the Westerly, RI office.Mitch Fisher loves his clients and his money management business. He has been doing it for more than 40 years. His clients are doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers and famous people who have won Oscars and Grammys. He wants to educate and contribute to people in a different way about moneynot through charts, graphs and algorithms but by telling interesting stories. These objectives prompted Fisher to write, Money Stories: Simple Ways to Help You Manage and Invest Your Money, (published by Balboa Press).

The book serves as an entertaining guide to managing and investing money. Fishers personal anecdotes, cautionary tales and stories of failure and success as a money manager enliven each page. These stories give readers an inside look at just about everything from stock tips, saving for college, buying real estate, planning for retirement, making good investments, putting your affairs in order and selecting a good financial advisor.

Everyone must deal with money at some point in life. Most people do it daily. Some people try to avoid it, while some delegate it to others, Fisher points out. These stories will illuminate the simple and easy ways to manage and invest effectivelyor choose a good person to help do it for you.

Money Stories: Simple Ways to Help You Manage and Invest Your Money aims to share straightforward ideas to make personal money management more meaningful and successful. If you take a lesson from these chapters and apply it to better your personal financial management, then Ive made a contribution to you and weve had success together, Fisher concludes.

For more details about the book, please visit https://www.amazon.com/Money-Stories-Simple-Manage-Invest/dp/1982210877.

Money Stories: Simple Ways to Help You Manage and Invest Your Money

By Mitch Fisher

Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 218 pages | ISBN 9781982210854

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 218 pages | ISBN 9781982210878

E-Book | 218 pages | ISBN 9781982210861

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Mitch Fisher is the president of Pacific Sun Financial Corp. He is a certified financial planner (CFP) specializing in the design of investment portfolios. He grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 1972. His clients are engineers, doctors, lawyers, retirees, teachers and business owners. He has worked with famous clients: Oscar winning actors, producers and photographers, Grammy winning musicians and artists with paintings in national museums. He is the past chairman of Saddleback Memorial Hospital Foundation BAC. He is married with three children and three grandchildren. He lives in Southern California and Kauai.

Balboa Press, a division of Hay House, Inc.  a leading provider in publishing products that specialize in self-help and the mind, body, and spirit genres. Through an alliance with indie book publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the self-publishing model. For more information, visit balboapress.com. To start publishing your book with Balboa Press, call 877-407-4847 today. For the latest, follow @balboapress on Twitter."We are proud to welcome Stephen and Kaela along with Complete Facilities Solutions employees, customers and field partners to the QSI family," said Eric Crabb, CEO of QSI.

QSI Facilities (QSI), a leading provider of multi-site facilities services, has acquired Complete Facility Solutions, Inc. (CFS). Complete Facility Solutions is an on-demand facility maintenance and project management provider serving customers across North America.

Building on the success of this years acquisitions of Pecan Grove Solutions and Security Source, both of which enabled QSI to extend the critical service offerings to current and future customers, the CFS acquisition will help strengthen the QSI FM platform by enhancing our service delivery platform to execute an enterprise FM solution to our clients. Additionally, CFS will provide significant growth potential to the enlarged organization through service and segment diversification and cross selling opportunities.

Headquartered in Wichita, KS; CFS will operate as a division of QSI Facilities. Owners Stephen and Kaela Wegeng will remain with QSI as a critical part of their leadership team. In their roles, they will be responsible for the continued leadership of Complete Facilities Solutions and will work with QSI to enhance service offerings.

"We are proud to welcome Stephen and Kaela along with Complete Facility Solutions employees, customers and field partners to the QSI family," said Eric Crabb, CEO of QSI. "Both companies share remarkably similar cultures, values, and approach to customer service. We look forward to leveraging our combined strengths to create even greater value for our customers."

For more information, visit http://www.qsifacilities.com.

About QSI Facilities

Located in the nations heartland just outside Wichita, Kansas, QSI Facilities has grown over the past two decades to become the nations top-performing provider of facilities maintenance and construction services. QSI clients include premier brands in retail, food service, commercial/industrial real estate and many other market segments. Last year, QSI completed more than 250,000 work orders covering 75 skilled trades at 100,000+ client locations in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. QSIs Six Sigma trained project teams take a data-driven approach to working with clients and their network of high-performance field service partners to measure, manage and improve facilities performance and cost control. Visit qsifacilities.com.An elite circle of resume writers who have been recognized for their technical writing and presentation skills.

The winners of the fourth annual Recognizing Outstanding Achievement in Resumes (ROAR) competition were recently announced at the National Resume Writers Association (NRWA) annual conference in Seattle, Washington.

The ROAR awards are held annually by the NRWA to recognize the best resume writing talent in the professional resume-writing industry. Winners of the ROAR competition join an elite circle of resume writers who have been recognized for their technical writing and presentation skills. One winner is selected in each of four categories based on level of experience and resume format. This year, six additional Honorable Mention submissions were selected.

This years winners were announced and recognized in front of their peers during an awards ceremony at the NRWA annual conference held this year in Seattle. To view the winning resumes and learn more about the winners, visit the NRWA website at: http://www.thenrwa.com/ROAR

2018 ROAR Competition Winners:



New Writer, Modern Classic Design: Cathleen Lanzalaco

New Writer, Creative Design: Christopher Ward

Experienced Writer, Modern Classic Design: Marie Plett

Experienced Writer, Creative Design: Marie Plett

Resume writers earning Honorable Mentions for exceptional submissions were Cliff Flamer (for two submissions), Sandra Ingemansen, Peter Lavelle, Barbara Safani, and Arno Marcus.

About the ROAR Competition

Recognizing Outstanding Achievement in Resumes or the ROAR competition was first launched in 2015. Now in its fourth year, this competition is open to members and nonmembers of the National Resume Writers Association (NRWA). Contestants submit resumes to be judged by a panel of industry experts, all of whom hold the Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW) credential. Submissions are then judged based on strategy, style, creativity, positioning, layout, readability, ATS compatibility, branding, keyword optimization, grammar, technical writing skill, and compliance with the NCRW Study Guide and The Gregg Reference Manual. Winners, who are typically announced at the NRWAs annual conference, receive multiple forms of recognition and a free one-year membership in the association.

About the National Resume Writers Association

The National Resume Writers Association (NRWA) is the only nonprofit, member-driven resume writers organization in the world. The mission of the NRWA is to increase the visibility of the industry, encourage ethical practices, promote excellence, and raise industry standards through peer marketing and training. The NRWA is led by a board comprised of volunteers elected by the members. To learn more about the NRWA, visit: http://www.thenrwa.comI am honored and grateful to be included in such a talented group of winners. Many thanks to the Jury for recognizing my work and the organizers for making this possible.

Paul Turang Photography today announced the acceptance of multiple awards from the renowned International Photography Awards.

The International Photography Awards conducts a yearly competition for photographers from around the globe and has created one of the most comprehensive competitions in the world of photography today. The competition culminates with an award ceremony and gala to salute the achievements of the worlds finest photographers. This year, the ceremonial event was held October 28th at Carnegie Hall in New York. Among those in attendance was Paul Turang, winner of multiple awards including two First Place Awards and three Honorable Mentions.

Based in Los Angeles, Paul Turang has provided photography and photography-related services to the architecture, construction and design industry for nearly 20 years.

Mr. Turang was extremely happy about his achievement and said, "I am honored and grateful to be included in such a talented group of winners. Many thanks to the Jury for recognizing my work and the organizers for making this possible."

Paul Turang won First Place for:

1. Professional Architecture, Industrial

2. Professional Architecture, Interior

Additionally, three Honorable Mentions go to Paul Turang for:

1. Professional Architecture, Interior

2. Professional Architecture, Cityscapes/Urban

3. Professional Architecture, Other

My clients use photography to tell a story, stated Mr. Turang. I feel it's incredibly important to constantly be working on my craft by shooting personal work. It's all about the concept . You really put yourself out there and to be recognized for your efforts means you're on the right path, he explained.

View the award-winning photographs and learn more about Paul Turangs architecture and design-related photography services at https://paulturang.com/award-winning.

About Paul Turang

Paul Turang has been photographing architecture and design related projects for nearly 20 years. Based in Los Angeles, Paul and his team have photographed projects throughout the nation. His images have been featured in a variety of design related publications and recognized by several international awards. Paul travels regularly for assignments bringing his passion and vision to leading architecture, design and construction firms. http://www.paulturang.com IG: @paulturangPharm Research Associates Choose Boon Edam Tourlock to Secure their Entry With the facility storing sensitive clinical data, the Tourlock 180+90 was the perfect fit. Not only does it provide a stronger, more technical security solution for the building, it also allows for higher throughput levels.

Pharm Research Associates Ltd. is a research center located in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1996, the center conducts commercial, physical and biological research and development. At their Swansea-based facility, Pharm Research Associates determined the need to upgrade the entrance door they had in place, which was no longer fulfilling their needs. Having successfully installed a Boon Edam Crystal TQ revolving door at their Reading head office, the company turned once again to Boon Edam for expert advice on upgrading their Swansea facility.

The original door had been installed by another entrance provider, said Neil Simons, National Sales Manager, Boon Edam Limited UK. Not only was it an older product, it also did not actually serve the true purpose of what our client required.

Pharmaceutical companies require enhanced levels of security due to the sensitive data stored on site. There is always a critical need to monitor and control who is entering the building, to prevent the risks associated with unauthorized access. Beyond an access control solution to support the companys high security requirements, there was a need to control the flow of people entering and exiting the building.

The center worked closely with Boon Edam to establish potential threats and ensure the appropriate level of security was incorporated into the new entry solution. It was important for the choice of entrance solution to be correct, not only to meet the buildings requirements, but also to fit with the existing culture.

Boon Edams team met with the client to present a range of possibilities and alleviate on-site personnel concerns about the perceived access issues brought on by heightened security measures. After evaluating the range of entry options, the client chose Boon Edams automatic Tourlock 180+90 security revolving door with an aluminum finish for its entrance.

We had worked with Pharm Research Associates on their headquarters in Reading, so we knew the client well and were able to recommend the best solution for their needs, said Simons. With the facility storing sensitive clinical data, the Tourlock 180+90 was the perfect fit. Not only does it provide a stronger, more technical security solution for the building, it also allows for higher throughput levels.

The Tourlock 180+90 prevents unauthorized entry attempts (tailgating and piggybacking), while supporting simultaneous, bi-directional throughput  a level of security that precisely matched the clients needs.

The project took eight months from confirmation to installation, and despite some bad weather, Boon Edam installed the new door in only four days. Boon Edam also provided a complimentary customer orientation, to inform the management and staff how to properly use and care for the door throughout its lifetime.

For Further Information, Please Contact:

Tracie Thomas, Boon Edam

Vice President of Marketing

T 910 814 8239

E tracie.thomas(at)boonedam.com

For Media Queries, Please Contact:

Sara Chaput, LRG Marketing

Public Relations

T 845 358 1801

E schaput(at)lrgmarketing.com

About Royal Boon Edam

We are proud to be a third generation Dutch family business committed to making people feel welcome and secure through our quality engineered entry solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, with a footprint spanning the globe, Royal Boon Edam International is a premium manufacturer of revolving doors, high security doors, turnstiles and Speedlanes. A heritage that exceeds 140 years has resulted in wide expertise in managing the safe transit of people through office buildings, healthcare facilities as well as via public and private spaces. We are truly focused on adding genuine value to our customers entrances and to a long-term relationship after sales, service and maintenance. We partner, collaborate and become an extension to the customer team to ensure that the project, people and valuables are in safe hands with us. We are your entry experts. Discover more about our latest news at http://www.boonedam.us/news or follow Boon Edam Inc. on our blog, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.Pharmafusion Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Retano. We offer our clients an all-inclusive, cloud-based business analytics platform designed specifically for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries ... We deliver customizable reports and dashboards rapidly from diverse data sources to support commercialization efforts.

Pharmafusion LLC announced today that company founder and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Retano will be a featured presenter at the upcoming CBI Gross-to-Net (GTN) Summit in Philadelphia on Thursday, November 15. In addition, the company will host a hospitality suite on Friday, November 16, where conference attendees will have the opportunity to test drive the companys Pharmafusion360 platform and discuss how the platform could positively impact their companys business.

Pharmafusion offers our clients an all-inclusive, cloud-based business analytics platform designed specifically for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, says Retano. Essentially a one-stop-shop for fresh data, we deliver customizable reports and dashboards rapidly from diverse data sources to support commercialization efforts. Having all the key components and supporting data in one platform allows users to create a more holistic view of GTN faster.

For his November 15 presentation, Retano will host what the conference has tabbed a Solutions Summit where attendees will engage in a small group setting for highly interactive system demonstrations of the Pharmafusion360 platform. Designed to provide insight from nearly 50 subject areas from a multidimensional enterprise data warehouse built explicitly for pharma, end-users of the platform have the ability to customize data sets received via web and tablet enabled reports. This customization allows users to minimize clutter and review only the content that is most essential for their business analytics needs. Pharmafusion leadership likens their approach to the technology as a pharmaceuticals and life-sciences version of Smart TV where Pharmafusion360 cost-effectively provides various informative channels to clients in an easy to use and visually appealing way.

During the November 16 hospitality suite session, Retano will be available to interact in more one-on-one conversations with attendees to further demonstrate how the Pharmafusion360 platform can benefit potential clients.

We are looking forward to CBI GTN and having the ability to introduce our company and/or offering to leaders of the industry, says Retano. Our entire business model is built on having a complete, single integrated, turnkey solution that can be customized to meet the needs of our partners. This conference offers us an excellent opportunity to demonstrate what we can do.

About Pharmafusion

Pharmafusion LLC, a privately held company located in East Norriton, Pennsylvania, is a one-stop-shop for pharmaceutical and biotech companies searching for comprehensive data analytics for a wide range of key business performance indicators. Supported by in-the-trenches experience on the corporate side of the industry, Pharmafusion provides client partners in marketing, finance, trade, managed-care, sales, clinical, business development, and regulatory with the information required to aid in successful commercialization efforts. The companys primary offering, Pharmafusion360, goes beyond the breadth of what others in the industry provide, and does so with a quality of functionality and service that is unparalleled. Pharmafusions current client base represents more than $25 billion in sales.

To learn more about Pharmafusion and its flagship offering, Pharmafusion360, please visit pharmafusion360.com or email Jonathan Retano at jon@pharmafusion360.com."Over 500 turkeys and an equal amount of love will be distributed thanks to the efforts of of our partners", said Craig Taubman, founder of the Pico Union Project. "We love our Pico Union community and feel blessed to share this special Thanksgiving tradition with them".

Were so excited about Thanksgiving, and going to start the neighborhood appreciation and festivities two days earlier, said Lauree Martin, Manager of the PUP.

The Pico Union project has always taken the phrase love thy neighbor and put it into action. For the 5th straight year, they will be opening their doors and hearts for an afternoon that includes a free farmers market, art activities, yoga, and live music from Klezmer giants Mostly Kosher, Moroccan Groove band Gnawest, Hip Hop artist PLVNK and Jasper Bones courtesy of Sid the Cat productions.

This year's FaithsGiving was made possible with the support of local government leaders, Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo, Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and the office of Mayor Eric Garcetti. Additional support from Seeds of Hope, De Aztlan Group, Bright Rentals, All Saints Beverly Hills, Good Samaritan Hospital and over 100 volunteers.

"Over 500 turkeys and an equal amount of love will be distributed thanks to the efforts of of our partners", said Craig Taubman, founder of the Pico Union Project. "We love our Pico Union community and feel blessed to share this special Thanksgiving tradition with them".

For more information, or if you would like to volunteer for this unique event, please contact Adam at adam@picounionproject.org. Sign up to volunteer or donate turkeys at http://www.picounionproject.org/faithsgiving.

The Pico Union Project is a multi-faith, multicultural center committed to the principle to "love your neighbor as you wish to be loved". We host ongoing community events including a bi-monthly farmers market, live concerts, and arts programs. Our historic building built in 1909, is home to 5 faith communities including Word of Encouragement Church, Kwang Yum Community Church, The Markaz, Sanctuary@PUP and Oasis Ministry.These internship programs continue to be a successful component of our talent development strategy, and our high rankings on these lists reflect the hard work our program coordinators and mentors undertake to create positive intern experiences year round, said Kevin J. Keane, Managing Partner.

PKF OConnor Davies, LLP, the nation's 29th largest accounting and advisory firm, announced today it has been named to Vaults 2019 Best Accounting Internships, a ranking of the highest-rated internships among accounting firms. This year, the Firm ranked at number eight, an increase from its debut on the list last year at number 16. PKF OConnor Davies, LLP, was also ranked number 18 on Vaults 2019 Rankings for Best Internships for Diversity and ranked 22nd for Best Internships for Employment Prospects and number 24 in the list of the 50 Best Internships across all industries.

These internship programs continue to be a successful component of our talent development strategy, and our high rankings on these lists reflect the hard work our program coordinators and mentors undertake to create positive intern experiences year round, said Kevin J. Keane, Managing Partner. By working with Firm leaders and frequently interacting with clients, our talented interns get an up close and personal look at our unique culture and, often, opportunities to begin their careers with us.

To compile the 2019 Vault Best Internships Rankings, Vault invited more than 400 organizations to participate in its 2018 Internship Survey and surveyed more than 13,000 current and former interns. Interns rated their experiences in five areas  Quality of Life, Compensation & Perks, Application Process, Meaningfulness of Assignments and Training and Full-time Employment Prospects.

These rankings are based on actual feedback from our interns, which speaks to the caliber of our programs and people, said Dawn Perri, Chief Human Resources Officer. Were proud to jump into the top 10 this year, but the real reward is for our interns who experience the hands-on projects and leadership development we offer. When an intern joins our team full time, thats when we know were doing something right.

PKF OConnor Davies has two comprehensive internship programs which cover a variety of specialties and skills in the accounting industry and play a core role in services offered by the Firm.



Winter Tax Internship  For undergraduates who want to explore a career in public accounting and secure valuable hands-on experience at the same time. Interns work directly with clients as an active member of one the Firms industry group teams, assisting with tax scanning and tax return preparation. This takes place during the mid-February to mid-April tax season.

Summer Audit Internship  For undergraduates seeking real-world audit experience along with immersion in the Firm culture. As a team member in an industry group, interns assist in executing actual audit projects for key clients and conduct a market research project for presentation to Firm leadership. Interns build their professional networks through community service and Firm-sponsored events and undergo specialized training and collaboration with an Intern Advisor.

PKF OConnor Davies has nine offices in four states and continues to expand through organic growth and acquisitions in the Northeast and Washington, D.C. region. Its supported this growth with a strategic combination of promoting from within coupled with tactical external hires.

About PKF OConnor Davies, LLP

PKF OConnor Davies, LLP is a full service certified public accounting and advisory firm with a long history of serving clients both domestically and internationally. With roots tracing to 1891, nine offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland, and more than 700 professionals, led by over 100 partners, the Firm provides a complete range of accounting, auditing, tax and management advisory services.

PKF OConnor Davies is ranked number 29 in Accounting Todays 2018 Top 100 Firms list and the Firm is also recognized as a Leader in Audit and Accounting, a Pacesetter in Growth and one of the Top Firms in the Mid-Atlantic. PKF OConnor Davies is ranked number 28 in INSIDE Public Accountings 2017 Top 100 Firms list and recognized as one of the Top Ten Fastest-Growing Firms." In 2017, PKF O'Connor Davies was named one of Vault's Accounting 50, a ranking of the 50 best accounting employers to work for in North America and ranked among the top 50 most prestigious accounting firms in America in a complementary Vault survey. The Firm is the 11th largest accounting firm in the New York Metropolitan area, according to Crains New York Business, and the 11th top accounting firm in New Jersey according to NJBizs 2017 rankings.

By consistently delivering proactive, thorough and efficient service, PKF O'Connor Davies has built long-lasting, valuable relationships with its clients. Partners are intimately involved in the day-to-day management of engagements, ensuring a high degree of client service and cost effectiveness. The Firms seasoned professional staff members employ a team approach to all engagements to provide clients with the utmost quality and timely services aimed at helping them succeed. Continuity of staffing and attention to detail in all client engagements make the Firm stand out among its competitors.

PKF OConnor Davies is the lead North American representative of the international association of PKF member firms. PKF International is a network of legally independent member firms providing accounting and business advisory services in over 400 locations in 150 countries around the world. With its tradition, experience and focus on the future, PKF OConnor Davies is ready to help clients meet todays ever-changing economic conditions and manage the growing complexities of the regulatory environment. For more information, visit http://www.PKFOD.com.

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Mindy League and Andy Kucharski In todays technology landscape, we are seeing that our clients and their customers expect more from their websites

In September 2018, Promet Source acquired DAHU Agency, a strategy-focused, user experience and design agency that enhances the services offered to its clients. By expanding their services in UX and UI, and bringing new offerings in-house for digital strategy, WordPress development, messaging, and branding  Promet aims to better serve their clients evolving needs as marketing and web technologies continue to converge and the need to provide functional, dynamic websites increases.

In his vision for Promet to be a strong digital agency focused on creating great user experiences through meaningful web applications, Andy Kurcharski, President of Promet, seeks to accelerate growth and innovation by providing comprehensive digital services to his clients. Andy has more than 20 years of technical leadership experience from startups to Fortune 50 firms with industry experience in banking, telecommunications, government, and association technology management. Andys e-commerce experience dates to 1998 with the implementation of highly scalable enterprise solutions.

In todays technology landscape, we are seeing that our clients and their customers expect more from their websites Kurcharski expressed. Our addition of a new team to our existing core of web developers will help us to proactively approach new websites with a holistic mindset combining our technology expertise with great design and function to ultimately increase client success online.

DAHU Agency, based in Dallas, Texas, not only provides Promet with an office central to service their clients in the Southwest region, but also brings expertise in design and digital strategy to help optimize user experience within an organizations website.

Mindy League, CEO and founder of DAHU Agency, offers a highly thoughtful and adaptive approach to constantly evolving technologies and user behaviors. Her experience in building solutions for clients such as HP, Emerson, IBM, and Home Depot, contribute to a depth of perspective into the challenges and opportunities faced by top global brands. Mindy will join Promet as the Director of User Experience and Design.

DAHUs distinct approach to engaging with clients has been described as radical empathy and it is this philosophy and mindset that complements Promets dedication to delivering groundbreaking results to their clients. Whether examining the impact of corporate strategies on customers and the broader enterprise, or developing products, Promet aims to step into their clients businesses with a fervent dedication to excellent experiences and high-impact results.

Promet Solutions was founded in 2003 and is a web design and development company specializing in open source solutions for government, higher education, and association/nonprofit clients. With headquarters in Chicago, and offices in Cebu, Promet Source is a comprehensive web development agency that offers custom design, implementation, and full support to its clients.SecureDrive BT Managed and SecureUSB BT Managed win CES 2019 Honoree Award Were thrilled and honored to have our DataLock BT Secured portable data storage products recognized by the Consumer Technology Association for its innovation, quality, and design.

Today, SECUREDATA announced that two of its products have been named CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honorees, the SecureDrive BT Managed and SecureUSB BT Managed, both highly secure hardware-encrypted portable data storage devices with secure wireless user-authentication and remote management ready. SecureDrive BT and SecureUSB BT products are manufactured by SECUREDATA and are using patented DataLockBT technology licensed from ClevX.

The announcement was made during CES Unveiled New York on November 8, 2018, an invite-only tech event bringing together top media, exhibitors, and industry leaders for a sneak peek of the products and trends expected at CES 2019, which will run January 8-11, 2019, in Las Vegas, NV.

SECUREDATAs distinguished products were recognized in the following two categories:



SecureDrive BT and SecureUSB BT are the worlds first and only hardware encrypted portable data storage devices that are user-authenticated via a mobile device (Android/Apple) using DataLock mobile apps. The devices are remote management ready with unlock, remote wipe, geo-fencing, and time fencing. Both products are Host/OS-independent and work with and across all devices supporting USB ports. They are part of the Secure Drive product line that was developed and introduced earlier this year to meet the growing security needs of government and the private sector in such areas as financial services, military, law enforcement, legal, healthcare, and education. Everywhere where data protection is a must.

The DataLock apps (User, Admin, Managed) allow the user to authenticate via TouchID or FaceID, making the user experience streamlined and modern. The DataLock BT Web Console is a Remote Management subscription web-based service that allows the company IT manager/administrator to control who can access the data, where it can be accessed, and when it can be accessed. It also can be used to remotely unlock the device, change the password, wipe the data, or disable access even if the user has set a password.

Were thrilled and honored to have our DataLock BT Secured portable data storage products recognized by the Consumer Technology Association for its innovation, quality, and design, said Michael Vanoverbeke, Product Management Director of SECUREDATA. Its also a huge point of validation for all the incredible work weve seen from both SECUREDATA and ClevX teams throughout the development process. Were excited to be recognized as leaders in the cyber security industry. This award truly shows our ongoing commitment to produce highly secure, easy to use, and cost effective data storage products for both personal and business use.

CES Innovation Award entries are judged in 28 product categories by a panel of designers, engineers, and members of the tech media. The reviews are based on design, functionality, consumer appeal, engineering, and how the products compare with competition.

The CES Innovation Awards are sponsored by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), owner and producer of CES, the worlds largest and most influential technology event. CTA has been recognizing achievements in product design and engineering since 1976.

SecureDrive BT and SecureUSB BT will be on display in the Innovation Awards Showcase at the upcoming CES 2019. The complete list of CES 2019 Innovation Honorees, including product descriptions and photos, can be found at CES.tech

EXPERIENCE SECUREDATA AT CES 2019 in Las Vegas, NV, U.S.:

CES UNVEILED: Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019, 5:00-8:30 p.m., at the Mandalay Bay (South Convention Center, Shoreline Exhibit Hall)

SECUREDATA BOOTH: Tuesday to Friday, Jan. 811, 2019, in the South Hall, booth #35064

About SECUREDATA:

SECUREDATA, Inc. is a privately held company, headquartered in California, USA. SecureData offers a range of tailored high-level data protection capabilities through a set of services and products. These include hardware encrypted portable storage devices, backup solutions, file repair software, data recovery, and digital forensics services to help clients achieve their security objectives. SecureData has a presence through its partners in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia, and South America, and serves companies and organizations in regulated industries, such as government, financial services, military, law enforcement, legal, healthcare, and education. For more information, please visit: securedrive.com

About ClevX:

ClevX is an IP/Technology development and licensing company  Your Innovation Partner. It is focused on the Security/Mobility markets where ClevX pioneered its award-winning DATALOCK KP/BT Secured USB drives (OS-agnostic, hardware encrypted, PIN- or Phone-activated, bootable) and easy to use portable software applications (ClevX Apps) for secure drives for personal and business use. ClevX differentiates itself by creating solutions that are simple, clever, and elegant. For more information please visit clevx.comFor over 80 years, Parker Pneumatic Division has delivered engineered solutions that help customers optimize their operations. Steve Orlando, Vice President of Sales & Marketing said.

Sidener Engineering, a division of Exotic Automation & Supply, announced today they are now an authorized full-line Parker Hannifin Pneumatic Distributor. Effective immediately, the authorization permits Sidener to distribute all Parker Pneumatic products in the central Indiana area and will allow Sidener to offer a wide variety of advanced pneumatic solutions.

Parker Hannifin is the leading global manufacturer of cylinders, actuators, valves and air-preparation products for industrial equipment applications. Parker offers a large selection of dryers, filters, lubricators, regulators and combination units which make it easy for companies to protect equipment, reduce downtime and minimize maintenance costs. Their products are seen in a wide array of industries including automotive manufacturing, food & beverage, machine building and packaging.

Parkers investment into factory automation has led to the release of technically innovative products that will incorporate the internet of things (IOT) and will make sensors, control valves, and actuators more intelligent across modern factories, Vince Staffilino, Regional Sales Manager said. We are excited to get these products in the hands of our customers.

As Sidener strives to strengthen its value to their customers, the Parker Pneumatic portfolio of products is a logical compliment to the fluid power & motion control products Sidener Engineering is known for.

For over 80 years, Parker Pneumatic Division has delivered engineered solutions that help customers optimize their operations, Steve Orlando, Vice President of Sales & Marketing said. Their products are built to the highest quality standards and recognized around the world for their performance.

Product will be in-stock at the companys Noblesville, Indiana location and all orders received prior to 4pm EST will be shipped same day. The company will also be offering on-site factory support, and free training for customers. Further information can be found on the companys website.

About Exotic Automation & Supply: Exotic Automation & Supplys headquarters is located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The company maintains full service centers throughout Michigan & Indiana with locations in Freeland (Saginaw), Lansing, Taylor, Flint, Jackson, Noblesville, Rochester Hills, Shelby Township as well as at the main Farmington Hills complex.The Stanley Law Offices, LLP Stanley Law developed a custom software program appropriately named the Stanley Law GPS System. It lets clients know where theyre at, and where their case is headed, step by step, in real time.

One of the most frequent complaints to attorneys is a clients frustration over not knowing where their case is at. We heard you loud and clear, said attorney Joe Stanley, founder of Stanley Law. Stanley Law developed a custom software program appropriately named the Stanley Law GPS System. It lets clients know where theyre at, and where their case is headed, step by step, in real time.

The all-new Stanley Law GPS System lets you know where youre going, and when youll get there. You can track your case 24/7. You have real-time online access to resources and information, letters, dates and appointments, Stanley added. Everything in one place.

In an article titled, Why Does a Lawsuit Take So Long?, HG.org, a legal resources Website, reported, Lawsuits take time, and parties who expect a case to be over in a few weeks are usually disappointed. FreeAdvice, a Website that has been providing millions of consumers with free legal advice since 1995, reported in an article titled, Mad at Your Lawyer?, Keep in mind that lawsuits move very slowly and it is not uncommon for heaps of time to pass. That said, you have every right to be kept up-to-date on the progress and status of your case. Just how closely you need to be kept informed should be discussed up-front.

The Stanley Law GPS System has a case timeline that also shows you whos working on your case. You can review and add documents and view your case calendar. Youre always up-to-date on all activities involving your case, Stanley concluded. The Spare Time section helps you better understand the elements of your case, with added resources that provide insights. The System may be accessed from your phone, tablet, or computer browser.

About The Stanley Law Offices, LLP

The Stanley Law Offices, LLP has five offices located in central New York and northern Pennsylvania, including Syracuse, Binghamton, Watertown and Rochester, NY, as well as Montrose, PA. The firm focuses on personal injury law, construction accidents, premise liability injuries, auto accident cases, workers compensation and accident-related law. For more information, please call 1-800-608-3333, or visit http://www.stanleylawoffices.com.

For media inquiries, please call the NALA at 805.650.6121, ext. 361.Millions of Americans will be caregivers for loved ones at some point in their lives, but their own health should not be neglected. It is essential for the public to start thinking of dentistry as important medical care, not an optional frill.

A November 8 article at Pew discusses a recent poll that indicated that one-third of caregivers  primarily family members who are looking after an ill or aged loved one  were not taking advantage of regular dental visits for themselves. The article notes that fewer caregivers were neglecting other types of health care. West Covina based A-Z Dental Care says that it is essential for the public to start thinking of dentistry as important medical care, not an optional frill.

The dental office says that it understands that most of us are very busy people with a great deal to think about, but we need to understand that, along with daily tooth brushing and flossing, regularly scheduled exams and teeth cleaning are an essential aspect of self-care. Most people may not spend a lot of time each day thinking about their teeth and gums but A-Z Dental Care says that, when problems ranging from intense oral pain to halitosis or loose or floating teeth emerge, they become very hard not to think about. When issues like tooth decay progress too far, even active measures such as root canals sometimes cannot save teeth and extraction becomes the only recourse. Losing teeth, in turn, fosters bone loss and can increase the odds of other teeth becoming seriously compromised and in need of extraction, says the office.

Losing a lot of teeth might sound like a nightmare scenario in itself, says A-Z Dental Care, but they can at least by very effectively addressed with dental implants. However, such issues as periodontal (gum) problems have been associated with numerous serious illnesses. These include heart disease and diabetes; moreover, says the firm, a dentist is also the first line of defense against oral cancers which can be deadly and result in the need for disfiguring surgeries that can require years of reconstruction. Obviously, then, regular dental visits can not only help a persons quality of life, they can save it, says the dental office.

A-Z Dental Care notes that one very typical reason a lot of people put off seeing a dentist is concern about the expense. The office says that it is committed to providing outstanding, gentle dental care affordably, including offering special discounts, payment plans, and free first-time consultations. It adds that serious dental problems are not only painful and dangerous, they are very expensive to fix. Prevention of dental woes is not only better than a cure, says the clinic, it is a lot less expensive.

Readers from throughout the San Gabriel Valley Area who would like to learn more about A-Z Dental Care in West Covina are invited to call 626-966-8408 or visit the offices website at http://www.A-ZDentalCare.com

"Partnering with uBiome will allow us to perform a comprehensive analysis of the gut microbiome in multiple myeloma and its precursor conditions which may lead to breakthroughs on how the gut microbiome can be modulated to prevent disease progression. - Dr. Braunstein, PhD, MD

Through its Microbiome Grant Initiative, uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, has awarded microbiome research support in study design, planning, sample collection, and analysis to a team of cancer researchers at NYU Winthrop Hospital led by Dr. Marc Braunstein, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, to compare the gut microbiome in individuals with MM, individuals with a precursor state of the disease, and healthy controls.

Dr. Braunsteins team hypothesizes that the intestinal microbiome in MM patients is primarily abnormal, and contains disease-specific dysbiosis signatures that can distinguish symptomatic patients from precursor state and healthy controls.

To test this, the team will compare the gut microbial diversity of healthy controls with the gut microbial diversity of untreated patients with monoclonal gammopathy (MGUS), a precursor state of MM, and will also compare MM patients both at diagnosis and following induction chemotherapy. These results will help define microbial disease-specific signatures that may potentially inform future prognosis and treatment.

About the grant, Dr. Braunstein said, "Being a cancer of plasma cells, multiple myeloma causes dysregulation of the adaptive immune system which under normal circumstances produces antibodies that interact with the gut microbiome. Partnering with uBiome will allow us to perform a comprehensive analysis of the gut microbiome in multiple myeloma and its precursor conditions which may lead to breakthroughs on how the gut microbiome can be modulated to prevent disease progression.

Dr. Marc Braunstein, MD, PhD, is an Attending Physician of hematologic oncology at NYU Winthrop and Co-director of the NYU Winthrop Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Program. His research focus is cancer immunology, and he has published several papers on the biology of multiple myeloma. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, the American College of Physicians, and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

The role of disease-specific gut dysbiosis signatures in blood cancers is an exciting area of research we are proud to support, said Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome. We are honored to collaborate with NYU Winthrop researchers for this novel study.

Through its Microbiome Grant Initiative, uBiome has awarded millions of dollars in research support to hundreds of investigators around the world at renowned academic institutions and not-for-profit research organizations, including Harvard University, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California, San Francisco, Oxford University, and the University of Sydney. Awards include patented microbiome sequencing kits, as well as research support in study design, planning, sample collection, and analysis. To learn more about our award process or to submit a grant proposal, visit http://www.ubiome.com/microbiome-grant-initiative/.

_____

About uBiome

Founded in 2012, uBiome is the leader in microbial genomics. The Companys mission is to advance the science of the microbiome and make it useful to people. uBiome combines its patented proprietary precision sequencing with machine learning and artificial intelligence to develop wellness products, clinical tests, and therapeutic targets. uBiome has filed for over 250 patents on its technology, which includes sample preparation, computational analysis, molecular techniques, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

uBiomes commercial products include SmartGut, the worlds first sequencing-based clinical microbiome test, which identifies microbes in the gut for patients with chronic gut conditions such as IBD, IBS, Crohns Disease, and ulcerative colitis; SmartJane, the first sequencing-based womens health screening test, which genotypes all 19 clinically relevant strains of HPV, identifies four common STDs, and surveys more than 20 vaginal microbes associated with bacterial vaginosis and other conditions; and Explorer, a health and wellness product to understand the role that food and lifestyle can play in wellness.

uBiomes platform has been used by hundreds of thousands of consumers, patients, and doctors and more than 200 research institutions around the world, including the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Harvard University, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California, San Francisco, Oxford University, and the University of Sydney.

Since its launch, the company has received widespread recognition including CNN 10: Startups to Watch, the IVY Technology Award, CNN Future 30, and was named one of Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies in Healthcare in 2016 and in Data Science in 2018, as well as a Technology Pioneer from the World Economic Forum in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.uBiome.com.

______

About NYU Winthrop Hospital

NYU Winthrop is the Long Island affiliate of NYU Langone Health and is ranked by US News & World Report as one of the top-10 New York metro-area hospitals. The hospital was founded in 1896 by local physicians and concerned citizens and is now a 591-bed medical center and ACS Level 1 Trauma Center. The Hospital features more than 75 divisions of specialty care, offering comprehensive inpatient and outpatient programs and services to address every stage of life. NYU Winthrop also has a Research Institute that conducts robust research and studies that are helping to shape the future of medicine. The Hospital, with ties to New York University, blends the progressive philosophy and advances of a teaching and research institution with a personal approach to patient care that is the cornerstone of the organization. For more information, visit http://www.nyuwinthrop.org.The eight US Supreme Court's Justices are in default!

According to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the federal defendants have 90 days to file the responsive pleading to a complaint. The US Supreme Courts 11 defendants, Judge Contreras and his staff, all missed the due date. According to the Courts record, the Plaintiff, Yi Tai Shao, a California attorney in practice of law for 22 years, filed her Affidavits to request enter default against the US Supreme Courts 11 defendants on October 16, 2018. Ms. Shao further filed her Affidavits to request enter default against Judge Rudolph Contreras and Jackie Francis on October 24, 2018.

This lawsuit was filed with the U.S.D.C. for the District of Columbia in the case number of 1:18-cv-01233 against 66 defendants allegedly seeking a declarative relief to impeach 27 judicial officers crossing the federal and state courts, including eight Justices of the United States and Judge J. Clifford Wallace, the designer of the American Inns of Court. In addition, 5 courts are sued. They are US Supreme Court, California Supreme Court, California Court of Appeal in the Sixth District and Santa Clara County Superior Court.

There are 11 defendants at the US Supreme Court, including the court itself, two supervising Clerks, and eight Justices, including Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Stephen Beyer, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayer and Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy who are retired weeks after he was served with the Summons in this proceeding.

Judge Rudolph Contreras and his then case administrator Jackie Francis were added as defendants in the amended complaint (See the docket, ECF 16) on June 29, 2018. As shown on the last sentence of the first entry of the courts docket, this complaint was docketed 10 days after its filing. The docket date is shown as May 31, 2018 and the filing date is May 21, 2018. Summons for Judge Contreras was issued two weeks later following adding his name as a defendant. The cases short name was Shao v. Kennedy, et al., instead of Shao v. Roberts, et al. in the beginning, which was changed later. According to Wikipedia, the first named defendant Chief Justice John G. Roberts was the one who appointed Judge Contreras to have the second concurrent judicial seat at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. See, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_Contreras

According to the court's record, Judge Rudolph authorized filing for the motion of Defendant BJ Fadem (child attorney of Ms. Shaos daughter) on July 30, 2018 when such motion has no proof of service attached and no stamp of receipt of the Clerks Office. (See, 1:18-cv-01233, ECF No. 38) The same motion was re-authorized on August 1, 2018 with a stamp of receipt added on the cover of the motion that was not in existence in ECF 38. (See, 1:18-cv-01233, ECF No. 41)

The US Supreme Courts 11 defendants were served on the First Amended Complaint on July 16, 2018; Judge Contreras and his staff, on July 24, 2018.

Ms. Shao's complaint also sued Google and YouTube, alleging their hacking into her internet and computers following her radio shows about judiciary corruptions that were published in February 2018 on YouTube. After Ms. Shao requested default entries against the US Supreme Court Justices, Ms. Shaos residence was burglarized at least 4 times, while Judge Contreras is withholding default entries against himself the US Supreme Court defendants. Judge Contreras previously denied recusal and continues being the presiding judge for this case.

The Courts records show the Clerks Office had entered default against Ms. Shaos ex-husband Tsan-Kuen Wang (ECF 76) and his attorney David Sussman (ECF 77) two months ago.

According to the First Amended Complaint, Ms. Shao sued the US Supreme Court Justices alleging their failure to rule on her three requests for recusal on January 8 and February 26 of 2018. As shown on the Supreme Court's website that the court published two of the requests for recusal in the case number of 17-613, these requests for recusal alleged the Justices' financial conflicts of interest with the American Inns of Court, a well known facts published on its own website at https://home.innsofcourt.org/AIC/Awards_and_Scholarships/Temple_Bar_Scholarships/Temple_Bar.aspx.: The 8 Justices "sponsored" their clerks to receive Temple Bar Scholarship (see "previous scholars and reports") where the qualification of such scholarship requires the clerks judicial position (see the section of "How are Temple Bar Scholars selected?"). The scholarship includes "air transportation, lodging, and a modest stipend". (See "What are the costs?")

As shown on the docket of 17-613 of the US Supreme Court's website that any one may click open the court file, Ms. Shao's Petition for Writ of Certiorari alleged the issue that judges who are members of the American Inns of Court should be required as a matter of due process to disclose their social relationship with lawyers who are members of the Inns of Court and who are appearing before the judges. See the first page in the Petition No. 17-613, Questions Presented. Ms. Shao alleges judiciary corruptions that are derived from her lost of child custody. See the Mothers of Lost Children's Amicus Curie motion granted by the US Supreme Court that was published by the Supreme Court on its website in the dockets of 17-256 and 17-613 for the same motion."We are excited to announce BTGs investment in Veran and look forward to collaborating with them, said Veran Medical CEO Jason Pesterfield. BTG and Veran have the shared goal of helping physicians diagnose and treat lung cancer earlier in order to save lives."

As part of a new focus on advancing the treatment of lung cancer, BTG has invested $20m in Veran Medical Technologies, Inc. and has an option to acquire the company, exercisable from January 2020.

BTG is a global healthcare company focused on Interventional Medicine. Their innovative medical technology helps physicians treat their patients through minimally invasive procedures. BTG has a growing portfolio of products that advance the treatment of cancer and vascular conditions.

We are excited to announce BTGs investment in Veran and look forward to collaborating with them, said Veran Medical CEO Jason Pesterfield. BTG and Veran have the shared goal of helping physicians diagnose and treat lung cancer earlier in order to save lives.

We are pleased to enter into this partnership with Veran and support the companys growth, said Peter Pattison, BTGs Head of Interventional Oncology. Verans technology supports the shift towards minimally invasive treatment of lung cancer, an area of strategic interest to BTG.

Verans next generation SPiN Thoracic Navigation System offers an industry leading precision, thoracic guidance platform that allows lung specialists to seamlessly transition between a navigated, endobronchial approach and a navigated, transthoracic approach utilizing SPiN Perc, to help physicians diagnose lung cancer earlier. A published clinical study utilizing a multi-modality approach, including Verans SPiN System and SPiN Perc, have demonstrated a 92% diagnostic yield.

Verans SPiN Thoracic Navigation System is the most versatile system on the market and is also utilized by Thoracic Surgeons for localization and marking of lung nodules in the operating room immediately prior to resection. In addition, a SPiN IR software application enables Interventional Radiologists to utilize the navigation platform for lung, liver, kidney, and other thoracic anatomy.

Lung Cancer remains the number one cancer killer worldwide. 94 million current or former smokers remain at elevated risk in the U.S. alone. More than 8 million people in the U.S. currently meet the criteria for lung cancer screening. When suspicious lesions are discovered, patients need answers. Mounting clinical data suggests that a large percentage of the hundreds of thousands of bronchoscopies performed every year on suspected lung cancer patients are non-diagnosticdelaying potential lifesaving therapy.

About Veran Medical Technologies

Veran is a privately held medical device company headquartered in St. Louis, MO. The companys mission is to empower physicians to diagnose cancer earlier and to enable precision therapy to save lives. In the United States, lung cancer kills more people each year than breast, prostate, pancreatic and colon cancers combined.

Veran has developed and commercialized an FDA cleared, next generation electromagnetic thoracic navigation platform called the SPiN Thoracic Navigation System. Verans breakthrough technology has been adopted by leading cancer centers throughout the United States. Veran provides physicians with a full line of bronchoscopic brushes, needles, forceps and steerable catheters with tiny electromagnetic sensors embedded in the tips for precise navigation. The combination of these proprietary Always-On Tip Tracked instruments and Verans exclusive patient respiratory gating technology enables physicians to accurately access lung nodules by accounting for nodule movement during patient breathing, a common challenge for lung specialists.

Another challenge lung specialists face is that approximately 40% of lung nodules lie outside of an airway, making them very difficult to reach endobronchially, and traditionally requiring an additional procedure. Verans SPiN Thoracic Navigation System is the first and only FDA cleared technology that enables Pulmonologists or Thoracic Surgeons to safely and accurately access lung nodules outside of an airway using SPiN Perc, a navigated transthoracic needle. With SPiN Perc, Veran combines endobronchial navigation with percutaneous navigation, allowing physicians to access all lung nodules in a single procedure, regardless of nodule size or location. This eliminates the cost and risk of unnecessary procedures and empowers physicians to provide a same day diagnosis for their patients. The early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer has been proven to save lives.

About BTG

BTG is a global healthcare company focused on Interventional Medicine. Our innovative medical technology helps physicians treat their patients through minimally invasive procedures. We have a growing portfolio of products that advance the treatment of cancer and vascular conditions. BTGs Pharmaceuticals business provides products that help patients overexposed to certain medications or toxins. To learn more about BTG, please visit: btgplc.com.Residents of Kauai are very reluctant to ship pets to Oahu. That concern has been a major impetus in my effort to take the service to Kauai.

Renowned Honolulu veterinarian, Dr. Patrick Leadbeater, has begun offering VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy to patients on the island of Kauai. Dr. Leadbeater, of Kahala Pet Hospital on Oahu, is a skilled surgeon who has been providing stem cell services since 2009. Recently, he began traveling to the island of Kauai on an almost weekly basis to perform surgery at Kapaa Animal Clinic. In October 2018, Dr. Leadbeater collected fat from his first stem cell patient at Kapaa Animal Clinic.

Dr. Leadbeater became credentialed to perform VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy in 2009 and has since treated over 50 patients. He primarily uses stem cell therapy to treat osteoarthritis as well as cruciate ligament injuries. As the first veterinarian on the island of Kauai to offer VetStem Regenerative Cell Therapy, Dr. Leadbeater is working on building the trust of pet owners and referring veterinarians. According to Dr. Leadbeater, Residents of Kauai are very reluctant to ship pets to Oahu. That concern has been a major impetus in my effort to take the service to Kauai.

Once Dr. Leadbeater has identified a patient as a good candidate for stem cell therapy, he begins the process with a fatty tissue collection. This procedure is performed under general anesthesia however it is minimally invasive. Dr. Leadbeater packages the fat in sterile containers and ships it to the VetStem laboratory in San Diego, California. Once received, VetStem lab technicians process the fat and concentrate the stem cells to create injectable stem cell doses. Those doses are then shipped to Dr. Leadbeater who injects them back into the same patient approximately 48 hours after the initial fat collection. Dr. Leadbeater summed up the process in a recent blog post about stem cells.

VetStem Biopharma has been providing autologous stem cell services for veterinarians across the United States and Canada since 2003. Stem cells are regenerative cells that can differentiate into many tissue types, reduce pain and inflammation, help to restore range of motion, and stimulate regeneration of tendon, ligament and joint tissues. In a peer-reviewed study of dogs with chronic osteoarthritis of the hip joint, it was found that stem cells reduced lameness and pain.

About Patrick Leadbeater, DVM, MRCVS

Dr. Patrick Leadbeater was born in England and obtained his DVM at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in Canada. Following graduation, he interned separately with the two most prominent veterinary surgeons of the time, who were considered founding fathers of modern veterinary surgery. He was also accepted as a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in London, England. Since moving to Oahu in 1979, Dr. Leadbeater has been known for providing the most up-to-date, compassionate and complete veterinary service in Hawaii.

About VetStem Biopharma, Inc.

VetStem Biopharma is a veterinarian-lead Company that was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the profession. This privately held biopharmaceutical enterprise, based near San Diego, California, currently offers veterinarians an autologous stem cell processing service (from patients own fat tissue) among other regenerative modalities. With a unique expertise acquired over the past 15 years and 17,000 treatments by veterinarians for joint, tendon or ligament issues, VetStem has made regenerative medicine applications a therapeutic reality. The VetStem team is focused on developing new clinically practical and affordable veterinary solutions that leverage the natural restorative abilities present in all living creatures. In addition to its own portfolio of patents, VetStem holds exclusive global veterinary licenses to a large portfolio of issued patents in the field of regenerative medicine.Like many factors in college admissions, the argument favoring marginal differences in test scores is just another name for affirmative action for already-privileged Whites.

Misguided admissions practices and growing inequality in funding are splitting the public higher education system, which serves more than three-quarters of all college students, into two separate and unequal tracks, says new research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW). The report, Our Separate & Unequal Public Colleges: How Public Colleges Reinforce White Racial Privilege and Marginalize Black and Latino Students, shows that the elite public four-year colleges do not represent the populations they are supposed to serve.

Whites are disproportionately represented at selective public colleges. They make up 64 percent of freshman enrollment at selective public colleges even though they are only 54 percent of the college-age population. Blacks are 15 percent of the college-age population, but only 7 percent of freshmen at selective public colleges. Latinos are 21 percent of the college-age population, but only 12 percent of freshmen at selective public colleges.

Access to selective public colleges matters because money matters: selective public colleges receive more in state and local appropriations per full-time equivalent (FTE) student than open-access public colleges. Selective public colleges then spend more money on instructional and academic support per student. In fact, the gap in instructional and academic support spending per student between open-access and selective public colleges has widened from $8,800 in 2005 to $10,600 in 2015.

The differences in spending contribute to wide variation in graduation rates. The average student has an 85 percent chance of graduating at a selective public college, compared to only 51 percent at an open-access public college. White students who attend selective public colleges have an 86 percent graduation rate, and Blacks and Latinos graduate at an 81 percent rate. At open-access public colleges, Whites graduate at a 55 percent rate while only 46 percent of Blacks and Latinos graduate.

Many students who could succeed in selective colleges do not get in. Selective public colleges over rely on standardized test scores as a measure of who should be admitted. The SAT and ACT alone predict as little as 15 percent of the variation in college graduation rates, and no more than 30 percent. The scores are primarily an indication of the quality of schooling and the educational attainment of an applicants parents, factors that overwhelmingly favor White students.

At selective public colleges, students with average SAT scores (1000) or just above graduate at similar rates as those with very high SAT scores. Students with SAT scores of 1000-1099 graduate at a 79 percent rate, while students who score 1200 and above graduate at an 85 percent rate.

Nationwide, more than 340,000 Black and Latino students score above average on standardized admission tests, but only 19 percent of these high-scoring Black and Latino students attend a selective college. Meanwhile, 31 percent of White students who score above average on the SAT attend a selective college.

Like many factors in college admissions, the argument favoring marginal differences in test scores is just another name for affirmative action for already-privileged Whites, said Anthony P. Carnevale, director of CEW and lead author of the report. There are far more Black and Latino students with the qualifications to attend selective colleges than ever get to attend one.

Of the 41 states with selective public colleges, all spend more per student at their selective public colleges than they do on their open-access public colleges. In fact, 15 states spend at least twice as much per student on selective public colleges as open-access public colleges.

The result is that selective public colleges have far more resources than open-access public colleges. For instance, selective public colleges have 6.8 full-time faculty members for every 100 FTE students, while open-access public colleges have only 2.7 full-time faculty members per 100 FTE students.

The funding divide between selective public colleges and open-access public colleges is due in part to an elite political bargain among legislators, governors, selective public colleges, and affluent, mostly White families, said Martin Van Der Werf, associate director of editorial and postsecondary policy at CEW and co-author of the report.

At the state level, Blacks are not proportionately represented in selective public colleges in any state, although Kentucky comes close. Alabama has the widest gap: 32 of every 100 college-age residents are Black, but only seven of every 100 students at the states selective public universities are Black.

Florida is the only state where the proportion of Latinos in selective public colleges is equal to the proportion of Latinos in the college-age population. Other states have yawning gaps: in California, 48 percent of the college-age population is Latino, but only 25 percent of students in selective public colleges are Latino.

The unequal distribution of resources among colleges is troubling at a time when Blacks and Latinos are falling farther behind Whites in bachelors degree attainment. Despite the fact that Black and Latino college enrollment has soared in recent years, they have not yet reached the attainment rate (25%) that Whites achieved in 1980. The disparities in educational attainment are reflected in the labor market: on average, Whites earn $50,000 annually while Blacks earn $38,000 and Latinos earn $33,000.

Other Key Findings:



White enrollment at public open-access colleges has declined from 63 percent to 48 percent in just the past decade.

Despite being only 5 percent of the college-age population, Asians constitute 12 percent of first-time fall enrollment at selective public colleges.

In the United States, 37 percent of Whites have a bachelors degree or higher, compared to 22 percent of Blacks and 17 percent of Latinos.

For the full report and a video highlighting key findings, visit https://cew.georgetown.edu/SUStates.

The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce is an independent, nonprofit research and policy institute that studies the link between individual goals, education and training curricula, and career pathways. CEW is affiliated with the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy. For more information, visit https://cew.georgetown.edu. Follow us on Twitter @GeorgetownCEW, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.Gregory Fischer, left, and research scientist Christopher Nycz examine a prototype of the MRI-compatible robotic system developed in the first phase of the NIH-funded research program. "When we get to clinical trials we wont be able to have an army of engineers on site. So we need to get to the point where everything runs very, very smoothly." - Gregory Fischer

Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Albany Medical College, along with corporate partners GE Global Research and Acoustic MedSystems Inc., have received a five-year, $3.5 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the National Cancer Institutes (NCI) Academic-Industrial Partnership program, to continue development of an innovative robotic system that, operating within an MRI scanner, can deliver a minimally invasive probe into the brain to destroy metastatic brain tumors with high-intensity therapeutic ultrasound under real-time guidance.

The grant, the second major NIH award for the systems development, will enable the research team to model the behavior of the ultrasound ablation system, implement thermal monitoring to provide real-time feedback on dose delivery, optimize and verify the effectiveness of the system, and certify its readiness for human clinical trials. The research team is led by principal investigators Gregory S. Fischer, PhD, associate professor of mechanical engineering and robotics engineering at WPI and director of the Automation and Interventional Medicine Laboratory, and Julie G. Pilitsis, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics and professor of neurosurgery at Albany Medical College.

Fischer and Pilitsis will work closely with the two corporate partners. Acoustic MedSystems in Savoy, Ill., will design, build, and validate the needle-based therapeutic ultrasound (NBTU) probe and provide the software to visualize and control it. GE Global Research Center in Niskayuna, N.Y., will implement thermal imaging capabilities to monitor, in real time, the ablation of tumor tissue, and will collaborate on integrating the robotic system with its clinical MRI scanner.

Brain metastases, which are among the most common type of brain tumors, occur when primary cancers in other organs spread to the brain. About 170,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in North America. Currently, the only treatment options are chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, all of which have limited success and can harm unaffected brain tissue; in addition, surgery is possible only when tumors are in accessible locations.

The system being developed with the NIH award takes a different approach to treatment. It uses a thin (2 mm in diameter) probe that can be inserted into the brain through a small hole drilled in the skull and placed within the tumor. By adjusting the probes orientation and power output, doctors will be able to deliver doses of high-intensity ultrasound energy that are lethal to tumors, while minimizing damage to surrounding brain tissue. High-intensity ultrasound energy kills tissue by heating it (called thermal ablation), making it possible to use an MRI scanners ability to detect thermal emissions to monitor the dose delivered to the tumor.

Thermal ablation has shown potential as an effective treatment, Pilitsis said, but the available devices for using this therapy have severe limitations and cant treat all shapes, sizes, and locations of tumors. Our hope is that this integrated robotic system will one day be able to provide all brain tumor patients with a safer, more accurate treatment.

The probe will be inserted into the brain with a robotic system developed by a WPI research team led by Fischer. The core of the system is a robot capable of operating inside an MRI scanner. It will position and align the probe before it is inserted into the brain and then adjust its depth and rotate it during the procedure to conform to the shape of the tumor. To ensure that the probe is precisely targeted at the tumor, the robots alignment must be based on real-time MRI scans, rather than pre-operative images, since the brain can shift as the patent is being prepared for the surgery. Real-time scans are also needed to verify the position of the probe in the brain, while live MRI-based thermal imaging will be used to monitor and provide feedback on the effects of the ultrasound ablation.

Our system is designed to provide very precise, closed-loop control, Fischer said. We will use live MRI images and thermal imaging to control the pattern of the ablation and monitor and adjust it in real-time to confine the thermal effects to the area within the tumor boundaries and to ensure that we are maximizing the odds that we are removing the entire tumor, while minimizing the chances of damaging non-malignant tissue.

Since this control depends on live images, the WPI robot has been carefully designed to work within the tight confines of the MRI scanner and to operate effectively despite the presence of other technology, including anesthesia equipment, imaging coils, and patient monitoring apparatus.

In addition, because MRI scanners use a powerful magnet, the robot must be made without ferrous metals. It will be constructed mainly from plastics and ceramics and will use innovative piezoelectric motors and custom motion-control electronics that generate very low levels of electrical noise to avoid interfering with the MRI imaging system. In addition, the robot must be designed so that any parts that come in contact with the patient can be sterilized and so that the system can operate reliably and safely within a surgical environment.

In addition to the robot, the WPI team, which includes PhD candidates Paulo Carvalho and Katie Gandomi and research scientist Christopher Nycz, PhD, is also developing a modular controller to operate the robot and will work to integrate the robotic system with multiple other systems, including the MRI scanner, the software that controls the Acoustic MedSystems probe, and 3D navigation software. Fischer said the goal is to deliver a system that can be easily integrated into the work flow inside a surgical suite. When we get to clinical trials we wont be able to have an army of engineers on site, he said. So we need to get to the point where everything runs very, very smoothly.

Some of this work will be conducted at WPIs PracticePoint R&D facility for medical cyberphysical systems, a membership-based research, development, and commercialization alliance founded to advance healthcare technologies. Now under construction at WPIs Gateway Park campus, PracticePoint, which in 2017 received a $5 million matching grant from the Massachusetts Baker-Polito Administration and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, will have point-of-practice clinical case scenariosa hybrid operating room, a medical imaging suite, a reconfigurable patient care suite, a rehabilitation lab, and a residential settingwhere smart medical devices and systems can be researched, developed, and tested. The surgical imaging suite will include a 3-Tesla MRI scanner made by GE Healthcare, a core industry partner in PracticePoint.

We will be leveraging the facilities at PracticePoint to do a lot of our system testing, MRI compatibility validation, and system integration, Fischer said. Having the ability to conduct this work here in Worcester, using a scanner comparable to the technology in which our pre-clinical studies will be conducted, will be a huge advantage.

The robotic system being developed with the current NIH award is an evolution of a system designed and tested by the WPI-Albany Medical College team with an earlier five-year, $3 million award from the agency. In the first phase of the project, we developed a proof-of-concept system and demonstrated that it worked as expected, Fischer said. With the new award, we can optimize and fully characterize the system, verify it with pre-clinical studies, and get it ready for clinical use.

While their current focus is delivering a system for treating brain tumors with ultrasound ablation, Fischer said the research team is also considering other applications for their technology. We are creating a versatile stereotactic neurosurgery delivery device, he said, one with much broader potential applications. For example, we could use it to deliver other ablation technologies, to do biopsies, to do electrode placement for deep-brain stimulation, and even to deliver therapeutics such as gene therapy. This research has opened up a world of exciting possibilities.

About PracticePoint

PracticePoint is an agile and scalable collaborative research facility enabling public and private universities, research institutions, industry and innovators to work collaboratively to develop and incorporate cyber-physical systems (CPS) into medical devices and equipment. These new products and systems will improve performance, security, accuracy, timeliness, costs, and outcomes in human healthcare. PracticePoint is an applied research and education center designed to accelerate development and translation of CPS-enhanced technology and to develop the talent pool and accompanying ecosystem that can help Massachusetts companies attain CPS market dominance in the states CPS-enhanced medical device industry cluster. PracticePoint at WPI will foster professional collaborations among its members and partner institutions through shared, coordinated use of four state-of-the-art test beds, secured project pods, collaboration suites, and shared tool bays. practicepoint.wpi.edu

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

WPI, a global leader in project-based learning, is a distinctive, top-tier technological university founded in 1865 on the principle that students learn most effectively by applying the theory learned in the classroom to the practice of solving real-world problems. Recognized by the National Academy of Engineering with the 2016 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education, WPIs pioneering project-based curriculum engages undergraduates in solving important scientific, technological, and societal problems throughout their education and at more than 45 project centers around the world. WPI offers more than 50 bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree programs across 14 academic departments in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts. Its faculty and students pursue groundbreaking research to meet ongoing challenges in health and biotechnology; robotics and the internet of things; advanced materials and manufacturing; cyber, data, and security systems; learning science; and more. http://www.wpi.edu

About Albany Medical Center

Albany Medical Center, northeastern New Yorks only academic health sciences center, is one of the largest private employers in the Capital Region. It incorporates the 734-bed Albany Medical Center Hospital, which offers the widest range of medical and surgical services in the region, and the Albany Medical College, which trains the next generation of doctors, scientists and other healthcare professionals, and also includes a biomedical research enterprise and the regions largest physicians practice with more than 450 doctors. Albany Med is affiliated with Columbia Memorial Health and Saratoga Hospital to provide the largest locally governed health system in the region. Combined, these three hospitals offer nearly 1,100 beds and outpatient locations throughout the Capital Region. Albany Medical Center works with dozens of community partners to improve the regions health and quality of life. For more information: http://www.amc.edu or http://www.facebook.com/albanymedicalcenter.

Contact:

Alison Duffy, Director of Public Relations

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, Massachusetts

508-831-6656, amduffy@wpi.eduWith seasoned BolognaFiere signing on as the co-organizer of the China Shanghai International Childrens Book Fair (CCBF) starting this year, the sixth edition naturally came with several changes. The biggest one involved moving the entire exhibitionincluding newly established lounges such as the BOP-Bologna Prize Lounge, the Strega Prize Lounge, and the Literary Agents Centerone floor up for its run from November 9 to 11.

But for exhibitors, the best BolognaFiere touch was the frequent shuttle bus servicewhich also ran on set-up daybetween the official hotel and the fairground. With the wi-fi working (most of the time) and visitor traffic well-managed, people were mostly happy with the fair. (The unsightly electrical wiring covers found protruding throughout the floor fueled many grumbles and near-mishaps, but that had more to do with the buildings design than anything else.)

Overall, exhibitors are buoyed by the fact that Chinas childrens book segment has expanded 14.2% within the first nine months of this year, and it currently accounts for a quarter of the countrys total retail book market (valued at around $10.2 billion). OpenBook, a clearinghouse for publishing statistics in China, which hosted the first of the conference programs, also shared other market statistics for the JanuarySeptember period: there are currently 15,000 childrens titles in circulation; the number of new titles has dropped 2.8%; online sales represent 27.8% of the segments total sales, and are growing; and sales through brick-and-mortar outlets have declined 12.5%, and are trending down.

What draws exhibitors such as David Meggs, international sales manager of Award Publications in the U.K., to CCBF is the double-digit growth of Chinas childrens book segment in the past few years: 19.7%, 28.84%, and 21.18% in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. With more than 60% of his catalogue already sold to Chinese publishers (and the rest of the list deemed not workable for the market), Meggs was chuffed to bits at the way CCBF, which offers a dedicated platform for childrens titles in the region, has grown over the years.

The Chinese market remains mostly uninterested in single titles, short series, or gift books.  The bigger the series, the better is a general truism of this market, said Meggs, who is set to finalize a deal for the 12-title Mega Books seriesa big hit with fair visitorswithin the next few weeks. Prior to the fair, he was in Beijing to ink a deal with Beijing Time Publishing for the 10-title How It Works nonfiction series. There is considerable interest in bilingual editions and, surprisingly, in nursery rhymes this year.

Elsewhere in the U.K. pavilion, North Parade Publishings new STEM series (Wonders of Learning) and wide-ranging reference titles attracted swarms of visitors on the first two days of the fair, prompting director Peter Hicks to seriously consider taking a larger booth next year. At previous CCBFs, it was all about science titles, said rights sales manager Michelle ODoherty, who added that this year, the attention is on our preschool titles such as the Mix-and-Match and Touch-and-Feel series. Several local publishers had also expressed their interest in converting and repurposing North Parades existing titles for use with Talking Pen, which has massive adoption in China. For Hicks, the proposal has the potential to open up a totally new market for us, and is definitely worth considering.

Across the aisle, Sweet Cherry Publishings foreign rights and sales manager Lara Clift fielded far more inquiries about potential distribution of original editions within China (for online-based sales platforms) than those for rights. The big parental push to have children learn English at a young age has also driven up the demand for bilingual editions, said Clift, whose 20 Shakespeare Childrens Stories: The Complete Collection was recently published by Beijing Baby Cube. At this CCBF, my visitors are mostly looking for picture books and activity titles for the 0to8 age group, and they particularly like our 10-title the Diaries of Robins Toys series, which offers moral stories and life lessons. To date, Clift has sold more than 60 titles to Chinese publishers.

For CCBF first-timer Adam Lerner, CEO and publisher of Lerner Publishing, the well-run event was truly the Asian equivalent of Bologna. I have not been to China since my last visit to the Beijing International Book Fair a dozen years ago, Lerner said. So it has been both gratifying and surprising to see up close the development and growth of this market. The editors that I met at this fair are young, sophisticated, and very engaged in their goal to expand the breadth of their offerings, and this speaks eloquently of the maturity of the Chinese childrens book market. For Lerner, having a good agent in CA-Link International is important in making sure his titles are well-represented; at least 500 Lerner titles have been sold in China since 2008. But the publishing industry as we know remains very much a face-to-face business, and that is why I am here.

As for Lerners rights, special sales, and international distribution director Maria Kjoller, who was visiting China for the first time, this CCBF gave her the opportunity to promote several humor-based titles, including Brian P. Clearys Coding Is CATegorical series, Sara C. Levines Flower Talk, and David Zeltsers The Universe Ate My Homework. Asked about the challenge in selling and translating humor, she said, The humor is basic enough that I do not see any problem in making it work in China.

The fast-growing interest in middle grade and YA titles caught rights executive Eshara Wijetunge of Hachette Childrens Group (U.K.) by surprise. The Chinese publishers that I met specifically want YA with strong, female leads. So Bex Hogans Isles of Storm and Sorrow fantasy trilogy with its female protagonist is popular with our visitors. I also get many inquiries on Dermot OLeary's Toto the Ninja Cat, which is a runaway success back home. In the nonfiction and picture book category, which are handled by rights manager Kavi Meswania, there were more requests for STEM programs (with coding titles remaining hot,) and a surge in demand for those dealing with environmental ecology and zero waste.

Meanwhile, the popularity of titles such as Rachel Brights The Worrysaurus, Sandra Dieckmanns Waiting for Wolf, and Georgia Pritchetts Wilf the Mighty Worrier series at the fair point to the demand for middle grade titles on positive thinking, and social and emotional learning. Prior to the fair, the team had sold Alex T. Smiths Claude and Mr. Penguin series to Beijing-based Citic Kids. Wijetunge said, With the animated Claude series coming to China soon, a boost to book sales is imminent.

The relocation of the Literary Agents Center to a brighter, more open, and easily accessible area of the exhibition hall was an excellent move by BolognaFiere, said Caroline Hill-Trevor of CHT Rights. Armed with more than 50 books and numerous catalogues, she arrived in Shanghai with 20 meetings prearranged by her sub-agent Andrew Nurnberg Associates. " Picture books, middle grade fiction, and bilingual editions are hot. There was a lot of interest in Jackie Morriss The Quiet Music of Gently Falling Snow and Claire Hibberts Moments in History That Changed the World. For Hill-Trevor, who has been selling rights to China for more than 25 years, the interest in (and search for) YA titles is totally new.

At Italian publisher ELI, the push at CCBF is less about its ELT titles (which have been sold to several major Chinese publishers in that category) and more about promoting family- and game-based products for learning and practicing English. This means looking for a different kind of publisher, mostly independent and smaller outfits interested in trying out unique content, said international marketing and promotion manager Vittorio DAversa, who was back at CCBF for a second time and busy promoting a new product line (Real Lives for Young Readers) about how kids in other countries live. There is an eagerness on the part of Chinese parents to get their children to learn English and other culturesand this series accomplishes both goals simultaneously, he said. ELI, DAversa added, has a very focused product selection to offer, and I am patiently looking for the right collaborators and working on further understanding this massive and complex market.

Another Italian publisher, White Star, attending its third CCBF, has sold almost all its titles to China. We were in this market more than 15 years ago, and all this while, the preference for illustrated reference books has been constant," said foreign rights manager Claudia Protto, whose company represented National Geographic Kids in Italy, and just recently, in Germany. Two of her bestselling titles, illustrator Francesca Cosantis The Big Book of Giant Animals and The Little Book of Tiny Animals (available in 20 other countries) were just released in China. Our Montessori activity books and board books, for instance, are popular here, as are Lorena Pajalungas two picture books, Bedtime Exercises and Daytime Exercises. With White Star publishing its own titles in English, French, and German, and Italian editions, the translation process and cost (with Chinese publishers using the English edition) is much easier and comparatively cheaper.

Having attended both Beijing International Book Fair in August and now CCBF, Nosy Crow managing director Kate Wilson found that CCBF, which hosted fewer global houses, was much more manageable for her, and helped her get a sense of the direction and shape of the Chinese childrens business. Major state-owned Chinese players are here, and it has been interesting to see how their stands have changed over the years from boring to being as impressive and colourful as those by independent publishers, said Wilson, whose 16-title preschool Bizzy Bear series, sold to Citic Kids, has been a huge success in China. She attributed the emerging enthusiasm for preschool titles to the end of the one-child policy, higher disposable income, and the success of social media marketing.

With online-based platforms becoming the main sales channel in China, Wilson found that Chinese publishers are viewing titles differentlyoften checking to see if a title is colorful, attractive, or exciting enough for online buyers. It is all about online saleability now. At this CCBF, Wilson spoke with more wholesalers wanting to bring in her original editions, and to international school teachers looking for new content. There are meetings with digital players as well, but this is a market that is print-dominant but with an immensely strong and successful online sales and distribution channel.

Selling to China, Wilson added, is just like selling to any established market nowadays. If previously you needed to have the finished products to sell, now the editors are more willing to look at dummies and even buy ahead of the Americans. It is a sure sign that Chinese publishers and editors are getting sophisticated, and more used to the international way of book business.

CCBF will return in November 2019; the exact dates have not yet been announced.Asking whats new in biblical studies might not be the right question, according to Carey Newman, Baylor Press director, who thinks that emphasizing the new isnt the point. "A well-written book from a seasoned scholar on an important idea always works," he says. "Prospecting for the mother lode of new and different is really a search for fools goldpublishing houses are built with the bricks of great books, laid on top of each other, rather than out of flashy billboards advertising something new." This fall and into 2019, biblical studies scholars provide the bricks to build readers understanding of the sometimes-opaque scriptures.

Talk about the Bible

Newman points to Craig Blombergs A Theology of the New Testament (out now) as a cornerstone for Baylors biblical studies list. Blomberg, distinguished professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary, writes, "The more I studied, the more [the] idea of fulfillment as an integrating theme grew on me. The Old Testament is a collection of largely openended books looking ahead to a time in the long-term future when all of Gods promises will be fulfilled, after the short-term judgment that is so often predicted gives way to the restoration and re-creation of Gods people and their world." In contrast, "every New Testament book states that the age of the fulfillment of these promises has arrived. The Messiah has come."

Peter Enns aims to help readers discover How the Bible Actually Works (HarperOne, Feb. 2019), writing, "The Bible becomes a confusing mess when we expect it to function as a rulebook for faith. But when we allow the Bible to determine our expectations, we see that Wisdom, not answers, is the Bibles true subject matter." He adds, "The Bible was never intended to work as a step-by-step instructional manual. Rather it presents us with an invitation to explore and herds us toward a more subtle, interesting, and above all sacred quest [for] Wisdom." Enns is the Abram S. Clemens Professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University, the host of the Bible for Normal People podcast, and the author of The Bible Tells Me So and The Sin of Certainty.

Enns is a seasoned scholar who can write accessibly for readers outside the academy. However, says Michael Maudlin, senior v-p, executive editor at HarperOne, it has become more difficult to find younger scholars who can write such books. "They are discouraged by their institutions from writing for popular audiences, and media dynamics have shifted so that it is much harder for voices to break out even if they wanted to," he notes. "And the academys bias toward narrowing a scholars focus means it is harder to interest a lay audience in what they do."

There are many scholars who train a wide-angle lens on the Bible and write for a general readership, including Peter J. Williams in Can We Trust the Gospels? (Crossway, out now). Williams is the director of Cambridges Tyndale House (one of the worlds leading institutes for biblical research), chairs the International Greek New Testament Project, and is a member of the English Standard Version Translation Oversight Committee. In the book, which is intended to appeal to scholars, believers, and skeptics, he presents evidence for the historical and theological reliability of the Gospels.

"Trusting the Gospels is both the same as trusting other things and different," Williams writes. "It is the same in that we often have to evaluate the credibility of people and things in daily life. It is different in that the Gospels contain accounts of miracles and of a man, Jesus Christ, who is presented as the supernatural Son of God who can rightfully claim ownership of our lives. But, before we consider such claims, we need to ask whether the Gospels show the signs of trustworthiness we usually look for in things we believe."

Once there is trust, there is still the task of making sense of the scriptures. Understanding the culture in which the biblical texts were written can be crucial for understanding them today, and Paula Fredriksen is among the scholars tackling that subject; her When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation was published by Yale in October. Illuminating the Jewish roots of Christianity, Fredriksen (From Jesus to Christ) tells the social and intellectual history of how a group of apocalyptic Jewish missionaries began a movement that grew into a new religion that came to dominate the Western world. Fredriksen is Aurelio Professor of Scripture Emerita at Boston University, and is currently the distinguished visiting professor of comparative religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In How New Is the New Testament? First-Century Judaism and the Emergence of Christianity (Baker, out now), Donald A. Hagner counters what he sees as the trend in biblical studies toward seeing early Christianity as a form of Judaism, rather than a distinctly new faith. Hagner analyzes the New Testament canon, pointing to the ways in which early Christianity both aligned with Judaism and diverged from it, arguing that the emerging churchs newness was essential. Hagner is George Eldon Ladd Professor Emeritus of New Testament and senior professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., and the author of The New Testament: A Historical and Theological Introduction.

Some authors zero in on specifics of Christian theology, as with The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls: Justification in Biblical, Theological, Historical, and Pastoral Perspective, edited by Matthew Barrett (Crossway, Mar. 2019). Justification is the doctrine that Christians are forgiven for their sins not by doing good works, but by faith in Christ alone. The idea was radical in the time of the Reformers, and it became the organizing principle of Protestant theology. Barrett is associate professor of Christian theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the author of The Grace of Godliness and Salvation by Grace. Zondervan Academics Justification by Michael Horton (out now) examines in two volumes the history of the doctrine and locates it within contemporary biblical scholarship. Horton is professor of systematic theology and apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary and the author of books including The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way.

Theology matters, and not just in the academy, write Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun in For the Life of the World: Theology That Makes a Difference (Baker, Jan. 2019), arguing that theology is crucial for navigating todays tangle of questions about what is true, which values are universal, and what makes for a life well lived. Volf (profiled on p. 20) is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School, founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, and author more than 20 books, including A Public Faith, Public Faith in Action, and Exclusion and Embrace. Croasmun is associate research scholar and director of the Life Worth Living Program at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture.

In Catholicism, study of the Bible was once the exclusive purview of priests and scholars; the reforms of Vatican II put it into the hands of the people in the pews. To help with scripture study, there are books such as A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament by John Bergsma and Brant Pitre (Ignatius, out now), which introduces readers to each book of the Old Testament and examines it in relation to Catholic teachings, as well as historically, culturally, and theologically. Bergsma and Pitre show how Old Testament passages are used in the Lectionary for Mass; they also include maps, illustrations, and other reference materials. Pitre is professor of sacred scripture at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans and the author of Jesus and the Last Supper, The Case for Jesus, and Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist. Bergsma is professor of theology at Franciscan University, a senior fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and the author of The Jubilee from Leviticus to Qumran.

Looking back to the beginning, before the Bible, is Gods Library: The Archaeology of the Earliest Christian Manuscripts by Brent Nongbri (Yale Univ., out now), who argues that early Christian manuscripts should be viewed not only as source texts, but as archeological artifacts whose origins have been misrepresented on the antiquities market. Nongbri is an honorary research fellow at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and the author of articles on the paleography and codicology of early Christian manuscripts.

The Bible Through Its People

One friendly way into the scriptures is through its people, and in The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of Gods Mercy (Viking, out now), Timothy Keller puts a contemporary spin on the familiar story of the prophet who disobeyed God and was swallowed by a whale. Drawing parallels to the tribalism of contemporary politics, Keller calls Jonah "a highly partisan nationalist" who is angry that God bestows mercy on pagans and others outside the chosen people. Keller writes: "The book of Jonah yields many insights about Gods love for societies and people beyond the community of believers; about his opposition to toxic nationalism and disdain for other races; and about how to be in mission in the world despite the subtle and unavoidable power of idolatry in our own lives and hearts." Keller, founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Reason for God.

Another Old Testament figure viewed through a modern lens is Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. In Was Yosef on the Spectrum? Understanding Joseph Through Torah, Midrash, and Classical Jewish Sources (Urim, out now), Samuel J. Levine sees symptoms of autism in Joseph. Levine, a lawyer, professor of law, and director of the Jewish Law Institute at Touro Law Center, juxtaposes traditional interpretations of the text with insights from modern psychology.

Also viewing scripture through a contemporary lens is Reading Genesis Well: Navigating History, Poetry, Science, and Truth in Genesis 111 by C. John Collins (Zondervan Academic, out now), who shows a way to read Genesis 111 as a conversation about the relationship of science to faith. Collins is professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary and chair of the Old Testament translation committee for the English Standard Version, as well as the author of Science and Faith: Friends or Foes? and Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? Who They Were and Why You Should Care.

The apostle Paul has been a favorite subject of New Testament scholars in recent years, with seminal books such as Paul: A Biography by N.T. Wright, which was published in February. Now, in Studying Pauls Letters with the Mind and Heart (Kregel Academic, out now), Gregory S. MaGee, an associate professor of biblical studies at Taylor University, unearths practical applications for contemporary Christians in Pauls teachings. Also from Kregel, The Gospel of John in Modern Interpretation, edited by Stanley E. Porter and Ron C. Fay (Kregel Academic, out now), a new volume in Kregels Milestones in New Testament Scholarship series, looks at the work of eight influential Johannine scholars over the past two centuries. Porter is president, dean, professor of New Testament, and Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Worldview at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. Ron C. Fay is assistant professor of biblical studies at Liberty University.

Reading Marks Christology Under Caesar: Jesus the Messiah and Roman Imperial Ideology by Adam Winn (IVP, out now) focuses on the question of how Mark was read by the early Christians in Rome in the aftermath of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. Winn is assistant professor at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylors College of Christian Studies and the author of The Purpose of Marks Gospel: An Early Christian Response to Roman Imperial Propaganda.

The exotic apocalyptic visions in Revelation, the New Testaments final book, have entered popular culture through such books as the millions-selling Left Behind series and through films, art, and other media. The Book of Revelation by Timothy Beal (Princeton Univ., out now) traces the history of Revelation, from its composition in first-century Rome to the modern-day fascination with its sometimes bizarre imagery of destruction and redemption. Beal is the Florence Harkness Professor of Religion at Case Western Reserve University and the author of The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book.

Some Christians read in Revelation a vision of the end of the world (end times) in which believers are rescued from Earth (raptured) and saved from the Tribulation (a seven-year period of chaos and suffering). But, in Not Afraid of the Antichrist: Why We Dont Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture (Chosen, Mar. 2019), Michael Brown and Craig Keener analyze what the biblical texts actually say, concluding that Christians should not expect that rescue. Brown is the director of the Coalition of Conscience, president of the Fire School of Ministry, and the author of 20 books, including Playing with Fire: A Wake-Up Call to the Pentecostal-Charismatic Church; Keener is F.M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and the author of 22 books, including Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts.

Back to the Book

This season also brings the publication of new editions of the Bible, including John Goldingays Old Testament translation, The First Testament: A New Translation (IVP, out now). Goldingay is David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of The Theology of the Book of Isaiah, Do We Need the New Testament? and the 17-volume Old Testament for Everyone series, where much of this translation was first published.

In November, Crossway released The Greek New Testament: Readers Edition, produced at Tyndale House, Cambridge, which combines a Greek New Testament translation with glosses of words in the text and other study aids for those with limited knowledge of Greek.

But the biggest event in Bible publishing this year is the release of Robert Alters magisterial The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (Norton, Dec.), now complete in three volumes. Alter (profiled on p. 18) is also a literary critic and scholar, with books on the 18th-century European novel and on contemporary Hebrew and American literature.

Of course, for those who dont read the original languages, without translations there would be no study of the Bible. In The Art of Bible Translation (Princeton Univ., Mar. 2019), Alter writes that any translation of the Bible must capture the beauty of the original languageits poetry, rhythms, sound- and wordplay, dialogue, word choice, and syntaxnot only for reading pleasure, but also to preserve accuracy. Modern English versions fail on all counts, he says.HebrewsRevelation (Crossway, out now) is the 12th volume in the ESV Expository Commentary series, edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar. Six scholars guide readers through some of the most challenging books of the New Testament, focusing on the theme of hope. Duguid is a professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church in Glenside, Pa., and the author of many Old Testament commentaries. Hamilton is a professor of biblical theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, preaching pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church, and the author of What Is Biblical Theology? Sklar is professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary.

The Commentators Bible: Genesis (Jewish Publication Society, out now), compiled and translated by Michael Carasik, is the final volume of the Rubin JPS Miqraot Gedolot Commentators Bible series, bringing to life the voices of medieval Bible commentators in a contemporary English translation annotated for lay readers. Carasik is the author of Theologies of the Mind in Biblical Israel and The Bibles Many Voices, also from JPS.

The Letter to the Galatians by David A. deSilva (Eerdmans, out now), the first volume in the New International Commentary on the New Testament series, looks at the theological issues raised by this Pauline letter; it replaces Ronald Y.K. Fungs 1988 volume in the series. DeSilva is the Trustees Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary and the author of An Introduction to the New Testament, Introducing the Apocrypha, and Galatians: A Handbook to the Greek Text.

The Letter to the Romans, second edition, by Douglas J. Moo (Eerdmans, out now), is one of the 20 volumes in New International Commentary on the New Testament series and a thorough revision of the first edition, originally published in 1996. It deals with scholarship that has developed since then, including more recent perspectives on Paul. Moo is the Kenneth T. Wessner Professor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College Graduate School and has authored commentaries on Galatians, Colossians, and James.

Jubilees: A Commentary in Two Volumes by James C. VanderKam (Fortress, out now) is the 52nd volume in Hermeneia commentary series; it focuses on Jubilees, an ancient rewriting of Genesis and the first part of Exodus by an anonymous second-century BCE Jewish author. VanderKam offers a new translation and the first full commentary on the book in the English language; he is the John A. OBrien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, has edited 13 volumes in the series Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, is editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and has authored, among other books, The Dead Sea Scrolls Today.

And in May 2019, IVP releases in paperback Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. In 29 volumes, using the Revised Standard Version of Bible, the commentary covers the writings of the early church fathers. Thomas C. Oden (19312016) served as the general editor for Ancient Christian Commentary, which IVP calls the first full-scale early Christian commentary on Scripture published in the last 500 years.The target will enhance an increase of about GH2 billion over the GH11.43 billion income collected last year from importers by the GRA.

Reports indicates that the authority claimed about GH5.8 billion in the first half of the year from the same source and as at the end of October, collection from import duties amounted to GH11.5 billion.

The GRA has credited the companys massive increment to the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos government for the introduction and the implementation of the paperless port system at the countrys sea ports.

The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Customs Division of the GRA, West Blue Consulting and the Ghana Community Network (GCNet) Services, among other stakeholders, have contributed in the success of the paperless port system that has enhance the increment government revenue at the ports.

The system has blocked the indiscriminate revenue leakages the ports was suffering before the implementation of the paperless system.

Rankings

According to the report, Ghana made importing easier by implementing a paperless customs clearance processing system.This move has triggered Mr Thompson to appeal to the president to remove the chief justice from her position because he thinks the act was a demonstration of incompetence.

Mr Thompson, in his petition, indicated that the conduct of the sitting Chief Justiceclearly shows her incompetence in managing the highest office of the judiciary which has a constitutional mandate to be fair, just and equitable in the application of the laws of Ghana.

He further explain that the African Court for Human and Peoples Rights (AfCHPR) last year issued a temporary degree to halt the proceedings on the Woyome Republic of Ghana case which the Chief justice refused to follow.

He again in the statement said Mr. President, last year when the interim measure was issued on the state, there were several pronouncements by the deputy Attorney General Godfred Dame indicating that Ghana was not bound by the measure.

It was a bit worrying to see the deputy attorney general espouse a position that was clearly in contravention with Article 40 under which the treaty derives its powers locally, he added

More worrying was the Supreme Court also came out with a position that it does not share its powers with any other body, he said to the president.

Mr Mensah Thompson has also appealed to the president to dismiss the current c Attorney General of the country, Miss Gloria Akuffo

Ghanas constitution

Article 146 (6) of the 1992 Constitution states that if the president is petitioned for the removal of the Chief Justice, he shall in consultation with the Council of State appoint a committee consisting of two justices of the Supreme Court.

The committee appointed under clause (6) of this article shall inquire into the petition and recommend to the President whether the Chief Justice ought to be removed from office.

Woyomes case

The Supreme Court, on July 29, 2014, ordered Woyome to refund GH51.2 million to the state on the grounds that he got the money out of unconstitutional and invalid contracts between the state and Waterville Holdings Limited in 2006 for the construction of stadia for CAN 2008.

It held, in a unanimous decision, that the contracts upon which Woyome made and received the claim were in contravention of Article 181 (5) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which requires such contracts to be laid before and approved by Parliament.

The 11-member court, presided over by the Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, was ruling on a review application filed by a former Attorney- General and Minister of Justice, Mr Martin Amidu.

Other members of the panel were Justices Julius Ansah, Sophia Adinyira, Rose Owusu, Jones Dotse, Anin Yeboah, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, N. S. Gbadegbe, Vida Akoto Bamfo, A. A. Bennin and J.B. Akamba.

Alfred Agbesi Woyome

He is a Ghanaian businessman and a former Honorary Vice Consul of Austria to Ghana and a leading member of the National Democratic CongressShe has been tasked to use her influence to create awareness about the school and its future developments.

Maame Serwaa was presented with her admission letter at a ceremony held at the office of the Vice Chancellor of the University.

Its not just an honour but a joyful one to be among students of the Knutsford University. Im glad for the honour bestowed on me and some of my colleagues and I would take the golden chance to not only promote the institution but also learn and be more informed, excited Maame Serwaa stated.According to odditycentral.com, Budh Ram, a resident of Bhaktanwalan Ki Dhani, a rural community in Rajasthan, India had fainted on Saturday afternoon after suffering chest pain.

Family members of the old man reportedly called a private doctor who declared him dead after examining his body.

Reports say Rams family members then called the priest to perform the necessary rites, and men of the family had also shaved their heads as part of rituals to pave the way for his burial.

However, dramatically, as soon as they started pouring cold water over him, Budh Ram started shivering and came back to life, leaving everyone speechless.

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His eldest son, Balu Ram is quoted as having told The Times of India that: The priest had started the rituals and a barber had shaved the heads of the men in the family. We were about to bathe the body as a customary practice before the funeral procession.

READ ALSO: Raped woman to be jailed 20 years for attempting to abort baby of stepfather

He started breathing and sat on the bed soon after. When questioned by relatives, he said he had suffered chest pain and decided to sleep it off. It is nothing but a miracle.

Meanwhile, the family and relatives of the old man reportedly said they were more astonished at how the private doctor who had declared him dead got his license to practice, than the old mans return to life.When a man proposes marriage to his partner, she is at liberty to turn it down if she is not interested in the marriage for reasons known to her. But it is surprising why a woman would date a man for not less than 20 years and say no to his marriage proposal.In partnership with Silver Queen Cosmetics, a beauty and fashion accessories retailer, NOTE cosmetics will supply its beauty products to Ghanaians who want the best version of themselves.

Top Ghanaian beauticians, celebrities, retailers and some invited guests witnessed the launch of the quality makeup products at the Holiday Inn Hotel on November 5, 2018.

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Speaking at the launch, Export Area Manager and representative for the African Market, Berk Aslan said, "this is the right time for the brand to be in Ghana."

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Mr. Berk Aslan indicated that the Ghanaian market is great with makeup enthusiast consumers open to trying new brands. The brand, he says, is on the path of developing new lines, by merging the latest technologies and the gifts of nature to create products for every woman wanting to look the best versions of themselves.

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NOTE, is part of the Altona Cosmetics Technology group, which consists of an extensive product range from foundations, compact powders, bronzing powders, compact blushers and a wide range of mascaras. The collection also includes eyeliners, concealers, eyeshadows, eye pencils, an extensive range of colourful lipsticks, lip pencils, lip gloss and nail products.

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NOTE Cosmetics produces super clean makeup of the highest quality, its formulas made from essential oils and vitamins provide rich pigments for all skin tones. They are also dermatologically tested, contain no hazardous or cancerous ingredients and are environmentally friendly. Just the right brand to add to your makeup collection!

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Silver Queen Cosmetics are wholesalers and retailers. You can find them at Osu 5th lane street. Contact them on 0302789969 or 0551606080 Their email address is silverqueencosmetics@gmail.com.

ece-auto-genIn recent times, many motorists have resolved not to pay their tolls after growing tired of governments refusal to fix the potholes on the stretch.

Videos circulating on social media capture some drivers telling off the toll attendants and refusing to pay until the motorway is fixed.

But responding to this development, Parliaments Roads and Transport Committee has urged the public to abide by the laws of the country by paying their tolls.

A Ranking Member on the Committee, Kwame Agbodza, said it is against the law for drivers to deliberately refuse to pay their tolls.

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We must all be ready to abide by the laws of the country. I wouldnt encourage anybody to get to the toll booth and decide not to pay, he said, as quoted by Myjoyonline.

He, however, called on the sector minister to take steps to ensure that the road is fixed immediately.

Mr. Agbodza said there was a proposal to rebuild the motorway into a six-lane project but it was rejected by government.He said he doesn't understand the petition to remove Sophia Akuffo adding that "there is no need to allow it to sit there and cast a cloud on the Chief Justice and the Judiciary."

In a Facebook post, he wrote "I do not understand the petition for the removal of the Chief Justice. It seems to lack a factual or a legal basis. It must be dismissed immediately. There is no need to allow it to sit there and cast a cloud on the Chief Justice and the Judiciary."

In his petition, he said the conduct of the sitting Chief Justiceclearly shows her incompetence in managing the highest office of the judiciary which has a constitutional mandate to be fair, just and equitable in the application of the laws of Ghana.

The Executive Director of the Alliance For Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) further said the African Court for Human and Peoples Rights (AfCHPR) last year issued a provisional measure to have all proceedings halted on the Woyome V Republic of Ghana case.

Mr. President, last year when the interim measure was issued on the state, there were several pronouncements by the deputy Attorney General Godfred Dame indicating that Ghana was not bound by the measure, he stated in his petition to President Akufo-Addo on Monday.

It was a bit worrying to see the deputy attorney general espouse a position that was clearly in contravention with Article 40 under which the treaty derives its powers locally.

More worrying was the Supreme Court also came out with a position that it does not share its powers with any other body."

READ MORE: Impeachment petition filed against Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo

Under Article 146 (6) of the 1992 Constitution, if the president is petitioned for the removal of the Chief Justice, he shall in consultation with the Council of State appoint a committee consisting of two justices of the Supreme Court.Reports indicate that Adoboli was taken into custody after attending a regular reporting session at his local police station in Livingston.

He is in a holding centre in Glasgow and has been informed that he is to be taken to Harmondsworth immigration removal centre near Heathrow.

Last month, Adoboli was left heartbroken after the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber dismissed his request for a judicial review against his deportation.

Judge Mark Ockelton dismissed the application on the grounds that Adoboli's honesty was "seriously in question" and that he had never "admitted his wrongdoing".

ece-auto-genHe described the project as an overambitious plan urging the government to cut their coat according to their size.

He added that the project will not come to fruition.

"When I heard that government is working towards sky train project, I laughed and asked myself where would they use that sky train to pass. We are unable to even fix footbridge and we talking about sky train," he said.

On Tuesday, November 8, 2018, the Minister for Railways Development, Joe Ghartey signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Africa Investment (Ai) SkyTrain Consortium, based in South Africa, for the construction of the Accra Sky Train Project.

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With Accra experiencing ever-increasing road traffic congestion, with its detrimental effects on economic activity, pollution and the quality of life, the SkyTrainO project, Joe. Ghartey emphasized, is the solution to these problems.

READ MORE: Ade Coker pulls off shocking election winAccording to President Akufo-Addo, he came into office with the goal of improving the living standards of Ghanaians, and, in twenty-two months, the achievements of his government, even though modest, have been visible for all to see.

In this Church, at least, Rev. Osabutey can attest to the fact that the monthly electricity and water bills of the Church have reduced, as it has for everybody. I am also sure that we have parents here whose wards are beneficiaries of the Free Senior High School policy, he said.

The President continued, We have achieved a number of noteworthy successes, including restoring discipline in the management of our public finances, but I acknowledge that life is still not easy as it should be. One thing for which I am certain is that there is hope for a better and brighter tomorrow.

Comforted by the words of Holy Scripture in Jeremiah 12:2, he assured that the policies and programmes being implemented by my Government have taken root, they will grow and they will bear fruit.

President Akufo-Addo made this known on Sunday, 11th November, 2018, when he attended the 180th anniversary celebration of the Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church, Ghana.

He assured the congregation that his vision of building a Ghana Beyond Aid, that is a Ghana that has discarded the mentality of dependence on aid, charity and handouts, remains constant.

We can, and we should be able to build a Ghana which looks to the use of her own resources and their proper management as the way to engineer social and economic growth in our country. With the help of the Church, I am confident that we can realise this vision, he stressed.

Uphold virtues of Methodism

From humble beginnings in Jamestown, in the days of John Ahumah Solomon, John Plange and Frederick France, the Accra Diocese has grown to having a membership of some one hundred and ten thousand, a ministerial staff strength of two hundred and fourteen (214), and establishing one hundred and three (103) educational institutions.

President Akufo-Addo noted that successive priests and congregations are to be applauded for these achievements, and for the many years of service and fellowship to country.

You have been a good example of what it means to love one another and give cheerfully to those in need, and I have no doubt that this legacy of ministry and compassion will long grace this Diocese, the President said.

Indeed, taking into account the distinguished personalities that own up to being Methodist in our country today, and those who have gone before us, we can say with considerable pride that Methodists have played constructive and crucial roles in the development of Ghana.

He urged members of the Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church, and all faithful disciples of Christ, to rise to their religious responsibilities, and stimulate the desired motivational spirit of renewal and transformation towards effective nation-building.

My prayer is that this Church will continue, for the next one hundred and eighty years (125 years), to spread the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, win souls, and serve the people of Ghana and Almighty God.Lebanon is also corrupt and unruly. The 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index placed Lebanon at the 143rd spot out of 180 countries and 14th out of 20 countries in Middle East and North Africa. With a population of about 6 million which is one-fifth of Ghanas population estimated at 30 million your country is scoring these figure and you shamelessly want to tag Ghana as corrupt.

This so-called self-acclaimed politician or selective corruption crusader has unexpectedly jumped ignorantly and jealously on the fray to cast spells and unsubstantiated allegations on Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong in his dirty games and antics for fame and expects to go scot free? Bring it on we will not sit in this country and watch you junky Lebanese fool direct the pace here. I sympathise with the handlers of the Jubilee House for allowing him get closer to the presidency. If they knew what is under his sleeves they will not permit him even use any of the roads near the Jubilee House. This junky is a security threat to our nation.

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Yes, this drunk of a clown is nosing for information at the presidency so that if his demands are not met he will launch virulent attacks on Nana Addo and his government and nobody notices it? Well that is the NPP and the governments problem but of course I am a citizen not spectator, if I ignore this I would be ten times foolish than he is and I wont forgive myself if ignore this.

We meet habitually at a joint but we are not friends he doesnt know my name and the things he spews out hmmm government has to be careful with him. I am in though for his nonsense, if he takes it to the door steps of any respected Ghanaian again like he portrayed in his recent piece of crap against Ghanas hard working entrepreneur and most vilified Mr. Agyepong by Manasseh and now this person I will sure match them in equal measure. What is this nonsense?

He alleges that Ghanas Members of Parliament, ministers of state and political party leaders have all been incredibly bought by one single man Jospong and that he is privy to some information that people have received Mercedes Benz vehicles from the same Jospong.

This same Fadi in his bogus piece of writing, however, is worried that people are showing interest in the Kwasi Nyantakyi and the GFA/FIFA brouhaha and indicates his disappointment in the works of Ace Investigative Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Managing Editor Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako Jnr whose efforts have unveiled the rot at GFA. He thoughtlessly threatens to write an article or novel he says against them on the FIFA saga. For him Nyantakyi should not be touched and yet Jospong should be hanged by government.

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Joke!

He alleges and alleges and alleges and expect legal results but come to think of it, how can the man who pretends to be fighting corruption in Ghana ever have problems with Anas in this GFA/Nyantakyi brawl. Sounds like Manasseh and the Otabil things done and yet you hate the right things when done to your closed pals, family and friends. These are the vigilantes we now have in Ghana but how can Fadi even fight corruption, a known political sycophant who does infantile analysis only against a section of society cannot be said to be fighting corruption. You should go home Fadi if Ghana is no longer friendly to you because we are even getting fed up hosting you here. You bring your untraditional life style here and expect us to just watch you?

He wrote recently fighting the Imani Africa President, Mr. Franklin Cudjoe for raising concerns about the Kelni GvG contract and the work they intend to do. Everybody monitored and any meaningful citizen knew that Cudjoe was just and fair in his analysis yet Fadi saw it the other way, is that a corruption fighter? Ladies and gentlemen I am waiting for that day when he strikes at the presidency that is when Ghana will understand me. Are there no serious and true Ghanaian NPP journalist and members who can also throng at the presidency? Why is he nosing around the presidency, the multi-million-dollar question Kwabena Baah asked worriedly and I do too. There are indeed moles among us?

There is a Frafra saying that the goat must accept to run once it gives its neck out for the rope. I read his insulting rejoinder to Kwabena Baahs article and I laughed. I said eei so this man fears this much? The ashawo broni baby doesnt want anybody to write against him and he is always insulting everyone on his way including our leaders? When you insult, allege, insinuate and lie about people beware that you are not a saint and or repository of such and know that not only you can insult or cast spells and insinuations at people, there are people who can do worse things so shut up and sit down there and receive the insults and stories people have also heard about you. Be ready to receive same because we are also capable of measuring your bluff. That is the import of my Frafra adage brother.

I usually say it is instructive to demand from the likes of Fadi and Manasseh to prove that they have not committed any crime against the state or any person here or elsewhere then we can begin to perfect the systems right away. We should not think that because we are privileged to write we should go about maligning people and postulating unsubstantiated stories about people.

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Please read all the two articles of Mr. Fadi Dabbousi about Jospong and your see, I am told, it is alleged, information I gathered etc and he actually wants the Attorney General (AG) and Special Prosecutor (SP) to follow up on how he learnt somebody gave a car or bought MPs, Ministers or government officials or whoever visits Jospong house or office for whatever and nail him down? This crap of a joker thinks we are all stupid here in Ghana isnt he?

I am writing because I do have an interest in Ghanaian businesses, what happened to Agams Group has worried me over time, I sat and watched that happened, this time round I will also speak my mind so that when they do their best and the worse happens I will not be blame myself.

Recently several domestic companies are dying and foreign companies are blossoming, by 2030, there may be no Ghanaian company left and then the blame will be put at the door steps of leaders, an attitude I hate so much when it is us who contributed to the collapse and death of our own. Wherever Mr. Roland Agambiire may be, he certainly is not chopping grasses but many of those he employed are facing difficulties today. If you do your best that best is not your worst.God bless Ghana.The Free SHS policy was the flagship campaign message of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) during the 2016 elections and it was rolled out in September 2017.

However, the policy has encountered a number of challenges since being implemented, as the availability of space forced government to adopt a double-track system.

Also, issues have been raised with regards to funding, with some suggesting the government will not be able to sustain the programme in the coming years.

Former president John Mahama is also a strong critic of the way the Free SHS was implemented and is on record to have said he will review the Free SHS should the National Democratic Congress (NDC) return to power in 2020.

However, in what looked like a direct reply to the ex-president, Nana Addo said his government is working to ensure the policy cannot be reviewed in the future.

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READ ALSO: My office almost hopeless to fight corruption  Martin Amidu lamentsMy office almost hopeless to fight corruption  Martin Amidu laments

We are going to enact a legislation to make access to SHS compulsory for every school going child. This will ensure that those who have pledged in their dreams to review the free SHS policy do not get the chance to destroy this policy in the very unlikely event that they return, the President stated.

Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament disagrees with governments plan to prevent future reviews to the Free SHS policy.

A Ranking member on education, Peter Norstu Kotoe, described the Presidents comments as preposterous.

There is no way in this country that you can make a law put an entrenched clause in it that nobody can amend the law. Since NPP came to power I can sight at least three enactments that they have amended. Is the president telling us that everything about the free SHS implementation is right? No there are a number of things that we have spoken about that government must review.He has urged him to stop complaining and focus on his job on fighting corruption.

His advise comes at the back of Martin Amidu who recently complained about the lack of logistics for his office as well as a legislation to enable them to work seamlessly.

Martin Amidu has hinted that his office is in a near hopeless situation to deliver its mandate in fighting corruption.

In an article, the former Attorney General said his office has so far had "woefully inadequate" infrastructure and has been under-resourced since its establishment a year ago.

Amidu compared his situation to that of that of Acting Attorney General of the US Mathew Whitaker, insisting a lack of resources has left the Special Prosecutor's Office in an almost hopeless situation to fight corruption.

"The Whitaker's scenario which I have just read reinforces my own conviction that the effective way to stifle the fight against corruption is to apply Whitakers scenario. It also reminds me of the almost utter hopelessness in which the newly established Office of the Special Prosecutor finds itself almost one year after the President caused its establishment as his flagship and vision to fight corruption in Ghana with an overwhelming national consensus and support," Amidu lamented.

"One year down the line it has only a small three bed room house as an Office woefully inadequate for lack of shear physical space to accommodate any reasonable number of employees, lack of subsidiary legislation, and consequently also financially crippled without any ability to acquire the requisite expensive operational anti-corruption and other equipment for the Office let alone to function efficiently," he added.

He said despite President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's sincere commitment to fighting corruption, government has done very little to support the Special Prosecutor's Office.

According to him, the office has so far lacked the resources to adequately deliver on its mandate.

But the staunch supporter of the NPP, Kwame A-Plus has urged the Special Prosecutor to stop complaining.

He stressed that Martin Amidu can fight corruption even under the tree.

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He said Martin Amidu made "all the noise about Woyome" when the NPP was in opposition adding that he should go and prosecute the corrupt officials and shouldn't demand a "4 bedroom house with 13 air conditions."

In a Facebook post, he wrote "If you really want to fight corruption you can do it from under a tree masa. Were you not the same person who made all the noise about Woyome? Didn't you ask the court to allow you to cross examine Woyome when NPP was in opposition? At that time were you the special prosecutor working in an "Oval Office?" Before you become the SP you wrote countless articles about corruption under the NDC. Now HE the president has appointed you SP. Go and prosecute them you say you want a "4 bedroom house with 13 air conditions." You want to turn ice man abi? Ah!! Even if your office is the problem at least start with woyome till your office is ready anaa? After all the noise, one year on, even Woyome's money you have not been able to take it. Everyday blaming government.

What happened to that big house at Cantonments you were taken to. I know everything that happens in this country. Were you not taken to a house adjacent the new Bank of Ghana hospital? Didn't one of the deputy chiefs of staff stop his job and take you there himself? So how did you end up in a three bedroom house? What happened? Government has done it's part. After all the noise you made, if you are not able to prosecute anyone we will prosecute you ankasa for deceiving us."Speaking at the African Investment Forum 2018 in South Africa last week, the President said so far investigations [involving his appointees] have not yielded any serious evidence.

READ ALSO:

However, the NDC has described this claim as deceitful and disrespectful to the intelligence of Ghanaians.

In a statement signed by its National Organiser, Kofi Adams, the NDC accused President Akufo-Addo of shielding his appointees.

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We find the Presidents claims deceitful and breath-taking, in the level of disrespect that he has shown to Ghanaians who have been witnesses to massive cover ups, staged to conceal clear cases of corruption in his government.

While it is true that he has unilaterally cleared his appointees in several cases of corruption, it has not been for want of evidence but rather due to a desire to protect his government. These comments also go to underscore the Presidents preference for defending the corrupt acts of his appointees over punishment of same, sections of the statement read.

If further pointed to seven alleged cases of corruption against government appointees, including the cash for seat and BOST contaminated fuel scandal.

READ ALSO:

Read the NDCs full statement below:

PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO MUST NOT PRESENT COVER-UPS OF CORRUPTION SCANDALS IN HIS GOVERNMENT AS CREDIBLE INVESTIGATIONS

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is astonished by yet another robust defense of and support for corruption by President Akufo-Addo in faraway South Africa. The President is quoted as saying that, all instances of corruption under his watch have been investigated and his appointees cleared because no evidence was found.

We find the Presidents claims deceitful and breath-taking, in the level of disrespect that he has shown to Ghanaians who have been witnesses to massive cover ups, staged to conceal clear cases of corruption in his government.

While it is true that he has unilaterally cleared his appointees in several cases of corruption, it has not been for want of evidence but rather due to a desire to protect his government. These comments also go to underscore the Presidents preference for defending the corrupt acts of his appointees over punishment of same.

No government in the annals of the Fourth Republic has been dogged by corruption scandals with the rapidity that they have occurred under Akufo-Addo. In the two years that he has been at the helm, Ghanaians have struggled to keep pace with the sheer number of corruption scandals that have broken out. Indeed, corruption is an epidemic under President Akufo-Addo.

The President set the ball rolling by opening up the public purse for scramble through the appointment of an inordinately large number of Ministers.

He believes that a country of such limited means and resources as Ghana, deserves 111 Ministers, some of whom occupy ridiculous portfolios and are only duplicating the work of traditional Ministries and Public Agencies.

Also, he added one thousand (1,000) Presidential Staffers, many of whom have no clearly defined roles and constitute a drain on the national purse.

He has also wholeheartedly embraced nepotism on a scale never witnessed in Ghanas history; because scores of his family, friends and business associates of his relatives have been given plum appointments and placed in strategic positions to facilitate unprecedented levels of conflict of interest and insider dealings.

Following from this, President Akufo-Addo and his appointees have subjected the national purse to systematic assault and abuse. The Presidents usual response has often been to put in place bogus investigations that are designed from the onset to hide the facts and provide a smokescreen behind which the offending appointees can be whitewashed, and the issues swept under the carpet.

For the benefit of President Akufo-Addo, in the event that he is genuinely unaware that his actions have served to promote corruption, but not to combat it, we list a few of the legion of corruption cases that he has covered up.

1. US$1 BILLION AMERI NOVATION SCANDAL

After giving Executive Approval for the fraudulent US$1 billion AMERI Novation deal, it was claimed that President Akufo-Addo was misled into doing so. The fraudulent transaction would have ensured that instead of seeing out the original deal in two years or paying about US$300 million to own the plant, Ghana would have paid another US$800 million to shady characters over a 15-year period. President Akufo-Addo failed to take responsibility for this scandal. No investigation has been conducted into this matter to ascertain how and who conspired to dupe the state to such a colossal tune.

2. BOST/MOVINPIINA SCANDAL

Also, after it emerged that the then Managing Director of BOST had violated procurement laws and the NPA Act to give 5 million litres of contaminated fuel to unregistered and unlicensed entitys, what did President Akufo-Addo do? He hurriedly and prematurely set aside the committee set up by then Energy Minister to look into the scandal, and presented a BNI report which sought to sweep the issues under the carpet despite glaring evidence of wrongdoing.

3. CASH FOR SEATS SCANDAL

In addition, when it emerged that a staggering US$100, 000 had been demanded by the Trade Ministry in exchange for each seating space around President Akufo-Addo at an award ceremony, he dismissed the Parliamentary inquiry being carried out into the matter even before the findings could be submitted.

Taking a cue from this, Majority members on the committee compiled a sham of a report that sought to exonerate government officials who the evidence available showed were complicit in the Cash for Seat Affair.

This compelled Minority members of the Committee to issue a minority report to expose compelling evidence of wrong doing. Furthermore, President Akufo-Addo must understand that no credible Ghanaian believes the lie that, the international business community accepted to pay a whopping US$100,000 in order to sit by President Ashim Morton as the NPP would have us believe.

4. AUSTRALIAN VISA SCANDAL

Once again, President Akufo-Addo claims that no evidence of wrong doing was found after investigations into the disgraceful visa racketeering scandal under which scores of Ghanaians were transported to Australia by posing as journalists when they were not. Despite the international disgrace Ghana suffered, President Akufo-Addo would have us believe that it was ghosts who procured the visas for those taken to Australia and not his appointees who were in charge of the whole arrangement. The report of the so-called investigations has not been made public; and we demand an immediate release of the report to the public.

5. GHANA CYLINDER MANUFACTURING COMPANY SCANDAL

Furthermore, after the Board of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company revealed various acts of corruption on the part of the CEO of the company, President Akufo-Addo rather dismissed the Board and left the CEO in place after a supposed investigation was conducted into the matter. The report of the investigation into the matter has also never been made public. Also, we demand that President Akufo-Addo makes this report public.

6. US$2.25 BILLION KEN BOND SCANDAL

President Akufo-Addo took no remedial action against his cousin  Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, despite multiple breaches of the procedures in the floatation of the US$2.25 billion Templeton bond. Even findings of conflict of interest against the Minister have gone unpunished by the President.

7. GHc 23 MILLION THEFT

Finally, after it emerged that up to GHc 23 million worth of pre-mix fuel had been diverted with the full knowledge of the Minister for Fisheries and under the supervision of her brother who she made Administrator of the Pre-mix Secretariat, President Akufo-Addo turned a blind eye and kept the Minister in office with no concrete action to either punish her or hold anyone responsible.

The instances of corruption cited above, clearly belie the Presidents claim that he has conducted credible investigations into the myriad of corruption cases he has presided over in his Family and Friends government.

President Akufo-Addo has chosen to preserve his party and government interest over the national interest. He prioritizes defending corrupt appointees over defending the interest of the long-suffering tax payer.

The fight against the corruption epidemic under President Akufo-Addo must be taken seriously than the flippant approach he has adopted. His claim that all instances of corruption under his watch have been investigated and his appointees cleared because no evidence was found is deception.

Kofi Adams

National OrganizerIn the Doing Business 2018 report, produced by the World Bank, rankings were based on property registration, ability to get credit, taxes, electricity, other business regulations and if the countries followed the 83 reforms, that were implemented in 2017.

Based on these rankings, Somalia came in last on the global list at number 190, while Africa's largest economy, Nigeria, was ranked 145th.

Here are the five worst African countries to do business in, according to the World Bank:

Somalia

As mentioned earlier, the East African country has been ranked as one of the worst places to do business in. Political instability, economic collapse, and terrorism threats by militant group al-Shabaab make this country really far from attaining the global best practices in business regulation.

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Eritrea

A low score of 189 makes this country a terrible place to consider doing business in. This is due to the high poverty rate, infrastructure challenges, lack of internet penetration and the excessive bureaucracy by the government.

ALSO READ: Meet the African leaders with the least salaries

South Sudan

Third on the list is this East-Central African country with a global ranking of 187. This is as a result of the constant conflict between the government and rebel forces after years of war.

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The Central African Republic

This country's global ranking is 184 thanks to unfavourable business policies, poor transportation systems and unskilled labour force.

The Democratic Republic of Congo

Congo was ranked 182 on the list. This low score reflects an inefficient business environment.

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It isn't all bad news for Africa in spite of the low rankings above. Mauritius, an East African country scored 25, making it the highest ranked economy and the best place to do business in Sub-Saharan Africa.But it is important for startups and investors to perfectly align and it is also important to consider what the startups look for in investors because this improves synergy and set proper expectations, paving the way for healthy growth.

ALSO READ: What the African tech startup space will look like in 10 years

Business Insider SSA talked to some of the startups that graduated from the Class 2 of the Google Launchpad Accelerator programme about what they expect from investors.

Here are some of their thoughts:

Uganda's EzyAgric

For Esther Karwera and her team at EzyAgric, an agtech company digitising agricultural value chains in Uganda, an investor should motivate, help build capacity as well as the monetary value.

The investor we want is not for an investment of cash, but an investor who has access to the network of people, someone we can hold hands with, go on the journey together.

Karwera said the idea of investment is to cover three aspect of the business - money for the operations, resources to drive the products and capacity building, and motivation for the people.

We do not want an investor that will just drop money, go to sleep and expect a return at the end of the year. Of course, it would not work just that way, she adds.

Ghana's Chalkboard Education

Genevieve Simiyu, Country Manager (Ghana) at Chalkboard Education sees access to a network, alignment with values and partnership as key ingredient startups look for in investors.

We make sure our values and their values align alright. Not just the money. No one will pick money ahead of access to a pool of networks and deals, Simiyu explains.

Kenya's PayGo Energy

The team at PayGo say they look at the combination of money and technical expertise.

It is going to be more like a partnership and not just about the money. We want an investor with expertise on our products and activities and there is need for an alignment in vision and what we are doing.

Nigerias Medsaf

Vivian Nwakah, the founder of Medsaf (a technology-enabled pharmaceutical platform connecting high quality, trusted manufacturers to the African medical industry), tells Business Insider Sub-Saharan Africa that getting the right kind of people is key in startups-investors' relations and not necessary seed funding.

I honestly believe the right people will drive the cash to move in freely at the appropriate time.

11 startups graduate from Class 2 of Google Launchpad Accelerator Africa programme

On Friday, Tech giant, Google graduated the Class 2 of its Launchpad Accelerator Africa programme in Lagos, Nigeria.The governor made the call at the combined convocation ceremony of Western Delta University, Oghara, Ethiope-West local government area of the state during the weekend.

TETFund was established as an intervention agency under the TETFund ACT - Tertiary Education Trust Fund(Establishment, etc) Act, 2011 -- and charged with the responsibility for managing, disbursing and monitoring the education tax to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

The law setting up TETFund should be looked into because, it is right for TETFUND to assist the private Universities. Whether private or public, they are training our children, the governor said.

While congratulating the graduating students, Okowa said:All over the world, the days are gone when you will graduate from the university and carry certificate, moving from one place to the other searching for job; as you go out engage in lawful business, pray and trust in God.

The governor further assured the university of his administrations commitment to partner with both private and public institutions of higher learning in the state.

In his remarks, Chancellor of the University, Obong Victor Attah. urged the grandaunts deploy knowledge they have acquired to effect positive change in the society.The media mogul took to her Instagram page on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, where she posted photos from the induction ceremony. She was full of praises to the university for the honourary doctorate degree for her contribution in broadcasting and enterprise in Nigeria.

"I would like to say a big thank you to the University of Westminster for awarding me with an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts, in recognition of my contributions to broadcasting and enterprise in Nigeria. My second honorary degree! . It is really exciting to be recognised for doing what you love . I am so humbled and grateful.

"Lord I remain Grateful and thankful in your presence always  . I thank the EbonyLife team, partners, friends (my bestos ) and last but not the least my family who continue to give me all the moral support and prayers that continue to keep me going, even when things get tough. #ifyoucanthinkityoucandoit. With me in this image (from left to right) are Dr Peter Bonfield OBE - Vice Chancellor University of Westminster, Lady Sorrell OBE - Chancellor University of Westminster," she captioned the photo.

Congratulations to Mo Abudu as she gets another recognition for her achievements and contributions towards broadcasting and media business. Mo Abudu's success in the media industry was recently recognised as she was named one of Britains 100 most influential and powerful blacks.

Mo Abudu, John Boyega, Meghan Markle make 100 most influential black Britons

Mo Abudu, John Boyega, Meghan Markle (Duchess of Sussex) and a host of others have made the list of the most influential and powerful black people in Britain. The annual list which is released to showcase and honour men and women of African and African-Caribbean heritage in Britain who are changing lives so a number of Nigerians make the list.

Mo Abudu who is the C.E.O of Ebony Life TV was among the notable Nigerians who made the list. Actor, John Boyega was also honoured with the heavyweight titled boxer, Anthony Joshua also clinching a spot in the power list. The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Mackle, also made the list.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the incident was said to have occurred at 2, Christian Onoja Street, Igbogbo in Igbogbo-Baiyeku Local Government Development Area at 4.30pm.

A neighbour who preferred anonymity told NAN that the children, Emmanuel Edeh, seven years and Darasimi Edeh, female, four years and their father, Mr Michael Edeh, were at home on the day of the incident.

On Sunday afternoon, we were alerted by their father who emerged from within the house asking about the whereabouts of his children.

We were surprise because their father is always at home with the kids when their mother goes about her trading.

So, when their father came asking us (neighbours) about where his children were, we all began to search the neighbourhood for them, but could not find them, the source, said.

The source added that when initial efforts to locate the children proved abortive, a call was put through to the mother of the kids, who came running down to their residence.

Their mother was visibly disturbed upon arrival and immediately began to search for them, this time, in the house.

After a while she came wailing that she discovered the lifeless body of children and their dog inside the freezer, the source added.

NAN gathered that the children were taken to a hospital within the community, but were told that the children had passed-on which prompted the incident being reported at the Igbogbo Police Division on Sunday evening.

When correspondent of NAN visited the Briggston Hospital in Selewu, Igbogbo, where the children were taken he was told that the children were dead on arrival.

It is true that I received a case involving two children, but upon assessment I discovered that they had passed on and there was no resuscitation effort that could be performed on them.

So, I advised the parents to go and conduct an autopsy to ascertain the real cause of death, Dr. Briggs Umezurike, told NAN.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chike Oti, told NAN that the Commissioner of Police had been informed about the incident.Fifty-year-old Uhegbu, who resides on Eging-Ekem St., Ikorodu, Lagos, is facing a six-count-charge bordering on conspiracy, fraud, stealing and obtaining by false pretences.

The prosecution said that the accused portrayed himself as a staff of Canadian Embassy and defrauded Pastor Fortune Chuckwudi and David Uche in the guise that he would procure Canadian visa for them.

Police Insp. Raphael Donny told the court that the accused committed the offences with one person still at large on March 15, 2017, on Victoria Island, Lagos.

The prosecutor said that the accused stole a Nigerian Passport No: A02572422, property of the pastor, and also stole his N2 million.

He added that the accused fraudulently obtained N1. 15 million from another complainant under the pretext that he was a staff of Canadian Embassy and would procure visa for him too.

The offences contravene Sections 287, 314 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 314 prescribes a 15-year jail term for false pretences while Section 287 stipulates a seven-year jail term for stealing.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the offences.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs B.O. Osunsemi, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum.

Osunsemi said that the sureties must be gainfully employed with an evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.Over the past year, Abuja residents and dwellers have continued to notify people that Abuja isnt safe anymore, with the rate of crime; robbery, kidnapping, assault and other violent crimes increasing over the past one year. Places like NICON Junction now require ultimate care to walk on, especially very early in the morning or late in the night.

That was exactly the story of a lady who was kidnapped by one-chance operators in Abuja on November 9, 2018, around 5:30 am. According to Instablog9ja, the lady boarded the car going from Arab road, Kubwa to Nyanya, operated by 40-year-old Onyebuchi Ifeanyichukwu, and 35-year-old Anthony Sunday.

Unknown to her, they were one-chance operators.

Who are one-chance operators?

The pop culture identifier originates from criminals who pose as legitimate commercial drivers and passengers in a commercial vehicle, while one poses as a conductor to prey on the vintage impatience of passengers by offering them the last available seat on the vehicle, otherwise known as one-chance or last chance.

Unwitting passengers get in and become victims of robbery, kidnapping, assault and even rape. These men divert vehicles from the planned routes to other routes to rob them. This is now very common in Abuja as operated by Ifeanyichukwu and Sunday.

While the car was initially meant for Nyanya, the two men diverted the car back to Zubar where they robbed the young woman of cash, phone, two ATM cards, and other valuables before abandoning her.

Nonetheless, they were however arrested by members of the Nigerian Police on November 10, 2018. Amongst the knives, nails, one phone, some jewelry, one bag containing women clothes (belonging to one of their victims) and a Honda Accord car that were recovered from the men, the police also found some female underwear on them.

You might remember that a few weeks ago, Pulse reported that a video posted on Instablog9ja where a man was seen advising women to be careful with their underwear. He claimed regular female panties were being purchased by ritualists for about N250K.

He also claimed that the panties with blood stains cost more, about N300k. Watch the video again here;ece-auto-gen

As part of the Pedabo series of activities in celebration of their 20th Anniversary, The firm led by their Managing Partners took to the street to sensitize the public on the awareness of Mental wellness as a way of giving back to the society and helping the Government create an Awareness.

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The issue of Mental Healthy in Nigeria has generated growing concern over the rising incident of mental health problem among Nigerian youths where one in five youths stand a risk of having mental health issues.

This awareness was to address the need for everyone to be watchful of Depression, anxiety and other forms of disorder at home and at workplaces as it is a medical condition characterized by persistent sadness and loss of interest in activities that one previously found enjoyable.

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The guest speaker Dr. Mamunah Kadiri Yusuf, a multiple Award winning Mental Health Physician and Advocate. Stressed the need to show concern for others dealing with mental illness while delivering a speech on  she enlightened the participants on depression, anxiety and other form of disorder and encourage them to seek help as it is a medical conditions that should be properly taken care of. She also highlighted some Tips on how to know when someone close to us is depressed.

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Pedabo also made available to the public a Consultants/medical Helpdesk from the Pinnacle Medical Services, Nigerias leading and foremost Psychology and Mental health clinic prominent in the application of innovative clinical approaches in the management/treatment of a wide range of psychological, emotional, and behavioural related disorders.

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The Walk around the Lekki/ VI axis ended at the Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos. Highlight of the event was the Cutting of cakes in celebration of Mr. Albert Folorunsho, the Managing Consultant of Pedabo whose birthday was same day as the event.

See more photos

ece-auto-genTouted in ELLE as two of the most powerful women on the planet, the two speak open and honestlyQuite poignantly, Michelle Obama ends the interview with a quote that resonates. She says, "We have a responsibility to be optimistic. And to operate in the world in that way."

Michelle Obama was quite possibly one of the most iconic first ladies we have ever had. Not only was she well-educated and took to her role with class, grace and enthusiasm, she was also well turned out and devastatingly stylish. She was the full package. Since the Obama's have left office, they have been incredibly missed but their legacy lives on

It is to our delight that we find Michelle on the cover of the December 2018 issue of Elle with an accompanying interview with Oprah Winfrey herself. The cover image was shot by photographer Miller Mobley and it features a radiant Michelle Obama wearing a Dior ensemble.

Read excerpts from the interview below:

Oprah Winfrey: First, let me just say: Nothing makes me happier than sitting down with a good read. The book is tender, it is compelling, it is powerful, it is raw. There are so many revelations in this book. Was writing about your private life scary?

Michelle Obama: Actually, no, because heres the thing that I realised: People always ask me, 'Why is it that youre so authentic?' 'How is it that people connect to you?' And I think it starts because I like me. I like my story and all the bumps and bruises. Thats what makes me uniquely me. So Ive always been open with my staff, with young people, with my friends. And the other thing, Oprah: I know that whether we like it or not, Barack and I are role models.

Yup.

I hate when people who are in the public eyeand even seek the public eyewant to step back and say, 'Well, Im not a role model. I dont want that responsibility.' Too late. You are. Young people are looking at you. And I dont want young people to look at me here and now and think, Well, she never had it rough. She never had challenges, she never had fears.

Were not going to think that after reading this book. Millions of people have been wondering how youre doing, hows the transition, and I think theres no better example than the toast story. Can you share the toast story?

Well, I start the preface right at one of the first weeks after we moved into our new home after the transitionour new home in Washington. Its the first regular house, with a door and a doorbell, that I have had in about eight years. The toast story is about one of the first nights I was alone therethe kids were out, Malia was on her gap year, I think Barack was traveling. As First Lady, youre not alone much. There are people in the house always, there are men standing guard. There is a house full of SWAT people, and you cant open your windows or walk outside without causing a fuss.

You cant open a window?

Cant open a window. Sasha actually tried one daySasha and Malia both. But then we got the call: 'Shut the window.'

[Laughs]

So here I am in my new home, just me and Bo and Sunny, and I do a simple thing. I go downstairs and open the cabinet in my own kitchenwhich you dont do in the White House because theres always somebody there going, 'Let me get that. What do you want? What do you need?'and I made myself toast. Cheese toast. Then I took my toast and I walked out into my backyard. I sat on the stoop, and there were dogs barking in the distance, and I realised Bo and Sunny had really never heard neighbour dogs.

Theyre like, Whats that? And Im like, 'Yep, were in the real world now, fellas.' Its that quiet moment of me settling into this new life. Having time to think about what had just happened over the last eight years. Because what I came to realise is that there was absolutely no time to reflect in the White House.The name is more than just a tag or a convenient badge of identity. The cultural naming conventions in different tribes are usually deeper than the surface that one sees. For many Nigerian families, and in many parts of Africa, names have been used to drive home different messages  from emotional to generational to circumstantial  and have been used by generations before now.

Knowing the story behind the name of a child can grant you a glimpse into the family history and values. It is usually of some significance either to the family or to the child itself.

Let's look at some of the popular naming patterns in some Nigerian cultures.

Igbo

The Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa as native speakers are estimated at 24 million. Their cultures are also very prehistoric and have evolved over time. In Igboland, the naming ceremony takes between the 7th and 12th day after the child is born and one or two names are chosen for the child. Names given to the child are either a reflection of circumstances surrounding birth, the day of the week the child is born, the order of birth, emotions of parents, observations about the child, or respect to ancestors. However, with the adoption of Christianity, many of the superstitious beliefs have been wiped out and new concepts added.

For example, names like Okonkwo, Okafor, Okeke, Okorie, Nwankwo, Nwafor, Mgbeke, Nweke and Nworie were names given to reflect the four Igbo market days, Orie, Nkwo, Afor and Eke. Now, these names are hardly given to children of these generation and are now dominantly surnames that have been passed down through generations.

Some other naming patterns in Igbo land:

Yoruba

Yoruba is one of the major ethnic groups and languages in Nigeria with rich culture and heritage. The naming of a child is a very special affair and takes place on the seventh day after birth for females and on the ninth day after birth for males. Among the Yoruba people, children might have as many as 13 names and these names can be a combination of three different concepts: the Amuntorunwa (the name the child brought from heaven); the Abiso (the christening name) including the Abiku names; and the Oriki (the attributive name).

When a child is born with a name, Amuntorunwa, it usually indicates the circumstances of his or her birth and the names are usually applicable to all children born under like circumstances. The Abiso names include fetish names, indicating the deity that is worshipped in the particular family. Abiku names are given to a certain class of children who are "born to die", similar to the Ogbanje phenomenon of the Igbos.

Oriki names are given to male and female to express what the child is or is hoped to become, to stimulate the destiny of the child. They can be prayers which result in very long names.

Some naming patterns in Yoruba land include:

Kalabari

The Kalabari are a tribe of the Ijaw people living in the western Niger Delta region of Nigeria. These are also a people of rich culture and heritage, and the names they give their children are a reflection of that. Just like in many parts of the country, some of the names given are influenced by the circumstances surrounding the child's birth while some reflect faith and express what the child is or is hoped to become.

However, due to early and prolonged interaction with the Europeans, European names are a common feature among the Kalabari and many Ijaw children. Ba and Ye suffixes are used to indicate family ties and differentiate between male and female names with traditional names. It is common, though, to see names such as Serenaba, meaning Serena's daughter, or Serenaye, meaning Serena's son.

HausaUnlike physical stores, the internet never closes and that gives you the opportunity to shop anytime you want as long as you have money in your bank account.

However, the ease and convenience that come with online shopping can make you make costly money decisions.

Getting addicted to buying things online could prompt you to make unplanned purchases and thus go over your budget.

To prevent yourself from this, here are five ways to control shopping addiction.

1. Block internet access to the retail shop's site

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If going to a retail website always prompts you to make an impulsive buy, and it seems you can't stop yourself from buying each time you visit the site, the best thing to do is to block yourself from accessing the website.

This isn't difficult to do. If you use Google Chrome to browse, you can block your access to a website with a Chrome extension called Block Site. You can also use another Chrome extension called Personal Blocklist to stop a website from appearing in your Google searches.

2. Delete the shopping apps on your phone

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Having shopping apps can encourage your shopping habits since it is the easiest way to buy on retailers platforms. However, if you are getting addicted to the platform, deleting the retail stores' apps on your mobile devices is a smart way to prevent yourself from the shopping addiction.

3. UnsubscribeAccording to a statement by the Army, the girl, identified as Shaidatu Adamu, was arrested by troops when she attempted to infiltrate Maiduguri to detonate her suicide vest.

She confessed to troops that she was from Gwoza, Borno and had been in Sambisa Forest with Boko Haram terrorists for about three years.

Adamu was transferred to 7 Military Intelligence Brigade in Maiduguri for further investigations after the troops of the 47 Explosive Ordinance Device Battalion were invited to diffuse the explosives.

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While the Army's statement did not clearly state Adamu's involvement with the terrorist group, it's not unlikely that she's another in a long list of abducted hostages forced to carry out suicide bomb attacks on civilian and military targets. The group has abducted more than 1,000 children in Nigeria since 2013, according to a UNICEF report.

Between April 2011 and June 2017, the terrorist group used a record 244 female suicide bombers to attack in the northeast region where it majorly operates.

While some of the suicide bombers may have willingly signed up, many are believed to be forced to strap bombs to their bodies and carry out attacks.

Some have been known to run to security operatives to assist in detonating their vests while others detonate when confronted by operatives.The Presidents decline of Assent was contained in a letter to the House of Representatives and read by Speaker Yakubu Dogara at Tuesdays plenary.

In the Letter, the President based his decline of Assent on two reasons as read out by the House Speaker.

The House of Representatives: My decision on Nov. 5, 2018, to decline presidential assent to the Institute of Chartered Biochemist and Molecular Biologists of Nigeria Bill 2018, recently passed by the National Assembly is for the following reasons:

The provision of Section 13, Subsection 3, to give the Chartered Biochemist and Molecular Biologists of Nigeria power to probe academic programmes; and even close down programmes in tertiary institutions, infringes on the mandate of the National Universities Commission and the National Board for technical education.

The President also cited certain drafting and Administrative issues in the Bill as contained in sections 13 and 14 in relation to Practice and appointment of a Chairman as confusing.

The House later abruptly adjourned its sitting due to break down of the public address system in the Chambers till Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018.The Daily Nigerian released several videosof the Kano state Governor allegedly receiving kickbacks from contractors.

According to The Cable, Buhari spoke about the bribery allegation against the Governor while interacting with members of the Nigerian community in France.

The President was in France for the which held from November 11  November 13, 2018.

Buhari snaps

The Cable reports that the President snapped when a student on scholarship from Kano state praised Governor Ganduje and asked the Federal Government to emulate him.

ALSO READ:Nigerians knock Buhari for receiving Ganduje at the Villa

Havent you watched the videos of the governor stuffing dollars under his gown?

We gave the videos to security agencies for vetting. And we will surely take action on the matter if he is found guilty," Buhari said.

"The presidents response did not go down well with a member representing Nassarawa Constituency, Nassir Ali-Ahmed and personal assistant to the president on Broadcast Media, Shaaban Sharada, who pleaded with journalists to remove the portion where the president made remark on the governor," Daily Nigerian reports.

Court stops probe

Meanwhile, a Kano High courthas ordered the state House of Assembly to stop its investigation into the bribery allegations against Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

Bribery scandal does not concern Buhari

On Sunday, November 4, 2018, President Buhari's Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the president has no business interfering in Ganduje's case.The new directive comes days after night-time curfew was relaxed in the city.

According to a statement released by GovernorNasir El-Rufai's spokesperson, Samuel Aruwan, residents of the affected environs are now free to go about their businesses.

However, the curfew hours remain the same in Kujama, kasuwan Magani and Kachia towns of the state.

The statement read, "The Kaduna State government has lifted the curfew in Kaduna metropolis and environs, with immediate effect. The night-time curfew which had subsisted in the city since October 2018 has now been removed.

"Residents are now free to go about their legitimate business at any time of the day.

"However, a security review has determined that curfew hours be retained in Kujama, Kasuwan magani and Kachia towns in the state.

"Night time curfew in Kachia is from 10pm to 6am. For Kasuwan Magani and Kachia the curfew remains 5pm to 6am.According to BBC, Matthias said this while reacting to a report on the impact of fake news on the communal clashes that has engulfed the state in recent times.

The report also revealed that some of the images posted on Facebook during the clashes were not in any way related to incident.

According to the Plateau police spokesman, It was the pictures, the supposed pictures that emanated from the attack [in Gashish].

Jos South was not under attack. But because of those images they saw, the next day, roads were blocked. People died. Vehicles were burned. So many people died.

Fake news on Facebook is killing people.

Gashish attacks

In June 2018, over 100 people were killed after gunmen attacked Razat, Ruku, Nyarr, Kura and Gana-Ropp villages of Gashish Districtin Barkin Ladi local government area of the State.

This led to reprisal attacks by youths in the affected areas, who reportedly targeted Muslims.

Fake images

According to the BBC report, On 23 June 2018, a series of horrifying images began to circulate on Facebook.

One showed a baby with open machete wounds across his head and jaw. Another  viewed more than 11,000 times  showed a mans skull hacked open. There were pictures of homes burnt to the ground, bloodied corpses dumped in mass graves, and children murdered in their beds.

The Facebook users who posted the images claimed they showed a massacre underway in the Gashish district of Plateau State, Nigeria. Fulani Muslims, they said, were killing Christians from the regions Berom ethnic minority.

A video in which the mans head was cut open did not even come from Nigeria, it was recorded in Congo-Brazzaville nearly a thousand miles away, in 2012.

A victim of fake news

According to the report, the police believes that the reprisal attacks were sparked by the fake news and images on Facebook.

Speaking to the BCC, a Berom youth said As soon as we saw those images, we wanted to just strangle any Fulani man standing next to us.

Who would not, if they saw their brother being killed?

Ali Alhaji Muhammed, is one of the victims who lost his life as a result of the spread of fake news that sparked the retaliatory attacks.

Muhammed was killed at a road block by Berom youths on his way to see a customer.

According to BBC, He was dragged from his car along with another male passenger. His charred remains were found three days later near the edge of the Jos-Abuja highway. His body was so badly mutilated his wives refused to see it.

Ali was one of 11 men who were pulled out of their cars and killed on 24 June.

Some were set alight. Others were hacked to death with machetes. Days later, their bodies were still being discovered across the city, dumped in ditches, behind houses and along the roadsides. Many were burnt beyond recognition.

Armys take on fake news

The Nigerian Army also shares the same view that fake news has caused a lot of harm in Plateau state.

The Army said in order to curb the menace, they hold regular meetings with local imams, pastors and politicians in Plateau to sensitise them of the dangers.

Speaking to BBC, Major-General Augustine Agundu the commander of the peacekeeping force in the state, said [Fake news] spirals before you know whats happening. You have to spend a lot of effort to let people know that it is false.

Another military source, also revealed that the Army has set up a helpline where people can report fake news.

The officer also said that the use of radio has been helpful in debunking fake news.

FGs campaign against fake news

The Nigerian government has constantly warned against the spread of fake news, with its minister of information, Lai Mohammed describing it as a threat to national unity.

In July 2018, the government launched the National Campaign Against Fake News to combat the global menace.

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) also described the phenomenon as a potential threat to social co-existence of the country.

CITAD then urged the Nigerian government to take decisive action to tame the menace.

What is Facebook doing about it?

According to BBC, Facebook on its part, has come up with what is called the third-party fact-checking programme to curb the spread of fake news.

The report said that The programme is part of a worldwide approach that Facebook has already rolled out in 17 other countries.

In Nigeria, the third parties are the French news agency AFP and the non-profit organisation Africa Check. Their fact checkers will review stories that have been picked up by Facebooks automated system for detecting false information. The system includes posts that have been flagged as false or misleading by other Facebook users.

So far, Facebooks third-party fact-checking partners, AFP and Africa Check, have committed just four people full-time in Nigeria to analysing and debunking false news, on a platform that is used by 24 million Nigerians every month.

According to a source who spoke to BBC, the fact checkers only end up debunking five stories in a week.

A director at the International Fact-Checking Network, a body that accredits fact-checking agencies, Alexios Mantzarlis, also said that fact checkers might be able to complete between 20  100 fact checks in a month.Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola said this at a news conference in Abuja on Monday.

Fashola, who presented his third year progress report said federal government at inception of current administration promised to improve electricity supply via incremental, stable and ultimately uninterrupted power supply.

Fashola said: With regard to our mandate on power supply, I promised that we will improve on the gas supply, increase the transmission capacity, pay Ministry Departments and Agency (MDA) debts and generally improve your experience with power supply.

First by getting incremental power, then proceed to stable power and hopefully reach uninterrupted power.

I am happy to report that we have walked our talk, and we have delivered visible results and recorded qualitative progress.

He said government had improved on what it met in 2015 by increasing generation from 4000MW to 7000MW, transmission from 5000MW to 7000MW and distribution from 2,690MW to 5,222MW.

According to the minister, efforts were still on to deliver additional power to Nigerians.

Our work is clearly not finished, and we are still in the process of delivering additional generation from Kaduna power plant, 215MW, Afam IV plant, 240MW, Kashimbilla 40MW, Gurara 30MW, Dadinkowa 29MW.

He said government was also in final stage of providing power supply to nine universities and 15 markets.

Fashola said two big hydro power plants of 700MW in Zungeru and 3,050MW in Mambilla was also in the process of been generated.

The Minister said to further improve transmission of power, 90 transmission projects were on-going across the nation with recent completion of Apo, Mayo Belwa, Damaturu, Maiduguri, Odogunyan and Ejigbo transmission lines.

On construction of distribution infrastructure, Fashola said over 100 injection sub-stations was being constructed, adding that a distribution expansion programme to be funded by the federal government had reached advanced state of procurement.

He, however noted that there were still Nigerians who were yet to be supplied electricity, adding that government and all the value chain operators were making efforts to deliver power to Nigerians.

Although there are still people, we have not reached, although there are still disruptions from time to time, and although there are still people who also need meters, and we are working to reach them.

But it is indisputable that we have delivered on incremental power.

The evidence of our progress is not only captured in the last quarter of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report for Q2 of 2018 which shows a growth of 7.5 per cent in the electricity sector.

Previous quarterly reports from 2017, have consistently recorded growth, a clear departure from 2014, 2015 and proof of change.

Fashola said the report of the ministrys survey and feedback mechanism confirmed that many Nigerians now have public power for longer hours compared to 2015.

And you now run generators for shorter periods compared to 2015 and you now spend less money on diesel to power your generators.

As some citizens recently reported, they no longer have to iron all their clothes one week in advance as they previously used to do.

Because the supply is proving reliable and predictable even if not yet fully stable and uninterrupted.

This is progress that we must move forward by consolidating on our mandate of change, we cannot go back.While addressing a group named "Friends of Democracy" in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Monday, November 12, 2018, he said governments that are against making local councils autonomous should be treated as enemies of the people.

He expressed his frustration with the fact that only nine states had passed the bill sent by the National Assembly to make council areas more independent.

He said, "Local government is meant to be autonomous. But from what we know, most states have incapacitated the councils. They have virtually stolen their money in what they called joint account. They are to contribute 10% but they never contribute anything.

"So, what we have across the country are local government areas that have functions but cannot perform them. They have staff but most of them cannot pay the workers and we keep getting excuses upon excuses.

"The bill passed by the National Assembly has only been signed by nine states. I am proud of those states because they are what you will call progressive states that really believe in democracy."

The former president praised the state governments that signed the bill. They are Osun, Bayelsa, Cross River, Bauchi, Sokoto, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, and Benue.

He added, "But we must say those state executives and the legislatures that have prevented the bill from being passed, they must be taken as the enemies of the people and they should be treated as such.

"Because if you enjoy autonomy from the federal government, why don't you want local governments to enjoy autonomy?"

The former president called on the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to fight for the interests of the people and realise that the interests will best be served at the local government that has autonomy.According to Daily Post, the Vice-President said this while speaking at a lecture in Lagos state on Monday, November 12, 2018.

Osinbajo also alleged that the corruption that took place during the previous administration is the reason the country is going through crisis today.

He said What do these figures show? They show that when oil prices were at the highest between 2010 and 2014 the government was borrowing heavily.

From 2010 to 2014, debts moved from $35bn to $63bn. When we assumed office in 2015, the debt that the previous government left was $63bn.

Today, three and half years later, the debt is $73bn.

There are two reasons why despite high earnings we are poorer  the first is grand corruption and mismanagement of resources. And there is a difference between grand corruption and ordinary corruption.

Grand corruption is directly stealing from the CBN, directly taking money from the treasury without any contract, no pretences; theres no caution, you just take money. That was going on and I will give you several examples.

When I got to the office as Vice-President, I couldnt believe it. In one day, $292m was signed out and it disappeared. After that period, for two weeks, the Central Bank of Nigeria did not have cash dollar  $292m without any real explanation! We later discovered what became of the money.

On another occasion, N60bn was moved out ostensibly for security purposes; but we know what happened.

When you have a corrupt government, large sums of money which can be used for development is simply taken. If you are the President of Nigeria, you can literally say, Go and bring money.

ALSO READ: Osinbajo says religious leaders call him not to sack officials

Look at a sum of N60bn; when someone can take N60bn; and $292m, thats almost N70bn. Today, our TraderMoni scheme is costing us N20bn, where were giving to petty traders a loan of N10,000 and when they pay back, we give them N15,000 and when they pay back, we give them, N20,000. But somebody will take $292m, almost N70bn. If you have N70bn, you will solve the problem of seven million of those petty traders. Thats the kind of thing we are talking about and the kind of contrast that were trying to draw.

Osinbajo slams preachers

The Vice-President recently berated gospel preachers for failing to lend support to the Federal Governments anti-corruption war by failing to preach against the scourge.

According to Osinbajo, the men of God focus on preaching prosperity instead of righteousness.Atiku, on Sunday, November 11, 2018, alleged that he was subjected to a search by security agents which he said aimed at intimidating him.

He said "I arrived to Abuja this morning to a search by agents of the state, aimed at intimidating me and my staff.

I am committed to building a Nigeria where no citizen is intimidated by agents of state who are paid to protect them. Together, #LetsGetNigeriaWorkingAgain.

The former Vice-President returned to Nigeria from Dubai, where he held series of meetings with leaders of the PDP.

Atikus sin

Vanguard reports that the former Anambra Governor also called on politicians to embrace peace, adding that Nigeria will be a better place if people show love to one another.

He said His only offence is that he is the presidential candidate of an opposition party. It is not as if you are not allowed to do a routine check.

What I am saying is that we have a country and what we need now is to be showing each other love and show the example to the younger ones that we are not divided, that we are together, that we want the country to work. Its about the country.

ALSO READ:PDP accuses Buhari of ordering security agents to harass Atiku

All these divisions are not necessary for our future. But what we do is that we are dividing the country. But you see people coming to a programme chanting war songs. It shouldnt be.

FG dismisses Atikus claim

In its reaction, the Minister of State, Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirikasaid that Atiku was subjected to the normal screening exercise at the airport.

Sirika also described the PDP presidential candidates claim as a mischievous attempt aimed at attracting media attention.The party's spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, had issued a statement on November 1, 2018, to announce that Atiku has worked out a pricing template that will immediately crash the pump price of fuel in the country if he becomes president in 2019.

The statement read, "Our Party is talking with top international players in the oil and gas industry, and this engagement has shown that the appropriate pump price of fuel in the Nigerian market, under the current subsidy regimes of the Buhari Presidency, should be within the borders of N87 to N90."

"We urge Nigerians not to despair as our Presidential candidate, Atiku, has already worked out a blueprint that will end sleazes, ensure appropriate pricing template and free resources to guarantee the availability of product on a national pricing regime," Ologbondiyan added.

Contrary to the party's position, Obi, a former Anambra State governor, has distanced the candidate from the promise which stirred a lot of debate two weeks ago.

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While speaking during an interview on Arise TV's The Morning Show on Monday, November 12, 2018, Obi said there's a distinction between the party making the promise and the candidate doing the same.

He said, "The candidate didn't say so. If they ask me, that was the party spokesman. I, as Peter Obi, will tell you that it'll be determined by market forces.

"When the candidate starts, he'll make promises and I, as his loyal vice president, will ensure that whatever he's promised, we'll keep it."

Fuel price could go up or down - Obi

When further questioned on what Atiku's administration would do to tackle the fuel price menace, Obi said it'll be determined by market forces that could mean the price could increase or decrease.

While initially trying to deflect that fuel price is not as big a problem as other issues like the rate of out-of-school children, Obi said the price will not change drastically with an Atiku presidency.

He said, "Whenever you talk about issue of fuel and this, you're talking about few millions in Lagos and other cities that can afford a car. Nigeria has less cars than most states in the United States. We have 13.5 million children out of school. That is our bother. We have millions of children who don't have jobs, that should bother us not what people pay in fuel.

"And I can tell you, it (fuel price) is not going to be different from what they (Nigerians) are paying today. But it'll be determined by market forces, it can go up or down.

"The difference between Atiku's presidency is that he's a businessman, he understands business. I, too, am a businessman and we must make it work."

2019 presidential election

While next year's election, scheduled for February 16, 2019, is expected to be keenly-contested between President Buhari and Atiku, they both face competition from other candidates including Donald Duke of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Kingsley Moghalu of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), Obiageli Ezekwesili of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC).

Others are Tope Fasua of the Abundance Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), Eunice Atuejide of the National Interest Party (NIP), Olusegun Mimiko of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Adesina Fagbenro-Byron of the Kowa Party (KP), Chike Ukaegbu of the Advanced Allied Party (AAP), Hamza Al-Mustapha of the People's Party of Nigeria (PPN), Obadiah Mailafia of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and many more.Magu was giving a scorecard of his agencys work at a press conference which held at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, Nigerias capital.

Afterwards, journalists assailed the anti-corruption czar with questions.

"When would Magu probe Tinubu?"

When will Magu probe Tinubu who had claimed, ahead of the Osun governorship election, that he was richer than the entire Southwest state?', one journalist inquired.

Tinubu belongs to the presidents governing political party and allegations bordering on the source of his wealth since he left office as governor of Lagos in 2007, have dominated grapevine and beer parlour chatter for decades.

The allegations remain unproven, however.

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Responding, Magu said he can only act on allegations contained in a petition, and not on hearsay.

And then he challenged the journalist to forward him a petition containing Tinubus alleged dubious dealings and illicit accumulation of wealth.

You know what? If you are really interested, write a petition and see whether I wont act. Go and write a petition and substantiate in the petition and find out if I wont act.

It is not for us to listen to people on radio and begin to act. Yes, we have intelligence but the surest way to get action is to go and write a petition and substantiate the contents of the petition and see whether I will not act", Magu said.

Governor Ganduje's 'bribe video' also got a mention

Magu was also asked about the bribery allegation levelled against Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

Ganduje has been shown in a series of videos receiving kickbacks in dollars from contractors working on infrastructure projects in Kano.

The governor has described the videos as cloned, doctored and politically motivated.

The Kano State House of Assembly has been investigating the authenticity of the videos.

When Magu was asked if his agency would investigate the videos and corruption allegations levelled against the governor, he dismissed the question.

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Next question please, Magu told a journalist who asked the anti-graft czar to comment on the issue.

President Muhammadu Buhari who won the 2015 election partly on the back of a promise to crack down on endemic graft in Africas most populous nation, has also not publicly commented on the Ganduje videos.

Tinubu has been arraigned for alleged corruption before

In 2011, Tinubu was docked at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for allegedly operating 10 foreign accounts during his spell as governor between 1999 and 2007.

However, the tribunal swiftly dismissed the case against the former Lagos governor after it established that the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) did not establish a prima facie case against him.

CCT Chairman Danladi Umar also ruled at the time that the prosecution abused the process of filing the charges against Tinubu and that the accused should have been invited to either admit or deny the charge. The complainant has no evidence to show that they invited the accused".

The three-man panel of the tribunal dismissed the case at Tinubu's second appearance, declaring that there is no significant basis to proceed against Tinubu as the charges were defective and shoddy".

Umar had added that "some (of the foreign accounts) even bear female nameshow can the accused be made to answer such charges?

Tinubu hasn't been charged for corruption since his CCT appearance.This was part of her policy speech, which she read out to the media, on Monday in Lagos.

Ezekwesili, who was Nigerias former Minister of Education as well as Solid Minerals, also reiterated her call on Nigerians to reject the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in 2019.

She said, "There are seven monstrous challenges that I see holding us down. To solve each of them would need bold, visionary leadership and hardwork from an intelligent government:

"Too little productivity and competitiveness of the Nigerian economy: For a nation of our size and our potentials, our low real Gross Domestic Product of $375.77bb after 58 years of independence is terribly underwhelming. Unlike China which grew in double digits over almost three decades to become a $14tn GDP economy, Nigerias growth has been trapped in cycles of boom and bust in the classic evidence of oil price volatility and effects of Dutch disease. We need a bold economic vision to define a pathway of double digit inclusive economic growth over the next decade. That is exactly what an ACPN administration will ensure.

"Too much poverty and inequality: Extreme poverty in Nigeria is increasing by nearly 6 people every minute. In the time it will take me to deliver my speech today, about 250 Nigerians would have become extremely poor. Think about that for a second. But that is not even the worst part. According to the World Poverty Clock, if the current trends continue - or to put it another way, if we continue to elect this poverty-bringing APC / PDP leadership, the number of people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria would increase from about 88 million today to 120 million in 2030.

That means that in the next 12 years, over 30 million more Nigerians will join the infamous number of extremely poor people who live on less than N700 per day. When a country has a GINI coefficient above 35 percent, it means the income inequality in that country is very high. Nigerias GINI coefficient is between 46 and 60 percent. Such levels of extreme inequality has all sorts of destabilizing implications for the country. Tackling the inequality and lifting 80 million Nigerians out of poverty will be the mission of my presidency. We need to start the deliberate hard work of pulling ourselves, our friends and our families and our communities from this destructive poverty tsunami sweeping through our nation. Time is not on our side.

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Insecurity and conflicts

"Too much insecurity and conflicts: Nigeria is now the 14th most fragile nation in the world on the Fragile States Index, and the 16th most dangerous country to live in the world, according to the Global Peace Index. The country faces at least 14 major security threats across different regions, from terrorism to herders-farmers clashes, from kidnappings to organized crime and trafficking. Our young girls go to school in the morning to pursue dreams of a better life, but end up at night in terrorists dens, raped and traumatised. Entire communities and even local government areas in this country have been driven into hunger and poverty, as their sources of livelihoods are completely wiped out due to insecurity. The value of a Nigerian life has been devalued and cheapened."

Illiteracy

"Too much illiteracy: 13.5 million children and counting are out-of-school. That is more than the entire population of Benin Republic. Even those who have the privilege of attending our schools these days receive an education that is unfit for purpose and unfit for the competitive and productive country we intend to build. Education will be the number one priority of my government. As Bill Gates, the founder of one of the most innovative companies in the world, said, Education is like a master switch that opens up all sorts of opportunities for individuals and societies. I intend to fully turn up that switch if elected your president.

Health challenges

Citing the recent World Health Organization (WHO) ranking of Nigeria's healthcare system, Ezekwesili said her government will give the health sector attention.

"Too much health and wellbeing challenges: The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks the Nigerian healthcare system as 187th out of 190 healthcare systems in the world. Just last month, the World Bank released its first ever Human Capital Index, and Nigeria was in the bottom six out of 157 countries ranked. My position on health is that it is a fundamental human right. Nigeria loses too much when its human capital do not live healthy lives. Health is central to lifting our people out of poverty; it is central to ensuring that we have a competitive and productive economy. And in my government, it will occupy a central place," she said.

Infrastructural deficit

According to the former minister, "Our country has become notorious for its horrible infrastructure - roads that are simply death traps, epileptic electricity supply, insufficient broadband connectivity, underwhelming rail and ports development. There is little physical links and connectivity for development due to infrastructure deficit in both urban and rural centres. We must heed the Chinese lesson from their well known mantra that if you want to improve the lives of your people, connect them to markets by giving them roads.

Federal structure does not work

"Too much structural faults: Our current federal structure simply does not work. The structure of a federation is its skeleton. A functional structure gives shape, support, and aids the movement of the federation. No wonder Nigeria is handicapped under this dysfunctional structure. There was a time when the APC agreed on the need to restructure the federation and devolve more powers to the regions and states.

ALSO READ:Oby Ezekwesili criticizes Buhari over poor World Bank rating

"The party campaigned in 2015 on a manifesto that propagated the doctrine of restructuring. President Buhari went along with it every step of the way because it is all about getting into power for him. He won and then began to renege on his promises, including on restructuring. He suddenly remembered all the reasons why 'structure is not the problem' with Nigeria," she added,Senator Philip Aduda (FCT-APC) raised an observation to the lawmakers present on Tuesday that the chamber did not have the required number of Senators to go ahead with a legislative session.

He noted that the scanty attendance was due to the fact that many lawmakers were busy with their oversight functions across the country.

He said, "We are less than 10, Mr President. I want to move that since we have not (formed) quorum, we may therefore adjourn but in doing so I want to say that the Senate is empty because various committees are carrying out oversight duties, they are all over the country, ensuring that the budget is performing."

Senator Aduda's motion for adjournment was seconded by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu. However, Ekweremadu noted that the lawmakers present were "somewhere between 15 and 20" and not less than 10 as noted by Aduda.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, urged lawmakers on oversight duties to complete their engagements by the end of the week.

"Some of the findings from the oversight are important and it is important that the exercise is done diligently and we should ensure that it is completed by the end of this week. That is in line with order 10 (3)," he said.

The session was thereafter adjourned till November 20.

Reps adjourn due to faulty sound system

While the Senate adjourned due to low attendance, the House of Representatives adjourned due to a different problem.

When the lower legislative chamber of the National Assembly convened on Tuesday, faulty sound system in the chamber forced an adjournment.

Lawmakers had to pass around a cordless microphone to make contributions on Tuesday in a session that lasted for about an hour.

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According to House Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, the adjournment was necessary to create time for the sound system in the chamber to be fixed.

The same problem had forced an adjournment during plenary on Wednesday, November 7. Dogara had disclosed that the system was malfunctioning as a result of power which had affected the panels of some of the microphones.

He disclosed that the microphones were installed in 1999, and that the panels to replace the malfunctioning ones would take three weeks to arrive Nigeria from Germany.Atiku says he was intimidated and harassed by security operatives who were clearly carrying out political directives.

I arrived to (sic) Abuja this morning to a search by agents of the state, aimed at intimidating me and my staff, Atiku shares in a tweet.

He adds that: I am committed to building a Nigeria where no citizen is intimidated by agents of state who are paid to protect them.

'A deadly squad'

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Comrade Timi Frank, corroborated Atiku's version of events.

Frank described the squad that frisked Atiku on arrival as deadly.

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The deadly squad, in a Gestapo style attack, and acting on orders from above rushed our candidate immediately he landed and attempted to physically manhandle him before invading his aircraft with dangerous weapons to conduct a violent search.

While they did not find anything incriminating on our presidential candidate, this deadly squad violently tampered with certain personal documents and gadgets belonging to him, including some of his campaign documents, Frank said.

Was Atiku unruly and difficult during search?

However, an airport official who spoke to Pulse on condition of anonymity, said Atiku disobeyed airport security when he arrived, became unnecessarily difficult and things went south from that point.

When Atiku arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport from Dubai, he refused to cooperate. Security officials asked him to open his bag for a routine search, but he wouldnt.

The former vice president then told the officials that he had lost the keys. He was fuming at this point. Security officials then broke the locks of his bag. Atiku and his entourage threw a fit. We didn't single him out for persecution. Everyone is searched at airports. It's standard procedure. Thats exactly what happened, the airport official narrated to Pulse.

When Pulse reached out to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), for an official version of events, Corporate Affairs Head, Susan, asked us to call back much later to speak with the General Manager (GM).

"Only the GM can speak with you on this matter. Please call back at 4pm", Susan said. When Pulse called at the time Susan said we should, we were asked to redirect our inquiries to the Department of State Security (DSS).

"They carried out the search on Atiku. You should ask them (the DSS)", Susan said nicely.

DSS spokesperson, Mr. Nnochirionye Afunanya, wasn't immediately available for comments.

Atiku insists he was embarrassed

However, in a statement sent to Pulse, the Atiku campaign organisation insisted that the candidate had been targeted for harassment by the APC led federal government.

The statement reads in parts: On November 5, 2018, exactly a week ago today, the All Progressives Congress released an official statement accusing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of having strategy meetings for the purpose of moving illicit cash into Nigeria and they asked the security services to investigate HE Atiku Abubakar and his plane.

To quote from the APCs statement, the ruling party said Our intelligence, anti-graft and security agencies must be awake to its responsibility of investigating the Dubai meeting. Cash and carry politicians must be prevented from moving illicit cash around to induce voters and sponsor election violence and rigging.

"Again, relevant agencies must check suspicious movement of cash both locally and internationally by politically exposed persons under the guise of a Dubai meeting or any clandestine meeting.

They thereafter asked the security services to search aircrafts belonging to members of the Peoples Democratic Party.

"That statement evinced an obvious premeditated intention by the APC and its Federal Government to deliberately embarrass the former Vice President by invading his plane with security personnel and possibly to set him up for the crimes they had already officially accused him of in their statement.

The official denial by the All Progressives Congress and the Presidency of any hand in the ordeal of the former Vice President is put to lie when you examine their statement of last week which was clearly what was implemented against the former Vice President. It also shows that both parties have no credibility and will do or say anything to further their interests.

The statement by the aviation ministry that the search of Atiku Abubakars plane is routine is an afterthought that does not hold water for the simple reason that the PDP Presidential candidate has been flying in and out of Nigeria without ever receiving such a treatment until the APC released their statement.

This event raises grave concerns about using government services for purely political purposes and what this portends for the conduct of free and fair elections in February 2019, and shows as hollow President Buharis promise to superintendent over credible polls".

Here's the federal government's reaction

The federal government had accused Atiku and his camp of scaremongering in the wake of the incident.

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Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika said airport checks are "mandatory, conventional, internationally applied and routine" and that no one is excused from them under Nigerian laws.The Governor made the clarification on Tuesday, while playing host to people of Sanga Local Government, where Balarabe hails from, who paid him a thank you visit over the choice of their daughter.

While narrating the journey that led to the choice of Dr. Balarabe, Governor El-Rufai said, About a year ago, the Deputy Governor, Architect Barnabas Yusuf Bala told me he was going to contest for Senate, I was in dilemma to get a replacement for Architect Bantex.

So, we started filing list of people for consideration, and I had up to 32 names, including names of some people seated with me here today.

Then, we started selection and dropping of names based on merit from 32 names to 17 to 12 and then five names, three males and two females."

Explaining how he tried to get in touch with Balarabe, the governor said the next challenge for him was how to get Balarabes number and that it was his third wife that gave it to him after he made some calls.

When I called her she said she was in Kenya, I told her that she will be my running mate in the 2019 elections and I asked her whether she will accept it.

She did not give an answer immediately but she called me back after some minutes and said she accepted, the governor explained.

He said after making the choice, many respected persons called to tell him that he made the right choice as Balarabe is hard working and competent.

The governor added:From the beginning, I had told my team that, I will never choose or deny anyone appointment because of religion or ethnicity

While speaking on Balarabes giant strides in her previous assignment, El-Rufai said his running mate has repositioned the state primary healthcare development agency where she was Executive Secretary.

Earlier, the Sanga people said the appointment of their daughter, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe as the running mate to governor El-rufai for the 2019 election has given them hope that they actually belong in the affairs of governance.

Speaking on behalf of the community, the traditional ruler of Numana, Etu Numana, Brig-Gen. Aliyu Yamma (Rtd), said over the years, the successive governments had forgotten the people of the area as far as participation in governance was concerned.

The traditional ruler noted, The governor couldnt have made a better choice than the selection of Hadiza. We now feel a sense of belonging in Kaduna government.

He also appealed to Governor El-rufai to ensure establishment of Army Battalion in Sabon Gida village because of insecurity in the area.For three months now the Kaombo Norte has been anchored off the northern coast of Angola and has recently begun to pump up crude oil secreted in the depths below.

Angola was badly hit by the oil-price plunge in 2014. But sub-Saharan Africa's second-largest oil producer is hoping the project will mark a return to viability for the industry that has dictated Angola's fortunes for the past decade.

AFP

The Kaombo Norte platform is an impressive feat when seen from the helicopter that shuttles the army of engineers and experts to and from the project.

More than 300 metres (330 yards) long, the floating production storage vessel is a converted tanker refitted with a maze of pipes and crude processing tanks.

Two million barrels can be stored onboard and a tanker calls roughly once a week to collect the precious cargo before delivering it around the world.

AFP

Nearby sits a tower marking the top of the 2,000-metre pipe that draws the crude deposits below into the heart of the ship.

"It's fixed to the bottom and is positioned on a very particular bearing that allows the ship to move 360 degrees depending on the wind and the current," said Total's project manager Cyril de Coatpont.

"It's watchmaking on an industrial scale -- and one of the technical achievements of this project."

A 300 kilometre-long (190 mile) network of pipes, a world record, was built below the water's surface to link together the six oil reservoirs.

'An economic miracle'?

It spreads out over 800 square kilometres -- the same surface area as Paris.

Kaombo Norte will be joined in mid-2019 by its sister ship, Kaombo Sul.

AFP

Together they will pump 230,000 barrels a day -- 15 percent of Angola's current production level from estimated reserves of 660 million barrels.

The cost of the project, Angola's largest ever investment in offshore, is $16 billion.

For Total, the largest foreign oil company active in Angola where it is responsible for 40 percent of output with 600,000 barrels a day, this is the price of maintaining production levels.

"There is a positive dynamic with the heightened petrol price and the desire of the Angolan government to back the industry, which is welcome," Total chief executive Patrick Pouyanne told journalists.

The arrival of the Total investment has proved timely for Angolan President Joao Lourenco.

AFP

Since succeeding former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos a year ago he has promised an "economic miracle" to revive Angola's fortunes.

In the early 2000s Angola enjoyed double-digit growth underpinned by its oil industry.

But in 2014 a global slump in the price of black gold, which accounts for 90 percent of Angola's exports and 70 percent of government revenues, plunged the country into deep recession and weighed down the local currency.

Volume into value

The crisis showed policymakers they could not count on oil and would have to diversify the economy.

AFP

"Production fell considerably in recent years as our zones have reached their peak output levels," said the head of Angola's state oil company Sonangol, Carlos Saturnino. "To stop the rot, we had to find new reserves and then exploit them."

The government adopted a raft of measures to encourage the global oil majors to resume exploration activities which had largely been frozen since 2014.

Angola's golden age of oil may be over but the government is committed to its goal of maintaining production at 1.5 million barrels a day.

"We are ready to invite bids for new production blocks next year," said Oil Minister Diamantino Azevedo.

AFP

Total is contributing to the government's drive to revive the sector having announced three new projects.

The recent rebound in oil prices has revived exploration activity across the continent, though analysts remain wary of the value of such projects.

Last month oil prices reached their highest point in four years but have since softened slightly.

"Converting volume into value is undoubtedly sub-Saharan Africa's Achilles heel," said Adam Pollard, a researcher at the Wood Mackenzie consultancy.

AFP

The challenge poses problems for the industry as well as oil-producing nations.

The Kaombo Norte, located 250 kilometres northwest of the capital Luanda, has begun to draw the precious reserves of block 32 -- an achievement 20 years in the making.

Despite the engineering breakthrough represented by the project, Angola's oil bonanza will continue to wind down, say experts.

"Rising crude oil prices are good for Angola," said Carlos Rosado de Carvalho, head of Angolan economic magazine Expansao.According to reports, the appointment was made by President Uhuru Kenyatta last week although no official communication was released from State House.

The Wiper Leader took up the role of heading the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) on peace in South Sudan.

Indication of the appointment

Mr Musyoka had hinted on the appointment on Friday when he declared that he will be Kenyattas errand boy.

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The post that Musyoka took up was formerly held by former Botswana President Festus Mogae, who stepped down in August.

JMEC was established by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development that oversaw the peace process in South Sudan since 2013.

President Salva Kiir signed a peace agreement with rebel leader Riek Machar to end a civil war that killed at least 50,000 people, displaced two million and held up the countrys progress since it gained independence seven years ago.

Raila's role

Similarly to Kalonzo's appointment, Opposition leader Raila Odinga also landed a job as a special envoy with the African Union.

Reports indicated that Odinga's appointment as the AUs special envoy for infrastructure development in the continent was a deal struck six months ago.

ece-auto-gen

The March 9 handshake between Kenyatta and Odinga caught many Kenyans by surprise, considering the bitterly contested General Election and the resultant protests after the mock swearing-in of Raila as the peoples president on January 31.Paula Gair from deriskme.com talks this time each week about cyber security, online safety and privacy risks for yourself, your family and your business. This week she looks at social engineering, what it is, how it tricks people into divulging information, scams involving it and how to avoid it. You can find all the details on deriskme's Long Lunch page here.Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says the Wally Haumaha report proves that he has every right to remain Deputy Police Commissioner.

I think hes been grossly misrepresented, Mr Jones told RadioLIVE.

The report released on Monday found the appointment process for Mr Haumaha was sound, and recommended that unsubstantiated rumours and innuendo should not be a hurdle for advancement.

That report says hes got every right to stay in his job, emphasised Mr Jones.

The inquiry into his appointment had been triggered when it emerged he called the alleged police rape of Louise Nicholas "nonsense" during an investigation in 2004. In a previous statement Mr Haumaha apologised and expressed regret about the comments.

The NZ First MP says the report shows that the media brouhaha was intended to drive Mr Haumaha out of his job.

"I've got not a sliver of doubt that Wally Haumaha - and I can think of thousands of other Maori in New Zealand - are very proud of the role he currently undertakes and I don't think innuendo should be used to destroy."

But several women who complained about DC Haumaha say they still have concerns about him and he should not have been given the job as Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Two who have placed complaints about DC Haumaha's behaviour with the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) say their complaints about bullying have been minimised.

"In 2016 we struggled to get our complaints about Deputy Commissioner Haumaha's behaviour taken seriously. We came up against impenetrable systemic barriers.

"We want to be clear: we complained," the women wrote in a statement to Newshub.

Police Minister Stuart Nash says he's not prepared to put his confidence behind Mr Haumaha until a separate Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) is completed.

"We don't want to prejudice that in any way, shape or form, so let's just wait until that's back," he told media.

Mr Nash said the decision on whether Mr Haumaha would return to his office would be a decision for the Police Commissioner.

Mr Haumaha issued a statement on Monday saying he welcomed the news that the appointment process had been carried out correctly.

"I want to thank all those who have assisted the Inquiry. It has not been easy for anyone, as I know from my own weeks and months waiting for the outcome," Mr Haumaha said in the statement.

Minister for State Services Chris Hipkins told media on Monday the report "speaks for itself".

He said the Government has "full confidence" in the appointment process, which he described as "sound and robust".

Listen to the full interview with Shane Jones above.

Morning Talk with Mark Sainsbury, 9am - 12pm Weekdays and streaming live on 'rova' channel 9 - available on Android and iPhone.

RadioLIVE.FRANCE: In a presentation at the Alpine Rail Optimisation conference in Wien on November 8 Director of Wagon Management at SNCF Fret Nicolas Czernecki confirmed that the operator had become the first railway in Europe to implement automated brake testing on commercial freight trains.WGN America plans to launch the inaugural season of Pure, a drama about the insular world of the Mennonite community, on 23 January in the US.





The series follows the double life that one pastor must adopt to protect his family from a crime syndicate. Starring Ryan Robbins, the one-hour drama takes viewers on a journey down a secretive subculture through the eyes of a conflicted, good-hearted man trying to shield his family and preserve his faith. Also starring is A.J. Buckley, Rosie Perez, Peter Outerbridge and Gord Rand.At the centre of Pure stands Noah Funk (Robbins), a newly elected Mennonite pastor seeking to rid drugs and corruption from his community, but he gets pulled into the very drug ring he is fighting. Hand-in-hand with his devoted wife, Anna Funk (Paxton-Beesley), they battle a world of violence and greed from the inside out. Pure is produced by Two East Productions and Cineflix in association with WGN America, Super Channel, Hulu and the CBC. WGN America has also greenlit a sophomore season of the scripted series, with Alyson Hannigan joining the cast as a recurring guest star. Season two of Pure is slated to premiere later in 2019.BBC pre-school channel CBeebies is to air its first ever signed bedtime story, which will be read by comedian, actor and writer Rob Delaney.





CBeebies Bedtime Stories is on daily at 6.50pm UK time, Delaney will read Ten In The Bed by Penny Dale, and will sign the tale in Makaton on 16 November.He said: My family loves to read together so naturally we're fans of CBeebies Bedtime Stories. I am beyond honoured to be the first person to read and sign a book using the Makaton language. Our family learned Makaton to be able to communicate with our son Henry, who couldn't speak due to a tracheotomy. We're sad Henry isn't here to see it but we're happy other families will get to enjoy a story told in Makaton.Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale

Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada.

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We're sorry, this article is not currently availableWe recently had the opportunity to attend a unique firearms lifestyle event put on courtesy of Rosco Manufacturing. After touring their factory a few months back to get behind the scenes on their 100% in-house blank-to-barrel manufacturing process, weve been keeping a close eye on Rosco and looking for every opportunity to put their tubes to the test. To that end, Rosco has devised a firearms and adventure lifestyle movement that theyve branded with the hashtag #barrelgang. The Barrel Gang is made up of manufacturers, media professionals and trainers from all walks of life who had the chance to come together and, frankly, beat the snot out of some pretty awesome products.

The event was shepherded by Don Edwards of Greenline Tactical. Don brings several decades of US Army SOF experience to the training market, specializing in open-enrollment classes in the use of night vision and intermediate-range rifle craft, including advanced Combat Carbine and Designated Marksman curricula. He spent two days running us through a variety of drills that drove our test rifles from 10 to 500 meters, with yours truly maxing out on a 12-inch gong at 484 meters.

The test guns in question were speced out by Don, and embody his vision of a general purpose duty rifle  something thats comfortable inside a house and capable across a stadium. They are built around Roscos 16-inch purebred barrel, which is bore-scoped, air-gauged and made of 416R stainless. They also provided nitride bolt groups, with bolts matched to the barrels, gas tubes and adjustable blocks. This core was dropped into receiver set/handguard combo from American Defense Manufacturing. ADMs unique lower receiver setup allows completely ambidextrous controls including bolt release/lock-back and mag release.

The sighting setup was a combination of Vortex Razor 1-6x variable optics (in ADM mounts) combined with Dueck Defense offset irons. Burnproof Gear Rail Raps and Sierra Tac slings also helped round out the package. While these rifles were built specifically as testbed guns for the Barrel Gang, there is already some talk of releasing these to the public as Greenline Tacticals signature rifle. If you like what you see here, make sure to bug Rosco Manufacturing and American Defense Manufacturing on their respective social media to make one for you, too.

Pushing a 5.56mm bullet out to nearly 500 meters, from a 16-inch barrel, isnt the easiest feat of marksmanship youll ever attempt. In order to help these rifles go the distance, Atlanta Arms contributed some match-grade fuel. Specifically, they sent heaping samples of the load they currently produce for the US Army Marksmanship Units Service Rifle Team. The AMU load is a 77 grain Tipped Match King bullet with a stated muzzle velocity of just over 2700 feet per second. This load with the Barrel Gang rifles turned out groups that qualify as sub-minute from the 100-meter mark. The author printed a five-round group with three holes touching, and two yanked shots that went about three-quarters of an inch to either side of the ragged clover.

With the rifles dialed in, Greenline Actual took us through a number of drills that stressed multiple shooting positions, transitions between positions and proper execution of marksmanship fundamentals. This allowed us to not only gauge the accuracy potential of these rifles but how well they actually drive. Several exercises included targets at varying distances that required us to either dial the magnification up and down on the Vortex or simply transition to the Dueck irons. Several shooters tried the same drill with both methods, on the clock, to see which method worked faster.

The capstone event was a drill that Don calls The Rifle Man Maker. Without giving the whole thing away, its a time evaluation that included barricade shooting (both strong and weak side), prone, kneeling and standing engagements from 50 to 200 meters with 50-meter sprints back and forth between stages. While we didnt place nearly as high as wed have liked, this reminded us of just how easy it is to get sucked into the reward of burning it down at close-quarters ranges that are overly forgiving of technical marksmanship errors.

The BarrelGang event was a refreshing and unique twist on product demos. Roscos in-house media team will be releasing a full video production of the event. In the meantime, you can search the hashtag #barrelgang on your social media of choice. You can also visit any of the retailers below and use the coupon code BarrelGang for 10% off.

Rosco Manufacturing

American Defense Manufacturing

Atlanta Arms

Dueck Defense

SierraTacThe Diary of Anne Frank is the story of a girl who is, in many ways, like so many other young girls. Her worries about school, boys and famiAs Nigeria heads toward general elections in February, it's in a race to stamp out the bane of the voting system in Africa's biggest democracy: rigging.

Ballot snatching and buying, underage and multiple voting, falsifying results and the suppression of turnout in opposition areas are among the abuses the National Assembly is trying to tackle with new legislation. The bill, passed last month, emerged from talks among the presidency, lawmakers and civic groups. As it awaits President Muhammadu Buhari's signature, time is running out.

"We put a lot of work into the bill and we believe a lot of the provisions are positive," said Clement Nwankwo, the chairman of Situation Room, a coalition of 71 civic organizations monitoring the election process. "If it's not signed now, there'll really be worries."

With state power seen as the shortest route to wealth in Africa's biggest oil producer, the competition to gain office has intensified since military rule ended in 1999. To counter malpractices, the electoral commission introduced biometric voter-card readers in 2015, when Buhari became the West African nation's first opposition candidate ever to win power through the ballot box.

"The card reader has reduced the broad-daylight rigging of elections,'' said Idayat Hassan, the executive director of the Centre for Democracy and Development in Abuja, the capital. "The trend now is to buy votes, disrupt elections in opposition strongholds, which often leads to an inconclusive election.''

The new law requires that voters be biometrically verified before casting their ballot, a departure from the past when filling in an incident form would allow those who couldn't be properly identified to gain an exemption to vote. In areas where card readers malfunction, voting will be suspended until they're fixed. Results will also be electronically transmitted to collation centers, with hard copies displayed at polling units.

The electoral commission is conducting a week-long display of the voter register due to end Tuesday to give people the opportunity to confirm their names and make objections about its contents.

Not everyone is optimistic it will work. Abuses reared up again during the two recent state governorship elections in the southwestern states of Ekiti and Osun. Both were won by the ruling All Progressives Congress in controversial circumstances, with the Osun vote, in particular, deemed not credible by several independent monitor groups.

Even within Buhari's APC, primaries to pick candidates for the national and state legislatures and governors were embroiled in squabbles over widespread allegations of malpractices.

For the national vote, other concerns range from doubts about the integrity of the computer systems, suspect neutrality of some electoral commission personnel, the role of the security forces and the use of thugs by rival parties.

The main opposition People's Democratic Party has accused Buhari, who's seeking a second term in a tight race against its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of planning to rig the vote - an allegation he strongly denies.

"The president has only one vote, governors have a vote each, just like anybody else,'' Buhari, 75, told a visiting delegation from the United Nations and the African Union. "Let the people vote for whoever they choose, without their will being tampered with.''

A day after the president's assurances, a civic group known as Concerned Nigerians alleged that the electronic collation portal of the electoral commission, known as INEC, had been tampered with to make it possible for partisan officials to influence outcomes.

INEC dismissed the allegation.

"On the contrary, the commission has been improving and strengthening its processes and procedures since 2015,'' spokesman Rotimi Oyekanmi said in a statement.

Besides a good performance by the electoral commission and restraint by politicians in using money to buy influence and voters, the security forces could play a large role in deciding whether Nigeria can hold a free and fair vote.

Yet the Achilles heel of any electoral reforms may be the sheer desperation of its people. Almost half of Nigeria's 190 million people live on $1.90 or less a day, according to the World Bank.

"It's good measures are being put in to stop some of the outrageous instances of rigging," said Gozie Agbakoba, who served two terms in the House of Representatives for the PDP from 2003 to 2011. "But stopping vote buying in a country where almost half of the population is living in extreme poverty is the harder one."PARADISE, Butte County  Thirteen more bodies were recovered from the wreckage left by the Camp Fire on Monday, bringing the death toll in the states deadliest wildfire disaster to 42 as friends and family of people who remained missing searched frantically for their loved ones.

Officials said Monday evening that theyre expanding their search-and-recovery efforts by adding 150 people to their crew, bringing in cadaver dogs and erecting two military-type morgue tents. Many of the victims were burned beyond recognition, and DNA samples were being sought to help identify some remains.

Authorities released the first names Monday of victims: Ernest Foss, 63, of Paradise; Jesus Fernandez, 44, of Concow; and Carl Wiley, 77, of Magalia.

Foss, a San Francisco native who retired in Paradise, died when the fire swept through his home on Edgewood Lane. Foss had advanced lymphedema  a blockage of the lymphatic system that caused his legs to swell, according to his daughter, Angela Loo, who lives in Oregon. He was unable to walk and spent most of his time in bed.

For our whole family its been devastating, Loo said. Were in shock.

The fire has burned 117,000 acres and was 30 percent contained as of Monday evening. It has destroyed 7,177 structures  most of them homes  and was threatening another 15,500 structures. The areas most threatened are the Bloomer Hill area, the region below Stirling City and the southeast side of the Feather River.

Chronicle

Many of the missing people are retired seniors with mobility issues that would complicate escaping the firestorm that overtook the town Thursday morning.

Some used only landlines due to the towns notoriously poor cell phone service. Officials said they have been searching evacuation centers to find people reported missing, as its likely many didnt have an immediate way to let friends and family know they were safe.

On Sunday, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said 228 people were unaccounted for, and on Monday he said he was unable to provide an updated number.

Many people looked for missing loved ones at evacuation centers. Others  some outside California  turned to social media for help locating a friend or relative.

Its a pretty desperate situation, said Roman Digby, a Minnesota resident whose father, John Digby, went missing when the flames destroyed his mobile home early Thursday. Ive been calling the sheriff a couple times a day for updates. I just want to know either way if hes been killed or alive, so I can try to move on and deal with what comes next.

John Digby is like so many of the people Honea described as unaccounted for.

Hes 78 years old, has health and mobility challenges, and hasnt been seen since neighbors banged on his door as the firestorm swept though town, destroying nearly everything in its path.

The elder Digby lived at the Pine Springs Mobile Home Park on Clark Road, where he retired in 2008. Neighbors told his son that they knocked on his fathers door when the fire hit, but he refused to leave.

As others fled, they watched as rescuers headed to the area. Roman Digby hopes they got his father out in time.

My dad is in constant contact with me, he said. He was sick, and the only reason he wouldnt be in touch would be because hes unconscious or he passed away. Im trying to hold out hope.

The threat from the flames is no longer dire, but heavy smoke lingered over Paradise on Monday, blocking out the sun, which occasionally appeared as an ominous red orb.

Residents and relatives of the missing are still barred from the evacuated area, where teams search for remains.

Joanne Caddy, 75, has been missing from her home in Magalia since the fire hit. Her house was incinerated, and now her son, Sol Bechtold of Pleasanton, fears the worst.

Caddy doesnt have a car and doesnt drive. She has a cell phone, but Bechtold hasnt been able to reach her. Im praying that someone picked her up, he said.

How to help Evacuees need warm clothes, shoes and socks, and donations are being accepted at the Hope Center in Oroville at 1950 Kitrick Ave. Monetary donations may be made to the North Valley Community Foundation through its website (bit.ly/CampFireHowToHelp), according to Butte County's website. Monetary donations may also be made to the American Red Cross. Visit www.redcross.org, call or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Source: Chronicle research See More Collapse

Bechtold and his wife went to Butte County, where they have searched for Caddy over the last few days. They printed 100 flyers and are checking with the countys numerous shelters, starting from the south and making their way north.

Its tough, Bechtold said Monday. But shes a strong woman. Shes super smart, so if theres anyone who can get out of it, she can.

When Ohio resident Tammie Konicki realized her mother, Sheila Santos, who lived in Paradise, was missing in the fire, she got in her car and started driving. She reached California on Monday but hasnt been able to find her mother at any evacuation shelters.

The last time anyone spoke to Santos, 64, she was groggy from sleeping pills. The fire had already swept into town, and the road to her two-bedroom trailer was closed. Konickis sister was on the phone with Santos that morning when the line went dead.

She was mumbling, and nobody has heard from her since, Konicki said.

Paul Hensons 83-year-old aunt, Evelyn Cline, lived on Roberts Road. She recently suffered a fall and was being cared for in the Atria Paradise assisted-living community. Henson wasnt sure if shed been sent home or was still in the assisted-living center and evacuated with the other residents. No one has heard from her since Thursday.

I honestly dont know what to think, said Henson, who lives in Chico. Its possible a neighbor got her and shes roaming around somewhere. The other possibility is if no one was able to help her. I dont want to think about what would have happened.

The Butte County Sheriffs Office has activated a call center to respond to reports of people missing in the Camp Fire. Anyone with a missing family member, or those who have located a missing person, can call 530-538-6570, 530-538-7544 or 530-538-7671.

Kurtis Alexander, Evan Sernoffsky and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com, esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com, megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KurtisAlexander @EvanSernoffsky @MeganrCassidyCelebrity chef and Northern California local Guy Fieri took dozens of firefighters and other emergency personnel to Flavortown on Saturday as they took a break from battling flames in Butte County.

The Butte County Sheriff posted on Facebook Sunday that Fieri surprised officers at the law enforcement staging area at Butte College the previous night, with trays of food in tow.WEST HARTFORD  Hundreds of residents will kick off the holiday of Hanukkah as they observe a master ice-carver sculpt a giant menorah from a raw block of ice, at what has become one of West Hartfords mega events and the largest Hanukkah celebration in the state.

The unique experience  part of the annual Fire on Ice celebration at Blue Back Square in West Hartford, held annually on the first Sunday of Hanukkah  this year marks the first night of the Hanukkah festival. The super-sized ice menorah will be lit as part of the free event hosted by Chabad of Greater Hartford.

The purpose of this event is to bring the community together for Hanukkah, said Rabbi Shaya Gopin, educational director at Chabad. Hanukkah is a holiday of light and freedom, where few overcame the many, and light triumphed over darkness. Especially after the terrible tragedy in Pittsburgh, we need to strengthen our Jewish pride and spread light and goodness to combat this darkness. He said this event is free of charge and open to all.

Fire on Ice will be held on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. The celebration will be held at Blue Back Square in West Hartford (near Barnes & Noble).

We invite the entire community to participate in this uplifting event, the Rabbi said.

Highlights this year are:

A live concert by award-winning, Six13 Group with their unique Jewish songs ranging from hip-hop dance tracks to rock anthems.

At the peak of the celebration will be the Great Hanukkah Gelt Drop together with the WH Fire Dept. Firefighters of the WHFD will sprinkle chocolate coins from the top of the extended ladder of the fire truck. Children of all ages can collect the many coins as it rains down from above.

New: The Chocolate Gelt Factory. Grind, melt and mold your own chocolate coins.

The Hanukkah Essay Contest. Children (up to age 13) are encouraged to write an essay on What Hanukkah Means to Me. The winner will read their essay at the lighting ceremony and win great prizes. The essay with a 300 word max, should be submitted to info@ChabadHarford.com, subject line: Essay Contest, by Nov. 23.

In addition, the program will feature:

3-D dreidel printing

Hanukkah nails manicure

Glow in the dark face painting

Free raffles and prizes

Arts and crafts

Doughnuts

Activities for all ages.

A heated tent will be set up for the event, and delicious Kosher food will be available for sale.

For more information regarding Fire on Ice, call 860-232-1116 or log on to www.ChabadHartford.com.TORRINGTON  Valerie Manor will hold a special celebration to honor Joseph J. Roman, a decorated World War II veteran, as well as other veterans at the facility.

Roman, a graduate of Torrington High School, is a World War II Veteran and Purple Heart recipient. Drafted into the army in 1943, Roman first served in North Africa before being assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in Europe. The 3rd is famous for suffering the most casualties of any division in the entirety of the War. Members of the division hold 39 Medals of Honor; Roman is the second most decorated in the division behind Audie Murphy, who is the most decorated soldier of World War II. Roman served with the division in Sicily, France, Germany, and Austria. He was hospitalized on four separate occasions for various reasons.

Romans division was the first to enter Rome after the push from Anzio, Italy to Rome. The push from Anzio is believed to be the most suffering 24-hour period in World War II history with the 3rd Infantry Division suffering 995 casualties. Roman and the 3rd Infantry are also responsible for capturing Hitlers summer home in Austria. Roman was injured by machine gun fire during the invasion of France, for which he received his Purple Heart.

The celebration will be held Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Tracy Hoskins, Director of Recreation, will be giving the opening remarks and Roll Call. Members of the Color Guard and VA of Torrington will give the Veterans Day salute with Taps and flag.

For information, contact Tim Brown at tbrown@athenahealthcare.com or call 860-751-39

UNICO acception project applications

TORRINGTON  The Torrington Chapter of UNICO National will be accepting applications for community projects now through Jan. 31, 2019. Community projects funds are made available to nonprofit and public agencies. Applications and criteria can be obtained by calling Mark Giorda at 860-601-8262.

Rally Day to End Hunger and Homelessness set

TORRINGTON  A Rally Day to End Hunger and Homelessness in NWCT will be the theme of a daylong event, featuring six activities, co-sponsored and organized by FISH/Friends in Service to Humanity of NWCT and the United Way of Northwest CT, that all Litchfield County residents are invited to join in the crusade on Saturday, Nov. 17.

Beginning at 10a.m., participants may rally at The Gathering Place for the group photo and then have the opportunity to tour at 21 Prospect Street in Torrington, the areas drop in center for the homeless.

Then residents may walk or drive two blocks to the FISH NWCT Food Pantry and Homeless Shelter at 332 South Main Street. FISH NWCT will open its doors for an open house tour, sharing that they truly are serving our neighbors in need, and that there is no mystery concerning the issues of hunger and homelessness. By 12 p.m., participants can go to St. Peters Hall, 109 East Main Street, for a free community pasta luncheon that will feature a coat giveaway and a short awareness presentation.

Speakers at the event will include Deirdre DiCara, Executive Director at FISH NWCT; Owen Quinn, United Way Executive; Michael Culmo of Mental Health Connecticut; Michelle Anderson of EdAdvance; Julia Scharnberg of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation; and Maria Gonzalez, Family Development Center Manager of New Opportunities. Each speaker will share their service work for the hungry and the homeless of our NWCT corner and bring insight into how community residents can help to impact and positively change lives. The luncheon and coat giveaway will conclude by 2 p.m. Attendees are asked to RSVP the lunch invitation to aid cooks with their preparations by calling FISH NWCT at 860-482-7300 or online at http://pastalunch.eventbrite.com.

That Saturday evening at 9 p.m., the day program will continue when confirmation students of Torringtons St. John Paul the Great Parish will gather for a Cardboard Box - City Sleep Out in front of St. Francis Church. Ms. DiCara will bring guests to visit and join the campfire, who have experienced hunger and homelessness. They will visit with the young people to share the message that there is no stereotyping those in poverty and that every story is unique.

Coats are being collected until Nov. 15 for the coat giveaway at St. Pauls Lutheran Church, 837 Charles St., Torrington; Torrington Ford-Lincoln 1355 East Main Street, St. Francis Church Office of St. John Paul the Great Parish; 160 Main Street, Center Congregational Church, 155 Main St.; and Palace Aids Fireplace, Pool and Spa Center, 922 East Main St.

FISH asks that residents check their closets for potential donations. Last year more than 900 coats were distributed at the Rally Day lunch and the next week in Winsted at The Open Door.

For information, call Deirdre DiCara at FISH NWCT 860-482-7300.

Operation Overflow needs volunteers, donations

Operation Overflow is looking for volunteers, especially women, to sleep overnight, from 8:45 p.m. to 6 a.m., in a Torrington church basement so that no one has to sleep outside in the winter, according to a press release. The new season begins Nov. 23.

Since 2003, Operation Overflow has served homeless adults during the winter months, providing a warm and safe overnight shelter. Partnering with other community organizations, the shelter volunteers guide those in need to more permanent services.

When FISH, the local shelter, is full, Operation Overflow provides shelter in one of three local churches: Trinity Episcopal Church, Northwest Hills Community Church, and First United Methodist Church. Volunteers do not need to belong to a church to help.

Monetary donations, for cots, bedding, coffee, snacks, socks, underwear and toiletries are also needed. For more details, contact Conrad Sienkiewicz at conradsank@gmail.com.Contributed photo

These two buff-colored kitties are bonded and would like to live together in a home with adults and children over the age of 6. Garcia and Taj, age nine, do not have much experience with other cats or dogs, but they may be willing to share their home with a furry friend. These two do have some special needs, but they have lots of life and love left to give. Please ask an adoption counselor to explain when visiting with these two extra-large cats in Waterford. Remember, the Connecticut Humane Society has no time limits for adoption. Inquiries for adoption should be made at the Connecticut Humane Society located at 701 Russell Road in Newington or call toll free: 1-800-452-0114.TORRINGTON  For the fourth time in as many years, the community of Torrington is holding its Rally Day to End Hunger and Homelessness in NWCT, intended to raise awareness as well as money and warm coats for the citys less fortunate citizens.

The day-long event starts with a rally at The Gathering Place on Prospect Street at 10 a.m. followed by a walk to FISH, the food pantry and homeless shelter at 332 South Main St. After tours of the shelter, the group will head to St. Peters Hall at 109 East Main St. for lunch and a short presentation. Guests in need can receive a winter coat at the hall.

All Litchfield County residents are invited to join the crusade on Nov. 17, organizers wrote in a news release. FISH NWCT will open its doors for an open house tour, sharing that they truly are serving our neighbors in need, and that there is no mystery concerning the issues of hunger and homelessness.

Luncheon speakers Deirdre DiCara, executive director of FISH NWCT; Owen Quinn, executive director of the United Way of Northwest Connecticut; Michael Culmo of Mental Health Connecticut; Michelle Anderson of EdAdvance; Julia Scharnberg of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation; and Maria Gonzalez, Family Development Center Manager of New Opportunities.

Each speaker will share what their organization does for the hungry and the homeless of the northwest corner.

The luncheon and coat giveaway will conclude by 2 p.m.

Coats will be collected until Thursday for the coat giveaway, and may be brought to St. Pauls Lutheran Church at 837 Charles St., Torrington Ford-Lincoln at 1355 East Main St.; St. Francis Church Office of St. John Paul the Great Parish at 160 Main St., Center Congregational Church at 155 Main St., and Palace Aids Fireplace, Pool and Spa Center at 922 East Main St.

Last year more than 900 coats were distributed at the Rally Day lunch and at the Open Door in Winsted.

Attendees are asked to RSVP for the lunch by calling FISH NWCT at 860-482-7300 or online at http://pastalunch.eventbrite.com.

That Saturday evening at around 9 p.m., confirmation students of Torringtons St. John Paul the Great Parish will gather for a Cardboard Box - City Sleep Out in front of St. Francis Church.

DiCara will bring guests who have experienced hunger and homelessness to visit and join the campfire. They will visit with the young people to share the message that there is no stereotyping those in poverty and that every story is unique, she said.

This event, timed in concert with the National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, is held the week before Thanksgiving so that we may all reflect about what we are thankful for, and make it the perfect time to share compassion with our neighbors who are experiencing economic crisis and desperate need, DiCara wrote. It is hoped that the greater NWCT community will take positive actions to eradicate homelessness and hunger. We can make change in our NWCT corner.The Lao dam disaster in July that resulted in heavy flooding in two provinces that left at least 40 people dead and displaced 7,000 others has drawn both regional and international attention to the potential dangers of Southeast Asias current dam-building spree.

With plans for 11 large dams either proposed or under construction on the mainstream of the lower Mekong River in Laos and Cambodia, and for about 120 dams on Mekong tributaries by 2040, more disasters are likely to occur, experts say.

Some observers of the hydropower boom have expressed concern over whether project funders and donor countries, also known as international development partners, could be doing more to ensure that dam builders and governments adhere to construction and technical standards in order to avert disasters from shoddy or questionable work.

Observers have also raised questions about whether funders and donors could be doing more to ensure that communities affected by dam projects receive enough money and assistance to compensate them for property and livelihoods lost when they are forced to relocate for dam projects.

The developers of the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydropower project in Laos blamed monsoon rains for the breaching of an auxiliary dam at the plant, which caused devastating flooding that swept through Champassak and Attapeu provinces in the southern part of the country. Lao government officials, however, blamed the dam collapse on substandard construction and called for the projects main developer to be held accountable.

The auxiliary dam was part of a larger U.S. $1 billion hydropower project being built by a joint venture comprising main partner SK Engineering and Construction and Korean Western Power Company Ltd. Of South Koreas, Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Public Company Ltd. of Thailand, and Lao Holding State Enterprise, a state corporation primarily involved with the financing of the energy industry. The project, part of the South Korean governments official development assistance (ODA) to Laos, was to be fully operational by February 2019.

Hydropower experts say foreign development partners and funders, such as regional export-import banks and other loan institutions, can only do so much as stakeholders in the dam-building process.

To use a computer analogy, while developers and governments are responsible for building the hardware of hydropower projects, donor countries and financial institutions are involved in creating the software  the management and safety processes and regulatory environments that the hydropower dams need to operate effectively.

But ultimately, dam developers and governments must monitor construction activities, while ensuring adherence to technical standards rests with profit-driven developers who have limited legal responsibilities, experts say.

Responsibility [for monitoring dam projects] lies with governments, but they have limited capacity; thus, monitoring of construction is often left up to the developer, which has limited legal responsibilities and is driven by profit, Marc Goichot, the lead sustainable hydropower and river basin management expert at the WWF Greater Mekong Programme, wrote in an email.

Developing countries such as Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar do not have the economic, financial, or manpower means to undertake dam projects themselves. Instead, they must rely on foreign investors to develop hydropower sites.

Being in the weaker position [puts] countries and the bureaucratic institutions that should be responsible and in charge of sectoral designs  in a very passive position where they are not able to hold the reins on planning processes [and] sectoral planning processes, said Brian Eyler, director of the Southeast Asia program and an expert on transboundary issues in the Mekong region at the Washington-based Stimson Center.



Investment goals vs. standards

Although there are separate regulations governing hydropower projects in the countries, the relevant domestic laws and regulations tend to be weak, especially in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, where attracting investment is a main task of the government, experts say.

These countries are attracting investment as a top priority, and if there are high levels of standards that could present obstacles to investment flows, then that investment wont come in, Eyler said.

Yet, development banks, donor countries, and NGOs are aware of the governance and capacity constraints on hydropower development in the region, Goichot said.

They also understand that the region needs to produce more energy for people and economies, including through some hydropower, and that this comes with impacts on the [Mekong] rover and the communities and nature that depend on it, he said.

Hydropower projects in Southeast Asia are closely monitored by the Mekong River Commission (MRC), an intergovernmental organization that works directly with the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam to jointly manage shared water resources and the sustainable development of the Mekong River.

The MRC oversees technical processes and the review of individual dam projects on the mainstream Mekong, but does not engage in oversight. It also lacks the authority to force members to delay or halt construction of any given dam project, and has little influence in dam planning which is done at the national level. Tributary projects, however, are the responsibilities of governments.

Financial institutions that provide funds for dam construction have their own governing regulations and requirements as to how their funding is used.

Development partners, such as the United States, European Union countries, Australia, and Japan, however, do work with governments in Southeast Asia to improve their regulatory environments that govern the social and environmental impacts of dam-building, Eyler said.

But this is not to say that the political economy that exists within these countries will not provide opportunities for circumventing those regulations, he said, citing more nontransparent actors.

Stakeholders from China or Thailand or within the countries themselves could circumvent that process and still construct a dam that has substandard design aspects and severe impacts on the environment and communities downstream, he said.

Projects that are financed by The Export-Import Bank of China, for example, have low, nontransparent regulations governing design aspects and environmental or social impacts of dam projects, he said.

Workers build the regulating dam of the Nam Theun 2 hydropower project on the Nakai Plateau in central Laos' Khammouane province, June 28, 2007. Credit: AFP Hard to influence SE Asian dam plans

Development banks, donor countries, and NGOs highlight concerns about dam building and specific projects by issuing joint statements during MRC governance meetings, holding discussions with governments, and giving interviews to the media, experts say.

But it has proven very difficult to influence the dam development path in Southeast Asia up to now, Goichot said.

International funders, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank, promote sustainable hydropower and often use International Hydropower Association protocol, which provides a framework for assessing dam projects against a range of social, environmental, technical and economic criteria, to define and measure sustainability performance, he said.

Each funder has its own governing regulations as well as the laws and regulations of the country in which the project is being built domestic laws and regulations, but experts say there are significant shortcomings.

Though the ADB and World Bank are not involved in any hydropower projects on the Mekong mainstream, they have provided financing to dams projects on tributaries. And in many instances they have come under heavy fire by environmental NGOs that say they fail to address serious concerns about safeguard violations and human rights violations.

The NGOs blasted the ADB for approving funding for the 290-megawatt Nam Ngiep 1 Dam, the 440-megawatt Nam Ngum 3 Dam, the Theun-Hinboun expansion project, and the 670-megawatt Nam Theun 1 Dam  all on tributaries in Laos  urging the bank to not proceed until gaps in safeguard and sustainability compliance had been closed.

Environmental NGOs have likewise taken the World Bank to tasks over projects such as the U.S. $1.3 billion Nam Theun 2 Dam (NT2) in Laos, which the bank funded along with the ADB and other lenders, and the construction of the 136-megawatt Pak Mun Dam on a tributary of the Mekong River in Thailands Ubon Ratchathani province.

The Pak Mun Dam was heavily opposed by local communities and international and Thai NGOs, and since its completion in 1994, it continues to have significant detrimental effects, destroying local fisheries leaving communities impoverished, environmental rights groups say.

The World Bank, the Lao government, and development partners have praised the Nam Theun 2 Dam, which became fully operational in 2010, as a successful model for sustainable hydropower, though green groups dont see it that way.

Proponents of the dam say it generates significant revenue for Laos, while directing part of that income to financing rural community development and environmental protection measures. They also say the project raised the living standards of the roughly 6,300 villagers who lost their farmlands and were forced to relocate.

But earlier this year, environmental NGOs blasted the World Bank for formally transferring responsibilities for managing the dams impacts to the Lao government and the Nam Theun 2 Power Company and for a rural livelihoods project funded by Frances development agency.

Environmental watchdog International Rivers said in June that the World Bank pulled out of the dams environmental and social project too early, and that affected communities reported problems related to land, agricultural programs, fisheries, and off-farm and tourism-based livelihoods as well as a lack of transparency about the resettlement implementation period.

The NGO said that the celebratory tone of a statement issued by the World Bank in January, announcing the handing over of responsibilities glosses over major and ongoing misgivings regarding the NT2 projects persistent failures to reach sustainability targets.

New funders step in

After the two dam projects, the World Bank withdrew from hydropower in the Mekong region, because the projects took too long and were too risky, according to Jake Brunner, program coordinator for Cambodia at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the only environmental organization with official United Nations observer status.

Plans for the Nam Theun 2 Dam were in the making for more than 16 years, but long delays and onerous safeguards also dissuaded governments, he wrote in an email.

This opened the door to new funders, particularly in the private sector, Brunner said. In Laos, this also enabled a planning process that basically involved foreigners cherry-picking the cheapest dams, which was suboptimal in terms of maximum benefits/minimum costs at the river basin and national levels.

RFA contacted the World Bank and ADB about their roles as stakeholders in dam projects in Southeast Asia, but neither responded.

Four days after the Lao auxiliary dam breach in July, the ADB issued a statement that it was closely monitoring the situation along with the government and other development partners to assess the impact of the disaster and seek to contribute to the recovery process.

The ADB has two other projects in the affected areas and said it would ensure that they achieved their goals in the coming months.

Development partners have become largely powerless when it comes to hydro-development, Brunner said. Arguments based on environmental economics showing huge losses regionally from full build-out and appeals to international water law have fallen on deaf ears.

Nevertheless, experts say that international funders and foreign governments could be doing more to hold Southeast Asian countries and dam developers accountable.

These are sovereign countries that in our opinion have made some bad decisions when it comes to energy security, Brunner said.

Our job is to present an alternative vision thats well researched and politically acceptable, he added.

Lao villagers affected by widespread flooding caused by an auxiliary dam collapse at the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydropower project look out from the back of a truck as they are transported through a village in Sanamxai, southeastern Laos' Attapeu province, July 28, 2018. Credit: AFP Lack of ways to ensure accountability

One major obstacle is a lack of strong mechanisms or laws that can ensure accountability for how projects are planned and developed and hold a company accountable for human rights commitments when projects detrimentally affect people and communities.

That includes accountability not only from governments, but also from project developers and investors, Maureen Harris of International Rivers told RFAs Lao Service at a conference on human rights and dam building in Thailand in September.

She noted that dam investors are usually not from the countries that are building the projects, but from others inside or outside Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Europe.

How should these companies and investors be [held] accountable for the human rights impacts of these projects on people? Harris asked. Often companies have made human rights commitments in their politics or in the legal frameworks in their home countries, but when they invest overseas, they are not following these obligations or they are not being held accountable for these obligations.

Cheh Swee Neo-she, secretary of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), a human rights NGO, said no one wants to stop development in the region, but that dam building must be done in a sustainable manner without violating cross-border human rights and having severe negative effects on people downstream, fisheries, livelihoods, and homes.

We have to have a little policing of our companies, of our government, she told RFA at the same conference in Thailand.

When they do these things, they dont actually tell us what theyre doing  and then we find out about it, and the damage has already been done, she said.

Additional reporting by RFAs Lao Service.Rohingya protest at the Kutupalong refugee camp to mark the first anniversary of their exodus to Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, Aug. 25, 2018.

The U.N. human rights chief urged Bangladesh on Tuesday to halt plans to repatriate more than 2,200 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, saying they are too terrified to return, while Bangladeshi officials said they hoped to start the process this week.

Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said her office was getting reports about alleged rights violations against Rohingya who stayed in Myanmars Rakhine state after more than 700,000 people from the stateless minority had escaped to refugee camps in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, since August 2017.

We are witnessing terror and panic among those Rohingya refugees in Coxs Bazar who are at imminent risk of being returned to Myanmar against their will, Bachelet said in a statement issued in Geneva.

Forcibly expelling or returning refugees and asylum seekers to their home country would be a clear violation of the core legal principle of non-refoulement, which forbids repatriation where there are threats of persecution or serious risks to the life and physical integrity or liberty of the individuals.

Bachelets statement came amid news reports that some Rohingya were fleeing from their shelters at refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh out of fear that they would be forcibly repatriated.

I went into hiding as soon as I came to know that they are looking for those whose names have been on the repatriation list, Mohammad Kashem, a refugee living at a camp on the Teknaf sub-district of Coxs Bazar, told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. He was referring to a visit to the area this week by government officials and representatives of the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR).

I do not want to talk to them. I do not want to return now, Kashem said.

However, both Bangladeshi and Myanmar government officials have issued assurances that the repatriation process would be voluntary and no one would be forced to go back to Rakhine against their will.

Mohammad Abul Kalam, the Bangladeshi commissioner for Refugee Relief and Repatriation, said the process to start sending back more than 2,200 refugees slated for the first wave of repatriation should begin as planned on Thursday.

Hopefully, some people will want to return, he said.

No one will agree to return

Former foreign secretary Mustafa Kamal challenged that assessment.

[N]ot a single Rohingya will agree to return to Rakhine at this moment. The situation in Rakhine is not conducive to repatriation. If they return, they would be tortured, killed or confined to concentration camps, Kamal told BenarNews

He said the Myanmar government must take some confidence building measures to create a conducive atmosphere for repatriation.

Myanmar must allow the international observers, agencies and journalists to report whether Rakhine would be safe for the Rohingya, Kamal said.

In Dhaka, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary M. Shahidul Haque said he hoped the process would start on Nov. 15, as was agreed in a recent meeting of a joint working group of Bangladesh and Myanmar officials.

We are hopeful about the repatriation. Lets see what happens, Haque said on Tuesday, according to the state-run BSS news service.

On Monday, another senior Bangladeshi official said that no Rohingya would be forced to go back to Myanmar. The government had asked UNHCR to assess whether any refugees were willing to return to Rakhine, but the U.N. agency had not yet given Bangladesh this information.

Our policy is we will not send any Rohingya back by force. It is the decision of the individual Rohingya whether they want to get back, the foreign ministry official, Delwar Hossain, told BenarNews on Monday.

Firas Al-Khateeb, a spokesman for UNHCR in Coxs Bazar, confirmed on Monday that the government had asked the agency to assess whether any of the refugees on the list of more than 2,200 identified for repatriation were willing to leave Bangladesh.

Our position is clear, we dont believe that conditions are conducive for return at this moment, he told Benar then.

Indefensible

Meanwhile, the Brussels-based International Crisis Group published a report Monday saying that both Bangladesh and Myanmar viewed a limited repatriation as serving their interests.

Bangladesh officials, the report said, appear to be banking on the fact that they will alarm donors and prompt them to focus more on the situation and realize the status quo is unsustainable.

Myanmar, for its part, hopes that a small number of returns would demonstrate to a skeptical world that it is ready to welcome Rohingya back, shifting the focus away from the reasons why they originally left  and thereby weakening, it believes, the basis for claims of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

In other developments, the leader of one of Myanmars neighbors expressed criticism on Tuesday about de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyis efforts regarding the Rohingya humanitarian crisis.

Malaysian Prime Minister rebuked Suu Kyi as he spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Singapore, according to media reports.

It would seem that Aung San Suu Kyi is trying to defend what is indefensible, Mahathir said, according to Reuters news service. We are very disappointed, because someone who has been detained before knows the sufferings, and should not inflict it on others.

In addition to Mahathirs comments, an ASEAN chairmans statement was expected to take a hardline stance against Myanmar, calling for all those responsible for the alleged atrocities in the Rakhine state to be held fully accountable, Reuters reported after seeing a draft copy.

The statement could change when delivered by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Singapore, one of ASEANs 10 member-states, currently holds its rotating chair.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news serviceTucked in a valley in the remote highlands of central Afghanistan, Jaghori has been a safe haven in recent years for members of the country's beleaguered Hazara minority.

But the peace in Jaghori, a district in Ghazni Province heavily populated by the mainly Shi'ite Hazara, was shattered last week when Taliban militants launched a major offensive to seize it. Afghan special forces and pro-government Hazara militiamen continue to battle the militants, with clashes killing hundreds of people and forcing thousands to flee their homes.

When asked why the Taliban would try to take an area that has long been considered unattainable, analysts suggest that the hard-line Sunni movement is emboldened by territorial gains made elsewhere in the country, and has something to prove.

Expanding its reach into a central region inhabited by an ethnic group renowned for its opposition to the Taliban could be a game changer in the battle for national influence.

The Taliban terrorized Hazara during its oppressive 1996-2001 rule, when the militants wrestled control of central Afghanistan through brute force and a campaign of targeted killings. Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, the Taliban has been unable to make inroads in Hazara-dominated areas.

"The Taliban want to prove that they are capable of governing non-Pashtun territories," says Haroun Mir, a Kabul-based political analyst. "They have been able to govern ethnic Tajik and Uzbek areas in the north, and they want to govern Hazara-dominated districts as well."

Apart from Jaghori, the militants have also attacked the district of Malistan, also in Ghazni. Fighting erupted two weeks ago in the Khas Uruzgan district, which has a sizeable Hazara population, of the neighboring Uruzgan Province.

'Alternative Governing Force'

The Taliban has traditionally drawn on Pashtuns to back its insurgency, but it has successfully recruited disgruntled members of other ethnic groups as it has expanded its reach. The recruits have boosted the Taliban's ability to seize territory beyond the Pashtun-majority areas in the country's south and east that serve as its base of power.

To this point, Hazara areas have been the exception.

Analysts note that the Taliban has tried to portray itself as a genuinely national movement, and to bolster that image it has tried to attract members of other ethnic groups. It has also distanced itself from sectarian and ethnic-driven attacks, although it is in fact often blamed for orchestrating incidents.

"Unlike in the case of ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks, the Taliban doesn't have Hazara in their ranks, which is a big challenge for them," Mir says. "However, if they are capable of controlling and governing Hazara territories without brutality and abuses, then it might play well in their strategy, which is to portray themselves as an alternative governing force not only in the south but in the entire country."

'Never Accept Taliban Rule'

Taliban rule would be difficult to sell to Hazara. Aside from past Taliban atrocities against the community, the group's strict interpretation of Shari'a law and its policies on women and education would threaten advancements seen in Hazara areas in recent years.

In Jaghori, for example, there is near-universal girls education, and the number of boys attending school is higher than the national average. Women also work outside their homes and can drive cars, as is the case in most urban areas of Afghanistan but which is banned in areas under Taliban control.

During its draconian rule, the Taliban denied girls the right to go to school, and women were not allowed to work outside the home. If they ventured outside, women had to don a burqa and be escorted by a male relative. Although the Taliban has relaxed some of its strictest positions, its restrictions on education and women persist.

"Hazara will never accept Taliban rule willingly, and will do their best to resist them," says Ali Adili, a researcher at the Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent think tank in Kabul. "Hazara do not want to have any reversal on their civic gains."

Highlighting the anti-Taliban sentiment among Hazara, civilians took up arms against the insurgents before the central government belatedly sent reinforcement troops, including special forces and warplanes, to besieged districts this week.

The fighting between the mostly Pashtun Sunni Taliban and Shi'ite Hazara has heightened fears of ethnic and sectarian violence, even as the Taliban has denied it is specifically targeting Hazara.

Pashtuns are the biggest ethnic group in Afghanistan, constituting some 40 percent of the 30 million population. Hazara make up around 10 percent.

'Try Their Chances'

The districts of Jaghori and Malistan in Ghazni Province are strategic because they are considered the gateway to the Hazara-dominated provinces of Bamiyan and Dai Kundi, peaceful areas where the Taliban currently has no influence.

Large parts of Ghazni are under the control of the Taliban and the militants briefly overran the provincial capital, Ghazni city, in August before they were beaten back by Afghan special forces backed by U.S. air strikes. Ghazni is strategically located on the main highway linking Kabul with the southern city of Kandahar.

"The Taliban may want to try their chances at wresting control of the Hazara areas from the government as they already control large parts of the non-Hazara districts in Ghazni Province," Adili says.

The Ghazni fighting prompted demonstrations in Kabul and Ghazni by Hazara, who have complained of official neglect after a string of militant attacks targeting the community. A suicide attack close to where demonstrators had been gathering in Kabul killed at least six people on November 12.

A recent U.S. government watchdog report said the number of districts under government control or influence was at the lowest level since 2015. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said only 55.5 percent of the total 407 districts were under government control or influence, with the rest either contested or controlled by the Taliban.DUSHANBE -- After an initial denial, Tajikistan's State Committee for National Security (KDAM) says that the authorities have arrested 12 people suspected of plotting an attack on the Russian military base in Dushanbe earlier in November.

KDAM spokesman Dilshod Abdualimov said on November 13 that a report issued by RFE/RL the day before was accurate.

In the report, RFE/RL quoted sources close to security authorities as saying that 12 alleged members of the extremist group Islamic State (IS) were apprehended near the Russian base in the Tajik capital on November 4.

The sources said the group was led by a man identified as Suhrob from the town of Vahdat, near Dushanbe, who authorities allege has fought alongside IS militants in the Middle East.

In an initial comment on November 13, Abdualimov said the RFE/RL report was untrue. But he later confirmed the report, saying that he did not have "concrete information" when he denied it.

Some 7,000 Russian troops are stationed at three separate locations in Tajikistan -- Dushanbe, Kulob, and Qurghon-Teppa.

The government of authoritarian longtime President Emomali Rahmon says at least 1,000 Tajiks have traveled to Syria or Iraq to fight alongside IS.

Rahmon's government seeks to maintain firm control on religion in the predominantly Muslim former Soviet republic that borders Afghanistan, allowing only approved forms of Islam.

With reporting by Asia PlusAmnesty International has recognized three Russian activists arrested over protests in the city of Rostov-on-Don in 2017 as prisoners of conscience.

In a November 12 statement, Amnesty said that by arresting Yan Sidorov, 18, Vladislav Mordasov, 21, and Vyacheslav Shamshin, 18, Russian authorities violated their right to express their thoughts through peaceful public gatherings.

It said their rights to personal safety, freedom, and a fair trial were also violated.

The three were arrested in November 2017 for allegedly planning to organize or take part in riots in the southern city.

Investigators say they called for public disturbances and planned attacks on police.

If found guilty, Sidorov and Mordasov could be sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Shamshin could be sentenced to up to eight years in prison.

All three contend they were holding peaceful demonstrations that had nothing to do with a rally scheduled for November 5, 2017, by Artpodgotovka (Artillery Bombardment), a group that has been labeled extremist and banned in Russia.

Hundreds of members of Artpodgotovka were detained that day at rallies in Moscow and other Russian cities ahead of the centennial of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

The Moscow-based human rights group Memorial recognized Mordasov, Sidorov, and Shamshin as political prisoners earlier this year.DUSHANBE -- At least 50 inmates were killed in a prison riot in Tajikistan last week, sources have told RFE/RL, doubling the death toll in violence that the government has said almost nothing about publicly.

The sources -- officials in a state entity who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject -- showed RFE/RL a list of at least 50 inmates they said were killed in the riot that erupted late on November 7.

An RFE/RL correspondent who was shown the list on November 12 was not permitted to take a picture of it.

Sources close to the government and law enforcement told RFE/RL earlier that at least 24 people, including two prison guards, were killed in the unrest at a prison in the northern city of Khujand.

Relatives of some of the inmates who were killed have told RFE/RL that their loved ones were being buried in the presence of police and security officers, without traditional Islamic funeral-prayer ceremonies.



They said family members were not being permitted to lift the shrouds wrapping the deceased.

The extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility, saying the riot broke out after one of its "soldiers" attacked a prison guard.

State-connected sources, also speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL on November 9 that suspected IS supporters convicted of religious extremism and terrorism were behind the unrest.

Almost six days after the violence, there was still no official statement from the Tajik government.

The local administration in Khujand -- some 300 kilometers north of the capital, Dushanbe -- has confirmed there was a riot but offered no further information.

The penitentiary -- high-security prison No. 3/3 -- largely houses inmates convicted on charges related to terrorism, extremism, and other serious crimes.

RFE/RL's sources have said many of the inmates there were convicted of membership or affiliation with groups that the Central Asian country's government has banned as extremist, including IS, Hizb ut-Tahrir, and others.

The government of authoritarian President Emomali Rahmon seeks to maintain firm control on religion in the impoverished, predominantly Muslim former Soviet republic of 8 million, allowing only approved forms of Islam.

The government says at least 1,000 Tajiks have traveled to Syria or Iraq to fight alongside IS.Six opposition parties have called for Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis's resignation and proposed a no-confidence vote following a report in which the leader's son said he was held against his will in Crimea amid scrutiny over accusations that his father embezzled European Union funds.

The parties, which hold 92 seats in parliament while 101 votes are necessary to oust a prime minister, also beseeched the Communists to withdraw their support for Babis.

Their move came hours after the Internet TV network Seznam issued a report on November 13 that included a brief interview in which Babis's son, who is also named Andrej, said he was coerced into traveling to Crimea on a vacation that turned into an "abduction."

The elder Babis said that his son was mentally ill and denied he was abducted, writing on Facebook that he had "left the Czech Republic of his own will" and that "police have investigated the case and concluded that there was no abduction."

Babis, a former finance minister who became prime minister in December 2017, said in March 2016 that his two children from his first marriage, Andrej and daughter Adriana, were owners of a farm and a convention center outside Prague called Stork's Nest.

He spoke after he was accused of illegally obtaining 2 million euros ($2.25 million) in EU small-business subsidies by concealing his ownership of Stork's Nest.

In the Seznam report, the younger Babis said that a man working as a driver at his father's company, Agrofert, whom he identified as Petr Protopopov, a Russian, took advantage of "my father's wish to make me disappear" amid the Stork's Nest scandal.

He said that Protopopov and his wife, Dita Protopopova, a psychiatrist who treated him, "were very much trusted and they abused that trust."

Protopopova "told me that I can either be kept in a psychiatric clinic or go on 'vacation' and I chose the vacation," the younger Babis said, adding that the vacation turned into "an abduction."

According to the Seznam report, Babis said by e-mail that he was held against his will "for a long time" on the Russian-controlled Ukrainian peninsula, including at rented apartments in Sevastopol and Yalta.

Without mentioning dates, he said that he later traveled to Slovakia and "eventually escaped to Switzerland by bus."

The elder Babis called the Seznam report a "manipulation" and "pressure by journalists on law enforcement authorities."

He said that his son was on medication, "must permanently be under supervision, and lives in Switzerland with his mother.

According to Seznam, Protopopova was an adviser to the Finance Ministry in 2016-17, when Babis was finance minister. She led the ticket from Babis's ANO party that recently won elections in a district of the Czech capital, Prague 8.

After the Seznam report was issued, Protopopova announced that she is stepping down as a deputy in the Prague 8 district council, citing what she said was "the pressure imposed in the last few hours" on herself and her family.

With reporting by Novinky.cz, Tyden.cz, and iDnes.czThe bodies of inmates killed in a deadly riot in northern Tajikistan are being abruptly buried under the watchful eyes of police officers who -- in some cases -- don't allow the families to identify the victims.

"I begged them to let me lift the shroud to let me see my son's face for the last time and at least make sure that this really is my son, not someone else," says Ruqiya Ismoilova, who was informed that her 23-year-old son had been killed in the November 7 incident. "But they didn't let me."

"Officers brought the body in an ambulance and put it in the grave. They didn't allow anyone to come close," Ismoilova said on November 12.

Ismoilova's son, Bahrom, had been serving a 12-year term on extremism-related charges in the maximum-security prison in Khujand, northern Tajikistan.

At least 50 inmates were reportedly killed, along with two guards, and numerous others injured in the riot that broke out at the prison on the evening of November 7, sources have told RFE/RL.

Nearly a week later, Tajik authorities have yet to comment on what took place at the prison located some 300 kilometers north of the capital, Dushanbe.

Designed for 750 inmates, the facility reportedly housed some 800 prisoners, many of them convicted on charges related to terrorism and extremism, murder, and drug trafficking, among other serious crimes, security sources said on condition of anonymity.

The official number of dead and wounded among the inmates remains unknown, leaving their family members desperately searching for information about the fate of their loved ones.

The prison has been closed to visitors since the riot, and the families say they cannot reach officials to determine if their imprisoned relatives are dead or alive.

"I called many officials to find out about my son, but either they don't answer the calls, or say they have no information," the mother of one inmate told RFE/RL.

In the northern town of Isfara, Masuda Sodiqova is left wondering if her son Farhod, who was serving time at the Khujand facility, is safe.

"We're extremely worried," Sodiqova says. "I can't sleep at night. All we know is that there was a riot in the prison. We don't know who to talk to."

Relatives of prison guards who were wounded in the incident are allowed to visit them at Khujand regional hospital, where at least six officers were admitted on the night of the riot, according to sources at the facility.

Hospital authorities haven't publicly commented on their situation, but the sources said the officers were brought in in "serious, but not life-threatening" conditions.

Among them is the son of Khayrullo Abdulloev, a resident of Sughd Province. After visiting his son in the hospital, Abdulloev said that "most of the guards suffered wounds to their heads."

"It doesn't look like he was beaten by fists," he said of his son's condition. "They said the [inmates] switched off the lights suddenly and hit the guards' heads and faces with bricks and other things. It looks terrible."

"My son has eight or nine broken teeth. He has stitches all over his face. There is not any uninjured part on his face and head," he added.

Abdulloev quoted his son as saying that "some inmates actually tried to help prison guards against the rioters."

The bodies of the two dead prison guards, identified as 27-year-old Ehson Yoqubov and Mirsaid Kodirov, 42, were buried in their hometowns a day after the riot, relatives say.

In Isfara, a family buried the body of their 21-year-old son, Hojiismoilkhon Bahovaddinov, who had been serving a 15-year prison term for theft.

Family members there said they were allowed to lift the shroud and see the body of their son, whom relatives said had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. They don't know anything about the circumstances of his death.

Sources close to law enforcement agencies told RFE/RL that the authorities had set up a special commission to probe the riot in Khujand. They said the commission did not include representatives of civil society, including human rights advocates or international monitors.

The Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility for the prison riot, but experts have suggested that the militant group's claim should be treated with skepticism.The French ambassador in Belgrade has offered an apology to Serbia after President Aleksandar Vucic expressed frustration about the way he was treated during World War I commemorations in Paris.

Ambassador Frederic Mondoloni issued the apology on November 12, a day after Vucic joined dozens of world leaders in Paris to attend a ceremony commemorating the centenary of the armistice that ended the war in 1918.

At the November 11 gathering, Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was placed behind the leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, while Vucic was in a separate stand on the opposite side.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing before me, knowing the sacrifice that the Serb people made in World War I," Serbian media quoted Vucic as saying following the event.

Historians say that Serbia suffered more losses as a proportion of its population in the war than any other country embroiled in the conflict.

Tensions remain high between Pristina and Belgrade, 10 years after Kosovo's ethnic Albanians unilaterally declared independence from Serbia.

Mondoloni told Prva TV that the seating arrangement during the Paris ceremony was a regrettable mistake and asked Vucic and the Serb people to accept an apology."

"Serbia lost almost a third of its population in the [war]," he said. "I don't know what happened [in Paris].

Historians say Serbia lost nearly 1.25 million soldiers and civilians in World War I, or 28 percent of the prewar population. About 62 percent of the dead were men aged 18-55.

Vucic later thanked Mondoloni in a tweet for his wonderful words and the respect he showed for Serbian casualties.

With reporting by B92A new report by a rights watchdog says political insecurity, insurgent violence, poverty, and state repression in Pakistan have given it one of the world's most deficient educational systems and are preventing it from improving children's education.

Human Rights Watch says in its report -- titled Shall I Feed My Daughter, Or Educate Her? Barriers To Girls Education In Pakistan, released on November 13 -- that education in the country, particularly for girls, has not improved since an international summit in Oslo in 2015 declared Pakistan "among the world's worst-performing countries in education."

The report says more than 22 million children in the country are not in school, including one-third of primary school girls and 21 percent of the country's boys.

It adds that by sixth grade, 59 percent of Pakistani girls and 49 percent of Pakistani boys are no longer attending school, with many of them forced to work to help their families make ends meet.

The report blames "political instability, disproportionate influence on governance by security forces, repression of civil society and the media, violent insurgency, and escalating ethnic and religious tensions," which it said have disrupted Pakistani society and are preventing the state from delivering essential services such as education.

The report details how a lack of education for girls in Pakistan helps perpetuate gender inequality in the country, which is worsened by high rates of violence against women that includes, rape, "honor" killings, acid attacks, forced marriage, and child marriage.

Although school attendance rates in Pakistan are poor throughout the country, some areas are far worse than others.

Balochistan, the country's largest province, reported some 81 percent of women and 52 percent of men had not completed primary school in 2014-15. An overwhelming 75 percent of women and 40 percent of men in that southwestern region had never attended school, the HRW reports says.

The government's inability to provide education for its children has led to a huge increase in the number of private schools in Pakistan. While the explosion of these new schools has increased school attendance in the country, many poverty-stricken families are unable to afford them.

Many of the private Pakistani schools are unregulated and often suffer from poorly qualified teachers and substandard curriculums, says the report.

The lack of quality state education has also led to a huge increase in the number of religious schools, or madrasahs, operating in Pakistan. Such schools are often the only option for poor children because most or all of the costs are covered by a local mosque or other religious institutions.

The government reported that in 2016, some 60 million Pakistanis -- between 6.8 and 7.6 million families -- were living in poverty, nearly 30 percent of Pakistan's population.

The report says that although the additional private and religious schools in the country may offer a small respite to Pakistan's education problems, "nothing can absolve the state of its obligation, under international and domestic law, to ensure that all children receive a decent education -- something that simply is not happening in Pakistan today."

It also notes that the Pakistani Constitution says that "the state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of 5 to 16 years in such a manner as may be determined by law."

HRW also criticized the Pakistani government for its lack of investment in education, noting that Islamabad spends far less than is recommended by UNESCO in its guidance on education.

An "upward bottleneck" situation also exists, says the report, as girls become older. There are fewer secondary schools than there are primary schools, and colleges and universities for girls are even more scarce, as they are also often segregated according to sex.

Yet another problem is the lack of security in the country, with many families citing violence and other crimes -- including sexual harassment and kidnappings -- as a reason not to send their girls to school.

Between 2013 and 2017, hundreds of schools have been attacked in Pakistan. The worst attack was a December 2014 massacre at the Army Public School in Peshawar that killed 145 people, most of them children.

The HRW report advises Pakistan to invest more resources into education and use those resources to battle the gender disparities that exist and ensure that more children have access to quality schools.

It also recommends that Islamabad increase oversight of the education system, work closer with provincial governments, and develop a national action plan to end child marriage by 2030.

The watchdog's report was based on research in Pakistan in 2017-18 and included more than 200 interviews with students, teachers, parents, and school administrators.The Norwegian Defense Ministry says Russian forces in the Arctic disturbed GPS location signals during a recent large NATO drill in Norway.

Finland's air-navigation services a week ago issued a warning to air traffic due to large-scale GPS interruption in the north of the country.

"We have the same problem [as Finland]. We think it can also be part of a Russian exercise," Norwegian Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen told Reuters on November 13.

Russia's Defense Ministry could not be reached for comment on Norway's claim.

Norway posted a warning similar to that of Finland at the end of October, days before the start of Trident Juncture, NATO's largest military exercise since the Cold War involving 50,000 troops from 31 countries in an area stretching from the Baltic Sea to Iceland.

Finland and Sweden, which are not NATO members, also took part in the drill.

Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila said on November 11 it was "possible that Russia has been the disrupting party in this. Russia is known to possess such capabilities."

The Kremlin dismissed Finland's allegations on November 12 as groundless.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

Based on reporting by Reuters and APThe URL has been copied to your clipboard

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Meet the Kyrgyz woman raising her eight grandchildren, because their parents are migrant laborers in Russia. "They all have a hard time," she says, "the parents miss their kids, the kids miss their parents."Macedonia's Interior Ministry says it will seek the arrest of conservative former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski on an international warrant after confirming he fled to Hungary to avoid serving a two-year prison sentence for corruption.

The ministry reacted almost five hours after Gruevski wrote on Facebook that he was in Budapest as police continued searches in the capital, Skopje, to try and locate him.

His Facebook post said that he was asking for political asylum.

"In the last few days, I have received countless threats on my life," it said. "I am in Budapest now, and I have requested political asylum from the Hungarian authorities."

Reuters quoted a Macedonian police official as saying that Gruevski did not leave the country "through a legal border crossing" and that the authorities had no information on his whereabouts.

A Hungarian government spokesman would neither confirm nor deny Gruevski's remarks.

"We cannot provide information on ongoing asylum procedures until their completion," the spokesman said in an e-mailed response to an RFE/RL query.

Macedonian police have issued an arrest warrant for Gruevski, who has been convicted and sentenced to two years in prison on corruption-related charges.

The Interior Ministry said the domestic arrest warrant was replaced with an international one, adding that it informed judicial authorities that it had confirmation that Gruevski was in Hungary.

Judges on November 9 rejected Gruevski's final appeal against his serving the sentence.

The former leader of the conservative main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE was sentenced in May to two years in prison for unlawfully influencing Interior Ministry officials over the purchase of a luxury vehicle at an estimated cost of 600,000 euros ($680,000).

But court clerks have tried in vain to locate Gruevski and personally serve him the order to present himself at the prison.

A spokesman for the VMRO-DPMNE told Reuters he had no information about Gruevski's whereabouts.

Gruevski, 48, was prime minister from 2006 to 2016. He is the former leader of VMRO-DPMNE, which claims he is being politically persecuted.

He is still facing three other corruption trials, including over a major wiretapping scandal, and could be handed longer sentences than the one already given to him.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service and ReutersRussian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny says authorities have barred him from leaving the country to attend a ruling at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg on a case he filed against the state.



Navalny, a fierce Kremlin critic, posted on Instagram and tweeted on November 13 that airport passport-control officers stopped him for what they said were "special checking measures."

Navalny said they cited "some letter [saying] that I am prohibited from leaving, but there is no explanation why."



The letter, which Navalny later posted on his website, cites a decision by the Federal Bailiffs Service (FSSP) but gives no explanation.

The FSSP later issued a statement saying that Navalny was barred from leaving Russia due to what it said is debt to Kirovles, a timber company at the center of a politically charged criminal case in which he has now been convicted twice.

The FSSP later said the fine was paid and that restrictions on Navalny's travel had been lifted.

Navalny had planned to fly to Frankfurt ahead the ECHR ruling, which the Strasbourg-based court is scheduled to issue on November 15.

The court is to issue its final decision in a suit against Russia claiming that Navalny's arrest, detention, and administrative conviction on several occasions between 2012-14 breached his rights and were politically motivated.

It is a ruling in appeal after Russia challenged a February 2017 decision in Navalny's favor.

Navalny, 42, said that the message the authorities sent in barring him from leaving the country was obvious.

"It's clear what they want: Don't go running around to any ECHRs. The Lyublino district court is in your area of residence -- if you don't like something, go there," he wrote.

A vocal foe of President Vladimir Putin, Navalny has organized large street protests on several occasions and published a series of reports alleging corruption among the long-serving leader's allies.



On October 14, he walked free after spending 50 days in jail on administrative charges related to antigovernment protests he has organized.

A spokeswoman said that, at the time, Navalny had spent nearly 200 days in jail since 2011, including 140 days since the start of his attempt to challenge Putin in the March 2018 presidential election.



Electoral authorities barred Navalny from the ballot, citing convictions in two financial-crimes cases he and his supporters contend were Kremlin-orchestrated efforts to punish him for his opposition activity and for the reports alleging corruption.

In its statement hours after Navalny was stopped at the airport, the FSSP cited one of those cases, saying that Navalny could not leave Russia until he made what it said was a court-ordered payment of 2.1 million rubles ($31,000) to Kirovles.

Navalny and an associate, Pyotr Ofitserov, were convicted in 2013 of stealing money from Kirovles, a state company. Navalny, his supporters, and many observers say the charges were trumped up in retaliation for Navalny's opposition activity.

Navalny was sentenced to five years in prison but he was allowed to run in a Moscow mayoral election and the sentence was then suspended, sparing him from serving time in prison. Ofitserov was sentenced to a suspended term of four years.

In 2016, the ECHR ruled that the Kirovles trial was unfair and that the two men had been convicted of actions "indistinguishable from regular commercial activity."

The Russian Supreme Court then threw out the 2013 convictions and ordered a new trial.

In February 2017, the lower court again convicted the two men and handed down the same suspended prison sentences to both men. In July, Ofitserov died at age 43 after suffering an unexplained concussion.

INFOGRAPHIC: In And Out: All The Times Aleksei Navalny Has Been In Jail (swipe left and right to view full panorama)The Netherlands says it has recalled staff from its embassy in Pakistan after receiving threats for providing shelter to the lawyer of a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy.

"Unfortunately, threats have been made against the Netherlands, Dutch diplomats," Foreign Minister Stef Blok told NPO radio on November 12. He said "a large number of staff" returned to the Netherlands.

The lawyer, Saiful Mulook, cited death threats in fleeing to the Netherlands soon after the Pakistani Supreme Court decision on October 31 acquitting Asia Bibi of blasphemy. The Dutch government said it had offered him temporary shelter.

Hard-line Islamists in Pakistan have blocked streets and called for the killing of several people connected with the Bibi case, including the judges who acquitted her.

Last week, the Dutch Embassy in Pakistan said it had temporarily halted issuing visas "due to circumstances beyond our control."

Also last week, the Netherlands said its ambassador, Ardi Stoios-Braken, faced "threats" in Pakistan over "blasphemous depictions" by right-wing legislator Geert Wilders on Twitter.

Wilders has recently posted images of the Prophet Muhammad on the social network -- something which is considered taboo by Muslims.

Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and spent eight years on death row before being acquitted.

The militant Tehrik-e-Labaik (TLP) party took to the streets after her acquittal and blocked main cities and highways for three days.

The protests ended after the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan agreed not to block a petition to review Bibi's case and ensure she doesn't leave the country until the review is completed.

Pakistani officials have said Bibi was released from prison but is in a secure location while the court reconsiders her case.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

Pakistan's government has asked Twitter and other social-media networks to take down what it says are "fake" images showing a Christian woman recently acquitted of blasphemy outside the country.

The government said on November 12 that the images are false because Asia Bibi remains in Pakistan at an undisclosed location because of death threats against her from hard-line religious groups.

Some rights activists said the government's efforts to shut down social-media postings have gone beyond allegedly fake images of Bibi, however, and are targeting social justice advocates as well.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said one "fake" posting the government is concerned about claims to show Bibi meeting Pope Francis. The photo is actually of Bibi's daughter from two years ago.

Chaudhry said the images misidentifying Bibi prompted death threats against a lawmaker in one photograph, Fazal Khan from the ruling Tehrik-e-Insaf Party. The lawmaker's constituency is in a deeply conservative region in the country's northwest.

"People can even be killed because of such fake postings," Chaudhry told AP. The pictures were widely circulated on social media in Pakistan.

"We are trying to seek cooperation from Twitter and Facebook against such fake news," Chaudhry said.

Hard-line Islamists held mass protests after Bibi was acquitted of blasphemy charges by the Pakistani Supreme Court on October 21. They have demanded her public execution and have filed a petition to repeal her acquittal.

The government says Bibi has been released from prison, but she will remain in Pakistan until the legal review process is finished. She has been offered asylum by several European countries.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned hard-line groups against whipping up sentiment against Bibi and he has defended the Supreme Court judges who acquitted her, who have also received death threats.

Blasphemy is a highly charged issue in Pakistan, where mere allegations of insulting Islam or the Prophet Muhammad can incite lynchings.

With the government is seeking to shut down what it sees as inflammatory postings on social networks, two Pakistani rights activists said on November 12 that they had been warned by Twitter about content the government found objectionable.

The warnings came a week after Twitter blocked the account of hard-line cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi because of his death threats against the Supreme Court judges who acquitted Bibi, including calling on the judges' servants to kill them.

Nighat Dad, a Pakistani lawyer and activist, said her tweets were not the same as Rizvi's since they did not advocate violence. She said she believes the government is trying to quash legitimate dissent.

Twitter said it lets users know when it receives a government request to remove their content for violations of law or the company's terms of service.

"In our continuing effort to make our services available to people everywhere, if we receive a valid request from an authorized entity, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in a particular country from time to time," the company said.

Gul Bukhari, who was briefly abducted in July from a military cantonment in the eastern city of Lahore, said one of her e-mail warnings from Twitter referred to a tweet that criticized the government's lack of action against Rizvi.

In a reply to Twitter, Bukhari said Rizvi's speeches violated the law because he was inciting violence against the judges.

"In my tweet, I am asking the government to take action against him. In which world is that illegal?" she asked.

Chaudhry told Reuters his office was only "trying to establish close coordination" with Twitter to curb "hate speech and death threats." He did not directly respond to questions about the activists' cases.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Not only has Romania stalled in its fight against corruption, but it's also falling back on judicial reforms, the European Commission says, urging Bucharest to immediately reverse anticorruption moves and restore judicial independence.

The annual reports on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) scrutinizing the rule of law in EU members Romania and Bulgaria, on November 13 highlighted the bloc's growing concerns about the erosion of democratic values in Romania since the Social Democratic Party (PSD) came to power almost two years ago.

Romania joined the EU alongside Bulgaria in 2007, and both countries were placed under an unprecedented EU monitoring mechanism, making their entry into Europe's passport-free Schengen zone conditional on fulfilling the rule-of-law criteria.

The report on Romania came out shortly after EU lawmakers sharply criticized the PSD-led government's recent moves to reverse anticorruption measures, and passed a resolution warning that its actions threaten the independence of the judicial system as well as the ability to fight corruption effectively in Romania.

The resolution was passed by the European Parliament by 473 votes to 151, with 40 abstentions.

"I regret that Romania has not only stalled its reform process, but also reopened and backtracked on issues where progress was made over the past 10 years," commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said at the launch of the CVM report.

The document says that "recent developments have reversed the course of progress and called into question the positive assessment made back in January 2017."

It said that "the entry into force of the amended justice laws, the pressure on judicial independence in general and on the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in particular, and other steps undermining the fight against corruption have reversed or called into question the irreversibility of progress."

The commission put forward eight additional recommendations, including the immediate suspension of all ongoing appointments and dismissal procedures for senior prosecutors and the relaunching of the process to appoint a new chief prosecutor of the DNA.

Bulgaria fared far better in the CVM report, with Timmermans hailing Sofia's advances on judicial reform as well as in the fight against corruption and organized crime.

Last month, commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said he would like to see Romania join the Schengen area next year, but warned Bucharest not to endanger that objective by "distancing" itself from the rule of law.

On November 12, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis warned that his country, which is due to take over the six-month rotating EU presidency in January, is not prepared to fulfill the task.

Iohannis called for the immediate resignation of the PSD-led government, which he called "an accident of Romanian democracy."

With reporting by Rikard Jozwiak, Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and Digi24.roRussian lawmakers will look into possibility to acquire money from so-called dormant bank accounts, a senior legislator has said.

Anatoly Aksakov, the head of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets, said on November 13 that "expert groups" had also proposed that valuable papers and shares of companies owned by individuals who neglect them may be also taken by state treasury.

Accordion to Aksakov, there are "billions of rubles" in bank accounts in Russia that are not used, neglected or forgotten by their owners.

Aksakov also said that the issue had not been discussed with other state bodies, adding that the matter will be looked into in the first quarter of next year.

Russia continues to reel from Western sanctions for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, and its support of pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Kremlin's extremely unpopular law to increase the retirement age last month has been seen by many as a tool to tackle budget problems.

Based on reporting by TASS and RIA NovostiSaudi Arabia has announced a major cut in oil production to rebalance global markets and prop up plunging oil prices, citing U.S. sanctions waivers that are enabling Iran to keep exporting oil to most of its top customers.

The comments from Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih on November 12 shook global markets, where oil prices have plummeted since the United States announced last week that it was temporarily waiving sanctions on Iran's oil sector for many of Tehran's top oil customers, including China and India.

Before the unexpectedly mild sanctions announcement, "fear and anxiety gripped the market," Falih said at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference.

Now "we're seeing the pendulum swing violently to the other side," he said.

"Sanctions didnt cut so much out of the market as anticipated," Falih said.

In the months before the sanctions were imposed on November 5, Saudi Arabia said it had increased its own production by about 1 million barrels a day to offset a reported halving of Iran's oil exports from a peak of about 2.5 million barrels in April.

But with major oil consumers like India and China still importing Iranian oil under six-month waivers granted by Washington, analysts have been upwardly revising their estimates of Iranian exports, saying they could be as high as 1.8 million barrels a day.

That has helped feed a major plunge in premium crude prices in the last week from more than $80 a barrel to around $71 on November 12.

At the time he granted broad exemptions from the sanctions, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was concerned about a spike in oil prices like the one that occurred after he withdrew the United States from Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement in May and announced he was reimposing sanctions.

Trump provided six-month waivers to Greece, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey, as well as India and China -- Iran's top two oil customers -- as long as they keep working to reduce their imports.

Trump's stated concerns about oil prices were a tacit admission that the looming U.S. sanctions on Iran had helped to drive up oil prices, although Trump publicly blamed the OPEC oil cartel for the price spike.

On November 12, Trump lashed out at Saudi Arabia's announcement that it will now cut production since Iran is being allowed to keep exporting more oil than expected.

"Hopefully, Saudi Arabia and OPEC will not be cutting oil production. Oil prices should be much lower, based on supply!" Trump said on Twitter.

Falih responded that Saudi Arabia has been giving Washington and other customers "100 percent of what they asked for." But he said Riyadh will start cutting production by more than 500,000 barrels a day next month.

Saudi Arabia is OPEC's largest producer and one of the few that has enough spare capacity to offset a deep cut in Iran's oil exports.

The energy minister of the United Arab Emirates, Suhail al-Mazrouei, currently the president of OPEC, said further "changes" likely would be necessary when the oil cartel meets in December in Vienna.

Falih said OPEC officials have seen analyses suggesting a production cut of as much as 1 million barrels a day may be needed to rebalance the market and prop up prices. However, he stressed that more study needs to be done.

"We don't want to throttle the global economy," he said.

Iran did not have a high-level official at the Abu Dhabi event and did not immediately respond to Falih's comments.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and ReutersThe Serbian Orthodox Church says it will not recognize a decision by the leadership of Orthodox Christianity to rehabilitate the leaders of two Ukrainian Orthodox churches breaking away from Moscow.

The Serbian churchs Holy Assembly of Bishops does not recognize Patriarch Filaret and Metropolitan Makariy or their followers, a statement said on November 12.

Ukraine has three Orthodox churches: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate led by Patriarch Filaret; and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Metropolitan Makariy.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople last month agreed to recognize the autocephaly, or independence, of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

It also lifted excommunications imposed on Filaret and Makariy, who have been instrumental in pushing for an independent Ukrainian church.

The Russian Orthodox Church labeled the moves schismatic and announced it was ending its relationship with Constantinople in protest.

In its statement, the Serbian Orthodox Church -- which has its own decades-old disputes with unrecognized breakaway churches in Macedonia and Montenegro -- said it regrets Constantinoples canonically unfounded decision to rehabilitate Filaret and Makariy, and urged Orthodox leaders to confirm and strengthen the unity of the Orthodox Church.

However, it stopped stop short of saying it was breaking ties with the Istanbul-based patriarchate.

The religious dispute came amid high tensions between Moscow and Kyiv over Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and its backing for separatists in a war in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 10,300 people.

With reporting by UNIAN, The Washington Post, Interfax, Balkan Insight, and SPZH NewsU.S. President Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to criticize France, directly mocking President Emmanuel Macron and once again bringing up his demand that NATO allies "pay up."

Trump's tweets on November 13 came after Macron appeared to indirectly criticize Trump in Paris during World War I commemorations on November 11 and earlier suggested that Europe develop an army to protect itself from traditional rivals Russia and China -- and possibly against the United States, its longtime ally.

"Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China, and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two -- How did that work out for France?" he wrote on Twitter.

"They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!"

Trump has repeatedly called on NATO members to pay more for their defense, worrying some allies about his commitment to the Western alliance.

Trump also called out Macron for his "very low" approval rating in his home country.

"The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France," Trump wrote.

"By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!" the U.S. leader tweeted. "MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!"

Many people had taken Macron's comments during the World War I commemoration to be directed toward Trump, speaking harshly against "nationalism" after the U.S. leader described himself as a "nationalist."

Macron's office on November 13 said his position regarding European defense was "very clear" and that he would not make any comments regarding Trump's tweets.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFPRussia has historically used energy as a weapon and that continues today, making energy diversification crucial for Central and Eastern Europe, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry has said.

"We should no longer allow the Kremlin to use energy as a weapon," Perry told a news conference in Hungary's capital, Budapest, on November 13.

Perry was speaking during a visit to the region as the administration of President Donald Trump seeks to encourage the purchase of gas from the United States or other suppliers rather than increasing purchases from Russia.

He called on Hungary and its neighbors to reject Russian gas pipelines, which Washington says are being used to cement Moscow's grip on the region.

"Russia is using a pipeline project, Nord Stream 2, and the multiline Turkish stream [TurkStream project], to try to solidify its control over the security and the stability of Central and Eastern Europe," Perry said.

"The United States strongly opposes these projects, and we urge Hungary and its neighbors to join us in rejecting them."

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Turkish stream, a pipeline under construction from Russia to Turkey, was beneficial to Hungary, since one of its branches would bring gas to Hungary's southern border via a new route.

Hungary depends heavily on Russia for its natural-gas supplies, which now mostly transit via Ukraine. Russia is also building a nuclear plant in Hungary.

Budapest would be willing to buy gas from Croatia, which is building a liquefied-gas terminal, and from Romania, Szijjarto said.

Based on reporting by ReutersCancun police arrest man for drunk driving tractor on beach

Cancun, Q.R.  Armed with an official company t-shirt and a set of keys, a man who claimed to be a city worker was reported for reckless driving of a tractor on a public Cancun beach.

A man identified only as B.G.G. was arrested by Gendarmerie police on a 44 after a public complaint was made of a man driving a tractor erratically on the beach. The operator of the tractor was reported by beachgoers as driving irresponsibly and at full speed near sunbathers on Playa Deflines in the Cancun Hotel Zone.

Police say when they arrived, they asked the man to step down from the machine, when he got off he did it very aggressively, insulting and shocking people in the beach area. The man then identified himself as personnel of the Secretariat of Ecology and Environment (Sema), even wearing an official t-shirt.

However officials from Sema clarified that the operator of that tractor does not belong to its staff, but was hired by a private company that provides a service to Sema.

He and the vehicle were out of hours, so what happened is the responsibility of the company. Be certain that we will proceed according to law against whoever is responsible. Those types of actions will not be allowed, Sema said in a public statement.

The man was arrested by police after he attempted to make a second pass at full speed past the busy beach area. Federal police say that the man was arrested for an administrative fault, however, once at the Cancun Hotel Zone tourist police facilities, a doctor confirmed his blood alcohol was three times the legal limit.THE masterplan to transform crumbling Wentworth Woodhouse is officially up and running.

Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, which gathered the groups of more than 1,500 people before drawing up its final plans, launched the blueprint for the restoration and development of the massive manor and its estate before an audience of invited guests on Friday.

Officially unveiled at Downing Street, the plan  titled A New Life  has now been giving its formal first airing on home turf.

As revealed in the Advertiser, the masterplan includes reviving the derelict Camelia House as a cafe and events venue, converting the stables and riding school into a wedding and party space, restoring the main state rooms in the stately home itself and developing holiday lets.

Despite the ambitious plans, trust chief executive Sarah McLeod and chair Julie Kenny said they were determined the benefits spilled across the region, with opportunities for visitors to take a close look at the restorations and even pick up conservation skills, and businesses poised to reap the rewards of increased visitor numbers.

Visitors will be able to view heritage and culture exhibitions, explore more of the house and take hard hat and hi-viz tours onto the rooftop as the decaying slates are replaced.

One of our priorities is to create a place where everybody feels welcome and can engage with this huge project, said Ms Kenny (pictured below at the launch).

Wentworth Woodhouse belongs to us all.

Police at the scene

A FLAT fire in which a man died was deliberate but not suspicious, the fire service said.

Nigel Chatterton (50) died in a fire at his second-floor flat on St Lawrence Road, Tinsley, which was reported at 10.55am on Wednesday, October 31.

Firefighters from Parkway, Rotherham, Elm Lane and Barnsley dealt with the blaze

South Yorkshire Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious and the fire service confirmed the blaze was deliberate but not suspicious.

An inquest is yet to be opened.The airplane was one of the most expensive presidential airplanes in the world. If set up like a passenger jet it could fit 280 people. Its not just an efficient, modern plane  its a comfy plane, with a bedroom, a restaurant, with lots of space, Mexicos incoming leader described the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The 64-year-old new president has promised to travel on commercial flights rather than a luxury aircraft for which he said Mexico had paid up to 8bn pesos ($392m) and cost 500m pesos a year to maintain. He issued a global call out to potential purchasers in every corner of the world. If you want to buy it, Ill deliver it personally. Well have a ceremony and youll be traveling in a very important plane. Its not just about the price  its about the fame! he added.



Mexicos presidential aircraft

President Lopez Obrador said proceeds from the auction of the presidential Boeing would be used to benefit our people and claimed the winner would be walking away with a steal. Its not just any old thing. Id die of shame to use such a luxurious plane in a country with so much poverty, the unpretentious president said. In addition, Lopez Obrador has decided to sell or rent out many airplanes and helicopters owned by the federal government.Capt Amarinder Inaugurates 100-Bedded Cancer Hospital

SPOKESMAN NEWS SERVICE: SANGRUR/CHANDIGARH, NOVEMBER 13: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday inaugurated the 100 -bedded ultra-modern Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital in Sangrur, to take forward his governments mission to provide affordable cancer care to the people of Punjab.

The Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital in Sangrur has been established in association with the State Government, which has also planned a state-of-the-art Oncology Training Centre at the newly inaugurated hospital, said the Chief Minister, who was accompanied by Health Minister Brahm Mohindra and PWD Minister Vijay Inder Singla.

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The Chief Minister also launched a Cancer Prevention Programme for Sangrur district, under which intensive health education on the risk factors and preventive measures of the disease (Cervix, Oral and Breast Cancer) and easy access for diagnosis and treatment, would be provided to the people at their doorsteps. The Chief Minister, who later reviewed the 300-beeded Tata Cancer Hospital being constructed at Mullanpur near Chandigarh, said the facility be made functional by next Diwali. He directed the concerned officials to expedite the construction of the hospital.

Captain Amarinder further said that a tertiary cancer care centre at Fazilka was being constructed at a cost of Rs. 29 crore, which would be operational by September 2019. Besides, a Rs 114 crore State Cancer Institute would be set up at Amritsar. The Chief Minister also announced Rs. 7 crore for Sangrur Civil Hospital. Accompanied by Brahm Mohindra and Vijay Inder Singla, the Chief Minister also went around the new Cancer Hospital to check out the facilities, and interacted with doctors and other medical staff.

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The health minister said the Punjab Government had taken concerted steps to strengthen the healthcare facilities and infrastructure in Government hospitals. He said that 588 doctors would shortly be joining the health department, and they would be posted near their residential places to enable them to render their whole-hearted services to the patients. The Minister also said that all tests of Tuberculosis and Hepatitis-C besides Dialysis facility were being provided free of cost in all 22 Government hospitals. He disclosed that the Government was working on a Clinical Establishment Act to regulate the services of private hospitals.

Singla recalled his maiden meeting with Director Tata Memorial Hospital Padma Shri Dr. R.A. Badwe on the directions of the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh for establishing cancer hospital in Sangrur. He said the hospital would provide 66 percent subsidy on medicines, tests on nominal rates, and free treatment after detection of disease.

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Dr. R.A. Badwe, in his address, said the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital had been running five B.Sc courses through Baba Farid University of Health Sciences and one Master of Science in Histopath was being added from this academic year. He further added that B.Sc ICU and Diploma on Oncology Nursing will be added from next year. On the occasion, the Chief Minister also honoured Anup Gupta from HPCL, Charanjit Singh of HMEC, Ravinder Singh Nanda of IOC, Munish Garg and Anoop Singla for their services for the welfare of cancer patients.

Earlier, the Chief Minister, who is also the Chairman of General Gurnam Singh Public School, Sangrur, inaugurated a grid connected roof top Solar Power Point in the school campus. The 120 kw capacity project has been set up at a cost of Rs. 52.80 lakh. He was accompanied by Higher Education Minister Razia Sultana, Vice Chairperson of State Planning Board Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, MLAs Surjit Singh Dhiman and Dalbir Singh Goldy, PPCC Spokesperson Daman Thind Bajwa, Vice Chancellor Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Dr. Raj Bahadur and Additional Chief Secretary Health Satish Chandra.

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Meanwhile, reviewing the progress of the Mullanpur hospital in Chandigarh later, the Chief Minister assured the Director of Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai of all support and assistance to ensure timely completion of the Rs. 664 Crore project. Expressing concern over the high incidence of cancer in the state, especially in southern Punjab, the Chief Minister asked Dr. Badhwe to further intensify their efforts to prepare database of cancer patients suffering from various types of cancer, with early screening to ensure timely detection and treatment.

Captain Amarinder Singh also asked the Health Minister Brahm Mohindra to explore the possibility of engaging companies supplying medical equipment and infrastructure to the Government hospitals free of cost to further augment states efforts to ensure affordable and hassle-free treatment to the poor and needy. He also asked the Health Minister to rope in various philanthropic, NGOs, religious and social organisations for this purpose. The review meeting was attended amongst others by CMs Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar and ACS Housing & Urban Development Vini Mahajan.Rs. 2.75 crore to be spent on buying new vehicles & Rs. 2.25 crore on ultra modern weaponry

Spokesman News Service: Chandigarh, November 13: The aspect of security assumes paramount importance in todays scenario and given the central vitality of the jail department in this regard, the State Government is undertaking and would in future too initiate every measure aimed at the modernization of jails throughout the state. Also, there is no dearth of funds to carry out the modernization of jails.

This was disclosed here today at Punjab Bhawan by the Jail Minister, Punjab, S. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa while chairing the meeting of the top brass of the jail department. Applauding the police for carrying out the jail reforms in the right earnestness, the minister disclosed that Rs. 5 crore would be spent for the further modernization of the jail department. Out of this, Rs. 2.75 crore would be spent on the purchase of new vehicles and the rest Rs. 2.25 crore on the ultra sophisticated weaponry.

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Awards commendation certificates to departmental staff for doing commendable work in recovering prohibited articles inside jails

The minister further said that an amount of Rs. 1 crore would be spent on the facelifting as well as the upgradation of infrastructure in the district jails. Listing out other futuristic measures, S. Randhawa said that the central jails at Ludhiana and Patiala would get waiting rooms. The minister also divulged that security zones would come up inside the jails with monitoring from the headquarters so as to segregate the gangsters imprisoned there.

S. Randhawa also highlighted that the gangsters would also be shifted at regular intervals from one jail to another in order to ensure that they do not form a nexus at one place. Calling the jail department one of the most important ones, the minister exhorted the departmental staff to work with full dedication and consider probity as the article of faith. He also said that while on one hand, the promotions are being accelerated, on the other the recruitment of 210 jail wardens and 57 matrons would be completed within a month.

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Chairs meeting with top brass of jail department

He also batted for giving awards to the jail staff in order to boost their morale and was all support for providing necessary assistance to those inmates who wish to undertake studies. The minister while listing out the measures benefitting the departmental employees said that those employees completing 25 years of service would get immediate promotion to the next rank.

The minister also divulged that those employees who have only one year of service left but are otherwise eligible in all respects would be promoted to the next rank. The minister also directed the officers of the department to identify land near chapparchiri in Mohali where the headquarters of the department would come up.

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Applauds police for carrying out jail reforms

On the occasion, while thanking the minister the Principal Secretary (Jails), Punjab, Mr. Kirpa Shankar Saroj assured that the pace of modernization of the jails and other infrastructural needs of the department would not be allowed to be slackened. The ADGP (Jails) Mr. Rohit Chaudhary highlighting a vital aspect said that the measure of increasing the number of CCTVs inside the jails is also under active consideration so as to increase surveillance.

The minister also distributed commendation certificates to 11 personnel for doing commendable work in recovering prohibited articles inside the jails. Among others present on the occasion included the I.G. (Jails) Mr. R.K. Arora, and DIG (Prisons) Mr. Lakhwinder Singh Jakhar.A rare opportunity

Top-tier composer presents world premiere, works one-on-one with students

Last week, the Metropolitan Opera. This week, the University of South Carolina.

Composer Nico Muhly is on campus this week as part of a residency with the School of Music. The USC Wind Ensemble performs the world premiere of Muhly's Reliable Sources for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble in a free concert at the Koger Center on Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

As 37-year-old composer Nico Muhly arrived on campus this week for a residency and a world premiere, he had just wrapped up a three-week run of Marnie, the second opera hes composed for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Since releasing his first album, Speaks Volumes, in 2006, Muhly has not only written for the Met  hes also written soundtracks (The Reader in 2008, Kill Your Darlings in 2013); had commissions from Carnegie Hall and the Philadelphia Orchestra; and composed choral works for the Hilliard Ensemble and the Tallis Scholars.

Altogether, Muhly has composed more than 80 works showcasing his rare gift for melody, texture, mood and genre-melding in pieces that build upon influences ranging from 17th-century English composer Orlando Gibbons and 20th-century American composer John Adams to experimental pioneers Laurie Anderson and Meredith Monk.

Now, make that one more work: Muhly is at the university to present the world premiere of his new bassoon concerto, Reliable Sources for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble.

Reliable Sources is dedicated to Mike Harley, associate professor of bassoon and a member of Alarm Will Sound, and Scott Weiss, director of orchestras and Sarah Bolick Smith distinguished professor of music. Harley and Weiss led a consortium of 17 institutions  including the Eastman School of Music  in commissioning the piece. It will debut in a free USC Wind Ensemble concert at the Koger Center on Nov. 15; the concert will also include works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Gustav Holst and Leonard Bernstein.

I wasnt about to write a bassoon concerto for anybody else, Muhly says of Harley. The two have been friends for years, and Muhly has great respect for Harleys work in Alarm Will Sound. They all play virtuosically well  but not in a traditional, straightforward way. They take their instrument outside of itself.

A promising connection

The Muhly-Harley connection is one that will now benefit the entire university community. Muhly rarely does residencies in the United States, but hes excited about working directly with music students at USC.

I want to spend as much time as possible being useful to the students, he says.

Rehearsals for Reliable Sources will benefit music students whether they are performance or composition majors, as students work directly with a contemporary composer on the final shaping of a new work. As Muhly listens, hell provide real-time feedback that will affect the way the musicians are playing and, likely, even some of the notes themselves.

The classical music world is definitely evolving, and our School of Music is all about creating diversely skilled musicians. Scott Weiss, director of orchestras

I have learned something: What is fun for me is I dont even like to look at the score during rehearsal  so I feel like a person and not an accountant, Muhly jokes. Instead of obsessing over every detail, he says, I can sort of sculpt the thing and think about pacing along with the conductor, in this case Weiss.

As performance students work to get it right, composition students will work with Muhly to ensure that the musicians have the necessary instructions in the score to do so.

There are several graduate students who will shadow Nico during the rehearsal process, Weiss says. They will be his scribes taking down those changes. That will be really fascinating for the student composers  they are actually part of his process.

Invaluable insights

Muhlys residency offers a wonderful opportunity for students to work with a composer of Nicos stature, Weiss says. Hell be talking about his compositional career and answering questions. I love to hear the questions that the [student] composers ask  everything from business to the creative process.

Nico Muhly (at podium) rehearses Reliable Sources with the USC Wind Ensemble.

Muhly will work one-on-one with composition students, looking over their scores and giving feedback, as well as talking to music students more generally about their chosen field. The advice he dispenses could vary widely.

As musicians, we have different problems, Muhly says. Some people need to spend time working through technical things to get better. A lot of people need to figure out what they love; do you want to be in an orchestra or do you want to be in Alarm Will Sound? And then with composers, it is more complicated. My question is going to be, What are you going to do with higher education? I have a masters and not a doctorate. That has been perfect for me. For some people, it is the opposite  some people need to be in school and want to be in school and need that environment.

Ultimately, Muhly says: You have to figure out what you really love doing  with the enormous caveat that no knowledge is bad. You have to take that Wagner class even if you hate Wagner. You might think you dont need advanced techniques in whatever, but you do.

Muhlys visit is a testament to the School of Musics efforts to prepare the musicians of tomorrow.

The classical music world is definitely evolving, and our School of Music is all about creating diversely skilled musicians, Weiss says. The skills required to bring Bach and Nicos piece to life are similar but different  this gives them an outlook on making music that only happens when you are working with composers.

Share this Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading aboutThe cognitive skills and personality of a future employee are examined during a job interview: does the candidate have the right training? The right career history? Does he present himself well? And is he affable? However, qualifications and a nice character don't necessarily mean that the interviewee will be a good boss or a competent colleague, especially in professions where social interactions play a pivotal role. The individual's emotional intelligence has to be factored in, that is, his or her capacity to understand, regulate, recognise and manage emotions in the specific context of the work environment. Researchers at the Universities of Geneva (UNIGE) and Berne (UNIBE), Switzerland, have devised an emotional intelligence test that measures emotional competences at work. Known as the Geneva Emotional Competence Test (GECO), it is now available for research purposes and commercial use -- and you can read all about the results in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

The importance of emotional intelligence is widely acknowledged today, whether it's about recognising and understanding emotions, regulating one's own feelings or managing those of others. But up to now there has never been a test for measuring these skills in the specific context of work and the standards that govern it, that was entirely based on scientific findings and empirically validated. "In fact, someone may behave in a totally different way with their family or at work. They might be authoritarian in one environment and submissive in another," points out Marcello Mortillaro, a researcher in UNIGE's Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (SCAS). "That's why we were so keen to develop an emotional intelligence test focusing exclusively on situations specific to the professional environment. The aim was to assess a person's level in this area and provide both individuals and organizations with a scientifically based description that could help in personal development, in hiring the right candidate for the job, and in giving the right job to the person."

The Geneva Emotional Competence Test

The Geneva Emotional Competence Test (GECO) consists of four tests for evaluating the different parts of emotional intelligence, namely: understanding emotions, recognising emotions, regulating one's own emotions and managing other people's emotions. Katja Schlegel, a researcher at UNIBE's Institute of Psychology, explains: "We concentrated on problematic situations that involve negative emotions: fear, sadness, anger and inappropriate happiness or Schadenfreude."

"The GECO results were controlled and validated by additional tests, and they are very convincing," continues Mortillaro. "The more emotional intelligence skills you have and the better those skills are, the better your work outcomes are, above and beyond your cognitive intelligence or personality." The researchers also found that a superior ability to regulate one's own emotions is linked to earning a slightly higher salary. In fact, emotional intelligence goes hand-in-hand with a higher degree of empathy, openness to others, respect for moral rules and, in overall terms, a positive temperament. "We tested GECO on people aged 20 to 60, and the results show that emotional intelligence increases with age and experience, meaning it's a faculty that can be improved and developed," says Mortillaro. Women on the whole obtain superior results than men, notably when asked to interpret nonverbal emotional expressions. "Emotional intelligence is also linked to a person's well-being and satisfaction with his or her lifestyle," adds Schlegel.

"We also noted that managers who perform well on GECO have better results in standardized leadership tasks and students with higher GECO scores get better grades," says Schlegel. This finding explains why GECO is now being marketed by a Bern-based company and is being used for recruitment and career guidance assessments. The test currently exists in French, English and German with an Italian version being developed. "We now want to analyse the data to see whether there are differences across different language regions. We're continuing to develop GECO so that it can support the role of emotional intelligence in recruitment and scientifically validate the predictive aspect of a person's abilities in their professional careers," says Mortillaro.

1000 people to validate GECO

The various questions included in GECO were drawn up using interviews with over 40 managers working in Swiss-based firms. Participants were asked to explain diverse situations where they were faced with fear, sadness, anger or inappropriate happiness. They then presented the answers specific to these situations, which were validated by emotion experts and other managers as well as representatives of the general public. More than 1000 individuals then completed the four tests that make up GECO.

During the first subtest, which focuses on understanding emotions, participants are presented with 20 emotional scenarios and are asked to choose from 15 possible options which emotion was probably experienced in each scenario. The second test, designed to assess the recognition of emotions, consists of 42 videos of a person expressing a particular emotion. Once more, participants had to select the right emotion from 14 suggestions. The third test was geared towards the ability to regulate emotions: 28 scenarios portrayed a particular situation, with participants having to choose how they would behave. There were four possible answers but subjects were only allowed to choose two, the objective being to reduce the negative emotion rather than maintain it. Finally, the fourth test evaluated the management of other people's emotions. As Mortillaro notes: "This was the most important and meaningful test, especially in a professional context." In each of 20 scenarios, a person expressed fear, sadness, anger or inappropriate happiness. Participants had to choose from five possible courses of action the one they thought most effective to manage the emotional state of the other person: cooperation, compromise, acceptance, avoidance or assertiveness. "In this instance, context is everything. You might think that cooperation is always the right solution but that's by no means the case," warns the UNIGE researcher.Prompt action from a bystander can impact the likelihood a person survives cardiac arrest that occurs outside of a hospital. One common and proven intervention that anyone can learn is Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). Hands-Only CPR training kiosks are becoming more widespread and are an effective training tool, a new Annals of Emergency Medicine analysis finds.

A new study of 738 participants compares the efficacy of three types of Hands-Only CPR; a classroom session with a facilitator, a kiosk session with a manikin, and a video-only session. Hands-Only CPR is as effective as conventional CPR and simplifies the skill while decreasing common concerns about mouth-to-mouth contact, the authors note.

"For a person with little or no medical training, Hands-Only CPR training kiosks can teach life-saving skills in just minutes," said Debra G. Heard, PhD, consultant with the American Heart Association and lead study author. "These kiosks have the potential to lower barriers to training, increase the likelihood a bystander would perform CPR and positively impact the likelihood of survival from cardiac arrest outside of a hospital."

Less than half of adults (45.7%) experiencing cardiac arrest outside of a hospital receive CPR, with lower rates in rural, minority and lower-income areas, according to the American Heart Association which funded the study with the Anthem Foundation.

Low rates of bystander CPR are associated with a lack of training, the authors note. Common barriers to CPR training include time, access, cost and reluctance to perform mouth-to-mouth breathing due to personal health concerns. Hands-Only CPR training kiosks address these barriers and are now available in public places, such as airports, the study notes.

The study found that people who participated in a free four-minute kiosk session with practice and feedback were able to perform Hands-Only CPR similarly to those who participated in a 30-minute classroom exercise and both groups showed superior skill to those who only watched a video. Video-only sessions are more effective at raising awareness than teaching the proper techniques, the study found.

"Public health professionals should advocate for regular classroom or kiosk training and re-training," Dr. Heard said.

In 2013, the American Heart Association installed a kiosk in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Visitors could learn and practice Hands-Only CPR using a touch-screen video program and practice session. With no advertising, the kiosks attracted more than 23,000 visitors in nearly three years. These kiosks are now available in 16 airports and 14 other public areas with more than 100,000 people completing the training.In one of her first post-election moves, Mayor Libby Schaaf sharply criticized Alameda County supervisors for their proposed distribution of an emergency homeless fund from the state, underscoring an ongoing dispute between the city and county over who should be responsible for what in combatting the crisis.

In a letter last week, Schaaf said Oakland  home to half the countys homeless population  would be getting less than a fifth of the $16 million in grant money given to Alameda County. More broadly, she said, the county ought to be lending greater financial support to her citys efforts to get people into shelter.

The fact is that the county is the social safety net provider and the need is greatest in Oakland  on the street, Schaaf wrote to the Board of Supervisors. The county has taken a position that street encampments are an issue solely to be dealt with by cities. We firmly disagree.

Schaaf said Oakland was being penalized for its success. She and 10 other mayors of the states largest cities were able to attain direct allocations of one-time, flexible block grants from Californias Homeless Emergency Aid Program, a $500 million fund for local governments that was created when Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 850 into law in June.

Oakland received more than $8 million. The City Council last month voted to spend about three-quarters of it on Tuff Shed emergency shelter units, parking sites for people living in vehicles, and a sanctioned encampment to be run by the Village, a community volunteer activist group.

When deciding how to dole out the funds that Alameda County received, county officials included the citys direct allocation in their calculation. Considering the funds together, Oakland gets about half, said Wilma Chan, president of the Board of Supervisors.

I think we look at it as Oakland has about 50 percent  its proportional, Chan said. We think Mayor Schaaf has been great to work with and effective in terms of lobbying for these funds.

Ultimately, Chan said, the grant money from the state is a drop in the bucket. Alameda County spends more than $83 million a year on preventing and addressing homelessness and is set to devote an additional $90 million over the next three years.

Unfortunately, at the federal and state level, theres no one pot of money for homelessness, Chan said. Were all kind of sitting down and cobbling together different sources of funding.

But Schaaf called out the county for its lack of involvement in Oaklands latest efforts to house its homeless population. She said Alameda County should be helping to fund the citys new transitional housing facility on West Grand Avenue and sending social workers to Oaklands Tuff Shed sites.

Divisions of jurisdictional responsibility have become muddled in the homeless crisis. Sprawling encampments, for instance, demand health services  typically a county function  as well as sanitation and cleaning, traditionally a city duty. And who should be doing the bulk of funding for shelters and affordable housing is often unclear.

Oakland leaders often bristle when their progress is held up against that of San Francisco, saying that, as a city and county, it does not have to battle with itself in quite the same way.

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.

Supervisor Nate Miley said the county needs to do a better job of delineating which services it is responsible for providing, and not outsource them to Oakland.

There needs to be a coordinated approach to this, Miley said. Its unfortunate that we have dollars to help address this problem and those dollars are not getting out onto the street as fast as they need to be.

Dan Lindheim, an assistant professor of UC Berkeleys Goldman School of Public Policy, said he was sympathetic to Schaafs position on the state funding issue but understood county officials stance, too.

Typically, the county serves unincorporated areas and smaller cities, and the larger cities tend to fend for themselves, said Lindheim, who was the city administrator of Oakland from 2008 until 2011. Theres a history of lack of trust between the city and the county. It rears its head in different kinds of ways. It may be more this mind-set that the city gets the money the city gets, and the county provides for everybody else.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerovTens of thousands of votes from last weeks San Francisco election are still being counted, but its never too early for post-election map-making and analysis.

For an interesting Twitter follow, check out @StearnsSF. Political consultant Jim Stearns has been making maps of San Francisco showing precinct by precinct how residents voted on various ballot measures and candidate races in last weeks election.

Naturally, I was most interested in how residents voted on Prop. C, the measure to raise gross receipts taxes an average of 0.5 percent on the citys biggest businesses to generate $300 million a year for homeless services and housing.

The measure passed with 60 percent of the vote, which sounds great until you consider that its failure to reach the two-thirds threshold means its in legal jeopardy. City Attorney Dennis Herrera says voter-initiated measures need only a majority to pass, and the measure was written using that legal advice. But the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is suing over Junes Prop. C, which would raise taxes on commercial rents to fund child care and education over the same issue, because it too won a majority of votes but not two-thirds.

Until the matter is settled, Controller Ben Rosenfield will collect the tax money for those measures and for Junes Prop. G to levy a parcel tax to raise teacher salaries, but not spend any of it.

(Hint: If youre more concerned with blocking voter-approved tax hikes than caring for little kids, paying teachers an adequate wage and housing homeless people, you just might be on the wrong side.)

Stearns, who worked on the Yes on C side, said the map shows that with 80 percent of precincts backing the measure, the results were practically unanimous. Well, that might be an overstatement, but he has reason to be pleased.

For me, the map demonstrates how powerful the Yes on C message was, he said.

For me, the map pointed to interesting ways in which the city was divided on Prop. C. Which neighborhoods rejected it outright  meaning fewer than half of residents backed it? The Marina, Pacific Heights, Sea Cliff, South Beach, most of the Sunset and a smattering of other precincts around the city.

And which parts of San Francisco passed it in such high numbers  two-thirds or more  they would have dodged a lawsuit had their counterparts in other parts of San Francisco not voted? The Tenderloin, the Haight, much of South of Market, the Mission and a large swath of the Bayview.

The rest of the city supported Prop. C at a rate somewhere between 50 and 67 percent.

Its interesting to note that those areas most affected by homelessness threw the most support behind the plan to tax the citys biggest businesses  think Twitter, Safeway, Salesforce and Visa  to address the crisis. And those least affected by homelessness rejected it out of hand.

Sure, the CEO vote is probably big in the Marina, Pacific Heights, South Beach and Sea Cliff. But the Sunset? Kind of makes you wonder.

P.S.: The precinct with the strongest support for Prop. C was San Francisco State University, with 83 percent. The lowest was a tiny precinct near Mount Davidson with just 70 registered voters. There, 20 percent backed Prop. C.

Mayor London Breeds drive to install the nations first safe injection site, where drug users can shoot up inside under supervision, hit a major speed bump when Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a proposal to allow San Francisco to test such a facility in a four-year pilot program.

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

But Breed can take heart in the fact that her constituents are more supportive of the idea than residents of any other major American city. Those are the findings of a poll by YouGov, an online market research company that regularly surveys a panel of 2 million residents in the United States.

Asked to what extent would you support or oppose supervised injection facilities in your city? Fifty-six percent of San Franciscans said strongly or somewhat. Thirteen percent said they didnt know, and 31 percent opposed it.

Those in Philadelphia were least likely to support a site, with just 35 percent backing it. Interestingly, Philadelphia is one of the cities considering opening a facility. Seattle and New York City are also considering it, and their residents backed by rates of 44 percent and 40 percent, respectively. The margin of error was seven percentage points.

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Odds are that state Sen. Scott Wiener will again propose allowing San Francisco to proceed with a site in 2019, and Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will sign off on the idea. But that means were still at least a year out from the opening of a facility.

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.

Larry Shannon-Missal, head of data services for the research company, said its clear that Americans are hearing more about the countrys opioid crisis and are open to ideas they may have rejected before.

I think it might signal that people are a little more open to treatment options and to keeping people safe rather than focusing explicitly on criminalization, which has obviously produced mixed results, he said.

Asked how hed advise Breed on the issue, Shannon-Missal said, The numbers say people would be in favor of it. The people would support it.

If theres a San Francisco building thats the polar opposite of the brand new, shiny Salesforce Tower, its the headquarters of the Coalition on Homelessness on Turk Street. Its old, dirty and cluttered, and its furniture looks not just secondhand, but more like seventh-hand.

So it was both exciting and nerve-jangling when Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, the billionaire who funded the coalitions Prop. C, said he was coming by for a visit shortly before election day. Kelly Cutler, human rights organizer for the coalition, joked that she recommended clearing at least one layer from the piles of stuff everywhere.

But the real problem was in the bathroom. (And if youre eating, stop here and Ill see you next time.) With so few public toilets available to homeless people, the coalitions bathrooms are popular. Sometimes too popular. One of the toilets was so clogged that a plunger wasnt making any difference.

So a staffer bailed it all into a bucket and placed it at the top of the stairs to be removed. And like in any good slapstick comedy, somebody accidentally kicked the bucket over, and its contents spilled down the carpeted staircase to the front door. The staircase Benioff was soon due to walk up.

Frantic staffers cleaned, opened the door for air and put on fans. And the billionaire either didnt sense anything was amiss or pretended not to.

This was a quintessential Coalition on Homelessness moment, Cutler said with a laugh. Benioff never noticed a thing, since weve got our crap together.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsfAirbnb has pledged to donate $5 million over the next three years to address homelessness in San Francisco.

This is our hometown and this is our responsibility, the vacation-rental company wrote in a blog post shared with the Chronicle and published Tuesday. Homelessness is a tough and complicated issue and we dont pretend to have all the answers.

Airbnb will work with experts from government, community organizations and other entities to ensure these funds are directed to the most pressing and urgent needs, it wrote. Over the past two years, the company has donated about $750,000 to local organizations tackling homelessness.

San Francisco residents and companies such as Airbnb want to do more to help support what we know is a real challenge and a very complicated issue that we are working every day to address, Mayor London Breed said in an interview. Donations such as Airbnbs will help us get to a better place.

She has a number of recommendations in mind for the contributions, but declined to give specifics.

Private-sector donations can be highly impactful, especially when done in a coordinated way, said Jeff Kositsky, director of the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. He said he appreciates that Airbnb is seeking expert feedback before deciding where to direct the funds.

Philanthropy allows us to implement programs, innovate and experiment with new things, he said.

Programs such as making 1,000 more shelter beds available, and the new Rising Up initiative to provide 500 18- to 25-year-olds with housing and jobs are among many potential areas for the money, Kositsky said.

Airbnb has often had a contentious relationship with its hometown, but that appears to be on the mend.

Some activists and lawmakers accuse Airbnb of contributing to San Franciscos housing crisis by luring landlords to turn units into lucrative vacation rentals. However, in the past year, under a judges order, Airbnb has worked to ensure that all of its rentals are registered with the city, allowing officials to verify that only permanent residents rent to tourists.

There was abuse, but now were at a really good place, Breed said. We have a law in place to make sure (people) dont take valuable rental housing off the market to make it into hotel rooms. Theres a balance so people who are living in their homes can use (Airbnb and other marketplaces) to generate some extra income.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Airbnb stayed on the sidelines during the pre-election controversies over San Franciscos Proposition C, which imposes an additional tax on large San Francisco companies to generate an estimated $300 million a year for expanded homelessness programs. Voters passed Prop. C, but it is likely to face lengthy legal challenges.

About 375 local companies are large enough to have Prop. C taxes levied against them. Airbnb is unquestionably among them. Among the nations most-valuable startups, its worth some $31 billion on the private markets and reportedly made $93 million profit on $2.6 billion in revenue last year. CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky has said it is likely to go public in 2019 or 2020.

Both Breed and Kositsky said the Prop. C publicity has spurred an increase in inquiries from companies wanting to do more.

Airbnb recognizes the business community needs to step up and is an instrumental part of the solution, Daniel Lurie, CEO and founder of Tipping Point Community said in a statement. His nonprofit has pledged $100 million to halve chronic homelessness in the city by 2022. It's going to take an all-hands-on-deck approach, and our hope is that Airbnbs commitment will inspire others to step up.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaidIt happened again.

The Camp Fire in Butte County surged to the top of the Californian record books as the deadliest and most destructive blaze in state history this past weekend, following a recent trend of record-setting infernos in just the last two years.

As of the latest count, the Camp Fire is responsible for 42 deaths and incinerating more than 7,177 buildings and homes.

Fires in California are getting larger and deadlier, experts said, as human-caused global warming and years of drought have dried out the states vegetation. Notable infernos like the Tubbs, Carr and Mendocino Complex fires repeatedly appear on the states Department of Fire and Forestry Protection lists for largest disasters.

Suppression costs have steadily increased as well over the last two decades, and Cal Fire officials project that the agency spent a staggering $773 million fighting fires during the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

Below are the top 10 fires in California history based on fatalities, structures destroyed and acres burned:

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Most Deadly Wildfires

1. Camp Fire (2018) - 42 as of Nov. 12, 2018

2. Griffith Park Fire (1933) - 29

3. Tunnel Fire (1991) - 25

4. Tubbs Fire (2017) - 22

5. Cedar Fire (2003) - 15

6. Rattlesnake Fire (1953) - 15

7. Loop Fire (1966) - 12

8. Hauser Creek (1943) - 11

9. Inaja (1956) - 11

10. Iron Alps Complex (2008) - 10

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

Most Destructive Wildfires by Structures Burned

1. Camp Fire (2018) - 7,177

2. Tubbs Fire (2017) - 5,636

3. Tunnel Fire (1991) - 2,900

4. Cedar Fire (2003) - 2,820

5. Valley Fire (2015) - 1,955

6. Witch Fire (2007) - 1,650

7. Carr Fire (2018) - 1,604

8. Nuns Fire (2017) - 1,355

9. Thomas Fire (2017) - 1,063

10. Old Fire (2003) - 1,003

NOAH BERGER / AFP/Getty Images

Largest Wildfires by Acres

1. Mendocino Complex Fire (2018) - 459,123

2. Thomas Fire (2017) - 281,893

3. Cedar Fire (2003) - 273,246

4. Rush Fire (2012) - 271.911 in California, 43,666 in Nevada

5. Rim Fire (2013) - 257,314

6. Zaca Fire (2007) - 240,207

7. Carr Fire (2018) - 229,651

8. Matilija (1932) - 220,000

9. Witch Creek Fire (2007) - 197,990

10. Klamath Theater Complex (2008) - 192,038

Below are more details on 10 of the worst fires in California history:

Noah Berger / Associated Press

Camp Fire, 2018 (Butte County)

As of Monday evening, the California Department of Fire and Forestry Protection, or Cal Fire, reported 42 people killed, 117,000 acres burned and 7,177 structures destroyed in the now-deadliest fire in state history. On Monday, 4,555 fire personnel were battling the conflagration near Chico, and the blaze is expected to be fully contained by Nov. 30.

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

Tubbs Fire, 2017 (Napa and Sonoma counties)

The deadly Tubbs Fire was the most destructive in state history until the Camp Fire roared to life on Thursday, killing 22 and burning 26,807 acres in North Bay. It began Oct. 8, 2017 in Calistoga and leveled entire neighborhoods in Santa Rosa, destroying 5,636 structures.

BRANT WARD / SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Tunnel Fire, 1991 (Alameda County)

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

Flames spread over five square miles in the Oakland Hills after embers reignited from an almost-extinguished brush fire the day prior. The Tunnel Fire burned approximately 2,900 structures and killed 25 people, according to Cal Fire.

Paul H. Nilson / Imperial Valley Press / Associated Press

Cedar Fire, 2003 (San Diego County)

A lost deer hunter started one of the largest and deadliest conflagrations in state history, which killed 15 people and burned down 2,820 buildings. It held the state record for largest wildfire at 273,246 acres until the Thomas Fire a decade later.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Valley Fire, 2015 (Lake County)

In 2015, the Valley Fire became one of the most damaging fires on state record, burning 1,955 structures and 197,990 acres. Four people died as the blaze ravaged the towns of Cobb and Middletown in Lake County, according to Cal Fire.

Noah Berger / Associated Press

Carr Fire, 2018 (Trinity and Shasta counties)

Firefighters spent almost six weeks in July and August trying to put out the Carr Fire, which was sparked by a broken-down trailor near Redding. The blaze went on to burn 1,604 buildings and 229,651 acres. The fires bizarre behavior, including the most intense fire tornado in state history, killed seven, including a firefighter.

Noah Berger / Associated Press

Thomas Fire, 2017 (Ventura and Santa Barbara counties)

The 281,893-acre Thomas Fire ended 2017 as the largest wildfire in Californian history, but it topped half a year later by the Mendocino Complex fires. One fleeing civilian and a firefighter died during the blaze, which also destroyed 1,063 structures in the coastal communities.

Noah Berger / Associated Press

Mendocino Complex, 2018 (Colusa, Glenn, Lake and Mendocino counties)

While the Mendocino Complex  made up the Ranch and River fires  doesnt land on the states top 20 list for most destructive wildfires, it still stands as the largest fire in state history at 459,123 acres burned.

Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images

Witch Creek Fire, 2007 (San Diego County)

A decade ago, two people died in the 197,990-acre blaze in Southern California, which started with sparks from a San Diego Gas & Electric power line. Approximately 1,650 structures burned down.

Peter DaSilva / Special to The Chronicle

Nuns Fire, 2017 (Sonoma County)

Gusts up to 45 mph spurred on the Nuns Fire in Sonoma County to kill three and raze 1,355 structures. A fallen tree combusted after coming into contact with an energized power line, Cal Fire investigators said.

Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawuPARADISE, Butte County  Thirteen more bodies were recovered from the wreckage left by the Camp Fire on Monday, bringing the death toll in the states deadliest wildfire disaster to 42 as friends and family of people who remained missing searched frantically for their loved ones.

Officials said Monday evening that theyre expanding their search-and-recovery efforts by adding 150 people to their crew, bringing in cadaver dogs and erecting two military-type morgue tents. Many of the victims were burned beyond recognition, and DNA samples were being sought to help identify some remains.

Authorities released the first names Monday of victims: Ernest Foss, 63, of Paradise; Jesus Fernandez, 44, of Concow; and Carl Wiley, 77, of Magalia.

Foss, a San Francisco native who retired in Paradise, died when the fire swept through his home on Edgewood Lane. Foss had advanced lymphedema  a blockage of the lymphatic system that caused his legs to swell, according to his daughter, Angela Loo, who lives in Oregon. He was unable to walk and spent most of his time in bed.

For our whole family its been devastating, Loo said. Were in shock.

The fire has burned 117,000 acres and was 30 percent contained as of Monday evening. It has destroyed 7,177 structures  most of them homes  and was threatening another 15,500 structures. The areas most threatened are the Bloomer Hill area, the region below Stirling City and the southeast side of the Feather River.

Chronicle

Many of the missing people are retired seniors with mobility issues that would complicate escaping the firestorm that overtook the town Thursday morning.

How to help Evacuees need warm clothes, shoes and socks, and donations are being accepted at the Hope Center in Oroville at 1950 Kitrick Ave. Monetary donations may be made to the North Valley Community Foundation through its website (bit.ly/CampFireHowToHelp), according to Butte County's website. Monetary donations may also be made to the American Red Cross. Visit www.redcross.org, call or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Source: Chronicle research See More Collapse

Some used only landlines due to the towns notoriously poor cell phone service. Officials said they have been searching evacuation centers to find people reported missing, as its likely many didnt have an immediate way to let friends and family know they were safe.

On Sunday, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said 228 people were unaccounted for, and on Monday he said he was unable to provide an updated number.

Many people looked for missing loved ones at evacuation centers. Others  some outside California  turned to social media for help locating a friend or relative.

Its a pretty desperate situation, said Roman Digby, a Minnesota resident whose father, John Digby, went missing when the flames destroyed his mobile home early Thursday. Ive been calling the sheriff a couple times a day for updates. I just want to know either way if hes been killed or alive, so I can try to move on and deal with what comes next.

John Digby is like so many of the people Honea described as unaccounted for.

Hes 78 years old, has health and mobility challenges, and hasnt been seen since neighbors banged on his door as the firestorm swept though town, destroying nearly everything in its path.

The elder Digby lived at the Pine Springs Mobile Home Park on Clark Road, where he retired in 2008. Neighbors told his son that they knocked on his fathers door when the fire hit, but he refused to leave.

As others fled, they watched as rescuers headed to the area. Roman Digby hopes they got his father out in time.

My dad is in constant contact with me, he said. He was sick, and the only reason he wouldnt be in touch would be because hes unconscious or he passed away. Im trying to hold out hope.

The threat from the flames is no longer dire, but heavy smoke lingered over Paradise on Monday, blocking out the sun, which occasionally appeared as an ominous red orb.

Residents and relatives of the missing are still barred from the evacuated area, where teams search for remains.

Joanne Caddy, 75, has been missing from her home in Magalia since the fire hit. Her house was incinerated, and now her son, Sol Bechtold of Pleasanton, fears the worst.

Caddy doesnt have a car and doesnt drive. She has a cell phone, but Bechtold hasnt been able to reach her. Im praying that someone picked her up, he said.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

Bechtold and his wife went to Butte County, where they have searched for Caddy over the last few days. They printed 100 flyers and are checking with the countys numerous shelters, starting from the south and making their way north.

Its tough, Bechtold said Monday. But shes a strong woman. Shes super smart, so if theres anyone who can get out of it, she can.

When Ohio resident Tammie Konicki realized her mother, Sheila Santos, who lived in Paradise, was missing in the fire, she got in her car and started driving. She reached California on Monday but hasnt been able to find her mother at any evacuation shelters.

The last time anyone spoke to Santos, 64, she was groggy from sleeping pills. The fire had already swept into town, and the road to her two-bedroom trailer was closed. Konickis sister was on the phone with Santos that morning when the line went dead.

She was mumbling, and nobody has heard from her since, Konicki said.

Paul Hensons 83-year-old aunt, Evelyn Cline, lived on Roberts Road. She recently suffered a fall and was being cared for in the Atria Paradise assisted-living community. Henson wasnt sure if shed been sent home or was still in the assisted-living center and evacuated with the other residents. No one has heard from her since Thursday.

I honestly dont know what to think, said Henson, who lives in Chico. Its possible a neighbor got her and shes roaming around somewhere. The other possibility is if no one was able to help her. I dont want to think about what would have happened.

The Butte County Sheriffs Office has activated a call center to respond to reports of people missing in the Camp Fire. Anyone with a missing family member, or those who have located a missing person, can call 530-538-6570, 530-538-7544 or 530-538-7671.

Kurtis Alexander, Evan Sernoffsky and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com, esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com, megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KurtisAlexander @EvanSernoffsky @MeganrCassidyCHICO, Butte County  The death toll in the Camp Fire climbed by six Tuesday to 48 as local officials called on the National Guard to help search for human remains in the path of the 130,000-acre blaze.

All six bodies were found inside residences in fire-leveled Paradise, a community with a large population of retirees, many of them disabled and mobility-impaired.

Were going to do everything we possibly can to search for remains, said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea.

Officials said that firefighters made progress on Tuesday, expanding containment to 35 percent from 30 percent a day earlier. Several arrests were made Tuesday over looting in the burn area.

The fire has destroyed 8,817 structures  including 7,600 homes and 260 commercial buildings. Officials said 5,615 personnel are fighting the fire; 52,000 people remain evacuated in and around Paradise; and 13,085 people remain sheltered.

On Tuesday night, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency in California due to the wildfires, a move that gives health care providers and suppliers flexibility in treating recipients of Medicare and MediCal. The declaration followed President Trumps move Monday to designate Butte, Ventura and Los Angeles counties federal disaster areas, allowing victims of the wildfires to seek federal aid for housing.

More than 200 people have been reported missing in the fire that broke out Thursday morning, and no update on that number was given Tuesday.

Among the three people identified as Camp Fire victims so far was Ernie Foss, a homebound retiree whose family cared for him at his house in Paradise. Foss was bedridden with a chronic disorder.

So when the relentless Camp Fire tore through his neighborhood on Edgewood Lane on Thursday, he didnt have a way out.

Foss stepson and caregiver, Andrew Burt, tried to get Foss into a wheelchair as a fast-moving wall of fire wiped out the town.

They almost made it.

Investigators found Foss body outside next to his stepsons burned-out van, said Foss daughter, Angela Loo. Burt remains missing.

This is happening for all these people  its just unimaginable, Loo said in a telephone interview from Oregon. For our whole family, its been devastating. Were in shock.

As the number of dead continues to climb in the days after the fearsome blaze, a tragic picture is emerging: many of the missing people are seniors, according to descriptions from loved ones looking for them. Like Foss, who was 63, some lived with mobility challenges or more serious disabilities that would have made a fast escape almost impossible.

The tragedy continues. The search for lives continues, Gov. Jerry Brown said outside his office in Sacramento on Tuesday. The firefighters are doing their best, and I want to express gratitude for that. Other states are providing resources. California is pretty well maxed out.

How to help Evacuees need warm clothes, shoes and socks, and donations are being accepted at the Hope Center in Oroville at 1950 Kitrick Ave. Monetary donations may be made to the North Valley Community Foundation through its website (bit.ly/CampFireHowToHelp), according to Butte County's website. Monetary donations may also be made to the American Red Cross. Visit www.redcross.org, call or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Source: Chronicle research See More Collapse

The blaze hit Paradise so quickly that most residents had to drop everything and run. The towns narrow streets became flooded as traffic came to a stand-still. Some abandoned their vehicles and tried to outrun the fire on foot, jumping into strangers cars in the mad dash out of the inferno.

At many of the towns assisted-living facilities, staff rushed to evacuate their frail clients. Many couldnt walk on their own.

At the Cypress Meadows Post-Acute nursing home, caregivers used their cars, alongside sheriffs deputies and firefighters, to transport 92 residents as embers rained down on them and the fire jumped across roads.

But left behind in the scramble for survival were more of the towns vulnerable residents, who lived alone and didnt have help getting out.

Paradise was a well-known community for retirees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 25 percent of its residents were over age 65. Thats about 10 percentage points higher than the national average.

Whats more, nearly 20 percent of Paradise residents under age 65 are living with a disability, compared with just over 8 percent nationally, according to the Census Bureau.

There is a disproportionately larger senior, fixed-income and disabled population. That is a lot of members of our community, said Paradise Town Councilman and former Mayor Scott Lotter.

Paradise even marketed itself to seniors. In the 1970s, the Paradise Pines subdivision near Magalia just north of town ran television ads around the state to lure seniors to the rural foothills community. The population more than doubled in the years that followed.

They came from fast-paced places like the Bay Area, Southern California and the Sacramento area to live out their later years in peace.

Its a beautiful community, Lotter said. Theres clean air, low crime, good schools and really nice people, so a lot of people located there.

One of those people was Foss.

He was born in San Francisco, raised three children and worked as a studio musician. Before moving to Paradise eight years ago, he was diagnosed with lymphedema, a condition that causes the bodys tissue to retain fluid and swell.

His daughter, Loo, would drive down every few months to prepare meals that he could pull out of the freezer and reheat. Though she lives in Oregon, Loo was in constant contact with her father. Burt became Foss in-home caregiver.

When the fire struck, Loo became concerned. Foss was on a designated list stating that he needed a medical evacuation if disaster hit, but no one showed up to save him, Loo said.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

Instead, Burt rushed to the home to help.

Foss neighbor, Dylan Powell, was on his way home from work when the flames moved into town. He rushed to his home to gather up his grandmother and banged on his next-door neighbors home, where Burt was already inside.

I said, Look, guys. We have to get out of here, he said. At that point Im telling Andrew, Lets get out of here as Andrew is pulling out the wheelchair and Im moving stuff out of the way.

Foss didnt want to leave. Burt and Powell pleaded with him as the flames began to devour trees and brush on Edgewood Lane. At the far end of the dead-end street, several people burned to death, trapped in their cars.

When Andrew was telling me, Im staying, he was under the impression that there was going to be firefighters or an ambulance coming to his rescue, Powell said.

Standing inside the home, Powell got a desperate call from his girlfriend, who was in another part of town.

She basically said, Im not going to make it. I love you, he said. I had to go, so I hugged them and said I love them, and grabbed my grandma and left.

Flames licked the sides of his car, and the sky turned to red darkness as he drove away, he said. Powell put blankets and sweaters over his grandmother to protect her from the heat in the agonizingly slow drive to find his girlfriend and get out of town.

Powell found his girlfriend and they made it out safely, but back on Edgewood, things were becoming hopeless. Burt apparently persuaded Foss to get in the wheelchair and got him outside.

They were basically trapped, Loo said. My dad is a big guy. My stepbrother is a big guy. From some miracle he got him into a wheelchair and to the van, and thats where they found him.

Foss dog, Bernice, his longtime companion, died at his side. A detective told Loo that her father was burned on one side. If the family wanted to have an open casket, they could. Foss family pictures, record collection, Fender guitar and other instruments were all lost.

Everything is gone, Loo said. The weight of that just started to hit me. I cant imagine what its like for other people going through the same thing.

The Butte County Sheriffs Office has activated a call center to respond to reports of people missing in the Camp Fire. Anyone with a missing family member, or those who have located a missing person, can call 530-538-6570, 530-538-7544 or 530-538-7671.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Sarah Ravani, Melody Gutierrez and Ashley McBride contributed to this report.Nearly 90 percent of school districts in Sonoma County shut down Tuesday due to the smoky air from the deadly Camp Fire in Paradise, and officials extended an air quality alert for the Bay Area through the rest of the week.

A red unhealthy air alert targeted the region, including San Francisco, Oakland and most of the North Bay, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Officials urged residents to stay indoors.

Schools in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Healdsburg, Sebastopol, Geyserville and elsewhere were shut down, according to the countys Office of Education.

In Butte County, all schools are closed until at least Nov. 23.

Schools, families and communities are experiencing extreme loss due to this fire and its impact, the Butte County office of education said in a statement. Time is needed to help understand the extent of loss and disruption in our county and to develop ways to resume safely providing services to our schools and students.

Sacramento State University and UC Davis, nearly 80 miles away from Butte County, also announced Tuesday that classes were canceled due to the poor air quality.

Schools in San Francisco and Oakland remained opened, but officials said that outdoor activities would be limited.

A Winter Spare the Air alert also was extended through Friday due to the Camp Fire, officials said.

Jack Broadbent, CEO of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, said in a statement that smoke from the fire continues to blanket all nine Bay Area counties.

Any additional smoke from Bay Area chimneys could push the region into an even higher unhealthy air quality level, which puts us all in jeopardy, he said.

Outdoor activity should be limited and officials advised people to stay indoors and keep the windows closed.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

New and clean N95 masks should be used if people go outdoors, the agency said. The masks are not suitable for men with beards or young children.

During Spare the Air days, its illegal for residents and businesses to use fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavaniGedeon Tsegayes life in the bar industry is one of juxtaposition.

Born in Ethiopia and raised in Detroit, he is a former chef who turned to the cocktail world, and is one of San Franciscos only high-profile black bar directors. As the mind behind the Alexanders Steakhouse bar in San Francisco, he can methodically explain an in-house barrel-aging process, or with the same penache, wax poetically about the merits of washing Tequila in Wagyu fat.

His cocktails are popular among a predominantly affluent Bay Area crowd, some of whom indulge in $500 shots of exclusive spirits and $45 mixed-drinks made with rare labels. Recently, Kim Kardashian and her husband Kanye West ate dinner at Alexanders with their daughter, North.

But despite his luxe job at Alexanders, Tsegaye thinks a lot about vulnerable African countries, like his native Ethiopia.

Its a pursuit a world removed from San Franciscos glitzy bar scene, but its also one that relies on it. Tsegayes dream is to launch a food and beverage business that provides sustenance in bulk quantities to African countries. In a perfect world, the company would be based in Africa so funding the company receives to create specific foods will remain in the country.

Tsegaye spent 10 years as a chef before joining the cocktail world where he learned about flavor combinations under the tutelage of chefs like Charles Phan and Daniel Patterson.

The decision to shift his focus to cocktails came after Tsegaye realized in order to launch his food-related business, he needed to understand commercial production.

In the bar world, where mass production of one type of thing is the foundation, I knew getting here would be a chance to see it function on a large-scale in a successful market, he said.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

As Tsegayes passion project remains in it its early stages, he said all of the work he has been doing for more than a decade ties back to one thing: finding ways to help people who need it most.

I saw what the States were like, but Ethiopia, you see poverty and hunger common in a lot of African countries, he said. Where I am today in my career will help me address those issues.

Im learning all I can, he said. I know what the goal is. It just takes some patience to get there.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer,. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillipsIn another strike against the for-profit stem cell industry that has blown up around the country in recent years, federal authorities on Tuesday issued a formal warning to a San Diego clinic that uses fat-derived cells to treat a wide variety of conditions, from multiple sclerosis to Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease.

StemGenex Inc. already is being sued by former patients who allege the company made false claims about its successes and patient satisfaction rates.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ramped up efforts to rein in for-profit stem cell clinics in recent months, partly in response to complaints from scientists and consumers after several patients experienced serious complications  including blindness  related to stem cell treatments.

StemGenex has not been connected with any major complications made public. But in the warning letter from the FDA, which was sent to StemGenex on Oct. 31, the agency cites multiple complaints involving possible adverse events from the companys stem cell product.

In a statement released Tuesday, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said that though stem cell medicine remains a source of great potential for health benefits, we continue to see bad actors exploit the scientific promise of this field to mislead vulnerable patients into believing theyre being given safe, effective treatments.

He added, These stem cell producers are leveraging the fields hype to push unapproved, unproven, illegal, and potentially unsafe products. This is putting patients health at risk.

StemGenex officials did not respond to requests by email and by phone for comment.

The warning letter, which was announced by the FDA on Tuesday, states that the company has two weeks to address the concerns raised by the agency. The warning alleges that StemGenex is marketing products without appropriate FDA oversight. It also cites several quality control problems with the companys manufacturing processes.

Several hundred for-profit stem cell clinics have appeared across the country over the past five or so years. Almost all of them sell therapies  typically at a cost of $5,000 to $20,000 per treatment  that are not approved by the FDA, and many of which are specifically forbidden by federal regulations. The treatments are not proven to be safe or effective by normal scientific standards and have not been tested in animal or human studies.

For years a handful of critics have asked the FDA to stop these clinics from selling unproven therapies, but the agency only recently has targeted the operations with warning letters and other actions. Earlier this year, the FDA took its most aggressive action to date, requesting permanent injunctions to stop two major for-profit providers  Cell Surgical Network in Beverly Hills and U.S. Stem Cell Clinic in Florida  from marketing stem cell therapies.

Both companies are challenging the injunctions, and their cases have not been resolved.

StemGenex uses a product that takes fat from a patient, strips out and cleanses the stem cells found in that fat, then delivers the stem cells back into the individual by injection or other means. The product is similar to one used by Cell Surgical Network, U.S. Stem Cell and many other for-profit clinics.

The clinics claim that the fat stem cells can treat a wide variety of health problems by performing different biological functions, including replacing damaged cells throughout the body and improving immune function. Scientists who study stem cells say its impossible that fat stem cells could do all that.

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.

UC Davis scientist Paul Knoepfler, who has been a constant critic of the for-profit stem cell industry for years, said he was pleased to see a new warning letter issued.

But there are probably hundreds of other clinics using these unapproved drugs, he said. U.S. Stem Cell, Cell Surgical Network, StemGenex  those are just three of the highest profile places.

Leigh Turner, a bioethicist at the University of Minnesota who also has raised concerns about the for-profit industry, said he, too, was glad to see some action from the FDA. But he noted that he had sent letters to the FDA suggesting the agency look into StemGenex more than five years ago. He wondered why it has taken so long to issue a warning.

Had the FDA acted five or six years ago, there would have been a whole bunch of individuals who wouldnt have gone to this business and might not have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, Turner said. Regulatory inaction has consequences. There are costs and losses with the FDA taking too long to show up on scene.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinalldayPHOENIX  Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat and former social worker, scored a groundbreaking victory in the race for a Senate seat in Arizona on Monday, defeating her Republican opponent after waging a campaign in which she embraced solidly centrist positions, according to the Associated Press.

Sinemas victory over Martha McSally, a Republican congresswoman and former Air Force pilot, marks the first Democratic triumph since 1976 in a battle for an open Senate seat in Arizona. Sinema takes the seat being vacated by Jeff Flake, a Republican who retired after publicly clashing with President Trump.

Sinemas victory guarantees the Democrats at least 47 Senate seats. Republicans control 51, with two still undecided: Florida, where there is a recount, and Mississippi, where there is a runoff.

In a statement on Facebook Monday night, Sinema pointedly struck a nonpartisan note as she pledged to continue working in government to find common ground.

Thats the same approach Ill take to representing our great state in the Senate, where Ill be an independent voice for all Arizonans, she wrote.

The win by Sinema, 42, points to a remarkable shift in Arizonas political landscape. The state has been a Republican bastion for decades, but Democrats are seizing on dissatisfaction with budget cuts and growing unease over the Trump administrations immigration crackdown to make inroads with moderate voters.

Drives to register more Latinos, who generally vote Democratic in Arizona, appear to have paid off for Sinema. About 2.1 million Latinos live in the state, about a third of the its population. While Trump narrowly carried the state in the 2016 election, many Latinos have expressed displeasure with the president.

I have never been into politics until this year, said Oralia Ochoa, 26, a first-time voter who cast her ballot for Sinema and other Democrats. It all has to do with Trump and whats going on.

If one of the biggest themes for Democrats this year was the outspoken progressivism of insurgent House candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Sinema followed a very different path.

She started out in politics as a liberal activist and spokeswoman for the Green Party but shifted to the center after winning a seat in 2012 in the House of Representatives  drawing criticism from some on the left for siding with Trump and other Republicans on some legislation.

While Sinema frequently voted with conservatives in the House, her background also stands in contrast to many other members of Congress. She endured poverty and was homeless as a child, before becoming a social worker and obtaining a law degree. Sinema is also openly bisexual, and has spoken about facing bullying as a child because of her sexuality.

McSally seized on episodes from Sinemas early career as an activist against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. She pointed, for instance, to flyers for a 2003 antiwar rally organized by a group Sinema co-founded; they refer to U.S. terror in Iraq and the Middle East. Last month, she escalated dramatically by accusing Sinema of treason for an off-handed comment she made in a radio interview in 2003.

McSally, writing on Twitter Monday night, congratulated Sinema and wished her success.

Simon Romero is a New York Times writer.Two of the countrys best bakers and a Chronicle Rising Star Chef are joining forces on a new restaurant in Pacific Heights.

Belinda Leong and Michel Suas of B. Patisserie are taking over the space next door to their award-winning bakery that was most recently Wild Hare. There, they will partner with chef John Paul Carmona on a French-inspired restaurant named Routier.

The name is a French phrase for a restaurant or cafe which folks come across while traveling. More often than not, these places are neighborhood hangouts popular among locals. Leong said Routier will be a place with food that has a Franco-American slant in a similar theme as B. Patisserie.

The Routier project sprouted from a friendship Leong and chef John Paul Carmona developed in the early 2000s while working together in the kitchen of Manresa in Los Gatos.

Carmona has worked at lauded spots like Alinea in Chicago and Clio in Boston. It was during his time at Mugaritz outside of San Sebastian, Spain, where he first met Manresa chef David Kinch.

Years later, Kinch hired Carmona as a line cook at Manresa. Carmona rose to prominence and served as chef de cuisine at Manresa for six years before leaving and working as a private chef. Now, hes getting back into the restaurant game. Michel and I are partnering with him to support him to see his vision come to fruition, Leong said via email.

Routier isnt the only new 2019 project from the B. Patisserie folks. Leong is also opening a new mochi business in San Francisco called Mochi Mochi, though shes still waiting to confirm a location.

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.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: JustMrPhillipsSuppose a couple of Mexican citizens living in Tijuana journey to San Diego to give birth that night to a child. We argue that this baby is an American citizen owing to birth on American soil (jus soli  right of the soil). That is, soil is the sole determinant for American citizenship. Such citizenship entitles this child to the full rights and privileges of American citizenship.

Or suppose that same couple travels to San Diego to stay permanently, in violation of civil law, giving birth to a child later. Should the rule of law jus soli be the sole determinant of American citizenship? In most developed countries and in all of Europe, it is jus sanguinis (right of the blood) that determines a childs citizenship. That is, defined by parental citizenship, not place of birth.

My larger point is this: The U. S. Supreme Court today comprises five conservative justices and four liberal ones. Will this majority of five comply with the legal precedents and continue to define American citizenship as deriving from jus soli? Or will it instead determine that citizenship needs to be defined by other relevant factors in addition to place of birth? This change could be permitted by the undefined phrase in the 14th Amendment of subject to the jurisdiction thereof of the Supreme Court. A change from legal precedent conceivably could arise.

President Trump threatens an executive order to eliminate jus soli as the sole determinant of citizenship. Such an order would surely make its way to the Supreme Court, where it would be risky for both sides of the case. Trump could win; Trump could lose.

The court might not elect to hear the case for two reasons: one, birthright citizenship has been operative since the U.S. vs. Wong Kim Ark decision in 1898. Two, the court might choose to avoid vehement nationwide protest by jus soli supporters.

We must emphasize that the Supreme Court is political, governed by ideologies. Jeffrey Toobin, legal analyst for CNN, was on the mark about the politics of the Supreme Court. In his book, The Nine, he asserts: It is ideology ... that controls the outcome of cases. And Richard A. Posner, a conservative judge and law professor, writes, It is rarely possible to say with a straight face of a Supreme Court constitutional decision that it was decided correctly or incorrectly. Constitutional cases, he writes, can be decided only on the basis of political judgment, and a political judgment cannot be called right or wrong by reference to legal norms.

Toobin concludes, What matters is not the quality of the arguments but the identity of the justices. ... What (matters) is judicial philosophy  ideology.

Which ideology on the eligibility of citizenship will triumph?

John Marshall, the father of a strong Supreme Court, declared: The Constitution is what we say it is. He led the court in the Marbury vs. Madison decision, in which the Supreme Court ruled an act of Congress unconstitutional. That precedent remains today  potentially applicable to the issue of birthright citizenship.

President Trump claims he has the executive authority to change the law on birthright citizenship. Dont be too quick to write that off: the Supreme Court has the final say.

Ronald L. Trowbridge served as chief of staff for Chief Justice Warren Burger, and staff director of the bipartisan Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution.Youve probably read about the teachers and bus drivers who evacuated children from the devastating wildfire in Paradise (Butte County) last week. At least 42 people died in the fire, which destroyed the town of 26,000. But all of its students survived, so far as we know, thanks in part to school employees who drove 125 kids to safety through smoke, debris and flames.

So now might also be a good time to look back to another heroic Paradise teacher, Virginia Franklin, who taught high school social studies there in the 1960s. Franklin didnt save the lives of her students; instead, she protected their right to speak, write and think.

With our present-day democracy in tatters  if not in flames  we have a lot to learn from her example.

In 1963, at the height of the Cold War, Franklin came under fire from the John Birch Society and other conservatives for leading debates about arms control and U.S.-Soviet relations in her classroom. She also staged mock political conventions and Senate hearings, all designed to get students thinking and talking about the key questions of their day.

Franklin took pains to present multiple sides of each issue, insisting that students come to their own conclusions. But that was too dangerous for her critics, who took to the newspapers and airwaves to denounce her.

She tells the students, Heres democracy and heres communism. Choose what is right, one opponent warned. I dont believe we should do that in this country. We have too many left-wingers, and theres too much chance for influencing the wrong way in the classroom.

Other critics tried to undermine Franklin in more underhanded ways. A local Realtor helped his son hide a tape recorder in his textbook, hoping to catch Franklin saying something inappropriate. To bait her, the boy requested that his class start its re-enactment of a Senate hearing with a prayer.

But the move backfired. Franklin remained silent while her students debated  and, eventually, rejected  the prayer motion. But when word got out about the effort to entrap Franklin, the Paradise community rallied behind her. Parents and fellow teachers testified on her behalf at public hearings, while a local newspaper editor praised her for trying to get students to think for themselves.

Meanwhile, Franklin fought back with a defamation lawsuit against several members of the Paradise school board who had falsely accused her of recruiting students into Communist activities. At the next school board election, voters ousted Franklins critics and chose a slate of new board members who supported her. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus  to be found in the essential integrity and fair play demonstrated by the people, one educator in New Jersey wrote about the Paradise episode, which generated national headlines. And if this can happen in California, who can be afraid?

Today, alas, theres a sad answer: almost everyone. This month, a study of more than 700 teachers revealed widespread anxiety and reluctance about discussing controversial matters  especially anything involving President Trump  in our public schools.

There were many teachers who said they wanted to talk with students about the election and related issues but were also afraid of backlash, one of the studys authors said. So teachers steered away from politics, fearing criticism from parents or school authorities.

You cant have a healthy democracy that way.

Our public schools founding purpose was to create American citizens, equipped with the skills and knowledge to debate the shared public issues of their time. How will our young people learn to do that, if we dont practice it in school?

And right now, politically speaking, we have a five-alarm fire on our hands. Our nation is increasingly divided into ideological cocoons that shout past each other, instead of talking with each other. Theres only one institution that can teach children a better way to behave: the public school. But it cant do that if our teachers arent free to model such behavior in their own classrooms.

Of course, teachers shouldnt sway students in one political direction or another. Thats indoctrination, not education. But we also need to give teachers enough space  and enough support  to address politics in an even-handed, fair-minded way. The alternative is what we have now, and thats just not good enough.

So as the fires burn out in Paradise, lets thank the brave teachers and school employees who protected students from them. But lets also resolve to protect the rights of teachers  and their students  to discuss controversial issues in school, so they can dampen the flames of rancor and mutual hostility that are blazing all around us. Anything less will spell trouble in Paradise, and everywhere else.

Jonathan Zimmerman teaches education and history at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author (with Emily Robertson) of The Case for Contention: Teaching Controversial Issues in American Schools (University of Chicago Press).Nearly a week after the midterm elections, the news keeps getting worse for California Republicans.

Democrats claimed victory Monday in two state Senate races, giving them back the two-thirds supermajority they lost in June when Orange County Democrat Josh Newman was recalled after he voted in favor of Gov. Jerry Browns gas tax increase.

Republican leads also continued to slip in a pair of hotly contested Orange County congressional races.

In the state Senate races, Democratic Assemblywoman Anna Caballero of Salinas defeated Madera County Supervisor Rob Poythress, while Melissa Hurtado, a Sanger (Fresno County) councilwoman, beat GOP state Sen. Andy Vidak of Hanford (Kings County).

Caballero won a seat left vacant when GOP state Sen. Anthony Cannella was termed out of office.

The victories give Democrats 28 seats in the 40-member Senate, one more than they needed for a supermajority. They already hold a two-thirds advantage in the Assembly, enabling them to pass virtually any legislation without Republican help.

Orange County was one of the few jurisdictions counting ballots on the Veterans Day holiday Monday, and the results were bad news for both GOP Rep. Mimi Walters of Irvine and Fullerton Republican Young Kim.

Walters saw her lead in the 45th District, which is entirely in Orange County, cut nearly in half. She now leads Democrat Katie Porter, a UC Irvine law professor, by 1,011 votes, 50.2 to 49.8 percent.

In the 39th District, which also includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, Kim saw her lead over Democrat Gil Cisneros slip to 1,957 votes, or 50.6 to 49.4 percent, with only Orange County results reported Monday. Thats a concern for Kim and her supporters, because much of Cisneros support comes from Los Angeles County, which has about 28 percent of the districts registered voters.

As the margin tightens, the race has gotten uglier, with each side accusing the other of interfering with election workers counting the ballots in Los Angeles County.

Patrick Mocete, Kims campaign manager, said in an email Monday that a clear majority of voters in the district have cast their votes for Kim, a former assemblywoman.

Any results falling outside the current percentages, which give Kim her lead, he said, could reflect foul play. He added, We will continue observing closely to make sure the integrity of this election remains intact.

Slightly more than 300,000 votes remain to be tallied in Orange County, but its unknown how many are in the two districts still being contested.

Democrats also are leading in a Central Valley district, where Josh Harder holds a 3,300-vote lead over GOP Rep. Jeff Denham of Turlock (Stanislaus County).

And in a surprise, Democrat T.J. Cox is closing ground on GOP Rep. David Valadao of Hanford. The contest, where Valadao declared victory after leading handily on election day, now has the two candidates separated by only 2,079 votes, 51.2 to 48.8 percent.

In the nonpartisan race for state superintendent of public instruction, Tony Thurmond, a Democratic assemblyman from Richmond, now holds a 3,800-vote edge over businessman Marshall Tuck, who had led the race since the early results were released on election day.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuthWASHINGTON  As Congress returns from its weeks-long election recess, it has a piece of unfinished business that is critical to a nearly $50 billion California industry and millions of Americans on food stamps.

Theres hope the election results could finally get it over the finish line.

Lawmakers left town without finishing the farm bill, a twice-a-decade piece of legislation that is essential to farming and food access in California and across the country. The bill technically expired at the end of September, but programs are able to function until the end of the year. If it is not renewed by the end of the year, however, they could disappear.

Members of Congress, key staffers and lobbyists working on the bill are optimistic that a deal will get done in the lame-duck session of the outgoing Congress, if House Republicans give up their efforts to toughen qualification requirements for food-stamp recipients.

With Democrats having won enough seats in last weeks midterms to take control of the House next year, that seems increasingly likely.

I hope it gets passed, and I also have confidence that it will get passed, said Rep. Jimmy Panetta, a Carmel Valley Democrat and member of the Agriculture Committee that negotiates the bill. Panetta noted that the Senate overwhelmingly passed a version that would not toughen food-stamp requirements.

If theres an extension, then guess who has the power in the next Congress? Panetta said. Given the political realities, he said, he hopes House Republicans will be willing to come to the table and discuss a compromise.

Updated every five years, the farm bill determines rules for federally funded agricultural and food assistance programs. It includes farmer subsidies, conservation and rural development, but the biggest part of its $867 billion budget, about 80 percent, consists of nutrition programs, especially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.

The House narrowly passed a version of the bill that would expand work requirements for qualifying for food stamps to able-bodied adults ages 50-59 and to parents of children over age 5. Democrats and advocates for the poor said the changes would push 1.6 million Americans off the program. The bill squeaked through with only Republican votes, opposed by all Democrats, moderate Republicans who thought it went too far, and conservatives who thought it didnt go far enough.

The Senate passed a version without the changes, 86-11.

Since June, the two chambers have been negotiating over differences in their bills. Besides the food-stamp provisions, lawmakers must reconcile the stickiest differences in the program that governs pricing structures and protections for various cash crops and the section on conservation.

Theres nothing thats a big enough deal to keep this from getting done, said Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. The panels chairman, Republican Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas, led the charge for the food-stamp changes in the House bill and is one of the lawmakers negotiating with the Senate.

Why would the Republicans, why would Chairman Conaway, not want to finish this on his watch? Peterson asked.

Peterson said there was no desire on the part of Democrats whatsoever to push the question over to the next Congress, when theyll be in the majority in the House.

Conaway says hes committed to getting it done.

The election results dont change the circumstances in farm country, Conaway said. I remain 100 percent committed to completing the farm bill this year.

If the differences cant be resolved in the lame-duck session, the bill would technically revert to a 1930s version of the legislation. That would have devastating consequences for farmers and food stamp recipients, but its unlikely to happen. Most people tracking the bill believe the House and Senate would simply extend the current version for a year.

A number of smaller programs, however, would expire even with an extension  many of them critical to California, the No. 1 producer of cash crops in the U.S.

There are programs that support specialty crops such as wine. Theres a program that helps farmers build exports, which advocates say is especially critical for California growers whose crops have taken a hit in overseas markets because of President Trumps trade battles.

We are certainly feeling the impacts there in certain markets, and export promotion is one of the few things you can do to try to mitigate the impact of tariffs, said Charles Jefferson, vice president of federal and international public policy for the Wine Institute. Preserving the program is absolutely important in trying to deal with those challenges, he said.

There are other programs that promote organic farming, another key industry in California, as well as farmers markets and local food programs. And the overall bill is key to a host of issues from research and development, to forestry to pricing. Everyone from California produce farmers to the dairy industry has improvements in the bill theyre waiting on.

Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock (Stanislaus County), who is on the conference committee for the bill, is fighting to keep an amendment from Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King off the legislation that would undercut Californias ability to set animal welfare standards for egg production.

For California producers, especially in the produce industry, the farm bill is a critical tool for research and development needs, said Dennis Nuxoll, vice president of federal government affairs for the Western Growers trade group. For the average California resident, the farm bill helps us feed ourselves and make those products safe and affordable to consume, and for those places in California in need, the farm bill is a way to help those people in need. ... The farm bill is really critically important.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Tara Duggan contributed to this report from San Francisco.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicle Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopanThe Chronicle has launched a new weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here.

The words strike terror into the heart of seasoned travelers. Especially during the holidays.

Bag check!

Its a bone-chilling phrase that means screening at a TSA checkpoint grinds to a halt while a worker is summoned to manually remove a piece of luggage for inspection. Its also a phrase that officials at San Francisco International are hoping passengers will hear a lot less often.

The airports Terminal 3 is beginning to use automated screening lanes, TSA checkpoints with machinery and technology that remove a few of the hurdles that typically drag out the screening process.

On several TSA lanes, a system of conveyor belts still carries bins through X-ray scanning, but now, once a bag has been identified as needing closer inspection, it is automatically diverted to a separate conveyor belt, allowing other bags to continue through screening with interruption. That and a longer counter so as many as five people can load bins at the same time, as well as larger bins to accommodate full-size carry-on roller bags, should cut down passenger screening time by almost a third, according to officials with the airport and TSA.

Our goal is to revolutionize the travel experience, with facilities designed to make travel easier and more enjoyable, Airport Director Ivar C. Satero said. With the introduction of Automated Screening Lanes at SFO, we take that commitment to a new level.

The new lanes have been in limited testing since last week, but authorities are waiting to make them fully operational until Wednesday, Nov. 14, days before the holiday travel season (Nov. 16 to Jan. 1), during which SFO is expected to handle 6.7 million passengers.

Various versions of the automated screening lanes are already in use at airports in New York, Las Vegas, Dallas, Chicago, Minneapolis, Miami, Houston, Newark, Seattle and Atlanta, according to TSAs site online, as well as at Los Angeles International, where officials say their 27 automated lanes greatly speed up the process.

They have been adding tremendous value for us, both from the airport perspective and from the TSA perspective, said Justin Erbacci, chief innovation and technology officer and deputy executive director for Los Angeles World Airports, the organization that operates LAX.

Were seeing as much as 30 percent increase in the number of passengers that can be screened compared to using the old technology, Erbacci said. Were using them, and theyre getting passengers through much faster.

San Francisco International Airport

The same system of conveyor belts that draws bins into the X-ray machines also returns them back to the loading area, so theres no waiting for TSA staff to manually return them to the front of the line.

According to SFO spokesman Doug Yakel, there isnt a set timeline yet for expansion to other terminals; the plan is to spend a few months evaluating them in Terminal 3 before deciding whether to expand into other locations.

Experts warn that the new technology should not be an excuse to leave less time for making a flight. The automated lanes might be able to move the crowds faster, but it cant control the size of the crowds. For most passengers, the current rules still apply: laptops must be removed from luggage and cant have anything on top of them during screening, shoes and belts still need to be removed, and travel-size liquids should be set aside in a quart-size plastic bag.

And no, no one has figured out how to automate pat-downs yet.

Spud Hilton is a travel editor at The Chronicle. Email: shilton@sfchronicle.com. Twitter and Instagram: @spudhiltonA week after Election Day, a grassroots measure to ban short-term home rentals in South Lake Tahoe was clinging to a minuscule lead.

The "yeses" for the so-called Airbnb residential ban outnumbered the "no's" by only 25 votes , the Reno Gazette Journal reported. Last week the gap stood at 113 votes.

Some 500 to 700 votes remain to be counted.

According to the Sacramento Bee, city officials estimate homeowners are using about 12 percent of the city's housing stock for short-term vacation rentals. Of those, 1,400 permits are in non-tourism neighborhoods.

RELATED: S. Lake Tahoe stops gouging vacation rental guests with $2,000 parking tickets

While home rentals have been allowed in South Lake Tahoes for decades, some Tahoe residents say the popularity of online services such as Airbnb, VRBO and HomeAway have accelerated vacation rentals, turning residential neighborhoods into hotel zones.

If it passes, Measure T won't take effect until Jan. 1, 2022, at which time the 1,400 permits would be eliminated. However, a grandfather exception would allow "permanent" residents outside the tourist zone to rent out their homes for up to 30 days a year.

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce has called the measure "extreme" and says it would hurt both tourism and residents who depend on the extra income from rentals.

The city estimates it would lose more than $4 million a year if Measure T is successful.

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Read Mike Moffitt's latest stories and send him news tips at mmoffitt@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.Amazon's decision to split the project rather than open a second headquarters on par with its Seattle campus has angered some who said the company had ginned up competition among cities only to change the rules midstream. Some said it was unfair that the company seemed to be considering only sites in more affluent communities.Jacom Stephens/Getty Images

A traffic accident involving a big rig and 19 cars Tuesday closed all lanes on Highway 1 in Santa Cruz for a few hours, authorities said.

Shortly before 10 a.m., California Highway Patrol officers responded to a crash with injuries involving multiple vehicles and a big rig truck on fire on Highway 1 at River Street in Santa Cruz. All lanes in both directions were closed for nearly two hours as officials cleared the pile-up.Juul Labs says it will stop selling most flavored e-cigarettes in retail stores, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The decision follows word that U.S. health officials are preparing to step up efforts to curtail underage use of e-cigarettes. Last week, a senior official at the Food and Drug Administration said the agency plans to restrict sales of many fruit- and dessert-flavored nicotine pods to adult-only stores.

The new curbs will apply only to cartridge-style devices, such as Juul, according to the FDA official. The Juul device has become popular with young people in part because its small size and resemblance to a USB drive make it easy to conceal.

Juuls move is expected to affect 45 percent of its in-store retail sales, according to the person familiar with the companys plans. Tobacco and menthol-flavored Juuls will still be available in stores.

Under the FDAs planned restrictions, online sales will be allowed, but only by retailers who verify the buyers age, just as alcohol can be sold on the web as long as theres someone 21 or older to sign for the package, said the agency official. The regulations, expected to be announced this week, will take effect in the coming months.

E-cigarettes have created a paradox for the FDA and the companies that make them: They need to be attractive enough to lure traditional smokers to switch, but not so enticing that they create an entirely new class of nicotine users.

Action on e-cigarettes would parallel moves the FDA has already made to ban dessert flavors in traditional cigarettes. The agency has also been examining restricting menthol flavors in cigarettes. Reducing or eliminating menthol flavor in traditional cigarettes would be a separate regulatory action from the e-cigarette proposal, said the senior FDA official.

I am fairly confident there will be a legal challenge, said Lyle Beckwith, senior vice president of government relations at the National Association of Convenience Stores. He said theres no data he knows of showing that vape shops do a better job of age verification than convenience stores.

Spokesmen for the FDA and Juul declined to comment.

Any action that slows down the growth trajectory of Juul will be a positive for tobacco sentiment, Jefferies International analyst Owen Bennett wrote in a note. He added that it will have a limited impact on the major tobacco companies, as the vape market is a tiny part of their sales.

But restrictions on menthol flavor in cigarettes that could come later would impact tobacco companies sales negatively.

The FDA has talked for months about ways to reduce youth use, citing rising concern that e-cigarettes are creating a new class of nicotine users, rather than primarily helping people stop using regular cigarettes. The FDA has called youth use of the devices an epidemic and said it would consider significant action to stop it. Vaping surged 77 percent among high school-age children and about 50 percent among middle-schoolers in 2018, according to preliminary government data.

As alternatives grow, the U.S. adult smoking rate plunged to 14 percent in 2017, the lowest measure on record and down from about 42 percent in 1965, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 10 percent of adults 18 to 24 years old lit up in 2017, down from 13 percent the year earlier.

Juuls device accounts for almost one in three e-cigarette sales as of the end of 2017, according to the CDC. The San Francisco startup is backed by high-profile investors, including Tiger Global Management and Tao Capital Partners. Fundraising negotiations this year pegged a $15 billion valuation on the business, making its founders worth more than $800 million each.

Tobacco activists said the FDA should impose even greater restrictions, including banning online sales.

Its not enough, said Meredith Berkman, co-founder of Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes. There has to be a complete ban on flavors everywhere.

Drew Armstrong, Anna Edney and Olivia Zaleski are Bloomberg writers. Email: darmstrong17@bloomberg.net, aedney@bloomberg.net, ozaleski@bloomberg.netCHICO, Butte County  The death toll in the Camp Fire climbed by six Tuesday to 48 as local officials called on the National Guard to help search for human remains in the path of the 130,000-acre blaze.

All six bodies were found inside residences in fire-leveled Paradise, a community with a large population of retirees, many of them disabled and mobility-impaired.

Were going to do everything we possibly can to search for remains, said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea.

Officials said that firefighters made progress on Tuesday, expanding containment to 35 percent from 30 percent a day earlier. Several arrests were made Tuesday over looting in the burn area.

The fire has destroyed 8,817 structures  including 7,600 homes and 260 commercial buildings. Officials said 5,615 personnel are fighting the fire; 52,000 people remain evacuated in and around Paradise; and 13,085 people remain sheltered.

On Tuesday night, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency in California due to the wildfires, a move that gives health care providers and suppliers flexibility in treating recipients of Medicare and MediCal. The declaration followed President Trumps move Monday to designate Butte, Ventura and Los Angeles counties federal disaster areas, allowing victims of the wildfires to seek federal aid for housing.

More than 200 people have been reported missing in the fire that broke out Thursday morning, and no update on that number was given Tuesday.

Among the three people identified as Camp Fire victims so far was Ernie Foss, a homebound retiree whose family cared for him at his house in Paradise. Foss was bedridden with a chronic disorder.

So when the relentless Camp Fire tore through his neighborhood on Edgewood Lane on Thursday, he didnt have a way out.

Foss stepson and caregiver, Andrew Burt, tried to get Foss into a wheelchair as a fast-moving wall of fire wiped out the town.

They almost made it.

Investigators found Foss body outside next to his stepsons burned-out van, said Foss daughter, Angela Loo. Burt remains missing.

This is happening for all these people  its just unimaginable, Loo said in a telephone interview from Oregon. For our whole family, its been devastating. Were in shock.

As the number of dead continues to climb in the days after the fearsome blaze, a tragic picture is emerging: many of the missing people are seniors, according to descriptions from loved ones looking for them. Like Foss, who was 63, some lived with mobility challenges or more serious disabilities that would have made a fast escape almost impossible.

The tragedy continues. The search for lives continues, Gov. Jerry Brown said outside his office in Sacramento on Tuesday. The firefighters are doing their best, and I want to express gratitude for that. Other states are providing resources. California is pretty well maxed out.

How to help Evacuees need warm clothes, shoes and socks, and donations are being accepted at the Hope Center in Oroville at 1950 Kitrick Ave. Monetary donations may be made to the North Valley Community Foundation through its website (bit.ly/CampFireHowToHelp), according to Butte County's website. Monetary donations may also be made to the American Red Cross. Visit www.redcross.org, call or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Source: Chronicle research See More Collapse

The blaze hit Paradise so quickly that most residents had to drop everything and run. The towns narrow streets became flooded as traffic came to a stand-still. Some abandoned their vehicles and tried to outrun the fire on foot, jumping into strangers cars in the mad dash out of the inferno.

At many of the towns assisted-living facilities, staff rushed to evacuate their frail clients. Many couldnt walk on their own.

At the Cypress Meadows Post-Acute nursing home, caregivers used their cars, alongside sheriffs deputies and firefighters, to transport 92 residents as embers rained down on them and the fire jumped across roads.

But left behind in the scramble for survival were more of the towns vulnerable residents, who lived alone and didnt have help getting out.

Paradise was a well-known community for retirees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 25 percent of its residents were over age 65. Thats about 10 percentage points higher than the national average.

Whats more, nearly 20 percent of Paradise residents under age 65 are living with a disability, compared with just over 8 percent nationally, according to the Census Bureau.

There is a disproportionately larger senior, fixed-income and disabled population. That is a lot of members of our community, said Paradise Town Councilman and former Mayor Scott Lotter.

Paradise even marketed itself to seniors. In the 1970s, the Paradise Pines subdivision near Magalia just north of town ran television ads around the state to lure seniors to the rural foothills community. The population more than doubled in the years that followed.

They came from fast-paced places like the Bay Area, Southern California and the Sacramento area to live out their later years in peace.

Its a beautiful community, Lotter said. Theres clean air, low crime, good schools and really nice people, so a lot of people located there.

One of those people was Foss.

He was born in San Francisco, raised three children and worked as a studio musician. Before moving to Paradise eight years ago, he was diagnosed with lymphedema, a condition that causes the bodys tissue to retain fluid and swell.

His daughter, Loo, would drive down every few months to prepare meals that he could pull out of the freezer and reheat. Though she lives in Oregon, Loo was in constant contact with her father. Burt became Foss in-home caregiver.

When the fire struck, Loo became concerned. Foss was on a designated list stating that he needed a medical evacuation if disaster hit, but no one showed up to save him, Loo said.

Instead, Burt rushed to the home to help.

Foss neighbor, Dylan Powell, was on his way home from work when the flames moved into town. He rushed to his home to gather up his grandmother and banged on his next-door neighbors home, where Burt was already inside.

I said, Look, guys. We have to get out of here, he said. At that point Im telling Andrew, Lets get out of here as Andrew is pulling out the wheelchair and Im moving stuff out of the way.

Foss didnt want to leave. Burt and Powell pleaded with him as the flames began to devour trees and brush on Edgewood Lane. At the far end of the dead-end street, several people burned to death, trapped in their cars.

When Andrew was telling me, Im staying, he was under the impression that there was going to be firefighters or an ambulance coming to his rescue, Powell said.

Standing inside the home, Powell got a desperate call from his girlfriend, who was in another part of town.

She basically said, Im not going to make it. I love you, he said. I had to go, so I hugged them and said I love them, and grabbed my grandma and left.

Flames licked the sides of his car, and the sky turned to red darkness as he drove away, he said. Powell put blankets and sweaters over his grandmother to protect her from the heat in the agonizingly slow drive to find his girlfriend and get out of town.

Powell found his girlfriend and they made it out safely, but back on Edgewood, things were becoming hopeless. Burt apparently persuaded Foss to get in the wheelchair and got him outside.

They were basically trapped, Loo said. My dad is a big guy. My stepbrother is a big guy. From some miracle he got him into a wheelchair and to the van, and thats where they found him.

Foss dog, Bernice, his longtime companion, died at his side. A detective told Loo that her father was burned on one side. If the family wanted to have an open casket, they could. Foss family pictures, record collection, Fender guitar and other instruments were all lost.

Everything is gone, Loo said. The weight of that just started to hit me. I cant imagine what its like for other people going through the same thing.

The Butte County Sheriffs Office has activated a call center to respond to reports of people missing in the Camp Fire. Anyone with a missing family member, or those who have located a missing person, can call 530-538-6570, 530-538-7544 or 530-538-7671.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Sarah Ravani, Melody Gutierrez and Ashley McBride contributed to this report.With smoke particles from the Camp Fire causing sore throats and burning eyes in the Bay Area, one might assume the hazy air would be responsible for recent reports of chapped, dry skin among residents.

That's probably not the case, though the fires and preponderance of flaky skin are related, says Kristine Roselius, a spokesperson for the Bay Area Air Quality District.

Just before the deadly Camp Fire broke out last week, the humidity levels throughout California plummeted, Roselius explained. San Francisco's air is usually sticky, with an average humidity of 75 percent due to moisture seeping off the Pacific Ocean.

ALSO READ: How a Paradise garage, miraculously untouched by fire, saved a fleet of nurses and their patients

In the days leading up to the Butte County wildfire, the humidity in San Francisco began dropping. On Friday morning, when the Camp Fire broke out, the humidity levels reached as low as 15 percent.

"The dry skin and chapped lips are probably from the low humidity," said Roselius, admitting that she, too, suffered from a recent spell of parched skin.

The low humidity also contributed to the outbreak of the fire, Roselius said. Fire risk increases in low-humidity conditions because a lack of moisture in the air quickly dries out natural fuels, like grass and pine needles. The drier those fuels are, the faster they burn.

Low humidity in California, coupled with strong winds and a handful of other yet-to-be-determined factors, likely spurred and spread the ferocious conflagrations in Northern and Southern California.

As of Monday morning, the Camp Fire had burned 113,000 acres and was 25 percent contained. It has destroyed 6,713 structures, and coroner's recovery teams had found 29 bodies. The fire is the most destructive in state history and the deadliest, along with Los Angeles' Griffith Park Fire in 1933 that also killed 29 people.

In Southern California, the Woolsey Fire continues to burn at just 20-percent containment. About 200,000 people are currently under evacuation orders, and more than 370 homes have burned.

To read the Chronicle's full coverage of California wildfires, click here.

In February, when San Francisco experienced a bout of low humidity, SFGATE asked readers to share their best remedies for dry, chapped skin. Here's what they shared:

"I boil water on the stove every morning to get moisture in the air. Not sure if it works! But, I enjoy it."

"I use Gold Bond's healing lotion and it works like a charm."

"Working in restaurants or cooking at home, I get them wet and cover in olive oil. Rub til dry."

"I use Vaseline for the cracks and lotion to help keep the moisture."

"Husband has major issues with really dry skin on his hands that sometimes even crack and bleed. Because of the weather, because he works outside, and I think partly because of some chemicals he works with. Anyways a few times a week I lather up his hands with lotion, and then put latex gloves over them. So it soaks in all night. It definitely helps."

Shea butter!

"My brother who has bad psoriasis and lives in a cold climate swears by food grade coconut oil and Eucerin; he slathers his hands and joints in it so as to prevent bleeding.

"I also use sweet almond and apricot kernel oils all over my body when I get out of the shower/bath. Angelina Organic Skincare Skin Doctor is beyond amazingggg for super dry hands, knees elbows and feet."

"Aquaphor before bed (otherwise your hands are all greasy and you can't touch anything). Works great."

The Associated Press, SFGATE staff writer Amy Graff, and Chronicle staff writers Kurtis Alexander, Evan Sernoffsky and Megan Cassidy, contributed to this report.Elon Musk  the same man whose company sold flamethrowers called "Not a Flamethrower"  wants to know how he can support California wildfire relief.

He wants to know how he can help, but also, he's already helping.

"If Tesla can help people in California wildfire, please let us know," Musk tweeted last week, shortly after wildfires erupted in the northern and southern regions of the state.

"Model S & X have hospital grade HEPA filters," he continued. "Maybe helpful for transporting people."

ALSO READ: North Bay schools close as smoky air 'puts us all in jeopardy'

Many commenters applauded Musk for the gesture. One went so far as to call him Jesus Christ. But some criticized the Tesla CEO for his virtue signaling  and for his tweet, which they said seemed more like an encoded advertisement for Tesla than a genuine call to help.

"Weird flex but ok," several people tweeted.

Model S and X Teslas do indeed have a fancy air filtration system, which the company calls the "Bioweapon Defense Mode." The "Bioweapon Defense Mode" does not, in fact, protect against bioweapons, as Musk pointed out in a recent tweet. It does filter air particles. In other words, Teslas have built-in air purifiers.

Ostensibly, this is a useful feature for those who are affected by the poor air quality resultant of the wildfires. On Tuesday, Bay Area Air Quality Management District extended a red "unhealthy air" alert for much of the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland and most of the North Bay. Officials urge residents to stay indoors.

The CEO has retweeted multiple Tesla owners who used laser particle counters to test the Bioweapon Defense Mode. One man shared photos of his "Windows Up/Windows Down" test. With the windows down, he recorded an Air Quality Index of 105  considered "unhealthy for sensitive groups." With the windows up, the AQI was 2, or "good."

"Thank you Tesla!" he concluded by tweet.

READ MORE: How to help victims of California Wildfires

Others implored the Tech magnate to leave the saving to the professionals.

Tweeted Andre Forastieri: "Just Write a Check."

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@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.MALIBU  With Santa Ana winds returning and hundreds of homes in ashes, firefighters were struggling to corral a devastating Southern California wildfire that has ravaged scenic canyons and celebrity enclaves near the ocean.

Crews taking advantage of a weekend lull in the winds had the immense Woolsey blaze, which stretches from north of Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean, about 30 percent contained. But at least 435 buildings had burned  most of them homes  and the hot embers smoldering there could become the sparks for more devastation, fire officials said.

Fire crews had to stamp out two new blazes on Monday while still working to corral the hot western and eastern sides of the fire, which had burned its way through drought-stricken canyonlands in and around Malibu, burning celebrity houses along with modest mobile homes.

The hot, dry gusty winds were expected to blow through Wednesday, although not quite as furiously as last week. Winds, coupled with higher average annual temperatures, tinder-dry brush and a lack of rain in recent years, make the perfect ingredients for explosive fire growth around the state, said Chris Anthony, a division chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Ive been doing this job for 31 years and probably in the last five, maybe seven years, every year seems to get worse, California Fire Chief Scott Jalbert told the Associated Press.

The fire has burned more than 80 percent of National Parks Service land in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, officials said.

Fire officials lifted some evacuation orders Monday in Los Angeles County while warning Southern California residents to remain vigilant as strong winds fanned new fires. While some returned home, others were told to leave. As one major freeway reopened, another was closed.

The return to normal for some was juxtaposed with the arrival of chaos for others, illustrating how quickly conditions can turn. At least 57,000 homes were still considered threatened, state fire officials said, and more than 200,000 people remained under evacuation orders.

Relief and heartache awaited those who were allowed to return home Monday. Paul Rasmussen, his pregnant wife and 6-year-old daughter fled their mountainside Malibu home Friday for what they thought would be the last time.

Rasmussen gasped Monday as he rounded corners on the road home that revealed the extent of damage with more than a dozen nearby houses reduced to rubble. But their home survived. His next-door neighbor, Randy Berkeley, protected his home and the Rasmussens house.

Berkeley and his wife, Robyn Berkeley, choked back tears as they recounted their ordeal holding back a 100-foot wall of flames and then repeatedly beating back hot spots that continued to flare up throughout the night and next day.

The couple and their 25-year-old son, Colin, used hoses, buckets of water and chain saws to battle flames and cut back brush as the fire kept coming to life.

Just when you think everything is dying down, everything keeps coming back, Randy Berkeley said.

The death toll stood at two, adults found last week in a car overtaken by flames a couple miles from Rasmussens house.

Christopher Weber and Brian Melley are Associated Press writers.The Camp Fire in Butte County is pumping out tremendous amounts of smoke, blanketing the greater Bay Area in a chalky haze.

The smoke is causing reduced visibility and flight delays at San Francisco International Airport.Over the past several years, design innovation has crept into the travel industry, creating a new wave of consumer-friendly products and spaces that make the experience of getting from one place to another and staying there more comfortable, productive and a lot more beautiful.

For example, airlines are introducing relaxing mood lighting, more spacious overhead bins, larger windows and easier access to all-important power outlets. Airports are getting makeovers to replace dark, narrow corridors and an institutional feel with vast windows, airy atriums and plentiful new shopping and dining options. Some have even ripped out carpeting and replaced it with slick terrazzo to make it easier to drag our luggage along with usthose wheelie bags are yet another example of good design in travel, right?

And major hotel companies are birthing brands that are using design to cater to the wants of new generations of travelers. Think multipurpose lobby spaces for eating, working and socializing; rooftop bars and event spaces with expansive urban views; speedy app-based self-check-in kiosks; and guest rooms that cater to the wireless, streaming needs of today's travelers.

Typical of these trends are Best Western Hotels & Resorts' new brands called Vib and GLo. While it may have started out as a collection of roadside motor inns, Best Western is moving way beyond that with more than 4,200 hotels worldwide in a variety of brands to meet the needs of specific market segments  and that variety continues to grow. (Note: Best Western is the sponsor of this post.)

The new Vib brand (pronounced Vibe) will be boutique "tech-centric" hotels that Best Western defines as "urban chic," for the upscale market. Public spaces and guest accommodations feature innovative design elements that rethink traditional lodging models. Lobby areas come with coffee/food cafes featuring grab-and-go service, a fireplace or water feature, check-in kiosks, and front desk "pods." The hotels will have a lobby or rooftop bar, virtual concierge service, and a fully equipped fitness room as well as gaming pods and a 700-square-foot Zen Zone "to cater to millennial travelers."

The Vib guest rooms will feature platform beds with practical design touches like storage below and maybe a desk behind the headboard; a smart TV; blackout shades on the windows; and iComfort memory foam mattresses from Serta. Bathrooms come with a backlit vanity mirror and an LED-lighted shower with both a rain head and a hand-held shower head (bathtubs are so 20th-century).

The first Vib location opened last year in Antalya, Turkey. Check out this Hey Nadine video about it here. There's also a new Vib in Springfield, Missouri, and others in the works in Los Angeles, Miami, Staten Island and Little Rock.

GLo properties target the upper midscale market to provide "affordable boutique-style travel," Best Western said. They share many of the same design elements as Vib properties (except for the Zen Zones and game pods) and are designed for both leisure and business travelers. GLo hotels provide free breakfast and feature guest rooms with a streamlined design to maximize space, and a choice of king or double queen-bedded accommodations. (Have a look here on a video tour with Chet Garner.) The GLo standard design calls for in-room work stations and coffee/tea makers; gel-topped mattresses; and an on-site business center, guest laundry and same-day dry cleaning. And both brands offer free Wi-Fi.

There's a new GLo property in the Dallas suburb of DeSoto, Texas, with additional locations coming in early 2019 Asheville, North Carolina; Brooklyn, N.Y., Lexington, KY, Nashville, TN; and Ottawa, Ontario.

Best Western

And that's not all. More recently, Best Western announced another pair of new design-forward boutique brands called Aiden and Sadie hotels. Both brands will "creatively use space and technology, while eliminating some typical hotel requirements," the company said. "At the center of each Sadie Hotel and Aiden Hotel is a public area with either a cafe or bar; modern signature seating; and mobile check-in for convenient guest check-in."

Another important feature about Aiden and Sadie hotels is that they will all be unique and custom built with design and art fitting of that locale  think large scale murals and fun Instagrammable areas. Each will have its own personality and feel and could even be housed in unique conversion spaces, such as a warehouse with history and character. Catch a glimpse of the "unsuspecting locations" Best Western has in mind in this video introducing the brands.

Learn more about the 13 types of Best Western-branded hotels designed to meet the travel needs of guests around the world.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored Best Western Hotels & Resorts. We will periodically publish posts like this one from commercial partners about topics relevant to frequent travel.

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.TravelSkills on SFGate is brought to you by Visa

If you are watching the heartbreak and devastation of the California wildfires and want to pitch in and help...and earn United miles... here's your chance.

Today United set up a crowd funding page to award up to 5 million bonus miles to those donating $50 or more to the campaign. Members earn 250 miles for donations of $50-$99, 500 miles for donations of $100-$249 and 1,000 miles for donations over $250. All funds will go toward efforts to support affected communities in California.

When making your donation on the Crowdrise page, you are given the option of donating to the North Valley Community Foundation (in Chico, near the northern California Camp fire) or to the Ventura County Community Foundation (near the Woolsey and Hill fires in Southern California) or to the American Red Cross.

You'll be asked to enter your United MileagePlus number on the second screen after you've selected your cause and entered your billing information. Don't forget to add it as I almost did!

United has already primed the pump by donating $150,000 to the three organizations as well as offering to fly first responders within California.

"United is deeply connected to the affected communities and with a profound sense of both sadness and duty during this difficult time, we are proud to offer our assistance," said Janet Lamkin, United's president for California. "We will continue to engage our generous customers, employees and MileagePlus members and work with local leadership to support all those affected by these devastating fires."

"The outpouring of support is immense and amid the flames and smoke it is a ray of light. We are so grateful to United Airlines for immediately responding with care and support," said Alexa Benson-Valavanis, president and CEO of North Valley Community Foundation.

DONATE HERE (Donations accepted through Nov 30)

In addition to its help with relief efforts, United is waiving change fees and fare differences on flights to, from or through Los Angeles International Airport, Hollywood Burbank Airport and San Francisco International Airport. Customers may reschedule their itineraries for travel through Nov. 25

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.Chinese and the US armed forces started an eight-day joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) drill on Monday in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province.

Chinese and US troops perform a joint confined-space rescue operation at Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Facility of the Oregon Army National Guard in Warrenton, Oregon. [File Photo: Xinhua]

The drill involves over 200 military personnel from the army under the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command and the US Army Pacific.

The joint drill aims to share the experience of international HA/DR of the two militaries and cultivate the willingness and capability of the two militaries to carry out joint disaster relief operations.Two of the countrys best bakers and a Chronicle Rising Star Chef are joining forces on a new restaurant in Pacific Heights.

Belinda Leong and Michel Suas of B. Patisserie are taking over the space next door to their award-winning bakery that was most recently Wild Hare. There, they will partner with chef John Paul Carmona on a French-inspired restaurant named Routier.

The name is a French phrase for a restaurant or cafe which folks come across while traveling. More often than not, these places are neighborhood hangouts popular among locals. Leong said Routier will be a place with food that has a Franco-American slant in a similar theme as B. Patisserie.

The Routier project sprouted from a friendship Leong and chef John Paul Carmona developed in the early 2000s while working together in the kitchen of Manresa in Los Gatos.

Carmona has worked at lauded spots like Alinea in Chicago and Clio in Boston. It was during his time at Mugaritz outside of San Sebastian, Spain, where he first met Manresa chef David Kinch.

Years later, Kinch hired Carmona as a line cook at Manresa. Carmona rose to prominence and served as chef de cuisine at Manresa for six years before leaving and working as a private chef. Now, hes getting back into the restaurant game. Michel and I are partnering with him to support him to see his vision come to fruition, Leong said via email.

Routier isnt the only new 2019 project from the B. Patisserie folks. Leong is also opening a new mochi business in San Francisco called Mochi Mochi, though shes still waiting to confirm a location.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: JustMrPhillipsIts a much better strategy, Ries said. The most successful brands are the ones that focus on a singular idea. The ultimate driving machine, for example, made BMW the largest selling luxury-vehicle brand in America. Then they changed their marketing approach to joy and lost their leadership to Mercedes. Subaru focused on four-wheel drive in 1993, a year they were the 23rd largest-selling brand with 104,179 vehicles in America. Last year, Subaru was the eighth largest-selling brand with 647,956 vehicles.The silky, threatening Manning wants his money back, and he gives Veronica  who used to work for the Chicago Teachers Union, were told  a tight deadline to come up with it, or else. Working from detailed plans for another job left behind by Harry, Veronica must bury her grief long enough to get her own gang together. Elizabeth Debicki plays the Polish-American widow, Alice, one of the movies few light-hearted flourishes; Michelle Rodriguez is Linda, who doesnt miss her criminal husband any more than Alice misses hers.Abrams says she is fighting for the soul of Georgia by seeing to it that every vote is counted. But this is also a fight for the soul of our nation. It is a battle for the integrity of our election system and thus, the preservation of our democracy.Wines from Berkeley. Cookies from Los Gatos. Chocolate from San Francisco.

Without having sold a single burger in Palo Alto, one thing is clear when it comes to Shake Shacks first Bay Area outpost: the New York-based company wants to be hyperlocal.

The pursuit is most evident in the restaurants forthcoming wine list. Among the local Bay Area producers scattered across it is Berkeleys Broc Cellars, an urban winery from winemaker Chris Brockway. Theres also Brea, which Brockway runs with Tim Elenteny. Shake Shack also has partnerships in place with Napas Robert Sinskey vineyards and Abe Schoeners wine label, the Scholium Project.

Making Palo Altos wine situation even more unique is the fact that it will be one of Shake Shacks only restaurants featuring full-sized bottles from local producers.

As Shake Shack is known to do, the Palo Alto location will have a regionally exclusive item, similar to Los Angeles Roadside Double. For Palo Alto, there will be a Golden State Double, made with Angus beef, cheddar cheese and topped with pickles, smoked garlic and mayo. Tying back into the local producer angle, the burger will be served on one of Tartines sweet potato buns.

In September, Shake Shack doubled down on the local push by partnering with a few stalwarts in the regional restaurant scene. Mission-based Dandelion Chocolate is producing chocolate on chocolate concrete for the restaurant. Similarly, Shake Shack will sell a concrete with vanilla custard that will have cookies inside of it made by Manresa Bread out of Los Gatos and Campbell.

Shake Shacks Palo Alto restaurant is still several weeks from opening at the Stanford Shopping Center. According to the Stanford Center website, Shake Shack is expected to open by Nov. 29, but the companys PR team said the date has been pushed back. When it does open, itll kick start a period of rapid Bay Area expansion for the company.

After Palo Alto, Shake Shack will open in San Francisco at the former Real Food Co. market at 3060 Fillmore St. in Cow Hollow. Theres also a shop in the works at the Marin Country Mart in Larkspur at 1401 Larkspur Landing Circle. And lastly, San Jose International Airport will also have its own Shake Shack.

While local producers are being featured on the menu, the Bay Area Shake Shacks will still have the chains more familiar, classic options including the Shackburger, crinkle-cut fries and hand-spun shakes.

Founded by New York restaurateur Danny Meyer, Shake Shack began in 2004 as a hot dog cart int Madison Square Park. It currently has more than 160 locations, 100 of which are in the United States.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillipsThe brushes with danger left DiCianni thankful for his sons safety and, as a DuPage County Board member who just won re-election last week, they also prompted him to consider whether legislation might improve public safety. But first, he said, he just wanted to make sure his son was all right.CONCORD (BCN)



A grass fire in Concord on Monday evening was sparked by a model rocket, and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District investigators are asking for the public's help in determining who started it.



The fire was reported at 5:12 p.m. off of Barkwood Court, not far from the location of a three-alarm grass fire on June 29 off of Ygnacio Valley Road, fire officials said.



"Except for a quick and overwhelming response, this fire could have turned out very differently," county fire officials wrote on Facebook.



Fire officials shared photos of the rocket on social media. Anyone with information related to the blaze is asked to call (866) 50-ARSON.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.BERKELEY (BCN)



Rashi Kesarwani, who works as a finance manager for San Francisco's Human Services Agency, said today that she is declaring victory in the race for the District 1 seat on the Berkeley City Council that Linda Maio has held for 25 years.



In ranked-choice results in the four-candidate race that were updated Sunday evening, Kesarwani had 55 percent of the vote and engineer and Rent Stabilization Board commissioner Igor Tregub was second with 45 percent.



In the first round of voting, civil engineer Margo Schueler finished third with 15 percent and community volunteer and artist Mary Behm-Steinberg finished fourth with 4 percent.



In a statement he issued to his supporters over the weekend, Tregub said, "Based on the updated results, it appears that our second-place showing will hold. I hope you will join me in congratulating Rashi Kesarwani, who ran an incredible campaign."



Tregub wrote, "I have offered Rashi to be of any support that may be requested, and I hope you will, too."



Although some absentee ballots still need to be counted, Kesarwani said she expects to maintain her wide lead because "our majority has been increasing in every election update."



She said she's grateful that Tregub called her to offer his congratulations on her victory.



Kesarwani said among her priorities when she takes office next month will be working with Mayor Jesse Arreguin and other councilmembers to solve Berkeley's homelessness and affordable housing crises.



In District 4, Kate Harrison, who took office after winning a special election in March 2017 to fill Arreguin's council seat, appears to have won a full four-year term, as she has 52.12 percent of the vote compared to sustainable policy analyst Ben Gould's 35.4 percent.



In District 7, University of California at Berkeley university affairs chair Rigel Robinson, who's only 22, got 56 percent of the vote to take the seat that incumbent Kriss Worthington will be vacating after 22 years in office.



In District 8, incumbent Lori Droste won re-election with 57 percent of the vote.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.We plan to focus on improving our understanding  and ultimately our ability to identify and help  students who start college but terminate their studies somewhere along the way, Pitts said in an email. Reasons for this are many, which is what we want to better understand, ranging from financial issues to personal/family issues to mismatch with the students goals to challenges navigating a large and complex campus.Sonoma County Office of Education officials said 36 school districts and 12 independent charter schools and other educational programs in the county are closed today because of poor air quality from smoke from the Camp Fire in Butte County.



Santa Rosa Junior College is closed but Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park is open. Outdoor on-campus activities at Sonoma State remain canceled today.



County education officials said the Liberty School District in Petaluma is open today.



The Camp Fire in Paradise in Butte County has killed 42 people, burned 125,000 acres and is 35 percent contained as of this morning, according to Cal Fire. It has destroyed 6,867 structures and is the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history.







The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office has identified a man who was found dead in the middle of a Petaluma street Saturday night as Charles Ralph Kauffman Jr., 53, of Petaluma.



Kauffman's body was found by a passing motorist around 11:40 p.m. Saturday in the northbound lanes of McDowell Boulevard north of Scott Street, Petaluma police Lt. Tim Lyons said.



The passing motorist was trying to revive Kauffman, who was deceased. Kauffman's 2014 Mazda Miata was still running with the driver's door open in the No. 1 southbound lane of McDowell Boulevard and parts of another vehicle were found just north of his body, Lyons said.



It appears the vehicle struck Kauffman and then left the scene, but police do not know if the driver was aware he had struck Kauffman, Lyons said.







A crash involving more than a dozen vehicles on state Highway 1 in Santa Cruz this morning is causing traffic backups, according to the California Highway Patrol.



The crash was reported at 9:52 a.m. on Highway 1 in the area of River Street.



A CHP dispatcher said as many as 14 vehicles and a big-rig were involved in the collision, which is blocking northbound Highway 1.



The dispatcher did not know if anyone was injured in the crash or when the roadway will reopen.







A man was sentenced today to 22 years to life in state prison for fatally shooting a man near Bishop O'Dowd High School in East Oakland three years ago.



Sean Singleton, 34, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder on Sept. 24 for shooting 22-year-old Charles McElroy in the 9800 block of Burr Street at 4:09 a.m. on Sept. 3, 2015.



Officers who responded to the shooting realized that McElroy's injuries were life-threatening so they took a statement from him in which he said a man named Sean shot him, Oakland police Officer Jason Andersen wrote in a probable cause statement.



McElroy, who was shot multiple times in the chest, was then transported to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where he was pronounced dead about two hours after the shooting.



Andersen wrote that based on McElroy's description of the suspect's vehicle, which he said was unique, and other witness statements, he was able to identify Singleton, who's also known as Damario Jamal Winford, as the "Sean" who McElroy said had shot him.







A 38-year-old man was arrested after allegedly attacking his 63-year-old father with a large meat cleaver in their Santa Rosa apartment on Monday evening, according to police.



Police arrested Samay Chan, of Santa Rosa, on suspicion of attempted murder after they responded at 7:27 p.m. to the apartment in the 2600 block of Northcoast Street and found the man's father bleeding profusely.



Investigators determined that Chan got upset with his father and stabbed him several times with the meat cleaver.



Officers on the scene treated the father for his wounds before he was transported to a hospital, where he is listed in serious but stable condition, police said. Chan was detained and then booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder.







Santa Rosa police arrested a man on suspicion of entering an apartment and exposing himself to a woman while she was taking a shower Saturday night.



The man allegedly entered a ground-floor residence in the 900 block of Sonoma Avenue through a closed but unlocked window around 10:35 p.m. Saturday, Sgt. Brenda Harrington said.



The woman taking a shower sensed someone in the bathroom and saw a man she did not know masturbating. The woman pushed the man and yelled for him to leave, but the man pushed her back and pinned her to the shower wall, Harrington said. The woman yelled at the man again and he fled.



Police identified the suspect through the woman's description and prior contacts as 22-year-old Paul Allen Turpin, a Santa Rosa transient, Harrington said. The victim was shown a photograph of Turpin and she identified him as the suspect.



Police searched for Turpin through the night and found him in a vehicle around 9:50 a.m. Sunday in Doyle Community Park in Santa Rosa, according to Harrington.







A vehicle struck a woman crossing the street in San Francisco's Outer Mission neighborhood on Sunday morning and then fled the scene, police said today.



The collision was reported at 11:25 a.m. at Mission Street and Geneva Avenue.



The 51-year-old victim was crossing the street when the vehicle struck her. The suspect, described as a man around 25 to 30 years old, drove away and remains at large today, according to police.



The woman was taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries, which are not considered life-threatening, police said.







A 14-year-old girl was the victim of a home invasion robbery in San Francisco's Crocker-Amazon neighborhood on Sunday afternoon, police said today.



The robbery was reported at 1:50 p.m. in the 1200 block of Athens Street.



A suspect kicked the door in at the home and the girl was inside. The suspect took money from the home and fled, and the girl was uninjured, police said.



The suspect, described as a man in his 30s, remains at large today, according to police.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.The ribbon will be cut today on a canopy that was recently completed at the Powell Street BART station entrance in San Francisco, BART officials said.



The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. on the north side of Market and Ellis streets.



At least two canopies are being constructed at BART stations along Market Street.



One is located at the Powell Street station while the other is at the Civic Center station at Market and Seventh streets.



The canopies are part of a pilot program and more are on their way, according to BART officials.



The program is meant to protect new escalators that are being installed as well as provide an added layer of security and cleanliness because gates on the canopies can be locked at street level.



Other Bay Area BART stations such as the 19th Street Station in Oakland and the Downtown Berkeley BART station have received new canopies.







Officials in Santa Clara County will renew the "All the Way Home" program to help house veterans after helping more than 1,200 residents, county officials announced.



The announcement was made Sunday.



The initiative began in 2015 with the goal of housing all homeless veterans by Veterans Day this year, the 100th anniversary of the holiday.



At the time, there were an estimated 703 houseless veterans, but the number has seen "significant and steady" growth, county officials said. There are currently about 660 homeless veterans and the program is outpacing the homelessness rate by placing 36 veterans in units each month.



The program has offered landlords financial incentives to house veterans with federal Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers, rehabilitated homes to make more space for homeless individuals, created housewarming kits and tracked causes behind veteran homelessness.



Santa Clara County has one of the highest populations of unhoused veterans in the country, according to county officials. Over 70 percent lived in the area before they became homeless due to high rents, job loss, mental health problems, divorce, eviction or drug use, among other problems.







As heavy smoke from the Camp Fire in Butte County continues to choke Bay Area skies, a Winter Spare the Air Alert has been extended through Friday.



The Bay Area Air Quality Management District made the announcement Monday.



Burning wood, including manufactured logs or any other solid fuel, indoors or outdoors is banned through Friday.



While weather conditions will vary throughout the week, air quality is expected to remain unhealthy because smoke is trapped at the surface and surrounding the region, air district officials said.



"Any additional smoke from Bay Area chimneys could push the region into an even higher unhealthy air quality level, which puts us all in jeopardy," Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the air district, said in a statement.



Bay Area residents should limit outdoor activity as much as possible on days when the alert is in effect, and should continue to listen to health information from local authorities.







A fire at a 4-plex in Novato displaced three of four families, Novato Fire Protection District Chief Bill Tyler said.



The fire Sunday evening in the 100 block of Inyo Circle near the U.S. Highway 101 exit to South Novato Boulevard was reported around 7 p.m.



Tyler said the fire started on the balcony where a family had been barbecuing. Tyler said flames started burning the side of the unit and spread through vents on the balcony overhang into a common attic.



One of the four families was a couple with two adolescent children, according to Tyler.



One unit sustained fire, heat and smoke damage and the other three units had smoke damage, Tyler said. No injuries were reported.







Many firefighters from the Bay Area and elsewhere have responded to the destructive Camp Fire that continues to burn in Butte County.



"Every county along the coast from Monterey north to Del Norte has sent firefighters," said Mike Marcucci, assistant chief of operations for the East Bay Division of Cal Fire.



From Cal OES Region II, which covers those 10 coastal counties, 645 firefighters were deployed beginning Thursday to the Camp Fire and to the Woolsey Fire in Southern California. Those firefighters were part of 25 strike teams, three task forces, three water tender crews and 21 overhead crews.



Strike teams made up of firefighters from cities and counties all over California have been sent to the fires, Marcucci said.



Aisha Knowles, a spokeswoman for the Alameda County Fire Department, said that since Thursday, five county fire engines are part of strike teams sent to the Camp Fire, and two others to the Woolsey Fire.







In an area destroyed by fire, the need for money, clothes, food and other necessities in and around Butte County as the result of the devastating Camp Fire is acute.



The strong emphasis, though, is on "money."



"Yes, money is the greatest need," said Logan Todd, director of communications and grant programs for the Chico-based North Valley Community Foundation, which is collecting money to help fire evacuees and the organizations sheltering them.



Money can cover a multitude of needs, he said.



"A tremendous amount of clothing and material donations have come in, and some of the evacuation centers are overwhelmed with materials," Todd said.







Updated election results released indicate that the city of Alameda will have a new mayor and two new faces on its City Council.



The latest results were released Monday.



Some absentee votes and provisional ballots remain to be counted, but City Councilwoman Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft has increased her lead over incumbent Mayor Trish Spencer since the first tally was released on election night and now leads Spencer by 41.8 percent to 37.2 percent, with Councilman Frank Matarrese in third place with 20.4 percent of the vote.



Ashcraft only had a 213-vote margin over Spencer on election night but she now has a 1,114-vote lead over Spencer.



In the City Council race, former planning board member John Knox White is still comfortably in first place with 26 percent of the vote, former Councilmember Tony Daysog is second with 22.9 percent, incumbent Jim Oddie is third with 19.2 percent, Robert Matz is fourth with 18.2 percent and Stewart Chen is fifth with 13.2 percent.







The Aquamog may sound like the moniker of a comic book swamp monster, but it's actually a vehicle that arrived at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park this month to chomp away at invasive weeds.



The aquatic vehicle, a cross between a small paddleboat and a backhoe, dines on submerged and floating invasive plants like water primrose and parrot feather, according to the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.



The two invasive plants have grown across North Lake at the park, the largest of the three natural waterways that make up the Chain of Lakes.



The lake, known for great birdwatching, has long attracted water birds that take shelter on its small islands, including egrets, great blue herons, belted kingfishers and many types of ducks.



Invasive vegetation, however, can choke waterways and eliminate major food sources and habitats of native animals, according to the park department.



Removing the invasive plants will improve the health of the lake and its shoreline and enhance viewpoints from the pathway.







Oakland Fire Department crews extinguished a three-alarm fire at a two-story triplex that started on Monday night, according to fire officials.



The blaze was first reported around 8:54 p.m. Monday in the 2300 block of 83rd Avenue, fire officials said, and involved at least two units, extending to brush and trees behind the home.



Fire officials didn't provide any information on injuries in the blaze or when the fire was extinguished.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.On Aug. 24, Johnson was called to a meeting at One Off headquarters with the accountant and two of the company's partners. After she was confronted with a stack of financial papers showing the fraud, Johnson "avoided eye contact" with those in the room and said, "This is me, I did this," according to the complaint.Improving the district's special education program is among our highest priorities, and CPS has been working with ISBE to build on the progress the district has made in the past year and ensure our diverse learners have access to the best possible education, CPS spokeswoman Emily Bolton said in a statement.The 33rd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened Tuesday with a call for upholding multilateralism and international cooperation.

Leaders from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries pose for a group photo during the 33rd ASEAN Summit Opening Ceremony in Singapore on November 13, 2018. [Photo: IC]

The summit, gathering leaders of ASEAN's 10 member countries, will review ASEAN's achievements in the year 2018 in pushing forward community building and integration while mapping out a new course for the year ahead.

In a speech at the opening ceremony of the summit, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on ASEAN members and partners to uphold multilateralism and international cooperation in future development and tackling common challenges including terrorism and climate change.

"The international order is at a turning point. The existing free, open and rules-based multilateral system, which has underpinned ASEAN growth and stability, has come under stress," Lee said.

He called on ASEAN countries to stay united and find common ground as past experiences proved that "ASEAN is greater than the sum of its parts."

During Singapore's chairmanship in 2018, ASEAN member countries have redoubled integration efforts and come up with concrete measures that laid the groundwork for "united, effective, and relevant ASEAN," he said.

ASEAN has reaffirmed commitment to multilateral trade and made substantial progress towards completing negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), he added.

Lee also called for international cooperation in tackling non-traditional and trans-national threats, including terrorism and climate change.

"These common challenges are complex and unprecedented. We need to pool our ideas and resources to tackle these issues together...multilateralism remains an important basis for international cooperation and for the region's growth and stability in an interdependent and interconnected world."

Under the theme "Resilient and Innovative," the 33rd ASEAN summit will also sum up the bloc's achievements during 2018 in facing the growing uncertainties in the global strategic landscape as well as in tapping the opportunities arising from the digital revolution.

In the following days, related summits are also scheduled to take place, including the ASEAN+1 summits, ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and South Korea) Summit and the East Asia Summit.

Leaders of 10 ASEAN countries and six of its dialogue partners, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, will meet for their second RCEP leaders' meeting on Wednesday.

Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.The two men didnt see each other as often as they used to, said the neighbor, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Alvin. The last time they sat down to really talk was about a year ago, when Betton came by the neighbors house, had a few cocktails and caught up, he said.Byrnes grew up on a farm in Indiana and went on to win the 1938 Scripps National Spelling Bee with the word sanitarium. She organized one of the first student chapters of the NAACP, at Indiana University, and later, with a masters degree from the University of Chicago, worked as a teacher in Chicago Public Schools.Ive been one of the owners of the store now for a little more than four years, said Lynn Mooney. It was our biggest initial order for any new book in at least four years, and perhaps much longer.The girl was walking in the 10900 block of South Michigan Avenue around 12:35 p.m. Monday when a man believed to be in his late 30s drove up and started talking to her, according to an alert issued by police. He pulled her into his white four-door vehicle and threatened her, police said.The officer was first taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he was reported to have been stabilized, but his condition was later deemed to be critical, and he was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.GAZA CITY  Palestinian militants bombarded Israel with dozens of rockets and mortar shells Monday while Israeli warplanes struck targets throughout the Gaza Strip in what appeared to be the most intense exchange of fire since a 2014 war.

Palestinian officials said at least three people, including two militants, were killed by Israeli fire and nine were wounded, and an Israeli air strike destroyed the ruling Hamas groups TV station. In Israel, the national rescue service said at least seven people were wounded, including a 19-year-old soldier who was in critical condition.

The fighting cast doubt over recent understandings brokered by Egypt and U.N. officials to reduce tensions. Just a day earlier, Israels prime minister had defended those understandings, saying he was doing everything possible to avoid another war.

The U.N. said it was working with Egypt to broker a halt in the violence.

Rockets must STOP, restraint must be shown by all! the U.N. Mideast envoys office tweeted.

The rocket fire was triggered by a botched Israeli military raid in Gaza on Sunday. Undercover troops, apparently on a reconnaissance mission, were discovered inside Gaza, setting off a battle that left seven militants, including a Hamas commander, and an Israeli military officer dead.

Around sundown on Monday, militants launched some 100 rockets in less than an hour, the most intense barrage since the 50-day war four years ago. The outgoing rockets lit up the skies of Gaza and set off air raid sirens throughout southern Israel.

The Israeli military said its warplanes, helicopters and tanks had struck over 30 militant targets, including military compounds, observation posts and weapons facilities. It also said it targeted a squad that was launching rockets.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said the army had sent additional infantry troops, rocket defense systems and intelligence units to the Gaza frontier.

We continue to strike and retaliate against the military targets belonging to terrorist organizations in Gaza, and, as for our intentions, we will enhance these efforts as needed, he told reporters.

Late Monday, an air strike destroyed the Gaza City headquarters of Hamas Al Aqsa TV station. Israel had fired warning shots ahead of the strike, prompting the station to halt programming and replace it with a logo. Minutes later, the strike flattened the three-story building and the station went black. Workers had evacuated the building after the warning shots, and there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum condemned the bombing as a barbaric, brazen aggression.

Israel said the station broadcasts violent propaganda and provides operational messaging to militants.

Hamas and the smaller militant group Islamic Jihad said the rocket fire was revenge for Sunday nights Israeli incursion. Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud Shehab said the groups wanted the occupation and its supporters to know that the lives of our sons come with a price.

In all, some 300 rockets were fired into Israel by mid-evening, the army said. The Israeli military said it intercepted 70 rockets, and most of the others fell in open spaces. But rockets landed in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, setting off a large fire near a shopping center. Several homes were hit in southern towns.

Fares Akram and Josef Federman are Associated Press writers.PALERMO, Sicily  Representatives of Libyas quarreling factions and of countries keen on stabilizing the North African nation attended a conference in Sicily on Monday aimed at finding a political settlement to bolster the fight against Islamic militants and stop illegal migrants from crossing the Mediterranean to Europes southern shores.

The driving force behind the conference is Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, but hours before it was due to start, the hopes for success seemed limited.

Aides to a key Libyan player  Gen. Khalifa Hifter, commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army with a power base in eastern Libya  said that he will only discuss combatting terrorism and would not attend sessions on Tuesday focused on finding a formula for a political deal to end fighting among Libyas many militias and other factions.

Italy wants to prod all stakeholders  including two rival administrations and unruly militias with considerable firepower  to agree on a road map that would reunite the country after seven years of chaos and bloodshed.

Libya plunged into chaos after the 2011 uprising that ousted and killed longtime dictator Moammar Khadafy, and it is now governed by rival administrations in the east and west with both relying on the support of militias. It also has become a haven for Islamic militants and armed groups, including several from neighboring countries, which survive on looting and human trafficking, particularly in the south of the country.

Italys hopes to have President Trump  in Europe on Sunday for World War I centennial ceremonies  and Russian President Vladimir Putin, or at least those countries foreign ministers come to Palermo were dashed last week with the announcements that lower-ranking officials would participate instead.

Still, despite the diminished VIP list, Conte sounded an optimistic note.

Its fundamental to seize this opportunity to back the cease-fire, to facilitate discussions for the realizations of new security assets in Tripoli and to show the international communitys determination to sustain the creation and deployment of regular armed forces and security forces, Conte was quoted as telling La Stampa daily.

Paolo Santalucia is an Associated Press writer.If I see (on video) my son walking alone, then Ill tell myself, yes, it was caused by carelessness, Silva Vinoli said in Spanish while visiting Chicago. He drank alcohol, he went walking, he fell and that happened to him. But if I dont see that, I could imagine that someone put him there. That is to say, I could imagine a million things.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Political strategist and ex-Staten Island Republican Party chairwoman Leticia Remauro recently announced her bid for Staten Island borough president.

Remauro, who revealed her plans on Spectrum News NY1, said she thought she could better serve Staten Island in Borough Hall.

The rumor is true. Im looking at the borough presidency in 2021," said Remauro on Nov. 5. "I love Staten Island, I love my community. I was chair of the community board for some of the biggest land use deals, so I think I can serve my community.

Remauros announcement makes her the first candidate for the office.

Remauro served as chair of the Staten Island Republican party from 1999 to 2002. She also served as chair of Staten Islands Community Board 1 from 2009 through 2015.

During her tenure, the community board voted to approve the creation of Empire Outlets, the North Shore Waterfront Greenway Trail, and the ill-fated New York Wheel.

Remauro currently runs her own public relations firm, The Von Agency, and has advised numerous political candidates on Staten Island.

In this years state races, she advised Glenn Yost, a Republican who ran on the Reform Party line for Staten Islands open South Shore Assembly seat. He lost to Assemblyman-elect Michael Reilly.

In 2017, she managed Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis' mayoral campaign.

Remauro, who attended the College of Staten Island, regularly appears on NY1s Inside City Hall as a political commentator.

Staten Island Borough President James Oddo is term-limited and will leave office at the end of 2021.

Several Island politicians were reportedly eyeing the seat early this year, including Councilman Steven Matteo -- Oddos former City Council chief of staff who now occupies the same Mid-Island seat -- and Malliotakis, whose political stock rose after she challenged Bill de Blasio in the 2017 mayoral race.

Remauro did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Global designer denim brand, True Religion, and the Australia-based Cotton On are the latest retailers to sign leases to open stores at Empire Outlets, which is New York City's first outlet mall being built on the St. George waterfront.

Initially set to open in 2016, Empire Outlets says the shopping venue will open in April, 2019.

This will be True Religion's first location on Staten Island and Cotton On's first location in New York City.

The new True Religion outlet will offer designer denim, streetwear inspired sportswear, and accessories. Delivering a selection of iconic styles, the store will carry high quality pieces for men, women and kids.

"We are thrilled to be in Empire Outlets and provide an assortment of our premium denim and sportswear to shoppers," said Tara Peyrache, chief marketing officer of True Religion.

The new Cotton On outlet -- offering women's wear, menswear and accessories -- will bring casual Australian style to the five boroughs.

"True Religion is already a huge hit among Staten Island shoppers and we're thrilled that their first store in the borough will be right here at Empire Outlets. It's just as exciting to keep expanding our global reach by bringing Australia's largest retailer to New York City," said Joseph Ferrara, principal of BFC Partners, developer of Empire Outlets.

Said James Prendamano, vice president and CEO of Casandra Properties Inc.: "It's always exciting bringing a little West Coast to Staten Island and New York City. True Religion took California by storm introducing new stitch patterns that were unlike any other denim brand in the world."

Located adjacent to the St. George Ferry Terminal, New York City's first outlet mall will feature more than 100 designer retailers and a 1,250-space parking garage, along with future plans for a boutique hotel.

OTHER RETAILERS

Other retailers signed on to be part of Empire Outlets include: Nordstrom Rack, Nike, H&M, Ghirardelli Chocolate, Levi's Francesca's, Starbucks, U.S. Polo, Crocs, White House Black Market, Columbia Sportswear Company, Guess Factory Store, Wilsons Leather, G.H. Bass & Co., Lids, Obey Your Body, Innovation Luggage, Walgreens, Haagen Dazs and Krispy Kreme.

Restaurants set to be part of Empire Outlets' diverse group of dining options include: Mamoun's Falafel, Wasabi Steak & Sushi, Shake Shack, Mighty Quinn's Barbeque, Artichoke Basille's Pizza, Nathan's Famous and MRKTPL -- a 12,723-square-foot artisanal food hall with a 3,000-square-foot outdoor dining space.

The majority of Empire Outlets' retail and restaurant spaces are already leased.

Designed by SHoP Architects, Empire Outlets will feature expansive open corridors to the water, contemporary materials reflective of the industrial waterfront, and a sweeping sustainable green roof visible from the harbor.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police are looking for two black males following an alleged gunpoint robbery on Sharpe Avenue in Port Richmond Monday night, according to a spokesman for the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

Two males, according to the police spokesman, robbed an individual of his backpack and displayed a firearm on the 100 block of Sharpe Avenue.

No injuries were reported at this time, the police spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, the suspects in the alleged robbery were wearing black masks and black jackets during the incident.

Police were seen canvassing the area surrounding Sharpe Avenue, where the alleged robbery took place.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The Congress seat is the top prize in Staten Island politics.

And thanks to Max Roses defeat of GOP Rep. Dan Donovan, the seat is in Democratic hands for the first time in a decade.

What now, Staten Island Republican Party?

Unlike the other boroughs, Staten Island sends just one representative to Congress. So all federal issues go through that person. And that person gets to speak to issues of war and peace, and whatever other national and international topics pop up.

Its heady stuff.

Then theres all the glamour of working in the nations capital, striding the halls where the giants of American politics have walked for centuries. You rub shoulders with the true movers and shakers. Everybody in the world watches Washington. Its the center of the political, social and news universe, even more so now with President Donald Trump in office.

It's a prestigious gig, even if you are just one of 435 members of the House of Representatives. It makes you Staten Islands top dog.

And for the borough GOP, the House seat is almost a family heirloom. Rose is just the second Democrat to win a congressional election here since 1980. Michael McMahon, Staten Islands current district attorney, won the seat in 2008, but Republican Michael Grimm took the seat back for the GOP two years later.

And now Rose has come out of nowhere to put the seat back in the blue column.

Not that Roses win is exactly a shock to top Republicans here. Theyve known for a long time that Donovan is not the most dynamic politician. Not the most energetic campaigner. They saw Rose raise vastly more money than Donovan. They saw him relentlessly working the streets. They saw his commercials all over TV and the internet. They saw the hordes of campaign workers and volunteers knocking on doors. The rallies.

And on election night, they saw energized Democrats light up the North Shore and the Brooklyn end of the district. And they knew soon enough that there werent going to be enough Donovan votes in the GOP-heavy South Shore to beat back the blue tide.

But truth be told, a good number of Republicans were already looking past 2018 to 2020, when Trump will be on the top of the ticket and, the thinking goes, will draw out a huge GOP vote that will return the House seat to what Republicans see as its rightful place.

The political touts have been scoping out a potential GOP congressional primary battle between Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis and City Councilman Joe Borelli for months, if not years, already. Grimms name has been bandied about as well.

After all, there was plenty of scuttlebutt out there about Donovan retiring sooner rather than later and leaving the seat open. So the speculation machinery had already started cranking to life.

But Rose might not be so easily conquered. Hes a moderate Dem whose message appeals to those party members who have been voting GOP all these years. Given the Islands 5-3 Democratic registration edge, that should send shivers down the spines of Republicans whove long relied on those votes.

And do you really want to bank on someone as volatile as Trump to be your difference-maker? Plenty of Republicans here are already fed up with the president, never mind Democrats. Can anyone be certain that Trump will be the same type of vote-getter here two years from now? Careful who you hitch your wagon to.

Rose will have two years in the House majority in order to build a record. And judging by the campaign, you wont catch the frenetic Rose napping any time soon. So there could be some real accomplishments there.

Thats what borough Republicans need to concern themselves with, instead of merely hoping that Trump rides to their rescue. After all, Trump got Donovan through his primary against Grimm this year, but the president couldnt save Donovan in the general election. How do they fine-tune their message for what could be a changing borough demographic? Where did Donovan go wrong, and how can that be corrected?

If House leadership was smart, theyd make sure Rose succeeds. Theyve already invested heavily in him. That only truly pays off if the Dems hold the seat for multiple cycles.

Or course, Rose will also have to put his money where his mouth is now, including following up on his pledge to vote against Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House. He has work to do.

And so do borough Republicans.To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.

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A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!Museum foundation officials say theyve approached auction houses for information about what some of the items might fetch if they cant come up with more than $9 million by next fall. A dress from Marilyn Monroe from the collection sold for $50,000 this year.The guessing game is over: Amazon plans to open new corporate outposts in Northern Virginia and New York, two already-crowded metropolitan areas that are likely to become even less affordable with a new influx of tech workers.

In some ways, the decision isn't surprising, as Amazon had made it clear that the company wanted to base its new offices, nicknamed HQ2, in a metropolitan area with at least a million residents that's near universities and an international airport.

In total 238 cities bid to become the place of Amazon's new headquarters. Credit:Bloomberg

But in September 2017, when the company first announced plans to open a second headquarters outside Seattle, nothing felt outside of the realm of possibility. In total, 238 cities competed to host Amazon in a drawn-out process of elimination that felt reminiscent of "America's Next Top Model" or "The Bachelor," just with more talk about high-speed rail connectivity.

While some cities stuck to offering traditional incentives - namely, billions of dollars in tax breaks - others that weren't considered obvious front-runners turned to gimmicks and publicity stunts to try to get the attention of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.On New Year's Eve 1915, 31-year-old William Joseph Punch from North Queensland joined up and went to war.

Sent to northern France he was wounded twice, finally ending up in a military hospital in Britain. There on August 29, 1917, he died from pneumonia.

Vincent Namatjira, at Hazelhurst Arts Centre with part of his new work. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Punch's story is no different from the individual tragedies of the 210,000 Australians killed or wounded in the First World War  but for one key aspect.

He was one of the more than 1000 Indigenous men who signed up, despite being rendered non-citizens in their own country.Booksellers' holidays make their point

A few years ago multinational publishers were in dispute with Amazon over terms of trade. Before it was settled the online retail behemoth took action against 2500 Hachette authors and their books by suspending them from the retail platform.

This month there was another dispute involving Amazon, or rather its subsidiary AbeBooks, which provides a portal for second-hand and specialist booksellers and their customers. A move by Abe to bar dealers from five countries  the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Russia and South Korea  sparked a revolt by more than 550 booksellers from 27 countries, who effectively removed their books from the site, more than 3.75 million of them. The 13 Australian booksellers in the action included Hordern House Rare Books and Kay Craddock's Antiquarian Books.

Thirteen Australian booksellers took part in the action against AbeBooks. Credit:iStock

The action began after Prague's Antikvariat Valentinska was told it would no longer be allowed to trade on the platform after November 30. Sally Burdon, owner of Asia Bookroom in Canberra and president of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, told Bookmarks the Czech bookseller wrote on the ILAB trade list that as a consequence of Abe's move, at the end of this month he would be lumbered with 20,000 foreign books that would be almost impossible to shift and five staff that he would have to let go. Burdon said it was a British bookseller, Simon Beattie, who started the action. "With Abe you have to reply to an order within three days but if you are away you put yourself 'on vacation'. He started it and asked if anyone wanted to join," Burdon said. "There was a huge reaction. I couldn't believe the number of emails coming in; we were deluged."Talkback radio shock jock Alan Jones will be off the air for the foreseeable future as he seeks treatment in hospital for severe back pain.

Jones missed his weekday morning show on Sydney radio station 2GB and Brisbane's 4BC on Monday and Tuesday.

Alan Jones is in hospital for treatment of severe back pain. Credit:AAP

His fill-in, Chris Smith, said on-air on Monday that Jones was "currently in hospital being treated for severe back pain," AAP reported.

"His doctors are working to establish exactly what the problem is. The end result is he'll be back as soon as he can but we're not sure exactly when that will be."French President Emmanuel Macron and President Donald Trump at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Nov. 10, 2018. (Thibault Camus/AP)Proposed changes to the compulsory third party system for persons injured in motor vehicle accidents has been nominated as a major concern by the incoming heads of Canberra's two peak legal bodies.

Incoming ACT Bar Association president Steven Whybrow Credit:Jeffrey Chan

Steven Whybrow, ACT Bar Association, and Chris Donohue, ACT Law Society, were recently elected president of the organisations representing the territory's legal fraternity.

Mr Whybrow replaces outgoing president Ken Archer, who was the ACT Bar's longest serving president.

Mr Whybrow was called to the Bar in 2002 and has appeared across diverse areas of law for plaintiffs and defendants, private litigants and corporations.One of Victorias largest Islamic youth centres has rejected suggestions it is linked to terrorism after it was revealed the Bourke Street attacker was a regular visitor.

Hume Islamic Youth Centre spokesman Mustafa Abu Yusuf told The Age the centres open-door policy meant everyone was welcome and it was working with police as part of what they have to do.

We open the doors to everyone and we do our community duty and services to benefit all Australians and Muslims in particular, especially those kids who have been marginalised for two generations and made to feel like they dont belong in this great country of ours," he said.

Hume Islamic Youth Centre in Coolaroo. Credit:Paul Jeffers

On Friday Hassan Khalif Shire Ali drove a ute filled with gas cylinders into the middle of Melbournes CBD, setting fire to the vehicle before stabbing three people.Life is a wonderful thing. Theres no doubt that most of us take it for granted. Sometimes life itself seems so ordinary and mundane and we forget its true value until a loved one suddenly becomes sick or injured, and everything you once took for granted, is snatched from beneath your feet.

With last weeks City of Sydney proposal to extend alcohol trading hours across the city, and this weeks bill in NSW Parliament to scrap our lockout laws altogether  its important now more than ever for our politicians to remember not to take young lives for granted.

Alcohol restrictions are saving lives. Credit:Steve Baccon

As a first-response police officer working in Sydney for the last 20 years, Ive witnessed first hand the important changes between pre and post lockout eras, and the difference between spending entire nights pulling apart drunken assaults, to now moving these resources to proactive work facilitating a better response to crime.

Raising a son here in Sydney, I know his future will be paved by a loving home, an inspiring education, a rewarding career and with, lockout laws, a safe and enjoyable social life. But the modest alcohol restrictions, which have been fostering a safer community in Sydney over the last few years, are now at threat from a bill being voted on this week in State Parliament to scrap our lockout laws. On top of this, the latest City of Sydney proposal is seeking to increase trading hours for bars across the city, which problematically, may spread alcohol-related violence to some residential areas.A 17-year-old boy was allegedly punched multiple times in the head by a Juvenile Justice youth officer in an attack captured by CCTV on Saturday. Police have charged the officer with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The boys father, Michael Challis, said his son notified him of the alleged attack on Sunday in a phone call from the Frank Baxter detention centre on the NSW Central Coast.

The 17-year-old boy who was allegedly assaulted by a Juvenile Justice youth officer on the weekend.

Mr Challis said the acting centre manager called immediately after to confirm the incident, which was reportedly captured by CCTV.

I received a phone call, one no parent wants to receive, a phone call to hear their son has been assaulted, he said.A colleague of a woman allegedly bashed to death by her boyfriend tried to help her cover up sick days and bruises with the excuse that she was in a car accident, a NSW jury has heard.

Onitolosi Etuini Atiai Latu, 30, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 26-year-old Rhonda Baker, who suffered head injuries in a Liverpool apartment block and died in hospital on August 7, 2016.

Onitolosi Etuini Atiai Latu has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Rhonda Baker.

At Latu's NSW Supreme Court trial on Tuesday, Ms Baker's former work colleague Artemis George testified that her friend "was very ashamed" about being late or missing work due to injuries inflicted by her boyfriend.

"She contacted me and said 'what excuse should I use?' I said 'just say you were in a car accident' - I was trying to help her," Ms George said through tears.She has continued to proclaim the innocence of her husband, former NSW Labor Minister Ian Macdonald, who was jailed for 10 years over the granting of a mining licence.

But Anita Gylseth took her defiance one step further on Tuesday, offering up insolent gestures to the media outside the court where the disgraced politician was fighting for his freedom.

Anita Gylseth, the wife of jailed former NSW Labor minister Ian Macdonald, sends a message to the media outside court on Tuesday. Credit:AAP

Ms Gylseth went through a range of emotions, brandishing her middle finger and sticking out her tongue during a break from Macdonald challenging his conviction on two counts of misconduct in public office in the Court of Criminal Appeal.

"It's just really hard," a teary Ms Gylseth said outside court, unable to say anymore.A series of equipment failures before the tragic accident that killed four people at Dreamworld should have raised red flags and been investigated, the manager of engineering says.

Chris Deaves, who joined the theme park in 2012, told an inquest into the deaths that there were multiple breakdowns in the lead-up to the tragedy in 2016.

Dreamworld head of engineering Chris Deaves leaves the inquest. Credit:AAP/David Clark.

He said malfunctions on October 19, 22, 23 and twice on the morning of the October 25 - the day of the accident which killed Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi - should have been investigated.

They died when a water pump on the Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned, resulting in two rafts colliding and flipping.Fronting the Supreme Court in jeans and sporting a crew cut, the young man who murdered comedian Eurydice Dixon has formally pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting and killing her.

Jaymes Todd, 19, said hello to his lawyer as he walked from the custody area and into the dock on Tuesday before he pleaded guilty to murder, rape, attempted rape and sexual assault.



Jaymes Todd has pleaded guilty to Eurydice Dixon's murder. Credit:Jason South

Todd stalked Ms Dixon for more than 4 kilometres from outside Flinders Street Station as she walked home, until she went through Princes Park in Carlton North, where he attacked her in the early hours of June 13. Ms Dixon's body was discovered on a soccer pitch by a passing cyclist about 2.50am.

The 22-year-old had performed a 10-minute comedy set in the hours before her death.A woman injured while getting out of a taxi in Ascot Vale has died. The 86-year-old woman was hurt when a taxi drove off while she was still holding the open car door on October 26.

She was taken to hospital with what were understood to be non-life threatening injuries but died on November 13. Police have spoken to the male driver. Inquiries are continuing.

The woman's death brings the year's road toll to 178.A man who bashed and raped two tourists in Broome in separate sex attacks in 2006 has been freed from jail with several arrest warrants still to his name and having "unmet treatment needs".

Gundari was jailed for 12 years over the 2006 rapes. Credit:File image

Although David Gundari has served his entire 12-year sentence for the two rapes, documents concerning his recent release reveal treatment programs he required were not available to him in prison and that his risk of reoffending in a sexual manner remains medium to high.

Gundari was jailed for 12 years for raping a 24-year-old French woman and a 32-year-old Japanese woman in Broome on separate nights in September 2006.

The French woman was walking to a hostel late at night when Gundari punched her in the face and hit her in the head with a stick.Detectives have charged a 63-year-old man after a 4 -hour standoff with Tactical Response Group officers in Perth's east on Tuesday afternoon.

Police were called to the scene about 3pm. Credit:Justin Rake

Police had been called to the area about 1pm after reports a man was assaulted and that a gun had been fired.

Nine News Perth reporter Scott Cunningham reported from the scene a 22-year-old man had been lured to the home on James Street where he was allegedly threatened.

It is believed the people involved in the incident were known to each other.A Perth cafe has thrown its support behind those grieving the death of Pellegrini's Espresso Bar co-owner Sisto Malaspina, after he was killed in last week's Bourke Street terrorist attack.

Pellegrini Espresso Bar has turned into a shrine for its beloved 74-year-old co-owner, who was stabbed to death just 400 metres from the espresso bar when 30-year-old Hassan Khalif Shire Ali launched a knife attack in Bourke Street on Friday afternoon after setting a ute alight.

Notes are pinned underneath the battered brass 66 street number of Pellegrini's, which reopened on Tuesday after owner Sisto Malaspina was killed in an attack on Bourke Street. Credit:Liam Mannix

Pellegrini's reopened on Tuesday to crowds of those wishing to pay their respects, and offered free long blacks to customers throughout the day.

Long blacks were Mr Malaspina's favourite coffee choice.The search for a missing WA man has ended in tragedy with a body found on Tuesday afternoon.

Ronald Potter was last seen on November 6 in Coolgardie.

Ron Potter. Credit:WA Police

A search for Mr Potter had been ongoing, and police appealed to the public for help on Monday morning.

Hours later searchers located his white Ford Courier bogged in an area off Nepean Road, around 15 kilometres out of the Coolgardie township.About 17 million Australians will be automatically enrolled in the e-health system if they do not opt out by Thursday.

Health Minister Greg Hunt is under pressure to extend the opt-out period for My Health Record. Credit:Chris Hopkins

"We will seek crossbench support to amend the governments legislation to extend the opt-out period for a further 12 months  in line with a key recommendation of the recent Senate inquiry," opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King said.

Pressure is mounting for Health Minister Greg Hunt to suspend the government's My Health Record roll-out, with Labor to move in the Senate on Wednesday to extend the opt-out period beyond the Thursday deadline.

Mr Hunt has refused to further extend the opt-out deadline, after already giving Australians an extra month to decide.

A pre-emptive motion calling on the government to "suspend or extend" the opt-out period passed in the Senate on Monday with the support of most crossbenchers, leaving Labor confident it will have the numbers.

And with the government no longer holding a majority in the House of Representatives, if the substantive motion passes the Senate on Wednesday, it could go on to pass both houses.

Mr Hunt last week agreed to six key amendments to better safeguard patients' privacy, as recommended by a Senate inquiry, but these will not pass into law before the opt-out deadline passes.

Ms King said while she welcomed the minister's announcement, it was "imperative the opt-out period does not end until all privacy and security concerns are fully addressed".The Liberal Party is facing another factional test in a looming vote to decide its Senate candidates for the federal election, sparking a race for support among hundreds of party members.

Retired army general and senator Jim Molan and former financial services executive Andrew Bragg are tipped as the leading candidates for the NSW Senate race.

Autism support advocate and executive search specialist Hollie Hughes also in the race, along with Sydney surgeon Michael Feneley, the director of cardiology at St Vincents Hospital.

The party is on track to name two top candidates for the NSW Senate ticket, one from the right and one from the moderate faction, in the latest stage of a tussle for power in the state division.

But the bad blood over recent state preselections, dividing the right and causing trouble for NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, could complicate the Senate choice for the coming federal election.North Shore hopeful Tim James is weighing up a challenge to the Premier's pick for the safe Liberal electorate, after losing by one vote in a preselection count.

Incumbent Liberal MP Felicity Wilson survived by the slimmest of margins on Monday night, winning preselection for the North Shore seat by 101 votes to 100, with four informal votes recorded.

The preselection became a showdown between the Liberal Party's warring factions - with Ms Wilson representing the progressive moderate faction and Mr James a member of the hard right faction.

In the days leading up to the vote, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian issued a letter to every preselector pleading with them to ensure Ms Wilson remained a member of her government.A wider range of crimes - including murder and rape - will disqualify people from ever working with children in Queensland under changes before state parliament.

Eight new offences have been added to the list of offences which prevent someone from ever getting a blue card to work with children in the state.

Murderers and rapists will no longer be able to hold blue cards to work with children. Credit:Peter Braig

It comes after the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal earlier this year granted a blue card on appeal to a student accused of raping a woman, sparking outrage from the state opposition and women's advocates.

The changes were also recommended in a report released last year into the murder of schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer while in state foster care.The increase in traffic on Melbournes roads over five decades dramatically outpaced population growth until 2004, when residents finally started using public transport in greater numbers.

And Melbournes love affair with the car over those five decades was turbo-charged by huge investment in new freeways  convincing more people to drive more often  the Public Transport Users Association says.

It shows the more you do to accommodate car travel, the bigger the transport problems you have to contend with, said Tony Morton, president of the public transport lobby group.

There is no natural [peak] car travel will level out to if you continue to let it grow  you end up a Houston or Miami or Los Angeles, spending billions each year trying to keep the traffic moving.Beijing: As Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares to meet in Port Moresby with eight Pacific island leaders, Beijing has warned no country should try to obstruct its "friendship and cooperation" with Pacific nations that have already received $US3 billion in Chinese investment.

Port Moresby. Credit:Jacky Ghossein

A battle of diplomacy dollars is rapidly escalating in the Pacific, with Australia, Japan, the US and China all expected to pledge to lift infrastructure and aid funding to the impoverished region in the next week as world leaders gather in Papua New Guinea for the APEC summit.

Xi will first meet with the eight Pacific island leaders who recognise Beijing diplomatically, and not Taiwan, before the weekend APEC meeting. It is the first visit by a Chinese head of state to Papua New Guinea, which was once an Australian colony.

"No country should try to obstruct the friendship and cooperation ... China has no intention to touch the cheese of any country, instead China is committed to make the pie of cooperation larger," said Chinese vice minister of foreign affairs Zheng Zeguang, when asked about the expansion of Australian aid in the Pacific.Until a few days ago, Amazons decision to divide its investment between two cities was unexpected. The choice of New York is a surprise; for all its dynamism, New York is crowded and expensive. Look a little closer, though, and youll see that New York states finances are generally stable and it has a balanced budget. New York Democrats won control of the Senate on Nov. 6 and said  get this  they wouldnt raise taxes. Were extremely sensitive to people to be able to afford to continue to live in New York, Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told a reporter in Albany.London: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a "real, true European army" to defend its interests, echoing language used by French President Emmanuel Macron last week that irritated US President Donald Trump.

Merkel's comments, which she said come at a time when Europe is less sure it can rely on external allies, were greeted with both applause and loud boos when she delivered them in a speech at the European Parliament on Tuesday.

A week ago Macron said on French radio that Europe needed to work together to protect itself against "attempted attacks in cyberspace" from China, Russia "and even the United States of America".

"We will not protect Europeans if we don't have a real European army," he said. "Faced with Russia, which is at our borders and which showed us that it could be threatening, we must have a Europe that defends itself more on its own, without only depending on the United States and in a more sovereign way".Berlin: German leader Angela Merkel and her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have had their ups and downs. Both of them have respectively been declared the new "leader of the free world" after President Barack Obama stepped down. Both are in domestic trouble.

And, according to one old lady, they could very well be a couple.

"Mr. Macron, it's not possible, a little good woman like me to shake hands with the President of the Republic, it's fantastic," the 100-year old woman told Macron on the sidelines of a World War I commemorative event this weekend. The excited lady then turned to Merkel, arguably the world's most powerful woman.

"You are Madame Macron," the smiling centenarian said to Merkel, 64, confusing her with Macron's wife Brigitte Macron, who is 65, according to France's public broadcaster and Belgian television.New York: No, it wasn't a blue wave. But a week after the voting, Democrats are riding higher than they thought on election night.

As vote counting presses on in several states, the Democrats have steadily chalked up victories across the country, firming up their grip on the US House and statehouses. The slow roll of wins has given the party plenty to celebrate.

President Donald Trump was quick to claim victory for his party on election night. But the Democrats, who hit political rock bottom just two years ago, have now picked up at least 32 seats in the House - and lead in four more - in addition to flipping seven governorships and eight state legislative chambers.

They are on track to lose two seats in the Senate in a year both parties predicted more. On Monday night, Democratic Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema won Arizona's Senate race, beating Republican Congresswoman Martha McSally to take the seat held by retiring GOP Senator Jeff Flake.PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in an urgent plenary public meeting on Tuesday, November 13, 2018.

The urgent plenary public meeting is scheduled for 14.00 hrs. in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Minister of Justice will be present.

The agenda point is:

Progress committee report on the police department and prison and the proposed measures to be taken to improve the deplorable condition (IS/271/2018-2019 dated October 31, 2018)

(This meeting was requested by MP F.G. Richardson, MP S.E. Jacobs, MP E.J. Doran, MP C.T. Emmanuel, MP R. Brison, MP W.V. Marlin, and MP A.M.R. Irion)

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 115, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.com and Parliaments Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten.Courage and commitment needed to ensure Proper Governance and faster rebuilding of Sint Maarten

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the PPA Gracita Arrindell said in a press release that  Our Island commemorated Sint Maarten day over the weekend, amid a cloud of serious concerns regarding the day to day management of our still fragile state of our economy. Current governance of the Peoples affairs falls short of a clear direction and focus. Theres no need to beat around the bush any longer.

Arrindell said: Given the current stagnated state of affairs, our present Parliament and Government should be sensitive and sensible enough to demonstrate a hands-on approach in its leadership to our citizens and business community.

Providing timely and accurate information in a structured manner concerning our current and future state of affairs. Instead, our citizens are treated to personal distractions plaguing this current government, while many citizens still suffer in the aftermath of the last hurricane.

The sense of duty to perform and perform diligently without losing sight of what issues need urgent attention is apparently lost on most of these public officials.

How can this government assert its legal and moral authority in the face of such distractions? 

Arrindell said: with a few appearances here and there from public officials including members of the opposing Factions in Parliament, the sense of direction in which our island is heading is as clear as the mud coming sliding down our hills in rainy season. Partly due to the failure of upholding of what was once our Hillside policy. Several issues which deserve immediate attention, (including the state of the airport and the dump) are for example:

 A consumers organization is urgently needed. Construction crooks are reigning supreme at the order of the day. First hurricane Irma, then people are hit once more this time by some un-scrupulous people in the construction industry.

Too many people have a negative experience to share. Hopefully, governments coffers will reflect an increase from this sectors increased activities.

 the deplorable housing situation especially in Belvedere. An urgent reparation and rent to buy plan should be afforded to these residents. Some of the reconstruction funds should be earmarked to these citizens thereby providing a great sense of real relief to this community and others affected by hurricane Irma and living under the same deplorable conditions.

 The boat wrecks still in the lagoon. We deserve to receive a monthly report and a timeline when these wrecks will be out of the Simpson Bay lagoon. What is the delay 1 year after hurricane Irma?

 The traffic situation in the Cole Bay- Simpson Bay area can be greatly alleviated when a serious attempt is made to study the reasons for the bottleneck (most are known). One solution to consider is to turn this area into one large round-about. Bus stops should become real bus stops for buses to pull aside instead of being mere advertising huts. The ring-road in town is neither a ring nor a road! The entire Philipsburg area demands a complete overhaul. I will address this matter in a different article.

 A monthly or weekly report, depending on the issues of the state of affairs, to Parliament must be provided to our citizens. Members of Parliament should not be paid full time for part-time work. Have they no conscience?

 Gracita continues:  has self- interest replace common interest? Most people do not have time to figure out whats next on the governments agenda. The speech given by Governor Holiday on behalf of government on the occasion on the opening of the new Parliamentary year in September should be the guideline going forward for the new government. A government held together by a razor tin support of one ( 1) faction in Parliament. A government not held to their task enough by the opposing factions in Parliament.

Arrindell concludes: we have clear choices to make as this year comes to an end and a new year full of promises lies ahead. Success breeds success is a popular saying I firmly believe in. Sint Maarten is a great island that deserves to rebuild beautifully and without distractions. Question remains, what do you as a citizen deserve and require from your Government. Is your silence consent?A New Digital Archive for Canada\-\-s Continuing Memory

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) selects TeraMach and Preservica to centralize and preserve digital documentary history for all Canadians

OTTAWA, CANADA and BOSTON, MA (November 13 2018)  Library and Archives Canada (LAC), one of the world\-\-s largest library and archival institutions, has embarked on a large-scale, multi-stream initiative to move its extensive collection of digital records to a new digital platform to make it easier for Canadians to access published and archival records of historical and modern-day significance.

The project is one of the largest digital preservation programs initiated globally in recent years. It will see the government agency start processing more than 7 petabytes of digital records into the new digital archive.

To help in this nationally important project, LAC has selected Ottawa-based TeraMach, a Pivot Company (TSX: PTG) and Canada\-\-s specialist in delivering flexible on-premise and cloud-hosted technology solutions, and Preservica, a global leader in active digital preservation software. TeraMach will support LAC in the design, installation and maintenance of the overall solution. Preservica\-\-s technology will be used to protect and future-proof LAC\-\-s unique digital records ensuring they can be easily found and remain accessible for future generations.

Terms of the multi-year agreement were not disclosed but are not material to Pivot.

According to LAC Director General of Digital Operations and Preservation, Sylvain Belanger, the new system is ideal in its ability to address the multi-stream element of this large scale digital ingest and preservation initiative: \LAC has so many different roles, and within this initiative there are many different streams including addressing the automation of processes surrounding records we receive. In the past, we used multiple products and approaches to address different streams but with this new centralized system we\-\-ll be at the forefront of digital ingest and preservation, and we can focus on delivering practical ways of helping Canadians to innovate using information from the collection.\

With LAC receiving millions of digital records to add to the Canadian collection, in various formats from Canadian government agencies, the library community, and private donors, LAC\-\-s dedicated digital experts needed a digital platform that could automate workflows and operate at scale.

\We\-\-re very proud to be selected by LAC to help safeguard the country\-\-s rich and growing collection of digital content,\ said Hunter Li, President and CEO of TeraMach, a Pivot Company. \The new platform will use the AWS cloud infrastructure in Canada as part of the TeraMach Cloudx solution. This important award allows us to showcase the advanced and comprehensive IT solutions that are embodied in TeraMach Cloudx which enables express connectivity to a broad array of SaaS provider solutions including AWS, Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud and Preservica. Cloudx is proven and validated across a wide variety of institutional and business applications.\

Preservica CEO Mike Quinn welcomes LAC to the growing number of government institutions and national archives around the world entrusting valuable digital records to Preservica: \It\-\-s an honour to play a role in helping to preserve the documentary heritage of Canada now and for future generations, and to be part of the Canadian government\-\-s focus on cloud first. Being part of such a large-scale digital preservation program is an ideal opportunity to showcase how Preservica is helping organizations scale their archives and increase the use of unique digital assets to enrich citizen services and cultural initiatives.\

As custodian of Canada\-\-s past and recent history, LAC\-\-s digital archive will serve to promote greater accessibility of documentary heritage records for Canadians, with collections that include Government of Canada records, censuses, personnel records of the Canadian Armed Forces, genealogy and family history, immigration records, published works, and theses from Canadian universities since 1965, as well as its extensive audio visual collection.

LAC\-\-s previous in-house built solutions were nearing end of life, and as such LAC identified a clear requirement for a centralized system that could support the high-volume digital preservation requirements of its multiple streams as well as connect to the existing metadata catalogues and systems for library and archival materials.

With continued growth in digital content and the need to preserve data for continuity, legal and compliancy requirements, organizations worldwide are becoming aware of the serious risk of stored digital data older than 10 years becoming unreadable and obsolete.HID Global hails the renewed promise of mobile access

Its been almost exactly a decade since HID Global launched the world's first university pilot of smartphones carrying secure mobile IDs. A lot has changed in the following 10 years. Todays technology has matured, advanced, and proliferated across a variety of high-value use cases. To catch up on the latest developments in mobile access, we contacted Luc Merredew, Product Marketing Director, Physical Access Control, at HID Global. Q: What has changed since the first pilot implementation of smartphones used for secure mobile identification? Merredew: One of the biggest milestones several years ago was when mobile access solutions achieved certification to the ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System (ISMS) standard. With increasing awareness of cloud-based security threats and resulting high expectations from a solution, todays system owners, operators, and users insist on companies being able to demonstrate that they have had their services vetted by independent laboratories and/or agencies. When adopting mobile access solutions that maximise convenience and efficiency, and deliver dramatically improved user experiences, it is neither necessary nor acceptable to compromise security in either the physical or digital domains. Q: Do universities continue to be the biggest users? Mobile IDs on devices eliminate person-to-person credentials when accessing secured areas Merredew: The use cases have grown dramatically, spread evenly across all types of organisations in locations ranging from high-rise buildings to multi-campus global enterprises. But yes, universities continue to be big adopters, and they were among those most eager to leverage the technology so they could bring people back to campus in person during the pandemic. In this environment, mobile IDs on smartphones and other devices eliminate person-to-person credential (e.g., badge or ID card) issuance or revocation, as well as the need to physically touch cards, readers, or keypads when accessing secured areas. Q: How were mobile IDs employed by your customers as they brought people back to physical locations after the pandemic shutdown? Merredew: One example is Vanderbilt University, where the challenges of COVID-19 brought renewed attention to the importance of a modern system for identity management and access control that was compatible with Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth technologies. Members of the campus community could more conveniently access buildings and services with their mobile devices, and the university could efficiently provision and de-provision credentials remotely without person-to-person contact. More recently, Vanderbilt leveraged HID Mobile Access to deploy campus IDs on iPhone and Apple Watch through Apple Wallet. Q: Is there another example outside the university vertical? Merredew: Another example is the iconic tower Arcos Bosques Torre 1 in Mexico City, where the owners and tenants enjoy the simplicity of using their trusted mobile devices to seamlessly access their spaces. As with the Vanderbilt deployment, the drive for operational efficiency and convenience in the tower was combined with a desire to minimise the need for users to come in physical contact with the system. Having a solution like HID Mobile Access that delivers touchless entry and increased safety and security is important. Q: What have been the biggest mobile access advancements? The mobile credential provides contactless, seamless access to a wide range of devices and services Merredew: One of the most important advancements was simplifying upgrade paths to mobile access. In the Vanderbilt example, our HID Reader Manager was used to upgrade the firmware on the universitys physical access control readers and extend support for NFC-based credentials in Apple Wallet. The university uses the HID Origo Mobile Identities API integrated with CS Gold, a higher education transaction system from CBORD, for credential lifecycle management. Another significant enhancement has been the expanded range of uses cases for the mobile credential, going beyond simply opening doors to include providing contactless, seamless access to a wide range of devices and services such as time-and-attendance terminals, cashless vending machines, printers, computers, workstations, and many other applications. Q: Wearables are also having an impact. Merredew: Contactless mobile experiences are also delivered through wearable wristbands. One example is the Nymi band which, once authenticated, continuously authenticates the identity of the user until its removed from the wrist. This delivers zero-trust security principles and access control using convenient fingerprint and heartbeat biometrics to users seeking touchless authentication. Q: What is the impact of the cloud? Merredew: The move to a cloud-based system to issue and manage mobile identity credentials has unified, automated, and simplified identity issuance at a single facility or across any number of distributed office or remote work locations. Q: What should end users look for in a mobile access solution? Look for solutions that use a secure element in the reader as well as cloud certificates, to ensure security and data privacy Merredew: Solutions should support the largest possible number of popular mobile devices  in HIDs case, this includes more than 250. Look for solutions that use a secure element in the reader, and a secure key management process, as well as cloud certificates, to ensure both security and data privacy. Make sure the solution supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), and both iOS and Android operating systems. Solutions that provide Application Programming Interface (API) and Software Development Kit (SDK) support offer direct access to the solutions access control hardware, speeding deployment while enabling integration partners to continue innovating products that deliver even better user experiences. Q: Wonder what this market will look like in 10 more years. Whats next for mobile access? Merredew: Future innovations are on the horizon with technologies such as Ultra-Wideband (UWB) wireless connectivity, which HID expects will become ubiquitous on mobile devices. It provides unprecedented accuracy and security when measuring the distance or determining the relative position of a target. It is not HIDs expectation that UWB will replace Near Field Communication (NFC) or Bluetooth, but rather supplement Bluetooth and other technologies to provide the assurance, reliability, and granularity of device position that enables truly seamless experiences.Yes, Juul is doing the right thing. Others in the industry already have announced plans to follow suit; that should keep many youngsters from getting hooked on vaping. Our intent was never to have youth use Juul, Kevin Burns, chief executive of Juul Labs, said in an emailed statement. But intent is not enough. The numbers are what matter and the numbers tell us underage use of e-cigarettes is a problem.This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

In many industries, a decade is barely enough time to cause dramatic change unless something disruptive comes along  a new technology, business model or service design. The space industry has recently been enjoying all three.

But 10 years ago, none of those innovations were guaranteed. In fact, on Sept. 28, 2008, an entire company watched and hoped as their flagship product attempted a final launch after three failures. With cash running low, this was the last shot. Over 21,000 kilograms of kerosene and liquid oxygen ignited and powered two booster stages off the launchpad.

A Soviet technician works on Sputnik 1 before the satellite's Oct. 4, 1957, launch. (Image credit: NASA)

When that Falcon 1 rocket successfully reached orbit and the company secured a subsequent contract with NASA, SpaceX had survived its 'startup dip.' That milestone  the first privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit  ignited a new space industry that is changing our world, on this planet and beyond. What has happened in the intervening years, and what does it mean going forward?

While scientists are busy developing new technologies that address the countless technical problems of space, there is another segment of researchers, including myself, studying the business angle and the operations issues facing this new industry. In a recent paper, my colleague Christopher Tang and I investigate the questions firms need to answer in order to create a sustainable space industry and make it possible for humans to establish extraterrestrial bases, mine asteroids and extend space travel  all while governments play an increasingly smaller role in funding space enterprises. We believe these business solutions may hold the less-glamorous key to unlocking the galaxy.

The new global space industry

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket takes off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Feb. 6, 2018. (Image credit: SpaceX)

When the Soviet Union launched their Sputnik program, putting a satellite in orbit in 1957, they kicked off a race to space fueled by international competition and Cold War fears. The Soviet Union and the United States played the primary roles, stringing together a series of "firsts" for the record books. The first chapter of the space race culminated with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's historic Apollo 11 moon landing which required massive public investment, on the order of US$25.4 billion, almost $200 billion in today's dollars.

Competition characterized this early portion of space history. Eventually, that evolved into collaboration, with the International Space Station being a stellar example, as governments worked toward shared goals. Now, we've entered a new phase  openness  with private, commercial companies leading the way.

The industry for spacecraft and satellite launches is becoming more commercialized, due, in part, to shrinking government budgets. According to a report from the investment firm Space Angels, a record 120 venture capital firms invested over $3.9 billion in private space enterprises last year. The space industry is also becoming global, no longer dominated by the Cold War rivals, the United States and USSR.

In 2018 to date, there have been 72 orbital launches, an average of two per week, from launch pads in China, Russia, India, Japan, French Guinea, New Zealand and the U.S.

The uptick in orbital launches of actual rockets as well as spacecraft launches, which includes satellites and probes launched from space, coincides with this openness over the past decade.

More governments, firms and even amateurs engage in various spacecraft launches than ever before. With more entities involved, innovation has flourished. As Roberson notes in Digital Trends, "Private, commercial spaceflight. Even lunar exploration, mining, and colonization  it's suddenly all on the table, making the race for space today more vital than it has felt in years."

Worldwide launches into space. Orbital launches include manned and unmanned spaceships launched into orbital flight from Earth. Spacecraft launches include all vehicles such as spaceships, satellites and probes launched from Earth or space. (Image credit: Wooten, J. and C. Tang (2018) Operations in space, Decision Sciences; Space Launch Report (Kyle 2017); Spacecraft Encyclopedia (Lafleur 2017), CC BY-ND)

One can see this vitality plainly in the news. On Sept. 21, Japan announced that two of its unmanned rovers, dubbed Minerva-II-1, had landed on a small, distant asteroid. For perspective, the scale of this landing is similar to hitting a 6-centimeter target from 20,000 kilometers away. And earlier this year, people around the world watched in awe as SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket successfully launched and  more impressively  returned its two boosters to a landing pad in a synchronized ballet of epic proportions.

Challenges and opportunities

Amidst the growth of capital, firms and knowledge, both researchers and practitioners must figure out how entities should manage their daily operations, organize their supply chain and develop sustainable operations in space. This is complicated by the hurdles space poses: distance, gravity, inhospitable environments and information scarcity.

One of the greatest challenges involves actually getting the things people want in space, into space. Manufacturing everything on Earth and then launching it with rockets is expensive and restrictive. A company called Made In Space is taking a different approach by maintaining an additive manufacturing facility on the International Space Station and 3D printing right in space. Tools, spare parts and medical devices for the crew can all be created on demand. The benefits include more flexibility and better inventory management on the space station. In addition, certain products can be produced better in space than on Earth, such as pure optical fiber.

How should companies determine the value of manufacturing in space? Where should capacity be built and how should it be scaled up? The figure below breaks up the origin and destination of goods between Earth and space and arranges products into quadrants. Humans have mastered the lower left quadrant, made on Earth  for use on Earth. Moving clockwise from there, each quadrant introduces new challenges, for which we have less and less expertise.

A framework of Earth-space operations. (Image credit: Wooten, J. and C. Tang (2018) Operations in Space, Decision Sciences, CC BY-ND)

I first became interested in this particular problem as I listened to a panel of robotics experts discuss building a colony on Mars (in our third quadrant). You can't build the structures on Earth and easily send them to Mars, so you must manufacture there. But putting human builders in that extreme environment is equally problematic. Essentially, an entirely new mode of production using robots and automation in an advance envoy may be required.

Resources in space

You might wonder where one gets the materials for manufacturing in space, but there is actually an abundance of resources: Metals for manufacturing can be found within asteroids, water for rocket fuel is frozen as ice on planets and moons, and rare elements like helium-3 for energy are embedded in the crust of the moon. If we brought that particular isotope back to Earth, we could eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels.

As demonstrated by the recent Minerva-II-1 asteroid landing, people are acquiring the technical know-how to locate and navigate to these materials. But extraction and transport are open questions.

How do these cases change the economics in the space industry? Already, companies like Planetary Resources, Moon Express, Deep Space Industries, and Asterank are organizing to address these opportunities. And scholars are beginning to outline how to navigate questions of property rights, exploitation and partnerships.

Threats from space junk

A computer-generated image of objects in Earth orbit that are currently being tracked. Approximately 95 percent of the objects in this illustration are orbital debris  not functional satellites. The dots represent the current location of each item. The orbital debris dots are scaled according to the image size of the graphic to optimize their visibility and are not scaled to Earth. (Image credit: NASA)

The movie "Gravity" opens with a Russian satellite exploding, which sets off a chain reaction of destruction thanks to debris hitting a space shuttle, the Hubble telescope, and part of the International Space Station. The sequence, while not perfectly plausible as written, is a very real phenomenon. In fact, in 2013, a Russian satellite disintegrated when it was hit with fragments from a Chinese satellite that exploded in 2007. Known as the Kessler effect, the danger from the 500,000-plus pieces of space debris has already gotten some attention in public policy circles. How should one prevent, reduce or mitigate this risk? Quantifying the environmental impact of the space industry and addressing sustainable operations is still to come.

What's next?

It's true that space is becoming just another place to do business. There are companies that will handle the logistics of getting your destined-for-space module on board a rocket; there are companies that will fly those rockets to the International Space Station; and there are others that can make a replacement part once there.

What comes next? In one sense, it's anybody's guess, but all signs point to this new industry forging ahead. A new breakthrough could alter the speed, but the course seems set: exploring farther away from home, whether that's the moon, asteroids or Mars. It's hard to believe that 10 years ago, SpaceX launches were yet to be successful. Today, a vibrant private sector consists of scores of companies working on everything from commercial spacecraft and rocket propulsion to space mining and food production. The next step is working to solidify the business practices and mature the industry.

Standing in a large hall at the University of Pittsburgh as part of the White House Frontiers Conference, I see the future. Wrapped around my head are state-of-the-art virtual reality goggles. I'm looking at the surface of Mars. Every detail is immediate and crisp. This is not just a video game or an aimless exercise. The scientific community has poured resources into such efforts because exploration is preceded by information. And who knows, maybe 10 years from now, someone will be standing on the actual surface of Mars.

Joel Wooten, Assistant Professor of Management Science, University of South Carolina

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates  and become part of the discussion  on Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Space.com.Europe's fault lines were on full display at the weekend as France and Germany made a show of unity at a World War I commemoration in Paris and Poland's leaders marched through Warsaw with far-right groups.

Police estimated more than 200,000 people converged on the Polish capital on Sunday to mark the centenary of the country's hard-fought independence in 1918. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the governing party and Poland's most powerful politician, said the event was a "great success." Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron was slamming the rise of nationalism that threatens to undermine the European Union.

Poland has been at vanguard of the nativism and protectionism championed by Donald Trump, but the show of strength exposed how the line between patriotism and extremism has become even more blurred. There was a tense atmosphere in Warsaw as officials led a march of people with red-and-white national flags and armbands. Behind them were emblems from fascist groups, with police and the military forming barricades.

It contrasted with the scene on the outskirts of Paris over two days. Macron embraced German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they took part in a simple ceremony that commemorated Franco-German reconciliation after two world wars that devastated swathes of Europe, especially Poland.

"Poland's celebrations show just how much it's detached from geopolitics," said Ewa Marciniak, a political scientist at Warsaw University. "It's clear that Poland wasn't only out of tune with that of EU leaders, but it's as if it was singing a different song."

Opponents say the government is giving a voice to racism with its them-against-us rhetoric making western Europe and immigration the enemy. The commemoration attracted nationalists from Hungary, Italy and the U.K. There was also at least one Serbian flag.

One man from Budapest posing for photographs said his country stood side by side with Poland when it comes to challenging the EU mainstream. Both Poland and Hungary have been threatened by EU sanctions, with each country promising to veto them.

Indeed, the Law & Justice government has been struggling to keep control of the political narrative. The party failed to gain much ground in Polish urban areas in local elections recently as rumors swirled about its commitment to EU membership. Poland has clashed with Brussels over the past three years over a power grab of the courts, media freedom and a new defamation law tied to the country's role in the Holocaust.

The government rejects accusations it's leading Poland out of the EU. It was eager to avoid a repetition of last year's scenes on Independence Day when it was hijacked by fascists. There were no slogans this time such as "Pure Blood" and "Europe Will Be White or Uninhabited." Earlier in the day, some held a large banner declaring "Death to the Enemies of the Fatherland."

Kaczynski praised the march, while Trump tweeted a congratulatory message to Poland. "We are happy," Kaczynski said. "It's a great day." Nationalists following the official government delegation, though, tweeted about burning the EU flag and crowds chanted to take Poland out of the alliance it joined with other former Eastern Bloc nations in 2004.

EU President Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, called on Poles to follow in the footsteps of historic leaders who confronted the Russian army and toppled communism so they can defeat the "modern Bolsheviks" currently ruling the country. Notably, he chose to visit Warsaw on Sunday while world leaders gathered in France.

Near Warsaw's Palace of Culture, the tower that dominates the center of the city, a few dozen anti-fascist demonstrators held a banner with a photograph of the Auschwitz death camp and the caption "This Is How Nationalism Ends." Some passersby shouted insults and racist slurs at the small gathering.

"This isn't just a problem for the government, this is a problem for all of us," said Marek Migalski, a political scientist at Silesian University in Katowice, told private broadcaster TVN24 on Sunday. "Poland has become the capital of nationalism."

- - -

Bloomberg's Wojciech Moskwa contributed.Sorry Leonard Pitts, you got it wrong. There are journalists who do what journalists do, but Jim Acosta is not one of them. It's not just about talking tough. Bill O'Reilly is as tough an interviewer as they come, but he is a journalist. He asked former President Barack Obama many questions that I know Obama didn't like, but he always maintained respect for the office, allowed the answer and moved on. It wasn't a debate.To residents of the 36th district,

Thank you for electing me as your new state senator. I am profoundly grateful for the honor and opportunity to serve you. I began my campaign with the thesis that we are all reasonable people who generally share the same goals. We want to be respected and valued for who we are. We want to be healthy, safe and secure in the knowledge that our families will be fine. Regardless of party affiliation, or any other label we may carry, we have so much in common. In fact, we are all equals and neighbors. So lets put our perceived differences aside and begin with the premise that we want Connecticut to succeed! And that we will work together to realize that goal.

The mission of my entire career has been to seek and present reliable information to the public so that we, as consumers and citizens, can make more informed choices. During this campaign, we reached out to voters across the district to share a positive vision for Connecticut  a concrete plan based on proven solutions. I spoke with thousands of you and learned something from each and every conversation. Constructive dialogue based on real facts was the hallmark of my campaign. And it is how I will always conduct myself. An open exchange of ideas, grounded in civility and respect, is the path to our collective success. I hope youll join me on this path so we can all move forward together.

Thank you to Scott Frantz for his years of service to our state and for running a great campaign. I am honored to follow in his footsteps and have the opportunity to serve you and our state. And I am ready to get to work! I will work to: 1) deliver fiscal stability and tackle the pension crisis, 2) reform our tax system responsibly 3) modernize our infrastructure and bring businesses to Connecticut, 4) secure funding and excellence for our schools and 5) protect the rights and values we cherish. We can do all this if we work together as neighbors  with mutual respect and civility.

So I ask you to put party labels aside and tap into your civic spirit so we can build a thriving state and bright future. Lets unite for Connecticut and unite for good!

Democrat Alexandra Bergstein was elected to represent the 36th state Senate district, which covers Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan.Right. Its the media who are hostile for seeking presidential accountability. You talk about someone whos a loser, Trump said of Ryan. She doesnt know what the hell shes doing. She gets publicity and then she gets a pay raise, or she gets a contract with, I think, CNN. But shes very nasty and she shouldnt be. Youve got to treat the White House and the office of the presidency with respect.When I was a young reporter on the city desk of the Miami Herald, I dreamed of catching an assignment that would send me racing to the airport and jumping on a plane. To my surprise, the adventure arrived in the form of an obituary.

I was working late when the night editor hollered at me from across the newsroom. A bulletin had come over the wire announcing the cancer death of a former judge on the Florida Supreme Court. Eager as I was to chase the story, I had to ask why, exactly, we were so hot for the details of an old judge's demise.

Turned out the judge was a federal fugitive, wanted by U.S. marshals and the FBI, unseen and unheard from for several years after skipping bail on charges of smuggling thousands of pounds of pot.

It's like that in Florida, where the ordinary has a tendency to go extraordinarily wrong. A writer once suggested that North America had been picked up and shaken hard, and all the loose bits fell into the peninsula. If I tell you about a guy being arrested after throwing a severed head at a cop, you're going to guess it happened in Florida. Same when a guy breaks into a restaurant, strips naked and starts playing bongo drums.

Normally (a strange word to use when the topic is Florida), this would all be good fun, provided yours is not the head that gets severed. But it appears that royally messing up U.S. elections has become a Florida pastime, and the Sunshine State has finally gone too far. We're trying to save democracy, Florida. Please stop screwing around.

You might recall that there was an election on Nov. 6. Five days later, officials in heavily Democratic Broward County were still counting ballots. Five days. Where did all these votes come from? County elections supervisor Brenda Snipes wasn't saying exactly. With roughly 715,000 votes eventually tallied in Broward, turnout was heavy for a nonpresidential year - but light compared with two years ago.

Though bungled elections are about as plentiful as sunburns in Florida, you can't be surprised that Republicans, narrowly ahead in races for the governor's office and the U.S. Senate, are mighty suspicious as their margins erode in the murky waters of the state's most Democratic county. From the outside, incompetence and cheating aren't always easy to distinguish from each other. As a result, the door was open for Palm Beach clubman Donald J. Trump, in his role as the nation's provacateur-in-chief, to tweet accusations of rampant fraud, backed up by the usual zero evidence.

Fortunately, there is adult leadership at the top levels of state government. Just kidding! Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, added his own unsubstantiated allegations of fraudand spent the week complaining that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement would not open an investigation, even though he could order one, but didn't. It goes almost without saying that Scott is not only the state's chief executive; he's also a candidate with a stake in the mayhem, clinging to an edge over incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat.

Those with long, and painful, memories: See if anything here rings a bell. A ballot appears to have been poorly designed, causing thousands of voters to mess up. Machines may or may not have malfunctioned. Legions of lawyers have descended on the state, with Republicans preaching the sanctity of initial returns while Democrats scramble desperately to find and count more votes. Lawsuits are flying like gnats.

It's as if nothing was learned from Florida's epic botch of 2000, when the presidency hung in the balance for 36 excruciating days, and the U.S. Supreme Court lost the confidence of half the country, all thanks to a baffling "butterfly ballot" dreamed up in Palm Beach County. We're still living the hangover from that debacle.

But there's one important difference this time. In 2000, the pre-recount margin between George W. Bush and Al Gore was 537 votes out of nearly 6 million cast. That's roughly 1 vote in every 10,000. This year's big races are not nearly as close. More than 12,000 votes separate the Senate candidates, while the gap is some 33,000in the governor's race. Though Florida law requires a machine recount - and possibly an expensive, time-consuming hand count - the outcomes are unlikely to change.

So let's take a deep breath and let Florida fumble through. A state that can rally from a natural disaster such as Hurricane Michael will surely survive its latest human-made crisis - and America will survive, too.

But when this over, though: Please, Florida, please. Invest in reliable voting machines. Appoint competent election officials. Ask around for tips on ballot design. Elections in America are tough enough these days. I'm not sure how much more of your craziness we can take.STRATFORD  State Rep. Phil Young, who made history earlier this year by winning a special elction in a rock-ribbed Republican district, seems to be holding his lead after the first half of a two-day recount.

Planned meetings in town hall on Tuesday night resulted in the suspension of the recount after ballots from five districts were tallied. The rest will be reviewed Wednesday morning by Young, Republican challenger James Feehan, and their lawyers, along with local voting officials.

There were a few changes, Young said late in the afternoon. James Feehan ended up getting one more vote, so the winning margin is now 17. I think it should work out in the end.

Meanwhile, CTMirror.org reported that a recount Tuesday confirmed the re-election of House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, saving Democrats from a high-profile loss amid the partys strong gains in the General Assembly.

With Democrats expanding their narrow majority, Aresimowicz is set for a final two-year term as speaker.

An election-night plurality of 37 grew to 50 after the recount. He made a net gain of five votes in Berlin and 8 in Southington.

Aresimowiczs district was one of four with automatic recounts. The others were in the 17th Senate District and the 101st and 120th House Districts.

A recount in the 101st House District confirmed the re-election of Rep. Noreen Kokoruda, R-Madison, though her plurality fell to 16 votes, according to the new tally on the secretary of the states election system. She beat Democrat John-Michael Parker, 6,257 to 6,241.

By days end, Democrats were assured of at least a 91-59 advantage in the House, pending the Stratford race. In the Senate, Democrats won a 23-12 advantage, with one unresolved race in the Naugatuck Valley, where state Sen. George Logan, R-Ansonia, was holding a small lead. The new legislature takes office on Jan. 9.

Democrats currently hold an 80-71 majority in the House. The Senate is tied, 18-18.

Mark Pazniokas of the CTMirror.org contributed to this report.U ptOn Sinclair, the American writer, said it was difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depended on his not understanding it.

The trouble is people see what they want to see. They hope it will be all right on the night, but if it is not all right, they move to an alternative reality. Then this unravels. That is where Britain is at the moment. Britain does not understand the European Union.

Article 50 is concerned with the divorce, the separation of the UK from the bloc. Only when we have separated can we begin to embark on the future relationship.

So it is the money, the position of the EU nationals in the UK, and the vexed position of the Irish border which concern the EU in these negotiations. Everything else is for the future.

That means the EU and the UK can nod to the preferred direction of travel for an economic agreement. But it is not binding. The political declaration cannot legally commit parties to a particular outcome. The details of the future relationship will be negotiated under a different legal basis and only once the UK has left the EU. The British even now do not understand this. Theresa May, the Conservative party, the Brexiteers, and even Jeremy Corbyns Labour party think they should be discussing the future relationship. They keep trying to make it part of the discussion about leaving. The EU firmly says no.

So what could the political declaration look like? Well, according to the Centre for European Reform think-tank, chief negotiator Michel Barnier says that it could include points of convergence such as foreign policy, military cooperation, and UK participation in research programmes after 2020. But there will be no clarity on the future UK/EU economic partnership.

It might express a shared ambition for tariff and quota-free trade in goods and agriculture, but in reality the declaration will leave a range of potential trade agreements on the table. It might even talk about one overarching agreement which might take years to negotiate, or a series of sectoral agreements which would be less problematic and time consuming.

But it will be couched in warm words designed to make it palatable so that May can sell it to her MPs. It is like a Twix bar: the solid commitments are the biscuit base, the economic partnership is the fudge, and the whole lot is covered in chocolate. Whether the Commons will endorse it is another matter.

What happens if there is no deal, which means no agreement with the EU on Article 50 and potentially no money, no security for EU citizens, nor for the British in the EU and no agreement on the Irish border? The outline of the Article 50 deal will fall away, as will the transition agreement which was meant to follow on.

If the EU were not minded to co- operate then it would cause major disruption in ports, airports, medicines, supply chains  the whole economy  for at least three years.

The Brexiteers think that will be fine and we will trade with World Trade Organisation rules. It wont be fine, because the WTO is in disarray, we will still have not settled the Irish border, and the disruption will be huge. All this is causing a lot of stress for the regulators. The Financial Conduct Authority has been good at what it can control, but utterly useless about engaging with the EU. It has been good at making non- British companies continue to be welcome here, but it has been much less successful in getting British firms to continue to have access to the EU. Indeed there is no agreement on any access to the EU side, other than in saying British firms will have to comply with EU regulations.

Longer term, the FCA wants the mutual recognition of regulatory standards between us and the EU. However, this would be the equivalent of a trade deal, so rather difficult to pull off. And anyway, the EU says it has no mandate for such a deal.

The Continent did not want Brexit, but now just want to get on with it. They dont think it matters much to them if the UK goes or stays. The EU has many other issues to grapple with. They will make other arrangements if they have to.D rug-maker BTG was the toast of the Square Mile today on news that profits and revenues had soared over the past six months.

This marks a turning point for BTG, which for a long time was regarded as a somewhat strange company by fund managers in the City, selling obscure drugs such as anti-venom serum for snakebites. But three years ago it declared it wanted to be a world leader in interventional oncology  the treatment of cancer with minimally invasive procedures to minimse side effects. It is seen by medics as more advanced than chemotherapy, which destroys cancer cells but leaves patients very sick.

This session BTG said its oncology division  which makes up 40% of sales  rose 10%, further proof that its interventional oncology bet has paid off.

BTGs Louise Makin, one of only 12 female chief executives among the UKs 350 leading listed companies, added that the firm was looking for more acquisitions having bought US medical technology firm Veran for an undisclosed sum. Shares were up by 55.5p to 666p.

The FTSE 100 was also climbing, gaining 34.27 points to 7087.35 despite oil prices falling 1%, with Brent crude slipping below $70 per barrel.

As a result BP fell 7p to 521.1p and Shell lost 18p to 2462p.

The tech sell-off on Wall Street overnight was having little impact in London  Micro Focus climbed 35.5p to 1289.5p and Sage rose 3p to 548.2p.

But it was a tough session for FTSE 250 defence contractor Babcock which was hit by reports that defence officials are unhappy about its work maintaining nuclear deterrent submarines.

Shares fell 11.2p to 605p after news that there were real concerns about its work on the Vanguard-class of vessel.

Shares had rallied 2% yesterday after the business issued a statement from the Ministry of Defence indicating its commitment to Babcock.

That was in response to an attack from shadowy analyst group Boatman Capital, which said relations were strained. The murmurs of discontent from Whitehall will add credibility to Boatmans claims.

Further down the market, fashion retailer N Brown announced it had lost a 53.8 million battle with the taxman. The firm, whos brands include JD Williams, modelled by Sir Bruce Forsyths widow Wilnelia, had argued that it did not need to pay VAT on some of its marketing costs. HMRC disagreed and its shares fell 2.9p at 131.3p.



SMALL CAPP remier Foods on Tuesday bowed to investor demands for change, revealing under-fire boss Gavin Darby will leave the Mr Kipling cake maker.

Darby, who narrowly survived a shareholder rebellion to oust him earlier this year, will step down on January 31 after six years at the helm.

The 62-year old, whose annual salary is 700,000, has been under pressure to boost returns since 2016, when the Schwartz spices owner McCormick abandoned its 65p-a-share proposal offer, valuing the business at 537 million. Today the shares edged up 0.76p, to 38.86p.

Hong Kong-based Oasis Management, which owns a 17.3% stake, said ahead of the annual meeting that Premier Foods was zombie-like under Darby.

An Oasis spokesman today welcomed the departure, and added that the firm is optimistic about the path ahead.

Darby insisted the fiery meeting in July had not influenced his decision to leave.

Asked if Oasiss pressure had had any influence on the move, he said absolutely none, but the firm has not yet lined up a successor. Details of a potential pay-off were not disclosed today.

Darby  whose major achievement was a restructuring of Premiers huge debt pile in 2014  plans to stay within the industry and back businesses in the sector.

His departure came alongside a shake-up for the manufacturer behind Batchelors noodles and Bisto gravy.

This includes a potential sale of the Ambrosia custard business, which the company said it is in discussions with would-be suitors to sell.

Investec analyst Nicola Mallard thinks that could net Premier Foods over 100 million which could be used by the firm to pay down some of its 500 million-plus debt.

Premier Foods saw sales rise 1.3% to 358 million in results for the 26 weeks to September 29. It made a statutory pre-tax loss of 2.2 million, widening from a 1.2 million loss a year earlier.

Darby said: We have a strong innovation plan in place for the second half of the year, and profit expectations for the full year remain unchanged.

He said the business is in good shape and it felt like the perfect time to step down.

On Brexit, the firm said it is stockpiling some ingredients to prepare for March 2019.I F YOURE one of those Goldman Sachs cheeses  the guys with the gold-plated phones and the boundless sense of self-worth  who goes into public service, you probably expect the public servants to do as theyre told.

Goldman Sachs alumni are keen on public service, where they get to act as if they care about the rest of us while pushing policy agendas that entirely suit Goldman Sachs. It would be funny if it werent so pervasive.

So, it was pleasing to see former Goldman president Gary Cohn back on the treadmill last week, trying to push economic policies that President Donald Trump had dismissed.

Cohn served just a year as chief economic adviser to Trump, and failed to get him to budge, leaving in March. According to Bob Woodwards book Fear, Cohns greatest achievement was slowing down implementation of plans with which he disagreed.

Trump thinks  indeed he won the 2016 election partly because of this  that most trade deals are bad, that ordinary Americans get screwed and that trade deficits are dangerous.

Cohn argued for relentless free trade, no matter what that did to jobs  no quotas, no protectionism, no tariffs. The trade deficit would rise but that was a sign they were getting it right.

At one point in the book Cohn, who speaks to Trump as if he thinks hes stupid, breaks with usual protocol when addressing the president and shouts at him: If you just shut the f*** up and listen, you might learn something.

Cohn is now scratching around to fill his days, his political career plainly a failure. Since Cohn left Goldman with a severance package of $285 million its hard to see what more he needs.

(A side note: US tax laws are favourable to bankers who take a break to work for the government. But were sure that cant have been Cohns motivation.)

Perhaps the money isnt enough, he needs vindication. Last week he sang the same old tune to the BBC  tariffs on Chinese goods are akin to a consumption tax. Trade wars never work.

We are not a manufacturing economy, he said, of the nation that produces 18% of the worlds goods (China can only boast 17%). So if US citizens can buy products cheaply, they have more money to spend on goods, and once they spend on goods they can take the additional money they have and they can save it.

You see? Simples. I dont know what those tens of millions of Americans who havent seen their standard of living rise since the early Seventies are complaining about. Fridges are cheaper. And if youre an American who makes fridges, well, youre in the wrong job  wise up.

One criticism of Cohn comes from former Bear Stearns executive Richard Marin, who told Bloomberg seven years ago: When you become arrogant, in a trading sense, you begin to think that everybodys a counter-party, not a customer, not a client. When he talks about the economy, Cohn assumes that every actor in it is a consumer only. We shop. And thats it. That we might be workers or indeed people who would like to work less doesnt cloud his thinking.

Free markets work for him, after all.The thing is, they arent often free. Its this ideal that barely exists.

Simon French at Panmure Gordon agrees. He says: The centre-Right of politics stand there and preach free markets when they are often flawed at conception. What you want is competitive markets where abusive dominance is impossible. In some markets thats a (largely) free market  Id say groceries  and some its a regulated monopoly. In technology and other data-intensive businesses I would say the jury is still out.

If you get signs of abusive dominance (where Chinese firms steal intellectual property, for instance) then tariffs are probably better than tanks in reasserting a more competitive market. French again: What Cohn misses is that if tariffs and IP transfer blocks bring the Chinese to the table on opening up their own markets, then American households will be better off long-term.Since Meghan Markle stepped out on the evening of her wedding wearing a simple, white, high-neck gown by Stella McCartney, the British brand has skyrocketed to the top of most bride-to-be's wishlists.

Up until today, though, the sustainable label didn't even have a bridal range.

But rejoice, because the fashion house has launched a wedding collection called "Stella McCartney Made with Love, a new permanent fixture in the McCartney empire.

"This contemporary collection is designed to reflect each brides individuality, making her look and feel her best on her special day," it states on the website.

The minimal designs are royal-worthy / Stella McCartney

Indeed, the nine styles released so far exude style and versatilely with something for every bride, from a slinky, sequined, slip dress to a romantic tulle number.

There are even alternative bridal looks, with a statement ivory tux and lace embroidered jumpsuit, in particular, standing out from the ethereal dresses.

The collection also features alternative bridal looks / Stella McCartney

Sure to be top of the most-wanted list is the simplest of them all: a high-neck gown with a sweeping train, which is almost identical to Meghan's.

A halterneck design very similar to the Duchess of Sussex's second wedding dress (Stella McCartney ) / Stella McCartney

The Duchess of Sussex's second wedding dress has become one of the most desired bridal designs of 2018, with several high street brands recreating the look, and Stella herself releasing a limited run of 23 lily white dresses back in June.

Speaking about the new collection, Stella says: Its something that I feel very passionately about and is very close to my heart. I think that in this day and age the wedding day is something very different to how its traditionally perceived, and I think that the house of Stella McCartney really represents something a little more effortless.

The collection also uses sustainable fabrics / Stella McCartney

In order to shop the collection, you need to arrange a consultation in-store where, as a special added touch, each bridal dress comes with a blue tag sewn in featuring a personal 'Made with Love' message from Stella for the bride's 'something blue'. The sentiment taking note again from Meghan's very own wedding dress where a piece of fabric from the blue dress she wore on her first date with Prince Harry was sewn into her dress.50 Berkeley Square, Mayfair

This brick house was dubbed as London's most haunted house in the twentieth century both because of its deranged ex-tenant and resident female ghost. Both stories are fascinating and haunting, in all senses. The young woman allegedly threw herself from the top floor after being abused by her uncle and sometimes appears as a brown mist, while longstanding tenant Mr. Myers, a Boo Radley type who locked himself in this house until he passed away, is also believed to haunt the premises. Apparently Myers went mad after he was rejected by his fiancee and let the house crumble around him. He died in 1874 and it's said a maid who slept one night in the attic room was found the next day so deeply distressed that she died the next day in an asylum.

Real Unexplained MysteriesLorne

Lornes sommelier Katie Exton and a chef Peter Hall first met at Mayfair's The Square during its hey day, and have since gone on to create this neighbourhood haunt in Victoria. Theres something really refreshing about the understated nature of this restaurant. The decor is stripped-back Scandi, with flourishes of greenery and the small dining space has an intimate feel to it. The food delivers and is deliciously moreish, plus its incredibly affordable, with a set lunch menu boasting two courses for 22 or three for 27.I celand's Christmas advert has gone viral after it was banned from TV for being "too political."

People all over social media, including TV presenter James Corden, have been praising the supermarket giant for its Christmas campaign highlighting the environmental destruction caused by producing palm oil.

Iceland is a committed enivronmental campaigner, and earlier this year announced they would be banning palm oil from their own brand products by the end of 2018.

Their reason behind the decision to campaign for an "orangutan friendly Christmas" is because of palm oil's harmful environmental impact.' The production of it has devastating impacts on wildlife and tropical forests.

Forest being cleared for palm oil plantations / AFP/Getty Images

What was Icelands Christmas advert?

Unlike most other retailers, Iceland planned to use their Christmas advert this year to raise awareness with its short film Rang-tan.

Rang-tan is an animation telling the story of rainforest destruction caused by palm oil production and its devastating impact on the critically endangered orangutan.

It was hoped that the advert would improve shoppers understanding of the widespread rainforest destruction for palm oil production, which appears in more than 50% of all supermarket products.

The advert would have seen Iceland committing over half a million pounds of media spend to ensure that it was seen by millions of consumers  a bold move away from the usual commercial, product-led advertising in order to highlight an important issue causing climate change and biodiversity loss.

It ends with: "Dedicated to the 25 orangutans we lose every day."

Ulet Ifansasti / Stringer / Getty Images

Richard Walker, managing director at Iceland, said: "The culmination of our palm oil project is offering our customers the choice of an orangutan friendly Christmas, and we wanted to reflect this in our advertising.

Our commitment to help protect the home of orangutans remains extremely close to our hearts. We are proud to be encouraging consumers to make more sustainable choices, even without the support of TV advertising, ahead of the Christmas shopping season.

Why was Icelands palm oil advert banned?

By law, political advertising isn't allowed on TV.

Iceland initially said the advert "may have proven a brave step too far as the advert was banned by advertising regulators", suggesting it was because of the message.

But Watchdog Clearcast says it wasn't approved because the advert was originally the brainchild of environmental organisation Greenpeace.

For the ad to be approved, Greenpeace needed to prove it wasn't a "political advertiser" - which Clearcast says it wasn't able to do.

Chris Mundy, managing director of Clearcast, said: "The case made by many of the people who have contacted us is that they feel it is wrong that the ad is considered to be political and that it makes important environmental points. However, for the reasons above, that is not the issue here."

How have people reacted to the advert?

Iceland decided to launch its campaign on social media instead, which has been hugely successful, with over 13 million views on its Facebook page alone.

However, Clearcast's banning of the ad has been called an "injustice" and sparked outrage.

An online petition has been set up to "release Iceland's banned Christmas advert on TV".

It states: "The ad holds an important message - one that is emotional, touching and helps to spread a message about saving the environment and so must be broadcasted."

How to sign the petition to overturn the banA fly, aeroplane, kicks. Everyone has their own special name for that thing you did as a kid where someone lifts you up by your arms and legs and launches you into the air like a rocket. And lately you've probably spotted a beaming yogi doing something similar on your Instagram feed.

Acroyoga, a practice based on a combination of yoga and acrobatics, is rapidly gaining popularity thanks to social platforms like Instagram  a quick search for #acroyoga throws up over 2 million posts. And it's not hard to see why, the videos of these perfectly choreographed sequences can be pretty mesmerising. Hypnotic, even.

As London's first dedicated studio to the practice, AcroYogaDance, will open its doors in January, we went down to meet founders Eugene Vegan Butcher, a former martial arts teacher, and Pip Elysium, a trained ballerina, ahead of the launch.

Here's a look at them in action.

Acroyoga, a combination of acrobatics and yoga

So how does acroyoga differ to regular yoga?

Acroyoga is a partner-based yoga practice based which evolves into a form of moving meditation.

"Before I did this I taught martial arts and I thought I'd never replace that, because it was fitness, strength, mobility, flexibility, challenging and artistic," says Eugene. "But [acroyoga] ticks all of those boxes and much more, as it's a collaboration with somebody else.

"If yoga is mentally the idea of the union of the mind, body and spirit, in a way this is a union of two peoples' mind, body and spirit," he said.

There are three roles in acroyoga: a "flyer", the "base" and a "spotter", and as people progress they typically specialise in either being in the air or on the ground, meanwhile the spotter is there to support the safe transition between positions.

It's heavily based on collaboration and connection  that's one of the reasons it's proven popular with real life couples. While moving between postures, instead of speaking, the base will lead the flyer with small gestures.

Pip and Eugene often film their practices and encourage their students to do the same. They say they see it as creating art, and that there's nothing more satisfying than nailing a flow that gains traction with their followers.

Another big aspect of acroyoga is trust. Putting your trust in the base person is part of the thrill of the practice, but also one of the harder things to get down with as a beginner.

In physical terms, acroyoga is all about nailing your alignment, and learning how to do a handstand in a straight line is a good foundation to the practice.

"You spend so much time upside down, that practising handstands helps you to get used to it and makes you less disorientated when you're in the air", says Eugene.

After talking me through the basic principles, Pip and Eugene demonstrate some poses.

They explain it's crucial to learn how to "pike" (which basically means fold) and how to "hollow" your body.

Next up, my turn...

Putting all of your bodyweight onto one person is nerve-racking at first but I gradually started to relax into it, as Eugene was a very steady base and with the knowledge that Pip was spotting us.

Once I'd acclimatised to being upside down, I found it surprisingly therapeutic and started to enjoy it.

We managed a "front bird", "back bird", "high flying whale", "star", "straddle throne" and even a handstand.

It also incorporates aspects of Thai massage and by the end of my session I felt like I'd been to the chiropractor. I could feel it working my core, too, and it felt good to be challenging myself, by doing something that felt a little bit scary.

Leaving the studio to go to work that drab Tuesday morning I definitely had more of a spring in my step than usual. Now I'm on a mission to find myself an acroyoga partner...O ne of the biggest factors to consider when deciding on your next holiday is the cost.

Luckily, in the UK there's a myriad of culturally and historically fascinating countries right on our doorstep  but what about when we want to go further afield?

Experts at travel-booking site Skyscanner have found the best value destinations for 2019 after crunching through the figures of its extensive flight and hotel database.

The findings show there has been no better time to visit the Americas, with Cancun in Mexico and Los Angeles in the US being two of the best value destinations for the coming year.

You can see the full list below.

Cancun, Mexico

For the ultimate beach holiday, head to Cancun / Unsplash

Average flight price for 2019: 515 return  a three per cent drop.

Average four-star hotel price for 2019: 187 per night  a 19 per cent drop.

Cancun has always been alluring to Brits  the white sand beaches, turquoise waters and promise of a good party, and next year it will be even more accessible from the UK. This is because Thomas Cook Airlines are expanding their service to Cancun with nine weekly flights from Manchester while Londoners can take advantage of low cost carrier Eurowings great deals. Once there, accommodation is cheap and the food even cheaper, making sure you get the most for your pound.

Las Vegas, USA

For bright lights and never-ending fun, head to Vegas / Unsplash

Average flight price for 2019: 785 return  a five per cent drop.

Average four-star hotel price for 2019: 124 per night  a six per cent drop.

With balmy temperatures all year round and the high-roller appeal, Las Vegas offers Brits a glitzy escape. Low cost airline Norwegian flies straight from London Gatwick to Vegas making it easier than ever to experience the iconic strip for yourself  plus there are plenty of four-star hotels that start at 30 per person, per night making it a very affordable holiday if you keep your gambling to a minimum, that is.

Los Angeles, USA

Make sure you visit the iconic Venic Beach in LA / Unsplash

Average flight price for 2019: 658 return  a one per cent drop.

Average four-star hotel price for 2019: 204 per night  a 10 per cent decrease.

Known for its perennial sunshine, great surf and slew of residing A-Listers, Los Angeles has long been a bucket list locale for many. Norwegian offer another direct route stateside from London to Los Angeles where a return flight can set you back just 296. In 2019, Virgin Atlantic is launching a new route from Manchester to Los Angeles in May making California even more accessible to Brits. For a place to rest your head, check out The Hoxtons LA outpost which is set to open in early 2019  for a little bit of London luxury across the Atlantic.

Reykjavic, Iceland

Iceland horses are reason enough to visit Iceland / Unsplash

Average flight price for 2019: 141 return  18 per cent decrease.

Average four-star hotel price for 2019: 168 per night  an eight per cent drop.

Iceland has long been a trending destination  but 2019 might be the best time to tick it off your bucket list. With the average flight and hotel prices decreasing significantly, 2019 is the time to visit Icelands capital Reykjavic and discover a city dotted with cool eateries and captivating art before exploring Icelandic must-dos like the Golden Circle and the Ring Road to see the iconic sights.

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Get away from the crowds with this beach in Rio De Janeiro / Unsplash

Average flight price for 2019: 838 return  no change in price.

Average four-star hotel price for 2019: 89 per night  a 20 per cent decrease.B udget airline Ryanair has just launched its winter flight sale - and it ends at midnight tonight, Tuesday, November 13.

Some one-way flights are cheaper than your work day lunch with flights from London Stansted to Oslo in Norway being sold for just 4.88 one-way.

The travel period for the flights is from November 20, 2018 to March 31, 2019, making it the perfect time to book a cheap winter getaway.

Cheap fares are available from London's Stansted, Luton and Gatwick airports as well as various airports across the UK.

From Stansted, you can fly to Denmark, Spain and the Czech Republic for 7.82 one-way as well as Poland, Montenegro, Germany and Ukraine.

Ryanair is offering flights from Gatwick to Spain and Ireland starting at 9.78 one-way and from Luton you can fly to France, Lithuania and Italy for 7.82 one-way.T he Edition's sexy new Spanish outpost in Barcelona has been created by illustrious hotel designer Ian Schrager and launched in September, complete with a tenth-floor saltwater infinity pool and an underground cabaret bar.

Where is it?

Bang slap in the middle of Barcelona, in the artsy El Born district. Just off one of the citys main avenues, Via Laietana, its right next to the popular Santa Caterina covered market (you can look out over the multi-coloured undulating roof from many of the rooms) and a couple of minutes walk from the cathedral, on the edge of the gothic quarter. Walk out and youre only a four minute wander from the Picasso Museum, ten minutes from Ciutadella Park and 20-minutes to Barceloneta beach (theyll arrange a car if youre too hungover from all the punch). Theres no better location in town.

Style

For Edition disciples, Schragers Barcelona outpost has the same familiar luxury as the rest of the hotel collection  sweeping white spiral staircases, a replica of Londons famous Punch Room and a signature scent you can smell from down the street. Rooms echo the brands sleek, low-lit vibe with added sexy Spanish trimmings - original Catalan art pieces, locally-designed wooden chairs and Gaudi-inspired welcome snacks. Much of this was the work of renowned interior designer Lazaro Rosa-Violan while Schragers tell-tale trademarks can be seen throughout, from the striking double-height lobby bar to the sultry basement dining room featuring black velvet walls.

All rooms come with a view of the Gothic Quarter (The Edition) / The Edition, Barcelona

Which room?

Each of the hotels 100 rooms and suites has views over the Gothic quarter, Santa Caterina Market and the El Born district. Inside, rooms are decked out with the Editions signature luxury Anichini bed linens, walnut wall panelling and embossed Spanish leather headboards, while en suites feature custom-scented Le Labo amenities, gold mirrors and contrasting brass hardware. The design is sleek and high-tech: theres a Bluetooth speaker next to the bed and there are four different lighting modes for creating your perfect atmosphere. I used makeup mode for party-prepping, which was a fun perk. For celebrity guests, the two penthouse suites are true luxury, each a home-from-home concept with adjoining rooms for family, agents or publicists. Private terrace included.

Food & drink

Drinks start at ground-level. True to the Edition vernacular, an warm backlit lobby bar, Bar Veraz, serves local vermouth, craft beer and sherry, and there youll also find the hotels informal all-day restaurant offering an a la carte breakfast. Expect brunch classics from acai and smoothie bowls to avocado and poached eggs  you can have these delivered to your room on lazier mornings. Ten floors up, the roof bar serves trendy acai ice creams and local gins topped with fresh flowers. Try the signature Yuzu and beer-blended cocktail if you have a sweet tooth. The hotel also features a fresh incarnation of The London Editions award-winning Punch Room, a speakeasy-inspired mezzanine-level lounge bar serving punches from vintage silver bowls. Expect elegant oak panelled walls and a dark checkerboard floor accessed by a signature Edition spiral staircase, perfect for an Instagram pose if youre not feeling too wobbly from all the sangria. Down in the velvet-lined basement, a supper club meets live performances at Cabaret, the hotels sexy late-night dining room and cocktail bar. Weird and wonderful is the order of the day, from provocative circus acts and cauliflower desserts to a colour-coded tasting menu.

Facilities

The whole point of a minibreak to Spain is to eat tapas and drink sangria in abundance, so the hotels main centrepieces are naturally its four distinct bars and restaurants. Theres also a 24-hour gym with a wellness and meditation space and a rooftop saltwater plunge pool  though dont pack your goggles. Its more for Instagram than any kind of proper swimming.

The rooftop pool is the hottest spot in Barcelona (The Edition) / The Edition, Barcelona

What to Instagram

The rooftop, with its 360 degree views. There are white sofas for all-day lounging and a narrow saltwater infinity pool with floating lilies for the ultimate sunset Insta shot. Storm model Sydney Lima and actress Anna Brewster have already gone in for a (skinny) dip.

Best for?

Party types  you wont get a rustic Spanish experience but you will get luxury, poached eggs on sourdough and Instagram opportunities galore. Plus theres the celeb-spotting: Jack Guinness and Lady Mary Charteris jetted in for the launch party and Dynasty actress Nathalie Kelley booked in for a romantic visit with her husband in September.

How to get there

Fly to BarcelonaEl Prat Airport, an easy two-hour flight from London Gatwick and just a 20-minute taxi from the hotel at the other end. We travelled with Vueling, which has regular flights from just 20.

When should I go?

Late summer is perfect for autumn hues and 360-degree sunsets, but the rooftop is open all year round thanks to sliding glass walls, so you can still soak up the views on a winter minibreak.

DetailsS cotland Yard has launched a murder probe after a woman was found dead at a house in south-west London following an assault.

The woman, believed to be aged 62, was found dead at a home in Balham at around 11.40pm on Monday. It is understood she had been assaulted, Scotland Yard said in a statement.

The Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service were scrambled to an address on Balham Park Road last night after reports that a woman had died. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

A man, believed aged 66, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody at a south London police station. The man and woman were known to each other, police said.

A spokesman for the Met said: "A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a woman in Balham.

"Police were called at approximately 11.40pm on Monday, November 12, to reports of a woman deceased at an address on Balham Park Road.

"Officers attended along with colleagues from the London Ambulance Service.

"The woman, believed to be aged 62, was pronounced dead at the scene. It is believed she had been assaulted.

"Her next-of-kin have been informed. A special post mortem will be scheduled in due course.

"A man, believed aged 66, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody at a south London police station.

"The man and woman were known to each other.

"Enquiries continue by detectives from the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command."A baby born after his mother was shot and killed with a crossbow at her home in east London was battling for life in hospital today.

The boy was delivered by Caesarean section after Sana Muhammad, 35, who was eight months pregnant, was attacked in front of her other five children in the kitchen of her house in Ilford yesterday morning.

Mrs Muhammad was shot shortly after 7.35 am as she did the washing-up, her husband told the Evening Standard.

Scotland Yard said the woman suffered a wound to the abdomen during the attack in the 500,000 house in Newbury Park.

Victim: Sana Muhammad, 35, was shot and killed by a crossbow at her home in east London and her son is fighting for life / Collect

Police said the suspect was known to the dead woman and no one else is being sought in connection with the attack. He is believed to be the victims former partner.

Mrs Muhammad was taken to hospital and underwent emergency surgery but died three hours later.

Sana Muhammad's baby son is fighting for life in hospital

The crossbow bolt is said to have missed the baby by inches and the child was delivered before being transferred to a critical care unit because of the early birth. The boy has been named Ibrahim.

Grief: the victim's husband Imtiaz Muhammad / Jeremy Selwyn

The victim was known to neighbours as Sana Muhammad but is said to have changed her name from Devi Unmathallegadoo after she married her new partner Imtiaz Muhammad about seven years ago.

Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, 50, was due to appear at Barkingside magistrates court today charged with murder.

Friends said Mrs Muhammad had three children with her first husband and two girls with her second husband, as well as the baby boy.

Today Mr Muhammad, 42, told how she was shot in front of her children, aged one, four, 12, 15 and 17.

He described the terrifying moment he found the alleged killer hiding in the shed and was chased into the house.

He told the Standard: I went to put a cardboard box in the shed. He was there with the crossbow loaded. He stared at me, he was going to shoot so I ran into the house. My wife was doing the washing up, I was shouting run, run, run.

Police at the scene in Ilford / NIGEL HOWARD 

He shot her. I cant help thinking she took my arrow. Maybe it should have hit me. The kids were all there, it was horrific.

The arrow went up into her heart but did not touch the unborn baby. The baby was due in four weeks. They operated with the arrow still in because it would have been too dangerous to take out.

He said: She was a wonderful mother and wife. We were together seven years. I am heartbroken, we were inseparable.

Mr Muhammad said the victims family was originally from Mauritius and he was from Pakistan. Breaking down in tears, he said: When we met she was going through a divorce so I gave her support. We loved each other so much. We were always together.

He said that some of the children were preparing to go to school when the attacker entered the house. He added: Now I must look after the children and the baby. People have been so kind.

A suspect is led away from the scene by police

Mr Muhammad is now living in a hotel with his children. He said: Our family and neighbours are helping us. They are amazing.

Today neighbours said they heard Mr Muhammad screaming for help outside the house in Applegarth Drive after his wife was attacked.

Nia Khan, 40, said: It was awful, he was screaming and we didnt know what to do. Mrs Khan said she and her husband Zia Khan, 40, had been told Mrs Muhammad was shot with a crossbow after running upstairs to try to protect her children. I dont know how anyone could do this, she added.

Another resident said: There were loads of neighbours out here yesterday. We saw the police bringing out a crossbow arrow as if for evidence, it looked about 30 cm long.

A police car remained stationed outside the house this morning. One resident placed a bouquet of flowers outside the house, while others sought comfort as they met in the street.

Police respond to the incident in Ilford / NIGEL HOWARD 

Scotland Yard said officers were called at 7.40 am and found a woman suffering an abdominal wound. She was pronounced dead in hospital at 11 am yesterday.

Neighbour Navneet Buttar, 35, said: At about 7.30am I heard some screaming, it sounded like a kid. I looked outside and saw her husband, he was saying help, help.

Later she saw a man being led out of the house in handcuffs and being put in the back of a police van. She added: My kids and her go to nursery together, I talk to her every day. She was due next month, she was very excited about her baby.

She was so nice, its really bad. I dont know why this happened.

A number of neighbours said they knew Mrs Muhammad from the school run.

Sana, who was eight months pregnant, was shot with a crossbow in her kitchen

Friends described Mrs Muhammad as a devoted mother who will be missed dearly by her husband.

Mrs Khan, who had known the victim for eight years, said: She was kind and caring and was a wonderful mother. She did everything for her children, they were her world.

She was a very good, lovely lady. She was a close friend of mine, and we would share our problems with each other and could talk for hours. Detective Chief Inspector Gary Holmes said: This is a tragic incident and our sympathies are with the loved ones and friends of the victim.

I am appealing for any witnesses who were in the area of Applegarth Drive from the evening of Sunday November 11 to the morning of Monday November 12 to please contact us with any information they might have, however small.

The killing came on the same day a 62-year-old woman died after being attacked in her home in Balham.

Scotland Yard said officers were called to an address in Balham Park Road at 11.40pm yesterday to reports of a woman who had died. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said only that she had been assaulted.

A man, thought to be aged 66, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. The pair were said to be known to each other.T his is an image of a man wanted by police for pushing an innocent pedestrian into the path of traffic in the City of London.

CCTV footage released by police today shows the victim, 57, being shoved from behind into the road where he narrowly avoids being hit by a taxi.

Police released the footage as well as a photograph of the suspect taken by a member of the public in an attempt to identify him.

The footage shows the victim walking on the east pavement of New Bridge Street at around 8am on the morning of July 23.

The man was shoved into the path of oncoming vehicles after the pair 'brushed shoulders'

Police say the victim brushed shoulders and exchanged words with the suspect moments before the incident. The victim carried on walking to work but was followed by the suspect who then pushed him towards the oncoming cars.

Police are hunting a man who shoved a pedestrian into traffic

The pedestrian suffered grazes to his hands and arms and was dazed briefly.

Passers-by rushed to help while others followed the suspect to confront him. One member of the public took a photo of the man.

Detective Constable Duff, from the City of London Police, said: We would like to speak to anyone who witnessed this incident in July or who may know the man in the photograph.

The quick thinking actions of the taxi driver undoubtedly prevented this incident having much more severe consequences for the victim. However he is still naturally shocked and horrified by what happened to him. 

Anyone with information should call 0207 601 2999 or rign crtimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.A private school teacher has been left partially blind after another woman smashed a glass in her face during a night out.

Lisa Bertsch, 30, was at the Be At One bar in Richmond when she was hit in her right eye. The tumbler shattered and left Ms Bertsch, who lives with her boyfriend in Kingston, needing emergency surgery.

She said the attack happened when she tried to stop the assailant pouring a cocktail over her friends belongings. Ms Bertsch added that she had been left completely blind in one eye and was told by doctors that she might never regain full sight in it.

Im very, very scared, she told the Standard. Ms Bertsch, who moved to London from Germany last year, said the woman fled after the attack, which happened in the bar in Petersham Road on Saturday, November 3.

The Met said officers were called at 4.25am to reports of a female being assaulted by another woman. No arrests have been made.

Ms Bertsch, who was with two friends, said the row broke out on the dancefloor. She pushed us away, she said. We assumed we had bumped into her so we stepped away. After a while, I was pushed from behind by her. My friend said she also kicked me. We turned around, waiting for apologies. My friend was like, What the f***? But she just started mimicking what my friend had said. She was very drunk. We didnt want to fight, so we turned away. A friend of the girl came up to us and apologised for her.

Dancefloor attack: victim Lisa Bertsch's injury after emergency surgery / Lucy Young

He then tried to help her get off the stool and out of the bar. She was stumbling around and there was a stool which we had put our belongings on. She tried to pour the contents of her cocktail glass on them, so I stepped forward to try to prevent her doing it.

Ms Bertsch continued: She completely freaked out and got very aggressive. She pushed me, I pushed her back, and then she swung her arm with the glass into my face. Part of it smashed into my right eye. I just remember feeling blood everywhere. Everyone was freaking out, crying: Ambulance, ambulance! There was an off-duty paramedic who was amazing. He was so helpful.

A spokesman for Be At One said the company was working with police to identify the attacker. He added: We understand this is an extremely distressing situation and one that we would hope to see concluded swiftly by the police.347 S. Columbia St., Naperville: $2,490,000 | Listed: Sept. 9, 2021



This four-bedroom brick and stone home has six bathrooms, a gated entry and an office with a fireplace. The kitchen has double Wolf ranges and an oversized refrigerator. The second level of the home features two bedrooms and the homes primary bedroom, which has a renovated en suite bath, a walk-in closet and laundry room, and opens to a terrace. The fourth bedroom and en suite bath are on the upper floor, along with a sitting area and loft. The homes basement features a wine cellar and tasting room, as well as a full bath and recreation room with a wet bar. Additional features include a first-floor laundry, three-season room, detached garage, and backyard deck and patio.



Agent: Katie Minott and Kim Marino, @properties, 773-750-9535 and 630-634-0700



*Some listing photos are virtually staged, meaning they have been digitally altered to represent different furnishing or decorating options.



To feature your luxury listing of $800,000 or more in Chicago Tribunes Dream Homes, send listing information and high-res photos to ctc-realestate@chicagotribune.com.



Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news.A Hollywood assistant director who was caught drunkenly sleeping at the wheel of his car while waiting to collect his wife from a yoga session has been banned from driving for 17 months.

Stuart Renfrew, 54, had drunk half a bottle of red wine before taking his wife to her class in Notting Hill, and had two more glasses in a pub while waiting for her. Police found him at 8.45pm resting on the steering wheel, with two dogs with him in the black Kia Sportage, which was protruding into the road.

Renfrew was breath-tested and found to be more than twice the legal drink-drive limit. He worked as first assistant director on Oscar-winning film The Queen, and has been a regular collaborator with director Stephen Frears , including on hit movies Mrs Henderson Presents and Dirty Pretty Things.

The Reese Witherspoon film Vanity Fair, The Spice girls movie Spice World, and Bridget Joness Diary are also in his lengthy portfolio, and his TV work includes Doctor Who and Game Of Thrones. At Westminster magistrates court yesterday, Renfrew pleaded guilty to drink-driving on October 28. He had 83 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, more than twice the limit of 35.

Prosecutor Malachy Pakenham said: He said he had drunk half a bottle of red wine in the afternoon on an empty stomach, and drove his wife to yoga. He went to the pub and had a further two glasses of wine before driving again with the intention of picking his wife up.

Hit movies: Stuart Renfrew helped direct The Queen with Dame Helen Mirren (MIRAMAX)

The court heard Renfrew, who has worked with stars including Dame Judi Dench, Peter OToole and Claire Danes, had recently been forced to take a step back from his career after his wife became ill. His earnings have been limited this year as he has been caring for her, including driving her.A pensioner has won a court battle over his late aunts 600,000 fortune after an heir hunter seized on a missing will to try to profit from the estate.

Former actress and model Tessa Amstell, who was married to jazz musician Barnet Billy Amstell, left her home to her nephew Martin Amstell, 74, when she died in 2011, aged 98.

However, her will went missing and the property in Kenton, north-west London, came to the attention of heir hunter Andrew Fraser, who believed it may have been abandoned.

Central London county court heard Mr Fraser tracked down up to 30 distant relatives of Mrs Amstell, hoping to sell the house and make a 75,000 commission on the inheritance.

Judge Nigel Gerald said Mr Fraser seized control of the estate with gusto, clearing the home, changing the locks and trawling Mrs Amstells medical records in an attempt to prove she was mentally incapable of making a will.

Inheritance: Tessa Amstell, whose will went missing / Nev Ayling

After later dropping the inheritance claim, Mr Fraser went to court to try to force Mr Amstell and 22 animal charities to pay his legal costs. But Judge Gerald ruled that Mr Fraser should bear the legal cost himself, in a bill expected to reach more than 250,000. The judge said Mr Fraser had been primarily focused on his financial gain and was materially misleading by not disclosing Mr Amstells claim to other relatives.

Mr Fraser treated this as a commercial venture and acted in a belligerent and provocative manner which appears to be intended to run up costs and bring pressure on Mr Amstell to withdraw or settle the claim, he added.

The court heard Mrs Amstell made a will in 2009 naming her nephew as main beneficiary, leaving 122,000 in shares and savings to 22 animal charities, and putting her niece Marion Finn in charge of managing her affairs.

Mrs Finn mislaid the original copy of the will but continued to look after the property. However, Mr Fraser, a partner in heir hunting firm Fraser & Fraser, was asked by Brent council in 2016 to investigate whether anyone was entitled to the home.

He obtained a power of attorney from one of the relatives he tracked down and was named estate administrator in December 2016 despite knowing of Mr Amstells claim to the inheritance.F oreign criminals operating in London will be more likely to evade justice if the Met police is unable to share data with European forces after Brexit, Sadiq Khan warned today.

The Mayor called for EU security cooperation to be removed from the Brexit negotiations to allow a separate deal to be struck on arrest warrants, extradition requests and watch lists issued on wanted individuals.

Without ongoing cooperation, police would be left to tackle organised crime, human trafficking, money laundering and the terror threat with one arm tied behind their backs, Mr Khan said.

It came as he was today attending a memorial event in Paris to mark the third anniversary of the Bataclan terrorist attack in which 90 people were killed.

The Mayor was meeting the family of Londoner Nick Alexander, the only Briton to die in the attack. Mr Alexander, 35, had been selling merchandise for the US band Eagles of Death Metal when three gunmen burst into the arena and opened fire.

About 30 per cent of people arrested in London are foreign nationals - half from the EU and half from nations elsewhere in the world.

These are dominated by people from EU countries such as Portugal, Lithuania, Poland and Ireland, the Standard has learned.

The failure to maintain cross-border links would prevent the Met from being able to access the criminal histories of people apprehended in the UK.

One source said it would potentially mean that a shoplifter arrested in Oxford Street would have a different chance of being prosecuted depending on whether they were from Preston or Poland.

City Hall says there are 32 measures used on a daily basis by police, including access to Europol, the European Arrest Warrant and EU Passenger Name Records.

Losing the European Arrest Warrant would make it harder to bring suspects back to the UK to face justice.

Mr Khan said: Since 2004, 10,000 people have been extradited from our country to the EU. Before that it was about 60 a year.

Last year alone, our police used the EU tools to make 162,000 requests for information from our colleagues across Europe.

I have no idea whether Prime Minister May can do a deal with the EU. If there is no deal, on March 30 we have got no arrangements with the EU.

In these circumstances, let the grown ups have a separate arrangement on security. If the worst comes to the worst and we have no deal with the EU we can carry on with our security arrangements.

City Hall said Britains access to EU security measures led to the arrest and extradition of Jamie Acourt in May, on connection with the large-scale supply of drugs.

The European Arrest Warrant was used to arrest and extradite the 2005 failed Shepherds Bush bomber Hussain Osman, and is being used to pursue the two GRU officers believed to be responsible for the Novichok attack in Salisbury.

National Police Chiefs Council Chair, Sara Thornton, has previously warned the alternatives we are planning to use, where they exist, are without exception slower, more bureaucratic and ultimately less effective.B rexiteer MPs Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg have said they will vote down Theresa Mays divorce deal after negotiators reached an agreement in Brussels.

A government source confirmed a Brexit agreement was reached between the UK and EU at a "technical level" today.

The prime minister will attempt to win over her cabinet in a meeting tomorrow before a "meaningful" vote in the House of Commons.

Former foreign secretary Mr Johnson said he would vote against the deal, claiming it was "vassal state stuff", and urged the cabinet to "chuck it out".

Cabinet to consider Brexit deal in special meeting on Wednesday

He said he expected the deal to be "pretty much" what had been agreed a few weeks ago.

"We are going to stay in the customs union on this deal, we are going to stay effectively in large parts of the single market and that means it's vassal state stuff," he told the BBC.

He added: "For the first time in a thousand years, this place, this parliament, will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is a quite incredible state of affairs."

Theresa May has called a cabinet meeting for Wednesday / REUTERS

Mr Johnson continued: "For the first time since partition, Dublin - under these proposals - would have more say in some aspects of the government of Northern Ireland than London.

"I don't see how you can support it from a democratic point of view, I don't see how unionists can support it, and I don't see how you can support it if you believe in the economic and political freedom of this country."

He claimed the deal was "making a nonsense of Brexit so I hope the cabinet will do the right thing and I hope they chuck it out".

Brexit: Article 50 Triggered - In pictures 1 /20 Brexit: Article 50 Triggered - In pictures Britain's ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow delivers British Prime Minister Theresa May's formal notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels AFP/Getty Images Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Common PA Britain's ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow delivers British Prime Minister Theresa May's formal notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels AFP/Getty Images European Council President Donald Tusk holds a news conference after receiving British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit letter in notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to EU Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels, Belgium Yves Herman/Reuters Prime Minister Theresa May takes her seat after announcing in the House of Commons PA The time 12:20pm shows on Big Ben on March 29, 2017 in London, England. The British Prime Minister Theresa May addresses the Houses of Parliament as Article 50 is triggered and the process that will take the United Kingdom out of the European Union begins Carl Court/Getty Images D-day: pro-EU protesters outside of the Houses of Parliament today as Theresa May prepares to trigger Article 50 AFP/Getty Images EU Council President Donald Tusk holds British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit letter which was delivered by Britain's permanent representative to the European Union Tim Barrow (not pictured) that gives notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty in Brussels, Belgium Yves Herman/Reuters PMQ's in The House of Commons PA Jeremy Corbyn speaking at PMQ's in The House of Commons Sky News Theresa May leaving for the House of Commons Jeremy Selwyn Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at the headquarters of Vivendi in Paris where he took part in TV interviews to discuss the imminent triggering of Article 50 by the UK to leave the EU Stefan Rousseau/PA Britain's permanent representative to the European Union Tim Barrow arrives at the EU Council headquarters for as meeting before hand delivering British Prime Minister Theresa May's notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to EU Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels, Belgium Yves Herman/Reuters Britain's ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow arrives at the British representation of the European Union in Brussels Aurore Belot/AFP/Getty Images A giant headed Theresa May in Parliament Square, London during a protest by Avaaz after PM signed a letter to trigger Article 50 that starts the formal exit process by the UK from the European Union David Mirzoeff/PA British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson walks down Whitehall Jack Taylor/Getty Images Britain's PM Theresa May signs the official letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, invoking Article 50. AFP/Getty Images

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Tory MPs, said the reported deal represented a betrayal of Mrs May's promise to maintain the integrity of the UK.

"White flags have gone up all over Whitehall. It is a betrayal of the Union," he told the BBC.

"If what we have heard is true, this fails to meet the Conservative Party manifesto and it fails to meet many of the commitments that the prime minister makes.

MP and Pro-Brexit campaigner Jacob Rees-Mogg / EPA

"It would keep us in the customs union and de facto the single market. This is the vassal state.

"It is a failure of the government's negotiating position, it is a failure to deliver on Brexit and it is potentially dividing up the United Kingdom.

"It is very hard to see any reason why the cabinet should support Northern Ireland being ruled from Dublin."

Meanwhile DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson - whose party props up the government in the Commons - warned the prime minister she must honour the promises she had made to maintain the integrity of the the Union.Labour will tomorrow seek to force the government to release its own legal advice on the Irish border backstop.

Jeremy Corbyn's party will use an arcane procedure known as a "humble address" during an opposition day debate. It's an attempt to make guidance by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox available to MPs once a Brexit deal is ready to be put before the Commons.

The procedure was used last year to force the publication of Brexit impact assessments.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: "It's simply untenable for the government to put forward any Brexit deal to Parliament without providing the legal advice on what's been agreed.

"At this critical stage, MPs can't be kept in the dark nor can we risk Parliament being bounced into a decision without having all of the facts available."M Ps across the House of Commons united today to force Theresa May to come clean about the true price of Brexit.

In a fresh rebellion 30 MPs, including nine Tory rebels, put down an amendment to the Finance Bill insisting on an official analysis of how much worse off Britain would be under the Prime Ministers exit deal compared with staying in the European Union.

The move led by Conservative Anna Soubry and Labours Chuka Umunna comes in the wake of Jo Johnsons accusation in an Evening Standard interview that Mrs May was carrying out a calculated deceit by withholding the information.

A senior Cabinet minister today said Britain and the EU are almost within touching distance of a Brexit deal.

The Prime Minister has insisted negotiations are now in their final stages / REUTERS

David Lidington, the de facto deputy premier, said negotiators in Brussels worked late into the night but an agreement was not in the bag.

Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson went on the attack, tweeting: No one is fooled by this theatre. Delay after staged managed delay.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson (L) and Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Brexit Minister) Dominic Raab ahead of the Cabinet meeting today / AFP/Getty Images

A deal will be reached and it will mean surrender by the UK ... People did not vote for colony status.Senior Brexiteer ministers issued warnings their support could not be taken for granted if Mrs May gave way on the EUs demand for an Irish border backstop with no end date or escape clause. Several held talks until after 11pm last night in the office of Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, including Commons leader Andrea Leadsom and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt.

No decisions were being taken at the weekly Cabinet this morning. Mr Lidington promised: As the PM has said, it cant be a deal at any price.

The new rebellion came as the Government was trying to fend off a potential defeat in a separate Labour-led vote designed to force ministers to publish the top-secret legal advice it has received on the future implications of the exit deal being negotiated in Brussels.

A compromise appeared to be in the air after senior Brexiteers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker put down an amendment calling for merely a reasoned position statement on the legal situation.

Mr Umunna said: It is vital MPs have all the information necessary to make the most important decision Parliamentarians will be making since the Second World War.

The nine Conservatives backing the motion are enough to defeat the Government - and include former Attorney General Dominic Grieve and ex-Cabinet minister Justine Greening.

Speaking ahead on the separate vote on the legal advice, which uses the arcane device of a humble address to demand the information, Sir Keir said: It shouldnt take an ancient parliamentary procedure for ministers to do the right thing and be honest about what type of Brexit deal were signing up to.

But a Tory MP predicted: There wont be a big Conservative revolt because Keir has politiciased it too much.

Senior EU officials were today discussing whether to slap a visa fee on UK citizens of 52 (60 euro) to enter the EU after Brexit. The College of Commissioners was debating whether Britain should be treated as a third country.T he Duchess of Sussex is to attend her first Royal Variety Performance alongside Prince Harry.

The couple, who are expecting their first child next Spring, will attend the 2018 performance and will be expected to meet all the performers on the red carpet afterwards.

Prince Harry first attended the event in 2015, at the Royal Albert Hall, when he was 31 years old, but it will be mother-to-be Meghans first show.

The couple will watch Take That and the cast of hit musical Hamilton as performers take to the stage of the London Palladium on Monday evening.

The event is held in aid of the Royal Variety Charity, of which the Queen is patron.

Prince Harry on stage after the Royal Variety Performance at the Albert Hall in London / PA Archive/PA Images

Chart-toppers George Ezra and Rick Astley will also perform, while comedian and Taskmasters star Greg Davies has been confirmed as the host.

Comics at the show often take the opportunity to make jokes at the expense of any attending royals - and it is unlikely to be an exception for the duke and duchess.

In 2015, host Jack Whitehall made digs at former partying prince Harry, saying they would turn the venue into a nightclub after the show in his honour.

Whitehall added: "He may only be a prince, but when it comes to banter, all hail the king."

Prince Harry with Jack Whitehall / PA Archive/PA Images

The Royal Variety Performance dates back to 1912 when King George V and Queen Mary agreed to attend a Royal Command Performance at the Palace Theatre in London, in aid of the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund and its proposed plans to build an extension to its Brinsworth House home for elderly entertainers.

A second royal show was performed in July 1919 and billed as a celebration of peace.

It became an annual event at the suggestion of George V in 1921, when the King decreed that "the monarch or a senior member of the royal family, would attend an annual performance, in aid of Brinsworth House and the Royal Variety Charity, once a year thereafter".

Meghan and Harry will be expected to meet performers after the show, as other royals have / PA Archive/PA Images

Laurie Mansfield, life-president of the Royal Variety Charity, welcomed the duke and duchess's support.

"The Royal Variety Charity was so pleased that Prince Harry was able to attend his first Royal Variety Performance back in 2015, and that now in their wedding year, both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are attending," he said.

"It will be a very memorable Royal Variety Performance."

The couple recently visited Westminster Abbey in London to mark the centenary of the Armistice / PA

The show helps raise money for entertainers throughout the UK, who are in need of help and assistance as a result of old age, ill-health, or hard times.

It also supports Brinsworth House, the home in Twickenham which is owned and run by the charity.M et Police officers investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have been given a further 150,000 for their investigation.

The Home Office has granted Scotland Yard more funding in the search for the toddler, who disappeared 11 years ago in May 2007.

Madeleine was just three when she was last seen on holiday with her parents in Praia da Luz in Portugal.

The Met launched its own investigation, Operation Grange, into her disappearance in 2013 after a Portuguese inquiry failed to make any headway.

Madeleine McCann went missing in May 2007 / PA

Force bosses have been applying for funding from the Home Office every six months to continue the inquiry, that has cost about 11.75 million so far.

Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have always pledged never to give up the search for their daughter.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We have confirmed that Special Grant funding of 150,000 will be provided to the Metropolitan Police Service for the six-month period to 31 March 2019."T heresa May is under growing pressure to allow a second referendum on the terms of Britain's deal to leave the EU.

Calls to allow the People's Vote are intensifying with the Prime Minister reportedly ready to present the key elements of the Brexit deal to Cabinet tomorrow.

Meanwhile shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry contradicted party leader Jeremy Corbyn yesterday by insisting the option for second referendum had not been ruled out.

With a rally set to take place on Tuesday, we take a look at what the People's Vote is and whether there will be a vote on the Government's final Brexit deal.

What is The Peoples Vote?

Mrs May has dismissed calls for a second referendum / Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images

The so-called Peoples Vote is a grassroots campaign calling for another vote on the final Brexit deal, which would likely take the form of another referendum.

It has support from across the political spectrum with more than a million social media followers.

Many believe the UK is heading for a no deal or bad deal Brexit - which they say is not what the country voted for in June 2016.

The campaign instead wants the people to be able to vote on the Government's final Brexit deal before it is set in stone.

It was established in April 2018 by MPs Chukka Umunna, Anna Soubry, Layla Moran and Caroline Lucas, along with Patrick Stewart and comedian Andy Parsons.

The People's Vote campaign group says: "MPs will vote on the final Brexit deal in just a few weeks. It looks like itll either be a bad one or no deal at all.

"But theres another option  a Peoples Vote on the Brexit deal. So we can judge for ourselves whether its what we were promised."

More than half a million people turned out for a march in London last month / Richard Isaac/REX/Shutterstock

Will there be a second referendum on Brexit? What does Theresa May say?

Mrs May is under increasing pressure to allow a People's Vote on the final terms of the deal, from within and outside her party.

The Prime Minister is also facing pressure from Scotland after Holyrood voted in favour of it and abroad, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urging Britain to hold a second referendum.

If I was Theresa May, I would call a second referendum  no doubt, he said.

The campaign has got huge support with the public after more than half a million people descended on the capital last month to demand the Government give people a vote on the final terms of leaving.

But despite the calls, Mrs May has continually ruled out such a referendum, saying it would be a "gross betrayal of our democracy".

Also, Mr Corbyn has dismissed the idea after he said at the weekend "the referendum took place".

When is The Peoples Vote march and what are they protesting?

It was the biggest public protest about Brexit so far / Getty Images

A People's Vote rally is set to take place in central London tomorrow, hosted jointly by the People's Vote campaign and best for Britain.

The event will take place at Westminster from 6.30pm for a 7.30pm start.

Organisers say the public needs to "keep up the pessure" on government for a final vote, adding: "Whatever desperate deal the government comes up with, nobody voted for this two years ago. The Brexiters said leaving the EU would be quick and easy, create extra money for the NHS and make us better off. None of that has come true.

"Now is our chance to make sure our voice can be heard loud and clear. Join us at the rally.A ngela Merkel has called for the creation of a real European army in a swipe at Donald Trump, echoing language used by Emmanuel Macron.

In a speech to European Union ministers on the future of the bloc, the German chancellor called for an integrated EU military.

"The times when we could rely on others are over. This means we Europeans have to take our fate fully into our own hands," she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

"We should work on a vision of one day establishing a real European army."

Trump watches Macron and Merkel's knee during a World War Two ceremony over the weekend / AP

It comes after the French presidents calls for European defence planning, operations and weapons development.

Mr Macron's call, which reflects a broad trend of EU thinking but is not universally accepted, was meant to show European willingness to meet US demands that Europe does more for its own security and relies less on America.

But on Twitter last week, Mr Trump accused Mr Macron of seeking to develop the EU's own military to defend itself from the US.

EU and French officials said this was a misunderstanding.

They said Mr Macron had been referring to computer hackers who could attack Europe from anywhere, including from inside the US.

The US president took aim at his French counterpart again on Tuesday, blasting France over its record in two world wars, its wine industry and Mr Macron's approval ratings.

Ms Merkel said such an armed forces would not undermine the US-led military alliance NATO but could be complementary to it.

Her remarks drew loud applause but also boos from nationalist members.

She also called for the creation of a European security council.

First proposed in the 1950s and taken up four years ago by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in response to fraying EU unity, an EU armed forces is seen as strengthening the global power of the bloc.K im Kardashian and Kanye West have hired a private team of firefighters to battle flames surrounding their luxury home amid the devastating California wildfires, according to reports.

They are being praised by their neighbours in the Hidden Hills for hiring the team, who dug trenches to stop the fires engulfing the house, celebrity news website TMZ said.

The couples $60 million (46 million) mansion is reportedly at the end of a cul-de-sac adjacent to a field and could have threatened the rest of the block if it went up in flames.

It comes after it emerged the homes of stars including Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus and Gerard Butler were completely destroyed in the wildfires raging at both ends of California.

California wildfires 1 /8 California wildfires A fire fighting aircraft releases water as firefighters battle the thousand-acre plus 'Fish' wildland fire that erupted near the Angeles National Forest, Duarte, Califonia EPA Smoke from wildfires burning in Angeles National Forest fills the sky behind the Los Angeles skyline Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP Jimmy Romo, 73, leads the horses leaving his ranch as a wildfire is burning in Azusa, Calif., Monday, June 20, 2016. New wildfires erupted Monday near Los Angeles and chased people from their suburban homes as an intense heatwave stretching from the West Coast to New Mexico blistered the region Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP A television cameraman shoots a thermometer sign which reads 126 degrees in Palm Springs, California Sam Mircovich/Reuters A wildfire burns around homes built near a hilltop in Azusa, California Nick Ut/AP A water bomber makes a drop on a wildfire as it attacks the flames near Campo, California Mike Blake/Reuters A column of smoke is seen rising, viewed through a windshield, from one of two wildfires in the Angeles National Forest above Azusa, California Gene Blevins/Reuters Flames flare up from a wildfire behind a house along a hillside in Duarte, California Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP

At least 29 people have been confirmed dead in the wildfire that ripped through the Northern California town of Paradise, equalling the deadliest blaze in state history.

Terrifying footage emerged of police officers driving towards the huge wildfires as rescue attempts continued with more than 200 people still missing on Monday.

LA County Sheriffs Department tweeted the clip, which was filmed in the Woolsey Fire in southern California, on yesterday afternoon.

Footage from inside car shows devastation of California wildfires

The post was captioned: A view from many of our radio cars on Friday.

We are fortunate there have been no reported injuries of LASD Personnel in the Woolsey Fire.

LASD has 100s of deputies, reserves & volunteers from the entire department working together to protect property & lives!

The blaze has probably caused between $2billion and $4billion in insured property damage, Morgan Stanley estimated in a report yesterday.M ajor Chinese technology firm Xiaomi has apologised after a "crazy deal" on its website sold a handful of mobile phones for 1, angering customers.

The brand took flack when it advertised a "flash sale" offering phones for 1 each, and it emerged only two or three phones were actually sold at this price before the website said it was "sold out".

The UK's ads watchdog said it had received a complaint and was deciding whether to open an investigation.

The "misleading" ads prompted backlash on social media, as some users called the company out for the "clickbait scam".

Xiaomi said it hoped customers would not be discouraged from taking part in future campaigns.

"We've held flash sales all over the world since our first one back in 2013 as a way to give a lucky few customers a chance to get their hands on our smartphones at incredibly low prices," said a spokeswoman.

Xiaomi is launching the Mi 8 Pro in the UK / Xiaomi

"[This] was our first in the UK and attracted enormous levels of demand, far beyond what we were expecting.

"We're sorry so many Xiaomi fans missed out this time round but we hope they'll take part in future flash sales as and when we announce them."

Xiaomi has regularly held similar promotions, attracting consumer attention by selling its hardware at low profit margins to gauge demand.

Last year a promotion in space offered 50 units at 1 (88p), and in this latest spate of promotions in the UK, only two or three phones were sold at the advertised price.

Users needed to click on a link to its terms and conditions to read the fine print of the sale.

Xiaomi denied accusations that no phones had been sold at the promised price.

UK sales manager Wilkin Lee said a lottery had taken place made up of those who had pressed the button closest to the set time.

"Of the thousands who clicked 'buy' simultaneously, the tie-breaker is done by selecting the winners randomly," he tweeted.

The Advertising Standards Authority's rules state that consumers must be informed "clearly and in a timely fashion" about the limited availability of a product.A merican news broadcaster CNN has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration after its chief White House correspondent had his press pass suspended last week.

A furious row erupted on Wednesday after the White House barred journalist Jim Acosta and accused him of placing his hands on an intern during a tense exchange with President Donald Trump.

Mr Trumps press secretary Sarah Sanders said Mr Acosta, who Mr Trump called a terrible person during the exchange, had been barred for placing his hands on a young woman.

The American news network, which hit back at the fraudulent allegations against Mr Acosta, has now filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration in DC District Court.

In response, the White House brushed off the complaint as "grandstanding from CNN" and said it will "vigorously defend against this lawsuit" filed on Tuesday.

It claimed the incident on Wednesday "was not the first time [Mr Acosta] has inappropriately refused to yield to other reporters".

CNN's Jim Acosta and President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP/Getty Images) / AFP/Getty Images

The White House statement made no further reference to the allegation that Mr Acosta placed his hands on an intern.

CNN has demanded the return of Mr Acostas credentials as CNNs chief White House correspondent, claiming CNN's and Mr Acostas First and Fifth Amendment rights have been violated.

Both CNN and Mr Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

TODO: define component type apester

Six defendants are named - Donald Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, the director of the Secret Service and the Secret Service officer who took away Mr Acosta's pass away.

CNN said: The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acostas First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process.

We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass to be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process.

While the suit is specific to CNN and Acosta, this could have happened to anyone.

"If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials.

Responding to the lawsuit, a statement from Ms Sanders said: "We have been advised that CNN has filed a complaint challenging the suspension of Jim Acosta's hard pass.

"This is just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against this lawsuit.

"CNN, who has nearly 50 additional hard pass holders, and Mr Acosta is no more or less special than any other media outlet or reporter with respect to the First Amendment.

"After Mr Acosta asked the President two questions - each of which the President answered - he physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern, so that other reporters might ask their questions.

"This was not the first time this reporter has inappropriately refused to yield to other reporters."

A White House intern tried to take the microphone from Mr Acosta / REUTERS

The statement continued: "The White House cannot run an orderly and fair press conference when a reporter acts this way, which is neither appropriate nor professional.

"The First Amendment is not served when a single reporter, of more than 150 present, attempts to monopolise the floor.

"If there is no check on this type of behaviour it impedes the ability of the President, the White House staff, and members of the media to conduct business."

Mr Acosta last week refused to give up a microphone when the president said he did not want to hear anything more from him during a press conference.T he California wildfires death toll rose to 44 today as Donald Trump declared a major disaster days after accusing state officials of mismanagement and threatening to cut funding.

He changed his tone after his re-marks met with outrage from Californians and firefighters battling the states deadliest fire season ever.

I just approved an expedited re-quest for a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California, he tweeted.

Wanted to respond quickly in order to alleviate some of the incredible suffering going on. I am with you all the way. God Bless all of the victims and families affected. The move frees up federal cash to tackle the blazes.

California wildfires 1 /8 California wildfires A fire fighting aircraft releases water as firefighters battle the thousand-acre plus 'Fish' wildland fire that erupted near the Angeles National Forest, Duarte, Califonia EPA Smoke from wildfires burning in Angeles National Forest fills the sky behind the Los Angeles skyline Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP Jimmy Romo, 73, leads the horses leaving his ranch as a wildfire is burning in Azusa, Calif., Monday, June 20, 2016. New wildfires erupted Monday near Los Angeles and chased people from their suburban homes as an intense heatwave stretching from the West Coast to New Mexico blistered the region Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP A television cameraman shoots a thermometer sign which reads 126 degrees in Palm Springs, California Sam Mircovich/Reuters A wildfire burns around homes built near a hilltop in Azusa, California Nick Ut/AP A water bomber makes a drop on a wildfire as it attacks the flames near Campo, California Mike Blake/Reuters A column of smoke is seen rising, viewed through a windshield, from one of two wildfires in the Angeles National Forest above Azusa, California Gene Blevins/Reuters Flames flare up from a wildfire behind a house along a hillside in Duarte, California Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP

Over the weekend Mr Trump had claimed, with no evidence, that there had been gross mismanagement and with proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation!

The Camp Fire in northern California has obliterated the town of Paradise in Butte County, and the Woolsey Fire in the south has spread to Malibu and destroyed the homes of celebrities.

An air tanker drops water on a fire as blazes raged across the state / AP

Miley Cyrus, Gerard Butler and Neil Young lost their homes. Kanye West and Kim Kardashian paid private fire-fighters to create fire breaks to save their 40 million Hidden Hills mansion and neighbours. Lady Gaga visited a Red Cross shelter, chatting and taking photos with fellow evacuees.

Actor Gerard Butler's Malibu home destroyed in wildfire

A lull in winds driving the Camp Fire allowed rescuers to find 13 more victims, bringing the toll for this blaze to 42, making it the deadliest in Californias history. About 220 are missing.

Butte sheriff Cory Nonea said: In some cases the only remains are bone fragments. Some victims perished in scorched cars. Describing her familys escape, Paradise mayor Jody Jones said: There was fire on both sides of the car. You could feel the heat.D onald Trump has claimed that the Secret Service refused to let him drive to a World War One cemetery in France when Marine One was grounded in bad weather.

The President was much criticised for missing a ceremony he had been scheduled to attend on November 10.

He was scheduled to fly in Marine One to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial near Belleau Wood, about 55 miles away from Paris, but adverse weather stopped this.

Mr Trump, following a series of Tweets criticising France, addressed the situation and said: "By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving.

"Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown."

He then stated he attended a ceremony in Suresnes and gave a speech at a cemetery on Armistice Day, the day after, in "pouring rain".

President Trump was widely criticised for cancelling the trip / AP

At that event, he jokingly commented on getting drenched midway through addressing the crowd.

Thanking six World War Two veterans, he turned to one and said: You look so comfortable up there, under shelter, as were getting drenched. Youre very smart people.

President Trump gave a speech at a service the day after the one he missed / EPA

After cancelling the first event, his Press Secretary also have a separate excuse for him not driving, stating he did not want to cause disruption to the city.

Mr Trump was widely criticised with Conservative MP Nicholas Soames, Winston Churchills grandson, writing on Twitter: They died with their face to the foe and that pathetic inadequate Donald Trump couldnt even defy the weather to pay his respects to the Fallen.

Another person replied to Mr Trump's latest post and said: "And yet, somehow, every other inviting leader and guest somehow made it there. None of whom had the resources at your disposal."

However, others said they were "proud" of the President after his time in Paris.D onald Trump stared down the King of Morocco after he appeared to fall asleep during Emmanuel Macrons World War One ceremony speech.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco was seen with his eyes closed as the French leader addressed crowds and honoured soldiers who died during WWI.

The US President, who was seated two spaces from the royal, looked unimpressed as he looked past his wife Melania to notice the king with his eyes shut.

The ceremony marked 100 years since the Armistice happened at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Mr Trump was seated between Melania and Germanys chancellor Angela Merkel as Mr Macron also spoke about the dangers of nationalism at the ceremony earlier this week.

The French president said: "Patriotism is the opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is treason, if we think our interest may only come first and we don't care for others, it is treason of our values a betrayal of all moral values, we must remember this.

"It is those values and virtues that motivated those who sacrificed all to defend democracy... It is those values and those virtues that gave them strength because it guided their heart.

"The lessons of the Great War cannot be of vengeance nor forgetting the past. We must think of the future and preserve that which is essential."

The comments appeared to be directly targeting the US leader as he recently declared himself a nationalist.I srael and Palestine have engaged in what is thought to be their most violent exchange since all-out war in 2014, with rocket fire leaving 12 dead.

Out of those fatalities, 11 were in Gaza while one was killed in Israel after a rocket hit an apartment,

In this new wave of conflict, beginning on Sunday, some 370 bombs have been launched by Gaza towards Israel.

Around 100 militant targets have been hit in Gaza by Israel, since the violence broke out on Sunday night.

Israel fired warning shots at the Al-Aqsa TV station, run by the ruling Hamas group, allowing staff to be evacuated before it was destroyed in an airstrike. / EPA

Many of Gaza's shots towards Israel were intercepted by its anti-missile system Iron Dome.

Palestinian militants fired on Israel on Monday in response to a botched undercover raid, sending four rockets across the border, prompting a heavy response from Tel Aviv.

Amid the devastating scenes officials said at least three people, including two militants, were killed by Israeli fire and nine were wounded, after an Israeli air strike destroyed the ruling Hamas group's Al Aqsa TV station.

The national rescue service said at least 20 people were also wounded, among them a 19-year-old soldier and a 60-year-old woman who were in critical condition.

"Rockets must STOP, restraint must be shown by all!" the UN Middle East envoy's office tweeted.

The ruins of the destroyed TV building / AFP/Getty Images

At one point on Monday militants launched 100 rockets in less than an hour - the most intense barrage since the 50-day war four years ago.

The rockets, which continued into the evening, lit up the skies of Gaza and set off air raid sirens throughout southern Israel.

The military said planes, helicopters and tanks had struck more than 30 militant targets, including military compounds, observation posts and weapons facilities.

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said the army had sent additional infantry troops, rocket defence systems and intelligence units to the Gaza border.

"We continue to strike and retaliate against the military targets belonging to terrorist organisations in Gaza, and as for our intentions we will enhance these efforts as needed," he told reporters.

Smoke rises from the internal security building of Hamas interior ministry after Israeli air strikes in Gaza City today. Quider and six fighters were killed after Israeli air strikes in the east of Khan Younis town southern Gaza Strip a night earlier / EPA

Israel had fired warning shots ahead of the strike, prompting the station to halt programming and replace it with a logo.

Minutes later, the air strike flattened the three-storey building and the station went black.

Workers had evacuated the building after the warning shots, and there were no immediate reports of casualties.

An man watches as a building in the southern Israeli town of Sderot is set ablaze by rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. / AFP/Getty Images

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum condemned the bombing as "a barbaric, brazen aggression". Ten minutes later, the station resumed broadcasts, airing pre-recorded national songs.

Israel said the station "broadcasts violent propaganda" and provides "operational messaging" to militants.

A second air strike destroyed a five-storey office building that housed Hamas media offices. The strike also followed warning shots and there were no reports of casualties.

Palestinian militants of the al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, paraded at the funeral of seven Palestinians killed during a botched Israeli mission. / AFP/Getty Images

Hamas and the smaller militant group Islamic Jihad said the rocket fire was revenge for Sunday night's Israeli incursion. Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud Shehab said the groups wanted "the occupation and its supporters to know that the lives of our sons come with a price".

As Gaza continued to launch artillery, rockets landed in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, setting off a large fire near a shopping centre.

Another rocket landed near a factory, and several homes were hit in southern towns.

The military said a bus travelling near the border was struck by an anti-tank missile, critically wounding a 19-year-old soldier.

An injured Israeli woman was evacuated from her apartment that was set ablaze after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip / AFP/Getty Images

The strike set the bus on fire, sending a large plume of black smoke over the area. Lt Col Conricus said others were injured in the attack, but gave no further details.

The Hamas strikes were prompted when Isaeli forces were discovered on an apparent undercover mission in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza - the first known ground incursion by the IDF since 2014.

Seven Palestinians died in a resulting firefight, including Nour Baraka, a commander in Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades.

Israeli Iron Dome anti-missile systems firing a missile toward missiles fired from the Gaza Strip near the southern city of Sderot, Israel / EPA

An Israeli officer was also killed during Sunday's operation, which the IDF said was to gather intelligence.

According to some reports, some of the soldiers were dressed as women when their vehicle was stopped in Baraka.

The Israeli soldier reportedly shot the militant with a silenced gun before speeding into an olive grove where they were extracted by helicopter. Hamas fighters on the ground were then hit from the air as they pursued the Israeli team.

The strike put an end to an unofficial ceasefire brokered by the UN, and prompted motor and rocket fire from Hamas today.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on a visit to Paris for a First World War commemoration as the fighting broke out, and swiftly returned to Tel Aviv.

Israel had only recently lifted blockades on aid deliveries from Egypt and Qatar being allowed into the 140 square-mile occupied land.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2007, after the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza from the internationally-backed Palestinian Authority. In the most recent more than 2,200 Palestinians were killed, the majority of them civilians, and tens of thousands were left homeless.

Seventy-three people were killed on the Israeli side.D onald Trump has taken aim at Emmanuel Macron, hitting out at him with world war and trade jibes before exclaiming: MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN.

In another Twitter rant, Mr Trump also made further excuses for snubbing a World War I commemorative ceremony over the weekend due to bad weather, saying he suggested driving but the Secret Service said no.

The US president's attack on his French counterpart comes after a speech on Sunday in which Mr Macron rebuked his brand of politics.

Mr Trump referred to Mr Macron's "low approval rating" and unfair trade practices.

"By the way, there is no country more nationalist than France, very proud people and rightfully so," Mr Trump added, ending with "MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!"

Mr Macron had warned that "patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism: nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism in a speech marking Armistice Day in Paris on Sunday.

Donald Trump speaks with Emmanuel Macron prior to their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris over the weekend / AFP/Getty Images

In a further tweet on Tuesday Mr Trump again mentioned his long-standing resentment over US contributions to NATO.

Macron is watched by Trump as he delivers a speech at the Elysee Palace in Paris / AFP/Getty Images

He wrote: Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the US, China and Russia."

But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!

Mr Trump previously tweeted that the US pays billions "protecting other countries, and we get nothing but trade deficits and losses".

"It is time that these very rich countries either pay the United States for its great military protection, or protect themselves," he added.

Trump watches Macron put his hand on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's knee during ceremonies / AP

The US president also referenced his cancelled visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in Belleau, France, on Saturday afternoon, for which he has come under fierce criticism.

He tweeted: "By the way, when the helicopter couldn't fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown.

"Speech next day at American Cemetary [sic] in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!"

The US president returned to the US late on Sunday from ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.M ichelle Obama today said speaking to schoolgirls in inner-city London had made her feel her old self for the first time since becoming first lady of the United States.

Barack Obamas wife explained how she had bonded immediately with the pupils as she saw how they would have to fight the invisibility that comes with being poor, female and of colour.

On a visit to Britain in 2009, she was invited to Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in Islington.

About 200 pupils were gathered in a hall to watch a performance by fellow schoolchildren and hear Mrs Obamas first speech abroad as first lady.

Former first lady Michelle Obama begins her book tour with a stop at the Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago / REUTERS

She had been in the White House for two months and had felt at times overwhelmed by the pace, unworthy of the glamour, anxious about our children, and uncertain of my purpose.

Explaining in her memoir, Becoming, how public life can strip away a persons identity, she adds: But here, finally, speaking to those girls, I felt something completely different and pure  an alignment of my old self with this new role.

In a moving passage, she details how watching pupils perform a Shakespeare scene, a modern dance, and a beautiful rendition of a Whitney Houston song, something inside me began to quake.

I almost felt myself falling backward into my own past, she adds. You had only to look around at the faces in the room to know that despite their strengths these girls would need to work hard to be seen.

Former US first lady Michelle Obama attends a roundtable discussion at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago / AFP/Getty Images

There were girls in hijab, girls for whom English was a second language, girls whose skin made up every shade of brown  Theyd need to fight the invisibility that comes with being poor, female and of colour.

But Mrs Obama, now 54, saw hope in many of the faces at the school which had been ranked as outstanding by Ofsted despite being in a deprived area and having pupils speaking 55 different languages. For me it was a strange, quiet revelation: They were me, as Id once been, she writes. And I was them, as they could be.

She adds: Looking up at the girls, I just began to talk, explaining that though I had come from far away, carrying this strange title of first lady of the United States, I was more like them than they knew. That I too, was from a working-class neighbourhood, raised by a family of modest means and loving spirit, that Id realised early on that school was where I could start defining myself  that an education was a thing worth working for, that it would help spring them forward in the world.

Two years later, she asked children from the school to meet her in Oxford and invited a dozen of them to the White House in 2012.N early 700,000 people have signed a petition for a banned Iceland Christmas advert highlighting the issues of farming palm oil to be allowed on TV.

The frozen food retailers short film, named Rang-Tan, tells the story of rainforest destruction and the impact it has on orangutans.

It was not cleared by a watchdog due to concerns it was not compliant with regulation on political advertising.

Since that news, Iceland shared it on social media and it has spread widely with more than three million YouTube views.

The ad has been seen millions of times online / PA

Comedians Bill Bailey and Stephen Fry are among those to have shared it.

The aforementioned petition, set up by father-of-three Mark Topps, has called for it to be allowed on to TV screens and has 680,076 backers at time of writing.

In the Change.org page, he wrote: Palm oil is a product that can be found in everything from shampoos and detergents to sandwiches and biscuits. Its one of the most environmentally-damaging industries, and each day 25 orangutans are killed.

As a father of three who thinks this ad would help educate people about how their products are killing orangutans and their homes, I feel banning this advert is an injustice.

The girl in the advert vows to help the orangutan by sharing its story / PA

The advert itself, voiced by Emma Thompson and originally produced by Greenpeace, shows a girl with a naughty orangutan in her bedroom, who does not know what to do about the primate.

The animal then explains it is because she has humans in her forest, destroying trees for your food and your shampoo.

After this, the girl swears on the stars to spread the story  with the advert cutting to black and Icelands declaration to remove palm oil from its own brand products by the end of 2018.

It also states it is dedicated to the 25 orangutans we lose every day."

Iceland said the ad may have proven a brave step too far as the advert was banned by advertising regulators".

Watchdog Clearcast has said it does not ban adverts, but it had been unable to confirm that the clip complied with the political rules of the BCAP (Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice) code.A uthorities have opened an investigation into multiple reports of UFOs flying at twice the speed of sound off the coast of Ireland.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is looking into reports made by commercial pilots claiming they saw "bright lights" and a superfast unidentified aircraft.

A series of sightings emerged on social media claiming to have seen mystery objects in the sky "moving so fast" they couldn't have been civil jets.

But mystery still surrounds the sightings as pilots queered whether they could be space debris falling toward the earth, as the objects darted in unusual flight patterns.

Trevor Buckley posted on Twitter that there were strange reports emerging over the radio.

"Very interesting report on Shannon high level," he said. "Multiple aircraft with reported sightings of a UFO over County Kerry."

An IAA spokesman told the Standard: "Following reports from a small number of aircraft on Friday, November 9 of unusual air activity the IAA has filed a report.

"This report will be investigated under the normal confidential occurrence investigation process.

A British Airways pilot contacted Shannon Air Traffic Control early on Friday November 9, the BBC reported, asking if there were any military exercises in the area because there was something "moving so fast".

The air traffic controller said there were no such exercises.

File Photo: A composite image shoes Perseid meteors fly over the Rocky Mountains in the USA, August 13, 2018. / AFP/Getty/StanHonda

The pilot, flying from the Canadian city of Montreal to Heathrow, said there was a "very bright light" and the object had come up along the left side of the aircraft before it "rapidly veered to the north".

A second pilot, flying a Virgin plane, joined in the comments and suggested it might be a meteor, and there were "multiple objects following the same sort of trajectory" and that they were very bright, he said.

The pilot said he saw "two bright lights" over to the right which climbed away at speed.

File Photo: A mock UFO set up with alien dolls reads "Smile, you are being abducted", at Alto Paraiso in Brazil. Airline pilots have made multiple reports of seeing bright, supersonic objects dart across the sky. / AFP/Getty Images

One pilot said the speed was "astronomical, it was like Mach 2".

Mach 2 means twice the speed of sound, and is not uncommon for fighter jets. The fastest aeroplane in history was the North American X-15, which could reach Mach 6.7, but it was retired in the 1960s.

NASA worked on an experimental unmanned X-43 hypersonic jet, which set air speed records of close to Mach 10. Three were built and all were destroyed in testing.

Users on Twitter joked that this was the first sign of infrastructure appearing on the Irish Border due to Brexit.

Others claimed even ET was worried about the impact of the EU Referendum on the Irish border situation.

Robert Massey of the British Astronomical Society told the Standard: "A fast moving object that disappears quickly is highly likely to be a meteor.L iam Hemsworth has shared a "heart-breaking" image of the remains of the house he shares with fiancee Miley Cyrus in the aftermath of the Malibu wildfires.

The 28-year-old Australian actor took to social media to share the image of the couples scorched house, with a sign spelling out love amid the loose rubble, after it was torched in the Woolsey fires.

He captioned the post: Its been a heart-breaking few days. This is whats left of my house. Love.

Many people in Malibu and surrounding areas in California have lost their homes also and my heart goes out to everyone who was affected by these fires.

I spent the day in Malibu yesterday and it was amazing to see the community pulling together to help each other out in any way they can.

Hemsworth went on to thank the community and local hero firefighters for their help, encouraging everyone to stay strong.

The image comes after Caitlyn Jenner gave fans an update on her Malibu home after being forced to evacuate as wildfire raged in California.

Stable: The power couple defied split rumours earlier this year / Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

But the couple have since revealed that they are back in their unscathed property, telling fans they consider themselves very, very lucky.

Jenner gave a startling glimpse of the scorched Malibu hills as she assured fans the pair and their dogs Baxter and Bertha are safe and sound.

California wildfires: At least 42 killed in deadliest blaze

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were also amongst people caught up in the wildfires.

According to reports, the couple hired a private team of firefighters to battle flames surrounding their luxury home.

They are being praised by their neighbours in the Hidden Hills for hiring the team, who dug trenches to stop the fires engulfing the house, celebrity news website TMZ said.G wyneth Paltrow has been blasted by Marvel fans after she appeared to shoe-horn a tribute to legendary comic-book writer Stan Lee in an Instagram advert.

The American actress, who has starred in a number of Marvel firms including the Iron Man franchise and Avengers series, sparked outraged over what appeared to be a lacklustre tribute to the prolific writer.

In a post prior to the news of Lees death, Paltrow appeared to share an image of herself hugging Avengers co-star Chris Pratt, wearing a spangled midi-dress which was on sale on her Goop shop.

The 46-year-old captioned the snap: For my pal who asked, this @retrofete dress now for sale in the @goopshop. Thanks for the hug @prattprattpratt.

On learning Lee had died, the post was updated with: UPDATE: I just heard about Stan Lee, he will be so missed.

One sarcastic user wrote: A lovely tribute.

On learning Lee had died, the post was updated with: UPDATE: I just heard about Stan Lee, he will be so missed.

One sarcastic user wrote: A lovely tribute.

Another commented: Did Gwyneth Paltrow just f****** talk about Stan Lees death under an advertisement of a DRESS? Just wtf... Oh wait, just checked her IG again...she deleted it.

Not a single word about Stan tho. The man that she pretty much owes most of her wealth to. And much more. Huh (sic).

Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee dies aged 95

A third added: Gwyneth Gooping for Stan Lees afterthought.

The post has since been deleted.

Lees daughter confirmed he had died in hospital on Monday, at the age of 95.

In a statement she said: He felt an obligation to his fans to keep creating.

Hero: Lee died aged 95 on Monday / Getty Images

He loved his life and he loved what he did for a living. His family loved him and his fans loved him. He was irreplaceable.

She did not mention Lee's cause of death but the TMZ celebrity news website said an ambulance was called to his Hollywood Hills home early on Monday and that he died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre.

Avengers and Captain America actor Chris Evans said he was one of a kind as he posted Lee's catchphrase, "Excelsior!" while Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman said he was "a pioneering force in the superhero universe," adding he was "proud to have been a small part of his legacy".

Meanwhile, Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr said he "owed it all" to Lee.9. Love Lockdown

808s & Heartbreaks marked a pretty dramatic departure for Kanye, with the rapper stripping things back and dialing up the auto-tune for the 2008 album. The deeply personal and introspective work was influenced by the death of his mother and the end of the rappers long-term relationship with fiance Alexis Phifer. Heartbreaks remains his most candid record to date and Love Lockdown is a clear highlight. The track showcases his talent for songcraft and highlights a tender side to the performer. While the album is arguably one of the most unsung of Kanyes career, the production values would come to inform the new wave of commercial hip hop that followed too.

AFP/Getty ImagesAnd, if thats not enough, scattered among the hundreds of Disney-centric items are photos marking his four years in the Navy, where after he was injured on a Swift boat in Vietnam following a Napalm bombing of a village on the Saigon River, he says he came home and joined the National Guard  which ended up getting him his first job at Disney.Countries & Areas

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"To our country, Azerbaijan is a valuable strategic partner, as Romania is the first EU state that has recognised this country's independence. This year, Romania and Azerbaijan celebrate their centennials, an important symbolic benchmark, 100 years in which both states handled bravely the challenges and became pluralist, tolerant societies. The development of the economic dimension of the Strategic Partnership with Azerbaijan is a major interest for both states. Moreover, during the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, and not only, Romania will plead for a strengthening of the ties between the European Union and Azerbaijan," the Deputy PM Ana Birchall said at the meeting with the Azerbaijani dignitary.

The Romanian official largely tackled the outlooks of the collaboration within the projects with regional impact in energy and transports.The sides also addressed the importance of developing connectivity between Romania and the Republic of Azerbaijan, through opening a Bucharest-Baku direct flight and capitalising on the cooperation opportunities between the ports of Constanta and Baku, included.Deputy PM Ana Birchall thanked Ambassador Farid Abdinbayov for advocating the Romanian-Azerbaijani relations, as well as for his entire diplomatic activity in Bucharest.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13)  The economic managers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states have united to come up with an agreement regulating online trade.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said, in a press conference in Singapore, ASEAN economic managers signed the ASEAN Agreement on Electronic Commerce.

"Yesterday we signed the e-commerce agreement. The 10 member countries agreement on e-commerce is basically to encourage and institute rules that govern e-commerce," Lopez said.

Singapore is the current host of the ASEAN Summit, attended by leaders of member nations. President Rodrigo Duterte and his economic managers are attending for the Philippines.

"So ibig sabhin among ASEAN countries magtutulungan po tayo dyan sa mga bagay-bagay to govern e-commerce, to facilitate cross-border e-commerce, yung paperless trading, yung mga electronic authentication, electronic signature acceptance, etc.," Lopez added.

[Translation: This means that ASEAN countries will help each other to govern e-commerce, facilitate cross-border e-commerce, paperless trading, electronic authentication, electronic signature acceptance, etc.]

He said with the growing popularity of online shopping as technology becomes more advanced, the agreement also facilitates cooperation in the fields of information and communications technology, online consumer protection, legal and regulatory e-commerce frameworks, electronic payments and cybersecurity.

Another product of the meeting among ASEAN economic managers is the looming conclusion to the final version of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement.

"The overall summary on where we are right now, the RCEP discussion experienced a significant progress this year, reaching final stage of negotiation," Lopez said.

The RCEP is a free trade agreement between ASEAN member states, and the nearby states of China, Japan, India, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia.

"Everybody can expect its conclusion next year. That's the target date for the conclusion of the RCEP," the trade secretary said.

The 33rd ASEAN Summit, hosted by Singapore, will conclude on November 15.Romania's future must be in the EU, but not anyhow, Romania should not just be there like a "snowdrop," but it should be a Romania that has dignity and is respected, treated equally by the other Member States, regardless of the political colour of those who are temporarily at the helm of the European institutions," believes Deputy Doina Pana, the Deputy Chair of PSD (Social Democratic Party), in the context in which the European Commission is about to present the new CVM (Cooperation and Verification Mechanism) report on Romania and Bulgaria.

"Some sources were saying that the CVM report will be hostile to Romania. A tool that has been used for a long time in an unfair and abusive manner against Romania! I remind you that the most serious judicial abuses, with the brutal intervention of the intelligence services in the judicial process, were committed under the CVM umbrella. But this time what happens is absurd! Not only that they do not take into account the arguments and facts presented by the officials, but, and this is already beyond absurd, Romania is also asked to break its own Constitution, independence and sovereignty! On short, nothing is respected anymore, not even the fundamental principles underlying the EU construction: independence, sovereignty, loyal cooperation between the EU institutions and Member States. In what concerns the principle of applying an equal treatment to the Member States, let's not even go there, since the CVM itself have only been in place for Romania and Bulgaria, for more than 10 years," Doina Pana said in a release to AGERPRES.

According to her, the answer that need to be given to the recommendations in the CVM report is that the justice laws are in force, they already had legal effects and they are fully constitutional, for the CCR (Romania's Constitutional Court) verified them all.Moreover, showed Doina Pana, the consultative nature of the CSM (Supreme Council of Magistrates) opinion during the procedures of appointment/removal of the high rank prosecutors was confirmed by the Constitutional Court, while the ordinary contest procedure based on which the CSM appoints the leadership of the Judicial Inspection is suspended by decision of a court in Romania."The modifications brought to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code are currently undergoing parliamentary procedure, following to be reexamined as a result of the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Romania on October 12 and 25, respectively. Parliament has the obligation to bring them in line with the decisions of the Constitutional Court. The Romanian Parliament has the sovereign right of ensuring the compatibility of the Criminal Codes with the EU law, with Romania's international obligations and the opinion of the Venice Commission. In conclusion, the CVM recommendations exceed both the national constitutional framework and the primary law of the EU. If the CVM version presented by some source is true, then Romania needs to categorically reject both the content and the signification of the CVM. The dignity of the Romanian people asks us to tell: it's enough, you've gone too far! With respect to the EP resolution in Romania, it's again political. And the signatories of the resolution disregard conventions, treaties and the values on which the European Union was founded in the first place!," said the PSD Deputy.Enel X Romania, a member of Enel Group's advanced energy services division, plans to set up around 2,500 electric vehicle charging points in all the regions of Romania between 2019 - 2023, on a total investment of 15 to 20 million euro.

"Enel X Romania is committed to offering electric vehicle owners and fleets the opportunity to travel across the country from north to south and east to west, without having to worry about where to find the next charging point. Through this ambitious plan for the development of an extended charging infrastructure over the next five years, we will contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable transport in entire Romania," said Marius Chiriac, head of Enel X Romania, a company that was officially presented on Tuesday.

The first charging points will be installed in 2019 in Bucharest, Timisoara and Constanta. The plan covers all areas of Romania so that the location and installation of the charging infrastructure is adapted to the growing use of electric vehicles in households, institutions and companies, as a result of fleet demand. About 300 charging points will be installed in 2019.Enel X Romania will provide the charging infrastructure installation service to the "Recharge Partners", such as shopping centers, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels that plan to attract electric vehicle users. The installation and maintenance of the charging infrastructure does not entail costs for the Recharging Partners, as they will in return provide parking space. The company offers a similar service to interested municipalities.Access to these public stations will be by app-based payment by credit card. There will be various fees available for car fleets, for individuals who seek a subscription, for those who use the car for longer time, and also for occasional users, said Marius Chiriac.This is a one hundred percent Enel investment.According to data presented by the Enel X manager, there are currently around 1,500 - 1,700 new electric cars in Romania and, according to optimistic estimates, their number will rise to 250,000 in 2050 or, in the pessimistic scenario - to only 80,000.





Chiriac also stated that charging the battery will cost an electric car owner 45 percent of the current monthly cost of gasoline or diesel.The European People's Party (EPP) group of the European Parliament demands clear actions from the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSD, major at rule, ed. n.) to combat corruption and show political will for the proper functioning of the rule of law, following the adoption on Tuesday by the European Parliament of a non-legislative resolution regarding the rule of law in Romania.

"In the context of Romania's taking over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament will guarantee that this presidency does not undermine the European values we tirelessly fight for, such as the observance of the rule of law. Unfortunately, the situation in Romania has continued to deteriorate. That is why we demand clear actions on the ruling Social Democratic Party's behalf, to combat corruption and show political will for the proper functioning of the rule of law," the EPP says.

The European Parliament on Tuesday passed a non-legislative resolution on the rule of law in Romania 473-to-151 votes and 40 abstentions, a text that affirms "the deep concern" of the Euro-deputies towards the judicial and criminal legislation's reform in Romania and "condemns the violent and disproportionate intervention of the police forces during the Bucharest protests" in August 2018.As a reaction to the above-mentioned vote, MEP Roberta Metsola, the EPP's coordinator in the EP's Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, said: '"In the past months, the Romanians took to the streets to make their voice heard. These people only wish to have their European values respected as promised when Romania integrated in the EU. They want a strong gov't that defends the rule of law. Their voice has not been listened to by the Romanian authorities. I want to assure the people in Romania that the European Parliament is seeing them, is hearing their voice and will not fail them."According to the EPP's representative, the changes in the judicial system in Romania in the course of 2018 are the opposite of what the European citizens expect from the legislators they have elected to represent them. "The people expect transparence, justice, rule of law and democracy. This is what they deserve. This is what the EPP group will always fight for," Roberta Metsola stressed.The EPP MEPs have given assurances that they will monitor the situation in Romania and will continue to demand the observance of the European values: integrity, transparence and justice.Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu welcomed on Monday the delegation of the Foreign Policy Committee of Croatia's Parliament, headed by Miro Kovac, underscoring on this occasion the special interest for boosting the bilateral sectorial agenda in areas such as defence and internal affairs.

According to a release sent by the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE), within the talks, Minister Melescanu underscored the very good level of the bilateral relation, with clear prospects for consolidation, especially in terms of economic development and bilateral trade.

The Romanian dignitary pointed out the special interest in boosting the bilateral sectoral agenda in areas such as defence, defence industry and internal affairs. Moreover, the Foreign Affairs Minister highlighted the importance of preserving the cultural identity of the Istro-Romanians residing in Croatia, but also of the Croatian ethnics of Romania, emphasising their role in strengthening the bilateral relations.Also tackled during talks were the priorities of the current European affairs that will mark the work of the Romanian Presidency (2019) and the Croatian Presidency (in 2020) of the Council of the European Union. Both Romania and Croatia expressed their interest in a close coordination, in view of exercising - as a first for both countries - this important mandate.Minister Teodor Melescanu pointed out the importance granted to the Western Balkans region, stressing the need to provide an European outlook to the countries of the region. Moreover, he mentioned that during the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council, Romania will also pay attention to the Eastern Neighborhood, in the context of celebrating 10 years since the launch of the Eastern Partnership, the MAE informs.The Croatian parliamentary delegation is attending, between 12-14 November, a round of meetings with counterparts of the Deputies' Chamber, thus responding to an invitation extended by Deputy and head of the Foreign Policy Committee Biro Rozalia-Ibolya.Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Tuesday called on all the country's political forces and President Klaus Iohannis to refrain from statements that "do harm to Romania," mentioning to the point the statement by Iohannis that Romania is not ready to take over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

"As prime minister of Romania, I can assure you that Romania is ready, that we are on schedule with the schedule for the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and also with organisation and logistics. I believe that such statements can only do harm to Romania. I think that is unprecedented in a member state of the European Union and I am calling on all political forces, including the President of Romania, Mr Iohannis, to refrain from such statements, because Romania needs consensus, Romania needs unity and good Romanians to think first and foremost about their own country and less about their vested interests," Dancila said at the end of a meeting of the National Standing Bureau of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), main at rule.

Asked for her take on the fact that the auction for the accommodation and transport of European officials, who will come to Romania in the first half of next year, was not finalised, Dancila said: "It is close to completion. I do not see why we must necessarily worry about accommodations, as you know very well we have a great number of events across the country, over 200 events, plus the events in Bucharest. I can assure you that we have these things (...) There are very few things still to do in respect to the materials, it has taken longer because we had to follow all the legal procedures. It is nobody's fault that the issue with the materials has not been solved; it was because we had to follow all the legal procedures, but we are on schedule."On Monday, President Klaus Iohannis said Romania is not ready to take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union.Iohannis said that "the government no longer knows who is in charge with the different sectors; the people who have to deal with European matters are leaving or are dismissed, and this is how we find ourselves totally unprepared in the 11th hour. These things are very serious," said Iohannis.Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Tuesday stated that she proposed people with experience for the offices of Minister of National Education and European Affairs, who can bring added value - Ecaterina Andronescu and secretary of state with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs George Ciamba.

"Considering that there are 45 days since we have an interim Minister of National Education, we came today with the proposal to appoint Mrs Ecaterina Andronescu. For the Ministry of European Affairs we proposed George Ciamba as Minister-delegate. We came with these proposals for I strongly believe we need experienced people, with expertise, for these are two important portfolios and we need to consider people who can bring added value. (...) Romania is on schedule with the preparations for taking over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and I believe that any statement that can throw a shadow of a doubt on this can only do harm to Romania. We are almost there, we are on schedule," stated the PM, at the end of the meeting of the National Standing Bureau (BPN) of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

Asked if he re-assessed Ecaterina Andronescu's case, the PSD leader, Liviu Dragnea, said he accepted the proposals made by Prime Minister Viorica Dancila. "I don't make re-assessments. It was Mrs PM who came with the two proposals, which were voted in the BPN sitting," said Dragnea.President Klaus Iohannis sent a message on Monday to the Gala of the Association of Romania's Municipalities, underlining that Romania needs an efficient public administration, mentioning the problems faced by municipal mayors, financial impediments and lack of decentralisation.

"Romania needs an efficient public administration, and in order to achieve that it is necessary for well-trained people to understand the responsibility they face towards the citizens and the obligations deriving from their mandate, as well as an honest, constructive dialogue. I know that you do not have a simple mission at all, because you have to face major difficulties which, instead of diminishing, seem to multiply with each passing year. In addition to the current issues managed this year, you have also faced financial impediments caused by fiscal and budgetary changes that stymied investment projects. In 2017, I was talking about the fact that decentralisation is a priority project that was stagnating. Today, we notice that things have not changed a lot, and the results are far from being great," Iohannis said in his message delivered by presidential advisor Andrei Muraru.

The president notes the constant concern of local administrations with various challenges facing local communities in Romania."Education, healthcare and mass transit are key areas for which investment must be prioritised and need your continued support. Municipal development cannot take place without respect for the principle of sustainable development and the fact that today achievements in the digital sector, urban regeneration of public spaces, energy, or efficient waste management are being rewarded today demonstrates that this principle is well implemented at local level," says Iohannis.The head of state mentions that in the area of participatory local governance one can speak of excellence, hailing the progress in this area."I want to congratulate those who understand that it is essential to ensure decisional transparency and to increase citizens' participation in the decision-making process. Only a partnership based on trust between the citizen and the administrations can ensure the good functioning of the local communities. Equally important is your relationship with business. Economic agents are the engine in many of the communities you administer, and I am therefore encouraging you to have an open approach and support the development of entrepreneurship," says Iohannis.He reminded that on January 1, 2019 Romania will take over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, pointing out that sustainable development and bridging development gaps will be among the priorities."I want all decision-makers to make an effective contribution to achieving this goal of ironing out inequalities between regions," says Iohannis.Iohannis congratulated the mayors of the Romanian municipalities on their contribution to the development of local communities through the implemented projects. "Because of the involvement and work you have done, the quality of life of over ten million Romanians has improved and the place they live in has become more beautiful and cleaner," Iohannis says in his message.The Romanian Police will upgrade 37 of their precincts and increase their organisational capacity in emergency management under a project called "Improving Resilience and Response to Emergencies," according to a press statement released by the Romanian General Police Inspectorate (IGPR).

The Romanian Police will implement this project in 2019-2025, with financial support from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The 37 precincts belong to the General Police Inspectorate, the General Police Department of Bucharest Municipality and county police inspectorates.The project is also designed to enhance organisational capacity building in the area of emergency management.In order to ensure transparency and to inform the stakeholders, the document that highlights the environmental and social risks and the way of their management during the implementation of the project has been put up for public consultation. The document is available on the website of the Romanian Police.My sons kindergarten teacher works three jobs to be able to live in Geneva, and she is amazing, said Kim Edwards, a parent of two children in the district. Just think how amazing she would truly be if she only had to work two jobs to live here. I urge (the district) to please, please make the right choice.If the focus of this article was slightly shifted, the above title could very well read, The Montenegrinization of Ukraine. For we are essentially talking about analogous processes: the artificial, hostile, (geo)politically driven, outside-induced denationalization (the stripping away or systematic dilution of ethnic identity, status, characteristics, historical, spiritual or cultural attachments, etc.) of a targeted states peripheral area(s)/frontier, or of a population in a neighboring state that nationally/ethnically identifies or is closely nationally/ethnically tied with the targeted states dominant, state-defining nationality/ethnicity. The ultimate goal of the project is the creation of not just a new national/ethnic identity, but one hostile to the original.

While the immediately targeted states in this case are Montenegro and Ukraine, i.e., especially the parts of their populations that identify themselves as Serbs and Russians, respectively, the ultimate targets in question are Serbia and Russia. These two ethnically and religiously closely related states and majority peoples are being targeted for a single essential reason: their resistance to further NATO-led expansion of Western-based globalist/corporate/ interests  the main difference being that Russias reach and, thus, resistance potential is global, while Serbias is regional (although the symbolic significance of its existence as the last non-NATO outpost in Southeast Europe potentially reaches far beyond regional boundaries).

Thus, just as, following the Euromaidan coup of 2014, the Western-installed regime in Kiev has engaged in a deliberate policy of de-Russification and language genocide, so has the Montenegrin regime, ever since its Western-supported exit from its state union with Serbia in 2006, on the basis of a controversial referendum that eliminated up to a third of potential voters that might have opposed secession (Montenegrin citizens residing and registered to vote in Serbia at the time)  engaged in a deliberate policy of de-Serbization, in order to eliminate the influence of neighboring Serbia and, by extension, Russia, and facilitate Montenegros Euro-Atlantic integration and evolution into a wholly new, ahistorical identity.

After declaring the local dialect of Serbian as the new Montenegrin language in its first-post independence constitution in 2007, the tiny new countrys pro-Western rulers have gradually marginalized the Serbian language and its declared speakers (although they still form a majority in Montenegro), changing school curricula in the process, often amidst fierce opposition on the part of both parents and pupils, eliminating the Cyrillic script from official and public use, and drastically reducing school childrens exposure to the countrys most famous poet, Petar II Petrovich Njegosh, a 19th century Prince-Bishop of Montenegro, universally considered to be the greatest Serbian poet of all time.

Whats more, this process has been palpably accelerated and radicalized since Montenegro joined NATOs community of values, committed to the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law, in June 2017:

 The trial for an alleged Russian and Serbian-backed October 2016 coup has basically turned into a farce, failing to produce results even after two years of actively searching for irrefutable evidence, in the words of a recent Russian Foreign Ministry statement. (However, the coup served its purpose, as it allowed the regime to whip up anti-Russian hysteria and push the country into NATO half a year later without a referendum, despite protests and massive opposition.)

 Miras Dedeic, a former defrocked priest and present metropolitan of the canonically unrecognized Montenegrin Orthodox Church  originally registered as an NGO in the Montenegrin Ministry of the Interior in 1997  has recently called for a Ukrainian scenario to resolve the church question, and is urging the government to adopt a controversial law that would nationalize the pre-1918 churches and monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which has been present on the territory of Montenegro for 800 years, and subsequently transfer them to the jurisdiction of his schismatic Church. Dedeic has already paid a visit to fellow defrocked priest and leader of the schismatic Ukrainian Orthodox Church  Kiev Patriarchate, Filaret Denisenko (whom the Patriarch of Constantinople has recently reinstated, as part of his controversial, US-backed drive of creating an autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine) in July 2016, and has received his support.

 As part of the government-led drive against the canonical Orthodox Church, Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic has recently threatened to remove a mountaintop church built by the Montenegrin Metropolitanate, claiming that it was illegally built. The Metropolitanate has repeatedly denied this, having erected the church on the site of an older church destroyed by the Turks in 1571. This threat is part of the regimes broader goal of placing the Serbian Orthodox Church  and other religious communities  under state control, through the above-mentioned draft law.

 The Montenegrin government has recently banned a group of Serbia-based intellectuals  a poet, two historians and a law professor  from entering the country (and, in the case of the latter, from visiting his childhood home and mother) on the pretext that they could pose a danger to national security, and undermine its reputation and dignity. Indicatively, some of those on the list were scheduled to participate at a gathering celebrating the centennial of the unification of Serbia and Montenegro at the end of World War I, while all of them have been outspoken supporters of the two states unity and critics of the artificial Montenegrin identity and language.

In a recent interview for Serbian Sputnik, historian Aleksandar Stamatovic saw the processes in Montenegro and Ukraine as practical twins founded on the Leninist-Bolshevist theory on nations and national identities with the basic goal of breaking up the Eastern Slavic and Orthodox corps, and noted that the seeds were planted in the USSR and communist Yugoslavia, respectively, within which the Ukrainian and Montenegrin identities were nurtured and enforced from above.

What is new is that the said Leninist-Bolshevist processes are now being aggressively supported and, indeed, promoted, by none other than the democratic West. It turns out that, for the geostrategists in Washington, London, Berlin, Paris and Brussels, communism wasnt all that bad, after all, and that it had many quite useful features  from internal, administrative borders that could be easily be recognized as country borders, to newly manufactured national identities and even religions that could be exploited within a broader divide et impera policy. Or, in the immortal words of Chairman Deng Xiaoping: It doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice. As far as NATO and its community of values are concerned, a red one will do just as well, as long as it catches geopolitical mice.During many meetings with senior members of the Syrian opposition in various European cities in 2013-2014, I would remind them that Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United States, amongst others, host and finance the opposition due to their own self-interest and agendas; and not out of love for Syria. I would note that there is no disagreement among us Syrians about the brutality, corruption and exploitation of the Ottoman Empire during its four-century rule of Syria; we dont want history to repeat itself. As for Saudi Arabia, I would remind the opposition of the contributions Syrian professionals made in the development of the Kingdom in past decades. We say to the Saudis Blessed be your Wahhabism for you, but not for Syria; Syria is a cultural and societal mosaic of ethnic, religious and sectarian components. As for the United States, we all agree that Washington supports Israel and views Syria as an adversarial state. However, Israel is a totally different matter. Since its creation, Israel has pursued aggressive and expansionist policy towards its neighbors in pursuit of two primary objectives: I  Great Israel and II  No Arab Unity And Support Arab Division.

I  Great Israel:

Great Israel from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Since the June 1967 War and the occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Israel has been in control of the land between the River and the Sea. Thus, Great Israel exists in reality, though not legally or officially until it annexes the West Bank and declares the Jewish Great Israel with Jerusalem its capital.

II Supporting Arab division:

There are numerous documents and publications to that effect for the Arabs to read. Unfortunately, and according to international surveys, Arabs are amongst the least reading people in the world. This reminds me of the late Moshe Dayan, the Israeli Defense Minister during the June 1967 War. After the war, Dayan published some Israeli military strategies and tactics during the war. His colleagues criticized him for divulging military secrets to the Arabs. His response was not to worry; the Arabs dont read. This problem is further compounded by the Arabs lack of interest in research or translation. Jointly, these three components form critical foundations for the development of societies and civilizations.

In the 1990s, I participated in numerous Track II Diplomacy meetings with Israelis regarding the Syrian-Israeli Peace Process. During one of those meetings, attended by some Egyptians and Palestinians in addition to the Israelis, I gave a presentation in which I noted that the Arab region is divided into four sub-regions: The Fertile Crescent, The Arabian Peninsula, The Nile Valley and North Africa. Unlike the other three sub-regions, the Fertile Crescent faces national security threats being surrounded by three powerful and hostile neighbors: Turkey to the North, Israel to the South and Iran to the East. To deal with this multiple and omnipresent security threats, Syria and Iraq must agree to some form of unity; a joint population of 40+ million people, educated and productive endowed with natural resources including substantial oil reserves, and a large army. I emphasized the point that the purpose of such a unity is not aggressive; but defensive. I had hardly finished my presentation when the late Zeev Schiff, the military editor of the liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz in a loud voice said Do you think we will let you do that?; meaning that any Arab initiative for unity must receive a prior Israeli approval which of course is not forthcoming. Mr. Schiff had previously published an article in Haaretz in 6/2/1982 proposing a plan for a future Iraq, in which he wrote that the best thing to serve Israels interest would be the dissolution of Iraq into a Shiite State, a Sunni State and the separation of the Kurdish part.

There were more comprehensive plans to break up a number of Arab states. In 1982, the Israeli journalist Oded Yinon proposed a more elaborate plan entitled A Strategy for Israel in the Nineteen Eighties, published in the Hebrew Journal Kivunim. The plan called for the dissolution of several Arab states into smaller states. The author starts with Lebanons total dissolution into five provinces He continues Breaking Egypt down territorially into distinct geographical regions Furthermore,  The dissolution of Syria and Iraq later on into ethnically or religiously unique areas such as Lebanon His solution for the Palestinians is through The termination of the lengthy rule of King Hussein and the transfer of power to the Palestinians

After Yinon, the neoconservatives in 1996 submitted a plan for Prime Minister Netanyahus consideration entitled A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm. Israels Western frontier is secured through the peace treaty with Egypt. The frontier with Syria could be secured by weakening, containing and even rolling back Syria. As for Iraq, it starts with removing Saddam Hussein from power

In 2007, General Wesley Clark, in an interview and a lecture, said that while visiting the Pentagon just a few days after 9/11, a General explained to him that a decision has been made to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and finishing off with Iran.

Iraq, the first on the Pentagon war list was invaded in 2003. The Israeli journalist Ari Shavit, in a Haaretz article on April 3, 2003, notes that the belief in war against Iraq was disseminated by a small group of 25 or 30 neoconservatives almost all of them Jewish, almost all of them intellectuals Syria, next on the Pentagon war list, was a ripe fruit ready for picking However, the picking of Syria had to wait until the start of the so-called Arab Spring.

Had Syrians known what was planned for them by Washington and Tel Aviv, they might have avoided the death and destruction in Syria, for patriotism and wisdom call upon the various factions in the State to put aside their differences and confront the external threats.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is not a very bright guy. He is, like his boss, a thin-skinned bully with a narrow view of the world focused on US righteousness. With the sanctions going into place on Iran this week he gave an interview with the BBC which laid bare what happens when you scratch Pompeo just a hair beneath the polished surface.

Pompeo will be happy to see the people of Iran starve to achieve his ends. And those ends are purely in service of not only Israel and Saudi Arabia but the military contractors who back him and direct so much of the policy coming out of D.C.

Pompeo: Yeah, were going to work to do two things: that things that are sanctioned dont happen, and things that are permitted to happen are permissible, and can in fact happen. [Speaking of food and medicine flowing unimpeded]

Well, remember, just so you remember, the leadership has to make a decision that they want their people to eat. They have to make a decision that they want to use their wealth to import medicine, and not use their wealth to fund Qasem Soleimanis travels around the Middle East with  causing death and destruction. Thats the Iranian Governments choice on how to use Iranian wealth. If they choose to squander, if the Iranian leadership chooses to spoil it, if they choose to use it in a way that doesnt benefit the Iranian people, Im very confident the Iranian people will take a response that tries to fix that themselves as well.

Aside from the fact that Pompeo has no idea how commerce works, this is a horrific statement. Were going to destroy your economy and if you dont overthrow your government you will starve.

Way to change hearts and minds, Mike.

This is his Madeleine Albright moment who famously said that 500,000 dead Iraqi children were a price worth paying because the US cut Iraq off from all trade, including basic medical supplies.

This is the legacy of our Secretaries of State. We come, we sanction, we invade, they die.

He was pressed on the fact that food and medicine commerce was not sanctioned under Obama and yet these items were curtailed. And Pompeo is stupid enough to believe that this wont happen again under the watch of Steve Mnuchins treasury department.

Mike Pompeo knows that the sanctions are horrific. But he doesnt care because you cant make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, right?

Spinning the same tale of demonizing a foreign government and exhorting the people to stand up and fight for their freedom is idiotic.

It has never and will never work.

But, as a dyed-in-the-wool neoconservative Utopian fantasist Pompeo speaks in the same tired rhetoric that has served as a cover for naked hatred of people he doesnt respect. Chaos is the goal and the supposedly Christian Pompeo is the opposite of what is needed here. It makes me sad that the only voice of reason in the Trump administration on foreign policy so far was fired, Rex Tillerson.

Tillerson knew that this was not the right path but Trump is too much the deal-maker and not enough of a diplomat to see the value in building relationships versus destroying them, which Tillerson regularly argued for. If he was truly interested in a better world in central Asia, Trump would instruct Pompeo to meet with his counterpart and begin negotiations of something, anything.

But, he wont.

He wants Iranian President Rouhani to come to him. Im going to Insult, threaten, starve, renege, attack and steal from you, but, hey, lets talk.

If Pompeo cared one whit about the incredible people of Iran he wouldnt be gleefully making it more difficult for them to build incredible wealth and change their course organically.

The whole narrative Pompeo spins in the interview could have been written for him by Benjamin Netanyahu or King Salman himself. He paints the Saudis as as the victims in Yemen. Israel the victim in Syria.

The sad truth is that Pompeo is too ignorant to even know the history of events hes supposed to be directing.

No one is ever to blame for anything in this world than whoever the US labels as an enemy.

And that enemy is Iran. But, Iran didnt start the wars in Yemen and Syria, Mike. Thats on your Saudi partners and your forebears at State. A few missiles lobbed near Riyadh? Are you kidding me?

As Secretary of State of the US Pompeo is in charge of those who bomb weddings, shoot unarmed pregnant women, blockade alliance member (Qatar), stone gay people and throw them off buildings as well as dismember dissidents on foreign soil.

And he has the unmitigated gall to throw stones at Iran?

Is there blame to be thrown at Iran in how they have responded to these things? Of course.

Does that mean starving people out is the appropriate response? No.

Pompeo wants to separate the Iranian regime from the people, but he knows damn well that the path to do so thats been chosen will see the burden of it fall disproportionately on the people not the regime.

The truth is that sanctions are a temporary form of leverage that raises costs and creates subversion. Were seeing it all across the world and in far greater numbers than in 2012 under Obama.

And thats the good news. As the world wakes up to the reality that the US cannot be counted on to maintain any sense of stability.

Netanyahu wants Iran and the Iranian people destroyed. Pompeo is too stupid and vane to know what he wants. He does what hes told. As Alistair Crooke pointed out recently, Netanyahu is likely the chief architect of this regime change plan and doesnt care if the Iranian people suffer for they are simply lesser beings than himself.

Pompeos statement is cheap political theatre that is unbecoming of someone charged with being the USs chief diplomat. If Trump had any vestige of principles he would fire him on the spot.

But, the reality is this statement by Pompeo betrays the underlying truth that the people do not matter in the fight for a greater Israel and Saudi Arabia while making the world safe for US control over the Heartland of central Asia.

Governments fight and people lose.

It is an unfortunate truth that is millenia old.

Its getting harder and harder for Pompeo and Trump to defend their positions on Israel and Saudi Arabia as their behavior becomes more erratic and shameful. And if Trump wants to get re-elected in 2020 he better start by figuring out how to extricate himself from the mess hes gotten himself into over Iran.

Firing Mike Pompeo and putting a grown-up in charge of State would be a good start.Theres a first time for everything. On Nov. 9, a Taliban delegation attended a one-day diplomatic conference in Russia to explore potential solutions for a peaceful settlement. It was the first time the Taliban had ever taken part in such a high-level international event that brought together India, Pakistan, Iran, China, and five countries from Central Asia. The US was invited as an observer but did not attend.

Russia hopes "to open a new page in the history of Afghanistan through joint efforts, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He believes that the participation of both Afghan leaders and the Taliban was an important contribution that helped to create a favorable environment for kick-starting direct talks.

The US efforts to involve the Taliban in the negotiations not been successful thus far. Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan and Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has held meetings with the Taliban in Qatar, but to no avail. The US is not happy with the "Moscow format" talks on Afghanistan, especially with the Taliban present, but nothing can be done about it  Moscow is spearheading the Afghan peace process. Russia was the first to get the Afghan delegates and the Taliban into the same room and at the same round table, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov seated between them. As CNN put it on Nov. 9, Taliban Representatives in Moscow Signal Russias Rising Diplomatic Clout.

Kabul was not officially represented at the Moscow conference. Instead, it sent a delegation from Afghanistans High Peace Council (AHPC), a semi-official body that oversees peace efforts but does not represent the government. It did not prevent the members of AHPC from communicating President Ashraf Ghanis offer to launch peace talks without preconditions. In February 2018, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani devised a peace offer for the Taliban that included readiness to both recognize the movement as a political party as well as to engage in unconditional talks with that group.

The Taliban officials refused to hold direct talks with the government in Kabul but they reaffirmed their readiness to discuss Afghanistans future with the United States. They are demanding a US withdrawal from their country and the adoption of a new constitution based on the principles of Islamic religion.

This one-day event was not intended to be a diplomatic breakthrough, but Moscow demonstrated its ability to act as an effective mediator between the Taliban and Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis government  a mission the US has so far failed to accomplish. As a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Russia has become a major contributor to the Shanghai Organizations rising prominence, promoting the credibility of the peace efforts undertaken by the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group. Afghanistan has an observer status in the SCO  a group that can turn the peace process into a multilateral effort. This will weaken US clout in the region but will stop the fighting.

The Moscow conference also demonstrated that Russia has become a potentially vital bridge between the Taliban, the Afghan government, and the US at a time when Washington is seeking to end this war that is sapping its resources and proving a distraction from its other efforts, such as setting up a major anti-Iranian military alliance in the Middle East (Arab NATO). Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai believes Russia can play a decisive role in ending Americas longest war. As the participants of the Moscow format talks agreed, the Russian-brokered consultations will continue. After all, Russia, the Taliban, and the Afghan government all face a common enemy  the Islamic State.Despite shrinking budgets (because of sanctions and lower oil prices) Russia declared major increases next year for programs that deal with declining birth rates and rising death rates. So far in 2018 for every hundred births, there were 120 deaths. Even worse the number of births was down four percent compared to the same period in 2017. Similarly, deaths were up nearly two percent.

Some of the increased population declines can be blamed on sanctions and low oil prices. The sanctions made dollars more expensive (to buy with rubles) and non-sanctioned imports like medicine became much more expensive. So the government imported a lot less medicine and that led to higher death rates, especially among the elderly who could no longer, for example, get a flu vaccine each year. The reduced government income led to the closing of many rural clinics and hospitals, which was particularly bad for Siberia and the Far East where population decline was much higher since the 1990s because during Soviet times the government paid bonuses to those who would live there. After the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991 those bonuses (plus the many rules governing who could live where) disappeared and so did a lot of the population. Since 1991 population declines of 20 percent or more were common in these areas and in some of the more inhospitable areas on the Pacific Coast, over 30 percent. As these areas emptied out a disproportionate number of older people were left behind in parts of the country that had less of everything, including new mothers and anyone able to help care for the elderly.

Another factor, especially since 2014, has been the increased use of cheaper (and often poisonous) homemade vodka. Similarly, the corruption in the processed food industry continues to allow contaminated foods to be sold. Since the sanctions, a lot more Russian professionals, including doctors and nurses, have left the country for better jobs elsewhere. The government has long recognized that the shrinking population means less economic growth and growing problems in keeping the military up to strength.

On the plus side, these population problems made Russia less of a military threat to its neighbors. For centuries Russia (rebranded as the Soviet Union in the early 1920s) was considered a threat to its neighbors by virtue of its larger population. But since the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991 (and half the population broke away to form 14 new nations) the remaining Russian population has been in decline. Twenty years after the Soviet Union collapsed, the Russian population implosion was getting worse. While in the 1990s the population was shrinking at a rate of .1 percent a year, in the first decade of the 21st century that increased to .2 percent a year. This was because the non-Slav Russians are having fewer children, just as the Slavs have been doing (or, rather, not doing) for decades. The Russian population has declined three percent since 1989, from 147 to 142.9 million. The proportion of the population that is ethnic Russian (Slav) has declined from 81.5 percent to 77 percent in that same period. The Russian slide could have been worse had it not been for the fact that millions of ethnic Russians in the 14 new states felt unwelcome with government controlled by the locals, not Russians in far-off Moscow. Often the locals wanted the ethnic locals in their midst gone and Russia made it easy for ethnic Russians to return to the motherland. This prevented the Russian population decline from being closer to ten percent. Until the recent invasion of Ukraine, sanctions and lower oil prices, the Russian birth rate was growing. That has stopped.

The new nations created when the Soviet Union fell apart are having similar problems, especially in the Caucasus (south of Russia, north of Iran). In 2015 Georgia announced the results of its 2014 census. This was the first census since 2002 and the news was worse than expected. The census found the Georgian population was 3.73 million, a 15 percent decline from 2002. Worse, the latest count shows that since Georgia broke away from the Soviet Union in 1991 population has declined 30 percent. Most of this was due to Georgians migrating to other countries for better job opportunities and a better life. Some 70 years of communist rule had turned Georgia into a nice place to visit but, for most Georgians, not a great place to make a living. The Georgian experience was typical of the former Soviet states in the Caucasus. Armenia, which also became independent lost 12 percent of its people since getting free of Russia. These population declines were common throughout the former Soviet Union. Some countries, like Georgia, had no source of eager (or at least desperate) ethnic Georgians wanting to return home or abundant natural resources to pay for a better future. For Georgia most of the traffic was outbound and while the rate of migration has slowed it continues.

Its somewhat different in the east; the five new nations created in what used to be Russian Central Asia and the Russian Far East. Chinese are moving in to fill jobs that Russians left behind. There are also lots of Chinese merchants, bringing in a wide variety of less expensive goods. In Central Asia, the Chinese are arriving in large numbers to build Chinese financed infrastructure projects (roads, railroads and the like). Many of these Chinese stay, if they can, and become permanent residents. But for Russia itself, and Slav majority population, everything is fading away.President Buhari took power in 2015 and a year later proclaimed Boko Haram defeated. Buhari, a former general and reformer did shake things up in the army, which has long been corrupt and ineffective. But two years later two things are certain; Boko Haram was defeated but not destroyed and the same can be said for the corruption and incompetence of too many army officers. Boko Haram is still a problem in the northeast, mainly as bandits that raid for loot so that they can survive. The continued raiding is made possible by poor leadership and morale among the soldiers providing protection for civilians. The raids have gotten worse during 2018.

In mid-2018 the army morale problem became very public when several hundred soldiers demonstrated at the Maiduguri (the Borno State capital) airport. In northeastern Nigeria, Borno State is where Boko Haram was formed in 2002 and became a major Islamic terrorist threat in 2009 followed by eight years of violence that devastated most of Borno State and left nearly 30,000 dead. The airport demonstration was about how many of the soldiers had been stationed in a battle zone (Borno) for several years and away from their home base (and families) down south. Units are supposed to be rotated at least once a year to give the troops some rest and opportunity to train and integrate new recruits. Despite repeated promises that this would be the policy it hasnt been and the troops believe corruption among their officers is the reason. Getting rids of incompetent officers has also been promised but it is an effort that is far from complete. The government, led by a reformist former general, is aware of the problem but the military has a hard time carrying out basic reforms or enforcing policies (like the rotation of troops) they are ordered to carry out. President Buhari has held officers in charge of operations in the north responsible for their failures. As a result, there have been five commanders in the northeast during the last two years, replaced in turn when they failed to make needed changes. The latest new commander took over in the last few days. The military has been notoriously corrupt and inept for decades and change has not come easily or quickly. The corrupt officers are winning. Not only are troops not being rotated but many that are killed are still carried on rosters as alive their commanders are taking the pay for the dead soldiers. Parents who complain that they have not heard from their soldier son for months are not told he is dead but are often told nothing. More families are investigating on their own and discovering their son is dead. The army then dismisses it as an administrative error and ignores the problem.

How Boko Haram Survives

In addition to continued corruption in the army, Boko Haram also has plenty of places to hide on both sides of the borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Then there is the Sambisa forest which still harbors many Boko Haram even though it is regularly patrolled by soldiers, local defense volunteers and surveillance aircraft. This 60,000 square kilometers of hilly, sparsely populated woodland straddles the borders of Borno, Yobe and Adamwa states and until 2016 was largely inaccessible to the security forces and served as a base area for Boko Haram. No longer safe enough for major Boko Haram bases it still shelters hundreds of the Islamic terrorists operating in smaller groups. Boko Haram has adapted to these new conditions and is now able to mass over a hundred gunmen for major attacks or raids (for supplies). Boko Haram takes advantage of poor army morale by carrying out their attacks in such a way that the defending soldiers have an open escape route and many soldiers and officers take advantage of that and flee.

Boko Haram persists in the northeast in large part because one of the two rival factions has adopted more effective tactics. The Barnawi (or Albarnawi) faction follows the current ISIL doctrine of concentrating attacks on security forces and government officials (preferably the corrupt ones). That makes it easier to extort (raise taxes) cash and other goods from the local population. The Barnawi faction has several thousand active gunmen and operates mainly in the far north of Borno state near Lake Chad and the borders of Niger and Chad. The smaller Shekau faction has about half as many armed men and operates further south near the Borno State capital of Maiduguri and the Sambisa Forest.

November 10, 2018: In the northeast (Borno State), Boko Haram raiders in trucks successfully looted a village five kilometers outside the state capital (Maiduguri). One villager was killed but hundreds were able to flee as Boko Haram looted then burned 65 buildings and made off with over 500 farm animals (including 200 cattle).

November 9, 2018: Oil production for October fell for the second month in a row, to 2.09 million BPD (barrels per day). September was 2.16 million BPD. In April-June production was 1.84 million BPD, which was down from two million BPD during the first three months of the year. By the end of 2017 Nigerian oil production had hit 2.03 million BPD and so far 2018 looks like it will average 1.8 million BDP because of long-delayed maintenance and refurbishment of the oil production facilities in the Niger River Delta (where most of the production is). At the end of 2016 Nigerian oil production was rising to levels not seen for years. That has been the trend for most of 2017 because the new government had negotiated a peace deal with the local rebels (who opposed corruption and bad treatment of locals in general). Production rose and is on the way to the goal of 2.5 million BPD by 2020 but achieving that level of production depends on keeping the peace in the Delta. Continued corruption and rampant oil theft make it difficult to increase production and sustain those higher production level goals. The oil theft gangs continue to flourish with the help of corrupt government officials (civil and military.)

November 4, 2018: In the northeast (Borno State), attackers from the Boko Haram Shekau faction attacked the Kumshe army base southeast of the state capital. Boko Haram released a ten minute video of the attack, which appears to have captured some army equipment.

November 3, 2018: In the northeast (Borno State), attackers from the Boko Haram ISIL faction attacked an army base near Lake Chad and killed or captured about thirty soldiers and stole much army equipment.

November 2, 2018: Casualties due to Islamic terrorism and tribal conflict were up about 20 percent in October (to over 600 dead), mainly because of more Boko Haram attacks. Tribal violence in central Nigeria continues to be a major problem and in some months this year accounted for more casualties than the Boko Haram violence.

October 31, 2018: In the northeast (Borno State), about fifty Boko Haram raiders successfully looted several villages and a refugee camp on the outskirts of the state capital (Maiduguri) killing fifteen civilians and causing hundreds of others to flee in the process. Boko Haram got away before soldiers sent to stop them could get there. There were more than 30 soldiers and police guarding some of these places but they fled along with the civilians.

October 29, 2018: In central Nigeria ( the capital Abuja), police killed at least twenty Shia demonstrators and arrested more than 400 over the weekend. The violence began when police tried to halt a Shia procession from marching into the city. The Shia were celebrating a major religious event as well as protesting the continued attacks on Shia. There is a Shia minority in Nigeria which, with Iranian help, tried to organize a militant faction. That did not go well and by 2018 Nigerian police managed to eliminate most armed members of the Shia IMN (Islamic Movement in Nigeria). Yet IMN was visibly involved in organizing this unarmed (although police claimed there were some fire bombs) demonstration. There has not been much violent activity from the Shia since 2016 when the security forces cracked down hard. There are about seven million Shia in Nigeria and since the 1980s a growing number of them have joined IMN, a group founded and quietly supported by IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps). While relations between Shia and Sunni Moslems have generally been good in Nigeria, local Sunni radical groups like Boko Haram practice the anti-Shia attitudes so common in Sunni terror groups like al Qaeda and the Taliban. IMN always proclaimed itself a peaceful group that welcomed all Moslems but over the years it has become all Shia and a lot more militant. Most Shia are not interested in supporting a Shia Boko Haram but given the Iranian influence on some IMN leaders, there may develop another radical and violent IMN faction.

October 27, 2018: In the northeast (Borno State) Boko Haram raiders in ten or more vehicles attacked the army base at Gashigar but were repulsed and fled into the darkness with their casualties. The soldiers lost one dead and one wounded during several hours of shooting.

October 23, 2018: In the northeast (Borno State) Boko Haram raiders attacked a village near the Sambisa Forest and killed two civilians and looted the place.

October 21, 2018: In the northeast (Kaduna State) Christian and Moslem men fought in a marketplace after a labor dispute escalated. Over fifty died before police could intervene and arrest at least 22. Most of the violence in Kaduna and adjacent states in central Nigeria are between Moslems (usually Fulani) and farmers (most of them Christians but Moslem farms are attacked by Fulani as well).

October 20, 2018: In the northeast (Borno State, 17 kilometers from the state capital Maiduguri) at least ten Boko Haram raiders came upon twelve farmers working in their fields. There being nothing to steal Boko Haram killed the farmers using machetes and then moved on.

October 16, 2018: The ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) faction of Boko Haram announced it would not kill its third hostage but would instead enslave the 15 year old school girl. Boko Haram had been demanding that the government free some of their leaders as well as pay a large cash ransom to prevent the murder of two Red Cross employees and the 15 year old female student. The three captives included two Red Cross staff (a nurse and midwife) and a 15 year old female student who is Christian (so her death will not offend many Moslems). The Boko Haram ISIL faction is also known as ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) and has publicized the situation of these three individuals thus putting a lot of pressure on the government to do something by today if they want to prevent another murder. The government does not like being played like this and so far has refused to negotiate. One reason for that is the current factionalism and instability within Boko Haram. In this case, Boko Haram backed down and now there are calls from Christians worldwide to rescue the 15 year old Christian girl from Boko Haram and slavery.Wording that has gotten the most traction and an endorsement from the IASB resolution committee comes from Mercer County School District 404 in western Illinois. It would require staff members to complete a state-approved training course to be eligible to have a gun in school.Bay of Plenty

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View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nzIn a bid to address gender imbalance in the information and communications technology sector, mission-critical technology solutions provider Kordia has established a new Women in Technology Scholarship at the University of Waikato.

The successful applicant will receive an award of $5,000 towards their tuition, and upon graduation are likely to be offered employment with Kordia or its independent cyber security division, Aura Information Security.

For too long the information and communication technology industry has been dominated by men and while the picture is slowly changing, we think it could do with a bit of a boost, says Kordia CEO Scott Bartlett.

By working with the University of Waikato to establish this scholarship, were taking another small step towards encouraging women to get involved, further their studies and ultimately join a challenging, fast moving and rewarding industry.

The Scholarship is established to acknowledge and support up-and-coming female talent and future technology leaders and is part of a wider Kordia Group initiative to increase its number of female employees.

We have some incredible women working at Kordia and Aura  all of which bring a lot to their role and the business as a whole. Our team has been working closely with tertiary providers and other organisations throughout New Zealand to draw attention to the fact we need more females in ICT roles  and we hope other businesses follow suit.

"Scholarships like this play an important role in promoting IT and technical subjects to women considering their study options. We're delighted that Kordia are showing their commitment to diversity in their workplace through this initiative," says Dr Judy Bowen, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at Waikato University.

Historically, women have played key roles in multiple disciplines within the ICT sector; Ada Lovelace, for example, is considered the worlds first programmer and played a crucial role in the conception of the first computer, Charles Babbages Analytical Engine.

However, in more recent times  and particularly when ICT jobs moved away from the perception of clerical work attached to it in the 1970s and 1980s  it has become an overwhelmingly male-dominated field.

Statistics New Zealand confirms that nearly 80 percent of the ICT workforce is male. Figures from the European Union, for example, show that of all ICT specialists, just 16.7 percent are women.

A recent report from consulting company Deloitte, titled Women in Information and Communications Technology, notes that less than 20 percent of the Australian ICT workforce is female, with further reduced gender representation at senior levels.

Data reporting website European Data Journalism asserts that the problem begins in education, its analysis of the number of females in ICT studies in the EU is roughly 20 percent that of males.

The imbalance is undeniable. You can see it in ICT company offices across New Zealand and across the world. But we are working to make a difference.

Applications for the first scholarships are open, with a closing date of 2 December.

The selection criteria include assessment of academic performance with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) aptitude.

Female students studying in their final year of undergraduate degrees offered by the Faculty of Science and Engineering or the Faculty of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Waikato are eligible to apply for the bursary and must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.

Scholarship selection will be made by a Selection Panel comprised of the University of Waikatos Chair of the Scholarships Committee, as well as the Scholarships Committee representatives from the Faculty of Computing and Mathematical Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Engineering, the General Manager of Aura Information Security, and the Executive General Manager People & Culture of Kordia.Changes at the Bongard Centre in Taurangas CBD are expected to bring benefits to students and staff of both Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology and the University of Waikato.

Toi Ohomai has decided that from the beginning of 2019, operations that are currently based at the Bongard Centre will move to Windermere Campus, bringing all their Tauranga-based students together in one place.

The University of Waikato shares Toi Ohomais teaching facilities at Windermere.

The decision allows the University to take up the opportunity to shift to the CBD, using the Bongard Centre to support a smooth transition to the new partnership building being constructed in Durham Street.

Toi Ohomai Executive Director Corporate Services Anthony Robertson says the planned move is a win for Toi Ohomai as well as the University, which will be able to begin the 2019 academic year based in the CBD.

Toi Ohomai is committed to providing an outstanding experience for students across the region and were delighted to be able to bring all our Tauranga students together on one campus.

We have listened to our staff and students who overwhelmingly supported a move to Windermere where they can join the rest of the Tauranga-based Toi Ohomai whanau, and access the excellent facilities we have there.

While our classrooms are moving out of the CBD, were still very much connected to our city-based community. We will continue to support local events and partner with iwi and industry to deliver innovative education for the region.

University of Waikato Senior Deputy-Vice Chancellor Professor Alister Jones has welcomed the announcement.

Were really happy to be working in partnership with Toi Ohomai to ensure the best experience for all our students, and delivery of quality education options for the Bay. Both institutions will benefit from this move.

As members of the Bay of Plenty Tertiary Education Partnership, Toi Ohomai and the University of Waikato work together to ensure the ongoing delivery of quality learning programmes to all students and provide greater study options in the region.

Under the Partnership, pathway programmes  including bridging, certificate, diploma and degree qualifications  are offered between the institutions.Bay of Plenty

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View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nzAir New Zealand is set to increase capacity into and out of Tauranga, with extra flights to operate between the city and both Auckland and Wellington.

The airline will operate an additional 10 one-way services a week between Tauranga and Auckland from April next year.

The additional flights will depart Auckland at 9.15am and return from Tauranga at 10.25am Monday-Friday.

A further 10 one-way services will also operate each week between Wellington and Tauranga from April 2019.

The Sunday-Thursday service will depart Wellington at 5pm and return to the capital from Tauranga at 6.45pm.

Air New Zealand head of regional affairs says Reuben Levermore demand for services into and out of Tauranga continues to strengthen.

Were pleased to be able to boost capacity by adding additional services using our 68-seat ATR aircraft on both our Auckland-Tauranga and Wellington-Tauranga routes to meet this demand. Were also looking forward to opening our new Air New Zealand Regional Lounge at Tauranga Airport next month to cater for travellers out of the city.

Were committed to continuing to support the growth of tourism in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty and this includes working closely with stakeholders in the region  such as the airport, council, Tauranga Chamber of Commerce, economic development agency Priority One and Tourism Bay of Plenty.

Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless has welcomed the news.

The additional flights will provide more choices for locals, business travellers and tourists alike. They also reinforce the decision to renovate and extend the airport building and infrastructure to cater for growing air travel demand well into the future.

The additional services are available at www.airnz.co.nzWe are excited about the partnership we have with North Shore Gas. Their dedication to serving the veteran community is a demonstration of their commitment to helping those in need and giving back to the community, said Mary Lockhart White, executive director of CAPOLC.SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Lysander man accused of beating his wife to death and hiding her body in a storage unit wants to take his case to trial.

Pande "Pete" Trifunovski, 69, was charged in January 2018 with murdering his wife Snezana "Suzie" Trifunovski, 62. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.

Trifunovski was in Onondaga County Judge Stephen Dougherty's courtroom this morning. Dougherty asked if Trifunovski had made a decision on the plea deal of 15 years to life in prison.

Defense lawyer Ken Moynihan spoke with Trifunovski briefly and when asked for a decision, Trifunovski told the judge he wanted to have a trial.

Trifunovski is due back in court on Friday. Dougherty said he will give Trifunovski until then to make a final decision. If Trifunovski turns down the plea deal, Dougherty said the offer will no longer be available.

Trifunovski's trial is scheduled to start on Dec. 10.

The Lysander couple's relationship was dysfunctional and marked by domestic violence, Onondaga County Sheriff Eugene Conway said in January. Deputies and the New York State Police responded to the Trifunovski's Woods Road home 12 times between 2002 and 2015, arresting Pete Trifunovski three times.Tully, N.Y. - A 66-year-old man man badly injured in a Tully apartment fire last week has died.

Larry J. Rowley, who was injured in the fire on Nov. 4, died on Friday, according to his obituary. He served in the Marines and retired from TAG Mechanical, his obituary said.

Rowley suffered second-degree burns on his arms and third-degree burns on his face, New York State police said. He had been in critical condition after the fire at Upstate University Hospital, troopers said.

Troopers initially said the cause of the fire was under investigation but added that it appeared Rowley had been smoking inside the apartment while using an oxygen tank. The fire was reported just after 9 a.m.

State police did not respond to calls today about the man's death.

The Tully Fire Department rushed to Meadows Apartments, 1 Village View Drive and realized a man, later identified as Rowley, was trapped inside his burning apartment. The building, which houses approximately 30 people, had been evacuated.

Firefighters rescued Rowley from his apartment, Tully Fire Chief Steven Shahan said at the time. The fire was contained to the room Rowley was found in, he said.

Rowley is survived by his children, Larry Rowley, Austin Rowley and Sarah McGowan, several brothers and sisters and nine grandchildren, according to his obituary.SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse police Chief Frank Fowler will retire at the end of this month after 29 years on the job.

Fowler's last day is Friday, Nov. 30, Mayor Ben Walsh said today. His replacement, Kenton Buckner, will start Monday, Dec. 3.

Fowler, 56, retires after 29 years of service to the Syracuse Police Department, including nine as chief. He's the second longest-serving chief in recent history. Thomas Sardino was chief under Mayor Lee Alexander from 1970 to 1985.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Fowler settled in Central New York after a stint in the Army that brought him to Fort Drum. He joined the force in 1989 and served with the Army reserves 403rd Civil Affairs Company, including a four-month tour in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War.

Fowler worked in patrol and as an undercover narcotics investigator for the first 11 years of his career. He made sergeant in 2000.

In 2005, Fowler was promoted to deputy chief of community relations. He held that position until Stephanie Miner appointed him chief at the beginning of her first term as mayor in 2010.

After Walsh was elected mayor last year, he announced he would keep Fowler as chief for one year while he conducted a national search for his replacement. Earlier this month, Walsh announced he would hire Buckner, who is currently chief of police in Little Rock, Ark.

Walsh said Buckner will arrive in Syracuse at least a week before Fowler retires for some transition planning.

Fowler made $151,604 as chief last year. Buckner's base pay will be $115,000 (the same as Fowler's). With holiday and command pay, his salary will be $149,000 in his first year.Allegiant, a low-fair airline, will begin nonstop flights from Syracuse to Sarasota, Fla. starting in April 2019, officials have announced.

The flights will travel from Syracuse Hancock International Airport to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport starting April 3. The new year-round flights will operate twice weekly.

The Sarasota-Bradenton airport is 13 miles from Sarasota on Florida's southwestern coast.

Introductory one-way fares will start at $65. Flights must be purchased by Wednesday for travel through August 2019, the airline said in a news release.

"Allegiant continues to be a tremendous partner to the airport and the Central New York community,'' said Christina Callahan, executive director of Syracuse Hancock International Airport. "The addition of new nonstop service to Sarasota / Bradenton, Florida, will provide our customers with a new, low-cost option to the beautiful Florida beaches."

The Las Vegas-based discount airline recently launched twice-weekly nonstop flights from Syracuse to Punta Gorda Airport, 22 miles north of Fort Myers, Fla. These flights begin operating Thursday.

Allegiant also offers service from Syracuse to Sanford, St. Petersburg-Clearwater and Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; and Nashville, Tenn.SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The exposure of private medical information at SUNY Upstate University Hospital is part of a rapidly growing national problem.

So far this year 359 health information breaches at hospitals, health insurers and other organizations have been reported to the federal government.

Breaches involving 176.4 million health records occurred in the US between 2010 and 2017, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Upstate announced Friday an employee inappropriately accessed the medical records of 1,216 patients between Nov. 3, 2016 and Oct. 23, 2017 without having a legitimate reason to do so. The employee no longer works at the hospital. Upstate said it was contacting affected patients.

The hospital reported the breach to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, which investigates violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, a federal law that safeguards medical information.

Upstate could face federal fines ranging from $100 to $50,000 per violation if an investigation shows it was negligent. The Office for Civil Rights also brings criminal charges in some HIPAA cases.

Anthem, the nation's second-biggest health insurer, recently agreed to pay the federal government a record $16 million fine after the personal medical information of 79 million people was exposed in a cyberattack on the insurer's computer system.

Upstate said the former employee, who it did not identify, has not been charged with a crime.

Upstate said it does not believe any patient information was misused by the employee. Social Security numbers, insurance identification numbers, credit card information and other types of information often used by identity thieves were not compromised.

But the breached information included patient names, ages, diagnoses and services received.

Lee Barrett of the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission, an independent nonprofit group, said patient data breaches are on the rise because a medical record is worth $500 to $800 on the black market.

The information in a medical record can be used to submit fraudulent insurance claims, obtain medical devices, get prescription drugs and blackmail people, Barrett said.

Barrett said breaches also are increasing because many organizations don't have the proper procedures, policies and controls in place to protect medical records.

Upstate did not say why the former employee accessed the records.

Barrett said disgruntled employees sometimes do this to get back at their employers.

He said Upstate patients affected by the breach should check their medical records to make sure they are accurate. Barrett also recommended they check their employer's records to make sure they don't include diagnoses they do not want disclosed.

Upstate said affected patients should be alert to suspicious activity that could result from the breach. Patients, for example, could be contacted by someone who has this information and attempts to obtain additional information that could be used for identity theft.

Contact James T. Mulder anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-470-2245A version of this guest editorial appeared first on nj.com and in the Newark Star-Ledger, which also are owned by Advance Local. We share it with you to inform you about an issue that affects the news you consume.



James Madison feared that our democracy cannot survive without the free and independent press -- "chequered as it is with abuses," he said, but essential for "all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression."



That's still the mission statement. That is probably why journalism is the only profession Madison deemed important enough to be granted explicit protection in the U.S. Constitution, and the press is just as crucial today as it was in the 1780s.



What is different is how we access it: Most of us read news in digital form through portals such as Facebook and Google News. Odds are you read your news that way, too. It is heartening that the demand for news remains extremely strong online. Its appeal to advertisers remains very robust.



But only a few companies benefit financially from that digital ad revenue, and they do it without supplying any of the content.



This is an economic imbalance that needs to change, and we hope news consumers -- particularly those who have abandoned newspapers but still value journalism -- agree.



Facebook and Google capture 73 percent of U.S. digital advertising. They do it by exploiting the talent and using the content of professional news operations such as this one.



Facebook does not employ reporters. Google does not send people to state capitals to uncover corruption. Neither dispatches correspondents to conflict zones. Yet those websites make towering piles of money while using the work of another industry that is in a death spiral.



Newspapers, the epicenter of our civic lives, made more than $49 billion in ads in 2006. By 2016, years after its business shifted online, that revenue had cratered to $18.2 billion, according to Pew Research Center estimates.



Where has the ad money gone? Facebook and Google. Facebook users usually read the best journalism right in their news feeds, and even if they click through, the ads they view on the newspaper's site are far less lucrative than those they see on the social network.



So in most cases, the revenue does not fairly flow back to publishers, who now have trouble keeping the lights on.



The only way to break the Facebook/Google duopoly is to allow 2,000 newspapers to take them on in a collective negotiation, but antitrust laws protect these trillion-dollar web behemoths from united actions by publishers.



One solution can come from Congress, where U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., has introduced the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act of 2018, which grants limited exemption from antitrust laws for the news industry, so it can address this economic imbalance.



Newspapers need the leverage to band together to set a fairer price for the news they provide. Nobody wants a war. Newspapers do not want to deny the digital platforms the ability to distribute their content. And Facebook does not want to choose between trustworthy journalism or another tsunami of fake news that cheapens democracy.



The exemption, known as "safe harbor," has been granted in the past. And as Syracuse native Christine Varney, the former assistant attorney general in the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust division, wrote in 2011, the antitrust laws are "flexible and adaptive, and do not stand in the way of procompetitive solutions to the challenges facing the newspaper industry."



These solutions cannot wait. At the time of year when we consume news at a voracious rate, this is an ideal moment to tell your congressman that you care about the future of news. Because our democracy, as Madison predicted, depends on it more than ever.Joshua Matz is a constitutional lawyer and publisher of the Take Care legal blog.

By Joshua Matz | The Washington Post

The Justice Department has implemented a new strategy for defending President Donald Trump's most controversial policies: Declare an urgent threat to the executive branch, bypass ordinary judicial procedure and rush straight to the Supreme Court. Over the past few weeks, it has made this move in cases involving climate change, immigration, the 2020 Census and Trump's ban on military service by transgender people. The department's aggressive tactics rest on a rather overt calculation that the court's right-leaning majority will nearly always side with the administration -- and that five justices will repeatedly bend the rules to kill cases against Trump.



It seems unlikely that a majority of the Supreme Court is enthusiastic about this development. Chief Justice John Roberts is deeply committed to preserving confidence in the court as a branch of government that speaks "for the Constitution," not "one party." That concern also appears in statements by many of his colleagues. As Justice Elena Kagan has observed, "It's an incredibly important thing for the court to guard -- this reputation of being fair, of being impartial, of being neutral, and of not being some extension of the terribly polarized political process and environment that we live in."

By treating the Supreme Court as a willing ally rather than a neutral arbiter, Trump's lawyers are encouraging a dangerously cynical view of an institution whose public legitimacy is its very lifeblood. Worse, by filing a slew of irregular petitions that require immediate action, the department is forcing the court to navigate a political minefield.

Consider a few of the department's most recent filings, which reveal a startling disregard for norms of judicial process.

In mid-October, Solicitor General Noel Francisco asked the Supreme Court to block discovery and trial proceedings in a case challenging the federal government's creation of a "dangerous climate system." He filed this request even though the justices had denied a similar motion just a few months earlier. Moreover, he jumped straight from the district court to the Supreme Court, disregarding an opportunity for review in the Court of Appeals. It was no surprise that the Supreme Court rejected his request, signaling that it would not issue an emergency writ outside the usual hierarchy for appellate review.

Twice in October, Francisco asked the Supreme Court to interfere in litigation over Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' widely criticized decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. First, the solicitor general sought to block nearly all discovery of key facts bearing on Ross' decision -- including depositions of Ross and acting assistant attorney general John Gore. The court denied most of that request, though it halted Ross' deposition.

Seven days later, Francisco returned and asked the Supreme Court to prohibit a trial until the justices could rule on the government's arguments. This would have egregiously distorted the norm that parties must try their cases to final judgment before seeking review in the Court of Appeals and then the Supreme Court. In practice, siding with the government might also have delayed the trial until long after the 2020 Census could be fixed. For good reason, the court denied this petition in its entirety.

Last week, Francisco filed yet another extraordinary petition, this time taking aim at opinions that block Trump's rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Removals program. Three district courts have enjoined Trump's DACA policy, and their rulings are undergoing review. But rather than respect procedures that allow full ventilation of complex issues, Francisco requested an extremely unusual maneuver known as "certiorari before judgment." This was a strange move, given that the Supreme Court denied a nearly identical request in February. In any event, an appellate court has since upheld the injunction against Trump's rescission of DACA; that ruling can now be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Finally, the department filed a letter Wednesday declaring its intent to again seek the extraordinary step of "certiorari before judgment" -- this time, in cases challenging the exclusion of transgender people from the military. (I represent LGBTQ rights groups that submitted an amicus brief in one such case.) The letter included an unsubtle message: Rule quickly or we're going over your heads.

Government lawyers rarely issue veiled threats to courts. But under Trump, the Justice Department has shown little respect to judges who rule against it - or who don't rule for it quickly enough. Trump's lawyers fail to understand that the government is not entitled to play leapfrog whenever it loses in federal court.

If the department's battery of "emergency" petitions were granted, they would immediately overload the Supreme Court docket with politically fraught challenges to Trump administration policies. They would also shatter any semblance of normality and regular order. That would be a terrible outcome for the court -- and for the nation.WASHINGTON -- Anthony Brindisi plans to show up today at the U.S. Capitol to start a two-week orientation for new members of Congress, even though the election for the 22nd Congressional District has not been decided.

Brindisi, a Utica Democrat, and Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, will walk the same halls of Congress this afternoon, knowing that one of them won't be allowed to stick around in January.

Brindisi leads Tenney by 1,293 votes (117,931 to 116,638) with about 14,000 absentee ballots and smaller number of affidavit ballots waiting to be counted over the next two weeks.

Brindisi declared victory as the final ballots were returned election night, but Tenney declined to concede a race she trails by 0.54 of a percentage point, 49.51 to 48.97 percent.

Tenney sees a potential path to victory in the sealed absentee and affidavit ballots that will be opened starting Wednesday. A judge ordered all ballots impounded, at Brindisi's request, on Friday.

Brindisi told syracuse.com he decided to join a group of about 85 new House members at this week's orientation session in Washington so that he can quickly set up a Capitol office if he is declared the winner in the election. New members will be sworn into office on Jan. 3, 2019.

"I want every vote to be counted and that's going to happen over the course of this week," he said Tuesday. "But in the meantime, I want to be prepared to take office Jan. 3 so we can have a smooth transition and we can start responding to constituent issues as soon as we take office."

During orientation sessions this week, Brindisi will be given a "Member-Elect" identification card and be allowed to pose with the other freshman House members for their "class picture" on the Capitol steps.

After a break for Thanksgiving week, the orientation will continue Nov. 27 and end Nov. 30 with the traditional lottery drawing for Capitol Hill office space. New members of Congress typically end up with the smallest offices and least desirable views on Capitol Hill.

Brindisi said he also plans to participate in a weeklong orientation for new members of Congress traditionally held in December at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Mass.

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751At the other stations, they can interact with a citywide map, pointing out challenges and assets across the city, she said. They can also discuss what theyd keep and what theyd toss from the 1987 comprehensive plan and subsequent plans like the 2003 lakefront downtown master plan, the Washington Street corridor plan adopted by the City Council in 2016 and the South Sheridan revitalization plan approved last fall.Boil It, a new restaurant focusing on crawfish, shrimp and other seafood boils, opens today on Old Liverpool Road.

It's the second, Louisiana-style seafood boil restaurant that's opened around Syracuse since late summer. Storming Crab, on Erie Boulevard East, opened in August.

Boil It's owners plan to serve only Louisiana crawfish, flown in fresh, says co-owner Kenny Lui. His brother, Jason Lei, is the restaurant's other owner. Lei has about a decade of experience working in similar restaurants in Louisiana and Alabama.

A seafood boil is a one-pot dish built on a broth cooked with corn, potatoes, sausage and shellfish. The food is served communally, usually drained and spread out directly on the table for everyone to share. The tradition has various versions from the northern East Coast to Lowcountry Carolinas and, of course, Louisiana.

More recently, the seafood boil is a type of restaurant growing in popularity. Claw Daddy's has a couple of New York City locations. Juicy Seafood recently opened in its fourth state, Massachusetts. Cincy Crab has set up on Ohio, Lowcountry in Chicago. Crackin' Crab is spreading through the Southwest.

At Boil It, the flavor options range from classic garlic butter to spicy Cajun. The shellfish options include shrimp, crawfish, various types of crab, lobster, clams or mussels.

The seafood will be at market price; crawfish will be flown in fresh when available, Lui said.

Lui was born in Hong Kong and his brother in China (which is why their names are spelled slightly differently). Lui came to Syracuse about a decade ago to study engineering. He's a mechanical engineer, but with Boil It he hopes to create a place that will appeal to both college students and Syracuse-area families. He said he's been working on the idea for about a year.

"My personal wish is to bring cooler stuff here, into the suburbs" he said. He also hopes that their version of a seafood boil restaurant will spread to other locations.

Other menu items include po' boy sandwiches, fried seafood, catfish, wings and gumbo.

Boil It is at 702 Old Liverpool Road, just south of the village of Liverpool. The owners plan to serve lunch and dinner daily. Lui said he plans to apply for a liquor license; for now, no alcoholic beverages are available.ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York state is kicking in more than $1.5 billion in taxpayer-funded incentives for getting half of Amazon's second headquarters located in a section of Queens.

The Seattle-based company made its long-awaited announcement Tuesday, saying Long Island City and Alexandria, Virginia, will each get 25,000 jobs. The online retailer also said it will open an operations hub in Nashville, creating 5,000 jobs.

Amazon will also receive incentives from New York City but no dollar figure has been attached yet.

New York state's incentives are nearly triple those of Virginia's, while Tennessee's are $102 million.

According to Amazon, the cost per job for New York taxpayers is $48,000, compared to $22,000 for Virginia and $13,000 for Tennessee.

In a statement released by Amazon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo -- who recently joked he'd change his name to "Amazon Cuomo" to seal the deal -- called the agreement "one of the largest, most competitive economic development investments in U.S. history."

* * * * *

From earlier:

Amazon, which has grown too big for its Seattle hometown, said it will split its much-anticipated second headquarters between New York and northern Virginia.

Each will get 25,000 jobs. In addition, the online retailer said it will open an operations hub in Nashville, creating 5,000 jobs.

Its New York location will be in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, while its Virginia offices will be in a part of Arlington that Amazon is calling National Landing, a made-up moniker for an area around Reagan National Airport that encompasses Crystal City and Potomac Yard.

The decision ends intense competition between North American cities to win Amazon and its promise of 50,000 new jobs. Some locations tried to stand out with stunts, but Amazon made clear that it really wanted incentives, like tax breaks and grants. The company received 238 proposals before narrowing the list to 20 in January.

With Long Island City and National Landing, the company is choosing two waterfront communities away from overcrowded business districts, giving Amazon space to grow.

New York, already a financial and media powerhouse, has been trying to attract more tech workers. And northern Virginia has been looking to fill its 1980s-era buildings after thousands of federal employees moved elsewhere.

Amazon is referring to the two new locations as headquarters even though with 25,000 jobs each, they would have fewer workers than its Seattle hometown that houses more than 40,000 employees. Amazon said Seattle will remain as one of Amazon's three headquarters.

The extra space will help the rapidly growing company. Launched in 1995 as an online bookstore, Amazon now produces movies, makes voice-activated Echo devices, runs the Whole Foods grocery chain, offers online services to businesses and designs its own brands of furniture, clothing and diapers.

There were early signs that Amazon had its sights set on New York and northern Virginia. Among its 20 finalists, the company had selected two locations in the New York metro area and three in the D.C. area.

Being near the nation's capital could help Amazon with lobbying efforts as the company, and other fast-growing tech giants, face rising scrutiny from politicians. Plus, CEO and founder Jeff Bezos has a home in Washington D.C., and he personally owns The Washington Post.

Amazon's workforce has ballooned to more than 610,000 worldwide, and that's expected to increase as it builds more warehouses across the country to keep up with online orders. The company recently announced that it would pay all its workers at least $15 an hour, but the employees at its second headquarters will be paid a lot more.WESTTOWN, N.Y. (AP) -- An elephant that was burned by napalm during the Vietnam War has been returned to an upstate New York animal sanctuary after taking a late-night stroll.

State police say they went to the Sanctuary for Animals in Westtown on Sunday night when they got a call about a wandering elephant.

Amanda Brook, whose family owns the sanctuary, tells the Times Herald-Record that the 46-year-old Asian elephant named Fritha has lived at the sanctuary most of her life. She wandered off after a worker forgot to turn on an electric fence that keeps her in her designated space at night.

Her owners and troopers found her nearby and escorted her back home.

The sanctuary also runs Dawn Animal Agency, which provides animals for movies, commercials and talk shows.SINGAPORE - U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said Tuesday that an audio recording of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death inside an Istanbul consulate did not appear to provide any link between the killers and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Bolton, speaking on the sidelines of a regional summit in Singapore, said that while he had not listened to the tape himself, it was the assessment of "those who have listened to it" that Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler is not implicated.

Recordings of the Oct. 2 operation, carried out by a 15-man hit squad inside Istanbul's Saudi consulate, has been shared with Western intelligence officials. The office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that transcripts of the audio have also been shared with the agencies.

Western diplomats and Turkish officials say it would be difficult to carry out such an operation without the approval of Mohammed, the kingdom's de facto ruler. At least one member of the Saudi hit squad had served as his bodyguard.

According to a New York Times report published Monday, citing unnamed American officials, a member of team that lain in wait for Khashoggi can be heard making a phone call after his death, saying, "Tell your boss."

The Trump administration views the powerful crown prince as a vital partner. Saudi Arabia is a major purchaser of American weapons and the linchpin of a regional strategy focused on rolling back Iranian influence.

Bolton described the relationship as "incredibly important" and said Trump did not believe that ongoing probes into the killing would affect arms sales to the kingdom.

Erdogan told reporters Monday that the recording had been played to officials from Saudi Arabia, the United States, France, Canada, Germany and Britain. "Our intelligence organization did not hide anything," he said.

Turkish officials with knowledge of the recording's contents say Khashoggi was strangled upon arrival at the Saudi consulate. They said his death took around seven minutes, and that his body was dismembered shortly afterward. No traces have been found.

"The recordings are really appalling," Erdogan said Monday. "When the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recordings he was so shocked he said: 'This one must have taken heroin. Only someone who takes who heroin would do this.'"Syracuse, N.Y. -- Lake effect snow is expected to ramp up tonight from Lake Ontario and cover much of Central York with several inches of snow just in time for the morning commute Wednesday.

And there's another, larger storm brewing for Thursday night and Friday that could bring a messy mix of snow and ice.

First up, though is tonight's lake effect snow, the worst of which could come at the worst time Wednesday morning.

"The lake snow band is expected to be at peak intensity between roughly 4 and 10 a.m. Wednesday," the National Weather Service said. "This is likely to cause significant disruptions to the morning commute period in the Syracuse metro area."

Snow could fall at 1 inch per hour, the weather service said.

Heavy lake effect snow off Lake Ontario could snarl the morning commute in Central New York. This map shows snow totals through Wednesday afternoon; areas in pink and purple could see up to 10 inches.

A winter storm watch has already been issued for eastern Wayne, northern Cayuga, and western Oswego counties, where 5 to 10 inches of snow could fall in the heaviest lake effect bands. Syracuse would be next in line for that snow, so expect more snow alerts from the weather service later today.

As the coastal storm that brought rain and wet snow to Upstate New York moves off the East Coast today, it will drag cold Canadian air in its wake. That air, as cold as 5 degrees about a mile above the surface, will blow across the warm Great Lakes to produce heavy lake effect snow.

The winds are likely to be from the northwest, which puts the Syracuse area in the lake effect cross hairs. There will be less moisture in the air over Lake Erie, so Western New York is expected to get smaller lake effect snow bands that will drop just a few inches of snow

Snow is likely to wind down early Wednesday afternoon. The break will be short-lived: By Thursday evening, another storm sweeps up the East Coast.

"This storm has the potential to bring a variety of wintry precipitation to central/north central New York and the western Catskills," said Dave Nicosia, warning coordination meteorologist with the weather service in Binghamton. "We could see significant amounts of snow and/or ice or a combination from Thursday afternoon into Friday."

Nicosia said the weather service will issue a fuller report this afternoon on that late-week storm. Stay tuned to our weather page for updates.

Contact Glenn Coin: Email | Twitter | Google + | (315) 470-3251R-Six BHPian



Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Ahmedabad Posts: 568 Thanked: 915 Times

Diwali Ride to Polo Forest, GJ  Exploring 15th century architecture



We both wanted a short ride so that we can be back before afternoon. That way, we are not missing from home on a festive day for a long time. When we started the discussion, we had a couple of options in mind but later decided to head towards Polo forest. It would give us some option to ride through well-laid highways as well as some pleasing country roads.



Destination: Polo Forest, Abhapur, Vijaynagar, Gujarat



Distance: Approximately 160 KMs from Ahmedabad



Route Taken: From Thaltej, Ahmedabad, take the SG Highway and NH147 through Gandhinagar until you reach Chiloda Circle. From Chiloda Circle, take the NH48 to reach Himmatnagar. From Himmatnagar, take the Himatnagar - Idar State Highway (GJ SH 10). From Idar, follow NH76A to reach Polo Forest.



Directions on Google Maps:



Map:





Rides:

R-Six on his RE GT and his Friend on R15





Here is some background about the Polo Forest and the ancient architectures that welcomed us there. Tucked away in the North Western part of India, Polo forest is surrounded by mountains and offer some scenic views of the river Harnav, Harnav dam, and ancient temples from 15th century. It is also said to be an old pilgrimage place for the Jains.



There are two temples within the forest and are now declared as heritage sites and protected by the Govt. of Gujarat. These are said to be destroyed by the Mughals.



Here is a screenshot of the places I visited in Polo Forest.





I'll stop rambling and will let you all enjoy the images I could capture. All the pictures where taken using my mobile camera.



First stop once you reach the Polo Forest is the Sarneshwar Shiv Temple. As I mentioned earlier, this was said to be built in the 15th Century. Though it is a protected place, I noticed that they still conduct Puja in the main settlement here.



Shiv Temple at Sarneshwar



















Continued. A completely random plan to ride was cooked up over a casual chat in office. One of my colleague and a fellow rider was up for it as soon as I floated the idea over a cup of coffee. And with nothing much on the cards for Diwali, we thought why not start the long holiday weekend with a short ride before we get busy with rest of the world celebrating Diwali and New Year!We both wanted a short ride so that we can be back before afternoon. That way, we are not missing from home on a festive day for a long time. When we started the discussion, we had a couple of options in mind but later decided to head towards Polo forest. It would give us some option to ride through well-laid highways as well as some pleasing country roads.Destination: Polo Forest, Abhapur, Vijaynagar, GujaratDistance: Approximately 160 KMs from AhmedabadRoute Taken: From Thaltej, Ahmedabad, take the SG Highway and NH147 through Gandhinagar until you reach Chiloda Circle. From Chiloda Circle, take the NH48 to reach Himmatnagar. From Himmatnagar, take the Himatnagar - Idar State Highway (GJ SH 10). From Idar, follow NH76A to reach Polo Forest.Directions on Google Maps: Link R-Six on his RE GT and his Friend on R15Here is some background about the Polo Forest and the ancient architectures that welcomed us there. Tucked away in the North Western part of India, Polo forest is surrounded by mountains and offer some scenic views of the river Harnav, Harnav dam, and ancient temples from 15th century. It is also said to be an old pilgrimage place for the Jains.There are two temples within the forest and are now declared as heritage sites and protected by the Govt. of Gujarat. These are said to be destroyed by the Mughals.Here is a screenshot of the places I visited in Polo Forest.I'll stop rambling and will let you all enjoy the images I could capture. All the pictures where taken using my mobile camera.First stop once you reach the Polo Forest is the Sarneshwar Shiv Temple. As I mentioned earlier, this was said to be built in the 15th Century. Though it is a protected place, I noticed that they still conduct Puja in the main settlement here.Continued. Last edited by R-Six : 12th November 2018 at 12:17 .In brief: After being the standard in Europe for around a decade, chip-enabled credit cards finally came to the US in 2015. They were supposed to help prevent the fraud problem that had reached huge levels, but a new report shows thats been far from the case.

Research firm Gemini Advisory revealed that three years after chip-enabled cards were rolled out in the US, they have done little to combat fraud. Out of the 60 million cases of credit card theft in the last 12 months, 93 percent were equipped with the new chips.

The majority of these compromised cards75 percentwere stolen at the point-of-sale devices, while only 25 percent came from online breaches.

The EMV standard, which is named after the Europay, Mastercard, and Visa companies that created it, was designed to reduce fraud by creating an encrypted handshake between the card and the merchants POS terminal. It is meant to replace traditional magnetic-strip cards, which contain data that criminals can easily intercept.

Gemini says the biggest problem is that merchants are failing to properly configure their POS systems, thereby allowing criminals to install data-stealing malware or skimmer devices. The information is then sold on the dark web in large bundles to other criminals, who embed it onto the magnetic strips of plastic cards. Because the fallback mechanism for a malfunctioning chip in the US is swiping, these fake credit cards can be used to make purchases.

The report explains that larger merchants are starting to increase security around their POS networks, forcing criminals to focus on medium and small companies. But the US continues to have the worst credit card security in the world.Something to look forward to: During the opening keynote of its 2018 developer conference last week, Samsung unveiled its long-rumored Infinity Flex Display. Now, a new report claims to reveal the name, release date, and price of the upcoming flexible smartphone, and, as predicted, its going to cost a lot.

Back in June, Kim Jang-yeol, head of research at brokerage firm Golden Bridge Investment, said Samsungs bendy handset would cost just over $1800. A new report from the Yonhap News Agency in South Korea says it will be slightly under that figure at $1770, though the company hasnt settled on a price.

Speaking to the Korea Times, Park Hyung-woo, an analyst at Shinhan Financial, said Samsung Electronics' handset division will start receiving parts from suppliers this month, and the company hopes to launch the phone sometime early next year. Samsung chief DJ Koh has already said it plans to ship a million foldable devices in 2019.

Yonhap News has reported a more specific launch window. It says the bendable phone will arrive in March, a month after the Galaxy S10 is unveiledprobably at Barcelonas Mobile World Congress. Interestingly, the publications industry sources say the S10 will be 5G enabled, though Koh did say it wouldnt be Samsung's first 5G phone.

Finally, theres the name. While its long been referred to as the Galaxy X, insiders say the flexible phone will be named the Galaxy F, and, despite the high price, it wont support 5G.

Samsung disguised elements of the screens design at last weeks conference, but we did see the prototype unfold from what looks like a regular smartphone into a 7.3-inch tablet. Koh says that if it proves successful, Samsung will release a new versions of the Galaxy F (or X) every year, much like it does with the Note and S series.A hot potato: Would you allow your employer to implant a microchip under your skin? Its a scenario that could soon be faced by hundreds of thousands of UK workers after two firms said they were in talks with British companies about using the technology.

UK-based BioTeq told The Guardian that it had already fitted 150 implants in the country. While most were for individuals, some financial and engineering firms have had the chips implanted in their staff as a way of improving security.

Implanted in the skin between the thumb and forefinger, the chips use RFID and NFC, letting them perform tasks such as opening certain doors and starting cars. They can also be used to store medical data, which could be accessed if the person was involved in an accident.

Swedish firm Biohax is also involved in the microchipping business. The Daily Telegraph reports that it was in talks with a number of UK legal and financial firms who want to offer the implants to employees. One of these is said to be a major financial services with hundreds of thousands of staff.

These companies have sensitive documents they are dealing with, said Biohax founder and former professional bodypiercer Jowan Osterlund. [The chips] would allow them to set restrictions for whoever.

Biohaxs chips cost 150 (around $193) each and are about the size of a grain of rice. Osterlund says that big companies with over 200,000 employees could offer them to workers as an alternative to carrying around an ID pass, claiming they will save firms money.

The Guardian notes that Britains biggest employer organization and main trade union body have spoken out against the microchips. Not only do they say companies have more immediate priorities, but theres also a concern that such technology could eventually be used to monitor staff and keep a constant eye on their whereabouts. There's also the fear that some workers might feel pressured into getting chipped.

Last year, Wisconsin-based Three Square Market became the first company in the US to microchip employees. The chips allow staff to make contactless, cashless payments at special vending machines on site.

Working with Swedish rail firm Statens Jarnvagar, Biohax lets passengers use implanted chips instead of tickets on the Scandinavian countrys trains. An Australian biohacker carried out a DIY version of the implanting procedure last year, but transit authorities canceled his chip, which was cut out of a travel card.A hot potato: After all these years, Twitter might finally succumb to the desires of its user base and implement an edit feature allowing the contents of tweets to be changed after they are initially posted.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey revealed that the company has been discussing how an edit feature could affect the platform. At a town hall event at IIT Delhi, Dorsey made a brief statement discussing how editing tweets could work.

One of the reasons why Twitter has not yet introduced an edit button is for preservation of content. Forum administrators often lock threads to prevent users from deleting or removing all valuable content from posts. As a public forum comprised of short posts, Twitter is no different. Removed content can lead to broken links and lower rankings from search engines due to issues crawling a site.

Dorsey finally seems to be alright with having an edit feature, but will not be favoring a solution that allows editing of old tweets. Instead, it is likely that tweets will only have a short window under which they can be modified. "We have to make sure that we are actually solving the predominant reason why people do it first and not make something that takes away from the public record, because I think it is really critical that we preserve it."

Editing to fix a typo or link could prevent having to delete a tweet and repost it. For regular users this is not a big deal, but celebrity status individuals that have millions of followers routinely are caught doing this by their fans. YouTuber MKBHD is just one notable personality that has been calling for an edit option for quite some time.

Even though it is not likely for older tweets to be edited at all, there are some other possible options that could be taken. For example, a change log of all edits could be made available so that anyone could verify the original contents of a tweet. This could help prevent abuse of such a feature.In brief: With Nvidias recent RTX series continuing to make headlines, were still waiting to see how AMD will respond to its rivals ray tracing tech. Now, Radeon Technologies Group's Senior Vice President of Engineering, David Wang, has given his own view on the matter, which could suggest what AMD has in store.

At AMDs Next Horizon event, where the company announced its 7nm Vega 20 architecture, Japanese gaming website 4Gamer interviewed Wang about the firms future plans, including where it stands on ray tracing.

Due to the unreliable nature of machine translations of foreign websites, it seems some interpretations of what Wang said havent been entirely accurate. Many assumed he said AMD wouldnt implement ray tracing until it could be applied to both low-end and high-end products, but those werent his precise words.

OC3D contacted a native Japanese speaker to get the full story. It appears that Wang confirmed "AMD will definitely respond to [Microsoft's] DirectX Ray Tracing (DXR)," but he initially said, This is a personal view."

Importantly, Wang also said he believed raytraced games wouldnt become widespread until the technology was available on all tiers of GPUs, not just the most expensive, high-end options. It appears this is the statement that has caused confusionWang isnt saying AMD is waiting to introduce ray tracing until it can be applied to all its GPUs.

Were going to have to wait to find out exactly when AMD plans to introduce ray tracing technology to its gaming graphics card lineup, but don't expect it any time soon.Facepalm: Being able to wipe a handset remotely can be a helpful tool should your phone ever be lost or stolen, but it can also be used for other, more nefarious purposes. According to police, a shooting suspect used the feature to destroy incriminating evidence on her iPhone.

Juelle L. Grant from Schenectady, New York, is accused of being behind the wheel of a vehicle involved in a shooting, in which there were no injuries, on October 23, according to the Daily Gazette.

Grant is accused of driving the shooting suspect from the scene shortly after 4:30 p.m. that day and concealing the shooters identity, the report reads. In driving the suspect from the scene, she also helped remove the gun used in the crime, police allege.

Grants iPhone X was taken as evidence, but Schenectady police claim she used the remote wipe option in the Find My iPhone tool to erase its contents. The device could have placed her at the scene of the crime, in addition to holding other clues.

The alleged wiping took place on October 24, a little over 24 hours after the shooting. Grant was arrested on November 2 and charged with two counts of tampering with physical evidence and one count of hindering prosecution. One of the tampering charges, which can result in a 20-year sentence when connected to serious crimes, is related to the phone erasing.

Grant's attorney, Daniel Smalls, says she wasnt involved in the shooting and never wiped the phone, adding that his client is not a computer-savvy person.

Seeing as Apple implemented a mystery fix in iOS 12 that blocked the GrayKey tools password cracking abilities, a remote wipe might not have even been necessary. But maybe the police force should look into buying some Faraday bags.Scientists discovered a rare shark nursery about 200 miles off the coast of Ireland during a government-backed deep ocean survey.

The Marine Institute presented its discovery during the INFOMAR Seabed Mapping Seminar in Kinsale, Ireland on Nov. 8 and 9. The scientists debuted the video of the nursery which was captured by the SeaRover  the underwater survey by Ireland's Marine Institute and partners from Plymouth University.

"We are delighted to report the discovery of a rare shark nursery on a scale not previously documented in Irish waters," said David O'Sullivan, Chief Scientist of the SeaRover survey. "This discovery shows the significance of documenting sensitive marine habitats, and will give us a better understanding of the biology of these beautiful animals and their ecosystem function in Ireland's Biologically Sensitive Area."

Deep-Water Shark Nurseries

The shark nursery was discovered accidentally during the SeaRover mission to investigate the rich marine biodiversity that thrives within the deep ocean territory off the coast of Ireland. The scientists used a remotely-operated vehicle called the Holland 1 which was deployed onboard the ship ILV Granuaile.

While exploring the deep ocean coral reef systems, the underwater drone found the shark nursery, including several egg cases sometimes called mermaid purses  which suggest that female sharks gather in the area to lay eggs. However, there were no pups around the site when the video was taken.

Scientists believe that Blackmouth catsharks or Galeus melastomus, which are common in the northeast Atlantic, use the site as their nursery. A school of Blackmouth catshark was present at the site along with some Sailfin roughsharks (Oxynotus paradoxus) which are declared 'Near Threatened' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Scientists further explained that the nearby coral reef system might have acted as a refuge to the shark pups once they hatched.

A Rare Look At The Lives Of Sharks

The deep-ocean shark nursery was an exciting major biological discovery. Sites like the one discovered off the coast of Ireland are incredibly rare and the team hopes to return to find out more about the biology and ecology of the sharks.

O'Sullivan thinks that more shark nurseries might be scattered around the area. By next summer, the scientists want to try and catch a video footage of eggs hatching.

The shark nursery was observed within one of the offshore Special Areas of Conservation in Ireland.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13)  It looks like the Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company (Mislatel) stays as the country's new major telco player (NMP).

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on Monday junked the motions for reconsideration filed by the Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Company (PT&T), and SEAR Telecoms - the consortium of Mindanao-based TierOne Communications, the Luis Chavit Singson Group of Companies and a few foreign firms.

READ: PT&T, SEAR file motions for reconsideration on 3rd telco bid

In the nine-page decision addressed to SEAR Telecoms dated November 12, NTC said it had no jurisdiction to decide on disputes among participants.

It reiterated that the NTC selected the new player based on results of the evaluation of committed level of service in the submitted documents.

SEAR Telecoms in their motion questioned Mislatel's purported existing contractual obligations with TierOne subsidiary DigiPhil.

NTC ruled, contrary to SEAR Telecoms' claims, the agreement was neither "fraudulent nor obstructive" under the instruction to the bidding participants.

But the commission said SEAR Telecoms may seek recourse before appropriate courts to resolve their contractual dispute with Mislatel.

After the decision , SEAR Telecoms issued a statement calling the NTC's decision "rushed." It added the commission just "washed its hands."

"It forced a liberal and wrong interpretation of what constitutes a violation of its rules, forgetting that the selection process is imbued with public interest, and hence should have been more strictly enforced," SEAR Telecoms said in a statement.

Mislatel earlier denied having existing contracts with TierOne, adding that the firm's contract with DigiPhil had already been terminated and was not intended for submission to the NTC to vie for the third major telco player.

PT&T, in their disclosure at the Philippine Stock Exchange, said the NTC also rejected their appeal.

In a statement, PT&T said it is currently reviewing the selection committee's denial.

"We will be advising the stakeholders on the next steps that the company will take as soon as the same is decided by the management," it said.

Mislatel, under its commitment to the NTC, is mandated to provide nationwide services for telco, in competition with PLDT-Smart and Globe.The fixed charge based on water meter size will also increase slightly. The rate structure approved by the City Council shows a 5-cent increase for homes with meters under 1-inch (from $9.63 per billing period to $9.68); a 12-cent increase for 1-inch meters (from $23.34 to $23.46); a 23-cent increase for 1.5-inch meters (from $46.69 to $46.92); and a 37-cent increase for 2-inch meters (from $74.70 to $75.07).Walter Castro spent months after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in 2010 measuring air quality along beaches across the Gulf Coast, a task that regularly led him to inhale fumes that reeked of chemicals as he put in long days for weeks at a time.

The 52-year-old Metairie resident claims that contaminated water splashed into his face, exposing him to oil and chemical dispersants that irritated his skin and burned his eyes. On one monitoring mission, he says, he got sick and began shaking violently, and so did the rest of his boat crew.

Castro says in court filings that he requested personal protective equipment, including respirators, but was turned down, and yet was instructed to return to areas where he had measured high levels of benzene, a known carcinogen.

He says he was working for a local subcontractor, Industrial Safety and Health, one of "a multitude of contractors involved in the process" that were ultimately working on behalf of BP.

Years later, Castro was diagnosed with the same chronic conditions for which BP had agreed to compensate response workers  to the tune of a $60,700 payout per worker  as part of a broader medical settlement.

Even now, Ill get points where I start feeling nauseous. The sinus, when you wake up youre feeling the sinus, youre feeling the pressure, youre feeling the headaches that come associated with it, Castro said in an interview. And its almost on occasions that youll get the full load of the symptoms that we had back then. Theyll all kick in at the same time.

Bobby Bradberry, an assistant fire chief in Grand Isle at the time of the spill, can relate. He was among the spills first responders, checking oil booms and monitoring the coastline, as well as helping sick clean-up workers as an EMT. He worked on the emergency response and the clean-up for nearly two years, and believes he was exposed to toxic oil fumes and chemicals at all hours of the day.

Coming in contact with contaminated water caused Bradberrys skin to itch and become irritated, he claims. He said a plane once sprayed him with Corexit, a chemical dispersant BP used in unprecedented quantities to break up the oil. It got in his eyes, he said, and stung worse than mace.

And those medical issues continue for Bradberry, who lives in Metairie. Some days are better than others, he said, but the symptoms are consistent and chronic: burning eyes and sinuses, serious headaches, bronchial spasms, difficulty swallowing.

But what keeps Bradberry, 39, up at night is growing concern that his exposure might lead to something potentially more serious or even fatal, like cancer.

It constantly runs through my mind, every time I get sick or feel like Im getting sick, Bradberry said in an interview. Whats the doctor going to find? Is this something from that, something that probably could have been prevented?"

Key questions remain

The two men are among a largely forgotten group of clean-up workers and coastal residents who claim exposure to the oil and the chemical dispersants used during BPs 87-day oil spill made them sick.

Eight years after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast, killing 11 men and setting off one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history, key questions remain about the long-term health impacts of exposure to tens of millions of gallons of crude oil and millions of gallons more of a dispersant used to help make the slick dissipate.

BP was allowed to use that dispersant, Corexit, in unprecedented quantities, even though it has been banned in Britain over human health concerns.

Since 2010, BP has paid tens of billions of dollars worth of fines, fees and compensation to individuals, businesses, governments and lawyers because of the disaster. It negotiated a settlement to compensate clean-up workers and coastal residents who said the spill made them sick.

But an estimated 20,000 workers were left out of that deal because their conditions are chronic but werent diagnosed by a doctor within two years after the spill. In a class-action settlement BP reached in 2012, they, too, were promised money for skin, eye and breathing ailments, but a later court ruling excluded them from its terms, leaving lawsuits as their only option.

At the same time, BP agreed to a broader multibillion-dollar settlement to compensate Gulf Coast businesses and residents for economic damages due to the spill, and it paid a record $19 billion settlement to the federal government and five Gulf Coast states, including Louisiana, that were impacted by the accident.

By comparison, the medical settlement was inexpensive for BP. It began processing claims in 2013. The deal also provides for comprehensive medical exams every three years for 21 years, and it reserves claimants right to file suit against BP for damages if they develop a spill-related medical condition years later.

The money paid out depends on several criteria, such as whether the symptoms affect vision; breathing; ears, nose and throat; skin; the gastrointestinal system; or the heart. Whether the symptoms are short- or long-term, and whether they first appeared or worsened after the spill are also factors.

Under the terms of that deal, workers like Castro and Bradberry who suffer from chronic conditions thought they were eligible for a $60,700 payout.

If the medical settlement had played out the way the plaintiffs expected in 2012, it might have paid out roughly $1.2 billion to 20,000 claimants with chronic conditions specified in the agreement by now. The actual payouts, though, have been a tiny fraction of that amount.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in 2014  reluctantly, according to his comments from the bench  sided with BP in a dispute that eliminated many plaintiffs with chronic conditions from the settlement.

The settlement defined later-manifested physical conditions as any conditions diagnosed after April 16, 2012, regardless of when the condition actually appeared, and Barbier's ruling meant that plaintiffs who were diagnosed after that date would have to sue BP and prove their case in court.

Absurd or not?

Lead plaintiffs attorney Steve Herman, who helped broker the deal, said the later-manifested physical conditions designation was aimed at diseases like cancer and other conditions that take years to show up after exposure.

At an April 2012 court hearing, BP attorney Richard Godfrey said later-manifested physical conditions were injuries that have not manifested themselves today, that perhaps show up, we hope not, but show up five years from now or 10 years from now.

In late 2012, Barbier held a "fairness hearing" to determine if the medical settlement was fair to all parties. He heard from people who objected to the deal and from the attorneys for BP and the plaintiffs. The concept of "later-manifested" conditions was discussed, and both BP and the plaintiffs' lawyers told Barbier that term referred to cancer and other illnesses that may not show up for years.

But BP suddenly called for the new interpretation in early 2014, and the medical claims settlement administrator, Matt Garretson of Garretson Resolution Group in Cincinnati, upheld it.

The parties may have chosen to title the term 'later-manifested physical conditions,' but they defined the term  using the word 'diagnosis,' and we must apply the terms according to their definitions unless the parties agree to amend or the court instructs otherwise, Garretson told WWL-TV at the time.

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Under that view, even claimants who could prove their conditions started with initial exposure were treated as having later-manifested illnesses if they failed to get an official doctors diagnosis until after April 2012.

In late 2014, Barbier upheld that interpretation. The judge said it was not what was presented to him when he was deciding if the settlement was fair, but that he had no power to overrule the plain meaning of the settlement terms if they did not lead to "absurd" results. "The contract terms," he wrote, "are unambiguous."

Barbier added, "The interpretation may not be what the court envisioned at the time of the fairness hearing ... but the court cannot say the result is absurd.

But not everyone agrees.

Its totally absurd, said Howard Nations, a Houston attorney representing Castro and Bradberry. It makes no sense whatsoever.

Many clean-up and response workers did not make it to a doctor until years after the spill, according to health experts, typically because they lacked insurance or lived too far from a clinic. Without a doctors diagnosis of a chronic illness ahead of the April 2012 deadline, the workers were eligible to collect only a $1,300 lump sum payment for acute symptoms suffered after they were first exposed.

BP pulled the most successful bait-and-switch scam in the history of mass tort litigation, and theyre (BP) definitely to blame for it, Nations said.

They were deceived by BP, he added of the response workers.

But the workers' fortunes could soon change: Castro and Bradberry have both filed lawsuits against BP, and theirs are slated to be among the first medical cases to be tried against the British oil giant at the beginning of next year.

A high legal bar

Garretson has estimated his fees from BP at nearly twice as much as the roughly $67 million in claims hes approved for roughly 22,840 response workers and others. Only 40 claims have been paid for chronic conditions, and those payments total less than $2.4 million, according to a status report released this month.

Claims turned down by Garretson are sent to BP for a mediation decision, but so far, BP has not elected to mediate a single one, making those claimants eligible to sue BP in federal court.

Nations said his firm represents an estimated 11,000 cleanup workers, mostly from Louisiana. His firm is filing about 20 lawsuits a day in federal court in New Orleans.

Nations claims that the plaintiffs lawyers who negotiated the BP settlements badly mismanaged the medical class-action suit, and that they ultimately rolled over in favor of BP when the language was reinterpreted because they were more focused on the separate economic class-action case, where nearly all of their clients had claims.

But even as medical lawsuits against BP begin to mount, proving toxic-tort cases in court presents a bigger hurdle than the settlement. It's also unclear whether BP might decide to cut a broader deal to settle the bulk of the claims if verdicts in the first few cases don't go its way, rather than battle each one in court individually.

To prove their case in a toxic-tort lawsuit, lawyers must show that their clients medical issues were caused by exposure to the toxic substance and not something else, like genetic predisposition or pure chance.

Its a higher bar than what the settlement required, and trying these cases requires extensive, costly witness testimony, according to Nations, who estimates that the first two cases will cost $200,000 to litigate.

The filing fees alone will cost his firm $4.4 million for 11,000 cases, before a single deposition is taken or expert witness is hired.

I think we will finally get justice in this case, although it certainly has eluded these people so far, he said.

But even eight years after the spill, research to determine the potential long-term impact of the exposure faced by cleanup workers is far from complete.

A month into the massive response effort in May 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency gave BP three days to find a less toxic alternative to Corexit, but BP resisted, and the EPA backed off.

Based on witness interviews, the Government Accountability Project, an advocacy group, released a report in 2013 contending that exposure to Corexit could lead to a host of ailments, including abdominal pain, hypertension, kidney and liver damage, memory loss and respiratory problems. The report urged a federal ban on the chemical.

Corexit, which is manufactured by Nalco, is already banned in the United Kingdom because of human health concerns. But BP and clean-up service companies like Clean Gulf Associates still insist that it is as safe as Dawn dishwashing liquid.

In court filings, BP has denied allegations that it failed to provide clean-up workers with adequate protective gear and safety training.

'We weren't there'

Since 2010, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has enrolled about 33,000 response workers and Gulf residents in a long-term study thats being used partly to assess how clean-up work and exposure to oil-related chemicals and dispersants is related to physical symptoms.

Last year, NIEHS reported that workers who were exposed to dispersants while cleaning up after the oil spill experienced a range of symptoms, including coughing and wheezing, and skin and eye irritation.

But many of the studys participants reported that they no longer experienced the symptoms one to three years later, when the telephone interviews were conducted, although a small percentage of the clean-up workers still had issues.

The research is challenging because it relies on staying in contact with the participants over a long period of time, according to the studys lead investigator.

Something is happening, I just dont know what it is, and it may be that the people who had these jobs that exposed them to dispersants did other things that increase the likelihood of having symptoms, said Dr. Dale Sandler, the lead investigator in the NIEHS study. Were trying to characterize that, but we werent there, and the work experience wasnt that well documented for individual people. Its not like doing this work in a factory.MOBILE, Ala. (AP)  Roman Catholic church offices in Alabama and Mississippi will publicly release the names of clergy members accused of sexually abusing minors over decades, church leaders said.

A statement from Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile said each of the four Catholic dioceses in the two states will report the names of people who were removed from ministry after being accused of abuse.

Reveal of 57 New Orleans clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse a major step for Catholic officials New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond on Friday released the names of 57 former clergy members credibly accused of sexually abusing minors  t

Diocese offices are in Birmingham, Alabama, plus Jackson and Biloxi in Mississippi, and the archdiocese is in Mobile.

The Mobile office will release names involved in accusations dating back to 1950, Rodi said. He did not say when the list would be made public.

"It is a time-consuming effort to examine each clergy personnel file from the last almost seven decades. This effort is under way and will be completed as quickly as possible," Rodi said in the statement released Thursday.

The Biloxi diocese said it would forward any of its names to the office in Jackson should cases predate its 1977 founding.

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"We join with all people of good will in praying for victims of abuse and earnestly urge all institutions, public and private, to shine a light of truth on a serious societal problem," a statement from Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III said.

About 86,000 people are members of Roman Catholic churches in the two states, which had 126 resident priests last year, according to an annual report released by the church office in Mobile.

In June, the Diocese of Jackson released the name of a church deacon who was accused of inappropriate sexual contact with a girl in the early 1980s.

A grand jury report released earlier this year in Pennsylvania detailed decades of abuse and cover-up in six dioceses there, alleging that more than 1,000 children had been abused through the years by about 300 priests.

The release follows a similar decision from the Archdiocese of New Orleans earlier this month, which divulged the names of 58 clergy members who had been "credibly accused" of sex abuse.

+2 Baton Rouge Catholic Diocese hires auditors to review clergy abuse files, list to come in 2019 Baton Rouge Bishop Michael Duca has hired a law firm and an auditing firm to scrutinize clergy files and to help the Catholic Diocese complete

In Baton Rouge, Bishop Michael Duca has hired a law firm and an auditing firm to scrutinize clergy files and to help the Catholic Diocese complete a list of clerics who were credibly accused of sexual abuse, which should become public by the end of January 2019.CLINTON  The Clinton mayor and recently resigned police chief each pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning to a charge of malfeasance in office, and their attorneys and case investigators noted further charges against the town leaders are possible.

Prosecutors say Mayor Lori Ann Bell and former Police Chief Fred Dunn abused their official positions in how they entered into a contract to lease four police vehicles, a deal that has since left the town in significant debt, according to court filings.

Bell and Dunn sat on complete opposite sides of the small East Feliciana Parish courtroom Tuesday morning; Bell surrounded by at least nine friends and family members, Dunn next to just one. After their quick court appearance, both deferred to their attorneys for comment.

+3 Clinton police chief, mayor turn themselves in; duo wanted for abuse of office claims The Clinton mayor and police chief were arrested Friday on abuse of office and illegal contract allegations after an investigation into how th

"Based on what I've seen, there's no criminal activity," said Jim Holt, Dunn's attorney, after the hearing. "We expect to be fully vindicated."

Niles Haymer, Bell's attorney, echoed that stance about his client minutes later. Both Holt and Haymer said they planned to file motions to quash, which, if granted, would dismiss the criminal charges.

"I'm adamant that this whole situation was brought on by politics," Haymer said. "I cannot find a crime that occurred."

However, Holt and Haymer said they are aware of potential additional charges that could come out of the ongoing investigation into their clients, and are speaking with law enforcement officials.

"We're trying to work it out," Holt said. "We're talking."

East Feliciana Sheriff's Chief Criminal Deputy Greg Phares also confirmed that further charges are possible.

"We continue to investigate this to come out with the facts," said East Feliciana Sheriff Jeff Travis. "That's all we're looking for: the facts."

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Clinton police chief resigns after abuse of office arrest; mayor remains at work After the Friday arrests of two top Clinton officials, the Clinton police chief has resigned but the mayor remained at her post as of Tuesday.

Bell and Dunn's arraignment on Tuesday came days after investigators unveiled another subpoena in a string of documents filed over the alleged mishandling of public funds and abuse of office in Clinton and the parish.

On Friday, State Police and East Feliciana Sheriff's investigators filed a subpoena looking into allegations that the East Feliciana School Board illegally diverted their materials for private use and allowed a conflict of interest to influence financial agreements, the document shows. However, that investigation does not appear to involve either Bell or Dunn.

But prior documents filed in October show that investigators are also looking into the Clinton Police Department's narcotics fund and the town's mayor's court, where they believe Dunn may have taken money out of the account and Dunn and Bell may have overcharged residents through the local court, according to other subpoenas filed.

+3 Probe into Clinton's misuse of funds, abuse of office expands to East Feliciana School Board, court docs show The probe into the abuse of public office and money in Clinton has expanded to the East Feliciana Parish School Board, where investigators bel

Dunn resigned days after he was arrested on the malfeasance in office allegation, but Holt said that was only for the benefit of the department.

"He wanted the police department not to have any cloud over (them) while going through this process," Holt said. He said he believes his client hopes to come back to work after the case is resolved.

Haymer said Bell has no plans to resign, and said the charge against her has not affected her day-to-day operations. He reiterated that he thinks the case was the product of a few political opponents, but said the majority of residents support her.

"If you disagree, you take it to the ballot box, you take it to the council, you don't take it to prosecutors in the courthouse," Haymer said. "Mayor Bell has plenty of supporters in the great town of Clinton."

A state judge set an April trial date for Bell and Dunn.The Livingston Parish Sheriff said he will "go back to the drawing board" and look for new ways to put a law enforcement officer on every school campus, one week after a school safety tax failed at the ballot box.

"I will never give up on putting an SRO on every campus," Sheriff Jason Ard wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday morning. "It will happen in due time."

The latest statement appears to be a reversal from his stance on Election Night, when Ard declared he had "no further plans of another proposal."

In the Facebook post, Ard said he has received an "overwhelming amount of support emails and calls" from people concerned about the school resource officer program.

It remains unclear what the new proposal would look like or how it would be funded. Lori Steele, a spokeswoman for Ard, declined to make him available for an interview Tuesday.

"Not ready to discuss at this time," Steele wrote in a text message. "Still analyzing information, etc before moving forward."

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On Nov. 6, voters in Livingston Parish rejected a perpetual, half-cent tax proposal that would have funded a law enforcement officer at each school in the parish.

+2 Livingston school safety tax that'd put officers on campuses fails by big margin Voters in Livingston Parish on Tuesday rejected a permanent sales tax increase that would have paid for the placement of law enforcement offic

The tax failed by a wide margin. Fifty-six percent of voters opposed the tax increase, while 44 percent of voters supported it, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State's Office.

Ard said the tax would have supported a $5.5 million program to staff each school campus with a specially trained officer, who could patrol for threats and serve as a mentor to school children.

The tax was projected to raise from $8 million to $9.4 million next year.

It faced opposition from many residents who thought the sheriff was asking for too much money and questioned whether every school needs to have an officer.Enjoy the Thanksgiving break, Louisiana voters. Maybe try to talk about something other than politics over dinner, if your family dynamics allow for that. Then watch the Saints (hopefully) make a second meal of the Atlanta Falcons on national television.

Because when you come back to reality the following week, were going to have ourselves a governors race.

Republican U.S. Sen. John Kennedy has said hell finally decide whether hes running to unseat Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2019 by the first of December. Hes long been expected to jump into the race and would have the name recognition to give the governor a run for his money in right-leaning Louisiana.

Other potential challengers are circling too.

Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone has announced. Hes won the support of the one of the states best-known Republican funders, Lane Grigsby, who has taken the unusual step of preemptively criticizing Kennedy. U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, of Alto, is now safely reelected to Congress, which means he can now turn his attention to a governors race, if he sees a path to victory. State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, of Slidell, a former oil industry executive, is still out there, too; shes not as well known but could be appealing to a key demographic, college-educated suburban women. Attorney General Jeff Landry could run if Kennedy doesnt.

Then theres Steve Scalise, whos coming off a stint as House Majority Whip up in Washington. Before the election, Scalise insisted he wouldnt be a candidate for governor no matter how his Republican Party fared in its bid to keep control of Congress. Now that the GOP is officially heading out of power and Scalise is no longer eligible to move up to majority leader or even House speaker, some of his fellow Republicans are quietly pulling for him to reconsider.

Thats a lot of names, and it raises the possibility that the party could find itself in the same sort of pickle as last time, when Edwards got to sit back and watch Republican primary combatants battle it out for the chance to take him on one-on-one in the runoff. David Vitter emerged from that sort of scenario in 2015, but feelings were so raw that his vanquished opponents refused to support him against Edwards. Among those warning against a replay are state Republican chairmain Louis Gurvich and Landry.

Even as the Republicans are worrying about their own house, theyre well aware that theyve got to worry about Edwards, too.

+2 Louisiana governor's race considered 'top pick-up opportunity' for Republicans, but who is running? U.S. Sen. John Kennedy is waiting at least a couple more weeks to say whether he will run for governor next year. But on a recent day in Denha

Gone are the days when they wrongly figured that whoever emerged from the intramural scrum would easily dispatch the lawmaker from Amite. Louisiana may tilt red, but Edwards has emerged as a formidable opponent.

He wont sneak up on anyone this time around, but hell have all the advantages of incumbency, including plenty of money and a bully pulpit hes already using aggressively. Hes also got some accomplishments to run on, including the end to the states long-running fiscal crisis. His main priority for next year is to win a teacher pay raise, a cause that is likely to win bipartisan support.

And hes proven that he can walk the partisan tightrope. Edwards has won over President Donald Trump, who has invited him to the White House repeatedly and never offered a critical word. And polls suggest hes earned the good will of many voters, not just Democrats but Republican leaners who are willing to consider crossing party lines, as many of them did the last time.

Still, Edwards status as Democratic leader of a Republican state makes him a juicy target. So does the calendar; Louisiana is one of just a handful of states holding elections in 2019, so the race wont get drowned out by bigger things.

These off-year contests help parties create momentum going into national election years, and both Democrats and Republicans surely view the Governors Mansion as a potential prize worth trumpeting.

Kennedys imminent announcement, whatever it is, will be the opening note what promises to be a long campaign.The writers for HBOs satirical show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver might want to get a weekend place in Louisiana. Theyve certainly figured out that theres plenty of good material here.

In 2015, Oliver zeroed in on Orleans Parishs badly overburdened and underfunded public defender office. In 2016, he featured state Sen. and former Baton Rouge mayoral candidate Bodi White claiming the election of Barack Obama basically negated the need for school desegregation. This past summer, he used former Orleans Parish District Attorney Harry Connick as a poster child for prosecutorial misconduct, and a week later zeroed in on Entergy New Orleans use of protesters-for-hire before the New Orleans City Council.

This week, it was former Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelles turn in the shows withering gaze.

In a long segment about President Donald Trumps purported campaign to drain the swamp, Oliver painted Angelle, who now oversees offshore drilling as head of the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, as a true swamp creature.

To bolster his case, Oliver played an old clip of Angelle angrily demanding an end to the drilling moratorium after the BP oil spill, plus a relatively new one in which he gives out his cell phone number to industry insiders and urges them to call rather than text, because texts are public record.

This level of coziness with the industry he regulates would come as no surprise to those who followed his career before he headed to Washington. Angelle, who also worked in the Blanco and Jindal administrations and served a stint as lieutenant governor, has always been an unabashed cheerleader for oil and gas. Industry executives liked him enough to make massive donations to a SuperPAC that supported his losing 2015 gubernatorial bid. He also had a six-figure deal to serve on a pipeline companys board.

Angelle lost his last race for Congress to Clay Higgins, a Trump-like character who made his name not in government service but in swaggering Crime Stoppers videos, but his presence in the Trump administration is probably more revealing about the state of play. Among other things, it pretty much proves that Washington is as swampy as ever.Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You"

Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas"

Louis Armstrong's "Christmas in New Orleans"

Big Freedia's "Santa is a Gay Man"

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View ResultsWhile a resident of New Orleans, Ken Foster founded the Sula Foundation, a nonprofit that helped pit bull terriers and owners of pit bulls, and wrote a book, The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned From Pets Who Were Left Behind.

In 2015, he moved to New York (with seven dogs) to work in animal rescue, and has written a new book, City of Dogs  about the canines who live, work and thrive in the five boroughs of New York. Foster is the subject of a New York Times profile today:

People live a variety of amazing, different kinds of lifestyles in the city, and dogs do as well. I think we think of dogs strictly as pets, but we went to J.F.K. Airport, where there are dogs that work and love their jobs. They are mostly looking for agricultural contraband, but they also go through the mail that comes through, like every piece of mail. They go through peoples luggage on the conveyor belts. Its like a game that theyre playing all day long. We should all enjoy our jobs that much.

Read the whole thing  as well as Gambit's cover story "The Pits and the Pendulum," about the pit bulls of New Orleans.Members of the community are invited to bring at least four yards of fleece (or three yards for a childrens blanket) and a pair of scissors to cut and knot blankets during the day-long, drop-in event, which is sponsored by MSWs Council of Catholic Women.What to know in New Orleans this week (Nov. 12, 2018)

Muck Rock mucks it up ... S&WB in financial straits ... a new 'crime dashboard' and more ...To some, Sen Elias is known as a conjure man, while others prefer the title witch doctor. Some refer to him as a root worker, and a lot of people just call him a witch.

Just as long as they dont call me a magician, says Elias, laughing.

With his warm smile and soft-spoken demeanor, Elias might not be what most people imagine when they picture a witch, but the 32-year-old owner of Crescent City Conjure has been performing spiritual consultations and spell work at markets and special events across the city since moving here several years ago.

A former bartender and real estate agent, Elias and his business partner Jason Colbert opened the Marigny conjure shop on the corner of Royal and Mandeville streets in June, taking over what was once a crowded furniture outlet.

The space now features exposed brick walls decorated with local art and tables lined with candles and oils, gris-gris bags and bundles of sage, incense, protective railroad spikes and spiritual altars. Mason jars packed with a cornucopia of herbs and powdered roots line a tall shelf next to a passageway leading back to a private room, where tarot card readings and spiritual consultations are held.

For both Elias and Colbert, the calling to the supernatural came at a young age.

Colbert, who says his mother was also a practicing witch, said he credits his formative years in a pagan household for sparking the initial interest. Elias, who also practices what is called Alexandrian Wicca or witchcraft, says his relationship to hoodoo holds much deeper ancestral ties. While voodoo is more widely considered a religion (with branches of both Haitian and Louisiana voodoo), hoodoo, also called root work, is the practice of folk magic brought to the United States by way of West Africa through the transatlantic slave trade.

As a descendant of the South Carolina Gullah community  descendants of enslaved Africans along the Southeast Lowcountry  Elias path to hoodoo felt directly intertwined with his own heritage.

Hoodoo is a something that lies in the blood lines and lineages  so its not something you necessarily have to search for,  Elias said. Its already in you.

New Orleans has always held a fascination for those interested in the paranormal and the French Quarter is lined with tarot card readers and shops hawking all manner of voodoo paraphernalia and witchcraft essentials.

What sets their shop apart, says Elias, is the community aspect and personal approach of the work.

Before any spiritual work is done, a reading and consultation must be held. If the person is willing, Elias will consult with them on the issues they are facing to determine what kind  if any  spells should be performed.

The readings are an opportunity for an individual to assess their real situation and create something that is tailored to them, says Elias. Its true healing  its an opportunity to really get to the root of the matter and do something about it."

The reasons some seek assistance from the spiritual world are manifold, Elias says. There was the lovesick man looking to woo his girlfriend back. The women trying to escape or end abusive relationships. There are homeowners fearing eviction, defendants facing seemingly insurmountable court battles, and many others seeking the promise of financial prosperity.

This work isnt just, My husband left me, so now I want him back,  Elias says. Its, Why did your husband leave you? Do you want someone who is going to leave? Are there self-confidence issues? Are you scared because of financial issues? Its not just surface level (work).

So-called negative spellwork, or hexes, can also be performed  but these are more complicated rituals that can be dangerous if not done properly, Elias said.

I can still give you the tools and tell you to light the candle and say these things  you can do that on your own, he said. But then theres also my job: I wouldnt want my clients doing negative spell work on their own because they can easily hurt themselves doing that. Ill feel more responsible if theres a curse or a hex, and I would rather do that for them.

Customers are always welcome to shop without a consultation, and the store stocks myriad talismans and items with purported powers for sale: Multicolored gris-gris bags for everything from love, money and success that need to be fed with special oils and rum; railroad spikes to protect ones home; bundles of sage for cleansing; and herbs ranging from abre camino, a so-called road opener, for those seeking new opportunities, to lemon grass for blessing and goldenrod for good fortune.

Both men say they hope their personal approach at the store helps to dispel some of the myths and negative connotations attached to the craft. Once a month, they offer a free event at the store open to the public, and community altars at both end of the space are decorated with private notes and wishes from customers.

Here, its a whole re-education process, where were really talking to the people and getting to know them," says Colbert. "People come in with these preconceived notions of what (witchcraft) is  and you can really see the doors open for them when they realize it's something very different.

Crescent City Conjure, 2402 Royal St., (504) 421-3189The New Orleans Sewerage & Water Boards contracting process suffers from poor oversight that could leave the public utility open to overcharging by contractors or paying for subpar work on millions of dollars in private contracts annually, according to a new report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor's Office.

The S&WB issued more than $584 million in contracts between 2013 and 2017, which makes the management of those agreements with outside firms a critical part of the utility's work. But there is such disarray in the S&WBs contracting process that the utility could not even provide full documentation on the relatively small number of agreements that auditors requested to review.

Among the agreements they did review, auditors found massive amendments that in one instance ballooned the cost of a turbine-repair contract to several times its original amount.

Some of the problems have been reported previously in stories in the local news media.

The auditor's report, published on Monday, was requested by state lawmakers after floods deluged the city last summer while the S&WBs drainage system was hampered by broken pumps and power turbines.

The utility has paid private construction and engineering firms tens of millions of dollars for emergency fixes over the past year to make sure its equipment, in some cases over a century old, was up and running.

But those costs, as well as major problems with its billing systems, have left the utility seriously short on cash and facing the prospect of defaulting on its debt if it can't stabilize its cash situation by the end of the year.

S&WB Executive Director Ghassan Korban, who was hired to save the flailing agency and took over in September, well after the audit began, largely agreed with the reports findings or said changes are already underway.

As I have said since September, during my first weeks here, if you are going to overhaul a system, you have to do it one step at a time, Korban said in a statement Monday. We look forward to working closely with our legislative and city partners to create a utility that is transparent, accountable and efficient.

The bulk of the report is dedicated to the myriad problems auditors found with the contracting process. In some cases, the S&WB may be violating state laws, it said. And in others, it appears there are no rules to ensure the utility is paying the right amount for the work being done.

Some of the problems involve the most basic elements related to government contracting: tracking and managing the hundreds of contracts the S&WB issues for construction, equipment and services.

For instance, there is no centralized office within the S&WB that manages contracts, which means the utility has no one projecting how the costs of contracts will impact the budget.

The disorganization meant that it took the S&WB five weeks just to provide auditors with a list of the utilitys contracts, and an initial request to sample 25 of them had to be scaled back to 12 because the process was taking so long.

Even then, it took seven weeks for the S&WB to provide what proved to be incomplete paperwork on those agreements.

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Other problems identified by the auditors include a lax review of change orders, which are changes to contracts that add more money to cover unexpected costs.

Change orders represented almost 10 percent of the S&WBs contracting costs during the time period covered by the report. In one instance, a $500,000 contract to repair a turbine ended up ballooning by $4 million due to change orders, according to the report.

A policy that would require several layers of approval before a change order could go into effect was drafted in 2017 but never adopted.

The report points out multiple cases where change orders were approved without any action by the agency's board of directors or top officials, including a sewer lift station contract that saw four changes submitted for approval after the project was completed.

While noting that change orders are common and often necessary, the report found that policies aimed at ensuring they were necessary, fairly priced and approved by the required officials often were not followed at the S&WB.

The number and size of change orders have been enough of a persistent problem at the utility that the board of directors has asked the staff to present more detailed information about them before they are approved.

The legislative auditor said it was impossible to determine whether the correct amount was paid in the five completed contracts reviewed for the report.

The report also found discrepancies between the agreed-upon rates and the rates actually charged and cited hundreds of thousands of dollars in undocumented charges.

The report also found that employees often did not close out contracts when they were completed.

Based on interviews with S&WB management, some users keep completed projects open in order to put money aside to pay for cost overruns on other projects, according to the report.

The report also took the S&WB to task for hosting employee award dinners in 2013, 2014 and 2016 that cost about $34,600 to $37,600 each. The S&WB also bought gold rings, gold-plated watches and other jewelry as employee awards, spending about $73,850 on those gifts from 2013 to 2015.

Such gifts to employees are not uncommon in the private sector, nor are they barred for public workers. But an opinion from the state Attorney Generals Office notes that the gifts awarded by the S&WB, which ranged in price from about $67 to about $450, may have run afoul of the office's guidelines that service awards must be reasonably moderate in price.

Korban said the utility no longer holds those award events.The parent of a student at Fifth Ward Elementary School in Reserve has filed a lawsuit against the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board, demanding that students be moved from the school because of concerns theyre breathing a likely carcinogen from a nearby chemical plant.

The suit, filed in Louisianas 40th Judicial District Court, claims that the School Board puts the safety of Fifth Ward students at risk by exposing them to high levels of chloroprene, which is emitted into the atmosphere by the nearby Denka Performance Elastomer plant during production of a substance used in synthetic rubber.

The lawsuit, filed by parent Kendra Bovie, says, There is presently and has been for years a very serious health hazard and/or life-threatening health hazard to the children/students who attend school at Fifth Ward Elementary School.

Denka is the only plant in the United States emitting chloroprene, which was deemed a likely carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2015. The agency's assessment said St. John Parish had the highest risk of cancer from airborne pollutants of any place in the country.

In response, the EPA set up six monitoring stations, including one at the school, to check levels of chloroprene in the atmosphere. They started recording readings once every three days in May 2016.

Data since then have shown the school consistently has one of the highest levels of chloroprene in the parish. A measurement on Jan. 14, 2017, showed chloroprene levels at 75.1 micrograms per cubic meter of air  375 times higher than the EPAs highest recommended level for safe exposure of 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter.

The school, which has about 500 students, also had the second-highest reading anywhere in St. John thus far this year, recording 32.4 micrograms per cubic meter on Feb. 6  162 times the EPA's maximum threshold.

However, airborne chloroprene readings have decreased since Denka finished a nearly $30 million retrofitting in January designed to lower emissions by 85 percent.

Numbers around the parish still are regularly well above the 0.2 threshold, though, and a separate lawsuit in federal court demands the plant cease or significantly reduce its production until levels drop below the threshold. Denka has said that would be unrealistic if the plant is to stay in business.

This isnt the first time Fifth Ward School has found itself at the center of this issue.

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In June, the state Department of Health released the results of a study done in March through May that showed students at Fifth Ward did not have a higher risk of developing cancer related to chloroprene than students at the more distant East St. John Elementary.

However, State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry said the company should continue reducing emissions, advising that the risks calculated are theoretical and cannot predict future health effects.

Environmental activist Wilma Subra criticized the study, saying three months was not nearly long enough to reach any conclusions.

But Denka said the results showed what the company has always said  that chloroprene is being wrongly depicted as a dangerous chemical.

Denka Performance Elastomer's primary concern is the safety and health of our employees and neighbors and stewardship of the environment. There is no evidence to suggest our operations pose any increased risk of health impacts to our surrounding community, the company said.

The new lawsuit alleges that the School Board  in its decision to accept the results of the Department of Health study  showed that it was more interested in protecting the area's chemical industry than the students, even though School Board officials said in March they were joining forces with the group Concerned Citizens of St. John to demand reduction of chloroprene emissions.

It appears that this school board, in balancing the interest of industry with the interest of the community, has concluded that the interest of the industry outweighs the interest and well-being of the children/students who are mandated by law to attend the Fifth Ward Elementary School, the suit says.

John Cummings, Bovies attorney, said the School Board feebly got the state to do a study after getting pressured to do something about the risk to the school's students.

They do not have discretion to poison these kids, Cummings said.

The School Board did not respond to a request for comment.When families start applying this month to New Orleans public schools for the upcoming school year, they will have dozens of schools to choose from in neighborhoods throughout the city.

But amid those options, four schools will be absent.

Edgar P. Harney Spirit of Excellence Academy in Central City, McDonogh 32 Literacy Charter School and William J. Fischer Accelerated Academy, both in Algiers, and Medard H. Nelson Charter School in Gentilly will not have their charters renewed for the 2019-20 school year, according to Orleans Parish School Board documents.

It's not clear if the schools will be taken over by new charter operators or simply shut down, but district officials did not mention any possibility of takeovers in documents made public Monday. Without new operators, the schools close.

School profiles under enrollNOLA, the centralized public school enrollment system run by OPSB, confirm what some parents already know: that the four schools in question will "not be renewed" at the end of the year and that the district is not accepting applications for new students.

Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. will announce the recommendations during a series of committee meetings Tuesday, six days before OneApp, the city's centralized enrollment system, opens to families Nov. 19.

His decision is final unless the board overrides him before next month's board meeting.

For weeks, parents have received confirmation, or at least strong hints, that most of those schools will be shuttered in 2019, according to both OPSB and several articles published in The Lens.

At a public meeting last week, Lewis confirmed to Edgar P. Harney Spirit of Excellence Academy parents and staff that the charter will close because of ongoing financial mismanagement and issues with school contracts, The Lens reported.

And the Algiers Charter Association, which oversees both Fischer and McDonogh 32, already told families that students in kindergarten through seventh grade will receive priority to other schools in the OneApp process because they are losing the charters for those schools.

"We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that this transition is as seamless as possible," Algiers Charter Association interim CEO Stuart Gay told The New Orleans Advocate.

Those two schools, along with Nelson, run by the New Beginnings Schools Foundation, received F's on their most recent report cards, which means the state considers them to be failing students.

They were required to receive Cs to remain open.

Lewis had been warning that changes could be forthcoming for weeks. In a Nov. 5 newsletter, he called November a "pivotal month" as the release of school performance scores establish a "baseline as a district" and help officials "see clearly" the work ahead.

"The districts commitment is to providing the students and families of New Orleans with quality schools and quality school operators," Lewis said. "Even when its hard, the Orleans Parish School Board must and will act on behalf of the citys children. That means that non-renewals, transformations and school closures could occur as we fulfill our commitment."

The district delayed OneApp's opening date by two weeks specifically to accommodate for potential closures, according to Amanda Aiken, the Senior Chief and Portfolio Officer for the Orleans Parish School Board.

"All decisions will be made before OneApp is launched so all the information is up to date and the most accurate," Aiken said.

Failing grades

OPSB has had oversight of most schools physically located in New Orleans since the summer, when charter schools overseen by the state-run Recovery School District were transferred to control of the locally elected board. The transfer marked the first time since Hurricane Katrina that OPSB has overseen most city schools.

But prior to OPSB regaining control, most of the 78 New Orleans public schools have become charter schools, which are public schools governed by nonprofit boards.

The gradual transition from a mostly district-run system to a mostly charter one has come with strict rules that require closure if schools fail to perform.

Each board is given a contract to operate their charter school for a number of years. Usually, it's five. When the contract is up for renewal, the Orleans Parish School Board or Louisiana Department of Education uses academic, financial and operational performance metrics to determine if the contract should be renewed. If the school is failing or operating poorly, it may close at the end of the school year or be taken over by a new nonprofit board.

Altogether, 15 schools are up for charter contract renewals or extensions this year.

Lewis announced that he is recommending closure of four, which is mostly in line from last year, when BESE voted to revoke three New Orleans-based charters for failing to perform.

Charter school proponents see the rules around closing failing schools as a way to ensure accountability, critics say closings can be jarring and even damaging for communities, especially because many of the schools have long histories.

McDonogh 32, for example, was founded as one of the first schools for African-American children and was among the first schools to reopen its doors to students in the months following Katrina.

Harney, originally named Willow Street School, was built in 1923. Nelson was one of the city's first state-authorized charter schools, and Fischer describes itself as "an historic neighborhood school."

According to OPSB meeting materials, McDonogh 32, Fischer and Nelson are all ineligible for charter renewal because of failing grades. Lewis is recommending Harney's closure because of compliance issues.

Of the remaining 11 schools up for renewal, Lewis is recommending that the board extend the charter for Foundation Prepatory and Andrew H. Wilson Charter School, both of which are C schools. That will allow them to finish out five-year contracts.

He's also recommending the renewal of charters for nine other schools, as they all meet the standard for staying open, according to OPSB.

Schools up for five-year contracts are KIPP East Community, ReNEW Dolores T. Aaron Elementary School ES, Sophie B. Wright Charter School, Success Preparatory Academy, John F. Kennedy at Lake Area High School, Lafayette Academy Charter School and Samuel J. Green Charter School.

All of the five-year contract schools were given either C's or D's this year.

Arise Academy, a D school, and ReNEW Accelerated High School, an F-rated alternative high school, are up for three-year contracts.

Mismanagement, violations

Unlike other schools on the "non-renewal" list, Harney is not failing academically. This year, the school got a D grade, down from a C the year prior.

However, according to board documents made public Monday, Lewis is recommending Harney not be renewed because it failed to comply with rules outlined in its charter. The school has received a total of 11 notices of noncompliance in the last year.

OPSB is concerned about financial mismanagement, including concerns about delayed payments for teacher and staff retirement accounts  amounting to tens of thousands of dollars  and personal and church addresses used instead of the school buildings address for a key banking account.

A state investigation also found nearly all students with disabilities weren't getting adequate services. The charter also has had organizational problems, including too many board members who fail to live in New Orleans.

The district has referred findings to the Orleans Parish District Attorneys Office and the Louisiana legislative auditor, The Lens reported.

Ive been an educator for over 20 years, and Ive never seen anything like this, Lewis said at last week's meeting, according to The Lens.Teams of geologists and other scientists spread out Monday to take soil samples across New Orleans, the first step in an ambitious project to study the city's groundwater with an eye toward one day predicting future flooding events and what areas may be most vulnerable to subsidence.

In New Orleans, surface water, in streets and sometimes buildings, gets the most attention after heavy rains. But groundwater could be a key part of helping to reduce the risk of flooding in many parts of the city. The problem is that the city's groundwater is poorly understood.

These scientists, working in partnership with the city and others, hope to change that by conducting an extensive study of New Orleans' groundwater.

The project is being led by Roelof Stuurman, a scientist with the Dutch company Deltares. The company is one of the world's leading experts in water management, and Stuurman said this project could help provide a three-dimensional picture of the city's underground soil and water.

That picture could be used to help reduce the impact of future flooding events and predict which areas could be most vulnerable to subsidence, the natural process by which land sinks.

On average, New Orleans sinks about 6 to 8 millimeters per year, according to Stuurman. "In 1939, about 45 percent of the city was below sea level," he said. "Now, it's greater than 70 percent."

The researchers started in Gentilly, which has historically been one of the city's faster-sinking areas. The reason is that in order for areas like Gentilly to be built, developers had to drain swampland and convert it to solid ground.

But in the process, they allowed formerly submerged organic materials in the soil to decay, which speeds subsidence, said Tulane professor Torbjorn Tornqvist.

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Subsidence, though a natural process, has deleterious effects: It impacts existing infrastructure, especially roads and drainage structures, and it makes the city more vulnerable to rising sea levels.

One way to combat that subsidence is to allow the level of groundwater to rise.

Stuurman said raising the level of groundwater may prevent some of that organic material from decaying, and thus slow the rate of subsidence. It could also lessen the impact of things like sea-level rise, he said.

But it has other, perhaps less positive effects: A higher water table means there's less storage space in the ground for rainwater, which would lead to more runoff on the surface.

"We need less groundwater drainage," Stuurman said.

The researchers will install monitoring stations at some of the places where they take soil borings. These stations will survey the groundwater level, its composition and its salinity, he said.

But getting data on the soils and groundwater is just a first step. Stuurman envisions tying the groundwater monitoring system into a surface water monitoring network and eventually using it to help operators at the city's pumping stations make real-time decisions that could lower the impact of rain events.

"We have to understand to have better drainage," he said.A local developer has paid $8.66 million or $700,000 above the vendors reserve at a Teska Carson auction for a two level property at 11-15 Albert Street. The 749 sq m site has a solid brick building split into three tenancies on short-term leases returning $146,676 per annum net, Matthew Feld and Michael Ludski said. The property had something for everyone including a solid fully leased building on a very good site, Mr Feld said.

A Chinese investor snapped up a shop at 313-315 Whitehorse Road for $7.3 million. Savills Australias Benson Zhou, Jesse Radisich, Julian Heatherich and Glenn Ye brokered the deal. Despite the noise on recent cooling down on residential market, this property has made more than $1 million in capital gains within two years, Mr Zhou said. The property is anchored by bedding store Back to Sleep and tech firm Websilk returning $416,878 per annum.

Croydon

A local investor has pumped $1,605,000 into a fully leased multi-tenanted shop and office building occupied by the Australian Red Cross at 114 Main Street. Buyers were looking to take advantage of growth prospects in Melbournes eastern corridor, Fitzroys Chris Kombi and Terence Yeh said. The building returns combined rent of $87,258 per annum plus outgoings and GST. The sale reflected a blended yield of 5.3 per cent.

Camberwell

An owner-occupier has snapped up a 103 sq m strata for $810,000. The vacant Shop 3 at 1414 Toorak Road sold while being advertised for lease at a net asking rent of $32,000, giving the transaction a 3.95 yield on the potential rental, Dixon Kestles' Marcus Klinge said.A global law firm is spruiking fixed price "#MeToo packages" to Australian employers aimed at protecting their businesses and reputations from damaging sexual harassment cases in a move experts say responds to increasing complaints and public concern.

Promotional material for the firm, Norton Rose Fulbright, points to a rising number of claims alleging harassment, discrimination and bullying in Australia and an increase in the level of damages being sought.

It says the Australian Human Rights Commission inquiry into sexual harassment in the workplace and the #MeToo campaign were likely to drive policy and legislative change.

"With our extensive experience in providing risk advice to companies and defending senior executives, organisations and board members in discrimination and sexual harassment claims, including in some of Australias most high-profile cases, we have developed a comprehensive set of tools for businesses wanting to be more proactive in the age of #MeToo," the flyer says.Whether a touch or hug is appropriate in the office depends on the workplace, the relationships at play and how the gesture was received.

Former ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie's allegation that ex-chairman Justin Milne touched her back at a board dinner in 2017, denied by Mr Milne, has raised questions about what constitutes inappropriate contact.

What is considered appropriate is different from workplace to workplace, person to person. Credit:Michael Mucci

Karen OConnell, a discrimination law expert from the University of Technology Sydney, said touching could be "inappropriate without being sexual harassment".

"Touching in the context of a particular relationship might be treating someone unequally," she said.You can tell weve had generational change among our federal leaders when the latest prime minister through the revolving door knows to pronounce the d in congratulations. No doubt hell have many impordant things to say to us.

So far, the message seems to be that hes just an ordinary, fair dinkum, baseball cap-wearing, pie-eating, beer-swilling kinda guy. Egalitarianism is back and Jack is as good as his prime minister.

Illustration: Simon Letch Credit:

Or maybe not. A great disappointment with the Coalition government is the failure of its attempt to have a second run at the Gonski reforms proposing needs-based, sector-blind funding of schools.

Gonski was our chance to do something other countries did decades ago: remove sectarianism from federal and state funding of schools. To stop determining how much government funding a child receives according to the religious affiliation (or lack of it) of the school attended. Need should be the only criterion, regardless of religion.A six-hectare part of Gungahlin's town centre for community services could be moved away from the town centre, while apartments would rise up to 14 storeys in the centre's urban zone and up to 10 storeys on the light rail route.

The changes are contained in the territory government's final report of its Gungahlin town centre planning consultation, after the controversial approval of numerous 20 and 22 storey apartment blocks in the town centre.

But the proposals have left the Gungahlin Community Council disappointed, given new building height restrictions in a key area are largely irrelevant after the government approved the higher-rise apartments.

Peter Elford, president of Gungahlin Community Council, discusses latest proposed changes to town centre plans. Peter Elford with owner of Kim Tailer Alterations, Kim Tran. Mr Tran has been a trader in Gungahlin for 15 years. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Planning Minister Mick Gentleman released the final plans and a report on consultation on Tuesday, citing 2016 Census data tipping Gungahlin's population to grow by 31,000 people to 106,000 by 2028.Construction industry groups are calling for a major overhaul of the ACT's contractor licensing regime, saying rogue tradies are the major cause of Canberra's building quality woes.

The ACT branches of the construction union and Master Builders Association say unlicensed contractors are undercutting qualified tradespeople, and delivering the type of shoddy building work plaguing new developments across Canberra.

Several trades - including architects, waterproofers, carpenters, painters and concreters - do not require licences in the ACT.

However, architects are registered under the Architects Act 2004.

In a submission to the ACT Assembly's building quality inquiry, the Construction, Forestry, Mining, Maritime and Energy Union's ACT branch secretary, Jason O'Mara, said the introduction of license requirements for more trades would improve building quality.A not-for-profit women's support organisation has warned of a "tsunami" of older women facing homelessness - while a men's emergency shelter is seeing a growing number of refugees or people unable to speak English seeking beds.

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The ACT government has put out two tenders for services for older women and asylum seekers at risk of homelessness in Canberra.

The government is looking to spend a combined total of $4 million over the next four years on the two projects.

Safe Shelter ACT coordinator Richard Griffiths said refugees and asylum seekers had been prevented from accessing federal government income support.In pursuit of romance with a university friend, he ventured to London in late 1966 where he worked for notable architect Denys Lasdun, who was designing the Royal National Theatre, South Bank. Without romantic success (that would have to wait), he travelled across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary to New York City where he worked with fellow Australian Brian Burr, a renowned architectural renderer and recipient of the 2016 William J. Mitchell International Chapter Prize. Burr worked with architectural greats including I. M. Pei and Richard Meier. Brian and his wife Mary's unbreakable friendship with John would be a constant throughout his life.

John studied architecture at the University of Melbourne, excelling in the annual Architects' Review. After graduation, he began his career at the office of Mockridge, Stahle & Mitchell (MS&M), a firm known for its work in the educational field. He was registered as an architect in March, 1966.

Born in Melbourne on July 5, 1942 to parents Arthur and Bonnie Gribble, John was one of three children, with twin sister Kim and older sister Alison. He grew up in Bentleigh, he said, "practically surrounded by paddocks" in the semi-rural 'burbs. He attended secondary school at Wesley College.

John Gribble designed Caulfield Grammar's Cripps Centre as part of a 25-year collaboration.

After this overseas sabbatical, John returned to Melbourne to MS&M in late 1968. He became the firm's project architect for the Monash University Religious Centre. The building, on the Victorian Heritage Register, is described by heritage architect Simon Reeves as "a rare manifestation of interdenominational church design".

Gribble's architecture specialisation in the educational sector had begun. After completing a Diploma in Town and Regional Planning, he continued projects for MS&M, becoming a partner in the firm, until he left to establish his practice in 1979. This focus on educational buildings would span his entire career and encompass projects for organisations including Caulfield Grammar, Latrobe University's Bendigo Campus, Mentone Grammar, Fintona and Toorak College.

Of particular note are the Caulfield Grammar's Nanjing Campus (1997), Earth Studies Centre (2000) and Cripps Centre (2007), part of a portfolio of work for the school that spans 25 years. He was an early practitioner of sustainable energy and design principles. This focus hails in equal measure from his abhorrence of waste, love of thrift and reverence for design solutions including grey water and rainwater systems, double-glazing and new insulation and ventilation techniques. In 1982, John relocated his practice from his South Yarra home to a northern-light-filled office in Alcaston House at 2 Collins Street where he worked until his retirement.

For just short of 40 years, John would work prolifically, punctually and prodigiously on major educational architecture projects as a sole practitioner. At his memorial in June 2018, his peers continued to marvel at his ability to do the work of armies of architects, draftspeople and project managers as a sole practitioner; managing multiple projects with little more than one assistant at most. "That is like walking a tightrope," says friend and fellow architect Ron Curnow. "He told close friends that he never allowed meetings concerning major commissions to be held in his [tiny] office lest any visitor form the wrong impression of his capacities."Catherine Livingstones public flagellation, an effort to convince angry Commonwealth Bank shareholders there really has been a cultural change, ended with an almighty kumbaya moment at the financial outfits annual general meeting last week.

Somehow unasked, however, was how pumping up her pay (as the bank's chairwoman) from $570,000 to $752,000 is in line with the new puritanism in the financial services royal commission aftermath.

Commonwealth Bank chairwoman Catherine Livingstone wants to placate investors. Credit:Brook Mitchell

And hows this?

Former Citi Asia Pacific chief executive Shirish Apte joined the board in 2014.Towers up to 24-storeys high - housing up to 600 students - are now being proposed for The Block in Redfern, with no guarantees that affordable housing promised for indigenous families will eventuate.

In an October report, the Department of Planning warned it had not received concrete evidence that affordable housing would proceed as part of the $70 million development.

The Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC), which owns the site, and developer Deicorp have increased the lucrative student housing portion of the development, known as the Pemulwuy Project.

An artist's impression of the student accommodation plan at The Block. Credit:Department of Planning

Last March they proposed a multi-tower development up to 16-storeys high for 500 university students, in addition to the affordable housing for 62 Aboriginal families, a gym, retail and a childcare centre. Now their latest plans are for the 24-storey high towers to accommodate up to 600 students.The Submarine Institute of Australia doesn't sound like a particularly subversive organisation. Nor is it  usually. But (and perhaps unfortunately for government) it isnt just a group of old sea dogs and former submariners getting together every couple of years to meet, talk, and shoot the breeze.

What makes this group significant is it wants to contribute to the defence debate. What makes it different is the submariners also know something  particularly when it comes to our massively expensive, technologically challenging, and politically fraught $50 billion project to buy and build 12 new vessels.

The program to replace Australia's submarines is expected to cost $50 billion. Credit:Image courtesy of Naval Group.

Couple this with the old sea dogs tendency to be (a bit) crotchety and refuse to go away when told and patted on the head, and you can see why there was always the prospect of fireworks at the Institutes biennial conference last week.

Not overt rudeness, of course, but youd never expect this polite group of former officers to degenerate into squabbling. The conference was, however, about as intellectually bracing as if a cold bucket of salt water had been thrown over every attendee.It doesnt meet them. The values for nitrogen and phosphorus are above those guidelines, Dr Maxwell said.

What has happened this year is that the (nitrogen and phosphorus) levels are fluctuating. They are higher in the upper reaches by around 10 or so per cent compared to last year, he said.

Dr Maxwell said nitrogen and phosphorus had been increasing since 2005 and now exceeded the Queensland governments gazetted water quality guidelines.

That means less oxygen, more algae, a lot more sediment from more frequent storms, more expensive water and  potentially disastrous effects on aquatic ecosystems .

Nitrogen and phosphorus levels have increased in the river for the first time since the late 1970s and early 1980s, when $1 billion was spent by state and local governments to upgrade sewage plants.

Two of Queenslands leading river ecologists, Australian Rivers Institute director Stuart Bunn and Healthy Land and Water principal scientist Paul Maxwell, agree hard policy decisions need to be made.

The Brisbane River is nearing an ecological tipping point for the first time in more than 30 years.

You are either going to have to invest in more water infrastructure, more sewage treatment plants  which is a lot of money  or try to tackle the catchment pollution [the sediment] as well.

Some of the nutrient levels in the river are starting to come up again, Professor Bunn said.

Professor Bunn said while Brisbanes population had increased by 1 million since the 1980s, nitrogen levels in the river had been reduced thanks to improved water treatment systems.

We are approaching a tipping point and we have to make some serious decisions in the region about what we do with our waterways and, in particular, the Brisbane River.

The increasing population in the catchment of the Brisbane River is going to increase the pressure on the nutrients to enter the system.

Sources suggest it now costs between $5 million and $7 million annually to dredge the area from the mouth of the Brisbane River up the coast to Caloundra.

The Port of Brisbane reportedly spent $20 million after the 2011 flood dredging sediment from the river to keep the city's shipping channels open.

The problem has been known for six years. Only now are steps under way to make change .

About 80 per cent of the sediment containing nitrogen and phosphorus flowed from agricultural areas upstream in the Lockyer Valley to the Port of Brisbane.

Professor Bunn said the plume of sediment in Moreton Bay at the mouth of the Brisbane River had doubled in size in the past 15 years.

Our annual volume is between 300,000 to 350,000 cubic metres [a cubic metre is roughly a tonne] of sediment a year, Mr Wilson said.

But he would talk about volumes of sediment flowing downstream to the mouth of the river.

Port environmental manager Craig Wilson would not discuss costs of dredging, saying it was a commercial issue.

The cruise terminal planned for Luggage Point. Credit:Port of Brisbane

The Port of Brisbane must also make sure the river is deep enough for the $100 million cruise terminal being built at Luggage Point .

That became reality in 2014 , when oil tankers were blocked by silt.

In bald terms, if the sediment flowing downstream is not controlled, Brisbanes port - and its petrol supply - is compromised.

But despite the sediment issues, fish caught in the Brisbane River were still safe to eat.

During that extreme flood event in 2011, the amount of sediment flowing out of the Lockyer was enough to fill a line of dump trucks stretching from here to Adelaide and back, he said.

During extreme floods, Professor Bunn said, sediment could flow from the Lockyer Creek to Moreton Bay in 48 hours, while in normal flow times it could take seven years.

Sediment flows quickly during floods and creeps during dry weather.

That is three-to-four times more sediment, meaning three-to-four times the nutrients and three-to-four times the turnover of heavy metals and contaminants in previously settled river mud flats.

But in those flood years - 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 - we were well over a million cubic metres of sediment a year.

We dont have a major problem with heavy metals and PCBs [industrial chemicals] and mercury like China, for example, Professor Bunn said.

Australia has dodged that bullet, really.

However, toxic firefighting foam has killed fish in sections of the Bremer River and, in April last year, towards the mouth of the Brisbane River.

Looking at the rivers water quality in 2018

Nitrogen and phosphorus levels are above the water quality guidelines set by the Queensland government in almost all tests.

In the lower Brisbane River catchment towards the port, nitrogen is above the maximum level in more than 60 per cent of 99 tests.

Phosphorus exceeds the maximum level in 100 per cent of the counts.

In the mid-Brisbane River catchment around the city and western suburbs, nitrogen is higher than the maximum level in all 1190 tests. Phosporous, likewise.

In the upper Brisbane River catchment in western suburbs towards Ipswich and beyond, nitrogen is higher than the maximum level in 90 per cent of the 597 tests and phosporous in 95 per cent of measurements.

Too much phosphate in the Brisbane River can cause algae and weeds to choke waterways, further reducing the amount of oxygen in the river.

Visibility

Visibility in the Brisbane River meets the minimum standard of 1.2 metres 50 per cent of the time towards the mouth of the river.

Visibility around Brisbane city and western suburbs is worse because the river is muddier. Visibility at the minimum level of one metre only occurs 20 per cent of the time.

In the upper catchment of the river, it is easier to see into the river than the city reaches but the minimum standard in that area, 0.5 metres, can be seen only 50 per cent of the time.

Water visibility or transparency is measured using a Secchi disc dropped into the water.

Dissolved oxygen

The amount of dissolved oxygen in the river is approaching minimum levels in the mid-Brisbane catchment around the city in about 50 per cent of 3960 counts.

Towards the mouth of the river, the levels of dissolved oxygen meet the standards (90 per cent dissolved oxygen) in 80 per cent of 422 counts.

In the upper Brisbane catchment, dissolved oxygen meets the minimum standard (85 per cent) in 60 per cent of 855 counts.

Algal blooms and depleted fish stocks could result without sufficient dissolved oxygen in the water.

The reality of the rivers health

Pollutant levels in the Brisbane River have come down dramatically in the past 30 years, Dr Maxwell said, but historical problems remain.

It is not pristine by any stretch, he said.

We dont discharge heavy metals any more but we have a lot of heavy metals in the sediments of the river, of course.

Dr Maxwell said the heavy metals would remain mostly inert until the next flood turned over the mud.

They came from [historical] boat-building businesses down at Bulimba, the anti-fouling paint, he said.

The paint that goes from the bottom of ships - that is sitting in all that mud on the edge of the river there.

Theres a lot of mercury, copper. It is still there in the sediment.

Then, the emerging issues like PFAS [Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from firefighting foam], which has killed fish up in the Bremer and down near the airport at the mouth of the river.

Despite the concerns, the outlook is not all gloom: some fish species are back and new mangroves and seagrass beds have been found.

The Brisbane River.

The three healthiest signs in the Brisbane River

1. Fish are back

Mangrove jack, threadfin salmon, estuarine ray, yellowfish bream, Moses perch and mangrove red snapper have all been found since 2016.

Pickhandle barracuda have also recently been found in Moreton Bay.

Underneath the bridge at QUT we found a whole bunch of bream, a whole bunch of threadfin salmon and a mangrove jack about 45cm long, Dr Maxwell said.

Fish are pretty hardy. We dont get the diversity that we would have seen  its not pristine by any stretch  but it is not a dead system, either.

2. New mangrove beds off Chelmer, opposite Pamphlett Bridge

The 2004-2008 drought meant cleaner salt water began to reach further upstream, delivering mangrove seed pods to Chelmer.

As a result of that, the mangroves that grew down at the mouth and up to the city reach, the water began carrying the seeds further upstream, Dr Maxwell said.

So places like Fig Tree Pocket ... across from the Oxley Creek there ... you look across and there is a huge mudflat and a big, big bat colony.

That is an example of a stretch of the river that is a lot healthier than it was.

There is now a new mangrove bed on the Brisbane River at Chelmer, where mangroves have grown since the 2011 flood.

Dr Maxwell said people only recently began to understand the significance of keeping mangroves.

Forty or 50 years ago, we cleared mangroves because they were ugly, disgusting cesspits of disease and mosquitoes, he said.

We have finally realised they were not those things.

They are really a great nursery area for fish and also for everything else that uses them like crabs and invertebrates and bats and birds from a terrestrial point of view.

The thing is, these mangroves actually stabilise the river bank. Before the mangroves were there, those mudflats would just sit there and then you get the next big flow and those mudflats would just go.

3. Seagrass beds are back near Bramble Bay

New seagrass beds were found off Clontarf, on the southern side of the Redcliffe Peninsula, for the first time in 40 years last year.

The discovery meant Healthy Land and Water would survey the entire Redcliffe peninsula from next month.

Dr Maxwell said the seagrass was most likely the result of lower nutrients in Bramble Bay near Clontarf.

Sewage treatment plants at Hayes Inlet, Pine Rivers, Cabbage Tree Point and Luggage Point have all been upgraded, reducing the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus flowing into Bramble Bay.

The nitrogen levels in Bramble Bay have decreased dramatically in the past 20 years, he said.

Algae grows in the light if nutrients are prominent, if they drop then seagrass emerges.

So what I think has happened is that algae replaced seagrass from 1996 to 2009.

The fish life had also returned, Dr Maxwell said.

Theres lot of turtles and Ive seen dugongs a few times there now but the locals say they are seeing them more and more," he said.

You get lots and lots of little fish  predators like the pickhandle barracuda, sharks but also bream, whiting, flathead and crabs.

The unhealthiest place in the Brisbane River

Bizarrely, Oxley Creek, which runs into the Brisbane River opposite the rivers healthiest spot at Chelmer, takes the title as the Brisbane Rivers unhealthiest spot.

The mudflats within the Oxley Creek catchment contain many decades of heavy metal contaminants from old businesses around Rocklea.

Rocklea was home to paint factories, foundries, fuel storages and chrome plate business until recently.

That means high levels of magnesium and calcium.

Oxley Creek is not in good nick, Dr Maxwell said.

It is not as bad as it was 10 to 15 years ago, but it has significant problems from the industries around.

Its a legacy of a lot of the industries that were in Rocklea up to the mid-1900s.Academics at a Victorian university just did exactly what they told their students they must never do - cheat. But it was all in the name of research.

Deakin University researchers got permission to go undercover online and hire someone to write their assignments.

The outsourced papers were then slipped into a pile of legitimate student essays to see if experienced tutors could identify the contract cheating.

The authors of the study, associate professors Philip Dawson and Wendy Sutherland-Smith, discovered that tutors only identified three out of five examples of contract cheating.The role of an elite police unit in the 2017 Bourke Street massacre is expected to come under intense scrutiny after it ignored repeated pleas from colleagues to help arrest James Gargasoulas in St Kilda and Elsternwick almost nine hours before the tragedy.

When the Critical Incident Response Team finally became involved, its heavily-armed officers approached Gargasoulas in traffic just outside the CBD with their guns drawn, but he escaped after pushing his then-girlfriend from the car onto the road and speeding off.

Gargasoulas was found guilty on Tuesday of six counts of murder and 27 counts of reckless conduct endangering life after ploughing into dozens of pedestrians as he drove a stolen car through the centre of Melbourne at 1.33pm on January 20 last year.A man dubbed the Tinder rapist is back behind bars after he allegedly sent one of his victims a screenshot of her location, called her a false accuser and asked her, Howd you go getting my bail withdrawn?

Glenn Hartland cried in the dock on Tuesday as Magistrate Martin Grinberg remanded him in custody over the alleged breach of an intervention order and his bail conditions.

Glenn Hartland also used the name "Dylan" on Tinder.

She baited me, they baited me ... its just not right, Hartland cried.

The 44-year-old pleaded guilty three weeks ago to three counts of rape and one indecent assault of four women he had met on the online dating app.Two teenagers on a school camp have been seriously injured after a portable camp stove exploded on the Bellarine Peninsula.

The students were from the Ballarat Specialist School, which educates students with intellectual disabilities from ages three to 18.

Paramedics were called to the Big4 Beacon Resort on the Bellarine Highway in Queenscliff after receiving reports of an explosion about 8pm.

One girl suffered burns to her face, legs and arms and was flown to The Alfred hospital in a serious condition, an Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said.The City of Stirling said it received nine complaints from Connolly and his wife about the dogs between 2015 and 2018, however Connolly did not complete a noise diary, which is required for the council to consider further action. The council claimed it sent him three unreturned diaries. Connolly is a fly-in, fly-out worker who works night shifts for a mining company on an eight days on, six days off swing. Lily's dogs Bambi (left) and Pashmak.

Mr Paxman said the dogs barked constantly for several hours throughout the day and prevented Connolly and his step-daughter, who suffers a chronic illness, from being able to sleep, and his wife from being able to run her business from home. He did everything I can think of, aside from suing for nuisance, Mr Paxman said. This was a compulsive act done after the frustration of trying everything else available to him. He accepts he made a terrible decision and accepts it is a cruel thing to do. Connolly pleaded guilty to animal cruelty at the earliest opportunity.

In her sentencing remarks, Magistrate Jennifer Hawkins described Connolly as a good man and hard worker whose offending was out of character. It was completely impulsive of you on that day ... a misguided attempt to overcome your own suffering, she said. She fined Connolly $3500 and ordered him to pay his neighbours vet bills and court costs. He was granted a spent conviction due to his prior good character and the impact a conviction could have on his current employment. Lily, the dogs owner, said despite Connollys claims he had asked her to do something about the barking, she had never met him.

We didnt even know him, it was weird  it was just out of the blue. Ive never seen him in my whole life, she said. He doesnt live on our street ... if he was saying that our dogs were barking, how could he hear it? Its crazy. We were at work when this happened and then we came home and there were pellets everywhere, I got so scared. Luckily we got to the vet in time. Lily said her dogs had since recovered and she was happy with the sentencing Connolly received. Obviously we want a harsh penalty in order for him not to do it again to anyone because we have dogs on the street so I would hate it to happen to any other dog, she said.

Bambi ingested a large amount of the poisonous pellets An RSPCA spokesman said the association received 112 reports of suspected pet poisonings in 2017, and had received 76 reports so far this year. Since October 1, RSPCA WA has received 17 cruelty complaints regarding suspected deliberate poisonings. Several of these reports involved pets who died or had to be euthanised after a suspected poisoning, he said. Poisoning an animal is an offence and RSPCA WA takes these cases very seriously and investigates all avenues. If you are concerned about nuisance animals in your neighbourhood, contact your council and take responsible measures to talk to your neighbours before matters escalate.

The minimum penalty if found guilty of an animal cruelty offence is a $2,000 fine. The maximum penalty is $50,000 fine or five years imprisonment. A City of Stirling spokeswoman said rangers are unable to proceed to formal action against a dog owner, unless the complainant completes their noise diary. "Dog nuisance complaints are often difficult to resolve as what constitutes a nuisance is subjective," she said. "One persons interpretation of nuisance barking can be different to anothers and the degree of the nuisance can often vary dependant on the location of the dog and the tolerance of the complainant. "Diaries assist the city in collecting reliable evidence of the frequency and loudness of a dogs barking. Therefore diaries completed by the complainants are extremely important and form the basis of evidence used for more formal action to be taken.If you haven't already heard of Jordan Peterson, it might be hard to understand all the fuss.

He's a public intellectual who speaks on psychology, philosophy and theology; a university professor who has become famous for telling the devoted young men who crowd his lectures to "clean up their rooms" and "always stand up straight".

Dr Jordan Peterson will begin an Australian speaking tour in Perth on February 9, 2019. Credit:Daniel Hambury/Evening Standard/eyevine/australscope

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have heard him speak on his tours promoting his book, 12 Rules of Life: An Antidote to Chaos.

Millions more have heard him online.Hospitality leaders and direct competitors of iconic Northbridge venue PICA Bar have joined a new campaign to convince the state government to save the popular bar from possible closure.

Owners Melissa Bowen and Brian Buckley and their 15 employees have worked in limbo since learning last month their sublease from the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts would soon end.

They have since been granted an extension on the lease until March while the Department of Culture and the Arts puts the sublease for the space at the Perth Cultural Centre out for EOIs, despite PICA Bar driving the centre's revival since Ms Bowen and Mr Buckley took over the derelict space in 2012.

Support for the bar to remain open has come far and wide from across WA and from nearby hospitality competitors after a mystery donor launched a creative 'Save Pica' campaign.The ACT's $141 million Murrumbidgee pipeline was forced to shut off a month after it was fired up for the first time because of low levels of water in the river.

The 12-kilometre pipeline was commissioned in 2007 at the height of the millenium drought, amid water restrictions and concerns about Canberra's ongoing water security.

Inside the pumping room for the Murrumbidgee to Googong pipeline. The pipeline was fired up in July for the first time five years after it opened. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Construction began in 2011 and was completed in September 2012, but with the exception of routine testing every three months, the pipeline has remained dormant.

That changed in July, Icon Water officials told an annual reports hearing on Monday.Its really hard to process. Theres so many animals. Everyone would be happy with a (preservation) because its saving the animals. They would all die eventually if a subdivision was built, Polizotto said. We just dont have much wildlife left anyway, but this has been home to many of our animals. We save the elephants, so we need to save these, our local animals, too.We are poised to know whether last-ditch changes by the federal government to the radical extension of the My Health Record database are sufficient to assuage privacy and security concerns. Adjustments announced in recent days by Health Minister Greg Hunt are essentially twofold: the elimination of a loophole that might have allowed family violence perpetrators access to information about women and children in hiding from abuse, and a sharp increase in penalties for misuse or misappropriation of data. But the government has declined to make any significant alterations to the systems design. The government says it expects about 10 per cent of the population to decide to remain outside the system. The opt-out date was extended from October to November. Community confidence will hardly be boosted by news that the director of privacy at the Australian Digital Health Agency, the organisation driving the My Health Record, has resigned amid claims the agency and Mr Hunts office have not been properly heeding the concerns of internal experts. The system to centralise and compile medical records from across disciplines and locations has been operating, without any reported data breaches, since 2012, when it was launched as an opt-in program. The Coalition decided to invert that, meaning that unless you opt out by the end of Thursday, usually a simple process online or via telephone, your data will be collated automatically. My Health Record, in effect, has become part of citizenship.

The governments handling of such a fundamental change could have been more reassuring. A Senate inquiry suggested wholesale redrafting of the legislation to better safeguard information and to guarantee it cannot be commercialised or privatised. The ALP wanted several amendments, and on Wednesday is to call for a 12-month extension of the deadline. It will not be known until the bill is put to a vote whether the opposition and crossbenches will pass it into law. That seems unnecessarily unsettling and unclear; Mr Hunt might have been better to accede to requests to further extend the opt-out period until the issues were resolved and the legislation passed. It is important to note that anyone can opt out at any stage, and have the data, or any elements of it, erased. The government says it expects about 10 per cent of the population to decide to remain outside the system. So far, only about half that proportion has opted out. So, the question remains  what should one do? The answer depends on the individual, but Mr Hunts concessions, despite falling short of what some might want, should mitigate some hesitation. Each decision will be a function of circumstances. Those with chronic illness or life-threatening conditions or allergies might feel more secure knowing their data is accessible, under strict controls, by medical professionals. Those who have security concerns and/or are in robust health might feel more comfortable opting out. Those who believe the systems security is sufficient and who have lots of dealings with healthcare workers might be delighted to stay in.The Morrison government has tapped former High Court chief justice Robert French to lead an inquiry into free speech on university campuses amid its concerns about the influence of left-wing activists.

Mr French, who is chancellor of the University of Western Australia, has been tasked with developing a framework akin to the Chicago principles on free expression, adopted by dozens of universities in the United States, and to investigate "realistic and practical options" for managing areas of conflict.

Former High Court chief justice Robert French will lead a review of free speech on campus. Credit:Nic Walker

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has already expressed concern about left-wing protests shutting down events on campus, and has advocated new policies to force protesters to pay for security at functions they disrupt.

"We must ensure our universities are places that protect all free speech, even where what is being said may be unpopular or challenging," Mr Tehan said.The Coalition has committed $1 billion over eight years for grants for projects that will grow jobs in regional Victoria, in its latest promise to decentralise the state's population.

The "decentralisation fund" will support businesses that want to grow in or relocate to regional and rural Victoria, the opposition said.

The Coalition has promised a $1 billion fund to promote business in the regions. Credit:Fairfax Media

It also promised to revive the former Napthine government's Putting Locals First program, a community grants fund cut by Labor.

"While Melbourne grows at more than 126,000 people per year, just over 20,000 people move to

regional Victoria in 12 months," Nationals leader Peter Walsh said."A lot of people here are have-a-go people, but you shouldn't just assume that everyone has benefitted from the mining boom. "There's plenty of pockets of disadvantage as well." Mr Shorten said he had done the hard yards to understand the state, and had travelled outside Perth as much as possible to understand why the GST distribution was such an hot issue. On the verge of a Labor landslide Judging by the numbers, Mr Shorten's WA campaign strategy appears to be paying dividends.

The only published polls of Western Australian voting intentions indicate the Liberals are headed for their worst primary vote drubbing in a generation. While that may not translate into a landslide of seats, it will certainly put a dent in the dominance enjoyed by the Liberal party in the west since the 1990s. Mr Shorten appears to have shaved off much of the advantage his opponents have enjoyed in WA since John Howard was Prime Minister. Next time around, Labor is hoping to pick up at least three seats in the west, but more importantly, are competitive enough to put some of the Liberal party's next generation of leaders under pressure, if not into electoral oblivion. Ken Wyatt in Hasluck, Steve Irons in Swan and Christian Porter in Pearce are all in Labor's firing line.

Mr Porter, a formidable parliamentary performer and prospective federal Liberal leader, is high on the list of Labor targets and Mr Shorten has campaigned in the seat just about every time he has been to the west. University of Notre Dame political analyst Martin Drum said many of these seats were competitive for Labor for the first time in a long while and Labor was looking to inflict some damage on the Liberal party's front bench. "If you look at the WA marginals, the first most marginal seat is Hasluck," Dr Drum said. "It's the 10th most marginal seat [in Australia], so actually they can lose nine seats before they get to a single WA seat. "A lot of those seats are in Queensland, so that's going to be a massive battle ground, but the most marginal seats in WA, the seat of Hasluck and the seat of Pearce, they're both held by ministers, and the fate of Ken Wyatt and Christian Porter will be the interesting story in WA on election night."

Mr Shorten would also be hoping to supplement his own ranks with new talent, including Hannah Beazley in Swan, who would be the third generation of her family to be in federal parliament, after her father, now governor, Kim Beazley and grandfather Kim Beazley, Snr. "I think they're trying to give themselves the best possible shot of really putting a long-term dent in the Liberals' fortress here," Dr Drum said. "One thing you can't deny about Shorten is that he has done a fair bit of work campaigning-wise, hasn't he. "I mean, he gets around."

Time for the big picture? Mr Shorten flew into Perth last week to face a Liberal party attack on Labor's negative gearing policies. Speaking to Fairfax Media, he seemed frustrated his media stops for the day would be hijacked what he thought was misinformation about changes to the decades-old tax breaks for property investors. He said people were "hungry for a deeper debate about the future". "We've taken some strong positions on a couple of economic reforms, such as on the multinationals and negative gearing," Mr Shorten said.

"There'll be some people who won't like that, but what I'm able to do is explain how I'm paying for my promises, I can explain that my vision is for what Australia should be like in the 2030s, not just Monday. "I've got a vision that sees Australia as pre-eminent in the Indo-pacific, we should have the best pre-school system in the world, we should have the best hospitals, we should have the best universities, the best TAFEs, we should tackle inequality, we should be on the front foot on climate change." Loading He predicted home ownership would be an important campaign theme. "I think keeping the great Australian dream of a first home alive is important," the opposition leader said.

"I'm determined that on election night, we put forward all the ideas we have and that we won't be a government who gets elected and says 'now what do we do'. People will know what we stand for and our values, we're fair dinkum Labor." A built-for-WA campaign? Mr Shorten said he could see a different campaign unfolding in WA than the rest of the country. "It's entirely possible that for the first time in a long time, the election results in Western Australia could determine the direction of the nation, that's one thing," he said. "We've got all our candidates in place, we've got a lot of strong women running, that's a feature of our campaign.

"I think that the treatment of Julie Bishop hasn't been well received in the west. "I think the division and instability in the Liberal party has got people really cheesed off. I couldn't have predicted this over five years ago when I became leader, but we're now the party of stability and we've got the runs on the board there." Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, the Liberal party's point man in WA, said he doubted Mr Shorten would win over the west no matter how often he came to the state. "Bill Shortens destructive, anti-business, anti-aspiration, politics of envy driven high taxing agenda would make our country and our state weaker, would put jobs at risk and hurt families wanting to get ahead," he said. "Contrast that with Scott Morrison, who is the architect of our plan to deliver a fairer, better deal for Western Australia on the GST."Claudia Patatas and Adam Thomas had long denied being leading members of the white power group National Action, which is banned in Britain. But their family photos suggested otherwise.

There is the one of Patatas holding their newborn while Thomas holds a flag emblazoned with the Nazi swastika.

Claudia Patatas and Adam Thomas pose with their son, whose middle name is Adolf. Both were convicted of being members of a banned neo-Nazi group. Credit:West Midlands Police

And there's one of Thomas cradling the baby boy; the child is wearing polka-dot pyjamas, his father the sort of hooded robe favoured by Ku Klux Klansmen.

There is also the middle name that the couple chose to give to their son: Adolf.London: British and European negotiators have agreed on a Brexit divorce deal that will extract the UK from the European Union. But Prime Minister Theresa May now faces a tough fight to sell its merits to her Cabinet and to Parliament.

May is holding a series of one-on-one talks in Downing Street with key ministers, trying to convince them of the deals merits before a crucial cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

The deal reportedly includes a backstop clause that will lock the UK into a customs union with the EU until a new trade and customs deal can be reached. A condition of that deal is no new patrols or checks on the Northern Ireland border  a key sticking point in negotiations until now.

However the deal faces several difficult hurdles before it is signed, as political opponents of Prime Minister Theresa May, including many in her own party, rallied to oppose it.Los Angeles: Devastating wildfires in California, which have now claimed 44 lives, are burning an area equivalent to almost half of Sydney's urban zone.

Authorities confirmed today they had found 13 more bodies in the ruins of of Paradise, the small northern Calfornian town worst affected by the fires.

A sign still stands at a McDonald's in the northern California town of Paradise. Credit:AP

That confirmation brings the total to 42 dead in northern California; in addition two people have been confirmed dead in the southern California fires.

Authorities say at least 228 people are still missing as support services struggle to manage the more than a quarter of a million people who have been evacuated in the last four days.Much is being said lately about the need to stay or leave the Paris Agreement. One of the excuses being proffered for Australia remaining is because of our Pacific neighbours.

Seven of the 10 most disaster prone countries are in our region. Adverse climatic events exacerbate existing development challenges and constrain economic growth. They affect oceans, fisheries, marine and coastal ecosystems and have the potential to affect the stability and security of the region.

Melissa Price and former Kiribati president Anote Tong. Credit: Fairfax Media

Now, whether one believes that CO2 is plant food, vital for the health of the planet where the climate has been changing since the beginning of time, or whether one falls into the "Al Gore camp" living a state of nervousness because Armageddon is just over the horizon, it remains important that we deal with todays realities and the impact of climate change.

There will be another cyclone or tsunamithis is the reality of the Pacific.Rawsons mother brought a key to the house, and when officers tried to go in the front door, it appeared to be barricaded from the inside, the affidavit states. Police got in through the back door and saw a white towel with a red stain on it near the front door which was barricaded with a piece of wood, according to the affidavit.Automotive Industry Veteran Steve Anenen Appointed to DealerSockets Board of Directors







DALLAS--Longtime automotive industry leader and former President and CEO of CDK Global, Steve Anenen, has been appointed to the DealerSocket board of directors. He joins a DealerSocket board that has added industry expertise in 2018 as the company continues to focus on driving the future of automotive with innovative software.

Anenen served for more than 25 years at CDK Global, formerly the ADP Dealer Services Group, where he previously led the Dealer Services division and grew revenues to more than $2 billion. When ADP spun off CDK Global into a stand-alone company, Anenen was appointed CEO, leading the companys Initial Public Offering, expansion and growth until 2016 when he retired.

Steve deeply understands the automotive industry, auto dealers, and the importance of software in helping grow their business, said Sejal Pietrzak, president and CEO of DealerSocket. Steve will play an integral role on our board as we continue to innovate and launch best-in-class software. He will also be a valuable strategic advisor on our long-term growth strategy.

Earlier this year, DealerSocket announced the appointment of former General Motors executive, and current Chief Operating Officer of WPPs Global Team Blue (which manages marketing for Ford Motor Company), Kim Brink to their board of directors. The appointment of Anenen further bolsters the expertise and industry knowledge on DealerSockets board.

DealerSockets mission to drive the future of automotive, along with its incredible growth, success, and dedicated executive team made the decision to join the companys board of directors an easy one, said Anenen. I have been extremely impressed with DealerSockets software and customer-centric approach, and Im looking forward to offering strategic insights and guidance as DealerSocket continues to innovate with their software and provide superior service that helps dealerships grow their business.

About DealerSocket

DealerSocket is a leading provider of software for the automotive industry, offering a suite of seamlessly integrated products to help dealers sell and service vehicles more profitably, while improving their customers experience. DealerSockets suite of products includes advanced Customer Relationship Management (CRM), innovative Digital Marketing and Websites, robust Vehicle Inventory Management, insightful Analytics Reporting, and solutions to streamline dealer operations such as Desking, Credit Reporting, Compliance, and a Dealer Management System (DMS) for dealers of all sizes. DealerSocket employs 1,000 team members serving more than 8,000 dealerships. For more information, visit DealerSocket.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.Toyota Looking To Cut Costs By Trimming Line-up Offerings







Tokyo November 13, 2018; The AIADA newsletter reported that Toyota's North America CEO, Jim Lentz, is looking to chop unpopular nameplates from the U.S. lineup as bosses in Japan order him to restore sagging profitability to record levels.

Facing the knife now is any model falling out of favor as customers swarm to crossovers, SUVs, and trucks. In a word: cars.

According to Automotive News, that spells an uncertain future for such vehicles as the subcompact Yaris, Toyota 86, Lexus RC coupes, and even the Prius C hybrid, the five-door Prius' smaller sibling. "We are taking a hard look at all of the segments that we compete in to make sure we are competing in profitable segments and that products we sell have strategic value," Lentz said in Tokyo last week after Japan's biggest automaker reported an increase in quarterly profits.

Lentz is racing to shore up profits as Toyota buckles down on cost control around the world. Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda wants fatter margins so the company can plow profits back into developing the costly technologies needed for next-generation electrification, connectivity and autonomous driving.Conolly suggested that the relatively inexpensive cost for the permits encourages people to purchase them and hold on to them. An increase in cost, perhaps 5 percent, could test whether a higher price would cause more holders to give them up. Another idea is reissuing them annually in a lottery, she said.Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May lays a wreath at the Cenotaph during the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in central London, on Nov. 11, 2018 (BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)

A Time For Remembrance

Seventy years ago, when I was a child, what then was designated Armistice Day for the memory of the Great War was more simple and straight-forward. It was simply a mnemonic curiosity that the armistice had concluded on the the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month of 1919. The timing merely seemed to be a bit of PR cleverness before PR was invented. Lapel pin poppies (now entirely passe in the United States) were standard.

But a World War I veteran was hardly unique. My local grocery store owner was a WWI vet. And, virtually every adult male in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was a WWII veteran. It was something of an oddity for a man not to have served (several of my uncles were veterans, but my father, as a new father when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and over 30 years old, was exempted).

Moreover, by the 1950s, the United States was engaged in both the Cold War and a very hot police action (as the Korean War was labeled), so no special commemoration of previous wars was anticipated. And, in 1954, internalizing the grim appreciation that the war to end wars had not, Congress legally renamed Armistice Day as Veterans Day.

Read More The Centenary of the WWI Armistice

After all, we were anticipating nuclear holocaust, for which the millions that died in WWI/II would barely have been a foot note to the hecatombs of death that would have occurred in a nuclear exchange.

But as time has passed and the prospect of nuclear annihilation receded, we have in some aspects become both more interested in and respectful of our casualties and commitments during the wars of the 20th century. All of our WWI veterans now have passed from the scene; our WWII combatants, if not in their dotage, are almost iconic, e.g. George Herbert Walker Bush and his departure from Yale as an undergrad to become a navy pilot.

And, we are more respectful to our Vietnam War participants, finally appreciating that our societal divisions during the 1960s-70s resulted in Vietnam Vets being treated badlyimplicitly blamed for the failures of our political leadership.

Moreover, our 21st century wars: Gulf I (Kuwait liberation of); Gulf II (Iraq and weapons of mass destruction); and Afghanistan (post-9/11 suppression of Islamic terrorism) are fought with volunteer, highly professional armed forces with maximum success and minimal casualties.

We have outsourced our military commitment from citizen soldier Minute Man paradigm to a technical career, albeit with potential for unlimited liability.

An interesting variation of this evolution, however, has been societal unwillingness to accept casualties. The attitude has not quite reached level of one death is a tragedy; 1,000 is a statistic, but it is almost impossible to conceive of a challenge that would generate American commitment to accept losses of life at levels of any of our 20th century wars. For example, the combat deaths on D-Day were greater than total deaths after 17 years of Afghan combat.

During my lifetime, the United States has been a country of veterans: in 2015 there were 18.8 million veterans. They are not an insignificant political force: they vote (11.3 million in 2014 or 51 percent vs 41 percent for nonveterans). They trend conservative in political attitudes.

And, in comparison with Canada where a general has never become prime minister, 12 generals have become president. And, if not senior officers, military service was de rigueur post-WWII, as epitomized by JFK, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Bush 41 [all naval officers]. Although Clinton and Obama had no military service, their opponents (Bush 41[1992]; Dole [1996]; and McCain [2008] were combat veterans.

Until very recently, Id viewed Remembrance Day as typically Canadian: a time to remember in the way that children might pull out old toys for a fleeting examination. Appreciation of veterans, including those with Afghan experience, appeared perfunctory.

Canadians did peace keeping; Americans did war making. I regularly attended Canadian embassy Remembrance ceremonies, including those in Arlington National Cemetery honoring U.S. citizens who fought in Canadian forces in 21st century combat.

But centennials apparently piqued Canadian interest with Vimy Ridge and now the global gathering in Paris to commemorate the 100-year-mark of WWIs conclusion. The perfunctory is moving toward the profound in retrospective thought.

There is a strong tone of never again coupled with denunciations of nationalism.

And, to be sure, it will be never again. War is ever different.

David T. Jones is a retired U.S. State Department senior foreign service career officer who has published several hundred books, articles, columns, and reviews on U.S.Canadian bilateral issues and general foreign policy. During a career that spanned over 30 years, he concentrated on politico-military issues, serving as adviser for two Army chiefs of staff. Among his books is Alternative North Americas: What Canada and the United States Can Learn from Each Other.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.Actor James Woods attends the premiere of Magnolia Pictures' 'To The Wonder' at Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Calif., on April 9, 2013. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Actor James Woods Helps Wildfire Victims Find Each Other Through Twitter

Since Nov. 8, outspoken conservative actor James Woods has been supporting victims of California wildfires on Twitter by helping them find missing people and pets, as well as sharing other safety information such as evacuation notices.

He started with re-tweeting peoples photos of their missing family members and pets from the Camp Fire in Northern California, and asking his 1.84 million Twitter followers to help by re-tweeting. The Camp Fire in Butte County has burned through 113,000 acres and remains only 25 percent contained, with 29 confirmed fatalities.

Footage of the Camp Fire can be seen in the video below.

Woods then started helping victims of the Southern California fires, such as the Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, which is at 91,572 acres and is 20% contained, with two deaths.

We tag reports of #Missing persons (and animals) using #CampFireJamesWoods (for north fires) and #SoCalFiresJamesWoods (south fires). Use those hashtags and my many followers will retweet your pleas and info, like a community bulletin board, he wrote on a pinned post.

#DayFive of the #CaliforniaWildFires. We tag reports of #Missing persons (and animals) using #CampFireJamesWoods (for north fires) and #SoCalFiresJamesWoods (south fires). Use those hashtags and my many followers will retweet your pleas and info, like a community bulletin board.  James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) November 12, 2018

On Nov. 12, Woods retweeted a plea for help for a family of five and two dogs who were forced to evacuate due to the Woolsey Fire in Southern California and ended up sleeping in their cars.

He also re-posted tweets about a missing 53-year-old woman with cognitive disabilities named Jennifer Lynn Hayes, a missing dog named Ranger, and a man with type 1 diabetes who was finally found on Nov. 12. All three were affected by the Camp Fire.

Twitter user Debbie T personally thanked Woods and his followers on Nov. 12 for everything they did to help her find her Grandma Joyce.

#Found! And this is why we do it, followers!!! Debbie was kind enough to thank you all personally. You saved a life today! #CampFireJamesWoods #SoCalFiresJamesWoods https://t.co/xnnCWik9qR  James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) November 12, 2018

I continue to pray for the others still missing. Thank you @RealJamesWoods for having such a great heart & organizing this & spending so much of your time reuniting #CampFireJamesWoods, she posted.

Volunteers for the Camp Fire relief effort created a Google document with all updated information on road closures, evacuations, shelters, missing persons resources, air quality and more, which Woods also sent out to his followers.

https://t.co/An5hKXoRix This is the Master doc  all you need to know re Camp Fire  *everything* is vetted/verified  it has maps, incident reports, shelters, where to access different kinds of help, evac centers re animals. From Jenn. #CampFireJamesWoods #CampFire  James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) November 12, 2018

Woods also helped the actress Alyssa Milano find a safe place for her horses, after she tweeted, If anyone can get 5 horses out the fire please help.

When her horses were finally safe, Milano tweeted, Thank you, Mr. Woods. Appreciate what youre doing with your feed.

Thank you, Mr. Woods. Appreciate what youre doing with your feed.  Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) November 9, 2018

While someone questioned why Woods would want to help Milano, an outspoken liberal, he simply replied, Because her animals are in danger and she needs help.

Keep up the good work, followers, he wrote in another tweet. You are literally saving lives. This is so much more rewarding than arguing politics!!

Woods later encouraged every Californian with a blue checkmark next to their Twitter name to stop trolling and help retweet evacuation and safety advisories on their Twitter account instead.

Every Californian with a #BlueCheckMark is invited to stop trolling @Twitter today and use your voice to retweet #Evacuation and #Safety advisories instead. Be sure to check the time an advisory was posted. Thank you! #SoCalFiresJamesWoods #CampFireJamesWoods  James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) November 12, 2018

The two-time Oscar nominee is known for his acclaimed roles in the films Ghosts of Mississippi, In Love and War, Nixon, and Casino, as well as playing the comical voice of Hades in the animated film and television series Hercules. He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998.

Watch Next:

How They Brainwash You: Government, Media, and Special Interest Group Tactics

A false reality is being painted by news outlets, governments, activists, and special interest groups that is warping psychology and concepts.Vancouver resident Sun Qian is one of more than 10 Falun Gong practitioners with Canadian connections illegally detained or incarcerated currently in China. While at the APEC summit in New Guinea this weekend, Canadian Falun Gong adherents want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to intercede with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on behalf of their imprisoned fellow adherents in China. (The Epoch Times)

APEC: Trudeau Urged to Call on Chinese Leader to End Falun Gong Persecution

While at APEC, Canadian Falun Gong adherents want Trudeau to intercede with Xi Jinping for their imprisoned fellow adherents in China

With Justin Trudeau heading to Papua New Guinea for the APEC summit this weekend, Falun Gong practitioners in Canada are asking the prime minister to intercede with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on behalf of their imprisoned fellow practitioners in China.

Canadian citizen Sun Qian has been detained in Beijing since February 2017. In addition, there are currently 10 family members of Canadians imprisoned in China because they practise Falun Gong, a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline.

The incarcerations are part of a far-reaching campaign of persecution launched in 1999 against Falun Gong adherents across the country, which has seen tens of thousands thrown in jails, labour camps, and brainwashing centres and resulted in unknown numbers being tortured to death.

The Falun Dafa Association of Canada is calling on Trudeau to urge Xi to free all practitioners unconditionally and to bring an end to the persecution.

Canadians are deeply concerned about Sun Qians detention, FDAC president Xun Li said in an open letter to Trudeau on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, taking place in Papua New Guineas capital Nov. 17 and 18.

At the APEC summit, please help give voice to their concerns about Ms. Sun and the 10 Canadians family members incarcerated for their belief in Falun Gong. Please also urge the Chinese leader to end the persecution of Falun Gong. Your strong voice will make a difference in supporting Canadians desire to engage in a healthy relationship with China and the Chinese peoples wish for their country to become a more peaceful, free, and lawful society.

Sun, a 52-year-old Chinese-Canadian businesswoman from Vancouver, is being held at a detention centre in Beijing, where she has endured abuse, torture, and brainwashing sessions with the aim of forcing her to renounce her faith in Falun Gong. The Epoch Times has previously reported that due to pressure from the authorities, Suns lawyers11 in allhave stopped representing her.

Of the 10 family members of Canadians detained or imprisoned in China, sentences range between 2 and 13 years. Eight of the family members live in Toronto, one in Calgary, and one in Fort McMurray.

Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, is a holistic self-improvement practice that centres on the universal values of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. It swept China in the 1990s and by the end of the decade had an estimated 70100 million adherents.

Its non-political and was never a threat to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). But fearful of its immense popularity, former Party leader Jiang Zemin launched his brutal campaign in July 1999 in an attempt to wipe out the practice.

The persecution of Falun Gong is an illegal attack by the state that has been fuelled by hate propaganda, resulting in the horrific torture and killing of countless Chinese people for their belief in the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, said Li.

The persecution has turned the nations morality upside down.

To add insult to injury, investigators have found that large numbers of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience have died in the process of having their vital organs forcibly extracted to fuel Chinas booming organ transplant industry.

This was described as a new form of evil on the planet by Winnipeg international human rights lawyer David Matas. In 2006, Matas and former cabinet minister David Kilgour were the first to alert the world that Falun Gong prisoners of conscience were being killed for their organs in China. In the years since, several books have been written and documentaries made that have shed more light on the atrocity. A February 2017 Freedom House report notes credible evidence suggesting that beginning in the early 2000s, Falun Gong detainees were killed for their organs on a large scale.

Meanwhile, the CCPs overall campaign against Falun Gong continues. The 2017 annual report of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China states that Falun Gong practitioners continue to be subjected to extreme physical and psychological coercion and coercive and violent practices. These include electric shocks, forced feeding, beatings, forced drug administration, sexual abuse, and other forms of torture.

The tens of millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China today live each day at risk of being taken away by Chinese authorities to be jailed, torturedor worse, Li said in his letter to Trudeau.Brenda Snipes Could Depart as Broward Elections Chief: It Is Time to Move On

Embattled Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes suggested that it is time to move on from her time in office.

Snipes was asked about a tweet made by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush this week, who called on her to be removed from her office following the [vote] recounts. Bush appointed Snipes to the position in 2003 to fill the remainder of a term in office of Miriam Oliphant, who was removed over incompetence following elections in 2002.

She responded: He did post me here for a year and then I liked it and so I ran and I was re-elected four times. But it is time to move on  I think I have served the purpose that I came here for, which was to provide a credible election product for our members, according to the Florida Sun-Sentinel. She didnt elaborate.

The 75-year-old has faced criticism over how her office handled the midterm elections last week.

Snipes, who makes about $178,000 per year, was asked about whether she would run for re-election in 2020.

I havent finalized that. Ill just check with my family theyll tell me what Im doing, Snipes responded.

Some Republicans other than Bush have called on Snipes to step down or be fired ahead of the 2020 election.

I dont believe shes done anything criminal, but the fact that these things go on year after year and we never address the root cause is a problem, said former state Rep. George Moraitis, who is the chairman of the Broward Republican Party.

He added: She should be encouraged to resign at this point. Theres been so many occasions now of problems. Our county means a lot to the state, even to the entire country, and we need someone who can manage the election. You cant just let problems happen to you without being prepared.

President Donald Trump slammed Broward County officials on Nov. 13.

When will Bill Nelson concede in Florida? The characters running Broward and Palm Beach voting will not be able to find enough votes, too much spotlight on them now! he tweeted.

Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican running for Florida Sen. Bill Nelsons seat, filed more lawsuits against local election officials.

On Saturday, a machine recount began in the race between Scott and incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson in one of the most closely watched swing-state contests in last Tuesdays congressional elections, Reuters reported.

Reuters contributed to this report.Activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who goes by the name Tommy Robinson, leaves the Old Bailey after his contempt of court charge was referred to the Attorney General, in London on Oct. 23, 2018. (Reuters/Henry Nicholls/File Photo)

British Activist Tommy Robinson Not Granted Visa in Time for Washington Visit

Right wing British activist Tommy Robinson has not been granted a U.S. visa to meet with Republican lawmakers in Washington this week, an organizer of the meeting said on Nov. 12.

Robinson is the founder of the English Defence League, or EDL, which in the past has staged violent demonstrations against Islam. Robinson has left the group and now distances himself from it.

He was jailed by British authorities in 2013 for using a passport in someone elses name to travel to the United States from Britain. He was later jailed on a separate charge of contempt of court while attempting to report on Muslim grooming gangs, but was released in August.

Daniel Pipes, president of the conservative Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum which invited Robinson to the United States, said the British activist recently applied for a visa at the U.S. Embassy in London but now realizes it will take a while for him to be allowed into the country.

Robinson had planned to attend an event focusing on Islam which seven conservative Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have convened for Nov. 14.

Fifty-five British lawmakers from both major political parties recently wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requesting that Washington ban Robinson from visiting the United States. They said they were concerned he would use a U.S. visa to launch a fundraising tour in the country.

A State Department spokesperson said U.S. law prohibits the agency from discussing individual visa cases.

Pipes said his group was still optimistic that Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, could be granted a U.S. visa at a later date.Canadian PM Trudeau Says in Talks With Pakistan Over Asia Bibi

OTTAWACanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday, Nov. 12 that talks were underway with Pakistan over a Pakistani Christian woman whose acquittal on blasphemy charges against Islam last month sparked days of protests in the South Asian country.

Asia Bibi, who spent eight years on death row in Pakistan before being released, is in protective custody because her life is in danger from those who disagree with the acquittal. Bibis husband, Ashiq Masih, has appealed for help to Britain, Canada, Italy, and the United States.

We are in discussions with the Pakistani government, Trudeau said in an interview with Agence France Presse in Paris, where he attended a ceremony marking the end of World War One. His comments were confirmed by a spokesman in Ottawa.

There is a delicate domestic context that we respect which is why I dont want to say any more about that, but I will remind people Canada is a welcoming country, he added.

While AFP said the discussions were about potentially offering Bibi and her family asylum, this was not confirmed by the spokesman in Ottawa.

On Nov. 12, Pakistans foreign ministry said Bibis situation was discussed when Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was called by his Canadian counterpart the previous day.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said Asia Bibi is our national and Pakistan fully respects her legal rights, ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said on Twitter.

Islamists have threatened to stir up protest in Pakistan if Bibi is permitted to leave. The government has indicated it will bar her from traveling abroad.

On Tuesday, the ultra-Islamist Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party that led the protests said it strictly opposed her release and any permission for her to go abroad.

It is a stance of the millions of Pakistani Muslims, TLP spokesman Ejaz Ashrafi told Reuters.

Last week, Canada urged Pakistan to ensure Bibis well-being and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government was extremely engaged in this issue.

Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 after neighbors said she made derogatory remarks about Islam when they objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. She is a Protestant and denies committing blasphemy.

TLP supporters closed roads in major cities in Pakistan during three days of demonstrations against Bibis acquittal at the end of last month.

Bibis lawyer, Saiful Mulook, fled to the Netherlands this week because of fears for the safety of his family.Florida AG Bondi Orders Investigation of Election Irregularities

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered an investigation while criticizing the states head of law enforcement for inaction on multiple instances of what Bondi called clearly documented irregularities in the conduct of election officials in Broward and Palm Beach counties in the 2018 election.

I am directing you to take the necessary steps to promote public safety and to assure that our state will guarantee integrity in our elections process, she said in a Nov. 11 letter to Rick Swearingen, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) commissioner.

The two counties face a barrage of lawsuits for their handling of the Nov. 6 midterm elections.

The FDLE previously stated it didnt start an investigation because it didnt receive a criminal referral from the Florida Department of State, which oversees elections.

Bondi reminded the FDLE it doesnt need to wait for a written complaint when relevant information, including a request for an investigation, has already been widely reported in the media.

I expect any responsible law enforcement agency  to evaluate the credibility of the source who made the verbal request, gather facts, and conduct an inquiry rather than simply citing the lack of [a] piece of paper, she said.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who ran for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, called for an investigation on Nov. 8 after the two heavily pro-Democratic counties kept adding early voting and absentee ballots two days after the deadline stipulated by law.

Scott finished Election Night about 75,000 votes, or 0.9 percent ahead of Nelson, but the margin dwindled to about 12,500, or 0.15 percent, by Nov. 10, mainly because of the ballots added late by Broward and Palm Beach.

Margins below 0.5 percent automatically trigger a machine recount under state law. Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner ordered the recount on Nov. 10 for the Scott-Nelson race and five tight state-level racesmost notably the gubernatorial contest in which Republican former Rep. Ron DeSantis holds a 34,000-vote lead on the Democratic candidate, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.

The recounts must be concluded by Nov. 15; if any race ends with a margin of less than 0.25 percent, Detzner will need to order a manual recount.

Lawsuits

Scott has filed five lawsuits against Palm Beach and Broward election officials. Two of them, filed on Nov. 8, were decided in his favor by the next day.

Scott filed a third lawsuit late on Nov. 10, alleging Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes had continued counting some ballots after the deadline for unofficial results at noon on Nov. 10. Scott requested that any ballots counted after the deadline be disregarded, arguing their inclusion would break Florida law.

Another two lawsuits were filed on Nov. 11 (pdf).

One stated that Snipes violated her duty to report all early voting and vote-by-mail results within 30 minutes after the polls closed. It further alleged Snipes didnt update election results every 45 minutes, as the law requires. Snipes also failed to give Scotts campaign consistent counts of ballots received and the number of ballots remaining to be counted, the suit noted. In addition, Snipes mixed 183 valid provisional ballots with 22 invalid ones and submitted all of them as valid.

The suit also lists a number of previous incidents where Snipes ran afoul of election law.

The suit demands law enforcement to impound and secure all voting machines, tallying devices, and ballots when not in use until such time as any recounts, election contests, or litigation  are complete.

Scott dropped the demand on Nov. 12 in lieu of an agreement that three Broward County sheriff deputies who dont answer to Snipes will monitor cameras in the elections office and the storage of USB drives with the election results.

The fifth lawsuit targeted Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher, alleging she violated her duty to secure the SOE facility that houses the voting equipment, ballots, and records.

As recently as approximately 2:00 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2018, the rear door to the Supervisor of Elections warehouse storage facility  remained unsecure, leaving the  employees free to come and go from the facility outside of the view of any observers of the ballot recount, the suit stated.

She also failed to allow the public to observe the counting of ballots, according to the suit.

The suit also called for impounding of voting and tallying equipment and ballots.

Mystery Boxes

Several boxes apparently belonging to Snipess office were discovered at a school, community center, and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport. Some of the boxes were labeled provisional ballots, raising suspicions that some ballots were misplaced or mishandled.

Snipess lawyer said those were dual purpose supply boxes, which come to precincts with ballots inside on Election Day, but are then filled with supplies and returned to the SOE office. One of the boxes was opened in front of reporters, showing an assortment of items inside.

But NBC6s Tony Pipitone said in a Nov. 12 tweet the box contained, among other things, blank ballots, referring to sheriffs office inventory relayed to him by Snipes.

The airport box was first reported on the night of Nov. 11 by independent journalist Laura Loomer. At about the same time she broke the story, the airport was put on lockdown and the Broward Sheriffs Office stated a bomb squad was dispatched to the airports Terminal 4 to inspect a suspicious package.

About an hour later, the office issued an all-clear, declaring the package safe.

Loomer speculated whether the bomb scare was meant to draw attention from the ballot box, which was found in a rental car in a Terminal 1 garage. The car was returned earlier by Noah Holliman, a Fort Lauderdale union worker, according to his Facebook page, where he has a picture posing with Gillum.

The Broward County Sheriffs Office, the FDLE, one of Scotts lawyers, and Holliman didnt respond to requests for comment.Journalists follow the presentation of a Huawei smartphone ahead of the IFA Electronics show in Berlin, Germany on Sept. 2, 2015. Meng Wanzhou, deputy chair of Huwaei's board, was arrested in Canada on Dec. 1, 2018 on suspicion she violated U.S. trade sanctions. (Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

German Officials Raise China Alarm as 5G Auctions Loom

BERLINSenior German officials are planning a last-ditch drive to convince the government to consider excluding Chinese firms such as Huawei from providing equipment for the countrys 5G mobile network, because of national-security concerns.

The behind-the-scenes push in Berlin, which comes after decisions by Australia and the United States to ban Chinese suppliers from a 5G role, has emerged at a late stage; Germany is expected to start its 5G auctions in early 2019.

Because of this momentum, its unclear whether the initiative will succeed, Reuters reported, citing officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

But the push highlights the extent of the concern in some Berlin ministries about a Chinese role in building Germanys next generation mobile network, despite the lack of a vigorous public debate here about the security dimensions of 5G.

There is serious concern. If it were up to me, we would do what the Australians are doing, one senior German official involved in the internal 5G debate in Berlin told Reuters.

Leading the charge are officials in the German foreign and interior ministries, who have held talks with and share the concerns of their U.S. and Australian counterparts about the risks of using Chinese suppliers such as Huawei, the worlds largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer.

They are pressing for a more serious discussion on 5G before the auction process begins, the senior official said. Some officials suggested this could lead to a delay.

Opposition parties are pushing back.

We need to be able to vet individual cases in order to ensure our critical infrastructure is protected. That could lead to the exclusion of Chinese firms from building our 5G infrastructure, Katharina Droege, a Greens lawmaker who co-authored the Bundestag motion, told Reuters.

So far, the public debate in Germany over 5G has focused on how extensive next-generation mobile network coverage will be rather than questions about security.

Current coverage is patchy and that, combined with delays in building out high-speed internet, has been criticized by business groups as a handicap in the digital era.

Intelligence Law

The security concerns center around Chinas National Intelligence Law, approved in 2017, which states that Chinese organizations and citizens shall, in accordance with the law, support, cooperate with, and collaborate in national intelligence work.

This has sparked fears that Huawei could be asked by the Chinese government to incorporate backdoors into their equipment that would allow Beijing access, for spying or sabotage purposes. Some experts also see a risk that Chinese intelligence may develop an ability to subvert Huaweis equipment.

Growing Concern

The debate in Germany also comes at a time of growing concern about Chinese investments and influence in Europe. Berlin is in the process of tightening its foreign takeover rules to prevent Chinese rivals from snapping up German tech companies.

The European Commission, meanwhile, has kicked off a debate about strategic autonomy, arguing that Europe must ensure that it doesnt become overly reliant on the United States or China in the digital age.

Excluding Huawei is no simple task, since the companys technology is among the cheapest in the world. European alternatives include Ericsson and Nokia.

If the conclusion of your strategic autonomy debate is that you as a state must have control over everything, then its going to cost a lot of money, said Paul Timmers, a research fellow at Oxford University and former director of cybersecurity at the European Commissions digital directorate. You have to think about whether its realistic and whether you can afford it.

Some officials in Berlin, Washington and Canberra also expressed concerns about whether Germanys fragile coalition government was strong and forward-thinking enough to take a big decision such as banning Chinese firms from a 5G role.

By Noah BarkinGuy Fieri Makes Surprise Visit to Serve Dinner to Firefighters Battling Camp Fire

Celebrity chef and TV star Guy Fieri made a surprise visit to serve dinner to law enforcement and firefighters battling California wildfires.

The Butte County Sheriffs Office in Northern California, where the Camp Fire has ravaged the county, posted a photo of Fieri on social media.

Guy Fieri is in this photo with Officer Joe Almeida up in Butte County #CampFire Guy is cooking pulled pork dinner for everyone this evening. He had also thanked everyone that is helping out for their hard work! Thank you Guy for your time, support and great food! #ButteCounty pic.twitter.com/tL9CekUtUP  Auburn Police Dept (@AuburnPoliceCA) November 12, 2018

Guy Fieri made a surprise visit to serve dinner to everyone at the law enforcement staging area at Butte College. Thank you so much Guy for filling our bellies and lifting our spirits, the office tweeted on Nov. 11.

The Auburn Police department also posted a photo of the chef. Guy is cooking pulled pork dinner for everyone this evening, the department said. He had also thanked everyone that is helping out for their hard work! Thank you Guy for your time, support and great food!

Guy Fieri made a surprise visit to serve dinner to everyone at the law enforcement staging area at Butte College. Thank you so much Guy for filling our bellies and lifting our spirits. #ButteSheriff #CampFire pic.twitter.com/ZnhNxOa81n  Butte County Sheriff (@ButteSheriff) November 12, 2018

The Sacramento Police department also posted a photo as well and said, Our own Tactical Dispatcher Badilla at the #Campfire command post, taking a break for a quick photo with Guy Fieri who showed up & fed the troops some outstanding food!

Our own Tactical Dispatcher Badilla at the #Campfire command post, taking a break for a quick photo w/ @GuyFieri who showed up & fed the troops some outstanding food! Thank you so much for your support and kindness @GuyFieri #sacpd #ParadiseStrong  pic.twitter.com/kEHnByFpBE  Sacramento Police (@SacPolice) November 12, 2018

Thank you so much for your support and kindness, the police department wrote.

Fieris followers commended him for the move. As if I needed anymore reason to love ya! @GuyFieri this police officer is one of my closest friends. He is with Grass Valley Police Department & is helping with the #campfire. Thank you for supporting our first responders, it is so appreciated, wrote one person on Twitter.

Added another: Wow @GuyFieri thank you so much!

Officials say the Camp Fire totally destroyed the city of Paradise, and the fire has grown to 125,000 acres.Nikki Haley, United States ambassador to the UN during a Security Council meeting on Sept. 6, 2018, at the U.N. headquarters in New York City. (UN Photo/Manuel Elias)

Haley Hints US Will Shake Up Funding for UN Peacekeeping

After lauding the U.N. Security Council for working together on North Korea sanctions, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley also leveled some criticism. The U.N.s member countries have largely failed to live up to the ideals of multilateral cooperation, Haley said, and the United States will be rethinking its generous contribution to the international body in the coming months.

The United States is by far the largest contributor to the United Nations budget. Our support for multilateralism at the United Nations has not been limited to rhetoricit has been concrete, in both our words and our deeds, she said at a Nov. 9 meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

But there are times, she said, when the United States is tempted to believe multilateralism is a bad deal for the United States. And there are times when that conclusion is correct.

Following those remarks, she said the United States will be making an important decision on how we distribute the costs of peacekeeping.

She pointed to a resolution put forward by Cuba condemning the U.S. embargo, which has been in place since the island nation fell to communism in 1959. The United States tried to amend the resolution to include its support for the rights of the Cuban people.

But the only three members that voted for the amendments were the United States, Ukraine, and Israel. The resolution was passed, minus the amendments, with only two no-votes: the United States and Israel.

Multilateralism fails when it fails to support the goals of peace, security, and human rights, Haley said on Nov. 9. When the General Assembly gives the barbaric Cuban regime a pass for violating the rights of the Cuban people just to poke the United States in the eye, that is a failure of multilateralism.

This isnt the first time she has called for funding cuts or taken drastic measures to prove that the United States is serious about human rights.

In June, the United States pulled out of the Human Rights Council after trying to reform it, saying that with countries like China, Cuba, and Venezuela as members, it was a hypocritical and self-serving organization, as Haley called it.

In another case, the United States cut funding for a program that supported Palestinian refugees after it tried but failed to amend an annual report on the program to include the responsibility of Hamas for the suffering of those living in Gaza. It also called the program  unsustainable, due to the ever-growing list of beneficiaries whose burden, the United States felt, was not being shared equitably.

The United States pays 25 percent of the roughly $6.7 billion budget for U.N. peacekeeping.

Haley, who announced her resignation from her post last month , has pushed back against requests for the United States to share more of the peacekeeping burden, and has instead urged other nations to support more equitable burden sharing.

U.N. funding is worked out through a formula as set out in an article of the United Nations Charter . Its not clear yet how the United States might change this formula, or whether it is merely seeking higher contributions from other nations.An LNG tanker is seen off the coast of Singapore February 3, 2017. (Gloystein/File Photo/Reuters)

In Race to Fill LNG Supply Gap, Project Goalposts Have Changed

LONDONThe race is on for liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers to build export terminals as demand soars, but the criteria for financing such mega-projects have shifted as traditional relationships with LNG consumers have begun to disintegrate.

Royal Dutch Shells final investment decision (FID) taken last month for a $30 billion LNG Canada project was a shot in the arm for the LNG industry, which is emerging from almost three years of low prices and investment.

As a vote of confidence in the LNG market, Shells decision is expected to get the ball rolling on a wave of approvals for dozens of similar projects around the world that have been planned for years but not yet finalized.

But the FID represented a different financing structure, unreliant on commitments from large buyers as previous mega-projects had been, such as the recently commissioned Ichthys facility in Australia or the U.S. Sabine Pass plant.

Instead, Shell will absorb the cost into its budget and will effectively worry about the ultimate buyers lateras one of the largest corporate purchasers of LNG in the world, it can absorb the new volumes into its global portfolio.

Demand for LNG is thereit is expected almost to double to 550 million tonnes a year (mtpa) by 2030, leaving room for plenty more export terminals despite an influx of fresh supply from new, mostly U.S., terminals.

But projects have struggled to find offtakers as the worlds biggest buyers in Japan and South Korea seek nimbler terms while others such as India and Pakistan are less creditworthy.

Projects that require buying commitments are really struggling to find buyers to sign up  I dont see a lot that is happening, said Vivek Chandra, chief executive of Texas LNG, which plans a medium-sized project of the same name.

I dont know what the buyers are waiting for because the golden opportunity to sign up for deals was yesterday, he told a conference this month, referring to historically low LNG prices in recent years before they began rising last winter.

Aside from 50 mtpa of supply due from U.S. projects under construction, 17 new U.S. terminals like Texas LNG need FIDs. Other plans dot the world from Qatars expansion to plants in Russia and Mozambique as well as Southeast Asia.

Headaches

Of all these projects, only a handful in the United States will ultimately be built and for others, the ability for the operator to absorb LNG into its portfolio will be key.

The projects that we might see now are the ones that dont rely on offtake agreements, said Frank Konertz, LNG analyst at S&P Global.

Irrespective of price, long-term offtake commitments are risky today because the global LNG market is undergoing fundamental changes as it grows and increases liquidity.

It needs to solve quandaries such as the pricing mechanism for LNG, traditionally linked to oil, and absorb new technology that shifts the commercial calculations of trading the gas.

The whole market is in an in-between phase, LNG analyst Emma Richards at Fitch Solutions said. LNG is becoming more akin to oil with greater spot and liquidity trading referencing benchmarks, but its a long process and its creating headaches.

Partly as a result of these uncertainties, and because the market is gaining liquidity, the average duration of offtake deals has halved to less than eight years from almost 20 years in 2010 with volumes per contract falling to 0.75 mtpa from 2.25 mtpa, according to data from Shells 2018 LNG outlook.

Crucially, about 50 percent of such contracts have no credit rating at all compared to 100 percent in 2010 being A- or B-rated, Shells outlook showed. Shorter, smaller, less creditworthy contracts make financing multi-billion-dollar projects simply more difficult.

This makes projects by large portfolio players such as Shell, Total, and Exxon, which has promised FIDs in Mozambique and Texas next year, easier to finalize.

For U.S. projects, the field is getting tighterQatar Petroleum, the worlds largest exporter of LNG, said an FID for the Golden Pass project with Exxon was due in the next few months.

Qatars own huge expansion, expected to get FID next year, would increase capacity to 110 mtpa from current production rates of 77 mtpa.

And some non-U.S. projects have become attractive in light of Chinas tariffs on U.S. LNG imposed in the midst of a trade war. Canadian projects in particularthere are five plannedwill come at a cost to the Gulf Coast plans.

For a lot of projects looking to sanction now, its a race against time, Konertz said.

By Sabina ZawadzkiIndia's national flag held during a rally in Ram Lila Ground in New Delhi on December 27, 2011. (SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images)

India Bulks Up Naval Presence in Indian Ocean to Counter China

A seaport in Iran thats being developed by the Indian government has been granted an exemption from new U.S. sanctions against Iranian oil exports.

That is because the port, according to expert analysts, is part of Indias maritime strategy to counter Chinas growing influence in the Indian Ocean.

The U.S. government re-imposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports on Nov. 5, according to Reuters, in an effort to force Tehran to give up its nuclear ambitions and ballistic-missile program. The sanctions are also a punitive measure in response to Irans support of militant proxies in a number of Middle Eastern countries, such as Syria and Lebanon.

Nine countries have been granted waivers by the U.S. government so they can continue buying Iranian oil: Italy, Greece, Turkey, China, South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Afghanistan, and India.

The Iranian seaport of Chabahar, located in southeastern Iran on the Gulf of Oman, also has been exempted by the Trump administration, according to Reuters, allowing India to continue the ports development, which includes constructing a railway line running from the port to Afghanistan.

If the sanctions werent waived, Indiaa key U.S. ally in the regionwould have a hard time securing financing for the ports development. Furthermore, Chinese investors who earlier expressed interest in the port would be able to step in.

The importance of Chabahar was highlighted during a regional conference in New Delhi on Nov. 1, when Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale spoke about the port as part of Indias Indo-Pacific strategy.

We are also seeking to develop the Chabahar Port as a gateway for onward connectivity to and from Afghanistan and Central Asia, Gokhale said, according to English-language daily newspaper The Economic Times.

At the same conference, Gokhale contrasted Indias construction efforts with Chinas One Belt, One Road (OBOR, also known as Belt and Road) initiative, which is Beijings bid to increase geopolitical influence by establishing trades routes linking China, Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin Americaaccording to a separate article by The Economic Times. China has chiefly advanced its efforts by funding infrastructure projects in partnering countries.

Connectivity efforts in the region must be based on principles of economic viability and financial responsibility. They should promote economic activity and not place nations under irredeemable debt burden, Gokhale said, referring to growing international criticism that OBOR-partnering countries have become saddled with massive debts owed to China.

Sri Lanka and the Maldives are among countries with poor financial stability because of taking out large loans from Chinese banks to finance OBOR projects.

Indias Plan to Counter China

In fact, the Chabahar port is part of Indias plan to counter Chinas string of pearls: a geopolitical concept developed by Beijing, referring to a network of Chinese military and economic relationships in the Indian Ocean.

Chabahar is one among several strategic points in the Indian Ocean that India has devised to counter Chinas growing influence, according to an editorial published by news site EurAsian Times on Nov. 11.

For India, its own string of pearls consists of seaports and other maritime agreements that India has with nations that include Djibouti, the Republic of Seychelles near East Africa, Oman, Madagascar, Japan, Vietnam, and Singapore, as well as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India.

With Irans Chabahar port, India may bypass Pakistan to trade with Afghanistan directly, according to EurAsian Times. The port is also strategically located less than 100 nautical miles away from the Pakistan port of Gwadar, which has served as a key part of Chinas economic investments in Pakistan.

Gwadar is within the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) devised by Beijing, which runs through disputed territory in the Kashmir region. Beijing wants to use CPEC as an alternative land-based trade route. Historically, China has relied on the Strait of Malacca in order to ship its energy imports. In order to prevent vulnerability risks from such heavy dependence, China has been seeking alternative routes.

The Chabahar port would put a check on the neighboring Gwadar port.

Pakistans external debt has soared to a record $91.8 billion, $19 billion of which is owed to China. Islamabad is now in the process of seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Indias Alliances

Two separate India agreementsa naval pact with Oman for the Duqm port, allowing access for the Indian navy, and a maritime information sharing agreement with France, which, in part, allows India access to surveillance information from French territories, such as military bases in the United Arab Emirates and Djiboutiare countering Chinas belligerence and global presence in the region, according to EurAsian Times.

India also has a naval cooperation agreement with Indonesias Sabang port, located, importantly, at the entrance of the Strait of Malacca, that was signed in May, according to Indian English-language daily newspaper Hindustan Times. According to EurAsian Times, Indias presence would threaten Chinas economic and energy security, given its reliance on the Strait of Malacca.



Additionally, a pact with Singapores Changi Naval Base to allow refueling and logistical support for Indias navy is a significant pivot for New Delhi in Southeast Asia, according to EurAsian Times. The naval pact was inked in November 2017.

The access to Singapores naval base would allow New Delhi greater interaction with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries, according to a November 2017 editorial by the Tokyo-based foreign policy magazine The Diplomat.

Chinas Bid

In the Indian Ocean, China has steadily taken control of several seaports through leases: Pakistans Gwadar port for 40 years, beginning in 2015; Burmas Kyaukpyu Port for 50 years, beginning in 2015; Djiboutis Obock Port for 10 years, beginning in 2016; Maldives Feydhoo Finolhu Port for 50 years, beginning in 2017; and Sri Lankas Hambantota Port for 99 years, according to a September report by Sweden-based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Meanwhile, China is rapidly expanding its military base in Djibouti, according to an analysis published in September by Indian news outlet The Print.

China recently established a foothold with another seaport in the region. Beijing and Burma inked a $1.3 billion deal under OBOR to develop the latters Kyaukpyu port on the Bay of Bengal, located in the northeastern area of the Indian Ocean region, according to a Nov. 8 report by Chinese state-run media the Global Times.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made its clear that Indias regional strategy is to prevent China from developing as aggressively as it has in the South China Seawhere it has built artificial islands outfitted with military bases and equipment.

We will promote a democratic and rules-based international order in which all nations, small and large, count as equal and sovereign, Modi said at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue defense conference on June 1. We will work with others to keep our seas, space, and airways free and open.

Indian English-language newspaper The Free Press Journal published an editorial on June 5, noting that while Modi didnt mention China by name, the PM left no one in doubt who he was referring to when he said the Indo-Pacific should not be perceived as a club of limited members.Hero is a word that is bandied round rather carelessly, Quinn said, before gesturing to banners displayed around the room, with portraits of Illinois military men and women who died in service. The men and women in these pictures are the real heroes.An Indonesian National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) official examines a turbine engine from the Lion Air flight JT610 at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 4, 2018. (Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesia Urges More Training for Pilots After Lion Air Crash

JAKARTAIndonesian investigators said on Nov. 12 more training was needed for Boeing 737 MAX pilots after discovering the situation believed to have faced the crew of a doomed Lion Air jet was not contained in the aircrafts flight manual.

The comments shed further light on the areas under scrutiny as investigators prepare to publish their preliminary report on Nov. 28 or 29, one month after the Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX dived into the Java Sea, killing all 189 on board.

Until now, public attention has focused mainly on potential maintenance problems including a faulty sensor for the angle of attack, a vital piece of data needed to help the aircraft fly at the right angle to the currents of air and prevent a stall.

Now the investigations focus appears to be expanding to the clarity of U.S.-approved procedures to help pilots prevent the 737 MAX over-reacting to such a data loss, and methods for training them.

Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of Indonesias transportation safety committee of crash investigators (KNKT), said on Nov. 12 that Indonesian regulators would tighten training requirements as a result of the findings of the investigation so far.

We know, because this incident happened, we know we need additional training, he said.

The comments focus attention on the contents of aircraft manuals and a conversion course allowing pilots of the previous generation of Boeing jet, the 737NG, to upgrade to the MAX.

The manual had not covered how to handle a situation like the one that occurred in the crash, Soerjanto told reporters.

Lion Air officials said on Nov. 12 that they had followed a training regime approved by both U.S. and European regulators.

The approved training was restricted to three hours of computer-based training and a familiarization flight, Lion Air Training Centre general manager Dibyo Soesilo said during a media tour of the center on Nov. 12.

The Oct. 29 crash was the first accident involving the 737 MAX, an updated version of Boeings workhorse narrowbody jet that entered service last year.

Checklist

Information recovered from the jets flight data recorder last week led the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to issue an emergency airworthiness directive urging airlines to update their flight manuals.

The directive warned pilots that a computer on the Boeing 737 MAX could lead to the plane being forced to descend sharply for up to 10 seconds even in manual flight, leading to potential difficulties in controlling the plane.

Pilots could stop this automated response by pressing two buttons if the system behaved unexpectedly, but questions have been raised about how well prepared they were for such an automatic reaction and how much time they had to respond.

Boeing did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the training program.

Last week it said the fix for this type of eventknown as a runaway stabilizerwas covered by existing procedures.

Even though this problem wasaccording to investigatorsnot covered in the operating manual, pilots did have access to a checklist designed to turn off errant systems when the plane started nosing downwards at the wrong time, said Soejono, a Lion Air instructor who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

Experts say investigators will be examining whether the crew examined this checklist and if so whether they had time to cut off the automated nose-down system while flying at a relatively low altitude of 5,000 feet. Pilots on a previous flight are reported to have overcome a similar sensor problem.

To answer that question fully, investigators may need access to cockpit voice recordings thought to be hidden in the seabed.

A search for the jets missing cockpit voice recorder is continuing and could provide important information about human factors relating to the crash, Soerjanto said.

By Cindy Silviana & Agustinus Beo Da CostaPassengers sit aboard the train on the way to Fallujah after leaving Baghdad Railway Station, the newly resurrected service to the city, in Baghdad, Iraq on Nov. 7, 2018. (Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters)

Iraq Rail Service Back on Track After War With ISIS

BAGHDAD/FALLUJA, IraqAt Baghdads grand but half-empty railway station, a single train is sputtering to life. It is the newly revived daily service to Falluja, a dusty town to the west once infamous as a Sunni insurgent stronghold.

The driver and conductor assure that the tracks running through Anbar province are now clear of mines planted by ISIS and of collapsed bridges the group blew up when it marauded through western and northern Iraq in 2014.

The rapid advance of the militants shut down the line, before U.S.-backed Iraqi forces drove them out of Falluja in 2016 and defeated them in Iraq in late 2017.

After a four-year hiatus, hundreds of rail passengers now travel the 30 miles between Baghdad and Falluja in just over an hour. By car, the journey can take several.

The train saves time. The Baghdad-bound leg arrives at 8 a.m., which suits my schedule. Its also cheaper than by car at 3,000 Iraqi dinars ($2.50) for a ticket, commuter Thamer Mohammed said.

You dont have to stop at checkpoints, and its safer. You avoid road accidents, said the 42-year-old, a Falluja resident studying for a history doctorate in Baghdad.

The revival in July of the daily service, once a feature of an extensive rail network dating back to the Ottoman empire, is a vivid example of Iraqs attempts to recover from decades of unrest.

Passengers see it as a metaphor for the countrys state: security has improved enough to allow unhindered passage through countryside dominated for years by ISIS and al Qaeda militants. But the train is dilapidated and shudders as it gathers speed.

The state of the tracks allow a steady pace of up to around 70 miles per hour, but no more. Dozens of windows have been smashed by children who play in the dirt in poor Baghdad districts and pelt carriages with stones as they cruise by.

I hope the service will keep running, but in the last few days there have been delays. Sometimes it runs out of fuel on the journey, or has technical failures, Mohammed said.

Abdul Sittar Muhsin, a media official for the national operator Iraqi Republic Railways, said the company was in dire need of funding to keep the service running.

We did this with the companys money and were operating at a loss, he said.

Regular passengers include unemployed youth looking for work, a perennial problem in Iraq where demonstrations over lack of jobs, water, and power turned violent in the southern city of Basra in September.

I had a job interview with an NGO today in Baghdad, but Im not holding out much hope, said Yassin Jasim, a recent graduate with a degree in medicine. I try to get casual work in Falluja, but theres little and its low pay.

Baghdad to Istanbul

Jasim and his family moved to the relative security of Erbil in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq while ISIS held Falluja.

The city and fertile countryside along the Euphrates river suffered a series of bruising battles after the U.S. invasion in 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein. Falluja became infamous in 2004 when four American security contractors were killed and their bodies hung from a bridge in the city.

Everywhere are reminders of a delicate security situation. Armed police patrol the train, which runs past a scrapyard of cars destroyed during fighting and the remains of a road bridge blown up by militants.

Railway officials hope to restore services all the way to the Syrian border. Iraqs rail network, developed during the British mandate period and under Baath party rule in the 1960s, used to stretch to Istanbul and Aleppo in Syria via Mosul in northern Iraq.

Conflict with Iran in the 1980s, UN sanctions in the 1990s and violence since then have wrecked most of the old network, apart from regular services to Basra and now Falluja.

Plans to extend beyond Falluja might be ambitioustracks are buried in sand and Iraqi forces have been reinforced at the border after recent ISIS counter-attacks in Syria.

For now, the Falluja line is a big step forward.

Its great, I can regularly see my daughter now who is marrying a man from Falluja, one woman said. At the moment, things are fine.

By John DavisonIsrael Destroys Terrorist Targets in Gaza in Response to Barrage of More Than 400 Rockets

The Israel Defense Forces destroyed at least 150 terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip on Nov. 13, in response to more than 400 rockets fired at Israel over the course of two days.

Israels Iron Dome missile-defense system intercepted about 100 of the rockets, according to Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus. The missiles that made it through killed one man in Ashkelon and injured 68 people.

Israeli air counter-strikes have killed seven Palestinians, at least five of them gunmen, terrorist factions in Gaza said.

The exchange was the fiercest since the 2014 Gaza war, the third between Israel and Hamas in a decade as part of the wider Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Hamas terrorists in Gaza have been firing hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians, killing a man and causing multiple injuries, severe damage to buildings & property, Israels foreign ministry said in a statement. Israel is exercising its full right to protect its sovereignty and the lives of its citizens.

The joint command of the Palestinian armed factions in Gaza said in a statement they would abide by a ceasefire mediated by neighboring Egypt. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, responded by putting the onus on the Palestinians to stop their strikes, saying Israels actions would be determined by their steps on the ground.

The terrorist rocket attacks from Gaza killed a Palestinian, a resident of the occupied West Bank, living in an apartment in Israel, where he worked.

The Hamas terrorist group opened the salvo with an attack using a new type of guided missile that struck a bus and severely injured an Israeli soldier.

Asked if Israel was heading toward a ceasefire, Yuval Steinitz, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus security cabinet, told YNet Internet TV, I would say that a more accurate definition is that the Israeli military landed a harsh and unprecedented blow on Hamas and the terrorist groups in Gaza, and we will see if that will suffice or whether further blows will be required.

Hamas said it was retaliating for a botched Israeli commando raid in Gaza that killed one of its commanders and six other gunmen on Nov. 11. An Israeli colonel was also killed in that incident.

Sirens rang out in southern Israeli towns on Nov. 13, and people dashed for shelter as Palestinian rockets crashed into several homes overnight.

Israel responded with dozens of air strikes, hitting buildings overnight that included a Hamas intelligence compound and the studios of Hamass Al-Aqsa Television, whose employees had received advance warnings from the military to evacuate.

In aerial attacks on Nov. 13, Israels military said it took out a rocket-launching squad and fired at several Palestinians breaching the border fence around Gaza, which Israel keeps under blockade.

In Gaza City, people gathered in front of a large mound of debris that was once a multi-floor structure. It was flanked by five-story buildings still standing after the air strike, their shattered stone facades adding to the tall pile of rubble.

Violence has simmered since the Hamas terrorist group began organizing weekly border provocations on March 30. Israeli troops have killed more than 220 Palestinians, the vast majority of them terrorists.

In fighting over the past two days, Israeli missiles flattened seven buildings, mostly in Gaza City, including the TV station. Witnesses said warning missiles, which carry small warheads, were fired first.

In the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon, a video shot by a resident showed a bleeding woman, lying in the debris of an apartment and covered by dust, weakly raising her arm, next to the body of the Palestinian man killed in the attack. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

The Hamas terrorist group took control of Gaza in 2007, two years after Israel withdrew settlers and soldiers from the small coastal territory.

We stand with Israel as it defends itself against these attacks, Jason Greenblatt, the special representative for international negotiations and assistant to President Donald Trump, wrote on Twitter. The world has grown tired of Hamas violence and the violence of other bad actors in Gaza. This violence prevents any real help for the people of Gaza.

The French ministry of foreign affairs condemned the Hamas attacks, and called on both parties to avoid a new cycle of violence.

A rocket hit two meters from the house of Israel Bruner in Kissufim, Israel, a mile from the Gaza strip.

It is very scary, Bruner said. When things get unpleasant here, as I call it, we sleep in the shelter.

One of the Hamas rockets struck a bakery in Sderot. Footage taken from the scene and posted by Israels foreign ministry shows extensive damage.

Hamas is committing a double war crime by targeting Israeli civilian communities from within Gazas population centers, said Yiftah Curiel, director of the department for digital diplomacy at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Reuters contributed to this report.Madeleine McCann Investigation Gets More Funding From UK

The investigation into missing U.K. girl, Madeleine McCann, received more funding from the government on Nov. 13, the BBC reported.

The girl was 3 years old when she went missing while on vacation with her parents in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. The U.K. Metropolitan Police launched a probe into the matter after a Portuguese investigation turned up nothing.

Now, another $194,000 will be added to the investigation, the BBC reported on Nov. 13. So far, $15 million has been spent on the inquiry.

We have confirmed that Special Grant funding of 150,000 ($194,000) will be provided to the Metropolitan Police Service for the six-month period, a Home Office spokesperson told Sky News.

The new funding is for the six-month period until March 31, 2019. Home Office detectives have to apply for funds every six months.

Madeleines parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, have been public voices in the search for the missing girl. Life is full and busy which helps but Madeleine is still missing and she is still dearly missed, they wrote in May 2018 about the 11th anniversary of the girls disappearance.

Information continues to come in (incredible as it may seem after so long, although we are grateful for that) and work goes on. Perseverance and hope remain, her parents wrote.

Former Detective Says She Might be Alive, Hidden

There is every possibility that Madeleine is still alive and could be being hidden somewhere and having no idea that she is at the center of a worldwide hunt for her, former detective David Edgar told The Sun in October. He was hired by the McCanns for three years before Metropolitan Police detectives took over. She could literally be anywhere in the world but my hunch is that she is in Portugal.

He said he doesnt think the girl was taken across the border.

The chance that she may have been smuggled out of the country without being detected is highly unlikely, Edgar added to The Sun. There is someone in Portugal with an open knowledge of where she is and what happened.

Its a baffling case, but I think its solvable, Edgar insists.

He said that someone who has a guilty conscience could eventually come forward. The best hope of a breakthrough, even after all this time, will be if and when someones conscience is pricked. It may be that the person responsible for Madeleines kidnap is dying and makes a deathbed confession, or someone close to that person comes forward after he or she has passed away, Edgar added.Man Killed by Police During Attempted Gun Confiscation in Maryland

Two police officers in Maryland killed a man after he refused to give up his gun earlier this month. They were serving one of Marylands new red flag protective orders.

Gary J. Willis, 61, answered his door in Ferndale with a gun in his hand, the Baltimore Sun reported on Nov. 5.

Willis put the gun down next to his door but then became irate when officers served him with the order. He then opened the door and picked up the gun, police told the newspaper.

A fight ensued over the gun, said Sgt. Jacklyn David, who is a police spokeswoman.

SUSPECT ID'D| 60-year-old shot and killed by police after officers say he fired gun. Gary Willis pronounced dead on scene. https://t.co/hfVyWlRgQA  FOX Baltimore (@FOXBaltimore) November 5, 2018

During the struggle, the gun went off and didnt hit anyone. The other officer then shot and killed Willis.

Red flag protective orders are known as emergency risk protection orders and are initiated by family members, police, or other individuals, the Sun noted. They are served to prohibit the subjects access to firearms when they show signs that theyre a danger.

The new red flag law went into effect in October.

Under the law, family, police, mental health professionals can all ask for the protective orders to remove weapons, said David, according to CBS Baltimore.

Michele Willis, who identified as the deceased mans niece, said an aunt requested a protective order to remove the gun.

Michele said he likes to speak his mind, but she described him as a harmless person. Im just dumbfounded right now, she said. My uncle wouldnt hurt anybody.

They didnt need to do what they did, she said of the officers.

Anne Arundel County Police have had red flag calls since the law took effect, CBS Baltimore noted.

Family members tell me there was a fight last night that centered around the care of an elderly family member that led them to contact police. Gary Willis struggles with alcoholism. Family say he wasnt dangerous just strongly opinionated, wrote Joy Lepola Stewart, a Fox45 reporter.

The two officers were injured. Police havent released their names to the public.

Mark Pennak, who is the President of the pro-Second Amendment group Maryland Shall Issue, told Fox45 of the new law: This has disaster written all over it.Man Who Fired Shotgun at Teen Asking for Directions Gets up to 10 Years in Prison

A former firefighter who was captured on video firing a shotgun in the direction of a black teen was sentenced to 4 to 10 years in prison.

Jeffrey Zeigler appeared in an Oakland County, Michigan, courtroom where a judge sentenced him, NBC News reported. He was convicted in October.

Zeigler, 53, was seen in a surveillance video on April 12, shooting at Brennan Walker, 14, as he ran down the street. Walker had told police that he missed a school bus and went to Zeiglers house to ask for directions.

I knocked on the door, stepped back, knocked, stepped back, and then a lady came downstairs yelling at me, the teen told WDIV in April. She picked up the phone to apparently call the police, he said, saying he was trying to break into her house.

Ziegler then grabbed a shotgun and chased the boy, firing off a shot.

I was running away  I was trying to run away faster and I heard a gunshot, Walker was quoted as saying.

The boy wasnt harmed in the incident.

This will affect my son forever, his mother, Lisa Wright, told NBC, saying the child is in therapy.

Ziegler apologized to Walkers mother. I have full remorse and regret and I wish I could change something, but we cant go back in time, he said.

Id like to apologize to the family for my actions on that morning, April 12, Ziegler said, WWJ Radio reported. After spending 35 days in jail, you know, you do a lot of soul searching. So I do apologize for my actions. I have full remorse and regret and I wish I could change something. But we cant go back in time.

Wright, however, told ClickOnDetroit she doesnt feel like Ziegler is remorseful.

I dont feel like hes shown remorse. I feel like its only because of the media that he feels as though he has to say hes sorry. His wife hasnt shown any remorse. I feel like myself and my son are the only ones that are really sorry in this whole thing, and we havent done anything, she said.

She added: I try to keep race out of it, but we all know thats pretty much what it was. Its not fair for people to dislike us about something that we cant control. If there was a button I could press for me to pick what color I could be just so I wouldnt have to deal with this type of stuff, I would have to be your color so I could survive. Thats not fair.Martha McSally Concedes to Kyrsten Sinema in US Senate Race

GOP Rep. Martha McSally has conceded Arizonas Senate race to Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat, making the announcement on Twitter.

I just called Kyrsten Sinema and congratulated her on becoming Arizonas first female senator after a hard-fought battle, she said in a video on Nov. 12. I wish her all success as she represents Arizona in the Senate.

Sinema is the states first Democrat elected to the Senate in 30 years since former Sen. Dennis DeConcini retired in 1995.

Sinema had 1,097,321 votes, or 49.68 percent, and McSally had 1,059,124 votes, or 47.96 percent, NBC News reported Monday.

Over the weekend, Sinemas lead expanded by more than 32,000 votes after mail-in ballots were counted.

In a statement on Facebook on Monday, Sinema said she will work in government to find common ground.

Thats the same approach Ill take to representing our great state in the Senate, where Ill be an independent voice for all Arizonans, she wrote. I am so honored that Arizonans chose our vision of a better Arizona. And now its time to get to work, Sinema said in her victory speech on Monday night, CBS reported.

Sinema succeeds Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who declined to seek re-election in the state. The states other senator is Jon Kyl, a Republican who succeeded the late Sen. John McCain.

Florida Recount

In Florida, Palm Beach County officials said they wont finish its recount by the Thursday deadline. And in Broward County, additional sheriffs deputies were sent to guard ballots and voting machines, according to The Associated Press.

An honest vote count is no longer possible in Florida, Trump said Monday, adding that election night results should be used to determine the winner of the race.

Trump also said that new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged and that ballots (are) massively infected.

Broward Chief Circuit Judge Jack Tuter on Monday held an emergency hearing on a request by Gov. Rick Scotts lawyers, who said deputies should be in charge of ballots and voting machines. Tuter responded by saying, I am urging because of the highly public nature of this case to ramp down the rhetoric.

If someone in this lawsuit or someone in this county has evidence of voter fraud or irregularities at the supervisors office, they should report it to their local law enforcement officer, Tuter said. If the lawyers are aware of it, they should swear out an affidavit, but everything the lawyers are saying out there in front of the elections office is being beamed all over the country. We need to be careful of what we say. Words mean things these days.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Migrant Caravan Appears to be Headed to Tijuana, Then California

The main migrant caravan appears to be headed to Tijuana in hopes of crossing into the United States, a Mexican official and American congressman said.

The main caravan, which consists of some 6,000 people according to Mexican authorities in Queretaro, departed from Mexico City on Nov. 9.

Nashieli Ramirez, director of Mexicos Human Rights Commission, said that the caravan is heading to Tijuana through Queretaro, Guadalajara, Culiacan, and Hermosillo.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who sits on the House Appropriations Committees Homeland Security subcommittee, following briefings with the Department of Homeland Security on Nov. 9, said that he also thinks the caravan will head to California.

The caravan with over 6,000 migrants has departed Mexico City en route to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. This caravan will likely follow the Viacrucis caravan that made its way to the California border in April 2018, Cuellar said in a statement.

It is expected that it will take approximately two weeks before a significant portion of the caravan will reach the U.S. border near San Diego, California. There are another 4,000 migrants headed north in three additional caravans, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Planned Route

According to a map referred to by Cuellar, the caravan planned on traveling northwest from Mexico City to Celaya, some 162 miles (261 kilometers) away. They were then going to head mostly west, and slightly north, to Guadalajara, a distance of approximately 190 miles (307 kilometers).

After departing Guadalajara, the group would head northwest again to reach Mazatlan, a coastal city in Sinaloa state, some 302 miles (486 kilometers) away.

They would then travel up the coast through Hermosillo about 551 miles (888 kilometers), before turning west above the Gulf of California and heading to Tijuana for about 526 miles (847 kilometers).

The front of the caravan reached the outskirts of Guadalajara on Nov. 12. Members are mainly trekking along highways.

Faster Travel

While the caravan previously averaged only about 30 miles (50 kilometers) a day, the migrants are now covering daily distances of 185 miles (300 kilometers) or more, partly because they are relying on hitchhiking rather than walking. They have come about 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) since they started out in Honduras around Oct. 13.

Migrants have hopped aboard so many different kinds of trucks that they are no longer surprised by anything. Some have stacked themselves four levels high on a truck intended for pigs. On Monday, a few boarded a truck carrying a shipment of coffins, while yet others squeezed into a truck with narrow cages used for transporting chickens.

Many, especially men, travel on open platform trailers used to transport steel and cars, or get in the freight containers of 18-wheelers and ride with one of the back doors open to provide air flow.

The practice is not without dangers. Earlier, a Honduran man in the caravan died when he fell from a platform truck in the Mexican state of Chiapas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

From NTD NewsWanda Robson, sister of Viola Desmond, holds the new $10 bank note featuring Desmond during a press conference in Halifax, on March 8, 2018. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)

New $10 Bill Featuring Viola Desmond Goes Into Circulation Next Week

HALIFAXA new $10 banknote featuring Viola Desmonds portrait will go into circulation in a week, just over 72 years after she was ousted from the whites-only section of a movie theatre in New Glasgow, N.S.

The civil rights pioneer and businesswoman is the first Canadian woman to be featured on a regularly circulating banknote, which will also show a map of Halifaxs historic north end, home to one of Canadas oldest black communities and the site where Desmond opened her first salon.

Irvine Carvery, a prominent member of Halifaxs north end and a former school board chair, said hes excited that the bill will pay tribute to her, describing the inclusion of a black woman on the note as a historic moment.

What it means is that theres recognition in terms of the struggle that we, as African Canadians have gone through for all of our years of being here, he said.

That was a pinnacle event, down in New Glasgow, when she refused to give up her seat. So to put her on the bill is, for me, a recognition that those struggles were real, and they continue through to today.

Carvery, 65, lives a stones throw from Desmonds childhood home in north end Halifax and hopes to eventually see a commemorative marker on the house.

On Nov. 8, 1946nearly a decade before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in AlabamaDesmond was dragged out of the Roseland Theatre by police, arrested, thrown in jail for 12 hours, and fined.

It would take 63 years for Nova Scotia to issue Desmond, who died in 1965, a posthumous apology and pardon.

Carvery said he hopes the new bill will inspire young girls to pursue their dreams and push back against injustice. In addition, he added that he believes it will also raise awareness for who Desmond was and what she accomplished.

Im hoping having Viola on the bill will prompt people to want to know whats the story behind her, because still, theres a lot of people who have no idea who she was and what she stands for, he said.

Being on the $10 bill, people might want to say, who is that person? Let me do a little research.'

Desmond was selected to be on the bill after an open call for nominations and a public opinion survey on the Bank of Canada website.

The map shown behind Desmonds portrait includes the stretch of Gottingen Street, the citys north ends main drag, where the beautician opened a salon as part of a business that would eventually expand into her own line of cosmetics and a beauty school, which allowed her to mentor black women from across the country.

Her sister, Wanda Robson, has said that Desmond fought to overcome the many obstacles in her path to pursue her career: training as a beautician in Montreal, Atlantic City, and New York when she was unable to study in Halifax because of the colour of her skin.

The new bill was first unveiled in Halifax on March 8International Womens Dayby Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz during a ceremony at the Halifax Central Library.

At the time, the Bank of Canada said in its materials on the new banknote that the community where Desmond lived and worked served as a source of invaluable support during her struggle for justice.

They said the $10 bill will also be the first vertically oriented banknote in Canada, which would allow for a more prominent image of Desmond and differentiate it from the current polymer notes.

The note also includes a picture of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, an excerpt from the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and an eagle feather, which the Bank of Canada said represents the ongoing journey toward recognizing rights and freedoms for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

The new $10 bill comes in a series of posthumous accolades for Desmond in recent years: in June, a Canadas Walk of Fame star was unveiled for her at the Halifax Ferry Terminal.

And in 2016, a new Halifax harbour ferry was named for Desmond following an online contest.In this file photo, a school student views the original Constitution in Washington, DC. Opponents of the Electoral College have claimed that it was established to protect slavery. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

No! The Electoral College Was Not Created to Protect Slavery

Commentary

As America moved from considering itself a republic, or, as we sometimes say, a democratic republic, to thinking of itself as simply a democracy, the Electoral College has been challenged for being insufficiently democratic. Though the way we elect presidents has changed and democratized over time, the basic institution has proven resilient in the face of the many attempts to abolish it outright.

In recent years, opponents of the way we have elected presidents have turned to a new strategy to undermine itpainting our electoral system with the indelible stain of racism. Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently wrote on Twitter that it was beyond time to abolish the Electoral College, calling it a shadow of slaverys power on America today.  The Editorial Board of the New York Times called it a living symbol of Americas original sin.

One can immediately see the political power that would come with tainting the institution with racism and slavery, but where is the evidence?

The popularity of this argument seems to have come after Yale University law professor Akhil Reed Amar contributed a piece to Time magazine calling slavery the demon that doomed a national popular election for president at the Constitutional Convention.

Among law professors, Amar is a prolific and popular author. But what evidence does he muster for this interpretation? Frankly, it is almost nothing.

Amar cites one sentence from one delegate that was said more than a month before the actual Electoral College was created. In that statement, the delegate references the difficulty of finding a way to elect a proper president without violating other important principles, like the separation of powersthe leading plan through much of the Constitutional Convention was to allow Congress to do the choosing. That delegate, James Madison, simply offered that one downside of electing the president with a single national popular vote would be that the south would be disadvantaged because the southern states had smaller populations than the northern states.

That is pretty thin evidence that a demon was behind the creation of the Electoral College, as Amar and others want us to believe. What is more, Madison was speaking in response to New Jerseys William Paterson who had proposed a system of electors not terribly unlike what would eventually emerge. Its just not credible that Paterson, an ardent opponent of slavery, was proposing a way to protect slavery!

Some making this argument also point to the three-fifth compromise that allowed slaves to count as three-fifths of a citizen. Are they really unaware of the fact that the math they refer to was not created for the Electoral College but for the House of Representatives long before the Electoral College was created? When, at the very end of the Convention, the delegates finally settled on the system we call the Electoral College, they simply appropriated the math that was already baked into the constitutional systemequal representation of the states in the Senate and the varying population sizes of the states being represented in the House. Its curious that these pundits and academics dont turn their fire toward undermining the foundations of the House of Representatives, instead.

These opponents of the Electoral College also paint a disingenuous picture of the debates at the Constitutional Convention. To say the Electoral College was created to defend slavery, and hence that was what kept our founders from choosing to have the president chosen by a popular national vote, is to assume that otherwise they would have placed the electoral fate of the executive branch in the hands of a simple national plurality. This argument is just a-historical. Indeed, only two delegates proposed such a direct popular election, and their proposals received almost no support at all.

Rather, without the Electoral College, it would be more likely that we would have ended up with Congress electing our presidents, and those presidents would have been limited to one term.

We can, and should, have honest debates about the future of our political institutions. However, those debates should be carried out with a solid and honest knowledge of history and with a prudent eye about whats best for our common future. They should not be pursued with half-truths and spurious attacks dipping back into Americas tragic history of slavery and racism in order to color the debates on our future.

Gary L. Gregg II, holds the Mitch McConnell Chair in Leadership at the University of Louisville and is director of the McConnell Center. He is editor of Securing DemocracyWhy We Have an Electoral College.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.On Mastering the Expressive Qualities of Classical Chinese Dance

MOUNT HOPE, New YorkClassical Chinese dance allows artists to portray a vast array of characters, and a master of the art is able to not just mimic the movements of characters, but to also take on the inner nature of the figure and relate these inner qualities to an audience.

Kenji Kobayashi has dedicated himself to this art. While majoring in the performance arts of classical Chinese dance at Fei Tian College, he has toured with Shen Yun in practicum since 2010 and performs at top theaters around the world. He is the first-prize winner in the adult male division of New Tang Dynasty Televisions 7th International Classical Chinese Dance Competition in 2016.

If you want to convey the feeling or the inner message to move people, you have to dance from your heart, from your mind, and then try to be like that person, that character you act.  Kenji Kobayashi

If you want to convey the feeling or the inner message to move people, you have to dance from your heart, from your mind, and then try to be like that person, that character you act, he said.

Kobayashi is far from being shy, and isnt afraid to go all out while portraying characters. This has been shown in his four years of playing the comedic and expressive character Pigsy, from the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West.

Pigsy is among the more famous characters from Chinese legends, and is defined by his lively, sometimes slapstick style. Kobayashi said the character needs to work in sync with others onstage, particularly the Monkey King, whom he described as almost an older brother figure to Pigsy; and to their master, the Monk Tang Sanzang.

While rehearsing, Kobayashi said that he and the other dancers will try to become their characters and to build these same connections to one another, so that we are harmonized by teamwork, where it feels like actually disciple and master, and a family. You give the feeling of those together.

When the curtains open, Kobayashi said, I dont think I am acting the person. I put myself into the character so I can feel what theyre thinking, what theyre feeling, what it is like to be in this kind of situation, what does he do, and then like I try to synchronize with the character.

Everyone is different, so you have to find the right type of the characteristic to fit in with that character, he said, noting that three men in their 20s, 50s, and 70s will each walk differently, act differently, and even move differently, and that each individual will also have a unique personality and characteristics.

However, if an artist only portrays the surface behaviors of a character, then its only like wearing a costume, Kobayashi said. He said that to go deeper, you have to feel the character from the heart, you have to figure out what theyre feeling, what theyre thinking. To be like him, thats the hard part, but thats the learning process of the character, and it can make yourself more sophisticated in performances from those experiences.

A key part of classical Chinese dance is the refinement of inner bearing, or yun in Chinese, which allows each dancer to find their own unique style. Learning to master the portrayal of a character is a long process, which requires the dancer to both hone their skills and refine their inner bearing.

With this emphasis on character, and the belief that the emotions and inner bearing are reflected in the dance, Kobayashi said: You have to be positive, to try to work hard, uplifting, energetic  through the dancing I learned how to be calm, how to control my emotion, how to be true to myself.

Aggression, or anger, or sadness, those are not your true self. The normal state of your true self is happy, positive, and bright, and noted that to be a good dancer, you start from your true self.

As a classical Chinese dancer, you have to find your true nature, and then to express yourselfyour inner feeling, Kobayashi said. Then, for the acting part and the performing part, you need to be able to fit the character, the dynasty, the feeling; you have to become that kind of feeling or posture.

Each movement in classical Chinese dance has history and meaning. To be able to perfect each movement requires a dancer to grasp its essence, and to show this within the movement. Kobayashi said, Classical Chinese dance has 5,000 years of history. It is a treasure of China.

Not only does each movement and posture contain these deeper qualities, but even the transitions between movements have their own unique traits and are rooted in traditional Chinese concepts such as the Taiji theory of the balance between yin and yang.

Chinese classical dance emphasizes on circle, roundness, so from point to point you cant just go and slash into the next point, you have to go like a half circle, then go to the point, he said, noting that to go right, a dancer must first go left; and to jump, a dancer must first bend their legs and push off the ground. The result is a more harmonious and balanced movement.

There is always the yin and yang, there is always something to prepare before that movement and before that technique, he said, adding that the force we use for dance, the movements, its all natural. Its just how the human body naturally moves.

Through the process of learning Chinese traditions, and studying the characters to portray onstage, Kobayashi said he has developed a deep appreciation for the traditions, which he tries to relay in his performances.

Kobayashi said that when he can achieve a state of compassion and the deeper values at the roots of ancient culturethese values shared by peoplethen the audience can empathize when these positive values are expressed.

Chinese history is really vast, he said. Some people might think it is something of the past, but when you see our performances, I think you will find that true and beautiful essence of humankind and the earth, and the culture and gift that the Divine gave us. It is very glorious and precious.A Chinese woman works in a shop selling locally made wine called baijiu in Maotai, on the Chishui River, in Guizhou Province, China on Sept. 24, 2016. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Popular Chinese Liquor Xifeng Unsafe to Drink as Harmful Chemicals Detected in Tests

Xifeng, one of Chinas four most famous brands of liquor called baijiu, could be unsafe for human consumption, according to test results that showed excessive levels of toxic chemicals.

The product of Shaanxi Xifeng Liquor Group contained plasticizers in amounts that were about three to four times the governments standard for safety. Plasticizers are polymer material additives widely used in the liquor industry, but also found in plastics, concrete, drywall materials, cement, and gypsum. Excessive amounts in food can cause serious damage to the liver, kidneys, and reproductive system. It can cause miscarriages, birth deformities, and even cancer.

The plasticizers are 20 times more toxic than melamine, according to Sun Yixi, a professor at the Institute of Food Research at Taiwan University. In 2008, infant formula tainted with melamine affected 300,000 babies in China; about 54,000 were hospitalized because of kidney damage, and six died in the hospital.

Xifeng Vintage (Xifeng Guodian Fengxiang 50-Year Vintage 2012 edition) failed to meet the standards for two plasticizing-related chemical additivesdiisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP)in a test of three bottles of the liquor. Each bottle was 500 ml, with 60 percent alcohol by volume.

The level of DIBP was 1.44mg/kg, which exceeded the allowable standard of 0.5mg/kg, while DBP was shown to be 1.02mg/kg, well above the standard of 0.3mg/kg, according to a Nov. 7 report by Shanghai International Liquor Trading Center.

Shaanxi Xifeng said the baijiu in question was produced in May 2012, before China had set its standards. The company said that dealers and consumers can exchange the itemwhich has been recalledfor a 1915 vintage Xifeng, which is 55 percent alcohol by volume, or the company will buy it back at the manufacturers price.

Chinas Tencent QQs online news reported that Shaanxi Xifeng is allowing consumers to return the recalled product and get a refund of 308 yuan ($44) per bottle. The consumer can also exchange their baijiu for a new edition for 1,299 yuan ($187). However, baijiu is selling more than 800 yuan ($115) per bottle in the market.

Baijiu is a type of Chinese liquor made from grain. In 1952, the Chinese regime listed its four most famous brands: Fenjiu, Maotai (Moutai), Luzhou Laojiao, and Xifeng. Xifeng is produced in Fengxiang county of western Chinas Shaanxi Province, and made of sorghum, barley, peas, and spring water.

The Xifeng issue isnt an isolated incident, since food safety is a major concern in China, and Shaanxi Xifeng isnt the first baijiu producer to be ensnared in a plasticizer scandal. In November 2012, liquor produced by Jiugui Liquor Company had a DBP content of 1.08mg/kg, well above allowable levels.

At the same time, the China Alcoholic Drinks Association claimed that all the baijiu in Chinas market is affected by the plasticizer issue. And the higher the grade, the higher the content of plasticizers.

The association said in a statement that no plasticizer is generated during the fermentation process. However, the plastic containers, plastic pipes, plastic lids of the alcohol tanks, and the plastic packaging likely all release plasticizer into the baijiu.

Other baijiu makers add tackifier, a chemical with plasticizer content, to their product to make it look better.

Following the melamine infant-formula scandal, gutter oil was discovered to have been used in some restaurants around China.

In addition, farmers are said to use many chemical products on their animals, seafood, and crops.

The Shanghai hairy crab, also called the Chinese mitten crab, is one of Chinas prized delicacies. In September of 2012, The Epoch Times reported that Jiangsu Crab Farm fed their crabs hormones, contraceptive pills, and antibiotics to increase their size boost their price.(L-R) Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe, Director of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Central Commission of the Communist Party of China Yang Jiechi, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Secretary of Defense James Mattis as the U.S.-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue in Washington on Nov. 9, 2016. (Jennifer Zeng/The Epoch Times)

Pressure Needed to Change Chinese Regime, Expert Says

WASHINGTONAfter the U.S.China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue in Washington on Nov. 9 revealed how far apart the two nations remain on vital issues, an expert says the United States and its allies must use all available means to modify the attitudes and behavior of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Joseph Bosco, former China country director of the office of the Secretary of Defense, said that since its creation, the CCP has been dedicated to the defeat of the West, starting with Mao Zedongs wars of national liberation.

Half a century later, the world is even less safe because Communist China has not changed fundamentallyit still sees the West as its implacable enemy, and thanks to many foolish and gratuitous concessions, it is far more powerful than ever, Bosco said.

At the joint press conference following the dialogue on Nov. 9, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, The United States is not pursuing a Cold War or containment policy with China.

Bosco believes that because of the CCPs unchangeable nature, U.S. policy, and that of its allies, must be to use all diplomatic, political, economic, and security pressures to modify the attitudes and behavior of the CCP.

As in the Cold War with the Soviet Union, if that approach also fails, the West must seek not only to contain, but to undermine the Communist regime and assist the Chinese people in removing and replacing it with a moderate, civilized, democratic system, such as exists in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and elsewhere in Asia.

Fundamental Differences

At the joint press conference, while both sides stressed that the dialogue was a productive conversation, on issues such as the South China Sea, Taiwan, and human rights in China, there are still fundamental differences.

When talking about the South China Sea, Pompeo said: I was clear, for example, that we have continued concern about Chinas activities and militarization in the South China Sea. We pressed China to live up to its past commitments in this area.

His counterpart Yang Jiechi, Politburo member and director of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Central Commission of the Communist Party of China, said: China has undertaken some constructions on its islands and reefs. Most of them are civilian facilities. The purpose is to serve the interest of the Chinese people and also to provide public goods to others.

At the same time, it is necessary for China to build certain security facilities in response to possible threats from outside.  Theres no such a problem of the freedom of navigation and overflight being obstructed, so to use the freedom of navigation and overflight as an excuse to pursue military actions is unjustifiable.

When talking about Taiwan, Pompeo said, Regarding our strong ties with a democratic Taiwan, I reiterated the U.S. policy has not changed and that we are concerned about Chinas increasing efforts to coerce others, constraining Taiwans international space.

Yang said: Taiwan independent forces and their separatist activities pose the biggest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. should recognize it clearly.

Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe elaborated on Yangs point, saying that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.

To achieve the unification of China is one of the historical missions of our party and our country, Wei said. If Taiwan is split from China, we will defend Chinas unification with all means possible and at any cost, just as the U.S. did in the Civil War.

When talking about human rights, Pompeo said, I stated the United States and the international communities will continue to express our concerns with respect to Chinas repression of religious groupsChristian, Buddhists, and 800,000 to possibly millions of Muslims who have been denied their freedoms.

Yang offered a different view: In China, people have the freedom to believe or not believe in religion. They are all Chinese citizens. Their human rights have been fully respected and protected. It is our hope that the United States could respect the fact.

He said, Matters related to Xinjiang are Chinas internal affairs. Foreign countries have no right to interfere.

No Compromise

Boscos takeaway from those differences is that the United States and its allies must be much more upfront and transparent in supporting human rights in China.

Compromising our basic principles, our very identity as a country, so as not to offend the feelings of the Chinese peoplei.e., the fears of the Communist leadersis self-defeating, both morally and strategically, Bosco said.

The outrageous cultural genocide of the Uyghur and Tibetan peoplestaking place before the eyes of the worldis a historic turning point for the West in its dealings with the Peoples Republic of China. We should seize the opportunity to make human rights in China a major cause for the world. If there is moral and political unity, the CCP cannot retaliate against all.

President Donald Trump has recently expressed strong opposition to socialism. Yang said in the joint press conference, The Chinese side stresses that China is firm on pursuing socialistsocialism with Chinese characteristics.

Yang then stressed the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the CCPs commitment to a community with a shared future for mankind. Both of these terms are interpreted as the CCPs intention to promote and spread its China model to the world.

There is no doubt U.S. credibility on all the major issues challenging the US-China relationship has been enhanced under the Trump administration, Bosco said. But the U.S. position must be sustained unrelentingly in the face of constant PRC pressure to weaken it by a combination of bribes, threats, flattery, and other inducements.

With the team that the president has put in place, there is reason for confidence, but the greatest tests lie ahead, he added.A World War I army re-enactor marches in the nation's largest Veterans Day Parade in New York City on Nov. 11, 2015. Following the end of World War I, a U.S. Army general, Harry Hill Bandholtz, helped to keep the peace in Hungary, preventing the National Museum from being looted by Romanian soldiers. He was part of a long tradition of U.S. peacekeeping.(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Reflecting on the US as Worlds Peacekeeper

Commentary

Should you ever find yourself in Budapest, Hungary, take the time to visit the Szabadsag ter (Liberty Square), a park lying across from the U.S. Embassy.

There, you will find a statue of a U.S. Army officer facing the embassy. His posture is stiff and erect. His arms are folded behind his back. His face radiates determination and the certainty of absolute command.

Should you be a history buff, you may recognize his uniform as that of an officer during the World War I era. A plaque on the base of the statue reads, in part, I simply carried out the instructions of my government, as I understood them, as an officer and a gentleman of the United States Army.

The officer depicted and quoted is Brigadier General Harry Hill Bandholtz.

As the world paused on Nov. 11 to recognize the 100th anniversary of the end of World War Iwhat was arguably the bloodiest war in human history and more consequential to the growth or decline of Western civilization than any other single event in modern timesits fitting that we should remember Bandholtz and the peacemaker/justice arbiter role he played at the end of that conflict.

In many ways, Bandholtzs legacy, and that of so many others who proceeded and followed him, is what makes the United States armed forces, the men and women who serve, and their mission so unique in a troubled world.

Keeping the Peace

One of the tragedies of our time is that the term police officer has assumed a sinister connotation among great swaths of our populace today. We cant universally beatify every individual law enforcement official any more than we could any other segment of the population. Yet, we are a nation governed by laws, and those who strive to enforce those laws, occasionally imperfectly, deserve our respect and gratitude.

The same principle applies to those who serve abroad in uniform. While we often think about our military in terms of the conflicts they are sometimes engaged in, thats not the norm. The norm is that they serve in peacekeeping roles whenever they are stationed, far from home.

If not nearly as personally terrifying as combat, I imagine that role is more challengingin different waysand often requires a degree of thoughtful finesse and a different sort of courage that is far removed from the needs or the rigors of combat.

Its almost impossible to overestimate how badly World War I devastated Europe. Using the United Kingdom as just one example, combat losses approached 900,000 by the time the war ended. On a percentage basis, thats equivalent to 6.5 million Americans perishing in battle today. The story was the same in almost every European nation that participated in the carnage.

Europe, in the days following World War I, was a continent in shock, full of fear, resentment, sorrow, and anger. Many wondered if it would ever recover.

Against this backdrop, consider the position of the U.S. military participating in post-war occupation duties.

Compared to what happened to the great powers in Europe, U.S. losses were relatively lightalthough the families of the 53,402 American soldiers, sailors, and Marines who perished in combat would rightly take exception to that characterization. Still, it is human nature to look down upon those who havent suffered as much as you, even if they have in fact suffered.

This is the position that Bandholtz found himself in on Oct. 5, 1919. He was serving in Budapest as one of four generals (English, French, Italian, and American) that led the Inter-Allied Control Commission. Hungary, as part of Austria-Hungary, was allied with Germany in World War I, and, thus, was part of the losing side. Romanian troops occupied much of Hungary, Romania having allied itself with the victorious side.

The job of the Control Commission was to supervise the peaceful withdrawal of Romanian troops from Hungary. Understandably embittered by the brutality of four years of war, the Romanians decided they were entitled to some recompense before they withdrew. Urged on by their commanding general, Romanian troops prepared to loot the Hungarian National Museum and take its treasures back to their home country.

Bandholtz, who was serving as president of the day of the Commission when the crisis blossomed, didnt hesitate. Armed only with his riding crop, he confronted the would-be looters andby force of personality and moral certainty alonepersuaded them to withdraw.

A grateful Hungarian people erected a statue to Bandholtz in 1936, placing it in the park where it faced the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. Placed in storage during the Soviet occupation of Hungary, the statue was restored to its rightful place in July 1989.

Bandholtz didnt create the idea that the United States ought to be an equitable peacekeeper after hostilities cease. Bandholtz wasnt the first U.S. warrior to value duty above personal safety. He followed and continued a tradition of which every American should be proud.

Is the United States the worlds peacekeeper? Its a question often asked in derisive tones by detractors. My response: Yes, we are, and were proud to serve until somebody else comes along. Just ask Harry Hill Bandholtz.

Richard Trzupek is a chemist and environmental consultant as well as an analyst at The Heartland Institute. He is also the author of Regulators Gone Wild: How the EPA Is Ruining American Industry.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.Resolution to Stop Cold Genocide Starts Conversation in Americas Largest Medical Association

WASHINGTONA resolution aimed at preventing organ transplant operations from becoming a profitable tool in a cold genocide  was presented at an annual meeting of the American Medical Association in Washington on Nov. 11.

Supporters hope that the medical community can follow the example of the U.S. Congress, which has passed a resolution calling for a stop to forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience.

The resolution was submitted to the AMA by the Medical Society of the District of Columbia. It calls for the following:

Transplant surgeons, especially those who come to the United States for training in transplant surgery, must agree to the AMAs Ethical Guidelines, and that American medical and hospital institutions not be complicit in any ethical violations or conflicts of interest; An independent, interdisciplinary, transparent investigation must be conducted into Chinas organ transplantation practices; The U.S. government must protect the large number of transplant tourists by implementing legislation that would blacklist countries that do not meet the same transparency and ethical standards practiced in the United States.

Presenting the resolution to a reference committee, Joseph Gutierrez, chair of the Medical Society of the District of Columbias delegation to the American Medical Association, said, We are very concerned with the increasing reports, out of China being particular, regarding forced organ harvesting for transplantation.

According to the investigative report  Bloody Harvest/The Slaughter-An Update,  released by investigators David Kilgour, David Matas, and Ethan Gutmann in 2016, the organ transplant industry in China performs 60,000 to 100,000 organ transplants per year, and the Chinese Communist Party engages in the mass killings of innocents, primarily practitioners of the spiritually-based set of exercises, Falun Gong, but also Uyghurs, Tibetans, and select House Christians, in order to obtain organs for transplants.

Gutierrez said a big problem is that the American public and medical community still dont have a broad knowledge of the seriousness of the forced organ harvesting issue, and media coverage is lacking.

Raymond Scalettar, a clinical professor at George Washington University Medical Center and former chair of the American Medical Association Board of Trustees, said in support of the resolution: This is a very important resolution on what is being called cold genocide. The AMA has a significant representation at the World Medical Association. Hopefully, they can go forward and explore what else they can do in order to end this cold genocide.

Referring to the resolution as seriously important, Scalettar said: We want these transplant ethics to be unanimous throughout all countries, not just the United States. And we think the Chinese government also needs to comply.

Dr. Torsten Trey, executive director of the nonprofit Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH), said to the committee, The world saw medical abuse during the Holocaust, but it has never seen a genocide in which organs were systematically harvested and used for a profitable transplant business.

Resolution 210 provides an opportunity to establish global leadership in ethics. The U.S. Congress passed House Resolution 343 calling for an end to forced organ harvesting in China, and the medical profession should do no less to stop this transplant abuse.

Dr. Weldon Gilcrease, deputy director of DAFOH, said it was very important to start the conversation, to have people be aware of the atrocities that are occurring in China.

It is very easy to understand forced organ harvesting as black market organ harvesting, which are very different, Gilcrease said. Forced organ harvesting is systematic. It is carried out at the governmental level, with the medical institutions doing the work of government.

Gilcrease said that because of a lack of information, the American public and medical community are at risk of becoming part of the problem. We have real concern for complicity in two settings. We have complicity in our patients going to China to get an unethically sourced organ, as well as our training of Chinese that they return to China and are involved in forced organ harvesting.Spains Planned Minimum Wage Hike Decried by Business Community, Opposition

BARCELONAFor some, the Spanish governments plan to increase the minimum wage by a whopping 22 percent is a sign of economic recovery after the drawn-out economic nightmare the country had to grapple with following the 2008 world financial crisis.

But the opposition, business community, and even the head of the countrys central bank are warning that the plan by leftist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to increase the minimum wage to 900 euros ($1,010) a month from 735.9 euros ($826) would lead to job losses in a country that saw unemployment rates top the 25 percent mark during the crisis.

Last week, Pablo Hernandez de Cos, governor of Spains central bank, told reporters that the wage increase would mean a loss of 150,000 jobs, or 0.8 percent of the countrys workforce.

Pablo Casado, leader of the conservative Peoples Party, has labeled Sanchezs 2019 budgetwhich calls for the wage increase and hikes in taxes and spendingeconomically suicidal, according to the Financial Times.

If the rise is not gradualdone over some timethere may be a risk of job destruction, said Joan Ramon Rovira, director of economics studies at the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, adding that those who would be impacted most are unskilled workers and small companies that cant afford the additional labor costs.

The European Commission has also estimated significant job losses will result after the minimum wage hikes, saying that the potential number of jobs that could be created from 2019 to 2020 would be reduced by up to 80,000 due to the rise. The EU has raised concerns that Spain may be deviating from the blocs fiscal requirements, and asked Madrid for more information on its budget. However, Sanchezs administration is maintaining that the government is on course to reduce the national deficit.

The minimum wage increase has its supporters, especially among workers unions. Currently, Spain is in the mid-range of minimum wages in Europe, which range from around $200 to around $2,000.

The measure is not only positive, but also necessary, said Nuria Gilgado, secretary of trade union policy at General Workers Union in the Spanish region of Catalonia. During the crisis, workers lost purchasing power and now is the time to raise salaries, she said. In fact, Gilgado says the government should take its pay increase further, setting the monthly minimum at 1,000 euros ($1,125).

The financial crisis that hit Spain in 2008 lasted until 2014, during which the countrys GDP was reduced by around 9 percent, and the unemployment rate reached its highest level in 2013 at 27 percent. Since 2013-2014, Spains GDP has been experiencing growth, and the unemployment rate is currently around 15 percent.

Passing the Budget

The governing Spanish Socialist Workers Partys budget still needs to be approved by the parliament, but that may pose a challenge.

To pass the budget, Sanchezwhose party holds just 84 seats out of 350 in the parliamentwould need to seek support from Catalan separatist parties. However, the pro-independence parties hold grievances of their own against Sanchez, since several of their leaders are either detained or in exile.A woman looks at goods on an electronic screen at a T-Mall exhibition during the Singles Day shopping festival in Shanghai on November 11, 2017. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Taiwan Legislator: Mainland Chinese E-Commerce Dumping a Threat to National Security

A staggering 80 percent of 38 million packages entering Taiwan in 2017 came from mainland China, raising concerns about e-commerce dumping on a scale that endangers the self-governing islands national security.

Chen Ying, a lawmaker in the Republic of China (Taiwanese) Legislative Yuan affiliated with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), warned that Chinese merchants were impacting local industries and markets via planned dumping strategies.

At the same time, Chinese-made products linked to the internet of things (IoT) can pose security risks by sending information back to Chinese receivers.

In 2014, Taiwan received 17.4 million mail packages, less than half the figure in 2017. Of that total, 31.84 million packages came from mainland China. Of almost 2,000 parcels found to be in violation of local ordinances, all except one package from Vietnam were found to have originated in China, according to the Customs Administration, an agency operated by Taiwans Ministry of Finance.

Taobao.com, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group, is currently the largest e-commerce platform in China. After its chairman Ma Yun announced his retirement, however, its leadership has been turned over to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Chen said.

This September, Taobao began opening stores in Taiwan and plans to open 500,000 online stores. The Chinese regime has also begun subsidies for cross-border Chinese e-commerce providers, which Chen says is part of the CCPs strategy to use dumping to undermine Taiwan.

Chen said that China had weaponized its burgeoning online shopping industry, to flood Taiwan with cheap and duty-free goods. This has impacted the wholesale and retail industries in Taiwan, as well as other sectors. She also expressed concerns about Chinese products, which could aid the Chinese regime in spying on Taiwan.

The U.S. government has similar concerns about risks associated with products in the internet of thing (IoT), as laid out in a recent report published by the U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission.

The report explained in great detail how the Chinese regime has prioritized development of IoT technology as an objective for its national interests and financially supported the domestic industry. These give Chinese IoT technology economic advantages that could allow it to spy on consumers, gain military innovations, and unfairly edge out U.S. IoT companies.

China is also actively researching IoT vulnerabilities, both for security purposes and almost certainly to collect intelligence, conduct network reconnaissance for cyberattacks, and enhance its domestic surveillance powers, the report said. Not only can Chinese companies access U.S. data from users who purchased Chinese-made devices, they can also buy up U.S. IoT companies and the data they possessor buy U.S. data from a third-party vendor.

Beijing also has broad powers to demand domestic and foreign companies operating in China hand over customer data.

There have been numerous cases of Chinese companies making products that can be remotely accessed or were later found to be secretly collecting data and sending them to servers in China.

In 2017, for example, more than 175,000 IoT cameras around the world produced by Shenzhen Neo Electronics Co. Ltd. were found to be remotely accessible.

In 2013, Russian customs agents found Chinese-made kettles and irons containing WiFi chips that could search for unsecured WiFi networks and phone home to grant access.

At the end, the report offered recommendations to the U.S. government to create trade measures that can prevent China from using their economic advantages to continue dominating the IoT market.

Chen Ying urged the Taiwanese government to investigate overseas e-commerce platforms, and protect the rights of Taiwanese consumers and businesses. She said that existing controls on foreign packages entering Taiwan are insufficient, and advocates transactions and shipments be registered on a real name basis.Some things you may want to know before you serve up your turkey this year. (Shutterstock)

Thanksgiving Dinner: One Turkey, Three Families, Three Ways

At any Thanksgiving table across the country, youre likely to find the usual suspects: turkey, a glistening centerpiece, joined by stuffing and a motley cast of sides. But look more closely, and singularities will arise: a soy sauce glaze on one bird, oysters tucked into anothers stuffing, miso butter melted into the mashed potatoes that accompany a third.

On this American holiday, we feast on foods as varied as the cultural fabric of America itself.

Here, three chefs from three backgrounds share the family dishes and traditions that make their Thanksgivings taste and feel uniquely their own. They prove that even a classic turkey dinner can take on countless faces. (The secret, it seems, lies in the stuffing.)

A Sticky Rice Stuffing From Vietnam



Helene An

Founder and master chef, House of An and Crustacean Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills, California

When Helene An fled from Vietnam to America during the Vietnam war, she took with her family recipes that were near and dear to her heart. One of them was her mothers sticky rice stuffing, which has found its place at the literal center of a new tradition: Thanksgiving turkey.

The Dish: This dish was inspired by my mothers sticky rice-stuffed roast game hen recipe from when I was a child in Vietnam. It was one of my fathers favorite dishes. The sticky rice stuffing recipe was passed down from my mother, and I am now passing it on to my daughters. My mother made this dish to make new memories in a new country after we moved to the United States.

In this recipe, I use turkey instead of a hen to embrace the American Thanksgiving. It became such a huge hit with family and friends that, when we launched An Catering, it became a classic holiday menu item for not only us, but for many other families in Los Angeles. That is a special feeling, to know that something you put so much love into is also being served for other families.

This dish is special to my family because it represents our Vietnamese history, blended with our American life now. It pays tribute to my mother and represents the flavors of the authentic Vietnamese cuisine that have been in my family for generations.

The Scene: I am lucky enough to have five daughters, so Thanksgiving has always been a big family affair. My daughters usually bring desserts, and I make homemade ice cream to complement the various dessert dishes.

Thanksgiving is a time for our growing family to come together, catch up with one another, and share stories over great food. In Asian culture, its common for family stories and traditions to be passed down orally, and its something we truly cherish, to preserve our legacy and share with the next generations of the An family.

We make sure that everyone puts away their cell phones, in order to truly embrace these times with family when were all under one roof. After all, its story-sharing times like these that [allow us] to pass down the An family secret kitchen recipes throughout the generations. And as our family grows, so do new traditions, as we learn about other cultures that have married into the family.

RECIPE: Turkey Stuffed With Sticky Rice

Consider the Oyster

Chris Stam

Executive chef, db Bistro Moderne

New York City

Back when oysters nearly paved the coasts of New England, the abundant and inexpensive shellfish made it into dishes from soups and stews to pieseven turkey stuffing. Chris Stam, a New England native, pays tribute to this American tradition with his own.

The Dish: Most Thanksgivings, we just do the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, all that stuff. But every once in a while, my family will put together, for the turkey, an oyster stuffing.

I grew up in New England, right outside of Boston, and one side of my family is from Marthas Vineyard. We grew up right on the water. My family has a shellfish license, and every year wed go out and we would go clamming, to make big stuffed quahogs and pick up bay scallops. Occasionally, at the right time of year, you can go out into the oyster beds and get Katama Bay oysters.

You bring them back and its like making any other stuffing: sauteed vegetables, breading, a little bit of celery root instead of celery to give it a little bit more sweetness. You put a little spice in it, like Tabasco, and then when its all done, you fold into it the shucked, chopped oysters and put it inside the bird.

Its not like youre eating a seafood dish. It just comes across really savory. You get a little oceanic flavor from the oysters, but its more just a nice meatiness that you get from them, more than anything. We get a little creative with it sometimesstout and oysters is a pairing from way, way back.

People have a misconception of what an oyster is or was, naturally. These were abundant creatures, back in the day, that you could feed your family with. Some of them could grow up to a foot and a half long, not just like the little things we eat now. In the middle of winter, when all the animals were sleeping and hiding, they were right there, so they helped people get through the harsh winters in New England. Its up to debate, but Im standing by that the original Thanksgiving turkey had oyster stuffing in it.

The Scene: I come from a pretty small family. Growing up, it was just my mom, my dad, and my brother, and my aunt and uncle would come, so itd be the six of us at Thanksgiving. Now, its a little differentmy brothers a little older, hes married and has two kids, so there are a few more mouths to feed at the table.

My brother will design a specialty cocktail every single Thanksgiving. When we all arrive, hell start shaking up a cocktail for a cocktail hour with the family, and usually somebody will make a round of little appetizerscanapes, big stuffed mushrooms, dumplings, spring rolls. Whoevers house it is, is in charge of the turkey; whoevers house its not, is in charge of the sides.

My aunt Kathy always brings the dessert, because shes the baker in the family. She changes it every single year; shes not one to stick with just one presentation. My fathers father was a baker, and he had a recipe for a pumpkin cheesecake that we have every year. Thats something thats really special to our family that we do every year, to the point where my dad begs us not to, and we tell him no.

They try not to make me cook too much, which I appreciate. They do what they can with the food, and then its usually like, Hey Chris, go in there and fix what we did. I appreciate it, though, because thats part of the experience, too. I get to hang out with them and I get to teach them things. I know its a rare opportunity for a son to be able to teach his father or mother something, so I guess Im lucky in that way.

For us, its just really a time to catch up with each other. Were all so busy, my brother has a new family, Im down in New York, theyre all still up in New England. Its just kind of the rare opportunity to slow down and be together as a family, because we did grow up with a small family, and Im really close with everybody. Obviously, they get to spend more time with each other than I do, but when I do get to go and participate, its really, really special for me, and I hope its special for them.

RECIPE: Oyster Stuffing With Apple, Celery Root, and Guinness

For New Yorkers outsourcing Thanksgiving dinner this year, db Bistro Moderne will be offering a special holiday menu.

An Italian-American Feast

Donatella Arpaia

Iron Chef judge and founder, Prova Pizzabar

New York City

Italian meets American in Donatella Arpaias Italian sausage stuffing, created by her parents when they came to the United States over 50 years ago.

The Dish: Every person tends to bring their own cultural heritage to Thanksgiving. Instead of the traditional bread stuffing, my parents created a sausage mushroom risotto stuffing, using Arborio rice and wild ricecombining the Italian rice with the whole American harvest rice. Youre kind of taking the base of risotto, but also adding harvest wild rice, and then all the juices from the turkey.

This is a dish that my mom and dad created here. They were born in Italy, and they created this original dish that I grew up with, that now I make as well for Thanksgiving. Weve been doing this ever since I was a child, so its the only stuffing Ive had. With Thanksgiving being such an American holiday, this is very much my parents twist on itand it happens to be really delicious, most importantly.

I was born in the United States, but I spent every summer in Italy, in my moms birthplace, Bari, and Naples, my fathers. Ive always felt like I had one foot in the New World and one in the Old World. My summers spent in Italy absolutely affect my cooking style, and everything about my food sensibility comes from there.

What I love about this dish is it absolutely reflects my upbringing: I was this American girl that grew up in Long Island, but with my roots and my summers in Italy, I relate to both worlds. The dish kind of reflects me, the two cultures and roots.

The Scene: When I was young, everyone came to my familys little home, and we used to set up in the basement for 30 to 35 people. When you get older, it kind of diminishes. But now that I have my own homeand we traditionally do it in my home in Connecticutits grown again to 30 to 35. The amount of people keeps growing.

Its obscene amounts of food, and its a bunch of Italians. Its a great day of all-day eating festivities, with a bunch of Italians discussing the food at length. Everyones a chef, and everyone has large opinions looming around. Everyones an Iron Chef judge in my family, it seems, everyones a criticmy husband thinks its hysterical.

But I love it. I grew up with the big family Thanksgiving, and Christmas is huge, too. I love to host it at my home. Its what its all about.

And I dont know what it is, but especially with the holidays, I end up doing all the dishes that I grew up with. There have been times where Ive tried to do something different and break the mold, but everyone, including me, is like, No, but I miss Mommys mushrooms  Its part of our sense history of childhood, and I think everyone has that in common. You have a certain taste or whiff of something and it brings you back to your childhood, and memories of parents, or people that are no longer with us.

I think thats what the holidays are part of. I think the food and the smells really bring back so many memories for so many people, and I think thats whats very special about Thanksgiving. Its really important, now that Im a mom, that I pass on these traditions. And I do.

RECIPE: Mushroom and Sausage Rice Stuffing

Interviews have been edited for clarity and brevity.The eternal flame of the Tomb of the Unknown soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris, during the Armistice Day commemorations marking the end of WWI (World War One) on Nov. 11, 2017. ( JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images)

The Centenary of the WWI Armistice

Nov. 11 this year marks the centenary of the 1918 Armistice, following the Great War triggered by the assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand in 1914.

Researcher Patrick Chovanec of the New York Review of Books Daily views the war as a portal between an older, more distant worlda world of kings with handlebar mustaches, splendid uniforms, and cavalry chargesand the world that we know todayof planes and tanks, mass political movements.

It extinguished ancient monarchies in czarist Russia, Habsburg Austria, and Ottoman Turkey. The British declared their intent to create a national homeland in Palestine for Jews. New nations emerged and continue to shape our world today Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

Read More A Time For Remembrance

Women brought into the workforce won the right to vote. Hardships inflicted by the unimaginably brutal war prompted the worlds first Communist revolutioncausing many to turn to far-right authoritarians in Italy and then Germany. The worlds deadliest epidemicthe 1918 influenza viruskilled from 50100 million people, more than both World Wars combined.

Emperor Karl l of Austria, heir to both the throne and an unwanted war after Ferdinands assassination, was a tragic figure. Aware that Austria-Hungarys entry into the war (having brought it about) could undo the empire, he tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a separate peace with the allies. Reforming the army, he banned flogging, ended duels, called a halt to strategic bombing, and limited the use of poison gas.

Foreseeing the dismantling of his empire, Karl renounced his constitutional powers. He then surprisingly refused to abdicate and was forced to seek exile in Switzerland in 1919 with the assistance of the British. The last of the Austro-Hungarian emperors, he died in poverty in Madeira in 1922 at the age of 34.

Other young leaders emerged. T.E. Lawrence was a scholarly intelligence officer whose affinity for the Arabs helped turn them to the Allied cause and shaped the modern Middle East.

Benito Mussolini, an anti-war journalist, did an about-face and urged Italy to enter the war.

Charles De Gaulle, wounded at Verdun, was taken prisoner.

Winston Churchill planned the disastrous Gallipoli campaign and paid by serving in the trenches.

Harry S. Truman served as an artillery officer on the Western Front, alongside George C. Marshall and Douglas MacArthur.

Hermann Goring was a dashing flying ace, while Erwin Rommel won renown fighting at Verdun and in the Alps.

Chovanec also notes, an odd young German corporal, (Adolf Hitler), who volunteered in the very first days of the war, was blinded by poison gas in its final days, and woke up in hospital to the bitter news that Germany had lost.

It was a war of endurance. In winter, fighting de-escalated as countries sought to make their food last. The turnip winter of 1916-1917 almost broke Germany; desperate craving for bread and peace broke Russia.

Herbert Hoover coordinated food relief shipments to Allied armies and populations. By 1918, Germany and its confederates, strangled by an Allied naval blockade, were on the verge of starvation.

The Allies fought an evenly-matched enemy on the Western Front, while the Eastern Front gradually crumbled. The Allied foray to take out Turkey at Gallipoli in 1915 ended very badly, as did inducing Italy to enter the war on the Allies side.

After seizing power in Russia in 1917, Lenin removed it from the war and ceded land and resources to German control. The Kaisers Battle, in 1918 drove deep into Allied lines, forcing the French government to evacuate Paris.

By the summer, American units helped to push the Germans back. The German, Turkish, Austrian, and Bulgarian armies collapsed. By Nov. 11, 2018, it was over.

Armistice was declared on the Western Front. However, Germany, Austria, and Hungary plunged into revolution and civil war.

In Russia, the Soviet regime tried to reconquer territory surrendered when it quit the war against Germany.

Greeks tried to reclaim Constantinople from Turks, only to be massacred after the Turks reconsolidated their country.

Poles fought wars with Ukrainians and Soviets to define the boundaries of their newly independent country.

Jews and Arabs continue to fight over the lands liberated from the Ottoman Empire.

Over 16 million people died in WWl. More than 640,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders fought. Many of us on both sides have ancestors who, in their early twenties or even younger, fought and diedmowed down in France, or Turkey, or Italy, or at sea.

Feeling that their very ways of life were at stake, they believed strongly in what they were fighting for. Unfortunately, the victors soon insisted on reparations from the defeated nations, which were so demanding that they led to conditions which gave rise to WWII.

David Kilgour, a lawyer by profession, served in Canadas House of Commons for almost 27 years. In Jean Chretiens Cabinet, he was secretary of state (Latin America and Africa) and secretary of state (Asia-Pacific). He is the author of several books and co-author with David Matas of Bloody Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for Their Organs.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13) Sexual harassment is realbe it in and out of the Philippine pageant scene.

More beauty queens have come forward with personal stories about sexual harassment. This comes in the wake of a recent controversy that hounded the Miss Earth organization. One of the sponsors allegedly asked for sexual favors from some candidates.

Former Miss International representatives Bea Rose Santiago and Mariel de Leon took to social media to express their opinions on the matter.

Santiago, who was crowned in 2013, said sexual harassment is not new in beauty competitions.

In a Facebook post Sunday, Santiago recounted personal stories of harassment from different people-from businessmen to even priests.

"I was molested when I was a child by a priest. He is still preaching somewhere in Masbate... I was once touched inappropriately by a well known businessman. This guy is a well known CEO of a big company (companies pa nga e) he even organized parties for girls who didn't win with his friends," she wrote.

De Leon, Miss International 2017 bet, also tossed in her two cents, saying it is "never okay to blame the victim."

"It doesn't matter what she is doing, where she is, what state she is in, and it especially doesn't matter what she is wearing. No is no," she added.

The Miss Earth controversy became viral when three candidates publicly shared their unfortunate experiences with the alleged harasser-sponsor, a certain Amado Cruz, during the competition.

Miss Earth-Canada Jaime Yvonne Vandenberg, Miss Earth-England Abbey-Anne Gyles-Brown, and Miss Earth-Guam Emma Mae Sheedy also decried the lack of support from the organization, saying concerned authorities did not act on their complaints.

Lorraine Schuck, founder and executive vice president of the production outfit that runs the pageant, said they will ban the alleged sponsor from the pageant's future events.The Rosenstein Memo

News Analysis

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller on May 17, 2017, as special counsel to investigate Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election and related matters.

Rosenstein, on Aug. 2, 2017, secretly issued Mueller a revised Scope of Investigation & Definition of Authority memo that remains heavily redacted. The full purpose of this memo remains unknown.

The majority of the memos body is redacted with only one section, relating to the former chairman of the Trump presidential campaign, Paul Manafort, unclassified:

Allegations that Paul Manafort:

 Committed a crime or crimes by colluding with Russian government officials with respect to the Russian governments efforts to interfere with the 2016 election for President of the United States, in violation of United States law;

 Committed a crime or crimes arising out of payments he received from the Ukrainian government before and during the tenure of President Viktor Yanukovych.

The Aug. 2 Rosenstein memo was made public as a result of the Manafort trial. Manafort challenged the validity of Rosensteins appointment of special counsel Mueller, while also arguing that Muellers prosecution fell outside the scope of the special counsel jurisdiction.

On April 2, the Mueller team filed a response to Manaforts motion to dismiss the indictment against him:

The Acting Attorney General has specifically confirmed to the Special Counsel in an Aug. 2, 2017, memorandum that allegations that Manafort committed a crime or crimeswere within the scope of the [special counsels] Investigation at the time of [his] Appointment and are within the scope of the [Appointment] Order.

The existence of the August memo was an entirely new disclosure. Up to that point, we knew only of the original May 2017 appointment document.

The contents of the Rosenstein memo remain classified and most, including members of Congress, dont know what is contained within the redacted sections.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announces the indictment of 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian organizations for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections at the Justice Department on Feb. 16, 2018. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

But one individual has seen the unredacted version: U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, who presided over the Manafort trial. He received a copy on May 17, 2018.

On May 4, 2018, prior to seeing the unredacted version of the Rosenstein memo, Ellis rebuked the Mueller teams April response to Manaforts motion, noting, If I look at the indictment, none of that information has anything to do with links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of Donald Trump.

Judge Ellis continued:

I think youve already conceded appropriately that this investigation that has led to this indictment long antedated the appointment of a special prosecutor; that it doesnt have anything to do with Russia or the campaignso that the defendant will turn and provide information on what is really the focus of the special prosecutor.

The prosecution then raised the issue of the Aug. 2, 2017, Rosenstein memorandum, which prompted this exchange:

Ellis: Yes. I have that right here, and Im glad you raised it because 75 percent of it is blocked out, redacted. Why dont I have a full copy of it?

Mueller team prosecutor Michael Dreeben: The only paragraphs that are pertinent to Mr. Manafort are the ones that are contained in this record.

Heres a crucial fact: Everything that remains redacted and classified in the Rosenstein memo relates to individuals and events other than Manafort.

Ellis then began his push to see the Rosenstein memo in full, noting, If any part of it is classified, it wont surprise you to know that a district judge is fully cleared.

The Mueller team highlighted the sensitivity of the classified information, stating, In the context of a confidential, sensitive counterintelligence investigation that involves classified information, it would not make any sense for that information to be conveyed publicly.

Paul Manafort arrives for a hearing at US District Court in Washington on June 15, 2018. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Ellis began to focus on the governments claims, observing, Youre making a big deal out of it being a classified kind of thing. If thats in any way relevant to his defense  Id like to have notice of it.

The Mueller team tried to elaborate on their position:

Its not appropriate for the government to disclose specific subjects of an investigation when those matters may never result in a charge and when they could jeopardize ongoing criminal investigations, as well as reveal national-security matters.

But Ellis made clear his concerns:

You dont really care about Mr. Manaforts bank fraud. You really care about what information Mr. Manafort can give you that would reflect on Mr. Trump or lead to his prosecution or impeachment or whatever. Thats what youre really interested in.

Ellis later questioned the shift of other investigations, including those of Washington lobbyist Tony Podesta and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, to the Southern District of New York, sarcastically paraphrasing the prosecutions reasoning for the handoff:

Were not interested in it because we cant use this to further our core effort, which is to get to Trump?

Ellis appeared particularly concerned throughout the hearing that the Mueller team was ultimately focused on finding leverage to use against President Donald Trump.

On May 17, Ellis received an unredacted copy of the Rosenstein memo. The Mueller team provided the unredacted memorandum under seal with the U.S. District Courts Eastern District of Virginia.

On June 26, Ellis ruled on Manaforts dismissal motion and the validity of the Rosenstein memo. It was a resounding victory for the Mueller team and a notable reversal of Elliss initial thoughts on May 4:

The August 2 Scope Memorandum reflects that the Special Counsel was acting within his authority when he sought and obtained the Superseding Indictment against defendant in February 2018.

Ellis continued:

The record makes clear that the Acting Attorney General [Rosenstein] has required the Special Counsel to consult with the Acting Attorney General before investigating matters that might fall under the May 17 Appointment Order. Specifically, the August 2 Scope Memorandum identifies specific factual matters to be investigated by the Special Counsel.

Notably, the August 2 Scope Memorandum limits the Special Counsels ability to investigate additional matters that otherwise may have arisen or may arise directly from the Investigation by requiring the Special Counsel to consult [the Acting Attorney General] for a determination of whether such matters should be within the scope of [the special counsels] authority.

The Acting Attorney General has required the Special Counsel to follow the procedures for gaining additional jurisdiction should the Special Counsel wish to exercise the authority set out in [the May 17 Appointment Order].

Special Counsel Investigation

The special counsel investigation is a continuation of the FBIs probe of Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential election and any potential links or coordination between the Russian government and President Trumps campaign organization. This was confirmed by Ellis in his ruling:

On May 17, 2017, Acting Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein appointed Robert S. Mueller, III as Special Counsel  and authorized Mueller to conduct the investigation confirmed by then-FBI Director James B. Comey in testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on March 20, 2017.

Comey noted in his memos that he informed Trump at least three separate times that he wasnt the subject of the FBI investigation that was later assumed by Mueller. He did so in 2017 on Jan. 6, Jan. 28, and March 30.

Then-FBI Director James Comey answers questions at a press conference in New York City on Dec. 16, 2015. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

During a March 30, 2017, phone call with Trump, Comey also noted he had briefed the leadership on exactly what we were doing and who we were investigating. Comey noted he had told him we werent investigating him and that I had told Congressional leadership the same thing.

That congressional leadership briefing likely took place on March 15, 2017, as noted in a Jan. 4 memo from Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa):

In response to the Committees inquiries, the Chairman and Ranking Member received a briefing on March 15, 2017, from then-Director James B. Comey, Jr.

[redacted] That briefing addressed the Russia investigation, the FBIs relationship with [former UK spy Christopher] Steele, and the FBIs reliance on Mr. Steeles dossier in two applications it filed for surveillance under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

Then, on March 17, 2017, the Chairman [Grassley] and Ranking Member [Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)] were provided copies of the two relevant FISA applications, which requested authority to conduct surveillance of Carter Page. Both relied heavily on Mr. Steeles dossier claims, and both applications were granted by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).

On March 17, 2017, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) received a Classified Document [which] contained both SECRET and TOP SECRET information, including SECRET-level information regarding the identity and activities of the individual referred to in this Indictment as Male-1.

The classified document almost certainly refers to the FISA applications received by the Senate Judiciary Committee on the same day. Comey would have also briefed SSCI leadership on the Russia investigation at or around the same time as he briefed Grassley and Feinstein.

Acting Attorney General

On Nov. 7, at the presidents request, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was replaced on an acting basis by Matthew G. Whitaker, who had been Sessionss chief of staff.

While Rosenstein remained in his current position, it was reported that Whitaker would assume authority over the special counsel investigation. Because of that, it can be presumed that Whitaker has also seen the Aug. 2, 2017, memo, particularly given its critical nature with regard to the Mueller probe.

Given that Rosenstein remains in his position, it also seems likely that, similarly to Ellis, Whitaker found nothing untoward in the Aug. 2, 2017, memo.

Meanwhile, the investigation by Mueller appears to be coming to an end.

Mueller is expected to issue findings on core aspects of his Russia probe soon after the November midterm elections as he faces intensifying pressure to produce more indictments or shut down his investigation, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 17, citing two U.S. officials, and adding that Rosenstein has made it clear that he wants Mueller to wrap up the investigation as expeditiously as possible.

As a further indication of an investigative wind-down, four of Muellers prosecutors have left the special counsels office in recent months.

Reliance on Congressional Data

In a July 15 interview with Fox Newss Maria Bartiromo, House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) pointed out a startling fact: The Meuller indictment in July contains the same information as the March 22 House Intelligence Committee Russia report.

Almost everything in the indictment, we knew about, he said. On March 22, we released our findings that you have in front of you right there. All you had to do was get Page 4, and you only had to read Chapter 2, and you would have had nearly everything thats in the indictment.  Theres more in this report than whats in the indictment.

Trump Team Cleared Multiple Times

Notably, the Mueller investigation, intentionally or otherwise, has three times confirmed there was no collusion on the part of the Trump campaign, while also providing a legal determination that Nunes and his report on Russian interference were correct.

Rosenstein has made public comments regarding Muellers indictments on several occasions. They always include similar language, such as this statement from July 13, 2018:

There is no allegation in this indictment that any American citizen committed a crime. There is no allegation that the conspiracy changed the vote count or affected any election result. I briefed President Trump about these allegations earlier this week. The President is fully aware of the Departments actions today.

The Mueller findings may prove to be more interesting than some are expecting.A Dutch cheesemaker has argued that a rival company is infringing on its intellectual property by making a product similar in taste to one of its products. (GCapture/Shutterstock)

There Is No Copyright on Taste of Food, European Court Rules

BRUSSELSEuropes top court has ruled that the taste of a food cant be protected by copyright in a landmark case that has pitted two Dutch cheesemakers against each other.

Judges at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said the sensation of taste is unique to each individual and that there is no scientific way of quantifying what constitutes a distinctive flavor.

Levola, a Dutch food manufacturer, argued that a rival firm, Smilde, had infringed its intellectual property by making a product similar in taste to its iconic witches cheese, Heksenkaas, which is a spreadable cream cheese containing herbs.

The case was referred up to the Luxembourg-based court, which is the ultimate arbiter in all matters of European law, after judges in the Netherlands asked for a legal clarification on the parameters of copyright.

In its ruling, the ECJ said copyright law can only protect features that can be identified with precision and objectivity, meaning that senses like taste and smell dont qualify.

The court finds that the taste of a food product cannot be identified with precision and objectivity, the judges concluded.

Unlike, for example, a literary, pictorial, cinematographic, or musical work, which is a precise and objective expression, the taste of a food product will be identified essentially on the basis of taste sensations and experiences, which are subjective and variable.

The judges said the taste of a particular food is dependent on various factors for each individual, such as age, food preferences, consumption habits, and the environment in which the food is consumed.

Moreover, it is not possible in the current state of scientific development to achieve by technical means a precise and objective identification of the taste of a food product which enables it to be distinguished from the taste of other products of the same kind.

The ruling sets a precedent that is likely to prevent other manufacturers of iconic foods from using intellectual property rules to protect themselves from copycat products in the future.

According to a statement from Levola, the decision leaves manufacturers of creative products like food and perfume wide open to imitation by cheaper rivals.

We find it a pity and incorrect that the creative expression in food and perfumes do not have copyright protection and that everyone can make a copy of it, said company director Michel Wildenborg.

European judges have been called in to rule on a number of controversial cases relating to food products in recent years.

In June 2017, the ECJ determined that products described as milk, cheese, butter, or yogurt must be derived from dairy in a move welcomed by farmers.

In a separate case in July this year, European judges annulled the EU-wide copyright of Nestles iconic Kit Kat which features four chocolate fingers, because a similar product already existed in Norway.Trump Responds to Criticism by French President Emmanuel Macron

President Donald Trump criticized French President Emmanuel Macron on Nov. 13, in response to comments made by Macron during a weekend of events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

Macron suggested in a speech in Paris that Europe should build an army to protect against China, Russia, and the United States. The French president also suggested, in an apparent swipe at Trump, that nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism.

Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the United States, China, and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two  How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not! Trump wrote on Twitter.

Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two  How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018

The United States, France, and Germany are military allies under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Washington contributed more than one-third of the total funding to the 29-member alliance in 2017. Trump has pressured member states to meet the funding goal of 2 percent of each nations gross domestic product, but only the United Kingdom, Estonia, and Greece met that goal last year.

Considering that nationalism and patriotism are synonyms in the English language, Macrons comments were an obvious jab at the U.S. president, who recently called himself a nationalist.

Macrons attack appears to be an intentional misinterpretation of comments Trump made at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Oct. 26.

Im a nationalist, Trump said. Im for us. And you know what? Were going to help the globe. But we have to help ourselves as well.

Trump shot back at Macron, suggesting that Frances leader used the criticism to draw attention away from his low approval ratings and Frances high unemployment rate. According to a poll conducted by Kantar Public, only 26 percent of French people approve of Macrons job performance. Unemployment in France stood at 9.1 percent in the second quarter.

In comparison, the unemployment rate in the United States reached a decades-low 3.7 percent in October. Trumps approval rating, despite overwhelmingly negative media coverage, stood at 46 percent on Nov. 13, according to Rasmussen, the polling company that most accurately predicted Trumps victory in 2016.

By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so! Trump wrote. MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!

Trump appeals to nationalism as a force to counter globalism, an ideology that he promised to oppose when he campaigned for president in 2016. Trump promised voters to end decades of unfair treatment of the United States on the global stage.

On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change! Trump wrote.

According to the Wine Institute, the European Union levies tariffs that range from 11 to 29 cents per bottle of U.S. wine. That is more than twice the U.S. tariffs on French wine, which are 5 cents per bottle on still wine and 14 cents for sparkling wine.

Trump canceled a military parade in Washington and opted to travel to France for the centennial events.US Trial of Mexicos El Chapo Begins Amid Heavy Security

NEW YORKThe trial of accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman will begin with lawyers opening statements in a federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday, amid intense public attention and extraordinary security measures.

Federal prosecutors say that as leader of Mexicos Sinaloa Cartel, Guzman, 61, directed massive shipments of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine bound for the United States. He faces 17 criminal counts and a potential life sentence if convicted.

As well as smuggling drugs to the United States, the Sinaloa Cartel has played a major role in narco violence between rival gangs that has torn areas of Mexico apart and defied successive governments.

More than 200,000 people have been killedmany in cartel feudssince the Mexican government sent troops in to take on the drug gangs in 2006.

Guzmans lawyers have signaled that they intend to downplay their clients role in the cartel and argue that the prosecutors witnesses are motivated by self-interest and not believable.

Guzman, who twice dramatically escaped from Mexican maximum security prisons, has been kept in solitary confinement in Manhattan and transported to court in Brooklyn in a heavily guarded motorcade.

The security around him is so strict that District Judge Brian Cogan, who is presiding over the case, last week denied a motion by Guzman asking to hug his wife before the trial.

The jurors will remain anonymous and be escorted to and from by armed marshals. Prosecutors have said the security is necessary because of Guzmans history of intimidating and even ordering murders of potential witnesses. Guzmans lawyers have called those claims unfounded.

Extraordinary Measures

Prosecutors have also taken extraordinary measures to protect witnesses they plan to call during the trial, which could last up to four months.

According to court filings, those witnesses will include former Sinaloa Cartel members and others involved in the drug trade who are now cooperating with the U.S. government. None have been publicly named, and some may testify under aliases.

Guzman was one of the worlds most wanted fugitives until he was captured in January 2016 in his native Sinaloa. He was extradited to the United States a year later.

In 2009, Forbes Magazine put him on its list of the worlds richest people, with an estimated $1 billion fortune but investigators say it is impossible to know exactly how much he was worth.

Guzman used his wealth to buy off politicians, police chiefs, soldiers and judges, Mexican prosecutors say. His nickname, a reference to his five foot, six-inch height, is often translated in English as Shorty.

Several former Guzman associates are known to have struck deals to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors, raising the possibility that they will appear on the witness stand.

They include Vicente Zambada, son of top Sinaloa Cartel figure Ismael Zambada, who pledged to cooperate in a plea agreement made public last week, and Chicago-born twins Pedro and Margarito Flores, one-time drug traffickers who secretly taped Guzman.

The defense will be spearheaded by Eduardo Balarezo and William Purpura, who previously defended Mexican drug lord Alfredo Beltran Leyva, and Jeffrey Lichtman, best known for securing the acquittal of mafia boss John Gottis son.

Beltran Leyva, once a partner and later a rival of Guzman, was found guilty of U.S. drug charges and sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in Washington last year.Utah Officer Fired Over Controversial Arrest of Nurse Is Suing for $1.5 Million

Jeff Payne, the former Utah detective fired over his controversial arrest of a hospital nurse, is suing Salt Lake City for wrongful termination and seeks $1.5 million and wants his job back.

Last year, Payne was recorded arresting nurse Alex Wubbels after she informed him that hospital policy didnt allow for a blood draw without a warrant. The patient was Reserve Rigby Police Officer Bill Gray, who was injured in a car crash.

She was doing her job, he told the Salt Lake Tribune. I was doing my job. And unfortunately, it conflicted. And I am the one who bears most of the burden for it.

Im working at a job that pays a little above minimum wage and still trying to keep my household together. My life is destroyed because of this and I dont know how many years its going to take to have some sort of peace, said Payne of the settlement, Fox13 reported.

When she refused, he eventually put her in cuffs and placed her in a police car. Charges werent filed against her.

People think I just walked in and lost it, said Payne of the video. They wanted blood from this person just to verify that he was not impaired in any way, said Payne, Fox13 reported.

If I couldnt get the blood draw at that point, he was going to order me to arrest her for interfering with a criminal investigation. I sat in the waiting room for about an hour and a half with no word from anyone, Payne told the station, referring to his supervisor, Lt. James Tracy.

Later, Tracy told the nurse that if she prevented Payne from withdrawing blood, he would order Payne to arrest her.

She says shes just doing what her bosses tell her to do and I acknowledged that and said thats what Im doing, said Payne.Victorias Labor Government Releases Details of its Belt and Road Agreement With China

Victorias incumbent Labor government has released the details of the controversial Belt and Road Initiative agreement it signed with the Chinese government last month. The four-page document was made available online late Nov. 11.

The disclosure by Premier Daniel Andrews office came after voices from both sides of politics at the state level and the Prime Minister mounted significant pressure on the Premier to publicise exactly what he had signed with a foreign government last month. Andrews first announcement the historic agreement on Oct. 25 through a press release on the state governments website, although the contents of the agreement were said to be confidential.

This new Australian-first agreement sums up everything we have achieved with China over the past four years, Andrews said of his progressive government. It means more trade and more Victorian jobs and an even stronger relationship with China.

The news came to the surprise of Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison who on Nov. 6, slammed Andrews for his signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese government, despite reassurances from Andrews that the document was not legally binding.

Morrison told 2GB radio on Nov. 7 he was surprised that Andrews had given the agreement the green light without first consulting with the Commonwealth government.

Morrison said that Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)a trillion-dollar infrastructure project that seeks to increase investment and trade links between China and the worldwas a matter of international relations, adding that without appropriate assessment, it could run the risk of undermining the Coalition governments foreign policy.

Weve always had a very consistent position on this [BRI] and always been clear about it, Morrison said.

Michael Shoebridge, Director of the Defence and Strategy Program at ASPI, wrote on Nov. 6, that the federal government had been wary of signing up to the BRI without clarification from Beijing on two important issues: what the Chinese states motives are in advancing the BRI; and how the multitude of individual projects are planned, selected, funded, and implemented.

However, some state governments and the federal opposition do not share the Coalitions conservative policy regarding Chinas BRI. Luke Foley, the recently resigned NSW Labor leader, said in September 2017 that not joining the BRI was like signing an economic suicide note for NSW and Australia, Fairfax reported. Michael Gunner, Labors Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, expressed his openness to participating in Chinas BRI after visiting Shenzhen in August, according to Fairfax.

Former Western Australian (WA) Liberal premier Colin Barnett was the first official to sign a MoU with Beijing in 2011, which opened the door to greater investment from the Chinese state. Barnett told The Australian on Nov. 9 that there was nothing wrong with Andrews signing the MoU is it was in Victorias interests but he should have kept the federal authorities informed and it should be made public.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said on Nov. 6 that the federal government was aware that state and territory governments regularly strike such arrangements with regional neighbours. We encourage the states and territories to expand opportunities with China, Payne told the ABC, adding that any treaty-level arrangements, of course, are made at the Commonwealth level.

So far, 68 countries, including New Zealand, have signed up to the BRI, although the Ardern Labor government said it was considering withdrawing earlier this year, SBS reported.

Chinas BRI projects have been facing a backlash in many countries, including Sierra Leone, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, where locals are accusing the initiative of being a platform to serve the ruling Chinese Communist Partys interests through debt-trap diplomacy.

In January, former Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, accused China of constructing useless buildings and roads to nowhere while leaving Pacific island countries unreasonably indebted, The Australian reported.

Details of Newly Released Document

Last week, Andrews stood firm and resisted repeated calls to make the MoU public. He cited a similar confidential MoU that was signed by the Turnbull government in September 2017. The 2017 MoU agreed to cooperate with China to build infrastructure in third-party countries, including BRI projects; Australia did not sign up to any projects inside its borders. At the request of the Chinese government, that MoU was also not made public.

Andrews moved to release the MoU on Nov. 9, following pressure from the Prime Minister and Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy to make the agreement public before the Nov. 24 state elections, The Australian reported.

According to the newly released MoU, the Victorian Labor government has effectively signaled to China that Victoria is open to policy cooperation, unimpeded trade, and efforts to promote Digital Silkroad Cooperation as part of the communist one-party states flagship infrastructure project.

Victorias Shadow Treasurer Michael OBrien has said he is very concerned about the agreement which is likely to have far-reaching impacts, news.com.au reported.

What does that mean for Victorian businesses to have unimpeded trade with China? Simply means a lot of Victorian businesses will be put under massive pressure, he said.

Daniel Andrews has signed Victoria up to a secret deal with no consultation beforehand that cant be terminated unless the Chinese government agree to it.

According to the agreement (PDF), the MoU will remain in effect for five years and will be automatically extended for subsequent five year periods and so forth unless terminated by either party by giving the other party a written notice at least three months in advance. It continued on to say, This MoU will be terminated after joint agreement.

The Andrews government offered some words aimed to reassure, saying that the MoU does not bind Victoria to be involved in any specific project or initiative.

As it always does, the government will consider both Victorias and the national interest before agreeing to be involved in any specific activity, it said in a statement.

The previously confidential document also revealed that Andrews had signed the MoU on Oct. 8, well before his public announcement about the agreement on Oct. 25.

In the Nov. 11 press release, Andrews office suggested that the federal government knew the contents of the MoU because a draft document had been sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in June. However, DFAT told 9News on Nov. 2, that they were only made aware of the MoU in June, and that the Victorian government had not informed them that an MoU had been signed until the announcement on Oct. 25. At the time, DFAT said. We have not been provided a copy of the agreed text.

At Risk of Foreign Interests?

The Australian reported on Nov. 8 that Andrews media advisor had links to the Chinese Communist Partys United Front Work Departmenta department focused on coordinating the Chinese Communist Partys political influence operations overseas.

The consultant works for the Shenzhen Association of Australia, which is part of a network of organisations in Australia that is guided by the United Front Work Department.

A senior Communist Party official, Ma Yongzhi, the vice-minister of the United Front Work Department of Shenzhen, opened the Shenzhen Association of Australia in November 2016, according to another report.

According to a June Fairfax survey, 59 percent of responders said they believe that Australia should avoid supporting Chinas BRI.Wildfire Becomes Californias Deadliest as Death Toll Climbs to 44

The raging blaze in Northern California claimed the lives of at least 44 people, becoming the deadliest wildfire in state history.

With more than 200 people still missing on Nov. 13, authorities fear the death toll may climb as search teams prepare to sift through the charred wreckage of Paradise, California, the town where most of the death and destruction took place.

The small town with a population of 27,000 people was virtually wiped off the map overnight on Nov. 8, hours after the fire started.

Search teams found the bodies of 13 more victims on Nov. 12, bringing the Camp Fire death toll to 42, authorities said. Two more people died in the separate Woolsey Fire near Southern Californias Malibu coast, west of Los Angeles.

The death toll makes the Camp Fire the deadliest blaze in California history, surpassing the grim record attributed to the Griffith Park fire in Los Angeles in 1933, which killed 29 people.

On Nov. 13, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea expected the arrival of 150 search-and-recovery personnel, bolstering 13 coroner-led recovery teams in the fire zone. Honea has requested three portable morgue teams from the U.S. military, a disaster mortuary crew, cadaver dog units to locate human remains, and three groups of forensic anthropologists.

The Camp Fire has destroyed 7,100 homes and buildings since igniting in Butte Countys Sierra foothills, 40 miles north of Sacramento. The Woolsey Fire has consumed 435 structures and displaced 200,000 people.

Nearly 9,000 firefighters from 17 states have been battling the fires. Fire crews arrived from Oregon, Texas, Missouri, and Georgia, among other states.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fires. The California Public Utilities Commission launched probes that may include inspections of the fire sites once the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) allows access, according to the Chico Enterprise-Record.

PG&E Corp, which operates in Northern California, and Edison International, the owner of Southern California Edison Co., have reported to regulators that they experienced problems with transmission lines or substations in areas where fires were reported around the time they started.

PG&E spokesman Blair Jones told KRCR TV on Nov. 13, that prior to the outbreak of the Camp Fire, the site had not been an area we were looking as a potential shut-off area.

More than 15,000 structures were threatened by the Camp Fire on Nov. 12, in an area where smoke had reduced visibility to under half a mile in some places.

Firefighting crews have carved containment lines around 30 percent of the Camp Fire perimeter, an area encompassing 117,000 scorched acres. To the south, Woolsey Fire has blackened nearly 94,000 acres and was also 30 percent contained on the night of Nov. 12, according to Cal Fire.

Winds of up to 40 mph were expected to continue in Southern California through Nov. 13, heightening the risk of fresh blazes ignited by scattered embers. Cal Fire said 57,000 structures were still in harms way from the Woolsey Fire.

Some evacuees in Malibu, a seaside community whose residents include a number of Hollywood celebrities, were allowed to return home Nov. 12, but found themselves without power or cell phone service.

California has recently endured two of the worst wildfire seasons in its history, a situation experts attribute in large part to prolonged drought across much of the western United States.

Trumps Response

President Donald Trump declared the California fires a major disaster on Nov. 12.

Wanted to respond quickly in order to alleviate some of the incredible suffering going on. I am with you all the way. God Bless all of the victims and families affected, the president wrote on Twitter.

The president previously blamed the fires on poor forest management practices. Dry brush and timber serve as fuel for the wildfires. These fuels can be removed through active forest management or selective for-profit harvesting, but both practices have been suppressed in the state by decades-long legal and legislative campaigns driven by environmentalists.

The collapse of a once-thriving wood harvesting industry led to a predictable rise in combustible fuel in forests across the state, Chuck DeVore, the vice president of national initiatives at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, wrote in Forbes.

More than half of Californias forest land is managed by the federal government. Burdensome regulations enacted since the 1990s made it nearly impossible to harvest these forests. With no financial incentive, management of the forests declined. In the meantime, the states shift to solar and wind power and away from burning the biomass harvested from forests also contributed to a rise in combustible material.

Over time the fire-prone forests that were not thinned, burn in uncharacteristically destructive wildfires, and the resulting loss of forest carbon is much greater than would occur if the forest had been thinned before fire moved through, concluded a 2006 report by the Western Governors Association. In the long term, leaving forests overgrown and prone to unnaturally destructive wildfires means there will be significantly less biomass on the ground, and more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Reuters contributed to this report.Displaced Yemeni children from Hodeida carry water containers as they walk to a nearby well to fill them in the northern district of Hajjah province, on October 22, 2018. (ESSA AHMED/AFP/Getty Images)

Yemen: A Country in Most Need of Help

Yemen has the greatest population of people in need of urgent assistance in the world, new data has revealed.

The Food Security Information Networks (FSINs) Global Report 2018 shows about 17 million, or 60 percent of Yemeni, do not have a secure source of food in the past year.

Three major reasons for food insecurity highlighted in the report include conflict, population displacement, and economic collapse. Internal conflict in Yemen has caused restrictions in the trading industry, hitting the nations food supply since 80 percent of the nations food is imported.

The report identifies displacement has creating difficulties in maintaining a stable lifestyle. About 3 million people do not have a home, and are exhausted from trying to cope with conflict daily, the report said.

Economically, about 78 percent of Yemen households are worse off compared to their pre-conflict days in February 2015, according to the report. Food prices have increased due to poor agricultural production within the country. Below average rainfall also created challenges in cultivating cereal grains.

In addition, there is limited feed to raise livestock, and many farmers are forced to sell livestock to cover basic operating costs. Conflict along the coast of the Red Sea has also made it hard to fish, according to the FSIN report.

Joint Efforts to Help From Abroad

In 2016, the United States provided funds to help replace four cranes damaged in an airstrike, but shipment did not make it through, according to a 2017 report by Jeremy Sharp who is a specialist in Middle Eastern affairs.

According to that same report, then U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson received a letter from several House members in 2017, asking him to use all U.S. diplomatic tools to help open the Yemeni port of Al-Hudaydah (Hodeida) to international humanitarian aid organizations, allowing them to import food, fuel, and medicine into northern Yemenand save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Yemeni children who face starvation.

Forms of aid include, basic education, maternal health, and agricultural assistance programs according to Sharp.

In a 2017 high level event that promises to aid the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, The World Bank partnered with United Nations (U.N.) organizations to help address Yemens challenges. A relief package is under consideration to aid Yemens food crisis. The package includes $200 million in emergency cash, $80 million toward health and nutrition, a $36 million for agriculture and food security, and a proposed $500 million for food imports, according to The World Bank.

In April 2018, the U.N., Swedish, and Swiss authorities promised over $2 billion to aid Yemen, according to U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Humanitarian resources are very important, but they are not enough. We need unrestricted access everywhere inside Yemen, and we need all the parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian lawand to protect civilians, said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.The Democratic Republic of Congo's main opposition leaders chose Martin Fayulu as their candidate for next month's presidential election.

The opposition had been expected to select from two better-known politicians: Felix Tshisekedi, head of the biggest opposition party, or Vital Kamerhe, who finished third in the last vote in 2011. Fayulu will face President Joseph Kabila's anointed successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, in the Dec. 23 race to lead the world's largest cobalt producer.

Fayulu, who spent almost two decades at Exxon Mobil Corp., was chosen because he's the least-polarizing of all the opposition candidates, said Mvemba Dizolele, a lecturer at the Washington-based John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He was nominated Sunday by a majority vote at talks between seven opposition heads who last month agreed to field a single candidate to maximize their chances of defeating Shadary.

"He's a consensus choice to be sure," Dizolele said. Fayulu has "a solid track record of fighting for democratic change" dating back to the days of Mobutu Sese Seko's three-decade dictatorship that ended in 1997, Dizolele said.

Fayulu, 61, has earned a reputation for being at the front line of anti-government rallies that in recent years have often been violently dispersed. He was injured when a teargas canister hit him on the head in September 2016 during protests in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, in which the United Nations said security forces killed more than 50 people.

Tshisekedi and Kamerhe will need to win over disappointed followers after some supporters and party officials rejected Fayulu's elevation and staged angry protests Monday outside the offices of their Union for Democracy and Social Progress and Union for the Congolese Nation in the capital, Kinshasa.

"The bases of the UNC and UDPS have given 48 hours to Vital Kamerhe and Felix Tshisekedi asking them to get together, without any third person, to give us the joint candidate that the people expect," UNC deputy spokesman Sele Yemba said by phone.

An opinion poll published last month by New York University's Congo Research Group placed Fayulu fourth with 8 percent support. Tshisekedi topped the survey with 36 percent, while Kamerhe and Shadary were second and third respectively with 17 percent and 16 percent.

Fayulu held various managerial positions at Exxon, including in the U.S., Congo, France and Nigeria, according to a biography published on his personal website. He's the leader of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party, which won just three of the National Assembly's 500 seats seven years ago.

Kabila has ruled Congo for 17 years and won previous elections in 2006 and 2011. The constitution barred him from seeking a third term, so he hand-picked former interior minister Shadary to represent the ruling coalition.

The central African nation, one of the world's poorest and most corrupt despite abundant natural resources including copper, gold and oil, hasn't had a peaceful transition of power since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960.

"The people need leaders who will bring them development, who will bring them prosperity," Fayulu said at a briefing Sunday in Geneva, where his candidacy was announced. "We are committed to achieving this work so that Congo ceases being the laughing stock of the world."

In addition to Fayulu, Tshisekedi, Kamerhe and fellow opposition party boss Freddy Matungulu -- who all successfully registered in August to run for the presidency -- three other leaders participated in three days of talks in Switzerland to discuss a joint candidate. Among them were opposition heavyweights Jean-Pierre Bemba, who was disqualified by the electoral commission, and Moise Katumbi, who is in exile and was prevented from returning home to file his candidacy.

The leaders created a coalition named Lamuka in order "to assure the victory" of the opposition in the election, according to a statement they signed on Sunday.Tunisia's first Confucius Institute (Institute of Chinese Language and Culture) opened classroom on Monday at the Higher Institute of Languages (ISLT) under the University of Carthage in Tunis, capital of Tunisia.



This Confucius Institute will be open to all Tunisian students, researchers and the general public.

The director of Confucius Institute in Tunisia Xu Rixuan said "our specific objective is to teach Chinese language, to train teachers in Chinese and to promote cultural and academic exchanges between Tunisia and China."

"We have been working on this great project for many years. It is the result of cooperation with China, a privileged partner for us," the president of the University of Carthage Olfa Ben Ouda told Xinhua.

"We have, of course, classic partners, but it seems important to us to open up new horizons, knowing that the experiences with Chinese are highly successful to strengthen networks in areas such as language teaching, research and other educational projects," said Ouda.

"This institute will allow Tunisians to better know the culture of China and its tradition, as well as facilitating the establishment of educational, scientific and even economic networks," Ouda added.

Wang Wenbin, Chinese ambassador to Tunisia, said "Confucius institutes have become a platform for discovering Chinese culture around the world. Thanks to the Sino-Tunisian joint effort, the Confucius Institute opens at the ISLT, to give an impulse to the cooperation between our two countries."Editor's note: This piece was originally published on November 12, 2018, and has been updated.

In Smart House, the 1999 classic DCOM (thats Disney Channel Original Movie for non-millennials), a teenage boy wins a state-of-the-art modern home for his family, fully outfitted with an artificially intelligent smart assistant that has coffee ready for when they wake, cleans the floor after a party, keeps the family dog occupied and even plays music based on mood.

Eighteen years later, that science-fiction 90s tale has turned into reality (minus, of course, the Smart House assistants level of self-awareness and dubious attempt to hold the family hostage). But the general trajectory -- an AI-powered home assistant that learns more about you and your preferences over time -- is precisely the point of products such as Amazon Echo or Google Home. And although experts say were still far from even the possibility of AI on par with human consciousness, theres a different -- albeit less traditionally frightening -- aspect of this tech. Thats the idea that what it hears could, in some extreme cases, be used against you.

Recently, a judge ordered Amazon to turn over recordings from an Echo device in a double-homicide case in New Hampshire, where two women were stabbed to death in January 2017. Prosecutors said they believe the smart home assistant may have recorded audio that could shed light on the deaths, but Amazon officials said the company won't release any information until a valid legal demand is served. Then there was the widely reported 2015 case where Amazon Echo data was sought in a murder investigation. Prosecutors believed Amazon may have recordings that could shed light on the events that led to police finding a man dead in an Arkansas mans hot tub. The defendant later voluntarily handed over the recordings, and charges were dropped in 2017 due to a lack of evidence. Theoretically, the government can request evidence from a smart home device in any criminal investigation -- arson, auto theft, larceny and more. Its especially true when it comes to placing someone in any given location, whether to corroborate or disprove an alibi. If you say you werent at home one evening, but stored recordings suggest you were in your living room telling Alexa to please order pizza, youll likely have some questions to answer.

Thats pretty damning evidence right there, said Richard Forno, an affiliate of Stanford Law Schools Center for Internet and Society (CIS).

If smart home devices are always listening, as many might think, why couldnt the recordings provide any clarity in the 2015 murder case? To answer that question, its important to take a close look at the inner workings of these devices. The idea that theyre always listening is only somewhat true. When switched on, smart home assistants such as Amazon Echo and Google Home default to passive listening mode -- meaning they record at seconds-long intervals and parse the sounds they hear in a process called device keyword spotting. Tech companies say the devices only begin recording when they hear their wake word (such as Alexa or Okay Google) -- otherwise, theyll consistently overwrite and discard each fraction of sound they recorded, never sending any of it to the cloud.

There have, of course, been glitches and errors in this practice. In May, an Amazon Echo owned by a couple in Seattle recorded an in-home conversation, then sent it to the phone of an individual from their contact list. In a statement to Recode, Amazon pointed to the incident as a fluke, saying the device woke up to a word sounding like Alexa, then interpreted background conversation as a send message request to a specific individual. Regardless, the company said it was working to avoid similar strings of events in the future.

The good news: Besides unplugging the device, there are other ways to switch off passive listening mode. Amazon Echo, for example, offers a mute button that signals the device to stop listening for a wake word, and that mode is denoted by a red ring of light. Inside each device, theres a single wire that powers either the microphone or the red light -- and when the red light is on, theres a physical protection against the microphone being active.

The reason experts say these features are largely effective? Its not just a software protection (which, due to the malleability of computer code, could theoretically be tampered with or hacked more easily). Instead, its a much more robust hardware protection, said John Verdi, vice president of policy at the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF). The physical feature built into the device -- the ability to either power the red light or the microphone, but not both -- would likely require physical tampering and couldnt be done via a remote software hack. Thats why its important to take note of any smart devices hardware protections as well as its software security.

If youre concerned about the information your device has on you, most offer users the ability to listen to -- and permanently delete -- stored recordings. A Google Home user can click Google Account underneath their profile pictures in a web browser, then on the next page, click Manage your Google activity (under the Personal info & privacy section), followed by Go to my activity (under the Review activity section). You can delete queries individually or, to delete all stored queries at once, select the Delete activity by link on the left side of the page, then click all time. Amazon Echo users, on the other hand, can delete stored information via the Alexa app by clicking Settings under the hamburger icon, then choosing History. Youll be able to listen to and delete individual recordings. To delete them all simultaneously, head to Amazons Manage Your Content and Devices page. (Tech companies warn that user experience -- such as vocal recognition and personalization -- may be impacted by deleting stored information.)

Related: Here's How to Turn Off Google's Saved Searches and Personalized Results

Besides cases when a crime is suspected of being committed in or around a home, theres another scenario in which the government may be able to legally access your Amazon Echo or Google Home data -- and thats in the event of exigent circumstances. That means if police have reason to believe that theres a crime in the process of being committed -- a burglary, a hostage situation, armed trespassing -- they can request that a tech company bypass the typical legal process (warrant or court order) to quickly grant access to a live feed inside a home or business, Verdi said. The company can then either voluntarily cooperate or decline. Absent these exigent circumstances, a piece of legislation called the Electronic Communications Privacy Act stipulates when companies can and cannot turn over user data.

If youve got a smart home with a number of connected devices -- beyond just an Amazon Echo or Google Home -- there are other data privacy issues to consider. Smart home assistants tend to be better secured than some of the other connected devices that are out there, Verdi said. Amazon and Google both have relatively robust cybersecurity arms and patch their connected devices vulnerabilities regularly. But when it comes to Internet of Things (IoT) devices -- such as smart thermostats, refrigerators, security systems, toys, coffee makers and more -- theyre traditionally more vulnerable to hackers and may even be more susceptible to overbroad government data requests. Most of these devices arent designed with security in mind, Forno said.

Related: Here's How to Stop Third Parties From Reading Your Gmail

In the U.S., privacy protections arent as robust when it comes to metadata -- account information about a users relationship with a platform (for example, how often you turn on your smart television per day and which hours its normally in use). That information can be accessed by the government via a subpoena, which has a lesser standard of proof than a warrant or court order, Verdi said. Information like that can be used to target consumers even more specifically -- based on assumed socioeconomic status, habits and routines. The data we generate as users can provide companies with an intimate profile of our living patterns -- which type of milk we use, how often we buy it, what time we get up and how often we make coffee -- that can be monetized for commercial purposes, Forno said. There may come a day, for example, when smart refrigerator users who buy healthier groceries are offered discounted health insurance.

Anything smart, Forno said, usually means its being smartly used against you.

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Google Home and Amazon Echo Can Store Your Voice Recordings. Here's When They Could Be Used Against You.



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedIt seemed like a casual Sunday afternoon last year. Barbecue was on the grill. The Philadelphia Eagles were on television, stomping the Arizona Cardinals, 34-7. A former U.S. Marine named Joey Sees and his wife were spending the day at the house of an acquaintance, Keith James Cote.

The homeowner, an independently wealthy 62-year-old who had reportedly been confined to a wheelchair since a 2013 tumble at a Houston strip club, asked to talk to Sees alone on the patio behind his house in a leafy neighborhood in north Austin.

HOUSTON OFFICER TARGETED: Houston man maintains innocence in murder-for-hire case

That's when police say Cote floated the idea of a murder.

According to a police arrest affidavit, Cote told Sees in October 2017 that he needed a "dirty deed, done dirt cheap." He then asked the veteran if he could get a silencer and a 9mm handgun. Right there on the patio, Cote allegedly pulled out $10,000 and offered the money if Sees would kill Cote's ex-girlfriend. He allegedly offered another $15,000 "to watch him put a bullet in her head." Cote explained he wanted SanDee Jones dead because "because she is dating a black guy."

Sees wasn't sure what to think - was this a joke? Or serious? Cote said that he knew Sees had seen combat in his five years in the Marines. The murder-for-hire would "be right up his alley," he told the veteran.

"When we're in a warzone, we're just trying to get home and we're just protecting each other. I guess he thought every Marine is a hit man," Sees told Austin's KXAN recently. "We're not killers. We just do our job, but our job isn't to come home and murder someone because she's dating a black guy."

The unsettling conversation was the beginning move in a sordid tale that eventually led to secretly recorded conversations, a police investigation, and suicide.

But on that Sunday afternoon, the veteran Sees made a decision to go along with Cote. If he rejected the offer outright, Cote might find a more willing co-conspirator.

"I'm just glad he asked me," Sees told KXAN. "I felt I was the right person to do it. [Cote] trusted me enough to think that I was that type of individual to murder someone. So, I knew that I wanted to handle this myself. I knew I had to do what I had to do and contact the police."

Cote continued to ask Sees about the arrangement. Eventually, the veteran went to the police, who then contacted Jones, the target of the alleged murder plot. According to the Austin American-Statesman, she explained she had been in an abusive relationship with Cote for a number of years. He treated her like his property, she told police. But Jones said she hadn't seen her ex since 2015.

"When asked why she believed Mr. Cote would want her killed, she confirmed that Mr. Cote is a racist and confirmed that she is now dating a black man," the affidavit said. "She stated that the only thing Mr. Cote hates more than a black man was a white woman who is with a black man."

"In the beginning, the man that hired Joey to kill me is not the man I fell in love with," the intended victim Jones told KXAN. "I loved him at one point."

Sees began working with investigators as he continued to plot with Cote. The disabled man allegedly told Sees that if he wasn't in his wheelchair, he would have stabbed his ex-girlfriend himself with an ice pick and watch her die, the American-Statesman reported.

On one occasion, the two men allegedly drove in Sees's truck to scout the location of the murder, Jones's office. With a secret camera filming the conversation for police, Cote explained how Sees would need to sneak up on the woman as she was leaving work.

"That's some thick brush but I can make it through it," Sees said in his car, surveying the landscape. "I've made it through thicker."

"I would say just stay along the perimeter," Cote counseled. "It's dark and you're a ninja."

In their conversations, Cote told Sees "this ain't about revenge, it's about the reckoning," Austin's KVUE reported. Cote also allegedly told Sees he wanted to be in the truck when the hit went down so he could watch Jones's death.

In late October 2017, police had what they needed, arresting Cote on criminal solicitation to commit capital murder.

He pleaded not guilty. The case, however, would not make it to trial. According to KXAN, after spending 11 months in custody, Cote bonded out last September while awaiting trial. He committed suicide a week later. Police now consider the investigation closed.

Sees and Jones, however, met for the first time recently. As Jones told KXAN, she was only now able to properly thank Sees for saving her life.

"I'm getting to relief. I know I'm finally free because I knew I would never be free until he no longer breathed on this earth, even from jail [or] prison," the intended victim Jones told the television station. "I've lived terrified for the last year of my life, terrified for others - the people I care about, the people I love . . . I'm not in a body bag . . . Joey is the reason I'm alive."

---

https://youtu.be/3fgsN2ObxHkWASHINGTON - Rep. Steve King, the newly reelected Iowa Republican with a history of incendiary comments about race and immigration, dared a conservative magazine to show evidence that he had called immigrants "dirt."

"Just release the full tape," King, who eked out a victory last week despite affiliations with white nationalists, told the Weekly Standard's online managing editor Saturday on Twitter. Days earlier, the magazine reported that King had made an inflammatory joke about immigrants.

The Weekly Standard released the recording - a two-minute audio in which King can be heard bantering with a handful of supporters at the back of an Iowa restaurant during a campaign stop on Nov. 5, the magazine reported. He talked about pheasant hunting and his "patented pheasant noodle soup" sprinkled with whole jalapeno peppers he had grown himself. Around the 1:20 mark, King joked that he'd have to get some "dirt from Mexico" to grow his next batch of peppers because they didn't have enough bite.

"Trust me, it's already on its way," a woman quipped, appearing to refer to the caravan of Central American migrants traveling from Mexico to the U.S. border.

King engaged, saying: "Well, yeah, there's plenty of dirt. It's coming from the West Coast, too. And a lot of other places, besides. This is the most dirt we've ever seen."

The following day, on Election Day, Weekly Standard assistant opinion editor Adam Rubenstein, who was covering the campaign event and has been critical of King, published an article about the conversation. It included a transcript but not the audio.

In a statement to The Washington Post on Monday evening, Sarah Stevens, King's chief of staff, accused the Weekly Standard of misrepresenting the congressman's comments and conjuring a false story. Stevens said the congressman believed the supporter was referring to dirt coming from the "leftist media," not immigrants. In response to the supporter, King repeated similar comments he had been making during the campaign - that the "leftist media" and liberal multibillionaires from coastal states were trying to smear him, Stevens said.

The magazine stood by its story, saying it quoted King at length to provide readers with context. Claiming King was referring to the media is "absurd" given the context of the conversation, during which the media was never mentioned, according to an editor's note at the end of Rubenstein's story.

Days after Rubenstein's story was published, King and the Weekly Standard engaged in a public Twitter fight over what he actually meant.

The Weekly Standard has joined the HuffPost "at the bottom of the lying journalistic gutter," the congressman tweeted in the wee morning hours Friday.

To which Stephen Hayes, the magazine's editor in chief, replied: "The Weekly Standard remains, proudly, a reporting-driven conservative journal of opinion. . . . There are no lies, willful or otherwise. . . . Our reporter wouldn't focus on your bigotry if you weren't a bigot."

King replied later by castigating Hayes for defending his reporter. He suggested that the magazine refused to publish the audio because it doesn't exist.

Hours later, on Saturday, the Weekly Standard did release it, along with a column from Hayes.

"So, King claimed our reporter lied. He didn't. He claimed we didn't have a recording. We did. He insisted we refused to release the audio. Untrue," Hayes wrote.

The congressman, who shares President Trump's hard-line immigration policies, has a long history of inflammatory rhetoric against immigrants, minorities and the media and has peddled conspiratorial views about "white genocide."

He has compared immigrants to dogs. He said immigrants have "calves the size of cantaloupes" because they haul drugs across the desert. He tweeted a cartoon depicting President Barack Obama wearing a turban. He retweeted a self-described Nazi sympathizer. He endorsed a white nationalist mayoral candidate who questioned whether immigration is causing "white genocide." He said he hoped Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor "will elope to Cuba." He reportedly attacked the National Republican Congressional Committee for backing a gay candidate.

He met with members of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party, which has historical Nazi ties, during a trip financed by a Holocaust memorial group. In the aftermath of the mass shooting inside a synagogue in Pittsburgh, King defended associating with the Austrian party and said: "If they were in America pushing the platform that they push, they would be Republicans."

On election night, King barred the Des Moines Register, Iowa's largest newspaper, from covering his event, calling the paper a "leftist propaganda media outlet."

King has been in Congress since 2003, representing Iowa's northwest quadrant. Once on the fringe, King has moved further into the mainstream after Trump's election.

Republicans on Capitol Hill have largely stayed silent about King. But in late October, Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, the National Republican Congressional Committee chairman, criticized King for espousing extreme views online.

"Congressman Steve King's recent comments, actions, and retweets are completely inappropriate. We must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms, and I strongly condemn this behavior," Stivers tweeted.

---

The Washington Post's Felicia Sonmez, Isaac Stanley-Becker and Julie Zauzmer contributed to this report.

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Video Embed Code:

Video: Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) was recorded on Nov. 5 allegedly equating migrants and dirt. (Patrick Martin/The Washington Post)

Embed code:On Monday, a new report from a Washington think tank identified more than a dozen hidden bases in North Korea that could be used to disperse mobile launchers for ballistic missiles in the event of a conflict.

Are these bases evidence that North Korea is cheating on the agreement it reached in June, when President Donald Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore? Analysts say the answer is no - although there are plenty of caveats.

"Kim hasn't broken any promises," said Jeffrey Lewis, a nonproliferation expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterrey. "Instead, he's making good on one of them - to mass produce nuclear weapons."

Joseph Bermudez, Victor Cha and Lisa Collins of the Center for Strategic and International Studies used satellite imagery and interviews with North Korean defectors and government officials to identify 13 missile bases. They say there are seven more bases that remain hidden.

The bases, which are located in "mountainous terrain, often spread out within narrow dead-end valleys," they write, could be used to deploy mobile missile launchers, which would be extremely difficult for other nations to track and stop before the missiles could be fired.

The analysts looked specifically at the Sakkanmol Missile Operating Base, located only 84 miles from Seoul. "As of November 2018, the base is active and being reasonably well-maintained by North Korean standards," the report noted.

North Korea dramatically improved its missile technology with provocative test launches last year. Western experts eventually concluded that Pyongyang now has the ability to hit most of the United States, although it remains unclear if it could produce a nuclear weapon small enough to fit atop a missile.

After a tense 2017, diplomacy produced a thaw at the start of this year. North Korea announced it would put a halt to its weapons testing and dismantled a nuclear test site and a satellite launch facility thought to play a role in the country's ballistic missile program. When Kim met with Trump in Singapore over the summer, the two leaders agreed to build a "lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula" and to "work toward complete denuclearization" of the peninsula.

The day after the summit, Trump wrote on Twitter that there was "no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea." In public, he has largely kept this positive view of negotiations. "We're in no rush," he told reporters Wednesday, when asked about the prospect of a second summit with Kim, adding that the rockets and missiles "have stopped."

The report is the latest evidence that while North Korea has indeed stopped its missile testing, it is far from dismantling its weapons facilities. Indeed, it appears to be adding to its stockpile: U.S. intelligence reports from the summer found that North Korea had begun producing new missiles at a factory, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged during Senate testimony that Pyongyang "continues to produce fissile material."

Duyeon Kim, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said while these developments violate U.N. Security Council resolutions, they do not breach Kim's agreement with Trump. "North Korea didn't break any promises with Trump because there's no nuclear deal in place yet with Washington," she said.

"I realize I am a broken record, but North Korea has never offered to abandon its nuclear weapons," said Lewis, the nonproliferation expert. "What North Korea has offered is the beginning of a process that might - might - someday lead to an outcome like that."

The State Department did not say whether they viewed the base as a violation of any agreements with the United States. "President Trump has made clear that should Chairman Kim follow through on his commitments - including complete denuclearization and the elimination of ballistic missile programs - a much brighter future lies ahead for North Korea and its people," a spokesman said in a statement.

There have been several recent signs that diplomatic efforts between the United States and North Korea were stalling. A meeting scheduled for last week between Pompeo and Pyongyang's nuclear negotiator, Kim Yong Chol, was postponed unexpectedly, only days after North Korean state media released a commentary that suggested missile testing could resume if progress was not made on talks.

Analysts have long believed that North Korea had undeclared or hidden facilities in their missile program, which has made issues related to verification and inspections a major part of working level talks between the U.S. and North Korea. Pyongyang may have wanted the missile sites to be seen, suggested David Maxwell, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to keep the pressure on in negotiations.

Kim Sung-han, the dean of Korea University's Graduate School of International Studies and a former South Korean vice foreign minister, said that the CSIS report showed the need for a "verifiable declaration" of North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities as the next step in negotiations.

However, he added, the report could also make the current stalemate between Washington and Pyongyang last "longer than expected."British-Chinese performance and culture will take center stage at a festival dedicated to contemporary arts created by artists of Chinese extraction. The festival will be held in the British capital early next year.

The CAN Festival 2019 is the first major project from Chinese Arts Now, an Arts Council-funded body that celebrates and promotes artists of Chinese extraction in the United Kingdom, both those born in Britain and those from the wider Chinese diaspora.

Described by organizers as the first arts festival celebrating contemporary British-Chinese arts, more than 60 events will take place throughout London showcasing a diverse range of art forms, including music, drama, live art, dance, films, and digital arts.

Chinese Arts Now, which is also known as CAN, said the festival will present high-quality contemporary and innovative Chinese arts and aims to raise the profile of British-Chinese artists in the United Kingdom.

Chang An-Ting, CAN's artistic director, said the event aims to show a different side of Chinese arts to the traditional lion dancing and Peking opera that some people in the UK may have seen.

"They are all great Chinese traditions, but I think there is a gap in showing contemporary Chinese culture" she said, "We don't live in a time where we just perform lion dances, we have contemporary theater, new music, and we have innovative artists. I think it is very important for our festival to showcase this perspective."

Highlights of next year's festival will include a site-specific drama about a British Chinese family called Citizens of Nowhere? and a combination of Chinese and European instruments played as part of the London Symphony Orchestra's Chinese String Quartet & LSO Strings.



Bounce Beat is alive ping pong percussion performance with a piano trio which is part of the Southbank Centre's Soundstate festival. Also included is a fusion of Debussy's music with a classical Chinese story in Lao Can Impression.

Chang said: "CAN Festival will present contemporary British-Chinese stories and new works that fuse Chinese heritage and European culture in innovative ways. We are proud to work with a wide range of talented British-Chinese artists, and to give them a platform at some of the most prestigious arts venues in London."

Chang added that the event takes on a different perspective to previous Chinese arts events, such as the China Changing Festival, which was held at London's Southbank Centre, because the focus of this event is firmly upon contemporary British-Chinese artists and performances.

The CAN Festival 2019 will run from Jan 19 to Feb 2.You are here: Business

China's central bank said on Monday that it has renewed an agreement on a reciprocal currency swap scheme with the Bank of England.

The maximum value of the swap was set at 350 billion yuan (around 50 billion U.S. dollars) to 40 billion pounds, valid for three years and can be further extended, according to a statement by the People's Bank of China (PBOC).

The PBOC said the deal aims to safeguard domestic financial stability.

The two sides signed the previous agreement in 2015.BELLEVILLE  The American Red Cross will hold a Blood Drive on Tuesday, Dec. 4, for public participation.

The Blood Drive will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Memorial Hospital  East Community Room, 2nd Floor, 1404 Cross St., Shiloh, IL 62269.

Participants must be 16 years of age or older to donate; feeling healthy and well the day of the Blood Drive, and a photo ID is required. Lunch is provided to all donors. Appointments are recommended but not required. To make an appointment for the upcoming blood drive visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code MemorialBelleville or call 1-800-REDCROS (733-2767).CARLINVILLE  Blackburn College recently announced Dr. Julie Murray-Jensen as the next president of Blackburn College.

She will be on campus beginning Jan. 14, 2019. Dr. Murray-Jensen succeeds Dr. John Comerford, who served as Blackburn president from July 2013 until July 2018.

Dr. Murray-Jensen is currently the Vice President of Enrollment and External Affairs and Executive Director of the KCC Foundation for Klamath Community College in Klamath Falls, Oregon. During her time there, she spearheaded fundraising and capital campaigns, retained numerous grants for the school, oversaw the schools Small Business Development Center, and focused much time and energy on community education and outreach. She implemented enrollment efforts and strategies and grew enrollment by 12 percent.

From 2014 to present, Murray-Jensen raised over $6 million in grants, private donations, and public monies to fund the construction and outfitting of a new Work Skills Technology Center.

The selection of Dr. Murray-Jensen as the president of Blackburn College culminates a national search that spanned several months. A dedicated search committee, Blackburns Board of Trustees, and members of the Presidents Cabinet spent countless hours reviewing information and interviewing many qualified candidates for the position.

It is with great excitement that the Board of Trustees welcomes Julie Murray-Jensen as the next president of Blackburn College, said Blackburn Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Hazel Loucks. Out of a pool of 79 candidates, Julies skills and experience appeared to be a great fit for Blackburn. After our interviews she proved to be the perfect person for us. It is with enthusiasm that we look forward to a bright future with Julie as our next president.

Murray-Jensen previously served as Vice President of External Programs (2014-2016) and Vice President of Student Services (2011-2013) at Klamath Community College, and was active in student services areas of advising, student life, and FYE (First Year Experience) programs. She founded the colleges first ever Student Life Center to increase student retention and engagement, and also launched and oversaw rural satellite campus operations, which included class scheduling, student services, technology, and community outreach.

Murray-Jensens faculty teaching experience includes Business Leadership, Intercultural Human Resources, College Success, and Health and Wellness. Twice she has directed semester at sea programs designed to create opportunities for participants to reflect on the intense learning that comes from international travel, global service-learning, and immersing oneself in another culture. According to Dr. Murray-Jensen, these type of opportunities helped students process difficult and complex world issues regarding poverty, equity, access to education, cultural differences, religion, and gender.

Murray-Jensen has held previous positions with University of Virginia, Pacific University, University of Minnesota, University of Pittsburgh, University of Nebraska  Kearney, Bowling Green  Ohio, and the University of Nebraska  Lincoln. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nebraska  Lincoln in 1991. She received her masters degree in Education from Bowling Green  Ohio in 1994, and her Ed.D. from Oregon State University in 2018.

Regarding her appointment. Dr. Murray Jensen said, I enthusiastically accepted the position of President at Blackburn College because I believe there is no better model for higher education than what Blackburn proudly providesbroad quality liberal arts education coupled with strong work-based job skills to make our students THE most competitive in the world for 21st century careers. I am excited to work with the Blackburn Board, faculty, staff, and students to build on this foundationwhere affordable, relevant, and rigorous higher education is not only possible but essential for success in todays global world.

Dr. Murray-Jensen will be accompanied by her husband, Eric Jensen, and their daughters, Mia and Madeline. Both girls will attend Carlinville Schools starting in January; Mia in seventh and Madeline in fourth grade. The entire family is looking forward to joining Blackburn and the Carlinville community.

Founded in 1837, Blackburn College is a four-year, Presbyterian-related, co-educational liberal arts college located in Carlinville, Illinois. One of the seven work colleges in the U.S., Blackburn is the only one with a student-managed Work Program. Blackburn was also ranked by US News as one of the Top 50 Midwest Colleges and the No. 5 Best Value in Regional Colleges in the Midwest; and The Washington Monthly ranked the college as the best baccalaureate college in Illinois and among the top 50 in the U.S.EDWARDSVILLE  Newly elected Madison County Regional Superintendent of Schools Rob Werden has been left feeling slightly overwhelmed almost a week after his relatively historic victory on Election Day.

With his Nov. 6 victory against current Assistant Regional Superintendent of Schools Andrew Reinking, a Democrat, Werden became the first Republican to be elected to the post in more than a generation.

In my lifetime, its always been a Democrat, Werden said.

Despite seeming to have the chips stacked against him, Werden thought it was important for him to run because of his experience within education. He has been working in schools since 1994; first, teaching Agricultural Education for 18 years, then moving into administration as the Career and Technical Education Director for Madison County.

Because of his experience teaching agriculture, Werden was also drawn to run in order to teach prospective college students about all of there future career options. He said he intends to help emphasis opportunities at vocational schools as well as typical four-year universities.

There has been a big push for every student to go to college, which is great, but its also important for students to learn skills that can help them in the workforce, Werden said. Good education is good economic policy.

Werden said voter turnout helped to turn the tide in his favor. He made an effort to visit every community in the county that could vote, he said, because he wanted to hear their voices and what issues were important to them.

I want to work with the community, he said. Thats why my slogan was Working with Werden.

Werden says his phone has been ringing off the hook as he begins to take his first steps toward taking over the office, which wont happen until next June.

He says that his team is already working with outgoing Regional Superintendent of Schools Bob Daiber and the current administration to make the transition as smooth as possible for all schools.You are here: Business

China's mobile phone shipments grew 0.9 percent year on year to 38.53 million units in October, ending a four-month decline streak, according to a report released Monday.

Total shipments during the January-October period reached 343 million units, down 15.3 percent from the same period last year, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) said in its report.

Shipment of 4G phones hit 36.42 million, up by 1.6 percent year on year, accounting for 94.5 percent of the total shipments in October, according to CAICT, a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Chinese phones accounted for 84.4 percent of the total shipments last month with a 1.9-percent increase year on year to some 32.5 million units.

Meanwhile, the number of new models launched in October decreased 25 percent year on year, according to the report.







Han Mingguo, a pig breeder in Xinxiang county, Henan province, has a problem on his hands after an outbreak of African swine fever near his township.

"The cost of raising the pigs has continued to rise since I cannot sell any of them and have to keep feeding them," said Han, who has 300 of the animals. "I am becoming increasingly worried each day as I watch the pigs grow. I am not sure whether I will be able to sell them when they become fully grown."

Zhaipo, the township where Han lives, was included in a restricted zone after the outbreak on Sept 12 in Huojia county, about 20 kilometers away.

No pigs can be moved out of the township under a measure adopted by local authorities after the outbreak to minimize risks of the disease spreading. A total of 148 pigs have been infected and 64 have died.

In Huojia, other measures were enforced immediately after the outbreak alongside banning the transportation of pigs and pork products to and from a designated quarantine area.

The bodies of pigs who succumbed to the disease and those that had to be slaughtered were properly destroyed and sterilized, along with feedstuff that might be contaminated, according to the county government.

Objects that might have been contaminated, including vehicles and pigs' pens, were also thoroughly sterilized, it added.

The day after the outbreak was confirmed, 2,075 pigs on the farm where it struck were buried to control and prevent the disease spreading, Han said.

"Following the outbreak, I have to hold on to my pigs tightly every day as government employees come to check the number of my animals and their condition," he said. "We have to sterilize the pens three times a day with a liquid sterilizer provided by the township government."

Pig farmers in many areas of the country have been affected by outbreaks of African swine fever in the past three months, and the disease has caused heavy losses to the industry, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

More than 50 outbreaks had occurred as of Oct 19, resulting in more than 100,000 pigs being culled, the FAO said.

"We believe African swine fever will bring serious economic losses to China's pig industry," said Vincent Martin, FAO representative in China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "We also think there is still a high risk of the disease spreading further, and all efforts should be maintained and measures strengthened to keep it under control."

There are no effective vaccines to protect pigs from African swine fever, which is a deadly and highly contagious virus for the animals, but does not infect humans. The virus can survive for long periods in very cold and extremely hot weather, and even in dried pork products, according to the FAO.

China is a major pig producing country, and has some 500 million of the animals, about half of the world's total.

First reported in Kenya in 1921, the disease had never been experienced in China until the first case was reported in Shenyang, in the northeastern province of Liaoning, on Aug 1.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a news release last month that authorities nationwide have taken effective measures in recent months, resulting in the disease being brought under control. It said restrictions imposed in 12 areas where outbreaks were reported had been lifted, and persistent control and prevention efforts will be made.

"China faces very severe challenges in control and prevention of ASF, and any laziness may result in the spread or even local prevalence of the disease," the ministry said.

African swine fever has been spreading in some nations near China for many years and is likely to be brought into the country again, it said. More than 4,000 outbreaks had been reported in 14 other countries this year, according to the ministry.

Local authorities nationwide have been ordered to report any outbreaks immediately and take measures to prevent the disease spreading. Transportation and slaughtering of pigs has come under intensified supervision.

At the end of August, the ministry ordered pig farmers not to use kitchen leftovers to feed their animals, to eliminate risk of the virus being transmitted from humans' food to pigs.

Despite recent outbreaks of the disease in more than 10 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, it has not had a major impact on the supply of pork to the market, and prices of the nation's most commonly eaten meat have not seen huge fluctuations, said Tang Ke, market and information head at the ministry.

Agricultural authorities have stepped up monitoring of the pork market and taken measures to ensure supplies in recent months, he said.

The average wholesale price of pork in China rose to about 20 yuan ($2.90) a kilogram in September, an increase of 15.2 percent from July, before starting to fall slightly last month, Tang said.

While cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have seen pork prices rise due to reduced supply, prices in areas hit by the disease have fallen, Tang said.

Zhu Zengyong, an industry researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said the outbreaks had caused serious disruption to pork markets in many places, and heavy blows to pig farmers, with prices falling by as much as 50 percent in some areas where the disease has been reported.

In Liaoning, the wholesale price of pork has fallen to as low as 8 yuan a kg, less than the cost of raising the animals, which is 12 yuan a kg, he said.

"Under the current measures, live pigs and pork cannot be transported out of an area with outbreaks until quarantine measures are lifted," he said.

In Northeast China, including Liaoning, most of the pigs raised are moved to other areas to be slaughtered and sold, but the disease has halted this, causing a glut of pigs in areas where outbreaks have been reported, Zhu said.

"This has caused many slaughterhouses to try to reduce the price of pork by as much as possible, bringing heavy losses to farmers raising pigs, and to pig production companies," he added.

In contrast, in some areas, such as Sichuan province and Chongqing, which rely on pigs being transported to them, pork prices have risen significantly due to a supply shortage.

"This shortage may be more serious when Spring Festival comes around, as many locals are preparing to salt pork, as is tradition," Zhu said.

Ke Fengxiang, a 53-year-old farmer who raises about 20 pigs in Pingdingshan, Henan province, said she had not been greatly affected by the outbreaks, and none of her pigs have had to be slaughtered.

"There are not as many pig buyers as before, so I may be unable to sell some of the adult pigs this year," she said. "Most of the farmers have a wait-and-see attitude, but many farms will not have enough room for pigs if they cannot sell their animals."

Martin, from the FAO, said: "The ongoing epidemic shows that it is everyone's business. A lot of work still needs to be done to raise awareness among small farmers and all players along the value chain on the importance of the disease, so that each and every one can contribute to this national effort."

Sun Yuan, a researcher at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, said sustained efforts are needed to control and prevent the disease to ensure security for the pork industry.

"The risk of the disease spreading is very high due to many reasons," he said, adding that the high numbers of pigs and the fact that pork consumption in many areas relies on live animals being transported have posed great difficulties in controlling the disease and preventing it from spreading.

Sun said intensified monitoring and inspection should be carried out in key places, including slaughterhouses, meat processing factories and on roads where pigs are transported.

China will encourage the transportation of meat, including pork and poultry, in refrigerated vehicles, and smaller cargoes of live pigs and chickens, according to a circular released last month by the State Council, the country's Cabinet, to control and prevent African swine fever.

Moving live farm animals over long distances is a major reason for the spread of diseases, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said, adding that measures will be taken to encourage pig slaughtering near farms before the meat is taken under refrigeration to other areas.

Zhu, from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said pork supplies rely on the transportation of pigs for many reasons, including the preference among people in some areas for fresh meat, and the uneven distribution of slaughterhouses.

"Following the outbreaks, transporting live pigs across different provinces has been banned in many places, resulting in many producers wishing they had had time to adapt to this."

Xi Chunling, vice-president of the China Association for the Promotion of International Agricultural Cooperation, said raising pigs in healthier conditions can reduce disease and control outbreaks.

"Improving welfare for farm animals, such as reducing the density of pigs on farms, can make them healthier and prevent and control diseases at the root," she said. "In this way, fewer antibiotics need to be used, which also improves food safety."

Philip Lymbery, chief executive of Compassion in World Farming, an organization in the United Kingdom that promotes farm animal welfare, said improving conditions for pigs can help reduce diseases such as African swine fever.

"It is a terrible diseasein China and in other countries," he said. "We sincerely hope that the right action will be taken to protect animal welfare to control it. But for the future, good animal welfare will help Chinese agriculture to become less susceptible, less inclined to these diseases."

The ministry said the outbreaks have also exposed loopholes in animal disease prevention and control systems in some places, such as a lack of talent, funding and infrastructure, which has hampered the timely discovery, reporting and handling of cases.

The ministry will increase funding to grassroots veterinary institutes to improve their ability to control and prevent animal diseases, it said.Cold blasts are in the forecast for northern parts of the country from Monday to Saturday, resulting in precipitation in these areas from the west to the east and pushing out air pollution around the capital, authorities said.

According to the National Meteorological Center, a cold blast that entered the country in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Sunday is expected to result in snow or sleet in northern Xinjiang, western Inner Mongolia autonomous region and the western part of Gansu province on Monday. Some areas in Xinjiang, including Altay and Tacheng prefectures, may be hit by heavy snow and a snowstorm.

In addition to strong winds, many areas in the north, including Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, will experience a temperature decrease of up to 10 C, the center said on Monday.

As the cold air moves towards the east, snow and sleet will engulf the eastern part of Northwest China, central and eastern parts of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and the northern part of North China and Northeast China from Wednesday to Saturday, it added.

It also said the eastern part of Northeast China and eastern Gansu province might be hit with heavy snow on Wednesday and Thursday. There will be a temperature decrease of 6 to 10 C in these regions.

Meanwhile, because of unfavorable meteorological conditions for air pollutant dispersal, central and southern parts of North China and the Fenhe and Weihe river plains, mostly located in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, will be stricken by a bout of haze from Monday to Thursday, the center said.

In North China, the smog mainly affected southern parts of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster on Monday, with mostly light to moderate pollution. The pollution, however, will increase both in size of the affected areas and the pollution level on the second day, according to China National Environmental Monitoring Center.

It said Beijing municipality and Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Tangshan and Langfang in Hebei province may be stricken by heavy air pollution from Tuesday to Thursday because of "temperature inversions", which prevent the normal churn of the atmosphere, and "high humidity".

The haze will gradually clear up from north to south thanks to strong cold air from the north and rainfall from Thursday night, the monitoring center said.

"Cold air may arrive in northern parts of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster on Thursday. Slow in speed, however, it will fail to quickly take away the pollutants. Most of the pollutants are expected to be cleared on Friday," the National Joint Research Center on Air Pollution Causes and Control said in a statement on Monday.

The monitoring center also said sand and dust affecting northeastern Xinjiang may also result in moderate to heavy air pollution from Monday to Wednesday.China expanded its share on a global list of the world's fastest supercomputers, according to a biannual ranking of the Top500 published Monday.

The number of supercomputers installed in China increased from 206 in June to 227 now, accounting for 45.4 percent of the total, according to the ranking.

The number of supercomputers that call the United States home, by contrast, continued to decline, reaching an all-time low.

John Dongarra, professor of Innovative Computing Lab with the University of Tennessee, told Xinhua that China is making large changes with 227 systems compared with 109 in the United States.

However, systems in the United States are, on average, more powerful, resulting in an aggregate system performance of 38 percent, compared to 31 percent for China.

The Top 10 supercomputers saw five U.S.-built systems with the first two captured by "Summit" and "Sierra," which had similar architectures with IBM cores and NVIDIA GPUs.

China's Sunway TaihuLight supercomputer is ranked third with its performance of 93.0 petaflops.

Tianhe-2A (Milky Way-2A), deployed at the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou, is now in the number four position, according to the ranking.

Germany had a new Top 10 entry with SuperMUC-NG, ranking number eight. It was built by Chinese tech company Lenovo, the top supercomputer manufacturer in the ranking, producing 140 of the total.

The most energy-efficient system on the Green500, a list released along with the Top500 to evaluate a system's energy efficiency, is once again claimed by the Shoubu system B at RIKEN scientific research institute in Japan.

The Top500 list is considered one of the most authoritative rankings of the world's supercomputers. It is compiled on the basis of machine performance on the Linpack benchmark by experts from the United States and Germany.Blaze Pizza, Mt. Pleasants newest pizza restaurant, opens Tuesday and will give away free pizza on Wednesday, the California-based company said in a press release.

Blaze opens a 2,400 square-foot restaurant with an open kitchen, seating for 59 and an outdoor patio at 1218 S. Mission St.

On Wednesday, Blaze will give away free build-your-own pizzas to anyone who visits and likes them on Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook between 10:30 a.m. and 9 p.m., the company said.

Blaze in Mt. Pleasant is a locally-owned franchise of the company that, since 2012, has been serving artisanal pies that it boasts are both fast and affordable.

Each restaurant features an interactive open kitchen format that allows guests to customize one of the menus personal signature pizzas or create your own for around $8.

Blaze is one of three pizza places slated for Mt. Pleasant.

Bells Greek Pizza on Broomfield Road west of Mission opened last month.

The pizzaria  owned by Pano Bell, Tula Bell and Nikolas Bell  welcomed patrons in Mt. Pleasant with a look at their menu of italian and Greek items, as well as a free slice of pizza.

And a new gourmet pizza restaurant is slated soon for downtown Mt. Pleasant.

Renovations are currently underway at the future site of Vin Trofeos at 120 S. University in downtown Mt. Pleasant. The building formerly housed the 120 South cocktail and tapas establishment.

Business partners Will Baird, Tim Chaffin and Neal Shepler are planning to open the restaurant in the near future.For students from the Belt and Road countries who are interested in studying in China, attending their dream business school may not be that far away thanks to an initiative launched by GMAC.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), an association of leading graduate business schools and the owner of the GMAT exam, has initiated the "Study in China" program in partnership with 11 leading business schools in China to help international students explore opportunities and pursue higher education in business-related fields in the country.

The initiative is currently mainly targeted on facilitating students from 20 countries and regions along the Belt and Road in Asia, Africa and Europe, via all kinds of activities like essay contests and webinars.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing on Monday, GMAC's president and CEO Sangeet Chowfla said the organization is dedicated to creating a world where every talented person can benefit from the best business education for them and tries to provide the tools and information necessary for schools and talents to discover and evaluate each other.

He noted that with globalization and the growth of emerging economies like China, students now have a greater choice for pursuing high quality business education besides the U.S. and Europe, while MBA education remains strong globally with primary demand from Asia.

By launching the "Study in China" program, GMAC aims to drive awareness of China as a desirable study destination for candidates interested in graduate business studies and effectively connect them with the right opportunities to excel at China's leading business schools and programs, while offering all around support during their studies, Chowfla told the press.

According to the organization's earlier release, the "Study in China" online portal, launched in June this year, allows students to discover more about studying and living in China, and help find the perfect fit for their China education experience.

For example, it offers in-depth information and insider advice on the schools and programs available, including international program structure, syllabus overview, admission requirements, application times, campus facilities, scholarships and financial aid. Students can also opt-in to conveniently contact the schools for further details via GMAC's one-stop portal.The Chinese government, concerned about the deteriorating environment surrounding some of the country's key nature reserves, is adopting stronger measures to halt the trend.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) recently called in 11 officials representing eight local authorities and forestry administrations from Anhui province, Chongqing municipality and Yunnan province, to instruct them to be more alert about the deteriorating environmental conditions around seven important nature reserves under their jurisdiction, zqb.cyol.com reported on Nov. 6.

According to the ministry, these local entities were found to be turning a blind eye to illegitimate developments, providing false information and making a fool of supervisory organs with fake promises.

The aim of the ministry move was to demonstrate that such derelictions of duty and fabrications could hardly escape the supervisory radar. From March onwards, the ministry, along six other authorities, has been working on a joint action called "Green Shield," calibrating at 469 national-level and 847 provincial or equivalent-level nature reserves located in 31 provinces, prefectures and municipalities.

The problems that have been detected by inspectors include ambiguous boundaries between habitable and non-habitable areas enabling people to go in and out freely, growing rubbish mountains, continued construction of tourist facilities that the local authorities had promised to halt, and illegal projects under the name of "improving people's livelihoods."

"We face lots of historic problems while protecting nature reserves. Therefore, we don't hold you accountable for the past, but each of you must be responsible from now on," Liu Changgen, deputy director of the national environmental inspection office of MEE, told the 11 officials.

In line with the Regulations on Nature Reserves amended last year, actions, such as lumbering, herding, hunting, fishing, herb collection, land reclamation, grass burning, mining and dredging, are prohibited in the protected areas.

However, many local residents living near nature reserves have made use of land, especially the buffer zones protecting the core areas, to make a living. For instance, between April and October each year, local residents in proximity to Mt. Qomolangma have been making a lucrative living providing tents, food and drinks for a host of tourists. The accommodation fee is usually in the range of 30 (US$4.34) to 50 yuan (US$7.23) per person per night, which a local man said was a considerable income for plateau herders.

Last May, the Nianbaoyuze State Park in Jiuzhi county, Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province, closed and its facilities, including, the boardwalks and camps, were dismantled. The closure of the park, a major source of income for the local economy, has caused a considerable loss.

With investment totaling 12.16 million yuan, the park was graded in 2000 as a national 4A scenic spot, only one level lower than the supreme 5A. In 2008, the county started to receive many more visitors. According to a local government report, the park received 157,000 visits last year, with tourist revenue hitting 114 million yuan, equivalent to a quarter of Jiuzhi county's annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

However, the increasingly frequent visits of human beings disturbed the eco-environment inside the park, exemplified by accelerated thawing of the snow-capped mountains. Besides, the ubiquitous rubbish piles and the jaywalkers leaving the designated walkways to tramp on the preserved prairies indicated a loosening of the local monitoring system.

The park is one of the country's key nature reserves, where people should have been prevented from walking around indiscriminately. To protect their natural assets, many other parks, like Nianbaoyuze, are starting denying access to tourists.

In addition to tourism, the extant micro and small hydropower stations, established three or four decades ago to provide power to sparsely-populated rural villages, have had a side effect of jeopardizing the ecological systems important in shaping the reserves.

The hydropower stations working with a capacity below 25,000 kW each are categorized as small-scale power generators in China. Nowadays, more than 47,000 power stations of this type continue to rumble across the country, among which, some are still operated in buffer zones or inner parts of nature reserves, running counter to the law prohibiting and productive activities in any form in those areas.

At the end of last year, police at Sanjiangyuan National Natural Reserve of Qinghai province, imposed penalties on two small hydropower stations for their illegal operations spread over 10 years. However, in fact, the stations were fined no more than 10,000 yuan.

"The cost of law-breaking is so light it doesn't discourage violators," said Cui Shuhong, an official of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

China plans to establish stringent controls over the red lines mapped out to protect the natural reserves to eventually cover the equivalent of around a quarter of national territory.The following editorial appears on Bloomberg Opinion:

Why have wages been so slow to rise at a time when demand for workers has pushed the U.S. unemployment rate to its lowest point in nearly half a century? One answer: Contracts that tie millions of unspecialized workers to their jobs.

In far too many cases, these so-called noncompetes are an unwarranted restriction on freedom to transact and a drag on growth. If Congress wont act to narrow their scope, states should take the lead.

The desire to keep workers from defecting to rival employers is as old as employment itself. As far back as the 15th century, English masters, such as dyers or blacksmiths, made apprentices promise not to set up shop nearby. Courts often refused to uphold such agreements, viewing them as coercive. As a House of Lords decision put it in 1893, There is obviously more freedom of contract between buyer and seller than between master and servant or between an employer and a person seeking employment.

More than a century later, the idea is back in vogue, as companies exploit the power that comes with increasing size and market concentration. In the U.S., new employees are commonly required to sign contracts that forbid them to work in the same industry for a given period. The practice makes sense for highly paid jobs involving big investments in training, and for staff with valuable proprietary knowledge. But it isnt being limited to those kinds of employees.

A 2014 survey found that about two in five workers were or had at some point been bound in this way, including workers such as security guards and camp counselors. Some 12 percent of employees without a bachelors degree and earning less than $40,000 a year were tied down.

Why are noncompetes so popular? Simple  because they restrain wages. Granted, thats sometimes justified, as when companies spend more on research and training if theyre confident that their intellectual property cant just walk away. Theres evidence this applies to some high-level positions in knowledge-intensive firms. But it certainly doesnt apply to millions of relatively low-paid, unskilled workers.

Even for highly skilled professions, the costs of limiting workers options often exceed any benefits. Noncompetes impede job growth, worker mobility and entrepreneurship.

California has long refused to recognize employee noncompete clauses. (It recently toughened its law to clarify that it wont honor agreements signed in other states.) This policy may have something to do with the rise of Silicon Valley as a global technology hub. It attracts smart people looking to build careers and startups hoping to hire them, while the movement of talent from company to company promotes cross-pollination and innovation.

In principle, curbing noncompetes should appeal to both the political right and left  the right because it promotes competition, the left because it increases workers bargaining power. Yet Congress failed to pass a 2015 bill that would have protected low-wage workers from noncompetes.

Absent federal action, some states are stepping up. Earlier this year, Massachusetts adopted a law that bans noncompetes for low-paid, hourly workers and requires compensation for departed workers who remain bound by the clauses. Several other states  including Idaho, Illinois and Utah  have moved to limit the agreements. New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Vermont have legislation in the works.

More U.S. states need to recognize what the British House of Lords did long ago: A dynamic economy requires that people be free to go where their skills and talents are most valued.Amnesty strips Aung San Suu Kyi of highest honour

UNITED KINGDOM: Amnesty International yesterday (Nov 12) stripped Aung SanSuu Kyi of its highest honour over the de facto Myanmar leaders indifference to the atrocities committed by the military against Rohingya Muslims.

Myanmarpolitics

By AFP

Tuesday 13 November 2018, 09:44AM

Aung San Suu Kyi has been accused of ignoring the murder, torture and rape of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Photo: Roslan Rahman / AFP

It was the latest in a string of awards the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner lost since Myanmar's military drove 720,000 Rohingya out of the Buddhist majority country in what the United Nations has called an act of genocide.

The London-based global human rights organisation said it was revoking the Ambassador of Conscience Award it gave Suu Kyi in 2009 while she was still under house arrest.

"Today, we are profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defence of human rights," Amnesty International chief Kumi Naidoo said in a letter to Suu Kyi released by the group.

"Amnesty International cannot justify your continued status as a recipient of the Ambassador of Conscience award and so with great sadness we are hereby withdrawing it from you."

Amnesty said it informed the 73-year-old of the decision last Sunday (Nov 11). She has so far issued no public response.

Suu Kyi was globally hailed as a freedom fighter who stood up to her country's feared military junta while spending 15 years under house arrest.

Her plight received added attention when she was visited by Hillary Clinton when the two-time US presidential candidate was still Secretary of State in 2011.

Suu Kyi then reaffirmed her commitment to working with the United States to bring democracy to her country of around 50 million people.

Her National League for Democracy (NLD) party swept to power in a 2015 landslide that brought hope of Myanmar correcting injustices inflicted over 50 years of brutal military rule.

But her tenure has been marred by a failure to speak up for Rohingya Muslims. Her government is also fighting an uphill struggle against corruption and local conflicts.

Amnesty said it believes thousands of Rohingyas were killed in Myanmar's western Rakhine province since the campaign began August 2017.

Many more are thought to have been either tortured or raped.

Myanmar has justified the military's actions as necessary to combat terrorism.

Amnesty conceded that the civilian government Suu Kyi informally heads does not directly control the powerful security services.

But it accused her of standing up for the crimes and "obstructing international investigations into abuses".

It added that human rights campaigners and journalists continued to be detained and intimidated by the government since her party's victory.

Suu Kyi was stripped of her honourary Canadian citizenship over her failure to speak up for the Rohingyas last month.

She has also lost numerous smaller awards from individual universities and local and regional governments.Immigration Chief Surachate to inspect new Phoenix salvage attempt

Tuesday 13 November 2018, 06:16PM

The Marine Department has issued a notice ordering all vessels to stay clear of the salvage area for safety  all day and all night  from today (Nov 13) through Thursday (Nov 15).. Map: Marine Dept

The Marine Department has issued a notice ordering all vessels to stay clear of the salvage area for safety  all day and all night  from today (Nov 13) through Thursday (Nov 15).. Map: Marine Dept

Materials for the new salvage team have arrived at Phuket Deep Sea Port. Photo: PR Dept

Materials for the new salvage team have arrived at Phuket Deep Sea Port. Photo: PR Dept

Materials for the new salvage team have arrived at Phuket Deep Sea Port. Photo: PR Dept

Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana announced the news today (Nov 13) at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall.

A 1,200-tonne,100-metre-long floating crane accompanied by a 34-metre-long tugboat has already arrived Krabi province, Gov Phakaphong explained earlier today.

The boat and crane were to arrive in Phuket after 3pm this afternoon, he said.

However, as of 6pm this evening, The Phuket News had yet to confirm that the boat and crane had arrived.

After the wreck is lifted to the surface, it will be taken to Ratanachai shipyard in the Tha Jeen Canal, on the east side of Phuket Town, Gov Phakaphong reiterated.

The Phuket Marine Office, police and experts will inspect the boat, he said.

Gov Phakaphong again confirmed that the company previously contract to salvage the Phoenix, Spitz Tech Co Ltd, has cancelled its agreement with the Phuket Marine Office to recover the wreck.

A new company named Seaquest Marine has sent the divers into the area, he said.

Representatives of the Marine Department are not present at this meeting, but information of the salvage will be revealed soon, Governor Phakaphong added.

Tomorrow, Maj Gen Surachet Hakpan will inspect the site of the wreck and check the process of salvage, he said.

Materials for the new salvage team have arrived at Phuket Deep Sea Port, and divers from Seaquest Marine arrived to inspect the site last Friday (Nov 9). (See story here.)

Marine Department has issued a notice ordering all vessels to stay clear of the salvage area for safety  all day and all night  from today (Nov 13) through Thursday (Nov 15).

The salvage site was given as 742'14.6" North, 9823'06.9" East. (Click here.)

The Phoenix sank 1.5 nautical miles off Koh Hei in storm conditions on July 5 in a disaster that killed 47 Chinese tourists.

Previous attempts to move the boat either failed entirely or achieved little success, with the first attempt in late September managing to move the boat only about 400 meters from where it sank before a tether broke. (See story here.)NACC stands firm on asset rule

BANGKOK: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has refused to back down on a new rule that requires mandatory asset declaration by university council chairpersons and members, but said it is likely to postpone its enforcement.

corruptioncrimeculturepolitics

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 13 November 2018, 09:13AM

Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit, chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Commission: All university council members, including monks, must comply with the new law to produce lists of assets. Photo: Bangkok Post / File

NACC chairman Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said yesterday (Nov 12) that senior government executives are legally required to submit lists of assets and debts, but the anti-graft body will consider delaying the enforcement after it triggered threats of mass resignations, which could affect the running of university affairs.

The issue will be further discussed today (Nov 13), and the enforcement of the regulation is likely to be put off, possibly for 30 days, to give university councils and their members time to prepare.

The asset and liability regulation was issued under a new anti-corruption law that also covers judges and other state officials, their spouses and children, including those who are not yet of age.

Published in the Royal Gazette on Nov 1, the rule will take effect on Dec 2.

The regulation caused an uproar in academic circles, with some university council members threatening to quit out of concerns over excessive paperwork.

"Exactly how long the enforcement will be postponed will be clearer tomorrow. If it is delayed by 30 days, it should give university councils enough time to prepare to comply with the regulation. This approach will not cause disruptions," he said.

According to Pol Gen Watcharapol, the postponement, if agreed, will be applied across the board, not just to university council chairpersons and members.

However, he added that the Supreme Patriarch, who serves as chairman of the Mahamakut Buddhist University council, is not required to declare his assets and debts, but other senior monks who are members of university councils are.

Mana Nimitmongkol, secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (CAT), has voiced support for the NACC, saying the rule is needed more than ever.

Citing a report by the Office of the Higher Education Commission (Ohec), Mr Mana said corruption adversely impacted the quality of education, as some university executives and council members allegedly operate based on reciprocity.

"The NACC must forge ahead with this new regulation," he said.

However, he also urged the NACC to sit down with academics to find out why they are reluctant to declare their assets and work out a solution.

According to Mr Mana, some 40,000 people are currently required to declare their assets and debts to the anti-graft body.

The new rule means an additional 3,000 people will have to do the same - including those in public organisations and state enterprises - but the dissent came from some 500 university council members, he said.

"The NACC should take a proactive approach by talking to them and finding out what their reservations are. If it is really about paperwork, perhaps the NACC can work something out," he said.

Mr Mana said Thailand has signed the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), while the 2017 charter and the 20-year national strategic plan have championed for greater transparency.

He said the new regulation must not be abolished because it will negatively affect public confidence in state efforts to combat graft.

"The fight against corruption demands collaboration from the people. It would be a waste if the regulation is dropped, and the public will start to question our efforts," he said.

Somlak Judkrabuanphol, a former member of the NACC, urged the anti-graft agency to streamline the declaration process to avoid excessive paperwork.

She said she is opposed to a proposal that Section 44 should be invoked to exempt some position holders from declaring their debts and assets, adding that the rule is in line with the constitution and the organic law.

Paisal Puechmongkol, an aide to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, called on the government to seize the opportunity to reform university councils in case of mass resignations.

He said on Facebook that the NACC's regulation will reveal vast conflicts of interests in universities and that the time is ripe for the government to overhaul the system.

Meanwhile, public support is mounting for the NACC's new regulation.

Dr Suthee Rattanamongkolkul, of Srinakharinwirot University's faculty of medicine, launched a signature campaign on Nov 9 which has drawn almost 1,500 supporters.

According to Dr Suthee, universities are particularly vulnerable to abuse and graft due to their size and interests, and it is hoped the asset declaration rule will promote good governance and transparency.

Read original story here.Woman safe after pinned under cab in 7-Eleven delivery truck flip

PHUKET: The girlfriend of a truck driver who was riding shotgun in a 7-Eleven delivery truck has suffered serious injuries to her left arm after she was pinned under the cab of the truck when it flipped onto its side on Thepkrasattri Rd early this morning (Nov 13).

transportaccidentsSafetypolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 13 November 2018, 12:53PM

Trongjit Kongbangpor, 23, was pinned under the cab of the six-wheeled truck, which had flipped onto its side beside the road. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Trongjit Kongbangpor, 23, was pinned under the cab of the six-wheeled truck, which had flipped onto its side beside the road. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Trongjit Kongbangpor, 23, was pinned under the cab of the six-wheeled truck, which had flipped onto its side beside the road. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Trongjit Kongbangpor, 23, was pinned under the cab of the six-wheeled truck, which had flipped onto its side beside the road. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Trongjit Kongbangpor, 23, was pinned under the cab of the six-wheeled truck, which had flipped onto its side beside the road. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Trongjit Kongbangpor, 23, was pinned under the cab of the six-wheeled truck, which had flipped onto its side beside the road. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Trongjit Kongbangpor, 23, was pinned under the cab of the six-wheeled truck, which had flipped onto its side beside the road. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Trongjit Kongbangpor, 23, was pinned under the cab of the six-wheeled truck, which had flipped onto its side beside the road. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Trongjit Kongbangpor, 23, was pinned under the cab of the six-wheeled truck, which had flipped onto its side beside the road. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Trongjit Kongbangpor, 23, was pinned under the cab of the six-wheeled truck, which had flipped onto its side beside the road. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Tha Chatchai Police were called to the scene, about 500 metres south of the Phuket Checkpoint, at 1am.

Officers arrived with Kusoldharm Foundation and Mai Khao rescue workers to find 23-year-old Trongjit Kongbangpor, from Songkhla, pinned under the cab of the six-wheeled Bangkok-registered Isuzu truck, which had flipped onto its side beside the road.

Ms Trongjit had suffered a serious injury to her left arm. Rescue workers took an hour to cut her free from the wreck and transported her to Thalang Hospital.

Ms Trongjits boyfriend, 27-year-old Suchinda Yamloi, also from Songkhla, told police that he was delivering goods bound for 7-Eleven stores in Patong.

Mr Suchinda, a driver for Dynamic Co Ltd, said he had picked up his load of produce from a 7-Eleven depot in Surat Thani at 9pm last night and was en route to Patong when the accident happened.

He told police that he was driving in the right lane southbound when a pickup truck behind him started driving erratically, wanting to pass him.

Mr Suchinda moved the truck into the left lane so that the pickup could pass, but the front-left wheel went off the road. The truck hit a sign and onto its side, he told police.

Police have yet to confirm whether Mr Suchinda will face any charges for the accident.

Thalang Hospital has reported that Ms Trongjit is safe, but declined to confirm any other details of her condition.55 companies pay no taxes, and there's a reason whyLONDONAll-male boards at the U.K.s biggest companies are nearing extinction, a sign that government efforts to increase gender parity are paying off.

Just five companies in the FTSE 350 Index have no women at the top table, down from eight in 2017, according to data from the annual Hampton-Alexander Review that will be released in full Tuesday. The number has fallen dramatically since 2011 when 152 boards were men-only.

Those bucking the trend include hospitality group Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Plc, property business Daejan Holdings Plc and two investment trusts. Daejan cited its Orthodox Jewish owners as the reason for the lack of senior women.

Unless somebody forces us to do anything different, the chances of us appointing a woman are pretty slim, said Mark Jenner, Daejans secretary.

Millennium & Copthorne joined the list after its female chief executive and a non-executive director both left in recent months. A spokesperson said the company was aiming to address our gender diversity as soon as practicable.

Those working on the review were cheered by how many of last years transgressors became more diverse, with companies such as Sports Direct International Plc and Euromoney Institutional Investor Plc coming off the list. But they still faced some disappointing excuses from companies as to why there werent more women on boards.

Companies have explained the absence of women on their boards by saying they dont fit in, they dont want the hassle, and all the good ones have already gone, according to comments heard by the Hampton-Alexander Review authors that were published in May by the U.K. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.

For all the progress on boards, the number of female CEOs among the FTSE 100 remained at six for the third year in a row. Moya Greene stepped down as CEO from Royal Mail Plc in June and Carolyn McCall was replaced by a man at easyJet Plc.

Disparities also remain on pay. The U.K.s Equal Pay Day on Saturday marked the point in the year corresponding with the average gender pay gap, after which womens work can be seen as unpaid.

The U.K. has made a big push in recent years to boost equality for women in the workplace. A new law introduced in April forcing all companies with at least 250 employees to report average differences between mens and womens pay has increased transparency. The pay gap shrunk from 18.6 per cent last year to 17.9 per cent in 2018, the U.K. Office for National Statistics reported last month.

Improving gender equality in the workplace isnt just the right thing to do, its also good business sense, Susan Williams, minister for equalities, said in an email. Its crucial that employers use the reporting process to identify the barriers women face in the workplace and take action.

Want to know more? Subscribe to Bloombergs podcast The Pay Check

Those efforts have been buoyed over the last year by the #metoo movement, a call to arms for women to speak out about experiences of sexism and sexual harassment in the wake of allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

About 79 per cent of European companies made changes to improve their responses and training around sexual harassment following the Weinstein scandal, according to U.S. employment law firm Littler Mendelson P.C. Some of the 800 executives, HR and legal professionals the firm surveyed said their employers had re-examined old cases.

Government has also been scrutinized. Britain hosted the first-ever conference for female parliamentarians from around the world last week to mark the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to stand for election in the country. Women currently make up 32 per cent of U.K. lawmakers, compared with 24 per cent of those in elected office globally, according to government data.

It is not a democracy if women are not in parliament, Labour lawmaker Harriet Harman said at the conference Thursday. We are an imperative.It may not just be OPEC thats weighing whether to cut oil production.

The pipeline bottlenecks that have strangled Canadian crude prices have at least one major energy producer calling for oil-rich Alberta to mandate output reductions. Oilsands producer Cenovus Energy Inc. says the province already has legislation on the books that would allow it to require all drillers to curtail output temporarily to alleviate the glut  and it needs to use it.

The Calgary-based company cited a Peters & Co. report estimating that if Western Canada Select crudes current discount to West Texas Intermediate of about $40 (U.S.) a barrel were to persist through next year, the province would see about $5 billion ($3.78 billion U.S.) less in oilsands royalties.

This is an extraordinary situation brought on by extraordinary circumstances, the company said in an emailed statement. The government needs to take this immediate temporary action  which is completely within the law  to protect the interests of Albertans.

Albertas Energy Department responded that its working with the industry on multiple ideas to alleviate the current trouble.

The oil price differential right now is absurd, and exactly why Premier Rachel Notley is fighting to build new pipelines and pushing Ottawa to step up and help fix the backlog in rail shipments, Energy Department spokesman Mike McKinnon said in an emailed statement. We continue to engage industry leaders on a number of different approaches and look forward to having more to say soon.

Read more about:Macys Inc., the iconic department store, has started a radical experiment aimed at revival. It is shrinking.

Faced with too much space and too few shoppers, the 160-year-old retailer plans to reduce the amount of merchandise and the number of employees at its slower-performing storeswalling off entire sections at some locations and leaving the space empty.

If your store is too big and your dollars per square feet are too low and you cant lease the space to someone else, then youve got to hive off a floor, Macys chief executive Jeff Gennette said in an interview.

The smaller-store footprint, an experiment now under way at four locations, is intended to save money on staffing and inventory, while improving the chains sometimes lackluster shopping experience. The company plans to discuss the strategy publicly for the first time Wednesday, when it is expected to report third-quarter results.

People dont have to walk through 200,000 square feet to find what theyre looking for, said Mr. Gennette, 57, who has worked at Macys for 35 years. If we were building stores today, wed build them smaller.

The idea of leaving floor space empty is a dramatic turnabout for an industry that historically raced to open more stores and expand its shelf space.

Steve Dennis, a former Sears Holdings Corp. and Neiman Marcus Group executive and now a consultant, said no retailer he could think of has successfully shrunk its way to growth. If youve got too much space, it means your brand isnt resonating, he said. Its not a real estate problem, its a brand problem.

Americans for decades made a habit of shopping at large department stores, with escalators and holiday window displays. That retail sector has been losing ground since the 1980sfirst to discounters like Walmart Inc. and more recently to off-price chains like T.J. Maxx and online sellers like Amazon.com Inc.

That has left traditional retailers with too much space. Some like Sears have closed hundreds of locations or carved out areas for supermarkets and health clubs. Best Buy Co. has revived its fortunes by leasing floor space to tech vendors.

Macys has already struck leases with Sunglass Hut, LensCrafters and other companies that have moved into its stores, helping defray costs and draw new shoppers.

Sales in the current fiscal year ending in February at Macys Inc., which also includes the Bloomingdales and Bluemercury chains, are expected to be roughly flat at $25 billion (U.S.) compared with 2017, and little changed from 2011.

The Macys locations being converted into what Mr. Gennette called neighborhood stores will shrink in size by as much as a fifth. They will have fewer employees and a leaner selection. The pitch to shoppers: more self-service optionsshoe departments display boxes of various sizesand a convenient place to pick up or return online purchases.

Macys is testing the smaller format at its store at the Stamford Town Center in Stamford, Conn. The Macys there is about 200,000 square feet but yields only about half the annual sales of top locations with a similar size. Since the store is profitable, Macys doesnt want to close it.

Instead, the store has reduced its square footage by 8%. A now-empty and walled-off section of the first floor once housed plus sizes and coats, which have moved to the third floor.

Colleen Smith, 41, said Monday she liked that coats and plus sizes are now upstairs, near the rest of womens clothing.

But Beverleigh Shaylor, who has shopped at the Stamford Macys since it opened in 1982, bemoaned the lack of staff as well as the self-serve shoe department. They dont have enough employees to help clean up the store, the 83-year-old said, pointing to piles of unfolded sweaters.

Ms. Shaylor spent a fruitless hour hunting for shoes before giving up. Being able to help yourself is great in theory, she said, but people dont put the shoes back in the right boxes.

The number of employees in Stamford has been cut by nearly 40%. Instead of cashiers in various departmentsothers in the chain have as many as 50 registersthe Stamford store has three new checkout areas, one on each floor.

On the flip side of Macys store-shrinking strategy are investments at its most productive locations, so-called magnet stores. Mr. Gennette has basically divided Macys stores into two buckets.

The magnets, comprised of as many as 350 stores, will get ambitious face-lifts, extra staff, an expanded assortment of merchandise and Starbucks coffee shops. Renovations at 50 of the magnet stores were completed this year and cost more than $200 million. Another 100 are planned for upgrades next year.

As a sign his strategy is working, Mr. Gennette said sales at the newly renovated magnet stores are running well ahead of the company average.

The makeover at Macys magnet store in Glendale, Ariz., extends to the beauty department. Virtual mirrors with an embedded camera show shoppers how they would look in different lipsticks, eyeshadows and mascara, all without having to try them on. Storewide, there are new carpets and lighting, along with more employees and a larger dress section.

Many of the 653 Macys locations are rundown, one consequence of ramped-up spending on e-commerce in recent years.

We were spending the capital and gaining market share in digital, Mr. Gennette said. But we underinvested in brick-and-mortar. You cant just do one without the other.

Yet failure to keep stores in good condition can lead to an erosion of shoppers, which happened to Sears. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in October.

I wish the store looked nicer, said Kayla Lindly, 30, a digital marketing executive. She was shopping recently for a dress for a cousins wedding at a Macys in Scottsdale, Ariz., which is slated for an upgrade next year. The carpets, lighting and fixtures all look so old.

The neighborhood stores, which will make up the rest of the Macys fleet, will also get updated lights, flooring and fixtures, but not on as grand a scale as the magnet stores.

Since taking over as chief executive in March 2017, Mr. Gennette, has closed dozens of weaker locations, stripped away layers of management and rolled out such new concepts as the Market @ Macys, a collection of rotating pop-up shops featuring up-and-coming brands.

He also has sought to eliminate overlapping sales promotions so customers dont need a calculator to figure out how much an item costs after discounts.

On a visit to the Macys in Yonkers, N.Y., one of the renovated magnet stores, Mr. Gennette praised employees for reversing five years of sales declines there. It really just shows that the investment in this building is paying off, he said.

Privately, employees used to call the home department the cave, because the lighting was so dark. It now has new lighting and carpeting, though the same old tile flooring.

Darlene Hanes, a Macys executive vice president and regional director of stores, said she wished the department could have gotten new tile floors, but there wasnt enough money to do it all.

Read more about:In conversation at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School last month, Nancy Pelosi laid out her priorities should the Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives and should Pelosi reclaim the top job as Speaker.

HR1, she said, meaning House Resolution Number 1, would be campaign finance reform, followed by lowering the cost of health care, building the infrastructure of America (mass transit, schools, housing), protecting the Dreamers and passing the Equality Act amendment to the Civil Rights Act, thereby enshrining protections for the LGBTQ community.

The agenda, she acknowledged, is ambitious. And clearly, she relishes the power that comes along with the job. Its an interesting dynamic when you have the gavel, she said. It just makes all the difference in the world.

Read more:

Canada eyes sweeping free-trade deal with China but remains open to sector deals

Trumps NAFTA plan could be upended by Democrats House takeover

U.S. midterm elections put USMCA in jeopardy

Now that Democrats are back in control of the House, it isnt certain, but it is a reasonable bet, that Pelosi will re-emerge as Speaker. When she last took up that gavel in January of 2007 she delivered, within 100 days, on her promised legislative agenda, which included rescinding billions of dollars of tax breaks to oil and gas companies and raising the federal minimum wage, which the Democrats will fight for again, she vows.

What Pelosi has not put on her Top 10 list is passage of the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

This shouldnt come as a post-election surprise.

Those who lived through the first NAFTA recall the free trade expansion negotiated by the Republicans under George H. W. Bush in 1992, the opposition from the Democrats, and the 11th-hour conversion of Bill Clinton, who, as president, signed the trade deal into law late in 1993, but not before the ignored issues of the environment and labour were addressed.

By addressed I do not mean to suggest they were addressed effectively. Kept out of the main text, environment and labour were written in as side agreement addenda. The language was woefully lax. On labour, as I have written before, the signatories to the deal said they were committed to promote a few guiding principles governing broad areas of concern. The word flaccid does not do the deal justice.

The warnings raised by Democratic opponents were realized.

The labour rights of the Mexican worker would be ignored. There would be no enforcement of the right to collective bargaining. The suppression of wages for Mexican workers would see American jobs flood south of the border, as North American business exploited cheap labour.

The NAFTA accord marks its quarter century this January.

And where are we? In the new USMCA there is a direct labour chapter, with an annex specifically addressing worker representation in collective bargaining in Mexico.

Again, 25 years have passed and here we are. An excerpt: Mexico is to provide in its labor laws the right of workers to engage in concerted activities for collective bargaining or protection and to organize, form, and join the union of their choice. Employer domination or interference in union activities is to be prohibited. Discrimination against workers for union activity is to be banned.

Theres a seven-point directive as to what the new legislation is to cover.

We must wonder: how is it this was not enshrined decades ago? It is the expectation of the Parties, the annex concludes, that Mexico shall adopt legislation described above before January, 2019. It is further understood that entry into force of the agreement may be delayed until such legislation becomes effective. (Those italics are mine.)

On this issue of enforcement, we find such mewling language as encouraging the establishment of worker-management committees and providing or encouraging mediation and implementing undefined sanctions.

Little wonder theres a growing expectation that the Democrats could seize the moment to call for changes to the labour chapter and, while theyre at it, push for new environmental standards, a back-to-the-future discussion, if you will.

None of this interferes with the timeline Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and U.S. President Donald Trump continue to follow, that is, the formal signing of USMCA by months end. But that formality is just setting the stage for the tumult ahead.

Perhaps, as some have suggested, Trump will threaten to pull out of NAFTA altogether if the deal doesnt advance through Congress after it convenes in January.

There will be the inevitable complaints about political opportunism on the part of the Democrats should they hold firm.

This ignores the failure of NAFTA in its first round: that it failed to enshrine labour rights as it advanced freer, fairer markets. The new deal promises the protection and enforcement of labour rights, the improvement of working conditions, the strengthening of co-operation and the Parties capacity on labor issues.

That isnt much of a promise at all. And Nancy Pelosi knows it.The tech industrys newest billionaires are a pair of brothers who started a software company in their parents basement in Utah. Now Ryan and Jared Smith are selling Qualtrics International Inc. to European giant SAP SE for $8 billion (U.S)  and theyll get to keep running the business.

Ryan, 40, is the chief executive and public face of a startup that  unusually  resisted taking venture money for over a decade before finally agreeing to deals with Accel and Sequoia Capital. Last valued at $2.5 billion, Qualtrics makes customer-survey software used by the likes of Microsoft Corp. to General Electric Co., helping boost its revenue more than eightfold over the past seven years.

Smith is something of a fixture in a Utah startup scene that encompasses Ancestry.com, Insidesales.com and recently listed Domo Inc. His ardour for the Beehive State means Qualtrics is a supporter of such events as the Silicon Slopes Utah conference, which showcases local companies as well as the regions snowboarding and skiing. Ryan, who reportedly once turned down a $500-million offer for his company, his family members and other major shareholders are now poised to get about $7 billion for their shares. Not bad for a CEO who got paid $100,000 in salary last year.

You do not forget your first meeting with Ryan Smith, Sequoia Capital partner Bryan Schreier wrote in a blog post. A go-to-market savant, Ryan complements his brothers understated-engineer mindset. But they, their father Scott, and their co-founder Stuart, clearly have a shared set of values.

Qualtrics had filed for an initial public offering in the U.S. and was planning to raise about $500 million. SAP CEO Bill McDermott pre-empted the IPO with an all-cash offer that was more than 75 per cent higher than the companys projected valuation. McDermott said in a conference call that SAP had to pay up because Qualtrics road show was going well.

Ryan is known as the more gregarious and outgoing in a family of brainiacs  both his parents held doctorates, and his father lectured about market research at the University of Oregon. The Smiths moved to Utah around the time Ryans father opted to work at Brigham Young University, and in 2002, the pair started Qualtrics, originally targeting academics that needed to conduct field research. We figured that if you could serve them, you could serve anybody, Ryan told Bloomberg in a 2013 interview.

As the company grew, Ryan eventually convinced his brother to quit a product directors job at Google and run the technical side of things. Jared, now 43, is the companys president. The Smith patriarch  a cancer survivor  came up with the idea to serve his fellow academics, while Jared wrote the code and Ryan sold it to customers.

We just said, hey, theres no rules. Theres no playbook, Ryan said in an interview conducted for an Accel series profiling entrepreneurs.

Qualtrics approach is based on what it calls experience management or XM, according to Sequoias Schreier. That involves analyzing every aspect of the customer experience to drive loyalty and referrals, which it deems crucial at a time when social media gives individuals more power than ever to speak out.

That approach worked. Qualtrics expects 2018 revenue in excess of $400 million and forecast a forward growth rate of more than 40 per cent. Ryan and his family hold 87.6 per cent of Qualtrics through a holding company managed by the two siblings and father Scott. Thats worth about $7 billion based on SAPs purchase price  though its possible other family members own shares as well.

Ryan will continue to run the company as an entity within SAPs larger cloud business group, maintaining headquarters in Utahs Provo as well as Seattle. That allows the Smith family to retain a formula thats served it well. Sequoia singled out the company for running on its own money at the start, eschewing the cash-burning common to Silicon Valleys hottest outfits  a phenomenon that often requires multiple rounds of outsized funding.

After college, Ryan said he wanted adventure and went to South Korea to teach English. One of his early lessons in entrepreneurship came there. While most foreign tutors were scraping by on next to nothing, he decided to try private tutoring by putting flyers offering his teaching services in mail boxes.

I put those in, like, 5,000 apartments within a couple week period. I ended up making a lot of money, he said in the video. That was one of my early, better actions. Hey wait, theres another way of doing this and it worked.

Qualtrics other unusual element is its home base, far from a Bay Area regarded as the cradle of the American tech industry. The family-owned business has become deeply involved in everything from sponsoring the Utah Jazz to local philanthropic initiatives. Ryan, a Mormon, has often spoken publicly about his states potential.

Its awkward for a lot of people here, Ryan said, citing a lack of diversity and lifestyle quirks. We need to make it easier for people to be here, because we have all the makings to make this a major tech hub.CALGARYCalgary Police Services issued a release Tuesday morning, asking for the publics help to identify a suspect involved in a case where a convenience store clerk was stabbed in an attempted robbery.

According to police, a man entered the Lucky 7 Convenience Store at 6800 Memorial Dr. E. just after 10 p.m. on Monday night, and demanded money from the cashier. Police say the man then attacked the cashier, stabbing him before fleeing the store.

The police statement added that a woman was seen outside the Lucky 7 holding a knife, and she fled with the male suspect westbound, both leaving without taking any property or money.

The clerk who was stabbed was standing with two customers at the time of the incident. These customers called the police and gave medical assistance to the clerk, who was taken to a hospital in life-threatening condition. The clerk is in stable condition, according to Calgary police.

Witnesses described the male suspect as in his 20s, about five-foot-six, wearing a dark hoodie with a green design on the back, blue jeans and a white baseball hat. The female suspect is described as Caucasian, about five-feet tall with a slim build.

Police are gathering CCTV evidence and will release any images to the public that would help identify the duo, once theyre available.

Calgary police are asking anyone with information about the incident, or the suspects identities, to contact them or leave an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers.

Read more about:Marvel Comics powerhouse Stan Lee is dead at the age of 95, the headlines accurately report.

But youll have to forgive generations of Marvel fans if they suspect hes just hiding out with Spider-Man, Black Panther, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four or another of his superhero creations, plotting a dramatic return.

Lee, who died Monday in an L.A. hospital, wasnt just the co-inventor of many of the planets most popular comic book and movie characters, although he certainly was that: the more than 20 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have grossed more than $6.2 billion (U.S.) worldwide.

He seemed to be as immortal as his Spandex-clad and sermonizing creations, the most famous of which was Spider-Man, introduced in 1962 as a sarcastically self-doubting superhero for an era of Cold War anxiety.

Lee was an indefatigable spark to youthful imaginations, a wizard of dreams who envisioned marvellous characters, worlds and galaxies where good always triumphed over evil  but not without setbacks and the most thrilling of cliff-hangers, including the still-unresolved shocker in this years record-setting Avengers: Infinity War.

Read more:

Legendary comic book writer Stan Lee dead at 95

Celebrities offer thanks, condolences in death of Stan Lee

Stan Lee, the man behind the legends

Always grinning behind an impressive mustache and tinted aviator eyeglasses, he was Smilin Stan Lee to his legions of fans  including Canadian actors Ryan Reynolds and Seth Rogen, among the many celebrities who eulogized him online.

Smilin Stan enjoyed making cameo appearances in Marvel Comics movies, most recently in the current hit Venom, where hes credited as dapper dog walker.

Lee was also known as Stan The Man Lee during Marvels print heyday of the 1960s and 1970s, a period fans call the Silver Age of comic books, the Golden Age having been in the 1940s.

He ruled supreme in his various guises as writer, editor and publisher of Marvel Comics, the public face of a bullpen of artists and other creatives, who included such legendary collaborators as Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby and John Romita  and who occasionally grumbled that Lee took a little too much of the credit.

I just wanted to do the type of story I myself would enjoy reading, Lee told a writer for Starweek magazine in 1980, explaining his fascination with superheroes and supervillains.

The kind of comic-book characters that I could personally relate to. Theyd have their faults and foibles; theyd be fallible and feisty.

Smilin Stan had a wicked sense of humour. Spider-Man may have suffered from bouts of self-loathing, but he was always eager to verbally spar with J. Jonah Jameson, skinflint editor of New Yorks mythical Daily Bugle newspaper, who constantly tried to cheat Spideys photographer alter-ego Peter Parker out of a payday while denouncing Spidey as a public enemy.

Lees humour sometimes had a caustic commercial edge to it. He mockingly referred to DC Comics, Marvels arch-rival, as Brand Echh  a play on Brand X.

He claimed that DCs heroes, Superman and Batman among them, were plain vanilla compared to Marvels more daring and socially relevant creations, among them Black Panther, which Lee introduced in 1966 as the first major Black superhero in American comics. (Black Panther finally got his own film this year; its the box-office champ of 2018.)

Lee wasnt content to just amuse and fascinate people. He created fantasy figures and worlds, but his real desire was for a better world here on planet Earth.

In the 1960s, he penned a regular column called Stans Soapbox, part of Marvels Bullpen Bulletins in its comic books. Hed hold forth on serious issues of the day, among them racism, civil rights and the Vietnam War, signing off with the dramatic flourish Excelsior!  Latin for ever upward, which would later become the title of his autobiography.

For many young readers at the time, myself among them, Stans Soapbox was more accessible and influential than any of the writers or public figures who wrote for or were quoted in regular newspapers and magazines. And we werent just readers in Lees larger-than-life lexicon; he referred to us as true believers.

The opening lines of a 1968 Stans Soapbox epistle are as urgent today as they were back then: Lets lay it right on the line. Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. But, unlike a team of costumed super-villains, they cant be halted with a punch in the snoot, or a zap from a ray gun. The only way to destroy them is to expose them  to reveal them for the insidious evils they really are.

Lee was always a deep thinker, a student of Shakespeare, Mark Twain and Arthur Conan Doyle while growing up in New York City as the son of Romanian immigrants, who named him Stanley Martin Lieber upon his birth on Dec. 28, 1922.

He became fond of Marvels Silver Surfer, a philosophizing astral surfer created by Jack Kirby, which Lee initially dismissed as a nut on some sort of flying surfboard. Lee soon embraced Silver Surfer as a cool avatar for his most cherished beliefs.

The choice between good and evil is made by all who live  with every single heartbeat! the Surfer intoned in a Lee-penned tale from 1968.

Lee rarely missed an opportunity to score good press for his creations. He was delighted in April 1979, when a story made big news in Canada: a new Canadian superhero called Northstar  later to achieve renown as Marvels first openly gay superhero  appeared in an edition of the Uncanny X-Men comic book, along with a sinister government figure who looked uncannily like Pierre Trudeau, then Canadas prime minister.

I broke that story  the hook then was oh-so-serious Trudeau appearing in a comic book  while I was working for another newspaper. When I called Lees New York office for comment, I was surprised when he answered his own phone. He happily chatted about Northstar and the Alpha Flight team, which had been co-created by Canadas John Byrne.

A few weeks later, Lee sent me an advance copy of a Marvel comic book about another real-life person: rocker Alice Cooper. Interested? he wrote, in a hand-penned note.

That was Stan Lee, ever the promoter. But more than anything, he dreamed that his high-flying creations could inspire a better and more peaceable world for all of us down here on Earth.

If his tombstone doesnt have Excelsior! prominently chiselled on it, the Incredible Hulk should come and kick it over. Hulk smash!

Correction  Nov. 13, 2018: This column was edited from a previous version that misspelled the surname of Canadian actor Seth Rogen.HALIFAXAs the Canadian consumers love for convenient food options keeps growing, a Dalhousie University professor is warning that farmers could be footing a large part of the bill.

Sylvain Charlebois specializes in food distribution and policy. He said a recent Dalhousie survey suggests younger generations are choosing to dine out more frequently. Almost 40 per cent of Canadian consumers 38 years old and under do so at least once or twice a week.

Charlebois said other surveys have suggested about 35 per cent of the average Canadian food budget is spent on what people consume away from home. That includes restaurants, grab-and-go options and other portable food offerings. Charlebois said that, by 2030, or likely earlier, Canadians will be spending 50 per cent of their food budget on dining out and those other portable options.

Charlebois said one of the consequences of our appetite for fast food options and dining out is the fact its eating into farmers profits.

Share with us

He points to a recent United States Department of Agriculture report stating farmers receive on average anywhere from 20 to 25 per cent of the total cost of a food product at retail. That same report also suggested farmers typically receive about four per cent of the food dollar spent away from home at a restaurant.

The more we eat out, the less of our food bill goes back to farmers, and thats why buying food at the grocery store and cooking at home is actually not a bad thing to do because theres a lot that goes back to farmers, to production, and I think that needs to be recognized, he said.

Read more:

Halifax councillor wants to look at eliminating drive-thrus, but business expert says idea has no merit

Study says restricting fast food drive-thrus could benefit public health  even if thats not why cities do it

A fast-food problem: Where have all the teenagers gone?

My takeaway is that the more people spend time away from the kitchen, the less farmers get back. Those are fundamental economics.

Charlebois said there is good news, as technology is making it easier for farmers to connect with consumers.

Its important for farmers to recognize that they are actually good opportunities for them to provide ready-to-eat solutions. I would say five to 10 years from now we could see farmers using drones to deliver products to consumers as well. Who knows? The skys the limit, he said.

I know of many farmers that are doing it already. Its not for everyone of course. There are some farmers who do want to stick to primary production because thats what theyre good at, but their models going to have to change to become a little more efficient and more competitive.

And the costs borne by farmers are not the only ones to consider, Charlebois said.

Time spent in the kitchen is losing currency, he said. It seems as though more and more people are losing the art of preparing their own food, which is of course quite problematic because when you think about food you have to think about culture and how you transfer that onto your friends, family, children, and so on.

Theres a lot to it beyond just the food itself. Thats one thing. Another thing of course is that it does cost more to eat out and so food security is certainly an issue. If you spend money going out, paying tips, paying that extra, youll eventually have less money to feed yourself and your loved ones. Thats pure economics.

One growing trend feeding into the changing food landscape is the eating out at home option. Meal kits offer quick, pre-prepared solutions for those who dont have the time or inclination to plan meals. The Dalhousie University survey found consumers who fall within the categories of Gen Z and millennials are most attracted to the meal kit option, which can run anywhere between $9 and $12 per meal.

Charlebois said in some countries and big cities where space is at a premium, its now become commonplace to construct dwellings without a kitchen.

Space is a luxury in many parts of the world and so for real estate developers to attract young professionals, the first thing to go often is the kitchen, he said. You need a bed, you need a bedroom. So if you actually have access to meal kit providers and people go out more, why bother having a kitchen?

Charlebois said they consulted more than 1,000 Canadians for the Dalhousie University survey. The sample design was randomized but controlled, with a margin of error of 3.1 per cent 19 times out of 20.

Yvette dEntremont is a Halifax-based reporter focusing on health and environment. Follow her on Twitter: @ydentremont

Read more about:A poor credit score can wreak havoc with your ability to own or rent a home and buy a car. It can also hurt your chances of being hired for certain jobs.

Maybe you hurt your score by overusing your credit cards or by not keeping up with student loan payments or household bills. A separation or divorce may have had a devastating impact on your financial health.

The good news is that with time and discipline, its possible to repair a bad credit history, according to Anne Arbour, a GTA financial educator with the Credit Counselling Society.

We get calls from people from 18 to 80 years old. A bad credit score can affect anyone at any time. Last year, we took calls from more than 67,000 people, says Arbour.

You may not even be aware youve damaged your credit history  using more than 50 per cent of your credit card limit, not paying the minimum balance on debts or making late payments are all factors.

With the competitive rental market in southern Ontario, landlords are looking for people with high credit scores who have a history of making payments on time. Some employers, such as banks or companies that require employees to handle other peoples money or be bonded, also look at credit scores.

But no one can look at your credit report without your permission, says Arbour, and if you decline, a landlord or potential employer may wonder what you have to hide.

One of the biggest impacts of bad credit is the emotional impact, she adds. Its very stressful and can affect your relationships and your productivity at work.

Share your thoughts

How do you fix a poor credit score? The first step, says Arbour, is to get your credit report; you can order it from Equifax or TransUnion Credit Bureau once a year for free. It lists your history of borrowing other peoples money, whether its a student loan, credit card or mortgage. Things good and bad are reported and your credit card history is listed for every month.

Each type of credit will have a letter and number associated with it, for example R1 or R9, designating a revolving account  such as a credit card, line or credit or store credit card. R1 means you pay your bills on time; R9 is poor and indicates the debt has been written off (not paid) or youve declared bankruptcy.

Youll also find your credit score from 300 to 900. In this case, the higher number is better, says Arbour. Nine hundred is a bit of a unicorn, but certainly people score in the 800s. Its a really complicated calculation, but its a quick way for creditors to assess risk.

Once you have your credit report, sit down with a credit counsellor or someone you trust who has money management skills to figure out where the leaks are and why you are relying on credit so much, says Arbour. Not-for-profit agencies, such as the Credit Counselling Society, dont charge a fee for their services.

None of us are born with good money management skills, Arbour says. We may have learned the wrong habits or simply not learned good ones. Money is one of the last great taboos, and we dont like to talk about it.

The next course of action is to reduce your debts. High-interest credit cards and lines of credit should be first.

She says for students living away from home for the first time or newcomers to Canada, credit is a new concept. Typically, people make some mistakes and learn their lesson, but some dont. People forget what credit truly is; its using someone elses money.

A credit counsellor can help with a realistic budget and explain the steps to improve your credit record.

We might suggest giving up a fancy rewards point credit card for a no-frills card with lower interest, says Arbour. If a client has real stress and is not getting ahead, we will develop a financial management plan and work with creditors to reduce or eliminate interest on debts. Theyll also look at options such as bankruptcy, if the case merits it.

Once youve drawn up a budget, stick to it and pay close attention to every dollar you are spending, says Arbour. Daily trips to a coffee shop may seem inconsequential but can add up quickly.

Consider a secured credit card to improve your score. These are cards with very low limits and require holders to put down a security deposit as collateral. If you make your payments, the lender will eventually offer an unsecured credit card and return your security deposit.

A cellphone contract is another great way to improve your score, as providers report very quickly to the credit bureau, says Arbour. But if you miss a payment, even by a day, it can quickly hurt you.

The Credit Counselling Society offers a host of free workshops, webinars and resources that can help with budgeting and credit repair that people can access at www.nomoredebts.org. However, there is no quick fix, says Arbour. Repairing a bad credit will take time, discipline and sticking to your budget.When my husband, Daniel, and I first moved to London, we were young, child-free and eager to travel. But mere days before we left for our first long adventure  a 10-day train ride from London to Lisbon, with stops in France and Spain  I discovered I was pregnant. Needless to say, Daniel enjoyed the trip far more than I did, with a glass of wine never far from his lips and a plastic bag never far from mine.

Six months after our daughter was born, we took our first trip as parents to Amsterdam for a long weekend. We carried her in a backpack through museums, put her to bed in her stroller in restaurants and coffee shops, and cuddled her on a boat ride through the canals. It never occurred to us not to travel, despite the addition of a new passenger.

I am glad we made that decision, because our two-year stint abroad turned into 20 years in four countries, with two more children eventually added to our brood. And though we made the occasional birthday pilgrimage to Disneyland Paris and Legoland, we typically had little interest in visiting places designed exclusively for children. Instead, we went where we wanted to go and made them family-friendly simply by taking the family and being friendly.

Below are four trips that worked well for both generations of travellers in our family.

Downton Abbey meets Beatrix Potter

Imagine staying in a castle, a stately home, a gardeners cottage or a lighthouse in England. Welcome to the National Trust, which protects and maintains some of that countrys historic residences and grounds for public use. On two occasions, we rented one of their cosy cottages, first at Polesden Lacy, a Downton Abbey-like Edwardian estate in Surrey, and then Cliveden, once the home of Waldorf and Nancy Astor and the social gathering place for the British elite for much of the 20th century.

The experience was both educational and elegant. Each day, we visited other National Trust homes in the area, learning from an audio tour the history of the houses and grounds, complete with colouring books for the young ones. Each night, we sipped champagne in the gardens surrounding our cottages (closed to the public at 5 p.m.) and watched our children as they ran through our personal playground of magical pathways.

The National Trust now has more than 400 cottages in all sizes and price ranges, as well as hotels, and even glamping and camping sites. Although Hill Top, the Lake District farmhouse where Beatrix Potter spent much of her adult life, is not available for rent, the house is open to visitors every day except Friday, and can be used as the starting point for a regional walking tour suggested by the National Trust as a way to explore the life and work of the Peter Rabbit author.

Matisse and Marineland

Think of the French Riviera and the first thing that comes to mind are yachts filled with film stars and beaches dotted with bikinis. That is not completely wrong, as we discovered when we took our three children (then 14, 10 and 9) to Nice, Cannes and Monaco. Yet all quickly blended into the landscape from our first day on the beach, where we ate freshly caught fish between dips in the sea. But the Riviera is not just a beach vacation. We visited Marineland in Antibes and a Roman city in Frejus. Add to that a day in Monaco  which included visiting Prince Raniers collection of more than 100 cars and seeing live sharks at the Oceanographic Museum  and we had the perfect vacation for everyone in our group.

CV Villas rents houses all along the Cote dAzur. A villa with a private pool and three bedrooms that sleeps up to six starts at $1,800 (U.S.) for a week, depending on the season.

Rollicking in ruins

One of the best vacations for both learning and lounging we ever took was to the Peloponnesus, an unspoiled part of Greece, with an initial stop in Athens to visit the Acropolis. With my children then 15, 11 and 10, it seemed the perfect time to bring the Greek gods to life. We visited the archeological ruins in Olympia, Mycenae, Epidaurus and Corinth; body surfed in the Mediterranean; ate souvlaki and spinach pie at a seaside cafe, and wandered the streets of cities like Nafplio looking for after-dinner ice cream cones. But the bonus was that the children came home from vacation schooled in the classics, from Zeus to Pericles, not realizing we had been on an academic adventure.

We stayed at the Aldemar Resort near Olympia. Located on the beach, it has dozens of pools, a variety of restaurants, and a wide selection of rooms and suites. In season, a beachfront room that sleeps four starts at $500 a night, including breakfast. In Nafplio, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite at the Amphitryon Hotel overlooking the bay of Nafplion is $460 a night in mid-June with two bathrooms and two private balconies. Ideal for two adults and two children.

An island holiday (ABBA was here)

This past summer, I took our family to Split, Croatia. Split is a favourite weekend destination for Europeans and the perfect place to use as a base for visiting one of the many nearby islands in the Adriatic. Though my offspring are now young adults, I couldnt help but notice how many Europeans had their children in tow. No doubt, Diocletians Palace (a UNESCO World Heritage site, dating back to AD 295) is the primary draw. The walled inner city is full of stone-paved pedestrian paths and is a car-free maze of shops, restaurants, courtyards and centuries-old ruins. You may want to extend your trip by taking the 2 1/2-hour ferry to the island of Vis (the location of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), where breathtakingly beautiful beaches await, as well as the Blue Cave, so-called because the sun shining through a crevice in the top turns the water neon blue. Yes, the locals will talk about spotting Colin Firth and Amanda Seyfred at their favourite restaurants and the hostess at Lambek will no doubt confide that Pierce Brosnan told her that its pizza was the best in the world (he may be right), but the hordes of ABBA fanatics have yet to materialize or spoil this former outpost of the Venetian empire.

In Split, we stayed at Goli + Bosi, a boutique hostel that had a bar-restaurant in the lobby and was just inside the palace. Rooms start at $100 a night even at the height of summer, and include rooms that could accommodate a whole family of six. There are only two small hotels in the main village of Kut, on the island of Vis, but there are hundreds of apartments and houses for rent on booking.com or visvillas.com, ranging from two-bedroom apartments with striking views of the sea at less than $100 a night to a six-bedroom, 16th-century Venetian seafront palazzo (once the summer home of Tito) that rents for $10,000 a week in peak season.OTTAWAThe federal government is talking with Pakistan about the possibility of bringing a Pakistani woman, who was recently released from death row, to Canada.

Asia Bibi, a Christian, was sentenced to death in Pakistan eight years ago for blasphemy after being convicted of insulting Islams Prophet Muhammad  a charge her family has long denied.

Pakistans high court recently overturned Bibis conviction and ordered her release in a decision that triggered public outrage and protests across the predominantly Muslim country.

Since her release, Bibi and her family have faced threats and her husband has pleaded with countries in the West to relocate them.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an email Monday that Canada is in talks with Pakistan about Bibi.

Cameron Ahmad said the government recognizes the delicate domestic context and wont comment further on the case, but he noted Canada is a welcoming country.

Bibis 2009 arrest came after she was accused of blasphemy following an altercation with two fellow farm workers who refused to drink from a water container a Christian had used. A mob accused her a few days later of insulting Muhammad, which led to her 2010 conviction.

with files from The Associated Press

Read more about:A Canadian woman who was arrested in northern Thailand for spraying paint an ancient wall has avoided jail time, but must still pay a substantial fine for her actions.

Brittney Schneider, who is from Grande Prairie, Alta., was arrested along with a British man in mid-October after they sprayed the walls of the Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai.

They were charged with vandalizing an ancient artifact and faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine equivalent to about $40,000 in Canadian funds.

Schneider, who is 22, tells CTV News her sentence was initially reduced to one year in prison and a financial penalty of around $4,000 before the judge ruled no jail time, but kept the fine in place.

Schneider does not yet know when she can return home.

She says she must wait for the court to send papers to immigration authorities stating that her case is closed and that she is no longer blacklisted.

Read more:

Ridiculously drunk Alberta woman sorry for spraying paint on ancient Thai wall

Mom, Im in trouble: Alberta woman faces up to 10 years in jail for spraying paint on wall in Thailand

Honestly Im so relieved, Im so happy and I am beyond thankful that the judge showed so much compassion for us, Schneider said.

Actually a lot of people Ive met in Thailand showed a lot of compassion even though it was their wall I vandalized. They still were so nice to me and were so worried about me.

Schneider was in the city of Chiang Mai on Oct. 18 when she said she and some others got ridiculously drunk. They started to walk back to their hostel, but came across a bottle of spray paint and picked it up.

Security camera footage shows Schneider and Furlong Lee, 23, spraying paint on the wall  part of a 13th-century structure that forms a square around Chiang Mais inner city.

Schneider said after they sprayed the wall, they headed to the hostel and went to sleep but were arrested the next morning and taken to the police station where they spent the night before making a court appearance.

She said following her arrest that she was terrified for her life and was so sorry for what she did. Lee reportedly received the same sentence.

Read more about:LITTLE BUFFALO, ALTA.Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says if Opposition Leader Jason Kenney of the United Conservatives is serious about eradicating extremist views in his party, he can start with a member who compared the LGBTQ flag to the swastika.

Mr. (John) Carpay has been very clear on his views, and I would expect Mr. Kenney to act accordingly, and we look forward to seeing him do that, Notley said Tuesday after a land claim announcement in northern Alberta.

If Mr. Kenney wants to convince Albertans that they should not be worried about the long-term agenda of the UCP, then he needs to demonstrate it by suggesting that Mr. Carpay doesnt have a home in that party.

Carpay is a United Conservative party member who also heads the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, an advocacy group that is challenging in court an Alberta law enacted under Notley that allows gay-straight alliances in schools if students wish to have them.

On the weekend, Kenney and others from across the political spectrum denounced comments made by Carpay in a speech he made that warned of the threat to individual freedoms posed by totalitarian regimes.

Youve got to think about the common characteristics, Carpay said in the speech. It doesnt matter whether it is a hammer and sickle for communism or whether its the swastika for Nazi Germany or whether its a rainbow flag  the underlying thing is a hostility towards individual freedoms.

Read more:

Rise of right-wing extremists presents new challenge for Canadian law enforcement agencies

White supremacist who was disavowed by Albertas UCP briefly joined Maxime Berniers party

Politicians denounce legal advocacy group president for comparing Nazi and communist symbols to the rainbow flag

Neither Carpay nor Kenney could be reached for an interview Tuesday. Kenney has not said whether Carpay will be allowed to retain his membership.

Carpay apologized in a statement Sunday for drawing the comparison, calling it unintentional.

Past attempts to enforce utopian ideals have often failed badly, he said. We must always take care that, in our latter-day attempts to perfect the rights of any historically wronged community, we not trammel the rights of others.

Notley said Carpay doubled down on his original comments.

The notion theres a similarity between people who promote the rights of the LGBTQ community  as they would any other minority group through a civil rights lens  with somehow being oppressive of the right to free speech is an outrageous opinion, she said.

Notley also criticized Kenney for lauding Carpays group in a speech Kenney made in the spring of 2017.

In that speech, Kenney compared the Justice Centres work to the groundbreaking actions of civil rights activist Rosa Parks. Parks violated racial segregation ordinances in 1955 by refusing to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger in Montgomery, Ala., and was arrested.

Courageous people challenged unjust laws, Kenney said of the civil rights movement in that speech. (Parks) was not going to co-operate with injustice.

Comparing John Carpay and Rosa Parks is what I would suggest is the second-most insulting thing that I heard of on the weekend, Notley said.

The most insulting was Carpays rainbow flag comments, she said.

Kenney has said bigoted and hateful views are not welcome in the United Conservative Party and the party is looking at some kind of database to screen out potential party members who advocate extremism.

He has said extremists are a tiny fraction of his membership and are difficult to extricate from what he calls a big-tent party of 130,000.

Read more about:Who is Nelson Mandela?

Standing before a sold out room as part of the Inauguration of the Nelson Mandela Lectureship in Human Rights event, Nelsons Mandelas former cellmate South African Justice Dikgang Moseneke asked what was surely a rhetorical question.

Most people in the world who can see and hear know who Nelson Mandela is and what he stood for.

He was a man who fought apartheid oppression, a man who opened the first black legal firm in South Africa and a man who was imprisoned for 27 years for his political activism.

But to Moseneke, who met Mandela in Robben Island prison, he was a father figure and a mentor.

Moseneke, now 70, was the former Deputy President of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. It was when he was just 15 years old and had been sentenced to 10 years of hard labour for his involvement in the anti-apartheid movement that he met Mandela in prison. It was there that a lifelong bond was forged.

As Moseneke addressed the room discussing Mandelas many achievements and legacy, he noted that were now living in a time where alt-right ideals are emboldened, crimes against humanity are steadily increasing and social inequality is prevalent. Mandelas teachings remain paramount.

I wish that such stories only lived in the past, but the lessons he can teach us are not just about the past, he said.

Theyre about right now.

Moseneke spoke of his friends ongoing resiliency in times of darkness. Mandela was willing to give up everything for what he believed in  even his life, Moseneke said, noting that Mandela would have turned 100 this year.

He quoted from Mandelas I am prepared to die speech made in April 1964 at the Rivonia trial at which he was found guilty of sabotage and sentenced to life imprisonment.

I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die, he recited.

Ladies and gentleman we all owe him an enormous debt of gratitude, Moseneke said.

The event was held at the University of Toronto St. George campus and organized by the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights in partnership with the University of Torontos Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.The facts are clear, according to the Special Investigations Unit: a Toronto police officer, parked in a bike lane, opened his door directly into the path of an oncoming cyclist, knocking the cyclist to the ground and breaking his wrist.

But charges arent warranted, the agency said in a news release Tuesday. The SIU is responsible for investigating police incidents of death, sexual assault or serious injury.

On the morning of June 5, according to an SIU investigation based on witness interviews and security footage of local businesses and the police cruiser itself, an officer pulled over a driver he had seen texting and driving on Adelaide St. W., between Simcoe and Duncan Sts. The officer parked his cruiser behind the pulled-over car, in the bike lane. He did not activate his lights.

While he was in his cruiser, two cyclists passed the officer, after which he opened his door slightly, and one more cyclist passed. Two seconds later, the officer opened his door fully, striking the next cyclist attempting to pass.

According to the report, the officer got out of his car and asked the cyclist if he was all right, then said, I was opening my door. You didnt see me?

How am I supposed to see you when you open it that close man? the cyclist said.

The officer asked the struck cyclist multiple times whether he needed an ambulance as the other cyclists gathered around and questioned and challenged the officer, the SIU report says.

One of the cyclists asked if the officer checked his mirror.

I did, he said. As soon as he (motioning to the third cyclist to pass) passed I opened the door and that was it.

The officer said he thought (the struck cyclist) was slowing down so I opened it and he was going to go around me but he didnt, he went into me.

The SIU found that, in dooring the cyclist, the officer violated section 165 of the Highway Traffic Act, under which drivers must not open doors on a highway without first taking due precautions to ensure that his or her act will not interfere with the movement of or endanger any other person or vehicle.

But while the officer was responsible for directly causing the collision with the Complainant and causing his injury, the SIU found that his actions did not constitute a marked departure from a reasonable level of care in the circumstances.

In fact, due to the fact that he allowed three cyclists to pass and cracked his door open for two seconds before opening it fully, the SIU found evidence to suggest that the (officer) was in fact mindful of cyclists in the bicycle lane in the seconds preceding the collision with the Complainant and his bicycle.

The SIU said the officers actions did not constitute criminal negligence, which is defined in the Criminal Code as doing anything that shows wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons.

Instead, although the officer was clearly to blame for causing the accident, the dooring constituted a momentary lack of attention, the SIU said.

Jack Hauen is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @jackhauen

Read more about:WASHINGTONShortly after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed last month at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, a member of the kill team instructed a superior over the phone to tell your boss, believed to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that the operatives had carried out their mission, according to three people familiar with a recording of Khashoggis killing collected by Turkish intelligence.

The recording, shared last month with CIA Director Gina Haspel, is seen by intelligence officials as some of the strongest evidence linking Crown Prince Mohammed to the killing of Khashoggi, a Virginia resident and Washington Post columnist whose death prompted an international outcry.

While he was not mentioned by name, U.S. intelligence officials believe your boss was a reference to Crown Prince Mohammed. Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, one of 15 Saudis dispatched to Istanbul to confront Khashoggi, made the phone call and spoke in Arabic, the people said.

Turkish intelligence officers have told U.S. officials they believe that Mutreb, a security officer who frequently travelled with Crown Prince Mohammed, was speaking to one of the crown princes aides. While translations of the Arabic may differ, the people briefed on the call said Mutreb also said to the aide words to the effect of the deed was done.

A phone call like that is about as close to a smoking gun as you are going to get, said Bruce O. Riedel, a former CIA officer now at the Brookings Institution. It is pretty incriminating evidence.

Turkish officials have said that the audio does not conclusively implicate Crown Prince Mohammed, and U.S. intelligence and other government officials have cautioned that however compelling the recording may be, it is still not irrefutable evidence of his involvement in the death of Khashoggi.

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Even if Mutreb believed the killing was ordered by the crown prince, for example, he may have had an inaccurate understanding of the origins of the order. Crown Prince Mohammed is not specifically named on the recording, and intelligence officials do not have ironclad certainty that Mutreb was referring to him.

In a statement Monday, Saudi officials denied that the crown prince had any knowledge whatsoever of Khashoggis killing. Referring to Mutrebs instructions to tell your boss, the Saudi statement said that Turkey had allowed our intelligence services to hear recordings, and at no moment was there any reference to the mentioned phrase in the such recordings.

The Turks may possess multiple recordings, including surveillance of telephone calls, and Turkish authorities may have shared the audio only selectively.

A CIA spokesman declined to comment.

The call was part of a recording that Turkish officials played for Haspel during her visit in October to Ankara, Turkeys capital, but they did not allow her to bring it back to the United States. On Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey announced that his government had shared the audio with Saudi Arabia, the United States and other Western allies.

But while Turkish officials have played the recording for U.S. and other intelligence agencies and provided transcripts, the Turks have not handed over the recording for independent analysis, according to Turkish officials.

Turkey shared evidence from the case with a large number of friendly nations, a spokesman for Erdogan, Fahrettin Altun, said Monday. Reacting to French criticism of Turkeys handling of the case, Altun said that the Turkish government had played an audio recording for French intelligence officials and given them transcripts.

Let us not forget that this case would have been already covered up had it not been for Turkeys determined efforts, Altun said.

The growing evidence that Crown Prince Mohammed was involved in the killing of Khashoggi is certain to intensify pressure on the White House, which appeared intent on relying on a lack of concrete proof of his involvement to preserve its relationship with him. The crown prince has fostered a close relationship with the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, and the U.S. Donald Trump administration has turned Saudi Arabia into Washingtons most crucial Arab partner.

Some Trump advisers have argued they would need indisputable evidence of Crown Prince Mohammeds involvement in Khashoggis killing before they would punish him or the kingdom more harshly. Turkish officials have said the recording contains evidence of a premeditated killing, in which Saudi agents quickly strangled Khashoggi and methodically dismembered his body with a bone saw.

The administration, according to current and former officials, is hoping that making some modest moves on sanctions and curtailing support for the Saudi war effort in Yemen will satisfy critics, including those on Capitol Hill.

But the shift in power in Congress, where Democrats take control of the House in January, is also increasing pressure on the administration to take more punitive action. The CIA and other intelligence officials were set to brief Congress this week, and congressional leaders will press Haspel for her assessment of Crown Prince Mohammeds culpability.

Trump himself has suggested more information would be coming out. Ill have a much stronger opinion on that subject over the next week, he told reporters Wednesday at the White House. I am forming a very strong opinion.

Signs of a hardening stance within the administration are emerging. The State Department issued a tough statement Sunday saying that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told Crown Prince Mohammed in a phone call that the United States will hold all of those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable.

Saudi officials planned to release their own inquiry in the coming days, but Turkeys revelation that they and Western officials also have the transcripts of the recordings could force the Saudis to scramble before any presentation they planned to make.

Even without definitive proof, intelligence agencies had already concluded that only Crown Prince Mohammed could have ordered the operation to kill Khashoggi, given the personal character of his governance and the depth of his control over the kingdom. Evidence from the tape also showed that Khashoggi was killed soon after he entered the room of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul where the security team was waiting for him, further proof that the killing was planned, according to people briefed on the intelligence.

Current and former intelligence officials insisted that it is rare that all of the pieces of a complex puzzle like Khashoggis killing would ever be available. Intelligence, according to a former official, simply does not work like a spy thriller or television cop show where a case turns on a crystal-clear recording.

Investigators were unlikely to collect a piece of evidence that incontrovertibly links the crown prince to the killing, said Californias Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who is set to lead the House Intelligence Committee next year.

You are not going to have any of the people who carried out the murder speak openly about who they got their orders from or who is in the loop on it, Schiff said in an interview. That is not realistic to expect.

The absence of direct evidence does not prevent the intelligence community from laying responsibility at Crown Prince Mohammeds feet. An intelligence assessment includes an agencys best judgment on what happened based on the available facts and experience of officials.

Schiff promised that when he takes charge of the Intelligence Committee, he will investigate Khashoggis killing and examine Saudi Arabias actions more broadly in the Middle East, including its military campaign in Yemen, which has prompted a humanitarian crisis.

We need to do our own due diligence, we need to make sure we are getting good intelligence, and we need to make sure the administration doesnt misrepresent to the country what foreign actors are doing, Schiff said.

Nonetheless, current and former officials said they do not expect Trump to drop his support for Crown Prince Mohammed.

The Trump family and the president have built up such an overwhelming reliance on the crown prince that the relationship is now, in their view, too big to fail, Schiff said.

Policy-makers  not Haspel or Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence  will decide what sort of relationship to have with Crown Prince Mohammed and what punishment Saudi Arabia should face for Khashoggis killing, current and former officials said.

Read more about:The 2018 midterm election looked last Tuesday like a serious but not crippling setback for Republicans, with Democrats making significant gains in congressional races but failing to deliver a comprehensive defeat to U.S. President Donald Trump and his party.

The picture for Republicans has gotten grimmer since then, as a more complete tally of votes has come in across the country.

What looked at first like a modest Democratic majority in the House has grown into a stronger one: The party has gained 32 seats so far and appears on track to gain between 35 and 40 once all the counting is complete.

And Democratic losses in the Senate look less serious than they did a week ago, after Kyrsten Sinema was declared the winner in Arizona on Monday. It now looks like the party is likely to lose a net of one or two seats, rather than three or four as they feared last Tuesday.

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Judge: Sides in Florida recount should ramp down rhetoric

The underlying shifts in the electorate suggest Trump may have to walk a precarious path to re-election in 2020, as several Midwestern states he won in 2016 threaten to slip away, and once-red states in the Southwest turn a purpler hue. The presidents strategy of sowing racial division and stoking alarm about immigration failed to lift his party, and Democratic messaging about health care undercut the benefit Republicans hoped to gain from a strong economy.

David Winston, a Republican pollster who advises congressional leaders, said his party should not use victories in the Senate to paper over severe losses with women, young people, independent voters and Latino voters, and Democratic gains with suburbanites and seniors.

We didnt lose the Senate, but losing by the margins that we did with a lot of these groups is unsustainable, Winston said.

There are warning signs for Democrats, too: Trumps party remains ascendant in rural America, giving Republicans a durable advantage in the Senate, where less-populous states have influence greatly disproportionate to their voting numbers. If Democrats cannot cut into Republicans strength in areas far from major cities, they may struggle mightily to take back the upper chamber in 2020.

And Republicans demonstrated a tenacious hold on two of the countrys biggest swing states, Ohio and Florida, giving Trump an important foothold on the presidential map.

Midterms are imperfect guideposts for presidential elections: In 2010, Democrats were defeated across Midwestern swing states and Florida and lost control of the House, only to prevail convincingly in the presidential race two years later. But for now, the big picture of the 2018 midterms is of a country in political flux, changing primarily to Trumps disadvantage.

Straddling Clinton and Trump districts

At the start of the 2018 election, the shortest path to a Democratic House majority appeared to run through Republican-held districts where Hillary Clinton won more votes than Trump in 2016. Democrats did exceedingly well in those districts and may ultimately capture about 20 of them, chiefly in suburban areas of states such as California, Texas, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

But just as important to the Democratic takeover were at least 17 districts where Trump defeated Clinton, and where voters elected a Democratic member of Congress last week. These seats make up about half of the Democrats House gains, allowing them to achieve not just the 23-seat gain they needed for a bare majority but to win control by a comfortable margin.

By winning a broader array of districts, beyond just Clinton-voting seats, Democrats proved that they could build a stronger coalition than they did in 2016 and chip away at the margins of Trumps electoral base.

Still, Democrats made few inroads into solidly conservative districts. The Trump-voting seats they won were predominantly in the suburbs and exurbs, with enough moderate and college-educated voters to offset Republicans strength in the districts rural precincts. Democrats may also have a tougher time winning some of these districts in a presidential year, when voter turnout is even higher and partisan polarization can make it even harder for politicians to win on the opposing camps traditional turf.

In some cases, the districts themselves were starkly divided: In a conservative-leaning district outside Richmond, Va., Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, ousted Representative Dave Brat on the strength of suburban voters despite losing the districts less densely settled stretches. In a rural New Mexico district that voted strongly for Trump, Xochitl Torres Small, a Democrat, won an open seat despite losing many of its far-flung counties, because she assembled muscular support in the outer suburbs of Albuquerque and the area around Las Cruces, the states second-largest city.

The Sun Belt is looking purple

The texture of the midterm results has changed most starkly over the past week in the West, as slow-counting states such as Arizona and California have tallied their ballots. Democrats have captured Republican-held Senate seats in Nevada and Arizona, partially offsetting their losses in the heavily white, conservative states where Republicans unseated Democratic senators.

And in California, what looked like a night of incremental Democratic gains has turned into a slow-motion rout for the GOP Republicans are on track to lose between four and seven seats there, chiefly in the suburbs of Southern California, where even Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a 30-year incumbent, went down in defeat.

Further down the ballot, there were signs of Democratic gains in historically Republican parts of the Southwest: In Arizona, where Republicans have dominated state politics, Democrats also captured the office of education superintendent, and a second important statewide election  for secretary of state  was still too close to call a week into the count. In Nevada, where Democrats had not won a governors race since 1994, they captured the governorship and every other statewide office.

In Texas, Democrats gained at least a dozen seats in the Statehouse and, despite partisan gerrymandering, picked up two congressional seats. Five Republican congressional candidates there who were strongly favoured to win ultimately prevailed with less than 52 percent of the vote.

Texas and Arizona are unlikely to be blue states anytime soon, but after years of tilting at the Southwest with little to show for it, Democrats saw real signs that the region is becoming a battleground.

Grant Woods, a former Republican state attorney general in Arizona who recently registered as a Democrat, said Trump and the Republican Party had moved too far right for voters in the Southwest. Woods, who is considering a run for Senate in 2020, said the midterm results were encouraging.

The extremism of the current Republican Party is a losing strategy for the future, Woods said. In the Southwest in particular, where were talking about a diverse population and, increasingly, a younger population, people just arent going to put up with it.

A rift in the Midwest

The best news of the night for Trump may have been his partys triumph in Ohio. Republicans won the governorship there, along with every partisan statewide election, save one: the Senate race, in which Sherrod Brown, a populist Democrat, was elected to a third term. Historically a swing state, Ohio has been trending steadily toward Republicans and appears fairly secure in Trumps column at the start of the 2020 campaign.

Two other conservative-leaning states in the Midwest, Indiana and Iowa, showed similar allegiance to the GOP, though Democrats picked up a pair of House seats in Iowa.

Jon Husted, a Republican former speaker of the Ohio House who was elected lieutenant governor, said Democrats in the state were not strong enough in the cities to overcome Republicans popularity with rural voters.

What margins they do run up, were able to more than make up in the rural counties, Husted said.

Other Midwestern swing states, however, were a mirror image of Ohio, with Democrats achieving sweeping wins across Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Two years after Trump won upset victories in three of those states and came close to capturing the fourth  Minnesota  Democrats won every partisan statewide office on the ballot in all of them; they even ousted Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin and elected Representative Keith Ellison, an activist liberal who faced accusations of domestic abuse, to the office of attorney general in Minnesota.

The division in the Midwest  between more urban, diverse states and more rural, agricultural states  presents challenges for both parties. Democrats will have a narrower path to the presidency nationwide as long as Ohio leans red. But the peril may be greater for Trump, who could have difficulty in 2020 replicating the regional sweep that made him president in the first place.

Gerrymandering mattered  a lot

Republican losses in the House were not nearly as steep as they might have been without the help of favourably drawn congressional districts. Even as Democrats gained at least 32 seats and won a clear majority of the popular vote, they failed to capture even a single seat in three big states with aggressively gerrymandered lines: Ohio, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

In two other big, gerrymandered states, Democrats gained seats  but only a few. They took two Republican-held seats each in Texas and Michigan, but came painfully close in more than half a dozen others where partisan maps insulated Republicans from voters anger.

Without the maps on their side, it is easy to imagine Republicans having lost more than 50 House seats. And in states with more neutral maps, Democrats fared far better.

Most illustrative may have been Pennsylvania, where in January a state court struck down the congressional district lines and ordered them redrawn. At the start of the last Congress, under a gerrymandered map, Republicans held 13 of Pennsylvanias 18 House seats. After the redraw and the election, the House delegation will be split evenly  nine seats for each party.

In most states, Republicans are likely to benefit from these maps again in 2020, but that may be the last time the lines are engineered so helpfully. With the inauguration of Democratic governors in states like Wisconsin and Michigan, Republicans will not have a free hand in redistricting after the 2020 census.ANKARA, TURKEYThe audio recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is so atrocious that a Saudi intelligence official who heard it speculated that only someone who took heroin could carry it out, Turkeys president was quoted as saying Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists on board his plane while returning from First World War commemorations in Paris, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said that Turkey had shared audio recordings relating to the killing with Saudi Arabia and other nations, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Canada.

The recording is truly atrocious. In fact, when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recording he was so shocked that he said this one probably took heroin. Only someone who took heroin would do it,  Erdogan was reported as saying in comments published in pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak.

Erdogan did not elaborate on how and when the Saudi official heard the recording of the killing of the Saudi citizen.

Turkey says Khashoggi, who wrote for The Washington Post columnist and often criticized the crown prince, was killed by a 15-member assassination squad sent from Riyadh. Ankara insists the orders for the killing came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, but not King Salman.

Turkey has said a 15-member Saudi hit squad strangled and dismembered Khashoggi at the consulate. Media reports have suggested that his body could have been chemically dissolved as it has not yet been found.

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Erdogan also said Turkey was patiently waiting for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to shed light on the killing at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last month.

The crown prince has come under scrutiny for having knowledge of the killing, which involved some members of his security entourage.

Pressing ahead with moves to maintain pressure on Saudi Arabia, Erdogan said the crown prince had told Turkish envoys that he would shed light on the Oct. 2 killing at the kingdoms consulate and do what was necessary.

He said this to my special envoys, Erdogan was quoted as saying. We are waiting patiently.

Under mounting pressure, Saudi Arabia has changed its narrative about Khashoggis killing. It first said he walked out of the embassy the day he disappeared before eventually acknowledging Khashoggi died inside the consulate. Now, it acknowledges that the journalists death was premeditated.

Saudi officials characterize the killing as a rogue operation carried out by Saudi agents who exceeded their authority.

On Tuesday, Sabah newspaper, which is close to Turkeys government, printed airport security X-ray images of the luggage that the 15-member Saudi team reportedly took back with them to Saudi Arabia.

The luggage contained five walky-talkies, 10 phones, two electric shock devices, two syringes and scissors, the paper said.

Read more about:SANAA, YEMENAn informal agreement to reduce hostilities between Saudi-led coalition forces and rebels in and around Yemens Red Sea port city of Hodeida has taken hold, military officials said Tuesday, in a move that could be a prelude to peace talks that would end the ruinous war in the poorest Arab country.

The officials said hostilities have ceased for the second consecutive day, with both sides respecting the truce. Only three coalition airstrikes were carried out in the last 24 hours, targeting rebel positions outside the city.

The truce followed advances by the coalition in their latest attempt to retake the city from the Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, with its forces now 5 kilometres short of the port, Yemens traditional lifeline.

The officials said efforts were being made to persuade the Houthis to abandon the city and hand over control to an independent Yemeni party that would run the port under UN supervision. The Houthis, who had in the past rejected the proposal, said the coalition accepted the truce because of its heavy casualties and because it came under international pressure to spare some 500,000 civilians inside the city the death and destruction that come with street-to-street fighting, which already began this week.

The military and Houthi officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, welcomed the reduction of hostilities and said it was a crucial step to prevent further humanitarian suffering.

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I call upon all parties to the conflict to show continued restraint. The people of Yemen have suffered enough. I am confident that the parties are ready to work on a political solution and am encouraged by the constructive engagement received from all sides, he said in a statement.

Griffiths, said the statement, reassured the warring sides that the UN remained ready to re-engage the parties on a negotiated agreement for Hodeida, which would protect the port and preserve the humanitarian pipeline.

The coalition has been battling the rebels on the side of Yemens internationally recognized government since March 2015 in a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed much of the country to the brink of starvation.

Read more about:BANGKOKBoeing faced new scrutiny on Tuesday over the crash of one of its planes into the sea off Indonesia last month, with pilots saying the company failed to inform airlines of how to override an emergency system suspected of having malfunctioned on the jetliner, a new version of Boeings workhorse 737.

Investigators have been focused on whether the plane, Lion Air Flight 610, crashed because the system, which is designed to pull the plane out of a dangerous stall, activated based on inaccurate data transmitted or processed from sensors on the fuselage.

The plane plunged nose down into the sea, killing all 189 people on board. The precise cause or causes of the crash remain unclear.

The pilot union for American Airlines, which also flies the new version of the 737, the Max 8, said Tuesday that the emergency system in question had not been included by Boeing in the standard operating manual. In addition, the flight check list  which contains information for manually overriding the emergency system  was incorrect, the union said.

The emergency system is intended to manoeuvre the plane out of a stall, when its nose is often angled too sharply upward. The system automatically pushes the nose down. If activated incorrectly, it could have sent the plane into its fatal dive, especially if the pilots were not properly trained on how to deal with such a situation.

Boeing has delivered versions of the new plane to many of the largest airlines, including American and Southwest, according to the companys website.

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Weve just been informed that theres an entire new system on the Max called the M.C.A.S., said Capt. Dennis Tajer, spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, the union for pilots at American Airlines, and a 737 pilot.

M.C.A.S. stands for manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system. The previous system, and the one in the standard manual, goes by a different shorthand, E.F.S., for elevator feel shift.

We have no idea how similar that is to the previous E.F.S. module and were trying to connect the differences and similarities to the old system and we do not have enough information to yet, so that our pilots can be trained up and be able to recognize while theyre actually flying the aircraft, Captain Tajer said.

In addition, he said, the onboard checklist that pilots had been carrying gave what now appears to be incorrect instructions for pulling out of the emergency condition that apparently confronted the Lion Air pilots.

Indonesian transportation officials have said repeatedly that the Max 8 manual being used in the country did not contain crucial information about the new anti-stall mechanism.

Soerjanto Tjahjono, the head of Indonesias National Transportation Safety Committee, said Boeings manual, which was used by carriers worldwide to instruct pilots on how to fly the Max 8, did not adequately describe how this automatic anti-stall system worked and what to do if it was triggered incorrectly.

Pilots would only have a few seconds to respond to this situation, aviation experts said, especially if a plane was flying at low altitude, as was the case with Lion Air flight, which plummeted into the Java Sea on Oct. 29.

The manual has how to handle issues but not that specific combination, Mr. Soerjanto said. I dont know why it was not in the manual. Maybe Boeing never thought that this kind of problem would occur.

In a statement on Monday, Boeing said: We are taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this incident, working closely with the investigating team and all regulatory authorities involved. We are confident in the safety of the 737 MAX. Safety remains our top priority and is a core value for everyone at Boeing.

Last week, Boeing released a statement acknowledging that Indonesian officials had told the aircraft manufacturer about repeated errant data readings experienced by the plane. Incorrect data readings can trigger the M.C.A.S. system to force the plane into a nosedive, even if the plane is not on autopilot.

Stalls are one of the most common causes of airplanes crashes. But if pilots did not know exactly what system was in place, or that the data being fed into the system was wrong, their reactions could be fatally muddled, aviation experts said.

Pilots should follow Boeings manual when confronted with this anomalous situation, the company initially wrote in its advisory last week.

But Mr. Soerjantos deputy, Haryo Satmiko, said in an interview with the New York Times last Wednesday that Boeings manual was incomplete when it came to advising pilots on how to handle a situation in which false data is fed into the automatic anti-stall system to correct for an ascent that was not happening.

On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States issued a followup directive confirming that the manual for the Max 8 needed to be updated to address this rare but dangerous sequence of events.

To counteract the anti-stall system, pilots are advised to switch off electric motors in the aircrafts tail that are causing the planes nose to pitch downward.

Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea, minutes after taking off from the airport in Jakarta, Indonesias capital. The plane had experienced days of faulty data readings, according to Indonesian investigators. At three different airports, Lion Air maintenance crews tried to fix various problems concerning erroneous airspeed and other data, declaring the plane fit to fly.

But the problems continued. On the planes next-to-last flight, the crew received errant measurements of the planes angle of attack, a data point used to help understand how sharply a plane is ascending or descending. There was a 20 degree differential between the readings on the left and ride sides of the plane, Indonesian investigators said.

Mr. Soerjanto said on Tuesday that the pilot of that flight, which was travelling from Bali to Jakarta, reacted quickly to the data discrepancy and switched off the tail trim mechanism that might have caused the plane to nosedive.

The pilot thought about it and improvised, though it was not in the manual, Mr. Soerjanto said. And it worked. He was able to land the plane safely in Jakarta.

It is not clear whether the quick thinking of the pilot on that flight was relayed to the captain of the planes final flight.

Because the Max 8 is a reworking of the 737, pilots do not need to undergo extensive specialized training in order to fly the latest model. Instead, at Lion Air, for instance, pilots who have recorded at least 500 flying hours on the previous 737 model, the N.G., only need to undergo a three-hour computerized instruction on the differences between the two models, said Captain Dibyo Soesilo, the head of a Lion Air training centre and one of the carriers Max 8 instructors.

Once pilots pass an exam on the latest modifications, they take two familiarization flights with an instructor in order to experience at least two takeoffs and landings, once while at the controls themselves, Mr. Dibyo said.

The pilot is then approved to fly the Max 8.

More than 4,700 orders have been placed worldwide for the Max 8. It is especially popular with low-cost carriers looking for dependable workhorses for shorter flights. It is not uncommon for these planes to fly multiple times each day, meaning that maintenance is crucial, especially in a place like Indonesia where wasps can invade external instruments that read airspeed and high humidity can degrade airplane parts.

In 2011, Lion Air signed a deal for around 200 Max 8 jets, part of the largest order ever made with Boeing. The plane that crashed last month was part of that deal, even though it was ultimately leased to the carrier through a Chinese company.

Although attention is now centred on whether Boeing may have left carriers around the world in the dark about an important modification to the Max 8, Indonesian investigators have also focused on Lion Airs many safety lapses, which have led to at least 15 major incidents since the carrier began operations at the turn of the century.

But Lion Airs instructors say they followed Boeings advice when it came to teaching pilots how to fly the Max 8, including the 31-year-old Indian pilot who was captaining Flight 610.

For sure, we have not broken the manufacturers rules, Mr. Dibyo said of Lion Airs requirements for piloting the Max 8. In fact, we have added higher requirements than the minimum.

Read more about:WASHINGTONNursing grievances from a weekend visit to France, U.S. President Donald Trump lit into French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday over his suggestion for a European defence force, over French tariffs on U.S. wine and even Macrons approval ratings.

The litany of tweeted complaints served to underscore tensions between the once-chummy leaders and laid bare Trumps irritation over criticism stemming from his latest trip abroad.

Trumps tweets included a fresh complaint about Macrons recent suggestion that Europe build up its militaries because the continent can no longer depend on the U.S. for defence. He misrepresented the French leaders comments along the way, even though the two presidents had talked through the issue while Trump was in France over the weekend for events marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia, Trump tweeted. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two  How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!

Read more:

The French army trolled Trump for avoiding the rain after he cancelled a U.S. cemetery visit abroad

Macron has shed any illusion about Trump as the two leaders meet in Paris amid strains

Macron-Trump bromance cools after New York meeting

In fact, Macron had said Europe needs to protect itself against cyberthreats from China, Russia and the U.S. The French leaders office said Trump had lumped together Macrons remarks on protecting against cyberthreats with a later statement on military defence.

Gerard Araud, Frances ambassador to the U.S., challenged Trump, tweeting, For the sake of truth, Pres.@EmmanuelMacron didnt say that EU needed an army against the US.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, told European Union lawmakers Tuesday that we have to work on the vision of one day creating a real European army. She underscored that such a force would not mean the end of the U.S.-led NATO military alliance.

The president has long complained that NATO countries dont pay their fair share of the defence alliances expenses, leaving the U.S. to carry much of the burden. Burden-sharing was among the topics that Trump and Macron discussed during a meeting Saturday at the Elysee Palace.

A top adviser to Macron said Tuesday that the French position has been clarified. Macron explained the European army issue to Trump during their meeting, stressing that France was not making a choice between a European defence mechanism and multilateral organizations such as NATO, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with French customs.

Trump also complained Tuesday about tariffs on U.S. wines sold in France, saying its not fair, must change! And he appeared to take a dig at Macrons low public approval rating. Trumps standing with the French is lower than Macrons.

On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!

Nearly all U.S. wine exports to major markets, including the European Union  of which France is a part  face tariffs, according to the Wine Institute, which represents California winemakers in Washington on matters of tax, trade and regulatory issues.

Trump, a former businessman, opened a winery in Charlottesville, Va., in 2011.

The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so! ... MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!

Macron is hovering at around 30 per cent in popularity polls, while the unemployment rate is just above 9 per cent.

Trump appeared to be referring to Macrons comment Sunday during a speech for the First World War centennial in which he decried the rise of nationalism around the globe, calling it a betrayal of patriotism. The comments were widely viewed as a rebuke of Trump, who sat stone-faced in the company of other world leaders as Macron spoke. Trump has embraced the nationalist label despite its negative connotations.

Trumps continued complaints about France and Macron hit a nerve with some in the European nation, especially since Trump delivered his latest broadsides on the third anniversary of the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in 2015.

The complaints were another marker of the up-and-down relationship between Trump and Macron since they first met last year.

Trump also defended his decision to cancel a trip Saturday to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery at Belleau Wood in northern France after rainy weather grounded his helicopter. The White House later said that driving to the cemetery would have required many Paris roadways to be closed on short notice to accommodate the presidents motorcade and that Trump didnt want to cause that kind of disruption.

On Sunday, Trump went ahead with a visit and speech in the rain at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial just outside Paris.

By the way, when the helicopter couldnt fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News! he tweeted.

Read more about:Premier Doug Ford is facing a growing chorus claiming he tried to sweep a sex scandal under the rug as MPPs returned to the legislature for the first time since the bombshell departures of a cabinet minister and two senior staffers.

The Greens and Liberals joined the New Democrats in charging Ford tried to trick Ontarians over the real reason for the sudden departure of economic development minister Jim Wilson 10 days ago.

Its obviously political, Green Leader Mike Schreiner said Monday. They were trying to mislead people as to why the minister resigned. Thats unacceptable. The premier failed on that account.

Wilson, a Progressive Conservative MPP since 1990 and a former minister under Mike Harris and Ernie Eves, left Fords cabinet and caucus abruptly Nov. 2. A brief statement from the premiers office said he was seeking addiction treatment.

It later emerged that Wilson was asked to resign over allegations of sexual misconduct involving a male staffer the night before on a business trip to Sarnia. He has entered an alcohol rehab centre.

The premier insisted the full reason Wilsons exit was not mentioned was to protect his accusers privacy.

Read more:

Investigations launched into allegations against former Tory minister Jim Wilson, key aide Andrew Kimber

Premier Doug Ford shuffles cabinet after Jim Wilsons departure

Ontario minister Jim Wilson quits to tackle addiction issues

This is the best cabinet and the best caucus this province has seen  ever, Ford boasted Monday, exactly a week after he shuffled his cabinet to replace Wilson and to demote Michael Tibollo from the community safety and correctional services portfolio to the Tourism Ministry amid concerns about legal travails before he entered politics.

Im 10,000 per cent ... times confident with all our ministers and with our team, Ford added.

Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said the premier made matters worse for his four-month-old government by not telling the truth about Wilsons exit.

As a result, were still talking about it today.

Deputy NDP leader Sara Singh urged Ford to acknowledge an error.

Will the premier admit this attempt to sweep this serious incident under the rug was a mistake, and going forward, will he commit to taking immediate and also transparent action when dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct? she asked.

The same day Wilson departed, one of Fords key aides, executive director of issues and legislative affairs Andrew Kimber, also left without explanation. As the Star first reported last Thursday, Kimber is alleged to have sexted at least five female PC staffers, including pictures of him in a thong.

There was no official statement from the premiers office about Kimber. Both he and Wilson are the subjects of an independent investigation.

Sources told the Star another senior staffer  John Sinclair, executive director of the Tory caucus bureau  left after being blamed by Ford for not acting sooner to flag inappropriate texts by Kimber. There has been no official explanation from the government and Sinclair has not commented.

Kimber issued an apology last week and pledged to seek the help I need going forward. Wilson has not replied to repeated requests for comment.

Fraser said the government needs to give its staff and MPPs proper training on acceptable behaviour in the workplace.

Government House Leader Todd Smith, who replaced Wilson in the economic development portfolio, said that its unfortunate these things occurred and would not indicate whether theres a path back into the party for Wilson if, for example, he is cleared in the investigation.

Well cross those bridges when we get there.

Read more about:Chaos is swirling around Premier Doug Ford with his right-hand man forcing a departure at Ontario Power Generation, costing taxpayers up to $500,000 in severance, and another top Tory fighting back over his ouster in the wake of two sex scandals.

Three Progressive Conservative sources confirmed to the Star that Fords chief of staff, Dean French, phoned OPG chair Bernard Lord to demand that veteran Progressive Conservative political staffer Alykhan Velshi be removed from the Crown utility.

Also Tuesday, former PC caucus head John Sinclair broke his silence to say he did not leave his job last Friday over the way another key Ford adviser, Andrew Kimber, was forced out of the premiers office for sexually inappropriate texts showing himself in a thong.

Mr. Sinclair will take all steps necessary to defend his reputation against any defamatory and false statements regarding his character or conduct, lawyer Scott Hutchison warned in a statement.

Any innuendo or allegations of wrongdoing on his part are without foundation and should be treated with the profound skepticism they deserve.

The developments raised questions about the five-month-old government.

Read more:

Former PC staffer John Sinclair fires back as scandals rock Ford government

Doug Ford accused of trying to sweep Tory sex scandal under the rug

Opinion | Heather Mallick: What makes Tory men go from public prudes to pests in private?

Once again, it looks like the people of this province are going to be stuck with the bill for one of Premier Fords decisions and paying the price for settling his political scores, said New Democrat MPP John Vanthof (Timiskaming-Cochrane).

Green Leader Mike Schreiner said its certainly fishy that OPG would hire and then immediately look to fire a senior executive.

That doesnt pass the smell test. Its a waste of taxpayer money, Schreiner said.

Frenchs call to Lord, a former Tory premier of New Brunswick, came just as Velshi, who was chief of staff to both ex-PC leader Patrick Brown and interim leader Vic Fedeli, was starting his new job as OPGs vice-president of corporate affairs and community relations.

It was first reported by the Globe and Mail on Monday.

Velshi, also once a key aide to former Tory prime minister Stephen Harper, is still on the job at the electricity generator, but sources say the terms of his departure are being negotiated and could take effect in the new year.

Its going to cost at least $500,000, said one Conservative insider, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations.

Reached by the Star on Tuesday, Velshi referred all inquiries to OPGs media relations department.

In an impish GIF posted to his Twitter account after the Globe story was published, he depicted a Detroit Red Wings hockey player scoring a goal on his own net.

We dont discuss individual employee matters, Neal Kelly, an OPG spokesman, said in an email.

Ford repeatedly dodged queries about his chief of staffs actions during the legislatures daily question period.

OPG is responsible for doing their own hiring, the premier insisted.

Energy Minister Greg Rickford echoed that.

Ontario Power Generation is responsible for their own staffing decisions. OPG is a Crown corporation that is responsible for their own staffing decisions. All staffing decisions at OPG are made by OPG, said Rickford.

French, who was spotted huddling with Ford outside the Tory caucus meeting Tuesday afternoon, was not available for comment with the premiers office issuing a terse statement: Ontario Power Generation is responsible for their own staffing decisions.

It remains unclear whether the premier was aware his chief of staff was intervening in a personnel matter at OPG, which is highly unusual.

Why are we going after our own people? confided one frustrated senior Conservative, noting while post-election shake-ups are not uncommon they are customarily aimed at partisans from rival political parties.

There is no love lost between the Ford camp and Brown, the former PC leader who resigned after allegations of a sex scandal surfaced in January and was elected last month as the mayor of Brampton.

But Velshi is not close to his former boss.

In fact, he was one of four key Brown aides who resigned en masse after CTV News broke the story that felled the then-Tory leader on Jan. 24.

Brown, who is publishing a tell-all memoir later this week, has denied any wrongdoing and is suing CTV News, which stands by its reporting, for $8 million.

When Fedeli, who is now finance minister, took over as interim Tory leader between Jan. 25 and March 10 when Ford became full-time chief, Velshi was his right-hand man.

Another key Tory during that turbulent period was Sinclair, who appears to be collateral damage in the Kimber scandal.

Conservative sources have said Sinclair, who is well regarded by MPPs and staff for his integrity, left because Ford was irate that Kimbers troublesome texts to at least five female staffers were not flagged earlier.

It is manifestly and provably false. As with all sensitive staffing matters, John Sinclair acted with efficiency and professionalism, Hutchison said.

Kimber departed the premiers office Nov. 2 after five women staffers were sent the sexually inappropriate texts. He has since apologized and vowed to get help.

His exit happened the same day the premiers office was rocked by allegations former economic development minister Jim Wilson engaged in sexual misconduct with a male employee. Ford asked him to resign from cabinet and caucus.

Fords office has hired an independent investigator to probe the scandals involving Kimber and Wilson.

Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

Read more about:ALTON  David Mathus of Alton High School and Kaitlyn Coles of Marquette Catholic High School were honored as Students of the Month for November by the Alton/Godfrey Rotary Club at the Clubs regular meeting at Gentelins Restaurant.

Students selected for this honor are recognized and presented with an award at a Rotary Club meeting and are eligible to compete for a $6,000 scholarship that will be presented to one of the students honored as Student of the Month during the school year. This is the 22nd year of the program and 383 students have been recipients of this honor since the program was initiated.EDWARDSVILLE  Gori Julian & Associates, P.C. is proud to announce that partner Sara Salger and attorney Christopher T. Layloff have recently been named Illinois Emerging Lawyers.

Law Bulletin Media compiled the list of outstanding lawyers based on surveys that are mailed to all leading lawyers in the state, according to a news release.

Layloff was named as an Emerging Lawyer based on recommendations from other practicing attorneys. Only those attorneys most often recommended and later approved by the advisory board are selected.

Layloff is a member of multiple national and local bar associations, has co-authored many published works, and speaks on legal issues to unions, retirees, and other lawyers. He is driven to help those who are hurt or injured. As a Granite City native, Layloff still lives in Madison County with his wife and daughter.

Salger was named as an Emerging Lawyer by her peers. Working at Gori Julian & Associates since the firms inception, Salger is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Missouri. She is involved in her community, serving on the board and involved in numerous local charities and groups, volunteers her time regularly, and speaks to local high school law classes. She was most recently recognized as one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 for the fourth consecutive year.

Less than two percent of all lawyers licensed in Illinois under the age of 40 are recognized as Emerging Lawyers. Learn more at the website http://www.leadinglawyers.com/meth.cfm.JERSEYVILLE  Jersey County CEO is proud to join a network of 51 total CEO communities across the United States who have partnered with Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship to bring the entrepreneurial program, CEO, to their community. This program will be open to Jersey Community High School students in the 2019-2020 school year.

The Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) Program is a proven learning model that creates a world class learning environment for our high school students through interactive, real-life learning in local businesses throughout the community. Students who enroll on the course will write their own business plans and start their own businesses, all with mentoring and support from the local business community.

The end result is a group of out-of-the-box thinkers who have experienced first-hand the opportunities in Jersey County, have cultivated skills that will allow them to contribute better to the workforce, and are prepared to participate in future local business growth.

In short, workforce development, economic development, and talent retention are the outcome of this program. But the most important part is that the kids get to see first-hand what the community has to offer.

Our local business leaders and the administrators of Jersey Community High School partnered with the Jersey County Business Association and the Community 100 Foundation over the past year to effectively launch the CEO Program. Early adopters of the program initiated key conversations with community members, business leaders, and JCHS staff to begin the program before formally handing over to the CEO Advisory Board, which now oversees the operation of the program. This board is led by chairman Christopher Simon who serves as President/CEO of the Bank of Calhoun.

Other CEO Advisory Board members include: Julie Brangenberg, Julie Pohlman, Beth Bear, Sharon Cameron, Bob Manns, Brad Tuttle, Corey Breden, Kim Davis, Mindy Woelfel, and Beth King.

The initial $25,000 fee to implement the program was made possible by a number of inaugural investors and 35-50 additional community investors will be needed to make the continuation of this program a reality for many years to come. These investments will fund the operational budget, which is lean and focused on local program impact. It will primarily be dedicated to funding the new job that has been created for the future facilitator of the program. The facilitator will work daily with the CEO students and local businesses to create the CEO learning environment.

Jersey County CEO is grateful for our communitys support and enthusiasm as we take our first step toward growing as an entrepreneurial generation. Our success in initiating the program has been made possible through the efforts of this community, and your continued participation will ensure its future success. A target list of over 50 local businesses has been established, and a CEO Board member will be knocking on those doors soon to discuss donations as well as hosting classes.

If you are interested in applying for the program, in learning more about the facilitator position, or in becoming a stakeholder/investor, please visit www.jerseycountyceo.com.You know, they have a word. It sort of became old-fashioned, President Trump said during a campaign appearance last month for Ted Cruz. Its called a nationalist. You know what I am? Im a nationalist. The crowd of Cruz supporters broke into applause. Use that word, Trump admonished them. Use that word.

As an American who will turn 65 next month, Im qualified to challenge The Donalds assertion that nationalist is an old-fashioned term that was commonly used in the United States of days past. Someone who passionately loved our nation was called a patriot, not a nationalist. Its indeed fortunate that Trump refrained from calling himself a patriot because he would have been called out for telling yet another lie.

Donald Trump is no patriot. I base that accusation on at least one very public incident. While campaigning for the presidency, Trump ridiculed the late Sen. John McCain by saying, Hes not a war hero. Never known for his consistency, The Donald then said, Hes a war hero because he was captured. I like people who werent captured. Those arent the words of a patriot.

McCains plane was struck by a missile in 1967 while on a bombing mission over Hanoi. He fractured both arms and a leg when he ejected from his aircraft. He was captured by the North Vietnamese, who bayoneted him and crushed his shoulder with a rifle butt. McCain was then taken to the prison known as the Hanoi Hilton.

John McCain was tortured while in captivity. He spent two years in solitary confinement. When the North Vietnamese offered to release him because his father was an admiral, McCain refused. He spent five and a half years in hell. His injuries left him incapable of lifting his arms above his head for the rest of his life.

For someone like Trump, words such as courage and sacrifice have little meaning. Its all about winning or losing. A winner would have come through the war unscathed. McCain was shot down and taken prisoner, which to Trump translates as losing. And losers cant be heroes. Trumps assessment of McCain is even more galling in light of the fact that The Donald repeatedly dodged military service during the Vietnam War.

But Trump described himself as a nationalist rather than a patriot. You might be thinking, Well, nationalist and patriot are pretty much synonymous, right? Actually, theyre quite different.

In his 1945 essay Notes on Nationalism, George Orwell differentiated between patriotism and nationalism. By patriotism, the author of 1984 wrote, I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force on other people.

Patriotism is quite different from nationalism, which Orwell observed is inseparable from the desire for power. The abiding purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power.for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality.

For many self-described American nationalists, the other unit is their race. White nationalists see Trump as their champion in an America that is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Trumps proposed border wall is more than a mere physical structure for white nationalists. It symbolizes their desire to keep the United States a nation where white people comprise a majority and hold power.

Trump has shamefully pandered to white nationalists to let them know he understands their fears and stands with them. Americans of conscience were horrified when he referred to non-white nations as s**thole countries and expressed a desire for more immigrants from a nation such as Norway, which is overwhelmingly white.

White nationalism has no place in a nation whose founding Declaration proclaims all men are created equal. And an ally of white nationalists has no place in our Oval Office.

John J. Dunphy is the author of From Christmas to Twelfth Night in Southern Illinois and Abolitionism and the Civil War in Southwestern Illinois. His latest book, Unsung Heroes of the Dachau Trials, will by published by McFarland in December.The American RefugeeCommittee (ARC) International is an International nonprofit, nonsectarianorganization that provides humanitarian assistance and training to millions ofbeneficiaries around the world.

Job Summary: The Team Leader will be responsible for the

overall implementation of ARC Mental Health and Psychosocial Services (MHPSS)

and Livelihoods programming in Kyaaka II Refugee. They will also be ARCs focal

point person for all activities conducted in the settlement.

This will include

providing day-to-day supervision and oversight of MHPSS, Livelihoods, and

Administrative / Operations team members, with a potential for expanded

supervisory capacity as program portfolio expands. He/she will provide

leadership and management support to the field team to allow for efficient

program implementation. He/she will work closely with the Senior Program

Coordinator and sector Technical Coordinators on program implementation

planning and development (new project designing, concept note preparation and

project proposal development and budgeting). The Team Leader will represent ARC

at site- level working groups, and engage with District, OPM, and other

government and non-government stakeholders.Mumbai-based multidisciplinary visual artist Priyesh Trivedi once broke the internet with his Adarsh Balak illustrations. His wildly popular Facebook page, started in 2014, actively put out painted comic panels lampooning the government-sponsored educational posters and charts featuring the ideal schoolboy. These posters served as moral science lessons in primary school textbooks back in 1980s and 90s India. Trivedi rejigged the iconology of these posters and subverted the concept of 'Adarsh' by showing kids smoking joints, chugging alcohol or emptying out LSD cans in overhead water tanks. At an ongoing exhibition on myth-making and parafiction titled Babur Ki Gai, three oil paintings from this famed comic series are on display.

While pointing out the self-explanatory nature of the oil-on-canvas, curator Adwait Singh informs how members of the right-wing, Hindu nationalist group RSS used to send congratulatory messages to Trivedi in his inbox, appreciating the resurrection of the ideal boy imagery in these wretched times in the same original art style. By missing the mockery and the subversive messaging, the RSS perhaps unwittingly participated in an artificial mythology of their own making.

There is no Adarsh Balak just like Mughal emperor Babur never made a 'wasaya' or will which banned cow slaughter. The purported will has been proven to be a 17th century forgery by historians. But that did not stop Rajasthan BJP president Madan Lal Saini from distorting historical facts and father-son relations to claim in July this year: "When Humayun was dying, he called Babur and told him: 'If you want to rule Hindustan, you must keep three things in mindrespect cows, Brahmins and women.'"

Lost Pages from the Baburnama Folio; Priyanka D'Souza

Priyanka D'Souza's eponymous work Babur Ki Gai is premised on this episode in current history on misrepresentation of facts. In a way, it distills the essence of the entire group show which brings together works by 19 artists from the Indian subcontinent and beyond. They embody and critique the rampant circulation of certain shared beliefs and myths as if they were actual facts of history. In Babur ki Gai the artist uses gouache on wasli paper recalling the style of Mughal miniatures to depict the posterior of a cow sauntering in and out of an intricately carved frame with gilded borders, almost like a gilded cage treasuring a prized animal. Through this artwork, D'Souza claims to have recovered the lost pages from the Baburnama folio, pages which supposedly support the ban on cow slaughter in the Mughal empire. These lost miniatures bear the inscription, Babur ki Gai, Humayun ki Gai and Meri/Kiski Gai respectively. "The artist wanted to perpetuate this myth that somehow she has managed to find these original, missing pages from Baburnama, pages which supports the statement of the BJP president from Rajasthan," says Adwait Singh.

"I was interested in this particular phenomenon of parafiction which is essentially a fictional entity but circulated in society in a way that it can acquire the semblance of a fact," says Singh highlighting the show's curatorial premise which has resonance in age of fake news and disinformation. "Certain statements or even certain artistic strategies which try to pass off something as a fact. It's been used on both ends. Politically by politicians and demagogues to put forth their agendas but equally subverted by artists to meet their ends, to counter-critique those political agendas," adds Singh who has attempted to break the cold formality of wall texts and labels with handwritten notes to serve as information plaques in the exhibition.

Yogesh Ramkrishna's watercolour on paper 'Dont Look In Anger, It May Catch Fire' presents a series of 10 paintings with accompanying text translated from Marathi to Hindi. In this work, Ramkrishna has combined horror stories, recollections, hearsay, superstitions, popular beliefs and a fair bit of creative conjecturing from material gathered in a research trip last year to a small village in Maharashtra by the name of Dhotre where a house was burnt down years ago with a lone child survivor who went missing. The artist brings to life the missing child and the charred house in a series of eerily evocative paintings which recount the events leading to the tragedy.

In 'If Myths Are Real, Why Did You Not Stop The Destruction?', Goa-based Kedar Dhondu goes back to the 16th century where extreme religious persecution by the Portuguese made Goa a hostile environment for Hinduism to thrive, where hundreds of temples were razed to the ground. In a set of 25 panels, he shows gods which were displaced and looted from temples and now exist as museum pieces as mute witnesses to destruction and displacement. In 'Kolkatar Kissu Hobe Na', a hand-constructed book with board, acid-free handmade paper, water and dust colour, ink, pencil and paper collage collate into a book art to encapsulate Kolkata's most popular dialogues, idioms, verses and ideas floating in the city's consciousness like Netaji phire ashben (Netaji will come back) or Kolkata kissu hobe na (Kolkata is doomed).

Babur ki Gai is on view at Gallery Latitude 28 and Art District XIII in Delhi till November 21.He said the anti-narcotics agency has widened its probeHollywood star Diego Luna hopes the Indian audience will embrace Narcos: Mexico as he believes both the countries share a lot of cultural similarities. Luna, his co-star Michael Pena and showrunner Eric Newman joined Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt and director Shakun Batra, to talk about the latest season of the Netflix drug drama, which starts streaming from November 16.

"I find so many similarities between the Indian culture and the Mexican culture... There is so much in common. The contrast you live when you go out and the richness in terms of cultural diversity is amazing. It feels like you are from here. I think this is why you would love Narcos: Mexico," Luna said. The actor, however, was hesitant to talk about his spiritual connection with India despite Batra's prodding about a chat they had Sunday night.

"I told you this because I had four vodkas inside me... the spiritual connection is different... It is personal. I don't see how it connects with Narcos," he said when Batra shared with the audience that Luna's grandmother was born in India and he had read parts of Bhagavad Gita.

While the earlier seasons dealt with Pablo Escobar, the man behind the rise of Medellin Cartel, and then the Cali Cartel in Colombia, the fourth season shifts to Mexico and revolves around the rise and fall of Guadalajara Cartel.

Luna, who grew up in Mexico at the time when the Cartel was at its peak, said the show was "personal" for him because it is the "foundation of the mess" that his country is in today. He plays the role of Felix Gallardo, the man behind the rise of Guadalajara Cartel. Gallardo is currently serving a 37-year-sentence in Altiplano in Mexico.The Indian Navy will soon commence operations of an international information fusion centre to collate and analyse data related to maritime security matters in the Indian Ocean, which would also be shared with friendly nations in the region. This was revealed by Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday during a press conference on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), which is being held in Kochi.

IONS is a multilateral platform, consisting of navies across the Indian Ocean rim, that deliberates on issues of security and humanitarian need with the intention of facilitating cooperation.

Lanba revealed that the international information fusion centre would initially be set up as an adjunct to the Indian Navys Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) in Gurgaon. He also said that the proposed information fusion centre would move to a dedicated facility once infrastructure to house officers from other nations is ready.

Lanba said the countries that would be allowed to use resources of the information fusion centre would be decided with the Central government.

While the proposed fusion centre is independent of IONS, Lanba said the idea was to have IONS members and Indian Ocean Littoral states as part of it. Lanba noted India had already signed agreements with 11 nations to share information on movement of merchant vessels.

The IMAC was inaugurated by then defence minister Manohar Parrikar in 2014 and has been described by the Indian Navy as the nodal centre of the National Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence Network [NC3I Network], and is a joint initiative of Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Bharat Electronics Ltd to improve coastal surveillance.

Lanba revealed that the Indian Navy and Coast Guard would lead a nationwide exercise on maritime security in January. The exercise, called Sea Vigil, would involve all security agencies in coastal states and island territories. Lanba described Sea Vigil as a pan-India exercise that would be conducted over a 36-hour period and would include all agencies in coastal areas.

Admiral Lanba also touted the green initiatives of the Indian Navy in a question related to climate change. All our naval stations are being made green stations where carbon footprint is as low as possible, Lanba said, adding that the Indian Navy had also experimented with biofuels on auxiliary vessels.Two Indian Navy tall ships, the INS Tarangini and the INS Sudarshini, are set to sail with an Omani yacht in a unique tall ship sail-together from Kochi to Muscat on Wednesday. The event is being organised as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS). Oman is a member of the IONS, a voluntary initiative that was started by the Indian Navy in 2008 to bring together navies along the Indian Ocean rim to discuss issues of concern and foster cooperation.

The event is scheduled to be flagged off by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba from the Kochi naval base. The Zinat Al Bihaar, a yacht of the Royal Navy of Oman, arrived in Kochi with an Omani warship, the Shinas, on November 10. The 61-metre-long Zinat Al Bihaar was launched in Oman in 1988.

The INS Tarangini is the first sail training ship of the Indian Navy, which was commissioned in 1997 and has sailed over 220,000 nautical miles till date. The Tarangini made history in 2003-2004 when she became the first Indian Navy ship to circumnavigate the globe. The Tarangini recently returned to Kochi after a seven-month-long voyage that took it to the Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, Straits of Gibraltar, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, English Channel and North Sea.

The INS Sudarshini was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2012 and has sailed more than 76,000 nautical miles till date. It has also trained more than 1,600 personnel, including those from foreign countries.

In November 2015, the Tarangini and another Royal Navy of Oman training vessel, the STS Shabab Oman, conducted a tall ship sail-together from Muscat to Kochi to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties. Initiatives like the tall ship sail-together are not only aimed at bolstering camaraderie between navies but also commemorating the legacy of ancient sailing ships that were the main means of commerce till about 150 years ago. Flash

China and Singapore agreed on Monday to upgrade their free trade agreement (FTA) and make more joint efforts to facilitate connectivity.

The consensus, along with agreements on boosting bilateral cooperation in innovation and other areas, was reached in talks between visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Noting that China and Singapore have completed their FTA upgrading negotiations, Li said he hopes the two sides will seize the opportunity to lift two-way trade and investment to higher levels.

The upgrade of the FTA will bring real benefits to the people and companies of the two countries and send a strong signal of further expanding trade and investment, Lee said.

The two sides also pledged to advance the building of the New Land-Sea Corridor, which consists of a number of cargo routes by land and sea connecting central and southwest China to Southeast Asia, so as to further improve connectivity between the two countries and beyond.

With the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the new logistics corridor, China and Singapore should build on the momentum and further boost two-way connectivity, Li said.

The Singaporean leader said his country will join hands with China to build the new corridor so as to facilitate transport and trade between the two sides.

Experts say the corridor will help China to further open up to the world while opening a shortcut for Southeast Asian countries to enter the Chinese market.

Another substantial outcome of the visit, according to Li, is that China and Singapore have lifted the Guangzhou Knowledge City, an exemplary program in bilateral cooperation, to a national-level project.

In their talks, Li said the two sides should actively expand cooperation in smart-city building, promote the upgrading of city management and artificial intelligence development, and mull new local-level collaboration.

Lee said the Singaporean side is glad to see the upgrade of the project, and ready to step up smart-city cooperation with China.

Intergovernmental cooperation projects between China and Singapore, such as the Suzhou Industrial Park and the Tianjin Eco-City, have yielded fruitful results. The upgrade of the Guangzhou Knowledge City project is expected to inject fresh momentum into bilateral practical cooperation.

Also in their meeting, Li noted that as China's friendly neighbor and important partner, Singapore has been deeply involved in China's reform and opening-up.

The two sides, he added, have consolidated political mutual trust, achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation, and become important trade and investment partners.

Li recalled that China and Singapore established an all-round cooperative partnership progressing with the times when Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the Southeast Asian country in 2015.

"China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with the Singaporean side, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and continuously bring bilateral ties to higher levels," Li said.

After their talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation documents on FTA upgrading, connectivity, finance, science and technology, environment, culture and customs.

During the first official visit to Singapore by a Chinese premier in 11 years, Li will also attend the 21st leaders' meeting between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the 21st ASEAN-China, Japan and South Korea leaders' meeting, respectively known as 10+1 and 10+3, as well as the 13th East Asia Summit.As Imran Khan was sworn in as the prime minister of Pakistan on August 18, 2018, one of the major concerns globally was about how he would manage Pakistans nuclear power. The Pakistan army's backing of Khan during the elections was so open that it led the opposition to term the polls rigged. With a Rawalpindi friendly government at the helm, India and the international community now worry about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

Pakistans nuclear command and control, for now, is claimed to be secure and in the hands of civilian authority owing to its democratic government structure. Though Khan has clarified that nuclear weapons are in safe hands, an army-backed government raises concerns. There are claims that it is not the prime minister but the military that takes crucial decisions on nuclear weapons. If this is true, it is less likely that Khan enjoys any autonomy in the decision-making process regarding nuclear weapons. Also, if it is true that the army helped Khan win the elections, there is little that he can and would do so lest it jeopardises his position. Khan will have to go with the flow on the decisions taken by the army on nuclear security.

Khan has been supportive of nuclear power for long and considers the same to be a necessity for strengthening deterrence and to exert its influence, as well as to portray pride and prestige. To make matters worse, Pakistan is moving towards becoming one of the fastest growing nuclear powers in the world. Pakistan has not only developed strategic nuclear weapons but also tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs) called the Nasr with a range of 60km.

The missile was testfired for the first time in 2011, and since then concerns have been raised on the deterrence and stability-instability paradox in the South Asian periphery. Opponents of TNWs argued that there would be problems in the command and control of weapons in future as these could fall into the hands of battlefield commanders in times of conflict. Thereby, making the probability of use of TNWs high, even in sub-conventional warfare.

With an army-backed prime minister at the helm, the concern over the control of nuclear weapons would only worsen, not just for India but also for the global order. Missiles like the Shaheen III are reported to have the capability to reach targets in Israela country with which Pakistan does not share cordial relations. In the past, Israel had planned to bomb Pakistans nuclear facilities.

There are sceptics who raise doubts on whether Khan is the right choice as the leader and protector of the Sunni bomb. Along with economy-related challenges, Khans immediate bigger challenge would be how to manage the bomb.

Also, Pakistans role in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that would form a component of the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) can lead to the country initiating nuclear proliferation through a much easier route. It could also become a route for drug trafficking that would help Pakistan earn more hard cash that the military could divert towards nuclear weapons and also conventional weapons development and procurement, respectively.

South Asia is not oblivious to nuclear brinkmanship. The Kargil episode was one such example where a nuclear threat was averted only because of US intervention. However, in future should there be a Kargil-like crisis during Khans regime, and should the military decide to launch nuclear weapons, especially TNWs, it would result in an all-out nuclear war given Indias nuclear doctrine that states massive retaliation. It is difficult to fathom whether an army-friendly Khan would succumb to western pressures and decide a use nuclear weapons, or provide support for the use of nuclear weapons in case of crisis.

It is not just the issue of nuclear weapons and its safety and security in Pakistan that is a global concern today. Pakistan is facing tough challengeseconomic development, terrorism and corruption.

In July 2018, the US suspended security aid of $2 billion to Pakistan on grounds that Pakistan had failed to curb terrorism. If Khan fails to curb terrorism, further assistance could be suspended. This may result in turmoil in the country due to lack of economic development and Pakistan might continue to modernise its nuclear forces, not just as a deterrent against India but also to become an influential player in Middle East in order to divert the attention of the population and instil a sense of pride and achievement in them.

Suspending aid to Pakistan will also result in economic downturn that might result in Pakistan promoting more proxy wars against India which it fights confidently under the nuclear shadow. Though India does not support western aid to Pakistan, it also cannot bear an economically weak Pakistan that will continue to promote proxy wars against Indiaa strategy Pakistan uses to divert attention from its economic problems to avoid criticisms and to unite its people against India.

In addition, as mentioned earlier, Pakistan can become the third largest country with fissile material stockpile. It is very obvious that such measures would be supported by Khan but it would only lead to proliferation concernsboth horizontal as well as vertical. Such an act is dangerous for regional and global stability. Many countries in the Middle East, like Saudi Arabia, could resort to nuclear weapons that they could easily acquire from Pakistan in future.

Pakistan has to realise that while China is an all-weather friend, and is a proxy that opens the challenge of a two-front war against India, during Kargil crisis, China barely gave any support to Pakistan. So, it would be a folly on Pakistan's part to believe that they could resort to nuclear outbreak without any international pressure and sanctions and may not receive support from even their closest allies. Khan would need to keep all these issues in mind during his tenure and also when he deals with India.

Pakistans nuclear force modernisation process and growing fissile material stockpile coupled with its inability to check or counter terrorism would only result in jeopardising its relations with the US.

Khans challenges are not few and not without hindrances as mentioned above. There is little that he would be able to do to alleviate global concerns especially as the nuclear weapons and its management will be under stringent scrutiny of the military.

Debalina Ghoshal is an independent consultant.A day after seven militants and an Israeli soldier were killed during an undercover Israeli operation in Gaza, violence has flared between Israel and Palestinian militants.

Around 300 rockets, fired at Israel by militants, hit a bus, seriously injuring a soldier nearby. Israel retaliated by targeting sites it claimed belonged to Hamas and Islamic Jihad and killed three Palestinians.

The violence has threatened to derail truce efforts being carried out by the United Nations, Egypt and Qatar. Residents of Israeli-town Ashkelon fled to bomb shelters as sirens warned them of the attack.

Israel responded with dozens of air strikes against Gaza buildings including a Hamas intelligence compound and the Al-Aqsa Television studios, whose employees had received advance warnings from the military to evacuate.

Egypt urged Israel to back down. The United States, whose peace mediation has been stalled since 2014, condemned Hamas.

"The escalation in the past 24 hours is EXTREMELY dangerous and reckless," tweeted Nickolay Mladenov, a UN Middle East envoy. "Rockets must STOP, restraint must be shown by all!"

Violence has simmered since Palestinians launched weekly border protests on March 30 to demand the easing of a blockade on Gaza and rights to lands lost in the 1948 war of Israel's founding. Israeli troops have killed more that 220 Palestinians during the confrontations, which have included border breaches. A Qatari cash infusion of $15 million last week appeared to dampen Gazan anger. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped to reach an "arrangement" to avoid another Gaza war and ease Palestinian economic hardship.

But hours later, a botched incursion by undercover Israeli troops in Gaza led to fighting that killed a Hamas commander, six other Palestinian militants and an Israeli colonel.

"In response to yesterday's crime, the joint command of Palestinian factions announce the beginning of bombardment of the enemy's settlements with scores of rockets," Hamas said in a statement on Monday.

In an apparent attempt to defuse tensions, Israel's military spokesman said the special forces had not been dispatched to assassinate Hamas commanders, a tactic that led to wider conflict in the past and which has largely been abandoned. Israeli media reports suggested the raid was mounted to gather intelligence.

Hamas, which is branded a terrorist group in the West, and Israel have fought three wars in the last decade and neither side appeared keen to precipitate another full-on conflict.On Monday, Palestinian factions placed the onus on Israel to cease fire, saying they were prepared to increase the range of

rocket fire for as long as the air barrage on Gaza persisted.

But the Israelis, jarred by dozens of civilian casualties in their border communities, appeared set on deterring Hamas.Brigadier-General Ronen Manelis, Israel's military spokesman, said Hamas was "leading Gaza to ruin" and that Israeli attacks on it would "intensify to the degree required".A Saudi intelligence officer who listened to the recordings related to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi was "shocked", said Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey had shared with the Western allies the recordings that the president said were "appalling".

Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate last month in a hit which Erdogan says was ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.

Erdogan said he had discussed with the US, French and German leaders at a dinner in Paris about Khashoggi and his killing. ."We played the recordings regarding this murder to everyone who wanted them from us. Our intelligence organisation did not hide anything. We played them to all who wanted them including the Saudis, the USA, France, Canada, Germany, Britain," he said.

"The recordings are really appalling. Indeed when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recordings he was so shocked he said: 'This one must have taken heroin, only someone who takes who heroin would do this," he added.

Erdogan said it was clear the murder was planned and that the order came from the top level of Saudi authorities but that he could not think such a thing of King Salman, for whom he has 'limitless respect'.

"The crown prince says 'I will clarify the matter, I will do what is necessary'. We are waiting patiently," Erdogan said, adding that the perpetrators of the killing were among 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia. "It must be revealed who gave them the order to murder."

Turkey has several audio recordings which has led Ankara to conclude from an early stage that the killing was premeditated, despite Saudi Arabia's initial denials of any knowledge or involvement.

Saudi Arabia's prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb has since said Khashoggi's killing was planned in advance, although another Saudi official said Prince Mohammed had no knowledge of the specific operation.London, Nov 13 (PTI) The University of Birmingham announced on Tuesday that it has appointed sustainable cold chain expert Pawanexh Kohli as an honorary professor of post-harvest logistics.

The Birmingham Energy Institute at the university made the high-profile appointment in recognition of Kohli's leadership in sustainable food logistics in meeting key development targets and his role in helping define the applied research programmes between Birmingham and India to deliver radical innovation.

As CEO of India's National Centre for Cold-Chain Development (NCCD), Kohli has played a key role in shaping policy and projects aimed at solving post-harvest food loss  particularly in developing refrigeration networks linking the farmers to market, the university said.

Professor Martin Freer, Director of the Birmingham Energy Institute, said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set India the challenge of doubling farmers' income by 2022. The cold chain is a key part of a solution to boost India's food security and reduce environmental impact.

"Pawanexh Kohli has worked closely with government and industry to help define Indian policy in this area; a key figure in this critical field of developing expertise. He has been invaluable in helping the University of Birmingham effectively design its work in this field with Indian partners".

Kohli has a long relationship with the university and in 2015, the Birmingham Policy Commission on Cold Chain, chaired by Lord Teverson, recognised Kohli's contributions as an expert witness. He said the latest honour would "embolden" many other cold-chain stakeholders to do more.

"The University of Birmingham has clearly taken the lead in affirming that post-harvest logistics is the backbone to sustaining the agricultural system, worldwide. Effective post-harvest logistics makes agriculture more environmentally and economically relevant," he said.

The appointment follows a recent event in India, which saw the university welcoming environmentalists and industrialists to explore ways of advancing the use of clean cold technology to meet in a sustainable way the rising demand for cooling.

Representatives from the university's Indian 'clean cold' partner Shakti Foundation, the NCCD, and CEOs from industry and regional organisations gathered at the British High Commission in New Delhi.

The event followed an agreement signed this year by the university and the government of Haryana to develop centres of excellence for clean cold chains that will help to map a blueprint and delivery plan for sustainable cooling across the north Indian state.

Professor Robin Mason, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) of the University of Birmingham and Director of the University of Birmingham India Institute, said, "The University of Birmingham is a civic university with a global outlook. There exists a special bond between Birmingham and India which stretches back to the arrival of our first Indian students in 1909".

"The launch this year of the University of Birmingham India Institute affirms our deep and continued commitment to engagement with this great country. We are looking to grow our contribution to Indian society, as our researchers forge links with their counterparts, we hope to change millions of lives for the better".

This year the University of Birmingham created and hosted the world's first Clean Cold Congress, at which Kohli was a keynote speaker. Presently, the varsity is working towards establishing research centres in India, called living laboratories  developed with partner universities with the support of state governments in India.

Effective refrigeration is essential to preserve food and medicine. It underpins industry and economic growth, is key to sustainable urbanisation and provides a ladder out of rural poverty. It makes much of the world bearable  or even safe  to live in.

Professor Toby Peters, from the University of Birmingham, added, "A seamless 'cold chain' is needed to move food swiftly from farm to consumer - reducing food loss to raise farmers' income and give them bigger markets, whilst expanding their selling range".

But at the same time, it must be clean and sustainable cooling. Climate change and toxic air pollution must be tackled by reducing use of conventional, highly polluting cooling technologies and adopting zero-emission technologies". PTI AK KUN

KUNNew Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) Global internet Body ICANN-supported UASG Tuesday conferred "Universal Acceptance Thought Leader award" on Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for enabling email service for citizens of the state in local script.

"Universal Acceptance Steering Group has recognised work of Hon'ble CM of Rajasthan and IT Department for Rajmail project that enables access to email address to people in the state in Indic script. The Universal Acceptance Thought Leader award was thus conferred by UASG in this regard," ICANN India head Samiran Gupta said.

The technology for the project was developed by Rajasthan based firm Data XGen Technologies.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a no-profit organisation and manages rules around website access over Internet.

UASG is working towards achieving truly multi-lingual Internet, one in which users around the world can navigate entirely in local languages. The body is supported by ICANN. PTI PRS

MKJ(Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with NewsVoir. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

Cooperation will start from Smart Hotel with plans to develop more future collaborations



Shenzhen, China (NewsVoir)



Tencent and Shangri-La Group announced the signing of a strategic partnership today. The cooperation will be focused on developing and deploying Smart Hotel solutions to power the transformation of hotel operations and services for Shangri-La, and will expand to more future collaborations across various businesses within the Shangri-La Group worldwide. Ms. Hui Kuok, Chairman of Shangri-La Asia Limited and Mr. Dowson Tong, Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent attended the signing ceremony at Futian Shangri-La Hotel, Shenzhen. By leveraging Tencents strength in technology and connectivity, and by incorporating Shangri-Las hotel experience and business resources, the partnership will help drive technology innovation and business transformation of traditional industry models and enhance service quality and guest experience for hotel operators.



The Tencent and Shangri-La partnership is an example of collaboration between traditional hotel industry and the internet and technology sector. Tencents leading technology in Cloud computing, AI, social communications and payment platforms will help support Shangri-Las business transformation of its services and operations. With Smart Hotel solutions, Shangri-La will be able to deliver greater convenience and personalised experience for its customers. At the same time, Tencent will be able to leverage Shangri-La hotels as testbed to continuously enhance and promoteits Smart Hotel technologies.



In addition to Smart Hotel, Tencent and Shangri-La have plans to bring the strategic partnership to cover amuch wider scope and scale in the future. Shangri-La will utilise its worldwide hotel network and business resources to support Tencent in promoting its cutting-edge technology to the world. The two companies will also explore the application of digital solutions and smart technologies beyond hotels to include Shangri-Las real estate business in shopping malls, service apartments, office buildings, as well as in over 500 hotel restaurants and other catering business.



Ms. Hui Kuok, Chairman of Shangri-La Asia Limited said, We share the same vision with Tencent that technology is people-oriented. People and service are at the core of our business. The value of technology is not to replace the warmth of human contact and personal interaction. We will strive to work with Tencent and integrate hardware with heartware, and to continue to deliver innovative products and excellent customer service.



Mr. Dowson Tong, Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent said, As one of the worlds premier hotel companies, Shangri-La has nearly five decades of experience in hotel operations. By incorporating Tencents technology expertise in the internet sector, we can achieve greater success together. Our partnership can help Shangri-La enhance its capability in providing services and greater operational efficiency, as well as provide best practices for the transformation of the hotel industry.



About Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts



Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, one of the worlds premier hotel owners and operators, currently manages over 100 hotels globally in 76 destinations under the Shangri-La, Kerry, Hotel Jen and Traders brands. Prominently positioned in Asia, the group has established its hallmark of hospitality from the heart over four decades in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, North America and the Indian Ocean. The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in Australia, Bahrain, mainland China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.



For more information, please visit www.shangri-la.com.



About Tencent



Tencent uses technology to enrich the lives of Internet users. Our social products WeChat and QQ link our users to a rich digital content catalogue including games, video, music and books. Our proprietary targeting technology helps advertisers reach out to hundreds of millions of consumers in China. Our infrastructure services including payment, security, cloud and artificial intelligence create differentiated offerings and support our partners business growth. Tencent invests heavily in people and innovation, enabling us to evolve with the Internet.



Image: From left: Mr. Lim Beng Chee, Chief Executive Officer of Shangri-La Asia Limited; Mr. Bai Zhenjie, Director of Operations, Wechat Pay; Ms. Hui KUOK, Chairman of Shangri-La Asia Limited; Mr. Dowson Tong, Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent; Mr. Yang Jiancheng, Chief Technology Officer of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts; Mr. Da Zhiqian and Ms. Zeng Jiaxin, Vice Presidents of Tencent PWR

PWRYou are here: World

 Flash

The Israeli army launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Monday evening, killing at least three and injuring dozens others, in response to the massive rocket attacks from the coastal enclave.





Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the health ministry in Gaza, told reporters that the three killed Palestinians were identified as 27-year-old Mohamed al-Tatari, 22-year-old Mohamed Oudeh and 23-year-old Hammad al-Nahal.





Eyewitnesses said a house was targeted by Israeli war jets in the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.





A short statement by the joint operation room of militant groups, including Hamas, confirmed the attacks.





"The Palestinian armed resistance on Monday evening fired scores of rockets from the Gaza Strip on the settlements of the enemy," the statement said.





It also vowed to "increase... intensive strikes" on Israel if it "keeps up its aggression."





Meanwhile, Israeli authorities said at least 100 rockets, mortars and anti-tank missiles were launched toward southern Israel in about one hour in the evening, injuring 12 people.





The David Magen Adom emergency service said a 19-year-old young man was "in a serious condition with multi-system injuries."





At least 11 more people were wounded by broken glasses or other materials as they ran for shelter during the bombing, the emergency service added.





In a special statement, the Israeli army instructed residents near Gaza as well as in cities as far as Beersheba and Ashdod, some 40 km south of Tel Aviv, to stay indoors or in protected areas.





Tensions in the region were still high on Monday morning, with schools cancelled for students in southern Israel for security concerns.





Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short his trip to Paris and returned overnight, according to a statement from his office.





At a news conference in Paris on Sunday, Netanyahu defended his decision to move toward an unofficial cease-fire with Hamas.





He also warned that if calm along the border will not be kept, Israel "will act with maximum power."





The sudden burst of violence potentially shattered hopes for a long-term agreement between Israel and Hamas, as Egyptian and the UN officials have been working to broker a cease-fire deal in exchange for Israeli easing its 12-year crippling blockade on Gaza.(Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire India. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

LTTS recognized for quality excellence, technological competence, high reliability and flexibility



Bengaluru, Karnataka, India  Business Wire India



L&T Technology Services (NSE: LTTS), a leading global pure play engineering services company, has been conferred with the Supplier of the Year 2017 Award by Continental, a leading German technology company. LTTS is the only engineering partner to have been awarded the prestigious accolade.



Continental acknowledged LTTS for Excellent Quality Standards, Technological Expertise and High Reliability and Flexibility. LTTS demonstrated expertise across various areas such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, Connected Car Technologies, Cockpit Electronics, Infotainment Systems and Body Electronics.



The association between LTTS and Continental began in 2011 and over the seven years of collaboration, LTTS has deployed several engineers across 5 geographies  North America, Japan, Singapore, Germany and India to cater to the requirements of Continental and accordingly facilitate the best services.



Commenting on the award win, Mr. Amit Chadha, President Sales & Business Development and Executive Director, L&T Technology Services said, At LTTS our constant endeavor is to be our customers most reliable engineering collaborator and provide them with state of the art offerings. Our long and fruitful association with Continental will continue to drive us towards being their most trusted engineering partner. We are thankful to Continental for recognizing our proficiency in cutting-edge technologies, innovation and high-quality driven culture. We look forward to playing a more significant role in their engineering road map and this award is a big stepping stone towards a deeper and long-lasting relationship between the two companies.



About L&T Technology Services Limited:



L&T Technology Services Limited (LTTS) is a listed subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Limited focused on Engineering and R&D (ER&D) services. We offer consultancy, design, development and testing services across the product and process development life cycle. Our customer base includes 52 Fortune 500 companies and 51 of the worlds top ER&D companies, across industrial products, medical devices, transportation, telecom & hi-tech, and the process industries. Headquartered in India, we have over 13,500 employees spread across 16 global design centers, 27 global sales offices and 45 innovation labs as of September 30, 2018. For additional information about L&T Technology Services log on to www.LntTechservices.com



To View the Image Click on the Link Below:



Mr. Gaurav Gupta (Centre), Chief Business Officer, Europe at L&T Technology Services with the Supplier of the Year award from Continental, along with officials from Continental PWR

PWRMumbai, Nov 13 (PTI) Arjun Kapoor believes his next "India's Most Wanted" will ignite patriotism in people.

The film, a tribute to unsung heroes, centres around the capture of India's most wanted, without firing a single bullet.

The actor, who plays an intelligence officer in the film, wrapped up the project Monday.

"It is a scary and real story. It will be fascinating for audience to see it because when I heard about it, it left me in shock. Also, it made me feel proud to be an Indian. It is a film that will bring out your patriotic side," Arjun told PTI.

The actor said unsung heroes need to be respected and praised.

"Men in uniform defend and protect us but there are so many young heroes who protect us in plain clothes in plain sight. They are also the true unsung heroes and they deserve to be respected and applauded for keeping our country safe. The film is based on one such important event that changed the course of our country's history," he said.

Directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, the film is slated to be released on May 24, 2019.

Gupta is co-producing with Fox Star Studios.

Arjun, 33, also has Ashutosh Gowariker's "Panipat" in his kitty and this will be his first historical period drama. The film also features Kriti Sanon and Sanjay Dutt.

"Ashu sir is an expert in such films. My job as an actor is to be on the sets and play my character to the best of my ability. There are certain things that we are working on since few months.

"I begin filming by end of November. I still have some time to work on my character. I can't talk about it in detail as I feel at times it is better to do it and show, rather than speaking," he said.

According to reports, Arjun will play the role of Sadashiv Rao Bhau, the nephew of Peshwa Bajirao I. He served as commander-in-chief of the Maratha army in the third Battle of Panipat.

The actor has started prepping.

"I am playing a warrior in the film. There are certain basic things that I will have to keep in mind. We have started training in horse riding. We start practising sword fighting in the next coming weeks."

The film is slated to release on December 6, 2019. PTI KKP RDS

RDSMumbai, Nov 13 (PTI) Comedy drama "Green Book" is set to release in India on November 23.

Directed by Peter Farrelly, the film is based on a true story of friendship and relationship between working class Italian  American bouncer who becomes a driver of an African- American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960's American South.

The film is not a biopic but is inspired by the true story about friendship between Dr Donald Shirley, an erudite African  American pianist and his white chauffer Tony Lip.

"Green Book" features Viggo Mortensen essaying the role of Lip and Mahershala Ali as Dr Shirley.

"This is a perfect film for audiences around the world because it's about people who are different and who are able to discover their similarities and teach each other things about their differences. They're able to accept each other. These men come from very, very different worlds and they become allies," Ali said in a statement.

Mortensen added, "This is a movie about a relationship between a black man and a white man before the Civil Rights Act, and the backdrop is one of obvious socio-economic and racial tension. In many ways, we're facing the same problems today that are depicted in the film. There are a lot of mirror images and mirror concepts that our story deals with, between 1962 and now, and I think people will find that enlightening as well as entertaining."

"Green Book" had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018.

The film also has Don Stark and Linda Cardellini in supporting roles. PTI SHD

SHDLondon, Nov 13 (PTI) A British Indian women's rights campaigner on Tuesday waived her right to anonymity to reveal that a UK peer had offered to make her a Baroness in the House of Lords if she agreed to have sex with him.

Jasvinder Sanghera is well-known in the UK as the founder of 'Karma Nirvana', a charity set up to combat the problem of young people, a majority from South Asian backgrounds, being forced into marriage.

Sanghera spoke out against Lord Anthony Lester after it emerged that the House of Lords is to vote on suspending the Liberal Democrat peer on sexual harassment charges dating back over a decade ago.

A Lords' Privileges and Conduct Committee investigation had concluded that Lester groped Sanghera and offered her "corrupt inducements" to become his mistress and has recommended that he be suspended till June 2022.

But the 82-year-old peer, a prominent lawyer, has strongly denied the allegations as "completely untrue".

Sanghera, who was honoured with a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II for her charity work in 2013, disclosed that she was the woman who lodged the complaint after finding the courage to speak out and highlight that "what he did to me wasn't acceptable and wasn't honourable".

"I'm supposed to be this empowered woman but I began to feel like a phoney," she told 'The Times' in an interview.

Born in the town of Derby in the East Midlands region of England, Sanghera was disowned by her British Sikh family when she ran away as a 16-year-old to escape a forced marriage to a much older man chosen by her parents. She has since been instrumental in campaigning against the practice, leading to forced marriage now being illegal in the UK.

"I speak about forced marriage in front of thousands of people. I talk about breaking the silence, but I hadn't spoken about what he did to me," said Sanghera, who wrote about her experiences in her autobiography 'Shame' in 2007.

She said she was contacted by Lester in 2006 to support his private members bill on making forced marriage a civil offence. After a late meeting in Parliament, he allegedly made the indecent proposal to make her a "Baroness within a year" if she slept with him, warning that there would be repercussions if she refused.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement of women speaking out against their harassers, Sanghera sought legal advice and complained to the Lords Commissioner for Standards in November, 2017. The investigation concluded recently, with the committee recommending Lester's suspension.

"The sense of relief was overwhelming. I wanted him to know that what he did wasn't acceptable and honourable," she said, calling for a proper system in place for other victims to feel confident about speaking out against men in positions of power.

The decision to investigate a peer for alleged sexual misconduct marks an unprecedented step for the UK Parliament. The Lords sub-committee concluded that it was a "tragic irony" that Lester had for a short time become "obsessively attracted to the complainant to the extent that he completely lost all sense of judgment and propriety".

House of Lords members are expected to vote on Thursday on whether to accept the committee's recommendation that he should be suspended until June, 2022. PTI AK KUN

KUNAnkara, Nov 13 (AP) Turkey is waiting for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to shed light on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last month, the country's president was quoted as saying Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists on board his plane while returning from World War I commemorations in Paris, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also reportedly said audio recordings of the killing that Turkey shared with officials from Saudi Arabia and other nations were so "atrocious" that a Saudi intelligence official speculated that the killer may have been on heroin.

"The recording is truly atrocious. In fact, when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recording he was so shocked that he said 'this one probably took heroin. Only someone who took heroin would do it,'" Erdogan was reported as saying in comments published in pro-government Yeni Safak.

Turkey says The Washington Post columnist, who had criticized the crown prince, was killed by a 15-member assassination squad sent from Riyadh. Ankara insists the orders for the killing came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, but not King Salman.

The crown prince has come under scrutiny for having knowledge of the killing, which involved some members of his security entourage.

Pressing ahead with moves to maintain pressure on Saudi Arabia, Erdogan said the crown prince had told Turkish envoys that he would shed light on the October 2 killing at the kingdom's consulate and do what was "necessary."

"He said this to my special envoys," Erdogan was quoted as saying. "We are waiting patiently." Erdogan repeated that Turkey had shared audio recordings relating to the killing with Saudi Arabia and other nations, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Canada.

Under mounting pressure, Saudi Arabia has changed its narrative about Khashoggi's killing. It first said he walked out of the embassy the day he disappeared before eventually acknowledging Khashoggi died inside the consulate. Saudi Arabia has also recently acknowledged Turkish evidence that showed the slaying was premeditated.

Turkey says a 15-member Saudi "hit squad" strangled and dismembered Khashoggi at the consulate. Media reports have suggested that his body could have been chemically dissolved as it has not yet been found.

Saudi officials characterize the killing as a rogue operation carried out by Saudi agents who exceeded their authority. (AP) MRJ

MRJColombo, Nov 13 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena's supporters including some Cabinet ministers Tuesday filed five petitions in the Supreme Court supporting his controversial move to dissolve Parliament even as the apex court began hearing a case filed by Opposition parties against the move.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament on November 9 and announced snap polls to be held on January 5 next year after it became clear that he did not have enough support in the House to prove the premiership of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom he appointed prime minister after abruptly sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26.

Rajapaksa needed the support of at least 113 parliamentarians in the 225-member House to prove his majority.

Major political parties and an election commission member on Monday dragged Sirisena to the Supreme Court, challenging his move of dissolving Parliament, almost 20 months before its term was to end.

Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the leftist JVP or the People's Liberation Front (PLF) were among the 10 groups that filed the fundamental rights petitions in the apex court, seeking declaration of the President's action as illegal.

In response, five supporting petitions were filed in the Supreme Court by Sirisena backers including Prof G L Peiris, Minister Udhaya Gammanpila and leader Vasudewa Nanayakkara, the Daily Mirror reported.

Tight security prevailed around the Supreme Court complex as it began the second day's hearing of the petitions filed against Parliament dissolution.

The Supreme Court on Monday suspended the hearing after initial submissions. It was not clear if the judgement or the interim order pleaded by the petitioners would be granted on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya, on behalf of the state, justified Sirisena's action, saying the powers of the President are clear and unambiguous as provided for in the Constitution and the announcement of the dissolution of Parliament was done by the President in accordance with the Constitution.

He pleaded for the dismissal of all petitions and said the President is empowered to dissolve Parliament.

Jayasuriya said the court has no jurisdiction to hear and determine the Fundamental Rights petitions challenging the dissolution of Parliament and requested the apex court to dismiss all petitions.

Sirisena on Sunday stoutly defended his move to dissolve Parliament, saying it was taken to prevent clashes among rival lawmakers. He said there were media reports that politicians would clash during the floor test, which was due on November 14.

Rajapaksa, 72, who ruled Lanka for a nearly decade from 2005, was unexpectedly defeated by his deputy Sirisena in the presidential election held in January 2015 with the support from Wickremesinghe's UNP.

However, the power-sharing arrangement between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe became increasingly tenuous on several policy matters, especially on issues like the economy and security. And subsequently, Sirisena abruptly ousted Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Rajapaksa.

The island nation plunged into a constitutional crisis following the move.

Sirisena suspended parliamentary proceedings until November 16. Later, owing to domestic and global pressure, he issued a notice to reconvene Parliament on November 14. last week, he dissolved Parliament and announced snap polls in January, 2019. PTI CORR CPS AKJ CPSSingapore, Nov 13 (AFP) Audio linked to Jamal Khashoggi's murder inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate does not implicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Tuesday, citing others who have heard the tapes.

Turkey has previously said it shared recordings linked to the murder of Khashoggi -- a Saudi dissident and fierce critic of the crown prince -- with officials in Riyadh, Washington and other capitals.

Khashoggi was last seen entering the consulate on October 2 to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage.

After repeated denials, Saudi Arabia finally admitted the 59-year-old had been murdered at the mission in a "rogue" operation.

Bolton, speaking to reporters in Singapore ahead of a regional summit, was asked whether it was right to say the audio contained nothing that implicated the crown prince.

"I haven't listened to the tape myself but in the assessment of those who have listened to it that's right," he said.

Khashoggi's brazen murder has caused intense speculation over what, if anything, Crown Prince Salman might have known about the operation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government and pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Salman of responsibility.

The New York Times reported that a member of the team at the consulate had told a superior by phone to "tell your boss", suspected to be the crown prince, that the operation had been accomplished.

The Trump administration embraced the young prince as a reform-minded ally, but the murder of Khashoggi -- a US resident -- has soured that narrative.

Bolton emphasised that Trump has demanded a full investigation from the Saudis and for those responsible to be held accountable.

"The president has made it very clear that he expects we're going to get the truth from the Saudis -- and the king and the crown prince, in the conversations they've had with the president, have committed to that," he said.

But Trump has also emphasised America's important commercial, strategic and national security relationships with the petro-state as well as lucrative arms contracts. (AFP) KUN

KUNColombo, Nov 13 (PTI) Sri Lanka' Supreme Court Tuesday overturned President Maithripala Sirisena's dissolution of Parliament and ordered a halt to preparations for snap elections on January 5, party officials present at the hearing said.

A three-member bench including the country's chief justice Nalin Perera delivered its ruling after two days of deliberations on as many as 13 petitions against and five for Sirisena's November 9 decision to dissolve Parliament.

All petitions filed against Sirisena's decision will be heard on December 4, 5 and 6, the apex court ruled.

The petitioners included a member of the independent election commission Ratnajeevan Hoole.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament and ordered snap election on January 5, plunging the country's into an unprecedented political and constitutional crises since October 26 when he sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa. PTI CORR MRJ AKJ MRJJerusalem, Nov 13 (AFP) One man was pulled dead from the ruins of a building in southern Israel hit by one of dozens of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, an emergency service said Tuesday.

It was the first confirmed death caused by the barrage of rocket fire from Gaza since Monday afternoon in a flare-up following a deadly Israeli special forces operation in the enclave.

A woman also recovered from the building in Ashkelon was in a critical state, said the emergency services organisation United Hatzalah.

The man killed was around 40 years old, according to media reports. (AFP) AQS

AQSThe adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite... Flash

Senior Chinese officials met with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas over bilateral relations in Beijing on Monday.





When meeting with Maas, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said that since China and Germany launched an all-dimensional strategic partnership in 2014, the two countries have seen frequent high-level exchanges, and significantly enhanced political mutual trust.





Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, hoped the two sides could seize the opportunity to continuously expand win-win cooperation in various areas, improve international economic governance, and enhance the wellbeing of the two peoples and people of the world.





Maas said the German side attaches great importance to developing ties with China, appreciates China's policy of further opening up, and stands ready to deepen bilateral practical cooperation and jointly safeguard the global multilateral system.





Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, also met with Maas on Monday.Raigarh (Chhattisgarh), Nov 13 (PTI) Congress chief Rahul Gandhi asked Tuesday why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was silent on charges of corruption against Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and his family.

Addressing a rally in Kharsia Assembly constituency in Raigarh district in the poll-bound state, Gandhi claimed the prime minister did not speak about corruption anymore.

"In civil supply scam of Rs 36,000 crore, names of Raman Singh and his wife surfaced. Rs 5,000 chit fund scam took place under the protection of the Raman Singh government," he alleged.

"His (Singh's) son Abhishek Singh was named in Panama papers scandal, but no action was taken in any of these cases," the Congress chief alleged.

"Prime minister Modi used to speak about corruption in his speeches earlier, but why he does not speak about the corruption of Raman Singh and his family? Why Raman Singh too is silent over corruption," he asked.

The ruling BJP has denied the allegations of corruption against the chief minister and his family.

Gandhi campaigned for Congress candidate and incumbent MLA from Kharsia, Umesh Patel, Tuesday.

Patel's father Nandkumar Patel, then state Congress chief, was killed in a Naxal attack in Jhiram valley in Bastar's Darbha area on May 25, 2013.

Remembering Nandkumar Patel, Gandhi accused Modi of insulting the martyrdom of Congress leaders who died in the Naxal attack.

He was apparently referring to the prime minister's recent speech in Bastar where he had accused Congress leaders of supporting urban Naxals.

The Congress chief reiterated his allegation that the Modi government took away the Rafale fighter jets contract from the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and gave it to industrialist Anil Ambani.

"Modi ji handed over Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani which was your money," Gandhi claimed.

Both the government as well as Ambani have denied the allegations of grant of undue favour to Ambani's firm in the Rafale deal.

The Congress president promised loan waiver to farmers in the state.

"After the Congress government is formed in the state, we will waive the loans of farmers within ten days," he said.

Gandhio said farmers would get a bonus on paddy procurement, and the bonus pending for two years, which the BJP government had promised but not paid, would be disbursed.

On Monday, polling was held in eighteen constituencies of Naxal-affected districts of Chhattisgarh. Remaining 72 seats will go to polls on November 20. PTI CORR TKP KRK AARDoda (JK), Nov 13 (PTI) Shorn of basic amenities like "bijli, sadak and pani" since ages, the natives of dozen-odd villages of Tanta panchayat in this mountainous district of Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday decided to boycott the rural body polls on November 24.

Fed up with the successive governments' failure to provide even a modicum of the basic amenities, the villagers held a meeting at the hill-top Panchayat office in Kahara tehsil, 60 kms from Doda district headquarters and decided to give a go-by to the nine-phase polls, beginning November 17.

During the meeting, the villagers rued that the promises made by the elected representatives, successive governments and poll aspirants were never fulfilled, saying the candidates of all parties make false promises, only to be broken.

Later, they unanimously decided not to cast their votes in the panchayat elections to be held in the third phase on November 24.

We are up in arms against the government for depriving us of the basic amenities like roads, electricity, lack of staff in schools, and safe drinking water, 62-year-old Mubarak Wani, 'lumbardar' of Tanta panchayat, told PTI.

Wani, who led a rally after the meeting, in which the villagers decided to boycott the polls to show their resentment, said the government is responsible for their decision as our repeated requests and petitions were never entertained.

The villages whose inhabitants decided to boycott the panchayat elections include Bagdan, Wani Pura, Draman, Kuthal, Ganoori, Yarivan, Magray Mohalla, Dhanoora, Kushar-Thawa and Bain-Goth.

The twelve villages falling in the Tanta panchayat, have 600 households with a population of over 3,000.

For us, the elections hardly hold any relevance. We have been neglected by various governments since Independence. There are no approach roads, electricity and drinking water facilities in our Panchayat , local resident Sher Din Magray said.

Bashir Ahmad Wani (55), another villager, said they were promised development every time before the polls but it never materialises.

All the candidates who have contested assembly polls or are contesting the panchayat polls have no right to seek votes in the name of development. We are fed up with all the false promises, we have lost faith in the process, he said.

Wani alleged the villagers are being deprived of even their hard- earned wages under MGNREGA since 2016.

I have been left bankrupt. I am on the verge of begging as I have been duped of Rs three lakhs by the Rural Development Department," he claimed.

Mushtaq Magray alleged the panchayats have also failed to implement the government schemes meant for the benefit of villages.

"Villagers look to the panchayat to provide basic facilities and to create better infrastructure but they too have done nothing for us," Magray said.

Doda's District-cum-Development Commissioner Anshul Garg said an inquiry will be initiated immediately and stern action will be taken against the erring officials as soon the report regarding Tanta Panchayat will be submitted about the allegations of the villagers.

I also appeal and urge the villagers not to boycott the polls, he said. PTI CORR TAS RAX

RAXSrinagar, Nov 13 (PTI) Two unidentified terrorists were killed Tuesday when the Army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Keran sector.

"An infiltration bid was eliminated by alert soldiers in Keran sector in Kupwara district today," an Army official said.

He said two militants were killed in the operation, which was going on till last reports came in.

The identity and group affiliation of the slain terrorists was not immediately known. PTI MIJ AARJaipur, Nov 13 (PTI) The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has awarded tickets to close family members of several party leaders to contest the December 7 assembly election in Rajasthan, deviating from its stand against dynastic politics.

Party leaders said the deviation was necessitated to avoid revolt within the party.

The party was taking each step in ticket distribution cautiously to avoid revolt within the party, which otherwise could play spoilsport and affect its prospects in the crucial election.

In the BJP's first list of 131 candidates released on Sunday night, the party has given ticket to its 85 sitting MLAs and has taken care of the family members of prominent leaders who were denied ticket.

The first list comprises sons, grandsons and daughter-in-laws of several prominent leaders of the BJP.

The saffron party has given due attention to family members of leaders who died owing to health issues.

The BJP has given ticket to Ram Swaroop Lamba, the son of late MP Sanwar Lal Jat, to contest election from Nasirabad seat and to Shailesh Singh, the son of late former state minister Digamber Singh, from Deeg-Kumher seat.

The party has once again reposed faith in Lamba, who was fielded to contest the Lok Sabha bypoll from Ajmer seat earlier this year. He had lost the election to Congress's Raghu Sharma by 80,000 votes.

From Kolayat Assembly seat in Bikaner district, the party has given ticket to senior leader Devi Singh Bhati's daughter-in-law Poonam Kanwar. It has fielded Rishi Bansal's wife Ritu from Bayana seat in Bharatpur district.

The other names include former minister Nandlal Meena's son Hemant Meena from Pratapgarh, former legislator Gurjant Singh's grandson Gurveer Singh Brar, former legislator Kailash Bhansali's nephew Atul Bhansali from Jodhpur and former legislator Kunjilal's son Rajendra Meena from Bamanwas.

The leaders say that the step has been taken to avoid revolt as well as to avert results similar to the 2008 assembly election when the BJP had to lose power due to loss of more than 15 seats. The party could secure 78 seats and the Congress too could not touch the magic figure to form government.

If the party had not suffered a jolt due to revolt against then Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the BJP could have formed the government taking along Independent candidates, they said. The Congress won 96 seats in the 2008 assembly election. The BSP won six seats and Independents 14 in the 2008 election. PTI AG SMN

SMNJaipur, Nov 13 (PTI) A BJP MLA whose name was dropped from the first list of candidates for the Rajasthan Assembly elections resigned from the party on Tuesday, a day after the resignation of state minister Surendra Goyal.

Nagaur MLA Habibur Rahman said he has mailed his resignation to the party's state president Madan Lal Saini.

"I resigned from the party's primary membership and forwarded the resignation to the party' state president today (Tuesday). There is discontent among my supporters against the party's decision to drop my name this time, therefore I took this decision," Rahman told PTI.

He said he was in Delhi, where he will meet his supporters to decide the future course of action.

A few other sitting BJP MLAs, who also did not make it to the list, expressed dissatisfaction over the party's decision.

Ramganj Mandi MLA Chandrakanta Meghwal said she will contest the election as an independent candidate.

"My name was dropped and the party announced some other candidate from my constituency. I have no idea why the party did this to me. I will file nomination as independent candidate from my constituency," she said.

A two-time MLA Sanjana Agri also expressed surprise over being denied a ticket.

"I brought Scheduled Castes' votes to the party's fold in the last 15 years and won the last election with a margin of over 20,000 votes. The decision to drop my name is surprising for me and for the Meghwal community. The community has significant influence in my constituency, but the party gave the ticket to a candidate who has a votebank of just a few hundreds," she said.

The Sojat MLA said she will make all efforts to get a ticket by November 18 and will continue to work for the party even she is denied one.

"I would be serving my party, but the Meghwal community people are unhappy with the decision," she said.

Dungarpur MLA Devendra Katara said he will take a decision by evening, after discussing the matter with party workers.

The BJP released its first list of candidates for the December 7 assembly polls on Sunday night.

The party announced the names of 131 out of the total 200 candidates. It retained 85 sitting MLAs and dropped 26.

Goyal, a five-time BJP MLA, resigned as the state's public health engineering and ground water minister and from the party on Monday night as someone else was given the ticket from his constituency. PTI SDA DIV

DIVPune (Maha), Nov 13 (PTI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has invoked UAPA sections pertaining to acts of terror against the accused arrested in connection with the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.

The CBI made a submission to this effect before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) S M A Sayyad here in Maharashtra on Monday.

"The central probing agency told the court that it has invoked sections 15 and 16 (acts of terror) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused persons," public prosecutor Vijaykumar Dhakane said.

So far, six people, including Hindu Janajagruti Samiti member and ENT surgeon Virendrasinh Tawde, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, have been arrested by the CBI in connection with the killing of Dabholkar.

The CBI had earlier filed a charge sheet against Tawde in 2016 under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder), among other charges.

The 90-day period for filing the supplementary charge sheet against the other five accused arrested a few months back is getting over on November 18, Dhakane said.

"Now, since the UAPA sections have been invoked, the CBI will get an extension of another 90 days to file the charge sheet against the accused in the case," he said.

According to the CBI, Andure and Kalaskar had allegedly shot Dabholkar on August 20, 2013 when he was on his morning walk on the Omkareshwar bridge in Pune.

The CBI had earlier claimed that Tawde was the "mastermind" of the conspiracy to kill Dabholkar and veteran CPI leader and rationalist Govind Pansare.

Pansare was shot at by unidentified assailants at Kolhapur in Maharashtra on February 16, 2015. He died of his injuries four days later.

Besides Andure, Kalaskar and Tawde, the CBI had arrested Rajesh Bangera and Amol Kale and Amit Digvekar in connection with the Dabholkar killing case.

Bangera and Kale are also accused in the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017. PTI SPK GK DV

DVNew Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court will hear on November 19 the petition filed by Zakia Jafri challenging the clean chit given by the Special Investigating Team (SIT) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat when he was the chief minister.

Zakia, the wife of Ehsan Jafri, an ex-MP who was killed in one of the worst incidents during the riots, has also challenged the Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 order rejecting her plea against the SIT's decision.

The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and Deepak Gupta also said the matter will be heard on November 19 as the bench has not gone through the petition in detail.

The SIT had, on February 8, 2012, filed a closure report and given the clean chit to Modi saying there was no prosecutable evidence against him. PTI MNL ABA SJK RKS SA LLP PYK

PYKMetro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 6)  The Department of Justice is expected to resolve this November if former Health Secretary Janette Garin, incumbent Health Chief Francisco Duque III, and dozens more should be charged for the alleged deaths caused by Dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.

The Palace assured that officials found guilty will be held liable for administering the allegedly faulty Dengvaxia to over 800,000 students in a nationwide immunization program.

"Appropriate charges will be lodged and pursued against government officials and private individuals found responsible by the DOJ for this failed health program for children," Presidential Spokesperson Sal Panelo said in a statement on Tuesday.

He assured President Rodrigo Duterte is monitoring the updates on issues surrounding Dengvaxia.

"He hears all the calls for justice of families of children whose deaths are reportedly caused by the said vaccine," Panelo said.

DOJ on October 30 concluded its preliminary investigation on the nine criminal complaints initially filed by the Public Attorney's Office.

Garin in June asked the Justice department to junk the criminal charges filed against her over the vaccine. In her counter-affidavit, she insisted that there was no negligence in the decision to use Dengvaxia for a national dengue immunization program.

Garin, along with Duque and 38 others, faces a complaint for torture, obstruction of justice, graft and reckless imprudence resulting in homicide filed by the relatives of the alleged victims of Dengvaxia.

Pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur in November 2017 announced the vaccine posed potentially severe dengue risks among those with no dengue history.

The resulting panic prompted the Health Department to suspend its program and the Senate to investigate the P3.5 billion spent on it. Flash

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday urged Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) not to cut their oil production.





Trump tweeted, "Hopefully, Saudi Arabia and OPEC will not be cutting oil production. Oil prices should be much lower based on supply!"





The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said last month that the U.S. resumption of sanctions on Iran adds uncertainty to crude oil prices, and the effects of sanctions will increase in near future.





The OPEC said later that its member countries are ready to meet global oil market needs in case of any politically-motivated fall in supply, and "maintain their continuous efforts in pursuing a balanced and sustainably stable global oil market."





The U.S.-Saudi ties have been tested recently due to the high casualties in Yemen caused by the Saudi-led airstrikes and the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.





Saudi Arabia has earlier decided to request the United States to end its aerial refueling for the Saudi operations, and U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis responded that the Pentagon backs this decision.





The U.S. Congress also urged a thorough investigation in the murder of Khashoggi, and threatened to take more actions against Saudi Arabia if those responsible were not held accountable, such as suspending the U.S. military sales to Saudi Arabia and sanctioning the kingdom.





However, the Trump administration has been reluctant to further punishing the Saudi side, citing alliance concerns and the role of Saudi purchase of U.S. military equipment in promoting jobs.New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to entertain a PIL seeking establishment of a separate bench of the Allahabad High Court in western Uttar Pradesh, saying this was not the right forum.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph said though a good issue has been raised in the petition, but the apex court cannot deal with it "on judicial side".

When lawyer K R Chitra, appearing for NGO 'Fight For Human Rights, said the litigants of western Uttar Pradesh also need smooth access to the high court, the bench said, "you are absolutely right, but the choice of the forum is wrong".

"The prayer made in the writ petition i.e. establishment of a permanent Bench of the High Court of Allahabad for western Uttar Pradesh cannot be the subject matter of judicial determination and directions.

"The writ petition is, therefore, not maintainable and is accordingly dismissed," it said.

The PIL said currently the Allahabad High Court has its separate branch at Lucknow and a similar bench be set up in the western part of the state to ensure easy access to justice for the natives. PTI SJK ABA MNL RKS

SJK ANB

ANBNew Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the CBI to place before it within four weeks its final report regarding the probe into the alleged leak of papers of the 2017 Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examination.

"The CBI shall submit a final report to this court within a period of four weeks on all issues referred to it. They shall also keep the case diary ready in court for perusal, if necessary, on the next date of hearing. List on December 13," a bench of justices S A Bobde and L N Rao said.

The examination papers of the SSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) 2017 were allegedly leaked, leading to huge protests from job seekers for several days.

Amid the protests, the SSC had recommended a CBI probe into the allegations of paper leak.

On October 29, the apex court had favoured cancelling the 2017 SSC examination, whose declaration of result was stayed by the court in August, and holding it afresh by the National Testing Agency or the CBSE "in the interest of students".

It had refused to agree with the Centre's contention that the examination held in February this year got "tainted" due to a technical snag and a fresh examination of one paper had been conducted thereafter.

The court had also said that even after the CBI probe or investigation by any agency, there was no mechanism by which it could be determined who all were tainted and who all were innocents.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioner Shantantu Kumar who had sought cancellation of examination, had said that contract of private company Sify Technologies Pvt Ltd, which had conducted the examination, was now over.

He had said that the court can now order the Staff Selection Commission or any other government agency to conduct the examinations.

The Centre had earlier said that the problem occurred in only one examination paper, held on February 26, and it was due to some technical snag.

The Centre had termed the allegations of paper leak as "bald and in general" and opposed the contention for scrapping the entire examinations.

On August 31, the apex court had stayed the declaration of result of the SSC CGL and Combined Higher Secondary Level (CHSL) Examination held in 2017, in which lakhs of students had appeared, saying it seemed that the entire test and the system was "tainted".

The SSC is a government body which conducts examinations to recruit staff at multiple levels in various ministries and departments. Several lakh students appear in the SSC examination each year and enter government services in Group C and D Categories of jobs once they qualify.

The SSC Combined Graduate Level exam has a four-tier system, in which tier I and tier II are computer-based, while in tier III and IV, job applicants take up a descriptive paper and a computer proficiency test or skill test. PTI ABA MNL SJK RKS RTNew Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) The sensitive pricing details of the 36 Rafale fighter jets, submitted by the Centre in a sealed cover, is scheduled to be examined by the Supreme Court Wednesday.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph will hold a crucial hearing in the case during which the petitioners, who have sought a court-monitored investigation into the deal, will also make submissions.

The Centre had on Monday handed over a 14-page document titled "Details of the steps in the decision making process leading to the award of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft order" to the petitioners in the case.

The government had also filed in the court in a sealed cover the pricing details of the Rafale jets.

The petitioners are likely to respond to the contents of the documents in which it has been stated by the government that the deal for 36 Rafale jets were negotiated on "better terms" and the Defence Procurement Procedure laid out in 2013 were "completely followed".

The Centre has also said the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approval was secured before the deal was inked with France.

The details of the decision-making process and pricing were placed in the court in compliance with its October 31 order.

India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of the Indian Air Force equipment. The estimated cost of the deal is Rs 58,000 crore.

The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.

The petitions seeking the probe in the Rafale deal were first filed by advocates Manohar Lal Sharma and Vineet Dhanda.

Later, AAP MP Sanjay Singh had also filed a petition.

Former union ministers Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan had also filed a joint petition in the apex court. PTI ABA SJK MNL RKS AARBengaluru, Nov 13 (PTI) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday paid his last respects to Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar here.

The 59-year-old Bangalore South MP died at a private hospital here on Monday after battling cancer for several months.

Naidu flew to the city from Delhi and went straight to the National College ground where he paid homage by placing a wreath on the mortal remains of Kumar.

The vice president also consoled Kumar's wife Tejaswini and other family members.

Naidu, who was accompanied by Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala and state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa, sat beside Kumar's mortal remains for a few minutes.

The vice president and Kumar shared a good bonding with each other, according to BJP sources.

Naidu had worked closely with Kumar during his stint as member of Rajya Sabha from Karnataka and they, on several occasions, have spoken about the cordial relationship.

The vice president described Kumar as a colleague from students' movements to Parliament.

Kumar passed away at the Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre where he was under care after returning home in October following treatment in the US and Britain.

His last rites will be performed at Chamarajapet crematorium in the afternoon.

According to sources close to the family, Kumar's brother Nanda Kumar will perform the last rites according to Brahmin traditions.

The central government has announced a state funeral for Kumar. PTI KSU RA SS ANB

ANBChennai, Nov 13 (PTI) Top Tamil actor Rajinikanth on Tuesday virtually threw his weight behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was 'stronger' than '10 persons' aligning against him.

The superstar's remarks came amid speculation that opposition parties are looking at a mega coalition against the Modi government for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"When 10 persons go against one person, who is stronger? Those 10, or the persons they are aligning against. If 10 persons declare a war against one man, who is stronger," he told reporters here when questioned on the possibility of an alliance by opposition parties.

On Monday, Rajinikanth had said that "they (opposition parties) feel that way, then it should be definitely like that," when responding to a question whether the BJP was such a 'dangerous' party electorally, that warranted formation of a mega national alliance against it.

Asked if Modi was "stronger" and whether he was implying it with his statement, the actor said he "can't be more clear."

Rajinikanth again insisted that when ten persons join hands against one man, apparently Modi, the latter is stronger.

Asked whether he would align with the BJP, he said it will be decided later.

The actor has already announced he will take the political plunge and contest from all 234 seats in the next Assembly elections, originally due in 2021. He is yet to launch his party.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu recently visited DMK president M K Stalin here as part of his efforts to bring together various parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to dislodge the BJP government at the Centre.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has also been batting for opposition unity against the BJP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a vocal critic of the saffron party led government at the Centre.

Rajinikanth is touted to be inclined towards the BJP, with Modi himself meeting the veteran star on more than one occasion in the recent past, once at his residence here.

His critics have often claimed that he was favourably disposed towards the saffron party.

However, he had on Monday described as 'flawed' the implementation of the much-hyped 2016 demonetisation effort by the prime minister.

"The implementation was flawed. It is a matter that should be discussed in detail," Rajinikanth had said Monday. PTI SA SS 11131311 ANB

ANBNew Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) The body of a 62 year-old man was Tuesday found dumped by a road near some fields in Narela of Rohini district, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Raghunath Mandal, a resident of Samaypur Badli, they said.

A passerby who spotted the body informed police about it around 7 am, police said.

On reaching the spot, police said, they found a body of a man dumped on a roadside near an isolated area in Narela, a senior police officer said.

A bullet injury was visible on the chest, the officer said.

A case was registered and the matter was being probed, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta said.

Police is probing all angles, including that of a personal enmity, the officer said.

"The body was dumped in an isolated area near the fields. There are no CCTV camera's in these spots. Prima facie it appears to be a case of personal enmity.

However, investigation is in progress to ascertain the exact sequence of event, a senior police officer said.

The officer said Mandal used to live with his nephew in Samaypur Badli and was a dealer in plastic products.

Mandal belonged to a village in Madhubani district of Bihar, police said, adding that the family of the deceased have been informed about the incident.

The body will be sent for post-mortem on Wednesday, the senior officer added. PTI AMP





KJ

KJNew Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association Tuesday said that the dean of the School of Social Sciences cancelled a meeting of its Board of Studies at the last moment.

Members of the board have alleged that they are not being consulted by the dean, Professor Pradipta K Choudhury, before taking decisions relating to the school's functioning, JNUTA said in a statement.

The Board of Studies is likely to convene a special meeting by the end of the week to discuss the issue. PTI SLB GVSThere are only a few days left to have your say on a new draft code to tackle authorised push payment scams.

The code, laid out in September by the APP Scams Steering Group, part of the Payment Systems Regulator, spells out how APP fraud victims should be protected.

However, it doesn't yet have an answer on how victims, who have taken the 'required level of care', should be compensated if they are taken advantage of by criminals.

APP scams - also known as bank transfer fraud - occurs when people are tricked into authorising a payment to an account that they believe belongs to a legitimate payee, but is in fact controlled by a scammer.

Not time for sleeping. You only have two days to have your say on the regulator's draft code which is consulting on how victims of scams should be compensated

The draft code is open for full consultation until Thursday with an aim to agree on the final version of the voluntary code and have it implemented in early 2019.

Under current rules, when payments are fraudulently made without customers' authorisation, banks are generally obliged to give a refund.

However, when someone has been tricked into making a payment themselves, known as an APP scam, the rules are different  and banks are not obliged to refund payments which have been authorised by their customer.

This means that people can be tricked out of their life savings by sophisticated scams and may never see their money again - in This is Money has reported on plenty of cases of this nature.

It is one of Britain's fastest growing crimes, with 145million stolen in the first half of the year. In the same timeframe, only 31million was returned to victims.

It's a year since the PSR published a report on its work to protect consumers from bank transfer scams and launched a consultation on the 'contingent reimbursement model' it believes should be introduced to compensate victims in 'certain circumstances'.

But the can on how people will be compensated has been kicked further down the road.

It comes as the steering group, which consists of the banking industry, payment service providers and consumer groups, remains undecided as it has 'to resolve the question of who should meet the cost of reimbursements in these circumstances'.

It said: 'The steering group will continue to work hard during the consultation period to consider and identify a sustainable funding mechanism through which to reimburse consumers in such a scenario.'

A spokesperson for the PSR said that it is collecting responses on behalf of the steering group and is encouraging people to make their comments in time for the deadline.

Responses can be emailed to: app-scam-pso-project@psr.org.uk

Letters can be sent to: APP scams Steering Group Consultation; c/o Payment Systems Regulator; 12 Endeavour Square, Stratford; London E20 1JN.

Banks can choose whether to be part of the code

Commitment to the code is not compulsory and so far five retail banks are represented on the steering group - Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC, Metro Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

They have individually committed to start work towards implementing the standards of the draft code.

Currently, most banks refuse to reimburse victims of APP fraud which occurs when people are conned into sending cash to a fraudsters account after the criminals claim to represent various legitimate business or trick them into putting money into a 'safe account'.

This is Money has recently reported on how two victims who had been conned into parting with thousands of pounds after fraudsters passed themselves off as HMRC employees and threatened the victims with legal action and jail time.

This is Money has also reported on how the ruses are made all the more believable as criminals have now found ways of cloning the HMRC contact numbers using Voice over Internet Protocol technologies to 'legitimise' their scams and fleece thousands of pounds from their hapless victims.

We have also reported on many cases in which people are tricked by fraudsters claiming to be from their bank in a similar way.

They claim their account has been compromised and that money needs to be transferred into a new 'safe account'.

What happens next?

The PSR has confirmed it plans to consult by December 2018 on using its regulatory powers to give a general direction to banks and payment service providers to implement confirmation of payee - an tool for preventing APP scams.

The code also wants more measures to tackle the problem by:

- Detecting APP scams through measures such as analytics and employee training.

Beat the Scammers In 2016, This is Money launched its Beat the Scammers section, in a bid to help readers stay one step ahead of the latest fraud trends. This HMRC prison scam is yet another example of how criminals adapt and attempt to play on fear in order to deceive people out of their hard-earned cash. Have a story? Get in touch: editor@thisismoney.co.uk

- Preventing APP scams from taking place by taking steps to provide customers with effective warnings that they are at risk.

- Responding to APP scams, for instance by delaying a payment while an investigation is conducted and if necessary, carrying out timely reimbursement.

Ruth Evans, independent chair of the steering group said: 'This is a unique initiative bringing together the industry and consumer groups to set out how best we can tackle this issue  and really help those people who've become victims of these devastating crimes.

'Importantly, the code asks banks to hold themselves to account and for consumers to take steps to protect themselves.

'Over the last six months, we've worked hard to develop a draft voluntary code that can give consumers better protection from APP scams.

'We are committed to getting a final code in place in early 2019, but first we need to hear from others.

'This publication marks an important step towards greater and more consistent protection for consumers and stronger standards for how banks and other payment service providers will prevent this type of fraud happening in the first place.

'This consultation is now the ideal opportunity to give feedback about how the code develops in the final stages.' Flash

The two-day Conference for Libya opened in the southern Italian city on Monday evening "to bring substance to the stabilization process" in the north African country.





Tight security measures are implemented, with hundreds of police deployed in the streets around the major venue.





Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte welcomed the heads of delegations participating in the conference. All guests gathered for a working dinner after the opening ceremony of the major event, which would stretch throughout Tuesday.





The conference was organized by Rome in collaboration with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNISMIL) "to provide a tangible contribution to the stabilization process in the country," said Italian authorities.





The Conference also aims to promote "specific and substantial progress in the fields of security and economy," said the PM's office in a statement.





Thirty-eight delegations were confirmed as taking part in the talks, among which were 10 head of state and governments, and foreign ministers from 20 other countries.





Participants included Libya's four key actors: Prime Minister of UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj, Head of the High State Council Khalid al-Mishri, President of the House of Representatives (HoR) Ageela Saleh, and General Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army.





International players included representatives from France, Russia, China, United States, Germany, Egypt, Turkey Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates among others, as well as from the European Union (EU), the Arab League, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.





Italy's Conte met with UN Special Envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame on the sidelines of the opening ceremony to discuss the expected outcome of the summit and to encourage a focus in the talks on "economic and security reforms" in Libya, the UNISMIL said on Twitter.





The UN envoy also briefed the Italian PM on the latest developments in Libya.





The conference in Palermo opened only few days after Salame submitted a new transition plan that would call for elections to be held in spring 2019. The vote would be prepared by a national conference in the first weeks of next year in order for all Libyan parties to express "their vision for the transition" and decide the format of the electoral process.





After the working dinner, Conte was expected to hold talks with each of the four Libyan parties here, according to sources with the prime minister's office.





The conference will reach its crucial phase on Tuesday, with a plenary session of all heads of delegations gathered at Villa Igiea hotel.





According to the schedule, the outcome would be outlined by Conte and UN's Salame in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.Diageo has sold 19 drinks brands to US rival Sazerac for 428m.

The drinks group, which owns Guinness and Johnnie Walker, wants to focus more on selling its upmarket and expensive spirits in America.

Its North America business accounts for around 45 per cent of its profits.

Change of direction: The brands being sold to Sazerac include Parrot Bay rum

The brands being sold to Sazerac include American gin Seagram's, Parrot Bay rum, Romana Sambuca and Swiss cinnamon schnapps Goldschlager which it has owned for more than 20 years. Last year Diageo bought George Clooney's premium tequila brand Casamigos for 890m and in March it acquired fashionable German vermouth maker Belsazar.

Diageo is also developing its Scotch whisky portfolio, with 150m being invested in its whisky distilleries and a new Johnnie Walker visitor centre.

Around 340m in proceeds from the deal will be returned to shareholders in a share repurchase programme.

Ivan Menezes, chief executive, said: 'The disposal of these brands enables us to have even greater focus on the faster growing premium brands in the US spirits portfolio.'Shares in Interserve slumped 20 per cent today on reports that the troubled outsourcer could be on the brink of collapse.

But the company, which provides security, probation and healthcare services for the Government, as well as cleaning services for the London Underground, has issued a note saying it expects a 'significant' improvement in operating profit this year.

Shares, which hit their lowest level in over 30 years yesterday, plunged further this morning, but recovered remarkably in the afternoon, trading just 1.2 per cent lower at 38.84p.

Crash: Interserve shares have fallen to their lowest level in more than 30 years

It comes after the BBC reported that Interserve could be close to bankruptcy and was planning to tap investors for more cash.

Interserve initially did not comment on the news, but has now issued a statement saying its turnaround plan is on track and that profits are set to improve.

'Interserve notes recent press commentary surrounding the Group and the movement in its share price,' says the statement.

'Interserve confirms that the implementation of the Group's strategy and the Fit for Growth transformation programme remains on track and the Group continues to expect a significant operating profit improvement in 2018, in line with management's expectations.'

The outsourcer, which employs 80,000 around the world and about 25,000 in the UK, is weighed down by debt. Net debt has more than doubled in a year to about 650million, exceeding the market cap of the group.

Interserve has been struggling financially since last year partly due to losses on a waste project in Glasgow, and issued two profit warnings late last year.

In January it emerged Interserve was being monitored by the Government amid fears of a repeat of the demise of builder and outsourcer Carillion, which collapsed in January under a mountain of debt.

Today's speculation has again raised concerns that Interserve may end up like Carillion.

Neil Wilson, market analyst at Markets.com, said comparisons with Carillion are all too easy to make.

He said: 'Interserve is a diverse business operating on thin margins. It has also faced pressure from employment and contract mobilisation costs and margin deterioration from a cost base which has not been flexible enough. Short sellers have raised their bets - usually a bad sign, but not in itself cause for alarm.

'And there are signs of progress. Firstly, on the finances. In April full debt refinancing was secured with committed borrowing facilities of 834million. Net debt has ballooned to about 650million, more than doubling in a year, but there is still room for manoeuvre. Certainly, a cash call is almost certainly a must and will be highly dilutive for shareholders.

Interserve provides security, probation and healthcare services for the Government, as well as cleaning services for the London Underground

'Meanwhile, the energy from waste contract has been exited. The big doubt is whether the delay in Derby means an additional write-down on that contract which could scupper this year's progress elsewhere. The 195m provision taken on that contract has not changed since last year and it may well need to be increased.

'Also we have to consider the government in all of this. It has blood on its hands relating to Carillion and does not want another big failure.'

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: 'If management decides the company needs a cash infusion from investors they need to move quickly as the lower the share price goes the harder it can get to raise the sum you need as you need to issue more and more shares, potentially diluting existing shareholders.'

In August, Interserve said it swung to a loss in the first half of the year as it scrambled to lower costs.

The company made a 6million loss in the half-year ended June 30 compared with a profit of 24.6million in the same period a year earlier.Google has been hit by the 'worst ever' internet hijack in the company's history, security experts say.

Information from users' Google searches, cloud-hosting services and the company's bundle of collaboration tools for businesses - known as G Suite - were all affected.

Data belonging to users across the globe was intercepted by servers in Nigeria, China and Russia - including those run by major state-owned telecoms providers.

Security experts suggested the hack was a 'wargame experiment' - meaning it may prelude similar, more wide-scale attacks from the nations involved in future.

Google downplayed Monday's incident, however, saying it did not believe it was malicious, but failed to allay fears that the personal data of millions of users had been compromised.

The company is under increasing pressure to protect users after a string of high-profile data leaks, including last month's breach of its Google+ social network, which exposed the private information of an estimated 500,000 people.

The type of traffic misdirection employed in the latest incident, known as border gateway protocol (BGP) hijacking, can knock essential services offline and facilitate espionage and financial theft.

It can result either from misconfiguration - human error, essentially - or from malicious action.

In two recent cases, traffic rerouting has hit financial sites, potentially exposing people's private data to malicious hackers.

In April 2017, a state-owned Russian Telecoms firm hijacked the traffic of MasterCard and Visa, allowing them enumerate who was initiating connections.

This past April, another hijacking enabled hackers to steal $152,000-worth (118,000) of the cryptocurrency Ether from users of the website EtherWallet.com.

Scroll down for video

Google network traffic normally travels through vetted service providers. A US-based Chinese 'Point of Presence' (PoP) - a legal internet access point that allows Chinese citizens to access US sites - intercepted this data and sent it to China Telecoms

This image shows an outage map of Google service in the US. Interruptions lasted for nearly one and a half hours and ended about 10:30pm GMT (5:30pm EST), network service companies said

Traffic was was intercepted by servers in Nigeria, China and Russia - including those run by major state-owned telecoms providers

This graphic shows traffic from network intelligence company ThousandEyes in San Francisco being re-routed through China

Google service interruptions lasted for nearly one and a half hours and ended about 10:30pm GMT (5:30pm EST) on Monday, network service companies said.

Network intelligence company ThousandEyes uncovered the hijack.

Alex Henthorn-Iwane, an executive at ThousandEyes, called Monday's incident the worst affecting Google that his San Francisco company has seen.

He said he suspected nation-state involvement because the traffic was effectively landing at state-run China Telecom.

A recent study by U.S. Naval War College and Tel Aviv University scholars found that China systematically hijacks and diverts U.S. internet traffic.

ThousandEyes named the companies involved in Monday's incident, in addition to China Telecom, as the Russian internet provider Transtelecom and the Nigerian ISP MainOne.

According to Professor Alan Woodward, a computer scientist at the University of Surrey, the hijack could have been part of an elaborate surveillance scheme.

He told MailOnline: 'Access to people's data is a "strategic asset" for surveillance, and Russia and China have carried out hijack attacks to collect that data before.

People took to Twitter to vent their frustrations, with one user writing 'I have no idea what to do with my life'

Some users asked if the 'whole internet' went down during the outage, which was caused by what security experts fear was the 'worst ever' internet hijack in the company's history

'Most data like your online messages are encrypted, meaning anyone with access to that data could not easily read them.

'But while they could not read the messages themselves, they could track who talked to whom, when, and for how long.

'This would be useful information to help build up intelligence data on high-profile individuals of interest to foreign governments.'

Both ThousandEyes and the U.S. network monitoring company BGPmon said the internet traffic detour originated with the Nigerian company MainOne.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE COMPANIES INVOLVED IN THE GOOGLE HIJACK? China Telecom China Telecom is a state-owned telecommunication company and the third lrgest mobile telecoms provider in China. The company is embedded in North American networks, with 10 points-of-presence (PoP) access points spanning major internet exchange locations. China Telecom has two PoPs in Canada, and eight in the United States. Researchers reported in October that Chinese telecom firms had been hijacking internet traffic on a regular basis. Chris Demchak of the United States Naval War College and Yuval Shavitt of the Tel Aviv University in Israel traced global border gateway protocol (BGP) announcements. They discovered several attacks by state-run China Telecom over the past few years, according to reports in Secure Reading. They found that China redirected traffic between Canada and Korean government networks to its point of presence (PoP) in Toronto for six months in 2016. A recent study by U.S. Naval War College and Tel Aviv University scholars says China systematically hijacks and diverts U.S. internet traffic. Trans Telecom Trans Telecom is a state-owned Russian telecommunications company that owns one of the largest networks in the world of fibre optical cables. The company is a full subsidiary of Russian national railway operator, Russian Railways. TTK has been actively connecting broadband users in the retail market since early 2011. In 2017, internet analysts began noticing routing databases picking up TransTeleCom-provided connections for North Korea. North Korea has been blamed by Western governments for several major cyber attacks in recent years, including against banks and Sony Pictures. TransTeleCom would not confirm any routing deal with the country. But, analysts said the connection via Russia was handling around 60 per cent of the country's internet traffic. ISP MainOne MainOne is West Africa's connectivity and data centre. The company provides network, internet solutions and cloud services to providers in Nigeria, Ghana and all of West Africa. Since its launch in 2010, MainOne has developed a reputation for reliable service, becoming the major provider of wholesale internet services to major telecom operators and government agencies. The leak started when the cable company based in Lagos, Nigeria suddenly updated tables in the Internets global routing system to improperly declare that its autonomous system was the proper path to reach prefixes belonging to Google. Within minutes, Chine Telecom accepted the route, followed by Russian-based Transtelecom. MainOne has a peering relationship with Google via IXPN in Lagos and has direct routes to Google, which may have led to the leak. Advertisement

Google users reported that video site YouTube, which is owned by Google, would not load videos. Additionally, services linked to Nest, a smart home technology company also run by Google, were down on Monday

On Twitter, BGPmon wrote: 'Appears that Nigerian 'MainOne Cable Company' leaked many prefixes to China telecom, who then advertised it to AS20485 TRANSTELECOM (russia). From there on others appear to have picked this up.'

Neither was ready to more definitively pinpoint the cause.

On Twitter, MainOne claimed the reroute was caused by an error during a planned network upgrade.

The company wrote: 'We have investigated the advertisement of Google prefixes through one of our upstream partners.

'This was an error during a planned network upgrade due to a misconfiguration on our BGP filters.

'The error was corrected within 74mins & processes put in place to avoid reoccurrence.'

Yuval Shavitt, a network security researcher at Tel Aviv University, said it was still very possible that Mondays issue was not an accident, despite the firm's statement.

'You can always claim that this is some kind of configuration error,' said Professor Shavitt, who last month co-authored a paper alleging that the Chinese government had conducted a series of internet hijacks.

Some users suggested the downtime was caused by a mishap with the company's border gateway protocol (BGP) management. BGPs help direct internet traffic between two points

Users were unable to use Google's search engine during the outage, triggering a wave of outrage on Twitter

Professor Woodward told MailOnline that because the hijack caused people's web services to shut down, the incident was likely the result of human error.

Similar attacks have previously allowed people to continue using the hijacked service so as not to raise suspicion, though Professor Woodward added that experts 'could not definitively rule out a malicious attack'.

Regardless of the source, the leak put the traffic of users into foreign hands, researchers said.

The diversion 'at a minimum caused a massive denial of service to G Suite and Google Search' and 'put valuable Google traffic in the hands of ISPs in countries with a long history of Internet surveillance,' ThousandEyes said in a blog post.

A Google spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We're aware that a portion of internet traffic was affected by incorrect routing of IP addresses, and access to some Google services was impacted.

'The root cause of the issue was external to Google and there was no compromise of Google services.'

HOW CHINA ROUTINELY HIJACKS GLOBAL INTERNET TRAFFIC Researchers reported in October that a Chinese telecoms firms had been hijacking internet traffic on a regular basis. Chris Demchak of the United States Naval War College and Yuval Shavitt of the Tel Aviv University in Israel traced global border gateway protocol (BGP) announcements. They discovered several attacks by state-run China Telecom over the past few years, according to reports in Secure Reading. They found that China redirected traffic between Canada and Korean government networks to its point of presence (PoP) in Toronto for six months in 2016. Internet traffic normally takes a short route which is through Canada, the U.S and then to Korea. Traffic between Scandinavia and Japan was also hijacked between April and May 2017. PoPs manage traffic between all the smaller networks called autonomous systems (AS). China has ten PoPs in North America, but it doesn't allow any foreign country PoPs in their country. The traffic between two autonomous systems are managed with the help of Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). BGP hijacks can also occur by mistake if this system is set up incorrectly. Most of BGP hijacking attacks nowadays are the work of government agencies or criminal organisations with access or control of strategically placed ISPs, experts warn. 'Building a successful BGP hijack attack is complex, but much easier with the support of a complicit and preferably large scale ISP that is more likely to be included as a central transit point among a sea of ASs,' the report said. 'China Telecom has ten strategically placed, Chinese controlled internet 'points of presence'4 (PoPs) across the internet backbone of North America.' 'Vast rewards can be reaped from the hijacking, diverting, and then copying of information-rich traffic going into or crossing the United States and Canada  often unnoticed and then delivered with only small delays.' The full findings of the study were published in the Journal of the Military Cyber Professionals Association. Advertisement

The company has offered little additional information.

Much of the internet's underpinnings are built on trust, a relic of the good intentions its designers assumed of users.

One consequence: Little can be done if a nation-state or someone with access to a major internet provider - or exchange - decides to reroute traffic.

Mr Henthorn-Iwane said Monday's hijacking may have been 'a war-game experiment.'

The theory was backed by Professor Woodward, who said a global hijack attack could have been carried out by Russia and/or China 'simply to see if they could'.

He told MailOnline: 'We all rely on the internet nowadays - why hit a country with bombs and bullets if you can disrupt their web access? It would cause chaos.'

Google has been hit by an attack that the re-routed the firm's global internet traffic through servers located in Russia, China and Nigeria (stock image)

Researchers also reported in October that a Chinese telecoms firm had been hijacking internet traffic on a regular basis.

Chris Demchak of the United States Naval War College and Yuval Shavitt of the Tel Aviv University in Israel traced global border gateway protocol (BGP) announcements.

They discovered several attacks by state-run China Telecom over the past few years, according to reports in Secure Reading.

They found that China redirected traffic between Canada and Korean government networks to its point of presence (PoP) in Toronto for six months in 2016.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.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Zimmer Biomet: Abbott Spine, Beijing Montagne Medical Device Co. Ltd., Beijing Montagne Medical Device Co. Ltd., BioMet, Biomet 3i Australia Pty. Ltd., Biomet 3i Belgium N.V., Biomet 3i Benelux Holdings N.V., Biomet 3i Dental Iberica SL, Biomet 3i LLC, Biomet 3i Mexico S.A. de C.V., Biomet 3i Netherlands B.V., Biomet 3i Nordic AB, Biomet 3i Portugal Lda, Biomet 3i Switzerland GmbH, Biomet 3i Turkey, Biomet 3i UK Ltd., Biomet 3i do Brasil Comercio de Aparelhos Medicos Ltda., Biomet Acquisitions (Unlimited), Biomet Argentina SA, Biomet Australia Pty. Ltd., Biomet Biologics LLC, Biomet Brazil Medical Device Ltda., Biomet C.V., Biomet CV Holdings LLC, Biomet Cementing Technologies AB, Biomet Chile SA, Biomet China Co. 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The company was formerly known as DATA Group Ltd. and changed its name to DATA Communications Management Corp. in July 2016. DATA Communications Management Corp. was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Brampton, Canada.

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Read MoreNORRISTOWN  With the dedication of a banner honoring the military service and sacrifice of Marine Capt. Samuel Schultz, his relatives, friends and fellow veterans ensured the Abington native will not be forgotten.

We must never forget, Schultzs father, Mitchell, said Monday as a Hometown Hero banner honoring his son was unveiled during a somber ceremony outside the Montgomery County Courthouse on the Veterans Day holiday.

Captain Schultz, 28, who grew up in the Huntingdon Valley area and graduated from Abington Senior High School, was one of four Marines killed in a military helicopter crash during a training exercise on April 3 in southern California.

He died doing what he wanted to do. He wanted to serve the country and he also wanted to fly and thats what he was doing, Mitchell Schultz, also a veteran, said about his son.

Mitchell Schultz described the banner dedication ceremony as heartwarming and at the same time gut-wrenching.

Its an honor to have everybody come out here and honor our son. But, these things also are reminders of the tragedy of what happened, Mitchell Schultz said.

The elder Schultz described his son as funny, articulate and a go-getter.

As I said many, many times, he lived more in his short time than many of us will ever live in a full lifetime. Were surprised constantly by the outpouring of people that he touched that we never knew he did. So, we find out more about our son every day even though hes not here, Mitchell Schultz, flanked by his wife, Julie, said proudly.

We just appreciate all of the support that weve gotten from all over the world. We still get letters from people who we dont know and they tell us stories about Sam and you know that they knew Sam by the stories that they told. And we appreciate all of it, Julie Schultz added.

Captain Schultz, officials said, enrolled in the Navy ROTC program at Penn State and joined the Marine Corps after graduation.

Captain Schultz has deep roots in Montgomery County. He was a six-year veteran of the Marines and the third-generation of the Schultz family to become a pilot, county Commissioner Chairwoman Valerie A. Arkoosh told those who gathered under a gray sky on the courthouse plaza for the ceremony. We are so grateful for the service that he chose to give to our country.

Schultz is the 18th U.S. service member from Montgomery County, who lost their lives during service to the country since Sept. 11, 2001, to be honored with a Hometown Hero banner. The colorful banners, each embossed with a photo of the service member, flutter in the breeze from the light poles at the courthouse entrance off Main Street.

Its a vibrant symbol of his service. This banner will fly here at our county courthouse so that we can all continue to remember the sacrifice that he made for our nation. This will be a visual representation of our promise to never forget, Arkoosh said.

Several local members of the American Gold Star Mothers took part in unveiling the banner and placing a wreath nearby.

Family members of the fallen hero and other spectators appeared somber as a lone bugler, standing in a nearby courtyard, played Taps, channeling the mournful tune into the chilly, morning air.

The dedication ceremony also included a rifle salute. Two CH-53 Marine Corps helicopters also completed a flyover of the courthouse to honor Schultz.

I am tremendously proud of your son and his heroic actions and his service to this nation. I admire it and he is by far, the full definition of a hometown hero, county Commissioner Joseph C. Gale addressed Schultzs family. All veterans make sacrifices. Its a big sacrifice and its men and women that are willing to do it to protect our freedoms and we cant thank them enough.

County Commissioner Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. said the Hometown Hero banners are vivid symbols of service members taken from us too soon.

These men and women served in all branches of the armed services and they were from all corners of the county, Lawrence said.

The other 17 Hometown Heroes honored with banners are: John Bubeck of Collegeville, age 25; Paul Karpowich of Bridgeport, age 30; Kurt Krout of Spinnerstown, age 43; John Kulick of Harleysville, age 35; Nathan Raudenbush of Douglassville, age 25; Anthony Sherman of Pottstown, age 43; Marc J. Small of Collegeville, age 29; Tristen Smith of Bryn Athyn, age 23; Jeffrey Toczylowski of Upper Moreland, age 30; Travis Zimmerman of New Berlinville, age 19; Mark P. Phelan of Green Lane, age 44; Joseph Basil Maglione III of Lansdale, age 22; Travis M. Stottlemyer of Hatfield, age 20; John Todd III of Bridgeport, age 24; Brandon J. VanParys of Schwenksville, age 20; Jake S. Moletzsky of Norristown, age 26; and Eric F. Shellenberger of Pennsburg, age 36.More than 30 years ago, I began going down to the U.S.-Mexican border on a regular basis. I was a correspondent covering Latin America, and I knew, appreciated and loved the unique beauty of its undulating rivers and mountains, and of its peoples, who then seemed to have created along the now-traumatized border a kind of naturally ordered little state of their own.

There, Mexicans and Americans mixed with a pleasant congeniality, in great part because emigration from El Sur to El Norte was small, unthreatening and manageable. But even then, there were warnings.

The populations of tiny Central American states would soon burst, without rational leadership. Speaking with El Salvadors anti-birth control Archbishop Fernando Saenz Lacalle in San Salvador, I asked about how the countrys uncontrolled birth rate was feeding the bitter wars of the 1980s. He simply smiled and told me smugly, Belgium is smaller than Salvador, and it has far more people.

Salvadorans, as Belgians?

Thus, when I spoke in 1983 at the California Seminar on International Security and Foreign Policy in Los Angeles, I found myself predicting that the threat present in Central America, which was not present in Vietnam, is the threat to the territorial integrity of the United States.  It could cause a flow of immigrants to the United States and further fragmentation in the American society.

And now, as the caravans of thousands of those same Central Americans push north, we must ask again whether there is any real hope for change in American policy that could develop these countries and keep their people at home. Why is it not possible, at the same time, to hammer out the long-awaited comprehensive immigration policy that would replace all the ranting and raving with reason and moderation?

First, we have the ongoing domination of Trumpian policies: sending in excess of 5,000 troops to control the border, effectively illegally employing the military for partisan purposes; dividing parents and children in scenes that shocked the world; lying about the true nature of the caravans and the entire immigration picture itself.

From these complaints, you may well ascertain that I embrace the policies diametrically opposed to the presidents, but you would be wrong. The other extreme  the open borders of the far left and many Democrats  is just as irrational and just as demagogically dangerous as the cruel Trumpian.

This left knows only one word: racist. That is what you are, without mercy, should you foolishly choose to disagree with them. This left eschews any idea that American principles of culture and polity are superior or worthy of preserving.

For years, 85 percent or more of the American people have wanted reasonable immigration reform. But their struggle is being strangled by these two extremes; common sense is constantly out-shouted by these two lunatic fringes.

Some people ARE thinking, and thank God! Victor Davis Hanson, a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and a respected and balanced scholar, wrote in the Washington Times recently words that effectively say it all:

If the border was secure, immigration laws enforced and illegal residence phased out, deterrence would be re-established and there would likely be no caravan.

William A. Galston of the Brookings Institution, another highly respected middle-ground thinker, wrote in The Wall Street Journal of the deeper questions in the immigration debate: National governments are not required to value the citizens of other countries as highly as their own. A degree of self-preference is morally justified and politically essential.

The Center for Immigration Studies just released a report saying the Central American immigrant population has increased 28-fold since 1970. In the months to come, and long after this election, the border will become an ever more profound problem. It will call for policies requiring caution, fairness, toughness, mercy, a sense of proportion and moderation, and a respect for the superior historical role of American culture.

Where will this leadership come from? Can reason ever overcome the tirades? Can one somehow silence the ranters?

(Georgie Anne Geyer has been a foreign correspondent and commentator on international affairs for more than 40 years. She can be reached at gigi_geyer(at)juno.com.)After Bishop William Love released a strongly worded letter definitively rejecting gay marriage in the Episcopal diocese of Albany  and directly opposing the stance of the national church  those who agree with the bishop and those who disagree considered the future of the diocese.

The big question: What next? Parishioners leaving churches? Or even whole churches splitting away, complete with legal and property disputes? The short answer: No one knows. Much will depend on the formal response from the U.S. Episcopal Church, which has not yet taken specific action or suggested what such action might entail.

But Love himself has already heard intimations that some are pushing for a move against the bishop via Title IV, the grouping of canons  i.e., church laws  governing discipline.

It has come to my attention through formal channels that inquiries have been made about how to bring Title IV charges against me, said Love in an email responding to Times Union questions regarding his pastoral letter and its potential ramifications. The final outcome is still yet to be seen. . . . I am trying by Gods grace to be obedient to what I believe He is asking of me, whatever the outcome.

From the start, Love was vocal in his opposition to B012, the resolution issued by the national church at its General Convention in July. At the time, eight dioceses were outliers within the Episcopal Church on the matter of gay marriage, which was endorsed nationally at the previous convention in 2015 but rejected by the bishops of Albany, North Dakota, Florida, central Florida, Dallas, Tennessee, Springfield, Ill., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Five of those eight ultimately accepted the compromise.

The new resolution was passed as a compromise that extends the sacrament of marriage to gay couples in those dissenting dioceses while allowing individual priests and bishops to recuse themselves. Loves letter definitively quashes that possibility, saying B012 shall not be used anywhere in the Diocese of Albany by diocesan clergy and affirming the diocesan canon restricting the sacrament to heterosexual couples.

Although the national church has not yet decided on a move in response to Loves stance, prominent voices within the national Episcopal Church have issued statements. Along with other leaders in The Episcopal Church, I am assessing the implications of the statement and will make determinations about appropriate actions soon, said Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, in a statement that affirmed the churchs commitment to providing full and equal access to, and inclusion in, the sacraments for all of the baptized children of God, including our LGBTQ siblings.

Curry said he has been  and will continue to be -- in dialogue with Love, who also noted communication with the presiding bishop in his Nov. 10 pastoral letter. According to Love, he met with Curry a few weeks ago to once again share my concerns regarding B012 and the tremendous damage I believe it will cause not only in the Diocese of Albany, but throughout The Episcopal Church and wider Anglican Communion. He reiterated this worry in his letter to the TU, foretelling very serious consequences for himself and the church.

Louis Bannister, a gay member of Albanys Cathedral of All Saints, used much the same language to express a different set of concerns. There will certainly be consequences, he said, noting that hes already heard from people explaining that they no longer feel that they are able to support the cathedral  and some of these are people whove worshipped there for 60 years. So the impact will be far-reaching, not only for the diocese and for people, but I also believe for Love himself.

Bannister, who knows Love and has served alongside him at the Cathedral altar, believes the bishop is interested in being nothing more than a martyr for his cause. His colleagues in the House of Bishops have spoken, and theyve spoken with overwhelming support of a majority people in the Episcopal Church. I would not be opposed to a mechanism being put in place to have Bishop Love defrocked, he added. And I think it will get to that, to be quite honest with you.

A second statement from the national Episcopal church was released by Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, the president of the Episcopal House of Deputies  one of two legislative houses, along with the House of Bishops, in the General Convention. Without quoting Loves letter directly, Jennings statement refutes it by recognizing the Holy Spirit at work in the marriages of LGBTQ people. It also points to fidelity and service to the world among those those living in committed same-sex unions, which are based on holy love and the gift of seeing Christ in one another. When we celebrate these marriages, the entire church is blessed.

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In his Nov. 10 pastoral letter, Love characterizes such views as well-meaning but misguided. He rejects both B012 and its inherent blessing of gay sex, and he cites scripture and church tradition in defining marriage as a union between man and woman -- and prohibiting extramarital sexual intimacy of any kind.

While acknowledging the sincerity or the well intentions of many in the Episcopal Church who support same-sex marriage, he asserts his belief that gay and lesbian Episcopalians are better served when encouraged to repent and seek Gods love and healing grace. Those who disagree have been deceived into believing a lie that has been planted in the Church by the great deceiver  Satan. . . . Satan is having a heyday bringing division into the Church over these issues and is trying to use the Church to hurt and destroy the very ones we love.

The bishops message was extremely pastoral, loving and based on the word of God. And what more could you possibly want?, said Ginny Ogden, rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Canajoharie Ogden. A supporter of Love and his stance on gay marriage, she welcomed the letter. As I said to my friends, I felt like Jesus had a big smile on his face.

Bannister, by contrast, was dismayed. His assertion that Gods blessing has been removed from the denomination by the denominations embrace of same-sex marriage is absolutely obscene. Its obscene. Regarding the references to Satan, You know, thats not who we are, he said. Thats not who we are in the Episcopal Church. Of the bishop, he said, I honestly sort of think hes like a book at the library thats been mischaracterized. Hes on the wrong shelf.

On Sunday at the St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Albany, some parishioners burned the letter at the steps. It is too soon for me to comment on the missive or its possible ramifications moving forward, said the churchs rector, Mary Robinson White, in an email. And speculation about the future would not be helpful at this point. However, St. Andrew's continues to support the decisions of The Episcopal Church.

Everybodys kind of wondering where its gonna go. . . Weve gotta see what the reactions are at the national level, and itll play out, Ogden said. There isnt really anything you can plan on or do. As she told her congregation on Sunday, Itll play out in the court.

Love himself declines to speculate. It is not yet known how The Episcopal Church will ultimately respond to the position I have taken regarding B012. I know there is a strong desire by the Presiding Bishops Office that we figure out some creative way forward, he said in his email to the TU. The problem is we have a different understanding of what that might look like.Albany

A Tennessee company has been fined $2,500 by the state for shipping tree seedlings infested with a dangerous hemlock-destroying invasive species to customers in Schenectady and Oswego counties.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation fined Tennessee Wholesale Nursery LLC, and owners Dennis and Tammy Sons, for violating state invasive species regulations.

The company shipped eastern hemlock seedlings infested with hemlock woolly adelgid, a prohibited species, to Oswego and Schenectady counties in April 2017. As part of a consent order, the nursery is required to provide DEC with monthly nursery stock orders for New York state through 2020 in order to continue doing business in the state.

A tiny insect from Japan, the adelgid has killed tens of millions of hemlock trees as it has spread northward from the Appalachian region. Arriving in New York in the 1980s, the pest is now found in 43 of the state's 62 counties.

None of the infested trees from Tennessee were used or sold in New York, and were subsequently destroyed, according to a DEC spokesman.

"DEC is committed to vigorously enforcing New York's comprehensive environmental rules and regulations to protect our environment and our economy," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "Prevention is the most cost-effective and efficient way to manage invasive species and limit the spread of these pests. It's imperative that nurseries have a thorough inspection process for all materials that leave their facilities and be held accountable when and if they fail to do so."

Adelgid infestations are most noticeably detected by the small, white, woolly masses produced by the insects attached to the underside of the twig, near the base of the needles.

The insects has damaged and killed hemlocks on Long Island, and in the Lower Hudson region and southern Catskills. Infestations have been found throughout the Finger Lakes region and in 2017 the first sighting in the Adirondacks was reported on Prospect Mountain near Lake George.

The insects attack hemlocks by sucking fluid from the tree at the base of its needles. Once infested, a tree can die within four to 10 years. There are no natural predators of the adelgids in New York, which has millions of hemlock trees.

Nationally, the insects have spread from Maine to Georgia, and have wiped out hemlocks from large sections of the Appalachian Mountains. Millions of hemlocks have been killed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee.

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DEC recommends several steps to slow the spread of the insects, including:

 Watering hemlocks during drought periods and pruning dead and dying limbs and branches;

 Avoiding use of nitrogen fertilizers on infested hemlocks that can enhance adelgid survival and reproduction;

 Caution in moving hemlocks, particularly when adelgid eggs and crawlers are present from March through June.

Tree owners who believe they have hemlocks with adelgids present can call DEC at 866-640-0652.SCHENECTADY  Plans for a mothballed 8-foot-tall reproduction of the Statue of Liberty and whether it belongs back in a renovated downtown park that is a gateway into the community are creating a stir in the Electric City.

And while those lobbying for Lady Liberty to be returned to the Gateway site insist they have no objections with a new proposal for a temporary sculpture in the park honoring the struggle for LGBTQ rights, they accuse the designer of hijacking the process, a claim she denies.

The final decision lies with Mayor Gary McCarthy, who last week said he didn't have a timetable for one, further fueling speculation about whether the smaller-scale statue will be in the park or end up elsewhere.

Earlier this year, the mayor told the Times Union that the new Gateway Plaza design was "not conducive for the statue."

Some alternate sites that have emerged include Steinmetz Park on the city's north side, the corner of Union Street and Erie Boulevard, and the island on Iroquois Lake in Central Park, according to Mary Moore Wallinger, the designer on the project and chairwoman of the city Planning Commission. She said one possible location in the 2012 project implementation plan called for the statue to be located near the old CDTA bus shelter in front of Central Park on State Street.

"I do think that the replica of the statue is an important part of our history, and deserves to be placed in a thoughtful place, but I don't think it has to be in Gateway Plaza," Wallinger said.

"The location where it was, it was just going to end up looking more like the statue was trying to hail a bus out of Schenectady," she said, noting she is "just the designer and it was not all my decision."

Ninety-two year old James A. Wilson, who is part of VFW Post 357 in Mont Pleasant, where he is a service officer and was previously post commander, couldn't disagree with Wallinger more when it comes to Lady Liberty.

"It has to go back to Gateway Park-Liberty Park because that's where she was born in Schenectady, that's where she started from." said Wilson."That's where she belongs, welcoming all those people that are coming across the bridge, or going to school."

Located at the corner of State Street and Washington Avenue, Gateway Plaza is near Schenectady County Community College and Western Gateway Bridge that leads into and out of Schenectady.

Wilson pointed to language in the Gateway Plaza implementation plan adopted by City Council members in 2013 stating that the statue would return to the renovated park.

He recalled how the local VFW posts held programs at the statute site and the time Dave Garroway, the first host of the Today show and a native of Schenectady, used Lady Liberty as the backdrop for the show when he broadcast live from the park for a week.

On Tuesday, the City Council will vote on the proposal supporting a rainbow pride art sculpture of wooden frames and educational panels about the LGBTQ equal rights movement to be entered in the Schenectady Foundation's "Thriving Neighborhoods" challenge.

Schenectady Pride,which works to bring awareness to the LGBT community in Schenectady, is seeking $43,000 through the local philanthropic group's effort to improve city neighborhoods.

The piece would remain up for 2019, and possibly another year after that, Wallinger said, adding she would like the sculpture to stay up permanently.

Chad Putman with Schenectady Pride said the group plans to mark next year's 50th anniversary in June of the Stonewall uprising in New York City, a milestone in the gay rights movement.

He said Gateway Park will be the future home beginning next year of Schenectady Pride and the sculpture would "send a powerful symbolic message to the larger Capital Region that Schenectady is welcoming and affirming place for the LGBTQ community and we want that community to be part of our future."

He said he is open to suggestions about moving the sculpture to another spot in the park.

Wallinger said the redesigned Gateway Plaza Park, once overrun by drugs and weeds, will be pedestrian-friendly and create a strong link between the park and downtown and the community college and the park while at the same time catch the eye of motorists entering Schenectady.

She said studies show that the existence of a "funky creative sculpture is a great tool for place making and encouraging people to come live in your downtown" and that the historical markers are being reorganized in a way they would enhance the park design.

Wilson with the VFW stressed he has nothing against the sculpture but wondered how it fit with the theme of the redesigned park but the statute doesn't.

He said the statute was put up in 1950 by local Boy Scouts who raised about $800 for the project.

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Stockade Association President Carol DeLaMarter said that though the park isn't in her historic neighborhood, many who live in that section of the city have strong feelings about it.

She said association has not taken an official position about where the statue should but she is "concerned about the process that seems to be occurring to remove history from that space."

She cited the roughly nine historical markers, including one for a tavern where George Washington ate and slept, that once adorned the park.

"It's more that they have not had a publicly obvious process to make these decisions."

She criticized the design for the gay pride sculpture and suggested that maybe "banners that are colorful and flow" might be more aesthetically appropriate.

"They removed a marker there for something that occurred 50 years ago because it was clutter but it reflected the history of Schenectady and ALCO," she said of a sign about the former ALCO plant where the Rivers Casino and waterfront development are now located on Erie Boulevard. "The view of Mary (Wallinger) was that what was there before in terms of all the historic markers was that it was clutter and it was random. Well, you've just replaced one generation of random with maybe a new one. "

Councilman Vince Riggi said he doesn't think the Council has voted to officially change the name from Liberty Park to Gateway Park.

He agrees with DeLaMarter that the process seems flawed and the public input at community meetings was that people wanted the statute back in Liberty-Gateway Park.

"We shouldn't be force-fed a designer's dream," he added. "It should be what the majority wants, not what one person's vision may be."

For now, it remains stored at the city garage on Foster Avenue.

Wallinger said part of the reason for the delay may be that the statue's pedestal is crumbling and upwards of $15,000 in restoration work is needed.

She said the city is looking for funding to pay for that work.Amazon on Tuesday announced Long Island City for half its new HQ2, a move that by 2028 will bring 25,000 new jobs to the Queens neighborhood directly across from Manhattan.

The other half of HQ2  Amazon's second corporate headquarters  will go to Arlington, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C.

While Amazon's Queens operation will be located just 147 miles south of Albany, it's not clear whether that proximity will benefit the Capital Region.

"My crystal ball is pretty hazy on that one," said Wallace Altes, the retired head of what's now called the Capital Region Chamber. Altes is credited with coining the term Tech Valley to describe this area's growing technology sector.

One concern, he said, was the growing dominance of the nation's largest metropolitan areas as locations for big technology companies.

"The question: Are we close enough to benefit, or are we so far away that we'll be hurt by it," said Altes. "It's part of that big national picture of big cities doing well and smaller metros not so well."

Mark Eagan, current president and CEO of the Capital Region Chamber, said that, thanks to its New York state location, the state will at least benefit from the tax revenues that Amazon is expected to pay.

"Ultimately, that tax revenue helps the overall state budget," he said. But, "I wouldn't envision there would be multiple ripple effects" on the Capital Region.

Pete Bardunias, president and CEO of The Chamber of Southern Saratoga County, also saw minimal impact locally. "I think it'll be a wash," he said.

But Andrew Kennedy, president and CEO of the Albany-based Center for Economic Growth, saw Amazon's decision enhancing the appeal of the Capital Region to other tech companies.

"Amazon's decision bolsters our ability to market Tech Valley and New York in general as the destination for companies investing and creating jobs" Kennedy said. "It builds on the reputation the Capital Region cemented when GlobalFoundries went forward with a chip fab in Malta: that the Empire State has the talent and assets the business community needs as well the experience, motivation and resources to ensure success for all parties."

While Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday touted the nine-to-one payback on the state's and New York City's $3 billion investment in the Amazon project, other officials were criticizing the size of the incentives to a company with a market value of nearly $800 billion.

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The state is offering $1.2 billion in assistance from its Excelsior Jobs Program and a $505 million capital grant, while New York City is offering nearly $1.3 billion in assistance.

"This is the largest economic development initiative that has ever been done by the city, or by the state, or by the city and state together," said Cuomo.

"Amazon is a billion-dollar company," tweeted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the newly elected Congress member representing Bronx and Queens. "The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here."

The National Federation of Independent Business also criticized the deal.

"New York's small, independent businesses employ more than half of the State's private sector workforce, pay some of the highest property and income taxes in the nation, and are in desperate need of real relief from a stifling regulatory climate," said Greg Biryla, state director of NFIB in New York. "Rather than cut a $1.7 billion check to one of the wealthiest corporations in the world, New York State's economy, taxpayers and communities would be far better served by seeing business, property and income tax reductions implemented across the board."Athenahealth shares soared Monday after the struggling medical billing software maker received a $5.7 billion cash buyout offer.

Veritas Capital and Evergreen Coast Capital plan to give athenahealth shareholders $135 per share in a deal that will take the company private. That represents a roughly 12 percent premium over the closing price of athenahealth shares on Friday.

But the latest deal is smaller than a $6.5 billion bid that prominent investor Elliott Management Corp. made in May.

Elliott Management made its offer for $160 per share in cash after saying it had grown frustrated with athenahealth's struggles, which included missed guidance targets and churning through five chief financial officers in the last four years.

A month after Elliott made its offer, co-founder and CEO Jonathan Bush said he was stepping down.

Athenahealth said Monday that Elliott Management supported the latest deal offer. Evergreen Coast Capital is an Elliott affiliate that invests in technology.

Athenahealth, based in Watertown, Mass., makes medical record, revenue cycle and care coordination products and delivers most of it through the cloud. On Friday, it reported third-quarter earnings that topped analyst expectations, but its revenue fell short of the average forecast on Wall Street.

The latest athenahealth bid offers "a decent valuation for what has increasingly appeared to be a struggling business," Leerink analyst David Larsen said in a research note.

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"We believe that following the long and tumultuous sales process it is unlikely another bidder will emerge," he wrote.

Evergreen and Veritas plan to pair athenahealth with Virence Health, which Veritas bought earlier this year. The combination will operate under the athenahealth brand and stay headquartered in Watertown. Virence Chairman and CEO Bob Segert will lead it.

Athenahealth's board of directors unanimously approved the deal, which the company expects to close in the first quarter. Shareholders still have to vote on it.

Athenahealth stock jumped $11.62, to close at $131.97 while broader indexes slipped on Monday.Albany

When I talked to John Faso about his loss to Antonio Delgado, there were traces of bitterness in his voice.

Faso, a freshman congressman from the 19th Congressional District, faced a difficult task. He was a Republican running when Democratic voters were motivated by fury toward Donald Trump. Maybe the so-called "blue wave" didn't materialize nationally, but it sure washed over Republicans in New York.

Faso, unlike some Republicans, kept his distance from Trump. Was that a tactical mistake? Trump thinks so and even called out Faso for failing to embrace him. But Faso believes he made the right call.

"I have a district where being closer to the president would not have been helpful," Faso said Monday. "This is a district where the anti-Trump intensity is stronger than the pro-Trump intensity."

The massive 19th is a true swing district that stretches from the Massachusetts border to Cooperstown and includes a good chunk of the Hudson Valley. Not surprisingly, Delgado was strongest in the more populated parts of the district while Faso dominated in rural areas.

When he ran two years ago, Faso received 166,000 votes. This time, he received 124,000. Delgado received 9,000 fewer votes than 2016 candidate Zephyr Teachout, but nevertheless won by about three percentage points.

Faso attributed his loss mostly to his being outspent by Delgado, especially on television advertising. But he also believes unfair coverage contributed to his defeat.

"There is a lot of explicit and implicit media bias, and I saw it more in this campaign than ever before," Faso told me. "That's just the environment we're in  and I don't think the press is the enemy of the people."

Faso was widely criticized for ads from the National Republican Congressional Committee that highlighted Delgado's brief career as a rapper. The New York Times and others accused Faso of race baiting. (Delgado is black.)

Faso said he didn't think the ads hurt him, but said they played into the media's Republicans-are-racist narrative. As evidence of bias, he noted that district newspapers focused on the NRCC ads, but failed to care that a Delgado attack ad was called "mostly false" by Politifact.

I can't judge the of media coverage in the sprawling district, but I do think Faso is wrong about the rapper ads. They helped Delgado.

The ads angered Democrats and motivated turnout. And they added to Delgado's appeal.

More Information Contact columnist Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse

Delgado, who recently worked as an attorney for a powerful lobbying firm, is a corporate Democrat who played the campaign safe and spoke in platitudes. For some voters, especially younger ones, his rap career was compelling  a reason to vote for Delgado, instead of against him.

      

Here's what Kirsten Gillibrand said during a recent debate when asked whether she would serve out her term if reelected to the Senate:

"I will."

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The moderator pressed her a bit. You're saying, he asked, that you will not run for president?

"I will serve my six-year term," Gillibrand said.

Here's what New York's newly re-elected junior senator said roughly two weeks later, when again asked about running for president:

"I've been thinking about it," she said Monday on "The View."

That, in a nutshell, is why voters are so distrustful of politicians and cynical about politics. Promises mean nothing. Lies flow like tap water.

The problem is pervasive. (As Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Trump so frequently illustrate.) We live in a time of blatant misrepresentation and manipulation.

Still, Gillibrand's shamelessness feels especially unnecessary. Every poll showed her with a huge lead over Republican Chele Farley, and she won by 33 percentage points.

Would it have made any difference if Gillibrand had been honest about presidential ambitions that have long been obvious? Of course not. So why be dishonest?

On "The View," Gillibrand said she'll consider a 2020 run because she feels called to fight for "moral integrity." If she was aware of the irony, it didn't show.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchillAlbany

When Peter Pryor graduated from Albany Law School in 1954, the first African-American to do so since the Reconstruction era, a couple of classmates invited him to join them for a celebratory cocktail at Keeler's Restaurant in downtown Albany.

A bartender served Pryor's friends, but kept passing him by without a word as he sat at the bar. Finally, one of the classmates asked why Pryor was being ignored.

"We don't serve coloreds here," the bartender said.

Pryor and his friends walked out in protest. They went down the street to a bar called Dorsey's, where the bartender quickly served Pryor a drink.

"In Albany, we had a culture that permitted segregation and discrimination and it did so by apathy, and the complicity of the O'Connell-Corning political machine," Pryor said by phone on Sunday from his home in St. Augustine, Fla.

"Blacks were second-class citizens in Albany when I arrived here in 1947," he said. "I had been a soldier with a rifle in Europe and I wanted to be a soldier in the courts of Albany fighting on behalf of social justice."

He spoke in a honeyed drawl and his courtly demeanor masked a simmering resentment over racial inequality.

Pryor, 92, is a World War II veteran and a retired Albany civil rights attorney who toiled on the front lines of the long fight for racial justice. He is featured in a forthcoming documentary, "More Than Words: The Photography of Newsman Bob Paley," which will premiere on Friday in Albany. The film examines the civil rights and anti-war movements in Albany through the lens of Paley, an acclaimed photographer. He worked for the Knickerbocker News from 1946 until his death from an aggressive cancer at age 50 in 1974. The film is co-directed and produced by Paley's daughter, Mary Paley. It is a follow-up to her acclaimed 2014 documentary on the impact of the South Mall construction, "The Neighborhood That Disappeared," which also featured many of Bob Paley's stunning images.

Paley's new film is a love letter to her father and a hosanna to the ways in which he used his talents as a photojournalist to serve as a witness to Albany's marginalized citizens. His images exposed racist policies that stunted the black community in the city's melting-pot South End. The film is also an indictment of the repressive policies of Albany's entrenched Democratic political machine.

Bob Paley was emboldened by Knick News Editor Bob Fichenberg, appalled by the mistreatment of blacks he saw throughout Albany when he arrived in the early 1960s. Unlike a laissez-faire attitude of previous editors, Fichenberg instructed Paley to document abuses with his camera.

And Paley did, with a poet's soul and a social worker's heart.

One of those Paley photographed was a young lawyer named Peter Pryor, the only black attorney in Albany at the time, who represented Samuel Clark, an unarmed black man beaten by white police officers in a police brutality case in 1962.

Clark was a postal worker who drove from Connecticut on Memorial Day in 1962 to join relatives at a family picnic at Six-Mile Waterworks on the western edge of the city. After the picnic, Clark stopped in front of his relative's house on Jefferson Street in the South End to unload the car. He double-parked on the narrow street while his sister brought leftover food into the house.

An Albany cop in a police cruiser raced down the street and swerved, barely missing Clark's sister. The cop screeched to a halt and instead of checking if the woman he nearly struck was alright, he shouted at Clark: "Move that car!"

More Information More Than Words What: Premiere of the documentary "More Than Words: The Photography of Newsman Bob Paley" by filmmaker Mary Paley. When: 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16 Where: Page Hall, 135 Western Ave., UAlbany downtown campus. Info.: Free to the public. Panel discussion, public reception and DVD sale following the screening. Sponsored by the Writers Institute, WMHT and Times Union. Contact Paul Grondahl at grondahlpaul@gmail.com See More Collapse

Clark replied, "I'm going to move it as soon as I finish."

A few minutes later, Clark was handcuffed and taken to the 2nd Precinct station.

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"The second precinct was worse than Hades," Pryor said in the film.

The cops beat up Clark, whom Paley photographed in St. Peter's Hospital, focusing on an injured eye covered with a bandage. Clark's nephew, Bill Clark, a Vietnam veteran, was interviewed for the film and he recalled when Albany cops stopped him as a teenager on upper Morton Street and issued a warning: "Get your black ass down the hill."

Clark recalled visiting his uncle in the hospital. He recovered from his wounds and the cops were not punished. His family "never went on a picnic again," Clark said.

Pryor took on anti-discrimination cases after blacks were refused admittance to public pools and denied service at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Albany. He also represented the family of Billy Brown, who was shot to death by Albany police in 1957. Brown was stopped after he left a bar and was beaten while he was frisked on Green Street in the South End. He eventually broke free and ran. The black man was shot four times by white cops and died several days later. The cops were exonerated.

"We were dealing with an institutionalized culture of police brutality toward blacks and we had very little leverage," said Pryor, who also served as president of the Albany branch of the NAACP in those years. "The Billy Brown case awakened the black community. It lit a torch for civil rights. We finally had a tool to fight segregation and discrimination with passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

Mobility issues prevented Pryor and his wife, Barbara, from traveling to Albany to receive the couple's award as Community Laureates at the University at Albany Foundation's 39th annual Citizens Laureate Award gala at UAlbany on Nov. 1. Their son, Marcus Pryor, accepted the award in their absence. "It's difficult to express how touched Barbara and I are at this wonderful honor," the father said.

Pryor is completing a memoir that will describe his childhood in Savannah and South Carolina, son of a Methodist minister and a nurse, and grandson of a pioneering black attorney. Recruiters assumed he was 18, but Pryor was only 14 when he joined the Army and just 19 when he was discharged as a sergeant in 1945.

Pryor praised "More Than Words," but hoped for more. "I don't want to take away from the quality of the film, but it doesn't fully reveal the absolute hell that blacks went through," he said. "It's hard to explain a wounded soul to someone who has never experienced racial segregation and discrimination."

Paul Grondahl is director of the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany and a former Times Union reporter. He can be reached at grondahlpaul@gmail.comBaltimore

At the Vatican's insistence, U.S. Catholic bishops abruptly postponed plans Monday to vote on proposed new steps to address the clergy sex abuse crisis roiling the church.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was told on the eve of the bishop's national meeting to delay action until after a Vatican-convened global meeting on sex abuse in February.

"We are not ourselves happy about this," DiNardo told reporters in an unusual public display of frustration at a Vatican pronouncement.

"We are working very hard to move to action  and we'll do it," he said. "I think people in the church have a right to be skeptical. I think they also have a right to be hopeful."

The bishops are meeting through Wednesday in Baltimore and had been expected to consider several steps to combat abuse, including a new code of conduct for themselves and the creation of a special commission, including lay experts, to review complaints against the bishops.

The bishops plan to proceed with discussing these proposals, which were drafted in September by the bishops' Administrative Committee. Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, of Chicago, suggested the bishops could hold a non-binding vote on the proposals while in Baltimore and then convene a special assembly for a formal vote after considering the results of the global meeting in February.

"I realize that another meeting will create logistical challenges for the conference staff and the bishops' schedules, but there is a grave urgency to this matter and we cannot delay," Cupich said.

Abuse scandals have roiled the Roman Catholic Church worldwide for decades, but there have been major developments this year in the U.S.

In July, Pope Francis removed U.S. church leader Theodore McCarrick as a cardinal after church investigators said an allegation that he groped a teenage altar boy in the 1970s was credible. Subsequently, several former seminarians and priests reported they too had been abused or harassed by McCarrick as adults, triggering debate over who might have known and covered up McCarrick's misconduct.

In August, a grand jury report in Pennsylvania detailed decades of abuse and cover-up in six dioceses, alleging more than 1,000 children had been abused over the years by about 300 priests. Since then, a federal prosecutor in Philadelphia has begun working on a federal criminal case centered on child exploitation, and attorneys general in several other states have launched investigations.

Also in August, Albany Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger called for the creation of a commission of Catholic lay people to investigate his "brother bishops" and their handling of abuse cases over the years.

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On Monday, Scharfenberger commented on the meeting in Baltimore, saying, "While I understand there is disappointment among many people regarding the news that we will not have the opportunity to vote this week to strengthen accountability for bishops, I am heartened by the powerful testimonies given by survivors and by the conference's genuine concern for doing all that we can as soon as we can to restore trust. That trust must be built on the foundation of transparency and restorative justice."

DiNardo, in his address opening the bishops' assembly, told survivors of clergy abuse he was "deeply sorry."

"Some would say this is entirely a crisis of the past. It is not," DiNardo said. "We must never victimize survivors over again by demanding they heal on our timeline."

After DiNardo's address, the bishops adjourned to a chapel for a daylong session of prayer that includes remarks by two survivors of clergy abuse who have worked to promote healing and reconciliation among other victims.

Outside the conference hall, news of the delay in voting angered some protesters who were demanding the bishops take strong action against abuse.

"I know that they answer to the Holy See, but there's a bigger imperative here, which is that children and victims need them to step forward," said Anne Barrett Doyle, who works at the abuse database BishopAccountability.org. "By complying so meekly with what the pope has demanded of them today, they are surrendering their responsibility."ALBANY  The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York on Monday released a statement tacitly criticizing remarks issued by Albany Bishop William H. Love about his decision outlawing same-sex marriage in churches under his control.

On Saturday, Love issued an edict banning the marriage of same-sex couples in the diocese's churches, writing in a statement that the church has been "hijacked by the 'Gay Rights Agenda,'" and that "Satan is having a heyday bringing division into the Church."

Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe used her own statement to reiterate her diocese's support for the LGBTQ community.

"I recognize this is a challenging time and that some may have found the recent statement of Bishop Love of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany to be injurious," Duncan-Probe wrote. "I want to be clear that God loves you and has created you as a blessing in our world."

In July, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church issued Resolution B012, a directive that does not make same-sex marriage part of the official theology of the church, but allows clergy to conduct same-sex marriage even if a local bishop disapproves by inviting another bishop to oversee the service so congregants can marry in their home parish. It is slated to go into effect next month.

Love's pastoral directive Saturday says the rites authorized by Resolution B012 "shall not be used anywhere in the Diocese of Albany by diocesan clergy (canonically resident or licensed)."

Duncan-Probe became her diocese's first female bishop in 2016  a year after the diocese approved same-sex marriage rites.

"All human love is a reflection of God's love, and the Episcopal Church has resolved that the rite of marriage is open to all in our Church, regardless of sexuality or gender expression," Duncan-Probe wrote Monday. "The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York continues to uphold the policies of the Episcopal Church and is dedicated to Jesus Christ who commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

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She noted her own appearance at pride rallies around the diocese. "I am resolute in my affirmation of equality, dignity, and full inclusion for all people regardless of their political, social, or theological views," she wrote. "We are, first and foremost, people committed to the loving, liberating, life-giving way of Jesus."

The Central New York Diocese includes Syracuse, Binghamton, Utica and Watertown, and is part of the Episcopal Church's Province II, which includes New York and New Jersey as well as Haiti, Cuba and the Virgin Islands.

Lauren Stanforth contributed.TROY - Two retired city detectives were given conditional discharges Tuesday, four weeks after they pleaded guilty to concealing their illegal entry into an apartment containing drugs in June 2017.

The officers were accused of forging an incident report to cover up the unit's warrantless search of a home. The scandal led to the disbanding of the city's undercover drug unit.

Sgt. Ron Epstein pleaded guilty to official misconduct on Oct. 16, the day his retirement took effect. Detective John A. Comitale Jr., who retired in February, pleaded guilty to attempted official misconduct.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch imposed the sentence - which will leave the men with clean records if they avoid future legal problems.

The special prosecutor in the case, Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka, said he was satisfied with the sentences.

Neither Epstein nor Comitale talked after the sentencing.

Epstein's attorney, Michael Koenig, said Lynch described the incident as "an aberration from an otherwise distinguished career."

"The judge did what judges should do, which is look at the total picture of someone's life," Koenig said. "There's no question (Epstein) made the streets better and the community safer."

Comitale's lawyer, Andrew Safranko, said a number of Troy police officers attended the sentencing. "In times of trouble, people generally run and you find out who your friends are," he said.

The warrantless entry June 9, 2017 into an apartment at 112 Oakwood Ave. led to suspensions of the former Firearms Interdiction and Narcotics Suppression Unit, the formal name for the drug unit, while the city department and State Police sorted out what happened.

The cover-up unraveled when two other detectives came forward. That led to the State Police investigation and Czajka's appointment as special prosecutor.

By entering the pleas, Epstein and Comitale admitted they violated their oaths of office and will not be able to find future employment as police officers, Czajka said.

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"A large part of this was to end this sad chapter in the Troy Police Department's history. It was appropriate to resolve the matter this way," Czajka said when the pair pleaded guilty.

The guilty pleas came as jury selection was under way for Epstein's trial. Comitale's trial was scheduled to begin Nov. 13.

The two veteran detectives were headed to a trial at a time when police officers are receiving more intense scrutiny.

Epstein and Comitale each faced misdemeanor counts of second-degree criminal trespass for entering the apartment, and official misconduct for their intent "to conceal their unauthorized and unlawful entry into 112 Oakwood Avenue."

Epstein also was indicted on four additional felony counts including bribery, offering a false instrument for filing and two counts of falsifying business records. He was indicted on six other misdemeanors,criminal mischief, official misconduct, falsifying business records and offering a false instrument for filing.

Lynch dismissed two counts  criminal facilitation, a felony, and criminal facilitation  in July in response to defense motions. These charges were related to the officers' alleged failure to seize cocaine found in the Oakwood Avenue residence.ALBANY  With a Dec. 10 deadline looming, the panel examining a potential pay raise for legislators, statewide elected officials and department heads will meet for the first time in Manhattan on Tuesday.

The five-member New York State Compensation Committee, formed as part of this year's $168 billion budget, is required to hold at least one public hearing in 2018, though its rollout has been notably quieter and less political than a similar pay commission created in 2016.

The committee members, who are directly appointed by statute, include SUNY Board of Trustees Chairman and former state Comptroller Carl McCall, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, city Comptroller Scott Stringer and CUNY Board of Trustees Chairman Bill Thompson. A fifth member, state Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, declined her appointment citing constitutional issues.

An initial July meeting was canceled and several months passed before it was eventually rescheduled for a post-election date.

All four committee members are confirmed for Tuesday's meeting, according to an executive assistant for McCall who oversees scheduling.

State lawmakers have not seen a pay hike since 1998, when their base salary was set at $79,500. Legislators also may earn thousands of dollars in legislative stipends, called lulus.

In 2016, the pay commission held a series of politically heated meetings and hearings throughout the year. Talks over a potential $37,400 pay raise imploded in the final hours, when legislative leaders refused to acquiesce to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's demand to convene a special session and enact ethics reforms.

Following Tuesday's meeting, the committee will hold two public hearings this month, in Albany on Nov. 28 and New York City on Nov. 30, according to an announcement on the pay committee's website.

If the panel has any recommendations, they must be approved by a majority of committee members and submitted in a report to the governor's office by Dec. 10. The recommendations will carry the weight of law unless the Legislature convenes a special session to prevent their enactment before Dec. 31.

No agenda was posted on the website by Monday afternoon, though a live stream of the 3 p.m. meeting was set up.

DiNapoli told reporters in July he wasn't sure what would happen at the committee's first meeting.

"I assume the first meeting will be to say, this commission, that we were all thrown into and nobody talked to us about, what are we going to do with it," he said.

New York legislative salaries, while ranking the third highest in the nation, significantly trail the $148,500 paid to New York City Council members and the $174,000 congressional salary.

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The attorney general and comptroller earn $151,500 a year, and department heads are paid between and $90,800 and $136,000 annually.

Cuomo has called for an increase in his commissioners' pay so that the state can compete with New York City agencies and private sector employers.

"We're trying to get quality people into state government and frankly, we are wholly non-competitive," he said in March.

Cuomo has also pushed for ban on outside income so that legislative offices will be treated as full-time.

Forty-four of 63 senators and 106 of 150 Assembly members report little or no outside employment income, according to a review of 2017 ethics filings released by the New York Public Interest Group.

The governor's salary of $179,000 is set by the Legislature and will not be considered by the committee. Cuomo is the third highest payed governor in the nation.

State legislators in New York City and the surrounding suburbs have long pushed for a pay raise. Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan, a Long Island Republican, and Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, a Bronx Democrat, declined to comment on this year's committee process.

"That is something that is up to the committee," Mike Whyland, a spokesman for Heastie, said.The flow of migrants into the Albany County Jail continues.

More than 50 migrants from the southern U.S. border have arrived at the jail in the past month, although many of the estimated 300 transferred this summer have been shifted to a detention center near Buffalo.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said the jail received around 20 immigrant detainees in mid-October and 32 more on Nov. 2.

The jail currently holds 178 immigrant detainees, 86 who were originally transferred from the southern border. The other 210 individuals who crossed the southern border were transferred to Batavia Federal Detention Facility near Buffalo or released, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman said.

Apple said he has room for another 100 immigrants at the jail, but doesn't want to overload a small band of volunteer attorneys who are offering free legal representation.

Attorneys said that the original group of around 300 detainees came from 20 different countries. Some said they were beaten in their home countries because of their political affiliations or targeted because of their stance against corruption. Others said they fled violence because of their sexual orientation.

Sarah Rogerson, an Albany Law School professor who's been spearheading legal representation for detainees, said more than 80 percent have already passed their credible fear interviews with an immigration officer - the first step to prove they fled persecution in their home countries.

"What it does say is that people are still coming to this country in fear for their lives and the vast majority of the border transfers brought to Albany County have valid claims," Rogerson said."They have credible fear and it's real." She explained that most of these migrants are now eligible for parole to be released from detention while their asylum applications are being decided by an immigration judge.

Apple and legal providers had a regular status check-in with ICE local and national representatives at the jail Tuesday. Apple said he has a good working relationship with ICE although his approach to give lawyers open access to the jail is unique.

"I don't think they really love the operation that I'm running but they definitely are not giving me any friction," Apple said. "I know ICE gets a bad rap, but at the end of the day they're human beings. We're doing nothing more than treating humans like humans and restoring some dignity. They may not completely enjoy what I'm doing. We're not hurting, we're helping people. I'm very proud of the partnership we have. If they're mad they can pull people out."

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As a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants marches its way to the U.S. border, President Donald Trump's administration announced a plan to temporarily restrict asylum claims by refusing to hear cases of anyone not entering the country legally through an authorized port of entry. The ACLU, along with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Center for Constitutional Rights, sued the administration Friday on behalf of several refugee and immigrant advocacy groups.

The lawsuit argues that the executive order is unlawful because existing policy under United Nations and U.S. law prohibits the government from sending people fleeing persecution back to danger in their home country due to humanitarian obligation.

"Under this rule, the door would be closed before people even arrived," Rogerson said.

The national number of asylum applications increased 100 percent from 2014 to 2016, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The number who were granted asylum  11,729 in 2016  decreased by more than 30 percent. The top three countries of origin for asylum seekers were El Salvador, China and Guatemala. In New York, 1,270 individuals were granted asylum in 2016, the second highest number in the country after California with 5,143.ALBANY - There were few bright spots for Republicans in New York to trumpet on Election Day last week.

Victories by incumbents in dark red districts and a few pickups in the Democratic dominated state Assembly were all state GOP Chair Ed Cox could cling to in a post-election statement. But with Democrats sweeping the four statewide races, taking a large majority in the state Senate and flipping three congressional seats, there weren't many options for him to choose from.

"Whenever there is a disaster you look for the opportunity," said Republican consultant William O'Reilly.

He believes the upside of losing the state Senate, the Republican's last hold in state government, is that the party is no longer burdened by the lobbying and political relationships that have "compromised it for decades." As a result, O'Reilly is hoping the party's messaging on issues like labor costs, union work rules, and rent stabilization can be more in keeping with conservative values, and not based on the demands of special interests.

"We're now free to say what we think," he said.

His bet is that an honest dialogue with voters, as opposed to a shift to the left, is what's needed to appeal to non-ideological New Yorkers. O'Reilly also stressed the importance of promoting ethics issues.

"It's not going to get you a majority next year, or two years after that," he acknowledged. "It's going to be a long-term rebuild."

Ultimately, though, it could be the Democrats themselves who aid in the Republican recovery effort. In 2010, the state Senate swung back to Republican control in part because of two pickups on Long Island, where the Democratic senators had taken very unpopular votes.

If the Legislature goes too far to the left during the next two years, O'Reilly said the same opportunities could present themselves in 2020.

Sen. George Amedore, a Rotterdam Republican, said the party needs to "re-evaluate some of its strategies." He argued that they had to do a better job connecting with voters, as he felt that most people shared the Republican interest in promoting affordability, freedom and liberty.

Sen. Patrick Gallivan, an Erie County Republican, said the party needs to be receptive to fielding candidates with diverse views in downstate and suburban districts with more liberal voters, as their primary job as legislators is representing the needs of their constituents.

"I think it's got to be a bigger tent," he said.

Senate GOP leadership

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The first test for the future of the party could come in the state Senate, where the 23 Republican members have begun thinking about their leader for the upcoming session.

Long Island Republican John Flanagan, who has led the chamber since 2015, is competing for the minority leader post against Catharine Young, a western New York Republican, who backed him in the leadership struggle three years ago.

Fred Akshar, a Southern Tier Republican entering his third term, was considered a potential contender, but he threw his weight behind Flanagan.

Rich Funke, a Rochester area Republican, blamed Flanagan for losing eight seats in the chamber last week and is backing Young. "The Senate Republican Conference is more centered in upstate New York then ever before and it's time we had an upstate leader in charge," he said in a statement.

Other upstate Republican senators have declined to take a side in the leadership struggle, but have weighed in on the importance of upstate having a voice. Amedore would only say the next conference leader should be from upstate or understand upstate's needs.

When asked if he wanted the post, Amedore said he was flattered by the question and declined to comment.

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87NISKAYUNA - A coalition of Jewish community members meeting for months after scrapping the original controversial design for a Holocaust memorial are making progress on a new plan.

Michael Lozman, a Latham-based orthodontist who proposed the memorial, said they hoped to have a design by the end of the year. They're requesting an extension on a Town Board vote on the project's special use permit scheduled for December so that there's sufficient time for community focus groups.

Lozman said the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 dead in October reminded him of the need for a memorial.

"We want it to be meaningful in regards to teaching. Hatred, bigotry and prejudice have no role in our society and that is an important lesson that we hope the memorial demonstrates. The end result of hatred is the Holocaust," he said. "We are working diligently on a design that we will agree on. We are trying to get it done as quickly as possible with the understanding that it takes time to arrive at a joint agreement."

Neil Golub, head of Price Chopper who's involved in discussions, said the coalition was making "very good progress" but it could still be as long as a year before Niskayuna actually sees a monument.

Lozman proposed the memorial on two acres of land off Route 7 donated by the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese a year ago. The original design included railroad tracks in the shape of the Star of David, a box car in front of a stone wall representing a gas chamber and educational kiosks.

The plan drew strong opinions from dozens at a packed public hearing earlier this year. Some residents said it was upsetting and shocking while others argued the realistic depiction was necessary.

The Town Board delayed a vote on a special use permit for the project twice and most likely will do so again at its December meeting, Town Supervisor Yasmine Syed said.

Golub said he's been coordinating meetings every couple weeks between Lozman's Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial group and the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York headed by Robert Kovach. The group of about a dozen members has consulted architects, educators and the advocacy organization Anti-Defamation League's Holocaust education program.

Golub said the issue was not whether everyone in the coalition wanted the memorial, but what it should look like. Kovach agreed.

"We quickly realized that people were on the same page," Kovach said. "We were really able to focus on the fact that the design originally proposed by Lozman and his group was controversial. Let's focus our energies on creating something the community can be proud of."

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Golub said the group is looking at memorials around the world - including the Korean War memorial in Washington D.C. - to see what resonates with them, but haven't reached a consensus yet.

"There's a funny Jewish story that says if there's 100 people in the room, there will be 100 different opinions," Golub said. "If we come up with a design, what's it going to cost, who's going to build it, who's going to pay for it? There are a lot of questions. It may take six, nine, 12 months to resolve all these issues."

Town Board Member Denise Murphy McGraw said she requested a delay in the special use permit vote scheduled for December because there will not be a confirmed design before then. She also said there was a need for a series of community meetings to get feedback. Town Supervisor Yasmine Syed said that even if the design does change, the Town Board might still be able to vote on the special use permit without going back to the Planning Board.

For now, Golub said, the coalition is making "very good progress" toward its goal.

"The message is that we can never forget," Golub said.Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions is a xenophobe who opposes even legal immigration, a heartless nationalist who allowed small children to be snatched from their parents' arms, a bigot who supported voter suppression in Alabama, a throwback who is a hardcore opponent of legalized marijuana. Still, his ouster is bad news for a nation built on the rule of law.

President Donald Trump's insistence on firing Sessions  the president's advisers persuaded him to hold off until after the midterm elections, but just barely  is the most frightening and definitive sign yet that he is a despot with no respect for the fundamental values of a democratic republic. He fired Sessions because the attorney general  right-winger though he may be  could not bring himself to besmirch his own office by ignoring the values it is bound to uphold.

When Democrats pointed out that Sessions had played a role in Trump's presidential campaign, the attorney general recused himself from the investigation into Russian interference. If Sessions had not done so, his oversight role would have been a clear conflict of interest and would have invited speculation that the probe would not be thorough.

But Sessions' decision made Trump furious. The president wanted his attorney general, whom he considered an ally, to thwart the Russia investigation. Trump continues to believe that the attorney general's job is not to uphold the U.S. Constitution but to protect Trump. So, after forcing Sessions to resign, he immediately appointed a toady, Matthew Whitaker, an outspoken critic of Mueller's investigation who had served as Sessions' chief of staff, as acting attorney general.

Whitaker has already signaled a possible strategy. Back in July, he said on CNN: "I could see a scenario where Jeff Sessions is replaced with a recess appointment ... and that attorney general doesn't fire Bob Mueller, but he just reduces his budget to so low that his investigation grinds to almost a halt."

Whitaker's agenda underscores the importance of Democrats' takeover of the House of Representatives. While they don't have the power to protect Mueller, they do have the subpoena. They can mount multiple investigations that will keep the spotlight on Trump's transgressions. They can subpoena Mueller to testify at public hearings. And if Mueller has evidence indicating that Trump colluded with Russia, Democrats can start impeachment proceedings against the president.

I don't say that lightly. I haven't agreed with those progressives who have pushed for Trump's impeachment for months now. There is little justification for pointless political fury meant only to disrupt the White House, to return the vilification that Trump has aimed at Democrats. (Besides, the removal of Trump from office would leave us with President Michael Pence, a worse result. Pence understands the political process, which makes him even more dangerous than Trump.) But if Trump has colluded with a foreign adversary, impeachment is the appropriate response.

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The president may not leave Congress with any choice. He has already ranted against the prospect of a Democratic House starting scrutiny of the corruption and ineptitude of his administration  even though the Republican House wasted countless hours and millions of dollars with dumb investigations during the tenure of President Barack Obama. (Anybody remember Benghazi?) In a rambling press conference the day after the elections, the president said that Democratic probes would invite a "warlike" response from his White House.

Many left-leaning voters were disappointed by the results of the midterm elections, which not only left the U.S. Senate in Republican hands but also shut out young Democratic stars in state races that might have gone their way. Pundits were quick to dismiss the predicted "blue wave" as nothing more than a modest tide undulating to shore.

But that underestimates the power that Democrats now enjoy in Congress.

Voters built a wall. From Georgia (where Democratic newcomer Lucy McBath beat GOP Rep. Karen Handel in a district once held by Newt Gingrich) to California (where the loathsome, Putin-loving GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is going down in defeat), voters built a wall. It isn't insurmountable, but it will shore up the foundations of democracy.[November 12, 2018] Seequent Acquires Geosoft: Merger of Leapfrog and Geosoft Brands Creates Subsurface Geoscience and Modelling Powerhouse

Acquisition brings together leading developers of geological modelling and geoscience software solutions for mining, civil engineering, energy and environmental sectors CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand and TORONTO, Nov. 12, 2018 /CNW/ - Seequent, a world leader in visual data science, today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Geosoft, a Canadian geoscience software company headquartered in Toronto with offices around the world. The acquisition brings together Seequent's Leapfrog 3D geological modelling software suite with Geosoft's subsurface geoscience and exploration data-driven technology - to create an unparalleled subsurface offering for the mining, civil engineering, energy and environmental sectors. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/783203/Seequent_Logo.jpg )

Shaun Maloney, Chief Executive of Seequent, says: "The acquisition allows two strong geoscience brands, Leapfrog and Geosoft, to join forces to offer a greater range of solutions for our customers around the globe. Together, we are better equipped to deliver on our commitment to enable better decisions about some of the world's biggest earth environment and energy challenges." Tim Dobush, CEO of Geosoft, says: "There is exciting synergy between our two companies, and together we can deliver new and enhanced value to our global customers. We share the same vision and passion for making a difference, and empowering knowledge from geoscience data is at the core of what we do. By bringing our people and powerful technology assets together under Seequent, we're able to help customers solve their ever-larger geoscientific challenges across all disciplines and industries." Seequent is known worldwide for its Leapfrog 3D geological modelling solutions. First introduced to the mining and minerals industry close to 15 years ago, Leapfrog helps uncover valuable insights from geological data and enable geologists and executives alike to confidently make critical time-sensitive investment and environmental decisions. The company has since launched Leapfrog versions for the geothermal and energy industries and civil engineering and environmental industries, as well as other visualisation and collaboration technologies.



Geosoft's Oasis montaj technology platform is an industry standard within the geosciences, supporting advanced analysis and understanding of the Earth's subsurface and subsea environments. The company's Target for ArcGIS software is the market-leading geological application for Esri, delivering essential workflows for geoscience and GIS professionals working on the ArcGIS platform. With its release of VOXI Earth Modelling, Geosoft pioneered the use of high performance geocomputing and 3D geophysical inversion modelling in the cloud. By bringing together the Geosoft and Leapfrog brands, Seequent now has a leading market position in subsurface geoscience and modelling software solutions with offices in 20 locations and approaching 400 staff around the world serving customers in over 100 countries.

Maloney added, "We'll continue our focus on mining and minerals, energy, civil and environmental industries. Geosoft's capability will allow us to add to all of these areas and provide valuable new expertise to other areas." Seequent's global headquarters will remain in Christchurch and the company will continue to drive R&D from New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. Geosoft's global headquarters will remain in Toronto, Canada. Seequent was advised on the transaction by Murray & Co (financial) and DLA Piper (legal). Geosoft was advised by DCF Capital Partners (financial) and Gowling WLG (legal). About Seequent

Seequent is a world leader in the development of visual data science software for understanding subsurface geology, with customers in over 90 countries. Our solutions enable people to create rich stories and uncover valuable insights from geological data, and ultimately make better decisions about earth, energy and environment challenges. Seequent is known worldwide for its Leapfrog 3D geological modelling software, initially developed for the mining and minerals industry. Now, civil engineering, environmental and geothermal energy industries also rely on Seequent's software to manage project risks and uncover opportunities for their business. With diverse applications, the technology supports large scale projects globally including, road and rail tunnel construction, groundwater detection and management, geothermal exploration, resource evaluation, and subterranean storage of spent nuclear fuel. Seequent's global footprint includes its Christchurch-based HQ and R&D centre, and a network of offices across Asia/Pacific, Africa, South America, North America and Europe providing solutions for customers in over 90 countries. For more on Seequent visit: http://www.seequent.com Twitter: @seequentglobal For more on Leapfrog visit: http://www.leapfrog3d.com Twitter: @Leapfrog3D About Geosoft

Since 1986, Geosoft has helped to advance the understanding of the Earth's subsurface. Geosoft ranks among the top 150 software companies in Canada, providing geoscience software and data services to thousands of organizations in over 100 countries around the world. The company's solutions improve access and utilization of geoscience data, enabling deeper scientific insight to support decision making across the earth sciences. Geosoft software is used by international government geological surveys and agencies, educational institutions teaching the earth sciences, and the most successful energy and mineral explorers in the world. Geosoft's corporate headquarters in Toronto, Canada is supported by operations in Africa, Australia, Europe and Latin America. For more on Geosoft visit: http://www.geosoft.com SOURCE Seequent

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 12, 2018] Supermicro Delivers Maximum Performance to Power Breakthroughs in a Wide Range of HPC Applications

Industry's Broadest Selection of HPC Systems on display at SC18 including Petascale All-Flash NVMe, BigTwin, SuperBlade, and GPU Systems for AI and Deep Learning DALLAS, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI), a global leader in enterprise computing, storage, networking solutions and green computing technology, today is demonstrating the industry's broadest selection of new high-performance computing (HPC) systems at SuperComputing 2018 (SC18), in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center from November 13-15. Supermicro is also hosting several speaker sessions each day at its Booth #3006 including representatives from Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD. For a detailed schedule and more information regarding Supermicro at SC18, visit https://www.supermicro.com/SC18. "As a hardware solution company, we are investing heavily in our Resource-Saving server, GPU and storage solutions, including the development of 10-year lifecycle chassis, power supplies, fans and other subsystems, to help end-customers save both energy cost and hardware acquisition costs while reducing IT waste," said Charles Liang, President and CEO of Supermicro. "Resource Saving is measured by TCE (Total Cost to the Environment) which is the combination of delivering superior TCO for datacenter investments while at the same time minimizing the environmental impacts of these data centers. Also, continuing Supermicro's technology innovation and time-to-market leadership, our Petascale 1U NVMe solutions are shipping in volume to provide customers with significant competitive advantage today." The new Petascale line of all-flash NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) 1U storage servers feature the most power-efficient, next-generation flash technology with the highest storage density and best IOPS performance. With systems supporting U.2, Intel Ruler, Samsung NF1, and EDSFF form factor SSDs, Supermicro offers unprecedented flexibility and choice for high-capacity networked storage applications that require the best latency performance and provide a real time-to-value advantage for users with data-intensive HPC workloads. HPC applications are continuing to grow in complexiy as they unlock new scientific insights. Supermicro's new NVIDIA HGX-2 based SuperServer, 9029GP-TNVRT, supports 16 NVIDIA Tesla V100 Tensor Core 32GB GPUs connected via NVIDIA NVLink and NVSwitch to leverage over 80,000 CUDA cores and delivers unmatched performance accelerating AI and HPC on premise and in the cloud. This new system can deliver up to 2 PetaFLOPS of performance and occupies just ten units of rack space.



To help simplify the deployment of AI and HPC applications in the data center, SuperServer 4029GP-TVRT is NGC-Ready. Customers can now run GPU-accelerated software from the NGC container registry, including its expanded HPC and AI software library with new machine learning and analytics containers, with confidence on the 4029GP-TVRT, which is a 4U system with eight Tesla V100 GPUs with NVIDIA NVLink. Designed to handle the most demanding inference workloads, Supermicro's new SuperServer 6049GP-TRT provides the superior performance required for modern AI. This 4U system achieves maximum GPU density and performance with support for up to 20 NVIDIA Tesla T4 GPUs with Turing Tensor Core technology, three terabytes of memory, and 24 hot-swappable 3.5-inch drives. The system also features four 2000-watt Titanium level efficiency (2+2) redundant power supplies to deliver optimal power efficiency, uptime and serviceability.

Delivering maximum performance and efficiency in a 2U 4-node design, the Supermicro BigTwin system supports the full range of Intel Xeon Scalable processors, 24 DIMMs, up to six hot-swappable all-flash NVMe or hybrid NVMe/SAS3 drive bays, and up to three PCI-E 3.0 slots including support for a flexible SIOM module enabling 100/40/25/10/1G networking options per node. For reliability and efficiency, redundant 2600W/2200W Titanium Level (96%+) digital power supplies come standard. Supermicro also offers a line of BigTwin systems that support the full range of AMD EPYC 7000-series processors including an all-flash NVMe model. Supermicro is showcasing a breadth of platforms at SC18 that feature Resource-Saving technology and address a wide range of workloads. The new disaggregated SuperBlade unlocks the interdependence between the major server subsystems enabling the independent upgrade of CPU, Memory, I/O, Enclosure, Storage, Power and Cooling. Now each component can be refreshed at the optimal time to maximize generational improvements in performance and efficiency. SuperBlade delivers maximum performance up to 495 TFLOPS per rack, high density with twenty 2-socket or ten 4-socket Intel Xeon Scalable processor-based blade servers per 8U enclosure, fast interconnects with integrated 100G EDR InfiniBand, 100G Omni-Path or 25G switches, and support for up to 14 NVMe devices per node. For optimal reliability and power-efficiency, SuperBlade supports redundant 2200-watt Titanium Level (96%+) digital power supplies, 2000-watt DC power supplies, and 1200-watt Battery Backup Power (BBP) modules. Follow Supermicro on Facebook and Twitter to receive the latest news and announcements. About Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI)

Supermicro, the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology is a premier provider of advanced Server Building Block Solutions for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, Hadoop/Big Data, HPC and Embedded Systems worldwide. Supermicro is committed to protecting the environment through its "We Keep IT Green" initiative and provides customers with the most energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly solutions available on the market. Supermicro, BigTwin, SuperBlade, Server Building Block Solutions, and We Keep IT Green are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Super Micro Computer, Inc. All other brands, names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Media Contact

Michael Kalodrich

Super Micro Computer, Inc.

[email protected] SMCI-F SOURCE Super Micro Computer, Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 12, 2018] enTrust Wealth Advisors Announces its Launch as an Independent Registered Investment Advisor

The San Diego firm, enTrust Wealth Advisors, LLC, has officially launched as an independent, SEC (News - Alert)-registered investment advisor focused on offering individuals, families and entrepreneurs comprehensive wealth solutions across their financial life, including investment management, asset management and tax management. The firm will be led by Founders and Managing Partners, Daniel Conners and Michael Crawford, most recently with UBS. The founders have extensive experience and believe the independent model offers the best opportunity for clients in today's marketplace and moving forward. "The world is transforming and the RIA space opens up new possibilities for our clients," said Daniel Conners. "Our clients expect and deserve a forward-thinking firm; a firm with access to the best-in-class providers, research, technologies and tools in the marketplace; a firm designed specifically for clients. That is the foundation of enTrust Wealth Advisors." "The RIA model gives us the opportunity to do more and fulfill our mission to give financial confidence across all aspects of their financial life," added Michael Crawford. "We have the ability to access extensive sources of research and deliver complete, unbiased solutions. Above all, we are a fiduciary committed to the best interests of clients." The firm will be supported by a team of experienced professionals, including Tara Conners Dekel, Head of Client Relations, and Gillian Vapnek, Head of Financial Planning. In addition, enTrust has selected BxC Partners as a strategic advisor and growth capital partner. BxC was launched in 2017 by Todd Buchner. Todd previously spent 17 years at Credit Suisse, most recently leading the Private Banking Group in the Southwestern Region. "We are excited to join the enTrust team," said Buchner. "The new firm gives clients a winning combination of an experienced team, an independent structure and comprehensive solutions to help clients simplify their financial lives and achieve their financial goals." The enTrust team has also identified key resources, advanced tools and technologies, and leading providers to safeguard assets,deliver compliance oversight, and enhance the client experience. "The safety of client assets is essential to enTrust," Buchner continued. "We conducted a rigorous evaluation of top providers, and we selected Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions, as we believe their world-class capabilities and resources will best serve and protect our clients."



About enTrust Wealth Advisors, LLC enTrust Wealth Advisors is an independent SEC-registered investment advisory firm created by wealth advisors with decades of experience helping individuals, families and entrepreneurs. For more information, please visit www.entrustwealthadvisors.com.

Important Disclosure enTrust Wealth Advisors is an independent SEC-registered investment advisory firm with its principal place of business in San Diego, California. This press release is limited to the dissemination of general information pertaining to our investment advisory services. Investing involves the risk of loss. For additional information about enTrust Wealth Advisors, please visit our web site at (http://www.entrustwealthadvisors.com) and request our disclosure brochure as set forth on Form ADV. Our disclosure brochure is also available on Investment Adviser Public Disclosure web site (http://www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). Please read the disclosure statement carefully before you engage our firm for advisory services. About Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions provides a comprehensive clearing and custody platform, brokerage services, trading capabilities, and practice management and consulting to registered investment advisors (RIAs), including strategic acquirers and professional asset managers, as well as retirement recordkeepers, broker-dealer firms, banks, and insurance companies through National Financial Services LLC (NFS) or Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Members NYSE, SIPC. In addition to providing services to third-party institutions, the NFS brokerage platform supports all the clearing and custody businesses at Fidelity, including Fidelity's retail and capital markets businesses, bringing NFS assets under administration to over $4 trillion as of June 30, 2018. Fidelity Investments is an independent company, unaffiliated with enTrust Wealth Advisors. Fidelity Investments is a service provider to enTrust Wealth Advisors. There is no form of legal partnership, agency affiliation, or similar relationship between your financial advisor and Fidelity Investments, nor is such a relationship created or implied by the information herein. Fidelity Investments has not been involved with the preparation of the content supplied by enTrust Wealth Advisors and does not guarantee, or assume any responsibility for, its content. Fidelity Investments is a registered trademark of FMR LLC. Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions provides clearing, custody, and other brokerage services through National Financial Services LLC or Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Members NYSE, SIPC. 865563.4.0 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181112005809/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 12, 2018] Biometric experts iProov support UK Home Office with technology to assure genuine presence

iProov, a leading provider of biometric facial verification technology, today announced that it will play a key role in a multi-year contract with the UK Home Office for the provision of smartphone-based digital identity verification. This new capability will assist the UK Home Office in delivering secure, easy-to-use interactions with individuals in accordance with the digital services agenda. The app to support applications for the EU Exit Settlement Scheme includes this technology. The new digital service, which will be provided in partnership with immigration and border management company WorldReach Software with support from Dutch contactless document specialist ReadID, allows secure enrolment onto Home Office services using a smartphone app. The process involves biometric matching of the user's selfie against the image read from a user's passport chip, using iProov's unique Flashmark technology to provide robust liveness detection. iProov is unique in its ability to 'assure genuine presence'. In a self-serve identity verification environment, a system must be able to confirm whether or not the person presenting themselves for verification is genuinely the owner of an ID credential - not a photo, screen image, a recording or doctored video. iProov has eleven granted patents in the UK and US for its echnology which detects such attempted frauds.



This is not the first time iProov has been recognised for its industry leading identity verification technology. In April 2018, the company announced that it had become the first British, and indeed overseas, organisation to be awarded a contract from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate's Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) to help US DHS to enhance and secure cross-border passenger travel. The company also won the 2017 National Cyber Security Centre's Cyber Den competition at CYBERUK 2017; it has received a number of grants from Innovate UK, the UK's innovation agency; and in September 2017 was named the sole UK member of the SINET16, a select group of cyber-security innovators. In the financial services sector its technology is in live use with banks such as ING in the Netherlands. iProov's Founder and CEO, Andrew Bud, comments, "We are delighted that the Home Office has chosen to use iProov's unique technology for this large and important application. Our position as the worldwide leader in this sector has been built with great support from the UK Government over many years. Our mission to assure trust in the online ecosystem has never been more important."

London-based iProov was founded in 2011. The company's facial biometric technology is used by banks and governments around the world for secure customer onboarding, logon and authentication, to ensure new and returning users are genuine and guard against fraudulent attempts to gain access to personal data or use a stolen identity. --ends-- About iProov Founded in 2011 by CEO Andrew Bud, iProov is a world leader in spoof-resistant, biometric verification technology. Its technology is used by banks and governments around the world for secure customer onboarding, logon and authentication, to ensure new and returning users are genuine, and guard against fraudulent attempts to gain access to personal data or use a stolen identity. For more information, please see www.iproov.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181112005430/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 12, 2018] EY Honors Thomas M. Siebel as 2018 Entrepreneur Of The Year

EY announced that C3 CEO and Chairman Thomas M. Siebel received the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Award for technology at the organization's Strategic Growth Forum on November 11. This prestigious award celebrates Siebel's four decades as a leader in the technology industry and his continued commitment to innovation, customer success, and making the world a better place. This is the third time Siebel has received this honor from EY. Last year, Siebel was honored as 2017 Entrepreneur Of The Year for his vision and achievement building and leading C3 as a successful, growing, and dynamic company. As Chairman and CEO of Siebel Systems (News - Alert), he was recognized as Ernst & Young's 2003 "Master Entrepreneur" for founding and managing one of the most successful software companies in history and pioneering the customer relationship management (CRM) market. "I am fortunate to work alongside some of the most gifted individuals to solve today's most pressing problems, supporting our customers across industries to realize positive economic impact," said Siebel. "This honor reflects the dedication and vision of the entire C3 team." At C3, Siebel is enabling global organizations to leverage advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to increase efficiencies and solve large-scale problems. C3 is well positioned to establish a global leadership position in the software market for AI and IoT applications, which is estimated to exceed $250 billion by 2025. C3 has seen tremendous success in the past year including 130 percent year-over-year bookings growth, 60 percent year-over-year revenue growth, and cash positive operations. This year, C3 was also named a leader in The Forrester (News - Alert) Wave for Industrial IoT Softwre and honored on several high-profile lists including the 2018 CNBC Disruptor 50, JMP Securities "The Hot 100", and the 2018 Forbes Cloud 100.



Sponsors Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are sponsored nationally by SAP America, Merrill Corporation, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman (News - Alert) Foundation.

About C3 C3 is the world's leading AI software platform provider for digital transformation. The proven C3 Platform provides the comprehensive tools to build enterprise-scale AI applications 10 to 100x faster than alternative approaches. At the core of the C3 offering is the revolutionary C3 Type System-an extensible, model-driven AI architecture that dramatically enhances data scientist and application developer productivity. The C3 Platform supports any value chain in any industry with pre-built, configurable, high-value SaaS (News - Alert) applications for predictive maintenance, fraud detection, sensor network health, supply network optimization, energy management, anti-money laundering, and customer engagement. More information is at www.c3.ai. About Entrepreneur Of The Year Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries. About EY's Growth Markets practice EY's Growth Markets (GM) practice guides leading high-growth companies. Our multidisciplinary teams of elite professionals provide perspective and advice to help our clients accelerate market leadership. GM delivers assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services to thousands of companies spanning all industries. EY is the undisputed leader in taking companies public, advising key government agencies on the issues impacting high-growth companies and convening the experts who shape the business climate. For more information, please visit us at ey.com/us/strategicgrowthmarkets, or follow news on Twitter (News - Alert) @EY_Growth. About EY EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181112005818/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 12, 2018] GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INVESTIGATION INITIATED by Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Investigates the Officers and Directors of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. - GS

Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS). Since at least 2016, the Company has been the subject of investigations by the U.S. Justice Department regarding a multibillion-dollar fraud and money-laundering scheme involving a Malaysian government fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), for which the Company was the primary bond underwriter. On November 2, 2018, U.S. federal prosecutors unsealed indictments against two of the Company's former managing directors, Tim Leissner and Roger Ng, related to the probe that explicitly described them as "agents acting within the scope of their employment on behalf of" the Company "with the intent, at least in part, to benefit" the bank. On November 8, 2018, a report by Bloomberg (News - Alert) detailed the personal involvement of the Company's then-CEO Lloyd Blankfein in a meeting to establish ties with Malaysia and its new sovereign wealth fund that was referenced inthe court documents unsealed the prior week.



KSF's investigation is focusing on whether Goldman Sachs' officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to Goldman Sachs' shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws. If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of Goldman Sachs shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-gs/ to learn more.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include the Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181112005820/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Announces Investigation on Behalf of Welbilt, Inc. Investors

Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") announces an investigation on behalf of Welbilt, Inc. ("Welbilt" or the "Company") (NYSE: WBT) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws.

The investigation concerns whether the Company misled investors through alleged deceptive accounting techniques, including failing to maintain effective internal controls, and incorrectly recording the tax basis of a oreign subsidiary, incorrectly amortizing the intangible assets held by the same entity and not recording certain intercompany transactions on a timely basis. On this news, shares of Welbilt fell thereby injuring investors.







Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert): twitter.com/GPM_LLP.

If you purchased Welbilt, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181112005832/en/[November 12, 2018] Realme the Hottest Selling smartphone brand for Lazada's 11.11 Shopping Festival in Southeast Asia, entering the Philippines soon

MANILA, Philippines, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Realme, a smartphone brand that specializes in providing powerful smartphones and stylish designs at affordable prices, set another online sales record in Southeast Asia. Various countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia generated strong online sales during the 11.11 online shopping day. Strong Sales in Southeast Asia Realme Indonesia broke its sales record for three products after selling 40,000 smartphones in 21 minutes. Realme also succeeded in becoming the Triple Smartphone Champion for the fastest sales growth, the highest total unit sales and single product sales from the new smartphone brand. The sales record on National Online Shopping Day 11.11 at Lazada furter completes Realme's sales records that have been held previously. Realme received ratings that is pushing Realme as one of the leading smartphone players in the Indonesian market. For 12 hours, Realme C1 was the best-selling smartphone and knocked out several competitors. This achievement shows that Realme is a significant player in the smartphone market in Indonesia, especially for young people.



Realme also recorded a number of sales records in other Southeast Asian countries. In Thailand, Realme managed to become the best brand in the smartphone category and became Double Champion by selling 1,000 units within 8 minutes during the 11.11 shopping festival at Lazada. Realme 2 Pro also sold 2,500 units in the first three hours of online shopping 11.11 at Shopee Malaysia which broke Shopee's record as No. 1 brand. Realme also recorded a new record as the fastest growing brand in Vietnam. Realme to enter the Philippines

Realme Philippines is set to launch soon in the Philippines, consumers can expect smartphones that address consumer needs through strong performance and trendy designs. "As a new smartphone brand in Southeast Asia, our achievements in the recently concluded 11.11 National Online Shopping Day in Lazada is a testimony that Realme is a game changer. With our upcoming launch in the Philippines, we are confident in delivering a new value to Filipino consumers soon," said Josef Wang, Marketing Director of Realme SEA. Realme understands the needs of the smartphone industry, especially the youth market. In the future, Realme will also continue to create more research to grow and provide what young people wants from a smartphone, making Realme a smartphone brand suitable for young people. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181112/2296738-1 SOURCE Realme

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Wind River and CENGN Assist Open Source Developers in Accelerating StarlingX Adoption for Edge Computing Applications

OPENSTACK SUMMIT--Wind River, a leader in delivering IoT software to critical infrastructure, is working together with the Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (News - Alert) (CENGN) to create a public repository to host StarlingX resources as a reference for the open source community. StarlingX, as a source code-only project with no ISO or binary image available, has been challenging for interested developers to quickly get on board and meaningfully experiment. With this new public repository, visitors will soon be able to download an ISO image and gain access to the upstream components. Currently, developers can access CENGN's mirror site for StarlingX, as well as check for updates about the repository, at mirror.starlingx.cengn.ca/mirror. StarlingX is an open source project hosted by the OpenStack Foundation that provides cloud infrastructure software for demanding critical infrastructure applications and services to be deployed at the network edge. A key benefit of StarlingX is that it provides a complete edge cloud software stack comprised of many open source components. Launched in May of this year with initial code contributions from the Wind River Titanium Cloud virtualization platform, StarlingX has grown to more than 80 active contributors from the community. The StarlingX software platform provides virtualization infrastructure designed for the rigorous demands of critical infrastructure applications, such as telecom networks and industrial control.



CENGN is contributing staff and equipment resources to host a mirror of key upstream StarlingX components that are required in the edge cloud stack. This new StarlingX repository will serve as the community-driven build and continuous integration (CI) process. Wind River (News - Alert) is contributing staff resources and expertise to this environment. Together, CENGN and Wind River are collaborating with the community to deliver the mirror service to all Starling (News - Alert) X users. "By working together with CENGN to host StarlingX resources, we are able create a build experience that is much easier to consume for the open source community, alleviating significant challenges. Developers will soon be able to adopt StarlingX in a matter of minutes or hours versus weeks," said Glenn Seiler, vice president of product management and strategy, Software-defined Infrastructure at Wind River. "We look forward to greater participation and accelerated innovation from the community to advance critical infrastructure applications and services deployed at the network edge."

"StarlingX can help developers build cloud infrastructure optimized for high-performance, low-latency applications, particularly critical for Industrial IoT and telecom use cases," said Jonathan Bryce, executive director at the OpenStack Foundation. "What Wind River and CENGN are doing illustrates the importance of community efforts that make the consumption of open source projects easier, reducing risk and driving adoption." "By providing a cloud infrastructure software stack for the edge, StarlingX opens the door for opportunities to innovate around some of the most demanding applications in Industrial IoT, telecom, and other ultra-low latency use cases," said Jean-Charles Fahmy, CEO and president at CENGN. "CENGN's mission is to help the Canadian technology sector overcome the complexities around the commercialization of new technologies and platforms. It is a pleasure to team up with our longtime collaborator Wind River to further support the StarlingX community." CENGN is dedicated to accelerating the growth of the Canadian information and communications technology (ICT) sector. Through leading-edge technology infrastructure and expertise plus the creation of a globally recognized ecosystem of partners, CENGN helps small and medium enterprises overcome commercialization barriers and grow. More information about Wind River and StarlingX is available at http://www.windriver.com/announces/starlingx-and-wind-river/. About Wind River Wind River is a global leader in delivering software for the Internet of Things. The company's technology has been powering the safest, most secure devices in the world since 1981 and is found in more than 2 billion products. Wind River offers a comprehensive portfolio, supported by world-class global professional services and support and a broad partner ecosystem. Wind River software and expertise are accelerating digital transformation of critical infrastructure systems that demand the highest levels of safety, security, performance, and reliability. To learn more, visit Wind River at www.windriver.com. Wind River is a trademark or registered trademark of Wind River Systems, Inc., and its affiliates. Other names may be the trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181112005790/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Everpro Launches New Sales App Powered by eBaoCloud to Enable Mobile Sales

SHANGHAI, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Everpro Insurance Brokers Co., Ltd. (Everpro), a top insurance broker in China has recently started using "Everpro E-Bao" as its mobile sales and training tool. Over 6,000 Everpro brokers will use the tool to sell hundreds of life insurance products from 13 insurance companies. Powered by the eBaoCloud, "Everpro E-Bao" is a comprehensive service platform and supports all types of insurance transactions, calculations, benefit illustrations, training and communication, and knowledge sharing. Everpro ranks among the top three insurance brokers in China. 2017 marked its sixth year in operation. Its rapid development in recent years has brought new business premiums worth RMB1.78 billion, up 123% YoY, and its MDRT members have grown to 1,232, up 96% YoY and ranking 9th globally. "Everpro's ranking in MDRT membership numbers continues to rise. We are 9th in the world as of 2018, far outpacing our peers. We owe this achievement to our customized professional training strategies," commented a spokesperson for Everpro. "eBaoCloud is a powerful technology engine with extensive proven client success cases domestically and abroad. With the connectivity and enablement capabilities provided by eBaoCloud, Everpro E-Bao enables us to provide our clients with more convenient, efficient and quality services, and it will greatly facilitate communicatio and knowledge sharing between our business team members."



"It is an honor for eBaoTech to partner with Everpro, provide key technologies and consulting services and support Everpro to carry out its strategies. eBaoCloud is designed as an open technology engine based on API and cloud-native architecture for insurance carriers, traditional channels, new affinity partners, and FinTech/InsureTech companies, to foster the industry's innovation and business growth," said Dr. Mo Woody Mo, President of eBaoTech. "We will continue to pursue our company mission of 'make insurance easy' when the industry is moving to the digital age." About Everpro Insurance Brokers

Founded in May 2011, Everpro is a national, comprehensive insurance broker headquartered in Beijing and is approved by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission. Everpro had a registered capital of RMB80 million as of 2016. In November 2014, Everpro Insurance Brokers Co., Ltd. of Taiwan invested in the company. Since its establishment, Everpro has been dedicated to providing top-notch professional broker services through its steady and active operations. It has 16 branches in Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Tianjin, Suzhou, Shandong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Sichuan, Hubei, Fujian, Henan, and Heilongjiang. As of 2018, the company had a network of 41 outlets and business offices, laying a solid foundation for serving a broader range and distribution of clients. Please visit http://www.eplbks.com/ for more information.

About eBaoTech

eBaoTech is a digital solution provider to the global insurance industry and our mission is to "make insurance easy". We do business in more than 30 countries globally, serving over 200 carriers and numerous agents, brokers, InsurTech's and others in the insurance ecosystem. Digital insurance is the coming wave and the insurance industry is moving into the API economy. eBaoTech provides solutions and services that enable digital insurance. eBaoTech has been dedicated to insurtech innovation since its founding in 2000. In 2001, eBaoTech developed world's first browser/server based insurance core system suite, leading the advent and adoption of Java-based 3G insurance IT. In 2015 eBaoTech launched the world's first distributed, cloud-native and microservices based 4G insurance platform, that provides a complete set of insurance APIs across an insurance policy's full lifecycle. eBaoTech offers a cloud based solution that enables digital insurance and enterprise level core system insurance software. We make insurance easy. More information, please visit www.ebaotech.com. SOURCE eBaoTech

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Thailand's National Innovation Agency in Collaboration with True Digital Park Unveils Bangkok Cybertech District as a Global Centre for High Technology and Innovation

First Startup Thailand Centre also scheduled to open at True Digital Park inside Bangkok CyberTech District BANGKOK, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Innovation Agency (NIA) of Thailand and True Digital Park announced the launch of Bangkok CyberTech District, an innovation district based in the Punnawithi area of Bangkok. The neighbourhood is set to provide a major comprehensive startup ecosystem for both domestic and international startups while proactively positioning Thailand as a global hub for digital innovation. Dr. Suwit Maesincee, Minister of Science and Technology, said, "As the pace of technology accelerates and global startup rates are surging, the National Innovation Agency under Ministry of Science and Technology of Thailand has been establishing pilot innovation districts in Bangkok and other provinces across the country. These districts are aimed at creating technology-centric ecosystems that offer startup firms full support on business administrative aspects and clustering them to facilitate long-term economic development and productivity. The NIA, as assigned by the ministry, will take responsibility for implementing a strategic plan to promote the area-based innovation that contributes to economic growth through solutions and new opportunities that allow startups to better compete in the global market, and forge partnerships with private sectors for several projects that help improve the country's competitiveness." Mr. Thanasorn Jaidee, President of True Digital Park, revealed, "True Group is committed to developing innovation and amenities that help Thaiand achieve its digitalization mission. Following the Digital Thailand government policy, the partnership between True Group and the National Innovation Agency reflects strong cooperation between the public and private sectors in transforming the ever-growing Punnawithi zone in Bangkok into a digital-centric lifestyle centre and an open innovation platform that will drive the country towards Thailand 4.0."



"Bangkok CyberTech District will bring together capital, knowledge and talents to help businesses thrive and be able to compete globally. At Bangkok CyberTech District in Punnawithi zone, corporates and startups will be exposed to amazing talents and inspiring figures from around the globe to foster knowledge-sharing and digital innovation within an ideal environment. We are certain that this designated area will be a game-changer for Thailand's economy and become a world's centre for digital innovation," Mr. Thanasorn added. Powered by True Digital Park, Bangkok CyberTech District looks to attract global tech giants that aim to set up their offices or experience centres in Thailand, as well as startups and entrepreneurs focusing on IoT, Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, e-Commerce, Creative Content, Gaming, FinTech, AgriTech, HealthTech and more. The hub is projected to become home to leading accelerators, incubators, VCs and investors from the around the world, initiating programs and workshops that harness startup businesses while empowering startup community at the regional level. The government's one-stop service centres will also be established within the district to support corporates and startups, and provide a range of services to attract foreign investors to Thailand.

The President of True Digital Park continued, "Bangkok CyberTech District's strategic location is one of the major factors that will contribute to its continued growth. Punnawithi is one of the best places to start a tech business at in Southeast Asia. For the past few years, the area has seen a rising number of real estate development, residences, office buildings and shopping complexes, resulting in an increase of working and residential population -- both Thai and foreigners. The neighbourhood is also a major access point to various transportation options and main roads, such as the Sukhumvit-Line SkyTrain and Sukhumvit Road." The National Innovation Agency also collaborates with Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) and True Digital Park to concurrently establish Startup Thailand Centre on a 200 square-metre space of True Digital Park inside Bangkok CyberTech District. The centre will provide diverse services and benefits as well as facilities to attract startups, investors and talents from around the world to invest and set up their business operations in Thailand. The Startup Thailand Centre will include co-working space, event space, private offices and a special platform to promote and support new startups. Bangkok CyberTech District is intended to attract startups mostly from Singapore, Japan and China. NIA expects that Thailand will have welcomed over 1,000 startups and develop more than 5,000 professionals and experts by 2021, which will contribute to better employment opportunities, long-term economic growth, and an improved perspective of Thailand's contribution to the global digital landscape. To reinforce Bangkok CyberTech District's position in the global smart city community, representatives from NIA and True Digital Park are scheduled to attend Smart City Expo World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, Spain on 13-15 November 2018. Both agencies will promote awareness on Bangkok CyberTech District as the most comprehensive startup ecosystem in the Southeast Asian region that powers Thailand to become a global hub for digital innovation, as well as gain a holistic understanding and critical reflection of different smart cities all over the world. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181113/2297987-1 SOURCE True Digital Park

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] ClassNK and TUV Rheinland Sign Partnership Agreement for Cybersecurity Services

TOKYO, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading classification society ClassNK and TUV Rheinland have concluded a worldwide partnership agreement for cybersecurity services. ClassNK is a classification society which carries out surveys to help ensure the safety of vessels and marine structures, and has many achievements involving the certification of ship equipment. TUV Rheinland is a global leader in testing, inspection and certification services providing digital services for safety, cybersecurity and privacy. Earlier, ClassNK and TUV Rheinland built a cooperative relationship through the signing of partnership agreements in 2012 for wind turbine certification and in 2015 for test and product certification. With their most recent partnership agreement, both parties have agreed to comprehensively collaborate in jointly developing and delivering a cybersecurity certification scheme for the maritime industry. Utilizing the knowledge and strength from the services they each provide, they will collaborate globally in the field of cybersecurity in order to further ensure the safety of vessels. Under the agreement, ClassNK will first team up with TUV Rheinland to work on the cybersecurity guidelines that target onboard software currently being developed by the society. This partnership will also bring efficient and pragmatic cybersecurity certification services to meet the maritime sector's needs. ClassNK President and CEO Koichi Fujiwara said, "I am pleased to be able to further strengthen our collaborative relationship with TUV Rheinland. Digital transformation is changing the way that business is conducted and offering more opportunities, while cybersecurity is an essential factor to its promotion and adoption in the maritime industry. Through the new partnership, we will do everything possible to overcome the cybersecurity challenges of the industry by combining TUV Rheinland's bundant expertise and our society's accumulated knowledge and experience on management systems for ship operations as well as the structure, machinery and other components of ships themselves."



TUV Rheinland's Chairman Dr. Michael Fubi said, "Combining our expertise and experience in Industrial Services and Information Technology (IT), Operational Technology (OT) and cybersecurity, we are one of the few organizations developing deep capabilities to offer this level of cybersecurity expertise to maritime industry which is concerned with the safety on-board vessel, compliance with regulatory requirements for cybersecurity, risk assessment and certification. The priority for TUV Rheinland is to continue delivering its mature cybersecurity services to maritime sector across the globe to protect shareholder investment from cyberattacks and strengthen confidence of regulators and governments." About ClassNK

Established in 1899, ClassNK is a world-leading classification society. As a non-profit, independent organization, its mission is to safeguard life and property at sea whilst protecting the marine environment. It offers a wide range of services that encompass every aspect of ship classification from the development of technical rules and guidelines to the approval of ship designs, and the survey and registration of vessels and installations. Boasting roughly 20% of the world's merchant fleet on its register and over 130 offices located across 50 nations, ClassNK provides indispensable infrastructure to the maritime industry. Website: www.classnk.com About TUV Rheinland TUV Rheinland is a global leader in independent inspection services, founded 145 years ago. The group maintains a worldwide presence of more than 20,000 people; annual turnover is nearly EUR 2 billion. The independent experts stand for quality and safety for people, technology and the environment in nearly all aspects of life. TUV Rheinland inspects technical equipment, products and services, oversees projects, and helps to shape processes and information security for companies. Its experts train people in a wide range of careers and industries. To this end, TUV Rheinland employs a global network of approved labs, testing and education centers. Since 2006, TUV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact to promote sustainability and combat corruption. Website: www.tuv.com Digital Transformation & Cybersecurity For over 20 years, TUV Rheinland's Digital Transformation & Cybersecurity Business Stream has been helping companies from various industries, government agencies and public institutions to use innovative technologies securely. With nearly 1,000 consultants worldwide, our experts have a high level of industry knowledge about digital transformation and cybersecurity. Our digital transformation service portfolio includes innovative solutions in the areas of intelligent data, critical infrastructures and networked solutions. In an increasingly vulnerable world of networked systems and devices, our cybersecurity solutions aim to combine security and data protection. Our team carries out cybersecurity tests, industrial security tests and data protection tests on the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud infrastructures, among others. TUV Rheinland has a worldwide network of more than one hundred laboratories, which support manufacturers with a single source for product safety, cybersecurity and data protection. SOURCE TUV Rheinland

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] The first construction AI debuts at RIB's 6th iTWO World Conference

GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- RIB Software SE, the world's leading provider of iTWO 5D BIM Cloud enterprise platform technology for the building, construction and infrastructure industry, successfully hosted its annual global community and partner event, the 6th iTWO World Conference. The world's first artificial intelligence engineer, McTWO, made its debut at the conference, which is a significant milestone since the company announced at last year's conference its strategy to enter the artificial intelligence era. The conference hosted over 800 industry leaders and iTWO partners from 26 countries in the construction ecosystem, including contractors, real estate developers, material suppliers, governments, consulting companies, universities, as well as cloud managed services providers. Mr. Tom Wolf, Chairman nd CEO of RIB, kicked off the event with his keynote "McTWO meets Bauhaus". He related construction digitalization transformation to the revolutionary spirit of Bauhaus and raised the concept of Bauhaus 4.0, in which construction should combine art, function and digitalization. RIB has been the pioneer of construction digitalization, leading the industry from the desktop 5D BIM era to the cloud era, and now to the artificial intelligence era with its first AI solution, McTWO. McTWO can support onsite engineers on their daily tasks and dive deep into the project data to provide smart analytics and insights for construction management, bringing unprecedented productivity increase. The company's enterprise cloud solution MTWO, launched in collaboration with Microsoft in April this year, will become the main data pool for McTWO to grow, as it connects all players and jobs to the integrated platform.



Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman & CEO of Schneider Electric; Alain Crozier, Corporate Vice President, Chairman and CEO of Greater China Region of Microsoft; Dr. Rudiger Grube, former CEO of Deutsche Bahn AG; and another 30+ thought leaders from the world's leading companies, delivered in-depth presentations on enterprise digitalization, future technologies, modular construction and 6D facility management, providing rich digital transformation real-world case studies and insights. About RIB Group

RIB Software SE is an innovator in construction business. The company creates, develops and offers cutting-edge digital technologies for construction enterprises worldwide. Its flagship product iTWO 4.0 is the world's first 5D BIM enterprise cloud solution for construction companies, industrial companies, developers and project owners.

Website: https://www.itwo.com/en/

Contact: Fiona Wang, [email protected], Tel: +86 (20) 2806-9729 Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181113/2297864-1 SOURCE RIB Software SE

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Cyient Signs MoU with TASK to Promote Innovation and Skill Enhancement for Youth

The alliance with Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) will help improve employability and leadership skills for engineering students HYDERABAD, India, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyient, a global provider of engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, networks, digital, and operations management solutions to global industry leaders today signed an MoU with the Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) to collaborate on skill-building and to improve employability for engineering students by imparting technical and soft skills trainings for the students. The primary objective of this industry-academia partnership is to leverage Cyient's engineering expertise to create a pool of skilled workforce in Telangana that are equipped to meet industry needs. The two organizations will work toward setting up a "train-and-hire" model for fourth-year students of mechanical, electrical, electronics, and aeronautical domains in TASK registered engineering colleges. Cyient has designed various training modules across these domains to help students get practical industry exposure. The partnership with TASK is aligned with Cyient's strong focus on skill development and opens up significant opportunities for creating value in the field of engineering education for students and faculty. Speaking on the occasion, Ramanand Puttige, Vice President, HR at yient, said, "We are excited about this partnership. Industries are facing a challenge in getting skilled engineers, and this tie-up with TASK is part of our ongoing endeavor to promote the technical and leadership skill enhancement for a future-ready workforce. We are confident that our industry-relevant courses, designed by experts, along with a world-class curriculum for upskilling the faculty will provide the much-needed fillip to the youth of Telangana and help the industry get access to a ready talent pool."



Speaking on the occasion, Sujiv Nair, CEO, Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) said, "We strongly believe that the industry-academic partnership bridges gaps and ensures students stay relevant to the ever-changing requirements of the digital world. This partnership with Cyient not only offers unique industry-relevant skilling and placement opportunities for students, while the specially curated Faculty Development Programs will also enrich the skill sets of the faculty on emerging technologies." About Cyient:

Cyient (Estd: 1991, NSE: CYIENT) provides engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, networks, digital, and operations management solutions to global industry leaders. Cyient leverages the power of digital technology and advanced analytics capabilities, along with their domain knowledge and technical expertise, to help clients solve complex business problems. As a Design, Build, maintain partner that takes solution ownership across the value chain, Cyient empowers its clients to focus on their core, innovate, and stay ahead of the curve. Relationships form the core of how Cyient works. With a client-centric approach and a workforce of more than 15,000 in 21 countries, Cyient combines global delivery with proximity to its clients to function as their extended team. Cyient's industry focus includes aerospace and defense, medical, telecommunications, rail transportation, semiconductor, utilities, industrial, energy and natural resources. For more information, please visit www.cyient.com Follow news about the company at @Cyient About TASK Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) was established by the Government of Telangana, to enhance the employability quotient of the youth in the state and to enrich the synergy among institutions of Government, Industry & Academia. Over 557 colleges in the Telangana state are registered with TASK and it offers skilling programs for students and faculty in line with the industry requirement. For more information, visit www.task.telangana.gov.in For further media inquiries, please write to [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/289359/cyient_logo.jpg

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] AddUp and ESI Group intensify their collaboration by presenting "Distortion Simulation AddOn" at Formnext 2018

Regulatory News: At the Formnext 2018 trade show, AddUp and ESI (News - Alert) Group (Paris:ESI) will be presenting "Distortion Simulation AddOn," an ergonomic and accessible simulation module they jointly designed specifically for metal additive manufacturing. AddUp, a leader in industrial solutions for additive manufacturing, and ESI Group, a leader and pioneer of virtual prototyping solutions based on material physics, have announced the forthcoming availability of Distortion Simulation AddOn. This module will enhance the range of functionalities of the AddUp ManagerTM software for the definition and production tracking of parts in additive manufacturing. Founding members of the SOFIA project (Solution pour la Fabrication Industrielle Additive metallique - Industrial Metal Additive Manufacturing Solution), initiated in 2016 and sponsored by Bpifrance, AddUp and ESI Group have shared a common vision of metal additive manufacturing ever since their first meeting. At a time when the industrialization of additive manufacturing has become reality, simulation based on material physics, which ensures an in-depth understanding of material processes and behavior, is one of the key components to improving the competitiveness of the additive manufacturing process. Controlling manufacturing processes The optimization of process parameters is a crucial stage in the additive manufacturing process and a driver of competitive differentiation. Manufacturers, according to their specific applications, must be able to focus available machine times either on production or on process optimization. Traditionally, production validation has meant primarily producing parts, then assessing their conformity. Introducing a simulation tool, all too often limited expert users, required multiple feedback loops between different functions, creating discontinuity over the digital chain. By integrating simulation directly in the preparatory stages of additive manufacturing, Distortion Simulation AddOn brings continuity to the production process. The AddUp Manager user interface, intuitive and stable, offers the ideal working environment for defining simulation parameters, particularly for staff who are not experts in this field. "With this simulation technology we can help our customers improve their operational efficiencies and responsiveness, by significantly increasing the number of first time right parts," explains Vincent Ferreiro, CEO, AddUp. "Thanks to its accessibility, Distortion Simulation AddOn will appeal to a wide range of users, requiring only a very short learning curve. This tool will help them maximize the potential of our FormUp machines." Combined expertise has enabled AddUp and ESI Group to generate results that really matter to industry, taking all production parameters into consideration. The process is based on a succession ofsimple, guided steps. The level of detail is configurable according to customers' needs: from optimizing industrial production to verifying small series.



Simulation results allow physical characteristics of parts, displacements, strains and residual stresses, to be correlated with the feasibility criteria calculated upstream of production. This allows risks of production downtimes due to collisions of the roller or scraper to be anticipated. At the end of the process, a modified geometry is generated. Based on predicted deformations due to the process and exportable to STL format, this helps ensure geometrically compliant production. A partnership geared to industrial competitiveness

"The complementary nature of our teams and our fields of expertise, backed up by our collaboration in the SOFIA project, has enabled us to develop an industrial solution that delivers performance, predictability and competitiveness while continuing to implement innovative production methods such as additive manufacturing," comments Vincent Chaillou, COO, ESI Group. Distortion Simulation AddOn is the first milestone in the collaboration of these two leaders of the metal industry, who have gained an undisputed mastery of their respective fields. Promoting the competitiveness of the additive manufacturing industry, this first joint project confirms and reinforces the leading roles of AddUp and ESI Group. Based on complementary expertise, AddUp and ESI Group have thus firmly established their cooperation, sharing know-how and building their respective competitive strengths for the future. AddUp, with its highly open and flexible production systems, is further improving its mastery of industrial processes and the power of its software packages. ESI Group, with its background in material physics, reinforce simulation of machine behavior in metal additive manufacturing of the highest level. Distortion Simulation AddOn will be available in the spring of 2019. The collaboration will be presented on AddUp booth (3.0 C21) Wednesday November 14th at 1:30pm. About AddUp AddUp was established on April 1th 2016 when two industrial groups, Fives and Michelin, decided to create a major player in metal 3D printing. The aim of this joint venture is to let customers benefit from unique experience and expertise by developing and marketing industrial machines and production workshops based on metal additive manufacturing technology, commonly known as metal 3D printing, on a global scale. AddUp's offering includes technologies for both powder bed fusion (LBM, Laser Beam Melting) and, since acquiring BeAM in June 2018, metal powder deposition by laser (DED, Directed Energy Deposition). The company also provides services, consultancy and training to assist customers in adopting these innovative technologies. Thanks to recent stake acquisition in Poly-Shape, AddUp can now offer its customers unique access to a multi-manufacturer, multi-technology, multi-material and multi-application platform to help them determine the best technological solution for their parts production needs. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, with subsidiaries in the United States and Singapore, AddUp currently employs more than 300 members of staff. About ESI Group ESI Group is a leading innovator in Virtual Prototyping software and services. Specialist in material physics, ESI has developed a unique proficiency in helping industrial manufacturers replace physical prototypes by virtual prototypes, allowing them to virtually manufacture, assemble, test and pre-certify their future products. Coupled with the latest technologies, Virtual Prototyping is now anchored in the wider concept of the Product Performance LifecycleTM, which addresses the operational performance of a product during its entire lifecycle, from launch to disposal. The creation of Hybrid Twin (News - Alert)TM, leveraging simulation, physics and data analysis, enables manufacturers to deliver smarter and connected products, to predict product performance and to anticipate maintenance needs. ESI is a French company listed in compartment B of Euronext Paris. Present in more than 40 countries, and addressing every major industrial sector, ESI Group employs about 1200 high-level specialists around the world and reported annual sales of 135 million in 2017. For further information, go to www.esi-group.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181112005713/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] OpenStack Foundation Board Expands Mission to Host New Open Source Projects as Part of Open Infrastructure Transformation

OpenStack Summit Berlin - The board of directors of the OpenStack Foundation (OSF) today adopted a resolution advancing a new governance framework supporting the organization's investment in emerging use cases for OpenStack and open infrastructure. These include continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), container infrastructure, edge computing, datacenter and, newly added, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML). The board resolution, approved in a meeting held in Berlin on Monday, authorizes the officers of the OSF to select and incubate Pilot projects. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005317/en/ The board resolution provides a framework to support integration of new open source infrastructure technologies that are complementary to the OpenStack software project while hosted and governed independently. (Photo: Business Wire) This new governance framework broadens the OSF's mission to serve developers, users and the open infrastructure ecosystem. It does this by providing a set of shared resources to build community, facilitate collaboration among users and support integration of open source infrastructure technologies that are complementary to the OpenStack software project while hosted and governed independently. The framework is designed to help new projects progress from the 'Pilot' to 'Confirmed' phases. Under the framework, new projects must be relevant to the open infrastructure community and its open source integration strategy. The first four Pilot projects are Airship, Kata Containers, StarlingX and Zuul. *** Learn more about the new governance structure in Superuser and at the Foundation Town Hall session at OpenStack Summit Berlin. ***



Current Pilot Projects Airship: Lifecycle management; undercloud for OpenStack, Kubernetes, MaaS

Kata Containers: Secure, lightweight CRI (News - Alert) compatible virtualized containers

StarlingX: Edge computing platform

Zuul: CI/CD multi-project gating system "The open infrastructure strategy and new governance framework reflect the voice of our users," said Alan Clark (News - Alert), chairman of the OSF board of directors. "We conducted research to explore the role of open source foundations in supporting users, and respondents voiced a preference for governance that makes production use of the software easier. Our new governance framework makes clear our support of that objective by formalizing the process for hosting a diversity of open infrastructure projects as well as by collaborating with other communities who share our open source vision."

"When the OpenStack project launched in 2010, few people imagined use cases for cloud as diverse as edge, containers, AI and machine learning," said Jonathan Bryce, executive director of the OSF. "These changes embrace a bigger vision, one that supports these use cases and the new demands they place on underlying infrastructure with open communities and technologies." An Evolution Driven by User Needs The governance structure changes have been more than a year in the making. At the Sydney Summit in November 2017 OSF Executive Director Jonathan Bryce kicked off his keynote address by identifying integration as the biggest barrier to open source adoption. He described the community's four-fold strategy to serve as "an integration engine for open infrastructure": Documenting cross-project use cases, identifying the challenges users face; Encouraging cross-community collaboration, including upstream contributions to other open source projects; Fill technology gaps by fostering new projects; and Coordinating end-to-end testing across projects. The OSF then began to support new open infrastructure pilot projects, each with its own technical governance, contributors and branding, alongside the OpenStack software project. The first, in December 2017, was Kata Containers, which was followed during the first half of 2018 by Zuul, Airship, and StarlingX. Learnings from the launch of these pilot projects, community feedback and market research guided the development of the new project governance framework. Additionally, the open infrastructure focus will be evident in a branding update to the twice-annual international summit. Effective with the Denver Summit, April 29 - May 1, 2019, the event will be branded the "Open Infrastructure Summit." This name change reflects how the event has evolved to encompass new open infrastructure projects, the original OpenStack software project, and collaborative projects not managed by the OSF. This transformation has been ongoing since the Boston Summit in 2017, and its growth is evident in the agenda of the Berlin Summit, where more than 35 projects hosted by the OSF and other organizations are participating. The Four Opens: Successfully Managing Open Infrastructure Projects The OSF has a set of guiding principles-The Four Opens-that are used to inform and shape decisions and manage projects, both pilot and confirmed. The OSF staff has drafted an e-book on The Four Opens and invites members of the open infrastructure community to contribute to the project. For more information, visit openstack.org/four-opens. About OpenStack Summit Berlin Attendees from more than 50 countries are at OpenStack Summit Berlin this week, interacting with speakers from industry-leading companies and discussing innovation in open infrastructure including edge computing, CI/CD, artificial intelligence (AI), network functions virtualization (NFV) and container infrastructure, as well as public, private and hybrid cloud strategies. Browse the OpenStack Summit agenda featuring sessions from more than 35 open source projects. About the OpenStack Foundation (OSF) The OpenStack Foundation (OSF) supports the development and adoption of open infrastructure globally, across a community of 100,000 individuals in 187 countries, by hosting open source projects and communities of practice, including datacenter cloud, edge computing, NFV, CI/CD and container infrastructure. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005317/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] OpenStack Spotlights New and Growing Users, Strong Contributor Metrics at Berlin Summit

OpenStack Summit - New OpenStack users Metronom, Oerlikon ManMade Fibers, SBAB Bank, UK Science & Technology and Volkswagen Financial Services join veteran OpenStack users with growing deployments speaking at the Berlin Summit. Their presentations demonstrate how open infrastructure is reaching new markets, including 5G, edge computing, industrial internet of things (IIoT) and high performance computing (HPC). The 2018 OpenStack User Survey Report, released today, documents more than 10 million computing cores running OpenStack in over 60 countries and a growing number of OpenStack bare metal clouds fueled by Kubernetes adoption. OpenStack is one of the three most active open source projects, alongside the Linux kernel and Chromium, with 70,000 commits in the last year, and an average of 182 changes per day during the OpenStack Rocky cycle specifically. A packed schedule of new OpenStack users speaking at the Berlin Summit includes: Metronom , the IT supplier for Metro AG, a wholesaler operating in 25 countries, sharing its experience with OpenStack and how open source influences its internal culture.

, the IT supplier for Metro AG, a wholesaler operating in 25 countries, sharing its experience with OpenStack and how open source influences its internal culture. Oerlikon ManMade Fibers , a machine manufacturer for the textile industry, detailing its OpenStack-based edge computing architecture and how it enables customers to output millions of tons of fibers from geotextiles to fibers so thin that one 15kg bobbin can stretch from Earth to the moon and back.

, a machine manufacturer for the textile industry, detailing its OpenStack-based edge computing architecture and how it enables customers to output millions of tons of fibers from geotextiles to fibers so thin that one 15kg bobbin can stretch from Earth to the moon and back. SBAB Bank , Sweden's fifth largest bank, sharing how OpenStack enables digital speed and flexibility using City Cloud for Bank & Finance, powered by a managed private cloud.

, Sweden's fifth largest bank, sharing how OpenStack enables digital speed and flexibility using City Cloud for Bank & Finance, powered by a managed private cloud. The UK's Science and Technology Facilities Council , which provides around 4,000 vCPU cores and supports thousands of scientists, sharing its OpenStack upgrade story about upgrading from Mitaka to Queens.

, which provides around 4,000 vCPU cores and supports thousands of scientists, sharing its OpenStack upgrade story about upgrading from Mitaka to Queens. Volkswagen Financial Services, joining Verizon (News - Alert) on an industry panel discussing data protection and their strategy for leveraging OpenStack and container technologies to serve both persistent and non-persistent workloads. Jonathan Bryce, executive director of the OpenStack Foundation, highlighted OpenStack's growth and its role in addressing these emerging use cases during the Summit's opening keynotes Tuesday morning. "Open infrastructure couldn't happen without a solid platform that can integrate the tools you need. OpenStack is that platform," Bryce said. "Open infrastructure starts with OpenStack." More users presenting sessions during the three-day conference include: AT&T (News - Alert) , demonstrating its standards-based 5G cmmercial deployment and how it is born in the cloud. AT&T's presentation highlights how OpenStack and Airship deliver open infrastructure to power AT&T's new 5G Core, enabling 5G deployment today.

, demonstrating its standards-based 5G cmmercial deployment and how it is born in the cloud. AT&T's presentation highlights how OpenStack and Airship deliver open infrastructure to power AT&T's new 5G Core, enabling 5G deployment today. Leboncoin, the fifth the most visited website in France, and BMW, discussing why they rely on Zuul, the CI/CD platform built by the OpenStack community and now available to everyone.

the fifth the most visited website in France, and discussing why they rely on Zuul, the CI/CD platform built by the OpenStack community and now available to everyone. China UnionPay, sharing the results of a big data joint-collaboration project with China Fudan University.

sharing the results of a big data joint-collaboration project with China Fudan University. eBay (News - Alert) Classifieds Group, discussing how they updated their 80,000-core private cloud for Spectre and Meltdown with an automated process using Ansible Playbooks and OpenStack APIs. Additional OpenStack users discussing security include NASA Goddard's NASA Center for Climate Simulation and the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre .

discussing how they updated their 80,000-core private cloud for Spectre and Meltdown with an automated process using Ansible Playbooks and OpenStack APIs. Additional OpenStack users discussing security include and the . Oath , guiding a hands-on workshop around upgrading an OpenStack environment based on its experience upgrading at massive scale. In addition, Adobe (News - Alert) Advertising Cloud and OVH will share their OpenStack upgrade journeys.

, guiding a hands-on workshop around upgrading an OpenStack environment based on its experience upgrading at massive scale. In addition, and will share their OpenStack upgrade journeys. Volkswagen , citing huge benefits in cost savings in using private cloud for lots of workloads and seeing OpenStack as a good way to start building that competency.

, citing huge benefits in cost savings in using private cloud for lots of workloads and seeing OpenStack as a good way to start building that competency. Workday, a leading human resources software-as-a-service solution, which has scaled its OpenStack deployment from 50,000 cores to 300,000, driven by the demand of rapid customer growth and increased security needs.



Results of 11th OpenStack User Survey Released Today Echoing sentiments shared from the keynote stage, the 11th OpenStack User Survey Report was published today, highlighting the latest feedback and technology choices of users globally. This year, nearly 900 user deployments offer a snapshot of the project that reflects happier users, the growth of bare metal deployments and Kubernetes, adoption growing beyond IT organizations, and OpenStack as an important component of users' multi-cloud strategies.

"OpenStack is very flexible and helps us to fulfill requirements from multiple use cases within the company," said Edgar Magana, cloud operations architect at Workday, in the survey report. "It is very stable and provides a great community that is always willing to support you in any way-from features development to bug fixing." User Survey Report highlights include: Kubernetes remains the No. 1 container orchestration framework running on OpenStack

Use of OpenStack bare metal clouds is growing, fueled by Kubernetes adoption

Multi-cloud OpenStack users rely on OpenStack to power the majority of their infrastructure

The OpenStack user base continues to expand beyond IT organizations

OpenStack NPS score reflects happy users About OpenStack Summit Berlin Attendees from more than 50 countries are at OpenStack Summit Berlin this week, interacting with speakers from industry-leading companies and discussing innovation in open infrastructure including edge computing, CI/CD, artificial intelligence (AI), network functions virtualization (NFV) and container infrastructure, as well as public, private and hybrid cloud strategies. Browse the OpenStack Summit agenda featuring sessions from more than 35 open source projects. Keynote and breakout sessions from the Berlin Summit will be available at openstack.org/videos following the event. Analysts and media can contact [email protected] for registration information. About the OpenStack Foundation (OSF) The OpenStack Foundation (OSF) supports the development and adoption of open infrastructure globally, across a community of 100,000 individuals in 187 countries, by hosting open source projects and communities of practice, including datacenter cloud, edge computing, NFV, CI/CD and container infrastructure. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005311/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Worldpay and CYBG Extend Partnership to Drive Digital Transformation for UK SMBs

LONDON, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New deal set to speed up access to small business banking services and payments technology Worldpay, Inc. (NYSE: WP) (LSE: WPY), a leading payments technology company and CYBG, the UK's largest challenger bank have agreed a new five-year referral partnership bringing Worldpay's payments technology to CYBG business customers. The extended agreement gives business customers of Britain's sixth biggest bank access to a full suite of Worldpay's payments products; from traditional and mobile POS solutions to online gateway products, as well as to its leading omni-channel payments technology[1]. CYBG business customers will now also be able to access additional services through the partnership, including Worldpay's business insight tool Worldpay Business Dashboard, which harnesses the power of payments data to help optimise their business operations. Leveraging the companies' national scale, the new deal seeks to speed up the time it takes for UK SMBs to access the right technology and services needed to set up and run their business. Supporting CYBG's digital strategy, Worldpay will extend its payments technology to help deliver integrated payments services for the UK's dynamic small business sector. Through the use of APIs, CYBG and Worldpay will also create a seamless experience for new business customers, giving them quicker access to payments technology to get them selling faster. Steve Newton, Executive Vice President, UK & Europe, said: "Over the past few years we've witnessed a really positive focus on the digital transformation of retail banking services in the UK -it's imperative that financial services available to small business are not left behind by this revolution. CYBG's dedicated and industry leading services are vital for driving these changes across the British economy." He added: "Worldpay is committed to serving the needs of UK SMBs and helping them achieve their business ambitions. Through our ecosystem of partners who share our vision, Worldpay aims to reach more small businesses, giving them access to the latest payment tehnology-enabled tools and services to succeed."



Gavin Opperman, Group Customer Banking Director, said: "The completion of this new agreement marks the next phase of our partnership with Worldpay and the provision of merchant services to our customer base is an important cornerstone of our business offering as a full-service challenger bank. As well as enhancing the services available for existing customers, this will also benefit customers who change their banking provider once the RBS Business Bank Switch Scheme launches in February 2019. This is a significant opportunity to increase competition in SMB Banking and the introduction of these additional payment products with Worldpay further boosts our technology offer." Worldpay processes over 40 billion transactions annually through more than 300 payment types across 146 countries and 126 currencies. In the UK, the company supports over 300,000 small businesses offering them payments technology and services to help them grow their business and sell more.

CYBG PLC is the UK's sixth biggest Bank offering a true alternative to the status quo in banking. Operating under the Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank, B and Virgin Money brands, ambition is to offer the best service in UK banking, providing customers with market-leading functionality and innovative products, supported by robust technology and a first-class personal customer experience. Now the UK's sixth biggest bank, we boast genuine full-service retail and SMB capabilities. We offer a true alternative to the status quo in banking. References: 1. The Forrester Wave: Global Merchant Payment Providers, Q4 2018 About Worldpay Worldpay, Inc. (NYSE: WP; LSE: WPY) is a leading payments technology company with unique capability to power global omni-commerce. With an integrated technology platform, Worldpay offers a comprehensive suite of products and services, delivered globally through a single provider. Worldpay processes over 40 billion transactions annually, supporting more than 300 payment types across 146 countries and 126 currencies. The company is focused on expanding into high-growth markets and customer segments, including global eCommerce, integrated payments and B2B. Visit us at www.worldpay.com About CYBG CYBG PLC is the UK's sixth biggest bank offering a true alternative to the status quo in banking. Operating under the Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank, B and Virgin Money brands, we are the only Bank outside the 'Big 5' that boasts a genuine full-service retail and SME capability. We serve over six million customers across the UK through an omni-channel model of online, mobile and telephone banking and we have a national network of 250 branches and business banking centres. Our ambition is to offer the best service in UK banking, providing customers with market-leading functionality and innovative products, supported by robust technology and a first class, personal customer experience. In February 2016, we completed our IPO from National Australia Bank, regaining our independence for the first time in almost 100 years. CYBG completed the acquisition of Virgin Money on 15 October 2018, enhancing the Bank's scale and national footprint. For more information please contact: Worldpay, Inc. Claire Hardy

[email protected]

+44-(0)203-664-2117 Siobhan Acha Derrington

[email protected]

+44-(0)203-664-4822 Rebecca Mansfield

[email protected]

+44-(0)20-067-0855 CYBG Plc Christina Kelly

[email protected]

+44-(0)7748-490-5358

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Marsh to Combine Its Specialty Unit with JLT Specialty to Form New Business Called Marsh-JLT Specialty

Marsh, a global leader in insurance broking and innovative risk management solutions, today announced the formation of Marsh-JLT Specialty. Marsh-JLT Specialty will be a new specialty business within Marsh that combines the specialty teams of Marsh and Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc (JLT), effective upon closing of the transaction between Marsh's parent company, Marsh & McLennan Companies and JLT, which remains subject to the receipt of certain antitrust and financial regulatory approvals. "It's exciting to begin planning for the integration of Marsh and JLT. With the formation of Marsh-JLT Specialty, we will be well positioned to grow our specialty business through the combined value proposition of the two firms," said John Doyle, President and CEO of Marsh. "While our brand is Marsh, Marsh-JLT Specialty will leverage the exceptional reputations of both firms' specialty units with clients that require specialized products and services." In addition to becoming Vice Chairman of Marsh & McLennan Companies and a member of the Marsh & McLennan Executive Committee, Dominic Burke, currently CEO of JLT Group, will become Chairman of Marsh-JLT Specialty. He will continue to be located in London. Lucy Clarke, CEO of JLT Specialty, will become President, Marsh-JLT Specialty reporting to Mr. Doyle. In this London-based role, Ms. Clarke will be directly responsible for Marsh-JLT Specialty's Energy, Credit, Marine, Financial and Professional, Private Equity and M&A (PEMA), Construction, and Aerospace business worldwide. Ms. Clarke will become a member of the Marsh Executive Committee. Mark Drummond Brady, Deputy Group CEO of JLT Group, will become Vice Chairman of Marsh, reporting to Mr. Doyle. He will continue to be located in London. Mr. Drummond Brady will become a member of the Marsh Executive Committee. Dean Klisura will be named President, Marsh Global Placement. In this capacity, Mr. Klisura will be responsible for placement protocols and standards across all lines within Marsh. He will also lead the non-specialty placement operations of Marsh, including Bowring Marsh and existing multi-line placement hubs. Mr. Klisura will continue to repor to Mr. Doyle and serve as a member of the Marsh Executive Committee. Mr. Klisura is located in New York.



Mr. Burke commented: "I am proud of what JLT's people, brand and experience can offer the specialty clients of Marsh and JLT, bringing together the best of our two firms. I look forward to working with Marsh colleagues on a successful integration and in leading this industry in exceptional client service and risk expertise through Marsh-JLT Specialty." About Marsh

A global leader in insurance broking and innovative risk management solutions, Marsh's 30,000 colleagues advise individual and commercial clients of all sizes in over 130 countries. Marsh is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC), the leading global professional services firm in the areas of risk, strategy and people. With annual revenue over US$14 billion and nearly 65,000 colleagues worldwide, MMC helps clients navigate an increasingly dynamic and complex environment through four market-leading firms. In addition to Marsh, MMC is the parent company of Guy Carpenter, Mercer, and Oliver Wyman. Follow Marsh on Twitter (News - Alert) @MarshGlobal; LinkedIn; Facebook; and YouTube, or subscribe to BRINK. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005474/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] HGC extends cloud service offerings to Africa by collaborating with SAWASAWA

HONG KONG, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC), a fully-fledged fixed-line operator and ICT service provider with extensive local and international network coverage and infrastructure, today announced a move to extend its cloud service offerings to Africa by collaborating with SAWASAWA, a leading African Application Service Provider. The two companies plan to provide customer organisations with a comprehensive portfolio of telecommunications, Blockchain and IoT Implementations, as well as cloud compute and storage services. HGC reaches further into Africa to serve multi-cloud environments Digital transformation, along with dramatic advances in technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, data analytics, big data exchange and application programming interface (API) have given rise to a trend in building hybrid IT systems. These streamline operations by combining mission critical cloud and on-premise systems. By collaborating, HGC and SAWASAWA will be able to offer customers a greater variety of value-added products and services. Companies of all sizes will benefit from feature-rich cloud services in areas such as advanced data security, mobile and micro-payment APIs, network connectivity and scalable storage capacity. This industry evolution began in Kenya, the technology hub for East and Central Africa, and provides an opportunity for HGC and SAWASAWA to develop a platform from which existing and prospective corporate customers can expand into Africa's addressable markets and other geographical areas. HGC and SAWASAWA plan expansion of cloud service offerings As a leading international carrier and ICT service provider, HGC offers a full suite of end-to-end solutions meeting international standards that can bedelivered to organisations in Africa. HGC guarantees data sovereignty, along with superfast and ultra-low latency network access to facilitate sustainable technological development in Africa. HGC is also experienced as a pioneer in identifying untapped market opportunities.



Meanwhile, SAWASAWA presides over one of Africa's most innovative IT service portfolios, offering software development, hosting infrastructure design and implementation as well as micro-payments and blockchain solutions. By joining forces, SAWASAWA and HGC are able to offer end to end solutions leveraging our combined strengths and competencies. Ravindran Mahalingam, Senior Vice President for HGC's International Business said: "This collaboration helps further reinforce our position in Africa's telecommunications industry at the same time as expanding our international presence. HGC and SAWASAWA will help create more business opportunities for local and regional corporations by providing them with a comprehensive range of leading-edge telecommunications and cloud services."

Kagotho Kamau, Chief of Engineering at SAWASAWA said: "We are pleased to announce today's news and believe that this collaboration will provide a boost for Africa's rapidly growing demand for innovative and ground breaking technology, required to solve business challenges unique to the African continent. HGC's expertise and proven track record combined with our strong presence in Africa makes us confident this collaboration will be a great success." About HGC Global Communications Limited HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC) is a leading Hong Kong and international fixed-line operator. The company owns an extensive network and infrastructure in Hong Kong and overseas and provides various kinds of services. It provides telecom infrastructure service to other operators and serves as a service provider to corporate and households. The company provides full-fledged telecom, data centre services, ICT solutions and broadband services for local, overseas, corporate and mass markets. HGC owns and operates an extensive fibre-optic network, four cross-border telecom routes integrated into tier-one telecom operators in mainland China and connects with hundreds of world-class international telecom operators. HGC is one of Hong Kong's largest Wi-Fi service providers, running over 29,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong. The company is committed to further investing and enriching its current infrastructure and, in parallel, adding on top the latest technologies and developing its infrastructure services and solutions. HGC is a portfolio company of I Squared Capital, an independent global infrastructure investment manager focusing on energy, utilities and transport in North America, Europe and selected fast-growing economies. To learn more, please visit HGC's website at: www.hgc.com.hk View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hgc-extends-cloud-service-offerings-to-africa-by-collaborating-with-sawasawa-300748985.html SOURCE HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC)

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Bithumb Holds Its Fifth Anniversary Event

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The global cryptocurrency stock exchange Bithumb is holding its third commemorative event in celebration of its fifth anniversary. The 'Super Airdrop Festival' event has two parts, the Login Event and Air Drop Event, and is open to anyone who is a Bithumb member to participate. Members can participate in the Login Event until December 11th by logging into Bithumb and clicking on the enter event button. In this event, 15 Bitcoins (valued at USD 97,789 as of today) will be provided to one winner, who will be selected by lottery after the event has conclude. The winner is scheduled to be announced on December 24th. In the Air Drop Event, prize money is given to top 500 members with the greatest amount of accrued transactions in the previous week. As for prize money, 7 Bitcoins will be given to first place (1 person), 100 Ethereum coins for the second place (4 people), and 8,000 Ripple coins for the third place (10 people) every Wednesday.



In addition, Bithumb is selling a coupon for 10,000 KRW that allows holders to use Jet Cash, Monero, Dash, Bitcoin Gold, OmiseGO (total of 5 Coins) for free for one hour. The Air Drop Event will continue, and further announcements will be made on the event conclusion date.

Furthermore, Bithumb plans to extend the new membership event that it has been holding since last month for foreign members. Bithumb will give out 20,000 Bithumb cash for those who sign up for membership and pay for 20,000 KRW (based on Bithumb cash) worth of transactions within the event period, from November 15th to December 19th. According to Head of Marketing Department of Bithumb, Andy Choi, "Interest towards not just Bitcoin and Ethereum, but cryptocurrency as a whole is increasing worldwide." He also stated that "We are happy to hold various events in return to the support from Bithumb members who always trust and use our service." On the other hand, Bithumb joined forces with a US-based fintech company SeriesOne on the 31st of last month and plans to build a stock-type token exchange in the US during the first half of next year. It is strengthening its position as a global firm specializing in block chain by also opening a decentralized exchange site 'Bithumb DEX' on the 15th of last month through its foreign subsidiary. For inquiries, please email at [email protected] / +82-2-6978-7156 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bithumb-holds-its-fifth-anniversary-event-300749000.html SOURCE Bithumb

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Mango Health Appoints Yadin Shemmer CEO

Mango Health, the leading digital medication management platform, today announced the promotion of Yadin Shemmer as Chief Executive Officer. Shemmer has served for the past year as President of Mango Health, and this transition has been planned with care as the company embarks upon its next stage of growth. Shemmer, the former President of the Consumer division at Everyday Health (NYSE: EVDY), is a seasoned leader with unique experience in scaling a commercial business while keeping the consumer forefront in mind. As President at Everyday Health, Shemmer oversaw the consumer business which serves 50 million patients each month and hundreds of manufacturer, hospital, and payer clients. Prior to his time at Everyday Health, Shemmer co-founded Endeavour Health, a physician network and appointments platform based in the United Kingdom. "The U.S. spends roughly $2.7 trillion annually caring for the 150 million patients who have at least one chronic disease. This spend is more than the GDP of most countries. No matter how often you hear these figures, they are astonishing," said Shemmer. "Engaging and educating patients in the appropriate use of medications is critical in improving adherence and in reducing the cost of care. Mango Health has built the definitive, daily mobile experience centered around medications, and am excited to lead our team as we impact lives, drive outcomes, and transform the way the industry supports patients."



Jason Oberfest, founder and former CEO of Mango Health will continue to serve as founder and special advisor to the company. Oberfest founded Mango Health in 2011 with the intent to leverage his deep experience in the mobile gaming space to create a best-in-class consumer health app. "I am thrilled to have Yadin take the helm at Mango Health to spearhead the continued growth of the company. There is no question that he is the best person to move the company forward. I have had the pleasure of working alongside him for the past year, and I have all the confidence in the world in him leading Mango into the future," said Oberfest.

"We worked side-by-side with Jason and Yadin on this transition, as we understand the importance of a seamless transition for the company," said Lynne Chou O'Keefe, Mango Health board member representing Kleiner Perkins. "We appreciate the tremendous progress Mango has made under Jason's leadership, and we look forward to building on this progress with Yadin as Mango's next CEO." About Mango Health Founded in 2011, Mango Health is the leading digital medication management platform. For patients, the platform provides a critical daily support tool to help them manage medications, stay on track, and have fun in the process. For payers, the platform provides a crucial window into patients' daily lives and a platform for smart interventions. For manufacturers, the platform supports patients at each step of the patient journey: from initial prescription to first dose to ongoing daily assistance. Headquartered in San Francisco, Mango Health is backed by Kleiner Perkins, Floodgate Fund, First Round Capital, and Express Scripts Holding Company. For more information, visit https://www.mangohealth.com or email [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005105/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] ERISA Service Provider, Clarity Benefit Solutions Discusses Brokers' New Role in the Changing Employee Benefit Landscape

NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ERISA service provider, Clarity Benefit Solutions discusses brokers' new role in the changing employee benefit landscape. Tumultuous times in the health care industry means that now more than ever, employers are relying on brokers to keep health care costs under control. Brokers are doing their part by introducing a host of new products and services that employers can take advantage of to reduce healthcare costs. The landscape is also changing in that employers are looking to brokers for help in areas such as managing ACA and ERISA compliance, overseeing open enrollment, reporting, employee engagement, and new ways to educate employees about benefit packages. Forward-thinking brokers realize they have the opportunity to position themselves as strategic consultants to employers. Because of this evolving climate, brokers no longer simply serve as insurance agents. Rather, they partner with an employeracting as a strategic resource for planning strategies. They support Human Resource departments and are expers in all areas pertaining to benefits.



The benefits scene has changed for many reasons, including: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) causing anxiety and confusion in employees, Human Resource departments growing smaller and faced with more administrative tasks rather than human interaction, technology in benefits administration becoming more prevalent, and benefits plans becoming more confusing to employers and employees alike. As a result of these changes, brokers must not only possess the ability to be quick thinkers and problem solvers, they must stay abreast of emerging technology and changes in compliance. They must move beyond the traditional broker role and become experts in education, compliance, payroll, and human resources management.

Brokers who are ready to take the next step and become tops in their field should consider educating themselves on topics such as next-generation risk placement to be better prepared at recommending the right carrier, products, and benefits; outcome-driven loss prevention to advise clients on potential risks and how to avoid losses; risk marketplace with valued services (analytics); and innovative carrier solutions to develop high-impact offerings. Doing so will result in successful partnerships and continued success! About Clarity Benefit Solutions: Clarity Benefit Solutions provides technology that makes the health insurance plan selection process fast, easy, and straightforward. For over two decades, we have provided clients with industry-leading technology, compliance, and exceptional customer service. Our offering is designed to save time and lower the costs of managing benefits while also promoting employee self-service and automated ACA compliance. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/erisa-service-provider-clarity-benefit-solutions-discusses-brokers-new-role-in-the-changing-employee-benefit-landscape-300738555.html SOURCE Clarity Benefit Solutions

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] ADAMA and Pessl Instruments Signed Agreement for Global Partnership

TEL AVIV, Israel, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ADAMA, a leading global crop protection company is partnering with Pessl Instruments, a leader in the development and distribution of hardware and software for smart agriculture applications. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/610129/ADAMA_Agricultural_Solutions_Logo.jpg )

The agreement signed between the parties reflects ADAMA's intention to work with Pessl as a preferred partner. After several years of using various solutions from the METOS services portfolio ADAMA and Pessl will work together to expand their collaboration. Dani Harari, SVP Resources and Strategy at ADAMA, said: "We are happy to expand our partnership with Pessl Instruments to provide growers and ag professionals with tools that enable the effective and efficient use of agricultural inputs, an important part of every farmer's success. The combination of this advanced technology together with ADAMA's vast portfolio, global reach and deep domain expertise will further extend the value we bring to farmers all over the world. We aim to continue providing these and other valuable services and products to enable farmers to optimize yields and help them grow." Gottfried Pessl, Founder and CEO of Pessl Instruments said: "After many years of great working relationship in countries like Brazil, Ukraine, Australia, Romania etc. we are excited to announce this global partnership to increase our footprint in tangible IoT solutions for farmers. We will make available to all ADAMA partners our complete sensor technologies for weather and irrigation management, integrated software suites as well as many other exciting tools that are available in our portfolio to help farmers in risk mitigation and optimization of their farming activities. This new partnership with ADAMA and our global partnership with John Deere announced earlier this year is creating an ecosystem with unmatched services for any location on the globe."



About ADAMA: Adama Agricultural Solutions Ltd., together with Hubei Sanonda Ltd, to be known as ADAMA, is one of the world's leading crop protection companies. We strive to Create Simplicity in Agriculture - offering farmers effective products and services that simplify their lives and help them grow. With one of the most comprehensive and diversified portfolios of differentiated, quality products, our 6,600-strong team reaches farmers in over 100 countries, providing them with solutions to control weeds, insects and disease, and improve their yields. For more information, visit us at http://www.adama.com and follow us on Twitter at @AdamaAgri.

About Pessl Instruments For more than 30 years, Pessl Instruments has been offering tools for informed decision making. A complete range of wireless, solar powered monitoring systems which supports almost all communication standards roofed under the METOS brand are available to our clients worldwide. The systems, along with online platform FieldClimate.com are applicable in all climate zones and can be used in various industries and for various purposes - from agriculture to research, hydrology, meteorology, flood warning and more. Over the years, METOS has become a global brand with local support in over 85 countries including 15 own branch offices and over 200 employees. We are proud to say we managed to reach out to every corner of the world. We believe that our durable, highly precise technology and the demonstrated support from our trained partners worldwide over the last 30 years are the recipe for our global success. To find out more: http://www.metos.at Contact: Efrat Dayan

Head of Corporate Communications

E-mail: [email protected] Kristina PEKLAR

Marketing & PR

Email: [email protected] SOURCE ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Ltd

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Boyden Finds U.S. Retail & Consumer Leaders Feel Less Prepared for AI Age vs. Execs in China and Europe

Less than half (48%) of U.S. consumer & retail industry C-suite and other high-level executives feel qualified to implement AI and technology solutions at their companies, compared to 90% of UK executives and 94% of Chinese and Swiss executives who believe they are prepared, according to a new survey released today by Boyden, a premier talent and leadership advisory firm. The report, titled Boyden Senior Executive Survey: AI and the Consumer & Retail Revolution, explores the global challenges, areas of opportunity, skills necessary and the path forward for companies and senior management to compete amidst tech and AI innovations. "Most consumer and retail companies are in the throes of a massive evolution through AI and technology," said Cornelia Tanzler, Global Leader of Boyden's Consumer & Retail Practice and a Managing Partner of Boyden Switzerland. "The changes include their overall strategy; how they package, track and ship goods; how they engage with customers; and how they lead and hire for the future." "With the power of AI, Chief Technology Officers and executives who are tech savvy and analytical are going to increasingly have the influence to shape organizations in consumer and retail," added Doug Ehrenkranz, Americas Leader of Boyden's Consumer & Retail Practice and a Managing Partner of Boyden United States.



The survey includes robust data from 200 industry executives-50 U.S., 50 UK, 50 Swiss and 50 China-based-including CEOs, COOs, CDOs, CIOs and other senior executives. Additional key findings include: Knowledge and Skill Sets

Executives in China claim to be much more informed of industry changes than leaders in other countries, with 86% of Chinese executives purporting to be very well informed, compared to only 60% in the UK, and 54% in each of the U.S. and Switzerland.

Nine in 10 males feel qualified to implement technology and AI at their companies, while just two-thirds (65%) of female execs feel prepared.

To navigate AI and related transformations, U.S. executives believe analytical and critical skills will be particularly important (66% rated them "very important"), while UK execs emphasize strategic acumen; Swiss industry execs see math and statistics skills as important (60%); and those in China consider technical understanding and the ability to innovate important (58% for each skill). "In embracing digital change, companies are rethinking the way they engage with consumers, customers and partners, and changing the ways they operate from the inside out," said Rustin Richburg, Senior Vice President, US People at Walmart. "As with any large change, keeping their people engaged and involved will only help accelerate successful change." "In an age of AI and tremendous transformation, a Chief Information Officer or Chief Digital Officer's strategy, vision and creative skills to lead a company's rapid evolvement and the ability of this executive to influence other C-level executives are critical," explained Lorenz Gan, Chief Information Officer at New Era Cap and former Director of Technology Programs at Burberry. AI Privacy, Safety and Economic Opportunity Most executives believe the greater inclusion of robotics and AI in the consumer and retail industries will have a positive impact on the safety and security of consumer information (76% U.S., 100% in the UK, China and Switzerland) and on the global economy (76% U.S., 92% UK, 100% China and Switzerland).

However, 46% of Swiss execs, 40% UK and 38% in the U.S. reported being "very concerned" that the growth of AI will not be properly managed and could threaten privacy and/or personal freedoms. Strikingly only 6% of China-based execs expressed a similar level of concern. "AI is a powerful tool, trend and force to be harnessed across so many disciplines. It continues to make the global pace of change faster and the need for talent to be agile even more important," explained Anastasia Falconio, Chief People Officer, Kids II, manufacturer of Baby Einstein and Comfort & Harmony and other brands. "As with all change, it is critical we instill curiosity within the workforce on ways to engage and embrace AI vs. fear it." About Boyden Boyden is a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 65 offices in over 40 countries. Our global reach enables us to serve client needs anywhere they conduct business. We connect great companies with great leaders through executive search, interim management and leadership consulting solutions. For further information, visit www.boyden.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005038/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 12)  President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Singapore Monday night, to attend the 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits this week.

Neither the President's departure from Davao City nor his arrival in Singapore was covered by media, however, reports said his plane arrived in Changi Airport at around 8:23 p.m.

The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) shared a video of Duterte's arrival at his hotel in the city state where he spoke briefly to officials and posed for photos.

Among the officials accompanying the President are Presidential Legal Adviser Salvador Panelo and PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea will serve as officer-in-charge while the President is abroad.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Duterte is expected to touch on the maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea at ASEAN meetings also to be attended by China.

However, it is not yet clear whether Duterte would bring up the issue of China's opening of weather stations in the disputed waters.

Duterte will be in Singapore until November 15 and then head to Papua New Guinea for the 19th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting. He will be joining leaders of the 21-member Pacific Rim group's meetings scheduled on November 17 -18.[November 13, 2018] Datto Global Survey Reveals Ransomware As Most Significant Cyber Threat To Small-to-medium Sized Businesses

Datto, Inc., today announced the findings of its third annual Global State of the Channel Ransomware Report, which found that ransomware, a kind of malicious software that threatens to make business data inaccessible until a ransom is paid, continues to be the leading cyber-attack experienced by small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) over viruses and spyware. The report surveyed 2,400 managed service providers (MSPs) that support the IT needs of nearly half a million SMBs around the globe. The survey also revealed the powerful impact these attacks have on businesses, including that: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005016/en/ Datto's State of the Channel Ransomware Report finds ransomware is the leading cyber-attack experienced by small-to-medium sized businesses. (Graphic: Business Wire) Revenue lost to downtime can cripple a small business: The average attack is 10 times more costly to the business than the ransom itself, with attacks costing a business $46,800 on average and the ransom requested averaging $4,300 per attack.

The average attack is 10 times more costly to the business than the ransom itself, with attacks costing a business $46,800 on average and the ransom requested averaging $4,300 per attack. Attacks are frequent and expected to increase: More than 55% of MSPs stated their clients experienced a ransomware attack in the first six months of 2018, and 35% said their clients were attacked multiple times in the same day. Ninety-two percent of MSPs predict the number of attacks will continue at current or increased rates.

More than 55% of MSPs stated their clients experienced a ransomware attack in the first six months of 2018, and 35% said their clients were attacked multiple times in the same day. Ninety-two percent of MSPs predict the number of attacks will continue at current or increased rates. Antivirus software solutions are ineffective: 85% of MSPs reported that ransomware victims had antivirus software installed, 65% reported victims had email/spam filters installed, and 29% reported victims had had pop-up blockers, which failed to block ransomware attacks.

85% of MSPs reported that ransomware victims had antivirus software installed, 65% reported victims had email/spam filters installed, and 29% reported victims had had pop-up blockers, which failed to block ransomware attacks. Businesses using Apple (News - Alert) operating systems can be vulnerable: There was a fivefold increase in the number of MSPs reporting ransomware attacks on macOS and iOS platforms over the last year.



While the report findings alone are alarming, most businesses don't report attacks. The survey found that less than one in four ransomware attacks are reported to the authorities.

"In the past five months alone, we've been contacted by companies we don't currently work with for immediate support involving ransomware attacks," said Jeff Howard, Founder and Owner, Networking Results, a Dallas and Fort Worth IT services and solutions provider. "Not only have ransomware attacks increased in recent years, but the problem may even be bigger than we know, as many attacks go unreported. While we encourage every victim to notify all relevant parties -- including their attorneys, insurance providers, FBI, etc. -- not all are quick to follow that counsel." "It's time to think differently--businesses large and small, should plan for a ransomware attack. That way they are equipped to respond when it happens," said Ryan Weeks, Chief Information Security Officer at Datto. "There are immediate steps that companies can and should take to increase IT resilience and prevent against future attacks. Integral to those steps include end-user training, endpoint protection, and an intelligent backup." When it comes to protecting small and medium-sized businesses, the report also found: Business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) technology is deemed the single most effective method for ransomware protection: 90% of MSPs report clients fully recovered from an attack within 24 hours. In addition to BCDR technology, SMBs should work with their MSP to create a ransomware response plan that includes detection, communication, cause assessment, recovery, and prevention.

90% of MSPs report clients fully recovered from an attack within 24 hours. In addition to BCDR technology, SMBs should work with their MSP to create a ransomware response plan that includes detection, communication, cause assessment, recovery, and prevention. Employees need training and education to be the front line of defense: Many ransomware breaches are successful due to phishing attacks, malicious websites, web ads, and clickbait directed at small businesses. Ongoing training for employees to help them remain vigilant is a best practice for small businesses. For more information, download Datto's State of the Channel Ransomware Report. About Datto At Datto, our mission is to empower the world's small and medium-sized businesses with the best in enterprise-level technology. We do it by equipping our unique community of Managed Service Provider partners with the right products, tools and knowledge to allow each and every customer to succeed. It's an approach that's made us the world's leading provider of MSP delivered IT solutions. Datto has global headquarters in the U.S. with international offices in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Australia, China, and Singapore. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005016/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] GlobalSign Launches Global Partner Program to Advance Enterprise Growth

Leading certificate authority's new global partner program enables enterprise resellers and system integrators to deliver PKI solutions at scale BRUSSELS and BOSTON, Nov. 13, 2018 /CNW/ -- GMO GlobalSign (www.globalsign.com), a global Certificate Authority (CA) and the leading provider of identity and security solutions for the Internet of Everything, today announced the launch of its Global Partner Program. GlobalSign's worldwide partner program enables resellers, value-added resellers and system integrators to deliver scalable Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) solutions to their enterprise customers, while also allowing standard resellers and hosting companies to deliver identity and encryption products to their customers. In addition, with GlobalSign's announcement last month that it is now a recognized Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) in the EU  one of the first global CA's in the world to secure this recognition  European resellers wishing to sell qualified digital certificates should contact their GlobalSign partner manager. GlobalSign is an identity services company providing cloud-based, highly scalable PKI solutions that enables enterprises to conduct safe commerce, communications, content delivery, and community interactions. The company's identity and security solutions allow businesses, large enterprises, cloud-based service providers and IoT innovators around the world to conduct secure online communications, manage millions of verified digital identities, as well as automate authentication and encryption. With the new Global Partner Program, GlobalSign will provide support, training, and certifications to fit the needs of partners and their customers, along with pre-sales and post-sales assistance to enable partners to successfully represent the company's identity and security solutions. The new Global Partner Program takes a multi-tiered approach and can be customized to fit all business models. Backed by GlobalSign's credibility, security, and trust, members of the Global Partner Program will receive a set of core benefits that can help them to significantly grow their business. The new program recognizes and rewards partners, and also provides them with opportunities to advance in the market. Program participants can choose from options such as: Reselling GlobalSign solutions as part of their portfolio;

Working with GlobalSign to integrate the solutions to their customers' environment; and

Become an expert in selling, deploying and supporting GlobalSign's cloud-based PKI solutions and the IT security applications that customers need as an extension of GlobalSign. Supporting quotes from partner:



"For encryption, we needed a partner who takes security seriously, has rock-solid technical credentials and platforms and has the support to match," said Macsen Galvin, Chief Operating Officer, EuroDNS. "GlobalSign provided all of this for us and worked closely to tailor a solution to help EuroDNS customers enable encryption on all of their sites." "With more than 18 years of experience, we believe GlobalSign has the best security and reliability offerings in the market. In addition, the level of support they offer our customers is far and away superior to other CA's," said Victor Alvarado, IT Manager, InterHAND S.A. "Being a GlobalSign partner gives us a greater level of respect and confidence in the market. In addition, having the full support of all GlobalSign departments enables InterHAND to continue growing, ultimately enabling us to become a worldwide leader in safe digital transformation."

"Because we hold a large number of domains, working with a trusted partner like GlobalSign is critical. Their website is very easy to navigate, managing renewals is easy and ordering new certificates is always a smooth, seamless process," said Darren O'Dell, Managing Director, Smartgames Technologies, Ltd. "Another huge benefit is GlobalSign's vetting process, which we've found to be extremely thorough. Overall, we are very happy to work with them." The new Global Partner Program offers tight alignment with GlobalSign's business, enabling partners to be an extension of the company. With comprehensive training programs and certification, partners can market, sell and deliver even the most complex GlobalSign solutions to enterprises worldwide. GlobalSign offers a cloud-based managed PKI platform to solve critical IT security issues, including: Comprehensive SSL certificate management

Enhancing passwords with multi-factor authentication

Creating trusted digital signatures for documents

Encrypting and digitally signing emails

Protecting code integrity

Enabling PKI for devices "Partnering with GlobalSign enables companies to expand their business by providing the leading cloud-based PKI solutions and IT security applications customers need today," said Chris Hudson, Channel Manager - West, GlobalSign. "We are very excited to grow our enterprise business with partners and integrators throughout the world. Whether it is in Europe, North America, Latin America or in other regions worldwide, there is a large untapped opportunity for partners to provide digital transformation solutions. Our new global partner program makes this possible." Hudson added, "With GlobalSign's new status as a recognized QTSP provider, there is an even greater incentive for European resellers and integrators to join our new Global Partner Program. Our accreditation will enable them to sell even more products, another fantastic way to grow their business." For additional details on GlobalSign's Global Partner Program, visit www.globalsign.com/partners/global-partner-program. About GMO GlobalSign

GlobalSign is the leading provider of trusted identity and security solutions enabling businesses, large enterprises, cloud-based service providers and IoT innovators around the world to conduct secure online communications, manage millions of verified digital identities and automate authentication and encryption. Its high-scale PKI and identity solutions support the billions of services, devices, people and things comprising the Internet of Things (IoT). The company has offices in the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit https://www.globalsign.com About GMO Cloud KK

GMO Cloud K.K. (TSE: 3788) is a full-service IT infrastructure provider focused on cloud solutions. Established as a hosting company in 1996, the company has managed servers for more than 130,000 businesses and now has 6,500 sales partners throughout Japan. In February of 2011, the company launched GMO Cloud to enhance its focus on cloud-based solutions. Since 2007, the company has also grown its GlobalSign SSL security brand through offices in Belgium, U.K., U.S., China and Singapore. For more information, visit http://ir.gmocloud.com/english/. About GMO Internet Group

GMO Internet Group is an Internet services industry leader, developing and operating Japan's most widely used domain, hosting & cloud, ecommerce, security, and payment solutions. The Group also includes the world's largest online FX trading platform, as well as online advertising, Internet media, and cryptocurrency related services. GMO Internet, Inc. (TSE: 9449) is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. For more information, please visit https://www.gmo.jp/en/ . GlobalSign Media Contact

Amy Krigman

Public Relations Manager

Phone: (603) 570-7091

Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/globalsign-launches-global-partner-program-to-advance-enterprise-growth-300748398.html SOURCE GlobalSign

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Hanergy Participates in First China International Import Expo 2018

BEIJING, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's largest thin-film power solution company, Hanergy Thin Film Power Group (00566.HK), recently participated in the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2018 as the only invited renewable energy company. A six-day expo import fair, CIIE was held at National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, China from Nov. 5-10, attracting more than 3,000 companies across sectors from over 130 countries to showcase their products and commodities. The first of its kind expo, China International Import Expo (CIIE), part of the efforts to demonstrate the importing potential of the world's second-largest economy, logged around US$57.83 billion worth of deals during the one-week event. As a matter of great pride, and a clear testament to Hanergy's leadership position in the global thin film solar industry, Hanergy was the only new energy company invited to participate in the expo along with its subsidiaries, including Germany-based company Solibro and US-based companies MiaSole, Global Solar Energy and Alta Devices. At the expo, Hanergy and its four subsidiaries demonstrated the complete industrial chain of thin film solar energy technologies' research and development, equipment manufacturing, component production and diversified market applications. Amongst the innovative thin film solar products showcased by Hanergy were HanTile, a solar power generating tile which can be placed on the rooftop; HanWall, an innovative BIPV product which can be installed on skyscrapers as curtain wall and provides eectricity to the buildings; and Humbrella, a thin-film solar powered umbrella providing clean, free and consistent electricity to people in energy-scarce areas of the world. Moreover, HanPack, a solar drone and a solar car were other major exhibits.



Lv Yuan, Vice President of Hanergy Thin Film Power Group, said, "We're honored to be the only renewable energy exhibitor at CIIE 2018 and be the focus of the world's attention. Products with green cleaning and environmental protection concepts are constantly gaining popularity. Motivated by the upward trend in the demand and cognizance of the solar products, we've acquired the thin film technology from all over the world to bring it to China and subsequently introduced it in the international market. We're committed to make thin-film solar technology a real 'green' solar technology that benefits all and gradually achieve the great mission, change the world with thin-film solar, and build mobile energy." Hanergy's three advanced pieces of equipment that generated wide attention and interest from the public were the Solibro copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin film coating machine, MiaSole RC roll coating equipment and Alta 6x6 Shower Head. Among the three, the CIGS thin film coating machine is the core component of Solibro's whole production line with characteristics of multisource co-evaporation and vacuum coating. MiaSole RC roll coating equipment is the core component for making battery chips. It is the only CIGS one-stop winding magnetron sputtering coating equipment in the world. Alta 6x6 Shower Head is suitable for processing 3MW MOCVD equipment of GaAs flexible thin film photovoltaic cells, which plays a vital role in the process of film deposition growth.

At present, Hanergy has 5 world-leading thin film solar technology roadmaps and high-end equipment manufacturing capabilities such as copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) and gallium arsenide (GaAs). Not only does Hanergy have advantages of technological breakthroughs and technology upgrade capability of equipment but also has a lower cost compared to the industry. It is estimated that in 2020 the conversion rate of CIGS battery of Hanergy will increase by 3% to 5%, and the cost will decrease by more than 40% compared with 2018. Meanwhile, the conversion rate of GaAs single junction battery will increase by 3% to 5% with the cost being reduced by more than half. In addition, Hanergy has established a global supplier system both domestically and globally, with at least two qualified suppliers of key equipment. About Hanergy Thin Film Power Group Ltd Hanergy Thin Film Power Group Ltd (0566.HK) is a Hong Kong-listed company, and a subsidiary of Hanergy Holding Group Ltd. As one of the leading thin-film solar companies in the world, Hanergy Thin Film Power Group Ltd is committed to "Building Mobile Energy". Since 2009, Hanergy has been working relentlessly to integrate worldwide solar technologies, and making a robust investment in research and innovation in the field of thin-film solar power. Thin film solar technologies have been applied to a series of commercial and non-commercial products, including HanTile, HanWall, HanCar, HanWindow, Humbrella, HanPack and HanPaper. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hanergy-participates-in-first-china-international-import-expo-2018-300749058.html SOURCE Hanergy Thin Film Power Group

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Eastmain Drills 2.35 g/t Gold over 87 metres and 1.46 g/t Gold over 78.5 metres on Newly Discovered Percival Prospect at the Clearwater Property

TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eastmain Resources Inc. (Eastmain or the Company - TSX:ER, OTCQX:EANRF) announces the discovery of a new gold mineralized zone at the Percival Prospect on the 100%-owned Clearwater Property (the Property) in James Bay, Quebec. The Percival Prospect is located 14 km ESE of the Companys million-ounce Eau Claire gold deposit and represents a new and distinct style of mineralization on the property. Drilling on Percival was conducted as part of Eastmains 2018 growth-focused exploration program.

Based on the two initial holes drilled at the Percival Prospect, gold mineralization has been recognized from surface to 90 metres (m) vertical depth demonstrating an interpreted true thickness of 50 m while remaining open at depth and laterally (see FIGURES 1-4 ). Drilling is ongoing with one drill rig and assays results currently pending on two additional drill holes. The Percival Prospect, located on the 20-km long Cannard Deformation Zone, is a new hydrothermal gold system hosted in intermediate to felsic volcaniclastic rocks and represents a new style of mineralization on the Property. Drilling Highlights include: ER18-822: 1.46 g/t Gold (  Au  ) over 78.5 m (beginning at 16.5 m downhole), including 4.46 g/t Au over 8.2 m

  (beginning at 16.5 m downhole), including 4.46 g/t Au over 8.2 m ER18-823: 2.35 g/t Au over 87.0 m (beginning 28.0 m downhole), including 5.76 g/t Au over 6.0 m Claude Lemasson, Eastmain President and CEO, commented, The mineralized zone at Percival represents a brand new discovery. Were very encouraged by this shallow gold discovery which encompasses a wide mineralized zone with extension potential remaining open to the east and west, as well as at depth. With two additional holes already drilled at Percival with assay results pending, our objective is to continue drilling to expand this discovery and better understand its relationship with another Prospect, the Serendipity zone located 7 km to the north. He continued, Underpinned by the Eau Claire deposits sizeable mineral resource base and robust project economics, were eager to explore for additional gold deposits which could further enhance a future development scenario on the greater Clearwater Property. These results are an exciting start to our growth-focused exploration program in support of our 3-in-3 Exploration Vision of defining 3 million gold ounces of total mineral resources over 3 years. Significant intercepts from holes ER18-822 and ER18-823 are highlighted in the table below: Location Drill Hole From To Core Length Grade Vertical Depth (m) (m) (m) (Au g/t) (m) Percival ER18-822 16.5 95.0 78.5 1.46 35 Incl. 18.8 33.3 14.5 3.58 Also incl. 18.8 27.0 8.2 4.46 Incl. 46.0 50.3 4.3 2.36 Incl. 57.9 66.0 8.1 1.13 Percival ER18-823 28.0 115.0 87.0 2.35 65 Incl. 28.0 59.5 31.5 3.13 Also incl. 28.0 34.0 6.0 5.76 Incl. 70.6 109.0 39.4 2.59 Also incl. 88.5 109.0 20.5 3.31 Intervals are presented in core length; holes are generally planned to intersect mineralization as close to







hole and dips of the mineralized horizons are considered.

hole and dips of the mineralized horizons are considered. Assays presented are not capped. Intercepts occur within geological confines of major zones but have not

been correlated to individual structures/horizons within these zones at this time.

been correlated to individual structures/horizons within these zones at this time. Vertical depth is measured from the surface to the mid-point of the reported interval. The Percival Prospect The Percival Prospect is located 14 km ESE of the Eau Claire deposit (See FIGURE 1 ) in the Knight sector of the Clearwater Property. The Knight sector is interpreted to be at the western end of an east trending 7 km long prospective volcano-sedimentary sequence as highlighted in FIGURE 1 . This sequence is part of the larger Knight-Serendipity volcano-sedimentary horizon. Holes ER18-822 and ER18-823 were drilled on a single section (See FIGURES 2 and 3 ) to undercut gold mineralization exposed in a sequence of silicified metavolcanics and metasediments during the Companys summer surface exploration program. These two holes represent a section below the main outcrop area, intersecting a mineralized interval of approximately 50 m interpreted true thickness extending from surface to a drilled depth of 90 m.

Gold mineralization is found in brecciated and sulphide-rich intermediate to felsic volcanoclastic rocks interbedded with thin intervals of clastic mudstone. Strong alteration in these units is comprised of pervasive silicification, sericitization and carbonatization as well as quartz veining. Sulphide mineralization (1 to 10% pyrrhotite + pyrite) occurs in the form of stringers, fracture fillings, disseminations and locally semi-massive lenses. Table 1: Hole Location Information Target Zone Drill Hole Azimuth Dip UTM Coordinates Zone 18 Total Length Elevation Number Degrees Degrees Easting Northing (m) (m) Percival (Knight) ER18-822 360 -45 457,650 5,781,760 259 334 Percival (Knight) ER18-823 360 -65 457,650 5,781,760 262 334 Geology of the Knight-Serendipity Horizon The Knight and Serendipity sectors are located at opposite ends of the Knight  Serendipity volcano-sedimentary horizon which can be traced along a large regional fold whose limbs are traced over 14 km. The horizon is characterized by an extensive sequence of volcaniclastic and sedimentary rocks underlain by marine basalt. The Knight sector and the Percival Prospect are located at the southwestern end (7 km) of the trend within the east trending Cannard Deformation Zone. The Serendipity sector of the volcano-sedimentary horizon (7 km) is located on the western side of, and parallel to, the NW trending Hashimoto Deformation Zone. These two very large regional deformation zones intersect approximately 4 km east of Percival at the location of the regional fold closure. In the Knight sector, the stratigraphic assemblage is comprised of felsic to mafic composition tuffs, mudstones and graphitic mudstones with basalt in a marine sedimentary environment. Local stratigraphy is highly deformed and affected by several phases of folding. Mineralization is composed of massive to semi-massive sulfide lenses, quartz, quartz + sulphide veins and veinlets. Sulphide phases are dominated by pyrrhotite with minor concentrations of pyrite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite. At present, the geology suggests a syn-genetic volcanogenic sea-floor depositional environment. Airborne magnetic survey interpretation suggests numerous ESE-WNW trending shear zones as well as km scale folds are located in this area. The Serendipity sector is located 5 km north of Knight in the eastern part of the Property. The geological setting is similar to the Knight sector, hosting a bimodal volcaniclastic / sedimentary environment characterized by an assemblage of felsic to mafic tuffs and graphitic black shales with nodular pyrite. Certain aspects of the sedimentary lithology indicate a more distal depositional environment than at Knight. Mineralization observed at Serendipity is composed of conformable massive to semi-massive sulphide lenses crosscut by smoky quartz veins primarily in sediments. Pyrrhotite with some pyrite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite are the sulphide minerals present. Mineralization is interpreted to be syngenetic and affected by all identified deformation phases. Gold enrichment was observed in the fold hinges at the main Serendipity stripped area. Additional Drilling Completed and Planned Two additional holes, one down-dip and one located 120 m west along strike, have been completed at Percival intersecting mineralization visually similar to the reported intercepts. Results are pending for these holes. Additional holes are being planned to test this mineralized unit along strike to the east and west of holes ER18-822 and ER18-823. Current Exploration Drilling Program Prior to initiating the fall drilling campaign, our summer surface field exploration 2018 program collected 976 rock chips samples from 795 outcrops across the Property. A total of 1,004 soil samples were also taken for field XRF measurement along the Knight-Serendipity volcano-sedimentary horizon to help us focussing the drilling. With the results of the summer program in hand, a 5,500 m diamond drilling campaign began in October 2018 and will continue into late December. The proposed campaign is targeting the gold occurrences along the 20 km long Cannard Deformation Zone including, from west to east, the Snake Lake, Clovis, Natel and Knight prospect. Drilling at the Serendipity sector along the northern extension of Knight  Serendipity volcano-sedimentary horizon was also proposed. The Knight, Serendipity and Natel targets are helicopter accessible and are planned to be tested in this program. To view FIGURES 1-4, please click on the following link: http://www.eastmain.com/_resources/news/Images/ER-181113-Clearwater.pdf This press release was compiled and reviewed by William McGuinty, P.Geo., Eastmains VP Exploration and Carl Corriveau, P.Geo., Eastmains Exploration Manager, both Qualified Persons under National Instrument 43-101. Eau Claire Mineral Resource Estimate, Eau Claire Gold Deposit by SGS Canada Inc., effective date Feb. 4, 2018, press released May 23, 2018. About Eastmain Resources Inc. (TSX:ER) www.eastmain.com

Eastmain is a Canadian exploration company advancing three high-grade gold assets in the emerging James Bay gold camp in Quebec. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Eau Claire Project, for which it recently issued a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), and the Eastmain Mine Project where the Company prepared a NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate in 2018. Eastmain is also the manager of the Eleonore South Joint Venture, located immediately south of Goldcorp Inc.'s Eleonore Mine, which hosts a new high-grade gold discovery found in late 2017. In addition, the Company has a pipeline of exploration projects in this favourable mining jurisdiction with nearby infrastructure. For more information:

Claude Lemasson, President and CEO

+1 647-347-3765

[email protected] Alison Dwoskin, Manager, Investor Relations

+1 647-347-3735

[email protected] Quality Control and Assurance - The design of the Eastmain Resources drilling programs, Quality Assurance/Quality Control and interpretation of results is under the control of Eastmains geological staff, including qualified persons employing a strict QA/QC program consistent with NI 43-101 and industry best practices. The Clearwater project is supervised by Eastmains Project Geologist, Michel Leblanc P. Geo. Drill core is logged and split with half-core samples packaged and delivered to ALS Minerals laboratory. Samples are dried and subsequently crushed to 70% passing a 2 mm mesh screen. A 1,000 g subsample is pulverized to a nominal 85% passing 75 micron mesh screen. The remaining crushed sample (reject) and pulverized sample (pulp) are retained for further analysis and quality control. All samples are analysed by Fire Assay with an Atomic Absorption (AA) finish using a 50 g aliquot of pulverized material. Assays exceeding 5 g/t Au are re-assayed by Fire Assay with a Gravimetric Finish. Eastmain regularly inserts 3rd party reference control samples and blank samples in the sample stream to monitor assay performance and performs duplicate sampling at a second certified laboratory. For 2016, approximately 10% of samples submitted are part of the Companys laboratory sample control protocols. Forward- Looking Statements  Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or timing of future plans, and include, but not limited to, statements with respect to the potential success of the Companys future exploration and development strategies. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of Eastmain, including, but not limited to the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, dependence upon regulatory approvals, the availability of financing, ?timely completion of proposed studies and technical reports, and risks associated with the exploration, development and mining industry generally such as economic factors as they affect exploration, future commodity prices, changes in interest rates, safety and security, political, social or economic developments, environmental risks, insurance risks, capital expenditures, operating or technical difficulties in connection with development activities, personnel relations, the speculative nature of gold exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities of grades of Mineral Resources, contests over property title, and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update such information, except as may be required by law.



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Attivo Networks CTO Tony Cole to Participate on Active Defense Panel at FS-ISAC Fall Summit

Attivo Networks, the award-winning leader in deception technology for cybersecurity defense, today announced that Chief Technology Officer Tony Cole will moderate a panel discussion at the FS-ISAC Fall Summit. The panel, titled "How Financial Services Institutions Can Counter Breaches by Moving to Active Defense," will focus on whybreaches happen, why 100% security doesn't exist, and why investment trends currently point to an increased focus on detection and incident response. Attivo Networks will also participate in the exhibition showcase portion of the conference.



WHO: Tony Cole, Chief Technology Officer at Attivo Networks WHAT: The Financial Services - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) Fall Summit focuses on the sharing of strategies on how to use technology, build a security strategy, train employees, and effectively prevent or respond to attacks and incidents. The summit brings together CEOs, CISOs, CTOs, and other high-level information security professionals to discuss both the present and future of the cybersecurity field.

The FS-ISAC panel will share insights into the value and effectiveness of an active defense strategy, and how this approach can help change the way financial institutions think about information security. Joining Cole on the panel will be Lance Spitzner, Director, SANS Security Awareness, and Patrick Gray, cybersecurity strategist and former FBI special agent. WHEN: Tuesday, November 13, 2018 from 4:00-4:45PM CT WHERE:

FS-ISAC Fall Summit

Sheraton Grand Chicago

301 E North Water St

Chicago, IL 60611 MEDIA: Attivo Networks CTO Tony Cole is available for post-summit briefings by request. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005115/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] MSTS Makes B2B Commerce Effortless for SMBs with Credit as a Service

Overland Park, KS, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MSTS , a global B2B payment and credit solutions provider, today announced that its innovative Credit as a Service solution is now available to mid-market and small businesses. The original enterprise product, with a record of accelerating sales growth for companies by as much as 500 percent, has been optimized to meet the needs of businesses with simpler payment and credit processes. The cloud-based Credit as a Service solution for mid-market businesses can issue credit lines in less than a minute, automate the customer onboarding process and apply unique B2B customer invoicing, accounts payable and payment term requirements  providing customers flexibility and an enhanced experience. Credit as a Service is designed to streamline back-office processes for businesses with the ultimate result being that these sellers are able to grow faster, said Brandon Sper, president of MSTS. At the SMB level, this promise can be even more challenging, which is why were excited to offer these companies an enterprise-grade solution that can scale with them as they grow.



MSTS works with B2B companies across transportation, manufacturing, retail and eCommerce. A FinTech pioneer since 1978, MSTS makes B2B commerce effortless by reducing working capital through dedicated lines of credit and underwriting services, providing alternative payment options, and more closely aligning buyers accounts payable and sellers accounts receivable departments. MSTS Credit as a Service has a suite of tools to accelerate commerce, including InvoiceMe, which integrates into eCommerce platforms at checkout and provides a payment alternative to credit cards  thereby reducing transaction fees by 30 percent.

Todays B2B customer expects the same seamless experience found in B2C. This means eliminating the payments friction thats historically existed in B2B, said Spear. Our InvoiceMe integration allows for a quick, frictionless transaction that mirrors B2C. The solution is configurable, too, as more advanced features can be added as needed by growing companies, such as POS integration, a variety of buyer payment options and customer AP integrations that improve loyalty with buyers. These are just some of the choices Credit as a Service customers will have to further enhance their system with MSTS enterprise capabilities. To learn more about the robust Credit as a Service solution from MSTS, visit www.msts.com . # # # About MSTS: MSTS is a financial technology company, working globally with B2B companies across transportation, manufacturing, retail and eCommerce. MSTS Credit as a Service solution accelerates business commerce by streamlining payments and A/R processes. On behalf of its clients, MSTS processes $5 billion in transactions per year and collects $370 million each month. MSTS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of World Fuel Services Corporation, has 40 years of experience underwriting businesses for credit and facilitates transactions for its customers in over 190 countries and territories.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] TechForce Foundation Celebrates the Nation's Top Transportation Technicians with 2018 Techs Rock Awards

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TechForce Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on championing students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional transportation technicians, today announced the launch of the first annual Techs Rock Awards. The awards recognize working technicians who are striving to mentor and inspire the next generation of technicians, bringing excellent to their workplaces and communities, and demonstrating passion and commitment to the profession. Complete details and nomination information can be found online at www.TechForceFoundation.org/TechsRock . "It's inspiring to witness so many outstanding transportation techs from across the country making such huge impacts on both their communities and their organizations" said Jennifer Maher, Executive Director of TechForce Foundation. "These talented men and women are pioneers of the modern transportation era who are showing us firsthand that a career as a tech is no longer simply about wrenches and oil, but rather advanced equipment and technology requiring sophisticated, high-tech training. And they're helping future techs think bigger and act bolder." The 2018 Techs Rock Awards are accepting submissions through November 30, 2018 at 4:00pm PST, across five awards categories: Outstanding Mentor - For providing support and guidance to the industry's future techs.

- For providing support and guidance to the industry's future techs. Rookie of the Year - For up-and coming tech professionals with under two years of experience.

- For up-and coming tech professionals with under two years of experience. Die HardAward - For industry junkies who live, breathe, sleep, and thrive in their career.

- For industry junkies who live, breathe, sleep, and thrive in their career. Barrier Buster Award - For showing heart and passion in overcoming obstacles to succeed.

- For showing heart and passion in overcoming obstacles to succeed. Pay it Forward Award - For being a community advocate and inspiring the next generation of transportation technicians.



December 11, 2018 , with each receiving a prize tool voucher sponsored by Snap-on, valued at $1,000 . The inaugural 2018 Techs Rock Awards judging panel includes: Jeff Allen - CEO and Founder, Flat 12 Gallery and co-host of Skidmarks Show Podcast

- CEO and Founder, Flat 12 Gallery and co-host of Skidmarks Show Podcast Steve Johnson - NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Champion

- NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Champion Julia Landauer - NASCAR Driver, Julia Landauer Racing

- NASCAR Driver, Julia Landauer Racing Bogi Lateiner - CEO and Master Mechanic, Bogi's Garage and 180 Degrees Automotive

- CEO and Master Mechanic, Bogi's Garage and 180 Degrees Automotive Greg Rintala - National Sales Manager, Snap-on A one-week public online vote will then determine one Grand Prize Winner who will receive roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations in Scottsdale, Arizona for Auto Week 2019, where they'll be honored at the annual TechForce Foundation Leadership Summit.

To learn more about the 2018 Techs Rock Awards or to nominate an outstanding auto, diesel, collision repair, aviation, restoration, motorcycle, marine, trailer, or motorsports technician in your community or organization, please visit www.TechForceFoundation.org/TechsRock. About TechForce Foundation TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional technicians. TechForce awards more than $2.0 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and spearheads FutureTech Success, the industry-wide initiative to encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit techforcefoundation.org . Media Contact:

Jennifer Maher, Executive Director

TechForce Foundation

623-445-0933 direct

602-550-0371 cell

[email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/techforce-foundation-celebrates-the-nations-top-transportation-technicians-with-2018-techs-rock-awards-300748948.html SOURCE TechForce Foundation

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Report: Could Your Online Behavior Affect What You Pay for Car Insurance?

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Zebra , the nation's leading car insurance search engine, today released findings of an investigative report that explores whether the U.S. auto insurance industry  which serves 250 million U.S. drivers  is collecting and using data about consumers' online behaviors and preferences (their "digital footprints") to calculate what people pay for their car insurance policies. How People Behave Online Could Affect Their Car Insurance Bills by Hundreds of Dollars

The Zebra's report explores how 35 "digital footprint" preferences or behaviors could serve as risk indicators, and how those factors could affect someone's auto insurance premium in real dollars. For example: Android owners could pay $32 more while iPhone owners might pay $70 extra each year.

more while iPhone owners might pay extra each year. Gmail users might pay an additional $100 while AOL users save the same amount.

while AOL users save the same amount. People online at 9:00 a.m. might see savings of $17 , while those online at 3:00 a.m. could pay an additional $58 in premium. Insurance companies have the technical ability to track online activity  whether by interacting with consumers online, via in-car devices that monitor driving, or by purchasing data. In fact, insurers are already tracking consumers' online activity for purposes other than setting ates, such as fraud detection, claims processing, and marketing.



"Industries around the world are leveraging big data to their advantage  whether they're lenders in the U.S. considering a user's web browser before offering a loan or they're European insurers using people's email addresses to price rates. So, we asked ourselves, 'Is this happening in the U.S. auto insurance market today? What might that look like?'" says Alyssa Connolly, The Zebra's Director of Market Insights. "Someone's behavior online generates mountains of data that can help companies learn about consumers  the question is: does that help or hurt consumers?" Consumers: Unfair for Insurers to Use Digital Footprint Info!

The Zebra conducted a nationwide survey, asking consumers to consider whether 30 data points would be fair for insurance companies to use for pricing their policies (underwriting).

Approximately 60% of consumers said they consider the use of every digital footprint factor  things like their web browser activity, their typing habits, and even their private social media activity  that could conceivably be used to price auto insurance as "unfair."

71% of respondents are not OK with insurers tracking their behavior even if they were guaranteed to save money.

if they were guaranteed to save money. More people said it was fair to use a person's race (which is currently illegal) in underwriting than any of the digital footprint factors. Benefits and Drawbacks of Big Data in Insurance Underwriting

The insurance industry is being reshaped by technology. Big data can improve accuracy and stability in underwriting, reduce consumer costs, and support the 11% of people with little to no credit history, who may be younger or in underserved communities. Potential drawbacks of leveraging this data for insurance underwriting include the argument that these factors are unfairly discriminatory and irrelevant. Some people are skeptical of the unproven technology, and worry that consumer privacy could be jeopardized. Ultimately, state regulators will be responsible for determining if digital footprint factors are fair for insurers to use. For the full in-depth report featuring data analysis, consumer survey results, and methodology, please visit https://www.TheZebra.com/research/digital-footprint-car-insurance/. About The Zebra

The Zebra is the nation's leading auto insurance search engine. With its dynamic, real-time quote comparison tool, drivers can identify insurance companies with the coverage, service level, and pricing to suit their unique needs. The Zebra compares more than 200 car insurance companies and provides agent support and educational resources to ensure drivers are equipped to make the most informed decisions about their car insurance. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, The Zebra has sought to bring transparency and simplicity to insurance shopping since 2012  it's "insurance in black and white." View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/report-could-your-online-behavior-affect-what-you-pay-for-car-insurance-300748673.html SOURCE The Zebra

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] NCI Named to 2019 Military Friendly Employers List

NCI Information Systems, Inc. (NCI), a leading provider of advanced information technology solutions and professional services to U.S. federal government agencies, today announced it has earned recognition as a 2019 Military Friendly Employer by VIQTORY, the publisher of G.I. Jobs. "One of NCI's longest-standing and largest customers is the U.S. Army," said Paul A. Dillahay, president and CEO of NCI. "As a strong partner to the U.S. military, we are proud of our ongoing commitment to recruiting and hiring military talent throughout our organization. "Military veterans and reservists account for approximately 30 percent of NCI's workforce," added Dillahay. "Some of our most skilled, self-motivated, disciplined and outstanding team members have military backgrounds. They bring both advanced experience and values of strong teamwork and leadership into our work culture, and we are honored to have them serving at every level of our company." Institutions earning the Military Friendly Employer designation were evaluated using both public and proprietary survey data. Final ratings were determined by combining an organization's survey score with an assessment of the organization's ability to meet thresholds for applicant, new hire retention and employee turnover, as well as promotion and avancement of veterans and military employees.



NCI will be showcased with other 2019 Military Friendly Employers in the upcoming December issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and the January 2019 issue of Military Spouse Magazine, and on MilitaryFriendly.com. About NCI

NCI is a leading provider of enterprise solutions and services to U.S. defense, intelligence, health and civilian government agencies. The company has the expertise and proven track record to solve its customers' most important and complex mission challenges through technology and innovation - delivering cost-effective solutions and services in areas such as advanced analytics; agile DevSecOps; artificial intelligence; cybersecurity and information assurance; engineering and logistics; health IT; and hyper-converged infrastructure. Coupled with a refined focus on strategic partnerships, NCI is committed to bringing commercial innovation to missions of national importance. NCI is a mid-tier systems integrator headquartered in Reston, Virginia, and operates at locations across the globe. For more information, visit www.nciinc.com or email [email protected]. About Military Friendly Employers The Military Friendly Employers list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for thousands of federal contractors nationwide, input of military employees, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly Employers survey from participating companies. The survey questions, methodology, criteria and weightings were developed with the assistance of an independent research firm and an advisory council of educators and employers. Data calculations and tabulations were independently evaluated for completeness and accuracy by EY. The survey is administered for free and is open to companies that have hired veterans in the past 12 months. Criteria for consideration can be found at: www.militaryfriendly.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005472/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Hospitality Insurance Group Partners with Intellicheck to Offer Age ID to Clients

Intellicheck (NYSE AMERICAN: IDN), an industry leader in identification authentication solutions, today announced the signing of a partnership agreement with Hospitality Insurance Group, a liquor liability insurance company. Under the agreement, Hospitality Insurance Group is offering high-technology identification authentication and age verification app Age ID to its clients. Age ID authenticates driver licenses and other forms of identification to prevent the use of altered and fake IDs. Hospitality Insurance Group President Richard Welch, Jr. said, "We are taking this important step because of our commitment to the hospitality industry and our belief that age verification is vital to preventing underage access to alcohol. Our clients are residents as well as business members of their communities, so they understand the important responsibility to do their part to prevent underage drinking and the tragic consequences that often accompanies it." Hospitality Insurance Group clients who adopt Age ID will be given a discount on their insurance premiums for stepping up their commitment to preventing the sale of age-restricted products to minors. Based in Southborough, Massachusetts, Hospitality Insurance Group provides liquor liability insurance coverage for establishments in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The company provides coverage to owners of establishments that serve or sell liquor including bars, taverns, restaurants, social clubs and liquor stores, as well as caterers and other qualified businesses.



Age ID authenticates IDs and verifies age information in real-time with 99.9% accuracy. It is quickly and easily deployed on mobile devices including smartphones and tablets and can be integrated with point-of-sale solutions. The affordable, cutting-edge technology solution draws on a comprehensive, proprietary database, updated on an ongoing basis, to ensure information is timely and accurate.

About Intellicheck NYSE American: IDN Intellicheck is a trusted industry leader in technology solutions that provide real-time identification authentication and age verification. We make it possible for our clients to enhance safety and awareness, increase revenues, improve customer service, and increase operational efficiencies. Founded in 1994, Intellicheck has grown to serve dozens of Fortune 500 companies including retail and financial industry clients, police departments, national defense clients at agencies, major seaports, and military bases, and diverse state and federal government agencies. For more information on Intellicheck, visit http://www.intellicheck.com/ and follow Intellicheck on Twitter @IntellicheckIDN, on Facebook (News - Alert) https://www.facebook.com/intellicheckidn/, on Instagram @IntellicheckIDN, on LinkedIn (News - Alert) https://www.linkedin.com/company/intellicheck-inc- and on YouTube (News - Alert) https://www.youtube.com/user/ICMOBIL. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005045/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] 1-Day Workshop: Capital Raising Catalyst (Chicago, IL, United States - January 24, 2019) - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "Capital Raising Catalyst" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. For anyone looking to raise capital from family offices and institutional investors, this is a must-attend workshop that will equip attendees with dozens of practical strategies for attracting more investors. Participate in small-group exercises, follow along with your guided workbook, and hear case studies that show how your peers are implementing these strategies. You will leave this boot camp with a worksheet completed and knowledge on how to execute our 5 Step System to Raising Capital from Private Investors. If you are raising capital you will get more value per hour spent at this workshop than any other training you have completed. 7 Reasons to Attend the Capital Raising Catalyst Workshop 1. Develop a System to Attract Investors Like Clockwork Let your competitors cold call 60 prospects a day while you set up systems to consistently attract targeted and pre-qualified investors to you every month. During this workshop, we will show you how to accomplish this at zero cost. 2. Avoid The 7 Most Common $100,000 Mistakes Almost everyone who starts out raising capital for a fund or private company makes the same mistakes. Wht you should do is not always obvious, and worse than that, it is often counter-intuitive. At this workshop, we will show you why you should reach out to fewer investors and figure out who those investors are.



Typically, only one type of investor fits your sandbox, USP, investor funnel, and is making up your investor avatar. This investor avatar concept alone will save you from hours of fruitless activity, ensuring results through the best possible use of your most valuable resource, time. 3. Master Best Practices & Emulate Proven Strategies

Throughout the day you will be completing a Capital Raising Catalyst workbook and by the end of the day you will have an actionable plan that integrates best practices and proven capital raising models for your organization. 4. Gain a Capital Raising Edge When raising capital, second place in a competition can mean no capital allocated, and a consistent third or 10th place can mean you are out of business and have to close shop. Getting your emails responded to, phone calls are taken, and meetings booked with potential investors is critical, every 1% improvement in doing so can mean more capital raised. 5. Identify the Fundamental Marketing Materials and Strategic IP Assets Identify the fundamental marketing materials and strategic IP assets you need to create, distribute, and leverage to be taken seriously. If you don't have your basic marketing materials and tools in place to communicate with investors you will stand out as someone who doesn't know what they are doing to investors. 6. Leave with Your Developed Capital Raising Plan Regardless of whether you are a independent sponsor, private equity fund, deal broker, real estate professional or investment banker you need to stand out from the competition in a meaningful way. This one-day workshop will teach you exactly how to do it. You will leave with a plan in hand to execute. 7. No Risk We guarantee that you will love the capital raising workshop and get a ton of value out of your experience. If for any reason you do not, we will refund your admission price. There is no doubt in our minds that you will love this event. For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/w8x2v8/1day_workshop?w=4 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005720/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Leafbuyer Technologies, Inc. Partners with The Stranger

Leafbuyer Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: LBUY) ("Leafbuyer"), a leading cannabis technology platform, announced today its new partnership with The Stranger, a well-known media outlet and content site in Washington. This new partnership will significantly expand the reach of Leafbuyer's deals platform in the region. Leafbuyer drives business to cannabis dispensaries and product clients through its online platform and network of content site partners. This partnership is expected to capitalize on The Stranger's diverse audience and widespread website traffic in the established Northwest market. "We are always looking for valuable, trusted media partners in niche areas around the country where we can better serve our clients and their consumers. The Stranger fulfills these goals, and we're excited to add them to the Leafbuyer Network," said Kurt Rossner, Chairman and CEO of Leafbuyer. The Leafbuyer Network reaches millions of cannabis consumers every onth through other partner sites including LA Weekly, Voice Media Group (multiple properties), Grasscity and Weedtube to name a few.



This new featured website plugin will be hosted across The Stranger's website starting as early as mid-November 2018. The online tool will help consumers find deals at nearby dispensaries for their favorite cannabis-related products, without ever leaving the site. Consumers will benefit from the sophisticated tool that aggregates cannabis deals into an easy-to-use online application. Learn more at Leafbuyer.com

About Leafbuyer Technologies, Inc. Leafbuyer.com is one of the most comprehensive online sources for cannabis deals and information. Leafbuyer works alongside businesses to showcase their unique products and build a network of loyal patrons. Leafbuyer's national network of cannabis deals and information reaches millions of consumers every month. Leafbuyer is the official cannabis deals platform of Dope Media, LA Weekly, and Voice Media Group. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005714/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Dogs Go Bow Wow For The TV Remote - Remotecontrols.com Shares The Craziest Chew Stories

TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- It seems that Fido is using the remote control almost as much as his owner. The next time you wonder, "Where's the remote?" don't be surprised if the dog has buried it or chewed it beyond recognition. Similar in size and shape to their favorite bone, a remote control has the added flavor of its master's scent, making it an irresistible treat. "Dogs are devouring remote controls," remarked Charlie Waters, Customer Service Director for www.remotecontrols.com the largest seller of original remotes in the Country for over 22 years. "My dog ate the remote" is second only to "I lost it" as the most common reason given by customers when ordering a remote control. "The average living room has four remotes just in that one room alone," continued Waters, "combine that with eightynine million canines living in U.S. households and it's easy to see why the remote is going to the dogs." Apparently no one has found a solution either, judging by the number of phone calls and e-mails that Remotecontrols.com receives concerning this problem. From foul-tasting industrial-strength no-chew sprays to homemade bitter-tasting concoctions, nothing seems to do the trick. Gail Spadafori, syndicated pet care columnist says in her bestselling book Dogs For Dummies, "All dogs chew, it's part of he genetic blueprint of the dog. . . . Forget about trying to train your dog to leave the remote alone. Training yourself to put it out of harm's way when it's not in your hand is far easier."



Waters agrees, but adds, "We hear it all the time. People hide the remote from their dog and then they can't find it themselves." "Every day we get lots of crazy calls and e-mails from dog owners," Waters chuckles, "including the customer who ordered several of our least-expensive remotes with no concern for make or model. She figured she would buy her four dogs their own remotes and then maybe they would leave her remote alone. Who knows? Maybe the idea actually worked. Another customer insisted their Chihuahua would only attack their Samsung-brand remotes but would leave the other remotes alone. We even had one customer who swore their dog was just trying to change the channel!"

Dogs are not the only pets getting into the act. "It's not unusual for us to hear about birds and even rabbits destroying a remote," continued Waters. "Birds love to peck at it and rabbits seem to have a special affection for the rubber keypad buttons. Surprisingly, we rarely hear from cat owners." Once pet owners' remotes are destroyed, they discover that it was more than just a modern convenience. Waters explains, "Many of today's consumer electronics are simply useless without the original remote control. Most universal or cable remotes just can't get the job done--they don't operate such key features as Input, menu and smart functions, which are necessary on most of today's sophisticated electronic equipment." Like everyone, Remotecontrols.com hasn't found the answer to prevent Fido from slobbering on the remote. Though as Waters says, "We are not really looking for a solution. We figure why bite the hand that feeds us?" Contact: Charlie Waters

Company Name: Remotecontrols.com

Telephone: 1-800-827-2546

Fax: 1-813-925-8776

Email: [email protected]

Web Address: www.Remotecontrols.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dogs-go-bow-wow-for-the-tv-remote----remotecontrolscom-shares-the-craziest-chew-stories-300748972.html SOURCE Remotecontrols.com

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] IASO BioMed Announces Addition of Four Members to Its Scientific Advisory Board

Company developing a Next Generation Treatment for Low Testosterone CENTENNIAL, Colo., Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IASO BioMed, Inc. (IASO or the Company), an innovative biotechnology company dedicated to developing its first-in-class Next Generation Treatment for Low Testosterone, announced today the addition to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of an esteemed group of scientific and business leaders chosen to counsel the company on the development and impact of its technologies globally. The new advisors include: Lewis Blumenthal, M.D.

Ravi Kacker, M.D.

Fred Mermelstein, Ph.D.

Barry R. Zirkin, Ph.D. We are extremely pleased to welcome Drs. Blumenthal, Kacker, Mermelstein and Zirkin to join Drs. Papadopoulos and Karatzas on the IASO Scientific Advisory Board, commented Chief Executive Officer Mr. Richard Schell. The depth and breadth of knowledge and experience represented by these individuals in preclinical, clinical research and practice, product development and expertise in the areas of pharmacology, andrology, urology, and obstetrics/gynecology is exceptional. Our SAB members possess significant and diverse experience in academia, drug research and development as well as regulatory, business development and venture capital expertise, continued Mr. Schell. We believe the extensive knowledge and experience of our SAB will prove invaluable as IASO works to develop our first-in-class products for global markets, stated Duane Knight, Chief Financial Officer of IASO. Lewis Blumenthal, M.D. Dr. Blumenthal graduated Northwestern University with a Bachelors degree in Biology, graduated University of Illinois with a Medical Degree and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society award, and completed residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. He is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and has maintained a private practice in Obstetrics and Gynecology for over thirty-five years. Dr. Blumenthal has been Chairman of the Obstetrics and Gynecology departments at Michael Reese hospital for eight years and MetroSouth Medical Center for ten years and achieved Clinical Assistant Professor level at University of Illinois. He has taught a laparoscopic gynecology surgical course and published original articles pertaining to obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Blumenthal has been founder and board member of several healthcare companies. Ravi Kacker, M.D. Dr. Kacker is a board-certified urologist, entrepreneur, and drug developer. He completed undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering and his medical school at Northwestern University prior to his Urology residency and fellowship through Harvard Medical School.He later served as an Instructor in Urology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center prior to founding MetroWest Urologic Associates in Natick, Massachusetts. Dr. Kacker's clinical practice covers all areas of male and female urology but has a specialty focus in male hormonal health, sexual dysfunction, and prostate problems. Dr. Kacker is a co-founder and CEO of MHB Labs, an early stage specialty biopharmaceutical company developing the first controlled release form of recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin, with applications in male hormonal health and breast cancer. He also serves as a consultant and contract drug developer to established biopharmaceutical companies.



Fred Mermelstein, Ph.D. Dr. Mermelstein currently is a Partner of Ascentia Asset Management, Inc. He currently serves on several boards, including, the Harvard Institute of RNA Medicine, Rogosin Institute, Cornell-Weill Medical Center, SanaRx, Advantagene, NX PharmaGen, and Raqia. He also serves as a mentor to the Northeastern University Health Sciences Program and to the Harvard Medical School Biotech Incubator and Lecturer, Dept. of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Mermelstein was the founder of Javelin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (JAV), which was acquired by Hospira, Inc., now Pfizer. He has served as the CEO and President of Javelin, which has brought to market in Europe DylojectTM, an injectable anti-inflammatory for the treatment of post-operative pain. He was the founder of PolaRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., where he also served as Chief Scientific Officer, and was responsible for bringing TrisenoxTM (Arsenic Trioxide for the treatment of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia) to NDA completion, now marketed and sold worldwide by Teva. He also served as Director of Paramount Capital Investments, Inc. and General Partner of the Orion Biomedical Fund. Dr. Mermelstein received a Ph.D. joint degree in pharmacology and toxicology at Rutgers University and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (UMDNJ-RWJ) and completed his post-doctoral training as a research fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute located at UMDNJ-RWJ and BS, MS in Toxicology from Northeastern University.

Barry R. Zirkin, Ph.D. Barry Zirkin received his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California Davis and 3 years as Assistant Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, he joined the faculty of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 1974. He was promoted to Professor in 1981. He served as Head of the Division of Reproductive Biology, initially in the Department and Population Dynamics and subsequently in the Department of Biochemistry. He holds joint appointments in the School of Arts and Science and the School of Medicine. One major research focus in the Zirkin lab is on the molecular regulation of Leydig cell steroidogenic function during aging; and in particular on the role of oxidative stress resulting from increased production of reactive oxygen and decreases in cellular antioxidant defenses. A second focus is on the regulation of the stem cells that ultimately give rise to adult Leydig cells. A third is on the regulation of mammalian spermatogenesis. Dr. Zirkin's research activities have resulted in over 250 publications. Dr. Zirkin is an elected American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, and was a MERIT Awardee of the National Institute of Aging. He received the Distinguished Service and Distinguished Andrologist awards of the American Society of Andrology (ASA). He has served as President of ASA and of the North American Testis Workshop. He has received teaching awards from the Johns Hopkins School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Public Health. About IASO BioMed, Inc.

IASO BioMed, Inc. is a privately-held developmental stage biotechnology company focusing on researching and developing a Next Generation Treatment for Low Testosterone the Company believes will be a safer non-abusable alternative to currently available testosterone replacement therapy by stimulating the body's own production of testosterone to help restore normal physiology rather than using exogenous synthetic hormones. IASO is presently a voluntary public filer with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and the actual results and future events could differ materially from managements current expectations. The economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors identified in the Companys previous filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For further information contact:

Duane C. Knight, CFO

IASO BioMed, Inc.

(720) 389-0650

[email protected]

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Phoenix Life Sciences International Announces Significant Retirement of Convertible Debt and Elimination of Outstanding Preferred Shares

DENVER , Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Phoenix Life Sciences International Limited (Phoenix Life) (OTC: PLSI), an international adaptive healthcare solutions company, today announced that it has retired additional convertible debt, positioning the company with no more outstanding preferred shares or debt that is subject to conversion.

As a part of the implementation of its fiscal policy aimed at bringing shareholders value and forwarding the company's mission of creating a global platform for plant-based pharmaceuticals, including bringing medical cannabis products into the mainstream of healthcare, the company has retired its outstanding Series C debt and canceled its Series A and B. To operate under the umbrella company Phoenix Life Sciences International, we executed the consolidation of various entities and focused on eliminating as much expensive debt as possible, said Martin Tindall, Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Life Sciences International. Many companies must deal with this issue in later stages of their growth. We are confident that addressing these types of fiscal issues ahead of reaching larger milestones in the ramp up of our product offering is crucial in building a solid fiscal structure for the open markets. We are proud that we were able to achieve this now and focus our attention on our many global healthcare initiatives. The company has recently announced multiple milestones in its progress including: 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 manufacture botanical pharmaceutical products

Medical Advisory Council added Diabetes Director



For more information about Phoenix Life, please visit https://www.plsi.co/ .

About Phoenix Life Sciences International Limited

Phoenix Life Sciences International Limited is an adaptive global 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]

1-858-283-4005

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Rancher Labs Adds Support for Leading Kubernetes Services in China

KubeCon China 2018, booth P9- Rancher Labs, a provider of container management software, today announced support for all leading Kubernetes services in China. The only enterprise Kubernetes platform that manages both self-hosted and cloud-hosted Kubernetes clusters, Rancher has now added support for Huawei (News - Alert) Cloud Container Engine (CCE), Alibaba Cloud Container Service for Kubernetes (ACK) and Tencent Kubernetes Engine (TKE). "Rancher continues to be the unequivocal choice for enterprises running containers and Kubernetes in production," said Sheng Liang, CEO and co-founder of Rancher Labs. "As enterprises continue to adopt Kubernetes at a global level, it is vital that we continue to expand our support. We're pleased to be the only Kubernetes management platform to support cloud-hosted Kubernetes clusters from all of the leading cloud providers." Expanded support for Huawei Cloud, Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud Rancher is an open source Kubernetes management platform that allows organizations to deliver Kubernetes-as-a-Service to their employees and centrally manage all Kubernetes clusters, regardless of how the cluster was deployed, or where it is running. With Rancher 2.0, the company introduced the first platform to manage hosted Kubernetes services from Google (News - Alert) (GKE), Amazon (EKS) and Azure (AKS), enforcing consistent security policies, and providing an intuitive user experience across any cluster. Now with expanded support, organizations can accelerate the adoption of Kubernetes in China and deploy applications consistently anywhere in the world. This latest product update includes: Self-service provision of Kubernetes clusters in Huawei CCE, Alibaba ACK, and Tencent TKE. Users can create and upgrade CCE, ACK, and TKE clusters from Rancher UI and API.

Integrated cloud infrastructure management and cluster scaling. Users can configure CCE, ACK, and TKE clusters, including the number of nodes in the clusters, from Rancher UI and API.

Centralized user authentication across on-premise and CCE, ACK, and TKE clusters. Enterprise users can sign in to their CCE, ACK, and TKE clusters using their Active Directory and LDAP credentials.

Unified access control policy across all your Kubernetes clusters. Enterprise IT administrators can configure and enforce consistent access control policies across CCE, ACK, and TKE clusters.



"As the largest public cloud service provider in China, and one of the world's top three IaaS providers, Alibaba Cloud is dedicated to empowering enterprises to accelerate their digital transformation with cloud native approach and open container technologies," said Mr. YiLi, director of engineering for Alibaba Cloud Container Technologies. "We are delighted to support Rancher through Alibaba Cloud Kubernetes Service (ACK). Available in sixteen regions around the world, we strongly believe ACK will boost the cloud migration and multi-cloud management with Kubernetes."

"Born out of the open source Kubernetes system, Tencent Kubernetes Engine (TKE) provides container-centric, highly scalable and high-performance container management services," said Mr. Liang WenJie, Tencent Cloud PaaS product manager. "Rancher support for Tencent Kubernetes Engines is very helpful. Rancher users will now be able to leverage the richest set of features offered by TKE." The integration will be available in Rancher 2.2, scheduled to ship in early 2019. Rancher Labs will demonstrate the integration with Huawei, Alibaba and Tencent at KubeCon Shanghai in booth P9. Kubecon China Keynote: Delivering Renewable Energy with Kubernetes At KubeCon Shanghai, Rancher will be showcasing its success with customers in US, Europe and China. To learn more about how enterprise customers are using Rancher and Kubernetes, attend the following keynote session: Keynote: Delivering Renewable Energy with Kubernetes

Delivering Renewable Energy with Kubernetes Speakers: Wei Zhang, VP Technology, Goldwind Smart Energy & Sheng Liang, CEO, Rancher Labs

Wei Zhang, VP Technology, Goldwind Smart Energy & Sheng Liang, CEO, Rancher Labs Date: Wednesday , November 14 at 17:38 - 17:58

, November 14 at 17:38 - 17:58 Overview: Wei and Sheng will discuss how a top wind turbine manufacturer is using Rancher to manage its Kubernetes deployments in central data center, as well as thousands of Kubernetes clusters on the edge. Supporting Resources Rancher 2.0 web page

Company Blog

Twitter

LinkedIn About Rancher Labs Rancher Labs builds innovative, open source software for enterprises leveraging containers and Kubernetes to accelerate software development and improve IT operations. The flagship Rancher container management platform allows users to easily manage all aspects of running Kubernetes in production, on any infrastructure. RancherOS is a simplified Linux distribution built from containers for running containers. For additional information, please visit www.rancher.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005219/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Wide Range of Presentations at Fasano Longevity Conference

The November 5th Fasano Longevity Conference included a wide range of presentations, including an analysis of the mid-term elections and groundbreaking cancer research.

Washington insider, Kevin Madden, opened the Conference with his take on the mid-term elections. He was followed by Coventry Chairman, Alan Buerger, who gave an upbeat assessment of the outlook for the Life Settlement market.

The morning sessions also featured a presentation by Securis Investment Partners with their analysis of Current Investment Values in Life Settlements, and finished with an analysis by Dr. Steven Rigatti of the Different Methods of Measuring Biologic Age.

The afternoon sessions opened with a captivating presentation by Northwestern University's Dr. Thomas Meade on his original research into ways of Disabling Cancer Cell from Metastasizing. The afternoon sessions also included Wharton School research on the Impact of Medicare Reform on Longevity, James Atkins' Critique of Pricing in the Secondary Structured Settlement Market and an all-star panel presentation covering the Impact of New Privacy Regulations in both the U.S. and the European Union.







Said Michael Fasano, President of Fasano Associates, "We attracted 200 longevity and investment professionals this year, and the feedback has been extraordinarily positive. The presentations included a good balance of politics, investment analysis and breakthrough medical research." Fasano described his Conference as "Investor Focused."

DVDs of the Conference are available (www.fasanoassociates.com) for $495. Next year's Fasano Longevity Conference will be held on Monday, November 4, 2019, in Washington, DC.

About Fasano Associates:

Fasano Associates is a leading underwriting consulting firm serving the life, health, annuity and life settlement industries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005175/en/American Express Chief Executive Officer to Participate in the Goldman Sachs U.S. Financial Services Conference

American Express (News - Alert) (NYSE:AXP) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen J. Squeri, will participate in the Goldman Sachs U.S. Financial Services Conference in New York City, on Wednesday, December 5, 2018, at 9:20 a.m. (ET). Mr. Squeri will participate in a question-and-answer session relating to the Company's business strategy and financial performance.

A live audio webcast will be accessible to the general public through the American Express Investor Relations website at http://ir.americanexpress.com. An audio replay of the presentation will be available after the event at the same website address.

About American Express

American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress.







Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, InAuth, corporate card, business travel, and corporate responsibility.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005253/en/[November 13, 2018] NextFlex Teams up with Boeing for Second National Expansion of Workforce Development Program

Boeing (News - Alert) has awarded $250,000 toward a new workforce development initiative in partnership with the Alabama Community College System and NextFlex, America's Flexible Hybrid Electronics Innovation Institute. The fund will fuel the local adoption of NextFlex's flagship workforce development program FlexFactor, aimed at preparing the next generation of the advanced manufacturing workforce. The partnership between NextFlex, Boeing, and participating local school districts and colleges will give Huntsville-Madison County area students the opportunity to see how advanced materials and products can combine to create innovative solutions to a diverse range of problems. The immersive multi-week experience helps participating students kickstart their advanced manufacturing career paths by familiarizing them with the technology and the vast range of professional opportunities in the field. "Boeing has been an active member in maturing additive manufacturing approaches for FHE systems as part of our involvement with NextFlex, and we have led this development from the Huntsville research center," said Robert Smith (News - Alert), Ph.D., a technical fellow with Boeing Research and Technology. "To achieve our goals, we need the ideas and energy that come from engaging with the workforce of tomorrow. Through the FlexFactor program and the support of the Alabama Community College System, along with J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College and Calhoun Community Colleges, Boeing and the rest of the North Alabama industrial community will benefit from the innovation and excitement that will come from students in this high-tech corridor." "The Alabama Community College System is committed to providing the education and training needed to ensure that all Alabamians have a path to a great career," said Jeff Lynn, vice chancellor Workforce and Economic Development for the Alabama Community College System. "We are proud to partner with Boeing to bring the NextFex FlexFactor project to high school students in the Huntsville-Madison County region. Through this public-private partnership, we will be able to inspire, recruit and prepare the future generation to fulfill the advanced technology career pathways our young people need to lead Alabama throughout the 21st century."



Additionally, students will be engaged with participating local colleges and community colleges, including J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College and Calhoun Community College, to help them with the next steps after completing the FlexFactor program. "FlexFactor allows students to grasp their potential to address and solve the biggest challenges of the future using the power of technology, an entrepreneurial mindset, and a range of soft skills like environmental scanning and deduction, contextual value creation and collaboration," explained Brynt Parmeter, director of Workforce Development at NextFlex. "Students emerge from the program understanding that they are the ones who will come up with the solutions to the vast range of social, environmental and health problems our world faces."

The Boeing-funded Huntsville-Madison County initiative is the second national expansion of the FlexFactor program that piloted in Northern California, following the spring 2018 expansion of the program to Lorain Community College in Elyria, Ohio. The Huntsville-Madison County expansion will build on the successes of the 2,000 students who have already gone through the program, highlighting the astounding capacity of this generation to grasp the power and potential of emerging technologies. About NextFlex NextFlex, America's Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute, is a leading force in the Manufacturing USA network of Institutes. Formed through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and FlexTech Alliance, NextFlex is a consortium of companies, academic institutions, non-profits and state, local and federal governments with a shared goal of advancing U.S. manufacturing of FHE. Since its formation in 2015, NextFlex's elite team of thought leaders, educators, problem solvers, and manufacturers have come together to collectively facilitate innovation, narrow the manufacturing workforce gap, and promote sustainable manufacturing ecosystems. For more information, visit www.nextflex.us and follow NextFlex on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005277/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] RadioMedix and Orano Med receive FDA Orphan Drug Designation for AlphaMedix (TM) for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors

Houston (TX U.S.), Courbevoie (France), Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RadioMedix Inc. (a Texas-based clinical stage biotechnology company) and Orano Med (a nuclear biotechnology company) announced today that the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to AlphaMedixTM for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). AlphaMedixTM is a 212Pb-labeled somatostatin analogue used for the targeted alpha therapy (TAT) of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

Radiomedix



Orano Med



"TAT has brought new hope to our patients with cancer, and the range of available therapies in this area will only increase in the near future. We are pleased to condct the first TAT clinical trial in the U.S. for neuroendocrine cancers, with the aim of registration of the drug, said Dr. Ebrahim S. Delpassand, CEO of RadioMedix and Medical Director of the clinical studies."We are hoping that AlphaMedixTM will provide a breakthrough therapy that will benefit our patients soon, added Dr. Delpassand. We are excited about the progress of our dose escalation studies of AlphaMedixTM", echoed Dr. Izabela Tworowska, Ph.D., CSO of RadioMedix.



The mechanism of action of AlphaMedixTM relies on the delivery of cytotoxic load of alpha-emitters to SSTR-overexpressing neuroendocrine tumors. Alpha emitters are highly energetic radioactive particles that can cause irreversible damage to the cancer cells. RadioMedix and Orano Med initiated the Phase 1 clinical trial of the safety and preliminary efficacy of AlphaMedixTM in February of 2018 (NCT03466216); the study is currently recruiting patients at the Excel Diagnostics and Nuclear Oncology Center in Houston, TX U.S. FDAs decision to grant Orphan drug Designation is an important regulatory milestone for AlphaMedixTM, a key program in our pipeline of 212Pb-labeled compounds , said Julien Dodet, CEO of Orano Med. We believe TAT with 212Pb represents a promising new approach and that AlphaMedixTM has the potential to have a meaningful impact on patients.

Orphan designation is granted by the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development to advance the evaluation and development of safe and effective therapies for the treatment of rare diseases or conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. The designation provides certain benefits to drug developers such as seven-year marketing exclusivity upon FDA approval, tax credits for qualified clinical testing or prescription drug user fee exemption. ?About Neuroendocrine Tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a heterogeneous group of rare neoplasms that originate from neuroendocrine cells. These neoplasms occur mostly in the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas, but can also occur in other tissues including thymus, lung, and other uncommon sites such as ovaries, heart, and prostate. Most NETs strongly express somatostatin receptors (SSTRs). About AlphaMedixTM AlphaMedixTM is a radiolabeled SSTR-targeting therapeutic investigational drug for the treatment of NETs patients. The product consists of SSTR-targeting peptide complex radiolabeled with 212Pb and serve as an in vivo generator of alpha-emitting particles. 212Pb isotope is particularly suitable for SSTR therapy applications based upon its half-life, energy and decay properties. More about RadioMedix RadioMedix, Inc. is a clinical stage biotechnology company, based in Houston, Texas, focused on innovative targeted radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy of cancer. The company is commercializing PET imaging and targeted radiotherapies using alpha- and beta-labeled drug products. RadioMedix has a strong clinical record serving as a sponsor and collaborator of multiple clinical studies. For more information visit us at www.radiomedix.com. More about Orano Med Orano Med (formerly AREVA Med) is a nuclear biotech company developing innovative therapies in oncology. Orano Med has developed new processes for producing lead-212 (212Pb), a rare radioactive isotope used in Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT), an innovative and promising approach of nuclear medicine that recognizes and destroys cancer cells while limiting the impact on nearby healthy cells. With its partners, Orano Med pursues the development of effective therapies to address patients needs. More information about Orano Med: www.oranomed.com. Follow @OranoMed on Twitter.

Media Contact Izabela Tworowska, PhD CSO, RadioMedix Inc. [email protected]

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] DigiCert Selected by USB-IF to Operate Managed PKI for USB Type-C Authentication

LEHI, Utah, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DigiCert, Inc., the world's leading provider of TLS/SSL, PKI and IoT security solutions, has been selected by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) to operate registration and certificate authority services for the USB Type-C Authentication specification. Using cryptographic-based authentication, the optional security protocol is designed to further strengthen USB Type-C's position as the global standard for connecting and charging devices. USB Type-C Authentication gives OEMs the opportunity to use certificates that enable host systems to confirm the authenticity of a USB device or USB charger, including such product aspects as the descriptors, capabilities and certification status. This protects against potential damage from non-compliant USB chargers and the risks from maliciously embedded hardware or software in devices attempting to exploit a USB connection. "USB Type-C adoption continues to grow and the interface is quickly establishing itself as the solution of choice for connecting and charging an endless variety of devices," sad Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF President and COO. "USB-IF is eager to work with DigiCert to manage our certificate authority for USB Type-C Authentication, which will further support the USB ecosystem."



"DigiCert is excited about being chosen to provide PKI services for the USB-IF, and the opportunity to advance secure authentication for the USB Type-C Authentication specification," said Deepika Chauhan, executive vice president of emerging markets at DigiCert. "DigiCert looks forward to working with the more than 1,000 member companies of the USB-IF and the industry as a whole." DigiCert has proven to be the provider of choice for IoT device consortiums implementing certificate-based security programs. In addition to USB-IF, DigiCert is also in use by the WiMAX Forum, CI Plus, GSMA, WinnForum/CBRS, the Open Connectivity Foundation and AeroMACS. DigiCert's scalability has stood the test of time, having already issued billions of certificates globally for IoT devices.

For more information about the USB Type-C Authentication specification, visit https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/article_files/USB_Type-C_Authentication_PR_FINAL.pdf. USB Type-C and USB-C are trademarks of USB Implementers Forum. About DigiCert, Inc. DigiCert is the world's leading provider of scalable PKI solutions for identity and encryption. The most innovative companies, including the Global 2000, choose DigiCert for its expertise in identity and encryption for web servers and Internet of Things devices. DigiCert supports TLS/SSL and other digital certificates for PKI deployments at any scale through its certificate lifecycle management platform, CertCentral . The company has been recognized with dozens of awards for its enterprise-grade management platform, fast and knowledgeable customer support, and market-leading growth. For the latest DigiCert news and updates, visit digicert.com ?or follow? @digicert . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digicert-selected-by-usb-if-to-operate-managed-pki-for-usb-type-c-authentication-300748888.html SOURCE DigiCert, Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Motorola Solutions Kicks Off Annual Software User Conference

Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI (News - Alert)) welcomed over 1,200 public safety professionals from more than 400 agencies in the United States and Canada to the company's annual software user conference, Summit 2018. The four-day conference is designed to help customers maximize their software investment through hands-on instruction, technical training and the chance to collaborate with public safety professionals from across the country. Throughout the week, Summit 2018 will showcase Motorola (News - Alert) Solutions' command center software suite, CommandCentral, an end-to-end, integrated solution that simplifies public safety workflows, from the initial intake of an emergency call to the closing of a case. The suite provides teams with a unified, intuitive experience while leveraging technology to help increase safety for agencies and the communities they serve. In his opening keynote to conference attendees, Andrew Sinclair, corporate vice president and general manager of Motorola Solutions Software Enterprise, emphasized customer partnership and a shared commitment to public safety as drivers for digital transformation and the use of technology to fuel better outcomes. "As your trusted partner, we're investing in the products and solutions you rely on every day," said Sinclair. "We will continue to listen and work with you as we drive digital transformation in public safety, working together to serve others, buld stronger communities, and save lives."



With more than 250 unique classes, in-depth certifications and hands-on labs, the conference is designed for every role within a public safety agency. Attendees will have the opportunity to network and share best practices with other public safety professionals as well as have one-on-one discussions with Motorola Solutions product experts. The conference opened with a demonstration of how a multi-collision accident on a busy highway is handled from call to case closure with an integrated, end-to-end software suite maximized to help the responding agency work more effectively and efficiently.

Throughout the week, attendees will see product demonstrations and learn about the benefits of Motorola Solutions' new relationship with Microsoft (News - Alert) for Azure Government Cloud services and the exclusive partnership with LexisNexis for extensive access to investigative and analytical data. About Motorola Solutions Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) is a technology company that provides mission-critical communications, software and video solutions that help build safer cities and thriving communities. Public safety and commercial customers globally depend on the company's two-way radios, broadband technology, video surveillance and analytics solutions, services and software to keep them connected, from extreme to everyday moments. Learn more at www.motorolasolutions.com. Find Motorola Solutions on Twitter (News - Alert) Find Motorola Solutions on LinkedIn (News - Alert) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005207/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Americans Do Not Fully Trust Social Media for Health Information, According to New Weber Shandwick Study

NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey profiling how American adults access, use and feel about health-related information finds that most American social media users who regularly seek health information are concerned about incorrect or misleading medical information on social media, and few have found health information on social media to be accurate. These findings are consistent across generations. The survey, The Great American Search for Healthcare Information, was conducted among 1,700 Americans 18 years of age and older. It was commissioned by global communications and marketing services firm Weber Shandwick in partnership with KRC Research. The survey focused on Healthcare Information Seekers, those Americans who look for health-related information at least once per year, excluding doctor appointments. This large-scale study of Americans was designed to help communicators and marketers in the health sector guide their strategic and tactical content decisions. "In a time of information-overload and cynicism inflamed by 'fake news,' communicators and marketers face new and unique challenges around how to effectively engage with their customers," said Laura Schoen, President of Weber Shandwick's Global Healthcare Practice. "But as the demand for online information grows, and as the landscape continues to be increasingly muddied by inaccurate  and at times dangerous  information, the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors have a greater responsibility than ever before to find ways to create and deliver engaging, relevant and factual information." Americans Have Healthy Doses of Skepticism About Health Information on Social Media

Two-thirds of American Healthcare Information Seekers (67 percent) report that they see health information on social media. The types of information they see on social media are mostly wellness advice (56 percent) and advertisements for treatments or medications (52 percent). Seeing is not necessarily believing, however. More than eight in 10 Healthcare Information Seekers who have seen health information on social media (83 percent) say they are concerned about incorrect or misleading medical information. Only 35 percent report that, in their experience, the information is mostly accurate. Slightly more, 38 percent, say they have no idea of its veracity and 27 percent say it is mostly inaccurate. These numbers indicate that people are exposed to health information through social media, but recognize how hard it is to know what is true, especially in the face of complex information and seemingly conflicting facts or studies. Particularly compelling about this data is that concerns about and experiences with accuracy of social health information are consistent across generations. For example, the youngest cohort in our study, Gen Z, is just as likely to be concerned about incorrect or misleading information as the much older Boomer generation (91 percent and 87 percent, respectively). This suggests that social media comfort and proficiency do not have a bearing on perceptions of legitimacy, leading to the conclusion that it is the content or channel that is the challenge for health-related information communicators.









American Healthcare Information Seekers who Use Social Media

Total Gen Z* (age 18- 21) Millennial (age 22- 37) Gen X (age 38-53) Boomer (age 54- 72) Silent/ Greatest* (age 73+)

% % % % % % % Very or somewhat concerned about incorrect or

misleading medical and health information on

social media sites 83 91 80 84 87 74 % Report that the health-related information they

have seen on social media is











Mostly accurate 35 34 41 33 28 29 Mostly inaccurate 27 34 32 22 24 27 Not sure/have no idea 38 32 27 45 48 44 *Small sample size













While health information on social media has a credibility problem, Healthcare Information Seekers exposed to it identify several solutions for instilling more confidence: social healthcare information should be cited by a medical professional (43 percent), it should cite a scientific study (38 percent), it should be associated with a trusted brand (37 percent) and it should be cited by a trusted school or research organization (36 percent). The findings show a demand and opportunity for medical information on social media to be verified by respected third-party sources. Medical Professionals  Not Necessarily Doctors  Provide the Most Satisfactory Information

When it comes to satisfactory experiences with the information sources that are used, medical professionals far surpass any other source. At the very top of the list that users of health information were 'very satisfied' with are physician's assistants/nurses and eye doctors (tied at 66 percent). Medical information websites fall just below average in terms of satisfaction (39 percent) despite their widespread use by 53 percent of Healthcare Information Seekers. This disparity may point to a significant opportunity for these platforms to demonstrate that there are medical professionals "behind" the content. Physicians May Have a Millennial Problem

The Millennial generation is least likely to be very satisfied with the information provided by medical doctors. In evaluating other attitudes toward physicians, the study suggests that doctors may be contending with a Millennial trust challenge. In addition to their lower satisfaction levels with information from doctors (on a basis relative to other generations), Millennials are the least likely generation to say they always listen to their doctor(s), the most likely to believe that online health-related information is as reliable as that from medical professionals and the most likely to say they trust their peers more than medical professionals.

Healthcare Information Seekers

Total Gen Z Millennial Gen X Boomer Silent/ Greatest

% % % % % % % Very satisfied with information from medical

doctor 57 62* 49 55 61 66 % Strongly/Somewhat Agree with these statements











I always listen to my doctor[s] 77 71 69 75 83 94 Health-related information on the Internet is as

reliable as information from medical professionals 49 40 55 51 48 31 I trust my peers more than I trust medical

professionals 26 32 38 25 14 11 *Small sample size of Gen Zs who get health-related information from medical doctors A Guide to Engaging Americans with Healthcare Information

There is a ravenous appetite for healthcare information in the United States today. Healthcare and biopharmaceutical companies and brands should recognize that a sizeable majority of Americans are seeking health information. "Healthcare companies need to realize that the proliferation of misinformation and lack of trust online is actually an opportunity," said Stacey Bernstein, Executive Vice President and Global Director of Digital Health at Weber Shandwick. "As some of the most information-rich, research-driven organizations in the world, they are poised perhaps better than anyone else to provide the credible and relevant information that consumers are so actively seeking." Based on our research, Weber Shandwick recommends basic guidelines for successfully interacting with customers. Below are a sample of guidelines; more can be found in our full report. Design your content for discovery. Consumers find healthcare information in a variety of places. By building content that is discoverable across multiple channels  online and offline  you can intersect your customers across their journey and ensure that they find the credible information they're looking for.

Consumers find healthcare information in a variety of places. By building content that is discoverable across multiple channels  online and offline  you can intersect your customers across their journey and ensure that they find the credible information they're looking for. Use succinct, clear and plain language in your communications. Recognize that people are swimming in information and overwhelmed by the volume, creating confusion and perceptions of conflicting facts.

Recognize that people are swimming in information and overwhelmed by the volume, creating confusion and perceptions of conflicting facts. Customize your approaches . Although there is surprisingly little difference in the number of Healthcare Information Seekers across generations, Gen Z and Millennials have different medical needs than Boomers and the Silent/Greatest generation, so content should deliver against those unique experiences. Further, Americans respect specialized expertise: different sources are credible on different health topics/issues.

. Although there is surprisingly little difference in the number of Healthcare Information Seekers across generations, Gen Z and Millennials have different medical needs than Boomers and the Silent/Greatest generation, so content should deliver against those unique experiences. Further, Americans respect specialized expertise: different sources are credible on different health topics/issues. Prove your online credibility from the outset. Trust is earned, and there's an uphill battle to be fought to convince customers that information online, especially found on social media, is credible and trustworthy. Showcase your research-driven approach, include validation from medical professionals and experts, and bring your partners into the fold. Shore up attention-getting and awareness-building communications via social media channels with supporting evidence and facts from credible sources.

Trust is earned, and there's an uphill battle to be fought to convince customers that information online, especially found on social media, is credible and trustworthy. Showcase your research-driven approach, include validation from medical professionals and experts, and bring your partners into the fold. Shore up attention-getting and awareness-building communications via social media channels with supporting evidence and facts from credible sources. Provide medical doctors with support to find ways to build trust with Millennials. A perception that peers are as capable as doctors of providing healthcare information, or potentially that healthcare information can be "crowdsourced," is concerning. Physicians need to understand the root cause of this sentiment and address it before it is too late. Please click here for the full The Great American Search for Healthcare Information report and presentation. It includes additional findings such as the types of health information Americans seek, their use of new digital health services and apps and attitudes about the concerns vs. advantages of the state of healthcare information today. About the Research

Weber Shandwick, in partnership with KRC Research, conducted a 20-minute national survey of 1,700 American adults age 18 and over. The sample was drawn from a large national consumer panel, and conducted both online and by telephone to reach seniors 65 years and older. Data was weighted to be demographically representative of U.S. adults based on Census reference data. Interviews took place from May 14  June 1, 2018. We defined "health-related information" at the outset of the survey as "information about physical or mental health, healthcare, and health insurance." The generations that are reported in the study are defined by Pew Research as follows: Gen Z: ages 18-21; Millennial: ages 22-37; Gen X: ages 38-53; Baby Boomer: ages 54-72; Silent/Greatest: ages 73+. Healthcare Information Seekers are defined as those who report they have looked for health-related information at least once during the past year, excluding doctor appointments. About Weber Shandwick

Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications and marketing services firm in 78 cities with a network extending to 128 cities around the world. The firm's diverse team of strategists, analysts, producers, designers, developers and campaign activators has won the most prestigious awards in the world for innovative, creative approaches and impactful work. Weber Shandwick was the only public relations agency included on the Advertising Age Agency A-list in 2014 and 2015 and the only PR firm designated an A-List Agency Standout in 2017 and 2018. Weber Shandwick was honored as PRWeek's Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, The Holmes Report's Global Agency of the Year in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017, and The Holmes Report's Global Digital Agency of the Year in 2016. The firm deploys deep expertise across sectors and specialty areas, including consumer marketing, corporate reputation, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, employee engagement, social impact, financial communications and crisis management, using proprietary social, digital and analytics methodologies. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com. About KRC Research

KRC Research is a global full-service nonpartisan opinion research and strategy firm. A unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), KRC Research offers the quality and custom service of a small firm with the reach of a global organization. For over 30 years, KRC Research has worked on behalf of corporations, governments, not-for-profits and the communications firms that represent them. Staffed with multidisciplinary research professionals, KRC combines sophisticated research tools with real-world communications experience. For more information, visit www.krcresearch.com. Contact: Kim Dixon Company: Weber Shandwick Phone: 212.546.7876 Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/americans-do-not-fully-trust-social-media-for-health-information-according-to-new-weber-shandwick-study-300749232.html SOURCE Weber Shandwick

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Smart Grid Market Worth $61.3 Billion by 2023 - New Report by MarketsandMarkets

CHICAGO, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Smart Grid Market by Software (AMI, Grid Distribution, Grid Network, Grid Asset, Grid Security, Substation Automation, and Billing & CIS), Hardware (Smart Meter), Service (Consulting, Integration, and Support), and Region - Global Forecast to 2023", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Smart Grid Market size is expected to grow from USD 23.8 billion in 2018 to USD 61.3 billion by 2023, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 20.9% during the forecast period. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg ) Don't miss out on business opportunities in Smart Grid Market. Speak to Our Analyst and gain crucial industry insights that will help your business grow: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=208777577 Government policies and legislative mandates, the awareness of carbon footprints, modernization of aging grid infrastructure, and improved grid reliability and efficient outage response are driving the adoption of smart grid solutions. With the increasing deployment of smart grid solutions in the smart cities, the Smart Grid Market is expected to gain a major traction during the forecast period. The smart grid distribution management segment to contribute the highest market share The smart grid distribution management segment is expected to hold the highest market share during the forecast period. Smart grid distribution management is a software platform that integrates Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Energy Management System (EMS), Distribution Management System (DMS), Demand Response (DR) management, and Distributed Energy Resource Management (DERM) for energy distribution management and optimization on a real-time basis. Browse in-depth TOC on "Smart Grid Market" 48 - Tables 51 - Figures 179 - Pages View more detailed TOC @ https://www.marketsandmakets.com/Market-Reports/smart-grid-market-208777577.html



The deployment and integration segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period The deployment and integration services segment is expected to have the highest market share and projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Deployment and integration services help in reducing the deployment and integration time. These services are crucial for developing end-to-smart grid solutions for the energy sector. The increasing requirement for upgrading traditional smart grid systems to support various smart cities and smart grids is increasing the growth of the deployment and integration services segment in the Smart Grid Market.

North America to contribute the highest market share, whereas Middle East and Africa (MEA) to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period North America is expected to hold the highest market share and dominate the Smart Grid Market during the forecast period. The region has been extremely responsive toward adopting the latest technological advancements, such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), smart grid distribution management, smart grid network, and substation automation. The major factors driving this region are the large-scale investments in smart grid and smart city projects, and need for better smart grid and control mechanisms. MEA is in its initial growth phase; however, it is the fastest-growing region in the global Smart Grid Market. The region has huge reservoirs of conventional and renewable energy sources. The high adoption of solutions to minimize outages and revenue losses, and provide better smart grids and controls has led to a wider demand for smart grid solutions in MEA. Request for Free Sample Report @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=208777577 The major vendors offering smart grids are GE (US), ABB (Switzerland), Siemens (Germany), Schneider Electric (France), Itron (US), Landis+Gyr (Switzerland), Aclara (US), Cisco (US), OSI (US), IBM (US), Wipro (India), Honeywell (US), Oracle (US), S&C Electric Company (US), Eaton (Ireland), Kamstrup (Denmark), Trilliant Holdings (US), Globema (Poland), Tech Mahindra (India), Enel X North America (US), eSmart Systems (Norway), Tanatalus (US), EsyaSoft (India), Grid4C (US), and C3 Energy (US). Browse Adjacent Markets @ Digitalization and Internet of Things (IoT) Market Research Reports & Consulting About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact:

Mr. Shelly Singh

MarketsandMarkets INC.

630 Dundee Road

Suite 430

Northbrook, IL 60062

USA: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]

Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/smart-grid-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] HealthLytix Enters Platform Partnership with Blackford

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthLytix, a precision health company and developer of quantitative medical imaging solutions that leverage machine learning announces the signing of a new Platform Partner Agreement with Blackford. This agreement gives Blackford the right to promote, market, sell, distribute, and license CT CoPilot directly via integration with the Blackford Platform. CT CoPilot seamlessly integrates into existing workflow to improve radiologist efficiency, measurement accuracy, and clinical confidence by automatically generating consistent views of head CT exams. It also provides automated quantitative measurements and subtraction series to increase conspicuity of change between exams. "We are excited to partner with Blackford and be part of their platform offering and all the benefits it offers healthcare providers. It should significantly enhance our market access and visibility while enabling radiologists to more quickly realize the efficiency and clinical confidence benefits of CT CoPilot," says Ajit Shankaranarayanan, COO at HealthLytix. Blackford CEO, Ben Panter said of the alliance: ""We look forward to working with HealthLytix to provide our customers and channel partners quick access to CT CoPilot through our single platform, to help provide additional clinical value for their patients." CT CoPilot will be launched at the upcoming Radiological Society of North merica (RSNA) 2018 annual meeting in Chicago. HealthLytix personnel will be available to discuss the benefits and capabilities of CT CoPilot in the CorTechs Labs Booth #7944  North Hall at RSNA.



To learn more about Blackford Platform applications including CT CoPilot, book a demo at RSNA or visit Blackford at Booth #7364. About HealthLytix:

At HealthLytix, we create data analytics solutions to provide comprehensive insights into health status based on genetics, quantitative imaging, and other medical information. Our products provide consumers with the benefits of early detection and targeted care, while empowering physicians with more accurate clinical decision-making across medical imaging modalities. As a precision health company, we apply proprietary machine learning algorithms to create individualized wellness assessments. We enable physicians and health systems to understand patient data, personalize treatment solutions and leverage data-driven insights into care pathway management. Learn more at www.healthlytix.com and in our virtual press kit.

About Blackford

Blackford provide a single platform to quickly access and manage a curated marketplace of regulatory approved medical image analysis applications and AI algorithms that add clinical value. Easily integrated into existing workflows, the platform provides actionable information that allows healthcare providers to use imaging information smartly and reduce the cost of care, while improving diagnostic confidence and patient outcomes. Founded in 2010, and with operations in the United Kingdom and the United States, Blackford Analysis is backed by TRI Cap, Old College Capital, and Archangel Investors, one of the UK's leading business angel syndicates. For more information, visit www.blackfordanalysis.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/healthlytix-enters-platform-partnership-with-blackford-300748501.html SOURCE HealthLytix

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Artemest Launches Its First Pop-Up Exhibition in New York

The Prestigious E-Commerce Platform for Luxury Italian Craftsmanship Lands in the Heart of SoHo With a Unique Showcase of Design and Artisanship NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2018 /CNW/ -- Artemest, the online destination for Italian handmade decor, celebrates the opening of its first pop-up exhibition in New York City. Starting in November, the gallery space will open to the public until the end of January 2019. The best Italian furniture, decor, and lighting pieces will tell an inspiring story of design in a gallery setting. "At the heart of our mission is the desire to share the poignant emotion of beauty as expressed through the hand of a craftsman," says Ippolita Rostagno, founder of Artemest. "These artists need advocacy, and we have created a platform to showcase and sell their exceptional work. Italians have a charming way of conflating age-old techniques with whimsical spirit and executing everyday objects with a reverence for materials that is truly thrilling." When entering the Artemest pop-up, visitors will be led on an incredible journey through curated corners, each with their individual aesthetic, that allow for the discovery of an ecectic aspect of Italian craftsmanship. During this journey, culture ambassadors will guide visitors through the history of each product, as well as artisanal techniques and heritage.



"The Artemest SoHo pop-up is part of our strategy of combining physical and digital retail. Being a digitally-native brand, we are exploring offline retail with a customer-centric approach, mixing best in class technologies, such as AR, with live on-site crafts demonstrations," says Marco Credendino, Co-Founder and CEO. The curated selection of handmade design pieces includes Murano glass mirrors by Ongaro & Fuga, wooden creations by cabinetmaker Giuseppe Rivadossi, contemporary tables by Durame, metallic furnishings and decor by Antonino Sciortino, eclectic ceramics by Lorenzo Franceschinis, hand-painted wallpapers by Misha Wallpaper and more.

In addition, the pop-up will celebrate the launch of the Artemest/Richard Ginori collaboration, "The Road to Heaven is Paved with Excess," an elegant series of plates inspired by the verses of William Blake. Artemest, the first e-commerce for luxury craftsmanship made in Italy, was founded in 2015 by world-renowned jewelry designer Ippolita Rostagno and Marco Credendino. The site brings the best Italian design in the categories of home decor, furniture, lighting, lifestyle and jewelry to an international audience of art enthusiasts and connoisseurs of beauty worldwide. Artemest Pop Up Exhibition Dates: November 5, 2018, to January 31, 2019 Address: 39 Wooster Street, New York City Website: www.artemest.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/artemest-launches-its-first-pop-up-exhibition-in-new-york-300749268.html SOURCE Artemest

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Higher Ed Point-of-Sale in the Cloud

PrismRBS, a subsidiary of Nebraska Book Company, announced its first PrismPOS cloud services customer to operate within a Canadian based Microsoft (News - Alert) Azure cloud region. PrismRBS is dedicated to providing the best technology in their effort to empower Canadian higher education customers. In order to achieve these goals, it's important to adopt cutting-edge services like the Microsoft Azure cloud. "Delivering cloud-based services and solutions on Canadian soil is a part of our strategic vision. PrismRBS is committed to providing the best campus-wide retail solutions designed to support our Canadian customers. Collaborating with companies like Microsoft is so crucial and only the beginning of what the company has in store moving forward," says Jeremy White, President of PrismRBS. PrismRBS successfully implemented their cloud based point-of-sale, PrismPOS, in Canadian territory. Wih more certifications than any other cloud provider, Microsoft Azure cloud allows Canadian campus retailers to run PrismRBS products with confidence their data is secure as required within PIPEDA restrictions. Along with the protection of secure data, the Azure cloud provides access to a menu of pre-built tools and features, regional data centers and improved functionality. Whether it's in a campus store, food service or a coffee shop, the PrismRBS product suite provides the tools needed to drive sales and create lasting consumer experiences.



About PrismRBS PrismRBS is a technology and software provider for campus retail services owned by NBC. PrismRBS serves as a partner to over 500 college retailers, providing technology solutions which support student success and strengthen higher education retail across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. In addition, PrismRBS leads the industry in point-of-sale solutions, real-time dashboards and analytics, back-end inventory software, mobile solutions and eCommerce software and services. For more information about PrismRBS, visit www.prismrbs.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005868/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Alexandria Helps Attract Amazon to Washington D.C. region

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Virginia Tech is making a historic commitment to build a revolutionary 1 million-square-foot, technology-focused campus in Alexandria  envisioned as a $1 billion project that is part of a comprehensive higher-education package that was cited as a key reason Amazon selected Virginia for a new headquarters site. Amazon's HQ2 and the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus will locate in National Landing, a newly branded neighborhood that encompasses parts of Pentagon City and Crystal City in Arlington and Potomac Yard in Alexandria. Specifically, Arlington County and the City of Alexandria partnered to present Amazon a 150-acre site in Crystal City that is a mixture of existing vacant buildings and developable land. Virginia Tech's new campus will be located less than two miles away on U.S. Route 1 in Alexandria. The Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, which includes state support, will spark discoveries and help fill the immense demand for high-tech talent in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area and beyond. More than 200 localities across the country competed to win Amazon's HQ2 and its estimated 50,000 jobs  a competition that ended today when the company announced its plans. Virginia Tech President Tim Sands and his leadership team worked for more than a year with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and other state officials to develop plans for the Innovation Campus. "This is a watershed moment for Virginia Tech and a great day for the commonwealth that we are committed to serve. As a land-grant research institution, we knew we needed to claim our role of driving economic development in Virginia," said university President Tim Sands. "Our new Innovation Campus will be the global center of technology excellence and talent production  where highly skilled students, world-class faculty, smart ideas, and forward-thinking companies will meet to propel the commonwealth and the region forward." Media Assets: Download a site map, fact sheet, photos and video Virginia Tech is widely known for its long-standing excellence in computer science, engineering, data analytics, and technology. The university ranks No. 8 in the nation for engineering research expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development Survey, and the College of Engineering No. 13 for its undergraduate program, according to U.S. Nes & World Report's 2019 rankings.



"Today is a historic day for the commonwealth," said U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). "The Innovation Campus will transform Virginia's high-tech economy while also providing a pipeline of talent to industry all over Virginia, including Amazon. Once fully launched, it will benefit educational institutions and regions across the commonwealth." Virginia Tech has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Stonebridge Associates Inc. and the City of Alexandria to expedite construction. The Innovation Campus will be located on land owned by investment firm Blackstone Group LP's real estate fund. The land, commonly referred to as Oakville Triangle, will be developed by Stonebridge.

The first 100 master's degree students will enroll next year in temporary space, with the campus hosting a total of 500 master's degree students within five years and, at scale, enrolling 750 master's degree candidates and training hundreds of doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. The project will greatly increase Virginia Tech's already strong existing footprint in Northern Virginia. Approximately 60,000 alumni live in the region, and Virginia Tech maintains seven facilities with operations in Old Town Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Leesburg, Manassas, and Middleburg. Graduate degree programs and research opportunities at the new campus will focus on computer sciences and software engineering, while offering specializations in high-demand areas, including data sciences; analytics and collective decisions; security and the internet of things; and technology and policy. The campus will include a mix of academic, research, and innovation space, as well as areas for housing, industry partners, and, perhaps most importantly, collaboration.



The university and the state both committed to provide $250 million to seed the project. The funding model requires private philanthropy, industry partnerships, and the creation of other revenue streams by leveraging the innovative shared spaces of the campus plan. "We in Alexandria could not be more excited and proud for Amazon to call National Landing home," said Mayor Allison Silberberg. "We are thrilled to be able to partner with Virginia Tech as they deliver a world-class innovation campus in Alexandria's portion of National Landing." Steve Mollenkopf, chief executive officer of Qualcomm Inc., said the Innovation Campus is a natural extension of Virginia Tech's proven record in STEM education. "There is a critical need to increase Virginia's pipeline of STEM graduates. With a world-class faculty, deep connections to the business community, and strong relationships with K-12, Virginia Tech is uniquely positioned to lead the commonwealth's efforts." Three years ago, Qualcomm and Virginia Tech partnered to open the Thinkabit Lab in Falls Church. Since opening, it has welcomed more than 5,300 students and teachers, primarily from underrepresented communities in the D.C. area, to wire, program, and craft their own unique inventions. David J. Skorton, secretary of the Smithsonian and former president of Cornell University and an architect of Cornell Tech in New York City, said the positive benefits of the new campus will extend far beyond Alexandria and the Amazon project, comparing it in purpose and scope to Cornell Tech. "I've seen firsthand how Cornell Tech reinvented graduate tech education for the digital age and is further energizing the startup culture in New York City," he said. "I'm thrilled Virginia Tech's leaders have stepped up to create a similar innovation hub. This move is exciting for the region and the right thing for Virginia's land-grant university to lead." Lynne Doughtie, chairman and CEO of KPMG, a global network of professional firms, cited the innovation campus as an example of how higher education drives economic development by bringing the public sector and private sectors together to solve the critical problem of creating a high-tech jobs pipeline. "This new campus will produce graduates who are immediately ready to become business leaders," she said. "Partnerships between industry leaders and cutting-edge researchers are vital to success in a knowledge-driven economy. With this bold idea, Virginia Tech is stepping forward to help transform the technology economy." Learn more about the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus online . Watch the livestream or download the satellite feed of today's 3:30 p.m. news conference in Alexandria to introduce the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/virginia-tech-innovation-campus-in-alexandria-helps-attract-amazon-to-washington-dc-region-300749272.html SOURCE Virginia Tech

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Citi to Welcome Amazon in Long Island City Tower by Making Space Available

Citi today announced that it will move approximately 1,100 colleagues out of its space at One Court Square in Long Island City over the first half of next year to make room for Amazon to establish its new headquarters in New York. Citi currently occupies about one million square feet in One Court Square and is accelerating plans to consolidate colleagues at its Tribeca headquarters and other locations. About 3,000 Citi colleagues currently work in the building. Citi CEO Michael Corbat said, "Almost 30 years ago, the tallest building ever constructed in Queens opened as Citi moved into what has become an iconic tower in Long Island City. Since that time, thousands of our colleagues have become part of the fabric of the neighborhood and watched it transform into the bustling, vibrant community it is today. While our company and its needs have changed over time, our appreciation and affection for this neighborhood have only grown stronger. As we have been consolidating our people in our global headquarters in Tribeca, we have still maintained a significant presence in Long Island City. "But given what it would mean to New York and Long Island City to have Amazon establish a significant presence here, we want to do our part to make this possible. We have committed to vacate certain floors at One Court Square early and move about 1,100 of the colleagues who presently work there to alternate locations, including in Long Island City and ur Tribeca headquarters. As a company that has been based here since our founding 206 years ago, we couldn't be happier to welcome Amazon to the great City of New York," Mr. Corbat concluded.



About Citi Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter (News - Alert): @Citi | YouTube (News - Alert): www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn (News - Alert): www.linkedin.com/company/citi View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005905/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] A.M. Best Removes from Under Review and Affirms Credit Ratings of 21st Century National Insurance Company

A.M. Best has removed from under review with developing implications and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a-" of 21st Century National Insurance Company (21st Century National) (headquartered in Boston, MA). The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. This rating action follows the close of Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation's (PRAC) (Boston, MA) acquisition of 21st Century National in April 2018 and the successful execution of a quota share reinsurance agreement. The ratings of PRAC have been extended to 21st Century National, which will be renamed Plymouth Rock Assurance Preferred Corporation in December 2018, due to the significant level of reinsurance support provided by PRAC, the lead member of Plymouth Rock Assurance Group. The ratings of the other members of Plymouth Rock Assurance Group are not affected by the aforementioned rating action. The ratings reflect 21st Century National's balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on A.M. Best's website. For ll rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best Rating Action Press Releases.



A.M. Best is a global rating agency and information provider with a unique focus on the insurance industry. Visit www.ambest.com for more information. Copyright  2018 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005909/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Digital Media Solutions Expands into Subscription Marketing and Acquires Fosina Marketing Group

CLEARWATER, Fla., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Media Solutions (DMS), the fastest-growing independent agency focused on performance marketing, announced it acquired Fosina Marketing Group, Inc. Fosina is an innovative and data-driven marketing firm with customized direct-to-consumer subscription marketing solutions for clients including Harper Collins Publishing, Save The Children, National Wildlife Federation, Amora Coffee, Meredith Corp. and Highlights for Children. According to reports, last year business-to-consumer subscription firms attracted more than 11 million U.S. subscribers, and the industry as a whole has been growing at 200% annually since 2011. "The acquisition of the Fosina Marketing Group is a strategic move that will allow DMS to dive deeper into our relationships with consumer-facing e-commerce brands," said Joe Marinucci, CEO of Digital Media Solutions. "Like DMS, Fosina's success stems from the team's continuous ability to innovate its performance with laser-focus on improving client ROI. This is yet another win as we maintain our award-winning position as the leading agency in our industry." The acquisition will add a seasoned team with dynamic subscription marketing experience and a variety of key players, including the firm's founder Jim Fosina. "I am so proud of what we have been able to build and deliver for our clients," said Jim Fosina, Founder of the Fosina Marketing Group. "Now a part of DMS, we can tap into their industry leading strategies, innovative technology and expansive capabilities to compete with the best in the global direct-to-consumer subscription marketing business. Becoming one with DMS allows our team to leapfrog the competition with more consumer traffic via the best paid and organic search experts, an incredible affiliate network and an industry leading marketing technology. We couldn't be more excited for the future." Starting immediately, the Fosina brand identity and website will be rebranded to DMS. The Fosina team, powered by an incredibly talented and seasoned staff, will now becalled the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Subscription Marketing Team within the DMS Digital Agency reporting into its division head Rachel Schulties. The company will remain based in Danbury, CT.



The DTC Subscription Marketing Team will continue its incredible work in providing digital advertising services to brands across existing and new clients. For more information on the DMS Digital Agency, visit https://digitalmediasolutions.com/digital-agency. About Digital Media Solutions

Founded by a team of lifelong athletes, Digital Media Solutions, LLC (DMS) is the fastest-growing independent agency focused on performance marketing. DMS deploys diversified and data-driven digital media customer acquisition solutions that deliver scalable, sustainable and measurable marketing results. The company's performance marketing, digital agency and marketing technology solutions connect the right consumers with the right offers at the right time to achieve the marketing objectives of clients in highly competitive industries. DMS continues to experience explosive year-over-year growth, with continuous recognition on the Inc. 5000 list in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018; the Tampa Bay Business Journal's TBBJ 200 List in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018; the Entrepreneur magazine 360 list in 2017; and a top 10 ranking on the 2015 and 2016 Florida Fast 100 lists. Named one of America's "Best Places to Work" in 2017 by Inc. magazine, DMS brings together some of the industry's most knowledgeable people, efficient processes and sophisticated technology across the digital and marketing spectrum. The company continues to deliver on its strategic mission, which is backed by its board of investors including multi-billion-dollar Canadian private equity firm Clairvest Group. For more information about DMS, its consumer finance-focused brand Best Rate Referrals, affiliate network W4 Performance Ad Market, education-branded platforms under DMS Education including CollegeAtlas.org and CourseAdvisor.com or the performance marketing technology Sparkroom, visit digitalmediasolutions.com. Keep up with DMS news at insights.digitalmediasolutions.com and connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/digital-media-solutions-group.  2018 Digital Media Solutions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Digital Media Solutions and its logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Digital Media Solutions, LLC. All other company and product names referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12739724 Press release distributed by PRLog View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digital-media-solutions-expands-into-subscription-marketing-and-acquires-fosina-marketing-group-300749290.html SOURCE Digital Media Solutions

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Vox Mobile Announced Today That Its Board of Directors Has Appointed Monica Bruni as Chief Executive Officer of the Company

Monica Bruni succeeds Kris Snyder as Chief Executive Officer, who announced his resignation earlier this year. Kris founded Vox Mobile in 2006, which quickly ascended as a leader in the managed mobility services marketplace. As a frontrunner in the enterprise mobility movement, Kris strived to serve clients through a relentless pursuit of superior end user experience. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005930/en/ Monica Bruni, CEO, Vox Mobile (Photo: Business Wire) Kris expressed his decision to pursue other opportunities with mixed emotions. "It's been a privilege to bring Vox to the place it is today - with 200+ team members supporting hundreds of clients delivering world class outcomes. My decision to move on from Vox stems from a personal need for change and a genuine desire to pursue a new challenge. My faith in Vox Mobile is unwavering and I'm thrilled to remain a shareholder and on the Board of Directors." Vox Mobile and its Board of Directors thank Kris for his 12 years of dedicated service and will miss his infectious passion for mobile innovation. Monica brings more than 25 years of diverse experience in multi-national manufacturing environments and global leading, fast-paced technology organizations. Prior to joining Vox, Monica served as the Vice President, Business Operations for TrueCommerce. During her tenure at TrueCommerce, the oganization experienced double digit revenue growth and EBITDA expansion resulting in multiple changes in control.



"I'm thrilled to join Vox and continue to build upon the legacy of success," stated Monica. "I look forward to growing a focused culture and advancing our managed mobility strategy as technology continues to shift how our clients drive value from mobility," she continued. In addition to Monica's appointment as CEO, Vox Mobile's Board of Directors confirmed Tara McLoughlin as Chief Operating Officer. Since joining Vox Mobile in March as the SVP of Operations, Tara has focused on increasing operational efficiency and spearheading multiple technology upgrades. Tara has more than 20 years of experience in running operations both in business and technology leadership roles. In her most recent position as the Leader of Internal Product Delivery at InContact, Inc., she led a team that identified and delivered business process automation opportunities with the potential to realize over $6M in net value to the organization.

Vox Mobile has over a decade of experience delivering scalable managed mobility services, and is a recognized industry leader (Gartner Magic Quadrant) based on customer satisfaction (NPS score), mobile technology expertise, and will continue to support global capabilities. As such, our partner relationships, supporting customers around all aspects of mobile technology; including hardware, software, application management, EMM platforms and carriers, remain an integral part of Vox Mobile's continued success and expected growth. For more information, contact Vox Mobile at [email protected] or 1.800.536.9030. About Vox Mobile Vox Mobile is a leading provider of complete, enterprise Managed Mobility Services (MMS). As companies seek to drive mobility-based innovations, the costs and complexities of infrastructure management and the large requirements for administrative and user support become overwhelming. Around the world, companies have turned to Vox Mobile for comprehensive mobility management to drive application success and a great user experience. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and with offices and support centers around North America, Vox Mobile has the industry's highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) and customer satisfaction levels. For more information, visit www.voxmobile.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005930/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Meridian Compensation Partners Releases New Study on Executive Severance Arrangements

Meridian Compensation Partners, a leading executive compensation and corporate governance consulting firm, has completed a comprehensive Study on executive severance arrangements (not related to a change in control) maintained by a cross-section of 160 S&P 500 companies ("Study Group"). Key Findings of the Study The following key findings are based on disclosures made by Study Group companies in their respective 2018 proxies covering fiscal year 2017 severance practices. Executive Severance Arrangements In 2017, 65% of Study Group companies reported maintaining severance arrangements that provide cash severance benefits for NEOs. Payment Triggers Cash severance is always triggered upon an involuntary termination without "cause" and is half as likely to be triggered upon a voluntary termination for "good reason" (both are referred to as "qualifying terminations"). Determination of Cash Severance In 2017, 76% of companies determine the amount of cash severance based on a fixed multiple of "pay." Discussed below are further findings regarding cash severance based on a fixed multiple of pay. Severance Multiples - For CEOs, 61% of companies determine cash severance based on a 2 multiple.

- For other NEOs, 42% of compaies determine cash severance based on a 2 multiple and 40% determine cash severance based on a 1 multiple.





Definition of Pay - The majority practice is to define pay as the sum of base salary and bonus (with bonus typically defined as current year target bonus).

Severance Formulas - For CEOs, the most prevalent severance formula (46%) used to determine the amount of cash severance benefits is 2 the sum of base salary and bonus.

- For other NEOs, the most prevalent severance formulas used to determine the amount of cash severance benefits are 2 the sum of base salary and bonus (32%) and 1 base salary (23%).

Vesting and Settlement of Long-Term Incentive Awards Treatment of long-term incentive awards upon a qualifying termination varies by type of award. - A majority of the Study Group companies (63%) forfeit non-vested stock options upon a qualifying termination.

- In contrast, one-half of the Study Group fully or partially vest restricted stock/restricted stock units upon a qualifying termination.

- For performance shares, market practice is roughly split among the Study Group between forfeiture (49%) and full or partial vesting upon a qualifying termination (46%). For a copy of Meridian's 2018 Study on Executive Severance Arrangements Not Related to a Change in Control, please contact Donald Kalfen. About Meridian Compensation Partners Meridian Compensation Partners is a leader in charting the course for executive compensation and corporate governance success. With over seventy associates in ten offices in the U.S. and Canada, Meridian provides executive compensation consulting and corporate governance services to over 600 major publicly traded and privately held corporations. Core services include: board level advisory services, compensation program design, research and competitive market intelligence on executive pay, and corporate governance matters. For more information please visit www.meridiancp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005936/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Health4TheWorld Launches the First Global Education Platform for Health Professionals in Low Resource Communities

Health4TheWorld (H4TW), an award-winning nonprofit organization leveraging technology to address global health problems, today announced the launch of Health4TheWorld Academy - a free, education platform for health professionals in low-resource settings worldwide. "Doctors, nurses and other health care professionals in remote, under-resourced regions of the world lack ready access to up-to-date medical information to provide evidence based care and save lives of their patients," explained Bhavya Rehani, MD, Co-founder, CEO of H4TW and a UCSF neuroradiologist. "There is a need for a reliable, free, open access resource for health professionals. Health4theworld.org/academy provides open free 24/7 access to state-of-the-art medical data from leading specialists."



The H4TW Academy offers 100 plus courses in multiple specialties by distinguished faculty from renowned academic institutions. It gives health professionals access to a performance monitoring dashboard, certificates, virtual reality anatomy modules, machine learning chatbots and forums for discussion with a global community. "I see a growing need for this platform, particularly in low-income regions of the world where specialists aren't in attendance and one doctor wears many hats," says Dr. Lekhjung Thapa, Chief of Neurology, National Institute of Neurological Sciences, Nepal. "I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from leading doctors and I see the positive impact on patients."

H4TW co-founder and UCSF neuroradiologist William Dillon, MD, believes that "using the current wide availability of internet connectivity throughout much of the world and new innovative technological resources, H4TW is able to help patients and their health care providers in countries far and wide, both developing and developed, without boundaries." "Our vision is bring health to rural and remote areas globally, by empowering those who are championing the cause on the ground and the Academy platform is a big step in that direction," says Ankur Bharija, MD, co-founder and a Stanford Medicine faculty. Since January 1, 2017, H4TW has touched more than 3,500 lives in remote communities across 22 countries. To support Health4TheWorld, visit https://health4theworld.org/donate/. About Health4TheWorld Health4TheWorld, is a Federal Tax-exempt Nonprofit Organization (501c3) and a 100% volunteer-driven organization offering all services free-of-cost. 100% of public donations go towards the program development and outreach, while the indirect costs are covered by the Board. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005465/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] ITSmart Security, LLC to Showcase The Motorola Smart Safes at ISC East in NYC

WEST HARRISON, N.Y., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ITSmart Security, LLC (ITSmart), an official licensee of Motorola, will be showcasing the brand new Motorola Smart Safes at ISC East 2018. ISC East is the largest security tradeshow in the Northeast, to be held November 14-15, 2018, at the Javits Center in New York City. ISC attendees will be able to experience first-hand the innovative security features of the internet connected Motorola Flex Smart Safe (patented no-tool installation) and the Motorola Bolt Smart Safe (wall mounted) that are ideal for everyday items that need to be securely stored and easily accessed. ITSmart senior management will be on hand to demonstrate the advanced technology and discuss the 2019 roll out to consumers and distributors. "We are thrilled to be exhibiting at the ISC East 2018 Conference in NYC in association with Motorola, an industry leader in innovative, connected technology solutions," says Mitch Danzig, President and CEO of ITSmart. "As an emerging IoT company based in New York, we look forward to showing off our latest products." s a smart device, the Motorola Smart Safe employs multiple, active security measures that deliver real-time alerts, allowing users to monitor the safekeeping of currency, documents, medications and other private or valuable items at home or in high-traffic environments such as dorm rooms, multi-roommate apartments and assisted living homes. The safe can be opened remotely via a smartphone or manually using the built-in water resistant digital keypad or the included backup keys.



Visit ISC East booth 165 for more information and full product demonstrations. ITSmart will also be an exhibitor at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from January 8th-11th at Eureka Park in the Sands Expo Center. About ITSmart Security, LLC

ITSmart Security, LLC is an emerging "Internet of Things" company focused on creating innovative and easy-to-use technology products, services and platforms for both personal use and commercial applications. The company is headquartered in West Harrison, NY. For more information, visit smartsafe.com or email [email protected]. About Motorola Brand Licensing For 90 years the Motorola name has been synonymous with quality, innovation and trust around the world. Over 100 million products sold each year carry the Motorola name and demonstrate the brand's lasting power and continued relevance in today's ever-evolving marketplace. Motorola's Brand Licensing Program seeks to leverage the power of this iconic brand by teaming with dynamic companies who can provide unique, high quality products that enrich consumer's lives. To learn more about our products, please visit Motorolahome.com. Contact:

The O'Hara Project

Caitlin Bishop

[email protected]

973-975-0536 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/itsmart-security-llc-to-showcase-the-motorola-smart-safes-at-isc-east-in-nyc-300748689.html SOURCE ITSmart Security, LLC

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Tungsten Fabric Launches Open Lab to Drive Edge-cloud Ecosystem Growth

SHANGHAI, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The LF Networking Fund (LFN), which facilitates collaboration and operational excellence across networking projects, today announced the new Tungsten Fabric Open Lab. Launched jointly by Intel, Juniper Networks, Lenovo and SDNLAB, the Open Lab aims to forge an open source test and verification environment for Tungsten Fabric and other Software Defined Networks (SDN) projects. Tungsten Fabric is an open source, scalable, multi-cloud, multistack networking platform. It provides a single point of control, observability and analytics for networking and security. Tungsten Fabric is integrated with private cloud stacks including Kubernetes, VMware and OpenStack. It also supports hybrid deployments with public clouds including AWS and GCE. "Continuous integration and automated testing are critical pieces for any environment supporting edge use cases, especially in highly distributed production environments," said Randy Bias, vice president, Technology - Open Source Software at Juniper Networks. "When you consider the diversity of vendors and use cases in edge, the testing and integration problem is even more acute. Tungsten Fabric Open Lab will provide the infrastructure and tooling that both vendors and users need to deliver reliable and performant applications and network services, from the core to the edge." The goal of the Tungsten Fabric Open Lab is to build a Continuous Integration (CI) and automatic test environment for Tungsten Fabric functional and performance indicators, including key usage scenarios such as edge computing, multiple cloud and switch integration. By working collaboratively with software and hardware partners across the ecosystem to define the key service scheme, the goal is to help accelerate commercial deployments. Hosted by LFN Associate member SDNLAB, the lab is based in in Nanjing, China, and will be integrated as Tungsten Fabric Lab infrastructure. This joins other Linux Foundation open labs in the region, including OPNFV Pharos Labs in Shanghai, Xi'an, and Beijing (hosted by China Mobile, Huawei, and ZTE). Linux Foundation's Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK), Leovo Intel Select Solution for Network Function Virtualization will be seamlessly integrated into Tungsten Fabric's CI to support Tungsten Fabric's bare-metal, SmartNIC performance testing.



SDNLAB, a Linux Foundation Associate member, is a leading independent digital service platform in China providing the daily news, technology analysis, industry insights, lab and education content service for networking and information technology. SDNLAB is part of FNII (Future Network Innovation Institute), a joint research institute granted with state fund, deep collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and leading universities such as Tsinghua University and BUPT, CETC. Any interested parties are cordially invited to participate in the Tungsten Fabric Open Lab to help enhance a broad ecosystem. More details on how to participate are available at https://wiki.tungsten.io/display/TUN/Open+Lab.

The Tungsten Fabric community will host community events onsite at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon China , November 13, and KubeCon + CloudNative Con North America, December 10. Join us to learn about the project and how the community is preparing for some exciting edge computing use cases. Supporting Quotes: The head of SDNLAB, Dr. Wei Liang said, "SDNLAB is a leading research institute focused on innovative future network technology. We are delighted to contribute to the Linux Foundation's open source efforts as this will extend our academy's research strategy to connect directly with leading industry leading projects; the synergy will lead to turning more innovative ideas into reality, via open source." Rajesh Gadiyar, vice president and CTO of Intel's Network Platforms Group (NPG) said, "The launch of the Open Lab will help drive faster innovation and adoption of Tungsten Fabric for the variety of applications commencing with the advent of 5G and edge computing. By optimizing data throughput with the Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK), Tungsten Fabric's vRouter provides a high performance, production ready virtualized solution that connects a customer's application implemented with containers, virtual machines, and bare-metal based applications." Randy Bias, vice president, Technology, Open Source Software at Juniper Networks, said, "Enterprises are realizing that 'easy-to-deploy' can lead to 'uh-oh' moments when the time comes to scale out multi-cloud networking technology. The Tungsten Fabric community has made a commitment to delivering the tooling and services that make deploying this technology more straightforward and less time consuming. Launching the Tungsten Fabric Open Lab is an important step in achieving that goal." About the Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world's top developers and companies build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and commercial adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org . The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage . Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Media Contact

Jill Lovato

The Linux Foundation

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tungsten-fabric-launches-open-lab-to-drive-edge-cloud-ecosystem-growth-300749280.html SOURCE LF Networking Fund

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Aetna Offers Assistance to Members Affected by Wildfires in California

Aetna (NYSE: AET) is offering resources to members who have been affected by the wildfires in Ventura, Los Angeles, and Butte counties in California. Aetna members can refill their prescriptions early, if needed. Members who use Aetna's mail-order pharmacy can either get a prescription at an alternate delivery location or refill a prescription that may have been lost, damaged or destroyed. In addition to helping with prescription refills, Aetna professionals who have experience dealing with traumatic events are also available to help. The company has opened its Resources for Living services to those affected by the wildfires, regardless of whether they are Aetna members or not. Individuals can call 1-833-327-AETNA (1-833-327-2386) for assistance with finding available shelters, accessing government resources and seeking referrals or help to cope with the emotional impact of the wildfires. "Our thoughts are with those affected by the California wildfires," said Kristen Miranda, California Market President. "Aetna is focused on helping our members get the care and medications they need, knowing that many may have evacuated from their homes and are unable to use their regular physicians, pharmacies and hospitals." Aetna members affected by these wildfires can also seek emergency care anywhere, as needed. The company will monitor the impact these wildfires has on its network doctors, hospitals and other health care providers, and make further modifications to its policies as necessary to ensure members have access to care.



If any additional local, state or federal disaster executive orders or regulations are issued related to these catastrophic event, Aetna will adjust its policies to comply. Aetna members and health care providers affected by the wildfires who need care or other assistance can reach the company at the following toll-free numbers:

Aetna Member Services: Call the number printed on your ID card*. If ID card is unavailable, call 1-800-443-AETNA (1-800-443-2386).

Call the number printed on your ID card*. If ID card is unavailable, call 1-800-443-AETNA (1-800-443-2386). Rx Member Services and Aetna Rx Home Delivery Customer Service: 1-888-RX AETNA (1-888-792-3862)

1-888-RX AETNA (1-888-792-3862) Aetna Specialty Pharmacy Customer Service: 1-866-782-ASRX (1-866-782-2779)

1-866-782-ASRX (1-866-782-2779) Aetna Student Assistance Program: 1-877-351-7889

1-877-351-7889 Aetna Dental: 1-877-238-6200

1-877-238-6200 Aetna Vision Preferred: 1- 866-652-0018

1- 866-652-0018 Health care providers should contact the Provider Service Centers:

- Indemnity and PPO-based benefit plans: 1-888-MD-AETNA (1-888-632-3862)

- HMO benefit plans: 1-800-624-0756

- Indemnity and PPO-based benefit plans: 1-888-MD-AETNA (1-888-632-3862) - HMO benefit plans: 1-800-624-0756 Coventry Health Plans:

- Commercial HMO and PPO Plans 1-866-847-8235

- Medicare Advantage Plans 1-800-847-3995

- Coventry National and First Health Plans 1-800-937-6824 * Members can find replacement ID cards and access to a Personal Health Record on Aetna's secure member site Aetna Navigator. Log in on Aetna's home page. About Aetna Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 39.0 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental and behavioral health plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services, workers' compensation administrative services and health information technology products and services. Aetna's customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com and learn about how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world. @AetnaNews View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005964/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Banks Partner to Award $10K Partnership Grant to Veterans Shelter

Bob Davis Male Veterans Shelter Secretary/Treasurer and co-founder Joanna Farris has big plans for the shelter. The drug- and alcohol-free, faith-based veterans shelter is set to open in June 2019, but needs a lot of work before its opening. Ms. Farris said the organization needs about $180,000 in funds to get the building up to code and the business up and running. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006008/en/ First Security Bank and FHLB Dallas awarded $10,000 in Partnership Grant Program funds to Bob Davis Male Veterans Shelter to help with business operations as the veterans shelter undergoes renovations. (Photo: Business Wire) Representatives from First Security Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) joined local dignitaries to award $10,000 in Partnership Grant Program (PGP (News - Alert)) funds to the shelter. The funds will be used toward business operations as the building undergoes extensive renovations and prepares to open next year. 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. Ms. Farris said that the shelter will eventually have a veteran-run Army and Navy surplus store and a meeting space where veterans can enjoy coffee, baked goods and participate in recreational activities. FHLB Dallas' PGP awards provide 3:1 matches of member contributions to provide grants up to $12,000 that help promote and strengthen relationships between community-based organizations and FHLB Dallas members. The PGP also complements the development activities fostered by FHLB Dallas Affordable Housing and Community Investment programs.



Tim Coleman, president of First Security Bank, worked with Ms. Farris on the PGP application. "We believe in the mission of the Bob Davis Male Veterans Shelter and the positive effects it will have on the community," said Mr. Coleman. "Programs like the PGP are very important because they strengthen financial institutions' community relationships as well as the community as a whole."

In 2018, FHLB Dallas has awarded $300,000 in Partnership Grant Program (PGP) funds through 31 member institutions to assist 32 community-based organizations. Combined with the $114,010 contributed by FHLB Dallas members, a total of $414,010 has been awarded to the organizations. FHLB Dallas First Vice President and Director of Community Investment Greg Hettrick said the PGP strengthens members' ties to the community. "The PGP provides community-based organizations an opportunity to expand - or in the shelter's case, get off the ground - as well as members such as First Security Bank to positively impact the community," he said. Ms. Farris said without the PGP, she would have had to hold more fundraising events, slowing down the project timeline. "Without the PGP, we would have had to slow down our rehabilitation of the building," she said. "Programs like the PGP are very important for communities to thrive." To learn more about the PGP, visit fhlb.com/pgp. About First Security Bancorp First Security Bank was chartered to do business in the State of Arkansas in 1932. Based in Searcy, Arkansas, the privately held First Security Bancorp has the most complete and diverse product offering of any Arkansas-based financial services holding company. First Security Bank is a member of the FDIC and the 5th largest state-chartered bank in Arkansas. Proud to be financially strong supported by the strength of more than $1.1 billion in total capital and over 5.6 billion in assets, First Security Bancorp has the ability to meet financing needs from $1 to $100 million - right here in Arkansas. First Security's local network of 75 community banking centers, 95 ATMs, and over 1,000 employees across the state offer solutions for the financial needs of individuals, businesses and the public sector. First Security Bank is a place where commitment, experience, education and community service combine to create a customer-oriented banking institution that is second to none. At First Security Bank, our customers receive all the benefits of a local bank that's based in Arkansas with the strength and service of a large - yet private - financial services holding company. First Security Bancorp subsidiaries include both First Security Bank and Crews and Associates. With First Security Bank and Crews and Associates we can offer a wide range of banking services including trust, wealth management, and mortgage, as well as investment banking and public financing. About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank system created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $73.7 billion as of September 30, 2018, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced advances and other credit products to approximately 825 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. Visit fhlb.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006008/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Report: Job Training is Key to Growing California's Economy, Closing State's Economic Divide

Asserting that job training is key to closing California's economic divide, forty groups including colleges, unions, philanthropic organizations, and organizations representing workers and businesses are urging governor-elect Newsom to adopt a workforce development agenda that would connect more people to good jobs and grow a skilled and diverse workforce. The groups have endorsed a new report entitled Securing a strong economic future for all Californians that offers nine strategies on how California can develop a world-class workforce development system that would increase the state's economic growth and boost California businesses by promoting opportunity for all Californians to get the education and training they need to move into better-paying careers. Suggested strategies include: Supporting community organizations able to expand high-quality, relevant job training and support services to people working to fulfill their career aspirations;

Removing barriers to training, education, and employment for people overcoming homelessness, exiting incarceration, or surmounting other significant challenges;

Increasing earn and learn models like apprenticeship and training Californians to build and maintain the next generation of the state's infrastructure;

Developing public-private partnerships between employers and the state's education and training systems to support career advancement for low-wage workers; and

Making education and training more affordable through financial aid that covers expenses like training supplies, child care, and transportation.



"California is really at a crossroads. Despite having a large economy, nearly a quarter of Californians live in or near poverty. Investments in innovative education and training strategies can help create an economy that works for everyone," says Brooke DeRenzis, State Policy and Network Director at National Skills Coalition.

The report underscores the need for the workforce development system to build on the assets of all of California's people, including workers of color and immigrants. Racial disparities in education, employment, and earnings keep California's economy from reaching its full potential. "California's diversity is a big advantage for our state's businesses," says Alma Salazar, senior vice president, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. "We need to create more opportunities for all Californians to thrive in the workforce." "Every day we help people transform their lives by building skills for careers in growing industries like health care, financial services, and technology," says Abby Snay, Executive Director of JVS, a community-based training program in the Bay area. "A world-class workforce development system would make that possible for more workers throughout the state." National Skills Coalition is a broad-based coalition of employers, unions, education and training providers, and public officials working toward a vision of an America that grows its economy by investing in its people so that every worker and every industry has the skills to compete and prosper. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005146/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] American Express and National Trust for Historic Preservation Award $450,000 in Grants to Three Sites in San Francisco

American Express (News - Alert) Company (NYSE:AXP) and the National Trust for Historic Preservation today announced they are awarding $450,000 in preservation grants to three sites in San Francisco. These include the Doolan-Larson building in Haight Ashbury, Nihonmachi Little Friends and the Roxie Theater, the latter two of which also received Partners in Preservation: San Francisco Bay Area grants in 2006. The three selected sites reflect the unique cultural heritage of the City by the Bay. Created by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Partners in Preservation program launched in 2006 in the Bay Area. Since then, it has committed more than $22 million in support of more than 200 historic places across the U.S. This October, the Woman's Building in San Francisco competed in the Partners in Preservation: Main Streets 2018 campaign and secured a preservation grant for $150,000. "San Francisco is unique in that it welcomes change, yet celebrates its rich history. These three landmarks reflect some of the most important cultural movements that have shaped the city," said Timothy J. McClimon, president, American Express Foundation. "The Partners in Preservation program launched twelve years ago in the Bay Area and set us on an amazing journey to engage Americans all across the country on the importance of preservation. We are honored to return to the city where this initiative began and continue this critical work." "We chose San Francisco as the site of our 2018 PastForward conference because it's a beautiful and singular world city that's long used historic preservation as a key urban planning tool to spur reinvestment and enhance communities," said Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "With the help of our longtime partners at American Express, we're delighted to have this opportunity to recognize and help support some of the city's diverse historic treasures." The three historical sites receiving grants are: Doolan-Larson Building, Haight Ashbury - Upper Haight District Constructed in 1903, the Doolan-Larson building and storefronts have become synonymous with the counterculture of the 1960s. On the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets, the building was home to famed boutique Mnasidika, credited as the birthplace of the bell bottom and a favorite shopping haunt of Janis Joplin. The Grateful Dead were also photographed at the storefront. Noted preservationist Norman Larson lived at the building until his death early this year, after which he donated it to San Francisco Heritage to rehabilitate and preserve it. Larson was instrumental in achieving the building's designation as a city landmark and its listing on the National Register. This $150,000 grant will support the repairs and restoration of the building's exterior including the roof, facades, and windows. Nihonmachi Little Friends - Japantown Located in historic Japantown (one of just three in the country), Nihonmachi Little Friends is a private, nonprofit childcare center with a mission to provide Japanese/English bilingual, educational childcare in a multicultural context for preschool through elementary school-aged children. Famed architect Julia Morgan originally designed the building in 1932 as the Japanese Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). This is San Francisco's only pre-WWII building commissioned by and for the Japaese American community and includes references to Japanese architecture. At the time the building was constructed, the Japanese were prohibited from holding land, so they partnered with the YWCA to build it. The building reflects the complex story of San Francisco's long-standing Japanese community, its internment and disenfranchisement during WWII, as well as its enduring achievements. This $150,000 grant will support the repair and replacement of exterior windows, as well as stucco repair and painting of the building's exterior.



Roxie Theater - Mission District One of the nation's oldest continuously operated cinemas, the Roxie Theater opened in 1909. A nonprofit organization and one of the few independent theaters in San Francisco, the Roxie brings people together to meet and connect through distinctive cinematic experiences and is an important forum for the independent film community. Located in the rapidly changing Mission District, it strives to provide inspiration and opportunity for the next generation and serve as a forum for the film community reflecting the spirit of the diverse Bay Area population. This $150,000 grant will support highly visible upgrades to the building entrance and lobby concessions area, as well as neon sign maintenance.

About Partners in Preservation Partners in Preservation is a program in which American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, awards preservation grants to historic places across the country. Through this partnership, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation seek to increase the public's awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United States and to preserve America's historic and cultural places. The program also hopes to inspire long-term support from local citizens for the historic places at the heart of their communities. About American Express American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress. Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, InAuth, corporate card, business travel, and corporate responsibility. About the National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America's historic places: www.savingplaces.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005984/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Wildfire Recovery Attorneys Investigating Deadly Camp Fire in Northern California, Woolsey Fire in Southern California

Today, nationally recognized attorneys from Baron & Budd and Dixon Diab & Chambers LLP, collectively known as the Wildfire Recovery Attorneys, announced that the team is actively investigating the Camp Fire in Northern California, as well as the Woolsey Fire in Southern California, both of which began on Nov. 8, 2018. Initial reports have indicated that power lines owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) may have caused the Camp Fire. Additionally, Southern California Edison (News - Alert) Company reported that its electrical infrastructure suffered a malfunction near the area where the Woolsey Fire is believed to have started. The Camp Fire, which has already killed 42 people and injured three firefighters, is the deadliest wildfire in the state's history. Additionally, hundreds of people remain listed as missing from communities impacted by the fire. The blaze has destroyed more than 6,500 homes - including nearly the entire town of Paradise. It has engulfed more than 125,000 acres and is now reported to be the most destructive individual fire in modern California history. As of Tuesday morning, the Camp Fire was approximately 30 percent contained. The Woolsey Fire, which has killed two people, has burned more than 96,000 acres and destroyed 435 buildings in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Approximately 57,000 additional buildings are at riskdue to their proximity to the fire. As of Tuesday morning, the Woolsey Fire was approximately 35 percent contained, according to reports from Cal Fire.



"It is heartbreaking and maddening to see once again communities throughout California reduced to piles of ash and burning embers as a result of a catastrophic fire," said Baron & Budd attorney John Fiske. "It appears that these fires may also be linked to culpability by two of the largest power companies in the state - as in the case of the Thomas, Tubbs, Lobo, McCourtney, and Honey fires last year and the Butte wildfire in 2015. If corporate failures by these two power companies are determined to be the cause of yet another deadly fire, our team is ready to act quickly to help the thousands of residents and business owners who have lost everything to this terrifying blaze." In June 2018, PG&E (News - Alert) announced to investors that it had taken a $2.5 billion charge to cover possible liability related to the fatal fires that ripped through Northern California in October 2017. In October 2018, So Cal Edison admitted in a report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that its electrical equipment was involved in igniting the massive Thomas Fire that killed two people, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and burned through over 280,000 acres across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

The attorneys from Wildfire Recovery Attorneys currently represent more than 800 families and victims of the 2017 Northern California wildfires against PG&E. The group also represents over 300 victims of the 2017 Southern California wildfires against Southern California Edison. The attorneys at Wildfire Recovery Attorneys have a history of fighting for victims of wildfires, including court appointments as Lead Counsel in the North Bay and Thomas Fire cases. Baron & Budd represents over 25 public entities, such as counties and cities, in wildfire recovery actions against PG&E and Southern California Edison. Wildfire Recover Attorneys are actively investigating the cause of the Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire. For legal help, representation and questions related to the Camp Fire, please call 530-208-0372. For legal help, representation and questions related to the Woolsey Fire, please call 310-873-6465. www.fireattorneys.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006036/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018]

Achronix Finalist for the Global Semiconductor Alliance's 2018 Most Respected Private Semiconductor Company Award

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Achronix Semiconductor Corporation , a leader in FPGA-based hardware accelerator devices and eFPGA IP, announced today it is one of top three finalists for the 2018 Most Respected Private Semiconductor Company Award recognized by the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA).

The industry's Most Respected Private Semiconductor Company award identifies the private company garnering the most respect from the semiconductor industry. According to the nomination criteria, Achronix is recognized as a leading semiconductor company that exhibits market growth through technological innovation and exceptional business management strategies, demonstrating excellence through vision, innovation, execution and future opportunities.

"Achronix thanks GSA and its members for the recognition," remarks Robert Blake, Achronix's president and CEO. "We are pleased to be honored as one of top three most respected semiconductor companies. The nomination is a testament and tribute to the hard work and innovation of our Achronix employees."

Award recipients will be named at the GSA Awards Dinner Celebration on Thursday, December 6, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, Calif.

About Achronix Semiconductor Corporation

Achronix is a privately held, fabless semiconductor corporation based in Santa Clara, Calif. The company developed its FPGA technology that is the basis of the Speedster22i FPGAs and Speedcore eFPGA technology. All Achronix FPGA products are supported by its ACE design tools that include integrated support for Synopsys Synplify Pro.

The company has sales offices and representatives in the United States, Europe, and China, and has a research and design office in Bangalore, India.

Follow Achronix:

Website: www.achronix.com

The Achronix Blog: https://www.achronix.com/blogs/

Twitter: @AchronixInc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/57668/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/achronix/

Achronix and Speedster are registered trademarks and Speedcore and Speedchip are trademarks of Achronix Semiconductor Corporation. All other brands, product names and marks are the property of their respective owners.









Contacts:





Alok Sanghavi Nanette Collins Achronix Semiconductor Corporation 408-889-4142 [email protected] Nanette V. Collins Marketing and Public Relations 617-437-1822 [email protected]



View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/achronix-finalist-for-the-global-semiconductor-alliances-2018-most-respected-private-semiconductor-company-award-300749441.html

SOURCE Achronix[November 13, 2018] Global Upside Wins Partnership in HR Excellence Award at HRO Today EMEA

Global Upside (www.globalupside.com) has won "Partnership in HR Excellence" award at the prestigious 2018 HRO Today Awards Gala in Amsterdam. The award acknowledges Global Upside's work as an HR partner to some of the world's leading companies. Global Upside provide Hire to Retire solutions spanning talent acquisition, employment documentation, employment law advisory, compensation and benefits, payroll, global mobility, and more. "The Global Upside team has demonstrated measurable excellence in providing HR services in 100+ countries and solving complex challenges that come with operating globally," said Zachary Misko, President of HRO Today Member Services. Recently, Global Upside launched a first of its kind HR software - Mihi (www.mihi.com) - a global HCM, time and benefits management software, for employees in 100+ countries. Mihi is compliant with local statutory wage, hour, and benefits regulations and connects with all major ERP and Payroll systems allowing companies to seamlessly manage global employees and automate the flow of payroll data between systems.



"Mihi was created in response to a need from a Client who needed a single software for their 5000 employees spread across 40 countries. They needed it fast and we were tasked with finding a software for them. We realized no single software catered to employees globally so we actually built this software and today it's supporting thousands of employees globally in 17+ languages," said Ragu Bhargava, Global Upside's Chief Executive Officer. "It's an honor to be recognized by HRO Today. We are humbled by the adulation we are getting from our peers in the industry and motivated to continue to do more innovative work and make doing business easier for companies no matter where they operate," he added.

HRO Today is a media and news company that offers objective, game-changing content to over 180,000 senior-level human resources decision makers worldwide. For details about the HRO Today Awards, visit http://www.hrotoday.com/association/awards/. About Global Upside Global Upside solves business complexity with world-class HR, Payroll, Accounting, Tax, Compliance, PEO, and Talent Acquisition services. With our integrated, end-to-end support, companies can focus on innovation, growth, and excel in their fields. Founded in 1999 in Silicon Valley, Global Upside today empowers companies in 100+ countries and is dedicated to solving complexity for companies everywhere they do business. Learn more at www.globalupside.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006065/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] MiTek Joins Hanley Wood, KB Home, and ENTEKRA to Implement Advanced Off-Site Framing in the KB Home ProjeKt

MiTek (News - Alert) Industries, a Berkshire Hathaway company is a sponsor and participant in the 2019 BUILDER Concept Home in Henderson, NV, called KB Home ProjeKt: Where Tomorrow Lives. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005310/en/ KB Home ProjeKt: Where Tomorrow Lives (shown) represents the ultimate exploration of health, wellness, attainability and sustainability in a volume homebuilding framework. The off-site construction framing process of this KB Home ProjeKt incorporates advanced panelized framing, 3D-modeled, and is enabled in part by MiTek's SAPPHIRE software solutions. (Photo: Business Wire) KB Home ProjeKt: Where Tomorrow Lives is a forward-looking concept home that breaks new ground in homebuilding through innovative partnerships. It is led by KB Home, the industry leader in sustainability and innovation. With a solid conviction that the best way to predict the future is to create it, the Projekt team aims to re-envision the homebuyer's experience of home and community. ProjeKt represents the ultimate exploration of health, wellness, attainability and sustainability in a volume homebuilding framework. This best-in-class home will be revealed January 2019 at Inspirada in Las Vegas. The off-site construction framing process of this KB Home ProjeKt incorporates 3D-modeled and advanced panelized framing. Using a highly collaborative approach, the design and construction teams accounted for all the framing details, as well as the MEP placement and HVAC optimization in the building process. Overall, KB Home ProjeKt demonstrates the viability of a highly accelerated construction pace when moving from "dirt to dry-in." The dramatic shortening of traditional home framing cycle times is only possible through a truly collaborative effort across all disciplines. This is enabled in part by MiTek's SAPPHIRE suite of 3D structural component design and manufacturing software, ENTEKRA's engineered integration, and manufacturing by Better Built Truss and Desert Truss using MiTek automated truss manufacturing equipment. Additionally, MiTek's SAPPHIRE Build Portal provided a central digital repository to track and maintain version control of documents and plans associated with the KB Home ProjeKt. MiTek's Hardy Frame and USP Structural Connectors are featured as well, and MiTek's Wrightsoft Corporation's Production Home Design Service Group created the optimized HVAC system design to optimize the home's comfort, efficiency, and indoor air quality. MiTek's SAPPHIRE structural BIM model of the home was also central to Wrightsoft's design for the highly efficient system and its layout.



About the KB Home ProjeKt The KB Home ProjeKt: Where Tomorrow Lives home will be revealed in the Inspirada master-planned community in Henderson, Nevada in January 2019. Visit www.builderonline.com/kbhomeprojekt to stay up-to-date with the KB Home ProjeKt developments.

For this concept home, ENTEKRA coordinated the off-site integration process, and facilitated the panelized design, truss engineering, and construction logistics of the floor, roof, and wall panel components. Truss and panel design and manufacturing were enabled by MiTek's SAPPHIRE design and process-management software solutions, which also drive MiTek's automated equipment to create the final structural components. "This home demonstrated how currently-available technologies can be pushed to high levels, and still be an efficient solution in homes of any size. Off-site design and framing methods like this, coupled with the cycle-time reduction they create, are key to solving the continuing framing labor shortage and the lack of new housing," said Gregg Renner, MiTek's Senior Vice President, Global Residential Marketing. "MiTek's technology, featuring the 3D structural framing software and automated manufacturing, integrates the off-site process from design all the way through to the manufacturing and final jobsite assembly of the framing. This project is a strong example of all of that at work, and MiTek couldn't be happier to be a key player with this great team and this project." About ENTEKRA ENTEKRA is a California-based design, engineering, and manufacturing company that provides a fully integrated off-site solution (FIOSS) for both residential and commercial construction. Learn more: http://www.entekra.com/ About MiTek Industries MiTek Industries is a diversified global supplier of software, engineered products, services, and equipment to the residential, commercial, and industrial, construction sectors. MiTek Industries' passion for our associates' well-being and for our customers' success is the company's hallmark. A Berkshire Hathaway company (NYSE: brk-a, NYSE: brk-b) since 2001, the Company has operations in more than 40 countries on six continents. Learn more: www.Mii.com About KB Home KB Home (NYSE: KBH) is one of the largest homebuilders in the United States, with more than 600,000 homes delivered since its founding in 1957. KB Home operates in 35 markets in 7 states, primarily serving first-time and first move-up homebuyers, as well as active adults. KB Home is differentiated in offering customers the ability to personalize what they value most in their home, from choosing their lot, floor plan, and exterior, to selecting design and decor choices in our KB Home Studios. In addition, KB Home is an industry leader in sustainability, building innovative and highly energy- and water-efficient homes. KB Home invites you to learn more by visiting www.kbhome.com, calling 888-KB-HOMES, or connecting on Facebook.com/KBHome or Twitter (News - Alert).com/KBHome. About Wrightsoft Founded in 1985, Wrightsoft provides Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA)-approved software that combines residential and commercial energy load calculation with design functionality in a single, proprietary program known as Right-Suite Universal. This technology allows the HVAC contractor to properly calculate energy loads, accurately design and size HVAC systems, efficiently produce parts takeoff lists and proposals, and generate all necessary professional documentation and reports. Learn more: www.Wrightsoft.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005310/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Flock Announces Partnership With The Hartford To Provide A Streamlined Online Benefits Enrollment Experience

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Flock announced a partnership with The Hartford that will provide small-to-midsized businesses and their insurance brokers access to The Hartford's employee benefits plans and a streamlined online benefits enrollment experience on Flock's Human Resources and Benefits Administration Platform. "We look forward to innovating with The Hartford to ensure brokers and employers have access to a new generation of human resources and benefits administration tools," said Raj Singh, Founder and CEO of Flock. "With the seamless connectivity between The Hartford and Flock, brokers and employers alike are one step closer to removing administrative inefficiencies." The Flock platform will support The Hartford's products, including: Life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance

Short- and long-term disability insurance; and

Voluntary benefits such as critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity In addition to The Hartford's benefits, employees will also have access to other insurance providers on the Flock platform for medical, dental, vision and financial benefits, including health spending accounts. The collaboration between The Hartford and Flock also will equip brokers with compliance tools that can be used by their clients. The Flock Benefits Administration suite includes a portal that allows brokers to assist employers with vital compliance requirements such as Affordable Care Act (ACA) filings. Through his partnership, employers who select the benefits administration tools will have access to Flock's ACA filing features at no additional charge.



"We continue to invest in technology to help provide the seamless enrollment and service experience that our customers expect," said CrisDee Plambeck, head of voluntary and external partnerships for Group Benefits at The Hartford. "We are pleased to partner with Flock to enhance our ability to deliver The Hartford's industry-leading suite of products, including voluntary benefits, to brokers and employers nationwide on an easy-to-use modern technology platform." In 2017, The Hartford participated in Series A financing to help Flock accelerate market expansion and ongoing development of its HR and benefits administration platform.

About Flock

Flock is an all-in-one software platform to manage HR, Benefits, and Compliance. No paper, no headaches. Flock provides a comprehensive platform to automate the critical administrative tasks required to onboard and continuously manage employees. The system limits risks and liability; and we make it easier for HR and health insurance brokers/agents alike to be the strategic drivers and champions for their business counterparts. For more information, say hello at: www.helloflock.com. About The Hartford

The Hartford is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds. With more than 200 years of expertise, The Hartford is widely recognized for its service excellence, sustainability practices, trust and integrity. More information on the company and its financial performance is available at https://www.thehartford.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheHartford_PR. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., operates through its subsidiaries under the brand name, The Hartford, and is headquartered in Hartford, Conn. For additional details, please read The Hartford's legal notice. Flock Media Contact:

Jeff DeMattos, Marketing and Brand

[email protected]

450 Townsend Street, Suite 209, San Francisco, CA 94107 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flock-announces-partnership-with-the-hartford-to-provide-a-streamlined-online-benefits-enrollment-experience-300749553.html SOURCE Flock

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Government of Canada supports high-growth technology manufacturing in Kitchener-Waterloo

Investment will help secure 629 jobs and support the development of innovative smart glasses technologies KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON, Nov. 13, 2018 /CNW/ - New technologies are changing how Canadians access information, shop, live and work. To seize these opportunities, the Government of Canada is investing in one of Canada's fastest scaling innovative technology companies. This will help create good middle-class jobs and ensure Canada punches above its weight in a competitive global market. Today, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced a $24-million investment in North, a pioneering Canadian company that is poised to become a global leader in the growing wearable technology market. With this project, North plans to expand its existing facility and implement advanced testing, assembly and production systems. The investment will also support the company's next-generation product development, which combines cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence within a traditional eyewear frame. This project will help North to continue developing relationships with Canadian companies and universities to generate further innovation, strengthen the local supply chain and grow partnerships across Canada. This investment is being made through the $1.26-billion Strategic Innovation Fund, a program designed to attract and suport high-quality business investments across all sectors of the economy by encouraging R&D that will accelerate technology transfer and the commercialization of innovative products, processes and services and will facilitate the growth of innovative firms.



Quotes "North is the kind of fast-scaling technology company that's only beginning to deliver value for Canadians by pioneering in the field of wearable technology and developing and retaining intellectual property in Canada. Our government's investment in North will help create hundreds of good middle-class jobs, contribute to economic growth and position Canada as a world leader in a growing global market."

 The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

"In order to create Focals, a product that leapfrogged efforts of our large global competitors, we had to make decisions that were atypical of a company of our size. That included heavy investment in R&D, advanced manufacturing and more right here in KitchenerWaterloo. The support the Government of Canada is providing to this area through programs like the Strategic Innovation Fund helps us deepen that commitment."

 Stephen Lake, Co-founder and CEO, North Quick facts On October 23 , North (formerly Thalmic Labs Inc.) rebranded and introduced Focals, a pair of custom-built glasses with a holographic display that only the wearer can see. Focals let you see and respond to texts, get turn-by-turn directions, check the weather, request an Uber, talk to Amazon Alexa and more. The company currently employs approximately 450 people in KitchenerWaterloo and has a satellite office of 10 people in San Francisco .

, North (formerly Thalmic Labs Inc.) rebranded and introduced Focals, a pair of custom-built glasses with a holographic display that only the wearer can see. Focals let you see and respond to texts, get turn-by-turn directions, check the weather, request an Uber, talk to Amazon Alexa and more. The company currently employs approximately 450 people in KitchenerWaterloo and has a satellite office of 10 people in . Focals are designed and built in North's 56,000 square foot advanced manufacturing facility in Waterloo and sold in North showrooms in Canada and the United States .

and . The funding will help support North's $130-million project. The company will also invest $500 million in R&D, develop and retain further intellectual property in Canada , and implement inclusive hiring practices.

project. The company will also invest in R&D, develop and retain further intellectual property in , and implement inclusive hiring practices. In addition to the Strategic Innovation Fund, there are hundreds of programs and services to help businesses innovate, create jobs and grow Canada's economy. With a simple, story-based user interface, the Innovation Canada platform can match businesses with the most fitting programs and services in about two minutes. Associated links Strategic Innovation Fund

Focals by North Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Young Artists Earn Funds for Their Schools Through Illinois American Water's "Imagine a Day Without Water" Art Contest

Young artists across the state participated in Illinois American Water's annual "Imagine a Day Without Water art contest." Entries from 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students depicted what a day without water meant to them and included a related phrase. Of the many entries received, Illinois American Water chose 19 winners, earning those classrooms a $100 donation to be used for supplies or a classroom celebration. The winning artwork can be viewed here https://tinyurl.com/y7gjbbbg on Illinois American Water's Facebook (News - Alert) page. Illinois American Water holds the contest in conjunction with the Value of Water Coalition's annual "Imagine a Day Without Water" event to raise awareness about the value of water service. "Though it's hard to imagine even just one day without water, our young customers, when posed with the question of what a day without water would mean to them, truly understand the impact to fire protection, sanitary services, plants, animals and more," said Bruce Hauk, Illinois American Water President. "It's important we continue to educate about the critical role water service plays in the communities we serve. This art contest allows us to do so in a creative way, bringing together both art and science." The art contest winners are listed below in no particular order:

Austin McFadden, 4th Grader at St. Michael School in Wheaton

Emma Welks, 4th Grader at Christian Hills School in Orland Hills

Liliana Garcia, 3rd Grader at Goodings Grove School in Homer Glen

Celeste Diaz, 5th Grader at St. Peter Catholic School in South Beloit

Mone' Branch, 5th Grader at Union School in Belleville







Briana Wermke, 5th Grader at East Elementary School in Alton

Chase Korsos, 4th Grader at St. Ambrose in Godfrey

Karmen Bush, 3rd Grader at LE Stark School in Pekin

Khloe Graham, 5th Grader at Northlawn Junior High School in Streator

Charlie Turner, 5th Grader at Northlawn Junior High School in Streator

Jaydon Miller, 4th Grader at West Lincoln Broadwell School in Lincoln

Eitan Oliver, 5th Grader at Peoria Hebrew Day School in Peoria

Gage Tuck, 5th Grader at Pleasant Hill School in Peoria

Cora Heinz, 4th Grader at St. Jude Catholic School in Peoria

Megan Wiechmann, 5th Grader at St. Mary's Catholic School in Pontiac

Leighton Clark, 4th Grader at St. Matthew Catholic School in Champaign

Olivia Egelston, 5th Grader at Unity East Elementary School in Tolono

Annalise Shunk, 5th Grader at Unity West Elementary School in Tolono Hauk said, "We want to thank our local educators for taking time to talk to their students about the value of water. Our team was impressed with the number and quality of entries received from across the state."

The winning artwork may be featured in future Illinois American Water customer communications. About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to over 14 million people in 45 states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006136/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Gateway Mortgage Group Launches New Down Payment Protection Program

Gateway Mortgage Group, a full-service mortgage company licensed in 40 states and the District of Columbia, announced the launch of an innovative program providing homebuyers with protection of their down payment in the event they sell their home under less than ideal market conditions. The new program is offered through ValueInsured and has been seamlessly integrated into most of Gateway's (News - Alert) mortgage loan products. "Gateway is always growing, innovating and seeking new ways to better support homeownership in the communities we serve around the country," said Alan Ferree, president of Gateway. "This partnership with ValueInsured allows us to differentiate Gateway from other mortgage lenders while providing our customers with a unique option that offers some peace of mind and simply makes sense for certain markets or borrowers." The new Down Payment Protection Program offers homebuyers an optional insurance feature that can minimize market risk on the value of their home and safeguard some, or all, of their down payent. If the market price drops and the home sells at a loss, up to the full amount of the down payment could be reimbursed in a turnkey, home inspection-free process usually taking 30 days or less (some restrictions apply).



"Gateway operates in many markets where home values are at all-time highs," said Joe Melendez, founder and CEO of ValueInsured. "Gateway continues to prove its commitment as a champion of the American dream by allowing customers to buy with confidence while helping to alleviate the concerns and unpredictability of today's real estate values." Ferree added, "Our primary focus is to deliver the highest level of service to our customers through local, caring mortgage professionals across the nation. By offering this Down Payment Protection Program, we will be able to provide our customers with added flexibility, control and confidence in their journey to homeownership."

Gateway is licensed in 40 states, and the District of Columbia, and operates more than 170 retail locations across the country. The company's annual loan volume is forecasted to exceed $7 billion while the servicing portfolio will surpass $20 billion. About Gateway Mortgage Group Gateway is one of the largest privately held mortgage origination and servicing companies in the United States. Established in 2000 and headquartered in Jenks, Oklahoma, the company employs more than 1,200 team members in over 170 offices nationwide and currently services $18 billion in residential mortgages. For more information about Gateway, visit www.GatewayLoan.com. Gateway Mortgage Group, LLC (NMLS 7233). About ValueInsured PVI Agency, LLC dba ValueInsured, is the only provider of down payment protection for modern homebuyers, giving them greater control, confidence and flexibility in a volatile real estate market - all for the cost of a lunch per month. Led by a team of professionals experienced in every part of the home buying process, ValueInsured's +Plus? down payment protection is easy, affordable and backed by one of the world's largest re-insurance companies, with over $8 billion in capital www.valueinsured.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006139/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Planters Bank & Trust and FHLB Dallas to Award $8,000 Grant to Delta Grace

Planters Bank & Trust and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) will award $8,000 in Partnership Grant Program (PGP (News - Alert)) funds to Delta Grace to offset administrative and marketing expenses.

Local dignitaries will join bank representatives in awarding the funds at a check presentation at 8:30 a.m. Friday, November 16, 2018, at Delta Grace's offices at 510 Sunflower Avenue in Sunflower, Mississippi. The media is encouraged to attend.

Delta Grace is a nonprofit, faith-based organization that matches mission teams with people in need of home repairs in the Sunflower area. The organization oversees, assists and provides mission teams with beds, showers, a kitchen and meeting facilities through the duration of each project.

The structure of the PGP enables FHLB Dallas member institutions like Planters Bank & Trust 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: 8:30 a.m., Friday, November 16, 2018 WHO: Jimmy Clayton, Chairman and CEO, Planters Bank & Trust Rev. Veronica Pritchard, Executive Director, Delta Grace Eric Haar, Vice President, Director of Government and Industry Relations, FHLB Dallas Melanie Dill, Community and Economic Development Product Manager, FHLB Dallas WHERE: Delta Grace 510 Sunflower Avenue Sunflower, Mississippi 38778

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006164/en/[November 13, 2018] ADDING MULTIMEDIA Global Upside Wins Partnership in HR Excellence Award at HRO Today EMEA

Global Upside (www.globalupside.com) has won "Partnership in HR Excellence" award at the prestigious 2018 HRO Today Awards Gala in Amsterdam. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006065/en/ From left to right Zachary Misko, President, HRO Today Member Services; Ragu Bhargava, Co-Founder and CEO, Global Upside; Elliot Clark, CEO, SharedExpertise Media; and Rohit Lohia, Managing Director, India, Global Upside. (Photo: Business Wire) The award acknowledges Global Upside's work as an HR partner to some of the world's leading companies. Global Upside provide Hire to Retire solutions spanning talent acquisition, employment ocumentation, employment law advisory, compensation and benefits, payroll, global mobility, and more.



"The Global Upside team has demonstrated measurable excellence in providing HR services in 100+ countries and solving complex challenges that come with operating globally," said Zachary Misko, President of HRO Today Member Services. Recently, Global Upside launched a first of its kind HR software - Mihi (www.mihi.com) - a global HCM, time and benefits management software, for employees in 100+ countries. Mihi is compliant with local statutory wage, hour, and benefits regulations and connects with all major ERP and Payroll systems allowing companies to seamlessly manage global employees and automate the flow of payroll data between systems.

"Mihi was created in response to a need from a Client who needed a single software for their 5000 employees spread across 40 countries. They needed it fast and we were tasked with finding a software for them. We realized no single software catered to employees globally so we actually built this software and today it's supporting thousands of employees globally in 17+ languages," said Ragu Bhargava, Global Upside's Chief Executive Officer. "It's an honor to be recognized by HRO Today. We are humbled by the adulation we are getting from our peers in the industry and motivated to continue to do more innovative work and make doing business easier for companies no matter where they operate," he added. HRO Today is a media and news company that offers objective, game-changing content to over 180,000 senior-level human resources decision makers worldwide. For details about the HRO Today Awards, visit http://www.hrotoday.com/association/awards/. About Global Upside Global Upside solves business complexity with world-class HR, Payroll, Accounting, Tax, Compliance, PEO, and Talent Acquisition services. With our integrated, end-to-end support, companies can focus on innovation, growth, and excel in their fields. Founded in 1999 in Silicon Valley, Global Upside today empowers companies in 100+ countries and is dedicated to solving complexity for companies everywhere they do business. Learn more at www.globalupside.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006065/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] Simpson Thacher Elects Eleven New Partners

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP announced yesterday that it has elected eleven attorneys as members of the Firm effective January 1, 2019. The new partners are: Naveed Anwar (Palo Alto (News - Alert)) - Naveed specializes in public and private mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions. He regularly advises private equity firms and companies on a wide range of transactions and corporate governance matters. He received his L.P.C. in 2007 and his G.D.L. in 2006 from the University of Law, London and his B.A., with honours, and his M.Eng., with honours, from the University of Cambridge in 2004. Samuel H. Charlton (London) - Sam is a member of the Firm's Real Estate Department. He concentrates his practice on private equity real estate acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures on behalf of leading international fund sponsors. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Cornell Law School in 2010 and his B.A. from Johns Hopkins University in 2007. Bradley P. Goldberg (New York) - Brad is Head of the Firm's Public Company Advisory Practice - Private Equity. He advises companies on all aspects of their compliance with the U.S. securities laws and the listing requirements of the major U.S. exchanges and regularly counsels management, boards of directors and board committees on a wide range of corporate governance matters. He received his J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School in 2001, where he was a member of the Southern California Law Review, and his B.S. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. Makiko Harunari (Hong Kong) - Makiko is Head of the Firm's Asia Banking and Credit Practice. She regularly represents financial sponsors, corporate borrowers and financial institutions in complex cross-border financing transactions throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including acquisition finance, real estate finance, back-leverage finance and fund finance. Makiko received her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University School of Law in 2007 and her B.A. from Yale University in 2001. She is also a CFA Charterholder. Steven R. Klar (New York) - Steven is a member of the Firm's Privte Funds Practice. He represents various sponsors of private equity funds, including buyout funds, real estate funds, secondary funds and other alternative investment funds on fundraisings, co-investments, managed accounts and structured secondary transactions as well as ongoing advisory matters. Steven received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law in 2009 and his B.S. in 2003 from Yeshiva University, Sy Syms School of Business.



Jeannine McSweeney (New York) - Jeannine advises clients on executive compensation and employee benefit arrangements, including equity-based incentives, cash-based incentives, deferred compensation, retirement plans and employment, retention and severance agreements, with particular emphasis on issues arising in mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings and joint ventures. She received her LL.M. from New York University School of Law in 2008, her M.B.A., magna cum laude, from Syracuse University Whitman School of Management and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Syracuse University College of Law, both in 2006, and her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Rochester in 2003. Erland Modesto (Houston) - Erland advises clients on banking, credit and other corporate matters, with a particular focus on the energy sector. He represents lenders and borrowers in acquisition, reserve-based financings and other corporate financings. He received his J.D., with honors, from University of Texas School of Law in 2010 and his B.A. from Boston College in 2007.

Juan M. Naveira (New York) - Juan concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance transactions involving Latin America. He represents companies across industries as well as financial institutions and private equity firms. He received his LL.M. from Columbia Law School in 2007 and his LL.B. from Universidad Catolica Argentina-School of Law in 2003. Jakob Rendtorff (New York) - Jakob concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions. He regularly represents strategic clients and private equity firms on a broad range of mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and spin-offs. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2008 and his B.A. from the University of Chicago in 2005, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Brian E. Rosenzweig (Houston) - Brian's practice is focused on corporate finance transactions with a particular emphasis on the energy sector. He represents corporate issuers, private equity sponsors and underwriters in connection with offerings of debt and equity securities, including initial public offerings, high yield offerings, acquisition financings and liability management transactions. He received his J.D. from Duke University School of Law in 2008 and his B.A. from Cornell University, with distinction in all subjects, in 2005. Whitney W. Salinas (New York) - Whitney is a member of the Firm's Real Estate Department. She regularly represents private equity firms on a broad range of mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and real estate financings. Whitney received her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center in 2009 and her B.A. in 2006 from Northwestern University. ABOUT SIMPSON THACHER & BARTLETT LLP Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (www.simpsonthacher.com) is one of the world's leading international law firms. The Firm was established in 1884 and has more than 900 lawyers. Headquartered in New York with offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Sao Paulo, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., the Firm provides coordinated legal advice and transactional capability to clients around the globe. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113006222/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][November 13, 2018] The governments of Canada and Northwest Territories invest in first Arctic Energy Fund project with Inuvik Wind Generation, creating cleaner and more reliable energy

INUVIK, NT, Nov. 13, 2018 /CNW/ - Investments in green infrastructure projects are key to supporting the unique needs of northern communities, while protecting the environment and promoting cleaner, more sustainable energy options that will benefit northerners for generations to come. Today, the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; the Honourable Wally Schumann, Minister of Infrastructure and Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment; the Honourable Robert C. McLeod, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Minister of Finance and Minister of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation; Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories; and her Worship Natasha Kulikowski, Mayor of Inuvik, announced $40 million in funding for the Inuvik Wind Generation project. This is the first project under the Government of Canada's new Arctic Energy Fund, which supports energy security in Northern communities. The Inuvik Wind Generation project will develop an energy system that will include the installation of wind turbines, a grid controller and a large battery storage system to generate energy when the wind slows down. It also includes the construction of a 5-kilometre access road from Dempster Highway to the project site, and connections to the local electric grid. This project will provide a more efficient, reliable and cleaner source of energy for Inuvik residents. It will help protect the environment and lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing diesel use. Quotes "Investments in green infrastructure projects are not only important for our environment, but they also improve the quality of life for those working and living in the North. I am proud to announce that the Inuvik Wind Generation project is the first infrastructure project to be funded under the Government of Canada's Arctic Energy Fund, which supports energy security in northern communities. The Inuvik Wind Generation project will help protect our environment and provide the community with a more eficient and cleaner source of energy."



The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities "This announcement is one step forward towards our government's long-term vision and approach to energy and climate change that will enable the NWT to transition to a strong, healthy economy that is less dependent on fossil fuels and we will continue to work with our partners and Canada as we aim to achieve this goal."

The Honourable Wally Schumann, Minister of Infrastructure and Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment "Today's announcement demonstrates the Government of the Northwest Territories' continued commitment under the Pan-Canadian Framework to transition to a lower-carbon economy and contribute to the territory's economic, social and environmental well-being." The Honourable Robert C. McLeod, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Minister of Finance and Minister of Northwest Territories Power Corporation Quick facts The Government of Canada is investing up to $30 million through the Investing in Canada plan  Arctic Energy Fund, and the Government of the Northwest Territories is contributing up to $10 million for the Inuvik Wind Generation project.

is investing up to through the plan  Arctic Energy Fund, and the Government of the is contributing up to for the Inuvik Wind Generation project. The Inuvik Wind Generation project is the first project announced under the Government of Canada's Arctic Energy Fund. The fund supports energy security in communities in the North, including Indigenous communities, by investing in upgrades to existing fossil fuel-based energy systems, as well as supplementing or replacing these systems with renewable energy optionsimproving energy reliability and efficiency as well as reducing pollution.

Arctic Energy Fund. The fund supports energy security in communities in the North, including Indigenous communities, by investing in upgrades to existing fossil fuel-based energy systems, as well as supplementing or replacing these systems with renewable energy optionsimproving energy reliability and efficiency as well as reducing pollution. Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada will invest more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.

infrastructure plan, the Government of will invest more than over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and rural and northern communities. $26.9 billion of this funding will support green infrastructure projects, including $5 billion that will be available for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

of this funding will support green infrastructure projects, including $5 billion that will be available for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank. $2 billion of this funding will support infrastructure projects that meet the unique needs of rural and northern communities like facilities to support food security, local access roads and enhanced broadband connectivity. In addition, $400 million will be delivered through the Arctic Energy Fund to advance energy security in the territories.

will be delivered through the Arctic Energy Fund to advance energy security in the territories. $4 billion of this funding will support infrastructure projects in Indigenous communities. Associated links Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan:

http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html Investing in Canada Plan Project Map:

http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map Federal infrastructure investments in Northwest Territories:

http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map-carte/nt-eng.html Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Web: Infrastructure Canada SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Samsung Galaxy S21: Specs OS: Android 11 with One UI 3

Screen size: 6.2 inches (2400 x 1080)

Refresh rate: 48-120Hz

Processor: Snapdragon 888

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 128GB, 256GB

microSD: none

Rear cameras: 12MP wide (f/1.8), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2), 64MP telephoto (f/2.0) with 3x hybrid zoom/30x digital

Video: Up to 8K at 24 fps

Front cameras: 10MP

Battery: 4,000 mAh

Battery life: 9 hours and 53 minutes (60hz), 6 hours and 31 minutes (adaptive)

Charging: 25W (charger not included)

Colors: Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink, Phantom White, Phantom Gray

Size: 5.97 x 2.8 x 0.31 inches

Weight: 5.95 ounces

For years, the Galaxy S series have been do-everything, have-everything flagship phones. But with the Galaxy S21, Samsung has decided to take away almost as much as its upgraded. What could be a recipe for failure has actually yielded an excellent Android smartphone thats $200 cheaper than the Galaxy S20 .

With its 6.2-inch display, trio of rear cameras, and the same 4,000 mAh battery, the Galaxy S21 isnt much of an upgrade over its predecessor. Sure, it comes with a new camera module and colour schemes, as well as Qualcomms Snapdragon 888 . But the Galaxy S21 turns out to be very much an iterative upgrade; the big changes come in the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra this time around.

Check out our Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review

These are the best phones you can buy right now

Don't miss our list of the best Samsung phones

Yet there's a lot more to this take-away tale. Keep reading our Samsung Galaxy S21 review to find out why removing stuff has worked out rather well for Samsungs new flagship phone.

You can buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 right now, either by itself or via a carrier contract.

In the U.S., for a starting price of $799 you can get the Galaxy S21 with 128GB of storage, but fork out an extra $50 and you can get the 256GB model for $849. Thats $200 cheaper than the Galaxy S20 cost a year ago  quite the saving.

In the U.K. the Samsung Galaxy S21 starts at 769 for the 128GB model, with double the storage setting you back 819. The 5G Galaxy S20 came in at 899, so the S21 is 130 cheaper.

Just bear in mind, theres only a USB-C cable in the box, so youll need to pay out for a charger if you dont have one already. And the S21 only comes with 8GB of RAM, with no option to get the 12GB of the Galaxy S20, unless you opt for the considerably more expensive Galaxy S21 Ultra.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 undercuts its most obvious rival the iPhone 12 , which costs $879 for a handset with 128GB. (The $799 iPhone 12 only offers 64GB of storage.) But the S21 is more expensive than the $699 Google Pixel 5 , which is a little lacking in raw specs but offers a fantastic camera.

Somewhat ironically, the reasonably recent Samsung Galaxy S20 FE could be a threat to the Galaxy S21 as it offers a 120Hz display, a still powerful Snapdragon 865, and a trio of solid rear cameras for $699. The S20 FE isnt as advanced as the S21, but it still has a lot going for it for a sub flagship price.

Now that we're approaching the end of the year, we expect the Galaxy S21 to appear in the best Black Friday phone deals, possibly earning a spot in our Black Friday deals roundup. Samsung usually shows up each year in Black Friday sales and we think the Galaxy S21 will see some good discounts.

Samsung Galaxy S21 review: Design

From the front, the Galaxy S21 looks alot like the Galaxy S20, with its 6.2-inch display complete with a neat punch-hole selfie camera in the top middle of the screen. Look closer and youll see the S21 has dropped its predecessor's curved display and opted for flat edges.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

This might sound like a downgrade, given the new phone doesn't look quiet as sleek, but Im fine with it. I think curved screens on Android phones with displays under 6.5 inches tend to be a little slippery to hold, especially as you can mostly use them one-handed; large handsets tend to feel a bit more comfortable with curved edges when youre performing finger gymnastics to reach apps on the displays far side.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The flat edges on the Samsung Galaxy S21 lead to the metal edges flowing to the new Contour Cut camera design, where the rear camera module seems to blend into the S21s left-hand edge, as well as the back.

Speaking of which, the metal gives way to whats arguably the Samsung Galaxy S21s biggest change: a plastic back. Samsung calls it polycarbonate but it's basically fancy plastic, whereas the S20 makes use of glass.

Opting for a plastic back is likely the biggest reason Samsung can offer the Galaxy S21 at its cheaper price. And while the lack of a glass back might seem odd for a flagship phone, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it didnt feel cheap. Not only do I think it feels a little nicer than the polycarbonate on the S20 FEs rear, it also has a more tactile finish than the glass-backed Galaxy S series, making it feel less likely to escape your grip or suck up fingerprints. Personally, Im happy to pocket the savings if this helps keep costs down.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

And the Phantom Violet S21 I had to review looks fantastic, even if the name sounds a little daft. The violet panel has a pleasantly soft hue, while the faint copper color of the camera bump and edges give the S21 a pseudo retro sci-fi look; think Star Trek meets Art Deco.

Three other color options  Phantom Gray, Phantom Pink, Phantom White  are available but I've yet to see them in the metal and plastic.

Measuring 6 x 2.8 x 0.31 inches and weighing 6.07 ounces, the Galaxy S21 is a bit smaller yet a little heavier than the Galaxy S20 (5.9 x 3 x 0.31, 5.7 ounces). But I think it is the ideal size and weight for one-hand use; small enough for my thumb to reach two-thirds of the display, but large enough to sit down and watch hours of videos on.

The Galaxy S21s in-display ultrasonic fingerprint reader is also more responsive thanks to using Qualcomms new scanner, which is 1.7x larger and 50% faster than the previous generation. I found the S21 rarely rejected a hasty tap from my thumb, which does wonders for my quick-temper.

Whats not ideal is the Galaxy S21 dropped the microSD card slot its predecessors have sported for a while. Im not sure why Samsung did this, as theres no obvious limitations of space inside the Galaxy S21, nor would I expect its removal to change manufacturing costs by much. Perhaps it's one way for Samsung to encourage people to buy the 265GB version, though with so many free cloud storage services, Im ultimately not too fussed about the lack of expandable storage.

Samsung Galaxy S21 review: Display

Samsung has both downgraded and upgraded the Galaxy S21s 6.2-inch AMOLED display from what the S20 previously featured. You no longer have to choose between a full HD+ resolution running at 120Hz or a QHD running at 60Hz, like you did with the Galaxy S20, but thats because the S21 tops out at 1080p resolution.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

While thats more restrictive, I feel it removes complexity. You can go and set the display to stick to 60Hz, if you want to eek out as much battery life as possible, or you just love a bit of judder when scrolling through web pages. But then youd be given up a dynamic refresh rate, which allows the S21 to drop its refresh rate from 120Hz to 48Hz depending on the task at hand. Its not an upgrade youll necessarily notice when youre not scrolling, but it's a smart one that quietly makes the S21 more enjoyable to use.

Testing its natural screen setting, the Galaxy S21 display delivers 109.2% sRGB and 77.4% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, and a Delta-E of 0.29. Those are good scores, though the iPhone 12 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra beat the S21 in terms of coverage and color accuracy.

However, in practical use the Galaxy S21s display is fantastic. Stick it in Vivid mode and youll see heaps of contrast and color, even if the latter errs on the side of oversaturation. The display is great for watching videos and movies, ogling Instagram pics, and playing games on. Samsung has long had excellent displays on its Galaxy S phones, and the S21 is no exception.

Samsung Galaxy S21 review: Cameras

Hardware-wise, the Galaxy S21 cameras are exactly the same as the Galaxy S20. The triple camera array comprises a main 12MP wide-angle lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens and a 64MP telephoto lens with 3x hybrid optic zoom and 30x space zoom.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

But Samsung is pulling a Google and leaning hard on software and computational photography upgrades to improve the trio of rear cameras. And for the most part, the Galaxy S21 achieves this.

Lets start with the standard photo mode. Take a look at the photo below; with multiple colors and shades to deal with, plus the light coming in from the left, it presents a smartphone camera workout.

The Galaxy S21s photo is flush with color and detail, though like Galaxy phones in the past, the colors are perhaps a little more saturated than those of the Google Pixel 5 I used for comparison. The Pixel 5 delivers a warmer tone and more true-to-life colors, with better dynamic range.

However zooming in, the S21 picks out some finer details, likely due to its telephoto camera, with the grill on the model Aston Martin DB5 and the numbers on the Vox headphone amp clearer than in the Pixel 5s photo.

Its worth noting I switched off the Scene Optimizer feature, which uses AI to identify whats in-frame and adjust the camera accordingly to get the best shot. In practice, I feel this can result in some over-processing.

Outdoors in natural light and the S21s main camera does a fine job. While it was hardly an ideal photography situation, in the shot below, the Galaxy S21 picks out more detail than the Pixel 5 in the tower buildings on the right and London's Canary Wharf in the background. However, the Pixel 5 offers more dynamic range and colors that are truer to life.

Speaking of which, things get a little complicated in lower-light situations or environments lit by artificial light. I found the Pixel 5 was better at edge detection and resolving detail in low light areas, whereas the S21 occasionally throws up smudged and over-smoothed results.

You really have to go looking for this though, and I believe it's down to the Galaxy S21 ramping up the ISO and introducing more noise into darker sections of a shot as a consequence. I suspect this could be some teething problems with the AI processing being applied to low-light areas, something which Samsung could fix with a software update.

Poor light doesn't help the portrait mode either. Thanks to social distancing rules in the U.K. I had to snap a pic of my friend Claire on her doorstep as the sun went down; this meant there was the challenge of dealing with low light on one side and a porch light on the other.

The Pixel 5 copes admirably, delivering more natural skin tones and picking out details in the highlights and the shadows. But S21 struggles a bit, washing out and over-smoothing Claires face. And it fails to pick out much detail in her hair especially on the left-hand side.

Non-portrait S21 photos fare better, so I suspect the portrait modes algorithm is struggling to pick out whats in the foreground and what should be blurred out; something the Pixel 5 is particularly good at.

In better light conditions, the portrait mode is much better for both the rear and 10MP front-facing camera; take a look at the photo below of Toms Guide's Mark Spoonauer as an example.

And shooting objects rather than faces sees the Galaxy S21 deliver a nice portrait photo.

The Galaxy S21 doesn't deliver the sharpest of portrait mode cutouts like the Pixel 5, as Samsung opts for a more gradual blur effect. I prefer the clarity of Googles handset but the S21 still gets some nice results.

Switch over to the S21 night mode, and the low-light problems are swept away. In the shot below, the S21 delivers a bright image that's more detailed (notably in street lights) than the Pixel 5. With more cameras to use for capturing light and detail, the S21 shows up the limitations of the Pixel 5s dual rear cameras.

I prefer the colors the Pixel 5 offers, though. And the S21 seems to apply a good amount of sharpening to its night shots. Night mode can also be used across all three of the Galaxy S21s cameras.

Ultra-wide angle shots are expensive on the Galaxy S21, but once you zoom in things come apart. While it captures a wider view than the Pixel 5, punching into a shot reveals hazy details, whereas Googles phone is much clearer. Youll have to weigh up whether a lack of fine detail is worth a more expensive photo.

Its with the telephoto cameras 20x and 30x Space Zoom where the S21s real camera upgrades come into play. Notably, the new Zoom Lock feature, which uses AI to identify the subject and steady the shot.

This works rather well and you can get shots that are surprisingly clear for such extreme zooms, even if you have rather shaky hands. Then the processing afterward cleans up the photo and results in a zoomed shot thats not a muddy mess.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Using Space Zoom I could get a reasonably clear pic of a small mint tin on my window still from the other side of the room. Im not sure how practical it is for every-day smartphone photography, but its an impressive showcase for AI tech.

On the video front, the Galaxy S21 covers a lot of bases. Like the Galaxy S20 it offers up to 8K capture at 24 fps, which its overkill for most, but it lets you snap high-quality photos while recording very high resolution videos. Other high-end features include 1080p video recording at 120 fps, which makes them super-smooth. Speaking of smooth, the Super Steady mode, which uses AI to compensate for shaky recording, will works on 1080p 60 fps video capture.

Another highlight is the new Director's View when you're shooting video. You can shoot using the front and rear cameras at the same time, as well as view live thumbnails from the multiple cameras. This makes it easier to switch to the best shot for your video. It works rather well and is less of a gimmick than I first thought.

The portrait video, which is basically a renaming of live focus video, is also rather slick, delivering footage where the subjects are in focus while the background is blurred. If you move around a lot you can see the S21 working its algorithms, which results in sometimes over smoothing details on faces.

Other camera upgrades include an improved Single Take feature that takes a bunch of stills and photos with a single tap. Single Take now delivers Highlight Video and Dynamic Slow-Mo clips.

All the above taken into account, the Galaxy S21 delivers an upgrade over the Galaxy S20. I dont think it has what it takes to knock the iPhone 12 Pro Max off our best phone cameras list and the iPhone 12 could still have it beat, But the S21 trades blows with the Pixel 5, and beats Google's phone in a lot of areas. Potential for further refinement on the AI and computational photography side by Samsung leaves plenty of scope for the S21s camera to get better over time.

Samsung Galaxy S21 review: Performance

In the U.S, the Galaxy S21 comes with the latest Snapdragon 888 chip, which promises 20% better CPU performance, 35% more GPU speed, as well as boosted AI performance. Even though there's no 12GB of RAM option, the S21 does plenty with its 8GB, and I didn't encounter any slowdown in my testing.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Speaking of which, putting the Snapdragon 888-equipped S21 through a series of benchmarks, saw the chip deliver a multi-core score of 3,302 in Geekbench 5. Thats slower than the iPhone 12, which raked in a score of 3,859. But the S21, unsurprisingly, outpaces a lot of other Android phones with the older Snapdragon 865.

As for the graphics performance, the S21 topped out at 33 frames per second in 3DMarks Wild Life graphics benchmark. Its beaten by the iPhone 12s 39 fps, but is ahead of other flagship Android phones. In practical use, though, the S21 chews through games.

Both Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9 Legends ran smoothly at max settings, with the 120Hz refresh rate further adding to the smoothness. Its worth noting that while we tested the Snapdragon 888 Galaxy S21, I was using a handset with the Exynos 2100.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Built on a 5-nanometre process node like the Snapdragon 888, the Exynos 2100 is meant to deliver 20% improvement in energy efficiency and a 10% improvement in performance over the last-gen 7nm Exynos 990. Throwing the S2100 at Geekbench 5, it got a score of 3,391 so is on par with the Snapdragon chip, which is gratifying as Exynos chips have previously lagged behind.

With those games open and a load of other apps running at the same time, I didnt notice any slowdown or lack of responsiveness from the S21, though its back got a little warm.

Samsung Galaxy S21 review: Battery life and charging

Like its predecessor, the Galaxy S21 comes with a 4,000 mAh battery. Thats fine for a phone of its size, though it's a pity Samsung didn't up the capacity a little. Still the adaptive refresh rate and improved chip efficiency should deliver better battery life.

Set at the 60hz refresh rate, the Galaxy S21 managed 9 hours and 53 minutes in Tom's Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness over 5G.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Thats not long enough to make our best phone battery life list, but it beats the 8 hours and 25 minutes of the iPhone 12. And it just about outlasts the Galaxy S20 with its 9 hours and 31 minutes, so the new silicon seems to be playing its part.

Left in its default "Adaptive" mode, which dynamically adjusts the display's refresh rate, the Galaxy S21 lasted 6 hours and 31 minutes. That's not amazing, but it's far from bad when you get a vibrant display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Furthermore, the AI smarts in the S21 should learn about my phone use over time and better optimize battery consumption, but thats not going to be something that happens over night.

Charging is where things get a little messy. Fast charging is on offer over the USB-C PD standard, juicing up the battery to 55% in 30 minutes in our testing. The problem is, you need to make sure you have a charging brick to hand, as Samsung only puts the USB-C cable in the box. If you dont have a charger then Samsung will sell you a 25W charger.

Samsung made a big song and dance about this decision being environmentally friendly; of course, it saves Samsung money too. Ultimately, I feel this is the right move, whatever the motivation. Helping cut down on electronic waste is worth the extra expense and minor inconvenience it might cause some S21 buyers who arent flush with phone chargers.

Samsung Galaxy S21 review: One UI 3 and software

While Ive used Samsung phones for years, Im not the biggest fan of the user interface it drops on Android. But with the introduction of One UI in 2018, Ive been slowly warming to Galaxy series take on Googles mobile operating system. One UI 3 featured on the Galaxy S21 (and now older Samsung models that have upgraded to Android 11) builds upon this goodwill.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The interface is more elegant, complete with a redesigned Quick Panel and a notifications screen that feels less cluttered. I especially appreciate the redesigned lock screen widgets as well as the ability to place widgets on the screen and adjust their transparency.

One UI 3 still comes with a lot of options to tweak your Galaxy experience, which some will love. But it can get a bit overwhelming at times when you just want to find one particular setting.

And my word, do I dislike the main apps drawer of the One UI. Despite its third iteration, the apps are arranged n a seemingly random manner which if youre moving from one app-heavy phone to another can make finding the apps you want to set up your homescreen a minor nightmare. Compared to the elegance of the app drawer in stock Android, Samsungs is a mess.

I understand Samsung would like me to use its services, but so many other Android phones default to Google features, such as auto-fill for passwords. But One UI 3 tries to force me to use Samsung Pass and my Samsung account, which ironically I often forget the password for. Its fine once you get setup, but it can be frustrating to use until you adapt to it. Theres still definitely room for Samsung to improve here.

Nevertheless, One UI 3 is better that previous version. And its useful to remember that it comes with a lot of powerful tools such a Samsung DeX, which allows for the Galaxy S21, and other compatible Galaxy devices, to be connected to an external monitor to turn the phone into a pseudo Chrome OS experience.

Samsung Galaxy S21 review: What about the Galaxy S21 FE?

As the year goes on, the next big question is: what about the Galaxy S21 FE? The rumored successor to the S20 FE supposedly aims to offer what the Galaxy S21 offers for less. Considering the already low starting price of the S21, we're skeptical as to the need for an S21 FE, but Samsung is intent on making a convoluted, messy portfolio.

The Galaxy S21 FE isn't confirmed yet and it could be a few more months before it launches. Its purported existence doesn't change our opinion on the Galaxy S21 as we've stated here. You can perpetually wait for the next big thing and we don't expect the Galaxy S21 FE to offer anything better than what you get with the S21.

Samsung Galaxy S21 review: Should you buy now?

If you have an older phone such as the Galaxy S10 , Google Pixel 4 or OnePlus 7T , then yes an upgrade to the Galaxy S21 is definitely worth it. If you have a more recent phone like the Galaxy S20 or Google Pixel 5 , then you might be better off waiting.

That's because we have several new phones that are available now, or are coming soon. Chief among the former is the iPhone 13. But if you're an Android fan, the Google Pixel 6 is right around the corner. Furthermore, its looking likely well see the debut of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, which is poised to offer a more affordable but very capable take on the Galaxy S21. This late into the year, though, it might be best to wait until the Galaxy S22 early in 2022. With Black Friday coming on, however, you might be able to score a Galaxy S21 for cheap.

Having said all that, if youre desperate to upgrade then you can't really go wrong with the Galaxy S21 as its still an excellent phone that can be found for cheaper these days, especially if you shop around.

Samsung released One UI 4 for the Galaxy S21 in mid-November 2021. This update brings Android 12, which offers several key improvements to the UI and privacy elements. You can now choose your system accent color with the Color Palette, or access the privacy dashboard to see which apps are using your mic, camera, and location.

While Samsung has modified something from what you'll find on a Pixel phone, you can read our Android 12 review to learn more about what you can expect with the update.

Samsung Galaxy S21 review: Verdict

With Samsung removing as much from this phone as it adds, I was prepared to be let down by the Galaxy S21. But I neednt have worried.

Sure, a plastic back isnt ideal on a flagship phone but I soon got used to the polycarbonate, and the overall design of the Galaxy S21 is lovely, as well as more practical than the S20. The lack of any hardware upgrades for the cameras was a little disappointing, but then they still produce flagship-grade results and have a huge amount of features and tools to really dig into.

I would have liked to have seen Samsung push the hardware envelope for the Galaxy S21, but thats the domain of the Galaxy S21 Ultra. By making what I feel was the right choice when it came to removing features, the Galaxy S21 still offers the latest flagship chips, a fantastic display and powerful cameras in a refined smartphone at a competitive price; one that should worry the iPhone 12.

The only fly in the ointment, is the Galaxy S20. If you already have an S20 then I dont think youll benefit from an upgrade. I feel Samsung knows this and the S21 is more for people with older Galaxy phones or looking to move to their next phone. If you're in such a position, then I really suggest you consider the Galaxy S21 as you wont be disappointed.Project Fi may still be something of a niche carrier, but Google is still taking it very seriously  especially when it comes to privacy.

(Image credit: Google)

Google has announced that Project Fi customers will soon have access to its secure VPN services for all connections, no matter whether they're using mobile data or Wi-Fi. The carrier already utilizes Google's VPN when connecting to one of the company's 2 million free public hotspots, but now Google is extending the same measure of security to web traffic over LTE towers as well.

Theoretically, this move makes Project Fi arguably the best wireless carrier you'll find right now in terms of privacy. The feature will roll out for subscribers next week. When it does, VPN use over mobile networks will be optional and can be switched on or off via the Tools menu of the Project Fi app through the "Enhanced Network Beta" toggle.

MORE: Best VPN Service - Reviews of Top-Rated VPN Providers

Google says that its VPN prevents anyone from seeing your footsteps online, including Google's network partners (T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular) as well as the search giant itself. However, Google did confirm to The Verge that the company is obliged to "comply with applicable laws and regulations, or as required by court or government orders," in the event it must fork over data to the authorities.

There's another caveat here. According to Google, using the VPN will tack on about 10 percent extra data, on average, compared to typical usage. This is because the phone has to ping Google's servers rather than simply the destination alone. Given that Project Fi abides by a pay-for-what-you-use approach, this won't be the greatest news for customers.

Still, if you value privacy, Google opening up its VPN to cellular data is a win. And thanks to other improvements made to Project Fi in the background, Google says hand-offs between mobile data and Wi-Fi should now be faster than ever before. The company says it's reduced the hand-off time by up to 40 percent  critical for a carrier like Project Fi that operates on the assumption that you'll be bouncing back and forth between data towers and public networks.

Project Fi only supports a small number of devices, including Google's own Pixel handsets, as well as select devices from Motorola and LG. You can read more about it in our dedicated FAQ here.Ever been struggling to mix the perfect mojito and thought, "Man, I wish a Keurig could do this for me"? You're in luck.

(Image credit: Drinkworks)

Keurig and Anheuser-Busch have released Drinkworks Home Bar by Keurig, a machine that makes cocktails instead of coffee. You pop in a pod, and the machine pops out a drink.

The appliance doesn't yet work with Alexa or Google Assistant like some smart kitchen gadgets such as the Smarter Coffee 2. However, it does have an iOS app (an Android is in the works) which you can use to remotely track what the machine is doing, order refills, and troubleshoot.

Available cocktails (currently, the machine can make 15) include a Moscow mule, margarita, mojito and Long Island iced tea, as well as a few brands of beer and Stella Artois Cidre. Drinks can come in 3.9 ounces, 6.5 ounces and 8.1 ounces.

The appliance costs $299, and cocktail pods (which include the alcohol) cost $3.99 each, or $15.99 for four. You also have to purchase a CO2 tank, although Drinkworks ships with one that can make 15 to 18 drinks. It's currently only for sale in St. Louis, and will make its way to Florida, California and Missouri next year.

Some folks may, understandably, prefer not to drop $299 on a machine that makes the same drinks you can mix in your kitchen. That said, it certainly looks like a convenient way to quickly brew up a round of drinks for guests (or yourself), especially at the end of a long day.(Image credit: Corsair)

Everyone has their input method of choice. Yes, some PC gamers like to use a controller, while some console owners actually prefer a keyboard and mouse. Microsoft appealed to the latter group in September by announcing expanded peripheral support for its Xbox consoles. And today, Corsair capitalized on that expanded support by revealing several keyboards and mice just waiting to be plugged into your Xbox One S or Xbox One X.

Previews of the expanded peripheral support were made available to members of the Xbox Insider Program a few weeks after Microsoft made its announcement. The company also disclosed a partnership with Razer to make sure its peripherals have the Xbox seal of approval. Now Corsair is partnering up with Microsoft to sell Xbox-compatible gear.

Corsair also said that its partnership with Microsoft will aid the company's Mixer streaming platform. The peripheral maker bought a capture card company named Elgato in June, and now it's saying that "Mixer broadcasters will be empowered to improve their streams through integration with the powerful and versatile Elgato Stream Deck, along with other exciting initiatives currently in development."

Which Xbox Games Support Corsair Peripherals?

Corsair's announcement doesn't mean that every Corsair product will work with every Xbox One game. Developers have to decide if their offerings will support keyboard and mouse input. Microsoft has already made Fortnite, Warframe and Minecraft compatible. Corsair said Microsoft has "many more games planned for future compatibility."

The big question now is how that will affect game balancing for console players. Keyboard and mouse are inherently more accurate than controllers, even with the help of aim assist, so people who set up the alternative input methods can have an unfair advantage. Corsair said that "Microsoft is focused on working with developers to ensure that these games are fun, fair and properly balanced no matter how players decide to control them."

However, we suspect things will vary based on title. For example, Epic Games has decided to make Fortnite players enter lobbies based on their input method, rather than whichever platform they're playing on.Electric scooters remain on city sidewalks during Kansas City snow On Monday morning, with snow flying, a man in a ski mask, identifying himself as a Bird scooter charger, dropped off an electric scooter on the sidewalk of Westport Road near Mill Street. On any other morning, his routine would not be questioned.

Sidewalk takeovers by this controversial form of transit persist and this time the company has to cope with the problem in ways much more substantial than just blaming rude hipsters . . .Excited to see Hyundais new full-size SUV at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show? Well, your wait was just shortened by more than two weeks thanks to an official photo that leaked onto the web.

Sure, its not much and we still have to wait for the interior and drivetrain specs, but now we know how the Palisade looks like. And needless to say, its quite spectacular. Although big and boxy, like most other SUVs from this niche, the Palisade also looks bold and stands out from the pack.

Combining a mix of features from the HDC-2 Grandmaster concept and the latest Santa Fe, the Palisade boasts a unique front end. The massive grille, which features thick horizontal slats and an even thicker frame, is flanked by extremely thin lights at the top and big headlamps toward the bottom. A thin grille just above the apron adds character and sportiness.

The profile is pretty much standard with a mix of beefy fenders, sculpted side skirts, and a body rear section, but these features only add to the presence of this big hauler. The almost vertical tailgate suggests a big, spacious trunk for large, boxy items.

Official data is not yet available, but we already know a few things about this SUV. We expect it to feature the tried-and-trusted 3.3-liter V-6 with 290 horsepower, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and standard all-wheel drive in the more expensive trims. A hybrid could arrive at a later date, while a diesel could be offered outside North America.

Stay tuned for more info on the Palisade as the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show moves closer.

Further reading

The side profile doesnt change much

Read our full review on the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Top Selling Model: Hyundai Elantra

Read more Hyundai news.Some 25 years after the McLaren F1 burst into the scene, its one true successor, the McLaren Speedtail has finally arrived. Ok, so the production Speedway isnt here yet, but McLaren has unveiled the first hybrid powertrain prototype of the Speedtail, complete with an actual name that pays homage to the same street in which its predecessor, the F1, was conceived. The Speedtail prototype will no longer use its MVY02 internal designation. Instead, we should all get used to calling it Albert.

A Fitting Nickname

It is a fitting hat tip to a prototype that itself is unlike any other test mule weve seen from McLaren

Its nice for McLaren to pay homage to the McLaren F1 by giving a proper name to the prototype version of the Speedtail. The car is that important to McLaren that naming its test mule after the stretch of road  Albert Drive in Woking, U.K.  that gave birth to the F1 doesnt sound or feel silly at all. It is a fitting hat tip to a prototype that itself is unlike any other test mule weve seen from McLaren, or anywhere else, for that matter.

Albert is different because its actually as close a production-ready model as any test prototype youll see out in the streets. Its riding on a production-specific chassis and its already been fitted with the gas-electric hybrid drivetrain that the actual production car is going to use. What that means is simple.

McLaren says the Speedtails hybrid drivetrain can produce upwards of 1,000 horsepower. With Albert already carrying the drivetrain, test drivers can test the car to its full performance capability. Granted, we dont know exactly what its fully capable of, but McLaren has said that it can complete a run from 0 to 186 mph in a ridiculous 12.8 seconds. Not only is that faster than the McLaren P1 by 3.5 seconds, but its also almost 10 seconds faster than the iconic F1.

A Test Bed for New Technology

Alberts going to serve as a rolling version of ground zero in all that development

The significance of Alberts place as McLarens first fully representative prototype isnt just important for the production Speedtail, its also being used to test out a number of McLarens new technologies, a lot of which will probably make their way into other future McLaren models. The automakers head of vehicle development, Ben Gulliver, touched on that aspect of Alberts purpose in a statement. According to Gulliver, Albert will build on the invaluable work still being put in by earlier development cars, allowing us to sign-off vehicle attributes including chassis dynamics; brake performance; damper tuning; tires; NVH and aspects of ergonomics and comfort.

Alberts going to serve as a rolling version of ground zero in all that development. Its fitting, then, for a car carrying a historically significant name to McLaren, that Albert isnt wearing any of the traditional camouflage we normally see test mules get wrapped in. Alberts different, not only because its wearing its own unique livery, but, more importantly, because theres very little of its real body thats disguised or completely hidden, altogether. You can tell from one look at Albert that it is, in fact, the McLaren Speedtail. The face gives it away. The body gives it away. Alberts overall dimensions give it away. Its unclear, though, if Alberts going to wear the production Speedtails 18-karat gold hood badge with the carbon fiber inlays. My moneys on no, though I wouldnt be surprised if it somehow does.

Intensive Testing

Now that Alberts been introduced, the car is expected to undergo serious testing in the coming months

It goes without saying that Alberts probably one of the most unique and most production-advanced supercar prototypes weve seen in recent years. McLaren even went all-out in creating a look that closely resembles the production model. Thats partly intentional  see those covered front wheel caps?  in part because a big part of the hypercars design is attached directly to its performance and aerodynamic qualities.

The aforementioned covered wheel caps, in particular, are nice nods to the OG speedtails from the 1930s. Just goes to show that those old classics had covered wheels for a reason. The long rear section is also on full display. The car may have gotten its name from this section  a hat tip goes to the McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, too  but the long sliding design of the rear isnt so much an aesthetic touch as it is an aerodynamic one.

Testing should last well into 2019, well before customers take delivery of the first production models in 2020

Now that Alberts been introduced, the car is expected to undergo serious testing in the coming months, before bleeding into next year. It will join a number of other prototypes in a year-long program that will include testing visits in Europe, North America, and Africa. For now, though, Albert is limited to testing in bespoke facilities. But there will come a time when McLaren finally gives it some run on public roads. Might be best, then, to be on the lookout for this one-of-a-kind unicorn mule, especially if its spotted doing tests near where you live.

Testing should last well into 2019, well before customers take delivery of the first production models in early 2020. Like the F1 before, McLaren is limiting production of the Speedtail to just 106 units. Each model carries a price tag of 1.75 million ($2.24 million) though thats probably irrelevant at this stage of its development because all 106 units of the actual Speedtail are already accounted for.

Further Reading

Read our full review of the McLaren Speedtail.

Read our full story on the McLaren F1.The second-generation Chevrolet Colorado is one of Americas most popular pickups. To commemorate the fourth anniversary of the current-generation model, Chevys rolling out a pair of special edition Colorado models, specifically the Colorado RST and the Colorado Z71 Trail Runner. The two special edition pickups cater to off-road specialists and street cruisers, respectively. They also join a growing slate of Colorado models that have been released in the past few years, including the Z71, ZR2, and the muscular ZR2 Bison. Both the Colorado RST and the Colorado Z71 Trail Runner will go on sale in 2019.

Born out of Popularity

Its hard to believe that its only been four years since the second-generation Chevrolet Colorado burst into the pickup scene. Since then, its become of the highest-selling pickups in the U.S. Chevrolet moved 112,996 units of the Colorado last year, and this year, its already reached that threshold, ensuring another record-setting sales year for the popular pickup. In total, Chevrolet is approaching 500,000 sold units of the Colorado, a staggering number considering that the second-gen model is only four years old. Good vibes abound within Chevrolet, which probably explains why the automaker is two new special editions  the Colorado Z71 Trail Runner and the Colorado RST  to the models lineup.

Colorado Z71 Trail Runner

Key ingredients include new shocks, a heavy-duty automatic locking rear differential, and beefed-up suspension characteristics

Lets talk about the new 2019 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Trail Runner first. This is the special edition Colorado you want if youre going to dive deep into the outdoors. This special edition Colorado blends packages from the Z71 with extra protection coming from the ZR2. Its fitted with the Z71 Off-Road Package, ensuring that the pickup is capable of roughing it out without even batting an eyelash.

The key ingredients included in the Z71 Off-Road Package include new shocks, a heavy-duty automatic locking rear differential, and beefed-up suspension characteristics. In addition to the Z71 Off-Road Package, the special edition Trail Runner also benefits from components taken from the beefier Colorado ZR2. The underbody skid plates in the front and rear are now made from stamped aluminum so even the sharpest of rocks have no chance of penetrating it, especially with Chevy throwing in additional rocker protection. The new Colorado offspring also benefits from riding on a set of burly Goodyear Duratrac tires.

To say that the Colorado Z71 Trail Runner is ready for the outdoors is a massive understatement to its full capability. It sits one notch lower to the ZR2 in the Colorado trim hierarchy so its loaded in what it can do in the outdoors. Its bed - buyers can get it as a 6-foot-2-inch Long Box or a 5-foot-2-inch Short Box  is deeper than most of its rivals, making it easier to haul bulky items. That same bed is also equipped with the EZ Lift-and-Lower tailgate, another feature the Colorado Z71 Trail Runner has at its disposal.

Colorado RST

Unfortunately, the Colorado RST doesnt have the same performance chops as the Z71 Trail Runner

Now lets move on to the second special edition Colorado: the RST. The nomenclature sounds familiar, doesnt it? Thats because weve already seen other Chevrolet models use it, including the Tahoe, Suburban, and Silverado. Unfortunately, the Colorado RST doesnt have the same performance chops as the Z71 Trail Runner. Its not even based on the Z71 trim the way the Trail Runner is. Instead, the Colorado RST is a prettier version of the pickups LT trim.

Dont mistake it, though, for a pushover, because its far from one. The Colorado RST still benefits from all the LT trims features. Its equipped with goodies like keyless entry, satellite radio, and an upgraded version of Chevys MyLink system, complete with an eight-inch touchscreen. At the cost of extra cheddar cheese, you can opt to include packages like the Luxury Package and the LT Convenience Package. All of that comes on top of what makes the Colorado RST a special-edition model in the first place.

You can opt for extras like the Luxury Package and the LT Convenience Package

The exclusive touches are mostly of cosmetic variety. Its dressed in a monochromatic theme in the exterior thats offset with black beltline and body side moldings. It also wears a black tailgate bowtie and RST badging throughout its body, and its also the first variant of the Colorado to come out of the factory wearing a set of 20-inch wheels. Theres a reason why Chevrolet bills the Colorado RST as a street-focused version of the pickup.

As an added treat, both the Colorado Z71 Trail Runner and the Colorado RST come with the same flow-through CHEVROLET lettered grille that it first introduced on the range-topping ZR2 Bison. Thats awfully nice of Chevy to throw that in, though even if youre not buying either of these two special edition Colorados, you can avail of the same grille for an extra $395.

Going on Sale in 2019

Both the Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Trail Runner and the Colorado RST are scheduled to go on sale in 2019. Chevy hasnt released pricing details for the two special edition Colorados, but rest assured, both will be hot-ticket items when they arrive.

Further Reading

Read our full review of the Chevrolet Colorado.

Read our test drive of the Chevrolet Colorado Z71.

Read our full review of the Chevrolet Silverado.Originally, Westfalia was the company that converted a variety of Volkswagen vans for use as mobile campers - which were known as VW Californias. This tradition dates back to 1988, but it all ceased in 2001 when Westfalia was bought by Daimler-Chrysler. From that point on, Volkswagen manufactured their own campervans with help from the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles arm.

Volkswagen celebrates the 30th anniversary of its sun-chasing California campervan with a special edition model of which only 999 examples will be built with a choice of three engines. The 30th anniversary Californias will be priced at $83,570 in the U.K.

What Makes the Volkswagen California 30 Years Special?

The new Volkswagen California 30th anniversary is based, as usual, on the Transporter. This time, its the seventh generation of the Transporter, known as T6, which received the campervan treatment complete with a pop top bed thats been a popular option since the days of the Westfalia conversions.

According to a Volkswagen press release, the limited-edition model is "based on the range-topping California Ocean model, the 30 Years special adds a host of additional equipment, along with bespoke design details". Volkswagen also says that "all examples come with a numbered plaque on the B pillar, full LED headlamps, removable towbar and a contrast roof and wing mirrors finished in either Reflex Silver or Indium Grey metallic".

A new exterior color, Turmeric Yellow, is now available with the 30th-anniversary model.

Looks-wise, this special California is not much different to the usual California Ocean or the Transporter. Indeed, youll find the same familiar rectangular black-washed mouth up front with the same LED headlights that look as if they were shaped using only the ruler and the familiar large-size windows that replace the panels on the sides of the Transporter. The same story goes for the back which wasnt altered. Obviously, a special rack was mounted on the roof to sustain the slanted pop top.

Volkswagen goes on to mention the enhanced experience that the customers will enjoy inside: "buyers benefit from Volkswagens intuitive Discover Media Navigation Pro infotainment system as standard, along with front and rear parking sensors, side scan and cruise control and heated front seats." In addition, "App-Connect  which allows owners to access and use music, mapping, and other apps on the dash from a compatible smartphone is also standard".

For power, the California special edition relies on a couple of 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel engines.

Theres the 150 horsepower unit that is standard equipment for the $83,570 California while the 190 horsepower engine spikes up the price to $91,809 if you go for the all-wheel-drive 4MOTION system. All Californias come with a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission.

The anniversary model also honors the 157,000+ California units that have been sold over the years. In fact, each Transporter generation since 1988 has been offered as a California in a variety of trim levels. The popularity of these compact long-distance travelers is at an all-time high now, with Volkswagen selling over 15,000 Californias last year alone. This suggests that the new model - which is the most expensive limited edition model ever released by Volkswagen - will also sell like hot cakes.

After all, who doesnt want to go on a vacation inside a sturdy German VW Transporter turned into a chic, yet practical, camper with a lifting pop top that offers extra room for the bed on the roof? However, the +$90,000 price tag is a bit steep for a special edition thats in no way distinguishable from the outside. I mean, nobodys going to notice some extra shiny plaque or added badge on the back of the van. Volkswagen failed at making it more individualized for the occasion.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Volkswagen Grand California.

Read our full review on the 2016 Volkswagen T6.Last updated 11/12/2018 at 3:42pm

The Brevard College Pastimes History Club will host a Veterans Day panel discussion at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14, in the McClarty-Goodson auditorium, room 125.

Distinguished panelists are U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Bob McCann (retired), former U.S. Navy Flight Lieutenant Chuck Evans, and U.S. Army Master Sgt. Roy Million (retired).

The panel, with audience participation, will discuss a range of topics related to the United States military, past and present.

Retired journalism professor Paul Morgan will moderate the discussion.

The public is invited to attend this event. McClarty-...Last Tuesday as millions of Americans cast their votes in this years midterm elections, the body of an American, Major Brent Taylor, arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Taylor, the mayor of North Ogden, Utah, was killed during an insider attack on Saturday, Nov. 3, in Afghanistan. On Tuesday, his wife and the oldest two of his seven children were present on his final return.

Death is a fact of war, but Taylors death should give us pause to reflect on the state of our military and the conflicts in which we are engaged.

The war in Afghanistan is now 17 years old. More than 2...Former Navy Lieutenant Chuck Evans, a jack of all trades, is now creating wood furniture in Brevard after flying the A-7 jet airplane and having a career as a broker at Merrill Lynch.

"You remember every single night time approach you have, but you don't always remember the daytime flight ops," Evans said about landing the jet airplanes on carriers in the dark. "It's a gut wrenching experience every time you do it, but even with that you get pretty good at it."

The connection between flying and making tables and chairs is a conceptual one.

Evans said, "In both instances you are stressed...Cashing in on outbound Chinese travelers is a challenge these days. Research in recent years has shown that the appetite for outbound travel is still strong and that people are traveling more frequently. But Chinese tourists are spending less than before.

Excerpt from Jing Travel

Cashing in on outbound Chinese travelers is a challenge these days. Research in recent years has shown that the appetite for outbound travel is still strong and that people are traveling more frequently. But Chinese tourists are spending less than before. That means the top priority for brands, online travel agencies, and other cultural institutions is to adapt (and quickly) to this changing travel consumer trend.

With that in mind, travel and luxury industry veterans gathered at the Cross-Border Retail Growth Forum at Asia Society in New York City on November 8via the tech-solution provider YouWorldto discuss the latest Chinese global traveler trends.



Meet the experience-seeking tourist 2.0

Outbound Chinese travelers have evolved a few times, according to the co-founder of China Luxury Advisor, Renee Hartmann. Trends used to feature Tourist 1.0, meaning Chinese travelers who liked to travel on group tours, often at a low price and run on a rushed schedule. However, in recent years, Chinese outbound travelers are becoming Tourist 2.0s: in other words, experience-seekers who would rather embark on self-guided, independent tours (road trips to national parks, stays in five-star hotels, or foodie tours).

Thrill-seeking Chinese millennials, widely known as the cultural connoisseurs in that country, are trendsetting these independent tours. We are seeing millennials particularly wanting to collect souvenirs, said Hartmann. They are wondering, What stuff I can get thats not in China?

Click here to read complete article at Jing Travel.

Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Travel industry news and trends. Subscribe

 2021 Travel Industry WireWelcome to a place in the U.S. where kids are officially allowed to be kids.

Parents in Ithaca, New York, can now let their kids play freely without fear of being punished for it. The city has just declared itself a "free range kid city, where kids have a right to unsupervised time and parents have the right to grant it to them."

This is a big step forward in a country where seeing an unaccompanied child can lead to calls to police, disturbing investigations by Child and Family Services, and well-meaning parents facing charges of negligence for letting their kids walk down the street alone.

Mayor Svante Myrick issued the city's new, non-binding proclamation on November 7. From The Ithaca Voice,editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 12

Acting on a tip-off, the Chheharta police have nabbed three snatchers and vehicle lifters. Six bikes, 10 mobile phones and two cameras have been recovered. Those arrested were identified as Arunjit Singh of Nimla Colony, Manjit Singh of Baba Deep Singh Colony and Mani Singh of Chheharta.

Chheharta SHO Harish Behal said that during patrolling, cops got a specific input that the three, who had been targeting tourists and women, were at the backside of Himalya Mill in Naraingarh, probably waiting for their target for committing a robbery. The informer told the police that the accused had been robbing women and tourists coming to visit Attari-Wagah joint check post besides stealing vehicles from different parts of the city.

Purse snatched

Meanwhile, two motorcycle-borne youths snatched a girls purse in the area falling under the Division-A police station here on Sunday. Vivek Talwar, father of the victim, said he, along with his family, was returning in an auto from the railway station when the miscreants snatched his daughters purse near their house. The purse had Rs 2,000 and two mobile phones in it.

In another incident, a bike-borne person snatched a womans purse in posh Ranjit Avenue locality here on Sunday. She, along with her husband Davinder Singh, was going to Ranjit Avenue market for some domestic work. Near Swayam Hotel, the accused came from behind and snatched the purse containing Rs 15,000 cash, a mobile phone and some documents. The police have registered separate cases.editorial@tribune.com

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 13

It seems that no lesson has been learnt from the train tragedy that took place on Dasehra as residents on Tuesday performed Chhath Puja on the banks of the Upper Bari Doab Canal, putting their lives at risk.

The organisers of Chhatt Puja did not take any permission from the police or the district administration. Around 5,000 persons, including woman and children, gathered on the banks of the canal to perform the puja. Fortunately, no untoward incident was reported.

According to information, the administration cant give permission to organise such events on the banks of a canal.

Canals are meant for the irrigation purpose. Throwing something in the canal is an offence. How can the government allow anyone to organise such an event in which the devotees leave puja material in the canal? said an official.

While taking precursory measures, the police had informed the district administration and Irrigation Department about it. Cops were deployed to keep a vigil.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Jaspreet Singh said, We have written to the officials of the Irrigation Department asking them to decrease the supply of water in the canal. Moreover, warning flax boards were also installed. A large number of police personnel deployed for the safety of devotees.

We made all efforts to convince people not to organise the event on the banks of the canal, but they did not bother. We have made precautionary arrangements, but it is sad that public dont show any concern over their own safety, said the ACP.

Meanwhile, Chhath Puja has been performed in Durgiana Temple with zeal.editorial@tribune.com

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, November 13

Reputed ghee brands such as Nestle Everyday, Uttam and Nova plan to frequently change their packing labels due to rampant sale of spurious desi ghee by unscrupulous elements who sell their duplicate products by coping packaging style of popular brands.

Though the decision to change packaging of a brand may confuse the customer, we have no option to save the hard-earned reputation of our brands, said Supreme Agro Foods Pvt Ltd Managing Director Kulwant Singh said. The company sells pure ghee under Uttam brand.

Some companies have already changed their packaging after a huge quantity of adulterated desi ghee in fake packaging of Uttam, Nestle and reputed brands was confiscated from various parts of Punjab.

The Everyday brand of Nestle, Uttam of Supreme Agro Foods Pvt Ltd and Nova of Sterling Agro Industries Ltd are some popular brands of desi ghee that saw the change days before Diwali to escape duplication.

To further strengthen our packaging and to address the issue of counterfeit products, we have recently made changes to the packaging and the graphics. We are hopeful that the new graphics will prevent counterfeiting and help the consumer to distinguish between the actual and the counterfeit products, a Nestle India spokesperson said.

Nestle had been facing the challenge of duplicity of its brand name several times since 1961 when it set up its facility at Moga in Punjab.

Though colour has been a critical part of branding and for long Uttam had been recognised with distinct yellow-colour package, the company has been recently forced to change the colour to blue and brick red to save its consumers from duplicate products, Supreme Agro Foods sales manager Shiv Dutt said.

Other than changing the packaging colour, we are taking advantage of improvements in tamper-proof packaging in order to ensure that product reaches the consumer in perfect condition, he said.

Besides repacking the adulterated and spurious ghee in original packages, the dealers in this cheating business are even making duplicate packaging material of reputed brands to pack the spurious products. In a spurious desi ghee making scam, unearthed in Kotkapura last week, the police had impounded a large quantity of fatty chemical acid and maltodextrin, which was allegedly used to prepare duplicate desi ghee by making its infusion in hydrogenated refined oil.

Faridkot SSP Raj Bachan Singh Sandhu disclosed that the accused had sold over 70,000 kg of spurious ghee in the packaging of reputed brands in various parts of Punjab and neighbouring states this festive season.

Conducting raids at Kotkapura, Rampura Phul, Lehragaga, Jakhal, Ludhiana and Delhi, the police had recovered about 15,000 kg of spurious desi ghee, 50,000 kg of vegetable oil and about 42,000 litres of fatty chemical acid and 5,000 kg of maltodextrin, an inexpensive additive to thicken food products.editorial@tribune.com

Ishrat S Banwait

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 12

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum here has issued arrest warrants against the managing director of Chandigarh Overseas Private Limited, Tejinder Pal Setia. The builder had failed to comply with the forums order to pay Rs 4 lakh to a Nawanshahr couple who were not given possession of property in stipulated time.

The complainants, Jatinderpal Singh Liddar and Ranjit Liddar, filed an execution petition after the builder failed to comply with the July 2017 order. Even after bailable and non-bailable warrants were issued against him, Setia neither appeared before the forum nor complied with the order.

The forum observed that initially, he put in a presence through his counsel but thereafter, intentionally evaded appearance. The forum added that this clearly establishes the brazen defiance of the orders of this forum.

Setia was held guilty of non-compliance of the forum orders and thus sentenced to civil imprisonment for a period of 18 months with a fine of Rs 10,000. Accordingly, arrest warrants were issued against Setia.

The complainants had approached the forum in 2016. They had stated that in 2006, the builder came up with a project in the name and style of Fashion Technology Park in Sector 90, Mohali. The couple agreed to purchase a unit in the project and paid Rs 1.25 lakh.

They were allotted a design studio on the sixth floor and the total cost of the unit was Rs 5 lakh, out of which they paid Rs 4.75 lakh. The remaining amount of Rs 25,000 was to be paid at the time of possession.

The builder refused refund or possession of the property to the complainants.

The builder, in its reply, had refused that the complainants paid Rs 4.75 lakh, adding that rather they invested Rs 3.75 lakh in a small investor scheme.

The forum had observed that the possession was not delivered for nine years. The forum had then called the builder a wilful defaulter and thus directed it to refund Rs 3.75 lakh. In addition, it was told to pay Rs 25,000 as compensation and litigation cost.editorial@tribune.com

Satinder Pal Singh

Dera Bassi, November 12

High drama was witnessed near Kakrali village here on Monday when some local residents stopped tippers coming from the Haryana side, which were carrying gravel and sand.

Residents complained that illegal mining was being carried out in Haryana. Tippers and tractor-trailers were using the road for transporting the mining material illegally to crushers in Mubarikpur without any check, they added.

They rued that sand and gravel was being illegally ferried by vehicles and tractor-trailers from Haryana through Kakrali village, later to be sold in the city.

Police officials said they had set up barricades near Kakrali village even at night to check illegal mining and impounded vehicles ferrying sand and gravel into the city from Haryana. Besides, the routine patrolling we have put special nakas to check the transportation of gravel and sand illegally, they added.

We have been able to detect cases as drivers carrying sand and gravel from Haryana could not show bills or receipts of the mining material loaded in their vehicles, said the police.

However, residents rued that despite the presence of special police barricades and routine patrolling of the road connected with Haryana from the Kakrali side, people continued to ferry sand and gravel illegally.

Action against illegal mining near Kakrali village has not deterred the mafia from continuing its activities despite vehicles, including tractor-trailers and machines, being impounded regularly in the last few months.

Kakrali village residents rued that at the most, drivers of tippers and other machinery were fined in the name of action against the mining mafia while the big fish remained untouched.

The Dera Bassi traffic in charge, Balwinder Singh, said they had challaned five tippers after their drivers failed to show them valid documents.

When contacted the Dera Bassi SDM, Paramjit Singh, said, A few bills of the material loaded on the vehicle are not appropriate. Therefore, I have directed the Mining Department to verify it. Action would be taken as per law if any irregularity was found in bills, he added.Maj Gen Ashok Mehta (Retd)

Maj Gen Ashok Mehta (Retd)

Former GOC, IPKF, Sri Lanka

There is never good news coming out of Afghanistan. The hype about Russia spearheading Afghanistan-Taliban reconciliation talks and India getting a US waiver on Chabahar Port is misplaced. Still, the third democratic election for the Afghan parliament last month, though at a horrendous cost  nearly 500 killed or wounded in the bloodiest resistance to elections by the Taliban  is a positive. The Americans are fighting their longest war abroad, having invested $1 trillion and losing 2,500 soldiers. Their reputation as the worlds most powerful nation, militarily and economically, is at stake following the British and Soviet retreat from Afghanistan.

According to Bob Woodwards new book Fear: Trump in the White House, Prime Minister Modi told Trump at their first meeting in June 2017 at the White House that the US has got nothing out of Afghanistan. He told him: Never has a country given so much away for so little in return. Trump also noted: Pakistan is not helping us. Theyre not a real friend (sic) despite $1.3 billion annual aid the US gives them. Later he raged: All weve got from Pakistan is lies and deceit. The outburst against Pakistan could have been influenced by Modis remarks. Come to think of it, India has invested $2 billion in development and committed another $1 billion in aid. All India has got in return is the goodwill of Afghans and high ratings in popularity charts. India does not exercise any influence in shaping policy like Pakistan does. Not for nothing is it said that the road to peace in Afghanistan runs through Rawalpindi.

Trump teasing Modi?

Woodward also says in his book that Trump asked Modi why India did not put boots on the ground in Afghanistan. He does not indicate Modis response. According to the media, at a meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN and East Asia summit in Manila,Trump is supposed to have mimicked Modi, whom he had called a friend of mine. Last month, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had informed her US counterpart Jim Mattis at an ASEAN plus defence ministers meeting that India could not provide troops in Afghanistan despite its vital security interests there. The reason for refusal was not mentioned in the news report. One can assume that India does not wish to antagonise the Taliban which considers New Delhi an important friend, good for Afghanistans development. This is a Taliban volte face: both on development and considering India a friend.

The second reason is simply geographical  without a contiguous border, maintenance of a light division of 20,000 troops is difficult. Further, Indian troops in Afghanistan for Pakistan will be like a red rag to a bull. Finally, the US will not want to complicate further the Afghan imbroglio. A Trump adviser said: Trump is only teasing Modi.

Not many troops to spare

India at any time has some 8,000-9,000 troops on UN Peace Keeping operation missions. In addition it holds another 10,000 soldiers as strategic reserve. Given the inflamed situation in Kashmir and a stressed border with China, it can ill afford to commit more than a brigade  5,000 soldiers  for out-of-area operations, which is anyway too little for effect.

In 2003, the US Defence Department had asked India for an infantry division for Iraq. Then Army Chief Gen Vij argued based on the Sierra Leone fiasco that a self-contained battle group was necessary to combat any unforeseen contingency. This required attaching an armoured brigade to the infantry division to give it more weight and fire power. In order to maintain one division and a brigade on an expeditionary mission, a minimum of two additional brigades would have to be earmarked as backup and relief. With nearly one brigade already deployed in Lebanon, Eritrea and Congo, it was unwise to despatch such a large fighting force in a region where Indias intrinsic national interests were not at stake. But it would serve to demonstrate a BJP-led governments solidarity with Washington. Vij also mentioned in his written note to the government that the Army had been deployed for a full 12 months in Operation Parakram which had created turbulence in peace tenures and training cycles.

The Chabahar carveout

Further, the situation in Kashmir was worsening. The question of command and control (Indian troops never served abroad except under the UN flag), cost and logistics were also raised. The lifeline for the task force from Mumbai to Basra would be long and tenuous. A unanimous resolution in Parliament rejected the idea of sending troops to Iraq and took the Army off the hook. The same would certainly happen in case of Afghanistan. For Afghanistan, a carve-out for Chabahar by US sanctions regime on Iran has come.

India has to be proactive. For too long and in too many hot spots, New Delhi has adopted its favourite wait-and-watch mode. Like Karzai earlier, President Ghani was asking in September for additional lethal military hardware in accordance with the Strategic Partnership Treaty of 2010. The list included four armed helicopters which are to come from Belarus and paid for by India. India wants to stick to soft aid which wins you friends but little influence. It is probably time to deploy a full-fledged training team in Tajikistan, backed by a field hospital. The air field at Ainey in Tajikistan that India shares with Russia and is serviced by the Indian Air Force is available for forward deployment.

The ultimate counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism baptism is to be had in Afghanistan. Kashmir is a cakewalk in comparison.editorial@tribune.com

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 13

The Haryana Government is likely to come out with an ordinance on Panchgram Development Bill 2018 and legislation for turning the area around the western peripheral expressway (KMP) into five new cities in a cabinet meeting to be held on Thursday.

The Tribune has learnt that a note in this regard is awaiting approval of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the moment it is approved, the ordinance will be included in the agenda for the Cabinet meet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the KMP expressway on November 19 and the government plans to bring the ordinance ahead of this so that no unplanned development starts there.

Earlier, in its meeting on September 26, the Haryana Cabinet had approved the Panchgram Development Bill 2018 for developing five new cities over an area of 50,000 hectares on each side of the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal expressway.

The Bill provides for establishment of Panchgram Development Authority (PDA), headed by the Chief Minister, with the Panchgram Development Commissioner as the Member Secretary.

The Bill also provides that no authority or person shall undertake any development within the Panchgram region of the type as the authority may, from time to time, specify by notification published in the official gazette.

The concept includes development of five cities on the KMP expressway on 50,000 hectares on each side of the expressway, which will cover eight districts  Sonepat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Rewari, Mewat, Faridabad and Palwal. While the entire vacant area between the KMP expressway and Delhi has been included in cities, the area on the outer side varies depending on development potential, said an official spokesman.

Urbanisation of the region along the KMP expressway was inevitable. It was estimated that around 50 per cent of the total population of India would be residing in urban areas by 2050. In case of Haryana, the urban population would reach the 50 per cent mark before 2040, he said.editorial@tribune.com

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 13

Efforts for a rapprochement between Leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala and his elder brother Ajay Chautala in the family feud in the INLD triggered by the expulsion of Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala and his brother Digvijay Chautala seem to have met a dead end.

The Tribune has learnt that no fresh efforts are being made by former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal because his efforts before Diwali had failed to bear fruits.

Sources said that even the efforts initiated by some close relatives of the Chautalas and some senior party leaders had also been aborted, as these had failed to yield results.

Abhay, who had been maintaining silence on the issue ever since Ajay came out of Tihar Jail on November 5 and began a tour of the state, will address the press in Chandigarh on Wednesday.

I will say whatever I have to speak on this issue in the press conference tomorrow, said Abhay.

Earlier it was being said that the two brothers could meet Badal on Tuesday, but the sources ruled out this possibility.

He (Badal) did take an initiative before Diwali. He met Ajay and his son Dushyant to discuss the issue, but it did not prove of much help. Now, the former Punjab CM has been caught in the affairs of his party, the SAD, said the sources.

The sources said Kuldeep Nyol and Subhash Nyol, both uncles of the two brothers, also tried in vain to bring a rapprochement.

The sources said that relatives of Chautala family tried their best for a meeting between Ajay and Abhay at Sirsa on November 8, but it could not materialise.

The sources said that through their continued efforts, a meeting did materialise in Delhi on Sunday, but it could not be of much help because of hardened attitude of Ajay and his family.

Hisar mp meets ex-MLA Mange Ram

Kurukshetra: Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala met four-time MLA from Jind Mange Ram Gupta on Tuesday. Dushyant avoided speaking to the media after the meeting at Guptas house in Jind. Gupta said it was a courtesy call and no serious political matter was discussed. TNSeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 13

As many as 31 persons, including 12 children and eight women, received injuries when a bus rolled down a gorge near Jhandutta in Bilaspur district around 8:30 am today.

The private bus with 31 passengers on board, including school and college students, was on its way from Marotan to Bhaged when the tragedy struck. The accident reportedly occurred as a front wheel of the bus came off and the uncontrolled bus fell into a gorge.

The injured had been rushed to hospital in Jhandutta while five seriously injured, Ratti Ram (68), Raj Rani (52), Sahil (14), Surender (48) and Manoj Kumar (28), were referred to the district hospital, Bilaspur.

The injured undergoing treatment in Jhandutta were Pankaj (15), Abhishek (15), Subham (13), Abhilasha Kumari (14), Anita (20), Anjana (20), Raman Kumar (19), Ramesh Kumar (57), Subham Sharma (18), Kapil Rana (20), Suresh Chand (40), Vivek (17), Shivani (18), Neha (18), Abhishek (15), Neha (18), Abhishek (14), Ramesh Kumar (35), Subham (13), Neha (15), Divyansh (1), Pratishtha (8), Shivali (20), Dimple (27), Manohar (38) and Madan (45).

Sources said of the 31 passengers, 13 were relieved after giving first aid. A case had been registered and investigations were underway, the police said.

To ensure the safety of schoolchildren travelling in different categories of vehicles, the State Transport Department had notified the Himachal Pradesh Motor Vehicles (First Amendment) Rules 2018.

As per new rules, vehicles providing transportation facilities to schoolchildren will not be more than 15-year-old, the age of driver should not exceed 60 years, physical fitness certificate and driving licence is mandatory. The driver of the school bus should have a minimum five years of experience and children below five years will not be allowed to sit in the front seat.

As many as 795 persons lost their lives while 3,555 sustained injuries in 2,044 accidents in eight months till August 31 this year.

There are about 90 black spots, including 18 on roads under the National Highways Authority of India, three on roads under the BRO and 13 on PWD roads.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13)  The 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit has opened Tuesday in Singapore, with the theme of resilience and innovation.

In a speech before ASEAN leaders, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said member countries have to come together to tackle challenges being faced by the region.

Among these, Lee said, are cyberattacks, terrorism and climate change.

"Terrorism is not just an issue of physical security, but also a grave threat to the delicate multi-ethnic and multi-religious social fabric of many ASEAN countries," he said.

Climate change, meanwhile, does not just threaten lives but also affects crop yield and livelihoods.

"All these mean that multilateral cooperation is now more urgent than ever. These common challenges are complex and unprecedented. No single solution applies to all of us or all of these problems. And yet, no country can deal with them alone," Lee said.

ASEAN has been working hard to address issues, he added.

"We've strengthened the basis for a rules-based regional environment with the conclusion of the model ASEAN extradition treaty. And we've improved our collective resilience against transboundary threats, including cyberattacks and climate change," Lee said.

These achievements "underscore ASEAN's strong belief that multilateralism remains an important basis for international cooperation and for the region's growth and stability," Lee added.

The 33rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits is being held in Singapore until Friday, November 15.

President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in the city state Monday to attend the event, where he is expected to touch on the maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea at ASEAN meetings also to be attended China.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 13

The police have recovered at least 20 grenades and some live rounds from a woman on the outskirts of Srinagar on Tuesday evening, officials said.

The recovery was made after the police intercepted the woman, who was travelling in a Tavera taxi, at Lawaypora along the Baramulla-Srinagar highway.

The police said a checkpoint had been set up after a credible input.

The police intercepted a vehicle at the checkpoint. A woman overground worker (OGW) was carrying ammunition, including grenades and live rounds, inside the vehicle, a police spokesman said.

While the spokesman did not reveal the name of the woman and exact number of grenades recovered, sources said 20 grenades and some live rounds were recovered from her bag.

The woman is being questioned as we expect more leads that can lead to further arrests, a police officer said. The driver of the vehicle has also been detained for questioning.

He said the grenades and live rounds were being probably being taken to south Kashmir.

The police have registered a case under relevant sections of law and initiated investigation into the matter.

The arrest of the woman OGW has been made almost a fortnight after three militants were nabbed after a brief shootout when they sped through a police checkpoint near Umarabad, Narbal, along the Srinagar-Baramulla highway.harinder@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 13

Even the cold statistics speak a lot. Today, when the number of terrorists killed this year so far crossed 200 in Kashmir, it became clear that the unorthodox counter-terrorism strategy of coordination and compassion was working.

On Tuesday, the Armys Srinagar-based 15 Corps that has been fighting Pakistan-sponsored terrorism almost for 30 years in the Valley found that with the killing of two terrorists along the Line of Control in the Keran sector in north-west Kashmir this morning, the number of terrorists killed reached 201.

This number inspired mixed feelings  one, that those who picked up the gun against the state at the behest of Pakistan and the Islamic extremist forces had been neutralised for the good of the people and the state at large. The poignant point, however, was that 102 of them were local militants who could have survived and gone back to their families had they heeded the repeated calls to realise the

futility of violence.

This year offered unique challenges to the Army as anti-militancy operations had to be put on hold during the unilateral ceasefire period of Ramzan and there was restrained action during the two-month-long Amarnath yatra.

This means that 200-plus militants were killed in less than eight months. Some of the top militants who fell this year were Abu Mateen, Abu Hamaas, Samir Tiger, Saddam Paddar, Abu Qasim and Abu Maviya. As many as 27 militants were neutralised in the month of October alone  the prominent among them were Manan Wani, Sabzar Sofi and Meraj-ud-Din Bangroo. South Kashmir witnessed 109 deaths of militants while north recorded 45 and 47 others were neutralised at the LoC.

Lt Gen A K Bhatt, Commander of 15 Corps and the author of this strategy, wanted that the local militants be given all options before they were taken on, sources told The Tribune.

This led to a drastic reduction in local recruitment, as confirmed by Governor Satya Pal Malik, who recently observed that the recruitment level has come down to zero.

The Army has had bigger challenges to confront  machinations of the deep state of Pakistan that wanted to bleed Kashmir to force India to talk. The designs are being defeated as evident by the killing of 47 terrorists along the LoC.

Now the next challenge is how to deal with the militants sitting across the LoC during winter. And, the Army hopes that the strategy would yield further dividend during the period of snow.editorial@tribune.com

Ehsan Fazili

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 13

A woman from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who is married and settled in Kashmir, has been elected unopposed as the sarpanch of the Lolab area in frontier Kupwara district.

The woman, Arifa Begum, originally from Muzaffarabad in PoK came to Kashmir via Nepal in 2010 with her husband Ghulam Mohammad Mir of Khumriyal village in Lolab. She filed her nomination papers for the sarpanch and panch for halqa Khumriyal (B).

Arifa (35) filed her papers with all requisite documents. Her halqa will go to the polls in the second phase of the panchayat elections. The scrutiny of nomination papers was held on November 3 and the last day of withdrawal of nominations was November 5.

An official said Arifa was declared elected unopposed on the last day of withdrawal of nominations.

The certificate of election as sarpanch is, however, yet to be issued to Arifa.

Arifas husband Ghulam Mohammad Mir had crossed over for arms training in 2001 and lived in PoK till 2010.

Sources said Mir had married Arifa in PoK and both returned to Kashmir eight years ago.

They said adequate security cover was provided to the elected sarpanch like other candidates.

The nine-phased panchayat elections will begin from November 17 and end on December 11. The notification for the last and ninth phase will be issued on Wednesday.

Mirs returned to Kashmir under the J&K Government's rehabilitation policy of 2010 for former militants living in Pakistan and PoK.

Under the rehabilitation policy, 377 former militants along with 864 family members have returned to Kashmir via Nepal and Bangladesh, according to government records.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 13

Two unidentified militants were killed after the Army foiled an infiltration bid in north Kashmirs Kupwara district, officials said. The bid was foiled in Keran sector when the Army noticed suspected movement along the Line of Control in the wee hours of Tuesday. When the militants were challenged in the Balbir area of Keran sector, they opened fire. In the gunfight that followed, two militants have been killed, defence sources said.

While the exchange of fire has stopped, the counter-infiltration operation is still underway in the area.

The identity and the group affiliation of the militants had not been established as yet. The Army has also recovered arms and ammunition from the encounter site.

Pak militant shot dead

Jammu: The Army on Tuesday shot dead a heavily armed Pakistani militant during an encounter in the Akhnoor sector near the International Border and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from his possession.

The militant had infiltrated into the Indian side. He was challenged before he was gunned down in an encounter. The incident occurred around 1.50 pm.

Giving details, Defence PRO, Jammu, Lt Col Devender Anand said the ambush party killed one terrorist and recovered war-like stores which included five pistols, 10 pistol magazines, 60 bullets, one AK assault rifle, two AK rifle magazines with 234 rounds of ammunition, 15 hand grenades and 12 fuses for IEDs. The entire area has been cordoned off and the search operation is still in progress, he said.

This huge cache has scuttled the nefarious plans of terrorists to derail the peace and harmony in the region and disrupt the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state, said the Army officer.editorial@tribune.com

Party holding consultations with some rebel PDP legislators

The party is ready to form the government any time. We will stake a claim as and when the numbers come our way. The BJP on its own has 26 MLAs (25 elected and one nominated) in the House of 89 (87 elected and two nominated) and we need 19 others to stake the claim, Ashok Koul, BJP organising secretary

Vikram Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 13

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has the second highest number of lawmakers in an Assembly of 89, has said it is ready to form the government in J&K. The BJP has 26 MLAs while the Peoples Democratic Party has 28 MLAs in the Lower House.

The party is looking for 19 other lawmakers to touch the magic figure of 45, according to a senior functionary of the party in J&K who has been involved in government-formation efforts.

Ashok Koul, organising secretary of the state BJP, told The Tribune on Tuesday: The party is ready to form the government any time. We will stake a claim as and when the numbers come our way.

The BJP on its own has 26 MLAs (25 elected and one nominated) in the House of 89 (87 elected and two nominated) and we need 19 others to stake the claim, Koul said amid reports of hectic discussions going on in New Delhi over government formation as six months of Governors rule in J&K imposed on June 20 will be over next month.

Sources said the BJP was holding consultations with some PDP legislators who had rebelled against the party after the fall of the government.

Kouls claim gains credence as there are eager lawmakers in other parties who want a new government in place before the expiry of the six-year term of the present Assembly that was constituted in early 2015.

Koul said the BJP was in favour of the government because the democratic and elected government was the best option for the people of the state.

The BJP has always wanted to give its people due recognition by giving them an elected representation as people voted for a democratic government, Koul said, adding that after the successful conduct of the urban local bodies elections in which the BJP emerged as a powerful party, it becomes the responsibility of the party to rise to the expectations of the people in forming the government, too.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Jammu, November 13

BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on Tuesday said terrorists behind the killings of a senior party leader and his brother in Jammu and Kashmirs Kishtwar district would be neutralised soon.

BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet Parihar were shot dead on November 1 by suspected militants in a dark, narrow lane leading to their house. The brothers were fired upon from close range.

Right now, our main challenge is to track down the terrorists (behind the killings) and neutralise them. That will be done very soon, Madhav told reporters in Kishtwar, 230 kilometres from here.

That (neutralising terrorists) is the important thing here. Of course, we will not allow these kinds of activities to create instability and violence in Kishtwar or Doda, the peaceful areas of Jammu region. That is our priority and we are focusing on that, he added.

Madhav, accompanied by Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh and state BJP president Ravinder Raina, visited Kishtwar to pay homage to Parihar and his brother.

On November 5, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik had said that those involved in the killings had been identified and would be brought to book soon.

It has been proved that it was an incident of militancy, he had said, adding that it was an act of frustration on the part of militants and Pakistan.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the killings.

The SIT has been directed to expedite the investigation and submit its report as early as possible. It has detained some persons in connection with the killings. PTIvermaajay1968@gmail.com

Pervin Malhotra

Q.I am currently pursuing MCom while working in a bank. Can you please tell me something about forensic accounting and the scope for employment? Parikshit Chaubey

A.Forensic Accountants combine their knowledge of accounting and investigative skills, and harness this unique combination in the areas of litigation support and investigative accounting.

So where do forensic accountants work? Well anywhere investigative accounting is needed -- from private firms that help specific companies deal with suspected (or known) fraud and embezzlement to government organisations like police departments, the CBI, law enforcement agencies, etc.

Forensic accountants also frequently work in the forensic accounting divisions of public accounting firms specialising in risk consulting and forensic accounting services, banks, financial institutions, the IRS and other government organisations, insurance companies and law firms.

Thanks to the heightened awareness and growing intolerance of fraudulent activity, demand for forensic accountants is rapidly increasing.

However, to leverage your experience of working in the banking sector, you might look at becoming a Certified Bank Forensic Accountant.

For this youll need to acquire training in the financial institutions and banking frauds domain, forensic auditing related to banking sector, litigation support and investigative accounting.

The CBFA course which focuses on Fraud Prevention, detection and Investigations in the banking sector in India, is offered by the Indiaforensic Center of Studies and moderated by the Forensic Accounting Research Foundation (FARF) which operates in India apart from Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Uganda etc.

You can choose from the following certifications:

Certified Anti-Money Laundering Expert

Certified Bank Forensic Accounting

Certified Forensic Accounting Professional

Scope in homeopathy

Q.Could you please tell me about the prospects in homeopathy? I would love to specialise in this field but my family is not convinced. Sarmishta Dubey

A.From being considered a non-scientific last resort for medical stream students, homeopathy has now emerged as a preferred, system of medicine in India as well as in more than 80 other countries. An indication of its popularity lies in the fact that the best homeopathic medicines are manufactured by German and American companies (where its a multimillion-dollar industry recognized and regulated by the FDA).

With the spiraling cost of allopathic treatment, a large number of people are beginning to prefer homeopathy, both for chronic as well as common ailments.

Homeopathy offers virtually the same opportunities as the other systems of medicine. Homeopaths practice in most parts of the world.

Of the approximately 1.5 lakh qualified homeopaths in the country, many work in government hospitals and dispensaries; recruitment for which is conducted by the UPSC and the respective State Public Service Commissions.

The Central government has adopted the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) system for an integrated approach to achieve health for all by 2020.

Among the Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM), homeopathy is a major stakeholder in CAM, followed by ayurveda.

Low cost of treatment, easy palatability and minimal side effects have contributed to its popularity. Education costs are also considerably lower.

Besides independent practice, many homeopaths work as medical officers in the central and state government (ESI & CGHI clinics etc). The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has maximized the opportunities for homeopathy graduates to serve as medical officers.

An MD in Homeopathy qualifies you for a teaching position.

The number of sub-specialties has multiplied (apart from the complimentary & supplementary). If youre research-oriented, there are endless possibilities to consider. You can work as a Junior/Senior Research Fellow or Asst Research Officer, Research Officer or Scientist in research councils and homeopathy colleges.

Besides private nursing homes and polyclinics, Medical colleges, training institutions and medical councils recruit doctors as teaching faculty and researchers.

There are opportunities in government bodies, many homeopaths opt for private practice. Veterinary homeopathic medicine is yet another option to consider.

Only recently, the Rajya Sabha passed the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill to replace the Central Council of Homoeopathy with a board of governors to bring accountability and quality in homeopathy education.

What is the work profile of credit analysts?

Q. What exactly do credit analysts do, and where do they work? Im currently preparing for the CAT but also looking for options in finance.Kabir Sehgal

A. Credit analysts rate the credit worthiness of a company. Theyre hired by banks and financial services providers. They manage the relationship between front line managers servicing the public to ensure that they receive quality service and quick response to requests for credit.

Credit analysts also undertake risk assessment analysis of various types of lending proposals.

They make a decision based on a number of factors such as the purpose of the loan, viability, track record, credit-worthiness of the customer and the collateral provided. They provide quality service to internal customers by developing and improving the quality of credit submissions, financial analysis, advising and recommending changes to policy and procedures and offering a consultancy service on credit issues and quality.

A credit analyst needs to have strong quantitative skills with a sound background in finance.

Do check out the prestigious tow-year CRISIL Certified Analyst Programme (CCAP) which is offered by ICRA Ltd.

Details: www.crisil.com

email your queries to careers@tribunemail.comeditorial@tribune.com

Ludhiana: The city police have booked four travel agents, including two women, for duping a resident of Rs 2.74 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad. The accused have been identified as Neha Anand, Amrinder Singh, Gaurav Bhardwaj, and Sandeep Kaur of Vikram HCFC Immigration Company. Complainant Manjit Singh of Shiva Ji Nagar told the police that the accused had promised to arrange study visa for his son Jaspinder Singh and had taken the money. Later, the accused failed to arrange any visa. The police said accused were yet to be arrested.

Man duped of Rs 5.60 lakh

Ludhiana: The Dugri police have booked a travel agent for duping a resident of Rs 5.60 lakhs on the pretext of sending him abroad. The accused has been identified as Jatinpal Singh, who owns a travel office at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. Complainant Pardeep Kumar of Rajasthan told the police that the accused had promised to get him a visa of Cyprus and had taken Rs 5.60 lakh, but the accused failed to arrange any visa and refused to return the money. TNS

No headway in cab carjacking

Ludhiana: The Sadar police are yet to make any headway in the Ola cab carjacking case reported at Daad village on Sunday night. Sources said the car was seen going towards Moga and the local police were in touch with their Moga counterparts. The police had checked footage of several CCTV cameras, but to no avail. Gill ACP Ramandeep Singh Bhullar said the police teams were working on various theories to crack the case, but there was no breakthrough so far. He said they got no clue to fleeing carjackers in CCTV footage, as such the route chosen by them while escaping was still unclear. TNS

18-year-old youth commits suicide

Ludhiana: An 18-year-old youth allegedly committed suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan at his residence in Inder Vihar Colony, Basti Jodhewal, on Monday night. He has been identified as Jai Singh. When his brother, Rampal, reached home on Tuesday morning, he found Jai Singhs body hanging. He broke open the door and informed the police. Jai Singh, a native of Uttar Pradesh, had recently come to Punjab. He worked at a factory. Investigating officer Surinder Singh said no suicide was recovered from the room. Suspecting no foul play, the police initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174, CrPC. TNSAffan Yesvi

Affan Yesvi

Ittifaaq, a social organisation, recently held a programme for pellet victims in Srinagar. The name of the show was Beadaarr, meaning awake, wakeful, vigilant. The theme: Lets talk mental health for pellet victims. Invitees were requested to contribute for the welfare of the victims, with a minimum contribution of Rs 100. It was the collective responsibility of society to care for the victims. It is time to work on their psychological well-being and show them the world that we want to see, said the invitation card.

Counsellors at the show encouraged young boys and girls to rebuild their lives, assuring them of support in whatever they wanted to achieve. Many victims had lost their vision. About 40 victims had come for the show, attended by a hundred-odd people. Some local bands of youngsters were scheduled to perform at the event; among them a Class VIII student, who left the audience spellbound with the richness in his voice, and his Kashmiri and Urdu songs.

But the atmosphere soon became somber. The victims got up from their seats in the front row, and asked permission to leave. They were feeling pained, they said, and wanted to go home.

The youngsters scheduled to perform at the event were disappointed. Most of them were self-taught musicians. But they empathised with the pain of the victims, condemned to live in a world of darkness and suffering. I saw the pain on their faces. The physical pain, and also the psychological impact at being deprived of the joy of youth. I saw both empathy and disappointment on the faces of the young Kashmiris who had looked forward to performing for their less-fortunate brothers and sisters, and bringing them some happiness.

I was struck by the pain of Kashmir: the joy of youth dimmed by the darkness of conflict. The victimhood of some is evident, like that of pellet victims. Their pain and suffering is inescapable.

But the suffering of a whole generation of children is going unnoticed. Nobody is aware of their victimhood. The youngsters who had come to perform have grown up through hardship and distress. Many of them have seen the trauma of conflict from close quarters. Living through this stressful environment, they have lost the exuberance of childhood far too early. And yet, they have to wrap up this disappointment within themselves, and trudge on.

Ittifaaq had made a humble attempt to reach out to the victims and understand their pain. It was touching that even from this small gathering of mainly youngsters, a total collection of Rs 11,000 was made for the welfare of the victims.sanjiv@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, November 13

There has been a steady increase in the number of Indian students seeking admission in American educational institutions for the fifth consecutive year.

According to the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange released on Tuesday, the number of Indians studying in the United States increased by 5.4 per cent over the last year to 196,271. This even as US President Donald Trump continues to take a hard stance on immigration reforms to visa issues.

Speaking at the US-Indian Educational Foundation on the report release occasion, Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs in the Embassy Joseph Pomper said, Looking at the past 10 years of data, the number of Indians going to the US has doubled. The reasons are clear: Indian students are looking for a great education and the US continues to offer this.

Published by the Institute of International Education, Open Doors has conducted an annual survey on international students in US since its founding in 1919 and in partnership with the Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since 1972. Following China, Indians make up the second highest group of international students in US today.  TNS

Overall numbers downeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, November 13

Six members of the Sanatan Sanstha and the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti (HJS), arrested in connection with the 2013 murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune, have been charged with terrorist activities.

According to sources, a report by the CBI invoking terror charges against the six under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was filed before the court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class), SMA Sayyed, on Monday.

Subsequently, the investigating agency, which was to file a charge-sheet by November 1, sought an extension of 90 days under the provisions of the UAPA.

Of the six persons arrested in connection with Dabholkars murder, ENT surgeon Virendra Tawade was held more than two years ago and the rest this year. Two of them, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, are suspected to have opened fire on Dabholkar. Three others  Amol Kale, Amit Digwekar and Rajesh Bangera  are key accused in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh in September 2017.

Officials say the CBI has obtained vital clues connecting the accused to the murders of Dabholkar, Lankesh, Communist leader Govind Pansare and rationalist MM Kalaburgi. The arrested are also believed to have a role in the bomb blasts in Maharashtra and Goa a few years ago.editorial@tribune.com

New Delhi, November 13

Sixty retired bureaucrats have written to the CAG expressing concern over audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale deal being deliberately delayed to not embarrass the NDA government till next year's general elections.

In a letter, they said there was concern over unconscionable and unwarranted delay in bringing out the audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale fighter jet deal, and the reports should be tabled before Parliament in the winter session.

The CAGs failure to present the audit reports on note ban and the Rafale deal in time may be seen as a partisan action and could create a crisis of credibility for the institution, the letter said.

Sources in the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said the report on the Rafale deal was expected by December. Quoting from media reports on demonetisation, the former bureaucrats said then CAG Shashi Kant Sharma had pointed out that the audit would cover the expenditure on printing of notes, RBI's dividend to the Consolidated Fund of India and the huge amount of data generated by banks.

They also said it was also stated that the effectiveness of the follow-up action taken by the Income Tax Department in identifying potential tax evaders and pursuing action against them, among others, would also be covered.

It is more than 20 months since the previous CAG made the above statement but there is no sight of the promised audit report on demonetisation, the letter said.

The signatories of the letter included ex-DGP of Punjab Julio Riberio, former IAS officer turned social activist Aruna Roy, former Pune Police commissioner Meeran Borwankar, former CEO of Prasar Bharti Jawahar Sircar, former envoy to Italy K P Fabian, and officers from Central and all India services.

The letter claimed that there were reports that the audit of the Rafale deal would be done as late as September this year, but the related files were yet to be scrutinised by the CAG. The ex-bureaucrats said the CAGs audit reports on the 2G, Coal, Adarsh, Commonwealth Games scams had influenced public perception of the then UPA government's actions and had invited appreciation from various quarters.

But an impression is gaining ground that the CAG is deliberately delaying its audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale deal till after the May 2019 elections so as not to embarrass the present government, it said.  PTI

Saving Govt of embarrassment 

An impression is gaining ground that the CAG is deliberately delaying its audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale deal till after the May 2019 elections so as not to embarrass the present government. Letter by 60 ex-bureaucrats

Ban higher-value notes to curb graft

If corruption is to be curbed, then notes of higher denominations such as Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 should be withdrawn from circulation What was the use of demonetisation, if all the money came back to the RBI? Om Prakash Rajbhar, up ministerrchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, November 13

The raging political row over the Rafale deal escalated further today with the Congress dismissing as manufactured lies claims by the CEO of French plane-maker Dassault Aviation that there was no wrongdoing in the contract and Rahul Gandhi firing a fresh salvo at PM Narendra Modi over it.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Congress chiefs failed politics was compelling him to resort to falsehood and petty hair-splitting to make the sensitive Rafale deal controversial.

His Cabinet colleague Ravi Shankar Prasad said Trappiers claims had in fact exposed all the lies of Gandhi whose behaviour, he alleged, had become increasingly irresponsible and oblivious to Indias security needs.

Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Randeep Surjewala joined Gandhi in accusing the government of a cover-up, hours after Dassault CEO Eric Trappier rebutted the partys allegations.

Surjewala said the nation needs a fair investigation and not doctored explanations on the fighter jet deal, referring to comments by Trappier during a media interview that there was no corruption in the deal, as alleged by the Opposition party.

Trappiers interview came a day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to examine the governments submission on the decision-making process and pricing details relating to the deal.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari alleged the government, through its affidavit in apex court, was trying to conceal more than it reveals. Both former French President and the CEO of Dassault are from France. Let people judge who is lying and who is telling the truth, said Tewari wondering if Dassault CEO had nothing to hide why was he resistant to declaring the price at which Rafale jets were negotiated during the Congress led UPA regime and the price at which the BJP-led NDA government finally paid for each aircraft. You cannot say you are not lying when you have not even declared the price of the aircraft, Tewari said.

On its Twitter handle, the party said: The governments submission to Supreme Court on the Rafale scam makes it clear they did not take the basic steps fundamental to defence procurement. PM Modis corruption is crystal clear.

The Centre on Monday informed the SC that the Defence Procurement Procedure as laid out by the UPA in 2013 was completely followed in procuring 36 jets from France and the deal was subsequently approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security.  TNS/PTI

PM has admitted to theft: Rahul

Modi ji has admitted to his theft in the Supreme Court. In the affidavit, he admitted to changes in the contract without asking the Air Force and put Rs 30,000 crore in Ambanis pocket. Rahul Gandhi, Congress President on twitterrchopra@tribunemail.com

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 13

The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to hear on January 22 in open court close to 50 petitions seeking a review of its Sabarimala verdict allowing women of all age groups into the famous hill-top shrine in Kerala.

But a five-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said there will be no stay on its September 28 verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups to the temple.

Applications for hearing of review petitions in open court are allowed, said the Bench, posting all the review petitions along with all pending applications for hearing on January 22, 2019 before the appropriate Bench.

We make it clear that there is no stay of the judgment dated September 28, said the Bench, which also included Justices Rohinton Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra.

Earlier, during the pre-lunch session, a three-judge Bench headed by the CJI had deferred hearing of the fresh petitions on entry of women into Sabarimala temple, saying the writ petitions would be taken up after review petitions were decided.

As per general norms, Tuesdays hearing on review petitions was done through a procedure called hearing by circulation in the chamber of the CJI where parties were not represented by their advocates.

But in exceptional cases, review petitions are heard in open court and parties can be represented by their advocates. The next hearing on January 22 is a sort of concession given by the court in view of the importance of the matter.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had several times refused to give urgent hearing to petitions seeking a review of its ruling lifting age-old restrictions on procreating women from entering the famous Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala.

The review petitioners contended that sheer uniqueness of the Sabarimala Temple made it a fit case for grant of religious denomination status.

By 4:1, a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra had declared the practice unconstitutional. Justice Indu Malhotra, the lone woman on the Bench, had dissented.

The majority declared unconstitutional the rule which barred entry of women between 10 and 50 years of age into the temple.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Baloda Bazar, November 13

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a diatribe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for misleading people on Indias development.

Addressing a rally here ahead of the second phase of polling in the state on November 20, Gandhi said as per Modi, development of the country began only after 2014 when he became the prime minister.

He (Modi) doesnt know that the country is run by people and not by a single man. He insults you by making such comments, the Congress president said.

Demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was aimed at breaking the back of small and medium businesses, Gandhi said. The Congress would encourage youth to do business and get loan facility from banks, he added.

The Congress is not against big industrialists, but if government gave them benefit, small and medium business should not be neglected, he said.

Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya fled the country with thousands of crores of rupees belonging to the people of India. PM Modi does nothing to bring them back to the country and doesnt utter a word on the issue, he said.

He claimed that the CBI director was removed from his post at 1 am to stop a probe into the Rafale deal. If there is an investigation, only two names will come up: Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani. Modi is scared of a probe, he said.

Gandhi claimed that Anil Ambani was chosen over HAL for the Rafale deal despite HAL having 70 years of experience in manufacturing fighter aircraft.

Anil Ambani didnt have the experience. He may not have made even a paper aeroplane, he said.

Gandhi said there is an undercurrent in favour of the Congress in the 18 constituencies of Chhattisgarh which went to polls on Monday.

Results from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other poll-bound states would go in favour of the Congress, he said.

Chhattisgarh is rich in resources, the Congress president said, adding that the dream of the state was shattered due to the misrule of the BJP government.

Promising a peoples government in Chhattisgarh in case voted to power, he said people wanted a government which listened to their Mann ki Baat.

Instead of working for a few industrialists, the Congress will work for development of agriculture, education and health in the state, Gandhi said. PTIamansharma@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 13

The Supreme Court will hear on Monday Congress MP Ehsan Jafri's widow Zakia Jafri's petition challenging the clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-who was the chief minister of Gujarat during 2002 riots-and others and exonerating them of allegations of a larger conspiracy behind the riots.

A Bench of Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice Deepak Gupta said the matter will be heard on November 19 as it needed to go through the petition in detail.

Ehsan Jafri and 68 others were killed by a mob that attacked Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002 during the riots that broke out following the Godhra train carnage that claimed the lives of 58 'kar sevaks'.

Alleging a larger conspiracy behind the riots, Zakia had in 2006 demanded registration of a criminal case against the then Gujarat Chief Minister Modi, some ministers and bureaucrats. The Supreme Court had in 2008 ordered the state government to re-investigate nine major riots cases, including the Gulberg massacre.

The Supreme Court had in April 2009 asked the SIT to look into her complaint. During the probe, the SIT had examined Modi in March 2012 and submitted a closure report in 2013, saying there was no evidence to substantiate the allegations against Modi.

The Gujarat High Court had in October last year upheld the clean chit given to Modi and 58 others by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court.

Zakia's petition has now challenged the SIT's findings and a magistrate's order accepting its closure report filed in 2012.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 13

The Supreme Court will hear on Monday Congress MP Ehsan Jafris widow Zakia Jafris petition challenging the clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi  who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat during 2002 riots  and others and exonerating them of allegations of a larger conspiracy behind the riots.

A Bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Deepak Gupta said the matter would be heard on November 19 as it needed to go through the petition in detail.

Ehsan Jafri and 68 others were killed by a mob that attacked Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002 during the riots that broke out following the Godhra train carnage that claimed the lives of 58 karsevaks.

Alleging a larger conspiracy behind the riots, Zakia had in 2006 demanded registration of a criminal case against then Gujarat Chief Minister Modi, some ministers and bureaucrats. The Supreme Court had in 2008 ordered the state government to re-investigate nine major riots cases, including the Gulberg massacre.

The Supreme Court had in April 2009 asked the SIT to look into her complaint. During the probe, the SIT had examined Modi in March 2012 and submitted a closure report in 2013, saying there was no evidence to substantiate the allegations against Modi.

The Gujarat High Court had in October last year upheld the clean chit given to Modi and 58 others by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court. Zakias petition has now challenged the SITs findings and a magistrates order accepting its closure report filed in 2012.

The Caseeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 13

The SGPC House on Tuesday passed a resolution demanding that Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh should apologise before the Sikh community and suspend Education Minister OP Soni while taking moral responsibility for distortion of Sikh history chapters in textbooks of Class XI and XII.

SGPCchief Gobind Singh Longowal, who had led a dharna against the state government, demanded registration of a case against those who had used offensive language against the Gurus in the chapters that were uploaded.

The government has already withdrawn the books with reportedly objectionable content and distorted facts and directed that the previous sessions books be used. In another resolution, the House demanded to facilitate a corridor to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib and ease the visa norms for devotees who intend to visit Sikh religious places in Pakistan. We demanded from the governments of both the sides of the border to dedicate the corridor on the occasion.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, November 13

To recover Rs 90 lakh as compensation from a culprit in a rape case, the Faridkot district administration on Tuesday held a public auction of 4.5 acres of agricultural land of Nishan Singh and recovered Rs 91 lakh as the sale value.

The land has been purchased by the Red Cross Society in Faridkot, which has three schools for differently abled and mentally challenged children, adjacent to this land along the Faridkot-Talwandi bypass road. The society also runs an old peoples home on this site.

On August 31, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the Faridkot district administration to recover Rs 90 lakh as fine from the convict in the case of rape of a minor. Though the Revenue Department had given a public notice for this auction, no bidder reached the Patwar Khana, the place fixed for the auction, after which the land was sold to Red Cross Society for Rs 91 lakh, the only bidder.

The High Court had awarded Rs 90 lakh as compensation to the rape victim and her parents and directed the Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, to attach and sell the properties of Nishan Singh and his mother Navjot Kaur within 10 weeks of the courts orders.

Nishans family challenged the High Court order in the Supreme Court but they have not got any interim relief.

Nishan was sentenced to life imprisonment and his mother to seven years for supporting her son in the crime.editorial@tribune.com

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 13

An FIR against Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia, Congress MLA from Shahkot, has been cancelled on the orders of the Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Nakodar, Tanveer Singh. The suspension of former Mehatpur SHO Parminder Bajwa, who had registered the case pertaining to illegal mining in May, has been revoked.

The police had filed the cancellation report about three months ago, but the complainant, Mohan Singh of Malri village in Nakodar, had contested it in the court.

However, Mohan Singh submitted in the court last month that he was satisfied with the inquiry into his allegations of illegal mining by Laddi and had no objection to the cancellation of the FIR.

The court observed, Mohan Singh has not submitted evidence in support of his case. The Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Electoral Officer, Jalandhar, had formed a special team comprising officers from the departments of mining, revenue and the police who were assisted by Sub-Inspector Gurbinder Singh to look into the facts mentioned in the FIR. However, no evidence was found against the accused. Therefore, Gurbinder Singh recommended the cancellation of the FIR...

There are many joint statements by the inhabitants of the surrounding area of the alleged place of occurrence of the offence wherein it has been stated that there is no instance of mining of sand or smuggling etc... the court further said.

On May 4, Laddi had been booked under Section 21 of the Mines and Minerals Act and Section 379 of the IPC. A week later, Bajwa had been booked for carrying his weapon inside the courtroom. An FIR had been lodged against him under Sections 353 and 186 of the IPC and Section 27 of the Arms Act at New Baradari police station.

Bajwa said, As there were orders that a police officer cannot stay in the district where a case has been lodged, I got transferred to Kapurthala (Police Lines). I have been appearing in the Jalandhar court regularly. The next date of hearing is December 11.editorial@tribune.com

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 13

The Congress is all set to placate its disgruntled MLAs by offering them posts of chairperson of various boards and corporations.

The first list of about 10 appointments is expected to be released after Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh discusses the names with Congress president Rahul Gandhi during a meeting on November 15 in Delhi, it is learnt.

Though scheduled earlier, the meeting between the two leaders could not be held due to unavailability of the party president. Apart from the political appointments, issues such as a decision on replacing the PPCC chief and restructuring district units are likely to be taken up.

As the appointments of MLAs as chairpersons have been inordinately delayed, senior party leaders and MLAs had been knocking at the doors of party high command for their political rehabilitation. The names likely to be considered in the first list include MLAs Harpartap Ajnala, Raj Kumar Verka, Darshan Brar and Sangat Singh Gilzian.

Sources said the state presidents of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Delhi were likely to be changed. The party was looking for a Dalit leader to head the Punjab unit in wake of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The sources said there were reports that Verka might be considered for the PPCC chief post, but it was unlikely.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 13

Just about a fortnight after the services of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research director Prof Raghuram Rao Akkinepally were placed under suspension by the President, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday stayed the operation of the order.

This is the second time that the high court has issued the stay order. The Bench had earlier ordered stay on operation of the initial order of suspension.

One of the grounds for challenging the order was that it was not passed by the President.

But the passing of the order by the President led to a fresh cause of action, resulting in previous petition being rendered infructuous.

The director had filed the appeal through counsel Arun Gupta and it was initially argued by senior advocate Puneet Bali before the Bench of Chief Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Arun Palli. The Bench was of the view that important questions of law were involved in the matter of the directors suspension.

The development took place about a month after a Single Judge of the High Court put the Board of Governors on notice, but refused to stay the operation of the impugned suspension order.

The challenge to the suspension order was mounted primarily on three grounds. Bali and Gupta submitted that the President of India was the visitor and had the powers to place under suspension the services. The Board of Governors had no such power.

Referring to the provisions of law, the counsel asserted that the powers to appoint were vested with the President. The role of the Board of Governors was restricted to recommending two names for the post. But the final appointment orders were passed by the President. The Board of Directors and even the Chairman had no jurisdiction act against the director, unless approved by the visitor, the President.

The Bench was also told that a petition filed by NIPER before the High Court was dismissed. The Board of Governors, subsequently, convened a meeting, where the orders of suspension were passed. The Director was not a part of the meeting. It was against the principles of natural justice as opportunity of hearing was not provided to the Director, who was sent out of the meeting. This clearly shows the bias of the chairman against the petitioner, it was added.

The Bench was also told that the impugned order was illegal and liable to be set aside as it was suffering from lack of jurisdiction and opportunity of hearing was not offered to the director by the Board. Besides, the mandatory three-week notice as required under the statute was not issued before convening the meeting. As such, it was illegal and arbitrary and could not have been held.

The main ground for stay was that the show-cause notice was not issued by the President. Gupta contended under Section 11 of the NIPER Act that only the President could have initiated action.vermaajay1968@gmail.com

Singapore, November 13

Asian leaders gathered for a summit on Tuesday amid warnings that the post-World War Two international order is in jeopardy and trade tensions between Washington and Beijing could trigger a domino effect of protectionist measures by other countries.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told a business forum ahead of the summit in Singapore that other developed countries would take a cue from the US and China if their tit-for-tat tariff war is allowed to spiral.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, for a second day, struck a conciliatory note on the trade spat, saying he was hopeful that the two sides will find a way to prevent it escalating further. I still hope we can hold talks based on mutual respect, balance and mutual benefits to resolve the issue. There are no winners in a trade war, Li said .

US Vice-President Mike Pence will attend the Singapore meetings instead of President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly panned existing multilateral trade pacts as unfair and has railed against China over intellectual property theft, entry barriers to American businesses and a yawning US trade gap.

It was not clear if Li and Pence would meet separately on the sidelines in Singapore, which would be a prelude to a summit scheduled between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of the month in Buenos Aires.

Before he arrived in Singapore on Monday, Li said China would further open its economy in the face of rising protectionism, though he did not refer directly to Chinas bruising trade war with the US.

Mahathir, a veteran strongman of the region who in May returned to the prime ministers office he had occupied for 22 years, told reporters that the US is a colonial power that uses economic pressure to cow people. That was echoed by summit host Singaporean Prime Lee Hsien Loong, who told a welcome ceremony for his ASEAN counterparts that the international order is at a turning point.  Reutersvermaajay1968@gmail.com

London, November 13

A Bollywood-loving member of the Bahrain royal family is set to fight a nearly $42.5-million damages claim brought by an Egyptian businessman during a four-day trial in the UK High Court.

Ahmed Adel Abdallah Ahmed is suing Sheikh Hamad Isa Ali al-Khalifa, a cousin of the King of Bahrain, for allegedly reneging on a verbal agreement dating back to 2015. Under the agreement, Ahmed claims the Sheikh had contracted his firm CBSC Events to arrange private meetings with 26 Bollywood stars on a wish list drawn up by him.

However, the Sheikh reportedly went back on the deal after meeting four actors  Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh and Aditya Roy Kapoor  for which he paid around $3 million. In his legal claim for damages, Ahmed alleges that the Sheikh breached the terms of their agreement by refusing to pay the sums for additional meetings arranged and that he made excuses not to meet two actors  Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan.

The Sheikh argues that he pulled out of the deal after Ahmed started to put unfair pressure on him, making unwarranted demands for very large sums of money and seeking to arrange meetings which were not convenient.  PTIIve noticed in recent times a series of letters with an anti-vaccination leaning from Kevin Baldeosingh culminating with one published on Saturday. Could Mr Baldeosinghs need to write in the public forum be the result of cognitive dissonance, where he is really trying to convince himself that what he is doing is correct?Advice on my itinerary for Costa Rica in december

Advice on my itinerary for Costa Rica in december

hello folks,

I have been doing some research on my upcoming solo travel to Costa Rica for 7 days during Christmas holidays, when I expect it might be a busy time. I am hoping someone can give me suggestions on how to plan this better

Day 1: Arrive San Jose around 2 PM. Should I stay in San Jose, or directly go to La Fortuna? Is there anything to see in San Jose?

Day 2: La Fortuna - what can I do here for 2 days? (Arenal Hanging ridge, La Fortuna waterfall)

Day 3: La Fortuna

Day 4,5: Montverde - What can I do here for 2 days?

Day 6 - What can I go from here? Puerto Viejo maybe?

Day 7 - spend here

Day 8 - afternoon around 12 is when I fly back from San Jose

I have read about ziplining, Arenal volcanoes etc? HOw do I plan for hike in Arenal volcano areas and what about Montverde?

Any suggestions and recommendations would be appreciated-:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:-

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We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.Hi I am planning a trip to Vietnam late December. I am a solo woman traveller and although fairly undertravelled I am confident and looking forward to it.

I have loosely planned my itinery which will be a mixture of mid range budget to cheap. I am happy to have minimal luxury but do value my privacy so not a total backpacker.

Hanoi to Ho chi ming Nth to South suits me I think with some side trips along the way.

This is what I have planned so far but keen to hear any add ons or sude trips that are of value from experienced travellers.

I wanted to go to Sapa but it is too cold for me so I will leave for another time.

D1. Arrive Hanoi and sleep lol

D2. Explore Hanoi

D3. Leave Ha Long overnight w 8am tour (Alova)

D4. Ha Long Bay onto Hanoi arrive 4pm

D.5 Explore Hanoi Leave sleeper train

D6. Arrive Hue explore

D7. Explore Hue leave overnight bus/train for Hoi An

D8. Explore Hoi An

D9. Explore Hoi An and surrounding.

D10. Explore Hoi An and Surrounding.

D11. Hoi An then overnight to Nha Trang

D12 to D14 3 nights at beach resort

D15. Leave for Mui Ne

D16. Explore Mui Ne leave Ho Chi Ming

D17 to to Day 20 explore Ho Chi Ming

Day 21 fly back to Nz.

A couple of questions I have are

I need to stay in Mui Ne to break the trip but I am unsure how long yo stay there.

Also I was revommended some beach time at Nga Trang by a travel agent. Is this the best option for this itinery.

Any advice, additions or side trips that you think would be worthy are greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards

Donna (NZ)It's time bring out the long drawn out advise model:

Re: First time to FIJI

This is a piece I did for a lady in 2016. Hopefully it will make a good starting point for you:

"Like a lot of things ########### holidaying in Fiji is a very personal thing. So, it is about you finding your piece of paradise. First thing I would do today is go out and buy the Sunday Herald Sun and have a look in the travel section. Some Fiji resorts advertise specials so see if anything floats your boat. Variables include budget, ages of kids, what you are looking at doing and time (How long you want to spend in Fiji) My wife and I prefer May because the Cyclone season is over but there is still more warmth in the water but it is a personal thing. Have been in January, August and October and all were good.

Now there are lots of places to visit in Fiji with over 300 islands but there are 4 area's that get talked about the most.

Coral Coast - is situated on the south coast of the main island of Viti Levu. Beaches can be hit and miss. Have been to Naviti 3 times with the kids, which no matter what you read is only 3 - 3.5 stars but we found the staff terrific but the beach is not good and the coral reef has seen better days. Have a look at The Warwick, Intercontinental, Shangri La and Hideaway to start with.

Denarau - this is where I upset most people because it leaves me cold but they have a lot of the major chain resorts and hotels like the Hilton, Radisson and Westin etc. Much like South Bank in Melbourne with a choice of eateries etc. Built on a reclaimed mangrove swamp and has a fairly sizeable marina there as well.

Mamanuca Islands - This is where my wife and I spend most of our time coz we are in a rut! I personally prefer the islands over the main land but that is my choice. Remember it is about you. I would start my research with Malolo, Castaway, Musket Cove and Treasure Island. Beaches can be tidal but there are some wonderful spots.

Yasawa Islands - Of the 4 locations this area takes the longest to get to. Start your research with Blue Lagoon Beach Resort.

Now with the numbers you are talking about I would definitely pop in and see a travel agent and don't forget that once you're booked you will need travel insurance

If I think of anything else I'll add another post.

Other regulars should jump in and give their idea's. We all have our own spots.

As I have said repeatedly it is about you and I hope you have a great time

Baz"One of the closest Islands is serenity Island resort and can be reached from the mainland by their own boat in around 30 mins so you could be on the island the same day.

The resort should be able to arrange diving for you.Hello everyone! My family and I will be arriving Christmas Day for a 4 night bucket list trip :) We have all been to NYC before and have done the usual tourist stuff. The main purpose for this trip is to see the lights, tree, 5th Ave. displays, etc.. We really want to see Dyker Heights however, my 19 year old son was in a terrible car accident when he was 17 years old and now how to walk with a brace. I have read that the distance from the nearest subway to the actual neighborhood is quite a distance. Could someone give me an estimate so I could talk this over with him and see if he thinks he would be ok walking it?

We are staying at the Sheraton in Chelsea (25th Street) and had planned to go maybe the night that we arrived. I had thought about maybe getting an Uber to drive us from the subway to the neighborhood, but it seems like I read that Uber isn't readily available in that area.

Any input would be greatly appreciatedTROY, N.Y.  A pair of retired Troy Police officers were sentenced Tuesday afternoon in Rensselaer County Court, nearly a month after pleading guilty to official misconduct stemming from entering a home at 112 Oakwood Avenue sans a warrant and falsifying an incident report.

Sgt. Ron Epstein and Detective John Comitale Jr. were each sentenced to a conditional discharge for one year by Acting State Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch.

The special prosecutor for the case was Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka.

Epstein is accused of leading the six-man Firearms Interdiction and Narcotics Suppression unit on an illegal June 9, 2017, search of a home at 112 Oakwood Ave. The now disbanded drug unit also allegedly failed to seize the more than 1/8 ounce of cocaine discovered during the search.

We are greatly relieved and satisfied by the judges sentence. It was fair, reasonable and appropriate. As the judge himself said, this was an aberrational incident from an otherwise distinguished career, Epsteins attorney Michael Koenig said in regards to the sentencing. Ron served this community over 20 years with extraordinary distinction, he made the streets safer, he made the community better and thats what he should be remembered for and now he can move on with the rest of his life in a positive way.

I thought the sentence was the appropriate sentence. We appreciate the judge taking a deep look into not only the probation department recommendation of a conditional discharge but really reviewing the number of character reference letters that were submitted to him both by family, local Troy residents and by law enforcement, Comitales attorney Andrew Safranko said of the sentencing. It really speaks volumes to the person and police officer that John Comitale was, that so many current and former police officers would come forward and make a public statement in support of John, stating that he was the go-to police officer on these drug cases, that on the Marshals task force.- The daily flights will leave JKIA at 07.40am and land in Mogadishu at 9.55am

- Return flights will leave Aden Adde International Airport at 10.45am and arrive at 1.00pm

- The national carrier said the move was in response to increased demand on the route

- The direct daily flights are expected to boost trade relation between Kenya and Somali

Kenya Airways (KQ), the country's flag carrier, has finally launched direct daily flights between Nairobi and Mogadishu in Samali.

The newly unveiled flights will be leaving Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi at 07.40am and landing at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu at 9.55am every day.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: KQ historic direct flight to US lands safely in New York after 15 hours

The direct daily flights will be leaving Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya, at 07.40am and landing at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somali at 9.55am.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Kenya Airways makes first direct flight to USA with Uhuru Kenyatta on board

In a statement seen by TUKO.co.ke on Monday, November 12, KQ said those travelling from Mogadishu to Nairobi will now be departing Aden Adde International Airport at 10.45am and will be landing at JKIA at 1.00pm using a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400.

"The addition of this route to our network demonstrates our commitment to improving connectivity on the African continent, while creating new opportunities for corporates, investors, traders and tourists, Kenya Airways boss, Sebastian Mikosz said.

READ ALSO: KQ fully booked one week ahead of maiden direct flight to New York

The CEO added the plan was to extend KQ's network to make it more convenient for visitors and investors traveling between the two capital cities.

The move, TUKO.co.ke understands, was also in response to increased demand for flights to and from Mogadishu.

READ ALSO: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport receives green light for direct flights to US

The launch of KQ's direct daily flights to Somalia comes a few days after its rival Ethiopian Airline also made its maiden flight to the war-torn country.

The new development also comes barely a month after the national carrier made history on October 29 when Dreamliner Boeing 787-8 safely landed in New York in what was the first ever direct non-stop flight between Nairobi and the US city.

As was earlier reported by TUKO.co.ke, KQ's maiden flight landed at the JF Kennedy International Airport at approximately 15:00 Kenyan time.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

What is Your Worst Experience in a Matatu? - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.keThe ongoing crackdown on rogue matatus has elicited a rainbow of reactions from members of the public.

A section of the citizenry has hailed the fresh breath of life given to the once forgotten Michuki laws and expressed confidence they will save Kenyan roads from impunity.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens.

Critics have, however, poured cold water on CS Fred Matiang'i's clampdown on the sector and termed it as a short-lived choreographed show. Photo: CS Matiang'i's Twitter.

Source: UGC

Critics have, however, poured cold water on Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i's clampdown on rogue matatus and termed it as a short lived choreographed show.

Though not known to many, Matiang'i may go into history books as one among Kenyan cabinet ministers who meant what they said and stopped at nothing until all is done.

The following are some of the instances the former lecturer at University of Nairobi (UoN) proved to be a tough cookie:

1. Analogue to Digital TV migration

It will be remembered that the no-nonsense Matiang'i midwifed the painstaking process that saw the country transit to digital TV signal transmission.

In 2013, while serving as the ICT boss, Matiang'i said enough was enough and switched off analogue signal transmission.

The country had severally postponed the migration with the citizenry citing unpreparedness for change.

Local mainstream channels for instance NTV, KTN and Citizen put up a spirited fight against the migration but the CS was not shaken.

Silently, the trio among other broadcasters, complied with shift and Kenya is currently enjoying digital viewership.

In 2013, while serving as the ICT boss, Matiang'i said enough was enough and switched off analogue signal transmission. Photo. UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: 10 Facts About The State Of Digital Migration In Kenya

2. Radical changes in school management

In 2015, President Uhuru Kenyatta executed cabinet reshuffles and redeployed Matiang'i to the troubled Education Ministry.

Matiang'i's appointment in the docket came at a time cheating and impunity in both primary and secondary school national examinations had thrived.

He introduced radical changes in the sector which several school heads opposed.

The resistance even snowballed to anti-Matiang'i protests which saw several schools go up in flames.

It was rumoured a section of school heads and managements were behind the arson attacks.

They even snowballed to anti-Matiang'i protests that saw several schools go up in flames. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

Among the changes he introduced in schools was making headteachers directly in charge of examinations and not county education officers as before.

He scrapped off social events during third term in a bid to minimise candidates' contact with outsiders ahead of exams.

He reduced maximum duration of KCSE exams to four weeks compared to the initial six weeks.

Matiang'i ordered for release of both KCSE and KCPE results within one month after completion as opposed to three months Kenyans were used to for many years.

The former University of Nairobi don also did away with unnecessary results moderation periods despite heated opposition from KNUT and KUPPET.

Currently, levels of sanity in schools have improved and those flouting the rules are arraigned.

Matiang'i ordered for released of both KCSE and KCPE results within one month after completion as opposed to three months the earlier regime subscribed to. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Teachers resist new education reforms by Matiang'i

3. Painting of all school buses yellow

When Matiang'i directed all primary and secondary school buses be painted yellow, a section of players in the education sector thought he was joking.

Some assumed that his threats to clampdown on non-compliant buses were barks from a toothless village dog.

He, however, made good his threats despite opposition from school heads who decried lack of finances.

Nowadays, all school buses are visible one kilometer away. Thanks to their characteristic yellow paint.

The order was issued in January 2018, and all schools complied after expiry of the 90-day grace period he had issued.

Nowadays, all school buses are visible one kilometer away. Thanks to their characteristic yellow paint. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Matiang'i orders all school buses to be painted yellow by March 2018

4. Woes of self-proclaimed NASA general Miguna Miguna

In his tenure as Interior CS, Matiang'i has been synonymous with tough directives aimed at elimination of crime.

On of the people who had a taste of Matiang'i's bitter bile was outspoken Lawyer Miguna Miguna after he swore in Raila Odinga as the People's President.

The development saw Miguna's Nairobi residence broken into by security sleuths, his property searched and himself deported to Canada.

Assuming that Matiang'i was his mate, Miguna made a come back but he could not be let outside the airport.

Assuming that Matiang'i was his mate, Miguna made a come back could not be let outside the airport. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: I'll be back in Nairobi soon - Miguna Miguna

This was after the immigration department required him to register for Kenyan citizenship afresh but he protested.

His dual citizenship had been reviewed by the government.

Stone-faced and determined Miguna was forced aboard a United Arab Emirates bound plane and later found himself in Dubai.

He was later airlifted to Canada and the barrister only manages to see his beloved home country on television sets, social media and perhaps in his dreams.

He was later airlifted to Canada and the barrister only manages to see his beloved home country on television sets, social media and perhaps in his dreams. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenyans React To Reinforcement of Michuki Rules | Tuko TV.

Source: Tuko- The ODM leaders accuse Obado of making allusions to a matter before court

- They warn such remarks could cost him his freedom and cancellation of his bond terms

- According to the leaders, he was trying to subvert the case before him through politics

- Obado said some people are hell bent to ensure he is swallowed by crocodiles

A section of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leaders have have been angered by Migori Governor Okoth Obado's remarks that he needs prayers to get out of the way of hungry crocodiles ready to swallow him.

The leaders accused the embattled governor of making allusions to a matter before court and warned that it could cost him his freedom.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens.

READ ALSO: Governor Obado pleads for prayers so hes not swallowed by crocodiles

The leaders accused the embattled governor of making allusions to a matter before court. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: 4 times Interior CS Matiangi has proved he means business and nothing can stop him

The leaders termed the remarks by Obado who has lately been accompanying Deputy President William Ruto in political functions in South Nyanza region as careless, Daily Nation reported.

The ODM leaders argued such statements by Obado, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Sharon Otieno, could lead to the cancellation of his bond terms.

Suna East MP and ODM Director of elections Junet Mohamed further argued Obado was trying to subvert the case before him through politics.

READ ALSO: Matatu operators call off nationwide protests, apologise to Kenyans

Obado has lately been accompanying Deputy President William Ruto in political functions in South Nyanza region. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

By saying that he has been thrown into a crocodiles mouth, who is he referring to? The investigators? The prosecution? posed Mohamed.

He does not look like someone who has a case before a court of law, he added.

Kisii Woman Representative Janet Ongera, said ODM leader Raila Odinga's crocodile analogy was being taken out of context.

READ ALSO: Is Mike Sonko taking Nairobians for a ride with his love for publicity stunts?

The troubled governor said he had read mischief from unidentified people. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

ODM National Treasurer and former Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire said that Obados remarks in Kisii and Nyamira were overreaching.

He also said Obado had a very important matter which he should first handle before he engages in anything else.

The ODM official argued as an ODM party member, Obado should tackle political issues that might be troubling him.

READ ALSO: 2,000 Kenyans arrested on day one of crackdown against chaotic PSV in the country

TUKO.co.ke earlier reported the troubled governor said he had read mischief from unidentified people who he expressed fears wanted to toss him right in the mount of fierce and hungry crocodiles.

He made the remarks on Saturday, November 10, during a funds drive in Nyabururu Catholic Parish in Kisii County, in the company of the DP.

"I want you to pray for me...all the religious leaders present in this place I want you to regularise and intensify your prayers for me so that this crocodiles do not get a chance to devour me," said Obado

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Carolyne Nduti Untold Story: My Husband Left Me for My Cousin - Kenya Untold Stories | Tuko TV.

Source: Kenya Breaking News Today- The fire broke out at St Bernard Secondary School in Rakai District on Sunday, November 11

- Students were locked inside their dormitory when the tragedy struck around midnight

- Rakai District Police Commander says three students and a school warden have been arrested

- The trio will assist police with investigations into the incident

Uganda is in mourning following the death of 11 students after a fire broke out at St Bernard Secondary School, Manya in Rakai District on Sunday, November 11.

According to students, the incident occurred at around midnight while the victims had been locked inside the dormitory.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens.

READ ALSO: 2,000 Kenyans arrested on day one of crackdown against chaotic PSV in the country

Uganda's First Lady Janet Museveni visited the school to condole withe parents of the victims. Photo: Janet Museveni

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Is Mike Sonko taking Nairobians for a ride with his love for publicity stunts?

Ugandas Daily Monitor reported on Monday, November 12, the fire razed a dormitory which housed at least 50 Senior Three students.

Police are yet to establish the cause of the fire although unconfirmed reports indicate the they suspect it was an arson.

The report further indicates the door to the dormitory was locked from outside before the fire was lit and residents who rushed to the scene had to use an axe to open the door.

READ ALSO: Governor Obado pleads for prayers so hes not swallowed by crocodiles

We do not know the cause of the fire but we struggled to open the door and saved over 20 students, an eyewitness was quoted.

survivors have been admitted to Manya Health Centre, Kalisizo Hospital and Masaka Regional Hospital.

A member of the school board of governors, Rose Nalubowa, blamed the incident on some undisciplined students who had been chased out of the dormitories.

READ ALSO: Nyanza ODM leaders angered by Migori Governor Obado's crocodile remarks

Uganda's First Lady Janet Museveni visited the school to condole withe parents of the victims. Photo: Janet Museveni

Source: Twitter

There have been some cases of indiscipline among some students and management recently chased them from the dormitories and ordered them to study while coming from their homes. We hear they instead rented rooms in Manya Town, She said

She also said they had attempted to torch the school a couple of weeks ago but ran away after pupils at the nearby St Nicholas Primary School spotted them.

Some of the students had become a problem .Yesterday (Sunday) they also locked up the Manya parish priest Fr Emmanuel Kiwanuka in the school chapel as he tried to counsel them, she added.

READ ALSO: 4 times Interior CS Matiangi has proved he means business and nothing can stop him

She revealed that prior to the incident, school management had called for an emergency disciplinary meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 13, to address indiscipline among some of the students.

According to Rakai District Police Commander, Ben Nuwamanya, they have so far arrested three students and a school warden to assist them with investigations.

We are told there have been some cases of indiscipline and the suspects we have got are going to enrich our investigations, he said.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Carolyne Nduti Untold Story: My Husband Left Me for My Cousin - Kenya Untold Stories

Source: Breaking News- Security officers were deployed to the Wiper leader's Karen, Yatta and Tseikuru homes

- The former vice president also received mobile security detail complete with police siren

- Musyoka's security detail was restored days after he said he was ready to run errands for Uhuru

- Although he is entitled to State protection, the government withdrew his security during the 2017 political chaos

Wiper Democratic Movement party leader Kalonzo Musyoka is now one of the most protected ex-state officials in Kenya after the government decided to not only restore his full security detail but also upgrade it to that befitting a former vice president.

Security officers drawn from the General Service Unit (GSU) and Administration Police Service were deployed to Musyoka's homes in Karen, Yatta in Machakos and Tseikuru in Kitui County.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: Wiper Party leaders angry at Kalonzo Musyoka for offering to be Uhuru's errand boy

Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya party leader Kalonzo Musyoka in conversation with President Uhuru Kenyatta who led several dignitaries to the burial of Musyoka's father.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Dignitaries show up at burial of Kalonzo Musyoka's dad in 32 helicopters

TUKO.co.ke on Tuesday, November 13, confirmed the Wiper party leader, who doubles as National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition co-principal, also received mobile security detail, complete with a police siren to help clear his way whenever he is being escorted.

Although Musyoka is legally entitled to State security by virtue of being a former vice president, the government took away his security detail during the 2017 political stand-off that pitted the NASA coalition against the ruling Jubilee Party following the disputed August 8, presidential poll.

READ ALSO: Kalonzo accompanies Uhuru to China a month after resolving to work with government

The restoration of Musyoka's security comes a few days after President Uhuru Kenyatta indicated he was ready to give the former vice president an opportunity to continue serving Kenyans and join hands with him and his NASA co-principal Raila Odinga to foster peace and unity in the country.

"My brother Kalonzo should help us to bring the country together and foster peace for all Kenyans. Every leader has something to contribute, all we need is to give space and respect each other, Uhuru said during the funeral ceremony of Musyoka's father, Peter Mairu Musyoka.

READ ALSO: Kalonzo, Mudavadi and Wetangula are still firmly in NASA - Kivutha Kibwana

Musyoka, on his part, confirmed he was ready and willing to work with Uhuru and even offered to run errands for the president.

"I want to ask, in front of this crowd, that no one come between us. Let no one come between my children and the president's children. From today I am his right-hand man," Musyoka said.

Musyoka's offer to be the president's top errand boy, however, offended his foot soldiers and political allies from the Ukambani region who felt he was stooping too low.

READ ALSO: Police deny holding Kalonzo under house arrest during Raila's swearing-in

A section of Ukambani leaders, among them former Machakos senator Johnson Muthama, Makueni senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior and Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana, asked the Wiper party boss to explain what he meant when he said he was now Uhuru's right hand man.

"Honourable Kalonzo Musyoka should explain to Kenyans and his followers what he meant when he said he was President Uhuru's errand boy," Muthama demanded.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

When Uhuru, Ruto and Raila Met at State House - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko Kenya- The morning raid was conducted at the governor's homes in Nairobi and Migori County

- EACC has accused Obado of conspiring with county officials to embezzle KSh 2 billion

- At least seven members of Obado's family have been implicated in the multi-billion graft scandal

- The governor is at the same time facing charges in connection with murder of Sharon Otieno

- He pleaded not guilty to the murder charges and was granted bail after spending over a month in remand

Detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on Tuesday, November 13, conducted raids at the homes of Migori governor Zachary Okoth Obado who had been accused of embezzling county funds.

The anti-graft sleuths stormed the governor's homes in Migori and Nairobi in search of vital documents that they believed could help them in the ongoing probe into the alleged graft allegations against the governor.

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READ ALSO: Governor Okoth Obado faces KSh 2 billion fraud charge as he cools off in remand

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) accused Migori governor Okoth Obado of conspiring with his family members of county officials to steal KSh 2 billion from the county government.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: EACC freezes Obado's and wife's accounts over corruption

TUKO.co.ke understands Obado, who is already facing more serious charges in connection with the murder of his ex-lover Sharon Otieno, and her baby, was at one of his homes when the EACC officers came knocking.

The anti-corruption Commission had filed a case against the governor and implicated seven members of his family over alleged theft of KSh 2 billion from the county government's coffers.

READ ALSO: Migori governor to be charged with murder of his lover Sharon Otieno

The anti-graft body accused the governor of conspiring with his relatives, friends and highly placed county officials to embezzle public funds.

The Commission alleged the governor and his relatives registered 16 fake companies and conspired with influential county officials to siphon millions of funds from Migori county government's coffers.

In one of the instances, the newly established companies, which were registered between 2014 and 2016, allegedly won tenders and were paid over KSh 971 million in three years for services that were never rendered.

READ ALSO: Governor Obado's wife summoned by DCI days after husband recorded statement

The individuals behind the dubious business entities were identified as Robert Okeyo, Carolyne Ochola, Christine Ochola, Jared Oluoch Kwaga, Joram Otieno, Patroba Otieno, and Penina Otago.

Six of the seven accused persons allegedly used the stolen taxpayers' money to buy properties estimated to be worth KSh 382 million.

Obado, EACC alleged, pocketed some KSh 38.9 million and other kickbacks from the dirty deals and wired the cash to his children's bank accounts in Scotland and Australia.

The governor is at the same time facing charges in relation to the murder of his 26-year-old ex-girlfriend, Sharon Otieno, whose body was found dumped in Kodero Forest in Homa Bay County on September 4, 2018.

He pleaded not guilty to the murder charges and was freed on a KSh 5 million cash bail.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Okoth Obado Supporters Celebrate His Release - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke- Musyoka will now be monitoring the peace process in South Sudan

- He will be the new head of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC)

- The plum position was previously held by Botswana's former president Festus Mogae

- The Wiper party leader had offered to be President Uhuru Kenyatta's right-hand man

- His appointment followed that of Raila Odinga who is now a special envoy to the African Union

Wiper Democratic Movement party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has officially been appointed the new head of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) in South Sudan.

The appointment comes a few days after President Uhuru Kenyatta hinted he was ready to work with the former vice president to foster peace and unity not just in Kenyan but internationally.

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READ ALSO: Kalonzo Musyoka's security detail upgraded after he offered to be Uhuru's errand boy

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Foreign Affairs CS Monica Juma, South Sudan President Salva Kiir in Juba. Photo: Capital FM.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Wiper Party leaders angry at Kalonzo Musyoka for offering to be Uhuru's errand boy

TUKO.co.ke on Tuesday, November 13, confirmed the Wiper party leader had assumed the role of monitoring the peace process in the young nation which has for years been rocked by civil war mostly attributed to power tussle between President Salva Kiir and his seasonal political rival Riek Machar.

Sources privy to the high-profile appointment indicated Musyoka landed the job about a week ago and the only thing that was pending was a confirmation.

READ ALSO: Kalonzo accompanies Uhuru to China a month after resolving to work with government

The Wiper party leader had nevertheless indicated he was ready to be Uhuru's right-hand man after the president invited him to work with the Jubilee government in promoting peace locally and regionally.

He took over the South Sudan job from Botswana's former president Festus Mogae who, TUKO.co.ke understands, resigned in August 2018.

The government also upgraded Musyoka's security detail by deploying officers from the General Service Unit (GSU) and Administration Police Service to his three homes i Nairobi, Machakos and Kitui as he left Kenya for South Sudan.

Musyoka's new appointment followed that of his NASA coalition co-principal Raila Odinga who is now a special envoy to the African Union.

Raila was appointed the High Representative of Infrastructure and Development in Africa.

READ ALSO: Kalonzo, Mudavadi, Wetangula spotted in rare get together party without Raila

Meanwhile, the former vice president is under pressure from some of his political allies to clarify what he meant when he said he was now Uhuru's mtu wa mkono (errand boy).

He made the unsettling remarks during the burial ceremony of his father, Peter Mairu Musyoka, on Friday, November 9.

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When Uhuru, Ruto and Raila Met at State House - On Tuko TV

Source: TukoEditor's note: Today's Tuko blogger is Dickens Kasami, a seasoned digital journalist and Deputy Chief Editor at TUKO.co.ke. He delves into the 'fake news' debate and BBC World Service's recently released report on the topic in Kenya and Nigeria.

BBC World Service's move against fake news through the "Beyond Fake News" campaign is a welcome and much needed initiative. It helps both players in the media industry and the audience to know how to tell what is fake and what is not.

However, the holier-than-thou approach that the British media house has adopted is simplistic totally uncalled for.

On Page 52 of its "Duty, Identity, Credibility: Fake news and the ordinary citizen in Kenya and Nigeria  a comparative study" report, BBC lists itself as one of the four "Legitimate News Sources" in Nigeria against "Sources Known To Have Published Fake News". There is a similar list for Kenya.

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READ ALSO: Mike Sonko should quit social media and create strategic plan for Nairobi county

BBC lists itself as one of the four "Legitimate News Sources" in Nigeria against "Sources Known To Have Published Fake News". Photo: BBC

Source: UGC

BBC World Service, with its decades of experience, should be at a better position to distinguish between 'fake news' and what journalists refer to as 'misreporting'. Otherwise, BBC itself would take home the "undisputed king of fake news" trophy without much sweat.

Why say so? Here are a few instances just in the last 10 years that BBC had to apologize for misreporting - or what they now term as 'spreading fake news': 2010's apology for claiming Bob Geldof Live Aid money funded Ethiopian weapons; 2011's dog sentenced to death by stoning in Israel; 2011's apology to Bangalore-based supplier for fake child labour footage.

In 2012, there was the Lord McAlpine 'fake' child abuse scandal; the Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate that it had to pull down; use of wrong Iraqi massacre photo; in 2018, BBC was found guilty in Cliff Richard's property search coverage in 2014.

READ ALSO: Well done Najib Balala! Its now time for Kenyans to jealously guard tourism revival

Ok. These might have happened "long time ago" and we should not dwell in the past. How about the September 2018's "war will follow" tweet? BBC tweeted that US President Donald Trump had threatened to go to war with Iran; deleted the tweet 2 hours later and apologised.

From the above, it is evident that a source may mislead a media house or a journalist may sleep on the job/be compromised. This does not warrant blanket condemnation of the media house a 'fake news platform'. Bottom line is, no one is clean - not even BBC.

What qualifies a news platform to be a 'fake news' outlet? Is it public opinion or the actual reports on the platform?

READ ALSO: Lessons from South Africa and Ethiopia on how to end Kenyas cycle of election violence

In the same report, BBC admits that part of its own audience considered some of its work as 'fake news'.

"Some respondents when exposed to this Twitter thread about a landmark BBC investigation into accusations of atrocities by Cameroonian soldiers, fell back into their preconceived notions about the world to say the story could not be true," reads the report.

This clearly shows that the audience's opinion could be wrong. Why didn't the researchers use this standard it applied to other media houses, the standard of public opinion, to rate itself as a fake news platform?

Any person who brands an outlet as a fake news platform should present sufficient newspaper cuttings or links to back the claims. This categorization should not be based on the feelings of an "unnamed female in Machakos" as the BBC did to TUKO.co.ke.

READ ALSO: Nairobbery is not a place for the faint-hearted

'Fakes news' is intentionally pushing false content to achieve an agenda; 'misreporting' is publishing false content unknowingly - 'honest mistakes', if I may use BBC's own words. Both are issues that media houses have to avoid at all cost.

Media houses need to invest more on fact checking as I believe that there is no single media house worth its salt that can be set up to simply spread fake news.

May this debate on fake news be an open one in the industry. May it be based on facts and not feelings.

UPDATE: By Monday, 19 November, 2018, the "Duty, Identity, Credibility: Fake news and the ordinary citizen in Kenya and Nigeria  a comparative study" report that necessitated this response was no longer available on the BBC News website (likely deleted). We are glad the publisher saw the glaring flaws in the report.

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Kenya News Today: Celebs and Dignitaries at Maribe's Bail Hearing | Tuko TV

Source: Tuko NewsPrime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said, it was only while the Government was making hard decisions on expenditure at WASA, that it discovered certain payments had been made to PSA President Watson Duke.Ukraine's national nuclear energy generating company Energoatom has signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of nuclear energy with Finland's Wartsila, the world leader in the production of diesel generator sets.

The ceremony of signing the memorandum was held at the residence of the Finnish ambassador to Ukraine, the company's press service reported.

"Signing a memorandum is a significant event for Energoatom, as it launches direct cooperation between the Ukrainian company - the operator of 15 nuclear power units - and the French unit of the Finnish company Wartsila - Wartsila France, the world leader in the production of diesel generator sets," Energoatom President Yuriy Nedashkovsky said, congratulating the participants of the ceremony.

He also stressed that Energoatom plans not only to extend the life of nuclear reactors for 20-30 years, but also to construct new nuclear power units.

According to Nedashkovsky, the company intends not to "limit itself to contracts exclusively for the purchase of equipment, but also to create common areas of activity, in particular, in matters of service, repair of spare parts and more, which will require joint efforts and joint activities."

Finnish Ambassador to Ukraine Juha Virtanen noted that there are many areas of cooperation between Ukraine and Finland in the nuclear energy sector. He emphasized that this is a leading and very powerful sector in Finland, France, and Ukraine. He recalled that it had recently been decided to create the Finland-Ukraine trust fund for energy efficiency projects worth EUR 6 million for four years.

Director for Nuclear Services at Wartsila France Michel Kubbinga stressed the importance of signing the memorandum and added that the company had submitted a tender for the supply of spare parts for its equipment operating at the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant.

opUkraine with its reserves may repeat the success of the United States and become the "Texas of Europe," U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry has said.

He was speaking with representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine in Kyiv on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"But the potential for exploration and production in Ukraine - this is quite a statement from me, but Ukraine would be the Texas of Europe," Perry said.

He said that today the United States is the number-one oil and gas producing country in the world, but, according to geologists, gas reserves in Ukraine may be even higher than in the United States.

"I remind people that a decade ago, they told us that we had found all the fuel - the fossil fuels - in the world. They called it peak oil, remember? The guy traveled the country giving a speech about peak oil. And those resources were always there. But innovation and technology allowed us to be able to access them," Perry said, commenting on the U.S. taking a leading position in hydrocarbon production.

opThe creation of an East European Energy Hub will allow Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania to become energy independent from the Russian Federation.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy said this at a joint press conference with the speakers of Lithuania and Poland in Vilnius, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

"We have discussed joint actions in energy security  they are set out in the final document of the ninth session of the Assembly of Members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and the Sejm and the Senate of the Republic of Poland. In particular, we are talking about the idea of creating a single energy hub and combining our efforts, both combining our power plants and supplying gas, since liquefied gas that is supplied to the Baltics today and gas storage facilities that exist in Ukraine together can create a large complex, which will allow us to achieve energy independence from Russia, Parubiy said.

According to him, this issue was discussed in detail at the level of experts and included in the resolution.

In the future, our government ministries will be instructed to implement these recommendations, the Ukrainian speaker added.

As reported, the ninth meeting of the Ukraine-Poland-Lithuania Inter-Parliamentary Assembly was held in Vilnius on November 12-13.

ishThe Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has confirmed reports that four Ukrainians were killed in a road accident in the Czech Republic.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kateryna Zelenko reported on Twitter that the fifth person injured in the accident is receiving medical assistance.

According to the report, the consul established contact with the relatives of the deceased and is working on issues related to the repatriation of bodies.

A Mercedes van carrying five Ukrainians collided with a truck near the Czech town of Trinec on November 11. According to Zakarpattia Online, the victims were migrant workers from Zakarpattia region - residents of the Vynohradiv and Khust districts.

opUkrainian President Petro Poroshenko believes that the central and local authorities are not working enough on reforms and the awareness campaign, since 70% of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine is moving in the wrong direction.

He said this at an annual meeting of the Regional Development Council in Kyiv on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We could calm down and rest on our laurels only if the high approval ratings of our western partners were shared by the Ukrainian society. But if 70% of people think that the country is moving in the wrong direction, it means that we all together, the authorities and local government agencies, are not working enough," Poroshenko said.

He stressed that most reforms are far-reaching and strategic in nature, when negative and painful aspects are manifested immediately, while positive changes will be seen in a year, two, three or more.

In addition, Poroshenko noted that although economic growth has been restored, but its pace is not sufficient at the moment so that the restoration of living standards could be felt in all regions and social strata, so that Ukrainians cease to be one of the poorest countries in Europe.

At the same time, the head of state stressed that the awareness work of the authorities on reforms "is clearly insufficient."

opOn November 12, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and United States Secretary of Energy Rick Perry launched the U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Energy Dialog, the presidents press service reports.

During the meeting, the launch of the U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Energy Dialogue was announced, which would facilitate closer cooperation between the involved government agencies and companies, reads the report.

Poroshenko emphasized the importance of cooperation with the United States in the field of energy for strengthening Ukraine's energy security. Also, he noted a successful implementation of a number of joint Ukrainian-American projects in the nuclear energy sector, as well as the supply of American coal to Ukraine.

According to the presidents press service, the Head of State confirmed Ukraines interest in attracting modern American technologies and best practices to Ukraine for the effective development of existing oil and gas reserves.

The parties noted the necessity of further counteraction to the Nord Stream 2 project, as well as diversification of sources of energy supply, in particular by expanding the possibilities for the supply of liquefied natural gas from the United States.

iyThe issues of elections in eastern Ukraine are stipulated by the Minsk Agreements and the Constitution of Ukraine, so any other one-sided actions violate both of them.

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the UN SecretaryGeneral, said this at a briefing on Monday, November 12, while commenting on "elections" organized by Russia in the occupied Donbas, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The implementation of the Minsk Agreements, as endorsed by the Security Council, are the basis for the peaceful resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine," he said.

He recalled that Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary di Carlo said at the UN Security Council on October 30 that election-related matters are addressed in the Minsk Agreements as part of a comprehensive package, and they are under consideration in the existing international negotiating mechanisms.

"Any such measures taken outside Ukraine's constitutional and legal framework would, therefore, be incompatible with the Minsk Agreements. We urge all concerned to avoid any unilateral steps that could deepen the divide or depart from the Minsk Agreements," Haq said.

As reported, despite the categorical reaction of the international community, the Russian side organized in the occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine on November 11 the pseudo-elections for the local government agencies of the occupation authorities.

opWashington has described as illegitimate an attempt by Russia to hold the so-called "elections" in Donbas in violation of the Minsk agreements and promised to continue imposing sanctions against Russia.

U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert said this in a press statement on November 12, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The United States joins our European Allies and partners in condemning the November 11 sham 'elections' in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine. Yesterday's illegitimate processes were an attempt by Moscow to institutionalize its Donbas proxies, the so-called 'Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics'," the statement reads.

The Department of State recalled that these entities have no place within the Minsk agreements or within Ukraine's constitutional government, and they should be dismantled along with the illegal armed formations.

"If Russia calculated the November 11 illegal 'elections' would lead to international respect for its proxies, the international reaction proves it was mistaken. The OSCE refused to monitor yesterday's farce. Russia's actions have been denounced in capitals on both sides of the Atlantic and on the floors of the UN Security Council and the OSCE," the statement says.

"The United States and the European Union have spoken with one voice against yesterday's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will continue to impose Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia until Moscow fully implements the Minsk agreements and returns control of Crimea to Ukraine," the Department of State said.

As reported, despite the categorical reaction of the international community, the Russian side organized and held in the occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine on November 11 the pseudo-elections for the local government agencies of the occupation authorities.

opUkraine is concerned about the dangerous escalation near the Gaza Strip, caused by rocket attacks on southern Israel in recent days, which could once again lead to massive armed confrontation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said this in a statement posted on its official website on November 13.

We consider unacceptable missile bombardments of the Israeli territory that threatens the lives of the civilian population. They must be stopped immediately, reads the statement.

The ministry stressed that Ukraine sends its deep condolences over the Israeli citizens killed or wounded in the rocket attacks from the territory of the Gaza Strip.

iyThe number of tourists from Ukraine coming to Austria in 2017 grew by 13.8%, according to Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Austria Oleksandr Scherba.

"Last year there was a 13.8% increase in the volume of tourism from Ukraine. During the winter season 2017-2018, the number of tourists [form Ukraine] grew by 23% compared with the previous winter," he said in an interview with Ukrinform.

The Ambassador told that officially there are about 8,000 Ukrainians in Austria. At the same time, he added that taking into account a huge number of students, graduate students and other Ukrainians who arrive or leave, then there are about 15,000-20,000 Ukrainians in Austria.

iyAs part of an official visit to Croatia, Social Policy Minister of Ukraine Andriy Reva met with Minister of Labor and Social Policy of Croatia Marko Pavic, the Government portal reports.

"Social Policy Minister Andriy Reva, as part of his working visit to the Republic of Croatia, met with his counterpart Marko Pavic, Minister of Labor and Social Policy of the Republic of Croatia. Current issues of international cooperation in the social sphere were discussed, including pension reform, social protection, ensuring rights of workers and labor migration. In particular, the parties agreed to prepare as soon as possible for the signing of agreements between governments of the countries in the field of employment and social security, reads the report.

Also, the Croatian side confirmed its support for the Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty and interest in further cooperation.

As reported, Social Policy Minister Andriy Reva is on an official visit to the Republic of Croatia until November 13.

iyIt is time for Europe to wake up to an emerging threat on its eastern flank.

Russia is actively sponsoring Europe's right-wing and populist movements, creating across the EU a network of allies sympathetic to Russia.

Moscow's main goal is to create new regions of instability along the EU's borders, and to split EU unity on the policy of maintaining sanctions against Russia.

A key strategic target for Russian sponsored actions is Hungary. Europe's leaders appear to be blind to what is happening, and are failing to recognize the potential threat to civilized democracy.

Viktor Orban, the Hungarian conservative, together with Italian and Czech populists, are campaigning to lift sanctions imposed against Russia for military aggression in Ukraine.

But this is only part of the unfolding hybrid war tactics being employed by Russia against the West.

Hungarian right-wing radical organizations are being funded by Russia to aggressively campaign against Nato and the EU and to spawn confrontation with Ukraine.

The Russian Special Services are actively working with organizations like the New Hungarian Guard (UJ Magyar Garda), the Sixty-Four Counties Youth Movement (Hatvannegy Varmegye Ifjusagi Mazgalom), the Army of Lads (Betyarsereg) the Hungarian Self-Defense Movement (Magyar Onvedelmi Mozgalom), and the Wolves (Farkasok).

They organize military training of the organizations' members, often with the involvement of Russian troops or Russian military diplomats as instructors.

They employ activists from these bodies to organize demonstrations in favor of Russian interests, such as stirring up ethnic conflict in Zakarpattia in Ukraine.

They also draw on their membership as recruitment material for military operations, such as the Russian-led aggression in eastern Ukraine, where they take part in hostilities on the side of pro-Russian militants, with the aim of "blood-binding" them and building Slavic solidarity.

Propaganda messages are distributed through the online news portal hidfo.ru, which is the key communication resource of the pro-Russian forces in Hungary.

It publishes disinformation reports coming from Russia which are then spun across social media networks.

Russian grooming

One of the main objectives of the current disinformation campaign is to ideologically mould members of extremist organizations to believe that the Russian annexation of Crimea sets a precedent for Hungary to regain its territories, primarily Zakarpattia in Ukraine.

Russian policy in the region aims to question the existing state borders and to spark territorial conflicts with a view to creating instability.

In parallel, actions are being undertaken to promote Hungarian separatist movements in the neighboring countries of Ukraine and Romania.

Much of the funding for such activities comes from oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin such as Konstantin Malofeev, who has business interests in Hungary.

An important element of Russia's Hungary strategy is to locate in Hungary the EU center of the pro-Kremlin right-wing "International Movement".

For example, events organized by the Hungarian right-wing attract participation from pro-Russian extremists from Great Britain (in particular, Jim Dowson of the Knights Templar International) and Nick Griffin of the National Front.

Confirming the trend, the "Wolf" International Centre for Combat and Special Training held exercises for local activists of paramilitary organizations near Budapest in August.

The head of the Wolf Centre is a Russian national, Denis Ryauzov, who previously served in Russian special operations and is on a US Treasury sanctions list.

The Hungarian leadership, which once so actively fought against the Soviets, now advocates modern Russia's policies against the West.

Zakarpattia

But Orban is not just working to weaken unity in the EU, he is actively trying to reunite Budapest with territories that formerly belonged to Hungary, such as Zakarpattia in Ukraine, where 150,000 ethnic Hungarians make up just under 10 percent of the region's population.

The current spat between Budapest and Kyiv over the Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia began in 2017, starting at first from a disagreement on legislation on languages and education, but then spiralling into Hungarian opposition to Ukraine's meetings with Nato and the issue of threats to block Ukraine's European integration process under their Association Agreement with the EU.

Hungary has also provoked Ukrainian irritation by issuing passports to Ukrainian nationals from the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine, where dual citizenship is not allowed.

This is exactly the sort of smoldering border crisis that Moscow would like to actively foment, which could directly threaten not only the national and territorial interests of Romania and Ukraine, but also the stability of Europe's eastern flank.

The situation is becoming more tense and there is a danger that relations could deteriorate to the point where a conflict might be provoked, which could escalate and spin out of control unless the European Union intervenes now to take serious action to fix the situation.

James Wilson, Brussels

James Wilson is the founding director of the EU-Ukraine Business CouncilUkraine's High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) has held a Skype conference with candidates for the Public Council of International Experts (PCIE) that will take part in the process of selecting judges to the High Anti-Corruption Court.

"The interview-acquaintance is a practical step needed for the selection of six candidates from among best-qualified experts proposed by international organizations for the Public Council of International Experts," the HQCJ's press service quoted HQCJ Chairman Serhiy Kozyakov as saying.

According to the press service, the Skype conference with candidates was held at the premises of the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine with the support of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine (EUACI) and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO).

During October 18-19, HQCJ members familiarized themselves with the previous and current experience of candidates for positions of judges, lawyers and prosecutors in different countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Lithuania, Guatemala, and Macedonia.

The report notes that many candidates have work experience in the field of law and personally participated in anti-corruption projects.

The HQCJ recalled that in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On the High Anti-Corruption Court," the criteria for selecting candidates for the PCIE are impeccable business reputation, high professional and moral qualities, public authority, relevant work experience in other countries on the implementation of procedural guidance, the maintenance of state prosecution in court or the conduct of legal proceedings related to corruption.

The purpose of creating the PCIE is to assist the commission in conducting a competition to the High Anti-Corruption Court through the evaluation of candidates' integrity. The term of office of the composition of the Public Council of International Experts will be two years.

The HQCJ received from five international organizations a list of 12 candidates for the Public Council of International Experts, which will facilitate the selection of judges to the High Anti-Corruption Court. The HQCJ has to select six candidates.President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko is ready for a dialogue with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko is ready for a dialogue. The doors of the Ukrainian House remain open, the Presidential Administration's press service told Ukrinform.

A few weeks ago, the president initiated a meeting with all the hierarchs of the UOC-MP, inviting them to the Ukrainian House so that they hear firsthand information about his talks with the Ecumenical Patriarch, about the agreement between Ukraine and the Constantinople Patriarchate and about the readiness of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to contribute to the Unification Council.

However, most of the hierarchs of the UOC (MP) did not agree with the venue for the meeting.

"Neither the ultimatum demands nor the holding of a meeting of the Synod under the scenario sent probably from Moscow could disrupt the process of creating the Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church. This process is supported by an absolute majority of Ukrainian citizens. Therefore, to go against the will of own people is a dead-end road," the report reads.

ishIt is noted that "prime minister" Alexander Ananchenko will gain control over finances.

It was Russian president's aide Vladislav Surkov who most needed the so-called elections in the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic.

The man plans who plans to make sure a terrorist leader completely loyal to him, that is Denis Pushilin, sticks strongly to his post: Surkov needs Pushilin as a guarantor of [his personal] control over the territory. [With Pushilin's arrival], Vladislav Surkov and Dmitry Kozak gained real control over the economic and political life of the 'DPR'," reads a report by Novaya Gazeta.

The publication notes that all exim operations will be carried out by Vneshtorgservice, a company registered in South Ossetia.

During the rule of Alexander Zakharchenko and "Tashkent," Vneshtorgservice supervised deliveries of steel products, while Ugol Donbassa trading house, controlled by "Tashkent," dealt with coal deliveries.

Read alsoPeople in Donbas received texts with threats during pseudo-elex Nov 11  Ukraine intel

Now financial flows in the region will go entirely under Vneshtorservise's control.

At the same time, Pushilin will not be managing anything in particular. "Prime minister" of DPRAlexander Ananchenko, the man appointed by Pushilin on the instructions of his curators, will have real power and control over finances, according to the report.

Former high-ranking terrorist Alexander Khodakovsky says Ananchenko previously "worked in one of the largest Russian corporations with interests in Siberia and an office in Moscow," which is engaged in the extraction of natural resources.

Khodakovsky described Ananchenko as an economist with a wealth of experience.

Read alsoKremlin congratulates "DPR/LPR" leaders on victory in pseudo-elections

As UNIAN reported earlier, on November 11, sham elections" were held in the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR of heads of people's republics and deputies of people's councils.

The international community has condemned the pseudo-elections.

The European Union, the United States, and Japan said that holding elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine was a violation of the Minsk agreements.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said that the fake "elections" in Donbas would not be recognized by any civilized state, while Russia would bear responsibility for holding them.The foreign minister called the occupied Donbas, where the Russian Federation held a pseudo-election on November 11, a Russian colony.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin, emphasizes that part of Donbas occupied by Russia cannot be artificially implanted into a democratic Ukraine.

An occupied Donbass, as a Russian colony, cannot be artificially implanted into a civilized and democratic Ukraine. We can discuss transitional periods, different approaches and modalities, but not this fundamental principle. Ukraine will have a free Ukrainian European Donbas! Klimkin tweeted Monday.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on November 11, sham elections" were held in the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR of heads of people's republics and deputies of people's councils. The international community has condemned the pseudo-elections.

Read also"DPR" pseudo-elections held in Vladislav Surkov's interests - media

The European Union, the United States, and Japan said that holding elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine was a violation of the Minsk agreements. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said that the fake "elections" in Donbas would not be recognized by any civilized state, while Russia would bear responsibility for holding them.

On Monday, the U.S. State Department threatened Russian authorities with new sanctions over the pseudo-elections in Donbas. Also, Washington noted that the puppet formations "DPR" and "LPR" as well as armed militant groups must be disbanded.

Read alsoMost of OSCE members at Permanent Council condemn fake 'elections' in Donbas

The UK condemned the pseudo-elections and called on the Russian Federation to withdraw its troops from Donbas. British diplomats are convinced that the illegal pseudo-elections held on November 11 undermine efforts to resolve the situation in Donbas.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the so-called elections in the occupied Donbas as illegal and illegitimate.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (Georgia) says that the "elections" held in Russian-occupied Donbas in eastern Ukraine on November 11 were "unlawful and provocative."The president notes that while the discussion will not be easy, Ukraine does need the changes to the Constitution regarding the Crimean Tatar people.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in a letter to Kurultay, the highest representative body of Crimean Tatars, said that in the near future the Constitutional Commission will consider the draft amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine regarding the status of Crimea and submit them to the president.

According to Krym.Realii, this is stated in Poroshenko's letter delivered to the delegates of Kurultay, who attend their Kyiv conference on November 12.

It is noted that the letter was read out by the chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, MP Refat Chubarov. We all understand that the discussion will not be easy, but changes to the Constitution regarding the Crimean Tatar people are necessary for Ukraine, Poroshenko wrote.

According to the message, in the letter, the president also expressed his gratitude to those delegates who were not afraid to come to the conference in Kyiv from the occupied territory of Crimea.

Read alsoKremlin resettles to Crimea 108,000 Russian nationals to change demographics  Yelchenko

"Many of you came to the conference from Crimea. I am aware that the occupiers deliberately create a situation where it is already a criminal offense to be a Crimean Tatar in today's realities of the peninsula. Having anything to do with the representative bodies of the Crimean Tatar people is even more so. After so many years of exile, having returned to your Homeland, your people managed to revive the functioning of their representative bodies, and now the aggressor is trying, by "suppressing" national institutions, to deprive you of what the Crimean Tatar people paid a high price for. However, I think, Russia has not yet realized the utopia of its actions. There is no doubt that, apart from the Ukrainian people, the Crimean Tatar people are supported by the international community," the letter of the Ukrainian president reads.

Emine Dzheppar, First Deputy Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine, explained that the Crimean Tatar autonomy "has no relation to separatism," and its creation is the right of the indigenous people that is defined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which Ukraine joined in 2014.

A conference of the delegates of Kurultay of the VI convocation is being held in Kyiv. More than 200 participants are attending the event.

The first Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people was elected in November 1917. December 9-1, 1917, it functioned as a national constituent assembly, where the Basic Crimean Tatar laws were adopted.

Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people resumed its work in 1991 in the process of the return of the indigenous people to Crimea. In Ukraine, it is recognized as the highest representative body of the Crimean Tatars.

As UNIAN reported, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in 2016 declared the need to begin the process of amending and supplementing section X of the Constitution "Autonomous Republic of Crimea."Such actions of individual "politicians" deserve serious condemnation and proper reaction to prevent them from repeating themselves.

Ambassador of Ukraine to Hungary Liubov Nepop has called on Budapest to respond to the participation of Samu Tamas Gergo, a member of the Hungarian Jobbik party, as an "observer" at the pseudo-elections Russia has organized in the occupied part of Donbas, eastern Ukraine.

"We highly appreciate Hungary's support in the matter of restoring territorial integrity and peace in Ukraine. Such actions of individual 'politicians' deserve serious condemnation and proper reaction to prevent them from repeating themselves," Nepop wrote on Facebook.

The ambassador noted that "such behavior in pursuit of popularity, forgetting about the almost daily losses from the ongoing Russian aggression among Ukrainian citizens, including ethnic Hungarians, not only violates Ukrainian laws and international legal norms but is also simply deeply immoral."

Read alsoHungary changes controversial name of "Zakarpattia envoy" position

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Russian-puppet "DPR" and "LPR" on November 11 held sham "elections" of the so-called "heads of people's republics" and "deputies of people's councils."

The international community has condemned the pseudo-vote.

The European Union, the United States, and Japan declared that the holding of "elections" in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine was a violation of the Minsk agreements.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed that the fake "elections" in Donbas would not be recognized either by Ukraine or by the international community.Putin sought to humiliate Europe, showing that the Normandy format yields no results, the official believes.

Ex-head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration Pavlo Zhebrivsky has said by organizing "elections" in the occupied territories of Donbas, Russia sent a signal that Vladimir Putin would talk only with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Why was Russia in such a rush to hold elections in Donetsk and Luhansk regions? First, to humiliate Europe and to show that the Normandy talks, involving [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel and [French President Emmanuel] Macron, yield no results. Russia wanted to show that Putin would only talk with Trump. Perhaps, even with the Chinese, but on other issues," he told ZIK TV channel.

According to Zhebrivsky, another reason for holding "elections" was Moscow's desire to bring occupation forces to the negotiating table, the idea which Putin had earlier voiced via his Ukraine crony, Viktor Medvedchuk.

Read alsoMFA Ukraine demands reaction from Budapest as member of Hungarian party visits Donbas as "elex observer"

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Russian-puppet "DPR" and "LPR" on November 11 held sham "elections" of the so-called "heads of people's republics" and "deputies of people's councils."

The international community has condemned the pseudo-vote.

The European Union, the United States, and Japan declared that the holding of "elections" in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine was a violation of the Minsk agreements.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed that the fake "elections" in Donbas would not be recognized either by Ukraine or by the international community.The EU considers these "elections" null and void.

The European Union has strongly condemned the so-called "elections" carried out by Russia in the occupied territories of Donbas.

"At special OSCE Permanent Council meeting today EU strongly condemns so-called 'elections' carried out on 11 November by Russia - backed armed formations - brazen violation of intl & Ukrainian law & Minsk agreements. We consider them null & void," the EU Permanent Representation to the OSCE wrote on Twitter.

"Complete implementation of the Minsk agreements remains key to reaching a lasting peaceful solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine," it said.

Read also"DPR" pseudo-elections held in Vladislav Surkov's interests - media

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Russian-puppet "DPR" and "LPR" on November 11 held sham "elections" of the so-called "heads of people's republics" and "deputies of people's councils."

The international community has condemned the pseudo-vote.

The European Union, the United States, and Japan declared that the holding of "elections" in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine was a violation of the Minsk agreements.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed that the fake "elections" in Donbas would not be recognized either by Ukraine or by the international community.Ukraine needs reforms everywhere, to change its "society a little bit," according to the official.

Ukraine recently affirmed its EU and NATO membership aspirations by introducing amendments to the constitution. And while the prospect of Ukraine joining the EU is especially unclear, the situation is slightly different, according to the new President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Rasa Jukneviciene.

Of course it's realistic. Maybe not next year, I don't know when it will happen, but it's realistic, Jukneviciene told Hromadske International.

NATO accepted Ukraines NATO aspirations at the 2008 summit in Bucharest. Since then, the Alliance has had an open-door policy regarding Ukraine. However, if Ukraine is to achieve its NATO membership ambitions, then further reform progress is needed.

You need reforms, not only because of membership in NATO, reforms in defense, reforms in security, reforms everywhere, to change your society a little bit, Jukneviciene adds.

Read alsoTurchynov, NATO PA President discuss strategy to counter Russia's aggression in Azov-Black Sea region

Although NATO membership may still be a distant goal for Ukraine, it has already begun participating in the alliances Parliamentary Assembly, which is an important part of the NATO structure. It involves delegates from NATO member states, as well as partner states, including Ukraine.

Jukneviciene believes that this in itself is a positive step towards NATO membership. According to her, the current Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly, led by Ukrainian MP Iryna Friz, are totally different from previous delegations, adding that many [NATO] delegations accept them as the image of Ukraine.

The Ukrainians will have a special opportunity to help try and convince NATO member states of its candidacy for membership in 2020, when a Parliamentary Assembly session will be held in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

The official added that "we need more to do inside NATO and the European Union to have more common strategy on Russia."The initiative of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine The Righteous People of My City has been supported in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and naming the streets in honor of the Righteous Among the Nations has been planned by the city and village councils throughout the region. This has been shared in the Facebook by the President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine Boris Lozhkin.

The title of the Righteous Among the Nations is awarded to those persons who saved Jews during the Nazi occupation of Europe, risking their own lives.

In particular, in the village Sholokhovo, Dnipropetrovsk region, a street was named in honor of a local resident, Maria Tykva, who had been hiding a Jewish boy Leonid Dinkevich from the invaders, and one of the streets of the village Lyubymivka, received the name of Zinaida Zbarakh, who also saved the life of a 12-year-old boy Leonid Taslitskiy, by arranging for him a secret room in the basement, where he spent the entire time of the occupation.

Maria and Lionia spent the entire period of the occupation at her parents house, occasionally forcedly sharing the home with the invaders. They were repeatedly interrogated. The girl managed to convince the Germans that little Dinkevich was an orphaned Pole, her adopted son. Leonid Dinkevich kept close ties with her throughout the post-war years and cared for his savior in the old age, Boris Lozhkin told the story of the heroine Maria Tykva.

The story of Zinaida Zbarakh is no less heroic. In January 1942, a 12-year-old boy Leonid Taslitskiy, the son of her friends from Dnipropetrovsk, turned to her in search of refuge.

The boy said that he had lost his entire family during the air raid on the Dnipropetrovsk railway station. He was arrested, but during the escort to the place of execution managed to run away. Zinaida arranged a secret room for Leonid in the basement, where he spent the entire time of the occupation. In 1943, after the liberation of Dnipropetrovsk, Zinaida took the boy to his home. Later, Leonid Taslitskiy and his family immigrated to the United States. They have been keeping ties with Zinaida Zbarakh for many years, informed Lozhkin.

Both women have been recognized as the Righteous by the Israels Yad Vashem National Memorial of the Holocaust and Heroism.

Their stories take an honorable place in the memorial. Unfortunately, almost nothing is known about their heroism in Ukraine, as well as about the heroism of thousands of people who risked their own lives to save the others. We strive to correct this injustice. The Jewish Confederation of Ukraine will keep on working on perpetuating the memory of the Ukrainian heroes, stressed Lozhkin.

Kharkiv City Council is reported to have approved the decision about naming a new street after Alexandra Belova  the recognized Righteous Among the Nations. Thus, Kharkiv became the first city to join the initiative of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine.The European Union and the United States of America, in particular, the U.S. Congress, have already raised the issue of a new package of anti-Russian sanctions for organizing and holding by Moscow of illegal elections in the occupied territories of Donbas. That is, the initiative to punish Russia has already been voiced and is now being discussed. Therefore, I don't rule out that the new anti-Russian sanctions package will indeed come to light.

However, we should not overestimate the value and effectiveness of this new set because Russia still has a certain safety cushion. Despite the fact that sanctions do work, they are unable to totally destroy Russian economy because of the limited tools.

However, of course, sanctions create an uncomfortable situation for Russia's political elite. After all, the primary counter-requirement Russians put forward in talks with Europeans and in personal discussions between diplomats is the request to remove personal sanctions from a wide number of Russian representatives. So, in fact, Russians are very concerned about those personal sanctions. They find important for the international community to stop paying attention to and doing financial monitoring of Russian transactions in European and American banks. It also is important for them to remain connected to SWIFT.

The pressure on the Russian elite will keep growing, and they will have less space for retreat and opportunities for maneuver

In addition, Russia is losing its ability to attract investments, receive support or financing for their dual-use projects, and so on.

That is, for Russia, sanctions remain a significant instrument of pressure and coercion to a certain negotiating position. At the moment though there is no political will and there is the Kremlin's reluctance to take into account the interests of those who suffered from these sanctions. But over time, I believe the pressure on the Russian elite will keep growing, and they will have less space for retreat and opportunities for maneuver.

What kind of sanctions could be imposed over the "elections" in the occupied parts of Donbas? These should be personal sanctions against those who participated in organizing the voting process in the so-called "DPR" and "LPR": curators, commanders of military units, "political technologists," and Russian security agencies that ensured "public order."

Assets of Ukrainians who participated in the organization of the "election process" in the occupied Donbas should be blocked both in Ukraine and worldwide  "ground must burn under their feet"

And it's not only those persons, but also Ukrainian nationals directly involved in organizing the "election process" in the war-torn occupied territories, who must be included in the sanctions list. The SBU security service says that some 6,500 people have already been identified who were somehow involved in the elections' organization. These are members of "election commissions," organizers of the very electoral action, and others. In relation to them, court rulings should be handed down in absentia, designating them as criminal suspects, and they should be declared wanted persons  in Ukraine and internationally  as those who committed a grave crime against the Ukrainian State. The assets of these people should be blocked both in Ukraine and worldwide  "ground must burn under their feet."

Vitaly Kulik is a head of the Center for Civil Society StudiesThe president proposes meeting at the Ukrainian House.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he is still ready to meet with archbishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) despite the failure of a Tuesday meeting over the venue and invites the churchmen to the "Ukrainian House" International Convention Center.

"Consistently defending the unity of Ukraine, striving for the unity of the Ukrainian Church, the President of Ukraine initiated a meeting with all the archbishops of the UOC-MP a few weeks ago, inviting them to the Ukrainian House," Poroshenko's Press Secretary Svyatoslav Tsegolko wrote on Facebook on November 13.

"The president invited the UOC-MP leaders for a dialogue so that they hear first-hand information on his talks with the Ecumenical Patriarch, the agreement between Ukraine and the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the readiness of the Ecumenical See to facilitate the conduct of a unification council," Tsegolko said in a statement on behalf of the Presidential Administration's press service.

"But those who do not want a result are looking for a reason to refuse. Which is what most of the UOC-MP archbishop did by starting to look for explanations not to come for the meeting, supposedly because the venue was not right," the statement said.

Read alsoUkraine Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate not to partake in creation of autocephalous church

"Neither the language of ultimatums, nor the Synod [council] meeting held according to a scenario sent, probably, from Moscow, can derail the process of creating a local Orthodox church in Ukraine. This process is supported by the absolute majority of our country's citizens. So going against the will of our own people is obviously a path to nowhere," it said.

"The president of Ukraine is ready for a dialogue. The doors of the Ukrainian House remain open," the president's statement concluded.

Instead of meeting with Poroshenko at the Ukrainian House at 14:00 Kyiv time on November 13, the UOC-MP leaders gathered at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Monastery for a council to announce they do not recognize a decision by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to continue the process of granting autocephaly to the church in Ukraine. They also declared they were going to sever Eucharistic communion with Constantinople. Besides, the UOC-MP clergy announced their church would not take part in the creation of a new, autocephalous church in Ukraine.

Earlier on Tuesday the UOC-MP bishops' council said they were ready for a meeting with Poroshenko, but only on the church's grounds.

"The archbishops' council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church confirms readiness for a meeting with the President of Ukraine, but on the church's grounds," the council said.The Russian-backed clergy wanted to meet with Poroshenko "on the church's grounds."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has eventually met with three bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) on Tuesday.

The meeting took place in the Ukrainian House in Kyiv, the TV news service TSN has reported, citing own sources.

The religious news portal Religion Pravda reported that three UOC-MP bishops had arrived to meet with the president. These were Metropolitan of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky and Vishnevsky Oleksandr (Drabinko), Metropolitan of Vinnitsa and Barsky Simeon, and Archbishop of Nova Kakhovka and Henichesk Philaret.

No other details have been disclosed.

The meeting between Poroshenko and UOC-MP leaders was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

"The president invited the UOC-MP leaders for a dialogue so that they hear first-hand information on his talks with the Ecumenical Patriarch, the agreement between Ukraine and the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the readiness of the Ecumenical See to facilitate the conduct of a unification council," the Presidential Administration's press service commented on November 13.

The venue of the meeting was originally planned to be the Ukrainian House in Kyiv, but instead of meeting with Poroshenko there at 14:00 Kyiv time on November 13, the UOC-MP leaders gathered at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Monastery for a council to announce they do not recognize a decision by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to continue the process of granting autocephaly to the church in Ukraine.

Read alsoMoscow Patriarchate's Ukrainian Orthodox Church severs Eucharistic communion with Constantinople

The Russian-backed clergy said their church would not take part in the creation of a new, autocephalous church in Ukraine. They also declared they were going to sever Eucharistic communion with Constantinople.

In addition, they said they were ready for a meeting with Poroshenko, but only "on the church's grounds," inviting him to the Lavra. The Ukrainian president said in turn that he was ready for dialogue. "The doors of the Ukrainian House remain open," the president's press service said.The command of the military unit immediately boosted security measures at the site and inspected the technical area for any alien objects.

A signal of an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was recorded near the military arsenal in Kirovohrad region on Monday, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"Yesterday, November 12, a signal of an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle was recorded by means of electronic warfare near one of the military arsenals in Kirovohrad region," the press service wrote on Facebook.

The General Staff noted the command of the military unit had immediately boosted security measures at the site and inspected the technical area for any alien objects.

Read alsoAnti-sabotage drills: Ukrainian spec-op troops penetrated country's biggest ammo depots - journalist

The SBU Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police in Kirovohrad region have been notified.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on the night of October 9, a series of explosions caused a massive fire at the ammo depot near Ichnya, Chernihiv region. More than 12,500 people were evacuated in the area and a no-fly zone was established.

The fire was fully put out only on October 24.According to the religious scholar, the liberation of Ukraine from the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate will actually introduce a redistribution of world Orthodoxy.

Leading researcher at the Department of Religious Studies of the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Oleksandr Sagan has said the war in Donbas was a result of the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv, he said the development of a local Orthodox church in Ukraine was "in fact a condition for the country's survival today."

"The problem of educating people is superimposed on the problem of the annexation of Crimea, the war in Donbas. We see who educated them, what kind of Orthodox armies are running in Donbas, what ideas prevail there today. These are the ideas of the so-called 'Russian world' that came to Ukraine through the church," he said, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

The religious scholar believes that Orthodoxy by the Moscow Patriarchate is away from the ideal of the very Orthodoxy, degenerating into political Orthodoxy. It is now beginning to dominate not only in the territory of the Russian Federation, but also in Ukraine. This is a big problem since today the Moscow Patriarchate is beginning to drift from world Orthodoxy," he stressed.

Read alsoPatriarch Bartholomew calls on Russia to accept Ukrainians' right to autocephaly

According to Sagan, the Ukrainian Orthodoxy has a chance to break out of this political Orthodoxy and join world Orthodoxy, which, in turn, has received another chance to be reborn through the tomos on autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church.

According to the religious scholar, the liberation of Ukraine from the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate will actually introduce a redistribution of world Orthodoxy. "We expect that Ukrainian Orthodoxy will change at the ecclesiological, organizational, institutional and other levels," he added.

According to Sagan, "the Ukrainian mentality is often lost under the pressure of not only Russian TV, Russian movies, but also church media: sermons in churches, upbringing of children and young people. What do they teach in Sunday schools in churches of the Moscow Patriarchate? They teach us to love Russia, and then we wonder why some of our fellow Ukrainians took up arms to fight against Ukraine  because there is supposedly no such country as they have been told since their early age in churches that this is a 'random political education' that claims to be some kind of 'artificial' language."

Read also"Ban" on Filaret's participation in bidding for top church post Russia's fake news  Kyiv Patriarchate

As UNIAN reported earlier, on October 11, following a meeting of the Synod, a decision was announced, 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 Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) Filaret and head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) Makariy were reinstated in their canonical status.

On October 12, the UOC-KP urged the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) to prepare for a special unification council.The council of UOC-MP bishops gathered on November 13.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) will not take part in the creation of a new, autocephalous church in Ukraine, as the council of UOC-MP bishops considers that granting the so-called tomos of autocephaly is artificial and forced from outside.

"The council of bishops declares that the process of granting the so-called tomos of autocephaly is artificial, forced from outside, does not reflect the church's internal demand, will not bring real church unity and will only exacerbate the divide and feuds between [groups of] the Ukrainian nation," the UOC-MP council said in a statement on Tuesday, November 13.

Read alsoReligious scholar accuses Moscow Patriarchate of outbreak of war in Donbas

"In this situation, we consider it impossible for the episcopate, the clergy and laypeople of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to join these processes," it said.

The Moscow Patriarchate considers it is "unacceptable for the [Ecumenical] Patriarchate of Constantinople to unlawfully interfere with the internal affairs of another local church and to try to resolve the Ukrainian church question with the involvement of the government and those taking part in the [Orthodox] schism, ignoring the voice of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church."

The UOC-MP bishops declare that UOC-MP members' appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarch "not to legitimize the split under the pretext of creating autocephaly was left without attention."

On November 3, Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and President Poroshenko signed a cooperation agreement. The Ukrainian president emphasizes that the process of creating an autocephalous (independent) church is being finalized, all conditions have been created for preparing for a local council, so that the tomos, a document granting autocephaly to the local Orthodox church in Ukraine, could be provided in accordance with the canons of the church.The Moscow Patriarchate claims the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople misinterprets Orthodox canon law.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) has announced it does not recognize a decision by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to continue the process of granting autocephaly to the church in Ukraine and is going to sever Eucharistic communion with Constantinople.

"The council of bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church believes that the Patriarchate of Constantinople Holy Synod's decisions of October 11, 2018, regarding the Ukrainian church issue, are null and void and have no canonical force," the UOC-MP council said in a statement on Tuesday, November 13.

Read alsoUkraine Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate not to partake in creation of autocephalous church

The UOC-MP concluded that the decision to establish the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on Ukrainian territory is "the result of speculative interpretation of the church's history."

"The decision to lift anathema and other church bans from the leaders of the schism [heads of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate Filaret and of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Makariy] and recognition of the pseudo-consecration they have committed during their stay in the schism is a result of a distorted interpretation of Orthodox canon law. The history of the Orthodox Church does not know of cases of overcoming the schism through its simple legalization," the statement said.

"By taking such counter-canonical decisions and officially recognizing the schismatics, the Patriarchate of Constantinople, according to the rules of the church, itself embarked on the path of schism. In view of this, Eucharistic communion between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Patriarchate of Constantinople is currently impossible and being severed," the UOC-MP said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, it was announced after the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople that the procedure of granting Ukraine autocephaly would continue. What is more, the 1686 Synod letter after which the Kyiv metropolitan was put under Moscow's jurisdiction was cancelled and the canonical status of Filaret and Makariy was reinstated.One drone was attacked in the Russian-occupied territory, the other incident happened in a government-controlled area.

Two mini-unmanned aerial vehicles of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine on November 10-11 came under fire opened from small arms in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.

"Two SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicles came under small-arms fire in Kadiivka and Novotoshkivske," the OSCE SMM said in its update based on information received as of 19:30 local time on November 11, 2018.

Read alsoOSCE spots amassing of heavy weapons at five training areas in occupied Donbas

"On November 10, while flying a mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over a military-type compound near Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov, non-government-controlled, 50km west of Luhansk), about 2km south-east of the SMM's position, the SMM heard about 20 shots and bursts of small-arms fire, assessed as aimed at the mini-UAV," it said.

"On November 11, while flying a mini-UAV near Novotoshkivske (government-controlled, 53km west of Luhansk), about 50m south-east of the SMM's position and at an altitude of 120m, the SMM heard a shot of small-arms fire originating from 30-50m south-west, assessed as aimed at the UAV. The SMM had seen at least three armed Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel at a checkpoint 20-30m south-west of the SMM's position and had launched the UAV in view of the checkpoint," it said.One enemy fighter was killed and another two were wounded, intelligence reports say.

Russia's hybrid military forces mounted nine attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as wounded in action (WIA).

"One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in the past day. According to intelligence reports, one occupier was killed and another two were wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update published on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on November 13, 2018.

Read alsoJFO: Ukraine reports seven enemy attacks in Donbas in past 24 hours

The Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire from grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns and small arms at the defenders of the towns of Zolote and Krasnohorivka, and the villages of Troyitske, Verkhniotoretske, Stepne, Berezove, and Vodiane.

The enemy also resorted to firing 82mm mortars on the Ukrainian fortified positions near the villages of Troyitske and Vilniy.

"Since Tuesday midnight, Russian-led forces haven't attacked the Ukrainian positions yet," the report said.Dozens of incoming projectiles were shot down by the Iron Dome air defense system.

The Israel Defense Forces have reported that the number of rockets fired by the Palestinian side at Israel in the past five hours has climbed to 300.

The Israeli military says some 300 rockets and mortar shells have been fired by Palestine's Hamas in the Gaza Strip at southern Israel, making today's barrage the largest attack from the coastal enclave since the 2014 Gaza war, The Times of Israel, an Israeli-based online newspaper, has reported.

RAW FOOTAGE: The skies of southern Israel RIGHT NOW. Dozens of rockets are being fired from #Gaza at Israeli civilians. pic.twitter.com/Iu6QwzUo8l  Israel Defense Forces (@IDFSpokesperson) November 12, 2018

The military says dozens of incoming projectiles were shot down by the Iron Dome air defense system.

A number of rockets struck homes in cities and towns throughout southern Israel, but most of the projectiles landed in open areas, the army says.

A spokesman for the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon says doctors at the hospital are currently treating 20 Israelis after a rocket hit the city earlier this evening.

Thirteen of the victims suffer from post traumatic stress and seven suffer from injuries caused by shrapnel.

Israel came under a heavy barrage of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip on Monday, a day after a flare-up in which an Israeli officer and seven Palestinians were killed, according to Israel's Haaretz.The deployment of new Russian missiles is putting the historic treaty in jeopardy.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that the deployment of new Russian SSC-8 missiles puts the historic Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty in jeopardy.

In a speech on Monday, he called on Russia to ensure full compliance with the treaty but at the same time repeated NATO's pledge not to deploy more nuclear weapons to Europe in case the pact between Washington and Moscow collapses, according to Defense News.

Stoltenberg's call on Russia comes after the Trump administration itself has said it wants to abandon the landmark 1987 arms-control agreement. The White House has yet to formally take that step, leaving European allies hoping the deal can still be salvaged.

Read alsoRare NATO-Russia talks address military drills, 1987 missile treaty - Reuters

Even under President Obama, U.S. officials said Russia was violating the terms, which ban conventional and nuclear missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Following Washington's recent announcement to abandon the treaty, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Russia would respond "in kind" if new U.S. nuclear missiles were to be placed in Europe. He added that any European countries hosting U.S. missiles would be at risk of Russian strikes.

With the INF treaty on its way out, the question becomes what else goes with it.

Speaking in Berlin, Stoltenberg today put the ball in Moscow's court. The deployment of new Russian missiles is putting this historic treaty in jeopardy, he said.

Read alsoFinnish PM: Russia possibly behind GPS jamming during NATO exercise

"For years, Russia has developed, produced, tested and fielded a new missile system, the SSC-8. These missiles are mobile. They are hard to detect.They can be nuclear-armed. They reduce warning time to minutes. They lower the threshold for nuclear conflict. And they can reach European cities like Berlin, he said.

Stoltenberg said that after years of denials, Russia had now acknowledged the existence of a new missile system. The new Russian missile system poses a serious risk to the strategic stability of the Euro-Atlantic area.

But, he added, NATO has no intention to deploy new nuclear missiles in Europe, but as an alliance we are committed to the safety and the security of all allies. We must not allow arms control treaties to be violated with impunity because that undermines the trust in arms control in general.It is time for Europe to wake up to an emerging threat on its eastern flank.

Russia is actively sponsoring Europe's right-wing and populist movements, creating across the EU a network of allies sympathetic to Russia.

Moscow's main goal is to create new regions of instability along the EU's borders, and to split EU unity on the policy of maintaining sanctions against Russia, James Wilson, the founding director of the EU-Ukraine Business Council, wrote for the EUObserver.

A key strategic target for Russian sponsored actions is Hungary. Europe's leaders appear to be blind to what is happening, and are failing to recognize the potential threat to civilized democracy.

Viktor Orban, the Hungarian conservative, together with Italian and Czech populists, are campaigning to lift sanctions imposed against Russia for military aggression in Ukraine. But this is only part of the unfolding hybrid war tactics being employed by Russia against the West.

Read alsoSituation with Ukraine "significantly worsened," Hungarian FM tells NATO chief

Hungarian right-wing radical organizations are being funded by Russia to aggressively campaign against NATO and the EU and to spawn confrontation with Ukraine.

The Russian intelligence community is actively working with organizations like the New Hungarian Guard (UJ Magyar Garda), the Sixty-Four Counties Youth Movement (Hatvannegy Varmegye Ifjusagi Mazgalom), the Army of Lads (Betyarsereg) the Hungarian Self-Defense Movement (Magyar Onvedelmi Mozgalom), and the Wolves (Farkasok).

They organize military training of the organizations' members, often with the involvement of Russian troops or Russian military diplomats as instructors. They employ activists from these bodies to organize demonstrations in favor of Russian interests, such as stirring up ethnic conflict in Zakarpattia in Ukraine.

They also draw on their membership as recruitment material for military operations, such as the Russian-led aggression in eastern Ukraine, where they take part in hostilities on the side of pro-Russian militants, with the aim of "blood-binding" them and building "Slavic solidarity."

Propaganda messages are distributed through the online news portal hidfo.ru, which is the key communication resource of the pro-Russian forces in Hungary. It publishes disinformation reports coming from Russia which are then spun across social media networks.

One of the main objectives of the current disinformation campaign is to ideologically mould members of extremist organizations to believe that the Russian annexation of Crimea sets a precedent for Hungary to regain its territories, primarily Zakarpattia in Ukraine. Russian policy in the region aims to question the existing state borders and to spark territorial conflicts with a view to creating instability.

Read alsoRussia's hybrid tools of influence: "Dialogue of ivilizations" as cover

In parallel, actions are being undertaken to promote Hungarian separatist movements in the neighboring countries of Ukraine and Romania. Much of the funding for such activities comes from oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin such as Konstantin Malofeev, who has business interests in Hungary.

An important element of Russia's Hungary strategy is to locate in Hungary the EU center of the pro-Kremlin right-wing "International Movement." For example, events organized by the Hungarian right-wing attract participation from pro-Russian extremists from Great Britain (in particular, Jim Dowson of the Knights Templar International) and Nick Griffin of the National Front.

Read alsoBudapest to double aid to Hungarian minority in Ukraine's Zakarpattia region

Confirming the trend, the "Wolf" International Center for Combat and Special Training held exercises for local activists of paramilitary organizations near Budapest in August. The head of the Wolf Center is a Russian national, Denis Ryauzov, who previously served in Russian special operations and is on a U.S. Treasury sanctions list.

The Hungarian leadership, which once so actively fought against the Soviets, now advocates modern Russia's policies against the West.

But Orban is not just working to weaken unity in the EU, he is actively trying to reunite Budapest with territories that formerly belonged to Hungary, such as Zakarpattia in Ukraine, where 150,000 ethnic Hungarians make up just under 10 percent of the region's population.

Read alsoHungary to continue blocking NATO-Ukraine Commission

The current spat between Budapest and Kyiv over the Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia began in 2017, starting at first from a disagreement on legislation on languages and education, but then spiralling into Hungarian opposition to Ukraine's meetings with NATO and the issue of threats to block Ukraine's European integration process under their Association Agreement with the EU.

Hungary has also provoked Ukrainian irritation by issuing passports to Ukrainian nationals from the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine, where dual citizenship is not allowed.

This is exactly the sort of smouldering border crisis that Moscow would like to actively foment, which could directly threaten not only the national and territorial interests of Romania and Ukraine, but also the stability of Europe's eastern flank.

The situation is becoming more tense and there is a danger that relations could deteriorate to the point where a conflict might be provoked, which could escalate and spin out of control unless the European Union intervenes now to take serious action to fix the situation.The incident took place amid a major corruption scandal involving the prime minister.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiss younger son claims he was forcibly detained in Crimea by his fathers associates at the time of the investigation of the Storks Nest affair in which the prime minister is suspected of EU subsidy fraud.

Babis Jr. told the news site seznam.cz that he had been given the option of taking an extended holiday in Crimea or being locked up in a mental home, according to Radio Praha.

He said he had spent some time in a psychiatric institution in the past. Babis Jr. also revealed that he had signed some papers, but had no idea what he was signing.

The opposition parties are demanding an immediate explanation from the prime minister and have threatened to call a vote of no-confidence in his government over the matter.This is the first time such charges have been brought.

For the very first time, Slovakia's National Criminal Agency (NAKA) has brought charges against a Slovak for his involvement in the military conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Mario R., if found guilty, might spend two to eight years in prison, the Slovak police informed on their Facebook page, according to the Spectator news outlet.

Mario R. has been acting as a member of the illegal organized military groups fighting alongside Russian proxy forces since July 2015 and possibly earlier.

Read alsoNot all quiet on EU's "eastern front" as Russia seeks to split unity - media

As a result, he has been actively contributing to activities during a war that takes place on the territory of another country, particularly in the Donbas region, the police wrote.

The activities of Slovaks fighting in eastern Ukraine have been described by blogger Jan Bencik, the Dennik N daily reported.The U.S. blacklisted the three men along with about three dozen others in April.

Russia threatened to boycott an important global meeting of business and political leaders in Davos, Switzerland, if the organizers didn't reinstate invitations to three tycoons under U.S. sanctions.

"If these decisions which were made regarding the representatives of Russian business are not changed...then no one is going to go there," Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told reporters in Italy on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal said.

Organizers of the World Economic Forum in Davos asked aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, construction billionaire Viktor Vekselberg and banker Andrey Kostin not to attend the annual gathering in January to avoid problems with the U.S. delegation, according to Russian officials.

Read alsoU.S. freezes Russian oligarch Deripaska's assets  media

The U.S. blacklisted the three men along with about three dozen others in April in response to Russian meddling in U.S. elections, cyberattacks on critical U.S. infrastructure, the Kremlin's military intervention in Ukraine, and supplying bombs and materiel to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

A World Economic Forum spokeswoman declined to comment.

Medvedev said he has asked Davos organizers to clarify the status of revoked invitations. "This is very strange to us given that it's a non-governmental organization," he said.

The dispute stands to deprive the mountainside gathering of a delegation of dozens of Russian oligarchs and state company executives. Davos would also lose coveted private parties, which tend to overshadow the staid official program. For years, Deripaska in particular has hosted among the event's most extravagant fetes, bringing to Davos this past January a troupe of Cossack dancers, Grammy winner Enrique Iglesias and an abundance of black caviar and Dom Perignon champagne.MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) Natural gas is projected to surpass coal and become the second largest global energy source behind oil in 2030, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in the World Energy Outlook 2018 report.

"In the New Policies Scenario, a rising tide of electricity, renewables and efficiency improvements stems growth in coal consumption ... Natural gas overtakes coal in 2030 to become the second-largest fuel in the global energy mix," the report read, adding that industrial consumers are expected to make the largest contribution to a 45 percent increase in global gas use.

While the use of industrial coal is expected to show a small increase to 2040, the IEA projects declines in overall consumption in China, Europe and North America to be compensated by rises in India and Southeast Asia.

According to the IEA, coal currently makes up a third of all energy consumed worldwide and plays an essential role in iron and steel industries.(@rukhshanmir)

Sudan invited Russian companies to take part in the country's oil blocks tender in the third quarter of 2019, Sudan's Minister of Petroleum Azhari Abdalla told Sputnik on Tuesday.

ABU DHABI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) Sudan invited Russian companies to take part in the country's oil blocks tender in the third quarter of 2019, Sudan's Minister of Petroleum Azhari Abdalla told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"The bid round will take place in the third quarter of 2019. When I looked at the blocks and the data we decided to revise the block size in terms of the available data in each block and that would raise the amount of blocks.

All of these blocks are with potential- either they are with oil that already was discovered or there are tested proven hydrocarbon deposits," Abdalla said.

"We are expecting a lot of companies to come. Russian companies are most welcome to participate. Next month I will be there [in Moscow] to talk to potential companies, ministries in different aspects and sectors. We are open to whoever wants to invest in Sudan," he said on the sidelines of the ADIPEC conference in Abu Dhabi.Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Aamir Mehmood Kiani Tuesday reiterated the commitment to follow Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision for upgrading the health facilities across the country.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) : Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Aamir Mehmood Kiani Tuesday reiterated the commitment to follow Prime Minister Imran Khan 's vision for upgrading the health facilities across the country.

Talking to state owned television, he stressed that the present government is taking concrete measures for improvement of health sector as previous governments did not pay any attention over it and left this sector in worse condition.

He said health and education are remained always on top priority of the prime minister.

Responding to a question, he said Imran Khan is striving hard to make the capital as a "health 's role model" for other provinces.

He said construction work is underway on four new hospitals, adding that general hospitals and nursing university would also be constructed in near future.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan Monday said the PTI government was about to reach the target of polio-free KP and taking pragmatic measures to protect coming generation from permanent disabilities.

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) : Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan Monday said the PTI government was about to reach the target of polio-free KP and taking pragmatic measures to protect coming generation from permanent disabilities.

This year, he asserted Peshawar and the whole province registered one case as against the 68 cases reported back in 2014. Hazar Khwani was the area where the single polio case reported, he said and added that his government would continue to go whole hog for free polio country in the foreseeable future.

He was addressing a simple gathering to mark the polio drive in the province at the Hujra of MPA Haji Fazle Illahi at Hazar Khwani Peshawar. MPA Fazle Illahi and Advisor on Polio Eradication Babar Khan also addressed the gathering. Earlier on arrival, the chief Minister formally inaugurated the sub branch of Rescue 1122 at Hazar Khwani Peshawar.

The Chief Minister said that the provincial government was committed for eradicating polio and protecting the life of coming generation. "Our efforts would continue till the complete elimination of polio," he vowed.

He said that when this province and the adjoining districts of erstwhile FATA recorded polio cases and its subsequent effect, the provincial government took it on itself, accepting the challenge to completely eliminate it on emergency basis.

The previous PTI government took curative efforts in this regard and established ECO and emergency operation theaters and launched renewed efforts to defeat this crippling disease. He reminded that the enemy of the nation created both physiological and physical barriers but the government had a matching commitment and efforts towards its goal.

He said the nation proved its resilience after man-made and natural calamities even in the recent past, adding that now the nation had a leadership in the shape of Prime Minister Imran Khan who would bring out this nation from the quagmire of multifaceted challenges.

The CM called upon the health sector authorities to go for prevention and launch an awareness campaign against it. He assured the province would continue to supplement the Federal government efforts for totally eliminating polio at national level. He also thanked the elders of the area for their participation in the campaign to make it a success story.(@FahadShabbir)

An event to observe World Pneumonia Day was organized at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to create awareness about the disease in public.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) :An event to observe World Pneumonia Day was organized at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to create awareness about the disease in public.

Speakers said every year, November 12, is marked as the World Pneumonia Day to create awareness on the importance of prevention, protection and treatment of Pneumonia, the leading killer of children under five years of age.

It kills nearly one million children globally every year which is more than the deaths caused by HIV/AIDS, malaria and measles combined, they added.

Deputy Director Programs Dr Atiya Aabroo on behalf of Ministry of National Health Services, and Coordination with reference to the event said, "The government is cognizant of the fact that investment in the health sector is of utmost importance." She said health is one of the foremost underlying factors that define the welfare of a country's population, and children, as the building blocks of society has equitable access to quality health service.

The interventions for tackling pneumonia are integral to achieve overall child health, and are needed to reach Sustainable Development Goals.

In its resolve to fight Pneumonia, the government of Pakistan has made significant improvement in Child Health indicators as under five mortalities have decreased to 74/1000 live births from 89/1000 live births, as quoted in the latest Pakistan Demographics and Health Survey (PDHS) 2017-2018, she said.

To build on the progress, efforts need to be accelerated to ensure that no child dies from a preventable cause.

The World Pneumonia Day is an opportunity to advocate with key partners on combining efforts to prevent and protect children from pneumonia and to provide treatment for sick children by ensuring availability of essential commodities for improving management of pneumonia.

She said in Pakistan, 14 percent of children under five years of age suffer from Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI), which can cause Pneumonia, if not diagnosed and treated quickly.

Many deaths result from a failure to take the sick child to a health facility on time.

Deputy Representative United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Pakistan Cris Munduate, in her address, said UNICEF under the Integrated Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD) recommends protecting, preventing and treating infections through proven interventions for improving management of pneumonia, and increasing child survival.

"UNICEF believes that every child, regardless of where they are born, deserves access to life saving vaccines and medicines." The Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination, and National and Provincial health authorities are working in collaboration with UNICEF and with the financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to prevent, protect and treat cases of Pneumonia among children under five.

Through this initiative, essential commodities have been provided in all districts in Sindh and five districts of Punjab along with strengthening of services for better diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia.

The project is contributing towards reduction of deaths in under five children in Pakistan.

Preventive measures for pneumonia in children has also been included as an essential component of the National Routine Immunization Strategy and within its framework, the Pakistan Expanded Program on Immunization provides free of cost vaccines for prevention against Hib, pneumococcus, measles and whooping cough (pertussis) diseases in all government health facilities.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Haider Shirazi, Associate Professor Neonatology Department, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad said "Pneumonia is the number one killer disease in children. We, in Pakistan are losing around 250 children each day due to this deadly disease."He said, "We can protect our children by breast feeding and immunization. Deaths due to pneumonia can be controlled by early treatment and referral."(@FahadShabbir)

The President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan Monday paid glowing tributes to renowned social reformer, Col Khan Muhammad Khan, popularly known as Khan Sahib for his multifaceted services to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

MUZAFFARABAD,(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) :The President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan Monday paid glowing tributes to renowned social reformer, Col Khan Muhammad Khan, popularly known as Khan Sahib for his multifaceted services to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The legendary freedom fighter and icon of valour was remembered at his 57th death anniversary function organized at his native town Palandari on Sunday.

AJK Minister for Health, Dr Najib Naqi, Member of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council Sardar Abdul Khaliq Wasi, Col Aurangzeb, Sardar Muhammad Hafiz Khan Advocate, President District Bar Association Palandari, Sardar Khaliq-ur-Rehman, Tahmina Sadiq and Haji Mansha Khan also addressed the function.

Speaking on the occasion, AJK President, Sardar Masood Khan, who was chief guest of the event, said Col Khan Muhammad Khan, was symbol of courage, dedication, commitment and selflessness, who fought both fronts including politically and militarily for the rights of people of liberated territory.

Sardar Masood Khan stressed the need for following footsteps of leaders like Col Khan Muhammad Khan for early success of Kashmir Liberation Movement and establishment of an enlightened and welfare society.

"Khan Sahib of Poonch was not only legendary freedom fighter of Kashmir liberation struggle but was also a great politician, a social reformer and an ardent campaigner for the education, especially education of women, President Masood Khan added.

He said Col. Khan was an educationist par excellence, a military strategist, an accomplished politician and a seasoned law maker.

The president said that services rendered to nation by Col Khan Muhammad Khan in Kashmir liberation struggle, education of the people of his area by reformation would remain matter of great pride and inspiration to the present and coming generations.

President Masood said that Col Khan dedicated his entire life and resources for improving the fortune of the people of liberated area in general and the people of Poonch in Particular.

His role to get the people of Poonch liberated from the oppressive rule of Mahraja of Kashmir would never be overlooked or forgotten in the history of Kashmir, Masood Khan observed.

Highlighting the political contribution of Col Khan Muhammad Khan, the President said that Khan sab had served as member Kashmir Legislative Assembly from 1934 to 1946 and relentlessly fought for the political, social and economic rights of his constituents and founded an education focused body," Sudhan Educational Conference" to motivate his people to acquire both religious and modern education.

Terming late Col Khan as Sir Syed Ahmed Khan of Kashmir and true follower of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, President Masood Khan urged the youth of Azad Kashmir to follow the various aspects of the life of Khan Sahib and play their role in the ongoing Kashmir Liberation struggle, progress and prosperity of Azad Kashmir.

The president suggested that a memorial with a public library should be built to commemorate the legendary freedom fighter and to give him honor and respect.

Speaking on the occasion, AJK Minister for health and grandson of Col Khan Sahib, Dr Najib Naqi said on the occasion that Khan Sahib was multifaceted personality; he was politician, law maker, educationist, social reformer and military commander at the same time.

He was the first of his time who not only advocated for women education but also involved the womenfolk in decision making in the matters related to community and setup separate educational institutions for women and floated the idea of women's empowerment by equipping them with education almost eighty years ago.

Other speakers also paid rich tributes to Baba-e- Poonch for his estimable services he rendered for the general welfare well- being of the Kashmiri Muslims.

Earlier President Sardar Masood Khan visited the mausoleum of Col Khan Muhammad Khan and laid floral wreath on his grave and offered Fateha for the departed soul.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, signed, today, a framework agreement with Uzbekneftegaz, a joint stock company of Uzbekistan's oil and gas industry, under which ADNOC will provide strategic advice in relation to Upstream and Downstream operations.

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Nov, 2018) The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, signed, today, a framework agreement with Uzbekneftegaz, a joint stock company of Uzbekistan's oil and gas industry, under which ADNOC will provide strategic advice in relation to Upstream and Downstream operations.

The agreement was signed by Omar Suwaina Alsuwaidi, Executive Office Director at ADNOC, and Bakhrom Ashrafkhanov, Chairman of the board, Uzbekneftegaz, at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, ADIPEC 2018, taking place in Abu Dhabi, until Thursday.

Commenting on the signing, Alsuwaidi said, "ADNOC has a 47-year successful track record of developing Abu Dhabis oil and gas industry and creating the greatest value from maturing and new resources. We have built a large body of knowledge and expertise which can support Uzbekneftegazs growth plans, as it seeks to maximise the value of the countrys oil and gas resources."

Uzbekneftegaz was established in 1992. In 1998, it was transformed into a Joint Stock company. It has partnerships with the Korea National Oil Corporation, Lotte Chemical, KOGAS, China National Petroleum Corporation, Lukoi, Gazprom and others.

At the moment Uzbekneftegaz implementing such strategic projects as construction of GTL plant and revamping of Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex.

Ashrafkhanov, "ADNOC is leveraging all its resources, its partnerships, the skills of its people and, in particular, the latest technologies, to deliver greater shareholder value. It has a proven track record of solving complex upstream and downstream operational challenges and, we believe, its ongoing support will help accelerate our own plans to maximise returns from our gas resources."

The BP Statistical Review of World Energy puts Uzbekistans proven gas reserves at 1.1 trillion cubic metres and oil reserves at 100 million tons. According to industry sources, the main focus of oil and gas activity is in the under-explored basins, mainly in the central and western parts of the country. However, potential still exists in the older oil producing area in the east where modern technology will be required to develop some prolific fields which have been discovered and remain to be discovered in this area.Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future and Co-chair of the Global Future Councils, announced that the United Arab Emirates looks at the future as a field for creating opportunities brought about by technology and advanced science. It embraces a comprehensive belief that this forward-looking task is a global shared responsibility that demands international cooperation to meet its requirements.

(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Nov, 2018) DUBAI, 12th November 2018 (WAM) - Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future and Co-chair of the Global Future Councils, announced that the United Arab Emirates looks at the future as a field for creating opportunities brought about by technology and advanced science. It embraces a comprehensive belief that this forward-looking task is a global shared responsibility that demands international cooperation to meet its requirements.

Speaking at the closing session of the third Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils, held in Dubai under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in collaboration between the UAE Government and the World Economic Forum, Al Gergawi said: "The Global Future Councils meetings focused on shaping the future and enhancing public-private partnerships to develop effective solutions to global challenges. The meetings also examined the myriad of opportunities facilitated by the new phase of globalization  Globalization 4.0- driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and its positive contribution to the life of more than 7 billion people."

He added: "The UAE reiterates its unwavering commitment to support future sectors, drive human prosperity and come up with innovative ideas to keep pace with future trends. We seek to build on the encouraging opportunities to reinforce the role of the Global Future Council as a platform to acheive further achievements and activate partnerships."

"Today, the Global Future Councils have become a global knowledge hub that shapes the future and a meeting place for the worlds most prestigious decision-makers, officials and experts wishing to leverage future foresight tools to serve their countries and people. The valuable set of knowledge, expertise and experiences launched during this years meeting will be compiled into a bundle of knowledge products."

Concluding, Al Gergawi announced that the fourth Meeting of the Annual Global Future Councils will be held in Dubai, on 3-4 November 2019.

During the third Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils, organized by the UAE Government and the World Economic Forum, which took place in Dubai on November 11 and 12, the UAE Government launched three initiatives, namely the Future Possibilities Report, the Future Possibilists Index, and the Department of Possibilities. These initiatives aim to shed the light on promising and innovative ideas and emerging fields, classify future trends based on key vital sectors around the world, as well as analyze and evaluate proposed ideas.

The Global Future Councils meeting also witnessed the launch of the Future Transformation Platform, an interactive knowledge tool covering more than 120 different topics pertaining to the future of the worlds vital sectors and countries, as well as the issues of global concern. The platform features a host of big data and future scenarios designed to support decision-making and government efforts to keep pace with potential emerging global trends. The platform further focuses on existing and future sectors, highlights the appropriate mechanisms to enhance cooperation among them and reflects a comprehensive image of the future. It includes a set of different options for users and is available in a multitude of international languages, including Arabic.

On the first day of the Meeting, the UAE Government launched the Guidance Framework to establish a integrated and secure data environment. This is aligned with the governments efforts to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies and implement one of the three main pillars of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Protocol, which was announced last year in partnership with the World Economic Forum.

The Protocol embodies the UAEs strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which aims to strengthen the UAE's position as a global hub for 4IR and an open laboratory for experimenting with its advanced technologies on three stages: providing an integrated and secure data environment; formulating the policies and legislation of the 4IR and building a unified system of values and ethics to guide 4IR technologies.

The UAE government announced activating the UAE Center for Future Readiness that aims to strengthen governments capabilities in future readiness through adopting proactive thinking based on studies, researches and scientific foresight. The Center also helps governments set the basic structures while supporting them with the necessary tools, quick delivery systems, the ability to compete and innovate future solutions.

The 4th UAE Industrial Revolution Council held its first meeting in the framework of the third Meeting of the Future World Councils to discuss plans to develop key priority sectors, ways of employing technology and innovation, and the tools of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in serving government work and vital sectors, thus contributing to improving the quality of life and achieving a better future.

At the opening session of the third Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils, under the theme Globalization 4.0, participants stressed that the new phase of globalization  Globalization 4.0 driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the new economic and social models it produced, offers a golden opportunity for world countries to join efforts to establish a unified frameworks to address geopolitical, economic, technological and climate challenges; as well as to develop a joint action plan to adapt the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Artificial Intelligence applications to create a better future for humanity.

The opening day of the third Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils, included a special session titled Jobs in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The session was moderated by a panel of global experts in the world economy, including Professor Mariana Mazzucato (PhD), Founder and Director of the University College London (UCL) Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (IIPP); Andrew McAfee, MITs principal research scientist and co-director and co-founder of the MIT initiative on digital economy; Saadia Zahidi, Head of education, Gender and Work at the World Economic Forum; and Oliver Kahn, Media Officer, World Economic Forum. Participants highlighted some of the most significant changes in jobs in different sectors and disciplines and discussed various aspects of the impact of technological progress, demographic changes and new business models on the nature of labor markets, the implications of the quality of the labor required and their qualification levels, as well as the strategies and actions required in the coming years to reduce the size of job losses due to adoption of automation techniques and artificial intelligence in operational processes .

The Global Future Councils meetings bring together more than 700 of the most relevant and knowledgeable scientists, futurists and experts, grouped in 38 expertise-based, thematic councils that explore the future of jobs, society, economy, technology, governance and the environment.Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, welcomed a high-level delegation from ENGIE Group led by Gerard Mestrallet, Honorary Chairman of ENGIE Group and Co-Chairman of the Carbon Pricing Coalition, a climate initiative resulting from COP21.

DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Nov, 2018) Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, welcomed a high-level delegation from ENGIE Group led by Gerard Mestrallet, Honorary Chairman of ENGIE Group and Co-Chairman of the Carbon Pricing Coalition, a climate initiative resulting from COP21.

This is part of DEWAs drive to forge strong ties with major global companies to exchange knowledge and share best practices in the energy sector.

The meeting was attended by Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of business Development and Excellence at DEWA, and Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA.

Al Tayer welcomed the delegation and discussed means to enhance cooperation and the mutual exchange of best global experiences and expertise in renewable, clean energy and environmental sustainability.

He presented DEWAs most prominent development projects and strategic initiatives to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to provide 75 percent of Dubai's energy from clean sources by 2050.

Al Tayer briefed the delegation on DEWAs efforts to establish the infrastructure for electricity and water services in Dubai, according to the highest standards and global best practices, where its strategic priorities are energy supply security and positioning Dubai as a global role model of energy efficiency and reliability, green economy, and sustainability.

Al Tayer noted that to achieve these goals, DEWA has launched many green programmes and initiatives. These include the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park which will become the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the Independent Power Producer, IPP, model, with a total planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts, MW, by 2030 at a total investment of AED50 billion.

Gerard Mestrallet and the ENGIE delegation presented their latest energy-generation solutions and technologies to develop smart and sustainable solutions that support a low-carbon economy. The delegation also expressed their intent to participate in DEWA projects to achieve the sustainable development of Dubai.Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, stressed that Abu Dhabi is attractive to foreign investments.

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Nov, 2018) Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, stressed that Abu Dhabi is attractive to foreign investments.

This quality is due to its expansion, openness and economic diversification, which are the outcomes of its efforts to stimulate its economy and encourage growth, he added.

He also commended the UAEs role in economic development and its leading positions in international sustainable energy indicators while expressing his happiness at the strong commercial and investment cooperation between the UAE and his country.

He made this statement while visiting, with his delegation, the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he was received by Ibrahim Al Mahmoud, First Deputy Chairman of the Chamber, with the attendance members of the chambers board of directors and Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director-General of the Chamber.

Szijjarto highlighted Hungarys desire to strengthen its partnership and commercial cooperation with the UAE, especially with the emirate of Abu Dhabi, to benefit the common interests of both countries.

Al Mahmoud welcomed the Hungarian delegation while affirming the importance of utilising the opportunities and capabilities that are available to both sides, to encourage mutual investments and strengthen their bilateral relations.

He also expressed the chambers desire to expand its economic ties, as well as its readiness to cooperate and increase its commercial exchange in promising sectors, which will achieve development while affirming that the meeting is a vital platform for promoting joint cooperation.

Ibrahim Al Khaja, member of the Board of Directors, explained the most important economic goals of the 'Plan Abu Dhabi 2030', as well as the emirates key projects in sectors of international importance, most notably the sustainable energy sector.H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, received on Tuesday, Yagshygeldi Elyasovich, Oil and Gas Advisor to the President of Turkmenistan, and his accompanying delegation.

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Nov, 2018) H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, received on Tuesday, Yagshygeldi Elyasovich, Oil and Gas Advisor to the President of Turkmenistan, and his accompanying delegation.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed current ties between the two countries, and means of developing them across multiple sectors.

Rashid Saeed Al Ameri, Under-Secretary for Government Coordination Sector at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, also attended the meeting.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Nov, 2018) His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, ordered another airlift of humanitarian aid to Jordan, as current weather systems threatens those affected by the floods.

Further to the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Chairperson of International Humanitarian City, IHC, will continue to manage efforts to support Jordanian families affected by the floods and oversee the airlifts, working with the authorities in Jordan and the IHC in Dubai.

According to forecasts, the region is expected to experience more bad weather.

A Boeing 747 jumbo jet carrying 85 tons of humanitarian aid, including relief items donated by the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, landed in Amman, Jordan this morning. This is the third humanitarian aid flight sent by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed in less than 48 hours.

58 tons of relief items donated by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid have already been distributed to those in need by the National Crisis Centre, under the guidance of HRH Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, who received the flights and then coordinated emergency on the ground relief efforts.SHARJAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Nov, 2018) H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, on Tuesday, received the chairman and members of the Sharjah Youth Council, SYC, at the Rulers Office in Sharjah.

The Crown Prince of Sharjah welcomed the members of the delegation, who presented their achievements, activities and events during their work session, and commended them for their efforts during the current session of the council and their outstanding role in activating the council's important roles towards youth. He confirmed the keenness of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to take care of the youth and all the programmes that support them and contribute to the development and refinement of their capabilities.

He stressed the importance of the direction of knowledge and learning of the youth and their commitment to the values of islam and society, ethics and national identity, which contribute to form their personality.

He also called for cooperation and communication between members of the Sharjah Youth Council and the youth, exchange experiences and expertise among them, and attend to all matters relating to the youth while developing their capabilities.ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Nov, 2018) The UAE-France Parliamentary Friendship Group praised the UAEs humanitarian and development initiatives around the world.

The group also highlighted the vital programmes and projects implemented by the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, in Yemen.

The group made this statement during a meeting between Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, Secretary-General of the ERC, and Amelia Lacravi, Head of the Group at the French National Assembly, and her delegation that is visiting the country, at the ERCs headquarters today.

"The ERC is the most consistent humanitarian organisation that offers relief aid to those affected by events in Yemen," Lacravi said while expressing the groups admiration for the ERCs humanitarian efforts to help victims of disasters and crises.

Dr. Al Falahi welcomed the groups visit to the ERC while pointing out that such meetings represent the vision and directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region, and Chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, to highlight the countrys overall humanitarian role, as well as its humanitarian initiatives in Yemen.

He said that the meeting was coordinated with the Federal National Council, FNC, under the framework of the overall role of the countrys institutions in highlighting the UAEs efforts to decrease suffering and safeguard human dignity.

During the meeting, Al Falahi explained the UAEs strategy to offer humanitarian aid to various people around the world while asserting that it does not discriminate in terms of sex, race or sect.

He also pointed out that this approach has given the UAE credibility and transparency and has made it a leader of giving, topping the list of the worlds donor countries.

Regarding the ERCs initiatives in Yemen, Al Falahi explained the current humanitarian situation in the country and the ERCs role in limiting its repercussions.

He also affirmed that the ERCs presence in Yemen did not just start due to recent events, but it has been in the country for decades and has launched many humanitarian programmes and development projects, especially related to health, education and services.

He added that the ERC is present in all recently liberated Yemeni governorates, where it has restored their vital infrastructure and made them more efficient than before the crisis.

He then pointed out that the ERC, in coordination with relevant international organisations, is also present in other governorates and has implemented joint programmes, especially in the area of health, where it organised vaccination campaigns against cholera and other diseases and epidemics.

Al Falahi stressed that the ERC has created special programmes to control malnutrition among children, and offered thousands of tonnes of food aid while highlighting its future plans, which will witness an expansion of its development, construction and rehabilitation efforts, to provide better living conditions for Yemenis.(@FahadShabbir)

President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has hailed the strong relations between Portugal and the UAE, saying they are"witnessing best stages".

PARIS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Nov, 2018) President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has hailed the strong relations between Portugal and the UAE, saying they are"witnessing best stages".

In his remarks to the Emirates news Agency, WAM, while participating in the Paris Peace Forum, de Sousa expressed happiness at the growing UAE-Portugal relations at all levels, especially in the economic, trade, and cultural fields. He also highlighted the UAE's wise leadership and distinguished people.

He said, "We have strong relations with the UAE and there is great economic and trade cooperation between us and we have all the means to expand it in line with the existing successful political ties between the two countries.

Today we are witnessing relations in their utmost level between the two sides as we enjoy the cultural and intellectual exchange."

He said, "Dialogue and cultural exchange is always the measure of the success of any relations between countries. We work together to look forward to exploring the future with confidence, strength and vigour, and to present a distinctive model for our present and future generations."Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood Monday vowed for implementing the decision of Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet to reduce the power prices for industrial sector.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) :Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Textile and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood Monday vowed for implementing the decision of Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet to reduce the power prices for industrial sector.

The Adviser said that the decision would be implemented in true letter and spirit.

Razak Dawood said that it was agreed in the ECC meeting that Captive Power was included in $ 6.5 /MMBTU pricing for all gas supply to zero rated industry, said a statement issued by All Pakistan Textiles Mills Association (APTMA) here.

He said this in a meeting with APTMA and other textile Industry representatives.

The Adviser said that it was decided that Secretary Textile Muhammad Younus Dhaga would approach the Ministry of Petroleum and the Ministry of Finance to devise a new mechanism for implementing the ECC decision.

He said the main purpose of the decision was to reduce the trade deficit.

In addition to this, the gas supply would continue in the winter season without any interruption to export industry in in the country,he added.

The adviser said the Cabinet and ECC had also regarded the reservations of export industry.

As agreed in the meeting, Ministry of Petroleum would be advised to instructSui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) to receive payment of the Re-Gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) bills for the October at $ 6.5/MMBTU and the balance be deferred and obtained directly from the Ministry of Finance.

He said the due bills would be paid soon and the industry did not have the liquidity to pay the full amounts.(@FahadShabbir)

A 10-member delegation of 109th National Management Course (NMC) of Pakistan called on Ambassador of Pakistan to France Moin ul Haque at the Embassy premises in Paris.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :A 10-member delegation of 109th National Management Course (NMC) of Pakistan called on Ambassador of Pakistan to France Moin ul Haque at the Embassy premises in Paris

The Ambassador gave the visiting delegation a briefing about Pakistan and France bilateral relations and said that the two countries enjoy close and mutually beneficial relations in the fields of trade and investment, defence, education and culture, a message received here from Paris on Tuesday said.

He also briefed them about Public Diplomacy initiative of the Embassy to promote soft image of Pakistan and highlighted tourism potential of the country as well.

The Ambassador expressed the hope that NMC's visit to Paris would provide them a good opportunity to learn about the French administrative structure, their training regimes and best practices and policies in other fields.

NMC delegation during their week-long stay in Paris would have meetings/briefings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Climate Change, Centre of High Studies of Ministry of Interior (CHEMI), business France, French Business Federation (MEDEF) and National Museum of Asian Arts (GUIMET).(@FahadShabbir)

An Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) Tuesday granted post arrest bail to 18 alleged arsonists involved in protests of Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) which were earlier sent to jail for fourteen days at judicial remand at the request of investigation officer.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :An Anti Terrorism Court ATC ) Tuesday granted post arrest bail to 18 alleged arsonists involved in protests of Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan TLP ) which were earlier sent to jail for fourteen days at judicial remand at the request of investigation officer.

The protestors were arrested for damaging public property for their personal gains, attack on police, during the sit-in and violent protests of TLP in Islamabad.

The ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand granted bail to 18 accused against the bail plea of 21 accused whereas bail plea of three accused was rejected by the court.

The Shahzad Town police arrested such arsonists after registering cases under sections 109, 148/149, 147/188, 353/186 and 341/427 of Pakistan Penal Code and under section 7 of the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA).(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Tahir Wattoo on Tuesday said that all arrangements had been finalized to celebrate Jashn-e-Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) in district Sialkot.

SIALKOT, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Tahir Wattoo on Tuesday said that all arrangements had been finalized to celebrate Jashn-e-Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) in district Sialkot

He expressed these views while addressing a meeting held in this regard at his office here. He said that Naat Khawani and processions had been planned in Sialkot to express devotion and pay tribute to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) on his birth anniversary.

He said that foolproof security has been provided to mosques, processions, meetings during the whole month.

He said that special floats and symbolically decorated pieces of arts would be displayed at Cantonment area and downtown in connection with celebrations of Jashn-e-Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH).

He was informed that the main procession would start from Govt. Murray College Road and culminate at Chowk Imam Sahib after passing through different roads.

The city district government would set up a control room for surveillance of processions and for reviewing security arrangements.

The control room would work round-the-clock.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide US$300 million for up-gradation of infrastructure and civic facilities in four Punjab cities-Sargodha, Muzafargarh, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur, while provincial government would also add $50 million to the same programmee.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :The Asian Development Bank ADB ) will provide US$300 million for up-gradation of infrastructure and civic facilities in four Punjab cities-Sargodha, Muzafargarh, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur , while provincial government would also add $50 million to the same programmee.

This was stated by Senior Minister Punjab Abdul Aleem Khan here Tuesday.

He said it was the 2nd phase of Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Programme (PICIIP). In the first phase, civic facilities in Sialkot and Sahiwal cities had been upgraded.

The senior minister also directed Local Government and Community Development Department to ensure transparent use of funds and observe all rules and regulations in this regard.

He said the PTI government would ensure that each and every penny was utilised judiciously.

He said that sustainable steps should be taken for upgradation of civic facilities and it would be ensured that no funds or time is wasted.

Abdul Aleem Khan said that international donor agencies have confidence in the incumbent leadership of Pakistan because Prime Minister Imran Khan had a clear vision of country's development.

It is to mentione that PCIIP included provision of water supply, sewerage system, solid waste management and other civic amenities on which work would be undertaken in the above mentioned four cities.

Meanwhile, a workshop was also held in this regard and Urban Development Specialist Gordon Smith, Project Manager Cities Development Initiative (Asia) Brian Capati, Project Director Romain Vivant, Team Leader Urban Resilience Specialist Asim Manji, Deputy Team Leader, urban Development Specialist Nadeem Khurseed, Project Coordinator Mujeeb ur Rehman Khan and Capacity Development Specialist Dina Khan addressed the workshop and highlighted the aims and objectives of this programme in four cities of Punjab.

Program Director Qaiser Saleem lauded the efforts of ADB for improvement of infrastructure.

He said that steps have already been started in Sargodha and other cities of South Punjab under PICIIP, while workshops would also arranged on November 15-16 at Bahawalpur.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah Monday advised the Administrative Secretaries, Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners to ensure the timely completion of the development projects qualitatively and transparently.

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) :Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah Monday advised the Administrative Secretaries, Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners to ensure the timely completion of the development projects qualitatively and transparently.

He was addressing a review meeting of the Development Projects, in Sindh Secretariat here today which received the progress of the Development Projects of all Districts of Hyderabad Division, said a statement.

Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah also asked the all Deputy Commissioners to visit those school and colleges where development work for furnishing the water supply Sewage, Electric facilities and M&R had been carried out just before the General Election, and submit the inspection report through their Divisional commissioners, about the status.

The Chief Secretary emphasized the officers to let him know if they have any problem regarding their assignments, so that immediate redressel be made to facilitate them.

He also advised the Sindh Finance Department to release allocated funds for the Development Projects aimed at timely completion, to benefit the masses.

Earlier, Chairman Planning & Development board Sindh (P&D) Muhammad Waseem delivered a presentation on district-wise status of Hyderabad Division's Development Schemes, belonged to the departments of education, Local Government, Health, Forest & Wild Life, Live Stock and Fisheries, Culture & Tourism, Irrigation, Works & Services and Public Health Engineering, cumulatively 1000 projects.

These projects consisting as 258 of Thatta, 248 of Dadu, 145 of Sujawal, 131 of Tando Alahyar, 116 of Badin and 102 of Tando Muhammad Khan.

The meeting was informed that all over 65 to 70 percent work is near completion, and the rest would be completed by June 2019.

It may be mentioned that the restoration of 4560 schools is also in progress, in addition to the establishment of Medical Colleges in Hala and Hyderabad, Installation of I.T. System at Cadet College Pitaro, Construction of eight (08) Courts in various Districts of Hyderabad.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of the Mangrows Plantation in Coastal Areas, constructions of roads linked to National Highway and introduction of IBA (Institute of business Administration) in Thatta.

Syed Mumtaz Shah categorically noted that no compromise could be possible on delay and non-qualitative work.

The Secretaries of respective Departments, Commissioner Hyderabad and Deputy Commissioners, Commissioners attended the meeting.(@rukhshanmir)

Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati Tuesday announced to establish six science and technology parks across the country within the period of six months.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati Tuesday announced to establish six science and technology parks across the country within the period of six months.

He was speaking at a function arranged here by Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) to mark World Science Day celebrations.

Azam Swati said Pakistan is a nuclear power but it lacks science and technology parks which is a matter of concern. Iran has 114 science and technology parks and they have made significant progress in this sector.

The funds, he said, for establishing science and technology parks will be generated with the help of Overseas Pakistanis so that there will be no financial burden on the government.

The federal minister said, no nation can achieve substantial progress and prosperity without investing in science and technology sector.

Unfortunately, Pakistan is lagging behind in science and technology sector with allocating only two billion rupees development budget for this sector which is against the international parameters.

He said the amount which previous governments invested in infrastructure development, establishing roads and bridges should have been invested on human resource development.

He said youth comprises over a big chunk of country's total population and it is high time to invest in young generation so that they can reap the benefit and dividend of this investment.

The federal minister also announced to celebrate whole week to commemorate World Science Day through arranging science related activities across the country.

He said Pakistan is facing numerous challenges of water scarcity, climatic changes, environmental issues etc. and solution to all these issues lies in research on scientific methods.

Azam Swati said his ministry will only hire services of those people who are capable and innovative.

Speaking on the occasion, Country Director, UNESCO, Vibeke Jenson said science, technology and innovation are the critical drivers behind achieving the sustainable development goals.

She said significant advancement made in science has changed our lives, transportation, communication and positively impacted all the sectors.

She said scientists should be provided with a conducive environment to work for human benefit. "We need to consider how we can improve the lives of marginalized segments of society through the help of science and innovation", she observed.

Speaking on the occasion, President of ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF), Dr Manzoor Hussain Soomro said this years' World Science Day is being celebrated across the globe under the theme science and Human Right' which emphasizes on need to ensure every citizen's right to access scientific knowledge.

He appreciated the efforts of PSF for organizing this function to acknowledge the importance of this day and contribution of scientists toward humanity.

Science has played critical role in development of countries and significant advancement in science and technology has positively impacted our lives, he said.

Dr. Manzoor pointed out it is direly needed to promote inquiry based learning approach among the students and scientific knowledge should be accessible to all.

On the occasion, Chairman PSF, Major (Retd) Qaiser Majeed Malik said PSF is taking steps to promote children having potential of science and innovation through providing them opportunities to showcase their talents and bring laurels for the country.

He said PSF sends the teams of Pakistani students to different international level science Olympiads and other competition to boost their moral.

Federal Minister, Azam Swati awarded medals and certificates to the winners of essay and poster competitions arranged in connection with World Science Day.

The minister also presented award letters to the students who have been selected to participate in International Junior Science Olympiad to be held in Botswana in December and also those who are participating in the Belt and Road Teenager Maker Camp and Workshop in China from November 15-21.Federal government is spending Rs3 billion on supply of natural gas to different areas of Malakand division to facilitate the masses during winter season

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :Federal government is spending Rs3 billion on supply of natural gas to different areas of Malakand division to facilitate the masses during winter season.

A spokesman of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited said work on various natural gas related projects is in progress in the division, reported Radio Pakistan.

He said more than 1.8 million people of the division will benefit from the projects.(@FahadShabbir)

The Government of Pakistan (GoP) through its High Commission in Sri Lanka awarded fully funded higher education scholarships 'Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme (PTAP) for Sri Lanka' to the nine students in the fields of pharmacy and engineering in top Pakistani institutions.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :The Government of Pakistan (GoP) through its High Commission in Sri Lanka awarded fully funded higher education scholarships ' Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme (PTAP) for Sri Lanka ' to the nine students in the fields of pharmacy and engineering in top Pakistani institutions.

In addition to it, the Government of Pakistan is also awarding Annual Jinnah Scholarships to bright Sri Lankan students of O/L and A/L since 2006, a press release Tuesday said.

High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka, Dr Shahid Ahmad Hashmat met the selected students at the High Commission of Pakistan and congratulated them on their selection for higher education in Pakistan.

The high commissioner emphasized the importance of collaboration between the two friendly countries and said these scholarships were offered with the objective to support Sri Lankan students to continue their higher studies, create new professional relationship and bilateral communication between the institutions of the two countries.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) :Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari on Monday said it was needed to invest on human development as the country had the lowest Human Development Index in the region.

Addressing the award distribution ceremony under "Urban Youth Project" among 61 young entrepreneurs from disadvantaged urban areas, organized by Citi Foundation in partnership with the British Asian Trust and the LUMS National Incubation Center (NIC) here at LUMS, he said that youth were asset of the country as 60 percent of Pakistan's population comprised of the youth.

Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari said that Pakistan had huge potential in terms of human capital but attention was required to use this potential, adding that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was taking solid measures to polish the skills of youth of the country and provide them employment opportunities.

He said the government would soon inaugurate an initiative "Naya Pakistan Calling" under brain gain programme to provide employment to the overseas Pakistanis and polish the skills of youth which would help in filling more than 6,000 vacant posts in various departments.

Through "Naya Pakistan Calling" initiative, data of educated youth of the country could be accumulated, he added.

Bukhari appreciated the efforts of Citi Foundation, British Asian Trust and the LUMS National Incubation Center for organizing training programmes for entrepreneurs and said that it was heartening to see the high results this group of entrepreneurs had delivered through right mentor-ship and opportunity. "I hope the British Asian Trust, Citi Foundation and NIC Lahore will continue investing in Pakistan's youth so that they can fulfill their potential," he added.

Later, talking to the media men, the Special Assistant said that the government was putting in place effective measures to ensure ease of doing business and create investment friendly environment in the country for investors, adding that a huge number of investors had shown keen interest to invest in Pakistan.

To a question, he said the government had evolved a policy to expand various departments and make them profitable so that new employment opportunities could be explored.

Head of Marketing and Public Affairs, Citi Bank Pakistan, Adeel Shahid, Vice-Chancellor LUMS Arshad Ahmad and others also spoke on the occasion.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Minister for Information Shaukat Ali Yousafzai Tuesday said that all arrears of media houses in head of advertisements would be cleared in next 10 to 15 days.

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) : Khyber Pakhtunkhwa KP ) Minister for Information Shaukat Ali Yousafzai Tuesday said that all arrears of media houses in head of advertisements would be cleared in next 10 to 15 days.

However, he said that payments to those who were not paying salaries to their workers would be stopped.

He was talking to the office bearers of Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) and Peshawar Press Club (PPC) during his visit to the protest camp of journalists here. He dispelled the impression that the release of advertisements were being stopped to print and electronic media by the PTI government.

The journalists were holding protest camp against retrenchments from various media houses since last 19 days.

Secretary Information, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Qaiser Alam and Director General (DG) Information and Public Relations, Firdous Khan also accompanied him.

Senior journalists Shamim Shahid, Syed Bukhar Shah, Nasir Hussain, Shahabuddin, Fida Khattak and large number of other journalists were also present on the occasion.

The information minister condemned retrenchments from media houses. He said that the large scale retrenchment of media workers from their services has no precedent in the history.

He said that the resolution passed by the provincial assembly against retrenchment from media houses was sent to Federal Minister for Infomation and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain and the Monday meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan was held in that connection.

The information minister said that after the passage of 18th Constitutional Amendment, the provinces were empowered to frame their own advertisement and media policies. He said that All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) would also be taken on board in this regard.

The KP Information Minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured that working journalists would be provided protection in any circumstances.

He also assured that the provincial government in consultations with journalists would make legislation to link the release of advertisements to newspapers with the implementation of the wage board award.

Furthermore, he also assured giving representation to journalists on the media list committee of the Information Department.

Earlier, president of KhUJ Saiful islam Saifi briefed the minister regarding problems faced by the journalists and particularly massive retrenchment by various media houses.

On the assurance of the provincial minister, the president of KhUJ Saiful Islam Saifi announced theending of the protest camp outside the press club.The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday summoned the Punjab Law Secretary for November 22 in a petition seeking implementation of the Police Order 2002.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) :The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday summoned the Punjab Law Secretary for November 22 in a petition seeking implementation of the Police Order 2002.

LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Anwaarul Haq heard the petition filed by one Muhammad Razzaq.

During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel argued that as per Police Order 2002, the appointment of the inspector general of police and other senior officers should be made on the recommendations of duly constituted National Public Safety Commission for the purpose.

The law was not being implemented, he added.

At this, the chief justice observed that it was an important matter and could not be ignored. He questioned as to why the court directions were not being followed in that regard.

The additional advocate general apprised the court about steps taken for the purpose. However, the court adjourned the matter till November 22 and summoned the law secretary in person.Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Mian Farrukh Habib said that a modern railway system was being introduced in the country as railways was the backbone of the national economy.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Mian Farrukh Habib said that a modern railway system was being introduced in the country as railways was the backbone of the national economy.

He said railway was a strategic asset and steps were needed to improve its working.

The parliamentary secretary said, "Modern facilities like WI-Fi complimentary newspaper, drinking water, tea, lunch /dinner and public address system have been introduced in these trains," ptv news reported.

Replying to a question he said, visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China would bring positive results.

During the visit, the prime minister focused on railway and agriculture sectors, he highlighted.

He said China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) would start a new journey of development in the country includingBalochistan.

Farukh Habib said government took adequate steps to mitigate concerns of people of Balochistan.(@FahadShabbir)

Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Muhammad Bashrat Raja Tuesday said that the killers involved in the martyrdom of Jamiat Ulema Islam-S chief, Maulana Samiul Haq would be arrested soon.

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) : Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Muhammad Bashrat Raja Tuesday said that the killers involved in the martyrdom of Jamiat Ulema Islam-S chief, Maulana Samiul Haq would be arrested soon.

The Minister told APP, that he himself satisfied with the investigation of police in the case, adding that police has gathered all evidences during the investigation and the murderers of renowned religious scholar would be arrested soon.

He said the Punjab government is standing with the bereaved family and religious, political services of Samiul Haq would be remembered for a long time.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif did not record his statement before the Accountability Court (AC) of Islamabad in the Flagship Investment corruption reference on Monday due to non-preparation.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) :Former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif did not record his statement before the Accountability Court (AC) of Islamabad in the Flagship Investment corruption reference on Monday due to non-preparation.

Nawaz's counsel Khawaja Haris informed the court that he wanted to first cross-examine the National Accounatbility Bureau's (NAB) Investigation Officer (IO) Muhammad Kamran and then his client would record his statement as he was not still prepared for it.

AC Judge Arshad Malik heard the reference. Accused Nawaz Sharif also attended the court proceedings.

The defence counsel also stated that they wanted to submit some written objections on the NAB IO's statement, which was allowed by the court.

During the cross-examination, the NAB investigation officer informed the court that he had completed his investigation on August 29, 2017 under which the reference was filed against the accused.

One of the two mutual legal assistance (MLAs) written to the UK Central Authority in July 2017 was related to his investigation in which the information regarding the Nelson, Nescol and Comber companies were sought, he added.

The judge asked the defence counsel to ask only relevant queries to the NAB witness.

Khawaja Haris said that so many people were assisting the witness to answer his questions.

Judge Arshad Malik observed that every minute detail of the witness's statement should come on record.

NAB Deputy Prosecutor Sardar Muzafar Abbasi also objected over the defence queries, who, he said, was asking irrelevant questions.

Later, the court adjourned the case till Tuesday.National electric power regulatory authority (NEPRA) Tuesday took serious notice of another major breakdown in Karachi and directed K-Electric authority to provide immediately a detailed report in this regard.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :National electric power regulatory authority ( NEPRA ) Tuesday took serious notice of another major breakdown in Karachi and directed K-Electric authority to provide immediately a detailed report in this regard.

According to a press release issued here, the city of Karachi witnessed breakdown in the early hours of Monday due to closure of Bin Qasim Power Plant, resulting into the tripping of high tension KE's isolations line from the national grid.

It caused inconvenience and people of the city suffered from long duration power outages.

Further, it was reported that 80 per cent of city was affected including Gulistan-e-Jaohar, Gulshan Iqbal, Nazimabad, Bahadurabad, Liaquatabad, Mahmudabad, Saddar and other areas. It has also been highlighted that it was the 5th breakdown within a time period of two months.

The Authority has serious concern on the prevailing situation in respect of poor performance of KE's network.

In view of foregoing, KE has been directed to provide the detailed report regarding aforementioned power breakdown along with status of preventive and corrective steps taken by it within three days.

Meanwhile, K-Electric in a press statement issued in Karachi on Tuesday said it had already intimated NEPA through its letter dated November 12 regarding abrupt disconnection of power supply to Karachi from the National Grid.

The tripping in NTDC system due to adverse weather conditions caused roll over effect resulting in outage in various parts of the city on Monday. The letter explained that KE's Bin Qasim Power Station II and Korangi Combined Cycle Power Plant landed safely in island mode ensuring earliest possible restoration of power to the city.

Moreover, all strategic installations falling in affected areas were restored on priority.

K-Electric remains fully committed to its vision statement of 'Energizing Karachi' while serving over 25 million people of Karachi and its adjoining areas, the statement concluded..(@rukhshanmir)

Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan has said that the new petroleum policy will be announced in the last week of the current month after completing necessary consultations with the provinces.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan has said that the new petroleum policy will be announced in the last week of the current month after completing necessary consultations with the provinces.

"As per vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the government is working on drafting of petroleum policy. It will be a uniformed policy, which will bring a major changes in the areas of oil, gas, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG)" the minister said this while taking to media persons here on Tuesday.

The new policy and its implementation, he said were a part of the 100-day agenda announced by the prime minister. The ministry will also award 10 new blocks for exploration in different oil and gas potential areas through open biding, he said.

With the award of 10 more exploration blocks, he said, the country would witness a remarkable increase in oil and gas exploration activities, which would help meet ever-increasing energy demand.

The minister said, 10 blocks, including 2972-6 (Cholistan), 3072-8 (Shakar Ganj West, 3073-5 (Punjab),3069-10 (Musakhel), 2762-1 (Desert), 3068-3 (Block 28 North), 3269-1 (Wali West), 2768-13 (Sorah), 2567-12 (Taung) and 2667-9 (Khuzdar South), would be awarded to successful bidders through a transparent process.

He said Pakistan had rich oil reserves that would be given attention and be explored in order to improve local production. Efforts will also be made to improve the local production of refined and crude petroleum products, which currently stand at 15pc while imports make up 85 per cent, he added.

To a question he said the government had decided to give adequate representation to provinces in boards of directors of 15 companies working under Ministry of Petroleum as previous government had neglected provinces.QUETTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) :Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Mian Farrukh Habib said a new railway system was being introduced in Pakistan because railways was the backbone of the national economy.

Talking to media here at Quetta Railway Station on Monday, Farrukh Habib said an accountability process had been started across the country.

He said the previous rulers had destroyed national departments and looted resources and they would be held accountable.

Farukh Habib said railway was a strategic asset and steps were needed to improve its working regenerate it.

The parliamentary secretary said the visit of Prime Minsiter Imran Khan to China would bring positive results for the country.

"During the visit, the prime minister focused on railway and agriculture sectors. The Chinese government appreciated the prime minister's vision and said it would give full support to Pakistan in improving railway system and agriculture sector", he added.

He said China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) would start a new journey of development in the country including Balochistan.

Farukh Habib said the current government took adequate steps to mitigate concerns of Balochistan and Prime Minister Imran Khan was making every effort to develop Balochistan.Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri Monday said that Pakistan would become Madina-like state under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) : Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri Monday said that Pakistan would become Madina-like state under the leadership of Prime Minister

Addressing a Qaumi Ulema-o-Mushaikh Convention here at Jamia Hizb-ul-Ahnaf, he said that love and respect for Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was a part of one's faith and without this no one could claim to be a true Muslim.

He said that Pakistan came into being with the efforts of elders of Ulema and Mushaikh and now, they would have to play their role in its protection. He said that the current religious issue would be resolved with courage and sensibility.

He said that tone of a common man was different from the responsible government officials.

The minister said that the role of Prime Minister Imran Khan, in case of blasphemous caricatures in Holland, was prominent as later had requested the speaker to stop the routine business of the assembly, and a resolution for protecting the honour of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) might be presented in the house.

"The government talked to foreign ministers of Islamic countries on the sensitive issue and suggested for calling a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the issue," he added.

He said that the contest on the blasphemous caricatures had been cancelled due to efforts and strategy of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"The PTI and every person of the government would protect Article 295-C of the Constitution," Qadri added.

He said that review appeals should be brought in sensitive cases to the courts instead of staging protest demonstrations.

The minister said that speech of Imran Khan after protests on the Aasia Bibi issue was part of the state policy, whereas dialogue was policy of the government.

He said that the government would prefer dialogue over confrontation and it would always opt for a peaceful solution to the issues. 'New Pakistan' would be built on the basis of the state of Madina and Holy Prophet's honour, he said.

He said the government would not allow conspirator elements to damage the country and the religion.

President Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Noorani) Abu Al-Khair Sahibzada Muhammad Zubair Alwari presided over the convention. Former state minister Pir Muhammad Aminul Hasnaat, Allama Hamid Saeed Kazmi, Pir Syed Munawwar Hussain Jamaati, Sahibzada Hamid Raza Sialkoti, Khalid Sultan Bahoo and others spoke on the occasion.President Dr Arif Alvi Tuesday asked all governors to setup a fund for payment of less than hundred thousand rupees fine of those prisoners who had served their sentences but were still languishing in jails due to nonpayment of fines.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :President Dr Arif Alvi Tuesday asked all governors to setup a fund for payment of less than hundred thousand rupees fine of those prisoners who had served their sentences but were still languishing in jails due to nonpayment of fines.

He directed the governors to collect necessary data of such prisoners in order to initiate and complete the process effectively, a press release said.

The president was presiding over the Governors' Conference. Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhmmad Sarwar, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Farman, Governor Balochistan Justice retired Amanullah Khan and Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon were present on the occasion.

The president directed the governors to take the onus of providing clean drinking water in all prisons and also asked them to establish laboratories for testing hepatitis in prisons for the prisoners as well as policemen.

He further underscored the need for establishing Citizens Police Liaison Committees in all provinces on the patron of Sindh.

He urged the governors to take leadership role in their respective provinces to resolve issues of water, population, health and Primary, secondary and higher education.

He said the governors must take up the 'Clean and Green Pakistan' mission in their provinces in coordination with relevant departments. The Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa proposed that the cultivation of olive could be useful in protecting environment.

The president also asked the governors to keep in close contacts with the chief justices of their respective high courts in order to help judiciary in the provision of expeditious justice to the needy.

He further urged them to identify at least one university in their province for affiliation with Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology.

He directed to provide land for establishing the campuses of National Defence University in all provinces.

The Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa informed that 95% of the process of merger of FATA had already been completed and the work on remaining 5% was being expeditiously completed.

The Governor Gilgit-Baltistan requested the President for support in establishing a women university to which the President assured his full support.

The president also directed the governors to ensure that the offices of all provincial ombudsmen work more effectively in order to redress the grievances of the public.(@rukhshanmir)

The Sindh Cabinet in order to get rid of a social evil has imposed ban on child beggary and directed social welfare department to pick the children beggars from the signals and streets and rehabilitate them at welfare centers.

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :The Sindh Cabinet in order to get rid of a social evil has imposed ban on child beggary and directed social welfare department to pick the children beggars from the signals and streets and rehabilitate them at welfare centers.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presided over the Cabinet meeting here at New Sindh Secretariat on Tuesday, said a statement.

The meeting was attended by all the provincial ministers, the advisors to the chief minister and the special assistants which was conducted by Chief Secretary Sindh Mumtaz Shah.

The items on the agenda of the meeting included progress report on fixation of issue price of wheat crop 2018, discussion of report on existing legal provision on beggary, tariff differential subsidy to new Captive Power Plants, constitution of Governing body of Sehwan development authority.

Amendment in Sindh Zakat & Ushr Act, power of the provincial cabinet meeting in financial matters and presentation on the water position was given to the cabinet as an additional item.

The chief minister and the members of the cabinet members expressed profound grief on the death of two innocent children reportedly due to consumption of poisonous food.

He directed the chief secretary to strengthen the food authority and start inspection of all the food outlets. "I know our food authority is nascent but with special focus we can make it an effective organization", he said.

CM Advisor on Law and Information Murtaza Wahab presented findings of his committee the cabinet had constituted on the issue of beggary on September 3, 2018.

The other members of the committee were Minister Health Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho and Minister for Social Welfare Hari Ram.

Syed Murad Ali Shah in consultation with the Cabinet decided to ban beggary all over Sindh and in the first phase the children being used as beggars had been banned completely, besides directing the Social Welfare department to launch a special drive child beggary.

He directed the district administration and the police to help social welfare department in the drive to be launched against child beggary and round up the child beggars and send them to Sweet Home and Street Children Center Korangi where they would be rehabilitated.

He also directed Social Welfare Department to make Child Protection Authority as an effective organization.

"Helpline 1121 must be projected in the media so that common man could complain wherever the rights of a child are seen to be compromised", he said. In the next phase another effective drive would be launched against beggary, he added.

The Sindh Cabinet has decided to dispose of its wheat stocks of 1,745,815 tones at a release price of Rs 3315 per 100 kg jute bag and Rs 3,250 PP bag and it would exert a Rs 6.7 billion financial burden of subsidy on the provincial exchequer.

The chief minister had constituted a committee under Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah and secretary finance and secretary food as its members to recommend issue price.

Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on water Ashfaq Memon told the cabinet that 38 per cent shortage of irrigation water for current Rabi had been declared by IRSA and there were apprehensions of increase in the shortage.

The cabinet decided that comparatively higher supplies for sowing of what crop during months of November and December 2018.

The supplies to be kept at minimum during last ten days of December to the end of January taking advantage of closures so as to have water saved for watering of crops February onwards.

The supply of water in the canals, branches, distributaries and minors would be made as per rotation plans prepared by the concerned regions while provision of water for drinking purpose to be ensured regularly.

The cabinet also approved amendment in the Zakat & Ushr Law under which Karachi has been declared as city of six districts so that distribution could be made accordingly.Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi Monday said the government would soon announce a special package for the families of martyrs of Islamabad Police.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) :Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi Monday said the government would soon announce a special package for the families of martyrs of Islamabad

Addressing an event arranged here to pay tribute to the police martyrs, he said, "The martyrs of police are pride of the whole nation and the government will soon announce a special package for the families of those personnel who lay their lives in the line of duty." The minister said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was determined to transform the Capital Police into a model force. "The police officials will be given due respect and honour in the Naya Pakistan." He said his ministry's doors were opened for the families of martyrs and the government would provide all possible facilities to them.

Afridi said the government would also provide financial assistance for education and marriage of the martyrs' children.

He said Allah Almighty had selected 41 police personnel of Islamabad, who sacrificed their lives for the great cause of protecting others' lives. Every Muslim desired to get martyred, he added.

He said the entire nation was proud of the law-enforcement agencies, whose personnel were rendering great sacrifices to ensure peace in the country.

Referring to his meeting with a mother from Balochistan province, the minister said she was in high spirits despite her two sons had been martyred in the war against terrorism.

If she had ten sons, she would have sacrificed all of them for the cause of the motherland. "I salute such mothers, who are always ready to sacrifice their sons for Pakistan," he added.

Afridi said he also felt pride for having martyrs in his family. He said the martyrs had great respect in islam.

He said the Federal Government would ensure protection of lives of all the citizens of country.

He said the government was determined to provide all available resources to the Islamabad Police for their capacity building. Work on the Police Act was under way as the government was firm to introduce reforms in the Capital Police, under which lower rank police officials' would be promoted to higher ranks, he added.

He said intelligence and technical schools would be set up for capacity building of Islamabad Police.

The minister assured that the problems faced by policemen like accommodation and transportation would be solved on priority.

Inspector Generalof Islamabad AamirZulfiqar paid rich tribute the police martyrs, saying their sacrifices for the country would be written in gold words.

He pointed out to a disparity that the family of a constable in Islamabad was given a meager amount of Rs 3 million while in Punjab the amount was Rs 20 million.

He requested the Interior Ministry to name Islamabad's roads after the martyrs.

Later, the minister distributed compensation cheques among the heirs of martyred policemen.Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) will enure uninterrupted gas supply to its domestic consumers during current winter season as per directives of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) : Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) will enure uninterrupted gas supply to its domestic consumers during current winter season as per directives of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet

"As per the ECC decision, the SSGCL management will also withdraw the gas load-management notices issued to the zero-rated industries," an official in the petroleum division told APP.

The ECC, he said, has also approved provision of 12 MMCFD gas to SNGPL from Dhok Hussain gas field and also accorded approval for provision of 10 MMCFD gas to SSGCL from Bitrism gas field.

Presently, the official said, as many as 24 oil and gas exploration companies are working as operators in different potential areas of the country. Besides, 30 exploration and production companies are also doing their business as non-operatorTo a question, he said that daily demand of oil in the country at present is about 537,000 barrels, out of which 15% demand is met through indigenous crude oil, while 85% are met through imports in the shape of crude oil and refined petroleum products.

He said presently the country is importing oil form UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Netherland, Singapore, Malaysia, Belgium and Narway.The Russia-based software company Kaspersky Lab is considering the possibility to lodge a complaint against the Dutch government over its refusal to use software designed by Kaspersky Lab in the country's state structures, the company's vice president for public affairs, Anton Shingarev, told reporters on Tuesday.

ZURICH (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) The Russia-based software company Kaspersky Lab is considering the possibility to lodge a complaint against the Dutch government over its refusal to use software designed by Kaspersky Lab in the country's state structures, the company's vice president for public affairs, Anton Shingarev, told reporters on Tuesday.

"I think we will file a lawsuit in a Dutch court, as a very strange decision has been made in the Netherlands. They have confirmed candidly that they have not technically regarded [the possibility to use] our product. In our opinion, ... there should be some rules, some checks, there would have been a reason [to reject Kaspersky Lab software] if they had come [to Russia], if they had checked the product and had found something [faulty]," Shingarev said.

"We used to write to them, we suggested to present the source code to them, to explain how everything works. They said they did not need it yet, and then they decided to prohibit our product," he went on to say.

Shingarev added that the company might file the lawsuit within two months.

"There are certain restrictions in terms of procedure. We won't be able to do it in a year or a year and a half," Shingarev concluded.

Media reports emerged in May that the Dutch government had decided to stop using Kaspersky Lab's anti-virus software over security concerns.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

At least three Malian civilians were killed and four foreigners working for a UN-contracted mine-clearing operation wounded in a suicide attack Monday in the country's violence-hit north, the security ministry and other official sources said.

Bamako, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :At least three Malian civilians were killed and four foreigners working for a UN-contracted mine-clearing operation wounded in a suicide attack Monday in the country's violence-hit north, the security ministry and other official sources said.

The attack, claimed by a group linked to Al-Qaeda, took place in the city of Gao at around 8:00 pm (2000 GMT), according to a ministry statement.

"A loaded 4x4 vehicle exploded in the vicinity of a residential complex," the ministry said, adding that two others were wounded in the blast, which also damaged surrounding homes.

Mali has been struggling to return to stability after Islamist extremists linked to Al-Qaeda jihadists took control of the north in early 2012, prompting a military intervention by France.

The extremists were routed in the French operation in 2013 but large stretches of the landlocked African state remain out of government control.

A local official said at least two Malian passers-by who lived close to the targeted building had died in the latest attack.

"Two Cambodians, a South African and a Zimbabwean working for an organisation subcontracted by UNMAS (the UN's mine-clearing operation) were wounded on Monday in a terrorist attack in Gao," a Western diplomatic source told AFP.

The assault was claimed by the Group to Support islam and Muslims (GSIM), a fusion of three Malian jihadist groups allied with Al-Qaeda.

Malian and international security forces have been mobilised following the "tragic incident", the security ministry said.

The attack came as French Defence Minister Florence Parly and German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen met in the capital Bamako on Monday to discuss Mali's troubled peace accord and a planned five-nation anti-terror force for the Sahel.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

A Bahraini court on Monday sentenced four people to death in connection with a terrorist attack that took place in June 2017.

MANAMA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2018 ) :A Bahraini court on Monday sentenced four people to death in connection with a terrorist attack that took place in June

Ahmed al-Hammadi, head of the Bahraini police's criminal division, was quoted by Bahrain's official news agency as saying the four had been convicted earlier for "having links to the terrorist bombing that took place in Manama's Al-Daraz district" last year.

The attack resulted in the death of a policeman and the injury to a number of other people.

Monday's sentence is still subject to appeal before Bahrain's Court of Appeals.(@FahadShabbir)

VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) The case of Austria's ex-colonel suspected of spying in favor of Russia will not jeopardize the relations with Moscow in the long run, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said.

"This will not seriously shadow our relations with the Russian government for a long time," Van der Bellen said late on Monday in an interview with the Austrian ORF broadcaster.

The president went on to say that espionage is unacceptable, but at the same time all special services are trying to obtain information via various methods, including the illegal ones.

On Friday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz confirmed that a retired Austrian colonel was suspected of espionage for Moscow and demanded that the Russian side provided "transparent" information on the matter.

Moscow in response expressed protest to Austrian Ambassador to Russia Johannes Aigner over the accusations. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Vienna's steps were based on suspicions without evidence, adding that Austria's statements over the spy scandal had already complicated bilateral relations.(@rukhshanmir)

As many as 198 people have been killed in Nicaragua since waves of anti-government protests began in April, the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) As many as 198 people have been killed in Nicaragua since waves of anti-government protests began in April , the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

"As a result of criminal actions 198 people have been killed, 22 of whom were officers of the national police, and 1,240 people have been injured, 401 of whom were members of the national police who received gunshot wounds as a result of protests," the press release published Monday on Nueva Radio Ya website read.

According to the press release, this series of protests are "an attempted coup by political groups disguised as non-governmental organizations related to organized crime with funding from abroad.

"

The document stressed that infrastructure had greatly suffered during this period, causing almost $1 billion in damage to the country's economy.

Turmoil erupted in Nicaragua on April 18 when people took to the streets to protest unpopular social security reforms announced by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. After several days of protests, Ortega canceled the reforms, but the protests have nevertheless continued.(@FahadShabbir)

A regional court in the Austrian state of Salzburg ruled not to take into custody a retired Austrian colonel suspected of spying in favor of Russia, local media reported on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) A regional court in the Austrian state of Salzburg ruled not to take into custody a retired Austrian colonel suspected of spying in favor of Russia, local media reported on Tuesday.

According to the Austria Press Agency, the court declined the prosecution's request to take the suspect, who was detained on the night into Saturday, into custody.

On Friday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz confirmed that a retired Austrian colonel was suspected of espionage for Moscow and demanded that the Russian side provided "transparent" information on the matter.

Moscow in response expressed protest to Austrian Ambassador to Russia Johannes Aigner over the accusations. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Vienna's steps were based on suspicions without evidence, adding that Austria's statements over the spy scandal had already complicated bilateral relations.(@FahadShabbir)

The Austrian Interior Ministry hopes that the case of Austrian ex-colonel suspected of spying in favor of Russia will not jeopardize the Austrian-Russian relations, Peter Goldgruber, the ministry's general secretary, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) The Austrian Interior Ministry hopes that the case of Austrian ex-colonel suspected of spying in favor of Russia will not jeopardize the Austrian-Russian relations, Peter Goldgruber, the ministry's general secretary, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"I hope and I expect that they will work quickly, and that they will do everything possible so that the multiple areas of our cooperation are not jeopardized, and so that we have a basis for a good cooperation in future," Goldgruber said.

He emphasized that joint effort was necessary for clearing up the point.

"The quicker we clear everything up, the better it is for the continuation of our cooperation," Goldgruber added.

On Friday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz confirmed that a retired Austrian colonel was suspected of espionage for Moscow and demanded that the Russian side provided "transparent" information on the matter.

Moscow in response expressed protest to Austrian Ambassador to Russia Johannes Aigner over the accusations. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Vienna's steps were based on suspicions without evidence, adding that Austria's statements over the spy scandal had already complicated bilateral relations.(@FahadShabbir)

Belarus has joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Agreement on International Road Transportation, BelTA learned from the Belarusian embassy in China on Tuesday.

MINSK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) : Belarus has joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization 's Agreement on International Road Transportation, BelTA learned from the Belarusian embassy in China on Tuesday.

The agreement between the governments of the SCO member states to create favorable conditions for international road transportation of 12 September 2014 came into force for Belarus, which has an observer status in the organization, on 11 November.

One of the main requirements for joining the agreement was to secure consent from all the SCO member states, the diplomatic mission said.

Belarus is the first non-SCO member to have completed the procedure for accession to this agreement. The Transport and Communications Ministry is in charge of the execution of the document.

The document is designed to improve road transport between the SCO countries, eliminate the existing barriers in international road transport and to create favorable conditions for international road transport in the SCO region.The Holy Synod of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of the Moscow Patriarchate decided on Tuesday to suspend full communion with the Constantinople Patriarchate due to its activities in Ukraine.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) The Holy Synod of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of the Moscow Patriarchate decided on Tuesday to suspend full communion with the Constantinople Patriarchate due to its activities in Ukraine

"Taking into account the destructive activities and gross violation of canons by the Constantinople Patriarchate, the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church must suspend full communion with the clergy of the Constantinople Patriarchate, and the laity [must suspend] participation in sacraments performed in churches of the Patriarchate of Constantinople," the UOC Synod said.The Syrian Foreign Ministry has sent two letters to the United Nations over the recent deadly airstrike by the US-led international coalition on a village in eastern Deir ez-Zor province, demanding that the international organization probe what Damascus qualifies as a crime and bring those responsible to justice, local media reported on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) The Syrian Foreign Ministry has sent two letters to the United Nations over the recent deadly airstrike by the US-led international coalition on a village in eastern Deir ez-Zor province, demanding that the international organization probe what Damascus qualifies as a crime and bring those responsible to justice, local media reported on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Syrian state-run SANA news agency reported that over 60 civilians were killed or injured as a result of the US-led international coalition airstrike on al-Shafa village in Deir ez-Zor province.

In its letters, Damascus describes the coalition's strikes as a crime, urging the UN Security Council to take action to stop similar massacres in the future, probe all such incidents and bring perpetrators to justice, according to the news agency.

The ministry also noted that reckless actions of the United States and its coalition allies in Syria had resulted in the total collapse of the values and moral principles that the nations have agreed to honor since the foundation of the United Nations.

In particular, Damascus accused the coalition of repeated disregard for the lives of innocent civilians and international law, the agency reported.

The coalition regularly carries out airstrikes in Deir ez-Zor province. On Friday, media reported that 26 civilians, including women and children, were killed in an airstrike by the coalition on the city of Hajin. Following the airstrike, Damascus similarly sent letters to the UN secretary general and UN Security Council president.

According to multiple Syrian media reports, toxic white phosphorus munitions had also been used in the coalition's repeated attacks in the region. In response to previous allegations, the Pentagon maintained that munitions used by the United States in Syria complied with all international norms.

The US-led coalition of more than 70 countries is conducting military operations against the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS, outlawed in Russia) in Syria and Iraq. The coalition's operations in Iraq are conducted in cooperation with the Iraqi government, but those in Syria are not authorized by the government of President Bashar Assad or the UN Security Council.Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the Brussels district of Molenbeek, home of Islamic State jihadists who carried out the 2015 Paris attacks, during a state visit to Belgium next week.

The visit comes just weeks after Belgium's decision to replace its fleet of ageing F-16 jets with US-made F-35s, snubbing European bids including the Rafales from French group Dassault.

It was King Philippe of Belgium who invited Macron to make the two-day visit, on November 19 and 20.

Macron will also meet Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. Both men are seen as the new generation of European leadership keen on shaking up the European Union.

Most French people remember Molenbeek as the largely immigrant district where several of the jihadists behind the November 13, 2015 attacks on Paris were based.

It was in Molenbeek that top Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam was arrested in spectacular fashion in March 2016, near his family home.United Nations, United States, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :Kuwait and Bolivia on Tuesday requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip.

Kuwait, which represents Arab countries at the council, and Bolivia asked that the closed-door meeting be held later Tuesday, diplomats said.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Skopje, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :A Macedonian court on Monday issued an arrest warrant for the country's former prime minister, Nikola Gruevski, after he failed to turn himself in following a corruption conviction.

The warrant, announced by the interior ministry, came after a court in Skopje upheld a two-year sentence against him for abuse of power on October 5.

Authorities will issue an international arrest warrant if they fail to locate Gruevski by Tuesday, an interior ministry spokesman said.

"For now there is no international arrest warrant. If we can't find him in the country within the next 24 hours, we will seek him internationally," Toni Angelovsvki said.

Gruevski, 48, was convicted in May of using a 600,000-euro ($675,000) Mercedes for personal travel even though it had been bought with state funds.

Following the October appeal conviction, the court issued the warrant after a two-week deadline expired for the deputy to give himself up. Gruevski has now exhausted all avenues of appeal.

The former leader of the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE dominated the political landscape of the Balkan country for nearly a decade, until 2016.

He resigned after a scandal emerged over tapes that appeared to show widespread wire-tapping by his administration.

He now faces a number of graft cases, with the Mercedes charge the first to go to trial. Gruevski has denounced this first conviction as politically motivated.

In the spring of 2017, the party he once led was voted out of power, beaten by a coalition led by Social Democrat Zoran Zaev, who won the backing of parties representing the country's ethnic Albanian minority.

While in power, Gruevski took a hardline stance in a long-running name row with Greece, which has its own province called Macedonia.

But the Macedonian parliament last month voted to start the process of renaming the country North Macedonia.

That brings Skopje to breaking the deadlock with neighbour Greece, which has blocked Skopje's entry into NATO and EU over the issue for nearly 30 years.Former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, sentenced to two years in prison in his country, said on Tuesday that he had fled to Hungary and asked for political asylum there.

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) Former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, sentenced to two years in prison in his country, said on Tuesday that he had fled to Hungary and asked for political asylum there.

Back in May, Gruevski, prime minister from 2006 till 2016 and a former head of the largest opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, was convicted of abuse of office during his purchase of a luxury vehicle at an estimated cost of over 500,000 Euros ($563,400). On Monday, the Macedonian authorities issued an arrest warrant for the politician after the court turned down his appeal and ordered him to start serving his prison term immediately. However, Gruevski's whereabouts were unknown since Thursday.

"In the last few days, I have received countless death threats. I am in Budapest, and have requested political asylum from the Hungarian authorities," Gruevski wrote on Facebook.

He added that he "would be always loyal to Macedonia."

At a briefing later in the day, Macedonian Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski put the blame for Gruevski's escape from the country on the judges, who failed to place the former prime minister in pre-trial detention.

The Basic Court of Skopje however dismissed the accusations, noting that "the prosecutor's office never requested arrest as a measure of restraint for the defendant."

The court also said that it would issue an international arrest warrant for Gruevski provided that the competent agencies confirmed that the defendant had fled the country.

The court added that both diplomatic and regular foreign travel passports of Gruevski had been previously confiscated.

Gruevski and his fellow party members face charges as part of several cases of corruption and abuse of office, as well as in connection with violent riots in the Macedonian parliament on April 27, 2017. The VMRO-DPMNE party calls these court proceedings "political persecution" led by incumbent Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.Libyan political actors struggle to find common ground due to a tendency to periodically change strategic partners, Lev Dengov, the head of the Russian Contact Group for intra-Libyan settlement, told Sputnik.

PALERMO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) Libyan political actors struggle to find common ground due to a tendency to periodically change strategic partners, Lev Dengov, the head of the Russian Contact Group for intra-Libyan settlement, told Sputnik.

"There is no aspiration to listen to each other among the Libyans themselves. That's an issue today. The problem, in my opinion, emerged because the Libyans are making a huge mistake as they do not completely decide on their partners  they change them from time to time," Dengov said.

The Russian Contact Group head noted that the Libyans needed not just to choose partners, but to select the right ones.

"The partners they choose are often those who have already destroyed the country and brought about today's state of affairs. The Libyans need to think on their own that it is time to decide and choose the right partners, those who would not prevent the Libyans from living together and well, who would not lead a destructive policy in Libya," Dengov explained.

At the same time, he preferred not to name those external players that led Libya to the crisis.

"I would just like to draw a fine line between who was Libya's was partner during [Muammar] Gaddafi's rule, and what results such a situation produced. I am also talking about those partners to whom Libyans can look into the eyes and say that these countries have never wished them harm and blood has never been shed in our country through their fault. Those who are somehow familiar with the history of Libya know what countries I am talking about - both on the one side, and on the other side," Dengov said.

Commenting on the action plan that aims to advance political reconciliation in Libya and help the Libyan people achieve lasting peace and security, presented by UN special envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame in September 2017, Dengov stated that while Russia unequivocally supported the initiative, there was no established coalition of external actors and interested countries that could act as a united front in order to bring Libya to real countrywide reconciliation.

"Even the conference, which is taking place now [in Palermo], each part comes separately, each side expresses its opinion and we see no unity or single position, not even from those who came. These are representatives of parliament, representatives of the presidential council, and some other entities," Dengov noted.

The two-day conference on Libyan settlement started in the capital of the Italian island of Sicily on Monday. The event aims to showcase the international community's full support for the implementation of the United Nations Action Plan on Libya to overcome the political stalemate in the country.

The conference is attended by leading Libyan political actors, including commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar, head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez Sarraj, chairman of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh Issa, and head of the Libyan High State Council Khaled Mishri. Among representatives of foreign states, the event is visited by UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte as well as leaders of Chad, Algeria, Niger, and Tunisia, among others.

Libya has been in a state of political and economic turmoil since 2011, when a civil war broke out following the overthrow of its longtime leader, Muammar Gaddafi. The eastern part of the crisis-torn state is governed by its parliament, with headquarters in the city of Tobruk. The parliament is backed by the LNA. At the same time, the GNA headed by Sarraj, operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Palestinian authorities denounce Israeli violence against Palestinians in Gaza, urging the international community to immediately intervene in order to prevent further escalation, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told Sputnik on Tuesday.

ST. PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) Palestinian authorities denounce Israeli violence against Palestinians in Gaza , urging the international community to immediately intervene in order to prevent further escalation, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told Sputnik on Tuesday.

Violence between Israel and the Hamas militant group running Gaza intensified on Monday after a Hamas commander was killed in a covert Israeli operation. An Israeli officer also died in the ensuing gunfight. Militants have since fired over 400 rockets into southern Israel, prompting the latter to attack over 100 targets in the Gaza Strip.

"Sure, it's a difficult time. The president and the government condemn the Israeli attacks on Gaza. We are calling for immediate international intervention in order to stop this escalation and to prevent deaths," the ambassador said.

He highlighted that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had already held extensive discussions on the issue at an international and regional levels.

Earlier, Abbas cut short his foreign trip and returned to Ramallah from Kuwait to closely follow the events. The Palestinian leader also instructed the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations to request an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Gaza. Palestine has also called for an urgent meeting of the League of Arab States.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, six Palestinians were killed and 25 others were injured as a result of the recent escalation, while Israel claims that rockets from Gaza claimed the life of just one person and injured over 50 others.German police said Tuesday they had charged a Polish care worker with six counts of murder for killing his elderly patients in order to rob them.

Munich, Germany, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) : German police said Tuesday they had charged a Polish care worker with six counts of murder for killing his elderly patients in order to rob them.

The 36-year-old suspect, who for years worked as a temporary nursing assistant in private homes in Germany, was also charged with three counts of attempted murder.

The man, who had previously served jail time in Poland for property offences, had worked in neighbouring Germany since May 2015 as a temp nursing assistant via Polish and Slovak agencies.

A diabetic, he used insulin to kill his victims, said Munich police in a statement.

The suspect had admitted to administering insulin in the 12 known cases since April 2017, but claimed he did not mean to kill.Romania did not ensure the readiness to complete the preparatory procedures for joining the Schengen Area by the end of 2019, the European Commission`s press service said Tuesday in a statement.

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) Romania did not ensure the readiness to complete the preparatory procedures for joining the Schengen Area by the end of 2019 , the European Commission`s press service said Tuesday in a statement.

In November, the European Commission said that Bucharest needed to ensure full transparency and independence of the judicial system to fulfill the benchmarks of the EU Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).

"While Romania has taken some steps to implement the final 12 recommendations issued by the Commission in January 2017, in order to fulfil the CVM benchmarks, recent developments have reversed the course of progress and called into question the positive assessment made back in January 2017," press release reads.

According to press release, the European Commission set 8 additional recommendations for Romania in order to resume the path toward the conclusion of the CVM.

"As a result, the 12 recommendations set out in the January 2017 report are no longer sufficient to meet the orientation given by President Jean-Claude Juncker when he started his term of office to close the CVM under this Commission's mandate.

The report therefore sets out eight additional recommendations to remedy the current situation," press release said.

In February, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Junker said that the EU Cooperation and Verification Mechanisms (CVM) should be lifted off Romania and Bulgaria before the expiration of the European Commission mandate in 2019. The CVM, launched in 2007, applies only to Romania and Bulgaria and sets the requirements for reforms in the fields of justice and fight against corruption and organized crime in both countries.

The Schengen Area comprises most EU member states, excluding Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. It also includes non-EU countries such as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) Russia sees no alternative to negotiation process on the settlement of crisis in Libya and urges all parties to conflict to continue dialogue and reach compromises, First Deputy Chief of the Russian Government Staff Sergei Prikhodko said on Tuesday.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will take part in the Palermo Conference on Libyan settlement later on Tuesday.

"We believe that there is no alternative to the negotiation process. All Libyan parties should continue the dialogue on searching the compromises, relying on the Skhirat Agreement, the only viable basis for achieving a long-term settlement as stated in the UN Security Council resolution 2434," Prikhodko said.

The main activities of crisis settlement process should be carried out under the UN auspices and Russia supports the efforts of the UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame on this matter, according to the official.

Prikhodko noted the presence of many terrorist groups, including the Islamic State (banned in Russia), as well as the failure of parties to the conflict to agree on the legislation as the main obstacles on path to the settlement of situation in Libya.

"We call on the Libyan parties directly involved in the process of national reconciliation and creation of a new Libya to show maximum goodwill, the ability to overcome differences and work together to implement common tasks," the first deputy chief of the Russian Government Staff said.

Libya has been in a state of civil conflict since 2011, when the country's long-time leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was overthrown and killed. The country is currently divided between two governments, with the eastern part of Libya controlled by the parliament elected in 2014 and backed by the Libyan National Army, led by Haftar. Sarraj's government, in turn, governs Libya's western parts and is based in Tripoli.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Sergei Ryabkov, Russian deputy foreign minister in charge of disarmament, on Tuesday met with his Kazakhstan counterpart Yerzhan Ashikbayev for talks on security and nuclear nonproliferation.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2018) Sergei Ryabkov, Russian deputy foreign minister in charge of disarmament, on Tuesday met with his Kazakhstan counterpart Yerzhan Ashikbayev for talks on security and nuclear nonproliferation.

"They had an in-depth exchange on arms controls and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, strategic stability, nuclear disarmament, biosecurity," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The diplomats reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate within multinational organizations, including on measures to strengthen controls of arms exports and transit and enforce a treaty banning chemical weapons.

Kazakhstan has been advocating for an end to all atomic tests and signed a global ban on nuclear weapons this year after decades of nuclear testing at a steppe site in the country's northeast caused lasting damage to its territory.(@rukhshanmir)

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria has delivered humanitarian aid to refugees in the central Syrian province of Homs, the center's spokesman Askold Voloshin said on Tuesday.

"110 people reside in the center for refugees - in total 33 families. Now the main problem for them is the lack of warm clothes and fuel, because the winter season is coming.

We bring them humanitarian aid - the last time we have provided 100 food sets and 50 blankets, " Voloshin told reporters.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and militant and terrorist organizations. Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in Syria. Moscow has also been providing humanitarian aid to residents of the crisis-torn country.MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2018) The separation of church and state in Greece can promote an increase of public income as it will let the government redirect some additional funds for social needs, Dimitrios Papadimoulis, European Parliament vice president and the head of the delegation of Greece's ruling Syriza party, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

On November 6, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Archbishop Hieronymos II of Athens and All Greece reached an agreement on the conditions for the disestablishment of church and state within the framework of a constitutional reform. The reform stipulates that the clergy, traditionally receiving salaries just like other public servants, will not receive the remuneration any more. Instead, the government will pay annual subsidies to the church, amounting to a total worth of salaries that the clergy should receive as civil servants.

"Such a development, among other positive elements of the bilateral agreement, can increase public income and provide the necessary space for the government to possibly re-allocate public expenses to other areas, like for instance to the enhancement of the welfare state," Papadimoulis said.

According to Papadimoulis, the creation of a fund, co-directed by the state and the church, will help manage the dispute over the years-long contested property of the church, and will be "a positive step" toward financial independence by this religious institution and, possibly, the self-financing of the clergy.

"The proposal of the Greek government is progressive and utterly realistic, and it is already implemented in other European states. It also abides by the social need to have clear roles between the state and the church. Should this amendment pass, I believe that it would become the departing point for broader and deeper reforms," he added.

Papadimoulis described the agreement between the government and the church is "a big achievement" of Tsipras' government on its way toward resolving long-standing issues, "like the one defining the relations between the state and the church."

The constitutional amendments, advocated by Tsipras, who is known to be an atheist, are also expected to make 10,000 government jobs vacant, since the step will exclude the clergy from the official public servants' register, according to the Greek government.(@FahadShabbir)

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2018) Syrian President Bashar Assad met with people from the Suwayda province who had been held hostage by the Islamic State terrorist group (IS,banned in Russia) for three months, his press service said late on Tuesday.

On November 9, Syrian and Russian military have liberated 19 Druze hostages, who were held by militants of the Islamic State terrorist group for more than three months near Palmyra, according to theRussian Center for Reconciliation.

"This is the last group of freed hostages, but no one has forgotten and will not forget about other kidnapped and missing people in other parts of Syria. The state and all its institutions see their problem as a priority and intends to reach them and release them by all possible means, " Assad said at the meeting, as quoted by his press service.

The meeting took place on Tuesday, according to the press service.At least nine people were killed in a terrorist attack in western Iraq, Commander of military forces in Al-Garma Ahmad Mokhlaf said on Tuesday.

BAGHDAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :At least nine people were killed in a terrorist attack in western Iraq, Commander of military forces in Al-Garma Ahmad Mokhlaf said on Tuesday.

The Comander told Iraqi media Alsumaria that the terrorists were wearing military uniform, IRNA reported.

Probe was ordered into the incident.

Despite the fact that Al Anbar Province has been liberated from Daesh terrorists, terrorist operations are reported against civilians and security forces.

On November 4, an extensive military operation started by the Iraqi army in the desert areas in western country to chase the remaining Daesh (ISIS) terrorists elements hiding in the region.

Special operations were conducted in Iraq's vast western desert area which is located between Saladin, Nineveh, and al-Anbar governorates and has many deep hidden tunnels.(@rukhshanmir)

A Turkish humanitarian group Tuesday said it provided aid to thousands of civilians in war-torn Yemen

ISTANBUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :A Turkish humanitarian group Tuesday said it provided aid to thousands of civilians in war-torn Yemen.

According to a statement by the Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), food aid was distributed to 13,255 civilians in western Wosab and Tihama regions.

The statement said around 21 million people in Yemen are dependent on aid, while 9.8 million are facing starvation.

Noting that health services cannot be provided in the country, it said that people cannot survive without external aid.

The humanitarian group said another 6,000 civilians in the region will receive food aid in the upcoming days.

Since the beginning of 2018, IHH helped a total of 198,556 civilians, including orphans, in Yemen by providing health care and food aid, the statement said.

Turkish institutions and non-governmental organizations such as the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, Turkish Red Crescent, Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, and the IHH are continuing to provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs is traveling to Colombia on Tuesday for five days of meetings on humanitarian aid with President Ivan Duque and other government leaders, the State Department said in a press release.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs is traveling to Colombia on Tuesday for five days of meetings on humanitarian aid with President Ivan Duque and other government leaders, the State Department said in a press release.

"Assistant Secretary Kimberly Breier will travel to Colombia November 13-17 to meet with President Duque and other senior Colombian officials," the release said on Tuesday. "She will meet with international and non-governmental organization leaders and volunteers from US-supported programs that provide humanitarian aid to Venezuelan refugees and migrants.

"

Breier will also participate in the arrival ceremony for the USNS Comfort in Turbo, the release said. The Naval ship deployed to Colombia in order to help care for Venezuelan refugees.

Breier is also expected to hold bilateral conversations on narcotics production and trafficking in the Colombian state of Antioquia.The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS, outlawed in Russia) terrorist group in Iraq and Syria carried out 150 strikes last week, Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) said in a press release on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2018) The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS, outlawed in Russia terrorist group in Iraq and Syria carried out 150 strikes last week, Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) said in a press release on Tuesday.

"Between Nov. 4 and Nov. 10, CJTF-OIR coalition military forces conducted 150 strikes consisting of 331 engagements in Syria," the release said.

The coalition conducted 146 strikes near Syria's Hajin, destroying command and control centers, tunnels, supply routes, fighting positions, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) facilities and weapons caches, among other targets.

In Iraq, the coalition carried out four strikes near Lake Qadisiyyah, Jazeerah Desert, and Lake Hamrin.

Those strikes destroyed two buildings, a cave, and one weapons cache, the release said.

The coalition also revealed that it conducted three previously unreported strikes in Iraq near the Khanukah Mountains. The strikes on October 30 and November 2 destroyed caves, buildings, and a bed down location, the release said.

The US-led coalition of more than 70 countries is conducting military operations against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The coalition's operations in Iraq are conducted in cooperation with the Iraqi government, but those in Syria are not authorized by the government of President Bashar Assad or the UN Security Council.The Prefect of the Dicastery for the Evangelisation of Peoples, in the Vatican, has called upon Angolan Bishops to prioritise collegial unity and pastoral tasks such as attention to priests and the religious as well as the accompaniment of the laity.

English Africa Service Vatican City

Agenzia Fides reports that while visiting Angolas ecclesiastical province of Saurimo on the second day of his pastoral visit to Angola, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples has called on the Bishops of the Province to be "united and supportive of each other and to consolidate the spirit of ecclesial and fraternal communion.

Church in Angola is lively, dynamic and busy

Saurimo is the capital of the Lunda Sul province of Angola. The ecclesiastical province of Saurimo is located in the northeastern part of the country and encompasses the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saurimo; Dioceses of Dundo and Lwena

"The Church in Angola is becoming increasingly lively, dynamic, busy and constantly growing as evidenced by the growing number of priests, local religious men and women, children of this land, and the progress of the process of rooting (the gospel locally). We see the creation of pastoral structures, and the organisation of your dioceses, the commitment of many lay people, especially catechists, in the field of evangelisation, the Sunday attendance of the faithful to Churches, their participation in the Sacraments and the solidarity demonstrated especially in times of difficulty," the Cardinal said.

Cardinal calls for close collaboration among Bishops

The Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples advised the Episcopal communion to become more aware of the collegial dimension of the ministry entrusted to them. He told the Bishops, "together, and in close collaboration with one another, you can progress in the work of evangelisation."

Cardinal Filoni then focused on some pastoral priorities.

According to Agenzia Fides, the Cardinal told the Angolan Bishops that their pastoral priorities must include attention to priests, religious men and women, care for candidates to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, assistance and accompaniment of the laity, in particular, young people and families, through an integral and permanent formation.

(SL) (Agenzia Fides)Dalit Liberation Sunday was marked across India on Nov. 11, recalling the 2008 anti-Christian violence in Kandhamal, and calling for an end to discrimination against Dalit Christians.

By Robin Gomes

India's Catholics and Protestants jointly observed Dalit Liberation Sunday on November 11 with liturgy and activities calling for an end to discrimination suffered by Christians of lower-caste origins within the Christian community and in society.

Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayak of Berhampur, chairman of the Office for Scheduled Castes/Backward Classes of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), asked people to remember the 100 poor Christians killed in anti-Christian violence in Odisha state's Kandhamal 10 years ago.

The observation is a "call to the whole Christian community to renew our faith, to awaken our consciousness to be the voice of the voiceless and to stand with vulnerable Dalits in society," he said in his message.

Since 2007, the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), comprising Protestant and Orthodox Churches, and the CBCI has been jointly observing Dalit Liberation Sunday on the second Sunday of November.

Remembering Kandhamal 2008

The 2018 Dalit Liberation Sunday had as its theme, "As for Me and My Household, We will serve the Lord," taken from the Book of Joshua. It was also the theme of the 10th anniversary observance of anti-Christian violence in Kandhamal.

Bishop Nayak and CBCI secretary-general Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas joined several bishops and priests for a liturgy in New Delhi, remembering the Dalit people through its readings, homily and prayers.

Two guest priests from Nyeri Archdiocese in Kenya were among the concelebrants.

Bishop Nayak said the anti-Christian violence in Kandhamal in 2008 was an expression of social intolerance against the empowerment of Dalits.

"They were very poor Dalits and tribals who were simply massacred. We cannot forget their witness of faith," the bishop said.

Father Devasagayaraj Zackarias, secretary of the bishops' office for Dalit and tribal people, told ucanews.com that parishes across India adapted the Sunday liturgy with a focus on Dalit rights and the discrimination they face in India.

He said discrimination against Dalit people is an issue for the whole Catholic Church and all churches in India.

Bishop Mascarenhas said the day is "important for us because at least once in a year we think of the Dalits in a more focused way. The one remembrance should last throughout the year."

Pradip Bansrior, executive secretary of the NCCI office for Dalits and tribal people, told ucanews.com that "the concerns of Dalit people are an issue challenging the core of our faith and Gospel."

Dalit

The Sanskrit word Dalit, meaning broken or trampled upon, is a term used to denote people outside India's rigid four-tier caste system, who were once considered untouchable. Although untouchability was abolished in 1950, Dalit leaders say social discrimination persists in several forms.

Dalits have been shunned, deprived and exploited socially, economically, politically or otherwise through centuries.

Hundreds of Dalits who joined Christianity to escape grinding poverty, exploitation and humiliation, are estimated to number some 30 percent of India's 27 million Christians. Together with tribal people, who also form about 30 percent , these socially and economically poor groups constitute the majority of Indian Christians.

The Indian Constitution reserves special privileges and benefits such as quota in government jobs and educational institutions for Dalits, tribal groups and scheduled castes to help their socio-economic uplift.

However, the Presidential Order of August 10, 1950, initially stated that no person who professes a religion different from the Hindu religion shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste. Subsequently, the Order was modified twice to include Sikhs (in 1956) and Buddhists (in 1990) after they protested, but Muslims and Christians of low caste origin have been excluded despite protests and petitions.

Discrimination within Church, society

Dalit Liberation Sunday aims to bring people's attention to discrimination against Christian Dalit people, both within the Church and in society, Bishop Nayak said.

Dalit leaders complain they are not represented in most church decision-making bodies and face discrimination by being allotted separate parishes, feasts and localities, including exclusive spaces for them in churches and even some cemeteries within the Christian community.

NCCI general secretary Rev. Roger Gaikwad said the injustice of the caste system continues. "One keeps hearing stories of Dalits being denied access to well water, entry into temples, quality education and basic healthcare and employment opportunities. Women are being raped and Dalit men murdered."



National Crime Records Bureau data showed that the number of crimes reported against Dalits rose from 38,670 in 2015 to 40,801 in 2016. (Source: UCANEWS)The United States Bishops begin discussions related to the clergy sexual abuse crisis on Tuesday, making suggestions about how to move forward, listening to experts, and asking questions.

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

The United States Bishops began the second day of the Fall General Assembly on Tuesday by approving a letter addressed to the Pope. Proposals came forward regarding how to continue the momentum begun to close the gap so that The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People would also extend to Bishops. Lastly, information was provided regarding a reporting system for complaints involving a Bishop.

Moving forward

One item the Bishops have added to the agenda is that of a request to be directed to Pope Francis asking for the release of documents regarding former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Other Bishops expressed various ways that a discussion on including Bishops in the Charter would be helpful in bringing them to a consensus, even if it does not end in a vote, as had been foreseen. Cardinal DiNardo expressed his commitment to bring the consensus he hears to the February meeting of Conference Presidents with the Pope.

Synodality anticipating the Holy See

Bishop Robert McElroy suggested that the discussions initiated in 2002 in response to the abuse crisis, was an act of synodality, in union with, but in anticipation of the Holy See. The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People is a direct result of this act of synodality. What began in 2002 is now being completed, he continued, by making the Charter apply to Bishops as well. He proposed that a discussion leading to consensus could be undertaken as an act of synodality in union with the Pope and the Holy See, that may again anticipate them.

Sex abuse is most pressing issue

The National Advisory Council is a 48-member group that advises the Assembly regarding items on the agenda. Fr David Whitestone, National Advisory Council chair, expressed the pain endured by members of the Council when they met in September due to the release of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report, the revelation of sexual misconduct by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and the letter published by Archbishop Vigano. There is no single issue as pressing" for the Church, he said, than the sexual abuse committed by clergy and bishops, and the lack of transparency on the part of Bishops.

Retired Colonel Anita Raines then presented the recommendations of the Council. These included: adoption of a code of conduct for Bishops; establishment of a third-party system to field complaints and accusations against Bishops and a commission to review them; audit of seminaries to investigate patterns of abuse; that an independent investigation regarding former Cardinal McCarrick be undertaken, and the details made public.

Bishops' response incomplete

Dr. Francesco Cesareo, of the USCCB National Review Board  the body created by the USCCB to monitor the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People  then addressed the Assembly.

Dr Cesareo frankly told the Bishops that although they have addressed many aspects of the clergy abuse crisis, their response remains incomplete. Some Bishops, he said, have not been open on the issue, resulting in the continued revelation of abuse by civil authorities and the media. In addition, Bishops who have committed abuse or failed to respond to allegations of sexual abuse have gone unpunished. He presented a few recommendations as to how Bishops could be held accountable and possible disciplinary measures or consequences.

Reporting system

Finally, Archbishop Jose Gomez, Vice-President of the USCCB, informed the Assembly about a third-party ethics hotline system which would accept complaints or accusations made against Bishops involving sexual abuse of minors, harassment or other sexual misconduct with adults, or failure to address abuse of minors in English and Spanish. The system, Archbishop Gomez reported, was approved by the administrative committee in September.UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said eliminating statelessness is the right thing to do, humanly, ethically and politically".

By Robin Gomes

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR on Monday appealed to governments to take decisive action to eliminate the problem of statelessness, saying an estimated 12 million people may be its victims.

Regarding it as a grave human rights issue, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said eliminating the problem is the right thing to do,  humanly , ethically and politically.

In international law, a stateless person is one who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law. Statelessness can occur for several reasons, including discrimination against particular ethnic or religious groups, or on the basis of gender.

Fundamental human rights

Grandi said that stateless people still face huge barriers to exercising fundamental human rights, such as education, medical care or legal employment, and called on states to tackle discrimination in nationality laws, which is regarded as the biggest driver of the problem.

He called on politicians, governments and legislators around the world to act now, to take and support decisive action to eliminate statelessness globally by 2024.

Humanly, ethically and politically it is the right thing to do. Every person on this planet has the right to nationality and the right to say I BELONG," he said.

Countless in limbo

Grandis appeal came four years after the launch of UNHCRs 10-year #IBelong campaign to eradicate statelessness globally, in recognition that millions remain stateless and living in limbo around the world, with the majority in Asia and Africa.

According to UNHCR, no region of the world is untouched by statelessness with some countries having hundreds of thousands of stateless persons.

The very nature of statelessness means it is difficult to determine exactly how many people are affected, or at risk. In 2017, approximately 70 countries reported 3.9 million stateless individuals. But UNHCR estimates that this is only a fraction of the total and the true number could be three times higher.

Only 25 countries around the world retain gender discrimination in their legislation that prevents mothers from conferring their nationality to their children on an equal basis as men.

Among the targets of Sustainable Development Goals adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, is Goal 16, which calls for the elimination of statelessness, i.e. ensuring legal identity for all by 2030. (Source: UNHCR)

Pop the champagne (cake)! Freeds Bakery, the featured bakery on Food Networks hit show Vegas Cakes, will offer pink, champagne-infused cake and cupcakes to celebrate 2019, available for purchase from Friday, Dec. 28 through Monday, Dec. 31 (Pictured: Freeds Pink Champagne Cake)

The bubbly-inspired cake and cupcakes will be frosted with a pink champagne mousse, topped with multi-colored sprinkles or edible silver dragees. The seven-inch round cake will be priced at $38.95 and the cupcakes will be priced at $2.85 per cupcake or $30 for one dozen.

In addition, Freeds decadent California strawberries covered in milk chocolate will also be available.

Danielle Elizabeth, Crazy Girls lead dancer and host took a couple of days off the show to attend legendary set designer Andy Walmsleys wedding which is being held today at the Wynn. So Douglas Lefty Leferovich is stepping in tonight as he did last night to host and be the specialty act in Crazy Girls at Planet Hollywood.

Douglas Lefty Leferovich is the amazing sleight-of-hand artist who guest stars in Murray The Magicians show at the Laugh Factory in Tropicana Las Vegas.The PwC workshops attracted hundreds of business directors and financial-accounting experts

The workshops, themed Conversion of VAS financial statements to IFRS and new key points of IFRS in 2018/2019, attracted more than 250 finance directors, heads of finance and accounting departments, chief accountants, and finance and accounting experts currently operating in Vietnam.

At the workshop, PwCs experts and a speaker from the Ministry of Finance shared their knowledge and practical experiences on coping with the challenges of converting VAS to IFRS, as well as gave updates on new key points of IFRS in 2018/2019.

In fact, while IFRS is not yet mandatory in Vietnam, many companies have converted their financial statements from VAS into IFRS already.

The adoption of IFRS is expected to become more common in the Vietnamese business community, not only to align with the IFRS roadmap in Vietnam but also for Vietnamese companies to attract foreign investors who may expect international accounting standards.

In fact, while IFRS is not yet mandatory in Vietnam, many companies have converted their financial statements from VAS into IFRS already.

By actively preparing in advance for the Vietnam IFRS roadmap, Vietnamese companies could have sufficient time to analyse and prepare for relevant processes. Early preparation would enable companies to assess challenges properly, while at the same time better control costs, thus ensuring a smooth transition.

Conversion experience from Europe, Asia, and Australia shows that conversion projects often take more time and resources than anticipated. If not prepared, companies will be rushed when the conversion deadlines are close, leading to increased costs for compliance actions and inability to manage negative impacts.

At the same time, conversion brings a one-time opportunity to comprehensively reassess financial reporting and take a clean sheet approach to financial policies and processes.

Such an approach recognises that major accounting and reporting changes may have a ripple effect impacting many aspects of a companys organisation.

Adopting IFRS will likely impact key performance metrics, requiring thoughtful communications roadmaps for the board of directors, shareholders, and other key stakeholders, especially impacts that could cause negative financial effects.

Internally, IFRS could have a broad impact on a companys infrastructure, including underlying processes, systems, controls, even customer contracts and interactions.

The companies will face many challenges they cannot avoid when adopting IFRS so early adoption will help companies have more understanding about the changes and choose the most appropriate solution for the company.

Besides the benefits of conversion to IFRS financial statements, companies have encountered a number of difficulties and challenges in converting, largely due to the significant differences between VAS and IFRS and the requirement to have timely decisions from the board of management to control the impacts.

Tran Hong Kien, PwC Vietnam deputy general director

In the era of globalisation, by adopting IFRS, the Vietnamese economy and Vietnamese companies would gain from deeper integration into the region in terms of capital and investment co-operation opportunities, said Tran Hong Kien, deputy general director of PwC Vietnam.

More importantly, when Vietnamese companies are allowed to adopt IFRS, it would have the wider impact by improving corporate governance, financial data transparency, and the healthy development of the Vietnamese capital market.

With strong resources and experience in Vietnam and in the region, PwC Vietnam is actively co-operating with the Ministry of Finance and professional organisations on the Vietnam IFRS roadmap proposal, and at the same time, we are supporting companies in designing their own IFRS roadmap, Kien added.

Luong Thi Anh Tuyet, director of Assurance and Accounting Services at PwC Vietnam, stressed the need to have a dedicated roadmap for IFRS from the beginning.

In her words, the first step is to train employees about IFRS. The second step is to practice and apply IFRS in operations, including analysing differences between VAS and IFRS and determining the adjustments needed for preparation of IFRS financial statements. The final step is to embed the IFRS financial information into the systems.Lazada is the most highlighted platform resorting to fake discounts, which are a concern during Single Day sales

To boost shopping demand during big sales promotion seasons like Black Friday, Christmas, and Single Day, e-commerce firms have been regularly resorting to tricks, making people think that they bought goods at discount prices.

Along with trading in fake goods, Lazada, Southeast Asia's leading e-commerce platform has been constantly accused of using fake discount tricks.

During Black Friday two years ago (November 25, 2016), Lazada advertised selling iPhone 7 devices with a 42 per cent discount for VND15.2 million ($660). However, some experienced consumers stated that this price was higher than the market price at the time and the discount was referring to the introductory price of iPhone 7, which was VND25.99 million ($1,130).

In fact, a significant number of consumers regularly fall into the discount traps of e-commerce platforms, which target buyers with a strong preference for discounts to boost earnings during sales seasons.

This year, e-commerce platforms were keen to repeat last year's Single Day success, where on November 11 they achieved triple-digit revenue growth due to the largest sales promotion season of the year.

91 per cent discounts and delivery within two hours, 95 per cent discounts and free delivery, and Top 200 crazy deals are the slogans of e-commerce platforms biggest sales promotion event, November 11  Single Day.

To kick off the programmes, Lazada, Tiki, Shopee, and Sendo, have entered into co-operation with retailers and brands to run month-long sales and discount programmes from November 9 to the middle of December.

Specifically, Lazada has issued 110,000 coupons with more than 1.1 million promotions. Tiki will stage lucky rounds, electronics promotions, and distribute discount codes worth VND10 billion ($43,478).

The e-commerce platforms began sales programmes one week before November 11 to learn more about the shopping behaviour of customers at this occasion to extend the customer base and the effectiveness of this years campaign.

The majority of promotions work with discount codes and offer enticing prices, but are only available for 1-2 hours, prompting customers to make fast decisions. In addition, the platforms keep customers up to speed via emails and smartphone notifications, keeping purse strings loose throughout the day.

First, I intended to only buy a pair of shoes for half their original price. However, since the discount programmes started, I placed a total of six orders, Nhu Uyen (Danang city) told VIR.

Three-digit growth?

According to online marketing platform Criteo, on November 11 last year e-commerce players sale turnovers grew by 238 per cent against the previous days and total visitor numbers increased by 78 per cent.

The results were based on a survey of 71 million transactions from computers, smartphones, and laptops. Accordingly, all platforms received the most shopping transactions between 10 AM and 9 PM, the time of promotions which drew in millions of people.

zing.vn quoted Silvia Slow, Criteos customer experience strategy director, as saying that advertisements based on customers hobbies and shopping behaviour sharply increased e-commerce platforms revenue.

In addition to growing sales revenues, the promotion programmes also helped to increase brands customer recognition.

With last years success, e-commerce players are pegging great expectations on this years promotions.

Single Day sales promotion campaigns were first launched nine years ago by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, the establisher of Alibaba Group. In addition to Black Friday, Single Day has quickly garnered huge interest among consumers across the globe.Experts call for incentives from the Government for green building developers.-VNS Photo

Speaking at a forum held in Ha Noi last week, Chien said green construction development in Viet Nam had a lot of potential but also posed challenges for the building industry as it was still a new concept.

"Viet Nam lacks technical solutions and green materials, while facing weak management in operating green constructions. The countrys legal framework does not have incentives for green building development," he said.

He added that the participation of financial institutions and energy saving funds to encourage green building was still limited.

"From a practical point of view, green development is a growing trend, which is the way we have to go," he noted.

He suggested that the Government should encourage investors to develop green buildings. Borrowing and investing in such constructions should be made easier. It should also be made mandatory to develop green buildings. For example, on areas of 20 hectares, developers must set aside 5-7 per cent of land for green buildings.

Nguyen Hong Thuc, director of the Research Institute for Resettlement of Viet Nam, said the first new urban area in Ha Noi was built in 1996. At that time, people were still unsure of apartments and preferred low-rise accommodation.

After many years of urbanisation, apartment buildings have become increasingly popular. As urban areas spread, the city faces a crisis.

"Now, we are in the midst of an urban crisis, which is a living environment crisis. So, to build a good urban area, we need the participation of not only the Government, but also professionals, people and businesses, Thuc said.

However, she said Viet Nam was in the early stages of green construction which could not catch up with rapid urbanisation.

To improve quality of life, she said that more green buildings were needed. However, in order to do this in Viet Nam, there was a need for social consensus. Therefore, it was necessary to improve awareness of green buildings and green urban areas.

In my opinion, three important factors for a green building include fuel saving, open space and mindset changing, she added.

From the view of a property firm developing green buildings, Tran Nhu Trung, deputy general director of Capital House, said they looked forward to developing green buildings that bring benefits to their customers.

However, we are facing difficulties. Not only us, but many companies in the south also encounter the same situation. Businesses want to make more green constructions as one building cant make the whole city green.A Governmental decree drafted by the transport ministry to simplify business conditions for potential investors in the aviation sector has been sent to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for approval.- VNS Photo Thanh Hai

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The said the draft decree was revised and supplemented for the second time in the past three months after it received ideas from Government officials and aviation businesses. Its expected to enhance aviation services including aviation transport businesses, airports and aviation service supply.

Under the draft, the investors need to meet conditions such as having aircraft, operational organisation, capital, a business plan and product development strategies to obtain an air transport licence.

A regulation previously requiring the businesses plan to suit the aviation transport development plan has been removed from the new draft.

In addition, the minimum capital needed to establish and maintain the businesses operation was adjusted to ease the burden on investors. As proposed by the transport ministry, an airline operating up to 10 aircraft will need a minimum of VND300 billion (US$12.83 million), from 11 to 30 aircraft will need VND600 billion, and 30 aircraft and more will need VND700 billion.

These amounts have been cut by more than half compared with the previous draft decision.

Another new point in the second draft decree is that the ministry proposed to raise ownership for foreign investors in the field of aviation transport.

Foreign-invested enterprises must satisfy the following conditions: foreign ownership will not occupy more than 34 per cent of charter capital; at least one Vietnamese individual or legal entity must hold the largest charter capital. In case the Vietnamese person has foreign owned capital that is the largest charter capital amount, the foreign capital contribution shall not exceed 49 per cent of the Vietnamese persons own.

The limitation of the foreign investors contribution capital not exceeding 34 per cent of charter capital was aimed to harmonise the attraction of foreign investment capital, but still ensure the rights and interests of domestic investors, said The.

In the new draft decree, the ministry also kept the age of aircraft as stipulated in the Government Decree No 92/2016/ND-CP at 20 years of operation for passenger transport aircraft and 25 years for cargo aircraft.

According to The, the age of the airline fleet was a sensitive issue that needs to be carefully assessed. The ministry had received comments from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affaris Minister Pham Binh Minh, Minister of Public Security To Lam and opinions of experts. It would not adjust the regulation on the age of airline fleet immediately, but continue to study and evaluate more carefully and propose revisions at an appropriate time.

Up to September this year, the number of civil aircraft registered with Vietnamese nationality was 175 aircraft, up 18 units over the same period last year, of which Vietnam Airlines has 89 aircraft and Vietjet has 56.Customers should think carefully before providing personal information on the Internet.-Photo genk.vn

The breach hit the headlines last week after a hacker posted three files including more than five million emails, 31,000 bank card numbers and transaction histories on RaidForums.

The Gioi Di Dong quickly denied it was the source of the stolen data.

The company said it did not store any information related to customers bank card numbers or transaction history, adding that banking information is processed by payment service providers, meaning the information could not have been stolen from The Gioi Di Dong. The company said its information system was safe and operating normally.

On Saturday, the Authority of Information Security under the Ministry of Information and Communications said it had found nothing to indicate The Gioi Di Dongs system had been hacked.

After working with the company, the Authority of Information Security said the emails and bank numbers were likely collected from other sources and did not have anything to do with The Gioi Di Dong.

Still, the breach was alarming. The origin of more than five million emails and 31,000 bank card numbers has not been identified.

The State Bank of Viet Nam asked payment service providers and intermediaries to work with The Gioi Di Dong to identify the cause and monitor the transactions of cards involved in the breach to protect customers.

The central bank also asked payment service providers to comply with customers information privacy regulations.

The State Bank of Viet Nam said in a note on its website on Saturday that initial reports from banks had not found any cases of account appropriation of customers with cards exposed by the breach.

However, the breach caused security concerns among customers.

The central bank said it would work closely with other management agencies to uncover the hackers and their motives and dole out punishments in accordance with established laws.

Other worries

Several days after The Gioi Di Dongs alleged breach, a hacker posted data which was said to be stolen from baby product retailer Concung.com and threatened to publish data stolen from technology retail chain FPT Shop.

According to security forum WhiteHat, the data said to have been taken from Concung.com included names, positions and working addresses of more than 2,200 employees. More than 2,100 phone numbers, 1,130 emails, 2,200 identity card numbers and 1,390 portraits were also revealed.

According to the Authority of Information Security, cyber attacks designed to steal personal information of customers became more common in 2018.

In Document No 8511/NHNN-TT, the authority asked firms to enhance customer privacy and information security.

Data collection, storage, processing and transmitting must be encoded to comply with security regulations.

The authority urged customers to think carefully before providing personal information to online services and to regularly change passwords.

Ngo Anh Tuan from security company BKAV said enterprises should invest in security systems, especially firms with retail stores and online marketplaces.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the weekend he had shared recordings linked to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi with a number of countries. (Photo: AFP/Adem Altan)

Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey had shared recordings linked to the Saudi journalist's murder last month with Riyadh, the United States, France, Britain and other allies, without giving details of the tapes' specific content.

In an interview with France 2 television on Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he "for the moment was not aware" of any information transmitted by Ankara.

Asked if the Turkish president was lying, he said: "It means that he has a political game to play in these circumstances."

His comments provoked fury in Ankara.

"We find it unacceptable that he accused President Erdogan of 'playing political games'," the communications director at the Turkish presidency, Fahrettin Altun, told AFP in a written statement.

"Let us not forget that this case would have been already covered up had it not been for Turkey's determined efforts."

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu responded even more sharply, saying that his French counterpart's accusations amounted to "impertinence".

"It does not fit the seriousness of a foreign minister," he said, accusing Le Drian of "exceeding his authority".

The French foreign ministry later spoke of a "misunderstanding", adding that information provided by Turkey had not allowed for the "full truth" to come out, including who might be responsible for the crime.

"The full truth which we care about isn't just linked to Turkish recordings (...) the full truth is also to be sought in Riyadh and in exchanges with our other partners," the ministry said.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of the Saudi government, was last seen entering the consulate on Oct 2 to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage to a Turkish woman.

Turkey's chief prosecutor has said he was strangled and then dismembered as part of a premeditated plan. There have been claims that his body was dissolved in acid.

'NO EXCEPTION'

After repeated denials, Riyadh finally admitted the 59-year-old had been murdered at the mission in what it called a "rogue" operation.

Erdogan has accused the "highest levels" of the Saudi government of ordering the hit, without directly pointing the finger at all-powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

He has said he does "not believe for a second" that the prince's father King Salman ordered the crime.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the crown prince in a phone call Sunday that the United States would hold accountable all those involved in the killing.

Khashoggi's murder and the war in Yemen are two of the main sources of strain in the decades-old alliance between Washington and Riyadh. The Yemen conflict has pushed that country to the brink of famine.

Altun said Ankara had shared evidence linked to the murder with officials from a large number of countries and that France was "no exception".

"I confirm that evidence pertaining to the Khashoggi murder has also been shared with the relevant agencies of the French government," he said.

A representative of French intelligence listened to the audio recording and examined detailed information including a transcript on Oct 24, he added.

"If there is miscommunication between the French government's various agencies, it is up to the French authorities - not Turkey - to take care of that problem," Altun said.

CANADA 'FULLY BRIEFED'

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday of the recordings: "Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share."

He had brief exchanges with Erdogan over the weekend in Paris, he added. World leaders attended commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I Sunday.

"I thanked him for his strength in responding to the Khashoggi situation."

Asked if he had heard the recording himself, he said: "I have not."

Trudeau was speaking from Paris, where he was attending a peace forum hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters: "I can tell you that there was an exchange between secret services on this point," he told reporters, but declined to elaborate.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt held talks Monday with Saudi King Salman and was also expected to meet the crown prince in Riyadh.

"It is clearly unacceptable that the full circumstances behind his murder still remain unclear," Hunt said ahead of his visit.

He encouraged Saudi authorities to "co-operate fully with the Turkish investigation into his death."Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13)  Former Customs Commissioner and now TESDA Chief Isidro Lapena may soon be slapped with graft charges, but for now, he is still trusted by President Rodrigo Duterte.

"(He) has the constitutional right to be presumed innocent. Until and unless proven otherwise, he still enjoys the trust and confidence of the appointing authority who happens to be the President," Presidential Spokesperson Sal Panelo said in a statement on Tuesday.

But despite this, the Palace said no official will be spared in the government's war against corruption.

In October, Lapena was "promoted" by Duterte to head the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)  a Cabinet post  amid calls for his sacking in relation to the P11 billion shabu shipment that slipped past Customs.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has recommended to the Justice Department the filing of graft charges against former Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena over 105 containers which were allegedly released with irregularities.

In the complaint dated November 7 and issued on Monday, NBI said former Customs chief violated the bureau's rules when he issued Manual Alert Orders (MAOs) even if the bureau's electronic system was fully functional. The "electronic-to-mobile (e2m)" system was put in place to improve security and efficiency, as well as to fight corruption in the Customs bureau.

NBI added, based on its investigation, Lapena failed to issue a "special stop order" to halt the move of port operator Asian Terminals Incorporated (ATI) to release the shipment from China - containers filled with tiles worth P69 million.

"He even failed to interpose objections to the release of the shipments despite lacking document. The manifest indifference of Lapena has led to the release of the shipments, escaping revenues that the Republic of the Philippines is entitled to," NBI memo read.

NBI said Lapena must be administratively charged with gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct for not complying with Customs' rules. It added this warrants his dismissal from service.

Lapena denied the allegations, saying the NBI was not able to unmask the real villains behind the illegal scheme.

"It is unclear to me why would NBI find negligence on my part when I was the one who alerted the containers. Based on existing procedure in the BOC, the release of containers from a certain port is the responsibility of the concerned officers of that port. I was hoping that their investigation would lead to finding out the truth and the people who connived to release the 105 containers from the terminal," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

He added it is up to the Department of Justice to file charges if they deem it necessary.

"This modus would have continued unnoticed. I know that this illegal scheme is possibly happening even long before I was placed in the Bureau of Customs. Under my watch, this modus was uncovered. I maintain that I did the right thing that was supposed to be done at that time," he said.The Khmer Rouge tribunal is due to announce verdicts on Friday against the two senior surviving regime officials, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, for crimes against humanity and genocide committed under the totalitarian regime.

In 2014, the court found Chea, 91, and Samphan, 86, guilty of several charges filed in Case 002/01 and sentenced them to life in prison.

But the verdict this Friday in Case 002/02 focuses on a separate set of charges of crimes against humanity and genocide committed at worksites, cooperatives, security centers and execution sites, including the infamous S-21 prison in Phnom Penh. It also considers crimes against humanity and genocide committed against the Cham and Vietnamese minorities.

Neth Pheaktra, court spokesman, said the verdict would provide the justice countless Cambodians had been waiting for for years.

We expect that the verdict announcement will form part of the process of reconciliation for the victims of the Khmer Rouge in giving them justice which they have been waiting for, he said.

The prosecution and civil parties want the court to give them a life sentence.

The defense will be able to appeal the verdict, with the trial concluding if they decline to do so, Pheaktra added.

During the trial the court heard the testimony of 114 witnesses, 63 civil parties and eight experts.

The Khmer Rouge regime, which was overthrown in January 1979, claimed the lives of more than 1.7 million Cambodians through execution, disease, starvation and forced labor.

Yun Bin, 63, a Khmer Rouge survivor and a civil party in the case, said he was taken to an execution site and beaten until he fell unconscious before being dumped in an old well.

I saw many dead people all around me in the well and the bodies were swollen and coivered in worms, he said.

Khmer Rouge cadres threw a grenade into the well, but he managed to survive the beating and the blast, escaping the well by climbing over the bodies of his compatriots.

I promised to the spirits that I will find justice [for them], he said, adding that he wanted the court to hand down a sentence of life imprisonment, which is the maximum sentence available.

I also want some [financial] compensation so that I can do ceremonies for those spirits, he said.

Former Khmer Rouge officials have asked the court to release Chea and Samphan.

Suong Sikoeun, 83, a former diplomat, said the pair should be released as there was no justice for them.

We mistreated [them]. We are Khmer. We should not imprison them, he told VOA Khmer. Ive never seen any documents saying the Khmer Rouge advised to kill Cambodians, he said.

People like Khieu Samphan are considered as a god, he added.

Yong Moeun, 71, who was chef to Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge regime and an envoy to China, said the defendants were lovers of the nation.

I dont want to talk more about the past. Its over, she said.

The tribunal also sentenced another senior official, Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, the head of the S-21 death camp, to life imprisonment in 2012. Pol Pot, known as Brother Number One, died in 1988. Ieng Sary, the former foreign minister, and his wife, Ieng Tharith, the former social affairs minister, died in 2013 and 2015, respectively.

Professor Peter Maguire, author of Facing Death in Cambodia, said the Khmer Rouge tribunal had a mixed legacy.

In the end, this $300 million dollar court took longer to convict three defendants than it did for the United States, England, and France to try nearly 5,000 war criminals after World War II.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge commander who has ruled Cambodia for more than three decades, has repeatedly said he does not want to see further prosecutions of Khmer Rouge officials, which he said were costly and could lead to civil war.

Youk Chhang, the director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia and a victim of the regime said the process was imperfect but went a long way towards healing old wounds.

Although the human pursuit of justice is often scarred by imperfection, the survivors realize a sense of vindication for their suffering as society acknowledges and pursues justice against the perpetrators of the horrors to which they were subjected, he said.



For our younger generations, having come of age in a Cambodia unencumbered by the horror of war, starvation, genocide, or mass atrocities, these proceedings will serve as a grim reminder of human potential for depravity, accented by the myriad scarring, both physical and psychological, that persist in Cambodian society.A recent proliferation of craft gins and new distilleries has taken over South Africas bar scene. But this is not your average gin, distillers say: South African gin is infused with unique local flavors -- like fynbos, rooibos, marula, sceletium and other distinctive South African botanicals -- that they feel will take the world's taste buds by storm. VOAs Anita Powell reports from Gin Town, AKA Johannesburg.Spain has overtaken Italy this year as the number one destination for migrants traveling from north Africa. Madrid has taken a softer line on migration than many other European countries, urging the European Union to increase search and rescue capabilities at sea. Local authorities in the southern region of Andalucia say they need more help  warning that migrants are sleeping on the floors of police stations and churches. Henry Ridgwell reports from Seville.Kurdish rights activists say Iranian security forces have shot and killed an Iranian Kurdish man working as a porter importing goods from neighboring Iraq, in the latest report of porters being shot dead this year.

Reports from the Center of Democracy and Human Rights in Kurdistan and Kolbarnews said Ghalib Kuik was killed on Sunday near the northwestern town of Marivan in Irans Kurdistan province, adjacent to Iraq. The reports did not provide other details of the shooting or identify which branch of the security forces was responsible.

A family member of Kuik confirmed his killing in a message sent to VOA Persian on Monday. The relative, who attached a photo of Kuik to the message, said Iranian authorities told the family to collect his body.

Iranian Kurdish porters, known locally as kolbars, have carried goods across mountain footpaths from Iraq to Iran for years. The practice is one of the only sources of income in Irans predominantly Kurdish northwestern regions, which are among the nations most impoverished.

The state-run Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) published a report Monday confirming Kuiks death, but not that he was shot by security forces. It said he died of unnatural causes while carrying a load of goods along with other kolbars near Marivan. ILNA said Kuik was married with two children.

Relatives of kolbars have reported several other fatal shootings of the porters by Iranian security forces this year, including two killings in June. VOA Persian has withheld the identities of the family members after they said the security forces warned them against speaking out about the shootings.

Kolbars have told VOA Persian that members of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have defended such shootings by saying they mistook the porters for Iranian Kurdish militants who are active in the region. But the kolbars have said there is no accountability for the shootings, with the IRGC forces involved in the incidents being reassigned to other locations rather than being punished.

Iranian security forces began to block the footpaths used by kolbars last December, with local officials saying they acted at the request of Iraq to bring order to border trade and preserve security in border areas. Many Iranian Kurds have rejected that explanation because of what they see as Tehran's deep influence over Iraqi affairs.

This article originated in VOAs Persian Service.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani denied Monday that the Taliban is winning the war in Afghanistan despite a continuing wave of deadly militant attacks and signs the militants are expanding areas under their control.



Ghani said the Afghan state is not at risk of collapse and reiterated his government's intent to seek a negotiated peace. He insisted it would not do so "from a position of weakness."



"The Taliban are not in a winning position," Ghani said by video to an audience at the School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University in Washington, as a suicide bombing in Kabul and a deadly militant assault on districts in eastern Afghanistan suggested government control was slipping further.



Ghani said that as long as Afghanistan has its air force and commando troops, they will be able to retake territory. He said most of the losses incurred by its security forces  which he said had totaled more than 28,529 since 2015  were in defending static positions, so the government was rethinking how it deploys its forces.



The Trump administration has marginally increased U.S. troop numbers to train Afghan forces and intensify military pressure on the Taliban in hopes of forcing the insurgents to negotiate an end to the 17-year conflict. Successes on the battlefield have been elusive. The U.S. military recently reported that the number of districts under Afghan government control and influence is declining and stands at just 55 percent  down 16 percent in the past three years.

U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is on his second tour of the region in a month, seeking to kick start a peace process. The diplomatic veteran is making stops in Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office. The insurgents say they met Khalilzad in Qatar last month. The Taliban have so far refused direct negotiations with Kabul, which it views as a U.S. puppet.



On the sensitive topic of the U.S. role in talks, Ghani said there was "total agreement" between the U.S. and Afghan governments on moving the peace process forward. "U.S. engagement is to ensure that talks with the Taliban result not in negotiations with Taliban but with talks, direct talks, between the Afghan government and the Taliban," he said.



In a possible sign of America's efforts, two Taliban officials were released on Monday, members of the militant group said. Abdul Samad Sani, a U.S.-designated terrorist who served as the Afghan Central Bank governor during the militants' rule in the late 1990s, and a lower-ranking commander named Salahuddin, were freed, according to two Taliban officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.



Ghani, however, said the new Pakistan of Prime Minister Imran Khan had yet to demonstrate a "sense of urgency" in seeking end to the Afghan conflict. He said Afghanistan wants to engage with Pakistan but Afghanistan has yet to see a "substantive and measurable change" in its policies.



Kabul has long protested that Afghan Taliban leaders and fighters enjoy sanctuary inside Pakistan, which Islamabad denies.Afghanistan's government says the presidential election will proceed as scheduled on April 20, rejecting a reported U.S. proposal seeking postponement of the democratic process.

The Trump administration is discussing whether to ask the Kabul government to suspend the coming polls as Washington considers options to engage the Taliban in peace talks to end the 17-year Afghan war, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Spokespeople for President Ashraf Ghani, who is seeking a second five-year term in the election, insisted the Independent Election Commission has announced the election date and the governments commitment to stick to it is unwavering.

Afghanistan is a democracy and any transfer of power has to be done through a democratic process. Any other proposals that runs contrary to the Afghan constitution and peoples will not be acceptable to our people, tweeted presidential aide Fazel Fazly.

U.S. special envoy on Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, reportedly raised the idea in talks with various stakeholders and intermediaries as he pushes for negotiating a political breakthrough in the war with the Taliban.

Khalilzad concluded a three-day visit to Kabul on Monday, his second trip to the country since taking office in September. The U.S. embassy said he met with a number of Afghan stakeholders, both in and outside the government and reiterated the United States governments support to promote the negotiations among Afghans required to bring the conflict to an end.

The reported proposal seeking suspension of coming presidential polls sparked a heated debate in the Afghan media. While the government has criticized the idea, some people outside the government say the move could boost peace efforts and help de-escalate battlefield hostilities.

The debate prompted U.S. Ambassador to Kabul, John Bass, to intervene.

We remain committed to helping the electoral commissions and the Afghan government prepare for presidential elections in April 2019. Timing of Afghan elections is for Afghans to decide, Bass tweeted.

Haji Din Mohammad, the deputy chief of the countrys High Peace Council overseeing reconciliation efforts with the Taliban, underscored the importance of elections, but said peace talks must be given priority in the interest of Afghanistan.

If the presidential elections are to be delayed in favor of peace negotiations [with the Taliban], it would require intense political debates on the subject to allow the people of Afghanistan to make a final determination, Mohammad said.

The Afghan peace negotiator supported Khalilzads mission, saying, we are thirsty for peace and we will support any sincere and transparent effort in this direction.

As far as I know, Khalilzad has been given six months to produce an outcome for the [U.S.] administration."

The Trump administration has engaged the Taliban in direct talks, meeting a longstanding insurgent demand. Since July, there have been two publicly known meetings between the two sides in Qatar, where the Taliban maintains its so-called political office.

Russian presidential envoy on Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said Monday that in recent months the Taliban has also held 10 secret consultations with the United States in the Gulf state in recent months.

The latest declared meeting in Doha, the Qatari capital, took place last month when Khalilzad led the U.S. team and the two sides agreed to sustain the dialogue.

The peace initiative comes as Taliban insurgents have intensified battlefield attacks, killing scores of Afghan security personnel and overrunning new districts. The Afghan governments territorial control across the country has fallen to its lowest level since 2015.

The Taliban refuses to engage in peace talks with the Afghan government until it reaches a deal with the United States on withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan. Insurgent delegates at last weeks Moscow-hosted multilateral meeting on Afghanistan reiterated the demand.

Russia justified its hosting of the peace conference, alleging the United States and NATO have failed to end the war and negotiate an Afghan peace process. The Taliban's presence at the 12-nation meeting was their first public appearance since the U.S.-led military intervention ousted the group from power in 2001 after September attacks on American cities.

A new survey released last week said 147,000 people in Afghanistan have died during the war and the casualties continue to grow.Day after day, Aminetou Mint Yarg and her fellow villagers in southern Mauritania haul water from the river and tend to their crops under a burning desert sun.

In good years, they grow fields of corn, millet and beans.

But the profits are not theirs to reap.

"The land belongs to our masters," says Yarg, referring to members of the light-skinned elite, known as white Moors. When the harvest is good, they come from the city to take their part.

Yarg is descended from a family of slaves that have for decades served a family of masters. This is the predominant structure of society in Mauritania, an Islamic republic on the Sahara's western edge that straddles Arab and black Africa.

Today, slavery is criminalized. But such relationships endure, transferred into a modern economy where it is increasingly difficult to find and free the tens of thousands of people being exploited from farms to mansions in the capital.

Mauritania abolished slavery in 1981, the last country to do so, and criminalized it in 2007. There have been just four prosecutions of slave-owners in its history, with dozens of cases currently in courts.

The Global Slavery Index estimates that two percent of the population, or 90,000 Mauritanians, are enslaved.

The United States last week said it would end trade benefits for Mauritania for not doing enough to end forced labor, a move praised by activists, who urged other countries to follow suit.

The government rejects international figures, saying cases of slavery exist, but the practice is not widespread.

"Thousands of slaves is difficult to hide," said Hamdi Ould Mahjoub, director general of the national agency for the fight against the after-effects of slavery, integration and poverty, known as Tadamoun.

"I would like for someone, objectively, to come and look for them," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Most are hidden in plain sight, rights groups say.

While some are housemaids who pass as employees, many live without their masters, bound by a lack of options and a belief that slavery is their fate, activists say.

"Of course if you're expecting to see people in chains then you won't see that," said Karine Penrose-Theis, Africa program coordinator for British-based group Anti-Slavery International. "The dependency relationship can be much more subtle, much more invisible than that."

Denial

Outside the capital Nouakchott, the countryside is dotted with villages of only Haratines, sometimes called black Moors.

The distinction between slave and former slave is blurred here, as it is rarely more than a generation past, said Brahim Bilal Ramdhane, who was born into slavery and is now a leading activist.

Today many descendents of slaves live freely because their labor is not needed, he said. But they or their children will be sent for when the master's family wants a herder or a maid.

"Everyone knows who has a master that still comes often, or who has a daughter with the master in the city," Ramdhane said.

Slavery is a word spoken in whispers in Mauritania, where the most prominent abolitionist, Biram Dah Abeid, is also a political opposition leader and has been jailed several times, along with other activists.

Abeid was arrested most recently in August, shortly before parliamentary elections, and remains behind bars.

His anti-slavery group, the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA), aims to expose cases of slavery to the authorities, who are then legally obliged to intervene.

But no one will admit to owning slaves anymore, and no slave will admit to being one, activists said.

Slave-owners have become savvier in recent years, using threats to coerce slaves to lie and relying on tip-offs to conceal evidence of their wrongdoing from authorities, said IRA member Abdallahi Matallah Saleck.

Slaves also resist freedom out of ignorance and fear, sometimes refusing to be separated from their masters, he said.

"People think that God created them to be slaves," said Ramdhane, who convinced his family to leave their masters after he was sent to school.

He remembers, as a teenager in the 1980s, explaining to his mother and sister that they did not have to live in servitude.

New Forms

For Boubacar Messaoud, a veteran of the anti-slavery movement, looking for slaves to free is the wrong approach.

"We think that before anything, the individual must want to escape slavery," said Messaoud, who led Mauritania's first anti-slavery protests in 1980 and later founded SOS Esclaves.

The group operates on the belief that if slaves want help, they will seek it. And they do - arriving in large numbers from the countryside in search of a fresh start.

SOS Esclaves runs literacy courses and job training programs, and helps former slaves get identity papers and healthcare.

But for many, freedom becomes a new form of subjugation, activists said.

In Nouakchott, anyone with an office and a villa is likely a white Moor, while Haratines can be found in the seaside slums - driving donkey carts and selling vegetables by the roadside.

Many former slaves are unemployed, and those who do have jobs often work for the families of their former masters, who serve as an entry point into society, activists said.

"The boy who herded cows becomes the chauffeur. The man who starts a fish processing company and needs workers will recruit his former slaves," Ramdhane said.

For some activists, this poses a bigger challenge than eradicating traditional bondage.

"There is another kind of slavery being created, in which you are obligated to work for these people," Saleck said. "We are calling for reflection. This is not the old world anymore."The European Union and Britain have agreed to a draft text of a Brexit withdrawal deal and Prime Minister Theresa May will present it to her senior ministers Wednesday.

While officials choreograph the first withdrawal of a sovereign state from the EU, it remains unclear whether May can get any deal approved by the British parliament.

"Cabinet will meet at 2 p.m. tomorrow to consider the draft agreement the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels, and to decide on next steps," a spokesman at May's Downing Street office said.

"Cabinet ministers have been invited to read documentation ahead of that meeting," the spokesman said, after British media were leaked details of the breakthrough.

Sterling, which has seesawed since reaching $1.50 just before results of the 2016 referendum vote for Britain to leave the EU, surged to $1.3036.

Brexit will pitch the world's fifth-largest economy into the unknown and many fear it will help to divide the West as it grapples with both the unconventional presidency of Donald Trump and growing assertiveness from Russia and China. Others says it will offer opportunities for Britain to develop new trading relationships beyond Europe.

The EU and the United Kingdom need an agreement to keep trade flowing between the world's biggest trading bloc and the United Kingdom, home to the biggest international financial center.

But May has struggled to untangle nearly 46 years of EU membership without damaging trade or upsetting the lawmakers who will ultimately decide the fate of the divorce deal.

Brexit deal

With less than five months until Britain leaves the EU, the so-called Northern Irish backstop was the main outstanding issue that held up the deal.

The backstop is an insurance policy to avoid a return to controls on the border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland if a future trading relationship is not agreed in time.

It was unclear what had been agreed on Ireland. The British government supplied no immediate details on the Brexit deal which runs to hundreds of pages.

According to Irish broadcaster RTE, the backstop will come in the form of a temporary UK-wide customs arrangement, with specific provisions for Northern Ireland which go deeper on the issue of customs and alignment with the rules of the single market than for the rest of the United Kingdom.

It will also include an agreed review mechanism, RTE said, adding that it understood there was still "further shuttling" to be done between London and Brussels.

But the intricacies are unlikely to stem the growing opposition to May at home: Brexit-supporting opponents fear she is signing up the United Kingdom to EU subjugation.

By seeking to leave the EU while preserving the closest possible ties, May's compromise plan has upset Brexiteers, pro-Europeans, Scottish nationalists, the Northern Irish party that props up her government, and some of her own ministers.Three Malian civilians were killed and around 30 people were wounded in a suicide attack late Monday in the country's violence-hit north, officials said, as a diplomat said some of the injured were sub-contractors for the U.N.

The attack took place in the city of Gao when a 4x4 vehicle blew up in a residential area, the security ministry said in a statement.

The blast was claimed by the GSIM, the main jihadist group operating in the Sahel region. It has ties to al-Qaida and was blacklisted by Washington in September.

The GSIM  the Group to Support Islam and Muslims  said the attack had targeted "invading crusader forces" in central Gao in an area "where there are British, German and Canadian troops."

A local official told AFP the fatalities were Malians who lived in the area.

The government gave an initial toll of just two injured, but a French security source told AFP on Tuesday that the number of wounded had risen to "around 30."

A Western diplomatic source also said four foreigners were among the wounded  two Cambodians, a South African and a Zimbabwean.

They were working for an organization subcontracted by the U.N.'s mine-clearing operation, UNMAS, which has a field office in the city, the source said.

The attack was condemned by the French and German defense ministers as they visited Gao on Tuesday.

"The attack last night in Gao was despicable. Once again, it is civilians who have paid for this violence with their lives," said French Defense Minister Florence Parly, echoing remarks by German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen.

Malian and international security forces have been mobilized following the "tragic incident," the security ministry said.

The French-German defense delegations had flown over to discuss Mali's troubled peace accord and plans to set up a five-nation anti-terror force in the vast, arid Sahel region.

Mali has been struggling to return to stability after Islamist extremists took control of the north in early 2012, prompting a military intervention by France.

The extremists were routed in the French operation in 2013 but large stretches of the landlocked African state remain out of government control.CNN has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to restore access for its chief White House correspondent who had his press credentials revoked.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders is dismissing the lawsuit as more grandstanding from CNN, saying the administration stands by its decision to revoke Jim Acosta's credentials.



After Mr. Acosta asked the President two questions  each of which the President answered  he physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern, so that other reporters might ask their questions. This was not the first time this reporter has inappropriately refused to yield to other reporters, Sanders said in a statement.

President Donald Trump, when asked at the conclusion of a White House Diwali ceremony about the legal move by CNN, replied: Well be talking about it.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, and the case has been assigned to the docket of Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee to the bench.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Judge Kelly, ordered the White House and the other defendants to respond to CNNs motion for a temporary restraining order by 11 a.m. Wednesday. He set a hearing on the restraining order  which would temporarily restore Acostas press credential, pending the outcome of a trial  for 3 p.m. Wednesday.



The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta's First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process, CNN said in a statement. We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process.

On CNNs legal team for the case is former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson.

The First Amendment requires robust, aggressive reporting, Olson said, appearing on the network. We cannot allow public officials to discriminate on the basis of their personal prejudice or feelings toward a reporter.

Acosta is one of CNN's highest-profile reporters and has a reputation for tough questioning of Trump and other top White House officials. His critics say his questions are opinionated, rather than objective, and that he routinely cuts off other reporters who try to ask questions so he can pursue his own follow-up queries.



The Trump administration last week suspended Acosta's hard pass, which granted him access to the White House. The suspension came after the reporter challenged Trump's portrayal of a caravan of Central American migrants as an invasion.



White House officials have also accused Acosta of placing his hands on a White House press aide who had tried to take the microphone from him during the interaction. Video showed that Acosta was not aggressive with the aide.



The press secretarys statement, however, makes no reference to the previous White House accusation that Acosta had placed his hands on the young woman.

Sanders has been criticized by journalists and on social media for tweeting a video clip of the incident that had been altered to exaggerate the contact between the intern and the reporter.

CNNs legal move is receiving support from a number of organizations.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has filed a brief with the court in support of the network.

To be sure, Trump is entitled to dislike Acosta and any other journalist. Many presidents have been angered by searching news coverage. But Trumps revocation of Acostas credentials is, simply put, extraordinary, said former National Security Council legal adviser, Joshua Geltzer, who is executive director and visiting professor of law at Georgetowns Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection. Its violative of the freedoms of speech and of the press guaranteed by our Constitution, at the heart of our democracy, and long respected by presidential administrations of both parties, even in moments of great tension between the press and the president.

The White House Correspondents' Association said it strongly supports CNN's goal of seeing their correspondent regain a U.S. Secret Service security credential that the White House should not have taken away in the first place.



WHCA President Olivier Knox, the chief Washington correspondent for Sirius XM radio, said "the President of the United States should not be in the business of arbitrarily picking the men and women who cover him.

The American Civil Liberties Union called it un-American and unlawful for the president to expel a reporter." In a statement, the ACLU added that it shouldnt take a lawsuit from CNN to remind the president of the First Amendment.

Another media organization composed of novelists, journalists, editors and other writing professionals has also filed suit in federal court against the president.



PEN Americas Oct. 16 lawsuit came in response to what the organization regards as Trumps threats and acts of retaliation against journalists and the media.

"We applaud CNN for standing alongside PEN America and bringing their own suit to forcefully defend the rights of correspondent Jim Acosta and all other journalists to cover the White House without fear or favor, said Suzanne Nossel, chief executive officer of PEN America. The revocation of Jim Acosta's press pass in unmistakable retaliation for his tough questions of the president was a bald and dangerous infringement on press freedom rights for all to see.

Since entering the political scene in 2015, Trump has regularly launched verbal attacks on reporters and outlets that he considers unfair. Most notably, he has referred to some organizations as the enemy of the people.Czech opposition parties on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Andrej Babis to resign and agreed to push for a no-confidence motion in his government after a news report that said his son had been sent abroad to hinder a fraud investigation.

Babis, a billionaire with farming, chemicals and media businesses, has long battled police charges that he manipulated the ownership of one of his firms a decade ago so that it would qualify for 2 million euros in European Union development aid.

He has denied any wrongdoing in what has become known as the Stork Nest scandal.

Six opposition parties said the case could not be properly investigated while Babis was still prime minister.

"[We] call on Andrej Babis to resign as prime minister until the Stork Nest case is investigated. This is the only way to ensure fair investigation," the parties said in a statement.

Babis told parliament in March 2016 that the firm in question, a hotel and conference center outside Prague, was owned by his adult children and his partner's brother at the time when the subsidy was approved. His two adult children and others have been charged in the case.

News website Seznam Zpravy tracked down Babis' son Andrej in Switzerland where he lives with his mother, Babis' ex-wife.

In what appeared to be a hidden camera interview on the doorstep of their apartment, Andrej Babis junior said he had been brought to Crimea so that he would not be called as a witness to the investigation.

He said that the person who brought him to Crimea was the husband of a psychiatrist who examined him and who had worked as an adviser for Babis senior in the past when he was finance minister.

Babis junior, who has received psychiatric treatment, said he did not believe him being moved to Crimea was his father's idea.

"He [the man who took me there] took advantage of my father wanting me to disappear. Because of the Stork Nest affair," Babis junior told the reporters, according to published footage.

Police had looked into the case and ruled that no crime had taken place, a police spokeswoman said.

Babis senior called the report a manipulation.

"To film a mentally ill man, secretly and in this way, that is heinous and revolting. This entire campaign is only aimed to put pressure on the investigators in the Stork Nest case, it is also used by the opposition," Babis said in a statement from Sicily, where he was attending a conference on Libya.

The opposition parties lack the 101 votes in the 200-seat parliament that are needed to dismiss the prime minister.

The government includes Babis' ANO party and the center-left Social Democrats. It also relies on votes from the Communist Party to have a majority in parliament.

The Social Democrats nor the Communists have indicated they would join the opposition in the vote.In the days after the midterm election, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker worked the phones with Democratic luminaries in Iowa. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock courted high-dollar donors in New York. Other Democrats openly mused about their White House ambitions on live television.

Motivated by an urgency to unseat President Donald Trump and the prospect of a historically large primary field, Democrats see little incentive to delay or downplay their 2020 presidential hopes. Their more transparent approach is upending one of Washington's favorite will they or won't they parlor games and pushed the campaign calendar up earlier than ever before.

No one is waiting for anyone in the race to run for president, said Jim Messina, who managed President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign. Those days are long, long over.

Running for president used to involve a familiar routine, with potential candidates spending months publicly demurring about their ambitions and professing to be content in their current roles. Advisers labored to keep meetings with donors and potential staff under wraps ahead of formal, carefully choreographed campaign announcements.

This time around, many Democrats believe it would be too risky to wait much longer before making their intentions known, particularly those with lower national profiles who could quickly be overshadowed by a field that could have more than two dozen candidates.

There are practicalities to consider, given the limited supply of money and top-flight staff available to run a campaign. But another driving factor is more visceral: Democrats are simply eager to take on the president.

This is starting very fast, said former Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky. She said that given the imperative to beat Trump, it kind of needs to.

Two long-shot Democrats have already declared their candidacy.

West Virginia state Sen. Richard Ojeda, a retired Army paratrooper who lost a race for Congress last week, announced his plans to run for president on Monday. Ojeda joins Maryland Rep. John Delaney, who has been running for the Democratic nomination since July 2017, and has already traveled to Iowa 19 times and made 12 trips to New Hampshire.

Delaney said he believes that his early start will help put him at an advantage ahead of would-be rivals.

We not only know what the talent is, but they know us and they know about our message, said Delaney, whose campaign currently has about 10 staffers in Iowa. He expects that number to grow to at least 20 by January and 100 by June.

Higher-profile Democrats have also started to lift the veil on their White House hopes.

On Monday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, said he was seriously looking at a presidential campaign, saying in an interview that his election to a third term shows a strong progressive can win. He called his Senate campaign a blueprint for our nation in 2020.

Restoring moral decency

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was also up front about her White House ambitions, telling ABC's The View Monday that she was indeed considering a campaign.

I believe right now every one of us should figure out how we can do whatever we can with our time, with our talents, to restore that moral decency, that moral compass and that truth of who we are as Americans, Gillibrand said.

Unlike in 2016, when Hillary Clinton's shadow loomed large over the party, Democrats enter the 2020 campaign without a clear favorite. Former vice president Joe Biden occupies the most similar role, with broad name recognition and a deep political network.

But Biden associates say he is still conflicted about whether to run, and he has pointedly said other would-be 2020 candidates should not defer to his plans. Biden is expected to make a decision by January.

Booker has been among the most aggressive in courting supporters in early-voting states. After the midterms, he called each member of the Iowa Democratic statewide ticket, for whom the New Jersey senator campaigned ahead of the midterm, the day after the election.

Booker was in touch with former Gov. Tom Vilsack, a veteran Democrat in the early-voting state, as well as candidates and operatives in other early-voting states he visited this fall.

California Sen. Kamala Harris, who would be considered an early favorite in the White House race, also called candidates she campaigned for in early-voting presidential states, including Deidre DeJear, who was Iowa's first African-American woman nominated for statewide office but lost in her bid for secretary of state.

Montana's Bullock, who has made several stops in Iowa this year, traveled to New York after Election Day to meet with potential donors. Though Bullock has a lower profile than many possible Democratic contenders, he has an experienced team of political advisers, including chief of staff Tom Lopach  the former executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee  and Nick Baldick, a veteran Democratic strategist.

Bullock also sent a staffer to Iowa to work for Tim Gannon, who lost his race for state agriculture secretary last week, a move aimed at giving Bullock an early foothold in the crucial caucus state.

And while the midterms showed that Trump remains a powerful force in the GOP, at least two Republicans are considering taking Trump on: retiring Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and outgoing Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Kasich will be in New Hampshire on Thursday for a speech at a First Amendment event. Ahead of his remarks, Kasich will have private meetings with several prominent New Hampshire Republicans, including state and county GOP chairs.U.S. President Donald Trump launched verbal assaults Tuesday on France and President Emmanuel Macron, citing his low voter approval ratings and attacking French tariffs on U.S. wine exports and failure to meet NATO's defense spending goal.

"Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia," Trump said first in a salvo of Twitter comments. "But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!"

Trump has frequently attacked U.S. allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the West's main defense alliance forged after World War II, for not yet meeting its 2024 goal of each country spending 2 percent of their national economies on defense, chiefly weapons and armed forces.

Eight of the 29 NATO countries are now meeting the 2 percent goal. French defense spending is at 1.82 percent of its gross domestic product, but Paris has announced plans to gradually boost military funding to reach the NATO goal by 2025. By comparison, U.S. defense spending is at 3.1 percent of its world-leading $19.4-trillion economy.

Trump has declared himself a "nationalist," with an America First outlook on international relations. But Macron, with Trump listening nearby at Sunday's centenary of the end of World War I in Paris, deplored rising nationalism throughout the world, declaring it a "betrayal of patriotism."

Trump retorted Tuesday, "The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so! MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!"

Trump, whose family business empire includes a Virginia vineyard that sells a variety of wines, also complained about French tariffs on U.S. wine exports.

France does charge higher tariffs on U.S. wines, but the monetary difference is relatively small, with five- to 14-cent tariffs on bottles of French wine imported into the U.S. versus 11 to 29 cents on U.S. exported wines headed to France.

Social media critics of Trump in the U.S. have mocked him for skipping a Saturday visit to a U.S. cemetery of World War I casualties because it was raining. Other world leaders in Paris visited their national cemeteries the same day and Trump White House chief of staff John Kelly, accompanied by other U.S. officials, made it to the American graveyard to lay a wreath honoring the war dead.

By way of explanation, Trump tweeted, "By the way, when the helicopter couldn't fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!"A 1922 letter in which Albert Einstein confided his fears of the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany, more than a decade before the Nazis took power, sold at an Israeli auction on Tuesday for $32,000.

"Here are brewing economically and politically dark times, so I'm happy to be able to get away from everything," wrote the 43-year-old physicist to his sister, Maria, after leaving Berlin for a location that goes unmentioned in the letter.

Einstein, who went on to win the Nobel Prize three months later, had departed the German capital after far-rightists assassinated Foreign Minister Walter Rathenu, a friend and fellow Jew, prompting police to warn him that he could be next.

"Nobody knows where I am, and I'm believed to be missing," Einstein wrote. "I am doing quite well, in spite of all the anti-Semites among my German colleagues."

The letter refers to a journey Einstein planned to Japan, suggesting that he penned it while waiting to sail out of the northern port of Kiel.

When the Nazis took over Germany in 1933, launching a campaign of anti-Jewish persecution that would culminate in the Holocaust, Einstein was on a lecture tour abroad. He renounced his citizenship and eventually settled in the United States.

"What is special in this letter that Einstein really forecast - he's seeing in advance, 10 years in advance - what is going to be in Germany," said Meron Eren, co-founder of the Kedem Auction House in Jerusalem, which sold the artifact to an unidentified bidder.Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to ratchet up pressure on Riyadh over last month's killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Tuesday saw the front page of the Turkish pro-government Sabah newspaper carry pictures of x-ray images of the alleged Saudi hit team suitcase purportedly showing tools to murder Khashoggi.

The newspaper story is the latest development in what analysts see as a carefully calibrated campaign by Ankara against Riyadh.

Erdogan announced last week an audio recording of the last minutes of the Saudi writer's life had been shared with the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and key European powers.

The [content of the] tape is a real calamity, said Erdogan to journalists Sunday. Even, the intelligence officer of the Saudis was shocked when he listened to the recording as he said. This guy (perpetrator) is perhaps using heroin, only a man on heroin can do such a thing.'

Ever since the killing of Khashoggi on October 2, Ankara, through the careful release of information to the media, has dashed any hopes by Riyadh that the controversy would peter out.

Ankara drip-feeds the press with new and gory details of the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said analyst Atilla YesIlada of Global Source Partners, which confirms the worldwide suspicion that Erdogan is after something more than justice or revenge.

In the first weeks after Khashoggis murder, speculation was rife Ankara was looking for substantial concessions from Riyadh, including financial and economic support for Turkeys crisis-ridden economy. Days after the Khashoggi death a key aide to Saudi King Salman flew to Istanbul to meet with senior Turkish officials. King Salman, in a rare move, stepped out of semi-retirement to speak by telephone with Erdogan.

Despite such intervention Erdogan dismissed as bribery any talk of financial concessions from Riyadh, saying he was committed to finding and holding to account Khashoggis killer. However, the Turkish president is careful not to accuse King Salman of any involvement.

Instead, Erdogans rhetoric increasingly appears to be focusing on Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.  As I have already said, apart from the perpetrators, the one who gave them the order should also be found, Erdogan said, a reference widely interpreted to be mean the crown prince.

Riyadh has repeatedly denied the crown prince had any involvement in the murder, a claim many analysts suggest is difficult to believe, given the power Salman wields in the Kingdom.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton told reporters in Singapore Tuesday that while he has not heard the Khashoggi recording himself, "in the assessment of those who have listened to it, it does not, in any way, link the crown prince to the killing."

Khashoggis death is seen as giving Erdogan a possible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Mohammed bin Salman is a key rival to Erdogan in the battle for hegemony across the Sunni Middle East, said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankaras Middle East Technical University.

The question is how Saudi Arabia is claiming the regional hegemony. he added. Prince Salman has big intentions to claim regional hegemony for Saudi Arabia, against Iran and Turkey.

If Erdogan is going after MBS (Mohammed bin Salman), it is a futile quest, said analyst Yesilada, because so far, the Trump White House resolutely stuck with him, as well as two key American regional allies (Israel and Egypt).

A senior western diplomat, speaking anonymously, concurred, pointing out there is little international support for any unseating of the crown prince given the risk of regional instability.

If Erdogan is targeting the Saudi crown prince, such a move could threaten to reopen tensions with Washington, analyst Yesilada suggests, as it would severely complicate the American effort to push back Iran. The crisis over Khashoggis killing has so far been the basis for an improvement in U.S. Turkish ties, with observers saying Washington and in particular U.S. President Donald Trump see Erdogan as key to giving Riyadh a way out of the predicament.

However, Erdogans tough stance against Riyadh has resulted in the Turkish president enjoying rare international plaudits.

Before the Saudis killing, Erdogan was regularly maligned for holding the record, according to rights groups, as being the worlds worst jailer of journalists, a charge Ankara denies.

The Khashoggi crisis has underlined that Turkey and Erdogan remain key international players. However, is that enough for the Turkish president or does he believe he has a rare, if not unique, opportunity to bring down a critical regional rival or at least severely weaken him? That is a question analysts say regional and international powers will likely be asking. Observers point out the Turkish president has a proven record as a risk taker and playing for high stakes.

For now, Erdogan appears content to keep everyone guessing as well as wondering what other evidence Turkish investigators have in connection with Khashoggi's death.Ethiopia arrested the former head of a military-run industrial conglomerate Tuesday, state media reported, a day after authorities announced investigations targeting senior members of the security forces.

Kinfe Dagnew, a Brigadier General in Ethiopia's army and former chief executive of METEC, was taken into custody close to the border with Sudan and Eritrea, state-run broadcaster EBC said. Footage showed him surrounded by a ring of soldiers.

A day earlier the attorney general announced the arrests of other METEC executives in a corruption investigation and the detention of security officials accused of abusing prisoners  moves that were welcomed by rights groups and a prominent opposition politician.

Amnesty International said the arrests announced Monday "are an important first step toward ensuring full accountability for the abuses that have dogged the country for several decades."

One Western envoy, who asked not to be named, described the crackdown as a "full frontal assault on the establishment."

Kinfe's arrest was the most high-profile since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in April promising to rein in the security services and tackle what he called economic mismanagement, corruption and rights abuses.

He has pushed through reforms that have upended decades-old policies and hierarchies in east Africa's economic powerhouse  including moves to let private investors get stakes in the huge conglomerates run by the army and other state bodies.

There was no immediate statement from the attorney general on Kinfe's arrest. The prime minister's office referred Reuters to the attorney general.

METEC officials

On Monday, attorney general Berman Tsegaye said investigations had uncovered corruption at METEC (Metal and Engineering Corporation), which makes military equipment and is involved in sectors from agriculture to construction. Reuters has not been able to contact METEC for comment  senior public relations officials were among those arrested.

The attorney general said 27 METEC officials had been detained  alongside 36 intelligence officers, police and other military officials accused of abusing prisoners.

He also accused senior members of the security services of ordering an attack on the prime minister in June.

The detained METEC employees and security officials appeared in court later Monday. A judge denied the suspects bail and gave police 14 days further to investigate. None were charged.

Opposition politician Berhanu Nega welcomed the development and said the majority of Ethiopians were happy with the arrests.

"People believe it is about time such measures are taken to address the issue of justice in the past but also to indicate in the future that these kinds of crimes are not acceptable in the future," he told Reuters.

A list of the arrest warrants released by the attorney general's office named 27 METEC current and former executives, including the head of military equipment production and the head of corporate logistics and supply.

One of those arrested was "caught ... while trying to destroy evidence," the document read.

There was no immediate comment from the defendants or their lawyers.

'Big fish'

Abiy  Ethiopia's first leader from its majority Oromo ethnic group  was chosen by the EPRDF to head it after three years of street protests and strikes piled pressure on the coalition to reform.

Some analysts say Abiy's reforms have targeted the old guard of the EPRDF, long dominated by the minority Tigrayan ethnic group. But others have suggested he must have high-level backing from senior members of the TPLF, the Tigrayan political party in the coalition.

"It would be a recipe for conflict to go against these big fish without consent, or some bargaining from the TPLF," said one Ethiopian analyst who declined to be name.The European Union's highest court has ruled that the taste of a food cannot be protected by copyright.

The European Court of Justice said Tuesday "the taste of a food product cannot be identified with precision of objectivity,'' thus making it ineligible "for copyright protection.''

Dutch cheese maker Levola had argued that a rival company copied its herbed spread called Heksenkaas or witches' cheese. The company claimed Heksenkaas was a work protected by copyright and asked the Dutch courts to insist that the rival firm cease production and sale of its cheese.

But the judges ruled that unlike books, movies, songs and the like, the taste of food depends on personal preferences and the context in which the food is consumed, "which are subjective and variable.''

"Accordingly, the court concludes that the taste of a food product cannot be classified as a 'work,' and consequently is not eligible for copyright protection under the directive," the judges said.

This is not the first time the European Court of Justice had to settle disputes about food.

In July, it ruled Nestle could not trademark the four-finger shape of its KitKat chocolate bars.Flying to Paris on Friday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, U.S. President Donald Trump sent out a tweet that may have been business as usual at the White House but sent shivers down the spines of some of this country's intelligence and security officials:

Less than an hour later, he tweeted again:

More such tweets would soon follow, with one questioning ballots in Arizona:

To some, including those at the White House, the tweets reflected nothing more than Trump's dissatisfaction with how election officials in Florida, Georgia and elsewhere have handled the vote count, as well as his penchant for calling out political opponents who he believes are unfairly manipulating the system.

And while election officials in places like Florida have rejected the president's allegations of fraud, to a growing number of people within the U.S. intelligence community, there is a different, perhaps more concerning issue. They worry Trump's tweets played into Russia's very own election-meddling playbook. Indeed, Russian social media had already jumped on the election controversy in two states where vote recounts were underway.

"The president, either wittingly or unwittingly, is playing into the Russians' hands. Absolutely," said Larry Pfeiffer, a 32-year veteran of the U.S. intelligence community with stints as senior director of the White House Situation Room and chief of staff to former CIA Director Michael Hayden.

For months leading up to Tuesday's vote, top U.S. intelligence officials, such as Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, warned of Russia's "persistent and pervasive" effort to undermine American democracy. As the election neared, those warnings focused increasingly on concerns Moscow wanted to shake U.S. confidence in the validity of the election itself.

"They [the Russians] win if they sow any element of doubt in the mind of an American that their vote wasn't counted and counted correctly," Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told reporters during an Election Day briefing.

"That of course remains a concern of mine," she added, "that after everyone has voted they would try to make a claim that something went wrong."

But to some wary U.S. intelligence veterans, it was Trump's tweets on Friday, and not the Russians, that amplified the seeds of doubt.

Some say this scenario has become all too familiar. Many point to Trump's willingness to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin's denial of meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections during their July summit in Helsinki, contrary to the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies.

Post-election spin

Russian social media efforts had already jumped on the ballot problems in Florida and Georgia before President Trump tweeted Friday.

Hamilton 68, an online dashboard run by the German Marshall Fund research group that monitors 600 Twitter accounts with ties to Moscow, found that as of early Friday afternoon, Russian media accounts had mentioned "Florida" 679 times in the previous 48 hours, making it the most mentioned topic.

The Russian-linked trolls and bots were also busy tweeting or retweeting hashtags "stopthesteal," "broward" and "florida."

In comparison, less than three hours after posting it, Trump's first tweet had been retweeted almost 23,000 times and liked by almost 76,000 accounts.

But even before that, Pfeiffer described Trump's behavior as "shameful."

"I've been in government long enough to know that the elements of government can do everything they can to respond to a threat or to take any kind of action, but without solid direction coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it's just never going to be as strong," he said.

Other former officials have been more damning.

"Trump is the gift that keeps on giving for Putin,"said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Hal Bidlack, echoing a phrase used by other former intelligence and defense officials in conversations with VOA.

Bidlack, who served on the National Security Council in the late 1990s, added, "They [the Russians] understand they can play to his [Trump's] flattery and play to his insecurities."

Blame the media

White House officials charge the critics and the media with doing the greatest damage.

"It is correct to note that Russia pursues a goal of a divided and fractious America," a senior administration official told VOA. "The Trump administration continues to counter these malign activities."



"Repeated efforts by the media to seek out disagreement and blame the administration for such divisions play effectively into Moscow's hands," the official added.

Trump's defenders say the White House has levied sanctions against dozens of Russians, including some of Putin's oligarchs, while others have been indicted and now face charges in U.S. courts.

"I made it clear that we wouldn't tolerate meddling in 2018 and that we were prepared to take necessary steps to prevent it from happening," U.S. national security adviser John Bolton told reporters following a meeting with his Russian counterpart in August.

"I tend to look more at the actions than the words. And in this case the actions are pretty strong," said Steve Bucci, who served as an assistant to former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy research group in Washington. "President Trump and his advisers have a pretty tough set of programs for all of those players, and they're executing them."

But even Bucci said the president's rhetoric on Russia has been worrisome.

"We're shooting ourselves in the foot pretty effectively," he said.

Not as bad as 2016

A number of current and former officials believe the Kremlins efforts to influence Tuesdays midterm elections lacked the scale and intensity of its 2016 influence campaign, but they also think Russia did not need to do much.

"Moscow may, having seen the continuing impact of their 2016 influence operations and the continued political chaos in the U.S. they have engendered, judge that another effort on the scale of 2016 may not be necessary," Mark Kelton, a former deputy director of the CIA's National Clandestine Service for Counterintelligence, told VOA in the run-up to the election.

And as long as Trump is willing to stoke the fires of political rancor, Russia may not need to add much fuel.

"If you're sowing discord within a political conversation in the United States, and you can shape that and increase the polarization, then that could have an impact that lasts anywhere from one election cycle to an entire generation," said Graham Brookie, director of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, which studied Moscow's influence efforts ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

Russia's influence operations, though, have been far from dormant. According to U.S. intelligence officials and court documents, the Kremlin spent more than $35 million from January 2016 through June 2018 on a social media campaign designed to inspire and enrage both sides of the U.S. political spectrum.

"They're trying to push us to extremes, about whatever we're debating," said Daniel Hoffman, a former CIA station chief. "They're winning that."

Russian denials

For its part, Russia continues to deny that it sought to interfere in any way with the U.S. midterm election.

"We cannot react to some abstract cybersecurity analysts because we do not know who they are and whether they understand anything about cybersecurity," Putin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday in Moscow.

Yet current and former U.S. intelligence officials doubt Putin, a former intelligence officer himself, has any intention of ending Russia's influence operations, or of ending his use of Trump, though Putin will be careful to protect what he sees as an asset.

"Putin is paying attention and  at this point  trying to do minimal harm to President Trump," John Sipher, a 28-year veteran of the CIA who once ran the agency's Russia operations, told VOA in an email.

"He will gladly toss Trump aside if it suits his interest,"Sipher added."At this point, however, he is in a good place and is likely being careful not to go too far."Facebook said Tuesday it had been unable to determine who was behind dozens of fake accounts it took down shortly before the 2018 U.S. midterm elections.

Combined with our takedown last Monday, in total we have removed 36 Facebook accounts, 6 Pages, and 99 Instagram accounts for coordinated inauthentic behavior, Nathaniel Gleicher, head of cybersecurity policy, wrote on the companys blog.

At least one of the Instagram accounts had well over a million followers, according to Facebook.

A website that said it represented the Russian state-sponsored Internet Research Agency claimed responsibility for the accounts last week, but Facebook said it did not have enough information to connect the agency that has been called a troll farm.

As multiple independent experts have pointed out, trolls have an incentive to claim that their activities are more widespread and influential than may be the case, Gleicher wrote.

Sample images provided by Facebook showed posts on a wide range of issues. Some advocated on behalf of social issues such as womens rights and LGBT pride, while others appeared to be conservative users voicing support for President Donald Trump.

The viewpoints on display potentially fall in line with a Russian tactic identified in other cases of falsified accounts. A recent analysis of millions of tweets by the Atlantic Council found that Russian trolls often pose as members on either side of contentious issues in order to maximize division in the United States.The U.S. still attracts record numbers of international students, but the sticker shock of college tuition and negative political rhetoric are slowing down the robust rate of application seen over the past decade.

The U.S. remains the top destination in the world for more than 1 million visiting students  hosting more than double the next country, the United Kingdom. But while 1.5 percent more students studied in the U.S. last year, the rate of new enrollments  specifically, undergraduate students  declined by 6.6 percent, a trend first seen the preceding year, according to the Institute for International Educations (IIE) annual Open Doors report.

These relationships are critical in a competitive marketplace, said Marie Royce, assistant secretary of state for Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, bringing $42 billion and 450,000 jobs to the U.S. economy.

But tuition costs  around $20,000 a year for public institutions to more than $70,000 for elite private universities  make the U.S. look less attractive to international students, as global competition increases, educators said.

Sixty-five percent of international students rely on international funding sources said IIE spokesperson Catherine Morris, with well over half of all students (59 percent) funded through their own personal and family funding.

Among undergraduates, 82 percent rely on personal and family funding. Most are not eligible for financial aid at U.S. schools.

Over the past 30 years, said Rajika Bhandari, research and strategy senior adviser at IIE, costs increased 213 percent at U.S. public institutions and 130 percent at private U.S. institutions.

Foreign countries have taken note and are attracting students with far less expensive tuition and pathways to permanent residency or citizenship.

There are real competitive countries out there. It used to be Britain and America, said Allan Goodman, IIEs president and former executive dean of Georgetown Universitys School of Foreign Service. Governments, as part of their international policy, want more students from there and here. The U.S. has real competition.

Canada, said Moninder "Holly" Singh, senior director of Arizona State Universitys International Students and Scholars Center, theyve done an amazing job at taking the market from us. It doesnt seem obvious in the U.S. ... They are creating pathways that are simpler than us.

Once an international student graduates in Canada, they can get permanent residency status after working for one year. Here, Singh said, we have people from China and India who might be here 15 years before they can get that.

Pathways to citizenship are important to international students whose home countries have not reached the same quality of life and excellence in education. Many students  the best and brightest immigrants from their countries  want to work in the U.S. before returning home. Or they want to stay in the U.S., where freedom, excellence and innovation have been hallmarks of the economy.

China and India send nearly half of all international students, 363,341 and 196,271, respectively, to the U.S. A currency correction in India two years ago wiped out funding sources for many students there hoping to head to the U.S. And Chinese students, who dominate the population of international students, report growing discontent with paying full tuition next to subsidized domestic students.

The current financial model for higher education isnt sustainable, offered Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. We cant raise tuitions and have burgeoning loan debts for international or domestic students.

The Open Doors report is really an urgent call for colleges and universities to take a comprehensive look at the way we deliver education, said AACUs Pasquerella. I worry that some institutions are relying on old models and are so tuition-driven, and that we need to look at alternative sources of revenue. It requires us to be innovators.

In addition to costs, international students and their families tell educators they are daunted by political rhetoric, feeling unwelcome and wondering if the U.S. is a friendly and safe place to study. The Trump administrations immigration policies have limited student visas and how they are administered.

We became complacent that were a preferred destination, said Robin Lerner, president and CEO of the Texas International Education Consortium, and we suffered from an over reliance on a number of countries where governments were funding large numbers of students like Saudi Arabia and Brazil.

However, Lerner added, while there are many factors that enter a students decision-making, political rhetoric that makes students feel unwelcome or unsafe does not help.

Safety issues, too, trouble international applicants, educators said, who ask if their children will be safe in the U.S.

If you look at the national news, why, goodness, would you send your child to the U.S.? Pasquerella asked. Students killed in California and in Florida. Who would encourage people to come here under these circumstances?

Anti-immigrant comments are inflammatory, said University of Southern Californias Timothy Brunold, dean of admissions. He said he travels internationally often, speaking with prospective students and their families.

I am endlessly questioned about this. 'Will my son or daughter be welcomed in the United States? Will they get a visa, but will it be taken away? Will there be an opportunity to work in the U.S. Or will there be a limit?' Brunold said.

Yes, we are hearing that, too, said University of Colorado-Boulder's Natalie Koster Mikulak, associate director of international admissions.

The uncertainty and future of American immigration policy daunts some students, who worry about how and how quickly visa regulations will change. Going home for a family event  like a relatives illness or a celebration  is sometimes skipped for fear of leaving the country.

While experts said the dip in new enrollments can be attributed to a mixture of factors, the slide in numbers coincides with the so-called travel ban that limited immigration from seven mostly Muslim countries in early 2017. When ordered, President Donald Trump said it was a national security measure.

The orders had a chilling effect on international student enthusiasm for the U.S., experts said. If a students visa is rescinded before graduation, they might have to start over in another country.

Educators pushed back.

It is vital to our economy and the national interest that we continue to attract the best students, scientists, engineers and scholars, the Association of American Universities stated in a January 2017. That is why we have worked closely with previous administrations, especially in the wake of 9/11, to ensure our visa system prevents entry by those who wish to harm us, while maintaining the inflow of talent that has contributed so much to our nation.

Nearly two years later, the U.S. limits student and exchange visas only to Syria and North Korea, said Laura Stein, visa policy analyst at the Bureau of Consular Affairs last week. Stein said applicants from those countries may apply for a waiver from the presidential proclamation. As of Oct. 31, 2018, she said, 2,072 waivers have been granted.

National security, educators said, is built on sharing American democracy and standards with international students who will carry that positive relationship with them throughout their lives.

We see time and time again that non-U.S. students come back, Lerner said. They send their kids here.  It pays dividends. We need more diplomats.

International students studying alongside Americans are a tremendous asset to the United States, Royce said. We need to develop leaders in all fields who can take on our toughest challenges. We need people who can find solutions that keep us secure and make us more prosperous. We want to send a message that international education makes us stronger as a country.

We may have been the undisputed leader in the world, said Brunold. We might be starting to see some cracks in that.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments here, and visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Tuesday for an integrated European Union military, echoing language used by French President Emmanuel Macron last week that infuriated U.S. President Donald Trump.



Merkel told the European Parliament such an army would not undermine the U.S.-led military alliance NATO but would be complementary to it, remarks that were met with loud applause in the legislature though also with boos from nationalist members.



"The times when we could rely on others are over. This means we Europeans have to take our fate fully into our own hands," Merkel said. "We should work on a vision of one day establishing a real European army."



Macron's call, which reflected a broad trend of EU thinking but is not universally accepted, was meant to show European willingness to meet U.S. demands that Europe do more for its own security and rely less on America's security umbrella.



However, on Twitter on November 9, Trump accused Macron of seeking to develop the EU's own military to defend itself from the United States, which EU and French officials said was a misunderstanding.



On Tuesday Trump took aim at Macron again, blasting France over its near-defeat to Germany in two world wars, its wine industry and Macron's approval ratings.



In his remarks on November 6, Macron had been referring to computer hackers who could attack Europe from anywhere, including from inside the United States, officials said.



First proposed in the 1950s and taken up four years ago by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker as a response to fraying EU unity, an EU armed forces is seen as strengthening the global power of the bloc, which is an economic giant but a geopolitical minnow.



With Britain's pending departure from the EU, there may be more momentum for remaining member states to find common ground on defense, although there remain divisions.



Supporters of a European defense union say the EU has struggled in military and humanitarian missions in the Balkans, Libya and Africa, and that it was caught off guard by Russia's annexation of Crimea.



"No place for nationalism"



Merkel's address comes at a time when the EU is searching for answers to a U.S. president who views the EU with contempt, to the rise of illiberal democracies and nationalist parties within its borders, and to Britain's vote to leave the bloc.



She made appeals for tolerance and solidarity, saying "nationalism and egotism should no longer have a place in Europe" to a sustained applause.



As a deadline looms for Italy's euroskeptic government to re-submit budget plans to the European Union, Merkel said the euro zone would only work if all member states meet their treaty responsibilities.



"Our common currency can only function if every individual member fulfils their responsibility for sustainable finances," Merkel said, adding that otherwise the strength and the stability of the euro zone were at risk.



"We want to extend a hand to Italy," she later said. "But Italy also agreed to all sorts of rules and it can't just tear them up."



Merkel dominated European politics for over a decade, but she is now a diminished force, weakened by the fragility of her coalition and the rise of the far-right in Germany. She announced in late October that she would step down as leader of her party, though remain chancellor.



Her foot-dragging over far-reaching reforms to the eurozone has frustrated the energetic Macron. In the summer, they agreed to a budget for the single currency area but failed to deliver any big-bang reforms. Few concrete steps have been taken since.



On Tuesday, she kept her vision for deeper monetary cooperation vague: "We need to develop our monetary policy better. We're working on a banking union," she said. "We have to look at responsibility and control, a banking union and then later a European insurance system."



Merkel also trained her sights on Poland and Hungary, two countries whose leaders other member states worry are undercutting democratic institutions.



The European Parliament in September voted to sanction Hungary for flouting EU rules on democracy, civil rights and corruption, while concerns have grown in the EU over Warsaw's accelerated judicial overhaul.



"Solidarity is always linked to commitments of the community, and the principles based on rule of law," Merkel said.Powerful and influential women from all walks of life smiled and hugged at the 2018 Glamour Women of the Year Awards on Monday, but the devastating wildfires on the other side of the country were on a lot of minds.

Actress Alicia Silverstone had firsthand knowledge of how devastating the fires are. "I know a lot of people who were affected and evacuated and some are still holding ground and not leaving. It's really bad," she said.

"This is happening because we have a problem: global warming, and we must address it. We've been talking about this for a very long time. Brilliant scientists have been talking about this for a very long time. We have a very short window where we can make change so must do it."

The awards  celebrating "game changers, rule breakers and trailblazers"  included honorees such as Chrissy Teigen, Janelle Monae, Emma Gonzalez and Aly Raisman, as well as presenters such as Claire Danes, John Legend, Lupita Nyong'o and Padma Lakshmi.

MJ Rodriguez, who presented Monae's award, said being around so many strong women was encouraging. "I get to be around women who have implemented so much change in the world, not only through their art, but through their works, their action," Rodriqguez said. "So, to be around strong women like that, it makes me feel like I'm doing something right."

Another woman getting high praise, although not in attendance, was former first lady Michelle Obama. Monae said she can't wait to read her new memoir, Becoming.

"I'm so excited about it. I've already preordered my copy," Monae said. "She's a phenomenal woman, whether she's writing a book or just talking to her one on one privately. She's exceptional and I'm so proud of her."

But the wildfires came up again and again, with some attendees saying the flames are part of a larger issue  global warming.

"So many people have lost their homes and it is climate change. It's a problem," said actress Andie MacDowell. "And until we start accepting and exploring that and what are we going to do, we're not going to solve the problem."Florida elections officials are racing to recount ballots this week after razor-thin voting margins left the state's marquee contests for the U.S. Senate and governor too close to call.

Republicans took the lead in last Tuesday's elections, but their margins narrowed and state-mandated recounts were ordered after the processing of more than 8 million ballots cast.

President Donald Trump is calling for the recounts to end, saying without evidence that Democrats are out to steal his party's wins in America's largest political battleground state.

The drama, which has included dueling lawsuits and unsubstantiated allegations of electoral fraud, has evoked memories of the state's 2000 presidential vote recount where the winner of the White House hung in the balance for weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the counting and Republican George W. Bush triumphed over Democrat Al Gore.

What happens next? Here is a guide to understanding the 2018 Florida recount.

What triggers a recount in Florida?

State law calls for recounts in elections where the vote margin falls within one-half of a percentage point. This year, an unprecedented three statewide elections met the threshold. Secretary of State Ken Detzner ordered recounts on Saturday after the deadline for elections officers to submit unofficial results.

The need for recounts was not immediately clear on election night. In the Senate race, Democratic incumbent Senator Bill Nelson never conceded his tight contest, but his Republican challenger, Governor Rick Scott, declared victory.

In the governor's race, Democrat Andrew Gillum initially conceded to Republican Ron DeSantis but now wants every vote counted. A recount also is under way for a state Cabinet post for agriculture commissioner in which a pro-marijuana Democrat holds the edge.

What happens in a recount?

To start, the ballots are re-run through machines to check for electronic or equipment errors. Local elections officers must complete machine recounts by 3 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Thursday, but some have warned they may not be done in time.

If a contest falls within one-quarter of a percentage point, another recount is ordered  this time to inspect by hand any ballots considered undervotes or overvotes. In such cases, a machine tally may suggest that the voter merely skipped a contest or marked more than one selection. If the voter's intentions are clear in a review, the ballot will be counted.

The Senate race looks almost certain to receive such scrutiny, with Scott leading Nelson by about 12,500 votes, or 0.15 of a percentage point, in the unofficial vote results. The governor's race, however, may not reach the threshold for a hand recount.

When will the recounting end?

Local supervisor of elections offices are due to submit official election results by noon on Sunday.

Those include not only changes resulting during recounts but also votes that might not yet have reached the state. Ballots cast by military members and Florida residents living overseas have until Friday to arrive at local elections offices.

Democrats are asking the courts to extend some of the deadlines, however, as they challenge state elections practices that they say disenfranchise voters.

Could court rulings change the outcome?

Democrats have filed lawsuits asking a federal district court in northern Florida to stop the state from rejecting ballots when voters' signatures do not match the records on file. Democrats also want a longer window for vote-by-mail ballots to arrive at elections offices and still be counted.

If Democrats prevail in either case, scores of additional ballots could be added to the final counts. In the case of rejected ballots, research suggests that younger and minority voters, who often lean Democratic, are among the most likely to have their ballots rejected because of signature matching issues.

Will Florida's recount affect either party's national power?

Not now, but maybe in the future. Republicans have a majority in the Senate, regardless of the outcome in Florida. But with the chamber closely divided, there could be lasting implications for the party that claims the seat for a six-year term.

The person elected governor in Florida will have the power to sign or veto the congressional district maps that will be drawn after the 2020 census. Florida's clout in the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to grow, and how the district lines get settled could shape the partisan split for the coming decade.

This year's uncommonly tight elections in Florida also could be a harbinger of the fight for the state's electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.

Trump, who owns property in Florida, won the state in the 2016 presidential election, after Democratic President Barack Obama carried it twice.

Without a repeat victory in Florida, the largest of the states to swing between parties in presidential elections, Trump's path to re-election narrows significantly.Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday hundreds of Iraqi Islamic State militants at Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria were trying to cross into Iraq.



The militants have launched attacks in recent weeks against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces on the Syrian side of the border, prompting Iraqi militias that operate alongside the army to reinforce in the area.



Abdul Mahdi said the militants were seeking to recapture territory they had once controlled on the Iraqi side, during Islamic State's self-styled caliphate that extended from eastern Syria to northern Iraq from 2014 to 2017.



"But Iraqi forces are carrying out their duties to preempt any attempts by Daesh [Islamic State] to infiltrate the border and cross into Iraq," he told reporters at a news conference.



Islamic State militants have since their military defeat in Iraq in 2017 reverted to insurgency tactics such as bombings and attacks on security forces, especially in northern Nineveh and northeastern Diyala provinces.Italy's efforts to host a summit on stabilizing Libya after its seven-year-old conflict appeared to fall flat Tuesday, as organizers on the second and final day of the meeting in Sicily failed to even confirm whether representatives of the main factions were attending.

One major player, General Khalifa Haftar, commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army that controls much of eastern Libya, arrived on the island late Monday, but it was unclear whether he would take part in the talks. Earlier media reports quoted him as saying the conference lacks a clear agenda.

The conference in the Sicilian capital of Palermo began Monday with a private dinner hosted by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte before the plenary sessions Tuesday.

Rome wanted to keep the focus on the OPEC producer, where chaos has reigned for seven years among the hundreds of rival armed groups and tribes since Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was toppled and killed. But what was largely apparent at the meeting is the brewing rivalry with France over who will lead efforts to pacify Libya. France called a similar gathering earlier in May, angering Italian leaders.

Italy had hoped U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel would attend, but they and a number of other invited leaders sent lower-ranking representatives. France sent its foreign minister.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said last week he was confident a plan for the stabilization of the North African country could be drawn up.

''We will not create false hopes, but it is very important for us to find a shared road with all those involved to move on to the next step,'' Di Maio said.

Italy vies for lead role

Italian officials made it no secret that part of their intent is to portray Italy as leading international efforts to bring peace to the North African country, which Rome ruled as a colony after Italian forces seized it from Ottoman rule in the years before the World War I. Much of their message was directed at Washington.

''It is very important for us to receive the willingness of the United States for us to be the leading country in the management and stabilization of Libya and we are doing this with the highest level of commitment, hoping to get the highest level of results,'' Di Maio said, adding ''we are not excluding anyone from supporting this road.''

Libya is currently run by two administrations: a weak U.N.-backed Government of National Accord, run by Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli, and another in the eastern part of the country, headed by Haftar.

Al-Sarraj had hoped elections would be held in December, following discussions at a summit earlier this year in France, but this plan was abandoned due to ongoing violence and chaos in parts of Libya.

Italy and France have strong business ties in Libya and their growing rivalry, analysts say, is hurting peace prospects. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has denied such a rivalry exists, saying Rome and Paris have a common interest in stabilizing the nation - an important source of oil and gas for Europe.

Libya is also a departure point for African and other migrants who seek to escape war and poverty and head for Europe, often using Italy as a gateway.Jordan's state security court has sentenced 10 defendants to prison, with terms ranging from three years to life, for their role in an Islamic State group attack on a popular tourist site that killed 14 people, including a Canadian tourist.

The December 2016 attack on the Karak castle in southern Jordan marked the first time IS extremists claimed responsibility for a large-scale attack on a civilian site in Jordan.



In Tuesday's decision, the court sentenced two defendants to life in prison, while four others were given 15-year sentences. Four people were sentenced to three years each. One defendant was acquitted.



Jordan's confrontation with IS goes back to 2014, when the kingdom began carrying out air strikes as part of an international campaign to dislodge IS from neighboring Syria and Iraq.At least 150 people have been killed in 24 hours of clashes in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, medics said Monday, as Britain's top diplomat visited the Gulf seeking to boost international calls for a ceasefire.

Government loyalists supported by a Saudi-led coalition are fighting to oust the Iran-backed Houthi rebels from the strategic Red Sea city, whose docks are a lifeline to 14 million Yemenis at risk of starvation.

Asked about the possibility of a ceasefire, a coalition spokesman told reporters in Riyadh that "the operation is still ongoing," adding that it was meant to pressure the rebels to come to the negotiating table.

A Hodeidah resident reported an ebb in fighting around the city by Monday evening, but U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a possible "catastrophic situation" if the port is destroyed.

"The fighting must stop, a political debate must begin, and we must prepare a massive humanitarian response to avoid the worst next year," he said.

A military source in the pro-government coalition said the insurgents had pushed back a large-scale assault aimed at moving towards the port, under rebel control since 2014.

In a statement sent via the Telegram messaging app, the Houthis said they had "lured" loyalists up the western coastline of Hodeidah, where the rebels then launched an attack on the troops.

Government forces, led on the ground by Emirati-backed troops, have made their way into Hodeidah after 11 days of clashes, reaching residential neighborhoods in the east on Sunday and sparking fears of street fights that would further endanger civilians trapped in the city.

Residents and government military sources have reported rebel snipers stationed on rooftops in civilian streets in eastern Hodeidah, a few kilometers (miles) from the port on the western edge of the city.

The fighting forced hundreds of terrified medical workers and patients to flee the al-Thawra hospital  Hodeidah's largest public medical facility  as a series of explosions rocked the area on Sunday, Amnesty International said.

A medical worker told Amnesty that they "dodged a hail of shrapnel" as bombardment near the hospital lasted more than 30 minutes.

Enough is enough

The Hodeidah offensive has sparked an international outcry unprecedented in nearly four years of conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government.

Britain, the United States and France have all called for an end to hostilities. All three countries are major suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has urged Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a major ally of Washington, to engage in peace talks.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt met with Saudi King Salman and Prince Mohammed on Monday during a visit to the kingdom to press its rulers to support UN efforts to end the conflict.

Hunt also flew to the United Arab Emirates, a key pillar of the Saudi-led coalition, to meet the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.

In France, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said it was time "the international community said enough is enough.

"There will be no victor in this war," Le Drian told France 2 TV.

Civilian toll

Aid groups fear for the safety of hundreds of thousands of people living in Hodeidah  and for millions of others dependent on its port for what little food and humanitarian aid trickle into impoverished, blockaded Yemen.

A military official in Hodeidah on Monday confirmed seven civilians had died, without giving further details.

A 15-year-old boy died last week of shrapnel wounds in Hodeidah, Save the Children said.

Medics in hospitals across Hodeidah province reported 111 rebels and 32 loyalist fighters killed overnight, according to a tally by AFP.

Sources at the Al-Alfi military hospital, seized by the rebels during their 2014 takeover, said charred body parts had been delivered there overnight. Military sources confirmed that the Saudi-led alliance had targeted the rebels with multiple airstrikes.

The rebels have begun to evacuate their wounded to Sanaa, the capital, which the Houthis seized during a 2014 takeover that included a string of ports on Yemen's coastline.

Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the Yemeni government's fight against the Houthis in 2015, triggering what the U.N. now calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Nearly 600 people have been killed since clashes erupted in Hodeidah on November 1, ending a temporary suspension in a government offensive to take the city that began in June.

Diplomatic pressure

The coalition has come under intense international pressure to end the conflict, particularly following the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an ardent critic of Prince Mohammed, in his country's consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Multiple countries, including Germany and Norway, have announced the suspension of arms sales to Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi's killing.

The United Nations' Yemen envoy, Martin Griffiths, is pushing for peace talks between the Houthis and the government by the end of the year.

The United States, which for years provided military training and aerial refueling for the Saudi-led coalition, on Saturday announced it would end its inflight refueling support for the alliance.

The alliance accuses Iran of smuggling arms to the Houthis through Hodeidah port. Tehran denies the charges.The U.S. state of Maryland on Tuesday challenged the legality of President Donald Trump's appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general to replace Jeff Sessions, who was ousted last week as the country's top law enforcement official.

The state said the appointment violated federal law, and that Trump named Whitaker to the post to protect himself from the ongoing investigation of his 2016 campaign's ties to Russia.

The eastern state asked a federal judge in Washington to install Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the No. 2 official at the Justice Department, in place of Whitaker, in order to follow what Maryland says would be the agency's normal succession rules.

After months of belittling Sessions, the U.S. leader requested his resignation and then named 49-year-old Whitaker, Sessions's chief of staff, to replace him, bypassing Rosenstein.

Trump had long complained that Sessions removed himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and whether Trump, as president, sought to thwart the probe in various ways. Sessions delegated the Mueller oversight to Rosenstein.

With Sessions gone, Whitaker has assumed control of the Mueller probe. But opposition Democrats have objected to his appointment, pointing to his frequent attacks on the Mueller investigation before joining the Justice Department a year ago.

At one point, Whitaker suggested that a replacement attorney general, such as he now is, could reduce funding for Mueller so the investigation "grinds almost to a halt."

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, a Democrat, said the state is challenging the Whitaker appointment on two grounds, claiming Justice Department succession rules called for Rosenstein to become attorney general and that Whitaker as the agency's "principal officer," must be confirmed by the Senate.

"The Attorney General's succession statute and the Constitution protect the country against exactly what President Trump has attempted to do here  pluck an unqualified and unconfirmed partisan to be the nation's chief law enforcement officer in order to protect himself rather than the rule of law," Frosh said in a statement.A media rights group expressed indignation over statements made by officials in Tanzania and South Africa justifying the detention of two of its employees.

New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said officials from both countries falsely claimed the two employees -- CPJ's Africa program coordinator Angela Quintal and sub-Saharan Africa representative Muthoki Mumo -- were in Tanzania without proper visas when they were detained and interrogated.

In a statement Monday, CJP said both women were traveling on valid visas, as part of a fact-finding trip to better understand local press freedom conditions in Tanzania.

CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said "we are outraged by their treatment at the hands of Tanzanian authorities," and said CPJ has "concluded that the intention of Tanzanian authorities was to harass and intimidate our team."

Simon said CPJ is also disappointed that South Africas foreign minister repeated falsehoods about the detention after helping to assist the journalists in Tanzania.

Last week, Tanzanian immigration authorities took the women from their Dar es Salaam hotel and held them at an unknown location for several hours of questioning.

Ali Mtanda, spokesman for Tanzania's immigration department, told VOA last week that the "CPJ officials admitted that they were in the country to meet journalists, which violates their visa requirements."

Mtanda said the visa applications of the CPJ officials "simply said they are in the country as visitors." He also said the two were told to "obtain accreditation from the Ministry of Information" if they wanted to interview journalists.

Press freedom in Tanzanian has come under attack in the last few years by President John Magufuli's administration, which has implemented harsh legislation and harassed journalists and bloggers, CPJ has said.

Last week, the U.S. State Department criticized Tanzanias government for violating its citizens' civil liberties and human rights, including arrests of members of the LGBTQ community.

"The United States government is deeply concerned over escalating attacks and legislative actions by the government of Tanzania that violate civil liberties and human rights, creating an atmosphere of violence, intimidation, and discrimination," the State Department said.Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that no delegation would go to the Davos World Economic Forum in January if top tycoons including Oleg Deripaska were kept out of the prestigious gathering.

Several Russian oligarchs and allies of President Vladimir Putin have reportedly been asked to stay away from the World Economic Forum meet.

"If all these decisions that have been taken in relation to Russian business representatives are not changed, then we will have to take a decision regarding the cancellation of participation in the Davos forum of state employees and Russian companies where the state has a stake," Medvedev said.

"Then no one would go there," he said in televised remarks. "Let's wait and see."

Speaking on the sidelines of Italian-sponsored Libya crisis talks in Palermo, the Russian prime minister described the decision as "very strange".

Medvedev said he had discussed the situation with Swiss President Alain Berset, who he said had promised to look into the issue.

"He said he would make inquiries," Medvedev added.

The Financial Times reported last week that billionaires Deripaska, Viktor Vekselberg and Andrei Kostin, the head of Russian state bank VTB, had essentially been barred from attending the prestigious gathering in January.

The decision was made under pressure from Washington, the FT said, citing sources familiar with the situation.

VTB confirmed at the time that Kostin "had a conversation with Mr. Schwab," referring to Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum.

The tycoons were hit with U.S. sanctions earlier this year as Washington seeks to punish Russia for alleged international aggression and hit those close to Putin.

The trio are believed to be close to Putin and attended the forum in the past.

Deripaska was particularly famous for throwing wild parties in Davos, with vodka, caviar and dancing Cossacks on offer.

The Kremlin has said the Davos forum would be "rejecting its roots" if it blacklisted the Russian billionaires.In an extraordinary move, Melania Trump called publicly Tuesday for the deputy national security adviser to be dismissed.



After reports circulated Tuesday that President Donald Trump had decided to remove Mira Ricardel from her post at the National Security Council, Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's spokeswoman, released a statement that said: "It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House."



Shortly before the statement was issued, Ricardel was among a group of administration officials and other individuals who stood behind President Trump at a White House ceremony celebrating Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.



The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the first lady's staff and Ricardel had clashed during Mrs. Trump's visit to Africa in October over such things as seating on the airplane and requests to use the council's resources.



A White House official told The Associated Press that Ricardel wanted to travel to Africa with the first lady but was denied seating on the airplane because there was no room for her and several others who initially expected to make the trip. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss White House personnel matters, said Ricardel then threatened not to send any NSC staff.



Ricardel also is known to have clashed with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis over Pentagon political appointee choices since early in his tenure. And Pentagon officials have said privately they believe Ricardel had a hand in spreading rumors this year about Mattis falling from favor with the White House and perhaps departing.



Asked by a reporter today about Mrs. Trump's office saying Ricardel no longer deserves to work in the White House, Mattis said, "I don't comment on other people's staffing issues."



A spokesman for the National Security Council had no immediate comment.



Mrs. Trump is very protective of her husband and is considered to be an influential adviser, as many first ladies have been with their spouses.



She is also one of the most private first ladies in recent memory, which made the public announcement about her displeasure with a top West Wing official all the more surprising.

In an interview with ABC News during the five-day trip to Ghana, Mali, Kenya and Egypt last month, the first lady said there are people in the White House whom she and the president cannot trust. She declined to name anyone but said she had let the president know who they are.



"Well," she said, "some people, they don't work there anymore."



Asked if some untrustworthy people still worked in the White House, Mrs. Trump replied, "Yes."



Anita McBride, who was chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush, said there's a lesson in the current first lady's public pronouncement.



"The president supports Mrs. Trump's activities and her work, which should be the signal to the rest of the staff to support her, too,'' McBride, who has worked for three Republican presidents, said via email.U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is in Singapore for regional summits during which he will highlight the Trump administrations commitment to keeping the Indo-Pacific region free and open, but where leaders will be watching closely what he will actually offer, both on security as well as trade and investment.

Fulfilling a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific'

In a briefing to reporters, a senior administration official said the vice presidents visit to the region will unveil concrete, substantive initiatives to fulfill the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy outlined by President Donald Trump in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Da Nang, Vietnam, last year.

The strategy focuses on achieving free markets and freedom of navigation in the region, and replaces the Obama-era pivot to Asia, a strategic re-balancing of U.S. interests from Europe and the Middle East.

Since President Trump pulled out of the centerpiece of that strategy, the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade deal, the perception has been the United States has further withdrawn from its engagement in the region, said Angela Mancini, head of Southeast Asia for the consultancy group Control Risks.

All eyes are going to be looking to see what's actually going to be announced this week, Mancini said, especially on whether the United States will be offering a viable alternative to Chinas trillion-dollar investment strategy, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). There's been a lot of talk around support for infrastructure, but not a lot of money coming in. she said.

WATCH: Pence to Counter China's BRI in Singapore

A counter to BRI?

In his October speech at the Hudson Institute, Pence called Chinese President Xi Jin Ping's Belt and Road Initiative, debt trap diplomacy.

In Asia, he will likely highlight the American alternative, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (USIDFC), a new agency created under the bipartisan BUILD Act. The new $60 billion initiative supports private investments for infrastructure projects around the world.

The Maldives, Sri Lanka and Malaysia are some of the nations rethinking BRI investments because of problems arising from what critics see as a Chinese debt trap. Beijing denies the accusations that its loans create problems ranging from corruption, labor violations to objectionable debt.

Marc Mealy, vice president on policy at the US-ASEAN Business Council, a lobby group for American companies, hopes the USIDFC will help position the American business community as a viable and credible alternative commercial partner for Southeast Asia.

But countries in the region will be looking for concrete proof that the United States is offering a healthier alternative from a development investment perspective, and how can they actually get their hands on those investments.

Angela Mancini noted the U.S. government has never been known to move quickly and that one of the benefits of working with BRI has been the speed with which China can deploy funding and resources. She added that many countries are desperate for infrastructure, and it remains to be seen how quickly the United States can actually stand up and operationalize that investment.

US-Sino trade war

One of the issues in focus at the Singapore summits is the trade spat between Washington and Beijing, which has left countries in the region on edge.

All countries in ASEAN want to see free trade continue, said Lim Tai Wei, senior research fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore, adding countries would hate to have choose between the United States and China.

The U.S.-Sino tariff wars have forced Southeast Asian nations to rethink their business strategy, and there have been winners and losers in different sectors of individual countries.

Countries are also watching the Trump administrations trade and tariff policies with allies in the region. In Japan, Pence pushed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a bilateral trade agreement that President Trump hopes will cut Tokyo's trade surplus with Washington.

In Singapore, Pence is expected to continue the U.S. bilateral free-trade agenda with several countries in the region, including Vietnam and the Philippines.

This may be at odds with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which prefers to deal with trading partners as a regional block.

ASEAN already has five free-trade agreements with all of the major economies in Asia-Pacific, including China, Japan, India, South Korea and New Zealand. The regional block is trying to bring all five of the individual deals into a single agreement called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that, if concluded, would constitute more than forty percent of the world's population.

Marc Mealy urged the Trump administration to consider a regional approach. He said it may be in Americas interests to "really look at doing a US-ASEAN free trade agreement one day.

Security commitment under "America First"

Aside from trade and investment, many questions remain for the Trump administrations security commitment in the region, said Lim Tai Wei.

How is it going to operate? Where is going to put it forces? Is it going to strengthen the relationship with allies? How are they going to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue?, he said.

Countries are also concerned about U.S.-Sino tensions over Taiwan and rising hostility in the South China Sea, especially in light of a recent near-collision between the USS Decatur and the Chinese warship, Luyang.

Bonnie Glaser from the Center for Strategic and International Studies said Washingtons aggressive rhetoric is heard in in region that the United States is looking to start a Cold War while the Chinese is pressuring countries to not side with Washington. Glaser said Southeast Asian countries want to have good relations with both the U.S. and China and some are fearful the Trump administration will compel them to choose one nation over the other.

After representing the Trump administration in the Singapore summits, Pence will head on Thursday to the APEC Summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang will attend the ASEAN  China Summit and the East Asia Summit in Singapore and President Xi Jinping will be at APEC. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be going to the summits in Singapore and Port Moresby.Ever been on a blind date with a rock star? How about four of them?

That was Grammy-winning producer Paul Epworth's experience when he initially met up with Mumford & Sons to see if he and the four rockers could vibe, and possibly create not just music, but magic together.

"It was all a bit like a series of blind dates to see how we hit it off. It took us a couple of sessions before we found out what the best method was. The chemistry felt really good all throughout the process," Epworth said.

"We went on a couple of dates," said band leader Marcus Mumford. "We did sessions before Christmas, which led to pretty much the final version of the song called 'Slip Away,' which is on the record. And we just felt like he was exactly the person we needed to help steer this ship for this fourth record. And we've never enjoyed recording more."

The result is the 14-track "Delta," to be released Friday.

The band started writing new music after the album "Wilder Mind" was released in 2015, even though one of the "Delta" songs is six years old. Mumford said they tried to re-work the old track "about 400 times."

"It's called 'Forever'  ironically," he said.

"It wasn't called 'Forever' before. After the 600th time," chimed in Winston Marshall, who plays banjo and electric guitar.

Epworth was part of the solution. The band says when they didn't know what to do, he did.

"They were open to giving me a bit of space to run with stuff [and] try out what I had in mind," Epworth said. "It definitely made me feel like I was essentially a fifth member of the band."

The London group said they were familiar with Epworth's work  the producer is best known for crafting Adele's monster hit "Rolling in the Deep" and also winning an Oscar with the British vocalist for the James Bond theme song, "Skyfall." Epworth's credits also include songs with Coldplay, Florence + the Machine, U2, and Foster the People as well as lesser known acts such as Glass Animals, Bloc Party and Plan B.

Markus Dravs produced the band's 2009 debut, "Sigh No More," and its follow-up, 2012's "Babel," which won the album of the year Grammy. Both records reached multiplatinum status and launched hits on the pop and rock charts. "Wilder Mind," produced by James Ford, still had rock hits but only went gold.

Epworth's fifth member status proved invaluable for "Delta," mainly recorded at Epworth's The Church Studios in London.

"[Paul] would just come back one day and be like, 'That is not your upbeat rock song. That is your downbeat piano ballad.' We'd be kind of just blindsided by the moments of sheer visionary," said multi-instrumentalist Ben Lovett.

"Especially for a band of four collaborators  to have that person to help, decision-tie-breaker, those sort of moments [are important]," Lovett added. "If it were to be that we kind of fell out with our producer, it would be fine because we could leave the situation. If we fall out with each other, we've got a major problem. Luckily that's been something we've been able to avoid."

The songwriting process for each track on "Delta" varied  each of the band members work on songs individually and then bring them to the group.

Mumford said over the years he's learned how to be a better team player and let everyone's voice be heard.

"In the old days there was a sliver of immediacy and I think a slight immaturity, creatively. ... If someone else had a different idea, I personally had less patience for it than I do now," he said. "Now, I trust these guys' creative instincts so much. If they've got a different idea [and] it doesn't chime with me straight away, I'm intrigued to see where it goes."

One of the ideas that came from Lovett was "If I Say," a beautiful, building rock song, where the string arrangement and orchestra shine brightly. Lovett said he wrote the song "in a dream that I had whilst I was going through a bunch of stuff."

"I was halfway between grappling with a divorce but also being in a new relationship," he continued. "The song questions a lot about commitment and about the power of commitment."

Personal experiences are what drove the overall songwriting behind the album, bassist Ted Dwane said.

"We write autobiographically. A lot has happened to us in our personal lives in the past few years and the overriding theme felt like entering the world," Dwane explained. "It felt like leaving the security of youth and innocence and manning up, basically."

Mumford & Sons, who formed in 2007 and started out as a live band, will get a chance to showcase the new songs on their 60-date "Delta" Tour, which kicks off in Dublin on Friday and lands in the U.S. on Dec. 7 in Philadelphia.

They said another way they were inspired to write new songs came from listening to other artists' music in the studio.

"We'll constantly be introducing each other to new music like, 'Listen to this song here' and we'll turn it up loud," Mumford said. "Wins and I once had a very late, quite drunken night in London, demoing for the previous album where we listened to [Don Henley's] 'The Boys of Summer' about five times really loud and then tried to record our own. We called it 'Lads of Summer.' It's a monstrosity. We should have put it on the record though."

"Maybe on the next one," Marshall said. "By the way, I [expletive] love that song."Nigeria's Main One Cable took responsibility Tuesday for a glitch that temporarily caused some Google global traffic to be misrouted through China, saying it accidentally caused the problem during a network

upgrade.

The issue surfaced Monday afternoon as internet monitoring firms ThousandEyes and BGPmon said some traffic to Alphabet's Google had been routed through China and Russia, raising concerns that the communications had been intentionally hijacked.

Main One said in an email that it had caused a 74-minute glitch by misconfiguring a border gateway protocol filter used to route traffic across the internet. That resulted in some Google traffic being sent through Main One partner China Telecom, the West African firm said.

Google has said little about the matter. It acknowledged the problem Monday in a post on its website that said it was investigating the glitch and that it believed the problem originated outside the company. The company did not say how many users were affected or identify specific customers.

Google representatives could not be reached Tuesday to comment on Main One's statement.

Hacking concerns

Even though Main One said it was to blame, some security experts said the incident highlighted concerns about the potential for hackers to conduct espionage or disrupt communications by exploiting known vulnerabilities in the way traffic is routed over the internet.

The U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission, a Washington group that advises the U.S. Congress on security issues, plans to investigate the issue, said Commissioner Michael Wessel.

"We will work to gain more facts about what has happened recently and look at what legal tools or legislation or law enforcement activities can help address this problem," Wessel said.

Glitches in border gateway protocol filters have caused multiple outages to date, including cases in which traffic from U.S. internet and financial services firms was routed through Russia, China and Belarus.

Yuval Shavitt, a network security researcher at Tel Aviv University, said it was possible that Monday's issue was not an accident.

"You can always claim that this is some kind of configuration error," said Shavitt, who last month co-authored a paper alleging that the Chinese government had conducted a series of internet hijacks.

Main One, which describes itself as a leading provider of telecom and network services for businesses in West Africa, said that it had investigated the matter and implemented new processes to prevent it from happening again.Ahead of the U.S.-ASEAN Summit in mid-November, South East Asian nations have expressed concerns about mounting tensions between Washington and Beijing. They point out to the U.S.-Sino tariff war, increasingly aggressive rhetoric from both governments, and a recent incident involving the two countries' warships. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has more.The Russian-controlled branch of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine said Tuesday that it would not participate in the establishment of a unified church there as Kyiv seeks to cut spiritual ties with Moscow.

The announcement came after a planned meeting between top pro-Moscow clerics and President Petro Poroshenko fell through.

In a historic decision last month, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, considered the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide, agreed to recognize the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's independence from the Moscow Patriarchate.

The decision sparked rage in Moscow and prompted the Russian Orthodox Church to cut all ties with the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The Orthodox church in Ukraine is divided between a branch whose clerics pledge loyalty to Moscow and one overseen by the Kyiv-based Patriarch Filaret that Moscow does not recognize.

The split deepened after Russia annexed Crimea and a separatist uprising broke out in eastern Ukraine, a conflict that has claimed more than 10,000 lives since 2014.

On Tuesday, the branch loyal to Moscow said that granting the Ukrainian church independence was an "artificial process that has been imposed from outside" and would only deepen divisions.

"Joining this process is impossible," the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate said in a statement.

The Moscow-affiliated branch added that it was breaking communion with the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Its top clerics had met at Kyiv's Pechersk Lavra monastery, Ukraine's most important Orthodox shrine.

Poroshenko was to have met with them but declined to do so there, though spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko said the president was prepared to attend a meeting elsewhere.

Tsegolko accused Moscow of seeking to "disrupt the process of creating" a unified church in Ukraine.

"An absolute majority of citizens of our state support this process," he said on Facebook.

"So going against the will of your own people is obviously a path to nowhere."

Patriarch Filaret, the 89-year-old head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, has said he was prepared to lead a unified Ukrainian Church.Saudi King Salman will resume an unprecedented domestic tour next week, the royal court said Tuesday, as the kingdom grapples with an international crisis over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The 82-year-old monarch visited central Qassim province and the neighboring region of Hail last week in what observers call a "listening tour," his first since ascending to the most powerful throne in the Middle East in 2015.

The king is now set to visit the "northern regions of the kingdom" next week to "inspect the condition of citizens and inaugurate a number of development projects," the official Saudi Press Agency said citing the royal court.

It added that the industrial city of Waad al-Shamal would be among the stops to inaugurate "mining and industrial projects."

SPA said the king is also set to address the Shura Council, a top advisory body, on Monday, in his first public comments since the death of insider-turned-critic Khashoggi on October 2 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The king, who was accompanied by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his tour last week, appears to be on a drive to shore up support domestically, including within the royal family, as Saudi Arabia faces international outrage over the killing.

King Salman has pardoned some "insolvent prisoners" and last month ordered the resumption of annual bonus payments to all government workers from the beginning of next year. The bonuses had been suspended under austerity measures in 2016 amid low oil prices.

The fallout over Khashoggi's death is widely seen as the worst diplomatic crisis facing the kingdom since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

After first insisting Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, Saudi authorities said he was killed in an argument that degenerated into a brawl before finally accepting what Turkey had said virtually from the start  that he was killed in a premeditated hit.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the order to kill Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government.

The global fallout over the death has tainted the image of 33-year-old Prince Mohammed  the de facto ruler and heir apparent  even though the kingdom strongly denies he was involved.

But it 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.

It was unclear whether the crown prince will accompany the king next week.Amid the talk of a right-wing populist backlash in Europe following the 2015 migration crisis which saw over one million migrants enter the continent, there is one country that conspicuously breaks the trend.

Spain has overtaken Italy this year to become the number one destination for migrants travelling from North Africa, yet there are few signs of any political consequences at the ballot box. The ruling Socialist party has urged the EU to increase search-and-rescue capabilities at sea and is mulling extending public healthcare to foreigners without the required documentation.

Over fifty-thousands irregular migrants have arrived in Spain in 2018. Many have crossed the 14-kilometer Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco, often in small, overcrowded boats. More than 550 migrants have drowned this year alone.

Local authorities in the southern region of Andalusia say they need more help to cope with the influx, warning that migrants are sleeping on the floors of police stations. Despite the strain on resources, migration to Spain should be welcomed, says Pablo Sanchez, professor of international law and relations at the University of Seville.

In Europe from now to 2050, we will need more than 50 million people to be able to support our public social system. We are the ones who need them. But it has to be regulated and this has to be done by Europe, Sanchez says.

Contrast that view with Italy, which is facing similar demographic challenges. The populist government, a coalition between the 5 Star Movement and La Liga party, has clamped down hard on the arrival of migrant boats. Could similar political forces sweep through Spain?

I dont believe it could be possible, Sanchez says. The problem has to be resolved jointly. It is a deep problem that the EU has no jurisdiction in in migration matters. The most important legal competence in these matters is at the national level.

The European Union in July gave Spain $29 million (25.6 million) in emergency funding to bolster reception facilities for migrants. Integrating the new arrivals is generally the responsibility of the state.

At a recent Spanish language class for migrants, part funded by the government, students described to VOA why they have come to Europe. Mamadou Kante was keen to show off the Spanish he has learned.

I want to work in Spain to support my mother back in my country. And I have a girlfriend, and we have a baby boy there, so now I have to work for them, Kante said.

Fellow student Laurent David Coman, from Guinea, says he had nothing to lose in leaving home.

My mother died a long time ago, and Ive never known who my father is. So all I had is my faith. I didnt have any other support.

Many of the students are children who travelled alone, now under the care of the Spanish state. But Teresa Escobar of the Andalusian Human Rights Association says the authorities are overwhelmed  and many other young migrants simply disappear.

It is very worrying because if these kids are not taken in by the authorities, then they are in the hands of the mafia. And we do not know what their future would be, Escobar told VOA in a recent interview.

The Spanish government is backing European Union calls for migrant processing centers in Africa, alongside investment in African economies to tackle the poverty that is driving migrants to its shores.

That remains a long-term goal. For now, Spain must cope economically and politically with becoming the new favored destination for migrants seeking a better life.Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has suspended a presidential decree dissolving Parliament and ruled that an earlier decree summoning lawmakers on Wednesday is valid.

The court decided Tuesday that the decree issued last Friday by President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve Parliament will be suspended until Dec. 7.



On Oct. 26, Sirisena abruptly ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa. A day later he suspended Parliament, apparently to allow Rajapaksa time to gather support among lawmakers.



He later ordered Parliament to return on Wednesday, but then dissolved it last Friday and called for new elections in January.



Wickremesinghe has refused to step down.



Opposition lawmaker Ajith Perera said Parliament will meet Wednesday to prove that Wickremesinghe has the support of a majority of lawmakers.Millions of smallholder farmers in South and Southeast Asia are missing out on new, resilient seeds that could improve their yields in the face of climate change, according to an index published Monday.

The 24 top seed companies fail to reach four-fifths of the region's 170 million smallholder farmers for reasons such as poor infrastructure, high prices and lack of training, the Access to Seeds Index found.

Access to seeds bred to better withstand changing weather conditions such as higher temperatures is vital as farmers battle loss of productivity due to climate change, said Ido Verhagen, head of the Access to Seeds Foundation, which published the index.

"We see increasing demands for new varieties, because [farmers] are affected by climate change," Verhagen told Reuters.

"If we want to feed a growing population, if we want to tackle climate change, if we want to go towards a more sustainable food system, we have to start with seeds," he said.

Smallholder farmers managing between one to 10 hectares of land provide up to 80 percent of the food supply in Asia, said the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

But traditional methods of preserving seeds from harvests are not always sufficient to cope with a changing climate.

About 340 million people were hungry in 2017 in South and Southeast Asia, a number that has barely changed since 2015, according to latest figures from the United Nations.

"The question is how to get markets to provide the varieties [of seeds] that farmers want, at prices that they're able to pay," said Shawn McGuire, agricultural officer at the FAO.

Some smaller companies are leading the way in helping smallholders access more resilient seeds, Verhagen said, such as Thailand-based East-West Seed which topped the index ahead of global giants Bayer and Syngenta, which ranked second and third.

East-West Seed has built a successful business focusing purely on smallholders, he said, while Indian companies Acsen HyVeg and Namdhari, ranked sixth and seventh respectively, have also reached small-scale farmers with seeds.

The index, funded by the Dutch government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, ranks companies based on seven areas including strategies to help small farmers and supporting conservation.Battle lines are being drawn between Thailand's military government and the populist movement led by ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra as both sides attempt to outmaneuver the other before a general election due in 2019.

The junta has promised to hold the much-delayed election as early as February, a test of its promise to restore democracy amid widely held concerns that it aims to maintain a grip on power in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

The race is again expected to pit Thaksin's "red shirt" followers against the military and royalist establishment, which seized power in successive coups in 2006 and 2014. Thaksin's camp, which has won every election since 2001, has been unable to assert control over non-elected bodies, particularly the judiciary and the military, prompting bouts of street protests and coups.

In a move widely seen as an attempt to cripple support for Thaksin and his allies, the junta last month ordered the Election Commission to investigate whether he is still controlling the popular Puea Thai Party from exile abroad, and possibly disband it.

"They are afraid of us," Puea Thai veteran Watana Muangsook told Reuters, referring to the junta's efforts to undermine the influence of his party and allies. "The only way they can beat us is that they have to play beyond the rules. If they follow the rules they will lose."

Under pressure

The Shinawatra clan faces pressure elsewhere, too.

Thaksin's son, 38-year-old Panthongtae Shinawatra, was indicted last month for an alleged money-laundering offense dating back to 2004. He pleaded not guilty.

Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin's sister and prime minister for nearly three years, fled Thailand last year to avoid conviction in a criminal negligence case she says was politically motivated. The junta has sought her extradition from Britain.

Eight core members of Puea Thai are also facing legal action for allegedly breaching a junta ban on political gatherings of more than five people.

Authorities have confiscated and banned the distribution of thousands of calendars featuring a picture of Thaksin and Yingluck, which were being handed out in several places in northeastern Thailand this month.

Thaksin said in a rare interview with NHK TV recently "pro-democracy camps" could win some 300 of the lower house of parliament's 500 seats in the coming election.

That comment prompted the military government to order an official probe into his links with the party.

Puea Thai members deny Thaksin's involvement in the running of the party and say they have been "following the law."

As Puea Thai faces the threat of dissolution, at least three backup parties have been launched  Puea Tham Party, Puea Chart Party, and Thai Raksa Chart Party  all of which have executives who are former members and allies of Puea Thai.

The junta has denied targeting Thaksin and his allies, saying government agencies have been proceeding legally.

"I don't see the singling-out of Thaksin and the Shinawatra family," said government spokesman Puttipong Punnakan.

Pro-Thaksin parties say they are further disadvantaged by the new constitution, written by an army-appointed committee, which critics say is designed to prolong the military's influence over politics for years through unelected bodies and other mechanisms.

Legal actions may backfire

Thaksin and his allies, who champion populist policies such as a subsidized rice scheme and basic health care, remain immensely popular especially in the rural north and northeastern provinces.

Experts say it is this enduring support that could prove a huge challenge for the junta at the polls.

"The problem for the authorities who want to dissolve Puea Thai is not the party banner but its durable support bases," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University.

"If the party is dissolved, its support bases will likely just shift to proxy parties," Thitinan said, adding that legal moves against the Thaksin camp could even embolden voters if they see them as unfair political persecution.

The Puea Thai Party remains optimistic of the party's chances in next year's elections despite the pressure it faces.

"If this was a 100-meter race, [the military] started at 80 meters while we started at zero," Watana said. "But if the people rejected the military and dictatorship ... perhaps a landslide victory is still possible."A Trump administration envoy on Tuesday urged Syria's ally Russia to push for the release of Austin Tice, an American freelance journalist kidnapped in Syria six years ago.



Robert O'Brien, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for hostage affairs, said Trump would take measures necessary to facilitate Tice's freedom if it would help. He did not elaborate on the measures.



"We are continuing to call on the Russians to exert whatever influence they have in Syria to bring Austin home," he said. The Syrian government says it is unaware of Tice's whereabouts.



O'Brien came to Trump's defense when asked why the president has made no public pronouncements on Tice but had spoken out in the cases of Americans held in Turkey, North Korea and Iran. He said Trump and his top aides are closely tracking the case.



O'Brien spoke at a news conference called to announce a National Press Club drive for private donations to match a $1 million FBI reward for information leading to Tice's freedom.



Tice was 31 years old when he was abducted in August 2012 while reporting in Damascus on the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.



He has not been heard from publicly since a video posted online weeks after he disappeared showed him in the custody of armed men. O'Brien said the United States believes Tice is alive but did not elaborate on the journalist's condition.



Washington has declined to identify who it believes is holding Tice but has sought the help of Russia, Assad's main foreign backer in the civil war, and other countries.



Tice's father, Marc Tice, said that he and his wife will travel to Beirut later this year on at least their seventh trip to apply for visas to enter Syria to seek their son's release.U.S. President Donald Trump has weighed in on a report that North Korea has at least 13 undeclared bases capable of hiding missiles, calling the report "fake news."

"The story in the New York Times concerning North Korea developing missile bases is inaccurate," he said, referring to information revealed in a report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies and shared by The New York Times. "We fully know about the sites being discussed, nothing new  and nothing happening out of the normal."

He added in his tweet, "I will be the first to let you know if things go bad!"

The report released Monday said its conclusions are based on commercial satellite imagery, interviews with North Korean defectors and interviews with U.S. intelligence and government officials.



Joseph Bermudez, one of the authors of the study, said the findings are noteworthy.



I would say that North Koreas basic missile threat and its nuclear threat which would use the ballistic missiles as its delivery system remains very significant and has not changed in the last 10 years, Bermudez said.



The report said the North Korean bases, which can be used to house ballistic missiles of various ranges, are well-hidden, indicating the Norths determination to conceal its military abilities.



It said the bases are combined with decades of extensive camouflage, concealment and deception practices to maximize the survival of its missile units from pre-emptive strikes and during wartime operations.



The report said there might be as many as 20 such undeclared bases in North Korea. It said they are scattered across the country and designed so that mobile missile launchers can quickly be taken out of the underground facilities and moved to launch sites.



Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged during a historic June meeting in Singapore that they would work toward denuclearization, but they pledged little specifics in achieving their goal.



Since the summit, North Korea has not carried out any nuclear or missile tests and has dismantled a missile test site.



Last week, North Korea abruptly called off a new round of negotiations with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in which the two countries were to discuss denuclearization efforts and prepare for a possible second summit between Trump and Kim.



North Korean state media on Monday accused the United States of carrying out some small-scale military drills with South Korea, saying the drills violate their agreement to lower tensions on the Korean peninsula.President Donald Trumps National Security Adviser John Bolton vowed Tuesday to "squeeze" Iran "until the pips squeak", a week after a tough new round of sanctions came into force.

Trump has dramatically increased pressure on Tehran, withdrawing from an international agreement aimed at ending its nuclear program and introducing several rounds of unilateral U.S. sanctions.

The latest tranche of measures have been touted as the toughest yet, and aim to significantly reduce Iran's vital oil exports and cut off its banks from international finance.

Speaking in Singapore, Bolton said: "We think the government is under real pressure and it's our intention to squeeze them very hard.

"As the British say, squeeze them until the pips squeak.We are also going to significantly increase the enforcement of sanctions," Bolton said.

The United States has repeatedly said that humanitarian needs, food and medicine are exempt from the sanctions and the Iranian people are not the targets.

But Iran says the sanctions are inhumane and go against international law.

The sanctions on banks have meant that few if any international lenders are ready to facilitate transactions for fear of upsetting the United States, even for humanitarian purposes such as medical supplies.

Coupled with a plunge in Iran's national currency, this has led to severe shortages and soaring black market prices for drugs from abroad needed to treat illnesses like cancer and even simple anaesthetics required for surgery.

'Crime against humanity'

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a tweet on Monday that the "intention to starve civilian population is crime against humanity".

"ICJ already refuted [the U.S.] claim on humanitarian exemptions," he wrote, referring to the International Court of Justice.

Attached to the tweet were letters Zarif said were from international pharmaceutical firms to their Iranian partners informing them that they are ceasing all shipments to Iran due to U.S. sanctions.

The U.S. measures have been opposed by other parties to the deal aimed at ending Iran's nuclear drive - Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia - who have vowed to keep the accord alive.

"There's no doubt Iran has already started to try and find ways to evade the sanctions both on oil in particular and financial markets," Bolton added.

U.N. inspectors say Iran is abiding by the agreement.

But Bolton said "most of the countries of Europe have passed through denial and anger and many of them are already at acceptance that we're out of the deal.

"Others are getting to that point."

In the face of widespread opposition to the sanctions, Washington issued exemptions to eight countries to its ban on buying oil from major producer Iran.

Washington is demanding that Tehran end policies rooted in the 1979 Islamist revolution, including its support for regional proxies such as the Lebanese militia Hezbollah and its development of missiles.

The only support for the U.S. position has come from Iran's regional rivals, notably Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The International Monetary Fund has forecast that the sanctions will cause Iran's economy to contract 1.5 percent this year and 3.6 percent next year.Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker will consult with ethics officials about any matters that could require him to recuse himself, the Justice Department said on Monday, after critics called on him to step aside from overseeing a Special Counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

"Acting AG Matt Whitaker is fully committed to following all appropriate processes and procedures at the Department of Justice, including consulting with senior ethics officials on his oversight responsibilities and matters that may warrant recusal," spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a statement.

Whitaker became the acting attorney general last week after President Donald Trump ordered Jeff Sessions to resign following months of criticizing him for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, which Trump has repeatedly called a "witch hunt."

Sessions' recusal paved the way for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint Special Counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017.

The investigation has already led to criminal charges against dozens of people, including Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

With Whitaker's appointment, Rosenstein is no longer in charge of the Russia probe. Democrats in Congress have said they fear Whitaker could undermine or even fire Mueller after he expressed negative opinions about the probe before joining the Justice Department as Sessions' chief of staff in October 2017.

On Sunday, top Democrats in the House of Representatives and the Senate sent a letter to the Justice Department's chief ethics officer to ask whether Whitaker had received any guidance on possibly recusing himself from the Russia probe.

"Allowing a vocal opponent of the investigation to oversee it will severely undermine public confidence in the Justice Department's work on this critically important matter," the letter said.

Democrats have also raised questions about whether Whitaker's appointment was legal under the Constitution because Trump ignored a statutory line of succession and deprived senators of their "advice and consent" role.

San Francisco's city attorney said on Monday his office may take legal action if the Justice Department does not provide a legal justification for Whitaker's appointment.

The city has four cases proceeding in court that name Sessions as a defendant, including one which led to an injunction blocking a Trump executive order over "sanctuary cities" that the administration claims are protecting illegal immigrants from deportation.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the Justice Department expects to publish a legal opinion supporting Whitaker's appointment.The U.S. State Department on Tuesday designated Jawad Nasrallah, son of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a terrorist and accused him of carrying out attacks against Israel in the West Bank.

The department also blacklisted Al-Mujahidin Brigades (AMB), which it said had links to Hezbollah and had plotted a number of attacks against Israeli targets from a base in the Palestinian Territories.

"Today's designations seek to deny Nasrallah and AMB the resources to plan and carry out terrorist attacks," the State Department said in a statement. It said the actions denied Nasrallah and AMB access to the U.S. financial system.

Later, the State Department announced it was offering up to $5 million each for information leading to the locations of Hamas leader Salih al-Aruri, Lebanese Hezbollah leaders Khalil Yusif Mahmoud Harb and Haytham Ali Tabatabaei under the agency's so-called Rewards for Justice Program.

WATCH: Jawad Nasrallah

The department said both Hamas and Hezbollah receive weapons, training and funding from Iran. Washington recently reimposed sanctions against Tehran after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 nuclear deal.

Earlier on Tuesday, Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri blamed Iran-backed Hezbollah for what he called "a big obstacle" in efforts to form a new government.

Hezbollah, a heavily armed Shi'ite Muslim group, has been pressing a demand for one of six Sunni Muslim lawmakers allied to it to get a cabinet position. Hariri has refused to give up one of the seats allocated for his mainly Sunni party.

Earlier on Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on four people linked to Lebanon's Hezbollah who coordinate the Iran-backed group's activities in Iraq and designated the son of the group's leader as a global terrorist.

The U.S. Treasury added Shibl Muhsin Ubayd al-Zaydi, Yusuf Hashim, Adnan Hussein Kawtharani and Muhammad Abd-al-Hadi Farhat to its Specially Designated Global Terrorists list. Al-Zaydi is Iraqi and the others are Lebanese.U.S. President Donald Trump's top economic adviser said on Tuesday that the United States welcomed the resumption of talks with China on trade, while Vice President Mike Pence warned Beijing to change its behavior so as to avoid a new cold war with the United States.

National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow told reporters at the White House that the U.S. and Chinese governments were "now communicating at all levels and that's a very good thing."

Kudlow said "it's pretty clear now" that Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 industrialized nations meeting in Argentina later this month.

"We are working on background materials in preparation and we're waiting for China to come back with some thoughts," he added.

When asked if he was looking for concessions before the meeting, Kudlow said, "we would like to hear from them some responses to the things we've asked for in the last, I don't know, five or six or seven months."

Trade negotiations between the two countries had been put on pause, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said last month. The United States has consistently sought concessions from China on intellectual property and technology, as well as tariffs on imports of U.S. goods.

Pence told the Washington Post in an interview that China should change its behavior to avoid a cold war with the United States, and Trump is looking for "concrete proposals" from Beijing.

"The president's attitude is, we want to make sure they know where we stand, what we are prepared to do, so they can come to Argentina with concrete proposals that address not just the trade deficit that we face ... We're convinced China knows where we stand," Pence said in the interview.

Pence also said China must offer concessions on intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, restricted access to Chinese markets, respect for international rules and norms, and efforts to limit freedom of navigation in international waters, among other issues.

If Beijing does not produce proposals that satisfy Washington, the United States is prepared to increase economic, diplomatic and political pressure on China, Pence told the newspaper.

"We really believe we are in a strong position either way.

We are at $250 billion [in tariffs] now; we can more than double that," Pence said. "I don't think it's a matter of promises. We're looking for results. We're looking for a change of posture."To Viola Davis, being naked on screen or onstage means more than having your clothes off. It means ridding yourself of self-consciousness and ego. It means exposing yourself.

"Oftentimes you do see dynamic acting  there are a lot of really dynamic actors  but there is a sense of vanity," says Davis. "I always say that when people get naked on stage it always looks like they've been to the gym for about five years. And we all know that's not the case. When we get naked in life, we may have some rolls of flesh around our stomach. You may have some stretch marks. Now that's intimate."

There was, memorably, no vanity in Davis' Rose in Fences," a performance that reached its aching crescendo in her shattering, snot-dripping "18 years of my life" monologue. But in Steve McQueen's electric Chicago underworld thriller Widows, Davis' raw intimacy includes a dimension she has rarely, if ever, gotten to express in film  her sexuality.

"It's a part of the strength. It's a part of the badass-ness. It's a part of the vulnerability," Davis, fighting a cold, said in an interview the morning after Widows premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. "The first scene in the movie I'm in bed with Liam Neeson. That may seem like not a big deal to you but to me that was a big deal."

In Widows, McQueen's follow-up to the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave, Davis stars as the wife of a veteran thief (Neeson) who dies, along with his crew, in a heist gone wrong. For their spouses, it's almost as if their lives have also been extinguished. But with Veronica Rawlins' leadership, they (the other women are played by Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki and Carrie Coon) resolve to take over their late husbands' criminal plans and pull off what none expect them capable of.

"This was a great experiment in exploring how to work out getting back your power," says Davis. "In my life I'm still learning that."

When a reporter points out that she  one of the most movingly outspoken advocates for on-screen representation and inclusion  seems quite in control of her considerable power, Davis demurs. "Like everyone, I have my good moments and bad moments."

'Give her a movie!'

Davis has won an Oscar (for Fences), an Emmy (for How to Get Away With Murder) and a Tony, twice (for Fences and King Hedley II)  a trifecta that no other black actor has accomplished, and few others, for that matter. Along the way, her impassioned acceptance speeches have been some of the most potent thunderbolts of inspiration in the wider fight for diversity, beamed out to the unrepresented and the overlooked everywhere.

But it's been almost a decade since her Doubt co-star Meryl Streep pleaded "My God, somebody give her a movie!" at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (and later called her "possessed to the blazing, incandescent power"). Since then, Davis has been a mainstay on screens big and small, but she has seldom  except in the Shonda Rhimes ABC series and now Widows  been front and center. She has even expressed some regret over 2011's The Help, noting "it wasn't the voices of the maids that were heard." The same year, Davis formed a production company with her husband, actor Julius Tennon, with whom she has an eight-year-old daughter.

For McQueen, Davis' lack of leading performances is one of the most glaring injustices in Hollywood.

"She can only be judged by the films she gets to do. Don't forget: She could not really make a living in film because no one was giving her any roles," McQueen said by phone. "She was not given an opportunity to fulfill her craft. So she had to go on television. Viola's 53 years old. She should have a vast body of work by now."

Does Davis feel the same way?

"I mean, yeah," she sighs. "I sort of feel that sometimes. But I'm honored that I've gotten to this point. This is a very privileged life. I feel like if I sit here and I say, 'I should have had more lead roles,' some dissatisfaction with the moment  I can't do that. I really can't."

'Observers and thieves'

Davis, the fifth of six children, grew up impoverished, in dilapidated homes in Rhode Island, the daughter of an alcoholic father who was abusive to Davis' mother.

"I became an actor because I was an observer. It's said that actors are observers and they're thieves. You observe life and then you steal from it," says Davis. "The beauty of how I grew up is I saw so many horrific but glorious things happen in public. When you grow up poor, nothing is undercover. You hear everything played out because people are living in close proximity to each other. You know who the alcoholic is. You know who's getting beaten by their husband."

Davis has said before that she's motivated to honor the dreams of her "eight-year-old self." "She's always sitting there," says Davis. "And, really, it's easy to make her happy, whereas it's sort of hard to make me happy now." And she lets out a belly laugh.

'Bigger than a hashtag'

That upbringing has informed how Davis has responded to the #MeToo movement: applauding it, encouraging it, but also fearing that its focus on Hollywood actresses and executives is limited. She cites her long-running involvement with Gail Abarbanel's Rape Treatment Center at the Stuart House as the kind of place that needs support.

"It's much bigger than a hashtag," she says.

Widows, penned by McQueen and Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) is based on Lynda La Plante's 1980s British series, but its tale of female empowerment has obvious connections to today. In rehearsals, McQueen would sit with Davis and the other actresses and talk through their own experiences. "All the things in our lives that we felt people didn't see," says Davis. "Like my femininity."

McQueen wanted to bring all of those stories to the table. Davis would have preferred to wear a wig but McQueen disagreed. He wanted Davis to look just how she is. "I know this woman," McQueen told her. "She just hasn't been in the American cinema. So it's about time we introduced her."

Davis has made such introductions a regularity, bringing one African-American woman after another to a screen where they didn't before exist.

"My big thing  this is my ego  I always want people to look back at this time and I want my name to be in it. I always want to be in the conversation," she says. "Not just in movies, just in terms of people seeing themselves differently."Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM

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Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens.BTS. Photo: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Following a rare week of controversies and unflattering press for K-pops biggest name, BTS, their management company is now apologizing on their behalf. Last week, a BTS performance in Japan was canceled after photos resurfaced of member Jimin wearing a T-shirt with a photo of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, which also featured Korean independence slogans on it. (The photo and shirt were meant to commemorate the liberation of Korea from Japan in 1945.) BTS issued a statement at the time apologizing for the cancellation, but did not mention the shirt. Now, the nonprofit Jewish rights group the Simon Wiesenthal Center has accused the band of anti-Semitism after another photo of BTS from a magazine shoot surfaced with a member wearing a hat featuring Nazi imagery. The SWC also alleged that the band has used flags at their concerts with symbols eerily similar to Nazi swastikas and is demanding an apology. Big Hit, the company which recently re-signed BTS for another seven years, has issued a lengthy statement in response, saying it does not hold BTS accountable for any of the controversial clothing items and that any offense was in no way intentional.

Big Hit bears all responsibilities for not providing the necessary and careful support to our artist that may have prevented these issues, and we would like to make clear that our artists, especially due to their extensive schedules and the complexities of on-site conditions, are in no way responsible for any of the issues outlined above.

They claim the Nazi imagery was approved by the magazine BTS was shot for and that it was an oversight on Big Hits part; they also say the allegedly Nazi-esque imagery featured at concerts is in no way associated with National Socialism and was designed to direct criticism against these very elements of totalitarianism. The statement continues: We would like to offer our sincere apologies for inadvertently inflicting pain and distress to anyone affected by totalitarian regimes in the past by failing to strictly review the clothing and accessories that our members were made to wear, as well as to anyone who may have experienced distress and discomfort by witnessing an association of our artists with imagery reminiscent of political extremism.

Big Hit says it has contacted associations in Japan and Korea representing those affected by the atomic bombings to provide explanations and apologies to anyone who may have been distressed or in any way affected. It has also sent a letter to the Simon Wiesenthal Center in order to offer explanations and apologies to anyone who may have been distressed or in any way affected.Spend 47 days in the art world with Seen. Francesco Clemente at his New York City studio. Photo: Daniel Dorsa for Vulture

Francesco Clemente moved to New York City in 1980 from Italy and established a studio in the then-desolate Noho. Much of the artists work has always explored his interest in Eastern philosophy, metaphysics, and mysticism, often refracted through his sense of Americas homegrown spiritualism  from Emerson and Thoreau to the Beat poets. But while studiously haute-bohemian, hes hardly lived the life of a monk: His Walden often seems to involve a velvet rope.

An exhibition spanning 40 years of Clementes work, including portraits of the many personalities he met after moving to New York, opens November 12 at the Brant Foundation Art Study Center, set amid the manicured polo fields of Greenwich, Connecticut. (Next spring, the Brant Foundation will open its city location, in the former Walter De Maria home in the East Village, which will make Peter Brants collection more accessible.)

To talk about the new show, I met with Clemente at his cavernous second-floor Broadway studio, that, despite the traffic noise outside, feels a bit like an ashram or yoga studio with the industrial wood floors, exposed brick, and wafting Nag Champa incense. Affable and soft-spoken, Clemente was as impeccably dressed as ever. He and his wife, Alba  who has been depicted by him multiple times, as well as by Andy Warhol, Alex Katz, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Julian Schnabel  and their stylish children, Chiara and Nina, are as much as part of the New York social scene as they have been since his work decorated Palladium nightclub, and their creative partnership was among those recently honored at the Hirshhorn gala.

Francesco Clemente. Photo: Daniel Dorsa for Vulture

Tell me about the exhibition.

The exhibition is called Works 19782018. Its a wonderful exercise. I told [Peter Brant] he has a very specific view of what I make. He said, Im just looking for the best works. I feel there is a relationship with all the works, but he will not admit that.

What is the relationship?

I think he is going after the more lyrical side of my work. Im comfortable with that. Ive gone to some darker places, but its not necessary to show every page of your life, even in a retrospective. Its nice to show some pages that make sense together.

I work best on commission. I work best when the situation is the opposite of when someone says Do whatever you want. Im not a fan of that situation. I dont want. My job is not to want. My job is to be, so its a good situation when I can bounce back to other peoples minds, and listen to other peoples thoughts. I love to be proved wrong.

Francesco Clemente at this New York City studio. Photo: Daniel Dorsa for Vulture

What are the pieces that Peter chose?

The exhibition space is a very specific space. Each of the rooms has a very unique character. There is a room that is very domesticated and luxurious with stucco and a chandelier that will have the portraits.

Then there is a small room filled with work that I am very fond of called The Pondicherry Pastels from my very first exhibition in New York. Its very, very tactile and intimate. Tiny, tiny works.

The room full of light will have what you call in New York the big time paintings. There is a wonderful narrative of constructing and undoing and lifting and plunging. There is a broken heart, and a heart that is being cut away.

Then there is the room that is like a well that you can look down at from a balcony above. There is a tent there. The tent was made in Rajasthan. It showed in MASS MoCA. And two or three huge frescoes. There are two enormous watercolors that I made in 2011 called History of the Heart. But the keys to everything are the frescoes. I paint in clean layers. I paint without going back. Theres a beautiful Charlie Parker quote. He says, Play the pretty notes and play it clean.

My two favorite quotes about painting come from the music world. The other one is by Martin Feldman: When a composer hesitates, he becomes immortal. So, for me, the hesitation is key. Waiting is everything, of course.

What other works are included in the exhibition?

There is a so-called video room that I am using for the books. I prefer to read than to watch. And then there is a room filled with all the collaborations [with] the poets. Allen Ginsberg, Vincent Katz, Rene Ricard, and some paintings inspired by Indian text that will relate to the work. The letters are the seed that leads to the generation of the idea. The letters also inhabit parts of your body. Its all from the classic texts of the family of traditions.

I studied Sanskrit.

Its so beautiful.

Sanskrit is a kind of language where your posture counts. If you want to pronounce it properly, you have to sit straight. You cant slouch. In India, the senses are not a bad thing. They are a gate to higher knowledge where you eventually bypass all the senses.

The opening of Francesco Clementes Works 19782018 at the Brant Foundation Art Study Center in Greenwich, Connecticut. Photo: Courtesy The Brant Foundation Art Study Center

Are a lot of your friends still in New York?

I dont want to be quoted, but most of my friends are dead.

I dont know how we all found each other in New York back then. No one had phones. You just went out and ran into interesting people.

Its because back then there was no one else in this neighborhood. It was empty and very beautiful. Alba and I always talk about this one night when we were walking in the Lower East Side with our little children and we were like See? See how beautiful New York is? and we were standing in front of a burned-out building. This is what we thought was beautiful then.

All that destruction felt honest.

Remember what the great Stendhal  who has gone out of fashion but remains a great writer  says, Is it possible to make great art in a city that is not dangerous? Im just quoting Stendhal.

There was more magic in New York when it wasnt so crowded. Life was like a treasure hunt before smartphones and the internet.

You can definitely not meet someone special if you are not looking up. But, Im not taking a side on this question of New York. New York is still a knowledgeable city. Though, my favorite part of the internet is that now if you cant remember the words to a poem, you can look it up.

Tell me about making the Hanuman Books.

I am most proud of a pirate edition of the Jack Kerouac book because you cant get any permission to publish anything by Kerouac. And we just did it. I say we because it was me and Raymond Foye. We published [Willem] de Koonings collected writings  I dont think there is anyone else who published this. They are just brilliant and wonderful writings. We went and asked Elaine [de Kooning, the artists widow], and she gave us permission to publish his writings. And then we published a number of the Beat poets who were all close to Raymond and who were my heroes when I was growing up in Italy. And we published relatively obscure writers from the 1930s from Europe, mystical, sectical writers on the modernist scene but marginal in certain ways, like Picabia, Jean Genet, and Simone Weil. And then weve published Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Robert Creeley, and Rene Ricard. Im very proud of these books.

This is the universe I love to inhabit. Im not a poet. Im a painter, but I love the stance of the poet. I also love the fact that the poet only speaks if he has something to say. Otherwise, he just doesnt say anything. I just love that. Its very hard not to speak.

Most of all, Ginsberg and Kerouac, these poets had a strong relation to the East and everything that has been important to me. And they were also reflective of my America. When I thought of America when I was growing up, I thought of them. I was a little surprised to encounter the other reality. The other America.

Once you got here, it wasnt what you thought it would be?

No. You think America is a very exotic place if you dont live here. You have to live here a long time before it becomes penetrable. It seems so accessible but it really isnt accessible. I dont think its accessible at all. I still believe in the America I loved as a teenager. I still believe in Emerson, Thoreau, Ginsberg, and all the rebels and mystics.

America is a mystical place. It may sound paradoxical, but it is a mystical place. The land is a mystical place. If you start walking from New York and go west, the land is so soulful. So everything will be okay.

The opening of Francesco Clementes Works 1978-2018 at the Brant Foundation Art Study Center in Greenwich, Connecticut. Photo: Carl Timpone/BFA.com

Did you take a lot of road trips?

I used to. Texas is so beautiful. I love Texas. I drove from San Francisco to Las Vegas. I drove from New York to New Mexico. From L.A. to New York. From Taos to New Orleans. My assistant was arrested once for having a spliff in Indiana. I had to go find a bail bondsman. But I wont be quoted saying bad things about Middle America. It is a land full of spirit and mysterious things.

In Europe, you are always driving north and south. For someone who grew up in Europe, driving east to west is so special because the sun is in your eyes. Its a very different experience of light than you get in Europe.

You grew up in Naples. Not so long ago, a very dangerous city.

Very dangerous. But Italy was a great place to see American artists when I was growing up. I saw Cy Twomblys work when I was very young. It had a huge impact on me. It was related to antiquity, and he was turning around the equation. For me, antiquity was such a weight, but for him it was a pair of wings. That was an amazing lesson to learn that there were ways to embrace the past so it didnt weigh you down. He is a marvelous artist. He is still up there for me.

A lot of artists were exhibiting in Italy before their time here. I saw a Richard Serra exhibition before Richard Serra became Richard Serra. When he was still making a very funky neo-Dada kind of work, which I think he rejects today, but it had a big impact on the artists in Rome in the late 60s and 70s. There were such legendary moments. Rauschenberg showed there in Italy and got a negative review. My gallerist, Sperone, brought to Europe paintings by Jasper Johns and Warhol in 1962. I got to see all that. We had a very up-to-date confrontation with America. It was inspiring. It was a golden age of American art.Photo: Paramount Pictures

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is Joel and Ethan Coens second Western in the last eight years  but only if youre being strict with your definitions. Western themes and images have blown through their movies from the beginning, starting with the wide-open plains of Blood Simples Texas, where little seems to have changed since the days when it marked the spot where the law ended and the wilderness began. The Coens attraction to such places, and the untamed characters who live there, is evident even when theyre not, strictly speaking, making Westerns. Joel and Ethan Coen were raised in Minnesota and live in New York, but their hearts belong in the West.

Sometimes they can barely hide it. Theres really no good reason for The Big Lebowski, a noir-inspired shaggy-dog tale set in early-90s Los Angeles, to open with rolling tumbleweed and be bookended by commentary from Sam Elliott as a cowboy-outfitted character identified only as a The Stranger. But theres one great reason: It erases any distance between the free-ranging movie cowboy hero of old and the Dudes own late 20th-century brand of layabout free-spiritedness. Sometimes theres a man, the Stranger informs us over footage of the Dude wandering a supermarket in his bathrobe, Well, hes the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. Theyre the words of a man whos spent his life trying not to be fenced in recognizing a kindred spirit, and if most of the story sandwiched between the Strangers appearances has more to do with Raymond Chandler than Zane Grey, the framing devices work as a beautiful bit of shorthand revealing the soul of Jeff Bridgess character. The frontier closed decades before the Dude was born, but its restless spirit has lingered.

So have some of its dangers. A different sort of cowboy-hatted character gets the first words in Blood Simple, the Coens 1984 debut, commenting in voice-over on the difference between Russia, where they got it mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else, and Texas, concluding, Down here, youre on your own. The gentle, drawling voice belongs to Loren Visser, a morally flexible private detective played by M. Emmet Walsh. Hired to kill a cheating couple (Frances McDormand, John Getz) by a jealous husband named Marty (Dan Hedaya), Visser balks and uses a photograph to fake their death. But that doesnt mean hes above killing, and when his initial scheme starts to spin out of control, he resorts to more desperate measures to contain matters.

The years have passed and the landscape has become dotted with oil wells and drive-ins, but Blood Simple suggests that the character of a place doesnt change as quickly. Visser not only wears the hat and boots of another time, hes kept the attitude, living as if whats lawful is defined by what you can get away with. If the pays right, and its legal, Ill do it, he tells Marty when they first speak, then he revises those guidelines: If the pays right, Ill do it. There are places governed by just laws meant to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. But Texas, at least the Texas of Blood Simple, isnt one of them. Its a borderland, a place where civilization ends. A tense sequence in the middle of the film involves one character driving another to the middle of nowhere to be buried away from prying eyes  but it doesnt feel like he has to drive very far. In Blood Simple, the darkness on the edge of town has a way of bleeding into city limits.

Whats true of Texas is just as true in Minnesota. In Fargo, Minneapolis car dealer Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) sets a violent chain reaction in motion when he hires some bumbling criminals to kidnap his wife. To recruit them, he has to leave the state, traveling beyond the Minnesota border, going to the city of Fargo, North Dakota, in the West.

As a location, Fargo barely figures into Fargo. Yet it looms large over the film, less as a city than an idea. Fargo is where Jerry has to go to find men not beholden by the restrictions of polite society. Its the place beyond the law, a place whose destructive influence is allowed to creep into and taint the morally upstanding state of Minnesota. Fargo is evil. Not the real Fargo, which is probably no more good or evil than any other place. But the Fargo of Fargo is as lawless as the Texas of Blood Simple, a spot beyond the frontier filled with dark possibilities. And though the state is situated in the Upper Midwest, its worth noting that the James Gang once tried their luck robbing banks in Minnesota. This, too, was once the frontier, even if you wouldnt know it now.

Not that the frontier has to be all chaos and destruction. The Coens have a soft spot for Western wildness, at least the sort of wildness embodied by the hapless criminal H.I. McDunnough (Nicolas Cage) in Raising Arizona. Released in 1987, the brothers second film is both the tale of an outlaw whos forced by his desire for a family to settle down and the story of a place thats grown a little too settled and unaccommodating of the restless of spirit. What was once open country has become paved over, leaving no way for those of a certain disposition to make their way in the world.

Its also become a place where the divide between those who have and those who have not has widened dramatically, making H.I. and his wife Eds (Holly Hunter) scheme to steal one of the quintuplets born to a rich couple both a felony and an extreme embodiment of some widespread discontent. H.I. and Ed have discovered that the opportunities that made the West the West  and by extension made America America  just arent there anymore, and in case anyone missed the point, a bit of H.I.s voice-over makes clear how much this is due to the changes brought to the country in the 1980s, saying, It wasnt easy with that sumbitch Reagan in the White House. Then he softens a bit, I dunno. They say hes a decent man, so maybe his advisers are confused.

Where Raising Arizona finds the Coens exploring a West deep into the Reagan era, their Academy Awardwinning 2007 film No Country for Old Men unfolds in 1980, when the escalating drug war would soon make the ways of men like Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) seem quaint. The film adapts Cormac McCarthys novel and its easy to see what attracted the Coens to the material, which, like Fargo, wraps an unsparing morality tale in the guise of a crime story. But its also a return to the West, in this case a New West that looks a lot like the Old West in modern dress. The films most famous character, the pitiless assassin Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), is both a herald of the bloody new era to come and a throwback to the unhinged badmen of old, men who didnt so much die off as find new jobs.

Maybe thats why the Coens first proper Western, their 2010 remake of True Grit, felt less like a new development than a homecoming  both for the Coens and star Jeff Bridges. Like the Dude, Bridgess Rooster Cogburn  a hard-drinking U.S. Marshall hired by a teenager to track down the man who killed her father  fits right into the time of the movie. Only his time is drawing to a close, even if he doesnt realize it. Its a Western filled with elegiac undertones, particularly in an epilogue that reveals that Cogburn spent his final years reenacting his glory days as part of a Wild West show. Sometimes youre the man for your time and place. Sometimes you become a relic of it.

The bittersweetness of True Grit almost seems inevitable, arriving as it does after so many films set in the aftermath of the era it depicts. Of course, a Coen brothers Western would have melancholy built into it. They knew what was coming next. Yet part of what makes The Ballad of Buster Scruggs so exciting is how unpredictable it is. Its six stories all feel like the work of the Coen brothers, naturally, but each has its own look, feel, and thematic obsessions, ranging from the deranged musical that opens it to the eerie, allegorical closing segment. The film seems less the result of the Coens having a sudden urge to tell a bunch of Western stories than a desire to tell some Coen brothers stories in their most agreeable setting.

It seems like working in the Western (and in TV episode-length segments) has given the brothers freedom to try out new approaches. Maybe its the beginning of a new phase that will find them charged with ideas drawn from time spent wandering the Old West. It wouldnt be the first time.An animal shelter in Limestone County is begging for help as theyve seen an influx of both cats and dogs.

In fact, it's the only animal shelter in the county, so theyre asking the community to step up and foster or adopt, so that the animals dont have to be put down.

WAAY 31 spoke with folks at the animal shelter and learned a little more about what they've been dealing with the past week.

After posting about a full house on Facebook last week, the Athens-Limestone County Animal Shelter received a lot of positive feedback and had at least a dozen dogs taken out of their shelter just this past weekend, but they say the over-crowding problem isnt exactly fixed.

"If we run out of space, euthanization is our only resort," said the director of the Athens-Limestone County Animal Shelter, Priscilla Blenkinsopp.

Thats the message the animal shelter posted about on Facebook last week, begging the community to help by fostering animalsas the shelter was becoming over-crowded.

We had 80 or 85 at that time, and now, were down to around 60.

Sixty is exactly the amount of dogs the shelter was built to hold, so, technically, theyre still at full-capacity, but since their post on Facebook, theyve had a lot of people offer to foster.

However, while the number of dogs is down, the number of cats is on the rise.

Our catstheyre up. Weve got a lot of cats in today, so we need help with cats now," Blenkinsopp said. "If youre looking at adopting a cat or a kitten, please come see us.

WAAY 31 asked Blenkinsopp if expanding the shelter or adding a new shelter would helpas this is the only shelter in Limestone Countybut she told us, as long as they can encourage the community to spay and neuter their pets, she believes numbers at the shelter should be manageable. But if the community doesnt listen, there could be some problems.

"One litter is too many for us," Blenkinsopp said.

So, the shelter is doing all they can to persuade people that adding a four-legged member to the family is a good idea.

Theyre your best friend," Blenkinsopp said. "They love you unconditionally.

This isnt the first animal shelter in our area to become over-crowded. Just a couple of weeks ago, Huntsville Animal Services was also asking for help so they wouldnt have to euthanize their animals.Huntsville International Airport is planning its next moves for expansion.

During its regularly scheduled board meeting, the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority approved amending its Fiscal Year 2019 budget to allow funds for a new air cargo ramp project.

The addition would be placed on the west side of the airport near County Line Road and cost $12,126,680.

We do think that that's going to be a great opportunity for us to meet the needs of companies that we're working with right now for their future expansion in our community, Rick Tucker, executive director of the Airport Authority, said.

The board also voted unanimously on Tuesday to submit a grant request to the Federal Aviation Administration to reimburse the Airport Authority for the cost of the design work and construction costs.

This move would be in addition to the Taxiway C project that the airport is currently working on. Senator Richard Shelby helped secure a $29.1 million grant to help complete funding that project.

Tuesdays meeting also marked the first for the Airport Authority since the midterm elections.

Tucker spent part of the meeting reviewing the changes in the House of Representatives and the Senate that will impact the airline industry.

He told WAAY 31 that one change that he thinks may be beneficial to airports is a change in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Pennsylvania Rep. Bill Schuster is retiring and will likely be replaced by the ranking member, Oregon Rep. Peter DeFrazio.

Tucker said that could be a good sign for airports around the country since DeFrazio introduced a bill in the House last year that would lift the cap off whats called the passenger facility charge.

It's a $4.50 fee thats added to the cost of an airplane ticket. Per Federal Aviation Administration rules, those funds must be put toward airport infrastructure.

It has not been increased in 18 years while the buying, the purchasing power of those passenger facility charges is about half of what it used to be 18 years ago, Tucker said.

He said its something to watch closely, but it would need bipartisan support to pass. The bill introduced by DeFrazio never moved beyond the House.On Tuesday, parole was denied for two people convicted for crimes in Lauderdale County and for a woman convicted of killing a Shoals prosecutor's grandmother.

Carlos Hampton was denied parole for a 1994 murder in Lauderdale County. Michael Reeder was also denied parole for a 2005 manslaughter charge in Lauderdale County. Reeder was driving drunk when he killed Rita McDonald.

Rita McDonald's family after parole was denied for Michael Reeder. Reeder has served 12 years of an 18 year sentence. Rita McDonald's family after parole was denied for Michael Reeder. Reeder has served 12 years of an 18 year sentence.

The board also denied parole for Christolyn Brown, a woman convicted of killing Billy Jean Burton in the 90's. Burton's granddaughter is the assistant district attorney in Lauderdale County.

Angie Hamilton, Burton's granddaughter said she normally comes down to Montgomery to fight for victims before the parole board, but Tuesday she was fighting for her grandmother.

"Every time you have to come back down here to fight, it just brings everything back up," Hamilton said.

Her grandmother's murder is the reason she's now a prosecutor.

"I didn't even know about the criminal justice system until my grandmother was murdered," she said.

This is Hamilton's second time to come and ask the parole board to keep Brown locked up. Hamilton said she was worried they might let Brown walk out because of the parole board's actions in letting violent offenders out.

"I am very concerned at this time, not only the parole board and the things we've seen lately, but also the time that she's served there seems to be an increase in sentencing reform from 2015 to let violent offenders out of prison," Hamilton said.

During the hearing, parole board, Chairperson Lyn head told Hamilton that Brown was even combative with field officers during interviews for this very parole hearing. They denied Brown parole and set her next parole hearing five years from now. Hamilton said she believes that timeline should change.

"You have to redo your whole life. It's not at the convenience of the victim. It's at the convenience of the parole board," she said.

Michael Reeder, a man charged with manslaughter for driving drunk and killing Rita McDonald in Lauderdale County, was also denied parole. Mcdonald's family was emotional when the board denied him parole.

The board also denied parole for Carlos Hampton, a man who shot and killed William Casey in 1994. Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly was at these parole hearings asking the board to deny both Reeder and Hampton parole.

"I think it's important to be here and look the parole board in the eye and let them know what our community wants in terms of not letting these violent offenders back in the area," Connolly said.

Reeder will come up for parole again in four years and Hampton will come up for parole again in five years.WAAY 31 learned more about how the heavy rain is affecting farmers in north Alabama, where they're harvesting their cotton and soybean crops.

Five days is all Stuart Sanderson needs to get his job done, but the rain and time aren't on his side. Sanderson has just eight days to get his wheat crops into the ground in order for them to be covered by insurance and after that, he's on his own.

"We need like five days of sunshine to where we can get back started to planting wheat," Sanderson said. "Anytime you plant wheat, after about the 20th of November, you do start losing production on the other end."

The rain isn't just threatening his ability to plant his wheat crop. For 11 days, Sanderson hasn't been able to harvest the rest of his soybean crops, which could impact his ability to sell them.

"One, if we do get to harvest the crop later on in November and we lose quality or if conditions don't improve, we may end up abandoning some acres because the quality will be so bad that they will not be worth harvesting," he said.

Sanderson said he will try to harvest as much of his crops as possible, but he does hope the rain lets up soon. He said the price of wheat on the market is up about 20 cents because of the weather and that this likely won't be passed on to consumers.

"Nothing we can do about the weather. We just gotta hope we can get some clear days here; a little bit favorable temperatures to dry the crops out," he said.On a day Americans spend honoring veterans, WAAY 31 thought it worth mentioning the high number of Veterans who will serve in Congress. Veterans will be represented in record numbers in January.

The military times states 76 veterans were elected or re-elected last Tuesday. 15 veterans in the Senate were not up for re-election and will return next year.

Vietnam veteran Tom McKinney said he feels confident when a politician has served this country because he or she tends to make the best decisions for the military.

"It's very helpful if they've seen the world from the other side," said Tom McKinney.

In the 60's, Tom McKinney was in the U.S. Marines and served in the Vietnam war. He believes the war was unpopular because of decisions made from politicians.

"I think every politician who has served will have another level of appreciation for what those troops on the ground are doing and what those troops in the air are doing," McKinney said.

McKinney said he has health issues because of the herbicide 'agent orange' that was sprayed throughout the jungles in Vietnam.

"But again, a political decision to act the way we acted and to use the substances. We did it to hold back the military. Instead of letting us just getting on at it and winning the war," McKinney said.

173 veterans ran for congress this election. McKinney said politicians who are veterans are more sensitive when making decisions for the troops. He hopes the veterans in politics continue to provide more resources for the veteran affairs.

"So many veterans have returned from conflicts and they're either homeless or down and out, and they can't seem to get treatment they need. Whether it's post traumatic stress or mental problems," McKinney said.This week is the Great American Smokeout, the time once a year that the American Cancer Society asks all smokers to begin their journey toward a smoke-free life in November.

In Alabama, a significant portion of the population smokes cigarettes. Now many people are turning to smokeless options like e-cigarettes believing it's a healthier choice. Huntsville resident, Lindsay Duckworth, told WAAY 31 he started smoking as a child.

"I was a kid, I thought it was cool I suppose and then eventually what happened? I began smoking every day," said Duckworth.

Now Duckworth has a new incentive to kick the habit. He's a father and wants to live a long healthy life for his son.

"I just love being a father and just having someone depending on you," he said.

More than 24 percent of adults smoke in Alabama. That's about one out of every four people. Some of them are turning to e-cigarettes because they believe it's a healthier option.

A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows about of 3.7 percent of American adults use electronic cigarettes or vapor products on a regular basis. That figure represents more than 9 millions adults. WAAY 31 wanted to know if it's really a better choice, so we took our questions to the American Cancer Society of Huntsville. As community development manager, Kaki Morrow explained it's still too early to reach a conclusion.

"There is not enough federal regulation on e-cigarettes. There is not enough studies with long term implications. We do know that smoking can lead to lung cancer and is the cause of 98 percent of lung cancer cases, but we don't really know what kind of long-term effects e-cigarettes have," said Morrow.

Researchers say e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but that doesn't mean e-cigarettes are safe. The CDC says e-cigarettes might contain potentially harmful substances including heavy metals, lead, volatile organic compounds and cancer-causing agents.

"I think our generation is going to be the ones to really test out if it's really a healthy alternative or not. I think there is a lot of health risks by doing that, but I just don't know what they are," said Anna Neighbors, who says many of her friends use E-Cigarettes.

Duckworth told WAAY 31 he tried e-cigarettes but is uncomfortable with them until he learns more. In the meantime, he plans to use other methods to quit smoking.

The American Cancer Society has several recommendations as to what it suggests, if you would like to quit smoking. For more information on resources to help you quit smoking, click HERE.As firefighters continue to battle the fire in California, WAAY 31 wanted to know just how grueling the work is for firefighters. We found out it's no easy task and firefighters can be on scene for extended periods of time.

"They're out there 24/7 fighting fires constantly, and it's ridiculously rigorous work to do," said Tim White.

Tim White is the Safety Coordinator for Brindlee Mountain Fire Apparatus, one of the largest sellers of used fire equipment in the nation. White said crews battling the deadly fires in California don't take the same approach as for a standard house fire.

"Normally we can get those under control relatively quickly depending on the size of it, but a wild land fire where you're fighting thousands of acres of fire, that's a whole different set of circumstance," said White.

Another difference White pointed out is that crews typically stay on scene not hours, not days, but weeks. We asked White if he knows of anyone from the Tennessee Valley who will be heading to California to lend a hand. He said it's a process.

"There is a certification that you can get where you're subject to be called up for service to do those things," he said.

WAAY 31 reached out to local fire departments to see if anyone will be going to California to help fight the fires. We weren't able to find out if anyone will be, but we did learn there are some firefighters with Huntsville Fire that do hold the certifications to go help.13 Nov-6 Jan. History meets technology in this 3D exhibition at Rome's Ara Pacis museum, on display every night until 6 January. The rich history and legends of Imperial Rome are displayed in an immersive exhibition at the capital's Ara Pacis, using 3D technology to revive the original colours of the museum's altar to peace.

Titled L'Ara Com'era (The Ara as it was), the installation involves "augmented reality" scenes illuminating the first-century AD altar which was commissioned by Emperor Caesar Augustus to celebrate the peace he established throughout the Roman empire.This is kind of answering a different question from the one you asked . . . but maybe going to the school, citing the example of your daughters friend and floating the idea of a program to support bright kids who have adjustment struggles  a program for which you offer seed money  could also become a non-meddlesome way to make the case for the schools giving this friend another chance. And boy, do these schools listen to people who walk in with money, alas, unless they have so much they can afford not to.CNNs lawsuit, he added, is critical to preserve the medias ability to ask hard questions and hold the government accountable . . . It would be intolerable to let this kind of thing go unchallenged. Other reporters would end up hesitating before asking sharp questions, the White House would be able to use the threat of similar revocations for critical coverage, and media coverage of the White House would be distorted because of fear of official retaliation.Helen R. in Pennsylvania: This is a fairly new service that some credit card companies provide. It can be easier to look for mistakes on your report when you see your score every month, but scores can vary from card to card, due to how the scores are calculated.He didnt specify whether there was a nature to the bullying  if hes Jewish, or gay, or nerdy, or any number of identities that adolescents have often turned into targets  but it hardly matters. In a separate interview, Blue suggested that his classmates saw the sieg heil as a joke, which may well be the case. Still, what he described made it sound like this kind of callous attitude wasnt an isolated incident at Baraboo. It wasnt a wart on an otherwise unblemished student body but part of the central nervous system.We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia, Amazon founder and CEO Jeffrey P. Bezos said in a statement. These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities.We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia, Amazon founder and CEO Jeffrey P. Bezos said in a statement. (Bezos also owns The Washington Post.) These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities.Joel Baum  senior director of professional development for Gender Spectrum, an advocacy organization focused on gender inclusivity, particularly in schools  said school systems throughout the country have been discussing ways to include in their databases students who do not identify as male or female. He said some jurisdictions face logistical hurdles when attempting to add a third gender option to enrollment forms because their computer systems can categorize students only as male or female.NYU officials have taken extra steps recently to ensure those students feel welcome, she said. Faculty members and administrators check in with each one after arrival to see if they have any concerns. The culture for them can feel unwelcoming, Knoll-Finn said. We have to do a lot of work to make sure they know that we want them here.Terry Owens, a spokesman for the D.C. Department of Transportation, said Hudgens was fined $53,611.20 for magnolias that were pruned excessively, including one that was removed. Such fines are determined by a trees circumference, Owens said, adding that one tree was 101 inches in circumference and the other was 78 inches.Jeffrey Clark warned a family member after the Pittsburgh shootings that the FBI might come around because he had followed the suspect on the Internet. Jeffrey Clark said, according to the court document, They had not broken any laws, but at some point if a line gets crossed, I would be violent, everyone has a line . . .It is troubling, to say the least, that the President is attempting to fill a vacancy he created himself with a temporary appointment that might last for many months or years, the filing from Froshs office said. It is especially troubling that the temporary appointee has not been confirmed by the Senate for his underlying position; the President might reasonably be seen as appointing a loyalist in a way that deliberately circumvents the Senates constitutional advice-and-consent role.